How to Insult Women Without Really Trying

Weston turned fourteen the other day. Old enough to know better, I would think.

In conversation with his sister, Em:
"You should get on my trampoline and jump. It holds 250 pounds."

In conversation with me, his selfless, devoted, adoring mother:
"Mom, you could even fit in this hammock. It says it can hold up to 300 pounds."

We're so fat that between the two of us I think we could tackle him and sit on him until he apologizes. 

Borrowing Chunk

There is nothing like having little people around to make you appreciate life's seemingly humdrum moments.

Earlier this week daughter Em was feeling poorly so I took advantage of the situation and swiped her son. Chunk is always good to have around for entertainment purposes, but this week I was happy to have him around for introspection purposes.

I used to wonder why Computer Geek needed to have 2 monitors running at all times. I assumed it was a nerd thing, but now I know--it's so he can work and Chunk can watch Cars.

One day, he was eating lunch and yelled, "Grandma! Look!" I went into the kitchen to see what was so important. He said, "Look, I can see the sun in the salt!"  Do you remember being so intrigued with small miracles? I loved the reflection on his cute little face.

He knows it's his job to pick the red ones.

Score!

He sooo wanted to pick these, but he mustered all his self-control and simply admired.

I had to hold him up so he could see the sunflower. I explained how I planted them because they remind me of my daughter, his Aunt Kay. When she was little, she had freckles across her nose, blond hair, and big brown eyes--a perfect sunflower. 

Both of us with our "maters."  

[The other side of his cup is Mater from Cars. Yeah, and my table was shabby before shabby was chic. Does that make it chicer?]

Em is feeling better now. I'll have to think of a new reason to steal Chunk away this week.

The Best Part of Summer Is...

DINNER!

 

Gardening Magic

Yesterday I promised to share an amazing gardening secret. Are you ready?

You can regrow celery!

Yup, it's true. Normally you buy celery and chop off that ugly mess at the bottom and throw it away, right? Stop it right now!

Chop off that ugly mess and set it in a bowl of water. In a few days you'll see some leafy re-growth. Then it's time to plant it in the ground. Soon you will see new celery growing. What's that you say? You need proof? Oh, all right.

Those gardeners who know way more than I do (that would be all of them) say that it's a good idea to cut a 2 liter pop bottle in half, cut off the top and/or bottom, and use the plastic as a shield around the celery as it grows to keep snacking critters from spoiling your efforts. 

So what do you think? Will you ever throw away the bottom of the celery again?

I'm a Little Bit Country...

...and a whole lot city girl. I'm afraid of most animals except ladybugs, kittens, and dogs that already know me. I grew up thinking that a garden was three tomato plants in the back yard and that a hike was walking the length of the Southern Hills Mall on my lunch break. Then I moved to Utah. Rural Utah.

Although I have lived here for fifteen years now, I am still astounded by nature. Deer walking through my backyard is always a cause for silent observation. Having to stop on the highway because a herd of majestic elk, taller than a car, is crossing never fails to thrill. The mountains out my back door humble me.

The past few years, to emulate all my country-folk neighbors, I have tried my hand at gardening. Each year I attempt to use more space than the year before, and try more of a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs. Three tomato plants would be laughed at by neighbors and friends who have ripped up most of their yards to make gardens. I have twenty-four tomato plants this year and am slowly learning to bottle the excess. What excess? Ha! I eat tomatoes as fast as they can grow!

In addition to tomatoes, this year I have corn, broccoli, kale, green peppers, jalapenos, yellow peppers, pumpkin, cantaloupe, watermelon, green beans, radishes, carrots, peas, lettuce, onions ( I can't believe I just wrote that,) sunflowers, potatoes, dill, cilantro, peppermint, pineapple mint, and two varieties of baking beans. Whew! Makes a city girl exhausted just thinking about it.

This country girl wannabe was out watering her corn the other night. It's growing against my back fence and doesn't fall under the watering shadow that benefits my other "crops" so I was hosing it manually. It takes a while, so I had plenty of time to put on my country girl thinking cap and reason that I had better focus the spray toward the roots because the leaves might block the plant from getting any moisture.

