Yesterday was Handsome Dude’s birthday. I was not going to let him open presents up because:
A) His dad would not be home
B) I am evil
He looked at me and said,
“Ok. Can you just give me that fire truck that is under your bed?”
Well. So much for being sneaky-sneaky with hiding the gifts. Daisy Mae, the most compassionate member of our family, wrapped up the “secret” fire truck and made him a lovely card and presented it to him first thing on his birthday.
Because she is the nicest.
And today is her birthday . . . 8 years old! We were at church late last night, so everyone was sleeping in. Poor Daisy Mae woke up at 4:15am, eager to open her presents. She waited until almost 7am, and then came and “discreetly” laid by our bed and whisper/chanted:
“Please wake up! Please wake up! Please wake up!”
Me: What ARE you doing?
Because I am obviously not as nice as Daisy Mae.
DM: It’s my birthday!
Me: Happy Birthday! Now go watch tv for a bit.
DM: I have been watching TV!
Me: Go watch more!
Poor Daisy Mae. She needs another Daisy Mae to come and take care of her on her special day. Around 8:30, I got up and let her open one gift. Then at 9, I told the kids to go and jump on David’s head. Because 8:30 is perfectly reasonable, but 9am is just slothful. It was truly for his own good, however, because David gets all grumpy-like if he hasn’t accomplished at least 12 manly tasks by 11am.
Me: What are you doing?
David (cranky): I gotta get outside! It’s 10:30am! This is ridiculous! The day is half gone!
And I haven’t seen him since.
But good news! Look at my chicken coop!
Holla!
It has a WINDOW! Please. Try not to be jealous. Not everyone can live in Ruralville. And not everyone can have snow on March 24th. Only us special folk.
ANYWAYS. I mentioned we got home late from church last night and that is because Sweet Pea, our oldest, was baptized at church last night.
And apparently my boys have never seen water without rusty iron in it or something. Because, have you heard? We have a well. With iron issues.
Sweet Pea has been so excited about getting baptized. We go to a really big church for our area, but it was so nice to see all the people who we have connected with and who have invested in us and our kids along the way, come up and support her last night.
After church, we went out for frozen yogurt. Frozen yogurt with 4 billion toppings choices is all the rage in these here parts.
I can’t be certain . . . .
but I have a suspicion that Sweet Pea stole my camera and took pictures while we were unawares.
I had some questions regarding my hair from a previous post with this picture:
No, I did not cut my hair. I thought my hair looked A-W-F-U-L in the above picture. But that is not the point. My hair is still the same and, as always, I am SUPER PHOTOGENIC, so please take notice of the picture Sweet Pea snapped of me last night:
See? Same hair.
But, seriously. What is going on with my face? I am probably telling a story and everyone else is feigning interest. They like to humor me like that.
***
A few updates for you, if you will.
1) I told you all I would keep you apprised of the homemade dish detergent sitch. It works pretty good, if you use the LemiShine with it. However, the LemiShine is not cheap. It was about $4.75 and it says it is for 18 uses.
Well. That’s like 10 days for us.
So, I have a bunch of this stuff and will probably use it up, but I won’t make it again. I only want to make it if it works good and saves me money. Since it does not save me money, I wash my hands of it.
But you may do as you see fit.
2) The Burlap Wreaths.
The astute reader may recall I was off to make a burlap wreath with mother and Auntie the other day.
It was pretty fun and easy! Especially since mother and Auntie had already cut out all the burlap squares ahead of time!
Perhaps, one day, I shall tell you how we did it.
My mother insisted on using tacky glue. I used a hot glue gun. Because I am on Pinterest more, you know? I am informed of these things and know what’s what.
Bam!
3) And what, pray tell, would life be without a Goober Parent Update?
Check out what my mother pinned on Pinterest this week.
A Beginner’s Guide to Roasting a Whole Pig
Um . . . why?
100 (meaningless) points to anyone who can tell me why she would want to do this?
Your guess is as good as mine.
Please Advise.
Personally, roasting a whole pig is pretty awesome and tastes great – if you can get past the whole “head” part. I loved doing this when we lived in the Sunshine State… no room now for this sort of fun as we live in the city-ish… Perhaps your mom was sending a suggestion to the Lumberjack via you, Taylor that she wants a whole pig roasted for HER birthday?
You know what’s weird? I just finished a very long run, and that pig looks delicious. Like really, really yummy. Now I want to roast a pig for dinner.
