I Spy.

Hoof prints.

Lots and lots of hoof prints.

So long, parsley.

Why isn't my guard dog guarding?

She certainly looks attentive.

We Like Rocks.

I could...I mean, Hallie could spend hours throwing rocks in the pond.

We have a great arrangement.

I (or Dave) collect them and make a little pile.

She throws them in.

It's one of the many blessings that comes with living in the country.

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Simple and soothing. In our PJs.

I'm very grateful for this life.

Food Goals.

We'll see. Some are pretty lofty (see numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4).


1.  Try to cut out McDonalds and other fast foods.

2. Clean out pantry and toss (or donate - who wants them??) the stuff that is full of the nasties.

3. Cook from scratch as much as possible, using as many fresh ingredients as possible.

4. Fresh fruits, veggies and home-made treats for snacks.


Sounds like fun, huh? Who wants to eat at the Mason's?

Anybody?

Nobody?

Hello?

Food Revolution.

I'm hardly the first person to blog about this, but dang. I really love that show.

It made me want to get up and throw out every bit of nasty, processed food in my pantry and start from scratch.

Almost.

To throw away fudge-striped cookies is just wrong. So I ate them instead.

But I really do love this show. It has made me want to make some major changes in the way that we eat. It's not just healthier, but it is more natural.

It's cooking with fresh, un-processed food. It's looking at a label and not scratching our heads over the ingredients. It's more fruits, vegetables, home-cooked food. It's less chemicals, dyes and other what-nots.

Dave is really into the show too, so he is on board with making some changes. For us, but mostly for Hallie. She already loves her fruits and vegetables, so that's not difficult - although she hates onions. I don't get it??? Who loves broccoli and hates onions. I blame the Cat.

So we'll see. I'm making a list of goals. Stay tuned. Or not. Whatever.

I Blame the Cat.

In the hat, that is.

Have you SEEN this movie? It is full of nastiness, attitude and overall things you do not want your not-quite-four-year-old to watch.

And yet that is precisely what I let her do. You see, she was sick. And it was raining. And she wasn't really sleeping either. And that is a movie that keeps her quietly occupied.

But I am now enduring the aftermath. The curling of the lip (like Sally). The back talk (like Conrad). The mean things said, "I wish I had a different mother." - yes, she really said that. She followed it with, "that's what Conrad says." She doesn't even know really what that means.

BUT STILL.

The movie will be returned to its rightful owner (Barb) and will never be watched in our house again. Quiet or not, I'd like to wait until around age twelve before the hateful comments begin.

The Cat-in-the-Hat will NOT be back.

Plant of Death.

Wow, plant of death, wall of death....parents, don't let your kids come to the Masons!

Anyway, this tiny little plant,

We THINK, causes this.

It's so sad, isn't it? All little girls should be allowed to consume as many strawberries as their heart's desire.

And it might not be the strawberries. She definitely has allergies. Something got in her eye (while I was planting strawberry plants - yikes!) and made her swell up and break out.

Poor kiddo.

Go-Gurt.

I discovered Go-Gurt from Dusty Peterson in college at good ole Truman State University. Go Bulldogs!

Ahem.

Anyway, I thought they were rather gross at the time. Sucking yogurt from a tube did not appeal to me at the time, but WOW does it ever now!

Hallie has a tube (or two) of Go-Gurt nearly every morning. Actually, it's called "Simply Yo-Go" or something like that. No artificial stuff, high fructose stuff or whatever. AND THEY ARE PORTABLE.

So she can slurp one down in the truck, living room or wherever her sweet hear desires. I consider them healthy, fortifying and did I mention PORTABLE?

Yogurt in a tube. Brilliant.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice.

I can't get enough of these little girls.

And they can't get enough of each other.

And they love this great-grandma.

Which is very, very sweet.

Suds in the Bucket.

One of my joys in life is hanging clothes on the line. I feel so....so....house-wifey, which I believe should be my full-time job.

For now, I do what I can after the work day and on the weekends.

