Critters, Critters, Everywhere!!

I thought I made it abundantly clear to my family that I don't like lizards. I thought they understood that I have an unreasonable fear of lizards. I thought it was clearly understood that there was to never, ever, ever be lizards in my home deliberately. But, I guess I was wrong. I guess I forgot to explain to the younger half of my children these vital points. I guess I didn't clearly explain to them that in high school, when some "friends" thought they'd be cute and throw a lizard at me (which subsequently bounced right off me) I nearly hyperventilated. I guess I haven't made myself abundantly clear, but I will now.

You see, a few days ago, Indy found two lizard eggs outside by the swing, and being a boy, and not knowing what kind of eggs they were, he promptly found a container and put them inside there and placed them on his shelf. Well, yesterday, Levi found them and dropped one, which opened and guess what?? Yes, it's true. There was a live lizard in it. I don't think it was quite ready to hatch, but Levi just helped it along. So the kids put some grass, water, the live lizard and the unhatched egg into the old hermit crab container. Now we have one baby lizard running around the cage and one to soon hatch. This shows how much I love my children, right? Right?? Don't worry....in a few days, once the other one has hatched, I will make sure they are far, far away from my home. lol And then, the hermit crab cage will be empty and ready for the next new critter.

Menu Plan Monday

Sunday- Meatball Subs

Monday- Spaghetti

Tuesday- Santa Fe Chicken

Wednesday- Hamburger & Noodle Casserole

Thurday- Skillet Sausage & Peppers

Friday- Order Pizza

Saturday- Salisbury Steaks and Mashed Potatoes

Have a great week!!

Pizza and the Newspaper

It all started with a coupon. Indy got his last Book It! coupon, so I decided to take him to Pizza Hut to collect. Book It!, for those of you who aren't familiar, is a reading program sponsored by Pizza Hut that rewards kids K-6 grade for meeting their reading goal (set by parents or teachers) each month from October to March. We have done this program for several years with the girls and last year was Indy's first year to participate. Unfortunately, I often forget to give him the coupon and then they expire. So, he finally received his March coupon and before it too expired, I decided that since I'd be at the chiropractor today, which is near the Pizza Hut we go to, that we'd hit it for lunch. Well, after the chiropractor, I wanted to stop by the Bible store to pick up some Bibles I had engraved for Christmas gifts (yes, Christmas), before going for lunch. I headed that way, but unfortunately, the road was closed for construction and the way around, would be going right by the Pizza Hut. So, being that it was already 11:45, and the fact that I hate to backtrack, I decided to just get lunch first.

We showed up to Pizza Hut and the first strange thing that happened was that some man watched us walk from our car, then opened the door for us and said, "Welcome to Pizza Hut! We love children here at Pizza Hut!". We smiled and looked at each other, but thought that was weird because it's never happened before. We walked in and were seated immediately, which usually does happen. But, we noticed that there seemed to be a little tension in the air and then I noticed all the bosses hanging around. You can always tell bosses because they're the only ones not actually working. lol They stand around critiquing everyone and everything. (No offense to all those bosses out there, especially the ones who do work!) Anyway, we got our food (from the buffet) and I mentioned to Ashton that there were bosses here and showed her. Then, we also noticed that the workers were keeping right on top of the customers and the buffet. Everytime there was even a little bit of stuff spilled, someone immediately cleaned it up, plus, the food was constantly replenished, which doesn't always happen in a timely matter. And, on top of that, the boys were each brought a balloon, which also never happens. In one sense, it was nice and the service was great, but in another sense, it was kinda stressful, even for us.

So, after a few minutes, we saw a lady with a camera come into the restaurant and speak with the man who opened the door for us (We found out later that he was the owner of the restaurant and 63 other Pizza Huts from the county north of us down to Key West!) and one of the other bosses. I noticed an i.d. badge on her and saw that it was from the huge local paper in our city. Apparently, she was doing some sort of article either on the man or the restaurant and that was the reason for all the bosses and good service and cleanliness, etc. Anyway, they started looking around and I thought, "Uh oh", and I was right. The man came over and told me what they were doing and would it be ok if they took some pictures of us for the paper? I said ok and then he noticed that Indy had already eaten all his pizza and no pizza in front of the little boy would not do, so he took Indy over to the buffet bar and got him another plate and two slices of pizza, with the reporter taking pictures the whole time. After she finished with the pictures, she asked my name and the names and ages of the kids. One of the bosses came over afterwards and got my name and number and gave me her card so she could let me know when it will be in the paper.

