Awww! Don't they look sweet? Too bad this didn't last long. About 5 minutes later Layla got up and stalked off. Squeekie annoys her a lot.

I have been tagged! Michele has tagged me with a meme that has been making the rounds. I don't mind, because they make you think AND you learn things about others. So, without further blabbing.

-Seven Things to do Before I Die:

1. Visit Scotland

2. Visit Ireland

3. Watch my children graduate from college/get married.

4. If not bury her ashes at my Nana'a grave, then at least sprinkle my Mom's ashes at her Mom's grave. (she asked)

5. Cut my hair. (it's to my waist)

6.Not feel guilty every time I spend money on me. (wether it be clothing I need, or books to read)

7. Have something of mine published. (poetry, short story, article)

-Seven Things I Cannot Do:

1.Be daring with my hair.

2. Knit

3. Crochet

4.Sing in public solo.

5.Step areorobics(sp). Trust me, true klutz at work.

6. Get over my shyness

7. Not feel a little panicked when I have to call a stranger.

-Seven Things that Attract Me to My Spouse:

1.His eyes.( Sky Blue.)

2. He's as cracked as I am. (we have warped senses of humor)

3. He comforts me through the bad things in life. ( he was there for me when my Mom died)

4. We compliment each other. ( like yin and yang)

5. He can sleep ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. (no kidding, in the shower. How?)

6.He would buy me ANYTHING I ever asked, mostly does it when I ask NOT to.

7. *ha* (can't tell you.)

-Seven Things I Say or Write Most Often:

1. Sorry. (write it, say it, lived all my life this way. sorry.)

2. Really? (mostly to Daughter when told she can't find something/do something) (must be said in a sarcastic tone)

3. Pardon Me? (as in um, what?)

4. I love you. (said to children and Dh daily)

5. oooh, new book!

6.Be Nice! (to Daughter, about treatment to son)

7. Knock it Off! (see above)

-Seven Books (or Series) I Love (or authors):

1. ANYTHING by Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum, Motor Mouth, Full House, reprinted oldies).

2. Jayne Ann Krentz, wether she is writing as Jayne Ann Krentz, Amanda Quick, or Jayne Castle. Not so much her Stepahanie James books

3. Nora Roberts, also her J.D. Robb books. (Eve Dallas rocks!)

4. Charlaine Harris, I love her Sookie Stackhouse Books. Hated her Grave Sight book (sorry).

5. Jill Shalvis, Beg or borrow a copy of "Get a Clue". Book made me laugh soooo hard.

6. Jennifer Crusie, she cracks me up! "Fast Women" is a must!

7.MaryJanice Davidson, Her Undead and......series is terrific!

-Seven Movies I Would Watch Over and Over Again:

1. The Mummy.

2. Clue (hilarious)(Tim Curry, he's too funny)

3. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (her family makes mine normal)

4. Head Over Heels (too cute)

5. Foul Play (Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn, need I say more?)

6. Return to Me (cool music, romance with a modern/strange twist)

7. Volcano (Tommy Lee Jones, not your traditional handsome hero, but I love his ruggedness) (and L.A. is almost burned over, but saved, darn.)

There, done! I KNOW I bored you to death, maybe you learned something, maybe not. Hope you didn't learn something you don't like. I went to pay the taxes on my van today. The building was PACKED! Only had to stand in line for about 15 minutes. Next I braved the dreaded DMV for my tags sticker. I was pleasantly surprised. They were nice! And polite! And wished me a Happy New Year! What happened? Pod people? I wonder.

Anyway, off to give bath to son. Wish me luck! (I need to look into flood insurance, does it count if it comes from the bathtub?) B.

Ooooh! I am so excited! MaryJanice Davidsons book "Undead and Unwed" is being made into a t.v. movie.
In other news, I have compiled a list of the books I am looking forward to in 2006.
1. Memory in Death by J.D. Robb/ Nora Roberts (January)
2. All Night Long by Jayne Ann Krentz (January)
3. Valentines Day is Killing Me (anthology) by MaryJanice Davidson, Susanna Carr, Leslie Esdelle (January)
4. Goddess of the Rose by P.C. Cast (February)
5. Full Scoop by Janet Evanovich/Charlotte Hughes (April)
6. Second Sight by Amanda Quick (Jayne Ann Krentz) historical (May)
7. Ghost Hunter by Jayne Castle (Jayne Ann Krentz) futuristic/paranormal (May)
8. Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich (Stepahnie Plum series)
9. Smitten by Janet Evanovich (re-released paperback romance)
10. Sleeping with Fear by Kay Hooper (July)
11. Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich ( Alex Barnaby book)
12. Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich (re-released paperback romance)
13. Don't Look Down by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (April) (so looking forward to this!)

My library better get on the ball!!!!

p.s. (update) my list is only as up to date as Barnes&Nobles 'upcoming' section! And is only for the authors I read the most!

These are books I have picked up this week! I cannot wait to start them. Unfortuntely I have been too busy so far, but I have hopes for tonight!

Merry Christmas! I hope that everyone is having a good time with family and/or friends!

Not only is Oreo growing, she's still nuts. Notice the ball at her feet? It's one of my Christmas decorations for the tree. One of the balls that has satin threads. That are, as we speak, ALL OVER MY LIVING ROOM! Every night before bed I check the floors for thread and every day when we get up I check the floors again. AND I put all the ornaments back on the tree that have 'somehow' ended up all over the floor by the tree.

Trying to gear myself up for the weekend. I'm OK with everything as far as what we are doing. It's the fake "Oooh, I love it", that I am trying to remember how to do. See, as generous as my in-laws are, my mother-in-law always ends up buying me some clothing. Which is nice. BUT, we do not have the same taste in clothes. And I know for a fact that she has bought a skirt and sweater fro me. I don't want to hurt her feelings, but..... I KNOW I'll hate it. So, it will either be returned or enter my closet and never see the light of day again. (Well, that or I'll end up donating it next year.)

Last year was the only year since Dh and I have been married that she didn't give me clothes. She gave me candles and an angel figurine that I really like. Score one for MIL.

I let Daughter make a cheescake (Jello, duh!) tonight. She didn't do too bad. Made a mess and had to be reminded to clean up. Other than that, she followed all the directions on the box and it looks like it is supposed to. We'll find out what it tastes like later. (Pray for us.)

Time for the nightly list for lockdown. Lights, check. Furniture cleared off, check. Doors locked, check. Cats fed and fresh water, check. Kitchen counters wiped down, check. Am I anal retentive about this, check. Do I need to give it up already and go to bed, CHECK! Night, B.

See Tiger. See Tiger asleep. See Tiger asleep in daughters drawer. Tiger is the stray we feed and bring in occasionally, when he is willing and it's cold out. Unfortunately we have to 'lock' him in Daughters room away from the other cats (they HATE him).

Had class and an impromptu Christmas party tonight. We had an OK time.( Dh and I have head colds. Whereas I am able to still function, for him the world has come to an end.) I have a hard time socializing with people. Which made tonight hard for me. I wish I were different, but my main goal is to make sure my kids don't end up like me. (So far, so good. )

Am looking forward to Saturday with my family, and then church for Midnight Mass. Christmas day itself will be busy, too.

Oh, good grief, Son just used the restroom and is now stating that he "doesn't have 2 testicals". (He's 3.) The fact that he even remembered what they are called is amazing to me. (He asks, we try to be truthfull.) I just about died laughing and told him that he did too have 2 and that Daddy could attest to that fact because he has them as well. (TMI?) I want to be honest with him, but know that if the answers come from daddy who is the same gender he is, it will help to validate what I tell him.

Made another batch of peanut butter cookies last night. (I'm telling you, they make a good breakfast.) Am getting ready to make Friendship Bread. It takes 10 days, so it has to planned ahead of time. My kids think watching the mixture ferment is fun. (the plastic bag the mixture is in expands with the gas of the fermentation.) I will be ready to make it on friday. I'm trying to think of a new dried fruit to use in it instead of raisens. Hmmmm, maybe dried apples? I have PLENTY of pecans to add. Time to call ot a night. B.

I found this picture on Deborah Smith (oooh, cool, my first link). I have read quite a few of her books, but I especially love her mermaid series. I didn't know she was an artist until this year. She is selling some of her paintings with proceeds going to her local Humane Society.

We are feeling blessed today. My DH and I have both been in a Holiday funk and would just be happy if we woke up the day after Christmas. However, a couple of things have happened to help us re-adjust our attitude. 1. We found an extra bit of money in our checking account. 2. My Dh WON 4 tickets to see Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. They will be in our area next month. (He won them off the radio, with a trivia question about "Charlie Brown's Christmas"). As much as we want to just have the Holidays over with, we feel like we are being blessed so tha tour attitude will not spoil our children's Christmas. (Hope that made sense) (And the tickets are for GOOD seats.)

Our area is STILL trying to recover from that ice storm last week. Our local power company is still struggling to recover power for over 10,000 homes. My in-laws power was finally restored around 5pm yesterday. The funny thing is, the night before the storm hit, our local compny was on the news STATING WITH CONFIDENCE that they were prepared for the storm. HA! And Good Grief!

