Maybe I'm Being Paranoid, But I Think I'm Being Followed....

No. I'm not paranoid at all. I am being followed. Whenever I go into another room, somebody comes after me. Sorry about the sideways bit. A more tech-savvy individual would be able to post the right side up version. Too bad it's my blog instead.

Works for Me Wednesday...

Hello there Works for Me Wednesday Folks. For the few family members not here from Rocks in My Dryer, you should check it out for handy hints and ideas. So many handy hints and ideas. Anyhoo, this post is about making sure the kids say, "Thank You." when they receive a present. Are you ready? It's deviously obvious. Our kids don't get to play with the new toy until they tell the gift giver, "Thank You." They are downright eager to place that thank-you call. You can change this to suit your needs thank-you wise, of course. You could require a thank you note, colored picture, or email depending on the child. I know. I know. It seems so obvious. But it Works For Me. Have a great Wednesday!

Oh Yeah....and Greeley Got Robbed...

Greeley should file a complaint with the Easter Bunny association or whoever. She got nothin'.




The other two should come down off the sugar by Friday. Maybe.

Book Giveaway: Water for Elephants

So, I love to read. I love to read so much I sometimes hoard books. This must stop. So, I'm starting to give away some books I've enjoyed a lot. First up, Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants. This is a copy my mom gave me while we were on vacation. I devoured this book and now need to pass it along. However, to be honest about what I'm giving away, I did mention this copy came from my mom. That means her dog, Cady, sort of chewed on it a little. Crazy black labs. The cover is neatly taped on with just a few puncture marks.

To be considered for this still good to read, slightly taped book giveaway... please submit a story about a crazy animal in your life. Maybe it was a raccoon that had you trapped or a cat who climbed ladders. Whatever. Entertain me. Contest will end on Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 12:00 PM. One winner (random) will be awarded with the Cady copy. I will pay shipping worldwide for this dog-eared (sorry.) copy. If you would prefer a copy not already perused by Cady, there's the Amazon link over there so you can buy it new.

The Only Pictures that Have Kids In Them...

So, we're back from vacation. It was good. Even the eleven hour drive wasn't so bad. Well, I don't want to jump in the car and drive another eleven hours tomorrow just for fun or anything... but in the overall scheme of things it wasn't bad. We saw...

It had lots and lots of fish.

We also went to Alligator Adventure. Lots of reptiles.

Did you notice Atlee's haircut? Life is soooooooo much easier.

I think these were all the pictures that had our kids in them. My husband loves to take pictures of what we see, but the kids never seem to end up in them. But the octopus at Ripley's? Him? I've got fifteen pictures of him...

Works for Me Wednesday...

Hello and happy Wednesday to all. For this week's Works for Me Wednesday, hosted by Rocks in My Dryer, I offer you the Best Corned Beef Recipe. When I was little, I hated Corned Beef. It turns out that I hate New England Boiled Dinners. This Corned Beef? Love it. My husband's family has been making this corned beef for St. Patrick's Day parties for years. We guestimate about a half-pound of meat per person. We had 40-50 people this year and cooked 25 lbs. of meat. There were no leftovers.

Helen's Corned Beef Recipe (I say Helen's because it was in my mother-in-law's recipe box. My apologies to any friends or family that may have provided this recipe to her decades ago.)

Helen's Corned Beef Recipe:

4 lb. brisket, flank or plate

Brine:
4 qts. hot water
1 1/2 lbs. salt (3C.)
1/2 lb. sugar (1C.)

Rub meat with salt. Put meat in enameled pot, stone jar or tupperware. Add Brine. Cool. Weight meat so it is submerged in liquid and cover. Meat corned in 48 hours. Wash under running water. Boil about 3 1/2 hours.

Enjoy!

Signs of Spring... with bonus baby footage

Hello there. I understand that many of our friends and family up North feel like Spring may never get here. I offer hope! Spring-like things are happening down here around the Mason-Dixon Line. First we have all sorts of soon-to-be tulips. The kids and I planted them last fall. Atlee checks on them almost daily.

These are soon-to-be daffodils, I believe. I did not plant these. I owe these to Rich's Mom. I say thank you to her a lot for a whole bunch of different stuff, including these flowers.

Next we have budding trees. Once, in the midst of an Adirondack winter, my friend Gretchen and I were driving around talking about whatever. She said something about tree leaves. I can remember staring at her blankly and looking out the car window at the trees. Then I realized trees sometimes have leaves. It had been so long, I had actually forgotten TREES HAVE LEAVES. Adirondack winters are long.

As promised, bonus baby pictures. Saturday, before the party, Michael had Atlee giving Greeley Horsie Rides. Greeley was playing with Michael and Atlee and having a blast. After awhile though, she wanted to nurse. She had a tough time concentrating on the task though- because there were Michael and Atlee still playing and having fun. Nurse? Play? Nurse? Play? Oh the dilemmas a baby faces.

This? This is a movie of Greeley. It includes Greeley smiling, the jumping frog thing she does when she's excited and a bit of her scooting around style. Enjoy!

Happy St. Paddy's to Ya...

What's that? It's not St. Patrick's Day yet? Well, too bad... because our St. Paddy's day party has been moved up this year. We can't have it any later because we'll be shell hunting in Myrtle Beach with Grandma and Grandpa. So, instead of posting this I should be scrubbing that spot behind my kitchen sink. I'm pretty sure all of our guests tonight will be lining up to inspect that spot. I hope they eat LOTS of corned beef instead.

So, in the Shamrock Spirit, here's my one and only four leaf clover story. I'm a superstitious sort...even though we do have a black cat. I've spent the last thirty years half-heartedly looking for a four leaf clover. I've only found one in all that time. Want to know when it was? Oh- of course you do. It was the morning I went into labor with Greeley. I was strolling around the garden at the Mountain House when it was just there in a patch of clover. Could it be anything other than a good omen? I don't think so.

So, Happy St. Paddy's Day... I'm off to clean a bathroom or two.

Backwards Works for Me Wednesday...

It's Backwards Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer. I'm looking for travel help. We will soon be in a minivan heading nine hours south with our brood. Well, nine hours is what it takes people without kids to get there. So..... we will soon be heading thirteen hours south with our brood. We do travel a fair amount with the kids, but I am always open to suggestions about ways to make it all go smoother. So, hook me up here. What's your favorite family travel tip?

Greeley and Floor Tile...

So, how have you been? Did you have a good weekend? Because around here, I drank a little too much on Friday night which limited my abilities to post anything on Saturday. Or Sunday. But, I'm back with a picture of the Greeley Swiffer Sweeper mentioned last week.

This? This is the toilet in the downstairs bathroom. Isn't it pretty? Too bad it was cracked and so we can't use it. It's the prettiest potty I've never been able to use.

See all the tile next to the potty? Some day it'll be a tile floor- maybe even a tile shower. But that someday? That'll have to be after the tile floor at the Mountain House is finished...pesky Mountain House.

So what projects are you hoping to finish some day? Or alternatively, what hangover cure do you use?