I am dragging this morning. I stayed up too late last night.
I bet you're thinking that LATE is like 3 or 4 am, right?
Nope. The clock said 12:30 when I rolled over and shut my eyes. Pitiful, eh?
I hate feeling like this when I have so much to do. I feel so groggy, and my eyes hurt. I'm ready for the kids to be out of school, because I want to be able to sleep later in the morning.
Four and a half more days. That's all I have left.
136 miles. That's how far I have left to drive.
1 teacher gift finished, 2 more to go.
2 staff gifts to polish off.
June 6th, baby. June 6th. Then we'll be done.
D*O*N*E
done.
Then it all starts over September 3rd. That's 89 days away.
I'll be counting down those days before you know it.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Berry Frustrated
My husband is home from work today. My children are home from school today.
What does that mean?
It's time for a Caventure!
(definition: 1. noun. an adventure that usually goes awry simply because we are the ones embarking on the adventure. SYNONYM: Misadventure)
Camera? Check.
Sunscreen? Check.
Hats with wide brims? Check.
GPS? Check.
Adventurous spirits? Check (x 6).
It was gonna be a great day. We (well, really, um, I) decided that our Memorial Day would be spent in the strawberry patch. I read an article about Strawberry Hill USA (Cooley Farms) in the most recent issue of Southern Living, so we (well, really, um, I) thought that strawberry picking sounded like a fun family activity. After all, it was only a short drive from our house. Why not?
Famous last words.
Halfway to our destination Lillian got oh so grumpy and started yelling that the movie playing in the van was TOO LOUD. We turned it down a hair. "IT'S STILL TOO LOUD!" This went on for about 10 minutes. Finally, my hubby stopped the car, turned off the kids' movie and started back towards home. See, once Lillian gets sleepy grumpy, there's no dealing with her. He decided he'd rather try again another day than have to endure her whining. It'd be a LOT easier.
After the groaning and crying and pleas to please turn around Daddy! died down, Lillian fell asleep. Miracle of miracles! We turned the car around and made our way back to the strawberry patch. Lillian awoke refreshed and ready to pick some strawberries.
We drove around this complex of red roofed buildings, but couldn't figure out where we could select our own berrylicious treasures. My husband finally went inside and asked for some instructions, but he was told that the only "picking" we could do was in the market part of Strawberry Hill. You can choose this bag or that bag, but you can't pick 'em out of the ground.
Hmph.
We bought 2 huge bags of strawberries and a large bag of peaches, sampled all the samples there were to sample, and got back into the car. So much for our strawberry picking dreams.
After all that driving and whining and grumping, you know the funniest part?
There's a freakin' "You Pick 'Em" strawberry patch a mere 3.7 miles from our house. Take a right turn out of our neighborhood, drive 1.7 miles, turn right, drive 2 miles and THERE IT IS.
You know how far we drove to Strawberry Hill for what amounted to the world's most expensive strawberries (once you factor in the cost of gas)?
60.2 miles round trip.
The berries are good, though. Sweet and ripe. Perfect for cobblers. Just not worth all that time and gas money.
Next time I'll just pick up a pound for $3 at the grocery store. And I need to cancel my subscription to Southern Living. It costs way too much.
(I did get some great photos. See below! Click on them to see larger versions.)
Oh, and if you own Photoshop and can make Quinn appear in that photo above, I'd be your best friend. He was in the car peeing in a cup when it was taken. Classic Quinn.
What does that mean?
It's time for a Caventure!
(definition: 1. noun. an adventure that usually goes awry simply because we are the ones embarking on the adventure. SYNONYM: Misadventure)
Camera? Check.
Sunscreen? Check.
Hats with wide brims? Check.
GPS? Check.
Adventurous spirits? Check (x 6).
It was gonna be a great day. We (well, really, um, I) decided that our Memorial Day would be spent in the strawberry patch. I read an article about Strawberry Hill USA (Cooley Farms) in the most recent issue of Southern Living, so we (well, really, um, I) thought that strawberry picking sounded like a fun family activity. After all, it was only a short drive from our house. Why not?
Famous last words.
