BOGO

It's BOGO time!!!

Since I'm all about frugality and saving money these days, I'm giving you 2 for the price of 1. 2 blog posts for the time it takes to read 1! Always lookin' out for my dear blog readers. Yes, I am.

But along with that comes a warning: This will be a doozy of a loooong blog post.

Run if you must. But if you must, do so quietly so my little bloggy ego won't be crushed.

For those of you putting on your full armor and braving the battle....I give you...

...and...


I know, technically, it's not the 10th (Sorry Mer.)....or Tuesday (You know...GladiTuesday. Sorry Gretchen) .

But, technically, it's my blog. And technically I always seem to be running a little behind. And technically my day crashed and burned yesterday before I could finish this and I just didn't have the energy to get my hiney off the couch (and I wasn't about to turn off The Biggest Loser and So You Think You Can Dance.).

So technically I guess you could say this is my 10 on the 11th and my GladiWednesday. Which technically doesn't have the same ring to it. But technically it probably doesn't really matter. Technically I should probably stop using the word technically in this post, because technically it's starting to sound weird and unwordy-like, and I've technically used it in places where technically shouldn't be used.....

Technically moving right along...


10 Things I Should Have Blogged About Months Ago But Can't Get My Act Together Enough To Get It Done...That Just So Happen To Be Things That Make Me Glad

And....we're off....

1~ My buddy turned 8. 2 months ago.

There was good and new friends. Pizza. Make-Your-Own ice cream sundaes. Silly games. Lightsabers and swords (of course). 1st ever sleepover. And I survived it all. So glad about that. Speechlessly glad that God see fit to put this rough and tumble, enough like me to challenge me, loving, sensitive, silly, giggly, handsome boy in our lives 8 years ago....

2~ Many, many moons Saturdays ago we spent the day with our good friends, the Blairs. Just that there makes me glad. Glad because we've been friends with them for almost 11 years. Glad because we've been through life's highest of highs and lowest of lows with them and our friendship has remained. Faithful friends.

The day itself made us all kinds of glad too. The parents got together and schemed. We blew up several balloons, wrote on little slips of paper different things that we would do that day, put them in the balloons, and let the kids take turns popping them to see what would happen next. It was good fun! And the kids were thrilled when we actually ate ice cream before lunch.:)

3~ So thankful for baby sleep bums. So glad that, while he'll always technically :) be my baby, for now he really is the baby. And I will take all the "baby" I can get.

4~ Another school year. Another field trip. Another pumpkin patch. Another chance to get special mama-daddy-daughter time.

How about them apples? (Yes, apples from Oregon, Amber. Not that we're known for them, though.;))

5~ I had the privilege of watching my sweet friend Summer's baby girl for a day. Can you say sugary sweetness?

I'll let the picture finish speaking of my gladness over that one.

6~ Lincoln had his first trip to the dentist. I tried not to project my dislike for this necessary evil onto him, especially since he was happy as a clam to be there. Weird kid.

7~ I finally have the recipe for the Sweet & Spicy Mac and Cheese from one of my favorite restaurants. 4 cups of heavy whipping cream. ...What are you waiting for?

Do you even need to ask if I'm glad about that????

8~ This fall season brought us our induction into flag football. It was....interesting. But also a ton of fun. After a season of learning the sport, the concepts, and the art of paying attention (why do I feel like this will be the never ending lesson?), Will topped it off with scoring 3 touchdowns and pulling more flags on defense than he's ever pulled in the last 2 games.

But, really, any game where they got to slip 'n slide in the mud was a success to them. I on the other hand did NOT appreciate the one game that sent me home looking like a drenched poodle, left my car smelling like that drenched poodle, and caused me to have to clean out my purse just so it could air dry. Thankfully that was a one hit wonder.


(That's him with the ball!)


9~That same boy that would willingly roll around in mud (Actually, it kind of sounds like fun...and I may have done it once in college.), has a love for his baby blanket still. And this makes me sad glad. I just made that up.

Glad...because that blanket used to be MY blanket as a child and I love that he loves it.

Sad...because that blanket used to be MY blanket as a child and I may have some issues with this....

I may have even threatened to take it away if any more holes appear or get bigger. I may have. I may have also shed a few tears over it's state and wondered if a more craftier person than I could rescue it. I may have to come to terms with the fact that it's no longer mine. May. Yes, I realize that I may need professional help. But I'd rather not talk about it...

There. All caught up.

Whatever will I blog about now???

OK, so technically I didn't have "10" but technically...well, I think we've already covered that....

My Music Monday

A new favorite I heard just today...

