Drum roll please....

I've kind of had a theme going this year. Starting this blog has been a part of that theme. You know..you remember, right...the whole "Just who IS Courtney? And what exactly does she like?" Well, I finally found something I like. It's actually something I've ALWAYS liked, but never really paid much attention to it. I just assumed I couldn't do it. I'm taking a cake decorating class from the sweetest little old lady at Hobby Lobby. Here is my debut cake.

Now, I learned a few things from this cake. First of all...Pilsbury cake mixes are far too moist and just fall apart. Second that I really do demand perfection...that can be a very UGLY characteristic. BUT I learned to accept imperfection, too. You see, I started making this cake...and in my unrealistic self conversation I had already decided exactly how PERFECT my first cake was going to be. Then I started icing it....oooohh...it was bad, very bad. I was angry and mean and cranky. Ask Sarah, she called right in the middle of my tantrum. Just as I was about to throw the entire thing away she kindly reminded me that this WAS my first cake, and what would it hurt to actually finish it. Reluctantly I did. And I'm so glad I did, because it's important for me to be proud of it despite it's many...many imperfections. I pretty much need to carry this concept over into other areas of my life. I fear the type of example I'm setting for my children. We can never aim to be perfect in this life. An accepting attitude is far more peaceful to live with.

Here is my second cake that I had to finish in class on Monday. It too is full of imperfections...but I suppose if I had really mastered this "I'm not good enough" attitude, I probably would've just said, "Here's my lovely second cake that I'm so proud of..." So, HERE is my second cake, that I'm so proud of. I do love the little purple flowers on the bottom.

I start Course 2 on Monday. I'm very excited and loving the class. And if you'd like to check out some cakes with humor go here.

(Be sure and check out the fan favorites on the right side) Maybe I'll be famous someday and find one of my cakes on her blog. Hey, what can I say, I've gotta dream big!

Colin's Musical Debut

Every Friday Colin's school has what they call Weekly Roundup. Each class takes a turn being in charge of the program that day. Colin loves to dance and perform so he was SO excited to learn they would be dancing to a popular song from Camp Rock. Here are two cute short little clips of him. Enjoy!

A Canadian Thanksgiving

When Todd left his mission in Little Rock, AR he swore he would never...EVER...live in Arkansas again. Within a year, the poor guy had his permanent residency and has resided in the Natural State, ever since (thanks to me). I'm sure he'd never admit it, but I think he considers himself an Arkansan now, (of course, never an American...he must be true to his Canadian roots). Sometimes being so far from home can be hard for him. So, this year we decided to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving.

The kids were home from school that day (Columbus day for we Americans) so it was nice to have them around as we cooked turkey, and bread dressing (not cornbread, mind you), and strawberry rhubarb pie. Honestly, dinner wasn't terribly fancy. I had to be at a class by 6:00, so I basically prepared Todd's favorite Thanksgiving fare...(and we had just a turkey breast instead of the whole thing) therefore dinner was certainly lacking in vegetables. (If you're bored...skip to the next post. The following is more for my kids than anything.)

Bread dressing...it was SO delicious...sorry mom, way better than the cornbread!

During dinner we talked about the diffences between Todd's Thanksgiving dinners as a Canadian and my dinners as a Southern American. Todd's dinners usually included: Turkey, bread dressing, cranberry sauce, turnip greens, corn, mashed potatoes, rice pudding, pumpkin pie, strawberry rhubarb pie, tomato juice, and Canada dry. My dinners were :Turkey, cornbread dressing, no cranberry sauce...but usually a cranberry concoction of my mom's..broccoli rice casserole, green bean casserole, SWEET potatoes with LOADS of marshmallows...YUM..., pumpkin, pecan, chocolate, and peanut butter pies. Beverages were usually soda...coke, dr.pepper, etc.

It was fun sharing the differences with the kids and discussing why daddy is always ready for a turkey dinner by Christmas and mom is used to ham for Christmas dinner. (Don't forget the time we actually had a less traditional Christmas dinner of ham and potato salad, mom...lol...weren't there baked beans involved too....don't disown me for posting that!)

The Druthers

On a glorious day like today there are many places I'd rather be than trapped at home with a chicken pox infected child.

