Why Alanis Doesn't Suck No Matter What Art May Tell You

Here's the story. Art and I were living in a tiny (400 square feet, maybe?) apartment stuck to the back of her parents' basement. It was 1995 and we were 19 year old girls. That means we were required by law to listen to women whine to an instrumental accompaniment. While there were many such CDs to choose from I was inexplicably drawn to Alanis Morrisette's Jagged Little Pill. I played it all the time. All. The. Time. 3 am? Sure. 7 am? Sure. 10:30 pm? Sure. While Art was sleeping in the adjoining room? Sure. I was all about Jagged Little Pill.

Art took a bit of a different path and put Pearl Jam's Nothing Man on repeat for a full month. It was sandwiched between long bouts of Counting Crows August and Everything After. Neither one of which I mind listening to now. But for some reason Art has a deeply ingrained aversion to Alanis's brand of whine.

Flash forward a few years and I was newly entrenched in Southern Illinois and dating a FarmBoy.  I was a bit of a mess. My previous relationship had left me pretty seriously damaged. FarmBoy was ridiculously patient with me. I tried to keep my distance and put up some pretty tall walls. Luckily he's a good climber. I'd push and he'd let me. I'd keep him at arms length and he'd stay there until I wasn't looking. Then he'd scoot a little closer. He was very clear about his feelings very early on. I was ambiguous for months. He was kind. He was steadfast. He didn't give up and wasn't easily dissuaded by the hot mess I was.

 I had pretty deep feelings for him but wasn't willing or able to state them on my own so I turned to music. Oh, how I miss the days of the mix-tape.  The one I made FarmBoy was called "The Yucky Love Stuff." I'm pretty sure it still lives in a kitchen cabinet somewhere around here. The first song on it was Alanis's Head Over Feet.

I had no choice but to hear you
You stated your case time and again
I thought about it

You treat me like I'm a princess
I'm not used to liking that
You ask how my day was

Your love is thick and it swallowed me whole
You're so much braver than I gave you credit for
That's not lip service

You are the bearer of unconditional things
You held your breath and the door for me
Thanks for your patience

You're the best listener that I've ever met
You're my best friend
Best friend with benefits
What took me so long

I've never felt this healthy before
I've never wanted something rational
I am aware now
I am aware now

You've already won me over in spite of me
And don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet
Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are
I couldn't help it
It's all your fault

That pretty well summed up what was going on with us, especially that line in red. It became "our song" almost instantly. 

And that is why Alanis doesn't suck no matter what Art may say.

Updated: It has been pointed out to me that Art has a completely legitimate reason to hate this song. I will not share the reason but I will say that she is fully in her rights to detest this song and were I here I would also hate it. But I am not her so I still love it in spite of a particularly crappy circumstance. 

Ohhhh, pretty.

I'm a sucker for new pretty things.  Don't believe me?  Go check out my Pinterest boards.  A few days ago I realized I couldn't get into my Blogger Dashboard.  I was informed by the text across the top of the page that refused to load that my browser was out of date.  The next day Facebook told me the same thing.

Hurrah, I thought, I now get to spend hours upon hours downloading new software for a browser that locks up on me on a regular basis.  After polling my Facebook friends, I decided to go with Google Chrome instead...and now everything is new & pretty...Even my blog post page!

But even newer and prettier is....drum roll please....an award!!  Canningmama (another mom of four going in circles just like yours truly) had nominated me for a super cute award & I get to share the love.  I love to share the love.  Before I go any further, a huge 'thank you' is due to Canningmama, so...THANK YOU, CANNINGMAMA!

Here's the deets:

• Attach said award to your blog 
• Tell folks 10 things about yourself that they may not know. 
• Nominate 6 other bloggers for the award.

By the time you stumble over here, I'm hoping I've got the award neatly posted in my sidebar...if not, just give me a minute, would ya'?!  Geesh, you all are pushy.

And now for the 10 things about me....Um....well....I'm pretty sure you know it all by now, so if these are repeats, I offer my sincerest apologies.

1. I am horrifically afraid of rats and roaches.  I once ran screaming from my dorm room because a roach crawled across the floor.  My roommate had to kill it & show proof of death before I'd come out of the hallway.
2. I nearly named Lilly May 'Asta' after the fox terrier from the Thin Man films.  Asta is the reason I've always wanted a fox terrier so I thought it appropriate.  On our way to pick up Lilly, I told Husband and the three oldest FarmHands my plan.  A 4 year old BabyGirl immediately piped in with, "Oooh, and we can call her 'Ass' for short!"  It didn't take long for me to decide to go with 'Lilly May' instead. 
3. If you ask me who my best friend is my first answer will probably not be, "Husband."  I know many women who claim their husbands as their best friends.  I'm not one of them.  Art holds that position hands down.  She has since the moment we were no longer roommates back in July/August of 1996 (it was part of our roommate agreement that we could not be best friends while living together).
4. I'm mildly addicted to word search puzzles.  I can go years without doing one, but as soon as I have a  word search book in my possession, nothing else in life matters.  Not food, or sleep, or even HGTV.
5. When I was 8 years old I was in a fashion show for a local children's boutique with Bubba and Princess.  I was jealous of another girl who got to carry a red parasol.  Later I went to grade school with her & we still talk on Facebook regularly.  
6. I really want to be a full time lunch lady next year at the FarmHands' school.
7. 5 months after getting a new washer & dryer, I still look for loads of laundry to wash just so I can play with my 'new' toy.
8. I suspect the word 'karaoke' is Japanese for, "Proving once again that no one sings as wonderfully in real life as they do in the shower."
9. I really hate beans.  I mean REALLY hate them.
10. I'm a 35 year old mother of 4 & I catch myself wondering what Doctor Who is up to right now.

