…my new coffee pot!

Our Kitchen Aid Coffee Pot (AKA...my new friend!)

Our older coffee maker which never quite got the hang of keeping coffee hot was retired the other day. It didn’t stop working, but it was headed in that direction. In 2007, we bought new Kitchen Aid appliances for the kitchen. A few weeks ago, we decided to buy a Kitchen Aid coffee pot. We noticed that the department store Kohl’s had Kitchen Aid coffee makers, and we had received a 30% Off Kohl’s coupon. We bought the pot last Friday evening, and it made its first, HOT, and delicious cup of coffee on Saturday morning! Yeeeee haaaa! So, if you all are in the market for a new, sturdy, and reliable coffee pot, we recommend a Kitchen Aid coffee pot!

Our Pool (Yes, we finally have the pump fixed!)

What a difference between now and last April when they began their swimming lessons. They were so timid and whiny in the pool.  We knew that
with children it would take a routine and practice: Ammon and Carter love to
swim.  Now in July from the moment after dinner when we say, “We are going to swim.” , it starts: “We’re going swimming now?” “I need my swim suit.”, “ I need my swim
diaper.” , and we love it.

Ammon: July 17, 2011

Now that the temperature of the pool is always between 88
and 90 (Fahrenheit of course…I do have some Aussie and other European readers….LOL),
Ammon and Carter want to swim every day. We are so glad. There is also a
special time during the last 5-10 minutes of swimming when they are allowed to
take off their water-wings. They both enjoy jumping into the pool, allowing us
to help them float to the top, then swimming to the side of the pool only to do
it all again, and again, and again.

Carter: July 17, 2011

Grilling time at our house!

At the end of last summer, our Kenmore gas grill shut down.
I was very disappointed because I was grilling at least once a week and
sometimes twice. I really need to practice how to grill chicken (my chicken on
the grill always winds up too dry), but I am pretty good at steaks, hamburgers,
and hot dogs.

After almost a year, we got our grill fixed!
Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiippeeeeeeee! I was so excited. Why is it that everything seems to
taste better from the grill? Has anyone ever seen or read any research? Why is
it that men are more inclined to grill than women? The only reason I can think
of is that it is a constant fixation on a single task: No job to worry about,
no outside chore to do, no inside chore to do, no spouse to think about, no
child to think about, no worries (except getting that food to taste as good as
possible).

Haven's 1st grill of 2011: July 14, 2011

On Thursday, I grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. I really
enjoyed it, and I hope to be grilling quite a bit more before cool weather sets
in this autumn.

Man, I wish I could eat a “good” breakfast like Ammon and
Carter (the bigger “good breakfasts” I eat the bigger my stomach gets)! I knew before they were born that I wanted them to have a
complete, nutritious breakfast at the beginning of the day. I envisioned our
bright and sunny kitchen with a our breakfast table laden with breakfast meats,
whole grain toast, and fruits. You know what? We’re doing it! We even have
yogurt. I had never imagined yogurt.

Sausage links for Carter!

Yogurt and eggs for Ammon!

As we all know, it’s interesting to observe the difference
in the tastes which of course will change with time of Carter and Ammon.
Carter enjoys his breakfast meats (patty sausage, link sausage, and sometimes
bacon).  Carter does not like eggs. However, Ammon asks for scrambled eggs every day, and only eats some breakfast meat every once in a while. They both enjoy their fruits (grapes, strawberries,pineapple, etc,), and they both enjoy their yogurt. For breads, we alternate
toast, biscuits, and pancakes.

Thank you, Raid!

It’s so funny what excites a stay-at-home parent when it
comes to “free-time”.  When Carter and
Ammon fell asleep on Tuesday (please see yesterday’s blog), I immediately began
gathering garbage for the Wednesday morning garbage pick-up at an excited pace. The garbage truck passes by every Wednesday at 7:00 a..m (sometimes before!), so I try to make sure the garbage is in its container and ready to go on  Tuesday evenings.

It probably took 15 minutes to gather everything, and I was
dragging garbage bags to our truck that sits outside full-time. It’s my
favorite vehicle for hauling. I wish it could stay in the garage, but there isn’t
room. Since I don’t travel to a physical job any longer, it doesn’t travel
much, and the last time I filled its tank was back in May. As I tossed my first
bag of garbage in the truck bed, I felt a sharp sting on my right ankle. I
stepped back, looked at the truck, and I saw wasps with red abdomens swarming
around it. I ran into the garage and turned back. The wasps were entering and
exiting from the gas cap behind the gas-cap door. I immediately ran to the
garage, grabbed our Raid wasp and hornet spray, and I began spraying.  When I felt it was safe to open the gas cap
door, I found about 6 dead wasps and a huge, papery wasps’ nest about 4 inches
long. I quickly lifted up a prayer of, “Thank you God that neither Carter nor
Ammon were stung!” Ammon and Carter had just played around that truck three hours
earlier with no signs of wasps!

