Tales from the Crackle Berry Bush

I heart the 4th of July!!

2010-07-08T10:31:00.000-05:00

Here's a little snapshot of what we did!

Kiddos

2010-06-28T20:35:00.000-05:00

So I'm sitting here, goofing off while I'm suppose to be doing my homework, and Mr. CB is getting the kiddos ready for bed. And then I hear this...
"Blue, come back here and give your sister her undies back!"
Followed by Blue running by waving Razz's undies above his head like a surrender flag. Mr. CB got him back in the bathroom to finish getting him jammied up...and then I hear...
"Blue, get your nakey bum back in here!"
Followed by Blue streaking past.
*Sigh* I love my life!

Neglect!

2010-06-25T19:49:00.000-05:00

Sorry dear blog. I feel so bad for neglecting you so long! Hmm, what has happened...
1.Razz passed swim lessons! Yay, on to level 2! This is great because last year she was too sissy to even stick her head in the water. This year she has started swimming underwater and loving it! Thank goodness, because on the last day of class they took the kids to the deep end in inner tubes and Razz's got away from her. She did exactly what she should have and kept her head above water until the lifeguard could reach her. She was scared and crying, but then she was so proud for doing what she should have in that situation and then jumped back in the water.

2. Kay and I threw a surprise party for our Mom which ended up not being a surprise thanks to dorky Mr. CB. But it turned out great anyway and Mr. CB feels worse than I do about it so I can't really be mad at him.

3. School is taking up a ton of my time, but I'm enjoying staining potato cells and am the proud owner of a very crappy microscope.
4. Blue is attached to me more than ever. Sometimes Mr. CB isn't even good enough for him. He cries when I go outside to throw something away. I'm thinking of taking out a restraining order. This is getting ridiculous.

Why does Blue have this awesome Mom Tattoo? See #7 to find out!

5. Found a GREAT recipe for whipped icing. I hate frosting, but this is awesome. It helps that Mr. CB gave me a Kitchen Aid for Mother's Day. All I gave him was a gift certificate for a massage.

The Best Whipped Icing Ever

1 8oz brick cream cheese at room temp

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 pint (2 cups) heavy whipping cream

Cream together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla ocassionaly stopping to scrap the sides of the bowl. On medium speed, add the whipping cream slowly again stopping ocassionaly to scrap the bowl. Once all the cream has been added, whip on medium high until stiff peaks form. Enjoy!

This even held up well in a warm room for a couple of hours and didn't melt. I made some the night before I used it and it didn't separate like other whip creams sometimes do.

6. My garden is growing well!! I have blossoms on my pumpkins and my peas! Can't wait for some homegrown veggies for dinner.
7. I made this sweet poodle skirt for Razz to go to a '50s soda shop party. Mr. Blue is a greaser, of course!

8. I LOVE being a SAHM this summer. Click here to see why!

P to the 3 for Eternity!

2010-06-10T16:37:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday was a very special day for our family. We celebrated our 6 year family anniversary by walking for my nephew Peter in the Great Strides walk for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. (We also went to Chuck E. Cheese's for the first time ever! I don't know about the kids, but I had so much fun! It is definitely going to be an ongoing tradition!)

Our team name is Peter's Pavement Pounders, but when it's 2am and you're still tie dying shirts and you need to be out the door by 7am for the walk, things tend to get shortened. Hence P to the 3! We fell a little short of our team goal, but still managed to raise $470, of which little Miss Razz raised $200 by herself! Thank You so much to everyone who helped!

Wow! Way to go, sweetie! I'm sure her charming good looks and the phrase "Cystic Fibrosis Foundation" coming out of a five year old's mouth we her super fund raising powers.

Kay and I sported some fashionable leg wear as we ran around pushing the kids on swings and waiting for the walk to begin.

Some guy brought this awesome remote control cop car with a microphone and a speaker so the car would interact with the kids.

At last it was time to start! Yay! We were on of the first groups on the trail...and one of the last to return, but we had fun.

Even Blue walked (well, ran really because he had to to keep up!) as long as his legs would let him.

After the walk we had hot dogs and chips and fudgecicles! Yum! It started to rain right after we got back, but the weather was perfect otherwise.

As I mentioned, it was our family anniversary. What's that, you ask? Every year we celebrate the day Mr. CB and I were sealed together for Eternity in the Logan, Utah Temple. In our faith, we believe that families can be together after death through the sealing power of the priesthood in a special Temple ceremony. Often this happens in conjunction with a Temple marriage, but Mr. CB and I had a civil ceremony a year prior. This walk was a great reminder that even though Peter might not be here long on earth, we will be with him again.Since our wedding anniversary was May 30th and our family anniversary is June 5th, we basically have a whole week to celebrate!

The knowledge that we as a family, and our extended family, all get to be together again is a great comfort, especially since CF is a death sentence for sweet Peter. We are hoping that organizations like the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will be able to find a cure or create treatments that improve and extend lives of those with CF. Peter may well live into his 50s, but if he doesn't, it will be okay. He will be with us forever, no matter the length of his earthly life. We love you, Peter. We praise our Heavenly Father for the gift of Eternal Life. We testify of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice that He made to take away not only our sins, but our worries, our pain, and our suffering.

NEW! Kid Quotes page!

2010-05-26T14:17:00.002-05:00

Today I got a sweet surprise when I opened my e-mail. My darling sister sent me html code for my Kid Quotes button so now everyone can play along! I created a new page dedicated to Kid Quotes, so to join in the fun just click on the Kid Quotes! below my blog title and follow the instructions.

Yesterday I had laid down with Blue for his nap. After he was fast asleep, I went downstairs to finish up some housework. A couple hours later Blue woke up crying. I went upstairs to ask him what the matter was. With those big, brown, puppy dog eyes he said, "I lost you!"

Razz is a super smeller. She can catch a wiff of something miles away, and is always asking "What's that smell?" Not too long ago, I had bought some pear scented deodorant. I stopped wearing it after Mr. CB jumped into the car, took a sniff, and said "What's smells like fruit?" and Razz answered "It must be Momma's armpits!"

Link up and have fun!

Blue the Biker Pirate!

2010-05-23T20:48:00.001-05:00

FOOD!!

2010-05-21T11:29:00.000-05:00

I have a confession. I HATE meal planning. I think the worst part of growing up and being responsible is that I have to make 3 healthy, balanced meals a day for myself, let alone my sweet hubby and kids! It's probably why I am so overweight. When I get frustrated trying to figure out what to make for dinner, I zip over to the frozen food section and grab some fish-sticks, burritos, pot-pies, or anything that takes less than 3 brain cells to cook. I can cook, it's just coming up with WHAT to cook is the problem.
BUT, I have found something to ease my worries and increase my veggie consumption.... MealsMatter.org!! They have an interactive menu, recipes, AND shopping list!! My dreams have come true!! I just need to spend a day or so creating a couple weeks worth of meals and lists and I should be set. The site is completely free! I have honestly considered signing up for one of those other meal planning sites for $50 a year, but lo and behold my prayers have been answered! Take a look and tell me what you think!
Adieu! I'm off to the grocery store! (Okay, that's a lie. I'm going to go pick up the kids and take them to see and ambulance and get their faces painted and stuff ourselves with free hot-dogs and juice which is sooo much more exciting than going grocery shopping, but it went so well with the theme of my post that I stuck it in there. I'll go grocery shopping later today...or tomorrow...or when my supply of easy frozen food runs out, which ever comes first!)

House Cleaning!!

2010-05-15T22:32:00.000-05:00

Oh, my heavens! I have spent the entire day cleaning and sweeping and toilet training (which added some extra mopping!). I only finished 2 rooms out of the whole house!! But that's okay, the rest will come. I haven't had time to clean this thoroughly since school started last fall. It is so nice to take the day and scrub, but oi do my feet hurt! I still need to fill out the FAFSA forms to finance Mr. CB and mine school for next semester, order my Biology kit for my internet class this summer, order Razz's flower girl dress for my brother's wedding in July, download pictures of my camera, do some more fund-raising for Great Strides, bake something for the pot-luck tommorow after church, and finish the rest of mine and Mr. CB's love story. Hmmm, I should probably go and do some of that stuff now...
See ya!

Blue boy

2010-05-11T12:13:00.000-05:00

So I let Blue sleep in just his diaper last night. He was so excited to go "nakey". When I woke him up this morning, he was nice and toasty warm in his favorite blanket. He was not, however, happy when I started getting him dressed. He wanted nothing to do with clothes. Blue held his arms down at his sides, clenched his fists and screamed at me. AHHH. Dorky child! Thank goodness he's still so small, or I don't think I would have been able to wrestle his clothes on. Mr. CB just laughed at me. Oh, well. I just won't let Blue go "nakey" unless the weather is warmer and we're staying home!

Fever in the morning, fever all through the night!

