The Candy Post

Since last night was the night of waaaay too much candy for little kids, I thought that I would do a post on candy. I have almost an insider knowledge of candy. My older brother was basically addicted to sugar. If he had money, we were off to the candy store. Oh and mom and dad did not approve so it was "sneaking" off to the candy store. In fact, one time we got in big trouble because my dad drove by when I was sitting "looking out" on the stoop of a drug store.

Horehounds -- Don't ever eat these. You thought that they were cough drops, right?!?! Well, my daddy, a good old PA German boy insists that they are candy. Of course, he was the one who told me to swallow a raw egg once for my voice. No....I am not naive or gullible. You just have to know my dad. Anyway, my grandmother had a HUGE jar of these beside her bed. Of course, then there is the fact that grandma fed us about a zillion St. Joseph's whenever we stayed at her house. It is amazing that my brothers and I did not suffer from Reye's syndrome or something. Well, anyway....horehounds are despicable and should never be eaten. And those candy stick people should be shot for sticking them among the real candy stick flavors of cherry, peppermint, and sassafras. On second thought, you've got to try them just once in your life!! Go ahead and indulge!!!

Circus Peanuts -- These are another bad idea for candy. My grandmother used to give us bags of these for "going home surprises" Don't ask.... Well, since grandma was old and would often misplace things, I don't think I ever had a fresh circus peanut until I was grown. Nope....fresh or stale, they are not good. I even found a brand that our allergic to lots of candy ingredients ds could have. I bought one bag and I could not bear to ever buy another one.



Dots on Paper -- Do these have a real name? I seriously think that whoever came up with this idea was someone who hated kids. It is about the most disappointing candy I have ever eaten. And my kids agree!!

Playtime Gum -- this was fake bazooka. At our favorite candy store this was a penny as opposed to bazooka for 5 cents. I have looked for reference to this gum but I can't find any. To be honest, it tasted like penicillin. YES....REALLY!!! For a long time I never would chew plain bubble gum because of this nasty gum.

Watermelon Bazooka -- this was yummy!!

Wax Coke Bottles -- Seriously doggone awesome idea for a candy. I used to love chewing the wax, too. Now wax lips and those colored wax bottles were really yucky, though.

Marathon Bar -- This is my all time favorite candy bar. There is nothing like it made in the States although I am told there is a British candy bar that is similar. These used to be like a foot long. I liked them best when they were soft snd stretchy.

Teaberry Gum -- This used to be my favorite of the wierd flavored gums. I have also had Blackjack, Clove and Beeman's. Sadly, I had teaberry gum not long ago. I could not stand it so I gave it to my kids.

Fruit Stripe Gum -- I used to like this alot back in the day

Chiclets -- only the big ones, please

Beechnut gum -- Makes me think of my uncle.

Reese Cups -- This is the only candy I remember my other grandmother ever eating. She always had a stash of these in her house.

Candy Corn -- Tastes best to me eaten out of a tiered candy dish shaped like a man bought in a store in Chinatown.

Mary Janes -- Only the rectangular ones. Yes, Ski....I love 'em!! I probably wouldn't eat them now, though.

Sixlets -- cheap and good

Chocolate -- almost any form at all but preferably without any nuts. Favorites? Hershey's of course!!! See what I got in the mail?!!?!?!? Gotta love having a brother in Hershey. After all these years, he is still my supplier!!! Oh wait...was I supposed to share?!?!?!



Sen-Sens -- Are they REALLY candy? They are like horehounds. My basic theory on sen-sens is that it is candy eaten by old people who sing in choirs. Oh wait....that might be me!! If you've never tried them, you need to!! Come on....you know that you want to!!

Twizzlers -- I am very partial to the black ones. The softer, the better!!

Pop Rocks -- Those were just cool!! I don't think Iz would like them, though. You can still get them, but I don't think I would like Homer Simpson on my candy :(


B B Bats -- These are a yummy favorite from long ago. My favorites were banana, chocolate, and strawberry. I never chewed them. Mmmmmm....

Allsorts -- I am not sure really if I like these or not. They are unique. If you have never tried them, you should.


Butter Mints -- My brother and I would rate restaurants and social gatherings on whether they served butter mints. We used to love those mints that melted in your mouth. The worst mints were the ones with licorice in them. The best by far were butter mints. When we discovered those, they were sure to vanish from sight. I am sure we embarrassed our mother greatly with our fondness for butter mints.

Swedish Fish -- You cannot not like these!! They are soft and sweet and delicious!!! My brother would buy a big bag and give me some, too.

