Advent

This was the year that I was FINALLY going to make something for the boys to do for Advent. November 30 @ 11:00 pm found me doing it! I decided on an Advent jar with 25 crafts/fun things to do written on little cut-outs thrown in there. The boys get to pick one out each day & I've found that they don't forget, because they are enjoying it!

Here is our listof things to do for Advent:

1. Set up & decorate the Christmas tree.
2. Read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
3. Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.
4. Make an ornament.
5. Go to our town's Christmas parade.
6. Play Wii Play & eat popcorn.
7. Go to the library & pick out Christmas books.
8. Make presents for Dad.
9. Color a Christmas page.
10. Play board games.
11. Learn about the Christmas traditions.
12. Make gingerbread houses.
13. Why mom & dad love you.
14. Put up the nativity.
15. Watch A Garfield Christmas.
16. Make a nativity out of play-doh.
17. Make Christmas cards for Grandmas & Grandpas.
18. wrap presents.
19. Donate something.
20. Learn stories of Christmas carols.
21. Make a Christmas Blessing Tree.
22. Hang the stockings.
23. Bake cut-out cookies & give some away.
24. Learn some of the names of Jesus.
25. Read Luke 2:1-20

We have missed a couple just because things came up & the day ended up being different than I had planned!

I would love to hear about some of your Christmas traditions!

This Is How We Roll

Skippy & Peter Pan don't like loud noises, although Peter Pan is slowly growing out of it. Here Skippy wants to play Operation, hence the ear protection. Um, yeah, he tried once & that was the end of that!

MckMama's awesome giveaway!

MckMama is having an awesome giveaway on her blog until Sunday the 20th. She's giving away a copy of Adobe Photoshop LightRoom 2 & I think it would be cool to win it, so I'm going to try! And since I would like to get better at my photography, this might just help! (You know, with the ok pics that could be fabulous with editing!)

Go here to see what's up & sign up for yourself.

Cookie Recipe Exchange

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Jessica @ The Mom Creative is having a Christmas Cookie Recipe Exchange & I thought it would be fun to join! Click on the above picture to go there.

I remember going to my aunt's house & digging in her freezer for some yummy oatmeal cookies; they were so good frozen! A couple of years ago I finally asked for the recipe, I didn't know it was so versatile.

BROWN SUGAR COOKIES

2/3 c. shortening

2/3 c. butter or margarine, softened

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

3 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Mix shortening, butter, sugar, eggs & vanilla thoroughly. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Turn dough onto lightly floured board. Shape dough into ball with lightly foured hands, pressing to make dough compact. Cut dough in half. Shape each half into a roll 2" in diameter &

about 8" long by gently rolling dough back & forth on floured board. Roll dough onto plastic

wrap; wrap & twist ends tightly. Dough can be refrigerated up to 1 month or frozen up

to 3 months. Heat oven to 375. Cut roll into 1/4" slices. (It is not necessary to thaw frozen dough before slicing.) Place slices about 2" apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes. Immediately remove cookies from baking sheet onto wire rack. Makes about 5 1/2 dozen cookies.

Variations:

Chocolate Chip

Add 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips & 1 cup chopped nuts with the flour.

Oatmeal

Reduce flour to 2 3/4 cups. Add 1 cup quick-cooking oats with the flour.

Peanut Butter

Add 1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter with the shortening.

Chocolate Nut

Add 1 cup chopped nuts & 1/2 cup cocoa with the flour.

Fruit Slices

Add 1 cup whole candied cherries, 1/2 cup chopped nuts & 1/2 cup cut up mixed candied fruit with the flour.

Now I'm off to check out the other recipes already linked. Enjoy!

Check this out!

MckMama, along with HP & Blogher are giving away an HP Touchsmart computer on her giveaway blog. It is really cool! Go here just to check out what all it does & enter for a chance to win it for yourself.

Christmas Shows Schedule

Last night I made an advent jar (pictures to come later) that has slips of paper with different Christmas activities on them for each day until Christmas. One of them has watch a Christmas Tv special on it so I found THIS LIST online. I think my DVR will be working overtime this December! =)

Not Me! Monday

To see more Not Me!'s head over to MckMama's blog.

*Farmer and I did not go to my 20 week appointment & ultrasound and find out who baby Jif is going to be.

