Things I've Never Done

Melanie over at This Ain't New York has quite an interesting list going on over at her place. Everyone always brags about what they've done and where they've been. She put a new twist on it. What have you never done? Some things I thought about I am chomping at the bit to get to do and other things on the list I have no plans to do. But it is an interesting list none the less.

1. I've never been in a car accident (yes, I know I just jinxed myself!). I was once put on a jury because of that fact. It was a car accident trial and the lawyer thought it was very interesting that I had never been in an accident.

2. I've never broken a "real" bone. What is a "real" bone you may ask. I've only had a broken elbow...how on earth do you break an elbow? Don't ask. It wasn't pretty. And it was when Youngest Child was about three months old and DH left at 5 to go to work and I had to get my dear, sweet neighbor to come over before 6:30 and get YC out of bed, change her, dress her, and put her in the car seat for me. Not fun.

3. I've never been on a cruise. Sometimes I want to cruise, sometimes I have no desire to. And since DH has absolutely no desire to cruise, this one will be totally my call. And since I have severe vertigo and can't fly without getting sick, I'm kinda leery about cruising. I love the idea but the thought of spending howeverlong on a ship throwing up doesn't appeal to me.

4. I've never stolen anything. Ever. From anyone. Not even a pack of gum.

5. I've never tried drugs. Ever. At all. This one will come in handy when YC and OC ask the question. Oh, wait...they read my blog. So now I guess they know. NO, YC and OC, I have never even attempted or experimented with drugs. My prayer is that you won't, either.

6. I've never ridden a snow mobile.

7. I've never owned a horse. Off the wall, I know. But I love horses.

8. I've never driven a convertible.

9. I've never cheated on my husband. Obvious, I know...just wanted to clarify.

10. I've never para sailed. Refer to #3 and the whole vertigo thing. Looks fun, but not worth the cost to me...I'd be sick for a week.

Now you know a little more about me. What about you...what have you never done?

Oh, Blogland How I've Missed You

Missed me? Yeah, I thought so! I can't even get into why I've been away so long right now. Let's just say we have been have ISP issues and many, many, oh too many dealings with customer-no-service. You have to realize I live in a house with five people who need the computer. And when we're down to one computer connected to a wall...well, blogging doesn't take a backseat. It gets tied to the roof like a luggage carrier.

I can't wait to sit down tonight and watch an on-demand movie and blog, blog, blog. I may surface again in two or three weeks. I can't wait to catch up on all the blogs I've missed. I bet I've even missed some great, super-fantastic giveaways that I know I would have won.

Well...the wireless has been hooked up for a whole ten minutes and it still works. Here's hoping we made a good choice with our new ISP. The mood I'm in, for their sake...I sure hope so!

The Tale of Two Plants

I love violets. Violets are comforting for me. As a child, my grandmother always had a violet in her kitchen window and her bedroom dresser. That was one of the constants of my childhood. I have attempted to always have a violet somewhere in my house. I should have done a "before and after" picture, but you know what they say about hindsight. But use your imagination and picture these two plants in the blue pot...together...overgrown.

But I was afraid to seperate them because I was afraid of killing them. Then one day, I had a temporary moment of insanity and took the plunge. They are now two normal sized violets instead of one giant one. I have to find a place in my house that the other pot will grow and not die.

I hope the girls will pick up on this and want violets in their home when they go out on their own.

Date Night

Last night DH and I went on a date. An honest-to-goodness-go-out-to-dinner-and-then-do-something-fun-before-going-home-and-crashing-in-bed date. We had a great time. Way back at the beginning of the summer, I was playing on my laptop looking at stuff (as I may or may not be known to do from time to time). And by a fluke, I decided to see when/if Charlie Daniels was coming to the Atlanta area. And sure enough, he was coming to town on August 15. I asked DH if I bought tickets if he would take me. Back when I bought the tickets, August 15th seemed like a long way off. He was at a new venue that we hadn't been to before and Shooter Jennings and The Outlaws were there with him. Sounded like fun. So I clicked on "best seats" when I bought the tickets, printed them, and put them in the drawer until August 14th.

Yesterday I ended up staying at school longer than anticipated. This year, my goal was to leave everyday by 4-4:15. Not happenin, my friend; not happenin! The concert started at 8:00 and it was on the other side of town. If you know anything about Atlanta traffic, especially on Friday evening, it can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours and 45 minutes to get to the other side of town. So by the time I got home, I had just enough time to put on my sassy outfit, run a brush through my hair, and walk out the door. Because I am such a planner, and I was hungry, we decided to eat dinner on this side of town because if we waited, there would be long waiting lines at every restaurant we wanted to eat at. So we went to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants.

