Cupcakes, Costumes and Chaos

I made the Barefoot Contessa's Coconut Cupcakes today. It was my sister's birthday yesterday and my Mom's is on Friday. So the crew and I are heading up there to visit them tomorrow. The fabulous food staging and photography was done by my aspiring photographer, Kodiak. He is very keen on building a portfolio since we investigated what colleges or universities offer photography degrees a few days ago. He chose this photo for me to share on the blog. We managed to make enough for sharing tomorrow and having a small taste today. They were so yummy! I have been looking for an excuse to make them for some time and am so glad I finally did.

We also made Kool Aid Playdough. Iceman and Turtle thought is was very cool that the Kool Aid colored the dough green. La Diva has been playing with it on and off most of the day. She has made cabbage rolls, cookies and other things out of the playdough.

One would think that with cupcakes and playdough we'd be having a great day. However, our Hero is away for work this week and that means that all heck breaks loose in the behavior department. He really isn't the sole disciplinarian and is much easier on them than I am most of the time. For some bizarre reason day 2 of his absence is always the day of chaos, sass mouths and deaf ears. I think they have finally got the clue that Mom is not putting up with any of it and they have found things to amuse themselves, are being helpful with the laundry and Kodiak even came and apologized for giving me so much attitude today. Woot! I'll take that as a small victory in my day.

You are asking yourselves how costumes fit into this equation. While I had tasked La Diva and the littles to go through the tickle trunk to try on the costumes in there. This way I can get things that are too small washed and out of my house in plenty of time for those looking for Halloween costumes. For reasons unknown to me this has been a near impossible feat for them to complete. So today I said get it done already so we can get this mess put away!!! So they got it done and Cody managed to snap this photo of one of Iceman's costume creations. He is apparently a cross between a mad scientist and "Bubbles". This kid is obsessed with his Bubbles face. One of our Hero's former employees, who Iceman adored, did a brilliant impersonation of Bubbles. So naturally Ice wanted to imitate Cpt. D but we never imagined that he would be so good at it. Now some of you may have no clue who Bubbles is and Isaac has only seen this character on the likes of Canadian New Satire Shows and the Juno awards. He is oblivious to what the Trailer Park boys represent and the full scope of the character that is Bubbles. He knows that he gets a giggle from everyone and that is all that really matters to him. For comparison purposes:

Venting!!!!!!

That always gets attention on internet forums. People flock to the posts that are moaning, complaining or griping about something or someone. I'm finding more often than not at one site I frequent that the vents are about their spouse. This aggravates me to no end. I am sure if the shoe was on the other foot that these same women would be loosing their minds to find that their DH's were venting to their buddies or co-workers or strangers on the internet about their behavior, their lack of action in certain aspects of their lives together, etc.

What does "venting" accomplish? I hear things like "if I don't get this off my chest I'm going to explode" or others who just vent to get commiseration or validation that they are somehow the right party in the situation. The thing is you are not getting a true picture of their relationship. You are getting a skewed view from their eyes of how perfect, hard working, Godly, hard done by or whatever they think they are. The fact of the matter is that it takes 2 to make a marriage and 2 to break a marriage. I just don't see how venting is an effective tool for making things better. If you are venting at your spouse he more than likely has tuned you out by the second sentence. If you are looking for commiseration or validation than you are wallowing in the problem rather than finding a solution. If you will explode if you don't "vent" to the world than you need to exercise some self-control.

Surely there is a better way to express our feelings than "venting". Surely our time is better spent looking for solutions to the things that drive you mad over letting them bottle up to the point that the need for an explosive vent occurs.

I hardly have all the answers nor do I live the perfect life free from controversy, disappointment or strong emotion. In fact, this is venting my frustration of these women bashing their men. So maybe it isn't the act of venting that bothers me so much but the bashing of ones spouse in that vent.

Proverbs 15:1~ A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

So incredibly thankful

The Hero has been passionate about firefighting and emergency services since he was a kid. He has thrown himself out of helicopters into forest fires, he has helped with an oilwell blowout, he has fought numerous fires in fields, forests, houses, industrial situations, vehicles etc. I know he knows his stuff. He also sells and wears the best safety gear available to firefighters. I try to put aside the dangers that come along with his passion. I try to just trust that he knows what he is doing and that God will keep him safe.

On Saturday I got that phone call with those words that a firefighters wife never wants to hear "I got hurt". The rollercoaster of emotions in a matter of seconds was very intense. The colour draining from my face and the tone of my voice was enough to even cause my tween to notice that something wasn't right. The Hero was in a house fighting the fire (that's my job he says. You are a volunteer and don't have to be a hero, I think.) and while trying to do his job a gigantic rock star like speaker that was mounted on the ceiling fell onto his foot. They originally thought it was an old school big box tv but after investigation in daylight discovered it was a gianormous speaker. He did not break his foot but crushed the ligaments which the doctor said will be more painful than a break. He has to stay off his feet for a week, his foot is very swollen and it hurts (more than he will ever let on). He has some killer drugs to take but they have him stoned into the next day so he doesn't like to take them at all.

Thankfully it wasn't life threatening. It will be a lesson in patience for my man who is used to going a million miles an hour. I'm just getting past the busyness and shock of it all and realizing how incredibly blessed we are that it wasn't worse and that it is something he will recover from without lasting ramifications. I'm thanking God for His protection of my Hero.

