I Could Write a Book

    Yes, here I sit at 11:05pm and I just finished checking my "checklist". What for ? For dance recital tickets. Yes, you read that correctly. I have a list of things that I was reminded twice to "not forget".

My list:

2 Flashlights (in case one of them quits working)

1 blanket

1 folding chair

1 reading light (it’s going to be pitch dark and there are no street lights around)

1 book

1 ipod - fully charged

1 cell phone (for 911 when the whacko tries to take me)

3 drinks (coffee, water, oj)

3 breakfast / snack options (donut holes, 2 cookies, 1 banana).

    I think that is it. Am I forgetting anything ? It’s going to be cool and damp at 4:30am, well, closer to 5 by the time I get there. I’m wearing bluejeans, tshirt and hoodie jacket. Not putting in contacts or makeup. I think I’ve truly lost my mind. Why am I doing this ?

    I’m doing this for my daughter. So that hopefully I can be in front this year and she can actually know that her mother/family was at the recital to see her. I’m doing this because the dance academy has a really whacked way of selling tickets. I had a friend get there at 5am last year and she said the line was already wrapped around the building. The tickets go on sale at 8am and it is "first come, first serve." So, if you want decent seats - you set your alarm to get up before the roosters and you go.

    Have I ever mentioned that Saturday is my one day to semi-sleep in ? Have I ever mentioned that I am not, without a doubt, a morning person ? Have I ever mentioned that I absolutely love my daughter ? I guess that sums it up. I wonder how many years I will set my alarm at 4:30am to go buy tickets for one of my childrens’ performances/atheletic games ? My answer is: For as long as I have children to show up for.

    I think I’m officially a mom now.  

Today is the the day. Funny how when you don’t really want a day to get here it’s here in the blink of a an eye. If this was the day I was collecting money from some long, lost Uncle I’d still be waiting on this day. Anways, it’s here. Not much I can do now but go do what I was told.

Sleeping before surgery is a joke. I was remembering all sorts of things that I forgot to do last night and in a mad dash before going to bed I was attempting to get them done. I did my darnest not to write out letters to my children telling them how much mommy loved them in case something bad happened today. I didn’t do it - in case you’re wondering, but you can see where my mind has been.

The last time I woke up during the night I was having an amazing dream about me going to London by myself and it was a spur of the moment adventure. Who knows ? Maybe after my knee is fixed today I’ll go on to lead an adverntourous life. That’d be nice.

Remember me in your thoughts and prayers. I’m pretty sure I’ll be okay. The thing I’m worried the most about is : "how am I supposed to sleep after this surgery?" I typically flip from side-to-side and that is so not going to happen after this surgery. For the first time in my life I wished I owned a recliner. Lol.

Have a great Friday and weekend. Always tell the one(s) you love ~I love you~.

Today is the "Saban Bowl" here in Lousiana. Yes, that’s what everyone is calling it here. I can say that before today I really wasn’t excited at all to attend this game. However, I am now. Even if LSU gets creamed by a very good team this year it will still be fun to be there.

I can’t wait to be on campus and to feel the excitment in the air. The tailgaters are going to have a blast today. I love it that the air is a little crisp today. Hopefully, I won’t sweat to death in the stands.

Well, I’m off to an enjoyable game. One of these years, and I hope it’s sooner than later, I want to attend this game with my dear Bama friend. That would be a blast.

Peace out and Geauxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Tigers ! (Roll Tide, too) 

I’m still in Memphis because there is no power where I live. From what I hear there is no food in the grocery stores, either. They are hoping to have power restored by Saturday. I can not wait.

I am bored completely out of my mind in this hotel room. Memphis has been receiving the wonderful Gustav weather. Storms, soggy , blowing wind and tornado watches. It’s a lot of fun being stuck in a hotel room with 3 restless children.

Gustav treated us much better than Katrina did. I am very happy for that. We lost one car and part of my deck on my house. I have no idea if it wiped out my grill or not. I know this is one of the reasons why I’m dying to go home. I also want to check on my little dog. I am so worried about him. My neighbors said they would watch him and that they weren’t going to evacuate and then they did. They left when our city started evacuating my subdivision because the river was rising so fast. sighs. Lesson learned - park cars somewhere else when leaving and bring dog.

