She’s an old soul, Adele.
She writes emotionally honest music and when I need to get lost in something, I get lost in her voice.
This is the song I sing in the shower, much to my dog’s door-scratching protests.
This is what I find sitting on my kitchen counter. It was covered in plastic wrap.
So thoughtful of the generous little forker.
It took me a while to catch on to this scheme, but my children will do this: leave a sliver of dessert after consuming the majority of it.
I used to think it was guilt.
I used to think it was because they were lazy and didn’t want to wash the dishes.
But I’m beginning to wonder if it isn’t a clever way to avoid lying to their parents.
“Oh, C’MON YOU GUYS? Dan?? Did you eat this whole pie?”
Dan could look me straight in the eyes and (in his Pumpkin Pie spiced breath) honestly say, ”Nope.”
Omg. Who am I trying to kid?
My kids aren’t that clever.
Last week my firstborn child, Kaitlyn, was married in an intimate ceremony officiated by my sister.
This milestone in our family’s life reminded me how amazing my children are, how close my family is and how incredibly lucky we are to welcome Kait’s husband, Chris, to our wolfpack.
We are a family of jokesters.
June 23, 2011 - 9:18 pm - I love your family.
October 26, 2011 - 11:22 am - Ok, so the look has changed... but the words are still the same? When does the blogger once known as Jennine re-appear here?
My BFF Stacy brought me a candle several weeks ago and while I’ve always been a fan of Yankee Candles, this candle far exceeds anything Yankee makes.
The box said 60 hour burn time and guess what! These soy candles by Therepe burn LONGER than the box states!
I’ve got a new favorite thing.
Not only is the scent incredible and long-lasting. You can buy the candles at Amazon.com for $4.10 a piece! I’m stuck on the Lavender scent but Stacy swears that the Chai is best.
Because the candles ship directly from Candle Bay, it takes a while for the delivery, longer than Amazon’s standard shipping, but it was well worth the wait.
I honestly thought that by the time my kids were in school, bedtimes would become easier.
Boy was I wrong.
It’s a real challenge for my teenagers to simply go to bed.
I gain more information from my teens in the five minutes before their school night bedtimes than any other time of the day.
BOYS WHO WANT TO TALK? AWESOME!
But not at midnight, dude.
And I don’t need the wobbly chair leg fixed at 11 pm, either, thankyouverymuch.
Just go to bed for Pete’s sake.
Last night Dan (16 years old) was doing everything he could to procrastinate. He started telling jokes because if there’s one way to make mom forget what she was doing, make her laugh. Show her a video of a baby laughing on Youtube and she forgets all of her responsibilities and then you’re the WINNER.
“What is it, Dan? Seriously. Do you need me to count to three like when you were a toddler?”
He just laughed.
ONE!
TWO!
I’m panicking on the inside at this point because if I said THREE and he didn’t make a mad dash towards his room… well, that’s called PARENTING FAIL and it was way too late in the evening for me to be all clever and stuff. I guess I was banking on the idea that his body would innately remember the timeout corner and his feet would take off before his brain engaged.
TWO AND A HALF!
Can I just win once?
THHHR….
I didn’t get the full word out before Dan said, “No hablo Ingles! No hablo Ingles!”
It made me burst out laughing and I forgot all my responsibilities.
Dan- uno/mamá- cero
I saw this type of wreath on the Internet… somewhere… and decided to make my own.
All you need is a 12 inch styrofoam wreath, plastic Easter eggs, pastel yarn and a hot glue gun.
Oh and time. It took a bit of time.
Oh, and bandaids for the hot glue burns.
It should be illegal for clumsy folks to own hot glue guns.
I’m definitely an Elmer’s Glue type girl.
When it comes to food in this home, my family is very easy to please.
I have no picky eaters.
My kids are grateful for almost anything I put in front of them at dinner time.
And dessert? Making a dessert is like giving them the moon which is exactly why I love baking for my family. They are just so stinking appreciative! I receive thank yous, hugs, “you’re the best”, etc…
They’re all a bunch of sweet talkers.
Last night I baked vanilla cupcakes, like I’ve done a hundred times before. Only this time, I added a miniature Reeses Peanut Butter Cup to the batter.
I used more cake batter to cover the candies and just baked them according to the box.
