tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91439548238258269662009-07-13T09:24:56.365-05:00Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.comBlogger477125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-19149269710531603462009-07-13T07:33:00.006-05:002009-07-13T09:24:56.378-05:00

With all the spring rain and the unseasonably hot weather we had last month, our little slice of the prairie was beginning to look more like the jungle, so I pruned (That is such a funny word. Prune, prune, prune. Aw, yeah, say it with me now: Prunity-prune-prune ... ) all the shrubs in our yard yesterday and hauled all the trimmings out to the road side.And this morning I can't lift my hands

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-83794202680419217852009-07-08T08:43:00.002-05:002009-07-08T09:08:04.618-05:00

Just a little quickie to tell y'all thanks for the sweet messages of sympathy and condolences. They meant so much to both of us.We're home again, after a whirl-wind trip down South for Grandma Carrie's funeral, which OHMYGRANNY, I hope to tell y'all all about very soon (I was debating it in my own mind, but Al says I MUST!), after addressing a few more pressing items on my agenda, not the least

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-40542815566633930112009-06-29T08:22:00.006-05:002009-06-29T17:07:54.115-05:00

I went to find Bean in the waning hours of a neighborhood party last night, in the filtered, sparkling light of dusk, to take her home with us for the night. I crossed the grass of two back yards and saw her sandals haphazardly kicked off and abandoned on the back porch next door and I looked at them for a long time, those shoes a symbol of so much to me - her joy, her freedom, her love of these

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-52991341025896741632009-06-27T10:04:00.009-05:002009-06-27T18:37:03.991-05:00

We're grillin' burgers tonight at FriedOkra Manor and I?I am in charge of The Condiments.Because Al is the man, and we're all about the women's lib here but even still, we haven't evolved past that all-important basic law of nature:The man grills. But lemme tell you, I do not take my role as Condiment Czar lightly, people. Here's what I've got so far:The Basics:Ketchup (or catsup, y'all take

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-84621111056778061372009-06-25T13:40:00.005-05:002009-06-25T14:09:16.873-05:00

So Bean attended a very LOVELY, very girly soiree today in honor of her friend Little Emma's 5th birthday. (We call her Little Emma because she's the younger of the two Emmas whose families we tend to hang out with the most. Guess what we call the other Emma? Right! Big Emma. We are all guessing she's not gonna like that nickname so much in a few years.) Anyway, the party. It was a TEA

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-33740876872849929042009-06-24T12:57:00.001-05:002009-06-24T12:59:36.627-05:00

Bean: Mama? My hand ankles hurt.Me: Your hand ankles? You mean your wrists?Bean: Yeah, my wrists.Y'all can subscribe to FriedOkra's feed here.

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-86888892966111693772009-06-22T07:07:00.003-05:002009-06-22T07:09:47.657-05:00

As usual for a Mun-dy morning, I'm over at 5 Minutes for Parenting. Y'all come on over and tell me the funny things your kids or the kids you love say! Wait. Not that you can't love your kids. Did it sound like that's what I meant?Y'all can subscribe to FriedOkra's feed here.

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-18861343532315291172009-06-17T09:22:00.006-05:002009-06-17T11:15:47.852-05:00

Dear Sweet Al -Good morning, on just any old Wednesday. Bean's at Art Camp and Peabody's taking his morning nap, and I'm sitting here at the kitchen counter finishing up a cup of coffee that got cold while I was busy feeding and cleaning and dressing our lively little children. It's so quiet and peaceful, the low hum of the fridge punctuated only by the clicking of the keys on my laptop. I'm

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-79462500805676833752009-06-16T11:09:00.004-05:002009-06-16T11:12:30.863-05:00

I blogged over at 5 Minutes for Parenting yesterday. Evidently Bean's all about making me face the tough issues lately. (And we hate that!)(It's summer! We should be running through sprinklers and debating which flavor of Popsicle's the yummiest, for Pete's sake!)Y'all can subscribe to FriedOkra's feed here.

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-89485226076653193572009-06-11T14:07:00.008-05:002009-06-11T20:05:50.997-05:00

Lately Bean has developed this habit of grabbing my (omnipresent) water bottle, whippin' off the cap and guzzling large quantities of it down without so much as a glance in my direction. "Carrie Alexis FriedOkra!" I say. "You know better than that! You need to ask permission before you go drinkin' somebody else's drink, Little Missy, or you may just live to regret it.""Sorry Mama.""Yes, well,

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-73330941723182125382009-06-09T19:30:00.003-05:002009-06-09T19:37:52.033-05:00

Al: I was thinking about a dream date I want us to go on.Megan: Oh really? Al: Mmmm-hmmm. First we'll go work out together at the health club. Then we'll get cleaned up and dressed and leave from the club to go out for dinner, and after that we'll go to a movie.Megan: Oh, that sounds so nice!Al: Only trouble is by the time we get to go out on a date again, we'll be too old to work

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-4944902423914317372009-06-08T05:00:00.000-05:002009-06-08T05:00:01.290-05:00

Peabody turned ten months old over the weekend.I'm back posting over at 5 Minutes for Parenting after a brief hiatus. Thought I'd share some of the LESS CUTE things that Bean's been sayin' to me lately. Ahem.Y'all have a great Monday!Y'all can subscribe to FriedOkra's feed here.

