Winning is "Funner"

Thought you might like to eavesdrop on a little conversation I had with Sawyer about his baseball game last night. (We got smoked 20 - 7...yikes!) Here's how it went down...

Me: So, Saw, you sure did play some good baseball tonight.

Sawyer: Yah, I know. [We are working on humility...not really getting through.]

Me: You made some really great plays at pitcher tonight.

Sawyer: Yah, I know.

Me: You sure did have a great hit.

Sawyer: Yah, I know.

Me: So, what did you think about the game?

Sawyer: We lost.

Me: Well, that's okay. You guys played your best. That's what matters.

Sawyer: No, Mom. Best would be winnin'.

Me: I still think you guys all played so great. I know it would have been more fun to win
but you still had fun, didn't you?

Sawyer: Mom, of course it's funner to win. *huff* Who ever thinks it's funner to lose?

Me: Well, I don't guess anyone really likes to lose, but it's not about that.

Sawyer: Well, then, what's it about?

Me: Playing your hardest and best.

Sawyer: Mom, I already told ya that our best would be winning. Ugh, you aren't makin'
sense. [I decided the effort was fruitless, so we dropped it. Our conversation moved
to what was for lunch at school and how he hates it when they mix the jello and fruit
together.]


What a tough little conversation to have with a super competitive red head! I clearly wasn't getting my point across. I'll have to keep working on this one...

It's just so hard. Especially when I secretly feel the same way!!

35 Things

I'm back on-line now--after my much needed e-break--but I was struggling with what to write about, since nothing really eventful has happened this weekend. Then I read Meredith's blog and thought this list looked fun! Thanks, Mer!

35 Odd Things About Me

1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing? Never tried it...can't bring myself to try something with the words blue and cheese in the same name. You won't convince me otherwise, so don't try.

2. Do you own a gun? Personally, no. But, we have lots in our house. Thanks to my husband's gun fetish...nothing creepy though.

3. What's your favorite drink at Starbucks? Tall low-fat caramel mocha latte. I think I got that right...been a long time since I've ordered StarBucks. Wonders of living in small town USA.

4. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Diet Dr. Pepper

5. Do you do pushups? Only if you are talking about pushing a Diet Dr. Pepper up towards my mouth.

6. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My diamond pendant from my sweet hubby.

7. Favorite hobby? Scrapbooking

8. Do you have A.D.D? I don't think so. Wait, what was the question?

9. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? That I'm not more assertive.

10. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: What should I write for this answer? Wonder why Tate is so quiet? I wish my house was clean.

11. Name 4 drinks you regularly drink. Diet Dr. Pepper / Diet Dr. Pepper with Pineapple from Sonic / Sugar-Free Grape Kool-Aide / Water (but only if I don't have access to the above 3)

12. Current worry right now? I need to start saving for Christmas, but not sure where that will fit in the budget.

13. Current hate right now? Bills

14. Favorite place to be? Anywhere my family is. I'm not picky.

15. Do you like to travel? Oh, so much. Want to go now!!!

16. What color shirt are you wearing? Light blue

17. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No...I always lose my pillow and they are too cold.

18. Can you whistle? You betcha

19. Favorite color? Periwinkle

20. If you could would you be a pirate? I'm going to go with no, but I think the eye patches and earrings are awfully groovy.

21. What song do you sing in the shower? Usually whatever country song just woke me up on the clock radio.

22. Favorite girl's name? Emma. What our daughter would be named, had we had one!

23. Favorite boy's name? Keaton, Sawyer, and Tate...of course! If I were to have another boy, I think I'd name him Micah.

24. What's in your pocket right now? The receipt from Walgreens. Went there to buy a newspaper after church today.

25. Favorite bedsheets as a child? I think I had Holly Hobby sheets....or were those my knee socks..hmmmmmm...

26. Worst injury? All the injuries after my car wreck in high school. Nothing major though...what I remember is a brutal black eye that earned me the name "Petey" at school (you know...the dog from Little Rascals).

