Vices...or just one more way I'm not "normal"

I came across an article on NPR's website...In Defense of Marmite. I love the stuff. Always have. And when I was pregnant with Kyleigh it wasn't just a craving...I was fully prepared to suck the jar dry in the grocery store.

Image via Wikipedia

The article not only clued me in on stuff I didn't know (Marmite is basically left over beer sludge--there's even a Guinness variety which I need to try), it also gave a few recipes...I'll be testing the Cheddar Crackers this weekend.

I also put dill pickles on my grilled cheese sandwich. My long suffering husband blames it on my British upbringing. I just call it Good Taste.



***UPDATE***
Made the Cheddar Crackers...delicious! Given the amount of butter--how could it be anything less than Yummy?! Next time--no extra salt. The Marmite had plenty to go around...especially with the sharp cheddar I used. And I depleted my supply of Marmite and my usual dealer was out on Friday. Must find new supplier.

The time...where does it go?

My morning was spent at the elementary school registering Jacob for kindergarten. As cliche as it may be, it truly seems like it was only yesterday I flung a pee stick at my baby's daddy...

A good day...

You know those days...those days where there's no where to go, nothing to do and no one anxious about it? Those days are scarce around here. But we had one today. And it has been delightful.

Even though there was nothing that had to get done--plenty was done. Couch cushion forts morphed into spaceships. Pancakes were made and consumed by all. Rousing games of Hide & Seek, Red light/Green light (with Purple light thrown in by the 2-year-old), hours spent creating Play-doh snakes, fish and monkeys...

All those years spent being a Responsible Adult? This is my reward. I'll take it over a gold watch any day!

Love your Mother...the annual "hippy" post...

Because She puts on such amazing displays of beauty for us...

We should be doing all that we can to give back...

So She will continue to feed us...

to nurture and provide for us...

Happy Earth Day!

Regardless of one's views/beliefs on climate change/global warming...it is our responsibility as Humans to be stewards of the Earth. To conserve. To act responsibly. To insure future generations have enough to eat, have shelter and a planet to live on. And that they too will know the same beauty we know.

Warm fuzzies come in all shapes and sizes...

Both of our peach trees had blossoms on them when we transplanted them. And both promptly lost them from the shock. Or so I thought...


I'm typically really not all that big on surprises. But what a delightful surprise to find wee little peaches! That's just the type of warm and fuzzy I needed!

So...what, exactly, is it that you do?

Sometimes people are just curious enough to ask me that question. Most of the time people assume I'm "just" a stay-at-home Mommy. I can assure you--none of us are "just" a stay-at-home Mommy. But that's different post on an entirely different matter.

I spent yesterday playing outside--in one of the beautiful (and local) state parks. I also got to play with about 900 other people!

Every year, the organization that pays my paycheck puts on an event called the Little-Big Adventure. It's an adult/child team adventure race--chipped timed and the team must stay together!

Half a mile canoe leg starts the race...

Transition to a three and a half mile bike ride through the woods on the bike trails...

And finishing up with a short mile and a half run!

The top finishers in each age group and gender group (based on the child racing) receive medals--and everyone receives a ribbon just for finishing!

Back to my part in all of this...my job is to fill the t-shirt backs with sponsors. And this year we've lost a couple of our big ones, but we also gained a few who stepped up and made this a fantastic, amazing event! The sponsors donate product for giveaways and also goodies for our race packets...free passes for climbing at the climbing gym, day passes for ice skating and laser tag, ClifBars, birthday party packages, IMAX passes, gift certificates and a white water rafting package.
I don't think anyone left disappointed.

All family members were welcome!

Even my own! Thanks to their amazing Daddy for bringing
them out to play for a little while.

Now...a few days off before it's back to work. We have two smaller, kid only events over the summer and another Little-Big in Raleigh, NC this September.

Because we weren't already full up on Cares and Woe?

In the mail today...addressed to me using my Very Formal non-alias name...a letter from the Educational Credit Management Corp. Informing me that I was--maybe--among the 3.3 million individuals who may or may not have had personal information stored in a portable storage device that was stolen out of a guarded safe way back in February. But, in an effort to make up for their (my) misfortunes, they were offering me a one year FREE trial membership to a credit monitoring service.

Just a tad bit too dodgy for my taste and the letter was tossed.

Imagine my surprise later this evening to find out they were legit. And somewhere out there, a Not So Nice person has--maybe--access to my social security number, my address and my date of birth: the sacred trinity of credit card applications. The shiny side? Our credit score is so far south that even a Not So Nice person posing as me with all the above information would--hopefully--be denied a credit card. But they're more than welcome to the student loan.

So, given the fraud issues we've already dealt with in the last six months, I dug through the trash--eww...diapers and chicken innards--retrieved the letter and took advantage of the complementary membership. And set an alert on my calendar for this date next year to remind me to cancel.

a growing protest...

Yep...we're "stickin' it to the Man"...

...with bush beans, spinach, carrots, parsnips, onions and a gourmet variety of salad greens...oh, and wee little tomato, cucumber, pepper and okra seedlings ready to go...and various herbs in the pots off to the side.

And why are we doing this?

Because this little person needs to know where his food comes from...needs to know there's work involved...dedication, determination...gratitude for the harvest...

And we need to loosen our dependence on someone else providing our family with healthy, pesticide free food.