Orange Slices -- Oh, oh, oh....YUM!!!! I do not like much fruit flavored stuff, but orange slices ROCK!!!

Barley Toy Pops and Ribbon Candy -- Toy pops are the coolest thing at Christmas when you are little. Sure they got fuzzy from the bottom of your stocking, but they were sooooooo good!! I am not a lollipop person, but I loved my toy pops. Ribbon candy gets a mention here, too because I just think of it at Christmas. Soooo pretty.

Pep-o-mint and Butter rum Lifesavers -- My all time favorite lifesavers!!!!

Brach's Candy for 5 cents -- I could never decide whether I wanted the square caramels, the jelly nougats, neopolitan coconuts, or the filled caramel rolls. Even when my big kids were little, they still had displays in the grocery store. I would tell them to each pick a piece and we would drop our change in the box.

Root Beer Barrels -- Her's another one that my brother would buy. There was a cool candy store that sold penny candy. When my brother didn't have much money, we could still get lots of candy. We could get something like 10 fish for a nickle or something like that.

Candy Cigarettes -- Common....fess up!! You tried these, didn't you?!?! There was even one kind that blew smoke. They were much better than those candy necklaces and lipsticks.

Happy National Candy Corn Day!

Today is National Candy Corn Day! Someone needs to invent an allergy free candy corn (they have egg and gelatin (from beef or fish))--Boo!! But for those of you, like me, who love a big bag of empty calories--go ahead and eat a handful. I know I will. Yum!

BTW, I used to prefer the Autumn mix. I'd eat the pumpkins first, then the chocolate. This year my tastebuds have shifted and I'm back to preferring old-school yellow. I've bought about 6 bags/containers so far this year--they're cheap if you shop around (WM, CVS).

What a strange kid....

My youngest ds is such an odd child.
He has a funny habit of burrowing under anything in order to go to sleep. I will often find a lump in the middle of my bed.

Ski was working from home today. He works in our bedroom and listens to music and pod casts. This is probably so that he can drown out the rest of us making all kinds of chaotic noise throughout the house. Well, I was depositing clean laundry on our bed when my foot hit something soft and warm under out bed. At first I though it was our kitty. She often crawls under there much to Ski's chagrin. But then I heard soft breathing and realized it was my son. There, hidden by our bed skirt, our little guy had found a quiet place to rest in my room under the bed. We all took a look and chuckled at the sight of him. And then we left him there to rest. We have all been sick and I thought that it was best for him to get some rest -- even under my bed.

Iz tells us that when he goes to sleep, he must cover his eyes or they will pop open. Hee-hee. He falls asleep in the funniest places.

We are sick, we are sick, we are sick, sick, sick

Stupid colds.

I think I've finally kicked this latest one this past weekend (no sinus headaches for the first time in 4-5 weeks! Thank you God!)

We had a great time at the FAAN Walk (more to come on that) but we were volunteering so we needed to be there at 7am--which meant getting up WAY earlier than we're accustomed to. Several of us (esp. B) have bad colds now due to lack of sleep--worse than "round one" a week or so ago.

Hopefully this too shall pass. We all stayed home Sunday and I was able to get a little more painting done (front door, one set of shutters completely done).

The Cause Near and Dear to our Hearts

I don't know if you have all seen this video, but some of you have asked me if I have.
So here is the latest news story regarding Iz's allergist and the wonderful research that they are doing up there.

We are all planning on walking for food allergies. All proceeds go to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxsis Network. They are working towards finding a cure for life threatening food allergies, support, education, and advocacy for those who suffer from life threatening allergies and those who care for them. If you would like to sponsor us, please go to our walk website. Even if the walk date has passed, you can still donate!! I know that times are tough, but this is one of the only times when we will ever ask for money. If you don't want to donate to FAAN, please consider a donation to a wonderful support group for parents of allergic children, KWFA. Both of these groups, FAAN and KWFA, are non-profit. All of the volunteers on KWFA are moms(and dads) just like us. KWFA is right there on the front line of support for the every day parents who need an ear, some guidance, or just a great recipe.

The Pumpkin Harvest

What can I say?!?!
I love fall.
Almost all of my favorite things happen in the fall.
My anniversary and five of my children were born from Sept - Dec.

Another cool thing about fall is the pumpkin harvest. And pumpkins are one of my favorite things, too. I love pumpkin anything!! And when I was on the brink of a life changing adventure years ago, I looked out the window and saw about a zillion pumpkins. Since that day, in my mind my oldest daughter and pumpkins have inextricably linked.

