PENSIEVE

** S Q U E A L S ** of Delight: LOOK WHAT I FOUND!

You're more than welcome to twiddle your thumbs for the first two minutes, eight seconds of this video...after that, how can you NOT fall in love with Helio and Julianne??????!!!!!!!!!!

Daggum...I'm smitten with an Indy race car driver...AND his dance partner!!

A story you can sink your teeth into (Mystery Box Revealed)

When you become a parent, there is a point at which the over-clichéd "it hurts me more than it hurts you" becomes more certain and true than the Salvation Army red-bucketed bell ringers who show up at every mall in America immediately following Thanksgiving dessert.  When an ankle is sprained or an arm broken or a chin split, we'd gladly assume the pain and treatment for our children.

My middle child is the one in our family who needs us to feel his pain, even if it's just a paper cut or hang nail (which in his case is the approximate equivalent of decapitation or loss of limb); if we don't adequately commiserate, he'll make sure we know he's in pain, loudly, proudly, and with all the drama and pageantry fit for a queen.   

Not a surprise to us was Thomas needs braces.  What was a surprise is our discovery that the kid is missing (counting 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9...) TEN permanent teeth!  You can imagine our confusion that his course of orthodontic treatment would include, paradoxically, more extractions.  (Counting again...) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 over the past two years--four the first time, five the second, and most recently, two more ripped from his (post-procedure) bloody gums. 

When we found out about the last two extractions, Tad and I went to the mattresses for the kid.  WAS THIS REALLY NECESSARY???  Dr. M patiently and thoroughly explained just why it would help give him an eventual "best" result. 

Let's just say Thomas--a 13-year-old, image-conscious middle schooler--was a bit more difficult to convince.  Short of ripping our clothes and donning sackcloth and ashes, our sympathy was a large measure of consolation to him, almost as good as the 600 mg ibuprofen he popped like Smarties. 

Why this story, now?  Click the picture and see what's in the mystery box (and thank me for sparing you color...sepia-izing it minimizes the dried blood...).

Thanks to all of you who ventured a guess on Wednesday's picture; the first commentor with the correct answer came quickly, Ellen, but the following made me smile or giggle or snort or blow a little spit on my screen:

• nose hair collection box, Erica (the most disgustingly original guess)

• "I sink it's maybe, um, beach clothes or, um, some decorations. Or maybe it's just nothing.", Jenny, but her four-year-old's guess (interesting how a toddler mind thinks)

• tiny pieces of gold, frankincense and myrrh, Jen (cause it means she's reading my blog)

• lined with cotton to protect the umbilical cord stumps, Kaytabug (I was wondering if anyone would guess u.c.s. because I actually have those somewhere, I think)

• the small amount of "free time" you get in your day, Kenna (ahhh! thinking outside the box!)

• where you keep your bad thoughts.  Obviously, from the size of the box, you don't have many, Robinella (the flattery at the end got her a mention ;) ).

• An AK-47? A basketball? A guitar pick? Min (the random insanity, though totally predictable, is just one of the many reasons I **heart** this Mama)

If you email your snail mail to me, y'all...one day please don't hold your breath in the meantime, I'm REEEAL slow :/ I'll get a surcie in the mail to ya!

BIGTIME hattip to Willowtree, for finally giving up how to make your pictures switch when you click 'em (word of advice, if you click his link here, DO NOT click his picture in the post.  Trust me on this...).

Inspired by a picture of beauty berries?!

Peculiar thoughts
I sometimes think:
Wouldn't it be cool
If brains were pink?

You may "blame" Laura for this little ditty--"brain" is the first thing I thought when I saw this picture :).  Visit her to submit your own "15 Words or Less Poem" (and I follow Kim's lead, I write these quickly or move on...perhaps this is stating the obvious by my content ;) ).

Keeping Your Children's Christmas Wish List Under Control

Some of the BEST parenting advice given to us was provided by my brother-in-law (the one who told me I was FAT) of all people.  He did so, not under the guise of giving advice, but by sharing a Christmas tradition begun by his parents.

