Red Van Ramblings

Fever!

Another Brick In The Wall

Old dog needs to learn new tricks.

The Fixer

Worth a thousand words.

Smell it.

Drum roll, please...

Say What?

An open letter to my HOA "Management Group"

We've all got something.

Stream of Consciousness

Gratitude

Tied Down

Blue Skies Smiling At Me

Hard Labor

Don't Fence Me In

Squirrel Conspiracy Theory

This Is Today

You Can Go Home Again

A little rain must fall.

Photo Album: August '08

Photo Album: Summer '08

Photo Album: Blog Images

Photo Album: Mother's Day '08

Photo Album: Blog Images

Photo Album: More Spring '08 Pics

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:08:02 GMT

I've been a mother for almost 14 years now, but, honestly, when I see 103.6 on a thermometer, I freak out a little.

Sunday afternoon while we were still on our weekend getaway to my mother-in-law's, Jacob started complaining of a headache. Sunday night, actually Monday morning, around 2 am, he comes in our room and says he can't get back to sleep.

Well, no wonder, kid, your head is on FIRE!!

Seriously, I was waiting for him to spontaneously combust at any given moment!

Then the intestinal distress began.

Poor kid. There wasn't a whole lot of sleeping going on.

So he stayed home from school yesterday.

He had that weak-eyed look. That pitiful look that makes you just want to scoop him up and hold him all day like you did when he was 3 (4, 5, 6 and 7) with his dreaded ear infections.

We kept the fluids going and alternated the Tylenol and the Ibuprofen. And then there was our friend Immodium for the intestinal distress.

Thank goodness for modern over-the-counter medication, I always say. Even though his temp is back to normal and there doesn't seem to be any intestinal distress this morning, he's getting an extra recuperation day.

Sometimes you just need an extra day.

And it all makes me think of a song...for your listening enjoyment, here is I've Got the Fever by Billy Scott and the Georgia Prophets, from 1968:

I've Got The Fever by Billy Scott and the Georgia Prophets 1968

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:15:33 GMT

"I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework." ~Lily Tomlin as "Edith Ann"

Someone please tell me there is more to life than homework. OY! My son spends nearly 8 hours at school and then comes home and works on homework for 2 hours. There is something seriously wrong with that. Wait, I feel a song coming on...

...we don't need no education...we don't need no thought control...no dark sarcasm in the classroom...teacher leave those kids alone...

The government and the public education system has sucked all the fun out of learning and instead, replaced that with No Child Left Behind and meeting standards and needing to meet their quota of kids scoring "proficient" on the most recent round of standardized ~~torture~~, er, I mean, tests. All of which leaves no room for fun. We're too busy making sure those kids can pass those standardized end of year tests, by golly! No fun for them, no siree. No inspired learning. No creativity allowed. Disclaimer: I am not bashing teachers...it isn't their fault. They are doing what they are mandated to do and they have the hardest jobs in the world. They have been more than wonderful in our educational journey with Jacob.

Just let me have my rant, okay?

Both my kids hate going to school.

And frankly, I don't blame them.

But I would never say that to them.

In other non-ranty type news...Can you say "Road Trip"?! Jacob and I spent a fun weekend in North Carolina visiting with my family. Emma had a very-important-could-not-be-missed birthday sleepover to attend and so she and Hubby stayed home and had some father-daughter time...after she got home from her sleepover, that is. And that allowed Jacob and I to have a nice mother-son road trip. First road trip for The Edge, I might add.

He sat in the front passenger seat like the half grown person that he is. I looked over there at him and realized how much he is growing up. Here's what he spent most of the trip doing--->

Yeah. Gameboy. He did read some and watched a movie. But he does enjoy his gameboy. It was quality time, nonetheless. We chatted a bit. Nothing too serious, but it was precious just to be with him.

I also spent time with my younger brother, Scott, and his family (who were down from Delaware) and my older brother John and his family. If you have been reading a while, you'll recall that Scott and his wife, Lisa, had a baby girl, Olivia, back in May. She is quite adorable and what a set of lungs that girl has! Woo! Such a Cutie! I spent time with my mom and both my grandmas as well. We spent Saturday at the park enjoying a music and art shindig, put on by Scott's friends, Mike (musician) and Sarah Blair (artist) who are brother and sister, and both extremely talented young folks. Scott (pictured) is also a musician, the worship pastor at his church, and I don't get to listen to him play very often. It was a very enjoyable day. Sunday was spent at church, where my brother John is the pastor. It was a treat to hear him share and then have lunch at his house with our whole family (minus my dad, unfortunately, who was out of town and Hubby and Emma). It is a good thing to be within driving distance of my people.

