Spin Cycle--The first time...

Jen's topic for the spin cycle this week was The First Time.  It could be any first time--first spin cycle you participated in, first time you saw your child, first time you met your significant other, first date, first anything really.  With so many firsts to choose from, I had a hard time deciding which first to write about.

In thinking about this I got to thinking about how many firsts we encounter during our lifetimes.  From our first breath to first day of school, to first baby the events of our lives are dominated by firsts.  Only a few of our celebrations are about lasts--graduations are about it.  At least until we get older and funerals take over from weddings and babies.  Wow that got morbid in a hurry. 

OK so let's lighten things up a bit.  I think I'll tell you about the first time Nick and I lived together.  It was a studio apartment.  It had two rooms--one was kitchen and dinning room, the other was living room and bedroom.  It also had a very small bathroom--with a shower and sink and toilet (there was a bonus for the guys--they could lean on the sink while using the toilet, space was that tight in there).  The whole apartment was maybe 200 square feet.  We had a daybed that doubled as a sofa (it had a trundle we pulled out at night), and a rocking chair.  We had a table that would seat two people (if they were really cosy).  there was a fridge and a small stove and a sink/cabinet combo.  Cosy living indeed.

The only reason Nick and I made it while living in that apartment was that we only spent maybe two hours in the evening together-the rest of the time we were sleeping, at school or at work.  If our schedules has matched better we might not have lasted.  Nick worked a sort of factory job--from 6:30 am to 4:30 pm.  I went to school--I was on campus from 8:00am until 8:00pm because I also worked in the cafeteria.  So we only saw each other from about 8:00pm until bedtime around 10:00pm.  Young love--it can handle anything right?

Well Nick hated the job he had, so he decided to go back to school and right about that time we were able to move into a one bedroom apartment (which was right next door to the original apartment).  We just about doubled our living space and with that added space were able to keep our sanity and our relationship.

Well, that was our first apartment, we can still drive by it on occasion and remember the good old first time in our very first apartment.  Now go spin up your own first time and link up with Jen at Sprite's Keeper.

Writer's Workshop--Camping With My Honey

The Prompts:

This week’s assignments are:

1.) It was a bad burn. Tell about the worst sunburn you ever received. How did that happen!?!
2.) Write a poem for your furry friend.
3.) Describe a memorable camping trip.
4.) It happened on a motorcycle.
5.) Post a vlog that shows you playing with your kids.

So, my choice for this week is going to be--wait for it--wait for it--number 3.  Camping is something Nick and I have done since we first met.  I think I will let you know about our first camping trip, shortly after we met--many many years ago when we were both still dumb kids.  In March, in Wyoming, in the mountains.

Now first you must know that in Wyoming, spring is use only loosely to describe the season between winter and summer.  It really does not start until the end of April, especially in our area of Wyoming--we are over 7000 feet in elevation here, spring comes late--very late.  So March still qualifies as winter, despite what the calendar says.  Still, in that new love haze, I let Nick talk me into going camping.  Tent camping in March, what was I he thinking?

Well we left early Friday afternoon and hiked up into an area of rock formations that were spectacular.  The afternoon was warm, sunny and the temps almost hit 50 degrees.  I was thinking this was not so bad.  We set up our tent and got dinner heated up--raviolis I think, or spaghettios--high class I tell you.  Then we got into the tent (very small tent) and then the sleeping bags--conveniently zipped together-- and settled into sleep--just sleep, we were on the rocky ground, nothing else happened.  That night it got colder and colder and then it snowed on us.  Needless to say the next morning dawned bright and early and I was freezing.  We hurried up and got dressed and struck camp and hightailed it back to Nick's truck and headed back to his place in town for some more(warm)sleep. 

Call me crazy, but that didn't scare me away from Nick at all.  In fact, it made me like him even more.  Hey, I'm still with him(although now our camping is considerably more comfortable, not to mention warm!)  So that was our first camping experience.  Our second camping experience is also memorable, but that is a story for another day.

Now go see Mama Kat and link up your own take on one of the above prompts.

What I meant to say--

Kay, it's time for what I meant to say Wednesday again with Brittany and Angel.  Go link at Angel's  place this week, Brittany is doing lots of school stuff.



What I said to my mom:  Sure we can have a barbecue for you at our house.
What I should have said:  We were planning to have you over for your Birthday, you just beat us to the punch and asked before I could ask you.  Love you so much, Mom!

What I said to Bruiser:  Are you not feeling good, baby?
What I said (also):  Come here and snuggle with mom, I'm so sorry you don't feel well, Mom'll stay home and help you get better.

What I said to Turbo:  You got the game finished?
What I should have said:  Way to go kid!  You rock that game.  And thnaks for getting your chores do with next to no complaining--rewards are wonderful, aren't they?

Random Tuesday

It's Tuesday and that means random with Keely time.  Or random thoughts with Keely, or, oh geez-just write your random thoughts and go link with Keely, she wants us to think about monkeys and toasters.  I found this, which is sort of toaster like.

