Wildly bouncing ball

I don't know what gave me the idea, but I tried on my pre-Kaija jeans. And they fit! Not prettily. But they fit, nonetheless. -I would have celebrated with a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie, but I already had one- They weren't THEE jeans (ahem, Sabrina) but they were jeans. I now have 5 pairs instead of 2. -Okay, so I had two cookies, sue me!- And having more jeans makes me happy. -I didn't go for a third because of those chocolate covered almonds I ate- So the day was going pretty well. Until Z sends me a text. -almonds are good for you, full of good fats- Apparently he has something work related that came up the day we were planning to leave to Florida for his cousin's wedding that he is standing in. -the chocolate on the almonds is just a bonus- So instead of the whole family going, the plan is that he'll fly there himself. I won't lie: I was disappointed. -so I had a cookie to help with that- But the good news: it'll actually save us money. Which isn't as fun as going to Florida. -I'm willing to bet my jeans don't fit anymore- I guess that's how the ball bounces.

Happy 30th birthday!!

To? I'll give you some hints:

*her and I shared the same golden birthday year.
*same age, obviously.
*had we stayed in MI, I would have gone to school with her.
*instead, we met years later.
*we were roommates.
*she is one of my besties.
*I consider her a sister, really.

Hope your day is fabulous! I meant to put up a throwback photo- but since I'm not incredibly organized in the photo dept, I couldn't find them. Guess you got lucky, since I just needed to post this already.

Who? Katie. Katie A** the second. (Not to be confused with my SIL, who has the same name.)

My wish for me for your birthday? :) That I could live closer to you- so that we could complain about the weight we gained having babies while eating something sinful, rely on each other for child care, be there for each other when we just.need.a.break.! Sigh. Maybe someday!

*this*

is what it's all about. Right now, I have a yard full of active boys. Celebrating Logan's birthday. I can't help but realize how very lucky we are. Of all of the places we could have ended up, *this* is where we are. Here. And even if we do end up moving in the future, my kids are building lifelong friendships. Friends they will, without a doubt, see in the future through church. *this* makes me happy. We are so blessed to have *this*.

Excuse me while I go wipe my leaky eyes. Those bothersome allergies...

Roadtrip!

I had a plan. Armed with my camera, I was going to take pictures of my friends and everything I love in New Mexico. And show you on my blog. That's when my camera showed me that I wasn't in charge. Dumb camera. But: I went, I saw, I conquered. And came home completely refreshed and ready to play mommy again. Without the pictures to prove it. Sigh.

Here's what I learned:
*Roadtrip - kids + hubby = fun
*Not everybody remembers to fly their flag at half staff on September 11th. Sad.
*No matter which way I see it, Missouri is beautiful. And Oklahoma is HuMiD. Texas is big. Indiana is stinky. Michigan is just as much home as New Mexico is anymore. Equality is good.
*And Amy and Jodi are still as thoughtful as ever.

I loved my trip. I pigged out on everything with Green Chiles. Bought my family a bushel and a half of roasted green chiles to take home. (They smell amazing, fyi.) Went to my old gym and saw my peeps there. Oh, how I love them! Saw almost everyone that I wanted to see. (You don't count, Laren. You don't live there anymore.) Relaxed. And relaxed some more. With Amy, mostly. It was wonderful.

All the mommies out there need to do that for themselves. Seriously, I had reservations about this trip?! What was I smoking?!

Oh, and Happy BCM, Amy!!! Thank you for everything!! Big (((hugs)))! I heart you big!

If you wish upon a star and your wish comes true, you will end up with the cutest dog in the world. Per Isabel.

My house is clean, my bars are gone, got my Tetanus shot (I got poked by a rusty Corn Carnival pin from 2005. True story.) and my MIL is coming. What could be better? I know! If 2/3 of that pan of bars won't soon be making an appearance on my hips. That's what.

I'm taking a sabbatical from the computer. And stuff. Only for a week or two. See ya then!