Add some chocolate frosting and OMG, I’m suddenly a rock star in this house.
The are over-the-top good with very little effort.
Next time I’m trying Mounds Bars. Or Snickers bars. Or Hershey Kisses. Or chocolate-covered cherries.
Maybe even a Swedish Fish.
(For you, Miss Elly)
March 21, 2011 - 11:18 am - So unfair. You had to make these after i left? Kindly freeze one for me ;)
March 21, 2011 - 2:55 pm - Hahaha Kait! Uh. No. :P
March 22, 2011 - 12:50 pm - Umm, hello my name is Michele and I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS!!!!! Put them in a cupcake!!!! Even better! I hope you saved one for me (and Kait)?
October 29, 2011 - 11:49 am - OMG!!!! I would have never thought of that!!!!!
Elly has wanted a cell phone for a very long time.
I’m thinking… no. Twelve year olds don’t NEED a cell phone. Heck, I waited until I was in my 30′s!
But I did get her a mobile phone which she and Miss Emma tested during Emma’s visit last week.
Elly made a good point.
It’s SUPER HARD to send text messages with my alternative.
March 31, 2011 - 8:58 am - I love this picture....
I LOVE this child!
March 17, 2011 - 9:05 am - She LOVES your family!
Poor Elly.
I found out that her brother, Logan, the kid who is ALWAYS looking to make a buck, swindled Elly out of $2 this weekend. Apparently he charged her for using his television… a television that belongs to me which I let Logan use FOR FREE!
The stinker needed to be taught a lesson.
Being a big “The Office” fan, Elly wanted to copy the idea of putting one of Logan’s belongings in Jello. It was a brilliant idea because Logan is extremely possessive of his possessions and the thought of someone handling, er…defiling, his belongings would be adequate punishment in Elly’s eyes.
We chose his manly aftershave which Logan guards with his life.
Thankfully I happened to have a few packets of unflavored gelatin since we needed some extra firmness to pull off our brilliant prank.
We added a couple packages of peach-flavored Jello and just enough water to cover the bottle.
We giggled.
Actually, it was more like a cackle.
We cackled.
Then we waited for it to harden in the fridge.
And here’s the part where I fail EVERY TIME I TRY TO PULL OFF A PRANK.
After three hours, I couldn’t wait any longer. I should have waited six hours but those three extra hours would have killed me.
My mold wasn’t set properly and fell apart when I flipped it over.
Dammit!
But we still got him:
Elly got her sticky, sweet revenge!
Amen.
March 14, 2011 - 7:31 pm - That's funny! Your boys are such boys.......after the shock-food! Let's eat it!
March 14, 2011 - 7:46 pm - I know, Michele! They will eat ANYTHING! But I think Logan might think twice before charging Elly to watch "his" tv! I hope!
March 24, 2011 - 7:58 am - That is so hilarious! OMG - I was crying here at work, and my cube mate came over and I had her crying.
Elly came home from school with this bottle of water. She explained that she had to create a personal label for her water bottle.
She chose “Yellow Springs” as her label.
Mmmm, yellow water.
I like to be liked, especially by my own children. I want my kids to think I’m amazing because mostly, I am!
Yes, I sometimes let too much time pass between the boys’ haircuts and I refuse to buy Hollister clothes at retail price and no way in hell am I letting anyone have their girlfriend sleep over. Come to think of it, I don’t let my kids swear at me or slam doors or leave the house without knowing where they will be.
But I’m here every day they get home from school, usually with some fresh-baked treat for them and a cheerful, “How was your day?” I allow Axe body spray in my home and I don’t complain every time I have to wipe drops of pee off the toilet seat.
You know what else I do?
I comfort my sons’ girlfriends when the girls text me at 2 a.m demanding to know “WHY DID HE BREAK UP WITH ME?”
No baby book prepares a woman for that whole thing.
While I’m on the subject….
MANY, not all, but MANY teenage girls these days are psycho, stalker bitches who have no boundaries and no understanding of respect for themselves or others. Get this – one of my sons was dating a girl who told him that she had a terminal illness. My son was devastated. It kept him up at night with worry and despair. It got SO BAD that I decided to call this girl’s mother to see what we could do to help her afford the heart transplant. The mom was like “Huh? She’s totally healthy!”
Ouch, ouch, ouch.
