GOATS!

Now I LOVE Goats!  If I could have a pet goat I would, but unfortunately it is against the law in my town.  How can they possibly deny us from being able to have our own goat?  After all, wouldn't you think the town would love for us to keep our lawn perfectly mowed at all times?!?


So where did this love for goats come from?  Not sure.  They are cute.  They do end up at all the petting zoos you go to when you are a child.  And when there, you get to feed those cute little guys who nibble that food out of your hand ever so gently.   


Speaking of petting zoos!  My first recollection of a goat is the BIG black goat at some family attraction that my parents used to take my sisters and I to.  My mom used to always carry black licorice around with her.  (hence the "licorice" in the name of this blog).  Well on this family outing, that BIG black goat followed my mom EVERYWHERE and kept eating the licorice out of her pocket.  We still raz my mom to this day about that goat and her licorice.


Now, where I think I fell in love with goats was at Camp Charrith in Baraboo, WI.  I went to that camp every summer when I was a kid.  I loved it!  There was a farm attached and Tiny, the goat was our camp mascot.  He was so cute - a typical cute white goat.  He had the greatest personality and we'd play and feed him.  One thing I loved about him was how he'd always stand on top of his house. :)  Oh how I loved that goat!


Now this next episode would make me hate goats if I hadn't already loved them so.  After my son was born, my parents were visiting and we took my new son to Magnolia Plantation.  They have a fabulous petting zoo with goats there.  So I thought!  They had two GIANT goats that just loved my chest cause it was producing milk and they seemed to think they should have some.  I'll never forget my dad trying to get those goats off my chest!  I actually ended up with brown and green spots on my shirt from those darn goats trying to nurse off me!!!  It was a pretty hysterical scene. Such a shame we didn't have that on video!


Not sure what brought up the thought of these goats tonight, but I still wish I could have one for a pet.

What Are Your Kids Missing From Your Childhood?

As summer rolls along, I think about the summers of my childhood and what my kids are missing out on. One of the best parts of summer was being able to roam the neighborhood freely even once it started to get dark. As we got into our jr. high years we even were able to ride our bikes after dark! Sounds CRAZY doesn't it!

Life was so different then, and I so wish our kids had the freedom we had. We even had the freedom to let the wind blow through our hair as we rode our bikes. Now kids are forced to wear helmets. That was one thing I did put my foot down on. I survived childhood with no helmet, so I didn't force my kids to wear one either. I'm not the only mom in the neighborhood that did that either, so you can't call me a bad mom.

When we were really young, our moms would pack us lunches and my group of friends (I think we were about 6, 7, 8 yrs old at the time) would load them up in the wagon and we'd walk up to the park and eat in the sand under the big turtle at the playground. NO MOMS came with. We were free to eat in the sand and dirt, play on the equipment (and I'm sure we never washed our hands), and come home when we felt like it. Ah...the freedom of those days.

In fact I don't remember our moms ever being around! My mom was a stay-at-home mom so I know she was home. So were all the other moms. But they never meddled in what we were doing. We just did what we wanted, and never got in trouble. We'd go from one house to the other. Each house was known for different things. If we wanted to watch TV we'd go to Jennie's cause her mom didn't care if we watched TV. If we wanted to play Barbies, my house was the place to go. I had EVERY Barbie item imaginable, and the best basement to play hide and seek in. Fisher Price Little People we'd go to Carol's. She had the whole clan of Little People! The Eagan's had the best swing set and trampoline and their backyard had a hill in it. And of course, there was the whole street to play games in and many other yards and houses. Everyone had their own unique roll in the neighborhood. Now, for my kids, heaven forbid they step on a blade of grass on someone's lawn. Surveylance cameras watch every move they make! One kid in our neighborhood even had the cops called on him cause he danced in front of the camera just to make fun of it. Come on people! Let kids be kids!

So what are your kids missing from your own childhood in this new and crazy mixed up world of today?

Wordless Wednesday

The Magic Eraser Realy Does Work Like Magic!

So my silly hubby has gotten into the habit of washing dishes that are in the kitchen sink with my precious Magic Erasers! I save these things for scrubbing our white kitchen floor(it's amazing how a white floor will shine up with those Magic Erasers) or getting marks off the cabinets or walls. These erasers aren't expensive, but they aren't cheap either, so I was getting miffed that he was using them to wash dishes.

Well...needless to say, he left one in the sink. I certainly wasn't going to let it go to waste, so I used it to clean one of my pots. OMG! It's amazing how easy baked on food comes off AND how nice my pot shined up! So now I use the Magic Erasers on my pots too!

