Shut. Up.

Am I the last person on earth who has not heard about these real. life. ladies????? I want to be a Time Warp Wife!!! Read about them here. And watch their episodes here.

September!!!

Hey hey hey, Ba de ya - say do you remember

Ba de ya - dancing in September

Ba de ya - never was a cloudy day

The FREE September Desktop is up on the website! A few days early, I know, but never have I been so glad to say goodbye to August. It has been a hot one here. I'm hoping that Mother Nature will get the hint and cool things off if I start talking about how much I love fall.

I was in the back to school mood this month and started reminiscing and thought, why not stay with the theme. I put a picture of me and Jason at my senior prom on the desktop. Look closely. We don't look like that anymore. What happened? I still feel that young. I still remember everything about that night. Has it really been (cough)teen years????

The girls are going to Gramma's house tonight and we are having our first date night in about (cough)teen years. Not really, but it has been a good long while and I'm looking forward to it. Then we have a fun but busy weekend ahead of us. Good times, good times. (Peter Griffin).

Christy, are you reading this? Missy had a Twinkie today. Better come over and pop her and drain the cream filling. I thought you were monitoring her. What's up with that? Okay, really it was me that had the Twinkie. There, are you happy? You always blame the dog. Oh wait, that's me too.

It is 700 degrees here and I long for warm apple crisps and pumpkins and decorating with leaves and corn stalk bundles. I bought up all the Halloween craft magazines in the grocery store yesterday and I actually wore a sweater around the house for a while until I annoyed everyone else by complaining about how itchy and hot it was.

I'm reading this blog and this one and this one about this show like an obsessed person. I think I have a problem. It's all your fault, Kellie. I've even got my husband reading them.

Oops! Gotta go! I hear the bus!!!

Happy Labor Day.

Aside: Okay, one last thing, don't you think it should be called NO Labor Day. Or Un-Labor Day? What is wrong with the people who named it?

Some more things

I once read that you weren't supposed to apologize in your blog if it had been a while since your last post. None of this...I'm sorry I haven't blogged in six months...kind of thing. But I think that's kinda rude, donchooooo? I mean, I'm always amazed when I get my little email from Sitemeter that truly that many people actually log on and read my mindless tripe, so I'm certainly not going to ignore the fact that yes, when you look on my Archives list, there are only 3 posts listed. Sorry, okay? There. To all 3 of you readers out there. I'm sorry. Geez.

No really, the truth is I'm just not feeling myself these days. I don't know what it is. Well, I do and I don't. And every time I log on to post something I delete it because it sounds like a big crybaby, whaa, whaa, poor me post. Those I hate. Boo hoo, I'm busy. Boo hoo, I'm tired. Boo hoo, I've got stuff and issues. Whhhhaaaaaaaa. So, thus, the absence.

I deleted my other blog. My Month of Sundays blog. I. Simply. Don't. Have. Time. For. It. I wish I did. It's a good thing, but became a hassle. You know? (Oh, god here I go. Whaaaaaaaa. Whaaaaaaaa.)

I don't think she'll mind if I share this, but I will tell you that Missy (my dog) saw a picture of herself recently and realized that she was no longer charmingly chubby, but was bordering on the edge of morbidly obese and has begun portion control. Not dieting. Nononononono. Missy has a really hard time with the word diet. Maybe because the word DIE is in there, I don't know. But once she tells herself that she is on a diet, she has a really hard time following through. It's a mental thing. She knows this. She's a very cerebral dog.

Aside: Don't you hate it when people post pictures of their animals on their blogs? You DO? Well, we can't be friends anymore. Here is Missy giving you a mean look. With her wittle hat!

So, she's started walking. Putting on her little pink leash and her IPod (she listens to 3 Dog Night and Snoop Dogg-even though the lyrics are quite raunchy and of course the Ramones) and hitting the pavement. She's looking good.

