A human life is a story told by God ~ Hans Christian Andersen

Lonnie Carlton Hadlock

1942-2011

Our Poppy

I was lucky enough to have two men in my life whom I would call "Dad", my own father and this man. I didn't have enough time with him but I know he treated me like a daughter and treated my kids like his own grandchildren. Poppy ( I called him Lon) always had a smile on his face, always happy to get a visit from us. He always had a story to tell me, something to make me laugh out loud.

I called the house one night to talk to Gran about some of my ancestors that I had found while doing my genealogy and Poppy answered the phone. I talked to him instead and he was genuinely interested in where my family had come from and had some interesting information of his own. We probably spent an hour on the phone. I will cherish that phone call forever.

I could be myself around Poppy. I could say what was on my mind and I knew that he would do the same. I will miss his smile and his witty sense of humor. I will miss his opinionated arguments about politics. I will miss the deep country sound of his voice. I will miss his laugh and the way he sweetly bickered with Granny. I am grateful that I see him in his son every day. 

I wanted to tell him goodbye, but I couldn't in front of everyone. I wanted to tell him to rest easy knowing that I will take care of his boy. I will do my best to make him happy and protect him from heartache. I wanted to tell him I was sorry that he wasn't going to see us become husband and wife. I wanted to tell him that I loved him like a father.

I want to be a part of his family because the love and closeness that I have seen the past week rivals that of any family I have seen. Poppy would have been amazed! But it won't be quite the same without him. I will remember that whenever I am missing him, I know where he is, and I know he would love a visit now as much as he ever did...

...but I will miss his smile.

A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people ~ Will Rogers

One of my best friends told me today, "You'll never know unless you do it". Those are the wisest words I think I've ever heard.

It's kind of like standing on the edge of a cliff and looking at the dark blue water below. You know the water is going to be cold. You know it will feel like a thousand knives stabbing you all over. You know it will take your breath away. But... the fall will be worth it.

It will be exhilarating... if only for a moment.

What is life without brief moments of exhilaration?

I would rather live my life for the brief moments, the ones that fill your soul with memories. You said it... the bad memories fade. Life has a funny way of leading us around in full circles. People disappear from your life, and reappear when you least expect it. People you love will remain...

I am coming full circle...

This is myhappyplace :)

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~ Tenneva Jordan

When my children have children of their own, it is only then that they will truly understand how deep my love for them is...

These four human beings have the power to control my universe. When they are happy and content, I have not a care in the world. When they are sad or sick, making them better is my reason for being. I found purpose in my life the very second I became a mother. As I looked around myself and saw the evidence of my child...his high chair, his toys...I couldn't imagine my life before.


I have not always made the right decisions. I have made mistakes along the way. But when I look at these four beautiful creatures, I know that I have done good. They make me PROUD to be a mother. I will love them with every breath I take for as long as I live and beyond.

Life itself is the proper binge. ~ Unknown

Once a week, Wyatt and I are going to look up recipes that we want to try at home. I think this will be an excellent way to get him away from his electronics obsession :) He loves my homemade chicken noodle soup so I found a recipe from Paula Deen and I am going to have Wyatt help me in the kitchen tonight. Wish us luck...

The Lady's Chicken Noodle Soup

~ 2 cups sliced carrots
~ 2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops
~ 2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
~ 1 cup sliced mushrooms
~ 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
~ 1/3 cup cooking sherry
~ 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
~ 1 cup grated Parmesan, optional
~ 3/4 cup heavy cream, optional (HA! Optional...funny)
~ Seasoning salt
~ Freshly ground black pepper
~ Crusty French bread, for serving


Directions
Bring 3 quarts of chicken stock to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package. When noodles are done, add reserved chicken from 2 1/2 to 3-pound fryer chicken, fully cooked and cleaned from bone. Add mushrooms, parsley, sherry and rosemary. Add Parmesan and cream, if using :) Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding seasoning salt and pepper. Enjoy along with a nice hot loaf of French bread.

