"Bless this Bird as use to our Bodies....."

A young mourning dove we had been caring for died in the middle of the night. The kiddlings weren't too upset about it as they believed it went to Jesus so He could care for it. They all wanted to examine the body of course and then decided we needed to have a funeral, cause isn't that what you do with dead bodies? Shane, being the oldest and wanting to follow in his daddy's footsteps, wants to become a Pastor when he grows up. He was all to eager to perform the funeral when I asked for a volunteer. We all gathered around a hole in the backyard that my hubby had dug for us and Shane began. "Let's bow our heads ..... Lord we thank you for this bird, he is a good bird, we thank you for him. Please bless this bird as use to our bodies, in Jesus name, Amen."  The teenager looked at me with wide eyes, obviously trying to stiffle laughter, the husband peeked up at me with a sly grin on his face and I bow my head lower trying not to give away the smile that spread across my face. He'll make a fine Pastor some day I thought.

Speaking of dead birds.... I wanted to congratulate my Hubby on a successful Turkey Hunt this week. He shot a huge Tom. Looks delicious doesn't he? Well, he will on Sunday at dinner time when we hold his funeral :) Maybe we'll let Shane pray the blessing.  Earlier in the week my Hubby had taken Shane out for a drive to scout out possible hunting locations. Shane came home pretty excited and told me all about seeing a big "guy turkey" who was walking around with his tail up in the air all fanned out showing off his feathers because was chasing after a "girl turkey" he liked. He said the guy turkey was trying to impress the "chick" to get her to like him. Hahahaha. I'm sure I'll be able to use this story one day when we start talking about "boys & girls" and dating :)  Speaking of dating...... I went on the "Real Man's Ideal Date" this week. My Hubby took me out to a Fundraiser/Dinner Event for Ducks Unlimited the other night. It was a very casual affair. A large room filled with camouflage wearing hunters and their wives. All the men looked the same - typical hunters. Their wives on the other hand were as varied as the game these men hunt. Some were well groomed, well dressed business ladies, some wore tank tops and spandex leggins and too much makeup. There were tired looking house wives, moody middle aged mommies, and fresh young girlfriends. As I scanned the crowd through out the night I wondered where I fit in with these ladies..... these hunter's wives. I used to be able to drink any man under the table like the long haired brunette surrounded by brown beer bottles, and I used to have a vocabulary that could shame a trucker, like the grey haired woman at the next table (I wonder if she scolds her grand children for using potty mouth language?) I use to be loud and outgoing, a true attention seeker, like the young girl serving food, wearing clothing two sizes too small for her perfect Barbie doll figure. I "used to" be and want alot of of things.... but at that moment in that crowded room with the smell of beer and fried perch in the air, what I really would have preferred was a quiet sunrise in a dew covered duck blind cuddled up next to My Hunter waiting with quiet anticipation as the mallards set their wings and make their decent toward the water...... (wait for it, it's all in the timing) and for the finale..... the ear splitting bang of the shotgun, the scent of gun powder in the sweet morning air and the familiar "click-click" as you chamber another round while the spent shell is ejected and falls to the ground. I "used to" be a hunter ....... now I'm the one with her hand up the backside of  a turkey making sure it's clean and fit for consumption. Good golly it never ceases to amaze me how "different" a bird looks when it's been plucked clean with the head removed. I cleaned the turkey on the back porch and brought it into the house to cool it and wash it, Little Susan had been watching cartoons and looked mortified as I carried the carcass through the patio doors. She said breathlessly, almost in a whisper....  "Mommy, what IS that?" Hahahahaha. All Latoya said was "Mmmmmm" and the Baby squealed "deer!"

A thought occured to me this morning as I zipped past my beautiful roses, that my darling Hubby brought me this week, that I often times see myself like that shriveled up yellow rose wilting in the midst of a vibrant bouquet of red blooms. A "used to be" who sometimes forgets how to live in the present.... not just "survive" or "get by" but really live ....  an abundant kind of life. As I drained the vase and refilled it with fresh cool water I knew - the secret to avoid becoming stagnant and withered is to change your water often! So perhaps I'll try a few new things, explore new ideas, attempt a new hobby or two.... at the very least it will enrich me with more adventures to share in my blog each week .....  well with seven little blessings running around here it's not like I'd ever really run out of things to write about anyway.    