OK, that's enough of that.  Now for the sharing of the love.  My nominees for the Kreativ Blogger Award are:

Ordinary Sarah at Ordinary Days (yes, I know her name is not really Ordinary Sarah, but I cannot help but think of her with that title.  I love it.)

Kitty at Tikki Trips (she doesn't post often, but when she does it makes me happy...plus, I know her in real life.)

My Lovely English friend Sarah at The Secret Life of an Unknown Housewife  (she sings, she dances, she draws...well, one out of three isn't bad.  In reality, she does make some beautiful art and she RAN a MARATHON!)

Miss Layla at Wish Fulfillment Every Day (again, I know her in real life and she cracks me up even when she's having her guts repeatedly removed & examined.)

Mama Brown at the Brown Family Sound Off  (yikes, I know a lot of people in real life.  Mama & her Brownies keep me grounded & remind me what's really important in life.)

And finally, My dear cousin Inkling who's currently hanging out at her public blog (she makes me think, even when I don't want to and she reads real books!  Like ones without pictures!  Even NON-fiction.  That alone deserves an award.)

Now I shall send you out into the world to share the love.

Farm Girls can be pretty, too.

A short while ago I posted my header picture again & Art commented that I needed cooler mud boots. While my boots are both warm for the winter & functional in the mud & muck farm life has in store, they are not cute. Not even a little bit. In fact, they are the total opposite of cute. But for once, I've taken function over fashion. B-o-r-i-n-g.

A few weeks ago we had to take the FarmHands to the big town of E'ville for dental appointments. Afterwards we made a GIANT Rural King run. Not that we had to get a lot at Rural King, but the Rural King we were visiting was HUGE! I love it there. It's like the Ikea of farm supply stores (not that I've ever been to an Ikea...I'm just guessing). The boys both needed new mud boots as they've outgrown & worn out their last pairs.

While searching through green & black boring boots, I stumbled on the super cute ones. They had their own aisle. Most of them were for kids. Horses, fire trucks, lady bugs & the like decorated most of the boots. On the next shelf over were women's mud boots in pastel plaids, polka dots, candy stripes, and other pretties. They weren't terribly sturdy, fit mostly for rain puddles & not hog stalls.

And then I turned the corner. There they sat in all their resplendent glory. Purple Paisley Cowboy Boots made entirely from rubber. I'm pretty sure I heard angels singing country music in the back ground. Knowing full well that I was not going to buy them, I still needed to try on a pair. I have a perfectly good pair of boot at home. I had no real call to spend money on fancy ones....as much as I wanted to.

Today I went to Bucka & Busha's to shampoo their carpet before the Aunties come to visit for their week in the fall. Busha & I were talking in the kitchen when she went into one of the back bedrooms & brought out a big shopping bag. In it were the boots! She & Bucka & Uncle Gick had doctors appointments in E'ville yesterday & they decided to check out the Giant Rural King. Busha decided I needed the boots so she found an employee to help her hunt them down.

I am a very happy FarmWife now. And for good measure, it started raining this afternoon, so they'll have to be worn tomorrow!

I only hope Art approves.

---------------

Oh, and Zann, yes, BabyGirl did stay at her camp out. She had a wonderful time! Hiking, rappelling, compass walk, blindfold walk, rope walk, scavenger hunt, sing-a-long at the campfire, hot dogs, s'mores, pop corn over the campfire, breakfast on buddy burners (cookers made from a candle & a coffee can), teachers sneaking in to TP the tents, games, giggling, little sleep, dirty shoes.....you name it, they did it! I'm so proud of her for sticking around. She decided to stay about 30 minutes after we got to camp while we were setting up the tents.

I am loved

I am loved...by a four year old boy in Tennessee. At least that's what he told his Grammy & his Mama yesterday. When I called last night to find out if he still loved me, H.T. shouted, "Bee love you, Aunt FarmWife! Dis is my gun for shooting!" I was so relieved. At one point during the conversation he threw too many bombs at his mother and her brains came out. It's dangerous enough talking to H.T. on the phone. I imagine living with him is much like living in a Bruce Willis movie.

I tried to get him to tell his mother what Bitsy named our lambs but that didn't turn out as I'd expected. He knows their names are Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and Bo Peep. When I told him that he shouted (no, he really doesn't have any other means of communication...at least not with me), "Dat's just like Buzz Lightyear, Aunt FarmWife!!" But somehow when he told his mom last night, their names were drastically different. "Dere names is Liza, Sawmill, and Pancake." To which his mother & I could only reply, "What?!" Still haven't figured that one out.

Last week H.T. and Pa were playing their favorite game. Pa hides and H.T. goes looking for him. When H.T. gets close, Pa jumps out and yells, "Rawr!!" H.T. screams and runs from him and it starts all over again. Occasionally someone gets tossed on a bed & tickled until he nearly wets his pants. But this time things were a bit different.

When Dad hid from H.T., H.T. thought his Pa had left for work. So when Dad jumped out of the bathroom & "rawr"ed him, H.T. jumped back, covered his eyes, and screamed, "Pa! You scared the hell outta' me!" (I can't help but laugh as I type that.) Daddy wasn't expecting that at all. He looked at Mama and said, "I have to go to work now," and he walked out of the house. I'm not sure he'd made it out of the drive way when he called to tell me the story.