27. Do you love where you live? I'm happy here. Love? Debatable.

28. How many TVs do you have in your house? Two that work, two that don't.

29. Who is your loudest friend? No way...not going there.

30. How many pets do you have? Two--Ozzie, our lazy dog, and Indiana Jones, our lazier cat

31. Does someone have a crush on you? Hoping that my husband does.

32. What is your Favorite Book? Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

33. What's your favorite candy? Almond Joy candy bars

34. Favorite Sports Team? Arkansas Razorbacks (even though they stink right now), St. Louis Cardinals, and Indianapolis Colts

35. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Why am I still wearing my glasses? (I'm actually shocked they made it through the night on my face...I fell asleep watching SNL--love Tina Fey as Sarah Palin!!!)

My Epiphany (Thanks to Red, Swollen Eyes)

I woke up with both of my eyes matted shut. I feel like someone just stretched my eyelids open and poured a gallon of glass shards in each eye. I can barely see to type this, and my glasses are giving me a headache the size of New Hampshire.

Enough whining. But I will go on to tell you that I am home today with pink eye. Gross. I have medicine and am prying my eyes open enough every so often to squeeze the drops in my already stinging eyes. Sorry, more whining.

I sent the boys on to school this morning and was left thinking about an entire day to myself. What wonderful things I could get accomplished! Only problem is that I can't see well enough to do anything that requires vision usage (uh, everything) for any long amount of time and wearing my glasses gives me such a headache that I can't even fumble my way through much of anything even if I could see to do it.

I've laid in bed for a couple of hours now. Tried to read a book, but could barely make out the words. I don't feel like watching TV through squinty eyes, and though my chore-list is long, I really don't feel like even tackling any of them. But, my VERY QUIET stay in the sheets has left me time to do some much needed thinking and praying.

And this is why I'm drippy-eyeing my way through this blog post.

I think I'm in much need of an E-Break. I've become so consumed with this computer and all of my friendships that are contained within its web-pages and dot-coms, that I'm really beginning to lose some focus. All morning I have argued with myself over being so frustrated that I actually didn't feel like spending the entire solid day blogging, surfing, and facebooking. I thought I must be losing my mind. That's when I realized that I've done too much.

I've spent countless hours blogging about my messy house and changing my facebook status to comments about my piles of laundry....I should have taken the time to get out of this chair to go do something about it. I've become frustrated for many, many minutes about my pictures of my children not up-loading properly.....I should have gotten up out of this chair and just gone and played with my real-life kids, not the ones trapped in my camera.

So, I don't know how long I'll be gone. It may be just a day or two, may be longer. But, I really want to make a concerted effort to get some things straightened out at home before I sit down here again to peruse the pages.

It is going to drive me crazy to not know what is going on with all of you for a few days....but, I'll be back, I promise. Just an E-Break.

Now I need to lie down and get a tissue.

Ice Box Archaeology

I was just watching this news program the other day about the interesting contents of people's refrigerators. Some people keep some funky stuff in there. So, it got me thinking about my own, and then I had to go check it out. Lucky for you, I have nothing else compelling to write about tonight, so you get to have the blow-by-blow of my fridge....grab the popcorn...this is good stuff.

• 7 Mountain Dews. Actually 8 if you count the empty can. Don't ask. I'm as confused as you are.
• No Diet Dr. Peppers. Could be why I'm grouchy.
• 3 gallons of milk that I had to sell my left kidney to buy.
• 1 small tub of garlic-butter. An investment made to ease the making of garlic bread. Bad investment. Completely nasty. But I'm still hanging on to it...in case I ever need to protect my popcorn from a vampire.
• 2 packages of sliced cheese. There are 2 because 1 package was hiding from me the last time I made the grocery list.
• 4 packages of lunch meat. What? I had a coupon! Gotta love processed meat. Too bad we really don't eat that many sandwiches.
• 1 tub of butter that has little muffin crumbs in it from our Sunday brunch. Can't wait to have a baked potato with blueberry chunks. Appetizing!
• 9 Slim Fast shakes from a diet plan of Kirk's. I think they've been there for about 6 or 7 months. Probably will still be in there 6 or 7 months from now.
• A package of Scooby Doo applesauce cups that the boys just had to have. One cup is missing. We decided we don't like applesauce, but apparently not enough to throw the expired package away.
• A Tupperware bowl full of a casserole from about a month ago. It has a green topping that it didn't have before....wonder if one of the boys needs an extra credit Science experiment.
• 3 bottles of ketchup all half-full. Puzzling.
• 2 bottles of mustard. Same problem.
• 4 bottles of salad dressing all almost full. All expired. Nice.
• 1 bottle of Worcestershire sauce. Can't pronounce it, let alone know what to cook with it. But I have it, in case I ever figure it out.
• 2 dozen eggs. Sold plasma for those.
• 1 gallon of grape-lemonade. I only had 2 packages of kool-aid mix left -- 1 grape, 1 lemonade -- so, I mixed 'em. Boys said it was best they've ever had. I pretended that I planned it that way.
• 1 jar of pickle juice that I'm saving for when I need a swig. Yes, I really do drink pickle juice on occasion (you can insert gagging noises here...I'm used to it).

