A few more birthday pictures...

Hey there...Chloe here. My mom just couldn't resist posting a few more pictures of me on my birthday!

Here I am on my birthday morning...I got new lipstick from my brother and sister and had to try it on right away!

Now I need to use TWO hands to let you know my age (I wonder how many hands my mom has to use???)...

Here I am with my Tinkerbell cake...

My brother and sister just love me so much!

We made up a fun birthday rendition of Duck, Duck, Goose! and called it "Happy, Happy, Birthday!"

It was a little chilly for May 27th (64 degrees!)...but we still had a great time playing outside.

Here we are playing some relay games...

Daddy was sick and missed out on the whole party...but Mommy came through in a pinch and found some creative uses for paper plates and bowls!

What kind of party would it be without "Pin the slipper on Cinderella"?

Here I am with my best bud, Kylie.

I had such a blast with all of these girls!

I promise I won't let my Mommy post ANY more birthday pictures...until next year! :-)

Turning Six...

What is your name?
Chloe

How old are you today?
Six.

What grade are you in?
First.

What is your favorite thing to do in school? Why?
All the math. I like math because it's fun adding and you get to color.

Who is your favorite teacher?
[without hesitation] You!

What kinds of things do you like to do?
Do lots of things - anything. Play basketball - because I like to dribble. And play with my sister and brother and...what else? Play with Barbies.

What is your favorite book?
Hmmm. I don't know. How Will We Get to the Beach?

What is your favorite food?
I don't know - cake?

Who is your best friend?
Kylie!

What would you like to be when you grow up? Why?
Ballet dancer. Because they really are beautiful dancers and because they wear beautiful clothes...AND because I really like to dance.

What do you like best about being YOU?
Believing in Jesus.

What do you like best about our family? Why?
Because they love me - my family loves me.

HAPPY 6 year-old BIRTHDAY, Chloe!

Happy 6th Birthday, Chloe!

Dear Chloe,

How can it be that six years have flown by? It seems like just yesterday we were welcoming you into our little family of three! You were asking me today about your birth...so I thought I would tell you about it.

It was Memorial Day weekend, just like this past weekend. Grandma Maxine was visiting and was planning to travel the next day (Monday) to meet Uncle Nathan and Cousin Michael for a parade at the cemetery an hour away. Grandpa Jon and Grandma Vicki were in town, as well.

Daddy, his friend Dale, and our neighbor, John, had spent the weekend building a shed in the backyard and I had felt yucky much of the day on Sunday. You were not due until June 4th, and your older sister had been 3 days OVER due, so I certainly was not expecting you to come early!

As I said, I had not been feeling well. Because of that, I was not able to get comfortable enough to sleep that night. I stayed up until 2:30 AM finishing the third book in the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers, As Sure as the Dawn . Finally, I was able to fall asleep for a bit...only to wake up a few hours later to Madelynne crying. She was just 19 1/2 months old - and earlier that day a neighbor girl had thrown sand in her eyes while they were playing in the sandbox. She was complaining that her eyes still hurt, so I washed them again and tried to calm her back to sleep. Grandma Maxine woke up and offered to help so I could get some rest. I tried to go back to sleep, but suddenly I began to have contractions. I knew in that moment that I was going into labor...and I woke up your Daddy to tell him we needed to get ready to go to the hospital. It was now about 5 AM.

I tiptoed into the living room where Grandma Maxine was in the rocking chair with Madelynne and I whispered, "I think I'm going into labor...so I'm going to take a shower and then go to the hospital."

"WHAT?!?" Grandma Maxine was first surprised that I was going into labor 8 days before your scheduled arrival...and she was also worried that I wanted to take time to take a shower (Madelynne's labor was about 4 hours from the first contraction to the last push)! "You'd better get right to the hospital," she said. "Don't worry about a thing, I will take care of Madelynne."

