Amber Waves of Grain

I'm not a sissy when it comes to bugs or critters . Or at least I didn't think so until this week. I've held a scorpion, killed a tarantula with my shoe (which took several ugly blows), killed a gecko that sneaked home in my suitcase from Mexico, and even helped Nathan catch a snake that made its' way into our basement. I didn't even wear oven mitts . Plus, I was a girl scout for 12 years. I think that statement alone says enough (or at least explains my struggles with my weight; 12 years is a LOT of Thin Mints!). Then Monday night I became one of those women . You know, the ones who can't handle a little critter or bug. My reaction surprised even me. Nathan & I were in bed watching TV. Our cat, Tootsie, entered the room and we noticed something was in her mouth. Then she dropped what appeared to be a lifeless mouse on our bedroom floor. Or, so we thought. The mouse suddenly jumped up and ran! It went under the TV cabinet and then into Nat...

I've fallen in love with a few products lately. I want to share my new finds with you! 1) Nature Valley Oats N' Dark Chocolate granola bars . They are crunchy and remind me of chocolate-oatmeal no bake cookies, but hopefully not quite as bad for you. Still a little bad, but definitely less guilt than the no bakes. Addicting, I tell you. Get a box.... or two. 2) Bolthouse Farms Smoothies . These are in the produce department and contain nothing but pure fruit and/or veggies. I give these to Keegan because it's just about the only way he'll take in fruits. He's currently working on a bottle of Strawberry Banana Smoothie. If your kids struggle to eat enough produce, try these!! 3) Doodle Books. Ok, so I LOVE these. They sell them at Sam's Club for under $9 and they are quite thick. I bought one to put away for Keegan for when he's older. I also think they make great gifts; I got one to put back for my niece already. There are several ...

Keegan wanted to help me with my blog tonight, so I decided to interview him. After all, he's a mature, whopping 4 years old now. Here's our interview, word for word. Amber: How old are you? Keegan : Four . A: What's your favorite tv show? K: Tom & Jerry A: What does daddy do for work? K: Daddy does puters (computers) A: What does mommy do for work? K: Use puters too. A: I guess it might look that way; I am on here a lot. What do you think of Obama's health care reform? K: I don't know. A: Who should be the next president? K: Um, Brian (a friend at preschool) A: What's your favorite movie? K: Tom & Jerry. A: What's your favorite thing to play with Daddy? K: Play Wii. A: Who's better at Wii? K: Me. I beat him on boxing. A: What's your favorite food? K: Cookies . A: What kind? K: Choplate Chip. (Chocolate chip!) A: What do you want to be when you grow up? K: Nothing . A: Well, you have to pick something. That...

I love, love, love my camera. It's the Canon 40D. I rarely leave home without it. (BTW-- It is back from the repair shop now for those of you wondering!). However, I also rarely leave home without both kids, their belongings, and the kitchen sink that seems to go along. Seriously, I'm a pack horse. My camera is big & bulky which just isn't convenient for when I'm painting the town red ( like a stay-at-home mom so often does, right? ). So, today I bought myself a small camera for my purse and/or diaper bag. Introducing..... my new Canon SX210. I will say I was disappointed in the color choices. Besides the default black, the only other options were gold ( hello, I am not a pimp ) or purple ( um, Barney wants his camera back ). I was really hoping for red or even blue. So.... black it is. But, I love everything else about it. A couple of features I really like after a whole 1 whopping day with it would be 1) It has a 14x zoom . That's right, I...

Kennedy is 16 months old today! New since our 15 month post..... -She's added some teeth -She can climb up on our sofas -She's had her toenails painted for the first time -She can blow kisses -She tries to say 'Amen' when we pray at mealtime and also 'Quack" (sounds like aaaahhhh). -Pooping in the tub has become a new sport She loves..... -Daddy!! ("Da-da!!") -Tootsie (our cat) -Hiking (well, riding on daddy's back while he hikes, at least) -Her dolly (the poor doll's braided pigtails are black and crusty due to her chewing on them so much) -Dancing-- Turn on any song and she starts cutting the rug. We hope she doesn't get any of my moves. -Raisins -Being chased She does not like.... -Eggs -Chicken that's not breaded -Hairbows -Wearing shoes and/or socks -Wearing hats (seriously, she screams) -Being strapped down very long in the carseat or stroller She continues to be a sweetheart. She is definitely becoming less of a baby and more...

It's been 9 days.... 2 hours... and about 37 minutes now . Some of you are probably hoping that I've been clean from some of my addictions that long. You know, like bacon or fried food served on sticks. This is something even worse. I've been without......... (insert anticipation here)...... are you ready?....... drum roll, please......... my beloved........ camera (sigh). Quite frankly I'd rather go this long without wearing pants than to live without my camera . It's a part of me. I rarely leave home without it. Where is my friend, you ask? Well, I was taking pictures of Keegan when suddenly it just quit working. No warning at all. I received a bold " Error 99 " on the screen which is apparently a catchall for anything and everything. I took the camera to the camera shop where I bought it and they sent it off to Canon, out of state. It was like sending my child to their first overnight camp . It was near-tearful. I wondered, ...

