Take that, Target!

Just when I think I've seen it all, my Walmart has started offering Valet Parking.

Various Asundry for March 8, 2009

Here's what's happening around here these days:

*Need to know anything about MJ? (that would be "Michael Jordan" for those of you less cool than I). We're your family. John's knee deep in research for his African American biography school program. Surprised he picked MJ? Not me. If it's not about sports, it's not worth his time, apparently.

*Finished basketball last weekend. Start baseball this weekend. Can't get a break around here!

*Saw Slumdog Millionaire last Sunday night. Did not like it one bit. So heavy. So intense. So not the "Best Picture" of 2008! But the Academy disagrees and they didn't ask me anyway.

*I am still training for the half-marathon in April. Long runs are up to 7 miles--over half-way there! Aiming to shave quite a bit of time off my old record, so we'll see...so far Micah (my neighbor/friend) is keeping me more than on track. Perhaps we're so busy sharing deep, dark secrets and baring our souls (yes, really) or discussing which of our children left our bodies more worse for wear after 63 months of pregnancies between the two of us (yes, really) that we don't notice how fast we're running. It's been quite the productive training regimen. We ran 7 miles in 65 minutes on Friday which may not sound fast to you....but it makes me feel like a Kenyan.

*Three cheers for some good spring weather we've had around here! We've all but slept outdoors the last few days and it's been marvelous.

*I'm getting ready to register Madeline for Kindergarten!!!! Where have the years gone??

Alright, off to put some dinner in the oven and squeeze in a quick run while it bakes-

Various Asundry for February 18, 2009

*SO relieved about Danny Gokey making the Top 12 on American Idol. I am really digging his style these days. Also relieved about not having to worry with ol' Tatiana anymore. She was very bothersome.

*Finally ordered that Land's End swimsuit I've been talking/blogging about forever. However, if I don't lay off the Girl Scout Thin Mints, I'm going to need to send it back and get another size/style completely.

*Michael took John to the Vandy/UK basketball game last night. Michael has completely submerged John into the world o' Commodores and as a result, the wildcats have no spot in his heart. I remember YEARS ago (when we were sans-kids) we went to a VU/UK basketball match up--Michael wore his Vandy shirt, I wore my Kentucky shirt & we sat side-by-side cheering on our own teams like it mattered. That was back when I actually seemed to care what happened on the court. Last night, I was thrilled to send the two men off to the game and I got to stay up and watch American Idol and a special on Kelly Ripa on E! all by myself. That's my idea of a fun evening these days!

*Listening to John laughing hysterically in his bed--he is reading "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roddick Rules" and giggling like crazy. Those books are quite funny. I love that he loves to read.

*Have you tried the banana pudding recipe from the cover of February's Southern Living? I highly recommend. Skip the nilla wafers for this version--it calls for none other than NUTTER BUTTERS! So good. I made it for a baby shower on Sunday afternoon. Delish!

*Training for the Country Music 1/2 Marathon is going well. I'm up to 7 miles this weekend for my long run. No injuries and great weather have made it a very nice training season so far.

I think I'll go to bed now. I stayed up too late last night catching up on my shows...and Will was up a time or two with teething woes last night, so I am ti-red. Goodnight...

Various Asundry for January 28

3 posts in 2 days! How'd you get so lucky? (especially after my musing yesterday about stopping the whole operation).

OK, so we got the 6:00 am phone call this morning from a very chipper sounding director of schools saying that this inclement weather was shutting them down today. 6:00 am. really? Is that necessary? I guess it is considering high schoolers around here get picked up for the bus at 6:25. So, we're off today. The sleet has begun and we're "scheduled" to get 1" of snow this morning, then it's over. Our grass looks like marshland--we've gotten so much rain. So, I'm not hopeful the snow will stick or allow for any fun & entertainment since we currently have a river flowing through our backyard. Oh! I just saw the first snowflakes! And yes, they are plopping right to the ground and disappearing promptly.

God bless my mother-in-law who is having fun in the sun in ARUBA this week. She mentioned the other day that we ought to think about going to Aruba for our next big anniversary...to which my sweet husband (always one to seize any opportunity) said, "Well, our 11th anniversary is coming up and that is a pretty big deal, you know...." I don't think 11th anniversary was what she was talking about, considering we just got to cruise the Caribbean in May to mark our 10th.