When he and his siblings were younger, they were limited to asking Santa for three gifts.  This served dual purposes:  1) Their parents tied this back to the Christmas account in Matthew, when the Magi lavished Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh; and 2) it forced the children to narrow down their lists, to focus on a few things they most hoped for. 

The result and benefits are obvious:  children have realistic expectations, parents don't spend beyond their means, each gift has more significance since there are fewer of them, children aren't overwhelmed and over-stimulated with too much STUFF, etc.  To me, most important, it's a bit easier to focus on the wonder of Christmas--the incarnation of God Almighty for goodness sakes!--mind-blowing if you  allow yourself to consider what that means.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Mystery Box

What could possibly be in this tiny box? 

Guess correctly and you'll win a prize; guess creatively, and you might just win one, too ;).

Click to join this week's WW.
wordless wednesday

TOO MANY $#@! CHOICES! >:(

I am convinced that having TOO MANY CHOICES available for everything from toothpaste to televisions may cause:  a) headaches, b) discontent, c) insatiable wants, d) inability to distinguish NEEDS from previously-mentioned wants, e) agitation, f) irritation, g) traffic, h) the rising cost of gas, i) ADD and ADHD in children AND adults, j) Marie Osmond's choice of costume last night, j) and general twitchiness. 

Are FIVE sweetener alternatives really necessary?  Refined sugar, turbinado sugar, Sweet'N Low, Equal and Splenda.  And in case you were worried, they're ALL "safe":

Refined sugar: "Following FDA’s 1988 affirmation that sugar was Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), several major nutrition policy statements accepted and incorporated FDA’s conclusions."

Turbinado sugar (marketed as "Sugar in the Raw"):  "...is safe for people with celiac disease...." (but not recommended for diabetics).

Sweet'N Low:  "We are pleased that the National Toxicology Program is removing saccharin from its list of cancer-causing substances. This announcement supports what we have known all along: saccharin is safe for human consumption," said Marvin Eisenstadt, president of Cumberland Packing Corp."

Equal: "The sweetening ingredient....aspartame...is composed of two amino acids (the building blocks of protein)."  See?  It's H.E.A.L.T.H.Y. "...In the body, aspartame breaks down into the amino acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine...[and] recognizes and uses these components in exactly the same way, whether they come from aspartame or common foods....  Leading health authorities including the American Medical Association, the American Dietetic Association and the American Diabetes Association have also recognized aspartame's safety."

Splenda: "The company is extremely proud of the strong clinical database that supports the safety of sucralose..."

GREAT, I WASN'T concerned, but after surfing their websites my thorough investigative reporting--and EVERY one of their sites touting their safety--maybe I'll make the switch to Agava after all....

Postscript:  And this, ladies and gentlemen, is WHY I have unfinished projects in the house--what began as a simple, BRIEF, PHOTO POST about excessive choice, morphed into a diatribe on sugar and its derivatives.

Raise your hand if you think I should rename my blog "Bunny Trails".......

** s i g h **

Photo credit:  Ele M

 

When adversity becomes you...

UPDATED:  Please...say.it.ain't.so...please?

Never before has:
...a fainting spell...
...your 16-year-old son entering rehab...
...bereavement...

served anyone better than Marie Osmond and her now over-extended stay on Dancing with the Stars. 

I'm watching the finale as I type this, and after watching her cartoonish freakish  GARISH baby-doll-costume-wearing-self freestyle dance?  While I've applauded her 48-year-old feet making it this far...it's time to say buh-bye.

But Helio?  Mmmmm...helllll-ooooo-my;)!

Just look at how STINKIN' ADORABLE Helio and Julianne were last night...if I can find video of their jive, I'll post it later.

 

Photo credits:   TV Squad.com and Reality TV Magazine.com

Fun Monday ~ ...paved with good intentions...

