catch up time

it's been far too long since i blogged last... tonight, i'm procrastinating a pretty lengthy to-do list, and thought i'd take a look at an online interview that i answered a few months ago (facebook, of course!)... so, considering it's been so long, and everyone is probably feeling painfully detached from me (ha!), i thought i'd share it here...

BOO!
who!?
What was your favorite high school subject?
art
what is the best part of high school?
musicals
Is your name Kelera?
LOL
Do you spend too much time on facebook?
uh huh.
If you had to make a movie about your life what would it be called?
"how can i keep from singing?"
if you fell off a cliff what would be you last thought?
rodney and my kids...pretty sure about that one...
Describe your evil twin.
she says what she thinks instead of holding it in.
If you could make any junk food super-nutritious, which one would you pick?
oreos
Do you like to go online everyday?
have you met me!?
What is your favorite kind of cheese?
any kind.
What do you want?
more hours in the day
where were you born?
morehead city, nc. but went home to harkers island for the next 17 years.
Last film seen
some kids' flick about a hamster (or guinnea pig?) that saves the day. carter gave me a work out that day.
What was your SAT score?
1170... i think. i'm not really the best at remembering numbers.
What is your ideal pizza?
"garbage." or "trash" like my kids call it.
Look to your left: What do you see?
my bedroom. where i should be sleeping.
Apple juice or orange juice?
oj
Have you ever been anywhere outside of U.S.?
i wish.
Ice Cream or Sherbet?
marble slab. does that answer your quesion?
Two sports I played in middle school?
softball, volleyball
Do you have a college deree? If so what?
not yet.
What musical instrument do you play?
piano, french horn
Favorite NFL team?
Pittsburgh Steelers
Family or friends?
seriously? have you met me?!
Why do you go on facebook?
because i'm an addict, that's why.
Do you drink coffee?
negative
Do you like to bake/cook?
yes
Do you believe in ghosts?
kinda
Winter or summer?
summer
Do you have any piercings/tatoos?
one piercing in each ear. boring always did work for me. :)
What kind of car do you drive?
minivan, baby.
What are your "comfy clothes"?
anything that doesn't require high heels.
if you were one of the seven dwarfs, who would you be?
happy
Do you believe in heaven and hell?
si.
Is this boring?
somewhat.
What colour are your eyes?
Colour? mkay. They're blue. :)
What sort of character would you play in a comic book (hero, humorous sidekick, villian, that abrasive newspaper guy, etc.)
The girl that falls for them all...
Coke or Pepsi?
Coke
If you were on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition; what kind of room would you ask for?
Outdoor living space. 20x20 screened in back porch with a shabby chic theme would be pretty cool. :)
If you were one word, what word would you be?
Simple.
If you could time travel, what would be your first stop?
1986. Summer night. Harkers Island. In grandma's yard. 30+ family members just hanging out .
What is your natural hair color?
dirty blonde
How many people are in your family?
5 in my house now, 8 in my house growing up
Favorite Rapper
2pac - there was this one song i loved of his in highschool... can't think of it right now, though! LOL!
Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt?
brad pitt. tom cruise is crazy
Whats the First Thing You Notice In A Boy/Girl?
well, in new friends/acquaintances - i notice their countenance and general attitude - are they friendly? rude? charming? thoughtful? lazy? obnoxious?
What language would you like to speak fluently?
italian
Desktop or Laptop?
laptop
Whats your favorite sport?
to play: volleyball ...... to watch: football
How many kids (or any at all) would you want to have?
3 is just right for us!
Chocolate or other candy?
all sweets are my friends. 'specially when paired with salty.
Sour or sweet candy?
sweet. seriously can't stand when my jaws lock from sour!
City or the suburbs?
suburbia!
Performing Arts, Fine Arts, or Sports?
multi - already told you that!
Riding horses or riding dolphins?
horses
Do you believe a good life is attainable? or is it something that is out of our control ie subject to luck etc.
attainable
What is your favorite color?
sage green
left handed or right handed?
lefty
Why are you taking this interview?
to procrastinate preparing supper
who do you count on when feeling down
rodney
do you plan in advance
usually
