Grab a tissue and prepare yourself for a little lesson in conviction, humility, and truly "Loving Thy Neighbor"

I did have a few things to share today, but nothing I have to say can top this story over at She Lives. Take a looksie:

She's Got a Housekeeper - Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

There is nothing like having friends that build you up

I was just on the phone with my friend Lauren directing her to my blog. Upon seeing my 'Avatar' person on the side bar, she exclaims, "Look! It's you!!....Except she has boobs."

Thanks, Laur. I'm feeling all warm and cozy.

Am I Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day"?

I felt like I was experiencing DeJa Vu (sp?), but clearly I wasn't. How was I sure? Well, I AM wearing the same hoody sweater I've been wearing all week, and my hair is still hidden underneath Jake's Stealer's hat, but I'm pretty certain that I have slept since Kale's last attempt at sneaking snacks from the kitchen.

"But MOOOOOM! I meed a twizwer!"

No matter how high I place the goodies, he still manages to reach them. It's all Monkey, all the time around here.

Note to Jake: YES, Kale is hanging out in his underwear, and YES he is wearing the same sweatshirt he was wearing yesterday. Let the hissy fit commence now, so by the time you get home you will have calmed down.

What is it with kids and boxes?

They also have the box the TV came in that serves as their "Clubhouse". I could have saved so much money on toys if I had known this little fact beforehand.

A shout out to my funny friend, Cathy. Holla!

My dear, sweet, VERY FUNNY friend, Cathy has started her new blog: Take Captive Every Thought. And be sure to read her bio. It is just a taste of how zany and crazy she is.

Her first post is nothing short of amazing! Get ready to laugh and cry at the same time:
Some day, this is all going to make sense

In Your Face, majormoments!!!!

This one is especially for "majormoments", ahem, Jake, as proof that today is NOT pajama day again. The picture from my last post was taken just after breakfast this morning - AT 8:30!!!! Ladies, are you feeling what I live with? Just a little?

All I have to say is Paybacks Are Coming, my friend!!!! Be afraid. Be very afraid.

The Queen Bee and Mr. Sly

Earlier as I was on the computer in my office, I heard the office door gently close behind me. Soon after I heard the sounds of a stool being pushed across the tile floor in the kitchen. This sound is never good. It means Kale is trying to obtain something he is not supposed to ordinarily have unless he has received expressed permission from the Queen Bee (that would be me).

My son thinks he is Mr. Sly.

I sneak up to peak around the corner and find him like this (thank you, Lord, for having the camera right next to me!).

As if I wouldn't later notice the bright red stain around his mouth that was soon to come from the Push Pop he was trying to sneak. But I guess his philosophy is 'Better to ask for forgiveness than permission'.

And, Yes, I went ahead and let him have his Push Pop. He DID go through all of the trouble to get it.

Killing You With A Dagger of Cuteness

Kale and I were doing crafts together (no, I am not running a fever) and he decided that gluing everything to paper just wasn't cool enough, so instead he decided that his face and hands would be a perfect canvas.

15-minutes after we had finished, this is how I found him.

Let the ooohs and awwws ensue.

This is the part where Jake will take my blogging humor seriously

Yesterday I told the kids we could spend today having a 'Pajama Party Day' since Jacob will be out of school.

My husband, the one who thinks you should NEVER go outside without shoes and that little boys shouldn't hang out in the house with just underwear on, looks at me and ensues the beloved eye-rolling.

I can already guess what's going on in his little brain.

My suspicions are confirmed:

Jake: "Well, I can already tell tomorrow is going to be a productive day." (DRENCHED in sarcasm)

Me (not out-loud, but to myself with a snicker): Ummm. Okay. Tell me how this will be any different from every other day...

**Just a JOKE, Jake!! I love you!!!!!!! I'm going to do some laundry now, just for you. :o) (Okay, and for me, too. I'm almost out of clean underwear.) But after the laundry I'm going back to the couch and finishing my Bon-Bons.

Days to Come: Crash

Jeana, over at Days to Come (one of my new favorite blogs - she's so FUNNY and has a white-hot fire for Christ to boot) wrote an amazingly eloquent post that's a must-read for us all. Go check it out: Crash

Look! A post that actually coinsides with the name of my blog!

After attending my nephew's birthday party on Saturday, I got in the truck after everyone was loaded in. When I was geting in, I realized my niece, Kayla, was in the back seat.

Me: "Oh, I didn't realize Butt-Head was coming home with us." (She's my girl. I use 'Butt-Head' lovingly toward her, so no hate mail.)

Jake: "Dear, I live with you. Of course I'm coming home with you."

Hey! He said it, I didn't.

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Jake and I are ministry leaders (scary, huh?) at our church, so we have to get up at the crack of crack every Sunday to be at the church to get set up in time. Kale was completely disinterested in getting up this morning (or should I say yesterday morning, with it being after midnight and all), but can you really blame the kid? I am NOT a morning person and I highly value my sleep, and so does Kale. Jacob is like his dad and gets up when it's still dark (PHSYCHO!), while Kale and I love to hide under the covers until about 9:00. This particular morning he was highly irritated that we dare try to remove him from his puppy dog dreams and Mom and Dad's fluffy down comforter (sly dog likes to sneak in our bed in the middle of the night ~ like we're not going to notice little heals and elbows jabbing in our backs and ribcages).

While Jake was trying to brush Kale's teeth and comb his out-of-control fro', the following conversation ensued:

(Kale, with a foced frowny-, pouty-face, sitting on the counter with his arms sternly crossed while successfuly blocking Jake's every attempt at combing the fro' and killing the cavity bugs)

Jake: "Kale, are you on a mission to just be difficult today?"

