That was when I Created a Monster

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We had such high hopes for this past Labor Day Weekend. We went home, we were very excited to visit with family, and then Naomi got sick and instead of going out and playing (movies, bowling, etc) my (well) kids resorted to this-

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Rae calls this the T bar. It's the old clothes line at my mother in law's.

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It's not so bad, I know. But not what we expected.

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Then last night while Naomi was moaning and groaning because her medicine makes her stomach hurt, I kept trying to distract her, but was unsuccessful until......

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I came up with the brilliant idea of teaching her how to text.

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She carried on a lengthy conversation with her oldest sister via text messaging.

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And loved it!

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As a matter of fact, she just asked me if she could text her Aunt AniC.

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I said yes.

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Update: Naomi did text her aunt and when she got a reply, she gasped in excitement.

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I've Been Wonderin'

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Ever since our visit to DC last month, I've been left wonderin' about a few things....

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Like, is this log camouflaged?

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And why would a log need to be camouflaged?

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And am I capable of painting a piece like this one?

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Because I can't afford it but I waaaant it.

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Will the baby of the family ever learn that the phrase 'baby of the family' doesn't make her technically A BABY?

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Should I tell her? Or just keep pushing her around in a stroller?

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And I've also wondered, is this a cool picture?
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If the answer is yes, then do I have to admit that it wasn't my idea? That I saw another tourist come up with the idea and then I copied him?
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Su .

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What have you been wonderin' about lately?

from the camera of LoW and the mouth of aniC #4: boring

You can still enter in the Giveaway, click here.

and don't forget you can enter up to 4 times!

just remember to only post a comment if it's an offical entry.

so here it is. my last guest challenge blogging entry. it's been fun. but i'm a little upset about this last one. you see, the challenge was she'd post pictures and i'd blog about them. not videos! but here it is, a video. i should get extra points for doing this! i should win something. i just don't know what. but once i figure it out, i'll let you all know.

so often times i try to convince people that i'm totally awesome, and totally fun, and totally un-boring. i try so hard. but the truth of the matter is that i'm uber boring. uber uber boring. and often times people will ask me "aniC, just how boring are you?"

to which i say, "i'm SO boring, that little zoe, who can find fun in anything is immediately put to sleep out of boredom just by being in my presence."

Untitled from LoW on Vimeo.

so...how boring are you?

Win a Free CANsolidator! Lucky you!

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While I am off camping in 100+ degrees.... you get to enter to win a CANsolidator!

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How lucky are you?!?

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So here's the LoW down.... To enter to win this 'storage device', as Nolan calls it-

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The rules are as follows:

1.You must live in the continental U.S.

2. You must promise to pray for me every night from now 'til I get back from camp.

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Just kidding about #2. I mean, you can pray for me if you'd like, I'd love it if you did, but you can enter prayerless.... if you must.

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Here are the many ways of entering:

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Enter once because I love ya.

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Enter again by signing up for Shelf Reliance's newsletters. Just go to the main page and you will see how to sign up in the upper left corner. It's a great way to keep up on the latest sales, promotions, new products, and online tools. Come back and tell me in my comment box that you did. If you've already been signed up, you can tell me that too.

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Enter a third time by blogging about this awesome giveaway.

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And enter a fourth time by becoming a follower of http://www.iamlow.com/. Being a follower isn't something I usually encourage, unless a sweet deal such as a free Shelf Reliance CANsolidator is up for grabs. I promise I won't lead you astray. Not on purpose anyways. :)

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Be sure to enter separately for each of the 4 ways to enter.

I'll be using hwww.random.org .

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Good luck, one and all!

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The winner will be announced Saturday first thing when I get home from camping. Well..... first thing after I hug the fam and take a shower..

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And hey! The blog will still be alive and kickin' while I am at camp, come back to see what AniC blogs about with the random pictures I've set up for her. And be sure to leave her some comment love!

A FYI for YOU (and a hint at a Giveaway)

So next week, I am going camping.

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Have you ever seen me camping? Nolan captured the reality of me camping quite well a couple of years ago, with the art medium called crayons.

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Regardless, I think I am still a

due to the fact that I go with an amazing group of people.

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.While I am away, I asked that my sister step in for me. But not just to be a regular old guest-filler-in blogger person, but to also take on a little challenge.

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.I challenged and she accepted.

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.How cool is that?

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.So next week (starting Tuesday) I will have some photo's saved that are waiting to be blogged about, her challenge is to blog about the photo's of my choosing. She has no idea what they are.