Here are a few funnies from our house to yours:

*We watched a video with the older children for our Family Movie Night.  Daniel, who can be hyper-sensitive and emotional sat wide eyed throughout most of the movie. At the most intense parts he would look at us, wipe his hands on his pants and shake his head. We asked what was wrong and he replied, "my hands are wet, they keep getting wet." The poor little guy was so nervous and anxious over the movie that he had sweaty palms!

*The Baby has learned a new word, "Deer." Since Daddy brought home his "Trophy Buck Mount" (not to be confused with a "Thingy" ... which no self respecting wife would ever dare to call her Hubby's most prized trophy.) the Baby points to the deer head and says "deer." Daddy thinks the Baby is sooooo smart. He says "Baby, where's Daddy's deer?" and she turns around and points to the mount and says "deer" in her sweet little innocent voice. And when the helium balloon floats into the livingroom, the Baby points to the balloon and says "deer", and when the ceiling fan turns on and goes around and around the Baby says "deer", and when you ask her where'e Daddy? The Baby looks around and points to the mount and says "deer." You get the picture. So we taught her a new word..... TURKEY. Now everyone's either a "turkey" or a "deer."

*Sitting at the table yesterday Daniel asked, "What is it again when you're sick and you have spots on you? Oh ya.... POPSICLES, that's it." (chicken pox)

*Little Susan came to me and said in that sing song tattle tale voice "Mommy, Daddy is outside with NOT his shoes on." (she was telling on him.)

*Daddy: "I am going turkey hunting."

 Little Susan: Don't go hunting with a turkey Daddy!"

*Aunt Ree giggled as she recounted her morning conversation with Uncle Owl..... She wondered why the street cleaner was cleaning her road. Why in the world would a street cleaner be cleaning a gravel/dirt road?!?! Uncle Owl looked at her with love in his eyes and reminded her that they lived on a paved road - not a gravel road. (Hahahaha. Do you get lost much Aunt Ree?)

*Little Susan and Latoya were playing dolls in their bedroom. They looked out their window and saw Daddy take the "Pixie" (see previous entry about the Pixie - April 12/10) off the license plate of his jeep and attach it to the van. They watched with fascination from their bedroom window and when he was done they excitedly exclaimed, "Daddy likes dollies too!"

*Our Black & Tan Coonhound "Babe" was sleeping then startled and began baying and making a fuss over some noise (unheard by us). Nicholas exclaimed,"Wow, she's so sensitive!"

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The AVON Campaign 12 order has just been placed. Have a look at the AVON Campaign 13 Book online and let me know if there's anything I can get for you.

This order will be placed on Tuesday May 11th, 2010. Message me if you have any questions! Thanks :)

Have an abundantly blessed week!

My Hubby's "Thingy"

