Girls get Black Belts Too

While I was watching this little guy...

become this young man,

I learned a thing or two myself!

There are now 3 Black Belts in the house.  The fourth will be added next August.

Octopus for Lunch

"Hey Mom! What's for lunch?"

Sometimes when this question comes flying at me I make up really weird answers that the guys know is a joke.

"Deep Fried Worms with a side of Boogers"
"Mom"  Please picture the eye roll.

"Crisco and Toe-Jam Sandwiches"
Giggles "No Really"

"Grilled Skunk"
"Gross! MOM!!"

So the day I calmly and seriously answered, "Octopus" they really didn't believe me.  When another answer did not follow they went about their business until I called them to come eat.  This is what they found waiting for them on their plates.

I broke pieces of spaghetti in half and cut hotdogs into bite sized pieces.  I then took four pieces of the uncooked spaghetti and poked it through the hotdog pieces.  This gives each hot dog bite eight "arms".

Now boil them as you would normal hot dogs until the spaghetti is al dente.

The guys actually loved it!  It was fun to watch them figure out the fact that they were eating hot dogs with spaghetti stuck through it!  I called it Octopus from the get go and they almost made their own PB&J sandwiches!  It was a lot of fun to eat "octopus" for lunch.

When my man's away...

Every once in a while, my wonderful husband has to go out of town for work.  He was recently gone for almost a week, so I took advantage of his travels to hit the road too.

The little M's and I headed south to visit my parents and my grandma who lives with them.

15 minutes after arriving the boys were in the pool and I was set up as relaxed life guard.

We had a great time during our 3-day get-away.  We visited and relaxed: inside and out.

We watched the olympics and cheered on the USA. The boys played their grandparents in ladder golf. I got time to knit and even played computer word games with my mom until midnight.

Before we arrived, mom had asked if we could have pizza for supper one night.  Sure, no problem.  Homemade?  Sure, with the guys that's entertainment! We all gathered in the kitchen to watch the boys toss the dough in the air to make their own pies.  No cheese for the big M, sauce only.  No sauce for the little M, cheese with four pieces of pepperoni.

During the afternoon, while the pizza dough was being prepped, Mom needed some sewing done.  She wanted a cushion made for an old pew that sits on the back porch.  Mission accomplished.

The cushion is reversible.  The bottom is gold for fall, while the top is green for spring and summer.

Thanks Mom and Dad for a wonderful and relaxing retreat.