Not Me Monday Strikes Again

Hi Ya'll and Happy Not Me Monday!
This morning the boys and I stopped by the florist. You see we were on our way to my Mom's for a visit. Since she just got back in town (from a 17 day mission trip) to Honduras we thought it'd be nice to take her fresh flowers. While the florist did her magic, the boys and I looked around. When what to my wondering eyes did appear?? A beautiful black and white toile door hanger. What a FAB-U-LOUS mommy treat for me!!! Now honestly did you think I could resist?? No, not me! After all it was only 9:30am and I had already cleaned the bathrooms, and the garbage cans, stripped my bed and washed the sheets, showered AND dressed myself and the boys, for the day. So, now when I think of bringing simple beauty out to the front porch I'll already have a great start. God's blessings!

Yard Sale'n Hinson Style

Good afternoon all!
As I write this I am seated on my couch, soaking up the air conditioning and enjoying a lazy day.
We did get out and run a few errands this morning.
Of course Andy and Joseph did their yard work.
It was nice to eat lunch and entertain the idea of taking a nap.
The yard sale certainly gave me a reason to slow down and chill!
Here's a peek into the work and fun times of our yard sale...














Lastly, the treasures I found while shopping in Rachel and Gigi's stuff.
Thanks to my family and friends for all your help and support! :>

Garage Sale Update

Good morning everyone!
This is your official Garage Sale update-
Day 1 down,
Day 2 promising family and friends!
What started as a Garage Sale is now turning into a block party... FUN!!!
Not only will Rachel and the girls be here today, my neighbor from down the street is coming and setting up a table, Gigi is driving from Birmingham to setup a table, and several friends are stopping by to visit.
Really, I had no idea that Garage Sales were THE social event of the summer.
Had I known, I would have cleaned up the house a bit more.
Maybe even chilled some wine.
Hhhmmmm, now there's a thought! ;>
So, yes it will be hot, yes it is hard work.
But, today promises to bring lots of fun and laughter!
Time to get dressed and get this party jumping...
I think I can,
I think I can,
I think I can!

The Cabinets That Time Forget

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday!
Today the boys and I are cleaning out and straightening the house.
Why you ask??
We're having a yard sale this Thursday and Friday.
That's right, I know what you're thinking.
We did just have our first yard sale a month ago.
Apparently cleaning out closets and cabinets is quite addictive.
You'd be amazed by the calm and peace that comes from being able to put your clothes IN your dresser drawers.
I really wanna keep this good thing going.
I know, I guess I'm a bit high maintenance like that!

I started in the kitchen early this morning, before the boys were up.
The whole new fridge saga from last week did a number on my tiny kitchen.
To say the mess made me nervous and crabby was an understatement!
My first step of this intervention was doing the dishes.
Then I decided to scrub the sink.
Ooohhh, it looks so good... the Fly Lady would be so proud!
My next step was cleaning out a few of the cabinets.
We have this very deep, awkwardly placed cabinet.
I shall name it, The Cabinet That Time Forgot.
Until today it was home to the bread and chips.
Picture a pack of hot dog buns past their prime.
Nope, not good.
I decided to make the most of it's space, so it now houses extra napkins and paper towels.
Gotta love a well stocked kitchen when it's organized!
Wanna know what item (so far) won the title "Longest Forgotten"?
Bisquick that expired, May 2008.
Can we just say Hardees' drive thru gravy and biscuit?!

Now I'm on to the boys room.
If you don't hear back from me by end of the week, send help!!
God's blessings :D

Happy Not Me Monday

Hi and happy Not Me Monday!
Monday started very early here At Home With The Hinsons.
We (as in Joseph) had summer football workouts starting today.
Since I was up early I thought I'd make the most of it.
When I picked up Joseph from practice, at 8:30 (yes, AM) I HAD NOT already accomplished the following things...
1. Clean both full bathrooms.
2. Shower and dress (that'd be with fresh hair, makeup and accessories).
3. Feed 2 boys breakfast.
4. Have everything together for running errands.
5. And finally, have both boys dressed for the day.
Guess that's why by 1pm, as I zoned out online for a few minutes, I let Joseph teach James how to play poker.
My rules you ask?
Only that they not argue!
So now I'm off to get James' t-ball uniform ready.
Tonight's the last game of the All Stars!
Have a great afternoon :D

Welcome, New Fridge!

Welcome to the family sweet baby Whirlpool Gold. Your arrival was quite unexpected. Although we spent our entire week saying goodbye to Mr.Frigidaire, his passing was painful. We hope that you will find our home joyful as you serve us faithfully. We look forward to many years of memories together. May you love being... At Home With The Hinsons.

Mohawks and Mexican Coke

The boys and I spent the day at the Aquatics Center.
We enjoyed the sun, water, friends and laughter!
And just for those of you wondering, here's what happens when you let two boys go off to the bathroom by themselves...

YES, those two boys have been causing trouble together for years! ;>

Lastly, Andy brought home a treat for us this afternoon.
He heard that Mexican Coke was still made with pure sugar.
None of the fructose, sucrose, blah-blah-blah.
The boys and I participated in a taste test and we agree...
Mexican Coke is the best!

Wednesday's Winnings ;>

Hi everyone! I couldn't wait to share my winnings with you from earlier this afternoon. After a long, exhausting, drama filled day I paid a visit to my neighbor's house. Sure, I wanted to say hello. But, in all honesty, it was the tables full of boxes that I was most interested in. It seems that Ms. Nancy's grand-daughter is the Captain of the Color Guard at CHS. Their fundraiser for the fall is a one day-18 girl yard sale. And today was the drop off day. For a mere $20 (or twenty-twen-twen as James likes to say) I shopped all my worries away. I found a fab-u-lous basket I plan to use for magazines, two like new picture frames, and several other treasures. I'd consider that Wednesday's Winnings!