2010-05-08T21:51:00.000-05:00

( I know this pic is a little fuzzy, but it is 100% Razz. Her personality really pops through)

Little Miss Razz is sick. They sent her home Thursday from school. She said her throat hurt so bad she couldn't eat lunch. The nurse took her temp and sure enough I got a call. Problem was I was taking a final and had forgotten my phone. So they called Mr. CB, who works at the bookstore on campus. He isn't allowed to answer his phone while he's on the clock, plus he didn't have a chance to check who called, seeing that it was finals week and everyone was returning their books. So they called my Mom. Sweet, sweet Mother of mine. My Dad was out of town with the car, so she walked, WALKED, from her work to Razz's school and picked her up. Then, because she couldn't be gone too long, Mom had Kay come and meet her and walk Razz the rest of the way to their house so Mom could get back quicker. And Kay carried Razz the rest of the way. Oh, how thankful I am that I have people who love my sweet daughter as much as I do!!
Since Kay had had a virus earlier in the week with a sore throat, I just assumed that's what Razz had. She was acting fine, although she continued to run a low grade fever. She ate okay too, so I didn't think it was that bad. Thursday I kept her home and Friday too, she was running around sucking down milkshakes and more than happy to take advantage of the "all the TV you want when your sick" rule. Then Friday night we went out to eat to celebrate the end of the semester. Razz ordered a cheese quesidilla, and when it came she took one bite then started screaming. It took me a while to calm her down. She was so upset she couldn't eat her food. This morning I took her to the doctor (thank goodness my clinic has walk-in hours Saturday morning!). They swabbed her throat and left, letting me know it would take 5-10 minutes for the results. When the doctor came back in 2 minutes I knew it was bad news. STREP!!! First time having it too.
I feel so stupid. Wednesday night she complained of a sore throat. I just thought it was post-nasal drip from her allergies. Thursday I just thought it was a virus because she acted fine and her fever wasn't too high. I didn't even think of taking her in Friday until it was too late and she was screaming at the restaurant. Mr. CB and Dad gave her a blessing that night and she feel asleep quickly. Three days, though! My poor kid had strep for three whole days before I did anything! They should cancel Mother's Day for me tomorrow, I don't deserve it. To make it even more horrible, Wednesday when she first complained I didn't even think to take her temperature. Thursday when she came home I didn't think to check her throat. If I had, I would have known right away to take her in. I mean, for heaven's sake! I'm a nursing student! These are the first things we learned to do! I know what to look for, I can recognize the tale tale redness on her gigantic tonsils! I was so focused on finals I didn't apply what I had learned! What good is an education if I don't use it? Blah! Goodness, gracious. Well, at least I got her in today. I don't even want to know what condition she would have been in if I had waited till Monday.
We'll see how many of us get it. Mr. CB said something about a sore throat, and I can feel my tonsils swelling just talking about it. Serves me right. Thank goodness Dr. Tim said that if anyone in the family starting coming down with symptoms that we could just call up and they'd call us in a prescription. Happy Mother's Day indeed!

Bake Sale Success!!

2010-05-06T21:55:00.003-05:00

Last week I held a bake sale with the help of one of the honor societies on campus for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (Thank you Mortar Board!). My awesome cousin Katie died of CF a few years ago, and my darling nephew Peter fights it today and every day. As always, I went a little overboard. I made seven different types of cupcakes, normal and chocolate rice krispies, s'more bars, and brownies. See that container under the table...

it holds 200 cupcakes. I filled 2 of them. That's 400 cupcakes, plus the odd 150 other baked goods I made. It only took me two days, and honestly wasn't that bad.
We held our "Goodies for a Good Cause" for 2 days, 5 hours a day. I have to say THANK YOU to my awesome sister Kay on the right who flew in Sunday and manned the table the next Monday and Tuesday while I was in class.

I honestly did not know how I was going to pull it off. I had a ton of volunteers help out from Mortar Board, like the sweet lady on the left, but there were a couple time slots that nobody could make, even me. When I came up with this idea it was a bolt out of the blue, as if the Lord said "Cherry, you're doing a bake sale. I know it's finals and this is crazy, but I'll take care of it if you have the faith." And He did! He flew in Kay unexpected! I didn't know she would be here until 4 days before the bake sale. To make things even more exciting, Peter's dad Jacob flew in too! It was awesome to show him how much we love and support his family in a tangible (and tasty!) way.
The bake sale was a total success! By the end of the first day we had $123!! We didn't sell anywhere close to half of all the goodies, so the second day we reduced the price. Nearing the end we started giving cupcakes away. Several people were so touched they threw whatever change they had on them into the pot. We moved a lot more cupcakes, but we made less. Grand total was $200, which coincidentally was the same number of cupcakes we had left over!! Mr. CB had the awesome idea of giving them to the Domestic Abuse Shelter. They were thrilled :)!

Here's Kay next to the poster of my sweet nephew explaining a little about CF.

100% of the money will go to the CFF via my Great Strides walk in June. If you haven't donated yet, there's still time! Or better yet, join our team and help us raise money to fight CF. For more information, please visit Peter's Pavement Pounders website and click on Walk with us!

Once again a huge thank you to Kay, Mom, Mr. CB, Peter's Dad and Mom, Mortar Board, and especially the Lord for helping out. I couldn't have pulled it off without you guys!

No more teacher's dirty looks!

2010-05-06T20:44:00.000-05:00

I'M DONE WITH THIS SEMESTER!!!! AND I EVEN PULLED OFF ALL A's!!! 3 weeks of freedom then it's back to the books.

Finals!!

2010-05-05T10:56:00.000-05:00

Boy, am I tired.

1 down, 2 to go.

Pharmacology final grade - A

Nurse Medical/Surgical final in 1 hour - I'm as ready as I'm gonna be. Mr. CB was sooo sweet and quizzed me in the car...until he fell asleep in the middle of a question. He goes back to the sleep doctor on the 13th to find out what his sleep study results were.

Community Nursing final in 1 day...I hope I do well. This is the one I'm the most worried about. I havent' started studying because if I study more than one subject at a time I mix them up on tests. Plus, the content is so abstract and the questions are very specific. Last test in this class the teacher threw out 5 questions out of 40 because we challenged them with information from the book, or they weren't in our assigned reading. I don't think anyone has gotten the grades they deserve.

Anyway, I better head to school. Say a quick prayer for me!

Husband 1.0!!!

2010-05-03T15:01:00.004-05:00

I recently received this e-mail and it was too funny not to share with all my bloggy friends. Of course, this in no way reflects on Mr. CB. We all know how wonderful he is ;).
Enjoy!

INSTALLING A HUSBAND

Dear Tech Support,

Last year, I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slowdown in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as:
Romance 9.5 and
Personal Attention 6.5,
and then installed some undesirable programs such as
NBA 5.0,
NFL 3.0 and
Golf Clubs 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.

Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.

What can I do?
Signed,
Desperate

DEAR DESPERATE:

First, keep in mind,
Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while
Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html, try to download Tears 6.2, and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.

If those applications work as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0, or Beer 6.1.

Please note that Beer 6. 1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)

In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0-program. This is an unsupported application and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend
Cooking 3.0 and
Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck!
Tech Support

Kid Quotes! & Not Me! Monday!

2010-04-26T00:39:00.002-05:00

I decided to share my Kid Quotes with a Not Me! Monday! today. Not Me! Monday! was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Blue and I play this game where I point to a body part of his, usually his chin or his nose, and tell him it's a different body part. He laughs and then corrects me. Yesterday in church Blue definitely did NOT decide to play this game with me. He did NOT point to a mole near my collar bone and shout "Penis!" for the whole congregation to hear. Nope, not me. My kids know it's not polite to shout out names of private body parts and would definitely not do so in CHURCH!

I did NOT wear knee high purple, black, and grey stripped socks with my knee length skirt to church yesterday. I always shave my legs and never use socks as an excuse to go another week without doing so.

Saturday, Razz was looking at her Star Wars book she borrowed from school in the car. When she stumbled across a picture of this guy...

she did NOT shout "Toyota!". When Blue saw the picture, he of course, did NOT correct her by shouting "Soda!" in response.

My kids did NOT barge in on my husband while he was using the bathroom. Mr. CB did NOT kick them out, saying that he needed some privacy. Blue, in turn did NOT start rummaging through the bag I was packing. When I did NOT ask him what he was doing, he did NOT say, "I'm looking for Privacy. Daddy needs some!"

Have a Kid Quote you'd like to share? Link up or leave it in the comments!

Toodles!

A well balanced diet?

2010-04-20T22:57:00.000-05:00

Here is what Blue had for dinner....

A cheese muffin

Some blue milk (otherwise he wouldn't drink it)

A side of ketchup

*sigh*

One day my sweet child will eat veggies like his sister!

Kid Quotes

2010-04-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

Do you like it? I DO!! Thanks so much Lelan from Good Gravy Designs. It's so nice to have bloggy friends like you. Once I'm done with school I'll get a page set up so you can grab the button and join me too! So, I propose a vote. What day will be the official Kid Quotes day? Leave your vote in the comments and we'll figure it out.

So Sunday we were driving home from church and passed a cemetery. Razz looked out the window and said, "Look, a Grave Garden!"

Lately, Blue has a favorite catch phrase. At random times he shouts "Shoe Shopping!"
I couldn't figure out why for the life of me. I have taken him shoe shopping before, but not that often. I'm not addicted to shoes (Star Trek is another matter, however). We started saying "shoe shopping" at random times too, and it usually got a good laugh out of Blue. Yesterday we had a breakthrough. Mr. CB figured out that Blue's not saying "shoe shopping", he's saying "show you something"!!! All this time Blue wanted us to just watch him. Go figure!