It was such a blessing that she was there and your Daddy and I were able to quickly gather our things (after I took a shower!) and head to the hospital, which was just minutes away. We arrived at the Emergency Room a little before 6 AM, and as we pulled into a parking spot, your Daddy turned to me and said, "What about if we choose Anne for a middle name?" We had agreed, if you were a girl, that your name would be Chloe Elizabeth, and that if you were a boy, Lukas Andrew. I was too tired, and too in the middle of 5-minute-apart contractions, to argue. "That sounds fine," I hastily agreed (Anne is MY middle name, too, as you know - I'm glad we share that!).

Thankfully, my doctor was on call that morning - she met us in labor and delivery, broke my water around 7:20 AM and you were born at 7:43 AM. You were 7 pounds, 7 ounces and 20 1/4 inches long. You had such a sweet, quiet, mellow disposition - we just could not get over how very tiny and precious you were - our second daughter!

And what a beautiful little girl you have grown into. You are so special to us. God has given you a tender, sensitive heart - you have a wonderful way of sharing hugs, smiles, and sweet words. We are praying for you to grow as you read God's word and as He shapes you into a young woman after His own heart.

We love you so very much! Happy 6th Birthday, Chloe Anne!

Love,
Mommy (& Daddy, too!)

Remembering...

"True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost."
Arthur Ashe



For many, Memorial Day is a chance to take time off, gather together with family, fire up the grill, spruce up the yard, and celebrate the unofficial beginning of summer. We may take time to visit a grave site and remember loved ones we have lost throughout the years. But Memorial Day was first established as a time to honor all of the servicemen and women who have so faithfully fought for all 0f our freedoms we can so easily take for granted.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. Originally known as Decoration Day, it was established to commemorate the dead from the Civil War. Over the years it came to serve as a day to remember all U.S. men and women killed or missing in action in all wars

You may know someone who served in our military years ago, or who is currently in active duty or maybe even overseas. I encourage you to remember them today. Pray for their safety. Thank them for their heroic service.



My mom took these pictures yesterday at the cemetery where my dad, who served in the Army during the Viet Nam war, is buried.

Saying Goodbye...Saying Hello

Yesterday, the kids and I attended my Uncle Jack's funeral. Jason was not able to join us, as he had several finals to administer.

So, we loaded up the van - 3 kids, 4 brown bag lunches, and one DVD player in tow - and headed out for the 2-hour trip. I was thankful that the travel actually went quite smoothly. The kids enjoyed watching some "new" library videos and we also listened to a few books on CD to make the ride a bit more enjoyable!

It was sad to say "goodbye" to a dear uncle...a husband of 33 years to my Aunt Sharon...and a father to my cousin Mikael. It brought back a flood of memories and emotions of losing my own dad, as well. You can read more about Jack here.

We also had the chance to say "hello" to many relatives that we don't get to see on a regular basis. Seven out of my mom's eight siblings were there, as well as several of my cousins.

The kids especially enjoyed meeting their second-cousin, Jonas, who is 2 years old. He is Mikael and Anna's sweet, inquisitive, smiley little guy. After the funeral and reception, he said to me "Are you going to my Grandma Sharon's house?" I smiled at him and said, "Yes, we'll be there." He then tilted his head and inquired, "Are you gonna to bring all of those kids with you?" I had to laugh. "Yes," I replied. "They pretty much come with me wherever I go!"

Madelynne, Chloe, and Lukas have two first cousins - my brother's son, Michael, who is now 15 years old, and Jason's sister's son, Christopher, who passed away in 2001. They are always thrilled to meet new "cousins".

Here they are playing with Jonas (and trying to get him to pose with them for a picture, too!):

As we drove home, I spent much time thinking of and praying for my aunt and cousin. I also prayed and shed tears for another family - the family of Christian singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman, upon hearing the tragic news of the loss of their 5-year old daughter, Maria Sue. It was the excruciatingly sad topic of discussion on the radio station I was listening to. I also heard the following song played several times, and in light of my thoughts and emotions on saying "goodbye" and saying "hello" I thought I would post the lyrics here as a reminder.

