And In My OWN HOUSE!!!

(By Mike Brinkerhoff - from Keeping Up With The Brinkerhoffs) - if you don't see the pics, just click on over!

By now, most of you have met Baby Eric, the little boy Cindy watches during the day.

Eric's dad is Neil. Neil works as a diver, repairing boats under the water all day.

Sometimes, when he comes to pick up Eric, he just takes off the wet suit and doesn't bother to put a shirt on... That seemed kinda weird. But it was nothing compared to what he brought into our house yesterday...



CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??? He willfully and knowingly wore a geek squad t-shirt into my house. As soon as I saw him, I informed him that he was dead to me.

He shot back that he would wear a Tech Services 4 All shirt, if he had one!

Psshh... As if I'm not prepared for that kind of thing!



And that atrocity he WAS wearing? I'm thinking it'll live out its days lining the chicken coop. For now, it's just unceremoniously dumped on the floor.



Neil suggested we could use it as a diaper for Danee, but there's no way. It's not WORTHY of catching her poo!!!

I'm Goin' Fish'in again....

These crackers are by far the best snack food I have eaten in a long, long time!

(and lets just say I get to try out lots of snax with the daycare)

If you like:

Chocolate, Grahams and Mini Marshmellows. (and lets face it, who doesn't)

You will LOVE these too!

I'm just sayin'... you should try them :) You will be glad you did, Promise!

Play Time for Daneekins!

We've Got Spirit

Yes we Do, We've got Spirit HOW bout' you?

Andy came home from school about a month ago and sheepishly asked for money to pay for a PEP band t-shirt "he didn't remember ordering". I wrote him out a check and the next day he brought home the greenest, coolest t-shirt EVER!

Yesterday afternoon Andy came home from school and I noticed he was again wearing his very (hhhmmm) cool school shirt.

Cindy: Um bud didn't you wear that shirt yesterday?
Andy: yeah
Cindy: and the day before that?
Andy: Yeah, so...
Cindy:So don't you have any other shirts you can wear?
Andy: Yeah, I just like showing school spirit.
Cindy: Go change your shirt, and I will give you a welcome home hug.

Today Andy's assignment is to go shop the student store.

I think it may be time for another shirt!

A Valentine Mystery

(By Mike Brinkerhoff - from Keeping Up With The Brinkerhoffs) - if you don't see the pics, just click on over!

It was the day after Valentine's Day. The day before, I'd given my sweetheart a nice chocolate heart, one that was a little too big to eat all in one setting. Unfortunately, she didn't think to lock it away when she was done with it, and it went missing. Really. Stealing a Valentine's Day Chocolate Heart. Who would do such a thing?



Ahh yes. I know this perpetrator. She's the cause of a lot of missing items around these parts... And she's a little too good at playing innocent, if you get my drift.



My sweetheart was pretty sure she recognized the melting brown mass in the perp's fingers, but didn't want to show too much of her hand. So she played it cool, and asked if maybe the kid had seen a Chocolate Heart... But oh, this kid is as smooth as the creamy milk chocolate she had smeared all over her face.



Then, as if she was trying to prove that she really IS the most cunning little thief in town, she actually had the nerve to offer to help track down the missing sweetness!



Now my sweetheart is certainly sweet, but she's got her limits. This kid was quickly approaching the line, with no signs of slowing down. So Mommy put her foot down on the little searching party...



Without even increasing her heart rate, this cool little cucumber plays right along, acting all surprised when the missing treasure suddenly appears where her hand had been just a few seconds earlier!



Somethin' tells me this kid could wind up in politics someday!

My Day: Made!

(By Mike Brinkerhoff - from Keeping Up With The Brinkerhoffs) - click on over!

The last couple weeks, I've been doing much better at making it to the YMCA in the morning, and it feels great. This morning while leaving, I ran into a friend who commented on how great it was that I was getting there regularly again...

Friend: It's great to see you here in the mornings!

Me: Yeah, it's been hard rebuilding the habit after taking 6 months or so off...

Friend: That's a hard habit to rebuild, but stay motivated and you'll do it.

Me: Well, I have extra incentive because Cindy and I started a Biggest Loser club.

Friend: Well there's no way you'll win that, you don't have enough to lose!

Even though I'm confident in my ability (and need) to lose enough to win, that comment made my day!

My little Soap Box.....

(By Cindy Brinkerhoff - from Keeping Up With The Brinkerhoffs) - if you don't see the pics, just click on over!


My Parents Drugged Me!
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6



"The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a Methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question: 'Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?'