So, pretty cool, huh? I was thinking after about the whole weird thing and how if I had been able to get to the Bible store first, I would have missed the reporter and everything. I mentioned it to Ashton and commented that it was God's timing and for some reason, He wanted us there for that. I don't know why or what purpose it will serve, but it was definitely His timing and will for us to be there for that. Isn't it interesting how He coordinates things and plans your day when you think you plan it and how He sometimes puts little surprises in just for fun?? :-)

The Know-It-All

My husband is a Know-It-All (not in a bad way) and I'm always amazed. It seems that no matter what's broken around here, he can fix it. If he can't, it's usually because he doesn't have the proper tools, but regardless, he always knows how to fix it. That never ceases to amaze me, even 20 years later.

I watched my dad fix things all over the house all the time while I was growing up. He also had miscellaneous friends who did things he didn't, so they could trade off work (My dad was an electrician.), which was great. One time at school, a friend told me they had a problem with their bathroom the previous day and the plumber was there for a really long time. It struck me as odd because we never, in my memory, had hired a plumber. Of course, we had some friends from church who were plumbers, so they'd come over and help, but hiring one? So strange to my young mind. It was about then that I realized I would need to marry a man who could fix things himself. I felt that it would be pathetic for my husband to have to hire someone to fix something. (No offense to you out there with husbands who hire people. I know now that circumstances often require hiring people, so please don't be offended. :-) ) So, I started adding to the prayers for my future husband, whoever he might be, that he would be able to fix things around our house.

Fast forward to Nicky. When we were dating or engaged, I never thought to ask if he could fix things. He was a carpenter, so I naturally assumed he could do anything. Never crossed my mind he might not know something. lol And as if to prove it, on our honeymoon, I dropped one of my diamond earrings down the sink at my grandmother's place (where we stayed on our honeymoon--she was at my parents' home) while getting dressed one evening. I didn't know what to do, except to call Nicky. He told me not to turn on the water and he'd get it later, when we got back. I think it was actually the next day that I walked in and found him under the sink, taking the drain apart to get out my earring, which of course he did. I never doubted.

Since then, we've had any number of mishaps and breakages, which he has dutifully and knowledgeably fixed. He's so smart! He's fixed the roof, broken glass, toys, cars, tools, doors, plumbing, fences, fans, tv's, vcr's, lawnmowers, toilets, sinks, drains, washing machines, dryers, shelving, jewelry, stoves, watches, swamp buggies, and any number of other things. Once, while I was getting ready to brush my teeth, one of the kids was using the toilet and as they flushed it, I went to get my toothbrush out and it accidentally flipped out of my hand and went straight into the toilet, just as it was all going down......Yikes! Try as I may, I couldn't stop it and down the toothbrush went. "Niiiicky......!" He came in and took the whole toilet apart to get to the lodged toothbrush somewhere down below. Of course he fixed it. I never doubted.

So you're probably wondering what made me write about this today. Well, last night I noticed the toilet not filling up like it should, so I showed it to Nicky. He said, "Yeah, I'll have to replace that part right there. I'll do that tomorrow." Isn't he wonderful? He's so smart and knows so much. I never doubted.

Big Mac

No, I'm not talking about a McDonald's Big Mac. I'm talking about our new doggie....Big Mac. (We didn't name him. His previous owners did.) And, boy, is he big! We love big dogs here. lol We call him Mac for short and he's sooo sweet. Last month, we got Bessie, remember? I wrote about it here. Anyway, we finally got her brother. He's a beautiful dog and sooo happy. He looks like he's got a smile on all the time. It's so cute. And, he's a big baby. lol He's afraid of the turtles (which most of the new dogs are) because he's not too sure what they are. It's funny. But, his tail could be deadly!! It certainly causes a lot of messes!! lol So, without further ado, here's Mac.


Look at that happy face. :-)

He thinks he's a lap dog. lol When he just puts his paws on your leg, it feels like a 10 lb. weight!


He was nose to nose with Levi, so Levi kept saying, "Sit Max. Sit Max." and we kept telling him the dog's name was Mac, but I think he's going to call him Max for awhile. Anyway, the dog sat right down and Levi started petting him, then Mac started licking Levi on the side of his head and he started laughing this too-cute laugh...well, giggle really, but it was cute.

Here's Bessi and Mac in the kennel together. Yes, that's a huge kennel. It's funny, but because Bessie was here first, and now she's having to share her attention, she's none too happy. Last night she was sprawled all out in the kennel sleeping (and snoring) while Mac was laying down in a small corner. Too funny. I guess their hierarchy is already mapped out, huh? Maybe so, but they're sure having fun running around together!!

Life in the Big City

I've lived in and around a big city all my life. Tonight as I drove home from a meeting, I was thinking of some things I like and things I dislike about "the big city." Here they are....

