Say ahhh

This is an example of the silliness that typically goes on around here.  Seriously, who needs satellite tv when you have entertainment like this!



At the end of this video, it appears that Carlee has been pushed. She probably was, or she could have tripped over her two left feet. Yes, she is just as graceful as I am! Anyway, I thought I should let you know that she was fine and to prove it, here is the very next video that I took only moments later.

Wholesome Sweeteners Giveaway!

http://azurestandard.blogspot.com/2011/03/giveaways-dont-get-any-sweeter-than.html  Huge giveaway, go check it out.















Thanks to http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/ for letting me know about it!

too funny - in the same

We were driving along and Carlee was pestering Sam.  He was getting quite annoyed...

Sam  - Stop it!  You are driving me in the same!

Me - Sam, what was that you said?

Sam - I told Carlee that she is driving me in the same.

Me - What?

Sam - I said she is driving me in the same.  You know just like what you always say to us.

Me - (laughing) I think you mean 'insane'

Sam - Oh, what is insane?

Me - It means that someone is making you crazy or you are getting really frustrated or they are being really irritating.  It is when you feel like going AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH (this scream included waving my arms around like a crazy person).

At this they all laughed hysterically and proceeded to act like crazy monkeys in their carseats - it was driving me in the same, oops I mean insane! haha

Just plain bizarre

The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy
Just plain bizarre is about the best I can offer for an overview of this book.  The character development is fairly well done but that is about the end of the good points of the book.

The storyline is generally okay, and the characters are brought together in an interesting way but the author never really drew me in and captured my attention.  It certainly was not a page turner and was a hard book to get through - which for me is unusual as I can generally devour a fiction book, even a mediocre one. However, I am kind of kicking myself that I actually finished this one. There were some bizarre things throughout the book, but nothing really unreasonable.  But then the ending went so far off the deep end that I am not even sure how the author got there. I had to reread some of it to try to figure out if I missed a page or something to explain how a reasonable storyline suddenly went - well, I really don't know where it went!
Fiction is a broad description and can include many varying levels of writing, but you generally can follow the logic and you can usually place a book into a specific fiction genre.  Not this book - it had elements of a mystery bordering on a supernatural mystery, but then it seemed it would take a turn to be a romantic love story, or even a tragic love story.  But with the strange writing at the end I have no idea what category to even put it in - like I said, just plain bizarre.  Not recommended at all!


Disclosure: Thomas Nelson Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.

First day of spring

Spring has always been my favorite season, and even more now that we live in North Carolina.  Here spring comes when it is supposed to!  I have even seen crocuses and daffodils blooming on my birthday, which is at the end of February. Growing up in Canada I only ever saw the dead of winter on my birthday so being here and truly experiencing spring is so refreshing.  I think that all those cold miserable birthdays have made me appreciate spring here so much more!

Here are some photos I took the first day of spring (well, technically it was the day after the first day of spring).  Hard to imagine that in Saskatchewan they still have three feet of snow!  There are moments that I really miss home, and then there are those moments that I really don't!




I don't even know what kind of tree or shrub this is growing in our yard, but what a beautiful surprise!



Here is my tulip tree which seems to get prettier every year!

A close up of the tulip tree.

By now the daffodils are nearly done blooming, but there was still a few.



A huge Camellia tree in my neighbor's yard



Our house is in the background.  I have such a pretty view in the spring!

Cool stuff at the zoo

A trip to the zoo is always fun, but this particular trip there was some cool things that we saw that I wanted to share...

I have been to this zoo several times, but this was the first time I really noticed the elephant...

Designed entirely out of butterfly shapes!!!

Carlee was our guide.

The giraffes and elephants were still in the barn, and we got to see them really close up!  The pictures inside didn't turn out well but it gives you an idea how close we were to the giraffes!

Then we got to see the vet taking a blood sample from the elephant.  I thought that was pretty cool, but the kids were more fascinated when she reached her trunk through the bars to pick up a carrot from the floor.

The lions were more active than I have ever seen them - usually they are sleeping on these rocks!

But the coolest part of the day was hearing one of the lions roaring.  I tried to get it on video but it is hard to hear - you will know why when you watch it.

too funny - bad guy

This is an example of  "I have no idea where they come up with this stuff - must be a boy thing"

Sam  If I was a bad guy I would swing my knife and cut you in half.

Ben (very casually responds) But then I would be dead and you would miss me.

Sam  That is very true.  Good thing I am not a bad guy! Are you still my best bro.

Ben  Yep!


I tried to decide whether to deal with the knife comment or praise them for being "best bros". But I was laughing too hard and the opportunity passed as they moved on to playing with trucks. I posted it here instead!

too funny - difficult

Sam was being difficult and arguing with me. Finally we solved the issue and this is the conversation...

Me - Sam, I love you even when you are being difficult.

Sam - I love you to even when you are difficult.

Carlee (who was just coming into the room) What???  You need a different coat???

too funny - Bible talk interrupted...

We were in the van driving somewhere and with hubby along I had the rare opportunity to work on my Bible study while travelling so I jumped at it. Of course the kids wanted to know what  I was reading so I read portions to them and we talked about what it meant.  For example,

Me (reading from the Bible) And I will be the glory inside the city...

Carlee What is "the glory"?

Me  It is the glory of God...

Ben  Hey!  Do you know that M&M's only have M's

Me (laughing) Yes Ben, that is true but I am not sure how reading the Bible and a discussion of the glory of God has anyhing to do with M&M's but that is good spelling!


A little later...
Me (reading from the Bible) And the Lord surrounds His people...

Sam Does the Lord surround like policemans surround bad guys?

Me Sort of, the Lord surrounds us but we are not bad guys.

Sam The Lord surrounds us so that we cannot get away kind of like police surround bad guys so they cannot get away?

Me That's right we want to be near God...

Ben Do you know that monster trucks have very loud engines.




Another day Sam was being difficult and arguing with me.  Finally we solved the issue and this is the conversation...

Me -  Sam, I love you even when you are being difficult.

Sam - I love you to even when you are difficult.

Carlee (who was just coming into the room) What??? I need a different coat???