Warning! Do not use operate while still sleepy.

I am going to submit this as a recommendation to add to the warning tag on Rowenta Steam Irons.

Have you ever wondered who did something so stupid that now the company has to add warnings to the label (remember McDonalds getting sued because the coffee was hot?). WELL...I now know how that happens.

Imagine that the entire underside of your right wrist, stretching up around the base and ¾ of the way up your thumb is lobster red and burning like heck. That is what happens when you are still half asleep and attempt to iron.

I thought my steam iron was out of water, never even thinking that Patrick most likely used said iron that same hour. As I unscrewed the pressure plug, steam started shooting out from around the plug. Unwisely thinking that if I released the pressure more the steam would stop, I kept unscrewing the plug. WELL…the steam did eventually stop, after I had unscrewed the entire plug and watched as steam and a geyser of water shot up from the iron and hit the ceiling of my living room so hard the water came back down simulating a downpour and scaring the heck out of me, Morgan, AND the dog.

As a result I have a BAD steam burn. Not blisters bad, but bad like it's been 5 hours and my skin STILL feels like it is on fire. I had to do some major first aid with my non-dominant hand...but I think I did a pretty good job.

What do you think? So if you ever read a Rowenta iron warning label and it says "Do not operate while sleepy" you can smile and say that you know why.

At the Pumpkin Patch

Today we took our annual trip just across the state line to Rich Farms for Kids Day at the Farm (also known as the pumpkin patch).

We started off with a hay ride (in which we did not sit on hay) around the farm. We happened to sit down right next to Morgan's pediatrician and his kids. We recognized him....I am not too sure if he completely recognized us.

A view of the barn from the hay(less) ride.

This pumpkin was huge!

We went inside the barn to find some new things added from last year (tables to paint your pumpkins, two rides, and horse swings like the one Morgan is riding below.

Morgan kindly indulged me while we took the requisite posed pictures...


We got to see some of the farm animals, and even pet a few.

AND.......Morgan got her pumpkin.

It was chilly, but not cold. The sky was a blue as I have seen in a while. It was just a great day to enjoy the Fall weather and fun at Rich Farms.

Enjoying Fall

It was such a lovely day in WV today that Morgan and I decided to take advantage of the fair weather and to go Cooper's Rock State Forest near our home. Morgan was very excited to walk through the forest and pick up leaves. We spent about an hour and had a great time!

I just love this picture...don't ask me why.

My favorite fall leaf color is red!

Then we came home and got a few pictures on our "carpet" of leaves!

Not Me! Monday

It's been a while since I have done a Not Me! post as part of MckMama's blog carnival. It's not that I haven't done a lot of things, it is just that I have been too busy to breathe, let alone blog about silly little things I most certainly did NOT do over the past months. BUT...since I have a break in the action, I thought I would share some things that definitely did not happen in our house recently.

I did NOT pour Morgan a bowl of cereal and invite her to eat it in Mommy's big bed while watching cartoons so that I could get a few more minutes of sleep! We do NOT eat in our beds at home, nope, not ever.

I did NOT bribe my daughter to wear the coat I wanted her to wear by saying I would give her smarshmallows (that's how she says it) if she would choose Mommy's pick over hers. I never use bribery. I always use rational thinking.

I did NOT call the dog to clean up something I spilled on the kitchen floor. Nope, I always find the broom and dust pan and clean it up properly. I also always know where my broom and dust pan are.

I did NOT weed out Morgan's toys while she was still in the room, explaining that they were going to live in the basement. I always explain that the boxed up toys are going to the Salvation Army. Morgan always understands this and NEVER throws a huge fit about losing some of her precious but not played with in over a year toys.

Aren't you glad I didn't do any of those things? If you are in the mood for some good laughs, head over to MckMama's blog and check out what other people didn't do this past week!

Good Friends from Afar...

Today we met up with Morgan's not-so-long but very lost (or missed really) friend, James, and his parents. They drove to Pittsburgh and Morgantown this weekend from their new home in Maryland to celebrate James' 2nd birthday. I didn't tell Morgan that we were going to see James until this morning. I asked her to guess who we were going to see. Her first guess was Santa (sigh). When I said it was a friend she hadn't seen in a while, her eyes got HUGE and she said "James???" When I said yes, she got SO excited!

We met up with the Risks, and two other families from work/game night group, the Georges and the Gums, at the mall. Our mall has a great play place that is free and we let the kids (Allie, Morgan, Thane, and James) run around and play together for about an hour before we hit the food court for lunch and CAKE!

James and his Mama exchange butterfly kisses.

This boy loves his cake!

