He Nailed Me

Today I was playing a game with 3 little boys and one of them is ESL (English as a Second Language......not to offend you but I wouldn't have known that term 5 years ago). He had left early the day before (his birthday) so I asked him if he celebrated his birthday.

Him: No, I went to the doctor.

Me: Oh, are you okay?

Him: Yes.

Me: Did you get a shot?

Him: Yes. And the doctor he use the brain to stomach thing.

Me: The brain to stomach thing?

Him: Yes, the brain to stomach thing. (he is motioning from above his ears to his stomach)

Me: Was it like this? (I imitate using a stethoscope)

Him: Yes.

Me: Was it a stethoscope? And he listened to your stomach?

Him: Yes. And I did the no clothes and I was naked.

All: giggle, giggle


Good times.


Then later in the day in another class....I will substitute real names here.....let's say I was in Mrs. Jones' class.....

Her: Mrs. Jones, he nailed me!

Mrs. Jones: What?

Her: He nailed me! (pointing to the criminal)

Mrs. Jones and I start laughing (well, holding it back, but laughing)

Me: What does that mean?

Her: He pushed his fingernail in me.



I realize this may not be funny to any of you. But by Friday afternoon in kindergarten we all get a little punch drunk. And once the giggles start, it's all funny to us.

What Made My Childhood Bearable.....

(One of my favorite blogs to read is Mama's Losing It. She does a writer's workshop once a week and gives out a few prompts to choose from. I've decided to take the bait this week. The prompt I chose, as you can tell by the title of this post is, " What made your childhood bearable?" I am going to dedicate this post to my sister Catha.)

My childhood was bearable. Very bearable. In fact, I consider it a happy childhood. Always a roof over my head, food on the table, and plenty of love and hugs. We were by no means wealthy, but I was unaware of that. My wealth was in comfort and love, babydolls and playing house.

I had 3 parents; my mother, my father and my sister Catha.... who was 19 months older than me. She is in almost every childhood memory I can recall. We always shared a bedroom and most times a bed. We shared clothes and toys and sometimes friends and always secrets.

Catha Elaine in the yellow shirt, me in the background with the pink scarf....probably planning my next mischievious act. We were at Disneyworld in California, August, 1962.

Apparently, scarves were all the rage.

To say we were quite the opposite is not really describing us exactly but it's a good start. I was talkative, she only talked when necessary. I liked to take risk, she stood back and warned me not to. I talked back, she stayed quiet. I bossed her around, she submitted. She was a picky eater, I was not. She was the perfect child, I could imitate her. She had dark, thick hair, I had lighter, thin hair. I had blue eyes, she had brown. She wanted to take piano lessons, I had to take them also...with no desire whatsoever. I was extroverted, she was more introverted. In our preteens, she developed a chest......I am still waiting.

And as Bette Midler sings, she was "the wind beneath my wings."

The little princess to my little piggy....

We played school, restaurant, mamas and babies, house........we dug for mud to make mud pies, swang on the rusty, old swingset, walked up and down the neighborhood streets and shared clothes. We would talk in bed until one of us fell asleep each night. Catha was always there.

One time, we were playing outside and decided to slide down the next-door-neighbor's roof. They had the Swiss Chalet style exterior and a part of their roof was narrow and came down almost to the ground. It looked like a giant slide and while other kids slid down it, we were strictly forbidden to. But on this day, we just couldn't stand it any longer and crossed over to the bad side.

Of course, coming down in bare feet, I took the skin off my toes. All I remember is that I needed some medical attention.......mercuricome and a bandaid....but I couldn't exactly go in and tell me mama how it happened. So Catha and I stayed outside and put our thinking caps on to come up with the story of how this injury had taken place.

Well, imagine our surprise when our mother didn't believe that we were just standing on the sidewalk, behaving ourselves, when a little boy on a bike came by and ran over my toes. We were scolded for lying and misbehaving and put to bed early without supper. But Catha was in prison with me....so really, it was bearable.

I hesitate to point this out, but we may have been a little nerdy. I was probably in 3rd grade and Catha in 5th grade and still playing with baby dolls. This was my favorite doll of all times and check out that awesome stroller. Catha got an infant seat. Santa was so good that year!