Suddenly, I had a revelation!  (This is where all you pure-bred country folk can begin hootin' and hollerin' and squealing with derision.) The leaves are positioned in such a way that any moisture that falls on the leaves is channeled directly to the roots! What a mind-freaking brilliant design!

I had to run in and get my camera to share this astounding revelation with the world. I spent extra time watering that night just so I could watch rivulets of water make their way to the plant base. Fascinating, I tell ya.

Of course, I understand that by sharing this new-found knowledge, I am exposing my ignorance to the blogosphere. But you just wait to see what gardening trick I have in store for you tomorrow!

Love Post for Springfree Trampoline

Ever since Weston was a little tyke, he has wanted a trampoline. What child doesn’t? After all, what’s one of the first things a toddler does when he learns to walk? He jumps on his bed! The need to jump on something bouncy is seemingly inborn in a child. [Those who are privy to the fact that my friends and I jumped on dorm beds when we took a friend to college will please kindly keep silent. This is about a child’s need to jump.]

Over the years, we came up with excuses as to why he couldn’t have a trampoline, but the main concern for me was safety. Weston knew other children who broke arms, a collarbone, a wrist and a leg.  Could I really afford hospital emergency room visits? Not so much. Yet, budgeting for medical care  seemed almost an inherent part of buying a trampoline. At least, that’s what I thought until June of this year when I happened across a Facebook site for Springfree Trampoline.

Almost immediately I was captivated by the unique look of the trampoline. Then, I watched videos showing how Springfree has revolutionized the trampoline industry. I could feel trampoline lust settling upon my soul and was excited to see that they just so happened to be running a contest to actually win one!  Two winners were to be chosen—one by popular vote and one by company vote. All I had to do was submit a picture of someone jumping for joy.

I knew the picture I had to use—one of Weston on a friend’s trampoline. I told him I was going to take a picture, and he being the smart-alec that he is, went into a yoga pose right as I snapped the picture. It’s always been one of my favorites because he looks suspended in mid-air. I submitted the photo to the Springfree contest and encouraged everyone I knew to vote.

June 25. The Day of Decision. 

I kept my Facebook page on the Springfree site, eagerly checking back to see if a winner had been chosen. Finally, we saw that someone else had been chosen as the popular vote winner. After reading the winner’s story, we felt comforted that a very deserving young man had won instead.

We then waited for Springfree’s decision as to who would be the company’s choice winner. We were disappointed when we saw that Weston was not the winner. The winner was an adorable little girl. But something prompted me to read further and I saw that they had a tough time choosing and that they were going to pick a third winner!  Weston and I are the praying types so we prayed that he would be selected a winner.

About thirty minutes later I checked the Springfree Facebook page and saw that Weston’s picture was chosen as the third place winner!  I was screaming and pointing to Weston’s picture on my computer so Computer Geek figured out that we had won. Weston came running into our office to see why I was yelling, and soon he was yelling and high-fiving too!

JULY 9. Arrival Day!

The following two weeks were agonizing for Weston as he eagerly awaited the arrival of his trampoline.  One day, while he was away, the FedEx truck pulled up with three large boxes.  I called Weston and said, “You need to come home. We’ve got to get some school lessons started.”  This video shows some of his excitement as he realized that the real reason I had called him home was sitting in the driveway. (Sorry it’s kind of choppy.)

He wants to marry it.

 This is where the excitement of it all caused certain nameless people to assemble the trampoline without fully reading the instructions. When they got it all put together they realized the instructions said to attach the safety net before inserting the white rods. Oh well. 

It was good experience to take it all apart and put it back together.

Do you know how hard it is to tell children that they can't get on the trampoline just yet? And that they have to wait until we get the safety net put on? Yeah, right. It's like a magnet.

He's waited so many years. Thank you, Springfree Trampoline!

 Avatar and Pinque come over several times a week just to jump. 

It's been a blessing to the whole extended family.

Time for the re-creation of the winning photograph!

Now he no longer has to wait until Wednesday gymnastics classes to fly through the air.