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I'm feeling a little....hmmm, shall I say mischievous and giddy about it? I'm quite anxious for her surprise in seeing the photo's (wish I could see her reaction) and to read her posts.

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And there might be a giveaway going on all the while too. So come back for that too folks!

When a Man Loves a Kitty

I've been talking about favorites a bit lately, but did you know that I have a favorite brother-in-law? AniC's husband is without a doubt, my all time favorite brother-in-law. JuC is very friendly and very kind and very very patient husband to the baby in the family (that would be AniC).

I feel for him though.

See the thing is, JuC really loves kitties, he really wants a kitty, but AniC really really won't let him have one.

Isn't that the saddest?

I feel his pain. I want to take in every stray animal that comes by and Gary always tells me no. So me and my brother-in-law have this one thing in common and we just.... we don't have to say anything, we both understand each others pain and knowing that is a comfort enough to us both.

And that is why, when he drove all day to come spend his birthday in my neck of the woods, I knew I had to do something special for him. Something extra thoughtful.... so I found him THE cute-est kitty birthday card and asked the best artist I know to sketch a kitty just for him....

I don't know for sure, but I'm thinkin' I did help him have a pretty kitty-rific day!

OH! Wait.....

I .......

Uh....

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I always do this, I tend to get people mixed up.....

Is it JuC that likes kitties and AniC that does not?

Or is it AniC that likes them and JuC doesn't????

Uh-OH!!!

So embarassing!!!!

The Truth, As I See It

Today my main man and I went on an impromptu date while the kids were in school.

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As we were driving from one of our hot spots to another, and were stuck at a red light, he pointed over to my left and said, "I poured the cement for that sidewalk."

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(he drove a cement truck for the first little bit when we moved here, until he found something else)

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I looked over, checked it out, and well.... it looked like any other sidewalk I'd ever seen.

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I said in this fake voice, "Oh my, it's lovely, you did a really good job," then I giggled and added, "As your mother would say."

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And he did as he always does, and tried to hold back laughter. And when he tries to hold back laughter, his nose does this little flair thing that I love.

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It looks a lot like this picture, the one I have on my side bar. Here he's getting a picture done and I'm poking my head around his shoulder, he refuses to laugh, so his nostrils flair.

See?

(This picture was taken at his Mission Farewell)

So he holds back laughter, but I am not. I am so proud of myself, laughing it up.

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He says, "I'm trying to think of what YOUR mother would say if it were you."

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I said in a fake voice, "Anitra would have done a much better job."

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Oh mother!! I am just kidding!!! I totally was joking!!

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But do you think Anitra could pour cement better than I? Do you? :)

Adopting

This past December Zoe adopted a kitty. You may remember Boo because she's been around for years. She was Wesley's but when he moved out he felt he couldn't take her, so he asked Zoe if she would.

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Of course she would!!

She took Boo in her loving arms and made Boo hers.

By making her jewelery, and making her wear the jewelry, and then making her pose in the jewelry.

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This is the new spring line.

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Work it girl!!

Does your cat wear Zoe?

All the cool cats are.

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This past weekend after going round and round with Rae about cleaning her Guinea Pig's cage and everything else, while she moaned and groaned, Rae and Naomi came to me with this idea.

.Could Naomi adopt Skip, the guinea pig, from Rae?

.Sure! I said.

.So Naomi has done her thing, taken this guinea pig in her loving arms, playing with him and loving him and fussin'. Oh, she's fussed over this little guy alright, grooming him and all.

Yesterday she got a little carried away with the nails though and ..... clipped too deep, if ya know what I mean? Oh! My stomach as I think about the visual! Ouch! My finger tips ache as I type!

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And he cried and she cried!

Are you one of those momma's that overthinks the consequences of letting your child adopt out her pet to your other child? I'm not.

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Rae will not be doing the same with a baby one day just cause her momma let her give up a guinea pig so easily.

BUT, if it ever happened that way, I'm just sayin', dibs on Baby J!!!

I have THE biggest crush on Baby J, and I think he has a pretty big crush on himself too. That little blue circle he looks into is a mirror- you must see him flirt with himself!

I don't blame him!

AniC- if you ever get tired of feedin' and changin'- can you at least let him come visit me?

hApPy BiRtHdAy Ma!!!

I usually stick to blogging Mon-Fri so the weekends are more focused on my kids, but today is a special day.

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"Who's that girl?!?!"

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That's what everyone asked when I first unvailed my new button made by AniC.

That blonde vintage leggy chic is my Ma!!!