What attracts you most?
smile
Do you feel comfortable showing PDA in pubic?
nope
Do you say "I love you" in the relationship?
you betcha
Aliens have landed and selected you to visit their home planet. Do you go with them?
hizell to the naw. i'm a scaredy cat like that
If you could be successful at any job in the world, what would that job be?
too hard to answer - changes every day - one day it's art & design, the next day it's photography... one day it's music, the next day it's cooking... i'm multifacted
If you could be someone else for a day, who would it be?
Mack Wilberg, the conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir - oh to get in his head!!!
If you have friends coming for supper what would you cook?
steaks, potatoes, greens & watermelon.
What is your favourite word?
fabulous
What makes you cry?
lots of stuff. singing the national anthem. singing "god be with you till we meet again." witnessing reunions. talent. poverty.
What makes you laugh?
not practical jokes. those make me sorry. i really prefer g-rated humor.
If you were an animal in the wild, what would you be?
not really wild like that. seriously - i can't even think of one. a lioness?
If you won the lottery, how would you spend your millions?
1st - buy beach house in carteret county... 2nd - a private jet ... the rest is all trivial
If you could travel back in time, what mistake(s) would you want to correct?
i would have deeper friendships with girlfriends, and not waste my time with boys.
Do you believe that the cup is half empty or half full?
always half full... if i ever turn into a half empty kind of person, somebody slap me!
Who was your hero as a child?
my momma
What do you do for fun?
play the piano, sing, go to the movies, create
Are you an outdoor or an indoor person
that's a hard one - i love the comforts of the indoors, but the freedom of the outdoors (especially with little ones)
If you had only six months to live, what would you do first?
see more, sing more, laugh more, travel more, dance more, hug & kiss more
Where do you see yourself in five years?
on this day (august 5th) in 5 years - how about having a summer vacation with my family - at disney!
What are you most proud of in your life?
oh, where to start!?! .... kidding! definitely my family - close and extended
Do you own any pets, and if so what do you have?
none right now
Do you have any tattoos, and if so what and where?
nope
When do you plan on getting married?
btdt. :) december 16, 2000 to be exact.
Get the number or give the number?
both - what if one of us loses it!?!
How do you feel?
inspired
What size shoes do you wear?
9.5
What size shoes do you wear?
9.5
Water or 100% Juice?
neither. crystal lite.
Would you rather be hot or cold?
hot. any day.
Would you rather lose an arm or a leg?
right arm. need that left one.
Opera, Musical, Concert, Play, Performance, or Other?
Musical
What is your favorite clothing brand?
Whatever's on the sale rack at Target
If you had to pick one car, which would it be?
Jaguar S-Type
What was your last thought?
mommy needs a nap
Juice and crackers or milk and cookies?
milk and cookies (especially oreos)
Favorite fruit?
watermelon, by a mile!
Are you a cat or a dog person?
dog
Are you a cat or a dog person?
dog
Would you rather be blind or deaf?
really hard one... probably deaf
Define yourself in 3 words...
kind, low maintenance
Do you eat cold cereal at night?
abso-freakin-lutely!
What is your favorite TV show?
so you think you can dance (but alias was, back in the day!)
Kill the spider or let it out?
another one that depends - on my mood. :) if i kill it - i absolutey tell it "sorry dude," as i do when i kill any bug.
Do you shower every single day?
i wish.
Walking past a beggar, spare change or ignore?
depends - i probably share with the beggar more times than not
Where do you want to travel next?
besides the trip coming up in sept. to SLC, maybe a cruise!
What would you do if Michael Jackson asked you out
not likely :(
What is your favorite food?
thanksgiving spread - with lots of gravy
Do you read harry potter books?
no - only vampire books
If you could have one super human power what would you choose?
time travel
Have you had a beer in the last week?
no
Vitamin Water or Gatorade?
gatorate
Flip flops or tennis shoes?
flip flops
What do you do on fridays?
nothing exceptional - just look at the clock more
What is your favorite song of all time?
"the first time ever i saw your face" sung by celine dion
Do you like bananas?
yes

