Tank's Getaway

Some favorite wedding photos

2011-11-28T12:01:00.000-06:00

Why I Hate the McComb Walmart

2011-10-07T13:21:00.002-05:00

I normally don’t use the word “hate” unless I’m talking about spiders but I can truly say I hate the Walmart in McComb. Not all Walmarts, just that one.

For some reason it is like Christmas Eve in there every day. The best time to go is early morning if you want to avoid the crowds. Even though I work in McComb, I have driven to the Brookhaven store just to avoid the crowds.

I have had several bad experiences in there, usually just the wait time in the check out line or an item pricing wrong or the customer service people getting to their department at 7:10 rather than 7:00 which is when they are to open. This particular day was exceptionally bad though.

I had several cold items to get and only have a dorm size refrigerator at work so I couldn’t shop early since the cold items wouldn’t fit in my frig. So, dreading it, I head there after work. Rather than having to park a mile away I got a pretty decent parking spot. This is going to be quick I thought. I ran in, grabbed a buggy, and took off. Of course I got a buggy that made a very loud, clunk, clunk, clunk noise but I was on my way and wasn’t going to go back and swap it.

It took me about five minutes to get the items on my shopping list and then I’m off to the check out. Oh, the lovely check out. Every lane was about five people deep or more so I just picked the closest twenty items or less lane. That’s where it started.

The line slowly creeps closer to the register. I’m glancing at the buggy of the lady in front of me. It is really piled up…much more than twenty items I’d say. My brain begins to churn. I really dislike it when people go through the so called “fast” lanes with more than the allotted quantities. But then I noticed this lady was decked out in LSU garb so I figured she just couldn’t count.

She waits until the lady ahead of her has totally finished her transaction before she even starts to put her items on the counter…even though it has been cleared for a few minutes now. I just can’t help myself so I start counting as she is putting them up there. 5, 11, 16…and the buggy is still loaded. About this time her apparent husband walks up, in his LSU garb, and hands her about three video games and something with an LSU logo on it. grrrrr. She continues to unload bag after bag after bag of crab legs. I had no idea they even had crab legs at Walmart.

Whoops, hold up, she says. Those are pricing wrong. She and the cashier discuss it a while then the cashier calls a manager. The cashier and the manager discuss it a while. The manager leaves. We wait. And wait. The cashier leaves. We are still waiting. I look back and the line is about eight people deep now. You can see them all leaning over to try and see what the hold up is while I want to shout out “It’s not me”.

Finally me and the lady behind me see a slightly shorter lane so we make a dash for it. Somehow only one person is ahead of us. But this little lady is loading her groceries ever so carefully. Ever so slowly. The casher gives her the total. She finished loading her bags and then gets her purse and pulls out a, a check! What? Do people still use checks? So here we go. It takes her a few minutes to sign it and hand it over. Then finally, FINALLY I make it to the register. Needless to say I am a bit miffed by now but just happy to finally be there. My groceries are waiting when the other lady takes her receipt. I glance over and the LSU crab leg lady is still in line waiting. Smart move I made I’m thinking.

Here are my coupons I tell the cashier. Okay, she says. And I lay them down on the counter. She gives me my total. Did you get my coupons I asked? Um, no, she said. I forgot. So can you add it now? No. Can you just take those items off? No. I pretty much have smoke coming out of my ears by now and am trying not to say anything I will regret. She apologized and sent me to customer service. The dreaded, super slow, long lined customer service. GAH. I had to return the items I had coupons for and then rebuy them so she could apply the coupons. I get my items and leave. Finally.

So, after thirty minutes in Walmart, five minutes getting what I needed and twenty five minutes checking out, I was on my way.

And that is why I hate the McComb Walmart.

Overcoming Fear

2011-06-17T08:36:00.001-05:00

I am acrophobic, claustrophobic and seriously arachnophobic.

Spiders. Just the word creeps me out.

So, just me, my daughter and the redheads went on a mini vacation to Jellystone state park. We had a great time. The girls had a blast. It is a great place for kids. Now for adults, unless you love to swim or fish there really isn’t anything else to do. I mostly did some “resting” in the cabin and let my daughter and the girls stay at the pool and the splash pad in that hot scorching sun. They tan. I burn.

The last morning, as we were getting ready to leave, MY BIGGEST FEAR. I started to get into the shower and there it was. A SPIDER. Oh. My. I don’t kill spiders because I’m scared to get that close to them. I’ve even called my brother-in-law to come to my house and kill a spider when I was alone at home. My mind went to spinning. What was I going to do? The girls are as scared of them as I am. I’m thinking I passed that trait down to them.

I went and got the fly swat that was hanging in the kitchen. I let the monster crawl inside the shower curtain then I beat the curtain with the fly swat until I saw it fall. I then carefully reached in and turned on the hot water. It took a few minutes but the thing finally went down the drain.

Whew.

But as I was taking my shower I could only think about the Night Gallery episode where the guy would wash the bug down the drain and every time it would crawl back out – BIGGER. The bug finally ate the man. I showered and washed my hair at record speed.

So, I really didn’t overcome my fear. I was able to get by momentarily though. I’ll make sure my husband comes with us on vacation next time just in case we encounter another spider.

Take the Poll Please

2011-03-21T12:21:00.004-05:00

There’s just a little something that has been bugging me at work lately and I need your opinion.

We have a large office consisting of three nice sized rooms with only two people currently occupying them. The back room has our main printer in it. The printer is right by the door so we never even turn the light on in there. For years now I have had a dorm size refrigerator and a microwave “tucked away” in there (as most offices do). I purchased these with my own money. They are mine, not company property. Any time we had a new worker in the office they would ask about it and I would gladly tell them they could use it.

For a few months now I’ve been occasionally seeing someone else’s food/drink in my refrigerator. I’ve also noticed unused minutes on the microwave. I am OCD and unused minutes drive me crazy. I almost always go out for lunch so I thought maybe it was my boss using it. One rare occasion I brought my lunch and stayed at my desk to eat. So I was very surprised to see who came in and got their lunch out of MY fridge and heated it in MY microwave. This person didn’t even work in my office. This person is the most disliked person in the company…and I’m trying to be nice here. They are the kind that sits around and looks for ways to get others in trouble. They are not a supervisor, manager, or leadperson. Just an office worker. If it had been anyone else in the company using my things without asking it would not bother me. But the idea that it is the self proclaimed company chief of police really irks me.

So, please look to the right and take the poll I have set up. I couldn’t change the font color so it is rather hard to read. You can highlight it with your cursor and read it better.

Feel free to leave your comments/suggestions too. Thanks.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-03T14:02:00.000-06:00

It was good to be home with my family for the holidays. Christmas had become such a hectic stressful time for me the past few years but this year I just let it flow. My house may not have been spotless but I didn’t care. I didn’t cook as much food as I normally do but I didn’t care. I didn’t worry about whether or not everyone would like their gifts. I just enjoyed the holiday.

We had my husband’s children and families over on Christmas Eve Eve (yes, two eves). On Christmas Eve my entire family was there. With four siblings and all of their family it is a pretty good crowd. Since I live in our old family home I like to host our Christmas gathering. It seems like the night went by in a flurry though. With everyone’s own family growing we all have other gatherings to attend and have to leave.

I think Christmas day was the longest day of my life. The granddaughters woke up around 8:00 and checked out the Santa stuff. They were so excited this year. We had brunch instead of our normal Christmas lunch. We kept it simple with omelets, hash browns, fried ham, biscuits and monkey bread. The girls left right after lunch to go have Christmas with their other grandparents. My daughter and son-in-law went to his parents house. My husband and I just sat at home. And sat. And watched tv. Boring tv. And we napped. And then sat some more. Man, it was a long day. And the dreary weather just made it ten times worse.

I didn’t leave the house from the time I got home from work on Wednesday the 22nd until Tuesday the 28th. And that was only for a funeral. One of my “second” mothers went on to be with Jesus on Christmas Eve. Her daughter and I are good friends. I spent many, many nights at her house. We got married at her house.

Everyone around the house was sick. My husband and I took big sis to the doc since my daughter was sick also. Strep. All of us adults came down with the crud. So between the sickness and lack of money we really couldn’t have gone anywhere anyway.

So Christmas 2010 has come and gone. It was fun and I’m glad it came. And I’m really glad it’s gone.

Advice

2010-12-15T09:32:00.000-06:00

The best piece of advice I’ve ever received is…Follow the Spirit. Sounds so simple, right? Simple and true.

I recently read a friends blog about her and her family’s struggle to find a church. I wanted to share that advice with her and others.

My testimony is nothing special. Raised in church. Saved young. Was a fairly decent person. Of course, I am not without sin by no means.

My paternal grandmother was pianist for years. Played by ear. Later on my mother was pianist for years (until her stroke). Played by ear. NONE of us kids inherited that gift unfortunately! I took piano lessons but I had to memorize everything cause my fingers and brain won’t work that fast together.

I still go to the same church I was raised in. We’ve had good times and bad times. Good preachers and “bad” preachers. Which my husband says one should never speak bad of a preacher. Easier said than done at times. And yes, I’ve read James concerning the tongue. Anyway, even with the bad preachers I weathered it out. After all, it was MY church. I’m the one who had been there all my life, not this preacher.

Just before Katrina, a new pastor started at church. After just a few short months, he almost destroyed our church. I won’t even begin to tell you all the things he did that turned people away from the church. I’d be typing forever. I’ve never met anyone like him. Our church dwindled down to almost nothing. I’d go to church and cry all the way home. I’d sit at my desk at work and cry about it. It was one of the most gut wrenching things I’d been through. I missed my church family that had left. I missed the way things used to be.

And it finally hit me. The Spirit of the Lord was no longer there. Even with the bad preachers from the past the Lord had never left us. But this time I just didn’t feel His presence anymore. At all. Some may say that was my fault because he was still there. Maybe so. But I knew it was time to go. I never thought I’d be leaving. Never. But I did.

Searching for a new church was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. What an awkward feeling when you walk into a new, strange place. I tried to “make” myself feel comfortable at the first church we went to. We went for several months but it just wasn’t right. Don’t get me wrong, it was a loving congregation and pastor that always welcomed us. I just never could get comfortable.

We tried a second church. It was much smaller, more intimate, but it was a totally different denomination from what I had been raised in. They had a wonderful pastor. Wonderful spirit filled worship services. An awesome song leader. It was almost perfect. I just struggled with some differences in beliefs. I emailed a very dear friend for advice. He told me, Follow the Spirit. I did. I stayed at the little church and enjoyed it until I felt that tug to go home. Back to my home church. The last pastor had been gone for some time. The new pastor was young, refreshing, understanding and preached the bible. The Spirit of the Lord was back. We went back too.

So follow the Spirit. He will place you where you need to be. To glorify Him. And I’ve got a feeling you’ll be happy where He leads you.

Boo!

2010-10-21T10:19:00.000-05:00

This was a very good article. My thoughts exactly.

Every year EVERY holiday seems to get blown up bigger and bigger and earlier and earlier. People are even going all out decorating for Valentine’s Day and Easter. Wonder how many know the true meaning of Easter rather than associating it with bunnies and eggs? But I digressed so back to my point.

Halloween has grown to be almost as big a deal as Christmas as far as decorating. And I must admit, I do love fall and that includes Halloween. Now some Christians balk at this “holiday” but we went trick-or-treating and wore costumes every year and I didn’t grow up to be a devil worshipper or a witch. I didn’t instill those scary aspects of the day into my child nor will we do it with our grandchildren. We look at it like a fun day.

Our small little rural church has made this a special event for the past few years with trunk-or-treat, hayrides, games and plenty of free food. Yeah, you know Baptists can’t do anything without food. Last year there were over 300 people there. We are expecting even more this year.

I was a bit disturbed going into the SpiritHalloween store to get costumes for the redheads. First of all they tell you either don’t bring in your purse (just a pocketbook) or else they will inspect your purse when you exit. I’ve never had that request before. But the first display you come upon is monster babies. Lots of green, bloody, sharp toothed babies. I just don’t go for that kind of scariness. I hurried the girls on past that part.

