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Friday, April 12, 2013

Changes

Oh, the changes!

When you don't blog for seven months lots of things happen and few people know about them.

So, what's happened since September?

* Kid had a birthday. He's six now. I would say "Wow! Six already! Except we're closer to the seventh birthday than to the sixth now. To that I say "Wow!"

* We packed up everything and moved. We didn't just move across town this time, folks. Nope. We moved halfway across the country. I live in Pennsylvania again! It was awful. I hate packing. I hate packing for even short visits. It's way less fun to pack the entire house. But! But, it was worth it! It's SO nice to be home and back around my family.

* Kid started first grade in a new school. I love this school. He is learning SO much! His report card for the third quarter came home this week. A's! That's my kid!

* We got a dog. Clearly I was mentally unstable that day. I should not be allowed to make these kinds of decisions. "Oh, it's a dog. I had one before. She was the best. Everyone I  know who has a dog Loves them like part of the family. They're so worth it. You'll love your dog! You'll never regret it. It'll be the best!"
. . . 
. . . 
I'm not stupid. I've had a dog before. I've had more than one dog before. I wasn't expecting her to obey perfectly the second we brought her home. I KNOW how puppies are. But she is a devil. Straight up. As I said, I've had dogs before. More than one. I know people who have had dogs before. The consensus on our dog, all around, is that she is the spawn of Hades. She's SO BAD! And stubborn! She can clearly be trained. She's fairly good at "Sit." "Stay" works on her when it's time to eat her dinner and she's waiting for the "OK." But, other than that. She doesn't listen at all. She's also pretty aggressive occasionally. Which, if I can't get under control will be a REAL problem soon. I have a kid, yo! Can't let a doberman run the house.

Those are basically the big life events that have been going on around here. I would like to blog a bit more frequently but we all know how that goes when I say it.

I do miss it around here though . . .

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Labor Day Heat

I hope you had a nice Labor Day Holiday.

We had lots of company. It wasn't so bad this time around. (Although, my house was still left a disaster.)

On Sunday we piled in our cars and drove out to The Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival.

They have free carnival rides, games, food and live music all weekend. We had planned on going Friday also, but didn't make it.

When we pulled in on Sunday afternoon my Brother-in-law, his wife and their two kids were already there. Kid and I met up with Sister-in-Law and Kid, Niece and Nephew rode some rides together.

After we were all far far too warm we decided to take a break and head across the grounds to the amphitheater. There was live music all day. Though, in the afternoon it was a lot of local people and not a ton of talent. But, hey, there was shade and seating.

After we hung out down there for a while the kids started asking if they could go back and ride more rides. I refused to take all three kids back to the rides alone so my Mother-in-Law (Mamaw) gave in to Kid's begging and came along.

We let the kid's ride a few rides, chugged a few bottles of water, it was So hot.

We had just put Kid and Niece on the small child's swing ride when Mamaw told me that she wasn't feeling well. She asked if I would mind if she took Nephew and headed back to the amphitheater. I told her that would be find and as soon as the kids got off the swings we would be following her.

No sooner had she walked away than I started feeling odd. I figured I would be OK long enough to get the kids off the ride and back to the amphitheater though.

I stood there a bit longer, while their ride continued, and felt consistently worse. I thought maybe a sugar shock would help so I walked over to a lemonade stand that was only a few yards from the kids on the ride and ordered some lemonade.

I drank it in gulps. As soon as I turned to head back to get the kids I knew there was going to be problems.

My vision began to swim and suddenly there were a million little black spots closing in on my view until I could see almost nothing.

I turned back to the lady at the lemonade stand. "Look, I'm about to pass out but my kids are on the swings."

She told me I needed to sit down.

Yes, I knew that but I was sure I was about to lose consciousness and someone had to get my kids off that ride! I told her this.

She asked their names and what they were wearing and ran to get them. I'm thankful they could see me from where they exited the ride. The whole time I was thinking about all the times I told Kid not to talk to/go with strangers.