Love

Jackson has started telling me at bedtime, "I love you more." Oh, that's the good stuff... Just tonight, as I was exclaiming, "No WAY," he said, "If I could wrap my arms around the whole Earth, that would be how much I love you... Oh, I mean all the universes stuck together... That's how much!"

DNA

I'd like to say I could do a "Wordless Wednesday," for once. BUT, there's one minor problem. I wanna talk about this picture. So that, I will.

When I was blessed with one little boy, I thought (but secretly knew otherwise) that there was no way I could love another the way I loved him, my Jackson. To say he rocked my world is the understatement of the century. For reals. He looked like me. He looked like Rodney. His hair was dark. His skin was pale, yet slightly olive. His eyes were darker than both of ours, and I couldn't help but to marvel at how our DNA combined to create the most wonderful little creature this woman could have ever imagined...

Then there were two. Brady's arrival thrilled us just as we'd been thrilled before... He was perfect, TOO! There's never been a skinnier little newborn. His gave new meaning to "chicken legs." His face was an awful lot like Jackson's, as was his coloring. His eyes were deep and dark, and oh, so almond shaped. His widow's peak and head full of black hair made me laugh. He was the perfect baby boy, sleeping many more hours than we'd been used to with our baby number 1. All was right in the world.

Then there were three. I was sure all along that it was another baby boy, long before the 20-wk ultrasound. When my doctor informed us that it was a "he" in there, Jackson excitedly shouted, "I was right!" right there in the exam room. Carter (or God, you choose) likes delivering surprises; first, he decided to meet us a few weeks early, which I am eternally grateful for. Not only that, he came with such a different little "look." Talk about Scandinavian!!!

No doubt, they have their similarities. But their differences are...so obvious. Ya think?

Just some photos and captions

...that are blorthy enough for me. :)

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

Poor Carter. He looks like such an un-loved, pitiful, messy child sitting there in his Pop's old-timey rockin' chair, holding a guitar, and wearing who-knows-what! So yeah, this picture makes me laugh. And what's even better is - not only was he posed like this on this particular day, but he LOVES to grab the guitar and go sit like this almost every day... while he watches TV, of course. His favorites right now are The Backyardigans, Hi-5, and most recently, any cartoon with a superhero theme. He calls them all "Bat-Mat!"


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

What a sad world this would be (in Brady's eyes) if there were no outdoor creatures. On this particular day, about two weeks ago, he managed to catch at least one frog, at least one lizard, and who knows how many other roley-poleys, and other creepy crawly thingys. If he could, he would not only carry them in his pocket 24/7, but I also heard him tell Jackson yesterday that he had kissed a frog. Maybe he wants to marry it. When I asked him why he did such a thing, his reply was the obvious, "because I wuved it." His eyes said "duh" to me.


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

This picture tells me how Jackson is such a big boy. Doesn't he look old? Down to his picked/bitten fingernails, I know and love every inch of him in a way that only a mommy understands. We were at Rodney's annual work carnival down at the fair grounds, and had taken a quick break from all the outdoor fun to chow down on some catered fried chicken, barbecued ribs, hush puppies, slaw, and baked beans. Not to mention some of the best lemonade I've ever had! Back to Jackson - He lost his second tooth today - 5/27/09 - and get this - it was WHILE he was at school - and EVEN BETTER - it was while he was eating lunch!!! As he shared this great news with me before he even got buckled into his seat, he shared how cool it was that not only his whole class was there, but also A TON more kids. The tooth came home in a cute little tooth-shaped carrying case, and all three boys have been fighting over it non stop since we got home. Ah. Life is good.


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

On May 19th, Brady's preschool class had designated snack time to celebrating Brady's birthday (since it was coming up in a few days, and we were just one day away from being all done with preschool for the summer). I came with Carter to celebrate - we had sugar cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, and goldfish. You can give me my pat on the back later, saith the mom who got it all at the grocery store just hours earlier. Just before the festivities began, Carter got to enjoy playtime outside with Brady's class. Look how he was obeying the rules of Brady's teacher! Later, inside, he also sat still for prayer time (over the snack food), and held his hand out just like the others when the teacher passed out squirts of hand sanitizer. SO freakin' cute!


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

Lastly, I wanna give a shout out to my good friends, Lindsay and Erin - for helping to make my birthday so special. On Friday, they came by with a plate full of my favorite sweet treat in the whole wide world (chocolate crinkle cookies) , a beautiful pair of dangley earrings, a delicious smelling candle, and a sweet card. :) Thanks so much girls! I look like ... you know ... in this picture, but I can attest that I did have a shower that morning, and was still miles away from putting my face on. That just doesn't usually happen before 6:00 pm - and only on days that we leave the house for something other than school and preschool.


The. End.
For. Now.

Brady's Birfday!

Brady Boo had such a wonderful day! He began by walking out of his room, standing on the top stair, and exclaiming in the sweetest little 4-year-old voice you ever did hear, "It's my Birfday!"