"That felt very disrespectful. Did I say something unloving?"
I KNEW that's what was going through his head ..... I could hear the shock and unbelief in his silence on the other end of the phone.
He had just called me because of an email I sent to him at his office that said:
"Hey Babe, I forgot to give you a message yesterday.
Jack, from True Life Taxidermy called. He said your thingy is ready.
Call him to arrange a time to pick it up."
"You FORGOT to give me the message?!?!?!?" He asked incredulously. How can you forget to give me a message about something I have been anxiously waiting so long for? You know I think about this twenty times a day! And you tell me he said my "THINGY" is ready?!?!?!?! "My THINGY"
Boy was I in hot water now...... I guess it is not wise (or respectful) to call your husband's Prized Buck Trophy Mount a "Thingy."
....... And then he brought it home. I was in another room when he came in but I could hear the kiddlings oohing and ahhing.  He took the opportunity while I was indisposed, to hang his trophy in the best spot he could find - the focal point of the room. You could see this thing from just about every room on the main floor and maybe even the stairway if you hung over the railing far enough. When I walked into the room I nearly got a face full of fur! This thing is huge! "No Way! No way.... this CANNOT go here." I said in my very best "stern mommy" voice. "But look" her replied, "The lights are just perfect right above his head to show it off..... Doesn't that look great there Dad?" My father had accompanied him to retrieve his prize and now he was taking his side as far as where the Buck should hang - so not fair - I am blood and the hubby is only a relative by marriage. I was feeling very out numbered and could actually feel the testosterone in the air. What is it with dead animals that makes men throw back their shoulders, puff up their chests and grunt like Tim Allen off the old tv sitcom "Tool Time?"
So after thinking about it and not wanting to dampen his celebration, I opted to compromise and suggested a different place to hang him .... in the corner near the patio door (not so obvious when you first walk into the house.) My hubby was thrilled, especially since I had originally refused to even have it in the house at all.
I understand that this is a "big deal" to my hubby and it IS a great victory as far as being a hunter goes... it's an 11 pointer ya know :) I am very proud of his success ( it is partly MY success too - after all I WAS the one who helped him drag the thing out of the bush, all the way to the road and helped load the hefty herbivore into the jeep) I get it really - I felt the adrenaline rush too. But we've eaten him all up now - not a single pepperette left.....  it's just that I am a little weirded out having him watching every move we make. I feel like I am being stalked..... pretty ironic isn't it? Hahaha
So the deer got hung up and the hubby was happy. He admired it all evening. Daniel was so happy for daddy. He said he was excited that daddy's "deer face" was allowed to stay in the house. The kids and I would catch him smiling in the deer's direction or standing silently next to it, probably reliving the moment he first saw it step through the trees ..... and now it is here. On my wall. For all the world to see. Everyday. Forever.
Sooooo, what is one to do with a dead animal noggin hangin on the wall? Well I thought about that one day and came up with a plan. If you know my husband you'd know how much of a practical joker he can be. I wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine and shared my scheme with my Dad. He gave me some advice and helped me fine tune "the plan" and then all I had to do was wait for the perfect opportunity..... and that opportunity presented itself on Saturday night. I am giggling as I type this. I can't even think about this without cracking up - it's THAT good!  So after my hubby fell asleep, I waited patiently for him to roll over and face the wall .... and then I sprang into action! I took his precious deer head off the wall (ever so carefully) and layed it on my pillow in bed next to my soundly sleeping hubby. I set my camera to record and began whispering "Pssssst, Psssst" But he would not wake up...... the suspence was almost too much! Finally I had to shake the headboard to wake him. He rolled over and came face to face with his beloved Buck. But I could tell from the horrified scream and frantic scrambling to get out of the bed that he didn't recognize his deer at all. Infact he cautiously peeked over the blankets to get a second look and still had an odd look of bewilderment on his face. As the words "What the heck" escaped his lips I KNEW in my heart that this video would be a winning entry for America's Funniest Home Videos .... and so after all the excitement died down ...  at about 2:00 am, I uploaded the video to AFV in hopes of sharing my hubby's pride and joy with the world :)

With seven kiddlings running around here I treasure every moment I have to myself - what a rare treat it is to be able to steal away for15 minutes to have a bubble bath alone. I planned it out in great detail.... set the little girls on the couch to watch cartoons. Put the baby gate up to keep them contained in one room. Bring the telephone into the bathroom with me. Settle the baby into her playpen with some toys to occupy her for a few minutes. Leave the bathroom door open so I can hear what's going on. The bath tub was hot and the bubbles were inviting. I was laying back and just starting to relax when I heard Latoya call out "the Baby is stinky! She pooped." "I'll take care of that as soon as I get out" I replied. Only moments later I hear Susan shriek "Ewww, what's she eating?" WHAT?!?!?!?!
OH MY GOSH! (that's the only thing that goes through your mind at a moment like this) I jump out of the bathtub to investigate and find that yes indeed she IS eating poop. Infact, she seems to be enjoying it and offers some to me (Isn't that precious she is learning to share). My mind is racing as I try to decide what to do first. Put the Baby in the bath tub, wipe down the playpen, throw the stinky playpen outside, disinfect the toys, brush her teeth.... OH MY GOSH! Note to self: NEVER leave the Baby in just a diaper - not even for a minute.