I sat down on the ground in front of the stand and managed not to pass out. Miracle.

In no time I was surrounded by volunteers and the EMS guy. They gave me a cold pack for my neck and gave us a bunch of bottles of water.

After I sat for a few minutes I felt much better. They did give us a ride in a golf car back to the amphitheater so I wouldn't have to walk.

Very eventful day, I would say. I've never been so close to passing out, ever. It's something I would like to avoid in the future.

Oh, we ended the evening with a  little Brit Nicole (who I really don't know) and a lot of Newsboys (who I Love) so that was pretty awesome!

Friday, June 22, 2012

Missing My Family

I miss Dunkin' Donuts. I miss them so much. Even more than that I  miss my family. I miss day trips with a bunch of people. Just having tons of fun all day.

~   ~   ~   ~   ~

It's early 5:30 or so. Still dark out. Who wakes up this early? Oh, we do! We're not actually leaving until 6:00. Well, that's the plan. In reality we probably won't actually pull out until closer to 6:30.

We've packed one cooler with lunch meats, cheese, pickles and macaroni salad. The other cooler is full of water and sodas.

We step outside, the sun is still rising and there's a dewy mist in the air. The breeze is still coolish but we know it will warm up quickly.

The coolers are shoved into the back and we all load into the van. There's eight of us all together. "Did everyone go to the bathroom?" my Dad asks. He hates to stop once we get on the road.

After waiting for the clicking of a lot of seat belts we finally pull out.

First stop: Donuts.

The drive through would be easier but a few of us want coffee and at least two of us want milk. So, three of us go inside with the note pad and order what feels like All the things. The donuts are easy though. We order a couple boxes of tiny, delicious munchkins. Donut holes. Powdered, glazed, blueberry, chocolate, toasted coconut.Yum.

On the way out we grab a few handfuls of napkins. In the van we distribute the drinks and the napkins and pass around the boxes of donut holes.

Now we're on the road again. We're going to the zoo.

We'll laugh and run. We'll joke and play. We'll get cranky and hot. We'll argue and roll our eyes. We'll go back to the van for lunch and make sandwiches. After lunch we'll go back to the zoo and do it all again, viewing the animals we missed earlier. We'll buy some small souvenirs and wish we could buy a few more things. We'll get back in the van to head home. We WILL get lost, EVEN with GPS and there will be more eye rolling. BUT, we'll have had a blast because we're family and we love hanging out together. We'll eventually make it home where we will collapse onto the sofa and watch movies for the rest of the night. It will have been a perfect day.

I miss my family.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

I Did Get a Pedicure!

A Me day update!

I had a very nice Me day.

First stop was at the theater so I could purchase my tickets. I could have bought them later but I didn't feel like standing in line.

Then, I went right to the nail salon. Yes, I did get my pedicure. It was lovely. My feet are very happy now with sparkly, light purple polish.

After my pedicure I stopped at the coffee shop where I got a Dark Chocolate, Caramel Iced Coffee. I wanted Mocha, Coconut but they were out of coconut. Oh well. Mine was delicious.

I took my coffee and did some window shopping. Bookstore, Hobby Lobby, Claire's (I was looking for a cute anklet to show off my fancy feet but I wasn't willing to spend that much cash on it. Oh well.), Bath and Body Works, JC Penny, Cato, Rue 21.

I wanted half the clothes at these places. Boo, money. Hey, at least I got my pedicure! :)

After all that it was time for my show. I had a coupon for popcorn and soda and I used it. (A luxury for me. I Rarely buy things at the theater. WAY too expensive.)

I enjoyed every minute of The Phantom of the Opera. (A show that I basically have memorized.) It was totally worth it to see it on the big screen. Since I'm a big fan of the actors who played both the Phantom and Raoul.

After Phantom I stopped by Taco Bell to get J a burrito, then grabbed some gasoline and headed home.

It was a very nice evening.

