Old and Southern...Love it!

One of the many things I love about The South is the history. I love driving around and finding old antebellum homes to take pictures of. I found this one in downtown Anderson the other day. It is called The Wilhite House and was built in 1885. It is available for weddings, receptions, etc.




here is another view...



This one is not as old as some others we have seen but still old and southern. I told AJ I would start taking some pictures of old homes to show her so here ya go, AJ!

Framed!

It is Friday! Time for SPF! This week the word was frame. This one was easy for me because I have several things I could use. I decided to go with a couple of things I "framed" myself. The first one was a gift for my husband 2 years ago on Christmas. While cleaning out the garage, cabinets, drawers, etc to get ready to move I came across all his stuff from when he was in the Army. I thought it should be displayed proudly rather than tucked away in a box or drawer so I made this for him.



I also made one for my son displaying some of his things from when he was a tiny baby. I have to keep an eye on this one to make sure it is still on the wall after my mom visits. She has talked about stealing it many times. I think it will be a great thing to give to him someday when he is expecting his first child. Sorry about the glare...you know I am a lousy photographer!



I have another framed item on the wall I have to make sure doesn't disappear when grandparents visit. It is also my favorite picture from when Jayke was a baby. I love the way it was matted and framed and I love the pictures! The first one is a close up of his face, the second is of his tiny hand holding my finger, and the third is of my hand holding his tiny feet. Adorable!



Now I also have to show another frame that I love simply because The Boy made it for me at school.



So there ya go. Framed and frames. Didya play? If so let me and Kristineknow so we can check out your frames!

A Big ol' Smelly Day!

Another day from hell today. It started off fairly smooth. I managed to get up on time to make it to my appointment to have the dvd/game system installed in the new car. And that was the end of the smoothness. We were given a loner car to drive since it would take about 5 hours. Right off the bat Jayke started complaining about the car. First it was ugly, then it was too dirty, then it smelled bad. I had to agree with him on the last one. Smelled like some large man had been driving around eating burritos in it for about 4 or 5 days. It wasn't so bad at first, but it seemed to get worse as the day went on. Probably from the heat.

I thought I could distract him from all his troubles by taking him to get some breakfast. McDonalds, of course. Where else do little kids want to go eat? He insisted we go in so he could play on the playground. That was fine since we had an entire day to kill. Turns out he was a tad too short to climb up the play equipment they had which meant, yes, I had to go in with him. This thing is made for kids not adults. I'm sure you can picture me trying to climb up in this thing with him telling me, "Come on Mommy, you can do it." Finally two little girls who were a little older than The Boy came to my rescue and entertained the little twerp for a while.

After our breakfast we ran several errands then decided to make a trip home to unload so we wouldn't have to do it at the dealership. I drive all the way back to my house, pull in the driveway and realize I don't have my keys or garage door operator. I left them both in my car. Crap!(I'm keeping it clean...I really said something else.) I told Jayke to wait in the car while I went around and tried the back door. No luck. When I rounded the corner to come back to the car Jayke was standing up with a beet red face. I knew exactly what he was doing. I left him alone for 5 minutes and he fully took advantage of that freedom. I got him out of the car and took him back to the patio. Luckily I had our bag for Mom's club with us. Unfortunately I had forgotten to repack it after our last outing. I had a diaper and a pair of shorts. No extra shoes or socks though and we needed them. I never even considered I would have to change him from head to toe sometime! Got him all cleaned up and loaded back into the car. What to do now?

I couldn't go in any more stores because the kid didn't have any shoes or socks. I turned around to look at him and he was fast asleep. Apparently relieving himself in the loner car really took it out of him. It didn't improve the smell in there any though. Since he was asleep I decided to just drive. I was mad at this point and wanted to drive every last drop of gas out of that car before I took it back. I don't know why I was mad at them though, it was my fault I forgot my keys. I guess it is easier being mad at Efrem, my car salesman, than myself.

I finally got my car back and headed home. Jayke wanted to play in the sprinkler. I got it out and blew it up, yes with my own hot air, and it was huge. A huge beach ball sprinkler. I almost went out and laid in the middle of the front yard underneath it after blowing it up. I was dizzy and had a headache, but my child wanted to play in the sprinkler and damn it he was going to get to! I turned it on and he stood there and looked at then told me he didn't want to get wet. WHAT?!? What kind of kid doesn't like a sprinkler?!? What kind of kid doesn't like a sprinkler after their poor mother just about popped an artery in her head blowing the damn thing up!?! I will tell you what kind of kid, MINE! He wanted to go back in the house. Fine. I turned it off and we went in. He yelled at me until I changed his clothes...again. Then went off to play.

