VACATION PICTURES...

This is Daddeee and Gooey aka Speed Racer getting ready to go out on the go cart. Gooey was trying his best to reach the steering wheel.

Do you think Bubba was enjoying himself?

Daddeee takes his go cart driving seriously.

We didn't go see the Titanic exhibit but I thought the building looked really awesome.

This is Gooey checking out the cabin. His line for the week was "This is cool" but it sounded like "Disis Kewel!" He was so cute running around playing. His elbows are a bit skinned up from falling on that gravel but he didn't care.

This was the view from our cabin. Wasn't it spectacular?

Gooey was trying to help get ready for the bonfire. He wasn't much into the s'mores but he sure ate his fair share of the hot dogs.

Fire!

A few months before we arrived, they had released water from the dam so the water was up really high. The record high of Table Rock Lake was set in April of this year.

My neice, Tara, down on the docks.

First fishing lesson.

But fishing wears a little guy out. Look at those droopy eyes.

This next photo is a rare photo. I don't post photos of me very often, especially ones where I'm wearing no makeup, my hair isn't even combed, and I'm wearing nasty clothes. Look at it now while I have the nerve to post it because who knows? Tomorrow it may no longer be posted.

I caught this fish with the help of Mary Bobbins. Isn't it awesome. And yes, I am actually holding on to the fish's mouth. I didn't know they have sharp little teeth.

Daddeee caught his fish using Mary Bobbins, too. Notice that my fish is bigger than his fish.

Do you think this filthy little boy was having a good time? You can't tell from this picture but his face is covered in dirt. His fingernails are caked with it. This was definitely a ring-around-the-tub kind of day.

Vacation is exhausting.

And what's a vacation without a little bit of nature. I caught these 2 little ones while everyone else was asleep. I snuck down to the lake with my camera while it was quiet out.

Spring was definitely in bloom all around us.

WE'RE HOME!...

...and too tired to even think.

We arrived back home at about 7pm last night. By the time we got everyone fed dinner and bathed, I was too pooped to even think of doing anything else and just passed out in bed.

We had a wonderful time! The first day we spent riding go-carts, feeding the fish at the fish hatchery, and driving around Branson. We arrived at the cabins just in time to unload and start a bonfire. We made s'mores and roasted hot dogs...or happy weiners, as Gooey called them. We know why he calls them weiners (thanks to Bubba) but we don't know why they're happy weiners.

Our sleeping arrangements were changed due to Gooey not wanting to be with anyone but me. He and I snuggled up in bed and slept until a thunderstorm rolled through. The thunder and lightening was magnificent over the lake. We watched for a short while then snuggled up under the covers.

When we awoke the next morning, it was still raining so we couldn't fish. Instead, we drove back to Branson and did some shopping. We lunched at a placed called McFarlands and who's sitting at the next table but Daddeee's boss. How odd of a coincidence is that?

Wednesday morning we awoke to a gloriously cool breeze so the adults headed down to the docks for a little fishing, thanks to Tara, my niece, who watched the kids for us. We got almost 2 hours of simple, quiet fishing. We didn't catch anything, not even a nibble, but the peace and quiet was so relaxing.

Once the kids came down, we switched to another side of the dock, changed to night crawlers and the fish began to bite. I was first with a large mouth bass. We strung it up and continued on. Daddeee was next with a small mouth bass which he caught with Mary Bobbins (he looked really cute fishing with a pink fishing pole). I ended up catching 3 fish, 2 keepers, Daddeee only caught the one. Our friends caught a few too. All in all, it was a good day of fishing.

While the kids napped, Daddeee and I took a drive to Persimmon Hill Berry Farm. We had a Thunder Muffin, their homemade blueberry muffins. It was heavenly. I bought a jar of their blueberry jam, some muffins to share with the kids and a hand made wooden spoon. It was so good, we went back with everyone before we left for home.

Our vacation was wonderful but I am so glad to be back home. There's nothing like showering in your own shower and sleeping in your own bed.

I'm still working on pictures so stay tuned.

VACATION IS UPON ME...

We sat down last week with everyone that's going on vacation to make our game plan. I'm that kind of person. My sanity insists that I know what, when, where, how, and why. Daddeee and I sat at the computer and completed the agenda, the shopping list, and the packing list. We've dotted the i's and crossed the t's.

