Welcome to My World!

{lex's lethal luau}

2008-08-24T20:29:00.001-04:00

{its a blustery day, pooh!}

2008-08-22T12:53:00.002-04:00

holy cannelloni batman!! for the last 2 days it has been intensely windy and rainy, the wind gusts and rain have been very intense at times!! i am so over it, i can't even tell you! the kids are out of school, mark is out of work (yeah!), but i am working and i have decided to commission the bank to get windshield wipers for the drive-thru window... i can hardly see out of them. On the upside, we haven't lost electricity. Just a few little "brown outs" every now and then and believe it or not, but satellite has been great. That is still shocking to me because in Virginia if it even threatened a little rain, the satellite went out...and the electricity would go out on a perfectly beautiful day! I am loving the underground electricity, what an invention! well, we've got lots of party prepping for tonight. Mark and the kids are going to start making Lumpia today which I haven't made since we lived in Hawaii. Its a recipe that I got from a little phillipino lady at our church. i am kinda excited about it. Please Fay go away, you are not exactly helping with the whole luau theme of poor Lex's party.

{fay fay go away!}

2008-08-21T08:55:00.002-04:00

you are just irritating me TODAY!!

this stupid whatever system is really cramping my entire week!! the kids are out of school today, they called me into work to work a few hours today, i haven't gone to the grocery store for Lex's luau party because if we do loose electricity or have to postpone the party, i don't want a lot of food.....AAARGGHH!! Make up your mind you stupid storm.....you are just irrititating me today!

{squillen:party planner extraordinaire}

2008-08-19T22:47:00.003-04:00

so today was spent with my creatingpostitnotes.blogspot/2peas/scrappin/notabigfanofhobunk friend who has offered to help me out with Lex's party regarding the food and she is an awesome cake decorator to top it all off!! Her name is Suzanne, but her 2peas screen name is squillen, so we'll just go with that!! She came over to the house today to help with the menu planning and trying to figure out what kind of cake the pretty pretty princess wanted for her big 16! Its going to be fun, but funky ! Okay, so for those of you with no lives of your own that have been hanging on to the seats of your pants (what kind of saying is that? or is that the saying? its late and i'm wondering if i just made that up!).....Lex's luau party is a Lethal Dinner party luau, its a murder mystery dinner party where the kids dress up like certain characters and they will have lines and there is a CD and by the end of the evening, we will have a murderer on our hands (insert evil laugh). how fun is that?? especially if you know my drama queen!

Thanks Suzanne!! P.S. later in the evening, she dropped off one of her 2peas infamous cinnamon rolls and all i have to say is OMG Yummy!! And the muffin top is back!!! AARGGHH!!!

{gathering the spoils}

2008-08-18T12:46:00.004-04:00

yesterday was a day that started off kinda blah! i was still feeling well, kinda blah!! i had taken nyquil on Saturday night after a day of laying around with my body feeling like a big pile of poo, but my mind racing like mad with all of the things that i had intended to accomplish this weekend. Lex's birthday party is going to be on the 23rd and i have procrastinated on getting things together for it, some of it because i was waiting on the "party box" (i will blog more on that later...it is SSSSOOO exciting) and part of it was i was waiting until the 15th paycheck. But to wake up on the weekend that had a to-do list a mile long and not be able to get my groove on was disappointing for me..... Anyway, back to yesterday, after a sluggish waking up out of my nyquil induced coma (what a wonderful induced come it was i might add, i didn't even hear Markie snore once!), Lex and I headed out to find what we needed......Luau birthday party supplies...

Well, little do we know that apparently Luau is "seasonal" and Halloween is what its all about BABY! ! So, the pickens were slim, so we were faced with a dilemna, and decided to go a little different route. A more "authentic" Luau route, we got some bamboo disposable plates & utensils (how cool is that??) and I found some table top tiki torches, a bamboo table runner, coconut cups, umbrella straws and some lei's for all of the guests! The girl and I had a good time gathering the spoils for her party. I will blog more tomorrow about what her party is going to be, its not your typical luau.....i'm not your typical mom, she's not a typical 16 year old girl. its a luau with a "twist"!! i can hardly wait!

{like poo}

2008-08-16T10:21:00.002-04:00

i don't get sick often, i am usually one who goes full force 24/7 with the occassional headache, but i have the worst head cold, i just feel like poo!!! and honestly, i just don't have the time or the patience for this! i have so much to do this weekend. lex's big 16 is next weekend and i have so much to do this weekend and both kids have cheer and band crap all day today. Mark has been working a lot lately AGAIN and i hate putting that on him,but he worked all night last night and came home this AM and picked up both kids and took them to their perspective "events" at school. Please, oh please, let this medicine start kicking in so that I can re-energize and get moving and get what I need to get done.....don't you just hate feeling like poo!!!???

{laying low}

2008-08-14T08:26:00.003-04:00

as of late, we have just been laying low and not doing much of anything. the kids have been just doing their school thing. Action is getting excited about band and playing the sax next week. my cousin let us borrow her sax, which is in the shop having the cork repaired and he can't wait to get his grubby hands on it. lex in the meantime has gotten picked up for a lead in a play for her advanced drama class. she will be playing in some drama competitions this fall and also performing in the school play. she was very excited, it has some singing parts as well as acting... then of course, there's 24/7 cheer practice....

i have been scrapping and getting ready (in my head) for lex's 16th birthday... mark has been back to working his hiney off. we are just laying low here in snoozerville....and that's a wrap!

{4176 text messages}

2008-08-12T10:19:00.004-04:00

yep, you read right!! my child had 4176 text messages both incoming & outgoing in one month...mind you we haven't provided the pretty pretty princess with "unlimited" text messaging. We have generously provided her with unlimited verizon to verizon, which she has a lot of friends who have that and 1500 whoever texts....sounds rather generous wouldn't you think?? she has always stayed within her texts. We used to have a problem with her staying within her "alloted" shared minutes and we increased our family share plan, but I am NOT increasing her soon to "carpal tunnel of the thumbs texting disease just because i don't want to have a real conversation with someone" texting.....this texting is a huge rip off from the phone companies, they have sold the American youth a bill of goods, and we the parents have allowed it. We are the generation of parents that are good with "keeping up with the Jones'". Why didn't we say no, we are not putting on "the taco suit" so that you can become socially inept to deal with others, we are not going to allow the cell phone companies to financially drain us, the parents, so that you can add to the list of gadgets that you "have to have" on a cell phone. She's gone over, so my bill is WAY over what I would normally pay and if you think about it.....its a racket!! What does it cost the cell phone companies to allow text messaging??? Now the question is this? Will I allow the child to live? Cause right now, I just want to crown her and I don't mean queen for the day!! AAARGGHHH!!! Technology, some of it i wish had just stayed in some geeks stinken la la land......

{as susan powter would say!!}

2008-08-09T17:24:00.004-04:00

"Stop the Insanity!".....i know you remember this lady, she was a weight loss guru, i don't even know what "plan" she was peddeling back in the 80's, i guess i could "google" her, but truthfully..I don't want to. I just remember her infomercials, she had very short stick'em up bleach blonde hair and i think that she even shaved her head once, a little Brittney action was going on there. BUT this post isn't about weight loss, been there done that. This is about that screeching from my TV..."Stop the insanity" and there are times in my life where I feel like screaming that myself and this was one of those crazy weeks. While my Mom was here and I really enjoyed her visit, the kids were in their first week of school and the homework was just ridiculous and we we're getting up at not the crack of dawn, but the BUTT crack of dawn to get things rolling and just getting Action to school in the morning is an hour long process between driving, getting into the school, dropping off the kids and getting home. I am carpooling, but i did that on the days that i am not working and then pick-up is even worse. Some may say, there's the bus....this is middle school, the bus stop is a LLLOONG way from our house, the bus is way over crowded and the stories of fights, sex and videotape have been too much for a Mom of a "baby boy" to stand. Actually, I admit that i made up the videotape part, but maybe, it could happen!!! Lex on the other hand is practicing @ the school until late everyday or starting @ 6AM and then she has been bogged down with a ton of homework and its only the first week!! I miss my summer, not that we had lazy summer days, there was nothing lazy or relaxing about this last summer which kind of makes me sad, it came and went and knowing that we really only have one more summer with Lex before she goes off to college. Now, I'm just depressed.

{muffin top report}

2008-08-04T16:12:00.003-04:00

now i know that for the last week i have had a ton of you stalking my blog just waiting for this post! you've been clamouring on a daily basis to find out how the old "muffin top" is doing after my intentions for full battle were declared last week....well, today is YOUR LUCKY day!! The post is here, i did go to my meeting and was quite unimpressed with the charisma of it....loosing weight and the tricks of that trade are so exciting and you should be shouting it from the roof tops, not talk about it like its dull and dry and cannot be challenging and even fun. Did I just say fun, heck yes! For me, figuring out how to "beat" the system and eat and loose weight is almost like a game to me, it is fun! I want to go in there with guns blazing. The meeting though, is much more subdued, but I was quite the chatty cathy, my hand went flying up with every question, sometimes i was "overlooked", accidentally or on purpose....that is the question, but its neither here nor there. Little do they know, I am back and their little weight watcher meetings are going to be turned UPSIDE DOWN! I am figuring out how to beat the hunger pains and stay within my points just the same and they are gonna hear about it...

P.S. I have lost 4 lbs...........bye bye muffin top, unfortunatley, that's probably NOT where i actuallly lost it.

{back 2 skool blues}

2008-08-03T09:48:00.005-04:00

Friday was back 2 school, I still can't believe it! The week was a whirlwind and I thought that Friday was going to be INSANE! But it was smoother than I expected, I think partly because it was the FIRST day of school, both of the kids were up movin' & shakin' and we're ready to go on time!! That is not the norm for my kids, so we'll see how long it lasts! Action's teacher's seem like they are going to be awesome! I am super impressed, which is a far cry from last year so that is a relief and i think that he had a good day, minus the cafeteria food which was his biggest complaint of the day and it that's the biggest complaint then we are off to a rockin' start! Lex on the other hand when I talked to her, she said it was an awful first day of school. So, we will see. Her schedule the first semester is going to be so busy, she has drama competitions and cheer competitions that may collide!! cheer practice everyday......holy cow, i'm getting exhausted just thinking about it!!! at least this week, i go back to my regularly scheduled schedule and my Mom is coming to visit.....

{lu's nu do!}

2008-07-31T18:27:00.004-04:00

here's a pic of lex's (sometimes i call her Lu, don't ask me why) new hairdo. School starts tomorrow and the insanity of the week will end tomorrow! Thanks goodness!! We've got school supplies, open houses, and a few clothes for school. Today, she decided she wanted something totally different, no more blonde @ all!! She looks so different. She is so grown up looking. Tomorrow is the first day of school.....let the games begin!!

{toothpicks required}

2008-07-30T14:14:00.003-04:00

Holy Cow, I am pooped! I need toothpicks to prop my eyelids open! Mark has been working for weeks non-stop for 14 hour days, its the best shore duty EVAH!! I heart the Navy! Did you note the sarcasm in there?? I have not seen him, i think i saw him last night on the couch, but then again it could have been a delusion. I'm starting to miss that man of mine. The kids have had "stuff" going on for back to school which starts in 2 crazy days!! I've waited until the last minute to get school stuff/clothes/schedule changes and Lex has had all kinds of crazy cheer crap this week and 2 open houses....my full time schedule and i am just exhausted. i'm not sleeping and then i get to work and that's what i want to do, catch up on the zzz's. when is Saturday? Until then, no kicks & giggles if you see me with toothpicks propping up the ole' droopy lids.......

{day 2}

2008-07-29T10:46:00.002-04:00

i know i have said it before, but this time i really really mean it!! i am not going to loose this battle, i am a warrior princess and the battle of the muffin top is ON!! I started back on Weight Watcher's yesterday and my first meeting will be on Saturday.....my goal is 20 lbs... Luckily, i ran into my new neighbor, who i absolutely love. We have a lot in common, she's not a scrapbooker, but she is an incredible photographer and we just seem like we've got a lot in common (poor thing....) And my neighbor is going to do Weight Watchers with me, so hopefully that will be more of a motivation. I have started walking in the evenings what equals to be about 2 miles and i can feel it in in buttocks, which is great because i could definitely loose a little bit of that junk in the trunk!! Tighten those glutes!! I really didn't realize how much "junk in the trunk" i was getting until i tried on a cute pair of white crop pants in Virginia and WOW!! that said it all, it said "put these pants back on the rack girl and look for something in the black or denim department!" So far, I am not starving, I am doing okay on my "points", I have to keep telling myself that hunger pains are NOT death pains.....

{my movie reviews}

2008-07-26T20:55:00.003-04:00

it has been the craziest week....my kids and their friends have kept me going non-stop. not that we have been going anywhere, we did manage to check out a few movies. First of all, we did see The Dark Knight in IMAX and it was totally awesome....i took Lex and 2 of her friends with me and Action for what I thought was about a 45 minute drive just south of the border and it turned into quite a bit farther than that, but it was a lot of fun when we fianlly got there, the movie was definitely the best by far. Secondly, Action and I checked out "meet dave", the girls wanted to see "Mama Mia", but i had promised my Mom that i would see it with her and i have seen the broadway production and it was a little racey and so i thought i had to find something more "approriate" for my 11 year old boy and "meet Dave" ended up being really, really funn!! It sure beat that monkey/chimp movie he wanted to see. That was a good save! thanks Karen for the review, you saved me a snooze in the theatre!

Next week, stay tuned because it should be a ball of snoozerville's here in hobunk...i am working full time again while both of my kids are at home by themselves until school starts on Friday!! And then we start all over again....i'm not sure i'm ready for school...i don't feel like we've had a summer yet...do you know that i haven't even been to the pool yet?? i am such a white chick! (insert rolling eyes)

{no poop fests allowed}

2008-07-21T10:39:00.001-04:00

It may seem crude, but true....Its a day of "spare the square" @ my house today! Both Mark and i are at work all day with 3 kids at our house with one roll of TP which Mark discovered last night. i went grocery shopping at the world's most infuriating Wal Mart yesterday and spent a mega ton of dinero, but forgot the TP, what gives? So, i have been here and a little stressed about them over-using and there being a big "poop fest" and not enough squares to go around. i am a bit anxious to get out of here and swing by yet again another trip to the infuriating Wal Mart for a bulk sized package of Charmin for my darlings little derriere's.....uuggh!

{crushin' on little LuLu}

2008-07-20T15:16:00.005-04:00

okay, so my son is 11!! he has probably had crushes here and there, but none that he would ever discuss with me or has ever lead anyone that i know of to be aware of. But this child came back from his vacation with his Mimi & Papa and he has talked & talked & showed & showed this little prized posession trading card of this can-can dancer from Ghost Town named LuLu. He got her autograph, you would have thought that he was holding in his hand a autographed picture of Madonna. He says its his girlfriend. I know that I mentioned in a previous post that he wanted the picture of him & ALL of the can-can girls blown up to poster sized for his room. If you really look @ the picture, HE has the cheesiest grin on his face, its hillarious! This is a child that I can hardly get to smile these days in front of the camera, yet ear to ear that smile goes while surrounded by those long legged ladies. It totally cracks me up. My little man finally has a crush and amazinly enough its on a 20something can can girl from the wild wild west.......yee haw!

