One thousand twenty one cans...

I hate to recycle cans (you know, soda pop cans). I do recycle because we have kind of a forced recycle here (we pay 5 cents per can and if you want your money back...you have to recycle). But I still hate to do it. It's not because I don't want to help the earth or anything. It's just...well, icky. Sticky. Stinky. And... a... lot... of... trouble. Most normal people just take one or two bags at a time to recycle. But, nooooo. Not me. I'm so weird I take 15 large bags of cans at a time to recycle. And you have to file the cans through the machine ONE... AT... A... TIME. Ugh!

So today, after a weekend of cleaning up the garage I needed (or should I say wanted) that precious garage space those 15 bags were taking up. So 45 minutes later I came out with over $51.00 and left behind 1021 cans.

I guess it's good that my garage isn't any bigger. Or I just might hit the 2 or 3 thousand mark before I go in next.

Testing and prune cake...

For the past couple of days our kids have taken their annual standardize assessment tests. It's the same test that the entire state gives for public/private school kids. However, it is just administered to us later in the year with a bunch of other home schooled students.

With all that being said, I wanted the children this morning to have a good breakfast so that they would be geared and ready to go for their test. So last night, I made a prune cake for breakfast. It smelled wonderful all through the house. It looked so good with it's "candied" icing. And believe me, the next morning it tasted oh, so very good.

However, at the very mention of the word prune, my little girl wanted nothing to do with that cake. I even had her taste it....which I think she really did kind of like it, but still...she just couldn't get past the word prune. Since when did that poor ol' fruit get such a bad rap.

Well, I'll have to philosophize more about the prune later I guess. For now, the kids are home, decompressing and playing downstairs and I promised them I'd make them some "knock your socks off" brownies for snack. Happy Friday, everyone!

Laughter in my darkest hour...

Six years ago today I lost my father to a heart attack. Within 24 hours I had landed in the city where he lived and was sitting with my closest family members in a small room in a funeral home. We were doing what no person on the planet ever wants to do...plan a funeral.

I remember that day so vividly...the questions, the tears and yes, even the laughter. You see, God can give you the laughter just when you need it the most.

My little brother and I were walking with the funeral director through the area where you have to pick out the casket. Now, thankfully in this place they only had the "corners" of the caskets and the sample material on the wall so you could see what you were choosing. At this point, I was just about done "holding it all together" and I remember thinking that I was about to seriously fall apart. When all of a sudden the most unexpected thing happened.

The funeral director was trying to "help" us pick out a casket for my father. He was telling us all about this casket and that casket and then he mentioned..."you can even personalize it". With that, the director went over to a large wall and grabbed a wide mouth bass (you know, like the one that would sing if you pushed a button) and then took the corner off of the casket and put this enormous fish on the end. It looked like it would start singing "happy trails" at any moment.

I looked at the fish. Then at my brother. Then looked at the director. And... then... I... lost... it... I mean really lost it. I laughed so hard that I could hardly breathe. I laughed at the thought of my father's casket covered with wide mouth "singing" bass. I laughed at this man proudly trying to sell me this fish. I laughed because my brother was laughing with me. I laughed.

...and it was laughter in my darkest hour.

This one's for you Dad...I love you today, tomorrow and until I can see you again.

Happy Easter...

We had a wonderful Easter holiday with morning church services and hiding Easter baskets when we got home. We had a lazy lunch and now everyone is just relaxing and enjoying our beautiful weather.

As always, here's just a few of our family photos that we took when we got home from church. You'll notice that by the end of our "photo session" I was losing the kid's interest and things got a little creative. By then, I knew it was time to go inside and change clothes.

A perk...

After 15 months of torture, (ummm...I mean braces being on), our oldest finally got his braces off. Of course, I told him he got off easy with only having them on for such a "short" amount of time and that most people have theirs on for a least a couple of years.

...he did not think I was funny.

I think he looks so handsome...and old...and so very tall (I had to stand on my tiptoes to take this and still looked up at him). And then, I grabbed him by his waist (because that's the only thing I can reach around him) and hugged him so tight until he begged me to let him go.

"Oh my whittle bitty sweetie, I just wove you so bery much", I said in my most whiny voice possible. "Mom, you just love to embarrass me, don't you".

...Oh, at this point it's perk, really.

Brotherly love...

Our oldest child has taken a fancy to reading Dr. Seuss to our youngest. I love to watch them.

Ahhh, brotherly love. Don't ya just love it!

In our house...

...this is our family

...especially the "do loud really well" (oh yeah, that is so us)