Yep, it's snowing alright. I wonder how long it would have to snow to completely cover up that box of graham crackers that is still sitting on my patio?

Snow days. Love them. It's 8:19 am. We've already had to shut the Wii off for the morning because of some irreconciliable difference regarding MarioKart. We then moved onto breakfast, the computer, and now we're watching Phineas & Ferb on Demand. I love that show! I think it's because Ashley Tisdale (you know, Sharpay from High School Musical) is the voice of Candace and that always makes me laugh.

Speaking of HSM--the HSM3 DVD comes out in a few weeks. I know what I'm getting Michael for Valentine's Day!!!

I know it's hard to think about swimwear on a Snowday, but have you seen the new collection from Land's End?!?!? AMAZING. They make the best swimsuits!!! I am currently in a "I called it" email debate with my friend Amy about which one of us called dibs on a certain top first. I have a free shipping code.....hmmmmm.......maybe whoever receives the top in the mail first is the one who calls it. Why can't we both get the same suit, you ask? Because 96% of our summer pool time is spent together and there's nothing more awkward than having an adult twin.

AND...I'll finish this off with a very Happy Birthday wish to my sweet niece Lydia who turns 12 tomorrow. I still remember the day she was born like it was yesterday--she's the oldest of all my nieces & nephews and we were all CRAZY about her! (We're crazy about all of the kids, don't get me wrong....) I was a junior in college and I RAN to my car which was parked on the other side of campus. Beth (my sis) and I took off for Lousville to introduce Lydia to her aunts! I'll never forget how funny it looked to see my brother Craig holding a baby. Anyways, Happy Birthday Lydia! Love you girl! (and yes your gift is in the mail) :o)

Oh, those graham crackers are getting a good little dusting of snow already! I feel a photo opportunity coming on...

Various Asundry for January 5, 2009

Yes, I know I rarely post anymore. I am very sorry. I still love to blog and it's still ever-present on my mind, but with a "highly active" toddler, it is "highly rare" for me to find time to sit and type out the fantastic posts that are lurking in my brain. And, let me tell you, I do have some fantastic posts lurking there....

Also--(excuses, excuses), well, school has been out for well over 2 weeks, so I've been on mom overdrive with the big 2 kids home all the time as well. That'll kick your web surfing and blogging habit real quick, folks!

Anyways, here's a very generic "Various Asundry" for today:

*Currently playing: MarioKart on Wii. SUPER fun

*Currently pumped about: getting the house De-Christmas'd and the storage room cleaned out today.

*Currently cooking for dinner: pancakes

*Currently reading: The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks. I was on the library's wait list a long time for this one. I guess I should say I'm not currently reading it...will open it up tonight after the kids go to bed.

*Currently thankful for: a quiet house this afternoon! My mother-in-law took the big kids to see Bolt and I got LOTS of stuff done around here.

*Currently waiting for: our van to get fixed. I was in a bit of a fender bender right before Christmas. I am driving a sweet ride, though. You usually get the Ford Escort to tote your family of 5 around in when you have a rental. We lucked out and got a very nice, very brand new Saturn SUV. Maddy actually kissed it when she saw it for the first time.

Currently bored by: This blog post. once again.

OK folks, that's all I can offer today. Perhaps my creativity will burst forth tomorrow as the schoolbus bursts into our neighborhood at 7:25 prompt.

Call me Irresponsible

Back in October, my parents were in town. Dad asked how Will was doing with his sleep @ night and early morning rising. (Remember all those posts?) Well, I was happy and proud to report with a big smile on my face that he was over all that and sleeps in until the rest of the family is up and that all is well on that front.

Do you think my dad was glad to hear that? NO. Instead, I was....

CHASTISED! I was chastised for being an irresponsible blogger! Apparently, he was under the impression that we were still undergoing Tough Love: Operation Sleep Later here in order to get him to sleep longer in the mornings.


Dad was very concerned about the crying babies left in their cribs all over America whose mothers read the blog and were heeding my advice on how to get their babies to sleep in. (I didn't have the heart to tell him that my readership doesn't quite reach that far...)


