Cats vs. Dogs

The Superbowl came up in conversation today and Kendall asked what was the Superbowl.

I said, "It's a football game where the two best teams of the year play each other to decide who the best team is."

Kendall said, "Who are the teams that are playing?"

"We don't know yet."

Then Kendall is quiet for a second and says, "Well I hope it's not Kentucky vs. Winterset Huskies because I would have to hope for a tie in that case."

Don't worry honey. I don't think those will be the teams.

Grandma knows best

Living in a small Midwestern town has advantages. One of those being that I can go to town looking pretty much anyway I want and no one bats an eye. There is no place for make-up, styled hair, or pumps at the grocery store on a Tuesday morning in my town. So while I was wrestling two toddlers into clothes and winter gear last Tuesday my main concern was that my ponytail wouldn't come loose or I wouldn't start sweating before I got us all buttoned and zipped up. I peeked in the mirror before walking out the door and something popped into my head. "My lips could use a little shine." Why was that odd? Growing up it was rare that I saw my Mamma Barker without full make-up. If she wasn't wearing full make-up then she at least had something on her lips. I swear the women probably puts on chap stick or lip gloss before she gets out of bed in the mornings. It didn't matter where we were going, she was always totting a lipstick or at least some gloss and reapplying it frequently. When I would say, "Mamma, why are you putting on lip stick? We're just __________(taking a walk, getting the mail, taking out the trash, etc.) she would say (yup, you guessed it) "My lips could use a little shine." So I hustled into the bathroom and put on a little lipstick. Guess what? I looked better! In fact it made such a difference that I've been putting it on when I'm home with just the kids. I was even sizing up the clear lip gloss at the store today. I'm right on the edge of being a lip gloss totting Mamma and someday and lip gloss totting Grandma!

Yes, another storm

Just posting some pics of the ice storm because I think they're cool. I hate the storm, but love to look at the ice. Go figure.

I Spy--Maddie style

See if you can find the guitar pick in this picture. No I don't know why or how it got there. Some things are best left unanswered. (Pay no attention that my child has spaghetti sauce on her diaper from dinner. When we have spaghetti some of us eat it with no clothes on. I'm not saying who; you'll just have to guess.)

The Pusher

Lately I have been repeating in my head (and aloud) something I heard once. "Some people are for you, and some people are for what you are for." Byron and I have been making some big changes in the past year and we have seen that lesson played out again and again. It's easy to get frustrated when people are pushing their own agenda on you. At let's face it; we all have one. Our own selfishness leads us to want our money for nuthin' and our chicks for free. But I'm starting to learn that the best thing to do (for me) when you're being oppressed is to take a minute to look around and see who you might be oppressing. The best time to feel compassion for another is when you can be empathetic to their situation. So instead of getting put out with the people that "are for what you're for" I'm going to TRY to focus harder on being someone who is FOR YOU, not for what you are for. Even if I think the stuff you're doing is stupid. :-) If you do happen to have some people in your life that are for you, then hold on to them tight. They are a true treasure and I think God everyday that I have those people. They're the best people to have a laugh with when you talk about all the other crazy people in your life!

Rachael Ray meets Magyver

I have not been to the store in a couple of weeks, at least. Every time I think about going I check the temperature and it is negative something and I decided we can live without whatever we need one more day. I have hit desperate measures this evening for dinner. First, last night I made a ham roast with a butterscotch glaze because we didn't have any pineapple or brown sugar or a good marinade. The butterscotch glaze was really leftover ice cream topping from last summer. It wasn't that bad. Tonight I'm making a very sad sheperd's pie. If you could call it that. It is really leftover stromboli meat (a mix of hamburger and sausage with onion) I found in the freezer combined with the leftover chili I found in the back of the fridge mixed with a package of frozen veggies. I have no gravy and nothing to make gravy so I mixed BBQ sauce with a few seasonings and a touch of red wine vinegar. I topped it with last nights mashed potatoes and of course plenty of cheese to trick the family into thinking its something really good. So sad. We are down to carrots, parsley and one pear as far as fresh veggies and fruit go. A parsley, pear, and carrot salad? Hmmm...I'll let you know if I'm able to pull that one off. We're in the middle of another snow storm right now so I hope there's a good recipe involving corn meal and toothpaste because that's about what we are down to.

Binkie Rehab

My first two kids never took to a pacifier. I would try and try to get them to use the pacifier instead of using me as a pacifier but it never seemed to work out. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when our third took to the pacifier as soon as I introduced it. Yeah!! No more using mommy to work out all your oral fixation issues. The only problem with a pacifier is that you eventually have to take it away! I knew the time had come weeks ago. Madison was too old for a pacifier and I'd had it with carrying them in the car, my purse, the diaper bag, a few on each floor of the house, etc. etc. I spent some of that time in denial. "She's probably just give it up when she's ready." Yeah, right. "Maybe we'll keep losing them and then one day we'll just be out." Nope. Like any good addict, she'd tear the house apart until she found one. (or I would while she wailed in the background.) So I set the first day back on our regular schedule from Christmas break as the big day. The night before I tossed out all the pacifiers I could find except for the one she went to bed with. The next morning I snuck into the kitchen and cut the tip off her last one and sat it on the couch. After breakfast she made a bee-line for it while we all watched. She put it in, took it out, put it in, took it out. She brought it to me and said "Oh no!!" It was so SAD!! Good thing I'd thrown the rest out because I would have whipped out another one right on the spot when I saw that face. She showed it to all her sisters and they sympathized. Well, except for Kendall. I heard her say, "Oh no your paccie broke," then in a stage whisper to make sure I would hear her she said, "Mom cut the tip off and broke it." Stinker! But it's been two days and the only times she cries now is at nap time and bedtime. We're making it. I wish I could give up my own addictions but just throwing them out or cutting off the tip!

Time To Wrap It Up

The New Year has just begun and the Halls have been flung forward sling shot style into the next decade. 2010 snuck up on us and I can't believe it was ten years ago that we were celebrating the year 2000! I always have mixed feelings about time moving forward. Even though some days I can't wait until the kids are up and doing for themselves I know how precious each day is with them while that are so little. Christmas was full of that special silliness, surprises, and laughter that only small children can add to the holiday. How wonderful is God's design that he allows us to relive special times from our childhood with our own children? Our Christmas break has been full of board games, snow sledding, homemade forts, and steaming sweet cups of hot chocolate. Although I have my days where I would rather get my nails done by a professional then by my 3 year old, it's still all good. Byron and I certainly had plans for 2009 that didn't work out but we are truly blessed to have a healthy, happy family to run, skip, walk, trudge, or crawl through the next year with. What are my hopes and plans for the new year? I hope to schedule more appointments at the Kendall Leigh Hair and Nail Salon. I hope to attend more movies in our living room with Grace "couch potato" Hall. I definitely need more time with my personal trainer Maddie "Kool-aid Man" Hall who will work my legs, arms, and core by slamming into them repeatedly anytime I get down on the floor. I for sure want to spend some more time with that crazy guy that keeps claiming he's my husband. (he's even got papers to prove it!) Whatever the year brings, we are ready. Welcome 2010!