When Mike got home he had a little talk with The Boy about what he did in the loner car then went out to put up the pool. 5 minutes later the little turkey came in and told me he had to poop, went in, got on the pot and went. Good job, but um...why the hell couldn't you do that earlier. Oh yeah, because we were locked out of our house? No, not a good enough excuse. He could have gone somewhere other than in his pants. He even used a bathroom at the mall this morning which was an accomplishment since up to that point he wouldn't go in public restrooms. Now I know he is going to have accidents but that today, was not an accident.

Okay, enough of my day. I even took some pictures of all this but the camera is in the other room and I don't feel like walking in there to get it. I'm going to sit here and drink my adult beverage. Thank you Katie! I tried a Cider and really like it! Maybe too much.

Which do You Like Better?

I have an obsession with bedding. I am very picky about my bedding therefore making it hard to find a set that I like. I love the bedding that I have right now but it is getting worn from too many washings and starting to look bad. I have been looking for new bedding for at least a year now. Every time I find something I like there is always one little detail that causes me not to buy it. I had almost given up my search. On Mother's Day I was out shopping, not for bedding...just shopping, and happened to see a set that was the perfect color combination, the perfect design, and the perfect price. Clearance even! $170 off! I had to snatch that baby up. I still wasn't positive I would like it but I could at least take it home and try it. So, the first picture is the old bedding and the second one is the new set. Tell me which one you like best. I like them both so you won't hurt my feelings.



....and the second one...



The size of the second one is a lot better for the bed and I don't have the matching bed skirt on yet because it will have to be let out. It is dark green. Sorry the first picture was better but I was trying not to get the mess on the floor on the side of the bed in the picture. Distracting. So, what do you think?

Laundry, Mulch, Laundry, Mulch, Repeat...

I wonder if those wee little legs will ever be as long as his Dad's. This was taken in Augusta, Georgia last weekend. We went to a park down along the Savannah river. Nice park but we didn't stay long.

I got my tickets to Mexico yesterday.

Just as I thought, my Dad and MJ Mom are going now too. I knew they couldn't let us have all the fun without them. Right now the count is at 7 but I think my sister and her husband will go to so that will make 9. Fun! I can't wait.

We missed Mom's club this morning. I slept through the alarm. Guess I better start going to be earlier again. That means we will be home this morning trying to get the last of the laundry done so I will be totally caught up. My week of car shopping and running errands has caught up with me, as I am way behind on house work.

Two more loads of mulch and we will be all done. That is good because I am so sore in the backs of my legs from squating to spread the mulch. Jaykeb is a big help. He gets right in there and spreads it all over. Covers himself as well, but that was expected. I will take a picture when it is done. We will have to figure out a new project to keep us busy when this is done.

Okay, hopefully this will satisfy Gramma's need for a picture for today. I will try to be more entertaining later or tomorrow. I know laundry and mulch are not too exciting but sometimes I have to do a little work. Very little...just enough to keep from getting fired by Mike.

Creepy Crawlies and Things

Today was a day filled with wild life. Good thing for both Jayke and I, I grew up with a grandfather who taught me all about the outdoors so I am not afraid of the wild life. We started off our day with a funeral. Seems a bird has made her nest in my hanging fern on the front porch. When we got home from school one of the newly hatched babies was dead on the patio. Jayke thought we should take it to the hospital to make it better. I had a better idea and grabbed the shovel. We buried the tiny thing in the flower bed right below the fern where it's family still lives. As I started to cover it with dirt, Jayke started to panic. He cried and begged for me to uncover him. I had to explain to him that that is where he belongs now and he would go to heaven. Poor little guy, the tears just rolled.

I have already mentioned the snake that lives in the backyard by the creek and now there is a fox in the woods too. He ran out of the woods up in our backyard the other night sending The Boy flying into the house to crawl under the covers with his dad. He told me that "Big rustling dog gave him a heart attack!" I've heard rabbits, or something being killed in the night. Probably the fox having his dinner.