Zesty Roasted Garlic Bread

~ 1 head garlic, unpeeled
~ 1 tablespoon olive oil
~ 1 cup (2-sticks) butter
~ 3 tablespoons minced parsley leaves
~ 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
~ 1/2 teaspoon salt
~ 1 loaf French bread, split horizontally


Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.


Cut top off garlic head. Place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil: drizzle with olive oil. Fold edges together to seal. Bake 30 minutes: cool.


Squeeze cooked garlic into a medium bowl. Garlic will be soft and sticky. Add butter, parsley, salt and pepper, stirring to combine.


Spread cut halves of bread evenly with garlic butter mixture. Broil 5 1/2 inches from heat, with oven door partially opened, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until butter melts and bread is toasted. Cut into slices and serve.


YUM...

WHY...?

I wish I had an on-off switch, but I don't. I try to mind my own business, but I can't. I always want to have the right answer or know what to do, but it's a reeeal tall order. When there is a problem I spring into action. I devise a strategy and mount an attack, but what if I don't know what the problem is? Is it "mother's intuition" that gives me this sinking feeling that something is wrong? Or is it my imagination? Something is wrong...or about to be...  :(

Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life. ~ S.D. Gordon

When I was a little girl, I remember going to my Grandma and Grandpa Brack's for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. They would hide eggs all throughout the horse pastures and the yard. We would trek out with little baskets in hand, looking for the brightly colored eggs. One of the kids found a small garden snake and my dad chased all the little kids around with the snake! I'm sure my grandma was yelling at him, telling him to quit teasing the kids as they all scattered, screaming :) My Dad, The Tormentor and My little Grandma, The Protector.

My parents would always fill baskets full of eggs and candy and hide them somewhere in the house. As we got older, the hiding places got harder and sometimes there would be one basket that we just couldn't find so we would have to wake my mom and dad to ask where they hid the baskets.

I have always tried to carry on the family traditions that I grew up with. Just getting all the kids together in one place, at one time, seems to be getting harder and harder with each passing year. This year was a success, even if Colby and Shaylee were fashionably late :)

I spent the night before making potato salad and getting things prepared for the BBQ. Sunday afternoon, we set up the feast and fired up the BBQ. We stuffed ourselves on hamburgers, potato salad, beans, and chips. We even managed to fit in some strawberry shortcake which was nothing short of miraculous! 

Then we broke out the cameras for a family photo shoot...

The Next Iron Chef?

We were eating the food faster than Donald could get it cooked so the pressure was on...

Andrews hamburger was gone in 60 seconds :)

Christine had moved on to dessert :)

Cold hamburger? Yummm...

Strawberry shortcake is for cuties :)

Momma and Daughter <3

Easter 2011 was laid-back and low-key. We carried on the tradition of surrounding ourselves with the ones we love. Eating, laughing, and loving the time spent together. One happy family...

Easter 2011

Flat Stanley is a 1964 children's book written by Jeff Brown

Stanley Lambchop and his younger brother Arthur are given a big bulletin board by their dad for displaying pictures and posters. He hangs it on the wall over Stanley's bed. During the night the board falls from the wall, flattening Stanley in his sleep. He survives and makes the best of his altered state by visiting friends by being mailed in an envelope.

The Flat Stanley Project was started in 1995 by Dale Hubert, a third grade school teacher in London, Ontario, Canada. Dale Hubert received the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence in 2001 for the Flat Stanley project...

Caitlyn's first grade class participated in the Flat Stanley Project. Caitlyn sent her Flat Stanley to her Aunt Natalie in Idaho. Natalie sent Stanley back with some pencils for all the kids in the class and some postcards showing the kids what kind of adventures Stanley had in Idaho.