AND another blessing ( it seems that way to me, anyway) the library called and 'Batman Begins' is now in my possession. My son is ecstatic. He even got to carry it out of the library. (My Dh is pleased as well.) A book I had requested came in, too. Yeah, me! Something for the WHOLE family. My in-laws gave my kids a copy of "The Polar Express" for an early Christmas gift, it's a cute movie. I liked it. My kids loved it. (Dh hasn't had a chance to see it yet.)

Tomorrow I'll post a new picture or 2. But, I've been enjoying the different images you can find on the internet. Night All!! B.

I always tell my children this story at Christmas.
We have a few things that we do that you could call traditions. 1) We buy our tree the week before Christmas. 2) We leave cookies and Coke for Santa (oats for reindeer). 3)We always open one gift on Christmas Eve. The rest are opened Christmas morning. 4) We always watch "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation" (my Dh's FAVORITE) and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (the original cartoon). 5) We spend Christmas morning with just the 4 of us (and the cats). 6) We always give the cats a gift.
We are adding a new thing this year, we are going to ba attending Midnight Mass at our Church. The kids are excited, going to Church so late! I'm hoping it is as beautiful as I remember as a child. Oooh, I forgot one. NUMBER 7, Dh ALWAYS tracks Santa thru NORAD online. www.noradsanta.org It is so much fun to watch. This year year will be the 5oth anniversary for doing it. Hard to believe it all started as a mistake.
I'm trying really hard to stay in the Christmas Spirit this year. My kids are trying my patience this year. Especially my daughter. Everytime we walk in a store she wants something. Ugh! What is it with kids and "gimme, gimme, gimme"?
My Grandmother has a dinner and gift swap every year, but this years was cancelled because she didn't have power. Everything will be at my Dads this weekend instead. Hopefully the power will be back on at his home by then. Over 100,00 here still don't have power as of tonight.
By the way bought the cats cans od food as a Christmas treat and we also bought them a new bag of cat nip. We gave it to them tonight. Early, I know, but they are soooo happy. Actually they act drunk, or stoned. Rolling all over the floor and acting as mellow as you would expect. LOVE IT! FUNNIEST THING EVER!!!
Long winded, er, long-handed tonight!? Night all, B.

Last night after we had heat again, my DH and Layla sacked out on the floor. Is this not too cute? (please excuse the messiness in the picture, I was more concerned w/ clean clothes at this point than dinner plates on the chest in the living room. Yes, I let my kids eat in the living room, you couldn't tear my kids away from the TV last night.)

I'M BAAAAAAAACK!
We lost power about 6 am Thursday morning. It wasn't fixed until after 5 pm yesterday! Try explaining to a 3 year old that the TV wasn't broken, but that there was no electricity to power it. We had to rough it in our house, with no heat. We don't have a fireplace, gas or otherwise so we got real COLD. We finally had to borrow a kerosene heater from my in-laws. On the bright side, at least we still had water.

Ugh. Next house will have a fireplace. And through it all, my DH still had to commute to work, because no one where he works lost power. I will never take electricity for granted again. Sorry I didn't post yesterday evening because I had laundry out the arse to do. Speaking of which........

Have a good night. Cuddle up to your sweetie. Wonder how many babies will be born 9 months from now? And please say a prayer for all those that STILL don't have power. There are THOUSANDS! B.

The library called Monday to let me know my book had come in, but I was unable to pick it up until today. I have never read this author before and am excited to try her. I have high hopes that this book is as good as the blurb. It is supposed to be about a woman who moves to Oregon with her boyfriend, who then deserts her. She then ends up bartending and later on PI'ing for one of her friends also in the business. ..... I am hoping the mystery involved is captivating. If not, I picked up another mystery by Leslie Meir. I have read quite a few of HER books so I know that if they basic surmise hasn't changed I'll like it. I have to say, I prefer the cozy mystery to other more graphic novels.

Went to church for class tonight and as usual came out with renewed spirits. I'm not under as much stress as yesterday. We now know what is wrong with our mini-van, the anticipated trouble with my DH's school messing up his course material for his next Masters Class is over (they have straightened everything out), and I have a good idea what's left to get for the rest of my shopping. Also, van is drivable so we will be getting our tree tomorrow. (Couldn't see putting it in/on Dh's car.) Oh, btw, peanut butter cookies make a great breakfast (for me). Hey, peanut butter has protien! I fed the kids healthy stuff, I'm older, I can eat junk if I want. Not to mention I was too tired to make myself anything and they WERE there.

Dh and I have been keeping son's gifts in his trunk, but we are going to have to figure out how to snaeak them into the house, and then where to hide them. Son is nosey! Daughter knows better. Besides, hers are easier to hide as they are smaller. Dh's are even easier ti hude because he is CLUELESS as to what we've gotten him and where they are hidden. HA-HA! Not much sleep last night, too many interruptions and brain wouldn't turn off. Also just couldn't get comfortable. Hope tonight is better, I AM TIRED! Night. B.

Just thought you might like to see how big Oreo is getting. She is still the tiny terror. We were worried about her yesterday for a while because she slept so long instead of attacking everything.

Made peanut butter cookies and decorated sugar cookies today. Trying to get into the Holiday spirit. It's not working. I'm stressing out! My Dh just doesn't get it. I'll just be happy when this is all over.

Short post. Feeling bleh, and like no one cares anyway. Hope everyone else is doing good. Night. B.

So this is what my Dh spent 4 hours doing yesterday. The ladder we have only reaches the roofline for the 1st floor. I have no idea (nor do I want to know) how he put the lights on the 2nd floor roofline.

What did I do yesterday, you ask? I spent 4 hours cracking pecans. Supposedly I had help. My 3 yr. old and my 10yr. old helped. Actually my daughter really was a big help. We had what was a plastic grocery bag full of pecans to do. My in-laws brought them to me, and I love pecans. Really. I just hate shelling them. By the time we were done, I never wanted to see a pecan. I will, however, use them in my baking this year. My Dh's favorite cookies are called "Polverones", translated 'dust balls'. I found the recipe in a book about 7 years ago, and now I have to make them for him every year. AND they never last longer than 2 days.

"The Pregnancy Test" by Erin McCarthy came in and I picked it up yesterday. Yeah! I'll start it soon. The library called again today to tell me yet another of the books I have on hold came in today. AND I'm the next person to get a copy of "Batman Begins" when the next one is returned. My Dh is starting to ask me everyother day where I am on the list for it. It started with me getting it for my son, now It's more for my Dh.

I have finished shopping for our son. I have picked up a few things for my daughter, but I am now stuck. I just don't know what else to get her. She's getting a little old for Barbies. I think. She hardly ever plays with the ones she has, only digging them out 2 or 3 times a year. She does want a stuffed kitty. I just think she has too many as it is. But, it's what she wants. So far I've picked her up a new fluffy scarf, a new pair of hoop earrings, a new game for her gameboy, and a whole pack of nail polish, and a new nitelite that says 'princess' on it. Add the kitty, and what else can I get? Aaaaaggghhh! I know this isn't what Christmas is about, but I just don't want to dissapoint my kids. I feel the urge to bake cookies. Bye! B.

Loved this book! It was just the right mood lifter I needed. It is a romance with a twist of mystery added to round out the characters and to help make this a continuation of her earlier book. The heroine is hard to sympathize with at first, She is a spoiled, never worked a job, shallow woman. Then the drama hits as her father tells her he is cutting off her funds and that she needs to find a job. Yes, I know pretty well known plot. Then the fun starts. (SPOILER) She melt her nails on the fryer at McDonalds! Bwahahaha! She askes Dad for help in finding another job and he finally makes her think when he asks her what she really wants to do with her life. Turns out she wants to be like her dearly departed Mom. Work with horses. He helps her find a job doing just that. ANd she FINALLY starts to grow up, mature even. I'm leaving out the hero because if I tell you all of it, you won't go read it yourself. (I will tell you he is a Veterinanrian). Oh, all this takes place in Texas. (hence the country song sounding title) All in all it is a light, fun read.

The in-laws came by today. They brought me some pecans. ( pe-cahns, not pee-cans)(thought you'd like to know how we say it down South) They ate lunch with us and then they sat and watched a movie with us for a while and then left. It was a nice visit. No 'discussion' on our life or the way we live it. (not that we are doing anything wrong, we just feel judged all the time) They still don't know DH and I are converting. Trust me, the longer they don't know the better. I keep expecting some kind of intervention just because we attend a different Church than they go to. Truly.

Annny waaaay....... My DH is very excited at the prospect of placing his lights up tomorrow. He has been telling me that he will have to go up on the roof to hang some of them. Ack! I (half jokingly) asked him if our insurance would handle anything that happened. He's very capable, but like me, a total klutz. We are not graceful people. I walk into walls more often than I want to admit. *sigh* I always wanted to 'glide' or 'gracefully float" across a room instead of bumping into everything. But, I do it quietly. Just call me the klutzy mouse. He-he.

Rereading a favorite and I want to get back to it. More later. B.

Ok, on the left we have Squeekie in the tent cube I bought the cats. On the right we have Layla, on my bed. Is it me, or are these cats WEIRD? I have no idea how, but we seem to collect strange manored animals. Heh-heh.

Well, today was b-o-r-i-n-g. I managed to do laundry, mop my floors and shampoo my carpets. I am just not an interesting person.