I’m in a bit of a funk. I think I’ve seen everything "touristy" there is to see in Memphis and I’ve eaten enough BBQ to feed an army. No telling how much weight I’ve gained. LOL. Of all the things to worry about. See, I’m still pretty normal.

I’m praying for power to come back quickly. Can you imagine what it’s going to be like to clean out my rotting freezer ??? Ewwwwwwww. Nasty. Gas mask material.

I’m so tempted to leave and go home before power but have to remind myself of the 120 degree weather inside my house with the one million mosquitos. I think I’ll stay in my boring little hotel room watching more TV in this week than I have in the past year. Yeehaw.

I am proud that LSU got its head out of its butt and postponed the game this coming weekend. Woohoo. I might be able to catch that one and it should be cooler in November ! See, there are silver linings in the clouds.

Peace out everyone !! I’m glad you all made it through the storm. I’m glad my children made it through this one without any psychological damage.  Don’t forget to say ~I love you~. 

    Hello Elvis,

    Here I come to visit you. I’d rather be staying home but considering Gustav is out there you’re the next best thing. 

    Dear God,

   If you can hear me please don’t let a tree or trees crush my house this time.

   Thanks,

   me - the girl with a pit in her stomach
 

Today is the 3rd anniversary of Katrina and probably the least talked about anniversary so far. Why ? Because of Hurricane Gustav. It seems that one hour the weathermen have it predicted to hit very near New Orleans and the next hour it’s headed more West. What is one supposed to do ?

Well, in my case, it’s a no brainer. You pack up 5 days worth of clothes and you get the hell out of dodge. Why ? Well, after riding Katrina out and having a wonderful tree split my house in half with all of us inside of it - I think I’ll pass on this one. My eldest son is still very traumatized from that experience and being a responsible parent means doing what is best for him. When he got off the bus today he asked, "where are we going?" I told him, "Memphis." All was fine after that. He was perfectly calm. Whew.

Guess what else Gustav means besides no school, no work and hotel reservations in another state ? It means that I’m going to miss the opening LSU game. sighs. I do love my Tigers but heck, they moved the kickoff time to 10am and I’m much too lazy and amotivated to drive to Baton Rouge that early in the morning. Besides, tomorrow will be busy boarding up the house and all the other fun things that comes with a hurricane. In all seriousness, I think it is a true shame that they didn’t reschedule the game. Shame on whoever made that call. Yes, I know Gustav may end up going somewhere else but after Katrina you really can’t take the gamble and wait it out.

Mentally, this is draining. I honestly can’t believe that on the 3rd anniversary of Katrina that I’m packing up to leave because of another hurricane. Please stay safe everyone. Don’t forget to tell the one(s) you love ~I love you~. Oh, and Geaux Tigers !!!!

Peace out,

Babycakes  

    I’m home safe and sound from DC and again I had one of the most wonderful girl trips. I love going with my girl friends. I love meeting up with girl friends who live there. I love meeting friends of friends. Great, awesome trip all around.

    Let me just tell you skeptics about Xanax that they really do work. I should add that they truly work for anxiety when flying when they are taken properly. I learned with my first flight that I needed to take it a good hour before boarding the plane. The flight out to DC was tough until basically I passed out midflight. Lol. The return flight back to New Orleans was a complete breeze. By the time we were actually in the air was about 1 1/2 hours from the time I took the little blue, happy pill. The very gregarious "happy" man sitting next to me really helped passed the time, too.  He honestly never shut up but I had to pay enough attention to him to answer his questions in the right places. I will never fly without my new little buddy "Xanax" again.

    My "dawgs" are killing me. Tiff walked me into the ground yesterday OR was it me who walked her into the ground yesterday? LOL. Either way I have blisters on my feet and a head full of wonderful memories.  OH, the American Idol concert was the bomb. Had a blast. I plan on uploading photos and giving everything its proper space here.