Aside from realizing that I'm overdue for a trip to the grocery store, this little exercise has made me feel better. Kind of like I'm airing a little of my laundry...only it's pickle juice and a fixation for multiple bottles of picnic condiments.

If only I could bring myself to divulge the contents of my freezer............scandalous, indeed! :)

Wonderful Boys

I have pirates all over my bedroom floor. Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones are staring at me. These are leftover from a brutal battle which took place just a little while ago between Sawyer and Tate.

The pictures in my hall are all hanging crooked. Remnants of the soccer match that took place just a few minutes ago. It was Kirk and Tate against Sawyer. The bathroom was the goal on one end, with the dining room floor the goal on the other. The pictures are probably cock-eyed from one too many elbows ramming the wall (Kirk, I'm sure).

There is a "car" in my living room. In it are about a dozen stuffed animals and it is constructed out of rubbermaid tubs and blankets. Keaton has been busy. Wonder where he's going?

Indiana Jones is on in the living room. Ghostbusters was on before that.

There are muddy soccer and baseball cleats strewn around the front door and I have a pile of uniforms that need washing.

I hear lightsabers banging against each other in the other room. My Jedi's must be doing battle. I'm waiting to hear someone start crying.

I LOVE BEING THE MOM OF BOYS. I wouldn't trade all the pirate swords, Indiana Jones movies, dirty cleats, and lightsabers for all the hairbows and ballet shoes in the world!

I'm Actually Falling Asleep Typing This

Exhaustion is taking over.

My nerves are just about shot (okay, all the way shot), my eyes are starting to cross, and I'm bumping into walls (really happening).

I'm waiting on soccer socks to wash so I can get them in the dryer -- then I get to go to bed! I'm also waiting on Keaton to go to sleep...because I'm on tooth fairy duty tonight. So, I thought I would spend a few minutes online to try and keep awake...seemed less painful than the toothpicks in the eyelids.

This week has dragged on for what seems like years. I look at the calendar and can't believe that we've only been in school 24 days...seems like ages to me. I have had to use great restraint to not sleep through some of my classes today. We've started the meet-yourself-coming-and-going schedule now that baseball and soccer are up and running. We have one day off a week from sports, and so far we've played anyway on that day, too. I feel like I'm living out of the minivan. I think that there are more uniforms and cleats in the van than there are in the house. I haven't cooked an actual meal in probably weeks; my poor family is subjected to meals of all-things-fast-and-easy like popcorn chicken, mac-n-cheese, and bologna sandwiches. My last "HOT" meal was from the McDonald's drive-through, and even that was debatable.

So I sit here with a sleepy headache, fuzzy contact lenses, and shaky fingers. I probably could sleep well into the afternoon tomorrow if given the chance...but, that can't happen.

Lucky me gets to wake up at the EXACT same time that I do during the week to get my precious littlest baby to his soccer game at 7:45 in the morning. Yes, I said 7:45 on a Saturday morning.

Better set the coffee maker after strapping on my tooth fairy wings....gonna need it in the morning.

Citizen of the Month...I'm Very Confused

He's Citizen of the Month.

Citizen of what? Planet of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...that's what.

I should be proud. No...I am proud. I'm really proud actually. Just confused. I actually laughed at his teacher when she told me. I thought she was kidding.

But, apparently Tate is a master of the personality swing.

My little "Tater," that runs around the house in his undies wielding swords and screaming like a banchee, is evidently really well-behaved at school. His little daily slip always has the "I was GREAT today" spot circled. Apparently he minds his teachers and isn't mean to the other kids. No reports of biting fingers or pulling hair. He has managed to not call anyone an ugly name or kick someone in line at the water fountain. He takes naps at rest time and doesn't peek under the doors of the bathroom stalls.