Yeah, spending time with my people definitely balances out the crazy homework.

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:02:22 GMT

You can learn a lot of things doing your family's laundry.

For example, Lego men do NOT melt in the dryer.

You can also learn about what candy the teacher currently has in the prize box. Although it is sometimes hard to identify post wash/dry.

Note to self: Check kids' pockets more thoroughly BEFORE washing and drying.

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:20:45 GMT

I've tried. I really have.

But I just can't seem to get inside his head.

I have tried to imagine the physical pain that certain sounds bring to his sensitive ears. I have tried to understand how he processes things. But I just can't. It isn't for lack of desire or lack of trying.

I believe it. I know it's true. I know he suffers as a result, but I can't feel it. I can't feel it and therefore, cannot understand how to fix it.

Herein lies my problem:

Inside of me there is this NEED. This undeniable need--to FIX things. Now I don't mean fix things as in "fix the busted microwave". I mean, fix the boo-boos in my children's lives--be they emotional or physical. I have decided this is an inherited trait. And I'd like to blame it on my daddy. He's an innate "fixer" as well. He doesn't deny this. And now, I guess, neither do I. I guess by fixing things it makes me feel like I am doing a good job and being a good mom. And being a good mom means I love my kids. It validates who I am--the thing I love most about my life--being a mother.

Here's how this is a problem:

Inevitably, there are things--boo-boos, if you will--that are not fixable and maybe they don't need fixing. I have said on many occasions that I do not in any way believe that my son is "broken". He doesn't need "fixing". I believe that God created him as the masterpiece that he is. I think I want to fix things so that he can walk through his life and feel proud of who he is, just as he is. Fix it so there is such a huge influx of kids who want to be his friend that we can't possibly accommodate all the friendship that is offered. Fix it so that his life is not so hard for him to navigate. Fix it so that I can alleviate the constant frustration he feels with everyday tasks that seem mundane to many of us. Fix it so that he sees his amazing gifts, abilities and potential.

So, I, in my own power, can't fix it. I CAN'T FIX IT. What does that mean about me? I find that my inability to fix these things causes me to doubt my abilities as a mother. Then I start to get sucked into the "vortex of negativity." It begins to stir up lies in my mind like, "I'm not good enough, because if I were, I'd be able to make this boo-boo okay." Cause that's my job as a mom, isn't it?

Or is it?

Here's the kicker:

By telling myself that I'm not good enough, am I not doing the same thing to myself that I want my son to STOP doing to himself? Devaluing myself. Beating myself up. Telling myself that I am less than who I really am.

Maybe I should go think about how I can fix that. Maybe not.

I think a big part of being a mom is knowing when to fix stuff and when to let it ride. It is a very fine line and often so hard to identify one situation from the other. I ask the Lord every day to give me the wisdom I need to know the difference.

This mothering business isn't for the faint of heart. But then again, neither is just being a human being walking around in this crazy crazy world!

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 02:36:45 GMT

"Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest." ~Larry Lorenzoni

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:12:18 GMT

"The breezes taste
Of apple peel.
The air is full
Of smells to feel-
Ripe fruit, old footballs,
Burning brush,
New books, erasers,
Chalk, and such.
The bee, his hive,
Well-honeyed hum,
And Mother cuts
Chrysanthemums.
Like plates washed clean
With suds, the days
Are polished with
A morning haze."
~John Updike, September

Fall is coming. I can smell it.

Today we saw our first semi-fall day...morning temps were in the mid-60s. Very low humidity...nice change, I must say.

I love fall.

I had to go put some air in my tires yesterday. The Edge is so smart. He tells me when I need air in my tires! So off I went to the gas station where, lo and behold, a big ole honking beer truck has parked itself smack in front of my air machine. <The Nerve!> I park The Edge as close as I can and press the button. The air starts cranking up and I'm putting some air in. Soon, I begin to realize that the air isn't working very well. Confused, I head back toward the machine and realize that the machine has cut off --only I couldn't hear it because of the loud engine of said honking beer truck. So, unbeknownst to me, I had been letting air OUT of my tire instead of putting it in. By now, I had about 20 psi in my 44 psi tire. So I press the button again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. UGH.