*We did not decide (before going to the dr.!) that we ARE NOT telling if baby Jif is a boy or a girl, to ANYONE, no matter how hard they beg! We don't love the power of driving people crazy like that.

*We are not totally thrilled that baby Jif looked well in the ultrasound!

Photo Layout

MckMama just had a post about making a photo layout for your blog. Good idea. Instead of just picture after picture down the middle of the column, you can make a collage to make it more fun & interesting. This is mine. I use Microsoft Digital Image Pro (though I would just love to get my hands on Photoshop Elements!) & have done some digital scrapbooking so this was a cinch! And I think I'll be doing this more in the future, especially when I'll have tons of pictures when baby Jif is born.

What do you think?

Not Me Monday

If you want to read more Not Me's head over to MckMama's blog by clicking on the picture above.

While pumping gas, I did not lock my van with the keys still in the ignition and Skippy buckled in his car seat.

I didn't realize it as soon as I shut the door and then ask Skippy to get unbuckled (he can't) & unlock the door. My request was not answered with a shoulder shrug and a "Sorry, I can't!" He did not go on eating his lunch that was to be eaten on the way to our grocery store!

I didn't have to use the gas station's private phone to call my parents (who live maybe 2mi. from the gas station) & ask them to go to my house & get every key with a remote & bring it to the gas station.

Then I didn't have to stand beside my van, in the cold, checking on Skippy & watching the road for their vehicle.

And Skippy certainly did not start crying when he realized that, after his lunch was gone, that he really couldn't get out & that I really couldn't get in.

And we were definitely not happy when the key to my van arrived & we could go on our way, thankful it happened close to home & not at our destination!

Because of the delay, I did not end up waiting behind the bus while Peter Pan got off, hoping the bus driver did not know who I was!

Names - Part 6

Jif, well, there's not much to say about Jif yet. This litle one is only 1/2 way ready to meet the world. It's such a treasure though to know he* is alive and doing well!

*I say he because my husband comes from a very loooonnnnnggg line of boys and I honestly don't expect anything else. But that's ok, I'm content to be a mom of all boys!

Farmer and I are going to find out exactly who Jif will be about 5 days from now but we are keeping it a secret, if possible, just to make people go crazy with curiosity! We're nice like that. =) I may keep calling Jif "he" until the big day but who knows, maybe "he" will actually be a "she"! You'll just have to wait and see!

I have a feeling Jif will actually be known as Jiffy, it just sounds cuter. All of us here at the Farm can't wait to meet the little one.

Names - Part 5

I thought Skippy was a fitting name for our second born. Oh how he loves to run and jump and crash! He really likes to ride bulls (daddy that is) and even thought the arm of our rocking recliner would make a good bull. It even throws him off sometimes. =) He is a charmer, loves to snuggle and be held. His favorite comfort thing is ears. Yep, people ears, especially mine. When he's tired he'll flop earlobes. It's weird but unique for sure! And I like unique! He looks almost nothing like his brother, maybe more of my side, but still just as cute as his big brother! He absolutely adores Farmer and loves to help him feed the cows and go on farm errands with him. They are definitely two peas in a pod!

So.....there you go! Now you know!

Names - Part 4

I figured the boys' names should have something to do with peanut butter & these are the best I could do.

Peter Pan is our firstborn and has some of those traits! He likes to boss his little brother, he loves to talk, likes to write and draw, is a typical nerdy firstborn. He is so handsome! He's got a hint of the cutest little freckles on his nose & cheeks. In fact, he looks a lot like Farmer did as a child. He really likes to invent contraptions; he gets an idea in his head and sets about to do it. They don't always work just yet, but give him time and he'll figure that out too! I can't wait until he can fix/make things for me! =)

Free!

If you've never used the new Kodak Gallery, they are having a Million Thanks Giveaway. Click on the picture below to go to their website to get a free $15 product code to use. I ordered 83 prints which included an 8 x 10 and several 5 x 7s & all I paid was $4.99 shipping. There was also a $1.80 discount showing on my order but I'm not quite sure why =)

Names - Part 3

My Farmer, what a guy! He works so hard to provide for us! But he honestly enjoys it I think. Can I tell you what he does? He works full-time at his "paying" job and for 8 months a year he operates his lawn care business every evening. But his absolute favorite thing, his dream, is to farm. He would love to have a dairy farm of his own; always has been his dream from when he was a little boy visiting & helping his Grandpa on the farm. I wish he could have that dream! We fortunately were able to buy a very small hobby farm and he also rents land to farm with his favorite red International Harvester tractors. He adds haymaking, corn planting, soybean harvesting to his list during the growing season as well. He's busy and he's definitely got a Farmer's heart!