Our children also need to know there's beauty in a garden as well. A fair portion of our yard has been turned over, hoed, raked and prepared for more planting. It won't all be eatable...but a good bit of it will be. And I now have a much better understanding of why it's called "back breaking labor".

A few members of the family--mainly the four-legged ones--need to be reminded on a daily basis that parts of the yard are no longer open play areas. Peach trees and newly transplanted hostas are staked out for their own protection. Daddy kicking the soccer ball into the veggie beds wasn't exactly setting a good example...great kick, bad example.

Comic relief...

And, yes...our "protest yard" is coming along nicely!

Conversations...

This morning began with an email exchange with an old friend...actually, the morning started way before that, but this was the part out of the ordinary...

Last Monday I was ready to lay down and give up. This Monday I'm ready to fight. Thank God for new strength and clarity of vision.

Share? Because today I'm at that "lay down and give up" stage...

It's about realizing I'm not in control. The overwhelming circumstances and difficult people that are bludgeoning me to death are subject to the power and authority of Jesus. I put my focus squarely on Him and let go of the things that are hurting me and dragging me down and He gives me rest. His rest gives me strength to fight another day. Don't give up Dori. Remember Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ the Lord who strengthens me."

Very simple words. Don't give up.

Then my dad called. He asked if there was anything he could do to help this week. He's coming in tomorrow to spend the afternoon with the kiddos and to fix supper. Such a small thing. But to me it's Huge.

Last night Jacob asked us if angels were Real. His dad and I both answered emphatically and positively. Yes. Angels are Real. And I find myself surrounded by them. Always.

Place holder...

Still here...still breathing...still hanging on...

Thought someone might want to know that information.

Things to do in the city when you're broke...

Gather up cousins, granddad and aunt and head out to a nature center that was
one of the last working plantations in the area...

Spend time walking through the farm animal petting and feeding part...

(this picture and the one below taken by my dad)

Pose for a picture on the stepping stones at the Japanese gardens...some are obviously more interested in the humongous Koi than in looking at Babu for the picture...


Enjoy a picnic out on the lawn, all claiming a small corner of the quilt...

And when kiddos just can't stay inside one more second even with the inch thick layer of pollen coating the world outside...

Take them to a play fountain! One of the local malls is outdoors and they've created a wonderful play spot for the kids--perfect for a day like today! And the buildings blocked a great deal of the pollen.


Apparently, not every thing I suggest is annoying.


Especially when I also pack food...

Every day I'm grateful that I get to stay home and hang out with my kiddos. Some days are more trying than others--that's life, isn't it? But then, for every sucky day we make it through we're rewarded with days like today.

Spring...

Celebrated by all...

Partaking of little packets of pastel colored M&M's...

Latest addition to our simple life passed inspection...

Warmer weather tomorrow...picnics and frolicking with cousins is planned...

A good read...

Any time there's an article in the newspaper relating to police in any form, the public forum comments run polar--it's either love or hate for law enforcement...no one sits the fence.

Today's paper was no different. There's an article regarding our local and state community of law enforcement petitioning the governor in an effort to change his mind on a part of the state budget--the bullet point that refers to police paying 5% into their pension fund. Basically--a 5% pay cut. When no one has had a raise in two years.

One commenter when above and beyond in his admiration and support of our local law enforcement and I wanted to share what he shared from Paul Harvey...

A Policeman is a composite of what all men are, mingling of a saint and sinner, dust and deity.

Gulled statistics wave the fan over the stinkers, underscore instances of dishonesty and brutality because they are “new”. What they really mean is that they are exceptional, unusual, not commonplace.

Buried under the frost is the fact: Less than one-half of one percent of policemen misfit the uniform. That’s a better average than you’d find among clergy!

What is a policeman made of? He, of all men, is once the most needed and the most unwanted. He’s a strangely nameless creature who is “sir” to his face and “fuzz” to his back

He must be such a diplomat that he can settle differences between individuals so that each will think he won.

But…If the policeman is neat, he’s conceited; if he’s careless, he’s a bum. If he’s pleasant, he’s flirting;if not, he’s a grouch.

He must make an instant decision which would require months for a lawyer to make.

But…If he hurries, he’s careless; if he’s deliberate, he’s lazy. He must be first to an accident and infallible with his diagnosis. He must be able to start breathing, stop bleeding, tie splints and, above all, be sure the victim goes home without a limp. Or expect to be sued.

The police officer must know every gun, draw on the run, and hit where it doesn’t hurt.He must be able to whip two men twice his size and half his age without damaging his uniform and without being “brutal”. If you hit him, he’s a coward. If he hits you, he’s a bully.

A policeman must know everything-and not tell. He must know where all the sin is and not partake.

A policeman must, from a single strand of hair, be able to describe the crime, the weapon and the criminal- and tell you where the criminal is hiding.

But…If he catches the criminal, he’s lucky; if he doesn’t, he’s a dunce. If he gets promoted, he has political pull; if he doesn’t, he’s a dullard. The policeman must chase a bum lead to a dead-end, stake out ten nights to tag one witness who saw it happen-but refused to remember.

The policeman must be a minister, a social worker, a diplomat, a tough guy and a gentleman.

And, of course, he’d have to be genius….For he will have to feed a family on a policeman’s salary.