So many things.....

2010-04-17T11:12:00.000-05:00

First off, let's talk about Blue. Back in February when we took Blue for his 2 year check up, the doctor was concerned about his height. Apparently he dropped 40 percentage points down on the growth chart from his last checkup 6 months prior and his height was still that of a 18 month old. So, he sent us to a pediatrician. The pediatrician seemed alarmed as well and immediately took us down to x-ray to get a film of his hands and wrist bones. Why? Because by measuring the growth plates they can determine his bone age, or how many growth spurts he's had. You want the bone age to = the height age. Good news, the x-rays came back saying his bone age was 15-18months, same as his height age. So, basically he hadn't hit that growth spurt yet. Anyway, they had us come back in this month for a height check and, you guessed it, he's still short! This last Thursday we went to the Endocrinologist Dr. G (he's a doctor that specializes in hormones) to see if there was something else going on. Now, let me just say this. Mr. CB and I haven't really been concerned this whole time. Blue is small and short, just like Razz was. In fact, he's bigger than Razz was at this age. The only reason we've gone to all these doctors it because the doctors are concerned. First thing Dr. G asked me when he walked in is why I was there, if it was because I was concerned or because the doctors were! Finally, a doctor who listens to the parents! He didn't seem nearly as worried as the other doctors. Dr. G explained growth this way. All full term babies are born at 19-21 inches regardless of how tall their parents are. They then either speed up or slow down their growth in the first 2 years until they hit were they are genetically suppose to be. According to Dr. G, if Blue stays on the growth pattern he currently has, he will be 5'6 1/2", the low end of normal when you take into consideration mine and Mr. CB's heights. I'll say it again, NORMAL! Thank you Dr. G. He does want to see Blue in 4 months to make sure he's not dropping off anymore, but as for right now we'll do nothing. Yay! I definitely will remember Dr. G's example of good patient care when I'm finally a RN.
Now lets turn our attention to Blue's head...

It's huge! His bike helmet from last year was too small, so we went ahead and ordered him and Razz new helmets....in the same size! At least we know this one will last him a little while. We spent a little extra and got the multiple impact helmets because Blue is always hitting his head even when he's not on his bike or skateboard. You're suppose to throw a bike helmet away after one impact. That means we would have gone through three already! I'm sorry, but I don't have a picture of Razz in her's. She didn't really need a new one, but these one are more adjustable than her old one and a better fit = better protection. Plus, we got free shipping if we ordered two :).
One, final note, this last week has been tough! Sunday Blue threw up in the middle of church. Bad thing is, since our chapel is being remodeled, we meet in the middle school auditorium. Good news, the floor is concrete. Bad news, the floor is slanted. Luckily there was no one sitting directly in front of us. Mr. CB took Blue out to clean him up while I stayed behind, hurrying to make a baby wipe dam on the floor so the puke wouldn't continue flowing down towards peoples shoes. I feel sorry for the speaker. No one was listening, the whole congregation was watching me clean up the floor. After we left church we went to my parent's house, which was a hour and fifteen minute drive. It took longer than that since Blue puked all over himself and the car seat. By the time we got to my parents he was fine. He did well Monday too, until that night when Razz started throwing up. Then he decided to join her. Oh, and did I mention we were still at my parents? And that Mr. CB was helping my mom with repairing a toilet? And that there was no running water? And that Mr. CB got sick too? Once I got one kid cleaned up the other one would spew. I couldn't wash clothes, and I was relying on heating water up in a bowl in the microwave to wash my hands with. Not fun. I was up all night. Oh, and did I mention that I had a huge test the next morning? Well, I did. I could have taken it later, but I just wanted to get it over with. I only missed three (woohoo!) so that was okay. I took care of the kids the rest of the day. Wednesday, I woke up sick. Bad news because I had a quiz to take online, plus my mom was out of town and she needed me to help finish up dishes, vacuuming, and such because an inspector was coming Thursday. So I didn't get any rest. Oi. Thursday we went to the Endocrinologist and Friday I spent doing a huge assignment that's due on Monday. I'm not finished yet, so that will be the rest of my weekend. Here's to motherhood!

Peter and the Mucus Monster!

2010-04-10T22:54:00.001-05:00

As I've mentioned before, my sweet nephew Peter battles Cystic Fibrosis (CF) every day. With CF, Peter's body makes extra thick mucus, clogging up his lungs, sinuses, and his digestive tract. People with CF have a hard time breathing and digesting food. The extra thick mucus also collects bacteria and germs, same as normal mucus does, except because it is so thick it's hard to get rid of. This allows the germs in the mucus to stick around long enough to get Peter sick and stay sick for a long time. Because of this, Peter doesn't get to hang around a lot of kids.

Last summer we met up with Peter and my sister in Colorado for a family reunion. Before we went I was extra villigent with making sure the kids washed their hands and didn't pick their noses. I also made sure that we didn't hang around anyone that was sick so that we would all be super healthy when we got there.

We had so much fun with him! The kids are excited to see him this summer when we go to Portland for my brother's wedding. But before we do that, we are walking for Great Strides, a fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I would really appreciate if you would sponsor me on this walk. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has done a lot in the last 20 years to improve and lengthen the lives of those living with CF. My hope is that they will find a cure in Peter's lifetime so he has the chance to grow up and have a family of his own.

Join Peter's Pavement Pounders for Great Strides 2010 from Marchet Butler on Vimeo.

To donate, please click on the Great Strides button on the top of my blog. For more information about Peter, please visit his blog here.

Kid Quotes

2010-04-05T22:25:00.001-05:00

The kids and I were walking to Grandma's house from the babysitter's last Wednesday when Razz noticed some trash on the ground. "Mama," she asked "why do people glitter?" I didn't have the heart to correct her, it was so adorable. But the funny thing is today, she and Blue were outside playing when he spotted a foil wrapper on the ground. "What's that?" Blue asked. Razz responded, "Oh, that's a glitter bug."
Got any good Kid Quotes? Leave a comment!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-03-31T14:59:00.000-05:00

It's my birthday so I decided to have a party on my blog! Yay! And better yet, the cupcakes are zero calories. Enjoy!

Kid Quotes

2010-03-29T21:10:00.001-05:00

Hopefully this summer we're making a trip to Portland for a wedding (fingers crossed). We told Razz that when we were there we would go on a trip to the beach. She was so excited and told us "I'm going to go to the beach and pick up 9 jars of sea shells and dead fish!!" I just hope the 'dead fish' are fossilized.
P.S. How do you make a button? I'm thinking of making a Kid Quotes one and hooking up Mr. Linky, but I'm technically challenged. I can do it, I just need some guidance. Thanks!

Guess who loves cupcakes!

2010-03-26T19:23:00.000-05:00

Kid Quotes!

2010-03-26T19:13:00.002-05:00

Last night Razz complained that her legs hurt. We told her it was probably growing pains. This morning when she woke up she jumped to her feet, stood up straight and asked "Do I look taller?

It has been relatively warm lately. As such, the most common words that come out of Blue's lips are "Mommy! Coat, on! Shoes, on! Outside!"
What funny thing did your kid (or anyone else's for that matter!) say lately?

T I R E D !

2010-03-25T13:44:00.000-05:00

So, last night Blue asked me to grab his fuzzy green blanket from downstairs so he could sleep with it. I went and grabbed it and took it back upstairs to give to him. When I went to cover him up, I realized it was purple...and that it wasn't even a blanket. I had grabbed Razz's coat! Oi, am I tired. I don't think any amount of sleep will cure it either. Poor Mr. CB is exhausted. He snores a ton and I'm pretty sure there's some sleep apnea going on. He'll have to go to the doctor to get some help, but we have no time for doctor visits! Thank goodness we only have another month and a half of school. Then we can sleep through the summer!

NEW! Kid Quotes!

2010-03-20T21:39:00.000-05:00

Because Blue and Razz say so many off the wall things, I've decided to try to do a Kid Quotes post every couple of days or so. Please feel free to join me and share the wacky things your kids (or anyone else's, for that matter) have said lately in the comments!
To start it off, I offer these few classic Razz quotes from when she was 2.
1. "I don't like potato pancakes, they're dangerous!"
2. "Mom, I'm thirsty. Can I have some marshmallows?"

And to finish off, here are some very recent Blue quotes.
1. March 19, 2010 "Mom, I sorry I peed you!"
2. March 20, 2010
Blue - "Dad, I have more popcorn dip chocolate milk?"
Mr. CB - "You want more popcorn to dip in your chocolate milk?"
Blue - "Yes, Sir!"

Join the fun! Leave a comment! Adios!

How I became Ms. Crackleberry, Part 3: The phone call.

2010-03-17T23:32:00.002-05:00

Click on the links if you missed Part 1 and Part 2!

We were trying to be serious, but obviously I can't hold a straight face!