Your Hands by JJ Heller

I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn't there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That You would take my pain away
That You would take my pain away

I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crookedly lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave Your hands

When You walked upon the Earth
You healed the broken, lost, and hurt
I know You hate to see me cry
One day You will set all things right
Yea, one day You will set all things right

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave Your hands

Your hands
Your hands that shape the world
Are holding me, they hold me still
Your hands that shape the world
Are holding me, they hold me still

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave You when...

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave...
I never leave Your hands

free is a very good price

I sat down here over an hour ago to try and type out a thoughtful or funny or witty or link sharing post, but instead found myself catching trying to catch up on all my blog reading and commenting. And so my "free" time is coming to a close.

But since it's become my habit to post on Thursdays and I want to feel like I actually accomplished something today other than my typical rounds of dishes, laundry, meals, toy pick up, temperature taking, med dispensing, shower taking, vacuuming, taxing...well you get the picture...I'll leave you with this picture instead.

The rugrats. In all their costume awesomness. Which cost their mama nary a penny. Because she's good like that. And borrowed, free, or "last year's" was my motto.

Self praise stinks unless it's about saving money.

Speaking of self praise saving money (;p), I saved over $80 so far this week with all my coupon clipping thankyouverymuch. Which might explain the lack of creative energy needed to write an interesting post.

But my husband thanks me.

I guess you can thank me now too...cause this yawner of a post (due to my rambling, but partially redeemed because of cute kidlets) is done...and you can reclaim your "free" time.

...and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

Head.Game.Now.

So Lincoln's got his head in the game in more ways than one.

He's got his head in the prayin' game....

(Saying the blessing before dinner.)

"Dear Dog (God),
Food.
All done."

He's got his head in the bloggin' game...

Guess he thought I needed a little help with my blog posts. Guess posting once a week wasn't enough for him. Guess he was getting started on one for me....an eye witness account regarding the travesties (cleanliness and organization) of the Master "Suite".











And he's got his head in THE GAME...the High School Musical game that is.

This would be a daily an hourly request. "Tia! Head in the game!" "Mama! Head in the game!" "Basketball!" "High School Musical!" "You are the music in meeeeee!" (If you know not of what he speaks, than you must get YOUR head in the game. C'mon now.)

And wouldn't you know it, his BEST performances have yet to be caught on video (and he's recently acquired some NEW moves) so these will have to suffice...

...darkness, diaper, focus/sound problems and all....

So I married met an axe murderer a good friend.

I have a friend.

I've known her for awhile now.

But I just got to meet her 3 weeks ago.

Now, I know what you're probably thinking. Shoot, I used to think like that too.

What if she's an axe murderer?! (My hubs DID ask this.)

What if she's some crazy stalker chic?! (He asked this as well.)

What if she's really a man?! (This may have even been a question in his mind. Or Mr. Rascal Raisers.)

And before this whole bloggy thing, I probably would have had those same questions. Don't get me wrong. There are some situations where you would definitely want to be asking these questions. You still have to be very careful, protective of your family, and smart about it. But I just KNEW she wasn't all those things....cause we just "get" each other. Was she goofy like me? Yes! ...thank goodness! Crazed, psycho, stalker, I'm-gonna-tie you-up-in-the-basement, and travel-all-the-way-from-Arkansas-to-Oregon-to-do-it creep? NO.

There's several women I've come to know through this blog world. I got to meet Gretchen (precious, sweet lady!) in the flesh too...cause she lives in WA and us Pacific Northwesties gots to stick together. But I never thought I would get to meet any of the others (who, sadly, mostly live across the country) and be able to seal the friendship with a hug, a laugh, or a PDDP.

So when Amb messaged me that Mr. Rascal Raiser would be taking a little business trip to Oregon and she was hittin' the Oregon Trail with him, I was so ding dang excited I made myself a paper chain to count it down!

And you thought I was kidding....

The Day arrived. She texted me that she was almost to my house.

I was excited...and a little nervous.

I opened the door and....we hugged. (Cause she must have left her axe at home and I turned out NOT to be a 400lb man who wanted to chain her up in my basement. :))
And it felt like we had been friends forever.

And my hubby texted to make sure I wasn't dead.

And she texted her hubby to let him know I wasn't a man, that she wasn't tied up in my basement and that she didn't need his emergency code word (Sponge Bob) after all.

And we had a little coffee with our creamer.

And we ate coffee cake..which was a little dry.

And we ate carmalitas too...which is dessert, but both of us are OK with eating it for breakfast. Cause that's how we roll.

And my kids asked her a hundred questions, talked her ears off, and asked her to play with them. And the oldest one who was at school cried when he didn't get to meet her. Cause she's cool like that.

