It's my party...

Edited below...
It must be the year for crappy birthdays. Mine doesn't rate as high on the crap scale as Jennifer's, but it hasn't been inspiring so far. My kidlins have been in that arguing, sarcastic, not listening phase for the last few weeks, and today it was driving me crazy. Then an afternoon party at that big Rodent's nasty pizza place. I'm ready to just go to bed and call it a day.

***ETA...It was redeemed...hubby took me to a good restaurant for a nice dinner dressed up as grown ups. Good end.

Jumping out of my skin

I've been burning the candle at both ends a bit this week, and this morning the candle broke. I could barely pull myself out of bed this morning, and was even 20 minutes late doing so. I somehow managed to take the kidlins to school without killing any of them, but let me tell you, it was difficult. Bug has a tendency to get in these "I'm a teenager, so I'm better than all of you" moods, and and then every comment out of her mouth is sarcastic or cutting, and it drives me batty. Monster has hit the non-stop talking age. In the car every morning we are treated to a long game of 20 gazillion questions. But the rules of this game are different...there's no subject, whatever he feels like asking is okay. And sometimes, his questions are like this one...."Mama, you know that thing? Where did it get that thingy from?" Yes, really, he asked that out of the blue one evening. When I asked him to clarify what thing, he said, "you know, the one with the thingy?" Very clear now. Anyway, I digress. Yesterday was no exception on that chattering, and I seriously felt like I could jump out of my skin. I was so over-stimulated and exhausted that I wanted to just throw myself down on the ground and cry. I decided (amazing how rational you can be when your feeling crazy) that I wasn't fit for public consumption, so I went home, took meds for my headache, and slept for 2 more hours. Amazing what that did for my disposition. I was feeling soooo much better.

I will never take drugs. If that's what withdrawal is like, I don't want to feel it.

New shoes

I found a cute pair of shoes yesterday and wearing them today was a blast. Lots of people commented on them, and my feet weren't killing me when the day ended. And that's my love Thursday post. New shoes that other people admire and that don't hurt my feet.



Happy Love Thursday Y'all.

And 2 down

Now the apron is done. I'll be posting pics soon. It turned out pretty cute, but I'm tired and heading off to bed.

One item down

So I managed to finish Bug's first skirt tonight, and she came home and informed she only needed one after all. Good news, except for the 9 yards of material I already purchased. Now I need to get the apron done, and then possibly a shirt, but probably not. I'm thinking the long sleeve cream tshirt will have to do for this extra special extra.

And why is it so cold all the sudden? It was chilly this afternoon. I did manage to get the Monster outside and playing for several hours this afternoon, which was nice. Hopefully he'll sleep well tonight. Which is what I need to do now. Night!

Just a little Walk - Fun Monday

Angela is our host again this week.

I'm going to make it a nice and easy Fun Monday this week. All I want you to do is take me on your favourite walk. In words or pictures. Or both of course! Tell me why it's your favourite and point out things of interest on the way.

My favorite walk occurs every night. First, it requires me to haul my butt up off the couch. From there it progresses into my kitchen to turn out the lights and get the last little bit of beverage to take my pills. Then I head up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, I set my drink on the railing and take a complete 180 into the first bedroom...the Monsters. There I kiss his cheek or forehead, remind him that I love him, turn off his IPod, and usually try not to laugh out loud at how funny he sleeps. Arms splayed, or butt up in the air, or even on the wrong end of the bed. It's so cute. From his door I turn left and head into the pink, girly wonderland that is PB's room. A quick kiss on her cheek or forehead, turn the IPod off, and head out through the treacherous waters know as her floor. Out her door and to an immediate left again, open the door and glance in on Bug. Turn her music down. Close her door, grab my drink on the way by, and head into my own room. It's time to rest, and I've made sure my babies are all safe and sound in dreamland.

Remind me that I love her...

Bug reminds me this weekend that she needs a costume for the school musical that's in less than 2 weeks. She needs TWO skirts, a shirt and an apron or vest, Scottish if you please. Oh, and her drama instructor hasn't assigned clans yet, so she's not sure what colors she'll be needing them made from.

So off to the not so fun local fabric chain to pick out material. And I told her to figure out a color and go with it, and the instructor would have to deal. They didn't pull out the costumes until a week or so ago, they only have kilts for the boys, and they haven't decided who is going to be with each of the clans (of course, this is what the 14 year old is telling me. I know it may not be 100% accurate). Am I off to say that the costumes should have been one of the first things reviewed after assigning roles? With enough time, I would have offered to help create costumes. I'm very frustrated, but this isn't the first time this has happened (different teacher though), and it's widely thought that she will be gone next year, so I'm sucking it up and moving on. But I've made a note that if she does the school productions next year, I'm speaking to the teacher very early.

Yee Haw!

The fam and I went to see Jake Owen this evening. We were actually supposed to go last fall, but he was sick and had to postpone the show. We were lucky to score free tickets through the local USO when it was originally scheduled, and they were still good tonight. So we took the kids along. It was a very good concert. His drummer and bass player were very entertaining. The lady that was doing the sign language gave the Monster her copy of the set list, and PB and Bug got several of the band members to autograph it for him. Of course, he spent the majority of the concert with his ears covered, and the last 20-30 minutes of it passed out. But all in all, it was a very good concert, and we all had a very good time. Now it's time for bed. Night all!

...and I feel fine

After a busy day at work, then grocery shopping and a little bit of running around, DDS and I went to dinner. And I decided to have a drink with dinner. Let me tell you, Applebee's makes some big drinks, and our bartender was not pouring light. I actually had to ask for more soda after a few sips. But that strawberry mint mojito sure was yummy. And that with a soak in the hot tub made for one relaxed mama. That's a way to spend your Friday evening.

Guided by grace

Today was a day for me to realize how thankful I am for where I am in my life. I have a wonderful family, a decent job, a nice house and cars, and I'm relatively healthy. And I don't generally take it for granted. But today was a day for me to really take a good look around and be thankful. I was able to go outside with my hubby and hang out in the hammock. Our neighbor ishaving a tough time in her personal life right now, and hearing her story made me thankful for my life. I truly believe that God doesn't give us more than we can handle, and recently, I've been very thankful that I found my faith in a way that gives me strength and peace.

I believe in God. I believe that he has a plan for our lives, and that the things that are put in our paths are there to help guide us. We still have to choose to see those guides, and sometimes we choose wrong. He still guides us.

I read this post earlier this evening and a lot of the comments that followed. In it, the author is questioning faith. Faith is hard. But I think the key is that you have to understand what that faith is about. It doesn't mean that just because you pray for something, God will give it to you. What we think we want or need may not be what is in his plan for us. Faith is knowing that whatever this hard time is, it's happening for a reason. Faith is asking God not to make everything beautiful and perfect all the time, but asking him to provide you with the strength and peace to get through it. This is hard. As the counselor pointed out to me yesterday, I want to fix things. I want to make things better. And that makes it hard for me to step back and place it in God's hands. But I'm learning, and even when I forget, he doesn't.

Happy Love Thursday. Remember that life is short, and hug your loved ones.

Short today

It has been a very long day. A long, boring training class this morning, an appt with a counselor for PB this afternoon, and a phone call right before that about my mother being in a car accident. She is okay, bruised and sore, but okay. And I'm exhausted. So off to soak a bit, then bed for me. Good night.

Bugs? ARGH!

As I mentioned over there on my cast of characters, PB is terrified of Bugs. I'm not sure that terrified is even a strong enough word. I'm talking about a child that would dart into oncoming traffic to not be even near a bug. Over the years, we've worked past flies, ants and ladybugs...or so I thought. Apparently Horse flies do not count in the fly category...they are their own category. This is a serious problem...she goes from normal to insane in less than 10 seconds. It's scary. And DDS and I are at our wits end about what to do about it. When she was a young toddler, she was terrified of regular flies, and somehow she got over that. Then it was ants, and she got over that. But the other day, it was a bug smaller than an ant, on the outside of the closed window. So tomorrow, DDS and I go talk to a counselor. I'm not against her being afraid, I just need to know that she isn't going to cause harm to herself in her fear. Anyone have any suggestions out there?

