Friday's Quiz Answer: 1966 Shelby Cobra Replica

These are the pics you were given:

This is the whole picture...

My husband built this car from a kit. And it is faster than I care to think about. Our Little Someone likes to ride in it up and down our gravel road, all the while the dogs chasing on the other side of the fence.

Friday's Pop Quiz: What is it?

So, here's the 'quiz'... I give you part of a pic and you make a guess as to what it is? Try to be as specific as possible.

I will post the answer (bigger picture) tomorrow. All pics are taken here at the ol' Homestead.

Happy guessing!

I know, the little pics don't have great clarity- this was a pre-new camera pic.

Oh, if you are family or you answer to the name of Mr. D.... no fair, you have insider knowledge. :-)

SOMEthing's Up

Blogger has been adding spaces (like herein) AGAIN to my posts so that I, then, have to go and delete them repeatedly (very annoying).





I'm having weird dreams... like my shorts are too small and my diapers are showing in gym class





OR





dreams that I have a thick magnolia leaf in my mouth and it's unpalatable so I need to get a new, thin, fresh, soft leaf and put butter on it and it would be fine.





A few times, Blogger or ?? has not let me open up certain website unless I log out and come back and try again (arrghh!).





My *$#@ legs have been driving me nuts in the middle of the night making sleep quality stink.
{I have RLS (restless leg syndrome)- your legs can wake you up with this horrible tickling feeling (or like you have ants crawling under your skin) -you can only stand it so long before you jerk your leg to get the tickling feeling to go away. I counted... once I move my leg, the feeling comes back after 3 seconds and builds until at 10-12 seconds, I HAVE to move my legs. Taking Iron helps... guess I'll have to up my Iron more... and then there's lovely side effects with that. Sorry, I digress.}.




When lay down to go to sleep, my heart beats so loudly, it keeps me awake for awhile.




AND





I've been questioning -am I hungry or not hungry? ...should I be hungry?





*





What is up?!?





*





Hmmm...





*





Maybe this............







*








If all continues, E.T.A. is Jan. 19.

?'s & Comments that I Remember from the Last Few Days...

Our daughter, whom I refer to as Little Someone (LS) is 2 years, 9 months old. These are just some of the things that she has said very recently.

Do spiders poop?

Thank you for taking care of my itch.

Do spiders have families?

Does Smidgen (one of our dogs) get the hiccups?

I'm going to go tee tee in the grass (followed by, "Oh, no you're not. Let's go to the potty"-which, we did).

Do snakes have hair?

Is that poo-poo dust? (this was said while pointing into the 'big potty' -okay people, perhaps I shouldn't admit, my toilet needed cleaning- you know where the water level sits in a toilet, how it can mildew a bit... it wasn't that bad, but our little one notices everything).

Do cars walk?

Do bugs have mommies and daddies?

Thank you for giving me a strawberry mommy.

That's a concrete truck (noted on the way to Home Depot).

How does the concrete come out of the truck?

I love you (while grabbing my arm to hug at the table).

Do horses cry?

Do elephants cry?

Do dogs cry?

Your breath stinks.

Do dogs talk?

I want to do it(!) -(said on SO many occasions, it cannot be counted).

I need to go potty (while we were at Home Depot.. and on the way to the potty..) "I'm holding my tee tee. I'm holding my tee tee in my uterus." (don't worry, I explained it).

Dogs don't talk (while watching 'Clifford').

LS: Are you thinking what I am thinking about?
me: I don't know, what are you thinking about?
LS: That the horse trailer is too big.
me: It's not too big.
LS: It is big?
me: Yes, it is big, but not too big.

Do wasps have baby eggs?

Can I help you bake?

Can I help you do laundry?

I'm such a good girl.

I like playing in the mud.

Mommy, will you carry me?

I'll keep on trying (while trying to put the horse halter on the dog).

I'm a good helper.

Mommy, I don't want to go to sleep (at bedtime).

Mommy, I don't want you to leave (at bedtime).

Mommy, don't leave. Stay and talk to me (while holding my arm at bedtime-very difficult).

They Gave...

We're Free

Be Thankful

Friday's Quiz Answer: A Bottlebrush Tree!