Also, Missy was wondering why there are currently so many Bloggers who do not capitalize letters in their post? sort of a no capitalization ban-just say no (not No) to capital letters. even in names. What is that about? Are they too lazy to hold down the shift key? Do they think it looks cool? Not that there's anything wrong with that. She was just wondering so I thought I'd put that out there....

My Dad is old now. He had a birthday on Monday and he's officially old. I won't tell you how old, but I did buy him some Flexitol and some corn pads and some of those half reading glasses that you buy at the drug store and a bed pan and a bath seat for his birthday. He's old. Here's he and I when I was about 11 and he was not old. Note the really LARGE round glasses I have on. It was style people. Everyone had them. Gawd!

We were fishing. Duh.

And we are cheering away here in the 5th Grade. My little girls are doing such a great job. I never considered how attached I would get to them when I started coaching. I mean, I knew I love kids and that it would be a blast, but I seriously feel like the buttons are going to pop off my chest when they do a good job. I just get so proud.

Jacy starts ballet next week at the most beautiful, precious little new studio here in our town. I'm so excited about it. I really hope that it is as good as I think it will be. And she's having a sleepover this weekend with her two BFF's. She's so looking forward to it. Little girly giggles and Barbie and popcorn and swimming. Don't you sometimes wish you were 7 again.

So that's it.

More things.

More things to come later.

Some things

I am a basket case these days. I'm extremely busy and on the verge of being stressed out. I have almost zero free time and I know I am neglecting my blog. Don't be mad. I snap at people a lot and think that everyone is mad at me. I think it is hormones. Or back to school. Or the weather. Or the state of the union. Whatever it is, it isn't my fault. Surely

I went to the laundromat (why is it spelled laundro and not laundrymat???) today to wash my gigantic comforter and quilts in their gigantic washing machine since they won't fit in mine. Confession: I love the laundrymat/laundromat. It smells good and it is quiet and when all the dryers are turned on it is very soothing. A little old lady pulled up in her gi-nourmously long car and brought in all her polyester and padded hangers and huge cotton underpants to wash. She had on a Grateful Dead t-shirt. I really wanted to ask her about it, but I stopped myself.

I am the mother of a tween. She announced it yesterday like she was announcing her engagement. "Mom. Dad. I am a tween now." With much melo-drama. (I don't know where she gets it.) She puts posters of boy bands on her walls where there once was a smiling cow jumping over the moon. She wears perfume and spends an interminable amount of time picking out her clothes. She talks on her cell phone a lot. But she still wants to sit in my lap and have me read to her. This is a confusing age.

My youngest child hates the spotlight and so I sometimes feel that she is overlooked even though I really don't think she is. I don't want her to grow up comparing herself to her very busy, extremely active, incredibly social older sister. I worry a lot about this. A. Lot. Sometimes I overlook her bad behavior because of it. She is becoming quite a little pampered diva because of this. I think it might be my fault. But surely not....

It is two months now that Haley has been gone. Sometimes when I think of her little face I want to throw something and yell about how unfair it is. Then I think of Jennifer and so I cry instead. Has it really already been 2 months? My husband gets upset when people that we know complain about their children. He says he can't believe they could be so ungrateful in the face of the loss Haley's parents have just experienced. I concur. Even though sometimes I complain about my children. Is he talking to me? I wish Haley could have known the valuable lessons she taught us all and how she has changed so many lives.

I cleaned my house so maniacally yesterday it was as if I were having important visitors. I feel like it has been dirty all summer. It was spotlessly clean. And Jacy spilled syrup on the floor this morning. Sigh.

My husband talks about money a lot these days. Our savings and The Future and The Kid's College Funds and Refinancing and Our Stocks and Our IRA. Even though we are just fine and seem to have just enough. (Or is there ever just enough?) I think he worries about things that "Could. Happen." too much. Do all husbands do this? He needs to stop watching the evening news.

I have curlers in my hair. Those big velcro ones that are supposed to help curly hair go straight. Whatever. We'll see if it works. It never works on my hair. I look like an alien.

