Time...

flies when...well, when you're having fun, when you're sad, when you're sick, When you're well, when you're bored, when you're busy. Time just flies! I can't believe it is mid-November already!

So much has been going on in our lives this past six weeks (that's how long it's been since I've truly blogged!) I'm not sure any better way to put it than as a "Random Thoughts" post!

• My son is a Cross Country super star! He was consistently the #1 runner on his team this season. He was named Athlete of the Week in our local county newspaper. (I bought 9 copies at Walmart that week!) He placed 2nd...SECOND!...in the regional race on October 24. And he placed 21st in the Kentucky State Cross Country Meet! He set a PR (personal record) in the 4k (about 2.5 miles) of 14 minutes and 56 seconds. It was an amazing season! We are all so proud of him!

• Rachel and Mallory turned 13 on October 8. I am officially the mother of 4 teenagers! They had a few friends over for a trip to Mr. Gatti's and a slumber party. They got 4-wheelers from us for their gift. I was very hesitant about them and they got quite a safety lecture from me. Mallory tumbled off the first day (don't worry, she wasn't injured) I think that scared them both straight and I haven't had many concerns since then.

• My friend, Becky, gave birth to her third beautiful daughter, Madelyn, on October 16. I just received her birth announcement (hand-made by her super-creative mama!) and she is so beautiful! I can't wait to meet her and snuggle her close!

• Speaking of babies and snuggling, I have been babysitting my perfect little nieces, Jozie and Kealie twice a week. Whew! Those girls wear me out! I guess that's why I am the mother of teenagers at 32 and not toddlers! I don't think I could handle it full time! Regardless, they are beautiful and amazing. I love that they are smiling and trying to laugh! They've got such big personalities already. Oh and Little Miss Kealie stole something from me! What, you ask? My husband's heart! He is in love with that girl and she with him!
  

• Tyler turned 14 on October 30. We got him a new Mac Book. That was the only thing he asked for. Yes it was expensive and No he did not expect that he was going to get it. That made for an awesome gift presentation on the night before his birthday! He was so surprised. It was an avalanche of emotions and made the cost well worth it! He had another boy-girl party the week before his birthday. It was pretty much a replay of last year's party.
  

• Halloween was uneventful. The kids all went to parties or trick-or-treating with their friends. It was a quite night for us at home. We only had about 10 trick-or-treaters. I felt bad for Jim. He loves Halloween. He decorated the yard as a cemetery and was dressed up very scary and then didn't have many kids come by. Michelle and Josh brought the babies over though. I made a big chili supper and we all filled all bellies with chili and all the candy we didn't pass out. It was a nice evening.

• We've had a few illnesses throughout the house. Rachel, especially, has been struggling to stay well. She has missed eight days of school in the past three weeks. She is having a lot of sore throats, so a tonsillectomy just might be in that's girl's future! Tyler and Jimmy have both missed some days for general "not feeling good-ness"...is that a legitimate phrase? Oh well, I just created it. They both ran a fever but it only lasted 24 hours, so I wasn't too worried. Mallory has managed to stay well and we, as a family, seem to have avoided the H1N1 that seems to be making it's way through our town. We've even had some local schools closed because of it.

• I am addicted to Facebook. If you want to know the real reason I have not been blogging, I think you can blame FB. Whenever I have a free moment, I seem to be checking out every one's status. Most of them are people I haven't seen or talked to in over 10 years, but now I MUST know what they had for lunch or where they spent the weekend. Honestly, it can be a little overwhelming, but it has been a nice way to reconnect with lots of people. Hey! I just had a thought...if any of you are on Facebook and we're not already friends...look me up!

• My blog (and Facebook!) friend, Renee, just returned from Eastern Europe. Her husband stayed behind to bring home the newest addition to their family, Kellsey. She was officially adopted on November 10! I can't wait to see their whole family together. It has been an honor to share this journey with them!

• Another blog friend of mine, Raine, has been feeling down lately. I truly hope that you are feeling better this week. I worry about you, girl! Let me know if there's anything I can do to lift your spirits! {{{hugs}}}

• I am soooo looking forward to the holidays this year! I have already done some gift shopping and I just can't wait to get out the Christmas decorations. I will follow the old family rule though. Nothing Christmas until Thanksgiving dinner has been consumed!
  

I'm sure there are things that I forgot. I really want to get back on the blogging wagon. I love my bloggy friends so much and I will not lose touch with you guys! Don't forget that I am reading every post (thanks Google Reader!) on each of your blogs, even when I don't comment or blog myself!

Happy Thanksgiving! I just can't help wishing a happy holiday of some sort!