The upshot is, I had to drive across the street to the other gas station and PAY 75 cents for air. So you see the oxymoron here?? PAY for AIR. It just seems wrong. It was annoying, but what can you do? The Edge turned his light off, so I must have satisfied his air craving.

...And now, back to your regularly scheduled Fall Love Fest already in progress...

It is funny, when the fall smell starts to hit the air, I start missing my people. What I mean is, I am about to need a family fix. I haven't seen my family since the very beginning of the summer. Some of them read this...if you are reading, I miss you. Fall lets me know that the holidays are around the corner and suddenly I have that need to be with family. Stand around in the kitchen with the women folk and cook and eat and talk about family stuff. Fall makes me want to breathe in the air a little deeper. Walk outside a little more. I just love all the colors and smells...breaking out that light jacket for the first time.

Love it.

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:57:54 GMT

I would like you all to say hello to "The Edge".

He is a Ford Edge and it made me think of U2 and Bono and "The Edge" guitarist guy, and therefore, he must be a male. We threw around a few other possible name choices (which I won't mention here), but this just clicked. Maybe it's a bit "Captain Obvious", but as my friend Lisa reminded me, Big Red was no stroke of creative genius either. <gasp> So there. I don't know why I am compelled to name my cars, but I just am. All my cars have had names. There was "Jetta", "323", "The Ru" and then of course, "Big Red" (may she rest in peace). Surely I am not the only one who has such a compulsion??

As you can clearly see, he is not red. Sadly. He is more of a metallic pewter/silvery/gray/ color. What can I say? We were in a pinch. You can see Big Red in the background. Doesn't she seem perfectly unaware that she is being replaced? Pretty pitiful really. I guess senility has really kicked in big time.

Though we are currently suffering from sticker shock--we haven't had a car payment in 3 years--we are liking our new ride. He has a roomy seating area and though we have sacrificed the third row, which we never used anyway, we still have enough cargo room in the back. The first road trip will be the true test of that theory, however.

I am trying to remember if I've ever felt so nauseous during a car purchase. It is incredibly stressful. I thought Clyn was going to projectile yak right there across the table onto our salesman once we started throwing numbers around. Then I started feeling green around the gills myself. I mean, you test drive the car, you love the car, then you go haggle about the price of the car and then quickly, you slide down the slippery slope of wondering if you are doing the right thing. Now that it is all said and done, I believe we have. It drives great. And when I turn the key, I know it is going to crank and that right there is priceless, y'all!

Saturday evening, as we were driving The Edge home for the first time, Jacob says, "Mom, what are you going to write about on your blog now?" Emma says, "ME!" Ha! That gave me a big ole chuckle. But seriously, I am hoping that this will be the last car related blog I write for a long, and I do mean a LONG, time. Big Red gave me lots of angsty blog fodder and I suppose now I will find my fodder elsewhere. Blog fodder is easily found, if you are looking for it.

A HUGE SHOUT OUT to my sweet friend Torri who has spent a good bit of time recently shuttling me around on Big Red-related errands. It is MUCH appreciated. She did her last deed today as I took Big Red to her final resting place at my local Ford dealer. Love ya, girl!

As we drove out of the parking lot, I looked over at Big Red one last time. I bid her a fond farewell and thanked her for her service. There were more good times than bad. I had a fleeting second of nostalgia and then I said to Torri, "I feel like I should be sad, but I'm really not." And I'm really not. I'll tell you when I WILL be sad...on the 15th of next month when that first payment is due. Of course now we're paying for peace of mind and not to hold the pieces of our sad little car together. There is a big difference.

My blog will still remain Red Van Ramblings, as an homage to Big Red. Sort of an "in memoriam" kind of deal, I suppose. Frankly, I like the name and "The Edge Ramblings" doesn't really work for me. Plus, I think it's kind of carved in "spaces" stone.

So, as we say our final goodbye to Big Red, I thought it would be best done with a song.

Here's to you, girl.

Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye - Steam

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 02:21:49 GMT

Random things I learned today:

Kanye West has been arrested for smashing a paparazzo's camera. One can hardly blame him, really.

Ron White, of Blue Collar Comedy Tour fame, also arrested--for drugs. It's a shame.

There are ants living in my husband's car.

Matt Damon apparently hates Sarah Palin. Why does he need to know if she thinks dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago? Why?

Ike is barreling down on Texas and it doesn't look good. Yet thousands refused to leave. There's a lot to be said for living above sea level...as much as I love the sea.

Gas went up 50 cents since yesterday.

The cast from Footloose reunited today on the Today show. A cult classic from 1984. Raging lunatic religious parents and teen rebellion. Good times. Good times.

Jacob wants to know why cheese is called cheese. I've honestly never thought about it. Have you?

New printers must be attached to your computer by USB cords now. Yet, said USB cords are sold SEPARATELY. You THINK you are getting a deal on a 70 dollar printer, but then you are forced to spend 35 more on a USB cord. SUCH a rip off.

Family night fun = playing Apples to Apples Jr. with the family. You should try it.

And to all a good night.

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:56:38 GMT

To Whom It May Concern:

Once again, the pointlessness of my neighborhood HOA dues has been confirmed. Now, that is something I should thank you for bringing to my attention.

I received in the mail today another of your "communications", which are now to the point of being ridiculous. Have you really reprimanded me for having a folding lawn chair and a baseball bat on my porch? Your desperation to find covenant violations astounds me.

You state in your communication to me that your management group is "seeking to preserve the integrity and value of the homes within [our] community". It seems to me that you are serving only as nit-picking Nazis who are wasting the paper on which your communications are printed, and thus, wasting my HOA dues. Or perhaps you must only somehow justify your employment and the exorbitant fee you are paid to do your so-called job. Or maybe you enjoy sending the homeowners in our subdivision into a blind rage every so often. I haven't the faintest idea which is the case, although I'm strongly leaning toward the blind rage.

It is unfortunate that this harassment is part of living in this subdivision, which would otherwise be a very lovely place. Had we known of your "management", I assure you, we would not be living in this neighborhood. If I had a hot pink utility building on my front lawn, or a jacked up rusted out camper on cinderblocks in my driveway, I could understand that you would be interested. I am amazed that our homeowners dues go toward paying for the policing of miscellaneous small items on my front stoop.

I believe your time would be better spent policing the vandalism that has been taking place at our pool over the summer. Or monitoring the damage to some of the signage in the neighborhood. Or sending nastygrams to the lovely neighbors who shot off fireworks in our neighborhood for the whole month of July. Now that would be worth paying for.

By the way, your inspection failed to note the two pairs of sneakers on my front porch as well as the dead flowers in my planters and the smattering of leaves on my sidewalk.

I'm afraid you are falling down on the job. Tsk. Tsk.

Yours Truly,

Joell

(Shwew, I feel a lot better.)

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:04:48 GMT

"Habit if not resisted, soon becomes necessity."~ St. Augustine

Ever considered that we're all a tad OCD?

It occurred to me today...in the bathroom, no less...as I realized that <gasp> someone had put the toilet paper on the roll WRONG. Perhaps you were all unaware that there is a right way and and wrong way to replace the empty roll of TP.

Let me help you.

WRONG:

RIGHT:

You do see the difference, don't you?

Of course you do.

In fact, you may even think that the wrong way is the right way. You'd be wrong, but that's beside the point.

Don't misunderstand me, I was grateful (surprised, but grateful) that anyone other than myself had bothered to replace the empty roll--that I hadn't sat down, done my business and THEN realized the roll was empty. When I sat down and looked at that roll of TP wrongly situated, my first thought was, "Awww, yay, somebody put a new roll on." And as quickly as that thought had come and gone, I had the sudden and unavoidable compulsion to "fix" it. I've got to admit, it scared me a little bit.

But not enough to keep me from fixing it.

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:44:32 GMT

Nothing witty to say today.

No great quote.

Tired.

Car still broken.

Hence, not visiting the gym = feeling like a blobby slug.

Frustrated.

Tired of looking at cars on the internet.

Too. Many. Options.

So. Much. Money.

Catchy songs to kids' shows shouldn't be allowed.

Currently singing Disney Channel's Phineas and Ferb theme-song. SIGH. Now I'll never get it out of my head.