The best picture we got of 4 kids 5 and under.

Morgan had such a good time! She misses James so much and enjoyed spending the time with all the kids.

Kitchen Miscues

Twice this week I have had some major kitchen mishaps. Now, I have stated many times before that I am by no means a cook. I do know how to follow basic recipes and my "home cooked" meals typically consist of box meals that require me to simply add the chicken. Yes, it is better than fast food, but it's not any good definition of home cooking.

Inspired by The Cooks Next Door, I set out on Sunday to make a delicious pot of spaghetti sauce. Patrick loves to come home, walk in the door, and smell sauce cooking. To tell you the truth, I love it too :) Sauce was on, spices were added, aroma was wafting, and my mouth was already watering as I thoguth about the night's dinner.

I am not really sure when things went awry...but when I checked on the pot a few hours later, something was VERY wrong. My sauce, my delicious sauce was BROWN. And crusty on the top. One stir confirmed my fears....the sauce was burned. It was edible, but not good. Patrick was kind enough to eat it. Morgan, my little truthful cherub, refused. She was the only smart one!

Fast forward to Wednesday night. I was making a cake for a friend's birthday that called for a coconut topping. Thinking that it would make the cake look a little nicer if the coconut was toasted, I set about doing that. Taking the idea from one of the Cooks, I put the coconut on a cookie sheet, and threw it in the oven, thinking that I would check on it in a few minutes. My mistake was not setting a timer.

I sat down to work on a blog post for another blog. A while later I smelled coconut. ACK! I didn't check on the "toasted" coconut. Here is what I found:

Ugh. So much for lightly brown tipped coconut flakes. That meant another run to the store. Thankfully I was able to "fix" this problem before the party (it's in the morning). I haven't cooked anything more complex than Easy Mac since Sunday. I was going to try my hand at a homemade apple pie, but after the latest burning I am questioning if I should be cooking at all!

Thinking of you, sweet babe

Today is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day, signed by the US House of Representatives as House Resolution #22 September 28, 2006 (ooohhh, my niece Julia's birthday).

Today I remember my sister-in-law, Amy, and the sweet babe our family lost to miscarriage in May 2008. I hope someday to meet that precious child when it is time for me to go be with the Lord.

Our family can rejoice, however, with the anticipated arrival of Amy's third baby due in less than 2 months!

If you get a moment today, pray for all those families who have been touched deeply by the loss of a precious child.

Do not fear death

I got this as an e-mail forward today and felt moved enough to want to share:

A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said,

'Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.'

Very quietly, the doctor said, 'I don't know.'

'You don't know? You're, a Christian man, and don't know what's on the other side?'

The doctor was holding the handle of the door;

On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said,

'Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside.

He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.

I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing...

I know my Master is there and that is enough.'

A Tale of Two Sickos--volume 1

Morgan and I have managed to catch the first wave of "daycare crud". Well, Morgan brought it home and shared it with me. She has enough mucus coming out of her nose and EYES (yes, it was coming out of her eyes) to match all of the mucus she has ever been sick with. I have a feeling this winter will be hard on both of us. One of the things that we were spoiled with when Morgan was with Ms. Ellen was the fact that although Morgan was in day care, she was the only one there, and rarely got the sniffles.

Morgan had such a cough. She'd cough and say to me "Mommy, I made my noise again. Is it time for medicine?" She was pretty miserable. Thankfully I am sure she's almost at the end of this cold, since her nose has dried up a good bit and her cough is almost gone.

I, on the other hand, still have it. As I told my supervisor on Friday, it's not bad enough to stay home from work, but just enough to make you totally miserable. My cough has decreased, but when I do cough it's rather gross. And my poor sinuses are so packed that I have had a constant sinus headache since Wednesday. I have a bad feeling I shared the cold with my pregnant sister-in-law (bad girl!). Hopefully I will be able to get some rest today and try to get better. All I have to say is thank goodness for Puffs Plus with Vicks!

Morgan's Fuzzy Find

Last night Morgan found this fuzzy caterpillar crawling around our front porch step. I was content on just looking...Morgan, being the curious kid she is, insisted Mommy pick it up (EWWWW) and put it in her hand. Since my mothering brain said "Don't touch it, it might be poisonous" (actually it said Oh my gosh don't touch that disgusting, creepy, crawly thing!) I managed to find an empty water bottle and scoop it ever so gently into the bottle.

Having the opportunity to teach with this little yellow and black bug, I jumped on the internet and found out a few things about this caterpillar. It's an American Dagger Moth caterpillar.

Morgan wanted to keep it as a pet. I told her we can't keep it, but I would allow her to take it to school in the morning and share it with her friends before it is set free.