After dinner this evening, we went out to plant some flowers and spread mulch. Mike was using the push mower to trim up around the fence and found a turtle. We didn't know what kind it was at first so we googled it and found out it was a box turtle. He was terrified and wouldn't come out. I can't blame him with three huge heads hanging over the side of the cooler looking at him. He finally poked his head out after about 30 minutes and started making a weird noise at us. I asked Mike if he knew if they bite or not and Jayke decided right then that it was time for that turtle to go home. They took him out to the garden and set him free.





There were also several worms being carried around all evening until I finally convinced him to release them back to the hole they came out of. Remember yesterday when I said Jayke caught a toad and wanted to keep him in his pocket? Yeah, the day is coming when I find something either dead or alive while doing the laundry and I will not be happy. No amount of growing up with an outdoorsman will have prepared me to find something dead in my hamper.

Mom's Day weekend and Another Road Trip

Hope everyone had a good Mother's Day. Mine was pretty good. I had already gotten my gift so there were a couple of cards presented and that was about it. I did manage to escape on my own for a short shopping trip to Greenville. I don't get to do that very often. It is nice to get out on my own for a change but it never fails that I start missing the little bugger and have to go home. This time I was in Kohls and I heard a little boy crying and holding his bottom. His dad had just spanked him for something and he was telling him how it hurt. That was all it took for me to finish up what I was doing and hurry home to my boy. I know, I'm sick. It is good for me to be away from him and for him to be away from me but I can't help missing him.
I got home and Mike made steaks for dinner then we went out and weeded our garden. We may actually get something out of it since we managed to pull the weeds out of it for a change. Jayke caught a toad all by himself and was quite proud. He stood with it in his hand and kept shivering all over. He tried to put it in his pocket but I stopped him before the poor thing ended up with broken legs. It is only a matter of time before I end up with lizards in my house, I just know it!
I thought about going to get a mani/pedi but decided to wait until I go back home and can have someone go with me. Always more fun that way.
On Saturday Mike decided we were going for one of our big road trips. The kind where we hop in the car and have no idea where we are going. We ended up in Augusta, Georgia. Why? I have no idea. We didn't do anything but go to a park along the Savannah river then go find somewhere to eat and head home. We did see the golf course where the Masters is played though. Whoopee! It was a nice drive and we saw lots of old Antebelllum style homes. We saw several Piggly Wiggly grocery stores, Mike asked if I wanted to go in one, but I passed. Next tim. We also found a cute little historical town I want to go back to when we have more time to spend there. There was a plantation you could tour and an old Opera House. I am planning a trip to Charleston one weekend. Still planning that camping trip too, although that has been put off for now.

I took some pictures on our outing but haven't looked at them yet. I may put some up later.

Mother's Day, Mom's Club, Mommy and Me!

It's Friday! That means SPF time! Kristinewants us to show her a handful of something.

There ya go. A handful (or at least all I have left)of my "Happy Pills"! Better go get more tomorrow...no one wants me to run out!

Mother's Day came early this year! I must be one good mutha too! I was involved in the decision making somewhat but the fact that I was getting this particular gift was a total shock to me. I was surprised just last week by hubs when he took me to look at my gift and then made all arrangements and took care of all the details, something I would normally do most of. Very exciting! I usually tell him not to make a big deal. So have I drug this out long enough? Yeah? Okay, here is what I got...






Sorry I couldn't find a bigger picture and I have yet to take any. I got the white one. It is one of the cars Mike's company makes tanks for. A Hyundai Santa Fe. Very nice. I had never really considered them all that much but when we went and looked at the new style I liked them and after driving it, I love it! Jayke was excited to get a new car but sad to see the old Durango go. I was a little sad too. Tomorrow I have to take it in to have the DVD system installed then we are all set. I guess the pressure is on now for Father's Day! Thank you, Mike!