SO, I am clearing the air. We are all good here. No more early morning wakeup calls. We've even made the turn on the time change and I'm very proud to report that we all woke with a frantic start at 7:00 am this morning (way too late to get John ready for school!).

It was frantic, but just wonderful in a frantic sort of way to wake up with the sun shining through the window. Well worth almost missing the bus!

Weekend Discoveries

A few things I learned over the past few days:

1. Daylight Savings Time. The whole "you get an extra hour of sleep" thing is a myth. If you have children, you know what I mean. The only people who get an extra hour of sleep are people without kids. Our offspring were rising and shining at 5:00 a.m. (Don't try to console me by saying it's really the old 6:00...it's still early.) We've eaten breakfast, bathed, dressed for church, watched a movie and we still had a couple hours to spare.

2. Nestle Crunch has made some really awesome new versions. The traditional Nestle Crunch Bar is just fine. However, the new "caramel" version is AMAZING, as is the Nestle Crunch Crisp bar, which is basically the marriage of a Nestle Crunch and a Kit Kat. Check it out.

3. The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. Marginal, at best. I ordered it "Comcast On Demand" last night to keep the kids up a little later in order to make them sleep later this morning (backfired, see Item 1 above). Veggietales has had a great run, but I'm wondering if their time is up?

Various Asundry for Friday 10/31

Currently Reading: Darcy's Story. It's a "spin off" of Pride & Prejudice--the whole story is told from Darcy's point of view. Well written. I'm waiting for Michael to finish reading The Shack, but truth be told, I started it and got to the part where the Great Sadness occurs and haven't been able to pick it back up. Since I do most of my reading at bedtime, I can't read that kind of stuff right before I go to sleep.

Currently Celebrating: 3.5 pounds lost! Thank you Sparkpeople!

Currently Bemoaning: Going to the class Fall party this afternoon at John's school. 20 kids hyped up on sugar....added to having Maddy and Will with me while I man some activity station, well, it's not my idea of fun.

Currently Drinking: Diet Coke, of course!

Currently Anticipating: not having an 8 am soccer game in the morning; bowling birthday party for Maddy's friend tomorrow afternoon; Trunk or Treat @ church; exciting weekend stuff for the new church plant we're a part of; sweet potato casserole at Thanksgiving; finding some Reese's cups in Maddy's candy bucket tomorrow and gobbling them up since she's allergic to nuts...oh, wait, that doesn't fit in with my "currently celebrating" from above...

Current Ringtone on cell phone: HSM3 song "Now or Never." Call me. I'd love to hear it again.

Currently Needing to Do: TAKE A SHOWER. WASH MY HAIR. APPLY MAKEUP. All preferably before Will wakes up from his nap. Otherwise, it just doesn't get done.

On that note, I believe I'll sign off and take care of that. The students in John's class would be quite appreciative if his mother showed up not smelling like the gym...

Bad Joke of the Day

courtesy of my aerobics instructor:

"Did you all hear about the man who got caught in the upholstery machine? [said with sincere concern and alarm]. Don't worry, he's fine now. He's completely recovered."

Fall Fun

Prayer Requests: Hot or Not

Jon Acuff's post on Stuff Christians Like this week about turning prayer requests into gossip sessions got me thinking about a "presentation" that my friend Amy & I did a few months ago. (Lest you think we're more important than we truly are, it was a presentation to 7 people. At our church. In the basement.)

Anyways, we've co-lead the prayer portion of our weekly Bible Study for a while now and were asked to share some of our ideas/thoughts on group prayer time with the other leaders.

Since we must always act like we're in middle school and can't just do what we're asked to do, we made up a little game to play instead. We called it "Prayer in Small Groups: Hot or Not". We gave the group (yes, all 7 of them) little signs to hold up that said "Hot" and "Not." You get the picture. We would read off an idea about how to do prayer during Bible Study and they'd hold up the "hot" or "not" sign.