So, things here have been hot--not as hot as the rest of the country but still, hot.  So Saturday I took the boys to the park near our house to go see the new splash pad that was installed.  Turbo loved it--he ran around like a fool.  Bruiser would have nothing-I repeat nothing-to do with the water.  I coaxed him over to one fountain and he touched it once or twice and he was so over the whole experience.  Let's go swing Mom, that's much more fun than the water!

My mom has a birthday on Thursday.  She started counting backwards at 29.  She is minus seven now. (You do the math.)  We are having her and Nick's folk over for dinner that night.  It will be nice--I hope.  There might be thunderstorms but with any luck we can be outside.

I'm sending Nick and Turbo camping this weekend.  They will take the four wheeler and head to a lake that is only accessible by a rough four wheel drive road.  They should have a great time.  I get to be home with just Bruiser--and he goes to bed early.  Quiet time for mommy--yippee!

And Bruiser is scaling anything he can.  Man that kid can climb.  Anything he can get up on that gives him access to a higher shelf, that's where I will find him.  He's making me nuts.  Climbing the couch is one thing--most of the landing places are soft--ish.  The things he is climbing in the kitchen--not so much.  I was cutting up chicken last evening for dinner and turned around to find him standing on the bar stool we have in the kitchen--about three feet off the floor.  I got him down after I recovered from the minor heart attack he gave me.

And is anyone else's kid fascinated by utensils?  Forks, spoons and stuff like that?  Bruiser loves any he can get ahold of--but most especially forks.  I don't let him run around with the real ones but he loves them.  One perk--he will eat anything if he can eat it off a spoon.  At least a couple of bites anyway.

We have one month before Trubo goes back to school.  Where has this summer gone?  I blinked and July is almost over.  How did that happen?  I think I need to stop blinking--Bruiser just climbed up on the coffee table.

We have been watching the Muppet Show on DVD.  Bruiser loves to dance to some of the music and Turbo likes it better than MASH on DVD.  I like it better than the cartoons on the Cartoon network.  So it is a win for all of us.

Now go random up and link at Keely's.

Monday Minute--Kmama Time

Monday Minute time and this one is brought to us by Ian and Kmama.  Answer the questions and link up.

1. Who is your "what-if" person?
   (What-if person being what if I married this person or am now in a relationship with "this" person)     I don't really have a what if person.  I dated guys before Nick, but none of them were marriage material.  Of course, I was 18 when I met Nick so that might have something to do with it too.
2. What is you nickname?  Nick calls me Boober--like from the Fraggles.  Otherwise I don't have a nickname--Vandy is my whole name, not short for anything.  But, ohhh the times I have been asked if it was.
3. If you could choose how you died, how would you like to die?  As quick and painlessly as possible or quietly in my sleep.
4. If you could have named yourself, which name would you have picked?  I spent years growing up hating my name.  It was too different, I lived in a small town so I stuck out, it was a weird name, not cool at all.  Then I went to college and I wasn't one of six Lisas or Stacys.  I learned to appreciate it then and now I like it.  At 14 I would have taken anything that was more normal, but now not so much.
5. Who were you named after or for what reason did your parents choose your name?  Interesting story here.  My father choose my name.  He had a favorite science fiction short story where the heroine was named Vandy.  He loved the name.  When, the year before I was born, my folks bought a new VW Van, he wanted to name the van Vandy, but my mom would not let him.  Then about four months later they found out they were expecting and he told her that she didn't have a choice, if the baby was a girl they were naming her Vandy.  So here I am.  I would love to find a copy of that short story but I have absolutely no idea who wrote it or anything other than the heroine was named Vandy.
   
   

Five Question Friday

1. What were your school colors? High school-Black and Gold,  College-Brown and gold--I think there is a theme here.
2. What's the best compliment you ever received?  I like the compliments that come out of no where.  The ones you were totally not expecting to get--I know, I know your not supposed to expect a compliment but I mean the ones you get for things and times when you would not even think you are going to get a compliment--like in the grocery store someone tells you you have cute kids, or your boss out of the blue acknowledges the hard work your putting in, or the in-laws tell you you are doing a wonderful job with the grandkids.  I guess I like surprises.
3. Do you buy cheap or expensive toilet paper?  I go with the more expensive Charmine--strong version, not soft.  I can use less so it lasts longer than the cheap stuff you have to use lots of.
4. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you?   For my 35 birthday, I was pregnant with Bruiser and Nick organized a surprise party--sort of.  I knew we were going to have friends over but not the number that showed up.  He organized it all on his own--made me so happy.  Or have you had one for someone else?  For Nick's 20 I helped his parents invite his friends over and he didn't know everyone was going to be there so it was a surprise kind of.
5. What is one material possession that you "can't live without"?  Hmmm, can't live without?  Well let me think---I'd have to go with the lap top.  It lets me keep my sanity when everything at home seems to fall apart, lets me connect to others who understand in way my hubby just can't, keeps me connected.  Yep the lap top,  or maybe it's the car.  It takes me away from the home and to fun places like the mountains and shopping.  Hmmm, this might require more thought.

