Country Fried Shrimp and Gravy

Okay, really?  I saw a sign at Captain D's  this morning coming to work that advertised Country Fried Shrimp with Gravy.  Are you serious?  That just doesn't sound good to me.  What kind of gravy do you put on shrimp - even if they are country fried?  The only "gravy" that I would want on any shrimp would include minced horseradish and ketchup.  We live in the south, and I know that means that everything must be fried.  However, when I think of country fried - i think steak or chicken.  Shrimp, not so much.  But, if you decide to try it for yourself, be sure to let me know how it is!

Feed Me Books Friday: Alternative Lifestyles

Well, we went to the library on Tuesday night and picked up about 10 new books for Sarah.  Let me set the stage for you ... the Hoover Library has a great kids section.  It is full of puppets, computers, puzzles and books, books, books!  However, I tend to look for Sarah's books after we have attended whatever special event is going on.  So, the book supply for her age is usually pretty picked over.  This week, I was determined to pick up some good books.  Usually, I flip through them, but we were short on time so I just grabbed some based on the titles.

Well, this was the book that I picked up.  I only looked at the title and I thought it would be great.  She has a Daddy (Michael), she has a Papa (that's what she calls my dad).  Hmmm ... not exactly what this book was about!  While I don't have anything against homosexuals, I don't really want to celebrate their lifestyle in my home.  I want Sarah to know love and respect for others, but I want her to know that God  does not honor this choice in life.  Therefore, this week when we read this book, we will also read what God has to say about this way of life and talk about the sanctity of marriage between a mommy and a daddy.

Are we crazy?

I'll go ahead and answer for you ... yes!  Our phones have been due for an upgrade for months, but we had a feeling that the new iphone was going to be coming out soon, so we waited.  Since that time, my phone has been submerged in water twice.  Once on purpose, once an accident.  Michael can hardly read the screen and some of his buttons don't really work.  So we decided to take the plunge.  We've been saving money for phones and will be using our AL income tax money to cover the rest.  Here is Michael standing outside the Apple store in line.  So far, we don't have phones, but we are on the priority list.  That means that we will get our phones as soon as Apple gets the phones in.  That may mean today, or it may mean in a week.  We don't know, but we are getting phones!  Yeah!!  Thanks honey for standing outside in the heat!!  I love you!

Toddlers and Frat Party Similarities

Why Having a Toddler is Like Being at a Frat Party*
*That one frat party I've ever been to, having gone to a Very Serious Arts College.


10. There are half-full, brightly-colored plastic cups on the floor in every room. Three are in the bathtub.

9. There's always that one girl, bawling her eyes out in a corner.

8. It's best not to assume that the person closest to you has any control over their digestive function.

7. You sneak off to the bathroom knowing that as soon as you sit down, someone's going to start banging on the door.

6. Probably 80% of the stains on the furniture contain DNA.

5. You've got someone in your face at 3 a.m. looking for a drink.

4. There's definitely going to be a fight.

3. You're not sure whether anything you're doing is right, you just hope it won't get you arrested.

2. There are crumpled-up underpants everywhere.

1. You wake up wondering exactly how and when the person in bed with you got there.

Any additions ... you know you have some!  Please share!!
(originally posted at Suburban Snapshots)

Praying for the Hintons

This is a picture of our Sunday School teacher and his family.  Brian, Heather, Laney and Daniel are preparing to take London by storm!  They are going on a family mission trip to London for two weeks in July.  Brian is a lawyer, but is pursuing a call into ministry.  He is attending Beeson Divinity School at Samford University.  Heather is a stay at home mom who devotes her life to her children and teaching them about Jesus.  She is passionate about the Lord and it shows in all she does for her family.  We have had the opportunity to be in a small group with them recently and have come to appreciate them even more!  I personally cannot imagine taking my children on an international flight and staying all 4 of them in one hotel room without any of our "stuff" from home.  This must truly be God telling them to go!! 