Daddeee is the one that started the shopping list. It went like this: cooler, life jacket, alcohol, sunscreen, bug repellant, alcohol.... You can see where that was going and the reason why I took over the list.

We went last night to Walmart. $175 later, we've got everything we need for vacation except the food and alcohol. We'll buy those when we get closer to the cabins.

So the entire week is planned. We've even got a back up plan.

I asked everyone at our planning meeting, "What will we do if it rains?"

Daddeee chuckled and said, "We'll put all the kids in one cabin and lock ourselves in the other and get drunk!"

Does that mean he's planning on it raining next week?

FUNNY, FUNNY, FUNNY...

A woman was out walking with her 4 year old daughter. The little girl picked up something off the ground and started to put it in her mouth. The mom took the item away from her and asked her not to do that.

"Why?" the daughter asked.

"Because it's been on the ground, you don't know where it's been, it's dirty, and probably has germs," the mom replied.

At this point, the daughter looked at her with total admiration and asked, "Momma, how do you know all this stuff, you are so smart."

The mom was thinking quickly. "All moms know this stuff. It's on the Mom Test. You have to know it or they don't let you be a mom."

They walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but the girl was evidently pondering this new information.

"Oh, I get it!" she beamed. "So if you don't pass the test you have to be the dad."

''Exactly," the mom replied back with a big smile on her face.

AND THE WINNER IS...

Kate with Mary Bobbins!

Daddeee wouldn't make up his mind. Bubba wouldn't cooperate. I said the heck with you all and chose my favorite.

Kate, email me (mzprissy at sbcglobal dot net) your info and I'll get your card in the mail to you. Keep in mind I go on vacation Monday so I need it before then. :)

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY...

WINNER TO BE POSTED...

...when Daddeee gets home late tonight. Bubba and I are having a disagreement about the winner of the "Name the Fishing Pole" contest. I have one picked out and he has one picked out so we have to wait for Daddeee to be a tie-breaker.

I know I didn't have very many contestants (3 on the site and 1 that thought it better to email) but it's still a tough decision.

MY MORNING...

Do you ever wonder what your neighbors think of you? I mean, you know they're paying attention to what you're doing because you're paying attention to what they're doing. At least I do. I'm that kind of person.

I got up with Gooey this morning and decided to make a nice breakfast. I got out the package of double smoked bacon I splurged on at the Italian Market last week. I got the bacon started in the frying pan and then got Gooey dressed. I propped open the back door and let Gooey wander. My neighbors were outside working in their yard. After a few quick, friendly greetings, I resumed my morning.

I fried some more heavenly-smelling bacon and chopped up my potatoes. All the while, the mowers are out back mowing the hill and the ballfield. Everytime the mowers come by, Ranger starts barking eratically and Gooey comes crying in the house. Lovely. I get Ranger corralled back inside and calm the boy.

Back to cooking breakfast. I get the last batch of bacon into the pan, nibble a piece of cooked bacon to marvel at how yummy it is, and again, the mowers pass by. Sigh. Ranger barks again and Gooey cries again. Wonderful. This time Gooey won't be appeased by "the mowers can't get into the backyard. They can't hurt you". It's an all out wailing festival.

So I lock the dog up in his cage (what I should have done to begin with) and I take Gooey upstairs to Daddeee (who happens to think it's a day to sleep in). I give him his plug but ganky's in the washer so he's unhappy.

So returning downstairs, I can smell that the last batch of bacon is going to be rather crispy. By crispy, I mean burnt. So, instead, we're having blackened bacon with breakfast.

I finish up the bacon, put in the taters and get them cooking. While the potatoes are cooking, I holler upstairs to see how many eggs everyone wants. The response: silence. I holler again. At this point, I decided to just say screw it and make myself some eggs.

I ended my morning by having breakfast alone, just me, my eggs, bacon and potatoes.

Now the entire time this is going on, the neighbors continue to work in their backyard. I know they can hear everything that's going on. I know because I can hear and see what goes on in their kitchen. Yes, I'm a peaker. I'm the person that sneaks glances into peoples houses when I'm out walking. I can't help it. I'm a curious person.

Hopefully, since they've had children (they're all grown up now) they know that this chaos is normal.

It's part of having a family.