{full moons & the crazies are out}

2008-07-18T09:58:00.002-04:00

its been a weird little week in my world. i have been working all week in beautiful Fernandina and loving it, but every day something not quite right has happened which has given me the heebie jeebies and has left me wondering if we've had a full moon here lately?? i guess that i could research it or in the very least take a looksie out my window, but that would require more effort than i am willing to give at this point. So, i am going to assume by my experiences this week that there was indeed a full moon...

we have had computers go bizzerk, alarm systems with their very own agendas, some of our customers with certain oddball situations and last but not least we've had 2 crazies in here this week. One just a little charismatic that was in the bank and was actually fun to talk to and the other yesterday, completely certifiably off his rocker whack job one who flew over the cuckoo's nest nutcase! He was dressed in 2 women's flowery shirts, a shirt on his head (like Jesus), saying that he had his own "town" should go with him to "his town", he basically talked a lot of jibberish and as he finally left he said not to drink the water, he had the water of the Nile and it was the only safe water to drink. In all honesty, he scared me. about 15 minutes later, he was in the middle of the street yelling. We called the police and they said that they had already received a call and we're on their way, they approached him with a good bit of distance and I am assuming that they told him to leave, I locked the door of the bank and as he walked by, if looks could kill. So, its just been that kind of week....the crazies are out and i am blogging about it! Oh, just as I have been on this, my fellow teller-in-crime checked the whole moon thing, tonight is a full moon, so today should be pretty interesting!!! I'm not supersticious, but its a good thing its not the 13th......happy Friday!!

{the accidental cheer chick}

2008-07-17T11:43:00.002-04:00

oh lordy! my child!! i love that child of mine, but she is the most accidental prone child as of late that i have seen. i would like to say that she gets it honest, but honestly i think that she is just in her own little la la land and doesn't pay so much attention, either that or she has an unnatural attraction to gravity. last week, while visiting one of her BFF's in Charleston, SC she got in a big cupcake fight at her friend's sweet sixteen and she was the only one that ended up biting the pavement, so to speak, and ended up with some pretty major "boo boo's" on her arms and legs. She began cheer camp on Monday and she was sore, but being the go getter cheer chick, she managed. On Wednesday, they left to go out of town to finish up 4 more days of cheer camp with other high schools and she called last night to tell me that as she was getting off the bus, she fell out of the bus, and busted open her other knee and other arm and elbow. She said that she was so embarrassed and now she has matching band-aids and "boo boo's". What to do with that child of mine....?

{tea towels & school houses}

2008-07-16T09:04:00.005-04:00

i have been married for, um let's see.....18 years, yeah, i think that's it. Its been so long I am starting to loose track and I have to start counting on my fingers how long its been. But none the less, Mark still cracks me up with the different ways that we talk and the way we were raised. I am a Florida girl, he's a Kentucky boy. I was raised in a girlie house in the fact that it was 3 girls verses my Dad, who was always very respectful of us girls in the fact that he never cursed or burped or "tooted" in front of us and its not something that we discussed or became a topic of any conversation. Mark, on the other hand, was raised in a more formal house of beautiful antiques, china dishes, but with a brother and most of his life a single Mom. So, these topics seemed to be more of a "laughing matter" and a fact of life in his home, and i mean no disrespect in that, it just is what it is... But my language form is very laid back and not very articulate, some may call it southern (without an accent) and some may say informal, but again, it is what it is. I guess what sparked this little observation is that yesterday Mark said two things that had me teasing him, he was asking me about Lex going to the "school house", who calls it a school house? If we were in Little House in the Prarie times or lived in Amish country, I'd say yeah! School house it is, but this school is a monster. This school had nearly a thousand kids graduate last year. Later in the evening, he referred to a dish towel, yes a dish towel as a "tea towel"....there was no tea involved and a tea towel is something that Grannie embroidered with little pink flowers, am i right? We use dish towels for dirty dishes and dirty counter tops. Who says that? I just find it funny that even after being married for so long that he can say little quirky things that get me giggling and remind me that he is that Kentucky boy that I married and we are so different in more ways than one. i love my quirky talkin' Kentucky boy!!

{& so it begins....}

2008-07-14T15:40:00.003-04:00

last weekwas so laid back with the kids gone....the house never got messy, i didn't have any running around to do, no demands on me ,i could have walked around naked (not that I did, but I totally could have) and besides my normal 2 work days, it was easy sneazy. Then on Saturday, Action was back and on Sunday, I drove to Savannah to pick up Lex and we are back to an even crazier routine than usual. Lex came back with some pretty major 'boo boo's", she fell in the middle of the street, apparently there was some cupcake fight involved, trust me we don't really want or need to know the details. But she fell and skinned several parts of her body. So, she is sore, but cheerleading camp starts today, hard core cheerleading camp. Action is at home by himself as I write this and I think to myself.....please let him have brushed his teeth and not totally trashed the joint and watched so much Cartoon Network that his brain has turned to noodle mush. Mark and myself are working full time this week and I will actually be working out of town. So this week will be insane with everything and Lex's schedule. So, it begins.........

{Action's Back, now there's gonna be trouble!}

2008-07-12T23:24:00.006-04:00

my Action is back in town, he has been gone on a week long vacation with his Mimi & Papa in North Carolina hanging with Can-can girls, fighting on the wrong side of the "law", and whirlin' himself on coasters in GhostTown. He's been doing a little, train riding and tubing and taking nature walks with Papa.....Action has not been "home" in 4 weeks (yes, I said 4 weeks!!), he has pit stopped here for less than 24 hours twice in that timeframe and I have missed him so much and he has missed his neighborhood peeps AKA as kids in the hood . He can't wait to get out and hang with them and that just equals trouble with a capital "T", I say that in jest. i am just so glad to have him back at home, I know that the "kids in the hood" will be glad to have him back...

By the way, the picture of him & the Can Can girls, he is requesting that it be blown up to poster size and be put up in his room!!! He is a ladies man!!

{does my new banner rock or what?}

2008-07-12T01:38:00.002-04:00

i have been a scrappin' machine (check out all the new layouts on my slide...) this "kid free" week. I feel like i've gotten my MoJO back and my pages are pretty darn good, they definitely look better in "real scrap life" and in about 5 minutes, I threw together my new blog banner....Betty Blogger is rockin' in the banner department, yeah??? I hope you like it because truthfully i hated my other one, but never wanted to mess with it...have a great weekend, we are going to be busy receiving and retrieving our kids...its gonna be a long one..

{hancock}

2008-07-09T22:20:00.003-04:00

well, we finally got to our movie night. Mark and i went for a "night on the town". Woo-hoo, a little BBQ chicken, some Dollar Tree shoppin', and a movie. We are real party animals, yeah? Rock Stars we are, Nickelback's got not nothing on US!! Its the life! Anyway, all sarcasm aside, we did have a pretty good little date night. The whole Dollar Tree expereince with Mark, I truly could have skipped. It wasn't until tonight that I realized that I have never actually been to the Dollar Tree with Mark and I'm thinking that we should have kept it that way. He didn't want to be in there, he wanted to go, so what better way to torture me than to continually ask how much everything was. The funny thing is, he put more in the cart than I did. I went in looking for a chipboard book that Juliet had found in Virginia (they didn't have it), we walked out with grooming & back to school supplies by the truckload, but I lucked out with post it notes that say "the princess gets what the princess wants"....maybe that's what I should write all of my "honey do lists" on....

The movie of choice, "hancock". It was actually really good. Not thrilled with the language. Its one that Action won't be seeing anytime soon unfortunately. He had it on his list of summer must see's. But the language was a strong PG-13, which I don't know why they have to do that. It makes me crazy. Anyway, date night over and I am back to being "blogger betty" and he is watching "So you think you can dance" with that laughin heinia lady (she makes my skin crawl).

{& the stupid shall be punished}

2008-07-08T22:35:00.002-04:00

that's a favorite quote of Mark's and today I got what that actually meant....

being that i am kid free and Mark was working and its my day off, i decided that i would spend my day scrapping and catching up on my DVR'd "stories" (what is going on on All My Kids & GH??, I am so lost!!!!!!) Anyway, back to my stupid story, I am cropping away and I actually did one of my all time favorite pages (its Lorrie's 2006 Birthday page, I might add...its super cute!!) and decided a puncture wound to my knuckle was in order. How would scrapbooking cause such a wound you might ask??? You know those Stickles, I am lovin the Stickles on occassion when I decide my page needs a little extra bling. Well, this birthday page needed a little "something something", but the tube was clogged and what to shove into a little hole to unclog that would do the trick?? Why, a Cutterbee scissor or course!! Except for the fact that if you shove it hard enough it just might slip and dive into the hand holding the Stickles. The weird thing is that at first I thought, "wow, I'm not even going to bleed, its not that deep" and then after what seemed like a few minutes, not only did blood come gushing out but unbelievable pain filled my entire hand & up my arm. Did I just share too much? Anyway, enough with the blood and gore, after I got things under control and determined that I didn't need stitches (thank goodness because I wasn't prepared to go to the hospital....i hadn't straightened my hair today or put on any makeup...,but i did have on clean underwear) I realized how stupid of an idea it was to do what I did and I guess that's what I get and now my whole left knuckle hurts like a booger....

{fancy free}

2008-07-06T21:03:00.002-04:00

Markie Poo and I are fancy free and lovin our kid free week....well, so far just the first day of it. Our little Lex Lou Who is in Charleston with her gal pal, Ashley for the week. Action took off with his Mimi and Papa for a week in the hills of North Carolina for a week of tubing and riding trains and whatever it is that you do in the hills (I'm kind of a city girl so I have no clue). I am just hoping that at this point he doesn't come home with ticks. Although, he went to his Grannie and Pops house and worked in the barn cleaning horse stalls for a week and the child came home with horse cream that he insists on rubbing on his arms and legs not once, but twice a day. When he starts to grow a main (hey, no comments from the peanut gallery on that one) and starts saying "nay", we are going to have some issues. Anyway, I hope that both the kids are having great summer adventures while Mark and I are chillin' here.

We actually headed out to Jacksonville Landing, which we had heard was a hotspot. Its on the St John's River and has shops, entertainment, and dining. We got there and while it could be really cool, most of the shops were gone and there weren't that many restaraunts and no entertainment (at least in the middle of a Sunday afternoon). But we were looking for something as cheap as possible to do, so much going and traveling, camp, cheerleading this summer is taking its toll on us and we thought just walking around on the water would be nice on a not too hot summer day, but then the skies opened up and it started to pour. We did have a great time just checking everything out though. Now we are home and just enjoying our time together.....(who am I kidding??? Mark is playing WII and I am blogging and peaing!! Do we need some romance or what??) Tomorrow, I go back to work and Mark is actually going out of town for work, maybe we can squeeze in a movie this week. Any suggestions? Anyone seen Hancock?? Whats the real deal on that one??

My previous life AKA Virginia Vaca pics...

2008-07-03T21:36:00.003-04:00

{my previous life}

2008-07-03T20:07:00.005-04:00

a whirlwind, exhausting, fun, liberating, depressing, glimpse back into my previous life is complete which consisted of a quick trip back to Virginia. Virginia is where we moved from a year ago and some of my very closest friends AKA my "peeps" are there for all of us. Lex basically moved in with several of her friends and we basically didn't see her the entire time while Action hung out with the Q Crew and got to spend some time with some of my peeps little one's who aren't so little anymore. I was "on the go" so much i could not hardly catch my breath and I loved every minute of it!!! I got to spend so much time with everyone and we had so much fun. It went by too quickly...i got to spend some time scrapping at my favorite LSS. Also celebrated the store's 9th birthday.

I decided to do a slide show with me and my peeps "escapades" from my visit. I hope you enjoy and choose not to judge. We always have such a great time when we get together and there is always the possibility that a little silliness will break out....sorry, its a given that a little silliness will break out and what a better way to document that than with my camera...poses,deciding we are all old and need grannie glasses, margaritas even for those "lightweights", disney parties for a 40 year old man who actually liked his disney princess pez dispenser gag gift, brunches that include "thong" talk and a variety of bagels and cream cheese, shopping, cropping, a Water Country moment that I would like to remove from my memory and Maggie Moo's 2 nights in a row!

thanks for the good times...my gangsta scrappin' peeps and that includes you tonton!

i have officially donated enough money to the oil companies, speculator's and the saudi's for the rest of the summer and will no longer be traveling again for quite some time. I am elated not to pull up to a pump and watch my child's college fund go into the tank, at least for quite some time....i am waiting to receive my certificate of appreciation in the mail any time now....does anyone read farsi, arabic, or greed??

{a project & a pea}

2008-06-22T17:51:00.006-04:00

the most laid back weekend in forever...to the point where i started to go a little stir crazy, but i can't spend any money because we (the kids and I) are leaving for Virginia in a few days and i need as much of the green stuff for the oily stuff as i can get. i've had a major project on hold since i've moved into the house a year ago and finally got it complete. i had the pictures and the plan, i had the paper, but changed my mind after Basic Grey's Boxer line came out. Ooooh lala! it was so pretty and it went really well in my house. Anyway, as you can tell in the pics. i put these LO's on canvas and modpodged over them, therefore sealing them and hung them in a long hall way in my house, hanging them from black ribbon. They spell out life. I love the way that they look and i had a ton of fun doing them and so glad that they are complete...whoo hoo!

And I cannot NOT post about my night last night, my sweet Olympic, Nascar watching husband was making me crazy watching TV last night. I was so bored out of my skull that I was on the message boards on 2peas (I had scrapped until i thought my brains were going to come out of my eyeballs) and while things were getting a little insanely silly on the NSBR boards, my little friend down the road whose blog that I stalk http://www.creatingpostitnotes.blogspot.com/ (its a cooking blog) because I actually use a lot of the recipes from it. Anyway, she got on 2peas we started chatting back and forth ended up meeting for the 9:45 showing of "Get Smart" which was an unexpected surprise and a lot of fun. Unfortunately, they are moving in a few months. Such a bummer and becoming the story of my life. Anyway, we had a good time and the movie was a hoot.

{rah! rah!..its Saturday!}

2008-06-21T15:51:00.006-04:00

this week has gone by in a whirlwind of sheer craziness! Action has been at his Grannies and Pops in Kentucky, so its been very quiet on that front and trust me, that has been like a week at the spa for me....Lex has spent the week at Cheer Camp, but its been day camp and so she's been gone during the day and whiney at night. I have been back to my normal work schedule of Monday and Friday, so my 3 days off were fantastic. I got a huge project done that i will post tomorrow. I got some scrapping done. I rearranged my house, cleaned, did laundry, ran errands, grocery shopped and am starting to recover from all of the travel. I am excited that I also met my new neighbor that moved into my Peachy Pal's house (who i still miss since she had to move to the land of sushi). Anyway, back to my new neighbor, she is a photographer and she is fantastic. I talked with her a long time and she is a lot of fun!! I like fun people. Finding fun people here in hobunk has been quite the challenge. She is not from here, they just moved here and so maybe that's the key. Anyway, I am so very excited to get to know her better. We are considering setting up a bunco group here in the neighborhood. I will say, I love all of my neighbors. They are great, I love my neighborhood. If anyone ever moves here, they are crazy if they move anywhere, but this neighborhood. On tap for today, was Lex's last day of Cheer Camp which the parents could go to and see the routine that they had come up with last week. The girls did a great job, but there's still a lot of progress to take place. I am really excited being an 80's music junkie, but their entire competition routines are based on Michael Jackson songs, you know, before he was a freak and was still cool.

the rest of the day, we are chillin' and waiting for lex's boyfriend to come over, she hasn't seen him since we went to EPCOT. He has been on restriction for most of the summer for a bad grade on his report card. I am hoping that he'll still be able to come over. Enjoy your weekend!!!