So.....there you go! Now you know!

Plain Jane tip

It is a beautiful warm, sunny Sunday but alas, poor little Skippy is sick with a fever & consequently I am home with him. He's sleeping right now & I think I am bored! So why not give you another frugal tip?

One of my favorite online places to buy books is Half.com. They have new & used books for VERY little $$. In fact, I just ordered the #4 book in a series I have but didn't know I was missing for $4.75! The book itself was $1.26 (new w/small defect maybe) & shipping is almost always $3.49-3.99. This book would easliy have cost at least $10 at a regular bookstore.

Now that's frugal!

Names - Part 2

As the creator of my blog, I've decided to keep things around here as private as I can while still sharing about my family and life. (I'd also appreciate if those who personally know us would help me do that by using our blog names here while commenting) A part of that is by giving my family pseudonyms! They may be kind of kooky but I like things to be "different" and I think they are!

For me, you know I've felt convicted to start living a more simple, focused life and I needed a name I felt conveyed that message. So, as plain as it might sound, I shall be known as Plain Jane here on my blog. Plain in the fact that it's a synonym for simple and well, Jane ryhmes with Plain so...there you go. Now you know!

Names - Part 1

I wanted the name of my blog to be unique and true. So Peanut Butter and Grass Clippings seemed like an appropriate title, but why? Well, I will give you a couple reasons:

*At the time, all my little boys seemed to want to eat was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They could have eaten them for every meal! And since my little boys are a big part of my life, Peanut Butter was born.

*Grass clippings are everywhere in my house for about 8 months of the year. My husband owns a lawn mowing business(part time?)and drags every blade of grass in with him after an evening of mowing! Well, it seems to me anyway! =) And since my husband is a big part of my life (and the fact that I get conned into helping mow), Grass Clippings seemed like a good option.

My little family is a big deal to me and I wanted to make sure to include that into the core of my blog and you can't have a blog without a name so....there you go. Now you know!

Simplicity

Before I get to the names post I thought I'd share a link with you of a radio series that started yesterday. I thoroughly enjoy Midday Connection, a Moody radio talk show, and all their guests and topics. I turned my radio there as I was driving yesterday and their topic was on simplicity! So cool! The guest had powerful things to say and I am looking forward to listening to the rest of the 4-part series every Wednesday. I may go back and listen again to catch the whole first program; if you'd like to check it out, go to this Midday Connection page.

In fact, maybe God wanted me to hear this program because if hadn't been for a specific incident yesterday, I may not have been in the van while it was on. But I'm saving that story for the next Not Me! Monday.

In other news, baby Stellan is going back to Boston today and in all likelihood will have another heart node ablation for his SVT. Please pray for his family.

Frugal Tip

I've been using Swagbucks to search the internet instead of a regular search engine for the simple fact that I earn points to redeem prizes as I search. If you'd like to check it out, click on the icon on the left sidebar. My favorite thing to earn is a $5 amazon.com gift card; they always come in handy!

Changes & Update

Well, as you can tell, things have changed around here. Names, design, focus. Over the last few months I've become quite convicted to live a more simple, less distracted, focused life. I'm certainly not anywhere near that goal but I am making changes to get there. That is what I want to blog about, those changes. They are not only physical, but mental & spiritual as well and I'm excited to share! But since I am striving for a simpler life, my blog will not be at the top of my list. I will blog when I feel I have something worthwhile to share or maybe a practical tip I've come across or an interesting story about the family; that might mean everyday or not so much. =)

Since I have you here though, I will give an update of what's been happening here at the Farm:

July- this was my last month of working part-time; Peter Pan celebrated his 7th birthday with a party & 5 of his buddies. Unfortunately it rained & I was trapped inside the house with all of them! Wow.