Even though they had been talking fairy costumes they settled on ladybugs.

And if you are an adult looking for a costume be prepared to go as “hoochie _______”. Fill in the blank. Every costume they had was R rated. Even some of the tween/teen costumes had the same look. Sorry, I don’t go for that.

So enjoy your Halloween and keep it safe. I know I’m gonna have some of the cutest ladybugs ever!

The Chill Factor

2010-10-18T11:22:00.001-05:00

“Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”…as the song says.

Two weeks ago Sunday our refrigerator went out. Our Maytag, freezer on the bottom, as seen on “I Want That”, all too expensive refrigerator went haywire. All of the control panel lights were blinking and the water dispenser flapper was steady opening and closing. Just what we need. Something else messed up.

I complained at work that morning and my friend Paul suggested we call Maytag and see if they would do anything. “Why?” I said, it’s four years old, out of warranty. So we called a local repair guy to come take a look. He came right on Monday afternoon. Took about five minutes trying to reset the panel without any luck, told us we needed a part that would probably cost around $700 and charged us $40. OH. MY. We are just getting our heads above water after the wedding. We certainly didn’t have $700 to spare.

Thankfully we have the twenty year old spare frig in the utility. What a lifesaver our ever faithful GE was. We even discussed just bringing it into the kitchen since we didn’t have money to get the other one fixed right away.

We waited for the guy to call and verify the cost of the part. Never heard from him. My husband finally called him and he said “oh, I need to listen to my voice mails and I’ll call you back”. Never heard from him.

So, I figured if this man could find a Maytag part so could I. I got online and started looking. I found that several others had the exact same problem as we did. All the solution guys said “Call Maytag, they have a repair kit”. Okay. I call Maytag. The very nice service rep says yes, they’ve been having this problem and would send a part and set up a service guy to come out. Whoa, I said, how much will this cost? The guy says “not anything. It’s on us”. WHAT? You mean I’m actually getting a break on something?

It took a few days to get the part because it was on backorder since so many people needed it. But it finally came and the official Maytag service guy came and put it on in about five minutes. No charge. Whew.

I guess this story has about three morals:
1. The Lord gives us blessings in ways we least expect it.
2. Sometimes it’s a good thing when a service man is lousy about returning calls.
3. Paul is smarter than I thought he was.

Withdrawals

2010-08-27T10:25:00.001-05:00

I thought I’d be all happy and relieved when the wedding was over. I’m actually kinda missing all the planning and shopping and net surfing and such. It’s like there’s a void I need to fill. Maybe I should become a wedding planner. On second thought, NO WAY. As much as I enjoyed it, it was one (if not “the”) most stressful things I’ve ever been through. But I must say, it turned out really well and was beautiful. And the bride was exceptionally beautiful.

I have deleted all the hundreds of bookmarks I had saved on centerpieces, reception food, pew markers, ideas, suggestions, talk forums, etc. There are a couple of websites I still like to look at though. Theknot.com and Brenda’s Wedding Blog. Doesn’t hurt to look.

Well, we do have Halloween coming up. We’ve already been looking at costumes. Right now the redheads want to be pirates. Then there’s Christmas, then birthdays, Easter. Actually now that I think about it I’m sure my void will be filled.

Cheesy Tot Replacement

2010-08-05T11:29:00.001-05:00

It took quite some time but I finally found a replacement for my cheesy tots for breakfast.

Plus a 16 ounce Mt. Dew.

I had stopped drinking regular soft drinks completely but for some reason these garlic chips just need a “real” Mt. Dew with them.
So far, I have only found them in one store. But it’s a fairly new store, nice and clean, and it's right on my way to work. So I’m not having to drive all the way across town for them.
And apparently I’m not the only person that likes them. When I first started buying them, every Monday morning they would be out. I’d panic but make do. It would usually be Wednesday or Thursday before they restocked them. The store manager finally figured out that they need to stock more. They now fill FOUR of the hanging racks up. I don’t think they will run out now.
They are a bit pricey, $2.19 a bag but I munch on the bag off and on all day. And if you don’t mind garlic breath they taste absolutely super fantastic.

Not quite as good as those warm, cheesy, creamy tots, but they’ll do.

Spam

2010-08-03T08:28:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's been forever since I've written. I've been bogged down in a wedding. That's over. I'll tell you more about that later.

So HOW do you all stop the crazy spam comments? I think I have the captcha thingy set up (don't I?) but that hasn't stopped them. Look at my last post. Tons of weird comments. I started deleting them at first then I just gave up.

Any suggestions?

RIP Mamie

2010-04-08T09:21:00.003-05:00

It’s a sad day today. When I walked into work I was told of the passing of a long time co-worker/friend. Single car wreck on her way to church. She’d been with our employer as long as I can remember and I’ve been employed by them for 29 years now.

She was always talking, always smiling.

Even the plant is eeriely quiet as if it is mourning her passing. There is usually lots of noise, machinery, clanging of metal, tow motors, seeping through the office walls but I don't hear anything but an occasional door opening or closing into the plant.

She was here during the “good ol’ days”. When the plant ran at maximum capacity with several hundreds of employees. The employees respected the company and were proud to send out a good product. Plant management knew how to run the business and was good to the employees at the same time.

We still have several of those, or should I say “us” old employees but many are gone. The new hires have a completely different attitude. They tend to expect more out of the company than they want to give back.

We’ll surely miss Mamie, as an excellent employee but mostly as a sweet, kind friend.

Peculiarities

2010-03-12T08:30:00.000-06:00

The redheads have hit a few peculiar stages. Right now big sis in on a “pink” kick. She will only drink out of the pink cups, only eat the pink wrapped Hershey’s kisses, pink m&m’s, pink smarites, get the new pink toothbrush…and so on. I told her she was a pink fanatic. “Yeah” she said “I’m a pink natic”.

And lil sis has decided she has to pick out what clothes they wear all the time. And she hasn’t got the “seasonal” thing down pat yet. I’ve had to hide some summer dresses cause she kept wanting to wear those. And please, make sure the training pants match. She went into a spasm one morning because her panties didn’t match her dress.

We laughed our heads off last night at them “shaking their booties”. At least they can entertain us. American Idol certainly isn’t entertaining this year.

My daughter has their flower girl dresses picked out so we’ll get those ordered when payday rolls around. I hope I have enough paydays before this wedding gets here.

I just hope the girls will actually walk down the aisle come wedding day. They are very shy at first so I just don’t know. There is an older niece from the groom’s side of the family that will be a flower girl also. We are hoping she will be able to coax them to follow her. But if they don’t, they can come sit with Mawmaw. That will be okay too.

The List...

2010-03-04T12:51:00.001-06:00

is slowly but surely getting smaller.

Cake. check.

Bridesmaid dresses. check.

Dress #2

2010-02-24T14:50:00.004-06:00

Okay, I honestly debated as to whether or not I even would share this with anyone because when you read it you will say either I'm the most insane person in the world or the best mother in the world.

We have bought another wedding dress.

There. I said it.

And no. We cannot cancel the other one.

A couple of weekends ago we went to a local bridal store to look at bridesmaid dresses. Well, they had gotten in the new Allure spring line. And there it was. "THE" perfect dress.

Seriously.

I liked the first dress she ordered because she did. It just didn't "wow" me though. This new dress "wowed" me big time. And...it fit to a T. No altering needed. That kinda was a "sign" to me I guess.

So, the dress is at our house.

I would love to show you the picture but I'll wait until after the wedding.

Go ahead, call me crazy.

Thank goodness I only have one child.

By the way, I have a beautiful Allure Couture Bridal gown, ivory/silver, size 5, I will sell very reasonable. Very, very reasonable.

*sigh*

Seriously?

2010-02-09T13:40:00.004-06:00

You can actually buy dead grass and dirt from the endzone...

Hmmmm

2010-02-08T14:42:00.003-06:00

In my latest email from Hobby Lobby, I just thought this was kinda creepy. Who'd want a headless bride and groom as a placecard holder?

But I do like the tealight holder. I may have to check those out.

Midweek Ramblings

2010-02-03T12:43:00.004-06:00

All I think about is "wedding" night and day. I am glad I only have one child! It is all so exciting yet so stressful at the same time. I want to get everything done NOW but some things just have to wait.

We did pick up a few items this past weekend. I'm sure I'll be spending tons of time, not to mention money, at Ultimate Party, Hobby Lobby and Michael's.

We also went to the church and mapped out the layout for the reception area, took some measurements and discussed the sanctuary decorations.

I am really excited about the candy favor buffet. It will be something like this:

I guess my biggest delima right now is the guest table centerpieces. I'll have a florist do the sanctuary flowers so I was trying to save some money and do the reception centerpieces myself. Right now I'm leaning towards mint julep cups with a mound of hydrangeas. That is the main flower. I am open for suggestions though...anyone, anyone!

But things are moving along. It'll be over before I know it though. My husband and I are already planning our August vacation. *sigh*

Be on the lookout...

2010-01-28T08:19:00.004-06:00

For items similar to this...

This is a crystal gem tealight holder from Hobby Lobby. But this little thing is $49.99. YIKES! I'd like similar items to incorporate into the table centerpieces. I just can't go $50 per table. If you see any while out shopping let me know where. I've surfed the net and haven't had much luck.

The local wedding rental place has the tall ones we may rent for the buffet tables (which are $20 just to rent). We like to pull that look into the eight guest tables.

Things are slowly coming together. Thanks for your advice, hints, suggestions, and help.

Next Question

2010-01-26T13:02:00.003-06:00

I would love to find clear plates w/cup holders similar to this for the reception:

These plates are actually made to accommodate stemmed glasses. I will have the regular clear cups. These may work for that but I'm just not sure. I've looked at the website and it doesn't say.

Has anyone seen such? Any suggestions on where to look/buy the tableware?

Retirement?

2010-01-26T08:29:00.002-06:00

No Replacement

2010-01-15T08:29:00.001-06:00

Oh, how I miss my cheesy tots.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve tried some other breakfast items.

First of all nothing else can be eaten safely and comfortably while I drive. I’ve been trying not to eat at my desk to keep from leaving any crumbs behind that might attract more rodents than we already have.

First up, I tried a McDonald’s sausage biscuit. I like mustard on a sausage biscuit. Strange, I know. But, McD’s doesn’t have mustard! Plus, I had to eat a crumbly biscuit at my desk and by the time I got through all my lipstick is gone. I at least want the lipstick to last until lunch time.

I tried a McDonald’s sausage burrito. Yuck. Just yuck.

I tried tater tots with cheese from Sonic. It just isn’t the same having cheese on the outside rather than the inside. And I couldn’t eat them while I was driving and it was way too much food. My surgically altered stomach can’t take in that much at a time.

I got an apple fritter from the Donut Palace this morn. I knew I was messing up but just couldn’t think of anything else. Talk about sugar overload. And it was way too much also.

I think I’ll be better off just eating a pack of nabs.

*sigh* How I miss that perfect little six piece portion that I could safely and neatly eat while driving and without taking away the lipstick. That creamy, cheesy goodness.
Nothing can take the place of my cheesy tots.

Check One Off the List

2010-01-07T08:01:00.003-06:00

The dress is ordered.

It was very easy (except on my wallet). She tried on two dresses and number two was it.

Have you ever watched that show on TLC, "Say Yes to the Dress"? Wow. Those women can take hours and try on hundreds of dressed it seems. I was fearing that scenario. But it wasn't anything like that thank goodness.

The dress is beautiful. Perfect for her. We got it from The Bridal Path and it is from the Allure Couture collection.

It will take four to five months to come in they say. gulp. Let's pray it's more like four because five would be putting us way too close to that June 19th date.

Y'all may get tired of reading about this wedding. Sorry! This is my only child so I hope it will be perfect! And remember, if you think of or see any neat or unique ideas or websites let me know!