As I mentioned, I had to take The Boy to my mammogram appointment with me yesterday. I was NOT looking forward to this. First of all it is an x-ray so I was worried about him going in the room with me. Second of all, I just knew he would have something to say that I was sure I wouldn't want to hear. You know how kids are...always saying things at inappropriate times or places because they don't know any better. Yeah, mine is pretty good at it.
He was perfect in the waiting room, sitting patiently. Probably because he knew it was my appointment and not his. Then we had to go back to the tiny little dressing rooms where I had to take off my shirt. Here is the conversation from that point.
The following all said in extremely loud kid voice. I take off the shirt...
Jayke: Why are you taking your shirt off?!?
Me: So I can have my doctor appointment.
Jayke: Are you going to take THAT off too? (Bra, for those too slow to follow...)
Me: Yes, I'm taking this off too.
Jayke: THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT!
Oh. My. Gah!
My son did not just say that. He especially did not just say that in his very loud bow-chicka-bow-bow voice! Where did he learn that?!? Then I put on the ever so lovely blue paper vest that has two buttons in the front that don't do a whole lot to keep the thing closed.
Jayke: Why are you putting that on?
Me: Because the lady told me to.
Jayke: I like that thing:
Me: You do?
Jayke: Yeah, you should wear that home. Daddy would LIKE that thing.
I am now all set and prepare myself to open the paper thin little door that has been seperating my tiny commentator and me from any other women who were waiting to be led to the exam rooms. Sure enough we open the door and a lady is directly across from me cracking up. I just nod my head and smile. Then my child runs across the hall into the woman's dressing room and yells hello at her. Great. Lucky for all of us it was soon my turn and we were lead away from our audience.
I thought for sure the next part would be the part he talked about but the tech had him sit behind her booth while she positioned me and took my films so he really couldn't see what was going on. I am still preparing myself for him to randomly tell some stranger that mommy had her boobs squished in a big machine though. I know he is saving it for a really good time to pop that on some poor unsuspecting passerby.



We had Mom's club today. Playgroup at Kid Venture park. My favorite moms were there today so it was fun. Jayke got all hot and sweaty playing with Luke, Katie, and Ainsley. All three year olds, so it works out well. Luke and Katie will be at his school he will start in the fall too. That will be nice for him to have familiar faces there.



After Mom's club we picked up lunch and took it to one of the parks along the lake. No eating in the new car. It has a light interior color so I am going to have to be more careful and remind Jayke to be too.




After Mom's club, a picnic in the park, and a little shopping we headed home. It was hot and we were hot and tired. We had things to do outside too so we had a very busy day and it isn't over yet. Also when we got home we had a box on the porch from Gramma Rain and Grandpa Dave. A little gift for The Boy learning to use the potty. In the box was also a bag of onions for Mike which caused me crack up. His mom must have read how the Earth comes to a hault if I cook hamburgers and don't have any onions. Thanks guys, I think you may need to send Tresa some trash bags for her kitchen, apparently the Earth comes to a hault up there if there isn't one in the can. Men, they may come in different sizes, shapes, and colors but inside, they are all the same!

I don't have time for a real post this morning. We have Mom's Club in an hour and I haven't even gotten in the shower yet! I have new pictures though and a story about having to take The Boy with me to get a mammogram, plus I will show you what I got for Mother's Day...a little early! So, stay tuned.

Angi, where were you last night?!?

Not Mad For Madras

First off, everyone give Jayke a big round of applause for becoming a big boy! He is now potty trained! Woohoo! A MAJOR accomplishment for us and he is very proud of himself as we all are. Now on to today's post.
It's Wild Card Wednesday and just to change it up a little the tutu making, flip flop wearing, TKW has assigned us a new letter this week. It is M as in Mother, Mad, Macho, Money, Meemaw, etc. I totally forgot about it but had promised my grandmother a new picture of the kid today and it turns out I can work it into my M theme. Bonus points for sure!
Along with being a Big Boy now, using the potty and all, The Boy has also begun to have an opinion about what he wears. I didn't realize this until I tried to get him dressed this morning. I grabbed an outfit our of the drawer that he has not yet worn and tried to put it on him. The shirt went on, the socks went on, but when I tried to put on his shorts he said plainly, "I am NOT wearing those pants." What? I thought he was just being silly, trying to irritate me like he does some mornings. I tried to put them on him and he flipped out. "I am NOT wearing those! I don't like those pants! Those pants are UGLY! No, no, no! I want different pants!" Since when does he have an opinion about his clothes? I mean, I knew he liked to pick out his new Big Boy underpants everyday but this was totally out of left field. I begged, bargained, and pleaded with him to wear them because I love them and they were brand new. Finally he gave in and said he would wear them to the bank but when we got home he was taking them off! Whatever!
Normally I wouldn't have taken a picture of him in this instance but since he made such a big deal out of it, I had to snap his picture looking ever so Mad about his Madras!



True to his word, when we got home he insisted that I change his shorts. I tried to talk him out of it but his dad said just change his pants so we can go. Jean shorts were much more to his liking. And there you have the beginning of the end of my getting to dress him in cute little outfits.


