Happy Days!

It's true! After a week off, I've finally came up for air and am back to blogging! I've been putting off this blog and composing several others because I don't exactly know what to write about probably the happiest day of my life (ok, pretty close!)
I know most of you have seen the pictures and know the whole whining story about the delays and torture the previous week but last Saturday morning, we finally got the "confirmed" call that we had a non-stop plane full of daddies over the big volcano covered Atlantic Ocean. In probably one of the ONLY flights allowed over the big ocean at the time.

{Insert here for history's sake} A VOLCANO in ICELAND has closed airspace over most of Europe and kept it closed for nearly a week. This happened the day before our 5th change in flights was about to take off. It was the first thing I see the morning I know he's supposed to leave Kuwait after being re-routed from Kyrgyzstan.

So, lucky us, the COL for all of 82nd CAB was on Jason's flight and there was NO volcano in Iceland stopping this guy from getting home. On a VERY nice 777 jet, he flew in at 5:15pm.
I spent the day making last minute preparations and doing things I had been holding off a week on doing. I made some great signs and hung them, ordered take out and double checked the liquor stock for Jason. Thanks to Mari, I had the morning off from talky-talk and Lincoln took a great nap so I could get ready.

We made our way to green ramp about 4pm. Jackson had a good time with his friends awaiting the arrival of their daddy's too. The plane landed and they marched in about 5:45. Not 15 minutes later, we were standing on top of a bench with our signs waiting for daddy to find us.
Jackson ran and got the first hug but the first kiss was ALL MINE!
Lincoln fell in LOVE with the guy the minute he saw him. He wanted him to hold him and check out his cool hat. We were all amazed at how much Lincoln liked his Daddy on their second ever meeting.
(Thanks, Kathie, for making our photos!)

After our 15 minutes of allotted family time, he went to finish his army duties and we left to pick up Hooters and Sushi! (nothing but the finest for my hero!)
Jason drove himself home and got there about 8pm.

Since then, we've been to wal-mart a few times, cleaned the yard, eaten out more times than I can count ( I CAN cook, you know!), taken naps almost daily and watched 3 movies. (2 were so terrible, I am ashamed Jason picked them!)

You're welcome for getting the "Happy Days" theme song stuck in your head but it was appropriate for this week....Sunday, Monday, Happy Days!!!

This ride is officially OVER! Now get off!

Ok, so after a week of pure emotional roller coaster madness, this ride is officially over. I have one HOT man in a large aircraft somewhere over the Atlantic ocean right now. It is still a bit of disbelief. Should I really get excited now? I'm still trying to comprehend that I just slept in that bed alone for the LAST time! And get this folks, I will never ever have to take that trash out again!!! Now that's something to get excited about.
The house isn't perfect, although I had plenty of time to make it that way, the yard isn't perfect either, and my body, well....it ain't what it was when he left and that was 8 months pregnant!!! My shoes match my dress, my toes match my earrings, necklace and ring...I'd say I'm ready.
Mile 26 proved to be the hardest and the longest stretching on for a total of about 2 weeks with more hills than I had trained for as an Army wife. I felt my breaking point reach it's peak more than a few times this week. But I'm officially in the finishers chute.
Now, I sit, drinking coffee as the sole adult in the house for the last time (I know, I've said that alot) and now I get to go wake a 4 year old up and yell "YOUR DADDY IS COMING HOME"!!!
It's been a wild ride. Hands down, hardest deployment of the 3. But, well, in a matter of a few hours, this ride is officially OVER!

And, um, yeah, pictures to follow....

When the good news goes bad...

Are you freakin' kidding me? After change number 6, or is it 7, you'd think I just get used to it but somehow you never do. You never learn NOT to get your hopes up. You never learn to expect bad news every time the phone rings.