The First Question (and I'm sure there will be many more)

2010-01-04T13:06:00.003-06:00

At my church, the usual custom for the reception is basically standing room only. That is, tables are not set up for people to sit and eat. I've seen this at other weddings so this may be standard procedure.

We would like to have some tables set up.

The question is, how many?

We have large families, me, my husband, the groom, so we are planning for 150 people. I'm the kind of person that would always rather have way too much than too little.

So, is it okay if we only set up, say 8 or 10 tables?
Each table seats six. The more tables, the more the cost. Tablecloths, centerpieces, chair covers.
Or, do we have to try and accomdate all 150 people?

Oh, we are serving cake of course and a few more finger foods, not a full meal.

The Wedding Planner

2010-01-04T13:04:00.001-06:00

My daughter and fiancé have set their wedding date. June 19th.

I’m totally stressing already.

I’ve been waking up around 2:30 or 3:00 every night and have stuff whirling through my mind. I usually fall back asleep around 6:00 or so. So much for falling back asleep now. I have to get up and go to work.

At least we have settled on a date and place. I finally convinced her the church would be so much easier on us even though she is freaking out about the ugly purple carpet and big black asphalt parking lot with no landscaping. I told her people would be focusing on them, not those things.

I think we have the décor planner out. She will use hydrangeas as her main flower. It will be kind of a garden theme. Not overly formal.

But I would love to hear any and all suggestions and ideas you all have. If you’ve seen something pretty or unique at a wedding let me know. If you have suggestions on where to buy items (such as an aisle runner) we are all open. Decorating tips, ceremony tips (I do LOVE the unity sand rather than candles), reception food. Good websites for purchases or etiquette questions. ANYTHING will help!!!

We are going dress shoppping tomorrow. I hope I don't go into sticker shock.

Thanks bunches!

Tragic News

2009-12-28T10:23:00.002-06:00

Burger King no longer sells cheesy tots.

I had stopped the every day trips but I would splurge about once or twice a week and get some.

Just the right size. Easy to eat while driving. No mess (except a few pounds of grease). They didn't mess up my lipstick. Good price. Creamy. Cheesy. Delicious.

Now there's nothing. You have to have a fork to eat tots w/cheese from Sonic. Biscuits are too...too...bready. You can't pour salsa on burritos and drive.

*sigh*

I think I'm having withdrawals.

Survivor

2009-12-28T10:08:00.002-06:00

I survived Christmas 2009.

It was fun but I'm glad it's over. I remember back when I LOVED Christmas. All I had to do was open presents and eat.

Now it's such a hassle. Wondering where money will come from to buy gifts. Will this person like their gift? What will I cook? Gotta clean for this gathering. Now to cook. Now I gotta clean up after that gathering for the next gathering. More cooking. Where does all the trash come from?

And Lil Sis thought the presents should go on indefinitely. Once she opened all of hers she went into the "more presents" cry for about an hour. Hopefully she'll understand it next year.

But all in all it was good.

I'm looking forward to Christmas 2010.

Oh yeah, I'll have a son-in-law by then. ;)

Season's Greetings

2009-12-21T13:20:00.003-06:00

Wishing all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!

The Blobs are Back!

2009-11-24T08:23:00.000-06:00

Even though it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, they’ve been spotted.

Just a few right now. But they will multiply.

Piles of red, white, green, blue.

Christmas inflatables.

Now if you have these blow up decorations I don’t intend to offend you. I like them when they are inflated, especially the snow globe ones. But during the daytime they just lie around the yard in piles. Like Frosty after he had his melt down.

Maybe they could be placed in giant boxes that are decorated like packages. Then when the things are blown up they’d jump out like giant jack-in-the-boxes. Then they’d just sink back down into their boxes and hide during the daytime.

Or maybe they should be stored when they are not inflated.

Or maybe just leave them inflated 24-7.

Isn’t Entergy giving folks a break on their electric rate?

Life is Good

2009-11-20T07:49:00.003-06:00

It has been the best week. I have laughed more than I have in a while. Between my blogger friends, and facebook friends/family, and co-workers and my family, they have all kept me laughing. I love to laugh. It is good medicine.

It has been a great week. I hope yours was too and that you had a few laughs.

Have a great weekend.

Frick Frack Foto Photos

2009-11-12T12:57:00.008-06:00

I had put all of these on facebook but for those of you that missed them or arent on fb, here are a few of the pics that the wonderful, sweet, gorgeous ladies at Frick Frack Foto took. It was freezing that morning and my babies were shaking they were so cold. But they were troopers and cooperated quite nicely.

Recipe Replication

2009-11-03T14:06:00.002-06:00

My hubby and I have been hung up on Mellow Mushroom lately. Mainly because of the bruschetta appetizer. We both LOVE that stuff. We usually don’t do well deciding on a pizza though. I like a simple, fresh veggie type pizza. He likes a meaty pizza. We’ve compromised and taken turns getting one of each on our recent visits.

We are getting a bit burnt out though…on the pizza part, not the bruschetta. So I decided I needed to just make our own bruschetta.

Now all this time I’ve been thinking that “bruschetta” was the type of bread. The only time I’ve ever heard of it was from Giada De’Laurentes and a few more Food Network stars. But it is actually the process you put Italian bread through. Grilled with garlic.

I knew I’d never find the right kind of bread around here so on the way home from Hattiesburg the other night we stopped by the really nice new grocery in Bellevue. They had a bread that worked just fine. We also needed the balsamic vinegar stuff to drizzle over the top. I had no idea what that would be. I guess the closest I’ve ever bought to something like that was pickapeppa sauce. But we lucked up there too. On the top shelf, all alone, above the vinegar, was a bottle of “balsamic glaze”. No price anywhere. I figured it might be a little pricey, $5.00 or so, but hey, we needed it. And it looked like the right stuff. I didn’t pay any attention during check out but when I got home and was writing my tickets down I looked at the price. $8.99. yikes. At least it doesn’t take much…just a drizzle. So this bottle should last a while. All other ingredients were simple. Tomatoes and Feta.

I was dying to give the recipe a try. I resisted the urge to make it for breakfast the next morning since I was the only person up. I did it that night though.

I sliced the baguette into ¼ thick pieces. I know actual bruschetta takes garlic but instead I brushed each slice with olive oil and sprinkled it with basil. Into the oven for a few minutes, until the slices were firm. Then I topped each with a spoonful each of diced tomato and Feta. And topped it all off with a drizzle of the expensive balsamic glaze. Tada! How simple was that.

I must say I was pleased. It tasted just as good Mellow Mushroom. Every slice was eaten.

And for some strange reason I thought about the replicators they use on Star Trek. Man, wouldn’t that be the easy way out. I somehow don’t think it would be as satisfying though.

To Do List

2009-10-22T10:59:00.001-05:00

1. Garden show. Check.
2. New baby. Check.
3. Photo shoot with Frick Frack Foto. Check.
4. Family reunion. Check.
5. Saints whipping the Giants. Check.

This weekend the ONLY thing on my list is a band competition at Co-lin on Saturday. Easy, easy.
Oh, and some Saints on Sunday.

Off and Running

2009-10-08T10:32:00.001-05:00

It seems like once Labor Day hits every year, the next four months are loaded down busy! This year will be no exception. But I’m looking forward to it all.

We’ve had/got birthday parties, football games, homecoming is this Saturday at Co-lin, garden show, a photo shoot, a new baby, family reunion, Trunk or Treat plus the usual Halloween night stuff, a wedding, Mistletoe Marketplace, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Not necessarily in that order. Before this Saturday I’ve got to buy a wedding shower gift, a birthday gift and a secret pal gift. Whew. At least it looks like a trip to Hattiesburg is in store. Now the best part…where to eat…hmmmm.

I’m still loving Mellow Mushroom! Their bruschetta appetizer is so delicious. Which if the redheads are with us we’ll probably end up at Raising Canes. Have to do something a little more family friendly when those two are in tow. They’re not picky about their eating but they tend to get a little loud sometimes.

I’m still wondering why sister #1 scheduled a family reunion on the Saints-Giants game day. Didn’t she know the Saints would be 4 and 0 at that time? Did she not have any confidence in our usually disappointing team? Oh well, like the baby shower I hosted, we’ll just have to leave the tv on. (don’t freak…it was strictly an all family baby shower, third baby, very informal  )

I can’t wait for the garden show. I just love to go and see all the beautiful flowers at that place. And this year Frick Frack Foto is gonna meet me there and get some shots of the redheads. I had thought I’d let the girls wear their green outfit with their little floral green high top tennis shoes but they got their new boots in yesterday and they are SO cute! I may have to come up with something to go with those. I’ll have to hit The Children’s Place and see what they have. My daughter had already found a really cute dress that would blend with their green that she’s gonna wear for a group photo. It has greens, purples and golds in it. I have the girls a purple skirt ordered that should be here any day so we may just go with that and get a shirt to match. Decisions. Decisions.

I’ll be so glad when those little squirts grow some more. They are two years and three months old. An 18 month pant or skirt falls off of them but a 12 month pant is too short. I’m really having trouble finding pants for the winter. They eat anything you put in front of them. Fruit. Veggies. Meat. Anything except a hamburger or sandwich. They just won’t eat bread yet. I guess they are just gonna be small. Their mom and dad both are small framed.

Okay. It’s only Thursday but I’m geared up for a busy weekend. Hope y’all have a good one too.

The List Grows.

2009-10-05T10:00:00.001-05:00

It’s been a little over a year ago since I made this post. It was concerning two friends that had recently passed away (way too young in my opinion, but the Lord knows best) and I just couldn’t bring myself to delete those names from my email address book.

Their names are still there.

Now there is a third.

Jo.

RIP friend. And your name will stay in my address book also so that every time I scroll and see it I will be reminded of your bright Spirit and kind words and know that you are in a better place without pain or sorrow or struggles.

Conversations

2009-10-01T13:42:00.004-05:00

My husband is a quiet man. Very quiet. In a way that's a good thing because when he does talk he talks very low and my hearing just ain't what it used to be and I'm constantly saying "what? what?".

We had to go to Jackson this morning. He was having a colonoscopy. This is our entire conversation on the trip up there (keep in mind I'm driving):

(about 15 minutes into the trip) Slow down. SLOW DOWN.

I am. I know how to drive.

Well you were flying and I've had a wreck here before.

I'm a better driver than you too.

(about an hour later) Tell me where to turn.

It's up here. Right here. Right HERE. HERE. HERE.

The procedure went very quickly and everything was fine. After they called me back the nurse told him to try to pass some gas. When she walked out he passed a really big one! For some reason an alarm went off on the monitor he was attached to right at that time. He was still wild eyed from the anesthesia and said "man, it made the alarm go off". Uh, no, I said. I don't think they have a big need for a fart alarm.

He slept all the way home.

I sang with the radio.

The Bug has Bitten

2009-09-29T10:20:00.004-05:00

Actually, three bugs.

1. Stomach bug. All three of my girls have had it. Not fun. We have been up almost every night for the past week changing sheets and pajamas. Big Sis has had it a lot worse. It is really hanging on to her. And I don’t know why it’s been nighttime vomiting. I was concerned that it might be acid reflux or something when Lil Sis started doing that but when Big Sis got it we decided it was a bug. Phenagram just hasn’t helped either. I’m praying tonight will be vomit free.

2. Mosquitoes. Our afternoons of sitting outside have come to a halt thanks to these pests. I think they eat the Off spray as an appetizer. And with the increase in West Nile it makes me even more concerned. We tried sitting out yesterday so the girls could play. They love it outside. We sprayed everyone down but it didn’t do any good. Had to drag the girls back in kicking and screaming. Hopefully this cooler weather will kill off the blasted mosquitoes.

