Easter Happened

Yeah, so Easter happened.  We even had halfway decent weather--if you don't count the wind.  And sadly, wind is oh so normal in our part of the country.  They don't have the Wyoming Wind sock for nothing:

So yeah, we had sunshine and wind.  Typical combo for us.
The bunny was generous and tricky.  The boys got to find 24 eggs they had dyed and enjoyed the goodies in they baskets as well.

And now on to MMMM:
Just a freebie week so here's what I'm enjoying now:
Thomas Rhett with Make me Wanna:

Darius Rucker with Homegrown Honey:

A Thousand Horses with Smoke:

Have a great week!

Spin Cycle--Tell Me a Funny Story

Well, we have many a funny story around our house.  Laughing is something we do often.  Even if Turbo doesn't want to sit with the adults, wee can trap him into sitting for hours just by telling funny stories about things we did way back when.
Nick and I also like a good funny story that gets shared on line.  One of the best is the story of a family's lizard:

LIZARD BIRTH
Overview: I had to take my son's lizard to the vet.


Here's what happened: Just after dinner one night, my son came up to tell me there was "something wrong" with one of the two lizards he holds prisoner in his room.
"He's just lying there looking sick," he told me. "I'm serious dad, can you help?"
I put my best lizard-healer statement on my face and followed him into his bedroom.
One of the little lizards was indeed lying on his back, looking stressed. I immediately knew what to do.
"Honey," I called, "come look at the lizard!"
"Oh my! gosh," my wife diagnosed after a minute. "She's having babies."
"What?" my son demanded. "But their names are Bert and Ernie, Mom!"
I was equally outraged.
"Hey, how can that be? I thought we said we didn't want them to reproduce," I accused my wife.
"Well, what do you want me to do, post a sign in their cage?" she inquired. (I actually think she said this sarcastically!)
"No, but you were supposed to get two boys!" I reminded her, (in my most loving, calm, sweet voice, while gritting my teeth together).
"Yeah, Bert and Ernie!" my son agreed.
"Well, it's just a little hard to tell on some guys, you know," she informed me. (again with the sarcasm, you think?)
By now the rest of the family had gathered to see what was going on. I shrugged, deciding to make the best of it.
"Kids, this is going to be a wondrous experience", I announced. "We're about to witness the miracle of birth."
"Oh, gross!" they shrieked.
"Well, isn't THAT just great! What are we going to do with a litter of tiny little lizard babies?" my wife wanted to know. (I really do think she was being snotty here, too. Don't you?)
We peered at the patient. After much struggling, what looked like a tiny foot would appear briefly, vanishing a scant second later.
"We don't appear to be making much progress," I noted.
"It's breech," my wife whispered, horrified.
"Do something, Dad!" my son urged.
"Okay, okay." Squeamishly , I reached in and grabbed the foot when it next appeared, giving it a gentle tug. It disappeared.
I tried several more times with the same results.
"Should I call 911," my eldest daughter wanted to know. "Maybe they could talk us through the trauma." (You see a pattern here with the females in my house?)
"Let's get Ernie to the vet," I said grimly.
We drove to the vet with my son holding the cage in his lap. "Breathe, Ernie, breathe," he urged.
"I don't think lizards do Lamaze," his mother noted to him. (Women can be so cruel to their own young. I mean, what she does to me is one thing, but this boy is of her womb, for God's sake.)
The Vet took Ernie back to the examining room and peered at the little animal through a magnifying glass.
"What do you think, Doc, a C-section?" I suggested scientifically.
"Oh, very interesting," he murmured. "Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, may I speak to you privately for a moment?"
I gulped, nodding for my son to step outside.
"Is Ernie going to be okay?" my wife asked.
"Oh, perfectly," the Vet assured us. "This lizard is not in labor. In fact, that isn't EVER going to happen... Ernie is a boy. You see, Ernie is a young male. And occasionally, as they come into maturity, like most male species, they um.... um....masturbate. Just the way he did, lying on his back."
He blushed, glancing at my wife. "Well, you know what I'm saying, Mr. Cameron."
We were silent, absorbing this.
"So Ernie's just...just... excited," my wife offered.
"Exactly," the vet replied, relieved that we understood.
More silence. Then my viscous, cruel wife started to giggle. And giggle. And then even laugh loudly.
"What's so funny?" I demanded, knowing, but not believing that the woman I married would commit the upcoming affront to my flawless manliness.
Tears were now running down her face. Laughing "It's just...that...I'm picturing you pulling on its... its...teeny little..." she gasped for more air to bellow in laughter once more.
"That's enough," I warned. We thanked the Vet and hurriedly bundled the lizards and our son back into the car.  He was glad everything was going to be okay.
"I know Ernie's really thankful for what you've done, Dad," he told me.
"Oh, you have NO idea,"  my wife agreed, collapsing with laughter.
====
2 - Lizards - $140...
1 - Cage - $50...
Trip to the Vet - $30...
Memory of your husband pulling on a lizard's winkie...Priceless