As I am writing this (at 2a.m.) he just appeared in the doorway clutching a pair of jeans, half asleep. Apparently he even has ideas about what he should sleep in now.

Quick Note

The Boy, my camera, my tax check, and I are heading out for more adventures in banking today. Wish us luck...both to get my check cashed and to take some pictures. I have several fun doctor's appointments tomorrow so I have to get this done today. Afterwards I may need a little retail therapy. Pictures tomorrow I promise!

The Rules---Angi Make Sure You Read This!! ;)

I learned an interesting thing today. Apparently banks will not cash tax checks. This is odd to me since the check is from THE UNITED STATES TREASURY! Why won't they cash my check? Do they not think the government is good for it? I tried opening a checking account with it at two banks but they were too busy to get to me (I had to meet Mike and it was 4p.m., two people in front of me at both banks) so I finally just went to try and cash it and was told they wouldn't do it. I called my friend who works at a bank and told her and she said she thinks her bank does it. Too bad that bank is 600 miles away! So, now I have to go back again tomorrow and wait my turn to open a checking account...again. I'm not mad about it, okay I was at the time, but I just think it is a little odd that they won't cash a check from THE UNITED STATES TREASURY! Next year, direct deposit for sure. Hear that Dad?

The Boy and I had a huge fight while sitting on the potty today. He is adamant that he is not going to poop in the potty. I think he has anger issues...can't imagine where he gets them. He was so mad at me he was hitting me and himself. In his defense, once he got off the potty he laid down on the bed and was instantly asleep. Too tired. Still no excuse for hitting Mommy or himself though. I don't know what it is going to take to get him to go on the potty.

So, another day with no new pictures, sorry Gramma. Tomorrow Jayke and I have some flowers to plant so maybe I will take some pictures of the tiny gardener for you.

My friends are planning a trip to the river boats while I am visiting next month. I've been on these trips with them before so this time I'm laying down some rules. I'm not scared, I have backup. The designated driver will be on my side. Here are the rules:
1. NO PUKING IN THE CAR!!! This is by far the most important rule.
2. No smelly food in the car if someone feels they may puke.
3. No interrupting a really good song, like Funky Cold Medina or anything by Too Short! I can bring my Ipod programmed with our travel music.
4. Only the driver can override a song choice...this is only because I don't want anything thrown at me, or anyone else.
5. Any calls to have the boat held because we are coming from "Way Above Indianapolis" will be made by Angi and only Angi. She does it so well.
6. We will not clarify how far above Indianapolis we will be coming, it could be Anderson, it could be Canada, you never know.
7. There will be no yelling at your spouse in the car. Not even by the driver. He doesn't want something thrown at him. I will try to abide by this rule too, but since I made the rule I can amend it as needed.
8. There will be no badgering of those who do not gamble as much as others. I'm...er, I mean some people are perfectly happy to gamble their $20 and quit.
9. There will be no last minute attempts to beg, borrow, or steal money from any one else so that you can "Get well" as we drag you from the boat!
10. Anyone who feels it necessary to talk the entire 3 hour ride without pause has to ride in the very back.
11. There will be NO puking in the car!
12. There will be no "Calling the ball", we won't be in the green bullet.
13. There will be no forgetting of IDs.
14. We will leave at the scheduled time, coming and going.
15. There will be no spilling of drinks.
16. The driver will attempt to keep his speed below 90mph.
17. There will be no puking anywhere!
18. I reserve the right to add rules as I think of them.

It is going to be a great trip! I hope I survive. I received an itinerary today of what I will be doing while there. I better stay a month to fit it all in. Maybe if I spend the first week with my Dad my mom won't be ready for me to leave after a week...maybe not.

Mexico and Snow Flakes

The Cabo trip is getting closer to being nailed down now. I think it will be September 30th that we leave for a week. I still don't know who all is going but I know I am! The resort looks really nice and I've already found a boat tour I want to go on if Mike goes with me. They have a photo gallery of the resort at, Pueblo Bonito, if you want to check it out. Here is one picture of the resort and pool.



Another boring weekend here in The South. It rained yesterday. Jayke and I spent most of the day cuddled up watching Spongebob. It was one of those days you just want to sleep through so we did our best.

Today I have an exciting afternoon of laundry and other housework planned. Since the NASCAR race was postponed last night, Mike is busy watching that all afternoon. I used to be a big fan, not so much anymore. I watch occasionally.

