Super Sunday

Y'all, we had the best day yesterday at our church's "Life Games."

Our Life Group placed in Pie Eating, Horseshoes, Kickball, Tug of War, Ice Cream Making, Ping Pong, and maybe a few "Spirit Points."

We didn't do so well in Dodgeball, Water Volleyball, or Tricycle Race.

A wonderful member of our Life Group designed and hand-printed our shirts. All our kids (mostly girls) were in matching shirts and pom-poms to cheer for the adults.

I don't think I've sweat so much in my entire life, and had a blast nonetheless. The sweating part was gross, but the rest - oh, so much fun!

I had an entry in the Ice Cream Making contest - Cherry Dr. Pepper Ice Cream (recommended by Grace at lola makes three). I thought it was the rockingest ice cream ever, and Big Daddy agreed. It had maraschino cherries in it, and did I mention it rocked? Guys, there were only 12 entries in the ice cream contest, and my Cherry Dr. Pepper Ice Cream did not place. I'm almost certain I had a jealous spirit, and was a poor sport. But I repented. I'll post the recipe later.

The good news is, my friend J placed third with her also rocking Cherry Pineapple ice cream, so we did score points in that event.

Our Life Group came in 4th out of over 15 groups, and we're one of the smallest groups. In some events, we were competing with half as many players as our opponents.

We drove home at 9:30, salty from sweat and exhausted, and oh, so happy.

We can't wait to do it again - but maybe not in August next time.

Why is that?

Why is that Big Daddy and I can sit in pleasant silence in the car, him driving and me staring at the passing scenery, and then the minute I open up my book to read, he thinks of something to talk about?

Why is that my pretty girls don't want to talk to me until they hear these computer keys start clicking? It's as if this sound brings to mind all the questions of the universe.

ah, my life! Thank goodness I love it so much!

Advice Forum Friday - Edition First

Okay, y'all, it's time for the first ever Advice Forum Friday! I'm just so excited and nervous at the same time! So excited, in fact, that I'm posting it a whole day in advance. Just didn't wanna be late.

Here's how this works: Write a post about a question or problem that you have, be sure to link back to this post, and then list your own post in the Mr. Linky below. Then, visit some of the other blogs listed, and comment away!

Please remember that the purpose of this Forum is helping and uplifting one another. Therefore, when dispensing with the advice and recommendations, please be sweet. If you can't say something nice, PLEASE say nothing!

So, without further ado, here's an issue that I'd like some advice about. You know I love my girls. I'd kick your butt if you hurt them or their feelings.

But I have a talker. A Loud Talker. A Constant Loud Talker. Sometimes you can tell that she has no idea what she's talking about, but she just has this need to hear her own voice. I want to teach her, number one, that she doesn't have to verbalize every thought that pops into her head. And second, I want her to learn restraint. I want her to stop talking when she's told to, and I want her to lower her voice when she's told to.

Now before you get the idea that I'm a mean old mom, let me explain that the main reason I'm bringing this issue to Advice Forum is that I want to be able to deal with it delicately and without hurting my Tink's feelings. Because I feel guilty every time that I ask her to stop talking, but oh my goodness with The Loud Talking!

So, my peeps, bring on the advice. (I've still got "peeps" stuck in my head and I'm trying to use it up!)

Now don't forget to LINK BACK TO THIS POST, list your post below, and visit the other participants. Let's help each other out!


Oh, and if you want to help out with a button, let me know. There was a sweet lady who offered some examples, but I think I may have offended her when I asked for a different font. So, be advised. I might ask you to change something. Hope that's okay.

Advice Forum Friday

How many times have you been stumped, by your child's behavior, or a household task, or the attitude of the guy at the phone company? And you just want to ask some advice. And maybe you posted it on your blog, but only one or two people saw it or offered any advice. I think Advice Forum Friday can help!

Here's how it works:

Every Friday, I'll host Advice Forum Friday here at Queen of Dirty Laundry.
I will set up a Mr. Linky here. (Note to self: Still need to figure out how to do that.)
You post your question on your blog.
You then come here and add your link to Mr. Linky. (The only Mr. Linky for Advice Forum Friday should be here at Queen of Dirty Laundry. Links all over the place cause confusion, don't you think? Thanks!)
After you've posted your link here, please check out and visit the other posters.
And finally, give advice when you have some.

Easy, huh? I hope so.

Here are some examples of questions that might be posted:

My 4-year-old is discontented and whiny, and nothing seems to keep her attention. Any advice?
I have way too much chicken in the freezer, and need some new ideas for how to cook it. Any suggestions?

My floor is dirty 45 minutes after I vacuum it. Any miracle solutions?

I think that does it. Now, all you have to do is post your questions on Friday, link your post here, and start dispensing with the advice!

UPDATED TO ADD: It probably goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that the purpose of this Forum is helping and uplifting one another. Therefore, when dispensing with the advice and recommendations, please be sweet. If you can't say something nice, PLEASE say nothing!

Works for Me Wednesday - The Parenting Edition

The theme for this week's Works For Me Wednesday is Parenting. We are about to pool our wealth of parenting knowledge and unite into one giant Army of Effective Parents! Of course, it's equally possible that we might just come out of the thing more confused than we already were. But let's hope for the Army.

I'll go back to the basics, when I say that CONSISTENCY is something that always works for us. When we are actually consistent. Which we aren't always, but definitely should be!

For example, we used behavior charts and stickers for a while, to help our girls improve in areas where there were problems. Worked pretty well. Until vacation rolled around and we got out of the habit. Lack of consistency = lost improvement.

Next example. Bedtimes. During the school year, we have a consistent bath/bedtime routine. But. During the summer time, things get a little willy nilly, and suddenly kids forget that "bathroom business" means toilet, hands, teeth. They're all, "Do you want me to brush my teeth tonight?" So in this case, lack of consistency = confusion.

Now, on top of consistency, I've realized we have to add persistence. Especially in our case, because our girls have had lots of changes in their short lives. But I think this can apply to pretty much anyone.

We've probably all read parenting books and blogs and forums and websites, and sometimes thought, "Oh, that sounds like a great idea! Maybe it will solve our problem with Wrong Behavior A!" So every time our kid exhibits Wrong Behavior A, they receive Correction A, and we wait for wonderful results. But we don't see immediate results and so give up and move on to something else or often times nothing. So Behavior A continues to exist, and sometimes even worsens.

