Tuesday, November 29, 2011

very cool

www.everydayhealth.com

go to this website.

it is cool

calorie counter

calorie goal setter for weight loss, based on height, weight, avg. activity level etc

go there.

it's fun.

it's free.


Sunday, November 27, 2011

For Morgan


This was Eva yesterday
in the afternoon after we discovered that her our clips from Ms. Morgan had
arrived in the mail, and
before she decided to wear at least three more at one time.
I bought them for Eva and Elena, however, Eva is still learning about the
sharing...so she did so reluctantly, and I would not bet that Elena got
to have her choice...
Morgan's clips are gorgeous!!
We lub dese pincess hayah tips!
We really do!
Here is a link to her etsy shop....
do y'all think I can linky link???
cutecupcakepclippieshttp://www.etsy.com/shop/CuteCupcakeClippies?ref=pr_shop_more
Let me see if this works...
hee hee
Okay, now these clips are great--they are not home-madey looking.
Very cute!!

Thanks Morgan, I am going to order more.
Elena likes them too. :)

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Deciding

I am having a hard time deciding about  a Christmas card this year...
I think these are cute pictures..
Maybe today I will use these and make a card...
Maybe.
Has anyone skipped years?
We send out a card every year.
I think people would be disappointed if we did not send one out this year....
hmmm
I am just not feeling cardy..


Wonderful Christmas craft {idea}

Well, it started out just great!
We discovered Hershey's peppermint kisses.
They are made of white chocolate (you know there is no such a thing, right?) and peppermint bits.
They are just delicious.
That is why we have all been eating them serially, and why we had a collection of wrappers. :)
So we began to keep the wrappers, b/c they are pretty.
Then I had the great idea that we would wrap styrofoam balls in these wrappers and make
some really pretty, shiny ornaments.
Doesn't that just sound fun?
Well, here is photographic proof that the foil wrapper from a Hershey's kiss will not stick to a styrofoam ball.
Modge Podge glue, nor masking tape will make this magic combination work...
It just was not happening.
So today we go to the store for glitter.
I know glitter will work. :)
Just roll the ball around in it, no?

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Food Choices {explained}

I am not positive about this, but I think this picture was taken of the sign at King Chicken here in my town.
That is where people go to buy their collards.
They also have lots of other yummy stuff there...
I must say, however, I have never tried
Chitterlings, and even if I have eaten a neck bone..I did not specifically order
some neck bone from the menu! :)

I think this sign is very interesting.
Have you ever tried any of these?
Do you know what Chitterlings are?
They are the washed out innards of a pig--that's right...all the poop gets washed out, and
the tube gets fried up! YUM! (not)
My mama has told me that it is disgusting and that is all the
advice about chitterlings that I could ever need.

Happy Thanksgiving!

FOOD choices

Monday, November 21, 2011

There's nothing wrong with {Johnny}

I had the cutest experience at work the other day.
We had a referral from the Peds. office on a Hispanic child, so this meant I was the one
to call the family and just kind of get their take on their son {Johnny}.
I usually ask to speak to moms, and I did this time as well.
Johnny's dad answered the phone, and he said to me, this is
Johnny's dad, how can I help you?
I told him about our referral and that it was based on the answers that
his wife gave at the peds. office on a developmental questionnaire.
What followed was the funniest thing ever...
"Oh! Yes.  That!  Well, that was three or four months ago.  Johnny is actually just fine.
Johnny is the baby of the family.  We had to figure out that he was not doing any of the things he {should be} doing b/c we were not making him."
he followed with..
"Since then, Johnny has begun sleeping in his bed, we finally kicked him out of ours.  I know you won't believe this, but Johnny can work the DVD player, and he says, the words in English.  Yes.  There is nothing wrong with Johnny..he was just very spoiled."
and more..
"you know he is potty trained, sometimes he even buttons his own pants!  When he wants to, Johnny
can really do a lot.  You know his sisters always know what he wants, they anticipate what he is going
to want and they just do it.  He tugs their hand, and they know to go and play with him."
I was cracking up at this point.
The baby!
I told him, "ahhhh, yes...I know all about the baby...I am the baby, and I have a {baby}.  Mine even let's every one know that she is the baby"
Oh, yes he said, "my younger sister was just like Johnny is now, and so was my wife's brother.  They are both {the baby}."
We had a whole conversation about this {special place} in the family.
ha!
So then he said, "oh yes, senyora, I love my son very much.  If there is ever anything wrong, I will call a specialist, in this case--there is nothing wrong with Johnny."

