I have scored above average on my latest online test. My results put me at 74% Dixie... I'm out of Yankeedom and apparently just a little pink on the neck! The higher your score, the more the Southern blood is in your speech. Do you speak in Bubbaese? Or are you a Yankee Doodler? Take this quick test from alphadictionary.com and find out! This test was pretty interesting- after you answer each question, it displays the results for your answer... like where in the U.S. that terminology or pronunciation is common. Try it out, and see what your speech says about your roots!

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Wow, where do I start???

Let’s see… do I mention my most embarrassing moment in, like, forever?! We’ll just leave it at: I was getting the kids loaded up after church. I’m leaning across the seat, rolling down the windows. Big gust of wind comes, catches under my skirt, and, as I step back down onto the parking lot, it blows my skirt completely up. We’ve all seen the Marilyn Monroe picture… well, think of that but about 5 kazillion times worse. Long skirt… completely up and over my back.

Then there’s this evening when the kids were all outside eating dinner. N had already left for work. I was in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher (which reminds me… it is still awaiting reloading!), and T was sitting in his walker watching me. I looked out the window and saw all the kids around the little tree in the backyard. They were reaching up and waving sticks around, and it looked like they were trying to pull down branches. They weren’t, but when I thought they were, I went outside to stop them. After settling that, M says something about how they saw a man in an orange shirt that said “10%” on it. I asked if he was out in the park, and she said that he was over on the patio behind the garage, she thought—that when they were on the deck eating, she thought she saw him, but when she turned, it looked like he went away. So I start to go into “panic mode” and began to interrogate… “There was a man in the backyard? Tell me exactly what you saw.” She says something about what she thinks she might’ve seen. Anyways, we’ll just keep it short and get to the part where L says, “Well, Moma, we were thinking it might be the missionary who drinks milk.” To which, M chimes in, “Yeah, Mom… we think we might’ve seen him in the garden picking tomatoes, too!” Then they all proceeded to continue looking in the backyard for the “riddles” to the mystery man. (Even so, I checked the garage to double-check that the doors and window were closed and locked.)

Tonight I was putting the food in the dog’s bowl, and in a moment of total wet-noodle fingers, I somehow fumbled the pitcher of food. This was unfortunate because it happened just as T was wanting to eat his dinner. And unfortunate because I just recently refilled the pitcher. And unfortunate because the dog bowl is in the laundry room. And unfortunate because it didn’t just spill on the laundry room floor but on the floor between the washer and dryer… and much of it into the trashcan full of dryer lint and some into the box of dryer sheets and into the pile of clothes in front of the washer getting ready to be washed. And unfortunate because it wasn’t food I could just throw away… since our dog is now on special “allergy food” I actually felt it was necessary to retrieve every piece possible… outside of moving the washer and dryer to get the ones that are now under them, I dug through the trash and everything. But most unfortunate was that I forgot to take a picture of my grand mess… until it was almost cleaned! It was actually quite humorous… but that might just be because I’m tired and a bit loopy.

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You may remember way back... during that momentary lapse in sanity ... when I started my bathroom repainting project. Now that it's just about August, I can finally say that my bathroom project is complete. Totally complete, not just almost

complete! I've got my vent cover back in place and my picture (in a new frame, even!) back on the wall.

It just took a hammer, a couple nails, a level, and the help of my husband's hands to get that picture back up. Obviously my poster frame (the cheapest one they had that I liked) did not have even hangers on the back of it: level nails on the wall did not equal level-hanging picture on the wall. After a couple adjustments to the nail positions, the picture is up and is hanging straight . It looks really nice on my red wall, too!

I guess now it's time to tackle my other on-going project: LAUNDRY. I don't think I'll ever have a post titled "Laundry Project Status: Complete," though. I'm amazed at how quickly the hampers seem to fill. (Well, maybe not. Hampers fill quickly when clothing seven bodies! They're not filling as quickly now as they have in the past: I am working on teaching the kids the idea of recycling worn clothing when it isn't really in need of washing yet.) Laundry is truly one of those chores from which you never really get a break! (Pinky knows it!! She lives there... Right, Pinks?!)