Now I don't know about you, but here in the Dirty Laundry household, I'm all about the Next Big Thing. So I hear a good idea, and it's, "That's what will save us all!" But when I don't get immediate results, I start looking for the Next Big Thing. And we don't see improvement.

What I realized recently is, it's not that one method works better than another. It's that once we decide how we're going to parent, we have to do it the same way, every day, forever. That way, our children know what to expect, and we get into good habits and they get into good habits, and maybe, just maybe we can come close to happier ever after.

So, Consistency and Persistence. They Work for Me! Now, go on over to Shannon's and see all the other fabulous parenting tips!

For extra credit, here are some kid-related posts I've written in the past:

Organizing Kids' Computer Disks - Still Works For Me!

Nap Routines - We haven't been consistent this summer.

Controlling Toy Chaos - Still Works For Me!

Shopping for Barbie - Still Works For Me! And for Polly Pockets!

Summer Schedule - I swear, this one is so vital to peace in our household! The past few weeks, we've been a little loosey-goosey, and I can really tell the difference! Kids (and adults) are all a little more whiney, complaining, and restless. Our family does so much better when they know what to expect!

In closing, I want to remind you to come back and visit me on Friday for Advice Forum Friday! You can read more about it here.

First Letter Meme

My brain's a little fuzzy today, which is usually the case on Mondays, so I reached into my bag of Memes for some inspiration. And inspiring it is.

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They do not have to be favorites, but they MUST be real places, names, things…NOTHING made up!

Try to use different answers if the person before you had the same 1st initial.

You CAN’T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

If you can’t think of anything, skip it.

Have fun!


Your Name: Lori


1. Famous Singer/Band: Lawrence Welk (It's all I could think of!) Oh, and Larry Norman, Christian rock from the 70's.
2. 4 letter word: Love
3. Street: Lover's Lane
4. Color: Lavender
5. Gifts/Presents: Laptop (Don't I wish!)
6. Vehicle: Lexus
7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Lucky Rabbit's Foot
8. Boy Name: Luke
9. Girl Name: Lily
10. Movie Title: Lassie
11. Drink: Latte
12. Occupation: Laundry Engineer
13. Celebrity: Lucille Ball
14. Magazine: Lucky
15. U.S. City: Las Vegas
16. Pro Sports Teams: Detroit Lions (NFL), Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL)
18. Reason for Being Late for Work: Low blood sugar
19. Something You Throw Away: Losing Lotto tickets
20. Things You Shout: Loser!
21. Cartoon Character: Little Lulu

Okay, so this was sort of fun, sort of difficult, and sort of silly. Which could also describe me, I guess. Anyway, take it on over to your place if you wanna play, and then leave me a comment so I can go check out your answers.

And start getting ready for the very first Advice Forum Friday, coming your way Friday, August 3.

It's a great day!

Today I'm thankful for:

A houseful of church friends eating brunch together, laughing and talking, while our kids play together inside and outside...and inside and outside.

A web of blog friends who are oh, so fun to read and send me sweet e-mails and comments when I need them most.

A new job for Big Daddy, that pays more and has better benefits. And most importantly, where he will be treated properly and with respect. It is truly a God Thing.

That God provides for us, protects us, and guides us through this life of ours.

And selfishly, I'm thankful for another giveaway!

Love Shak, Baby is giving away a $250.00 gift certificate to Gymboree!! Now who couldn't use that!! Check it out.

Finally, I am thankful for the oh, so fun title that was bestowed upon me today by dcrmom at Musings of a Housewife. I am now officially A Bloggin' Princess!

Y'all have a wonderful afternoon!

Again with the giveaway business!

I am so proud to announce the winner of my first ever giveaway, in conjunction with the Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway.

Congratulations, Debi from nothing of importance. You're the winner of Flabbergasted: A Novel.

NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS: Do not miss this wonderful, fabulous, unbelievable giveaway at 5 Minutes for Mom. I am so dadgum excited, seriously!

5 Minutes for Mom is Giving One of You a 37″ Flat-Panel LCD HDTV!!!

That's right. You are not dreaming. They are giving away an Insignia® 37″ Flat-Panel LCD HDTV!!! This prize is valued at $799.99 and is courtesy of Best Buy.

Y'all. I'm ranting like a freak, because I can not believe how fabulous this prize is! So, go on over to 5 Minutes for Mom and see how you, too, can enter the contest. Cause if I can't win it, I hope you do. Except I really hope that I do. Unless you do. But I really need a new TV. But I'm sure you do, too. But................

Okay, I'll shut up now.

Check out these other great contests and giveaways!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And here's one from Tee at Spilt Milk. Spilt Milk is a blog about many things, including, a meddling mother-in-law, her Latino husband, motherhood, raising boys, reviews of cool products, books, funny life observations, and her struggle with religion and self esteem. The prize is a 3-pack of popular kid's computer games, and all I had to do to enter was to cut and paste this code onto my blog.

It's an honor...

I'm so nervous I might wet my pants.

Okay, folks, here goes.

I have had this idea for a "blog carnival" for several months now. I really, really love my idea, but have I ever mentioned that I have some fear and anxiety issues? Yeah, I do. And there are a few details that I couldn't quite figure out, but I finally decided to just jump into this thing, and work out the kinks as I go.

How many times have you been stumped, either by your children's behavior, or a household task, or the attitude of the guy at the phone company? And you just want to ask some advice. And maybe you posted it on your blog, but only one or two people had any advice for you. I think Advice Forum Friday can help!

Here's how it will work:

Every Friday, I will host Advice Forum Friday here at Queen of Dirty Laundry.
I will set up a Mr. Linky here. (Note to self: Figure out how to do that.)
You post your dilemma on your blog, then come here and add your link to Mr. Linky.
Then, hopefully, hosts upon hosts of wise bloggy advice-givers will visit my Mr. Linky and run straight out to all the linkees and start dispensing with the valuable advice.

Here are some examples of questions that might be posted:

My 4-year-old is particularly discontented, and nothing seems to keep her attention lately. Any advice?
I have way too much chicken in the freezer, and need some new ideas for how to cook it. Any suggestions?
My floor is dirty 45 minutes after I vacuum it. Any miracle solutions?

So, I think you get the idea. My question to you is, Do You Wanna Play? I'd love to hear your suggestions, I really would! I'm not married to the name or the day, just the concept. And if you have any scathingly brilliant ideas for how to improve upon my plan, and I implement said idea, I will give you full credit, every week, for the foreseeable future. How's that for incentive?