I grieved with my kiddo over that one. Sometimes it just plain sucks to be a trusting, genuine, good-hearted human being.
Okay. What was my point?
I guess my point is that my kids know that I’m really, really there for them. Do they appreciate that fact? Not so much considering the faces they make when I ask them to take out the trash! Sometimes love means giving even when it’s not appreciated. I need to accept the fact that no normal teenager thinks their mom is amazing. Nature doesn’t seem to allow it.
Except… I still have a 10-year old son who goes to great lengths to show me how much he loves me. I get love notes from Nathanael. He uses “ILOVEMOM” for his computer password. He makes a game of hugging me every hour from the time he gets home from school until he goes to bed.
Last night he was using Kait’s cell phone to send me text messages since the rest of the family was watching a movie neither of us cared to see.
“I love u”, he wrote.
I wrote back: “I love you to infinity and beyond and back, a million times.”
“I love you more than anyone else in the whole world”, he replied.
And I think he means it.
For now, at least in one of my children’s eyes, I’m pretty amazing. For now, maybe even another year or two, I have a kid who doesn’t think I’m too stupid, too strict, too old, too old-fashioned, too demanding, irritating and uncool.
By the time Nathanael realizes I am all of those things, hopefully I’ll have Grand-babies to impress with my awesomeness.
This parenting thing is not for the faint of heart.
March 12, 2011 - 10:06 pm - You just gotta love those last born kids don't ya? I'll never be able to discipline Logan...he's got me wrapped around his little finger. This post makes me love Nathanael even more than I already did. You are SUPERWOMAN!
March 14, 2011 - 8:03 pm - You're never chopped liver...you're prime rib babe... :)xx
How adorable is this lamp?
One of my favorite DIY decorating blogs, Tatortops and Jello, has a tutorial on how to make this lampshade. It’s BRILLIANT!
There is also a guest post on how to use brown paper in a flooring technique. This is something I might have tried if we had not discovered hardwood steps under our carpet. Many new homes have particle board on stairs rather than the more expensive wood. This is an affordable way to have a unique look.
The creativity of some people just… floors me.
Like this idea!
I love the Internet.
My friend, Stacy, LOVES the thrift store. She has an uncanny ability to find really cute outfits, probably because she enjoys looking through miles of racks of clothing. Or she’ll enter the store with the intention of finding a size nine, strappy sandal in the “perfect” shade of blush – and she’ll find them!
Stacy
She’s a Thrift Store Queen and proud of it. She flaunts it and rubs my nose in it because she’s just mean that way.
Me? I’d LOVE to be a Thrift Store Queen but there are several obstacles I can’t seem to overcome.
First and foremost… the Thrift Store Smell nauseates me. It’s the smell of a thousand stagnant closets. People don’t wash their clothing before dropping it off at the Thrift Store. They grab unwanted clothing from under their beds, stuff it into garbage bags and drop it off where hard-working Thrift Store workers shake out the clothes and hang them on cheap hangers.
I’m not a germaphobe but I don’t care to run my fingers over 20 year-old corduroy slacks either. Don’t even get me started on the undergarment section. IT OUGHT TO BE ILLEGAL. I once witnessed a young woman rifle through a bin full of pre-owned panties and it made me physically gag. I had to leave the store with my hand covering my mouth.
Yes, I know I’m a freak. No need to remind me. I have a husband for that.
Since I have a large family, there are times when good sense prevails and I’ll force myself to hunt for a nice, used winter coat or a pair of jeans for my growing boys. My solution is painful:
Vicks Vapo Rub…right up the nose.
It burns, sure, but at least I’m not smelling the aroma of Great-Uncle Leroy’s sock drawer.
Another obstacle I cannot seem to overcome is my lack of talent in finding an amazing deal. I’m tired of hearing Internet stories of women who find the lost Dead Sea Scrolls hidden behind the velvet Dogs Playing Poker picture in the “art” section of the Thrift Store. Or a Fabergé egg in a box of Tupperware lids.
Whatever.
I can immediately spot (and want) the most expensive fabric at JoAnn Fabrics. We all have our own individual talents.
Considering my disdain for Stores of Thrift, I recently had a small success that I want to share.