Fun Monday, the Blessings version

Southern Doll is our host this week, and she has a very nice task in mind for us:

What have you done in your life that was worth doing? I want to know the moments in your life that you hope will be the ones to pass through your mind when your time comes. I hope that doesn't sound too morbid. This doesn't necessarily have to be items you have checked off your Bucket List, it can be those small moments that made you smile, or the time you got that huge promotion you deserved, or the first time your baby smiled at you out of pure joy. I want to know all the moments, big and small, that make life sweet! If you don't already have a running list of these in your mind, you should! These moments help you remember how much your life is worth living, and we all deserve to enjoy it.

My moments are those that I've spent with my family. I love to hear my kids laughing, screeching, acting like children. My proudest accomplishment is providing a good childhood for my kids. I am proud that I can show them how to be a strong person that still shows their feelings. I hope that I am showing them how to live life to the fullest, laughing as much as possible and crying when necessary. I am proud that I was there to support my MIL during her fight against breast cancer. I'm proud that I went to college and graduated. And I'm proud that I can support my husband in his desire to serve our country. The things I'll remember on my death bed won't be big, life changing events, but those small, precious day to day moments that truly take my breath away regularly. I live a blessed life, and I'm thankful for that every day.

Love, Rock Style

First, last night was fun. Dinner was pretty good, and I got to dance with my gorgeous hubby in his uniform.

Secondly, I'm sitting here watching the Rock of Love reunion show. OMG, seriously, it's a train wreck you can't help watch. One of my favorite lines so far...Skeevy Nicks. How fitting and hilarious.

And girls...you don't go on national television and have sex with a rock star and then cry because you aren't just some bimbo he can have sex with. Because, obviously...you are.

I love the weekends

So this morning was another soccer game for the Monster. He had a good time and played well, and his team ended up winning. Afterwards, the Youth Center had their yearly carnival...lots of easy games with candy as prizes, face painting, door prizes, Sparky the fire Dog, McGruff, fire trucks, popcorn, and a ton of people. It's a great time, but loud and warm this year.

Now I'm off to get myself a mani and pedi in preparation for the Military Ball tonight. I hate getting dressed up, but figure since I'm recycling my gown I can splurge a little.

Why, oh why?

So PB is sick. For several weeks now she's been having trouble remembering what she needs to do. Inhaler not being taken, medicine forgotten, jackets not worn. Things that I've griped at her and tried to remind her about. Things that she's done without a hitch for over 2 years. And now she's sick because of it. And I made sure to call her out in front of the doctor. So now it's her second day off of school. But I'm okay with it...it's a beautiful day and I plan to spend a good amount of time in my front yard cleaning up my flower beds and rearranging my rock edging.

Ahh, Spring has sprung

So I actually got to take 20 minutes and pull weeds in my flower beds yesterday evening...so it's officially spring to me now. I love the feel of the dirt between my fingers. It's soothing. And pulling those stubborn weeds is very therapeutic. People drive by and wave, and other than that, it's just the sounds of the neighborhood. Our beautiful tree is blooming and will be gorgeous in a few more days.

What signifies Spring is here for you?



Happy Love Thursday everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

(Don't worry, she's fine.)

Tuesday is crazy

I've really grown to loathe Tuesday's. They're busy. I'm tired. And I paid bills, which totally depressed me. My economic stimulus check will not be stimulating much but my bills.

It's bed time.

Fun Monday

The Nekked Lizards are our hosts this week.

This week's Fun Monday is a really simple one:

FIVE PICTURES - FIVE WORDS PER PICTURE.

Any 5 (FIVE) pictures, any subject, and any 5 (FIVE) words to describe and/or explain each picture.

So here we go.

My new phone is awesome!

Is it really April already?

Eating too many of these.

My favorite fast food restaraunt.

Remember your blessing every day.

Sleep...it's a great thing

What a great day today was. I slept in after a late night. I got up and DDS and I went to breakfast. Yummy pecan waffles and bacon, a ride on the motorcycle with him, and a new cell phone. The makings of a great day. And then I threw in a nap, and a yummy dinner cooked by someone else, and it was the perfect ending.

What a busy day

So we had the Monster's first soccer game this morning. He was awesome! He played goalie first period and he was on it. He was blocking and kicking and having so much fun. It was great fun to watch. PB had several friends at the fields, and she asked if she could hang out with them on the playground. Since it's in sight of the field, I said yes. Her team was having a voluntary practice at 10 several blocks away at the school. I had been glancing up for her every so often...and when the game was over, I went to find her and take her to her practice. It was after 10, and as I was walking to the car, one of the ladies who work at the Youth Center gave me PB's inhaler that she found in the bathroom. My mom and I hollered and looked for her, but she couldn't be found. One of the Youth Center employees told us she saw her walking with another member of her team towards the schools field. I was so pissed at her. My mom drove me over there and she was out on the field. I called her over, and she knew as soon as she saw me that she was in trouble and exactly why. After practice was over, she came home and began her chores without being reminded, and actually added some on her own. I decided that being embarrassed in front of her friends, the talk we had on the way home, and the chores were her punishment. I knew that the 2 block walk to the school with another child I know well wasn't dangerous for her, but it was just the fact that she didn't ask first. Which is what I explained.

Now it's off to finish cleaning our house...we have friends coming over to hang out tonight, and the house is a pig sty. Have a great rest of Saturday.

The sound of sweet voices

Tonight was PB's final chorus concert for this year. They were all so cute up there, dressed in their best, performing for their families. She was tired and it was hot in the gym...which caused a lot of yawning. Her daddy and I giggled a lot watching them up there.

After the concert, we took the kids and my MIL to the local ice cream chain...yummy. We bought the three waffle bowl sundaes, and daddy, myself, MIL and Bug all shared them. They were yummy...I can't remember the last time I had their ice cream.

Now it's off to bed...we have the Monsters first soccer game in the morning, and PB has practice.

Color Me Happy

I posted about the tote bag swap I participated in here. Happily, my swap partner finally received her bag that I created for her. I was a little nervous...I couldn't find the perfect material, but was finally able to find some that made me happy. I learned a few things about making bags, and as usual, the parts I thought would be tricky weren't and the parts I thought would be easy weren't. But all in all, I'm happy with the results. The stripey material is carried over in a band inside, and with the large zippered pouch pocket inside. There's also a "patch" pocket for easy access to a few goodies. I chose not to put any type of actual closure, thinking that she could access the things inside with one hand on the baby a little easier if she didn't have to unhook it, and the messenger flap seemed to stay pretty secure.

All in all, I'm quite happy with the results. I was nervous about trying a bag, as it was only my second time. I'm glad she likes it.

Picture by HeyMrsWilson

You can see better shots here.

Wordless Wednesday

Fart and Poop...or I am a 5 year old boy

On the way home tonight, we passed through a very bad smell. I was teasing the Monster, asking if he tooted. He said NO, so I blamed dragon (His imaginary friend). He tells me that Monster FARTS every where...the bedroom, the dining room, the kitchen, outside, in the car...he poops and farts everywhere. Thank goodness he's invisible.
**********
One morning last week, driving to daycare/school/work, Monster is in the back seat just chattering away with the daily 50 questions (mama, what's that bus number, mama, is that the same as the number of seats, mama, where is that bus going, mama, who's driving that van...I get so tired of hearing mama every once in awhile) when I heard the distinctive sound of gas passing loudly from his area. As he was taking a breath, he said "sorry, excuse me, I farted." Of course, I had to chuckle a little quietly. He then proceeds to tell how "that was a big fart...really big...wow. It went up in the air and exploded everywhere....it was like a bomb." PB and I were practically gasping for air from laughing so hard. All I could think was that is father would be so proud.
**********
Sitting on the toilet a few weeks ago, he calls me in. I come in, "yes monster?"
"Mama, I have good news!"
My mind races..."yes baby?"
"My dragon had babies. There are 10 and then 10 more. That makes 20! Now I have 123 dragons!"
"That's great babe, are they living with us, too?"
"Of course, where else would they live?"
***********
Speaking of dragon, he has really become a bad influence. After hollering for monster a couple of times with no response, I sent one of his sisters to get him. (Of course, they had to holler first. Cause my hollering wasn't loud enough.) He finally gets to me, and his excuse for not coming? When he watches TV, dragon takes over his brain and he can't listen anymore. He's sorry, but it isn't his fault...it's that naughty dragons!
************

Fun Monday

Jo Beaufoix is our hostess this week. Our tasks sounds simple:

“I want to know about your first ‘celebrity’ crush. You know, the one you fancied from that band, or that film, or who read the news, or who won Gold at the Olympics.
Did you have their pictures on your wall or in your locker?
Did you dress like them, style or colour your hair like them, follow them, meet them, marry them? (It could happen.)