Oh, and I need a button, right? And I have no skills. So...anyone wanna sign up for that? For full credit, every week, for the foreseeable future?

I'm going to stop rambling now, and sit back and wait for the feedback to roll in. So get to rollin'.

62%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Free Online Dating from Mingle²

I got nothin'.

You guys, my brain is dry. I stayed up way too late last night, looking at giveaways and entering oh, so many! I have ideas for new posts, but when I sit down to write them, I just drift back over to Shannon's, and start looking at all the fun stuff again.

So, love ya. Miss ya. Can't seem to take the time to write anything relevant.

But I'll be done soon, maybe. And if all else fails, the giveaways will go away on Friday, so I'll be forced to return to our regularly scheduled programming then.

Later, 'gators.

It's a Giveaway!

Welcome to my very first giveaway! I'm crazy excited to be participating in The Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway, organized by Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer.

Last month, Big Daddy and I undertook an extremely long road trip, and those events usually go much smoother if I'm looking down at a book rather than up at the traffic. So, off to Mardel for reading material, and here's what I found.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I must reveal that yes, I have read this book. So, technically, it's used. But it still works, I promise. And it's very cute, and well traveled.

Here's what Amazon.com has to say about Flabbergasted: A Novel:

"Stockbroker Jay Jarvis just moved east. His dating life's gone south. What else is a guy to do but go fishing?... ''Blackston's light and breezy style makes Flabbergasted an ideal reading choice for a lazy summer night.''--Bookpage. ''Blackston's first novel is refreshingly honest . . . Good writing and an ample dose of humor make this as charming as Bridget Jones' Diary from the male point of view...''--Library Journal. ''A fun, lighthearted and thoroughly enjoyable 'relational gumbo' of a novel . . . quirky and very satisfying, this novel is an excellent debut.''--CCM Magazine."

and also

"Jay Jarvis, a successful stock broker, decides that the best way to meet eligible woman is to join a church singles group. The ensuing misadventures are delightful as Jay meets quirky people, including a Caddie-driving speed demon, an insightful African-American janitor, and. . .the perfect woman. The only problem is that she's a missionary in Ecuador. As Jay becomes a much wiser man, Peterson generously introduces us to a lively menagerie as he recites poetry, delivers chat-up lines, and reads Bible quotes from a surfboard. Old-fashioned charm is still to be found in contemporary America."

All you have to do to win this fun, fun, funny book is leave a comment, and tell me what state you're in. Then on Friday, July 27th, at or around 12:00 noon CST, one of you lovely, sweet and pretty readers will be chosen as THE WINNAH!

And for you overachievers, here's a chance to earn extra credit (and a little extra goody!). I'm entering a homemade ice cream contest at church in a couple of weeks, so I would love to know if any of you have a fabulous recipe. The more unique, the better. Share your recipe in my comments, or just e-mail it to me, and if you win, I'll throw in a little something extra.

Sound good? Great. So leave me a comment, and an ice cream recipe if you have one, and then go on over to Shannon's to check out all the other giveaways.

And if you think my prize is lame, please be kind. I'm new at this giving away of the things.

Hugs and Kisses!

EDITED TO ADD: Don't forget that I need to be able to contact the winner! So if you don't have a blog, please leave an e-mail address. If you're not comfortable doing that, then it will be up to you check back here on Friday and see if you won, since I won't be able to contact you. GOOD LUCK!

Milk. It's what's for breakfast.

5 Minutes for Mom brings us yet another great giveaway and this time it's a doozy! $300 worth of Dairy Products from Horizon Organic.

$300, I tell ya! That's a boat-load of cheese, yogurt, milk, and various tasty dairy delights!

I really need this, guys, cause this family goes through dairy products like...I don't know what...but really, really fast!

Run on over to 5 Minutes for Mom to enter the contest, cause if I don't win, I sure hope you do!

Monk & Neagle - Don't Miss This!

Hey, check out the new Monk & Neagle CD! I am blessed to be receiving a pre-release copy next week, and in the meantime, I've been listening to a few of the songs on the site. Go on over there and take a look, 'kay?

WFMW - Easy Car Freshener

Hey, my internet peeps! Time for another Works-For-Me Wednesday!

Please excuse my use of the word "peeps." I just can't get it out of my head, and I'm hoping that if I use it a really lot, then it will melt or fade or whatever.

So. Take 3 lovely darling girls, one Big Daddy, and a mom who is a Crohn's Disease sufferer (which can sometimes make one a bit...windy), and sometimes my beloved Chevy Uplander can get a bit...well, stank. It's just stank sometimes. And I don't know if it's because there has been too much tootage in the car, or maybe a food product got left in the back, but at times, it has got to be that something crawled up in there and died.

A few weeks ago, we were about to go on a super-long road trip, and I did not want to get into that van smelling that funk, especially in the New Mexico desert, you know? So I got me a brilliant idea.

I had seen, in the deodorizing section of Target, a car air freshener. But as far as I could tell, it was just a clip that holds an old-school Glade Plug-In, but didn't plug into anything. I put my thinking cap on, and here's what I came up with. I took a Glade Plug-In, not Scented Oil or anything fancy, just the old-school gel cartridge. And I peeled off the backing, and here's the brilliant part. I threw it in a cup holder that's right by a window. That's it. Simple brilliance.

The sun hits the gel-like substance, and promotes the lovely fragrancing action. So instead of smelling like rotting food, or feet or poots, now my lovely Chevy Uplander smells like Peach Blossoms or some such. And I am very happy.

Thanks, y'all, for stopping by to check out my grand idea for this week. Hope you liked it. Now hop on over to Rocks in My Dryer for more inspiration.

Men are from one place; Women are from a totally different place.

As if the events of the past two weeks weren't stressful enough, we now have air conditioning problems. Oh, joy. I'd like to give just a little example to illustrate the difference between men and women. Or at least the man and woman who live in this house. If I may.

SCENARIO ONE (7:30 this evening)

A/C REPAIRMAN: So what seems to be the problem?

BIG DADDY: Well, for about the past two years, every now and then, I'll have to go out there and clear out the condensate line, you know, cause it gets stopped up and water goes all over the place. And it's been getting a little bit worse all the time. So yesterday, when I got home from work - did I tell you I'm a plumber? - my wife told me there was water all over the place, and there was, in the garage floor and also in the laundry room. So I went over there and opened the door and got my air compressor all ready to blow out the condensate line, but then I realized...blah blah blah...THIS IS WHERE I LEFT THE ROOM SO THAT I WOULDN'T GO OVER THERE AND HIT HIM IN THE HEAD.

