Stinkin' Hot Friday

It was a balmy 106 degrees here in Tucson today.  At least, when we were outside, and these pictures were taken, it was 106.  Yes, you read that correctly, east coast/northwest people.  ONE HUNDRED SIX.

So, since it was such a nice day and all, we took a trip to Lowe's and then thought we'd do some yard work.  

Yeah.  I know.  We are SO SMART.

First we set up the pool for the kiddos.  Behold pure joy.

Then, since another plant died last year that I'd had in this big black pot, we bought another plant.  I think it's called "Pincushion Flower" or something like that.  I dunno...but it's PURPLE and it SMELLS PRETTY.  So that's all I cared about.  Oh, and it's supposed to be "hardy" for the desert heat.  Also a huge plus.

Part of my planter and also my vincas, which I confess I tried to kill last year, but they just. wouldn't. die.  So now I'm embracing them.  Yay, pink vincas!

The whole reason we even ended up at Lowe's in the first place, was to buy a little cilantro plant.  Because, well, remember the HUGE cilantro plant I had earlier this year?  I attempted to trim it down a bit a few months ago, and...well, I pretty much killed it.  All that's left of it is that tiny vine-y thing you see in the middle.

The lush plant on the far end is my mint, which is providing us with much-needed minty iced tea right now.  Then there's the poor little cilantro vine.  (Would you believe that both Home Depot AND Lowe's were out of cilantro plants?  I guess Arizonans love their cilantro.  I don't blame them.  'Cause it's yummy and we love it too.)

The plant nearest to the camera is our new tomato plant!  Bryan decided we should try to grow our own tomatoes.  We bought the Roma type, since that's what we like to use in our guacamole and salsa.  And pasta salads, and regular salads.  Pretty much everything.  Let's see if I can keep this one alive.

Bryan is building a new planter for my new bougainvillea bushes...he wanted to buy them for me; I'd been wanting them for some years now, and I thought it was the sweetest thing that he remembered.

This is true love, people.  Remember the 106-degree heat.  I told him he could wait to do it when it cooled off this evening, but no...he wanted to do it right then.  I love that man.  

And below are my new bougainvillea bushes!  Bryan bought three of them for me.  "Royal Purple", of course.  Everyone has pink around here - we had to be different!  

After planting my new Pincushion flowers and Roma tomato plants, Mama had to take a break:

This is one HOT Mama.  And I mean that lit-ra-lee.  HOT.  Note my red face.  Dirty fingers from potting plants.  Purple water bottle.  The wooden rocking dinosaur in the back agrees.  It was STINKIN' HOT.

We are enjoying our patio so much.  Bryan built it last year.  Yeah, he's pretty much amazing.  He laid the tiles, built the planters, built the shade...no, he will not build one for you.  He does have a day job.  ;)   But he'll be very kind and gracious about turning you down.  

Thanks for sticking with such a long post!  I put up my latest stitching project on the Cottage Stitch-a-Long blog too, if you're interested.  

Happy Weekend!  Happy June!  

May IHSW

So if you are not one of my stitching friends, you are probably wondering what in the world "IHSW" is...I will not keep you in suspense.  "International Hermit and Stitch Weekend" is found over at Joyce's blog -- it's fun because I know that as I stitch that weekend, hundreds of other stitchers are working on their projects, too!  Yes, I'm kind of a nerd.  But then we've been over that before.

I actually didn't accomplish much, since I didn't have any time to "hermit" (and what mommy of young ones has time or opportunity to hermit? none that I know!).  But I DID finish my "May Cottage" (Country Cottage Needleworks).

Here's what I had on Saturday afternoon, having not stitched since Thursday night:

Only the top border and a tiny bit of the bottom border to go!

 And here's what I finished as of last night:

Ta-da!  Now to find fabric to match and get this baby "finished"!

I've already pulled the threads for the "June" Cottage.  Yes I'm nuts.  But, I just finished up BSF for the summer, so I have more time to stitch!  Though, as one of my teaching leaders said, "You are on vacation from BSF, not on vacation from God!"  I do have a summer Bible study lined up, so I will still be "in the Word!".  (But I will NOT be doing homiletics, as much I do actually enjoy that.)  ;)

I notice that I'm very "link-y" today.  Lots of links.  Click, click away.  It's much easier than explaining stuff.  Cause I'm lazy.  I'd rather be stitching.