{slimy nasty creepy crawly snake story}

2008-06-19T21:53:00.003-04:00

I am not much of a reptile person, actually I don't like turtles, snails, frogs (well, we have two African water frogs that I am so afraid to touch), but snakes....I hate snakes, they give me the heebie jeebies. When I was growing up in Orlando, I remember 2 encounters with snakes as a child. The one that I remember the most, and I was quite young (maybe 7 years old) was when we came home and a coral snake was in our house. Actually, in mine and my sister's bedroom. If you know anything about coral snake's they are highly poisonous. I remember my Dad trying to kill the snake while my sister and i sat on the living room couch and my Mother went and got a gun that I didn't even know that we owned. My father yelling at her to put the gun away, he was trying to kill the snake another way. Then my Dad put that snake in a jar with phemaldahyde and sat it on his work desk for years. I now think back on that and think how gross! Why would he do that. Who knows, my Dad is a nut. Secondly, we had a enormous black snake that hung out in our back yard. With our house backing up to the woods, this was not unusual and it lived there for years. My Dad would not kill it because he said that it killed everything else that we didn't want like rodents, etc. That was fine and dandy until we got pet rabbits. Well, you know how that goes. The snake never hurt the rabbits, but I always worried that I would go outside and see half my "Mr. Whiskers" hanging out of that big black snake's mouth.

Now, my next encounter was a few nights ago and it still gives me the heebies just thinking about it. I was walking home in the dusk by myself in my neighborhood. I was walking at a pretty good pace and I looked down right under the street light and saw that less than a foot in front of me was a rattle snake with his tail up and his head bobbing at me. He was quite defensive. It scared the pee out of me! Obviously, I ran home. I am not a "runner", but I may have it in me after all. I told my husband about the snake and he put on his flip flops (not such a smart choice, I thought, but that's just me!) and he got a ho (a GARDEN ho) and off we went. I figured that slimey nasty little booger would have taken off after his encounter with me. But no, he was in the same place and he fought Mark to the death, he put his tail up and was striking. Truth be told, I am so glad that my son is not out and about playing like he normally would be because they are obviously out there. By the next morning, the birds had picked his bones...Anyway, that is my slimey nasty creepy crawly snake story. Sleep well and watch where you step!

{the bomb, mia, rockstars, & rattlers}

2008-06-18T19:58:00.004-04:00

Okay, rockstars we are not, but party animals....maybe! I get that I haven't blogged in awhile and I wasn't supposed to blog while on vacation, but my FIL had wireless and I had some time in the evening. Who knew! So, I will catch up on the last almost a week now (OMG, I have been zooming!) We went to Atlanta last Friday, on the road again with some MapQuest directions that were the bomb (yes, I know its no longer "cool" to say that, but I'm old so its okay) and we got there and then sat for hours in Atlanta traffic. We got Action from camp, who absolutely loved it by the way!!! If anyone is looking for a week long camp to send their child this is the "bomb" (yes, I said it again!!). I didn't mention it prior him going to camp because well, hello, this is the world wide web and I didn't really want to broadcast where my "little ray of sonshine" was located without his "mommy" for an entire week. So, anyway, he went to Camp Woodlands in Cleveland, Georgia. Its a Christian camp with a lot of outdoor activities including zip lining, jet skiing, the big pillow thing in the middle of the lake (i can't remember what that is called), plus a ton of other activities. He loved it!

On Saturday, Mark, Lex, & I went to one (if not the BEST) Broadway show that i have ever seen....Mamma Mia. Lion King was at the top and it might have just gotten kicked out of first place with this hit! If you get the opportunity to see this, I was laughing my butt of the entire time and we had killer seats, practically wiping the actors sweat off of us, he he he. It was so much fun!! The highlight was in our efforts to avoid the masses after the play and make it back to the subway, in turn we ran into all of the actors coming out from backstage and Lex got their autographs and talked with her. They were awesome and so nice. The main characters really were super. Later that night, we totally rocked out at Mark's Aunt Kate's birthday party (the whole reason for heading to Atlanta). Her DJ and the "entertainment" portion of the evening was so very much fun!!! I danced like a maniac and so did Lex, I think that even Mark broke a sweat...

Wow! What a long post...I won't go on with the rest of the week..I guess that makes you a bunch of loosers!! My week includes my personal encounter with a rattlesnake by myself at night. I will post about that tomorrow. I have just been so busy having a life here as of late. All in all our vacation was great, on the road a lot, really broke and our Action stayed with Mark's parents to work with his Grandpa cleaning the horse stables (he loves it, its great character building), so its been quiet around here without our "sexybeast"Axe wearing dude.

{the babies}

2008-06-13T20:20:00.004-04:00

we've got new babies in the family. i love babies. Mark's brother's wife and Mark's sister both had babies within a few weeks of each other and so it was great to get to see them while visiting in Kentucky. They are both beautiful and will probably be thick as thieves growing up because they are so close in age, that in itself is a wonderful thing. Thursday was just a great day visiting with family and snuggling with babies.......

{vino}

2008-06-12T23:04:00.006-04:00

an afternoon spent at a vineyard here in Kentucky. Funny, you don't think of Kentucky as wine country, but there are a few wine fields and even though Kentucky is horse country, it is absolutely beautiful. If you have never gotten a chance to visit, you definitely should, you won't be sorry. I also noticed that there are some beautiful wine fields and chateu's near Atlanta. I think that Napa Valley may have a little East Coast competition if this trend continues. The vineyard that we visited wasn't very big, it was quite the Mom & Pop operation, but we really enjoyed the wine tasting and the wine was very good. We bought several to take home and several for Mark's aunt whose birthday is this weekend. The vineyard also had a place where they had Shakespear in the park type of plays, you can bring your own picnics and watch plays in the evenings in a park like setting, but its "terraced" so most people could see. I just loved it, maybe one day we can get back and see the play.

We then headed back to my SIL's house for dinner , margaritas and diggin' in dirt. Well, my little nephew did the dirt diggin' and the adult's delighted in the margaritas and played a few games of "Apples to Apples", which is a lot of fun. Its the firt time that I've played that game, but its one I might pick up for future "adult" parties.

{year of the locust}

2008-06-11T22:00:00.007-04:00

Believe it or not, but these are DEAD,
these are the shells of the locust.eeww.

We are in Kentucky, we finally made it. We are writing our thank you cards to google maps and yahoo maps as we speak....LOL!! We came during a huge locust break out.. Appparently, approx. every 15 years there is a big swarm of them that come up from the ground....biblical porportions and they have just taken over. They die and leave their entire shell just wherever, on trees, on plants, on whereever they may be. They make a horrible crickety noise, but if one gets upset and gets stuck in the car with you (guess how I know this), they make a horrible screatching noise. No wonder the Egyptians hated them so much, they are freaky!! On the other hand, they have started to thin out somewhat. My in-laws said that you literally had to run in from your car to your house and check yourself to make sure that you weren't taking any of them in with you. My little 23 month old nephew on the other hand thought that they were so coooll.... He loved picking at the dead one's and hoping that the live one's would get on his stick. Oh, to be young and nieve again. Pops (my FIL) took him outside and let him play in the creek behind their house. It was great to just spend the day with everyone and some downtime with my SIL and my nephew. Its great to see how much he's grown and how much he's talking now. He can say so much its amazing. And he's smart as a whip, I just loved playing with him...

{yahoo....my butt!}

2008-06-10T21:49:00.005-04:00

well, the good news is that Action is @ camp, the bad news is that we spent hours in a tiny town trying to find it. We used Yahoo map directions and they were so wrong that we barely got out of my cousins driveway before things went terribly awry. The camp is 45 minutes from my cousins house, but it took us 2 hours until we pulled up to the camp... We kept stopping in this little tinytown asking for directions to this very well known, or so we thought camp, and we kept getting the craziest directions and the locals totally acted like they knew exactly where this place was and we would follow the directions and they were totally wacked! Finally, we found a place that had a map of the area and it was the simplest one turn off the main road to find. Seriously, I was nearly in tears by the time that we got there. I was ready to mow over a stinken cow, I just didn't care at that point. Mark said that he felt like we we're in the town of Deliverance..(can you hear the banjos??) I think its time for a GPS and then up the road for 2 hours on a very, very curvy thru the mountains, one right after the other no-man's land highway until we finally hit the main highway on our way to Kentucky. But we finally made it and all is good.

Action and his cousin are at a camp that has a ton to do and I am so excited for them because it is going to be such a great experience for them both, but in the same instance I am more worried than I ever imagined that i would be. I have several times today wondered what he was doing, wondering if was a good enough swimmer, wondering if the other boys were going to be nice to him. I need to cut the apron strings, but it won't matter how old my boy is, he will always be my baby. He will always be that little boy that loved Pooh Bear and would not go to sleep until I rocked him. He will always be that little boy that would sneak lollipops and try to convince me that the reason that they had "changed colors" is because the more you lick them the colors change. And I am still wondering if he's brushing his teeth and now I've added washing the lake water out of his hair...

{madison,braves, & the cousins]

2008-06-08T23:12:00.014-04:00

on the road we are....and having a blast. we got off yesterday to quite a late start, but decided to take a side trip which was a little more scenic. my mom had told me about the town of madison, ga, which is the town that sherman refused to burn during the civil war. Sherman was childhood friends with the mayor of the town's brother and they had come to a gentleman's agreement that he wouldn't burn the town after burnind down Atlanta on his march to Charleston. So, the town is absolutely beautiful and quaint and full of antebellam homes, i got quite a few pictures, including a beautiful "gingerbread" house and when I say gingerbread house, i am referring to the incredible trim work done on the house. After visiting madison, we made it to my cousins house and we have just had the best visit. we made a last minute decision to go to an Atlanta Braves game today and it was so much fun!! The Braves played the Phillies and lost in the 9th inning which totally stunk, but it made for an exciting game. It was 110 degrees in the shade, well, not in the shade which is where our seats were. We got so lucky, we bought these package tickets which included parking, program, hot dogs, drink, and seats for one really good price. After getting there we realized that our seats we're most excellent! We had air conditioned seating and private restaraunts and stuff right behind our seats which were completely shaded, i didn't even break a sweat!! The kids had a great time together and at the end, they ran the bases and got limited edition bats made by Home Depot. how fun is that? i am loving that the cousins have had this time together and i have had this time with my cousin that i don't get very often. tomorrow we are off to take action & Jay to camp. i hope that they brush their teeth.....

{TGIF & hasta la vista!}

2008-06-06T12:51:00.005-04:00

Thank Goodness Its Friday!! And we hit the road for our vacation tomorrow! This week has been so incredibly busy and not the fun busy that I like, but I have just had the best "time" with my kids. I usually get on here and tell you how much I want the beatings to begin, but it has been quite a pleasant week. I think part of it, at least for the moment, is Action is starting to mature a bit. Or maybe its because the beatings are starting to work, just kidding. We head out tomorrow to Atlanta to see my cousin, pick up her son and take him and Action for their week at camp. In the meantime, the rest of us are going to Kentucky, whoo-hoo!! We have not been back to Mark's hometown for nearly 2 years. It is unbelievable. We are very excited because both Mark's brother and Mark's sister have had babies in the last few months (actually his sister is having her's today.....and its going to be a girl...I love baby girls!) Then back to Atlanta to pick up Action and attend a birthday party with some of Mark's relatives that the kids haven't seen in 8 years or so. We are really looking forward to it, so if my posts are sketchy or just not here in the next week, that's why! But I will post pics etc. when I return.

Regarding Lex's moles, she is doing okay, they actually biopsied one of them. They think its okay, but it was a little "suspicious". Mark's toe curling boo boo is still hurting, but healing. I know that some of you have asked about him and I so appreciate it and i know that he does too. Poor guy, its been a week for him. Lots on his work front, he is really needing and looking forward to this time away more than most know. Have a great weekend everyone...

{holy moley!}

2008-06-04T23:03:00.003-04:00

it has been the busiest last few days!!! there has not been time to get my head together to do any posting. We have been busy getting stuff together for Action to go away to camp next week. He is very excited, he is going to go "away" to camp with his cousin that is his age and loves to hang out with, but they don't usually get to spend a lot of time together because we don't see him very much. His mother is my first cousin and we we're super close as kids and teenagers and it really makes me sad that our boys don't really even know each other when we we're two peas in a pod growing up. The boys will hopefully get to know each other well and even more so they will LIKE each other by the end of next week while they are away at camp.

On the other hand, I have spent most of my time running, running, running and I would love to say in my Nike's on the road, loosing weight for the next marathon, BUT in reality it has been in my car to the doctor's office, school's, post office's...Ugh! Both kids and I have had a ton of doctor appointments this week. Action had a ton of shots that had to be done, I had some "catch up" stuff, and Lex has some mole's that need to be removed and that is actually being done TODAY in about an hour. Holy moley, the poor kid has quite a few mole's and 2 that are just in really bad places and one that has gotten really big. Neither one is pre-cancerous or anything like that, but the doctor thinks that it should be taken off. So, I've got one on Tylenol because of all of his shots, the other that will probably be on Tylenol in a few hours on the couch and I will be whizzing thru the house mad dashing cleaning and doing laundry because I have to go back to work tomorrow which might be a relief from the last few days! NOT! Even with all of the insanity of the last few days of being so busy, I love it. I love being a Mom, i love being with my kids.

{pickin' boogers & toe curling boo boo's}

2008-06-02T10:30:00.004-04:00

Kickin' off the weekend on one of the hottest day's of 2008 with a project of finishing up painting the back room of the house. I am usually the paint supervisor because Mark doesn't like me to paint, I'm not sure why. I know that when I did a wall in my scrapbook/den room that was chocolate brown it came out drippy, but honestly it was the paint. This weekend Mark had to go into work and we had one roller left and just a few walls, he had done the "cutting" in and I said that I've got to finish it up and he reluctantly agreed, and woo-hoo i was in, but boy oh boy, I am out of shape because I am sore again today (after 2 days). The only thing that i had a huge irritation with is the paint boogers that would come onto the wall that i would have to pick off, what causes those? Mark said it was the tray, but I just couldn't figure out how a tray would cause big globby boogers to come onto the wall when painting.

And then for the boo-boo portion of the weekend, poor Markie poo..... he fell off of his bike and has the biggest toe curling bruises to prove it. He went to the doc this AM and spent the biggest portion of his morning to find out that he has deeeply bruised ribs, gave him Tylenol, Tylenol 4, and sent him back to work. He has been moaning in pain for 2 days. Poor guy, hopefully he starts to heal soon..

