Ummm, Hellllooo!!

Summer seemed like it was so long ago. I mean it seemed like yesterday when my hair was cut this past summer. It has now grown back and this morning when I got up to get ready for 8:00 a.m. church service, my hair looked like it had been spun in a whirlwind. Not because it was shabby, it was not. I had wrapped it and then put my rag on it. When I woke up and took my rag off and unwrapped my hair, it was just....there. It was just straight and I had no idea of what I wanted to do with it. Even though it had been wrapped, it didn't have that ummph in it. I went to hubby and said, "Hun, do you think I look like a witch?" He said, "I can't say because I've never seen a witch." Haha--cute, but a little sarcastic if you ask me. I wonder if he knew that I was just talking about my hair,... Ummmm, helllooo!!! I quickly pulled out the hot curlers and did a quick bump here and there and even though it did turn out ok, this stringy stuff hair of mine really do need another trim.

So off to church we go when we had gotten half way to church when I realized that my Bible is at the house. And that's not all...my Sunday school book is there too. I hate going to class unprepared and when I mentioned it to hubby, I would have thought he would have offered me either his Bible or SS book....ummmm helllloooo!!! Neither.

We were sitting in church waiting on service to begin and I really hate turning around when I get in church but whoever came and sat behind us either used Listerine before they came in or their perfume smelled like medicine. Yes, I could smell it. If it was Listerine...good job, if it was perfume, ummm helloooo, might want to stay out of the bottle tone that down a bit. After all that, it still turned out to be a great day. Ummm hellloooo, I'll be back tomorrow, I hope.

Lovingly yours,

A birthday shout out

This is it. My I mean our son is now 14 years old today. He is so excited. I would be too, wouldn't you? After all, his 13 year old ways are dead and gone still up and running. When I woke up this morning, I went to his room and said, "Oh my gosh, where have you been?" He said, "mom, I've been right here sleeping." Then I replied, "Yeah I know you've been here sleeping, but I haven't seen you since you were 13." He chuckled the way only a 14 year old boy could laugh. That was a great way to start the morning.

Well in case you might wonder, here are a few things about my 14 year old that I thought you would like to know. First and foremost, He loves the Lord and his mama. He would probably die if he knew I told you that he loves to rub my elbows.....WHY? I don't know. He loves to eat...oh did I mention he loves to eat!!! He wears a size 14 men shoe. That was not a clerical error. You did read it right. So if anyone has shoes just taking up space that are that size, don't hesitate to send them to me. E-mail me and I will send you my address. (stop laughing, I am so serious). This 14 year old of mine loves his two best buds...remember The Trinity. For some odd reason, he tends to have a sense of humor and I wonder where he gets that from.... Hmmmm, Hint..Hint.. His dream is to become a Medicinal Chemist and if you hear him say the word, he would say it like Med-e-see-nile...LOLOLOL (you just had to have been there)

Mr. 14 year old tends to take after hubby when he sees hubby opening the door for me and helping me up stairs. He said that if ever he would find a wife in life that he would want her to be just like me. (awwwwwwww) I constantly give him the talk about keeping that thing in his pants and of course he laughs at the topic. It's my job to tell him though. He is such a sweet and loving young man to be and here's a shout out to my wonderful and loving son. By the way, he is styling and profiling thinking he is all that..... hahaha

Lovingly yours,

A weekend to remember

See, you wish I had something exciting about me to tell about a weekend to remember. But sorry, it's not about me. Our 13 year son will be 14 on Tuesday, the 26th. So when he was asked what did he want for his birthday, he said that he wanted to go to the pizza buffet here in town and then have his two best buds from church come and stay the night. We knew it would have to be the weekend prior to his birthday in order for this to happen. So he called up his friends, I e-mailed the parents just to make sure everything would be cool. One of (now 13 year old) friends was able to come and eat pizza with him but the other one couldn't make it due to a game. Not a problem, life goes on.

After the pizza was probably swallowed whole instead of actually biting it, the one friend came home with me and I would go and pick the other one up later. So before we had gotten home, I stopped off at Dollar Tree and told my son and his friend to go in and pick out a few snacks they would enjoy eating for one night. I also mentioned to them that their other friend was coming and to get something he would enjoy too. So they got three boxes of snack cakes, some gum, and some fruit punch. (Remember this important info...it will be helpful later.) Anyway, after I had gone and picked up the other friend and came back home, they went out back and played basketball what seemed like forever. (By the way, they call themselves The Trinity because they really think they can't do anything without the other)

While they were playing basketball, I hooked up some hamburger helper and put some fries in the oven. It seemed like enough food for The Trinity and then maybe a few more people. So as basketball was coming to an end, the boys came inside to eat. I had just then remembered that I didn't have any paper plates and insisted that I go to the store and get some but my wonderful and loving son said not to worry about it and that he would make sure all the dishes got washed. First of all, where is my son and what have The Trinity done with him. I graciously agreed that we had a deal. So after they ate and got full, I looked over at the pan where I had baked the fries and they said find me, then I looked over at the skillet where the hamburger helper was made and it said find me. Pop Quiz # 1: Now how many people did I say I had enough food for? I'm glad I didn't make any for me and the rest of the family.