I'm just going to enjoy the memories. I'm sure that's all I'll have to get me through the next few months before I get another Me day. Haha.

Monday, May 21, 2012

My Day

It's here! It's here! My Me day!

Pro Tip: Don't plan a Me day when you're broke.

I have been saving cash here and there so I would have spending/splurging money when Kid and I went home to PA this year. Unfortunately our annual PA trip is not happening this year.

(I blame the move. Boo. I'm so upset. Anyway, that's a different story.)

So! I have some extra cash. I'm so glad. I'll be using my PA trip cash for my Me day. Well, some of it. Not all of it.

Today when J gets here to watch Kid I will go. I'll put some gasoline in the car and then head out.

On the agenda:
- A coffee shop coffee
- Wandering around Hobby Lobby, looking for Father's Day craft ideas for Sunday School.
- Maybe a stop at Cato.
- A quick dollar item at BK or Arby's for dinner. (I don't care to go places and eat alone.)
- Possibly a pedicure. (Woot!)
- Ending the evening watching The Phantom of the Opera at my theater.
        Have I seen The Phantom of the Opera before? Yup. Have I seen the version playing tonight at the theater? Yup. Do I own it on DVD? Yup. Am I going anyway? Yup. Hadley Fraser and Ramin Karimloo on the big screen? Yup.

If you have a Cinemark theater nearby I absolutely and completely recommend catching this. I believe tonight is the last time it will be played in theaters. GO SEE IT! You Will Not Regret It.

I'm so excited!

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Yard Sale Thoughts

I have "junk."

Lots of "junk."

I have Years worth of Kid's clothes. I have clothes I haven't worn in ages. I have DVD's no one watches. I have books no one reads. I have coffee cups coming out of my ears.

It's time.

It's time to just do it.

It's time to have that yard sale.

Since we moved (Did I mention we moved? I know it's been a while.) we now have a nice large car port under which a lot of yard sale stuff would fit nicely.

My problem is that I've never had a yard sale before. Ever. I have no idea what is an appropriate price for certain items. This is where you come in. How much would you be willing to pay for these items? They're all in very good condition.

Is .25 too much to ask for a Winnie the Pooh onesie in very good condition? Is .50 or .75 too much or too little for 12 month size pair of baby boy jeans? What about 3t or 4t size boy jeans? I really have no idea.

My clothes I'm less concerned about. .25 for a shirt is cool with me. I just want them gone.

Seventeen bajillion coffee cups . . . Again, .25 a piece? Too much? I'm so lost.

The DVD's are basically going to be a buck a piece, I'm pretty sure on that one.

I'm also considering a bake sale on the side. Kid wants to sell lemonade. We'll see how that goes. Right now I just need a little guidance with pricing.

I thank you in advance for any help you might offer.

What would YOU be willing to pay for these items? Do Not Hesitate to tell me if my prices are too high. I need to sell things. Not bring it all back in my house.

Thank you!

Saturday, March 31, 2012

My Absence

Hello, people!

I've been having some issues with Google. Like, it doesn't work At All. That means no blogging! I miss you!

Thanks to a suggestion from a friend I discovered the Blogger app on my iPhone. Now, I may be able to get a blog out here and there. This makes me happy.

I'm obviously new to blogging from my phone. I hope this looks right.

Anyway, this is sort of a test. How does it look?

Fingers crossed for some blogs coming soon(ish).

P.S. If anyone knows anything about how I can get Google to work again I'm ALL EYES! Thanks! :)

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Six Word Saturday!

It's Saturday! Do you have six words? I do! Don't know what I'm talking about? Click the box and Cate from Show My Face will explain it all to you!




My internal alarm? Yeah, it works.

So, my phone has a mind of it's own and tends to power off whenever it so chooses. It's really annoying and probably time for a new phone.