This is mind-boggling to me.

Because just yesterday....he was in time-out twice within the first 30 minutes of being home; he punched one brother in the stomach and whacked the other with a sword; he called one brother a "doody-head" and the other brother a "booty-bottom" (rather redundant, I thought); he kicked one of his brothers in the shins; and was caught sneaking Hershey kisses after being told not to.

And he's Citizen of the Month...puzzling.

I have to say that I'm so grateful that he's well-behaved at school. I'm blessed to have 3 kids that act relatively good in public. I've seen other parents who aren't quite so fortunate. And I must say that I would much rather my children act like hooligans at home and angels in front of "company" -- so to speak. So, I really am very proud of my baby.

Just still a bit confused...because as I type this, he's whining for his Happy Meal toy that he had taken away at McDonalds because he called Sawyer a "doody-head" (again), licked the salt shaker (gross), and pushed Keaton out of the van (ouch).

Citizen of the Month...I'm telling you...Jekyll and Hyde.

Oh, and Keaton's response to finding out Tate's receiving the award? "What? He got it before me? That doesn't make any sense." -- My thoughts exactly! *wink, wink*

Random Goodrum-ness

Where is my camera? I think I lost it. Actually I could probably find it if I tried hard enough, but the truth of the matter is I'm too lazy to get up right now to look for it. But, if I did want to forgo my slothishness, this is what I would take a picture of:

Tate in his bed. He's hugging a pirate sword (we just rented the "real people" Peter Pan, so we are back on a pirate kick) and singing his ABC's...he always leaves out Q, R, S, T, U, and V. He has his feet propped up on the slats of Sawyer's top bunk. He's just a-singin' and a-huggin' that sword...has no idea I'm watching.

Sawyer is up on the top bunk. He's dressed in only his "long boxers." Those are really just pajama bottoms, but tonight he called them by their new name. He is flying a little green motorcycle through the air while mumbling to himself about something or other. Oh, wait. He is wearing something else. One glove. He's channeling Michael Jackson.

Keaton is in bed. He worked hard "cleaning" his room tonight. His idea of cleaning and my idea of cleaning are completely different, but I've decided that I really don't care anymore. So what if he used an entire box of ziplock baggies to "organize" his things. Whatever. Right now he is surrounded with about a gazillion stuffed animals. These will all end up in the floor by morning, but for right now, he's enjoying all his buddies.

Kirk is watching a manly guy movie. There is a whole lot of shooting and fast cars. He made some comment about getting to watch it because I always make him watch girly movies. So not true....well, maybe a little true.

My cat and dog are cuddled up on the deck. I saw them when I went to close the blinds. Indiana, our cat, always sleeps in between the front paws of Ozzie, our dog. Really cute. Like cheezy calendar picture worthy cute.

So if I had the energy to get up and hunt for my camera, I'd take a picture. Why? Because even though it is nothing spectacular and nothing amazing....it is US. These are the little precious random snippets of Goodrum life that make this family work. Because pirate swords, Michael Jackson imitations, and fighting over movies are what we do here. It wouldn't be US without them. And, well, I Like Us.

So blessed.

I Have a Little Pet...His Name is Peeve

Don't you love how people make comments about things and actually act like they are the first ones that thought of it? No, seriously. Some things are understandable, but comments like, "Wow...you are the only girl in a house full of boys," and "Sawyer has red hair," just leave me wanting so badly to say something completely rude and obnoxious about the speaker being a master of the obvious.

Last night I had someone give me the "only girl" line. What am I supposed to say? "Oh my gosh. You're right. I just noticed."

I'm sure that phrases like that are just conversation starters, but, seriously, they grate on my nerves. Oh, I just thought of another one..."You must be busy." Of course I'm busy!!! That is why my hair is half out of my ponytail, my shirt is untucked, I have a kid hanging on my leg, I'm hollering at the other two, and we eat nothing at my house except mac-n-cheese. Uh, yah...I'm busy. Again, masters of the obvious.

Now that I've let you in on one of my pet peeves, let me let you in on a couple more...just because I'm feeling peevie (is that even a word?)...

