WHEW!

What a week, what a week!  Here's my week in review:

Monday morning we had registration at school.   We had quite a few new students to register, and then we had students who came in to meet their teacher and pick up their packets.  At first I wasn't sure about why the school system does this, but I think I finally get it.  It saves a lot of time the first day with teachers handing out forms that have to be filled out, for one thing.  This way, the students should come in this Monday morning, ready to hand the completed forms to their teacher.  We got to work in our rooms Monday afternoon.  I went to my other school because we had a meeting at 1:00.  I was 10 minutes late, and the meeting was over.  Oh well!  It turns out it was just a brief meeting with the teachers to find out how many students they had come by for registration.

Tuesday was the big Special Ed. Inservice.  This was the first year that we've done our own inservice, using our own teachers and staff (since they're free).  There could've been a better choice of presenters, in my opinion, but y'all have heard all about that already!

Wednesday was a great day!  The Speech Paths had our own meeting/inservice.  We have a really fun group of SLPs, and we always get so many fresh ideas when we get together.  By that night I was so worn out that I was in bed at 9:00.  It's going to be really rough when I start having to see students! 

Thursday was "work in your room day" all day long.  I managed to hand all of the IEPs out at one of my schools, and get teacher  signatures on them.  Yes, it took me almost all day long  because I had to figure out whose classroom each student is in, walk around to the classroom, and then talk to each teacher about that child (okay, some chit-chatting with the teacher was involved!).

A couple of years ago, I volunteered my services to the band director to help the guard instructor with the "clean up" phase of their routines.  Due to budget constraints this year, he asked me, along with another mom (who just happened to be in the guard with me for a couple of years in college) if we would help the guard instructor out by being at practices when she wasn't able to be there.  My first day to help out was Thursday after school.  It took me a few minutes to reacquaint myself with reading charts (along with the guard captain's help), but we got through it.  It was hotter than hades, especially since sports come first at the school, so the band gets to practice in the parking lot at the baseball/softball fields.
After practice, the band boosters executive committee had a meeting to discuss fundraising and concessions.  This is the second year I have been the secretary, and, seriously, I'm considering resigning.  I haven't had the best attitude so far this year for work-I'm pretty sure I know what's contributing to it- and this is not helping.  It's very important for me to be around positive people:  if I can't do that, then I don't need to be around them.  There are some things going on with the executive board that I just can't handle right now.  I'm more than happy to help with concessions and do what I can with the fundraising, but the thing that's going on is really a downer.  We have a new president this year, but that's not the problem.  How do you deal with negative people?  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Okay, on to Friday!  The morning was spent in the school, then we had a meeting with all special education teachers.  It was a good day, and I managed to stay positive all day long!
A friend posted this on FB today...I think I need to play this should be my daily mantra:


Friday night YS, a friend of his, and I went to a AA professional baseball game since my favorite baseball player's (who just happens to be my nephew!) team was in town playing.  He's been on the DL this summer, and is working himself back into the rotation, so he's a relief pitcher right now.  And, being a relief pitcher, we weren't real sure he was going to play last night.  I thought there was a chance when the home team brought in 3 runs in one inning, but the pitcher got himself together.  The closer came on during the last 2 innings, and it wasn't my nephew.  BOOOOO!  I wanted to run down and tell their manager that we wanted to see my nephew, but I didn't think that would go over too well!  I have to tell y'all this:  I actually made it through the whole game without yelling!  MIRACLE!
After the game we saw this:
And, we did manage to see my nephew for just a couple of minutes.  Let me just say:  I have some really handsome nephews!  My siblings can make some pretty babies! 

I did something very, very bad.  I knew better than to do it, because I knew what would happen:  I would fall in love.  And that's exactly what happened.
Yes, that's an empty bag, and no, I didn't eat all of them myself.  Although I could have.  The first few I had I thought maybe it could use more chocolate.  Just a little more.  By the end of the bag (as evidenced by the crumbs) I thought they were just perfect.

This afternoon MS came in with this very sweet surprise:
That boy loves his mama and knows what his mama loves!

Hope everybody had a good week.  I'm going to be playing "catchup" on reading blogs for a while!

So Very Busy!

No FFF, Flashback Friday, or Friday Follow Over 40 today.  I've just been too busy, y'all!  I haven't even had time to read anybody else's posts.
I'll be back!

Thank You Very Much & Give-a-Ways



It's Thursday  (well, really it's  Wed. night, but, if you're reading this Wed. night, you'll just have to pretend), which means free therapy time courtesy of Kmama!  It's the day that you can very sarcastically thank the irritations of the past week, and feel better when you're done.  And, y'all better hold on to your britches, 'cause I'm  back at work and I've got plenty to say!

