Menu plan for...this...week

Hey y'all.  How was your weekend?  Mine was...wet.  And a little bit muddy.  I may have had to throw away a pair of shoes.

Only four more days of school for kiddos in our neck of the woods.  Due to final exams, today is AKD's last day of classes.  It always comes up fast, but this year, it was crazy fast.

Anyway, you know the drill.  Don't expect weekly menu posts from here on out.  If I do post them, they'll just be a lovely surprise for ya.  As always, if you find yourself missing the weekly menu inspiration, check the archives.  I've got you covered, friends.

By the way, I'm still loving putting my (permanently borrowed) bread machine to work mixing and kneading my yeast doughs.  It does such a great job, and requires so little effort from me.  I'm keeping it on top of my fridge, just in case you were wondering.  Accessible enough to use a couple of times a week, but not taking up space on my counter.  We hardly ever use the things stored in that cupboard above the fridge anyway (because I can't reach them without a step stool).

Here's what's on the menu this week:

Supper:

• Hamburgers, with or without buns, salad, grilled broccoli
• BLTs, carrots, fresh fruit
• Grilled chicken breasts, salad, cooked carrots
• Hot dogs or brats, buns, chips, fresh veggies & fruit
• Chicken nachos with taco toppings, guacamole
• Grilled steak, grilled potato packets, broccoli/cauliflower/carrots

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Other:

• Cinnamon swirl bread
• Skinny banana chocolate chip muffins
• Canned pinto and black beans

Menu plan for the week of May 23

AKD got his watch back the other day.  Actually, they decided to send him a new one.  That was nice of them, wasn't it?  They did not, however, send our rocks back.  Not to worry--my sis sent me some.  So we're all good.

Here's what's on the menu this week:

Supper:

• BLTs, sugar snap peas, applesauce
• Kielbasa & cauliflower stir fry, salad, carrots
• Chicken tacos, fresh salsa, guacamole
• Hot dogs or brats with buns, grilled broccoli
• Chicken skewers, salad
• Hobo pies
• Grilled ham and/or cheese sandwiches

Can you tell we're entering the home stretch here?  Nine more days of school.  Minimal effort, y'all.  Minimal effort.

Unstuffed by Ruth Soukup: a review

Ruth Soukup's new book, Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind & Soul, is not a typical decluttering book.  In it, the author talks about decluttering our spaces, yes, but she also talks about decluttering our minds and our souls as well.  I have long been aware of the connection between my environment and my mind.  If my environment is chaotic, so are my thoughts.  It stands to reason that it does no good to take care of decluttering my physical space, without addressing the mental and soul clutter as well.  If I don't address the inner issues, the outer clutter manifestation will creep back in.

The book is divided into three sections: home, mind, and soul, and each section is further divided into three chapters with themes such as creating a vision for your home, storage, kids, schedule, other people's stuff, cultivating real relationships, and finding balance in a chaotic world.  Ms. Soukup uses a mixture of personal stories and practical advice to inspire her readers to make lasting meaningful changes in their lives.

I really liked this book, and found it incredibly inspiring.  That's noteworthy, because often books about decluttering or cleaning leave me feeling discouraged and defeated.  It's a quick and easy read, and contains practical, doable suggestions for unstuffing your life.

For a small taste of what the book is about, enroll in the free Unstuffed 10 day challenge.

Ruth Soukup blogs at Living Well Spending Less.

I received this book for free from the publisher through Book Look Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.

Because we can

Whenever I go with my kiddos to someplace with an elevator, someplace where we need to go to the second or third floor--the library and our church come to mind--my younger kiddos will always beg, "can we take the elevator?"  I always tell them no, and when they ask me why, I tell them that we should take the stairs because we can.  They don't get it, but maybe someday they will.  In my head, I am thinking that the elevator should be reserved for people who need it.  Mamas with strollers, or folks in wheelchairs or with walkers, which is true, although I don't think those folks would mind waiting a minute or two for us to finish our ride, especially at those particular places.  But we don't need to use the elevator, so we don't.