It's so nice to know that Pinque and the other kids would really have to try to get hurt on this trampoline. There are no springs to get caught in, no exposed frame to fall through, and no rigid safety net bars to crash in to. Springfree has thought of everything. 

(Well, except for human stupidity and that's pretty difficult to prevent.)

Weston, Pinque and Avatar. Happy kids!

Chunk and Pixie taking turns. At ages 2 and 3, they've already learned to zip up the safety net before they can jump.

River sometimes comes over by himself, just to have some alone time on the trampoline. Almost daily we have someone come over to jump or to simply  admire the Springfree. It's been quite the attraction because no one we know has anything like it. 

I am really grateful to Springfree for their generosity. I'm afraid I have become a little bit of a trampoline snob. If I look at another trampoline now all I see is a bone-breaking child trap.Although Springfree's trampolines are more expensive than your average injury-inducing trampoline, I can guarantee they are less expensive than your average trip to the emergency room! Many friends who have heard about our prize have come to check it out. All of them marvel at how sturdy it is, how safe it appears, and how unconventional it is. 

If you want to check out the Springfree Trampoline for yourself, either click one of the many links in this post, or click on the Springfree ad on my sidebar. Since our trampoline arrived, the Springfree Facebook page has given away ten more trampolines! Check back frequently to see what new promotions they have going on. 

The Springfree customer service reps are top-notch and truly stand behind their product. They would be happy to assist you. I have dealt with them on several occasions and even though I didn't spend one dime for my trampoline, they treated me with the utmost of courtesy, friendliness and professionalism. Join the ouch-free revolution!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated to write this post nor to put an ad for Springfree on my sidebar. I have done both out of gratitude for the generosity of Springfree in giving away trampolines.

Press Release from Phoenix Quilts

Julie from Having Fun Quilting has been busy since I last posted about her project to put a quilt into the arms of every family who has lost a home to the summer wildfires!  She created a new site to help her in this mammoth venture. If you are a quilter, or have quilting supplies, or if you would like to make a cash donation, please see the press release below, or visit the new website.  Thanks to those of you who have already generously contributed!

Press Release from Phoenix Quilts

July 12, 2012

"We aren't trying to replace people's bedding . . . we'll let the insurance companies do that.  All we want to do is bring someone a little bit of comfort during such a tragic and difficult time in their lives.  We feel that a quilt can do that almost better than anything else."

That's what I tell people when they ask me why I'm doing this.  That's why I want to put a home-made quilt into the arms of over 800 families who have lost their home to the terrible wildfires that their home just happened to be in the way of . . . simply to bring them a little bit of comfort.  I feel that as these people are trying to rebuild their lives from the ashes that was once their home, a quilt is a great place to start!

What started as a desire to give a quilt to some friends who lost their home to a wildfire, has grown into a determination to reach out to people throughout the Western United States and show them there are a LOT of people in this crazy ol' world who care! 

Obviously, though, there is NO WAY I could sew that many quilts myself.  So I put the challenge out there to my quilting friends.  Through my quilt blog http://HavingFunQuilting.blogspot.com and our other blog http://PhoenixQuilts.blogspot.com, I have had HUNDREDS of quilters, quilt stores, fabric companies, batting companies, and many others, join me in this cause without any hesitation!  Completed quilts, finished quilt tops, beautiful quilt blocks and fabric to make quilts with, and even monetary donations, are shipped or delivered to us daily!  The generosity of these men and women all over the world completely and totally AMAZES me!  This is the most unselfish group of people I have ever been associated with, and I love them all for what they're doing!  Will you please join us in helping those who have lost everything???

The Phoenix bird, as you may remember, rose again from the ashes of his nest after it was burned by fire.  I know these people who have lost their home to a fire will be able to rise again, as well.  That's why we are using the name "Phoenix Quilts . . . Rising from the Ashes."

Calling All Quilters!

Every night on the news for the past week, Computer Geek and I saw video of a new wild fire somewhere in Utah. The one closest to us, about thirty miles away, was the Wood Hollow fire. One life was lost and twenty-nine homes were destroyed.

