Throwback Thursday

The date: Sometime in late 1996. Obviously, pre-Rachel days.

The place: I'm not sure what the occasion was. Perhaps Kevin can fill in details. I know most of the girls in this picture from our Second Baptist singles days. Kevin was the new guy in town and many girls were trying to get his attention.

The mood: Well, now it looks like everyone is having a grand old time.

All I can say is, "Ha! Ha! I won. He's mine!"

Incidentally, I've reconnected with several of these girls via Facebook and most are married with at least a couple of kids.

Cream Colored Ponies And Crisp Apple Streudels

I haven't done a post on a few of my favorite things in a while so here goes.

These pictures are on Fletcher's wall in his room. I found them at the children's consignment store for $5 each. But wait, there's more! I take some of the boys clothes and toys here to consign them so I had a credit. I used my credit and didn't pay anything out of pocket for these matted and framed prints. I wish I knew more about who made them. His room doesn't have a theme but he is starting to get interested in sports so I thought these were perfect.

This is the back wall of my laundry room. This little device only sticks out about an inch when closed.

But when opened, I have all this space to hang up stuff to dry. Incidentally, I bought this on clearance at Pottery Barn almost two years ago. It is no longer available. It has been sitting in the box in the laundry room since we moved into this house in August 2007. I just had Kevin hang it a few months ago and I love it. The other day I had some of the aforementioned unmentionables hanging to dry and Fletcher said, "Mommy, it looks likes a colorful rainforest in here!!!"

This was a complete impulse buy at Target. I use colanders and strainers alot around here for berries, grapes, pasta, etc. And these nest inside of each other for easy storage. The green color just makes me happy every time I use them. Fletcher likes the smallest one with the handle because he can hold it and rinse grapes or berries.

This paring knife is made by a company names Kuhn Rikon from Switzerland. It is super sharp and it comes with its own cover which is great for storing and also taking on a picnic lunch. There's a coating on the blade that keeps food from sticking to it. With a 20 month old, I do lots of cutting, chopping, peeling, and dicing so these are great. I found these on clearance at Sur La Table, but since then I have also seen them at places like Marshalls and TJ Maxx. I bought an orange one too.

Do you have any favorite things to share?

Summer Garden

I have to let you in on a little secret. I'm not so sure about all this gardening stuff.

According to what I read, our broccoli and lettuce should have already produced by now making room for our summer plants. Most everything we planted said it would mature between 60-75 days. We planted on Feb. 15. I'm no mathematical genius (but I did major in it in college), but that tells me that by now we should have some serious maturity.

I'm not sure if this counts. Maybe my boys can split the floret and get their vegetable nutrients for the day.

I might be able to serve Kevin a tiny side salad with our buttercrunch lettuce. Any idea why the lettuce seems to be doing great near the sides of the garden but not in the middle. Do the pressure treated posts Kevin used to assemble the structure add some kind of fertilizer I don't know about. Hmmmmm?

Maybe it has something to do with the 3 or 4 really cold/freezing nights we had after Feb. 15.

It does look like we'll be having a few strawberries soon. Fletcher reminded me not to eat the green ones because they don't taste good. Voice of experience? I didn't ask.

In good faith we went ahead and squeezed in some Lady Bell peppers, burpless cucumbers (whatever that means) and six tomato plants. Three of the tomato plants are called Better Bush. The guy at the gardening place said they are good to grow in raised beds and containers because they only get about 3 feet tall. The other kind are La Roma. We used pots since we didn't have much room anyway and tomatoes are prone to diseases. I'm not sure whether we will need stakes or not so we put them in just in case.

We haven't been getting much rain so Fletcher and I have been diligently watering. The boys and I were in Sams awhile back and we saw this really cool setup. Kevin said, "No." Maybe next year. . .

Times Have Changed (Thank Goodness)

Remember back in the day when the time came for school pictures?