This year, my oldest turned 16.
With the birth of this amazing girl, I too was born, but my birth was into motherhood. I was not a very happy or willing participant. I was ever so frightened and unprepared.

Within a week, I found myself not only a mother, but a mother to a very sick little girl. Never in my life had I imagined that I could be so worried and fretful over a person that I had barely met.

In the years that followed, my daughter amazed and delighted me and frightened and puzzled me. When we said our farewells as she faced open heart surgery just shy of 2yo, she assured me that all would be well. When I saw her tiny body after surgery practically covered with tubes and tape, she comforted me with the fact that she had been a good girl and that she wanted to get down to play. The poor child could barely sit up and speak let alone actually get down.

When she was 4 years old and her brother died before he had the chance to be born, she comforted me with her assurances that he was in heaven with Jesus and friends. She comforted me with her hugs and tears and seemed to have a wisdom far beyond her years.

She has proved to us over and over again that she is an individual and is not ashamed to be different. She puts a passion in everything that she does. She loves with a passion and cares deeply for others.

This girl is one of the sweetest and coolest girls that you would ever want to meet. She has a deep love for her friends and family and thinks the best of everyone. She has the most unusual way of looking at things. Many times, she puzzles me and other times she amazes me. She has an artistic eye like her father and while she would be great at photography, she would rather be mixing it up with people. She loves people!! She loves to talk to people and makes new friends.

Ski and I think that she is one of the bravest people that we have ever met. She will not be deterred by what anyone thinks. She is not afraid to be her own person or to walk a different path than the others around her.

She is so fun to watch with little kids. She just gets in there and talks to them. She thinks that they are funny and interesting. And the girl has a passion for the Lord that puts me to shame.

I could say a million other things about my sweet 16 girl, but I am going to stop before she comes after me. :)
Happy Birthday, my love!!
Thanks for being such a great daughter!!

Pardon me...

While I sneeze.

Yes, friends, I have a cold.

You know what though...I think everyone has it. I was out running errands by myself today and a clerk at Dollar General was sniffing away. I don't know which was worse...me sniffing away or her.

My week has not been a happy one. I had to do my shopping and I had a terrible experience at Target. And I looooove Target. I am so disappointed with them. Not only did I have to deal with poor customer service, but then I had to explain the entire dismal story three times and spend 1/2 hour of precious time on the phone. And I am still not confident that it was resolved. In fact, Ski asked me if I needed to go there and I still find myself growling on the inside. All I can say is that I hope a few Target employees are sneezing now as well.

Oh...and then there was the chicken broth. I have wonderful coupons that I got in the mail for chicken broth. If you combine them with a sale going on at one of the local stores, it is a sweet deal. The only thing is I think there are a bunch of people near me who had the same coupons. All of the chicken broth is sold out at the two stores closest to me. I might try again tomorrow, but I am not hopeful.

Ski went out with our oldest dd to a sports kind of thing tonight. Before he left, he assured me that I could just make a normal dinner for all of us. Well, I fell like the stuff under a rock so dinner was not the first thing on my mind. Thankfully, my oldest son volunteered to make spaghetti. I wish that I could enjoy it. He makes a killer sauce. But I think I might be having some soup instead....

I am hoping that tomorrow both I will be feeling better and that it will not be raining. Ski and I need to do some painting!!

Off I go for more medicine....

18 years and one week

B and I decided from the very beginning that this blog would be about "us". We could've had the primary focus be our 6 skibums, food allergies, homeschooling, parenting or any other field where we might be considered a "subject matter expert". However, without revealing too many of our intimate secrets, we really felt the story of our God-given life together would be what we would find most interesting and rewarding to recall and blog about.

If you've read any of our posts, you've already figured out that B is, far and above, a better writer than I. If she is Dickens, I'm Salinger. If she is Puccini, I'm PDQ Bach. If she's Shakespeare, I'm Ogden Nash. If she's Sunflowers, I'm The Twittering Machine.

I hope you enjoy reading the classiness of our posts (hers) and get a chuckle from the goofiness too (mine). I find both can be profound at times.

I say all this because, after 18 years and one week of marriage to the girl of my dreams, it's time for me to post my "anniversary" blog. I had too many thoughts swirling around in my head that I wanted to share about this beautiful, sexy, caring, creative, brave, Holy Spirit-led woman that in a great cosmic mystery to me, I've been binded to by a "third cord" that can't be broken. It's taken me a while to process but I think it comes down to this:

God's mercies are new every morning.