{My goodness, that Robynn @'Robynn's Ravings'... she's goooood! She guessed it!}

Here's the pic you were given...

It was taken from the right top quadrant of this pic...
Here's what the tree looks like...

They're a beautiful tree that the Hummers love. We have three of them, all young like this one. Got them from a nursery that had two planted on site and were good size, maybe 20 feet tall. They stay spectacular like this 3 seasons out of the year since we are in a warmer climate. Also, are non-deciduous, which is nice since we get some green color during the wintertime.

Hope you had fun with this type of "quiz". Got a real doozy lined up for next week!

Friday's Pop Quiz: What Is It?

So, here's the 'quiz'... I give you part of a pic and you make a guess as to what it is? Try to be as specific as possible.

(You can leave a guess by clicking on the comment link underneath. You can do so anonymously if you choose)

I will post the answer... that is, the whole picture tomorrow. All pics are taken here at the ol' Homestead. Happy guessing!

Thankful Thursday: The Navy

If you remember the man (who was a husband & father too) that was captured by Somali pirates -he was captain of a large cargo ship. Well, if you remember how it went down and he was saved, you may appreciate this:

I'm thankful for our Navy.

The Letter of the Day While Taking "Tour" Pics

It was suggested by a reader to take some pics and give a"tour" of our place. I am *slowly, but surely* working on it. In doing so, our Little Someone and I took a walk to three of the four corners of our property and I snapped up pics with our new camera.

We walked back down our (and a few neighbor's) private gravel road. As we neared the front corner, I walked rather quickly to get to it and snap the pic, then head back to the gate before our daughter had to backtrack too. You can see her here better if you click on the pic.

Before I started walking faster, we were perusing along the grass and gravel road with me just, maybe, 20 steps ahead of her. I was snapping some flower pics in the grass and she started carrying on about something in the road... while I was trying to figure out just how close I could get to a particular flower. I could tell it wasn't something dire and could wait a few (literal) seconds... or so I thought.

Her beckoning became louder, so I asked what was the matter. It was at that point she upped the ante, Come see! Come see! LOOK! Well, she had my attention... now, I'm wondering if it's some strange bug I've got to worry about her touching or it biting. So I quickly head over and she drops her flowers that she had picked and pointed to this...

...and said, Look! It's the letter "I".

I was so proud of her.

Baring My Laundry (along with a real cute LS)

Okay, I've decided to post a video taken back in January. Our Little Someone has not repeated this incident, but it lives on in video.

But first, some very important disclaimers [acckk, I'm actually posting this video?!? (saying to self)]:

*This was a heavy laundry day... there were LOTS of clothes to be done.

*When I do laundry, I separate it into piles.

*The piles are many. I am obsessive, thus I have ...ooohhh, say six different piles at a time (hey, at least we have clean uncontaminated clothes. You got to know, we get grimy and when we get grimy and I don't want grimy socks washed with my bath towels):

• dirty whites
• clean whites
• light colored, 'middle of the roaders'
• dirty darks
• clean darks
• darker colored 'middle of the roaders'

POINT BEING, OMGracious, the clothes on the floor **sighhh** (gees, I feel like I'm exposing myself here).

Okay, so here we go... Oh, and don't forget to turn your speakers on.

For book purposes, the below picture was put in place of the video.

It was taken from same time period.





Grocery Store Trip ? of the Day

I was at the grocery store yesterday, Thursday. We (my toddler and I) were in one of those HUGE Wal-marts... which is SO difficult to shop because it is SO big. ANYway, we were on the downhill slide when we noticed a noisy, busy, boy (probably 4 or 5) standing next to his little sister which was sitting in the grocery cart seat while the mom was pushing it. They were a ways down an isle that I was passing by. I said, "That boy is hyper." My daughter (2 years 8 months old) says, "What's hyper?" I tell her it's when you have a lot of energy and you move around a lot.

Wellll, we stopped to pick out some lunch meat and are passed by the aforementioned group. My daughter, sitting in the cart seat, looks down at the boy walking by and says, "Are you hyper?"