And today is her birthday!!

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Happy Birthday Mother Dear!!!

P.S. Here for the Giveaway? Click here.

P.S.S. My wittle baby sister AniC has a Giveaway too. Go here.

About the Food Storage Giveaway

I usually blog first thing in the morning, right after the house empties of my schoolers and right before I decide to attack the laundry and breakfast dishes and icky bathrooms. Who doesn't want to put those things off, right?

Today was different. Today I preferred those things over blogging. Because I have some bad news......

I decided the wonderful food storage Giveaway should be a Keeper.

As in, the Giveaway is off and these beautiful cans are mine, all mine!

COL!!

(stands for Cackle Out Loud. Seriously, just ask Crash)

April Fools!!!

Did I get you?? Did I? Huh?

Oh you guys should know better! The Giveaway is still on and going strong.

Make sure you use every opportunity to enter all six times. At least, if I were you, that's what I would do. Everyone has at least 10 friends they can share this great Giveaway with, so send out those emails for another entry! And seriously, that hot blonde chick that knows LoW, who wouldn't want her on their blog? She'll add beauty to your blog, she'll kick it up a notch. Bam!!

But really, in all seriousness, I do have some great news to share today.

I talked Gary into another baby!!! Yay!!!

April Fools!!

You didn't even come close to falling for that one, did you?

You know what though, this April Fools thing...... I've been a bit nervous. My Naomi and Zoe, the past few days, have been really looking forward to April Fools day. Zoe even told me that she had 3 tricks up her sleeve just for me!

When I got up this morning, I was feeling a little jumpy. When I went to the kitchen to start breakfast there was this strange beetle type bug sitting ever so perfectly right on the kitchen faucet, just like it had been planted there.

Turns out it was a real live bug that just so happened to be there. I thought it was a trick at first. Good thing I didn't just pick the bug up thinking it was a toy, huh?

When I went to get them up this morning and said, "Get up girls! It's late! There isn't even time for breakfast!"

Naomi yelled in disgust, "What?!?!?!"

"April Fools!" I yelled. hehe haha hoho!!

I got them. But that's what they get for making me so nervous, right?

Then they come to eat and I had really spent some time on this breakfast because they have this 'Oh so important testing' going on at school and the school stresses to the kids 'eat a healthy breakfast or else!' and so they stress and stress and worry about everything being just so.

(and then get too nervous to even eat breakfast, but that's another story)

So Naomi comes to the counter, "Mom, I am sorry, I just can't eat this. I threw up last night."

I said, "You did?" (and I missed it???)

"April Fools!!" says she.

haha hehe hoho. She got me.

But to make this post worth reading, I have a frugal tip for you today.

Save the napkins that are left over from fast food joints to use at dinner time.

April Fools!!!

I mean, yes, save them, use them, but please, for the love of pete, don't use them at the dinner table!

I mean, you can if you want, and I won't judge you.

April Fools!!!

I will judge you! That's tacky!!

April Fools again!!!

No, I won't, I will not judge you. Out loud.

April Fools!!

I will judge you, out loud, but only to a couple of people.

April Fools!!!

I kid, I kid!!

I kid so much I can't keep up with where I stand on the issue!

By the way, my wittle baby sister has an awesome Giveaway of her own happening right now, and she didn't post it today, so she's totally not kidding.

Babies Need to Workout Too

Did you know that AniC is a personal trainer?

She is.

And did you know that being her baby is no excuse to not workout?

It's not.

How do you think Baby J got Popeye arms?

"But momma" Baby J says, "I can't even walk yet."

"Drop and give me 20!" says AniC.

And if he isn't working out, she is using him to make others work out.

Hanging out with her is why I am in the shape I am in.

Bam!

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Hey- do you like a good Giveaway???

Do you like free food?

Then come back Monday, boy do I have a Giveaway for you!!!

Oh Crash Test Dummy, Why Do Thou Doubt? In Defense of My Sista

I have a favorite blogger who I read daily, she goes by Crash Test Dummy but she's actually a Smarty Pants. And I love her and her blog, I adore them both.

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But she doubted. Not me, but my sister.

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AniC are loyal to each other, we don't let a crash come between us, or a test, or a dummy. But occasionally we let a Sonic commercial and a key chain come between us. But never the three things listed above. Never ever! \

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So Crash Test Dummy wanted to see pictures of AniC, to see if she really does have a fro.

As I looked through my pictures I remembered, it's hard to get a picture without her fro!

It's always in the way!

