Enough said!!

IT'S GREAT TO BE A GEORGIA BULLDOG!!

I SAID, IT'S GREAT TO BE A GEORGIA BULLDOG!!!

G-E-O-R-G-I-A!!!!

GOOOOOOO DAWGS!!! SIC EM!!!! WOOF WOOF WOOF!!!

HOW 'BOUT THEM DAWGS!!!!

LET'S GO DAWGS!!!!

I'm getting ready!!! Only 2 more days!!

Can you get carpal tunnel in your finger?

Did I spell that right? LOL (Edited: It's spelled right now. LOL)

Anyway, can you? I think the laptop has something to do with my finger hurting. It will be fine all day (well, unless I do something to bend it to the side) and then I get home and get on the computer. After using it on the touch pad for a little while it starts hurting again.

Maybe I should go look it up to find out exactly what it is and maybe that will tell me if it is possible. LOL

Rain? Thunder?

Am I really hearing it? YES!! WOOHOOO!!! We are in desperate need of the rain. Everywhere you look the things that are supposed to be green...............well, they are brown. It's kinda sad.

I hope it rains a nice steady rain all night tonight and all day tomorrow. I can do without the storms, but I love the rain. I don't even care that I would have to keep my kindergarteners inside for recess.

Faith to sing for the NFL

You go girl! Faith Hill is going to sing the theme for Sunday Night Football this year. She says that people (men mostly) are surprised that she is such a big football fan.

"I truly am a football fan. Particularly, men find it hard to believe that women can be big fans of football, but I love it......."


Amen sista!!! I'm not sure why that is so hard for men to believe that women could be big fans. Heck, I live for football season. I'm a bigger fan than most of the men I actually know (my college buddies excluded although I do think that I have them beat sometimes too.).

If you read the entire article it sounds about like what happens at my house on game day. LOL I have to say that it's me that schedules our lives around it though. LOL

Aww, he bwoke his wittle finger.

Literally. Seems that Eric Ainge (you know, the QB for the hated UT Vols.....shudder) has broken his pinky finger on his throwing hand. Don't worry Vol fans (shutter) he still plans to play on Saturday against Cal.

Ummmm, can I just say...................Go Bears!!! LOL

2 years ago today

It has been 2 years since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and Mississippi. My mom was living in Biloxi at that time. I remember her saying that she was going to ride out the storm. I threatened to come down and ride it out with her. Like I figured, she decided that she would come to me. LOL She drove up the day before the hurricane hit. We watched the coverage for days. It was sad and scary. Mom was concerned about her residents (she managed an apartment complex) and her stuff. She couldn't get in touch with anyone. She decided to go home later that week to check on everything. She was lucky. Her apartment had minimal damage even when the whole complex was pretty much destroyed. She didn't even have a busted window. The huge oak tree outside her apartment split in two. One side falling in front of her door and the other falling to the side of the apartment. Not touching the building at all. She had to get my brother there with a chainsaw before she could get in her door though. It was crazy.

We talked her into moving away from there since there was no family for her. I took a few days off from work and drove down to help her pack and move. I had been to Biloxi just a few weeks before the storm. It was like driving into a war zone on this trip. I saw huge oak trees splintered and broken. I saw cars on their roofs. I saw boats in trees. There was no electricity at all and it was hot as hell! The apartment complex was horrible. The top apartments had no roofs. Just about every single window in the whole complex was out. Some of the residents rode it out while others left for higher ground. Many were still unaccounted for with no one able to get in touch with them or not knowing how. I helped clean up around the complex and I helped my mom pack her stuff. I have to send out heartfelt thanks to the American Red Cross. Every evening they brought around hot meals for everyone. For our other meals we ate those nasty military meals (I forget what they are called. LOL) With no electricity there was no way to cook food. We did go get pizza one night. The Pizza Hut down the street had electricity, but as you can imagine it was a limited menu and they were not delivering. The Red Cross also distributed clothing, toiletries, and other necessities to the residents. They really were life savers for those in need after Katrina.

I wasn't able to tour much of Biloxi that week, but the things I did see were crazy. Everything that had been on the beach a few weeks before was gone. The huge floating casinos were picked up and moved across the street. Trees were down everywhere. There was debris everywhere. I think the craziest thing I saw was right across the street from my mom's apartment complex. There was this little house that looked like it had no damage whatsoever. There was even a "For Sale" sign in the yard. How those powerful winds didn't pick it up (especially when it was picking up cars and boats) and blow it all the way to Tennessee I'll never understand. LOL

I am grateful that my mom was safe and she didn't lose everything. I do, however, feel for those who were not so lucky. Most of them are still struggling two years later. We need to keep them in our thoughts and prayers.

It's been 8 years? Really?

