My grandma always did and then she'd laugh and her eyes would sparkle and it was always my favorite 🥰🥰

I feel a little like this when people talk about the Maryland man being a criminal or not. Like, I don't think he was (or we'd be seeing the receipts instead of just words) BUT even if he is-- DUE PROCESS STILL MATTERS. For everyone.

Update: my husband bought me a maple tree for my yard and it is the BEST prize ever. He definitely used major positive reinforcement to convince my nervous system that bidding at auctions is fun, not stressful. 😂😂😂😂

Almost 18 years into marriage to a man who makes his living by attending/running auctions and I finally bid on a few items for him without anxiety overwhelming me.

I think I should get a prize.
A real prize, not like, the water heater I bought for him. That doesn't count.

I feel like it's possible I escaped so much damage by having never read a single book by this (and many other) popular 80's & 90's Evangelical authors.

There is a deep satisfaction in it. 😂

My husband woke up very proud today because he hates changing the clocks and never did change his alarm clock last fall AND the power never went out, so his alarm clock is now back at the correct time without any effort from him.

Hey, we've all got to celebrate small wins where we can. 😂

Six years ago today, I took a pregnancy test for the first time in almost a decade. I was certain it would be negative, because that's what you think after 11 years of infertility.

But it wasn't.

Those two pink lines are now a 5 yr old who endlessly delights us. 👏👏

So many of us Americans are standing here in horror, if that helps at all. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I'm so happy you asked this and that @cpatchj.bsky.social answered because I've never really known what I was doing and I've always meant to read up on it but haven't taken time but now I know! Yay!

5 yr old: Mom, can you help me with my mitten? I can get one on and not the other.

Me: sure.

5: well, actually I CAN get it on, but it's very stressful and I don't like that feeling. You know?

Me: *gesturing toward the world* yeah, I know.

"I am the oldest little kid in my family," says my 5 year old emphatically, who is, in fact, the youngest child in our family.

We have newborn lambs on the farm and they're the cutest sweetest little fluff balls you ever saw. 🥰

5 yr old: Mom? Guess what I'm thinking!

Me: I'm out of guesses right now, love.

5: Okay, well, if we had a pet elephant, we'd have to keep it in the shop because that's the only place it would fit.

//

I believe I can safely say that I was never going to win that guessing game.

♥️

Me: *sleeping peacefully*

18 yr old: *pounds on door* Mom, there's a new lamb and it needs help!

And so began our day today. But let me tell you, this tiny new lamb is the *cutest*. We named her Flutterbudget and she is everything perfect about a newborn lamb.

It does leave one to wonder if they've read the Bible at all. 🤷‍♀️

Each morning at 7:48 am, I'm in my chair with coffee and my son sticks his head into the kitchen and says, "Have a good day, Mom," before he goes out to catch the bus.

I spent a lot of years thinking I'd never have kids, so the simplicity of that moment is one of my favorite parts to every day.

I'm trying to work up the energy to switch to Substack. I think. Maybe.

What I really want is for people to just return to reading blogs again. Specifically, my blog. 😂😂😂

👏👏

😂😂

She said it so gently too. 😂

Me: *groans* I over steamed the broccoli.

5 yr old, patting my arm: oh, that's okay. I wasn't going to eat it anyway.

Also, for the joy of seeing baby lambs: here is Arrow, our firstborn lamb being held by our firstborn child. ;)

Doesn't she look like a perfect little Flower? 😍

Today is the 4-year anniversary of when our first lamb was born on the farm and I can honestly say our sheep have been my favorite animals to raise and I'm very proud of past-us for just buying our first ewes even though we had no idea what we were doing. 👏

👏👏👏

Well, in our family I am absolutely the one who loves dad jokes and tells them. Though sometimes my husband tells them just to see me crack up. ;) So this is definitely a possibility.

Our first lamb of the season was born. We named her Flower. She's pretty adorable.

My son turns 18 tomorrow. 👏👏