"We Live" by Superchic[k]

There's a cross on the side of the road
Where a mother lost her son
How could she know that the morning he left
Would be the last time she'd trade with him for a little more time
(so she could say she loved him one last time)
And hold him tight
But with life we never know when we're coming up to the end of the road
So what do we do then
With tragedy around the bend

We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love
We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love

There's a man who waits for the tests to
See if the cancer had spread yet
And now he asks why did I wait to live 'til it was time to die
If I could have the time back, how I'd live
Life is such a gift
So how does the story end?
Well, this is your story and it all depends
So don't let it become true
Get out and do what we were meant to do

We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love
We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love

Waking up to another dark morning
People are mourning
The weather in life outside is storming
But what would it take for the clouds to break
For us to realize each day
Is a gift somehow, someway
And get our heads up out of this darkness
And spark this new mindset and start on with life cuz it ain't gone yet
And tragedy's a reminder to take off the blinders and wake up
(to live the life)
We're supposed to take up
(moving forward)
With all our heads up
Cuz life is worth living

We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love
We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love

Give your kids a hug, let all those around you know you love them...remember to live and to love.

Psalm 39:4-5
Show me, O LORD, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.

You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath.
Selah

{Wo}man on a Mission

I'm thrilled to share some exciting news with you! This summer, my mom will be traveling to Ireland, once again. She has accepted a request to join a team with OMS International, an organization that currently ministers in over 40 countries throughout the world. She has worked with this team several times and she is eager to go back again. Her heart for missions is an inspiration to me.

I thought I'd let my mom tell you more about it in in her own words:

Greetings! In January of this year I received an e-mail from OMS in Northern Ireland asking that I join them again this summer on a 2-week Evangelism Outreach Team. After much prayer and contemplation, I've taken a leap of faith and sent back a “yes” reply. I’m writing you for two reasons…

First and foremost—I ask for your daily prayers starting right now. Although I eagerly anticipate seeing friends again and being reconnected, I go with fear and trepidation as there are always many unknowns.

Secondly I am required to raise my support for two main reasons—That God receives the glory for provision and so I am accountable to others for their partnership in short-term Missions.

Please pray with and for me for the following items as I prepare to leave July 17^th for Belfast, Northern Ireland and return August 3^rd.

*Safety from harm/injuries

*Strength and health

*That God will be honored in all I do and say

*Opportunities to share the Gospel with boldness, clarity and sensitivity

*Support in the amount of $2400 (airfare, lodging in Ireland, etc)

On my first Missions experience to Ireland in 1999, OMS staff told me “if you go bathed in prayer support, you will never be the same again.” They were SO right. Therefore, I covet your prayers and thank you in advance for your partnership in sharing the GOOD NEWS!

Desiring to respond in obedience to the calling of the LORD,

Maxine

If you are interested in more information or if you would want to support my mom in prayer/ financially, please indicate in your comment or send an email to heydtfamily.teachablemoments@blogger.com.

Thanks for letting me share! :-)

No more pain...

I am sad to say that my Uncle Jack passed away late last night. The hospital discharged him on Friday, but Sharon was not quite ready to have him at home yet, so she decided to have him moved to a wonderful nursing center just a block from the hospital. It is a NEW nursing home that has all private rooms that are more like small, homey, one-room apartments.

Sharon was able to spend quite a bit of time talking with him Friday, thanking him for being a good husband and father. On Saturday, he became much more incoherent and it was harder for him to communicate. Sharon reassured him that she and Mikael were okay and that they would have others to help take care of them...she also told him Jesus loved him and was waiting for him.

