2.08.2008
Oh, Snap!
But the truth is, here at home, we're pretty far from talking the talk of youngsters & since Flynn's never laid eyes on a Hannah Montana episode, she's not that hip either.
So, imagine my surprise this morning when she & I, enjoying a rousing game of Memory, started getting competitive. I've never been one to let my kids win just because they're kids (heck, I take the opportunity to get some wins under my belt!). Right in the heat of the matching of Barney cards, I matched TWO IN A ROW.
It was clear, it was the turning point, and our eyes locked. I whinced, waiting for a cry of disappointment.
That's when she let out her unhappiness,
"Oh, SNAP!"
I was probably about as shocked as I would've been had a curse word slipped her lips.
"What did you say??"
"Snap."
Then, I had to collapse onto the floor on my side. Bursts of laughter (but careful not to mess up my Memory pairs).
"Where did you hear that?"
"I don't know. It's your turn Mom."
Days of Valentine - 6th way

- eye candy
- hot
- very attractive
- not-so-bad-on-the-eyes
- quite the looker
- gorgeous
- yummy
- cute
- beautiful
- sexy
- striking
- handsome
That's him alright. I wouldn't go so far as to say he's my trophy husband. But I would go so far as to say that I proudly wear myself on his arm when we go places and I've always been proud to introduce him to acquaintances he's never met.
Did you know that before he knew me, I saw him & inquired about him? My niece Hannah was in third grade at the school which he taught at (which I later taught at). He taught second grade, two doors down from her class.
I took Hannah to school a couple of different occasions, late, & "needed" to walk her to her class. I tried to be nonchallant while getting a good 'gander' into his classroom. You know, it's not often that elementary teachers are men. And even more rare that they're worth a second look (let alone three, four, or five looks).
Later, I asked Hannah about him. She giggled & was excited at my interest. Before I knew it, she'd told one of her friends who supplied her with a bunch of "facts" (which weren't very factual).
He never knew a student's aunt was hot after him. And I don't think he actually saw me until a year later when I subbed next door to him. And even then I'm not sure he 'really' saw me (the monumental moment was a month later when I subbed for him).
How often do people get to marry someone who took their breath away at first sight? And even less often than that, those people continue to stay smitten with their spouse.
I'm glad I'm one of those few.
2.07.2008
Days of Valentine - 5th Way
GODLYWhen I was growing up, playing "M.A.S.H." & planning how many kids I'd have & what I'd name them, I doubt this was on the top of the lists when it came to character traits in a husband.
Hot
Rich
Drives a fast car
That's about the maturity level of my thoughts back in those days.
It wasn't until I was closer to reaching spiritual maturity that I realized that Godliness was something I'd want my partner to have attained.
Here's why:
- Priorities. To keep them in the order God wants them, just happens to be in the order that a doating wife would.
- Fathering. What God wants him to be, is most likely what the kids would want. Esp at this point in their young lives. Someone who's home when he can be. Spends time with them. Is 'present' when he's here.
- Loyal to me & our marriage.
- Eyes for me. In the world in which we live, it's so hard for men to keep their eyes on their prize.
- Sharing a common interest with me. And that's Christ. (among several others)
- Prayer. It's the first thing we do in times of trouble. It feels so good to have him pray with me each night before we go to bed.
So, thank you honey for following Christ & working hard to be like Him.
Song of Solomon 1:17 The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are firs.
2.06.2008
Let Me Count the Ways...Day 4
OUTGOING'NESS
This guy will do anything...anything he thinks sounds fun, looks fun, sounds funny, or that will help someone.
Kinda like when little pal Zach, suffering from cancer, needed a little spending money for eating out on those long days & weeks of treatments.
Guess who volunteered to have his wife shave their head into a faux hawk, all in the name of raising some dollars?
Who dressed up in a Spartan's cheerleader's costume, for the annual 4th of July bash?
Who has tea parties with his little girl, build snowmans in the front yard, and does 50% of the grocery shopping?
Who rolled up some old lady's fingers in our car window, when she exhibited a little road rage? Who tells the people at the drive-thru window, "it's TO GO", just because I tried to trick him into it?
Who did karaoke at my request, wore a tux in 93 degree weather because I wanted to get married outside, and held my hair back while I puked (many a time)?
Who played kickball with me & our students on recesses? Who has done many a 'chinese firedrill' (is that not politically correct?) with me at intersections? Who sees to it that about once a month, a carton of bubblegum ice cream 'falls' into the cart while he's grocery shopping?
Who played (& won) the Newlywed Game on our little cruise ship on our honeymoon, rode a "rascal" (motorized old people cart) across shop n save's parking lot (pretty recently) because I thought it would be funny (& it was, I pee'ed a little in my pants just watching from the car), & who enjoyed enjoyed a private Barenaked Ladies concert with me & thought it was great when I had each member of the band sign my big prego stomach?
And although the things we do now, all in the name of fun, have slightly changed since our wild & single days...
the idea stays the same.
Jeff doesn't care that his silliness might cross over into slightly dorkiness. That doesn't matter.
Hey Jeff, I dare you: Start singing, right now in your classroom, "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman"....do it, double-dog dare you.
BLOG-JACKED