An Over-Due Update

Hello blogging world...I've neglected my little blog for too long!  We are doing fine; life is just super-busy in our corner of the world.  And I'm learning that I don't actually enjoy all the technology like maybe I'm "supposed" to...so why am I blogging again?  Ha ha.  I live in the wrong century.  I'd be an awesome 18th-century lady, sitting there stitching all day, or reading.  Except for the no-running-water bit.  And no electricity.  And no grocery stores.  Hmmm.  Okay, I'd be an awful 18th-century lady.  I need to stay put in the 21st century.

So here I go!

Okay, though I've not been blogging, I've been stitching!  I've finished up two little projects in the last few weeks:

Flutter Lady needlebook by Just Nan

Please note my pretty acrylic fingernails.  Birthday gift from the hubby.  He's awesome.

I have this needlebook much more full of needles now.  Because I use LOTS of them.  I hate re-threading.

My "March" cottage by Country Cottage Needleworks.  I'm so behind with this  blog, I've already finished "April"!  

And, of course, I've primarily been taking care of my gorgeous little family.  Just look at these little dudes:

My adorable sons are the ones on the right.  I am the Mama on the left.

And this is my hunky hubby (on the right).  Bald IS beautiful, people!!  Believe it!!

I started this post about two weeks ago.   So I'll get caught up!  My boys have been giving me plenty of blogging material - the main reason I have not blogged.  We've had many adventures in potty training, pillow fights, and whatever random stuff the boys decide to try out on their unsuspecting parents.  They really are smarter than us.  I joke that I should've missed a few prenatal vitamins during my pregnancies.  It might have evened the playing field a bit!  No just kidding.  But really.

Ben's Ambition

I sometimes wonder what my boys will be when they grow up.  I guess every parent wonders that about their kids.  I see my boys' intelligence, their compassion, their love of learning (especially Ben), and I can't help but wonder, "What are they going to do with all this potential?"

No, I don't waste much time on these thoughts -- after all, they are only ages 2 and 4.  I try to enjoy "today" with them.  I am in no hurry for them to grow up.

Just look at this little dude:

My silly little man who put on his shirt all by himself...he liked it on backwards.

Tuesday morning while at Bible Study Fellowship, Ben and his classmates in the 4's/5's class learned that God has purpose for everyone.  (I think the main truth was "God has a work for every believer to do.")  As part of the lesson, the Children's Leaders asked the boys and girls what they'd like to be when they grow up.

When Ben's teacher told me about this, I was so interested to see what Ben had said.

He idolizes his Daddy, who is a mechanical engineer (though I don't think Ben has any idea what that is; he just knows Daddy can make all kinds of things).  He also adores his Grandpa, who builds and remodels homes and is a fabulous wood-worker.  And I know he enjoys being in the garage with Daddy, "building" things.  He loves animals...cars...trains...blocks...outer space...yes, he is the typical four-year-old boy.

So what did my intelligent and compassionate son say that he wanted to be when he grew up?

Just like Daddy?

Carpenter extraordinaire?

Veterinary doctor?

Astronaut?

No, no...Ben has much higher aspirations.


He....


wants...


to...


be...

(source)

LARRY THE CUCUMBER.

Five Things Friday...The Sam Edition

This morning when I realized that it was Friday, I also realized that not only had I not posted anything since last Friday, but I wasn't even ready for this Friday.

What happened to the week?

I can barely remember it.  Lemme think: laundry, cooking dinners, dishes, sweeping up play-doh crumbs, poopy diapers, trying to interpret Sam-inese...

Speaking of Sam...at 2 1/2 years old, he is quite the opinionated little man.  And quite independent, in a Mama's-boy kind of way.  ;)  (So he isn't quite all grown up yet! But don't tell him that.)

Five Things that the Sammer-Whammer must have his way:

1.  Buckling himself in the car seat.  He is barely seated before he's saying, "Only I do it!".  And he's still in the big, 3-point harness seat with buckles that sometimes even Mama struggles with.  I've learned to leave time for buckling in now, unless I want to hear Sam screaming the whole way to wherever we're going.

