You're not crazy mom!

I feel like I live on that precipice of insanity at all times.  I think I like it here, not knowing whether or not I will fall over the ravine, kinda makes me feel alive!  I have a friend that is a mental health nurse and I asked her one time, "If I know that I'm crazy, I'm not right?  Because that is the thing that makes me know I'm sane."  Her reply was something to the effect of crazy people do know they are crazy.  Great!  Now what is the benchmark of knowing the sane from the insane? 

Today hubby went into work later than usual, which meant that school was put aside for games of Crocodile and hanging out with Daddy.  Some things are more important.  So at 3:30 pm when Ariel was still doing school work and very frustrated with the whole thing that I decided to inject some humor and just be silly.  She looks at me, like only tween girl can, and rolls her eyes at me.  But I can see that she is no longer in her frustrated state, she has that glint in her rolling eyes that tells me that my silliness is working.  So I said to her, "I know, Momma is crazy!"  Belle, sitting on my lap, pipes up, "You're not crazy, Momma!!!  You are normal!"  To which I burst out laughing as did Ariel.  So I asked her if she was sure and she said she was.  I then asked, "Okay then, who is crazy?" and you know she said it was her sister.  It amazes me how quickly kids pick up on humor and how easily they incorporate it into their everyday language.  I'm so glad that my kids have a sense of humor, it's a good way to cope with the tough things that come along in life.  I'm glad they can laugh at themselves, I think it will make them stronger human beings. 

Hubby is off ice fishing tonight with some of his Trooper buddies.  They have done this for the past several years and it's always a hike to their fishing local.  Funny thing is, now we only live about 20 minutes away from it.  The girls and I are going to get a pizza and have a fun girls night complete with a pajama party in Momma's bed, as they call it.  Often when he is away they want to sleep with me.  Too soon they will be bigger and not want to hang with me.  I'm going to cherish these insane days but fun PJ party nights.

Pretzels

I love to watch Food Network.  One show we all enjoy in Throwdown with Bobby Flay.  One recent episode was Bobby taking on Big Daddy Pretzel from Philly.  They had a soft pretzel throwdown and Bobby actually won!  If you have seen the show you know that he usually does not win.  My family was oooo-ing and ahh-ing at the sight of the pretzels and I was thinking they didn't look to difficult to make.  Food Network posted his recipes and after checking it out decided that it would be a fun family activity and it actually was!!!  After waiting forever for the dough to rise, according to Ariel, all 4 of us formed our snakes and made pretzel shapes popped them into the oven.  Ohmyyummyness, they were good! 

Not every time I find a new recipe or think of a fun thing to make does it turn out okay.  In fact, the girls and I were watching TLC's Cake Boss and Buddy was talking about Irish Soda Bread.  Ariel asked what it was and I didn't know, so thank goodness for Google, we found out.  Looking at a recipe it looked easy and yummy, very similar to the recipe I use for biscuits.  When all was said and done, the bread was good, but burned on the outside and still gooey on the inside.  Guess I'll have to try that again and make sure the oven temp is accurate. 

As far as the pretzels go, we all had a blast and we are looking forward to making them again!  Having something that everyone really enjoys is not always easy, but this was a hit!  Here's the link to the recipe... Bobby Flay's Soft Pretzels

A Hole In My Pants

I had a pair of gray pants that were my absolute favorite.  They were perfect.  My legs are long and the length was perfect.  There was a touch of lycra in them, which made them feel perfect.  They didn't sit high on my waist, my waist is low, and they fit perfect.  I wore them all the time.  They were my go-to pants.  I bought them at an outlet so I knew that I would never be able to find another pair.  And then it happened!  I went into the outlet that I bought them at 2 years later, and there they were!  Not only were they in gray, but in black, tan and brown, to which my wonderful husband said, "Buy them all!!".  And I did. 

Fast forward 2 years.  Now I have 3 favorite pants.  The same gray one, but newer, black and brown.  The tan is in the back of my closet because it is not my favorite, it shows too many thigh dimples, which I think is sharing way too much information.  I think I wear the black pair the most.  I have a gray and black sweater that is long that I adore and wear far too much with my favorite black pants.  I wore the black pants to Thanksgiving, to which my sister in law replies, "Oh!  You wore those last year and I cringed last year because of all the dog hair you were going to get on you!"  See, I told you I wear them too much.  I wore those black pants with a new sweater vest and white button down shirt for my hubby's promotion.  I wore them to the Christmas Party we had for the army unit that hubby is in the first of December.  When I went to put them on two Sundays after Christmas, I gasped.  There was a hole in the seam on the backside of those pants.  I can deal with holes.  It is right on the seam.  Give me my trusty sewing machine and 5 minutes and I'll make them look new again.  The reason I gasped is when the heck did that hole appear?  When I dress, it's usually in a hurry with 1000 questions being thrown at me all at once.  So, did I wear them with a hole in it to the Christmas Party?  To the promotion and the Christmas Party?  Please some one tell me that it just happened or at least I was smart enough to wear black undies so no one could tell.  But I cannot answer these questions.  So is it possible that I went to the Army Christmas Party, where my husband is the commander and I'm the head of the Family Group and people are always looking at us, with a hole in those favorite black pants in my hiney?   I remember how many times I bent over to get more information for the family members under my display table.  And the times that I picked rouge craft items off the floor.  And the time I squatted down to speak with the rep from Senator Collins office so I could talk to her face to face while she was sitting at the table.  Someone would have said something to me, right?  Right?  Would I tell someone if they had a hole in their pants? 