August- we traveled to Dauphin Island, AL for vacation & had a fun, relaxing time. We also found out that we are expecting baby # 3 (who will be affectionately known as Jif from now on) in early April. We are excited & so are the boys.

September- the first full month of being at home full-time. Love it! Also the first few weeks of 1st grade for Peter Pan.

October- am totally convinced this baby is another boy! I finally have managed to create an organization tool to help me stay on track with everything here. (Will share about that later!)

**Coming next: What the heck do those names mean anyway? =)

Please do not be afraid to leave a comment about what you think of the changes! I would love to hear from you.

Not Me! Monday

Not Me! Monday is created by super-cool MckMama over at her blog; go there to check it out!

Ok, so it hasn't been almost 4 months since I've written a blog post! I would never be so cruel as to subject my small band of blog readers to the pain of not being able to read about my oh-so-exciting life!

I did not look out the window to see our #1 son in the middle of our driveway relieving himself after he got off the bus. And #1 would never have done that when said bus was still in sight.

I really did not feel terrible that #1 had to go to school today, when he was crying that he was so tired because we are not bad parents that are too lazy too enforce an early bedtime! I mean, I really, really did not feel like a mean mama!

I finally did not write a Not Me! Monday post (or any post for that matter) because there is an awesome prize to be won! And there certainly won't be another post coming in the near future here so....don't wait for it!

Not Me! Monday

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 spend 2 almost entire days weeding my flower beds. I would NEVER let them get so outrageously overgrown! And because I didn't weed all of my flower beds, I certainly did not spend hours spreading mulch on the newly bare ground. I also do not have a sunburn on my back while my front is as white as a ghost. You know, from all the weeding & mulching I didn't do. I am totally not still having a blast taking pictures with my new dSLR. And I'm sure I didn't annoy all my extended family while taking pictures of them this weekend. I absolutely, positively DID NOT scoop a dead groundhog onto the loader & bury it in the manure pile. I wasn't almost throwing up, crying & hyperventilating all at the same time. I would never be scared of getting that close to a dead creature!

Bits & Pieces

Here is #1 enjoying his ice cream after the last game of the season. Found a bike that #1 could easily learn to ride, unfortunately it was pink. That was definitely a faux pas (?) so down to Papa's shop it went to get a new paint job. #2 loves to eat butter straight out of the container. (((shudder)))

At my cousin's wedding.

My garden girl.

#2 found his Clifford who we thought was lost forever!

Have I introduced you to any of our cows? I haven't? Well, let me introduce you to Big Mama. Big Mama, my blog readers. (Boy, that makes me feel better, I've been feeling horrible about this for a while now.)

*Great Grandpa Robert-see you again Someday*

My new toy

The UPS truck dropped off a box last night, a box that contained my much anticipated new Canon XSi camera.

I. Am. So. Excited.

I popped this lens on it today:

and these are some images I've taken with it so far today.

I am having so much fun! In fact, I feel so much like MckMama with this camera & lens that I took pictures of our lunch today:

On Saturday I broke out the canner and made some strawberry jam.

That's all for now! =)

A blog post? What's that?

Whoa. It's been a while. Thanks for sticking around!

Without further ado... here is what I've been up to! It's easier to show you than tell you.

#1 is in his first year of t-ball. How cute is he?!

Gardens are in. (Yes, gardens plural and yes, there are 20 tomato plants!) These 2 pics are only a small portion of our gardens by the way.

I love flowers too & this year I went crazy. Their are pots everywhere!

Even though I've been working my butt off, (Well, not really. There is still plenty back there.) I still have LOTS to do around the yard. This is the year it all gets done!

Yes, those are weeds. Weeds, weeds everywhere!

This last weekend we went from this.......

......to this.

I've also been wrestling with some other stuff too....

*my glaring sinfulness/humanness

*lack of self-sontrol & self-motivation

*disappointment

*desire for treasures that rust & that moths destroy

I'm hoping things will slow down but I really don't see an end in sight just yet. Praying that God will get me through!

No Sign

For the faithful few who read this thing, I AM still alive. I've been too busy & frankly, thinking about writing anything has been too daunting lately. But have no fear, I will be back! P.S. It's raining! Heavenly!