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

SCENARIO TWO (1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 845 times over the phone)

A/C REPAIRMAN: So what seems to be the problem?

ME: It's leaking. My husband said the drain pan is rusted out. Wanna see?


DISCLAIMER: This post has been reviewed and approved by Big Daddy. He laughed.

The Facts of Life, Part...Three?

I'm wrestling with Tink, and here's what I hear:

"Hey, you got my w**nie!"

...DEAD SILENCE, THEN CRICKETS CHIRPING...

Me: Uh, what are you calling a w**nie?

Tink: My bottom?

Well, crap. So I had to have the w**nie conversation, explain that she doesn't have one, and my 6-year-old knew much more about boys' equipment than I realized or am comfortable with. Can't those little Kindergarten boys keep their business to themselves?

I think I did a good job of explaining it all, and yes, I used the proper terms and everything. When Tink looked confused, I even used a small flashlight as a prop and demonstrated how boys go to the bathroom. See my level of dedication?

Then Scooter came up while we were talking, and you should have seen their faces when they realized that Yep, their Daddy is a boy, and he has one, too.

Stay tuned for the next thrilling installment in what is apparently becoming a serial.

Confirmation

How's this for another good reason to homeschool? I realize that no one's perfect, but shouldn't teachers be pretty close? At least academically?

Thank goodness I'm just PG

Apparently, the fact that I say crap and...cover the children's ears...DEAD, earns me a PG rating. Some material may not be suitable for children.

Well crap, cause I have children, and I say crap and dead almost every day. Do you think they can still grow up to be president some day? Or a flight attendant?

Oh, I just realized that Mingle is a site for Free Online Dating. Which I'm not necessarily endorsing. I'm just sayin'.

WFMW - Fantasy Football

This is an out of the ordinary topic for WFMW, but I've got a great suggestion for a fun activity you and the hubby can do together. You’ve heard of Fantasy Football, right? That weird thing that men do in the fall that we don't really understand? Well, y’all, I got tired of not understanding it, so I decided to try it. And guess what? Fantasy Football is a lot of fun, and a great way to spend time with the hubby.

Our church has a Fantasy Football league, and Big Daddy played for two or three years before I decided to take the plunge and join in. I did pretty good my rookie year; I didn’t make the playoffs, but I had oodles of fun. Oh, and I won a prize for Best Team Name – Queen of Dirty Laundry!

Fantasy Football in a nutshell: You act as the General Manager of an NFL football team. You choose your team by drafting players who you think will have successful years, and you compete weekly against other GMs in your league with a points-based scoring system.

There are tons of websites out there that help you decide which players to draft; and in what order. These websites will even advise you which players to play each week, which is useful for me, since I tend to over analyze everything and would never finish my roster every week unless I got some advice from somewhere.

For me, the best thing about FFL is that Big Daddy loves it, and now we can do it together. Sundays during football season are spent in front of the TV and the computer, tracking our players and talking trash. And you know, that’s what it’s all about, talking trash with my true love.

So, when Fall rolls around and your darling starts talking about that weird Fantasy Football stuff, say, “Hey, honey, count me in!” Works for Me.

If you're looking for more mainstream suggestions, hop on over to Shannon's and check it out!

8 Random Things

I have been tagged by Kristen to do the 8 Random Facts Meme. The rules as I understand them are:

~I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.

~I share eight random facts about myself.

~At the end of the post, I tag eight more bloggers (Man, that's a lot!)

~I then leave a comment for my taggees, telling them they're tagged.

~And I'll go ahead and try to make these Random Facts here things that you may not already know about me.


So here I go with the randomness.


1. I am moderately germophobic. This is mostly in relation to public restrooms, restaurants, and my kids' pee.

2. I have anxiety issues when meeting new people or going into unknown or new situations.

3. I am a very big Elvis fan, but I don't have tons of memorabilia or anything. I just love his music, and yes, even his movies. Viva Las Vegas is my favorite Elvis movie, and An American Trilogy is my favorite Elvis song.

4. Big Daddy and I lost our first little house (duplex) in a fire. It was scary and traumatic.

5. I would love to get a tattoo, but I'm afraid of the pain, and even more afraid that the artist would do a bad job and I'd be stuck with it.

6. I am completely in love with Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. Or addicted. Whatever.

7. I hope that one day they actually create a virtual reality machine like in the sci fi books. And that I can afford it. I have two VR wishes: To sit at my grandmother's table and talk to her while she makes banana pudding. And to go see Elvis Presley at the Las Vegas International in the early 70's. With Big Daddy.

8. I can't stand for anything sticky to be on me, especially on my hands/fingers. Drives me crazy.

Okay, so there you have it. Eight random, and somewhat weird things about me. So who do I tag? Gah! How about anyone who reads this and needs some blog fodder.

And will you do me a favor, and leave me a comment if you identify with any of my randomness? So I don't feel quite so bizarre?

Thanks!

The Walking Wounded

Friday evening, before I made the fated phone call that started the weekend from heck, we were at our friends' house, having a wonderful, relaxing evening. We enjoyed a delicious brisket prepared by our hosts, and the children had a fabulous time playing outside in the back yard.

Until the blood curdling screams began.

I could tell it was Scooter, and was fairly sure it was a hurt scream and not a pissed off scream. BD hit the door running, and by the time I got to the back porch, all I saw was a blood-covered Scooter Pie. My poor baby walked in front of the swing at exactly the wrong time, and Tink kneed her right in the mouth.

Did I mention she was covered in blood? She was, y'all. Her face, her hair, her shirt, and her arms. Covered. In. Blood. I am happy to report that blood does not adversely affect me. Thank Goodness.

Let me tell you about my tough little girl. Before we had her clean enough to come in the house, she had stopped screaming. By the time we got her in the bathroom to check out the damage, she had completely stopped crying. We got her clothes changed and sent her into the living room to rest with Daddy, and by the time I made it into the living room, she was outside again.

Tough Girl.

I am happy to report that no teeth were loosened, but she took a nasty gash to the inside of her mouth. It's getting better every day, though.

I repeat, Tough Girl.

Well, it has been one heck of a weekend, and in an effort to keep my mind occupied and my house in order, I thought I'd try to get back to Menu Plan Monday. Here's this week's effort.

Monday
Baby Back Ribs
Big Daddy smoked these over the weekend; all I have to do is reheat. Thanks, honey.