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The other day, my trainer put a different spin on my elevator schtick when she challenged us to work out because we can, in honor of someone who can't.  She said it's likely that all of us has someone in our lives who would love to be able to do burpees or run sprints or do squats, but for whatever reason, they can't.

Do you have someone like that?  I do.  And it just tears me up that he is no longer able to do what I can do, what he used to be able to do--it's devastating.  I spent that entire third circuit with tears in my eyes, because I am heart-broken for him...and thankful for myself.

I don't love burpees.  I don't love sprints.  I don't love squats.  I don't love them because those things are hard.  I don't love them, but I will continue doing them just as long as I can.  Because I can.  None of us knows what the future holds for us, but for now, I will, because I can, in honor of those who can't.

Menu plan for the week of May 16

It's my Mama's birthday today.  And my nephew's birthday.  Happy birthday, GrandMary and BL!  We are not having birthday cake in their honor, but here's what we are having.

Three more weeks of school, by the way...

Supper:

• Fend for yourself
• Spaghetti, green beans, garlic toast
• Chicken tacos, fresh salsa, guacamole (thank you, Lisa!)
• Nachos, fresh veggies
• Pizza or cauliflower crust pizza, salad
• Marinated beef kabobs, grilled onion, pepper, and mushroom kabobs, grilled green veggie
• Grilled bone-in chicken breast, grilled potato packets, carrots & snap peas

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Other:

• Chocolate chip graham cracker (mini) muffins
• Rice Krispie treats

A giggle for you on a rainy Friday

(at least it's not Monday, amIright?)

This used to annoy me, but now it just makes me shake my head.  Here's a screen shot of one of my mystery shops.

Did you catch it?  Probably not.  It's awfully small.

Still too small?  How's this?

Yup.  There are 21 questions in this survey, and I completed 23.  I am an overachiever.  I excel at answering survey questions.  They should give me a bonus because I am so good at this.

However, even though I answered more questions than the survey even contains, I still missed one.  A required one.

 

Not quite sure how that's even possible.

Then again, I am pretty talented.

Spreading cheer

Y'all know I'm a mystery shopper--that means I go into businesses anonymously and evaluate customer service and adherence to policies.  My very favorite assignment is shipping shops.  I actually get paid, on top of being reimbursed for my out of pocket shipping cost, to ship packages.  So. Much. Fun.

One of the requirements for these shops is that the box needs to weigh a certain amount.  This has led to me shipping some pretty random things, just to get up to the weight I need.  I sent a box of baking soda to my mama one time.  And my sis is used to me telling her she can recycle or give away or whatever she wants to do with the stuff I send her.  Her kids, by the way, are convinced that Aunt Scarlet gives the best gifts.  I guess they enjoy random?

AKD bought himself a GPS watch not too long ago, and it decided to stop connecting to satellites.  Since connecting to satellites is kind of important to the GPS function, that's kind of a problem.  The watch is under warrenty, so he contacted the company to ask what he should do.  They told him to ship the watch back and they would either fix it or send him a new one.

Meanwhile, I was assigned a couple of these shipping shop assignments, and decided, rather than paying to ship that watch back, I'd like to be paid.

So yesterday, AKD printed out the required paperwork, while I found a box and started adjusting the weight.  I was going to send them baking soda, but AKD thought that would be too weird, so we settled on rocks.  Four rocks in a ziplock bag.  Perfect.  Yeah, because baking soda is weird.

Next I needed packing material, but somehow, we didn't have any newsprint in the house.  I really don't know how this can be, since I'm saving it to suppress weeds in my garden.  So looking around for expendable paper, I decided to use the last of the homemade Christmas wrapping paper that Bubby and I painted in December.

So the watch and rocks were packed securely.  Now all we needed was packaging tape.  Except we ran out of packaging tape...oh, four months ago...and I haven't gotten around to buying any more.  What we do have is snowflake tape.

Oh yes, we do.  And oh yes, I did.