Naomi wanted me to get a picture of her holding her baby cousin.

The whole corner is filled with her fro!

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I wanted a picture of my nephew with the flower my girls put in his hair.

There is the fro, again!

A close up of the cutest chubbiest baby in the world.

And the..... fro-iest fro.


A picture of history....

And more fro.


I wanted a picture of the Chinese Buffet for a future blog post on how it drives me crazy when people say, "Do you want Chinese?" and they don't finish the sentence. And I always think, "Chinese what?" Even though I know they mean Chinese food....And the fro, once again.

I also wanted a picture of my ma's mantle, she always has it done up.

Here is her St Patrick's day mantle.

With AniC's fro.

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See, it's everywhere!!

It's almost impossible to get a picture without her fro!!



The answer in short Crash Test Dummy- yes, she does, she really really does have a fro.

And she knows how to use it.

Reunited and it Feels So Good

Guess what 2 babies will be reunited today?

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Here is a hint-

My baby and my baby sisters baby!

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Wait- does that make 3 babies reuniting?

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I had intended to share a story about my childhood today but instead I must prepare for my visitors.

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In the meantime I would like to share some beautiful pictures with you. Zoe says so anyways. Shortly after I snuck the above picture of Zoe holding hands with her sweet baby nephew, she asked if she could take some pictures. She was SO impressed with some pictures she took of the sun through her fingerprint smudgy tinted window, that she took not just one but many.

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So I dedicate this most wonderful collage I made to Zoe. Without her, we wouldn't have this photography masterpiece.

When an Aunt Loves a Baby

I have a sweet nephew that lives far away.

It's really really hard on me.

It hurts.

Not so much here-

Or here-

But. Right. Here.

I finally got to meet my nephew face to face at Christmas. I told my wittle baby sister AniC that if she wasn't always right there keepin' an eye on me, I'd be kissin' on him. Then she did the kindest thing ever and granted permission. Then he gave me lots of sugar.

I really love him.

I wish he was mine.

Yesterday I asked AniC if she would just give him to me.

She said I could have him from 10 PM to 10 AM.

He's not a good sleeper, bless their heart.

But he's an amazing beat boxer!!

You can't have him, ya'll!! He's mine! And AniC's and Shad's.

But really, stop watching the video and falling in love, you can't have him.

So You Know I Love Vintage, Right?

And you know that I loved vintage before vintage was cool right?

Which does loving something before it was cool make you cool, or uncool? If you didn't love it when it was cool to love it? That's the million dollar question me and my dear friend Shawna once discussed. I must introduce her one day.

I digress..... do you think I care about what's cool? Cause you better know I don't. If I did, I would have waited to think it's cool, right?

Anyways, I come from a town that is great for shopping for such things.

(along with a fun little drug store the serves lunch at the lunch counter?)

The day I went shopping after Christmas with my ma and my sister that ate two sammiches, and her adorable baby and her baby's daddy (aka- her husband) was a wonderful and sad day.

One of my favorite shops.

And many of the wonderful sites from the day.

Do you have any earthly idea how good this would look in my kitchen? Oh my lands, would it EVER!

But check THIS out~

The first shop we checked out had this darling poster. Can you believe how darling it is? And the picture doesn't do it justice, for one, it's almost as tall as me. And I am nearly 6 1/2 feet tall!!! Minus one foot. And I think big pictures go wonderfully in my home!

But you really need to know is, I fell in love at first sight. Santa is darling and he is wearing a King's crown! And he's tall!

Ahhhh.... *sigh*

However, I had only so much money in my pocket. And he was more than what I had. As is the case almost always.

But I wanted him and loved him

What to do?

So I decided (and it made complete sense at the time) and I declared out loud for the family to hear, "I will come back Monday.... if he's still here, he's mine. If he's not, he never was mine.... it wasn't meant to be."

What kind of idiot comes up with such stuff?

So my family went home (to send some kids off to trek) and I got a text from AniC that said they went back and it had been bought.

I said, "Well, it was never mine then...." like a big girl. Then I broke down and cried inside, like a little girl.

I also gave the girl that came up with the stupid 'if he's still there, he's mine....' ridiculousness a butt chewin'.

So after the trekkers were sent off on trek Gary and the two little ones and I returned to my hometown and my sister invited me to go shopping. I looked at the window where the King crowned Santa and I first met in hopes that he's magically be there. I mentioned several times how I couldn't believe I missed that opportunity! (stupid, stupid, stupid!) I had the same Christmas cash in my pocket begging to be spent, but my heart was with the King Santa and nothing floated my boat.