I hate that I miss out on so much of H.T. living so far away from him. There's something about that boy that fascinates me. I know, I have 4 of my own, but my nephew still holds a special place in my heart. I remember jumping up & down and screaming when Princess called to tell me she was expecting. I remember crying when I was horribly ill and couldn't go see him until he was a week & a half old. I remember being shocked at how very tiny he was when his dad handed him to me for the first time (around 4 lbs, 11 ounces).

I do wish we could see him more often, but I am so thankful for unlimited long distance phone plans and my parents' speaker phone. It keeps me a bit more in the loop & allows him to "show" me all the fabulous things he has at Grammy & Pa's house ("See, Aunt FarmWife? Dis is my gun. It is gleen and it is orange and my Aunt Audra gived it to me!"). It's nice to know that rarely a week goes by that he doesn't demand someone bring him to my house regardless of the 5 hour drive (not that his demands are ever met...but he tries). It's tickles me when he tells his mother that our great dane, Bonpas, is his, "Big Blown fliend," (his r's are said as l's) and he lays claim to her even though he won't let her near him when he's here. It cracks me up when his dad calls him & he answers the phone asking, "Uncle FarmBoy?! Is dat you, FarmBoy?!" as though his Uncle FarmBoy has ever called him on the phone.

H.T. adds his own brand of sparkle to my world. And it's a brand I'm more than a bit partial to.

I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes.

Bitsy is engaged. A wedding date has not been set, but I'm hoping she'll wait at least until she turns 14 to tie the knot. She's marrying her cousin, J. He's 15 and the love of her young life. She no longer calls him J. He is now always referred to as "Jmyboyfriend." She has planned out their entire future together.

When they "grow up" they will get married and have eight babies. Two of the babies will sleep in her bed. The other six have been relegated to Husbands and my bed. Some days she plans on living at home throughout her marriage. Other days she's moving into J's parent's basement...the 'playroom' to be specific. Occasionally she's going to have her own house, but only so she can have her own sewing machine, scissors, and seam ripper.

J will be going to work at C**** with his father, brother, and Husband. His sister, Ray-ray, is staying home to fix "pink milk" for Bitsy.

J is OK with this arrangement...especially the part where six of his progeny live at my house & he has no responsibility for them.

Due to her new status as no longer single, Bitsy is on a mission to make sure everything in the universe has a better half. Her Kewpie dolls are boyfriend-girlfriend (it must be said almost as one word). Her dollar bill for Sunday School and B.B.'s dollar bill for Sunday School are boyfriend-girlfriend. Our couches are boyfriend-girlfriend. It helps if the things match in some way. It's easier to be boyfriend-girlfriend if you have something in common. Our "new blue, blue van" and Beffie's car are boyfriend-girlfriend because they're both blue.

L'Amour, L'Amour. Love is all around me.

I fear J, being the Sophomore Stud that he is, may bring home a (gasp) girlfriend some day. If he does, I'll have to sneak into his room at night & knee cap him. No one breaks my baby's heart.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I know, it's been a long time since I posted twice in one day, but I'm going to pop if I don't share this one immediately.

My baby brother (Bubba) just won the Best Uncle of the Year award by having Optimus Prime call my boys. The real life, honest to goodness Optimus Prime. The Optimus Prime from all those cartoons we watched in the 80's & the movies that have made millions over the past 5 years. Yeah, that one. He's at MTAC tonight.

Not only did Optimus Prime call my boys, but he called them by name. He talked to them for about 2 minutes telling them how excited he was to be able to call them, asking them what they were doing tonight (when they told him they were watching Avatar, he said that was one of his favorite movies), and ending up with, "I wish I could talk to you longer, but I have to get back to Cybertron. I have work to do. But first, #1 Son & B.B., I need you to do something for me. Can you do it? Transform & roll out!" I only wish I could have gotten it all on tape. Their eyes were the size of saucers & they were practically vibrating with excitement.

I had them on speaker phone & Bitsy started jumping around the living room yelling, "Hi, Op Pwime! Hi, Op Pwime!" Because she was so excited, she was practically squealing, he said, "Is that a puppy, or one of you?" Since we hung up the phone she's told me 15 times that Op Pwime called her. Then she brought me a plastic potato chip from her play kitchen & wanted me to eat it. I said no thank you & she said, "Op Pwime eat my chip!"

They cannot wait for Daddy to wake up in the morning so they can tell him.

And yes, this made the dork that lives deep down inside me very, very happy not only because my brother did something so very awesome for my kids.....but also because:


Optimus Prime called my house!

OK, in truth, Bubba called & put him on the phone, but please, do not harsh my mellow!

A funny thing happened on the way to lunch.

We were headed out for an innocent family dinner when, lo & behold, Little BIL went & got married.

OK, so maybe that's not exactly how it went. Little BIL met "that someone special" a few months ago. A few months after that, a diamond ring was purchased. Today we met up at the courthouse just before lunch & watched them start the rest of their lives. Husband & I have known the time & date for a few weeks, but it was kept fairly well under wraps otherwise.

Neither Little BIL nor 'AndChair' (which is what she'll be called from here on....that's what Bitsy calls her...I kid you not) wanted a big wedding. They each wore the clothes they wore on their first date (I loved that part). MIL, FIL, Big BIL, Husband, the FarmHands, and AndChair's SIL were all there. The snow was swirling gently around just out the window behind them. AndChair was laughing a bit & crying a bit (well, more like getting tear-y). They were both smiling from ear to ear. It was all so very sweet.