• anybody who is rude to anybody else (by my above words, I sound pretty nasty, but I try to never actually be rude to anybody's face....at all the obvious-fact-masters, I smile and laugh like it is the funniest and most clever thing I've ever heard!) -- I really can't stand it when people make other people feel like pig slop...
• people thinking that I'm really young. I've been told that one day I will appreciate this, but I haven't reached the point yet of thanking people for telling me that I look like I'm in my early twenties. (You know what I mean...the women that promise more Christmas presents to their grandchild who told them that they thought they were 33. I'm not there yet.) I actually had a girl at school Friday ask me if I was a new student...she said I looked 16. Because I try not to be rude (see above note!), I smiled and told her how old I really am. But what I really wanted to say was, "Yes, I'm 16. I graduated early from high school at the age of not-even-thought-about-yet, married at the age of 5, had my first child at the age of 8, and had special exceptions issued for me so that I could drive and vote all before the age of 2."
• Wal-Mart taking items off the shelves just when I get used to something. This one really gets under my skin. I can't stand finding something really great, and then going back the next time to find that they've X'd it off the shelf. I want to throw a maniacal crazy-person fit right there, but I don't. I just think ugly things in my mind. Looking over this I'm realizing that I might be in need of therapy.
• dishes and laundry that multiply. I'm sure that this is probably all under my control... but, I do sometimes think that there is an invisible something-or-other that sneaks around and uses our dishes and wears our clothes just for the pure satisfaction of seeing me have to wash them and put them away again.
• towels not folded the right way. I seriously sometimes have the urge to refold people's towels for them when I visit their homes and spot their towels. Fine if you don't fold your towels at all and just leave them in the basket, but if you're gonna fold 'em...fold 'em right. Someone told me once that I needed to write a book, but I don't have anything to write a book about. I think I've just found a topic...towel folding...oh, and facing the toilet paper and paper towel flaps the right way.
• teachers who do a whole lot more screamin' and hollerin' than teachin'. If you don't like the education profession, leave please. You make the rest of us look bad.

Okay...that's enough. I could go on about how I detest the little pop-up places caused by hangars on my shirts (especially if that is the only reason as to why I'm having to plug in my iron) and how I really become annoyed when I get the wobbly-wheeled buggy at Wal-Mart. I could tell you about my irritation with finding empty pitchers or milk jugs in the refrigerator and my dissatisfaction with humid, muggy days that mess up all the hard work that me and my straightening iron put in on my hair...but, I won't.

I'm going to try to end on a positive note. No more being rude and gripey. I'm going to try to act my age (which is NOT 16....okay, that one is still bugging me).

I think I'm going to go...uh, let's see...maybe be BUSY being the ONLY GIRL IN A HOUSE FULL OF BOYS! :)

I Was 24 When It Happened

I remember it like it was yesterday.


I was on my way to school. I was running late (not an uncommon thing), which explained why I was still in my car shortly after 8:00 (Central Time). I was listening to K-LOVE, my favorite Christian music station. Stephen Curtis Chapman was singing. I was wearing a black skirt and a red button-up shirt. My hair was in a clip because I didn't have time to fix it.

I was driving by Henderson State University, right by the fountain, when the DJ broke in the middle of the song and said that there had apparently been a very tragic accident. He proceeded to tell us about one plane flying "by accident" into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. That was it. The music came back on. Although my heart stopped for a second, I remember turning and checking on my baby, Keaton, barely a year old, who was jabbering in his carseat and continuing on to school.

I made it to school, got Keaton loaded into his baby sitter's car, walked in the door of the school and was met by my principal and some other teachers saying that something awful had happened. I remember being almost flippant, saying, "I know. I heard. A plane hit a tower." And then I saw their faces. They then told me that another plane had crashed and the country and the news people were saying that our nation was under attack.

It takes a long time for that kind of thing to register. Although I can remember the exact way I was wearing my hair and the song that was on the radio, I can't remember the rest of the day. Odd that one precise moment is stuck forever in my mind, but the rest of the day is a blur, except for just a few snippets of time.