Today's To Do List:

• Change a diaper
• Fix breakfast
• Start some laundry
• Ready ourselves
• Encourage potty use/Change a diaper
• Grocery shopping
• Unload groceries
• Encourage potty use/Change a diaper
• Fix lunch
• Dishes
• Clean kitchen
• More LAUNDRY
• Encourage potty use/Change a diaper
• Read to daughter before nap
• Nap time
• A bunch of other stuff

The productive part of my day is in the AM... once nap time ends, it's all just tying up loose ends from the first part of the day.

Looking back at this list above... ha! If I tried to write down all the ancillary irons in the fire, I'd be sitting here for awhile and I've GOT to get my priorities straight... namely, SLEEP for me (I type these often the night before). Sooo, a short incomplete list it is.

p.s. Our Little Someone is getting better about telling me when she needs to use the potty and holding it when we're not around one. I haven't been one to push the issue. I hear when they're ready, they're ready.

Got a New Camera ~ Whoo-Hoo!

...and wow, is it NEAT! Sheesh, I shouldn't have waited so long to get one.

Am not going to be long on words today... but I would recommend clicking on some of these pics so you can see the DETAIL ...the wasp on the hummer feeder is quite amazing with that oblong back end on a stick. And I left it gargantuan so when you click, you'll see the spikes and hairs on his legs.

All the pics were taken at our place... sadly, the last one too (in our house!). Does anyone know WHAT kind of spider that is?? If you do, please send a comment. I would love to know what you think. My husband and I know it's not a brown recluse, wolf spider, black widow (they have a dot)... but we don't know what this is??

Needless to say, this was pic was taken right before his timely death.

Our Annual Protest

I'm whooped. And having to protest one's property taxes... stinks. I do it every year and that's what I did yesterday (Monday). My husband and I have gone together a few times. But, it seems I have better luck going by myself. So, at it alone, I go.

I WON'T GET ON MY BANDWAGON... because I may not get off of it before I need to go to bed... suffice to say that we CATEGORICALLY believe property taxes are extortion - one can never OWN their home/property. They have to 'lease' it from the government -a gov't that, incidentally, constantly increases your lease amount without your consent.

Sales tax... ALL for it. A person has a choice with a Sales Tax and the state still gets change in their pocket (plus, research shows that states get more from a Sales Tax).

ANYway, went to protest after doing my research up until 2AM the night before. Did get some 'relief' on our 'improvements' (ha... what a joke). But, my husband and I will both go before the Appraisal Board to contest our land value (we have 8 acres). Since we bought our property 11 1/2 years ago, the county has gone up in our "appraised value" a WHOPPING 449% ...how's that for 'legal' thievery!?!

OMGracious ...I cannot get started, it's too late and I need sleep too much to go and get my heart rate up.

**deeeep breathhh**

Happy Mom's Day to You... yeah, YOU!

My mom had it rough growing up.

This is my mom when I was not quite 3 y/o.

I'm sure there are those out there that had it rougher. But, let me tell you, there are SO many that can't imagine how she had it. And be glad for that if you, like me, are in that large group.

The early days- my mom is 27 y/o here (my older brother and I were 6 & 4 at the time).

I've heard tidbits over time... gees, for that matter, the bare facts are enough to make me shrivel up and want to go hide: one brother five years older, then she (my mom) arrived into the world, then another brother 3 years younger arrived. Just three months after the younger brother was born, the already absent father left and her parents divorced. Mix this with her mother being an alcoholic and emotionally/mentally unstable. A year or two later, add a remarriage of the alcoholic unstable mother to 'God Knows What' that abused my mom (and her mother). Around the time my mom was 5, she began to live with her blind grandmother (since the step dad was abusive and an alcoholic). BUT, they lived right next to each other in like a duplex that sat on top of one another... so only a stair-way separated them. Subsequently, at my mom's age of 7 or 8, this 'step dad' hung himself. Shortly afterwards, my mom went back to live with her mother.

Just about every summer, as I was growing up, we went to Colorado. We camped and often rode motorcycles.

So, from the time my mom was 5 years old, she *living with her blind grandmother* had to do household chores that I just can't see a 5 year old doing; fixing meals, dishes, ironing, etc... at five years old. Yes, it was by far the better choice than living with her mother and the abusive husband. But... gees... being so responsible at five... for that matter 8 years old... hard to fathom.

