I Am Getting So Old

• My baby turned 11. Photos are somewhere in a camera still. Will post tomorrow. She was an MC in the school talent show this week and is going to a Girl Scout camp out this weekend. I am driving the girls up but not staying overnight. I hope! It's too cold and I'm much too old to do the cold!!
• My other baby has a HIGH SCHOOL Parents Night Program to get him registered for 9th grade. I don't think I'm ready to turn him over to the hard cruel hallways of high school.
• Another cute baby is taking the ACT Prep course and has to spend hours, countless hours, studying and doing homework for it. Taryn goes on the weekends for 3 hour classes. The next test is in April. Right now, BYU is at the top of her list, so all that studying could net wonderful results if she gets in her #1 choice university. That's why we work so hard!
• I went to my oldest baby's last game of indoor soccer....EVER! Well, maybe not ever, ever, but you know what I mean. This team has been together for years, and they are all graduating high school and scattering to the four winds for college. Mike took pictures. Another post of pics to follow. It was fun to see them play and finish their season undefeated. This was on Monday after the big day at the dentist and I was in alot of pain, so I took another darvocet so I could go. I didn't say anything about it, so Indy didn't know I was "on something". She looked at me during halftime and said "What's wrong with you?". It's a lovely thing when your teenager asks you if you're high. Actually it's a really funny thing when you're on something and you're teenager asks you if you're on something. I thought I looked and acted completely normal. Apparently I was slightly "glazed over".
• And then there's my aching back...cutest little boy in Pre-K turned me into a bucking bronco when I was working with another child while sitting on the ground. I have a rule about staying vertical for a reason! If they spot me anywhere near their level, I get levelled! Or ridden! Well, since he was dressed up like Clint Eastwood meets Elton John what could I do but buck him off while he shouted "Ride 'em Cowboy! Yee-haw!!!". Then I gave him a standing up ride (so as not to be mobbed by the other 10 kids in the class) for each word he made so he'd make his 3 words that rhymed with cat and that's when I pulled a muscle in my back. Geez, it's not like I'm 50!
• You know you're old when you enjoy listing your health problems. I do have one more. I was Struck By a Spatula Wielding 2 Yr Old while playing Tag Ms. Chrissie with him and his 2 brothers ages 4 and 5 during his mom's 30 minute after school parent teacher conference. Why couldn't we play without spatulas?! Well, that's a very good question! One, it just wouldn't be as much fun; and Two, the little guy had a spatula in his hand when I peeled him away from the classroom and the fit he was about to throw because he wanted to stay and play. So the game was made up to distract him and boy did it work! They rode trikes and had spatula's and if they tagged me with their spatula I was frozen until another one rode by and tagged me to unfreeze me. Well, you would have thought any injury would have come at the hands of one of the older ones, but no, a freak hit by the cute little guy busted a vein in my finger...weird, huh? It still really hurts and it was 2 days ago. It was good exercise though because let me tell you, after the first few not so gentle hits, I decided to run the entire time!

Dreadful Monday

The day I've been dreading since my dental visit earlier this month has arrived. I wish I was Jason today - at least he got to get knocked out for his dental work! I don't have any new cavities, but I've got some old ones that have to be replaced and two other teeth with fillings apparently have cracks in them so now I get to have them crowned. So, to summarize: 2 crowns and 3 replacement fillings all in one day so I can just get it over with. I did ask if they could just knock me out for it and they laughed. Guess that's a NO. Probably because I'm usually the gal asking if I can get away without any numbing...and have successfully done so more than once. Boy do I hate that numbing!!! I have a secret stash of darvocet from my surgery and I do believe I will call for permission and then put one to good use. I have had migraines and a bladder infection this week and I am at the tippy top of my pain threshold, one more thing will send me over the edge. A totally numb face for half the day will do more than that, lemme tell ya!! Beware those who live with me! This may be your only warning!!! Especially if the dentist says no to the drugs too. Then I will not be the happy camper they all know and love.

Surviving

We are excited for this season's Survivor! We almost know one of the contestants! The brother of one of Indy's favorite teachers is on the show. Benjamin Wade. He does real good too. Insider knowledge.