As my wonderful husband blogged about earlier, it is 8 years ago tonight that the Tennessee Titans opened what was then called Adelphia Coliseum. I remember that year well. I was lucky enough to go to almost every regular season game. I think the only one I missed was because I went to the Georgia/Florida game in Jacksonville.

I remember how that team played with so much heart. I had no intention of being a Titans fan. I had been a Miami Dolphin fan my entire life and never thought any team could worm their way into my heart. The Titans did though. It was not a pretty season. We won every home game that year, but they were mostly ugly wins. That team played with heart and they won my heart.

I bought a Frank Wycheck jersey pretty early in the year and wore it for every game, but still didn't consider myself a huge Titans fan. That changed during our first playoff game. While my husband was on the field for the "Music City Miracle" I was not lucky enough to get tickets to that game. I was sitting in my recliner at home watching. When the Bills scored to go ahead with 16 seconds left in the game I called my mom crying (this was when I knew I was a true fan...........only one other team had ever been able to make me cry and I'll let you guess which team that was. LOL). But, just a couple minutes later I was jumping up and down in the middle of my living room and crying for a completely different reason. Yep, I was hooked. I've been hooked ever since.

As we sit here with another football season upon us I remember the great time I had that first year. I miss going to the games. I have to content myself with watching at home and maybe get lucky enough for a friend to invite me with an extra ticket.

I'm watching the Little League World Series

It's Japan against Georgia so you know where my heart lies. Talk about drama in this game!! The score is tied and they are now going into extra innings. I'm not sure I could survive being a mom of one of those kids! LOL Too much stress.

I'll update when it's over.

It's over and Georgia wins it with a walk off home run. It's both heart wrenching and heart warming to watch. They are all hugging and crying on both sides. You really do hate to see either team lose this game. They have worked so hard to get there and they put their hearts into the game. They had me crying there at the end and I had no real ties to it. LOL

Congrats go out to both teams for a great game and special congrats to the Georgia team.

Why?

Why is it that the 4 year old has to have EVERY freakin' toy that his sister wants to play with? Why does he have to try and take EVERY toy she plays with away? And then when I take it back from him he has a complete breakdown? Is it an age thing? Is it a sibling thing? Is it jealousy? How can I stop it?

Now he is hitting the wall b/c he is mad. I just sent him back to time out b/c of it.

I'm so bored!!!

I am sitting here at home watching Noggin. Okay so Joshua is watching Noggin (Ari is napping) and I'm surfing the net. Nothing is happening on my message boards or blogs. I'm bored out of my mind and Michael has the van so we are stuck at home. Of course it is my own fault since I told him he could take the car. LOL I guess I could get up and clean the house, but it's really not on my list of fun things to do. LOL There is nothing good on t.v. At least in a couple weeks I will have football to entertain me. Much to my children's dismay. LOL

Arizona?

Could I actually live in Arizona? Doesn't it get hotter there than it does here in Tennessee? I'm not sure I could handle that really, but I hear it's beautiful out there.

Once again I've been surfing the net looking at houses. I've found one while searching Arizona luxury real estate that I absolutely fell in love with. Unfortunately it is way out of our price range. *sigh* Seems like a lot of the houses I fall in love with are way out of our price range. LOL I guess I just have great taste in homes. I think we need to win the lottery so I can buy these houses I fall in love with. Whatcha think?

Vegas Baby!!!

It has been so long since we've done anything remotely fun on New Year's Eve. I think the last real party I went to was 2000/2001. I was in Atlanta and went to a great party with my old college buddies. I can't believe it's been that long!! We are not old. We should be going out to enjoy ringing in a new year. Yes, I realize I'm thinking about this very early, but we may need to save some money to do what I want to this year. I want to get my mom to keep the kids and then Michael and I go to Las Vegas. I want to stay at Caesars Palace. Neither of us have ever been to Vegas and I think it would be a lot of fun. I could probably pick a cheaper time to go than New Year's Eve, but I just want to do something we've never done to ring in 2008.

Did you know?

Did you know that you can actually have subtitles or closed captioning added to your videos? I knew that major movie companies and the like could do that, but I had no idea that something as small as a church or school could get it done too. I can see where both of those places would benefit from being able to do that. I know in schools and churches we have such a diverse population these days and communication is sometimes difficult. This could be really help in those instances.

I'm always amazed.

I'm so not a science person. The things that they can do with seemingly simple medical equipment really does amaze me. My friend has a condition where she needs to know her blood oxygen levels. She has this little thing called a pulse oximeter that she just sticks her finger in. It gives her a digital reading of her levels. It's crazy that such a little piece of equipment can do that with any accuracy at all, but it does. I have no idea how it works, but because I love my friend I'm sure glad that it does.

More on the weight loss thing.

