Day 295~

Friday nights are normally date nights around here.

However, Superman has to work tomorrow and we have a family date planned for tomorrow night, so he and I didn't make any plans.

But then I read on FB that the new yogurt shop in our little town was now open, so we had to go!

Well, I had to go!

Superman was not so gung-ho with the idea.

I obviously convinced him to take me!

But, I couldn't convince him to let me take my camera in.

He hates it when I take pictures of random things in public... like gets embarrassed and turns red- sort of hates it!

Bless his heart!

I just couldn't convince him that taking a picture inside the new shop so I could post it here was worth his embarrassment.

Oh well, he took me for a ride around town while we shared a cookies-n-cream waffle cone, and let me take pictures once we got back in the car.

That makes it a hot date, right?

Day 255~ Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Poor Superman is s.i.c.k.

He requested some soup, so I whipped up something that is both good for him and super easy to make!

Have you ever tried to make homemade chicken noodle soup?

It's a breeze!

I had some homemade turkey stock that I made after cooking the turkey from the farm.

I pulled a bag of that stock/broth out of the freezer and started it thawing.

While it was thawing, I sauteed a medium-sized onion in some butter in my stock pot.

I also tossed in a few boneless, skinless chicken tenders to cook up with the onions.

Once the chicken and onions finished, I added in my turkey stock.

It wasn't all thawed out yet, but that didn't matter.

As it liquefied in the stock pot, I chopped up lots of carrots that I had in the fridge.

Superman loves carrots, so I chopped lots and lots and lots!

I didn't have any celery, so my soup only included: onions, carrots, turkey stock, chicken, and spices.

As for spices, throw in what you have and what you love!

I added: 3 tbsp of Himalayan sea salt, cracked pepper, Mrs. Dash, and a little tad of French onion soup mix that I had left over.

I could have just added salt and pepper.

It would have been fine!

But remember, I'm a spice-aholic!

Let the soup simmer for an hour or so, to soften the carrots.

My pot looked like it needed a little more liquid to handle the noodles, so I added about a quart of water.

15 minutes before serving it to Superman, I brought the soup to a boil and poured in a bag of egg noodles.

That's it!

Easy peasy!

Broth, veggies, meat, spices, and noodles!

Just in time for cooler weather!

I love making soup in the fall.

Day 253~

Nearly every Friday night, I get a HOT DATE with Superman!

So very thankful that the joys have an amazing grandpa that makes it a priority to spend time with his grandboys... they are, after all, the only grandchildren there are/will be on that side.

Paw Paw Bruce ROCKS!!!

Also super-duper thankful that said quality time with the grands equals hot date time for me and Superman!
And boy howdy- we live it up on Friday nights!

Nothing but the finest for us...

(I kid! I kid!)

We hit the local Mexican joint.

Lately we've shared chile rellenos, and order margaritas or tea.

Like I said, nothing but the finest for us!

Our little Mexican restaurant rocks almost as much as Paw Paw!

Our hot dates cost $20 or less.

We couldn't even go to the movies for $20.

I love Fridays!

Day 237~

Though it is completely endearing that he's thoughtful and all,
after spending some time together alone today,

he said to me, "Honey, one day it's going to be just you and me...", and smiled at the thought of it all.And with that, I nearly cried!

I love him!

I love to spend alone time with him!

But, I'm not so sure about the idea of my babies growing up and leaving me.

(It's still OK to call a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old babies, right?)

Day 235~

(photo by Wyatt)

A couple of days ago, Superman mentioned that he passed Tiffany's while he was working, and wished he'd have stopped for a gingerbread man.

They are his favorite childhood treat, just as this is mine.

When he was a child, it was a treat to stop at the Tasty Bake and get one.

The Tasty Bake is long gone.

A Rite-Aid stands on it's hallowed ground.

However, Tiffany's makes them, and he likes them just as well.

I pulled into the parking lot, planning to pick up a gingerbread man for Superman and petite-fours for a cousin's birthday.

The joys rolled out of the car before I could even get my door open.

Seems an affection for gingerbread men may have been passed along in their genetics!

Day 211~ Chelsea Handler

I love this man!

Have I ever said that before?He took me to see Chelsea Handler's comedy tour this weekend, bought me a COSLOPUS t-shirt, and
had us spend time with THE Godparents!
They are crazy-funny!
And I love them!

Day 191~

good heavens, i love that man!

Day 173~

Dear Superman,

Today you carried all the heavy things to my car for me, pumped up my pink float so I wouldn't have to, and smiled really big when you tasted dinner. I've decided I'm keeping you forever!

(Have you read Today's Letters yet? Check 'em out. They inspired this post!)

Day 171~ Superman's Birthday

What an amazing day!

Father's Day and Superman's birthday all in one day!

We had his parents and his grandmother over for dinner, cake, and ice cream.

It was so nice.

There was a bad thunder storm about an hour before everyone was to arrive.

It knocked out our power- which left me scrambling.

I was a little stressed, trying to finish everything.

But luckily the power came back on and I was able to get it all together before the family arrived.Superman also received a sweet, sentimental gift from his grandma today.

More on that later!