We have to survive a very early morning flight tomorrow to FL. There's talk of people sleeping in their travelling clothes and rolling out of bed and staggering to the car (after they brush their teeth because ewww, not sitting next to puppy breath on the plane). Mike was starting to push for even earlier, then relented and said we had to be in the car at 4:30 am, knowing it might really be 4:45 before we're out the driveway. I was going to say by 4:45 and hope to be on the road at 5:00. The plane takes off at 6:15 am. But the good news is we'll be there when it's still breakfast time on the East coast! I guess that's the price we have to pay to spend a few days in sunshine and enjoy Fred & Jan's wedding. We are really looking forward to it.

I don't know if I'll be able to blog. I don't know if we're even taking the laptop. I haven't even packed yet. And Survivor! starts in 40 minutes! I guess I better get packing. If we get everyone's bags in the car tonight we'll just have carry on's and sleepwalkers with minty fresh breath and flashlights to find the car tomorrow. Somehow, we'll survive!

Be Mine

Here's Mariah's Valentine box creation. It is one of those priceless moments in life because you realize this will probably be the last one she makes. Remember the days when you filled out a valentine for each kid in your class and made a box for all of your valentines to go in? 5th grade is the last year the kids get to do that and Mariah made a beautiful box to mark the occasion.

But you're never too old to be a kid, as I proved when I bought Mike some 3D valentines with Shamu on them. We met while working at Sea World, so I just had to get them. He is still finding them in the nifty hiding places I stashed them in. And I also bought some very cool 3D valentines that turn caterpillars into butterflies, teddy bears into ducks, etc., for preschool kids. And candy bracelets. Yup, you are never too old to be a kid! I didn't get to make a box though.

Over It

Wow there is a huge difference between walking 3 to 5 miles a day at preschool, followed by a fairly regular M & F walk of between 3 to 5 miles and going 6 miles with Gib and some Scouts and dads on a little hike (Mike wasn't feeling well and the 6:45 am start time was a serious deterrent!) Up and over a hill, and another one, and another one, I lost count how many - and I'm talking the kind where you can't talk because you're concentrating on sucking in enough oxygen to breathe your last breath - and in slippery mud 2-3" deep in many places. Oh, and let's not forget the rocky spots covered by just enough water to send you ice skating! Downhill. My calves have yet to stop aching whenever I stretch my legs. I thought for sure a 5 mile walk today would work it all out. Nope, it all still hurts. Maybe more. And, get this, Gib and I have agreed to....DO IT AGAIN! He needs to get in hiking shape for Philmont this summer and I just need to get in shape. We have better plans this Saturday, but we'll be back on the trail...yippee. Oh yeah, one more thing, lest you think "aww, what a nice mother-son activity!" I never saw Gib after we got out of the truck! I did however carry all his water and his snack in my backpack. He and his friends ran the whole hike. Kids - what a bunch of freaks.

Today Mariah has her first Talent Show rehearsal. She was chosen to be an MC. I am kind of glad they took her for that spot instead of singing. Not that she couldn't have done it, but to be honest, we live in an area where alot of kids are already years into singing lessons and I just didn't see us getting the song performance ready on time. Mariah was okay with being chosen for either spot, so it's all good. A parent has to be at this first meeting, which I did last year, and it was endlessly long and boring, so this year I know to sit at the back and be ready to slip out when I can't stand it any longer. We do have an appt to keep so it's good to have an excuse.

I have been asked to stop and pick up 3D animal valentines for Mariah. If I leave now, I can check the corner store and maybe I'll find them on the first try. Wouldn't that be nice?!

A Note From the Hairdresser

Taryn came home yesterday from getting her hair cut with this note for me:

Dear Chrissie,

This note shall serve as a warning. You are hereby notified to never come near any member of your family again w/scissors or I will come to your house and throw all of your scissors away.

Love your friend Lori


C'mon, the bang trim wasn't that bad!!!!

