Banshee, Part 2

So, my last post shared Ryan's Banshee Screaming, .... Here's the second half of the story... the part where I share my last ditch effort at parenting calmly through Ryan's discovery of his Irishness (which includes being STUBBORN).

Anyway, the story:

Ryan was in the middle of a screaming fit. 

It started something like this: 

Me: Ryan, do you want dinner?

Ryan: NO DINNER.

Me: Okay.  Would you like some milk?

Ryan:  NO MILK!!  SSSSSSCCCCCCCRRRRRRRRRREEEEEAAAAAAAMMMMIIIIIIIIIIINNNNGGGG
DINNNNNNNNN-EEERRRRR!

Me: Ryan, stop screaming.  So yes dinner?

Ryan: NO DINNNN-EEEEERRRR!!  I WANT MIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLKkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!  AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHH!

Me: RYAN, if you don't stop screaming you will go to BED.

Ryan:  NO BED!  SSSSSCCCRREEEEEEAAAAACCCCHHHHHH!!!!

Me: GO TO YOUR ROOM! 

Ryan:  I WANNNNTTTT MIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!  AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR

And that was it. 

I grabbed a new box of soap.  I ripped it open, and told him that if he didn't stop screaming he would have to lick the soap.

The response I got was:  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SSSCCCCCCCRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEECCCHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!  AAUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!  NNNNNOOOOOOOOO BED!!!!!

So, I shoved the bar of soap into his open mouth as he gasped for his next lungful of air to hurl back at me.

And he looked at me with big huge eyes, wide with shock.

And I pulled out the bar and told him he needed to stop screaming.  "Every time you scream, you have to eat the soap."

And he took a deep, shuddering breath, looked at me, licked his lips... and asked for more.

????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


HE LIKED THE SOAP. 

And before you suggest hot sauce, I already know he likes spicy things...

hmmm.. I wonder if he likes spicy soap??

The one where my son demonstrates his Irish Heritage.

So, you remember Ryan?  Right??

He's so adorable.  Right?

Keep that in mind.

So, he's reached that perfect storm of toddlerhood.

The one where you combine all the horrible bad things into a few week stretch of nerve wracking, hair greying, horribleness.

You know, bad things like:

Out growing naps, but still not able to stay awake all day.

Sore mouth due to fresh tender teeth.

Growth spurt causing sore muscles and hungry tummies.

And, the kicker... recovering from a hay fever enduced infection/fever.

My cute adorable baby, who used to sound like this:

Well, now, uhhh... not so sweet. 

Now his face scrunches up, his brow wrinkles and after breathing as deeply as he can, he lets loose with a horrific terrifing scream.

Like a Banshee. 

And I know, Banshees (banshi?) are females.

But well, he's doing his best. 

I just hope that everyone survives... because, with as much wailing and gnashing of teeth that is going on in our house right now, if the lore of the Banshee is anywhere near truth, many people are at death's door.

Painting the Town... errr... Table... Red.

So, a few weeks ago, Ryan and I went to a few garage sales. 

And I did pretty dang good!  My itty bitty car was a little crowded... thanks mostly to the little pine table I scored!  See it other there, holding my other loot?

I think it must have been a shop class project.  The legs are hand made, and it's solid pine... not a single scrap of particle board.  It's not exactly level (one of the legs is just a touch short, lol) BUT it cost me THREE DOLLARS!!  Three... as in One, Two, THREE! 

Seriously, a solid wood sturdy table for that little!  I was all over it!  Plus the lady threw in a little toy phone for Ryan (not pictured, because he was dragging it around the house) for free!  Anyway, the top was in really bad shape, it needed sanded something fierce.  So last weekend, that's what Evan and I did. 

Then it sat in my garage while Evan and I discussed how we should paint it. 

I was thinking something like this:  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/109120507/ .  Love the yellow... or maybe a fun green... but that got nixed.  So every night, the dinner conversation would go like this: 

Evan:  How about NAVY BLUE?

Me:  Well, I was thinking the top would be black, like a chalkboard, so that might be too dark.

E: Well, I really like navy. 

M: Well, I really like yellow.

E: Okay, so navy AND yellow are out, we can cross each other off.

M: I see.  Well, what is your second choice?

E: (Grinning like a Cheshire cat) DARK BLUE!

M: ORANGE!

E: Ugh, this could take forever!