For the first week, Heather and the kids will be hanging out in parks and playgrounds doing what moms and kids do best!  She will use this time to talk to other moms and/or nanny's about what they believe.  This will be an unbelievable opportunity that most mission trips aren't able to do because they don't usually involve the kids!  Brian will spend that week doing prayer walking around the city and engaging the people of the city.  The second week, they will move locations and host a "bible school" for the kids where they are located.  This is sure to be a life changing event for their family.  Please join me in prayer for this sweet family as they live out the Great Commission!

Celebrating Cathy and Baby Kumquat

This past weekend, I got the chance to help celebrate my friend Cathy as she prepares for the birth of Baby Girl Carver.  I have secretly named the baby Kumquat, but somehow I don't think that they are going to go with my selection!  Cathy and Jeff are a lot like Michael and myself in that we all waited until later in life to find our soulmate and true love.  I think that makes love that much sweeter when you know that you have waited for this one special person and that you have finally found that person and will spend your life with them!  Cathy and Jeff have been married for 2 years and are anxiously awaiting the birth of their special little girl.  For her shower on Saturday, I made fruit kabobs.  I think they were pretty cute, but I'll need to work on them a little if I do them again.  I stuck the skewers into styrofoam, but they were really hard to pull out! 

Here is a picture of Cathy with all of her hostesses.  Hope you had a great time Cathy!  You and Jeff are going to be super parents!!!  I can't wait to see God's work in all three of you!!!

Watermelon - Nectar of the Gods

At our house, Sarah and I LOVE watermelon!!  We try to buy the little small ones and literally the two of us can eat it in just a few days.  I usually cut Sarah some into pieces and she just devours them.  I decided to be a little adventurous and give her a whole slice of her very own!

So, how do you think she did with it?? :)  Check out the mess on her shirt!!  When will I ever learn?!  Never feed watermelon to a little girl in a white shirt!!!!! 

Hinton Class Lake Trip

We are blessed to be a part of an amazing Sunday School class.  Each year, our class takes a trip to the lake in Pell City.  The house is owned by the parents of one of our good friends.  We always have fun.  Last year was Sarah's first year to go.  Obviously, she didn't do anything last year and wondered why were we stuffing her into a life jacket and dragging her onto a boat.  This year was totally different!  She really enjoyed it.  There are several kids in our class who are all very close in age, so she is used to being around them and playing.  She still wasn't 100% sure of riding on the boat, but once it got going and she could feel the spray and the wind on her face, I think she enjoyed it.  Also, we found out that she likes Cheetos!  haha

Also, Michael was able to drive the boat this year.  Our friend owns a fishing boat that they always use to pull people who want to ski.  Michael has a boating license, so this year he was able to drive the boat and give Keith a break and let him play in the water instead of having to drive the boat!

Here is a picture of us on the boat.  We really did have a great time!!!

We switched life jackets at the end and Sarah was so much happier in this one because she wasn't so enclosed and confined.  She is a good little fish!  Thank you Stephens and Garmons for letting us come to the lake.  We would love to come back soon!!!

Farm Living is the Life

Okay, where do we live again?  Oh, that's right Birmingham, Trussville, Hoover, pick one.  The common denominator is that they are all metropolitan cities.  So why did I have to stop in the road to let these little friends by?  I didn't mind, they were a sweet family.  Do you see the baby?  It's near the front of the line, likely following its mama.  So any guesses ... where was I this morning??

Bonus points if you guess the road!!!

Waterpalooza Review - Hoover Public Library

Well, we went to the library again last night for the Summer Reading's special program.  I was not impressed.  I do not have photos of the night to share because I dropped my phone in a shark tank over the weekend and it is acting weird (i'll explain later and no, rice did not really work this time!). 


Waterpalooza was put on by the Atlantic Coast Theatre.  The description of the show from their website reads "WATERPALOOZA (A Benefit Concert To Save Water).  A.C.T. For Youth goes green... in this WATER CONSERVATION Themed Comedy/Rock Musical.  ROCK LOBSTER & ROCK SHRIMP from the band "THE CRUSTACEANS" are your hosts for WATERPALOOZA. They are joined by their special guest... Hip-Hop Megastar MAN-A-T!!! Get ready to clap your hands, rock-out, & laugh as these colorful characters teach the audience the importance of being WATER SAVERS...NOT WATER WASTERS."