I have been patiently waiting for my library to get a book in that I have requested. I have MANY books requested. I would be happy if ANY of them came in SOON. They called me on Wednesday to pick up a Dixie Cash book. It's called "My Heart May Be Broken, but My Hair Still Looks Great." Swear to goodness, that's the title. I started it earlier today. It seems pretty good so far. I'll tell more about it after I've finished it. I know they will call me tomorrow about another book, I checked online and they have it, they just haven't called me about it yet. It is taking them FOREVER to add new books to the circulation. Not to mention they don't get certain books in. I'd love to read "The Night Before Christmas" a collection of stories with Lori Foster and Jill Shalvis and others. Unfortunately the library here isn't going to buy it. I keep checking the UBS for it, but no luck.

I'm almost done with the shopping for the kids. I have a small start on Dh's as well. I know for a fact that he will wait until the very last minute to do mine. Every occasion it's the same way. Love the man, truly. But, come on, there's a better way to do this.

In-laws called today. (knew it was coming) They wanted to know if they could come over either tomorrow or Sunday. I KNEW Dh wanted to put up his lights on Sunday and that we might visit my Dad, too. So, I told them tomorrow. Yea, me. Luckily they can't stay very long, they have a Christmas party to attend. Blessed be. For me. I do love them. I just can't be around them very long before they drive me bananas.

Still don't have our tree yet. We will probably pick one up early next week. My family never bought it early, so the needles couldn't pile up. We always bought fresh cut, too. No fake trees. My Dh loves real trees too. There's just nothing like the smell of a Douglas Fir in your home. I can't wait to see what Oreo does to the tree this year. This is her first Christmas, and she was a stray, not to mention ORNAMENTS! I used to have a whole bunch of colred glass balls hanging. After the first 4 cats and 2 kids, I don't have many left and they stay in the Christmas storage box. We bought satin balls last year. Yeah, that was better, until they started swatting at them and the satin string started to unwind. Bwahahaha! You would never believe how far that stuff can unwind around a 2 story home. I still found sring in February. Better than shattered glass.

Gotta run and referee. B.

Ok. This you will find strange. That is Layla, she is LICKING my Dh's head. She LOVES the way he smells right after he's had his shower. (As a woman, who doesn't love a freshly showered man?) She attacks his feet and will try and pull his head down so that she can smell him. It's like he smells like catnip. It's funny to watch.

I have to tell you I have been in the worst mood this week. I have just been depressed over all the Christmas hoopla. Not exactly the decorations or music, just the fact that I feel bad that I can't give my kids more things. Which makes me feel guilty, because that isn't what the season is for anyway, and what am I teaching them placing gifts as the most important? I would love to give everyone I know a gift, to show them how much I regard them, but ...... I would like to give my kids everything they'd like to have, but I can't and that's made me depressed. Not to mention, I am reminded of my Mom this time of year, and all the Christmas' she made special for me. AND her birthday is the Sunday before Christmas. I just feel so sad. One bright spot out of the day was that our class at Church was tonight. By the end of the class and discussion group I felt a bit more ME. We also ran by the toy section of Wally World and I was able to slip quite a few toys by my son. Daughter is harder. I will have to get Dh to distract her next time we go out. Tomorrow night. Eeek! Wish me luck.

By the way, remeber when I posted about going to a local parade on Saturday? Well, the picture above (on the left) was taken at the parade. The guy is riding....yes it is.....a toilet. No kidding. Somehow, someone with a LOT of time on their hands turned this toilet (and his wasn't the only one. 'Bout 5 total.) into a riding 'thing'. Welcome to the South. Home of the original Redneck. (BTW, sorry abou the bluriness of the photo, he WAS moving pretty quickly.)

Two of the books I recently requested of the library FINALLY arrived this afternoon. I knew before they called me. (I check my account on their website several times a day.) And the rose Dh brought me, died as soon as I put it in a vase. Also, the cats keep trying to eat the baby's breath. I need to excercise, it usually helps me feel better. Something about endorphines. Anyway, have a good night. B.

p.s. Hope this post wasn't too depressing or too jumbled to understand.

I got up to check on the laundry for 3 minutes. This is what I found when I got back. Smokie, Patches and Oreo all climbed onto my chair.

Sunday was restful. We went to church, exchanged a shirt I didn't like the color of, came home and did NOTHING for hours. (laundry doesn't count) Dh did pull out all his strands of Christmas lights and check them for bad bulbs. He would have put them up yesterda, but it started to rain right after we got home. It's amazing to me that my Dh is cumpulsively neat with the strands of lights. This is the only thing he is neat with. His car has drink containers in the back floorboard, not to mention papers and such.( I clean it out and vacumn it every couple of weeks.)

I could have accomplished more things yesterday and had every intention of doing so, but it was just nice not to be in a hurry to have to be anywhere or do anything. We just spent the day together as a family. We don't do that often enough.

We also watched our favorite TV shows last night.' Law & Order: Criminal Intent' and 'Grey's Anatomy'.

Dh had to be at work earlier than usual this morning and will therefore be home earlier, so I'm off to get dinner started. (Yes, I know this post was horribly boring, sorry. I'll try to have an embarssing moment for the next post. *g*) B.

Well, Santa is SUPPOSED to be laughing. Have 2 very different links for y'all.
www.lovespoodles.blogspot.com for pictures of the cutest animals.
www.bobrivers.com/audiovault/tunes for a chance to hear some SERIOUSLY TWISTED Holiday tunes. My Dh found this one and he about fell in the floor laughing! (Don't click the link if you are easily offended.)
Had a busy day. Went to the used bookstore, picked up 2 books. Tried to find certain Star Wars figures for son for Christmas.(BTW, Toys R US was CRAZY!) Also, found different gift for Sister-in-law and her hubby. (the pens didn't feel right).
Then we went to a Christmas parade. In the cold. And Rain. And had to walk 1/2 a mile to get to the route from where we parked the car. Carrying my son. Ugh! No need to workout on the treadmill tonight! After all that we ran by Target to see if THEY had the toy we were looking for. We finally got home around 10pm. We left at 12pm. 10 hours spent with my lovely family. (time for some tylenol and a hot shower)
Hope y'alls day was good. I'm going to bed and hope that I don't catch pneumonia(sp).

Last weekend, while my Dh was helping the neighbors with their computer again, my daughter and the neighbors daughter decided they wanted to spend the night. At the neighbors. That night. At 11pm. I said no. 1. Because they waited until we were heading out the door. and 2. We had church the next morning. I DID however, say that next weekend would be fine, and since our daughter had already stayed over there before, why didn't neighbors daughter spend the night at our house? Plans were made. I FORGOT, until today. So, no fun snacks, no girl movies, no finger nail polish (hello, they're 10 years old). I feel sooo bad about this. I hope everything turns out OK, and that my daughter isn't disappointed. (We haven't done this before, at our house.) I have not purposely kept my daughter from having friends over, between moving while in the military and our move here, the only times she's spent the night away from home has been with the girl scouts. My daughters lack of friends is one of the few drawbacks of Homeschooling. I would like to place her in an activity after January. Narrowing down the activity itself will be hard. My son is enjoying having company as well. He likes the NG (neighbor girl) and I think he has a small crush on her.( She has younger brothers and they all play together.) And so she doesn't mind him tagging along. For that alone, I swear he looks at her with awe.

Been looking for some new books to read. Hopefully the used bookstore will have a good selection tomorrow. I have wittled the stack from the library down, and they have yet to get in the books I have placed on hold. I really dislike this library system, they are so slow to add new books, and then transfer them. (talking about when I am the no.1 on the hold list, no one in front of me because the book is NEW) It makes waiting hard because I KNOW there is no one else ahead of me on the list. Aaggghhhhh! Patience. Must have patience. To be honest, this is the only time I need to worry about patience. No, really. I can keep smiling even when the kids are being nuts. My Dh on the other hand, has to grit his teeth to keep from screaming. Bwhahahaha!

I love the man, but I really think he needs to work on his patience with the kids. He goes ballistic if they get too loud or start bickering. ESPECIALLY if we're out in public. Good thing I am the one who is with them all the time, huh? He wouldn't last a full day taking care of them. Heh-heh!

The one time I was sick and had to sleep late, he forgot to change my son out of his pajamas AND forgot to see if he was hungry. Not Mommy material. Good thing he's the Dad. We love him anyway.

Well, off to try and find fun things for the girls to do. Wish me luck. B.

