Pause...

Well, my camera jumped a plane this morning and flew to Denver. So, no pictures this week. The Treacle tribe is on pause until Saturday afternoon. Of course unless something really good happens that just can't be ignored! Well, I could always resort to using the kids' camera.... we'll see! Have a great week!

What Do You Get When You Mix Cookie Dough With a 4 Year Old?

Five total of these.... randomly through-out the house. "Look at my cookie prints", he said.



Some really good cookies.

And of course a little boy who learns to wash walls!

Memorial Day Weekend...

This Memorial Day weekend we have:

Taken full advantage of Memorial Day sales...



Cleaned house for company...

And went to the park for a lazy afternoon of play...

My childhood memories of this weekend usually included marching in a parade and eating yummy picnic food with family oh, and of course enjoying the day off from school! No one in our household is home from school today, but we have had the opportunity to spend an extra long weekend with Bryant. Hurray! And all to remember the men and women who serve our nation. Today I was thinking of all the men in my family that I know or knew that served in the military; both of my grandfathers, my father, my husband, his father, his brother and my 2 cousins, one who is currently in Iraq. Thank you to each of you. If it wasn't for all that our military do, I would not have the freedom to share with each of you little bits of our daily lives from so far away. Happy Memorial Day!

Our day today...

started out with a trip to the doctor. Nathan has an ear infection in both ears, he's miserable. But, soon he will be better!

Then, when I came home I checked my email and found a weekly email from www.couponmom.com. Yes, that's right coupons are beginning to consume me, they are so exciting! I even found a cute organizer at Target yesterday and it was the highlight of the day! I just have not used it yet because I really need to be certain of what to label each compartment... after all I only get one chance! Anyways.... in my email today there was an amazing offer from www.restaurant.com, I mean amazing! I was able to purchase $175 dollars of restaurant gift certificates for only $14. Can you believe it?! With the promotion code: SPECIAL you can buy $25 restaurant certificates for only $2. Unreal! Now these restaurants aren't your well known fancy chains... but, several of them I have heard of. And like Bryant said, "It's only $2! What a great deal, every one's gotta eat!".

Oh, and Bryant has a 4 day weekend! Woo Hoo, Memorial Day Weekend! I doubt we'll go anywhere... it'll just be too crazy to even try.

"47 Beavers on the Big Blue Sea"...

is the title of a favorite book in our house. And the moral of the story is that two is better than one, and when you have forty-seven... well, that's even better!

As you know, Nathan LOVES Legos! And Gracie is often found playing with them too. So, who knows maybe someday together they can create one awesome Opportunity!

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.

For if they fall, one will lift up the other."

- Ecclesiates 4:9, 10

"owww!"

Gracie's poor little pinky finger.... I noticed it yesterday when I was washing her hands and she cried "owwww!" She could bend it just fine so I left it at that: I must have been scrubbing too hard. Then this morning again after eating, "owwww!". Today I noticed it was swollen and she can't keep it down while making a fist. So, the verdict: a jammed finger. So, what do you get when you have a two year old who can hold her own? A battle wound every now and then, and today's is a jammed finger.

On the Campaign Trail...

We had a great weekend hanging out with Jeremy, Vicky and Andrew! The kids had fun playing together and... so did the adults! Come back anytime!!

This Weekend...

we are enjoying our weekend with Bryant's cousin Jeremy and his family. Check back Monday for lots of fun photos. Today was payday, so I'm off to the grocery store! Isn't it funny how on payday you suddenly have money back in your checking account, only to pay bills and buy groceries and be left with 15% of what the morning started with!? I guess that's what life is: give a little, take a little.

Treacle in a Can...

For a little under $5.00, you too can have your very own Treacle in a can!

We could not pass this up in the grocery store today. Someday it is my complete intention to have this as part of my decor in the kitchen. For now it sits on top of my cupboards... just waiting for it's proper placement on a shelf.

Mother's Day

I am such a lucky mommy...

Bad Habits Spread Like Wildfire...

I won't say whose bad habit I am referring to... but, I will say that it's not mine!

When a girl is thirsty and no one will listen, she can be resourceful!

Lunch Time Love...

Today at lunch I was telling the kids about Jesus' command to love one another. I asked Nathan how he can show love to Gracie, and he answered with "I can peel her an orange when she wants to eat one". Then I looked over at Gracie to ask her the same question. And all I saw was a little girl with pretzel sticks sticking out of her ears! Apparently she wasn't listening... or couldn't hear me, whichever! Sorry there's no picture of her with the pretzel sticks in the ears, I quickly removed them. Then when I reasked her the question, all I got for a response was some type of baby jibber jabber with words I've never heard before. Either she had a really good answer or she was revealing to me her next deviant plan. I just smiled and said, "Oh, that's nice Gracie".

When the Opportunity Arises...

Monkey See



Monkey Do

On Friday morning I was listening to Focus on the Family, Nathan heard the word "opportunity" and asked what it meant. I tried my best to define "opportunity" so that a 4 year old would hopefully understand. Well, with a little bit of imagination Nathan created his own "opportunity". Nathan carried it into church yesterday, so it went into my purse for the remainder of the morning. When we got home, I was upstairs and I could hear him yelling from somewhere downstairs, "Mom, have you seen my opportunity?"

So, I guess when I told him that an opportunity is something that God gives us that is good for us and can help make our lives better, this is what he envisioned:

I don't think that's what I was aiming for!

Life's Little Lesson...

When I was little I distinctly remember my siblings being oh so kind, as they were chasing me and throwing worms at me. I hated worms then and I still cringe at them now.

A couple of days ago Nathan was playing with a green suction ball outside. This is the kind of ball that will stick to windows, doors... because it is covered in small suction cups. Anyways, the ball ended up under the van and I told him that I wasn't crawling under the van, that he would have to wait until the next time we went somewhere, and then I would get his ball.

Yesterday we went to church, I forgot about the ball.

Today we headed to the grocery store, and as I was backing out I remembered the green suction ball under the van. So I retrieved the ball and handed it to Gracie. As I was getting ready to continue backing out, I hear Nathan say that there is a little worm on Gracie. I think at this point I stopped breathing... then I figured it was just something else. Nathan kept telling me about the little worm on Gracie, so I thought I must face the situation. As I climbed into the back seat to see the worm (shudder), I was truly praying that there was nothing there. Well, there was.... a little green caterpillar. In my opinion, just as bad as a worm! Eventually I coerced the little guy onto a piece of paper and set it free.

Afterwards, of course I just had that feeling of something crawling on me... there wasn't. And Nathan informed me, "Mommy, it was just a caterpillar. They're nice, they won't hurt you.". And I replied with, "Well then Nathan, next time you can take it off Gracie's pants.".

Although, I am not traumatized as I was as a child, I would still prefer to not touch or deal with any wiggly, squiggly little creature. Today I simply had no choice... or so I thought (next time maybe Nathan will speak up sooner and he can have the privilege of saving his sister from the mean ferocious caterpillar).

Lesson: Don't pick up little green suction balls that have been laying around outside for a couple of days in the spring. You never know what little creature may have found a new home there.