I'm still researching ways to help me lose weight. A friend of mine recommended Phentermine, but I'm still not sure if I want to go that route. It makes me nervous to take something to chemically enhance weight loss. I know that I just need to get motivated and get my butt out there for some exercise (Can it cool off first? It's damn hot outside right now.) and start watching what I eat much more than I do now. I think my major problem is that I can lose the first 10 lbs and then I seem to just stop. I'll still be exercising and eating better, but I just stop losing the weight. I get frustrated and give up. Then I eat more. *sigh* It's just a vicious cycle.

Never in my life!!!

I am watching a Braves game and only half way listening. I hear something about a team scoring 30 runs in a game. WHAT?! Are the kidding? Nope they are not!!! Texas has scored 30 runs (yes in one game) against Baltimore. I think I'm speechless! I've been watching baseball for a lot of years and I don't ever remember a team scoring that many runs in a game. That is just crazy!! I'd hate to be the Baltimore Orioles right now and face the coaches, owner(s), or fans. That is downright embarrassing for the entire team.

I went to school with him.

I even had a class with him.............Greek Mythology. Now he is going to be in the booth for away UGA football games. It was announced today (maybe yesterday) that Eric Zeier will be helping Scott Howard in the broadcast booth this year. As you know, the beloved Larry Munson will only be calling home games this year. I was surprised to hear that Zeier would be coming in for away games. I'm interested to see how he does. It makes me feel old though. I mean heck, I went to school with him! What really got me though was that I also went to school with Damon Evans. You know, our current Athletic Director. Yeah, for some reason I missed the announcement of the years he played at UGA. LOL Or maybe I just didn't want to think that someone around my age could be old enough to be the AD. LOL

Kids are too funny!!

This is a monologue from a friend's son. I laughed my butt off....................could not stop giggling when I heard this. Those of you with kids will definitely appreciate it. LOL

"Mommy, I am going to say Oh FROOBLE when I get fwuh-stated instead of Oh Shit because it's a nicer thing to say. You said Oh Shit when I flooded the bathroom so I know you were vewy fwuh-stated then but, Mommy, that isn't a nice thing to say. I know you wouldn't want me to say Oh Shit as often as you and Daddy do so I am gonna say Oh Frooble. Frooble is a nicer word than shit, right Mommy? I made it up and I don't want it to be a bad word. Did you and Daddy make up the word shit, Mommy?"

I really do not like to go shopping.

The mall is not my friend. If I go to the mall I am going for a specific item. I go in, get what I'm there for, and then leave immediately. I'm not sure what caused this dislike of shopping. I wasn't always that way. I used to love to shop. Well, only with my best friend or my mom. I don't really enjoy that anymore. Now I don't mind shopping online at all. I can sit in my own comfy chair and shop a really great online clothing store and get some real bargains. I do love to find bargains. Maybe I'll become a recluse and never leave my house to shop again. LOL

I'm a professional..............really!

Granted I don't work in an office and I don't sit behind a desk all day, but I am a professional. I even have a desk. Not a desk as nice as these executive desks, but a desk nonetheless. It really bugs me that teachers aren't always treated like professionals. A lot of people look down on us because we don't make as much money or they think we have a "cushy" job because we get summers off. You know that saying "Those who can do and those who can't teach."? I absolutely HATE that saying. Well, I don't know many "professionals" who could do what I do every day. I think anyone who thinks I have a "cushy" job just needs to come spend a day in my kindergarten classroom. They will leave with a completely different prospective.

I need to lose weight

I have wanted to lose weight for a long time now. I've tried counting calories. I've tried counting fat grams. I've tried counting points. I've tried diet drinks for breakfast and lunch. Nothing seems to work. I've never tried diet pills though. I've been doing some looking around and I've found something called Miracle burn and the reviews put it in the top 10 among diet pills. But taking diet pills makes me nervous. The side affects are scary. I'll have to do some more research before I make any major decisions, but I really need something to help me here. I can't seem to do it alone. *sigh*

How do I keep my computer safe?

I was thinking about this today. I'm not sure what kind of anti virus software we have on our laptop. Heck, I don't even know if we have anything. Yeah I know that is just crazy. We do have to have something. If I remember correctly we had Norton on our desk top. I guess it worked well. I'll have to ask Michael what we have on the laptop. My fear is just that we are going to get a horrible virus and lose all of our pictures of the kids. We do have several of them saved to discs, but I'm sure there are almost as many not saved yet. I would hate to lose all that stuff.

I was actually watching it.

I have never in my entire life watched golf. That is until last weekend. I think it was last weekend. I watched Tiger win like his thirteenth major tournament. I know absolutely nothing about golf. I used to go with some of my buddies from college, but I always drove the golf cart. No playing for me. The only thing I know about golf is that the Titleist golf paraphernalia is some of the best. This is about the only thing I need to know...............I think...........to get my brother a golf gift. Do I need to know anything else? Any golfers out there who can help me? I'm clueless when it comes to this sport.