For Indy: Mercer Essay

Indy chose to submit a sample of a descriptive essay from her Creative Writing class with her application to Mercer:

Over the horizon, colors of yellow, orange, blue and purple blend together forming an abstract painting as the pink tinted sun shies away from the moon arising in the east. I sit upon the rocks further away from the shoreline, my body awake but my mind far away. The wind softly blows through my hair, silently caressing my face and cooling the evening after a long summer day. Inhaling the salty smell of the beach releases memories long forgotten and tucked away under the dust of time, replaying them so realistically I forget they are not tangible and reach out to embrace them once again.

Silence creeps in as a shadow of the night while families gather their beach toys, roll up their towels, and drive away. Isolation has never been something I tolerate well, but tonight it is relaxing. After everyone has returned to homes with locked doors and comfy pillows, I slip off my white sandals and walk to water's edge. I press down firmly with my feet and dig my toes into wet grains of sand. Ocean water trickles along my ankles and sends goose bumps crawling over my skin. I walk further along the shore, leaving footprints behind me which are quickly whisked away by the next incoming wave. Shells of all sizes and colors decorate the large expanse of sand. Selfishly, I admire them as I walk on by, not considering their journey ashore. I turn back, still emerged in memories and quiet reflection. Out of habit, I count each step. When I near the rock I sat on before, I wade deeper into the ocean until my knees can no longer be seen. I stare ahead at the darkening sky, watching the last sliver of the bright sunset fade.

As I stand there, the waves remind me of a person, perhaps a person like me. They crash and beat against the sand with a fury uncontained and brutal, only to die down and brush along the shore in apology. Slowly shrinking back into the depths of a sea that carries away pain and misery, the furor has transformed into a sound so peaceful as to lull a child to sleep. At this realization, I raise my fisted hands high in the air, tilt my head back and scream into the distance so powerfully as to make the Earth tremble beneath me. My intense rage escapes with a fading yell and I let my arms rest against my side. A deep breath of peace fills my lungs as my heart yearns to be released from the intensity of hurt feelings and the overwhelming anger of betrayal and lost opportunities. Exhausted, I make my way back toward the rock. I lie down on the soft, welcoming sand and drift off into a calming sleep. In my hand rests a beautiful shell. It is a gift of survival.

For Indy: FULL RIDE!!!

No details yet, but Indy just got a call from her admissions counselor at Mercer University and they are offering her a full ride Presidential Scholarship!!!! Indy won the scholarship competition!!!! Can you believe it?!?!?!?!?!

Yahoo!!!!!

Indy asked how many students the scholarship was offered to and the admissions counselor didn't know exactly but she said it was very rare and very prestigious. I'm thinking a couple students a year. At $35,000 a year they can't give it away like candy. We are so excited for Indy and so stinkin' proud of her! Mike and I are taking her out to Carraba's for a celebratory dinner.

Busy Monday

Today is a very busy Monday for me. I don't have time to do the post that I'd like to do, which would be to put up some of the photos that Taryn, Mariah and Gib took while playing outside yesterday. Suffice it to say they had a great time while Mike and I thought they were "just taking pictures"! Well, they did that...they just did it while fighting with sticks, climbing trees, and jumping on the trampoline that is so dangerous until the net is fixed that I don't even want to think about it! If you go to T's facebook you'll see some of her favorite photos.

I am taking a little break from cleaning the kitchen, sweeping, and defeathering the dining room thanks to Pixie - it's amazing how many downy feathers a cat can pull out in under 5 minutes before Mom realizes what's going on and removes it. I am now amazingly tuned in to batting noises and when Pixie sneezed after I heard a little thump, I knew something was up! She was sneezing feathers! OK, that was a little funny. Then. Now? I've swept 3x and there's probably still a 1/4" feather in the dining room somewhere. Seriously, we're going to have to do something about Pixie and this kitty door fixation she has about bringing her kills inside. Last night it was a very alive, very fast mouse. Indy was not at all amused. I saw Chino going around the ottoman like crazy and I'm like "aaahhh! not another mouse Pixie!". Just then the little rodent made a dash for the dining room...what a mistake, there's nothing to hide under. Pixie nabbed it. Mike and I were ho-hum, "I'll get a cup" and "I'll go get the trash can" and Indy was "that sucker was fast!" and "ooh! ooh! I don't want to see it get killed!" and then "hey! I drink out of that cup...well, I USED to!!" Daughter: Welcome to my world. Honestly, the cats never did this before at our other house when we had the exact same kitty door, so I'm hoping it will stop soon when the newness wears off.