Elly has been in need of a dresser in her bedroom and I really wanted to find something vintage/princess-y for her versus modern and contemporary. It’s not exactly auction season here in Minnesota so I was forced to snort some Vicks and pay a visit to Smells R Us.
Imagine my shock when I found this:
Thirty-five bucks, baby!
I found my Fabergé egg!
I primed my Fabergé egg:
I painted the trim of my Fabergé egg:
And I overcame a Thrift Store obstacle!
But there is one problem.
Though my family denies it (mostly to shut me up), my Fabergé egg smells like someone’s Great-Aunt Stella.
I’m convinced that “vintage” is Latin for “unusual aroma”.
Now that I’ve fixed the outside, does anyone have any great ideas to freshen up the inside? I seriously need this experience to have a happy ending.
March 11, 2011 - 8:11 am - Coffee! It cures everything, or that's what people say who can gag the vile stuff down...However, coffee grounds loose (vacuum up later),put the grounds in thin socks or go buy some of Grandma Edna's old pantyhose at said above Thrift Store, fill and rest in drawers! It'll soon smell like Starbucks! You're welcome and I think TS's smell like heave...FINE!
March 11, 2011 - 10:35 am - Love it! I'm like totally you're biggest fan! I grew up shopping in thrift stores, don't be afraid... :)
March 16, 2011 - 8:24 am - wow i love it!!! here's to many more thrifty days :)
I asked him to rip up the carpet on the steps, just to see what was beneath it. After this whole fiasco, I wouldn’t have blamed him for saying no, but Darren agreed to take a peek.
Ha! Just as I suspected, there was beautiful hardwood steps being covered up by cheap carpet! Oh how I love wooden steps!
Unfortunately there were a bajillion staples in the way of what we had and what we wanted.
It took four boys about two hours to yank out the decades worth of unyielding carpet staples. And then came the putty to fill the holes, and then the sanding.
Did you know that sanding 30 year old steps leaves an orange-ish dust over every surface in the house?
Darren worked hard on this project. I worked hard cleaning up after him.
And finally we have the staircase of my dreams.
I should sit on them and read poetry.
I’m in love.
March 11, 2011 - 7:19 pm - Oh my goodness - they look beautiful!
The snow is melting off our roof today. Its constant dripping reminds me that there is hope for spring after all. Any temperature above 40 degrees and I’m FILLED with hope.
Bring the mosquitoes, Minnesota! Bring the lawn that needs to be mowed and the hummingbird feeders that must be constantly filled. You can even bring the thunderstorms. I DON’T MIND.
Mostly I need color. And songbirds. And picnics at the lake shore. And tank tops and sunscreen. And a breeze blowing through my home.
I want to walk on hot pavement and have my kids beg to go to the pool. I want it to be too hot to cook, hot enough to have beads of condensation form on my can of Diet Coke.
I want to watch flowers bloom and switch to the June picture of my Justin Beiber calendar.
Just kidding.
The July picture is WAY better than June.
March 10, 2011 - 2:39 pm - Amen! Bring on the heat! I'm more than ready.......
March 10, 2011 - 2:45 pm - Hasn't it been the never ending winter??
They are both in college. They both act like they’re two years old when they get together.
I love it.
Community is a powerful thing. If something devastating happens in one’s community, everyone is touched to some degree. Just watch the news after a tornado rips through a small town. Folks band together in tough times. On the other hand, when a member of a community enjoys success, everyone is again touched to some degree.
I was fortunate enough to witness folks banding together in celebration of our very own hometown hero, Brett Rickaby.
Maybe you’ve seen his face on television shows like NCIS, ER, CSI, Cold Case, Monk, or Without a Trace. Brett has spent a good deal of time perfecting the art of acting in supporting roles. We all know that Hollywood is a brutal, fickle place to try to make a living. No budding actor wants to play second fiddle. No one moves to LA hoping to make a living doing guest appearances, but Brett’s hard work and solid performances on the small screen eventually caught the attention of filmmakers. It only makes sense that an opportunity arose for him to take the lead, to carry the weight of being the STAR of a thrilling film called “Bereavement” which opened in select theaters March 4.
Darren and I just happened to be in a “select theater” on opening night and it just so happens that Brett chose to attend the premier in his home state. I think it’s safe to say that not many people are lucky enough to watch a movie with the STAR of the movie sitting in the row behind them!
