The line, it has been crossed.

I know that there are many moms out there who take their kids to school in their pajamas. And I have absolutely no negative opinion about that. In fact, I may even admire them a bit. But I, personally, can not do it.

Y'all, I'm a lazy butt. But I just am too afraid to go out of this house less than fully dressed. I always think about what would happen if I had a wreck, and how I'd look standing out in the middle of the street. Or what if the principal asked me to get out of the car for some reason? I mean, he's standing right there directing traffic Every Single Morning! Now, I might not look good, AT ALL, but I am always fully dressed. Until today.

A few months ago, I got all loosey goosey and started doing the school drop-off in my slippers. Not the pick-up, mind you, but the drop-off only. I felt like such a rebel. And then comes today. Dum dum DUM! I wanted to get the girls to school in time for breakfast so I could get back here and start working (which you'll notice I'm not doing yet). So I just got crazy and put on a pair of jeans with my sleeping shirt. That's right, folks. I took the girls to school in a sleeping shirt, blue jeans and slippers. I'm afraid it's a slippery slope and I shudder to think about where this may end up. But dang, I feel daring!

And now, I must get back to typing that lovely statement about the poor guy whose "delicates" got bitten by a Scottish Terrier. And his "urethicum" is still hurting. Sorry if that's too much info, but his pronunciation is cracking me up.

Later ~

We're back!

We're back! And we had a wonderful time at the mini Marriage Retreat. I've got to get some typing done yet tonight, so I'll just hit some spots here and there, and then elaborate tomorrow.

• Our hotel was in downtown Dallas, and boy is it sketchy down there! There were homeless people all over, and one of the people attending our meetings actual saw a drug deal go down outside the liquor store across the street!
• The hotel was nice, though.
• We met some really great people!!
• We also met some people who seemed more interested in bitching about their lives and/or kids than listening to suggestions of how to improve things (which was why we were there!).
• Two drinks will get you pretty happy when you only drink once every year or two!
• I sure did miss my kids!
• I still miss Bear and Buster, since our vet that we love isn't open on Sundays, which we don't love. Wah.
• I get to sleep in my bed tonight!

More tomorrow!

Friday Update

Since I know everyone is waiting with bated breath to hear about my day, I shall now update you on my progress.

* Did not finish typing. That's right, folks. I did not finish typing the statement about the man whose...uhm...business got bitten by a Scottish Terrier. I kid you not.

* Made vet appointments for the doggies. I am so extremely sad to be boarding my sweet Bear and Buster, but yo...I have a free night in a hotel.

* Took Scooter for her speech eval. Seems she does have problems with enunciation, but it's just because she's a "fast talker," so she will not be needing speech therapy. I felt like I was in a Seinfeld episode.

*Did not go shopping for a new outfit, but I think I mentally came up with a couple of outfits to wear this weekend. Ya think maybe I ought to go see if I can find those clothes and make sure they're actually clean?

*I got all crazy and went to the "hair cut style" as my girls call it. That's right, folks. I threw caution to the wind and had my hair professionally done. I get all loosey goosey and do that about once every year or so. My kids get their hair cut every two months, but me...not so much. My friend (Hi, Karen!) that I babysit for is a hairstylist, so we're trading out babysitting for an awesome new do, highlights, lowlights and all.

*Dinner with friends is still up in the air, due to our husbands' unpredictable work schedules. We may just end up eating pizza or Chicken Express here. But it will still be fun.

Okay, so I'd better go see if I can find some clothes to wear this weekend. Later, y'all.

Checking in...

Good morning, y'all. I'm just writing a quick post in case I don't get back here before the weekend's over.

Big Daddy and I are attending a quickie marriage retreat this weekend, at a hotel in Dallas. This event is organized by Lutheran Social Services, who provide wonderful post-adoption resources, including marriage workshops and retreats. Even though we were not licensed through them, and adopted through another foster/adopt agency, we are eligible for these events, as adoptive parents. What a blessing!