As we stood in the kitchen, taping up the package and addressing it, AKD started to giggle.  Imagine, if you will, a box, sent to a business's customer service department.  A box wrapped in snowflake tape.  A box containing, not just the merchandise to be fixed or replaced, but also hand painted Christmas wrapping paper...and four rocks.  

We're gonna make somebody's day, he said.  I can guarantee you, they have never received a box sealed with snowflake tape...with rocks in it.

I'm pretty sure he's right.  This is the stuff of legend right here.  This box is going to be talked about in the breakroom for ages.

We are absolutely doing a good deed today.  That's us, spreading cheer, one malfunctioning watch at a time.  You're welcome, world.

The Fold: a Novel, a review

Step into the fold.  It's perfectly safe.  

From the back cover:

The folks in Mike Erickson's small New England town would say he's just your average, ordinary guy.  And that's exactly how he likes it.  Sure, the life he's chosen isn't much of a challenge to someone with his unique gifts, but he's content with his quiet and peaceful existence.

That is, until an old friend presents him with an irresistible mystery, one that he is uniquely qualified to solve: a team of DARPA scientists has invented a device that "folds" dimensions, promising to make mankind's dreams of teleportation a reality.  Yet evidence is mounting that this miraculous machine isn't quite what it seems--and that its creators are harboring a dangerous secret.

As his investigations draw him deeper into the puzzle, Mike begins to fear there's only one answer that makes sense.  And if he's right, it may only be a matter of time before the project destroys...everything.

The Fold: A Novel by Peter Clines is not the kind of book I usually read, but I was hooked from the start--I found it hard to put down, and finished it within a couple of days.  The characters were unique and believable, and the writing was compelling.  Mr. Clines masterfully drew me in to his world.  I enjoyed the concept of the ending, the idea of what was really happening with the fold, but found the final reveal a bit tedious--I feel like it could have ended a little sooner.

Bottom line: while I don't usually enjoy science fiction, I found this novel interesting and compelling.  And there's no way I'm going in the Fold.  :)

I received this book for free from the publisher through Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jesus Today: Devotions for Kids by Sarah Young, a review

Jesus Today: Devotions for Kids by Sarah Young, adapted by Tama Fortner, is a devotional book for kids adapted from the ECPA 2013 Christian Book of the Year winner Jesus Today.  The book includes 150 short, one-page devotions, accompanied by 2-4 related scriptures written out on the facing page.  Interspersed throughout are two page spreads with an inspiring quote and an additional Bible reference.  The book also includes a scripture index.  

The problem I have always had with this book, and others by Sarah Young, is that the devotions are written in the first person, as if Jesus was speaking.  It seems a bit presumptuous of Ms. Young to speak for Jesus--if I want to know what Jesus has to say, I can read the Bible.  Ms. Young does a terrific job, though, of basing her words on scripture.  She lifts words straight from the accompanying Bible verses, and those words are italicized in the devotional reading so the reader knows they are scriptural.

I love the messages in the pages of this book.  As I mentioned, everything is based in scripture, and I have found tremendous hope and reassurance.  The devotions are written in language that young children can easily understand, with themes appropriate for children, and the short, two-page per devotion format is perfect for kiddos who are about 8-12 years old.

The main problem I still have with this book, though, is it feels terribly awkward to read these out loud, and reading out loud is how my family does devotions--none of my kiddos reads devotions on their own.  If they did, this book would be a terrific option for them.  It feels a bit blasphemous for me to be reading, out loud, something like, "I watch over and protect everyone who loves Me.  Let this promise of mine comfort you.  This promise is for you because you love Me."  As if it's actually me, and not Jesus.  I've adapted by replacing I and Me with Jesus when I read out loud, but that has been cumbersome.

Bottom line: this scripturally based devotional can be a great resource for families, if you can get over the first person writing perspective.

I received this book for free from Book Look Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.

Menu plan for the week of May 9

Hey y'all.  Did you have a nice Mama's day yesterday?  In the Bluefield household, we celebrated by the kids hanging on me, patting and poking me, and touching my face incessantly.  There was also a fair amount of whining and complaining.  So, it was pretty much like any other day.  I was talking to my Mama, and my Dad told her she should let me go spend time with my family.  Little did he know I was barricaded in my bedroom, hiding from my family at the time.