1.  Thank you, YS' school for messing up schedules.  He was at the school for 3 1/2 hours trying to get it straight and waiting in line.  Wait...there wasn't a line.  Apparently the kids there haven't been taught how to wait in a line, and they didn't think to have a couple of faculty members helping to keep order.  What I saw was a crowd of 15 year old kids standing near tables, inching their way up, in no semblance of a line whatsoever.  By the time we got up to the counselor, she was ready to go home, quickly checked the schedule, and told YS to stop by her office first thing Monday morning to pick up his schedule.  It wasn't until we left that I realized Driver's Ed. had been left off...and he gets his license in September. 

2.  Thank you, school system where I work, for making your employees waste 1 1/2 hours of the day at the employee fair.  All I got out of it was some pens, and a backscratcher.  I think our time could've been put to better use by being at our schools.



3.  Thank you, coworker, for putting me down as a reference on an application without asking firstHeeeeell-oooo!  It's common professional courtesy to ask before using someone as a reference.  When the company called, I couldn't tell her anything because I'm not your supervisor and I've never seen you in therapy, or at your school.  I probably wasn't a good choice to use as a reference, even though I've known you for 30+ years.

4.  Thank you, presenter of one of the most boring inservices ever, for throwing down the handout in front of everybody, then, at the end of the day when you were assisting another presenter, snatching some handouts out of my hand that I was about to pass to the people in the back row.  Very professional.


5.  Thank you again, presenter, for thinking that we are complete morons who have no idea how to write present levels of performance.  Oh, and a word of advice:  If you're going to give us an example of how to write an IEP, make sure your example is perfect.  There were statements in places they didn't belong as well as a misspelled word.  Yep, that was a great example.

6.  Thank you, certain someones in my household, who still can't grasp the concept of putting dirty dishes in the dishwasher.  We've only been in this house 6 years, so I could see how you wouldn't be able to understand that when the light to the dishwasher is off, the dishes are dirty.  You can put dirty dishes in there if the light isn't on

Susan at This Day! is having a giveaway!  Take a peek and see what she's giving away and how to enter! 

For you dog lovers:  Kmama is having a giveaway for your dog.  Go visit and see how to enter.

Another Random Without Linda

I thought Linda would be back from her Random Break, but I guess she needs more time off from having to think so hard!  I still can't blame her;  my brain is still on summer break.  Once again, I give you a random half-dozen of things that have been going on here in the small town:

1.  Getting into a "new routine", one that consists of husband & I going to work, and YS to school...alone.  It feels kind of weird just getting up 1 boy for school.  At least the one that I have to get up does really well getting out of bed when he's suppose to!  Pepper helps him by "doing her job":  she'll  jump on the bed and bestow morning kisses until he gets up.
2.  Does this need any words?
Husband was going for a ride on Saturday; this is how he was dressed when he came into the kitchen, and yes, I was laughing!  He waited for me to grab my camera and take a picture.  He said something about me mentioning in a blog post that he had to marry me so he wouldn't walk around looking like this!

3.  This trifle bowl:
This was my mother's bowlThis is the bowl I use when I make Mexican Trifle Bowl.  I knew if I borrowed it enough, mom would  tell me to just keep it, since I'm the only one who uses it.  Well,  it happened last Thursday:  When I told her I needed to bring it back, Mom told me to just keep it!  She said if she ever needed it, she knew who to borrow it from!  One of my sisters called me a brat when we talked about the bowl at the 4th of July.  Hmmmm...wonder what she meant by that!  (hee-hee!  I love being the youngest girl!)

4.  Flowers not only surviving, but thriving!
                                                    May                                                           

July



                                                May                                                                    
                                        

July
(No, I didn't get mulch out, and I didn't take a picture of the groundcover that may or may not make it!)
 
And hummingbirds stopping by for a quick snack:
 

5.  It has been so dry this summer that the hickory tree outside of our living window is already losing its nuts:

 The squirrels are having a field day, but the nuts falling and hitting the house startle us from  time to time!  There's also a lot of crunching going on when we drive out of /into the driveway.


6.   Reality update: 
Tuesday night's Real Housewives of New Jersey was relatively calm.  Danielle made a point to say that her daughter's Sweet Sixteen Party was very expensive, but that everything was donated.  I thought it was interesting that they never mentioned  the charity where they were donating the money, or how much they raised.  It was nice that her daughter's father/ her ex-husband showed up, but, man, did he look extremely uncomfortable when she hugged  him!  And of course, she turned on the tears.  No doubt it was because she saw the $$ that got away!  Next week's preview showed Kim G. finally having it with Danielle and really letting her have it.  Can't wait!  
Sunday night on Next Food Network Star I was shocked that Aria pulled a fast on on Aarti.  I really liked Aria in the past, but apparently she's a wolf in sheep's clothing.  If you didn't see it, Aarti was in charge of talking to the dinner guests so she could introduce their concept.  Aarti has a bit of a confidence problem to begin with, and Aria decided to be a little  sneak and get her rattled.  After a couple of sentences, Aria broke in and interrupted. Aarti did a good job of not appearing to be rattled, and Aria claimed that she wasn't sure if Aarti wanted her to introduce the concept or if she was going to do it herself (even though she asked as they were going out and Aarti said she'd  do it.).  What goes around comes around:  Aarti won the challenge, and Aria was in the bottom two.  You know what they say about Karma...!  Unfortunately, Serena (who was a little weird seeing before she presented) was the one who was sent home.  I  bet Aria isn't going to be far behind!