***DON'T FORGET THE CONTEST FROM YESTERDAYS POST. A STARBUCKS GIFT CARD IS UP FOR GRABS***

IT'S GETTING CLOSER...

I'm talking about vacation. I'm referring to time away from home and work. I'm talking about endless days sitting on the dock with just me and my fishing pole. Ok, it won't just be me and my fishing pole. The family will be there too, but you get the idea.

We've begun planning and packing and spending money. Today, we're going to Walmart to get our fishing licenses, a new cooler (because Daddeee left a watermelon in the old one and we had to retire it), summer clothes, etc. etc.
Our friends that are going with us are coming over tonight to work out our gameplan. We're thinking of taking a little sub-trip to Eureka Springs, Ark. while we're down that way. I've never been there and, to be honest, with gas prices the way they are, I may nix that idea.

Our trip will be 221 miles or about 4 hours. We're going to begin our trip early Monday, May 26th. We'll be driving down to Garden City, MO to meet our friends and we'll have breakfast at a little mom n pop cafe (the name escapes me). Then from there, we'll drive to Branson. We can't check into our cabins until after 3pm so we'll just have to kill some time in Branson. The rest of the trip isn't set in stone yet so I'll have to update that later.

But, back to my fishing pole. By old pal. I've had it since Mother's Day 1999. I also have a super nifty tackle box that I got at the same time. Today, I'll drag them out and dust them off. I need to see what supplies I'll need for my fishing er...family trip.

So here's the purpose of today's post. My fishing pole needs a name. I'm going to leave it up to the readers to give me suggestions and I'll decide which I like the best.

And I promised contests. This is it. It's the first contest. The winner will get a gift card to one of my other places of weakness....Starbucks! The best fishing pole name will get a $15 gift card to Starbucks. Leave your thoughts on my blog. The winner will be decided by myself and Bubba (because I trust his judgement). Contest ends this Monday night at 7pm CST with the winner to be posted Tuesday morning. Oh wait, I work Tuesday, darn it. It'll have to be posted Tuesday afternoon.

Good luck and good naming,
Mommeee

Good luck and good naming.

SPENDING MY MOTHER'S DAY PRESENT...

I used my gift certificate that I got for Mother's Day to have my nails done. I really like having them done. I have tiny nails and they break so easily, no matter what I do.

So last night when I was taking the pictures for the sweet tea recipe, I took pictures of my nails so everyone could see them. Well, what else is there to do while you're waiting for your tea to brew?

Here's my left hand. Don't the nails look nice? I like the French manicure look. Plus is simple to maintain. That's my wedding set. I'm hoping that since it's going to be our 15th anniversary this year, that I get the 3rd band that goes with it. We designed them ourselves. The diamonds and the gold are from an old ring of my dads.

And, on the other hand, here's my other hand (How'd you like that nifty play on words?). If you're wonderfing about my index finger, when I was 18 months old, I stuck it in the spokes of a moving bicycle and it cut it off. They were able to reattach it but I lost the knuckle. Luckily, I was young enough that I don't remember it but boy do I freak out when little kids are around bikes.

The rings on this hand are 2 separate rings. The double diamond band was my mom's 25th wedding anniversary ring. She gave it to me for Christmas the year my dad died. The other ring was given to me for Valentine's Day by dear sweet Daddeee the year we found out I was pregnant with Bubba.

So there's a little piece of me. You've gotten to see my pudgy little fingers. But at least the nails look fabulous!

THE RECIPES HAVE BEGUN!...

When I was trying to decide which of my favorite recipes I would post first, I couldn't decide. Well, I was talking with a friend and she suggested I post my recipe for sweet tea. It's a simple recipe but a well loved one.

It doesn't take anything more than a simple coffee maker, some cheapy tea bags, some sugar, a worn in pitcher and some ice.

This is my coffeemaker. It's nothing fancy. I think I paid $20 for it at Target. I guess it's not the simplest you can get because it does have a timer (a God-send).

I use very cheap tea bags. I buy them in a big box of 100 for about a dollar at Dollar General. My only stipulation is that they're orange pekoe and black tea.

I use 3 "doubles" or 6 bags

Just pop them in the coffee maker where you would normally put the coffee.

Fill your carafe with water and pour it into your coffee maker. Yes, it's that simple.

This is my trusty tea pitcher. I've had it for years. I bleach the stains from it quite often but tea does stain.