"I replied, 'I had a drug problem when I was young! I was drug to church on Sunday morning.
I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.
I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.
I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.
I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad
report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put
forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.
I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity.
I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower-beds and cocklebur's out of dad's fields.
"I was drug to the homes of family, friends and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no
one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood; and, if my mother had ever
known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.
"Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, or think.
They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin; and, if today's children had this kind of drug problem,
America would be a better place."


God bless the parents who drugged us.


-- Author Unknown --

Kids Eat The Darndest Things!

(By Mike Brinkerhoff - from Keeping Up With The Brinkerhoffs) - if you don't see the pics, just click on over!

Our poor, gullible Tyler...

Cindy has a long history of tricking him in to eating things that shouldn't really be eaten.

One time, back when he was probably 4, they were making home-made Play Doh together. While sitting on the counter helping, Tyler looked down at the creamy red Doh in the pot and licked his lips... Cindy said, "Do you want to try some?" and Tyler eagerly nodded his head.

One teensy spoonful later, and he was hanging his tongue out while Cindy fought to keep breathing through her laughter.

Well, the other night, while Danee was enjoying crackers with chocolate frosting, the rest of us had been enjoying some smoked salmon. Cindy started preparing a cracker with frosting for herself, then looked at Tyler and asked if he'd ever had smoked salmon on a frosted cracker...

At least he was a LITTLE skeptical... Just not skeptical enough. It only took one round of "oh yeah, when I was a kid, this is how we always ate it!" before he stepped up to the plate and was ready to give it a try...



And a moment later, it was a replay of the Play Doh incident!



Luckily for us, he's a totally good sport, and is able to laugh at stuff like this!!

Cute 'n' Messy!

(By Mike Brinkerhoff - from Keeping Up With The Brinkerhoffs) - if you don't see the pics, just click on over!

The other night, Danee got a chance to enjoy one of the finer things in life...



Yup, a saltine cracker with chocolate fudge frosting!!



One of her favorite things to do lately, when she really likes something, is to clap her hands and say "Yay!!!"

She definitely liked the Chocolate Frosted Cracker!



And if I had the time and ambition to load up the Gimp and throw a caption on this last pic, it would definitely say, "I CAN HAS MORE?"

Meanwhile, Tyler was having a cracker-based delicacy of his own... which we'll share tomorrow!

Sunday Funnies

Friday Funny

(By Mike Brinkerhoff - from Keeping Up With The Brinkerhoffs) - if you don't see the video, just click on over!

Man, it was hard to save this for Friday... By now, you should all know that I don't like hate shopping at Wal-Mart - not for any of the traditional complaints though, I don't care at all how they treat their employees or blah blah blah blah blah... if you don't like working there, go work somewhere else! WOW! Problem: SOLVED!!

No, I just hate the stores. I hate everything about them, from the layout to the clientelle.

So in light of all that, I was amazed by their latest commercial. It's a full on WIN in every way I can think of!!

Enjoy!!

"Mom, what's for dinner?"

(By Cindy Brinkerhoff - from Keeping Up With The Brinkerhoffs - if you don't see the pics, just click on over!)

Flash back a month or so ago...

Ellysa states "this family eats the same stuff every week!" My initial reactions was to get mad and tell her she could start making the meals and see how sick we all get of Mac N' Cheese. But after thinking about it, I realized she was right. You could pretty much set your calender to the day what we would be having for dinner. The choices usually came down to Fish Tacos, S'ghetti, Breakfast for dinner and pulled pork sandwiches. With a few variations thrown in to mix things up. I decided that I would attempt to change things up a little.

This week Mike and I added to the challenge by determining to "use what we have in the cupboard" rather then running to the grocery store mid week adding to the bill, also finally using those random ingredients that have sat in the cupboard for some time. This extra challenge has forced me to think ahead and get creative. Day 2 today and I am having a blast!

So Last night I threw together a scrumptious enchilada casserole with Spanish rice, chips and homemade guacamole. The family was Happy- YAY!

Tonight's Menu...

White Bean Chili



Potato Skins and Cinnamon Rolls for dessert!



I am hoping for more smiles and Thumbs up :)

Oh, P.S. In the spirit of full disclosure, I DID need a can of corn, which we didn't have... But I didn't go to the store for it - I bartered a plate of fresh baked cookies with a neighbor for it! How's THAT for sticking to the plan??

Mmmmmm, Donuts!

(By Mike Brinkerhoff - from Keeping Up With The Brinkerhoffs) - if you don't see the pics, just click on over!

This last weekend was a sickly one at The Brinkerhoff house. Cindy was sick... Kaylee was sick... Tyler wasn't necessarily sick, but had a nasty cough... Danee was VERY sick... Ellysa and Andy completely dodged this one, and I was being annoyed by the same annoying, dry cough I've been enduring for the past two weeks. No other symptoms, just a random tickle in my throat that brings on an instant coughing fit.