Moral of the story: Pay attention in biology class.
LIZARDS LAY EGGS!

Hope that gave you a laugh!  have a good week!

Wednesday Hodgepodge--Eggs, Bunnies and Such

Wednesday Questions:

1. In honor of the date...when were you last sent on a 'fool's errand'? Hmmm, can't think of the last time I went on a pointless or impossible errand. Unless you count trying to convince Bruiser that dinner is not going to kill him if he takes a bite...

2. Peter Rabbit, Bugs Bunny, The Energizer Bunny, The Easter Bunny, Rabbit (Pooh's friend), White Rabbit (of Wonderland fame), or the Trix Rabbit...which of these 'famous' rabbits can you best relate to right now? I lean more towards Bugs Bunny.  He's mischievous and fun. Although being honest, I tend more toward Roger Rabbit--in the wrong place at the wrong time.

3. When did you last find yourself scrambling to get something done? Explain. Sunday afternoons, I scramble to get laundry done and the other household chores that seem to pile up during the week.
I also scramble in the mornings sometimes--since I am the one who gets the kids moving and makes sure they have breakfast and get all the things they need for the day, mornings can be a scramble.

4. Last time you were up at the literal crack of dawn? Why? Last time you stayed up all night? Why?
Crack of dawn--most mornings in the winter. Summer too--since that's the best time to run.  I don't like running, but it does work for convenience and availability in the exercise area.

Stayed up all night?  Well it's been a long time, but the summer we took the train to Michigan it felt like I was up all night--sleeping in coach is not so easy.

5. Crack a book, crack a bottle, crack a joke, crack an egg...which have you done most recently? Crack a bottle of Nick's Cracked Stout home brew.  It's really good--dark, chocolatey, coffee and just yum!

6. What's your favorite part of a typical weekend? Tell us why that's so. I like Friday afternoon after going home time--the whole weekend stretches out before you and has so much possibility.

7. What's something I'd find on a bookshelf in your home? Other than a book I mean! Photo frames with pictures of our family in them. Although, most of the book shelves in our home are just stuffed with books.  I'm sort of a book junky.

8. Insert your own random thought here. Happy April Fools Day! It is the first of April and we have sunshine, but not for long.  Tomorrow it is forecasted to snow.  Yep snow.  Old man winter isn't done with us yet, even though the trees are trying to bud and the tulips are valiantly trying to grow. Some of the crocuses are blooming, but they are just a bit premature I'm thinking.

Random Tuesday Time

Here we are trucking through another week.  Today it's Random Tuesday Thoughts.  Not sure how much random I can  find, but here goes:

• Last day of March.  One whole quarter of 2015 is over now.  Exactly how did that happen? Really, it seems that the last couple months went terribly slowly, but still I feel like I blinked and missed most of it.
• Turbo was quite happy telling me that he had 10 weeks of school left this year. 10 weeks.  Gah, it's going by so fast!
• I often feel this way in the morning:

• Turbo is this way too.  Nick and Reece are much slower to actually wake up, but once up they are pretty bright and happy about it.
• Love, Wine and Chocolate, that's everything right?

• And on the wine subject:

Have a good week and may it include wine, cause wine makes everything better!

Join up for the Randomness with Stacy.