Well, it's back to the Busy Monday Grind. On today's schedule is Mariah's Mountain of Laundry to be folded, grocery shopping, off to get my hair done, then I have a dentist appt, vacuuming awaits, and then when Taryn & Gib get home we leave for the Ortho. Since Mariah fell down the last few stairs last night, in her dash for 3D glasses for the Superbowl commercials, it probably would be a good idea to try to fit in a Chiropractor appt for her this evening too. She's OK, don't worry...if the stick fighting, tree climbing, and trampoline jumping next to a ravine without a net didn't get her, what's a measly few stairs?!

Taryn's Entry

Okay, this is Taryn. And I had fun today. First I went to pet supermarket to get my mom some cat food and the cashier hit on me!! Mom says that was why he was super nice (because they are never that nice to her. Yay! I'm special). Then I turned in some applications. So now the fun begins. It was a fairly good weather day outside, not too hot, but not too cold. So I took my camera outside to take pictures. There weren't any ticks around so that was a plus. I have to say my favorite picture is of my shadow with my hands behind my head, well actually I ws holding the camera and making it look like I had my hands behind my head. Cool right? Anyways I used 5 rolls of film taking pictures today. I only have one left now :( but I had fun :)

Is it Even Possible to Overuse the TGIF Title?

It's been a crazy week. I don't know why exactly. But it feels like it has been. I was a substitute teacher both days preschool was open this week, in different classrooms. That takes up alot more energy. Especially yesterday in the class with all boys. This was funny: I was really dragging - that snow day in the middle, as lovely as it was, really put me off my stride - so when I finished one Diet Dr. Pepper, I went straight to my lunchbox and popped open another one. We'd already had a discussion about what I was drinking. Whose moms also drink it, Coke or Diet Coke, or if their mom says soda isn't good for you, etc. You know 4 yr olds, they notice everything you do, but I figured they would think Diet Dr Pepper #2 was still #1, and just go on with the business of playing and not watching my every move. Nope. One little boy says, in that high pitched voice that carries really well, "another one?! you're having TWO?!!" I chuckled and replied that indeed I was. He goes right over to my lunch box, peers inside and shouts incredulously when he spots another can waiting in the wings, "THREE?!?! You have THREE?!" So of course everyone has to come over to see such a wildly outrageous phenomena. I gave them the eyebrow, snatched my lunch and precious Diet Dr Pepper away from prying eyes and fingers and said, "yes, that's what it takes to keep this smile on my face!" I wonder what they'll tell their moms!

They've been studying the Artic, and we read the Emperor's Egg and so for the rest of the day, since the class is all guys, I told them they were like the penguins and had to keep an imaginary egg safe...that meant no running, bumping into each other, etc., and everywhere they went the egg had to go with them. If you knew this class you would understand the extreme unlikelihood of them not bouncing off each other or headlocking one another right in the middle of some normal activity for no reason whatsoever. The near artic temps made our imaginary egg keeping day seem pretty realistic in my opinion! I loved it when they kept telling me, "Ms. Chrissie, my egg's safe!" and when I needed to remind them to take it down a notch I'd just ask if they were about to crack their egg. It worked like a charm. I can just hear the moms next week though going, "What's the deal with the egg?!" At the end of the day we got to watch part of Happy Feet. I had to keep shushing them because I hadn't seen it before and I wanted to hear it! The best part of the day though was when one little boy was leaving with his mom, he ran back and gave me a great big hug and said "I love you Ms. Chrissie".

I'm off to meet a friend for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. She's my grits-mentor, so I'll see if I'm putting in the right ratio of creamer to syrup and watch her every move. What a great way to start a TGIF.

It Was Enough!