My mom on the Durango/Silverton Train in Colorado.

It's no wonder my mom became a nurse. You know, research shows that 80+ % of nurses come from alcoholic/abusive families ...interesting, they couldn't "fix it" when they were young, so they go into a field that tries to "fix" and becomes the bearer of the brunt of things... cause that's what nurses do.

POINT IS... my mom had it rough ...and, I assure you, this is only a sweet summary. My mom forgave her mother before she passed- told in my mom's words HERE. What a forgiving woman my mom is... she saw her mother for the wounded child she was.

Another thing, she (my mom) didn't repeat the cycle by getting with an abusive man. My dad has never laid a hand on my mom, nor has he ever been verbally abusive (talk about beating the odds ... kudos to my dad on this as well!). They've been married now for almost 44 years.

You know, I asked my mom what she was okay with me 'sharing'... her response was just to do what I thought was okay. I then asked myself what my aim was after all. After much consternation, the two thoughts that came to mind were:

• First, when one sees things about themselves in writing, somehow it's more real... it's like it holds more credence... if this makes sense. In that regard, it is my hope that maybe my mom can appreciate herself more and be more forgiving of herself in how she raised her children. She, after all, did a remarkable job.
• Second, who knows if her (my mom's) children's children (and theirs?) will someday read this. With technology and all (these blogs can be saved), it's like a history of sorts. I know I appreciate stories of my family's hardships. Makes one appreciate their own lot better.

Those are my reasons for 'sharing'.

Before I started typing the above, I had saved a post with a few short poems and sayings to post on Mom's Day. The text is still below. Though this post is lengthy, I'll go ahead and leave it... because the poets say it better than I can and I want my mom to hear it. Plus, the home video is kind of ? ... ? neat.

******************previously typed below*******************

I found so much good stuff searching for the *ultimate* Mom's Day poem. Alas, no one poem can summarize what a Mom is, does, gives, transmits, translates ....etc, etc... So many of them connotate so many different things. I figure a sundry of things just might touch the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

I use the term, "Mom", because that is what I call my dear one. For me, the term 'Mother' was not the name/word of choice. We all have symbolic meanings attached to things and, for me, that term isn't warm and fuzzy (perhaps it's because I remember my mom calling her alcoholic mom, "Mothhher"). Regardless, for me, it doesn't convey my feeling... so "Mom" it is. Consequently, since I was young, I have always put a line through the word 'Mother' on cards and whatnot and rewritten "Mom" over it.

On the poems below, I have included the authors names whenever I knew them. Please send a comment if you happen to know the author of any poem whose author is listed as unknown. And don't forget to turn you speakers on for the video.

************************************************

Untitled

There are times when only a Mother's love
Can share the joy we feel.
When something we've dreamed about
Quite suddenly is real.

There are times when only a Mother's faith
Can help us on life's way
And inspire in us the confidence
We need from day to day.

For a Mother's heart and a Mother's faith
And a Mother's steadfast love
Were fashioned by the Angels
And sent from God above.

~Author Unknown

Mother o' Mine

If I were hanged on the highest hill,
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!
I know whose love would follow me still,
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

If I were drowned in the deepest sea,
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!
I know whose tears would come down to me,
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

If I were damned of body and soul,
I know whose prayers would make me whole,
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

~Rudyard Kipling

Wonderful Mother

God made a wonderful mother,
A mother who never grows old;
He made her smile of the sunshine,
And He moulded her heart of pure gold;
In her eyes He placed bright shining stars,
In her cheeks fair roses you see;
God made a wonderful mother,
And He gave that dear mother to me.

~Pat O'Reilly


To My Mother

You too, my mother, read my rhymes
For love of unforgotten times,
And you may chance to hear once more
The little feet along the floor.

~Robert Louis Stevenson

This heart, my own dear mother, bends,
With love's true instinct, back to thee!

~Thomas Moore

And a couple of "Tru'isms"...
When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.
~Sophia Loren

We never know the love of the parent until we become parents ourselves.
~Henry Ward Beecher

**************************************************
So, we (my family) have our three generations pics; my mom, my daughter, and I. My maternal grandmother passed before our daughter was born. However, in a small way, she still can hear her...