Someone please tell me how to keep explaining to my 4 year old why the date of his daddy coming home keeps getting changed. He's usually my rock. "Don't be sad mommy, daddy will be home when ALL the buttercups have bloomed." And then tonight, as I got another round of bad news and cried on the way home from the daycare, he cried with me saying, "Why does the Army keep changing it? Can't he talk to the Army?" How's that on top of the heartache I'm already feeling.

If you haven't already figured out, I don't have anything good or positive to say. I wish I could be "stronger" but that ran out about 2 weeks ago. I can say, I've never been more sure of our decision to GET OUT of the Army.

I know, most of the situations couldn't be helped, planes broken, turmoil in Kyrgyzstan, more broken plans but try telling that to my heart longing for my husband, kids longing for their daddy and days after days that we'll never get back. I've been wishing my life away for a year now and I'm ready for that to STOP.

I want to be angry, but at who? I want to yell and stomp and say things I shouldn't but what good does it do. So what now? I wait. Just like him, I wait.

I don't even begin to imagine how he must feel. His wife needs him, his 4 year old is crying for him and his 10 month old doesn't have a CLUE who he is. He's been done with his work for over a week and his only duties are to report 2 times daily to receive either NO news or good news...that turns bad.

So that's my sad, pitiful excuse for an update. One day, I'll get back to posting happy, funny, shiny, whitty blogs but it ain't happening today.

If you can't say something nice

A wise rabbit once said "If you can't say something nice...don't say nutin' at all."

That is the sum of how I am feeling right now. We are 2 days from our original stated date of arrival of our "complete" family and as of now, there is NO future dates to discuss. Jason is still in Afghanistan and I'm still home alone. 60% of our unit arrived on April 5th and while I celebrate those homecomings, it's bittersweet until they all get back.

His feelings: It's something like being a prisoner of war. A prisoner of the Army being held past your duty when you are supposed to be on your way home to your family.

My feelings: He's been there a year already, I've had a baby, moved from Alabama back to NC again, made more dinners, bottles and doctor visits than I care to remember. I'm still mom and dad. Our paper chain that we made is Null and needs to be burned in the back yard. My 4 year old states that "we don't know when Daddy is coming home, the Army keeps changing it." Now that's wise! Most days, I feel physical heart pain when I get his phone calls knowing they bear news that I have already "heard" from other wives in the same situation. I find out most of my official information on Facebook. In an attempt to find out what the heck was going on in the country he was supposed to fly out of today, I watched the news this morning. As I drank my cup of coffee, I was sickened further by the fact that ALL ALL ALL they talked about was Tiger Woods, his infidelity and his return to golf. Is that all that is important in this world? How many Americans actually know there are thousands of troops stranded away from their families and while their duty is done, they still wait, we still wait. They didn't seem to have any problem getting them over there.
It's a yo-yo effect, first, he's coming home, then he's delayed, then we get a call that future dates are "Uncertain" and they are looking into alternate flight routes. How long will this take?
It kills the excitement, it takes alot out of you. The back and forth, dates changing constantly. Sure, he'll get home soon but Tomorrow wouldn't be soon enough for missing out on a year. Every day he's gone longer feels like it's time that is stolen from me, time I will never get back and he will never get to spend with his children. One who adores him and one who doesn't even know him yet. My heart aches every time I go to bed and even more so now that the "light at the end of the tunnel" has began to fade. I don't know how many more nights I have until I don't have to sleep alone again. I don't know how many more times I will put the kids to bed and we will pray for Daddy to come home. I don't know how many more times I'll have to take out that STUPID trash!

This is not a happy blog. I apologize if it depresses you to even read it. No, I don't have anything nice to say right now and I should say nothing at all but if blogs are about writing your feelings, well there you have it and it ain't good!

Tik-Toc Ten on Tuesday

10.I watch the clock.

It moves SLOWLY.

Everyday, it seems to move even more slowly than the day before.

9. Every night for the past several days, I've spent my time reading "The Confessions of the Pioneer Woman" and it might or might not be as interesting as Twilight!