So today I have to:

Finish typing

Make vet appointments for the doggies

Take Scooter for a speech evaluation

Go shopping for a new outfit (yay!)

Color my hair

Go out to dinner with friends (gotta have priorities)

And tomorrow (Big Daddy is doing most of this while I get ready):

Pack a small bag

Take dogs to vet

Take Scooter and Pooh to Grammy and Grandaddy's

Pick up Angel Food boxes

Take Tink to friends' house

Drive to Dallas

Check in at 2:00 p.m.

Sunday

At retreat until noon

Pick up 3 girls

T-ball practice at 3:00

Last night when we got home from T-Ball (we won!), BD and I looked at those three sweaty, gap-tooth, goofy girls, and marveled at how wonderful our life is. It's hard! But it's worth it.

You can't make this crap up

Y'all. This just cracks me up.

Hugh Grant Arrested in Alleged Baked Bean Attack.

American Idol Gives Back (or whatever it's called)

I have just a few comments about tonight's show.

First of all, was Chris wearing a white hoodie with that white suit? I absolutely, positively can not sign off on that. I don't care how hippity hop whatever he is. That's just retarded. And I mean that in the most politically correct and non-bashing way possible.

Next, it was cruel and also mean to leave Jordin hanging like that. I hope they knew ahead of time what was gonna happen, cause otherwise, that crap just sucked.

Loved the Sanjaya smack-downs by the celebrities. A little. Or not at all, since that would be mean of me.

Loved Kelly Clarkson's song, but every time I hear her name, I think of 40-Year-Old Virgin.

I wish LaKisha would smile every now and then. Cause she's gonna be going home soon if she can't connect with the audience.

Tink and Pooh both watched the show with us tonight, and Tink kept calling Blake "my boy I like." She also made sure that Pooh knew Phil was bald "like Daddy" under that cap. For the record, Big Daddy's head is not slick. It's stubble.

I realize that I may have rambled some here. I totally meant to do that.

WFMW - Kitchen helper

Cutting straight to the chase today, and telling you that what Works For Me almost every day is my Pampered Chef Crinkle Cutter! Here are a few of the things I've used it for in the past month:

Omelettes - We make one huge cheese omelette for the girls and then cut it in three parts with this baby.

PB & sometimes J - I make PB sandwiches almost every day, and Scooter loves hers in triangles. This guy does it without tearing the bread.

Personal size pizzas - this baby is actually easier for me to use than a pizza cutter on small ones.

Tortilla rolls - Take a flour tortilla, spread it with Onion & Chive cream cheese. Lay some shaved ham on it, and roll it up. Pop it in the fridge until it's set, and then cut into half-inch slices. People eat them as quick as I can cut them!

So. Pampered Chef Crinkle Cutter. Works for Me.

And what also Works for Me is my cute new header! Thanks again, Revka!

Be sure to check out all the other great tips at Shannon's!

DISCLAIMER: I am in no way affiliated with Pampered Chef. This is an unpaid review. However, I am an Amazon Affiliate, which is why one of my links leads to Amazon, in case you want to buy one of these little beauties. My affiliation with Amazon in no way influenced this post. I really do use this bad boy every day.

American Idol Final Six

All right. Let’s get going, y’all. I had such a long and eventful week that I don’t even remember last week’s show, so I’m looking forward to tonight. And Tink took a nap so she could stay up and watch, so we have a special guest commenter tonight.


Chris
Starts out weak. Seems to me that he always sounds like whoever originally recorded the song. Sometimes I think my ears hear different than others, or maybe I just don’t like his style of singing. Cause the judges and Big Daddy all thought he was good.

Tink: Stuck her face in the pillow.


Melinda
Get a load of that necklace! And p.s., she sounds great, as usual.

Tink: If Momma thinks it’s good, then I’ll think it’s good. When she said “The Lord”, I liked it more.


