Why our kids never come in our room . . .

Image Source: http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2007/07/30/mice_5638.jpg

The year was 2001.  My little Buddy was 3.  Poor kid . . . his life was about to be forever altered.

We were living in a rental house.  I was 22 months pregnant.  No joke.  Our neighbor had mentioned that an exterminator had been to their home for their mice problem.  Hearing that made my hair stand on end - which was actually quite a sight!  I remember mentioning the conversation to my Mom and she said - be careful - the mice will be looking for a place to go and head your way.  Tuck that thought into my never-resting brain - and it just combined into the perfect storm.

About 2 am my sweet baby boy came toddling into our room.  To this day I don't know why.  Perhaps a drink of water, maybe he couldn't sleep, or maybe a bad dream.  I hope not - because it was only about to get worse.  Much much worse!

I was asleep.  And so - to wake me up - he reached his sweet pudgy little hand up and tousled my hair.  Me in my ever foggy between-sleep-and-reality stupor combined with the recent memory of the mice conversation could only think that the worst had inevitably happened.  There was a mouse in my hair!!!!  

Now I ask you . . . if you thought there was a mouse in bed with you - in your hair no less - what would YOU do?!?!?!?!?!  I didn't know my sweet baby was standing there.  I didn't know it was him trying to wake his Mama.  So - I shot up in bed with blood curling screams that woke half of the city!!!!!!  There was some frantic flailing - you know - just to make sure I got the mouse far away in case it was still on me.  Only then did I wake up enough to notice my poor son - wide-eyed and trembling at the response he had elicited from this woman called Mom who was supposed to protect and soothe him - not recoil and scream.  

I'm sure we will pay for years of therapy down the road - which will all lead back to that one horrifying memory.  It has made a lasting impression on my children - which is why they never come into my room in the middle of the night - at least not without staying a safe far distance away from my side of the bed!  

PS - the picture is seriously creeping me out!!!!

Oil - Black Gold - Texas Tea!!!

The Pipeline.  This is right off the side of our house.  It's huge - it runs at least a 1/4 of a mile.  They are currently welding it together and it blocks every u-turn that I normally use!  ARGH!!!  At first I was feeling very Texan and patriotic that our state pipeline is running down our street.  A while back I read an article that told where it ran to.  Something like Tyler, Austin, Mexico . . . I can't remember.  (just kidding on the Mexico part).  Anyhow - I tried looking it up for this post - but when I googled it - all I came up with was our city's disaster plan.  Ummmm . . . bad sign!!!!

Here's what it said:  "The two most significant pipeline incidents were the 1984 petroleum leak in R.L. Park and the natural gas pipeline fire in 1993 that burned through TU Electric power lines causing 17 towers to collapse."

Okee dokee then!  So if you hear a big boom - and don't see anymore posts . . . just know I was a proud Texan!  heh heh heh!

YEE-HAW!!!!!

At least once in your life - you must try . . .

Pretzels crumbled over vanilla ice cream!  Mmmmmm!!!

Sounds strange I know - but be brave . . . You won't regret it!  :o)

Chicken Dressing Casserole

This is an all-time family fall-favorite! It's like having Thanksgiving dinner on a regular day! 

Chicken Dressing Casserole

box of chicken stovetop stuffing mix
4 chicken breasts (I've used canned chicken before & a rotisserie chicken from the store too in a rush!)
can of cream of mushroom soup
1 c sour cream

Cook chicken, cool and shred into pieces. Prepare stuffing according to the directions. Spoon into a 9x13 dish or pan in a layer. Spread evenly over chicken. Combine soup and sour cream. Spread over stuffing. Bake @ 350 for 20-30 min. Stir and serve.

The Regency

Ok - I can't help myself . . . one more van story.  The above picture isn't an actual picture of our old van - but it's very similar.  One difference is that across the top of the windshield the word Regency was scrawled out in a fancy script - why? - I don't know - it came that way.  Anyhow it ended up for the makings of a great story.

Bob had taken his sister to the airport to drop her off for a flight.  As he sat at the curb - waiting to make sure she got in ok - he noticed a man rushing towards the van.  Imagine Bob's surprise when the man walked briskly to the door of the van - hopped in and pulled his luggage in.  He turned quickly to Bob and said "Does this one go to the Hyatt Regency on International Parkway?"  Bob was so tempted to just take the guy to his hotel anyway - but he explained that he was NOT the hotel van - just a private citizen dropping off his sister.  The man was mortified and apologetic as he quickly got out of the van.  Little does he know - he's forever immortalized in our family dinner table repertoire of stories that leave us chuckling.  

Mask Gas

Recently we went to the store to get a respirator mask for going up in the attic . . . (it's a jungle up there).  Anyhoo . . . it reminded me of a HIL-arious experience a few years back.

