Rocks In My Dryer

AH-CHOO *sniff,sniff* I caught the bug.

There's a fun little virus--a good kind--going around the blogging world.  It's called the Indie Virus.  So that I don't mess anything up, I'm going to post it word-for-word how MomRN2 wrote it at her blog (she's the one who passed it to me):

Pearsonified has started a small, casual social experiment, it’s called “The Indie Virus.” Here’s how Pearsonified describes this experiment:The experiment, henceforth referred to as “The Indie Virus,” has two goals:

* To bring exposure to lesser known blogs (especially those outside of Technorati’s top 100)
* To explore the metrics behind a viral linking campaign launched by the “little guys” (less popular blogs)

So...here's who I sneeze my Indie germs onto:

Mary at Owlhaven.  Mary is mom--and friend--to many!  Her sweet, sweet attitude about motherhood's adventures always encourages me.

Rachel at Finding Wonder in the Mundane.  Rachel is profound, funny, intelligent and convicting--often in the very same post.  She was my very, very first commenter way back in the day....

Beth at From Her Majesty's Throne.  Beth and I, I believe, share a brain--we have so much in common.  She has one of the coolest blog designs out there!

Karen at The Big Trade-Off.  Another of my very first "blog friends".  Karen is teaching me a lot about courage these days.  And the word "woot". 

If I accidentally sneezed on someone who already has the bug, please forgive me--I'm still not caught up on my blog-reading after vacation.

Happy weekend to all!

A Very Easy Baby Gift

A few weeks ago, one of my dearest friends had a baby, and I wanted to get her something special.  So I made her a quilt like one given to me when my daughter was born, made by a friend.  It is such a good blanket, and best of all, it is VERY easy to do.  First, here's the finished product:

This is the "smooth" side (you'll see what I mean in a minute).  These are 9-inch squares of flannel (with a half-inch seam, the finished squares are 8 inches).

This is the "fuzzy" side.  The way to make this quilt is to use a double thickness of flannel (right sides facing OUT), and sew them together so all the seams are exposed on one side.  Then clip the exposed seams, launder, and watch it fringe!

 

For an added touch, I monogrammed one of the quilt squares (I didn't post a picture of the monogram, for my friend's privacy, but it turned out really well).  This is easy--just print out the font you want to use in the monogram, and tape the print-out to a window.  Tape the flannel over it, and you can easily trace the name onto the cloth with pencil.  Then use a simple back-stitch to monogram over the pencil marks.

When All Else Fails, Post Funny Kid Stories

My 7-year-old son approached me in the kitchen with a look of great pride on his face.

Son: Did you see that I helped feed Corrie?  I was really helpful, wasn't I?

Me: Yes, thank you.

Son:  So what do I get?

Me:  Your mother's deep appreciation.

Son: [long, disappointed pause]  Anything else?

Here's another one:

After dinner tonight the kids were being especially LOUD.  "BOYS!" I shouted, exasperated, and speaking slowly for emphasis.  "MOM...WANTS...QUIET."  Joseph looked up at me innocently and said, "JOSEPH...WANTS...LOUD."

Last one, I promise.  This is from our Family Archives Of Funniest Kid Stories. 

A couple of years ago, Adam (then 5) had drawn a poster for a poster contest in Sunday school.  On it, he drew a picture of the earth, and at the top was a picture of Jesus on the cross.  There were tears rolling down Jesus' face, and big scary nails poking out of His hands.  We listened as he showed it to his brother Stephen in the backseat.  Stephen asked, "Why is He crying?"  "Because," Adam answered, "He was hoping the bad guys would use tape."

Signs of Spring

I once heard a mom say that she could tell it was spring when her good spoons started disappearing into the sandbox.  And how true it is--the trees start budding and my little boys begin their backyard antics for the season.  I'll share some pictures of what is already underway.

A helicopter becomes a propellor:

   

A decorative ship's steering wheel, dangling from a shoelace, becomes a handy place to hang badminton rackets (that may be the oddest sentence I've ever written):

The upper level of the fort becomes...well, I'm not sure what they had in mind, but evidently lawn chairs, orange cones and hocky pucks are part of the plan.

I love this time of year!

to be a fool
while Spring is in the world
my blood approves

--ee cummings

Treasure Tuesday

This morning I thought I'd play along with Faithful Mommy's Treasure Tuesday.  There are few things I treasure more than family photos, and the older the better.  This is one of my very favorites:

Those are my paternal grandparents, when they were 22 years old.  This picture was taken a couple of months after Pearl Harbor was bombed.  My grandfather was stationed in Washington State, and the West Coast was (understandably) under a huge strain after Pearl Harbor was bombed.  Blackouts and bombing drills were a regular part of life as residents fully expected that they would be attacked next. My grandmother described it as a frightening time, but still a sweet one for her, as she was still a newlywed in her first home with my grandfather.  Only a couple more months after this was taken, my grandfather was deployed for two years.  My grandmother wrote to him every single day.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig...