Photos of THEM would be good, photos of YOU at the time you liked them would be even better.

Also, if you have time, I’d like to know whether they had any influence over your life, the person you became, or if they were just an embarrassing blip you would kind of rather forget about.”

I loved Duran Duran as a preteen. My best friend and I used to pretend we were their girlfriends. We sang all their songs. We created our own band, Ukonpley (it was the 80's you know). Oh yeah, we had it bad. I totally had it for Simon, and she totally had it for John. It was our destiny. Then I moved to another school district, and I found other cool bands...the Cure, INXS, obscure European rockers...I loved them all.

In late high school, I found my next crush. But it wasn't on the actor, it was on the character. And it's so predictable...Dirty Dancing. I wanted to be Baby (what teenage girl didn't) and I was in love with that character. Luckily, I never did anything too drastic, and I outgrew it.

After that, I never really crushed on anyone famous. Don't get me wrong, I see a picture of some hot guys, and I appreciate it. But I'm way to focused on people's attitude and personality to get much from a celebrity that I won't ever meet. But I'll still drool occasionally.

Be sure to visit all the Fun Monday participants today!

Sunday Recap

A few months ago, Bug and I brainstormed a fun idea to have several of her and PB's friends over for a spa night. After trying to schedule this for two months, last Friday was finally determined to be it. Each girl was allowed to invite five friends, and they could have tem spend the night and get picked up in the early am, or picked up late that night. We had 4 of Bug's friends and 3 of PB's friends come, with all of PB's and 2 of Bug's friends spending the night.

The night began with some general hanging out while I started preparing the pizza crusts. Each girl made their own pizza, and once they were all ready, all 9 girls and the Monster sat down to eat. The talk was fast and furious, and while they all sat in their own age group, they did talk together. After that, I had them go and chill while I finished setting everything up. The wicker chairs went into the kitchen, to act as the pedicure station. The table was covered and one end was the manicure spot and the other was the facial. Since I had preteens, I didn't want to use any chemicals on them, so we just did yogurt facials. The big girls helped the little girls paint their nails, and there was a lot of laughing and chattering. I had the girls draw numbers and then they took turns sitting in the kitchen soaking their feet in the foot massager. After their time was up, I would paint their toenails. Headbands, hair ties, little pedicure sets, hand towels...we had a little of everything for them. Epson salts in the foot bath, and baby oil in the hand bath... soft skin for these girlies. At 10 the spa shut down, and each set of girls retired to their area of the house to watch a movie. At midnight, the lights were out.

All in all, I think everyone had a really great time. Monster even took part and he loved having all the girls to fawn over him. Here's a few photos from the night.

what a busy day

I have a post started about last night, but we've been busy little bees today. Bug had Honor's Band, which required a practice session this morning and the concert this evening, and PB had a birthday party this afternoon. Some naps were taken, and the library was visited. All in all, a good but busy day. And I just never managed to download a few pics that I want to share with that post...so it will be tomorrows. Have a great night y'all!

So Tired

Here'a a little equation for your Friday night.

5 teenage girls + 4 pre-teen girls + 1 five year old boy, finger nail polish and facial creations...and you will get exhaustion. But it was a fun night. Tomorrow I'll post details. Good night soon!

Organized? I wish

I love office and organizational supplies. Do they have a group for those of us addicted to these things? Well, at least I know that I'm not alone. Organization is the subject of this months Color Me Happy Swaparooni.

I was about to post a little bit to my likes/dislikes on the Flickr group when I found some great links from OMSH. SeeJaneWork may be one of my new favorites. So many cute things. I love this doorganizer. What a great way to be sure you get all those important little things in the morning. The Eat Sheet and The Balance Sheet are both great ideas. KidLists...I've been trying to make sure the kidlins get their stuff together in the mornings. Trying to keep the checkbook balanced and all of those receipts in one place? Notebooks, clips, markers, little containers for stuff. Oh yeah, it's all there, and all so lovely.

Want to join our swaparooni? Head on over and read the guidelines. And any contributions to my supply fund will be greatly appreciated :)

Wordless Wednesday #4

April Fools

Did someone get you today? So far, I've been immune. I got a good chuckle over the ones that google posted on some of their services. The one for gmail was awesome...send emails dated back in time. This might actually be useful sometimes!

Surprisingly, the girls didn't pull any pranks. I have a feeling I'll be fielding my fair share of these in the future with my baby boy.

What's the best prank you've every pulled, or had pulled on you?

Fun Monday #13

Robin (the PENSIEVE one) is our hostess this week, and she wants us to share our favorite Quotable quotes and words that inspire.

My first quote has been my favorite since the very first time I read it.

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. " Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have a portion of this quote on a postcard over my desk.

"Every oak tree started out as a couple of nuts that stood their ground."

I love this one because it seems to suit my hubby and I. I know we are nuts, and that people didn't think that we would make it, but we've been married for 10 and a half years now...and still very much in love.

Be sure to visit the other Fun Monday participants!

is the first day or the last?

I'm exhausted, and ready to go to bed. The morning started bright and early at 6:45 and we went non-stop until just now. Church, Home Improvement store shopping, grocery shopping, babysitting, craft store shopping, woodworking, cleaning, cooking...we did it all today. Now it's time to rest. But I want to know, is today the first day of the busy week, or the last day of the not-so-busy week before (which was pretty relaxed since it was spring break)?

Talk amongst yourselves...I'll be back tomorrow, after I've had some sleep.

A stitch in time

I took my mom to a quilt show in Lancaster, PA today. It was a good time. A ton of vendors and an overload of great fabric. There were some really gorgeous quilts. Mom took some pictures, and I'll post them in a few days. Now I'm tired, and I'm going to spend some time with my kids and hubby. Night all!

and another Friday night flight

We went to pick up Bug today. Her plane was 5 minutes early, and hubby and I had a little date night before we actually got her. The ride home was fun, talking about television shows from when we were kids. Now, we're off to soak in the hot tub and head to bed. I'm taking my mom to a quilt show tomorrow.

Things I Love

bag swap for CMHS outside
Originally uploaded by mamalang

This is the bag I received in the Color Me Happy Swaparooni from the wonderful Heymrswilson. I'm loving it. It's so cute, everyone asks me where I got it from. It's the perfect size, and I'm not losing things in it.

I also love Chic-Fil-A...and a new one opened very near my home tonight. You know where dinner was consume tonight. Oh yeah.

Wordless Wednesday #3

Time will tell

Tonight was my first Executive meeting as FRG (Family Readiness Group) Leader for my husbands unit. His unit is being deployed this fall, and the military is trying a new system of deployment and family readiness. So we are apparently the test unit. I'm actually excited about the things we are looking to do, but trying to remain realistic about who will participate. I'm hoping that I'll be pleasantly surprised as time goes on.

It is actually a little hard to decide what topics to cover. Not because of the lack of choices, but the feeling that you have so many and such a short time to get them in. But I think we have some good things planned for the future.

Fun Monday #12

Swampy is our host this week. Here's our scary topic. And since she never follows the rules, we don't have to either.

Choose a topic/theme and make an alphabetical list of words, phrases, photos...however you want to share your topic/theme.