Tuesday
Beanie Weenies

BD and I have to go to a leadership meeting at church, so I'm making something quick for the girls to eat before Grammy and Grandaddy come to stay with them.

Wednesday
Chicken Tacos or Chicken Parmigiana

Depends on how I'm feeling; I have the ingredients for both.

Thursday
Beans and Rice
Cornbread

Friday
Mexican Salad
Chips and Salsa

Saturday
Big Daddy will be leaving on a jet plane, and I'll probably let my darlings eat whatever they want, cause sometimes I'm irresponsible like that.

Sunday
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce/Meatballs
Garlic Toast

Mucho Thanks to Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday. I always get such good ideas from the participants!

Have a great week, y'all!

It's an honor just to be nominated.

Look, y'all. I'm a Rockin' Girl Blogger. At least, Roses are Red, Violets are Violet thinks so. She honored me with a shout out last Friday, and it's taken me a whole week to "announce" it on my own blog, cause I'm all "Aw, Shucks" about it. I feel sort of silly, because I'm so very excited to finally receive one of these fun awards. What a goofball I am. A thrilled goofball.

Anyway. Here's the really fun part. I get to tell you who I think should also receive the title of Rockin' Girl Blogger. In no specific order.

DeeDee at It Coulda' Been Worse cracks me up all the time, except when she's inspiring me. I know I'm always gonna get something good when I visit her blog.

And then there's Jennifer at Chronicles of a Night Owl. I just love reading about her everyday life and her sweet, sweet kids. Plus she always leaves me the sweetest comments ;)

And no one is more rockin' than my good friend, the Redneck Diva. You can't get more real than this hilarious Oklahoma momma. She's sweet, she's a smart aleck, she's down-to-earth, and she's dadgum funny, too.

Finally, even though these ladies have already received kudos, I'll give 'em a shout-out, too, cause they give me something useful, funny, inspirational, or otherwise fabulous to read every day. I'm talking about Laura, the Organizing Junkie and Katherine at Raising Five.

There are so many fun or touching or inspiring blogs out there, and I know that I've totally left out someone important, which is why I've waited all week to write this post.

Because you all rock.

Happy 5th of July!

It's July 5, and boy, am I having trouble recovering! We went and watched fireworks with friends last night, and didn't get home until around midnight.

For some reason, Big Daddy and I are physically unable to come home and go straight to bed, so it was closer to 2 a.m. before we went to sleep. 6:00 came mighty early this morning! I did cheat and go back to bed after BD left for work, though, and got up again at 9:00.

So, the fireworks. Because I hate crowds, we usually try to find a parking lot near the fireworks location we've chosen. And we get there early. And by the time the fireworks start, there is also a crowd where we are. No problem usually, but last night, y'all, people were just pulling into this parking lot all willy nilly, and blocking the exits and aisles, and more importantly, blocking our view. We were not happy campers. But we had a choice. We could pout about the blockers, or we could enjoy time with our friends and stretch our necks to see the fireworks.

Guess which choice our guys chose. Sigh.

But the fireworks were beautiful and the girls just loved them, and BD's mood improved as soon as we got out of that parking lot.

All in all, we had a most wonderful Independence Day, and I am thankful for that.

Money, money, money...no money?

I still want to write some more about our trip last weekend, but right now, I'm going a different direction.

Big Daddy and I, along with lots of people we know, are on very tight budgets these days. In my case, I know exactly what needs to be done to improve our situation, but I don't always do it. But sometimes, I hear or read stories like this, and I just can't understand it.

There are no magic pills; there are no quick fixes. It's just like dieting; we got ourselves here, now we have to get ourselves out.

So, we are about to get zero tolerance on spending over here in the Dirty Laundry household. I may talk about it some here on my sweet little blog, because to tell you the truth, when I'm really committed, I enjoy being frugal. It's kind of exciting to me. Cause I'm a big freak like that.

So, I'm bookmarking articles and posts like this one from Jeana, and I'm gonna get back on the wagon with ordering from Angel Food Ministries, and get reacquainted with CVS and Walgreen, and I am gonna get this crap under control.

As always, I will keep you posted.

Random Thoughts

In case I haven't told you, Big Daddy and I took Pooh to NM, where Grandpa met us and took her home to spend some time in San Diego. My mind is still spinning from our whirlwind weekend, but I would just like to share a few thoughts with you.

• My 7-year-old lost her ever-lovin' mind when she arrived in California. I think Nana found it and smacked her in the face with it. I'll keep you posted.
• Trent, Texas is the Home of the Gorillas. There's a sign that says so.
• The Wal-Mart in Pecos, Texas does not have a deli. Big Daddy was surprised at this fact. I was not.
• 4- and 6-year-olds who have eaten fast food for lunch three days in a row (Thanks, Grammy and Grandaddy!) will not be thankful to eat peanut butter sandwiches or ramen noodles when their parents return home.
• It is my personal opinion that wearing a bikini at White Sands National Monument is very weird, and possibly inappropriate. Look around, chick. There is no water. Yes, there is sand, but NO WATER.
• I hate the bullet function of Blogger. It just never works right for me. It can't be operator error. It just can't.

That's all I've got for now.

My butt hurts.

Y'all. I have just spent 3 days in a car. My butt and lower back will never be the same.

Just a brief synopsis before I get in my very own, dearly beloved bed.

Friday - Fort Worth to Deming, New Mexico.

Saturday - Deming to Las Cruces to Ruidoso, to oh, why don't we go on up to Albuquerque?

Sunday - Albuquerque to Fort Worth

I have had quite a weekend. And I will tell you more about it in detail in the next few days. But for now, I would like to lay down.

That is all.

Welcome to the next generation

Tink's sitting in the floor next to me, reading a book about fairies. And when I say reading, I mean making up and telling a story quietly to herself, while she looks at the pictures. This is what I just heard:

That's all for now. If you want to come visit us again, just type W-W com, Fairyland. Then type Go To Fairyland. Thanks for visiting.

I just don't know what to say.

WFMW - Cheap Labels

This summer, my goal is to get our home more organized from top to bottom. That includes the girls' closets, the pantry, my desk, the bathrooms and anything else that I can get to. I get lots of good ideas from Org Junkie and other organizational blogs, most of which involve containers and labels.

I've been finding great containers at Dollar Tree, and things are going pretty good. I'm actually excited. Except I can't find my 7-year-old label maker (see above: Need To Get Organized). And I don't have funds to purchase another.

