Winners! (and losers)

Two weeks ago, I posted a "camera dump" quiz involving pictures I was excited to take and then forgot about for a month.   I emptied the camera and created a tremendously difficult quiz where the top five winners would receive one of these homemade potholder towels.

I was shocked that every entrant had all the correct answers.   Ballpark fans are brilliant.  If you missed the quiz, check it out here:  Camera Dump Quiz.

I shuffled the names of all the entrants in a Tupperware bowl and drew out these five:

Aneta at Rabbit Trails

Melody-mae

B.W. at In my Mind it's Always Funny

Rita at Soul's Comfort Corner

Susan at I Think; therefore I Yam

Congrats, ladies!  Thank you for playing.  Your fine gifts from the Ballpark will be in the mail shortly! 

My brother, the ex-clown, was disappointed to hear that he didn't win.  He was the first entry, and all his answers were correct.  Subsequent entries were also correct, so he claims everyone simply copied his answers, and he should be awarded a prize.  

When I showed him the prizes, he made a face and said he didn't really want a potholder towel.  He thought a cherry pie would be more appropriate.  

He likes to enter my quizzes and actually won the first one.  (Click here for that brain teaser: Fancy-Pants Giveaway).  But, he wasn't crazy about the prize - $35 worth of coupons at Coldwater Creek.   

So, I offered to treat him to his favorite fish sandwich.  Sadly, that restaurant had closed.  I ended up baking him a cherry pie, which he loved.  

I've created a monster. 

I told him if he doesn't like the prizes, don't take the quiz.  Oh, but he loves to win.  He just wants better prizes.  Or pie.  

He's a really good brother for an ex-clown, so I tolerate his competitive/whiny side.  

I guess for my next quiz, I'll have to give away a power tool.  Or a pie.

Going in Circles

Have you ever had one of those days when you had so many things in your head, it felt like tasks/errands/projects were spilling out of your ears?

I've had that feeling for the past three days.  Nothing profound had to be accomplished, just regular life stuff, but I kept zig-zagging from one thing to another, doing things haphazardly, until I finally just sat down to read a book I've been trying to finish since October.

Then, I fell sleep.   So, I didn't make any further progress.

It started on Friday when I sat down with the checkbook and the bills.  Two things were held up because I needed input from the husband.  While I waited for his input, I put in some laundry (to be hung on the line in twenty minutes.)

I started a sewing project and was twenty minutes in when the needle on my sewing machine broke.  I scrounged for a replacement, did not immediately find one, so went downstairs for a break and a drink.

While putting away clean dishes, I dropped a ladle behind the 'fridge.  My husband rolled it out, so I could retrieve the ladle, and I spotted the broken shards of Pyrex (and dust bunnies the size of lemons) from last month's disaster in the kitchen.  I swept and mopped and ended up swabbing down the outside of the 'fridge.

Then, I got sidetracked rearranging some of the pictures on the 'fridge door.  Which, reminded me that I had to unload my camera and sort the recent pictures from my dad's 89th birthday.

I got on the computer and edited pictures for a while, realizing I was way behind on making copies for family members.  I checked email, blogs, dumped the upstairs trash, then returned to the sewing.

I found a new needle and completed what I could.  I discovered I needed more fabric and some buttons to continue.  I put that on my list for tomorrow, when I would be out grocery shopping.  Which took me back to the bill thing.  When was the guy coming to trim our huge tree, honey?  And, what are we doing about that magazine subscription? 

Oh, yeah, and here's the laundry still in the washer, but now the sun is down.  Into the dryer it goes, taking energy and money I hate to use when I have perfect Florida sunshine with which to dry our clothes.

Saturday, this was my list:  get to the grocery store, clean goop (from faulty, sticky pads on the chair legs) off the dining room floor, make our son's birthday gift, create a photo album for my parents of recent celebrations, send a promised item to a blogger buddy, burn and mail a CD to my sister, clean the guest room for the ex-clown (who's arriving Tuesday), make and send cookies to a friend in Afghanistan, finish paying the bills, finish the sewing project, and paint the new front door before the primer gets any more filthy.

Of the eleven things, three got done.  

This morning, three more things got done.  The rest of the list will follow me into tomorrow, along with some new things.  I've been trying to get some of this stuff done for a month.  I start something, then get interrupted, or distracted.

I feel like I have ADD.  And, I wouldn't mind a few drugs.

I think I'll go read.

80+ Years In Between

Our grand nephew was in town this week and met his great grandparents for the first time.  They have shared the planet for only eight months.

Have you ever seen such delighted faces?

There are nearly ninety years between my parents and this little sprout.   My parents couldn't get enough of him.

Neither could we.