Once, a very long time ago, probably before you were born, I went to a fabulous luau in the Southwestern city where I grew up. There was a swimming pool, games, leis, tiki torches, Hawaiian music, a limbo contest, a hula contest, pineapple, and a whole roast pig. But they roasted that animal in a big hole in the ground. The hot coals were buried underneath said pig, the pig was all wrapped up, and then they put dirt over the top of it it. It took a lot of time/planning/effort, but the manly men did a fantastic job. A big hungry church crowd got all handsome on that pork. I must say it was moist and delicious, so yummy that I remember it at least 30 years after it happened. Perhaps your dear mother is planning a luau?
One gross out story for you: when we lived in Korea (thanks to the US Army) you could go downtown to a market in Seoul and buy a real pig’s head all wrapped up in cellophane. Ewwww. No lie. The wet market in Beijing was worse. Not for the feint of heart (or stomach)!
My son and his wife were also posted in S.Korea thanks to the army. I was talking to them on skype and they were eating, what looked to me like fries or chicken fries. They laughed at me and told me it was tentacles, from squid, oh my goodness I about gagged. They bought it from a street vendor. I dont know about anyone else, but I cannot fathom the thought of eating something from a guy cooking stuff on a cart. I wont even eat the food they give away at walmart in the little cups.
That reminds me of the carts at the Korean amusement parks (i.e. Everland, a copy of Disneyland). They had these carts that would sell peanut butter squid on a stick. I am not lying. I have a picture somewhere if I need to prove it. My son ate some octopus in a soup. And I will eat calamari, but please no squid on a stick for me.
I think it’s a hint that she’d like to go to Hawaii and attend a luau. Too bad your dad isn’t on Pinterest.
P.S. Happy birthday, Daisy Mae!
I’m not sure I have the stomach for your blog anymore. That pig pic is the grossest thing I’ve seen in forever, and I deal with kids throwing up in the trash can next to my desk on an occasional basis!!
Oh I’m laughing out loud. You’re too funny! 🙂
Im so glad your mother was the one with the pig roasting interest. I was concerned ruralville had done you in and you were one step away from shooting bears for your winter blankets.
Um, let me guess….’cause you live in Ruralville and there are wild pigs running around your part of the woods??
Wow! Big weekend! Two birthdays and a baptism. Is LD feeling left out at all?
So pleased for you to see spiritual development in your kiddos. Isn’t it fantastic?
The chicken house is looking good. I have a friend who named her new spring chicks “K, F and C”. Ha!
Glad my hubs is not the only one with Saturday morning grumpies if he doesn’t “get something done”. Whose choice was it to sleep in, anyway? If I could just convince him that making waffles for the family is a manly job, I think we all would be a little happier. 🙂
Don’t you have a pig laying around you can roast? I do know that your mom was probably relieved that you went for yogurt. She was a bit concerned about her weight watcher’s points last night. LOVE the wreath!…and I loved watching you baptize your Sweet Pea. It made me all emotional.
Mayhaps her inner Polynesian is coming out and she’s preparing for her luau? And really, I don’t know why you would dare think Sweet Pea got ahold of your camera. Surely my kids aren’t the only ones who leave photographic evidence of the things they DON’T do. *eye-roll*
One other thing…I love that you’re not so photogenic. I’m not so photogenic either, and unfortunately, my oldest son has inherited that trait. I feel badly for him…sorta. In the mean time, I’m stocking up on amazingly awesome pictures to display at his futuristic wedding. Ha!!!
AMEN. I am quite sure your momma heart was full to overflowing. Praise the Lord for a good Holy dunkin’!!!
Haha! to the grumpy, task-oriented husband! One lives here too.
Nice pic. I love that you posted that. That is precisely why I try to stay BEHIND the camera. I somehow feel the pictures never truly capture my obvious beauty. I know it’s there. I know it. It’s the photographer. It’s ALL THEIR FAULT!
Hmmm, maybe your Mom is hinting that you guys get pigs as well as chickens and bunnies, yup yup, then at the end of the year, you could all have a wonderful family shindig and cook a pig!!!!!!!! Yeah, I think that’s it. She must be in cahoots with LJ.
What a busy weekend you had, happy birthday to the kiddies and congrats on the christening!!!
Oh my goodness, what a joyful weekend! Congratulations on . . . everything! 🙂
As for the pig?
I hear it goes really well with Jell-O shots and applesauce.
Happy Birthday to Daisy Mae & HD! And Congratulations to Sweet Pea! Sounds like you guys had a good weekend 🙂 And that pig roast photo is pretty fantastic, too 😉