At least not until Miss Montana comes on.

It's the best of both worlds, you know.

Great. Now that's looping through my brain.

Grilled, baked or broiled.

Should be cooking supper, but lacking motivation. Only so many ways one can prepare chicken when your people won't eat a casserole.

Love a casserole myself.

Without casseroles, I would have been a hungry kid. Seems like we used to eat them a good bit.

Tuna casserole.

Vowed never to eat it again.

Haven't.

Sarah Palin must have 40 different pairs of specs. My husband thinks she's hot. <insert raised eyebrow here>

Michelle Obama busted a move on Ellen yesterday. She's got her groove going.

Didn't pay attention to what their men-folk were doing. Hmm. What does that say about me? I think it means I must be shallow.

I really do care about politics.

Really.

That's all I have to say about that.

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:01:25 GMT

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." ~William Arthur Ward

Hanna ended up being a lot of rain and not much more. I am very thankful. It rained torrentially from about 6:30 PM Friday evening until, well, until well after I was asleep Friday night. Saturday proved to be a gorgeous day. It was bizarre, as if nothing had ever happened. So, thanks for all the well wishes! It warms a girl's heart to know you care.

I see that Ike is headed toward southern Florida and then on into the Gulf...perhaps up toward New Orleans. Hope it changes its mind and heads out to sea somewhere. Those folks have certainly endured their share.

In other non-storm-related news, Hubby and I have come to the (shocking!) conclusion that we must begin to look at purchasing another family vehicle. I know, you are all saying "it's about time!" The latest development with Big Red is something electrical and now the interior lights, radio, blinkers, speedometer, odometer, gas gauge, and more, are all non-functional. Could be just a fuse, but nevertheless, I can't very well drive around not knowing how fast I'm going or how much fuel I have. SIGH. I'm off to Dr. Gene's tomorrow to see if that can be remedied with minimal financial drainage--to keep us going long enough to find new transportation. OY. The thought of a car payment makes me want to vomit, but then again, so does the astronomical amount of cash that we have spent on Big Red over the last year. Either way--if we have a car payment or if we pay monthly maintenance on a sick car....it's money going out. I'd rather we put out money every month on something I know is going to be reliable. Won't y'all be glad when you don't have to hear about my car woes anymore?? I'll be glad to not tell you, trust me. I am just thankful that getting a new (or new to us) car is a possibility.

Just seems like there isn't anything too interesting happening these days. I'll take that as a good thing. A seemingly boring life is definitely something to be thankful for.

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:38:46 GMT

Trampoline secured.

It's a lot heavier than you think. Trust me.

The kids both get out of school early today. So they are pretty stoked about that.

And then, we wait.

But while we wait, we will probably play some cards and board games--perhaps by candlelight later--read some books, and eat some PB and J. Looking forward to possibly being unplugged for a little while. It could be fun.

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:27:49 GMT

"The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it." ~Patrick Young

I'm wondering if this Hanna is going to make an appearance here in the Low Country or not. I've spent the majority of the day running around town to various "home improvement stores" like a rooster with its head cut off trying to find something to tie down this new trampoline of ours. Ironic timing, I'd say. We've only just assembled the thing and now it seems we should have waited. Hmm. Ain't no way I'm going to spend another hour disassembling only to spend 7 more hours REassembling, people. So, I reckon we are going to look for some way to turn it over and stake it down to the ground. Don't want an Iowa repeat. (Tornado blew away our last trampoline a couple of years ago...into a neighbor's fence. At least it wasn't into our neighbor's HOUSE! SHWEW!) Having no luck locating tie downs for the tramp, I instead purchased my share of water, bungee cords and batteries. Tomorrow will resume the tramp tie down search. At least I wasn't the only one out there making hurricane prep, so I don't feel as though I am overreacting. There was a line to purchase generators at one of the home improvement stores...I wasn't in it. I'm not saying those people are overreacting. I might end up wishing I had been in that line before it's all over.

Meanwhile, we have the bluest skies I've seen in a while, complete with poufy cotton clouds that look like they are smiling at me...literally.-------> Temps have dropped a tad bit. This morning when I took Emma to school (7:15 AM) we needed jackets. It's weird. You would not THINK a hurricane is on the way. I won't be fooled. I'm going with the Boy Scout Motto: Be prepared. Or as my mama used to say: It's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

Truer words have never been spoken.