Here is the today's shot of The Boy for the Gramma's. We have been practicing his alphabet a lot and I think he almost has it. I will try to record him when he gets it down a little better. So far so good on the potty training. No accidents for a couple of days now. He has decided he wants Heeleys and bunk beads. He doesn't even sleep in the bed he has so he is NOT getting bunk beds. As for the Heeleys, he'd kill himself and I doubt they even make them in his size so he will just have to wait for those too. He goes around pretending he has them. He is now at the point where ever commercial he sees he wants whatever it is they are advertising...unless it's girl stuff. He came out of the bedroom the other night and kept telling me he wanted some snow flakes. Snow flakes? What are snow flakes? "You know the ones with the Tiger on the box!" Oh, okay, Frosted Flakes cereal. Now I got it.

Potty mishaps, Cabo, and Good Chips!

Not been a good day in the world of potty training today. Woke up soaked, had an accident on the way to the bathroom, then another one about 30 minutes after getting him dressed for the day. I don't know what is going on with him today but I hope he gets over it real soon.
Maybe he was traumatized last night when he was made to sit on the potty and I did this to him while he sat there...



I doubt it though. He asked for me to paint them since I was painting my own. His dad was not very happy about it. Made it even better that we did this too...



Once again, he chose his tatoo. He has Superman on the other arm. A good balance. I told him to make a funny face so I could take his picture and this is what I got...



He then had to take some very lovely pictures of me which I am not going to share with you. I will just give you one last very sweet picture of The Boy.



So, after my big pity party I was having for myself the other day...complaining that no one was coming to visit, I wasn't going anywhere, etc. Not only do I have a trip home planned but now there is a trip to Cabo San Lucas in the works!



That trip will be at the end of September/first of October instead of Vegas this year. I think I would like to start doing Vegas only every other year or so. I don't need to go there every year. Maybe next year I will have a reason to go to Vegas again, a hem...Angi, Kim. Any way...the Mexico trip is still in the planning phase so I don't have anything else to report on that at this point other than I am ready to go back and go to a different area of Mexico. I've never been to the Pacific Ocean so that will be something new for me too. Note to self...book mani, pedi, and facial as soon as we get there!

When my mom was down here a few weeks ago we had to run into Sam's Club for something and since whe is hitting her Weight Watchers diet hard she was looking for something to snack on that would not ruin all her hard work. She found these chips that at first I thought had to be terrible. I was very wrong. They are so good! How can something this good be healthy? That is what their bag even says.



Flat Earth Chips. The apple and the Peach Mango are the ones I love! I haven't tried any other ones except Berry which I wasn't crazy about. The other two though, I have to stop myself or I would easily eat the whole bag they are that good. Jayke really likes them too. So now I can munch on my fruity chips while Mike is eating his greasy potato chips and we are all happy. I am recommending you try them! You can get them at Walmart also, in case there is no Sam's Club near you. Yummy!

The weather is gloomy today, we are hoping for rain. It has cooled off a lot too so The Boy and I are hanging out doing laundry and running to the potty all day. Exciting times at the Casa de Howell, exciting times.

A Wicked Book Review

Since I have that Spring Reading Thing banner up there in the corner I thought I better post something about what I've read. So far, other than a very few children's books and my usual magazines, I've readWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
I had a love/hate thing going on with this book. The story is that of the life of the witch starting at birth and running all the way up to wear Dorothy accidentally kills her. The beginning was slow going. There is a lot of difficult language to get through but eventually that changes and the reading becomes easier.
It is an interesting story of how Elphaba, the little green girl, becomes a witch after many years of stuggling with politics, religion, social class, dissapointment, and loss. You will find yourself sympathizing with her and understanding why she was perceived as a witch. Their are comparisons to our political struggles today and comparisons to Nazi Germany made by the predjudices toward Animals. It was a little too political for me. The best part of the book, in my opinion, were Elphaba's years at University. There were times when I couldn't put it down in anticipation of what was about to happen, but I felt a little let down at the final climatic moments. I felt like I was always inching toward the edge of my seat only to slump back down when the book didn't deliver. Even knowing how the story would end there were possibilities for this book to go beyond what I felt, was an anticlimatic ending. All though I was a tad disapointed in the way it ended, I'm definately glad I read it and am considering the sequel, Son of a Witch.

Headin Home!