It felt like Christmas around here this week. My AVON order came in! The next order goes in on Tuesday April 27th - If you haven't already placed an order, check out the current book, Campaign 12 and any other recent catalogues (found on my Avon Business page) then let me know what I can get for you. Orders will be delivered on Friday April 30th.
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Here are a few funnies from our house to yours:
*While eating her soup at lunchtime little Susan exclaimed : "I found a hair Mom! Oh.... it's mine. (It was still attached to her head)
*While eating dinner one night Nicholas asked "Mom, sometime can we have some fish that's in the shape of a fish and not like these sticks? (He's a pretty special boy - Papa sent over a fillet of fish to cook up for dinner, just so he'd have "real fish" - Thanks Papa)
*Susan walked into the bathroom while I was doing my makeup. "Mama your brains are gone!" She exclaimed. (She meant my "bangs" as I had my hair pulled back.)
*Susan: Crack kills Latoya! ...... Crack kills Latoya! .... Latoya, I said crack kills!"  "Mommy, Latoya won't pull up her pants and I told her crack kills."
Latoya: (hiking up her pants) "I know that Susan."
*While preparing for dance class I was doing the girls hair. it all has to be pulled back in a bun. I was working on Susan's hair when I put mousse into her hair and started to smoothe her bangs back....
"Mommy, something is making noise in my hair!" she said.
*As I finished working on Latoya's hair I was frustrated that the bun was off to the side AGAIN.... I told her that she kept moving so her bun was crooked. Latoya started crying and said "I don't want to have crooked brains."
*On Sunday morning after church while we fellowshipped in the foyer, Daniel came running up to me and excitedly interrupted our conversation. "Smell my breff Mommy!" (Someone had given him a mint. I'll have to explain to him that that sort of thing is NOT like colognes or perfumes....it does not need to be shared. LOL)
Blessings,
Lucy

Hiding in the Neighbour's Flower Garden - Just Like a Garden Gnome

      "Be still and know that I am God." Lord, how I wish all my children could read! This is the sign I have hanging on the fence in my backyard above the garden. My precious kiddos just don't seem to know HOW to "be still." Although it is one of my favourite scriptures, I find this sign amusing - the scripture reference on this sign is wrong. It should say Psalms 46:10, not 47:10 *there is NO 47:10 in the bible. I received it as a gift - I wonder if it was "on sale" Hahaha!

        On Sunday afternoons we usually have a large gathering at our place for lunch and fellowship. There are usually a dozen or so children running through here so we "encourage" them to play in the back yard since our house can get a little crowded with five or six families roaming around here. We don't all fit in one room so everyone is kind of scattered through out the house. You can often find a group of people hanging out on the front porch, some on the back porch, a few teens upstairs (or bugging to go for a walk to the store). Usually you'll find the ladies in the kitchen talking pink and the men in the livingroom with way too much blue going on in there! The younger kiddos roam throughout the house looking for opportunities.... any opportunity...... to get treats, to get pop, money, to get the keys to the car..... they ask all sorts of things when adults are deep in conversation hoping to get that "yes, whatever" kind of answer adults give when they're too involved in their own conversation they don't even think about what they're agreeing to. "Lucy! You gave them each their buckets of Easter candy to take outside ?!?!" The hubby hollers from the recliner. "Yes dear, they'll share with the other children don't worry.... and this way they won't keep running in and out of the house bugging for "one more candy." (Actually, I had hoped to have them eat it ALL so I wouldn't have to listen to the stupid rabbits calling my name from the crisper drawer in the fridge at night) But since we have seven "little blessings" we have an unusually large amount of chocolate, jelly beans and other assorted Easter goodies that this group of kiddlings just couldn't finish it all.
          "Sorry kids, the cherry cheese cake is just for the adults.... go eat your chocolate bunnies!"