This commercial cracks me up.

Every time I see it I giggle. LOL

Well that sucks!

I just read that DJ Shockley, former UGA quarterback, is out for the season. He plays for the Atlanta Falcons now and he has a torn ACL. He hurt it on Friday night in their preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. I hate it when my UGA boys get hurt even if they play for teams I don't like much. I had high hopes for him this year too with all the stuff going on with Vick. I hope he can heal quickly and get back. He did a great job at UGA and I'd love to see him do well in the NFL.

Well, life as a single parent begins

Okay so it is only until September 12, but still. Michael left today to go to Dallas and training for his new job. We are excited about it, but are definitely going to miss him for the month that he is gone. Heck, I just dropped him off at the airport today and I miss him already. *sigh* It's really not going to be that different around here since we hardly see each other anyway, but mornings are going to be rough. He always gets up with us in the mornings to help get ready for school and now I have to do that alone. Daunting task especially when Ari is on a "Daddy do it!" kick. Should be interesting tomorrow. LOL

One good thing is that my daddy is in town until Wednesday of this week so every night we will get to go to Opryland Hotel to visit them and when they leave on Wednesday afternoon they are taking Joshua with them. I have to go over this weekend and get him though. No big deal since I'd planned on going anyway to get us out of the house.

I'll keep y'all posted on how the single mom thing is going. I'm sure you will all be waiting and praying. LOL

Pretty cool and very easy!!

Want to win an iPod Shuffle? I just found a website that is offering a really easy contest to win one. All you have to do to enter is post a link on your website to them, comment on their website, or tell a friend about their site. Pretty easy, huh? Go on over to toastthetrends.com and enter. They are requiring at least 50 entries (total, not per person) to continue the contest. It's easy so go over and enter. Go on..............

Gotta love him!

Tonight I was sitting in my rocking chair and Joshua comes in to sit with me. I am watching a preseason football game. He looks at the t.v. and says, "Momma, when I'm big like those guys I'm going to play football on t.v. Will you watch me on the t.v.?" Warms a football mommy's heart! *sigh* Of course I tell him that I won't watch on t.v., but I will be at his game watching him play.

Our conversation progressed to other things that he could be when he grew up to be big like those guys on t.v. We talked about him being everything from a cowboy to a spaceship guy to a baseball player. It ended with......"It's a game where they skate on ice with roller skates. They have a hitting thing and they hit a black stone." I'm game for whatever my little guy wants to do when he gets to be a big guy.

We then started talking about the letters of the alphabet and the sounds each letter makes. He is a smart cookie. There was only 2 or 3 that he didn't know. He was even giving me words that started with each letter. I have kindergarteners who can't do that yet. I love his preschool. They are teaching him so much in there.

I think I'm done for now.

Yeah, that was a lot of blog posts for one sitting. I think I'm done for the night and maybe until Sunday night or Monday. I'm off to watch my football game without distractions............well except for the kids. LOL

Well, that's embarrassing!

Ever been pregnant and when you sneeze or cough you kinda................ummmmm...........you know..............leak a little? Embarrassing isn't it? Well, apparently you don't have to be pregnant for that to happen. At least according to some of people I'm very close to. LOL If I mention their names here they will shoot me so I'll just leave it at that. ;-) Anyway they are always commenting that they need incontinence supplies. I always sympathize with them all the while hoping that it doesn't happen to me. Unfortunately I'm not sure if hoping is going to be enough. It comes with age and..............well.............. pregnancy or more that it doesn't always go away after pregnancy. LOL

I'm so excited!!!

I am about to watch my beloved Titans play another preseason game! This time VY is playing!! Yay!!! It's great football weather too (no not here............dang I wouldn't even want to be at a game outside here right now..........too freakin' hot!). It's raining in Foxborough and I love to watch football in the rain. It always makes thing interesting.

I'm not addicted........I swear!!

Okay so maybe I am addicted. I can't seem to get to bed at a decent time because I am online. I have to check my favorite blogs and my email and my message boards. I don't do a lot of surfing really, but I do have certain sites that I visit many times a day. I've been looking at computers since Michael is possibly getting a new job where he will be traveling and I'm sure he would love to take the laptop. I don't necessarily need a laptop as long as I can put a desk top computer around the t.v. LOL I've really been looking at monitors more than actual computers. I want a nice monitor and I've found that I like the viewsonic monitor. Yes, I do like the finer things in life. ;-)

Moving is not fun!!

I have moved so much in my life and it really is one of the things I dislike most. It hot and hard work. It always seems that our friends become scarce when when we need them. The last time we moved it was Michael, Christian, and me. We also had the kids. That was not a lot of fun.

One of the things that I hate about it is one of the simplest. I hate disposing of empty boxes. The reason? I hate breaking those dang things down. I guess I could have made it easier on myself if I'd have had a couple box cutters. At least then I wouldn't have to tear the tape off all those moving boxes.