    Peace out from the future 2nd …… to Michael Johns. hehe I’ll explain in another post. Don’t forget to spread the love around ~ I love you ~ 

I feel completely all grown-up. My baby’s in Kindergarten. There are no more babies. I’m not really sure why but for me this is a huge milestone. Maybe because I have all of my children officially in "school" now. I don’t have any in preschool anymore. Wow. I’ve waited a while for this day. It’s bittersweet like most things in life. I’m glad my baby is growing up, but I’m sad to see the "baby" days behind us. She’s a big girl now. So without a further ado here’s my baby ~~~~> 

I hope you all have a great weekend. I’m off to DC to see the American Idol concert and to go sight- seeing with my Bama Buddy !! We’re going to have a great time. Don’t forget to say  ~ I love you~ to the one(s) you love.  

Today is the boys’ first day of 1st grade and 4th grade. It is the first time in our school history that I have more than one child starting school on the same day. Woohoo! Go me ! Or rather - go school system.

This is a big transitional year for both boys. G moved up to the 1st - 3rd grade building and T moved to the 4th and 5th grade building. Big, big years for both. Poor G asked if all they did in 1st grade was work all day. lol. When we were at open house last night he noticed the lack of toys in his classroom. Poor baby. It’s going to be a big adjustment for him. And oh goodness, T has a huge wakeup call this year. He is so worried about not remembering which class to change to and when. He’s worried that he won’t take the correct books, etc. To top off his worries today, we got to school this morning and he remembered he forgot his book report laying on his shelf. Yes, I should have made sure it was in the backpack last night. It totally slipped my mind. What did mommy do ? I went right back home and picked it up. Yes, there are times when a mom needs to bail her child out. 

It feels weird to me to have a 4th grader. I feel old. Is that really possible ?

Guess where I’m going to be sleeping tonight ? Not in my bed. You guessed it. I’ve got a leadership conference this weekend. Yes, Junior League again.  When am I leaving ? After my children get home from their first day of school. I refused to go earlier. There is no way I could send my boys off today and wait until Sunday to hear how their first day went. You’d think with the amount of leadership training I’m receiving that I might actually be able to lead one day, huh ? I can’t even train a dog. LOL. It’s not working. But hey, I do get a peaceful 5 hour drive all by myself. That’s good enough.

Enjoy your weekend. Don’t forget to say the magic words ~ i wub u~ 

    It’s time for me to make some "presidential decisions." Am I speaking of deciding between Bush and Obama ? No, I am not. I am referring to the position of President of my Jr League. To some that may not be a big decision. For me, it is the difference of going to graduate school full-time at the age of 42 or 44. When it was put into perspective of "only 2 years difference" yesterday, I thought "maybe I can be the president." Now, just because I decide to accept the nomination of the president position doesn’t mean I’ve won it. Hmm, let me go back to this weekend.

    This weekend was the "board / bored retreat." It’s a wonderful mandatory obligation of serving on the board. It’s actually an interesting time to learn neat, little tidbits about your fellow members. IE: one of our board members collects cacti. We also get a lot of leadership training, effective communication, and some problem solving guidelines. A true shame that they can’t teach me proper grammar while there.

    Unknown to me, the creative team member had been assessed of the fact that I’m a potential canditate for the position and that I am undecided because of the possiblity of graduate school. She was very effective in her line of questioning to me and helped me to look at the "bigger picture." One of the questions I was asked, "why do you want this Master’s degree ?" Well," I said, "it’s a personal goal of mine." She asked if I had an age deadline to obtain that goal. She asked what did I plan on doing with that degree, etc.  I think the fact that I said I wouldn’t work unless it was necessary made me realize that if that is indeed the case it would be okay to wait for 2 more years before tackling that mountain.

    Why don’t I put off the presidency nomination ? If I burn this bridge now, so-to-speak, I probably will not get another chance. Even though I know taking on the possible position will be a lot of work, I know it would be very rewarding for me. Nice, little ego stroke. The main reason - I know I’d be a great leader.

   So, I’m off to the prayers. I’m off to look for guidance. I’ve got a month to let the league know if I will accept the nomination, but I’ve only got 3 weeks before I really need to drop my class(es). I know that school will always be there for me. Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. I wished someone could show me a crystal ball that laid out my life map for me to view. How on earth does one know if they are making the correct decisions ? 