Here he is with his great grands and his parents, our nephew and his beautiful wife.

The little guy was patient with all our smooching and cuddling.

But, it did wear him out.

When the ailments of aging wear us down and backyard gardens are withering, nothing lifts the spirits like a baby fresh from heaven.

A Tragic Veggie Tale

I'm sad to report today that our once beautiful veggie garden succumbed to a worm infestation a few days ago, and we lost all of our budding harvest.

The beautiful foliage that looked like this just last week...

...now looks like this.

 

We sprayed with a homemade pesticide, but it just made the thing worse.  

Our once healthy butternuts...

...now look like this...

This looks like a harmless little hole, but it means the worms have dug in and laid eggs.  Every vegetable has holes.  

We have one remaining cucumber, and it looks like this...

The tip of it is brown and shriveled, so I suspect it will not be good, but we're letting it grow...see what it does. 

My husband whacked open a few squash and cucumbers to see how infested they were.  The holes burrowed deep into the flesh, sometimes out the other side.  

We are very sad and discouraged.  Our daughter worked so hard tending to this little patch of earth.  

We're debating what to do.  Is it worth clipping off all the bad growth and hoping for new sprouts?  Or, is the entire garden ruined for good?  If we remove the dying growth, how do we keep worms from attacking again?  Did we spray for bug/worms too late?   WHAT HAPPENED?!

I have no idea what the tomato and watermelon plants will now do.  They did not have any fruit yet, so maybe they will still produce.  I'm afraid the cuke/squash trauma will spread and wipe out any hope of more produce of any kind.  It's heartbreaking to see such ruination. 

I have such an appreciation for farmers.  And, sadly, a new appreciation for pesticides.  

If any gardeners out there have suggestions for us on how to proceed, we would be so grateful.  

Here's hoping God will work His magic on our dying garden.  Only He can resurrect anything. 

Camera Dump Quiz

I'm always surprised by the number of pictures I take, but forget to download from my camera.  When I finally download them all, I reminisce about events and think, I should have posted this two months ago, or I was supposed to get this picture to so-and-so weeks ago.  I think professional photographers get paid so much because they actually look at and deliver their pictures.

While clearing out my camera, I created a quiz to go along with some neglected photos.  It makes them feel better and helps me remember what image went with what event.

There's a homemade prize for five random entries (with correct answers, of course.)  Simply put your answers in the comments box.  Quiz will be open until midnight (EDT) Sunday.  Here we go!

1.  This is...

a.  a Mother's Day cake
b.  a shard of broken Pyrex in the shape of Florida
c.  a homemade apron

2.  This is...

a.  an Easter lamb cake
b.  Grandpa on his 89th birthday
c.  a peacock


3. This is...

a.  a potholder/towel I made to hang on my oven door
b.  a newly-engaged young friend who made for her fiance the apron she's wearing.
c.  a peacock


4.  This is...

a.  a silly hat at the Cinco de Mayo brunch
b.  birthday pies
c.  a bouquet of Mother's Day flowers


5.  This is...

a. a peacock
b. a shard of broken Pyrex in the shape of Florida
c. a silly hat at the Cinco de Mayo brunch 


6.  This is...

a.  a potholder/towel I made to hang on my oven door
b.  a silly hat at the Cinco de Mayo brunch
c.  a homemade apron


7.  This is...

a.  Grandpa on his 89th birthday
b.  a peacock
c.  a newly-engaged young friend
 

8.  This is...

a.  a newly-engaged young friend
b.  a homemade apron
c.  Grandpa and son-in-law at the Cinco de Mayo brunch


9.  This is...

a.  a Mother's Day cake
b.  birthday pies
c.  a lamb cake


10.  This is...

a.  Grandpa and son-in-law at the Cinco de Mayo brunch

b.  a peacock

c.  Grandpa on his 89th birthday

11.  This is... 

a.  a Mother's Day cake

b.  birthday pies 

c.  Mother's Day flowers

Wasn't that the easiest quiz you've ever taken?  Don't you feel smart?

Enter now and win a homemade potholder/kitchen towel to hang on your oven door!  In colors of your choice!  Just type your answers, 1-11, in the comments box.  Five entries will be picked at random.  I'll email winners to get their color choice. 

Thank you for helping me remember what all happened this Spring.  We clearly eat too many desserts.

The Birth of a Potential Pickle

We have a cucumber in the Ballpark!

A seven-incher that is about drop.  Here's how it looked about ten days ago...

Then, last week...

Here's how it looks today...

Another half inch or so, and it will be ready for some raspberry vinaigrette.  

There's another baby one on its way...

We are amazed and excited!  He's a little prickly right now, but we like his yellow hat.

