MarytheKaytheBlog

Last-Minute Picnic; Lifelong Friends

 This past weekend, in honor of Memorial Day, a couple of friends sent some e-mails, and we planned a last-minute get together.  There is nothing sweeter than lifelong friendships and lazy summer nights.

Nothing says good friends like gathering around the kitchen, helping put the meal together.
 

And nothing says summer get together like a grill and some meat.  Ah, delicious!

 

The essentials for any summer gathering:  fresh strawberries, sweet corn on the cob, wokka moley, and sweet tea.  Just mentioning these things makes me feel relaxed.

I walked around the house and yard to snap a few pics of the kids...and I just SMILED when I noticed that our kids were playing in little groups...

Here are the little ones, now officially 1st graders!  *wiping tear*  Sara Beth hasn't decided that playing with boys is gross yet.  I hope it is several more years before she realizes that.  

 

Here are the girls...sweet and funny and giggly and crazy.

 
 Oh, and some big kids.  I won't tell you which one wanted his pic on my blog...  They absolutely refused to lean in close and touch cheeks for this picture.  Party poopers.

And where there are boys, and a basketball goal...there is always DUNKING...
 

Oh yeah!  Get it, Zac Man!!! 

And here's Montana in action!!  Sweet.

And I absolutely adore the fact that--without any prompting--Zac lifted up his little brother for a dunk shot of his own.  I just love these boys!!!

Here, are all the kids together (minus 1)...This picture just makes my heart happy.  These kids have grown up together from the crib.  There are several other special friends who should also be in this picture...

 These kids may not completely realize the special thing they have now...but someday, looking back, they will realize how blessed they were to grow up together.
 

Memorial Day: Essential Elements

Today, I am keenly aware that because of this

 

 

and men like this

 

and men and women like this

 

and men and women who do this

Because of all of these things, I am GRATEFUL today...and every day...

 

Because of these things, our family proudly flies this on our house 365 days a year 
  
 

Today, before I grill, before I picnic, before I enjoy time with friends...I want to spend some time PRAYING for the men and women who give their lives to protect our country.  Without them, my life sure would look a lot different.  I really don't take that for granted.

 

Please join me in praying for them.  Let's also not forget all the families and loved ones they leave behind.  Their gift to our country is every bit as great as the men and women overseas.  I'm praying for them today, too.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:  If you have a family member or friend who is currently fighting for my freedom, I would LOVE IT if you would mention that person BY NAME in the Comments.  I would be HONORED to pray for your loved one by name today...Thank you.

Thank you. 

And God bless America!!

 

My TOP TEN Summer Don'ts...and a WINNER!!!

 
 Ah, can you believe summer is finally here?  Do you feel yourself breathing easier, feeling a little more relaxed?  Or...have you already heard those most horrible, terrible words that kids even DARE to utter..."Mom, I'm bored!" 

In honor of summer's arrival, I thought I'd share a few helpful hints.  Y'all know I'm all about the helpful hints.  I like to think of myself as a public servant in this way.  With that in mind, I present to you

My TOP TEN Summer Don'ts:  10 Sure-Fire Ways to Ruin Your Summer

10.  Don't picnic when the temperature is above 80.  Or where there are lots of mosquitos.  Or flies.  Or dirt.  In fact, just don't picnic at all...unless you are on a movie set--where there is a red-checkered cloth, spread onto the prettiest green astroturf you've ever seen.  And the food is prepared by a gourmet deli in the Hamptons.   The only wind is produced by a fan, ever-so-slightly blowing your hair; and any perspiration you may incur is immediately dabbed off by Bobbi Brown herself.

9.  Don't wear a bikini, unless you look really good in it.  And by "really good," I don't mean really tan.  We all understand that tan fat is better looking than regular fat.  But, still.  We don't really want to see that much of your tan fat.

8.  Let's face it.  Fat looks best...well...when covered up.  Oh, don't be getting all huffy on me.  I am allowed to talk like this.  I PROMISE you won't see me in a bikini, no matter how orange my fat is.