I know that long posts are some people's pet  peeves, so I'll end it here.  Hope everybody has a good  "Hump Day"!

My Blog

I've read a few posts that have talked about pet peeves on blogs.  So, I started wondering:  what do I do that irritates people when they visit?

Apparently Playlist is one of the top peeves.  I had Playlist on my blog at one time, down at the bottom, but I didn't have the music playing automatically. I have to admit, sometimes when I visit a blog, I have to quickly scroll down the page to find the Playlist to put it on pause.  This is mainly because YS has borrowed my computer and has turned the volume up loudly.  Of course, the better choice would be to make sure the speaker was turned off before I started browsing, but who thinks of that!  There are a couple of blogs that I visit that have an awesome playlist. Sometimes I'll leave those blogs up while reading others just so I can listen to the music.

Then there's the comment moderation.  Apparently this really irritates some people to the point that they don't leave a comment, or don't revisit that blog.  So, I turned the comment moderation off, then got a couple of spam e-mails.  I've turned it back on.   If I don't get a few comments because of it, so be it.  I'd rather not get some comments than have some humongous virus on my computer that Norton didn't catch.

Since we're on the comment subject:  I try to respond  to each comment I receive.  If the commenter has an e-mail address link with their profile, I'll e-mail.  Otherwise I'll visit their site and leave a comment.  I get a little frustrated if the commenter doesn't have their blog address available in which to link; I feel like I'm not reciprocating their time. 

When I read others' blogs, most of the time I leave a comment.  Sometimes I'm rushed for time, so I'm doing good to just briefly visit.  But, please know, if I follow you, I visit at least once a week.  I also don't have time to go back and revisit someone's post after I've commented.  So, if  you want to comment on my comment, e-mail  me!

I usually post in the mornings, but since I've had to go back to the coal mines the teachers are back at work, I'm going to have to post at night.  I just can't post in the morning and get ready for work.  Unfortunately, I think getting ready for work takes precedent!  When I first started blogging, I would do a "draft" in the evening, then revise in the morning before I posted.  Yes, I know I can be very OCD, but I would think of things during the night that I had left out.  Okay, who am I kidding?  I'm sure I'll still revise in the morning, but I'm going to therapy for that do my best not to do that any more.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and take a peek into my extremely boring life!  Constructive criticism is welcome...in fact, I have received a couple of suggestions that were wonderful!  Y'all are the BEST!

Meet Me On Monday


We get to know each others' innermost thoughts through blogging, and we meet wonderful people through blogging.  Meet Me On Monday gives us a chance to get to know each other better.  Click on the above button, answer the questions in your blog, then link up and meet some new people, and get to know some of your friends better!


1. What one food could you eat every single day?
Yogurt.  Probably because I do eat it every day when I'm being good and eating like I'm suppose to!

2. Do you wear glasses or contacts?
Oh, yes!  I'm probably close to being legally blind without my contacts.  I got my first pair of glasses when I was in 2nd grade.  I needed them in first grade, but mom thought I just wanted to be like everybody else in my family!  (I only have one sibling who doesn't wear corrective lenses...we used to get a discount from the place where bought our glasses!)   I think she felt really bad when she took me to the eye dr. just to find out how poor my eyesight was!
I got my first pair of contacts my sophomore year in high school.  I worked at the pool and saved up my money so  I could get them.  They were around $130 and were the hard kind.  I eventually switched over to gas permeable, and then just a few years ago, to extended wear.  I think I still have my original hard contacts somewhere,  unless I finally threw them out when we moved from SC! 

3. What kind of cell phone do you have?
After having a Nokia something or other for about 6 years, I finally got to use my upgrade for myself and got a Samsung Intensity.  (The 2 oldest boys kept breaking theirs right around the time it would be time  for me to upgrade.  Oh, the things we sacrifice for our kids!)  Nothing fancy; it's not a smart phone, but it does have a Qwerty keyboard that I'm loving!

4. What did you have for dinner last night?

Super nachos from  our favorite Mexican restaurant!