After feasting on fajitas, we were off to face the traffic to get to the concert. Keep in mind that DH drives downtown in traffic every day. I, on the other hand, drive seven minutes to school and consider it a traffic jam if there are two cars stopped at the 4-way stop. You would see me on the nightly news under "road rage" if I had to drive in actual traffic. So I left the driving to DH. We get there in plenty of time to park (in the pre-arranged, FREE parking lot). The amphitheater was awesome. Clean. Nice workers. Relatively calm crowd.

I knew our seats were in the pit area, row EEE. We start walking. And we keep walking towards the front. And we keep walking. And finally stop. Fifth row, center stage we finally stop walking. We were so close, I could almost see the colors of their eyes! DH couldn't believe I got such awesome seats just by "playing" on the computer. I told him to just sit back and enjoy.

Shooter Jennings was terrific. Didn't put the puzzle pieces together until today that his is Waylon Jennings' son. Duh! The Outlaws were awesome. They knew how to put on a show. Once I got over the fact that one of their guitarists looks exactly like my ex-brother-in-law, only with hair down to his waist, I was able to really enjoy their performance. Finally about two hours after the start of the concert, Charlie came out. He's still got it, internets. He's still got it!

I think what I liked best about his performance was he is turning towards the religious side. And patriotic. Oh, my goodness, the man is patriotic. He played The Star Spangled Banner on his fiddle and had the entire arena on their feet with our hats off and our hands over our hearts. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Why, you ask, am I not posting pictures of my fifth row, center stage, so-close-you-can-almost-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes concert? Oldest child took my camera out of my purse without telling me. Thanks, OC!

A Fitting End to a Crazy-Hazy Day

I am killing time waiting for Oldest Child to get home from church with her friend. I'm learning the hard way I have to be very literal with OC. I've known this since she was an infant...why is it taking me this long to get it right?? She wanted to go to visit evening church with a friend who was doing a presentation on a mission trip to Romania she went on this summer (the friend, not OC). OK, if we're home from the going away party at the State Park on the hottest day of the year, you can go. We just made it in the nick of time. I dropped her off, the friend's mom was going to bring her home. That was at 6:30. It is now after 10:00 and I'm still waiting. Of course there was a "get together" at the youth minister's house after church. One last hoo-rah before school starts. I know, I know...I should be glad she's at a church function with her church friends and she is making good choices, etc., etc. And I am. I am. I promise I am. But that doesn't bring her home any quicker when I'm tired and want to go to bed and have to get up for school tomorrow and I turn into a pumpkin at precisely at 9:30 every night. But if I hadn't been up, I wouldn't have been checking out blogs. And if I hadn't been checking out blogs, I wouldn't have found this.





This song has been one of my favorites since the first time I heard it on the radio. But today has been a day. I found out in Sunday School this morning that a dear, sweet friend has been admitted to a treatment center for anorexia. She has a husband and two small children at home.

Then on the way to the going away party, my assistant principal called me and told me that one of the teachers new to my school this year had been shot and killed by her brother Friday night. Impossible. I just met her Friday morning. Impossible. She was in my small group for our activity. Impossible. She has a husband and four children at home. Impossible. She is so young, so full of life. Impossible. These things happen to other people, not people I know.

So say extra prayers tonight for these two special friends. And go hug your babies just a little tighter when you tuck them in tonight.

** Edited to add...I should have known...as I was finishing up this post, just as I was publishing it...OC came home and had a great time. I'm going to bed; good night!

My Summer of Accomplishments - A Recap

The sun was beautiful; the sand was refreshing; the airplane ride was horrendous; the painting was long; the book was exciting; the water was wonderful. That, in a nutshell, sums up my summer. Hard to believe I start back to school tomorrow. I had so many plans for the summer. I had so much I wanted to accomplish this summer. I accomplished some of the "to do" list; others will remain on the list until, oh, probably Christmas vacation.

The beach trip was great. I could live at the beach and be a bum. Period.

"Leaving on a Jet Plane" is not my theme song. My feet are meant to stay on the ground. But once I got there, I had a great time. Las Vegas was very glad to see me leave, thankyouverymuch.

My living room is completely painted and looks great. Now I'm just trying to find the right finishing touches for my mantel. If you have something in your garage you'd like to send, feel free.

Didn't quite read as many books as I'd have liked to. I tried. I really, really tried. But every time I sat down to read, I had a problem...and woke up fifteen or ninety minutes later. But if I try really, really hard today and tonight, I can finish my first book by the time I start back to school.

Stay tuned. Pictures of the living room and trip to Las Vegas coming soon...promise!