Just a short post tonight. Today was Dh's usual day off. We ACTUALLY GOT SOMETHINGS DONE! We had a table , some clothing, and some books sitting in the garage and I asked Dh to "PLEASE, if you love me take them to the donation center"! AND HE DID! We have a single car garage, and when you try to fit too many other things in it, it doesn't have room for your vehichle. (next house will have a 2 car garage) Right now we have all of the kids outdoor toys, gardening stuff, a twin headboard and footboard and rails, our lawnmower, and our van stuffed in there. It's also where we keep all of our recyclables. Believe it or not, it all fits. Add the other things to be donated....TIGHT SQUEEZE! Thank goodness it's now gone.
We ran to the MALL today to try and find son a Spiderman hat and gloves. He saw an ad for them in a circular last week. No luck. We went into every store we thought would have it. Nada. (Sold out of Spiderman in the store that had the ad.) I knew that Target carried Spiderman ball caps, thought we'd have to go there later this week. After our class at church we went to get groceries at Wally's World, and I had a thought....checked the boys department and 'VOILA!' Spiderman hat and gloves. And the reason for the frantic search for these items? Yesterday on the way to the Christmas event, my MIL was worried about the kids earss getting cold. So we stopped at 'Family Dollar' (their choice). I tried to tell them that I had already PROMISED my son I was going to get him a Spiderman hat this weekend. She HAD to get the kids stocking caps right then. My son pitched a hissy! Said he wanted Spiderman. I PROMISED him AGAIN that Mom would get him a Spiderman hat (tears streaming down his face, just soooo upset). So he backed me into a corner asking (crying "please Mommy" tomorrow?) I promised tomorrow (today) that I would find one. I NEVER BREAK A PROMISE. I usually never make a rash promise, one I know I might have trouble with. I felt that if I didn't find the sucker he was never going to trust me again. He's ecstatic that we found it. (Bonus, it came with "glubs" (gloves).)
Bored yet? Eyes glazing over? Bwhahahahaha! WELCOME TO MY WORLD!
I was so excited to have class at church again tonight. Because: 1. I get out of the house. 2. I get to talk to other adults. 3. I get to USE MY BRAIN. 4. It's something my Dh and I are doing together. 5. Someone else watches my kids. 6. (sorta goes w/3) I'm learning all kinds of interesting things. and 7. I just come away feeling good/happy.
Managed to run by the library today as well. We just had to find another Star Wars movie for my son. He's now addicted. Yes, I've said it before, another has been turned to the dark side. It will however, make Christmas shopping easier. Star Wars stuff! For both the Dh and my son!
Jeez, meant this to be a short post. I AM TIRED! We've been running all day. So, toddling off for shower and bed. Night. B.

Do you know how hard it is to post when you have a kitten demanding attention?

Really, really hard. Oreo just walks across the keys even if I'm typing. No post yesterday because, well, I was tired all day. I did manage to clean all the bathrooms, mop the floors and do a load of laundry! Also my DH took me to a branch of the library we'd never been to before. Saddest little library I've ever seen. They DID manage to have a few books I'd never seen before. I thinks it's because the other branches I visit are frequented by more people. I picked up 2 books by Carly Phillips. I like her books for a fun, fast read. I also picked up Beverly Brandt's new book. "The Tiara Club". I hope it's good. I've read her before and to be honest wasn't that impressed. I hope I like this one better. Guess what?! Janet Evanovich's re-released book "Manhunt" is supposed to be released tomorrow. My Dh went by Wal-Mart for something tonight and they had it out already. He suprised me and bought one for me. Too Sweet.

By the way, you know you are married to a geek when the 2 of you flirt by MNS Messenger. We sit and text back and forth. He'll start by sending me a rose or a heart. I love it. It's fun. I do usually end up calling him a Goober. I told him that he could post anything he wanted to on this blog, too. As long as he let anyone reading this know that it wasn't me. It has been a rainy cool day today, and I have loved every minute of it. Rainy days are my favorite. (Except for having to go up to the curb to check the mail in the rain.) I sleep best when it rains, too. There's just something soothing about it.

Also, hoping I didn't offend Michele, by letting her know a little known tidbit about George Washington. Please check out her blog. The link is located in my Links under M's favorite things. since I don't get many readers, I doubt she'll have any referalls, but her blog is so entertaining I had to let you know about it.

Anyway, going to spend time with Dh before sleep. Night Y'all. B.

http://www.mcadenville-christmastown.com/
You have to visit this site. This is where we visit every year to see Christmas lights. It's a about an hours drive from us, but worth it. The website has a slide show that shows some of the best houses. I can't wait to take the kids this year. Last year my son called Snowmen 'Ghosts'. This year he knows their real name.
My in-laws came over today and we all had a GOOD time. Suprise, suprise! She actually did me a favor. I bought my Dh a leather coat for Christmas. It was originally $200, marked down 50% to $100. I was storing...I mean hiding it at their house. She went to the store again today to shop and found that they had allowed another 10% off the SAME coat, and if she opened her charge account back up (she was going to anyway) it allowed another 10% off. It made the SAME exact coat $72. So she went ahead and bought it, and is going to take the one I bought back. (with the original receipt). It was soooo nice of her, I wondered if Aliens had performed a personality switch. It was the first time in a long time that after they left, I wasn't mad or annoyed or hurt. I wish it was like this all the time.
I'm starting to feel a little bit of the Holiday spirit. I found myself printing out Christmas coloring pages for the kids today, and looking up local places to go look at lights. I also found myself humming carols today. Someone stop me! I won't let Dh put up Christmas lights until December 1st. AND we don't put up our tree (real, douglas fir) until the beginning of the second week of December. I know this sounds strict or rather strange, but it's our way of combatting the EARLY birds who put the tree up in the middle of November. The funny thing is....when we lived in Mississippi the majority would leave the tree up for MONTHS. They would decorate it for Valentines Day and Easter and St. Patricks Day and OF COURSE Mardi Gras. I have never seen anything like it in my entire life. The first year we lived there we didn't know WHAT THE HECK was going on. By the time we left, we didn't do it ourselves, but we enjoyed the enthusiasm.
The kids are bugging the snot out of me. "I want this for Christmas, ooooohhh I want that, Can I have that?" I almost have the Serenity Prayer memorized at this point. Not only are they gimme, gimme, gimme. They keep changing their minds so fast I get mental whiplash. Aaaggghhhhh! I'm tired of it already, and it's not even December! How do you tell kids that Mom and Dad can't buy them everything because we live ona budget? Between my Dad and StepMom, DH's parents and Dh's sister and BIL our kids will receive an explosion of things. AND we have to buy 2 extra gifts because the family exchanged names. I can just hear my Bank account SCREAMING for mercy. ;)
Laundry will not wait to be folded. (Hate wrinkles). BYE! B.

So here is Squeeky. Pretending to be Batman. My sons idea. The sad part is, after we got through laughing, he just lay there. He didn't pitch a fit and try to shake the mask off. He would have continued to lay there if I hadn't made my son take the mask off.
Yesterday was almost inti-climactic. My mother-in-law was civil and thawed towards me around 20 minutes before we left. When we got home we just vegged. It was stressful being around other people and always being careful in what was said and done. My kids had a blast at my Dh's sisters home. They have about 5 acres of land and a dog and cat. They also have a 4-wheeler, a WW2 jeep and a cannon. My son and daughter manged to weedle rides on the 4-wheeler from my sister-in-laws hubby. I think they wore him out. My Dh made his sister laugh when we told her what his personalized cell phone ring tone is when their parents call. 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly'. She wanted it for her cell, too.
Today was spent cleaning out my and my DH's closet. When we were done we had a big black trash bag full of old shoes, clothes, papers and miscellaneous junk. We were supposed to go over to my mother-in-laws today, but Dh wasn't finished fixing our neighbors computer. He hasn't been able to really get to it until now. He found yet another virus that had been hidden in the programming. They had no firewall and had done no updates, either. He did everything for them, including making sure it now automatically updates. It wouldn't have taken him so long if he had just stripped the entire hard drive and re-loaded it, but our neighbors had pictures on it and he didn't want them to have to lose them. I can't wait until we tell them how many virus' and worms he found. HUNDREDS! REALLY! They had never done a virus scan! He also installed an automatic virus scan for them. If you take a computer to Best Buy and had all that done it would cost at least $75. He did it for free.
I finally was able to borrow an OLD Jayne Ann Krentz book from the library.The title is "The Chilling Deception"-a Guinevere Jones Novel. A descrition on the front of the book, "She has a talent for love and trouble". Uh-huh. I'd had it on hold since August. It took them till now to find it. (I have been the number one person for the hold since I placed it.) I was disappionted, though. I actually did not like it. It was written in 1986, and under her pen name Jayne Castle. It wasn't a futurisitic like her others under that name. Her heroine was wishy-washy and the hero was...well...more clueless than anything, about the heroine at least. I am so glad her books improved. I love her futuristic books and her historicals AND her contemporaries. As a matter of fact she has a new book due out in January. It will be a contemporary, but I wish she'd also write another futuristic. I have a sad feeling she won't, though.
I hope a few of the other things I've placed on hold with the library come in early this week. I am without anything new to read, and am unable to make it to the used bookstore. I don't want to have to buy anything. (Any money I save not buying books goes towards my christmas fund.)
Unfortunately, I end to remember anything I've read and liked. Seriously(sp). I can remember the plot and the characters. Which shouldn't bother me, but I am not in the mood for anything on my shelves. I foresee a couple of days of being 'twitchy'.
Well, need to run. B.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Get off the computer and go spend time with your family!
Like I am. B.

Red Velvet Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cake:
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
2 and 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups oil
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 ounce red food coloring

Icing:
1 8ounce cream cheese-softened
1 box powdered sugar
1 stick (1/4 lb) butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts, depending on taste)

Bake batter for 30-40 minutes. Cool. Ice cake.