    Good luck in your "presidential decisions", as well. I hope you use your knowledge and your prayers in determining your correct decision, too. We all need to remember that every little decision we make in our lives have huge impacts on the rest of our lives.

Peace out. Sweet dreams. Oh, I can’t wait to sleep in my bed. 6 hours of sleep in 72 hours does not hack it. ~~ I love you ~~ (don’t forget to say it) 

Home for four days and I’m off again. It’s that time of the year again. The wonderful "Board (bored) Retreat." Oh, what fun. Yes, I’ll have an attidude adjustment before I arrive it’s just been so nice to sleep in my own bed and now I’m off to the floor.

These last few days at home have been wonderful. Busy, but wonderful. I’m going to miss my home this weekend. sighs. I’m also going to miss my niece’s 1 year old birthday party. I’m going to be the only family member who isn’t there. That sucks. I hate that I’m going to miss it. In case I didn’t mention it, this retreat is absolutely mandatory and I can’t miss. More than likely this is going to be my last active year in Jr League. I just can’t handle this kind of stuff anymore.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Oh, go see "Mamma Mia" this weekend if you haven’t already. It is such a happy movie. I loved the movie better than the actual Broadway play. Make sure you stay for the entire end of the movie. You’ll be peeing in your pants from laughing so hard.

Peace out , Babycakes. Don’t forget to tell the one(s) you love ~ I love you ~. 

Hello All,

I thought I’d give a current weather report and Michigan update. Presently, it is 72 degrees and it feels like 72 degrees. Actually, it might feel a little cooler considering we’ve go this awesome breeze going on right now. It’s sunny with fluffy, white clouds overhead. If you listen closely you can hear the sound of my children’s laughter playing down on the beach. I do not think there could be a more perfect day.

I have truly enjoyed my time here. Enough time passed that I got over most of my fears. I have survived mice, spiders, and ants. Still haven’t figured out how to shave my legs in the miniature shower though. I’m just doing the “Bohemian” thing right now. I figure I’ll shave on the way home back to humid Louisiana (where it’s 90 and feels like 100).

I just had one of the nicest visits of this trip. Coming to the “strip” is a time for reconnecting. I come here and reconnect with dh’s family. Most of whom he doesn’t have a clue who they are. There’s a neat little group of dh’s cousins who are my age. One of the cousins and I developed a nice friendship when Tob was only 1 year old. He was up here with his 2 small children and it seemed we ended up doing lots together on the beach. I’ll never forget the canoe ride he took us all on. It was nice getting caught up on children, home moves, job promotions, etc. Just a super nice visit.

I’ve got the radio playing right now, listening to the waves, and the kids on the beach. This has to be one of the nicest moments of my stay so far. I’ll be back in wonderful Louisiana in 8 days. There are definitely things that I miss (SUSHI) that I can’t wait to get back to and there are definitely moments like this one that I will miss from here.

Have a wonderful weekend and next week everyone. I’m sure I’m going to be doing lots of touristy things this coming week.

Peace out,
Babycakes and yeah - I love you !

Tomorrow I’m off to Alabama. Going to go see my wonderful "Bama" friend.  I’m hoping to have a very "chill" weekend. I hope I come back a little more whole. I’m a tad nervous about the trip, but I think it will do me a ton of good. I really need to get away from here. I really need to be there. I plan on coming back with a little bit of Bama in me. 

Tonight was the continuation of T’s baseball tournament. They lost by one run and boy were there some crying little boys. Yes, 9 & 10 year old boys still cry when they lose a game. Personally, I think losing the games teaches a much better life lesson than if they had won the game. They came in 3rd place , which I think is awesome, and they will have their picture in the paper. Woohoo. Good job A’s.

I’ve got more bug bites and zits on me than a teenager whose been making out in the woods for a month. Good grief. Oh, the joys of being in the woods with the Cub Scouts this week. Even though I now look like "big foot" (and I have the actual feet to match) I think they will still let me in the state of Alabama. Roll Tide !  If my LSU friends could hear me say that right now they would probably tar me. LOL.
 

