Sack Races?

Not the game I would've come up with when planning a party for superheros.

Dear Mom and Dad

Feb. 8, 2011

I love you when you help me when I have a cold. I love you hug me because it fills me with complete joy. Your more valuable than anything in the entire universe. Your eyes shine like brilliant stars in the night. Your my favorite parents in the whole world. I would not even give you up for one-zillion dollars. If you would die, I would die just like a bird would mate for life. When you hug me with love, your arms are softer than anything in the universe. Your love is longer than the solar systom. I love how you make me smile and how to make me laugh. I love you to infinity and beyond. Mom, you are more gorgeous than a star. Dad, you are more tough than a planet. Your especially the parents for me. You fill me joy and love. Thanks for teaching me to ride a bike. You are always welcome to my heart. You are more fragile than glass to me. You make magic every day. Stampedes of love run in my mind whenever and wherever you hug me. Whenever at night that I am frightened you let me sleep in you bed and makes me happy and loveing. You are very important to my life. Mom, you are the queen of love. Dad, you are the king of laughter and joy. You are like a cup of hot chocolate, your love always keeps me warm and filled with love. You two are my special Valentines. Thank you for teaching me the proper way to act. Thank you for teaching me how to love and for giving me life. Thank you for your love, devotion, courage, patience and forgiveness. I cherish you both with all my heart. When we are together, my heart bursts inside and I overflow with gladness and pride. You are a gift to me. Kisses like roses, hugs like a bear, make me realize, you'll always be there. You'll always be mine and be my Valentine. Happy Valentine's Day Mom and Dad!

Your son,

Jackson

My Favorite Food Storage and Survival Blog

has moved.

Angela at Adventures in Self-Reliance has moved and renamed her blog. She can now be found at FoodStorageandSurvival.

If you're looking for a down-to-earth approach and lots of creative ideas and useful tips for preparing your family for disaster (be it large-scale or of the more personal nature) then FoodStorageandSurvival is a great resource.

Oh, and don't let me forget about the giveaway she's running right now. Lots of great stuff to be had.

Line Rider Versus One-Eyed Giant

by Jackson Mangum, Grade 2

There was a race that was happening at Line Rider Town. It was one of the most challenging races in the entire world. Line Rider was teamed against One-Eyed Giant from Giant Town. Line Rider was using his sled for the race. One-Eyed Giant was using his fork, spoon, and knife. Whoever won would get whatever prize they wanted: Line Rider would not get eaten by One-Eyed Giant, One-Eyed Giant would have a nibble by eating the entire town! The race was about to begin. The checkered flag went down and the race began! No one seemed to see who was in the lead. They were side by side! The race took days and nights. It was a lap around the entire world! About the same time a volcano erupted! And Line Rider and One-Eyed Giant were a mile away! Lava was bursting out into the air. When the lava reached Line Rider Town it almost destroyed town hall! But One-Eyed Giant and Line Rider were finally friends! The race was almost now finished. Was this a tie? Was One-Eyed Giant the winner? Was Line Rider the winner? Wow! It was too close. We don't even know who won? Line Rider was nervous. When everyone was not looking - gulp! That was the end of Line Rider town. One-Eyed Giant got his nibble.

Where in the world? Revealed!

Remember this post? The answer is Cabazon, CA.

The view up from the base of the T-Rex.

See those itty bitty people sitting on Rex's toe? That's my people:)

My Garden

My garden (like my blog) has been sadly neglected for the past year or so. It's hard to stay motivated when once happy tomato plants become gnawing posts for unknown vermin.

But returning to a familiar pastime does have its rewards. These baby grapes were hiding behind a leaf when I was out watering this evening.

Who knows? Maybe a blogging revival will reap another kind of fruit of my labor . . . oh bleghck! That's more sap than I can stomach.

The 1st Rule of Fight Club

I think a little purple eyeliner becomes me.

I had some of you going there, huh? Come on, admit it. I'm sure you remember my excessive bruises and broken toes back in the Red Raider days. You're thinking I was running my soap-box mouth to the wrong person and finally got what was coming to me. The truth is hardly that sensational. This violence was self-inflicted during the latest of my hazardous domestic goddess pursuits. I guess a superpail in the face is a decent price to pay when it means I end up with a new food storage pantry that looks like this:

Totally worth it. Even if I do end up with a scar.

Here's an soap-box afterthought: Notice the lack of stitches? This wound-closure was brought to you by a Band-Aid Single Step Liquid Bandage swab and a butterfly bandage. Total cost? About $1. No one can accuse me of over-consumption of health care, leading to the escalating cost of medical services.