We drove around town in a beast of a van at the time.  It was one of those enormous custom vans that have the huge windows down the side.  Well - I had to pick up a few things at the dollar store.  The boys were with me and as we poked our way around the aisles they asked if they could each get one toy.  I mean - come on - everything's a dollar right???  So I said yes - and let them hyperventilate over making the choice of just one thing out of the hundreds lining the walls.  

So - they're boys . . . what do they choose????  As Travis calls them . . . a toy "mask gas".  I was a little hesitant - given that I was raised in a family of girls and all that boy stuff seems to escape me - but then I defaulted to what I knew my husband would say - who grew up in a family with mostly boys.  So we got the gas masks and headed out for more errands.  

What I didn't realize for the rest of the ride around town - is that the boys had opened their gas masks and put them on.  I can only imagine what the people driving past us - and pulled up next to us at stoplights must have thought.  Me in the front driving around - while my two boys - strapped in their car seats next to those giant side windows - wore gas masks that looked all too real.  I laughed for hours the rest of the day as I thought of the curious looks we must have received and the confusion people must have had when they saw the boys.

Still makes me laugh!  :o)

My Hero

Image Source:  http://i.treehugger.com/gas_burner_on_stove.jpg

Due to my rapidly increasing forgetfulness - last night I left a burner on.  We'd had spaghetti and I served up the plates at the stove.  I scooped out nearly all the sauce and left a plastic spoon in the pan.  There was a baking pan on the burner in front of it - so I didn't notice the burner was still on.  At about 8pm while we were reading scriptures Bob commented that something smelled like it was burning.  I thought that was really odd - since Bob has essentially no sense of smell - and I couldn't smell anything.  What was even more odd - earlier in the day I was making lunch and had the random thought that we hadn't gone over our family evacuation plan in a while.  So I shouted out to everyone scattered in the house - what would you do if the fire alarms went off right now?  The answers were varied - so we reviewed what to do if there was a fire.

About 2am - my Buddy came in our room to tell me the burner was on.  He'd gotten up and as he walked down the hall - caught just the right angle of the blue glow.  The last of the sauce was a crisp wafer and the spoon was beginning to melt.  What a blessing and a miracle that we were protected and that Buddy had the presence of mind to alert us.  The Lord was truly watching out for us and keeping us safe.  I am so humbly grateful!

Ka-Powie!

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At some point both of my boys have had black eyes - and now I can officially say my daughter has too!  Bless her heart!  I got a call from her school - it was her PE coach saying she'd been running and she collided with another girl and landed hard on her face.  [pausing . . .  she is an AWESOME runner!  Her times blow me away!  She must have inherited that running gene my sister had.  It totally skipped me!  Kbugs is FAST!!!!]  They put ice on her eye but could tell it was swollen and likely to bruise.  My poor baby!  It doesn't matter how old the kids are . . . when they get hurt my instinct is to go get them and love on them like a baby - which doesn't work too well for them - especially at jr. high!  :o)  

So she's been walking around w a black eye.  After about a week and a half it's almost gone now.  I tried to help her think of some awesome top secret action story for her to explain how she got it.  She humors me and just smiles and laughs . . . ("Just smile and wave boys . . . just smile and wave!"  [Madagascar movie quote])  She's such a trooper!

Decisions.

Click here: Good . . . Better . . . Best

Red Hair

Image source: http://hostedmedia.reimanpub.com/TOH/Images/Photos/37/exps34223_SD1191049D40.jpg

It's because of spaghetti.  Seriously.  I'm not kidding.  Ok - so scientifically they haven't proved it yet - but statistically - there's no way it could be anything else.  Food scientists are actually researching it.  Genetics may come into play somewhere . . . 

When I was a kid I could not get enough spaghetti or spaghettios w meatballs . . . mmmmmmm.  Deepest apologies to my family.  Now I've managed to step it up a notch with this bad boy recipe.  Haven't made it in a while . . . but I just may now.  It's all things heavenly in one.  

Enjoy - and may your hair turn red!

PS - You know what CTR stands for right?????  (Choose the Redhead!)  :o) heh heh heh!

Spaghetti Casserole

8 oz cream cheese
1 c sour cream
1 lb hamburger
2 jars spaghetti sauce (or 1 1/2)
1 pkg spaghetti noodles - cooked
1 c mozzarella cheese (or just throw handfuls of cheese on it like I do.)

Brown burger and add spg sauce. Simmer 10 min. In bowl combine cream cheese, sour cream and mix till smooth. Layer noodles, sauce, cheese noodles, sauce, mozzarella. Bake at 350 for 1 hour covered. Serves at least 5.