Seriously????  Is this a show for kids or for the parents?  The kids don't know enough to save water.  Most of the kids there are under 7 years old ... don't their parents still run the water for their bath, brushing teeth, etc.?  The music was really corny and just plain odd.  It didn't help that we were running late and therefore we had to sit in the back/top of the theatre instead of the front row.  However, that may have been a blessing.  The show talked about the 6 phases of a water cycle.  Does Sarah even care?  She did like to dance when they played music, but she entertained herself mostly with trying to peel the number labels off of the chairs.  You know the ones -- I'm in row 5, seat 7.  Yeah, those.  Sorry HPL.  Next time pick a group that can entertain my child better!  See you next week!!

Followers

I know that many of you read my blog silently and in secret.  However, I want to know who you are!  There may even be a prize in it for you!!  Please click on the "Followers" button on the left side of the screen.  You do not have to have a blog to follow someone.  I just want to know about you.  Also, why don't more of you leave some comments on here?  I know that you facebook me or email me comments, but you can leave them on here as well.  Thanks!  Have a happy Wednesday!!!

Feed Me Books Friday: Wibbly Pig

Okay, I confess ... I may be trying to turn Sarah into a lover of all things pink and cuddly with little curly tails.  When I was growing up, I had Wilbur Pig.  He was named after Charlotte's Web and was actually featured on Full House -- Michelle had a stuffed pig just like mine!  Wilbur was eventually shortened to Wilby and I still have him today.  Sarah hasn't yet been allowed to play with Wilby.  She might hurt him!  So, for Christmas, Nana and Papa gave Sarah this book.  We changed the name a bit to make it more special for us - Wilby Pig.  Sarah can say his name and she loves to look for Tiny Pig and the other pigs who are hiding in this book.  She will sometimes hold her pig while we read about this pig.

Well, then I saw this book in the clearance section several months ago at Books a Million.  So, of course we had to get this one as well!  Sarah loves to help Wilby Pig go to bed.  She likes it probably because Wilby is just like her and tries to avoid going to bed!  We read this one a lot at bedtime, but I like it for anytime too!  Well, just when I was writing this post, I saw on Amazon that there were other Wibbly Pig books ...

There are even more listed on Amazon.  I had no idea!!!  So many choices ... which one to choose???

Sweet Little Girl

Look at this sweet little girl ...

This was Sarah on Friday night riding home.  We had been to the zoo and she had played in the water.  She had her shirt on when she started playing, but then she decided that she wanted her shirt off.  Well, by then she was already soaking wet!  So, she rode home without a shirt on!  However, isn't this so sweet that she is perfectly content to sit in the backseat reading a book while we were driving back home.  I'm so thankful that she loves to read books.  She is doing so good and "reading" her book by herself for longer and longer periods of time. 

Feed Me Books Friday- Bedtime Books

We have several books that we read each night before bedtime.  While Momma gets tired of reading the same ones over and over, I know that it is appropriate developmentally.  I try to add in at least 1-2 new books every few days to keep it interesting for myself, but these are some of the mainstays!

If your child is a fan of touch and feel board books, this charming Katz book is sure to please. The book contains twelve pages of various touch and feel activities to compliment the board book story about a child going to bed! Contains the typical Katz round faced kids!  Sarah has always loved this author and we have several of her books.  She loves to touch each of the different textures and loves to give kisses to the momma and baby when baby goes to bed.

In this book, we changed little pookie to little buggie.  It's evening, and mom patiently eases Pookie toward bed. Pookie cooperates (mostly)—though with that particular Pookie flair. And imagine who gets the last word.  Sarah likes this book a lot.  This is a recent addition to bedtime.  Mommy gives Pookie/Buggie 3 special kisses in this book before bed and Sarah likes to help Pookie hide from mommy.