Bitsy has never had anything to do with AndChair before, always glaring at her from across the room with distrust. I've tried to convince her that there is no danger in smiling at AndChair, but she would have none of it. Today, as soon as the ceremony was over & we were heading out of the judge's chambers, Bitsy walked up & gave AndChair a big hug. I was shocked. AndChair said, "FarmWife, quick, take a picture! She's hugging me!" but unfortunately I'd already stuck the camera in it's bag.

This officially means there are 6 Mrs.C's in our family (including yours truly). There will be one more added to the roster next summer when NM & A Starry Night get married. Maybe we'll start a coalition & overthrow the village council.

Updates on Justin

Via Diana's Facebook Page. Things are looking up!

Saturday night at 7:45: "officially, justin will finish this hardcore antibiotic tomorrow morning at 9:30ish. he then has to wait 2 hours to be sure he won't bleed out (side effect of drug) before they put in the new line and then start dialysis. no more nitric oxide, no more blood pressure meds. he's holding it on his own!! GO BABY!!"

Yesterday morning at nine: "mini justin update - back on little bp meds, but he's handling the turning and rotating very well. he has a bed sore, but they are handling that well. he had 6 different bugs in him, but they were all his own, none from the hospital and thus easier to fight. they stopped the antibiotic a little early so they can get dialysis earlier. i will update after dialysis and how he handled that. Pray on! still a good day."

And late last night: "justin update- he came through dialysis like a champ! barely even a flicker on bp in reaction. he's been rotated, poked and prodded galore and had no complaints. we had a brief interaction where he responded to me before they upped his sedation again. all in all, a great day. after these successes, we claim up to step 20!!! i am also good. nice visits, good dinner, awesome snuggie."

Keep those prayers going!!

I feel pretty, oh so pretty....

A few days back, Ang from Get Fit by 40 gave me an award. I'm pretty sure that by now she thinks I've forgotten it or am snubbing her. I promise, that is not the case. I am always flattered when I get an award (even if I never get around to passing it back to anyone else...sorry). It's nice to know someone out there is listening reading.



I'm pretty sure one of the requirements for the award is that the recipient is supposed to post 6 unknown things about herself (himself if the blogger is indeed male...yes, I know that rare creature exists out there somewhere, they just avoid Memoirs like the plague...well, most do anyway). I'm not sure I can think of 6 things about myself that I've yet to share here, so forgive me if I repeat myself.

1. I was famous in grade school/middle school for telling "Family Stories" in class. I get this trait from my mother & she gets it from her father. It resurfaced later when I was working at the factory. I'm related to someone who's related to someone who knows someone who's done nearly everything imaginable & I have a story for it. I think mostly, I drove people crazy.


2. When I was a newly wed, I wanted to have two children. That's it, just two. I think I overshot that a bit.


3. I used to own a sugar glider named Vern. He screeched all night, bit me frequently, and peed all over everything. Eventually we gave him to friends who were much more nocturnal than we were.


4. When I was four years old, I told everyone I wanted to be a poisonous snake when I grew up. Today B.B. informed me that, "My brain told me I'm going to grow a stinger just like a wasp when I grow up, and wings like them, too. And it says I'll be able to run like them." Apparently it's genetic.


5. I had head lice most of the summer between fourth & fifth grade. I picked it up from the girl who lived across the street from us. That same summer (before we knew I was crawling with tiny, itchy friends), Bucka & Busha took me & 2 cousins to my Aunt & Uncle's in Florida by way of my Aunt & Uncle's in Tennessee. Somehow no one outside of my immediate family caught the little critters. Now, be honest- your head is itching, isn't it?
6. I was crazy in love with John Schneider when I was little....like 5 or 6 years old. Really, who could resist Bo Duke? QM even had his Christmas album & I'd listen to it over & over again. Bo Duke sings Rudolph...every little girl's dream.

And now to pass on my lovely award to six other lucky blogging ladies (see, guys, you should blog more & you might get pretty pink awards).

1. My new/old friend Mama Brown. We were acquaintances way back in the day (yeah, wouldn't you like to know more?) and have reconnected via Facebook (have I mentioned how much I love Facebook?) and blogs. You should check her out, it's a great read!
2. Sarah from This Mom's Wired, formerly known as The Mom Chronicles. You've gotta' love her Thursday Ten & getting updates on her guitar lessons. Makes me wish I had a musical bone in my body!
3. One more Sarah...this one from Ordinary Days. She married a man from Albania, was in the Army, has three boys & a girl on the way, homeschools, blogs, and makes me laugh with great regularity.
4. A Starry Night....not because she blogs or anything, but because I'm hoping to prod her into blogging by way of an award. She's going to be my cousin someday & I'm stoked about that....and she makes really cool looking flowers out of scrap fabric (I should ask her to teach me)....and she's writing her Senior Thesis (or something like that) on Jane Austen. So she pretty well rocks!
5. Mommy to Four Little People. What can I say? Whew! What this girl is going through right now is mind boggling....and she's so very honest about it all. Her blog is private, but if you ask nicely, she might let you in.
6. And finally, an awards ceremony isn't complete until I bestow one on my best friend in the whole wide world.....Art! It's always a party at her place & I wish I could spend more time there. But for now, all I can say is, "Christmas is coming, the Goose is getting fat!"

Thanks so much, Ang, for sharing the love! I think you're Gorgeous too!