P.S. Still no pictures. Actually, I was able to upload pictures when I started this post, but I had to save and restart my computer and now I can't upload again. I just can't figure it out. I can upload to Facebook though, so if we're friends you can see a few new pics there.

Random Thoughts

Today is Patriot Day. I'll admit that I am not a huge patriot, but I will acknowledge and honor the 2,974 lives we lost 8 years ago today in the worst act of terrorism on US soil. It is the moment in my life that everyone will ask "Do you remember where you were when?"

Speaking more lightly of days to remember, wasn't Wednesday a cool date? 09/09/09

I forgot to post about last week's Cross Country meet. Tyler and Rachel both did great! The race was a 3k (approx 1.8 miles) Rachel finished with a time of 17:17. She placed ahead of 50 other girls in the race! Tyler finished with a time of 11:25 and placed 15th out of 196 boys! He received an individual medal! As a team, the girls finished in 5th and the boys placed 4th! We were all very excited! T and R have another meet tomorrow. Here's hoping for another great day!

I have discovered an awesome new show. Glee on Fox. It's a musical-dramedy. Here is a clip from the pilot episode...

How great is that?!?! I think there has only been one episode besides the pilot. Let me know if any of you watch it. I love chatting about my favorite shows!

Recap of 09/10/09 episode to come later this weekend...

Random Thoughts

I have been a better blogger this week, haven't I?

Watch this...

WTF?!?!

Enough is enough with the kids already! This is ridiculous. 19 kids. JimBob (seriously) and Michelle need to sleep in twin beds. I feel bad for their kids. The older kids raise the younger ones. That is no way for them to live. Well, unless you are raising your daughters to be mothers. Which I'm sure they are. I feel bad for the younger ones because they can't possibly spend time with their parents. And to top it all off...JimBob just did an interview talking about how he and Michelle have date night once a week. Once a week??? Jim and I don't even have date night once a week. And we've only got 4 kids. Use your brains. Hillbillies.

A grammar lesson:
their - a form of the possessive case of they; their home, their dog
there - in or at that place; she is there now, he stopped there
they're - contraction of they are; they're stupid, they're annoying
Another tip when it comes to these three words. They all start with the letters "T H E." Never spell them wrong again! You're welcome.

((this is for you Dad))

((and anyone who doesn't know how to use these words correctly))

I was watching something earlier this week and they were talking about the different ways people from the North and people from the South talk. Like I would say...

"Are you having a cook-out this weekend?" Apparently in the North they would call it a barbecue.

I have always called athletic shoes "tennis shoes." Some people call them sneakers.

When I'm watching TV I'll say "turn this over" instead of "change the channel." Jim always teases me for that one.

Renee at My Special Ks had the highway/freeway/expressway debate early this summer.

What about Fall versus Autumn? Or Dinner versus Supper?

This is interesting (and fun) to me, so I looked up some more examples in this article. I know I have readers from way up North and some fellow Southerners. What do you say?
(I put the word I would use first)

seesaw or teeter-totter
gutter or eave
lightning bug or firefly
skillet or frying pan
bucket or pail
soda/coke/soft drink/pop
sub/hoagie/grinder/hero
living room/parlor
wallet/billfold
goose bumps/chill bumps

I'm curious to see what you all "say!"

Random Thoughts

Almost a week has passed since my last post. Is my life so boring right now that I have nothing to share? In a word, Yes.

I have got to get back to my diet healthy lifestyle changes. We have been doing better as a family eating healthier. I've stopped buying a lot of junk food and have been trying to stock the pantry with healthier choices. Not a lot of complaints from the kids, so that's a good start, I guess!

I am on Facebook waaaaaaaay too much. Isn't it great to reconnect with old friends and keep in touch with family you don't see often enough? Yeah, that is great. I heard some people use Facebook for that. I, on the other hand, play FarmVille. (Sorry Kirsten!) I play it all the time. All. The. Time. It's quite sad and I won't bore you any details. You know, unless you are on Facebook and want to be my FarmVille neighbor!

Tonight is Project Runway!!! Last week I was very happy with the judges choices. I *loved* the winning dress!

I'm not going to make any predictions about the show yet. I'm not very good at that when there are still so many contestants. It's also hard for me to choose favorites at this point. But I have chosen the ones I don't like.

This girl is named Ari. She is weird and her clothes are ugly. She was the first one "out" I was happy!
This guy is named Johnny. I call him Druggie. He cried and talked about his previous drug addiction all night. He really got on my nerves. Unless he does something amazing, he is my least favorite. And, of course, there is also the chance for someone else to be extremely annoying tonight.

I am also watching the new show Models of the Runway. This show follows the models from Project Runway. So far, no favorites here either. I have watched a lot of America's Next Top Model and this is no where near as exciting. Yet. I'll keep watching and let you know.