Blake
I think Blake's pretty hot, except when he makes his mouth into a little “o” – you know what I mean? And he’s working this song so far, even though I’ve never really liked it, At All.

Tink: This guy is better than the other twos.


LaKisha
Is this key too low? Girlfriend is rocking the strapless dress and awesome earrings. Oh, and the song’s coming together, too. Her phrasing is weird, though, “re (inhale) alized.” I have to disagree with the judges here, because I certainly think that KiKi did this song justice. Simon’s right; they’re just comparing her to Fantasia, since it’s a Fantasia song.

Big Daddy: That started out rough, but it got good.

Tink: Well, I didn’t think it’s good. I’ll say it’s nasty. I like it when I hear Lord parts, like the one before.


Phil
Eh. I’d like to see some 5:00 shadow on that head. Song is just a’ight.

Tink: Not good. No ma’am. At least I don’t think it’s good, because it said, “It won’t change me,” and that’s just thinking about ourselves.

BD: I thought it was pretty good.


Jordin
She looks beautiful tonight! I think this is a hard song, but so far she’s tearing it up (that’s good here in the south). Was it really, as Randy said, “the best vocal in six seasons?” Probably not, but it was pretty great.

Tink: Momma, I love this girl! And her lips are sparkly.


I'm not thrilled to death by anyone. Best tonight? For me, it was Melinda. Worst? Sorry, Chris.

Tink: I hope the winner will be the guy (Blake). He’s pretty.

Spiffy, huh?

So...what do y'all think?

I was one of 25 lucky ducks who were chosen to receive a free header from Revka at RS Designs. We found just the cutest little photo, and I couldn't be happier with the results.

Thanks, Revka, and good luck with the Grand Opening!

This and that

Overheard this morning on the way to church:

Scoot: Pooh, don't put yours face in my face!!

Tink: Yeah, that's one of the Ten Commandments.

Pooh: Huh?

Tink: Yeah, don't put your face in someone's face, and don't yell at someone. It's one of the Ten Commandments.

Pooh and Tink played in a T-ball tournament yesterday and now Scooter and I are SO very sunburned. I am a horrible mother. It's the old cliche, you don't think about it when it's cloudy. Pooh and Tink didn't get much sun, because they were wearing their hats or in the dugout most of the time.

The girls played three games and lost all three. That's a far cry from last season when their teams came in 2nd and 3rd place. Oh well, they don't really know the difference, except that Tink is not happy with the fact that her friend's trophy is bigger than hers.

My in-laws returned to San Diego yesterday, and although we miss them terribly - sincerely - it was very nice to come home last night and do absolutely nothing. We did the same thing after church this morning.

I'll post a recap of their visit in the next few days. We had a great time!

A Very Delicate Subject

Favoritism. It's a dirty word of parenting. I think it could be one of the biggest fears of parenting, one of our big taboos. I was was pondering it this morning, and am just sort of thinking online here for a bit.

First, let me say that in my case, at least, I sincerely love all my children the same. I would imagine that the majority of us do.

But...and here's the thing that I think many parents are afraid to admit, and maybe even feel unnecessarily ashamed of. I connect with my children in varying degrees, and on many different levels. Sometimes I feel a kinship that may be stronger with one or another of them. I may not be clarifying this well, but I will try.

Let's be hypothetical. Say Jane Doe has three sons, John, Jim and Jack.

John is a loner. He's very intelligent and helpful, but also very willful and stubborn at times. Jane loves him with all her heart, but much of her time is spent trying to connect with him, or molding and correcting his willful attitudes. Their connection may be strained at times, but the love and protection is always there.

Jim is a people person. He loves to interact with others, but can be selfish at times. He tries to stay "within the lines," because he has realized that will make his path smoother. Jane does not love Jim more, but may be able to enjoy their time together more, because it is spent interacting in a positive rather than a negative way.