And please, don't forget to scroll down and enter my first ever give-away! So far I've only got two entries, so they've got a 50/50 chance. Make it a little tougher on them, would ya'?!

It (was) a nice day for a white wedding.

I know it's been a while, but I'm still recovering from the festivities.

Bubba & Beck are lounging on a beach in Florida. I've been up to my ears in laundry.

The rain broke about an hour before the wedding & the sun burst through the clouds giving us beautiful wedding weather just in time. A HUGE answer to a lot of prayers. Thank You, Lord!

Becky was beautiful in her dress & my brother looked like a grown up (not something easy for a big sister to accept) in his tux. The rest of us looked pretty good, too, if I must say. Especially the flower girl....she was a doll. But I'm not biased in her favor at all.

The wedding party walked in to Iris by the Goo-Goo Dolls & the bride walked in on her father's arm to a really unique version of the Wedding March. Bubba tried to talk her into using the march from Star Wars, but Beck wouldn't agree...the Wedding March she used was very similar, though. It was really cool!

When everyone turned to watch her come down the aisle on her daddy's arm, I turned to look at my baby brother instead. The look on his face was....I don't really have a word for it. The love, excitement, anxiousness, and awe were visible. He kept leaning towards the aisle like he was about to bolt down it to meet Beck & her dad half way; like they weren't walking fast enough for him. He couldn't wait for Beck to get to him.

Bucka preformed the ceremony. Bubba wanted our grandfather to marry them so badly, but we weren't sure Bucka would feel up to the task. The night before he announced this would be his last wedding; he can't handle it any longer. He married Husband & me nearly 12 years ago & Bubba wanted the same start for Beck & himself.

Very early on, Bucka got a bit tongue tied saying Bubba's name. He recovered quickly, but I think it threw him. Then he accidentally turned 2 pages in his wedding book instead of one & skipped straight to the exchange of rings. I've seen enough weddings preformed by my grandfather to know this was not how he did things. I immediately knew he'd skipped their vows, but hoped he'd right himself before it was all over.

After the exchange of rings, he started to close out the ceremony...I knew it was nearly over, so I glanced at QM & mouthed, "Should I?" She nodded emphatically & I slipped up the stage behind a candelabra to tell Bucka he'd skipped a part. Just as he turned to me he said, "Oh, yeah, I've gotten a little ahead of my self." He backtracked a bit & everything was taken care of. I know it upset Bucka quite a bit, but he handled it very well. More than once he had the entire congregation laughing out loud over it. My favorite thing was when he said, "They'll never forget their wedding!"

Bubba & Beck said the traditional vows and then shared ones they'd written themselves. I so wish I could put on here exactly what my brother said, but I wouldn't do it justice. He talked about how the phrase I love you now takes on an entirely new meaning to them as a couple. It's now a promise for forever....it was beautiful.

I do not cry at weddings. I may tear up a bit, but I don't really cry. I used to, but haven't in about 10 years. The look in my brother's eyes when I was walking down the aisle on the arm of one of his closest friends was enough to break down all my defenses. Princess & I cried through most of the ceremony...when we weren't laughing with Bucka & the couple.

After the reception (a simple affair with finger foods, cake, & punch) the entire family returned to QM & Daddy's to hang out in Deem's new Dradge House as HT calls the garage. There was enough food to feed a small army, enough laughter to drown out the cries of kids denied access to the hill of dirt behind us, and enough love to fill us all up for a long time to come.

Bubba & Beck stopped by to visit with the grandparents & aunts & uncles for a bit before heading out. Beck needed Princess to take off the fake nails Princess had put on her the night before. They were making her crazy. :)

Once most of the family retired for the night, QM offered to babysit my girls, HT, and Art's brood (my boys had already headed back to Illinois with their dad after the wedding) so we could sit & visit in the garage. Uncle Gick hung out with us & we sang & talked & laughed for a good long time....but of course it's never quite long enough.

Now I'm attempting to recover from a lot of running around, eating on the fly, and way to little sleep. All the laundry is washed & most of it's folded & put away. The luggage is stashed where it belongs & the massive amount of hand-me-downs Bitsy inherited this weekend has been sorted & put away.

I think I need a honeymoon.

In the capable hands of my daughter

Hobbling around on crutches is old school to me. I was on them once a year from third grade until my junior year in high school. The FarmHands, on the other hand, are fascinated by them. I fear one of them may end up actually needing crutches if they don't leave mine alone soon.

I'm not using them this morning. My knee doesn't hurt quite as bad & I can put a bit of weight on it without wanting to scream. Mostly I'm sitting in my computer chair doing nothing...but last night even this was excruciating.

I did discover that BabyGirl is a very capable young lady. She tucked her brothers in for me last night, helped with laundry, and did other odd jobs I couldn't manage with my crutches. She even tucked Bitsy & me into bed before she turned in for the first time.

I say first time, because she kept getting up & coming back in my room to check on us & tell me she couldn't sleep. Could it be because she refused to stay in bed for more than 4 minutes at a time? Nah, probably not. Eventually we got down to the nitty-gritty of it. She was worried that I'd be laid up for a long time & the entire responsibility of the house hold would fall on her slight shoulders. I promised her that she would not be asked to do anything she couldn't handle.

Now I just have to wait to see what the doctor has to say today.

And the Winners are....

Recently I've been given an award...twice as a matter of fact. Once by Susan and once by Sarah. It's been a few days since they gave me the awards but I've been a bit flaky lately & missed it until today.

First of all, I'd like to thank the Academy. Oh wait, wrong speech. That one's for later.