I love 'em.  I really do, but and it would be really nice to get a real day off every once in a while.

So...back to work.  You'll notice bread on the menu this week.  I am really loving using the bread machine to mix and knead my dough, then shaping it and baking it in my oven--it's really working out well.  The only problem is remembering that I need to stick around to take the dough out of the bread machine, and then to bake it after its second rise.

Here's what's on the menu this week:

Supper:

• Chicken to go biscuits, green beans, peaches, salad
• Crock pot lasagna soup, steakhouse rolls, fresh fruit
• BLTs
• Nachos, taco toppings, guacamole
• Pizza
• Cub Scout dinner
• Hot dogs or brats with buns, chips, grilled broccoli

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Other:

• Chocolate chip graham cracker (mini) muffins
• Cinnamon swirl bread
• Taco bean soup
• Peanut butter chocolate energy bars
• Low salt honey whole wheat bread

Menu plan for the week of May 2

Five weeks and counting, people.

Here's what's on the menu this week:

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Supper:

• Mexican chicken rice casserole, broccoli/cauliflower/carrots
• Angel hair or spaghetti squash with meat sauce, green beans, salad, garlic toast
• Crispy coconut chicken, cooked carrots, fresh fruit
• Nachos, taco toppings, guacamole
• Pizza, salad, fresh fruit
• Summer sausage hobo packets, grilled asparagus
• Hamburgers, steakhouse honey whole wheat rolls, salad, carrots, chips

Lunch/other:

• Pizza sauce for canning
• Egg roll in a bowl
• Chocolate chip skillet cookie
• Overnight waffles
• Healthy & homemade twix bars

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Tidbits

I haven't forgotten about you, my friends!  It just seems like every time I think I should write a blog post, there are other, more pressing things to take care of, like...well, I'm not sure exactly.  I've got 28 minutes before I need to be out the door for my next adventure (because a walk with a friend followed by a trip to a warehouse store definitely qualifies as an adventure), and I intend to fill them with writing random thoughts and sharing random unedited photos in this blog post to you.  Because I love you.

You're right.  That makes no sense.  But!  It doesn't have to :)

My turkeys!  Love them!

My youngest son, Bubby, has worn his shoes on the wrong feet so often (including to the dentist the other day, where the hygienist noticed and commented on his foot-shoe placement), that now, they feel wrong when they're right.  I'm sure there's a philosophical extrapolation we can make in this instance, but now I'm down to 22 minutes, so let's move on.

Bubby is in 2nd grade.  And AKD wanted me to show you these pictures.

Bubby finally consented to me reading the Chronicles of Narnia to him.  We have all seven books in one volume, so it's a really big book.

What I didn't exactly expect, was for him to be so wrapped up in the story that he would insist on reading it himself when I wasn't available to do so.

Yup.  He read all that.  I'm contemplating reading The Hobbit next, but since we don't own a copy, I'm trying to decide if I think we can read it in the amount of time the library is willing to let us borrow it.

I guess I should mention that these pics are not in chronological order.  You're ok with that, right?

AKD is in the STEM+ Academy at school.  No, I'm not sure what the + is.  Here he is posing with his group for their interdisciplinary collaborative project for fall semester.

I love how they're all wearing tennies with their fancy clothes.

Bubby went to work with his Daddy one day in March.  And when I say he went to work, I mean, he really went to work.

There were some organized activities for the kiddos, but there were also times when the kids were just with their parents.  Bubby and some of the kiddos decided to build a factory.  Here he is on the phone with the design group.  And in the conference room with the core team.

The boys and I went on a hike during spring break.

Doesn't necessarily look very springy, does it?

Two minutes left!  I'd say this was a successful photo dump.  I still have all these random thoughts to share, but those will have to wait until next time.  Til then--love y'all!

Menu plan for the week of April 25

Guess what, y'all!  Only six more weeks of school left.  I know this because I printed out the last school menu the other day, and thought to myself, what?  Last school menu for the year?  I know.  Crazy, right?

