Hodge Podge-- Hudson Style

A VERY MERRY FINAL DAY OF TAX SEASON TO YOU ALL!!! We survived another year, with no visible scars. And hopefully not too many emotional scars. As always, Tax Season is a reminder to me of what a wonderful group of girl friends I have. And that all of you single moms out there have a super tough job. To all you ladies whose husbands are away protecting our country... THANK-YOU for what you do. And tell your husbands thank-you too. To all the other women who are single mothers for various reasons, I think the world of you. I don't know how any of you do it.

During the months of February, March and April, I always realize just how much I take Bert for granted. So, thanks Big Poppa. I do appreciate you and all the hard work you do for our family. I love you more than I love Ruffles Sour Cream and Chives potato chips, which is a whole lot. And just so you know... I'm taking a sabbatical and should be home sometime next Thursday. Always yours, Big Momma

Here are some pics of what we've been up to lately....
~Her Highness' School Field Day-- Lightning, Hail and Flash Flood could NOT understand why they weren't allowed to compete against the elementary school kids, hence the looks of disgust...

~Her Highness was awarded the GAME BALL after their last game. She's enjoyed playing softball this year, and has made a few good plays and gotten several good hits, all while keeping her ponytail and ribbon centered just like she likes it. She's as girly-girl as they come, but a decent ball player too. Which makes us super proud of our lone princess.

~Checking out a new (to us) playground near by...

~SWIMMING!!! The water temp is probably only 52 degrees, but that doesn't stop these nuts...

~My bff, Jara just had baby #4. She now has two boys and two girls. Guess she can join the "ARE YOU CRAZY" comments club with me.

~Our late night ball schedules have The Storm falling asleep in random places...

~Life in the Peanut Gallery...

~Go on and roll your eyes about this last one... Today I made my own laundry detergent. Yes, I did.

I love reading Mandy's blog, Life's About a Dream. We've connected for many reasons, and as we've gotten to know each other (in the blog realm) I've realized how much we are alike. So, when Mandy posted that she had tried and succeeded, I thought I'd give it a whirl. (Click HERE to get the recipe I used.) Y'all, if Mandy and I can do it, anybody can. (Sorry, Mandy! Please don't take that as a knock!) For real though. It smells super fresh, it was super-duper easy-peasy to make, and it's CHEAP. And since gas now cost $84 per gallon, I need to save all the moolah I can. I just finished my first load washed in the new detergent. The towels smell clean and were left just as soft as with any other detergent. And the best part is-- I made a TON of detergent (you only use 3 TBSP of this kind, instead of a CUP of the store brand) that will last a long time, and all the materials were bought at Publix for around $8.00. Yep. It's true! When you're finished rolling your eyes, and making fun of me, give it a try.

Happy End of Tax Season to YOU!!

Love, Big Momma