Tea pitcher meets sugar storage container. What a lovely couple they make.

I put 2 of these scoops of sugar in the pitcher. It wouldn't be "sweet" tea without it. This is a 1/2 cup measuring cup. I used to have a 1 cup scoop but it's been lost over the years. No doubt it's been taken by Bubba for some unknown task.

Meet my tea spoon. It's not a teaspoon, it's a tea spoon. I've had it longer than I've had my husband. We go way back. We're old homies.

Now we wait. We wait while the tea does it's thing. I can almost smell it brewin'. It's not brewing. It's brewin'. You see, I'm a down-home-country folk. That's just how it is.

Ater the tea is done, pour it into your pitcher with the sugar. Be careful, it's hot (This is my McDonalds disclosure because I don't want someone to sue me because they burned themselves making my sweet tea.) Stir the sugar into the tea. It dissolves better in the hot tea. After the tea and sugar have become one, fill the rest of the pitcher up with cold water. Now we're almost there. You're almost done making an awesome pitcher of sweet tea.

Now get out your favorite glass and fill it completely up with ice. You need lots because this tea is hot. This is my favorite glass. It's my "Ogre Glass". Pour the tea into your glass and get ready to enjoy a nice refreshing glass of sweet tea.

But no glass of sweet tea is complete unless you have someone to share it with. Invite a friend over or call on your favorite gooey little boy. He's always happy to have a glass of tea with Mommeee.

MY MOTHER'S DAY...

...turned out to be wonderful.

I got everyone up and made some breakfast. It consisted of leftover steaks from last night along with leftover potatoes (a recipe I will have to post soon). I also fried up some country eggs I bought at the City Market last week from an Amish farmer. Yes, I know this was a totally unhealthy breakfast but it's Mother's Day so the calories don't count.

After breakfast, we all got dressed and headed out to the Kansas City Zoo. Moms got in free today so we only had to pay for Bubba and Daddeee. Gooey's still young enough that he was free too.

We spent a gorgeous 65 degree day looking at animals and walking. And by walking, I mean walking. We walked for miles and miles and more miles. My feet are aching so badly right now, I took some ibuprofen. I'm not one to take a lot of medication but tonight it was warranted.

We bought tons of souvenirs and really enjoyed our day.

For dinner tonight we went to Big Burger. I know, it wasn't a fancy dinner, but it was an enjoyable one. Gooey and I shared an zebra ice cream cone until he realized that Daddeee's cone was all chocolate so Mommeee's wasn't good enough anymore.

Our evening is ending with baths and laying in my bed watching a movie. It'll be the Cars movie, I'm sure.

All in all, it was a good day.

Oh, I also got a gift certificate for $35 at Glamour Nails. I see a manny and peddy in my near future.

Here's some shots of our day

CHANGES ARE ABREWIN'...

If you've noticed, I've been doing a few changes to my blog this weekend. I had to cave and commit to the new Blogspot. I've spent the last year resisting the change but it became time. I've also added a few other things to the blog that I've always resisted....ads. I didn't want ads cluttering up my blog.

But I had an epiphany.

I could get more people to visit my blog and read about my oh-so-dull life if I offered giveaways. Yes, I'm now willing to buy online friends.

So more changes are to come soon. Giveaways are in the future. Don't expect anything spectacular at first. I'll be starting slow. Recipes are planned too. I have so many because I really love to cook so I've decided to share some coveted recipes.

I hope everyone enjoys the changes I'm making. If you have any ideas or suggestions for me on how to make this more interesting, fun, or whatever, leave me your thoughts. I heart other people's thoughts.

Love,
Mommeee

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY...

Today is Mother's Day. The day when all mom's are supposed to get breakfast in bed, someone else is cleans the house, and mom is to be pampered all day.

Now, in my house, that's usually not at all what it's like. I'll still be the one cleaning the house, I'll be the one cooking breakfast, but I will be pampered today come hell or high water! I'll be spoiled if I have to beat it out of Daddeee.

Now Daddeee's a good guy. He just sucks at planning things. He's a procrastinater. He's their king. It's who he is. I acknowledged that many years ago.

So here I sit not knowing what we're doing today to celebrate my day. I can't share it with you because I just don't know.

So, instead, I'd like for any moms visiting today to share what their doing today. Leave me a comment (I heart comments!) to let me know what you will be or are doing today. Give me (and Daddeee) some ideas!