Cigarettes (white crayons) and jewelry.



Catha was there adding to the joy and comfort of my childhood.

But there were 3 times she is the one who made it bearable.

The first time was the move my family made from Midland, Texas, to Bryan/College Station, Texas, in 1964. It was the Christmas break of my first grade year. A new town, a new house, a new school wasn't so scary because I still shared a bedroom with Catha. Bearable.

The second time was the move my family made from Bryan, Texas, to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. I was in 9th grade when my father took a new job and Catha joined me in hollering and crying out to our father that he was "ruining our life!" She was a junior in highschool and we were both devasted that we were being torn from our school and friends. When we arrived in Mississippi, I had one friend. Catha. She made it bearable.

Walking down a pier in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, 1972, with the only person in town that I knew.

The third time was when my parents moved again my senior year....this time to Houston. I screamed, hollered and begged to stay until graduation and they relented. The day after highschool graduation I joined my parents and Catha in Houston, Texas. I had one friend. Catha.

Again, it would have been unbearable without her.

I hesitate to even say that anything made my childhood bearable....because it sounds like I had a horrible childhood. Quite the opposite. I had a happy childhood. But none of us get by without some very unbearable situations....intersections, if you will. And Catha is what got me through those.

Thank you Catha for being there. And thank you God, for sending me to this world 19 months after her to the same mama and daddy. Your presence is surely felt.

Happy Birthday Cammie Sue!

Cameron Suzanne Hackney
February 24, 1988

Second baby.....instant love.

Middle child.

Sweet, sweet girl.

Pretty, pretty girl.

Smart, smart girl.

(Mama's street smarts.....Daddy's engineering brain)

To my middle child on her 21rst birthday,


You are officially an adult today and we are legally off the hook. However, let me make sure you understand you will always be my child and I would go to any and all lengths to come to your rescue should you ever need it.


You are the middle child and I know that there were times you felt left out. Daddy and I were learning everything about parenting with Jordan and by the time Will came along there was never a dull moment. You were in the middle of that craziness adding joy and noise to every moment. I love that about you.


Being the middle child, I probably didn't hug you enough or tell you how pretty you were enough or tell you how proud I was of your schoolwork often enough. But 3 kids in 5 years can be a little crazy. Good crazy....but crazy. The fact that you started talking at 10 months of age and haven't really stopped yet added to some of that craziness. I love that about you.


You have always had an eye for detail and the memory of an elephant. One of my favorite things about you as a little girl was hearing you repeat the details (and I mean minute details) of your day. Other parents would call me to see what had happened at school with their child because they knew you could give a "blow by blow" description of every kid's day as well as your own. I love that about you.


When you repeated a story, you would even remember what someone had on and would begin the story that way. "You know that time we went to the show and you had on that green and white striped shirt and I had on those........." I love that about you.


You were hooked on Animal Channel and would randomly tell us facts about animals in the car, in the grocery store, at the mall. Very detailed facts about animals that only existed in Africa....and you knew the facts. I remember hearing about Steve Irwin's death and thinking immediately about you. Your heart broke when Steve Irwin died. I love that about you.


You always made good grades and I never, ever had to ask you if you had done your homework. Ever. You just did it. I love that about you.


You wanted to run for Social Officer for the Brigade Drill Team. You worked so hard for 2 weeks on the book recquired of all nominees. It was an incredibly large project but you tackled it and never complained once. In fact you stayed up all night the night before it was due to finish it. When I woke up the next morning, I came in to a clean kitchen with the finished book on the counter........and a Happy Mother's Day card. I love that about you.

You are my middle child. I love that about you.

Enjoy your adulthood. Love, Mama

CAN

Today's sermon was about you, the Church. Yeah, You. Don't leave! Hang in here...you need to hear this.

Let me sum it up....Jesus was just one man....God in the flesh. He died on the cross. But ....and here's the point of the sermon....when he left, he came back as the Holy Spirit.......into each of us. God is living through us. I know, you already know that. But we have to tap into that.