Not Me! Monday

Not Me! Monday is designed, by MckMama, for us to confess the things that we didn't do in the past week. -I didn't help in #1's kindergarten class on afternoon last week and certainly didn't quietly sit nearby as they feasted on dirt & worms. I would never allow my son or anyone else's child to do such a thing! (Ok, it was chocolate pudding & gummy worms. Almost had you didn't I?) -#1, #2 & I did not arrive at our 4-H work night (which I didn't completely forget about, I would never do that!) sporting t-shirts &/or flip-flops & crocs with no socks to work outside in 50-60 degree weather. I am way not more organized than that! -#1 & I & my mom did not walk around all day enjoying garage sales. We really didn't score some great deals! -When told that his daddy was going out to check the cows in the pasture, #2 didn't look at me & ask, "Daddy's not going to say holy crap again is he?" His daddy would NEVER say anything remotely resembling that phrase in the presence of his young, innocent children. Never. -I did not agree to bake cookies for #1's German class' German fest during the busiest week of the year so far! I would never overcommit myself for the simple fact that I cannot say no when asked to my face. I am way stronger than that! What didn't you do this week?

Body After Baby

This week started out really well but then crashed & burned this weekend when I had a very wonderful pity party for myself! Ugh! Needless to say, the scale hasn't moved. So this week I am going to get back on track & try again: *Exercise 5-6 days/week *Eat smaller portions. *Watch my snacks, make them healthier. This last week of exercise has challenged me-I've ALWAYS hated anything to do with running. Why would anyone enjoy it, it's pure torture! Well, I've decided to see how much I could actually jog at a time, right now...it's 5 minutes. Of course I've NEVER tried it before b/c, well, it's stupid, ya know. I'd like to try to work up to 30 minutes for 2 reasons: 1.) I want to challenge myself to see what I can do. 2.) Gain a healthier lifestyle in the process. Who knows, maybe I'll like it by the end? Go to Mama Notes to see how the other participants in the Body After Baby challenge are doing.

Meal Plan Monday

Check out I'm an Organizing Junkie to see more meal plans! Here's mine: Monday: Breakfast Burritos Tuesday: Italian Sausage sandwiches with peppers & onions Wednesday: Harvest Casserole Thursday: Barbecued Hamburgers & roasted potatoes *Every Friday we either go to a friend's house & order out or we make homemade pizza or order out. *Every Saturday & Sunday we go to our parents' houses where we are fed by them! Sweet! So, I really only have to cook 4 evenings a week which makes things SOOO much easier! Lunches are usually leftovers/fend for yourself.

Wordless Wednesday

Not Me! Monday

Not Me! Monday is a blog carnival created by MckMama. Head over to her blog to check it out! This is what I didn't do this past week: -We did not celebrate #2's birthday on Monday with steak & watermelon (his favorite!) And hubby & I did not think it hilarious as we listened to #1 & #2 CHOMP & SMACK on their steak! -I am finally not in the routine of babysitting my nephews (2 yrs & 4 mths) for a whole day. Three boys 4 & under is not a challenge! -I did not almost fall off the treadmill trying to shuffle sideways for a better workout. But then, I almost didn't fall off again when wiping my sweaty face with a towel (while walking forward). I am definitely not more coordinated than that! -Lawnmowing has not been rained out, on the biggest mowing days of the week, for 2-3 weeks now. And it certainly is not making for a happy bunch of people. YIKES! -Hubby & I didn't celebrate our 11th anniversary this past week by finishing the rain-delayed mowing! -And we certainly didn't realize that we should have had reservations when we went out for our anniversary date. Thank goodness the hostess was not so nice & accomodating anyway!

Menu Plan Monday

Planning meals makes cooking a breeze! Seriously! Laura @ I'm an Organizing Junkie does a Menu Plan Monday every week to help us all get organized in the kitchen. Check out her blog, it's awesome! Here's what we're eating this week: Monday- Layered Hamburger Bake Tuesday- Sweet & Sour Chicken & Rice Wednesday- Brown Sugar Meatloaf & baked potatoes Thursday- Barbecued Hot Dogs Friday- Homemade Pizza or out with friends Saturday & Sunday- family get-togethers Try menu planning & let me know how it goes. It really does help!

Body after Baby Challenge....

My ultimate goal is to lose 20 lbs; I'd ideally like to drop 2-3 lbs/week with a "jumpstart" week about once a month.