ANOTHER SHAMELESS CONTEST ENTRY...

5 Minutes for Mom is having another giveaway for Mother's Day. To enter the contest, all you need to do is post a favorite motherhood moment on your blog.

One of my favorite moments was posted a few weeks ago so I'm going to cheat and repost the story. I tried to think of a new one but this one just tickles me pink green!

A few nights ago, Bubba talked us into going to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant called Tortilla Flats. One of the neighborhood teenage girls works there. (Go figure, a girl had something to do with this request.)
We headed out the door, with Gooey sporting his Elmer Fudd hat. Daddeee tried to talk him into leaving it in the car at the restaurant but that was a no go.Bubba's friend is the hostess at the restaurant so she greeted us at the door. She took us over to a booth in the corner and my first thought was "what a crappy place to seat us".We settled into the booth and they served us our drinks along with chips and salsa. My opinion is that you can determine a good Mexican food restaurant by how good their salsa is. Tortilla Flats had very yummy salsa.The waitress came over and we order our meals along with a small bowl of guacamole for me and Gooey. I like guacamole but Gooey hearts guacamole.
When the waitress brought the bowl to the table, Gooey's eyes lit up and he said, in a rather boisterous voice, "GUACA-MONE!!!!" She thought it was hilarious. This only encouraged him. Keep in mind that he's still wearing the Elmer Fudd hat so you can imagine what a funny sight he was.Now, watching Gooey eat guacamole is a sight. He dips his chip into it and eats it off of the chip. He then double-dips it for more guacamole. This repeats until the chip no longer has the ability to hold the guacamole.
In the meantime, the waitress is bringing people over to the table to let them hear the little Elmer Fudd look-a-like say "GUACA-MONE!!"They brought our food and it was really good. I had ordered the Mexican Lasagne and I loved it. And I'm a very picky eater when it comes to Mexican food.
Partially into the meal, I burped. It wasn't a loud, gross burp...just one of those oops burps that slip out when you least expect it. Gooey pipes up from across the table and says "Daddy farted!" One thing I will share with you about Gooey is he is not a quiet child. He has a very booming voice for a mere toddler. We all laughed at Daddeee getting blamed for my bad manners.
So remember me mentioning that I thought Bubba's friend seated us at a crappy table? Well, I'm so thankful that she sat us where she did or it would have been embarassing.The entire meal, from the conversations to the food, was really enjoyable. I love family time and it's even better when we laugh through the whole meal.

Post your own favorite motherhood moment on your blog and chance winning too!

MY BEST PAL...

Ranger is the best dog ever. He never complains. He's always there to listen to my gripes and doesn't try to solve my problems for me like the other males in my life. He's just there to listen and offer me a lick every once in a while.

Today at the grocery store at the checkout, they had "doggy pops". These are peanut butter popsicles for dogs. I got one for Ranger.

We spent the afternoon in the backyard. It took Ranger all of about 2 minutes to finish the peanut butter off of the "popsicle". The stick is actually a chew stick for dogs.

Doesn't he look like he's enjoying it? I think he is.

Now he's coming over to share it with me. No, thanks, Ranger. I think I'll pass. Oh wait, he wasn't going to share. He just wanted me to see how sophisticated he looked with his hanging from his mouth like a cigarette.

Disclaimer: These are camera phone pictures. Normally, my pictures are of a lot better quality but the camera phone was handy and the other camera wasn't. You gotta do what you gotta do.

GOOEY'S DICTIONARY...

Backyard (bak-ahrd) -noun 1. A place to play while Mommeee cooks dinner. 2. A place to play and step in dog poop.

Motorcycle (moh-nor-sikel) -noun 1. Dad's playtoy 2. Gooey's small toys that get left all over the house.

Dinosaur (di-n0-so) -noun 1. The name Gooey calls every stranger he meets.

Blanket and Pacifier (gang-kee-plug) -noun 1. The 2 items Gooey will not sleep without. 2. The 2 necessary items when Gooey's feeling stressed out.

Disney/Pixars Cars (car-moooooovie) -noun 1. The only movie Gooey ever wants to watch. 2. The movie I've seen over 10 times this week.

Capri Sun (joooooose-bag) -noun 1. The only type of juice Gooey will drink.

to be continued...