8. Sadly, I've also worn a self-made snuggie around the house because I got tired of being wrapped in a blanket when I could just wear it. (Hey, I've got no one to impress around here)

7. She's COMING! My sister arrives on Thursday and I could only be happier about ONE other arrival still a few weeks away.

6. Today, Mari and her family saved Jackson's sweet mouth from the wrath of being shut with duct tape. Man, I love that little talker but he NEVER STOPS talking!

5. At 10 months old, I still carry sweet Lincoln around in my Baby K'Tan carrier about 2-3 hours a day. It is the only way I can cook anything that resembles dinner in the evenings. Most days that's just mac and cheese but it still requires skills that the 4 year old doesn't yet possess. (Maybe I should get him a stool high enough to reach the microwave and then he could cook his own frozen dinners!)

4. Lincoln is also saying all the normal 10 month old baby things...He can wave haphazardly "Hi" and "Bye" and yell "Ma" and "Dada" but we're not sure he quite gets the latter just yet. Oh, and he definitely does it in the most southern accent possible. You know what they say... You can take the boy out of Alabama, but you'll never take the Alabama out of the boy!

3. We normally stay home on Monday's. I keep myself busy the rest of the days a week on purpose. I am a Stay at home Mom but I definitely DON'T stay home. Today got the best of me. Around 4pm, I got dressed and was about to make the terrible mistake of going to Walmart out of SHEER BOREDOM! Boy that would have cost Jason a pretty penny. Lucky for him, we got a txt invite for neighborhood playtime.

2. I admittedly started a blog out of pure peer pressure. Everyone else was doing it and I coveted their memories being kept in real time so last year almost exactly, I started one too. Now, I'm participating in "Ten on Tuesday" for the same peer pressure. I can admit, I'm not beneath it. I'm definitely a follower.

1. I long for the days when I have someone tugging me to go to bed at 930. To lay in bed and watch mindless TV. To have more noise in the house than the sounds of Roxy snoring on the couch. I can't wait for someone to beg me off this blame computer and talk to them instead. If my blog takes a hiatus in the month of April...you'll all know why!

Yes, I posted this near midnight on Monday but hey, that's close enough and I TOLD you I was bored!

Letter of the Day: "P"

Today we went to the PARK.
There is a new park in the military neighborhood across the street and I have had my eye on it for a fun outing.


We also had a PICNIC.
We ate with 4 mommies and 6 children in the grass with fancy picnic blankets and swanky market totes full of yummy picnic food. On the menu today was homemade guacamole and Italian chicken salad. The kids snacked on mostly chips, dried fruit and bread between playground fights.

Lincoln tried a PICKLE.
He loved it of course. He can occupy himself for hours eating. He also devoured a large piece of whole wheat naan that was supposed to be my sandwich.


And the final "P"...
Jackson may or may not have fled to the woods nearby to use as a makeshift potty. Oh the joys of boys!

J-E-L-L-O

We made jello jigglers last night and had them for breakfast! Yes, breakfast. I had never made jello for the boys before, I'm not a big fan but I knew they would love it. The boy in him of course wanted GREEN jello. We cut out circles and looked through it at how it turned everything green. Jackson wasn't the only one who enjoyed eating jello for breakfast. Sweet Lincoln needed a bath after squishing it between his tiny fingers.

What can you buy with $1.51?

Another win in coupon shopping this week. I got all these things for $1.51. I had pampers coupons, paper towel coupons and $6.00 in ECB from CVS. The food goods were on clearance becuase they were expiring in April. I'm pretty sure we can take care of these cookies and goldfish before that happens. Did I need the cookies? No, but they were certianly tasty with milk and 2 bedtime stories last night.