I am heading home to Indiana...on the 31st. While I'm there I will be going to see Gwen in concert with Angi, Kim, Melanie, and all their girls. I am even going to brave the lawn area at Verizon Music Center...something I said I would NEVER do. It will be a total GIRL'S night out...literally as there will be 4 girls under 10 with us. Not exactly the "Girl's night out" I was hoping for, but It will be fun watching them dance and act silly. And I won't have a child there to be responsible for because Jayke will be staying with my dad.
We will both be staying with him at the first part of our visit because my mom is moving into her new house that weekend and doesn't want us there. Big Meanie! No...she doesn't want Jaykeb distracting her and getting in the way of the movers. We will be staying with her later in our visit.
My sister is coming up from NC and it is going to be my Dad's birthday too. Dad even promised to turn on the AC if it gets too hot for me. He has something against air conditioning for some reason. AJ will be there...no that wasn't a request, it was a statement. She WILL be there along with her mother, my other sister. Someone call the cabana boy and tell him to start warming up his blender.
The cabana boy is my father...we all sit by the pool and have him bring us drinks, when we can get him to.

Kim--stock up on firewood, I will be over to burn stuff! Maybe Brannon and I can go steal a stop sign.
Angi--if you want decorating help get out your checkbook so we can go shop. I don't mind helping but I like to see some results of my work.
Gramma--Turn down your TV so you can hear us. You will have to give up watching your FOX news long enough to go eat Thai with Mom, Jayke, and me.
Jim--stock up on your drink...I have no set date of when I am leaving.
Gramma Rain and Grandpa Dave--we will be up to see you too!
Mom--Make up your mind which breed of dog you want so we can go get one while we are there!
Kelly--Come visit Gramma while I'm there too!
If I forgot anyone I'm sorry...leave me a comment and I will include ya in my visit.

My SIL has started a blog and I'm really excited about it! She is new to the blogging thing and is just getting started so jump over there and say hi. You can find her at FullHouse. She is in my blogroll over at the side too.
TTFN!

Look Oma, All Clean!

I spent the better part of the day cleaning The Boy's room. It was worse than I had ever seen it. It is kind of hard to clean right now because he has so much stuff and no where to put it. I've scoped out a piece of furniture from Pottery Barn that will help tremendously, now I have to save enough money to get it. Here is what his room looks like from the doorway. No room to spare.


He was a happy little dude though once I got it all straightened up. He even asked to eat his lunch at his little table, now that we could find it again.


He spent the rest of the afternoon driving his cars in there since he had room again.

We took him to get ice cream at Baskin-Robbins for the Fire Department Fundraiser thing they had going on. $.31 a scoop. Can't beat that! I don't know what flavor that was that he got. It had 3 or 4 different colors which he wore proudly.



I have yet to find someone to do my hair since moving to South Carolina (it has only been a year now). I normally get it done when I go home to Indiana by my girl up there. I haven't been back since Christmas though and my highlights (which were way too light to begin with) were growing out so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I have never colored my own hair so who knew what would happen! I take really craptastic pictures and I have been outside in the near ninety degree weather so you are warned.




It is dark but it will lighten soon, I'm sure. At least it is all one color again. Everyone always says I look just like my mom. I never see it though. When I looked at this one I saw it for maybe the second time ever in my life. I thought I looked like her in this one. I think it is in the eyes. Maybe it is the goofiness...I don't know. Just kidding Mom!



That is my messy white board behind me where I keep track of my life. Notice all the empty boxes on it because there is nothing going on. Still waiting on my tax return, still trying to figure out when I will be heading North, still waiting on someone to come visit me.
Now I have to go spend time with the husband because he has been feeling neglected lately...hence the bad mood yesterday. Hopefully this will fullfill my grandmother's need for daily pictures of our lives.

TONIGHT ONLY AT BASKIN ROBBINS!

Great thing to take the kids to! You can read about it on the Baskin Robbins website. Proceeds to go to the Fallen Firefighters Fund.

I Live With a Bunch of Crazies!

 

No Wild Card Wednesday today. I haven't been taking any pictures the past couple of days. Still concentrating on potty training. I did learn a couple of things yesterday though.

NEVER make hamburgers for dinner if you don't have onions to put on them. Apparently it is the end of the world as we know it if you don't have onions on your hambugers...or at least that is what I was told last night.

Apparently I do NOTHING around the house. Ever. I think I might just start doing nothing and see what happens.