So I've come up with the poor girl's label maker: Scotch Tape and a Sharpie. That's right, boys and girls. Scotch Tape and a Sharpie. And it doesn't even have to be Scotch, but I think it does have to be a Sharpie. Have you seen all the fabulous colors Sharpies come in these days? It's mind-boggling. But I've got to be careful, or I'll spend more on Sharpies than I would on a new label maker.

So. I'm assuming you get the idea, but I'll go ahead and give some details. First, you decide where you want the label. Then, you tear off a piece of tape. Next, you put the tape where you want the label. And finally, you write what you want on your label. Voila! And it's even removable!

Here's a bonus: On large tubs and boxes, we use packing tape and a Sharpie. Same method, of course. Stick with what works.

Now don't laugh, y'all, cause I really love my poor girl labels. They Work For Me. Now go on over to Shannon's and check out all the Wednesday wisdom.

Check it out

Here are some fun, thought-provoking, or otherwise interesting items I've come across recently:


This post from DeeDee at Coulda Been Worse is both informative and dadgum hilarious. If you're a homeschooler or interested in homeschooling, read the whole thing. If you couldn't care less about homeschooling, please oh please scroll down to the last little part, because have I mentioned it's hilarious?

Home Ec 101 has a great idea for dealing with the little angels' bickering.

And look at these loverly contests:

You know 5 Minutes For Mom always has such wonderful giveaways, and this one is no exception. There are so many prizes I've lost count, and it's all in honor of Independence Day. Check it out!

Making a House a Home is celebrating her one-year bloggiversary with a very generous giveaway! If I don't win, I hope you do!

Please pray for Amy today.

I am SO not ready for this!

So I'm sitting on the bed this afternoon, clipping coupons and minding my own business. I was watching Adoption Story on the DVR, and Pooh and Tink came in and started watching with me. I figured it might be a nice conversation starter if they had any questions about being adopted.

Hah!

Here's a brief synopsis of the conversation:

Tink: Oh, she's so sad! She's the Mom, but she had to give her baby away?

Me: (Simple yet wonderfully profound yet vague explanation) Blah blah blah teenager, blah blah blah married, blah blah blah God, blah blah blah (I hope I'm not scarring you for life or being politically incorrect, but who really cares if I'm politically incorrect, except I hope I'm not being insensitive to the plight of birth mothers...ACK!)

Tink: So she did what God wanted her to do?

Me: Wait...what?

Tink: Well, since she wasn't married, she did the right thing and gave the baby to a Mommy and Daddy who are married?

Me: Well, not always...I mean...blah blah blah...sometimes people who aren't married...uhm, I mean...blah blah blah...not everyone...ACK!

Please note that Big Daddy was in the room but seemingly engrossed in the computer. Pooh participated in the conversation too, but Tink quickly assumed the role of Lead Interrogator.

Tink: So then why did God put the baby in her tummy if she wasn't married?

Me: (Oh crap, here it comes!) Well, God meant for us to...when a Mommy and Daddy get married...except sometimes people don't wait...sometimes teenagers do things only Mommies and Daddies are supposed to do, and that makes a baby. Do you remember when you asked me how the babies get out of the tummy?

Pooh: (whispering) They come out...down there.

Tink: (not whispering) FROM OUR PRIVATES!!!!

Me: Right. So blah blah blah egg...blah blah Daddy...sperm...tadpole...(please don't ask me how it gets in there, please don't ask me how it gets in there, I can Google sperm and show it to her, but I don't want to tell her how it gets in there! I can't do this, PLEEEEEAAAASE) and God makes the baby start growing inside the Mommy.

Tink: Huh. Can I watch Kim Possible now?

Me: You bet your sweet ass you can!**

So later I ask Big Daddy: Did you hear what was going on over there?

BD: Yeah. Good job.

Me: Man, I kept looking your way, and you didn't blink, you didn't glance, you were like a Bubble Shooter computer-game-playing stone! Couldn't you at least give a girl a thumbs up or a grin or cut your eyes or something? Throw me a bone, man!

BD: Yeah. I was afraid if I made any sudden moves, she might start asking me questions, too.

Way to be there for me, Babe!



** I did not say "sweet ass" to my 6-year-old. But I sure thought it.

Constructive...suggestion?

I stumbled across Word Wise a few months ago and immediately added it to my Google Reader subscriptions. It's billed as "Writing tips for public relations professionals – and for people everywhere," and I love correct grammar.

Now don't get me wrong; I can talk like a hick with the best of 'em, and I do it often. But I still like to know what's correct and what's not, even if I choose not to comply.

The most recent post is about the rampant misuse of "myself." It's like this guy has a mind-reading machine and knows what's driving me crazy this week.

She's not mine, but she's great!

I don't even know what to name this post.

Overheard in the next room:

Tink: Wanna go dancing before I have a baby?

She continues to beg the others to dance with her. Over and over. And over and over. Tink is very persistent.

Tink: If you don't dance with me, I'm going to have a baby!

Scooter: I'm trying to make a 'cision!

Tink: I'm ready to have my baby now! You have to marry me so we can have a baby!

Y'all, that wasn't even the worst of it. Good night Irene, I'm gonna have lots to post about this summer!

WFMW - Summer Schedule

Wow, I can not believe it's been almost a week since I've posted! It always takes me a while to get back on track after a schedule change. And of course, school's out for the summer, which is a major schedule change.

The first week school was out, I had a project to do for my dad, so I packed the girls up and went to his house every morning, then we came home and bounced off the walls every afternoon.

Once that project was complete, we got busy catching up on doctor and other appointments. We've been to the pediatrician twice, two ophthalmologist appointments and the gastro doctor, along with at least 3 other miscellaneous appointments.

So, that's why I haven't posted much. But I'm getting into the swing of things. Now, let's get to what Works For Me.

I had forgotten how aimless my girls can be when school is out. They seem almost desperate to "have a good time" every minute of every day. And they're often disappointed. Because life isn't always a good time. Sometimes it's just life. After the first week of "freedom," I remembered how we got through last summer: The Schedule.

Our schedule isn't any rigid, minute-by-minute boot camp thing. It's more of a nice soft set of boundaries that bounce the girls along through their day. What I've done is set up a basic hourly schedule, something like this:

9:00 - Breakfast and Morning Chores
10:00 - Inside Play Time
11:00 - Outside Play Time
12:00 - Lunch
1:00 - Rest Time
3:00 - Chores
4:00 - Learning Time
5:00 - Baths, help with dinner

These one-hour blocks get switched around, depending on how much time we're actually at home and whether I'm babysitting. And any time someone doesn't want to do what's on the schedule, they can read on their beds instead. You get the general idea.