I’ll be back home on Sunday evening, maybe. If for some reason you never hear back from me again - you know I’ve stayed. Lol.   I’m truly looking forward to my time in Bama. I hope you all have a great weekend ! Happy Father’s Day to all the father’s out there. Remember - everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives. Make all your days count.

Peace out. Tell the one(s) you love that you love them.

    Today is my wedding anniversary. Legally married 10 years now. Together for 16+.  I’m just going to copy something I posted to some friends. This day mentally drains me in a way. So many conflicting emotions.

    Honestly, I’m very surprised we have survived this year. He did write me a very nice card today (and got me a gorgeous watch). I’m hoping once I go to Michigan and have some time to be away from him that I’m able to heal some things in my heart and hopefully, next year, we will be doing much better. I know I need to forgive him for lots of things and let him "back in". If that makes sense. And for the record - I haven’t been perfect, either.

    We went out as a family tonight. Sushi and the movie - Kung Fu Panda. We had a really nice time. I told the kids all about our wedding and what we did on that day, etc.

   Just thought I would say that the first week of June has been much nicer than the entire month of May. It’s been a little quiet, a little fun, a little busy. I know this isn’t "New Years" but I do hope this next year is a good one in my life.

   Here’s my tidbit of the day: Everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives. Don’t forget to tell the ones you love ~I love you~ even when you argue.
 

A: Age - today is my last day to be 40 ! Must say that I’m very happy to be 40 today. lol. Tomorrow is (ack, gasp) 41. A = not the grade I’m going to make in neuroanatomy. (I’ll live - I think).

B: Birthdays, basketball, and basket case. Three birthdays are coming right up in my nuclear family - mine, J’s, and T’s. whew. Basketball - T is playing for his school team and loving it. Basket case - what I am. Way too Busy. B = the grade I better end up with in neuroanatomy.

C:  Church and Crazy.  For lent this year, I said I was not going to miss a single Sunday of Church. So far, so good. (sad, huh?) Crazy = that just pretty much sums up me and my life. I keep repeating "this too shall pass." 

D: Dumb and Disney. Good grief, I’ve never felt so dumb in all my life. Being out of school and jumping back in has shown me that I lost quiet a few brain cells with marriage, kids, and their craziness. Disney World rocked this last trip. The kids are at such great ages to really enjoy it. We had a very nice time with only minimal stress.

E:  Energy or lack thereof, and Excited.Energy =  I have none. Even though I’m not making an A in my class, I’m really Excited about being back at school. I do love the energy on campus and I love learning. I do not necessarily love studying, but I love learning.

F: Family and Fat. My nuclear family seems to be doing okay right now. We have our good days and our bad days. I think we are too busy to notice all the little things that would generally get on our nerves. A quote from my eldest son the other day "mom, I used to think you were fat, but I don’t anymore."  Uh, gee thanks, son. lol.

G:  G can only stand for G my middle son. I know I brag on him a lot, but he is the most sensitive little thing and so loving. A suck-up, some people call him. My little "golden boy" - for his hair. He really makes me smile. He is still little enough that he wants you to hold him and love on him and give him kisses. My 3rd grader is now embarassed by the display of motherly love.

H: Home - my childhood home. The house I grew up in just got sold. I went and spent a while there last weekend so I could take pictures, talk about memories, show my children the tree my father planted for me, etc. It is very bittersweet telling it goodbye. I’m happy for my sis to be moving to bigger and better, but I’m very sad to know that I’ll never go back "home".

I: Interesting. Is this "February fill-in" interesting to you ? Probably not, but it’s a way for me to recap a month that just flew by in my life. Whew. Time truly flies.

J: Jealousy, Jr League, and Jenny Craig. Eeek, every now and then we’ve got some jealousy issues going on with the siblings. I think the eldest gets a little jealous when he sees his sister getting attention. He accidentally uttered the words one day - "that’s not your mom" to J. He got a lot of tough love that day. I bet he thinks twice before saying something like that again, though. Parenting is hard. OMG, Jr League takes up so much of my time. I’m sure I’ve pissed some people off, but I’ve started saying "no". Sorry, I have a life. I can’t come to 4 meetings in one week no matter how much of a hissy fit you throw. Jenny Craig - I’m determined to lose "Montana" - my ass for those of you who do not know what I call my big ole bum. I’m doing okay on the program. I could do better.