Halfway to our destination Lillian got oh so grumpy and started yelling that the movie playing in the van was TOO LOUD. We turned it down a hair. "IT'S STILL TOO LOUD!" This went on for about 10 minutes. Finally, my hubby stopped the car, turned off the kids' movie and started back towards home. See, once Lillian gets sleepy grumpy, there's no dealing with her. He decided he'd rather try again another day than have to endure her whining. It'd be a LOT easier.
After the groaning and crying and pleas to please turn around Daddy! died down, Lillian fell asleep. Miracle of miracles! We turned the car around and made our way back to the strawberry patch. Lillian awoke refreshed and ready to pick some strawberries.
We drove around this complex of red roofed buildings, but couldn't figure out where we could select our own berrylicious treasures. My husband finally went inside and asked for some instructions, but he was told that the only "picking" we could do was in the market part of Strawberry Hill. You can choose this bag or that bag, but you can't pick 'em out of the ground.
Hmph.
We bought 2 huge bags of strawberries and a large bag of peaches, sampled all the samples there were to sample, and got back into the car. So much for our strawberry picking dreams.
After all that driving and whining and grumping, you know the funniest part?
There's a freakin' "You Pick 'Em" strawberry patch a mere 3.7 miles from our house. Take a right turn out of our neighborhood, drive 1.7 miles, turn right, drive 2 miles and THERE IT IS.
You know how far we drove to Strawberry Hill for what amounted to the world's most expensive strawberries (once you factor in the cost of gas)?
60.2 miles round trip.
The berries are good, though. Sweet and ripe. Perfect for cobblers. Just not worth all that time and gas money.
Next time I'll just pick up a pound for $3 at the grocery store. And I need to cancel my subscription to Southern Living. It costs way too much.
(I did get some great photos. See below! Click on them to see larger versions.)
Oh, and if you own Photoshop and can make Quinn appear in that photo above, I'd be your best friend. He was in the car peeing in a cup when it was taken. Classic Quinn.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Mousetrap
The image below may be disturbing. Proceed with caution.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
READY?
ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE READY?
REALLY, REALLY SURE?
OKAY. I WARNED YOU.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
This, my dear friends, is a dead mouse.
It was killed by a 5 year-old, a 3 year-old and a glass of iced tea.
The 5 year-old was told to go fetch the glass so I could fill it for dinner. The 3 year-old, who is the 5 year-old's constant shadow, jumped up and ran to get the glass herself. A fight ensued, and yes, there was much screaming, and then it got quiet. Somehow tea ended up all over my desk. Of course no one is admitting fault, but there were only two people in the room.
Towels were fetched, frantic drying began and appropriate punishments were handed out.
Dinner commenced with much crying and poking out of lower lips. Tension had eased by the end of supper. Happiness was restored to the land.
After dinner I sat down for a post-incident straightening of the desk, and I found the mouse to be non-functional. Screws were removed, some shaking took place, some tea splashed out of the cavity, and the mouse now works...intermittently. I can hear him weezing, poor thing. He's drowning in there. Splenda allergy, I guess.
Sadly, there is another dead mouse just like him in the closet. He died about 2 months ago. I guess this one will join his big brother in the dark closet (why can't I throw them away? I dunno. I guess I'm hoping for a miracle like in Pet Sematary. Whoooo... scary reincarnated mice!)
So I suppose tomorrow I'll pack up my Staples reward check and go rodent shopping. Let's hope the new one lasts a little longer than 2 months.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
READY?
ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE READY?
REALLY, REALLY SURE?
OKAY. I WARNED YOU.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
This, my dear friends, is a dead mouse.
It was killed by a 5 year-old, a 3 year-old and a glass of iced tea.
The 5 year-old was told to go fetch the glass so I could fill it for dinner. The 3 year-old, who is the 5 year-old's constant shadow, jumped up and ran to get the glass herself. A fight ensued, and yes, there was much screaming, and then it got quiet. Somehow tea ended up all over my desk. Of course no one is admitting fault, but there were only two people in the room.
Towels were fetched, frantic drying began and appropriate punishments were handed out.
Dinner commenced with much crying and poking out of lower lips. Tension had eased by the end of supper. Happiness was restored to the land.
After dinner I sat down for a post-incident straightening of the desk, and I found the mouse to be non-functional. Screws were removed, some shaking took place, some tea splashed out of the cavity, and the mouse now works...intermittently. I can hear him weezing, poor thing. He's drowning in there. Splenda allergy, I guess.