And we exchanged our gifts of bling.
And because she KNOWS me, loves me, and doesn't want to cause undo stress in my life she brought me Non-Bangle Bling.
Isn't it cute?! LOVE it!!

And we talked and talked and talked and talked and talked...about silly things and about important things.

And we laughed.

And the hubby who would just roll his eyes at it all, make fun of us for IMing for hours instead of picking up the phone and calling but then boot me out of the way to "chat" with her, came home early from work just so we could go out and have some kidless time to together.

Chipotle. Talk. Drive. Talk. Listen to Hannah Montana. Talk. Talk. Talk.

What was I talking about again???? Oh yeah...we self-diagnosed ourselves with adult onset ADD, too. (Added to our list of things in common.) Which is why it's taken me so long to put this post together, and which also explains the post itself....

Sonic. Pineapple Diet Dr. Peppers. (Cause she's the one that lured me over to the dark side.) Matchy debit cards. (Just one more way we're twinsies.)
E.Z. Orchards for apple cider donuts (I promise the fresh, hot ones are MUCH better!), lemon honey stick (Yuck!), Fartless chili, popcorn, beans (Genius.), and goofy pictures.
Outlet mall. (Cause we both like to get our shop on.) Not enough time. (We didn't eat there! Amazing, I know. But we had to preserve our stomachs for the next stop.)

And then off to meet the thoughtful husband mentioned above and Sponge Bob Hubs at The Cheesecake Factory for dinner...because apparently we both like to eat. Avoided an altercation, but received a tongue lashing from a crazed "I just spent 10x my Mercedes payment, impulse buying at the mall and my man's gonna be ticked" lady.
And we laughed. And we did NOT make fun of the waiter who talked in a disturbingly quiet voice while using smooth and dramatic hand gestures as he gave us his take on chutney. Ahem.
And we talked of things you usually don't talk about with people you've just met. (But remember we've known each other for decades. I mean years. I mean months. Days? Hours? Technicalities.)

And our day was gone. Just.like.that.

And my suspicions were confirmed. She IS just as adorable, sweet, beautiful (inside and out) and funny as she appears on her blog. We could be the best of friends. She IS a kindred spirit. And I can now move her from "friends from my screen that someday I'll meet" to "those I'm blessed to know in the flesh".

Blessed indeed.

I have a good friend.

She's not an axe murderer.

Her name is Amber.

We've met now...in the flesh.

...and now I miss her.

Anybody handing out frequent flier miles to Arkansas???



***And for a different and (most likely) wittier version go here.

the post that I decided to work on cause it would take less time but instead has taken copious amounts cause I got all thinky

So, I have several different posts I could be working on right now. For instance, the post about my baby turning 8 over a month ago, or the really fun time we had with friends many Saturdays ago, or the 8 year old's first ever sleepover that I survived, or an amazing MIRL that God orchestrated, or how my absence here in the blog world is just an indication that I'm spending more time with God, my family, my IRL friends, taking care of my home, and simply kicking back with my hubby instead of my laptop....and maybe trying to get a little more sleep since I can't seem to kick this tiredness.

But I have NO intention of giving up this blog that I love so much or the "in screen" and now "in skin" friends that encourage me, touch my heart, and make me laugh. I am simply in a "season of a little less blogging" right now. I read yours when I can...sometimes without time to comment. I twitter here and there....cause it takes mere seconds. And I occasionally take a few minutes to catch up with my mix of in real life and bloggy friends on Facebook.

For today, though, I'll just catch you up with these little snippets.... (An idea I stole from someone elses blog.)




Sitting. . . In a chair, in front of the desktop computer (Yes, I said desktop. Do y'all know what those are?), waiting for the Posture Police to make their appearance.

Drinking. . . Alternating between my free (cause they have punch cards!) Dutch Bros Eggnog Vanilla Latte (Because I, in no way, feel guilty having it twice in one week...) and water (Apparently one should not live on mochalatte alone....pshaw! Who made up that rule anyway?!).

Moving. . . forward, past some old and into the new. It's a God thing, and it's a good thing. How's that for vague?;)

Reflecting. . . on the fact that God judges righteously. It's not my job. If I feel like I've been wronged or I'm hurt by something someone did, didn't do, said, or didn't say I need to continue making sure that I'm living out His will for me by obeying His Words to me (love, be gentle, be kind, forgive)...He will take care of the rest. Even if the person doesn't necessarily deserve it or ask for it. Why do I do this? Not for that person, not for me, but for HIM! I do it because that's how I show my love TO HIM. THAT'S my motivation.