5. What is your favorite candy?
Well, Java, you finished with a doozy, didn't you?!  I guess my all time favorite is Butterfinger.  But, I also like Zero bars every now and then.  And, when I was pregnant with MS, I craved Milky Ways.

Saturday Sampling


Mrs. 4444's at Half-Past Kissin' Time came up with a wonderful idea for those of us who have too many blogs to read and just not enough time!  Here is how she describes her meme:

"If someone were going to read only one of your posts this week (or a previous week), which one would you choose?  Saturday Sampling is your chance to link up posts you're especially proud of or would sincerely like feedback on.  You're also welcome to link up other posts from bloggers who moved you this week (and please do!)  Keeping this in mind, you'll also find some wonderful reads here, tagged by topic for your choosing pleasure :)

What Saturday Sampling is not:
A place to link up posts even you won't remember a week from now.
A place to promote products or services you are selling
An obligation: You do NOT need to link up just to link up (and please, don't)"

So, go visit Mrs. 4444's and link up with your favorite post of the week.  You can find mine here.

Friday's Fave Five, Friday Follow, AND Flashback Friday









1.  This has to be #1 on my list for this week!  Spending the day with this handsome young man:

2. A quote from one of the school psychologists from her Facebook Status:   
"I'm going to alter my thinking so that instead of looking at this as the last day of summer vacation, I'm going to think of tomorrow as the first day toward next summer break."

3.  An unexpected dinner out.  I bought some chicken that already had marinade on it.  Add that to husband grilling at 500 degrees and what do you get?  WHOOSH!  I looked outside and noticed there was an awful lot of smoke out there!  Good thing the hose was close by!  And, to top that off, when we got  to the restaurant and I opened up the menu, the first thing I saw was:  Crispy Chicken Salad.  I think the waitress thought I was out of my mind when I started laughing!

4.   A quote from another friend on Facebook:   
"Some say the glass is half full some say half empty; I say who keeps drinking my drink?"

5.  The last lunch of summer with YS.  I go back to work today, and he picks up his schedule, then he starts classes on Monday.  Where did the summer go?   But more importantly:  when am I going to get in my afternoon naps?


 What are your FFF for the week?  Go visit Susanne and link up!   Don't forget to link up at Java's for Follow Friday 40 and Over!



Okay, okay!  This week's Flashback is pretty good, so I've gotta participate in it, too!

What were meals like when you were growing up? Did your mom (or dad) cook (and was it from scratch or from a box?) or did your family eat out much of the time? Did you eat together as a family or was everyone on a different schedule? What did you call meals? (Dinner vs. supper, lunch, etc.) 
As a rule, we ate supper together.  In fact, it was  rare when all 12 of us (10 kids  + mom & dad) didn't all sit down together.  We had a really long table with chairs on one side, and a long bench on the other.  At either end there were chairs for mama & daddy.  The older kids got to sit in the chairs, so it was a big deal  as they started moving out and someone else took their place.   Mom did all of the cooking since she was a stay at home mom.  Although, she says that she didn't know how to cook when she & daddy got married and credits daddy with teaching her how to cook.  For breakfast and lunch we were pretty much on our own.  I do remember when I was little, sitting down as a family for Sunday brunch
What were some of your favorite things that your parent fixed? What did you dislike and vow never to fix once you grew up? 
It seems like  we had roast a bunch on Sundays.  I absolutely hated lima beans.  One time, I came to supper with my batman boots, slid them off, and snuck the beans into the slippers(One of the advantages to being in a big family...my parents were preoccupied with someone else!)
Did your family have any food traditions, things that were a must on certain occasions (such as Sunday dinners or holiday meals)? 
I've already mentioned Sunday brunch.  Holidays were major meals!  Easter:  ham & potato salad, Christmas & Thanksgiving:  Turkey & mashed potatoes.  Of course we had other things; those were just the "main" parts!  OH, and how can I forget Friday nights?  Being Catholic, we either had fish sticks, mac & cheese, and peas OR "Catholic Casserole", aka Tuna Casserole.  It wasn't until we had all grown up that mama found out daddy didn't like fish sticks & peas!  The poor man stuck it out all those years!
Did your parent teach you to cook or did you wing it once you were grown? How similar or different are your family's eating habits today than when you grew up?
I pretty much winged it after I got married.  Mama was never farther than a phone call away, and she got plenty of calls!
We eat together as a family as much as we can.  That may mean that we eat later or earlier than usual, but we think it's  very important to come together at least once a day.  We eat out some...when I was growing up we never ate out.  I think I was in jr. high before I had ever even been to a fast food restaurant.  When I was in jr.high or high school (I don't remember exactly when this happened), daddy's job changed in the company and he switched shifts every week or so.  When he was on night shift, that was "hamburger week"!  It gave mama a little big of a break from cooking, and gave us a rare treat!
When people I've known for most of my life reminisce about coming over to our house, they always talk about the long table with the bench against the wall.  And the noise.  We were happy eaters!

