5QF

1. What giveaway would you like to do on your blog?


I'd like to give away something useful and purposeful.  An ipad?  A camera?  A mixer?  Hmmmm, this sounds a lot like another blogger I know.  :)

2. If you had to choose between natural artistic ability and natural athletic ability, which would it be?

Both.  :)  It's hard to choose, because I'm more artistic than athletic, but not totally great at either.  I'd love to be naturally athletic, because I'd love for activity and sports to come easily and naturally to me.  But I do NOT want to have that whole competitive-streak thing that comes with a lot of natural sports peeps.  So, if I could choose athleticism (without competitiveness), that's what I'd do.


3. Do you ditch the coat the minute it becomes "spring" or are you a holdout for more cool temps?

I wear a coat until I start sweating.  Then I ditch it.  If that's when the temps hit 70's...or when they hit 55....I just go with what feels right for me. 

4. What would you do if you won the mega millions lotto of 1/2 billion dollars?

We'd give most of the money to charities.  But, we'd finish the house.  I'd quit my job in favor of spending more time with the boys and doing some charity work, but D would still work (it's in his blood).  We'd possibly take a nice long vacation, though.

5. You are at a hotel by yourself...what do you do?

Sleep.  Veg out.  Sleep.  Watch chick flicks.  Sleep. 

In terms of search....

Blogger has a new cute little "stats" button on the dashboard.  I can see who is reading my blog.  From which country, which site they're coming from, what they're reading it on, etc.


So, hello to Japan, France, Canada, Slovenia, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom, India, and Malaysia!


I can also see what kind of search brings people to this blog.  Some of them made me laugh....I thought I'd share:

1.  elmo fuzzy chair.  No doubt in reference to this post.  ((shudder)).  On a separate note:  there was a bat in the Love Shack yesterday.  C. went over there in search of an empty box to create a "project", and noticed some stuff in it.  He flipped it upside down to dump everything out, and out drops a hissing bat.  Scared my little guy half to death.  Thank goodness he didn't touch it.

2.  herbalife pamphlets.  I'm not sure why this brought up my blog, but I do take Herbalife supplements, drink the isolated soy protein shakes, and I do talk about it.  However, I'm not handing out pamphlets.  Hmmmm.

3.  Disney on Ice finding Nemo.  Probably in reference to this post.  That was a special day for the boys!  They loved it!  If you're searching for Finding Nemo on Ice, I strongly recommend going.

4.  Boy holey sock school.  I'm not sure where the search engine brought them.  However, we have a plethora of holey socks in the house.  And they're just waiting to be matched up with their partners and put away.  Anyone want to come over and help?

4.  Carpentersdust.blogspot.com.  If you searched this, then I love you.  I am totally humbled that someone went in search of my personal blog.  Thank you for reading. 

5.  Family closet.  I'm sure that this person went in search of the whole family organization keep-everyone's-clothes-in-one-closet kind of idea.  And instead saw Love Shack demo.  :)  Sorry, searcher.

6.  Hedgie Jan Brett.  Get the book.  It's one of our favorites.  I love Jan Brett's children's books.  So do the boys.

7.  Inside of a cave from the bottom.  Perhaps they landed on our vacation pics from last year?  That was a FANTASTIC vacation!  Heck, it was a fantastic summer.  Lots of memories were made.

8.  Malavastop.  Also known in our house as the "shiny stuff" that we put on C's thumb to discourage him from sucking it.  It's inexpensive, and effective.  Warning:  don't get that stuff on your own fingers!  It's really does taste nasty.

9.  One dollar craft.  Hmmmm, I can't really think what specific post it would bring you to, but I am thrifty....and I am crafty....so there's probably a post in there somewhere.

10.  Zero the hero.  Ha!  Another "psych, this isn't what you think it is" post.  These searchers are more than likely educators in search of a zero the hero day activity, and they got a summary of A's 6th birthday party.  Oops....sorry guys.  Perhaps you'd also like some pointers for hosting a birthday party in the dead of winter for under $100?  If so, read on.  :)

Panera Bread, eat your heart out....

I've been gluten free for over 2 1/2 years now.

At first it was a horrible challenge.

I was resentful to everyone who could eat it.

To those that that thought I was doing this as a fad.

Then I learned to ignore the nay-sayers,

And love the supporters,

And...well, just embrace my new life with food.

It's been a blessing.

And I've been able to help quite a few people with support.

And pointers.

And encouragement.

And recipes.

So, I'm glad to be able to give back.

There's a gfree bakery in town.

I stopped there to pick up some pizza crust one Friday,

And saw some foccacia bread.

Then I remembered how much I miss sandwiches.

Particularly ones from Panera Bread.

Paired with a strawberry salad.

Mmmmm.

So, I grabbed the bread.

And on Sunday after church, I indulged myself a sandwich for lunch.

Complete with garlic aioli dressing left over from sweet potato fries.

At first, D couldn't wrap his brain over why I would want to take a picture of a sandwich....

...then he asked "When's the last time you had a sandwich?"

To which I replied, "One that I enjoyed as much as I'm about to enjoy this?"

Answer:  Over 2 1/2 years ago.

Mmmmm, sandwich.

Dear....so and so

1.  Dear Michigan, I want to warm weather back.  Sincerely, freezy- McFreezerton.

2.  Dear budding flowers, hang in there.  Sincerely, sneezy McSneezerton.

3.  Dear Pioneer Woman.  I love you.  There are two reasons for this:  1) you appreciate John Hughes films, and 2)  You appreciate Tom Hanks.  Sincerely, 80's girl.