I say this to prepare you for the fact that I'm a slacker during my kids' summer "break".  I might publish some menus, but it certainly will not be every week, and maybe not at all.  It'll be ok, though.  I've got you covered--there are more than two years' worth of menus in the archives.

In the meantime, here's what's on the menu this week:

Supper:

• Texas jambalaya, broccoli/cauliflower/carrots, salad
• Tacos, tortillas, taco toppings, guacamole
• Out to eat
• Chicken tacos or mini pepper chicken nachos, tortillas, taco toppings, guacamole
• Texas toast garlic bread pizza, salad, fresh fruit
• Fajita chicken kabobs, salad, grilled cauliflower
• Hamburgers, with or without buns, salad, carrots, caramel apple salad

Other:

• Baked oatmeal (or, as my girl Lisa's kids call it: oatmeal cake)
• Fitabulous clean eating muffins
• Chocolate peanut energy bites
• Honey whole wheat bread
• Taco seasoned beef & turkey

Menu plan for the week of April 18

My friend gave me her bread machine, and I got a chance to test it out last week.  Truthfully, I was a bit disappointed by the loaf it baked.  It was super fun to listen and watch as the machine did its thing, but the loaf sunk in the middle and the crust was pretty thick.  Then, of course, there's the whole hole in the bottom where the blade was issue.  I also used the dough cycle to mix, knead, and rise my pizza dough the other day, and that bread machine did a phenomenal job.  That dough was so smooth, and elastic, and window pane-y.  I am so pleased, and excited by the bread-making possibilities.  Now I just need to figure out how I can do two loaves at once.  This week I'm planning on having it knead some whole wheat dough for me to make into cinnamon swirl bread.  Nummy!

Today is day 10 of my latest friendship bread cycle, and I'm sending my yeasty friends off to the freezer for another extended stay.  Before I do, as a last hurrah before hibernation, I'll be making Pistachio Pineapple Coconut Friendship Bread Cake  and Chocolate Chocolate Coconut Friendship Bread Muffins.  Not because I'm particularly fond of coconut, but because these recipes both sound special and delicious--I'm hoping the chocolate coconut will taste a little something like Mounds.  I'm planning on pawning off most of them to unsuspecting teachers and Hubby-coworkers.

Here's what else is on the menu this week:

Supper:

• Kielbasa cauliflower stir fry, applesauce, carrots
• Tacos, tortillas, taco toppings
• Chicken pot pie, mixed veggies, salad
• Rice burgler, broccoli/cauliflower/carrots, salad
• Pizza or zucchini crust pizza, salad, fresh fruit
• Hot beef sandwiches, buns, cooked carrots, salad
• Grilled pork chops, baked potatoes, grilled green veggie, applesauce

Kielbasa and cauliflower stir fry
from Center Cut Cook

Other:

• Cinnamon swirl bread
• Pistachio Pineapple Coconut Friendship Bread Cake
• Chocolate Chocolate Coconut Friendship Bread

Crazy Dreams

I have been having some wild dreams lately.  Every night.  It's actually kind of fun, because I never know who's going to show up or what's going to happen in my dreams.  I'm not used to dreaming every night, or at least not remembering that I dreamed every night.

It was fun, that is, until the night I had a dream that reminded me of being 7 or 8 or even 13 years old, lying in my bed in the dark, afraid.  I remember trying to be as still as possible, with my blanket pulled up over my mouth and nose, not even breathing for fear that if I moved or made a sound, some unidentified threat would find me.

I woke from that dream, and I was right back there.  Lying in the dark, paralyzed by fear, except not, because I knew it wasn't real.  And after that dream, I can so understand why my boy wants reassurance in the middle of the night when he's scared.  He, at least, is brave enough to get out of bed and find comfort.

Interestingly, since I began having these crazy dreams every night, Bubby hasn't woken me up once.  I wonder if his dreams have transferred to me.  And, just in case you were still wondering, yes, I dream in color.  I remember that green ooze vividly.