Morning Chores consist of everyday things like watering the dogs, taking out the trash and unloading the dishwasher. Afternoon Chores are whatever housekeeping things we're working on that day, and can include laundry, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning bedrooms or whatever.

Inside Play Time is limited to one or two activities per one-hour block. Otherwise, the girls are restless and don't seem satisfied with anything. They get to choose the activity, but once they do, they stick with it.

Rest Time may be a nap if someone's had a rough morning, but usually just means everyone's in my bed watching a movie.

Learning Time can be computer games, Leap Frog, workbooks, coloring, or watching an educational show on TV. I tape lots of Animal Planet and other educational shows on the DVR, so we have a good selection.

We also throw in a fun craft about once a week, and try to go to the park or library once a week, too.

This works so well for my girls. We fine tune the schedule together every morning, and they seem so much more settled when they know what to expect. It sure beats having them wandering around the house wondering what to do.

So. Summer schedule - Works For Me! Now go on over to Shannon's and find some great ideas to make your life easier.

UPDATE: The key here is flexibility! For example, we stayed up late last night, so everyone slept in this morning. Praise the Lord! We also have a lot of laundry to do. So, today our schedule will look something like this:

10:30 Breakfast and Morning Chores/Laundry
11:30 Inside Play/Laundry
1:00 Ready for Lunch?
2:00 Rest Time while folding clothes
4:00 Learning Time/Laundry
5:00 Baths, etc.

Really, really works for us!

ANOTHER UPDATE:

Don't mess with a good thing! My girls have been playing nicely in their room for well over an hour. I'm obviously not going to put an end to this wonderfulness because the schedule dictates it. When things start going downhill, we will return to our regularly scheduled activities. In the meantime, I'm just enjoying it!

Bring on the strawberries!

Since our girls were adopted through foster care, the information we received about their backgrounds and medical history is...spotty, to say the least.

Before our adoption was finalized, we received copies of the CPS files; if everything is piled in one stack, it's over a foot tall. Unfortunately, it's not because there's that much information. It's because they copied everything 3 or 9 times.

So. In all of this voluminous paperwork, there are at least 30 separate pages that indicate Tinkerbell is allergic to strawberries. And this is one of the first things that she ever told me, on the very first night I met her, "I'm 'lergic to strawberries." She didn't know what it meant exactly. "Strawberries might make me throw up."

For almost 3 years, my sweet Tink has been diligent, sometimes more diligent than me. We check every label; "Is it fake strawberry or real strawberry or no strawberry?" And all this time, it's made me crazy that there's no proof. Just words on paper.

So finally, last week, I asked the doctor if we could check it out. I thought they would do that scratching on the back with the grid thing or whatever, like I've seen on TV. But no. My sweet baby had to have blood drawn. For the third time in three years. But guess what?

She's not allergic to strawberries!

And guess what else? I forgot to tell her for two days. I know; I'm an awful mom. But I told her last night, and she begged Big Daddy to go to the store and buy strawberries. But I wouldn't let her eat them at night, because I didn't want her to go into anapha-whatever shock while I was asleep. Just in case the test was wrong.

But this morning, make no mistake. Miss Tinkerbell had Strawberry Banana Yogurt, and real strawberries on the side.

She's not crazy about the plain strawberries. Figures.

Am I crazy?

Oh my goodness, y'all, we are definitely hitting a milestone here in the Dirty Laundry Household.

My big girl is going to visit her Nana and Grandpa in California. By herself. For three weeks.

Oh. My. Goodness.

Am I crazy? I didn't think I was, but now I'm not so sure!

Big Daddy and I started talking a few weeks ago about letting Pooh fly out to California for a couple of weeks this summer, to visit his Dad and stepMom. You know, just sort of talking about it in vague, generic terms.

Then. Sunday night on the phone, I mentioned it to his stepMom. And she says, "Oh yes, Dad and I have already talked about having her come spend some time with us this summer, and two weeks isn't long enough. And we'll pay for it."

Ho Ly Crap.

So the past few days have been spent trying to decide what to do, how to do it and when to do it. Today I sat down in front of the computer (or maybe I was already there) and started seriously going through all our options. Airline flights are hard to find for an unaccompanied minor. American Airlines charges $150 extra round trip for UAs. But Southwest Airlines doesn't. But oh yeah, I couldn't find any reasonably priced flights with no connections.

Until this afternoon. And lo and behold, there is a one-way flight from Their Town to Our Town for only $107. So we booked it.

So in a couple of weeks, we'll drive her about halfway, and Grandpa will meet us to pick her up. Then when the trip is over, my capable big girl will get on a big old airplane and fly for the first time. By herself.

What was I thinking?

WFMW - Shopping for Barbie

Y'all, I have a lot of girls. Three, to be exact, plus me. Plus the friends that come to visit, plus the cousins...you get the picture.

And my lot of girls have lots of Barbies. Lots. Of. Barbies. So many that we have placed a moratorium on further Barbie purchases.

Here's the thing, people. No matter how gorgeous Barbie is on that shelf in the store, give my girls 24 hours, and she's gonna be naked in a tub with frizzy hair. Mermaidia Barbie? She's naked in the bathroom. Fairytopia Barbie? Naked with frizzy orange hair and a breastplate. Sleeping Beauty Barbie? Looks like she's been rode hard and put up wet.

So. Moratorium on Barbie purchases. But there are currently around 20 of the anatomically impossible bimbos in residence, along with their wardrobes, horses, cars and accoutrement. And the Queen of Dirty Laundry can not stand Barbie crap all over the floor. It makes me itch.

So. The last time the girls had a friend over to play, which somehow causes them to lose their ever lovin' minds, I unveiled my master plan for Barbie domination. They brought all the containers of clothes, shoes, and accessories to my bedroom, where I was hard at work reading blogs. And I told them that if Barbie wanted new clothes, then she had to come shop in my bedroom.

Y'all, it worked. All the clothes and shoes stayed in their boxes! There were none on the floor! And the girls thought it was great fun to come shop for Barbie's clothes in my bedroom, One Outfit At A Time!

Granted, this little tip will only be beneficial for those with Barbie overload or OCD like I have. But, it Works For Me.

There are lots more tips over at Shannon's. Go check 'em out!

