Quick Updates

Just a quick note today. I have been getting ready for Oldest's B-day slumber party today. Well, lesson learned last night, don't make the cake taller than the cake taker. Yep!!! It looked like it would be a fit, then it smooshed the top. Thank goodness she just wanted a chocolate cake and not a decorated one.

I can not believe that she will be turning nine!!! She is half way to becoming an adult.

The sleepover is tonight. I am hoping that all will go well. Keep you updated later!

Strawberry Pickin'

We fell in love with berry picking through my great friend Kari and her family. She always invited us out when her family was going. We had some awesome times!!!

I have tried to go and pick locally ever place we have moved since then. We have continued on with some great memories. We are very lucky here, because there is a farm practically across the street from us. This year one of my friends and her kids came with us. My kids always eat as much as they pick, there is always a joke that it's good they don't weigh them before and after my kids pick fruit. We all had a great time and picked about 32 pounds of strawberries between us.

Enjoy the pictures and please if you could, say a prayer for the little baby, Ashley in the picture. That is my friend's baby and she is having surgery on her kidneys today, they are not functioning properly. Thank you so much!

Memphis Botanic Gardens

Recently we went to the Memphis Botanic Gardens http://www.memphisbotanicgarden.com/ with some friends of ours. We had a blast there, it was so gorgeous! We only saw a few of the gardens they have to offer. I wish I would have known about this earlier, now with summer on the rise things are going to get too hot too fast!

We had fun feeding the fish, it's good going with someone who has been before, I never would have known they sold bags of fish food at the front desk.

I was a little worried a few times. As you can see from one of the pictures there is a place where the water meets the sidewalk and the water looks a bit deep. Well, all the kids get real close to feed the fish and geese, because it's almost as if they are eating out of your hands. You actually get splashed by the fish, they are so close.

Another time Bobo decided to walk on the outside railing of the bridge in the picture, that was the most scary moment, because I had already walked on. I turned around, and he had run back to the other side of the bridge and tried to cross the bridge on the outside of the railing. One slip and down he would have fallen. I made it to the bridge and got him all safe a sound, it took my heart a little while to stop pounding so hard though.

The girls had fun with their friend and all the wildlife, searching for goose eggs, different flowers and they came across a dead fish too----YUCK!

Duct Tape and Boys

I am becoming to believe that a love for duct tape is part of some male genetic code. There was duct tape left where Bobo could reach it, I was next to him when he realized it, and his eyes grew large and bright and he was smiling. He of course asked for a piece of duct tape. The first piece he used to put on his mouth and gag himself. He played with that piece for awhile, then came for a second piece. With the 2nd piece he ran over to a broken chair we have sitting by the door, waiting to go out to the trash. He wrapped the chair with the piece of duct tape, then came and got a screw driver to finish fixing the chair.

After he was finished fixing the chair, he got another piece of duct tape and brought it back to me in ring form. He told me to put it on my wrist and it was for the monsters. I asked him, if it was to bring the monsters, he said, "NO, to fight monsters!" So after I put my bracelet on, we spent the next little while "fighting monsters" around the house. Bobo armed with a sword and me with my duct tape bracelet. It was a fun morning.

Camera Therapy

You know those moments when you think, I wished I would have taken a picture of that. I know I have taken some pictures of kids doing things that normally would have sent me over the edge, but grabbing the camera helped out. Well, yesterday I should have thought of grabbing the camera. I told the girls they could make brownies from scratch all by themselves. I was taking some "down" time. By the time they were ready to put them in the oven, they are covered with cocoa powder. I guess Child #2 turned on the mixer on full blast with the cocoa powder in there. Well, while they were cooking, they didn't put any lids back on things like flour and sugar, so cocoa flew into all the containers too. An egg had fallen on the ground and I'm not sure what else. I walked into the mess and told them it better be cleaned up like it was before they started cooking. Yes, I was frustrated...after they cleaned up, and they cleaned it up great! I realized I should have taken a picture of it and that probably would have not let me get frustrated. So my goal now is to try and take pictures of those wonderful moments. We'll see if that helps some!!!

By the way, they made some of the best tasting brownies I have had. Wish I could share in the virtual world.

One More

Bo-bo has been asking lately for another boy in the family. Just one more boy. When I ask him where I am supposed to get another boy from, he tells me, "the store". When I ask him what store, he tells me, "the boy store". It's very cute. Thought I would share.

Getting Rid of Poison Ivy

Hello again!

Yes, I am still dealing with poison ivy. I'm still getting the roots up front. Then we realized we have some on the side of the house, not too bad, it will stink getting rid of it, but should be able to handle it.

Oldest child pointed me to my tree line on the back of our house and we have a ton growing through the trees. We haven't really formed a plan for those trees, but we are in process of doing so. Any suggestions are welcome.

Here is what I have found while researching this problem that I did not know before.

--Never burn poison ivy. The smoke from burning poison ivy will cause the same reaction in your lungs that normally happens on the skin. Reactions to this kind of exposure are far more serious than those resulting from topical contact.

--Remember that even the bare twigs and branches of these plants are toxic even during the dormant season.

--Goats are voracious consumers of poison oak and ivy. If you can gain access to one, hire one to remove your poison ivy naturally. Nurseries or the agricultural extension office can point you in the direction of goats for hire. Remember that even if you use this method, you will still have to dig out the roots. (Don't know how well the neighbors would like this method, also I don't think they can climb trees that well.)

--Please make sure you keep your gloves on when digging, or you will get the rash as even dead stalks can give you the rash.

I just heard of another thing to avoid:

REMINDER....all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing
companies tomorrow and you will start to receive sale calls. YOU WILL
BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS to prevent this, call the following number
from your cell phone: 1-888-382-1222 It is the National DO NOT CALL
list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number
for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want
to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number. HELP
OTHERS BY PASSING THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS. It takes about 20
seconds.