I just don't have the energy to go through the whole alphabet. The cable people were here for over 3 hours this morning. That's a day off of work and several hours without internet. ARGH!!!

So, My alphabet will be like my sons. I'm just going to pick a few letters, and that will be all there is in the alphabet for me.

M is for Monday, not a fun day.
T is for Tuesday, Recycle day, but not this week.
W is for Wednesday, another day off.
F is Friday, the weekend at last.
S is for Saturday, fun for all.

Night!

Happy Easter y'all

Hope you enjoy your day. Dont eat to much candy, and come have some hard boiled eggs....PLEASE!

And happy birthdy Mom!

Oh where are the eggs

We took the kids to my mom's work for an egg hunt today. They had the Easter Bunny and ponies and bunnies and an egg hunt and two clowns making balloon sculptures. That balloon line did not move. These clowns were making insane creations. Swords and hats, bunnies, penguins...it was insane, but fun. Now I'm off to sew my swap buddies bag.

Friday Night Flights

****Please note that this was written on paper Fridy night.

Why the heck did I not bring my laptop? I could be live-blogging my oh-so-exciting Friday night. Oh wait, that's cause I only had 5 minutes to get out the door and on the road.

Bug is leaving her mothers house today, which requires a plane ride or an extremely long car ride. With the price of gas, the plane fare is cheaper. The plan was for daddy to bring her over and the other kidlins and I would be hanging out at home. But when it was time to leave, it was discovered that he had left his billfold at his other home (he's having to attend classes a lot in a nearby town, and the military has nicely provided a place there for him to stay during the week.) That means he couldn't get past the security checkpoint to sit with her and wait for the plane. Even though she no longer has to fly as an unaccompanied minor, we still don't like leaving her there for hours alone. So off I go. I had warmed up some leftovers for Bug and daddy before it was time to leave so that they didn't have to stop for fast food. With five minutes to grab my book and shoes and other necessary things, I didn't get that chance. Off I go, stopping to get gas and a drink.

We arrived at the airport around 7:00, which gave us a good amount of time before her flight was scheduled to leave, and found out it was 15 minutes delayed. 8:35 comes and goes and the plane hasn't arrived from wherever. They announce it will be there at 9:10. No plane...finally, it arrives at approximately 9:20. Okay. Now they announce that they aren't loading the plane due to the weather in the Midwest. What have you all done to mother nature out there? She was pissed off at you this weekend. We sat there for a while. One of the restaurants brought us danishes/pastries, and Southwest brought us hot soda and some snacks. At just after 11:00, the announcement came.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have 6 minutes to get this plane boarded. Please line up and we'll get you out of her." And yes, they loaded that plane and pulled away from the gate in less than 15 minutes. People didn't fight or jostle, they simply handed him their boarding pass, went and sat down in a seat. I know my jaw was hitting the ground. They managed to safely land and deplane (as a matter of fact, she beat me.)

1 am, I finally got home. Yuck. From now on I bring the laptop.

Love Thursday #3

Tonight was my night out with friends. It's a game night, but it's really about talking and eating. I Love this group. I always come home feeling so much better about so many things. They like the things I like, they have kids around the same age as mine (or grandkids...my mom and mil are part of this too. Actually, so is my sil. Funny.) Anyway, it's just a good couple of hours. And after almost 9 years, I'm glad I still have it to go to each month.

I also love that I have the day off of work tomorrow. I'm so ready to sleep in.

Happy Love Thursday everyone. I'll see you well after the sun rises tomorrow.

Wordless Wednesday - The Easter Egg Edition

Fears relieved

First, let me say...I have dentalphobia. I HATE going to the dentist. But having children made me realize that I had to be the grown up and not transfer that fear to them. I had a very bad experience as a child, and I have worked very hard to ensure my children never endured that.

Today was the kids dental check up day. I love our dentist office. They used to go to a pediatric dentist, but they stopped taking our insurance. And while our insurance company would still pay them, I couldn't afford to pick up the difference every time they charged more than insurance was willing to pay. I was so sad to leave that office...he was a great dentist, and I never heard a child scream in fear in that office. Luckily, I found another dentist that was accepting patients and would get us in. Crazily enough, they are both in the same building...they are actually next door to each other.

This office goes out of it's way to make sure you are taken care of. They are all pleasant, they take the time to schedule my kids next appointments with me while they are in getting their teeth cleaned. They have a play area for the kids and a ton of magazines for all different interests. When things don't happen the way they are supposed to, they don't try and charge to fix it (both girls have sealants that didn't stick...he made sure to tell me they were free of charge before he took a breath.) The first visit, Bug had a tooth that needed to be pulled and she was leaving for a trip at the end of that week. He rearranged his schedule to get us back in that afternoon, and then apologized that we had to come back. And then I fell completely in love with him when he called that night to check on her. The dentist called my house to check on her. Sorry, but that bears repeating. And today's appointments were over in less than 45 minutes.

I still hate going to the dentist, but at least I found a good one.

Fun Monday #11

Nikki at My Husband Calls Me Weird is our hostess this week. She says:

1.) I don't know about you, but my family is great at creating strange words that only we know the meaning. Some were created when the kids were first learning to talk, others came about when our tongues were twisted and the word came out funny. Either way, the words stuck and we still use them in our daily conversations. What created words does your family use?! Please share the story behind the word if you remember. If you don't have a made up word then tell us about the unspoken way you communicate with someone. Do you and your significant other have a look that means "This party is boring, lets split" or do you have a look that your kids know means their butt is in serious trouble? Please share!! And a picture of the look would be very entertaining!

OR/AND

2.) In honor of St. Paddy's Day, please share your worst green beer story!

We have several words we use among our family and friends.

The one that sticks out the most is NooNoo Head. This is a term of endearment, frustration, teasing...whatever that instance calls for. There's generally a lot of giggling after someone utters the phrase "you are such a noonoo head."

We randomly make up things to call each other as well. Turkey Butt is a favorite in our house. Poo Poo brain is another. To people who don't know us, it can sound mean, but it's never meant that way, and it's usually not taken that way. It usually means that either a) you are about to drive me crazy, and I have to call you something or I'll kill you or b) I love you and we're feeling silly.

Another one from college is goosh. My friend devised this upon seeing a jogger that was apparently color blind but wanting to be visible. He had on red, neon green and neon yellow if I remember correctly. She yells out...OH MY GOOSH. Apparently her brain was thinking goodness, and her mouth wanted to say gosh. But it works.

We have lots of other words we insert. Son of a Biscuit is one of my favorites. My MIL says Sasquatch when she's frustrated (which is oddly satisfying).

Alas, I have no green beer stories. I don't like beer, and I don't really drink. But I learned by watching others that Tequila will kill you, which is what Nikki learned as well.

Happy Fun Monday. HEad over to Nikki's to see who else is sharing this St. Patrick's Day!

What a weekend

As you can see from the previous posts, it was a busy weekend here in langville. However, what I didn't mention is that fact that I was sick all weekend. I went to bed at a relatively early time Friday night, even before my teenager was home. I spent Saturday in various stages of hot and cold, and spent our adult time Saturday night napping on our friends couch with fever and chills. The last two posts were written on the appropriate days, and then saved as draft for review before posting. You would thank me if you could have read some of the rambling.

Apparently, I'm on the mend. Not so fevery, just tired. Its going to be a busy week, and my hubby is gone, so hopefully one more good night of sleep will make me all better.

Who?

We went to see Horton Hears A Who today. What a great movie. Just a touch of the old school Dr. Seuss animation, and just a few things for the adults. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see 10 minutes of the last 15 minutes, so I missed the climatic part and just saw the happy ending. But it was still good. I do not like our movie theater though. They are the only one in town, and they know it, so customer service is non-existent. And the bathrooms are far away from a lot of the theaters.

But the movie was good. You should go see it.

Now for some adult time with my hubby.