Jesus could only do the work of one man. So God sent the Holy Spirit so that through all of us...we can do powerful things....for God. Okay....something like that. And at this point, I was getting it but thinking....so easy until someone cuts you off in traffic. Or you are tested by illness....or a mother-in-law, etc.,etc.


Then the preacher told us about Dick and Rick Hoyt. Dick is the father to Rick, who was born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. His doctors told his parents to put him in an institution where he would always be an invalid...."a vegetable." But they refused. They knew Rick was in there. Around his teen years, some engineers designed a computer system for him to communicate with....tapping his head against something like a cursor so he could type out his words. His first words typed were "Go Bruins!"

I will cut to the chase......a few years later, Rick heard about a race and told his father he wanted to enter. The father thought it was impossible, but gave it a try....with Rick in a stroller apparatus. Years later....the father, now 68, runs in marathons and triathalons, pushing his son, Rick, now 46........because when he does, Rick feels like he can run. Powerful. There is nothing you can not do.......with God as your father coming into you through the Holy Spirit......pushing you through it. Do you get it?

Whew. Powerful sermon today. Powerful video. I had to use my scarf to wipe the river of tears I cried. Please watch it to the end. You'll be glad you did. (and maybe I was just in need of a good cry.....)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRHxHapwirw


PS......I want this song sung at my funeral. I'm telling you because Chuck doesn't like to talk about unpleasant things. I know. I've tried to explain to him that planning your funeral doesn't make you die. But it's a Chuck thing. But now it's out there.......so one of you make sure for me! As for the rest of the details, it's up to you. Make it a celebration....with lots of food. Banana pudding for sure. And should you decide to cremate me, sprinkle my ashes in the creek behind the Woodland Drive house.

facebook.....

Well, I joined facebook. I kept getting emails from some good friends and friends from the past asking me to join. These emails were all coming in a matter of 2 weeks. I kept ignoring them........thinking this was some sort of junk mail.......'cause isn't facebook for college kids? Then one night at happy hour with some friends, they all start talking about facebook this and facebook that and facebook I'm addicted and facebook's so fun. And if I'm anything, I'm all about fun.



So I waited until I got another friend request. And I confirmed it and now I'm in. And now I am wondering........did I really need another thing to do on this computer? Isn't blogging and searching WebMD enough? (Between WebMD and watching Trauma in the ER....I could be a doctor.....call me next time you need a diagnosis) Not to mention, check my personal email and my work email and check my kid's grades online and read the headlines on Yahoo.



But today, I think I had a revelation about facebook. facebook is something you can do mindlessly (great, cause I'm mindless) versus blogging. I have grown very fond of blogging......but I can't just come in here and blog. I have to have an idea, a happening that needs to be told, a funny story.......and of course a picture. Because I know I only want pictures on the blogs I read. And reading other people's blogs is now a great pasttime, but there's definitly more than one sentence to be read and comprehended.



With facebook, I can just sign in and stare. And read what everyone was doing 22 minutes ago. And only have to read one sentence. Their life in a tiny nutshell at that moment. And type in "Julia is_________________________. "

And why is the print on facebook so dang small? Maybe it is only supposed to be for 20 year olds.



I will say I found some old highschool friends on there......and pulled out the yearbook and had a little reunion of sorts. That's been fun. And I reunited with a co-worker from the early 80's. So good to hear from her. So maybe it's a good thing. But dang if I can figure out how to put a photo album on there.



"CCCCCHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKK!"



(that's me yelling at my computer specialist to come help me figure something out......who, by the way, doesn't have a blog or a facebook but lives vicariously through mine. )





To my children: I'm sorry I joined facebook. I promise not to stalk you in any way on there. But I will accept you as a friend if you ask. Mama's not trying to be 20 again....I promise. But she would love those 20 year old thighs back. (sorry Will if you're reading this)

How an 18 year old does it.......

Yesterday afternoon, I got the automated phone call from the school district telling me my "senior student" was not in 6th period. That's the last class of the day for Will....who I knew was upstairs napping and coughing and hacking. He's been sick all week but had gone to school. So when he woke up later, I asked him why he wasn't in 6th period.

"Because I felt like crap."