Planning. . . a menu for Saturday night. Some long-time friends are coming over for dinner. It has been waaaaay too long since we've gotten together with them. I also just might be planning on holding a precious tiny person all.night.long.:)

Looking forward to. . .Bunko tonight, getting some nice family and kid pictures taken by some talented ladies in our church. Thanksgiving - Family Reunion Style!! & Christmas (Elaboration not needed.)

Wanting. . . an iPod. Yes, my material girl is rearing her ugly head. Does it make it more spiritual if it's because I'm finding praise song after praise song that I want to buy on iTunes and listen to over and over again? Just means I need to get crackalackin' and sell some of this junk gently used articles of clothing that are piled high like Mt. KillinMeWithClutter in the corner of my bedroom neatly folded and store away in matching RubberMaid totes.....cause I want me some Hairapy too. And I am living in a material world and I am.......possibly the last human being on the face of the planet to own an iPod, iPhone, iTouch, iDoohicky, or iWatchamacallit....

Hoping. . . that I get a little better at time management. Right now it's football, school, church, school, church, football, church, school...you get the idea. Before too long football will be replaced by Upward Basketball which both Will and Emma will be participating in...and so it begins....and I still have not been menu planning very well. Hoping I get my rear in gear....

Regretting. . . that I answered the call of those cookies in the pantry yesterday. The term "popping them like happy pills" comes to mind....

Surprised. . . that I already have a good stash going for Christmas. The best part? Rock bottom, clearance prices. I'm so proud of myself!

Studying. . . my husband. Just trying to brush up on my knowledge of what makes him tick and what things really show him that I love and respect him. Pretty sure I'm enrolled in the life course....and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Frustrated. . . that I continually care what others think of me. OK...that may have sounded bad. What I mean is, ultimately I really only need to worry about what GOD thinks of me. Others may have false impressions or opinions of me, but God's view of me will always be true. He sees all of me. And if that doesn't light a fire under me and encourage me to be more like Him, I don't know what will.

Eager. . . for my next MIRL (meeting in real life), for more opportunities to see and visit with the 2 MIRLs that I've already been blessed to have, and for chances to love on and hang out with my precious "in skin" friends who live in my neck of the woods.

Enjoying. . . our church family. We truly feel God's leading and direction in where we settled in. We have been blessed already by the people, the worship, the teaching, and in being able to serve.

Missing. . . our family that lives far away....and being able to fit into those size 6 10 jeans.:)

Bummed. . . that all of you can't experience Lincoln's Nobel Peace Prize winning (Exaaaactly.) rendition of High School Musical's "Get Your Head In The Game" in person.... But don't despair, it will be coming to a blog near you very soon, so get your tickets and popcorn ready.

Until next time... when I spend way more time on a post than I intended to spend... and use way more ellipses than are appropriate....

.....

a spoonful of sugar

The 2 youngest and I have been housebound for 3 days now. You would think I would have time to blog....

But once again the sickies have hit, a little too early in the season if you ask me...which apparently no one did, and apparently we had the flu test where you don't get the results until you're actually well again, in the mean time not knowing if the rest of the family will end up with the Hogs Disease it takes 2-3 days to get the "more accurate" results back.

So I've been busy covering my ears to the sounds of the Terrible 2 1/2's, nursing the little girl who's going on Day 4 of the yo-yo fever, sore throat (negative for Strep) and cough, trying to keep the "2 1/2" from wallering her and catching "it", and watching continuous rounds of High School Musical 1, 2, and 3.

But since I know you all have been missing me terribly in the almost 2 weeks I've been gone (Wow...time sure does fly when you're having MIRL and family in town, in addition to the regularly scheduled programs.), I thought I would tide you over with some sweetness...and maybe, just maybe, it will help the medicine go down in these parts a little easier, too.

A little sugar...for the eyes.

3 month old Sugar had to go home with her family when the sickies came to call.:(


Woah. One could get sick from all the eye candy these families make...


And a little sugar...for the teeth.

**These were made for Ladie's Night Out at my church last month.**

“Everything but the Kitchen Sink” Bar Cookies
From the Kitchen of Nikki Hughes

1 pkg (18 ounces) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow crème
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1-1/2 cups toasted corn cereal (Chex)
1 cup m&m’s

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 13X9-inch baking pan. Remove dough from wrapper according to package directions.Press dough into prepared baking pan. Bake 13 minutes.Remove baking pan from oven. Drop teaspoonfuls of marshmallow crème and peanut butter over hot cookie base.Bake 1 minute. Carefully spread marshmallow crème and peanut butter over cookie base.Sprinkle cereal and m&m’s over melted marshmallow and peanut butter mixture.Bake 7 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

You're welcome.

And don't shoot the messenger if you can't stop at just one and end up eating the whole pan. You needed new jeans anyway, right?