Blue Momma is wicked taking a different route with our theme this week:  abject humiliation.  She t r i e d to cloak it in a "misery loves company" thing, but we know better...it's just another one of those "you show me yours and I'll show you mine" one- upsmanship.  Except, in this case, it's downsmanship or something.  Don't believe me?  Here are HER words:  "I want to see your unfinished projects. I have so many that I really need some reassurance that I'm not the only one. Home improvement projects are what I have in mind, but it you don't have any of those show me any kind of project - needlework, cooking, scrapbooking, etc. You can even show me your spouse if they qualify as a work in process." AND, she had the audacity to beg for PICTURES!

Well, far be it for me NOT to abide by the rules of the game. 

I'm certain I've mentioned how difficult it has been to locate old pictures before (like these or these)...that's because they've been "waiting to be organized" for years.  Lots and lots of years.  But, thanks in large part to a well-aimed flame under my behind--lit by my traitor daughter of all people!--I'm making progress.

See?  This is Rachel's system:

Pretty pictures in pink bowls...doesn't that just make the work F U N?  At least she HAS a system...:/.  AND she created a fabulous new tongue twister!

Once they were sorted by year, we put them in their own box:

Personally, I think funky, colorful photo boxes make a difference, too. 

Can't you just feel our momentum?

The old ones are relegated to old shoe or storage boxes...not nearly as motivatin'....

Ooops!  I forgot these.....

THERE'S my Diet Pepsi, daggum it!  I wondered where I left it!  (See how I was multi-tasking?  There are stamp projects all over the table, too....  Hmmm, WHY can I never get anything done???)

When I'm done with pictures, there are a few other projects to keep me busy:

Cleaning out and organizing the side attic for the sixth time in four years--

And cleaning out closets and taking a stack to Goodwill, a seemingly semi-monthly bi-monthly occurrence at our house.

Okay, guys...that's all you're getting from me this week...I've got work to do!

(Be sure to visit Blue Momma for even more works-in-progress!)

On Friendship

"Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work...
If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"
Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10


"One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship
is to understand and to be understood."
Seneca

"It is said that love is blind.
Friendship, on the other hand,
is clairvoyant."
Philip Soupault

Heartfelt thanks to Chaotic Lisa for surprising me with this friendship award above; I'll update later when I decide to whom I'm passing it along :).

THANKS, LISA!

The Adventures of Isabel

By Ogden Nash, this is one of my most favorite "fun" poems evah...it makes me smile EVERY time I read it.

Isabel met an enormous bear,
Isabel, Isabel, didn't care;
The bear was hungry, the bear was ravenous,
The bear's big mouth was cruel and cavernous.
The bear said, Isabel, glad to meet you,
How do, Isabel, now I'll eat you!
Isabel, Isabel, didn't worry.
Isabel didn't scream or scurry.
She washed her hands and she straightened her hair up,
Then Isabel quietly ate the bear up. Once in a night as black as pitch
Isabel met a wicked old witch.
the witch's face was cross and wrinkled,
The witch's gums with teeth were sprinkled.
Ho, ho, Isabel! the old witch crowed,
I'll turn you into an ugly toad!
Isabel, Isabel, didn't worry,
Isabel didn't scream or scurry,
She showed no rage and she showed no rancor,
But she turned the witch into milk and drank her. Isabel met a hideous giant,
Isabel continued self reliant.
The giant was hairy, the giant was horrid,
He had one eye in the middle of his forhead.
Good morning, Isabel, the giant said,
I’ll grind your bones to make my bread.
Isabel, Isabel, didn’t worry,
Isabel didn’t scream or scurry.
She nibled the zwieback that she always fed off,
And when it was gone, she cut the giant’s head off. Isabel met a troublesome doctor,
He punched and he poked till he really shocked her.
The doctor’s talk was of coughs and chills
And the doctor’s satchel bulged with pills.
The doctor said unto Isabel,
Swallow this, it will make you well.
Isabel, Isabel, didn’t worry,
Isabel didn’t scream or scurry.
She took those pills from the pill concocter,
And Isabel calmly cured the doctor.