YELLOW

It's a sure sign of spring coming, those bright yellow, first of spring flowers. I've been waiting a whole year to see them blooming. Knowing that they would symbolize the end of a very long year for us. My Dad has been telling Jackson that his daddy would be home soon when he saw the buttercups blooming. Sadly, here in NC, they are not nearly as plentiful as they are in Northern AL. There, everyone has them and in every field, where an old home once stood, they seem to abound. When I was growing up and well into my college years, I can remember trekking home and going on a search for a place we would "legally" pick buttercups. (Also known as daffodils.) My dad would bring them home by the bunches and mom would arrange them into vases around the house. We would have fun finding all the different varieties. Some have orange and others a couple shades of YELLOW.

It's seemed fitting that Dad has been visiting for the last 8 days now and we have witnessed several small patches of our favorite spring flower. Most of them have been in locations we were not able to pick them but we did discover some on the Cape Fear River Trail recently and brought those babies home. Jackson also thinks he is finding them by picking me EVERY dandelion on the entire trail and placing it in the stroller. He also does this in the yard and it's quite endearing.

Today on the highway, I noticed a patch of great buttercups about 1/2 mile from our neighborhood where they are building a new subdivision. These are sure to be plowed next year so I stopped tonight and picked them all. It's funny that I've lived here in this house more than 5 years now and I've never noticed that patch until today. Regardless, I don't think I've ever been so happy to see them blooming, simply for what their season represents....A HAPPY HOMECOMING...Another reason for a bit of yellow! Break out those yellow ribbons!

The last mile is the hardest

Sure, we're almost there. Yeah, what's another few weeks, it's already been a year. Yes, SO excited. (Can you hear the sarcasm?) Of course we're excited, but it's hard to understand unless you are smack at the end of this deployment and the end of your rope. That a month might as well be another year. The last 4 weeks will DRAG on for days on days that never end. Tomorrow, nighttime will officially NEVER come and I'll be ready to put my kids to bed at 5pm. So, excited yes, exhausted yes....
I often think back to this blog my friend Mari wrote about the last mile her marathon deployment and I'm beginning to relate in a bittersweet way. Why is it that the last mile is the hardest? Thankfully, my dad is here to absorb some of the extra time that has been added to our days. I'm still holding out hope for a sister visit before the final push as well. I know, for me anyway, the worst is yet to come in the waiting game. That final week I will celebrate homecomings of MANY others before I finally see my day come. I'm always happy to see them come home but alas I wait, rather impatiently for my turn at this finish line.
The silver lining...this is officially the LAST homecoming of this kind I will EVER experience. And there is NOTHING bittersweet about that.

48 hour days

How do you spend days that must last 48 hours? While most people wish there were a few more hours in the day, I do not. No, I would like to see a few less hours each day. I'd be willing to cut them in half right now, keeping the sleeping half of course! In an attempt to stay sane, we've been engaging in some scientific experiments and various other activities to ward off the cabin fever of this COLD COLD winter. If success is measured by no crying or serious meltdowns, then we failed miserably but otherwise, it has been entertaining...at least for a moment.

Grow Sea Monkeys. This was a Christmas gift and our 1st attempt at rearing Sea Monkeys. We purified the water, hatched the eggs and it became quite a highlight in our house to check on the sea monkeys. The best part was turning the flashlight on them to see them well. While viewing the sea monkeys on about day 10, Jackson stood on his stool to seem them and lost balance. He toppled over and the sea monkey aquarium went over his head and onto my carpet. I stood in disbelief as he yelled in serious painful remorse..."Oh, no! My sea monkeys, MOM, save them!" Well, there was NO saving the sea monkeys from the depths of the carpet so I had to comfort him and explain that we would have to begin again. He asked me if they had gone to sea monkey heaven. I told him yes, of course they did and he then asked me if there were other sea monkeys there. Yes, yes, son there are millions of sea monkeys in sea monkey heaven! On to sea monkeys round 2.

Become a doughnut maker! Thank goodness this is only pretend! Mom's hips couldn't handle doughnuts on top of all the chocolate chip cookie dough she's been eating after kids go to bed.