Friday Night Dinner

We went to dinner tonight. Just my hubby and I with 3 other couples. Our church does a group called Table of Eights every year. It's one night a month for four months. Each month you eat dinner with 3 other couples from the church. One couple hosts and supplies the main dish and side, another a veggie, another salad and bread and the last is desert. What you provide and who you eat with changes each month...so at the end you should have eaten with 12 other couples from the church. We've been members of our church for over 10 years, so there are quite a few couples we have know for that length of time. But there are always new couples as well, and it's nice to catch up with those we know and to learn more about those we don't.
Tonight's dinner was delicious, with great conversation. Next month we host. I'm already trying to figure out what to fix. Any suggestions?

I'm mamalang, and I'm a...

fabric addict. I love fabric. I love the possibilities. I love the colors and the textures, the designs. I love home made crafty things. I really don't love our local chain fabric store, or the fact that to get to a decent fabric store I have to travel over an hour away. I guess I need to find a supplier...teehee.

Wordless Wednesday

I'm stealing this picture from the samples that were on my new computer. Apparently it was taken by someone named Kevin Forest. I'm ready for spring.

(And yes, I realize it's not wordless if I put words under it. So sue me.)

What are they thinking?

What the heck is this? Are we that stuck in the 80's? I thought Spandex was out. I'm scared.

Fun Monday #10

IT Guy asks:

I need YOU (yes, the wonderful YOU!) to pick 5 memorable lines from 5 different movies (if you could tell us which character said it and to whom, would be a bonus)...and tell us to WHOM (who in the people in your life) you could have said those lines.

I totally suck at movie things. I don't get to watch them, and when I find something funny...it doesn't stick for long.

However, I can remember at least one.

Master of Disguise, Say this to my daughter all the time.

Devlin Bowman: I think it's time for you to go.
Pistachio Disguisey: [Making talking gesture with hand] This is what you're doing...
[Closes hand] this is what I want you to do.
Devlin Bowman: Did you just tell me to shut up?
Pistachio Disguisey: Yes.

That's it. I can't remember any other lines except for the ultimate cheesiness...

Nobody puts baby in a corner.

So with that, I'm out.

Sunday already?

That post below? It was Saturday's. Since I was still up, it was still Saturday for me.

This post? It's Sunday's. After several weekends at home, this weekend was a busy one. Sunday School, Church where the girls played bells, home for lunch and some clean up, and then back to church for bell practice. Home for dinner, ready for bed, where did the weekend go? I'm exhausted. I reallllly hate Daylight Savings Time.

Spring Forward

Can I just say that Daylight Savings Time sucks. I hate losing an hour...I need my sleep, and my body takes weeks to adjust. Then we add to that fact that DH and I went out to listen to a band tonight, so we just got home. And although it says 12:47...it's really 1:47. Tomorrow morning will not be a good time.

Night.

March Madness

First the Madness. PB's school has this function every year in March. I remember 5 years ago when Bug was in 4th grade feeling just as frustrated. Nothing is sent home about this. I don't know what this program is for, and it always seems to be thrown together at the last minute. The 4th and 5th grade classes play basketball games against the other 4th or 5th grade classes during the week, and the two classes with the highest points in each grade level play against each other on Friday night. We found out today that PB was playing and needed a yellow shirt. Today. The function was tonight. Nothing was sent home...she was just told in class. We receive an envelope every Wednesday that includes a newsletter and other important papers. The only mention was in the upcoming dates to note section. It stated the time and location for March Madness. That's the entire sum and substance of what we received. Arghh.

Now the fun part. Her class has several of the most athletic kids. PB isn't one of them. One boy has been easily able to score numerous points on teenagers since he was 5 years old. There wasn't any doubt who would win this game. The total points from the games this week were 10, 16 and 52. The other team had twice as many students, and the star player wasn't there. They still won 22-10 (I think.)

I was afraid that it would be a blow out and not so much fun. But it wasn't...and it was a good game. The kids worked together, and everyone got a chance to play. The ball was passed, and every student had a chance to "touch" the ball. The reasons I love this school were reaffirmed for me tonight (even with the lack of communication for this event.)

Love Thursday #2

I've joined a party. A blog party. It looks like a good way to find some new reads. I know that some of my links are stale, and I want to update my blogroll, so this will be a good way to find some new reads. What a great way to share the love this Love Thursday. You can join yourself. It starts tomorrow, so you have some time left!

Reality, Schmality

I'm not a big fan of Reality television. I generally have a hard time watching people make total and complete fools of themselves. Honestly, I have a hard enough time dealing with people and their "issues" in real life. I don't find it entertaining to sit and watch people destroy their life, and the constant rambling drives me crazy. Sometimes, there's one that is a train wreck and I just have to keep watching (generally it's because there isn't anything else on.) Tonight, I'm riveted to the show "Moment of Truth." It's one of those train wreck shows.

When the choice is between a relatively large sum of money and your relationship with your family members, your marriage, your job, I have to wonder if that sum of money is worth it. And apparently this person feels that either her marriage can withstand this onslaught, or that the money is more important. I'm watching this woman emotionally wound her husband for $100,000. I'm not sure that any amount of money is worth causing that amount of pain and discomfort to any of my family members, but especially not to my husband or children. And someday, her children will see this episode and she will have to explain this to them. And while the high of $100,000 will get them through for a while, someday that money will be gone, and they will have to live with the fall out of that time. I'm just happy that she was smart to not gamble any further, and to be responsible with the money she did earn.

I really do think that reality TV brings out the worst in people. People may go into their participation saying they're doing it for the right reasons, but somehow, that all goes out the window in the "heat of the moment." I'm not saying all reality TV shows are bad. Some do great things for people (The Biggest Loser comes to mind), and some are truly just mindless entertainment (American Idol). Some don't even seem so much like Reality TV as much as scripted soap operas after awhile (the majority of the shows on VH1 or MTV).

So when my kids ask if we can watch Food Network, I sigh a little in relief.

Sweet Child of

Writing about my prom got me thinking back the other day. And then I read some funny "Quizzes" on a few other blogs and decided to find some pertaining to my teenage years. Here you go...proof that I graduated in 1991.

You Are 96% A Child of the 80s

There's hardly a moment of the 80s that you missed out on. Was there ever a better decade? As if!

Are You a Child of an 80s?

You Are 64% A Child of the 90s

Wassup!?! You remember the 90s like they were yesterday. And you're ready to open up a can of whoop-ass on any other decade.

Are You a Child of an 90s?

Fun Monday #9

Janet from the planet of janet is our host this week. She's a toughie!

Hollywood has come calling. They want to make a movie of your life story!

So here's what I want to read about: Write the brief synopsis of this film that you might use to pitch this project and cast the principal players. Who would play you? You can either cast or ignore significant others, children and/or pets. This is, after all, YOUR movie about you you YOU! Illustrate as needed with casting photos or filming locations. Your life not interesting enough? Hey, this is Hollywood. Never let the facts get in the way of a good story!

Hmmm...This is hard.

The amazing life story of mamalang. See how she rose from the heartbreak of childhood to carve out a normal life for herself and her family. The years of toiling away at school and college in order to never use her degree. The motherhood years, spent entirely at work, in the car, doing laundry. The payment in cuddles and hugs and "I Love You's." All culled from her blog...that useless place where she spewed her random thoughts every stinkin day.

The movie will be set someone tropical and warm, and I'll portray myself. At least I'll get a good tropical vacation out of it!

Make sure you visit all the other Fun Monday bloggers!

Accomplishments

What I've accomplished today:

Cuddling sick Monster
Feeding said monster a cheese stick, yogurt and milk for breakfast (It's exactly what he wanted)
Folding clothes
Reading email
Reading some blogs
Wandering around wondering where the day has gone
Packaging up meat for the freeze
Washing my sheets
Making Chicken Soup

Things still to be done:
Make my bed
Drive children to church functions tonight
Buy Shampoo and conditition for daughters
Cuddle the Monster some more


Wow, very little on my to do list got done. But not a bad day really.

Prom

Loralee is asking for our prom stories, and since I am a lemming it sounds fun, I thought I would try and dredge up those memories.