Peanutty S'mores

Viewer discretion is advised.

Without a doubt, my favorite bar. It's heaven in my fingertips. I made them in lieu of working out. Sometimes you just gotta be tough and roll like that.

Peanutty Smores

1/2 c. softened butter

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream together. Then add:

1 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Press into 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cover with a bag of miniature marshmallows, 1/2 bag chocolate chips and 3/4 c of peanuts. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until marshmallows are slightly brown.

ENJOY! Guilt-free. Because I'm a mom and I said so.

I survived the big breeze!

Remember those shirts? How many of you bought one? I know my mom and Emily K. each had one. And I was positively GrEeN with envy. (One year when my hometown got hit particularly bad by a tornado, they made those shirts.)

Moms of Kindergartners should have something similar. "I survived my heart hopping on the bus." It's so hard to watch, isn't it? And it's hard with every new Kindergartner you have. This is the first time that I haven't had to deal with that feeling on the first day and so I was actually able to enjoy the fact that we were getting back to a structured, scheduled, routine-filled life. Ooh, how I thrive on structure.

It's laundry duty now and when I am done, I am going to get a shirt that says, "I conquered the Laundry Mt. Range!" Because, yes, I don't just have a mountain. I have a whole range.

My October Challenge.

Considering October is the scariest month, what with Halloween and all, I am going to try scare my family a little. Maybe even me. Everyday, I'm going to try out a new recipe. And I'll blog about the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you have one that you haven't dared, send it my way. I just might be your guinea pig. Or, better yet, do it with me. I dare you!

*I know it's only September. Didn't I tell you that I like to be prepared? Geez. *

Lester, the real cowboy.

That's what Logan used to refer to himself as. And on his fifth birthday, he got a real horseshoe from his cousins. When he opened up his gift, his eyes lit up and he said, "Awesome! All I need now is three more horseshoes and a horse!"

Me, A la carte

Mindi...
*does not see the logic behind Costco closing at 6pm on SATURDAY.
*loves Red Robin. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Or is it Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! I can't tell.
*didn't like "The Poisonwood Bible". Except for the reason behind the name. That was good.
*did, however, like "The Help".
*loves this cool fall weather. No humidity. Ahhhhh.
*is ready for school to start. And for my big break.
*doesn't feel so overwhelmed here anymore. (!!)
*is starting to feel like she actually does live here, instead of visiting.
*loves her house.
*needs to quit leaving painting projects 3/4 done.
*does not have a winter jacket. (Admit it. You wanted to know.)
*is starting a new trend: redneck chic curtains. a.k.a. bedsheets. (Extra points for prints. Extra, extra for outdated prints.) Cheap, your neighbors will enjoy them, they immediately change the value of your house and your neighbors. What more can you ask for? (We're going green)
*laughed when her daughter looked at the redneck chic curtains and asked, "Mom, when are we getting bar stools?" She must have liked the new trend. Don't blame her.
*got rear-ended by a grocery cart today. True story. She has the dent to prove it.
*thinks the aforementioned dent officially transformed her minivan into redneck chic. Now she just needs the mullet and she'll be set.
*knows she's a trendsetter.

The gift

There is really nothing more important to say (for me) at the moment than this:

My cousin has a daughter who is very young. Eight or nine? (Obviously, I'm not close with them. I guess that is how life is.) Back to the story. They found a tumor in her brain a while back. Their family dealt with each little trial that came with it. (I get my info via the Caringbridge site and my dear aunt.) An amazingly strong family, I would have to say. Last spring, the tumors were so big that there really was not much more that could be done for her.

As a parent, I cannot even fathom this. And I don't want to try, it makes my heart so heavy.

Last month, they went in for an MRI. The tumors are gone. Nothing there. The tumors are gone!!! It's nothing short of a miracle. She was on medication that was supposed to slow the growth of the tumors, not shrink them. God has blessed them with two things: time and hope. Without hope, time feels dark and desperate. And this little girl and her family can reclaim happiness. There's nothing better than that.