What it Looks Like: Long. Yellow. Fuzzy. Black “spikes” (called lashes). 36 jointed body parts.

Where it Lives: Colder climates (northeastern US and Canada).

What it Eats: leaves of alder, ash, birch, elm, hickory, maple, oak, poplar, walnut, willow and other deciduous trees

What does it do?: The caterpillar goes into his cocoon in October, sleeps all winter, and comes out of his cocoon as a moth in the spring.

Can we touch it?: It’s not a good idea. Their fuzz can cause a bad rash!

Can we keep it?: If you want to keep it, simply place it in a large jar/tupperware container, with some food (leaves--Maple, Oak, Birch and many others), and wait, clean the container every 2-3 days. When he spins a cocoon, leave the jar in a cold, sheltered location for the winter. A garage or shed works very well. In the spring, keep it warm and it will emerge as a moth.

I hope the teachers don't mind the minor detour on their teaching schedule. Morgan was so excited about it, I figured the other kids would too. Plus, it got it out of my house!! I swear, I didn't sleep all night because I kept thinking that the caterpillar was loose and heading toward my ear or mouth or nostril or something! (I know....there has to be some sort of deep, underlying explanation for this crazy fear).

Meeting Mr. Thirsty

Morgan went to the dentist for the first time yesterday. It was supposed to be a "happy" visit where the kids get to come, play with all the dental toys, ride in the chair, and go home with lots of prizes. We got a bonus from Morgan...who allowed the hygienist to "tickle her teeth" with the polisher. Sadly, I did not have my camera (GRRR) so I didn't get the actual visit on film, but Morgan did get this nifty book and a bunch of prizes.

Just look at all of those beautiful teeth!

The hygienist was SO nice...she let Morgan shoot water from the water/air tool at her plant across the room. Morgan was very patient while letting her count Morgan's teeth and use the mirror to see all of her alligator teeth. Morgan was most impressed with "Mr. Thirsty" (the sucking tool that I call the slobber sucker....maybe my friend Alaina can tell me the real name for that tool some day). She wanted to suck water out of everything except her own mouth! I suggested she use it to clean out her horribly stuffy nose, but sadly no one else thought that was a good idea :) Morgan was still talking about Mr. Thirsty this morning.

Overall her teeth look great. I also had a dentist appointment yesterday, and while I can report no cavities (YAY!) it was hardly a "happy" visit. I always leave the dentist feeling as if someone has totally violated my gums...they HURT! I don't know if I am just sensitive or if my torturer..er..hygienist is just a little hard on my mouth. In any event, we are both done until April, thank goodness.

Like Father, Like Daughter

Identity

Identity is a funny word. According to the dictionary, identity is defined as "the collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is definitively recognizable or known". People, by their very nature have lots of words that combine to form one's identity. And a person's identity can be defined differently by different people describing the same person.

If you've checked in on Life in Small Town USA, you may have noticed that I have been changing the background on our blog. A lot. I have been searching for the perfect look for our family site. Something I felt would help define where we are coming from, what we believe in, and what we respect. It may seem easy, but I think the constant change in this blog site is a direct parallel to my own personal life. I've gotten a new haircut (which I like by the way), tried to get back on the exercise ball to one day get a slimmer body. Like this blog I have been searching for something or things in my life to "perfectly" define who I am.

It's so easy to let yourself get defined by who you think you are, or who you want to be. It's rare to find someone who is willing to be defined by God. As a severe Type A personality, I strive for perfection, excellence, and a set of clearly defined characteristics. Square pegs in square holes, round pegs in round holes, everything has a place and is in its place. Nothing out of order.

Unfortunately, for all the realists in the crowd, that is more the execption than the rule of life. I think the major flaws in trying to define yourself is people want to define themselves in the perfect light. What are the words that you use to define yourself? Are any of them less than shining? Words like sinner. Obsessive. Short tempered. Pessimistic. In all honesty, those words are definitely a part of my "identity". But when someone asks me to list words that I identify myself with, the less than shining words never come up. I conveniently forget those words when I am asked to write a set of characteristics to define myself.

Although I fail to remember this most of the time, thankfully there are those who continue to love me with the shining and the duller defining words. My God places people here to remind me that He loves me, in spite of the not so nice identity characteristics. He will always be there, love me, and support me just as these wonderful people on Earth do for me. And I have been put here to provide that love and support to others who need it.

Sometimes we all need a little change to revisit who we are, both shining and dull, and I think it helps give perspective to where we are heading in life. So bear with me as I make some changes....both in the virtual world and in real life.