Anyway, after a week of THAT... we both decided RED would be a good color. 

Bright.  Glossy.  Cherry.

And, yes, Evan helped me paint! 

For now, because I forgot to buy the stuff to make chalkboard paint, it has a red top.  Next spring, after the snow melts, we will make it a chalkboard, and I think add casters.  For now, it has a home in the basement, so the boys have a place to draw and play. 

Date Night

October is already slated to be a busy busy month for our family, and knowing that, Mark and I arranged for a nice quiet night out with OUT the boys.

My beautiful sister came over to watch them, and Mark and I headed out.

That is after Evan informed me I had on too much eye make-up.  That's what I get for letting him watch Ferris Bueller!

We went to dinner at a local pub, and then sat in the truck trying to figure out exactly how old it would make us if our date was over before 7, lol.

We really didn't want to watch a movie, and on short notice, that really limited our options. 

But then we decided to take a nice quiet drive up the canyon and just talk and be with each other.

It wasn't very crowded, Oktoberfest was going on at Snowbird, and I think that sucked most of the traffic away from Big Cottonwood. 

And we timed it just right... Just as we came around the final switchback before dropping back into the valley... the sun was setting. 

It's a little blurry, since I took it from a moving truck with my phone... but at least you get a small idea of how beautiful it was!

It's funny how, even after being together for almost 11 years, something as simple as a drive in the mountains at sunset can be one of my favorite moments. 

A Ryan Story

It was about at this age when Evan started saying hilarious things too... So I imagine that many upcoming posts will be about the crazy things Ryan comes up with.

Today, on the ride home from work, the horses were out in the pasture closest to the road on this one stretch of road we commute past. 

I pointed out my window and said, "RYAN!  Look!  Horses!"  (He usually enjoys seeing them, and I thought it would distract him from me turning off the "repeat" of "Wheels on the Bus".)

Ryan says to me, "What are da horseys doing?"

I glance over, and say, "They're eating grass."

Ryan wrinkles up his nose and says, "EWWWWW CACA!  Horseys, DON'T EAT THE GRASS!  That's GROSS!"

And the rest of the (20 minute) ride home, he explained to me over and over how horses don't eat GRASS, they eat apples.  Grass is gross! 

Sorry for the Lack of Posts!

We are currently adjusting to our new schedules and trying to find a balance!

We'll be back soon with lots of fun!


For now, enjoy this video of Ryan from two YEARS ago!  My how time flies!

Gasp! More furniture!!!!!

Oh, yeah, but it's not for me. 

A good friend is moving and was cleaning out her treasures... one of those treasures was a little school desk she had cleaned up and repainted.  The top is chalkboard paint with little white painted doodle like figures across the lower portion.

I was COMPLETELY happy to give it a new home when I found out she was selling it!

Evan and I went and picked it up Sunday afternoon while Ryan was down for his nap.  When we got home and hauled it into his room, he was ecstatic!  

And of course, being our house, the first thing it became was a Lego Launching Pad. 

They spent several hours playing around with it (and the treasures Tracy and placed inside).

Then, at about 11:30 that night, I got up to make sure Ryan was covered up (and still had his diaper on, since he's started taking it off at night), and I found he was asleep at the desk. 

Awwwww!  He had even tucked his two of his favorite snuggle toys inside the desk... Buzz and Kitty.

I would have to say, it's a hit!

No Title Comes To Mind...

Just... emotion.

Part of Remembering...

 Evan asked me this weekend why everyone kept saying things like "Always Remember" to him when he wasn't even alive. 

It lead us down the path of a very powerful conversation about how we can honor those who have died, those we may have never known, and how important it was to carry on the legacy.   

And we made a trip to the Memorial Field here in Sandy. 

When we drove in, we parked at the every end, and we walked the entire length.  Evan would stop and read names, ages, etc.  He asked a lot of questions. 

By the end of the field, he was a little bit quiet.  And he turned to me and said, "Wow, Mom.  I didn't know it was that big of deal. That's a lot of flags!  Are you sure that each flag is for a real person? Do you think any of these people had kids?  What happened to them?  What about their Moms and Dads?  Do you think they are still sad?" 

And then, he said something that made me cry... "Mom, I hope their families know that I remember, and I promise not to forget, and that I think they are all heroes."

So, part of remembering is teaching.  

Yummy!

