Doctor Appt, John Boy and Ashley Girl

We have had some really bad storms roll through this area. So bad that all our mulch washed out of the flower beds. But I love a good storm so I was happy. Stuart has had some goofy looking tomatoes this year.

John was walking around with a black pepper grinder that I had in a gift bag. I told him several times to go and put it back in the bag. Well, a few minutes later he came in crying and had crush black pepper all in his mouth. John told Ashley yesterday that he was God because he was a boy and Ashley was an Angel because she was a girl. .

I went yesterday to get a physical for Nursing School. Yuck. The Nurse Practitioner was not prepared so I have to go back on Friday what a bummer. I have to have a TB test, Tetanus Shot, and weight. Not fun. Anyway, I got an email already from the Nursing Department to read 5 chapters before class starts. Only 2 semesters!!! Left!! Ashley and John love watching the Garbage truck on Tuesday Mornings!


This picture up close looks like it has a face in it.

Oh Mojo

Stuart and I started to settle down from his run and my walk. Stuart got a craving for ice cream so he went to the store at 10:00 last night to get some and ask if I needed anything from the store. When he got back he indulged in a big bowl of brownie ice cream while I worked on the computer. Then he said lets go to bed but first I need to check on Mojo and let him have a short walk. Stuart came back in the door and said "where is our new flash light". He wanted me to grab the camera. Mojo had jumped through Ashley and John's swing and gotten stuck. It was a sight to see. Since Mojo does not bark we did not know that he was stuck.

Sunday Afternoon

Sunday for lunch we had a vegetarian meal. A few years, back I thought my family would have had a heart attack if I served them couscous. Anyway, the meal consisted of:

Mixed Greens, carrots, cherry tomatoes, squash, zucchini, celery, and mushrooms with vinaigrette dressing

Sauteed Veggies Squash, Zucchini, Mushrooms,
carrots, tomatoes from Stuart's garden, fresh basil, and olive oil

Fresh cut fruit
Couscous

Kids loved it and made a big mess.
I am tired, Stuart and I stayed up to two am listing to music outside! We watched a beautiful orange moon.
Stuart and John just took Mojo for a walk and I am going shopping I think if I can keep my eyes open.
This picture is of Ashley and in the background is a picture of Ashley at 6 months old in the sink.

Ice Cream

John and Ashley love eating ice cream. So, last week at the pool I let them have a nutty buddy. Ashley eats her ice cream slow and John eats his fast in a twirling motion.

Mojo misses Jacob. We played soccer with Mojo last night. He carries the soccer ball around like it is a tennis ball.

39

It is my birthday and I want to party! Every year I think that Stuart and I will have a hot date and go out dancing. He is not much for dancing so we took the kids out to the Chop House. John acted like he had drank 50 cokes or something. He was crawling under the table and standing up in his seat. He was just really silly all night, Stuart had a really good piece of Mahi Mahi. Then our sever brought us a brownie and ice cream. John was shaking trying to get the spoon in first.

Some of my favorite things....


I love Cioppino that I make with Stuart
I love laying in the grass and watching the stars.
I love outdoor fires
I love kids giggling
I love watching kids eating Jell-O
I love watching lake water early in the morning when it is as smooth as glass
I love listening to Whippoorwill birds?? spelling and crickets at night
I love fast sporty new cars especially the really expensive ones
I love red wine and dark chocolate and maybe even a good cigar
I love reading a good book
I love a clean house
I love rainbows and absolutely love a good thunderstorm
I love the fall, football season, pumpkins, and apple cider
I love that feeling of fall crisp air and leaves changing in the mountains
I love watching snow fall
I love a great cup of coffee
I love watching animals on a farm especially horses
I love feeling cozy
I love homemade Ice Cream

Deep Questions

When I was a little girl I was scared of dying. Yesterday, Ashley asked me a deep question. She said "Mommy when you die and are buried in the ground how do you get to heaven"? Then John said " you get dead!" Wow. I am trying to drive, think, and talk. Then Ashley does not wait for the answer to her question. Instead she explains to John how Jesus dies on the cross. John rebutted and said no he came back to life. I am thinking to myself what is this conversation really about. John explained that he learned that at Bible School. I was thinking when I was their age all I thought about was candy!


Jacob, Grandmommy, and Poppy are all off on an adventure! My new computer is broke so all my blog pictures will be old. I am typing on a computer that Raymond gave to us thank goodness. But 5 of the keys are missing thanks to John! So I am having a very difficult time typing.

It's the end of the World as we know it.

Click on the middle of this blank box.

Jacob said this video is funny and would be perfect if the boy in the video was holding a poster that said "your Mom".



Stuart played this video for me the other night and it reminded us of Jacob. Stuart and Jacob look alike in this picture. The video reminds me of how Jacob likes to live.