Chowder

It sure feels like summer is over around here. The weather has been very cool and our evenings out on the porch have disappeared along with the miserable weather. I'm still holding out for a bit of summer but did take advantage of that cool air to make some Cheddar Corn Chowder (this recipe by the Barefoot Contessa is the family favorite). We are not big soup eaters but chowder seems to pass as something more than soup in our house and everyone eats and enjoys it. That in itself is no small feat with 4 kids and a husband who can be fussy (even though he will never admit to that). Turtle put up a stink this time which I attribute to his sudden deep dislike for all things potato. He curled up his lip and started to pout when he discovered that he would be expected to eat more than the crusty french bread before him. Once our Hero removed the offending potatos from Turtle's bowl he was good to go.

Wisdom???

The Hero and I went to the dentist today and it turns out that both of us have to have our top wisdom teeth removed. Happy, happy, joy, joy! NOT!! Ugh. Why do they call them wisdom teeth? What is the purpose of them when everyone eventually gets them pulled out? Will I be less wise after September 10th? LOL. I guess the wise thing to do would be to put it out of my mind, trust that the dentist knows what he is talking about and pray that my recovery will be quick and easy.


Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens. - Jimi Hendrix

Happy Anniversary! Happy Anniversary!

13 years of marriage. WOW! We've sure come a long way in our life together. In those 13 years we've had 4 beautiful children, lost a babe, moved 8 times, changed jobs, quit working, achieved dreams, revised the plan a zillion times, cried, fought, laughed, prayed, loved, had moments of despair, mediocrity, uncertainty and pure joy. I'm so very thankful for every moment of it for it has made us the strong couple we are today. We are in an amazing place in our marriage and I am thankful every moment for my wonderful husband. I Love You so much! Happy Anniversary to my Hero.

True love does not come by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.~ Jason Jordan

You've Got Mail

I just finished watching this movie on TV. It is one of my favorites. Our first date movie was Sleepless in Seattle so I've always been a sucker for Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. We were in a Mom and Pop bookstore on our vacation. Our kids thought it was very cool. It dawned on me that they had only been to the big box Chapters for books before. Little book stores are rarely found in the towns we have lived in and we've not made the effort to find them in our neighboring cities. It really is too bad that those Shop Around the Corner type places are becoming fewer. We used to shop in those eclectic areas of our city before kids. They aren't so stroller friendly or spacious for our huge tribe so it is a rare event when we get to those areas to shop. I think this weekend while we are sans crew we need to head down to one of my old haunts in our neighboring city and check out some non-chain shopping.

If anyone cared

I'm a bit of an idiot when it comes to blogging so I don't know if I can add a video here or not so instead I will offer up a link: http://www.veoh.com/videos/v369810QkmXjc5t

I've always enjoyed Nickelback's music. I think it is a flashback to those rocker days as a young adult. This song has really struck me and I recently watched the video and it hit home why I love it so much.

Last week a woman was brutally assaulted and murdered on a city street, 3 people have been found to have heard her cries but did nothing. How many others heard those cries and also did nothing? Does anyone care?

My DH is a volunteer Firefighter and is constantly faced with ignorant people who are too busy on their cell phone or too wrapped up in their own hurry to be somewhere to get out of the way of a gigantic fire truck with lights and sirens blazing. One day it could be your Mom or spouse or Gramma or child that they are racing to help. Move out of the way, show some respect!! There is an old lady in town whose hedge is very close to the fire hydrant that is down the street from the hall. They use this hydrant to refill their trucks and every single time she calls to complain that they knocked leaves off of her hedge. In any other place her hedge would just be cut down because it is too close to the hydrant. They are volunteers for crying out loud. Does anyone care?

The economy is booming but homelessness is growing, the food bank shelves are empty, children are going hungry. Does anyone care?

Darfur, Sudan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iraq, China....... Does anyone care?

If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
We'd see the day when nobody died

Bend it Like Kodiak

This spring/summer we have been all about soccer. All 4 of the kids played but this was truly Kodiak's year to shine. He had an amazing year and learned so many skills. He has always enjoyed playing soccer but this was the year it became a passion. He has bought books on drills and skills, he practices for endless hours with his little brothers, his buddy across the street, his sister or on his own. He has a soccer ball on a sort of bungee teather to help him with his footwork. He pours over his World Cup program (thanks to Auntie Mel), studies his books, watches the stats and takes in as many games as he can.

We had a free subscription to soccer TV on the satellite and when that ran out he offered up his bottle return money if we would add it to the subscription again. LOL - those were slurpees being offered up for the love of the game. We said if he loved it that much he could keep his bottle money as long as he kept up with his chores.

We were really fortunate to have the FIFA U20 games in Canada this year and we travelled into our neighboring city to take almost all of them in. One day Cody, a friend and his sister sat in garbage bags during an unexpected downpour while Dad shivered in the cold alongside them. He said nothing short of lightening was making those kids leave that game.

I imagine that there will be indoor soccer this fall which will be a good extra curricular to keep him busy as he hits Jr. High. As it stands he hopes to improve his skills and to maybe get a scholarship for university from his passion for soccer. He knows that not everyone gets the $140,000.00/day for warming a bench like Beckham.

Rare Turtle Sighting

Turtle is a happy boy who is always singing, smiling, smirking, dancing, etc but catching those moments on camera are next to impossible. This rare moment was captured by Kodiak who has taken a keen interest in photography lately. He aspires to be a wildlife photographer/next David Beckham at the moment.

A picture worth 1000 words

Iceman is a character to say the least. This photo, taken by his brother, captures his crazy personality so well. He is doing his infamous "Bubbles" face combined with his Reitmans commercial modeling pose. His name means "laughter" and he certainly lives up to it on a daily basis. We are always cracking up over his antics.

I'm getting all grown up....

Ice has discovered that turning 7 is a big deal. He decided his idea of utopia at Chuck E. Cheese last night as he declared "I'm in heaven!!". Today he lost his first baby tooth to cries of "I'm growing to be such a big boy now!!" Where did my overdue little baby go?

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