Made In America . . . Or Not?

Just when I thought I'd never open Thing 1's baby book and add anything more to the "funny things she said" section, I had a pretty good case of the giggles (silently, of course) with her in the car earlier today.

Upon spying a pink-hued pickup truck ahead of us, Cassidy remarked "There's that truck! We see that truck a lot!" And we do actually, or else several people in our town drive this exact same colored truck. (I'm guessing "not" on that theory. It is an interesting hue of pinkish/red.)

Anyway, as we got closer to the back of the truck, I heard Cassidy say: "Chevrolot."

"What?" I said. It clearly said Chevrolet, then I realized that Cassidy had mispronounced the name.

When I shard this with her and corrected the pronunciation, she repeated it as well.

"Chevro-LAY!!!! Oh, now I get it!" she said. "It's in French!!!!"

Happy Birthday To My Baby!

Dear Cassidy,

I am so excited for you today as you celebrate your 10th birthday. As I kissed you good night last night and you reminded me that it would be the last time I would kiss you as a 9 year-old, a flood of memories washed over me. I can't believe that it's been 10 years since you first arrived in the world.

I won't ever forget the night before your arrival. The "experts" all say that babies move much less as their big arrival date approaches-that they run out of room for kicking, stretching and acrobatic maneuvers. You apparently missed out on that chapter of the book, as we were at Nanna's house and she and I watched you move, squirm, jab and roll from side to side. I was so ready to finally meet you! Nanna and I tried to guess when that day would actually take place. Little did we know that I'd be heading to the hospital just a few short hours later!

Did I ever tell you how many cameras Daddy brought to the hospital? Or how he and I sat through the night, listening to your heart beat and wondering if we'd be welcoming a son or a daughter into our lives? Did I ever tell you how calm Daddy was when he called all the grandparents to invite them to the hospital . . . that it "was time." Have I ever mentioned that as I was breathing through the contractions, Nanna arrived and in the midst of tears said to me, "My baby is having a baby." Oh, the memories . . .

You won't ever know the joy and happiness you have brought to our lives. I don't know who cried harder upon your arrival-you or me. Your cry was the sweetest sound to my ears. I'm told that it was matched only by the screams of joy from outside the room from your grandmothers and Auntie Happi-who made it in the nick of time for your birth. Those were some excited women-that's for certain!

And your Daddy? You have no idea, sweet girl! He fell in love with you, instantly. He was smitten from the first moment and proudly wore the new shirt emblazoned with "Cassidy's Daddy" that Grandma and Grandpa brought the next day to the hospital. (By the way, he is planning on wearing this to your high school graduation, so consider yourself warned!)

I am so proud of you, sweet girl! You bring so much joy and love to our lives each and every single day. I consider it an immense blessing and gift beyond my wildest dreams to be your mom. God is so good! I am thankful to Him every day for your life.

Happy Birthday, sweet daughter of mine! Enjoy your special day and thank you for making so very many of MY days more special than you can ever know!

I love you!
Love,
Mommy

Today's God Moment Is Brought to You Through Beth Moore

So, I was supposed to start the brand new Beth Moore study, "Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman" last Wednesday.



Unfortunately, massive quantities of white stuff falling from the sky and sub Arctic temps caused us to delay the start of our study until today. At the time, I was so disappointed-as I'd been so excited about getting started with the new study. What I didn't know at the time, was that she had a very timely message for us today.

As I drove to church, I listened to all the commentary surrounding the events of yesterday. I'm not EVEN going there people.

I got seated at a table, glanced at the TV and saw the frozen picture of the Capitol on the screen. Figuring that there might have been a previous group in the room watching the big event, I waited for things to begin. After opening with prayer, our leader hit the play button, and images of historic landmarks came across the screen. I waited-figuring that there must have been a mistake and that the wrong DVD was in the player. I didn't anticipate the next scene . . . Beth Moore speaking to us from our nation's capital.

Fast forward to the next scene . . . a replica of the "Oval Office." It seems that the chosen set for Beth's new study was to be of where our US president presides in the White House.

I was a little confused. The oval office? Weren't we studying Esther? How did this fit in?

If there's a way for Beth to get in someone's face via a DVD player, then trust me people. SHE DID!!!

As she acknowledged the fact that we are in changing times (when did she tape this????), she encouraged us to remember that no matter who sits at that desk, God can come through the door of that office any time and use anyone for His glory." (Can I get an amen, people?)

We all cheered.

At the conclusion of the lesson, the scene shifted to a shot of Beth standing in front of the White House and she left us with the following words:

"God Works Out Everything. You'll see!"

And for that, I am praising Him today!!!!

I'm Dreaming

Someday . . .

I know I will plant flowers in this urn again.

And the grass WILL be green. And there WILL be leaves-instead of snow on the trees.

And someday I will learn to check for 2-hour delays BEFORE I dash out of the house to take Thing 1 to school.

Rats.

Note to Jody . . . Quit your laughing. I can hear you from up here.

The Wacky World of Retail

Ah Sunday . . . a day of rest, although if there's a four year-old around . . . well, not so much.