Caught Up In The Moment

As many of you know, Lynne at And Babies Make Six and I are good friends. Great friends, actually. Such great friends that we are getting ready to spend the weekend in Vegas (Las Vegas, not Chevrolet Vegas...but I digress...) to celebrate her "big" birthday. We talk several times a day on the phone, see each other numerous times throughout the week, etc., etc.

Today she called in desperation...hubby out of town, kids crabby, yadda, yadda. So being the planner/problem solver I am, I came up with the idea of "tricking" the kids by getting her to come to the great walking park near my house that has the playground hidden in the back of the property. Thus, we get in a great walk before all eight eagle eyes spot the playground. It's a win/win situation.

This park just happens to be the park where Oldest Child and her BFF Maggie ride their unicycles. OC has been wanting to meet Maggie up there and ride. Maggie also happens to be Lynne's daughter's BFF - every time we go over there, she wants to know where Maggie is; we have to be very careful not to mention that name unless, of course, Maggie is in the car on the way to their house. Stop here and imagine four kids, ages 4 and 2, all in bad moods, all wanting something different from Mommy RIGHT NOW, and think of the noise level in the house. So I was explaining to Lynne that OC and YC would be with me and we may even invite M-A-G-G-I-E to go with us. As soon as I had spelled the word, we both burst out laughing. Her kids couldn't hear my end of the conversation; my kids (hopefully) can spell...guess you could say I was feeling her pain : )

Now I'm off to walk with four crabby kids and two (potentially crabby) teenagers.

D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S

No, Paula Deen isn't dangerous, but remember back in May when I told you my girlfriend took me to have lunch with Paula Deen for my birthday. And remember yesterday when I told you that Oldest Child and Youngest Child were both away at camp this week and I wouldn't know what to do with myself for a whole, entire, uninterrupted week?? LOOK!! I posted a picture on my blog! (All by myself, I might add. My IT support is tied up at the present time...). I am so proud of myself - you just don't even know!

Over the past 24 hours, I have decided that having the house to myself is nice for awhile, but I couldn't do it all the time...it's too quiet here (geez, I never thought those words would appear on my blog!). What have I done, you ask?? Yesterday DH and I went on a date when he got home (fun!). Then we paid bills when we got home (NOT fun!). This morning I went walking at 7:45, finished up some laundry, went to WalMart, worked some Sudoku puzzles, read some of my book, worked on my blog. Getting ready to go meet a friend for dinner. Actually, she's having her hair done over by my house and I'm going to go sit and talk to her and take Chick-fil-a so we can have dinner and visit.

And you know what the best part of the whole picture thing is?? I learned it just in time to take it to the beach next week! You may very well see 1,000 pictures of the beach on my blog next week just because I know how to do it now!!

The Excitement - It's Too Much!

I remember a conversation that took place over fourteen years ago very vividly. A girlfriend (who already had children) called on the Saturday before Oldest Child was to be born to check in and see how I was doing. She asked what I was doing and my response: "Cleaning house. I want everything to be in order when Oldest Child comes home." Her reply: "Your last free weekend for the next eighteen YEARS and you're CLEANING HOUSE?!" Didn't realize it then, but she was on to something! I should have been sitting on the couch eating bon-bons watching a movie. But the house, it was clean!

Fast forward fourteen years to present times. Yesterday I took Oldest Child to church camp in north Georgia. She loves camp and would live there permanently if they would let her. She already knows she wants to be a counselor as soon as she's old enough, and she will make an excellent one when she does.

I am counting the hours (2 hours, 48 minutes thankyouverymuch!) until I drop Youngest Child off at 4-H camp. FOR FIVE LOVELY, QUIET, PEACEFUL DAYS WITH NO RESPONSIBILITY - AT ALL - PERIOD - END OF DISCUSSION.

I didn't plan for this to happen. OC picked her week at camp; 4-H is only offered one week. But oh, my word, when I looked at the calendar and realized what had happened...that loud noise you heard at your house was probably me trying to contain my excitement!

What am I going to do, you ask? I was going to paint the white trim on the outside of the house and garage. That is, until I watched Weather Man and realized it was going to be 325 degrees this week. I don't paint when it's much above 70. So I am making a list of little "to do's" around the house that require inside attention. They may get done, or on Friday I may be able to give you reviews on 3 or 27 books I've read this week. Guess you'll just have to stay tuned.

But don't call the house - I may or may not answer the phone. Depends on whether or not my mouth is full of bon-bons!

It's True!

OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets


It is nearly 10:00 (AM) as I type this on a Saturday morning. DH is talking to his mom on the phone so I decided to check in with the bloggy world. So far this morning, I have already (a) done two loads of laundry and (b) finished up cutting the grass. I am only on my second cup of coffee so the little test, by my calculations, is pretty accurate. Thanks, Queen B, for sharing!