{butch up, nancy!}

2008-05-31T11:08:00.004-04:00

Okay, we've got one week of summer vaca down and how many to go before school starts again??? No, I'm just kidding. Summer is actually my absolute favorite time of year, i love it and hopefully this summer is no exception. The kids we're out of school this past week while I worked a full time schedule which we haven't done since Action was born.....well, ever! Action was home by himself and lex taught Kids Cheer Camp all day (she worked her hiney off), so, we had some issues that we are working on with Action. Coming home @ 5:30 to Action still in his jommies with his brain wigging out to video games and mind numbing Nickelodeon shows, eating Pringles with that glazed look in his eyes wasn't going to fly after day 1. He was going to have chores to keep his happy hiney busy, including things that are normally out of his "comfort" zone and we found that made one un-happy kid, especially when the realization of "poop patrol" was an everyday chore for him came to light. He hates that and usually does a crappy job (I know that there's a joke in there somewhere!) Oh well!! I have no sympathy. As Mark would say, "butch up nancy!" So, I have felt like every night that I have come home it was "lecture" time because I've just decided, (clear throat....Mark and I have decided) that we are going to start ruling with more of an iron fist regarding the help around the house from the kids and not only the quantity, but the quality. I hate this part of parenting, its just no fun, but has to be done...have a great weekend!! we've got lots on our agenda...

{one silly political kung fu fighter}

2008-05-29T13:07:00.003-04:00

Okay, so my post yesterday was quite silly! In my defense, I was @ work all day and had only 17 customers and thought that I was going to loose my mind. I am not a big fan of boredom. Today, not too busy either, if someone would give me some tennies and a kickboxing instructor, I am in the mood to do some Kung Fu Fighting, don't ask me why. I just have a lot of pent up energy. The sad thing is that by the time I get home, my energy seems to have escaped me and I am one pooped out Mom.

okay, back to the silly post, while OBVIOUSLY cute/strappy/stylish/comfortable shoes are not going to solve our gas crisis. I really do believe even just the "threat" of discontinuing our own self induced moritorium on drilling in the Atlantic/Pacific/Alaska would have the Saudi's peeing in their pants (if they actually wear pants under those robes) and that may even be enough to get a little relief. There I got all political. Just call me O'Reilly!!!

{my epiphany}

2008-05-28T14:56:00.003-04:00

I have pondered the great depths of my mind the last few days while I stare out my teller window on the great and sophisticated ways that as a country that this mind numbing crisis that stares us down could be resolved in a manner that would free us of how these insanely, ungoldly, indescribably ridiculous, money gouging, oil rich countries control us and are probably having secret, laughing their butts off at us meetings, and while I am actually quite politically minded. (please never get in a political debate with me, you WILL loose!)...other than to suggest and I actually do recommend the highly controversial, to heck with the cariboo...start killing the trees...and pull out the drills in Alaska, I do not believe that there really is any other solution. BUT this...(this is purely comical because honestly, I cannot get all "political" on my blog), I think that it is time that we start to make and invest on really cute and comfy shoes and we start walking and boycotting those oil rich countries. This is the deal with shoes, if they are cute, they aren't generally comfortable. If they're comfortable, they look like you should be working in a hospital. What is up with that? I came to this "epiphany" today while wearing the cutest shoes that I think I have worn to date (got a great deal on them @ Dillards, practically gave them away!). Not only are these shoes just the cutest, but they are the comfiest things I have ever worn! They are Naturalizers...why can't all cute shoes be this comfy. I would walk a lot more, I would walk across the parking lot to get my lunch verses drive. There ya go, gas saved right there!! If we as a nation stood up and bought shoes that we're comfy and we didn't have to give up style, how much gas would be saved, how much money would the oil rich countries loose? Would they still gather in their secret rooms and laugh at us behind our backs then? Or would we become the country that "told them" with our stylish "on the go", in your face shoes? I ask you America? What say you?

{$4.00 a gallon}

2008-05-26T21:11:00.009-04:00

Even though gas is $4 a gallon ALMOST..... we still headed down to Orlando one last time before we are blacked out with our Disney passes and even so, its too hot to go during the summer. Those that go during the summer are nutso! Mark really wanted to go down to see his guy pal, Big Al (the kids and I call him Big Owl becuase that's what Action called him when he was little) and Mark had no to desire to go the EPCOT flower and garden expo, but I have always wanted to go and so did my Mom. Lex invited her boyfriend along and i truthfully thought that it might be a little odd and wasn't sure that i wasn't regretting it about 5 seconds after she said that his parents okay'd it. i really though that we should maybe "uninvite" him. But he is such a great kid and very polite and "real" with us. He's no Eddie Haskell or anything (oh, for those of you who are too young to know who Eddie Haskell is he was a suck up kid from a show in the 50's). He gelled great the whole trip with us and my parents. On Saturday, the "boys" went airboating and checked out gators and played with big fat pigs and long slimey snakes and ate gator and frog legs. I must admit that I'm sorry that the "girls" missed out on that little extraganza...NOT! We decided to do a little shoppping, lunch and a movie. You know, typical girlie stuff. All in all our weekend was pretty busy, but a lot of fun. Glad to be home, but we have a very busy week this week, I will be working full time all week this week. So, my blogging may be sparse and it may be pretty boring. Although, sitting there day after day doing credits and debits, I may, I just may get a great epiphany that I will be happy to share with you.....Maybe I will discover how to fix the energy crisis, aaahhh...that is what I will ponder this week.

{thoughtful thursday}

2008-05-22T19:10:00.002-04:00

thursday is coming to a close and i titled this thoughtful, but truth be told its more melancholy. its been a really rough day for me. i don't like to talk about a lot of things that are hard or might be depressing, but i have really been struggling with a one year anniversary of a death of a very good friend of mine, she died of ovarian cancer. Our family just recently remembered a close family member on a 2 year anniversary of his death. Both of these people were very young and their deaths still seem so unreal to me sometimes. And today I started out scrapbooking a little bit and decided I was going to scrapbook a page that i keep putting back in my bucket of New Year's 2006 because it was the last time that we saw our family member and everyone was so happy and I just haven't been able to do it without getting upset. But I wanted to scrap it because I want to remember the good times and have them as keepsakes. Well, I also get a call from my friend who died husband. I haven't talked to him since a few weeks after she died. I had called several times and writtten a few notes, but I had not heard back from him. I think about them all the time and have worried about how they are doing. My friend had 3 children. But I talked to him for nearly 2 hours and it was really great to talk to him, they are doing okay. Its been a rough year and he told me some things that had happened that we're upsetting. But he would like for the kids to come stay with me for a few days over the summer, one of the things that my friend wanted to accomplish before she died was get her pictures in order and organize them in albums (they are in tubs), but that didn't happen and just recently their middle daughter has tried to scrap some of them and needs some help and he has asked me to help get those pics in order because he is at oddds as to what to do. Anyway, all of this has just gotten me in a state of melancholy and thinking about a lot of things today. Mostly just sad. But very glad to hear from him and glad to hear that they are all doing okay.

{1 wild wednesday}

2008-05-21T20:09:00.003-04:00

it has been one freaky deaky wild wednesday!! my day started off quite boring, not unlike most of my days, but i got a call from a friend of mine that i haven't seen in quite awhile and asked me if i wanted to hit a scrapbook store in jax and maybe "do" lunch & shop. Well, heck yes!! It took me all of 5 seconds to come up with that answer! So, I was outta here like a bat out of....well you know the rest!!

We hit the scrap store, we enjoyed a scrumpdilicious lunch and some shopping and began to head back to town only to discover that traffic is stopped and people are turning around in the median to to go the other way, even a school bus did this and got totally stuck and I mean it was STUCK!(what an idiot, right?) We thought that maybe it was an accident up ahead and we just had to wait it out because this is the only way that we knew how to get home from Jax, we had to go over this big honkin' bridge. As we got closer, we realized that everything was closed, they diverted us off the highway onto some road with no detour, no further directions, nada! We had no clue as to where we we're and there we're cops everywhere! It was really kind of freaky! (If it was Friday, I would have titled this Freaky Friday, he! he!) I'm thinking that this would be a really great time for a GPS! My friend made a phone call to see if there was anything on the news to find out what the hey....AND come to find out there was a Jumper on the bridge that they we're trying to talk down. He had climbed up on some scaffoling. Now, mind you this happened during rush hour last week on the same bridge. What is the deal? Our only stress reliever: making really bad jokes.

We toured all thru Jacksonville with a million other commuter's, who at least probably KNEW where they were going, trying to figure out how to get home. AND 2.5 hours later, I arrived home to my humble abode where I was greeted by not only my hounds AKA "the welcome wagon", but 2 kids who we're too interested in their movie to notice that i walked in the door. its just been a wild day.

{trombone tuesday}

2008-05-20T18:46:00.004-04:00

i thought it might be fun to title my blogs this week with titles that include the day of the week, you know kinda like day of the week underwear, except my blog....

Action is joining the band next year in Middle School, so we went up to the school so that he could pick an instrament and give them a whirl and see what suited him. he wanted to be "percussion" which is drums and i thought "oh lordy lordy", but the band director said that she only picks 5 people to do this, so she gives him a test run. Here's my sweet little boy, he was so serious about this and was trying so hard to impress her, but he didn't quite have the coordination. She commented on his long fingers (he gets that from me!) and his lips and said that she thought that he would be good on the sax. So, he went out and gave it a whirl and truth be told, I was prepared to plug my ears because he has never touched an instrament before and I just knew that it couldn't be good, but i was pleasantly surprised. It was really nice, it sounded great. Maybe it was a fluke (I said fluke, not flute....that was a joke), but he rocked!! The band instructor said that he hit notes that she's been teaching kids for 3 years that haven't been able to get. Mark and I were pretty proud. I know that I titled my post "trombone tuesday" and well, the moral of the story is don't always believe what you read. I only did that because sax didn't start with a "T", but its close enough in the instrament category, don't ya think? I am hoping that he is a mozart in his field, praying that he has the gift because I'm not sure that the bassett will not be howling, the neighbors complaining, and enough xanax for me in the world if he's not!!

{monday madness}

2008-05-19T13:34:00.009-04:00

Its Monday and its hot (a toasty 92 degrees) and beautiful and I am at work and thinking that this is my last crazy, maddening Monday before my kids are out of school! Next week, they will probably still be snoozing and I will be able to roll out of bed, brew my cup-o-joe, take a leisurely shower without anyone banging on my door tattling on each other, i can actually maybe even eat breakfast andI won't get heartburn yelling :" eat some breakfast, brush your teeth, change your clothes..you wore those yesterday (this is actually quite common, believe it or NOT!), brush your teeth again (actually this is said a few times and whether by the time we leave it is accomplished or not is debateable), let's go, let's go, let's go, no its his/her turn to sit in the front seat". Those are the general angst of every single morning that i have to work causing the maddening days where I feel like I need to pull my eyes out of their sockets to relieve the stress.

Then the days that I don't work will become the days that I will hear the daily quote from my children of, "i'm bored." Well, I saw a post on 2peas and i loved it, laughed my hiney off, its a little quote that I have memorized and plan on using when I get that irritating little quip of "I'm bored", here it goes..."i am not a cruise director, but I can be a slave driver and find you something to do if you mention it again, your choice." I love it, I'm the Mom!!!

If your stopping in my blog from stampinwhenican.blogspot.com, stop by and say Hello!!

{crime & punishment}

2008-05-16T13:24:00.005-04:00

Post Disclaimer: the information within is based on true facts, but the names and the situation have been witheld to protect the innocent as well as the guilty.

With that being said, here's my rant of the day or maybe should I say thought. Yesterday it would have been a rant, therefore I chose not to post at all. One of my children did something that was wrong and it was wrong towards me as well. So, Mark and I decided that the punishment would be grounding for the weekend. We decided this knowing that this weekend is huge. A huge event that this "child" has been looking forward to, planning for, and non-stop talking about for awhile now with a best friend. But the "wrong" was quite thoughtless and selfish and just plain, well you get it....wrong. So, that is the punishment we decided on, but the "punishment guilt" is getting to me. I know if you are a Mom, you know exactly what I am talking about..."the punishment guilt" is what you get when you issue a punishment for a "crime" and then start re-thinking it, but now its out there!! Its out there! Its said, its done and if you un-do it! They won't respect you and truth be told, this child desperves the "punishment". But you truly do feel sorry when you know how much they would have really enjoyed this event and how much they were looking forward to it. It makes you crazy, we love our kids and don't want to have to do these things, but know that these are necessary growing pains. Mark was so hard core about it and then last night, he comes to me and says that he's re-thinking it. Well, too bad! Its out there, no going back, right!!?? No going back, walking the green mile..........

{good n clean in snoozerville}

2008-05-14T18:43:00.002-04:00

well, its just been one of those days. one of those days where i find that its just gone and nothing has been accomplished that i wanted or intended to accomplish and that just makes me tired. i had a carpet cleaner guy come out to clean these yucky carpets today, and they still aren't completely dry. he went ahead and "scotchguarded" them. What the heck that means we'll see with time AND dog barf, soccer cleats, dirty feet, and smelly kids. But he said that is what is going to take so long to dry. But this LLLLOOOONNNGGGG? Its nearly 7PM and they are still damp, I still hate to put stuff back into my house from the back porch and off the beds and the hallways. Question: when is it dry enough?? Poor Coopy has been in his kennel for a good chunk of the day because every time I let him out, he wants to wallow on the damp floor, what a ding-a-ling!!

With my realization that it was going to take forever to dry, I scooted out the door to hunt down a scrapbook store that I had heard thru the grapevine that was 25 minutes or so down the highway, then as i am leaving my neighborhood, I noticed that gas had gone up again 10 cents....10 cents, did you notice i had to write that twice. When does it stop?? Where does the gas insanity start to make people wake up and smell the coffee?? So, I turned my happy little hiney back home and sat on the couch and ate M&M's and watched my tivo'd "stories". Not because I wanted to, oh no!! I wanted to be out checking out the latest and the greatest scrap crap, but I am also tired of making the oil companies rich. So, there! They are less rich today and I am probably fatter! But eventually my carpets will be dry and my snoozerville life will at least be clean! But tomorrow.....I SCRAP!!

{hobunk's got a hot spot!}

2008-05-13T17:48:00.003-04:00

Hobunk's got a hot spot, baby!! yeah you heard me right!!! As most of you know Ihave a few little issues with our small town that I have lovingly referred to as "hobunk" and one of the reasons is that there is no place to go out eat where the service is good, the food is priced well, there isn't a drive thru or a big buffet in the middle of the restaraunt.....Well, we had heard thru the grapevine that there was a new mexican restaraunt (which is my favorite food!!) that had opened which was a small chain and it was ACTUALLY really good!!! Well, I had heard all of this before and disappointments always ensued.... Do not get me wrong, we don't go out to eat a lot, but when we would like to have a nice night out, hittin' the road down to Jax when gas has climbed past $3.50 a gallon is distressing!! But today, Mark and I decided to meet for lunch and it was really good and boy, they we're jumpin! Busy,busy, busy!! And not a buffet in site!! It was clean, the service was great, the food was "ooh la la"....And me, being the chatty natty that I am, met the manager, Miguel, loved him!! Told him we'll back!! So, if you come visit, we will be going to the newest hot spot in town baby!! I'll even buy the first pitcher of margaritas (yep, they sell 'em by the pitcher!!) Mama's happy now!!