Now go answer the questions for yourself and link with My Little Life.

Writer's Workshop--Heaven in Pictures

Time for the Writer's Workshop.  Just pick a topic from the list write a post and then go link at Mama Kat's linky place.
This week’s assignments are:
1.) Write about your wedding song. What was it and why did you choose it?
2.) A movie you probably should have previewed before letting your kids watch.
3.) We talk about mother’s guilt a lot…who needs it? Describe a good mom moment!
4.) Post a picture and a description that fits into this quote for you: “How far to heaven? Just open your eyes and look. You are in heaven” -Shankar
5.)Earthquake! Where were you when it happened?

I chose Number 4.  "How far to heaven?  Just open your eyes and look.  You are in heaven."--Shankar

Heaven is being able to go play in an area that is as beautiful as this.

Heaven is seeing this face happy.

Heaven is seeing this smiling face greet me at the door when I come home from work. (Even if it is a little banged up most days, the kid is a klutz.)

Now go link your post on the above prompts with Mama Kat.

What I meant to say--What were you thinking?

OK so it's time to play with Brittany and Angel and get those tongue biting moments off your chest.

To Nick:
What I said:  Sure, you can get a four wheeler.
What I should have said--We don't even all fit in our camper and you want to get a four wheeler?  I thought the camper came first, then the four wheeler.  We are getting things in sort of the wrong order, aren't we?

So we now own a four wheeler.  I guess it's cool and it will be fun and useful for Nick's field work this summer and next.  Still I really want a new(er) camper--definitely pop-up style.  He has pinkie swore with me that I get a new pop-up camper next spring.  We shall see what comes.

To Bruiser:
What I said:  Are you dancing? 
What I should have said:  Nothing--I should just enjoy watching him get his groove on.

Random Tuesday Thoughts--Summer is slip sliding away

Tuesday and that means random time right?  I got the purple button and I ready to go:

Is is just me or is this summer going by way to fast?  How did it get to be the middle of July?  And now the stores are already threatening us with back to school sales.  Where are the brakes?  I want off this ride.  The lazy days of summer are whipping by at a rate that I am not ready for.

Anybody want a daredevil kid?  Bruiser likes standing on the arm of the couch and diving either on to the couch seat or the pile of blankets at the end.  When he stands up there, he give Nick heart failure every time.  He also likes to scale the chairs and sit on the edge of the table--that one gives me heart failure.  He's for sale--he comes with toys.  Any takers?  (I'm reasonably sure that no one will take the offer.)

Turbo has hit the bored portion of the summer.  Unless he's able to play video games or do exactly what he wants, how he wants, he's bored or not having any fun.  Save me from the whining of a seven year old.  If I get a good offer from the circus, I'll take it.

And the allergies have hit again.  The rest of the summer will be sneezy and itchy and only livable with Claritin.  I heart allergy medicine.

I want a new pop-up camper in the worst way.  Nick wants a four wheeler in the worst way.  I think his want will win.  Mine will be fulfilled next spring.  His will be fulfilled this week if the bank agrees.

Mmmm, Ben and Jerry's ice cream.  My favorite flavors are Pistachio Pistachio and Peach Cobbler.  I even got to tour the factory once.  No place better to tour even of it was Christmas time.

I've been a bit moody lately.  Not sure if it's because I'm not sleeping well or if I'm just a bit off.  I'm hoping it's because I'm tired.  I can't sleep when I'm hot-especially my feet.  Hopefully summer lets up with the heat soon.

And in more Bruiser news--the kid is a dancing fool.  He will get his groove on to whatever music strikes his fancy--the Scooby Doo theme, the zoo pals commercial, country radio, really whatever has a beat he likes.  His little shoulders and hips get to moving and then he is bopping to the music.  He's got better rhythm than his dad does.

OK, so that's my random for the week.  Go see Keely and get your random on.

Monday Minute

Ian has his monday Minute Carnival up again this week.  Co-Hosting is Michelle of Mommy Loves Stilettos.  So off we go!

1. What is your real name? Vandy--and that is not short for anything.  It has a story to go with it-but it's kind of long so we will get into that another time.
2. Have you ever fabricated a story or anything on your blog?No, my life is interesting enough with out making things up.
3. When in the car do you listen to the radio/CDs/iPod/etc?Mostly the radio unless we are headed into the mountains where radio reception gets sketchy, than we take the Mp3 player.
4. Describe the 'sexiest' item of clothing that you own.  Nick got me this outfit, it's a bustier/garterbelt/undies set in black--mmm has resulted in a fun evening or two.  And he picked it out all by himself and this outfit is one I don't mind wearing, point to him!
5. Would you be willing to breastfeed your friend's three year old child?  Nope, by three he can manage with regular food like the rest of us.  My youngest boy is finally weaned and I'm not going back.