Huh? What does that mean? Well, it's like this. I believe that in heaven, we'll never fully know everything about God. Even in His presence, we'll still be learning and in worshipful awe of his character, faithfulness, power etc.

God intends, on many levels for my marriage to be a reflection of this relationship between Christ and the church (His Bride). I believe one illustration of this is, just as we will always be discovering something new of God to love in eternity, I still find (after 18 years) that I am still finding new things about B I never realized, new passion and desire for her, new respect and admiration for who God has made her to be, new beauty that continues to reveal itself like so many sunset skies or a finely made wine. Every day. New mercies, new mercies, new mercies--from our steadfast, faithful, powerful God--through B--to me. Wow! How amazing! I REALLY don't deserve her.

I am SO thankful to God for you B. I will NEVER see you as "old, boring, yesterday" if you ever fear that. Please don't. You are ALWAYS a joy to me-- from when I kiss you on the head when I leave early in the morning to when I snuggle up close to you at night.

I look forward to our next 18 years in grateful anticipation.

I love you.

When I Wasn't Looking

When I wasn't looking for it, God blessed me with the dearest friend I could ever ask for and so much more!!

When I was growing up, I moved around alot. I hated going to new places. I always felt like an outsider. While I now have some fond memories of places that I used to live, I had terrible time making friends. I always wished for a sister when I was younger because I thought that would give me a sure fire friend. It still makes me sad to hear people talk about their sisters. It is also a motivation that I had to have at least two girls and two boys -- so everyone could have a brother and a sister. As the years went by, I floated in and out of relationships with females. Nothing ever clicked and to this day, I have a great difficulty with female relationships. In college, my favorite friends were guys. No, I wasn't THAT girl. I didn't flirt with them or whatever. I just liked talking to them. They seemed to be more real than the girls that I knew.

One guy and I struck up a friendship over music. We would trade things back and forth to listen to. We all had the same friends because our school was small. Everyone knew everyone else. So we would hang out all the time. Often we were in the computer lab in the library late at night with about 20 other people. You would get locked in and could stay as long as you wanted. I was always down there working on Lit papers. Uggh!! One time, he asked me to go to a concert with him and I was ecstatic. Three of us, him, his girlfriend and I, drove several hours to see a great group perform in Trenton, NJ. On another occasion, we went to an album signing together and his car broke down. We were supposed to meet back at school with friends to see another concert, but they left before we returned. He borrowed a car and we drove down together to the concert. We talked the whole time -- just as friends.

Towards the end of that year the dreaded finals approached. As luck would have it, I was not feeling well. My friend came and studied with me in my room while all my friends went to late night breakfast. He would read my dark and sad poetry and not even bat an eye. He would patiently wait for me to say things -- back then it took me forever to say ANYTHING. As luck would have it, this sweet guy told me that he had more than friendly feelings towards me. I told him thanks, but no thanks. Friends was fine with me. But this guy was persistent. Over the summer, he wrote lovely letters that made me laugh and even took me to a concert. He told me all kinds of things and shared poetry with me that he had written. He sent me a birthday gift. I was scared to death.

When I returned to school, he was there again. And one day, he didn't come by. He gave up on me. It was then that I realized that he had indeed won my heart. So I knocked on Ski's dorm door and the rest is history.

I tend to be different at times and most people I know roll their eyes or think I am over the top. My friends would always call me crazy or weird. But Ski has never, ever said that -- except when he would write notes to me on the college center board. He would get angry when my friends said I was wierd. Ski saw something else. I am not sure what, but he seemed to like it.

After 22 years of being friends, I can say that I am the happiest, luckiest, and most blessed woman alive. I am married to my very best friend in the entire world. He makes me laugh and smile. I can tell him anything and he always listens to me. I would be so different without him. When I am with him, I am never afraid to be myself. I act nutty, I laugh, I cry, I talk late into the night, I dance in fields and parking lots, I walk in the rain, and I am silly. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to spend last week walking on the beach several times a day with my very best friend. We would look for shells, shark teeth, and glass, dodge waves, watch our crazy kids chasing the gulls, and just talk. It was a glorious way to spend the end of our 17th married year together. Ski loves the color orange and it is so appropriate for him because he is like a fireball of sunshine that has lightened the dark crevices of my melancholy heart.

Ski, after 18 years, my heart still skips a beat when I see you and I miss you every moment that you are apart from me. I can't wait to tell you all the mundane things in my head. I love to sit and drink coffee with you and I love to hold your hand.
I am so glad that I have you in my life and I am so glad that God looked for the perfect friend and husband just for me. You are the man of my dreams!!!

Happy 18 years!!!