Last night I declared it a snow day. Gib and Mariah went to bed knowing that they would not be going to school regardless of what the district decided. It appeared that the district was leaning toward starting school and then closing it mid-day, which I've learned from past experience can be a nightmare here....icy roads, frantic parents, buses drivers afraid to take a hill so they drop your kids off at another school only you don't know where because the phones don't work. That was so much fun that 7 years later I still remember my vow not to send my kids ever again if it was freezing rain and snow in the forecast for mid-day. Despite The Bubble Effect!

At 5:30 a.m. the district called cancelling school! Yay! I don't have to send notes saying my kids missed school because I declared my own snow day! That would have been kinda funny though.

Now we are off to take my mom to the airport. She's going to sunny Florida for a week to say with her brother and his wife in the hoppin' Villages retirement community. Mike works from home today, so we are grabbing lunch on the way home. The roads look fine by the way, so no worries. Just wet. The kids probably could have gone to school. We live for the irony here!

Will It Be Enough?

The forecast calls for freezing rain from 4 am to 7 am...will it be enough to cancel school? that might be a stretch, BUT, if I were a betting gal, and I am, AND it actually hits The Bubble, I predict we have a 2 hr late start.

I'm supposed to sub for one of the Pre-K teachers tomorrow. That will throw the whole day outta whack, so I'm actually torn. Then there's the worry about my girls driving should the district not cancel but there IS a patch of ice on the way to high school.

And on that comforting note, I will go to bed and see what 4 am brings. At least I don't have long to wait.

No Bacon in Macon

After a delightful 5 hr road trip during which Indy and I discovered we could talk nonstop and didn't even listen to any of the new cd's she bought, we arrived in Macon around midnight. We left home about 2 hrs later than planned, so it was kind of a late night considering we had an important morning ahead. When I went to set my cell phone alarm, I decided to just cut a corner and use one of the 4 a.m. alarms that help me get me and the kids off on our 4 different morning shifts - seminary, middle, elementary and work. I moved 7:25 to 7:00 a.m. and went to sleep at 1 am Georgia time.

I woke up alot during the night, kept checking the clock, and then the next thing I knew, I woke up with that sinking feeling that it was waaaay too late...7:40!!!! We jumped out of bed and groggily tried to hustle getting ready for Indy's scholarship interview and college tour. The original plan was to leave the hotel at 8:15. I could have done it, but Indy had to be interview ready and that wasn't going to happen. So we were trying for 8:35. The registration and breakfast went from 8:00-9:00 a.m, so we figured as long as we got there by 8:50 we'd be ok. No breakfast for us but that's OK, we don't usually eat breakfast, but we were looking forward to the hotel's Continental spread...that's the best part about staying there! I checked my phone to see what happened. Did I sleep through it? No....I FORGOT to switch it from Mon-Fri to Sat & Sun alarm! Argh!!!! How aggravating.

We didn't leave until 8:50 and it was an 11 minute drive which we made in about 10. Indy spotted the hall where the Dean's Welcome was scheduled for 9:00 and we parked on the street right in front of it and ran through the rain inside. I figured I'd deal with the parking ticket later. Luckily, that wasn't a problem.

Now I have to say that even though we left a little late, Indy looked gorgeous and very professional. I would have liked her to looked gorgeous and very professional 10 minutes sooner, but since it was my fault, I could hardly complain. One of the college admissions students told us to sit in the back just as the guy was saying "welcome to mercer" and she went off to get our registration packet and interview time. Whew. What a bummer way to start an important day. But it could have been sooo much worse.

Indy's interview time was both a blessing and a curse. It was in the last time slot at 11:45. Campus tours began on the hour at 11:00 and took an hour, so squeezing a tour in first was out. Lunch began at 11:30 so that was out. Meanwhile, it was pouring rain and cold, so we didn't feel much like walking around on our own. We ended up going to the car for awhile, love those leather heated seats!, and then we walked to where the tours started but there wasn't really anywhere to hang out, so we went to where Indy's interview was to take place, in oh....45 minutes. It was really uncomfortable in the ugly hallway with chairs lined up and nervous students, so we opted to stand outside under the overhang, and check people out as they came and went. We chatted with the friendly ones and had silent conversations about the unfriendly ones. We got some good info about the school from one of the student admissions guys who was passing by and stopped to talk with us for awhile.