LOVE IT!!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

The King's Speech

That movie was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.
If you read my blog, and you have not seen it,
GO RENT THIS MOVIE!!
I was entralled the entire time.
If you have not seen it, you might stop reading here....don't wanna spoil it...

*I was so sad to hear the king talk about how terribly he was treated as a child...
can you imagine?  his nanny tried to starve him??!!
**Isn't it also strange to think that he was paraded in front of his parents daily for a sort of check-up..
can you imagine having children and having them be nothing  more that what you "check" on?
What a pity!
*all of the actors in that movie did a phenomenal job.
**i went directly to google to look all of those people up
*If you are an SLP--did it strike you as interesting that he played music
into the duke's ears while the duke spoke during the first speech session?
This is very much like delayed or altered auditory feedback, which is used in therapy now.
**I loved the affection that he and his wife showed to one another.  It was so tender and sweet.
You could tell she was his biggest fan, and he knew it!

I guess that is all I can say for now, I am so tired...
This movie watching weekend has been fun.
yay for 52 cent movies at the b-buster!

{I} Wishes...

Something has piqued my interest...
Namely, {I} things...
You know, I Pod, I Pad, I touch etc.
We have an I Pod, and recently I signed up to take a class
about using the I Pad in speech therapy, and ways to do this etc.
I am going to an all day class!!
So then, my boss has said that and I Pad for work is a
definite possibility (talk about an oxymoron).
So then my wheels started to turn...
and turn..
I am having these {I} wishes..like,
"If I like it, I might get myself one too, or ask my mama and daddy for one for
my birthday..."
Just things like that.
Mind you, we hardly ever touch the I-Pod--but really,
I have a feeling the I pad is much different.
Maybe?

Oh! And was anyone able to listen to the music--by venturing off alone to
try to figure out what in the world I was trying to present on this blog in the
first place...
Did anyone?
It was good music.
That Friday night song is sooooo funny to me!

Happy Weekend!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Fun/Cute video (yay sick day find!)

I CANNOT GET THE VIDEOS TO PUT THEMSELVES UP HERE.
PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINKS. :)
<object width="853" height="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IOu0DuxFAT0?version=3&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IOu0DuxFAT0?version=3&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="853" height="480" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

And a link...
http://youtu.be/IOu0DuxFAT0

I hope one of these works. :)

I really like this song!

Here is another one that my sister and I laugh so hard at!!
FUNNY!!

http://youtu.be/KlyXNRrsk4A

Please go and watch these!!
So worth it

Katy Perry--last friday night
<object width="853" height="480"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/KlyXNRrsk4A?version=3&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/KlyXNRrsk4A?version=3&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="853" height="480" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>
and
Kina Grannis--In your arms??