Little kids hyped up on sugar are hillarious! They can also be fearless and thrill seeking..... little girls punching eachother in the playhouse to get the buckets full of candy, boys doing some interesting Tae Kwon Do moves on top of the picnic table, other boys doing tricks and riding a Rip Stick down the middle of the road - WHERE WERE THE ADULTS TO SUPERVISE THESE PRECIOUS CHILDREN? Well let me tell you where the "adults" were....... adults on sugar act very much the same way as children on sugar do.....

SOME of these mature, responsible adults were chasing eachother all over the front yard, across the road, behind cars, and down the street - with rubber band shooting - wooden pistols. I have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard just thinking about it. Grown men rolling across the lawn in stocking feet 007 style, hiding behind tree trunks half the width of them, crouching behind parked cars trying to get a good shot without getting hit themselves. Way too much fun for one afternoon. The neighbours never even came outside to see what all the commotion was.... I think they were frightened. We did lose a kid. One of the teenagers. She got chased down the street by a wooden pistol wielding adult and vanished for a long time. She eventually turned up and we discovered she had been hiding in the neighbour's flower garden - just like a garden gnome.

         Sometimes I wonder if other adults have as much fun as we do?  I can't remember exactly how it began or when for that matter but my hubby and I have been playing an odd kind of game for the past couple of months. We have too many kiddlings to all fit into one vehicle so when we got out together we need to take both vehicles. As I was pulling out of the driveway one day I motioned to my hubby to roll down his window - and as he did, I threw a little pixie dolly (obviously one of the girls left in the van) into his window and quickly rolled up my window. *We have electric windows instead of manual crank up ones, so you can imagine the adrenaline rush as every girl in my van shouted and hollered to encourage the window to "roll up faster! roll up faster!" Phew, we made it. The hubby sat there looking at me like I had lost it...... he looked at the pixie doll and looked back at me and shook his head. So this has become a great strategic game between the two of us. Sometimes we allow the kiddlings to help us by being our look out or distracting the parent while we cunningly devise our plan of attack .... where will I hide the pixie next? Hmmmm, in the visor looks good - then he'll scream like a girl when he pulls the visor down and the pixie falls on his lap. One day he drove to work while sitting on the poor pixie and he never even knew it ...... he came home and asked "why in the world I would go across town to his workplace to hide the pixie in his vehicle and not even stop in to visit him?" He did feel a little foolish I think when I explained that I hadn't left the house all day and he had obviously sat on the poor little thing, drove all the way to work and never even felt it. The last time I hid the pixie he didn't find it for a week and a half (he thought I had stopped playing the game) but I had hid her so well he didn't find her until he wanted to change the cd in his stereo. Who says adults can't have fun? 

 I am running out of creative places to hide the pixie on my hubby's vehicle. If you have a good suggestion comment on this blog below and share your suggestions. I don't know that he will appreciate it, but I will :)  

 Here are a few funnies from our house to yours:

*It was "one of those days" in a rush getting into the van my hubby grumbled, "Boy, I am so bloody stressed anymore!"
From the back seat little Susan pipes up and says "Ya, I'm stressed too daddy."
*I overheard my hubby tell little Susan to "go tell mommy that daddy says she is "hot & sexy" - so being obedient, Little Susan marches into my bedroom and announces "Mommy, dad says you are "hot & spicey." (I laughed off and on all day whenever I thought about that)
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*Bless you Abundantly ~ Have a ridiculously fun week!

*Just a reminder, AVON orders are placed tonight - email me right away if you still need to place an order. Thanks!

I Am an Addict with an Allergy ..... That's My Story and I'm Sticking To It :)

I hope your Easter celebrations were as meaningful and funfilled as ours.
The kiddlings woke up and dragged themselves downstairs .... and then saw all the chocolate and jelly beans waiting for them.... everyone was suddenly awake and full of energy!  Before they sampled their treasures I overheard Daniel praying and thanking Jesus for his chocolate. Wow, I thought. That's great that they even want to give thanks for treats..... then I overheard this conversation;
Nicholas: Daniel, Jesus doesn't give us chocolate!
Daniel: Yes He does!
Nicholas: No He doesn't!
Daniel: Well when Mommy is eating our chocolate she closes her eyes and says "Thank you Jesus for chocolate."
Hahahahaha, hence the bi weekly visits to my dietician!