Here's your chance to play along. No, there will not be prizes. (I'm not drawing any income on the blog just yet, though I do have two followers now. )

HOT OR NOT:
1. Sharing confidential prayer requests from your group with others (like your best friend or your husband).
2. Prayer Request Prompt: In light of the scriptures we’ve studied this week, how do you need the Lord to change your heart?
3. “I have an unspoken prayer request.”
4. “I feel like this is a close enough group to share this: We need to pray for Betty Jo. Her husband has left her for a younger woman and he left her with a pile of bills to pay and her son was caught smoking at school….and…..and…”
5. Prompt: How can we pray for you this week, specifically? What is coming up in which you need to see Jesus work in your life?
6. “I just need to go off on my co-worker for a minute. She is always listening in on my phone calls and reading my emails over my shoulder and telling me how to do my job and....and.....and......and....."
7. “My hairdresser’s 2nd cousin’s UPS delivery man's dog had puppies and I don’t think one of them is going to make it….”
8. “60 second cleanse”: If the ladies are extra chatty and you think they’ll have a hard time settling into the lesson, give each person 60 seconds (use a stopwatch) to ramble or vent about whatever is on their mind.
9. PYOP: Pray your own prayer request. Instead of going around the circle and giving prayer requests, then praying, just go around the circle and pray for yourself.
10. Pray until you pray.


OK. Tally your score. You should have 5 HOTs and 5 NOTs.

Here's the answer key:
1. NOT: the last thing we want is somebody’s husband approaching a woman at church to ask how her mammogram was.
2. HOT: specific is good
3. NOT: Come on! We're all big girls! We have kleenex. We can handle what's really going on. And, like Jon @ SCL says, if you say "unspoken" we're going to assume the worst....laundering money in the basement coupled with a drug problem!
4. NOT: Get out the gossip goo for this one.
5. HOT: yes, specific is good once again.
6. NOT: This is venting, not a prayer request.
7. NOT: We call this one the "far fetched" prayer request. Deflecting attention off yourself.
8. HOT: Helps us all get the chattiness out of the way.
9. HOT: This made people uncomfortable at first, but it really provided some true encounters with Jesus and also made for a more succinct prayer time.
10. HOT: Don’t be afraid of the “awkward silence.” Keep praying until you feel the Lord’s presence! This has been really helpful in our group’s corporate and individual prayer times.

Facebook Flair

One of my latest "hobbies" has been facebook. Just joined (was I the last Gen-X'er on earth who hadn't joined?) this fall and it's been fun to catch up with old friends and keep up with current ones.

So, on facebook, people send "flair"....it's basically a button they've picked out or designed that suits my personality or a cause I believe in. Here are a few of my most recent favorites...

The one at the top is especially fitting to post here. My friends are all leary of going anywhere with me since I always have a camera ready and my mind is always looking for blog-worthy moments.

OK, onto some others:

I do like to sing. Any genre. Just for fun. Karaoke is especially fun.

Last week in my "I've been tagged!" post, I mentioned what a sun-hog I used to be (still am?) in item #6. I believe my UV ray-free friend Amy made this one for me.

Owensboro, KY is THE BBQ CAPITAL of the world! (No, not Memphis! Not St. Louis!) If you've ever been to my hometown, then I'm sure you've been to Moonlite.

Long before Troy & Gabriella, there was Zack & Kelly. SAVED BY THE BELL. This was a major part of my tween years. And teen years. Oh, who am I kidding? I loved it in college and still watch the reruns on TBS in the mornings!

I've Been Tagged!

OK, Hollye has tagged me. I've never been tagged before, so this is all very exciting. Here goes:

1. I never flew on an airplane until I was 19 years old. My initiation flight? To Moscow, Russia. I'm an "all or nothing" kind of girl.

2. I mentioned in yesterday's Ellie Mae post that I didn't eat a green salad until I was 24 years old. I now love it & wish I'd tried it sooner! All those wasted years... Other foods I didn't try until late in life? Grapes and strawberries. Cantaloupe. Zucchini. The list could go on & on. My "diet" in high school consisted of Dr. Pepper and Star Crunches, Grands rolls, meat and potatoes. Oh, and sweet tea.

3. I love giving birth and the 2 days you get to spend at the hospital afterwards. Seriously. It is very very fun and exciting to me! There's nothing like that feeling when you get the epidural (I asked the anesthesiologist for baby #3 if I could name the child after him, I loved him so.) There's nothing like relaxing after said epidural and realizing that you get to meet your newest family member in a short while. AND, there's absolutely NOTHING like when they lay that messy, screaming baby on your chest for the first time. I have chills just reminiscing about it. I cried all 3 times when they made me leave the hospital. When we had Will, it felt like we'd been at an all-inclusive, expenses paid resort for 48 hours! (compared to being at home with 2 big kids and a newborn, that is.)