As the night became later, I asked the boys if they were going to take a bath. My son went first and I was thinking that it wouldn't be too far behind him that his friends would go and bathe as well. The friend that I went to go and pick up said that he wasn't going to bathe because he didn't bring any more underwear and he only had the ones he had on. I almost fell out in the floor when he told me that. I didn't think to tell him to turn the inside out... (laughing while writing this) I told them to get the air mattress and blow it up for them to sleep on, but they said they would be too lazy to take it down and this is the picture that I captured of them at 6 something in the morning.....

Pop Quiz # 2: How many snack cakes did we buy? Hmmmm, only half a box was left when I woke up. Our son said that he had an awesome time and thanked me and hubby. I'm glad he had a weekend to remember at 13, because I don't have a clue what 14 will or will not bring.

Lovingly yours,

May I have this dance?

Well, well, well. The dance has come and gone and yes my daughter did attend and she had a great time. (What a nice pic she and hubby took!) It was better than nice, it was spectabulously fanariffic. (I got that talk from my teenagers) It was so grand that I can't even tell it all. There was lighted red carpet for the girls and it was so awesome. They were treated like royalty that night. The girls showed up all dressed up and while some danced and some did not, I enjoyed seeing the look on all of their faces. The fathers, as well as those who stood in the place of a father did their thing and did it well. I wish you could have been there. I do hope this is something that these young ladies will never forget.

I am the third of four daughters and I remember so many things that my father did with us. He was the only male in the house with five women or should I say five raging hormones. He would go outside with us and play baseball and stuff. He was the one who showed us how to wash and wax a car, how to mow the yard and of course how to drive. He was the one who gave us a good talking to when mama wanted to always whip us. He was the one who gave us change when we went on a date and said that if we needed a ride home to call him and he would come and get us. He was the one who went in the store for us to get personal products and I'd say, "Dad, you weren't embarrassed to go and get that" and his response would be, "well it ain't for me." When all four of us girls get together and meet up at home, we ask our dad how in the world did he manage to live with five women and his response is, "I prayed a lot."

He could have prayed for anything, I don't know. I never had an opportunity like these young ladies to have a father/daughter dinner and dance. If I would have, then that would have been something I would cherish forever. I respect the fathers and the fill in's for not trying to be too macho to show these young ladies a great time of what a queen should be treated like. My father will be 68 in October and the next time I make it home, I just may ask him "May I have this dance" because I never know when it will our last time together. I cherish my parents very deeply and it's even nicer when I can go home or call them on the phone just to say "Thanks." Thanks for taking the time out with me when you could have been doing something else. Their time then made me the better person I am now. Take the time out to dance with your child, whether it's stupid or not. They will remember it.....forever.

Lovingly yours,

Play time is over....or is it!

My hubby thinks he really has a sense of humor. After I go to sleep, he wants to wake me up by playing in my ears, running his fingers through my hair, touching my eyes and all that stuff that is not funny to me. I'm trying to sleep and the worst part of it all is that he waits until I'm doing some hard core sleeping. I mean the hard knock life sleep. You know where your head is half way off the bed, your pillow is not under your head and your feet are dangling in limbo from under the covers. I'm normally sleep before hubby so for a couple of nights, he has found it upon himself to do his bothersome play around when I'm at that mode where I don't know if I'm in the middle of midnight or right before day.

So I tell hubby that payback will be coming and he just laughed because again, I am normally sleep before him. So he tells me that there is no way I could get him back because as he would say, "you be sleep." Aha! That's it. I must stay awake to get revenge. So last night I thought I would sit up and then when he gets good and sleepy, I will do to him what's already been done to me. (ok line from Color Purple). Even though I was sooooo sleepy, I managed to stay awake. I thought I would wait until he got right in the comfortable position and throw it on him. And so the war has begun.