Sadly, there is another dead mouse just like him in the closet. He died about 2 months ago. I guess this one will join his big brother in the dark closet (why can't I throw them away? I dunno. I guess I'm hoping for a miracle like in Pet Sematary. Whoooo... scary reincarnated mice!)
So I suppose tomorrow I'll pack up my Staples reward check and go rodent shopping. Let's hope the new one lasts a little longer than 2 months.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Thank you, Anna Marie Jarvis!
I love Mother's Day. I might love it more than any other holiday, really. Know why?
BECAUSE IT IS ALL ABOUT ME.
Yep. It's the one day a year that I don't have to do one.single.thing. I don't have to lift one finger. Not even a toe, really. And everything we do during the day is a result of a choice I MAKE. It's like being Queen for a Day!
I was allowed to sleep late (8 am!) this morning, which is always a great experience.
I was served breakfast in bed (eggs over medium with buttered toast and iced tea). On the tray with the breakfast was a beautiful descriptive paragraph my 10 year-old daughter wrote at school. She said her teacher told her it would make me cry, and as predicted, tears did fall. It was a very touching paragraph, and if I wasn't so lazy, I'd get up and go get it and retype it here...
I was left alone for about an hour after breakfast, so I watched TV from the comfort of my bed. The children and their dad were in the basement doing the Mommy Mall, so it was even QUIET upstairs while I was in bed. Yee haw.
I was showered with gifts. It's crazy insane how many gifts I got, really! I loved every single one of them. Some chocolates, some scrapbooking things, some shirts, a pair of PJs, some earrings, a Wii fit game and a lot of good smelling soaps, lotions and bubble bath products from Bath & Body Works (my husband said each child made their own gift bags at B&BW on Friday night, which must've been a comical scene! Bless the man for his patience!)
Once I was dressed and ready to leave the house, I was adorned with a beautiful yellow orchid.
I was taken to a nice restaurant for brunch, where my children behaved and didn't whine or fight (much). They were even agreeable enough to get a nice picture at the end of the meal. (Look! The older two are even T.O.U.C.H.I.N.G.)
I was given a bouquet of tulips by our waiter (other moms were just getting one tulip each, but he gave me one tulip for each of my lovely children. Can you say NICE, FAT TIP?) BONUS: They perfectly matched the tulips my sister sent!
The waiter also gave me a split of champagne and a $25 gift certificate to spend on a future visit (Woo hoo! I smell a DATE NIGHT!)
When we got back home, I was allowed to spend more time by myself while the children swam with my husband in the backyard pool.
I talked to my mom and had a nice conversation.
At 7 pm, we gathered on the couch as a family to watch "America's Funniest Home Videos", which was, as usual, a gutbusting good time.
As I type this (sitting in my comfy spot on the Oasis), my sweet husband is preparing a bacon sandwich for my dinner, and we have the "Survivor" finale paused on the DVR.
Tomorrow I'll have to go back to doing the dishes and the laundry and cleaning the house, but for now, I'm just chillin' and letting myself enjoy these last few Mother's Day moments. Ahhhhhh.....
I am truly, truly blessed.
Happy Mother's Day, y'all. I hope yours was as good as mine was.
And thank you, Anna Marie Jarvis, for creating Mother's Day. You are my hero.
BECAUSE IT IS ALL ABOUT ME.
Yep. It's the one day a year that I don't have to do one.single.thing. I don't have to lift one finger. Not even a toe, really. And everything we do during the day is a result of a choice I MAKE. It's like being Queen for a Day!
I was allowed to sleep late (8 am!) this morning, which is always a great experience.
I was served breakfast in bed (eggs over medium with buttered toast and iced tea). On the tray with the breakfast was a beautiful descriptive paragraph my 10 year-old daughter wrote at school. She said her teacher told her it would make me cry, and as predicted, tears did fall. It was a very touching paragraph, and if I wasn't so lazy, I'd get up and go get it and retype it here...
I was left alone for about an hour after breakfast, so I watched TV from the comfort of my bed. The children and their dad were in the basement doing the Mommy Mall, so it was even QUIET upstairs while I was in bed. Yee haw.