1 billion dollars!!!
No, but seriously
I will attempt my first blog takeover.
Before you proceed, please mind the thought my wife is an unmatched wordsmith, in which my word slinging pales in comparision.
Now, normally my thoughts are as deep as a frisbee. I usaully talk about soccer or something dumb one of my students did. My ability to communicate again pales in comparisin to Amy's. As a matter of fact I had to hand-write all of this before I posted it.
As I read what more gorgeous wife writes about me, I find myself having to re-read certain parts to make sure that, yep, wow she really loves me that much. After all, this is all documented so it cannot be retracted.
Not even in my "perfect life dreams" did any vision of the perfect life I have now ever cross my mind. It is as if my envisioned perfect life was not as perfect as God planned.
It is like God said, "Yeah right, you have no idea what I have in store for you. I have a plan for your life that includes the two greatest kids on earth. In your life I will also give a masterpiece of a woman, the finest I have made. She will show you the way to me. She will be an incredible mother to your children. To your life she will bring the ability to share humor, joy and most importantly she will share her love. That love for you will be way beyond anything you have ever imagined.
And she will be smokin' hot!!"
Come on, "beer goggles" I know I can see just fine and what I see is just fine.
Whew I'm spent. You can have this blog back.
I need a nap.
I
love
Amy
2.05.2008
3rd Way, My Valentine