3. The Fall bug. I just love this time of year. And I get this peculiar little feeling when the seasons change. I have no idea what or why. I guess it’s like seasonal depression but it’s not depression. It’s a good thing. Is there a name for that? My brother and sis-in-law brought us a pair of pumpkins this weekend that their son-in-law had grown. They are perfect and so pretty. Lil Sis wanted a “bite”. I’ve got to decide if I’ll just use the on my front steps with some mums or make jack-o-lanterns for the girls. I’m ready to get a flat of pansies and set them out. I’m ready for trunk-or-treat at church. I’ve got Saints cheerleader uniforms for the redheads’ Halloween costumes. The 3 & 0 Saints! And the cooler weather makes the football games so much more enjoyable. And I’m so excited about the garden show and especially that Frick Frack Foto will be making pictures of the girls that day. I can’t wait. Hopefully it won’t rain. I think I can remember only one garden show weekend that it rained in the past six or so years. If you like flowers you need to come to this. Or even if you like food. They have some great food vendors too. It’s a good place for a family day.

Long time, no blogging

2009-09-17T11:16:00.001-05:00

I didn’t intend to go so long without writing but I guess I just haven’t had much to say plus we’ve been super busy too. I’ve even been behind on my blog reading too. So, this post will be a hodgepodge of thoughts and accounts.

I’m thrilled that my daughter is still excited about college. She’s doing well so far too. The only thing, if she does flag next year we’ll get her a dorm room. She’s been making two trips to school a day three days a week because she has four hours between her last class and the start of band practice. We don’t have to worry about that next semester since there won’t be band.

I am NOT looking forward to the game tonight. Co-lin plays Southwest. I’m a Southwest alumnus. It’s gonna be hard to pull against my Bears. I’ll try to keep my cheering to myself so I won’t get beat up since I’ll be sitting on Co-lin’s side. Gotta support my daughter though.

Our high school team has really disappointed me this year. We stand at 1-3. We’ve had an extremely tough none district schedule and some really close games we should have won. I’m not gonna worry about any wins/losses until district play starts.

I LOVE AUTUMN. I’m looking forward to the annual garden show at Crystal Springs. Hoping to catch up with some friends this year while there.

I’m also hoping to get Frick Frack Foto to do a shoot of the redheads real soon. I’m trying to let the weather get a little cooler so I can put a winter outfit on the girls. My luck we’ll wake up one morning and it will be COLD. This MS weather is sooo unpredictable.

So, my new favorite eat place (you know I change every month) is Mellow Mushroom. We ate there for the first time this past weekend. The bruschetta appetizer was so SO good. After that, I managed to eat about half a slice of Caesar pizza which was excellent too. I’m trying to figure out a reason to go back to Hattiesburg this weekend.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoys family time, shopping, church and all the games.

Top Ten Indicators That Your Employer has changed to Obama's Health Care Plan

2009-08-26T07:58:00.001-05:00

(10) Your annual breast exam is done at Hooters..
(9) Directions to your doctor's office include "Take a left when you enter the trailer park."
(8) The tongue depressors taste faintly of Fudgesicles.
(7) The only proctologist in the plan is "Gus" from Roto-Rooter.
(6) The only item listed under Preventative Care Coverage is "an apple a day."
(5) Your primary care physician is wearing the pants you gave to Goodwill last month.
(4) "The patient is responsible for 200% of out-of-network charges," this is not a typographical error.
(3) The only expense covered 100% is "Embalming ."
(2) Your Prozac comes in different colors with little M's on them.
(1) You ask for Viagra and they give you a Popsicle stick and ducttape.

Chatter Box...X 2

2009-08-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

I used to just beg my daughter to be quiet for one minute because she talked so much when she was little. Now I have two chattering up a storm. There is rarely a quiet moment in the house. The only time they are not talking is when they are sleeping or into one of their tv shows.

I do love how their vocabulary has grown and what long sentences they can make now.

The most common phrases:

I do it by meself.

Just one second. (while holding up three fingers)

Wait a minute Mawmaw, wait a minute.

Hear that?

No, I’m fine. (anytime I ask if their diaper is wet)

No, I don’t like ________ (fill in the blank with absolutely anything, whether they really like it or not)

I like _______.

I want a popsicle.

What you doing Mawmaw?

Where _______ at? (fill in the blank with every human and animal they know by name)

I wanna watch Sprout.

The Cost of a Child

2009-08-07T12:42:00.001-05:00

According to a new government study released this week it costs about $221,000 to raise a child from birth to age 17. That breaks down to about $1,083 per month for one child.

We have three. That’s $3,249 per month.

Actually, I think my three girls are priceless.

Potty training continues...

2009-07-29T09:15:00.000-05:00

We haven’t gotten just full time serious about potty training yet but we do work on it.

Only bad thing, since I took a picture of each of the girls’ first poops and made a big deal out of it, they think we are suppose to make a picture every time they poop now. They start saying “make picture of it” and pointing to it. I’m doing it to appease them…but I really have enough poop pictures. I can’t just “pretend” to make a picture because they want to see it on the camera after I snap.

If they are smart enough to know all that, they should be smart enough to start using the potty, wouldn’t you think?

I'm sure they didn't leave a tip...

2009-07-28T10:17:00.001-05:00

New Shoes

2009-07-27T13:02:00.003-05:00

We just couldn't resist getting the girls these shoes from The Children's Place this weekend. Also got a green plaid skirt and matching hair bows and a green top to complete the outift. The green looks good with their red hair. I LOVE that store!

I'll get pics of the entire outfit when they wear them. I can't wait for cooler weather so they can wear their new fall clothes.

Wedding Entrance

2009-07-23T15:24:00.002-05:00

I was turned on to this video by Lauren. I hope she doesn't mind me sharing it on my blog.

Dog Days

2009-07-23T11:11:00.002-05:00

I’ve been in a rather…I don’t know what kind of mood lately. somber. stressed. depressed. disheartened. irritated. regrettable. I guess it’s just a mixture of emotions. I don’t like it. I’m trying to climb out of it. I started by going to church last night and facing the giant black asphalt jungle. That has been the thorn in my side for a week now.

I am so disappointed that the green spaces for landscaping and shrubbery are almost nil. During the committee meetings I fought as hard as possible for greenery. The majority of the men didn’t want any. More maintenance they said. I thought we had settled on a good balance. I thought like Lit I guess (hopefully, all of you know ‘bout Lit). The other eyesore; the walkway up to the front entry is off-centered. I am ocd and things like this drive me crazy. CRAZY. I’m hoping this part will be fixed. We’ll see. My opinion may not mean too much. I am only a WOMAN after all. It may be something I’ll just have to live with. Last night was my first step in dealing with it all. The aesthetics. The men on the committee I’m aggravated with. I felt better than I thought I would. I’m praying for guidance and control of my tongue.

I’ve also spent a lot of time on the phone trying to get my daughter’s class schedule to fit her needs better. We just didn’t think it through very well before registration. We pretty much let the counselor do her classes. But with her commuting, it ended up with her having tons of spare time between all of her classes. That meant hanging out in the library, finding a friend with a dorm room that would be willing to let her hang out there, or riding around wasting gas. Then she has to be there for colorguard at 3:15. After thinking, calling, rearranging, calling, going online, calling, I think we finally made it. She’ll be taking two online classes. She’ll have her other two classes at 1st and 3rd period. Even though it’s a good little drive, she can come home and then go back for band. Or hopefully, she can work a lot of those days. The restaurant is open from 11:00 until 2:00 so that will give her time to change and get to band practice. We’ll know all this stuff next semester.

Thankfully we don’t have to worry about tuition. Full band scholarship, partial ACT scholarship, a nice pell grant and hopefully M-TAG (got to check the status on that one).

On Tuesday, my half pit bull came up missing. She was confined because as she’s got older, she has become more aggressive. She would go to the neighbor’s houses and jump on their pets. One of them she mangled severely. So I had to wait and hope I didn’t get a phone call from an angry neighbor. She came back home yesterday. Thankfully. No calls yet so maybe she didn’t attack any other animals. And for those of you wondering, I didn’t seek out a pit bull. She found us. Some uncaring person dumped her out several years ago (about eight). She came to our house and I couldn’t turn her away.

Next, finances. Since my daughter graduated we have lost $600 monthly income. We are having to adjust. Considerably. Even though we knew this day was coming, it was hard to plan for it. We have gone into “pinch a penny” mode. Not fun. But we’ll survive.

I’m going to blame all this chaos on dog days. What else could it be?

Prayers for JJ, again.

2009-07-20T07:28:00.004-05:00

It's been less than a year ago that I asked for prayers for JJ Jasper, AFR morning personality, who was thrown from a horse and was in the hospital for several weeks with some severe injuries. Today, the prayers are even more urgent and the story much more tragic.

JJ's son, five year old, Cooper, was killed in a go-kart accident. His funeral is today.

Here is more info.

My heart just breaks for them but I know the Lord will not put more on them than they can handle.

Birthday Party Luau

2009-07-16T14:35:00.012-05:00

I know it has taken me forever to get some pics posted but here they are...finally.

End to End

2009-07-09T09:33:00.002-05:00

I opened a new loaf of bread this morning to fix myself a sandwich for lunch. As we always do, I passed by the end piece and got the next two pieces of bread.

And then I wondered, why don't we just throw out the end piece to begin with??? But no, it stays in there and every time we get bread we pass it by and get the next piece. Then we make sure it fits nicely back in its place before tying the bread wrapper back up. It'll stay in there until it meets the other end piece. When that happens, we'll take both end pieces and throw them outside for the dogs or birds or whatever finds it first. Crazy.

So, do you all do that too or do you eat the end pieces or do you throw the first end piece out as soon as the bread is opened?

Rain, rain

2009-07-06T07:40:00.003-05:00

FINALLY! We got some rain last night. I don't know how much but we had mud puddles in the driveway this morning. I'm sure it was no where near the amount needed to replenish the earth after the severe drought we've had but I'll take any little drop that comes down.

The last rain we had was Memorial Day weekend.

This was Fourth of July weekend.

I hope the Lord isn't thinking we only need rain on holidays.

Labor Day is a long way off.

Hodgepodge

2009-07-02T09:15:00.000-05:00

Yeah! Today is my Friday this week. I’m so looking forward to the three day weekend even though I have absolutely nothing planned. I actually wish it would storm all weekend. Sorry guys that are planning on grilling/swimming/picnicking. But we haven’t had a drop of rain since Memorial weekend. Not a DROP. That’s going on six weeks without rain. We’ve been watering our patio garden and some flowers but they still look rough. I guess the hot days are just scorching them. I see our biggest chance for rain is 30% on Sunday night and Monday. I even suggested we give our preacher a raise. He really liked that idea.

Well, Mother made it home on Tuesday. That was a long two weeks. She’s still a bit weak but is doing good. She is one tough lady. When she went in that Tuesday the doc gave us the worse news possible with an approximate death timeline. She showed him. Her doc was truly amazed. This is the second time she’s been near death and has pulled through. I hope I have a few of those tough Maxwell genes.

My great nephew had to have surgery on Tuesday. They pulled a one inch foreign bone out of his foot. Yuck! One disadvantage of swimming in a creek. They had tried to dig it out at the ER but couldn’t. They had to put him to sleep. They gave the bone to him to keep.

We had a fantastic birthday party luau last Saturday evening. The redheads got so many nice gifts. I will post some pics, hopefully this weekend. With all this going on with Mother I just haven’t had time.

Have a safe and happy Fourth everyone.

We're TWO!!!

2009-06-23T14:09:00.001-05:00

Update

2009-06-23T09:35:00.000-05:00

For those of you who have asked about my mom: She is at UMC right now. Brookhaven diagnosed her with Strep A in her blood. They were extremely concerned that the bacteria had gotten into her artificial heart valve. UMC is doing more tests. Her echocardiogram looked good but they want to do one more test to be positive. She is doing better. She sat up in a chair for 45 minutes yesterday. They are taking the catheter out today so she can go to the bathroom on her own. Her fever will break now but go back up slightly at times (slightly, not the 104.9 she had last Tuesday). For days she kept fever so that is a good sign.