I am so excited about the idea of sending Stanley on adventures that I am going to contact some friends via facebook and see if we can send him all over the world :)

Juvenile delinquency is a modern term for what we did when we were kids. ~ Unknown

Just when you think your 12 year-old boy doesn't need adult supervision anymore, he gives you a little reality check :)

Wyatt was out last night with two of his friends while Cyle and Colby were at a wedding reception. On their way home, Cyle starting receiving frantic texts from Wyatt saying he was sorry and begging him not to be mad. Cyle raced home and found the house empty. He texted Wyatt to ask what was going on and Wyatt informed him that he and his friends had gone doorbell-ditching and one of the neighbors had called the cops.

When the police arrived at the scene of the heinous crime, my cute little boy RAN! He was public enemy number one! Runnin' from the law...

The other two boys didn't run but they sang like canaries as Wyatt hid nearby in the dark. He could hear them ratting him out to the fuzz. Cyle and Colby were instructed where to go and as they approached the vicinity of my son's hiding place, he came darting out from the darkness and tried to seek refuge in the backseat of Colby's car. He opened the back door and my 7 year-old calmly told him, "Other side". That was it. He lost what remaining hold he had on his emotions and snapped.

To add to the torment, Cyle told Colby to drive them over to the cop car parked around the corner. MEAN! Although I am quite sure that Wyatt fully expected his "friends" to give the authorities all the information they would need to pay him a little visit at home after they were escorted to their houses.

The po-po's were a no-show, but Cyle and Colby got quite a few more laughs out of pretending the cops were at the door, causing Wyatt to wail.

If I were a gamblin gal, I would bet Wyatt won't ever go doorbell ditchin' again. He took a little trip on the wild side and I think he likes it better in front of an X-box in the safety of his living room, where he's the one holding the gun and his adversaries are the one's hiding in the dark...

A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. ~ Unknown

Daddy and Daughter

My dad is my hero...

I can remember all the stories he told me, and they still make me laugh (even though i've heard them dozen times or more). He was sooo cool! All the neighbor kids were scared of him and I'm sure Grandma Brack thought he was a giant bully, but I loved him, more than words can say...

His job took him away from home a lot when I was little. It didn't make me sad, I just missed him while he was gone and cherished the time we had when he was home. I have always been proud of what my dad has done for a living, but I wouldn't have cared if he worked down at the 7-11.

When my parents divorced, my dad "went where the work was" which was usually California.   We didn't see him very often when he lived out of state. My mom eventually remarried but to me, my dad was irreplaceable. No one else would ever be my "dad". 

My dad remarried and had my little brother Cole. He had a second family but I never felt replaced. He wasn't always there and he didn't always call but I never doubted his love for us.

Now I am older and have a family of my own. Sometimes life is busy and it's hard to find time to talk. Sometimes a few days go by, sometimes a week. Life is short, and time flies by in the blink of an eye. Maybe one day my best friend won't be a phone call away...whether he calls me or I call him...I want to share exciting news with him or cry to him when I am in trouble, and I can't imagine having that kind of bond with anyone else.

I gotta go...I haven't talked to my dad in a few days so I'm gonna give him a call :)

P.S. Being a parent is life's most difficult undertaking. If you don't believe me, you haven't tried it. I had no training. If there was a class being taught somewhere, no one told me about it. I plugged my nose, closed my eyes tight, and jumped in the deep end head-first. 

I didn't always do things right but if you were to ask my kids, they wouldn't know it. All they know is that their momma is their biggest fan. She is there when they fall down and when they succeed. I don't know any other way...

Sometimes sushi is just superb, and other times there's nothing like a great big steak. It depends on where your taste buds are at the time. ~ Francesca Annis

Sushi is a Japanese dish consisting of cooked, vinegared rice which is commonly topped with other ingredients, such as fish or other seafood, or put into rolls.

My new addiction is sushi.

I am determined to try sushi everywhere I can find it. I went with Jennifer to the Tokyo Steakhouse and the Citrus roll was devine. I bought a California Spicy Salmon roll from Costco and it was also quite delicious. I tried a Cucumber Maki roll from Tepanyaki Steakhouse and it was sweet and simple, but tasty.