Where were we, oh yes! It was a lazy summer afternoon and my phone rang....and rang, and rang, and the answering machine picked up. I was sleeping (actually, I heard the phone ring but didn't want to get out of my comfy bed) so I didn't get the message until my sister Shay got home from work and told me that "some strange boy with a weird name" had called. For some reason, I instantly knew it was Mr. CB. His name just popped into my head the moment she told me. Why, I'm not quite sure. I had just broken up with James a couple weeks prior and had just resolved to be single a while because I needed to learn how to be myself without relying on a guy for my identity. I hadn't thought of Mr. CB for 6 months, and suddenly calling him back was THE most important thing in my life. I rushed over to the answering machine (total side note, I am just envisioning the future when our kids are reading this and they turn and ask what an answering machine is! Sorry, back to the story!) and jotted down his number. I dialed his phone and it started to ring....and ring, and ring, and the answering machine picked up. I left a message and hung up. Still I was anxious to reach him, so I called again, being careful to hang up before the answering machine picked up so I didn't come off as desperate (little did I know that Mr. CB had Caller ID so when he came home later he knew I had called twice in a row ~cringe~). It was the strangest feeling, knowing in my gut that I HAD to get a hold of him, but not actually having a logical reason why. My only explanation is Divine Intervention, literally! I truly felt like the Spirit was pushing me towards Mr. CB, and we hadn't even gone out on our first date yet! Whew, talk about intense. But to understand the whole story, we have to switch over to Mr. CB and his reasons for calling.

The same summer afternoon, Mr. CB was sitting bored at his apartment. With nothing to do, he picked up his address book with all his friends numbers in it, and started calling. NO ONE was home. He tried number after number and couldn't reach a soul. As he was flipping through, he kept passing my number and each time had the impression to call me. Each time he thought "No, Cherry and James are probably married by now and she probably doesn't have that number anymore." Still, none of his other friends were home and no one had called him back yet. The impression to call me came more urgently. "Oh, I guess it won't hurt anything," he thought and dialed away. The phone rang, and rang, and....well you know what happened! After leaving a message, there was a knock on the door. One of his buddies showed up, and off they went to skateboard.

So, here I am waiting at home anxiously and Mr. CB is skating around town. What happens when he returns home and finds I've called twice? Does he call me back? Do I call him a third time? Tune in next time for...The Return Call!

Time for Bed!

2010-03-16T14:58:00.003-05:00

My sweet little Blue has been having a hard time going to bed lately. He doesn't want to be more than 10 feet away from me or Mr. CB, and preferably with no permanent structures between us (you know, like those silly wall and door things that are all over the house)! For a couple weeks I let him crawl into bed with us, but it's not a good solution. First of all, wiggly toddler + light sleeper Mom = not very much rest for me. Second, I try not to let the kids sleep next to Mr. CB because when his head hits the pillow, almost nothing can wake him up. Mr. CB has slept through screaming babies, super loud lightning storms, and trees crashing into the back of the house. Additionally, once when we were first married Mr. CB apparently wasn't comfortable enough on his side of the bed so he rolled over me to the other side. Yes OVER me. Completely steamrolled. He then snuggled down and continued snoozing, not even the slightest bit aware of what he had just done!

Luckily, I survived.

However, I don't know what would happen if it was our itty bitty kids in my place. Hence, I avoid letting them into our bed unless I'm desperate. I have been very desperate lately. Blue has slept with us a lot. I finally banished him to the floor next to our bed, which works well except for the whole forgetting-that-he-is-there-and-stepping-on-him thing that tends to happen more frequent than not. So for his safety, we decided that once again he was going to stay in his room at night. Since last week was spring break, I was able to stick to my guns once the screaming commenced. And it did. Immediately upon learning it was time for bed. And it continued. For hours! So, naturally, Mr. CB and I put in a DVD and turned up the volume until we couldn't hear him anymore. Cruel, mean, neglect? I don't think so, but after a couple days we had to come up with something else. He obviously needed some motivation. Blue has been sleeping in his crib converted to a toddler bed, but it was time to ditch the crib completely.

The next time we went to Walmart we swung by the baby furniture section. I casually pointed out all the "big boy beds" to Blue and guess what, he went for it! He was so excited I let him choose which one he wanted (out of the two I showed him, no plastic character frames, thank you very much!). We loaded it in the car, got dinner, and picked up Mr. CB, then whisked home to build it.
We removed the crib and got to work. I know I should have taken a picture of the crib, but I forgot, so you'll have to use your imagination.

(Please, please, please ignore the electrical outlet hazard right where his bed goes! Blue knows not to touch it, we've had the big ouchy burn talk and he completely understands. It's a weird outlet so the normal baby proofing stuff doesn't work. When you can't baby proof the house you end up house proofing the baby.)

Let's get started! Mr. CB and the kids got to work.

Hmm, nice work, but it looks like somethings missing. Did you read the instructions Mr. CB? No? Better take a look.

Oh, so that's where that big dowel goes!

Much better!

Who's bed is this?

Blue's bed!

Blue, I'm pretty sure your fingers don't go there.

Mr. CB started looking tired...

... so Blue and I took over.

Finally finished, we threw the mattress and bedding on. What do you think?

Well, what do you know? It's time for bed! Blue crawled in, snuggled up in his favorite green fuzzy blanket, and promptly started crying.

Razz had to come snuggle him for a bit before he calmed down and fell asleep, but he stayed there. When I checked on him at 6am he was still in bed, yay! When I came back up after my shower at 6:30am this is what I found...

He kinda reminds me of the Wicked Witch of the East with his stripped legs poking out from under his blanket! When I woke him up we did a little "Blue slept in his big boy bed all night" dance and song number and repeated it several times, telling everyone through out the day. The next night he started crying again, but still climbed into bed and went to sleep. So I guess this is our new normal. Still some tears, but no screaming for two hours. Plus everyone has been getting a good night sleep, just in time for school to start again.

Which reminds me, time to hit the books!

How I became Ms. Crackle Berry UPDATED!!

2010-03-15T11:41:00.001-05:00

In case you missed it, here is Part 1 and Part 2 of mine and Mr. CB's love story. I recently added a dating era photo of us on Part 2 so swing on down to view it. Part 3 is in the works. Stay tuned!

Uticaria!!!!

2010-03-11T10:58:00.000-06:00

A looooooooooong time ago when I was a Medical Assistant working in a family practice office, we had a bunch of Zyrtec drug reps come in. In between shoving patients in exam rooms, they would regal us MA's with the many wonders of this ultra hip medication. One of the uses was for uticaria (the super fancy medical term for hives). When they returned the next day, if we could spout off 3 of those fantastic uses, they would give us a smoothie. Not just any smoothie, this was a protein-packed-mango-berry-tropical-delight-frozen-yogurt-16-ounces-of-heaven from Jamba Juice. You betcha I memorized the clinical uses for Zyrtec, and still know them today!
So, when Razz broke out into hives after consuming a huge bowlful of salad after refusing her lasagna (What a silly girl! I should count myself lucky it's not the other way around! I mean, who refuses lasagna??!?), I reached for my trusty bottle of Children's Zyrtec Syrup.....only it was empty!!!

See how bright her lips are? Do you see that hive under her lip?

Need a closer look? Here you go!

AAaauughh! What was I to do!? The stores were long closed and I wasn't taking her to the ER for a teeny tiny hive. Never fear, I grabbed a bottle of adult Zyrtec, a knife, and cut that 10mg pill in half (Disclaimer: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER cut medication in half unless it was designed to be cut in half and you have express permission from your health care provider to do so! Also never give medication to a child that was designed for an adult. I broke a lot of rules here.) We gave Razz a big cup of water, the half pill, and cautioned her not to chew it up. After a couple of tries, she got it down, and none too soon! When she smiled at us I noticed another hive was popping up.
"Uh, Razz, how's your throat?" I asked.
"Kinda itchy!" she replied.
"Well, I don't think we're giving you anymore Italian dressing on your salad." said Mr. CB.
I totally agree with him.
We've know Razz has had some food allergies for a while. Usually her lips just turn bright red, or the, ahem, other end does, but nothing really serious. This hive thing, however, tells me that her allergic reaction is getting more severe. *Sigh* To the doctor's we go for allergy testing!

Sick!

2010-03-09T12:09:00.001-06:00

Spring Break = sick! Actually, any time I have a break from school I get sick. Mr. CB had it last week, so I guess I should be happy I'm not missing any classes like he did. I did go and do an interview for one of my assignments this morning. Miraculously I was able to pull myself together for it.

Recipe for being able to function while sick

Small bites of bread or soda crackers

Small sips of Sprite or Gatorade

Maximum dose of Tylenol

Maximum dose of Immodium

Priesthood blessing from Mr. CB (of all the ingredients this one is the most important!)

This lasts for about 2-3 hours, then it's time to take a long nap. Which reminds me, it's about that time for me. Hopefully I'll be able to function this evening without the massive amounts of medication. We'll see.

Did you miss me?

2010-03-07T23:35:00.000-06:00

Sorry, dear bloggy friends. I want to apologize for my absence. A couple 30+ hour homework assignments and a medical emergency kept me at bay. But never fear, I did not forget you. Since this week is SPRING BREAK!!!!! I have a little extra time to post. I'll tell you all about the events of the last couple of weeks and I'll try to get some more pictures up. As for the medical emergency, my son Blue decided to join my bloggy friend T.J. in enjoying the benefits of a concussion. Both are okay, thank goodness, and hopefully no repeat performances will occur. T.J. I'm sure will be more careful, but I'm not convinced Blue will be judging by his continual noggin cracking he does on a daily basis! Although I will say that Blue had perfect timing. Mr. CB and I whisked him off to the ER right before I had a major test in pharmacology which I wasn't as prepared for as I would have liked. Consequently, I did not have to take the test for five more days, and thus scored much higher than I would have due to the extra study time.
Oh, and one more thing, did you see my new button on the right? My sweet nephew battles cystic fibrosis everyday. Click on the button to see the blog his darling parents have started with stories, photos, and videos. This year I am joining them in Great Strides, a fundraising walk for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Please sponsor my walk or better yet, join me in walking at a Great Strides near you. You can go here to donate.
I am soooooo looking forward to posting more this week. See ya soon!