Let's say Jack is the baby. He's 2, and more high maintenance, simply because of his age. He is a happy toddler, and into everything. Jane loves Jack in that way that a mother loves her youngest, but neither more nor less than either of her other two boys. She may need a break from him at times, because keeping up with him can be exhausting.

My mother-in-law was talking to me yesterday about the fact that she feels a stronger bond with one of my daughters than the others. I was marveling this morning that it didn't offend me or set off any alarms when she shared this with me. I do not doubt that she loves all three fiercely, but I understand her connection with one over the others.

That's what prompted this post. I think there are many parents, especially mothers, out there who may feel a stronger bond with one child, and feel tremendously guilty about it. In my case, the stronger bond isn't even always with the same child. But because I care too much about what other people think, I sometimes wonder if people think I play favorites. Except I don't so much see it as playing favorites, as just the natural ebb and flow of parenting.

What do you think? I know that this may be a little rambling, but hopefully you will get the gist of what I'm saying. I'd love to have a discussion about this in my comments if you'd like to weigh in.

Talk amongst yourselves.

WFMW - Nap Routine

Naps are a tricky undertaking in our house, and there are many factors that must be considered in the scheduling thereof.

Scooter still needs a nap every day, or she gets difficult and cranky in the evenings. However, if she naps too late in the day, it negatively affects her bedtime. Therefore, Scooter's optimal nap time is late morning. Okay, this is a no-brainer and not really the WFMW.

Here's the magic. Scooter loves Caillou. You know Caillou? He's cute and all, but I think he's a whiner and the adults in his life give in to his fits. But I digress.

Caillou comes on at 10:00 here at our little casa. We schedule nap time right after Caillou, and BINGO! Scooter knows that every day after Caillou, it's time for nap. Every day. Rain or shine. Any time we have deviated from this routine, nap time has been difficult. Adherence to the routine = magic!

Here's the proof. Today, New Baby's Mom brought NB over at about 10:15, and NBM and I sat in the living room and talked until she left at around 10:40. After she left, I walked down the hall calling, "Scooter, it's nap time!"

And where do you think she was? In. Her. Bed. Already. When Caillou ended, she went and got in her bed, without me telling her to. And that Works for Me!

Now, I know that the key is routine, rather than Caillou himself. It just so happens that that little brat's show coincides with our nap schedule. Routine is key, yo.

Don't forget to check out the other tips and ideas at Shannon's!

American Idol Recap

I watched tonight's show with my in-laws, who are here from San Diego. Yay, Nana and Grandpa! They thought I was weird for taking notes, since I didn't watch in my bedroom while sitting at my computer, like I usually do.

Here we go...

Phil - You know what, his head distracts me. My Big Daddy has a shaved head, but it's stubble. I just don't like looking at a guy with a slick noggin. Ick. And I don't know why, but I really didn't get into this performance as much as the judges and some other commenters did. Oh, well...

Jordin - I love Jordin, but what was up with the Loretta Lynn hairdo? Other than that, she was magnificent, as usual. Her voice is beautiful, her Cleopatra dress was gorgeous, and I love how much taller she is than Ryan Seacrest. Love. It.

Sanjaya - First thing I thought of when I saw him tonight was Eddie Murphy doing Buckwheat on Saturday Night Live. "Wookin' Pa Nub." Was his hair actually teased and ratted to stand up in the back? P.S. The song sucked. P.P.S. Why was Ryan taking up for him? Shut it, Ryan.

LaKisha - I loved her fingernails. Is anyone noticing that I paid more attention to appearances than performances tonight? Humm. LaKisha has always been in my top three, but tonight I sort of agreed with the judges. I just didn't feel it. Plus, I would love if she stopped wearing boots with her dresses. Just a personal preference.

Chris - His voice seemed well-suited to a Rascal Flatts song, but I just wasn't feeling it. He sounded off to me.