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Well I know I’ve had days when I’ve said that I might pull out my hair if I can’t get everyone settled and contented and somewhat quiet. You know, those days when the kids are out of whack, the day is out of whack, and, thus, I’m feeling pretty out of whack. Well, today was not one of those days. The kids were tired, but they were actually having a good, happy day. Even so, my kids may truly make me bald. No, it was not one of those out-of-whack days. But, it was one of those hair-pulling days.

No, for real. I’m not joking! (This totally is not funny. You’re really NOT supposed to be laughing!) I’ve honestly been feeling my head all day to see if I can find a hairless patch. I don’t think one is there, but I really thought there might be. (I don’t know why I keep feeling for it, though. If there was a bald patch, would I really want to know about it?? Maybe, but maybe not. I’d just be self-conscious all the time. Of course, my hair is long enough that I guess I could have a pretty convincing comb-over!)

I was sitting at the computer doing email, and S climbed up behind me. She’s standing on the chair behind me, and I’m telling her that she had better get down because she might fall. (Mostly, I’m more annoyed with trying to read and type while her little body is pushing up against my back and she's hanging on me!) To this she responds, “No… Me not fall. I okay.” Or something similar... Just imagine a spunky (she’s a sweetheart, but she’s definitely got some spunk) little 2-year-old and you can pretty much figure what she might say and how she might say it...

Maybe thirty seconds elapse from our discussion… S loses her balance and falls toward the floor. I realize it’s happening, but I’m not able to react in time. It didn’t help that she was behind me. I tried to grab her, but my arms didn’t bend back around me very well! (I’m not Elastigirl* … though that would have been very handy!) On the way down, she grabs hold of my hair to try (I’m stressing try here) to rebalance herself. Needless to say, she hit the floor… still holding on to a fistful of my hair. Not only was it extremely painful (for me, not her- she was just fine!), but I cannot get the sound out of my head! Let me tell you, it is more than a little unsettling to throw a bunch of my own hair (which was, just a few moments before, happily growing in my head) into the trashcan. But it is very unsettling to hear the sound (over and over and over again) of the hair coming out of my head. Not as bad as rubbing Styrofoam or scratching blackboards (or an irritating song!) but still disturbing, none the less.

*Now, for the irony. I had already typed up this blog and thought I'd find a picture of Elastigirl to put with the post (which I did find but couldn't get to post). Didn't I just say "I'm not Elastigirl"???? Well, I guess I was wrong! I just took a quiz to see which Incredibles character I was most like. According to this highly reliable intenet quiz, I am Elastigirl. (So, I just don't understand, then, why wouldn't my arms stretch out and wrap around me like noodles to keep S from falling and save my clump of hair?!) Fancy that!

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This is a LaughterThoughts original video...

is your volume turned up?

Please watch it!

My little monkeys are saying hi!!

(also, super short-- but super cool-- video of T via ultrasound September 05)

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Well, it cooled off today from Sunday's 112 degrees. But it was still 107. And, of course, as we hit the hottest part of the evening, the compressor on the air conditioner went out. It's probably just a blown fuse, but since N is working through the night, it won't be fixed until tomorrow. I guess the kids and I will have to cope. I'd like to open the windows, but it's still close to 90 out there... even at 9pm. The thermostat in the house is reading 80 right now, but every time I look at it, it has gone up 1 degree. (So maybe I shouldn't look at it, then??!!) Iguess I'll just be thankful it wasn't hotter today. When N went to work yesterday (and he's working outside) it was 117 at the site! I haven't heard what it was out there today.

...

Update: My post title should now be:

"feeling blue 'cause it's not the fuse!"

Unfortunately, it was not a blown fuse. The one A/C service company we called (one we've used before) was booked for the next couple of days. So were the next 5 or 6 we called. We could have them after hours... and pay overtime charges, of course. Finally found someone who was able to squeeze us in. It was a faulty capacitor. After it had been up and running for an hour and a half, the house was still at 90 degrees on our thermostat. It doesn't help that it was supposed to be another 107 day, but it's going to be running non-stop tonight I bet.

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We have a new little theater in town, and they put on a really great show!

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After lunch, M and L spent a couple hours working on a little art project. They were in at the table coloring and cutting paper and gluing. I knew they were really working away on something because they stayed focused on it for such a long time. It turned out that they were creating a theater.