4. I play the piano by ear and took lessons for about 14 years.

5. I love to burst into song at any moment, for any reason. I have a very extensive catalog of music in my head that I tap into. In high school, we'd play "Stump Ellen". People would try to name a song that they didn't think I knew and try to make me come up short. I have always wanted to be a piano bar singer. :o)

6. Just started wearing sunscreen in the last few years. Bad, I know. In high school, I was a tanning-bed-goer, a lifeguard, a baby oil & foil tanning fool!

7. Had our family picture taken with Magic Johnson when I was in 5th grade. My mom won a freethrow shooting contest (with a GRANNY SHOT!) to win the grand prize at a basketball camp my brother was attending. I'll have to find that picture and post it--it's awesome.

I am tagging: Allie, Todd, Raegan, Kate, Lindsey, Misty, and Kaleb.

Ellie Mae Clampett goes to town

Just in from a truly delightful dinner out with 2 old girlfriends. Emily, Courtney, and I comprise 75% of the "Fab Four." Leigh is the missing 25% and she is still in KY...so we were very sad to be Leigh-less, but we carried on best we could.

Anyways, the self-proclaimed "Fabulous Four" originated in high school, though we have been friends since the 6th grade. Oh, the inside jokes that we possess....they're endless, they are. One of us could start a laughing riot by merely saying the word, "Cheetah!" or "Moreland Park scariness!" or "treehouse crashing down!" or "1 McDonalds birthday cake and 4 forks!" or by naming some poor lad's initials. (BTW, "Cheetah" was a game I made up when we turned 16. Driver gets car up to 55 mph on the Owensboro By-pass, passenger sticks head out window and feels the full effect of a cheetah running at full speed. No, our parents didn't hear about this for years after or else we'd still be grounded.)

So, we dined at a rather "fancy" restaurant tonight. I'll preface this by saying that a big night out for Michael & myself is at Carrabba's or Amerigo's (remember that detail for a little later in the post). Those are mighty fine dining establishments and we like the food there. Let me also preface this dining experience by saying I ate my first true green salad at age 24. The Fab 4 has always been fully aware of my food likes/dislikes/fears/anxieties/pleasures, so I know they were prepared to be entertained by my perusal of the menu at City House Restaurant.

But, I get ahead of myself. First, let me say that a sighting of the Fab 4 is about as rare as spotting the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot. We just don't get together as often as we ought to. So, when I walked into City House, the girls spotted my latest hairdo and wasted no time in saying I had the same haircut as Suri Cruise.

(Note to self: make hair appt with Hannah tomorrow).

Next, our waiter approached the table with a menu in which I could pronounce no more than 4 items/ingredients on the entire page. He began to explain the specials.

Ever heard of "Sweetbread?" That was the first appetizer he mentions. Well, I do like sweets and I do like bread, so I thought this was some sort of "Cinnabon" concoction.

Um, NO IT'S NOT. Sweetbread is basically a pig's pancreas. Encrusted with something. Sauteed in something else.

Another good one: Montasio Cheese Frico. Now, that's basically fried cheese sticks. Yum.

I could go on & on. He would tell us the fancy name of something and I would respond with a strange look and ask for "layman's terms." We fessed up about half-way through the menu description, in which I was getting the impression that he was going above & beyond his call of duty (i.e. he's used to more sophisticated diners), that we felt a little country bumpkinish/Ellie Mae Clampett about it all. Jokingly, I said, "Do you have some pasta with red sauce?" to which he replied, "Have you ever been to Amerigos?"

OK then.

I recovered from all that and ate my "Pizza Margherita" (aka cheese pizza) and Grits. Yes, I had pizza & grits (Courtney did too!) for dinner. Emily is by far the Fab 4 member with the most sophisticated palate, so she quite enjoyed her quail and okra.

The night continued on with lots of laughter and old stories...

It ended with some dessert. (Duh!)

I got to use my fancy "E-Z Tip Calculator" as well. (That's a whole blog post in & of itself.)

And of course, what meeting of old friends is ever complete without the ever-present promise of "We have to get together again SOON! Oh yes, once a quarter. Absolutely. On my life, starting right now. We are going to get dinner every single quarter of every single year from here on out...." Or something like that.