Later during the morning, he periodically reminded Jackson that "you can't be mean to me, I'm the birfday boy!"

As the clock turned 9, 9:15, 9:41, 10:17, etc., he asked if it was 1:00 yet? He'd even return to the front door from time to time just to see if any "birfday friends" were here yet.

The party was all he had hoped for, as far as I could tell. His guests were Jarod R., Connor R., Owen K., Alan S., Danny S., Payson C., Riley C. and Avery C. Good burgers, pasta salad, vanilla wafers were had, and our trusty crystal lite was there to wash it down. There was trampoline jumping, airplane riding, water hose squirting, slipping and a-sliding, and bug finding and vacuuming. My little video camera ran out of battery while he opened his presents, so I didn't catch the blowing out of the candles on video, but thank goodness, Stephanie the prepared was "to the rescue" with hers. Last year, we had a little incident during Brady's birthday song, (only that Jackson blew out his candles for him - seen here), so I was really hoping that this year was without a hitch. I'm so pleased to report that it was just that.

Here are a few pictures from the sweet time that was had by all. :)

Oh Say Can You Say GOOD TV!?!?!

I'm so excited about all the good (trash?!) TV I'll be wasting my time with this week!

Monday:

The Bachelorette!!!


AND Dancing With the Stars!!!


Tuesday:

More Dancing With the Stars... AND

American IDOL!!!!!!! (Totally deserves all 7 Exclamation Points!)


followed by the new Musical comedy-drama about the misfits who make up a high-school glee club and the teacher who leads them, a one-time glee-club star himself. Created by Ryan Murphy ('Nip/Tuck'). I am really excited about this premiere. :) It's called "GLEE" and it comes on right after Idol on FOX.



Wednesday, more American Idol!!!!!!!

AND THURSDAY!!!! SYTYCD!!!!!!!! oh, I love Cat Deeley!


I guess I'll just come off my high on Friday in time to enjoy a birthday weekend for Brady & me. :) Can't believe it, but it's been 4 years since he was born. And I'll be turning the big 2-9. Seems like just yesterday I was marching down the hall in a mad pout about not being able to drive (even though I was only about 12... or 10. Something like that).

Garden

What an exciting weekend! Rodney & Granny Carol spent last Thursday & Friday constructing our new 8' x 10' garden while the boys and I finished up our little stay at Harkers Island. So Saturday was an awesome day to go get three truck loads of soil and a bunch of starter plants at Lowes, and look what we have here! Our plants include:

2 tomato
1 cherry tomato
1 red bell pepper
3 green bell pepper
3 banana pepper
2 cantaloupe
3 squash
3 zuchinni
1 arugula (salad green)
4 lima bean (starting with seed, so time will tell)
4 pole bean (seed again)
3 cucumber

and a nice variety of herbs:
1 rosemary
2 basil
2 cilantro
1 oregano
1 sage

I can't wait to see how this summer crop works out! You guys have no idea how excited I am to be able to share this thrill with the boys and with Rodney, and especially share some (a lot) with friends and family. :)

Here are the pictures to document the very young plants... Hopefully the "after" picture in the next few months will be a totally different garden. :) Don't forget to look for our handy little gate that lets us in and out. Precious, I tell ya. :)

Jackson loves me

This past week, Jackson has developed a fondness for drawing birds. Just this morning, he drew a lovely "pair" of birds - a male and female. I complimented him on the "pretty" one, and told him that because it looked so beautiful, I could tell it was a girl (that, and she was a little bit smaller!). :) He immediately made sure I knew that the male was better looking, and helped clear up that confusion.

This afternoon, he drew a bird that had a talking bubble coming out of its beak - it said, "I *heart* U" (The heard was a drawing). Overjoyed, I thanked him for loving me, and told him how much I love him. As my dad does, I then asked him, "Do you love me a little bit or a whole lot?" He paused, and told me he'd be right back, after he wrote the answer on the piece of paper in his oh-so-big-boy code. If he came back with an "L" written by the bird, it meant he loves me a little bit. If he came back with an "H" written by the bird, it meant he loves me a whole lot. Lucky me, he came back -with an "H."