7.  I don't care how much positive feedback you get, don't be the adult at the public swimming pool who does the cannonballs.  One cannonball is a little funny, albeit quirky.  More than that, and people will start looking at you like you eat boogers, or drive a moped around. 

6.   If you wear flip flops, please, for the love of non-blind people everywhere, please don't have scraggly toenails.  Also, if you are a man, and you don't own toenail clippers, do not EVER wear flip flops.  Please.  Really, there ought to be a rule against nasty feet in flip flops.

5.  If you happen to have a shaved ice Sno Shack in your town, DO NOT, under any circumstance, post pictures on Facebook of your daily favorite icy delicious goodness.  These pictures make those of us without ANY Sno Shacks in our entire town depressed, and frankly, a little unstable.  Truly, a person ought not have to endure life without a Sno Shack.  

4.  Don't ever pass by a kid's lemonade stand without stopping.  I don't care how small the cups are, how watered down the lemonade is, or how dippy the sign is, you must stop, and you must give at least a 200% tip.  You can take one sip, and pour out the rest when you get home.

3.  If you are a man, and if you are married, do not try to regulate your home--or car--air conditioner thermostat.  Don't even try to sneak and bump the temperature down one degree at a time, and in the middle of the night.  Your wife will wake up sweating at dawn, and will not ever want to snuggle with you again.

2.  Baseball games should not be so long.  Baseball should be 3 innings, total.  If you can't figure out a winner in 3 innings, well, you're just indecisive.  3 innings is plenty of time to buy a lemonade and some nachos, watch a little baseball, and finish your snacks.  After that, everybody's just tired and cranky...and you don't have enough money to waste on the extra innings of bubble gum, Gatorade, and Fun Dip.

1.  If you own a MiracleSuit, and choose to actually get it wet by swimming, never go to a public restroom and pull down your suit to do your business.  If you are wearing a MiracleSuit and need to go the bathroom, you have 2 choices:  Do the swimsuit pull-over method; or tinkle in the pool.  I speak from experience, people.  Imagine yourself mostly naked in the White Water restroom...with a wet MiracleSuit around your legs, and lots of shiny white flesh above it refusing re-entry.  You'll PRAYING for a miracle, I assure you.

 You're welcome.  I like to help out society from time-to-time with some helpful hints.

Also, I have Mama Kat to thank for the idea of this post.  I've written this post to join up with Mama's Losin' It Writer's Workshop. 

And now...for the moment you've ALL been waiting for...

Or at least 20 of you, if I must be honest...

For those 20 of you, you may never forget this moment in time...

When I announce the WINNER of the Sleepy Bee Giveaway!!!!

All you other loser-type people who didn't bother to enter...

Well, YOU need not keep reading.  You did not win.

The WINNER of the GENIUS invention called the Sleepy Bee

Chosen by Random.org's random generator...

Is #9:  Miss Amy

Loved the website. I really like this idea. I need one for traveling/staying overnight in unfamiliar places with our sweet baby (and any other sweet babies we may have someday in the future).

Let's give it up for Miss Amy!!!!!  Miss Amy, please e-mail me your address, and a darling Sleepy Bee will be hand-delivered by the mailman to your very mailbox!!!

Linked up with:

Honey Chicken Kabobs

Ya'll.   A moment of silence, please.  This recipe I'm about to share is life changing.

Or, as our family friend Miss Alene used to say, "Hon-Nee, I'm tel-Lin You.  Uhn Uhn Uhn." 

These Honey Chicken Kabobs were the Bomb.  (There's my summer camp talk already coming out.)  They are a little taste of summer! 

For Mother's Day this year, I wanted to do something special for my mom.  We decided to eat at home, and enjoy a leisurely meal after church.  I thought these kabobs would be something fun and different to serve.  Normally, after any meal at my parents', my mom LOADS our family up with all the yummy leftovers...this time, it made me SMILE that she wanted to keep the extra kabobs!