I've never had one

I want a nice home theater. I've never had one, but I have a couple friends who do. My boss has one too. That is where I first realized that I really wanted to have one. My daddy has one, kinda. It is in his living room and he has a huge plasma television mounted on his mantle/chimney and he also has the surround sound hooked up. My stepmom won't let him turn it on very often. He likes when we visit though because he gets to use it. LOL I like it too. Some movies just sound better that way and football definitely does!!

Can I put them to bed at 6:30pm? Please?

Ugh!! My kids cannot seem to get along tonight and it's driving me nuts!! This is the first full week back at school with my kindergarteners and I'm completely exhausted. Not to mention I have a nasty cold that just got to the coughing stage so my chest is killing me. After all this my kids decide that they don't like each other very much. This is NOT a good thing. I'm ready for them to go to bed and even thinking about putting them there................early or not.

At least I have Titans football tonight and as of right now VY will be playing. At least for a little while.

I got mine! You got yours?

Life insurance that is. Yes, my wonderful husband and I both have life insurance policies. We even have it on the kids. It's another thing that I didn't think much about until I had kids. Now I wouldn't go without it. We both had to have medical exams in order to get ours. Luckily we are both healthy and had no problems. Are you afraid that you won't pass a medical exam? Not to worry. There are places out there that offer no exam life insurance. I've known several people who've had to go this route. You do what you must to keep your family secure.

Man it's hot!!!

I cannot believe how hot it is here in the south these days. We are on like 10 days of 100+ degree weather. No rain and no relief in sight. Yesterday we got up to 106 and one little town close to us got up to 110! This is crazy!! I cannot remember ever having so many days in a row of these temperatures. When I was a kid we could go beat the heat on the lake. We had a boat and would go boating every weekend. I loved it. I wish we either had a boat now or had friends with one. We live so close to the lake now it is a shame not to be able to enjoy it. Any potential boating friends out there? ;-)

Do you like baseball?

I do. I've watched baseball for as long as I can remember. I've been to numerous Atlanta Braves games. I was in college when they went to the World Series. I was not fortunate enough to get tickets to any of those games. Heck, as much as I love baseball I've never been able to go to any world series. I would love to be able to go just once. I'm sure I would enjoy any world series game I could get to, but I'd have the most fun if it was the Braves. ;-) Who knows, maybe this year!

A must have for all homes!

Range hoods. Yes, range hoods. They are a very important thing to have on your stove. I bet you don't really think about things like that. Do you? I know I never did either. I always took it for granted that they were there. I hardly ever even turn mine one. Well, try burning something on the stove. It will stink you out of your house. Those little thought about range hoods can be a life saver. Okay, not really a life saver, but really really helpful. Those things go a long way in helping get that horrible burnt smell out of your house. That, my friends, is a great thing!!

I love Orlando!

You know, the land of Mickey. My friends and I used to go to the world's most popular (I would think) theme park every year. I kinda miss that. I wouldn't be opposed to us actually moving to Orlando. I'm not sure if I would want to buy a house or look into getting an Orlando rental home. If you've been reading my blog for awhile you know the horrors we went through when we owned our own house and sold it to move closer to work. I'm not sure I want to go through that again! Renting might be the way to go!

Warning!!

I just got 18 assignments from one of my pay sites so my blog is about to be really really busy!!

Long Day

I'm so tired. I went to work at 7am this morning and taught 17 kindergarteners all day. After school I went to the doctor for the follow up on my finger. She sent me to another office to get x-rays on said finger. I still haven't heard from those. Then I went to the shoe store to to get 2 of the 3 charges taken off of my account. (Yeah, they charged me 3 times for one pair of shoes). I was able to come home for about an hour and a half to actually sit down. Then I left again to go back to school for Parent Night. I left school at 8pm. I'm finally sitting down on my recliner and my feet hurt. I need a foot massage. Honey? Tomorrow will be a long day too. I have school from 7am-2:30pm then I have to go to an inservice from 3:30-5:30. *sigh*

Found the perfect gift for my daddy!

I always have a hard time finding gifts for him. He is just now getting his garage back from my sister and her stuff. He he making a work station in there now and needs lots of cabinets to store his own stuff. Cabinets and workbenches would go over really well with him right about now. He will have to wait for his birthday in November though. Yeah, I'm kinda mean like that. LOL

My daughter has a shoe fetish.

Yep, I'm in trouble. We go in a shoe store and she has to touch every pair she sees. She tries them on and immediately wants every pair. I bought her a new pair of shoes this weekend since her others were getting too small (she is in a size 8 now! Wow!). She has had them on every waking moment since. LOL She puts them on by herself and usually on the wrong feet, but insists on doing it herself. Independent little cuss.