My final high school had a junior/senior prom. The juniors did all the work, raised all the money and paid to attend, and the seniors did nothing and attended for free. I was on the Prom committee my junior year. I bought the dress, decided on the hair, had a date and cute shoes...and was diagnosed with Mono the week before. Yes, mono...the only known case in three counties. So, I didn't attend prom that year. My boyfriend came over and we watched movies and DIDN'T kiss.

I have to give an aside here. My boyfriend was in college an hour away. This was before the days of cell phones and such. I had to call his mom to tell her I had mono. Here's the conversation...

Me: Hi Mrs. M. It's me, J's girlfriend.
Her: Hi sweetie. What's up?
Me: Well, I had to go to the doctor and have blood work today, and I found out...
Her: (interrupting) OMG, please do not tell me your pregnant!
Me: Uhm, no...uhm, really...uhm, I was just going to tell you I have mono. So he might want to be aware in case he doesn't feel well.
Her: Oh thank God. I'm so glad that's it.

Uhm, yeah, I had been dating her son for about a month at that time. Great conversation.

Anyway, back to prom.

So my Senior year, I had the dress and shoes and all that taken care of. I even splurged for some tanning since I didn't have to buy all that stuff. The only thing missing was my date.

Finally, in a fit of desperation, one of my best (male) friends and I decided to go together. At the last minute, our other friends boyfriend got sick and she joined us. We went to everyone's house and did the required pictures, headed through the Golden Arches for dinner, and off we went. Prom itself was pretty lame...dancing and hanging out, just dressed better. But after-prom...it turned out to be a blast.

One of the girls had a boy from another state come to accompany her. She basically ditched him at after-prom to flirt with some other guy. So he hung out with us. He was cute and we had fun. After the party, we drove around the huge university in town, picking flowers (I learned later how illegal that was) closing down taco bell, and just generally running wild. It was a really good time, and one of my best memories from high school.

Of course, getting to work by 11 am the next day sucked, but it was good practice for college.

Love Thursday

There's this little thing in blogdom called Love Thursday...and I'm probably not following the rules exactly, but here it goes anyway.

Not sure if I mentioned it, but hubby is away this week. He's only about an hour or so away...close enough, but just a little too far to visit regularly. Last night, he drove home to attend Bugs Midwinter Choral and Band Concert and then drove back after. This afternoon, he sent me a text to ask what we were doing tonight and if we would join him for dinner. So we did. We are very certain that he will be far away from our state in a few short months for a significant amount of time, and we are cherishing every moment with each other. And that dinner...it nourished more than my body, it nourished my soul.

And that's my Love Thursday.

(Just a note...tomorrow is the Blog 365 day of rest...no posting...let's see if I can resist)

rainy days

I'm so sick of winter. I know that I can't complain...the little bit of winter weather we've actually had was always short lived, and it's been relatively warm. But I'm just not a winter person. And the lack of warmth and sunshine are starting to take their toll on me. I'm so tired, so distracted, not really into anything. And I know the weather is at the heart of this. Hopefully those stupid groundhogs were wrong and spring will be here soon.

I'm craving daylight past 6 pm. I want time to go out and play, or just sit on my nice back deck. I hate wearing coats...I want to pull out my spring clothes.

Okay, I'll quit whining...maybe it will be sunny today.

Little man

The Monster is growing up so fast. We went to the library for a bit this evening while waiting for Bug to finish at play tryouts, and he was so polite and well behaved. I really wanted to ask him who he was and where he came from. This is the child that at 18 months was doing chin ups on the bars that held the hanging bags. For him to sit and quietly play with puzzles, pick out books, and listen to what he was told was a huge step in the right direction.

Every once in a while he does something that makes me realize that I'm raising what will be a good man. This afternoon, as we were leaving his "school", his main teacher was walking back down to his class after delivering snack around. He made a point of stopping her to say goodbye, and he said "Ms. S, I really love your new hair cut, it's so pretty." This wasn't a drastic change in her hair, just simply styled a different way, but he noticed.

He also told me tonight that he wants to go buy me something shiny and pretty, like bow, to show me how very much he loves me. I was the recipient of a great number of hugs and kisses tonight, and we even read a story about animals and love before bed tonight. I really do wish I could keep him this age for a lot longer than it lasts.

Fun Monday #8

I'm cheating this week and posting ahead my Fun Monday...I'm tired of waiting until Monday night to get it out there!

For this weeks Fun Monday, Mariposa wants to know

(1) Please share to us how the NAME of your BLOG was made? I can't wait to hear interesting funny stories!

Well, obviously I'm a mama..and the lang is a family thing.

(2) Please share to us (in words or photo, though a combination of both will be a bonus!) your favorite/ most common dish!

Hmm, this one is hard. I love food. There really isn't anything in particular I love the most. I'm going to say that the ultimate comfort food for me would be salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, corn and biscuits.

chaos ending

Well, the living room is livable...I managed to get the main desk cleaned out (with my hubbys help) and now it just needs to be sold so we can replace it with an armoire. My den is a mess, but I can live with that a little longer. Hopefully this week will be better. Crossing my fingers. And now I'm off to bed.

Done, but not finished

So today was my last quilting class. And my hanging isn't finished. And all that's left is the scary part...the marking it for hand-quilting. (also the binding, but that's easy.)

I'm ready for my next project now. I want to make quilts for the kids. I think PB will be first, as hers will be the easiest to choose I think. Bright colors, girly prints, maybe some butterflies on it.

I'm sad that the class is over. It was a very good experience, and the women in the class with me were fun. We may actually be going to a quilt show as a group at the end of March...that will be fun!

So someday, I'll post pics of the finished product...whenever I get it done.

The Weather is not nice

No snow day for me. Instead I went to work and endured the longest day known to man. But an evening spent with my kiddos and hubby, cuddling a bit in our new large bed, and an excellent spaghetti dinner, and I'm feeling much better now.

Can it be spring now?

Come on wintry weather...

I need a snow day. It's probably not going to happen, but I am going to go to bed and dream of waking up to a major winter event tomorrow morning. There is so much to do, and I just want a day to stay in jammies, drink hot chocolate, and clean. I'm going to sleep with my jammies inside out and put a spoon under my pillow. Any other suggestions?

Clutter and chaos...still

I just can't think. Snow, clutter and chaos in the house, and I'm so tired. Off to bed. I promise to post pics soon.

Total Chaos

That's what I'm living in. Apparently it's not a good idea to buy new furniture for a living room and a bed room and a den all at the same time. Who would have thought. I'm feeling a little disorganized, but it will all be okay in a few days.

Fun Monday #7

Sayre says:
Every day as I go to work, I see things around me that make me laugh. Usually these are in the forms of signs. So take your camera with you as you go about your business and take a picture of the things that make you laugh along the way (but it doesn't necessarily HAVE to be a sign).

Today was a holiday here in langville, and so I didn't have my opportunity to take the picture I had decided on. So I'll have to paint the picture for you (and tomorrow, I'll take the picture and upload it.)

The Monster attends the same daycare PB started attending at 3 1/2...so we've been going to this place most weeks for 6 years. The front of the daycare has a little circle, with parking spots on one side, and the entrance across from it. The center is a pretty good sized island, with a slight rise to it. I don't know if I would even call it a hill...it's that slight. But since he could run, the Monster has called this "THE MOUNTAIN" and insists he has to climb it most mornings. Sometimes I sing that silly song.

"The Monster went over the Mountain,

the Monster went over the mountain,

the Monster went over the mountain,

to get to school today."

But most days he yells at me to not sing. So then I mumble it under my breath, because I'm adult like that.

I know that someday, he is going to visit that spot, and see that it was never anywhere near a mountain. But for right now, it feels like the largets mountain, and he gets that small thrill and joy every day. And that makes me smile.

Fabric mecca

I'm a fabric addict. I love fabric. And I've recently found my mecca...The Interior Alternatives. It's an outlet for F. Schumaker fabrics...Waverly, Laura Ashley...walls and walls of bolts of fabrics. I seriously wanted to move in. I didn't buy much this time, but I'm sure I'll be back soon.

Are my feet still there?

