Funny Gifts. I didn't say Good ones.

Wonderful trip to Atlanta.  It's already green down here, they just had the dogwood festival in Piedmont Park, and flowers are in BLOOM!!

Of course, you already know dogwoods love to bloom under the canopy of bigger trees.

..and hydrangeas are gorgeous.  And love filtered light.  And can't escape me.

My attempt at bringing *bloom* to my house.  Hydrangeas dying in my care after a few hours. . . (you know, they tried to escape.)

Here's what you do.  Put them in a bathtub, fill with water, and w-a-i-t.  Two hours is good, and they are gorgeous again!!  (But you have to repeat daily.)

Boxwood Gardens was so inspirational, with all it's gorgeousness.  Play along with me and see what's missing above...

'Cause I was waiting to have this beauty wrapped!!  I think I'm going to use it to serve my spring pea orzo on Easter!! (that I've never even made before...come on over my sweet guinea pig family!)

Ready to go to happy Easter homes!  (and their hydrangeas looked happy, so they must be bathed hourly!)

I actually said, "Gotcha!" to the man walking out the door.  Yes, I was heartily embarrassed.  I even asked if he needed help carrying all those hydrangeas to his big BMW suv.  Awkwardness, anyone?

And here's what we give on Easter.  Gun-shaped ice.  We're weird?  Or prepared.  Yeah, it's the first one.

Obviously I shop at weird, hilarious stores!!  But I have friends that make me go, so I have to get them good gifts.  I'm a good friend like that.

..and this is for Ethan.  It even has coordinating buttons to push so you can *hear* the farts.  You know, so you don't have to use your imagination if you've never heard a monkey pass gas.

Waiting on Ches to come out to go some more.  Poor guy had to work.  I love these lights under the awning..wouldn't they be awesome under my porch?! 

So..we head back tomorrow..after all of our flowers, sight-seeing, dinners, movies, and shopping.  We are laughed out, better rested, and ready to celebrate Easter with our family!  If I don't talk to you before then, enjoy your day of rejoicing, for Jesus died for my sins and yours.  It's a sacrifice I'd hate to under-appreciate.  Remember to hide an empty egg for Jesus isn't here, He's RISEN!

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.  Come see the place where He lay."  Matthew 28: 5-6

Diabetes Rebels

Is it so obvious when I'm on vacation?  I get time to w-r-i-t-e! : )  Nobody needs wiped or washed or fed or disciplined.  Or hugged or loved on..wahh!!  Miss my babies already.  (but I'm going to work really hard to enjoy myself in Atlanta for the next few days!)

time for nap.

rug shopping!

So seriously.  Those big kids and their stupid diabetes have been quite the trouble-makers lately.  They are in a mood and it's cramping my style.  And my Mommy-Has-It-All-Under-Control Persona (haha, like I ever had it!!).  Clay won't carry a meter to school.  He has one in the nurse's office and says he'll use it.  Umm..what about the bus?  Going LOW on the bus, dude?  He says Mary Claire has hers, and he'll borrow it.  (Like he'd ever talk to her.  In public.  In front of people who know them BOTH.)

this awesome photo courtesy of Temme Green!  My boy at Solo & Ensemble.  He earned two blue ribbon medals for 1's!

But get this.  She's quit carrying hers, so he can't borrow it.  Rebels.  Haters.  She says she'll use her friend, Alyssa's meter.  What is with these kids?  and not taking responsibility?

beautiful.

I can't stand it!!  And now..they don't go to the nurse's office for checks.  She has to call them to come down.  Like they are 6 years old.  So..I'm planning to set up alarms on Clay's pump.  So the plan is he'll die of embarrassment when it alarms in class, so he'll book it to the nurse's office BEFORE it alarms every day.  I consider myself smart.  (unlike what they consider me.)

more beautiful in watercolor?

Mary Claire, on the other hand, is prancing in and telling the nurse what she is.  (And she isn't taking her meter to school!)  She is on the Enlite sensor..but she turns it off half the time.  Again, she hates the alarms!  Yes, usually it's because it senses she's low or high, but won't take the five minutes to go check herself.

cake decorating class at Briar Rose Bakery

So..if you know a preteen (ok..11 or 13 year old) who is having trouble with diabetes..it could be the CHECKING YOUR BLOOD part.  Or the eating normal-sized portions and getting insulin for it.  Or eating the lunch your momma packed and counted the carbs for and not buying cookies in the cafeteria.  And getting two packs.  Or learning to give a square wave bolus for half the big tub of Nutella you ate instead of all of it normal and making yourself, oh I don't know..THIRTY-NINE?!

Using the Little Door at Briar Rose Bakery

So, yeah, diabetes is hitting hard right now.  And I haven't had lots of control.  They are as tall as me..and trying to take over.  It's not going so well.  The rebels need to be reigned in.  (good time for a vaca, huh?)

She's just growing up too fast.

Ok..my three things to be thankful for today (since D can make me a bit complainy)..safe travels even though we had some "plane problems" right before the flight, seeing Stone Mountain today and respecting the people who risked/lost their lives on it, and the amazing fresh, fried okra I had today (the seeds were just huge and crunchy and juicy..and the outside was so crispy..mmm..delicious.)  I almost went to the counter to yell back to the cook they were a-m-a-z-i-n-g, but Ches thought I was just starving and delirious.  And I do have weird judgment when I'm hungry.  But I might just tell them on my way back. You know..when I'm so much more full of sense. : )

in memory of the first casualty in the carving of the memorial : (

Stone Mountain, Georgia in honor of my mom who remembers being there as a child.