The recipe:  I knew from the moment I mixed up the marinade, that this recipe was straight from heaven!  I found the recipe for the Honey Chicken Kabobs, using this recipe on Allrecipes.com. 

Here are the simple ingredients I used for the heavenly marinade:

Additions to the recipe:  Following some of the suggestions in the Comments, I added some red pepper flakes and brown sugar.  Because, really--what recipe couldn't be improved by those 2 things?

Need a marinade recipe?  And even if you just need an AMAZING MARINADE, whip this one up in mere seconds, store it in your fridge in a Mason jar, and use it as you need.  I promise you won't be disappointed!  Money-back guarantee!!

Assembling the kabobs:  After church, my daughter Rebecca and I lined up all the (already marinated) cut-up fruits and vegetables--purple onions, squash, green and yellow bell peppers, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and pineapple.  We also put out the ziploc of overnight-marinated and cut-up chicken breast pieces.  We soaked our bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes, and started our assembly line kabobs.

My dad was the master griller.  He took some of the extra marinade, and basted the kabobs several times on the grill.

I wish you could smell them!  Just LOOK how beautifully they came off the grill!  Oh, I WISH your computer had SMELL!!  We almost couldn't wait to get these kabobs on our plates they smelled so good!

 I made my favorite sticky rice to go along with them, as well as my favorite bread...

 Oh, and I just bet you are wondering what we had for dessert...

Do you really want to know?

Okay, I'll give you a peek...
 

 It was a strawberries and cream pie.  It was really delicious...but...the recipe was tricky.  I couldn't add the strawberries and the glaze until right before serving, or else it would get mushy.  That just doesn't seem practical to me.  There are enough really delicious make-ahead strawberry pies...so this recipe is dead to me.  It's a crying shame that the PIE wasn't dead to me...Yeah, I think I finished off the last 2 (or possibly 3) pieces...  Happy Mother's Day to me, right?

Okay, ya'll don't forget to ENTER the Sleepy Bee GIVEAWAY!!!!  It ends TONIGHT at 9 pm CST!  C'mon--let's give a cheer to the Sleepy Bee:  SLEEPY BEE, SLEEPY BEE, SLEEPY BEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Linked up with:

 

Check back tomorrow morning for a fabulous summer recipe!!

Well, here we are again...hunkered down for the storms. They've blown through Oklahoma and are headed our way. But, we're all snug as we wait it out. Our hearts are very heavy for those in Joplin and Oklahoma.

Because we're camping out in a diffferent camp cabin tonight, I'm having to rely on some verrrrry slow wifi on my (normally) trusty Droid X. The ama-zing recipe and pictures I have for tomorrow won't open up for me tonight, so I'm pecking away on my phone. Please check back tomorrow for pure yummy-ness!

Also--DON'T FORGET to sign up for the Sleepy Bee giveaway!!! It ends tomorrow at 9 pm CST.

I pray that all of you in the path of tonight's storms are safe and snug tonight! I'm praying for you tonight as I close this post...

Welcome to Summer Camp: A List

Well, hello, boys and girls! Welcome to summer camp!! I know some of you are still finishing up the school year, but our family is in full-out summer mode. We moved out to our summer camp this weekend, and are already swimming, spraying sunscreen and bug spray, and even a little hip-hop dancing. But, enough about my husband Dave... Today, in lieu of fantastic creativity, I'd like to offer you a list.

So, let's stand and give it up for Today's List!!!!!

*Insert wild clapping and whistling here*

(CRAZY STORMS UPDATE: We are all FINE here at camp. We took cover during the terrible storms/tornadoes passing through, but no major damage in our area. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people in Joplin.)

1. First, and most importantly, I'd like to wish my beloved redneck brother-in-law a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Okay, okay, just so you know...my brother-in-law is not really a redneck, as much as that PAINS me to say it. We just have a special relationship, where he teases me relentlessly, and I lamely try to tease back. And since I don't think he reads this blog, I can tell you that he's a pretty great brother-in-law. But, please promise you won't tell him.