We attended church in the morning (I just can't stay away from that church - the pastor is so cute!) and then after church service we spent the day with family and friends at our place - we had a full house. (well, what Sunday don't we have a full house?)
What a fabulous day (almost as "fabulous" as Rachelle). Everyone contributed to the Easter meal, the kiddlings had a chocolate egg hunt in the backyard (wow those little ones sure can get mean when chocolate is at stake.....don't get in their way!) but after the meal is when the real fun started ..... the food fight! I am not sure who really began it but I am told it was Papa (and that is totally believable and quite probable). Veggies were flying from the back deck into the living room and back out again. Some silly adults were even using children as human shields! It was chaotic and at times a little rough - especially when Miss Cathy got poor Papa in a head lock and scrubbed his hair with radishes..... he will never look at her the same way again.  I am just glad I found the broccoli that was under the couch before little Latoya did - she would have eaten it and thought it was a treasure hidden just for her ... at least that's what she thinks those hidden gobs of bubble gum are out in public. (Eewww)

This time of year is so difficult for me personally. No, not because of the sentimental stuff or anything like that .....  it's the CHOCOLATE. Honestly. I have a problem that I am not proud of. I think it's like a drug ..... I mean, after all I AM allergic to it - you would think that would be enough to keep me away from the stuff ... but it's not. (Yes, it is possible to have a chocolate allergy. No, I have not been tested .... but I know an allergic reaction when I see one. After consuming large amounts of chocolate I swell up (over time) and get the shakes, I get a rush of energy and a euphoric feeling washes over me....if that's not an allergic reaction I don't know what is.) Anyway ..... having 7 kiddlings in the house just means 7 times the temptaion and Oh dear Lord.... 7 times the CHOCOLATE!!!!!! But it is usually this time of year that I start losing my mind (probably also a reaction to that darn drug) ..... I start hearing things. Really. Late at night when everyone else is in bed I hear it.... "Luuuuuucyyyyyyy, oh Luuuucyyyyyy" I hear voices calling my name..... and the closer I get to the fridge the louder the voices are. Oh I KNOW what it is and I KNOW I should just ingore those voices and NOT open the door - but the sweet promises they speak of......*sigh* ..... so I open the door, and the crisper opens and out hops my friend (who sticks closer to my thighs than my jeans) a 1 lb solid milk chocolate bunny "I've been waiting for you" he whispers.... "Hello Bunny, I say...shhhhh, let's not wake anyone......"
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Here are a few funnies from our house to yours:

Daddy was talking about hunting at the breakfast table one morning. Little Susan piped up and said, "Daddy, I go huntin' too daddy?" Daddy said, "Sure baby, you can go hunting with me - I'll even buy you your own gun." Little Susan excitedly replied "A pink one Daddy, I want a pink gun!"

Nicholas told Daniel he couldn't bring his "empty 3" player to school or he would be in trouble. (Hahaha, MP3 player)

Little Susan gets upset when our rather large and clumsy hound hovers over her while she's eating. One morning I could hear Susan yelling at the not-so-bright dog ... "GET! - You have stinky "breff"!" Then she started chanting "Stinky breff, stinky breff" ... possibly trying to shame the dog into leaving perhaps?

Our darling little Latoya thinks the "f*ckles" on little Susan's arms are pretty cute. (FRECKLES) "Oh look, Mommy has lots of f*ckles too!" {and this is why we seldom take our children out in public.... too many uncertainties.}

And just lastnight as we gathered the herd up to go for an evening walk Daniel (oh so proud of himself) announced that he "KNEW what tree that was in our front yard..... it's a PUSS-O tree" I could hardly contain myself ....  "A what????" I asked. "A PUSS-O tree," he proudly stated ..... "we learned about them at school. Or maybe it's a PUSSOWILLIE?"
Hahahaha, he meant a pussy willow but it didn't matter .....  it was a weeping caragana ...... we're just going to call it "that tree."
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Have a blessed week,
remember .... the AVON order will be placed on Tuesday April 13th..... contact me about that if you haven't done so already :)

Daddy Taught us to Use His "Cellophone"...

