A repost from the archives....because I sort of needed some light-hearted happy today:  Some day, you might get this uncanny urge to make a bird nest. But, before you get the urge to make a bird nest, you might get an urge to make some playdough. So, you do. You make some playdough. And it's messy, but it's fun. Then...then you get an urge to make a bird nest. Because when you're three, there's only so many things you can actually make out of playdough. I mean, you can make a snake. But snake-making is fun for like the first two minutes, then you want to go on to bigger and better things. So, a bird nest it is. And since your mother wants to make sure you're [...]

Happiness is shutting down the glowing screen and stepping away from the wreck for just a bit and taking a barefoot walk in the grass after the rain. And happiness is pausing long enough to peer up into a thousand tiny branches. It's sticking out your tongue and sipping up the rain from the tips of trees... Or letting the edges tickle your shoulder as you walk beneath. Happiness is stretching out and reaching up... To feel the world around you, so you can more fully see. Happiness is pressing close, And stooping down and leaning in to all the wild things. Happiness is cupping tiny cheeks in the palm of your hands and looking  into little eyes to whisper kind, "I'm so glad you're here. You're a good, good kid! I'm thankful God mad[...]

Today is one of those dreary sorta drizzly days. The sky is awfully gray out there. But, not in here.  No, in here, our true colors are shining through. Because we've got these wild imaginations, so when the day turns dark and dreary, we can always pretend to be a cool, tea-drinkin', stringy-haired, hippy chick with some bling.Or we can be a cool hippy tea drinkin' bling flingin' chick who just happens to be standing by a robot-man. At least, I think that's a robot-man. A very serious Harley-ridin' robot man.  Or we can be a one-eyed moppy-haired skinned-up chin dude. That's always fun. Or a no-eyed moppy haired, skinned-up chin dude who so happens to be friends with a bling-flingin' psycho robot girl.Uh-oh.Time out. Did someone say psycho? You want psycho? I'll show yo[...]

 If you ever happen upon a bullfrog, don't be skeered. He's nice.Now, he might try to intimidate you. He might look you straight in the eye and croak. Or he might rare his back and bloat out his belly and puff out his legs, but it's all just a joke. 'Cause the truth is, you're awful big to him so he wants to be big too. He wants to make you think he'll zap you up with his ginormous tongue and swallow you right down. But, he's just plumb terrified that you're over there sizing up his hind haunches and that you'll cook him up in a frog-leg stew. So, don't let his silly tactics fool you. He's actually just a nice guy. Really. If you're easy-going and gentle, and don't scream like a girl and high-tail it the other way, you can make friends with him. You can even pick h[...]

We eat a fair amount of ramen around here. We like ramen. A lot. (Much to my mother's dismay.) According to my mama, ramen doesn't have any nutritional value. Whatsoever. I agree with her. I ate a copious amount in college. I haven't gotten any taller ever since. So, anyways, you were probably thinking that I was gonna tell you the proper way to eat ramen noodles. Well, I am. But, first you must know that the only proper way is not proper at all. Unless you call, "crammin" proper. Because you're just supposed to cram them in. You stick your head right down by that plate and you suck them up and cram them in. They're good like that.And if your kitty begs for a bite, you yell, "Away from me, you beggars!"  Because you deserve every last noodle on your plate. Even the itsy bitsy ones.So [...]

True love is when you've got this whoopie pie and you're very fond of whoopie pies, very, very fond of them... But, you've got this big brother who is also fond of whoopie pies, and even though he already ate all his, he seems intently fond of your whoopie pie...So, you go ahead and share your last treasured morsel with him. And you don't even mind. You're glad to. Because he's your big brother and you're just glad he exists. Yep, that's true love. Pretty much. And true love is never half-hearted. Because even when you'd really like to lick your fingers and get every last bit of sugary goodness off, you notice that your big brother seems especially interested in that last little bit of sugary goodness too...So, you go ahead and let him lick your fingers. And you don't even mentio[...]

Some day, you might have this uncanny urge to make a bird nest. But, before you get the urge to make a bird nest, you might get an urge to make some playdough. So, you do. You make some playdough. And it's messy, but it's fun. Then...then you get an urge to make a bird nest. Because when you're three, there's only so many things you can actually make out of playdough. I mean, you can make a snake. But snake-making is fun for like the first two minutes, then you want to go on to bigger and better things. So, a bird nest it is. And since your mother wants to make sure you're an avid nature-lover, and since she'd seen this great idea on Pinterest, you decide that a playdough bird nest isn't quiet real-looking enough. You need some sticks and twigs. So, you load up in your wagon and head for t[...]

Sometimes we just can't hold all the craziness in. So, we let it out. And we have a goofy face contest.Scrunchy-face Bubby.Look-down-the-back-of-my-throat-and-see-if-you-can-find-my-gizzard Bubby.Chubby BubbyScrunchy-face chubby BubbySnortin'-piggy-face BubbyCheesy BubbyAaagh-there's-a-weird-orange-thing-on-my-head-and-I-look-like-somethin'-off-Star-trek  Bubby Aaagh-there's-a-weird-thing-on-my-head-and-I-can't-see-nothin' BubbyHappy HopeyI'm-so-happy-my-head-hurts HopeyI'm-so-happy-I'm-falling-out-of-my-seat HopeyWhere'd-you-go HopeyTouch-my-nose-because-I-can't-quite-make-the-piggy-face HopeyOh-no-there's-no-more-chocolate! HopeyAaagh-there's-a-weird-orange-thing-on-my-head-and-it-makes-me-so-happy Hopey. Cool-you-should-lick-the-air-because-it-tastes-great HopeyHi-I'm-an-ole'-grann[...]

Once upon a time, there was a Bubby and his cute little sister, Hopey. And they were good friends because Hopey was incredibly fond of Bubby and Bubby was mostly fond of Hopey. I say mostly because Bubby was fond of Hopey on all the days, except the ones when she played with his trains, or took his favorite blue blankie, or attempted to eat off his plate, or tried to ride his bike, or sat too close to him during movie time. But, on all the other days, he was fond of her. Especially when she was sleeping. One day Bubby decided it was high time to find Hopey a prince. Not that Hopey was a princess because she wasn't. I mean, please don't misunderstand. She was as lovely and delightful as any princess could ever be, but she just wasn't exactly tender and fragile and dainty. Truth be told, she[...]