And you know what? I really hope we do. It's not lip service with this group.

They make me proud to be from Owensboro, KY. They made that school bus just a little safer for me in the 6th grade. High school cheerleading was a little less "mean girls." They danced at my wedding reception. Chicago for our 30th birthdays was unforgettable. Emily & I ran the Country Music 1/2 marathon together and Courtney was there to cheer us on. They were there when John was born, when Maddy was born (Courtney was driving me around town when I was in labor!!!), when Will was born. There are many more chapters to be written, you know!

In light of all that, dinner every quarter seems a little sparse!

Wow. That got kind of sentimental didn't it?!?

Why does this excite me so?

It is a sad state of affairs when the gas price "DROPS" to $3.69 and you're pumped up about filling up at the pump.

Remember when it hit $3.00/gallon after Hurricane Katrina 2 years ago? The first time I had to fill up the van and the dial went over $50, I had heart palpitations. Now, a $50 tank of gas is so passe, so like, you know, last year.

(P.S. just so you know, I did finally get my pedicure. The gas shortage ended and I found a spare hour to treat my toes to a little well-deserved pampering.)

A tribute fit for a princess

As a true fan of all things Princess Diana, I always knew something was missing.

Really, they have the commemorative stamps.

They have the commemorative calendar.

They have the commemorative doggy t-shirt.

And, of course, they have the commemorative boxers.

Heck, even Elton John TRIED to commemorate (I'm trying to see how many times I can use the word 'commemorate') her by re-writing one of his most famous songs, Candle in the Wind, in her honor.

However, I always just had this feeling that something was missing.

AND...

I found it.

Where, you might ask, did I stumble upon the perfect tribute and commemoration?

At my local Dollar Store's Going out of Business Sale.

They had a hefty supply of the commemorative Princess Diana gift bags that I always knew would finally put some closure on our loss. I cannot tell you how many times I went to the closet to wrap a gift for a loved one, thinking..."this gift is nice and all, but the gift wrap doesn't properly show the respect that the People's Princess deserves."

Well, no more. The final chapter of Diana's legacy includes gift wrap.

And I couldn't be more pleased.

Most Observant Wife

ME:
"Hey! You shaved your fu man chu thingy off your chin!"

MICHAEL:
"Hey! I sure did! About 3 weeks ago!"

Dress Code

Last Sunday, we had to go to "early church", which, I might say is very early. So, in order to be ready to leave our house by 7:40, I got up before any of the kids were awake and got dressed and ready for church.

Apparently, pigs were flying or hell froze over or some other extreme "this'll never happen" happened, since Maddy had NEVER seen me dressed before she was out of bed. I'm normally in my PJ's well after the house is up & going and I am always the last one in the shower.

She insisted several times that morning that I needed to "go get ready for church....almost time to leave mom....go get dressed....get your nice clothes on...come on, time to do it..." She was convinced I was still in my PJ's. ALL THE WAY TO CHURCH, she continued to heckle me. "I can't believe you're still wearing your jams, mom! What'll people think?"

Lest you think I was going super casual that morning, I had on black dress pants, black heels, a nice sweater/tank, and PEARLS. Since when would I be wearing heels and pearls with my PJ's?

She finally backed off...when we were pulling into the church driveway. I don't think she was ever convinced that I had real clothes on, but by that point, I think she had given up trying to convince me since we were already at church.

Various Asundry for September 3, 2008

Song stuck in my head: Magical Mister Mistophiles (CATS)

Most surprising: Seeing the Goodyear blimp AGAIN today flying over Walmart by my house. It's following me.

Most Giggle-worthy: The ease of "making dinner" tonight: pulling a meal out of my freezer from my entree exchange group. I think this means I'm getting old.

Most dreading: Knowing I have to drive to a meeting 35 minutes away during rush hour both tonight and tomorrow night.

Listening to: Maddy sing Alphabet song over and over and over...and then asking me in between "verses" when I can paint her toenails.

Addicted to: Facebook and Goodreads and Diet Coke

Thankful for: My mother-in-law for watching Will while I took Maddy out to lunch and shopping.

Impatient for: hardwood floors and new furniture downstairs

Bored by: this blog entry