K: K is all about me. me. me. me. Tomorrow is my birthday. I’ve asked for a "grill" and for lobsters for my dinner. Dh asked me "do you really want a grill for your birthday ?" Well, unless you really want to go buy me the watch of my dreams - a grill will do. Opps, some of the princess just came out. grins.

L: Love and Laughter. I love my life. I love my children. I love my friends - even the ones who really get on my nerves. I love my family - even the ones who really get on my nerves.  I love to laugh. I really do. I can’t wait for "Dan in Real Life" to come out so I can buy it and laugh and laugh and laugh. Laughter is the best medicine.

M:  Michigan. Michigan - here I come. I can’t believe that I’m actually looking forward to going to Michigan this year. I’ll either be up there for 4 or 5 weeks. I can’t wait till there isn’t "jack shit" to do except start a fire and roast marshmellows on the beach. I think it is going to be wonderful to get the kids away from the crazy schedule we have here. My sis and her children are coming up for 2 weeks and I can’t wait to make more memories with them. We had the absolute best time together the last time. It’s going to be grand.

N: Nerves, neurons, neuroanatomy. I’m so sick of learning about nevers, neurons, blah blah blah - I will celebrate when I finish this class. smiles. I still love it, though. Yeah, yeah. That’s a bit of a contradiction. Hey, I’d be boring, otherwise.

O: Ohhhhhhhhhhh, Lord. My mind just went completely in the gutter when I typed out "O". Lol. I think that has to do with my friends on my board. Let’s just say, I’ve invested in "fish oil" - for my skin. Yeah, right. LOL.

P: Princess J. Princess J or Princess Mini-me is my daughter. It is amazing how one minute she can completely get on my nerves for doing whatever she shouldn’t be doing and the next minute she will be singing like there is no tomorrow. She loves to sing. She loves her mommy. She is so dang stubborn. She is going to be 5 next week. I can’t believe it. We’re going to have her first "big girl" birthday party for her. Inviting the whole class. Did I lose my mind ?

Q: Queen of the Jungle. That’s what it says on the Disney hat that dh got me for Valentine’s Day. I think that’s pretty appropiate considering I call our house "the jungle". It’s wild and loud in here. The kids are everywhere. But you know what ? I really own a home. Not a museum like some houses I know. My home is definitely lived in and definitely looks and sounds like a jungle.

R: Rest - or lack thereof. I never get enough rest. I was excited the other morning when I realized that I slept for 6 1/2 hours. There isn’t enough time in the day (or night) to do everything. There are times when I’m up at 3:30am studying for a test because I’m too anxious to sleep. I just figure if I’m awake I might as well be doing something productive.

S: School. Whose bright idea was it for me to go back to school ? Also, what about these school projects that the kids have to do ? As dh said last night "it’s a myth that these projects (school projects) are for kids". All 3 of us were working on a project of T’s that was due today. We’ve been working on it for 3 weeks. I just pray that T was smart enough today to not say, "well, my mom did this and my dad did this and I did this." Eeek. Oh, well. I know more about Eli Whitney than I ever have in my life before. Eli Whitney and neuro - what more could a girl ask for ?

T: Tennis. Yippee yeah. Joy oh joy. My sons have caught the tennis bug and they are loving it. My youngest one seems to be a natural. He’s got this really lean body and he does really well already considering he’s never played before. I’m still in love with tennis. I want to move up in lines. I’m sure I could beat the next line. Maybe not, though. I was sure I’d get an A in neuro and I’m having a very humbling experience with that class.

U: U. How are u doing ? Let me hear from you. Yes, I’m crazy busy as a lunatic woman. I still want to hear from you. I might not email or call you back, but I’ll definitely read the email and listen to the voicemail. Just know that I’m thinking of all of you and I do pray for you all. I’m very thankful for everyone in my life. I know I say that often. I truly mean it.

V: Violin. Have you been listening to the world’s tinest violin playing in the background everytime I whine, complain and moan about how busy I am ? If you listen closely - you can hear it. Sorry about that and thanks for listening to me whine. It keeps me from snapping a lot of the time.