I love to find ways to save money.

I was surfing around trying to find a Coupon and I came across a site with lots and lots of coupons and discount codes. I love to find place I can go when I'm shopping online to see if I can find a deal on whatever I'm buying. It makes me feel all happy inside. They update it throughout the day too so I can always check back. They promote over 5000 merchants so you are bound to find the one you need.

Damn announcers jinx us every damn time.

Go ahead and roll your eyes Honey. I know you want to, but it's true. It never fails. We were shutting out the Redskins with less than 2 minutes in the game and one of them says something about the last time the Titans had a shut out in the preseason was when they were still the Oilers in like 1994 or something. All of a sudden the Redskins score 2 touchdowns. Ugh. Can't they just keep their mouths shut until the end of the game.

Yes, I realize it's preseason and it doesn't mean anything, but it is still just aggravating.

Who knew?

When I went to Australia I learned about how they have the Royal Flying Doctor Service that flies into the outback in medical emergencies since it is so remote. Well, I just found out that we have an air ambulance here in the United States. They can fly critically ill/injured patients from hospital to hospital. They make domestic flights as well as international. You can even have your personal physician on board. Their planes are well equiped with all the medical equipment and supplies they might need. This is a pretty cool service really. Especially for those who may be traveling and need to get back to their local hospital.

"Momma, I want a new sister for Christmas."

"One who will not cry." This was just whispered in my ear. LOL Well my darling son, I want a new little boy who listens to his momma. LOL Doesn't look like either of us are going to get our wish. LOL

What? No VY tonight?

Well, that totally sucks! I was looking forward to watching him play for the first time this year. Apparently he broke some team rule or other and Coach Fisher benched him for tonight's game. Not sure what he did, but it really doesn't matter. It all results in him not playing. Dang! I'm disappointed.

What is it about this guy?

I've found myself loving John Mayer. I'm not sure why. I was upset that I missed his concert here in Nashville.




Don't worry though. He hasn't replaced my other Jon. ;-)

I'm a sentimental fool.

I love memories of times long ago. It's amazing the small things that can trigger a memory. A scent, a song, a word. You never know what is going to start a storm of good or bad memories. And once they start it is almost impossible to stop them. Most of the time I don't want to stop them. They may make me smile or they may make me cry. Either way I welcome them. Especially those of my beloved grandparents. Today's memory trigger was as simple as cabinet hardware. Yeah, that was my thought too. How can something like that bring back so many memories? I don't know, but it sure did. It was actually a door knob and lock. My grandparents had the exact same one on their front door. I remember my brother tying a string to my tooth and then to that door knob. He slammed the door, but I ran with it so it didn't pull that tooth he was so determined to pull. LOL I love those memories!!! What kinds of things trigger your childhood memories?

What is your favorite card game?

I can remember sitting in the living room as a small child while my dad and his friends played poker. It wasn't a weekly ritual, but it did happen pretty regularly. They were not the stereotypical group of poker playing men. There was no cigar smoke swirling overhead. They did enjoy a beer or two though. They played on a flimsy little card table or sometimes at the dining room table. I'm sure they would have loved to have had one of those really nice poker tables, but they made do with what they had on hand. Those are some good memories for me. I learned how to cheat....................ummmm I mean play..............poker watching them.

Halloween is getting really close!!

Did you realize that? I've always had a hard time finding costumes for Halloween. This year I decided to start looking early. Yeah, I'm a geek like that. LOL I found some of the cutest animal masks for both children and adults. The mesh butterfly masks are my favorites. They are really pretty. One of the giraffe masks is nice too. Do you know what you or your kids want to be for Halloween yet? I hope we can make it to a party this year. I miss dressing up. I wish we could dress up at school too. That would be so much fun!!!

Do you have it?

It's not a pleasant thing to think about, but it is an important thing. Do you have life insurance on your kids? I've got it on all 3 of mine. Two of them have had it since birth. The third once he became one of mine. I hope that I never have to cash in those policies, but they are there if the worst were to happen. Children insurance is a necessity just like life insurance on yourself or your spouse. At least in my opinion.

Whew, first day is over

Wow, they wore me out today. My kindergarteners really weren't that bad, but I did have to pull some cards for those breaking the rules. I hate to do it on the first day, but I have to or I lose them for the entire year. I'm not about to let that happen. LOL Hopefully they will get the idea and the number of pulled cards will go down in a couple weeks.

I have a very young class. There are 6 who are still four years old. A couple of them are acting like it too. Some of my kids can't write their names nor spell them. There are others who do not know how to use scissors. They don't even know how to hold them. You can really tell those who were in preschool and those who have never even been to daycare.

I'm tired now and it's only been one full day. LOL I'll be completely exhausted by the end of next week.