2.  Strapping his shoes on.  He tries to pull the Velcro straps across his shoes before I even have them on his feet.  If I accidently strap them on (out of habit), they must be un-strapped so that he can strap them again, all by himself.

I don't know what we'll do when he outgrows the Spider-Man shoes!

3.  Taking off his socks.  He struggles so much with this because he pulls from the toes, not from the ankle-tops, but he is completely resistant to any and all assistance.  In fact, if you take the socks off for him, he becomes so angry and upset over it, that the only way to calm him down is to actually put them back on - so that he can commence his struggle to remove them again by yanking on the toes.

4.  Lightning McQueen sippy cup.  With a blue lid.  No exceptions, ever.  Heaven help the unknowing soul who tries to put a red lid on the Lightning McQueen sippy cup, much less inadvertently give him, say, a Toy Story cup.  

My cute little man with his beloved McQueen sippy cup.

5.  Blue car.  A day never goes by where we don't hear Sam wandering around the house, saying, "where my moo car?"  And the thing is, there are like three of them.  Oh, we have more than three blue cars in the house -- but there are about three of them that Sam especially likes, and one that is always a must-have.

Yesterday's favorite cars...the "must-have" one is the teal one in front (the one that is NOT a character).  And yes, I know Thomas the Train is not a car...but he is blue, so to Sam, that is what counts.

Today's groupies...two teal-blue cars, including the "must-have" one...and two yellow cars.  One of the yellow cars is actually a Lightning McQueen (color-changer).  The other one is an old Hot Wheels that Daddy played with as a little boy!  His initials are still on the bottom.

So you see...I choose my battles with Sam.  Some days it is just easier to be sure to give him milk in the Lightning-McQueen-sippy-cup-with-a-blue-lid.  Other days, I let him experience disappointment.  And I have to force myself to stand there and watch him struggle with his socks, shoes, and seat belt.  (As far as these last three things go, I tend to think that this is how he is learning, and that is a good thing.)

I pray that God can take his strong-willed tendencies and somehow use them for His glory!  And I find myself often praying for wisdom in how to raise this opinionated little man.

Five Things Friday

Since it is now already March, I thought I'd better get back into the real swing of things on my blog!

So here is the first "Five Things Friday" of 2012:

1.  I've started my first real cross-stitch sampler.  (I think they are called "samplers" because there is a sample of alphabet, numbers, and different motifs that you stitch in them.  But if you're a real stitcher out there...don't laugh at my attempt at the definition!  Because that is not nice.)  

Anyway, this design is called "Margaret Cottam Aged 9" and La-D-Da is the designer.  (I love that name, "La-D-Da"!  And the designs are great, too.)  

The problem I'm having with this design is that for some crazy reason, I decided to stitch it on 40-count linen.  40-count (for my non-stitching friends) means that there are 40 stitches per inch.  40 little squares.  Except, I am stitching it over two threads, so really it's more like 20-count size stitches...but still...there are all those tiny holes!!!  My eyes start crossing after a while.  So it's official.  I'm getting old.  Even my bifocal  eyeglass lenses aren't helping much.  Needless to say, progress is slow!  But I do love working on this piece!  

2.  Paper plates.  These are my new favorite thing in my house.  Huge stack of paper plates at Target: $3.99.  Less dishes to wash: absolutely priceless.  This will last me about two weeks.  We don't eat on paper plates for every meal -- but my boys tend to eat a lot during the day, so these are awesome for their breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, lunch, dinner, second dinner...  ;) 

(Try not to notice our cluttery kitchen counter. No, I don't normally put the plates on the glass platter. I need to return the platter to Aunt Claire, and it's clean, so to prevent other, dirtier things being put on it - I put the plates.  And yes, that is a random potato in the background.  And my husband's yummy cinnamon rolls under plastic wrap. and the kids' allergy medicine.   Hmmm...I should put some stuff away, no?)

3.  Cilantro, anyone?  Yes, that huge bushy thing is our cilantro plant.  The smaller one to the right is Mint.  Basil used to reside on the other side of Cilantro, but he died in a freeze earlier in the winter.  :(  (That is what I get for NOT watching the 10:00 news!  I didn't know it was going to freeze, so I didn't cover my plant babies.)