Well, I use my phone as my alarm clock. I usually set it for 6:55 AM. When the alarm goes off I hit snooze and usually read Twitter for five minutes before it goes off again. At 7:00 AM I get out of bed. Just incase my phone decides to turn off in the middle of the night (which had never happened) I set the alarm on my nightstand for 7:05 AM. This gives me a chance to turn it off before it blares it's very jarring, very annoying BEEP!!!! BEEP!!!! BEEP!!! into the stillness of the morning.

Thursday night my phone powered off sometime in the middle of the night. Ugh! It's probably time for a new phone.

Thursday morning I was dreaming. I was dreaming that there was an alarm beeping but it was the annoying alarm, the BEEP!!!! BEEP!!!! alarm. It woke me up. I reached for my phone but it was off. I looked at the clock on my nightstand . . . 6:55 AM. Not kidding.

My internal alarm (literally) had woken me up at 6:55 AM. Nice to see that it's working properly.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Diet Coke Brownies

I was wandering around Pinterest one day and found a recipes for a Pumpkin cake. The recipe called for one box of cake mix and one can of pumpkin puree. That's it.

Mix it all together, pour it in the pan, bake it all up. Viola! Yummy pumpkin cake!

Being a lover of cake and pumpkin I couldn't resist!

Do Not Bake This Cake. Ewww.

Super thick and super cake batter flavor. Not good.

After this experience you'll understand how I had some reservations when I found a recipe for brownies that called for one box of brownie mix and one can of Diet Coke.

But, I'm a fan of brownies and a fan of Diet Coke . . . (This looks familiar already) . . So, I thought, why not give it a try.

I acquired one box of Low Fat Brownie mix and 12 oz. of Diet Coke. I poured them in the bowl, mixed them up, poured them in the greased pan and popped them in the oven.

They took longer than normal to cook enough to pass the "toothpick test."

When they were cooled (enough) I sliced them up and tasted.

Good brownies!

I was so suprised!

I mean, of course, they're not as excellent as regular brownies. I did buy the Low Fat kind. But, they were good.

I definitely plan to make them again!


Yummy!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Random Tuesday Thoughts!

Happy Random Tuesday! Link-up at Stacy's for some more Random fun!




1. Flavored coffee. I have discovered something about flavored coffee. It's not my thing. It just never turns out how I'm expecting. I think I'll just stick to the classics.

2. Girl Scout Cookies. They are nowhere to be found around here. Seriously. Someone fix this. Luckily I have cousins! Cousins with kids who are Girl Scouts! Cousins with kids who are Girl Scouts who are willing to ship cookies to me! It's all good, People! Crisis averted.

3. To me, single parenting, not all that different from double parenting.

4. Exercising every day. I would like to weigh less, sure. I would like a flatter stomach, of course. However, right now, I just want to be rid of the extra thigh meat. Seriously, GO AWAY. Any suggestions of the best exercises to make this happen? I'm all ears. (Or, eyes in this case. [Maybe I should say I'm all thighs!])

5. I made brownies with Diet Coke. Come back tomorrow. I'll tell you all about it.

6. The weather is being ridiculous. Last Friday it was seventy degrees. Saturday it was forty degrees. I just want snow. That's all. Just send me some snow. Please?

7. PATRIOTS BABY!! It's the year of payback!

8. Speaking of. What's on your Superbowl menu?

9. Karate for Kid? Teach discipline. Good. Get exercise. Good. Teach my kid how to punch and kick people? Maybe not so good.

10. Too much TV. Too many good shows! My TiVo can't keep up! Monday is overbooked and Thursday will be overbooked in March. :( What to do?

Monday, January 23, 2012

And The Winner Is . . .

I would like to say, Thank you to everyone who entered my book giveaway!

I am about to announce the lucky entry!

I am confident that you (the winner) will enjoy this book!

Are you ready?

I just returned from Random.org.

I entered the numbers 1 through 29 (the number of comments I received on the giveaway blog). I hit "Generate."

A number popped up.

Was it your number?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

I trust that if you're already a fan of Destination Truth and your number popped up you will love this book.

What's the number? I'll tell you.