The broccoli is starting to look like broccoli, producing thick outer leaves that are a precursor to the florets. 

We've harvested about ten green beans!  We generally eat them raw because we only have two bean plants, and they produce about two beans every few days.

I have boiled a few.

But, it hardly seems worth the time and electricity.  I don't see a green bean casserole any time soon.

The watermelon plant is growing nicely, but as of yet, has no flowers.

He's very confident though, keeps reaching out his lacy leaves, trying to leave the nest.  We hope he's just a late bloomer.  We love watermelon, or H20-melon, as our daughter the chem teacher has labeled it. 

Our carrots and tomatoes asked not to be highlighted at this time, as they have not done diddly-do.   I think they're embarrassed.  And a bit shy, not as confident as H20 man.   

The hog/star of the garden so far is the butternut squash.  We have several little gourds in process.

 

I'm very excited about this, because these butternuts will be part of one of my favorite recipes, Squash Pizza.

Our lettuce is doing great too.  

We pluck leaves for garnish, or tucking in wraps.  There's not enough for a salad.  I don't know how many crops we'd have to plant to create an actual meal.

We're surprised every day by what happens in the garden.   While I'm in a doctor's office, or doing laundry, or helping Mom with a shower, or writing, cucumbers and butternuts are drinking in nutrients and sunshine and stretching their skins and changing colors.  It's magical.

Any gardeners out there?  When do you pluck a cucumber?  How can you boost some lazy tomatoes?   And H20-melon?  Inquiring, novice gardeners need to know.

Adventures in Motherhood

I've been a mom for nearly 35 years, and I'm still learning how to do it.  The problem is, my kids keep growing up and onward, and then I have to figure out how to best love and support at that point in time.  It's an ever-changing adventure. 

Having said that, there are some fascinating and marvelous things I've discovered that have proved to be invariable. 

1.  Nothing beats rocking a freshly bathed, sleepy, wrapped-up-like-a-sausage newborn.

 

2.  Watching a baby taste a lemon wedge will always be funny.

 

3.  Firstborns are saddled with unrealistic expectations and warped by their parents’ smothering adoration.   When the full effect of that kicks in, therapy might be needed.

 

4.  Sesame Street is a prime example of excellent family viewing.

 

5.  Potty training is more fun when Dad encourages Junior to aim at Fruit Loops floating in the toilet.

 

6. Taping words all over the furniture really does help a toddler get an early jump on reading.

 

7.  Anger management is a crucial, mostly neglected skill that everyone needs to learn, starting at age two.

 

8.  Parents have to perpetuate some half-truths:   1.  "This is the most beautiful turtle I've ever seen...."  (the truth of that is you love it because your nine year-old made it.) 

 

....and 2.   "Of course you'll use Algebra some day." 

 

9.  Viewing the X-ray of your seven year-old's fractured tibia due to a misplaced kick in a soccer game, you realize your best protective abilities will never be enough.

 

10.  When the fire department arrives, the cookies are done.

 

11.  Keeping the house clean and orderly ought to be secondary to having your children "help."

 

12.  Matching socks are over-rated.

 

13.  Show a budding daughter how to tweeze her eyebrows before she shaves them off in the shower.

 

14.  Studying weekly vocabulary words over a bowl of popcorn makes for good memories (and excellent verbal skills.)

 

15.  New shoes for the grand kids are one of the best gifts grandparents can give.

 

16.  When Junior shaves his head for the school play.....relax.  Like eyebrows, hair grows back.

 

17.  Rocks can't plug a hole in a swimming pool liner.

 

18.  No matter how often you tell your kids you love them equally, they don't believe you.  Only God can remedy this.

 

19.  Word problems are an unnecessary evil.  Example: If the train station is five miles away, and Junior can ride his bike faster than any kid in the neighborhood, how many doughnuts will he buy at 7-11 on the way?  Exactly. 

 

20.  French fries dipped in chocolate milkshakes aren't bad.

 

 

21.  Teenagers need hugs, whether they want them or not.

 

22.  Science projects are more about parents than kids.  A baking soda volcano versus "The Molecular Structure of Acid Rain."  Really?

 

23.  You can tell your children repeatedly that they are precious, valuable, capable and smart.  The world will tell them they are insignificant, worthless, incapable and dumb.  They will believe the world.  There is something wrong with this picture.

 

24.  A hair dryer will not undo the damage after soda gets spilled on a laptop keyboard.

 

25.  Fathers need to praise their children and reveal their tears.  Forget the macho hoo-ha.

 

26.  Seeing humility and compassion in your offspring is a greater reward than seeing achievement or success.

 

27.  A new pocket knife has to cut something. 

 

28.  You don't really know what you believe, or what you'll fight for, until you have a child.