Melinda - Love her hair like this!! (Again with the appearances.) Ho Ly Crap. I am telling y'all, this may have been my favorite performance of the season. Nana and Grandpa kept shooting me looks, because I could not even be quiet during the performance. I Loved It.

Blake - Sorry, but I'm still stunned from Melinda...did he just spin around? Just a'ight for me, dog.

Who should go home? Well, if there if justice in the totally money-motivated and Godless world of entertainment, then you-know-who should go. But anything can happen. Tune in tomorrow...

Hold me!

Y'all, my in-laws are flying in tomorrow afternoon, and I am Frea King Out ! I love them, but I just feel such pressure to have everything perfect. And perfect, I Am Not. (Do you love my capitalization for emphasis? Just trying it on for size.)

So. This is Big Daddy's Dad and Step-Mom that we're talking about. Although she's been his only Mom for pretty much our entire marriage. There's a biological mom and step-dad too, but ick. The less we see them, the better.

BD's stepMom (Nana) and Dad (Grandpa) live in San Diego, and his Dad has never met our girls. For those of you who are just joining our broadcast, let me recap. We adopted our daughters in 2005, when they were 2, 4 and 5. Nana spent Easter week with us that year, and the girls have never forgotten her. Phone calls and letters and photos have kept us close, but it's not as easy for them to connect to Grandpa, when they've never seen him in person.

So this is big. Tink has spent the last week making up games to play with Grandpa, and coaching Scooter on what she should and should not attempt to do with Grandpa. "Scooter, his knees might not like getting down on the ground." "Scooter, I don't know if he will be able to run like that." For the record, Grandpa is in his late 50's. Not exactly ready for a walker there.

Have you noticed that I'm rambling? That's what Frea King Out does to me. So, on to the purpose for our post.

I am not a great housekeeper. I mean, I keep things relatively clean, but there is quite a bit of clutter in our home. Might have something to do with us having two large adults, three active children and two jacked up dogs in a 1400 square foot house. Oh, and the fact that I'm a pack rat. There is that.

Nana, on the other hand, keeps her house perfect. At least as far as I've seen. And she is always offering to clean things for me, which makes me feel inadequate and judged. But you know what, this time I'm thinking of just giving her a list and letting her go at it. What do you think?

Here's what I think, and what I have been telling myself for days. There are people in this world who don't have food, or have brain tumors, or need a new kidney. So who gives a crap if Nana thinks my bathroom is less than pristine. It probably is. But she still loves me and I still love her, and they're our family. And that is all that matters.

Caillou needs a time out and Ruby is a bully.

Actually, it's not so much Caillou that is the problem; it's the adults around him. (You do know Caillou, right? PBS Kids.)

For example, this week, Caillou borrowed some books from the library. And he wrote on them. Caillou returned the books to the library, and cried because he knew he had done something wrong. Great teaching opportunity, right? Wrong. What does the librarian tell him? "It's all right. I know you didn't mean to." Bull crap! Of course he did! "Don't cry, Caillou. It was an accident." Right. The crayons accidentally fell out of his hand and scribbled all over the books.

Now, I'm not saying that she should have banned him from the library or anything. But don't you think something along the lines of, "It was wrong, but we learn from our mistakes. We must treat books with respect, and when we borrow something, we should be extra careful with it." Just anything but, "I know you didn't mean to."

And when Caillou doesn't want to do something, he sometimes pitches a little fit. And so his parents bargain with him. Yeah, we don't do that in this house. A fit guarantees you won't get your way. Gay-ron-tee. (Do they say "pitch a fit" in other parts of the country, or is that a southern thing?" Just in case, "pitches a fit" sort of means "has a tantrum." Only maybe not as bad.)

While I don't think my kids learn responsible behavior from Caillou, I love the calm way his parents always deal with him. I don't like what they say sometimes, but I love how calm they are. They are an inspiration to me. Sort of.