Indy's interview went off with flying colors...just like we knew it would. She was not nervous at all. She was actually disappointed to learn from another interviewee that his interview only lasted 25 minutes. She wanted more time. That's where the crappy time slot turned out to be a good one. Because she was the last one, the guy was in no hurry and she got a longer interview and they had more time to talk. He loved her of course and said he hoped to see her in the Fall. Let's hope this equals more scholarship money. I am very curious to see how much more scholarship is added to the pkg offered as a result of the Scholarship Competition weekend.

While Indy was doing her thing, I spoke with about 4 students on the admissions team, the admissions counselor in charge of the event, and 3 professors! I was a busy mom. Indy said she could hear me at times and knew I was working it in the hall. The funny thing is, I think I knew the exact moment Indy could hear me because I thought, I betcha Indy can hear me. And then I heard her laughing a minute or so later, and was I happy it was going so well, and I toned it down a little in the gabfest that was going on in the hallway with me and the student admissions people, and 3 professors. One was the chemistry professor, so I spoke about Taryn thinking of a possible major in chemistry (where the goal is actually not to blow things up!) and another was a professor that would be a mentor to Indy if she goes there as a pre-professional student. Coincidence that our paths crossed? I don't believe so. The interview time was horrible for the rest of the day's events but good for the actual interview.

Between the rough start in the morning, the pouring rain (which thankfully stopped after the interview), that awkward interview time which barely allowed us enough time for lunch and then to race over for the last tour of the day, I totally forgot to take pictures. We were sent on a dorm tour which was wrong, we should have gone on a campus tour first. Anyway, when we went on the dorm tour I remembered I had a camera. Indy finds it embarrassing so I was hiding it and snapping off shots and stashing it as quickly as I could. It's not like I could go, "Indy, stand next to the plam trees and smile!". So you can only see her in this first one. She is to the left, unfortunately, that palm tree is in the way of seeing all of her cute outfit.
I am so mad at myself for not remembering to take one before we left though! The dorms are tolerable verging on being a deal-breaker by the way. The upperclassmen apartments may make surviving the first year worth it.



When we got back, surprise, surprise, we had missed the last campus tour. The student admissions people, sadly recognizing us by now, took pity on us and guess what?! We got a Golf Cart Campus Tour - the only one of the day! We were freezing, but at least we didn't have to walk for an hour! So I got in a few more pictures, but again, with Indy sitting next to me shivering, there aren't any of her. But hey....Here's Mercer!

The statue is of university founder Jesse Mercer
Tradition is to touch his head as you walk by on your way to exams or an event where a little extra luck might come in handy

As soon as our special golf cart tour was over, we stopped inside Admissions. We introduced ourselves to Indy's admissions counselor and then went back to the car. We drove to a closer spot by the UC, and changed for the road trip home. We were wiped out and got to listen to the cd's she bought this time around.

Stupid Bubble

There was no lovely blanket of snow.

There was no ringing phone with a message of "do not go"

Oh, it was cold!

And there were flakes!

But staying up past midnight

Was a BIG mistake!!!

Yeah, it was a long day. You know when I can type that like it was water dripping off my fingers that I have hit the giddy stage. We didn't get out of school today in case you didn't figure that out from my nifty little poem there. One of the teacher's knew I was really hoping we would though, and she greeted me at 9:00 a.m. with a Route 44 Diet Coke, so that kind of made up for it...almost.

And, if you had seen me reading stories with my funny voices and funny faces at 9:30 a.m., you would have realized that my giddy stage wasn't really all that far around the corner. I was so busy at preschool today I never even left my building!

When the Inauguration was taking place, I graciously called out "Democrats Unite!" and let the other teachers go into one of the Pre-K room's that had a live feed going on. Meanwhile, I hung out with their kids and Ms. Jane during their recess time -which today could more accurately be called Aerobic Workout Hour Carrying Live Weights of 35 lbs!