2. I've told ya'll before how my brother-in-law has made me WORLD FAMOUS because the salsa I make for him... Well, since it is his birthday and all, I've been busy sweating over a hot stove, making him ze salsa. It's not a secret, though. He's only reminded me 498 times that it was Salsa Making Time. Want the WORLD FAMOUS salsa recipe? It really is good (and easy!)

3. I know I already told you that we moved out to our summer camp. But, did you know that we work at an urban sports camp? Urban, as in hip-hop and off-the-chain street slang. Oh yeah, I stay on top of all things cool and inner-city in the summertime. Through the summer, I hope to share with you some of that coolness that comes with working here. Sometimes I take for granted the things our family gets to experience every summer.

4. Also, you should know that living and working at a summer camp--urban or not--is not always easy for introverts like me. Now, I consider myself a very friendly introvert. But, I must confess that living amongst 250 teenagers and college students is not always energizing to me. Knowing myself, I need some alone/down-time every day in order to re-energize. In this camp environment, that is not always possible. I experience this emotional change at the beginning of EVERY summer--but I'm always a little blue when I first move out and get acclimated. For an introverted OCD girl like myself, moving out turns my life a little upside down and topsy turvy for a while. (I wonder if my other summer camp friends feel similarly??)

5. I also want to let you know that I probably will not post every single week day this summer. In an effort to focus my energy on my full-time summer job, as well as my full-time heart job (being a MOM!!), I will aim to post 3 times a week. I sure do hope to share a little of our summer camp life, as well as some other fun ideas!!

6. Have you heard that I'm GIVING AWAY a Sleepy Bee this week? What is a Sleepy Bee, you ask??? Well, click here to find ALL about it! C'mon, find out what all the BUZZ is about...Join in the fun!!

Cool New Sites Linky Dinks

How would you like something beautiful, and soothing to listen to?  I found a site that is brand new to me--8tracks.  8tracks is handcrafted internet radio....Sort of like musical blogs!  What a fantastic idea!  The name Jane Austen Afternoon caught my attention.  Enjoy these beautiful melodies!  (Oh, and Amazon is so clever!  Note the small Amazon icon beneath the song playing--you can download the song right there!  Brilliant, and convenient.)

 

Another site that is new-ish to me is Pinterest.  I must admit, that although Pinterest is beautiful and interesting, I don't yet fully understand its purpose.  Megan Tietz of Sorta Crunchy has a really great Beginner's Guide to Pinterest.  If you have no idea what I am talking about, you really should take a look at Pinterest.  Here are a couple of "boards" for you to check out, to get a feel for Pinterest:  Bright Ideas and Beautiful Spaces and Things to Bake and Decorate.  What about you?  Are any of you using signed on and using it?  I'd love to know how you're finding it useful.

 

  
Speaking of cool new things...How about a FABULOUS NEW on-the-market baby gift idea?  You have to see the adorable SleepyBee!  Or perhaps a way to make your life easier with a baby in tow?  PLUS, I am GIVING ONE AWAY!!!  Come and sign up to win!

  

And, to leave you with a little giggle for the weekend...  Do you need to make some home improvements, but find yourself short on cash?  Well, have I got some creative low-budget ideas you may have never thought of.  It's all about thinking outside the box, unleashing the creative genius inside you.   Oh, and by the way...You're welcome. 

 

I hope everyone has a HAPPY weekend!  It's nearly summer, you know--you can make it--you're nearly there!

 See you good people on Monday!

If words are the windows to my soul, we might be in trouble...

(Before I jump into today's exhilarating post, I just have to know--Have you entered the GIVEAWAY???  Oh my goodness gracious, WHY NOT???  Jump on over there and enter.  It's easy.  Plus, I'll be here when you get back.  I promise!)

*brushing off hands*  All right.  Shall we begin?

Recently, I stumbled onto a pretty funny category in the Settings on my Droid X phone: 

User Dictionary

These are words that I have used in my texts and e-mails.  When my phone prompted each time that the word I used wasn't real, I saved and used MY version of the word.

