Adventure, Thrills, and Near Escapes**

This morning as The Greek made a sandwich for lunch, I looked over the ingredients list on the jar of mayonnaise. The front of the jar says "Hellmann's Mayonnaise with extra virgin olive oil". The ingredients list on the back reads as follows:

INGREDIENTS: WATER, OILS (SOYBEAN OIL, EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL*), VINEGAR, WHOLE EGGS AND EGG YOLKS, MODIFIED CORN STARCH*, SUGAR, SALT, LEMON JUICE, (SORBIC ACID*, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA) USED TO PROTECT QUALITY, XANTHUM GUM*, CITRIC ACID*, NATURAL FLAVORS, OLEORESIN, PAPRIKA, BETA CAROTENE* (COLOR).

*INGREDIENTS NOT IN MAYONNAISE

My questions: Does my mayonnaise in fact have olive oil or not? I could certainly live without the modified corn starch or the beta carotene or the xanthum gum, but I bought this because it said it had olive oil. I am quite perplexed by the inclusion of ingredients in the list and then the asterisk stating that they are not in mayonnaise. What kind of marketing strategy is this? Have I been duped?

**Adventure, Thrills, and Near Escapes not in this blogpost.

Shelter

Wordless Wednesday

Power and Living an Intentional Life

I love Jennifer's blog Faking It.   Her posts are always smart and insightful and timely.  This post really resonated with me, especially her last paragraph.  

That my actions, both big and small, have the power to affect those I love, and even those I don't know,  in such dramatic ways as to change their life's projection possibly forever does really, as Jennifer says, "bring me to my knees".  It is really humbling and frightening and sobering for me to realize not only that I possess this power, but that I am vulnerable to the powers of others to forever change my life's course.  It makes me wonder in what ways my life is what it is because of another person's power (good or bad) to take me to a place I'd never thought I'd find myself.  After all, I was never getting married and I was never having kids. I was going to have a very important career and I was going to live in a very big city.  And gosh here I am, married with not just your 2.5 kids but 6 kids.  I do have a very important "career", but not the one I was anticipating.  I am looking forward to the day we move to our 70 acres with few neighbors and a 45 minute drive from the nearest mid-size city.  Jennifer's thoughts make me even more aware of how important it is to live in the present moment and to act with deliberate intention rather than to simply act or react without considering the power my actions will have on others - those I love, those I care about, those I'll never meet.  It is definitely something I strive for but generally and often fall short of.  Thanks for the post Jennifer and I must remember to "use my powers for good and not evil".

So Far....

Lashes7: Daddy, you know what?

The Greek: What?

Lashes7: Crud is my favorite word so far.


The sibs can testify to this. Lashes7 is almost giddy when something doesn't go his way because he gets to say "crud".
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I am reminded of a conversation with Lashes7 from a few months ago.

Lashes 7: Momma, how many bad words are there?

Me: I don't really know. It more depends on "how" words are used. For example, the word "butt" could be used to talk about a body part or it could be used as a mean name for someone.

Lashes7: I know what the five worst words are.

Me (a bit hesitant, but curious): What are they?

Lashes7: Well,I don't want to say them but they start with d, s, f, c, and a.

Me: (now really concerned as to what the "f" word and the "c" word might be). What is the word that starts with "s"?

Lashes7: Stupid.

Me (a bit relieved): What about the word that starts with "c"?

Lashes7: Crap.

Me (more relieved): What about the word that starts with "f"?

Lashes7: Fudge.

Me (confused): Fudge?

Lashes7: Well it isn't really fudge, but I don't know what the real word is.

Me: What do you mean?

Lashes7: Remember Ralphie in that movie "A Christmas Story" says it. Only he says that he didn't really say "fudge" that he really said something else. I just don't know what he really said.

Me (changing the subject): Who wants to make cookies when we get home?

************************************************************************************
The words starting with "a" and "d" were what you might expect. I guess I can live with an almost eight year old thinking the five worst words are ass, damn, stupid, crap, and fudge - so far that is....

Warning This Post May Cause Drowsiness

First off, this post would be much better with pictures.  Unfortunately the camera died a few weeks ago, which is why you have not been inundated with countless pictures of Baby McDreamy.  Never fear though, I should have my new camera by the end of the week at which time the innundation can begin.  Actually, the Nugget could be graduating from college by the time I figure out how to take the pictures and get them stored on my computer so I can share them here.

