Cooking lessons...

Jake has decided he wants to learn to cook and last Friday was the first lesson.  He can scramble eggs and make macaroni and cheese but he wanted to make something a little more involved.

I told him step by step what to do and he did it all.  We don't boil our noodles.  We let them cook in the sauce....

Now for a layer of cheese and back in the oven...It already looks yummy doesn't it?

We may have forgotten about it in the over while playing a little Mario Cart Wii, but this is actually the way Aaron likes it....

...Nice and crispy cheese...

This is the one that didn't get quit as crispy.

He was on a roll so he made banana muffins and bread completely by himself.

I may take an early retirement from the kitchen, because is was all DE-LISH!  He even cleaned up the kitchen after.  Great job Jake!  What are you going to cook next?







Blurry picks of the guys trying it out while re-watching the Hobbit to get ready for the Desolation of Smaug.  Thumps up all around!

If my kiddo has to grow up, at least there is a perk of him cooking so I don't have too!!!

These are a few of my favrorite things...

Things I LOVE, Love, love....

*Raindrops on...(no I am not going to say roses-although that is nice too) on evergreens.  We (Jake and I.) went on a walk in the woods with the dogs and it had rained the night before.  It was so fun to lightly touch the cool raindrops that hung on the evergreens needles.  Simple pleasure....

*Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  I love a book with a happy ending and this one is oh so very happy, after some shocking twists and hardships...which makes the ending even happier!  Read it, you will love it.

*The wonderful feature on my laptop on which I can write little notes and they look like post it notes on my screen.  Right now my screen is home to song lyrics that I want to frame.  You know type them up in a fancy way like you see on Pinterest, frame them, and put them up everywhere because words make me happy.  Some of my favorite quotes are from songs.  Example: Matt Scannell, from Vertical Horizon wrote: "All I want is for you to have a life you love and live. Take from me all I have to give 'cuz you are in my heart."  Love it.

*Pinterest...love it...
*The fact that the more classics I read the smarter I feel.  It's a fact.  Try it and I am sure you will agree.

*My camera.  I love to document things like Jake getting his cast off.  :)

*Bare minerals make up.

*Annie Sloan chalk paint. I find the concept to be genius: painting things without having to sand them first....and it actually works.  Wonders never cease.

*The fact that the neighborhood we are living in is having a yard sale on Saturday and I am going to hunt for cheap things I can paint with my Annie Sloan paint. :)

What do you do after a night at the ER? and A Simple Pleasure

Look pitiful so that your mom will let you eat Ritz crackers and watch cartoons all morning.

 But seriously my boy deserves a break...
Last night after Cub Scouts we went over to our next door neighbors to chat with her about the dog sitting we will be doing for her this weekend.  She is the owner of Bear, Sadie's best dog friend.  He is younger than Sadie and still has his razor sharp puppy teeth.  Do you see where I am going with this?  Jake was throwing sticks for Bear while we were talking and Bear jumped up to get the stick from him right as he was getting ready to throw it...Next thing I know, Jake screams and blood is dripping down off his wrist.  Fast forward 20 minutes and we are sitting in the ER waiting. We were pretty lucky  we were only there for a total of 2 1/2 hours which has got to be some kind of record.  Looking around the waiting room there were just a bunch of people that honestly looked liked they had no reason to be there (which made me happy.  I am not a fan of germs, blood, or puke that comes out of anyone other than my own family).  No wounds (besides Jake of course), broken bones, or even coughing.  Just people with their wristbands on, chatting with whoever brought them.  It was kind of strange actually.  Usually you see all sorts of creepy or gross things in the ER.  Luckily for us Jake's "flesh wound", as he was calling it, was it for blood.  Aaron said they were probably there to get out of the heat and into the air conditioning. :)