I remember hearing someone on the radio saying that there would be an immediate rush on gasoline, and all of the teachers leaving one at a time to a gas station owned by a friend to fill up our tanks. I remember hearing on the radio that the government was talking about an immediate draft to go fight the people that did this to us, and immediately making plans for when Kirk would be deployed. I remember all of the teachers immediately pinning on make-shift yellow ribbons. I remember calling my babysitter to make sure Keaton was okay. I remember still trying to teach because we, as teachers, were going to allow the younger students' parents to tell them what happened. I remember going home after work and watching nothing but the news for hours upon hours even though I watched the same footage a million times.

September 11 will forever be emblazoned in my memory. It was the first time I felt truly patriotic towards this country. It was the first time as a mother that I felt truly scared for the safety of my child. It was the first time as a wife that I felt like I might lose my husband.

What saddens me now is that I feel like I'm becoming calloused. So much talk of war, terrorists, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and 9/11 memorials. There are Osama Bin Ladin bumper stickers, jokes, and late-night TV spoofs. All of this has turned 9/11 into something "normal" for me. I hate that. I hate that it doesn't evoke a sense of anger and sadness mixed with patriotism for me every single time I hear that date -- only happens if I really, really think about what happened.

I want my children to understand the magnitude of what happened on that day. I want them to know about our great President who led our country in such a profound way through such a terrible, grotesque national tragedy. I want them to know that they are part of the greatest nation on this earth, and that they have an extravagant heritage and legacy -- just because they're Americans.

My red shirt and black skirt mean nothing to that day....except to be the constant reminder to me that I was part of something huge that September day. Something that I may not think of often enough and may not honor like I should, but something that I will forever carry with me and attempt to do my best to share with my children....

May God Bless America.

The Low-Down

Here's the low-down...

1) Went to bed super-early last night. I felt like crud and felt like I was getting the flu. I had a ton of laundry to do, but not a stitch of it got washed.
2) Kirk came home from work yesterday sick as a dog...so that made two of us. Nothing good can come from 2 parents laid up in bed and 3 boys running free in the house....the house is still standing, so that's a blessing.
3) I went to work this morning, still feeling nauseous, but felt like I had to go. Gotta save those sick days for when the babies are sick. Everyone knows mamas can't get sick!!
4) Kirk got to stay home from work today...that stunk because I didn't. No fair.
5) Got in my car to go to school...still frustrated that I was having to go....and got bit by a spider. That's right...a spider. I don't think he was poisonous because my leg hasn't swelled up to the size of a stop sign yet.
6) While I was dropping the kids off at school, Sawyer tells me that he feels sick. I went all day wondering if I was going to have to go pick him up from school to go home, which I could have done in the first place.
7) Today was Taco Day at school...so, I had to smell cafeteria tacos all day...not great for a sick stomach.
8) I stopped on my way home from work at the little store in our community to buy Gatorade, Sprite, saltines, and chicken noodle soup....food for the ailing one at home.
9) I got home to find the patient still super-punie.

Good news?

I'm better. Wonder if he'd be mad if I ate the steak that was on the menu for tonight without him?!?! Maybe I'll wait 'till he goes back to sleep to eat it!

Grouchy

Rotten day.

Feel fluish.

Have too much laundry to do.

Need to feed kids.

Just want to crawl in bed and sleep 'till next Tuesday.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things -- minus the whiskers on kittens

I had a rather difficult day at work today...nothing major, just some hard moments to swallow. So, in honor to one of my most favorite movies, The Sound of Music, I have been trying to think about some of "My Favorite Things..." (although I'm not scared, just blah).

Here are a few:

1. Waking up early to do my quiet time, completely sleepy eyed and fumbly fingers, only to come away refreshed and awake after just a few moments with the Word.
2. The way that Kirk always says, "You're my favorite." (Insert "Ahhhhhhh...." here).
3. The note that Keaton wrote me (totally unprompted) telling me how much he is thankful that God allowed me to be his mom.
4. Sawyer's sweet crooked smile and the way he always wants to give me extra hugs and kisses...he is not embarrassed to be seen huggin' on his mama!
5. Tate's precious face. I could stare at him forever.
6. Mocha Caramel Cappuccinos
7. Watching my kids play baseball (I would be a crazy fan mom even if my kids were playing badminton or shuffleboard, but baseball is my favorite!).
8. My mom's mashed potatoes (no one can make them like her...believe me, we've tried).
9. The morning news
10. The color periwinkle ( I always just say "blue" when asked, because otherwise I sound like I'm making Blues Clues references)
11. Almond Joy candy bars (I hate almonds....odd that my favorite candy bar has them coated in chocolate...huh.)
12. Crisp Fall weather when I can finally bust out my favorite denim jacket and my "hooker" boots (as my bro-in-law, Kev, so lovingly refers to them)
13. Friends (I was one of the few that was happy when Ross and Rachel got back together...I always knew they would!) -- and, yes, I can make anything into a Friends reference.
14. My blankie -- that's right, I have a blankie -- only mine is soft,white, and fuzzy, not emblazoned with a white bunny or a Precious Moments character
15. Camping...never thought I would say that, but after our trip this summer, I am officially an "outdoorsey" girl...now all I need is one of those cool The North Face jacket vests.
16. Football (watching, not playing) -- Whoo Pig Sooie, Go Razorbacks! *I also have a huge crush (a fully disclosed one to my husband) on Peyton Manning, so, Go Colts!
17. Reality TV -- Big Brother is on this summer, and I'm completely absorbed with that. I'm not sure why I like it, because it is like a train wreck...so completely horrible, but I just can't keep from watching. I'm very excited about the upcoming season of Survivor though!
18. Having the time to curl up and read a great book...I can't stand not having the time to thoroughly enjoy the book...I'd rather not read it at all.
19. Baking. I hate cooking, but love baking. If it involves sugar, I'm in.
20. Blogging and FaceBooking -- I had no idea what I was missing before I was sucked into this whole CyberWorld of Connectivity. I'm all about "networking" now (I don't even know what that means, but assume it applies to me)!
21. Old Navy tee-shirts...I don't think there is anything better.
22. The lake...I seriously could stay on the lake for every second of the rest of my life and not complain. I love everything about it.
23. Eating at The Olive Garden...can you hear my stomach growling from where you're sitting?
24. The smell of rain
25. Daisies and Sunflowers
26. The Old Testament...the stories of the Moses and Joshua leading the Israelites are my favorite (I like to know that there is hope for me to make it to the Promised Land, even with all my wandering in the desert and feeling like all I do is ram my head into cacti! -- seriously!)
27. Eating pancakes at about 10:30 a.m. -- they don't taste as good early in the morning!
28. A fresh box of crayons -- I really enjoy the box that has the sharpener in the back!
29. Doing laundry...but only if my house is clean.
30. Sharing butterfly kisses with my fellas...especially Tate (he thinks you have to bat your eyelashes directly in the eye of the other person...it isn't a pleasant feeling, but he is just so darn cute when he does it!)

I could keep this list going and going and going, but I'll stop at 30. As I glance back over the list, I have so much to be thankful for...

I'm truly blessed. I'm already feeling better...thanks, Fraulein Maria. Now I guess all I need is a dress made out of curtains and I will be on Cloud Nine!

Flood Day

So my gopher wood is on backorder.

Because of this setback, I couldn't get my ark built, and seeing as my minivan can't make it through the mile deep waters that are surrounding my house, I get a FLOOD DAY!

We knew last night that the curvy road right by our house (our normal route to everywhere we go) had fast rising water. So, we figured that by this morning, there would be no way we could make it through. So, (after staying up until midnight last night pricing yard sale items) I woke up an hour earlier this morning than usual so that we could leave extra early to go the LONG way around. I was exhausted, but made it. I prayed to Jesus in the shower that when I got out I would see the ticker on the news telling me that my district was out of school today. Nope. So, I got ready...slowly, but I did it.

Kirk left before me to go test the waters. Just as we expected our curvy road was flooded and there was a car stalled out. Not going that way. So, he turned around and went the long way. He called me (after I had already started out) to tell me that the highway on the long way was flooded out. No way to get to school. So, I turned around and cruised back into my driveway.

I made my phonecalls to the people I needed to while I was still dressed in my khakis (because I think they make me sound more professional!), then I quickly changed into my sweats and a comfy shirt and now I'm just chillin'.

So, I guess Jesus heard my prayer this morning....kinda.

A "Second" Look

Right this second...