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They made puppets-- there were a few boys, a few girls, and the princess (top-center, obviously!).

Here are the proud puppeteers right before the show.

They even set up chairs for the audience. Everyone took a seat (except me- I watched from the kitchen as I fed T). We enjoyed the show. It took place in a castle and was about a princess dancing with a prince.(Applause)

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Okay, dogs make me giggle! This is a funny compilation of doggy video clips. Click twice to watch--

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This video makes me laugh everytime I watch it, so I just decided that I needed to post it. Now everyone else can get a good laugh in, too! Just click the arrow twice to play. (And make sure your volume is on... the sound effects really add to the humor!)

I know, I know... I have this video is my sidebar, but I figure that you haven't actually checked out those video links. Am I right?! :-)

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NEEDED: Oscillating Fan, industrial-sized!

The weekend's weather forecast:

HOT, HOT, HOT

Friday: 108 F
Saturday: 110 F
Sunday: 111 F

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It's really exciting to come back home and to see how much everything has grown while you've been on vacation. The flowers are full and blooming, the garden is producing like crazy... I mowed the lawn tonight (surprise, N!) after dinner. T was napping, and I let the kids watch Charlotte's Web. S ended up coming out to the front porch and watching me. That surprised me since she typically stays as far away from noisy things (i.e. vacuum and lawnmower) as possible. She just smiled and waved and sat in the little rocking chair. So after mowing, I decided to take a few snapshots. I'm posting some of them, but I didn't get everything... (but I did get a picture that better shows the calamine lotion pink!)

...in front of the porch

...along the sidewalk leading up to the porch

...along the front fence (Note the pumpkin vine that has made its way between the house and fence and is coming from the back yard into the front yard... also notice the pumpkin now growing in the front yard! Also of importance: I planted seeds for MAMMOTH pumpkins!)

...part of the vegetable and herb garden in the back

...some of the eggplants (mmm-- I made an eggplant parmesan dish using fresh tomato slices (rather than marinara) , and it was so yummy-- and the eggplant was tender and tasty!)

...some of the yellow squash

...and some of the yellow squash that were ready to be picked while we were on vacation (and by the time we got home were HUGE... the picture doesn't quite capture it!)

...some of the watermelons

I didn't get a picture of N's "salsa garden"--

he's got all kinds of pepper plants growing on the side of the house.

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I propped T up on the couch yesterday and took a picture. I figure it's about time to start working on his sitting more. He did okay. :-)

Tonight after the kids finished dinner, I got out the ladder and got the walker off the shelf out in the garage. I put T in and stuffed a blanket around him so that he wouldn't flop over and smack his face. He seemed to enjoy it. Of course, he immediately had a lot of company! It was at this point we had "the talk" about space bubbles and not popping T's bubble. His bubble was pretty much immediately popped by that thumb-sucking little one on the right. She is definitely in awe of her baby brother... and has been since day one. Speaking of that little one, I'm surprised her eyes and swollen nose aren't black and blue for this picture... she walked in front of the swings this afternoon (of course it was in front of M who was swinging mighty high and hard), and there was the very unfortunate accidental meeting of foot and face. Many tears (from the hurting S and a very sorry M) and a whole lot of blood later, everything seems okay. S's nose does not appear to have been broken, though we really thought it might have been...

N is working a graveyard sort of shift right now... it's technically a 10-hour shift, but he's on the clock for at least 12. He works about 4:30pm to 4:30am. Quite an adjustment, but we all seem to be adapting fairly well. The biggest thing is trying to keep the house a little quieter during the mornings since N's sleeping when we're up and at 'em. He has started on the house painting. We're going with the slow and steady do-it-yourself method. The paneling was in need of a paint job, so we decided to get going on it. N plans on doing what parts he can and then hiring someone to just do the (scary) second-story parts he can't reach... (even on his humongously tall ladder!) So while we were freshening up the paint, we decided to freshen up the color a bit, too. We affectionately call the house "calamine lotion pink," but it's not really that pink... but, it is a little pink. You can't really see the original color in this picture because N had already put the primer on. The new color is the darker one around the light. He's going at it one little section at a time. This is in the back yard on the back side of the garage.

