JULY 17, 2012 -- "BACK IN T-I-M-E"

JULY 17, 2012 -- "BACK IN T-I-M-E"

We have had a lot of fun listening to the soundtrack CD from the Hannah Montana Movie.  It has a lot of fun songs on it.  I have a favorite song on there that is called "Backwards."  It makes me smile because it is just so clever and creative!  I just figured out tonight that Rascal Flats sings their version that I assumed came first that isn't as "family friendly" so I am now grateful for the film makers who edited the song and made it "G-rated" and family friendly!!!  Make sure to listen to the Hannah Montana Movie Version of the song!

Now, one of the reasons this song is my most favorite is the fun memory that is now attached to the song!  One day when Benjamin and I were driving in the car, this song came on and we were listening.  When it came to the part towards the end when it says:

"If we just could rewind it all and go back in T - I - M - E."

Benjamin, my clever funny boy, pushed the rewind button and jumped the music back to the beginning of that phrase and we heard it again, then again, then again and then again .......  his clever sense of humor took us back in "time" so many times that I was ready to bop him!  FINALLY!  I held his hand back without crashing and the song went forward!!!  We then made plans to do that for the kids that we were picking up to see how they reacted!  It was good and we all laughed!!!  

Now, we can't play that song straight through!  We have to "go back in time" at least a few times!!!  We love it!

Search the song and listen to it -- the Hannah Montana Version!!!  
It will make you laugh! 

HERE ARE THE LYRICS:
"BACKWARDS"
I was sitting on a wooden stool
In a barbecue joint in Tennessee
When this ole boy walked in
And he sat right down next to me
I could tell he'd been through some hard times
There were tear stains on his old shirt
And he said you wanna know what you get
When you play a country song backwards

You get your house back
You get your dog back
You get your best friend Jackson back
You get your truck back
You get your hair back
Ya get your first and second jobs back
Your front porch swing
Going ding-a-ling-a-ling
Your bling bling bling and a diamond ring
Your get your farm and the barn and the boat and the Harley
That old black cat named Charlie
Sounds a little crazy, a little scattered and absurd
But that's what you get when you play a country song backwards

Well I never heard it said quite like that
It hit me in the face cause that's where I'm at
I almost fell flat out on the floor
He said wait a minute that's not all theres even more

You get your mind back
Your nerves back
Your achy breaky heart back
You get your pride back
You get your life back
You get your first real love back
You get your big screen TV, a DVD and a washing machine
You get the pond and the lawn
The rake and the mower
You go back where life is slower
It sounds a little crazy a little scattered and absurd
But that's what you get
When you play a country song backwards
Oh play that song
Woo!!!

We sat there and talked about how it would be
If we could just rewind it all and go back in T-I-M-E

You get your house back
You get your dog back
You get your best friend Jackson back
You get your truck back
You get your hair back
Ya get your first and second jobs back
Your front porch swing
going ding-a-ling-a-ling
Your bling bling bling and a diamond ring
Your get your farm and the barn and the boat and the Harley
That old black cat named Charlie
You get your mind back
Your nerves back
Your achy break heart back
You get your pride back
You get your life back
You get your first real love back
You get your big screen TV, a DVD and a washing machine
You get the pond and the lawn
The rake and the mower
You go back where life is slower
It sounds a little crazy a little scattered and absurd
But that's what you get
When you play a country song backwards

JULY 16, 2012 -- PICTURE STRAGGLERS

 JULY 16, 2012 -- PICTURE STRAGGLERS

I have a couple of "stragglers" that didn't get posted with other pictures.  

The kids got into making "tents" last week and the girls -- mostly Rachel -- got extremely creative and built this enormous "chateau" that took up half of the exercise room!  It had multiple rooms and was quite impressive!

 One day last week, we had Tylie stay with us for a couple of days while her mother had foot surgery.  She is about 8 months older than Mason and they had a good time playing.  They swam and built Lincoln Log houses and watched "Dora."  It was fun!

JULY 15, 2012 -- HYRUM

JULY 15, 2012 -- HYRUM

Hyrum has "spread his wings and is flying."  He is spending the summer in Ohio with the Hancock Family and is working in a laser lab at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.  We sure miss him, but are thrilled for his experience!!!   We are also thrilled for the fun that he is able to have with his cousins -- especially Janae!!  Between the 2 of them, they could really come up with a lot of fun!!!

We are so grateful for these pictures that Aunt Joan sent to us!!!

Hyrum

The Laser Lab

Emily Ellingson, Hyrum Richardson and Janae Hancock -- all first cousins off for a triple date!!!

JULY 14, 2012 -- PLAY DAY AND FEELING ORGANIC

JULY 14, 2012 -- FUN DAY AND FEELING ORGANIC

Dad, Joseph and Benjamin were gone today to the lake for a Priest super activity -- for the 16-17 year old boys from church.  They had a great time.   Sorry.  No pictures.

 Here at home, we had a fun day!!!  We started the day at Lowe's for the "build and grow" activity and they all loved it!  It is also a great learning experience for most of the kids to learn about slowing down, reading directions and following visual and text directions.  When you hammer the nail in the wrong place, it just doesn't turn out as good!!  

Bethany and Rachel helping Mason build his project

David with Matthew working hard behind him.

Daniel did it!!!

Matthew is almost done!!

Mason loved this activity!  He is proud to have his own working apron!  He is growing up so fast!

Mason and David -- they have become good buddies lately!

Rebecca is working hard!

Next we took Bethany to the doctor and got medicine for her "swimmer's ear" and middle ear infection.  I had told the 6 other kids who had to wait in the waiting room that we would go to lunch if they could sit and wait patiently without any problems.  They did it -- and it didn't help that this was the fastest "in and out" doctor's appointment I have EVER gone to!  That was a blessing for me and the kids! 