Thank you so very much, Sarah & Susan! It's nice to know all this isn't just floating aimlessly around the interweb.

Secondly, here are the rules:
Put the logo on your blog or post.
Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude and/or gratitude.
Be sure to link to your nominees in your post.
Let your nominees know they have received the award by leaving them a comment on their blog.
Be sure to link this post to the person who nominated you for the award.

Without further ado here are my nods in no particular order:

Kork from A Suburban Princess Speaks (She keeps a spotless house, wrangles two little ones, directs an often perplexing husband, and keeps her cool about it all...for the most part.)

Sarah from The Secret Life of an Unknown Housewife (The woman ran in the London Marathon! Seriously, a marathon!!)

Ang from Get Fit AFTER 40 (Miss Ang has lost 90 pounds in the past 2 years! That amazes me. And she's not done yet...she's still working hard despite health problems, kids' health issues, the recent death of her grandfather, and caring for her grandmother.)

My Aunt Anita from The Silver Lining (She could put on an entire wedding for $75 if CVS & Walgreens carried wedding supplies.)

My cousin Inkling from Imaginative Musings (This girl has not had it easy lately. She's a new mom to an absolutely gorgeous baby boy but is having a terrible time healing after his birth due to some serious trauma. Now Grasshopper is fighting stomach troubles & Mama bear may have to show the Canadian health care system the teeth she's sharpened on Missouri doctors.)

Terri from This is How We Roll (Makes me laugh on a regular basis & can fully share my worries about the automotive industry. I know, that may be kind of odd, but it's ingrained in me.)

Ragged Around the Edges from Write On (She inspired me to start this after all & I am pea green with envy at the beautiful things she's been creating lately.)

Another Sarah from Ordinary Days (I can only say one thing about Sarah right now. Scrabble.)

Mrs.X from The Young & The Infertile (Anyone who can post about an internal ultrasound & make me laugh deserves a cookie!)

And finally, my best friend Art the Omnipotent, who will be at my house in TWO DAYS!!!, from Art's Party (When she bothers to blog, she usually leaves me in a heap either of laughter or tears depending on her mood.)

With all that done, I think I may go stretch out on the couch & close those things that are "like blankets for your eyes" or so B.B. called his eye lids yesterday.

Ahhh, young love.

B.B., Bitsy, and I were laying on the couch tonight. B.B. must have been feeling very sentimental because talk soon turned to growing up & marriage. The conversation took a few confusing turns, but I'll try to map it out for you in B.B. speak.

B.B.-Mommy, I luzz you so much. I'm gonna mawy you when I gwow up.
Me-I love you too, Bub.
B.B.- I luzz Bitsy so much, too. I'm gonna' mawy her when I gwow up, too.
Me- (totally ignoring the fact that society normally frowns upon parent-child or sibling-sibling marriage) I don't think you're allowed to have two wives, Bub.
B.B.- That's OK. I'm alweady mawied to Bitsy.
Me- Really? How did that happen?
B.B.- (in a conspiratorial whisper) It's 'cause I smoochy kissed her.
Me- You did? How do you "smoochy kiss"?
B.B. - (lays a a big kiss on me complete with head movement reminiscent of your favorite soap opera) Like dat.
Me- Wow. And that makes you married?
B.B.- Yes!
Me- Does that mean we're married now?
B.B. -Um. Yeah. Now I'm mawied to you and Bitsy. But that's OK, because when I gwow up you'll be an old woman & Daddy will die.
Me- I won't be that old.
B.B.- Yes you will. You're my mom.
Me- Is Grammy (the Queen Mother) an old woman?
B.B.- No.
Me- Well, I'm a grown up & she's my mom. Do you know any old women?
B.B.- Yes. Gwandma that lives down the road (she's in her mid 80's), Gwandma M&M (in her early 80's), Busha (in her mid 70's I think), and Gwandma that is Daddy's mom (who is the exactly 21 days younger than the Queen Mother).
Me- Oh. Am I an old woman?
B.B.- Not so old. And Daddy will be dead when I'm a gwown up because he's an old man.
Me- He is not. And my Daddy isn't dead & I'm a grown up. Is Pa an old man?
B.B.- Yes! And Bucka, and Gwandpa that's dead, and Gwandpa M&M, and Gwandpa that's Daddy's dad (who just turned 60).
Me- Well, your Grammy will be happy to hear all this, but I'm not sure everyone else will be.

Just like 20/20 only cooler.

We're playing the interview game again. I love this game! Sarah from The Mom Chronicles sent me five interview questions that just may change the way you see me....OK, so maybe they're not that pressing, but I love them just the same.

If you want to be interviewed, leave me a comment & I'll email you some questions. If I don't have your email addy, you'll need to leave it for me, or check the link to my email under the "About Me" in my side bar.

1. I'm coming to eat dinner at LA CASA DE FARMIE -- you're making me your specialty... what are we having?

As we are a meat & potatoes group around here, there's a good possibility I'd make either pot roast (which in reality would be venison) or chicken cornbread casserole (which in reality would be rabbit). I'm all about comfort food...and pie. There would definitely be a pie.

2. I'm sending you into the gas station with ten bucks for you to get yourself some snacks - what are you getting?

If we're north of the Mason Dixon, I'm all over Cherry Coke. If we're in the south, either Sun Drop or Cheerwine (oh how I miss Cheerwine). No matter where we are there will be Reece cups and Fritos and possibly Toffifay if I can find them. And for dessert, bubble gum. Big fat pieces of Bubblicious or Hubba Bubba....I love bubble gum on road trips. It prevents boredom & keeps me awake.