4.  Dear boys, Stop growing up.  Please?  You're breaking my heart.  Love you, Mom.

5.  Dear mom and dad, Thank you for offering to be the "vacation spot" for the boys during spring break next week.  My work load will sincerely appreciate it!  Sincerely, your loving daughter.

6.  Dear jeans, Thank you for being loose today.  Sincerely, thunder thighs.

7.  Dear husband, Thank you.  Just thank you.  For everything.  And everything in-between.  Love you tons, Me.

8.  Dear President, Stop screwing up the country.  Sincerely, Don't tread on me.

9.  Dear Tigers, OPENING DAY soon!  We're world series bound, right?!?!  RIGHT?!?!?  Sincerely, fan.

10.  Dear Friends, Thank you for your support, prayers, and love.  Sincerely, your friend.

This past weekend....

• I was asleep by 9 pm on Friday night.  It was cold and dreary.  I was tired.  So, I crashed on the couch until D. woke me up.  Then, I went to bed for real.  :)

• I found the most ADORABLE outfit for a friend of mine whose sister-in-law is getting married.  For $2.  At my MOPS consignment sale.  It made me so sad that C. is out of 3T.  I loved it.

• I chilled out at my parent's house with my boys and my puppy.  It was great fun.  The boys played alot, and Ally ran alot.  I ate a peanut butter & jelly sandwich on gf foccocia bread.  It was splendid.

• I had my first lumpia lesson.  The sister of my neighbor is home until May to help settle their mother's estate.  She invited me over for some lumpia making.  Ohhhh, how I love lumpia.  Ohhhh, how I love my neighbors.  :)

• We went out for my brother-in-law's birthday on Saturday night.  The boys sat for 1 1/2 hours (without food!) waiting for dinner to arrive.  Apparently, there were more than 30 of us there, so they held our order (that I placed early so my boys could eat and get home at a timely hour) until everyone else had ordered.  Sigh.  They were SO well behaved....and didn't eat until 30 minutes AFTER their bedtime.  It was a proud moment for me.

• I learned I'm going to be an aunt again!  My brother-in-law's wife is expecting a baby toward the end of September.  I'm VERY excited for them!

• I went to church.  The sanctuary was so overheated that I actually got sick to my stomach.  Or...that could have been a repercussion from the lumpia.  (I'll never officially blame it on the lumpia, though!)

• I went to small group.  It was a great study, and it was great to see them all again.  The kids played great all together outside, and we really enjoyed each other's company.  I love them.

• I texted with awesome friends.  I love them.

5QF

1. If you were free to just hop in the car and drive, where would you go? Or, if you could hop a plane and go anywhere, where?


If I were to just hop in the car, I'd probably drive to Chicago.  There's a lot to do and see there, and I can safely say I've never spent a lot of time in the city exploring.  I'm usually just driving through.  It's not a terribly long drive, but far enough away to feel like a "get-away."

If I were taking a plane, I'd probably head to Europe.  Some of my best memories are from that trip, and I'd love to create more!

2. What's your most recently read favorite book?

I've read lots of books, and I have lots of favorites!  Probably the one that sticks out the best is "The Help".  I loved the book, and enjoyed the movie.  So glad they didn't ruin the book with the movie (hello, My Sister's Keeper!!!)

3. What's your favorite Spring Break memory?

I really don't recall a "spring break" memory.  I remember going to Florida with my family in spring...was it on break?  I'm not sure.  But, that was a great trip too.

4. What do you put in your child's Easter basket? Or, for those w/o kids, what was put in your childhood basket?

We keep the whole "Easter Bunny/ Easter Basket" thingy to a minimum in our house.  One year, we gifted A a basketball hoop for Easter, but we wanted to get one for him anyway...and just used it as an excuse.

Usually a chocolate bunny, a few jelly beans and one (smallish) gift.


5. Do you get a summer haircut?

No.  The boys do, I don't.  My "summer hair" consists of a french braid.  It's up, out of my face, and still looks cute.


Happy Weekend!

Catching up (with pictures, this time)

I spent some time over this past week reconnecting with friends. 


Chit chatting, catching up....

It's healing balm.

I so love my friends.

But I have some blogging catch-up to play with you, my bloggy friends.

So...here's my first installment:

Junior Basketball

This year it was a family affair.

D. coached A's team.

And (by an awesome fluke) C was allowed to play with the kindergartners!

They had one extra spot on a team, and I thought I wasn't going to be around on a specific Friday night.

I was brainstorming with some moms after school about having a youth watch C.

at basketball when the head of it said, "Just put him on the team...we have an extra t-shirt and everything."

Oh, how he loved being one of the "big kids!"

When I surprised him with the t-shirt, he puffed out his chest and had a smile on his face that said,

"I.have.arrived."

It was the cutest moment.

So...here's some pics:

This first pic has nothing at all to do with the hottie coach who is bent over.

It has everything to do with the fact that I feel the need to remind you

that stretching is imperative before running.

It's a public service, really.

Yes, you're welcome.

Ladies, if you totally want to swoon at your husband,

encourage him to coach kids basketball.

Seriously....it's adorable.

And cute...

and I totally swoon.

a few action pics:

A going for the shot

C "dribbling" the ball.

Team shots

C looks so itty bitty here :)

The kid to the right of A. is the tallest kid in 3rd grade.

(reminder: A is in 2nd.  Tall boy.)

Brother shot!



A few busy Friday nights in the winter

translate into great family memories

for years to come.