Sorry not to have posted yesterday or until late tonight. Sunday was sooooo busy. We had church in the morning and then had to run to Dh's family dinner at his parents church. I took my pie (and there was none left at the end). We had a better time than we expected. We sat with my Dh's sister and husband. They were alot more fun than we knew they could be. AND it turns out they didn't want to do Christmas at our house CHristmas morning any more than we did. They are going to a friends house, (their friend doesn't have much family). We decided to visit the parents house that afternoon instead. This way we ALL get what we want. Except for my Mother-in-law. MAN! You should have seen the look on her face when she was told this is what we all had decided. Mad, that we had upset her plans, but too polite to show it. She wouldn't talk to me the rest of dinner. LIKE IT WAS MY FAULT! It wasn't even instigated by me! (You think she'd take a look at herself and see why not everyone wants what she does. The only way I can describe the way they act is like a giant claw trying to grasp and pull close it's young even after the young have grown and have families of their own.) She tried a guilt trip that WE would be forcing her to change her plans. To visit her sister. Who lives 20 miles from her and attends the same church. It's not like we planned to spend ALL day with them. Good Grief.
ANYWAY, after the dinner, we went to the mall to get a little Holiday shopping done. While there, we had the kids picture made with Santa. You should have sen my son. He wanted to see Santa, he has a wierd fascination with him. But, the last few years he's been scared of him at the same time. Well, he sits on Santas lap, my daughter on Santas other side, and Santa talks to him. He puts his hand on my sons shoulder and my son gives him a look like, "excuse me?" Then my son starts his nervous habit of snapping his fingers so that when they take his picture he's got this look on his face and it looks like he's making the peace symbol with his fingers. I couldn't help it. I started giggling right there. I'll post that picture after it's been scanned.
While at the mall I bought my in-laws gifts. I also picked up my FAVORITE mustard from Hickory Farms. AND some WONDERFUL candy from See's candies. The chocolate bordeaux. Mmmmmm, yum. My Dh knows these are my absolute favorite chocolates. He bought me a box of them one year for Christmas. They were gone in a week. (I shared with my kids, thank you!)
The above picture is of my son. In my kitchen with the box of crayons strewn out ALL over the floor. I don't know why. I guess he was looking for a particilar color. He did pick most of them up though. Not much else to tell. I hear a box of Brownie mix calling my name. (WHAT? It's cold, wet, late, and I want chocolate.) B.

Hi! I finished the book. It was great. New facets of everyone. I can't wait untilt the next book. Have to wonder if Betsy and Sinclaire ever will get married. I did love how Sinclaire and Tina can't bear to be around the Christmas tree. Especially since it's not a religious symbol.

Not much else went on today. Just normal household stuff. I did manage to sleep alot today. I've just been so tired lately. The kids must be picking up on my stress, because they slept late too. I'm making a chocolate mousse pie for my Dh's family dinner tomorrow. It usually goes fast. I find it a light dessert to follow what is usually a heavy meal.

Don't have anything else to talk about. Yeah, for you! Night.B.

MAJOR BAD MOOD! Read on at your own expense!
I took Oreo to the Vet today to finish, I assumed, her shot series for the year. But no, I was told AFTER the visit that this was actually only the second in a series of 4 or 5 visits that she would need to finish her boosters. Huh? WTH? Granted it's been about 2 years since we had gotten a kitten, but we got Patches from the pound and she was vaccinated, spayed and only had to have 1 follow up visit after we brought her home. (not counting annual NORMAL visit). But, this visit today cost me $75 dollars!! Hello? I feel ripped off. Like my trust was violated for the almighty dollar. I looked back over the receipt tonight....they charged me for dewormer, they ALREADY dewormed her at the last visit( and told me today(before the 2nd dewormer) that she didn't have worms). They also charged me for flea/tick stuff. Yet again, huh? I have told them repeatedly that my cats, ALL OF THEM, don't go out! I am so mad!!!!!!!!!! Dh is going to visit the Humane Society this coming week and ask them if the charges are legit, and if the visits need to really be spaced out like this. I love Oreo. I will never give her up, but I gotta tell you, I could have taken her into the Humane Society and turned around and adopted her (she'd have her shots and have been spayed) for waaaaaayyyyy cheaper.
To add insult to injury, on the way home the engine light came on in my van. I knew we had a fuse blow and that I need to have the electrical system looked at, but come on! I have too much other stuff to worry about. Between Christmas for my kids, taxes due on blasted van, Vet bills, Dh's tuition...... The stupid van is gonna have to wait. My kids come first, hands down. At least we have the car, knock on wood, that is in great condition. And I'll tell you this, I will NEVER buy a Ford again. This is the 3rd Ford van we've had troubles with.
So, I'm sorry to have blasted ya'll. I'll get over all this. I just feel persecuted and dumped on today.
Sorry, B.

Do you know how hard it is to do laundry when the cats think the basket is theirs? No sooner did I fold/hang ALL my laundry and turn around to put the basket away, than Layla decides she wanted a new bed. By the way, if I pick up the basket she just stays in it. And she actually will let you push her around on the floor. (those with kids, you KNOW what I'm talking about.)

They called me today! My book came in! The book I waited almost a month for! Yeeeeaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!! I hustled my kids out of the house so fast they got excited for me. Isn't that sweet? Now, I just need the library to add the other 3 books I want to the catalog as well. They are in the database, just not the catalog. my library is sooooooo slooooooowwwww!

I have a black velvet dress that is too big. So, (tell me if this will work) I bought some black satin ribbon about an inch wide that I will sew into the side seams of the dress. Then I should be able to tie the dress back. Well? Think it'll work? Alterations cost too much. My idea, if it doesn't work I'm only out $2.26. After the trip to the library and the trip to Hobby Lobby for the ribbon, I went to my one of my favorite stores. T.J.Maxx. I went to see what kind of toys they had and to see if they might have a non-expensive pair of brown shoes. I ended up buying my daughter a velvet pantsuit and 2 toys to put up for Christmas for my son.

My mother-in-law is out of the hospital now. I told her I'd bring the kids to see her tomorrow. I wouldn't let them visit while she was in the hospital. I was afraid they would be scared to see her that way. I have a GREAT reason not to stay too long, though. Oreo has an appointment at the vet tomorrow for her boosters. I also figured out what to get them for Christmas. Key chains from 'Things Remebered'. They are ALWAYS talking between the 2 of them about who has who's keys. I'm going to have them personalized. And NOT buy them the same one. A feminine one for her, and a masculine one for him. Think that'll work? Gosh I hope so. I thought about Michele's idea of a gift certificate, but I don't know their favorite resteraunt and they go to the movies at different theaters. But, THANKS MICHELE, for trying to help! Ya'll need to go visit her site. It's in my favorites.

Now, I'm off to bed. After all nightime chores are done I'll get to READ, READ, READ, READ!! *practically squeeling* Yeah! NIGHT. B.

It's here! The library called today. I'm leaving right now to go pick it up! Yeah!!!!
Will post more later. Gotta Go! B.

Needed a pick me up, so of course I had to post these pics.
Top: Layla's interpretation of a Chihuahua.
Middle: Layla as either a furby or hamster.
Bottom: Layla's tribute to Star Wars, as Yoda.
I HAD to post these. I know you won't believe me, but she really doesn't mind my playing with her ears.
I'm really stressing today. I had to go grocery shopping this evening, and as I'm going through the store, I notice ALL the holiday things EVERYWHERE!! It just brought to mind the fact that usually at this time of year I'm done with my shopping. But, that this year, I am so behind it's scary. I haven't gotten ANY of my kids things yet. Picked out, yes. Bought, no. I have a mental list of everything to get, including Dh's gifts. I already have my Grandmother's gift, and my Sister-in-law and her hubby's gift. (didn't buy the radio, wind-up flashlight thingie) I know what to buy my Dad and his wife. I know what to buy my Stepmother's grandaughter who lives with them. I HAVE NO IDEA what to buy my Mother-in-law or Father-in-law. They are able to afford anything they may want or need. I'm clueless this year. Aaaggghhhhhh!!!!! I feel like I used up all the good ideas since we got married. Help, *whimper*, please?
Have to referee........B.

Layla loves to sleep on the stairs. Actually ALL the cats except for Oreo sleep on the stairs, and let me tell you....going down to get a drink at 4 in the morning w/o my contacts in or turning on the hall light is DANGEROUS! I actually stepped on Patches one time and slid down. She gets out of the way now!

Didn't post this weekend, sorry. Saturday was boring and Sunday was BUSY. My mother-in-law had to go to the emergency room sunday morning. Her heart rate accelerated and wouldn't slow down. Today they found that it has something to do with her thyroid and low levels of potassium. She wanted me to bring the kids to visit today, but I was worried that my youngest would be scared to see her hooked up to monitors. I have to admit, I didn't want to go anyway, my Mom died in the same hospital. My Dh has gone to visit her and asked my daughter if she'd like to go with him, daughter said she didn't want to. So, I know my mother-in-law will be mad that I didn't force the kids to visit, but it's not like she's so ill that there is a danger that she'll die. She'll be home tomorrow. I swear that I didn't not take them to be mean. When she goes home, then we'll go visit.

Did go see my Dad yesterday. We had a good time. We always do. There is never any hidden pressure and the kids have friends that live near him as well. Not to mention, my Dad is a lot of fun, he always attracts animals and kids. My little cousins used to love it when we all gathered at my grandmothers because he would go out and play baseball with them.