Moms would make sure we were dressed in our best (unless, of course, they happened to forget that it was school picture day). Everyone pretty much had the same backdrop and maybe a prop. I remember we all had our hands folded on our science textbook in 3rd grade because it had a "colorful cover" according to our teacher


Plastic combs. It seemed as though the photographer had a big box of combs. I guess even back then they knew enough about head lice so they didn't let kids share combs. The teachers tried to make sure hair was in place, bows were tied, clothes were not unbuttoned, unzipped or crooked.


Then one by one, we sat down. The photographer said, "Look right here and smile" or maybe "Say cheese." There was one shot. One opportunity to get it right. The photographers might possibly take a second photo if they knew for certain a child had blinked or coughed or made a weird face. But usually it was one shot.


These days, school pictures have gone high tech. Everything is digital. The photographers even go to preschools. Color pictures in the fall and black and white playground pictures in the spring. They take the kids outside since the lighting is better. The kid talks to the photographer and plays while the photographer snaps away.


Parents get choices. A few weeks later, we receive 10-12 proofs and then we can go online and order. They'll adjust blemishes, runny noses, etc.


Thank goodness times have changed. Thank goodness there's not just one shot. One opportunity to get it right. Otherwise, we'd be stuck with this as our forever record of our child's time in preschool.

It's a Kettler

When Fletcher was 2, Santa found a fabulous deal on a German made Kettler tricycle. These tricycles are not cheap, but they are supposed to last forever and have a weight limit of 400 lbs. I'm not kidding - google it. I guess those German kids can put away the beer and brats!

While we haven't tested all 400 lbs we have gotten up to about 230 lbs.

My Own Version Of 27 Dresses (Throwback Thursday)

Today's Throwback is a little different. We have lots of pictures instead of just one or two!

A few months ago a movie came out entitled "27 Dresses". The main character was "always a bridesmaid, never a bride" not once, but 27 times. Well, I wasn't in 27 weddings, but I was a bridesmaid ten times before I got married. So here are the pictures to prove it. The dates range from 1989 through about 1995. See if you can pick up on any late 80's/early 90's fashion trends!

I've tried to put them in chronological order as best as I could remember. Unfortunately, for three of the dresses I didn't have any actual wedding party pictures.

Mint green, tea length, bow on butt, material unknown (satin maybe), shoes dyed to match. These are wrinkled because they've been stuffed in a box in the closet. I kept all of them thinking that I would let my daughter play dress up in them one day. Kevin says Fletcher and Luke are not allowed to play dress up in them. :)

Floral print, tea length, cotton, no bow on butt, shoes dyed a mint green.

Green velvet, tea length, lace applique on front, drop waist, gathered sleeves, bow on butt (hard to see in picture), shoes dyed to match. Fall wedding.

Two piece, teal green, tea length skirt, scalloped neckline, bone colored shoes. I actually wore this one as a church dress after the wedding.

Floral print, drop waist, tea length but higher in front than the back (what is that called?), bow on butt, light purple shoes.

Fuschia two piece, shawl wrapped collar, short skirt, shoes dyed to match. Karen and Steff are still mad at me for making them wear so much makeup that day. What was I thinking?

Two piece, turquoise and white, tea length skirt, bow in front, white shoes. I do remember it being incredibly hot in Louisiana on this day.

Black and white, two piece, tea length, shawl flowy collar, black shoes.

Floral print, halter top, long dress, can't remember if there was a bow on butt, but look closely at my white gloves. Shoes were white I think.

Two piece, black and white plaid silk, long skirt, black dyed shoes.

That's all ten! I know some of you are wondering (if you weren't there) what my bridesmaids dresses looked like. Here's the only pic I could find without disassembling my entire wedding album (Sorry, Stacie). Purple eggplant color, sleeveless, rounded neckline, empire waist, tea length with shoes dyed to match.

20 Things About Our 20 Month Old

We try to keep things real over here at Snickelfritz Lane so please disregard the giant booger in his nose. Sunglasses + bright sun + camera lens + spring allergies + squirmy toddler = oops, should have gotten a tissue.

Also, note his less than stellar haircut. It started out ok until pieces of hair got in his mini M&Ms and that just made him upset.