Day 84~

Making goodies for Superman and THE Godfather's NHRA weekend away.

Day 72~

( I know... I need a haircut!)

Tonight Superman and I headed out for a little hibachi to celebrate our 12 year anniversary!

It's really not our anniversary until tomorrow, but the joys were with the in-laws, so it was the perfect time.

I declare, I adore this man!

He's the best thing that ever happened to me!

And I tell him that all the time!

Day 68~

Shopped for Superman today.

He loves Sweet Tart Jelly Beans.

And Easter is the only time of year you can buy them.

We also found him a jar for his bedside table.

I think he's a little spoiled!
But that's OK!

I'm still going to keep him!

Besides, he shares them with me, too!

How much longer until I can have some sugar???

Day 62~

Moving has brought out all sorts of wonderful skills in Superman.

He's now my personal Fix-It Man!

And that makes me smile!

Day 61~

There is something to be said for a fix-it man!
And I'm so lucky to have THREE of them at my house!
Superman has become quite skilled at laying hardwoods, and I'm tickled that the joys have been able to learn along side him. It does a mama's heart good to see her hot, hunk of a honey teaching her boys such things!

Here Wyatt and Superman are finishing up the last line of flooring in Wyatt's new room.

Thanks again to Grammy & Paw Paw for gifting Wyatt with his new floors!

Day 57~ I May Need an Intervention... I'm a Spice-aholic!

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I was diligently trying to pack one of my kitchen cabinets up this afternoon, when I was accosted by Superman.

See this picture.

I was accosted I tell you!

ACCOSTED!

He caught me clicking pictures of my massive collection of spices, and began making fun of me.

I pouted!

I hemmed!

And I might have even hawed a little.

(If you're not from the South, bless your heart, here's the definition of 'hem and haw'.) Normally, I would have denied my addiction and possible hoarding of spices when Superman began laughing at my box full of goodness.

I would have said he didn't know what he was talking about.

I would have told them that he isn't in the kitchen enough to know WHY I NEED a box full of spices.But, after filling up the first box, I still had this whole shelf full of even more to pack!

All I can say is, thank heavens he wasn't anywhere near my baking cabinet!

Whewwww!

Day 50~

I had a HOT DATE with Superman tonight!

The joys were spending the night with their grandparents, so Superman and I headed out for a night on the town!

Our date included a stop at Domino's for pizza. We ate a piece or two in the car. Superman even offered to turn on the little lamp lights in the car as 'candle light', bless his heart!

The next stop on our hot date was the grocery store. Tell me, are you jealous? If not, you're about to be.

After the grocery store, Superman took me to the auto parts store to buy a new battery for my remote starter.

Nothing spells romance to me like a man that feeds me, buys me groceries, and fixes my car remote!

Lord knows I love this man!!!

P.S. Thank you, Superman, for wearing the sweatshirt I bought you. It suits you well! And to think, I was afraid you'd tell me I am cheesy!

Day 24~

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Chopping wood to build me a fire!

He loves me!

Day 15~

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Poor Superman filleted his finger at work today on a piece of metal.
He's SO much tougher than me!
I'd have had to be taken to the ER... by ambulance!

Halloween-ish at Our House

I usually don't decorate for Halloween!
It seems like too much work, when all I really want to do is pull it all down and put up Christmas decorations on the first day of November.
Superman has always thought I was crazy to want Christmas decorations up so early! But, I just LOVE the Christmas season!
And, I think I've rubbed off on him!

Here's my usual idea of decorating for Halloween:

(Thank you very much, Krispy Kreme!)

This year I bowed to the peer pressure (from my children & Superman) and did a little bit of decorating.

After seeing these all over the blogosphere, I had to make a few for us!

We started with these: (each one was $1 or less!)

And some of this:

This would be a good place to add that had I just bought the little bottle up front, the Martha Stewart glow-in-the-dark glitter, that would have been plenty for all three of my boys! It was their FAVORITE part!!!

However, I honestly planned to make all of them myself!

That is, until SUPERMAN decided he was going to help me get my Martha on!Then the littlest joy joined me!Then the oldest joy! So now, we have a little of this:and this:and this:

and this:

But if you look closely, you'll see that Superman has been decorating, too...

Lord, help me!

Cause & Effect (*warning: creepy snake photos*)

Several weeks ago, Superman came face to face with kryptonite. He walked into his shed, turned on the light, and from the corner of his eye, noticed a line of black where it shouldn't have been. He turned around to find a snake curled around the door knob to the shed- it's body stretched across the window of the door. The same door he had just walk through in the dark.Here's a photo of him headed back out to the shed with a pellet gun.Knowing he'd protect me, I grabbed the camera and followed him outside to get a picture.
(Risking life and limb for blog-worthy stories.)
Too bad I don't have a video, or you'd be able to hear me screaming bloody-murder when I looked thru the lens and saw the snake. Zooming in made the snake a little too close for comfort!

But the good news is, that because of this:My oldest joy now has this:And because of this:My littlest joy now has this:I've taken a million pictures that I'll be back to share with you this week.

But for now, here are a couple more cute ones of the wee, little natural-born snake deterrents!