And what's up with Max and Ruby? First of all, where are the parents? Huh?

Next, am I the only one that thinks Ruby is incredibly selfish? Poor Max is over there saying, "hockey" or whatever, over and over the entire show, and Ruby repeatedly tells him no. Just last week, Max was in the sandbox minding his own business. Ruby decides it's beach party time, and tells him to get out. Now, I wasn't watching, but I heard most of it. What it sounded like was, every time Ruby and her accomplice would leave the room to get something for the beach party, Max got back in the sandbox. Then Ruby would come back and tell him to get out again. But...Max was there first! Am I the only one that sees the injustice in this show?

Serves her right to have to eat a piece of worm cake every now and then.

Working in my pajamas

A few of you have expressed an interest in finding out about the work I do from home, so here are some of the details. For some reason, my brain is kind of scattered today, so I'm just gonna do random facts here.

• I do transcription work, specifically transcribing insurance statements.
• These are usually interviews between a Big Insurance Company claim rep and an insured.
• I work for a small mom-and-pop (really just mom) company who has contracts with several insurance companies.
• The transcripts I type range in length from 2 pages to over 100 pages.
• There is a 3-day turnaround.
• I get paid by the hour; it's better than minimum wage, but less than I made as a full-time Administrative Assistant.
• I use a Panasonic transcribing machine that costs around $200 new. I bought it myself, and deducted it as a business expense.
• I pick up and drop off my tapes at my employer's house.
• Our transcripts are done in Microsoft Word.
• I e-mail completed transcripts to the office.

PROS:

• With my "employer," I can work as much or as little as I want.
• I can work any time of the day or night that I want.
• I love typing.
• Sometimes the transcripts are very interesting.
• I never miss Go Diego, Go or Pinky Dinky Doo!

CONS:

• The lady I work for is a very bad money manager.
• She's been behind on payroll for almost 6 months now.
• I'm currently 2 months behind on getting paid.
• Sometimes the tapes are poor quality.
• Murphy's Law ensures that when a tape is poor quality, the transcript is probably going to be long.
• Sometimes the insureds (or even the claim reps) are just big weirdos, and after an hour or so of typing, I get sick of them.

Overall, though, the reasons that I stick with this gig are:

• I get to stay at home with my kiddos.
• I don't have to deal with butt-head bosses or co-workers (just no paychecks!)
• She eventually pays me.
• With my Crohn's Disease, it would be hard for me to find a regular job, whether full- or part-time.
• I'm a nosy-butt, and I love hearing these people's stories. Most of the time.

If this still sounds like something you're interested in pursuing, drop me a comment or e-mail and I'll send you the contact information. Although I'm local and the work I do is on tapes, I know that she does also have electronic files, and people all over the country who work for her.

Also, in be-bopping around the World Wide Web this morning, I found the following links for (I think legit) WAHM opportunities or information:

All Custom Content - Transcription, proofreading, research, writing opportunities
Work at Home Blog - Info and networking

I'll post more links as I find them, and by all means, if you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me or comment here. Just be sure that if you ask a question in comments, that you have an e-mail address in your profile so I can respond.

You know what I'm sayin'...

I just typed a transcript for an insurance statement. I want to go to Indiana and slap this guy silly.

In 5 pages, he said, "You know..." 45 times.
Of those 45 times, 11 were "You know what I'm sayin'."
He also said, "I mean..." 37 times.
He said, "Like I said..." 18 times.
He said, "Uh..." 32 times.

This is my job, guys. Most of time it's interesting and fairly easy, but the pains in the patoot like this guy just make my head hurt. This is the first time that I've actually analyzed the words, and Wow!

Am I complaining? I don't know. Just more venting, I hope.

Now I'm done typing until my in-laws leave next Saturday. Hooray!

WFMW - Kids' Computer Disk Solution

Our girls have their own (hand-me-down) computer in the living room, where they all three play their computer games. Even Scooter has a couple that she plays, and she is good at them, too!