We headed to Steak and Shake for lunch!  Kids eat free on Saturdays -- well at least 1 kid meal for every $8 spent.  We got 3 kids meals free and we skipped the soda and the ice cream to finish our meal with it only costing $20!!  Yahoo!!!

We picked up Bethany's perscriptions than headed home.  The kids started playing and were doing so well, so I let them play awhile then at 2:00pm we all worked together and did our "required" list of jobs for the day.  We cleaned up the main floor, distributed new cleaning supplies to ALL bathrooms, straightened up bedrooms and cleaned ALL bathrooms!  I had great workers!

Our reward for finishing the cleaning was to go to the dollar store and they all got to buy a $1 water gun!

We came home and swam and played with our water toys.

Dad and the boys had come home shortly after us and then we cooked hamburgers for dinner.

While hamburgers were cooking, Dad watered the garden while I picked from the garden!

We are producing yummy greens!  We have another bag full of bok choy and turnip greens!  Also a few more hot peppers, turnips, radishes and even 1 tomato!!!

Cucumbers and squash will start to harvest in at least the next 2 weeks as well as the many green tomatoes should start going red!  Broccoli is coming along and the corn is starting to develop tassels down inside the stalk!  It is so fun to harvest from the garden!

This evening, we ate outside and enjoyed the incredible cool weather!  It was a cloudy and beautiful day today and at 6pm it was 78 degrees!  Unheard of for July and such a change from the 100+ degree weather of 2 weeks ago!!!  The temperature change sure shows in the garden!!!  The plants are happy!!!

For dinner tonight we had our hamburgers and a "Bok Choy Slaw" salad with Bok Choy from our garden an then some turnip greens that I cooked this time with some bacon crumbles!  Both were really good!

It is so cool to eat from our own garden!

The whole garden

Squash plants!

 

Cucumbers!!!

Look at that beautiful Bok Choy!!!  We have harvested

Broccoli is still trying even though we planted very late!!  It didn't like the 100 degree weather!

Tomatoes!!!

Asparagus!  You don't pick for the first 2-3 years.

Look at that corn!!!!

JULY 10, 2012 -- MOM'S PROJECT DAY

JULY 10, 2012 -- MOM'S PROJECT DAY

Yesterday, I tried to start and work on a big project of revamping my recipe files.  It has been a project on hold for 4 years now and it is time!!

Well, I got absolutely nothing accomplished on the recipe file, but had a successful day:  great "mom's school" session with all the kids, trip to the doctor and shopping that are noted in the previous blog.

I also had a spontaneous "gufaw" at a text sent from my "knight in shining armor" who just keeps surprising me with his with and romance!!

Dad (Vernon) and I have been dialoguing about "Adrenal Glands" as I am working to improve my physical health.  I had also been texting him about Daniel's school books so I knew what to do with him that morning (Daniel had gone to work with Dad the past few days so he was in the know on that.)

So......... to finally get to the point .................

About an hour after Vernon's last text about Daniel's school work, I sent a text that said, 

"I found a book."

Vernon's response made me laugh,

"Book about adrenal glands, fractions or how to tame your husband?"

It gave me a good laugh.

Today, I was spoiled by my children and Bethany, Rachel and Rebecca ran the house for a full day and let me hide up in my office and work on my recipe files!  The girls were amazing!!! They cooked, cleaned, took care of kids, ran "Mom's School", ran a "movie theater" and more!  It was incredible!

My girls are growing up and are quite amazing!

JULY 9, 2012 -- WARTS AND SHOPPING

JULY 9, 2012 -- WARTS AND SHOPPING

Today I took Rachel and Mason to the pediatricion for the "beetle juice" for their warts.  Mason must have picked up something during our trip around the world last year and he has had clusters of warts on his upper outside thigh and bottom on the left side of his body only.  Rachel has a large one on the top of her ring finger knuckle.  Rachel had hers frozen but Mason got the "beetle juice."  

Afterwards, we went "healthy shopping."  We had a fun trip to Ozark Natural foods where Rachel AND Mason had fun pushing the little grocery carts.  I'm not sure who was having more fun -- Rachel or Mason!  We also loaded up on produce at Harps Grocery store.  For dinner I cooked a whole chicken in the electric pressure cooker, roasted potatoes and carrots in the oven and used some left over brown rice and cooked up a spontaneous dish using thyme, red pepper and pumpkin seeds.  It was pretty good.  The roasted potatoes were the biggest hit!!!  Every carrot and potato was eaten!!  All I did was toss them in a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and some Italian Seasoning.  They were delicious!

Mason and Rachel

Mason showing off his bandaid -- no "owie" just a cool bandaid.

Mason has his bag with 4 things in it -- very important that there are just 4 things!!!

JULY 8, 2012 -- CUPCAKES AND CRICKETS

JULY 8, 2012 -- CUPCAKES AND CRICKETS

Today dad taught the Priests (boys ages 16-18) lesson at church for the young men. The lesson subject was pure thoughts so he decided to use a great object lesson!!!

This got the young men's attention and even the young men wouldn't eat around the cricket!!!

How many times do we say, "Oh it was a good movie except for this one part." Or "This great song only has one bad word in it."  We are willing to "eat around crickets" in our spiritual lives many times!!!  "Or there is just one little part."  Hmmmm.  Why won't we just eat the rest of the cupcake that is good around this real cricket???  Think about it!

The kicker on these cupcakes is that the crickets were still "twitching" as dad offered them to the boys!!! Even more repulsive!!!  Yes they are real crickets!!!