Bedroom furniture

Ugh. I was just in my bedroom getting something out of my dresser. I swear to you that it is falling apart. I've had it for well over ten years and it has been moved more times than I care to count. There are about three drawers that I cannot even use. How sad is that? I've been looking at bedroom furniture and I've found a dresser that I really really like. Here is a picture of it.


Isn't it great? I like this piece because it has enough drawers for both of us and it matches my bed. I really like that mirror too. I've been looking at living room furniture too. We are in desperate need of a new couch. I want one that is darker since I have the kids and the dog and more solid than the one I have now. I really like my recliner too. So, I'd love to have one that fit all of that criteria. I was able to find one that I liked from Houston furniture. Looks like they would deliver to us here in Tennessee too. Hmmmm, wonder if I can talk my wonderful husband into buying one of these much needed pieces of furniture.

Wish me luck!

Tomorrow is my first day with all 17 of my kindergarteners. For the past 5 days I've had them in groups of 3-4 and they've only been there until noon. Now I will have all of them and for the entire school day. I'm nervous!! It's one thing to have 17 first graders, but kindergarteners are a whole different species!!! I may be in over my head!!! If you don't hear from me in a couple days then you will know that they devoured me. LOL

Smiling

No, it isn't just the football. Although that is enough to make me smile.

Both kids are in bed. (No, that's not why I'm smiling either.) I can hear Joshua singing to himself. It is so sweet. He usually asks me to sing to him, but he didn't ask tonight. I guess he is content just to sing himself to sleep.

Can we all say............"Awwwwww!!!"

WOOHOO!!!! FOOTBALL!!!

Okay so it's just preseason AND it's two teams I don't care for much, but at least it's football!!! I am right this very minute watching the Dallas Cowboys and the Indianapolis Colts on Fox. That music right before a game? Yeah, you know that music!! It gives me chills!! WOOHOO!!!! LOVE IT!!

I've never wanted to move out of the south...........until now!!

Oh my goodness!!! It is HOT!! This is the third day of 100+ degree temperatures. I can't take it anymore!!! I've never wanted to move out of my beloved south, but this is crazy hot. I don't remember it ever being this hot for this many days in a row. It isn't over yet either! I'm ready to move to a cooler area of the country. Maybe it's time to look for a realtor who can find me a nice house where I only need my A/C for a few weeks a year. Does it stay reasonably cool anywhere in the states for most of the year? Montana? Washington (state)? New England? Anywhere?

Being a stepmom is hard

Not because I don't get along with him. Not because I don't get along with his mom. It's because I have no power to make things better. I'm the one he talks to when he is hurt/angry/upset. I try to do and say the right things to help him, but I'm afraid I'm either gonna screw him up or make things worse all the way around for him. It's hard and it's heartbreaking and it's frustrating. I love him like he is one of my own yet I can't do much except listen to him and give him my opinions/advice (which may or may not agree with his mom or his dad). That could definitely make things worse. *sigh*

My iPod Shuffle is here!!

Yay!! It came today. I'm very excited about this. Only thing is, now I have to figure out how to upload music. I hate that Michael is working everyday this week and he can't help me. Ugh!! Anybody out there want to come help this computer illiterate fill up her iPod?

I need to go to bed

Really. These 5am mornings are catching up with me. I haven't been to bed at a decent hour since school started. I don't know if I'll get to bed early tonight either. Do you want to know why I can't seem to go to bed? It's really a couple things. 1. I only get a few hours of quiet time and that comes after the kids go to bed. I enjoy that time. 2. I'm addicted to the internet or more specifically message boards and blogs.

I really need to get over that and just go to bed. The message boards and blogs aren't going anywhere....................are they? LOL

Very sad

There were 4 kids shot execution style in Newark, NJ. They were shot in the head. Three of them died. The fourth survived and is in fair condition. They were all days from going away to college. They still don't know who did it. This makes me incredibly sad. What is it with these kids killing each other? What is it going to take to stop it? I know we've visited this topic before, but unfortunately it is still happening. *sigh*

Pregnant women

I have baby fever. Big time. I know so many pregnant women. There are at least four teachers in my school who are pregnant. I have a cousin who is due with her first baby any day now. I went shopping over the weekend and I swear to you that every other woman I saw was pregnant. No, I wasn't shopping at a baby store or a maternity store. I was at a regular discount store.

Speaking of maternity stores............

I have seen some of the cutest maternity clothes recently. One of the hardest things about being pregnant is finding clothes. I can remember searching and searching................and searching it seems for the cute clothes I'd seen other pregnant women wearing. I always had a very hard time finding them at decent prices. I've recently found a place (see the above link) that has some really cute tops for a really good price. They are so cute that I even got one for a good friend of mine who just found out she is going to have a baby. I hope she likes it. I think it will look great on her. What I really want to do though is keep the shirt for myself so I can wear it when/if I get to have my third baby. Do you think she would loan it to me?