The problem is this. The cases and the disks and the little envelopes were All. Over. The. Place. And have I told you lately that I'm a little bit OCD? Yeah, I am. You can't tell it by looking at my bedroom, though. But disks, whether musical or computer or DVDs...if they're not in their cases, it just makes me go nuts.

I have reminded, I have corrected, I have taken games away. Nothing has worked. Until. I took all the disks, put them in a box, and put them under my desk.

Now they have to be checked out like library books. Whenever one of the girls has computer time, she comes to me, looks through all the games, and chooses one. That's right. One. And she takes it and plays it and returns it when she's done.

I am in heaven. It's a bit more hassle for me, but I don't have to see disks all over the place ever again! At least until they get CD players in their bedrooms.

So...Computer game check-out system. Works for me!

Go on over to Shannon's and see all the other great ideas today.

Just chatting.

Big Daddy is finally on his way home from work at 9:25 p.m. I'm commiserating with him.

BD: I've been gone from home for 14 and a half hours.

Me: I know, cause I've been missing you for 14 and a half hours.

BD: I've been missing you for 14 hours and 45 minutes, cause I started missin' you 15 minutes before I even left.

Point, Big Daddy.

************************

Me: Tink, what did you have for lunch at school today?

Tink: (long pause)................Just meat.

Me: (cracking up) Pooh, what did you have?

Pooh: Yeah, just meat.

Y'all, is that funny? Cause it's still cracking me up. Just meat.

Tink's almost 6, but still has a hard time with food names. And so, when she's telling me what she has for lunch, she usually just describes it, unless it's pizza.

Just meat. Turns out it was "hamburger steak," which is really just a hamburger patty without the bun, right?

Carry on.

Easter Reminiscence

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing
That we can be born again

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing
Christ is risen from the dead

I remember singing that song in church as a teenager, and it is still one of my favorites.

I remember hunting Easter eggs in the maze at my grandmother and granddaddy's house, and realizing there one year that there was no Easter Bunny. By association, Santa and the Tooth Fairy were outed, too. And I began growing up.

I remember my long-time pastor preaching the same sermon every single Easter. His Easter sermon was full of stories, quotes, emotion and drama. He quoted old-time preachers like Smith Wigglesworth and Moses P. Timms, and even Martin Luther King. I heard that beautiful sermon almost every year for over 15 years; what I wouldn’t give to hear him deliver that sermon just one more time.

************************

Not all of my Easter memories are as fond. I am ashamed when I recall a particular Easter morning, driving home from the apartment of a man that I should not have been involved with. I remember seeing families on the side of the highway that morning, taking pictures in the bluebonnets, and I wanted so badly to have that sort of stability and happiness in my life. I knew somewhere in the corner of my heart that I wouldn’t find what I was looking for with that man, but was so unwilling to stop trying.

Fortunately, even when I was not following God’s will for my life, His hand was on me. He shortly removed me from the situation that I didn’t have the strength to leave. I met my husband a year or so later, and our journey back to God began.

**********************

I thank God that He sent his Son to die for all the foolish and stubborn and selfish things that I've done in my life. Thank Goodness that I am forgiven for my disobedience and shameful behavior.

Hallelujah that He Is Risen, and we will be with Him one day!

Birthday Meme

Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry tagged me for a Birthday Meme. I procrastinated for several days, but you know what? This was really interesting to do!

1. Go to Wikipedia and type in your Birthday Month and day only.
2. List 3 Events that occurred that day.
3. List 2 important Birth days.
4. List 1 Death.
5. List a Holiday or Observance. (if any)
6. Tag 5 other bloggers.

June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining

3 Events

1. 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy was sacked and burned, according to the calculations of Eratosthenes.
2. 1776 - Continental Congress appoints Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston to a committee to draft a declaration of independence.
3. 2001 - Timothy McVeigh is executed for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.