She is a tough lady! She is a severe diabetic, has glaucoma, high blood pressure, an artificial heart valve, two knee replacements (and one of those replaced), and a pin in her hip. She still lives alone, works her garden and has a yard full of flowers. She even got hit by a dually pick up about four years ago in the local mall parking lot and was only bruised up. We still harass my oldest sister about letting our mom get run over! Mother’s older sister is 95 and up until recently has been in decent health. She is not doing well at all herself right now though.

I really, REALLY appreciate all the prayers. Last Tuesday we had received the worst news but I seriously believe prayer turned things around.

We are planning a party with all this going on. The redheads turned two yesterday. We are having a luau birthday party this Saturday. I’m looking forward to it. I will post some pictures here.

Thanks again for all your prayers dear friends!

It's Over

2009-06-22T12:26:00.002-05:00

And no, I’m not talking about Jon and Kate. This is about MY relationship.

This was a very hard decision but it had to be done.

Our relationship was great while it lasted but I’ve decided I should end it. I’m very ashamed I let it go on this long. Over the past few weeks things have just not been the same. That desire is just not there anymore. And I know it was wrong anyway. Very wrong. It was just no good for me from the beginning but I was just too much in love to stop it.

And I’ve thought about it and I don’t want to make it work any more. I think this is the best time to end it. Some of you may not understand that but that’s just how I feel. I’ve got my future to think about. I’ve got my family. I need to stick around for them.

I honestly can’t remember the first time we met. I just know I fell in love that day. And it was great for many months but those feelings are gone.

So, I’m ending it now. Before my heart is totally gone.

Goodbye my love. *sniff*

My waistline and my arteries just don’t need you. The craving is gone. I may come around ever now and then but the daily rendezvous will be no more. It’s over.

Rain Dance

2009-06-22T09:14:00.002-05:00

We have not had any rain since MEMORIAL WEEKEND! That is four weeks now. We are suffering. We've been trying to keep our patio garden and some of my flowers watered but they are just scorched.

So please, if anyone knows a rain dance come to my house. If you teach it to me I'll dance with you.

Maybe we can sing this Guess Who song and dance to it:

Don’t you wanna rain dance with me?
Don’t you wanna rain dance with me?
Don’t you wanna rain dance with me?
Don’t you wanna rain dance with me?

Fifi said to Don the baker
Can you show me how to bake another bun, Don,
And I’m still sittin’ with my next door neighbour sayin’
Where’d you get the gun, John?

Don’t you wanna rain dance with me?
Don’t you wanna rain dance with me?
Don’t you wanna rain dance with me?
Don’t you wanna rain dance with me?

Christopher was askin’ the astronomer
Can your telescope tell me where the sun’s gone,
And I’m still sittin’ with my next door neighbour sayin’
Where’d you get the gun, John?

Don’t you wanna rain dance with me?
Don’t you wanna rain dance with me?
Don’t you wanna rain dance with me?
Don’t you wanna rain dance with me?

Changin’ just a few things
Laughin’ when the bell rings, on the go
Changin’ just a few things
Shootin’ when the bird sings.

Changin’ just a few things
Laughin’ when the bell rings, on the go
Changin’ just a few things
Shootin’ when the bird sings.

Don’t you wanna rain dance with me?
Don’t you wanna rain dance with me?
Don’t you wanna rain dance with me?

Chicken Humor

2009-06-18T08:51:00.001-05:00

...especially for Clucky.

Weekend Fun

2009-06-07T22:20:00.007-05:00

Hooray!

2009-06-07T19:37:00.008-05:00

Lil Sis FINALLY did it!!! Yeah!

***WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE***

Some Twin Talk

2009-06-05T10:51:00.000-05:00

This has been a super busy spring so far, at home and at work. Well, at home it mostly means doing whatever the redheads want to do which is staying outside as long as possible. As soon as I get home they start saying “outside, outside”. They love it outside. And we stay out there with them as long as we can. Thank goodness the mosquitoes have not been bad yet. Seems like there has been more flies than normal though. They are the biggest nuisance. But anyway, they run around, play on the little cars, sometimes get in the pool, wave at every car that passes, swing, slide, or whatever. They are happy as long as they are outside.

The girls have a pretty good vocabulary and are now making little sentences. Lil Sis tickled me the other day saying “Pawpaw at?” while holding her hands up in a questioning position. They both say “balloon” very well but can’t put the L sound at the beginning of a word. Popsicle is another favorite word. Chokite milk, gapes (grapes), fwuit, agoo (yogurt), chips, punch are some of their food words. Thankfully they are really good eaters and eat most anything you put in front of them, including greens. After a terrible round with fire ants, about ten bites on her foot, Lil Sis now says “stupid ants” very well. They say “sit down”, “moan Mawmaw” (come on), op’n it up, put ‘t up.

I wonder at what age all the big time singers usually start singing. These girls will get down singing. They may not know every word but they’ll drag out one word of the song and catch up on the next word they know. They sing with fervor too and those little heads are getting it from side to side. I need to get that on video for sure.

Potty training has pretty much stalled. I do my best to work with them on the weekends, but just weekends isn’t gonna get them trained. But it’s a start. They still may be a little young any way. I do see some light there though. For several weeks now as soon as Big Sis is wet she starts saying “poopie” and wants her diaper changed. She’ll run get up on the changing table and wait for you to come change her. Lil Sis has just recently started doing that. So, it’s a beginning anyway.

They’ll be two in less than three weeks. Time has flown by for sure. So we’ll be doing some party planning. I guess my babies are not babies any more. They are toddlers about to reach their terrible twos. I really don’t want to think about that!

Children's Programming

2009-05-27T07:56:00.001-05:00

Now that the redheads are finally interested in television, if only for a few minutes at a time, I’ve had the opportunity to watch some of the children’s programs lately. They still love Barney but at least they are watching different shows now too. Thank goodness.

I’ve noticed that lots of the programs incorporate Hispanics into the show, many by using Hispanic main characters such as Handy Manny and Dragon Tales. And Barney has included Spanish speaking songs since the beginning.

Disney has the toddler programs on in the mornings but then it changes to tween shows around late morning so then our only choice is Sprout. If us adults are watching something the girls will start saying “Sprout, Sprout”, wanting us to turn there. Hopefully there’s a new television for their room in the near future.

I haven’t figured out yet why Nena, the host for Sprout, wears the exact same clothes day after day after day. Does this make her more familiar to the children? I change clothes daily and my grandbabies still recognize me. It drives me crazy.

Then there’s Caillou. What kind of name is that anyway? His sister, Rosie, has a normal name. And why is he bald when none of his friends are?

Why do some of the mice in Angelina Ballerina wears clothes and some do not?

And many of the Sprout shows have characters with British accents. I kinda like Kipper. Kipper the dog. The dog with the slipper. Kipper the dog. But I don’t like it when that song gets stuck in my head.

Noddy is this strange little boy that lives in Toyland or something like that. They have some strange and scary characters in that show.

And I’m sorry, but Thomas is just downright boring.

I think all of the Sprout shows are “safe” for the children to watch. They just do a lot of repeats. I’ve seen Caillou break his mother’s favorite mug about six times in the past couple of weeks.

I can remember growing up the ONLY time we got to watch cartoons was on Saturday morning. We always looked forward to that day. Later, Sesame Street, Electric Company and Mister Rogers came out on PBS but it took us a while to get a UHF antennae. I didn’t get to watch much of those.

And I know, we shouldn’t let the redheads watch TOO much television. But it sure can make a good babysitter.

Finale

2009-05-19T10:45:00.001-05:00

January sure seems like a long way off. *sigh*

This is an excellent recap of the last show:

http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2009/05/19/ap/entertainment/d9899ho80.txt

Technology Free Weekend

2009-05-18T09:41:00.000-05:00

Well, it was somewhat technology free. I didn’t turn my pc on at all. The redheads left Friday afternoon and I had plenty of time to surf…I just didn’t want to. Seems like blogging and facebooking and surfing in general has gotten old. I actually went to bed about 6:00 PM Friday night. I just needed the rest plus this graduation has really got me down. It felt good to catch up on my sleep. I had good long naps after dinner Saturday and Sunday too.

My cell phone stayed dead until yesterday afternoon. I didn’t even know it. I only use my cell phone in “have to” instances. I am just not a phone person at all. These people who talk while driving, walking, ordering in a fast food line (grrrrr, my pet peeve), sleeping (they must since they can’t breathe without one), I just don’t understand. I grew up without a cell phone and lived to tell about it. No big deal. I know they are handy but not something I couldn’t live without.

We worked in the yard Saturday morning and then hubby and I went to Hattiesburg Saturday night. We just took our time and ate at Newk’s and did a little shopping. I needed an outfit for graduation (*sniff*), something not too dressy since we will be at the football stadium. I found some black capris and a semi-dressy shirt at Dressbarn that will work just fine.

Sunday morning was senior recognition at church. My daughter was working so she couldn’t be there (*more sniffs*). They are short handed at work and she didn’t want to put them in a bind by asking to be off. She officially is out of school, since Friday, but had to be back this morning to practice graduation.

Okay. I don’t know how you other moms have handled graduation but I’m not doing very well with it. I didn’t know I would get so depressed. She’ll still be at home next year. She’s commuting, not staying in the dorm. So it’s not like she’s moving out. But this has been so depressing. Several years ago I actually got empty nest anxiety. I started panicking just thinking about what we’d do, or not do, once she left. I regretted having just one child at that time. I did some reading on adoption but my husband just wasn’t in agreement. I guess it was a good thing he wasn’t since the Lord sent us the redheads not too long after that. But I guess it has really hit me that my baby isn’t a baby any more.

So for now, I’m just going to allow myself to be sad if I want to. It’ll pass sooner or later.

Observations

2009-05-13T10:14:00.002-05:00

I passed by a freshly bush hogged field this morning and there were about twenty buzzards sitting out there having breakfast. It was like a free breakfast buffet. Poor little rabbits, birds and mice. That must have been a horrible way to die. I’m just guessing but I bet buzzards get a large amount of their meals from road kill. What did they do in the days before cars? They just had to wait for an animal to die of natural causes? I’m sure there weren’t too many possums killed by the wheels of a horse drawn buggy.

I also saw mud puddles at my house this morn. That was a good thing. The rain has been dodging us and we needed it. It helps with our water bill.

I am watching the gas prices rise. It goes up about seven to ten cents every two or three days. I’m wondering if they’ll sock it to us again this summer with prices over $4.00. I am not looking forward to that.

Love's Travel Center is open. I was afraid it was going to shut down the old truck stop across the road that has been there forever. It won't. It is NOT what I was expecting. I thought it would be a true truck stop with a greasy spoon restaurant but it's simply a store with two fast food places. That's it.

I made a quick trip to Hattiesburg Saturday morning and since I was by myself I decided to stop in Columbia and get cheesy tots. I rarely get them on the weekends. But the BK was totally shut down when I got there. Closed. Wonder what’s up with that. Needless to say, I was extremely let down and disappointed. I just waited and ate Cane’s chicken for lunch instead.

Then, as I passed by the Favre estate and was admiring the fence and landscaping (that would take probably five years of my salary to pay for) I wondered what the heck is this guy going to do now. And how long is it going to take him to decide this summer. I sure wouldn’t mind seeing him take on the Packers. WOW! What a game that would be. And then again, I think he should just retire, for good, and let his nephew continue the Favre legacy. But no matter what we think, it’s his prerogative. NOT ours.

Friday is my daughter’s last day of high school. Forever. I’m sad but I know life goes on. I well remember her first day of kindergarten. She loved her teacher, Mrs. Teresa. Many of those twenty two children (the smallest class they’ve had at school) will be graduating together next Thursday night at the central high school. They’ve been friends for thirteen years or longer. We will miss little Jesse though. He was badly burned Sunday night and is currently at the burn center in Mobile.

It has been extremely busy in our office, but unfortunately not company wide. It’s simply because we are short handed in the office. I’m hoping production picks up soon. We can only wait and see.

It’s going to be a long, hot summer I do believe.

Thanks Guys!