3. Surprise! I bought you TiVo! Unfortunately, I bought it used, and it will only let you set it to record two shows consistently - what two shows can't you miss?

Oh, this is a tough one. Only two?! I'd have to say House & NCIS right now. Gotta' have my snarky doctor & Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

4. If you had a day to yourself - no kids, no hubby, and your house is already spotless so no chores to be done - what do you do?

If I couldn't leave the house, I'd read & watch classic movies all day long from the comfort of my bed. If I could get out, I'd probably hit the flea markets & antique shops. I haven't done that in years. I loved going antiquing pre-children. Never really bought much, but I could "window shop" all day.

5. What is the song on your playlist that most people would be surprised you have?

Thoia Thoing by R. Kelly. I'm even surprised I have it. I'm pretty sure Little BIL gave me the CD it's on. Secretly I kinda' like it even if the artist gives me the heebie-geebies.

Thank you so much, Sarah! I loved the questions you came up with.

If you love me....

Do me one small favor will you? While I'm out of commission tomorrow & the next day & possibly the next & maybe the one after that, will you please de-lurk? I'm thrilled every time I discover a new follower/Farmie has added their tiny picture to my side bar (it does wonderful things for my ego!), but I do so want to know who all is out there.

I cannot wait for January & National Delurking Week to ask you all to step out of the shadows. I'm too nosey for that. Even those of you who are publicly following.

Instead I'm asking you to do it now & bring a smile to my soon to be swollen face.

Here's what I want to know:

Who are you?

From whence did you come?

How did you get here?

Please? For me? Besides, you don't want the terrorists to win, do you?

Bloggy Love: Blog to Blog Project

Anything that directs traffic to my blog is a wonderful thing in my eyes. It feeds the ego. And anything that opens me up to new blogs makes me happy as well (as though I need to read anymore blogs, but that's entirely beside the point). Terri at This is How We Roll has made my day by roping me into this project. Here's the deets:

The deal is to visit 4 of your daily blog reads. From each blog choose another blog from their blog roll that you've never visited. Try that blog out and see what happens. They may become your new fave, who knows! Then duplicate the main part of this post with a note on whose blog you got it from. Name the four new blogs you are going to read, tell briefly why you chose them and whose blog roll they came from. And if you want, coerce others mercilessly into joining in!

Going on a blog hunt. Gonna' pick a juicy one. We're not scared. What a beautiful day! OK, no more Dora while blogging. It's just not good.

I began my hunt at my darling cousin Inkling's blog. I'd link her, but her blog is now private due to drama, so you just have to trust me when I say she has impeccable taste in blogs (she reads mine doesn't she?). OTRGirl has been commenting there for years & I've popped over to check her out occasionally, but never really hung around. To be honest, every time she comments on Inkling's blog I think she's a trucker girl. I come from a family of truckers so to me OTR is Over the Road. But, alas, that's not it's meaning. That is a story better told by OTRGirl herself. She & her husband have adventures very different from mine here on the farm & that fascinates me. Her writing is interesting & easy to follow. Someone brilliant once said if something is easy to read that's because great effort was put into it's writing. I'd tell you who if I wasn't so brain dead at the moment & being screamed at for a third bowl of Cheerios or an ice cream cone at the moment. And my favorite thing? If you have any questions about her, there's a list of posts to check out in her side bar! Very cool.

From there I headed to Write On to see who Ragged Around the Edges would suggest since she's the reason I threw my hat into the blogging ring in the first place. And have you seen her "Will knit for Tattoo's" girl in the side bar? She truly awesome. In her side bar is a link to a place called Fluid Pudding. What's not to like about that title? Intriguing, really. So off I went & the rest is history. Not really, or this post wouldn't be worth dog spit. Ohmygosh, this woman makes me laugh. One post & I'm hooked. That's saying something. And apparently she has something of a following...so I'm feeling a bit shy dropping her a line saying, "Check me out because I've decided to grace you with my presence." Oh well.

For my third choice, I headed over to Ordinary Days to see where Sarah would send me. Memarie Lane is a soldier in the Hot Mama Revolution, or was before she wound up in a delicate condition...I think her last comment was about living in XXL t-shirts & boxers. Marie has replaced pictures of Audrey Hepburn & that pallid girl from Phantom of the Opera with her own face. That makes me smile. But better than that, the girl apparently just BLOGGED HER WAY THROUGH LABOR AT HOME(?) IN A BLOW UP POOL!!! And then posted pictures of the entire thing on her site....don't worry, the pictures are family friendly.

Finally I decided to peruse Mrs.X's side bar in search of a fourth blog to round out my hunt. Her writing is brilliant, so I am assuming anyone she deems to link to will be fabulous as well. Hanging around Mrs.X's The Young & the Infertile was Lori & her Weebles Wobblog. Weebles Wobblog is rather interactive & that suits me just fine. Lori asks about us (yet again feeding the ego) and our perfect moments & plays around with childhood trivia. Not only that, but she passes out buttons. Everyone likes a little bling on their blog, don't they?

Will my new finds stick? I don't know. They may. They entertain me. Maybe I'm expanding my horizons. Hopefully I've expanded yours as well, or at the very least inspired you to do some expanding of your own.

So, come on Y'all, lets get out there & show the bloggy love! Thanks for the shove in the right direction, Terri!