Jake entertained the hospital staff and us while we were there.  The man who checked him out and took our information before being seen was amused when Jake told him he didn't need stitches-just a band aid and we could call it good.  The man also asked if Jake had any recent illnesses or infections (no), and Jake asked if the wart on his thumb (that we have been to the doctor 6 times for to have them freeze off and we have gone through a box and a half of the at home freeze kits and large amounts of duct tape.  This wart seriously will not go away.  Next stop dermatologist..) counted.  The man laughed and told him it didn't. :)  When we actually got into the room another man (maybe a nurses assistant or something) came in to get more info. and tell us what we could expect.  He looked at Jake's wrist and said it needed stitches but because it was a dog bite (more like a tooth slash.  Bear didn't chomp down.  His tooth just made contact.), they may not close it up because of the risk of infection-they wanted it to be able to drain.  Jake was so happy that he might not need stitches and told the guy it really wasn't that bad.  To this the man said: "It looks pretty bad to me."  When the doctor came in to numb it, she was telling Jake it shouldn't hurt.  Jake looked at her and said; "Shouldn't?"  She laughed and said: "Oh you caught that part did ya?  You are pretty bright, because most people don't hear that part." (It did hurt by the way...) Before the stitches were put in she took out this big bottle (a one liter maybe) of saline solution to clean it out and told Jake she was going to clean out the wound and that it wouldn't hurt but it would be cold.  He looked at the bottle and said: "You are using that whole thing?". I guess you had to be there to see his facial expressions for most of these moments but we were all chuckling the whole time and I had to document them.  Especially when the doctor showed him the "fish hook" she used to do the stitches after she was done.  Jake took one look at it and said: "I don't know how I survived it!"  He is one funny kid.
I think his humor and quick wit is a defense mechanism because he had a few moments of tears.  Aaron was joking with him in the waiting room about rabies and how they use part of your intestines to treat you for it.    We obviously know that Bear does not have rabies (and that intestines aren't used to treat you for it...), but it was more than Jake could take and tears started to well up in his eyes.  Which Aaron didn't notice right away because he thought was being so funny.  Way to go Daddy. :)  Turns out in stressful situations Jake can only handle his own jokes, not other peoples.  

To look on the bright side:  I was glad to see a coupon that I could use for one of Jake's favorite treats, that was on sale BOGO free (I got it for $1.20 that is 20cents a bar.  It tastes even better when it is so cheap.).  Out of all the not fun stuff, it is definitely a simple pleasure to let Jake eat a yummy Klondike bar BEFORE lunch and cheer him up.

You can do things like that when you have stitches.  In fact it may actually be a mandatory step in the healing process.  Jake's sweet face when I told him I didn't just get his antibiotics (you have to take them with a dog bite), I also got him a treat is definitely my simple pleasure.  What is your simple pleasure today?  It may very well be that you weren't in the ER last night with your child getting stitches. :)

Simple Pleasures: Air Conditioning and fans...

We live in North Carolina. It is hot here. It has been in the mid to high 90's all week...It's only June 2nd. I ask this every year: If it is this hot now, how hot is it going to be in July and August, our 2 hottest months? We are already in the "it is too hot to go outside for any length of time" phase. It is stinkin' hot...My simple pleasure today is air conditioning and fans that help the cool get pushed around the room. Enough said.

What is your simple pleasure today? Check out Cocoa's and you can get some cool free printables she found. :)

Simple Pleasures: Confederate Jasmine...3 Weeks Ago

This funny little flower is called a Confederate Jasmine.  Isn't it adorable?  (It grows up things like: my neighbors porch, or another neighbors fence gate...etc.)  About 3 weeks ago I was going to run across the street and take a picture of my neighbors blooming Confederate Jasmine (I even asked her so she wouldn't think I was crazy taking pictures on her porch...), but it just never happened.  So, needless to say I got this image off the world wide web-thank you whoever took it! :)  I talked so much about these little beauties, that when Aaron and Jake made a Lowe's run one day, they checked to see if they had any, but they didn't. :(  The reason these little flowers are my simple pleasure is because they smell A-MAZ-ING!!!!  Every walk we took was heavenly because several houses in our neighborhood have it and you can just about smell it before you can see it.  It isn't an overpowering smell, it is just...perfect.  This is my Simple Pleasure, 3 weeks over due.

What is your Simple Pleasure?  Check out Chocolate on my Cranium to learn about other peoples Simple Pleasures.

Simple Pleasures and Picture a day in May, Day 19: Robin's Egg Blue

This is my picture of the day. I found this on a walk with Sadie the other day and carried it carefully home, in my hand for 2 miles. :)  I love this picture for some reason....