Kale, in a stern, frustrated voice: "Yes!" (trying his hardest to maintain his stern face and NOT smile)

(laughter from the parentals)

I've been trying to convince Jake of Kale's mission in life for some time. Finally! I have been validated!

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Jacob's household job is feeding the dogs twice a day (I know. He's got it rough. Go ahead and call CPS and report me for child abuse). While standing in the laundry room filling their bowls, we hear him from the kitchen conjuring up this forced, squeeky, "I've Lost My Voice" act he's about to try out on us.

Jacob (in a faint whisper / squeek): "Doooooogs. Diiinnnner."

(Insert Jake and I looking at each other and rolling our eyes and grinning)

Jacob (in his regular, really loud-and-clear voice): "Mom and Dad! I think I'm losing my voice!"

Yeah. In my dreams.

Take Me To The Zoo!

Kale and I joined some friends at the Ft. Worth Zoo Wednesday since it was 80-degrees outside and Wednesdays are 1/2-price day. *Although, even with our admission being 1/2-price, I still forked over an arm and a leg. What ever happened to the zoo being an affordable outing? Shelly made the same point a while back as well, so I know I'm not alone in my grumbling.

Aside, we had a great time and I'm SO glad we decided to go because it went from being 85-degrees yesterday to 36-degrees today with expected sleet and rain. Ahhh! Texas weather! Gotta love it!

Amazing Photography

I stumbled on this site a few months ago. This woman's photography is nothing short of amazing. Go check it out.

A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania

Sunday Evening Snuggle Bugs

Who are you calling 'Obsessed'?

More Marvelous Marble Magnets!! I gave most of them away to our volunteers for Valentine's Day.

Then? Get this ~ Last night I realized a ton of them had bad magnets and didn't stick to anything. How dumb am I going to look when these poor people try to stick their fabulous magnets to the fridge and it just kerplunks to the ground?

*sigh*

You can just call me Martha

After finally finding someone who still had sweatshirts in stock, I got Jacob's Horse costume made in less than an hour. I'm a crafting genius (NOT!). Click on the pic for more 1st Grade musical fun.

For all of you who tell me I don't act my age, I have this to say: "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo, Stick Your Head In Doo Doo!"

I actually act my age!! Who would've thought? Even I was shocked at the revelation.

You Are 29 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

A visit from Johnny Drama (and MeMa came, too) all the way from Tulsa

Jacob had his first wrestling tournament last Saturday, so his MeMa drove down from Tulsa to cheer him on.

Of course, all of the attention went to her 2 1/2 lb. ball of cuteness, J.D. (Johnny Drama). He weighs less than our dogs' tongues, so it was a huge change having such a little dog in the house. I was constantly worried about stepping on him for fear of crushing him. The kids absolutely loved him (how couldn't they?). It was a continuous battle over who was going to hold him or play with him or take him into the "Club House" (giant TV box).

Thanks to his visit, my long-anguished-over desire for a French Bulldog has only increased by a thousand percent.

Stop me now before I turn into the stereotypical Soccer Mom

If you know me at all, you know that I am NOT CRAFTY! No crafts in this house, my friends. BUT! I am a very frustrated artist. So I always have those urges for creating things, but I only want them to be COOL, not CRAFTY. Are you with me?

My creative urges have been fulfilled at last. Feast your eyes on the coolest magnets known to all mankind.

This is the first set I made the other night. I have now mastered the art of Marble Magnet Making and I'm working on some Super-Fabulous new ones. If you play your cards right, you just might get some as a gift. (Sucking up is welcome. The more the better.)

For tips and instructions on making your own, go here. Hobby Lobby was the only place I found the needed supplies (notmartha found hers at Michael's, but the locations here did not carry them).

Tales from Schmoozville, where Kale is Mayor

Did you guys miss me? It has been an insane few weeks and I have barely had time to sit down for even a few minutes to check email, let alone catch up on blogging.

So many funny things have happened, but they were the things that were only funny at the time. When I went to write them down ~ not so funny.

Anywho ~ on with the show...

I am raising a schmooze. He gets it from his dad, but he is like his dad on super-strong steroids. A few examples:

Kale has a really gruff voice, but when he first wakes up he sounds like a smoker. While trying to get him dressed the other morning the following conversation ensued:

Me: You're cute.

Kale (in his gruffy just-woke-up voice): Yeah. I'm cute.

(pauses and has a serious "I'm thinking" face)

Nods and says "I'm definitely cute."

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Yesterday after Jake got home from work, we were all piled in our bed horsing around. Kale wedged his way in between Jake and I and put one arm around Jake and the other around me. He gives us both a big bear hug and leans back to look at us with the cute, smooshy, charming face he does so well and says, "I love you guys." The prospective "awwws" from his parents follow. Then comes "You guys are great".

What a suck-up!!!!!

What a trooper!

Kale braved over 3 hours at the mall with me and NO FITS! NO TANTRUMS! Why yes, I think that kid deserved some new shoes!

And so did his mom. Aren't they gorgeous?! Who knew Jessica Simpson made shoes, too? Call her stupid all you want, but that girl is laughing all the way to the bank.

I've come to a sad, sad realization

I really suck at this whole 'House Wife' thing.

Case in point.

So for those of you out there feeling defeated right along with me, you're not alone. I am, of coarse, assuming that I'm not the only one who is living in the land of Not Domestic But Trying To Be Anyway. If I'm completely wrong, then don't tell me. I sort of like my little fantasy world.