By Sunday afternoon, Cindy was starting to feel a little better - better enough to decide that she wanted donuts. And as you should all know by now, when she wants something, I do my best to deliver! So I made up some dough, put it in the fridge to chill, and after dinner we got to work.

Cindy rolled it out...



...and cut it out...



...then I handled the frying...



...and took them out when they were a perfectly delicious golden brown...



...and then Cindy shook them in a bag of cinnamon sugar, or powdered sugar, and left some plain ones...



...and the verdict was unanimous:

DO OVER!!!

(at our house that means Do It Again!!)

Happy (somewhat) Belated Birthday, Danee!

(By Mike Brinkerhoff - from Keeping Up With The Brinkerhoffs) - if you don't see the video, just click on over!

Danee turned 1 on December 1st. We had a little party with some friends and family, and I shot some video... I've been meaning to splice the footage together into a quick highlight reel ever since, and almost gave up on it since I'd waited so long. But then I realized that her actual DUE DATE was January 24, so I actually finished the video right on time! :)

She's an amazing baby, and even though she's been sick with a truly nasty cold for the last few days, she is absolute pure joy!

We love you Daneekins!!!

Sunday Funnies

Friday Funny

(By Mike Brinkerhoff - from Keeping Up With The Brinkerhoffs) - if you don't see the pics, just click on over!

It's been quite a stressful week around here... Danee got sick, then Kaylee got sick, then Cindy got sick... Today they're ALL sick, and I'm working from home trying to multi-task as effectively as possible.

But you can only do that so long before you need a laugh break. And after this week, I really, REALLY needed a laugh break!

After laughing it up, I realized it's been a really long time since I've done a Friday Funny post here on the blog.. in fact it's been a long time since I've posted ANYTHING on the blog. Well, here's the first step toward righting that wrong!

First, this isn't our cat, and this isn't our house. But I could have easily taken, and captioned a picture that would be virtually indistinguishable from this.



Another stressful thing going on right now is all the tax preparation. And with all that confidential paperwork floating around, you have to be very careful how you dispose of it. Here's an eco-friendly, Green solution.



Those of you who have been to our house have most likely met Kitty, our morbidly obese very fat well fed cat. Several times per day her food dish seems to magically empty, which is very stressful for her, and she will let no one rest until it's refilled. Very much reminds me of this...



Man, all this talk about stress is stressing me out! I need something to take the edge off... where are those pills...

Meet Baby Eric

This is my newest child to the Puddle Jumper family. He is 9 months old, a hunk of burning love and totally sweet. Eric is also blind. Danee thinks that this fact is just so she can steal his toys and he won't complain. I say just wait Danee I think he is catching on to you...

Sunday Funnies

Sunday Funnies

Merry Christmas from The Brinkerhoffs! (who's counting days anyway?)

The Holidays really flew this year... I designed the Christmas Card for my company to send out back in October, but ended up mailing out a handful of them on December 23. About as last minute as it gets.

Our personal cards fared even worse, but they turned out so unbelievably cute, we figured we'd put it up here, so all of our blogging and/or facebook friends could see!

These pics of Danee with Santa were taken on the 15th (aka Mikemas) at the annual Christmas Party one of my customers holds every year. They really do it up right, complete with personalized gifts for all the kids in Santa's bag!

We were very curious how Danee would react to Santa, since nearly every typical one-year-old who meets up with Mr. Claus promptly begins kicking, screaming and carrying on.

But if we've all learned anything over the last year, it's that Danee is anything but a typical babygirl.

And so, it is with great pleasure that we present to you, only a week after Christmas, the 2009 Brinkerhoff Christmas Card!



And in case anyone was curious about what I came up with for the company cards, here's that design... In case you're not familiar with my logo, it's been slapped onto all the balls on this tree!



And if you're still not familiar with my logo, you really should go be a Fan of TS4A on Facebook - just click here!

Keeping it Up in 2010

Happy New Year from The Brinkerhoffs!!

Christmas Pics

Around our house, Kaylee and Tyler are the enforcers of Christmas Cheer...

Mid-day on the 24th, they were all set for the festivities to come!





Our Christmas Eve party includes an awesome, knock-down, drag-out, White Elephant gift exchange. When all 33 presents were piled up in the middle of the room, Danee set out to conquer Mount Presents!



Then on Christmas Morning, Danee received her first baby doll, which she immediately started loving on!



Later Christmas Day, Cindy's dad came over, and was surrounded by loving granddaughters...





Then the rest of the kids joined in...



After that, it was am amazing Prime Rib Dinner with all the trimmings, and an end to what was quite possibly the best Christmas our family has ever had!

Thanks to our awesome kids for being, well, awesome!

Christmas Funnies!