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Wow, it looks like these days I'm only "lightly nerdy"...!!! Several years ago (read that as: still in college and without kids) I think I would've scored quite a bit higher on the nerd test. In fact, I'm pretty sure I was pretty nerdy. Nerdy, maybe, but not dorky. And definitely not geeky. Hey, there's nothing wrong with being a nerd... and there's nothing wrong with only being lightly nerdy either! What does the test say about you? Are you looking for a high score, a low score, or a *sigh* so-so one like mine?

On a side note, I also took the stupidity test, and I scored really low, so in addition to being lightly nerdy, I'm also pretty smart. :-)

(Now read all this silly internet test-taking as: husband working odd hours and a crazy schedule!)

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It must be a bad connection...

Remember the telephone game? Pass a message along by whispering it from one person to another to another? It always was always funny to see what the last person said and to hear how different it was from the original.

A missionary was in our house yesterday. Evidently he came in and ate M’s sandwich… or so L says. L also says he’s invisible. M was really disturbed over this… mostly over the missing bites (or should I clarify—the bites she thought were missing) from her peanut butter sandwich but also over the idea that L was saying this missionary ate them. “A missionary did NOT eat my sandwich! And, anyways, if he’s invisible then how do YOU know he’s here?!” L said (with a big grin) that she can see him since she’s got “invisible eyes.” Understandably, I’m pretty confused as I try to figure out where L got this idea of a missionary “stealing” bites from my 6-year-old’s dinner... and why my 5-year-old is tormenting her so! But soon after L said he was invisible, it clicked. Oh, that’s right. I started all this. And then I just had to smile… ah, fond memories of grade school telephone… (Although I have suspicions that in elementary school some of the kids purposely altered the message as it went through the telephone line!).

Yesterday morning, in another moment of great distress, M (who is obviously tired and on the emotional side) “cried” (loud sobs and a big pouty face) because someone drank her milk and she didn’t even get one drink. I told her that she had actually been the one to drink it, and I showed her how the other kids had their own cups and were using those. She insisted, “But! But I do not remember drinking it! I did not drink it!” To which I, the unbelieving mom, say “It must’ve been Marvin, the imaginary fellow in the house who likes to drink kids’ milks when they’re not looking… I guess we’d better keep an eye out—I hear he likes peanut butter, too.” (Now, do not think that I was being a mean, insensitive parent… I knew M was just being whiny, and I was trying to get her to lighten up.)

So in our unprompted and unplanned game of telephone, L overheard all this and thought I said that Marvin was the missionary fellow living in our house. And I guess I did say he liked peanut butter.

It is funny to realize what kids think they hear sometimes. My mom could tell you about the time I was swatting at the “nasty little Christians” with the fly swatter. Turns out, those pesky house flies weren’t nasty little Christians at all… just nasty little dickens.

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fo' swizzle, fo' shizzle

Well, we survived the 2,456-mile road trip... 4 long days in the car (okay, okay... that's round trip-- but it sounds so much better to use such big numbers!) with us, the 5 little'uns, and Zacchaeus (That's the dog. By his name, you'll realize he's a lap dog-- sometimes even in the car!)... There were some restless and noisy times, and of course, there were the few nearly unbearable times, but overall we've got ourselves a pretty good group of travelers. We had a great vacation. It was so much fun to spend time with family. And the kids had a blast getting in some really wonderful cousin-time. (Unfortunately, not all of the cousins were there... our Iowa family was greatly missed!) Those kids played non-stop for almost two weeks! It was really sad when it came time to leave. You'll see that the kids wore their matching 4th of July t-shirts. (Props to Pinky!!) Aren't they cool? The graphic has each of the their names on it. They look really neat. And in the spirit of celebration, the sisters-in-law also sported their own matching tees!! (Props to Target!!) We girls had fun chatting, relaxing, and working on little projects-- like making swizzle sticks for my July Bunco. Now the boys, on the other hand, went on hikes and bike rides and ate Mexican food. They didn't have matching shirts... and I think they were a little amused by my stir sticks since I'm not serving mixed drinks. I am having Blue Sky sodas, though, and I think they're worthy of a swizzle, don't you?

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