• Keaton is playing army men in the living room. He has quite a spread set up. What is really interesting is that he has them set up in a barnyard. Because, you know, that a split-rail fence is excellent cover from sniper fire!
• Sawyer is playing with a football that I saw him with earlier. I know because he's screaming from the living room that he promises he didn't throw it. Interesting! Okay, then...I promise that I didn't just eat 4 cookies and a bag of cheetos.
• Tate is running around wearing nothing but undies, bright blue soccer socks, and his new cleats. Oh, and he's shooting me and and his brothers with a green toy gun. I think they put people in jail who choose to do that kind of thing in public.
• Kirk is on his way home from work. What usually takes him 20 minutes will take him 45 tonight. Our roads are flooded out, so he's taking the LLOONNGG way around....this is when I ask him, "Why exactly don't we live in town?"
• I'm sitting at the computer talking to you people and also pondering how exactly I'm going to get my ark built in time for the commute to school tomorrow. After I get my gopher wood ordered from EBay, I'm going to change clothes so I can scrummage around in my attic for more garage sale worthy treasures. I think that there may possibly be a ThighMaster up there....that will be almost too good to be true!

No one can ever accuse us of being boring...

Yes, I Have A Sink Skirt For Sale....Any Takers?

Garage sales are great. I love purging and feeling like I've made a little bit of cash for my efforts. Well, come to think of it....

I HATE THE ACTUAL PURGING PART. The digging through stuff and crawling around in cabinets, closets, and the attic. Yuck. I've been battling spider webs and dust bunnies all night, bringing to the light of day (or light bulb) some of the most hideous stuff on the planet.

I'm having the garage sale with my friends Stephanie and Lisa. Lisa made a comment on her blog the other day apologizing for some of the ridiculous stuff that she is putting in the sale. She was hoping that we wouldn't laugh at her....

Well, Lisa, I may be laughing, but not at you. It will be laughing with you at all the terrible stuff that I've got, too.

What makes us acquire such awful stuff? I don't even remember where half this stuff came from...but, somehow it has ended up in my house.

Let's see. What have I found?

• A terribly heinous Austin Powers print suitcase. Shagadelic, Baby!
• Flimsy metal TV trays with an angel print. I actually used to keep those in the living room as a decorating item. Wow....not sure what else to say about that.
• Ice cube trays.....I honestly have no idea when the last time was that I used an ice cube tray. Wonder why I had 8 of them.
• Gobs of those dangly bracelets that I bought on a shopping spree to Sam Moon in Dallas. Seriously...how many silver dangle cross bracelets does one person need? Did I mention that I found an Easter Bunny one? Wow...wonder what I wore that with? Probably my Easter Egg sweater.
• While we're still talking about jewelry, I also found half a dozen pins. Yes, pins. The chunky kind of pins that old ladies wear on their lapels. Only mine are cutesy and teacher-y and I wore them with jumpers once upon a time. (I went through that phase of dressing like an old woman when I first started teaching....I have the ceramic pencil pin to prove it.)
• A sink skirt. That's right. For my wedding I actually registered for a clothing item for a bathroom fixture....and someone bought it for me. And it's mauve.....ugh, I'm shuddering.
• My What To Expect When You're Expecting book. This one actually saddens me to see it go. Its pages are dogeared and wrinkled from many, many hours of pregnant hormonal reading. It is time to give it up seeing as there will be no more little people running around our house. But, watch. As soon as I get rid of my book, God is going to say, "HA! Just kidding! Surprise!" That would so be our luck.
• A train set that we spent about $125 on and has set on a shelf in a closet for 3 years. Something depressingly wrong with that.

I haven't delved into the depths of the attic yet. No telling what goodies lie in waiting up there!That's tomorrow's project when my sweet husband is home. He's thrilled.

If you want to come observe these fabulous finds in person, please come shopping this weekend with us!

You know you can't live without the Austin Powers suitcase and sink skirt.

Labor Day

It's Labor Day...the day to take a break from all the labor that we do. And all I can think of is all the labor that I have to do this week.

I have to find the time this week to:

1. clean my house (the toilets are pretty gross)
2. do the laundry from our trip
3. unpack suitcases (the worst part of going anywhere, I think)
4. clean out my closets, attic, and shed for the garage sale this weekend
5. price all my garage sale stuff

Plus....work a full time job.

Hmmmm....I need another Labor Day to get all my labor done. One around Wednesday would be great....