Have fun!!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

VBI--the term I have coined

for when we {overworked mothers and wives}have
Very Bad Incidents.
I will give you an example of a Very Bad Incident:
Ummm..
Let's just say someone has a kid who ...--well..maybe I should not give that one..
Let's just say that something like the car place incident happened to {a person}
feel free to fill in your mommy name there, and well, you went off..
Let's say it was really inappropriate what you did...
I did not do that btw--I did not have a VBI--that day. :)
I did have one today.
So here is today's example:
Elena had her allergy shot appt. that she has every three weeks.
I took her to the doctor--waited 30 minutes and got back to the shot room.
I knew beforehand that there would be a new nurse...I knew this
What I did not know is that she would be the ding bat mousey mouse lady
who feels perfectly comfortable acting insecure and clueless at her job. :)
I did not know that...nope..
Until the lady had the personality of an emery board!!!
And she kept looking at me, and looking back at her
three ring binder, and looking at me..and back at the binder..
(That binder is not going to give this damn shot woman) ;).
Then she asked Elena what she had for lunch.
People who get these shots are not supposed to eat certain things
on shot day.--It can get a bit ridiculous--
So, Elena said, "Zebra cakes" in her wee little Elena voice...
and the woman goes...
OHHHHH....ZEBRA CAKES--THOSE HAVE CHOCOLATE..MOM, MOM
{DEATH STARE} DID YOU KNOW?  YOU DID SIGN THE SHEET--{more flipping of the book} YOU AGREED NOT TO GIVE CHOCOLATE (more staring)...
uggh...
So, I am sure you all know what I did--what any totally confused person would do..
First I told her--That is a drizzle of chocolate, have you even seen it?  it is probably not really even chocolate ...Look of confusion, and "you gotta be kidding me..!!
So then I asked her, "Are you saying to me that you are not giving her the shot today?"
"Yes!" she says--no voices were ever raised--these were two ladies in the Dr.s office..OKAY!!??
Then the VBI occurred...
I grabbed Elena off the exam table and said, "Come on!  This is crazy!  We are certainly not going to be doing THIS AGAIN.  Elena from now on if they ask that, just tell em you ate saltines and water!!"--
Yep, I am embarrassed to say--that is what I did.
I know what it looks like when people do this--every now and then, someone does it to me..
But when the VBI occurs--well, there is no caring--nope!
Then I went over to Andy's dad's office--got Elena started there--with paperwork and all, and
that is where our good ole--common sense --nurse is--and boo yah! problem solved..
EXCEPT- I still had to go back to the peds office and get the vials of serum and the allergy shot
protocol sheets from dingbat lady.
whew...
Total and utter VBI walk of shame...
My Mama DEFINITELY taught me better than that!
She is the queen of a temper tantrum--but NEVAH!! EVAH!! IN PUBLIC.
EVAH!.
;)
I mean I am sure that lady knows me somehow.
But in that moment all I could think is --I am so tired.
I have waited--this is on my checkoff list, and you are an
obstacle in my freakin path lady--mousey ding bat head--over
a DRIZZLE of FAKE CHOCOLATE on a (bleepity bleep!!) Zebra cake!!!
blahh!!!
So there you go.

Bethany has explained the tendency to have the VBI--I think
old men and about to get oldish ladies are extra prone to these.
There is science behind it...
go check out Dr. Oz. :)

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Half a mind...

At one time last year I had half a mind to go and buy a pair of {designer} jeans.
There are many labels of these {D} jeans...if you go to a high end dept. store website you can find these jeans.
My husband, and lack of money, always made me pause.
Also, I tried them on several times and they never fit me well.
Most of them had teeny tiny hind ends--so to help you picture this, when I tried them on, exactly 1/2 of
my derriere was sticking out over the top of the waistband of the jeans--ughh..disgusting.
The sales girls have always been reassuring, "This is just not your style, there are more to try."
Thanks but no thanks, I think--I will keep on keeping on with the wonder jeans I have been wearing for four
winters.
There.
But the temptation to purchase crept into my mind from time to time, all the way until summer arrived.
What if they are on sale?  I would ask myself--on sale for 100.00.
DUMB.
Since then, I have wisened up.
I discovered my local Belk--on a recently stocked day.
Hit the {sale}, and got a fresh pair of jeans for about 30.00.
They are Levi's, and my entire rear fits into the rear compartment.
AMAZING!
Also, there are Lee, and Wrangler jeans (made in the U.S.A btw) that
are all reasonably priced a many times under 1/2 of the designer brands.
I would love to know what in my brain thought I would need a pair

of 120.00jeans...OMGoodness!!
I included pictures of the non-designer jeans.
Something in me does not want to post the others up here, but if you would go to the high end dept.
store websites and check those others out...I but you would find that there is little to no difference, except
the price.
There was one thing I was going to add to this:  A good friend of mine gave me a pair of her Joe's jeans.
She did not really like them much and thought they should be put to good use.
I wore them all winter last winter, and then I drank beer and ate cheeseburgers all summer, so this fall...
{sausage casings}--so I gave them to my sister.
Designer jeans and I were never meant to pair up, it seems!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Car Scandal