A local blogger, Julie from Having Fun Quilting, decided to use her skills to provide relief for the homeless. Her friends lost their home while trying to evacuate others, so she decided to help them build new memories with the gift of a quilt.While sewing, a project bloomed in her mind--that of providing a quilt for each of the twenty-nine homeless families. She sent out a call to other quilters for help. The response to Operation Wood Hollow has been staggering. She will now be sending quilts to victims of wild fires across the nation.

Julie is in need of the following donations: quilts of any size, fabric, and money for deliveries. If you can help in any way, please visit her website. You can email her at the email address listed in her Blogger profile, or you can leave her a comment on her blog with what you are willing to do.

You can find more information HERE

Sunset last night as fire burned on the other side of the mountain

I Think He's Growing Up

Weston and I headed for the garden this morning to do some damage control. Either a cat or a peacock sat in my grow boxes and messed up my carefully planted rows of green beans, parsley, lavender and zinnia. We needed to replant those areas.  Weston knows that each morning he is to be available for family time in the yard, either for planting, weeding, harvesting, mowing, or as the occasion warrants, replanting.

Today he was having fun toying with me. I was trying to water the newly planted areas and he kept turning the spray on and off, on and off, thinking that it was pretty hilarious. When we finished our work he said, "I just realized that things go a lot better when I cooperate."

Yup. He said that. Really.

He followed up with, "Yeah, I think that when I don't fight you on everything, we have a lot more fun, don't we?"

I acknowledged that I certainly have a lot more fun when he cooperates.  He said, "When we do things together and I cooperate, then you don't have to yell at me and I'm a lot happier. You seem a lot happier too."  I considered grabbing my video camera and asking him to carefully repeat everything he just said so that I could YouTube it for future reference.

Part of our work today involved mixing soil in our wheelbarrow. Around supper time Computer Geek asked me if I knew the whereabouts of Weston. I said, "There's a wheelbarrow full of dirt in the back yard. He's a boy. My guess is that he's playing in the dirt.

Computer Geek went outside and sure enough found the boy driving his cars through the mounds. He said, "Your mom said I might find you playing in the dirt."

Weston replied, "I'm not playing. I'm designing."

That's right. Playing is for kids. Designing is for teenagers who have discovered that life is more pleasant when they cooperate.

Our NoJo Baby Bedding Arrived!

Last Sunday I posted my good news about winning a NoJo infant bedding set. Yesterday the set arrived in the mail so I hurried over to Em's house.  We were already surprised that I had won the bedding set, but we were even more surprised when we opened the boxes!

On the NoJo website, each infant collection (and they have many!) has a basic set with additional coordinating items available.  We assumed we were getting the basic 6 piece set, which on its own overjoyed us. I really could not believe my good luck in winning such a high-quality bedding set, especially right after Em had given birth. When Em started pulling the items out of the boxes, we soon realized that I had won far more than a basic set. I had won the mother-lode of NoJo Alexis Garden coordinating nursery goodies!

Included were a crib mobile, 3 fitted sheets, a window valance, a diaper stacker, a pink baby blanket, wall decals, a 3-piece wall decor set in frames, a bumper guard, a lamp, a comforter, a dust ruffle, a sheet saver, an infant-sized security blanket, and a hamper!

Miss Baby Elephant stretched out on her new NoJo Alexis Garden quilt.

Daughter Em with her amazing stash of NoJo swag

I was stunned that I received the entire collection.  Em loves the Alexis Garden collection because she is partial to reds, and it is not very often that an infant girl collection comes with red accents. [Notice that the living room wall behind the collection is red, hmm?]

Now you're probably wondering how you can score a fantastic baby bedding set for yourself, right? Well, if you're not a chance-taker like I am, you can go to the NoJo website to find a list of stores where you can purchase all the matching items needed to adequately spoil your newborn. However, if you're like me and believe that real people can actually win amazing prizes, then ENTER TO WIN RIGHT HERE a NoJo bedding set of your own!  

If you want to be updated about new products and contests or learn organizing and decorating tips for your nursery, then give NoJo a big LIKE on Facebook!  In fact, even if you have no need for nursery bedding, go give them a big LIKE on Facebook anyway, just because they were so generous to the Queen of Quang.  I know I'll be liking LOVING NoJo forever!