Bad Luck

Do you believe if you walk under a ladder you will have bad luck? Or how about if a black cat crosses your path? My favorite if you break a mirror it is seven years bad luck. Well, do not take me to Vegas because I will loss all your money! I really do not think that it is truly pessimism on my part. Nor do I believe that I am choosing to view things badly. Simply stated some people have all the luck and it is not me. I always come up holding the short end of the stick . Except for my three beautiful children and wonderful husband. Other than that I usual have an uneasy feeling.

Now on the other hand, Jacob my oldest son is very lucky. I would recommend taking him to Vegas. He wins contest, people do unusual things for him, animals follow him, and luck tends to be on his side. He even has a dog named Mojo for good luck. Maybe one day this luck will really help Jacob out!

My new computer broke today on the day I had to send something to my school.

Then I sent it to the school on Stuart's computer and it said that I did not send it.

I took Jacob on a 35 miles drive up to the DOT office to get an ID made and they would not take our documents.

These are only small samples. I need a fallen star, an eyelash, lucky rabbits foot or something!

Weekend

We had a great weekend. Stuart came home from Omaha after his flight was cancelled and we were excited to see him. Especially the kids! Stuart, Ashley, and John went to the Farmer's market in downtown Dandridge. He picked-up green beans, blackberries, free-range eggs, and honey. He also bought a few honey sticks for the kids. A farmer gave Stuart a paper on Bee Pollen it was very interesting. Basically, from what I gathered bee pollen is good for everything from your immune system to your sex drive. Wow. Sign me up! A lady had a booth with fresh herbs. When Ashley walked by the lady asked Ashley if she knew the names of the herbs. Ashley named everyone and she was impressed.

I fixed new potatoes from Stuart's garden with green beans. Jacob picked 3lbs of blackberries from the woods near our house. Later Jacob was outside screaming and yelling for Stuart. All the sudden Mojo burst in the door. He had hornets all over him. Stuart got stung on the ankle. I took off running what a sight to see. Jacob sometimes just does not think. The neighbor was pulling out a huge rock and there was a hornets nest under the rock. His little girl who is 4, our neighbor Josh, his wife, Mojo, and Stuart all got stung. Mojo is named for good luck and he is just that because he had many hornet swarm over him. He probably saved Josh and his daughter from getting stung more. I not really sure if that is the truth because I was not at the scene.

Stuart took the kids to a water park in Morristown to play for a few hours. We had company over about 8:00 and made Mojitos. Fresh mint leaves, limes, sugar, rum, and club soda. Yum! It was fun to have company over and we were all the same age. Josh 38, Kelly 38, Paige 38, and Stuart 41. I will sadly turn 39 this week and Kelly that was visiting turns 39 on 28Th of July. We had a fire out side and listened to music. They left at 12:30.

Today, I ran a mile--Yeah. I will have to find someway to keep up with Stuart. Jacob picked more blackberries and I made two big cobbler's. Blackberries, sugar, butter, flour, brown sugar, oatmeal and baked for an hour at 350. Jacob took one to our neighbors..Mike and Joyce. He likes hanging out with Mike who likes restoring cars. We played outside tonight in the front yard playing soccer and riding their bikes. I fixed a salad with blueberries, cranberries, pumpkins seeds, mixed greens, and shredded carrots. I served the salad with whole wheat wraps.

What does love feel like?

John ask me tonight, when I was putting them down for bed what does love mean? I said "do you feel in your heart"? He said "no" and then I started thinking fast that he is only three. So, I said "John do you say sometimes that you love french fries and candy"? Do you like riding your scooter and bike? Do you really, really like hot wheels? Do you like playing with your Daddy, Ashley, Jacob and going swimming? Do all of these things make you happy and feel good? That is kind of what love is caring, liking, appreciation, needing, giving, friendship, and just a warm fuzzy comfortable feeling. John said what does appreciation feel like? It was just so cute! Then Ashley and John just giggled their little hearts out!

Beautiful Things

Stuart planted two red rose bushes that are climbing roses. One bush took off and was growing rapidly. The funny thing was that it bloomed a yellow rose while the other bush struggled. Now, the second bush has grown so fast and today bloomed a beautiful red rose. I picked flowers out of Ashley's garden and took them to the office where I work sometimes. I thought Pat and Danielle would enjoy the color and smells of the herbs. Stuart flew to Omaha today. He said he had to go to Chicago first. Yuck! Sorry for the folks that like Chicago it is just not for me. I showed John my baby watermelon today and he ask me if it would roll away. How cute.

Compared to the rose my daughter Ashley is beautiful! And so sweet I hope she stays that way living with mean boys. She told me today that when she grows up she wants to be a model and a dentist. Wow. I keep telling her with her front teeth missing she looks like a vampire.