How I became Ms. Crackle Berry, Part 2!

2010-03-07T23:01:00.006-06:00

Haven't read Part 1 yet? Click here!

Me and Mr. CB in a Kmart photo booth soon after we started dating

Last we left off, I had moved to the midwest with my family leaving Mr. CB behind. I started college right away, bouncing from one major to the other, and working overnights to pay for tuition. James and I had broken up, and so I entered the shallow dating pool. All I came across were bottom dwellers, not a keeper in the bunch. I spent a year and a half trying to fit in to a place I did not belong. Tired of dating pond scum and directionless in my schooling, I decided to move back with my eldest sister Shay. Out of sheer familiarity, James and I started dating again. I began searching for a job, picking up applications at strip malls and burger joints.
It was at a music/entertainment/bookstore I ran into Mr. CB who happened to be filling out an application as well. We started chatting while we wrote down our personal info and work history. Mr. CB mentioned that he had just ended his apprenticeship as a body piercer at a local tattoo shop. As we continued to talk, I casually mentioned that I had always wanted to get a navel piercing. Displaying the kindness and generosity that would later sweep me off my feet, Mr. CB offered to do the piercing for free. All I had to do, he said, was pick up some supplies. I had no more boxes to check or lines to fill out on my form, so I wrote my number on a slip of paper, handed it to Mr. CB, and told him to call me the next week to set up a time for the piercing.
The next week James and I arrived at Mr. CB's apartment, hollow needle and barbell in hand. We chatted as Mr. CB sterilized the equipment. Later Mr. CB told me that as he was perched over my abdomen, all he could think about was how James and I were not a good fit, and that I shouldn't be with him. After the piercing was done, James and I left. I didn't see or hear from Mr. CB for another six months.
Then, one lazy summer afternoon, the phone rang. Who was it? What did they want? Stay tuned to find out!
Click here to go to Part 3!

We interupt this love story...

2010-02-16T23:54:00.002-06:00

Sorry, but life has been a doozy and I haven't had time to breathe, literally. This last week has been full of asthma, a leaking roof, and Blue's visit to the pediatrician.
Asthma in 100 words or less.
Caught cold, got rid of cold, still couldn't breathe. 5 days and sleepless nights coughing, used inhaler more than recommended times per day, Mr. CB made me go to the doctor. 1 nebulizer, spirometer, major steroids, and $60 later I feel better! Still can't sleep because of the steroids but at least I can breathe.
Leaking roof in 100 words or less.
This winter sucks. Squat insulation in the roof, melting snow creates ice dam. Water pools on roof, leaks through walls, window, closets, basement puddles. Mold, wet drywall, and wet clothes. Clean and pack stuff up, call insurance. Ice dams are covered!
Pediatrician in 100 words or less.
Blue is too short, dropped 40% on growth chart. Height age is 18 months, actual age 24. Screaming x-rays of hands and wrists to measure bone age. If bone age is 18 months, we're ok. If bone age is 24 months, we go see the endocrinologist for hormone checks.
Oh, and I didn't even mention school.
BIG assignment due tomorrow (today actually). Spent 30+ hours on it. Lots of tests this week too that I haven't studied for because of aforementioned house, asthma, assignment, and boy.
BUT I am happy, whole, and warm. PLUS I am a Child of God, and nothing beats that. I have a great family, a reliable car, and a warm winter coat. Whew, okay, I'm ready to face the day (or hit the hay)!
Next post will be more lovin' with pictures!! Promise!!

How I became Ms. Crackle Berry, Part 1: The beginning

2010-02-11T19:17:00.003-06:00

I met Mr. CB through my high school dance company. The company was performing a swing dance, which meant we needed boys. Big, strong boys who could swing us around without hitting our heads on the ground (it really hurts when that happens). Naturally all of us girls had our boyfriends be our partners because even if they didn't want to dance, they don't want us dancing with anyone else.
Mr. CB was dating another girl in the company (as was his brother, I guess the Crackle Berry boys have a thing for us dance co girls), and I was oblivious to other guys besides my then boyfriend James. The thing I remember most about Mr. CB at that time was that he was the only guy that seemed genuinely interested in being there! When our guys didn't show (which, unfortunately, was often), we'd practice with Mr. CB so we could teach our guys later.
The swing dance went well, but that was not the last I would see of Mr. CB (or so he tells me). I have quite the brain fog when it comes to high school. I remember very little unless it concerned dance or James. Anyway, Mr. CB tells me I sat with him and the dance co crowd every day at lunch. I do remember vague people-like shapes talking around tables, and their was food, so I am inclined to believe Mr. CB. Besides, several other dance co girls have backed him up. Continuing on.
Mr. CB and his girlfriend broke up, so I didn't see him for a while until he started dating a different dance co girl. See, even then he needed to be near me, even though we didn't know it yet. But life moved on once again and Mr. CB and I went our separate ways. I graduated and moved to the midwest with my family, Mr. CB stayed and worked various jobs, one of which was apprentice body piercer! Little did we know that it was his skills with a hollow needle that would earn him my number. More to come!
Click here to go to Part 2!

LOVE

2010-02-11T00:38:00.002-06:00

A ver quick post since it's super late (or super early). In honor of Valentine's Day, I think I'll write Mr. CB's and my love story. If you would like to join me, let me know and I'll link up your blog! Fun, fun, fun! Stay tuned!

Oh, Blue!

2010-02-05T14:07:00.003-06:00

Do you ever feel like your focus in on one child for a while, then it switches and your other child(ren) is your focus? I have found that right now I think more about and I do more things with Blue than I do Razz. She's pretty self-sufficient, but I still feel like she doesn't get enough of my attention. I always have to take care of Blue first. Blue needs this, Blue has to go in time-out, Blue needs a new diaper, Blue needs some "magic" time ("Magic" time is a good 20-30 minutes of uninterrupted Mommy play time my sister suggest when I have homework to do and Blue won't leave me alone. Once "magic" time is over, Blue is usually content to play next to me or with his sister. Thanks Sis!). Oh, and when I was downloading pictures off my camera, guess who was the main subject? Blue! Poor Razz, I think she'll get her own "magic" time this weekend doing some girly pink valentine's day crafts...after I finish my homework!
Back to Blue, my sweet little man. We've been spending quite a few nights at Grandma and Grandpa's house since the weather is often too bad to go home, or I have early class and trying to get the kids up at 5:30 in the morning in order to get to town on time is out of the question. Last night after we put them to bed in the same room, Blue bit Razz! Auuuggghhh! I have *another* bitter on my hands! So Blue came and laid down on the couch next to my desk, and after a million denied requests for milk he finally fell asleep and stayed asleep! Otherwise, if I put him back in the other room, he wakes up several times a night crying until finally I just sleep next to him. I'm not sure I like him sleeping in the same room as Mr. CB and I, but at least he's not in the bed with us. I DO like the large chunk of rest I get with this arrangement. Maybe we'll just have to move Blue into our room until we have seperate rooms for the kids....hmmm. I don't think Mr. CB will go for it, but if it's the only way I get an uninterrupted night of sleep, it just might happen. Any suggestions?

A little bit crazy...

2010-01-31T22:19:00.007-06:00

Mr. CB got me this shirt a while ago. I like to wear it with striped socks.

I wear it when I'm a little mischievous. But since I'm a parent and need to act like I'm an adult around my kids, goofing off has to wait until they're in bed.
My mom says this video of me is embarrassing and she can't believe I'm posting it.
I say it was way fun, and besides, this is how Mr. CB and I relate. No, really, it is. We're dorks. In fact, I knew Mr. CB was the one to marry when he partially closed a ziplock bag leaving a small opening where he could suck all the air out, then finish closing the now vacuum packed leftovers. My heart went pitter pat.
On another note, we had Blue's party yesterday which rocked! I'll post some pictures soon.

Happy Birthday Blue!

2010-01-26T10:58:00.002-06:00

Dear Blue,

At 11:11am Central Time you entered this world 2 years ago. At the exact same time your sister was diagnosed with RSV and wasn't allowed near you without being disinfected and masked for two weeks!

But once you were allowed to be together again, you guys have been the best of pals. I love that you're a Mama's boy, never wanting to leave my side. I'm glad you force me to find new ways to parent, since you and Razz have such different dispositions. Thank you for having your Daddy's brown eyes, his nose, and his hitchhikers thumb. My love for him makes it easy to love you.

Have a great 2nd birthday!

I love you,

Mama

It's a long one!