Goodnight Moon is our absolute must-have night night book.  We even sent it with Sarah recently when she spent the night with grandparents.  She will occasionally even ask for "moon" when she is ready to go to sleep.  The quiet cadence and repetition of this book make it the perfect calming bedtime story.  She has learned the book and anticipates ending phrases.  She will almost always recite the last page with me - even in her sleep ... goodnight noises everywhere.  The perfect night time book, even I start to get sleepy when I start to read it to her, that just shows the power of routine!

Perfect Sleep Solution

I've finally identified the perfect sleep solution for little bug ... prescription cough syrup!!

Not for her silly ... for mommy!  When I take it, I don't hear her cry.  So sorry daddy, but I'm loving the sleep I got!  Too bad I didn't take enough last night.  I think Farmer Jason and the crazy rocker kids scared her and she had bad dreams!  Maybe I should have slipped a little into her milk! :)

Sarah and Farmer Jason

I know this is a terrible picture, but deal with it! :)

Here is Sarah and Michael with Farmer Jason after the show.  He said that she was adorable (well, duh!!) and that she was a good little dancer!

Baby Mosh Pit -- Seriously?

Okay, so last night's show was strange.  The music was odd, the kids were out of control and I was scared.  Yes, scared for the future - not just for my child but for everyone there.  Where were the parents?!?  Was this a kid's concert or was this Bret Michael's Rock of Love?  I have never seen so many little out of control children rushing the stage like this man was Elmo passing out crack or something!  Some of the little girls in front of our seats were even laying down on the stage.  The library workers had to tell kids multiple times to get off of the stage.  It is one thing to let your child go to the front to dance with other kids, but where is the supervision?  Oh wait, I know where it is ... it is totally displaced by the rude mom that came down from her seat to get onto another person's child because her kid is a bully and can't take the heat.  Not only that, but he also ended up being a little wuss ... he kept standing up in the seats and getting his foot caught when they would fold in.  Michael even had to get him out one time.  His mom came down there, probably because she saw us man-handling her kid.  She had probably intended on yelling at us too.  I just looked at the kid and said, "Maybe next time you'll remember that chairs are for sitting and not for standing!".  She asked him if he thanked us for getting him out of the seat and he said he forgot.  She didn't even make him say it then!  I'm worried for our kids if their parents are so entitled and privileged that they make up their own rules for everything as well.  No wonder our school-age kids think they are exempt from following rules!
Well, needless to say ... you can tell that we had our fill of Farmer Jason.  We will not be going back for a few years probably.  When we do go back, Sarah will not lay on the stage showing everyone her underwear (even though they'll be cute and monogrammed!), will not bump into others on purpose in the "kiddie mosh pit" and will not cause her parents unneccessary embarrassment!

Farmer Jason - Pt. 1 (Pre-Show)

Sarah is getting ready for the show to begin at the Hoover Library last night.  Last night's show was Farmer Jason.  He is ... well, interesting.  According to the LOS ANGELES TIMES, “Rousing songs about forest critters, by a former rock singer, encourage tykes to exercise their muscles and educate their minds.”
The songs are a bit odd, but the kids liked them.  Here's the chorus from "Doggie Dance".
Flop your ears wag your tail do the doggie dance
Flop your ears wag your tail do the doggie dance
Do the doggie dance do the doggie dance
Flop your ears wag your tail do the doggie dance

Feed Me Books Friday

We checked this book out from the library last week and Sarah loves it!!!  This is lift-the-flap book, which is always a favorite at our house!  In this book, a child asks for an animal from the zoo and they send him one, but it is too scary, big, loud, etc.  Finally at the end they send him an acceptable animal.  Sarah has really enjoyed this one over and over, we might have to purchase our own copy!

Green Beans

Sarah is getting ready to start picking green beans in a  few weeks.  This pictures was taken at my parent's house over the weekend.  She is walking in between two giant rows of green beans.  They have also planted green onions, crowder peas, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, sweet potatoes and corn.  Anybody hungry?  Feel free to help yourself to the harvest as long as you will help to weed, water, and harvest the veggies!