Teach your 9 month old brother that there is only one football team that dad is going to find acceptable in this household. That would be Alabama football. Learn this early to be on dad's "best friend" team.

Grow a garden in a bag. Living in NC for the last 7 years has taught me a few things and one of them is just when you think Winter is over and there is no more frosts and Lowes has everyone around you convinced it's the perfect time to buy and plant things...DON'T DO IT! March is still cold here and April WILL inevitably end up with at least one frost. May is the appropriate time to plant things without old man winter going out with a bang. It took a few failed attempts but I learned my lesson. So, we planted nasturtium in a bag and discussed how the plant will daily turn it's leaves toward the sun. Did you know the flowers of this plant are actually edible?


Make mom a fancy Lego car. Complete with all the girly accessories. This car sports all the flowers found in the Lego box. His Lego creations are getting quite elaborate these days. He's a man after my own heart either building helicopters or cruise ships!

Or fix mom's fancy Lego car, or whine about how the legos won't stay together, or throw a full on fit because you can't get it back together the right way leading to a break time from the legos.

We attempted to root a slimacado. Yes, that is exactly what it sounds like, there is a larger avocado type fruit grown in Florida that mimics the avocado with about 30% less fat. It taste just the same to me and so we thought we'd be crafty and try to root the seed. No luck on this one. All I got was alot of questions about why the seed was so big.


This was Round 2 in the sea monkey business. These have fared much better than their previous counterparts. They are lively and remind me of swimming millipedes. I'll admit, I have found them interesting to watch. I just try not to think about the ones swimming in the carpet!



Impress all the neighborhood girls with your newly built volcano kit! It was a neighborhood showing of the deFoor volcano on 116 Leggett. Eruption was right before dinner and no one was injured. But the kids were amazed. It has since erupted about every other day and some casualties have included, CPT Hook and batman but they were brave in their choice to take on the volcano.



GO Shopping! Coupon mom here has been bargain shopping again. This time I scored at CVS with a total bill of around $21 for all this! Notice the 2 large boxes of diapers which each retail for around $20 each.


Help arrives on Tuesday in the form of my daddy. We pick him up in Raleigh at 1125 and no, I'm not counting down the minutes...ok, I admit it...I totally am! I have lots of things planned while he's here. The first one begin RUN...I'm going to RUN away! And do a little running on my own. He'll be here 10 glorious days to play legos and volcanoes, cars and pirate ships. I'm hoping to catch a nap or two, after getting my hair and nails done of course!

Ten on Tuesday

1. If you were given an hour to use a $200 Amazon gift card, what would you buy?
Right now, I'm vacuum-less. My trusty Dyson that I scored years ago at a garage sale has finally bit the dust and if you have any idea how hairy my house is you would rest assured that I would be purchasing a new vacuum.

2. Are there any fairly common foods that you’ve never had?
Not that I can think of. I am not a picky eater and since being married to Jason and living here in the "melting pot USA" I have become quite diverse in my meals. I'm now a fanatic of Thai, Korean and SUSHI!!!

3. What was your favorite way to use your imagination as a kid?
Oh, easy, easy...I would pretend to be a Princess. (never would have guessed huh?) As kids, some cousins of ours had landscaping and trees in their yard and we would play inside the garden pretending to be Kings and Queens. This may have led to some of my high maintenance ways.

4. What’s your favorite state? Why?
Hmmm, I would have to say Florida. It has always been our vacation spot. It has lakes, rivers, and beaches. It also sports WARM weather which now days seems to be hard to come by. Plus, it's where DISNEY WORLD is!

5. If it was our culture to have our parents choose our spouses, do you think yours would make a good choice?
Yes, I think they would have. If asked 10 years ago, I would have had a different opinion. Although I'm not sure they would have chosen the one I married in the beginning(knowing his career would take us far away), I know now they have NO regrets and consider him the son they never had.