Okay, so I may or may not have  made these weeks ago... but I forgot to hit the publish button on this post! But it's better late than never!

Last time we had Rick, Robyn and Trevor up for dinner, Rick harassed me for not preparing dessert for him.

So this time, I had to do something good. 

But I sort of forgot to SHOP for dessert type food.

So, here's what I came up with:

I started with a brown sugar shortbread.

It's a recipe I found ages ago... Maybe in an old Martha Magazine?  Not sure.. but it's YUMMY!

The original recipe called for melting milk chocolate on the top, and then letting it harden.  But as I've mentioned before, I really don't follow directions well, and I really only liked the shortbread part of the recipe anyway, so that's what I used.

Next, I made a peanut butter frosting, and spread that over the shortbread, but that was not enough, it needed chocolate.  So I had some semi-sweet chips and some whipping cream... so I made a ganache.

Let me tell you... they were pretty rich, but oh so yummy, for sure serve with milk! 

Here's the recipe... sort of:

For the Shortbread:

2 c flour
1 t salt
1 cup of butter, softened
3/4 c brown sugar

Sift the flour and salt together, set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
On a low speed, mix everything together until just barely combined.
Press into a 9x9 pan and refrigerate for at least 20 mins, until the butter firms up.

Bake in a 300 degree oven for 45 mins.

In the mean time, take 1 cup of chunky peanut butter and mix with a splash of cream and enough powdered sugar to make a thick frosting.  I honestly have no idea how much cream and sugar I add... but you do want it a little stiffer than your normal frosting. 

As soon as the shortbread comes out of the oven, spread the peanut butter mix over it.  The heat from the shortbread will melt the peanut butter and make it super easy to spread.  Just give it a second or two to warm up!

After the shortbread has cooled, take about 1/2 a cup of chocolate (I used semi-sweet chips... I think milk choc would be too sweet) and heat in the microwave until they melt smooth.  Add about 1/4 a cup of heavy whipping cream and beat until smooth.  You can heat it for 5 seconds at a time, stirring in between, if needed to get it nice and smooth.  Spread evenly over the cooled shortbread, and let set (it will be fairly soft).

 Slice and enjoy!

I am:

A Wife and Mother.

A State Employee.

A Manager, and I hope, a Leader.

A Daughter and Sister.


A Crafter.


An Irish Taurus.

An Alaskan, who is now a Reluctant Utahn.

These are all words that could be used to "describe" a piece of me.  Some words describe larger pieces of my life some, smaller.


Some are words  I have worked, sweated and bled for.  Others, I was born into or stumbled upon.  Some are a combination of both. 

They are, however, just words.

As much as they describe me, they do not consume or explain me.

What are your words?

Four Generations

One more wedding post...

Mark, with the boys, his Mom and his Grandpa Gary and Grandma Marie.

Grandpa Gary is one special man.

When we were expecting Evan, we didn't know what we wanted to name him, but we knew we wanted Gary to be a part of it.  The day after Evan was born, we called Gary and asked what he would like, and he chose Evan's middle name... after his grandfather. 

Gary has always been a big part of our life, and we love him so very much! 

My boys are so lucky to have some many "grandparents" in their lives.  Growing up, my siblings and I were a little short in that area... To see all four generations here just makes me happy.

Labor of Love

I scrapped this weekend.


The gal that was sitting next to said to me, "Your boys are so lucky that you scrap for them!" 

And there are so many responses to that! 

It definitely is a labor of love.  I love scrapping... the smell and feel of paper (which I may or may not have actually rubbed on my cheek at one point during the weekend), the artistic challenge and most of all, the memories! 

I blog to share what is currently happening with the boys (and me), I scrap so that I can remember what happened in the past. 

Anyway, enough of that... here's some of what I did this weekend!  (Excuse the picture quality... I decided to spend time SCRAPPING instead of getting perfect lighting and exposure and focus on the pictures of my creations!)

And in case you were wondering... they are all my favorite.   I also did a bunch of cards. 

Today I stood in line at Joanne's Cut Table for 45 mins... well, I held onto my number as I wandered the store, and found some good deals!  Two of the items I picked up will be to recreate some Pinterest finds!  Watch for them coming soon!

Handsome Boys

Seriously, these boys are going to be heartbreakers!!!

They clean up NICE!

Just wait until tomorrow when you see Evan in his TIE!