I can't believe he is 20 months old. Some of our favorite things he is saying/doing:

He calls Fletcher "Che-chee" (short e sound then long e sound at the end).

He loves playing in Fletcher's room especially if Fletcher is not in there.

He's been known to jump on the bed in Fletcher's room which is one of the reasons why Fletcher's room has a baby gate at the door

He calls all drinks "wah-wee" (his word for water).

He calls crackers "kee-kahs"

He is starting to put words together like Daddy's truck, Mommy's wah-wee (shh, it's really Diet Coke), Che-chee's teeth.

He is learning to say please and still does the sign with it (rub flat hand on chest in circular motion).

He can sing the nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah BATMAN!

His favorite Bible story right now is Meme MahMah - his words for Mary and Martha. To his credit, MeMe MahMah do look sort of cute in this particular Bible.

If he falls or drops something he says, "Whoa".

He can do the motions to the Zachheus Was a Wee Little Man Song.

He loves most food and is getting pretty good at using a spoon and a fork.

He has learned what a tortilla chip is and asks for them frequently.

He calls all hats "Yee Ha's" because Fletcher used to put on Kevin's cowboy hat and yell Yee Ha!

He loves all kinds of trucks, construction vehicles, firetrucks, 18 wheelers, etc. Fortunately, for us we live in an area where there seems to be road construction EVERYWHERE (but I'm not bitter) so we get to see lots of bull dozers, graders, etc.

He calls Elmo "Eee - on". Same thing as a donkey sound.

He puts his hands together to pray and then whispers something we can't understand.

He likes listening to music in the car and frequently "dances" in his car seat.

His favorite friend in the neighborhood is Ella and he calls out her name "Yella, Yella" when we drive by her house.

He loves riding his "Tick-I-Tick-el" which is his tricycle (say it fast). I use the term riding loosely since the tricycle has a push bar and Kevin or I end up pushing him around since he can't pedal yet.

Doctors and Bravery Bags

Last week was check up time. It was supposed to be for Fletcher's 5 year and Luke's 18 month check-ups. We were just a little late.

Fletcher weighs 52.8 lbs and is 48 inches tall. That puts him in the 99th percentile for height and 93 percentile for weight. Luke is 29 lbs 8 ounces and 34 inches tall (84th and 81 percentiles, respectively). Doctor summary: "Wow! Your boys are big. "

Fletcher had to get a shot to finish out his immunizations for kindergarten. He knew beforehand that he was going to get a shot. We talked about being brave and how it would only hurt for a second. It would be ok to cry if he needed to. I even told him he would receive a "Bravery Bag" (a bag with a small toy) if he did ok.

I hate shots too - ask my mom. I've gotten so worked up I've passed out when I got a shot which is somewhat embarrassing at age 15. So I feel his pain.

As you can imagine, when the time came there was drama. Lots of drama. The doctor gave Fletcher a playful pinch on the arm to show him that it would only hurt a little. Fletcher started crying saying that the pinch "really hurt". Great. The nurse came in with the shot. More crying. Luke is laughing and I am trying to keep Luke from unplugging the various medical equipment in the room. The nurse is speaking calmly to Fletcher, but of course he can't hear her because he is screaming at this point. He was getting the shot in his leg so I asked him if he wanted to sit up or lay down. More screaming and then kicking. Eventually, I had to lay on top of him and hold his hands while she gave him the shot. These are the parenting moments I just hate.

So then there was my parenting dilemma. Does he get the Bravery Bag or not? I caved and gave it to him (see above paragraph about my shot experience). All was right with the world. An Indiana Jones Lego Motorcycle Chase Scene Set can do wonders.

Later, we were getting lunch ready and I asked him whether he thought he really deserved the Bravery Bag based on his behavior.

His response?

"Well, Mom. I was really brave on the inside. You just couldn't quite see it on the outside."

Indeed.

When Photoshoots Go Bad

We tried to get a few pictures of the boys Sunday after church. Why do I have a feeling this will get even harder?