I Heart Him. With a capital H.

a little collage - my boys

so i was placing an order for some customers earlier today, and found myself needing to spend a few more dollars to meet the minimum order requirements from the printing company - so i decided to make myself a little something of the boys. it is 12:13 am, so my perception of good/bad is a little off, but i think i'll keep these little stud muffins. ;)

i think it's clickable. ;)

Paleontologists

This is going to be a "mini post." I think I'll start doing these more often. I have a little experience to share, and only 3 minutes to do it. :)

This morning, while reading a book with the boys called "Tyrannosaurus Rex" by Elaine Landau, Jackson informed me that he wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up! Brady has had this as his plan for a good year or so. Immediately, they both took a moment to share what "job" they'd do. Brady will be the digger, Jackson will be the one who cleans up the fossils in the lab, and mommy will be the map holder. They forgot to give Carter and daddy responsibilities. I'll have to ask them about that, and return and report. :)

Crazy Day

Riddle me this -

Why has a certain mommy cleaned her bathtub with Mr. Clean and/or Clorox about 5 times in the last month - You surely don't have to think too hard to come up with the right answer. What's that - You guess it's because I am anal retentive about having a clean bathtub - OONK!!! No, No.


It would be because a certain almost-2-year-old has decided it's his favorite place to go "EWW." The "Eww" expression, of course, is what he always exclaims following his natural (or unnatural - you pick) tendancy to go poopy somewhere other than the toilet.

How about his red face from eating strawberries on Jackson's fieldtrip to Vollmer Farm earlier today. I could dedicate a whole post to the earlier half of the day, so I just might do that next time.


On that note - I have to share this forward I got from Pa. I have a feeling there will be more people out there who enjoy it just as much as I did.

Why English Teachers Die Young

Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country.

Here are last year's winners...

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.


15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.

16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant and she was the East River.

18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

23. The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.

25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard beeps, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

1234

You guys. I am so excited to share this.
I really, really love music.

My favorite "genre," believe it or not, is the sort of Contemporary Christian sound - like - Kenneth Cope, Hilary Weeks, Julie de Azevedo, Michael McLean... (all of these are particularly LDS artist, but that's not really the point)... Could listen to it all day, every day.

After that - I love country (from Carrie Underwood to George Strait - just about any of them!) and adult easy listening (like Chicago, Celine, you get the picture). I'm sounding like such a goob, but I do not care. I am just being honest.

So many of the current hits (on the radio) are so eeh, and really lack that "it factor" that makes it appeal to me. But, every so often I'll find some newer music that will have "it."

Well, my friends - it happened yesterday - and I haven't been able to get this song out of my head! I realize that to have qualified my musical taste at the very beginning of the post as favoring Contemporary Christian music may make you hurry to get away from here - but seriously give it a chance!

Lastly - I must say that I think I have been able to somehow identify what the "it factor" of all of this is, at least in my humble opinion. I think "it" is - the quality of a song to be non-offensive to anyone. My Pa, your boss, my grand daddy, your daughter, my son - Anyone. UN-OFFENSIVE music, people. That's what I'm talking about. Not to mention the lyrics are sweet as pie.

Here. Take a listen. "1234" by Plain White T's. You can thank me later. :)

This one goes out to the 4 "easiest to love" men in my life. Rodney & The 3 Steelboys.

RM dne MOW

TRANSLATION: "Ronald McDonald" does not equal "Mean Old Woman"


















I learned something today. It was taught to me at McDonald's, of all places. Earlier in the day, Brady, Carter & I visited Jackson at school! We met him for lunch at 11:00 and then visited his classroom where I had the great opportunity to read to Jackson's class while Brady & Carter watched and listened too! It was really great.

I then headed back home, where I would shortly be needing to get Carter down for his nap. It was 12:00, and I knew we had a little time to waste before his normal nap time of 1:45 (That's a whole 'nother post - but I do have good reason).

Brady really wanted to do ANYTHING except go home, as he was already pretty upset that we didn't get to stay longer and enjoy the wide variety of toys (especially dinosaurs) that we had to quickly say goodbye to as we left Jackson's cool classroom. In fact, he knew just what would be the best idea of all - the McDonald's play area.

As soon as we got there, I knew the stay would not last long - 15 minutes, max. Our light jackets were just enough to keep us from seriously being knocked over by the gusty winds that swept through town earlier today. It was over 80 degrees yesterday, but that is beside the point. ;) We had already been there for about 10 minutes, and I knew it was going to end soon, thank goodness.

This is where the lesson begins.