That night me and my sisters and Ma hung out and chatted at my Ma's house and suddenly someone started singing Happy Early Birthday To Youuuuuuuu...

And I thought, 'I can't believe we are doing something for Ma's April birthday and they didn't let me know!'

I look at my Ma and she's singing with them and looking at ME and smiling!

I turn around and there is cake with lit candles!

No words for the shock. I usually get people, they don't usually get me. Whaaaat?

And I open a present and it's King Santa!!!

When AniC told me that the Santa had been bought, it had been, BY HER and FOR ME!

THANKS AGAIN Ma and E and AniC!!!

And he's soooo cute!

It turned out he really was meant to be mine. When they showed up he had fallen and they thought he was gone, and when they went to buy it the guy said it wasn't for sale, and when AniC explained that she'd been quoted the guy that quoted her just happened to walk in to confirm it was so. Then the other guy said, "I don't think the owner wanted to sell it" and luckily, they decided if they told her they'd sell it... then they needed to honor that."

Hallelujah!

Alright you guys, tell me how cute my Santa is.

Eating at the Lunch Counter

After Christmas {and other times of the year, but most especially after Christmas} I like to go uptown in the hometown and do some shopping. And when lunch time arises, I like to go to the local drug store for lunch.

Look at these fine customers ordering at the lunch counter. I sure hope they don't mind me snapping their picture.

The fine customer in pink? She was educatin' them on how to make a chocolate soda when I snapped this picture.

The customer with the baby? She ate two sandwiches! TWO!

But I didn't judge.

Look at the lovely menu. And the great prices!

And the original soda fountain.

I so badly wanted to say, "Can you remove your sign from the front? It's ruining the photo shoot!"

But I didn't.

And here is the soda jerk.


Did you know that my mother in law was a soda jerk when she was a teenager? And that is where she met her husband?
True story.


Shall we sit at the counter?

Or next to the skin care aisle?

This fine customer looks friendly enough, I think I'll go with the counter.

I had a delicious lunch for under 3 bucks!

Did you know that when I was a teenager, I stopped by here quite often and got me a real cherry coke?

Also a true story.

And did you notice the girl holding the baby that ate two sandwiches? Did you know she has always had a big appetite, and when she was a young whippersnapper I often brought her uptown with me and bought her some candy?

I wonder if she remembers that.

Deep Thoughts.... By Zoe Lu and Boy Howdy- People Like Them Some Controversy!

Deep Thoughts by Zoe Lu

"When life gives you a bruise on your knee....

Turn it into a smiley face."

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Well, life gave me a bruise on my ego. And this is the face on my bruised ego-

First my ego received a blow when I learned that my blog readers wouldn't side with ME on this whole Sonic commercial issue.

Then my ego received a sucker punch when I realized that if the word "controversy" was in the title I would get lots more visitors to my blog and I've been shying from controversy. I had it wrong all along.

Then my ego got a jab when anonymous 1 was worried about scars on the relationship and not the scars AniC was putting on my heart.

And lastly, my ego got a ego-slam (worse than a body slam) when my internet friend Sue M. sided with my sister even though she and I are both the middle child in the family (her- literally, me- because I worked for the title) and we both have a child with type 1 diabetes. I thought she had my back. Instead, she turned hers on me.

*sniffle*

If any of you are touched by this post and worried about me and my ego (and you should be), please vote. It's free and it's anonymous (and people like to be anonymous).It's the American thing to do. Plus we need to break the tie so I'll know what to do. Because without votes, who will decide? And HOW will it be decided- do I have boyfriend-stealing Dar be judge or do I post the movie?

I need to know!

I must know!

I Had Stomach Pains, Labor and I Pushed

Yesterday was SO tiring. First off, my stomach hurt all day, then I labored to get my house in order and when the kids got home I pushed real hard to get them to do their homework.

And then, after the stomach pains and the laboring and the pushing, I had a new nephew!!!!

Meet wittle baby Judson, named after his father. And he looks just like his father too. Good thing, if he looked like Anitra they may have felt compelled to name him Anitra and that wouldn't have been nice.

Look at how great Anitra looks!

I didn't look that good after having my babies. I didn't look that good last night, after the stomach pains and laboring and pushing I did. I don't know how she did it.
Of course when we talked last night she said, "it didn't even hurt." So apparently I was in more pain yesterday than she was, so that explains......

And look at the proud Pop-

Wait a minute..........
They said they were naming the baby after the daddy, but I thought his name was Jug?