This is my absolute favorite color.  It is my Simple Pleasure to see Robin's Egg Blue everyday.
I found the egg shell like this:

It made me wonder how it got that way...Then took it apart to check it out...

...And compared it to the set of dishes that I fell in love with ages ago and that my sweet Jake got me for Christmas (they are from Target...Love that store).  I can pretend I am a little fairy drinking my hot cocoa out of a Robin's egg every time I use this mug.

It is my simple pleasure to be able to have this amazing color in my life everyday.  It makes me smile every time I see my plates, mugs, and bowls through the glass doors on the cabinets in our kitchen.  Simple pleasure is a PERFECT description for Robin's Egg Blue...

What are your Simple Pleasures today?

Simple Pleasures and Picture a day in May, Day 11 &12: Being Spoiled.

This month I have already been very spoiled and that is my simple pleasure today.  The main thing that brings me such pleasure (I LOVVVVVVVE IT!!!!)  is my Mother's Day/34th Redo B-day gift:

I also love, love, love, my little pill case:

The open space is for asprin-I need to get some more.

And my beautiful ring...I realize I could never be a hand model...

My guys spoil me and let me know I am loved.  Thanks Aaron and Jake!
What are your simple pleasures?  Join the fun and let everyone know over at Chocolate on My Cranium!

Picture a day in May, Day 4: Simple Pleasures: Reaching a goal with one little piece.

My picture of the day...

Over at Chocolate on my Cranium, every Thursday is Simple Pleasures day.  Today my Simple pleasure is...well, simple! It is reaching a goal for the month already.  I finished my 1000 piece puzzle (finally) and putting in the last piece was like a small victory.  I thought for sure a couple of pieces would have been lost or eaten by Sadie, but they were all there and it made me so happy to finish it.  What is your simple pleasure today?

Simple Pleasures: Winning, Blogging, and Sharing.

I hardly ever win anything, but I was so excited when I went over to Chocolate on My Cranium and read Cocoa's post I missed yesterday. Imagine my surprise to find that I had won an Anne of Green Gables book safe from HollowBound! Thank goodness for random drawings!!! Click here and you can see the beautiful book safe I won...I am going to warn you, you will be totally jealous! Thank you Cocoa for your amazing blog! If you haven't visited it yet, then where have you been people?!? :) Today is a great day to check it out. Every Thursday is "Simple Pleasures" day-a time to think of those simple things in your life that bring you pleasure. I have 3 simple pleasures today...One of them is winning my book safe!!! :)

The second is blogging. I love it! I am so grateful to have a blogging community that is full of people with the same values and goals as me. I am thankful for all I have learned from my amazing blog friends. Home schooling, homemaking, being overwhelmed...You name it and you will find a blog friend that can teach you, lift you up, and understand what you are going through. But you all know this already since you are bloggers...

My last simple pleasure for the day is that Jake is back safe and sound from his field trip. :) He is so sweet. (I realize that my blog may make him sound like a perfect child since all my posts paint him as such...He's not. But he really is amazing.) When I was walking up to the school to pick him up, he had his hand hidden behind his back. He used part of his field trip money to buy me a DVD about "Grandfather Mountain in May". He said he watched a little bit of it and didn't really like it but he thought I would. He told me when he grows up he will probably watch it and wonder why he didn't like it when he was a kid-but he was sure I would like it now. I will have to do a post on all the "stuff" he bought. He cracks me up...You will see why when I do that post! He also made my heart fill to the brim with pride (the good kind) when he told me one of his friends, Maddie, lost her money and kept asking the store clerk if anything was free. :( Jake ended up buying her a rock candy lolly pop and a self inflating whoopie cushion. See what I mean by amazing? Life is good. :)

Simple Pleasures: Teva Flip Flops

I used to get the cheap flip flops at Old Navy in lots of different fun colors. I would match them to the color of the shirt I was wearing and live in them all summer. I am a HUGE flip flop fan. They are the closet thing you can get to bare feet. I will NEVER buy another pair of those Old Navy flip flops as long as I live because I discovered these:

If you like to wear flip flops than you MUST try Teva Flip Flops. It is like walking on clouds and after a few times wearing them they mold to your feet...They are HEAVENLY! (They are so great to wear around the house on wood floors when you really need to sweep and you are sick of little crumbs and what not sticking to the bottom of your feet. I need to bust our the vacuum today...) This is my warning to you though: If you like the cheap, different colored flip flops, DO NOT TRY THESE! Once you wear Teva's you will immediately throw all your old flip flops away and never want anything to do with them again. So, my simple pleasure is my Teva flip flops. It is also my simple pleasure that it has been the perfect weather to wear them in around here lately. :)

What is your Simple Pleasure this week? Head over to Cocoa's blog to see what other peoples Simple Pleasures are.

Simple Pleasures: A Good Haricut

I rarely let my picture be taken....Now I remember why...Any way, about once a year, I feel the need to cut my hair. I have been feeling that need for a while (a couple of weeks is a while for me when it comes to wanting a hair cut after several long months with out getting one...), so I did. Every Spring or Summer I cut my hair to my favorite angled bob. I then grow it for about a year and do it all over again. It is that time of year! I actually decided to pay to get it cut, which is about as rare as me taking pictures of myself....Here is the before:

Keep in mind I worked today and had my hair in a pony tail before this...Not that that is different from any other day, so I am not sure why I am even giving this disclaimer...
This is my "I feel like a crazy person taking pictures of myself in the hall way" face.
After:
In the car because I was just that excited and I didn't want it to get all messed up! (And guess what? I bought this awesome hair product that stops your hair from getting messed up, and it actually works!)
Aaron trying to mess up my pic. Isn't he cute? He wishes he had hair to cut! :)
Untucked...
....and tucked...


If you don't like it lie because I do. :) What is your Simple Pleasure today? Link up to Cocoa's blog and see what other peoples are.

My Simple Pleasure: Making Jakes Day with our little secret.

We have had a hard time getting going in the morning this week...Monday we really slept in. The rest of the week we just haven't been able to get moving. I think 2 late nights for Jake (Visiting teaching on Tues=in bed at 9:15. Cub Scouts last night=in bed at 8:30. I know that doesn't sound late but Jake is usually in bed at around 7:30. He takes after me-he needs his sleep!) made getting ready in a timely manner next to impossible. This morning we were really behind. (We didn't even leave the house until 7:15. It is about a 15 minute drive and you are tardy at 7:30.) At around 7:05 the rushing and on the verge of yelling began. Jake said something like "this day is going horrible already!" and I stopped. I made a split second decision. I said "You haven't been tardy all year, it's really no big deal. I know you are going to be tardy today because I am going to get you some breakfast (Jake still hadn't even eaten breakfast...) at Chick-fil-a. " Jake looked at me like I was crazy then smiled. I told him it would be our little secret (I didn't want him to go into school and announce to his not very understanding teacher that we were late because we went through the drive thru...), and that if this morning wasn't going well we would make something great happen by having a treat. I told him to stop rushing, worrying (his binder opened while he was putting it in his bag and papers were falling out...), and just take your time. We were going to celebrate that this was the first time he was tardy all year. There are lots of kids who have been tardy a bunch by now! Needless to say he went to school with a smile on his face and that makes me happy.

We have another secret (I blogged that we had a secret a while ago...Some of you already know this since I have confided in you because, I just had to tell someone, or I was picking your brain for ideas...) we aren't going to tell him until the end of the school year...Can you keep a secret from Jake? He will be the only one who doesn't know, so don't spill the beans. WE ARE HOMESCHOOLING NEXT YEAR!!! I am delighted to say the least. We have big but simple plans. We are going to jump off the conveyor belt and jump into an actual education! REMEMBER don't tell Jake...or anyone who may let it slip...I am thinking cousins who may say something with out thinking about it or primary friends...So, I guess you could say this is an adult secret! :) Those are my simple pleasures for today...

What is your simple pleasure? Check out Cocoa's blog for other simple pleasures.

Simple Pleasures: Nail Polish (and venting just a little...)