Okay, my advice to you all is to keep a can of wasp and
hornet spray handy every spring and summer. It helped my predicament
tremendously, and if you prepare yourself for just this such of an “emergency”
you won’t regret it. Raid, you can send me my gratuity for promoting your
product any day now. ;o)

Lunch can wait!

Tuesday had not been a bad day at all. No one was tired from it
being a bad or troublesome day. However, Ammon and Carter had gotten up early
(approximately 7:20 a.m.). That part had worked out nicely because I had
planned us three a “morning out”. After I had showered and gotten Carter and
Ammon dressed, we went to Bojangle’s for breakfast. Carter had a sausage and
biscuit and Ammon had an egg and biscuit. We had a great experience.

Next, I had promised Carter a trip to the Dollar General to
look for a Styrofoam rocket that shoots with a simple pump of the hand. While
we were there, he got a rocket, Ammon got a rocket, and we also got a few other
knick-knacks. When we got home, we immediately started playing with the rockets
in the yard, riding tricycles, drawing with our sidewalk chalk, and chasing
each other. We then went inside, drank some good, cold, apple juice then went
to play upstairs in their playroom. Right before they came downstairs, I
started their lunch (fish sticks and home-made mashed potatoes).  They decided to rest on the couch. When I put
the finishing touches on the potatoes, I went to call Carter and Ammon to the
table. They were asleep. It was a precious moment that I was able to catch on
film, write about, and share with you all. Thank you all for reading, and thank
you God for precious moments however great or small.  Enjoy your Wednesday, everyone.

Ammon,
Carter, and I have a confession…we enjoy listening to Lady Gaga. It wasn’t
something that was planned. It just happened. You see, it started with Sean (
an avid pop music lover) watching Youtube videos of Lady Gaga and many other
artists this past winter while Cater and Ammon watched. We have bought Lady Gaga CD albums since the beginning of her career, and we do listen to her songs on the radio. However, we neither talk about her a lot nor do we play her much on the  house’s stereo  system

In May when we were in New York City, we passed by a marquee
with Lady Gaga on it, and as we strolled by, Ammon shouted, “There’s Lady Gaga!”
We adults simply looked at each other in surprise and rolled on. The next day Carter
said the same thing. The next thing we knew both Carter and Ammon would be
hearing the opens measures of either “Born this Way” or “On the Edge” and they
would once again say, “Lady Gaga!”. They really like her music, and we haven’t
pushed her at all.

(Ammon and Carter’s New York Poster)

This past week, Weird Al Yancovic released his parody of “Born
this Way” with “I Perform this Way”. Ammon and Carter thinks it’s wonderful,
and they watch it over and over. In the past two days, we’ve spent some time
distinguishing the silly man pretending to be Lady Gaga and the real Lady Gaga.
They are adjusting as well as any two and half year olds could. ;o)

We hope you enjoy the video we are including of “The Edge”.
For some of you who may not know Lady Gaga does not like to lip sync to her
songs. She spent a lot of time at a school of performing arts improving her simultaneous
stage dancing and stage singing. I think she is a phenomenal
live performer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fEZRnOV63w

The hooting is cool with me. I would just like to know (inquiring
minds want to know) why it’s hooting in the middle of the summer. According to
the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Great Horned Owl’s (the hoot owl)
time to stake territory and lay eggs is January. If this hoot owl up on the
mountain is hooting just because it feels like it then more power to it. I hope
it’s hooting because it’s happy!

We were jogging last Saturday night (7-9-11) between 8 and 9 in
the evening, and it began hooting away. It was such a treat. It reminded me of
when Josh, my daddy coonhound, had his last romp up on the mountain. It was
July 4, 2006. There were fireworks all around us that evening, and the hoot owl
up there must have been a little “ticked off” because when we passed it by, it
began an eerie “Ooo, ooo, ahh, ahh,” screech that led into its familiar “hoot”
that I could indentify. For about two seconds there it almost scared the “bee-jitters”
out of me, but I quickly collected myself without losing any bodily functions.
LOL

My absolute favorite time to hear this owl hoot is on a crisp,
chilly, autumn evening. When it happens this coming fall, I will let you all
know. Until then, keep up with those summer hoots hoot owl!

Happy 49th Birthday to my sister, Karen. She is a fine, Christian lady, and I am so proud of her. She is a mother who truly loves and wants the best for her children. She is also a fun, giving, and love-showering grandmother. I have yet to see a child that Karen could not win over. Her way with children is a true gift from God.

Karen and her grandson, Orrin

Ammon and Carter are crazy about their Aunt Karen. They love spending time with her because she is so entertaining, and she treats them like they were her own (children or grandchildren). I also feel blessed to have such a loving, supportive, and giving sister such as her. Like I’ve told her before, I will never know life without her, and I am so glad God saw it fit that I have her as my big sister. Happy Birthday, Karen! We love you!