Then at 12:45 p.m. when Pre-K has Ms. Jane for her amazing indoor winter recess playtime, I got to do even more fun things again! I tell you, I will sleep well tonight. But I have to admit, Total Giddiness was reached when I did the belly crawl though a preschooler's legs to unfreeze them during this game of freeze tag. Basically, the rules are: if you're tagged by the person who is it, you have to freeze with your arms and legs spread out, until a friend crawls through your legs. Well, I just thought I'd help out! I'm a friend!!

The other teachers couldn't believe it. The preschooler who saw me drop and dive toward his feet couldn't believe it. His eyes got sooo big, I had a huge smile on my face as I successfully slithered though without knocking him over and unfroze him! Then three more lined up behind him and I had visions of a boot camp drill. Then, for some reason, when Ms. Jane put a twist on the game, she assigned me the duty of instructing the Joker and the Penguin's during the MANY rounds of the Batman Freeze Game (the secret Batman and Robin were the only ones who could rescue & unfreeze friends then). So while I was helping them hide their eyes, I taught them to go "Mwa-ha-ha!" while they froze kids. What a hoot.

Ms. Jane worked us OUT for a good hour! She comes on Tuesdays from 10-2 and does organized recess activities for all the kids. She has amazing ideas and games...so many things you can do with beach balls, cones, pool noodles, etc., that I would have never thought of. She's a gal after my own heart. When the other teachers said we were peas in a pod I thought it was a great compliment.

So, had to go to school, but I ended up having a great day anyway. And now I will sit in front of my heater and not move another muscle. Until I have to get Mariah from Girl Scouts. And maybe go shopping with Indy for her interview outfit this weekend. Yeah except for that...I'm not moving! And I'm definitely not staying up til midnite certain the school district will close again because of snow....that missed us, in our Bubble of No Trouble.

Big Bang Monday

Today's agenda was pretty darn full. A 9:30 a.m. appt for Gib at the eye dr, followed by a chiropractor appt. After getting our necks adjusted, aaahhh we needed that, we heard and responded to the call of grits at Cracker Barrel. We even collected Mike for the Grits Run since he really loves them. Gib didn't get grits, he got bacon, eggs and french toast. He's a growing boy. A Midwestern friend of mine taught me the best way to eat grits - you put in half a thingy of coffee creamer, a pat of butter, and some maple syrup. Wow - who knew?! It only tastes super yummy at Cracker Barrel though, so if you don't have one, you're totally out of luck...sorry! And apparently, when it's 32 degrees outside and trying to snow, everyone goes to Cracker Barrel. I don't know why.

And then Jo Ann came over to watch all the episodes I've been saving for her on the dvr of The Big Bang Theory! I think we watched 5 - it was alot of fun! Thanks for bringing lunch Jo Ann! Mariah and JoAnn's kids played upstairs and we paid virtually no attention to them at all while we watched TV. Gib checked on Aimee Mei for us when things got way too quiet and found her on his drums. She loves them. It was great!

Taryn dropped off her applications. But first she needed a little bang trim. We've been trying to catch Indy for this because she does hers all the time and I really felt this was a task better suited to a sister. But push came to shove and things were approaching Scary Taryn stage, so...I had to take the scissors into my own hands. I give me a 5+....sorry, T, it's a 5 out of 10. They are a little too straight and yet there are a couple spots that make me want to try to fix it, but I know better. My grandma did that to me and it took MONTHS to recover from. Tell Lori, our stylist, I'm sorry.

We are praying for snow or some ice to cancel school tomorrow. Gib and I feel a tad cheated that we had to wake up at 8:15 this morning on our day off. We could use a 5 day weekend. They are predicting snow tonight at 9 pm so, it is always possible in our county. But, see here's the thing you can't forget. We live in The Bubble of No Trouble. Most stuff misses us or our temps just hover above freezing and nothing sticks. But we have faith in our school district's tendency to cancel school if there is the slightest possible chance of a lawsuit or a patch of ice anywhere in the county.

