def extract_queries(self, args, kwargs):
        '''
        This function normalizes the config block into a set of queries we
        can use.  The return is a list of consistently laid out dicts.
        '''
        # Please note the function signature is NOT an error.  Neither args, nor
        # kwargs should have asterisks.  We are passing in a list and dict,
        # rather than receiving variable args.  Adding asterisks WILL BREAK the
        # function completely.

        # First, this is the query buffer.  Contains lists of [base,sql]
        qbuffer = []

        # Add on the non-keywords...
        qbuffer.extend([[None, s] for s in args])

        # And then the keywords...
        # They aren't in definition order, but they can't conflict each other.
        klist = list(kwargs.keys())
        klist.sort()
        qbuffer.extend([[k, kwargs[k]] for k in klist])

        # Filter out values that don't have queries.
        qbuffer = [x for x in qbuffer if (
                (isinstance(x[1], six.string_types) and len(x[1]))
                or
                (isinstance(x[1], (list, tuple)) and (len(x[1]) > 0) and x[1][0])
                or
                (isinstance(x[1], dict) and 'query' in x[1] and len(x[1]['query']))
            )]

        # Next, turn the whole buffer into full dicts.
        for qb in qbuffer:
            defaults = {'query': '',
                        'depth': 0,
                        'as_list': False,
                        'with_lists': None,
                        'ignore_null': False
                        }
            if isinstance(qb[1], six.string_types):
                defaults['query'] = qb[1]
            elif isinstance(qb[1], (list, tuple)):
                defaults['query'] = qb[1][0]
                if len(qb[1]) > 1:
                    defaults['depth'] = qb[1][1]
                # May set 'as_list' from qb[1][2].
            else:
                defaults.update(qb[1])
                if defaults['with_lists'] and isinstance(defaults['with_lists'], six.string_types):
                    defaults['with_lists'] = [
                        int(i) for i in defaults['with_lists'].split(',')
                    ]
            qb[1] = defaults

        return qbuffer