Has anyone ever tried to go low carb? Cripes!!!! It's REALLY HARDDDDDDD!!!! I tried for just one day. I think giving up cigarettes would be easier.

One of the highlights of my day: Incorporating my five year old into my "exercise routine," after the treadmill got boring. My keister and legs were so sore after throwing snowballs at the local boys 2 days ago (you know, squatting and quickly standing up repetitively) , that I thought if I could do some kind of fun activity with Will using the same movements, it would be great for my lower body. So....we ended up having a great time throwing small and medium sized stuffed animals at each other in the hall downstairs. When that got a little dull for Will, we brought over containers to try to make baskets. Often, we would make baskets as the animals bounced off the person behind the "basket." It got our blood pumping, and was quite a bit more entertaining than the dour treadmill.

I just took a handful of photos of myself to update my profile photo. The one you see probably looks "mildly serene," but I had to deliberately force a "relaxed, happy face" just to get to the level of "mildly serene." When I took photos of myself just LOOKING at the camera in my NATURAL STATE, I looked deadly serious, or malevolent, or mean, or even stuck up!!! Cripes!!! If you had taken a photo of my face in the midst of throwing animals, I'm sure it would have been a different story!! :D

You know you may be out of shape but young at heart if you're already sore 12 hours after acting like a calf in spring with a new snowfall. We had a decent snow today, no school. So the kids and I and all the neighbor kids played hard for hours. There is a modest hill up the street, and saucer like equipment was "drug" out and enjoyed. We don't have any, but borrowed others'. We even occasionally harnessed our dog. Some of the best, spontaneous fun I've had in quite awhile!!! Just what I needed to ease that muscular furrow in my brow!! Yay snow!!! By dinner time, people were napping from fatigue. For me--coffe and then work!! We're supposed to get more "tonight." It is 3:45, and there is only strong winds so far.

Here's the recipe that got me singing all sorts of made up and not made up verses of "Joy Bells" in spite of having a serious grumpy streak going:

Chocolate Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

1/2 c. shortening
1/2 cup softened butter
2 eggs
4 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 c. rolled oats
2 c. coconut
2 tsp vanilla

Cream shortening and sugar; add eggs and chocolate. Mix in dry ingredients then oats, coconut, and vanilla. Bake at 350 for 12 min. on ungreased cookie sheet. So Good!!!

From the mouth of Will just today:
To Jessie, who was sitting beside him on the way to church: "Shut up and stay shut up!!"
Regarding his cardboard lacing activities I just got him: "I'm going to do them so happiness will come." Har har!!

Knittin...movin?....Jehovah Jireh

What be goin on wit' me......I retaught myself how to knit, and now I'm knitting humble dishcloths....soon to graduate to a furry, colorful scarf. It helps interject pleasure and gratification into days which are 99% toil/service/labor/sacrifice. Jessica has a knifty knitter, and I got her some more yarn to make another hat. So we have a knifty, knitting, mother/daughter bond going on there.

Move to Port Orchard into a house my Dad could build (across the bridge) or rent...or buy? Pop needs to sell this house we're living in. I loathe upheaval, and I love this area. What to do?

Answer to prayer: I took William to the dentist for the first time (he's 5)last week. I thought he was hooked up as of November to my dental insurance through work, but I screwed up. He wasn't on it, and HR wouldn't budge because "open enrollment" was over till November. I was so depressed that I'd have to pay for a checkup, 2 fillings, and 2 pulpotimies (like mini/quasi root canals), that I was in tears on my knees. I completely thought that I had done the correct thing and signed him up to my insurance. It would have covered his initial appt 100% and other stuff at 80%. The pulpotimies alone cost 316.00 each. When I told the vivacious, kind receptionist the situation, just so she'd know, she said she was going to give me a 250.00 coupon credit to my account. That she was just about to mail them out. Hallelujah!! SOOOOOO THANKFUL!! :D

Please do yourself a favor if you have a few minutes and need some smiles. Go to rhettandlink.com for these two guys' hilarious and very well done songs. You won't regret it. :D (I tried to post a video, but it didn't work.) They have a bunch, with titles like Tax rap, The Cornhole Song, Fear of Frogs, Freelance Fireworks Hall of Fame, and Facebook Song. They seem like your goofy, wholesome cousins, and are quite addictive. :D

Williamisms

William shed some light on a few things for me recently. The liquid inside a cherry cordial is called "cherry sap."
And, "I know how rainbows go up."
"How?"
"Magic potatoes!"
How could I make that up? He was serious about both those things.
Today, Zoe was doing knock knock jokes with him. This is what I heard Will say, "Knock, knock."
("Who's there?")
"Grape."
("Grape who?")
"What a beautiful day!!!" :D