I hope I am not too lazy to do a post about tonight's episode in the morning. Don't hold your breath.

Random thoughts

The new babies are doing fine. I went with Michelle to take them to the Doctor on Wednesday. Jozie is 6.4 pounds and Kealie is 5.0 pounds. Lots of growing going on!

I am finding the thought of shopping for school supplies boring this year. Usually I am very excited about it. So far I have purchased loose leaf paper, graph paper and some glue sticks. School starts in 5 days.

I am having lunch with my brother tomorrow. We meet once a month for lunch. It's fun and a great way to stay in touch. I love that we have a set meeting date. We have lunch no matter if it's been a month or a day since the last time we saw each other. If you have a sibling you don't see on a regular basis, I highly recommend this. You know, if you like them.

I have cooked very yummy dinners the past two nights. BBQ chicken and broccoli casserole on Wednesday and a Chicken Tortilla Bake and black beans tonight. No other comments about the meals. I'm just patting myself on the back!

I think we're having pizza rolls for dinner tomorrow.

http://www.shtickaround.com

Comics for those with a sick sense of humor!

I have decided to run a 30k on September 20. That's 18 miles. I have ran a total of 4 miles training so far. Obviously, I'm super excited!

I am reorganizing organizing my digital pictures on my computer. It is taking forever and my desktop is a mess. It's also making my shoulders hurt from sitting in front of the computer so much.

I wish I had a big piece of chocolate cake with raspberry sauce in between the layers right now. Like P.F. Chang's Wall of Cake!

That is all.

Survey...just for fun!

1. First thing you wash in the shower? hair
2. What color is your favorite hoodie? green
3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? yes!
4. Do you plan outfits? sometimes
5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? excited
6. What's the closest thing to you that's red? yahtzee game
7. What was the last dream you remember having? i was hanging out in a hot tub...that's all i remember
8. Did you meet anybody new today? over the phone
9. What are you craving right now? a really good loaded baked potato
10. Do you floss? not as much as i should :(
11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? cole slaw. gross!
12. Are you emotional? i can be
13. Have you ever counted to 1,000? not that i remember
14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? lick it...wouldn't it hurt your teeth to bite it?
15. Do you like your hair? no
16. Do you like yourself? yes. i'm pretty cool
17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? sure

18. What are you listening to right now? south park
19. Are your parents strict? not really
20. Would you go sky diving? maybe
21. Do you like cottage cheese? yes
22. Have you ever met a celebrity? i don't think so
23. Do you rent movies often? i have a net flix account

24. Is there anything sparkly in the room in which you are? my ring

25. What countries have you visited? bahamas
26. Have you made a prank phone call? yes! so sad about caller id!
27. Ever been on a train? yes
28. Brown or white eggs? white
29. Do you have a cell-phone? i-Phone
31. Do you use chapstick? usually lipstick
32. Do you own a gun? i don't
33. Can you use chopsticks? not really
34. Who are you going to be with tonight? my sweet honey!
35. Are you too forgiving? i don't think so, probably not enough
36. Ever been in love? of course
37. What is your best friend doing tomorrow? idk
38. Ever have cream puffs? mmm!
39. Last time you cried? i don't remember
40. What was the last question you asked? guess what?
41. Favorite time of the year? fall
42. Do you have any tattoos? just one. soon to be 2!
43. Are you sarcastic? no, NEVER!
44. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect? i think part of it
45. Ever walked into a wall? more than once!
46. Favorite color? green
47. Have you ever slapped someone? probably only michelle! sorry!
48. Is your hair curly? kind of
49. What was the last CD you bought? i just bought the hairspray soundtrack off i-tunes
50. Do looks matter? yes
51. Could you ever forgive a cheater? i hope i never have to find out
52. Is your phone bill sky high? i think i have an unlimited plan
53. Do you like your life right now? very much!
54. Do you sleep with the TV on? no
55. Can you handle the truth? truth about what???
56. Do you have good vision? not anymore
57. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people? oh yes!
58. How often do you talk on the phone? not much, i'd rather email or text
59. The last person you held hands with? my honey!
60. What are you wearing? jeans and a t-shirt
61. What is your favorite animal? kittens!
62. Where was your profile picture taken? i took it myself before michelle's bacherlorette party
63. Can you hula hoop? i think so
64. Do you have a job? i'm a mom!
65. What was the most recent thing you bought? groceries
66. Have you ever crawled through a window? maybe a car window!

Don't have anything to blog about today? Then...TAG! You're it!

WARNING This post is Rated R....

Someone tried to grow a man in our front yard!


These are real mushrooms that were growing right next to my front steps. Unfortunately I was NOT the first one to see them and therefore not the first one to make this joke!