(For book purposes: the video that was posted is one of Emma sitting in, what is now, Clayton's closet that was full of stuff... including a talking picture frame that had Grandma's mom recorded on it saying 'I love you'.)

I am more blessed than words can say.

My cup runneth over.

HAPPY MOM'S DAY TO YOU!

LYM

Saturday's Sonnet/Poem ~because tomorrow's Mom's Day

My Mother Kept A Garden

My Mother kept a garden,
a garden of the heart,
She planted all the good things
that gave my life it's start.

She turned me to the sunshine
and encouraged me to dream,
Fostering and nurturing
the seeds of self-esteem...

And when the winds and rain came,
she protected me enough-
But not too much because she knew
I'd need to stand up strong and tough.

Her constant good example
always taught me right from wrong-
Markers for my pathway
that will last a lifetime long.

I am my Mother's garden.
I am her legacy-
And I hope today she feels the love
reflected back from me.

~Author Unknown

Friday's Pop Quiz: What Kind of Communicator are You?

What Kind of Communicator are You?

my results are...

You Communicate Clearly

You're the type of person who thinks before you talk. You speak in an ordered, insightful, and concise way. You speak authoritatively and with conviction. If you take the time to say something, you stand behind it. You only say what you need to. You believe that your words are strongest when they're not diluted. When you have a lot to say, you map out your words ahead of time. You prefer to speak in bullet points.

Lovely... don't I just sound like a FUN stick in the mud.

To take this short 7 question quiz, go HERE and let me know!

Life with Dogs

Really ... honestly... I have GOT to clean my baseboards ...and I ain't taking pics to show you. Just remember, we have TWO 165 lb. Great Danes that live indoors and out. We take our shoes off, but they just keep the grime between their toes until they enter their ....uhhh... our domain.

And then, of course, they have hair over 99.7265% of their l-a-r-g-e bodies and they have a bit of slobber too... which wouldn't be so bad if they didn't SHAKE every time they get up. For those that don't know, it's the shaking that sends the slobber sideways this and that. It can stick to walls and it doesn't match the paint color very well.
Hmmm... sounds like I have more than baseboards to clean.

*sighhh*

Life with dogs... BIG dogs.... well, truth be told, I wouldn't have it any different.

Gotta go clean...

From the Land Down Under... I Hit the Jackpot

Less than two weeks ago, I clicked over to the right place ...and won! Tatersmama was having a giveaway for her 10, 010 click. Let me tell you... this was not even the first time I have visited her place. I'm a regular, as she is SOO real, down to earth, funny, caring, what-you-see (read)-is-what-you-get... just LOVE reading her. So, I headed on over to see what the latest on-goings were and... I won... and I just do not usually win things.
I could not believe what this generous woman sent me and my family. I had to take pics to show you... wowey, wow-wow.

So, the package arrived at 6:30 PM... I'm sitting out on the east side of our house by our daughter's sand box and I hear the dogs erupt in a barking frenzy... well, the UPS man was here! After a brisk walk down to the gate, the UPS man handed me the package over the fence. Since it was not 7 PM yet (the time we go in for dinner), I HAD to open it. Brought it back over to a shady spot in the yard and opened her up.

A surPRIZE from 'Aussieland'!

Look how nicely wrapped this is! Okay dumb question... that I''ll HAVE to look up... are green, yellow & white Aussie colors?

Whoo-Hoo! ...look at ALL the goodies!

Oooooh... soaps. One for skin softening and another for a healing refreshing feeling!
Don't ya just love the packaging!?! Almost makes me not want to open them!
[oh, but I will(!) as I am not one to let something good go to waste].

Vegemite... last time I had this stuff was 25 years ago ...yes, I know, some of you are saying, "Blaah!"... but I am going to be looking up some recipes that use bouillon... it is very similar in taste strength and should season wonderfully!


Ommyyyy... hubby clamored for these and enjoyed. They have a twist to their flavor... kind of a salty cracker with a lemon filling layer... kind of says "Bam!"

Yes, there's MORE!!! ....

Aren't these the cutest!?! Our Little Someone just made these hers for awhile AND picked up some new vocabulary.... "Platypus" and "Emu" -and said, "It (the Emu) looks like an Ostrich". Yup, kind of does, we said.