OK so there are my answers, go answer for yourself and link up with Ian and Michelle.

Blog Bash--I Got It From My Momma

Challenge #5 is to dedicate a post to your mom.  A memory, a funny story, or a time she inspired you.

I have written about how my mom makes me crazy, but there are things about her that I do admire.  My mom never had it what you could call easy.  She was one of nine kids--#7 to be exact.  Her mom was sick when she was born and they never really bonded.  Mom was the black sheep--the reason everything went wrong , the one who could do no right.  This understandably colored the family's view if my mom.  She did OK for her self--she had fun working for TWA in New York City in the mid 60's.  She got to travel the world and see lots of stuff, then she met my dad. 

They were happy for three years--I came along--but then the demon that had a hold of my dad--alcoholism--took over and he committed suicide when I was three months old.  My mom held together and raised me until she met my younger brother's dad.  He was not the best guy--in fact he was the worst guy. 

I admire my mom because she knew when to ask for help to get out of a bad situation and save herself and her kids.  My mom has the worst taste in men.  She can't pick a decent guy--she has the problem that she wants to save them, she just knows she can fix them.  The is one cycle that I definitely broke when I found my soul mate.

My mother is a strong woman and if I can be half as strong as she is I will do OK for myself.  She is finding her way now and she is pursuing her dream--she writes Tatting(a form of lace making by tying knots) books--can do anything with a needle and thread that can be done and she dotes on her grandsons.

However she still has the power to drive me straight up the wall with out even trying.  Is that a skill all mothers are born with or is it gifted when they are in the hospital?

Five Question Friday

It's time for Five Question Friday with My Little Life.

1. Do you collect anything?

Books maybe, but not anything else.  Nick is more of a get rid of kind of person rather than a saving, collecting kind of person.

2. Name 3 celebrities that you find good looking.
Matt Damon
David Boreanaz
Sean Connery

3. Do you have any scars? If so, what's the story behind it (them?)?
I have an X on my back from where the Urologist had to remove the 20+ kidney stones I was storing in my kidney.  Fun times, I tell you, fun times.

4. What is a food that you like to eat, but others might think it's gross or weird?
There's this dish that is our go to quicky dinner--It has Mac-n-cheese and a can of diced tomatoes and ham or smoked sausages.  It sounds kind of wierd but tastes wonderful.

5. Have you ever seen a tornado in real life?
I have not seen one that touched the ground in real life but we did see a funnel cloud two summers ago as we were driving out of town.  It was a bit scary but it didn't do anything but swirl in the clouds.

Now go link your own answers.

Blog Bash--New Friends

OK so for this challenge we get to showcase Brittany and the new bloggy friends we have made during this bash.  I will admit I have not been great about checking out lots of the other bloggers but I have found a couple of new friends through this adventure.  I joined the blog bash on a whim after seeing it on another blog.  It looked like fun and not too much trouble--not lots and lots of hoops to jump through to join, so here I am.  Meeting new friends in the bloggy world is much more fun that in real life(easier too).







Brittany Ciara--This is the genius behind the Blog Bash.  Hard to believe she's just a teenager, but as she says she's definitely not average.  I think she's kind of how I wish I had been at 18.  Confident, sure of herself and outgoing.  Go check out her site--she has lots going for her.







Donda over at My Husband Misunderstood me when I said I was Bi Is one new friend I have found.  She is funny and fabulous.  She approaches having Bipolar disorder was humor and dignity.  I can relate because people in my family have it too.  She is funny and entertaining to read, so go check her out too.



Adrienne At All These Things Is another blogger I've found.  She is a mom (to a boy so she gets the all boy thing) and She loves animals and live with quite the menagerie.  Her son is the same age as my oldest and Second Grade is looming.  She approaches life with humor and I have enjoyed reading her take on things.

Blog Bash Challenge#3--Let My Life Song Sing to You

 
So the blog challenge today is to choose a song that represents your life and tell why you chose that song.  I can think of lots of songs that represent my life at various stages but for right now I think I'd have to go with Lonestar's Mountains.  The video is here.
 
I like this one because right now in our family we have had lots of mountains to climb in the last few months.  And because we always say it will work out.  We just have to keep moving forward.  Right now I think we are up to about eight things that have gone wrong or busted or got hurt this spring.  I just have to remember that the mountains are there to make us appreciate the flat places even more.

Not Mom of the Year

Life Without Pink and The Mommyologist are hosting a contest.  Not Mommy of the Year to be exact.  We all have our moments when we do not shine as moms.  This is a fun contest where you get to compare your worst moments to those of other moms and find out that maybe, just maybe your not so bad after all.