So, back in June I traded in my car.
I did this b/c I needed a bigger car.
{needed}.
Needed?
That is what I ask myself now.
My Daddy and Andy {begged} me not to do this.
They still love me any way.
BUT they both thought it was a dumb thing to do.
Now, in my family my Daddy has always been the car buyer.
He buys it, you drive it.
My Mama has never cared.  I never cared either--he has bought me several.
He finds ones that you just pay for out right. {smart}
One might think that I would have more sense--don't ever think that...just don't
So now I have myself in a real car {pickle}.
This car that I bought has several issues and I will lay them out here, b/c I need
to vent, and my family is not really wanting to hear it...
1.  It only came with one {key}--and I use the word key, very loosely...it is more like
a magic wand.  When I traded the other car in I was asked if I had both keys to the car.
One would think that if that is a question asked for the trade in by this dealership, that the
the dealership would also issue two keys with cars it sells.
Ooopsy...I signed the papers..and went out with my one {key} in hand.
I asked, and the finance guy, who had traded in this car said, "It is at my MOL's house, I will
get it on Tuesday."--he said this for four months..over and over.
So I called the (big) boss--the one whose name is on the dealership sign,
and he quickly agreed that I should have two keys.
I went to get the key--the key costs....get ready....
440 dollars and some change...
Can you believe this???
A KEY.  The simplest concept in the world has become a bit of plastic, a micro-chip and some
hearing aid batteries...and it is EXPENSIVE to boot.
2.  The car is possessed.  It does things automatically that drive me crazy.
I really don't want my car to do stuff automatically.  I want to deliberately do things like
lock the doors, roll down the windows..etc.  Really, the alarm--it is just unnecessary.
Well, whoever hooked this ride up with automatic features--really did a bang up job!!
I get out of the car, count to five, and the windows roll down--that's fun when it's raining..really fun.


So, here is the kicker--last weekend I went to ask about the problems at another dealership (the Mazda one).  And I had the key ordered.  I took the P.O. to big boss man--and he sent me a check.
I went back today to get the key...and the
FREAKING CROOK at the Mazda place asked me, "so how much did he say it would cost last week?"  I said, "well, I want to know why you are asking me that question."
He looked a bit baffled and then told me that today's price was {actually} going to be 100.00 more.
That's right--a 530.00 key.  No kidding.
Well, you all know I did not do this.
I told him no way...
I will leave the key here.
No way...I have the copy of the PO --LOOK AT THIS!!
That was after he had argued with me and questioned me???--did the estimate he gave
you include--programming, re-chiping--blah blah, and taxes, and labor??? --you get the picture...
So then I took out the P.O. (purchase order)
and he goes "oh"...yeah....oh..
So then he calls the {magic} number that all the car crooks call and all-of-a-sudden!!
The key price--total--was 432.00--so the magic phone call saved me 8.00.

Lessons I have learned:
Never deal with car people when this is finished. :)--
If I absolutely MUST deal with a car people--go to CARMAX! (for sure!!)
and people are so dishonest..it is really disgusting...
I mean how many different prices can a damn car key have all within one month.
???

If you are still reading...I love you!! You let me vent!! :)
If you are a guy--you probably do not feel sorry for me--Andy and my Daddy sure don't
If you are a woman--you probably know this exact feeling...
If you are Morgan..I would love to know what you would have said!! ha! I really do almost always think of this in these kinds of situations.. You would have been proud today.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Kids are so....{scrambly}

From the time we wake up, until the time we put them in the bed, and sometimes
{after that}, they just scramble all around everywhere.
They remind me of a set of crabs on the beach...scurrying around beneath my feet.
They run and giggle and run and giggle, and {repeat}.
It amazes me that they have all this energy for scambling.
They could scramble all day long--and some days they do!
This AM Andy and I are both at home with them.
We are eating pancakes and drinking coffee, and they are
scrambling around the house.
They remind me of the little rascals.
Every 45 seconds or so I hear, "Hey mama!" "Hey Mama?"
{repeat}
Wait,
oh there it goes again...
"Hey Mama!!??"
So I have just issued a challenge,
Let's see who can go the longest without saying, "hey, mama"
Elena quickly said, "Okay, we can say, "Hey Daddy!!" then"
ha!
Sounds good to me.
:)

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Depression--from atop the Taco box