Good Fences
Let me go to the beginning in order to re-cap our misfortunes with our neighbor...
About 2 years ago, the original owner (builder) of the home moved. He was nice. A couple in their 50s bought the home, for their daughter to live in while she finished up college. They figured that was better than paying apt rent.
She was fine living next door. Not my idea of the perfect neighbor, but she didn't bother us. She had parties every once in a while, but nothing like now.
6 mos ago, they put the house on the market. It didn't sell. What SEEMS to have happened is that they took it off the market & their daughter still lives there, along w/ another girl her age (they don't look over 21).
Also living there (or staying there 90% of the time) is some guy, in an 80s honda del sol. It races thru the cul de sac, which doesn't thrill me, but rt now that's the least of my worries.
Then, you know what happened last month.
Since then, it's been a party a weekend. We called 2 more times. A week ago, we called because it was 10:30 sunday night & we could sing along to the music in their house it was so loud.
After the cop left, she walked out on her porch & yelled at our house (our homes are in the circle & are aimed at each other), "Gees People!!!!"
Let me also back up & say that we have about 5 cops in our subd. None of them seem to care about any of this. One is single & my age & lives 3 houses down.
Well, Superbowl, he pulls up into the next door neighbor's driveway, gets out, in uniform (in his cop car), and starts talking to the girl, her roomie, & this del sol guy. He hands del sol a beer. Did I mention, he's in uniform?
Then, about an hr later, he shows up again. No one else is home but the girl (owner's daughter). He leaves cop car in the driveway, running, while he's INSIDE for AN HOUR & A HALF. Car, running.
Okay, that's about enough to burn your biscuits, but seriously, it's none of my business.
But, then, last night, we hear Flynn cry out at 1 am. We usually just lay there to see if she's awake or having a night terror. Then we hear it: Loud yelling, sounds like drunken bantor, it's in the street. So, we jump up & faintly see a group of guys. They're just all having a good time getting out of their cars & walking up the neighbor's drive.
At the advice of some law officer friends/family, we'd decided to start calling as soon as their parties kick up. And call. And call. Until it's as quiet as it should be in the middle of the night.
So, I immediately picked up the phone & called the police. They got my name, number, reason for calling. And said they'd send someone out.
Meanwhile, Jeff is looking out the blinds & says, "I think that's the cop who lives down the road, and he's out their in the driveway!"
And minutes later, the police show up, there's two of them in the car. They get out of the car & go up the drive. They greet Neighbor Cop & Owner's Daughter. Neighbor Cop introduces Owner's Daughter to them. They chat for a bit (gee, so glad I could arrange a playdate), then cops go home. Neighbor Cop & Owner's Daughter stand on the stoop to finish their cigarettes. She's clearly mad as she makes her way to the edge of the stoop & yells at our window (where I'm SURE she sees Jeff looking thru the blinds), "Call who you F***ing Want! Now we're friends with all the cops!!" (so ridiculous, it sounds made up)
This INFURIATES Jeff, who picks back up the phone & reports to the dispatcher that NOPE, that didn't end the disturbence & then Jeff just basically unloads on the guy (who probably didn't care) all that we've seen.
I'm up for good now. I was mad at Jeff for sharing all that with a DISPATCHER - as I am sure it's a matter of hours until Neighbor Cop catches wind that we're tattlers.
You know, I don't want any trouble. When people were buying the homes around us, building, moving, I prayed, "God, bless us w/ good neighbors. Families & couples we can befriend & love." Now, I'm not just sad that this is no one we'll ever hang out with, I'm very worried for my home, the safety of my kids, I'm scared to sleep as I'm afraid someone will do something.
Not to mention, these people are our neighbors -- Neighbor Cop included. I don't want any trouble. I want to take walks & play in the circle with the kids and not worry about who will come outside & say something or yell at us.
We've wanted to move for a while now. Until I'm working a while full time, that's not bound to happen. And I doubt these neighbors are going anywhere. They're in the FRAT HOUSE for crying out loud.
But God can do anything. And He looks the biggest when we're feeling so small. Miracles happen. And sisters, I'm waiting for one.
Can I get an amen?!!
Any advice is welcome, and prayer is much desired...
Because egg is really hard to scrape off of siding.
Rock the Vote
"What's the prezdent?"
"It's like the boss. The boss of our country. We're voting & making our choice of who we want to be the new boss."
"But Mom, you are the boss."
PERRY for PREZDENT.

2.04.2008
Cute Monogrammed Sweater
Clickety click for a chance at winning a free monogrammed sweater.
I'd love one of these with Gabe's name across his chest.
I love my kids' names -- and with them being uncommon, it's super hard to find things in their names.
Stalked by Celery

Celery contains vitamin C and several other active compounds that promote health, including phalides, which may help lower cholesterol, and coumarins, that may be useful in cancer prevention.
Rich in Vitamin C
Celery is an excellent source of vitamin C, a vitamin that helps to support the immune system. Vitamin C-rich foods like celery may help reduce cold symptoms or severity of cold symptoms; over 20 scientific studies have concluded that vitamin C is a cold-fighter. Vitamin C also prevents the free radical damage that triggers the inflammatory cascade, and is therefore also associated with reduced severity of inflammatory conditions, such as asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. As free radicals can oxidize cholesterol and lead to plaques that may rupture causing heart attacks or stroke, vitamin C is beneficial to promoting cardiovascular health. Owing to the multitude of vitamin C's health benefits, it is not surprising that research has shown that consumption of vegetables and fruits high in this nutrient is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes including heart disease, stroke and cancer.
Potential Blood Pressure Benefits
Celery's potential for reducing high blood pressure has long been recognized by Chinese medicine practitioners, and Western science researchers may have recently identified one reason why.
Celery contains active compounds called pthalides, which can help relax the muscles around arteries and allow those vessels to dilate. With more space inside the arteries, the blood can flow at a lower pressure. Pthalides also reduce stress hormones, one of whose effects is to cause blood vessels to constrict. When researchers injected 3-n-butyl phthalide derived from celery into laboratory animals, the animals' blood pressure dropped 12 to 14 percent. Of course, injection of a celery extract into laboratory animals is very far from food consumption by humans, and the researchers participating in this as yet unpublished study cautioned against overindulging in celery until clinical trials could be conducted with food and humans. But the potential helpfulness of this already nourishing food in lowering blood pressure seems likely, and it doesn't hurt that celery ranks as a very good source of potassium and a good source of calcium and magnesium, because increased intake of these minerals has also been associated with reduced blood pressure.
Celery has a reputation among some persons as being a high-sodium vegetable, and blood pressure reduction is usually associated with low-sodium foods. So how do the benefits of phthalides compare with the risks of sodium in celery? There are approximately 100 milligrams of sodium in a full cup of chopped celery—that's about 2 stalk's worth. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Daily Value for sodium intake is 2,400 milligrams, the equivalent of about 24 cups, or 48 stalks of celery. Since two stalks of celery only provide about 4% of the sodium DV, most individuals would be able to include 2 or even more stalks of celery in a day's diet while keeping their total sodium intake below the DV by sticking with other low-sodium foods. The exact amount of celery needed to achieve the blood pressure lowering effects found in animals cannot be determined until clinical trials are conducted on humans using the food itself.
VDay Giveaway
Click above (for some reason I couldn't hyperlink it), for a fun giveaway!
Let Me Count the Ways.... day 2