Share your answers by linking up at Linda's!

Thank You Very Much



In Kmama's words:  "It's Free Therapy Day!! That's right, it's Thursday, which means it's the Thank You Very Much day. The way it works is that you take out all your frustrations on people/things that peeved you off during the week and thank them in a very sarcastic way, for being who or what they are/doing what they did."  Need to get something off of your chest?  Have at it!

1.  I absolutely love it when I'm driving on the interstate, and there's a car in the left lane who insists on going slower than the speed limit.  Especially when no one is in the right lane.  The rule of the road is:  stay right except to pass.  I'd love to have a scrolling marquee in the back window that would say something like, "Learn how to drive!"

2.  To the man in WalMart who wasn't happy with the electronics salesman:  Thanks for pouring your nasty dip spit on the computers.  Maybe if you hadn't taken your phone in for service before deleting the picture of the naked lady, you could've saved yourself some aggravation.  The man got upset because the associate saw the picture, then demanded that the phone be destroyed.  So, the associate took a hammer and smashed the phone, then gave him a replacement phone.  The guy left, then the cameras caught him coming in later with a bottle containing some brown substance, which he poured over the display computers.  Gotta love the rednecks here in E.Tn.  (The comment that someone left on that article:  "I guess no one was supposed to see his mama that way but him?")

3.  To the school system where I work:  It's July.  Not August.  It's 90+ degrees with high humidity.  And we're going to start school already?  It seems like it gets earlier and earlier every year.  I knew it was coming, yet I tried not to think about it, thinking that if I avoided it, it wouldn't happen.  Yes, I enjoy the week break during fall, but is it necessary to start this early, just so the high school kids can finish their semester at Christmas?  The elementary kids can't go on the playground because of the heat.  I doubt it will ever change!

Join us at Kmama's and get some things off your chest!

A Walk in the Woods

Yesterday started out as a really yucky day.  It was raining when I woke up (YAY!), but I was afraid it was going to mess up part of  my plans for the day.  Oldest Son had a day off, so I went up to see him.  He's turning into quite the "Nature Boy", so he had a hike on a very small part of the Appalachian Trail planned for us.  I love waterfalls, so OS had one he wanted to show me.
By the time I got to OS' house, it had pretty much stopped raining.  We had to go by Financial Aid and drop something off, then we grabbed a quick lunch and we were off on our adventure!  On the way we went through a little town that has the oldest covered bridge still in use in the state.  
Then, we made it to the trail:
At the beginning of the section we hiked, there was a canopy of these gorgeous rhododendron:
I bet it's absolutely stunning when they're blooming!
Not too far in, we came across this sign:

My trail guide!

We crossed a bridge that was just a little  scary to me because  it was pretty high and you could see between the slats:
But the view was lovely:

We saw walls of rocks:

Then, we came to a very large "hill" with rocks built into the side to make stairs:
We finally made it to the falls:
This picture  doesn't do it justice as to how big it really was.  OS & I had a discussion about how anybody could see that and not believe in God.  
I was pretty fascinated by the foam that the falls made:
 The whole way down to the falls, I kept thinking about having to climb back up the hill.  It sure would be a lot easier if they had installed an escalator when they made the rock steps!  I mean, there's plenty of water, so it shouldn't be that hard to generate electricity, right?  It turned out that it really wasn't all that bad; I stopped a couple of times going up, and it was all good.

I spent 4 years in that area when I was in undergrad school, but didn't take advantage of everything that the area had to offer.   After yesterday, I regret that I had no idea of the beauty of the area.  I did go to the river a couple of times, but never hiked.  
After spending quality time with OS yesterday,  I learned a few things:
1.  OS knows what he's doing when he's out on the trail.  He showed me things to look out for just in case something happened to him and I had to make it back by myself.
2.  His tendency to wear out shoes is apparently now working to his advantage.  The shoe company is sending him free shoes to wear out, then send back so they can figure out how to make them last!  
3.  OS loves him mom.  He looked out after me during our hike, stopping every now and then when we were walking up the hill from the falls.  He made sure I had plenty of water and gave me a walking stick to use!  Yes, I am the queen!
4.  I am incredibly out of shape.  Now that my back is better, I'm definitely going to have to hit the walking trail & treadmill.
5.  OS is in incredibly good shape.  It's a different shape than he was in when he played football, but I don't even think he broke a sweat when we hiked.  Me,well, I was soaked by the time we  got back to the car!
6.  I really enjoyed being out in the middle of nowhere.  Taking in the clean, fresh air and just being out there with my boy, and feeling completely safe.  (Of course, I don't think I'd like it when it was dark...I have too great of an imagination-thinking about the bears and other wild animals that are roaming out there!)   I may even invest in some boots (which are necessary to keep the rocks out of your shoes!) and take in some trails around here!