6. What’s your favorite herb?
Basil. We grow it every summer to use at home. FYI...it can withstand the NC summer heat!

7. If you could have dinner with one celebrity, who would you choose?
OK, she may not be a celebrity to most but right now, I'd say Beth Moore. She's a Christian author and speaker and she just seems like someone I'd like to be friends with!

8. What’s your favorite Disney movie?
Lady and the Tramp and the Little Mermaid (see above, I want to BE a princess)

9. If you had to listen to the same song over and over for 24 hours, what song would you choose?
I'm currently listening to my latest itunes purchase on repeat....Lady Gaga Bad Romance. I have a tendency to play my favorite songs until I can't stand to hear them anymore. My second choice would be a list of nearly any Christmas songs. Is it too early to get out my Christmas CD's again?

10. How do you order your steak?
Medium for me. It's widely knows they are juicier and tastier this way. But until I find them prepared in frozen meals or Jason gets home, there will be no steaks on my plate for dinner.

I was in a blogging mood and needed a kick start! Thanks Autumn, for letting me borrow your idea!

You remember ME, right?

Today Jackson had a short (as usual) conversation with his dad. It went something like this:

Jason: What are you doing, buddy?

Jackson: I'm playing with my race track. You don't remember it, do you?

Jason: No, buddy I don't remember it, I bet it is fun.

Jackson: But you remember Me, right Dad?

Jason: Yeah, buddy, I remember you, you're my best friend and I love you.

Jackson: Yeah, Yeah you Do!

Later today Jackson and I were finishing a project about letters. I gave him a disposable camera to make pictures of something that started with each letter of the alphabet. We were on "W". I said, "Jackson, what is something that starts with the letter "W"? while making the "W" sound. He thought for a minute and sounded out "w-w-WAR! War starts with the letter "W". I asked him how we make a picture of war and he said you just make a picture of Army men.

We don't know how these frequent deployments will effect children. I'm lucky to have young children who have been sheltered from the largest effects of the separation. Jackson was 18 months old when he left for 15 months and 3 when he left for these 12. I've found it much harder to raise on older child through a deployment than a baby who doesn't know the difference.
Jackson is fortunate to one have a FANTASTIC memory, he doesn't forget ANYTHING. He is also fortunate to have a father who knows how to make a big enough impact when he is home to make up for the majority of his life that he has been gone.

The Very Scary Doorbell

It is Sunday morning. I wake up and get completely dressed for church while my infant yells in protest in his crib. This is the only place he is safe and girls gotta have a shower sometime. I mix my coffee concoction and begin to feed the natives breakfast. On to dressing the wild indians and packing the car. I then find myself to have 20 whole minutes before I need to leave for church so with baby on hip, I clean up the kitchen and prepare tomorrows coffee (always getting ready for the next day). Right before I begin my "get in the car" mantra...

THE DOORBELL RINGS.

First thought, Jackson is messing with the doorbell. Then he walks from my bedroom. Wrong.
Next thought, my great neighbors ALWAYS call before coming over.
WHO could possibly be ringing MY doorbell at 9am on a Sunday morning?

I don't have a large house but with baby on hip, I walk through the kitchen and dining room. In these milliseconds, my poor deployment focused mind has convinced everything in me that I will be rounding the corner to the door and peek out the window to see 2 green suitors (bearers of the WORST POSSIBLE news!) standing on my doorstep.

My hands were shaking and I nearly dropped the baby and ran the other way. I shuffled past the door a little with one eye open to see it was...

My neighbor from next door. (the one that always calls) He was bringing me banana bread and coupons from his wife. My face must have been transparent as he protested, "We TRIED to call you first!" I thanked him and closed the door. It was time for church, if my spaghetti legs would get us there.