Saturday is the BIG event! Donald is taking me to the Happy Sumo. OMG! I can't wait. I looked up the menu online and I can't even decide what I want to try. I want it all!! A combo platter of some sort is going to be my best bet because I don't want a plate full of the same thing. It's all too beautiful and unique to have a plate full of one thing. I want to try a variety of different seafood and flavors.

I'll probably order the Master Sumo Combo, which is Rainbow roll, spicy hand roll and 3 pieces of sashimi.

My favorite is Tobiko. Tobiko is the Japanese word for flying fish roe used to create certain types of sushi. Tobiko is sometimes used as an ingredient in a California roll which is a maki-sushi roll usually made inside-out, containing cucumber, crab, and avacado and rolled in sesame seeds. The eggs are small, with a beautiful red-orange color, a mild smoky-salty taste, and a crunchy texture. They literally burst in your mouth! A salty little POP that makes your eyes widen and awakens the senses. Heavenly...is all I can say...

Daughters are little girls that grow up to be your best friend ~ Unknown

It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't. ~ Barbara Kingsolver

Boobs! Caitlyn wants boobs!

This morning while I was getting her ready for school, I found a bra and some socks stuffed into the boots she was going to wear to school. I guess its my fault. She plays dress-up and always wants to put my bras on. So I tie them tight in the back for her and stuff them full of socks, so she can be grown up like everyone else. Cassidy and I have boobs. Heck, even Donald and Wyatt have boobs for that matter. Can anyone blame her for wanting to have boobs too?

She was crying as I gently explained to her that she couldn't take her boobs to school. I distracted her by changing the subject to...shoelaces, Haha! I am a genius! But I am still nervous. She will have to be frisked each day before school to make she she doesn't have any boobs in her pockets. I hope she finds something else to want...soon :)

You don't chose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them ~ Desmond Tutu

My dad called me the other day. He was sitting on the front porch of his condo in Las Vegas. He said, "I just called to say I love you".  Shannon called me the other day. She was at home with Hailey. She said, "I just called cuz I haven't talked to you in a little bit". It had only been a week. We say "Love you" at the end of every call. Saturday was Jen's birthday. I sent her a text at 1:30 in the morning. I kiss my kids multiple times a day, EVERY day, on the lips, even the 20-year old. My family IS a gift.

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles ~ Christopher Reeve

Japan will rebuild because we did...

Life is like an echo. What you send out comes back ~ Zig Ziglar

Daylight Savings Time? Really? Just what are we saving? Sure feels like I've lost an hour of sleep. Gonna need a healthy dose of Java and Jersey Shore tomorrow...

So, I was thinking about the destruction in Japan. A hundred years ago what would an earthquake destoy? Virtually nothing. The wagon path to your house? Because everything is constructed with concrete and steel, the devastation is severe. Japan will never look like it did a week ago. In the blink of an eye, it's all gone. They will rebuild, because it's human nature. They will lay down more concrete and erect more steel where it once was, but it will never be the same. 

Life goes on...

It is good that I can still see the beauty in every day even when I am not chemically inclined to do so. I love my kids so much. I watch them every day and marvel in the people that they have become. Once I held them in my arms, helpless and small, and now they are strong and sure, hardly in need of protecting, making decisions and becoming people right in front of my eyes.

Caitlyn says things that almost knock me off my chair. Her vocabulary is, well...intense. She is a mini-me.

Wyatt is a loving soul even though he doesn't want anyone to know, (don't tell him I spilled the beans). He is a conundrum. He is sweet and onery at the same time. Bipolar? Nah...

Cassidy will see that these years are the ones she will always remember. She should make the most of them because when she tells her children what life was like growing up, these are the stories she will have to tell them.

Colby makes me proud to call myself "Mom". I was "Mom" too soon and was not nearly prepared but the little boy and young man he has become have given me a sense of accomplishment that nothing else in life will even compare to.

I have done good...