{whirlwinds}

2008-05-12T12:52:00.010-04:00

goodness gracious, me oh my!! what a whirlwind of a weekend. And I am not talking about the insane weather that was whippin' across the country either, speaking of that, what is up with this weather?? its insane?? i drove thru a "smokey firey mess" yesterday off of I-95 which was just one of 3 wildfire's that were along Florida's coast, it looks like its going to be a long summer if we don't start getting some rain. Then, after getting home, the weather took a wicked turn for the worst and we had tornado warning, and reports of a tornado touching down here....whew!! too close for comfort for me....i am no dorothy and I have no desire to go to oz! Then waking up to news of devestating tornado's and China's quake on top of last week's cyclone.....i can't even stand to watch the news. Its just heartbreaking. Seriously, i used to be a major news junkie....just ask anyone...it was BAD! But between all of this and this election, it makes me want to scream, I find myself talking to the news anchors!

Anyway, back to my original whirlwind story that is totally un-weather related....due to Mark's work schedule this Mother's Day, I decided to surprise my Mom and go to my sister's Saturday night and have lunch on Sunday and spend some QT with my Mom, while the kids went bowling and grabbed a "grand sl"am" from Denny's (that's heaven to Action!) with their Papa & cousin. While that whole "event" portion of the day was quite pleasurable, I refer to my post from a few weeks back titled "let the beatings begin" regarding my car experience with my beloved offspring............that was the longest car ride with my children. I drove Mark's car because it is much more economical on gas. It is also much smaller and so it gets hot in the backseat while the front seat gets cold and there was so much complaining and fighting amongst the sibs and how bored they were and how uncomfortable, I thought that by the time I hit the county line, I just might let them walk the rest of the way. 8 hours in the car in 2 days with these 2 little monsters equals a whirlwind of a weekend and now I'm just glad to be home in my happy little abode...

I hope that you all that are Mother's had a wonderful Mother's Day, nice, enjoyable, and relaxing!

{new scrap buddies?}

2008-05-10T10:17:00.003-04:00

last night was a typical friday night, Lex asked if her boyfriend could come over and hang out and , of course, I said Yes. The thing is, his parents are pretty strict and I am not saying that in a bad way, but they are very school orirented. He has a project due in 2 weeks and they wanted him to get started on it last night, a Friday night. So, instead of a movie, hanging out night, he brought his project over to start working on. Lex had already forwarned me that this was going to be the protocal. Not a biggie! He pulls out all of this scrapbooking stuff!!! He had to make a ABC book for History. OMG!! (that's oh-my-gosh for all of you who are not techno geeks) that is my thing! You came to the right house! I pulled out my sizzix and Lex started making him the letters for the ABCs. I got him my paper cutter, the child didn't have one. How do you scrapbook without a paper cutter??? We ended up having a good time "crapbooking" at the counter. Maybe I found my new scrap buddies? Maybe? Maybe not? Anyway, he had a really good attitude about the whole thing and we banged a lot of this project out. Maybe next Friday will be a movie Friday....

{in the land of funk}

2008-05-09T09:26:00.002-04:00

i am currently back in the land of funk.....i am back at work where everyone is a sicko. i have decided to invent something way better than what the teacher invented years ago and got on Oprah with, "Airborne". I am creating a Lysol suit, an entire outfit that is American made and laced with lysol and puts out a lysol radar that will indeed keep you from getting sick which will put an end to ever even needing the Airborne in the first place. Yeah, I know that was a pretty hokey joke. I just desperately don't want to get sick. I am finally getting some things done around my house, enjoying a little scrapbooking, enjoying my family and I would like to keep it that way. Because when I get sick, life is not pretty in my house. That and after I get sick, Mark gets sick and then its like having another kid in the house, a big whiney kid.

Enough about that. I am looking forward to an interesting Mother's Day weekend, I am hoping that you are all are going to be enjoying yours. I may be going out of town to surprise my Mother after all of my kid's "activities" on Saturday. It seems Mark has to work on Mother's Day, so, I thought that it might be a nice surprise. My sister has planned a lunch at a restaraunt on the beach. I'll keep you posted. Have a wonderful mother's day everyone.

{normal?}

2008-05-08T07:07:00.003-04:00

Back to normal....aaahhh!!! what a wonderful feeling it has been. I have been back to my regularly scheduled program (I type this while holding my breath that I don't get called into work today because one of my co-worker's was out sick yesterday and I did go in for just a few hours). But for the most part this week, I worked my day on Monday and then have been back to being off and doing what I do best the last few days...........NOTHING! No, I'm kidding. I have cleaned, laundered, SCRAPBOOKED, pea'd, and stimulated the economy with a little bit of shopping yesterday afternoon with my Markie. We needed a few more things for the house and so we did a little shopping therapy, which is always fun!! Today, I've got a lot planned, but really hoping not to get called in to the "bank of funk" where the germies are amist and the lysol doesn't seem to be working so much and they are passing it around like the Christmas fruitcake. I do not want it to be my turn to get the nasty stuff that they've got, so, I'm hoping to stay home in my world today and just be normal, if there is any such thing.

{banner}

2008-05-05T20:38:00.002-04:00

whatcha think of my new banner? yeah, its okay. i did it quick yesterday and tried to beat the sun so that I could get a picture of it. I am going to fix it or do another one tomrrow on my day off. Anyway, that's it for Cinco de Mayo. I thought that i was going to whip up a mexican fiesta, but decided to make a dish off of my friend Suzanne's cooking blog. And I was not disappointed. It was delish!! If you have never visited her blog or made anything from it, you definitely should. Her food is delicious and recipes are great!! Have a great cinco de mayo!!

{true story}

2008-05-04T15:02:00.009-04:00

Saturday was spent plundering the wealth of family fun that could be gotten at the Fernandina Beach shrimp festival.... my Mom & Dad drove all the way up from Orlando to spend the day with us and Lex's boyfriend joined in on the shrimp-filled festivities, as well. The art booths @ the festival were incredible. If my house was on a beach or had a more "beachy" theme, then I would have been so all over it. It was incredible. There were also a lot of antique dealers there and, of course, lots of food. Down by the marina, they had booth after booth of shrimp that was all caught by local shrimper's. And the next part of this story is truly a "welcome to my world" kind of moment: all of the lines were really long except for this one booth and Mark said that it was because it was peel and eat and not fried. So, I am all good with that, I didn't want fried anyway. Fresh, boiled with potatoes and corn shrimp is the best anyway. So, we get our dinners and open up our boxes and it was VERY fresh, those shrimpies still had their heads, eyeballs and anteannaes. eewwwhh! We literally had to snap off their heads and then peel & eat.{ "true story"-quote from Shark Tales } We found a few pirates along the way, but no one would get their picture taken with any of them until Lex's boyfriend finally agreed to pose with the "wench of his dreams" who, as I snapped the picture turned and planted one on his cheek.

All in all, besides hoards of pirate going peeps, we had a great day spending it with Mimi & Papa.

{issue/obsession/tomatoe/tomato}

2008-05-02T10:02:00.012-04:00

My new co-worker hung with us @ the parade.

(my friend and her daughter, isn't she a cutie?)

I have issues and any of you who know me, know that my issues are MANY, but this issue is a hard one to explain. I don't know if I have a strange attraction to men in spandex who don't bathe or shave, have tats and wear jewelry in odd parts of their bodies, which in my real life "eeww, yeah, I don't think so, I'm a clean shaven, polo shirt, no tats kinda girl!" OR if its just a Johnny Depp fantasy, who knows!! And the the fact that I can't actually smell them. But I love pirates. I find them truly hubba hubba! So, when I heard that there was going to be a parade to kick off the annual shrimp festival in downtown Fernandina that featured invading Pirates, I was SSOOOO there!! I had to see these make-up'd sword whirling men and I had to gawk at the "wenches" (...no Kiera Knightley's in that bunch!) It was on a Thursday night, and I was going to drag my entire family down there even if they were kicking and screaming, I was putting on a girlie tattoo and we were checking it out. I got a lot of gripping from "no rah rah" girl (she is still in a very negative mood) and the rest of the crew that thought that I was a little too excited. But truth be told, we haven't done anything "fun" for quite awhile it seems and I was looking forward to a little fun and commical relief. So, we went, and we got beads (hot pink beads too) and we saw men in spandex shooting off cannons in the middle of downtown Fernandina....what more could a girl ask for?.......well, I got even better....all kidding aside....I got what turned out to be a really great evening with my family, they actually ended up having a really great time!! Maybe the rest of my family has inherited my pirate obsession gene.....

{no "rah rah"}

2008-05-01T09:40:00.002-04:00

aaahhh.....i know that some of you have just been hanging on the edge of your seats, or Not!! But either way, i thought i would update you on the cheer results for poor little lex... She was crushed last night with the cheer results, now before you all think that she walked away with nothing...not true. She did get picked up for 2 teams, but they were 2 teams with underclassmen and she and only one other girl are in her class. So, she is very, very upset. She was crying and saying that she felt 2nd best and there is some "humiliation" with this because all of the other girls are going on to Varsity and she should technically be on Varsity. I asked her if she filled out her info correctly and she said Yes. So, I don't know, I don't get it. Last night she was crying that she just wanted to quit and not do it, that all of this stress and anxiety wasn't worth it for THIS. She didn't want to go to school today and tell anyone what she got picked up for. So, i don't know what to do. Mark was getting so mad at her because he thought that she should be grateful that she got picked up at all because there were some girls that didn't get anything, but I had a hard time not getting mad at him. Mind you the cheer results didn't get posted until 11PM, so all of this drama is going on until midnight. Why they just don't say they'll be up first thing tomorrow @ school. She was a wreck after try-outs yesterday, which she said she nailed. so, i don't know. anyway, that's the news here. I will post later. i have the day off, i was actually planning a "contratuations" party for her tomorrow, but now I'm not so sure as to what to do...???? any suggestions........

{little of this, little of that}

2008-04-29T11:04:00.009-04:00

not so snoozy here as of late, the painting came out great. we (or should I say Mark) still has a little to do....the dreaded kitchen (cutting in is the part that he hates the most, but is very good at!). I had my bittersweet moment on Friday, but as fate, luck, or whatever you want to call it would have it, I have been back here again for the last few days. They are not going to get rid of me that easily, I guess. Today is supposed to be my last day. I told them yesterday that I didn't want a big "to do". A nice cake (chocolate, of course), a few balloons, and a stripper. I didn't require much, but a little entertainment portion of the party might be nice after a long day. Yeah, you know I'm just kidding....I'll for- go the balloons. Actually, my co-teller and I are hitting the local mexican rest. for a taco or two and a margarita (only one because that is all that I can handle and drive home).

Lex has her last day of cheer practice, she has try-outs tomorrow. She is very nervous and has been working so hard, I can't even explain to you the pressure that she has been under. She really wants to be picked up for the Varsity Competition squad, but is afraid she can't cut that because of the stupid stupid back handspring (still not lookin' so pretty). She doesn't think that they'll put her on the competition squad without it. And truth be told, she doesn't care that much about the footballl games. She just loves the competitions. So, please keep her in your thoughts tomorrow as she goes for the competition squad. She was excited yesterday when she came home because the coaches gave her a "shout out".....I guess that's good. I will have to get back into the cheer lingo. Its been a few years.

That's it for today, nothing exciting, just a little of this and a little of that.

{did it to myself}

2008-04-27T12:38:00.002-04:00

quick post....here's me.....gripe! gripe! gripe! i'm tired all the time from working, driving, and the last 3 weekends feeling like poo! So, what do I do this weekend, I make it a work weekend....what the hey?? I did it to myself. What was I thinking??? Poor Markie....he is painting, while I supervise. I am not allowed to paint, he says that i make it drippy. I love to paint, but I do see where sometimes its drippy. I don't know why, i really try hard to avoid the drippies. anyway, so I am trying to keep the house clean and go around him with stuff, but we picked out this great color (although it has a little more yellow than we originally thought) when we built the house. BUT it is all flat and its super super flat and we have Action, AKA known as handsy pansy to the wall Action. Has nasty little hands and I occassionally find foot prints on the walls (what is up with that??). We have bull nose corners thruought the whole house which he "swings" around (I am hoping that we don't have a future "Chip N Dale" on our hands and I am not referring to the cute one's from Disney either) and cleaning it is a booger and a lot does not come off (even with that magic eraser, it takes the paint off!). So, we are re-painting in just a shade minus the yellow thru the house that we haven't painted with accent walls or re-done whole rooms. Plus, while at Lowe's we picked up plants, what were we thinking? Because what could have been a lazy relaxing weekend has become a work weekend....but next weekend is definitely all FUN...will post more on that later and it WILL include pics...(super excited about that!)

{bittersweet}

2008-04-25T13:13:00.009-04:00

well, today is my last day working in beautiful historic fernandina beach. i love it down here, it is beautiful. i know that i have complained about working full time and driving 45 minutes to work everyday and yes, that is stinky poo, but i love it once i am here. the restaraunts and the shops and the marina is within a hop, skip, and a jump right out the front door of the bank and its just a great place to work. Mark and i considered trying to buy a house near here instead of where we bought and sometimes i really question if we did the right thing because i LOVE it out here. Not only do I love the area, but the teller that I have been working with is a sweetie pie and we have become pretty good friends, she doesn't mind that I can be silly, loud, and on occasion obnoxious. But since the only day that i brought my camera to take pics of my little slice of paradise, the memory card wasn't actually IN the camera, i didn't get a chance. I found a website with pictures, the majority of pictures that don't include the beach are right here where I have been working everyday. Everyone down here is super friendly, laid back, "beachy". if you are a "blog lurker" and ever get to visit here, its great and you HAVE to eat at Cafe Kariboo and have some ice cream at the ice cream and fudge shop here. Truthfully, if you love really great food and like to eat (we all know that Darleen likes to eat, one of my biggest downfalls in life!), this is the place for you, there is even a great little french restaraunt (so I've heard) that is called LeClos, it is in a little old house, but done beautifully in the inside. BUT you have to bring your credit card or be really loaded because it is quite a chunk of cha ching! So, if you want a peek into where I have been hanging the last few weeks, its just a click away.... http://ameliaislandliving.ning.com/photo/photo/show?id=879995%3APhoto%3A1322

P.S. if you want to hit me up for a visit, I promise to take you here because the pics just don't do it justice..............hint!hint!

{stranger than a UFO}

2008-04-24T10:20:00.004-04:00

Okay, this post is probably one of my stranger....and if any of you have a foot thing you may want to skip this one (I know that there is at least one of you out there that has a severe aversion to feet...LK) Anyway, this is the strangest thing, stranger than UFO's or why people eat moldy cheese on purpose(blue cheese etc...I still don't get that).........my left big toe for years and I definitely and truly mean years just starts to kill me in the middle of the night for no apparent reason and it is red and throbbing and if I get up and take Tylenol, then sometimes its fine. I can go months and this last time its probably been a year and a half, but last night it happened again. When living in Virginia, I went to the doctor a couple of times because the pain was so unbearable, they ran a culture of my toenail thinking that maybe I had an underlying infection and nothing. I have the unidetifiable toe pain that just comes and goes at will, but only in the middle of the night. Now tell me that is not as strange as those silly little lights that they see floating over Arizona???My toe is a medical anomilly...And some of you may be thinking why in the world is she blogging about this, how snoozery is her life, well, while my life right now is pretty much consisting of work, errands, making dinner, cleaning etc, this is my blog and I can blog about whatever I want to blog about....hey, at least I'm not blogging about thong underwear like some other blogger's I hang with (wink!wink!)