A mother who was there with her almost-2 year old decided to help him up the stairs (that were only about 1" too high for him to hike himself) as she could tell he REALLY wanted to go up to the top. He was even already saying "weee" as he pointed to the slide, and the thrill in his eyes spoke volumes. His big brother was also there, and eagerly went up and down, and up and down, thus furthering the excitement of the little one. Only about 5 minutes had passed and her second and final trip to the top had commenced. Her little one was even more eager this time - because he KNEW now just how much fun one more trip down the slide with mommy would be.

THEN, an elderly lady worker from inside stormed outside. She wasted no time rushing to the bottom of the slide, only to shout to the top these words of warning: "Mam! You're too big to be up there!" The mom at the top was amazed! She politely said, "OK, we're leaving in two minutes. Thank you." Of course, she quickly urged her little one to hurry and get in her lap for their last trip down the slide. It was clear to her that the worker and a few of her elderly lady and gentlemen friends inside really got a kick out of what had just taken place. It was even ask if, as if they (yes I said "they," for the other couple had oddly been observing from inside the restaurant for more than the last 5 minutes) took pride in embarrassing the mother who had only ventured to the top for the sole purpose of getting the little one around and about.

The mom was on her way out (of the already opened iron gate that actually helped expedite the exit) when the worker uttered her final words of wisdom. "You don't know how many times I've wanted to to go up there too, just like you!" she said. The mom offered up her best brief explanation of why she did what she did, and said "Well, I do hope you know that I didn't go up there for the thrill." The worker quickly replied "Well - it's just not safe. Especially for him (she pointed to the toddler). If he's not big enough to do it himself, he's not big enough to be up there. We have these rules to protect them."

"Thank You. Have a nice day." were the mom's parting words. She also gave her two little boys an earful about mean old ladies as they were leaving the McDonald's parking lot. How do I know, you ask? Well, I have my reasons. ;)

Lesson learned. Do NOT do something in front of an old person that they, themselves wish they could do, but can not. They might chew your head off.

Steelman - Out.

Oh, I'm such a dork

I've just spent about 15 minutes playing on this website. I think it is because I have boys. Three of them. They DO monsters, ya know?


Not only is it crazy that I'm spending this kinda time on such a website, at this time of day/night... But even crazier is the fact that I'm really entertaining the idea of buying the darn things. I've created three personalized stuffed animals... Colors, Shapes, even eyes that "fit," and of course, the initial on the tummies! At least I didn't "go there" and pretend that Rodney & I both needed one too!


How about Easter - What could the Easter bunny bring that could be better than a one-of-a-kind stuffed monster?!


I think I'll sleep on it. I'd better. And while I do, maybe I'll think of something good/entertaining/worthwhile/memorable/perfect/telling/oh-so-leah to write in my 100th entry, coming next! Oh, the pressure!

Can you say "Free?"

I'm copying. No shame.

My friend Natalie posted this great idea on her blog too... And by posting precisely what I'm posting at this very minute, I'm qualifying for something FREE from her, and in return, I promise to give something free to some of my readers!!!

Here are the rules. :)

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may sew or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

So there you have it. And I say - To the first 5 people who reply here - You too will be the proud owners of something you acquired absolutely F-R-E-E from me! :)

Chop Chop!

****EDIT****
Feb 28... 9:41 am

I forgot to post the catch!!!

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

Happy Feet

Who has happy feet, you're probably wondering.
ME! That's who!

If you had asked me 6 minutes ago if I had found my shoes yet, sadly, the answer would have been no. But something made me pause and look under my BED as I waked in there about 5 minutes ago - and whaddayaknow!! They were there. Actually on tettering on the edge of the line between light and dark, and just SANG to me when I caught the first glimpse. Life. Is. Good.

J. P. S. and the one that got away...

Let me briefly set you up.
The date was Monday, Feb. 16, 2009.
The time was 8:55 am. Just 10 minutes before getting in the car for school. (First day back from track-out, no less)
The events that had JUST transpired (about 1 minute earlier) were pretty exciting - You see, Jackson had lost his FIRST TOOTH! And this was after about 3-4 weeks of wiggling that little guy whenever the moment struck.

SO, without any further adieu, do take one minute and thirty seconds to "enjoy" our morning hooplah!

New Shoes

Has anybody seen my new shoes? The super.comfy.furry-on-the-inside.moccasin ones I got at Kohl's about a month ago. Yeah, it was a month ago - cause it was during my right-after-Christmas shopping spree that I should not have been on.