Dh also (before visiting my Dad) went over to the neighbors to see what was wrong with their computer. He found that they have a virus on it, he thinks the kids probably downloaded it. So, right now, their computer is sitting in my living room so he can wipe the virus off.

Have I mentioned that I managed all day yesterday with only 3 hours sleep? (Got up early to go to church, too.) And didn't get back from my Dad's until almost 1opm. The kids slept all the way home. I was up late again, too. I don't know why I'm having trouble sleeping. Stress, maybe. Dh wasn't feeling well this morning, so he took a sick day. I love the man to death, but when he's home on a day that I'm not prepared for, he throws my whole schedule off. Oh, well. Hey, my favorite dinner is almost done! Pizza! Yeah! Also my reason to excercise later! See Ya! B.

Veteran's Day. The day when we should all honor the men and women who have served in our Military. So, Thank You all who have served our country, for all the freedoms we have taken for granted. I thank My Husband, who served in the military for almost 10 years. Who kept us safe. Who defended our flag with your self. I love you, I am proud of you. Happy Veteran's Day! B.

Ok, you are not seeing things. The Christmas tree IS upside down. It's SUPPOSED to be upside down. I saw this and went, "huh?" This is a new fad that retailers are trying to get people to buy this year. My Dh was soooo perplexed he did a web search and according to 4 diferent websites, this is supposed to be an old german custom started in the 7th century by a monk. I just have a hard time beleiving this. I can tell you, I don't like it. It bothers me, that MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, retailers are relying on a fabricated history of this thing to sell them. Gee, crass materialization. What a suprise from retailers. The Today Show did a story on these upside down Christmas trees this week. Some people were receptive, most were like me, didn't like it. And trying to find out where to put the star? Whooo, boy. Talk about a hard decision, most wanted to put it in the MIDDLE of the tree. Now, personally, in our house we put an Angel on the top of our tree. I do it because this is what I grew up with. My DH doesn't care, his Mom never really had a tradition about what went on top. She does the 'decorater' trees. You know, the themed trees. Like red and gold one year. I put an Angel on top, not only because this is what I grew up doing, but also because an Angel told Mary she would deliver God's child and an Angel told the shepards about the birth of Jesus.
My library STILL, STILL has not added the books I am becoming desperate to read. I am now rereading an old favorite that I checked out last night. 'Mimosa Grove' by Dinah McCall. She also writes as Sharon Sala. I love this book. It has a paranormal aspect as well as a beautiful romance. There is a small bit of history of Louisiana involved as well. Not so much as a historical rendering, as a series of dreams the heroine has about her ancestor who started her families line of phycics. The book is full of love, a search for belonging, acceptance and friendship. It's not a STRONG paanormal, but it does have enought o interest those who really like the genre. I have read a few of Sharon Sala's other books and this book has renewed my interes in her work.
In-laws came by today, BUT DIDN'T BUG ME! I just let them visit with my kids and sat back and watched. I know they love my kids, and us, I just wish they would accept our decisions instead of trying to maneouver around us. I'll let them have their way about Thanksgiving, but they are in for a SUPRISE about Christmas. My Dh and I sat down and had a talk about it. WE BOTH AGREE that it will just be the 4 of us for Christmas morning and if we CHOOSE to visit our families later that day, we will. If not. It will be a nice day indeed.
I do feel the need to apologize for driving y'all nuts with my ranting about the in-laws.
Try and get some sleep. I woke for a while, and will now try to go back to sleep. *yawn*. Night. B.

This is the pic of my sister-in-law and her husband in their reinactment gear. I don't get their enthusiasm for the reinacting, but I do find this pic poetic.
Went to class at church tonight. Had a good time, there was the cutest baby there. It was a girl, she had hair about 3 inches long, but couldn't have been more than 2 months old. Her hair was stuck up, like she'd been electrocuted, and her eyes were WIDE open as if she'd been suprised. She had the hiccups, too. At one point she crossed her eyes and hiccuped at the same time. TOO FUNNY! There was a speaker up front at the time and it was all I could do to keep from giggling like a maniac.
What exactly are the qualifications for being the klutziest person in the world? I was vacumming my bedroom closet yesterday and hit my head on the doorframe. Then I moved my sons toddler bed to vacumm under it, and put a lovely new bruise(sp) on my shin. And if I walk into one more wall, my Dh might think I'm nuts. Am I the only one who gets bruises(sp) from shopping carts, because my stride makes my shins hit the cart? When we went from a queen size bed to a king size, I was happy because we would have to buy a new frame. (On our queen bed we had a headboard and a footboard, I would ALWAYS hit the top of my thigh on the footboard.) We bought an iron headboard, but because my Dh is so tall, we decided not to buy a footboard. By doing this, we could put the mattress and boxsprings on a regular metal frame. Wanna' take a guess at who is CONSTANTLY hitting their toes on the wheels on the frame? And it's NOT my kids or Dh. I've done that at least once a week for the last 4 years. Ugh! So, does all that qualify me, or what?
I found a way to find some older books that I hadn't read by one of my favorite authors, Nora Roberts. I've been raiding the Large Print section of my library. I have found alot of her older books, some that have been reprinted since first published. The large print takes a little bit to get used to, but does make it easier to see when I'm on the treadmill. I'm STILL WAITING for the library to add those other 2 books to their catalog. It's really starting to get on my nerves. I also have another new book by another of my favorites coming out, to look forward to. Janet Evanovich has a new (re-release) paperback coming out the first of December. It's called "Manhunt". It sounds hilarious. I love the situations and characters in her other books. ANY of her other books. The re-releases, the ones authored with Charlotte Hughes, and the Stephanie Plum series. Oooh, forgot the new series she started about the race car driver. If the new book is as funny as Jennifer Crusies "Manhunting", it will be great.
Dh put the program I need to post pics on my blog on my computer. It's called Image Composer. It came with some Microsoft thing he has. All it really seems to do is take the pics I have taken, and change the code of it. He DID, inform blogger that somewhere along the way, when they updated their stuff, they had made it where some pics posted would mess up.
Oreo is starting to get bigger. And Layla doesn't hate her as much as she used to. She actually played with her a little today. Oreo is still sleeping on my neck, and Layla is jealous of that. I have a funny pic of Layla to post later.
Wll, I've blabberd on too much! Nighty, night. B.

This is the poem I wrote after my Mom died. My earlier post today mentions it. You'll probably not like it. Just bear in mind, I don't do this for a living and that it was written in grief.

A Poem For Mom

Ahses to ashes, dust to dust,
In God's arms we now trust,
our hearts are filled with blatant sorrow,
for we shall miss her all the 'morrow.
Love, not enough to keep her here,
carried in our hearts so very near.
She was a daughter, wife, a loving mother,
filling a place in lives unknown by any other.
We will miss her until our time here ends,
next to be seen with our family and friends.
In God's loving arms she waits, for her loved ones to walk thru those gates.
Imagine the joy on our faces,
as we are swept into Gods graces.
Never to be far apart,
from the one who lives on in our heart.

written 5 May 2003. Almost a year after she died. B.

p.s.
If it sucks, I don't want to know. If you liked it, swell. And if it helped to put into words your own grief, time does help. It never goes away, but it does lessen somewhat.

Howdy. (I know that's western and not southern, so let me try again.) Howdy, Y'all! Pic today is from our trip on sunday.
Had a pretty good day yesterday. The kids and I went to the library, actually we went to 2. The first was the main branch, where the kids and I spent almost 2 hours. The other was another branch of the same system, where we only spent about 10 minutes. ( I needed to pick up a book that had been on hold.) The kids had a great time. It wasn't just me looking up and down the aisles for favorite authors. The kids also got to play at the childrens section which takes up the whole bottom floor and has a train with seats where kids can read. (I'll post the pic later, still having a bit of trouble with blogger.)
I have to ask, is there a limit on how many times you can break your little toe, and it not go back right? I seem to be a complete klutz when it come to that toe. I hurt it on my bed 2 days ago, and just did it again on my sons bed. Ugh! It hurts like crazy, and is black and blue at the base. You'd think I would remember all the times that I've hurt it and be more careful. I do this at least 4 or 5 times a year.
Dh is enjoying his job except for 2 things: 1. He feels like he's babysitting people who should have a better work ethic, 2. He says it's like a soap opera there. People are sleeping around and acting like kids when they are forced to work with someone they don't like. He says he just wants to tell them to grow up. I guess all his time in the military makes him sensitive to the fact that working in civillian companies are WAY different. Although, we've talked about this for years, how no one seems to want to take responsibility for their own actions. I guess we were raised differently than alot of others. Manners and courtesy, compassion, strong work ethic, not to mention being responsible seem to be slipping away from our society.
I've been thinking of my Mom alot this year. I miss her so much and it's hard, because sometimes I just want to forget and call her. I wrote a poem almost a year after she died. It helped me put some of my grief away. I took it out and looked at it again today. I'll post it later today. I'd like to share it, so someone somewhere might think that their feelings were understood. I'm not asking for approval with it, it's just something I have a need to do.
I know I jump around from subject to subject. It's a little disconcerting for someone who is as organized as I actually am, to see choas in print. I just hope that I'm making sense.
Now, I need to go. 'Night, B.