He started dozing and I kept saying to myself....."Wait for it.....wait for it.....waiiiiitttttt for it" and I knew when he got to the point of the first snore that it would be my time to move in. BAM!! He was knocked out and I started playing in his ear. He was aggravated too but I didn't let up there. I tickled his navel and he said, "hun, I'm sleepy." First of all, I ain't heard Hun in ages. I said to him this was my payback. All he could do was chuckle and said for me to please let him sleep. I told him if he would have let me sleep then I wouldn't be torturing him like this. Of course he apologized for doing that to me and says that I'm just sooooo cute when I'm sleep. (Throw up moment.) I'm cute when I'm sleep??? What kind of insane madness is that! There is probably drool sliding somewhere down my face. I'm almost positive of it. Anyway, I had to get about 8 more tickles in before I left him alone. I did leave him alone for the moment but I've got to at least get one more night in.....maybe, just maybe, then he will leave me alone and let me sleep.

Lovingly yours,

So Anti-Social

Where should I begin? There's a father daughter dinner/dance in a week and we had been excited about that. Or let's just say hubby and I have been excited. Ms. 16 year old couldn't care less and didn't have any anticipations about going. So when we mentioned to her that there would be rehearsal for them to practice dancing, she said that it didn't really matter because she wasn't going to dance anyway and that she was just gonna sit there. I'm like what do you mean you're not gonna dance. I'm wasting my time trying to help get her prepared for this when all she really thinks is that she is being forced to go to something she don't want to go to. Today was suppose to be the day that we would go and pick out her a dress and I even threw in another incentive, I would go and get her nails done. It was like scrooge came to town and stayed over at my house. I told hubby that if she is not interested in none of that then I say forget about it. Am I doing something wrong here?

He tried to reason with her and I just got to a point where enough is enough. It actually all started with hubby telling her to get her room clean. At any point where she doesn't want to clean, she gets all quiet and act like she lost her best friend. I've told hubby to just be adamant about it and not back down. She will do chores whether she wants to or not. So along with the quietness, she will then go in her room and just sit in the dark with no lights on. See, that doesn't phase me. It bothers hubby. I told him that when she gets in those types of mood, let her look crazy by sitting in the dark room. We talk to find out if there's a problem, but there's nothing. I say move on. I just keep doing what I got to do. They will get over it eventually. She claims to be very anti-social and we suggested to her that if she went to this dinner/dance that it will help her in her social life. That was like talking to the dead and hoping they respond back.

There are some things we make her do whether she wants to or not. She has to go to church. If we go to 8:00 or 10:45, whichever one we attend, that's the one she will attend. I'm not asking either child if they feel like going to church or not. We going, get up. She has to go to school, and a few other things as well; so I told hubby if she making such a big deal over a dance, forget it, let her tail stay here at the house but ain't nobody saving anything for her from the dance. That's her if she wants to miss out. I wish something was like this when I was a teenager. I would have been racing to get there. So I asked Ms. 16 year old if she was going to Junior Prom, she says she didn't want to go and says she may not even go to Senior Prom. Ok, hear ye, hear ye...I am not going to be sitting around begging no child to go and enjoy life. I am going to enjoy life. I've been to my 10, 15, and 20 year high school reunions. And if they have a 25 year when that time comes, I'm going to that one too. I don't care if I didn't care for no one at the school, I'm going.

I asked Ms. 16 year old how come she didn't want to participate in stuff. It's usually the same answer that she don't have a desire to go. Hubby and I try to encourage her as often as we can but if she wants to be a home body, then oh well. If she wants to be at home and everyone else her age from the church will be having a good time, then so be it. It may not be the right thing to do but I'm not gonna fuss about it anymore. I'm not gonna stress about it. I got things to do.

Lovingly yours,

So sick

I got up at my normal time to get ready for work and I was out the door on time as well. But as I drove toward work, I started feeling somewhat sick to my stomach so I pulled into What-a-burger and got a cup of ice. I knew I had a bottle of water on my desk and I would just sip on that for the time being. So when I got out of my car, I didn't feel too good but I didn't feel all that bad either. I got into work, drank my cold water and thought, "Now, I can work." I did feel ok but then it hit me, my head started hurting like someone was hitting me with a hammer. If only I could have seen who it was or I might have tried to hit them back. I put my pen down and just sat in my chair and put my hand up to my head....and then my stomach felt like I was about to upchuck on a woodchuck. My boss was gone to a meeting and the phones were driving me insane. It's gonna have to go to voicemail, I just couldn't answer that phone.