Hey, Hey, Monday

Yeah, so it's Monday, again.  And here we are right back at the old grind.  It could be worse.  It could be snowing.  Today we have sunshine here.  I'll take it.
Our weekend was kind of quiet.  We hung out at home, I ascended Mt. Laundry--almost summited, but had to turn back and wait for better conditions. Or, I will be doing the towels and sheets tonight.  I got all the clothes done, folded and put away, so that counts, right?!
Anyway, we did go to the nearby State Park and go for a hike yesterday.  A good 2.5-3 miles.  Not bad for the fam. We hope to make this sort of outing a semi regular thing.
Sorry no pictures, although it was beautiful.  Kind of left all cameras/phones in the truck.

So, shall we move on to MMMM? Sure, why not?
This week is all aobut music from when you were sweet sixteen.  Here goes:
Martika with Toy Soldiers:

Billy Joel with We Didn't Start the Fire:

Alannah Myles with Black Velvet:

These were songs I listened to and enjoyed in High school. Oh to be 16 again...

Friday Friday

Whoop it up, it's Friday!

Yep.  I am ready for going home time.  Now let's hope the day flies by. Then it's wine time!
So shall we pass some time with a confession or two?

• I get to summit Mt Laundry this weekend.
• Do hope the ascent is painless.
• I also have a hot date with the vacuum.
• Yeah, my weekend is looking like an exciting endeavor.
• You all want to be me, am I right?
• Oh, Oh, last night we were catching an old Saturday Night Live on TV adn there was a clip with Billy Crystal and Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. It was hilarious.
• Ok, here it is, but it a pretty bad recording, but it still made me laugh out loud:

• So there a smile for Friday.
•  There was a Spider in the shower a couple days ago it went kind of like this:

• So are you ready for the weekend?  After the week I had I am:

So go enjoy the weekend once you reach going home time in your neck of the woods!

Hodgepodge For Wednesday

Questions:

1. This coming weekend is Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week. Do you celebrate Easter in your home? What was your favorite Easter tradition as a child? Not really.  Oh, we dye eggs and do baskets for the boys, but that's about it. Well we have family over and have a nice brunchish type do.  And then after that it's a pretty normal day for us.  Since it's usually cold--or snowing--we don't do much outside.



Easter as a child was about a trip to church after ransacking Easter baskets. then home for a ham dinner and maybe movies as a family.  Fairly traditional all together.

2. George Weinberg is quoted as saying, 'Hope never abandons you, you abandon it.' Agree or disagree? Share your own thoughts on the word hope. Hope is what keeps people going--hope for something better, hope for something kinder, hope.  However, you get by on hope alone. You do have to work for waht you want.  Hoping is like wishing.  Nothing happens until you do it yourself.

3. Weigh in with a yay or nay on the traditional Easter candies. A solid milk chocolate bunny? Cadbury Creme Eggs? Peeps? Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs? Jellybeans? Coconut Cream Eggs? Of the candies listed, which one would you most like to find in your Easter basket? So not a fan of Cadbury Creme eggs.  Just too sweet.  Give me a good dark chocolate bunny, peanut butter egg, Jelly Bellys, or Malted milk eggs--Robin's Eggs.  I also have never found the appeal of Peeps. Too much pure sugar, not enough flavor for me.  Although roasting them over a fire might make them tastier...

4. When did you last feel 'like a kid in a candy store'? The last time I spent time in a bookstore.  Or maybe it was the last Library book sale.  All those books, so much possibility.

For Nick it was last week when he went archery bow shopping.  He had such fun.  It would have been fun to watch him, but also would have driven me up the wall trying to occupy two cranky kids.

5. What's something you know you do differently than most people? Does that bother you? Does it bother other people?  I do my dishes under running water.  I can't bring myself to wash dishes in a sink full of water.  Doesn't bother me that I do them differently from most.  Oh, I put lots in the dish washer, but there are things I just can't bring myself to run through the dishwasher.  Namely knives, wooden spoons, pot and pans, certain things I use more frequently than I run the dishwasher.

6. Palm Springs CA, Palm Beach FL, or the PALMetto State...of the three mentioned, which sunny spot would you most like to visit right now? Which have you visited at one time or another? I think right now it would have to be Palm Beach FL.  It would be warm and have  beach, something I could really use about now as it is currently snowing here. Can't say I have actully visited ant of them, to my knowledge.