I think this could be a fascinating discussion for fellow smart phone users.  How do our User Dictionary words compare? 

Because, as embarassing as my words are, I think they (just might) tell a little about me. 

Ready for my list?  Deep breath...here goes...

...and here goes any sort of dignity I had left...

(*For further explanation, please see NOTE at the bottom)

MarytheKay's Dictionary to (Really) Understanding Her

aaaaaadorable

Aaaaaahhhh

Aaaand

Aaahhhh

acct

Ahhhh

appts

aw

Aww

Bach (well, at least there is a respectable word!!)

baggie

Bauer (well, that word is respectable, too...as in Jack.  Sorry, Eddie)

Beatles  (I have no idea why or when I wrote about them...)

blogging

boobs (I'm mature that way)

bootie (again, my maturity shines through)

brain-less (goes without saying)

Brr

brudder (love him!)

Calgon

caterer

cheater

Cheez (I'm very culinary)

choc

Chrith (my lisp talking, I'm sure...)

ck

ckn

clapper (as in I am a very loud one.  It's a special gift.)

Creeeeepy (you know it was, with that many e's!)

cutesy

Dano (as in, "Book 'em...")

Daves

delish

dems (You just think I'm being political...when really, I'm pointing.)

Devo

Dharma (the Iniative, ya know.  I miss those guys...)

Dillards

dinky

dinnertime

doin (as in "How you _____?")

Doo

doo (A girl likes to have choices:  capitalized, and un-capitalized)

dressy

Duds (double meaning:  dressy clothes hillbillies wear; or, a bad date)

Eewwwwwwwww

emails

Etsy

Fanks (polite, with a speech impediment)

Feets (more than 2 feet)

Fiesta

fixable

Fo (a slightly undignified preposition...po thang)

Foodies

frappes

Frye

ful (a very small word for the amount I just ate)

fuuuuuun (the degree of which is decided upon by the number of u's)

Geo

gg  (love her!!!!)

Git (as in:  "On outta here!")

gluck

goodie

goooood

gotsa (Italian, for "do you have?")

Gresh

Groooooosssssss

Grosssssss (A girl needs degrees of gross-ness)

grumpy

gwanna (a verb, not a noun.  In case you were wondering.)

Haha

Hee

heebie (I just bet the word "jeebie" is coming!)

Heee

hewd

hoo

hooo

hussy (what I tell our daughters Thou shalt not be)

icee (only the best drink in the universe)

iz

Jammie

jammies

Jed

Jedi (Watch out, using Jedi tricks on you, I am)

jeebies (See!  I TOLD you!!!)

Jeet (who knows what verb phrase this replaces??)

Jes (only my favorite way in the whole world to say "yes.")

Whew!  Okay, let's stop here for now.  I'll post Part 2 soon.  Because I know you're on the edge of your seat to see what other crazy words I like to misspell, mispronounce, and butcher!

 What are some funner words in your User Dictionary? 

Here's how I accessed mine on the Droid X phone

Menu:  Settings:  Language and Keyboard:  User Dictionary

 

*Note:  For you Northerners reading this blog, for further understanding, perhaps you should reference this periodical from your local library:

 photo credit:  Amazon

How to calm your baby when you're on the go and GIVEAWAY!!!

 Ya'll, I am so excited about this brand new product for babies!  When our girls were babies, I felt like we were on the go all the time.  Heck, who am I kidding?  We're STILL on the go!  And, being an on-the-go, OCD mama who liked to keep her babies on a regular sleep schedule...well, that made this OCD mama pretty crazy.

Sleepy baby + crazy OCD mama = 2 sets of tears

But, look what a mom friend of mine has created--a way to help calm sleepy baby into her nap...while ON the GO!

She's named this cutie pie the Sleepy Bee. 

  
The Sleepy Bee plays soothing white noise ocean waves.  All you have to do is squeeze his chubby belly to activate the 2 volumes, or turn him off.  He has a cute black and white striped velcro elastic on his back--so you can attach him anywhere!