W: Weekends and Working Out. Weekends ? What weekends? I used to look forward to weekends. Now, they are just a blur. If you can believe it, they are busier than my weeks and that’s saying a lot. Working out ? What’s that ? If it includes picking up a tennis raquet, then hey, I’m good. Otherwise, who has the time ? Not me. I really need to do better.  

X: Xray.  The Xray of my knee revealed absolutely nothing back in December. Am I still having the pain ? Yep, you bet. What am I going to do about it ? Oh, I figure I’ll just keep playing tennis on it and one day, I’ll get a whole brand new knee in the "knee replacement" pack. Yippe. I’m trying to lose some weight to see if that helps. I’m sure something is torn in there. Oh, well.

Y: Yellow Bus. I’m going on my son’s field trip to Baton Rouge and we get to ride on the "yellow bus". Got any spare valium you don’t need ? It’s going to be a blast. I’m not sure I’m going to have on makeup at 7am. Geepers. The instructions say "make sure you wear a baseball hat." I read that and thought , "thank goodness I don’t have to try and fix this mop that day." Oh, oh, oh, I will wear my "Queen of the Jungle" hat. I’m sure it will be perfect for that day.

Z: ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Have I put you completely to sleep ? See, you don’t need any sleep meds. Just come here and read. Sleep is something I’m definitely lacking in. I think that’s pretty evident in this post. Grins. I promise to do much better with my blogging efforts. I just wanted to let everyone know that I’m still alive and kicking, just crazy busy. Talk to you soon. Now, go get some ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. That’s an order! 

ps: If I missed a letter of the alphabet- just blame it on my public school education and lack of sleep.  

You might be a "redneck" if you still have all of your Christmas decorations up on January 19th. Lol. That was how my sister greeted me today as she walked into my house unannounced. Got to love your sister.

Needless to say, after she left I got everything taken down except the tree. I’ve still got to get everything back up into the attic. I pray that I can get some help with that tomorrow, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

I’ll do a "ketchup" soon. Life’s been crazy, good, sad, down, happy, up, all in the same month.

I hope the New Year is going just the way you want it to.

Peace out,

Babycakes 

My goodness! I honestly can’t believe that it’s December and that it is the 8th of December already. December is the month of "craziness" for me every year. The weeks are filled with "stuff" that has to be done - all the normal stuff - and then the weekends just become a complete mayhem of craziness.  I’m just getting home for the day and it is almost 9pm. That’s a long Saturday.

This was a Christmas tree triming party last weekend.

People ask me all the time how come I’m so busy ? How come I don’t turn down stuff ? Well, I do turn down stuff. I turn down easily half of everything that we are invited to. With three children going three different directions my days are just filled. I honestly don’t think I could fit another child in. Yes, every blue moon, I still think of one more. I’d love to have another. Just not so sure I’d love to do all the work required having one more.

Speaking of work, I was pretty much handed a job tonight. One that I would LOVE. I was at our third Christmas party for the day and mentioned that I’m hoping to start work on my Master’s degree pretty soon. (next semester, hopefully). I was asked in what subject and I told them what my passion was and the person asked "are you interested in working even part-tme?" Wow. Talk about being put on the spot. I do not have a licsense right now so that would be the first thing that had to be figured out and then I’d have to figure out if I had enough time to do it. "It" being work.  Lol.

Inbetween parties and basketball games today, I was a tiny bit productive. I got my Christmas cards ordered. Whew ! I bought a couple of Christmas gifts. Whew ! And I got to visit and spend some nice bits and pieces of time with friends I haven’t seen in a while. Maybe I’ll fit mowing my legs in sometime tomorrow. It’s getting close to time to call out the "bush hoggers".

Happy December, y’all. Remember the real reason of the season every once in a while.  

    I’m headed to the Texas Renaissance Festival this weekend.  When I was 21 years old I worked there for one season. I had a blast. I’ve been back to the festival one time since then. I’ve told my children about my experience there and I’m taking them this weekend to see it. We are going to have a ton of fun - as long as the weather stays nice.

    I’m taking both cameras with me in hopes of catching some fun shots. Stay tuned for the photos when I return.