It really is a bad thing to know all these pregnant women and see them daily. Baby fever is a powerful thing. And I'm finding that I don't want to fight it. LOL

Here is a picture of the shirt I got for my friend. Isn't it cute?

Rolling my eyes......

I'm so sick of hearing about Pacman Jones. The latest is he is going to wrestle. Whatever. Let him do what he wants. I don't really think he will ever play football in the NFL again. I don't believe he can stay out of trouble during his suspension in order to get back into the game. I tried to believe. I really did. In the beginning. Now more. I'm tired of being disappointed.

Can we all say, "Awwwwwwww!!!"

How stinkin' cute is this?




You need to watch all the way to the end. The cutest part is the very end.

WTF??!

I just found out that the NFL Network is no longer on Comcast cable!! What?!! Yeah, that was my response too. I've heard that they are now only on Dish Network. I can't find anything about this. The only thing I can find so far is on the Comcast website where you can BUY it, but I think that it is just the package where you can watch several games each week. I don't think that it is the regular NFL Network station where you can watch replays of the games and on game day get up the the minute stats on all the games. All I really know is that I no longer get one of my favorite stations on Comcast. This does NOT make me happy. Now what am I going to do during the off season? I rely on NFL Network to get me through. Whaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

My mom is going to love this!!!

I got a fabulous locket in the mail today. It is gorgeous! I had the kids' picture put in it. On the back is a personal message to Namma from Arianna and Joshua. It comes in a nice gift box lying against black velvet.

Now the dilemma is when to give it to her. Do I wait until Christmas or do I give it to her the next time I see her? I'm usually a pretty impatient person so I'll probably give it to her when we go down to Florida for our family reunion in September. LOL

I've always wanted to get a nice locket with a picture of my kids in it. I think I may have to order one of these for myself.

Here is a shot of the back and front of the locket.

Splinted finger

Went to the dr today for my finger. They are hoping that it was an acute injury that is now inflamed because I am always using it. They gave me anti-inflammatory medication and a splint to try for a week. If that doesn't work then they will send me for x-rays. If it isn't a bone injury I will have to have an MRI on my finger to check for ligament or tendon damage. I'm hoping that this week fixes it.

It's my right index finger and I'm right handed. Typing is incredibly difficult too. UGH!!

Helpless feeling

Last night the 17 year old had to go to the emergency room. He collapsed getting out of his girlfriend's truck at work. I called Michael to have him meet them at the ER. I had the little kids and couldn't go. They were in the ER for a few hours and I was at home waiting patiently (or not so much) for phone call updates. I felt so helpless. One of my kids was sick and at the hospital and there was nothing I could do. I couldn't even be there for moral support.

He has been sick for over 2 weeks throwing up everything he eats. He's had a CT Scan and an ultrasound. They can't find anything wrong so they think its viral. I figure when he got sick he was not getting enough rest and constantly on the go between school and work. He couldn't eat anything without vomiting either. Combine all of that and the body just gets to a point where it can't heal. I tried to tell him that, but being the typical teenager he didn't listen. Now maybe he will listen.

Hey............did ya notice?

We have less than a month until my Dawgs hit the the field!!! Only 29 more days!!! WOOHOO!!!!!

Happy Anniversary!!!

Tomorrow (Aug 3) will be 5 years. I can't believe it's been 5 years already. Just doesn't seem possible. A lot has happened in that time. We had a baby, bought a house, had another baby, sold our house, and both of us have changed jobs at least once. We work opposite shifts and don't get to see each other nearly enough, but there is nothing I regret in our life together. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. I know that I don't always show/express that, but it is nonetheless true. I'll forever be amazed at how lucky I am to have you love me.

Happy Anniversary Honey. I look forward to many many more years together. I love you!!

If I'd wanted AT&T.....

I absolutely HATE AT&T wireless. I had Cingular, but as y'all know they are now AT&T. The service sucks!! Since the switch I've had more dropped calls than I had the entire time I was with Cingular. And I was with them for more than 6 years. I had one conversation interrupted 4 times yesterday. These calls are being dropped from areas where I've never had that problem before. I went on the website to send a complaint and apparently they don't want to hear it. I'm into emailing instead of calling since I get too worked up and then get nowhere, but you have to convey your message through drop downs. I haven't been able to find a place to write anything. They had a link to questions like, "Why am I experiencing so many dropped calls?" and such, but when you click on it it won't come up. You get the "server not found" message. UGH!!!! I'm feeling like it is about time to change carriers. Anyone have a recommendation?

Please send out prayers and positive thoughts

The I-35 interstate bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis has collapsed. I'm watching it on the news right now and it looks really really bad. It was rush hour and they think there are cars under the concrete on the ground as well as in the water. Please send prayers and positive thoughts out to those on the bridge and their loved ones.