I was "moderate", chipper and perky. DH, however, was "high"...highly excitable. I could be a long day at the mayor's house today!

Wii Twins!

Among the list of things to do this summer is loose some weight (ha ha!). I have an entire closet full of clothes I can't wear and I refuse to get rid of. Internets, I have just given you the unthinkable responsibility of holding me accountable! I also live with a high schooler (geez, that was hard to write!!) who wants to tone up. The simplest solution...Wii Fit. I pre-ordered it from Amazon way back when and forgot about it. Lucky for me it was waiting for me when I got home from school on Thursday. We had such a busy weekend I put it in the closet until tonight when I would have time to sit down and figure out how to hook it up...translated, my technical support would be able to walk me through step-by-step what to do.

So Oldest Child set it up...well, kinda. She got it out of the box and pieces were strung all over the living room. Then she gave up and went to her room. I called Technical Support and got to work. After a few colorful adjectives with explanations points after them, I was all set up and ready to go. Unfortunately, when I entered in all my information, I wasn't the cute, skinny Mii I had once been. Mr. Wii took all my pertinent information and made me...pleasingly plump. Oh, who am I kidding; Mr. Wii made me fat! It can weigh and figure BMI (body mass index) just by taking numbers you put in - amazing! The funny thing is, Lynne and I are in the exact same category with the exact same BMI and we weren't even trying.

Guess I know what that means...the challenge is on! Now we'll have to see who moves down the scale quicker.

Cats Really Do Have 9 Lives

And ours is on life number 6 or 7 at least. We rescued Reggie from our vet a few years ago; he was one of about twelve she adopted out, having saved them from an elderly lady who could no longer care for them. Reggie and his brothers and sisters were named after characters in To Kill a Mocking Bird. Scout, Boo and Atticus were also sent to good homes. When we got Reggie, he had just been in a cat fight; his head had stiches and he is now cross-eyed as a result. But you should see the other guy.

Since he's been with us, he was locked in a closet a whole week we were on vacation (lost a few pounds, but recovered nicely). He is normally a house cat, but around Thanksgiving he got out without us realizing it. We looked for him, sat food out for him, but no Reggie. Then, one Friday night at the end of January (yes, 2 1/2 months after he left the warmth of our humble abode) we got a call from a man DH is in the Lion's Club with. Reggie had taken up residence at his house, but was with a wild cat and wouldn't let Mr. Lion get close to him...until then. Once again, he was a few pounds lighter, but none the worse for the wear.

Last night, Youngest Child came running through the house carrying Reggie. She found a puncture wound in his side that looked like you had stuck a pencil in between his ribs. One of the nice things about living in a small town is my vet actually answers her phone when you call after-hours. Her "best-guess" phone diagnosis was that he had been in a fight while he was out being Hudini and there was a foreign object under his skin that had worked its way out. As long as he wasn't "acting" sick, it could wait until morning. I convinced her morning would be fine...he didn't let us know, YC just happened to be playing with him and found it.

So upon our visit at 8:00 this morning (don't you wish you could have been at your vet at 8:00 in the morning on a Saturday morning??), her phone diagnosis was confirmed. She even noted in his chart back in January that there was "something" exactly where the puncture is now. Lucky us...we get to give him antibiotics three times a day for 14 days. Unless the wound gets bigger or shows no sign of healing. Then we get to take him back for surgery. I'm guessing he's at the short end of his nine lives... better slow down a little, sweet Reggie.

The Clog

WHAT?? Two posts from me in one day? Whatever is the world coming to? I was reading Cindy over at Still His Girl and came across this. It is too cool not to share. Cindy and her husband are bloggers I've never met, but spend countless hours laughing with/at weekly. If you haven't read them, stop by, relax, and enjoy a few laughs. Don't forget to let me know what kind of shoe you are!

As for my results: The Clog

You Are Clogs

You are a solid and down to earth person. You seek and almost always achieve a really sound balance in your life. You are stylish yet comfortable. Mellow but driven. Excited yet calm. You are the perfect mesh of contradictions. No matter what happens, you have the ability to stay well grounded in your life. People know that they can truly depend on you. You should live: In Europe You should work: At a company dedicated to helping the world

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

I was especially struck by the "work" sentence. Afterall, isn't that really what teachers do? Except it's at a school, not with a company?

I really wanted to be a flip flop because they are so comfy and cozy. But I came back a big, bulky clog. Could it be that's because that's all my winter shoe attire consists of?? Various and sundry colors of Clark's??