Here's James' with his $2 basketball return. That'd be the yellow thing on the bottom of the goal. It keeps the ball from flying all over the place (especially from hitting my nearby windows). He was so proud of his purchase and that he saved about $15 off of the retail price!

Not Me Monday, All Star Style

Today was a busy Monday.
Among other things, James and I had dentist appointments.
That's right what better way to start off your week than with fillings??
So since James was having a filling done I thought he should go first.
He didn't have a cavity, just needed a filling in the tooth he chipped.
Remember when he broke his nose jumping off the top bunk bed?
Well, that tooth was in need of some attention.
Anyway, back to the story.
James made it through his filling without any numbing, AT ALL!
That kid is t-o-u-g-h!!!
Once I was in the chair Dr.B said he thought he could do my fillings without any numbing as well.
Who was feeling the pressure??
Yep, that's right, NOT ME!
I was so glad not to have my face numb the rest of the evening.
What kid needs his Mama looking like two-face at the ball field?
And speaking of ball fields, tonight was James' first All Star game.
Here's the handsome player now...





Our team won 24-23!!!
Happy Not Me Monday ;>

Bubble Blowing 101

As any 6 year old knows, blowing bubbles with your gum is a very important life skill. And James has been trying his best to learn. I thought today would be a fun day to host a bubble blowing session. I decided that we should equip ourselves with the right gum. While out running errands, we ran by the gas station. We purchased none other than Hubba Bubba Max, strawberry watermelon. Here's a peak into our first lesson...









F-U-N!!!
Last but not least...

James learned how to blow bubbles after only one lesson.
I'm impressed! :D

Vocabulary According to James

These are a few of my favorite James-isms of the moment:

1. Mama, I'm gonna shoot my gun, but first I've gotta CLONK it. I pretty sure the correct term is cock it.

2. Will you give me a dollar so I can by a popsicle at the CONFESSION stand? He must think we're Catholic.

3. And finally, his favorite position to play in t-ball? That'd be the BEHIND CATCHER!

He's vocab is so precious I just can't correct it! :)

Hey Now, You're An All-Star!

As most of you know, James was picked to play All-Stars.
When he asked my friend, Jennifer, why she thought he was picked, she replied "Because you're the BEST catcher in the world!"
And that my friends was all little James needed to hear.
He is now fulfilling his calling.
His team practiced Monday and Tuesday night from 6pm-8:30ish.
Back to back nights of working his t-a-i-l off and l-o-v-i-n-g every minute of it!
The last practice is Saturday.
Games are next week and then we'll retire our jersey for the summer.
Here's James showing off his new jersey.
It even has his name on it, imagine the glory! :D

Knife Throwing Contest

Hi all!
If you remember, a few weeks ago, we developed a "summer fun" system.
It's a way for us to actually do all the fun things we dream about, when summer kicks off.
We wrote all our ideas on slips of paper.
Then, once a week, we draw an activity.

Our first activity drawn was a knife throwing contest.
Between t-ball, our yard sale and just life in general we got a bit behind.
But today we FINALLY got around to having our contest! :)

The boys decided to make a new target.



We added in some points for those of us who are challenged-
+ 1 point for actually hitting the board
+ 1 point for style (like the time I hit the bird house).

The game ended with Joseph in first place and James in second.



Great job boys!

On a side note:
For those of you thinking that knife throwing contests might not be your cup of tea. I ask you to remember this... the time we spend with our children is about making memories, learning teamwork, and building relationships. It's never really about the activity itself. There are a million other things I might rather be doing, but no other people I'd rather be doing them with.
And one day, there won't be anyone wearing olives at my dinner table.


Or falling asleep in my bed.

That's when I'll miss silly activities like knife throwing contests.
So today, I chose to soak them up!

Thursday Pool Day

Hi everyone, Happy Thursday!
The Hinsons spent the morning at the pool with our friends.
Here's the scoop-
As we were loading up on goggles and sunscreen at Walmart, my cell rang...
It was Jennifer telling me that there were twelve bus loads full of kids at the Aquatics Center...
Excuse me, WHAT??
Yep, she wasn't kidding.
When I got there and walked upstairs to the track I saw this...

And that my friends was just half of the gym.
There had to be ATLEAST 200 hundred children.
Yes, I totally agree...
I vomited in my mouth too!

So, what's a mom to do?
We skipped our workout, dashed out to the pool and claimed our chairs in the sun.
I think having tired and satisfied children is worth more than any weight loss.
And luckily, Jennifer agreed.
Guess that's why we're friends, because we're both brilliant like that! ;>

We spent several very dizzying hours chatting and trying to keep up with our kids.
Yes, the kids waited in line to go down the slides and us moms proudly paid "confession stand" prices for PB&J and popsicles.
Here's James posing while Drake finished his snack.


Last but not least, I think I've found a way to lure Andy to the Aquatics Center with us.
Check out this adorable lifeguard...

If she were any cuter Baywatch would be filming!
I'll keep ya posted on wether he takes that bait.

God's blessing on your afternoon!

Boomprize

Good morning!
Last night James' t-ball game was called early.
Something about children not playing ball when it's thundering and lightening??
We were ahead so we were glad to leave with a win.
Since Boompa was there we invited him out to dinner with us.
Of course we chose Cosa Fiesta, because what's better than a restaurant that serves fried ice cream?!
The boys and Boompa picked on each other the whole meal.
We really had a fabulous time.
When it was over I gave Boompa his thank you card and gift for my birthday.
Boompa, being himself, asked "Guys, what is it?!"
James quickly replied "It's a BOOMPRIZE"! :D