I was showered with gifts. It's crazy insane how many gifts I got, really! I loved every single one of them. Some chocolates, some scrapbooking things, some shirts, a pair of PJs, some earrings, a Wii fit game and a lot of good smelling soaps, lotions and bubble bath products from Bath & Body Works (my husband said each child made their own gift bags at B&BW on Friday night, which must've been a comical scene! Bless the man for his patience!)
Once I was dressed and ready to leave the house, I was adorned with a beautiful yellow orchid.
I was taken to a nice restaurant for brunch, where my children behaved and didn't whine or fight (much). They were even agreeable enough to get a nice picture at the end of the meal. (Look! The older two are even T.O.U.C.H.I.N.G.)
I was given a bouquet of tulips by our waiter (other moms were just getting one tulip each, but he gave me one tulip for each of my lovely children. Can you say NICE, FAT TIP?) BONUS: They perfectly matched the tulips my sister sent!
The waiter also gave me a split of champagne and a $25 gift certificate to spend on a future visit (Woo hoo! I smell a DATE NIGHT!)
When we got back home, I was allowed to spend more time by myself while the children swam with my husband in the backyard pool.
I talked to my mom and had a nice conversation.
At 7 pm, we gathered on the couch as a family to watch "America's Funniest Home Videos", which was, as usual, a gutbusting good time.
As I type this (sitting in my comfy spot on the Oasis), my sweet husband is preparing a bacon sandwich for my dinner, and we have the "Survivor" finale paused on the DVR.
Tomorrow I'll have to go back to doing the dishes and the laundry and cleaning the house, but for now, I'm just chillin' and letting myself enjoy these last few Mother's Day moments. Ahhhhhh.....
I am truly, truly blessed.
Happy Mother's Day, y'all. I hope yours was as good as mine was.
And thank you, Anna Marie Jarvis, for creating Mother's Day. You are my hero.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Holy Saturday, Batman!
Today we had a neighborhood yard sale. Someone else organized it and promoted it and all I had to do was open my garage and put out a bunch of stuff to sell. Easy Peasy, right?
Wrong.
I found more junk in my basement than I expected to have. I just kept pulling things out. It needed to be done, really, but man, am I tired and sore because of it.
Today was the sale. We had gorgeous weather and a great turnout. We made $178, which is nothing to sneeze at. Nice chunk of change.
The best part was spending 5 hours with my daughter. My husband took the little ones to his mom's on Friday night so they'd be out of my hair today. My 7 year-old spent most of his time playing computer games, then realized he was all alone inside the house and came out to sit with us.
From 7:15 (!) a.m. until about 11 am it was just me and Camryn minding the store. We had fun selling our junk, watching the people come and go, and just talking and laughing together. If our relationship survives the teen years, I suspect we'll be very good friends we she grows up. I really enjoy being in her company, 'cause she be a funny girl!
When it was over and I was packing up the stuff to take to the Goodwill, the UPS man pulled up in front of my house. Unusual to see the man in brown on a Saturday, but there he was. He was a nice lookin' man in brown, too.
He brought me a box and wished me a Happy Mother's Day.
The box was from 1-800 flowers. I thought, "Aw! My hubby sent me flowers!"
Then I opened the box and saw these:
and I read this:
Those gorgeous tulips were a gift from my younger sister. I was floored.
I was so touched, because I don't think she's ever given me a gift for Mother's Day. I didn't expect one.
But I love it. I love that she took the time to send them to me. I love tulips. LOVE them.
Thanks, Neener. You really made my day.
Wrong.
I found more junk in my basement than I expected to have. I just kept pulling things out. It needed to be done, really, but man, am I tired and sore because of it.
Today was the sale. We had gorgeous weather and a great turnout. We made $178, which is nothing to sneeze at. Nice chunk of change.
The best part was spending 5 hours with my daughter. My husband took the little ones to his mom's on Friday night so they'd be out of my hair today. My 7 year-old spent most of his time playing computer games, then realized he was all alone inside the house and came out to sit with us.
From 7:15 (!) a.m. until about 11 am it was just me and Camryn minding the store. We had fun selling our junk, watching the people come and go, and just talking and laughing together. If our relationship survives the teen years, I suspect we'll be very good friends we she grows up. I really enjoy being in her company, 'cause she be a funny girl!