2009-05-01T07:25:00.002-05:00

I've been really, really slow about blogging lately. But so have MANY others. Several of you have even blogged about it also. SO, thank you all! That takes some of the pressure off of me.

It's just a very busy time of year. And my brain and my body are tired. I'm tired of end of school senior stuff, like proof reading essays, graduation invitations, color guard tryouts, gathering college information, applying for scholarships and grants, ACT's.

I'm tired of arguing with bull headed men about putting greenery back into the church parking lot. That is something that is going to be there for YEARS and it needs to look nice!!!

I'm tired of training my supervisor for WEEKS. He should have it by now. But he doesn't.

I'm tired of my yard looking like crap, but I don't have the energy or money to fix it right now.

But at least I'm not tired of this blog. I've just slowed down a bit.

Thanks.

Poppy

2009-04-27T07:33:00.001-05:00

A volunteer by my patio.

My Fantasy...

2009-04-23T09:07:00.009-05:00

I'm sitting at home

(shut up. It's MY fantasy and I'm a homebody remember.

I'd get homesick on an island or beach or where ever)...

...eating cheesy tots...

...with Jack Bauer

...while Jason Castro serenades us with "Hallelujah". *sigh*

Vocapeople

2009-04-22T07:19:00.002-05:00

Easter 2009

2009-04-16T14:33:00.007-05:00

I am finally getting around to posting my Easter pictures.

The girls loved the Easter Bunny at the church egg hunt. They weren't scared at all.

I hate I didn't get any better pictures of them getting their baskets. The baskets were so cute. But I had woke them up much earlier than they are used to and had to kinda rush them to get their baskets and get ready for church for early service. They were so droopy, their mom and me were making sure they didn't fall out of the dining chairs while my husband filmed.

They absolutely loved their sunshades. They would not take them off and wore them to church. They stayed in the sanctuary (actually we had service in the fellowship hall since all utility lines had been cut due to parking lot renovations) and were very good. They wore their shades almost the entire time.

They love their Pawpaw! Still got the shades on after church.

They are holding their monkey slippers they got in their baskets. I thought for sure they could keep them on their feet because they have play high heels and run all over the place in those. Flip flops are a different story though. Right now the slippers are hidden because we got tired of hearing "put it on" over and over and over and putting the slippers back on their feet over and over and over. They'll be a little older before they get any more flip flop type shoes.

Just being silly after hunting eggs that afternoon!

Can It Get Any Worse?

2009-04-15T07:38:00.003-05:00

The Potty Dance commercial has absolutely nothing on BK's new Sponge Bob kid's meal commercial. How creepy and insane. As if the king isn't scary enough by himself.

Farm Humor

2009-04-13T08:10:00.001-05:00

Barney...friend or foe

2009-04-09T11:47:00.003-05:00

It’s like I’m reliving a childhood nightmare…the redheads are HOOKED on Barney. I went through this about 16 ½ years ago, when my child was old enough to actually sit still long enough to watch television. Barney was just coming out and getting popular. But it was the ONLY show she would sit and watch. For hours. So, Barney became my best baby sitter.

Now it’s the only show the redheads will sit and watch. Big Sis will watch a little of Handy Manny but it doesn’t hold her attention like the purple dinosaur does.

We started out letting them watch a dvd on the den tv but that got old for us adults quick. We had to get control of our tv again. So my husband drug out the old vhs player and an old tv we’ve had for about twenty years and set it up in their room. We got my daughter’s vhs tapes out and even got the redhead’s daddy’s old vhs tapes. Yes, he watched Barney too. I guess it is instilled in their blood.

They always want someone to sit on the bed with them and watch. I have watched hours upon hours of Barney in the past three or so weeks. I can recall every little ditty that they sang when my daughter was little. I just don’t know how much more I can take though!!! Here lately, I’ve been trying to explain to them that I need to do things or need to watch the weather or whatever. It is getting easier to slip out and easier for them to stay in their room by themselves and watch it. I love spending time with my angels but there’s only so much Barney an adult can take.

I love you,
You love me,
We’re a happy family
With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you,
Won’t you say you love me too.

More TyTy

2009-04-02T07:46:00.004-05:00

I went back to the TyTy Nursery website to make sure I hadn't missed the persimmon tree Coop had commented about. Yes, I had seen that one. But here's a funny picture I did miss:

So, is the man going to shoot the cows if they try to steal his nuts? Or did he shoot the squirrels and steal their nuts to feed to the cows? And I like the way the cows appear to be "floating". Kinda like a 3-D effect.

But my biggest question is...WHAT kind of tree are they trying to sell?

Beautiful Tree, Beautiful People...Huh?

2009-04-01T15:27:00.008-05:00

I've seen this gorgeous tree around town in front of a couple of businesses. Bright green, small leaves with a beautiful weeping form. I want one. So I called one of those businesses, which is a florist, and asked them what kind of tree it was. A drake elm. I wanted to look up height, planting zone, etc. I found this site and this picture:

Isn't it a beautiful tree?

And please tell me WHAT those almost "nekkid" people have to do with trees? They have other very peculiar pictures on their site. Like these:

Oh yeah. That really makes me want to buy that Magnolia.

And a few pine trees too.

And this is a regular nursery! Look at their site: http://www.tytyga.com/category/Elm+Trees

I'm just wondering if that helps them sell more trees. You reckon?

Drought

2009-03-30T08:32:00.002-05:00

Mr. Webster defines drought as: a prolonged or chronic shortage or lack of something expected or desired.

So...if you were expecting or desiring a new blog post, sorry.

I've hit a dry spell with the blog. I just haven't had anything inspiring or funny or interesting to post. But I'll keep thinking. Something will come sooner or later. Be patient.

Psalm 23 for Work

2009-03-24T15:02:00.003-05:00

The Lord is my real boss, and I shall not want.
He gives me peace, when chaos is all around me.
He gently reminds me to pray and do all things without murmuring and complaining.
He reminds me that he is my source and not my job. He restores my sanity everyday and guides my decisions that I might honor him in all that I do.
Even though I face absurd amounts of e-mails, system crashes, unrealistic deadlines, budget cutbacks, gossiping co-workers, discriminating supervisors and an aging body that doesn't cooperate every morning, I still will not stop--- for He is with me! His presence, His peace, and His power will see me through.

He raises me up, even when they fail to promote me. He claims me as His own, even when the company threatens to let me go. His faithfulness and love is better than any bonus check.

His retirement plan beats every 401k there is!
When it's all said and done, I'll be working for Him a whole lot longer and for that, I BLESS HIS NAME!

Just a Strange Video

2009-03-23T10:51:00.002-05:00

If I Could Talk to the Animals

2009-03-21T11:58:00.052-05:00

We had a fantastic trip to Global Wildlife in Folsum, LA yesterday. They have around 4,000 animals that roam freely on 900 acres. They pull you around in covered wagons with a tractor. I was disappointed that we didn't get to pet the giraffes this time. They are very sensitive to noise and apparently were scared to venture up to our wagons.

The antelope will steal your cup unless you've got a really firm grip on it.

The zebras are the only animals you cannot feed or pet. They bite.

A rhea bird.

Up close with the camels.

Bison.

From Basil's Farm maybe???

Ernie, the dominant male llama.

Legend has it that this is the type donkey that Mary rode in to Bethlehem. It has been blessed with the marking of a cross on its back.

I Remember...

2009-03-18T07:51:00.003-05:00

When you work with the same company as long as I have, you see tons of people come and go. We say here, if you make it past three years you are stuck for life. Unfortunately, that hasn’t held true in this stinking economy. Seniority doesn’t mean much when things have to be trimmed. But I digress. It’s like family here. I consider many of these people very good friends. I still keep in touch with many of those who have left. I have a horrible memory but some things that have happened here have just stuck in my mind. Some good, some bad.

I remember…

Coming for my interview. My very informal interview. B introduced me as “Ruth” even though that is my city address, not my name. T kept asking someone in the office “whose cookies are those”. T was my first boss.

Finding out the man they hired the same time as me was paid much more even though we did the same job.

EA coming to work…WITHOUT his shoes. I remember thinking HOW can a person forget to wear there shoes!

G going to the bank to get travelers checks and responding “Pentecostal” when they asked her “what denomination?”.

Working at the main office for six weeks per Mr. B’s request.

The day the space shuttle Challenger blew up.

The guy that got squashed in the tool room.

The tornado. I stood mesmerized in the parking lot watching it snap power poles in half as dirt pounded my face. I was unaware of S yelling “run” as she made her way back into the building. Bill O got under his truck. But it passed as quickly as it came.

Finding out I was pregnant and calling and telling everyone.

P bringing me lemons and Krystals during my pregnancy.

M’s infatuation with Willie Nelson and Patrick Swayze.

M’s horrible punk hairdo.

Hearing about Shirley M’s tragic death one very foggy morning on her way to work. She never saw the school bus in the ditch.

G trying to “Riverdance” and popping the button off her skirt.

Changing positions and moving to the corporate office.

Mary T being held at gunpoint one morning in the parking lot. He wanted her keys but she refused. That’s when, unknown to me at the time, I drove up for work and scared the gunman off.

Hearing about the Jackson firehouse shooting by Kenneth Tornes (I don’t know how I can remember his name). Randy Bell came on the radio with breaking news.

Mr. B’s passing.

Moving back to the factory, where I love it, and Product Design.

Talking to A about a product question and her telling me a plane had crashed into the twin towers.

The Drink Man, Mad Jim, Charmin, The Wildebeests, Flash Gordon.

G sending her message about the boss to the “group” instead of just me. J saw her leaning on the boss’ desk later on in a prayer position.

Great bosses, crappy bosses.

Mr. B being let go. I cried all afternoon. They did him dirty.

My bff coming to work…WITHOUT HER SHOES.

Orders shrinking. Production shrinking. The number of employees shrinking. Working hours shrinking.

There are too many memories to write them all down.
Times change but life goes on.

Best of Both Worlds

2009-03-17T07:35:00.001-05:00

I had a great night of dining and shopping with my husband last night PLUS got home in time to see my hero, Jack Bauer.

We had planned to go to Hattiesburg all weekend but with prom and church meetings and such we never made it. Since we were childless we decided to go last night. But Monday night is 24 night. We actually made good time, without rushing, and made it back missing only the first fifteen minutes. I was pleased.

Poor Jack. He gives everything he has into saving (the majority of) lives and always gets in trouble. Every law agency in Washington is looking for him but can’t catch him. If people would only listen, he’s always right. They should know that by now. Right now he’s trying to save the US from a bio weapon attack while running for his own life from the people who SHOULD be tracking these weapons. Next Monday night can’t come soon enough.

Instead of asking my husband where he wanted to eat I just said we are going to Newks. Made things simpler instead of him saying “where do you want to go”, then me, “I don’t care, what do you want”. And going on forever. I made the decision. He got the pimento cheese and pea salad and I got the Margharita pizza. My husband was a little dismayed when he realized we had no meat but everything was good so he was satisfied.

We then went to Kohl’s, my favorite store for selection and value. They should let me do a commercial.

Next we went to The Children’s Place for the first time since they opened in Hattiesburg. The store is really nice, much larger than the one at Dogwood Festival. I have to restrain myself though. I could spend an entire paycheck in there. They have the cutest things. We got the redheads some sunshades and flip-flop style monkey house slippers to go in their Easter baskets. They are crazy about monkeys.

Next we went to Sears, Target and stopped by Walmart in Columbia.

So, it was good eating, good shopping, good timing…an overall good night with my two favorite men.

Social Networking

2009-03-12T10:03:00.002-05:00

So I broke down and joined the highly acclaimed social network called Facebook…something I said I’d never do. I really don’t have the time and really wasn’t sure I wanted everyone knowing rather personal things, even though I know I can mostly control that part. But I figured if my old, excuse me, older sister could do it I could figure it out.

I must say it has been interesting so far. I’ve received friend confirmations and requests. I’ve enjoyed the little tidbits that people post. I’ve enjoyed viewing mutual friends.