Well, I had a great day today. Everyone got up and ready in time for church! But, tell me one thing, do all men take forever to get ready or is it just mine? Why can I get up, get my son and daughter up, dress my son, then myeslf, make sure daughter is moving along, scoop cat litter, make bed, fix son something for breakfast,and grab something for myself.....and STILL be ready to go before my Dh? ALL HE HAD TO DO was take a shower, shave and get dressed. That's it. WTH?
Anyway, after church we went by a new Marshall's that had opened. We managed to find new bed pillows and some delicious peach salsa. As we were leaving a radio station was outside doing giveaways. My daughter and son won 2 pepsi' (yuck, I'm a Dr.Pepper (diet) girl), and the station gave each of them a piece if pizza. Afterwards we went for a drive and ended up in the mountains. We actually don't live far from them. We had a great time seeing the changing colors of the leaves and fantasizing about living up there. The picture above is from a pull-off near Tryon, NC. I love those small towns, they seem to have a greater sense of community. It probably has something to do with the fact that when it snows up there, it's almost impossibe to leave. Oh, the green vine looking thing in the picture is called "Kudzu". It has a life of it's own. And will overtake any yard easily, AND IT WILL NOT DIE. When I was growing up we had some in our back yard and my Dad tried everything to kill it. Weed killer, grass killer, BURNING IT, yanking it out. EVERYTHING! It always came back. We spent at least 3 hours up there, just driving around. My daughter seems to love the mountains as much as I do. I have nothing against the ocean, I love to look at it and hear it,( but I won't swim in it) the mountains just seem to have a hold on my heart. We are going to go back soon. This time earlier in the day and with a small itinerary. I can tell you that both my Dh and myself felt an overwhelming sense of Deja-Vu as we rode. We had both done so many times before when we were young and our parents would do the same thing. And when we dated we had 2 favorite resteraunts that were up there as well. I'm probably not making much sense, but we had such a good time, and came home and made dinner. We also watched what is quickly becoming our favorite show "Gray's Anatomy". It's so intertaining.
I've placed several books on hold at my library. I am hoping they come in soon. I also placed a hold on the newest Batman movie for my son. THERE ARE 21 PEOPLE AHEAD OF ME. Good grief! I don't follow Batman at all, so I'm assuming Batman Begins is 'the' newest one. He was so excited that I placed a hold for it. Thank goodness DVD's are only allowed a 3 day check-out. It should be our turn by the start of December. I hope he forgets about it until then. A 3 year old that wants something NOW is not fun.
Hope my rambling didn't cause a brain lapse. Have a great night. B.

These are the 2 books that I have been waiting patiently for my library to add to their database. They HAVE them, they just haven't added them. The 2 books are : 'Undead and Unreturnable' by MaryJanice Davidson, and 'The Pregnancy Test' by Erin McCarthy. It's actually a small miracle that my library bought these at all. But, I am running out of patience (and things to read) and I REALLY want them to get on the ball and add them already.
Hope I didn't put off anyone with my rant about my in-laws in my previous post. They just get to me. I try not to let them, but it still happens. Thank God, for my piece of mind, they have gone out of town for the weekend.
I'm having a really hard time shaking off this cold bug. It doesn't want to let go of my sinuses. Ugh!
Been trying to fugure out my Christmas shopping list. Is it too impersonal to buy my sister-in-law and her husband a combo emergency radio/wind-up (no batteries) flashlight? They live out in the boonies and I hate buying them the same things every year. They like salt and pepper shakers and ALL things to do with the Civil War. Eeew! And when I mean ALL things to do with it, I mean ALL. As in the fact they do reinactments. With antique guns, clothing and EVERYTHING. THEY EVEN OWN A CANNON! Yup, I said cannon. My Dh and I think they are weird. Don't get me wrong, I love History and Antiques. BUT, I don't buy all this Old South crap. They aren't predjudiced or anything, just really gung-ho. My sister-in-law belongs to the Daughters of the Confederacy. I hated to tell her I am only 3rd generation american. (My Moms grandparents came over from Scotland). Which I am more proud of than my southern heritage. I prefer not to be lumped in with the view of The Ignorant South. Now, I did mention in my blog description that I was Southern. I prefer to claim the finer points of being southern. Charm, manners, respect and a general sense of gentility. It may seem stupid, but thats my belief. We all have different views and beliefs and I feel they all need to be respected. Which sounds hypocritical in respect of my sister-in-law and her husbands hobbies. But, I am also human. I also believe they fill their lives with all that because they feel empty. They can't have children, though they profess to love them. (One of the major reasons my mother-in-law amd father-in-law hold onto us so tight). We have never understood why they never adopted. I wouldn't trade places with them for anything, though. I love my monsters more than I could ever say.
The cats are accepting Oreo more. Patches even plays with her. Layla is still jealous. She won't come near me when the kitten is sitting next to me. Oreo has taken to sleeping above my head on my pillow. Or on my neck, which makes it difficult to sleep on my stomache, as I hate to move her. I'll have to brak her of the habit soon, my neck is starting to feel stiff every morning when I get up. Not to mention I can't see being able to breathe and having a grown cat on my neck at the same time when she's bigger.
Well, nothing more is running around in my brain waiting to be spilled. So, I'm gonna try and get some sleep. B.

Hello, Hello! Hope y'all are having good days. I managed to only have to do laundry today. Besides the usual childrens activities. I see that Blogger has made some changes to the post form. Something new to learn how to do, since I tried posting a pic of the book I am reading and it brought up the code instead of the actual pic. I deleted it. Dh is asleep, or I'd have him walk through it for me to make sure I did it right. Anyway, I'm reading "Blaze" by JoAnn Ross. So far it seems pretty good. Although, I've now picked up 2 books in the past week with Fire, Arson, Firefighters, and Arson Investigators in them. Makes you wonder wether we as readers are about to be inundated with these types of books or maybe it's just me?
Forgot to tell you what happened on monday (Halloween). I told you my in-laws came over, and brought pizza. Nice gesture right? Uh-huh. (Those that have read of my in-laws in previous posts, you KNOW where this is heading). While we are sitting down to the pizza, my mother-in-law starts to ask my Dh if he had to work on the Holidays this year. He, knowing something is up, hesitantly tells her that he doesn't. She then starts up with questions about our plans for Thanksgiving, the sunday before Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and CHRISTMAS MORNING! It seems there will be a family dinner (extended family) the sunday before Thanksgiving. We agreed to go. Then she started in on how my Dh's sister is (yet again) doing Thankgiving dinner at her house and they'd like for us to come. Yet again, we agreed. (To keep them off our back). THEN she asks about Christmas, and wether we had plans for Christmas Eve. We have tentative plans made and told her so. "Oh, well what about Christmas morning? We thought we'd come over after church." (Hello, did we invite them and not remember? No.) We told them we weren't sure if our church would be having services and we'd have to let them know. Ok, here's the thing. I don't mind doing a few family things, nor does my Dh. BUT, what about MY family? Did it ever cross their minds that MY family might have plans too? Or that we just might want it to be the 4 of us, ON OUR OWN, for Christmas morning? That we might want that time together, watching OUR children open their gifts. I mean, COME ON! They have been good to us, and our children. But, it's like they have a pathological need to have us present on every holiday, to control our actions. AAAAGGGGHHHHHHH! My God. It just GETS ON MY NERVES and I want to yell at them,"LEAVE US ALONE"! My Dh feels the same way. And no, it's not that I want him to feel that way and therefor he does it. They drive him batty. Whenever they visit us, and he's not at work, it's like he does everything he can to be invisible and uncommunicative with them. I've accused him of hiding from them, and he just smiles at me and says, "No, I don't". Got news for him, YES HE DOES. I really can't blame him. They are the most manipulative people I have ever met. And they drive me crazy, but I put up with them because not only did I marry theur son, we have the ONLY 2 grandkids. My family is the direct opposite. Sometimes I am left wondering if they'd miss us if we moved again. Which is why we All prefer it's just the 4 of us.
Enough of that sorry. They just get me worked up. Last week another Homeschool Mom in our Church called and invited us to a weekly event with other homeschoolers. And I want to take the kids, but my shyness is rearing it's ugly head. Now, I'm thinking, will it be okay if we show up this week? Will they be put out if we don't show up this week 'cause I'm sick? I now have knots in my stomache about it. Welcome to my world.
Dh spent tonight with the tech support people of this computer. Seems the wirelss card driver might be messed up, not something he can fix by himself, so..... He called and they fixed it, and so far so good. The speed of the connection was varying dramatically. We'll see how it goes. They aleady had to replace the motherboard and wireless card once before. Keep your fingers crossed.
I'm having trouble sleeping this week. Most of it's the cold. If I can't breathe through my nose, I don't sleep well. Actually, I never sleep well, so thats my excuse this week. I have always been a night owl. Even when I was as young as my son (3), seems my kids are the same way. I have to work hard to get them to bed early.
Not much else to tell you. Sorry. Warned y'all when I started this blog that my life would cure insomnia (in others). Night. B.