Just to show you the man rappelling down the face of the mountain..he's above the horse on the right, almost in the center of the picture.  crazy man.

ps-if you'd like your own picture turned to watercolor, you can use the Waterlogue app for only $4.99 on itunes, or you can email me a picture and I can try to do it for you? : )  I think my email is still on the tab up top under contact me!

Poo Position

Ok, so I started writing this at least a week ago!  Think it's been a bit busy. ; ) I'll just let it go..it makes me laugh now. haha! : )  ....

Do you have a favorite food?  Or even a favorite food ratio?  I like Reese's peanut butter cups, and I really like them refrigerated.  My grandma used to keep them in there for us.  (She always had some..did she let all that goodness just sit..or did she eat and restock them?)  I also prefer the "regular" size.  When you get into Reese's hearts or minis or even the big cups..the ratio is all wrong.  Somehow though, they get the ratio right at Easter with the Reese's eggs.  The big flat ones AND the mini eggs (which I haven't been able to find this year?!).  The thicker chocolate shell around the outside is just right.

I also have a thing for plain Lay's potato chips and Hiland French Onion Dip.  I like the small chips since I don't double dip..and the folded over ones just make me mad.  They mess up my ratio of dip to chip since I have to guesstimate on the larger amount of dip I need.

I also like Chick-Fil-A french fries..and only the small ones.  I don't like reapplying ketchup or double-dipping (see above).

So..imagine my un-surprise when I have a child that has special things he does that makes the world feel "right".  (Maybe we all do?)

Anyway, yesterday..we were coming home from taking the big kids to CYM (youth group), when he starts yelling that he really has to go to the bathroom.  Like bad.  I tell him we'll be home in a minute (like two actually), and he should hold his b-u-t-t cheeks together.  He says it isn't working and starts screaming that it's going to come out!  So, we are laughing hard (and apparently a friend sees us wheel into our neighborhood and we start texting..), and Ches is laughing that the child sharded.  We have a conversation that it's shart-ed!  (If you haven't seen Along Came Polly, you need to. .if just to learn about a shart!) (and I should mention Ches uses this word anytime he possibly thinks someone sharts..he loves this word.  It's almost wrong how much he loves it.)

So we get home, and he RUNS into the bathroom (the boy, not Ches, haha!). He pulls his pants down, and tells me how awful it is!  And his tummy hurts!  It's kinda noisy, and I ask if he can wait 10 minutes for me ('cause he needs a wiper for this one) so I can go give Carter a bath really quickly since it's already after 8:00 (and Ches had to go back to get the big kids!).  He says he'll wait, and I tell him to flush every now and then so he won't stop up the toilet.

I give Carter a fast bath, don't wash his hair, and get back as soon as I can.  My bigger boy's crying that he wants UP!  I run get the baby wipes from Carter's room, and get back asap.  When I see him, he's crying that it took me too long..and he's in his favorite poo position.  He has to have his pants pushed down to his ankles, his shirt hiked up to his armpits, and if he has long sleeves, they have to be pushed above his elbows.  Then..he grabs the toilet.  Like, he's spread-eagle and he holds the front of the seat.  For a good grip.

So when I get in there, I can see that when he pulled down the pants/undies, the ickiness rubbed all the way down the back of his thighs, and then he sat in it.  And when he got into position, he smeared it on the seat.  And then grabbed.  Ok, let's just say you know me, and how I have a disposition leaning toward..umm..like..type A..cleanliness?  So..I kinda freak the heck out about now.

I yell to not hold the toilet since it's smeary, so he leans right to hold the wall (and to shut the door since Carter's hot on my trail), and then all craziness breaks out.  I'm Clorox-wiping the door and wall now, and trying to hold Carter out with my leg/foot.  I get the seat wiped between his legs, and I tell him not to touch ANYthing.  So, he does his automatic, hand tuck under his armpits (second position choice), and I freak since now there are poopy germs under his arms.  So, I have him stand up and flush/wipe, wipe/flush, until I feel like his legs and hiney are clean.  (well..clean enough to make it to a shower to clean those germs a-l-l the way down the drain!)

I took the pants/undies completely off, socks included, and trashed them.  I should mention today was his Famous American presentation (he was Paul Revere!), so they were his getup.  Navy corduroy pants rolled to his knees with navy knee socks (of Ches'), and the pants had either been worn one or zero times.  I had to cinch the buttons at the waist yesterday morning to get them to stay at his waist.  Poor pants.  But..that poop just wasn't going into my washer.

I had him wash his hands twice while I kept cleaning the toilet and walls and door..and floor.  And took out the trash.

And then I escorted him to his shower.  I wouldn't let him touch anything, so I got his water ready, and put him in!

Whew..it was quite an evening.  He's such a sweet boy, and I hate having to yell and tell him what to do.  I hate that I freak out about the germs.  And bacteria.  And potentially spreading it to the other kiddos.

So...it's all better now.  (Yay!)  Another *exciting* day in our crazy life.  Thankful for these little cuties.  And their quirks.  I mean..they put up with mine!  ..and even buy me Reese's on holidays! : ) 

Do you have a favorite food ratio?  (you didn't seriously think I'd ask about your favorite poo position?)