I’m still learning though. I still don’t know what “poke friend” means. I think of the movie Lonesome Dove when I see that because they used that word, a lot, but it meant “have sex”. Hopefully that isn’t what the FB “poke” means. Hopefully.

So for now, it’s kinda interesting. It may become boring and then again it may not. We’ll see.

Filters

2009-03-11T07:24:00.003-05:00

I got an email about different uses for coffee filters. Some of them are kind of neat so I thought I'd share.

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.

2. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.

3. Protect China . Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish.

4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.

7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.

8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.

9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.

11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.

12. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers on them. Soaks out all the grease.

13. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."

Do you have any other suggestions?

Potty Dance Follow Up

2009-03-09T14:14:00.003-05:00

This commercial really disturbs me. I honestly don't need to see grown men covering up their private parts while gyrating their hips. Is this really gonna help a child learn how to use the potty?

Can you say "Village People"?

The Potty Dance

2009-03-08T18:02:00.007-05:00

WARNING: Another Mother Post

There was LOTS of excitement around our house this morning. Big Sis decided it was time. She wanted to poopie in the potty. And she did. There was lots of clapping, high fiving and thumbs upping going on. Everyone in the house had to look and cheer. She even had to call her Nanna and tell her. I bet we stood around looking at that turd for thirty minutes.

I was very careful not to make the same mistake I did with my daughter. I decided to buy her potty when she was about 18 months old. We walked in from Walmart and I took it out of the box and sat it down. She wanted to sit on it. So I took her diaper off and she sat down and wiggled and babbled for a while. When she got up, I looked and lo and behold she had popped out a little turd. It was so unexpected for me. I was so excited I screamed and called my husband. My poor little baby thought I was screaming at her for pooping. Needless to say, it was a long time before she got back on that potty. She was getting on up there before she was trained.

But anyway, Lil Sis did number one so maybe next time she'll be brave like Big Sis too. I know it'll be a slow process but it's something I'm looking forward to. Diapers are expensive!

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE BELOW

Is It Friday Yet?

2009-03-06T07:47:00.000-06:00

Okay, one consignment batch out of the way, now one to go. I still have pretty much everything still left to do for the children’s sale…and my time is running out. Yikes.

I am impressed. The church has nice professionally printed signs up at several intersections announcing this weekend’s mission conference and giving directions. Our pastor has really gone all out for this. I do hope we have a good turnout.

I am REALLY impressed. My bff’s husband has enough clout to get the Bull Bash he is putting on advertised on the sign at BK. He must be a personal friend of the king.

Cheesy Tots were perfect this morning.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Yeah Jasmine!

2009-03-06T06:50:00.002-06:00

It's great to see a Mississippi girl make it this far! Best of luck Jasmine.

Haphazard Cogitations

2009-03-05T08:49:00.000-06:00

I liked MrsH’s thoughts on the overuse of the word “random” so I thought I’d stay away from the word this time too. Mr. Webster describes it as lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern. MSWord listed some synonyms as chance, casual, haphazard, accidental, unsystematic, hit and miss.

I thought I’d go a step further and look up “thoughts”. Mr. Webster says it is serious consideration. A few synonyms were opinion, judgment, feelings.

So here are few of my haphazard, accidentally unsystematic hit and miss casual yet serious considerations:

It’s been a really busy week. I have to get baby clothes ready for the spring consignment sale I participate in twice a year. I’ve got some clothes out but still need to go through some drawers. I have to enter all the items into the website by Sunday night, print tags, cut tags and pin tags. The clothes have to be ironed and hung on the hangers a specific way. It has to be seasonal clothes in good condition. Whew. It’s some work but I still like doing this better than hassling with a garage sale. This company has also opened a new consignment shop for men’s and ladies’ clothing so I have some things together to take by there too.

We have the big mission conference at church this weekend. There’s been lots of preparation and work put into that. We have some fantastic speakers coming; Drs. Futral and Henderson, and Bros. Bendon Ginn and Jon Daniels. Please pray for a successful weekend.

We also have a mission team leaving for Mexico as soon as the conference is over at noon Sunday. They packed for that trip last night at church (I was in the nursery). Please be in prayer for a safe and successful mission there too.

My new favorite eat joint is Newk’s. Folks have been telling me it was good. I finally got to try it. Spicy Shrimp pizza was yum.

My old car hit 278,000 this past week. I love that car!

When your child tells you she wants the new cd by Christian artist Addison Road, do NOT google Addison Rose.

We have a couple of production lines that will be working this Friday. Yeah! Maybe, just maybe, things will start to pick up. I do not like this stinky economy.

Prom is next weekend at our high school. I guess this will be the last one for my daughter. I have anxious feelings about prom. It should be a fun night but I worry about the safety of the children.

The weather has been near perfect for a couple of days. It makes me eager for spring…but I’m sure we’ll have some more cold weather to come.

And how has your week been?

Bauer: The Antihero

2009-03-03T07:48:00.002-06:00

I received this article in my latest pluggedinonline.com newsletter and it is such a good article about my favorite hero, Jack Bauer, of 24, I thought I'd share. I hope I'm not infringing on any copyright laws...I'm giving all credit to the author, Paul Asay.

Jack Bauer's Seven Really Bad Days

Bad day? Jack Bauer knows all about bad days.

Bauer, Kiefer Sutherland's iconic protagonist in Fox's cult TV hit 24, never calls in sick. If he whines about a stiff neck, it's probably broken. If he says he's tired, he's probably dead. He's in the midst of his seventh no good, awful, miserable day now, and in the previous six, he's lost his wife, estranged his daughter and has watched dozens of friends, co-workers and bosses die. He's even shot a few of them himself.

Oh, sure, he's tried to switch jobs, but can you really imagine Bauer as an accountant or a janitor or (watch your back, Paul Blart) a mall cop? Of course not. He's got a country to save, evildoers to kill and product placements to drop. Bauer's been at this game so long that he's not just a terrorist's worst nightmare: He's become a role model for many Americans.
Which, frankly, makes me pause a bit. People are looking to Jack Bauer for inspiration and guidance?

Yep. Pastors use him as sermon illustrations. Office dwellers rave about him over cubicle walls. And according to Newsweek's July 2008 account of books written on the subject by Jane Mayer and Philippe Sands, Jack has "his fingerprints all over U.S. interrogation policy. ... The lawyers designing interrogation techniques cited Bauer more frequently than the Constitution."

"You're gonna tell me what I want to know," Jack says in Day Five. "It's just a question of how much you want it to hurt."

This, in essence, sums up the nuts-and-bolts appeal of 24. Viewers tune in to see how far Jack will go, this time, to save the world. In a television landscape saturated with dark, complex antiheroes, Bauer is in some ways the most heroic and most ... well, anti.

24 was born in the wake of 9/11, and Bauer's character was bred in a period of grave national insecurity. The terrorist threats confronting our country seemed faceless and ruthless—a different sort of enemy that we'd had little experience fighting. It's not too surprising that Americans, feeling queasy with chaos and longing for a return to normalcy, started asking some hard questions: Should we sacrifice some freedom to buy more security? Must we engage in short-term evil for our long-term good? How can we play by the rules when our enemies clearly aren't?

Enter Bauer, a gun-toting, pliers-wielding one-man wrecking crew, willing to do whatever it took to protect the good ol' U.S. of A. Don't talk to him about nuance. Bauer's got the end game in sight, and he pursues it with single-minded clarity. He knows more about our enemies than we do because he's closer to them—both physically and emotionally—than we are. Which, in 24's ethos, makes him the perfect guy to fight them.

"Jack!" one by-the-book FBI agent says this season. "The rules are what make us better."
"Not today," Jack responds.

There's much to admire in Bauer's character: his courage, his dedication, his willingness to pay the price for his actions. He's a rebel with a cause.

"Do you understand the difference between dying for something and dying for nothing?" Bauer asks his longtime boss during Day Six after returning from a Chinese torture camp. "The only reason I fought so hard to stay alive in China was because I didn't want to die for nothing. ... Today I can die for something."

Indeed, 24 revels in Bauer's moral equivalency. It takes pains to point out that Jack, in his quest to save the world, has lost almost everything along the way—including, perhaps, his own humanity. This season, Bauer's been partnered with FBI agent Renee Walker, who can't quite decide whether Jack is a hero, a necessary evil or ... a monster.

Some Christians add a fourth dimension to Walker's three possibilities, seeing in Bauer an almost Christ-like avatar because of his willingness to sacrifice all for the greater good. Others argue that Bauer's so godlike it's ridiculous:
"The ... problem with antiheroes is not that they are flawed, but that they are flawless," writes Newsweek's Joshua Alston. "At least, they are infallible. Jack makes unconscionable decisions at every turn, but he's never, ever wrong."

"Experienced interrogators know that information extracted through torture is rarely reliable," chimes in a senior writer for Slate. "But Jack Bauer's torture not only elicits the truth, it does so before commercial. He is a human polygraph who has a way with flesh-eating chemicals."

What that means is that Bauer only works as a hero because the plot contrives to make him so. His judgment is spot on, all the time. So rules are irrelevant to him. And why shouldn't they be? In 24, rules equate to red tape. When a nuclear bomb's about to go off in downtown Los Angeles, there's no time for niceties, the show tells us. It's like Bauer says during a congressional inquiry at the beginning of the current season, "The people I deal with, they don't care about your rules. All they care about is results."

Here are the results, then: During 24's run, Jack has shot an innocent woman in the leg (above the kneecap, Bauer would note), executed his own boss, kidnapped a presidential candidate, tortured his own brother, robbed a convenience store and severed a terrorist's jugular with his teeth. And, really, that's just the beginning. According to 24.wikia.com, a source for all things 24, Bauer has killed 201 people in seven days (and a two-hour special)—so far.

By way of comparison, Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees murdered just 146 people in the franchise's 29 years.

Sutherland has tried to minimize the social impact of his show, telling tv.ign.com, "It's only after six years that people treated it like some morality play. It wasn't about that. It was about 'There's a crisis happening. This is urgent, and I have to get from point A to point B as fast as I can, cut through all the red tape, to accomplish whatever that task is.'"
But it's never that simple when it comes to entertainment. We slowly become what we watch. And the stuffy, by-the-book FBI guy is right: The rules Jack discards so eagerly are what make us better. They teach us to be human. And they're all the more important in times of trial. To look the other way—to compromise our ideals—means to slowly slip away from civilization.

"You can look the other way once, and it's no big deal, except it makes it easier for you to compromise the next time," Bauer blusters during 24's first season, according to 24.wikia.com. "And pretty soon that's all you're doing; compromising, because that's the way you think things are done. You know those guys I busted? You think they were the bad guys? Because they weren't; they weren't bad guys, they were just like you and me. Except they compromised ... once."

Jack, we couldn't have said it better ourselves.

http://www.pluggedinonline.com/read/read/a0004524.cfm

Shadows in the Bathroom

2009-02-27T07:04:00.001-06:00

Warning: This post is exclusively for mothers so unless you are a mother, you should STOP reading right here. You’ve been warned.

Do your small children follow you into the bathroom? What is so fascinating about that room? My daughter did it and now the redheads do it. I can close the door and keep them out and then they stand there and cry the entire time so I figured it is just easier to let them on in. They stand right in front of me and wait until I’ve done my duty (or doody might be a better word). They make their “pushing” faces when the time is right (enough said) and do the stinky hand wave when the time is right. They watch me wash my hands and then we head out. I don’t know what the big thrill is. Even when I get my shower they want to be in there. They talk to me and will pull the shower curtain back and say “boo”. Now you know they have minds of children, otherwise the person pulling the curtain back would be scared seeing me in the shower.

I well remember my daughter doing that in the old house. She would sit on the edge of the tub and face me sitting on the toilet. And it seems like they have ESP and know you are going there even if they aren’t in the same room you are when you head that way.

One day I told my daughter “Please go away and let me poo poo in peace”. She looked at me seriously and said “No Mama, you better poo poo in the potty”.

