I am From

Owlhaven posted a blog called Where I'm From... so here is where I am from:

Homemade Mania:  I am From

I am from a house on a hill. From long gravel driveways and a broke down barn across the road. I am from woods with yellow jackets and bumblebees. I am from stray cats with kittens to catch and mutt dogs to play with.

I am from clothes on the line to dry and four square on the turn-around concrete pad. I am from the “Summer of Wasp Killing” and siblings to watch. I am from road trips with Mammaw and lake trips with Granny. From beach vacations with the whole family and home canned green beans.

I am from big gardens and fresh produce. From Saturday chores and cook-outs with lettuce from the garden. I am from watermelon with salt on it and wiffle ball in the yard. I am from lightening bugs in a jar and toads in the drainage ditches. From Hide-N-Seek in the nighttime summer heat.

I am from picnics in the mountains.  From tubing down cold mountain streams and breakfast in the cove. I am from big black bear and deer sightings and hiking to old cabins in the woods. I am from winding back roads and pick-up truck rides.

I am from Baptists. From singin’, shoutin’, and preachin’. I am from church services where the preacher didn’t even preach because prasin’ the Lord never stopped. I am from a Deacon and his wife. From tears and prayers on bended knee at the altar. I am from VBS, Homecoming, Old Timers Day, Easter Cantatas and Christmas Plays. From youth group trips and lifetime friendships. I am from water fights, carwashes and mischief. I am from faith that runs deep and personal relationships with Jesus Christ.

I am from snowball fights, snow days, and sledding. I am from power outages and wood stove winter heat. I am from 3 TV channels and family shows. From orange boxed VCRs rented from the movie store for special movie nights. I am from air popped popcorn and cushions on the floor. From one pipe-smoking Papaw with a scratchy beard and one Papaw who gives rides in his A-model car.

I am from fried chicken, gravy and homemade biscuits. From a Granny whose prayers are simple but profound and heart stirring. I am from wild Uncles and Aunts to fear. From hour long rides to Aunt Bea’s house where we were always welcomed with a great big hug. I am from a glider on a porch, apples in the backyard, and walks to the ice cream shop.

I am from sibling fights and Indian wrestling. Dressing up little sisters and changing baby diapers. I am from a little brother playing Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers. I am from love, faith, and safety.

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It's Never a Good Thing...

...when you're outside wondering if the baby played in the mud at the same time that your Hubby says, "something smells like crap." Uh-oh. That is what kicked off bath time last night. At least we finished our bike ride.  Poor Risky she shares a bike trailer with the Stinky One.

It was bad folks. He had the nasty stuff everywhere. Both hands, legs, and face were smeared with poop. Yuck, yuck! Obviously I cleaned him up. Hubby gags and barfs over poop. Oh yeah he can't handle it. This is a source of much laughter for me and my family. Have a great weekend peeps!

Ain't he a cute stinker?

Garden Antics

I know you are all holding your breath for an update on my garden. Well, let it out people 'cause here it comes! Wooo-weee feel that hillbilly holler! Sorry, lost control for a second.

Squash

All the taters are gone. They're in my belly. They were delicious although I really wanted more. The garbage can didn't work. I just got the same yield of taters from that can as from the garden. Oh well. We have green beans but because only a few of the original plants survived, I am literally getting 4 or 5 beans at a time. I saved the beans up and went to cook them for supper one night. Guess what I did? Put'em in a pot and forgot. Burnt them suckers good when all the water boiled off. Granny had just told me to keep an eye on them for that very reason. Grrrrrr. I'm a goober.

We've had very little rain in the last month so I have been having to water the plants. The tomatoes are finally growing. Two little ones and Aydan walked up to one, and snapped the main part of the plant that it was growing on. We tried to salvage it and stake the stem with a big stick but alas, methinks she's a slowly dying.

The stick that tried to save a tomato plant.

You must understand that my Man doesn't give a flip about this garden. He shows interest in it because he loves me. He is so wonderful that after he finished jack-hammering in the basement the other night he went out back and cut down a bunch of tree limbs that were shading my garden too much. Ain't he the sweetest thing.

Part of the Okra

The okra is still growing and the rest of my beans are catching up to the original plants. Tiny little cucumbers, squash and zucchini are growing as well. I picked a bunch of onions and had those with dinner last night, yum. The carrots you say? Ah, the carrots. We've picked two. The first was so little it was non-existent. The second carrot was a big strapping fellow that I was so excited about. So excited that I left it outside all night. It was like a limp noodle the next day. Grrrr.



