They Call Me...

the bug lady.  Yes, I know it doesn't seem like a very nice name, but I like it.  I'm weird like that.  All the kids in the neighborhood come running to me when they find a creepy crawler.  I hear "Miss Amy what is this thing right here?  I think it might be poisonous."  or "I think it might be a new species!"

I get great joy out of telling the kids exactly what kind of bug they've found.  Maybe I should get my Master's in Entomology...

There's Something In The Air

And it smells a little like Spring!  Ahhhh...I've got pretty little flowers and green shoots popping up all over my yard.  I'm thinking it's getting mighty close to planting time.  I'll be planting my herbs this week.  I start them indoors and move them to the back porch when it gets warm enough. 

My Little Man will be 9 years old in a couple of weeks!

My Valentine's Day present finally came in yesterday!  My hubby got me a KitchenAid Pro 500 Stand Mixer.  I'm a happy, happy girl!  And I'm sure you can guess what I've been doing all night...Baking like Betty, baby! And you know it HAD to be red...I likes me some red!

A Mystery

Just a quick post on a mystery we have in our house.  We always have them, but this one is pretty funny.  I make it no secret that I love wine.  I like it with my dinner and I love to cook with it so my fridge has some stashed in the back.  I also have these adorable little wine stoppers that I got on clearance years ago that I use.  I know you're saying "Ok, get onto the mystery already."  Today I needed some red wine for a recipe and instead of popping open a new bottle I rummaged around in the fridge for one that I had already opened.  I found one, but my cute cork wasn't in it.  Someone had removed it and replaced it with a....


wait for it........

mushroom!  It was all shriveled up.  Hehehe  No one is fessing up.  Madison and Conner can't reach it so that leaves Wesley and Mitch.  They're both jokesters so both are capable. 

Be Careful What You Say

Madison is on an "ask a million questions" kick.  Every little thing on Earth brings about a slew of questions and sometimes I just don't know how to answer them in a way that she can understand.  Just recently I was cleaning some grapes to give her.  She was becoming impatient and asked why I was cleaning them.  I told her that I cleaned them so she wouldn't get sick and this is how the conversation went:

Madison:  "What's sick for?"
Me:  "That's when you don't feel good and run a fever."
Madison:  "Why would grapes make me sick?"
Me:  "Because sometimes people don't wash them properly."
Madison:  "What's properly for?"
Me:  "That means they don't do it like they should."
Madison:  "Why don't they do it like they should?"
Me:  "Because sometimes they just can't."
Madison:  "Does the grapes have bugs?"
Me:  "Sometimes if they aren't washed in the right water they get little tiny bugs on them that can make you sick.  That's why mommy always washes them."
Madison:  "What kind of water do they use?"
Me:  "Contaminated water."
Madison:  "What's contaminated for?"

*By this time I was growing antsy and said something I shouldn't have*

Me:  "They use poopie water."

That seemed good enough an answer for her and she didn't ask anymore questions. (Adding that now she has to watch me wash everything so she knows I did.)  We went to Kroger the other day and as I was grabbing some apples she blurts out really loud "Did they wash these in poopie water too?"  And to my dismay a Kroger employee was right next to us putting out some bananas.  He gave me the most awful look.  And there was no way I could explain it to him....

Happy Birthday Will!

I've posted before about my nephew that passed away last June.  Today he would have been 16 years old.  So this post today is to wish him a Happy Birthday. 

Happy Birthday, buddy!  Uncle Wesley, Aunt Amy, Mitch, Madison and Conner loves and misses you!  Until we meet again we will think of you each day.

Oh Yeah...

I forgot to add this little bit of nonimportant information - I got all my hair hacked off.  I feel all naked now.  When I'm in the shower washing my hair I almost freak out because there's so little of it - but it feels so much better than feeling like a Wooly Mammoth.

What Goes On Here

I learned an important lesson this past week.  If you ever let your kiddos cook with you in the kitchen you open a door for a plethora of disasters.  Because they think that since you let them help you once that they have free reign over the kitchen.  They also think that they are Paula Deen and can cook anything.  I came into the kitchen yesterday morning and as I came in Madison blurts out "Hey, ya'll" like Paula Deen does.  Yes, I watch entirely too much Food Network.  She had taken out the eggs, sugar and flour and was mixing them.  I calmly asked her what she was cooking and she said "A masterpiece."  I then told her that she should have gotten most of the flour in the bowl instead of on the floor.  She just smiled.

One day last week I was making Home Made Pop Tarts and had some scraps left over after cutting out the shapes.  They mysteriously went missing.  After a few quick looks on the floor and around the island I figured I must have thrown them in the trash already.  Then the next morning as I go into Madison's room to get her clothes I find another "masterpiece" of the pop tart scraps and honey mustard on her play kitchen.  I spent about an hour getting the honey mustard out of every crook and cranny of that kitchen.

My life is a crazy life, but it is some kind of fun!

Evidence

Mitch shot his shot gun and hit the target (a can) dead on.  When he got home he showed me the busted up can.  He kept shaking it saying that something was in it and finally a lizard hopped out of the can and onto the floor.  We were chasing it for a good 5 minutes.  How did that little sucker survive in that can with it being all shot up?  He's a super lizard.  We named him Clark (like Clark Kent.)