I just finished a sentence with a preposition. It's all going downhill from here, I can feel it.

But yeah, the shoes were last seen about 2 weeks ago - How sad is that - only wore them every other day for a matter of weeks and they've already skedaddled? I should go check in the black hole under my bed. If I find them, you guys will be the first to know. :)

*BTW, there are at least 15 R's in the post. That's as good as the Random TBC (one post back) is going to get. I still can't get over how hard it is to start a sentence with R.

*Another BTW, I took this picture last April. It was the day after I got my new camera, and I was so stoked about the good bokeh that I was using anything and everything as target practice. The dead giveaway is obviously the painted toenails. That only happens once every 12-18 months, and I totally remember this exact color and being madly in love with it.

R is for Random

My friend Wendi exclaimed "Gimme a C!" earlier this week. I'm joining in on the fun, and after being sent a letter, I now vow to dress up the letter "R" like nobody's business. Not only is the letter "R" going to dominate (I'll try) each point made below, but there will be twenty-five of them (because I'm a multitask-R like that, and I need to answer my facebook tags).

1 ~ Rodney is Running in the kRispy kReme challenge this moRning. Read moRe heRe

2 ~ Racing is soooo not a favoRite past time of mine - but i do Recon i'd Ruv to be theRe to Ritness this Race.

3 ~ R is a haRdeR letteR to staRt worRds with than i thought!

4 ~ Remember when you could sleep in till afteR seven-thiRty!? Even with carteR fast asleep down the hall, here i sit on a satuRday moRning at the computeR and i've been heRe foR a Rile.

5 ~ Rolesville to Wilson - that's the Route i followed on wednesday - to pass jackson and bRady to gRanny caRol, who would then take them with heR back to gReenville for a few days.

6 ~ Raleigh to gReenville - that the Route my maw and paw will follow lateR today to pick up the boys to bRing them down to haRkeRs island where caRteR and i have been since yesteRday at 1:00.

7 ~ Rodney is obviously still in Raleigh (in case you missed number 1).

8 ~ Really good bRats and fRies, mandaRin oRanges, pastaR salad and gRapes - that's what aly seRved us for suppeR last night in her fabuRlous new abode.

9 ~ now is a gRRRReat time to go even moRe Random

10~ because my bRain is failing me miseRably

...to be continued ...

Soapbox time.

I just got'ta. (And I'm only about a week late, but I don't care. Something happened again this morning, and set me off!)

I'm from the south. And extremely proud of it. (Insert whatever redneck smiley you can think of here. I don't care.)

Since when is North Carolina SUPPPOSED to be hugely prepared for a snowy January? Since when is it CRAZY for our public school systems to call off school a whole day in advance - even when the snow has not yet fallen? Since when did people from all over the northern and particularly colder regions of this great land decide that making a mockery of the place where they choose to live is cool? Responses to the missed school days and missed time at work and even lack of milk in the grocery stores like "This is CRAZY!" or "HILARIOUS!" have me really peeved. THIS IS THE SOUTH!

All done. :)

(*Note - this is not directed at any particular individual - I've heard these comments so much in the last week that I can't even keep up with the offenders anymore.)

Oh, and now that I am done - I'll share some of my favorite pictures (Already posted on FB, but wanted to post them here, more for my posterity - who will remember in this post that sometimes, Leah didn't know how to keep her mouth shut.)

A tale in Rolesville

The date is January 20, 2009. The TV is not changing from a network station airing live streaming video of the Capital City. Through tears, and a trembling voice, a mother tells her 5 year old son, "Today," she pauses, "is a really... exciting... day."

A few seconds pass, and he replies, "I know!" She momentarily thinks he's realized the weight behind her words. "Today is Tuesday, a school day, and we're home getting to play in the snow!!! I thought we already talked about this."

brrrr

Brady & I had a really cool outing today with our friends from our neighborhood - the Keslers. :) Owen and Brady are two peas in a pod - 'specially on the little power wheels rig Owen got for Christmas. :)

Here are some pictures from our trip to the Ice Skating Rink in Wake Forest. A FABULOUS time was had by all. :)

~looking on the ice at the fun that would shortly commence:



























~ready to get this party started!




























~taking a little break after our 15 minute trip around the ice (one revolution)




























~"how can i keep from smiling?!"




















~whoever said you can't get a workout on ice with your 3 1/2 year old didn't know what he was talking about. ;)


























~friends