{let the beatings begin!}

2008-04-23T11:31:00.003-04:00

okay, that sounds harsh I know, but its just a little something I say when my kids are driving me nuts and yes, I have gotten "looks" for it, but I dare them to call me in to child protective services, if they did I would just look @ it as a vacation from my kids and maybe after a week in foster care, they will appreciate ME as THEIR mother!! So, did you all enjoy that entire paragraph of sarcasm, or WAS IT?? AAAHHH, they both have been driving me crazy, they are non stop fighting over the bathroom, fighting over the TV, fighting over who breaths the same air in which room and its making me crazy. When I attempt to referee the insanity, they turn on ME, suddenly they say that I think its all THEIR fault, and I never blame the other for ANYTHING. I thought that I might spend my lunchbreak today researching boarding schools. The joys of motherhood, I am hoping that these smackdowns between the sibs will soon pass because I really am at my wits end as to what to do. Have a great humpity hump day, its Wednesday and we are half way thru the week!!

{where's that mack truck?}

2008-04-22T09:37:00.002-04:00

I have been MIA because I have been sick as a dog for the last few days and now I am back at work and just feel like I have been hit by a mack truck, where did that stinken mack truck go?? I must have bad karma or something because ever since I have been working this full time schedule every weekend, I have had migraines every weekend and this past weekend I woke up Saturday morning feeling like major poo poo....On a happy note, my croppin' til I be droppin' night out on Friday was a great time. It was different than what I was used to, i am used to a lot of chitty chatter and a little obnoxiousness around 10ish, and this crowd was much more subdued, but I still had a good time and I enjoyed my cropping time. But I am determined that next weekend, I will be in top top shape....I am thinking a marathon maybe.......

{croppin' til I be droppin'}

2008-04-18T11:12:00.002-04:00

I am super stoked! I am going to a crop tonight! I have not been to a crop that I was not working at since Virginia! It is at a scrapbook store in Florida, its a good hour away from home which really bites when I am going to be traveling home at midnight and I am pooped, but a scrapper's gotta do what a scrapper's gotta do!! This store kind of reminds me of my all time favorite store "Picture to Page", but of course without my "T"..... anyway, the store itself has a lot of the same characteristics and the name is even close. I got my scrap crap together last night and Action was such a helpful little goose this morning and he helped me load it in the car this AM. He has been such a great guy lately with helping with so much stuff without having to be asked, I am having a hard time telling if he's doing it out of the goodness of his heart,or if all of the training of being a gentlemen and a big helper has FINALLY sinked in and paid off, or if he's waiting for the big "PAYOFF" so that he can get the WII Rock Bank this summer. He is a hard one to figure out that boy of mine....

{drama! drama! drama!}

2008-04-17T12:39:00.002-04:00

Advanced drama that is.....................Lex got picked up for Advanced Drama next year...whoo hoo!! she is super stoked, as the rest of her fam!! I got the call yesterday at work that she wanted me to bring her home a milkshake from Chick Fil A and I told her ,"no way" and she said that I told her that we would celebrate with a milkshake if she got picked up for Advanced Drama, so now I had to get her a milkshake....so she and her Daddy went out after dinner to celebrate!! Action is on his own personal mission, he wants the WII Rock Band and he wants to earn money for it, so as soon as I pull in the driveway last night, he and some of his peeps from the 'hood start cleaning my van (they did find Mark's PDA which he has been looking for!) for some extra cash out of nowhere. I had no idea what hit me, he comes inside and wants me to tell him how much I'm going to give him now that he's cleaned it (he says that his 'hood peeps will take pizza in exchange for helping him clean....i think based on the fact that i was cooking pizza for dinner) . In his mind, its worth about $30, I begin to tell that I can go to the car wash and get a vaccuum, wax, wash, etc. for $20 bucks, this does not sit well with the boy. What to do??

{tomorrow, just thinkin' about}

2008-04-16T11:56:00.002-04:00

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, just thinkin' about tomorrow......." That is the song Lex sang from Annie for her Advanced Drama try-outs and it is the song of the day.....IN MY HEAD!!! And its making me nuts! You know how you get a song stuck in there and you can't just pry it out? Its not so bad if its at least something cool, something hip, but this??? Its just annoying and I singing it to my poor little co-worker. The saddest part is that I can't sing a note on a good day and this song, well....enough said. My big idea for scrappin' yesterday was a bust, but I got everything else accomplished. By the time the kids came rollin' in the door from school, I could tell "my" day was over and there was much discussion on their day and what the big happenings at school were and it never rained a stinking drop, so Mark got to take Action to soccer practice only to find out there are not one, but two games on Saturday and one of them on Amelia Island. Lex did her try-outs and when I asked her how it went, she said that she was so nervous that she couldn't remember, but Friday is "D" day and we will find out how it all went down.........anyway, have a good day, its hump day and if today is stinky, just think about tomorrow, there's always tomorrow......

{a day OFF!!}

2008-04-15T13:39:00.002-04:00

I have a day off! I have a day off! So neener neener neener!! I am lovin' it! I took today off to get some things done, like my taxes.....that was exciting!! But quick and we are getting money back, whoo hoo!! And my hair, brighter and cuter, just like my personality!! Can you tell that I am enjoying just a little break. I am thinking that next week things may get back to normal here, we'll see?? Its looking like rain and I am about to sound like a bad Mom, a really bad Mom, but if it rains that means soccer practice is cancelled and for me, that is not such a bad thing. Lex is trying out for Advanced Drama today, thank goodness because if I have to hear her sing "Tomorrow" from Annie one more time, I might have to claw my eyeballs out of my head!!! Hopefully, she makes it.....last Advanced Drama try-outs.....much DRAMA ensued!! I would like to clarify my last post, we didn't know exactly how things were going to go down and we still don't, truthfully.....but we have a friend that is very young and is trying to make some decisions regarding her very young son and whether she is going to raise him or not (there's more to it, but that is the jist of it). The "upside down" part for us is that we offered to take him until she could figure things out for herself or if she had decided that she didn't want to keep him anymore (which is what she was saying), that we would take him there too. That is something that would have freaked out our lives, but I would have loved it and I still don't know what all is going on with her. Her Dad is Mark's best friend, but she has no family in any position to help her out right now. But if Mark and I were to do that, so much would change.....so much!! Any-who, I've got to get movin' and grovin'....now I've got to get bills paid, let the fun begin now!!! Then, I am hoping to scrap tonight, I haven't scrapped in so long that I cannot even remember....

{Upside Down}

2008-04-12T10:52:00.002-04:00

Back and forth, to work, making the donuts (for those of you who don't know what that means, I am referring to apparently a very old (as I am) Dunkin Donuts commercial) Anywho, I will probably be making the donuts again next week at our office in Florida again. OR not, there is a lot of DRAMA going on that is not directly related to us, BUT could affect our family in a very big way. I will keep you posted if indeed it does. But I may be heading out of town this week. I don't know what is going on, but I do ask for your prayers in a very sticky domestic situation with a friend of our's young daughter and her son. That is all that I am going to say on that front, but our lives may be turning upside down here in the next few weeks and we aren't really prepared for it. I had a hard time sleeping last night with so much running thru my brainiac. Today Action is headed for a game of foot action, Lex is taking a private lesson because she starts cheer try-outs and practice next week. She is really, really nervous because the competition is really tough. She is really struggling with that back handspring tuck. Please pray she gets that sucker down pat without a spring board before try-outs or that could be her DEMISE!!!! Have a great Saturday!!! I've got laundry, cleaning, etc.............good times! good times!

{busy as a bee}

2008-04-10T10:03:00.002-04:00

I have been just as busy as a bee!! buzz buzz!! I want to tell my croppin' cruise crew, I am working on what to do there exactly and I am not ignoring you, I did e-mail Lorrie. I guess that I didn't hit respond to all. I literally have not had a second and even checking e-mail hasn't been do-able these days. I am actually blogging @ work (ssshhhh!!), but I can't check e-mail here! Its blocked, probably something scandelous there on msn.com.....oooohhhhh!!! I am still working in Florida, I love and I mean love the little town that I am working in, I am thinking about bringing my camera to work tomorrow and taking a few pics during lunch. I haven't gotten the opportunity to leave the office this week at all even during lunch because there has to be at least two warm bodies in the office (wah, lah, one has to be me!) So, I am eating my teeny, tiny Nutri System while every one around me enjoy's their burgers and fries (arrgghh!!). On a good note, as of yesterday, I can no longer finish my little meals!! As Mark would say, I am full as a tick!! I didn't even have my "snack" last night. I have also lost a few pounds....whoo hoo!! Its almost the weekend and we have BIG plans....................possibly BIG BROTHER plans.............there are try-outs for Big Brother 10 just down the road and Mark would make a great candidate...........he's decided he wouldn't put up with any of that BB house crap. Its something that we are thinking about doing. Just a thought......

{on a mission}

2008-04-08T20:51:00.002-04:00

I have been on a mission for the longest time to loose some weight, since my big move here, I have gained weight and the more I try to loose, the more I gain. I tried the whole WW and point thing again. I am a huge, huge "sing it to the roof top" supporter of Weight Watcher's, just ask anyone that I knew prior to my 89 lb. weight loss, BUT I just can't seem to get into the swing of it. I don't want to loose a ton of weight, I would be as happy as a little clam bucket with loosing 10 smackers, so I have started Nutri System and have been on it for 4 days as of today and I am at the STARVING stage still......the food is great, super yummy, but super tiny!! You have to add in more food (protein, fruit, veggies, diary) and that is even limited. AAAHH!! C'mon 10 lbs, hasta la vista.....I have one month worth of food and that's it, no auto delivery for this chick. Money doesn't grow on trees and this stuff is expensive and I am still STARVING!! I am thinking and hoping and praying that this too shall pass.......

{MIA}

2008-04-07T12:26:00.004-04:00

I'm sorry that I have been MIA for awhile now, there's just been a lot going on. Lots I don't really want to "blog" about......the big superhighway of information (I wouldn't want to end up on the front page of the Enquirer or anything!! ) Its nothing big, life changing, or shocking!! Just personal crap! I have been very busy with work though and a short visit with my sister last week(which was alot of fun!). I am working in Florida all of this week full time (I little perk of living in "Florigia") and I don't seem to have any time for myself anymore, which I am finding more and more is the case. My biggest excitement is that I pass a Starbucks on the way home from work everyday and I get a Venti Shaken Iced Green Tea, 3 Splenda. We don't have a Starbucks in Hobunk, so that has been a big thing for me the last week. Lots going on with my kids, Action is doing soccer a few times a week and Lex is going big time in with gymnastics and dance getting ready for cheer tryouts here soon. So, that folks is pretty much it!! Right now, it could not be more boring if I tried! Snoozerville has hit an all time high of snooziness! Oh, and if you all were wondering, since I left you all hanging on the very edges of your seats, everything at work is great. I was totally "paranoid" and those big girl panties, turned out to fit just fine!!!

{scrap-a-licious}

2008-03-26T20:35:00.003-04:00

What a day! Its actually been a really great day! A totally scrap-a-licious day!! I abandoned my children for a day of "me!!" whoo-hoo!! I know that sounds bad, doesn't it? Actually, it wasn't that bad, but today, even though it is spring break, it wasn't about them.... I went with a new friend of mine down to Jax to check out a scrapbook store there and it was ssoooo much fun. First of all, the owner there was super friendly and there is a lot of activities that go on at the store and area crops. So, it really inspired me to get my rear in gear and get some more scrappin' done and maybe check out some of the big crops, they have a few all day crops up at the Fair Grounds which include all of the area scrapbook stores. That could be fun!! yeah?

Update on my little Peep Flava K: She had her surgery yesterday and had a few complications with her blood pressure dropping too low. It remained low thru-out today and considered going back in because they thought that she might be bleeding internally. But I guess that after later today, her blood pressure had risen a little bit and they decided not to go back in. She is doing better, but she still really needs continued prayers....I would appreciate them and I know that she would as well.

{Who's & Later's}

2008-03-25T20:56:00.005-04:00

spending the day with Action and his little friend in the "hood" running some errands, going to lunch at one of the best pizza places to eat here in ho-bunk (trust me, there are not too many places that I can say that about), and going to see "Horton Hears A Who" equalled a pretty groovy day. That was a great movie, it was a lot of fun to spend some quality time with the boy. It seemed like a reall long time since it was just he and I, even though he had a friend we seemed to just chat during lunch and I really just enjoyed that time together. I think I'll keep him....

I know that I've been blogging about my peachy pal and her departure to Japan, it seemed to be something that snuck up on me and then when it hit, it really stunk! But tonight they came over after their visit to the Land of Mouse for their last good-bye before their flight out tomorrow, but anyone that knows me knows that I cannot handle this, I don't do this well. I should be used to all of this because I am a military wife. This is par for the course, but this is not "par for the course that I am used to and probably never will. I hate this part. So, I have done what I can to protect myself emotionally from the good-bye's. I just don't say them, I say see you later. I know at some point I am going to see this wonderful family that we have fallen in love with later because I have to believe that, that is the only thing that makes this any easier.

{got hugs/need hugs?}

2008-03-24T22:09:00.004-04:00

I once again got 2 more "hugs" cards..........I love them!! Today's card came with this little stuffed "peep". But I have to admit, its making me crazy not knowing who sent them to me. I have begun a process of elimination by a few "clues" of my little hugs notes, but with more clues it becomes more confusing. I want to thank you for my cards and my little Peep, I absolutely love it!! But it really is making me crazy!! I am not one for secret pals, I just gotta be in the know!!

And while I received my (((hug))) via snail mail, I am sending out a bloggity blog (((hug))) and prayers to my peep "Flava K", that is her Gangsta Scrapper name (inside story). She is a very private person, so I will not go into detail, but she is having major surgery tomorrow and a biopsy. She has an incredible attitude about the whole thing, I really admire that about her. But she has definitely been on my mind the last few days. So, any prayers any of my readers could send her way would be greatly appreciated.

A day off tomorrow and the kids are on spring break. Lex is going to Charleston for the day with a friend and Action and I are going to be running a few errands and maybe hit "Horton Hears A Who". We'll see what the day holds, its spring and everything is new, so we will see where the day leads us....

{you might be a redneck}

2008-03-23T09:32:00.008-04:00

I was initially going to title this particular post "Stupid Truck", but I decided to be a nice and supportive wife, much to my dismay, I might add. This truck, this "redneck" truck is one thing in our lives that I have not blogged about because I am not a "fan" of it and I have been attempting at living in a complete state of denial. It not only screams redneck, but it screams 10 miles to a gallon. But Mark bought this truck a few weekends ago and now it sits in not our driveway (thank goodness), but in the vacant (soon to be a house there someday) lot next to ours. I finally decided to blog about it because our neighbor's 3 year old son has been wanting a ride in that truck since he heard it coming down the road (probably long before it ever got off the highway) and we have been telling him later for the last few weeks...........But yesterday, Andrew FINALLY got his ride in that truck. And I got a few pics, so you know that I have to blog it NOW!!! so here it is .....pictures of the stupid truck!!

I realize that I have MIA for the last few days, I have literally not been online since my "circles" post. Why? Because I am still going in circles. I am doing a little bit better in getting it together. Yesterday was our neighbor's going away dinner, we had a Stuffed Baked potato party, we had a lot and I mean a lot of fun. My friend and fam fly out on Wednesday, they took off today for one last whirl in the Land of Mouse before heading out to the land of sushi, so we will get to see them for a few hours on Tuesday night. So, I am probably not going to fall apart until then. At least that's the plan.