I am not trying to neglect poor Cilantro -- two weeks ago, my boys were all sick with colds, and last week, I was sick with a cold myself, and during those two weeks, Cilantro decided to grow like crazy, and I didn't have time to trim him back.  So it's his fault.

Those of you in Tucson...come on over, we've got plenty of cilantro!!

Note the McQueen/Mater Pillow Pets face-off.

4.  Little Big Planet.  Otherwise known as, "The Girl Game" in our house.  This was my Valentine's gift from my hubby (yes, I did want it), but Ben thinks it's for him.  He's getting pretty good at it, actually.  

(By the way, he calls it "The Girl Game" because Mama dresses her little sack person like a girl - because...well, I'm a girl.)  

There's my cute little man with his fading temporary monster truck tattoo on his forearm and his tissue for the booger that he'd just "accidentally picked".  Love this guy!

5.  Whammer.  McSlammer.  Napping through brother's round of Little Girl Game.  Sat down on the couch and totally sacked out.  Ben was worried he'd fall off the couch, so he moved the coffee table over for him.  Such a good big brother!

It's good to be back, Five Things Friday!  Happy Weekend, Everyone!!

Do You Speak "Sam-inese"?

Sam does.

Ben is pretty fluent.

Hubby and I...barely.  We are participating in a daily immersion program, but it isn't helping much.

Anyone who has parented or spent any amount of time with a babbling two-year-old will understand the hilarity and frustrations that come with attempting communication with these little language-learners.

So far, this is what we've figured out:

"Pap-PEACE!" = Pacifier
"Bee-Bee" = Blanket
"Mil" = Milk
"Pop - Part" = Pop-Tart

The problem is, once we nail down what one word means, it will change without warning.  Thankfully, most of the time, Big Brother Ben is available to interpret for us.

For example, a few weeks ago Sam beckons to me from the bedroom he shares with Ben.  He is gesturing, very animated and excited.

"What is it, Sam?"  I ask.  "What have you got?"

Gesturing wildly to about two feet of space between his bottom bunk bed and the ladder to the top bunk, he garbles:

"EYE WUN PURRRR-RAIL!!!"

He is excited, his chocolate-brown eyes are dancing.  

I have NO idea what he's talking about.  

So I look at where he's gesturing, trying to make sense of the sounds and situation - any clues at all.

Nothing.  Is he trying out some French?  I tried to think of what word in French "purr-ail" sounded like.  

Of course this isn't it at all.

So I fake comprehension: "That's great, Sam!"

He looks at me directly and almost accusingly.  He knows when I'm faking it.

"EYE WUN PURRRR-RAIL!!!!"

I'm lost.  And I feel terrible that I can't understand this adorable, garbling little boy.

From the living room down the hall, Ben calls out: "You found your PURPLE WHALE, Sam?!"

Overjoyed, Sam nods vigorously and calls out clearly: "YEEEEESSSSSSS!!!" and then he pulls out a plush purple whale from under some blankets on the floor.

Oh.  Silly me.

Another phrase we had trouble deciphering:

"[unintelligible] MA WAH KEE KEE COW GO??"

Poor Sam kept repeating this, quite concerned about wherever this "COW" had gone.  But, the boys had no toy cows of any kind whatsoever.  We thought maybe he'd taken an interest in Hawaiian cows?  (Is there such a thing?)

Finally, Ben pipes up:  "I don't know where your Lightning McQueen car is, Sam!"

If it weren't for Ben acting as interpreter, we'd be lost.

But sometimes, he doesn't know.  Sam will say something - pacifier in mouth.

"Sam, take out your paci; we don't know what you're saying."

(Removes paci.  Repeats phrase.)

No clue what he's saying.  So I turn to Ben.  "Do you know what Sam is saying?"

Ben turns to Sam: "What are you saying, Sam?"

Sam obligingly repeats.

Ben shakes his head.  "I don't know what he's saying, Mom!"

Poor Sam.  He sighs, puts his paci back in his mouth, and walks off, as if to say, "You guys are hopeless."

Yes...yes, we are, Sam.