Hi! I have been SOOOOOO busy today. I learned how to drive my Dh's car today. It's a stick shift, the first I have ever driven, I learned how to drive when I was younger with an automatic. I didn't do too bad, my Dh even told me he was proud of me. It went a lot better than when my Dad tried to teach me to drive when I was 15 *shudder*. Or when my Mom tried to teach me how to drive on the Interstate. Coming off the entrance ramp I was going about 35mph and she suddenly yells at me "Goose it!" Huh, what does that mean? I had NEVER heard that before! I STILL have no idea where that phrase come from.
I also had class tonight at church. And I am in no way a bible thumper or holier than thou, far from it. However, I am really enjoying this class, it allows me to USE MY BRAIN, to excercise it. And it involves other adults! I am having fun, we get to talk about the class afterwards in discussion groups, and we get to learn about each other. Which, I am actually TALKING to other adults, without hiding behind my Dh. He's enjoying the class too. We are actually learning a few new things about each other too. Which is kinda cool since we've been married for almost 13 years.
Anyway, when I went out yesterday I was SHOCKED to hear Christmas music. I actually had to think for a minute.....how many days until Christmas again? Is it me or are they (sellers) starting earlier every year? Ugh! And then heard it again when we were out today!
Hubby bought the new Star Wars movie tonight. He's upstairs watching it right now, with my son. His reasoning my son is STILL up, it's a special occasion. Another generation is introduced to the dark side. (take that anyway you want)
After our class tonight we ran by Target so I could pick up some Hosery. Dh won't buy it for me unless I'm with him. He's wary of the reaction of the cashiers. Bwhahahaha! Yet, he WILL go buy my 'thingies' for me, without me being with him. You would not believe the reasoning behind this. I understand it, but still find it funny.
I have e-mailed Blogger about the difficulties posting pictures. AND I made it VERY clear that this is in NO WAY my fault, the fault totally lies in Blogger. I received a generic e-mail in response. Telling me to try everything I HAD ALREADY TRIED. Why? I'm not a nitwit, of course I'm going to try everything I can (within reason) (NOT switching browsers, not uploading to another site if I can help it, HELLO TECHNO GOOBER HERE! But, I am in no way stupid.) BEFORE contacting them. Geeez!
Not much else to tell you, unless you want to be BORED out of your mind. Night y'all. B.

Blogger is making me ILL! Don't know what' s up with them, but am going to have to check other options for pics, I guess. *sigh* Yet another techno think for me to learn, also mess up.
Picture is of son, dressed up like Firefighter. He loves playing Cop and Firefighter. True boy, through and through.
Cold is treating me OK, so far. Just headaches and TIRED (WTH?), and lots and lots of drainage. Heh. (I first typed snot, but didn't want to offend anyone.)
Managed to get to the used bookstore today. YAY! I got 5 books for $1.40. I LOVE used bookstores. Best invention EVER! Whoever thought them up, has my most heartfelt gratitude.
I finished 'BLUE SMOKE' by Nora Roberts. LOVED IT. At first I thought there was too much backstory, then realized it MADE the whole book. There is a mention of love at first sight in the book. And I liked the fact that she did that. 'Cause that's how I knew when I met my Dh the first time that he was the one for me. Really. Honestly, the villian in this one scared the crud out of me, true evil. The villian SET HIS OWN DOG on fire when he was 12 years old, because the dog barking caused his dad to ge arrested. Eeeewwww!! This made me sit and think for a minute about how kids are succeptable to their environment and sometimes, maybe, just maybe born 'wrong'. The one thing that niggled was the fact that after having sooo many relationships ruined, the heroine didn't put the puzzle pieces together sooner.
After the used bookstore I went to church (where I threatened to take away ALL Halloween candy unless good behavior was practiced) and then had to stop by the drugstore for..... drugs, duh! Actually, a decongestant(sp). Wal-Mart and a few other local stores have quit selling these types of medications on the shelf, you have to ask for them behind the counter. And Wally's pharmacy closed at 7pm. Whereas...... Walgreen's didn't. Afterward, headed home, where Dh beat me home, and he even fixed dinner. TOO COOL! He made tacos. I was just happy not to have to cook. Do husbands have any idea the energy it takes to take children ANYWHERE? And if you're sick? Aghhhh! Luckily, they were sorta well behaved today. Now, I'm going to settle down with some kleenex, for all the drainage, and a book. Night All. B.

Happy Halloween! OK, blogger is making me angry. It keeps messing up my pictures. Anybody have an idea why? I don't like not being able to post them. I like sharing pictures of my life. Hope everybody had a good Halloween. My kids received enough candy to last for months. If I can keep them from inhaling it over the the next few days. The in-laws came over to see the kids in their costumes. Then my father-in-law walked down the street with my Dh and kids while they trick-or-treated. He only made it down one street, though. Because my kids exhaust him and they are 'getting on in years'. (I'm being polite). Went around running errands today. Then had to run back out and get candles for the pumpkins because I thought I had some, and couldn't find them. Whew! Dh was going to get off early, but ended up taking the day off because his cold made him feel like crud this morning. And tonight, the cold I thought I was fighting off well, decided to STOMP on me. MY HEAD HURTS. But, no sick days off for me. I'm trying to figure out what to get my kids for Christmas and to be honest, for the first time,I have no clue. Usually I can get an idea of what to buy them and start early. This year? Nope. This year is hard. And I now only have about 50 days to do it. (You couldn't PAY me to go out the week before Christmas.) Say a prayer. I'm lost. I know what to get everyone else, even my Dh.
Still haven't finished 'Blue Smoke' by Nora Roberts. My head just hurt too much. As it is, this is it. Night. B.

Well, blogger is continuing to mess up my pics. If you can't tell, this is my Dh carving my kids pumpkins with a dremel. He wouldn't let me use the dremel. Bleh!
Went to church and then straight to the craft fair today. Managed to find a Christmas gift for my Grandmother, a stained glass Angel. She loves and collects Angels. I hope that she likes it. I didn't see much else for the rest of my family. We couldn't leave w/o fudge, though. The best fudge ever. My Dh who doesn't have a sweet tooth AT ALL, devoured a chocolate cheescake flavored fudge. DEVOURED! They also had a Lemonaide flavoe that my son liked.
Haven't managed to finish 'Blue Smoke' by Nora Roberts yet. Normally I would have finished it in a maximum of 2 days, but OMG, yesterday I had the worst headache. It just would not go away. It felt even worse when I tried to read, so I had to stop. I did manage to pick up Lynsay Sands new vampire book. I don't keep a TBR pile, cause I never have that much extra money to keep a stack AND I read FAST. But, I won't start it until I have finished my library book.
Feeling kinda down today, I need a pair of shoes and the pair I really like, I can't find in the right color around here. Also, feeling really guilty that I NEED a new pair of shoes. Do y'all ever get that way? You spend all your time and attention and money on your kids, so that when you need something like clothes or shoes, you feel guilty for spending the money on yourself? I DO. I always feel that way. Ugh! And sometimes feel bad when I WANT something, not necessarily need it. Books don't count that way, either. Books are as vital to me as air or food and my family understands that. I try not to buy too many, I try and exhaust the library first. Or only buy books I KNOW the library won't get. Looks like my library will be getting the newest MaryJanice Davidson hardback. And the newest book by Erin McCarthy, too. I'm just waiting till they add the HOLD feature to the desriptions on the database.
Well, enough about my guilt, pumpkins, gifts, and etc. Night Y'all! B.

Blogger ate my post and srewed up my pic. I'll repost tomorrow. B.

Oreo was curled up with my Dh in bed this morning. I know I show a lot pictures of her asleep. That's because she is always moving when awake, so much so that it makes it hard to capture a picture of her that isn't blurred.

Guess what I picked up today??? The library called today! Yea!!!!! I can't wait to dive into this book. Even the cover is nice. Nore Roberts name and the title are in holographic metallic. It looks so cool.

We had a relaxing day today. We even managed to take our recyclabes to the center. We have to take them, unless we want to pay a garbage company to pick them up. We feel that recycling is a good thing to do and want our kids to grow up learning to do it, so that it becomes second nature to them. But, I am not paying extra for something that I didn't have to pay for when we lived in California.

Had our class at church tonight. I am really enjoying this. And it's nice to want to go to church, rather than feel that it's what I'm supposed to do. I also feel like I'm learning something. My son didn't want to go to the nursery tonight, so he spent 15 minutes in our class with us until he got bored enought to go to the nursery. He also is starting to want to get out of the nursery before we are done, after class....during discussion group. He has found that the snacks they put out for us are still there and he loves to mooch the sweet things. Tonight there were some cookies left, Oreos, his favorite. He ate 5. His teeth were almost black. Thank GOD the other members of our group thought he was adorable. I agree, but then I have an emotional attachment to him. *g*.

Dh and I are getting this stupid cold and I gotta tell you, I don't want it. I have too much to do to get sick. The kids being sick has already thrown my cleaning schedule off kilter. (Don't start.) I know it sounds weird to have a cleaning schedule. It's not like the same thing gets cleaned on the same day every week. It's more of a 'this should have been done by this time last week' thing.

Now, www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com , had a small burb about ebooks versus regular books and the availability of ebooks this week. For anyone interested. They also have opened a discussion about terms used in books today and wether they are vulgar or not. I plead the 5th on that one. I read romances, but am very conservative in my vocabulary. I could handle "throbbing manhood" , because it was ridiculousand it made me want to laugh. But the others ......I find tooooo much. It's the way I was raised I know. Anyway, form your own opinions.

Now, I'm off to read my coveted new book. God bless libraries. B.