Teacher Gift

I had an idea for a Teacher gift, but sometimes things don't always turn out like what is in your head, so I went to Plan B:




I just went out to the store, thinking there would be no problem finding a nice potted plant to place right inside this plant holder, but nooooo, that would be too easy! Of course, I wait until the last minute for everything, so now I don't have a flower to put inside, so the gift is just going to have to wait one more day! I hope I can find a nice flower at another store tomorrow! It's June, one would think since we had a frost about 2 weeks ago and you can't plant flowers here until Memorial Day that the flowers would be plentiful. Oh well.

Here is the card that I made:



Oh and an update on the awesome find of horror movies, I have watched 4 of them, well, I should say 3 1/2 of them! One of them was so horrible that I couldn't even stand it, and that's bad!! I was really hoping that day that Killer Klowns From Outer Space was still on the shelves. But no such luck! I want that movie SO bad!!



I will own that movie someday!

Do You Know The Muffin Man?

Yes, he lives in my house. Mason the Muffin Man. Let's just say, to put it nicely and to keep things not so disgusting on my blog, that Mason needs a bit more fiber in his diet. So, I frequently get him the FiberOne Bars and recently we saw a box of FiberOne muffins in the freezer section of the grocery store. Banana Chocolate Chip to be exact. So, we buy them and at roughly $1 a muffin, I was expecting a WAY bigger muffin than what was in the box. So, he eats one for breakfast on Saturday, he said they were so good, he wanted another one. So, I let him. Little did I know that he had also eaten one of the FiberOne bars in between muffins. Oh. My. Gosh. Is all I have to say. Now, from experience I used to eat the bars because they were so delicious, but the consequence of eating one of these fiber-infused bars was so painful (like, hunched over in a ball painful) I no longer care to indulge. But back to the muffins, he ended up eating all 4 in 2 days, and at the price of the box, I'll give it a go at making these things myself, minus all the preservatives. I bought whole wheat flour, soy flour (which is loaded with protein, also) and I had on hand flax seed, chia seeds (omegas) and then loaded them with walnuts, mini chocolate chips, and bananas. I did use oil, but only 1/4 cup and replaced 1/4 cup with applesauce. YUMMY!! They got 2 thumbs up from Mason and I have to agree, they are delicious! It made about 28 muffins at a fraction of the cost of the FiberOne muffins and I feel better about eating these and giving them to Mason.

My Glorious Garden

Now last year, I wanted a garden sooooo bad. So I begged my former spouse to dig one up for me in the backyard so that I could plant my growing-out-of-control seedlings. I had tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, squash, pumpkin, sunflowers, etc. all started and ready to provide a summer's full of fresh produce. Then he got the shovel, all ready to dig, and within about 10 minutes (I may be stretching the time by about 8 minutes) he gave up. It was too much to build a garden. So all my seedlings died (not that I was guaranteed successful crops anyway with my black thumb, but...). I was promised a garden this year, tilled with a borrowed tiller. I couldn't wait to get some plants in the ground and not have to pay grocery store prices all summer long. So, you ask, how is my garden, now?? Well, here it is:



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Yep, a container of cabbage and a small pot of basil that I am nursing back to health. Oh, don't forget about the Topsy Turvy. That should provide enough tomatoes for the the summer anyway. Oh, promises, shomises, who needs them anyway? I suppose he promised me a lot and in the end, what do I have to show for it? Maybe a head of cabbage.

Best. Lunch. Ever:



Grilled peanut butter/marshmallow sandwich on Panera bread with sweet potato fries. 'Nuff said!

Looking forward to tomorrow, Mason has a field trip and I can't wait to go!! What an awesome baseball game they had on Friday night, he is really proving himself this year, he has done so well and I am so proud of him!

/Mornings Are No Fun/

So, I'm very excited (and so is Mason) for summer to start. The final days are coming close, just days closer to being a 4th grader-WOW! My joy quickly turns to frustration when I think about the morning routine. Here is a sample of what I go through every morning:

6:15 am (after his alarm has been going off for 15 minutes)

Me: Mason, it's time to get up.
Mason: uhhh, k.

6:20 am
Me: MASON, you have to get up for school, get dressed.
Mason: k, I'm getting up.

At this point I have come down stairs, gotten the dogs out, getting my lunch together and started to get myself breakfast.

6:35 am
Me: Mason...Mason...MASON??
Mason: Zzzzz...

6:45 am
Me: Mason, if you're not down here in 10 minutes, you're going to start losing privileges.
Mason: OK, MOM. Geez, I'm getting up.

Fast forward to 7:15 am
Me: [Walking up the stairs] I hope you're up and dressed...
Mason: Zzzzz

Then the next day, then the next....

Well, I was thinking there was going to be some relief this summer because he could sleep in and get some well deserved rest, however, this summer is different. Last summer I only worked 2 or 3 days a week. So, Mason could sleep until 2pm if he wished! But not anymore, I have to work all week, up early each and every day, and because I can't afford to send him to any camps this year, that means going to work with me. Bummer for him, his whole summer got flipped upside down, all because someone in his life doesn't have the 'warm and fuzzies' any more. I'm hoping he can have a normal-as-possible summer, but it's not going to be as fun for him as past years. This means more mornings like the ones above and because he LOVES to stay up late when there is no school, it's probably going to mean more struggles in getting him out of bed. I may have to resort to dragging him out by his toes! On the plus side, I'll get to spend quality time with him, but I know a 9 year old would much rather be at home, playing outside in the summer with his friends than riding in the car with Mom.