Happy Good Friday!

In discussing the Easter story with my kiddlings this morning I asked them what Easter was all about. I know, a loaded question. I half expected to hear about chocolate bunnies and decorated eggs but was pleasantly relieved to hear them talk about Jesus. Jesus is always the answer..... (well that and "squirrels", but that's another story to blog about at a later date.)

I probed a little further and asked Latoya to tell me what she knew about Easter. She said, "Easter is when they killed Jesus. They put Him on a cross then He died and they burried Him. Then "free" days later He came alive again - cause He's got power! And then He came out of the hole." "Ya!" hollered Susan, "He came outta da hole." Hahahahaha, I love it!

So to summarize my kiddo's Easter message: Just like Jesus,

You're not dead anymore, You've got power, Come out of your hole!"

I got a special gift this week. My darling hubby couldn't wait to give it to me. (It was supposed to be for mother's day - NOW what am I going to get?) Last year I mentioned that I might like a family ring with all our kiddos birthstones .... and yes I am spoiled :) Thanks honey, you're the best!

I tried to tell the kiddlings just how special this ring was to mommy and I attempted to show them which stone represented each one of them but they really weren't that interested. The girls thought it was "shiny and pretty" and had "nice coloured beads on it." The boys thought the "little rocks" were nice but their enthusiasm only lasted a second. "Can we go play outside now?" Shane asked.  Oh well. It may not mean anything to anyone else but to me it's a treasure.

Maybe it was the cost of the ring, or the fact that we have seven mouths to feed ..... I don't know..... but my hubby said I had to earn my keep (just joking - he would never dare say it, he might think it maybe, but not actually say it) so I am now an independent Avon sales representative.  I am selling Avon  products but am also lookng to recruit anyone else who may be interested in joining my sales team. In the next few days I will have a link to my online store front for your viewing pleasure. If you'd like to see a catalogue instead, contact me. My next order goes in on Tuesday April 13th. Don't miss out on the great Spring deals!

What beautiful weather today! My hubby took two of the boys to the river to test drive the boat and make sure it's all ready for this season. Before they left I went over my "motherly check list" with my hubby to ensure the utmost safety and care is taken of our precious offspring while out on the water away from my  protective arms. Life jackets? Check. Plenty of gas in the gas tank? Check. Oars or paddles  incase the motor fails? Check. Where are you launching? How long do you expect to be gone? You know, the usual stuff. I also asked him to be sure he taught the boys to use his cell phone incase he falls overboard - so they can call me for help. He gave me one of those "you've got to be kidding" looks and lovingly reminded me that if that were to happen his cell phone would be in the river with him as it is attached to his belt. I don't know why the poor guy puts up with me and my over protective idiosyncrasies - but I am thankful he does :)

The boys just called me. "Hi Mommy we're in the boat on the river. Daddy taught us to use his "cellophone" to call you. We are having fun Mom."

UPDATED: Oh my goodness!!!!!! Before I even got this blog finished up to post the phone rang....... it was my wonderful hubby .....  the conversation began like this:

Hubby: Hi Babe, can you do me a favour?

Me: Sure hun, what's up?

Hubby: Can you go to the garage and get the gas can and the boat motor oil-the kind you mix with the gas...

Me: WHERE ARE YOU?

Hubby: We are in the river near the bridge at Keil and Bloomfield, across from Tim Hortons......

Me: Alright, I'll be right there...... *sigh - never a dull moment.

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Here are a few funnies from our home to yours:

Latoya: "You changed your brain right Mama?"

Mom: "What?"

*And then I figured out that she meant that I had "Changed my mind" about something.

"Mommy when we were playing sandwich the boys almost killed my life!"

(Daniel tearfully complained about being squished between two boys while they played "sandwich")

After eating a turkey dinner the boys noticed the wishbone on the counter and asked why there was a bone on the counter. My Husband told them it was a turkey bone and that you can plant it in the ground to grow turkeys. All the kiddos bought it except for Daniel. "Noooooo, you need to plant turkey SEEDS to grow turkeys not bones!" he smartly replied.

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Have a blessed Easter weekend :)