Especially when the STAR is playing the role of a vicious killer.
That’s right. Bereavement is a horror film.
This sweet, humorous, warm, genuine family guy plays villains for a living. AND OH.MY.GOD. is he good at it!
Bereavement is no ordinary horror film. It is also a psychological thriller with twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting nor prepared for. My heart pounded. My hands sweat. A few times I closed my eyes to avoid the graphic scenes but the hardest part, for me, was seeing Brett’s character in emotional despair. I don’t EVER want to see my friend experience those emotions, even the pretend kind.
Ugh.
But I empathized with the killer. A part of me understood the character which means that Brett nailed his role. He found a way to bridge the gap between a 40 year-old, stay-at-home mother and a gruesome serial killer. NOT an easy task.
As the credits rolled, Brett hosted a little Q&A for the theater filled with former classmates, neighbors and friends. It felt very Norman Rockwell to me, like we had all just rode a scary amusement park ride and then stopped by Grandma’s house for pie.
I expect that very soon Brett Rickaby’s name will be well-known by the masses. I expect that he will graciously continue to encourage and inspire all those working with him. I expect that he will remain a small-town guy with a big heart no matter where he calls home and I expect that we will be at every one of his opening nights.
Our community is proud of you, Brett! Proud that you held fast to your dreams and that you are finally receiving the accolades you deserve.
So last you heard from me, we were considering a kitchen makeover due to my dark wood allergy.
When we purchased this house, the kitchen looked like this:
Oh Holy Darkness!
After we moved in, it looked like this:
After
MANY weeks later, we arrived at this:
It’s ALMOST finished!
We used this on the island and built-in desk countertops. The wall color is Camouflage by Benjamin Moore.
I think we went through four gallons of primer and three of a semi-gloss linen white paint to cover the dark oak and since the entire house has dark oak wainscot, we will certainly be purchasing more. Right, Darren?
RIGHT?
A great big thanks to my guys for all their hard work! I LOVE the new look!
March 7, 2011 - 8:42 pm - What the? A post, from my fave blogger. 'Bout time, I say! Welcome back, JJ. I'm still reading--well, mostly just lurking until I landed on the new post tonight!
March 7, 2011 - 9:03 pm - Chubbs! How the heck are ya??
March 8, 2011 - 10:21 am - LOVE IT! Can't wait to inspect it today after Emma has been there to get fingerprints all over it. :)
March 9, 2011 - 8:53 pm - I'd be great if it wasn't for more snow! Come on spring, show yourself. I hope this post is the first of many more, not just a guest appearance.
Minnesota winters can be brutal and no one knows this better than the song birds. At least they are wise enough to head south for the season. The rest of us, or at least the warm-blooded humans, tend to shiver with envy.
I’m Jennine. I used to blog back when I had stuff to say, back when my creative juices were flowing and I needed an outlet. Then the Universe took me by the shoulders, gave me a good hard shake and demanded that my creative energy be spent on things like recovering from a brutal surgery, a move to a new house, the passing of my Grandfather, the Holidays and a few other things I don’t care to mention. My beloved blog became covered in dust and cobwebs while I went in to survival mode and for anyone who gives a rat’s behind, I’m sorry to have left you hanging without explanation.
Right before Christmas I had to give up my sweet, handsome, loyal McGee. Growing up with plenty of land to explore made it difficult for McGee to stay content in the confines small yard in a city neighborhood. He used his James Earl Jones bark to make his displeasure known each time he was put on a leash outdoors so we made the hard decision to give him to a family who lives in a McGee-friendly environment: lots of land, lots of love and leash-free living.
No one puts McGee in a corner.
On a happier note, or at least one that doesn’t make me burst into tears, we’re all settled in to the new house and it’s beginning to feel more like home. We learned that our house was moved from near the golf course, over the freeway and into this neighborhood which the locals refer to as “Hollywood”. The high school principal lives across the street and there is a younger family just down the road, but aside from us, everyone else is childless or retired. Everyone has pristine yards, elaborate holiday decorations and expensive homes. (We SO don’t belong here.) What will everyone say if my kids use sidewalk chalk to write “the high school principal SUCKS” on the driveway this summer? Who will call Social Services first when my kids spend all summer in their bare feet because that’s what we did living out in the country? And how on earth will I ever raise my voice to my children without folks peering out their windows to observe the commotion?