Blue Skies by Ella Fitzgerald

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:39:00 GMT

"If you want to kill time, try working it to death." ~Sam Levonson

We're back up and at 'em this Tuesday morning after Labor Day. Can't say it was easy, but everyone got out the door on time. So a big "woohoo" for us.

It was a fairly low key weekend. But I'd have to say the most eventful part of the weekend was trampoline related. For weeks, my hubby has been saying, "we really need to get a new trampoline". And for weeks, my reply has been, "so stop talking about it already and go DO IT." Well, as you may have read in my previous blog, we had a bit of a "tramp incident" last week. It was the proverbial straw. On Saturday, my hubby said, "we are going to get a new trampoline today." My comment to my hubby was "you will not purchase a new trampoline until the dilapidated one is dismantled and disposed of." All I need is TWO trampolines in my tiny backyard. I said this fully knowing it would never happen, not in one single day, anyway. I was wrong. Yes, you read correctly, I was wrong. I admit it without shame. I was glad to be wrong. So, Saturday afternoon, the four of us got out there and dismantled that thing in about 30 minutes. We then loaded it all in the back of Big Red and proceeded to the dump. It's true. We drove straight from the dump to Sam's Club where we purchased ourselves a new trampoline. If Jacob didn't love it so much, we certainly could have lived without it. But that boy is out there EVERY day jumping and jumping and jumping. (Now, I can't jump like that because I would pee a little with every jump...if you've given birth, you will understand why.) But that kid is a jumping fool. So hence the need to purchase another. We drove home with our new purchase and decided to start putting it together right away...after all, we had already been so industrious. We were on a roll. Riiiiiight.

The new trampoline and net enclosure both came with written instructions. In addition there was a DVD to give you further assistance. You'd think that would make it easier. No. I'd like to say that the instructions were in Chinese and that's what took us so long to put it together, but alas, they were clearly in English. But that thing took FOR. EVERRRR. to assemble. We started Saturday evening around 6 PM. We finished Sunday evening around 7 PM. Now, we did have some breaks in there for water, food and sleep. We also went to church on Sunday morning, but STILL. We probably spent a grand total of 7 hours on it. We are not morons. My husband is an engineer. But it was not easy or fast. It is, however, DONE. And the kids have really enjoyed it a lot and I am much more comfortable with this one.

Oh, and yes, the little neighbor kids have already christened it as well.

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:52:23 GMT

"The fence that makes good neighbors needs a gate to make good friends." ~Unknown

We have officially completed the first full week of school. SHWEW! Life is back in full swing. Homework, lessons, and early bed times...for all of us.

Party Pants is back in full swing as well. That's Emma's code name, in case you've forgotten. She is off at a sleepover tonight and so Clyn and I got to spend some time with our not-so-party-pants son. We played cards and had breakfast for dinner...y'all know how we love that...Top it all off with a couple of episodes of Mythbusters and you've got yourself the perfect evening.

It is so disturbing when someone else's kid gets injured at your home. Our next door neighbors, sweet people, have 4 little boys, ages 7 and under. The three older boys (7, 6 and 4 yrs old) often climb our shared fence, walk themselves into my back porch and let themselves in my back door. We've been working on knocking skills with the 4 yr old with little success. Usually, the older ones have sent him over to see if "Jake" can play. These children LOVE Jacob. He'll go out in the backyard and suddenly you hear this unseen chorus of sweet little boy voices on the other side of the fence, calling..."Jake! Jake!" Bless his heart, Jacob will play with them sometimes, but he is 13 after all. And though he isn't your typical 13 year old, he doesn't want to spend all his time entertaining children less than half his age. Sometimes I have to rescue him from them. Just this morning, as Jacob sat the kitchen table eating his breakfast, he says, "Mom, guess who is on the trampoline?" Yes, it was the 4 year old. Yes, it was 7:45 am. He was just out there having a good old time. This afternoon, Jacob and the three older boys were on the trampoline, "the tramp" as the boys call it, and mysteriously, the youngest (age 4) somehow ends up with blood gushing from the side of his head. I did tell you it was disturbing. Thankfully, he was not seriously hurt and no dash to the ER was necessary. But still, I was more than just a little freaked out. And I felt terrible, but, like I told Jacob, who immediately wanted to blame himself, it was an accident. And I'm not going to pretend I didn't see it coming. These little boys are wide open, and yet so adorable.