It's Here!

Boys and Girls, the day has finally arrived. It's my 29th Birthday. Again. For the gazillionth time. Today is the culmination of the Birthday Weekend Extravaganza.

I had my Birthday Cranberry Muffins from Target for breakfast. Along with an icy cup of Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. The breakfast of Birthday Queens.

I will continue in my reign as Birthday Queen by doing exactly what the heck I want to, all day long. Within reason. Of course, I will have to feed the minors and canines. I still have to break up fights. But I might just do it all from my bed. While watching All My Children or Surprise by Design on the DVR.

And tonight, Big Daddy and I will spend quality time together while Grammy and Grandaddy babysit. It may not be fancy, but it will definitely be special.

I'm a lucky girl.

Birthday Weekend Update

The Birthday Weekend Extravaganza is in full effect. Except it's not what someone else might call extravaganzic (like my new word?). But it's my weekend, and I'm loving it.

Here's how this works in our little family. The Birthday Girl (or boy) gets to do whatever they want for pretty much the entire weekend. Now, fortunately for Big Daddy and my girls, I am oh, so easy to please. I don't need big expensive presents (although I wouldn't turn one down). I don't care about a fancy dinner out (although that's nice sometimes). I just want to do what I want, when I want, for the entire weekend. And for the most part, that's exactly what I've done.

Yesterday, Big Daddy had to work. Wah. So the girls and I laid around the house until around 10, and then I had to run to the bank, drop something off at the church, and run a couple other errands. Before we came home, we ran by Best Buy to spend a gift card that I won during Fantasy Football season. You guessed it, I used it on the girls. But that was my intention; I wanted to get them some new computer games. And I got some great deals.

P.S. I also saw some wonderful, delicious and shiny laptops. I coveted them. But I repented.

I then took a nap, which was lovely, after which we did a whole lot of nothing. There was (were?) television viewing, tickle fights and ice cream; also lovely.

This morning we slept in a little and went to late church. My poor girls are so tired right now, because after church, we went on a Birthday Extravaganza Whirlwind of Running Around. It began at Khaki's, which is a great hamburger place near us. From there it continued at various shopping venues, which made me extremely happy. Did you know that Bath and Body Works scheduled their semi-annual sale to coincide with my birthday? How great are they?

And finally, we stopped to look at a humongous Open House in a neighborhood that we dream about sometimes. It was awesome. And 4 times the price of our house. Sigh.

Now, we're all exhausted and the rest of my family is watching The Shaggy Dog. And I am oh, so happy. Because even though it's been a rough few weeks, God is good, and I am happy.

Did someone mention a Giveaway?

Here it is, y'all. 5 Minutes for Mom's Father's Day Giveaway, Part 2.

This time it's the Rocketfish™ Twister Wireless Laser Notebook Mouse, offered by those crazy cats at Best Buy.

Go on over to 5 Minutes for Mom to find out how to enter.

Link Day

Here are a few posts I've read this week that I wanted to share with you. Some made me laugh, some made me think, some are dang good information, and some just made me smile real big. Enjoy.

Katherine at Raising Five wrote a beautiful post about the struggles and uncertainties of parenting. "Are you trying to be perfect, or are you willing to offer God your best, whatever that is?"

Dcrmom at Musings of a Housewife writes a thought-provoking post about Conspicuous Consumption.

I love, love, love Freebie Friday at MotherLoad: The MomAdvice Blog.

Here's a great list of practical baby shower gifts. They're great suggestions, especially for repeat moms-to-be.

Just cute.

And finally, Big Mama always makes me smile, and today was no exception. They're talking about classic country music over there, which I do dearly love.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Scooter: Mom, I need to go baffroom.

Me: Okay, bring me the toilet paper. (She has questionable toilet paper skills)

Scooter: Yes Sam. I love follow yours drekshuns.

We tear, we fold, she walks away.

Scooter: Thanks, Mom.

Me: Thank YOU.

Scooter: No, Thank YOU! I love you, Mom.

Who cares if parenting is hard? It is so totally worth it.

Contest, Contest, I love a Contest!

There are so many great contests around the blogosphere these days. Here are a couple that are going on right now.



5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a 6-month membership to Netflix. Go on over there and check it out! They also have a 2-part Father's Day giveaway.

Design Mom hosts great Random Giveaways. Take a look at the latest here!

Good luck, all.

Oh, and did I mention it's my Birthday Weekend? Let the spoiling commence.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour… I Peter 5:8 KJV

Folks, over the past few weeks, our family has been attacked, it seems, at every turn.

Physical? Yep.
Mental? Oh yeah.
Professional? Definitely.
Emotional? For sure.
Spiritual? Somewhat.

And I am happy to tell you this:

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39 KJV

My friends, we are victorious.

We are more than conquerors.

I love Romans 8, oh yes I do. And I love my Lord. And I love my husband. And I love my children.

And we are more than conquerors.

Casting all your cares on him because he cares for you.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. I Peter 5:7-9, KJV/NIV

Friends are Good.

My friend gave me this and this today, for my (early) birthday present. I love these guys! I had the little one, but it broke, so we had to lay him to rest. But I've never even had the privilege of owning the big one, so I am so excitick, as my girls would say.

Thanks, Karen. You rock.

Daddy's Girl

Y'all, my diva is in the bedroom playing NASCAR. I honest-to-goodness just heard her say, "Gentlemen. Start. Your. Engines!"

Her Daddy will be so proud.

Murphy visits the Dirty Laundry Household

These are things that would annoy me today if I were the type to complain which I am not, oh no ma'am, I am not. I'm just making a list is all.

Why, oh why, when I give one of my darling daughters an inch, must she attempt all the miles in the Daytona 500?

Why must same said daughter do her assigned chores half-way, and then swear to buddah that they're complete? "I'm sure, mom, oh yes I am. I checked, and it's all done." "Honey, if I go check and there's anything left on the table (for example), then you'll get a consequence." "I'll go check again."

Why is the most willing helper the one who hasn't learned to do anything properly yet? "Mom, I can bacavuming?" So I let her vacuum, and then one of us goes back over it. No biggie.

Why am I the most tired on a day when I have to get the most done?

Why does Big Daddy always have to work late on Life Group day (which is also payday and banking day), so that he runs in the house just as the meeting starts, takes a shower and joins us? But can't do anything to help get ready?

Well. I am actually in a really good frame of mind, and so far still smiling. Just needed to whine a little is all.

Have a great Friday night!