Out of the great state of Maryland

came Thing 1. And from Thing 1 came a 5th Grade State Project, a mini float in the spirit of the Rose Parade. Addy highlighted the Baltimore Inner Harbor, complete with the National Aquarium, a few tall ships, and a buzzing Navy jet.

She also paid homage to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" and the most delicious Chesapeake Blue Crab. I've yet to figure out how the raven managed to cook the crab.

Dad, I think we've been robbed.

Jack went to bed having seen this:

And woke to find this:

What he didn't notice was that this:

Had become this:
Cool, huh?

Seriously?

Would someone explain to me what they were thinking when the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston decided to put this on the lawn outside their entrance? Frankly, it's just creepy.

I got your camera!!

And I know how to use it! Well, kind of.

The baby days are done

Nothings works faster to age a Thing than a first haircut. Nate would prefer to wait until they're 2 years old, but with Jack I could only hold out until he was 18 months. After a day with multiple old ladies commenting on my cute little girl I demanded that Nate whip out the clippers. I guess long hair and cute neck-hugging curls are more acceptable in California, considering Sketch will be 2 on Saturday and I've only had one comment thus far. By a man in my ward, no less.

The only way I could figure to keep Thing 4 restrained was in his high chair.

Some day he'll hate me for letting the curls get so long . . .

Amy's a pro with the clippers. The mini M&Ms were her idea. They worked great until the chocolate melted and mixed with the hair clippings. Then it was just gross.

Time for a "shauie" to clean off the hair and the chocolate. My baby boy is now a little boy.

And the curls are gone. Funny how that little change changes everything.

Blog Giveaway at The Survivalist Blog

M.D. Creekmore over at the The Survivalist Blog – a survival blog dedicated to helping others prepare for and survive disaster – with articles on bug out bag contents, survival knife choices and a wealth of other survival information is giving away a Go Berkey Water Filter System (a $139.00 value)! To enter, you just have to post about it on your blog. This is my entry. Visit The Survivalist Blog for the details.

Food Storage Dinner Pack Giveaway

For the first time in almost forever I won something, thanks to a most interesting blog I happened across, "Adventures in Self-Reliance." That something was a cool S.O.L. Survival Pack. And no, S.O.L. doesn't stand for what I thought it did . . . whoops. It stands for "Survive Outdoors Longer". My new mini-pack came in the mail today and it's cute as a multi-use tool. Thanks, Angela.

But now they're at it again, and I want to win again, so I'm gaining an extra entry by blogging about the Augason Farms Dinner Pack giveaway. Wouldn't one of these look perfect on a shelf in my soon-to-be new food storage pantry? Oh, come on. Just humor me please.

Where in the world?

Any guesses?

It's always best to plan ahead . . .

Ahh, the joys of email. I do think it is helping to raise the quality of communication between Thing 1 and I. Here's the latest:

I was wondering if the next time we go on a plane, I could lead the family through the security and everything. I want to do this because over the summer Jack is going to go to Nana and Papa's house for a baptism treat. After he stays for a week or two, how is he going to get home? I want to be able to fly over by myself, and pick him up. Then we could fly together home. It won't be like last time when it was all confusing (when we couldn't figure out how to get me home). I could just fly out and stay for a while, then we could fly back home. I know it's not going to happen for a few months, but it's always best to plan ahead. I'll just have to wait and see what you think, and what Nana and Papa think.

ADDY

I do think she may have a future in negotiation.

Currently running through my head

Life-sized hanging man-form in spider cocoon - $20
Almost life-sized skeleton suspended in a 7' spiderweb - $10
4 large foam tombstones - $14
9' fabric spiderweb - $7
Skeleton "Haunted House" sign - $5
36" spider - $4
Scary music CD - $3
Snickers snack sized candy bars - $10
5 pumpkins for carving - $12 + $12 for a farm field trip that yielded the 5th pumpkin
2 black light bulbs - $1/1, the other borrowed
5 strobe lights - borrowed
1 fog machine - borrowed
2 large suction-cup spiders - borrowed
A selection of other spider, skeleton, & blood themed decorations - leftover from previous years
7 trick-or-treaters - thoroughly underwhelming.

Halloween candy doesn't taste nearly as good as I remember it tasting when I was a kid. It's definitely not worth the guilt it brings on.

And finally . . . I don't want to decorate for Christmas!

Blatant Self-Serving Post

I want one. Except it's hilly here. But I still want one. Feel free to click through to buy me one.