Finally when my boss came back, she saw me just sitting there, which is just so unlike me. She knew something was wrong. I said to her that I needed to go and lay down for a minute. She insisted I go into the lab because no students were in there, so I did. I sat in that lab and I think I got sicker. I don't even know what came over me. I looked around the room for a garbage can because I could feel something was about to come up and no sooner had I found it, I found myself on my knees over that trash can puking up my guts. I went back to my office to grab my purse and keys and I had to come home. I couldn't be there any longer.

I got in my car and all I could say was, "Lord, please help me get home." I drove home and when I got here, hubby met me at the door. All I could do was get in the bed. I thought that maybe if I rested for a while, then I would be able to go to church later on. That wasn't even happening. I just couldn't do it. All I could do was stay in bed. Even though I am feeling somewhat better, I was just too sick to do anything. Hubby came in and gave me some soup and it did manage to stay down. It's amazing what a little rest and a couple of hours will do.

Lovingly yours,

If I were to write a letter

Today is the first day back at work after being off for two whole weeks. My department is the largest one on campus with about 70 instructors and then there's me, just one admin. I already know that the phone calls, office visits and e-mails will ask just about the same questions, so to avoid saying it 70 times, this is what I would say to them if I were to write them all a letter and send it via e-mail:

Dear Colleagues, my time off was wonderful. My Christmas and New Year was even better because I didn't have to see you. I didn't get anything from hubby mainly because I asked him not to get me anything. There was just nothing I wanted. Yes, I did go and see my parents in MS and it was short but fun. While I'm writing, you might as well know that I really hate it when you call me Barb. I mean, seriously, how much more effort does it take your tongue to add that ara on the end. Please do not ask me to help you carry anything to your car and you are parked up the street. I really might consider it if you pull up to the door and since this is not part of my job description, you may want to tip me afterwards. When you are taking me to lunch, I really do appreciate it but can you take me on work time because I really don't want to meet up anywhere on a Saturday or Sunday. I see you five days a week, shouldn't that be enough! When you are off work, why do you make it a point to come in on your off day? Thanks for the birthday surprises you give but I'm sure that every year, you can't possibly forget that I do not eat coconut cake. Oh and one more thing, please stop calling and e-mailing me with your complaints. I have problems of my own. My degree is in Pre-Legal Administration and not Psychology. But my opinion is that some of you really need a psychiatrist instead. No, seriously. I could go on but I, unlike some of you, really do have work to do. Now y'all have a great day now, ya hear! Signed~ The office. ~

Lovingly yours,

Bruised, but not broken

A few years ago, I missed a step as I was coming down some stairs and fell and broke my right ankle. Not only was it broken on one side, it was broken on both sides of my ankle. I was taken to the hospital and the doctors told me that it was messed up really bad and that I had to have pins and screws put in. There are two scars on each side of my right ankle, and one is longer than the other. My concern at the time was would I be able to walk again. The doctors told me that I would but it would take work and determination to get me from the wheelchair to crutches, and then to walking on my own. I went to physical therapy and regained strength back in that ankle and then what seemed like forever to finally get a shoe on. The doctors had one date set that I should be walking but I thought I would be a wuss if I waited that long and so I began my physical therapy at home on my own in between doctor visits and was up and walking in no time.

I'm really trying to get to a point. Just hold your horses. Tonight I took the kids to a movie and would go and pick them up later. So it was just me and hubby home. He was in the bedroom watching the Sugar Bowl and I was up front flipping channels trying to find something on television. I heard him call my name like the house was on fire so I got up off my comfy couch to see what was the matter. He had the audacity to tell me that he wanted me to go back to the room I was in and then look in the closet to see if his black pants and white shirt was in there. I stood there for a minute and said, "Let's get this straight, you wanted me to get up and make 3 trips when you could have gotten up and made 2." He says he was tired and didn't want to move. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind doing things for him but I wanted to sit and relax as well. I told him that I hope it's not like this when our children move out or he will be up a creek without a paddle.

Yes, he has been cut on more than the average person with three hip replacements, open heart surgery, broken leg and this and that, but those are bruises that have healed in time. There have been broken hearts but yet found the ability to love again. My scars may not be as severe as his but in still, we've all been bruised whether it has been physical, mentally, spiritually or whatever, but we are bruised for a moment, but not broken or all hope is lost.

You wouldn't know my right ankle is jacked up unless you saw me with my shoes off and looked down and maybe asked why those scars are there. Some things I am limited to but I still go to the gym and get on that treadmill and just walk at my own pace. We have to get out of our comfort zone and get up and just do what needs to be done without inconveniencing others. You will only know me by my healing, and not my bruises.

Lovingly yours,