And....we're home.  *happy sigh*  What an amazing week.

First, I need to update you from where I left off.  On Thursday we spent the day at Epcot (everyone's tummies had recovered miraculously overnight).  During my past Disney visits, Epcot had always been my favorite.  But with little kids in tow, it definitely didn't have the pull that the Magic Kingdom had.  We made a relatively quick sachet through the "World Showcase", stopping in Germany for a lunch for which we'd had reservations for months.  Note to self:  if your family is just recovering from a stomach bug, do NOT visit a restaurant that smells like sauerkraut and beets.  Thankfully everyone was able to stomach his schnitzel, and we moved along.  Here's a picture of my crew in front of our restaurant:

The front half of Epcot, if you've never been there, is a wonderland for imaginative kids.  My boys wanted to see and touch EVERYthing, and we darn near managed it.  The highlights of the day was a virtual hang-gliding journey in Soarin', and Hubs and the two younger boys raved about the ride Test Track (Adam and I sat that one out).

On to Friday...our last day at the park.  We woke up early, packed, and headed out to Animal Kingdom for a character breakfast with Donald Duck.  Mickey, Goofy and Pluto were there as well.  We saw the Festival of the Lion King, a shortened version of the Broadway play...OH, MY GOSH!  It was breathtaking.  We met a few more characters and then took the Monorail back to the Magic Kingdom (we were able to sit up front with the driver--a real thrill!).  That last day at the Magic Kingdom was so full I don't even know how to summarize it.  We saw everything we wanted to, and a few things twice.  The weather was perfect.  I bought a much-cherished souvenir--silhouettes of my boys made at Liberty Square.  Hubs and Adam were even able to get reservations for the Pooh character lunch Adam missed on his sick day.  Things were going SO well.

Until....

We ate dinner at Pecos Bill's, with plans to watch the Spectro Magic parade and fireworks show again before climbing in the car to make the drive home.  After dinner, we sat leisurely in the restaurant, until our nasty little stomach bug made a VERY sudden appearance with ME.  With the room (literally) spinning, I ran to the bathroom, where I camped out for a very long time.  Remarkably, I never actually threw up (because I'm sure you were wanting to know), but I hovered on the edge of death in that bathroom--or so it felt.  I knew I would have to somehow make it out of the park, but I could barely pull myself off the floor.  Finally I stumbled out to our table, where my sweet Hubs had four Disney bags cleared out and ready for me to chufe into as we dashed out of the park. 

Just as we attempted our sailing exit out of the restaurant...THE PARADE STARTED.  You Disney veterans know that nothing short of nuclear war could interrupt a Disney parade.  So Hubs somehow managed some creative steering through stores and alleyways, dragging three boys and a very green momma behind him.  Who needs a "Prince Charming" when you have the real thing?  What a guy!

Long story short, we made it out of the park and to our car with no embarrassing, um, "episodes".  We only drove an hour out of Orlando before we all collapsed into a hotel bed from exhaustion over the drama.

True to the form of this virus, I was fine the next morning.  Our trip back was safe and uneventful.  My boys mercifully have overlooked our less-than-stellar parting from Disney World and have talked non-stop about their happy memories.  Their hearts and autograph books are full!  Really, stomach virus and all, we couldn't have had a better week.  We are so blessed!

Now we're home, and my house is piled high with dirty laundry, suitcases, and a wide assortment of souvenirs that seemed like a good idea at the time.  My daughter had a wonderful time with my parents (though it took her about 30 minutes to decided if she still liked us!), and my house seems enormous to me after 10 days in a hotel room.  It's a happy night indeed.

Thank you to those of you who read along and gave encouragement and prayers during our wild week!  It was fun to share it with you.  Bear with me; it may take me all week to catch up on comments, e-mail and other blogs!  I missed my blogging friends even more than I expected I would--y'all are the best!

Signing off, for some laundry and rest....

Sore Feet, Sunburned Faces, Queasy Tummies, and VERY Happy Hearts

No time for a long post right now.  I'm in a hotel in Tupelo, MS, typing while my family sleeps, and they keep shushing me!  Our trip was great, and when I can get my head to stop spinning I'll fill you in on the disney-riffic details.  We had an absolutely wonderful time, beyond my wildest expectations--even with the little stomach bug thrown in for good measure.  So until I can sit down for a longer post, I'll leave you with this picture of my sweetie and me....

Favorite Mark Twain Quotes

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect.

The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.

Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the windows by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.

There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy's life when he has a raging dessire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure.

Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she had laid an asteroid.

Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to.

It is easier for a needle to go through a camel's eye than for a rich woman to sprain her ankle and keep it out of the papers

It takes me a long time to lose my temper, but once lost I could not find it with a dog.

What, sir, would the people of the earth be without woman? They would be scarce, sir, almighty scarce.