2010-01-24T21:37:00.001-06:00

Alright, so now that school has officially started, I have no time to blog. I expected this, so I've been keeping a list of things I'd like to write about, hence this post is a hodge podge of subjects and events. This will probably be the norm until summer when I have more free time. Okay, back to school.
I just recently received a letter telling me I made the Dean's List for the College of Nursing last semester. This isn't really surprising but at the same time I wasn't expecting it. All I have to do is keep my GPA above a 3.6 each semester and I'm in. This could prove difficult given the amount of homework and studying I have to do as well as taking care of two little Crackle Berry babes. So far I've kept up with studying and reading assignments, but this is just the beginning and it's only going to get more hectic. Going to school with kids is not easy!!!!! Being pregnant and being in the same room as moldy petri dishes (like I was with Blue) is not ideal!!! As much as I wish I had finished school before I had my family, having kids really makes me focus on putting in quality work into school because I have other people depending on me. Flunking a class only takes food out of their mouths and clothes off their backs, which is not an option. I don't have time to repeat anything, I'm not getting any younger, and I don't have the patience. Four more semesters to go!
Our house if falling apart. We need to replace the windows. Here, you'll see what I'm talking about.

This is an old problem, but not one that has happened since we've moved in four years ago. My parents replaced the roof, so we thought that it was taken care of. I understand why the window is leaking, but I don't know why the ceiling is leaking too. I'm worried about mold. Luckily I haven't found any, but we'll see what we run into when we insulate the roof this spring. But wait! There's more!

Our lovely awning is breaking from the weight of the snow and ice. Okay, so it's not that lovely or well made of an awning. This too will be replaced this spring. Yay! Mr. CB took off all the icecicles and as much snow as he could. Goodbye Door of Doom! You were breathtaking, but also house breaking, so you had to go.

Besides the screen door being frozen shut, we can use the front entrance again! Not that we will, but it's a nice option.

Since we were outside, we decided to have a little fun. Blue was inside taking a nap, but Razz was frolicking in the snow...

She made it all the way down on the snow skate without falling! Mr. CB wants to take her snowboarding this year. I think she's ready. We also made a mini snowman.

The snow wasn't packing really well, so this is as big as we could go. Still, we had fun!

Blue will be 2 this Tuesday! Here is his invite I made up. The bottom picture we cut out around the shapes and attached them to the bottom of the invite with some star brads.

I would usually make the cake too, but since I've started school full time, it's just not possible. Luckily, my sister Kay used to work at a bakery in a local grocery store. The head decorator there got to know our kids pretty well and loves to do really intricate stuff for them just because our kids are awesome. We love you too, Vicki! We were there ordering the cake and I gave her an invite to go off of, and she decided to frost a cookie for Razz to practice a bit. Not that she needs to practice.

Blue's cake will rock, I'm sure.

On another Blue note, he is obsessed again. Not with balls this time (although they are still a favorite), but with a certain orange fashion accessory...

(Sorry I forgot to take out the red eye!)

He has to wear it everywhere. To the babysitters, to the store, around the house. It's the last thing off at night and the first thing on in the morning. He even has to wear it outside. In order to keep his bald buzzed head warm, I insist on him wearing his knit hat. We've compromised.

I love you Blue, you make me laugh.

(If you're not up for mushiness, you might want to skip this last little bit. Just warning you there are some PDAs.)

Because it's hard find lots of outfits to match Blue's orange hat, I went by the bookstore to buy a toddler hat from Mr. CB hoping that Blue would see the error of his ways and convert to a nice blue hat that showed some school spirit (The answer was no, in fact when I asked Blue if he wanted to show Grandma his new blue hat he said "No! ORANGE!". At least he knows his colors.). As I approached the returns window where Mr. CB was located, I asked him a very simple question.

Cherry - Excuse me sir, do you have any kisses in stock?

Mr. CB - I think so.

Cherry - Oh, great! How much?

Mr. CB - Well, that's the tricky part. They cost a kiss.

Cherry - Hmm, so in order to get a kiss I have to give a kiss?

Mr. CB - Correct.

Cherry - Okay, sounds reasonable.

*K*I*S*S*I*N*G*

I was almost late for class....

The bookstore has great customer service, don't you think?

The things kids say...

2010-01-18T17:47:00.000-06:00

Cherry - "Blue, I'd like a kiss. Will you give me one?"

Blue - "It downstairs, I go get it!"

Yummy Gummies!

2010-01-17T00:39:00.000-06:00

About a week and a half ago, Razz and I made homemade gummies! We had friends over tonight and made some more so I thought I'd let you see what we were up to. They were so good and easy, plus it helped me get rid of some of the Jello that has been in my cupboard for ages. I don't like Jello, but I like gummies. Weird, but true. So, I got the recipe from SkipToMyLou, an addicting crafting site. I have used a ton of things there, like the instructions for chef hat I made for Razz and fun templates for cards. Anywho, here's the recipe! You'll need a mold, and a pan or cup measure with a spout as well as water, Jello, and unflavored gelatin. First we whisked 1/3 C water, 1 pkg Jello, and 2 packets unflavored gelatin in a pan and let sit for 10 minutes for the gelatin to absorb a bit of the water. (Mr. CB said that to make it "healthier" we should use juice. A good suggestion, but I keep forgetting. It would probably make them a little more flavorful too!)

Next, turn on the burner to medium and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. We discovered that if you whisk vigorously it creates a foam which gives the gummies a lighter texture.

Once the gelatin is dissolved, let it cool for a minutes so you don't melt your molds! But don't wait too long! Pour slowly (I learned that lesson the hard way!) to fill your molds evenly.

Do you like my molds? Did you notice what they were? That's right! Advent calendar trays! We went to the Christmas clearance section at Walmart and scored these puppies for 60 cents a piece. WoOt! Plus, we saved the chocolate to coat the gummies with. Don't mock it till you try it. Delicious....

...and Disastrous. Apparently, these gummies don't do well in a warm chocolate bath. Next time I'll just put chocolate chips in the molds and then pour the hot gummies on top. Here is what our finished project looked like (minus the chocolate!).

Yum! They were gone super fast, so I had to make a couple more batches ;). Now all I need are some worm molds...

Yum!

2010-01-15T15:27:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was customer appreciation day at DQ! Blue enjoyed his second ever icecream cone...one lick at a time. It melted before he finished it!

Revised: I Very Much Dislike Winter!

2010-01-12T12:48:00.003-06:00

I just forgot a few details, so I revised this post for my memory's sake. Read on!
This post is neither cheery nor humerous(it did, however, turn out to be touching and heartwarming), so if you're in the mood for a laugh, go here and do not continue reading. You have been forwarned!
Saturday we spent the day at home, glorious home! Having been stuck several times in the past couple of weeks away from home I was very happy to relax in our own house. Mr. CB miraculously did not have work, so we got some stuff done around the house then decided to drive into the other big town (i.e. not the one we work/educate in, but the one we go to Church in) to return some Christmas items. We should have never left our comfy, cozy, teeny, tiny crackle berry bush!
The roads weren't all that horrible, and by the time they started getting scary we were over halfway there. Mr. CB is an awesome winter driver and he felt confident we could make it there and back. So we continued on our ~~merry~~ scary way. It took us 1 1/2 hours to get there, in opposed to the 45 min it normally takes. That should have been a clue to start making some plans, but we didn't. We had dinner instead. We had left around 6 and by this time it was 7:30. Blue didn't eat very much, which is normal, but neither did Razz, which is abnormal. She was also looking a little pale. I just chalked it up to the fact that she had just woken up from her snooze on the loooong car ride. We finish dinner and get to the store. They gave us peanuts for the returns, but we had other stuff we needed to buy so we started shopping. There was nothing there. Everything was the wrong color, size, style, etc. Zilch. At this point it was past 9 and I wanted to start heading home soon, plus we had another store we were going to hit. Then Razz started screaming these blood curdling screams that her stomach hurt. Then she puked, and puked, and puked some more. Poor Razz, poor really nice Columbia jacket, poor boots, poor had, poor pants, socks, gloves, cart, aisle, my boots, and pants. Mr. CB hightailed it out of there to go look for some clothes for Razz since he can't stand the stuff. I and a worker slowly started cleaning up. It took us until 10, but we spent our peanuts plus on jammies, long johns, and slippers for the girl and got her all squared away. The other store we wanted to go to was now closed so we went to Walmart for some Gatorade and a cheap jacket for Razz before heading home. By the time we were out of there it was after 11. We started on the road home and once we were out of the city, visibility was almost nothing due to blowing snow. Mr. CB kept going very slowly, but he kept having this sinking feeling until he became almost frightened. He knew then the Spirit was telling him not to drive us home so he turned us around. Even though we had lots of friends we could have stayed with, we found a hotel that gave us a good discount. I just didn't want to bother anyone, or get them sick. We were lucky enough to find a parking spot in this little nook that was protected from the wind. Since we didn't have our engine heater with us, I was hoping that the car would start again in the morning. At the hotel we realized that we didn't have enough diapers with us so I sent Mr. CB back to the store and I tucked the kids in. He came back close to 1 in the morning, and even though it was late, we were so worked up from the night we couldn't sleep. When we finally did go to sleep, it wasn't long before Razz was crying for me because she was going to be sick again. I took care of her and spent the rest of the night adjusting the heater due to waking up too hot or too cold. It was a long night. In the morning we decided to skip Church and just go home. We didn't have any nice clothes, and the last thing I wanted to share were Razz's germs. Luckily, Darby started up first try! His little nook did the trick, keeping him warm enough over night. On our way out, Mr. CB checked the roads and they were impassable. To church we went, late, sick, disheveled, and unprepared to worship, but as always welcomed with open arms and warm hearts. Many members heard our story, offered us comfort and compassion, and then soundly scolded us for not bothering them! The most touching thing to me was that a sweet Sister we visit pulled me aside and offered to pay us for the hotel room. She is a single mom, and often is short on funds. She said she had a little extra that month and wanted to write us a check! As my tears started to fall, I refused the money but accepted her hug. As her arms surrounded me, I felt the Saviors love poor into my heart. Even though this weekend was harrowing, we were always under His protection. His Spirit guided us, and His flock comforted us. I didn't get much out of the actual words spoken during Church last Sunday, instead it was the actions of His followers that spoke to my heart. After church we were welcomed into another members small apartment, feed, and entertained until the roads had been cleared. Razz started to perk back up, and I was humbled by the unselfish giving of our friends. On the drive home we realized just how bad the roads had been the night before. Because our snow here is so dry and powdery, it acts like sand, forming dunes and scattering when the wind blows. Because the winds were so strong last night, huge drifts had accumulated on the road that were easily 4 ft tall. The evidence of these mountains of snow loomed over us, cut in half by the plows. There would have been no way we would have gotten home. If Mr. CB had pushed on, we would have spent the night stuck, cold, and possibly hurt with little Blue and sick Razz. But we were given the opportunity to listen to His voice through the sweet ~~whisperings~~ hollering of the Spirit. How blessed we truly are.

