BLUE NORTHERN

It got pretty windy and cold outside.  I am assuming that the cold front the weather man has been telling us about finally arrived. We all love it when one rolls in!



This is what the sky (westward) looked like from our backyard.



This is what covered the eastern sky. See that bright circle of white directly above the housetop and below the power lines? That was soon swallowed up by ominous gray clouds, as the front continued its journey toward us.



O'Man and little man came out to see what all the fuss was about. This was little man's first time to experience this kind of weather. I'm not sure he knew what to make of it.



It didn't take long for the wind to pick up as you can see by looking at his hair!



"Cutie" is our KrAZy one. She came out of nowhere (without a coat), and struck a pose. Now you see her ...



... now you don't. She zipped out of my camera's frame as quickly as she zipped in!



Actually, she was popping up all over the place running, and whooping, and hollering, and laughing, and just having a good ole time. That girl! :)

She wasn't the only one frolicking in our backyard. These leaves were being herded by the wind into the azalea bushes and on inanimate objects such as our worn-out volleyball. They were rolling around like tumble weeds. At one point they were up-ended and spinning along on their sides like wheels. Haha!

"Beauty" came out under protest. I wanted her to take a picture with me to show how windy it was (as demonstrated by our hair being "whipped" around our faces). Did I think that puny orange tree limb was going to give me any shelter? Well, it didn't. 

Little Man was awestruck. He stood stock-still watching the tree limbs bob up and down. And there's "Cutie" again. She's just as cool as a cucumber and lovin' every minute.

Trees bobbing up and down. Actually, the trees held their ground. It was the little limbs and leaves that did their spunky dance for us.

  

This picture is simply to show that "Beauty" is finally taller than her mom. [We were kinda crouching forward in a huddle, so it's not a completely accurate shot. Plus the wind "poofed up" my hair on the top]. Heeeeey, I'm short!

A glance back towards the west told us that she was still a comin' our way, and it had begun to sprinkle. All of a sudden it was a little too chilly for my blood.

One final glance confirmed what I had been thinking all along - we needed to head back inside. Brrrr!

SCAREDY-CAT?



Check out these cats.  I wondered why that BIG ole gray one was looking so scared, until ...



. . . the other two turned around. YIKES!

Notice the gray cat is nowhere to be seen. He saw his chance and ski-daddled.

DO IT AGAIN

Lately, O'Man has been lifting little man into the air.  At first, he didn't seem to know what was happening. Now he absolutely LOVES it! The expressions this child makes are priceless.  See for yourself. :)



The "Smirky Grin"



The "Outright Laugh"



The "Natural"



The "I'm Falling, but it Feels Great"



The "I'm Havin' a BLAST - Don't Tell Mom"



"You're NEXT!"

HOW MUCH?

There once was a pastor in a small town. One Sunday morning he came to church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised, and, as if in response, the pastor began to speak.
 
I was walking through town yesterday, when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked him what he had.
 
"Just some old birds," he replied.
 
"What are you going to do with them?" I asked.
 
"Oh, I'm gonna take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time!"
 
I said, "But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later, son, and what will you do then?"
 
"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."
 
The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"
 
"Huh? Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. Shucks, they ain't even pretty."
 
"How much," the pastor asked again.
 
The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"
 
The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty bird cage by the pulpit, and then the pastor told the following story.
 
"One day Jesus and Satan were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught a world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"
 
"What are you going to do with them," Jesus asked.
 
Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun."
 
"And what will you do when you are done with them?" Jesus asked.
 
"Oh, I'll kill them," Satan spouted.
 
"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.
 
"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you, and kill you. You don't want those people!!"
 
"How much," He asked again.
 
Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears, and your life."
 
Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.
 
With that, the pastor picked up the cage, and walked from the pulpit.
 
 

WHAT A SANDWICH

Looks like little man is "biting off more than he can chew" with this humm-dinger-of-a-sandwich! It was stuffed so full that its "innards" were coming out (as evidenced by the piece of lettuce on top of the bun). No, that is not a really fat caterpillar! :)

He was so happy, afterwards he did a little jig for us all to see.







Warming Up



The Clap and Turn



Gettin' Low - also known as The Standing Splits



The BIG Finale!

I simply can not imagine life without our little man. His antics keep us in stitches.  He brings us more joy than I could have ever believed! 

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1:17 KJV)

A CHUCKLE 4U -"Roast Beef"

From time to time I like to share recipes that I have enjoyed, and tonight is no different. Who doesn't like a good roast? Slap down a side of mashed taties -n- gravy, green beans, (and don'tchoo ferget tha biscuit), and you got yerself some mighty fine tastin' vittles. I GUAR-AN-TEE you'll be goin' back fer seconds! Well, this here recipe was passed on to me by a truly dear friend, and even though I haven't had time to try it fer myself, I just KNOW you'll be a lovin' it!! =)

Classic Recipe for Roast Beef

1 large Roast of beef

1 small Roast of beef

Take the two roasts and put them in the oven.

When the little one burns, the big one is done.

SUGAR COOKIES

Yesterday, after making a pot of Taco Soup and cornbread for dinner "Beauty" made the dough for a batch of sugar cookies . . . and the frosting, too! She baked enough heart and lip shaped cookies to fill a gallon-sized ziploc baggie.

Today she and "Cutie" divided up the frosting into little bowls.  Using toothpicks they dabbled in pink, blue, green, yellow, and red food colors.  Before long they had their decorating bags filled with the red and green frostings.  Armed with a star tip and a leaf tip and a few butter-knives they began their journey of decorating each cookie.  They were only limited by their imaginations.

Check out what they created.

All set and ready to go. Even little man wanted in on the fun!



Supplies neatly laid out.



Creative juices are flowing.



Getting "into" her work.



"A Heart"



"Fish in the Sea"



O'Man smelled sugar and couldn't resist jumping in.



Little Man decided to have a more healthful snack of mandarins and Cheerios.



"Hi!"



I've been told this one took on a shape of it's own.



"Another Heart"



"Here's lookin' at you, Kid."



"Can we eat now??"



By this time, someone was quite bored.  He didn't fall asleep, however.



ThE eND

I heartily recommend getting out your favorite sugar cookie and frosting recipes and making your own fun! If you're short on time, just drop by your local grocery store and grab some ready-made dough and frosting. No one says life has to be hard, right? ;-)

TINY SHOES

PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD



"Octopus Hot Dogs, anyone?"

The Recipe

1 Package of all beef hot dogs

1 Pan Boiling water

YOUR child's favorite condiments

Take each hot dog and beginning about 3/4 of the way down slice the hot dog in half. Turn it over and slice in half again, repeating until there are 8 segments still attached to the top of the hot dog.

Using tongs, drop hot dogs one at a time into boiling water for 30-40 seconds. Before your eyes the legs will magically curl up. Remove your Octopus from the boiling water with tongs and place on a plate. Decorate face with your child's favorite condiments or just cut out little eyes with a knife or toothpick. Serve with Macaroni & Cheese and green beans. Enjoy!

You know what they say . . . a picture is worth a thousand words!

(For those of us who prefer to be SHOWN what to do.)



Step 1



Step 2



Step 3



Step 4



Step 5



You can make a whole FAMILY of octopi.  :)

. . . or just let your little man wear his octopus on his head while sucking on a miniature plastic hot dog from his sister's grocery play set. It's all good! :)