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-67663884509865793452009-06-04T13:54:00.005-05:002009-06-04T17:50:35.499-05:00

Yep. I'm opening up the white Blogger box for the second day in a row. Trouble is, I'm outta the bloggin' habit now, and so I sit, staring at the screen, wondering what to tell y'all about, fretting about what's NOT getting done in this brief oasis of peace in another hectic day of motherin' and house-keepin' and a dozen other roles and responsibilities. Yesterday I was a hair-stylist (to

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-10422899402910482022009-06-03T13:14:00.004-05:002009-06-03T14:02:22.260-05:00

Mary Ostyn of Owlhaven is one of my heroes. Do y'all read Mary's blog? If you don't, I'd encourage you to hop on over and get to know her. She's the proud mother of ten children from three different countries, and she's one of those people. The kind who, the instant your world somehow happens luckily to rub up against hers, makes you want to become a better person. She has a heart of pure

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-10639536734403693402009-05-29T07:14:00.004-05:002009-05-29T17:38:13.758-05:00

I promised y'all at the beginning of the year I was gonna try to capture the perfect moments God creates in my little life in pictures. And I guess I've been doing that as I've shared pictures along the way, although not officially labeling 'em as such. But I can honestly tell y'all that I truly am fully in touch with how perfect things are right now -- how lucky I am, how lucky this family is,

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-68756512305680599562009-05-13T08:08:00.008-05:002009-05-13T09:02:29.256-05:00

I hope y'all enjoyed your Mothers' Days, whether you are a mother, or have a mother, or love a mother, or couldn't care less about mothers but love you a beautiful spring Sunday. Mine was perfect, and comin' from a perfectionist like me, that's sayin' sumpm. I got flowers and cards and lunch out and Al grilled steaks Saturday night and served me red wine and Hershey's chocolate for dessert

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-55912635446512504622009-05-10T08:01:00.007-05:002009-05-10T11:42:15.149-05:00

On a day like today, with the sun gently filtering through the bedroom window and across our bed in blind-patterned slats -- our bed full of a tumbled jumble of children and coffee cups and laptops and love -- I'm keenly aware of the passage of time. Five Mothers' Days ago Al and I snuggled alone in this same bed and I unwrapped his gift to me of a carefully-selected diaper bag. We were

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-40714264639707783412009-05-02T19:33:00.005-05:002009-05-02T19:46:59.051-05:00

"There you go, honey, your holes are all dug. Now we can put your new shrubs in as soon you go pick them out."I tossed down the pitchfork, with which I'd been flipping and fluffing mulch at the base of a maple tree, and hurried over to plant a grateful and passionate kiss on my sweet husband's lips."What was that for?" he asked, steadying himself."For digging those three great holes for me," I

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-79221801902277917112009-04-27T20:34:00.005-05:002009-04-27T20:59:01.857-05:00

An old high school mate of mine posted this quiz on Facebook and I couldn't resist answering the questions for Al. Some of these I actually struggled with, like #3 (he likes everything!) and #8, and the one about his favorite cake. Apparently, he's still a total mystery to me, at least when it comes to narrowing down what he REALLY loves to eat. Probably because he really loves to EAT. Period

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-64255451704332312122009-04-24T15:10:00.002-05:002009-04-24T15:25:15.566-05:00

Will y'all all please join me in praying for my sweet friend Karen at Simply A Musing Blog and her Mom? Karen's Mom has been in the hospital since yesterday with multiple complications which could lead to stroke, and as of the last update I've heard doctors are concerned that Mom is possibly too frail to make it through surgery to prevent a stroke, so decisions are having to be made sortof

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-10058126401680785852009-04-21T13:58:00.003-05:002009-04-21T14:05:49.097-05:00

(His shirt says Don't you just want to kiss me?)(Mmmm-hmmmmm. And how!)Y'all can subscribe to FriedOkra's feed here.

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-39567087436206637692009-04-20T10:35:00.003-05:002009-04-20T10:37:26.618-05:00

I blogged at 5 Minutes for Parenting today. Y'all come listen to me ramble, if you don't have anything better to do. Hee hee.Y'all can subscribe to FriedOkra's feed here.

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-6624544426674917942009-04-15T09:49:00.008-05:002009-04-15T10:58:25.160-05:00

OHMYGRANNY. Y'all remember back when I used to write good news in my pregnancy blog, like "I think I might feel a little better today!" and then the next day it'll all go to H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks and I'd be hangin' over the hurler for the next two weeks? Well that is just apparently how Peabody rolls, because the day after I wrote about how we'd finally gotten the boy sleeping some, he woke

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-3473468710717005092009-04-08T09:48:00.013-05:002009-04-08T13:50:21.037-05:00

Y'all ever feel like you just want to go HANG OUT at your blog, with your peeps, but not necessarily SAY anything? Today I just sorta wish I could walk out onto my porch up there and sit in my porch swing and my friends would amble up and sit down around me and I'd rock and smile and listen to the chatter and soak up the fellowship and the kindred spiritedness but mostly just be quiet. I don't

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-1545564437064899982009-04-06T07:04:00.002-05:002009-04-06T07:08:47.739-05:00

I posted my Top Ten Tips Families Expecting Baby #2 over at 5 Minutes for Parenting this morning, and the first few comments have left me feeling like a bit of a pansy! I still stand behind my recommendations though. Y'all go check them out.Y'all can subscribe to FriedOkra's feed here.

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com8