2010-01-11T13:12:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not end up buzzing Blue's head because he wiggled during his haircut! Blue always stays still and even if he did wiggle, I am such a talented hair dresser that I wouldn't cut too close and ruin his mohawk. I especially wouldn't give him such a short haircut in the freezing cold weather we've been having. That would be irresponsible.

And I definitely did not strap him into his booster using one of Razz's friends belts that was left at our house. I always use the straps that come with the product, and if I remove them for any reason, I always put them in a place I can find them. Using something other than that would be unsafe.

And certainly did not throw the whole thing in the shower and rinse it off instead of just wiping it off. That would be very lazy, and I am never lazy.

And lastly, I did not let Blue run around for the next couple of hours in nothing but his diaper. I always get the kids dressed after I throw them ~~and the booster~~ in the shower. My kids love wearing clothes and do not relish frolicking around the house doing a "nakey" dance or posing for me and shouting "Nakey!" at the top of their lungs.

Razz has Telekinesis!!

2010-01-08T10:55:00.000-06:00

So, we're still stuck at my parents due to the unfashionably cold and dreary weather. And I'm still without my camera's USB cord to upload photos, plus the battery in my camera died. Plus, Darby won't start again *sigh*. We left the engine heater at our house, thinking that the weather wouldn't get that cold again so soon, and that if it did our new battery would have no problem. Oops. On the bright side, I didn't leave my door open so it's not my fault! Anyway, they canceled school yesterday and today so Razz, Blue, and I have been hanging out and goofing around.
Yesterday when it was time for the kids nap, I had Blue in one room and Razz in the living room on the couch due to Blue's inability to refrain from physical violence when his sister is in the same room during nap time. Bed time is usually no problem, it's just nap time where his mean streak come out. Odd, don't you think? Lately Razz has been pretending to move things with her mind. I'll ask her to put a toy away and she'll rush and put it a way and then come back and say "Mom, did you see that? I didn't even move! I made the toy put itself away with my mind!" and I usually say "Wow, Razz, you're magic! Can you put X,Y, and Z away with your mind too?. Funny thing is I know she's done this at school because the other day she told me her teacher told her she was only allowed to move things with her mind at home! Well, during nap time I guess Razz was exercising her mental abilities. From where she was laying she could see the front door. Now, you must understand that my parents front door sometimes doesn't like to latch and it pops open with any sort of pressure change, like a gust of wind outside or the back door being opened. Guess what, the door popped open! While Razz was staring at it! Proof! At least proof for Razz, that is. She screamed and ran up to me and said "Mom, I really move the door with my mind! Before when I moved stuff I was just pretending, but this time it was REAL!". I had a good chuckle and sent her back to bed.
Hopefully I can get the car started soon. I have a new bunch of Knee Knickers to drop off.

Hopefully we keep warm! The high is suppose to be -9. Yikes!

TMI Alert! Skip this post if you have a weak stomach!

2010-01-06T20:54:00.002-06:00

The day started out pretty normal, normal for a pending blizzard that is. The drive into town wasn't horrible, but it wasn't that good either. There were a couple times we couldn't see the road, and the plows refuse to run until the snow stops flying. I digress. We got into town fine, Mr. CB was on time for work and Razz made it to school. After running a couple of errands, I got a call from Mr. CB saying they were closing the schools and the interstate. So I picked up Razz and we headed to my parents house who live in the same town we work/go to school in. Earlier this day I saw this post from Skip to My Lou for homemade gummi candy. So while Blue was taking his nap, Razz and I made some. Except Blue wasn't sleeping. He was awake. For a very good reason involving the lower half of his digestive tract, the bed, carpet, and his clothes. We won't go into specific details here, but to say that the candy was put on hold for a good hour and a half.
After a bath in the tub, and then another in the sink, some good scrubbing of Blue, the carpet, and his clothes. A couple trips to the washing machine later, we were back to making candy. I took some great pictures of it too, but it will have to wait until I can get my USB cord for the camera. Since we're staying the night at my parents, it might be a day or two 'til I can post some pics. For those of you who don't know, the crackle berry bush in which we live is 30 miles from town. This usually makes for an interesting winter. We religiously check the weather forecast the night before to see if we need to bring clothes with us into town in case we need to spend the night. It happens quite often and I am soooo thankful for my parents patience with us. I get sick of staying at there house because I feel like a little girl and not the ~~teenager~~ grownup that I am. They get sick of us because we're messy. But we're working on that, at least at their house.
One of my New Years resolutions is to keep my house cleaner, not spotless, just cleaner. It gets a little tricky when we're only there to sleep, and homework usually (okay always) takes precedence over housework. I'm trying to incorporate some small little cleaning routines that once I get into the habit of, I can add on. What works for you?

Knee Knickers!

2010-01-05T15:00:00.003-06:00

So, I've been busy and haven't really had time to sew. I have, however, had time to watch Lost and play Wii. I guess you see where my priorities are. Anyway, I make these baby leg warmers I call Knee Knickers, but I haven't made any lately.

Isn't Blue adorable? I call this the "Look Ma, no hands!" photo.

I sell them at a consignment store in the big city (not the tiny city where we live in our tiny crackle berry bush) and have been getting lots of calls from the owner saying my supply is dwindling rapidly thanks to the freezing temps, and I need to stock up. So today I am sewing. And sewing. And sewing. And tomorrow I'll be sewing too. I just ordered my labels and will pick them up in an hour. Which reminds me, anyone into digital scrapbooking? I'm not, per say, but it does come in handy when you want to make customized greeting cards...

Invitations...

Or even recipes!

I use the semi-free website Scrapblog for mine, or if you live in the Alphareta, Georgia area you could use my awesome photographer. She does a much better job. But on the cheap, you can use a lot of Scrapblog's templates for free, or buy some inexpensive credits. It's free to export your pages as a jpeg files and they look great just as long as you aren't printing them bigger than a 5x7.
Anywho, Mr. CB is home due to the construction workers at his job puncturing the main gas line! It's going to be the rest of they day before it is repaired. They had to evacuate everyone due to the explosion risk! Since he works on campus at the bookstore, if it blows up school will have to be delayed! I'm not really ready to start the semester yet, but I'm don't want a big crater to engulf the buildings either. UPDATE: Aparently it's not as bad as it seemed. They just opened up the building again. Back to work he goes.
Ok everyone, I need your help! (Way too many exclamation points in this post, I know) We are doing a monster theme for Blues birthday. Nice cute monsters like Grover or Broby from Yo Gabba Gabba. Any help would be appreciated.
Well, it's off to the store than back to the sewing machine. See ya!

2010-01-04T13:29:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I do not shop for purses with the requirement that they must fit my wallet, baby wipes, and a diaper. Nope. Not me! I only go for cute, fashionable purses that match my outfit. Definitely not army canvas green purses.

I do not put pureed sweet potatoes in my pancakes so my toddler will consume some form of vegetable. That vegetable is definitely not the only vegetable said toddler has eaten in a week. Nope. Not me! My kids love veggies and eat only healthy snacks and meals and never rely on Pediasure for all their nutrients.

I do not scour the internet for make and freeze meals I can use for Mr. CB and my lunches and then give up and buy oodles of Lean Pockets instead. I am nowhere near that lazy. I always serve health homemade food to my family.

And last of all I would never use one of those gimmicky "As seen on TV" products to rid myself of the peach fuzz on my upper lip. And when that peach fuzz starts to grow in again, Mr. Crackle Berry wouldn't dare tell me I was poky when we kissed. Nope. Not me! That would be very embarrassing.

What have you not done this week?

We have transportation once again!