So after a productive morning in my quilting class, then a marathon bill paying/filing session with my hubby, we trekked off to buy the last two items to finish the big purchases in redecorating our living room. We found the TV, but the TV stand for it to sit on just can't be found (at least not for a price we can realistically afford after purchasing the TV.) So...I've convinced him to build it. He's going to be a very busy man the next two days. Off to design and sleep now!

That new furniture smell

We bought a new couch and chair tonight. This is sort of big for us. Almost all of our furniture in our married life has been hand-me-down or purchased used. And while I'm a bargain hunter at heart, I have to say it was a thrill to go to a furniture store, wander among the brand new furniture, and pick out something no one else has ever used. And we got a good price for what we wanted. We ended up with a microfiber mock leather in dark brown. I'm so excited about the chair...I love big squishy armchairs...it will see a lot of my bottom, I'm sure.

Now Wednesday will never get here. I can't wait to see how it will look in our living room!

Happy Valentine's Day

I can't remember every really hating this holiday. It isn't my favorite, but I've always had my family or good friends, and I realized early on that they were what mattered most.

I try to show my family how much I love and appreciate them every day...but I still can't help getting caught up a little in the shmoopiness of Valentine's Day.

I love this song...It's how I feel about my husband...and I hope that my kids understand that I do take them the way they are.

Valentine's Day Goodies

I made the one on the left for the ladies that work for me. The one on the right is for my StampinUp Demonstrator, and one for me. I love them, they turned out so cute! And very inexpensive.

Quilting Class

Note that this post was written on Tuesday, and then I searched for my camera, couldn't remember where I put it...found it finally and went to bed. Forgot to come back and hit publish...oops!


I thought for tonight, I would post pitures of the wall-hanging I'm creating in my quilting class. I wasn't sold on the pattern when she first presented it, but now I'm loving it. This weekend we'll begin hand-quilting it, which I totally suck at, and then eventually, one day, I'll bind it, create a pocket or tabs to hang it, and display it proudly...in my bedroom.

The colors could be better in the photos, but I'm not up for photoshopping them tonight.

Fun Monday #6 - Music

Julie of Ooh, A Shiny Pen is this weeks host. Our assignment is:

Music plays a vital role in most of our lives. It is everywhere. I want to hear the ONE song that is you. The song that whenever it is heard, you smile. I am not looking for the soundtrack of your life, just that one song. Your friends hear it and think of you. You can post the video, the lyrics, the wav file. However you want to post it is great.

This was really hard for me. Music is huge part of my life, but I'm not sure what would be my song...so, I'm going with the one that my kids tell me is sort of me and my mother-in-law. (the second verse is for her.)

Craig Morgans Tough.

She’s in the kitchen at the crack of dawn
Bacon’s on, coffee’s strong
Kids running wild, taking off their clothes
If she’s a nervous wreck, well it never shows
Takes one to football and one to dance
Hits the Y for aerobics class
Drops by the bank, stops at the store
Has on a smile when I walk through the door
The last to go to bed, she’ll be the first one up
And I thought I was tough

Chorus
She’s strong, pushes on, can’t slow her down
She can take anything life dishes out
There was a time Back before she was mine
When I thought I was tough

We sat there five years ago
The doctors let us know, the test showed
She’d have to fight to live, I broke down and cried
She held me and said it’s gonna be alright
She wore that wig to church
Pink ribbon pinned there on her shirt
No room for fear, full of faith
Hands held high singing Amazing Grace
Never once complained, refusing to give up
And I thought I was tough

Chorus
She’s strong, pushes on, can’t slow her down
She can take anything life dishes out
There was a time
Back before she was mine
When I thought I was tough

She’s a gentle word, the sweetest kiss
A velvet touch against my skin
I’ve seen her cry, I’ve seen her break
But in my eyes, she’ll always be strong
There was a timeBack before she was mine
When I thought I was tough

I'm sure some song will come on in the next few days, and I'll say OH YEAH, that should have been it. But this works for now.

ETA

I thought of it...this is what my family would say is my song.

Total randomness

I love, love, love my new bed. I enticed the Monster to come cuddle and read with me in it, cause I knew he couldn't resist that temptation, and I was hoping he would fall asleep. We had a good little nap together. I'll miss those in a few years.

It is so windy here tonight. I really thought we might end up in Oz a few times. Tomorrow is supposed to be cold...new bed, cold and windy day. Nope, not going to be easy to get up tomorrow.

Off to snuggle in my HUGE king size bed. Night all!

Wow, finally, 100 posts. Took me long enough.

Everyone always talks about "teenagers" with a roll of their eyes. They complain that teenagers are mouthy, always petulant, always tired, always bored. But surprising, I'm finding the teenage years to be better than the preteen/adolescent years with Bug. The disagreements over chores are farther apart, and sometimes she actually shows intiative and does something without being told. We talk about things, and we joke and have fun. Last night, we did Tae Bo to a DVD I bought. And we laughed, and joked, and worked out together. And it was fun. I'm not ready to be her friend yet (someday, when she's an adult, we'll try for that), but it's nice to be able to find common ground, especially when we were warned how these would be the hard years.

It also gives me hope for PB's future...cause that preteen attitude is going to be her downfall soon.

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Daddylang is off playing military man this week. He's only an hour drive away, but it might as well be the other side of the world. At least we get to have regular phone contact with him. Actually, when he had to do his drill weekends back when Bug was little, she would say he was "Playing Army". This always made me chuckle.

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It was a busy day. I had my quilting class, then we had to do some shopping, then a birthday party, then dinner, and then Bug and I destroyed my bed. My new mattress arrives tomorrow, and next weekend my hubby should be building our new headboard. I can't wait. Once that is all done, the only thing left to finish off my room is artwork and hardwood floors. Then it will be my sanctuary (actually, it already is, but it will be more so once it's actually completed).

Hope you have a beautiful tomorrow.

Ooops...I can't add

I was wrong...THIS is my 99th post.

Tonight I took Bug and Monster out to dinner, and then to Target. It was a very nice time with both of them. I bought a Tae Bo CD and Bug and I started working out to it when we got home. It kicked my butt, and my legs, and my arms...you get the picture. But it also felt good. It's something I've wanted to do for a while now, and finally decided it was abotu darn time. It's something she's expressed an interest in as well, and it's nice that we can do these things together.

Tommorrow is a busy day...quilting class, a birthday party with Monster, and dinner for church. Sunday my new mattress comes. YAY!!!!

My 99th post

Guess that means the pressure is on for tomorrow's post, huh?

I'll try and get a pic of the quilting project from my class (It isn't done, but it's getting somewhere.)

Did you read about the baby in the tornado? It's an amazing story. So much tragedy, and amongst all that a miracle.

I'm working on very little sleep today, as my son had the short lived stomach bug from 10 pm last night until around 2 am. I'm so tired, so off to bed with me.

Where's Miffy tonight?

Where I will be in approzimately 30 minutes (My bed!)...just after a soak in the hot tub. It was over 70 degrees here today, and still in the high 60's. I'm off to enjoy with my hubby.

Today's blessing is a beautiful day to enjoy.

Today's Blessings

Today's blessing is good employees. I received a call today at 12:30 asking me for information that was needed by the end of the day. This information required culling through files the size of one filing drawer and pulling information off each set of paper. Two of my employees jumped in with me, started pulling the files while I pulled reports off, and they worked 20 minutes pass the end of their day to make sure we got the info completed. We worked well together, passing the time companionably while working. And at the end of the day, my other employee came and offered to help refile while we finished up. I'm blessed to have a good group to work with.

Maybe Miffy tomorrow. Today was hectic since I had to work late and my hubby had to stay late tonight and PB had girl scouts. Now I'm off to watch House.

Fun Monday #5

Tiggerlane is our host this week,and she asks "have you heard of The Bucket List? Well, that's what I want from you! Make a list of things you want to do before you die. It must be at least five items - and you can make it as long as you desire. Photos are optional. And let's hear about some of the wackiest, most bizarre to-do's on your Bucket List!