So here are my most recent Not Mommy of the Year moments:

• We went camping over the Fourth of July.  I carefully packed a pair of hiking boots for Turbo without looking at the soles of them, and without even thinking of packing running shoes or anything like that.  I mean we were in the mountains and I packed the hiking boots.  OK, so on the first morning the entire sole (except for maybe one inch at the front) came off one of the hiking boots--broke into several pieces--which we could not find.  So the kid is left with Tevas and a pair of crocks for the remaining three days we are there.  Mommy fails!
• Turbo has finally figured out how to play video games for himself and not frustrate himself and constantly ask for help.  This is all well and good but last weekend  I let him play enough that he developed a blister on one of his thumbs.  Again Mommy fails!
• Bruiser loves to be outside but getting mosquito repellent on him doesn't always happen.  Therefore his ankles are swollen and red and he has a bite on his head that he scratches at.  Mommy fails!
• Bruiser also does not really eat regular meals.  He gets breakfast--oatmeal--and lunch--PB&J--most days but dinner, well lets just say he grazes off our plates, or I will give him a snack to tide him over until dinner is done, than he snacks off our plates.  Mommy fail!
• But I think my worst Mommy fail has to be being irritable and yelling at the minor noises and actions that my boys do, Turbo more than Bruiser.  However, in my defense, I think Turbo tries to see how far he can push to make mommy snap.  He can zero in on the one thing guaranteed to send me through the roof and then do it over and over again until I'm just about ready to pay the Circus to take him away.  I am far more interested in quiet than justice when I hear Bruiser scream and Turbo and he are "playing".  Mommy fail?

Now go spill your Not Mom of the Year moments and link up with The Mommyologist and Life Without Pink.  It should be a good time.

Blog bash--High School Rekindle

OK, so Brittany wants us to write about our high school years or a story from high school.

My high school years were nothing to remember. I was mousy, shy and a bookworm--in short a geek or nerd.  I swam, participated in plays and was a member of the speech team.  I got good grades and never got in trouble.  I was a goody two shoes.  And I couldn't wait to get out of my small town and go to college.  What's really scary is that my 20 year high school reunion is next year.  No it can't be that long ago can it?

There are a few good memories of high school though.  I've written about my one and only experience with prom here and here.

But one memory that does stand out for me was during my senior year.  The play we put on was a melodrama.  You know--with a villain you boo and the hero you cheer and a heroine you sigh over?  Well anyway the villain was the foreign exchange student we had in our small town that year.  He was from Norway and had a heavy accent so he was perfect.  Very blond though, and he was given a black, very full stick on mustache.  This is important, stay with me.

Now for the time between acts the director decided we needed to do a joke wall--a la Laugh-In.  Different cast members would pop out and tell jokes or seriously bad one liners and we had some songs to sing too.  I was one of the dancing sisters (Lacey and Dusty Doily--I was Lacey or was I Dusty?  We were pretty interchangeable so it really doesn't matter) and I was sharing the window with the villain for this particular joke wall time.  We were singing one of the songs and his mustache started to come loose.  He was able to last that song but by the next it was hanging on only barely.  And then it happened.  The mustache left his face and floated to the stage floor.  We both watched it go and never missed a note in the song we were singing.

My mom was in the audience and said the funniest thing about the show was watching both our faces as we watched that mustache make it's escape.  After the wall part was finished they salvaged the mustache and stuck it back on his face for the rest of the show.

Well that is one of the better memories I have of high school.  Go see Brittany for more high school memories.

Random Tuesday Thoughts--Summer dullness

It's Tueday again and that means Random over at Keely's place. 

Middle of July and I'm just feeling all kinds of blah.

We are painting my mom's garage and trim on her house--she is paying well and watching the boys while we do it.  I think I will be sore and tired the next few weeks, even if Nick does the lion's share of the work.

We discovered Tiki torches and we love them in our back yard.  Got them from my mom--she found them in her garage.  We think we might need one or two more for the ambiance they give to the back yard.

Our weekend was nice and relaxing.  We went to the parade, had a barbecue, and were nice and lazy.  Turbo played enough video games to get a blister on his thumb (don't judge--the kid has just finally figured out how to play them so he's getting the blisters, not me).  He also ran around outside enough to get totally eaten by the mosquitoes and have a soaking water gun fight.  All round a pretty good weekend.

We are learning to love the DVR.  Turbo likes the pause feature, I like the skipping commercials features, Nick likes the fact he can watch TV shows when he wants.  A win for all of us.

Bruiser likes to carry tools around.  The kid has run off with lots of Nick's sockets and wrenches.  He'll carry them all over and then set them down in odd places.  Nick is always hunting them down now.

So, that about covers the random around the testosterone house for this week.  Go check out the rest of the random at Keely's and link your own up.

Blog Bash Introduction

 
OK so I saw this and thought I'd play along.  Brittany over at NOT Your Average Teen is hosting this party so join up--but follow the rules.
 