Day Six: Stomach Virus **UPDATED**

Yep, nothing like a little vomiting to spice up a Disney vacation, is there? 

Adam awakened in the middle of the night throwing up.  My trooper of a husband stayed home with him this morning while I took the younger boys back to Magic Kingdom.  We lasted a few hours and saw some wonderful sights.  We headed back to the hotel, with word from my husband that Adam was improving when...what to my wondering eyes should appear, but Joseph throwing up on the sidewalk!  We dashed back to the room, got Joseph in bed...and then Hubs started with the chufing.  Now Stephen and I are the only two who aren't sick....YET.

However...if you can't find a silver lining on your cloud when you're in Disney World, then where can you?  Here's what we have to be thankful for tonight:

• Hubs and Adam actually a sweet time together this morning, alone at the hotel--many good talks and TLC.
• The two "healthy" days we had at the park were, on their own, worth the trip down here.
• While all the "patients" slept in the hotel room, Stephen and I had a ball of an afternoon swimming, walking the grounds, and eating dinner, just the two of us. 
• Our dear friends here with us, the W family, are offering us all the help they can.  To make up for Adam's disappointing day today, they've assured us they'll take him to the park if we're unable to.  What good friends we have.
• Stephen, Joseph and I had a ball in AdventureLand this morning, with the Jungle Cruise being a big hit.  We had lunch with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet, and my boys were beside themselves to play with Tigger.  Later, we met Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, where Stephen had the gall to whisper to Hook: "tick-tock-tick-tock..."  Hook played along by trembling and hiding, and Stephen's chest puffed up with pride. 

So please join us in praying that we can all mend enough to enjoy our remaining two days in the park.  But I'll say it again....last night made this WHOLE trip worth it.  I'm a happy girl tonight.

**UPDATED**  We've awakened Thursday morning with every miraculously healed and jumping on hotel beds (as I write this).  Thank you, Lord!  We're off to Epcot....

Day Five: Magic

I don't think that I have the writing abilities to record what today was like.  And really, you don't have to read through all these details--it's mostly for the benefit for my family, who is checking this.  But if you'd like to come along on today's journey, hop on board...

Today was our first day at Magic Kingdom.  If you've ever been there, you know there's so much to see and do that it's almost too much to take in.  We paced ourselves, getting the lay of the land and hitting a few of the rides we didn't want to miss (the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and Goofy's Barnstormer were huge hits).  We met Mulan and Belle, despite my boys' insistence that they don't want the autographs of "all those princesses" (I told them they'd thank me someday).  But by mid-afternoon, we were all tired, and we came back to our hotel for an afternoon rest.  When we headed back to the park at 4:30, we were refreshed and ready for a full evening.  And it was a good thing, because the magic was really about to begin...

First we scared the bejeebers out of the oldest two on the Haunted Mansion ride--four-year-old Joseph was the bravest of the bunch.  Then we headed to our first character dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern.  We ate with Minnie, Pluto, Chip and Dale, and the star of the show--Goofy.  The characters were delightful--so interactive with the kids.  At one point Pluto chased seven-year-old Stephen around our table, and he sneaked up on Hubs and licked him on the ear (the kids loved that).  It was dark by the time we left (and PERFECT weather), and time to cue up for the SpectroMagic parade.  The friends we came with, the W family, had secured spots for us directly in front of Cinderella's castle.  So we happily sat and waited for the parade with our $42 worth of light-up toys and overly-full tummies. 

The parade was phenomenal.  Nearly every imaginable Disney character was represented, covered in lights (here's a lousy picture of Cinderella--sorry, I don't do nighttime pictures well):

Then, the fireworks began.  OH, the fireworks!  In true Disney style, they were breathtaking.  The entire castle faded from one color to another as the sky lit up in perfect sync with the best Disney songs ever made.  The looks on my boys' faces were of sheer wonder!  And I'm not sure there was any less wonder on mine and Hub's faces, as well--as the songs and fireworks crescendoed to Jiminy Cricket's version of "When You Wish Upon A Star" you could practically feel the pixie dust.

When the fireworks ended, the crowds spilled out of the park...but not us!  We were too excited to leave, and the park was open for another hour.  So we swam upstream to FantasyLand and rode to our hearts' content with hardly any crowds.  Disney's Philharmagic was excellent, and of course, we couldn't miss MY favorite...It's a Small World.  If you've ever ridden it, you know that the cheese factor is pretty high (eight-year-old Adam remarked, "Sheesh, don't these kids know it's okay to be sad?").  But Joseph and I were equally captivated by the adorable little characters singing in every possible language.  (Here's a terrible picture of Hubs and me on the ride--sunburned, tired, but very happy):

The loudspeakers announced it was time to leave, and we grudgingly left amid promises we'd return tomorrow.  As we walked down Main Street USA, all five of us hand-in-hand, I have to say that my heart nearly popped right open.