Have a great Easter everyone. We have a brunch this morning at a neighbor's house and a passion play at a local church this afternoon. I am very excited about the passion play, but Mark has got me so nervous about it because he has talked about how "authentic' it is and I could never bring myself to watch "the Passion of the Christ", which we have on video because I didn't think that I could handle the "authenticity" of what happened to Christ. Plus, we are bringing our kids. So, hopefully it won't be too intense. Don' t eat too much chocolate or forget where you hid your eggs.

{circles}

2008-03-20T12:33:00.005-04:00

Have you ever had a week where you can't get it "together"? Where you feel like you are running in circles both physically and emotionally??? That is me! that is where I am!! I think this must be what it feels like to have A.D.D........and its not pretty!!! I've got to much swirling in my head that I can't get it together with anything that I want or should be doing.....

My little peachy pal Lisa (i have always called her that because she is my bestest bud here in the peachy state of Georgia) is moving to Japan here in a few days. It is finally here, the big dreaded move and its been chaos in her life and I am in turn trying to help her out, but life in our household has not been so peachy......my son is crashing and burning in the 5th grade. I don't know what to do, I am so desperate to "fix" everything for him, but I can't and I know that I shouldn't because he needs to do that himself. He is becoming angry about school and how much he hates it, I can't tell if he is just rebelling or what.....then I am thinking about a very emotional anniversary that is coming up that hits me about every few hours, so I have been quite the basketcase this week. I have a good friend in Virginia that is having major surgery next week, she has been on my mind and in my prayers, too much going on in my head to even start and finish a load of laundry without thinking, "what was I doing?" On top of all of this, Easter is Sunday and we have made no plans........none.........I haven't gotten anything out.....i just want to close my eyes and skip it this year. I don't know why, it would just be so much easier.

I take some of that back, we are dying some eggs this afternoon because the packers are at my friends house and I thought it might be a great diversion for her kids and to help keep them out of her hair. So, hopefully that will get me in the Easter spirit. We haven't been to a church in awhile, that has been a huge issue here. We haven't found one that we are completely inspired with, but church on Easter is a must. Just another dilemna in a week of running in circles. Please Dear Lord, looking for a straight line........and a set of directions.

{To Kill A Mockingbird}

2008-03-18T08:17:00.006-04:00

First of all, I just want to mention that I did NOT wear the goofy (or should I say Mickey) hat yesterday. Mark just took my picture in the hat last weekend. I just wanted to clarify that so that there would be no misunderstandings.......... I wouldn't want anyone "surprising" me with the "What Not to Wear" crew from TLC!

Alright, who has seen the Matthew McConnaghey(he's a HOTTIE, this has nothing to do with anything, I just couldn't help myself!) movie, "Failure to Launch"? Well, if you haven't click out and forget reading my post, you'll never actually get what I am saying here. If you have, welcome!!! It was the craziest thing.....I went to bed last night and heard a bird chirrping out my window and I thought how nice it was, Mark came to bed later and I said, "do you hear that bird?" because at this point I was having a really hard time staying asleep. It was like a stinken choir of birds right out of my window....He said, "yes". Well, at least I'm not crazy and hearing birds...All night long, those stupid, pain in the butt birds sang or chirpped or whatever you want to call it right out of my window and I couldn't sleep, but I was too tired to get up and move to the couch. The whole time I kept thinking about that stupid movie, where she goes and gets a BB gun and shoots him, then tries to recussitate him, and then he bites then end of the boyfriend's nose when they finally do recussitate him. I now know what she felt like. Those little boogers better be gone tonight. Where is a good kitty cat when you need them? Okay, I am totally kidding!!! Can't you take a joke??? Have a great day. I have a termite guy coming to re-do my bond, and my my little friend that is moving to Japan is coming over with all of her stuff that she's not taking (plants, spices, etc.)

{kiss me!}

2008-03-17T06:56:00.003-04:00

I'm Irish.....well, only by marriage!! Happy St. paddy's Day!!! Have a great day everyone. don't forget to wear green.....don't want to get pinched!!!! We had a great weekend, the weather was gorgeous. Action had a birthday party yesterday that included a cook-out with the whole family and Lex hung out with her "boyfriend" and a bunch of friends. She was hoping for a beach day, but that unfortunately wasn't in the POD (plan-of-the-day). Anyway, I am off to "make the donuts". Hopefully, my co-worker will be back today....she is such a sweetie and makes it so much fun.....have a great day!!!!

{Kickin' It On Amelia!}

2008-03-15T22:58:00.007-04:00

We spent the day out on Amelia Island so that Action could participate in his first soccer game of the year. It was an absolutely beautiful day, if you didn't mind the wind whippin' around and truthfully, we didn't!!! It was in the lower 80's which was a welcome temp from last weekend when it was quite a bit nippier and yesterday's drearier weather. Okay, here's a little story for the "hhhhmmmm, what would you do book?" Action's soccer club let's the kids pick out their own team name. He was sick at the practice that they picked their team name, but when he came home from this last practice and I asked him what their team name was he said he wasn't sure, but he thought it was "ass" and I said, "what?" He wasn't smiling and he didnt' think it was funny, he said "yeah, something like that, but I didn't really understand what they were saying". I told him, I don't think that's what it is and left it at that. I found out today that they are the "asps", I don't think that I can still bring myself to sit in the stands and scream "go Asps!". Am I wrong here or is it a little close to what Action actually thought his name was?? Are we going to get a "look" from other teams as we are cheering on our guys??Why would you , as the Coach, not encourage maybe a different name. Mark says that an Asp is snake, maybe go with a snake that is more known and aggressive like, we could be the Viper's. Now, that sounds scary! What kid suggested this?? And why would you go along with it?? AARRGGHH!! I am trying not to laugh and cry at the same time, its going to be a long season folks!! Action spent the entire game on the field because he was all over it, he did a great job. He couldn't believe that the coach never pulled him out, he was pretty proud of himself and the Coach complimented him on his playing at the end of the game. Pretty proud soccer player by the end of game. (and Mom & Dad too!!)

I also included a picture of a lily that I bought and planted in a large pot on my back patio. It had no flowers on it when I planted it and I kill absolutely everything. I understand that its early in the season yet, so I still have plenty of Kevorkian time, but it bloomed beautifully. So, I just had to share!!!

I am also super excited to hear from my little peep-a-rooni Lorrie who should be coming back from her missions trip to Honduras shortly, please pray for her safe return. I cannot wait to hear everything!!!!!!

{unexpected}

2008-03-13T21:39:00.005-04:00

I woke this morning and drudged off for another day of work and mind you, I don't mind my job.I absolutely love the people that I work with, my job is fun, but lately we have been deader than dead and I have way tooooo much energy to not be busy and so the last couple of days I thought that I might just about loose my ever loving mind sitting in my teller chair when we haven't been very busy. Truth be told, yesterday I almost said, "well, since we aren't very busy, I'm going to just take off". But its a bank and I'm on the schedule. Also, I find myself "snacking" when we aren't busy and that is just a horrible habit that when I am busy, I just don't do. (FACT: Smarties do not make you smarter, they make you fatter, so they should be called Fatties? LOL, was that a bad joke?) Anyway, back to my "unexpected" day, because it was so slow, they asked me if I wanted to go ahead and take off at 2 o'clock. Well, I jumped at the chance!! I thought of the grocery store that I could hit and the laundry that was calling my name and some clean up that I could really do at home. So, whoo hoo, I was so outta there! On to my good part (Can I tell a story or what?), Mark called me to tell me that his old Master Chief from the USS Greeneville (lovingly referred to as the Green Evil) daughter, who we LOVE was in town with her 22 month old son and did I want him to invite her over to dinner. Heck yes!! I was so excited to see them. I used to drive and pick up this kid from school in Hawaii some.......clearing throat.....years ago. Now mind you, we have seen her quite often for years, but I haven't really seen her since the baby was born and I was so excited to see him. He was a total trip!! We had the best time reminiscing and playing with him, he is a smart cookie.......I love toddlers. Funny, but I am not a huge baby person, but I am lovin' the toddlers!! Just seeing how she has grown up and now she's a Mom, don't I feel old? But just a great surprise. It was just an unexpected good day.

{ordinary stuff}

2008-03-12T15:44:00.003-04:00

just hanging out the last few days, not much going on exciting in snoozerville. i've been working all week because my co-worker that I love bigger than life is going to be out sick. The strangest thing happened on Monday......she was just standing in her teller window and a few minutes later she had a black eye. She didn't do anything to cause it, it just appeared. So, she went and had her heart and blood pressure checked at the local firestation (her husband is the firechief) and her EKG was way off. So, she went to the ER and she apparently has a heart that is always racing. So, they adjusted her meds and put her on a heart monitor and told her to take the week off. So, I am filling in for her. Which is great because after this past weekend, we could really use the dinero! Its been pretty quite here in credit/debit land and I have attempted to see if eating a bucket of "Smarties" actually make you any smarter. I will keep you posted and let you know the results of that scientific experience..............

Alright, different subject: who is freaking out about Easter sneaking up on us so fast. I am not believing how it seems like it is definitely coming early this year and the bummer is my kids really are too old for all of the fun stuff. Our neighborhood is having a big Easter egg hunt this weekend and I think that that sounds like so much fun, but of my kids gave me a look like "are you serious Mom?, we don't think so". They are just growing up way toooo fast. We haven't made any concrete plans for Easter or spring break, I'm thinking that if I don't think about it, then it will all take care of itself. That's the way its supposed to happen, right? Just like magic!

{that's just crazy talk!}

2008-03-10T19:45:00.014-04:00

(snickers anyone? Only $5!!!)

17 years, that's just crazy talk, but that is how long Mark and I have been married as of today. Its just crazy! Sometimes I think that the time has flown by and then there are times that I think its been a long 17 years. Has it really only been 17 years, it feels like I have known this man my entire life....did I have a life before him. Then sometimes it seems like yesterday I was cruising around in my little silver Nissan sports car (now I can't remember what it was!) doing my thing with not a care in the world other than living with my parents and working a dead end job and looking for L-O-V-E and there he was, a handsome hubba hubba sailor in his polyester white uniform (okay, I am all for a man in uniform, but the polyester not so much!) and that was all she wrote......Anyway, back to our Anniversary, its been super great to have him home this time, there have been a lot of anniversaries where he has been out to sea or working too much to really acknowledge with anything more than a card, but this year even though it wasn't a "big" anniversary, we did something really fun and really unexpected and I mean really spur of the moment, but sometimes those are just the best!!......we went to Orlando (yeah, I know big shocker there!!!) just the 2 of us and stayed in a phenominal hotel that i would love to go to again and again and again!! (there was a mini bar in the room...I thought that was so much fun, we didn't have anything because I knew it was some major cha-ching, but I got a picture!). We stayed @ the Walt Disney Dolphin and its located on the lake that is connected to EPCOT and MGM. We did EPCOT for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday (that is where the freaky picture came from, Innoventions). We had dinner at a truly unique & mod restaraunt call Todd English's bluezoo. Then headed over to what was actually the highlight of the entire weekend, Jellyroll's Dueling Piano bar which is located on Disney's Boardwalk which was walking distance from our hotel. It was the best time and so hillarious, we didn't want to leave! A lot of the time I kept thinking about all of the people that I would love to bring there because I know how much fun they would have! Maybe one day.. who knows! But we are back in the real world today on our actual anniversary partaking of breakfast for dinner and sometimes that is just the best dinner ever.......

{Guess Who?}

2008-03-09T23:02:00.005-04:00

Freaky isn't it?? And no, it isn't Roscoe McCainine!!

ITS MARKIE POO!!

{just call me Jodi!}

2008-03-07T13:05:00.003-05:00

It has been quite an exciting day on the weather front here in southeastern Georgia, while working I sat here and literally and I mean literally watched a tornado form right in front of my eyes, it was like watching a train wreck!! The sky was greenish and the clouds were moving at an incredibly fast pace while they were coming together and there in the midst of it all, a tunnel. A tunnel that, thank God, never touched down. Then suddenly the wind started going insane, the street signs and carts in the adjacent shopping center were going everywhere and there was whistling. The cloud was moving towards where i lived and the local high school, we got online and they were saying that there was a tornado spotted right in our area and it was moving at 50 MPH. Thank goodness they had locked down the school. I 'm sure that Lex will have a story to tell and Action too when they get home. Anyway, I just had to get on here and report that I am not in Snoozerville today folks!!

UPDATE: I just thought that I would update everyone on my sister's stepdaughter, Ari. She has actually improved greatly!! Its been an amazing turnaround from the last few days! Thank you to everyone for all of your prayers, they were heard! Praise the Lord!

{But I knocked on wood!}

2008-03-06T16:16:00.004-05:00

I knocked on wood!! Karen was on the phone with me and I did, she can be my witness, we were talking about our kids not getting sick in a long time and I said that I couldn't remember the last time that my kids were sick. And today, Action is running a fever with a headache, sore throat etc...I guess that I should have made sure that it was real wood, maybe it was fiberboard. Yeah, I'm sure that was it! Great, so now my kids sick! Lesson in this: always check the quality of the wood that you knock!

I have spent my day cleaning, doing laundry and the most dreaded task of all.......taxes. The thing is, its always been super easy because we haven't owned a house before and so it was wham, bam, here's your refund ma'am! but this year, I have lots to claim and I am going to claim it to the fullest extent!! So, making sure that we get all of our credits is the key and i want to make sure that we do. We were going to take it somewhere for them to do it, but I am smarter than I look and I'm cheap, and i can figure it out. So far, the only thing that I know (well at least I think I know) is that we bought a energy efficient washer/dryer and I thought that we got an energy credit, but I am not finding that on the form. That's the big yippee skippy in my snoozerville. I have no update on Ari, as soon as I do I will post it. But your continued prayers are much appreciated.

{little black cloud}

2008-03-05T00:28:00.004-05:00

Its so weird, when I was growing up and most of my adulthood (up until 2 years ago), I have had the luxury of not having to really deal with death of a loved one unless it was an elderly person in our family and was "expected". I mean my great grandmother didn't pass away until she was 103 years old, at that point its "expected", none the less sad for the times with her that we'll miss, but she lived a full and happy life. But in the last 2 years, I have had 2 people and very young people, that were very close to me pass away. Its something that really haunts you for a very long time, and really (at this point) doesn't go away.

My sister called this AM crying, her 14 year old stepdaugher, Ari, has been hospitalized for several weeks with pneumonia and she has had 2 surgeries and isn't getting any better, at this point the doctors are throwing up their hands and say that they have no clue. Ari also has downs syndrome so they have been down this road quite a bit, but this time is different and they think that they might loose her this time. The heartache of that is too much to bare and I just hate to even think that they may have to go down that road. We love Ari, she is such a quirky, fun, unique little girl and I do ask for any prayers to be sent her way. I know that I would really appreciate it. That's it for tonight, I'm tired. Its been a long day. On top of it all, my Dad was in a car accident today and had to go to the hospital. He's okay, but seems to have whip lash. He will be sore tomorrow. .......go away little black cloud.....