After Gregg departed for the great outdoors in search of more firewood, I decided to venture out with the Things. With the impending craziness of weekend schedules coming up, I decided to try and get some stuff checked off of my to-do list now, rather than later. First stop? Target. We went off in search of Valentines because you moms KNOW that making this purchase without your children along will result in purchasing the "wrong" ones.

After picking up other items I needed, we ventured to the Valentine aisle.

No luck. In place of all things bearing hearts, various shades of pink and Cupids were items for the outdoor deck and patio. Not a box of tear-apart cards or conversation hearts were in sight.

Thing 2 piped up, "Mommy, why don't you just ask someone???"

Great idea. She's going to make her future husband a very happy man some day-imparting this great advice. Ask someone. Why didn't I think of that?

I found a friendly woman sporting a name tag on her red shirt.

"Uhm, we can't seem to find the Valentine section. Can you tell me where it is?"

She looked at me like I'd just asked her for her social security number, PIN number and password to access her Facebook account. I backed away.

"We don't HAVE a Valentine section . . . it's WAY too early for that." With that, she turned and continued hanging up swimsuits.

Hmmm . . .

Is it just me or did anyone else notice CHRISTMAS trees on sale in SEPTEMBER just a few months ago???????

Onward and upward. Incidentally, there's some nice patio furniture out there to purchase . . . if it's not too early, of course, to be buying that kind of stuff.

In the meantime, if any of you find some nice Hello Kitty or Jonas Brothers Valentine cards in a box, do let me know. And if you happen to be a lucky person who actually needs some new patio furniture at this moment, I'd rather not know. Some things are just better left alone.

Just When You Thought it Was Safe To Read the Blog Again . . .

Below is an excerpt of a phone call made from my house yesterday:

"Hello? Uhm yes . . . our dog, Sadie, is a patient of yours over there and if you people have a list of the weirdest things eaten by your patients, I'd like to add one to the list . . . and also find out if I need to bring her in to be seen." (I know they're probably recording the call as we speak and that the doggy version of "DCFS" is on their way over to my house any moment.) I continued on.

"You know those Duraflame logs? Uhm, she ate one." (nervous laughter) "Well, actually she ate a half of one-a starter log," quickly adding, "I've already read the package and it says that the ingredients are all natural."

Silence. (I know that the vet hates me right now.)

Finally, the nice lady who hates me breaks the silence.

"Did you say, Duraflame log? Like the kind you put in a fireplace or firepit?"

"Uhm, yes."

The good news is that Sadie appears to be fine. The bad news is that we have yet to see the result of eating this odd delicacy. That and the fact that it's -18 degrees outside right now-not exactly the kind of weather in which one can just wait patiently on a dog's bodily functions. (I'm feeling queasy again. Blech.) Anyhoo . . .

Yep-pretty darn blasted cold. I'm loving the wood burning stove right now!! The candles on my mantle though . . . not so much.



















I'm thinking that the candles won't survive the mantle this winter.

If you need further evidence as to how cold it is, I give you "Thing 2."















All bundled up and nowhere to go-except perhaps to venture out and see if Sadie will . . . well, you know. Just kidding!!! Don't send hate mail, people-there's no way I'd send my kids out on a day like today. Walking the dog is a job for a grown-up.

I wonder if Gregg's coming home for lunch today . . . .

And We're Back . . .

Sort of.

For those of you just joining us, welcome! It's good to have you here! This blog, "Thing 1 and Thing 2" was formerly located at the site of "Poppopalooza." Sadly, the site met its demise and I am technically starting over with my blog.

Because I've been actively blogging for nearly a year however, everything old is new again. Or at least, it will be for you newbies-which sadly will mean a lack of appreciation for all things squirrel or chipmunk related. I'll try and explain those issues along the way. In the meantime, check out the "About Me" section located in the sidebar. Those are the basics you need to know.

For my regular readers (all two of you), thanks for following me over here. To say I was disappointed about the breakdown/meltdown/disintegration of the former site would be a huge understatement. But . . . life goes on and gets documented elsewhere. Like here.

To recap the events of the week ('cause I know you've been on the edge of your seats waiting), here's what you missed: snow falls from sky, search for missing gloves belonging to Thing 1, more snow falls, gloves are found and I do the happy dance, more snow falls, watch the snow, shiver a little, add another layer of clothing, watch more snow fall, feel smug knowing that I DON'T need to go to the grocery store due to blizzard warnings and wonder how many thousands of people ARE at the grocery store at that moment, field phone call from hubby who inquires as to the possibility of stomach medicine available back at home, wipe smug smile from face as I head to the grocery store along with the thousands of other people, arrive back at car with medicine and realize I must remove snow from car again, listen to Thing 2 ask me no less than 193 times if Daddy is going to throw up, request quiet from back seat while I attempt to back out and avoid running over thousands of other people, drive home while starting to feel nauseous myself, listen to Thing 2 ask more vomit questions, slide through final intersection before turning onto my street, approach driveway to see that husband has already arrived home from work, reach for newly purchased can of Lysol and help the Things out of the car, drag Things inside house along with a fresh snow drift from outside our door, and repeat all steps in the process for the next several days . . . thankfully minus the ill husband part. Whew.

That story was SO worth starting up a brand new blog, wasn't it? Aren't you glad you stopped in?