Who knew sillyhead would introduce me to something this awesome! And here I was fussing at him.

IMPATIENCE!

Those who know me know that I get really irritated with angry drivers and just plain stupid drivers. I have written many posts on this very subject.

Well, the other day, the car in back of me had 3 crabby young men in it. They were honking and yelling (swearing their heads off! and I had kids in the car!), and flipping me off waving their fists out the windows (did I mention I had kids in the car?). They were so irritated cause I was stopped and they wanted to GO! So what was I to do? Move forward and run into the train that was going over the tracks in front of me?

Memories of the Classic Extended Family Fourth of July Picnics

The Fourth of July was one of my most favorite holidays as a kid. It was a big family production and everyone had so much fun. It was a WHOLE LONG DAY affair. Looking back, it's amazing how much work went into these wonderful day long picnics.

We started out at picnics in Lord's Park in Elgin, IL. I loved that park. I mostly remember the playground and the lake that had swans and peacocks. It also had this odd museum of stuffed animals. I wonder why that was there! There was a swimming pool, but we never went swimming, we were too busy eating and playing crocket. After 5th grade we would move our big Fourth of July Family Picnic to some state park in McHenry County. It got moved cause I got jumped on that playground and beat up by a not-so-nice girl! I remember my grandfather running over to save me! Crazy!

So of course, I remember the picnics in McHenry County more, as I was older. There are the classic events that happened every year. My mom yelling at my dad at 8 am, yes we would get there at 8 am, about where to move the picnic tables. Dad wearing his golashes cause heaven forbid a little bit of dew get on his gym shoes. Classic! We still make fun of him for that!

The best meal on the Fourth of July was breakfast. There's nothing like eggs and bacon cooked on the grill. My mom would make your eggs to order too. She knew exactly how everyone wanted their eggs. There were alot of eggs to make with my grandparents, and four sets of aunts and uncles, cousins and relatives from Iowa all there. Not to mention friends that we brought with. And did I tell you my mom makes THE BEST bacon ever! But the best part of Fourth of July breakfast was the chocolate chip coffee cake that mom would get from The Village Bakery. Yum! Especially with a little butter on it! :)

There was plenty to do throughout the day. We'd play badminton - my little cousins would chase the poor chipmunks with the rackets, volleyball, jarts, and go hiking. One year Aunt Willa would fall in the coal pit playing badminton! If you knew her, you'd be laughing! Typical large great-aunt playing badminton in white shorts and heels! Needless to say, her white shorts were no longer white after that episode. Good thing the coals had cooled off too! One year my cousin and I got really lost hiking! I thought we were going to die out there! Luckily a nice family found us and returned us to our family. We never did that again! There was also the McHenry Dam you could walk up to. We'd hike up to the Dam with our uncles.

By then we were hungry for lunch! Lunch was a big affair! We had hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwurst, grandma's baked beans, the famous Sterzing potato chips from Iowa - The Iowa Potato Chips, mom's homemade potato salad, watermelon, and lots of different pies for desert. And brownies of course! We had the same spread for dinner too.

We'd spend ALL day out there just having a blast. Then as evening started to roll in, we'd pack up and head out to Arlington Park Race Track for the fireworks. What fun!

I wish my kids got to have a blast like this on the Fourth. My family doesn't do the big picnic at McHenry anymore. Now they are in my sister's back yard, which is huge, but it's not like being in McHenry. All the living relatives still come though. Wish I could be there. Wish the kids could be there. Wish the Village Bakery was still open so I could have some of that Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake!

Happy Independence Day to you all!

Lily's New Friends

So we went to the beach for my son's birthday and somehow came home with these two new pups. Well, I guess they are about 2. Got them from a shelter, which I highly recommend anyone wanting a dog to do - get them from a shelter.

After all I put up with when Lily was a pup, I certainly do enjoy these two priceless pooches. My hubby thought we were coming home with one dog for my son. He was not pleased when we arrived with two! But come on! How much space does that little dog on the right take up?

So here we go with introductions:

Marcelyn - is my son's dog. She is on the left. They claim she is part Carolina Dog (a swamp dog with is perfect for my son who loves the swamps of South Carolina). I swear she is part fox though. When she is standing she totally looks lik a fox!

Mr. Waffles - is my daughter's dog. She loves making pancakes and when we left the shelter we passed a breakfast place called Mr. Waffles. He totally looks like a Mr. Waffles. He at first was the silliest looking dog. But with lots of love and care, he has turned into the cutest little thing! AND he does nothing wrong!!!! Unlike some horse I know that lives around here.