It could be time to ban everyone but my own kids from "the tramp". At least if my own kids get hurt, I don't have a potential lawsuit on my hands.

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:53:54 GMT

"You can't be friends with a squirrel. A squirrel is just a rat in a cuter outfit." ~Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City

Take it from my friend Sarah: You can never trust a squirrel.

Or even worse--a bored country squirrel. I always knew squirrels were shifty little critters. Always looking like they are up to no good. Just waiting till you aren't looking. Now I know it's true. Another reason to trust my woman's intuition.

Sarah tells me that, thanks to a pack of bored country squirrels, she now has her car in the shop awaiting $700 in repairs. Repairs to some wiring that no longer connects. Chomp chomp chomp, little squirrels. Forget about those acorns, buddy. They've moved on to bigger and better things...I don't know about you, but I'm thinking of taking up squirrel hunting. Don't let that cute outer exterior fool you; they are out to get you.

In other news, I have returned to the gym after a summer hiatus. My treadmill experience informed me that I was grossly out of shape. I am determined to run a 10K next spring so when I realized that I could really only run about 2 minutes at the time (walk 5, run 2, rinse, repeat), I knew the road to get to the 10K was going to be a long one. I also knew I was in desperate need of some new running shoes. How did I know? My feet were screaming it at me. So I hit the showers and then hit the shoe store. No excuse now.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Today begins day 6 of the 2008-09 school year here. We are slowly adjusting. And I do mean sloooowly. Luckily for us, there's a holiday Monday. Sadly, we already really need a vacation day.

Here's to vacation days. Just steer clear of the squirrels. Cheers.

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:27:08 GMT

"Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into." ~Henry Beecher, Life Thoughts, 1858

So the kids are back in school and I'm trying to reconfigure my life. The whole getting-back-in-the-groove-thing doesn't come too easily to me. They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and this is true for Jacob and me in the transition department. Frankly, we are all walking around here like a bunch of zombies at the moment. I think my lights were out by 9:30 last night and I am still having trouble functioning today. Sad.

I find it funny, and I do not mean in the "ha ha" sort of way, how you get the back-to-school supply list, put together by and distributed by your school, and once school starts, there are all these "oh by the way y'all need this too" items. I have now made two additional school supply shopping trips. Today was one such trip. I made it fun though.

Don't get me wrong, I DO enjoy some shopping. I think of myself as a bargain shopper. Now, I may not necessarily NEED what I'm buying, but it is a BARGAIN, so that makes it okay. At least that's my rationale.

I have recently joined up over at Flickr, upon the recommendation of my Spaces friend Sheila. She has me hooked. I made today fun by making it part of my "This Is Today" project over at Flickr. You take a photo every day for 365 days and post it to the group. So I spent part of my day out looking for photo opportunities and had fun with it. I can only capture so much with my little Canon Powershot SD600, but it does a pretty snappy job, if I do say so myself. Today's entry is to the left. I was treating myself to some Chick-A-Lay. (Follow the link to find out why I love Chick-A-Lay so much. But one of the reasons is that they always have fresh cut flowers in little vases on all the tables in the restaurant. It's the little things y'all.) Dorkily, (don't think that's a word, but work with me) I whipped out my little camera and was inspired to snap a few photos. People were staring but I didn't care. I am exploring a new creative side of myself. Then later when I stopped by Staples, I found myself looking longingly at all the fancy cameras. But who can pop a big ole honking Nikon in her purse, eh?? Those photo ops can happen when you least expect them. I think it will be a challenge to try to stick with it for 365 days, but hey, that's part of the fun. I've hung in there for 9 whole days already!

And now is the time when I suppose I should be a good mother and go start dinner and supervise the homework situation.

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:38:44 GMT

"Home is not where you live but where they understand you." ~Christian Morgenstern

I definitely feel like I have been "home".

No, I didn't visit with any blood relatives, but instead with perhaps, my oldest friend in the world. We met when we were 9 years old. That was 30 years ago. We laughed at how long we've known each other and how it really doesn't seem like it can really be 30 years. But it is. We couldn't believe it has been nearly 11 years since we last saw each other. But it has been. Fortunately for me, she and her family have come from their home in Pennsylvania to vacation at Litchfield Beach, SC, only about 2 hours from my home. I couldn't NOT go see her.