ENTER deployment paranoia. This is a condition that can be developed at any time during a deployment. It can concern, you, your husband or your children. It could be illnesses, accidents or scary late night sounds. It seems to reach its heights as the deployment is nearing the final miles. It can range from paper cuts and bruises to overwhelming unexplained anxiety.

It's in these moments, I realize that military wives are set apart from others and in many more ways than this. That feeling is not one I want to relive. EVER. I told this story (it was a little humorous later) to a few others and one female soldier was particularly compassionate. She was very sorry I had felt that way and was sure my husband would never want me to feel that way about him either.

I know many have experienced The Very Scary Doorbell but for me, this was a first. A true sign that the end is coming but it's never ever soon enough.

Surgery? on my BABY?

That was my first thought when I had them take a look at the fact that little Lincoln's tongue was attached all the way to the front of his mouth. I had asked the pediatrician about it and she sent me on a consult to UNC. Although this was far from home, I knew the best of the best came from this school and they would know what they were doing. I was completely impressed with the bedside manner of the pediatric ENT surgeon that we saw there. She calmly explained to me the ease of this procedure and the possibility of doing it without putting him to sleep but told me she'd be more comfortable doing it with him unconscious in scheduled surgery because of the risk of clipping the salivary glands under the tongue. I did have a moment of panic when she used the words "unconscious" and "take him back into surgery". But we all want what is best for our children so I quickly browsed my phone for dates I could call in Super Nana for backup for both Mommy and Lincoln. I knew I couldn't do this alone. I just imagined me standing there as they rolled my youngest son back into surgery as I just melted into a blubbery mess. She came to the rescue and it was set.
On Monday Feb. 15, we went in for an "excision of the frenulum" as they called it in surgical terms. The whole procedure took about 30 minutes, the recovery took about 1 hour tops. I'll admit I was a little alarmed when they gave him the Michael Jackson drug (fentanyl)while in PACU but it was just a precaution and to help him rest. It was far more emotional stress for me than it was distressing for him. I can't attest to his pain level but I'd say the hardest part for him was not eating from 10pm to 10am. Boy LOVES to eat!
I had a great prayer circle every end of the country all the way to Afghanistan (thanks daddy!) and everyone is back to normal already.
FYI-
Tongue-tie or ankyloglossia is caused when the membrane under the tongue (the frenulum) extends excessively toward the tip of tongue. Sometimes this membrane is an intact piece of tissue attached to the floor of the mouth and extending down the length of the underside of the tongue. Sometimes this membrane is interrupted, leaving a small strand of membrane, which attaches close to the tip of the tongue. In either case, this frenulum limits the mobility of the tongue, often giving it a characteristic heart shape when extended.(www.ivillage.com)

Southern Style Snow Cream

This has been the worst winter the Northeast has ever encountered. Snow swells in areas like NYC and DC that have shut down the city for several days. Even the pentagon was closed one day last week. Although we've had some cold and miserable days, we've had nothing like that. Our little ice-in last month was bad enough to make me not wish for it here. On Saturday morning, we got an unexpected little blanket of the fluffy white stuff. It was the BEST kind of snow. A solid 3 inches on the ground. Big, Wet Fluffy stuff that never even stuck to the roadways. It made great snowballs and a cute snowman. It wasnt' really the sledding kind of snow and it was melted by the end of the day but it was fun to play in while it lasted. Oh, and it made for some tasty snowcream. Nana was smart enough to place my large bowl outside on the grill to catch the new falling snow. I had always just raked it off the top of the car. I don't mind eating a little car dirt. Apparently from my google search, snowcream is somewhat of a southern thing. Funny because snow is so rare for us from the south. I read in one place the reason it is a southern tradition is because the vanilla that is added used to have alcohol in it and the alcohol added would calm crazy kids who were a little over excited about the rare snowfall in our neck of the woods. Anyway, if you need the recipe to cook up some snowcream, here is one version:
Snow Cream