Can you believe they both need haircuts again? I feel like they get them every 2 weeks!

Hedge of Protection

If you've spent any time in any church setting . . .



We're off to do some landscaping of our own this weekend!

Throwback Thursday

The date: July, 1986

The place: Coming home from Centrifuge at Glorieta, NM so we were probably in the middle of nowhere TX.

The mood: After my recent post on smoking smarties, I had to laugh when I ran across these pictures. This was my Olivet Baptist church youth group "smoking" candy cigarettes. I am sure our youth minister was thrilled. On the back of one of the pictures I wrote that we were coming home with no AC. That doesn't surprise me in the least since I think our church van was held together by duct tape. It broke down on every single trip we ever went on. Ahhh, the memories. Yes, I think that is a nail file that Danyelle is holding to Brent's neck. The Texas heat in July will do that to you. Oh and by the way, why didn't anyone tell us that those enormous sunglasses were not attractive in the least?

Easter 2009 Recap

Kevin and I both served in the preschool and children's area at our church on Easter Sunday. Kevin had to be there really early on Sunday so the Easter Bunny paid a visit on Saturday afternoon instead while Fletcher & Luke were outside playing. Fletcher said, "He must have used the back door."

Can you tell he doesn't get gum very often?

Move Over Martha! Part 2

I'm not sure what got into me over the Easter holidays. I saw another article online about how to make tie dyed cupcakes. Our neighbors had invited us over on Good Friday for a little egg hunt so I thought these might be fun to make.

They really are pretty simple.

Get a white cake mix like Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines and prepare the batter according to package directions. After the batter is prepared, divide it evenly into 4 or 5 bowls depending on how many colors you want in your cupcakes. Put different food coloring in each bowl to make different colors. I used regular food coloring and made purple, pink, blue, green and yellow. I did read that Betty Crocker makes something called gels that will make more intense colors. Pastel colors were great for me since it was Easter.

Line muffin pan with cupcake liners then drop spoonfuls of each batter color in each liner. I did use a skewer to sort of swirl the batter on one batch but it really didn't make a difference. Bake according to package directions.

This is what the top looked like without swirling the batter.

This is what the inside looked like.

I colored white frosting with some pastel colors and frosted them and decorated with jellybeans but I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. The kids thought they were cool.

Move Over Martha!

I recently read about a "new" way to dye Easter eggs using old silk ties. I am normally not the crafty type, but this sounded interesting so I thought we'd give it a shot.

First, we found a few of Kevin's old silk ties. They have to be 100% silk. I think at least one of them was a tie that Papa Charlie had given to Kevin.

Then we took the ties apart. That white stuff is the interfacing, I think. We wrapped the silk around raw (not boiled) eggs with the printed side (the good side) touching the egg and secured the top with a twist tie.**

Next I cut up an old pillowcase into squares and wrapped those around the silk-wrapped egg and secured those.

Finally, we put the eggs in an enamel coated or glass pot (apparently metal pots won't work), filled with water until eggs are just covered, added 3 tablespoons of vinegar, brought it to a boil then simmered for 20 minutes. We took them out, allowed them to cool then unwrapped them.

Voila! or as Luke likes to say Ta Da!

These are the eggs matched up with the tie. I was able to get two eggs from each tie with some fabric left over.

**We later found this was the tricky/crucial part because if the fabric isn't touching the egg, then the ink doesn't transfer. But if you twist too tightly the egg can break since it isn't boiled yet. We also learned that ties with dark colors and small patterns work best. Bigger patterns don't seem to cover the egg. My favorite was the dark blue tie with the tiny red paisleys. If you want more specific instructions or better tips, you can google "silk ties and Easter eggs" and find plenty of info. Fletcher thought it was cool. Luke was glad it was over. I'm not sure if we will do it again because mommy did most of the work. But if I'm ever at Goodwill, I might check out their tie selection to see if I can find some cool silk ones for next year.

Stay tuned tomorrow for part two - our tie dyed cupcakes!