A long, long time ago I blogged about some of my great inventions ( link ). They included carpet that comes with vacuum stripes so that it always looks like you just ran the sweeper. Genius.... pure genius. Here is Part 2 of my greatest and latest inventions. Tell me what you think. 1) " Salt & Pepper ". That's right, you heard me. This is the perfect blend of both salt AND pepper for the lazy eater or cook. I was recently using my own lazy blend of McCormick's Cinnamon & Sugar when I came up with this genius idea. I know, apparently mixing cinnamon & sugar myself was so complicated that I had to buy this: There you have it. I'm totally going to be rich with this one! 2) " Pink Baby Light ". You know those blue lights that volunteer workers stick to the top of their car in an emergency? I think all pregnant women should get a pink one that they can use when they are in labor on their way to the hospital. They'd get...

People are always telling me that Kennedy looks like me.... which is good since I'm the woman who squeezed her out . They often go on to ask if she looks like I did as a child. That's hard to say, so today I'm letting you decide! Here is Kennedy: Here I am. If nothing else, check out that crazy 70's couch & the green shag carpet (I later took that couch to college with me!): Kennedy, again: Me, again: Kennedy at her first birthday: Me at my first birthday. I definitely had a lot more hair: Here's Kennedy with me and her brother: Here I am with my brother and mom: There you have it, folks. You be the judge!

Out of a lack of anything else to write about, here are my top 5 food items that you are welcome to surprise me with if you ever want to bring me a meal (everyone is wanting to do that, right?). 1. PF Chang's Crispy Honey Chicken . ( link ) "Lightly battered and served in sweet, flavorful sauce over a bed of crispy rice sticks." This picture I stole from the internet does not do it justice. 2. Hoaglin's Cafe ( link )-- Egg Salad Sandwich (on their menu it's "Bacon & Eggs- The Sandwich") OK, now I am not a someone who would normally pick egg salad off a menu. In fact, it's probably the last thing I would pick. This sandwich actually converted me. It's their well-known egg salad on toasted sourdough topped with applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and red onion. It comes with those crunchy kind of chips and a pickle. Thanks to Jenn & Mindy for introducing me to Hoaglin's. 3. Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza (...

I'm new to the utopia they call Trader Joe's ( link ). I've been there about 4 times now in the past couple of months. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's a grocery chain. It's not a regular grocery; don't expect to get your Twinkies and Pepsi there . Trader Joe's is a small store that sells unusual, hard-to-find, and interesting foods like chocolate covered sunflower seeds or roasted plantain chips. Within the store is its' own culture. The workers are overly friendly and fun (often singing, etc) and even the customers talk to one another. They have tiny grocery carts for your kids to push around ( which we haven't tried yet-- I can't imagine managing that along with my kids in that store ). Our TJ's also hides a plush monkey in the store each week and if your kid finds it, they get a treat (snack) from the basket. They also have balloons and will even let your boy pick a pink balloon despite your efforts to ...

The anticipation is killing me. Only FOUR months, exactly.... from today. Can you hear the music? Can you smell the manure? Can you taste the deep fried goodness? That's right, today marks exactly FOUR months until the great STATE FAIR ( link ). It's August 6-22 nd this year, in case you don't have the date and fair emblem tattooed on your buttocks like I do . Now you are wondering, "Really? Does she?". You'll never know. This year's theme is YEAR OF THE PIGS . That's a lot of pork chops and bacon. Grab your TUMS and get ready to fair it up!!! (Fine Print: This photo was totally taken from the fair website) As you know, with each year's theme comes new food choices that must relate to the theme. That means the new foods must contain pork, bacon, ham... you get the picture. To my knowledge, those haven't been announced yet. It's the kind of thing that keeps me up at night. Do you have any suggestions? Do share; leav...

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS!! I'm sure you know by now that yesterday's General Lee post was NOT TRUE. I doubt anyone went for it, but if you did.... even for a second.... leave me a comment so that I can enjoy!! Happy Fooling!!

First, a little history . If you know me at all, you know that I love the Dukes of Hazzard. It started when I was little and never quite went away. I know, you're thinking, " Redneck !", right!? I introduced Keegan to the Dukes at 6 months old. Here we are at the Dukes Museum in Gatlinburg, TN. Classy . So.......here's my news. Nathan & I just celebrated our anniversary. He told me that my present wasn't done yet but we could go pick it up soon. Last night he blindfolded me and had me get into the car. We drove for a short time until we parked. I could hear the sounds of mechanics working on cars as I got out with my blindfold on. He walked me around and then asked if I was ready to see my present. Well, of course I was! He removed the blindfold.... and THERE IT WAS . A new Dodge Charger !! Not just ANY Dodge Charger, I might add. No, Nathan knows me better than that. He had it CUSTOM PAINTED LIKE THE GENERAL LEE!!! And, it even has the Di...