I also believe that if you're not already a fan of Destination Truth (WHY NOT??) this book could make you a "believer" so to speak.

Why won't I tell you the number?

I will. Don't worry.

I just hope that whoever the winner is . . . (yes, I already know) . . . you will enjoy this book.

Alright. I get it. Enough already.

You want to know?

You Really want to know?

OK!

And the winner is . . .

 . . .

 . . .


Congratulations, Critics in my Kitchen!!!

I hope you enjoy the book!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Six Word Saturday

It's Saturday! Do you have six words? I do! Don't know what I'm talking about? Click the box and Cate from Show My Face will explain it all to you!




I just do not understand anymore.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Random Tuesday Thoughts!

Happy Random Tuesday! Link-up at Stacy's for some more Random fun!


1. I'm having a Giveaway! I read and reviewed Josh Gates' book Destination Truth Memoirs of a Monster Hunter and I'm giving away a copy! Fun book! Check it out!

2.I had some great Twitter experiences recently. First, I tweeted about my giveaway and Josh Gates retweeted my tweet! I was so excited. Then, Sunday I check my e-mail and found a new follower that Made. My. Week. Seriously.

3. What are you reading right now? (No reason, just curious.)

4. Patriots and the Ravens on Sunday! Yeah Baby! I'll stress out through the whole game but I'm hoping it'll be worth it in the end! New England rocks!

5. One of my goals for the year (that I didn't put on my list) is to read every day. It doesn't have to be a lot, if I don't have time. But something every day. So far, so good.

6. I watched Alcatraz last night. Sam Neill is still very attractive. I just thought you should know.

7. Currently Reading: Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight. Author: Alexandra Fuller

8. No, I didn't finish A Clash of Kings. But, Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight is for our #jhbc. So, that one get's priority.

Happy Tuesday! Have a great week!

Monday, January 16, 2012

My Week Made

Sunday morning I woke up. I checked my Twitter. (From bed, yes. Because it's warm in my bed.)

I finally dragged myself out of bed and to the living room.

I turned on my computer. I opened four tabs. (Because I'm a tabaholic.) Like all the other mornings.

E-mail. Teemagnet. (Because I love the nerdy/geeky t-shirts.) Facebook. Pinterest. (Because Pinterest has become very important in my routine.)

It would be a long time before I looked at any pages but my e-mail.

I clicked the e-mail tab and started skimming the new headlines. I stopped. I stared. I squinted, in case I was seeing it wrong. I stared some more. Maybe, I didn't breath for a few seconds. I smiled. I stared some more. I thought, it's not real, is it? I thought, maybe it's not really him. (But, I knew better.)

(You're going to laugh when you see what the big deal is all about.)

I finally clicked on the e-mail to open it. It was really him. I clicked the link in the e-mail. It took me to the page. It was really him. There was a blue check and everything.

I still couldn't believe it.

By now I'm smiling (Because, apparently, it doesn't take much to make me happy.) a lot.

I clicked over to my Twitter page. It said the same thing there. I clicked back to his Twitter page. Yeah, same thing.

Peoples! One of my favorite actors (and an Oscar winner, I might add) followed me on Twitter!

Now, I know, he follows about 640ish people, that's a lot. I can barley keep up with the 300ish that I follow. But, he does have like 28,000 followers. Not sure why he followed me. I'm just hoping he doesn't get on Twitter one day and think "This girl is a tweeting machine! Unfollow!"

Oh well, whatever his reason, he made my week!

Thank you Mr. Hutton, for the follow and for getting me to 399 followers. One more to 400!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Six Word Saturday!

It's Saturday! Do you have six words? I do! Don't know what I'm talking about? Click the box and Cate from Show My Face will explain it all to you!



I'm having a Giveaway! Look HERE!

I would love for you to enter my giveaway. There's only one week left and the entries are low. 

But, PLEASE, please follow the directions properly or I can't count your entries. They're really VERY easy!

Happy Saturday!