"Wax on, Wax off" (If you're lucky anyway)

On a stormy Friday evening, I was relaxing watching the tube, when suddenly there was a quick rap at the door, and Taylon burst in out of breath. He had run up the stairs to bring a tale of woe and misery, a tale, that would ultimately lead to utter destruction! Panting, and hardly able to control his desire to get his brother and sister in trouble, he spilled a tale of pillows being thrown in the living room, and one landing SMACK! right in the middle of my Scentsy. (It's basically a large candle warmer). As I ran down the stairs to take inventory of the damage, I was beside myself, and as governor and president of this house, I thereby declared it in a state of emergency! There was wax on the walls, wax on the splash board in the kitchen, wax on the floor, wax in the sink, wax on the soap, wax on the dishes, you name it, and it was splattered with red smelly wax! Ali was frantically scrubbing the wall, scrubbing so hard infact, that she scrubbed the paint right off the wall, as well as the wall beneath, creating a lovely, if not a bit modern and contemporary hole--or new addtion to my living room--it really is quite lovely, I wish you could all see it. It is now well after the actual occurrence, and still, I am scrubbing wax out of grout, and finding wax bits everywhere! Curse you wax maufacturers, for not making a kid friendly wash away wax. I'm going to patent the Karate Kid candle, it will say, "No worries mom! wax spill? Wax on, wax off! It's as simple as that!"

The Shakers, and we're NOT talkin' salt 'n pepper darlin'

The Shakers began when a group of religious zealots decided that they wanted equality, and pure devotion to God. They felt that a life of celibacy was the only way this could be accomplished, yep! that's right, no sex. Zero! Zip! Nada wink! They even had seperate doors that the men and women had to go in and out of, they lived in different sections of the villages, they couldn't talk to one another unless it related to work, they even had seperate staircases so they wouldn't see one another. It is the most beautiful place on earth, you couldn't ask for more lovely scenery, but, like I said, no foolin' around dude! Not even a smooch! Well, surprise surprise, there is only one village of Shakers left, and this village is now a tourist attraction. We took my mom and Grandpa Peterson on a tour, and had a wonderful homecooked meal just like the Shakers would serve, eaten and served in their hotel in Pleasant Valley. There are the spiffiest little shops with demonstrations going on, and it really is fascinating! If you ever get the chance, and can keep your hands off each other for the day(ha! ha! ha!) grab your sweetie and head to Shaker Village just outside Lexington, KY. We loved it! I know you would too!

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"Condulations Mom" An Aligator congrats!

Oh happy day! graduation has come and gone, and it was a lovely event! Thank heaven we made it! Grandma Hayes and Grandpa Peterson were here to see it all! Ali wrote me a lovely letter with a certificate, that read, "Certificate of Condulations, You made it mom, we thought you never would!" Hmmm? Not sure what to think about that one.

Put Your Problems in a Box, and Smash Them With a Hammer!!! Or, to Save on Postage....

High School kids are, well, they're high schoolers! I had to go to the high school to teach 2, ninety-minute classes in a row to groups of about 85 kids. They were so terrible, everything I said, they came back with a retort, I tried to talk to them about milk, and they yelled out that milk causes breast cancer. The biggest problem was, the teachers were not helping at all with crowd control. I was the sacrificial intern and they were the evil priests! The first thought that came to mind, was that of my favorite villain, Yzma, "I'll turn them all into fleas, I'll put them in a box, and then I'll put that box into another box. Then I'll mail that box to myself, and SMASH IT WITH A HAMMER!" Then I thought that might not be such a good idea, so, "to save on postage, I decided to take charge!" you would all be so proud of me, I have never been so up front with anyone, usually I let people walk all over me. Not today my friends! I told them to ZIP IT! This is so unlike me I know! I gave them the riot act, and told them they were being extremely disrespectful, I told them not to make a comment unless it related directly to what we were talking about--and even then they had to raise their hand FIRST! They were stunned, I must admit I was too. After that, no postage or hammers were required, we actually had a great time and they all thanked me for a great presentation. I had really worked hard on that presentation. I made a really fun game--which they loved, and really interesting learning activities, it's not like I was going to make them just sit and listen. So, the moral of today's story, is: Save yourself some postage, stick up for yourself! You're worth it!

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When you least it expect it.....

I must make a confession, I love to make up silly songs, and I love to sing and dance around when I think no one is around. My kids think I'm crazy, and I suppose I am. Well, the other day I was in one of my fabuloso moods and had made up some ridiculous song about my nose and my toes--they rhyme okay, and that was the point at the time. So, here I am gettin "jiggy with it" in my garage and singing my little heart out when I turn around to see my Kentucky sister--Kristen. I was so embarrassed, why is it that whenever your house is the site of a nuclear explosion, your underwear is on fire, your naked, or you are just making a donkey out of yourself; someone catches you at it? Oh swell, we'll consider this lovely picture of Kristen with what appears to be frosting on her noggin even stevens for now--until next time someone catches me being more than just a little bit odd! By the way, just for your information, Kristen is my lifesaver, she keeps me sane when I feel anything but. We all need a pal that will let us rant and rave and still think we're great the next day. I have so many wonderful friends and my family is fanshmastic! Yes, I spelled it wrong on purpose. No complaints from me, in fact, if any of you want to come visit, you are welcome to drop in unannounced at any time! Just be forewarned of what you may find me doing, hee! hee! hee!

What Makes You Happy???

Does finding a wonderful new recipe fill you with glee? Does the scent of a freshly sliced onion bring tears of joy to your eyes? I have found such a passion for food, not only for eating it--which I have always loved--but in the process of creating the perfect meal. Now, one thing we have to clear up right away is that I am a "Martha Stewart" in training (just for you Renee!) I've also come to the conclusion that the harder you work on a meal, the greater chance you have of hearing, "oooooh! gross! I am not eating that!" I now know that if I hear those words, I have created a work of art! I would love to hear your stories of kitchen catastrophes, cataclysmic oven explosions, and just plain crazy food conglomerations you've created. For example, let me share a delightful meal I created with that received not only one "ooooooh! Gross!" but THREE, yep! it was gourmet through and through! I made a lovely balsamic skirt steak served with seasoned greens, polenta with a pinch of Parmesan and butter and a lovely side of fresh cut fruit. I garnished each plate and sat down to dine with my most appreciative family--only to discover that they were all plotting against me and planned to go get $5 pizza instead. Darn Little Caesars! But, rather than getting upset, or feeling crushed that my effort was not appreciated, I was in food heaven, I had created something so wonderful, that my children found it revolting, I was a success! (It was a recipe from Martha of course, and it was delicious!) So, if you are in the mood to have your family voluntarily go without dinner, give me a ring and I'll fix you up with the best darn balsamic skirt steak that will ever pass your lips! Love ya all! Stay safe, stay happy, and most importantly, stay in touch by golly!!!