Hmmm... This might actually be harder than I thought!

So let's see...
1. See my children grow into adults and give me grandchildren,
2. Travel. I'd love to visit all 50 states, as well as Australia and Europe. After that, who knows where else,
3. Learn to knit and crochet,
4. Learn how to code web pages,
5. Retire at 58.
6. Continue my education, earning my Master's and possibly PhD.
7. Teach college classes.

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I'm going to start a new feature in the next few days...hopefully I can get my Flickr account going. I'm going to take pictures of Miffy in various places throughout my daily life and post them. I'm not going for every day, but at least once a week. We'll see how it goes, but she needs to at least earn her keep around here.

Go Giants!

I'm so happy the Giants won. I strongly dislike the Patriots, and it was nice to see Eli Manning vindicated.

Now I'm watching House and knowing that tomorrow morning will totally bite.

He'll always be my Valentine

Heather at OMSH is having superfab give away from Shannon of It's A Mad Mad Squirrels World. They want us to tell them how we met our Valentines.

I was living here in the Mid-Atlantic region after graduating college and (stupidly) following a boy here. That didn't work out, so I moved in with my father to save up some money and wait for bestest friend to graduate so we could move on. It was my nephew's birthday, and my stepmom was having his birthday party at a local kids play place. Hubby was the room helper for his party, and he knew my nephews mom. He thought I was "cute" but I was holding a baby (my niece) and had a ring on my finger (to keep guys from bothering me). I thought he was cute, but he was talking about his daughter, so I assumed he was married. Somehow, he finds out that I'm not married, engaged or otherwise involved, and asks her for my number. She makes sure she tells me that he is divorced and has custody of his daughter. He calls and asks me to go out, and I agree as friends. I'm not planning on staying in the area and I'm not looking for a boyfriend. A few weeks later, I meet his adorable daughter. Her and my nephew hit it off, so they come over often. We're going out, enjoying each other's company. Then he buys me a ring for Valentine's Day. Just a ring, a pretty sapphire ring. Except late that night, he looks over and says "Marry Me." I said "Yeah, right...are you serious?." "Yes, I am." Oh..."uhm...yes."

And 8 months later we were married. I always tease him that I fell in love with Bug, and he was just the baggage that came along. But he knows, I couldn't live without him. I feel lucky every day to have found my mate, my other half, my Valentine.

A three letter word for Donkey...or Butt

Tonight on the way home from my moms house, the Monster says "Mama, what about that guy that says a$$." I wasn't sure what he was trying to say, because he sometimes confuses words. I said, "what guy that asks?" He says, "no mama, the one that says a$$. You know, the skeleton dude...he loses his a$$."

Okay, I was so glad he couldn't see me, cause I was laughing so hard. Daddy steps in and tells the Monster that he shouldn't say that word. So the Monster begins to sing it..."a$$ A$$ A$$" with giggles in betweens. I'm biting my finger trying not to laugh out loud at him. My husband and him continue the conversation, and I say "Butt" and that gets him singing Butt for a while. We sing some funny words (poop, butt, noo noo head, etc.) and then he busts out the a$$ again. Daddy finally tells him if he says it again, he's going to have to punish him when we get home. He agrees to stop saying a$$.

We get home, and my husband reminds him we don't say a$$ or another curse word we've heard him say lately. I hear him say back to daddy..."okay, I won't say those bad words anymore."

I know it's inappropriate, but it struck me as so funny...and that irritated the heck out of my hubby, which made me giggle even worse.

Sorry, Hunny, but I had to deal with PB when she went through this phase...now its your turn for his.

People will buy anything

My friend sent me this tonight. I laughed soooooo hard.




My blessing today is that I have good friends who send me stupid you tube videos that make me laugh. Thanks Picasso!

Bug's play opened tonight...I'll have more to say about that tomorrow.

Blessings, Day 2

My blessing today was my son. Actually, he's my blessing most days, so it seems a little unfair to use him, but I'll explain. (My girls are too, but for much different reasons. They'll get their days too.)

The monster was the "miracle" baby. I have endometriosis, and had been on Lupron (a drug that puts you into a menopausal state) for six months. I was transitioned onto birth control pills to manage this condition, and was taking them back to back so that I only had a period once every 3 months (I know, TMI...sorry, it's important). In January of 2002, hubby and I both started new jobs and moved into a house on base. We had the 2 girls, and we were reasonably sure that our family was complete. We even contemplated making that decision permanent, but hadn't quite reached that point. It stood to reason, with all that I was going through, that getting pregnant would be quite difficult (when I went on the Lupron, I asked the doctor if I needed to use some sort of birth control. He laughed. Hard. Informed me the odds of me getting pregnant were slim to none.) In May of that year, I turned 29, and was moping about it. The following week, I suddenly woke up one morning and took stock. My breasts itched all the time, I was expanding slightly, but not gaining weight, and I was so exhausted all the time. I could have slept for 20 hours a day and still be tired. This epiphany came when PB told me I was going to give her a baby brother. I laughed at her. She was 3, we were almost done with sippy cups and nighttime pullups. I was ready to leave baby and toddlerhood behind. I took a home pregnancy test and said not nice words.

When hubby came home from work that Sunday evening, I had the girls in bed, handed him his dinner, and then announced that I thought I was pregnant. I remember telling him that it could still just be a false positive, (I was hoping), but that I would be calling the doctor the next morning.

I called my doctors office the next morning and asked for a referral to the lab. The nurse asked the date of my last cycle. I told her June...it was May. She literally said "Well you should have had that baby by now!" I quickly gave the little speech about my condition and medications, and the nurse put me on hold so that the doctor could come talk to me. I was sent immediately for blood work. The next morning, they called to confirm my pregnancy, and sent me for more blood work. This was to determine how far along I was. It came back somewhere between 5 and 12 weeks. I wanted to hit someone.

I had an ultrasound just after my first appointment. This was late May...I was 11 and 1/2 weeks pregnant. I was numb for the first week. My hubby was ecstatic. I won't bore you with the details, but PB was a long, horrible birth experience that after 18 hours of labor 2 hours of pushing ended with a C section. Nurses cried and apologized to me. My MIL threatened people. It was not a happy time. So I wasn't thrilled with the idea of another delivery.

When I had my next ultrasound, we found out it was going to be a boy. I had started to bond with this baby, and was truly finding a way to be happy about it. We agreed on his name, and the meaning was perfect.

He was born in December by scheduled CSection. All was going well until I was moved into my room. Something was trying to collapse, there was major blood loss, and the nurses were trying to comfort my husband with "we'll take good care of her now." I was one point away from requiring transfusions, and had so little blood that they required the doctor to take the blood samples. The lab techs refused.

I have more funny (now) stories to share from his birth, but that isn't the point tonight.

From the day he was born, this little boy has brought so much joy and laughter into our family. He is truly adored by everyone that meets him. He has a vivid imagination, and isn't afraid to share it with everyone. He loves to laugh and wrestle and pretend and live. He loves his animals (stuffed) and tries to be a good "daddy" to them every day. He makes me smile each and every day. And sometimes, he's so sweet I want to eat him. He reminds me of all the good in the world on a regular basis.

He truly is a blessing from God...the baby we didn't know we needed, and didn't think we could have. And I thank God every day for giving him to us to love.

Count your blessings

I've written this post 15 times (at least) in my head today while in assorted vehicles. Let's see how it comes out now.

"God blesses every day, we just have to look for it." That's what the mug on my desk says. I've decided that I'm going to find the blessings in each day, and since I'm attempting to post on here every day, it just makes sense to post that here too. Some days may just be a post about my blessings, and other days they might just be postscript to the longer post. I'll try not to resort to the simplistic one word answers very often.

Thinking about this post all day helped me to remain positive, even when I felt the Grouch monster creeping in. I tend to be a positive person, but I try to temper that...nothing is more annoying than when you're totally frustrated with your job, and someone says "Well at least you have a job." However, I do try to find the positive to whatever is happening in my life.

So today's blessing is that I can notice and appreciate my blessings, and that my life is full of them.