So about me.  I am a mom that is surrounded by testosterone.  I have two boys and a husband.  The only other females in the hpuse are the cats.  I do feel a bit out numbered at times.  As it says on my side bar things get crazy here but I try to contain the nuts that live in my house--usually.
 
Now for the questions that need to be answered:
1.) Why do you blog?  I blog for the sanity aspect.  It is hard for me to make friends so I turned to blogging and have made lots of friends and found support for those times whena guy just wouldn't understand.


2.) What do you blog about?  Being a mom, a wife, just me and what ever comes to mind.

3.) What do you find to be the biggest reward you get from blogging?  The validation that I'm not the only one to feel a certian way.

4.) How long have you been blogging?  It will be a year in November.

5.) Let's hear the story behind your blog title! :) Well I'm surrounded by guys and the title swimming in the testosterone sea was already taken.
 
Well there you have it.  Me in a nutshell.  Look around the blog and you will find out more about me.  and then go see Brittany and kink up for yourself.

Monday Minute

Yep it's time for Minute Monday.  This week's is hosted by Jen.  And here go the questions:

1. Can you burp the ABC's?  Nope.  I can rarely burp on demand.  I am however raising boys who I'm sure will master this by the age of 13.
2. So let's just say you have a 9+ hour drive ahead of you, would you consider wearing Depends so you didn't have to stop multiple times?  Nope.  I would never get to drive that far away from my kids and if you think I'm going to spend that much time cooped up in a car with two little boys, you're nuts!
3. Would you rather...run your tongue down five feet of a New York street or press your tongue into a strangers' nostril?  It would depend on what the stranger had been doing before the nostril pressing.  If they had been swimming I think I'd go for that--my nose is always very clean after swimming.  If not, I would go with the street--not the sidewalk, but the street.
4. If you had an envelope that contained the date you would die, would you open it?  Only if it also said how I would die--oh really ,yes I would open it--I can't even wait to read an entire mystery with out peeking at the end and this is the same sort of thing.
5. Which song describes your sex life best?  Huh--can't really think of a song that describes our sex life.  After some research I would have to choose Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On.  Hey it works for us!

OK so go link up with Jen and answer her Monday Minute questions.

Spinning Up Poetry

This week's Spin Cycle is all about Poetry.  I am no poet.  My mind just does not think in that way.  I like reading poetry but creating it myself?  Not so much.

So instead of original poems I think I will share one of my favorite poems. And some of my favorite poets. 
Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, Robert Frost, and Robert Service are some of my favorites.  My mom introduced me to Robert Service at an early age.  She had a binder that she had collected her favorite poems, sayings and anecdotes in and I loved thumbing through that book when I was younger.  In fact I liked it so much that she made me a copy of it.

And now for one of my most favorite Poems:
The Highwayman

The wind was a torrent of darkness upon the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight looping the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding-- Riding--riding--
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn door.


He'd a French cocked hat on his forehead, and a bunch of lace at his chin;
He'd a coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of fine doe-skin.
They fitted with never a wrinkle; his boots were up to his thigh!
And he rode with a jeweled twinkle--
His rapier hilt a-twinkle--
His pistol butts a-twinkle, under the jeweled sky.


Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,
He tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred,
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter--
Bess, the landlord's daughter--
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.


Dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked
Where Tim, the ostler listened--his face was white and peaked--
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,
But he loved the landlord's daughter--
The landlord's black-eyed daughter;
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say:


"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart; I'm after a prize tonight,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light.
Yet if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
Then look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."


He stood upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand,
But she loosened her hair in the casement! His face burnt like a brand
As the sweet black waves of perfume came tumbling o'er his breast,
Then he kissed its waves in the moonlight
(O sweet black waves in the moonlight!),
And he tugged at his reins in the moonlight, and galloped away to the west.


He did not come in the dawning; he did not come at noon.
And out of the tawny sunset, before the rise of the moon,
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon over the purple moor,
The redcoat troops came marching--
Marching--marching--
King George's men came marching, up to the old inn-door.


They said no word to the landlord; they drank his ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed.
Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets by their side;
There was Death at every window,
And Hell at one dark window,
For Bess could see, through her casement, the road that he would ride.


They had bound her up at attention, with many a sniggering jest!
They had tied a rifle beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
"Now keep good watch!" and they kissed her. She heard the dead man say,
"Look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though Hell should bar the way."


She twisted her hands behind her, but all the knots held good!
She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years,
Till, on the stroke of midnight,
Cold on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!


The tip of one finger touched it, she strove no more for the rest;
Up, she stood up at attention, with the barrel beneath her breast.
She would not risk their hearing, she would not strive again,
For the road lay bare in the moonlight,
Blank and bare in the moonlight,
And the blood in her veins, in the moonlight, throbbed to her love's refrain.


Tlot tlot, tlot tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hooves, ringing clear;
Tlot tlot, tlot tlot, in the distance! Were they deaf that they did not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,
The highwayman came riding--
Riding--riding--
The redcoats looked to their priming! She stood up straight and still.