{one peep down}

2008-03-02T19:16:00.003-05:00

this weekend has been a really great weekend, we have had some awesome weather! true spring weather! that is always a huge plus in my book. all of this on a weekend when all of my "peeps" are at THE big weekend crop together, cropping for 3 days straight in a hotel, eating M&M's, scrapbooking, being silly, staying up all night, throwing twizzler's at police officer's (i've heard this and because I wasn't there, I am not bound by the: what happens at the crop stays at the crop), hat wearing extravaganza! So, i was worried that i was going to be quite bummed this weekend knowing that they were missing me so much. I mean how terribly sad for them. My scrapbooking advice, my "Darleen-isms", it just wasn't going to be the same for them. Ah, I'm just kidding, truth be told, I was afraid that I was going to struggle this weekend knowing how much I was missing out on and I really did. But I survived.....I hung out with my "peachy pal" yesterday and we did a little shopping and had one of the funnest (I know that's not a word, but what the hey!) lunch!!! We hit a new mexican restaraunt and just had a blast, don't know why, we just did!!! Then did a little perusing of the sales, she actually bought a pair of some of the cutest flippy flops (giraffe prints), but i had self control... And today Mark and I re did all of the flower beds and I planted and got new flowers for the porch. We are ready for spring and if we get another freeze, well, you know.......................I hope my peeps know, they were one peep down for the Spring crop, but they aren't going to get that lucky in the Fall!!

{the accidental tourist}

2008-03-01T21:46:00.004-05:00

I have a problem and I don't honestly know what to do about it. I have always had the need and its just getting worse. I say need, maybe its just intense desire to go and see and do. I was talking with a friend a few days ago about my desire to see so many things and she looked at me like I had a chicken on my head. She was born and raised right here, she hasn't really been anywhere and doesn't have a real big desire to go anywhere else. I have no understanding of that. Lately, I am climbing the walls of my home to go, go, go.....Go where??? I want to see New York City, I want to take Mark to the coast of California and let him see and experience the wonderful adventure that I did a few years ago. I have been thinking lately how much I want to take the kids back to Yellowstone and Jackson Hole, they would love it!! We haven't been there since we lived in Idaho when Lex was barely a year old. I've also thought how fun it would be to jump on an airplane and go to Vegas for a few days, not to gamble. Okay, a few quarters in a slot machine, but mostly I want to see a few shows and I've heard that there are some awesome hotels to check out. I want to make it back to Colorado, the Durango area to be exact. It is so gorgeous. I should be so grateful for what I have seen because it has been a lot more than a lot of people. We lived in Hawaii, I grew up in Orlando (the land of mouse and fabulous entertainment!! So much fun all the time!), we went to the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole. We've seen Washington DC, Amish country, Gettysburg, beautiful beach vacations. The kids and I toured the whole Coast from Beverly Hills to San Fran and that was a trip of a lifetime. Its so funny because I was telling Mark that I want to see and experience so many places, but I am not totally grandeur, its not like I want to see the "world". I am good to start out with our own country. And once I am done there, I would start with Ireland.... I have all of these crazy travel desires that I think about a lot, but no dinero to pay for them. Mark said if I started to work full time, then we could take bigger trips, then what would the cost be. Who would pay that price, my family? my kids? my sanity? Also, I see the full time people struggling to get that week when they want it, coordinate with school and spouse. I think that I was just born the accidental tourist.

{in a handbasket}

2008-02-28T21:40:00.002-05:00

have you ever heard the saying "its gone to h-e-double toothpicks in a handbasket"? Well, if not, welcome to my world!! Its a saying that I probably picked up from my Mom. Truthfully, I have no idea what it means. I just know that its what I say when my day starts out great and then it just turns ugly and its downhill from there!! But that has been my day, our day!! It actually started off really great!! I met a fellow pea that i met online!! She lives right here in ho-bunk and we had a great lunch at Panera. That was really exciting and I look forward to more get togethers. Anyway, onto the "handbasket" part of my day. I got a call from the school on my cell phone from the Principal of Action's school. He is in the office for disrespecting his teacher and this particular teacher that he disrespected, we have had issues with all year long. I am totally going to back the teacher up with my son, but in the meantime I want a conference with her. I want to find out what the heck is going on, I know for a fact that she doesn't like him. I hate being put in this position, the position of this is MY child and I want the best for him ? And you cannot demand that in public education, "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit" (quote from lea riley). I guess that they do make exceptions if you throw a MONSTER fit. Do I want to be the monster fit throwing kind of parent??? Oh, did I mention that Mark is out of town for the whole handbasket festivities??? Because, there is more!!! When I got home, dealt with Action, I noticed amongst lex's things a letter addressed to mark and I from the school, opened..... Not good, right? Well, actually the letter stated that they wanted to put her in all AP classes and please come meet with them on Feburary 5th (are you looking at your calendar?). She is now telling me as there is smoke coming out of my ears, that she doesn't want to do AP courses, she wants to have a life and she is going to go to New York and become an actress so she doesn't need college. Was I right? double toothpicks and all??? FYI, much more drama ensues and now there is Will Smith rap bellowing out of her room. I hope Mark enjoys his night "off". LOL!!

{imelda marcos lives here!}

2008-02-27T09:44:00.002-05:00

i would be imelda marcos if imelda marcos was the flip flop queen!! a few weeks ago, Mark and I went to Lowe's and bought closet shoe storage for Mark to install. Its the same stuff that was installed when the house was built so it matches. But I had so many stinken shoes that in the mornings when I was going to work, I was spending a ton of time hunting thru a pile of shoes because I didn't have enough shoe storage and I was starting to absolutely loose it!!!!! So, he finally got it put up in the closet and believe it or not, its still not enough!! Who would have thunk it!! And what takes up the most room? Those wonderful flip flops, I am lovin' the flippie flops!! I even threw shoes out, donated to Good Will. And the scary thing is, its not even spring yet! New flippy flops are surely going to want to adorn my newly polished and suntanted tootsies? Where to store them? What did Imelda do? What were her shoe storage secrets? I am off to get more hangers today and do some more cleaning and storeage "solutions" in the closet. Its funny because when we built this house, I saw the speck house and though that the master closet was such a "mack daddy" closet and then we moved our stuff in and I think, "wow, i need MORE closet space!!". Its just crazy!!!

{24 hours}

2008-02-26T08:27:00.006-05:00

24 hours and no sleep, aaahhh!!! i never went to sleep on Sunday night, no matter what I did i was unable to get that "shut-eye" that you need to function like a normal human being. In my former life of a SAHM, no biggie. Get up with the kids, scootch their happy little hiney's out the door and then hit the sack for a little nap to re-group. But I am a working Mom and even with no sleep and I mean NO sleep (I don't mean that I even got a cap nap!!), I now have to "make the donuts", put "on the taco suit" and head into the bank early on Monday morning to do the credits and the debits, to solve all of the customers "why am I in the negative, by golly how did that happen?" whoa's on zippo sleep!! I started out okay, pretty much my chipper self, but by mid-afternoon and a ton of coffee and a BigGulp of Diet Coke, I was feeling like I had the flu coming on, nauseous, hot and cold flashes, did I mention nauseous and my body was aching. And about a million trips to the bathroom, that was getting a little embarassing!! But I felt like I needed the caffeine to function, I considered a Red Bull, but Lex told me that it had bull urine in it and I just couldn't bring myself to drink bull pee. I can't believe that Demi Moore drinks pull pee... that is just gross.....

By the time, I got home, I was past being able to go to sleep, so my sweet Markie poo made me a margarita to relax me and made me to go bed. This morning I am feeling refreshed and ready to rock n roll!! Nothing like a good night's sleep go to this chick movin' and grovin'!!

{i'm a java junkie dude}

2008-02-24T20:21:00.004-05:00

a morning without coffee........for anyone that doesn't know me, should know that I need my coffee. So, as soon as my tootsie's hit the floor this morning and I realized that we were fresh out of the free flowing beautiful java of the earth, I woke up Mark with the "crisis" of the day. Hey, who knows maybe this was #3?? Mark being a java junkie too, said, alright, Cracker Barrel, here we come!! I was actually thinking a quick trip to the grocery store, but hey, whatever works. After that, a trip to "the Wal Marts" for the "beans" and we're good for tomorrow. Well, we made it thru Wally World (by the way, just in case you were wondering, just in case the subject ever comes up, I HATE Wal mart, I'm just Sayin') WITHOUT getting the coffee.....

The later of the day, I hit the fine French store more commonly known as Target' south of the border in Florida with my daughter, we had a great time spending time together, but I just have one question, do I look like a dude?? So, why does my daughter keep calling me dude??? Its her new thing, she keeps calling me that, I am her (insert throat clearing) 30something year old mother. The good news is,,,,, this "dude" remembered to get coffee and Dunkin Donuts brand too at the fine french store that is south of the border!!

{hugs}

2008-02-23T19:53:00.003-05:00

So, that is all my little surprise, my little card that made my whole day said on the inside was "hugs". Who sent me this card, there was no return address, my only clue was a Hampton Roads post mark. So, it must have been from a peep. But which peep, over analyzing the handwriting and I could not figure it out. Whoever it was, thank you so much, what a sweet thought and a wonderful surprise, but I will tell you something......its going to make me crazy!! I don't do well with not knowing....I have to be "in the know". So, please fess up and then I can give you a "hug" right back!!!

{highlights}

2008-02-22T19:29:00.003-05:00

there isn't really much to post, my life has slipped back into the land of snoozerville, which after all the stress of the last few weeks, that's okay. Snoozerville is so much better than "I could really use a few prozacs-ville". We still haven't had the "3rd", you know the 3rd "bad thing". So, what is the time frame for "bad things happen in 3's"? I'm just wondering because I would like to mark the experation date on my calendar. I can then no longer wait for the sky to fall!! LOL!!

The big highlights of our week included the lunar eclipse, Action was quite intrigued by it (I might add that I thought it was quite cool too!) In fact the little booger butt, scared me to death at 5AM yesterday morning. I woke up because I think that I felt someone standing over me, I don't think that he actually touched me. He asked, then begged, if he could go outside to see the moon one more time before the sun came up. He didn't understand that it was a normal moon again and I was too groggy to try to explain it to him. What a nut! Mark got a bike with his birthday money, he plans on biking back and forth to work (7 miles or so). I got my military ID and all of my credit cards etc. replaced finally! Do I hear a Hi-5 on all of that!!!??? I am starting to feel normal again!! I have to admit the other night that Mark and I visited the Coach store and I oogled all of the new Spring stuff. But I am not getting one, the salesperson said that they just sent a ton of purses to the outlet. So, I don't know...... I really am still super mad about my purse. Its still a sore spot with me, partly because there is a good chance it got thrown in a dumpser, the little morons! Okay, back to my happy place!!! We have a good weekend planned if the crazy and insane weather can get it straight, yesterday was freezing cold, a rainfront came in last night and its hot, hot, hot today!!! What tomorrow holds is anyone's guess!! Seriously thinking the beach on Sunday, not kidding!! Keep ya posted! Have a good weekend!!

{just a peach}

2008-02-20T22:06:00.003-05:00

Its official!! I'm a peach!! A Georgia peach that is!!! I finally got everything that I needed to get my driver's license here in this peachier than peachy state since the smash-n-grab!! So, if I am a peach here in Georgia, what was I in Virginia?? What are you in Virginia? What is the official anything in Virginia? Is a pineapple the official fruit of Virginia? I guess my ignorance is a reflection that both of my kids managed to escape the curse of the elementary school "Virginia project". If they hadn't I would probably know the official root plant. Anyway, I digress, lts actually been a pretty good day, I hit the local scrapbook store and scoured thru the last of the "bling" before the store closes its doors for good next week. The very best part of this scrapchic's hump day, I had the BEST stinken time chatting (Holy cannelloni, we talked for nearly 2 hours!! She gave me a run for my money, if you can believe that!!) and having lunch with a new friend. Alright, I want to re-visit my mention of six degrees of separation, I found out today who drove the jeep in my previous post regarding the "scrap stalking" at the Cracker Barrel with Mark a few weeks ago and I ended up fessing up to the whole stalking and then blogging (yeah, I told her about blogging about it!) "incident". Yeah, what a hoot! Do I have issues?? I think I may have issues!! aaahhhh!! time will tell if I will need those padded walls!

{Homey's?]

2008-02-20T07:26:00.004-05:00

Okay, so last night I went to crop with a bunch of ladies that I didn't know and I was sssooooooo nervous. A few weeks ago I had taken a scrapbook page to a new salon to show him how I wanted to get my hair done and it was laying on a table, another hairdresser walked by and commented on the page and that I was a scrapbooker, we got to talking and she invited me to a standing Tuesday crop night with her and a bunch of her "buds," or whatever she calls them. So, I went last night and had so much fun!! A really positive, funny bunch of ladies that had me cracking up! They get together once a week and I am super excited. I am having lunch with one of the ladies today. One thing that you may have noticed about me is that I have been accused by many of having "Darleen-isms", I have always had these quirky little sayings or whatever you want to call them. Sometimes there is just no telling either what will come out of my mouth or how I will put what will come out of my mouth. Its been like that since I was a child, so its nothing new. Trust me, my parents have stories...... Its not like I am crude or use wordy dirds, but I call my friends "peeps", ask my kids if I look like I just fell off the turnip truck, every morning say good morning to my new co-workers by calling them Banker babes. So, what to call the new group of scrapper's? I have been told that I am not allowed to call them peeps under any circumstances(this by my Virginia "peeps"), no way! no how! So, what then, homey's? home-slices? dogs? pussycats? buds?(that one is kind of a snoozer). I don't know, time will tell. We'll see what fits their personalities..............what pops into my head and hopefully I will think about before it pops out of my mouth.

{No Alibi}

2008-02-18T18:42:00.002-05:00

L-A-Z-Y and I ain't got no alibi.......Today was so lazy, the kids were out of school, Mark had the day off, the bank was closed. Lex spent the day with Gabs and Mark and Action played video games and a little golf when the weather cleared up, clearing the way for me to be lazy and guilt free. I cleaned the house yesterday and did laundry. So, after I drank my coffee this morning, I decided I would shower, skip the make-up (its not like anyone is coming over that's over 4 feet tall, Action's friends ring the door bell a million times a day!!) and scrapbook!! I got one LO done and I am in the middle of another. Wether it will get done today, I'm not sure, its getting late and I do need to feed the fam. Mark is already starting to dig in the pantry and when he does that, he starts to bring out the "snacks". So, I should run, but the pages I added are in the slide. I hope that everyone had a great President's Day and were able to enjoy it being just as lazy!!!

{Laptop-Less}

2008-02-16T20:43:00.003-05:00

Well, my laptop-less days are over!!! Mark got the hard drive in and our "puter" is up and running! Woo-Hoo!! It took what seemed like forever because Mark forgot the password for the wireless router (he has all these passwords and none of them are the same and none of them are written down) and so he ended up on the phone with tech support for about an hour after trying everything under the sun to do it himself. But its neither here nor there and now I know the password so we are good, at least until I forget it!!! Our weekend has been quite relaxing, we actually, I still can't believe we did it again, but we had dinner with our neighbor's at Maggiano's. Her husband was in just for the weekend (he's a Navy guy) and they had never been and really wanted to go. I should have worn my stretchy/ waist band spandex pants because they always have so much food. But I paced myself and did very well. I nibbled until desert and then it was all out war!!! We came home with 6 or 7 bags of leftovers, so, our peachy pals from down the street are coming over for leftovers for dinner tomorrow night (after the Daytona 500 OF COURSE) and I'm going to throw together a killer salad and maybe a few margaritas and we are good to go for round 2!!