For example I could be here (it is craft fair weekend ya' know) Or here
Better yet, I could be here.

But nay, instead I'm left to do this (look away, Martindales)
and this But maybe I'll get to do this. ZZZZZZZ!

Maybe it's a good thing I'm stuck at home...should probably stop blogging now.

The Pit of Despair

About a month ago, (possibly longer) I decided I would do a "get real" post and take pictures of my boys messy, messy room. The idea was that I would then take pictures of it all clean and tidy, and I could feel a sense of accomplishment. Well, instead the room sat...

and SAT...

and got messier...

and MESSIER!

FINALLY...weeks later...I cleaned it. You may be wondering, why didn't Colin and Connor clean it? Honestly, it wasn't worth it. I got to throw things away and dejunk and declutter much faster on my own. My intention now is that they are in charge of maintaining it. We have a basement...basements are for toys...bedrooms are for sleeping. They seem to have a difficult time grasping this concept, because as you can see by the following picture, THIS is what I found tonight.

I believe smoke literally came out my ears and my head began to spin.

Yes, that is Georgie curled up in the closet, on a pile of "who knows what".

Where...where did they find the toys I had discreetly stashed downstairs? And when...WHEN did they bring them upstairs? Where was I? Did they tuck them under their shirts so I wouldn't see them?? Did one of them keep me occupied so that the other could slip by without me noticing? Or do these toys have legs and simply climbed the stairs to the pit of despair? I simply don't get it. I don't.

So, it was time to enforce my newest bedroom rules. And before bedtime their room looked like this, again...at least until tomorrow night!

(Boy, Celeste, I could sure use your decorating skills. Their room may be clean, but it is pretty pathetic, and uninviting!)

My Little Runaway

This afternoon Connor came to the conclusion that he didn't want to live with us anymore. He decided it was time he found his own place. Not knowing what to do or say, I decided to play along. I informed him that was fine, but he needed to pack his things and find a place to live. I was busy making dinner so I was not available to help him house hunt. I asked him to at least take my phone number with him so that he could call me when he got to his new home.

With the help of his eager sister he got his things packed...sleeping bag, toys, bread, cheese, water, pillow, moccasins (what?), and back pack. He finally decided that the back porch would suit his needs. And off he went into the wide, wide world.

Life was great! He enjoyed the serenity of his new place. His new found independence was invigorating.

He LOVED his new bathroom! (Don't worry, this was posed...I didn't take a picture of the actual act.)

His new bed was quite cozy and he had his most valued toys keeping him company.

All in all things seemed to be going well for him. He announced he would be sleeping in his new house...he was NOT afraid of the bears. Also, living on his own meant he did not have to go back to school. I told him I was proud of his bravery. I agreed that he didn't have to go to school, but the police would come and get him if he did not return to Kindergarten...seeing how it's against the law to skip school and all. I also asked that he knock anytime he wanted to come into my house. He wondered if I would be delivering dinner to him in his new home. "No," I said, "but you are welcome to join us for dinner."

So, after realizing I was fine with his absence from our home, and after knocking several times to be allowed in, I wasn't surprised when he whispered in my ear at dinner, "Umm, mom, I want to come home. I almost cried when I left." I hugged him tightly and told him I'd missed him and was sooo glad he was coming home.

The prodigal son, has returned!

This One's For You

My kids are always catching me reading blogs or working on mine. Kess wanted to know if I was going to blog about her broken arm. So, this one's for you, Kess.
About two weeks ago Kess was playing soccer against a boys team (very important detail to an 11 yr old girl, it's also important to mention that the girls won!) She was going for the ball and got tangled up with one of the boys. She went down pretty hard, but managed to shake it off and finish out the game. Her arm hurt for most of the weekend, but I honestly did not think it was broken. For my own peace of mind I reluctantly took her to the doctor on Monday, and lo, and behold she had fractured her wrist! A week later we saw an orthopedist who put her in a hot pink cast and told her she could play soccer if she wanted to. So, with her arm wrapped in bubble wrap, Kess played in the Ozark Cup tournament this weekend. Her team won first place! I didn't like the idea of her playing with a broken arm, but she played great! We are so proud of you, Kess! Oooooh, I love you!