2 Important Birth days

1. 1913 - Vince Lombardi, American football coach (d. 1970)
2. 1959 - Hugh Laurie, English actor and comedian (House!)

1 Death

1. 1979 - John Wayne (born Marion Morrison), American actor (b. 1907)
   

A Holiday or Observance

1. Kamehameha Day, official state holiday of Hawaii, United States, in honor of its first monarch, celebrated with floral parades, hula competition, and festivals

5 people I tag (except I'm only tagging 3):

Kristin at Redneck Diva
dcrmom at Musings of a Housewife
Wendy at A Day in Our Life

Only in the Dirty Laundry household

Tink: You saw my....bottom! You saw my....booty! (She so wants to say butt, but refrains)
Pooh: (proudly) It's also called your Booteous Maximum.
Big Daddy: Gluteus Maximus!
Me: (thinking) I am so gonna blog this! And also, didn't Beyonce sing a song about that?

Oh no, they didn't!

I may possibly be over American Idol.

Oh, who am I kidding? I'm not. But I want to be.

This season I am really annoyed with the voting. I don't get to vote very often, because we DVR it, and voting's over by the time I watch it. You know what they say, you can't complain if you don't vote. But I'm gonna complain anyway.

If I go by what I read here on the internets, we are all pretty much in agreement that Phil, Haley and Sanjaya are the bottom three, and have been for some time. So how come they keep staying week after week after week?

I don't have any answers, or even anything witty to say. I'm just disappointed that this can't be a true singing competition. It's not even a popularity contest at this point. It's manipulation by a minority of people who want to feel powerful by rigging a stupid TV show.

At least Haley has the grace to act surprised when doesn't get eliminated. Sanjaya's ego is stinking up my TV.

I'm not really as bitter as I sound. I'm just still sleepy.

I have to type for money now. Some lady in Florida got her chest burned by a facial machine, and the world can't continue revolving until she gets her settlement.

Please check back later when I will hopefully be sweeter.

American Idol Recap

Okay, here goes. If you don't see them here, it's because they neither impressed me nor horrified me.

Melinda Doolittle - Oh. My. Gosh. I can't believe how good this girl is! She has so much confidence and personality when she's singing, and then as soon as she finishes, she looks all meek and shy. Cute.

Chris Richardson - Chris brought it tonight! One of my favorites.

Jordin Sparks - Great. I'm just so frickin' proud of you!

Gina - Nice. Loved her makeup. Distracted by the stud in her tongue.

Sanjaya - Did he just shout, "Welcome to the universe of Sanjaya?" I'm gonna be brutally honest, so if that offends you, please skip to the next paragraph. Does this kid not realize that he's still there as a joke? Howard Stern and Vote For The Worst are promoting him. I just think that he should be more humble, and it seems like he's getting very cocky.

Haley Scarnato - I didn't think she was that bad. Why wouldn't Paula say anything other than she looked good in green?

LaKisha - Oh. My. Goodness. Again. It's no secret that she and Melinda are my faves. And did anyone notice the little Ann Margaret move she did at the end?

Best - Melinda. Worst - Sanjaya, Phil, who knows?

p.s. Now Mack the Knife is stuck in my head. Thanks so much.

Happy Monday

Just a quick post here to list some things I'm thankful for today.

• We got T-Ball pictures back and they are so cute!
• Big Daddy and I are getting to attend a marriage retreat at a nice hotel in Dallas in a few weeks!
• I have a great new friend that I met online. She rocks!
• I got my girls some really cute (and inexpensive) clothes last Friday at the Carter's Outlet.
• I saw my aunt and uncle Sunday morning for breakfast.
• I got free lipstick and free shower gel and free toothpaste at CVS today! I'm telling you, rock the Extra Bucks!
• I got a free loaf of raisin bread at the bread store today!
• And have I mentioned I made a new friend?

So have a great day, because I sure intend to!

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