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Menu plan for the week of April 11

It's my middlest child's birthday today.  He's a teenager.

According to my other, slightly older, teenager, that means we're going to need a lot more food now.  Good thing I have a plan.  Including MC's birthday dinner tonight: hot dogs.  And chips.  Can't forget the chips.

Here's what's on the menu this week:

Supper:

• Hot dogs or brats, buns, sour cream & onion chips, roasted Brussels sprouts
• Shepherd's pie, applesauce, salad
• Turkey ranch club wrap, carrots, fresh fruit
• Hamburgers with or without buns, salad, green beans, chips
• Individual chicken pot pies, salad, peaches
• Calzone or zucchini crust pizza, salad
• Grilled steak with portobello mushroom sauce, grilled broccoli, baked potatoes

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Other:

• Friendship bread cinnamon twists
• Warm me up sausage quiche
• Peanut butter cup "ice cream"
• Taco bean soup

Vat o'

Who buys baking powder 3.75 pounds at a time?  This girl.  I don't know why--we certainly don't need this much baking powder all at once--but it makes me peculiarly happy to know that we have this big ol' vat o' baking powder at our disposal.

And it's no mess!  Bonus!

I bought the vat o' baking powder in anticipation of baking lots of friendship bread.  Yes, it was totally excessive considering each batch requires a piddling 1 1/2 teaspoons of the stuff, and I'm planning nine, maybe twelve at most, batches this go-around.  Know how many 1 1/2 teaspoons are in my vat o' baking powder?  Two hundred thirty-six.  And a quarter.  Yeah.

I made these cinnamon twists on Thursday.  No baking powder required.  Aren't they just so stinkin' cute?!  They smelled heavenly.  I'm serious.  I'm pretty sure heaven smells like freshly baked cinnamon rolls.

I loved working with this dough--it was super easy to put together and super easy to work with--and I loved that the twists rose overnight, so I was able to easily get a warm, tasty treat on the table for my boys on a weekday morning.  I will definitely be making these again.

Know what I'm really enjoying about this round of friendship bread making?  It's knowing that my friends have some of my starter, and they're on the same schedule as me.  We're feeding our starter on the same day, baking on the same day, chatting about recipes and variations.  I think of my girlfriends every time I stir my yeasties, which is a couple of times a day since they've been so active.  The yeast, not the girlfriends.  It's given me such a feeling of community.  And that feeling of community has inspired me to share my baked treats with unsuspecting innocents, too.  I dropped off cinnamon twists for two different families on Thursday, and I made Hubby take 3 dozen friendship bread snickerdoodles to work with him Friday.  So. much. fun.

In conclusion, I have a vat o' baking powder, and I like baking with friendship bread starter.  Let me know if you would like some of either.

P.S.  I'm pretty sure I could make a rather impressive mess with that baking powder if I really put my mind to it.  Possibly even without trying very hard, or at all.  I'm skilled like that.

Menu plan for the week of April 3

Happy Monday, y'all!

I've been thinking a lot about making bread lately.  Our family eats a lot of bread, and it's inexpensive to buy, but it's also inexpensive and easy to make.  And my homemade bread doesn't have preservatives or high fructose corn syrup in it.  I would like to start making all the bread for our family, but there's one thing holding me back.  The need to knead.

I have been making yeast breads for a long time, which means I've been kneading for a long time, but recently, like in the last half year or so, I've been wondering if maybe I'm doing it wrong.  Because you know how recipes say to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic?  Yeah.  That never happens to my dough.  Ever.

I even watched how-to knead videos.  And I feel like what I'm doing should work, but I've never ever gotten a bread dough to pass the windowpane test, until the other day when I made friendship bread cinnamon twists.  The recipe said to use a stand mixer to knead the dough, but since I don't have one, I used my hand mixer.  And it worked!  That dough was so smooth and so elastic and so windowpane-y.  But I'm afraid of burning out the motor on my hand mixer if I attempt to knead a larger or heartier batch with it.