You know, as hard as it is to admit that my baby is all grown up, it is just as satisfying to see him as an adult.  Sure, there are areas where he still needs some guidance, but I'm extremely proud of the man he's become!

Meet Me on Monday


Once again, Java is giving us the opportunity to learn more about our blogging friends by answering 5 little questions about yourself!  Here are the Q & A's for this week:

1. What is your favorite sandwich?
  Peanut butter & jelly!  Especially if it has bananas on it, but I don't have it very often because it gives me indigestion!  (Yes, getting old really, really stinks!)

2. What is stashed under your bed/mattress?
    I'm glad this question popped up this week instead of at the beginning of the summer!  I actually don't have anything under my side of the bed.  I'm not saying anything about husband's side, though!

3. What is your favorite flower?
    Jonquil/Daffodil.  I just love seeing them for the first time...they are signs that warmer weather is on the way!

4. What is your favorite magazine?
    Well, I'm not much of a magazine reader; there's just way too many advertisements in them.

5. How often do you weigh yourself?
    If I'm trying to lose weight, I'll weigh every day, but remind myself that it doesn't count except for 2 days!

Help us get to know you better by answering the questions, then going over to Java's to link up!

I'm Versatile, too?

Patty at Reasons for Chocolate bestowed this award on me last week.  I'm finally getting around to acknowledging it due to not being on my usual computer.  Patty is another Catholic mom who just happens to be from a large family. If you get a chance, go visit and look around her blog.  She's a really busy mom, and she's pretty cool, too!

The rules for this award are:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award...Thanks a bunch, Patty!

2.  List 7 things that people may not know about you...
       
Oh, gee.  What haven't I told?  I'm such an open book!  I'm going to cheat and just pick a few things I included on 100 Things About Me:

  1. I'm addicted to the "Real Housewives"...especially New Jersey.  (Caroline could be my best friend!)
  2. I cry during some commercials.
  3. I can't stand to see misspelled words, specifically when people use "loose" for "lose" and "too" for "to".
  4. People ending sentences with prepositions are also a major pet peeve!  Really.  You don't have to add "at" when asking, "Where are you?"
  5. I've never had my hair longer than shoulder-length.
  6. I had my first pedicure at the beginning of the summer...and will get my second in a few days.
  7. I yell at sporting events...even if I don't fully understand the game...even if I'm watching it on tv.
3. Pass it on to other bloggers who deserve the award.    So here is my list:

   Once again, this is so very hard.  My list of favorite blogs is growing...wish I could make that a full time job!  Okay, so here are a few:

Tina:  A View from a Hill (yes, there's that nepotism again!)
Amy:  Milk Breath and Margaritas (I'm so glad she's back!)
Sweet Tea  (She's a BLAST!)
Amy:  All Things A Ro  (Get ready to laugh!)
AuburnChick's Weblog  (This chick's just amazing!)
Mrs. E:  Easy Street (She may be the most versatile  blogger I know!)
Candace:  Mi chiamo Candace (Another new blogging friend!)

Thanks again, Patty!  I hope everybody will have time to visit these awesome blogs!

Friday's Fave Five






What an amazing week I've had!  Even with the damp bedding, the hot sun, and the rain earlier in the week.  Here are my Fave Fives for the week:


1. 
  Watching kids love music.  There's just something about being in a band.  If you weren't in the band in school, you may not get it.  Hours in the sun, learning to hit the yard line with your right foot, learning to glide instead of walk to a spot, knowing when to move and when to stop, the push ups and running laps when you moved or talked, and all the while doing it while playing an instrument or spinning a flag.

2.  Reconnecting with my college band director.  It turns out he is the Director of Bands at the college YS had band camp.  It was amazing that he remembered not only my face,  but my name as well.  That man has an amazing memory!  It was great fun talking with him and going down memory lane.  I was also amazed that he not only remembered the time I tossed my flag inside the hall outside of the music room and broke a light  (I really thought I had enough room!) , but  remembered what  he said to me and my reaction.  (He didn't yell...but he didn't have to to make me feel really bad; and yes, I had tears in my eyes when he told me to "take it outside"!)

3.  Watching kids sit around with their guitars.  They didn't need a tv, their iPods, or cell phones.  A group  of kids just sat on the steps and played until it was time for them to head in for the night.

4.  Having 3 chaperones at band camp.  Last year there were only 2 of us (both female), so it was really nice to have an extra person, and that extra person being a band daddy.  It made getting the water & gatorade coolers to the field so much easier.  Plus,  we had someone to keep an eye on the boys when they were in the dorm.  In all honesty, we had such a good time kidding around, talking, and picking on each other.