"Did you tell your teacher you were leaving?"

"No."

"Will! You can't just leave. You have to tell someone. Now you're going to have an unexcused absence!" (which I don't really know what that means...but it always sounded bad.)


Today, I happened to check my phone when I stopped by my desk and saw a text message from Will.


"I'm going home. Dizzy and can hardly stand up. Coughing."


So I call him and tell him I that I was going to make him a doctor's appointment and would be home shortly. I then proceed to go through hoops of fire and red tape to take the afternoon off. I work for the state government/public school.......and you must ask the higher up, who then ask the even higher up, but if that higher up isn't there, they tell you to go ask another equally higher up who tells you to put the note in another higher up's mailbox. Grrrrr. But I got through all those hoops and left. Although, I 'm not sure the real higher up is aware I left.

When I got home, I asked Will if he told anyone he was leaving school.

"No."

"NO? You just walked out again?"

"yeah."

"Why didn't you go to the nurse?"

"'cause she doesn't let you leave unless you're on fire."

I'm just going to admit it to you and the world, I was stopped in my tracks. I couldn't even think of what to say or yell. I'm dealing with an 18 year old who looks at me like I am some kind of retarded old lady who is stuck on rules.

So on the way to the doctor, I tell him I think he just needs to live at home next year and go to the community college. Until he can prove he can follow the rules. How can I trust he will go to class.......blah, blah, blah. He has his head against the headrest, eyes closed....probably rolling them at me.


He doesn't say a word. I'm cutting him some slack because he is sick....and I am dumbfounded. And my game isn't on. Believe me, I can usually do some lecturing.

Grrrrr.


Then while in the waiting room, there is one other parent in the waiting room....talking on his cell phone. He's telling the other person....."yeah, I told him he's going to get his GED and get a job. And he's going to quit cussing at me, and quit yelling and quit coming in at all hours of the night. And quit drinking. And if he doesn't do all that, he can just get out."

This was right after he sent his daughter into the examining room with a "give her a COMPLETE physical......get a flashlight down there if you have to......" He told the person on the phone what he told her and then told them, "I'm just trying to keep her honest." (I am assuming he means her you know what...and he wanted to check if it had been you know whatty.)



Well, maybe I would rather be in my shoes today.



After Will's appointment, we got in the car and he said very quietly, "thank you for taking me to the doctor."

Oh.........he's a Chuck Hackney. He won't allow you to stay mad.


By the way, not flu, not strep, just a bacterial infection. Now all I have to do is figure out if I am supposed to write a note along with the doctor's note explaining why my son just got in his car and left 2 days in a row. What do I say, "Please excuse my son skipping school yesterday. He was too sick to stay in class, but not on fire so he just left."


Why can't kids just forge their parents signature like we used to do? That sure would make things alot easier. I could stay out of the whole mess.



Kidding.

Fluff and Puff: The Powder Room

In case you've never really given it much thought......the heading of this blog states "Changing Moods Daily".......so untrue. It's more like changing moods by the moment. I just posted about our Valentine's Day date but now I am changing moods.....to tell you about my latest project.


A few weeks ago, I was in Hobby Lobby and decorative fabric was on sale. I saw the very fabric that my sister used in her dining room which I adore.....the sister and the fabric. I would love to have this fabric in my house, but I have no place for it............wait a minute............I could make a skirt for the pedestal sink in the powder room. And so I bought 2 yards and set it aside until I could get to it.



Yesterday, I got out the fabric and figured it all out. I sewed 2 gathered panels and attached them to the underside of the sink with velcro (one piece gets sewn on, the other piece has a heavy duty sticky back on it) It turned into an all day project but for you seamstresses out there, you could have whipped it out in an hour. I stop a hundred times to do other things like laundry and holding the dog.

This is a dimly lit room so I couldn't get a great picture of the colors.....and I'm still trying to figure out the settings on the new camera...

but I love the way it turned out.

This is the true color of the fabric. Changed the setting on the way over my head camera.