The pants are now fixed.  I will wear them tomorrow.  But I don't think I will ever look at them the same again and I will always check to make sure all seams are secure when I put pants on forevermore. 

Let's go bowling!!

The joys of living upstate and not knowing any one is living upstate and not knowing anyone! We have lots of free days. It has it's perks and I have decided that I am going to focus on that and not so much on the things that we miss about our crazyness down south. So, today is Thursday and I was thinking that the girls got their passports in the mail this week and since there are no plans for the weekend, gasp!, that we might be able to go get some stamps in those pristine books of theirs. After hubby and I chatted about the possibility in the early morning hours this morning, the girls came down stairs and we asked, what do you want to do Saturday? With out hesitation, Belle says, Let's go bowling!!!!!! To which we all crack up. It was like she was all practiced and waiting for the question to come. She is growing so fast, it amazes me when I look at her that 6 years of her life have passed. And Ariel, I have no idea where the little red head has gone to. She is so grown up in all that she does that she amazes me that she is my child. As I type this, she is on the phone with a new friend of hers. When did that start, the when did the I-am-my-own-person thing happen? I was trying to think of the first time I had a gab session on the phone. I hate talking on the phone, what am I thinking? That trait came directly from my father.

It's snowing again. It's not quite as cold as it has been. I'm so grateful to God for all that He has blessed us with. Whether it is snow or freezing temperatures, He always looks out for us and guides our paths and I'm just thankful.

"Not too cook-y, Momma."

First play date in our new house was so fun! At church we met a family who home schools and their two youngest are the same age as ours. So, in preparation for them coming over, I made our favorite cookies, Molasses Spice. Belle comes in and says, "Don't make them too cook-y, Momma, I like those cookies chewy." Huh? I reply, "You mean don't cook them too much?" Belle, "Yup, Momma, I don't like them crunchy when you cook-y them too much". Well, I guess they passed the test, because I lost count of how many she ate.

1046

1046 is one of my favorite 10 codes that the troopers use. It means in custody, or as I like to put it...off to jail with the bad guy! The reason it is so near and dear to my heart is that my hubby is a Crisis Negotiator. When someone has holed himself up and vows to shoot anyone who comes near, my brave husband races to the scene all over the state to try to talk some sense into him/her. Living way up here, it is a long trip to anywhere, and travel time to most negotiations is over 3 hours. The best thing for us girls is when hubby gets all suited up, gets in the car, only to return to the house a few minutes later to yell at the top of his lungs...1046!!!!!! Sometimes he'll be gone only a little bit and we'll get the 1046 phone call. We love that! There have been times where the 1046 comes, but only after he is almost to the scene. Those times are not so much fun. I know that he enjoys being on the Negotiation Team and enjoys his job on the team, but travel time kills the joy at times. So, hubby just left to travel about 2 hours to a call, and the girls and I are praying for a quick 1046 so he can be home for dinner! In the mean time, we pray for safety and courage and wisdom for the words to say.

The Adventures of Home Schooling

One thing I never wanted to do was home school. Not because I didn't think I was capable, but because I thought there was much more opportunity else where for the kids. Being a kid that moved a lot growing up, I know what it is like to have to adjust not only to a new town, but a new house, new neighbors, new friends, new church and a new school. We decided to do the home school thin for a number of reasons. First of all the curriculum the girls were using at their school lends it self very well to home schooling, secondly, we have no idea how long we will be here and we thought that adjustment might be better for the kids doing it this way. Ariel and I had our moments at the beginning. She wanted to make sure that mom had rules and regulations like her teacher did and she pushed all the limits. Through trial and error, and much prayer, I think we have gotten into a groove. I still think she is much smarter than I. Belle, on the other hand, has only known me as a teacher. She had almost 2 month in real school before we moved but has adjusted nicely to home school. She's reading and amazes me all the time! I tell people that I hope I don't screw them up too badly and she told me once, momma, you won't screw me up. Gotta love the faith of a child. The girls are able to keep up with their peers and have been able to go back to their school a few times, another one of the reasons that we opted for this route in schooling. Ariel's teacher has been very kind and is helping me find my way through this adventure. I have a new appreciation for teachers and home schooling moms. I adore my children and am loving being with them and teaching them. It still makes me awe struck when they get a concept for the first time and the light goes on. I'm thankful for this opportunity to be involved in this area of my kids' life.