Tlot tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot tlot, in the echoing night!
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment, she drew one last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight--
Her musket shattered the moonlight--
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him--with her death.


He turned, he spurred to the West; he did not know who stood
Bowed, with her head o'er the casement, drenched in her own red blood!
Not till the dawn did he hear it, and his face grew grey to hear
How Bess, the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.


Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky,
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!
Blood-red were his spurs in the golden noon, wine-red was his velvet coat
When they shot him down in the highway,
Down like a dog in the highway,
And he lay in his blood in the highway, with the bunch of lace at his throat.


And still on a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
When the road is a gypsy's ribbon looping the purple moor,
The highwayman comes riding--
Riding--riding--
The highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.


Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard,
He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred,
He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter--
Bess, the landlord's daughter--
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

Alfred Noyes

I performed this poem for Forensics my senior year.  I did really well with it.  I have always liked this poem, it's romantic and sad and perfect for a teenager to identify with.

And finally here is Turbo's first published poem.
Dog
Tickly, white
Running, walking, looking
Running after a squirrel
Canine

The kid is better at this stuff than I am.
Go see Sprite's Keeper for more poetry spin--some of them are original, just not mine.

Writer's Workshop--the Family Photo

The Prompts:
This week’s assignments are:
1.) What would you change about your life if you could?
2.) I wish I would have…describe a time when you didn’t take action, but later wished you would have.
3.) A collector you know.
4.) Photographs can turn a house into a home. Share a photograph that is not on your wall, but should be…if you weren’t so lazy about actually putting it there.
5.) Write a list of 100 things you want to do before you turn 100. Otherwise known as a “bucket list”.

OK so I chose Number four.
We spent a Saturday last winter printing pictures to go on our walls and it was lots of fun to pick and choose and then determine where the pictures should go.  We put up pictures of all of us but not very many of us together.  It's hard to get my boys to sit still together long enough to get a picture of them. 

This picture shows how much Turbo loves his brother.  Bruiser adores Turbo and I love this picture because they are together.

Here was our Christmas picture that never made it out of the computer.  We all look OK for a home picture.  It is not so easy to get everyone smiling and still at the same time.  We need to get a family picture up on the wall because we don't have one of all of us yet.  I need to work on that.

Now go see Mama Kat and check out the other Writer's Workshop posts for this week.

Tagged! 25 things You Didn't Want to Know

Heather over at Welch Happenings Blog tagged me for 25 things you DIDN'T want to know about me.  Thanks for the tag and here goes:

1. I must nibble when I read--usually sunflower seeds but I will do chips or crackers too.
2. I have to fiddle with something--I twist my hair, play with my necklace, bracelet, rings, shirt hem, pen,  anything I can do with my hands, especially when I'm nervous or bored.
3. I do my dishes in spurts--and I hate doing them because I can scan for all of them, do them, then find at least two more that I missed when I'm done.
4. I pull the sheets up on the bed and call it good--It's only truly made when I change the sheets.  Hey, we are just going to get in it again at night.
5. I had never ridden or driven a four wheeler until last weekend.  I'm not so good (cause I hit a tree).
6. I like camping--but I like doing nothing when we go camping.
7. There are dog people and cat people.  I like cats.  So much so that I have two (who don't get along).
8. I am surrounded by superheros and I really don't know much about them.
9. I am really good at fitting puzzles.
10. The only reality TV we watch is Deadliest Catch and other Discovery Channel shows.
11. I am a geologist and trips we take often become about how cool the rocks are where we go.  We are kind of geeks about the geology we see when we go places.
12. I am lazy--I have figured out how to get things done quickly and then spend the rest of my time doing what I enjoy doing.
13. The best vacation we ever took was to Clearwater, Florida.  Turbo would claim the trip to Disney World was the best but I enjoyed the beach the most.
14. I have a special ability--I can get cold any where--the beach in the Bahamas, at a pool, in the hot sun, anywhere--It's a gift.
15. I am not a creative cook--I have to have a recipe, but I am getting better about experimenting with them.
16. I am raising a Linus.  Turbo loves his blanket.  It's green.  It's soft and he loves smelling it.  Breaking the habit may be next to impossible.
17. I have to have the TV going to nap.  It has to be something I've seen lots of times but if it is playing I sleep better and wake up easier.  I'm weird.
18. I really like the how they made it on DVDs.  The longer the better.  I love knowing the magic behind the movies.
19. I don't often eat breakfast during the week.  The weekends, yes, but week days it just doesn't happen--unless it is Carnation Instant Breakfast and that really doesn't count.
20. Our cars have very low mileage because we tend to ride our bikes to work.  I know, how green of us but we were green before green was cool.
21. I have kids that can zero in on the one sound that will drive me straight up the wall without much effort.  They are so talented.
22. I can cuss with the best of them, but it always surprises people when I do.
23. I still get carded when I buy alcohol.  On occasion, anyway.
24. I love watching What Not To Wear, but I am not very fashion forward myself.
25. I don't often wear makeup.  I just don't feel comfortable in it so I go au natural.