Not Very Busy

And that's the way I like it! Mike and I ran errands this morning. Then this afternoon we went with Taryn to collect a bunch of applications for her to work on completing to turn in on Monday. Taryn's not busy enough either. Since she decided not to try out for the Spring Musical, she has time for a job. She's dropped off a couple applications here and there but we haven't pursued anything with serious intent. Well, now we're gonna get serious. I figure if she starts now, she'll have a good chance of having a job lined up before summer. Hopefully it won't take that long at all, and she might get hired right away which would be great! She's looking for 1) Location - a mile or so from the house 2) Good atmosphere/environment 3) It's Warm inside. Taryn does not want to be in food prep, or a store unless it's a shoe store or Pier One Imports! Come Monday afternoon, Taryn will be dropping off several applications and hopefully lining up some interviews. Wish her luck!

All Nighter

We all went to bed happy because they cancelled school for Friday morning at 9:30pm Thursday night due to extreme cold predicted for the a.m. of zero degrees. We don't get that cold here often, I think it's been 6 years since the last time. And, apparently, our children don't dress correctly for the weather (I know mine don't!) and they wait at bus stops or get dropped off outside schools and wait outside until they open (and hello! they can't possibly open them early that would be too logical!). That combined with the likely chance of a bus breaking down, kids getting frost bite, and all of the surrounding counties shutting down their schools before our county did, so I was pretty sure ours would too. So now we have a 4 day weekend! Yay!!!

So anyways, since I didn't have to get up early, I went to bed a little late. No sooner had my head hit the pillow than Mike's cell phone rang. Work problem. He never got back to bed. Poor Mike had to pull an all nighter.

About two hours after that, I woke up with another (yes another!) migraine. This is the 4th one this month. Ugh. It's not as bad as Wednesday's, but seriously? Two migraines in three days, two weeks in a row?! I've got to see my dr about upping my migraine preventative. My fellow sufferers think my dosage is too low by at least 50 mg compared to theirs - wow that is alot.

So I had an all nighter too. At least I kinda slept thru mine. I've popped about all the Midrin I can for today and called in refills for Zomig. I am just living with the ice pick in my temple, it moved out of my eyeball about an hour ago, so that was nice. I am saving the cocktail for extreme cases so I don't overuse it and end up with a Super Migraine resistant to the wonder of combining drugs for pain relief. Well, I'm off to pick up the rx's and some pizza for dinner. Don't feel like cooking and even less, don't want to smell dinner cooking.

A Gallon an Hour

Wow! I could barely believe how fast these paint guys worked!

They arrived around 8 am and were done around 3 pm

cleaned up and out the door before 4 pm.

Tomorrow we'll put the furniture back and rehang

pictures and stuff, but here's the new look!

You can see all 3 new colors in this shot

heading into the laundry rm - I was going

to tell the guys not to rehang the curtain

but they were too quick for me

This could possibly be my favorite...

good job choosing the color Taryn!

Smart kids would bring their laundry down now while

I am still loving the new room!

Bagels & Paint Samples

Bagels, paint decisions, and toss in a little football, a night out, and from reading the previous posts, you'll know that was how our anniversary weekend was spent! But seeing is believing, so here goes!

Everything Onion Bagel with Salt Bagel front and center
where it belongs...just look at all that salt!
From samples to gallons

They say the grass is greener on the other side but what greener side do we prefer? The darker one on the right - Ryegrass.

We have so many areas that the light affects,

there are actually both colors of green on

this corner, and you can't even tell.

On the left we have Ryegrass Green

and on the right is Lea Green
And here's where our real problems began...
can you see the tiny smidge of Copper Penny at the top, under the Autumn Sun we tried after Coppy Penny was a big kathunk?

We couldn't tell if it was the olive green background, the new green for the living room or what, but the orange is not working no matter what we tried. So we stopped trying.

Moving to the kitchen. This was an easier fix.

Here's the Burnt Umber. Or is it called Brown Umber? I am getting confused.

And finally, the laundry room. Here's a shot that shows

the funky flooring challange. You can see the Umber in the background that we

painted on top of.

We will all be glad to say good by to the yellow. It is a true Southern color, but I'm just not a that much of a yellow fan to want so much of it, plus it has been on the walls for about 10 yrs and it was starting to look it. I am excited for the new changes tomorrow!