For now, that will have to be enough.

Wall of Death

We have a nine-foot retaining wall in our backyard. It's big and scary and makes me nervous for tiny tots who might take a tumble.

See? Can you see how far that is? I almost threw up taking that picture.

One of my favorite little boys almost fell to his death last Friday. It was time to do something about that wall. So what to do? Dave suggested a barbed or hotwire fence as a cheap, effective solution, but I decided on something a bit more humane.

Like, a wall of thorns! Awesome!

Dave and I planted Barberries in hopes they will grow quickly to form a thorny, formidable fence. Plus, they look sort of pretty.

For Abbie and Jess.

Get excited.

Onions.

It's Electric!

Why spend money to go to the St.  Louis Children's Museum when you do this for free?!

Me too.

Have you ever just have a weekend that was so fun and so happy inducing that you just can't stop having that "my life is so great and I am so content" feeling?

Bedtime Stories.

Last night, after a long struggle getting her to bed (one more hug! Another kiss! You didn't tuck me in! I can't reach purple baby! I need to potty! I need to poop! Turn my light up! Good night! You didn't say good night! ETC), this is what we heard five minutes after finally exiting her room.

Through the monitor.

Hallie: Daddy!

Hallie: Daddy!

Hallie: Daddy!?

Hallie: Dad.

Hallie: Dad.

Hallie: Daddy!

Hallie: Dave!

Hallie: Daaaavvveeee!

Hallie: Daddy!

(After a few minutes of this)

Dave: Yes?

Hallie: Um...(long pause). My piggy doesn't belong on my bed.

I love that kid.

Visiting.

My family has one talent that stands above the rest. We can talk.

Except,

we call it "visiting."

Visiting is the reason we start our gatherings as early as possible, and why we eat at two o'clock in the afternoon. Visiting is what we do before, during and after meals, and as late into the evening as possible.

Visiting is the only way we can catch up on someone's life in a small period of time.

And that's cool. Because we visit. It's why I love holidays. You might not see someone for two months, but now you have a chance to sit down and visit with them while you eat a delicious lemon cake! So we visit with Dave's family and then rush, rush, rush out to go to Missouri. And then visit with my family and then rush, rush, rush to head back to Illinois.

I despise the rush, but I love the visit.

So does Dave. He loves visiting. LOVES IT.

Feeling Coy.

I forgot my camera today. Again. I promised Aunt Liz that I would bring it so that she can finally get her hands on the super cute picture I took of her and her new boy, Coy. Yes, that is his name.

Anyway, the fam damnly finally had the opportunity to meet Coy on Easter. Yes, Aunt Liz chose to introduce him to us all at the same time on a big holiday. Wise move? Probably not.

You see, here's the thing about my family (dad's side). We are loud. Overwhelming, to say the least. We have loads of insides jokes and then we beat those jokes to death until we are so sick of hearing about Megan's six toes or where Nam Ma is buried that we just exhaust ourselves and take naps in front of everyone.

It's how we roll.

So, Coy had the pleasure of meeting the family and experiencing the jokes, the force-feeding ritual (grandma) and watch Lauren and Uncle Phil take naps in front of us all. I think Megan even started to fall asleep sitting straight up against the fire place.

He was asked for techology guidance when my dad couldn't figure out his new Mac (seriously). He was included in the jokes about six toes. He brought up Hooters in front of grandma. He does not have ear bumps.

I think he will do just fine.

Dave is Home.

See?

The Thrill of the Hunt.

Never before has the meaning of Easter meant so much to me. Never ever.

But while we try to drive the point home, at this point in time, EGGS and CANDY are the big sources of excitement for Hallie. Oh, and the Easter Bunny! She really wanted to talk on the phone to him to make sure he brought her something she really wanted. Weird.

He brought her the Barbie Potty Training Pups, by the way. Because he is a sucker.

Anyway, the weekend prior to Easter, we attended an annual easter egg hunt at a friend's house. It was a great time!