to my followers...

You know who you are.
I give you this. it's called the "Gratitude's Glow Fall Bouquet" from ftd.com. Love you. Mean it. (Seriously, like, why does it give me the "captain of the cheerleading squad" kinda butterflies to see my followers number grow? why!?!) on to more important things... Well, not much is more important than my followers, and their recognition for being sooooo cool. Rather, I should say, on to other things...


Speaking of flowers, I pass a certain florist in my wee-little town quite often. It's on Main Street. Can't miss it. Their little billboard outside says "Can't find the words? Flowers will take care of that!" Each time I pass it, I think to myself, "Hmmm. Rodney passes this sign 2 times each and every day" - at least during the business week... And come to think of it - he passes it on Sundays too, because it's on our way to church. Where am I going with this - I don't know. But I bet Rodney could tell you because he obviously has no problem finding words. (*Just fyi, my little schmoopsie-poo. I really could care less if you got me flowers. But if you ever thought about doing it, tell me. It might make me smile!) LOL!

Speaking of "its" (which I used in the last paragraph - I just HAVE to tell you how excited I was to learn something about grammar a couple weeks ago. I pride myself in having pretty mad skills in that department (not an English major or anything like that, I just "like" it, to be quite honest), YET have somehow found it completely and utterly impossible to remember when it is ok to use the apostrophe in its. Like, when to use "it's" and when to use "its." Weh-hea-Hell. I stumbled on a website the other day that somehow finally impressed it upon my brain enough to not forget it. Wait, let me go check and make sure I've not mixed it up in my head again. (pause...) Yep, I had it mixed up again. ANYWAY, let me tell you what it said... And I quote (in case the link for "it" didn't work ...

It's is a contraction for it is or it has.
It's been good to know you. Contraction: it has
It's a bird! It's a plane! Contraction: it is

Its is a possessive pronoun meaning, more or less, of it or belonging to it.
The dodo bird is known for its inability to fly. Possessive pronoun: its inability = the dodo bird's inability

And the tests:
If you can replace it[']s in your sentence with it is or it has, then your word is it's; otherwise, your word is its.
Its is the neuter version of his and her. Try plugging her into your sentence where you think its belongs. If the sentence still works grammatically (if not logically) then your word is indeed its.


To conclude, if you ever see me use "its" and "it's" incorrectly. Just know that it would kill me to know it. So just keep "it" to yourself. Especially you followers. You know who you are.

Ok. Now. I must answer my tags. Oh me. I... Uh... Don't remember who tagged me. Oh, yes! Emily did. I'll do her's first.

#1. I'm really in an oreo phase right now. I kid you not. At least 9 out of the last 10 nights (at least!) I've had a tall glass of milk accompanied by at least 10 oreos just before bed. I'm talking 11:30 before bed. What?! And don't even try to tell me there's any other way to eat an oreo than first dunking it for 5.25 seconds, then eating the first half, then dunking again for 3 seconds and eating the second half. Just don't.

#2. Soap. Betchoo guys didn't know that Rodney & I have only ever bought one specific brand and scent of soap our entire marriage.
Yep. Irish Spring with aloe! "Why" is probably the first question that enters your mind. Well, I will be GLAD to tell you why. It started in 1999, right before we got married. I lived with Joella and James for a semester, and it was the soap they had in their apartment. I really liked it. And decided to keep buying it. I never thought I'd be posting 9 years later that still, I'm using that darn soap. But here I am. Committed. I have no reason to change. There, I said it.

#3. Did you guys know I wear my watch on my right wrist? Cause I'm left handed like that, yo.

#4. Did you know that I am not a fan of people who choose to be down-right hateful. Like the lady I met yesterday. I extended my hand to greet her (as I should - I can't tell the rest of the story, as to "why" but I absolutely needed to introduce myself) and she didn't extend hers. And spoke to me like hired help. Speaking of hired help. Nobody has any right to speak to hired help rudely. Ugh!

#5. I am not a fan of silence. MUST keep my fan on in my bathroom at night to sleep. My mom will confirm that when I'm at her house, and I can hear the clock ticking on the wall, I've been known to rip the batteries right on out. And still place the clock under a pillow in another room. Just in case.

#6. Whew. I'm getting there. My Christmas wish list at this very moment is "a new front door."

#7. My new favorite series this season is My Own Worst Enemy on NBC. Only two episodes have aired so far. I've DVR'd them both, and about to go watch #2 for the firs time. But still, it can be my favorite, can't it?! Oh, here's a little scene. MMM. Very Alias. Good Times.

I did it!!! (Oh, if I didn't answer your tag - please forgive me.
It's not you. It's me.)

Welcome to Holland

I read this tonight. I had read it before, but tonight it meant more. Even though I don't have a special needs child, this little glimse into the thoughts of a parent who DOES makes me realize that we all have been on a similar plane ride...



"I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland."


p.s.
I have not forgotten about the tags. They will be my next post. Promise. :)

Announcing

(edited 10.13.08 - just removing the pics with all my contact info... ya know...)

...No... I'm not pregnant. LOL!
...No... I'm not all of a sudden, a walking encyclopedia.
...No... I'm not about to venture to the beautiful coast of Italy on a 6 days/7 nights cruise - although that MAY happen Springtime, 2010 - right daddy? :)

What I am announcing is...

I'm starting my own businesses. :) Yes, there's an "es" at the end. Plural, y'all. LOL!

The first has been in the making for years. I have always wanted to teach piano lessons out of my home, and for one reason or another, have neglected the calling - and put it on a back burner. Now I've gotten the ball rolling, and have got a whopping 3 students to keep me in check. :) It's going great, and I'm really and truly thrilled that it's finally gotten started - here's my little flyer I put up to start my advertising - and it got me one of the three! :) (The other two had inquired at one time or another at church, as there is rarely a meeting during which I'm not sitting at the piano, at some point. :) I wouldn't have it any other way, though! Truly.)

(picture of music flyer was here!) :)

Then, in addition, I've decided to follow in Aly's footsteps (while wearing her out with ooh-gobs of questions) and start a photography business. I am super excited about this - as I've grown to really love being behind the camera these last 5 years, forever snapping the three beautiful children I've been so bless to call my own. :) If you have a few minutes and would like to check out my website, it can be found here: www.shutterwhimsy.com. If you're wondering why I picked the name - I'll try to explain it... I knew I wanted to have a name that was a little... different. You can't be that surprised. LOL! So - along the way, as I've looked at many other photography websites, I came across one cool business name. Then, I knew I wanted to hopefully evoke a certain something in the name of my business similar to hers. So yeah, she was my inspiration. Rodney & I sat together one night at the computer typing out names in a photoshop creation, and he thought of "shutter" - and I thought of "whimsy" - at almost the same exact moment. And my most recent baby was born. I'll call it a "she." :)

So - as with the School of Music, I decided to print a little flyer to hang at Brady's preschool - just to get the word out. I am happy to report that quite a few pull tabs were torn off (that's a good thing!), and I have two sessions booked for late October and early November. You have no idea how exciting this is - not to mention very, very helpful to our less than overflowing bank account.

(picture of shutter whimsy flyer was here) :)

Also, my business card that should be delivered tomorrow. :)

(picture of shutter whimsy business card was here) :)

Thanks for looking - and do spread the words with your Triangle area friends, if applicable. :) Off to fold clothes. They've been a little neglected lately! LOL!