While you're in here, you might as well see the throne. The cross-stitched Hackney was a wedding gift from one of my mother-in-law's good friends 25 years ago. I love it and probably appreciate it more today than I did as a young bride in '83. This little room is where I put all my blue & white. My first true love.........in decorating......blue & white. I still have a few odd pieces and they get displayed here. I think that's what I love about this fabric....the background is the greatest shade of golden khaki and the blues, reds and golds just jump out and hug me. Really.

The Perfect Date

Chuck and I went to a 4:45 showing of Gran Torino last night. Great movie....go see it while still on the big screen. The only way to really see a good movie. Clint Eastwood squints those eyes and grits his teeth and growls his words. I'm not sure I could have heard it if it hadn't been on the big screen with surround sound.



Then we headed over to Kilburn's....a new restaurant/bar near us. At one point, I was thinking the date was heading south....when we sat down at a table and said ........nothing. Then Chuck asked, "Do you think those bricks are real?" Finally, some intense conversation.



(For Chuck....I am not trying to hurt your feelings in any way. But you make for great material. I love how hard you have to try to talk. I love that you did try hard to talk last night.)



We had a good meal, some wine and a conversation about the brick wall........then 2 couples we know came in. We moved tables to sit together, the band set up and started playing and we ended up having a really good time.



The band was so loud, that the 3 of us women were writing notes back and forth to each other on napkins. My friend, Pam, called it "old people's texting." Loved that. Women need to talk so much that we will write on napkins. The men. The men just watched the band play. Or watched the sports on the tvs all around the room.

We even danced. And Chuck loved the band so much that he wanted to stay on the dance floor to see what the next song would be. If you only knew what a phenomenon this is.

It was a perfect date.



And this morning I have just a wee, teensy bit of a hangover.

Honest Scrap

Well, well........my daughter Jordan honored my blog with this award today. I didn't even make her.....didn't even know about it until I came home this afternoon. But I am flattered. She was my only reader for a long, long time. So I have to thank her for her long-time support (picture me in a gorgeous gown...not nightgown, but evening gown....behind a microphone up on a stage in a beautiful, old theater....). She was my first child, my first fan, my first reader. (At this point, I am teary-eyed and holding up the computer monitor with the picture above on it.)


She sent me the rules and I have listed them below. But if you read my last post, you know I am looking for some rules to break. So I will begin by breaking the first rule below. I am only going to award 4 blogs. I read lots and lots of blogs and many are deserving of the award but I almost feel like this is very similar to sending on a chain letter or one of those emails that you have to send to 12 friends if you want the phone to ring at 8:23 p.m. with good news. I just don't do those anymore. So I hope the bloggers I award aren't mad at me, but realize I am honoring them. And if I didn't award your blog......well, I just saved you from having to be honest....as you will see.


The rules for this award are...
1. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. (Broke this one.)
2. Show the 7 winners' names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing then that they were prized with "Honest Scrap", the nifty icon they can display proudly on their blog.
3. List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

I am going to award the following blogs......and you would be doing yourself a great favor by stopping by them sometime....and spend a little time scrolling through the archives.

"Honest Scrap" Awarded To The Following Blogs ...



1. The Cottage Nest - Jen is a funny, honest, creative mom and wife......but more importantly a Silver Bella. I sat at the same dinner table with her the first evening of the SB weekend...and we "got" each other immediately. Love her. She has that shabby chic style that I wish I could pull off.


2. Cottage at Dove Canyon - This is one of my favorite new blogs.......she is a frequent commenter on my blog and she will never know how much her comments mean to me. She is the real deal....and lucky enough to live in sunny California....where I would live if husbands and money weren't in the way.


3. Big Mama - I would be more than happy to have this girl living right next door. She is a great writer.......honest, humorous and a TEXAN and an AGGIE. Read her archives....good stuff.


4. Doojies - This is Stephanie. My childhood friend Stephanie. The artist. If you hang around her too long, you will probably get arrested for something.....but you will be safe reading her blog. She is the first person I KNEW who blogged. I had read blogs before hers....but I didn't know those people. I knew her....since second grade.



Okay.......now for the honest list....(this is making me a little nervous....)