Can you tell that I'm a Biologist?  My book shelves are filled with animal field guides and Biology text books. I can just about name every insect down to the genus.  Yes, I'm a total nerd and I'm ok with that.

This is my notebook.  My mother in law got it for me with my initial on it.  Cute, huh?  I keep it nearby and write in it when I think of something.  My book is coming along nicely by the way.  I just keep on adding stuff.

And on a side note...who knew dinosaurs wore shoes?

A Little Warmth

The last couple of months I've kept the kids hostage in the house.  They did enjoy the baking and playtime for awhile, but they've been growing antsy and quite tired of me.  It's gotten so bad that when I announced the other day that we were going to be baking some cupcakes my rascals just rolled their eyes.  "Not more baking" they groaned.  They used to jump to the occasion fighting over who stirred and who licked the spoon.  Now all I get is pitiful little mumbles.  I guess I ruined a good thing... 

Mitch and Madison working hard on some muffins.

 Conner was playing with Madison's Dora House...and surprisingly she didn't freak out about it.

I've been praying for some warmth to come and this weekend I got it.  Today was even warm enough for me to sport some shorts outside.  The kids ran around like crazy little monkeys totally enjoying being outside and out of the "doggone house."  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

 "riding" in the jeep that doesn't work anymore

 We headed over to my parent's house and were enjoying the Koi pond.

 The fish seemed happy it was warmer too.

 she's a climber

I hope everyone else had a spectacular weekend!

Nobody Is Cold In Our House

It's been cold here lately and I make it no secret that I don't like it.  But my kiddos don't seem to like it either.  Today I found this little guy on the floor.  I asked Madison where he got that pretty dress from and she said that she didn't want any of her toys to be cold in case they wanted to go outside.

On Thursday night we made a short trip to the Ringlin' Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus, but had to leave halfway through because Madison and Conner just weren't feeling the whole women hanging from their hair thing.  We were lucky enough to get free tickets because my mother in law has the hook up on these types of events at her work.  So the leaving early thing didn't make me feel as bad, plus I was a little ready to leave because the boy behind us spilled his coke on my leather jacket.  I had to haul tail before he did any damage to my new purse and camera.

Waiting patiently for something to happen.

Yummy and sticky cotton candy.

The best part of the circus - the hats that come with the cotton candy.  I haven't been able to take this thing off of her - even at the grocery store.

All In A Day's Work

Being a Stay at Home Mom really isn't as easy as some think.  Yes, I get to stay home.  All of this "sleeping in" and "hanging out" business is nonsense.  I very honestly have not had a full night's sleep in many years.  Between 3 children at least one of them wakes up each night.  I get up and take care of them because I don't want my hubby tired at work.  Not to mention how crazy my day is with two small ones who are constantly into everything. 

Madison raided the fridge and was gnawing on a huge block of cheese.  Shes's a little rat.

Conner chowing down on his grilled cheese "samich."

Mitch in his messy room.

 Madison has a style that's all her own.

Yesterday I made pancakes, bacon and eggs.  After breakfast I was marveling at how Madison was stroking Conner's hair.  She was gently running her fingers through his hair and patting his head.  I watched her for a minute.  I loved how she was loving on her brother.  I finally said "Awww...Madison is loving on Conner.  That's my sweet little monkey."  She said "No.  I was just making his head sticky."  She had syrup all over her hands from the pancakes.  *Sigh*  Into the bath they both go and that was only at 8am.

My day is filled with some kind of chaos from sun up to sun down.  It's the kind of chaos where you are so busy feeding little ones, doing laundry and picking up teeny tiny toys that might find their way into little mouths that you totally forget to eat.  By 3 pm I'm wondering what the hell is up with my stomach?  Why is it aching so much? Oh yeah, it might help if I eat a sandwich or something.  I don't get sick days and I can't take a day off.  It's full blown devotion.  I might not get paid for my job, but it sure is rewarding and I am grateful that I get to experience this in life.

We got our seeds in the mail on Saturday - I got them for FREE this year!  Well, I got some of them for free.  I still need to get my herb seeds.  It won't be long before we start planting and I'm excited.  There's just something rewarding about feeding your family with food you grew yourself.  I like getting my hands dirty and working in the garden each day.  It's hard work, but good work.  Maybe I should get a pair of overalls...

I recently started a new project.  When I was in high school I found this old chest at an antique store.  The tag had $50 written on it and I talked them down to $20.  I had bought myself a piece of history for a really great price. Yes, I was a strange teenager who frequented local antique shops looking for treasures.  Due to the lack of space in the house I placed it in Madison's room with a quilt over it as a catch all.  I inherited an old handmade quilt from my great, great grandmother (yes, it's a little dirty - I'm scared to wash it.)  The quilt is falling apart in places because it's so old.  So, my new project is to line my old trunk that I've had for 17 years with my great, great grandmother's quilt.  And in time this will become Madison's trunk.  I think it's gonna be cool!