Free Child Labor...

...Makes a Mama's Day!

Per Judy's Request...

...and for all the little ones (and little ones at heart) to enjoy:



ALWAYS BE KIND TO ANIMALS
Always be kind to animals
Morning, noon and night.
For animals have feelings, too,
And furthermore they bite!
~John Gardner



THE BARRACUDA
Slowly, slowly he cruises,
And slowly, slowly he chooses
Which kind of fish he prefers to take this morning;
Then without warning
The Barracuda opens his jaws, teeth flashing,
And with a horrible, horrible grinding and gnashing,
Devours a hundred poor creatures and feels no remorse.
It's no wonder of course,
That he really ought perhaps, to change his ways.
"But" (as he says
With an evil grin)
"It's actually not my fault, you see!
I've nothing to do with the tragedy,
I open my mouth for a yawn and -ah me-
They all
Swim
In."
~ John Gardner


THE OCTOPUS
Marvel at the
Awful many-armed
Sea-god Octopus,
And the coiled
Elbows of his eager
Eightfold embrace;

Yet also at his
Tapered tender
Fingertips, ferrying
Their great brow
Along the sea floor
In solitary grace.
~Valerie Worth

Happy Birthday, Amy!

Today was Amy's 40th Birthday! She doesn't like to be the center of attention. So we didn't give her a surprise party; and we'll keep the portion of this post about her in particular low-key.

Part I
Amy is the BEST because she has not an ounce of malice in her body! She is Kind, Loving, GENEROUS, Funny, & Smart! She is a Friend to Everyone - no one is a Stranger to her.

She is a very Loving Mother to her children Eric, 12 and Emily, 10 (in just a couple weeks). I believe we could summarize her parenting philosophy in two words: "LET'S PLAY!". She loves to have a good time making memories with her kids.

Amy has Perfect Naturally Wavy Blonde hair, and Naturally Perfectly Shaped Eyebrows! Rude - I know! She has the Prettiest Eyes, too. I love her dainty, tiny hands. And I love to HUG her!

Amy served in the Vina del Mar, Chile Mission. She now teaches Spanish at San Gorgonio High School. She is also the Polynesian Cultural Advisor. She Loves People of All Races and Cultures. They all Love her! And I Love You Amy!

Grandma with the Birthday Girl

Contemplating her Birthday Wish

She is a very Delicate Candle Blower-Outer

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMY!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

Part II
For our family, though, the fun started a few hours earlier! Mom asked me to bring the cake. So I made the cake and was trying to decide how to decorate it. Well, Bethany REALLY wanted to decorate the cake. So, I got a box of white fondant and a box of different colored fondant for her to use and she went right to work.

Step 1 - Roll out the Fondant


Step 2 - Assess the Condition of the Buttercream


Step 3 - Place the Fondant


Step 4 - Recruit some Pumped Up Assistants


Step 5 - Use Little Brother to Hold Decorations in Place


Ta Da! The Final Product! Amy Enjoyed and Appreciated the Cake!


Look! She even Cleans Up!

"Tis the Season...

...For Snakes!!!!

Our neighbors were going for a walk. As they were passing our house, they watched this huge rattlesnake slither across the street and onto our grass. They came to our door to tell us it was there. But, there was no need for worry because guess who lives in my house?

You got it! Bart and Cameron the Snake Whisperers!


With shovel and PVC pipe in hand, they whispered ever so quietly, "Go to Snake Heaven you big snake you!" Off went the head and the rattle (a favorite keepsake of almost 10 yr old boys).



Bartman laid the body in front of our trash cans and guess what? We had no critters dump our trash bins over last night!

Who knew a rattlesnake would do us some good?

Give Me Some-A-Lovin'

Cutie Patooti Ashley

Barbie's "IT"!

Barbie is my Blog Guest today and here are her answers to the TAG ~

I Get to Answer These Questions With One Word ~

Where is your cell phone? Purse

Your significant other? Looking

Your hair? Growing

Your mother? Brave

Your father? Hero

Your favorite thing? Grandchildren

Your dream last night? Crazy

Your favorite drink? CremeSoda

Your dream/goal? Retirement

The room you are in? Loud

Your children? Life

Your fear? Alone

Where you want to be in 6 years? Retired

Where were you last night? Asleep

Muffins? Sometimes

One of your Wish List items? Wealth

Where'd you grow up? BellGardens

What'd you read last? BookMormon

What are you wearing? CamBoot

Your TV? Home

Your pet? None

Your computer? Work

Your life? Family

Your mood? Peaceful

Missing someone? Always

Your car? Cluttered

Something you are not wearing? Coat

Favorite store? Target

Your summer? Hot

Like someone? Everyone

Your favorite color? Blue

Last time you laughed? Morning

Last time you cried? Yesterday

Barbie tags: Cari Greenwood, Lana Melton, and Bethany Child!

Cari and Lana, if you want to send me your answers, I will post them for you, too!

Thanks for playing Barbie! And by the way everyone, Barbie said I was her Favorite!

I'm So Excited - I've Been Tagged - By Jodi!

I Get to Answer Each of These Questions With One Word

Where is your cell phone? Charging

Your significant other? Handsome

Your hair? Help!

Your mother? Friendly

Your father? Shmart

Your favorite thing? Chix

Your dream last night? Scary

Your favorite drink? H2O

Your dream/goal? PhD

The room you are in? Orange

Your children? Great

Your fear? Loss

Where do you want to be in 6 years? Graduated

Where were you last night? Home

What you're not? Male

Muffins? Please

One of your Wish List items? World Peace

Where'd you grow up? Everywhere

What'd you read last? "A Life of Picasso"

What are you wearing? Black

Your TV? Off

Your pet? Many

Your computer? Life

Your life? Computer

Your mood? Jolly

Missing someone? Always

Your car? Expensive

Something you're not wearing? Shoes

Favorite store? None

Your summer? Here

Like someone? Shhhh!

Your favorite color? Blue

Last time you laughed? Everyday

Last time you cried? Everyday

I Tag Mark Pederson, Aunt Barbie, Janet Nordine & LaRae Wallace!