Now I am supposed to tag ten bloggers with this one.  Here goes:
Stacy at SLMPeterson
Mama Fargo at The Boogie Man Is My Friend...
View From Down Here
Shortmama at Family of Shorts
Kyooty at Kyooty Center
Brittney at Mommywood
Jennifer at MY CRAZY LIFE
Hmmm...I think that's going to be it for the tags.  So what if I'm a rule breaker.

Random Tuesday

Okay it's Tuesday--feels more like Monday.  With the whole Fourth of July thing this weekend, I'm not really ready to face the week yet.  Go see Keely and link up your random for this week.


Well, we had a fun weekend.  We went camping with friends and had a ball.  We went four wheeling, ate really good food and hiked our feet off.  Turbo ran around with the other kids and got wet and dirty and bug bitten.  Bruiser was a hit and really good even if his schedule was all shot to hell.  The biggest down side to the weekend was the meeting of my four wheeler and the tree.

My first time ever on a four wheeler and I would have to have a wreck.  I drop every new thing we have --cameras, DS, computers, and yes I even dropped Turbo when he was new--I dumped him out of the carrier.  So yes, I wrecked--sort of.  I hit some ruts and kind of panicked and forgot the brake and ran right in to the trees.  I have some lovely bruises to show for the adventure.  I will say that I did get back on the thing and rode again.  Kind of like a horse I guess.

We all have our war wounds from the weekend.  Nick's ankle is still not 100%, Turbo's knee met a rock and he has a lovely cut, Bruiser's face is a series of bug bites.  However we managed to avoid sunburn.  I will get pics posted of our adventures later.

We did find out that bears do indeed poo in the woods.  We saw the relatively fresh evidence in the trail as we were hiking.  Just a bit scary but since there were loads of people hiking the same trail I didn't really worry about it.  Any bear was far away to get away from the noise at least.

And on a random note--why is unpacking far less fun and takes more time than packing?

Why do little boys' toenails grow so fast?

Laundry is mounting again.  It is a never-ending task that ranks only slightly higher than dishes.

And just so you don't think things are going really great for us yet (because what fun would that be?) Nick's truck just developed an oil leak.  We are going to have to go get it checked.  And we just paid it off.  I swear things know just when to fall apart. 

We finally figured out why the appliances in our house are falling apart.  We have lived in our house for almost 13 years--in September.  So the 13th year has gotten us.  Let's just hope that nothing else goes to pieces.

So go see Keely for more random and enjoy your July.

Spin Cycle- Drama

Drama--any kind of drama--family, movie, friend--you name it and the Spin Cycle is about it.

I get drama from my mom.  Nick and I get drama from his dad.  But we were both part of the drama club/theater groups when we were in high school.

My mom had me involved in plays from a very young age--I was four when I played Tiny Tim in a performance of A Christmas Carol.  I liked acting.  I got to do more in high school, but I was never a leading player.  I got the supporting roles, but I had fun.  I was also a participant in Forensics--no not crime scene stuff--speech team stuff.  Debate and humor and drama and poetry and stuff, you memoriz a peice and present it in front of a judge--it's a competition..  Yes in high school I was a speech team geek/drama geek.  I was not so good at the singing thing, but ok at the rest of it.  I earned my way into the National Thespians Society by my junior year. 

Nick was a member of his high school's drama club--I think he was even president his senior year.  Is it any wonder we got along so well--we understood each other from the start.  I would like to get back into community theater but in a college town the competition is fierce.  I think I will wait 'til the boys are older to jump back in that pool.

So that is my spin on drama.  Go see Sprite's Keeper for more drama spins. 

And Happy Fourth Of July to everybody!

Writer's Workshop--Smiles All Around

The Prompts:
1.) Describe someone in your life who you might not know as well as you think you know.
2.) Write a poem about a memory you sometimes wish would disappear.
3.) Write a list of 10 things that are sure to put a smile on your face when you are not happy.
4.) People would be surprised to learn that…
5.) A snappy comeback!

Hmm, which one to choose--I think I will go with Number----3

I always need to remember I have lots to smile about.

1. Bruiser always greets me at the door with Hi! Hi! Hi! when I come home from work.  It makes me smile to think about it. 
2. There is this story about lizard birth.  You really must read it.  It is hilarious.
3. An impulsive hug from Turbo can make my day.
4. Imagining the beach in Clearwater Florida at low tide--chasing hermit crabs, live starfish, and snails.  So much fun.
5. Fresh warm cookies.
6. Shopping. Especially for shoes.
7. Reading a new book by a favorite author.
8. A bath, good book and a glass of wine.
9. Spending time with my husband--without the kids.
10. Watching my boys (big and little) all rough housing and having fun.

So pick your favorite prompt and then link up over at Mama Kat's place.