I thought the shadow in the bathroom days were over…but along come the redheads. Now I have two shadows.

Haywire

2009-02-25T13:53:00.002-06:00

Blogger went a little goofy on me so I'm only posting this to see what happens. It double posted my last one so I deleted one and now when I do "view blog" there's nothing there except a blank empty bar, no posts at all. We'll see what this does...

I've said it a hundred times already, blogger is NOT user friendly.

Bad Lunch, Good Lunch

2009-02-25T13:19:00.003-06:00

I know I should bring my lunch more often. It would save time and money. But I just like a fresh, hot meal and enjoy getting out of the office too.

Yesterday was a waste of time and money. I left without having any idea as to what I wanted. I did want to stay on “this” side of town so my choices were Subway, chicken or chicken (I would include burger but this Ward’s is disgusting so that’s not even an option). While sitting at the red light I decided to go t KFC. I usually get a kids meal since my surgically altered stomach can’t hold much but since the KFC strips went to original instead of crispy (and no, you don’t have a choice) I’m not crazy about their strips. So I’m looking at the menu and see a snacker combo for $3.99. But I really don’t need TWO snackers. One snacker fills me up even without a side but now my brain is telling my stomach that I need a snacker AND potato wedges, knowing I can’t eat that much…but my brain wins. So instead of getting the combo, I order one snacker, wedges and drink. The total is about a dollar MORE than if I had gotten the combo which was more food. Shoot. I could have at least put a snacker in the fridge for later. I’ve pulled up so it’s too late to change my order. So I did something I don’t think I’ve ever done before. I pulled out of the drive thru lane. I was NOT gonna blow that extra buck.

I headed out and over to Church’s for honey bbq wings. I order. “We no longer serve those” they told me. What now? I had seen on their sign “Shrimps Are Back” (and what’s the deal with “shrimps”? At least they used a plural verb unlike Popeyes “shrimps is back”) so I ordered the shrimp basket. I hated to spend that much money but it was an impulse. That’s why I should always know what I want and where I’m going ahead of time. The shrimp turned out to be really gross so I ate a few and the rest, as well as all my fries, went in the garbage. They didn’t even give me one of those good little honey biscuits either. That was a bad lunch day for sure.

Today, I knew where I was going and what I wanted. Or so I thought. I did go to Piccadilly’s as planned. There was a new, nice little guy behind the counter. I always get a child’s plate with a chicken leg and sides but today they had some sweet and sour chicken that was looking pretty good. I asked if I could get it on the kid’s plate (I didn’t think I could but it doesn’t hurt to ask). No. I ask how much is just a helping of rice w/sweet and sour chicken. $4.98. So, it would only make sense for me to get a full meal and save the leftovers. I did. The little guy loaded me up with sweet and sour chicken on rice and asked me “is this enough?” while he was dipping. I got a green salad as a side. He asked if I wanted tomatoes, croutons and bacon bits. Yes, I said. No one had ever asked me that. He brings out three cups of dressing and asked “is this enough?”. Plenty I said. You get one more side he said. So I get the skin on potatoes and he fills both compartments up w/potatoes since my salad is in a separate box. Do you want lemon in your tea? Yes please I said. Wow! No one else had ever asked if I wanted lemon in my tea. He even gave me two sets of plasticware. One for my salad he said. What a nice guy!

He rings me up and says $5.34. Are you sure I asked. I had seen that the tea was $1.79. Yes he tells me. I asked if he included my tea. Yes. Okay, I’m not gonna argue.

So I ate half of my sweet and sour chicken and rice and have tons of food left for tomorrow or else to take home this afternoon.

It was a good lunch day indeed.

What's Your Hymn

2009-02-23T09:03:00.002-06:00

I got an email showing hymn titles by occupation:

Dentist's Hymn – Crown Him with Many Crowns

Weatherman's Hymn - There Shall Be Showers of Blessings

Contractor's Hymn – How Firm a Foundation

The Tailor's Hymn - Holy, Holy, Holy

The Golfer's Hymn - There's a Green Hill Far Away

The Politician's Hymn - Standing on the Promises

Optometrist's Hymn - Open My Eyes That I Might See

The IRS Agent's Hymn - I Surrender All

The Gossip's Hymn - Pass It On

The Electrician's Hymn - Send the Light

The Shopper's Hymn – In The Sweet Bye and Bye

The Realtor's Hymn - I've Got a Mansion Just over the Hilltop

The Massage Therapists Hymn - He Touched Me

The Doctor's Hymn - The Great Physician

Since I'm a draftsperson I guess mine would be - Draw Me Nearer.

Can you come up with a hymn for your (or any) occupation?

Noos

2009-02-20T13:09:00.005-06:00

The redheads are not picky eaters…thank goodness. My family pretty much eats anything so it is much easier having the girls eat what we eat. They love apples, bananas and grapes. They love most all kinds of vegetables they’ve tried, including collard greens. And like their grandma, they also love ice cream and chocolate.

The only thing they will not eat yet is bread. I’ve tried sandwiches, toast, hamburgers, McDonald’s hamburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, hush puppies. They just won’t eat it. They’ll eat crackers. Not bread. We’ll keep working on that though.

Right now they are hooked on Noos. Ramen noodles of all things. Spicy chicken Ramen noodles. Their mom likes the spicy kind but I did buy the redheads some regular chicken flavor so it wouldn’t burn those little mouths, even though the spice doesn’t seem to bother them. Lil Sis was asking for noos at 9:00 the other night. I don’t want them to eat them too often since they are so salty.

They start out eating it with their fork but usually end up using their hands. That’s okay. At least they are eating. The little squirts are twenty months old and still wearing size twelve month clothes. The doctor says they are fine, that they will catch up. They just started out smaller than most babies do. I’m sure he’s right the way they are eating now.

Too Many Amphibians?

2009-02-18T11:12:00.011-06:00

Years ago, I collected pigs. Don't ask me why. I even had a real potbelly pig. But I soon became overrun with pigs and decided it was time for them to go. But still today, I may get a pig as a gift. So now, I like frogs, but I do NOT say I collect them because I don't want too many. I was looking at my yard froggies the other day and I do think I have enough. Of course, if I get a frog gift, I will graciously accept it, just like I do the piggie gifts.

These of course look better tucked away in summer flowers rather than dead winter ones and winter weeds they are in right now.

A solar frog. Gift from the hubby.

A watering pitcher. A Christmas gift.

Toad house. Gift from hubby and daughter. I try to keep it moist inside because real frogs actually hide out in there.

Gift from sister #3. I love this one.

I bought this one when my daughter and I went to Massachusetts at a neat little chain store called The Christmas Tree Shoppe. I wish we had those stores down south.

Another one from sister #3. He reminds me of Jabba the Hut.

Farewell to Another Favorite

2009-02-17T11:49:00.007-06:00

First Joe,

Then John

And now Deuce. The Saints will never be the same without you.

Happy Monday

2009-02-16T08:42:00.003-06:00

Adulthood

2009-02-13T07:08:00.003-06:00

My daughter is eighteen today. I guess she is officially an adult...even though she will always be my baby.

Why is Alice Cooper's song "I'm eighteen, and I don't know what I what" going over and over in my head?

My Extended Family

2009-02-12T09:56:00.015-06:00

Here are pics of the rest of my gang...

This is Sophie. We've had her for less than a year. She popped up at the house one day and decided she wanted to live with us. She is a sweetie so I couldn't send her away. She's lazy. She has to sit down while she's eating.

This is Sonny. He's about four years old. I think he's gay. I've never had to have him neutered. He doesn't spray and he doesn't stray. I think he may go to my brother's house ever now and then but most of the time he stays home. He's a manx. He has no indication of a tail at all. His dad was solid black and big and gorgeous.

This is Pepper. She also found us when she was just a pup. Some uncaring person apparently dumped her off. Her tail was already docked. She's about seven years old even though the gray around her face makes her look older. My sister says she is ugly...and yes, I agree, she's not too pretty, but we couldn't turn her away either when she was so little. She has always been a rambler. My sister's dog would come to our house every morning and they would take off until after dinner. Sometimes they'd do it again in the afternoons and sometimes she'd stay home. Unfortunately Pepper became very aggressive the older she became. Only to strange dogs, never a person. But after going to two of my neighbor's homes and attacking their dogs (one severely) we had to restrain her. I don't like it but I don't have much choice.

This is Sylvia, my prissy, finicky cat. She is gorgeous. But she doesn't like the other animals and she doesn't like the redheads. She will only eat dry catfood. I'm afraid if she were a human she would be like Paris Hilton. She's about nine years old.

Nighttime Visitors

2009-02-11T14:39:00.002-06:00

I stupidly left a bag of Hershey’s Kisses lying on my desk last night. I knew better. But I figured with the warm weather the mice would stay outside and play. Wrong. They helped themselves to my chocolate! They drug a couple of kisses back behind my pc and left them...half eaten. They nibbled on a few in my bag. YUCK! I just hated throwing the rest of those chocolates away. Warm or cold weather, next time I’ll stick them in the refrigerator.

Mice have always been a problem in this factory but through the years we’ve had other animal intruders. I’m not surprised. This place is huge, covers several acres, and has openings everywhere.

It became overrun with cats one time. And there were so many cats it became infested with fleas. You could walk down through the warehouse and see the fleas jump onto your legs. They had to get professionals in to take care of that problem.

They built traps for the cats. I don’t know what happened to the cats once they caught them. I may not want to know. We still have cats that wander in and out and get their meals from the trash cans. We had a summer helper in engineering a few years ago (back when business was booming, unlike today). On his first day here, we could hear a kitten meowing in the wall. So we got him to tear off the paneling and get the kitten out. Apparently it had fallen in from the ceiling where they were born. I bet the summer help has never had to do that on his first day of work ever again.

I don’t remember if I’ve ever taken a kitten home from here before but I have a stray dog. It was a beautiful, long haired little mutt. She made an excellent pet.

I’ve seen only one snake in here.

Okay, now I’m off to the stock room to get sticky traps. I’ll teach those menacing mice to steal my chocolates.

First Cut

2009-02-11T08:18:00.007-06:00

I finally got my daughter to agree to get the redheads' bangs cut. We were constantly pushing hair out of their eyes and they would NOT leave a barrette or pony tail holder in it. It turned out cute even if they do look like little boys now. We'll let them grow when they get older.

The Waiting is the Hardest Part...

2009-02-10T10:29:00.002-06:00

…especially when you’re hungry.

We decided on the spur of the moment to go to Hattiesburg Friday night, just to shop a little and eat supper. We only went to Kirkland’s and of course, Kohl’s. Found some great deals. I was wanting a mirror to replace the framed art above my mantle and I found a great one on sale. At Kohl’s (I love that store) I found the redheads some play shirts on the clearance rack for $2.40 each. Short sleeve, summer shirts, two of each style and size, which is hard to come by. So by the time we got through shopping we were ready for supper. It was about 7:00.

My husband had been craving Outback so we headed over there, which was fine with me. I wanted some crab cakes. We found a parking spot and headed in. Gave our name to the hostess and she said the wait time will be…about one hour. ONE HOUR. Shoot. I knew they would be busy but never dreamed it would be a one hour wait. Outback is good but not that good. We didn’t want to wait that long.

We went back up the road to Longhorn. We had never been there so we were taking a chance. Wait time…50 minutes. Ugh. Plus the alcohol smell was extremely strong. I didn’t want to wait there.

We walked on over to Olive Garden just next door. 30 minute wait time. I could handle that. It actually only took about 15 minutes before they seated us. I ordered something different that I’d never tried before. It was okay but not that great. Oh well. It filled me up with plenty left for a doggie bag. My husband really enjoyed his meal thank goodness.

It just amazes me that with all the restaurants in Hattiesburg that the wait time is so long. I guess we could have went to Backyard Burger or Raising Canes and eaten quicker. Those are treats to me since we don’t have one around here. Next time we go we’ll either time it better or eat fast food. I just hate waiting.