When it was over and I was packing up the stuff to take to the Goodwill, the UPS man pulled up in front of my house. Unusual to see the man in brown on a Saturday, but there he was. He was a nice lookin' man in brown, too.
He brought me a box and wished me a Happy Mother's Day.
The box was from 1-800 flowers. I thought, "Aw! My hubby sent me flowers!"
Then I opened the box and saw these:
and I read this:
Those gorgeous tulips were a gift from my younger sister. I was floored.
I was so touched, because I don't think she's ever given me a gift for Mother's Day. I didn't expect one.
But I love it. I love that she took the time to send them to me. I love tulips. LOVE them.
Thanks, Neener. You really made my day.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Blog Challenge: Picture Perfect
This week's Blog Challenge from ScrapShare, posted by my friend Joanie:
This is my choice:
This is the photo that came to mind when I read the blog challenge. It's one of my favorite photos that I've ever taken.
I love pictures that capture that essence of who we are. It got me thinking about my own loved ones and how much I treasure those few photos that capture the magic of that person I love. So the challenge this week is to post a picture of someone you love. It can't be just any picture, it should be one of those pictures that you look at and you really see something about that person.Once you find that special picture, post it in your blog and tell us what it is that makes it special.This is not limited to children, or spouses. It is for anyone, even beloved pets.
This is my choice:
This is the photo that came to mind when I read the blog challenge. It's one of my favorite photos that I've ever taken.
That's my daughter, Lillian, on the left. She was 2, I think. That's my dad on the right, doing his "I'm gonna' make you laugh" face for Lillian. It worked, 'cause she's laughing.
My dad loves me and my sister so much, and he always made it a point to tell us that and show us that love as we grew up. I'm so grateful to have had a sensitive, caring, loving, funny daddy, because there aren't many of those in this world. I was blessed to have married a man just like Dad, too. The men in my life truly love their families, would choose their company over any other, and that is precious and rare.
My daddy has a great laugh. He doesn't laugh at everything; he's kind of selective. He loves slapstick humor and intelligent humor the most. I have to say I swell with pride when I make my dad laugh. I am honored that something I said tickled his funny bone, because he's a smart man, and he appreciates a smart joke. The same can be said of my husband. He's very similar to my dad in a lot of ways, but that one area more than any. I love making those guys snicker, because to me it says I'm smart if I can make a smart person laugh.
I love that picture because it reminds me of my dad's love of laughter and his love for his family. I can almost hear Lillian giggling when I look at it. It makes me giggle, too.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
One Word
Not as easy as you might think... answer each question with only one word!
1. Where is your cell phone? car
2. Significant other? work
3. Your hair? grey
4.Your mother? intelligent
5. Your father? talented
6. Your favorite thing? pajamas
7. Your dream last night? weird
8. Your favorite drink? tea
9. Your dream/goal? debtless
10. The room you're in? scrap
11. Your hobby? scrapbooking
12. Your fear? drowning
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you're not? sad
16. Muffins? banana
17. One of your wish list items? ring
18. Where you grew up? missed
19. The last thing you did? dishes
20. What are you wearing? shorts!
21. Your TV? distraction
22. Your pets? soft
23. Your computer? distraction
24. Your life? amazing
25. Your mood? upbeat
26. Missing someone? parents
27. Your car ? overused
28. Something you're not wearing? jewelry
29. Favorite store? Target
30. Your summer? anticipated
31. Like someone? children
32. Your favorite color? red
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? dunno
1. Where is your cell phone? car
2. Significant other? work
3. Your hair? grey
4.Your mother? intelligent
5. Your father? talented
6. Your favorite thing? pajamas
7. Your dream last night? weird
8. Your favorite drink? tea
9. Your dream/goal? debtless
10. The room you're in? scrap
11. Your hobby? scrapbooking
12. Your fear? drowning
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you're not? sad
16. Muffins? banana
17. One of your wish list items? ring
18. Where you grew up? missed
19. The last thing you did? dishes
20. What are you wearing? shorts!
21. Your TV? distraction
22. Your pets? soft
23. Your computer? distraction
24. Your life? amazing
25. Your mood? upbeat
26. Missing someone? parents
27. Your car ? overused
28. Something you're not wearing? jewelry
29. Favorite store? Target
30. Your summer? anticipated
31. Like someone? children
32. Your favorite color? red
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? dunno
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)