5.  Having an awesome band director to lead YS' high school band.  He came to us right out of undergrad school and has built the band from 18  members to 45 in just 6 years.  He's young and has a good time with the kids, but they know when it's time to work and get serious.  He's also learning to network and is surrounding himself with reliable music people to strengthen the band program.

6.  (Okay, this is a "Baker's FFF" this week!)  My girls greeting me at the door with their tails wagging, waiting to smother me with kisses.  Pepper (the Jack Russell mix), anyway.  Ally (schnauzer) is extremely stingy with her kisses, but when I picked her up she held her head against mine for a long time:  her way of showing affection; we call them "hugs".   Pepper has only stayed 2 steps behind me since I've been home.  I think she's afraid I'm going to leave again!

What are your Fave 5s for the week?  Link up at  Susanne's and share.  Don't forget to link up with Java for Follow Friday 40 and Over!

Thank You Very Much: Band camp edition

                 

Thursday is the day that KMama hosts a free therapy day.  If you have something you need to get off of your chest, go visit her, link up, read some other people's rantings, and (hopefully) realize your irritations aren't so bad after all!

This week I have been a chaperone for YS' high school band camp.  Away from home.  Which means living in a dorm.  And being in the heat (but at least I get to sit in the shade).  So, yeah, I've got some things to say!

1.  To the little cheerleaders who came in on Tues.: Thank you for swarming the cafeteria, creating long lines when our kids were hungry, hot, and thirsty.

2.  To one little cheerleader who insisted on busting her way through the line:  Your politeness is awesome.  One little bitty "excuse me' would have been nice.

3.  To another little cheerleader who "shared" the hamburger bun bag with me:  Thanks a bunch.  You proved to me that cuteness isn't everything.  Again, one "excuse me", and I would've handed you the bag (since you were already past the buns).

4. To the other female chaperone:  Thank you for babying our kids to the point that they know if they forget something you will run to WalMart to get what they need.  Maybe I'm just mean, but kids learn by their mistakes, and if they forget to bring a pillow, they can roll up a shirt and use that. 

5.  Again to the other female chaperone:  Thank you for talking to one of the female band members after the band director talked to her about a situation.  You looked so very important spending time with her when she should've put on her big girl panties and gone back out onto the field.  She was put on display to the point that during break she got more attention with a lot of members coming over to give her more attention.  (In fairness to the chaperone:  I don't know what happened...don't want to know, and am not sure that the director didn't ask her to talk to the girl.  But, the conversation could've taken place under our canopy, not right in front of the band.)

6.  To the dorm:  I appreciate sleeping in damp bedding.  What is it with the humidity in the rooms?  We leave the air on and our room is wet when we come back.  We turn the air off and our room is wet when we come back.  Final solution:  air on and windows cracked.  Seriously.

I feel so much better now!  We head home this afternoon, right after lunch.  It will be so very nice to sleep in my dry bed!
Don't forget to go over to KMama's and free yourself of irritations that you just can't seem to let go!

Meet Me on Monday



Java comes up with interesting questions each Monday for the purpose of getting to know your blogging friends better.  Here is this week's edition:

1. What do your normally eat for breakfast?
   Cereal or english muffin or bagel, yogurt, cheese stick, and fruit.
2.  What kind of car do you drive?
Hundyai Tucson
3.  Have you ever met a famous person(s)?
The only famous person I know is someone who is famous regionally:  Randall Cobb.  He's a football player for the Kentucky Wildcats.  If you read my post about Role Models, you'll see a picture of him in the post as a wonderful role model for young men.
I did see (not meet) a famous Danish actor last year, but I think I may have burst his ego bubble.  LF pointed him out and said he was famous, and I told her that we should've asked for a picture...even though I had no idea who he was.  We were in the stairwell, and I didn't realize how voices carry!
4.  What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Cookie Dough
5.  Which TV Channel do you watch the most?
Hmmmm...USA or Bravo.  Or HGTV.

Go visit Java and link up with Meet Me On Monday!

Saturday Sampling


Mrs4444 is hosting a new meme:  Saturday Sampling.  There are so many good blogs out there that it's impossible to read every one every day, so this gives us a little wiggle room!  All you have to do is visit Half-Past Kissin' Time  , link up, and add the post from the past week or two that you feel is a "must read".  Then, visit the blogs that you missed this week so you can do a quick "catch-up".  Plus, it kind of gives us a day of rest!

The post I chose is "Role Models".  I got some good responses from this post...even one of my brothers said that after he read it, he brought it up at work and it turned out to be a hot topic.  Hope you enjoy!

I Just Can't Decide!