   Happy Weekend , Y’all.
 

Ps. sorry I sounded like I was on speed when typing that. I’m just in a major hurry to pack. Lol. Bye, y’all. 

I have had one of the most marvelous mornings I can remember since school started I think. I woke up with a tiny, warm body snuggled next to mine. The first words out of his mouth were "mommy, I love you." I don’t think there is a more perfect way to start your day than by hearing one of your children tell you that they love you.

The children were all pleasant today. They seemed excited to go to school and things were very relaxed. I’m sitting here wondering if it was because my stress level was so low this morning. I’m sure that has something to do with it. Also, we are all excited that it is the weekend again. Jumping up and down for joy on that one. School wears me out. Lol. I’m not even in school but I feel like I’m learning 3rd grade all over again.

I made myself breakfast this morning. I can not remember the last time I did that. What did I make ? Coffee that could replace the oil in my car, easily. Would someone please explain to me what happens to all the water that I put in the coffee pot to begin with ? I put 8 cups of water and it ended up being maybe 6 1/2. What the heck ? It was still drinkable. I just had to add a lot of cream to it. Yum. Yum. I warmed myself up a couple of biscquits. And I cooked some bacon. Can you just imagine what my kitchen smelled like this morning ? Picture walking into your grandma’s house on a early morning when she just finished cooking. Pure heaven. At least it is that way if you live in the South.

I poured my coffee into my best "girl" coffee cup.  It has a hand-painted pic of a Southern girl on it. Big hair, big makeup, etc. Cute, cute, cute. I put my biscquits and bacon on my pink plate with the big red heart in the middle. I was all set. I walked outside in my pjs and big fuzzy slippers and I set down on my deck, listening to the birds (and dogs whining) and ate one of the best breakfast in history. Why don’t I do this more often ? Is it because I’ve made myself "too busy" ? Self-inflicted a friend of mine likes to tell me when I start complaining about how busy I am. Anyways, I have just enjoyed one of the most peaceful mornings I can remember in forever. As the saying goes "stop and take time to smell the roses" or coffee and bacon in my case.

<<<– Where I just ate my breakfast.

Enjoy your morning, happy weekend and Geaux Tigers. I’m taking my mother to her first ever college football game tomorrow. Should be interesting  - in more ways than one.  

     Today I made a friendly wager with a good friend of mine regarding the LSU vs BAMA game. I agreed to post a picture of myself wearing BAMA gear if Bama beat LSU. Why of course I will ! (cause LSU ain’t going to lose). After I made the wager, I started thinking about the fact that I do not have any Bama gear. I thought (cause I could not say this outloud) that I might better get me a BAMA shirt. Oh, hell no. What was I thinking ? Just as soon as I do I will jinx my beloved LSU Tigers.  Now, this isn’t to say that I wouldn’t absolutely love to go to that game. I’d love to go with my dear ole Bama friend. I think it would be a wonderful time and memory. Anyways, LSU is not going to lose, so I don’t have to worry about that picture. Do I ? 

    Yes, I was at the game Saturday night. LSU vs Auburn. That last touchdown made by LSU made my whole day. It was completely awesome and I still get chills when I think about it. I can see it vividly in my mind. The pass was thrown. The fans in the stands made this sucking in noise, holding their breath, waiting to see if the pass was going to be complete. OMG ! It was. We were jumping up and down. We were yelling. We were high-fiving. We were hugging our other season ticket fans on our row. Some of which are "sugar" friendly. Lots of sugar.

    My sister went to the game with me. We had a blast. I know I had a blast. I’m more than sure she did, too. She knows I love her, too. She wore some crappy "in style" shoes and they were "killing" her feet. What did the loving big sis do ? I swapped my super comfy, broken-in LSU crocs for her blister-inducing shoes.  Only a loving sister would do such a kind gesture, right ? She’ll pay me back. grins.

    I went to bed later that night than any night I can remember since having children. LOL. You know you’re 40 when you see the clock strike midnight and think "wow, I’m still awake at midnight."

    Here’s extending Bama some early sympathy. I’m sorry you’re going to lose. You all know LSU is going to win just to beat Nick Saban.