I don't consider myself a girlie-girl but I have recently found great pleasure in nail polish. Yesterday we had to run to Target to get refill tape for my label maker (I will show you why later...) and stumbled upon this nail polish:

I have found that hands down Sally Hansen brand stays on the longest without chipping. I saw "Mint Sorbet" and fell in love! At work we all wear ugly, manly clothes. Khaki pants with blue polo shirts-that we have to tuck in. Wearing nail polish seems to make it more bearable. Plus 75% of the people that come into Bi-Lo have lovely fake nails. I can't afford them (neither can they...yes that is me judging, but this is my blog and I need to vent...I know they can't afford them because they are paying with Food Stamps. How can you use food stamps and justify fake nails, fancy clothes, and expensive purses? Okay-done venting.), so I buy $2.04 (Sally Hansen is usually more than that so I was even more pysched!) bottles of nail polish and look at my pretty nails while I push the buttons on the register. :) That is my simple pleasure this week. What is yours? Link up to Chocolate on My Cranium and join the conversation!

Simple Pleasures: #1- Nice People & #2- A Clean House

I was so excited to have the day off yesterday...until I didn't...I had a plan to tackle every room. Then the phone rang and I looked at it and it said Bi-Lo...I knew what answering the phone would mean. That I would have to flush my wonderful cleaning plan down the toilet, when I all I really wanted to do was clean the toilet!...What did I do? I answered it and my glorious day off was vaporized...I was talking to a friend at work (...maybe murmuring a little that I had to be working...) and I said "Why did I have to answer the phone and say yes?!". To this she said: "Because that is who you are. You are nice. You want to make people happy." Why was she saying nice things to me?! I was trying to be grumpy and she was making it very difficult. Then I remembered it was Wednesday and at Bi-Lo that is Senior Citizen discount day. That means all the sweetest and nicest old people come in to shop and talk. I joked with my friend by saying: "Geez! I wish they would all stop being so sweet and nice! Don't they know they are ruining my bad mood?!?" :) We laughed. I felt better. So, my #1 simple pleasure is: Nice people...As I sit here thinking of nice people Marjorie Pay Hinckley popped into my head, so I went to the book shelf and took out "Small and Simple Things" by this sweet lady. I flipped through it and came upon this very smart thing she said: "Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." My battle was being grumpy yesterday. I am thankful for all the nice people that were kind to me yesterday-even when I wasn't really deserving of it. :)

AND...I am happy to report: If you were to knock on my front door I would let you in! I would let you go in any room you wanted...I may not let you open all the closets, but I only had half a day people!!! My #2 simple pleasure today is a clean and tidy home! YIPPEEEE!!!! No it is not perfect, it is so much better than it was. I could feel the stress leaving all of us. I am a happy camper.

Check out other peoples simple pleasure's over at Cocoa's blog.

My Simple Pleasure: Boys Best Friend...

Cocoa is discussing simple pleasures today over at Chocolate on my Cranium, and this is what came to my mind immediately...



It brings me simply pleasure watching Jake and Sadie...Dogs can even make homework better. :)

Simple pleasures...

I love opening up my cupboard to get a cup and seeing a childhood memory. When my Nana Lee (my fathers mother) passed a way the beginning of 2007 (...wow I can't believe it was that long ago), I mentioned to my Uncle Gary that I would love to have the cup that I always drank out of at Nana's house. Each of the grandchildren had a color that they drank out of every time we were at Nana's. Mine was yellow...Uncle Gary searched for the cups to no avail, until last summer when he came across them in a box in Nana's garage...All the grandchildren got their cup, plus an extra one from the set. I thought about putting them up in a safe place to make sure it would never break. I am so glad I didn't, because now I get to have the simple pleasure of seeing it in my cupboard and drinking out of it whenever I want to reminisce. It is also an amazing way for my son to remember how important my Nana was in my life. It is an honor to drink out of my treasured cup.


****THIS IS AN UPDATE! A new blog friend told me how to do the link thing and I did it! So, this last paragraph doesn't make as much sense as it did before, because you can click on the link now!****
Check out other people's simply pleasures at chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com...I really need to figure out how to link it...Yes I am serious I don't know how to that. Little help anyone?...It is also a simple pleasure to change my blog background whenever I feel like it... :)