 



I had to do a FFF this week.  I had several pictures/things  that were my absolute favorites of the week!  And, of course, Follow Friday 40 & Over is a fun meme, too! And, if you're stopping by from Flashback Friday, feel free to keep reading or scroll down until you see the button!
Hold on to your britches...here we go!


1.  Y'all know that MS (the one that's 18) is working as a lifeguard at the local public pool, right?  Well, he had a goal at the beginning of the summer:  collect  spare change that he found in the bottom of the pool so that he could buy this:
It's an "IronMan" helmet.  I made the mistake of calling it a mask,  which he quickly corrected.  He saved the change until he had enough money:  around $35.  He hit that mark this week, and went to WalMart and got his helmet! The eyes even light up and the helmet talks.  He was so proud! He said it was like getting it for free.  Funny, funny young man!
The other day I was in the driveway, and noticed a Victoria's Secret bag  on the ground.  When I picked it up, I saw IronMan underwear in it!  I took it in and he said that his pool manager and another lifeguard bought it for him!  They tried to get him to model them, but I think he drew the line at that...at least that's what he led me to believe!


2.  I bought the most refreshing drink at the liquor store the other day:
All you have to do is cool it down and pour it into a glass.  Very, very good.  The lady at the liquor store said that some people will buy the ready-to-drink bottles, then add a little more alcohol.  I really must be a light weight, 'cause if I added any more to it, I don't know that I'd pass a breathalyzer test after one drink!


3.  We have a bridge in our small  town that has been the sight of many egg fights during our rivalry week, and has been painted so much, that I think paint is the only thing holding the bridge up.  This was on the bridge earlier this week:
It's a good thing I took the picture when I did, because it had been painted over the next day!

4.  Don't let this picture fool you:
I know she looks like a calm, docile, sweet puppy, but she is, in fact, "The Great Skink Hunter".  When the door is open, she will  dart out in search of her prey.  If a skink should happen to come onto the porch, she will chase it away with her fierce bark.  She is quite the protector!

5.  Since the 4th was this week, I have to include a picture from our get together at my brother's.  I know I said I wasn't going to post a picture of family without asking, but....whatever!
Okay, I just realized that it is actually one of my sister's pictures 'cause I'm in it!  Thanks for the picture, Tina!  (Ha, ha!)

Okay, just one more thing.  Look at the icon under today on the weather planner:
Yeah.  I'll believe it when I see it.


I haven't done Linda's Flashback Friday or talked about my childhood in a while, so I thought I'd join in this week!  Here are the prompts:


Were you prone to accidents and injuries when you were growing up? Did you ever break a bone? Knock out any teeth? Get stitches? 
I wasn't prone to accidents when I was growing up.  The worst thing that happened was when I was 5:  my parents had some old friends visiting from somewhere (or we had family in from Tx...I don't really remember who was there), and we  were taking turns jumping off of the bunk bed onto a mattress on the floor.  I jumped off and missed the mattress, knocking out my 2 front teeth.  I led a very boring life!

Have you ever ridden in the back of an ambulance? Did you ever have surgery or spend any time in a hospital? 
The only time I rode in the back of an ambulance was when I was 3 months pregnant with OS and was in a car accident.  Someone pulled out in front of me and I t-boned him.  The passenger in the other car was elderly, and the EMT's  were checking her out.  When they got around to checking on me, I told them that my chest was hurting (turns out it was from the seat belt) and that I was pregnant.  They were on me like  white on rice!  While all this was going on, the counselor from school  & her husband drove by and realized it was me.  Ann knew that husband was away at an Army School and I was alone, so they stopped.  She rode with me to the hospital.  On the way, the heart monitor  started going crazy.  All I could think was, "So this is what it feels like to die", followed by, "Quit being an idiot!  There's nothing wrong with you!"  Turns out the EMT was stepping on the lead, causing it to go crazy.
I had no surgeries growing up.  As an adult, I've had my gallbladder removed and a torn meniscus repair.  The most time I've spent in a hospital  was when I had my babies.  I was suppose  to have my tonsils removed when I was in jr.high, but I had no time for that.  I still have my tonsils. 

How did your folks treat injuries and illnesses? With lots of TLC or by telling you to get a stiff upper lip? Was there a particular home remedy that your mom (or dad or whoever!) used or any "traditions" involving injuries or illnesses?
We had very good professional  care when we got sick:  my mom  was a nurse.  She wouldn't let us milk it, though!  

What's the worst injury (or illness) you had when you were growing up?
It seems like every winter I would get the flu along with tonsillitis.   A high fever went along with it.  The fevers were high enough that I would hallucinate.  And, I would always have the same hallucinations:  there were little people living in my closet.  That's all I'm going to say about that!  I think I've said enough way too much already!


Thank you Susanne, Java, and Linda for hosting the memes!  Join in by visiting their sites...don't forget to link up!

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