Honest Stuff About Me


1. I am an interrupter....but I truly know it and try to work on it.



2. I can spend hours walking up and down the aisles of stores. Looking for nothing....just looking. TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Hobby Lobby, Big Lots, Target, Walmart...some of my faves.



3. I am not a lazy person, but I require alot of sleep.



4. I had my heart broken at the age of 20 and it changed me.



5. I am not very trusting (refer to #4).



6. I smoked for 3 years. This was the early 80's and all of my friends and co-workers smoked. I worked in a smoky, hazy office and spent alot of time in smoky, hazy bars....so really it wasn't that much different than putting the cigarette in my mouth. When I started dating Chuck, I quit because he was an obnoxious non-smoker. I am not proud of this old habit. And it would really bother me if my children smoked.



7. I regret not finishing college. I try very hard to not spend alot of time thinking about regrets....but this one creeps in often. Probably because I am a Type A Over Achiever and this is so under achieving. Life happened instead.



8. My passion is interior design, but I didn't have the patience for dealing with the clients....not all of them, but the ones that were tough, ruined it for me. I am not good at "biting my tongue"....and I had to do that alot.



9. I am most proud of the time in our marriage that Chuck and I got down to one car so that we could pay off bills and save money.....in preparation for me leaving my job where I was making 33,000 a year and the arrival of our second child. I don't think our families know how hard that time was for us.



10. I cannot tell you the other stuff. My family reads this blog.... Okay, I'll tell you this....I am fiercely independent. And sometimes it gets in the way.

The Opposite of Exciting

Bad News: I was summoned for Jury Duty today.

Good News: I didn't have to be there until 12:15 pm.



Bad News: I overestimated how long it would take to get downtown and got there an hour early.



Good News: There was no traffic and I found the parking gargage with no problem.



Bad News: I sat for 4 incredibly long, boring hours in an assembly room with strangers....not one of us wanted to be there. And of course, I cannot sit still for 3 minutes much less 4 hours. I crossed and uncrossed my legs several thousand times and went to view the vending machine every half hour just in case something new might appear in one of them.



Good News: We were all dismissed at 3:30 ....never even being called out of the assembly room. Apparently the courts filled their juror needs with the morning crowd.



Bad News: Parking cost $5.50. Spent $2.00 at the vending machine. Jurors are paid $6.00 for the day. Uh, ........and the ride was on me.



Good News: I donated my $6.00 to Children's Protective Services. Just a tiny drop in the huge bucket......but others donated theirs also so maybe it will add up to do some good.




As I sat there and looked around at the misfits and outfits for 4 hours, I realized this is democracy....at its best? Because it sort of felt like punishment. In order to serve on a jury, you can not have a record, you must be a citizen of the US....and you have a driver's license as that is how you got in the rotation. Lots of rules followed there.


So YOU, Mr. and Mrs. Rule Follower........Please spend your time and money to come downtown for the day, in case we might need you. And we will let you know just as the traffic is beginning to build for the afternoon rush hour, that No, we won't be needing you this time. See you in 3 years. Be careful on I-45.....it's crazy this time of day.

Don't even get me started on how much time I spent trying to figure out how to improve the system....when I wasn't thinking about how I would re-decorate the place....or how I would reframe the prints that were hanging crooked on the wall.

I quickly realized the system was way too big and way too mucked up for me to fix. And soon realized there was probably no money anywhere in the budget for re-decorating.

The only thing I can really do.............is go break some rules!

Sweet Chuck

Chuck bought me/us a new camera for Valentine's Day. We actually started the search a while back (brought on by my constant nagging of course......)but Jordan bought the Nikon D60 so we copied her. Here's hoping we can figure it out together. I spent last night going around the house taking photos of nothing.....just practicing. This is way more camera than I will ever need but so far the close-ups are lot more clear than I've ever been able to get, which is what I really wanted. I want to be able to see the wet nose of my dogs. Check it out. (remember these are pictures taken simply for the sake of taking)

Clear close-ups.....

Detail on a plate

A sweet dog's wet nose....

just a little fake flower...

the little bird ornament from Starbucks that hangs near my sink....