This is how last week fared:

*I missed 1 day of exercising but still did 5 days! *My eating slipped towards the end of the week; however, it was our anniversary on Saturday & we went out to eat & of course Mother's Day yesterday. *I still managed to lose 2 pounds! *I did not get upset by the fact that I missed some exercise & that I backslid a little with meals. This "jumpstart" week I would like to: *Exercise 1 hour each day for 6 days. *Cut out as much fat as possible by eating more fruits & vegetables and smaller meal portions. *Drink MORE water! (Although that is usually all I do drink) I can already feel the difference exercising every day has made!

Look UP

For as long as I can remember, I've been scared. Scared of people, places, the dark, animals...almost everything. Now that I'm an adult, there are certain things that, even though I am scared of, I know I have to at least act like I'm not scared of. (Except heights. I just cannot pretend I'm not scared of heights!) But also as an adult there are NEW fears that creep in. What if I can't care for my kids? What if hubby loses his job? What if....what if....what if. Last night, I think, was the first time I actually asked myself, "Why can't I let my fears go? What am I holding onto them for?" I mean, really. What good is it doing me to keep those fears hanging around? All it does is make me worry, stress me out, and not let me enjoy life in the moment. Here is some scripture that I focused on last night. There are a couple different translations that stood out to me (what I found helpful to me is in bold) Colossians 3 (Amplified Bible) 1If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. Colossians 3 (New Living Translation) 1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. Philippians 4 (The Message) 6-7Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Philippians 4 (Amplified Bible) 6Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. 7And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. And as soon as I started reading these verses & letting God know my concerns, I did settle down & His peace began to mount guard over my heart. I still don't have all the answers to my questions, but I'm pretty sure looking up will put me on the right track to finding them.

A challenge to fear....

I've done something that I'm not too sure about; I've decided to become accountable for losing some weight by joining the Body after Baby weight loss challenge. Granted, my baby is 4 now and not technically a baby, when I came across this challenge it seemed like a good incentive to work on getting in shape.

Because I'm not.

I am very afraid of failure which is why I tend to shy away from big projects/tasks like this. And that is why I'm committing to this challenge, to get out of my comfort zone. On one hand, I do not want to do this because of fear, but on the other hand, I'm tired of being tired & being afraid.

So, whether I lose it all or not, whether I eat healthier or not, whether I forget to exercise or not, I'm going to try. As reluctant as I am to be doing this, getting out of my comfort zone is probably as important as losing the weight.

More, actually.

So, this is the plan:

1. Exercise at least 1/2 hr 6 days a week.

2. Cut my meal portions by 1/2. (Believe me, I will not starve! That's why I still have 15 extra lbs hanging around!)

3. Eat healthy snacks. No more out-0f-the bag processed "food".

4. Practice being satisfied with trying, even if I "fail".

So, there it is. In black & white. I've committed to being committed. And don't be afraid to ask how I'm doing if it seems like I'm slacking. Accountability is a great motivator.

Here's the birthday boy's lovely cake!

Not Me! Monday

Not Me! Monday's are back! After 6 weeks of being in the hospital with Stellan, MckMama is back home & ready for more Not Me!s. Here is mine.... I did not spend a ridiculous significant amount of time constructing a big pink pig pinata for a new 4 year old's birthday party, only to see it smashed to bits in a few minutes.

I did not FINALLY become sick & tired of tripping over toys & then proceed to put them all (except of course for some legos, books, farm animals, & a few trucks) into boxes & ship them upstairs to await some VERY HARSH sorting & purging. I don't thoroughly enjoy walking around my family room without injuring myself!

I have not decided to join a "body after baby" weight loss challenge to lose these extra pounds that seem to want to tag along. And my "baby" certainly isn't 4 years old!

When cleaning for the birthday party, I really didn't throw the clutter sitting on the table into the laundry room & lock the door so no one could get in. I would NEVER do that! Nope! Not me!

What more can I say....

....this weekend was beautiful!!

This little boy loves to wear his too big cowboy boots!

For me, from one of my favorite boys.

He loves worms! (But not groundhogs! Inside joke, sorry.)

My arch nemesis!

A favorite summer evening activity.

(I know, but it felt like summer!)