2.03.2008
How Do I Love Thee? Let me count 12 ways...


Yes-sirree-Bob.
Okay, Alright, You Think He Looks Like Jeff
But sometimes he reminds me of Papa. And I watched a home video the other day, from when I was a baby, still bald, and he reminded me of me. But then I got curls on my head, and poof!, the similarities disappeared.
The voting has ended. Day-dy blew me out of the water on this poll. For Flynn's poll, it ended up 50/50. I agree, she favors my side of the family (my sister esp.) as much as Day-dy.
For mommas of wee ones...
do you ever wonder what your kiddos will look like as they grow up? who will they favor? what color will their hair be? will it curl? will it be long? will they be tall, short, skinny, or wide?
This leads me to a conversation Flynn & I had the other day. I've been prepping her for the strong possibility of me returning to the teaching field soon. She was able to tell me that Day-dy teaches kids all day. I reminded her it was middle school & it was science. When I asked her what I did, she said, "teach the kids at church." Yes, sweetie, partially right. I told her that I find teachers for church & helpers, and remind them that they serve on Sunday & help them be ready to teach & get new things for the kids to be comfortable & taken care of. And that I try to help families at church feel welcome & happy that they're worshiping with us.
Then I asked her what she wanted to do when she gets big. She said she wants to cook things. I'm all over that. I can totally see the girl having a cooking show. She does have an entrepreneur's spirit.
Gabe will be an interpretor. He will be trilingual. He will work for a large corporation, and will be completely indisposable.
Funny tho, how life ends up. In all my "Growing up, School Days" books, I always put that I wanted to be a teacher. I even put this in my senior memories book, that I predicted that ten years from then I'd be a second grade teacher. Guess what I taught in 2001? You guessed it, 2nd grade.
But it's funny how life works out.
Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough
I can't get enough of YOU Depeche Mode!! I miss you. Please come back.
PS This is what I paied homage to in the title of my last post. A little sad that no one knew that (or admitted to it, at least).
2.02.2008
Just Can't Get Enough...
2.01.2008
How to Make a Snow Angel in 3 Easy Steps
Sprawl your arms & legs out & begin to flag them, thus creating wings & an angel's dress (even though, biblically, angels are men).
Then, make a big face, try with all your might! And voila! An angel!!
and other tales of snow... Nothin' Says Lovin' Like Something From the ... Freezer?
PREP TIME 20 Min
READY IN 20 Min
SERVINGS & SCALING Original recipe yield: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 gallon snow
1 cup white sugar (ugh, I know)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups milk (or milk alternative)
DIRECTIONS
When it starts to snow, place a large, clean bowl outside to collect the flakes. When full, stir in sugar and vanilla to taste, then stir in just enough milk for the desired consistency. Serve at once.
It's SUPER FRIDAY
looks most like.His Momma:

Or, his Day-dy:

Who, I know, strangely look more alike, than either of them look like their own children.
Yikes.











But his piggies & legs stayed warm, because he's wearing his sissy's soccer socks.