Large mixing bowl of fresh snow
1-2 c. Milk (any type is fine, but whole milk is best)
1-2 tsp. Vanilla Extract or other flavoring
1/2 - 1 c. Sugar

Take your large bowl of snow and stir the snow around a bit to fluff it up. Now quickly stir in just enough milk to make the right consistency of ice cream. Start with about 1/2 cup and keep going until you have enough to make the snow creamy. If you add too much milk and it becomes runny, just add some more snow. Then stir in a little vanilla and sugar, and Viola, you've got yourself some homemade snow ice cream!

i ♥ nana

First of all, I'm a proud user of google for everything my mind wonders. EVERYTHING! Sick? google, phone number? google, clingy baby? still looking on google! I found out how to make the cute "♥" symbol and of course I found it on google! If you need to know you type & hearts ; without the spaces!

So this year I have to admit, Nana was MY valentine. She flew in and rescued me in more ways than one. Thanks to her photo journaling, you'll have pictures to detail every event!

Beginning with the tale of the cast iron heart shaped pan. These cast iron muffin pans have been a part of my valentines day for as long as I can remember. They are my Granny's and she has always made me these cupcakes for valentines. As a child, I would help her with them and when I went off to college, they would show up in my mailbox or in my car on my way home from a February visit. Even as an adult living here in NC, I could count on the mail man delivering these confections to my door in early February. As of late, she acquired another pan totaling 3 and this year, I got my very own pan to keep. It's a smaller 9 heart pan and it's just perfect for making heart muffins or cupcakes. I had to get a short lesson in seasoning a cast iron skillet. This consist of soaking it in oil and heating it several times to make sure these adorable hearts come out perfectly. Jackson and I had consumed several batches of heart shaped muffins and we waited until Nana came to make the cupcakes. Wouldn't you know, in her luggage, she still came bearing Granny's cupcakes all the way from Alabama.
Jackson and Nana mixed up a lovely box of red velvet heart shaped cupcakes. Jackson loves to cook and likes to taste even more. He even iced them, tasting the icing after each smear! Mmmm everyone likes double dipped cupcakes!
From the photo, you may think we gave Lincoln a taste but not quite yet. Not that he wouldn't LOVE it, I'm just not ready for 2 sugar monsters to run free in this house yet.
We ♥ Nana
We ♥ Granny
and we ♥ "♥" shaped cupcakes.

When mama's sick...

When mama's sick...

-the laundry piles up HIGH!

-there are yogurt containers and fruit snack wrappers amuck.

-the kitchen becomes self service = junk food

-"rest time" becomes all the time

-there is an official movie marathon on TV

-the babysitter is called in to feed and diaper the infant

-the trash overflows, shamelessly

-there is a funny smell in the refrigerator (still unidentified)

-pajamas are appropriate for any outing

-rainboots are also approved

-coats are optional (for the mouthy toddler, not the baby)

-hourly care works are SAINTS

-tempers are short and days are long

that's when it would be REALLY nice to be a dual parent home.

I miss him at Christmas, I miss him on birthdays, anniversaries, and other sappy holidays but I miss him most....when mama's sick!

Breakfast with 16 of your closest friends!

What do you call 24 eggs, 12 pancakes, 8 slices of french toast, 6 biscuits, 3 lbs of sausage and 2 gallons of orange juice? That would be what takes to feed the Higerd party of 16 at Cracker Barrel for Saturday morning breakfast. That's right, Northridge Plantation took on Cracker Barrel this morning with 8 adults and 8 children. True bravery stood in placing all the children at ONE table ALONE! Everyone ate their fill and even escaped any major meltdowns thanks to a genius grandma (Thanks Mari's mom!)and a tube of play-doh. Now the floor and the poor waitress probably didn't fare so well but we hope she was well compensated with a tip.
Where are the pictures of this circus you ask...Seriously, who has time to make pictures while corralling 8 toddlers in a crowded restaurant?