I started wondering if I should try to find a bread machine to do my kneading for me, but at the same time, I'm afraid that if I had a bread machine, I would never want to bother hauling it out to use it.  So I put it out there on Facebook.  I asked my friends if they had a bread machine, and if so how often they use it.  What I suspected was correct: lots of people have them, but few of those people ever use their bread machines.

In any case, I'm getting a chance to find out: one of my friends had actually just cleaned out her pantry the week before, and during the pantry clean-out decided to get rid of the bread machine that she had used once in 15 years.  It was sitting in her mudroom waiting for her to take to Goodwill, and she said I could have it.  I'll let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, here's what's on the menu this week:

Supper:

• Ham & swiss crescent braid, salad, carrots
• Chicken taco casserole, green beans
• Fend for yourself
• Nachos/mini pepper nachos, guacamole, taco toppings
• Pizza, salad
• Hot beef sandwiches, 100% whole wheat friendship bread rolls, broccoli/cauliflower/carrots
• Grilled pork chops, grilled green veggie

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Other:

• Friendship bread waffles
• Chocolate spinach muffins
• Stir & pour bread
• Greek yogurt
• Taco bean soup
• Pressure canned black beans

The Gap

A friend of mine was looking for soccer cleats.  Size 5 1/2 soccer cleats.  I thought we might have some we could spare, so I took a look in our soccer box.

Yes.  We have a soccer box.  Doesn't everyone?  The soccer box is filled with cleats, shin guards, and socks from past soccer seasons, waiting expectantly for the youngest Bluefield to grow into them.

I was right.  Sort of.  In the box, I found two pairs of size 5 cleats and two pairs of size 6 cleats, and I passed one of each on to my friend.  Know what I didn't find?  I didn't find any soccer cleats in Bubby's current size.

I don't know where these gaps come from.  You see, we have three boys.  That means that we have two boys who are older than our youngest boy. One would think that after clothing and sports-equipping those two older boys for a cumulative twenty-eight years, we would have all of the clothing we need, in all of the sizes we need, for our youngest.

MC played soccer when he was Bubby's age.  Why don't we have Bubby-size cleats?

But we don't.  And I have no idea why we have gaps.  I don't know why I am all of a sudden having to buy soccer cleats and shorts and t-shirts and who knows what else for that kid.

Toilet troubles

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We are having toilet troubles at our house.  It's been going on for a while, and we were able to make it work with generous applications of the plunger, but it finally came to a head* a couple of months ago when one of our toilets refused to flush.

We took it apart and cleaned out the trap.  We poured water down the drain.  We poured water down that drain in copious amounts, and it went down ok, so we were sure it was the toilet itself that was the issue and not the waste pipe.

But then we put the toilet back and it's not wanting to flush again.  There is one more thing we need to try before giving up and calling the professionals, but at this point, it's not very useful to us.  Well, me specifically.  No one else seems to be having any trouble, as long as they're flushing only liquids (read: no TP...or anything else!).

On Monday, someone, who shall remain nameless, but I will say it wasn't me, broke one of the hinges that holds the seat onto another of our toilets.  It's still usable, but it's...shall we say...precarious.

We have another toilet, but that's our last one.  If anything happens to that one, we're plumb** outta luck.

Last night, my husband (I am not even joking.  I wish I was) said to me, "maybe we should buy a new toilet and I can use the old one for parts!"

I laughed.  Out loud.  Because, what?!

Now, I'll tell you, I wouldn't mind getting a new toilet or two, because then we'd have working, shiny clean potties in our house (because let's face it: at this point, after years of boys with less than perfect aim using these toilets, no amount of scrubbing will be able to get some of the crusty gunk off).  But there is no way.  Absolutely. No. Way.  That I'm going to let him keep the old one.

Unless he does this.

{Source}

The end.

P.S. I think we're going to move the seat from the non-flushing toilet to the broken-hinge toilet.  It's not like anyone is using it over there anyway.  And Hubby's always wanted a urinal.

*Ha ha.  The toilet troubles came to a head.
** I know.  But I couldn't resist.