This whole neighborhood thing is a big change for us. It’s like buying a new underwire bra… it takes some getting used to, feels a bit uncomfortable at first, but eventually we won’t even notice it.
Unlike dark wood. I will always notice that.
Every bit of wood in this house is stained in the darkest of dark stain which was all the rage back in the 70′s when it was built. Sometimes, especially in the kitchen, I feel like I’m living on the edge of an event horizon, peering into a giant black hole.
I’ve given much thought into the idea of painting over the wood, but it’s in great condition and somehow it would feel like a sin against the mighty oak. Instead, for now, I took off a few of the cabinet doors just to break up the great walls of darkness:
Oh Holy Darkness!
After
I love that there’s a bit more depth and a bit more lightness to the room. Who doesn’t love depth and light?
Still, I have to ask… if this was your kitchen, would you paint over the dark wood?
(I’m assuming that I still have a few readers checking in now and then)
January 5, 2011 - 10:04 pm - Yeah! You're back and you found your blog posts again! My vote is PAINT! You're so creative, you'll find some cool color combo to paint them....
January 6, 2011 - 9:53 am - Paint. I hate to say because I spent many a day stripping 7+ layers of paint off my own kitchen cabinets, but it's quick and cheap. Save your stripping for another place and time.
January 10, 2011 - 3:28 pm - Leave it... a favorite drink of mine from Australia is a "Dark & Stormy"... your kitchen reminds me of Fish and Chips by the seaside. Besides, wood is cool. Kirby
January 12, 2011 - 8:39 pm - Hey waddya say! Welcome back, old blogger friend 'o mine (and by 'old', I mean from back in the day, not in age!!). I say milk the McGee departure for all its worth and have that annoying Ty Pennington and the Extreme Makeover crew come through for a renovation. Nothing quite pulls at the heartstrings like a family giving up the beloved pet because it's in the dog's best interests! Then again, you'd also have to put up with that annoying Ty Pennington character, which in many ways is much worse than a wooden kitchen! Keep writing my friend.
There’s a reason I’ve not been blogging lately.
We just finished moving from what we consider to be “out in the country” to “into the city”, if you can call a town with no stoplights as a “city”. I define city by the frequency of which I must open and close the shades to prevent the neighbors from having to see me in my SpongeBob pajamas.
We had lived in our rural home for more than a decade, and because there are nine of us, it was no small task to pick up and move to a new house. The word traumatic comes to mind which means post traumatic stress may apply to my situation. From the time we found the new house to the time we moved in was exactly three weeks.
And if I am still recovering, imagine poor McGee who now wears a collar full-time and must be walked on a leash to get exercise. That means *I* am forced to exercise which is also traumatic.
Moving is traumatic, period.
But there are amazing things about this new home, and I will be posting pictures once I find my camera’s battery charger.
One, everything is CLEAN. SPOTLESS CLEAN. This new house doesn’t smell like winter boot because the carpet is brand new throughout the house. If Ricky Martin came and shook his bon bon for me, it wouldn’t be nearly as wonderful as having new carpet.
Two, we left behind the gravel roads. No more road dust in my new home! Oh, the joy!
Three, we added about 1000 sq. ft. of extra finished living space and there is room for more to be finished. I am living large, folks. The kitchen is so huge that I couldn’t possibly fill all the cupboards and the closets? Oh my gosh, walk in closets that would fit a twin size bed AND a dresser. My voice echoes in those walk-in closets. I shit you not.
Four, Elly has her own room for the first time in her life and it has already been decorated with enough Taylor Swift posters that if our house should somehow start on fire, it would go up so fast that the fire department may as well not even bother showing up.
Five, Six and Seven… central vacuuming!
It was a good move for us and I’m very happy.
Oh, I almost forgot. The day of closing, we came to start cleaning before we moved our belongings and guess what! A sweet neighbor lady brought over a plate full of goodies to welcome us to the neighborhood.
I had no idea people still did that kind of thing.
November 15, 2010 - 5:31 am - hi jennine!! i noted i wasn't getting any feeds from your blog and wondered if i'd somehow unsubscribed or something!! glad to have you back, congrats on the move. glad you like the new place
by Jennine
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