There's more... it's a set of six!

Talk about COLORFUL! Just look at this shirt! Click on the pic and you can see it BIG with all of the fabulous, colorful Geckos on it. And let me tell you... this isn't any ordinary tee-shirt. This puppy is high-quality ...thick, soft, flexible cotton. Just spectacular! Got to get it washed and will get a shot of Little Someone in it!

And... last, but certainly NOT least... OhMyGracious.. these were SOOOO good. They were gone in less than 16 hours and... umm... err... and say 7 of those hours were spent sleeping overnight. The thing is, I will do many things for chocolate ...ohh, get your mind out of the gutter... but ...seriously... these were scrumptious!

Now, how's that for clicking my mouse and going where I go anyway.... ain't Life grand!?!

I tell you, that Tatersmama knows how to spoil a reader ...and the thing is, and this is just icing on a cake ...like chocolate icing ... between layers of chocolate biscuit... *drooling*.... boy, those chocolate biscuit cookies were good... err... I digress...

My point IS... she knows how to spoil a reader because she is a great read without doing a giveaway (and she's got another coming up soon for her 200 posts)... ANYway, she is a FUN read. If you haven't been to her place (and you're here at this wee little blog?), hop on over. You won't be disappointed ~ you'll come away with a smile, a chuckle, a pensive thought, sometimes feeling better about your own lot (especially if you have kids), or SOME feeling that will make you want to go back to learn more about her. Her blog is called Tatersmama's Take on Things.

From Texas, I'll just end by saying... She's a neat gal!
Thank you KatieTatie for being so generous and thoughtful!

It's Just a Hop, Skip, & a Jump over to Mom's Place

Okay folks... wherever and whoever you are... uhhh... hello??...are you there???

Well, for those few that are there (I know... this is a wee peeped blog), but for those that are here, I have to tell you about someone. They just started their blog a bit over a month ago... actually on April Fool's Day ...hmmm.

Anyhow, I wouldn't say she is a fool though... because that would be saying I was raised by a fool and I wasn't. She is my mom. Once she got her blog going and I saw a few widgets up, I called and said, "Wow, you can teach an old dog new tricks". I was semi-joking, of course.
:-)

If you are here reading this, please stop by for a little peek and give her a shout out (a comment). I know she would love it and it would let her know that, indeed, someone else (other than her daughter) has been by. Her blog is called "It's Never too Late For a Happy Childhood". It's an appropriate title for someone that made lemonade from a sour childhood.

Saturday's Sonnet/Poem: Since Mom's Day is approaching...

The Mother

There will be a singing in your heart,
There will be a rapture in your eyes;
You will be a woman set apart,
You will be so wonderful and wise.
You will sleep, and when from dreams you start,
As of one that wakes in Paradise,
There will be a singing in your heart,
There will be a rapture in your eyes.

There will be a moaning in your heart,
There will be an anguish in your eyes;
You will see your dearest ones depart,
You will hear their quivering good-byes.
Yours will be the heart-ache and the smart,
Tears that scald and lonely sacrifice;
There will be a moaning in your heart,
There will be an anguish in your eyes.

There will come a glory in your eyes,
There will come a peace within your heart;
Sitting 'neath the quiet evening skies,
Time will dry the tear and dull the smart.
You will know that you have played your part;
Yours shall be the love that never dies:
You, with Heaven's peace within your heart,
You, with God's own glory in your eyes.

~Robert William Service

Friday's Pop Quiz: How Do You Think?

How Do You Think?

You Think Objectively

Your brain works best when you are able to think in steps. You like procedures and routines. You are good at staying focused and on task. You are excel at developing workable solutions to difficult problems. You simply look at the facts. You have an excellent memory, and you are a quick thinker. You can sort out what's important from what's not.

Wow(!)... I registered... I mean, it registered that I do, indeed, think! Whaddaya know! Hallelujah! Okay, okay, I will say... I do like organization and don't deal well with all sorts of stimulus coming at me from all different angles... and I have been told that I'm a stay on task-master, but ... a "quick thinker"?!? Ha... then why do I SO often think of the good things to say after the fact?!?

So, how do you think? Take the short 5 question quiz HERE and let me know!