While we're at it, show the love around here. In my side bar you might notice a button that reads, "Wanna' be a Farmie?" You can follow your favorite blogs from the comfort of your own dashboard. Click on "follow this blog" and every time you log in to your dashboard, it will tell you if I have a new post. You can follow any blog you like even if they don't display the button. At the moment I have 6 followers, but I'd love to grow that (again, feed the ego folks). If you you're linked in my side bar, chances are I'm following you. So, how 'bout it? Wanna' be a Farmie?

Impromptu Cook-Out

My husband is the king of last minute plans. He doesn't do so well with "Hey, let's have a party in two weeks." He's more of the "Hey, lets call everyone & have a cook out in 3 hours." That's how yesterday went. Luckily I was mildly prepared.

Friday at the grocery he picked up a bag of charcoal, pork chops, steaks, and pork burgers. I asked if we were having a cook-out or just cooking out. He said, "Nah, just cooking out. Just us." Yesterday after church he changed his mind.

I'd made potato salad the day before and had enough corn in the garden to share. I threw together a fluffy fruit pie, fruit tea, kool-aid, & sweet tea, then grabbed the boys & Bitsy & headed to town. We came back armed with a new kickball, plates, cups, napkins, plastic flatware, more burgers, and all the fixin's.

Husband & BabyGirl got out all my patio furniture (it's not been out all summer), washed everything down, heated up the grill, started a camp fire, and mowed the field.

Big BIL and his three kids, Little BIL, Busha, Bucka, and Uncle Gick & Unkie Di all came to eat. We had a good time. Good food. Lots of laughter. Kids playing. A wonderful way to end the summer.

Saturday Busha and Bucka had a scare with Penny Saturday. Tiny dogs have a habit of becoming hypoglycemic. Penny's sugar dropped & she got very ill. At 3/4 of a pound, she can get very ill, very quickly. After loosing Mitzi just a few months ago, Busha is very wary about her new babies. She gave Penny the honey the vet told her to give and kept a very close eye on the pup. Eventually Penny came around & was her "old" self again. The incident wore Busha out. Well, between that incident & trying to house break two puppies so tiny they can get lost in an empty room, she was exhausted.

When I called yesterday to see if they wanted to come over to eat, Busha was hesitant. I told her I'd understand if they didn't want to come. In the end, they decided to come & I'm glad they did. As they were leaving Busha said, "Thank you for inviting us. We had a wonderful time & it was very relaxing!" I said, "Yeah, it's nice to not have to chase two puppies to their puppy pads constantly...or have to clean pee off the floor repeatedly!" Busha agreed & I said, "I know it's important for new parents to get out of the house every now & then." Busha cackled in the way only she can! :) Then I said, "And just think, you didn't even have to hire a baby sitter. You can just put yours in their kennel!"

The picture is Bucka holding Pete & Penny the day they went to pick them out. They're a bit bigger now, but not much.

One more thing....

Happy 34th birthday to the love of my life.

Thank you, Lord, for my FarmBoy. I don't know what I'd do without him.

Feeling the love all the way from Uruguay

My boys did not wake up until 8:22 this morning. How awesome is that?! This VBS thing may be good for sleeping after all....well, when you normally are in bed by 8:30, staying up until 9:45 is LATE!

My Aunt Anita/Silverbelle awarded me the Arte Y Pico Award yesterday. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Aunt Anita! I love getting awards...and passing them back around! But most of all, I love knowing that this blog means something to someone.

When I went hunting for information about this award (I've seen it before, but had no clue what it was about) I found the Arte Y Pico blog it's self. The only problem...it's all in Portuguese (I think). I do not speak Portuguese. Heck, I barely speak English most days.

The one thing I've discovered is that "Arte Y Pico" has no real English translation. Roughly, it's "Wow! The Best Art. Over the Top." I think over time it's become a way to let other bloggers know they've inspired you with their creativity. The rules have changed a bit after being passed about, so I decided to combine them slightly.

1)Show the award. Link back to the blog that gave you the award.

2) Pick 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award because of creativity, design, interesting material, and contributions to the blogger community, no matter of language, and link to them.

3) Leave comments on the blogs to let them know you've given them an award.

4) Show the link to the Arte y Pico blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5) Show these rules.

Those are the official FarmWife rules. ;)

And these are the folks I'm passing my good fortune on to:

1) Inkling (I won't link here here because her's is a private blog)

2) Art (post more please...I miss you!)

3) Sarah, our fearless Hot Mama Leader.

4) Ragged Around the Edges

5) And finally, Mrs.X

You ladies inspire me. The way you write, what you write, it all touches me in some way....you make me laugh, make me cry, make me want to be a better person (thank you Mr.Nicholson). So I'm passing the love on to you.

Diamonds are redeeming themselves

It's here & it's lovely. I thought the old one was .48 carats but it was actually .43 carats. I thought, "Big whoop, can't be that different." The new one is .50 carats on the dot. Husband and I were amazed at the difference .07 of a carat can make. I think the new stone compliments my original band very well. When he picked it out, Husband wanted a thicker band thinking it wouldn't wear out as quickly. I only wish the picture did it justice. Taking pictures of your own hand is not an easy task.

When he was shopping for my engagement ring, Husband wanted a half carat. There wasn't one available in our little neck of the woods. So, as QM said this morning, "Now you have the diamond FarmBoy wanted for you." She's right & that's how I'm going to look at it....even if I always check for loose sparkles in my bathroom floor.

Now I need to take my wedding band in for a good polish so she looks as good as her sister.

In case you missed the saga of my ring, you can go back here & read what happend.