The rain yesterday beat
 the tar out of my carrots.





Crouching Momma, Hidden Zucchini



You know what I just realized? I'm my garden's own worst enemy. Oh and the beautiful blueberries, the freaking rabbit family ate them all!! I was so heart broke that I almost cried. Hubby thinks I've lost it, and well, I have but who cares...

Zucchini and Squash row.

Chicken McNuggets

Oh, sweet vacation where did you go? Vacation was fun while it lasted but it's back to the norm around here. It is so back to the norm that I started hearing little voices say, "We're bored!" Say what? Can you believe? A big ol'backyard and these little goobers are bored? Major sigh.

So off to the elementary school we went. No, I was not trying to give the kids back for the summer, although i have thought about it! We played on one playground and watched a horse. Again, "we're bored!" Off to the other side to a different playground. Guess what? They got bored there too!

Sheesh. These guys are hard to entertain. So we loaded back into the car and went down the road. Then I saw the golden arches and inspiration struck. I ordered 50 McNuggets and 2 of each of their new sauces. We came home and opened it up. Woo-hoo! It was a hit. We tried sweet-n-sour, bar-b-que, spicy buffalo, ranch, honey mustard, honey, hot mustard and ranch. McDonald's did not give us the sweet chili sauce; meanies. But man it was fun. We all tried (even me) something that we wouldn't normally try which is a big deal around here.

So for $10.93 I entertained 5 kids and 1 grown up. Not too shabby! Now if we can get through the rest of the day!

Monster Table

I've got a problem. Not a problem of global proportions but of kitchen proportions. My kitchen table is kind of a pain in the bahookie. This poor table used to be a hodge-podge of 2 different tables and spare parts. The top is made from a 3 leaves side drop table. Antique beyond repair, missing legs, deep gauges in the top. Poor thing.

Can you see the deep gouges in the wood?

My family had out grown my old round table and chairs that I bought at a yard sale for $25. #3 is probably so tired of hearing me say that but that table was truly my best yard sale buy EVER! That table was perfect for us for 3 years but children were born and grew and it was time to let go.  Oh, and the top popped off once ;)

Hubby got inventive one day and took the 3 leaves off of that old broke down antique, stuck them to a few 2x4's and then stole the legs off of our first rectangle kitchen table and a monster was born. MUHAHAHA!! (Dr. Frankenstein laugh) ;)

So here is my table...



Yes, it's a bad picture but I'm too lazy to clean my table off and take a new one.



I sanded the top, stained it, and put a coat of polyurethane on it. The table still needs another coat of polyurethane and the legs need the entire treatment. Here's the troub though, I don't love this table. It's big and in my way. I don't think that it makes good use of the kitchen space.

The table that I want is at a flea market. The guy builds them with benches and such and I want, I want, I want. We have to save the cash though and other more important things keep popping up. Boo-hoo. Guess I'll get over myself and be thankful for a virtually free table and a handy Hubby.

This post was supposed to be about my excitement over my newly redone old chairs. I'll show you that soon. Have a great day ya'll!

Lookin' Good!

Okay, real quick, have you ever gone out in public and felt sorry for the people who have to look at you? That was me today. I looked decent enough when I dropped my older 2 kids off at basketball camp. All was fine. Of course, there was much yelling and irritation before we left the house.

When we got back home (me and the 4 kids not in ball camp), my poor sunburned back could no longer handle the constraint of the bra. It came off and a nicer softer sports-bra went on. Then on came the "work-in-yard" clothes, you know the shorts with green paint on them from 4 years ago and the shirt that I technically bought for Hubby and then stole? 

Then I put on the dirty garden flip-flops with my unpolished toenails as of last night. No make-up. Then I decided to go out in the garden and plant beans. Sweating profusely was also on the menu. Dirt too, lots of it. Then I came in and cooled off for an hour before returning to pick up the young-uns. To change or not to change, that was the question.

You know what I decided? I didn't give a poop what the people at the basketball camp thought. They would see me or not, for all of 30 seconds before I got my kid and ran to get the other one. Poop on'em. So off I went in all of my homey glory. You know I felt so sorry for the folks that had to look at me. I think I still had dirt on the back of my leg. I sure am glad I didn't change though; I get sick of tackling my bra 4 times a day. If you see me in public and I'm looking kind of funky, just remember that I am a little crazy. Just a little ;-)