1. I like that there are so many choices available to me for grocery stores, shopping malls, restaurants, libraries, churches, movie theaters, entertainment, etc.

2. I dislike all the traffic and lines everywhere I go...all the time. (Well, usually the middle of the night is less crowded and yes, I know this first hand. lol)

3. I like accessibility to such an array of different cultures. People from all over the world live here and it's really cool to be able to meet them and learn about their cultures and countries.

4. I dislike the crime that can be associated with the big city, even within the government.

5. I like the job opportunities that are usually here. Even if you can't get a job in your field, you can usually get something...anything...even a grocery bagger.

6. I dislike (REALLY dislike) that at about 1/3 of the stores I shop at, I must have my receipt checked as I leave the store (after I've already stood in line) by a security guard or employee, to make sure I'm only taking items out of the store that I've paid for. Basically to make sure I'm not a crook. Me! The one who returns even a dime if I've been given back too much change. Me! Who will walk all the way back into a store to pay for something the cashier forgot to charge me for. That is sooo insulting to me! Argh.

7. I like having food and entertainment available at almost any time of night. After sitting in the ER with a little one for hours and hours, way into the night, it's nice to be able to drive through a McDonalds or something to get a little snack.

8. I dislike the high prices associated with living in the big city.

9. I like having so many opportunities/choices for my children, such as sports programs, Vacation Bible Schools, museums, libraries, parks, nature centers, etc.

10. I dislike the constant noise and lights.

11. I like the access to some of the best medical care in the world.

12. I dislike having to watch my children so carefully and that they can't have the freedom to just ride their bikes all over the neighborhood all day and show back up at home at dinner time.

I think there's more, but it's late and I'm tired and I knew that if I didn't write this now, I'd never write it later. Besides, I'd probably never even remember what I wanted to write about! lol I could write another pro/con post about living in South Florida. That would be interesting, huh? Maybe later. :-)

In With the New....

My boys don't like very many fruits or veggies, which is very frustrating for me, so I'm constantly trying to figure out ways to get them to eat them. They do like some, but it's very limited. I seem to remember the girls were a lot like that, but now they eat a lot more than they did before. Plus, they're much more likely to try new foods now than they used to be. So, I do have some hope for the boys. lol

Now, I belong to this organic veggie/fruit co-op which I get every two weeks with about 11 veggies and 4 fruits. I split my share in half with a friend because there's no way we could eat a whole share ourselves, plus it's cheaper to split it. And, as it is, with half a share we hardly ever eat all that we get. It is frustrating for me to see so much food go bad before we can use it. So, tonight I had a brainstorm and an experiment.

Nicky's still on night shift (bummer), and he didn't get to eat his packed dinner last night, so I was able to send it again tonight. This means I didn't have to cook for us...yippee!! I did end up actually cooking, but something different. I decided we were going to have a taste test dinner. I cooked up some veggies, plus had some raw veggies, along with some fruit. I also had a bowl of ranch dressing and a jar of peanut butter. I put one or two of each item on the boys' plates and prepared my plate, then we tried each food one at a time. I held up each food, one by one, told them what it was and whether it was a veggie or fruit. Then I told them if they could dip it in the ranch or pb, but that they had to try it plain first. If they didn't like anything, they didn't have to eat it, but they had to try it. Now, normally, they don't like to try anything new, especially Levi. But, I guess since it was kinda a fun thing, neither one of them gave me any trouble at all about trying the new foods. I was so impressed! And, we had good results!

Here's Indy with his plate.


And, Levi with his, while he's trying grapes. Yes, I said grapes. This child will not eat grapes. GO figure. Believe me, he's been offered grapes over and over. All my kids like grapes, except Levi. I had green and red grapes on the plate and he actually liked them. I'm sooo happy that he likes grapes now! Whoo hoo!

Here's some of the foods we tried....

Cantaloupe

Carrots and Celery
(Indy liked pb on these, but Levi liked the ranch dressing.)

Cucumber

Asparagus (cooked in oven with seasonings and Parmesan cheese)

Sauteed mushrooms (not a big hit, needless to say)

(Oh well, I like them...)

Grapes, Red and Green

"Fried" Green Beans (in pan on stove with olive oil and garlic)

Breaded and Baked Zucchini

(Great with ranch dip!)

So, that was a pretty good selection, huh? I had kiwi, too, but completely forgot to prepare it, so I'll save it for another night. Besides Levi liking the grapes, he also liked the zucchini. I was amazed. And, Indy decided he liked the carrots and even the celery, especially with peanut butter. I was so excited! Even the girls had this stuff for dinner and found a couple new things they liked, too. Isn't that great?? This experiment came out so well. I'll have to try this again when I get some different fruits and veggies from my co-op.