This is what I think our economy is in.
Granted --I have no degree in economics, and granted
I never went to the {B} school...
BUT--this economy is in a depression.  On the news I watch they keep saying...
double dip recession or something...when did we ever go out of the {dip}?
Today at school they told us that in the coming year our county,
which is a poor county by any stretch of the word, faces a
1.8 million dollar shortfall in the coming year.
Want to know the clever acronym that solves the budget problem?
RIF --Reduction in Force
That means that in order to balance the budget next year
it is looking like they will have to get rid of positions--not
through the means of attrition, sino, by telling
actively employed people that they no longer have a
job.
:(.
Where would 1.8 million dollars even come from?
Well, let's see...88% of our children eat breakfast and lunch for
{free} everyday.
Now, we all know there is no such thing as free lunch.
So what if parents were responsible for sending their children
to school with some food to eat??? Hell that would not work!!
I forgot, unless they eat at school--many of the children at my school do not get fed.
We have to send them home with backpacks of food that they can make themselves
so they will eat over the weekend--no joke..
What about all of the {free} --government paid for--cell
phones you see ads for??
What if those were cut?
Cell phones are not a necessity...
They simply are not.
I could think of many more, but I would go on and on...
Instead of standing on the soap box tonight I stood on my taco
box to get all political..and it is starting to cave in.
So, I guess i am finished, however, I will see that the state of the economy, combined
with the people I work with each day--how very terribly they treat the product of sexual intercourse--
AKA {their children},
can get pretty depressing...I am pretty sure the U.S. .or (Amerka) as everyone so proudly calls it now..
is going to end up like a place...say Haiti...That is what I see all around me...broke as hell, uneducated people, who really don't care, as long as they can get their nails did, hair did, and f*c@.  Did I really just type that???
Sure wish I could think of some wonderful plastic item I could hawk, and make millions...
or maybe we should all go out and buy lots of lottery tickets!!
That could solve all the problems at once, no?


Saturday, November 5, 2011

Some good Pictures...and a story?



These pictures are not really related to one another.
One is of the hayride that we took the other weekend when we ventured out of town
to visit friends in Alamance County (where we used to live).
The other is of one day when Elena said to me, "mama, i want to cut some Zinnias for you, can i?"
SO SWEET!!!
The other is of the day when Elena got to read to her class as student of the week.
Her teacher this year is the old timey kind.
I am just loving this year, first grade.  Things are so different.  She can read!!!
She enjoys reading!!  She is very quiet, and shy.  They had to really work so that she would read out loud to her classmates.  You could have heard a pin drop in that room.  The children were so respectful of her time, and I was very proud.  Elena's teacher's assistant is a true gem as well.  She really loves her students, and she is affectionate with all of them.  According to her, Elena has really opened up, and she just has a great day each day.  She talks, and shares...  This makes me happy for Elena, and for her teachers too.
I have always said, about {shy} people, the ones who really get to know them, are the lucky ones...
they only open up for some people..I know this first hand...;).
Today I was in car hell.
Yes.  That's right.  We spent the A.M. in the car place trying to get mine fixed.
ughh..
Then we (Elena and I) went to a birthday party of a little girl in her class.
Then we (the whole bunch of us) went to an oyster roast--the first one of the season!!
Full day, now I wish for a calm tomorrow. :)

Good night!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Trick or Treat

And this is our Halloween
in fotos...
A party with hot dogs
a minnie mouse, quickly recovered from the throw-ups,
two little boys--scary! :)
A first grade girl with her teacher, who is also her Nana's neighbor,
Candy,
Neighbors,
Costumes....
FUN!
That was our Halloween
2011
















Tuesday, November 1, 2011

19 years ago...

Andy and I had just gone on our first date!
We went trick or treating...
That was the guise to get us out of the house and walking around in the dark between our two
neighborhoods for a while.
Were we {too old} to trick or treat?
Maybe, but we chose the houses carefully.
At one house, we must have looked really old, b/c the person
gave us each a beer! :)
It is hard to believe that that was 19 years ago!!
The only kisses I got that night were the Hershey's kind. ;).
Andy lived in the neighborhood right beside mine, so we could
just cut through a yard, and hang out any ole time...

Spot on!

Spot is our family's chihuahua.  He is what we call, "an evil dictator/stuffed animal come to life".  Sometimes, after he has ...