I'll love you forever...no matter what

As I have mentioned before, my brother-in-law has not been a constant part of our lives but that has not changed the fact that my children love him to pieces and the feeling is mutual.

Uncle Hammer taught the kids a culinary delight when he joined us the last time...

Roasted weiners with ripple chips smooshed into the bun with the hot dog.

The kids thought he was a genius!

They have applied this technique to everything they can think of.

I don't know if it's because it is actually good or because this tip came from their dear Uncle Hammer.

"Who we fightin'?"

We took the kids to 7-11 last night to pick up some small slurpees.  While Bug and I waited in the car, he saw the cage filled with 20 lb propane tanks.

"Mama? Are those bombs?"

"No, honey, they are propane tanks."

"Tanks!?!  Who we fightin'!?"

"No, dear, tanks for the bbq."

"We have to fight the bbq?"

"No..ah, never mind..."

"I'd like to make a report"

That is how Jellybean began her conversation with the manager of the restaurant we took B.D. to on Father's Day.

She went to the washroom and, at some point, I began to think she had been gone just a bit too long and went looking for her, wondering if she was feeling all right.

I found her standing at the doorway into another part of the restaurant searching for someone.

"What't the matter, baby?  You doin' ok?"

"Yes, mama but, I saw some swears on the bathroom stall wall and I have to make a report."

"To the manager?"

"Yes!"

"Do you know who you're looking for, honey?"

"Yes.  There she is. I have to make my report now, Mom."

So, I let her go off to speak with the manager to file her "report".

We asked her how it went once she got back to the table.

"Good. I told them there were swears on the wall and the manager, she said she would get it painted."

And she carried on eating her dinner like it was no big deal...

B is for Daddy

Yesterday Bug was practicing some of his writing and letter association.

He wrote an "F" telling me it was for "father" and an "M" for "mother".  "K" was for kids and then he wrote the first letter of each of his brothers' and sisters' names.

Bug then wrote a "B" and said, "That is for 'daddy'."

"Honey," I said to him, "Daddy starts with a 'd'."

"Um, yeah Mama, I know but I can't call him by his name; can I?"

You want to what?!?!?!

This beautiful girl

You know, the one who will be 10 years old at the end of November?

The cute one?

The one that goes by Jellybean on this blog and, a great deal of time, at home...?

Yeah! That one.

She wants me to teach her how to shave her legs when she has her next bath!

Um, hello! Wasn't it just last week we were working on how to say 'mama'?

No?

Longer ago than that?

Hmm!  Pretty sure that was last week...

Did you just hear that!?  The popping?

Yup, pretty sure I just heard another gray hair pop out of my head. 

Uh huh! There it is.  {sigh}

5 Question Friday

Wow, it's been a while since I have participated in MamaM's 5 Question Friday. I've been a little busy *ahem* unpacking and stuff.

But I shant dwell on the past any longer.  I will lift up my head and, without shame, guilt or other such condemnation, throw myself back into the swing of things. {grin - remember I am the drama writer at the skit,  I think over-acting may be my middle name}

Anywho, without further delay present to you my answers for 5QF.

1. What is your favorite thing about summertime?

Oooo, tough question.  Could we make the word "thing" plural?  Please? I have to answer plural.  There is no one "thing".  Water and camping and water fights and basking, boating and fishing and hiking and sunning.  These are a few of my favorite things...

Sorry, got carried away singing... {grin}

2. What is your ideal retirement location (if money didn't matter)?

Retire?  I don't know I will ever be able to retire. If I do, I want to travel...I want to go to so many places....

3. Do you live in the same town you grew up in?

I live VERY close to the same town I grew up in.  In fact, this is the closest town to the farming community I did live in.  I left here for a time (a few years) but it is home and I was drawn back.  You know, it's not quite as boring as it was when I was a teenager.  Huh!  Go figure.

4. What nervous habit did you have as a child that you kicked to the curb before becoming an adult?

You know, I can't think of any.  Which probably means I never kicked them, right?  All I know is I don't turn eleventy-hundred shades of red when I get asked to speak anymore!  Um, yes, eleventy-hundred is so a number!  Don't believe me?  Do we need to poll some of my elementary school classmates?  Huh? Huh? Huh?  Didn't think so!

5. What is the most embarrassing thing that happened to you while on the job?
 
Working switchboard at the hospital.  We worked in a plexiglass enclosure, lovingly (or not so lovingly) dubbed the fishbowl.  Outside of the fishbowl was the flower "shop", a cooler, that we switchboard operators took care of as well as manning the kijillion phone calls (you're not going to doubt this one are you?).  I happened to be helping someone to get flowers out of the cooler when the phone rang so I sprinted off to answer the phone only to push against the door instead of pulling and ran right smack into it in front of all the people waiting to be seen in Emerg and, well, everyone in the foyer.
 
At least I did not need to become an E.R. patient that night.  I think that would have topped it off in the embarassment category...

If this keeps up I may quack

Seriously. 

There has been so much rain...

Rain...

Rain...

There are puddles EVERY where!!!

Not just little puddles!

Puddles that, when you go through them, blind you.

My wipers could not keep up.  They would clear the window for a brief second and then, BANG, blinded!

There has been so much rain here this spring that the water table is VERY high.  Great for next year's farm season.  This year?  Not so much.  It has also been great for lowering the number of forest fires we normally seem to have.

I am feeling soggy and wrinkly - you know, like I have spent way too much time in the bath tub or something.  {grin}

Summer?  Did you break up with us? Why the silent treatment?  Was it something we said?

Certainly hoping the weather in your area is much more favorable and, well, summer-like!