2010-01-04T11:48:00.000-06:00

Darby finally decided to wake up! After a couple hours of engine heating, a couple of jumps, and Mr. CB working his tail off in the freezing cold for 45 minutes this morning, Darby purred to life. Mr. CB thinks it was mostly the cold, but partially the door I left open two nights before that drained the battery(oops!). We have a magnetic engine heater now that is temporary (thanx Mom and Dad!) because it has to be removed before you start the car. Since it attaches to the oil pan, we have to jack up the car and lay on the frozen ground to get it on and off = not fun. Not to mention walking out into the thigh deep snow of our back yard to plug it in in the dark. Hopefully Darby can be seen by the car doctor soon and get a permanent engine block heater that plugs in through the front grill. Much easier! And I'll try to remember to shut my door, really I will.
Mr. CB is back at work, and little Miss Razz is back at school. I miss them, but it's nice to have a some time to myself and Blue. He's growing so fast! Yesterday he, Mr. CB, and Razz we watching XMen 3 (totally appropriate for a 5 and almost 2 year old) while I was taking a bath. Suddenly Blue burst in. In his sweet toddler voice he said "Mama, a man!" Me - "What about a man?" Blue - "Turn blue!" Me - "A man turned blue?" Blue - "Yeah, perfect!" then turned and walked out leaving the door open and letting my lovely steam out and cold air in.
Mr. CB just called. He said the car doctor told him we probably need a new battery and would be willing to squeeze us in during lunch. *Sigh* Apparently you need to replace car batteries every couple of years. News to me. News to Mr. CB too. More $$$ we don't have. Oh well. Thank goodness we pay tithing. Somehow we always pull through.
School is starting up again for me and the Mr. Hopefully things will go smooth. I don't know my schedule until the first day of school so trying to coordinate daycare and picking Razz up from the bus stop is going to be a little dicey.

New Years!

2010-01-03T00:27:00.002-06:00

Did you have fun? We sure did! Great Grandma was with us as we rang in the new year, as was my sister Kay visiting from college. Razz stayed up, but sweet Blue headed to bed long before the ball dropped. We had some lovely sparkling juice and then called it a ~~night~~ morning as Great Grandma and Kay were leaving the next day.

Goodbye Grams and Kay! We'll miss you.

One thing we won't miss is the weather we're currently having. But I did get to make a couple of fun things for Razz. Grandma had gotten her a toy wooden rolling pin, spoon, and cutting board for Christmas so we decided to accessorize.

Mr. CB found the fabric at Walmart in the super-cheap-fiber-content-unknown-because-it's-made-from-whatever-is-on-hand pile. I think it's lovely. I got the pattern for the hat here, and the apron I just copied from another I had. We had lots of fun today, but I'm getting a little cabin fever. The only thing that is keeping me from delirium is my sewing machine. Well, that and Mr. CB. He's great.

Mr. CB, you are so handsome.

Ode to Mr. Crackle Berry

You are my sunshine when there is no sun.

You are my sanity when the kids take it away from me.

You are my driver on icy winter roads.

You wash all my clothes so I don't have to face the scary basement.

You are not a potato.

I think it's time to go to bed. Or watch more Lost. One of the two. I think Lost wins.

Letters to the Weather

2010-01-02T23:15:00.003-06:00

Dear -35+ temps,
I don't like you. Please go away.
You wreak havoc on my asthma. Every time I open the door my lungs rebel. I'm tired of feeling weak and shaky from the double doses of my albuterol inhaler.
Our lovely car Darby has refused to start because he doesn't want to get out of bed. Even the Emergency Roadside Assistance man couldn't coax him from his slumber.
Mr. CB had to miss work and therefore we are out $$$.
You made me and the kids miss an awesome Ghost Busters party. I had stayed up late last night finishing the present for the party and now I'm tired. Grrrr.
We had to spend $$$ to buy a warmer for the oil pan that we can't put on yet because it's dark and too cold!
We will have to miss Church tomorrow. Double grrrr.
The sun was out today, but I couldn't let the kids outside because they would freeze to death. That means they were stuck inside destroying the house all day.
Please tell the southern winds to come for a visit. I like them.
Thanx,
Cherry

Dear -35+ temps,
I like you. Please stay a couple more days.
Because the car won't start Mr. CB got to stay home and snuggle me and the kids. Yay!
I didn't have any schedule to keep so I was able to relax and do cute crafty things for the kids.
I also had time to make homemade mac and cheese with Razz's help. Yum!
I got to take a nap!!!!!!
I read lots of books to Blue. He's getting so smart. He also peed in the toilet, but I don't think that has anything to do with you. Moving on.
The icicles are so pretty and the crisp air is so clear. Wow.
You remind me how thankful I am for a warm house and electricity.
Feel free to stay until the food runs out.
Thanx,
Cherry

Dear -35+ temps,
Unfortunately the cons outweigh the pros. We simply cannot afford your extended stay. You must leave. Now.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Cherry

A few more things...

2009-12-31T13:50:00.000-06:00

After we got home from the big storm last week we were greeted with this...

The Front Door of Doom!

Luckily we don't use the front door in the winter, for this exact reason.

On another note, how do you get your kids to pose for a photo? I wanted something with me and both Blue and Razz and this is what we ended up with...

We ended up on the floor and had lots of fun, but no perfect pic. Oh, well. Maybe it's better that way!

And here's a little something for those of you who need a laugh...

Oh, my sweet Blue. With your sisters pink boots, and that tin can "helmet" on, you remind me of your father.

All I GOT for Christmas!

2009-12-31T10:56:00.000-06:00

I got a lot, actually. Surprising since we have almost no spare money. Mr. CB cheated and used the points off our credit card to shower me with gifts, which also meant that I couldn't use the points for him. I only gave him one present, and I had to use all my Christmas money sent in from various relatives, so really it was from everybody. Anyhow, my favorite gift I got was...

Star Trek Next Generation Season 4!!

Never mind that I don't have Season 3, that can wait. And since my sweet sister Kay was visiting, we stayed up late Treking out. Woot! It's so nice having someone who is as crazy about Star Trek NG as I am. Mr. CB thinks it's nice and all, but doesn't geek out about it like I do. In fact, often he finds it makes a good lullaby. Oh well, he's perfect in every other way. I guess I can't hold it against him. I mean, he did buy it for me after all.

I'm also excited for all of our new Wii games! Kay got us the new Wii Fit Plus, which has a ton of fun new games, and a much better workout program than the original Wii Fit. My brother Farris gave us Mario Party 8, which I'm excited to play with my other sister May and her fam in Georgia. He also got the kids some maraca music game. And then Mr. CB was blessed with Wii Skate and Tony Hawk Ride which we already had to warranty the board because it kept cracking. We only have a week left to play since school starts soon and it's practically impossible to find time for Wii when you don't have enough time to make a decent meal.

Speaking of meals, Blue won't eat almost everything. Even his favorites he's starting to refuse. Dorky boy! We try to limit snacks between meals so we know he's hungry, but if he doesn't want it, he'd rather go to bed without anything. So it's Pediasure, chicken nuggets, peanut butter, watermelon, and cereal. That's it if you don't count cake, cookies, and candy that he prefers. Any ideas? Preferably ones that don't involve time or money, because I have neither!

I'm making some pizzelles today, 'cause the Crackle Berry Bush is going to be rockin' tonight for New Years Eve. Yum! Anyway, I better go before Razz and Blue tip over Grandma's Christmas tree...again.

The One and Only...

2009-12-30T23:23:00.000-06:00

Me, that is! Welcome to my blog. I'll just assume the only reason you're reading this is because you know me already. But because I'm using pseudonyms, I'll go ahead and introduce you my Crackle Berry family. My sweet hubby...

Mr. Crackle Berry (Mr. CB)

and my Crackle Berry babies...

Razz

Blue

As it is getting late, and I promised Mr. CB I'd play some Wii with him before we turn out the lights of our tiny house, I'll leave it at that. Happy New Year!

Tales from the Crackle Berry Bush

I *heart* the 4th of July!!

Kiddos

Neglect!

P to the 3 for Eternity!

NEW! Kid Quotes page!

Blue the Biker Pirate!

FOOD!!

House Cleaning!!

Blue boy

Fever in the morning, fever all through the night!

Bake Sale Success!!

No more teacher's dirty looks!

Finals!!

Husband 1.0!!!

Kid Quotes! & Not Me! Monday!

A well balanced diet?

Kid Quotes

So many things.....

Peter and the Mucus Monster!

Kid Quotes

Happy Birthday to Me!

Kid Quotes

Guess who loves cupcakes!

Kid Quotes!

T I R E D !

NEW! Kid Quotes!

How I became Ms. Crackleberry, Part 3: The phone call.

Time for Bed!

How I became Ms. Crackle Berry UPDATED!!

Uticaria!!!!

Sick!

Did you miss me?

How I became Ms. Crackle Berry, Part 2!

We interupt this love story...

How I became Ms. Crackle Berry, Part 1: The beginning

LOVE

Oh, Blue!

A little bit crazy...

Happy Birthday Blue!

It's a long one!

The things kids say...

Yummy Gummies!

Yum!

Revised: I Very Much Dislike Winter!

Razz has Telekinesis!!

TMI Alert! Skip this post if you have a weak stomach!

Knee Knickers!

We have transportation once again!

New Years!

Letters to the Weather

A few more things...

All I GOT for Christmas!

The One and Only...

I heart the 4th of July!!