How ingenious is that?  Makes me wish I had invented this cute little guy...like 11 years ago.
 
 Oh, if only we'd had the adorable Sleepy Bee back then...

       
 
Both of our daughters slept to a white noise machine beside their cribs.  But, those were bulky machines, that needed to be plugged in.  If we'd had the cute Sleepy Bee, how much easier so many daily tasks would have been...grocery shopping...busy restaurants...sitting in gymnastics and ballet classes waiting on big sister...

Since I don't have babies anymore, I'm thinking Sleepy Bee will be a GREAT baby shower gift!  And since it is a BRAND NEW product--I have a feeling it will be the hit of the party!

 Oh, and just so you know--I am not gaining anything by writing this post.  I am just trying to help my friend get the word out about her DARLING and HELPFUL new product!!

My sweet friends at Sleepy Bee Incorporated (I just made that up) have agreed to give away 1 Sleepy Bee to a loving household!!  (Mean households need not apply.) 

This giveaway ends next Wednesday night, May 25th, at 9 p.m. CST.  I'll announce the randomly-chosen winner bright and early Thursday morning!

UPDATE:  GIVEAWAY ENDED!  THANKS FOR ENTERING!!

All you have to do to enter is check out the Sleepy Bee website, watch the darling commercial, and come back to comment on this post to enter!!!  Easy as that!  Just let me know you checked out the cute website, and if you'd like a Sleepy Bee for your baby, to give at a baby shower, or for your lapdog that rides in a stroller.

Or, maybe the lapdog in a stroller comment should disqualify you...

If you want 2 EXTRA ENTRIES, you can Tweet this giveaway on The Twitter, OR you can post a link on Facebook.  But, you have to come back each time and leave a COMMENT, letting me know for each option!

That's 3 TOTAL ENTRIES if you jump through all the hoops!! 

So, what do you say?  Isn't the Sleepy Bee the cutest, best invention for moms on the go?

 Linked up with:

  

Making necklaces shorter and longer--it's MAGIC!

If you're around me very long, you will find out that I love to accessorize with pretty necklaces.  I come by it naturally--I am from a long line of accesorizers.  My grandmother was the accessorizer matron of our family.  My sister and I used to spend hours playing in Gram's jewelry.  I've never known anyone who had as much jewelry as Gram--costume and real.  If Gram were still living, I'm sure we'd still be playing in her jewelry!

So, when I find a pretty necklace in a store, I kind of have a weakness.  But, I assure my husband--It's GENETIC!  I can't help myself.

Just recently, I found a beautiful glass bead necklace at Charming Charlie's (Mine for the low low price of $12.95!)  Oh yeah, I also have a weakness for glass beads, so the necklace just HAD to come home with me.  When I got home, I realized my new necklace was about 1-2 inches too long.  I was stressed for about 3 seconds...until I figured out a simple, EASY solution! 

I thought I'd share my simple necklace shortening solution with you!

But, first--would you like to see the pretty necklace? 

I apologize right now for my overly large face staring at you.  (I hope you're not eating.)  This was the best in the stack of self-portraits I could get of the necklace.  But, don't you LOVE how the pretty necklace really amps up the plain blue shirt and white tank?  The bright colors in the necklace just make me h-a-p-p-y.
 
 Okay, let's get down to business.  HOW did I shorten the necklace?

 
I just tied a loose knot on each side, close to the back! 

Here--I'll show you up close...

 
 
 But, what do you do about necklaces that aren't LONG ENOUGH??  Well, well, well, you've come to the right place, little missy.  Just this winter I had a necklace (yes, another glass bead one, if you must know) that I wanted to wear very long--outside a cowl-neck sweater. 

So, how do you make a necklace longer?

You add a bracelet to it!  A Premier love-trust-faith-charity-hope one, if you want to be extra snazzy like me!

 Here it is up close...

Well, there you have it, my pretty students!  I hope you learned a little something today in Accessory Modifications 101.  Now, let's get out there and ACCESSORIZE!!!

Do you have any fun jewelry "tricks"?