I love holding John when he first wakes up from a nap. He is so sweet and hugs me. He is actually still and not bouncing. Today he fell asleep sitting straight up in a chair. Of course, the mean devil brother Jacob tried to put ice down his shirt. How could anyone get so much pleasure out of making people angry.

Kids say the funniest things!

John handed me an bible that he was reading upside down. He looked at me funny and said look mom there is a thunderstorm coming today...see here it is Mommy. It was the ancient maps in the bible he was referring to I guess he thought it looked like a weather map. He runs around the house saying guess what! I will say what and he says laughing "I don't know!" I love to watch he run out to to see the garbage truck. Sometimes he will be riding his scooter and a police that patrols our neighborhood will stop and talk with him. He tells the police that he can ride his bike without training wheels and he can jump the curb. The police just smiles and comments that he is glad John has a helmet on. He is always repeating " what" to anything you say. He will say "what" a thousand times a day. Jacob use to say "why" I guess that just a difference in personality.My sister, Kelly use to call Jacob the "what Man". I love to watch John eat. You can just see the enjoyment on his face and he cleans his plate most of the time. If he is eating from a package he will turn it over his mouth so he can pour the crumbs into his happy mouth. We can not forget about the crumbs.

Jacob was much the same way as a child. Some people just enjoy food. I never did as a child because I was too picky. My mom said I lived off of five foods. My taste for food changed as a teenager and I eat most vegetables. I have read several articles lately on biotechnology of seeds and how genetically engineered seeds is big business. (very interesting but controversial) Our watermelons and pumpkins are coming in good in our little back yard garden. I have 4 pumpkins and 2 watermelons.

Tonight, I had the chance to go walking without the children. It is much more calm that way. I could actually hear the crickets and smell the sweet grassy smells as they drifted down the hill with me. The sun started going down and as I walked by the house I could see Ashley peering out her window at me in the dark. Then the worry started because I picture Ashley and John falling out their window. I worry to much but John gives me many reason to worry. A few days ago he was standing in the window with it open waving at the neighbors. Mom's worry from the first day they find their pregnant until the day they die. Some worry more and some less. I just happen to tip the scale over with worry must days.

I am planning to paint several rooms this summer and maybe the garage. For some reason the garage takes a beating with the kids. I think I will start with Jacob's room.

Tonight we had swordfish and salad. I made a salad with pumpkin seeds, cranberries, blueberries, apples, and spring mix. I like to make homemade dressing with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

We went camping with Ruby, Wyatt, Uncle Ned, and Aunt Carin this weekend in Cherokee, NC. We had so much fun and Aunt Carin is sending me some pictures and I will blog about our trip.

July

John! John! Keeps the family in stitches. Ashley corrected John this morning about the way he said road. (it sounded like row) John exclaimed that is was a street anyway! Ashley argued and John said deal with it. He is only three what will be next. Sometimes, I hold John's hands and look into his eyes so that he will listen to me. The whole time he is jumping and wiggling. How could he listen moving that much? I took Ashley and John to the High School pool today for a few hours. The kids always have fun. Ashley listens, swims quietly, and lays in the sun to be like the other girls there at the pool. John jumps, runs, dives, splashes, and throws toys like all the other boys. He also kindly brought three bugs, a leaf, and a rollie pollie to me. Yuck! I sit and watch the clock waiting to say its time to go. There are so many women even moms with three or four kids that have great figures. Well, that has never been my strong point. When I was in my first year of college I went to the beach and bought the most slimming black bathing suit. Down the sides of the suit, there were bows with a circles after each bow all the way down to the thigh. All the boys were looking my way then. I weighed about 127 lbs and went up about 10lbs every year in college. My senior year I weighed 158 and thought I was the fattest person in the world and then I had three kids. Oh well, life goes on !!! Its hard to be married to a person under weight and consumes about 6,000 calories per day.

Moms have to be feeling crazy these days with the way things are in the world. The classic mini van is on the way out the door and the economy car is back in. Try going to the beach with three kids, one of which is 6 feet and two in car seats. Makes for a fun trip. Gas prices are changing the way families do things especially like eating out. We went into what should have been a busy restaurant on Sunday Night and there were two tables filled up and the rest of the restaurant was empty. I think it will change many markets around the world.

Last night, I made whole wheat pizzas with veggies from our garden. I put basil, artichokes, banana peppers, olives, fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, sauce, and cheese. Then, I made the kids a plain cheese pizza. John had 5 pieces of pizza. Ashley had 4 pieces. Then they went out to ride scooters and bikes. It was a beautiful night and we had a slight breeze. Stuart and I admired the pumpkins and water melons growing in our garden.