7. If you could change the length of a day would you lengthen it or shorten it? Tell us why. I would shorten the length of an hour so we would have more in the day.  Then it might be easier to delegate hours to certain activities.  Maybe.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
We took the boys to Denver last week and Bruiser got to experience his first 3D IMAX show.  He was excited, but got bored after about 20 minutes. He did look cute in the glasses though.

Turbo really like the show and now has ambitions to be a deep sea explorer. We shall see how long that lasts.

Spring Break Random

We spring breaked last week.  Or is it spring broke? Either way, Spring break happened. 
The first part of the week was pretty quiet but Wednesday afternoon we headed to Denver and I let Nick go to the archery store so he could buy a new recurve bow.  The kids and I stayed at the hotel and enjoyed the upgraded suite we got and the fun of having a pool to swim in.
Thrusday dawned cloudy and rainy and chilly, so it was indoor activities.  The Aquarium and the Natural History Museum called our names:

Friday was a beautiful day so we headed to the zoo before heading home.  We caught the seal show and the elephant show.

Over all, it was a pretty great day and a wonderful Spring Break.
In random news:

• I still don't feel caught up on my sleep from the time change.  Or maybe that's just in general not caught up on my sleep.
• Little boy have entirely too much energy and if put in the same space for too long together will find dozens of ways to annoy each other and their parents.
• Spring colds are the worst.  Nick has been kicking around something resembling a cold for the last few days.  Not quite sick enough to be down and out, but not well enough to be called healthy.

So how's things where you are?
Join up for the Randomness with Stacy.

Back to Monday

Our Spring Break flash trip was fabulous.  It was great to get out of town and when a free upgrade happens at the hotel, well the trip gets even better.
Yep, the hotel we picked to stay at had over booked on the standard room we wanted, so they upgraded us to a two room suite.  Not gonna lie, it was fantastic. There was tons more that happened but I'm saving that for later.
We did get a chance to hang out with friends and have the first backyard grill and such on Saturday.  Drinks, ribs, and friends.  Nothing makes for a better Saturday night.

And now for MMMM:

Freebie week so lets see:
Miranda Lambert with Little Red Wagon:

Kasey Musgraves with Biscuits:

Luke Bryan with Spring Breakdown:

Have a good week!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Questions? Yes, Please:

1. Share a favorite song, book, or movie title containing the word green? I have to go with a classic:

Yep, It's Not Easy Being Green by Kermit the Frog.

2. Ralph Waldo Emerson is quoted as saying, 'Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.' Would you agree? Are you a believer in luck? Cause and Effect are powerful, but there is always an element of luck at play.  I really am a believer in luck--even if ours seems to tend toward bad luck.

3. Spring water, Hot Springs, handspring, spring fling, spring break, spring fever, offspring...which 'spring' word best applies to something in your day, week, or life right now? Oh Spring Break definitely.  We are in the middle of ours and we are taking the boys to the big city and hitting the zoo and aquarium.

4. What's something you do to make yourself look or feel more confident? Wear clothes that fit.  AND getting new (to me, as they are often second hand) clothes always helps with the feeling confident.

5.  It's National Celery Month...are you a fan? If so, what's a snack or dish you enjoy that calls for celery? I can take or leave celery.  It's not bad as a peanut butter delivery system and I like to have it for soups, but I don't really miss it if it's absent.

6. What's one thing you wish you'd learned sooner? That participating in discussions is a good thing. I tend toward the shyer end of the spectrum, but I did end up figuring out that actually speaking up in discussions is a good thing while in college.  I just wish I'd figured it out sooner.

7. Would you like to own a second home? If so where would you want that home to be? If I ever had a second home it would be on a beach somewhere.  However, we sort of have a second home--we have a pop-up camper that we can take anywhere and set up and hey, presto, a cabin in the woods.

8.  Insert your own random thought here. Here's to things that can shake up the routine.  Getting out of town and enjoying a road trip, visiting something new, or just mixing up the routine.  May the travel season be a good one this year!