Will took this shot.......I made him stand on a chair to see if we could get the dang chins to go away. Anybody notice my hair has gotten darker? Uh,huh.......science experiment to see if brunettes have more fun and find better deals on sale.

And shots taken from a distance........seem to turn out clear as well...with pretty true color. You can click on these and see the detail is very clear. I'm just a little tickled about this new camera.

Let me remind you it's not my talent I am showing off but the ability of the new camera. My talent is not in photography, but in laundry.

And the second thing my husband is giving me for Valentine's Day........he signed us up for a 6 week Bible Study for married couples.......How to Fireproof Your Marriage. It only took several elbow nudges and a full-blown pouting session to get him to sign us up.....but he made the phone call. I could have signed us up but the preacher suggested the husbands do the calling. This is huge. Chuck and Bible Study in the same sentence. Huge.

Won't You Be My Valentine?

This sconce ( well, it's not a wreath, but I'm not sure what to call it...?) is hanging on the front door.......with some added hearts to signify the upcoming holiday of love.

After February, I can take off the hearts and leave it hanging all spring.

And of course, the usual on the buffet....I cannot emphasize this enough......find one spot in your home and just concentrate all your holiday decorating there. Makes it so easy to get out and put away. Honestly, I am almost over decorating for the holidays, but one very sweet, sensitive teenage boy still lives here and I do it for him. He told me at Christmas that as soon as Jordan and Cameron left for college, I quit doing all of this. That's how he FEELS and I acknowledged it...but really? I have pictures to prove I haven't quit..........downsized, maybe....but not quit.

And I would like to confess that this is the second time I have filled the jar with Plain and Peanut M&M's.........in less than 2 weeks. This family loves them some candy.

Chuck is out right now shopping for a new camera for us.......for Valentine's. He actually purchased one last night but thinks he can find a better deal. So he will spend the day looking to save $20......and burning $30 in gas. But that's Chuck. Gotta love him.

Cameron was very sick this week and is feeling somewhat better this morning. Lots of flu/respiratory infections/strep going around...........do yourself a favor and buy 2 cans of Lysol and spray everything down. It certainly can't hurt.

Have a wonderful week of love and chocolate.

Overheard while the hedgehog was visiting.....

There were 2 hedgehogs visiting in kindergarten today. The real, live kind. Volunteers are trained and bring them around to the classes once a year and today was our day. Comments from the kids........

The volunteers had just set out the mat and laid down a stick....but the hedgehog was still in his cage. The kids knew there would be a hedgehog. So when "K" saw the volunteer lay down the stick, he said, "That's not an animal, that's a stick."

Then right before they took the hedgehog out, "K" said, "Wait! There's gonna be a REAL animal in SCHOOL?"

When asked if anyone knew anything about hedgehogs, "R" said, "They were not-turnal ....which means they sleep all day."

Then to himself, " I guess that makes me turnal."

The volunteer asked the children if they knew why this animal was called a hedgehog.....the kindergartener answered, "Because that's his name."

The book the volunteer read was about a hedgehog who put a woolen sock on his head to keep him warm. She asked the kids if they knew where wool came from....one responded..."From spiders."

And then after 30 minutes of talking about hedgehogs, reading about hedgehogs and seeing a hedgehog in action.......one little guy commented, "I sure did like that porcupine."



So excuse me if I have scrambled eggs for a brain these days.

Julia....dreams of a day off cleaning....

I cleaned out a couple of drawers in my dresser this morning and came across this....written by Will in 5th grade....probably for Mother's Day, although it's not dated. Very insightful of him, I must say....because it sure never seemed like he was listening. He gets me.


Click on the image to enlarge...

Julia....who loves this boy more than he will ever know.

(now I have to go find some kleenex...)

Good Morning!

I am so happy.....I awoke this morning to this comment on my last post. (I know you could scroll down and find the comment and read it yourself but when I read blogs, I don't always read the comments and I didn't want anyone to miss this....)



Just wanted to let you know that ALL of the lab puppies that you referred to were adopted :) So now you can have sweet dreams and rest peacefully and not worry about Chuck's cheeks!!!!!!! Debbie


amen.....

'cause I was really thinking about pursuing this and chuck would have left me.