She felt compelled to go back to be with him later in the evening, which was a blessing, as she was able to be with him as he peacefully took his last breath. My mom (who has been there staying with her for a few days) was called to the nursing home and said that the staff gathered together to hold a beautiful, yet simple, ceremony - surrounding them in prayer and placing a hand-made quilt over him.

I am sad for my cousin, Mikael, who was not able to be there until today. Tomorrow they will begin the process of making funeral arrangements.

Please continue to pray for their family. There is an element of relief, as he was in such terrible pain and discomfort, yet, I know the sadness and loss will at times be unbearable. My uncle said he knew the Lord and that he was going to a better place - for which I am so thankful.

Revelation 21:3-4
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

With flying colors...

Our school year is over and everyone passed with flying colors! Now I "officially" have a second grader, a first grader, and a preschooler - how did that happen?

In celebration of our last week, each of the kids made a special t-shirt. I thought I would take a MOMENT to TEACH you this simple (and very inexpensive) craft activity! Simple and inexpensive are two of my favorite kinds of crafts. :-)

You will need to gather together the following supplies:
crayons, sandpaper, white t-shirt, iron

Press firmly to color a picture or design on the sandpaper (keeping in mind any words written need to be mirror-image, as the sandpaper image will be transferred onto the t-shirt).

Place the sandpaper (crayon-side down) on the fromt of the t-shirt, using a piece of cardboard or towel between the shirt and your ironing board. Place a towel on top of the sandpaper, as well. Use a hot iron and press for several minutes.

Carefully remove the sandpaper - you may want to let it stand for a bit as it will be hot!

Voila! There you have it - a FABULOUS custom-made t-shirt!

Sinuses and Migraines and Hormones, Oh My!

So it's been one of those weeks...

It started off with a great Mother's Day, although I was feeling a little funky all day with the beginning of some congestion issues. The day ended with Parvati winning the title of "sole Survivor" (bummer!) and me winning one big sinus headache. On Monday, the sinus pressure turned into a migraine, which is never good! Thanks to my dear friend, Kristi, I was able to leave the kids, take some medicine, and rest in QUIET for awhile! Tuesday brought more of the same (although my migraine was gone, thank goodness!) but by Wednesday I was just one big bucket of crabbiness. I've had some hormonal stuff* going on that has taken a toll on me, too (please don't even be wondering if I am pregnant...because I am not...I am just not sure how much I'm ready to blog about all of that* yet!). It's also been difficult to hear the news about my Uncle Jack and his family - my heart is so very heavy for all of them.

Did I mention that Wednesday was our last day of school? I wanted the day to be fabulously fun - for all of us - but I was a bit spent physically and emotionally.

So, this day (like so many other days) has been a day of starting over...a day of picking up the pieces and trying again. And, truth-be-told, I didn't do so hot today, either! But, wow, am I thankful that God is a God of grace. He has compassionately placed into my life dear friends and family who are gracious and patient and fore-bearing with me! I am SO thankful that the Lord never fails me - that He is faithful and is completely and exactly what I need at all times.

Lamentations 3:22-24
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

I'm thankful that He is not finished with me yet...Lord, may you always keep me mold-able and teachable!

Philippians 1:3-6,9-11
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus...And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

An Update...

Thank you for your prayers for my family - I truly appreciate them!

The latest update is that my Aunt Sharon has decided to bring Jack home. This was a difficult decision (I can only imagine!). But she wants to at least try it and see how he does there, as he tends to be a "homebody" - hopefully this will be a more comfortable place for him. Hospice will help to provide care. Of course, they may decide to return to the hospital or nursing home care at some point.

Some of the doctors have indicated a life expectancy of a few days, perhaps. They met with the oncologist yesterday who said at the very most it will be 2 months. He is currently unable to eat, so he is being fed intravenously as well as continuing to receive morphine for pain.