With someone you've known that long, there is a certain comfort level. She knows me. She knew me "before". Before everything. And even though we haven't seen each other for years, we picked right up. As if it were yesterday.

Yesterday when we were having a sleep over and playing UNO by flashlight under the covers after her mom had told us (several times) to go to sleep. Yesterday when we were in our church musical production (Moses and the Freedom Fanatics) where she was Moses and I was Miriam (Moses' sister) and we put baby powder in our hair to make ourselves look old. We performed a little mini-revival of the production right there on the spot. And we rocked it, thank you. I thought I'd never get that baby powder out of my hair.

We visited together with her parents and in-laws. We sat on the beach and watched our children play in the sand and surf together and marveled at how this could possibly be. We watched our husbands play bocce ball. We took lots of pictures and promised that it wouldn't be 11 more years before we saw each other again.

We talked about how we really are the same as we've always been. And we are.

I don't care what they say, you really can go home again.

My friend, Moye, and me. Two hot, almost 39 year olds. That's right.

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:52:37 GMT

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." ~John Ruskin

It's the first day of school and it's raining. How poetic is that?

I always feel sad on the first day of school. For me, it's just a sign that my kids are on that runaway train called "growing up". It is bittersweet for sure.

Emma woke up to her alarm and got herself ready--including doing her *own* hair! This is new. Usually I have to say, "Um, can you do something with that bird's nest you call hair??" We'll see how long it takes for this to wear off. Am I right? I dropped her off and watched as she disappeared down the hallway. And I will not go on to tell you how a big ole crocodile tear escaped my eye as I watched her go. Nope, I won't do it. (It was just one tear. Really.) SIGH. Sniff. My little girl is growing up.

Jacob was so funny this morning. I woke him up. He got dressed, brushed his teeth, etc. He then came downstairs and plopped himself at the kitchen table.

JACOB: "Mom, can I NOT go to school today?"

ME: "Of course you are going to school and you are going to be fine."

JACOB, SMIRKING: "Well, I had to give it one last shot."

And then, I knew it would be okay.

We did the whole "meet the teacher" deal last night and it appears, upon first inspection, that the ones that we had time to meet, are nice people. The resource/special ed teacher basically hand picked his teachers and arranged his schedule. I am very grateful for all the help. Jacob and I met his one on one aide this morning and she made me smile. Do y'all ever meet people like that? You just look at them and they make you feel all smiley? She has this infectious smile and laugh. And as she opened her mouth, in her wide smile, I caught a glimmer of her Gold Tooth. Gold around the edges with a gold star in the middle. And if that doesn't say "How Do Ya Do?" well then I just don't know what does. She warmly shook my hand and accepted my cell phone number and she promptly wrote hers down for me. I can dig it. So far, so good.

But the great news is WE ALL SURVIVED! Yes we did. I am reminded of a little song...We get by with a little help from our friends. I pretty much distracted myself today with friends, and then an entryway bench that my MIL gifted me for my birthday, which is still a month away, arrived today and I spent some time assembling it.

First Day Comments:

Jacob: It wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be.

For him, that right there is a pretty positive statement.

Emma: It was boring.

There ya go.

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:27:55 GMT

August '08

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Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:49:57 GMT

Summer '08


downtown	Emma's dance recital 6/08	Emma with my mom and dad 6/08	Three generations!!
at the beach	Daddy hauling water		022
023	025

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Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:50:10 GMT

Blog Images

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Sun, 18 May 2008 11:46:44 GMT

Mother's Day '08

My Mother's Day lunch...at Bubba Gump

Em studying the menu

Jacob drawing

Emma and Clyn

Jacob and me

RUUUN Forrest RUUUN

You turn it to this sign when you want your server to stop by

Clyn eating his cajun shrimp

NASTY fingers

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Tue, 06 May 2008 13:03:24 GMT

Blog Images

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Horseback riding

Bored Jacob waiting for Emma at horseback riding

Emma's summer book club friends

So serious

The hubby kicking back

black and white

Fri, 02 May 2008 11:33:17 GMT

More Spring '08 Pics

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