But, once he is awake, he is as sweet as ever!!



I stopped at a local fruit market, I love this one because they have a TON of fresh veggies and fruit and amazing prices. I got there as soon as they opened and I was going straight for the 'reject' table. All the poor fruits and veggies that didn't make the grade, but still taste as good as their presentable cousins, but cost WAY less. Well, apparently, I wasn't the only one who wanted to shoot straight for the bargain baskets. This woman, an elderly woman darted past me so fast, you would have thought there was a fire. I had my eye on the prize, a big basket full of eggplant, peppers, onions, garlic, etc. for $2.50. Well, as soon as I rounded the corner, she cut me off!! She WANTED that basket and nothing was going to come between her and the cheap veggies!! So, I settled for the fruit basket, all these goodies for $2.50:



{except for the peppers, I bought them separately}

3 grapefruits, a dozen lemons (have no idea what I'm going to do with all of them), 2 mangoes (not a fan, but Mason likes them), 2 tangerines, a tomato, mini onions (I guess that's what they are), apples and a nectarine. So, it was a good and cheap way to get some more fresh produce in the house even if I was run over by an old lady!!

I was having a bad day the other day, you know the whole I've-turned-31-and-my-husband-left-me-I'm-not-getting-a-gift-from-him-or-Mason-not-getting-to-celebrate-as-a-family thing, you know, everyone goes through it, so as I was driving I saw this (once again, I think it was meant for me!):



So, it made me smile. And my little Trails makes me smile, too ;0)




Here's to a great weekend...

Kool Aid Man

I found this while searching the web today! I thought it was hilarious! Someone was apparently tearing down a brick wall and then put up this cardboard sign!! I showed Mason this and he's been walking around for the past 15 minutes yelling, "OH YEAH"! Funny.

My Pumpkin Pie

For as long as I can remember I have called Mason, 'Pumpkin Pie'. I don't know when it started or how it started, but every night before bed, after we have our nightly talk, I say, "Goodnight, Pumpkin Pie"! I imagine on his wedding day, I will call him that (quietly, though!). I am so blessed to have been blessed with this kid of mine! He is getting through this tough time, with a lot of help and support. I encouraged him to write his feelings down, like I have been doing in a notebook. I told him to write whatever comes to mind, it could be his feelings or his likes/dislikes, anything goes. I caught a glimpse of what he wrote yesterday:



{aahmmm..pay.no.attention.to.the.last.one..aahmmm}

He is so sweet. He is my world. And I am his world. I am the one who is his 'constant'. Constant, stable caretaker. I am the one who is here everyday to make sure he is doing his best. I am the one he knows will never leave him no matter what. He knows this and he finds comfort in it. His responsibilities have been stepped up a notch. Unfortunately, they had to be. It takes a lot to run a household. I'm not making him do dishes/laundry/scrubbing floors (ok, I don't even scrub floors!!), etc. But he has his fair share of chores. He has very strong feelings about what has happened to this family. This life-altering event has changed him forever, his views, his feelings towards certain people and his relationships, no doubt. He has told me things that I never even knew he felt before. He is much more relaxed and stress-free now that the toxicity has left. He feels that he can be more open about things and I like that. It makes me happy to see him grow into a young man, who only has the sky as his limit. He's going to be ok, he is working hard and so am I to ensure that he is going to be ok. He needs to reach out for help. After all, you can't go though life-changing events in childhood and not get help. The problems, if not faced, will only follow you, eventually making things worse. Luckily for Mason, he has a Mom (who is awesome!!) that will not rest until he is ok and that would never choose anything or anyone before him. I will not settle for anything less than the best for him. Not every kid gets a Mom like that in life, but he's my Pumpkin Pie and I love him to pieces!!

My Brain Is Going To Mush.

Well, not exactly. But sometimes I feel like it is. I feel like sitting outside, late at night next to a bonfire:



sipping an ice cold Sam Adams with a lime wedge. I am craving adult conversation and interaction. Anything that does not contain words like, "really rare Koala Bear pencil topper", "iCarly", "animal bracelets", "the new Mario wii game", "accidentally flushing a plastic cup down the toilet", shall I go on?? I just want to sit around with good company and not have to think about a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g. But, I don't see that coming anytime soon. I was helping Mason clean his room yesterday, and under his bed was a jelly bean (from Easter, I presume, I hope it was THIS Easter) and before the words, "Don't you dare eat that" went from my brain to my mouth, Mason popped it in his mouth. Do you see what I'm dealing with??!! Oh my.

Mason was supposed to have a game tonight and we drove the whole way out to the field (the game was away, about 35-40min away) and they called the game. Ahhh. So, I decided that cleaning needs to be done, but I'd rather give blood. It is so hot in my house because I can't get the air conditioner up from the basement because it is so heavy, so I have been suffering with all these hot, humid days. Gross. Maybe I shouldn't have complained at how cold it was this winter, I'd take that right about now!!

I suppose I should get off the computer and clean now, but Facebook is calling my name! It is so addicting, sometimes it drives me crazy. It wastes way too much of my time. I used to (well, it's still active) have a myspace account. I went on it the other day just to see what has changed. It was so bad, I spent about 5 minutes on it and got off of it! It is so, childish, I guess would be the word! I did check my photos that I had on my account and Mason looks so small! It was all family outings photos from when he was about 6 or 7, I can't believe how much he has grown! I'm off to go eat dinner and then get some cleaning done, or maybe crafting. Who knows!

Can you believe it is June already??