My heart goes out to their family...I feel a real burden for Mikael (my cousin) as I know personally how very difficult it is to say goodbye to your dad - I didn't really get a chance to do that with my own dad, but I'm praying that he will be able to have some quality time with his dad and be able to be there to support his mom, too. Please pray for this - it was very hard for him to see his dad in the hospital and so he decided to return home as right now he does not want to be there - it is just too painful for him. Please continue to pray for my Aunt Sharon, as well.

I know and trust that God has everything worked out in His perfect plan. I found comfort in these verses this morning:

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.
2 Corinthians 4:8-11

A request...

I was planning on going to bed early tonight (as I have this crummy head cold), but I just got off the phone with my mom and decided sleep could wait for a bit, as I would like to ask for prayer.

If you would take a moment to pray for my Uncle Jack and Aunt Sharon (Sharon is one of my mom's younger sisters). Jack has not been feeling well the last few weeks - in fact, about 2 weeks ago he was diagnosed with gall stones and doctors scheduled him for an upcoming surgery. This past week, his condition worsened and eventually (last Thursday) a biopsy was done on his liver. He was informed this morning that he has melanoma of the liver and that he has potentially a few days to weeks left. This is shocking news to his family - he and Sharon have a grown son, Mikael and a two-year old grandson, Jonas.

Please pray for them...for God's comfort and grace to be upon them. Pray for His presence to be known in a spectacular, amazing way.

It is hard for my mom to see her sister faced with such grief - and Jack is currently in the hospital, he is needing oxygen to breathe and morphine for pain.

My heart aches for their family...

Romans 8:26-27
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

Psalm 34:17-18
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Happy Mother's Day!

Sometimes there's just nothing quite like homemade...

The kids greeted me this morning with these cards:

From Lukas - a tractor (Jason wrote Happy Mother's Day) and on the inside, who else but Lightning McQueen? In case you can't tell, Lukas wrote: I love you Lukas and Racing on the wheel of the car.

From Chloe - some swirly letters and fancy hearts. Chloe wrote: Happy Mother's Day I love you.

From Madelynne - a rendering of mother & daughter...and some heart-felt words, too! Madelynne wrote: Dear Mom, Happy Mother's day. I love you. Love Madelynne. To my best ever, very nice, humongous lover [?], favorite Mom.

Who could ask for anything more?

I want to extend a special Mother's Day greeting to my mom, whom I love dearly and is such an encouragement to me and also to my mother-in-law: thank you for raising such a great son!

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day...

She must have known this morning at breakfast...



...even though this was the view out the patio door for most of the morning...

...that things would eventually get a little bit brighter...

Six Random Things...

I've been tagged once again. This time by Staci at Graceful Days. I know Staci and her family from Bible camp m-aaaa-ny years ago! It's been so much fun to stay in touch with her in blog-land.

The assignment is to list 6 very unimportant, random things about myself.

At first I could think of NOTHING. I really am quite BORING. But, as I began my list, I actually found myself having to pare it down. I guess boring = many unimportant, random things.

Prepare yourself...here I go!

1. When I was 3 years old I slit my eyelid while playing with a stick. If memory serves me correctly, I had to have 3 stitches - IN my eyelid. To this day, I am terrified that my kids are somehow going to inadvertently slice their eyes with a sharp object!

2. I was the tallest person in my sixth grade class...I even played basketball. Not having grown any taller since the age of 12, I still stand at 5'4" and I wouldn't exactly call myself "tall" now!

3. I worked at McDonald's my junior year of high school. {Would you like fries with that?} The funny thing is, I was extremely "food-conscious" at that time and hardly ever ate anything other than SALADS while I had my great 50% employee discount. In fact, I never even had tried a cheeseburger until I was a freshman in college!

4. I used to always sleep with TWO pillows. Now I only sleep with one. Odd.

5. I have this funny habit of crying while watching game shows. I have done this as far back as I can remember - even the good ole' Wheel of Fortune days when the contestants got to shop for trips, his and hers sportswear, and ceramic Dalmatians. Speaking of game shows, I love the Game Show Network, although we don't get it at our house...if I discover you have it at yours, chances are you will find me flipping the channel until I locate it! Did I mention that I am an awful channel-surfer?