Then I walked into the bedroom and Jaykeb told me, "When you get little and I'm big and you try to hit me with that whistle, you're going to see GIANT MEAN JAYKEB!" WTH. What is wrong with these people I live with? They are all flipping out on me. I don't know what whistle he was talking about or WHY he was talking about it. Thank GOD they both just went to bed early last night. And hopefully they will not have the grouchies today.

Random Bits About Me

I've been tagged by Italian Babushka! I've never been tagged before. I'm kinda excited! So here is what you do.

Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to blog about their seven things and post the rules as well. At the end of your post, choose 7 people to tag and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog! OK, here goes...

1. I was a nail biter until 3 years ago. Stopped cold turkey...don't know how or why.

2. I've had 8 speeding tickets in my life. Yeah...I have a major lead foot. I won't tell how many wrecks I've had.

3. I met my husband on the internets. He sent out a random email and I answered. That was almost 8 years ago.

4. I have 7 dogs, 3 cats, and 1 fish. At one time I had 10 cats, a hamster, and a bird with the 7 dogs and fish. Nuts? Yeah, probably.

5. I prefer to sleep during the day and stay up all night. I can't do that as much now with Jaykeb but that is what I would like to do. I believe it is because I was born at 5:03 p.m. so that is when MY day begins.

6. I love books about Mt. Everest. I know, weird. I've read Into Thin Air 3 times. Can't explain this obsession either.

7. I miss my job every single day. Someday I hope to open my own Interior Design store like the one my Mom had. I want to name it The Blue Pineapple. I can't think of one other job I would like to have other than the one I had and hope to have again someday.

There you have it. I don't know if there was anything surprising to anyone in this list. Pretty boring. So, now I have to tag 7 people. Well, I don't know if I know 7 people to tag but I will try. AJ, Katie, Movin Mom, Patti, Bossy and that is all. I don't know who else to tag and I know a lot of people have already done this one.

Lizards, Potty Talk, Dog Pools, and Plans

 

Something I haven't gotten used to yet living in South Carolina. The lizards. They are all over the place. There are a bunch of different kinds too. Some don't bother me, others kind of look like snakes with legs. Those are the ones that scare the crap out of me when I'm working outside. The little green guys that look kind of like this one, only green move so slow I just know I'm going to end up with one in my house when The Boy gets up the nerve to grab one. This particular lizard was just hanging out on my rain chain yesterday. They seem to like my new deck. I guess I don't mind as long as they eat their share of bugs.
Yesterday was another great day for the potty training saga. The Boy went to school in his "Big Boy Pants". I was worried that he wouldn't want to use the potty in a strange bathroom so I packed enough clothes for a weekend getaway. It was as if I thought he would wet his pants every 5 minutes I packed so much stuff. When I got there to pick him up, after his 3 hour class, I was thrilled to find out that he told the teacher when he had to go and went right in with her to do it, no problem. Yeah!
After the triumph at school I thought he was ready to go run errands all afternoon. We headed to Target after getting him his "atta boy Happy Meal", then to Ashley Home Furniture, Petsmart, and Lowes. He decided he needed to christen the Lowe's parking lot so I opened the car doors to make a little stall he could go in without us getting picked up for urinating in public. No problem.
After all that success we had a minor setback when we got home. He took off after a cat and disappeared behind the barn. When he finally came out he was wobbling along screaming, "I had an accident! There's something in my underpants!". At least he isn't constipated anymore. Poor guy. Oh yeah, he wakes up dry and goes straight to the potty first thing in the morning! That only took like 2 days to accomplish.
So enough potty talk. On to what else we did yesterday. While on our big shopping excursion we picked up a little baby pool for the dogs to cool off in now that the weather is getting stinking hot.


Jayke decided that he needed to test the pool before the dogs got it. It is way to small for him but it was perfect to put on the deck and let him play in the water for a while.

 

We don't have our big pool up yet. I'm hoping to wait until after the tree frogs mating season to put that thing up after what happened last year.



So, he went to school, went shopping, swam on the deck, played with his friend from next door, helped Mike in the yard, swam some more, then fell asleep while eating his dinner. It was a very early bedtime last night which allowed me plenty of time to get my friends on three-way to attempt to plan a weekend trip which at the end of the conversation, turned out to be a gambling-camping trip. Not sure how that works yet. And there is a condition that I have to gamble more than $1. It will be difficult for me to part with Mike's hard earned money but I think I will manage.