Now back to the original intent of this post.  Over the last 24 hours a strange phenomenom has occurred in our living room.  It all began yesterday as I nursed the Nugget on the couch.  He of course became drunk and woozie and drowsy and promptly fell asleep.  This is all pretty typical behavior for a breastfed baby.   I have read that breastmilk contains hormones/chemicals/ingredients/something that induces relaxation and sleep in the feeding half of the duo.  It magically turns FussBucket into Baby McDreamy in about 5 minutes.  I love this trick.  

Now for the "strange" part...

Yesterday Lashes7  came in as the Nugget fell asleep.  Evidently the above mentioned hormones/chemicals/ingedients/something can be breathed out by the Nugget and breathed in by others in close proximity.  Lashes7 was the first to fall victim to this colorless odorless gas exhaled by the Nugget.  Next thing I knew Lashes7 was asleep at the other end of the sofa.

[Insert picture of a sleeping Lashes7 if camera was working]

At the time I thought nothing of it.  However later in the day the same scenario occurred only Politician9 was the Nugget's victim.

[Insert picture of a sleeping Politician9 if I had a working camera]

This morning SonicBoom5 fell prey to the Nugget's sleep inducing powers.

[Insert picture of a sleeping SonicBoom5 if I had a working camera]

Now as if the impossibility and unlikelihood of three smallish people falling asleep in the middle of the day of their own volition is not enough to convince you that something is in the air, perhaps what I am about to type will convince you.

At this very moment, the Nugget is asleep in my lap.  At the other end of the sofa is The Greek fast asleep and across the room in an oversized chair is Collector7 fast asleep in a most uncomfortable looking position.  I think her neck is going to hurt when she wakes up.

[Insert pictures of a sleeping Greek and Collector7 if I had a working camera]

So far Noodle11 and myself are the only ones yet to fall victim to the Nugget's incredible        

{yawn}

 s l e e p                  

{YYYAAAWWWNNN}   

i n d u c i n g           

{YYYYAAAAWWWWNNNN}


p o w e r s.   

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Only the Names Have Changed

Over the course of the last two years, the fascination/obsession with Little House on the Prairie has run its course for most of the nestlings.  As a result the Little House character names that the nestlings had chosen for themselves and the title, "Little House on the Sandhills",  of my original blog were beginning to feel like they did not fit anymore.  Hence, it is time for a change. So welcome to the new blog of "us".  We're the same folks plus one with the addition of 15 lbs. (at the time of this writing) of Baby McDreamy.   He recently completed our family resulting in an even half dozen of smallish folks who call me momma.  The blog has a new look and we've got new names, but other than that we're still the "same old, same old".  For those of you (yeah, that's right I'm talking to all two of you) who followed "Little House on the Sandhills" with any regularity I will, for no additional fee, provide you with a cross-referenced guide that should ease your transition from "LHOS" to "An Even Half Dozen" so that you will know who the heck is saying and doing what to whom.  So without any further delay meet the new old folks:

Mr. Edwards is now Noodle11.  Noodle is a nickname that was bestowed upon him shortly after his birth.  He often resembled a wet limp noodle after nursing.  Noodle has continued to fit him through the years now mainly due to the gray matter that resides inside that head of his.   11 represents his current age.

Mr. Garvey is now Politician9.  Politician because he is always composed and confident.  He can work a room like nobody's business.  The 9 is because well he is currently 9.

Mr. Laura is now Lashes7.  Thanks to some incredible genes on his father's side of the family, he has the longest, thickest eyelashes ever seen on any living creature except for possibly his cousin K. who is also blessed in the eyelash department from the same gene pool.  I guess by now you know what the 7 is for.

Mary is now Collector7.  Collector because she likes to keep collections of things.  These collections range from typical to quite bizarre such as fingernail clippings and pepperoni from her pizza.  I did veto the pepperoni collection.  The dogs were very much in favor of this.

Miss Almanzo is now SonicBoom5.  Politician9 bestowed this nickname upon his sister due to the amazing volume she can get out of such a compact, tiny body.  She is no shrinking violet that is for sure.  You know when she is in the house, unfortunately so do the neighbors up and down the street.

Pa will now be Farmer or Daddy or Geek or Mr. Fix-it or The Greek or some such appropriate label.  His age shall remain undisclosed because it depresses him.  Actually depresses is too strong of a word.   Mentally he just hasn't kept up with all of the years he is piling on.  When he hears his current age, he always thinks that someone has accidentally reversed the digits.  This will only be a problem for one more year.  After that, there will be a year where reversing the digits has no effect and after that he will be glad to be his current age rather than the age if the digits are reversed.  That is until he hits the big Five-OH then reversing the digits looks good again for awhile.

And finally there is the newest cast member, now with us for just under 2 months.  He shall be known as Nugget or Baby A or Baby McDreamy or on rare occasions FussBucket.

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