Zo What?

ZOJIRUSHI! If you happen to be cruising the aisle of your local thrift store and light upon one of these for around 20$, snatch it as quick as you can (throw a punch if necessary). These are the "top of the line" bread makers and sell on Ebay for a little over 100$, almost 200$ new. I payed $12.95 for this one. After cleaning it up at home, try a few loaves (I don't think it tastes as good as it smells) and then list it on Ebay - it's fun to watch the bidding frenzy.

The winning bid was $117.50 - Hooray! Doesn't quite pay for my Goodwill habit, but I'll be searching the shelves a little closer now.

Where'd my TOOTH go?

Well, this isn't the most flattering picture our youngest munchkin, but you probably get the point. As is always the case, our kids aren't too eager to let Scott "feel" how loose their teeth are. Hmmm, can't figure that one out???! Maren's thrill with the whole tooth fairy set-up has come to a halt now that she can't get her tooth back. I've told her that the tooth fairy has an email address and I'll certainly try to contact her. I hope that my teeth don't fall out for telling a itty bitty untruth.

P.S. there are awesome things on the web tooth fairy related. Stories, funny letters to print for older kids, special tooth envelopes . . .

Happy Heart Day!

A few years back, I happened to spot a shirt that I thought Scott would like. It simply said, "Cupid rhymes with Stupid". Scott is quite a bah-humbug about any occasion that would require him to stand in a crowd of people and sort through sappy cards in an attempt to find the "perfect" one. Instead he opps for a last minute scribbling of his heartfelt feelings on a spare sheet of paper - could be a shred of newspaper, a cardboard box, or a lunch sack. He hasn't stooped to toilet paper, but I'm sure that's coming.

A little blood and tears . . .

Yesterday we had a minor trauma at our house. It all began when Milah grabbed something from Maren and while casually walking by the stool where Maren was perched, she suddenly launched herself onto Milah's back and they both crashed to the floor with Milah landing on top of Maren. (I will pause this moment and tell you that the act of flying through the air and attaching yourself to an unsuspecting victim was funny to witness), but Maren's cry alerted me that something was definitely wrong. After assessing the aftermath, Maren did indeed suffer a wound due to a pencil stabbing, and there were more blood and tears. But, amidst the commotion, I realized that Milah had suddenly "gone to pieces" and was shaking and bawling worse than the victim.

A day later, the wound is healing and the laundry has washed the blood away, but the experience gave me a glimpse into the deep feeling of love between them. Once upon a time, Milah chopped part of a toe off in a stationary bike mishap. While on the way to the hospital, her brother was lovingly holding her head, stroking her hair and singing softly to her. As a mother, I have a vision of my children as adults - each having an interest in the other, and spending time together (hopefully not in group therapy trying to heal from their childhood). Perhaps this is like wishing in the tooth fairy, but I hope not. I know they have their squabbles (sometimes near attacks), but I know that they would be lost without each other.

Ain't She a Beauty?

So, does this look like a dream ride? To the 14 year old male in this house, it is the object of his desire. He has spent countless hours searching online and checking out every back yard in the country for the perfect '79 Ford Crewcab pick-up. As it turns out this one wasn't too far from home, so Sten put a down payment on it today, and as soon as he sells the Suzuki, this baby is his! Scott and he plan to take the entire body and mount it on a Dodge diesel chassis. It has been sitting for quite awhile and the ole boy who owns it has been using it for storage - the back is stuffed with huge pinecones. Hmmm, maybe I could use those for something . . .

I think his hands might have been shaking during this transaction.

Stay tuned for updates as I'm sure there will be many. Sten monitors and contributes on several forums that are specifically for these trucks - he knows each detail that separates one from another and the differences in each year. Give him a shout if you have any questions.

Saturday Events

Watching a teammate . . . Sten's shirt is one of Scott's old shirts from High School and is the envy of many. As a Freshmen, Sten wrestles at 119 which is a heavier weight class than what Scott wrestled as a Senior!

"Hello" Pleased to meet you Sir

Head-n-Arm, make him squirm Sten!


I declare a WINNER!

Model Student (for real)

Hooray for Maren! She earned Student of the Month for January. She was just telling me yesterday that she was trying to do a real good job in class because she wanted one of those gold medals. She was quite thrilled with her accomplishment and has already used it as a bargaining chip in her favor. Yes, this is the same girl mentioned below.

The very next day, this model student had a "chat" with the principal regarding some sticks that she ought not to have been throwing over a fence. Then, this week, the librarian called to alert me that the book that Maren had just returned had stickers all over it, and she couldn't remove them. It happened to be an Encyclopedia on Dogs and is the largest book she has checked out all year - a 53$ replacement cost. Hmmm, I wonder if that medal can be revoked?

Out of the mouth of . . . guess who

Last night we were visiting with a friend that had stopped by. As often occurs, he had mentioned that he needed to head home and then proceeded to chat a little longer. I guess Maren was keeping track of time, because she reminded him in a very "matter of fact" tone, that "I thought you said that you were leaving". We have installed a sock in her mouth and we will only be letting her remove it for purposes of eating -