[Ha - did you notice how I just stuck a few extra very unimportant, random things about myself into that one?]

6. I tend to be pretty "jumpy" - a trait that my husband and friends sometimes like to enterprise on! I recall one afternoon last year when my friend Kristi walked into my house whilst I was completely unaware. I happened to be downstairs in the laundry room, trying to make a dent in the perpetual pile of dirty clothes, when in leaped Kristi, full-bent on scaring the living daylights out of me. And scare me she did - more like terrorize! I screamed SO loud and SO long (and somewhere in there I think I crumpled into a laundry basket), I truly believe I frightened my dear friend more than she did me! We laughed for a LONG time after that one!

So there you have it, 6 very unimportant, random things about me.

As the tagging rules go, now I am supposed to tag someone else. BUT, since all three of my fellow bloggers I have who happen to read this blog on occasion seem to have already been tagged, I just thought I would mix things up a bit and tag all of the NON-blog-owning readers. Nope, you don't need to have your own blog to be in on this one! So, consider yourself tagged! :-)

Simply leave a comment (it's super-easy...if you don't have an account, you can always leave a comment by clicking on Anonymous) with YOUR 6 very unimportant, random things about YOU!

I can't wait to hear from you - all FOUR of you! :-)

What a tangled web we weave...

I'm not sure just exactly HOW it happened...but somehow Chloe got a brush stuck in her hair tonight. Not just stuck, but tangled.

I tried to unwind it...

...and Jason tried to wrench the hair free...

...but it was REALLY wrapped around there tightly!

Finally, after almost an hour of unraveling hair [and some creative brush-bristle cutting], we were able to get the brush out of Chloe's hair!

In the words of Madelynne, "At least we didn't have to shave her hair off!"

Public Service Announcement...

I interrupt your regularly scheduled blogging for this important Public Service Announcement:

Not all great deals are as great as they might seem. There are some offers that you might just want to refuse. I should have known not to succumb to the pressures of advertising (like mother, like daughter?)

Take, for example, this small pack of Orbit Mint Mojito gum.

I happened to see it while in the check out lane the other day and noticed that it was on clearance - $.67 - what a great deal! I noticed the package said "mint", but never gave a second thought to the "mojito" part. I should have known that "mojito" is not just another word in Spanish for "mint".

I popped a piece of the chewy stuff into my mouth and immediately realized WHY it was on clearance. What was that taste??? It was mint...mixed with lime? Or maybe pepper? Or both??? I should have spit it out, but I kept chomping, determined to figure out just exactly what it was!

Unable to conclude the ingredients which made up this peculiar taste, I decided to execute an online search (I DO search for many things online, but never before have I investigated "flavors of gum"!).

Here's what I found [and perhaps you already know the answer...but my knowledge of mixed drinks is pretty much limited to Kool-Aid and Crystal Light!]:

Mojito is a traditional Cuban highball which became popular in the United States during the late 1980s, and has recently seen a resurgence in popularity.

A mojito is traditionally made of five ingredients: white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime, carbonated water and mint. Its combination of sweetness and refreshing citrus and mint flavors are intended to mask the potent kick of the rum, and have made this clear cocktail a popular summer drink. Many hotels in Havana also add Angostura bitters to cut the sweetness of the mojito; while a popular variation, it is not the original version created in La Bodeguita del Medio.

To make a Mojito, juice from a lime is added to sugar and mint leaves in a tall glass. The mixture is then gently mashed repeatedly with a muddler. Crushed ice is then added, followed by rum and topped off with club soda.

[information from Wikipedia]

Apparently, I had been chewing on a gummy version of this:

If munching on cocktails is your cup of tea, then by all means, stock up (and save)! I just thought I should have warned you...buyer beware!