A bushel and a peck

Bad blogger. Bad. I know, I know. I've been so remiss in blogging lately. But if you only knew....you'd forgive me!!! Thanks, though, for all your sweet well-wishes and kind "Come out to play" greetings! I'm so loved. Aw shucks.


This time of year is about to kick my butt!!! We have started full force with cheerleading (coaching, remember?), back to school (today!), resuming violin and piano after a little break and all the new activities that come with a new school year. I'm also working to get Jacy enrolled in ballet and trying to figure out how in the heck we're going to add one more activity to an already full calendar! Plus we just had a week's worth of cheerleading camp and I've had some sort of upper respiratory crap that is making me feel all of my years and a ton of new clients of which I'm so grateful, but add it all up and it equals one busy Mommy!!!


But I think I've got my apples all in one basket (see above) now....pant pant pant. Actually that picture is a ha-yuge basket of apples that we picked from our apple tree last week! They are currently awaiting a free evening (if it should ever arise) where Jason can help me peel them and then I'm drying some and freezing the rest to make into pies. They're really delicious. We've eaten several just plain, but they are the yummiest in pies! We have a ton more that are currently weighing down the branches of our darling little apple tree and every time we go out into the yard I hear their little voices calling out "Pick me! Pick me!" but I try to not look at them so maybe they will think I haven't heard. "Sorry, no time today gals!"


Today was the first day of school for Miss Molly and Miss Jacy and they were so cute. It came so early this year it took us a little while to get in the back to school mode, but once they went shopping for all their ca-yute new school supplies and fun outfits they were ready t rock and roll! Jacy has a fantastic teacher this year! I'm so excited for her to really grow up into a big girl. Second grade means she's already got the school routine down and last night she told me "Mommy, do you think we'll learn multiplication this year? Because that would be so cool!" So cute. Anything to be a big girl, too!

So after walking them into their new classrooms, I headed out for my favorite back to school treat, a coffee morning with two of my favorite girlfriends!!!

Ahhhhh....sitting. What's that like? I seem to remember it, vaguely. Like a dream sort of....

Say, say oh playmate!!! Come out and play with me...

And bring your dollies three, climb up my apple tree!!!!

Remember that song?

Remember this?

"Bubblegum bubblegum in a dish. How many pieces do you wish?"

Or

"Miss Suzie had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell..." Oooooooo. That one was a dirty one when I was a kid because Miss Suzie went to heaven and the steamboat went to Hell-0 operator, please give me number 9..... Remember? Do ya? Do ya?

Molly and Jacy constantly do these little jump rope rhymes. They sit in the back of the van and do their little hand clapping thing and sing a myriad of sing-song-y rhymes. Some of them are a little different than when I did them, but the jist is the same. When they do this I am always startled that I'm the parent driving the van and not the little red-headed girl in the backseat clapping away with Ellen. What happened? When did I become a 30-something adult? When?

I don't feel like an adult today. I feel like a cranky little red-headed girl. I wish I could just suck my thumb and climb up on the couch with my special animal, Harry the dog, and watch Bugs Bunny and have everyone just leave me alone.

Do you ever have days like that?

I don't know what's wrong with me.

I think it's the heat.

Jacy is headed off with some of her playmates today on a fun outing. She has the absolute sweetest friends in the entire world. The entire world. They are awesome and the mommy that's taking them on the outing is awesome, too. She's one of those mommies who seems like she's never sharp with her kids and is constantly up for some fun. I try hard to be like that. Although I'm not nearly as nice as Jodi.

We started our cheer season this week. Yay! I love cheer season! It's so fun. And yes, I'm coaching it again and I love it. I'd love it more if I didn't have to keep up with all the paperwork, uniforms and fundraisers and could just coach the girls, but that's all part of it. And it's so fun and I hope Molly always remembers me doing this for her. I have the best group of girls, too. All but 5 of my 25 girls came back this season and we gained 5 more new girls and they're all wonderful. And the girls that came back all have great parents who keep their complaining to a minimum and try to help when they can, so that's nice. Cheer parents can sometimes be the worst. You remember the whole "Texas Cheerleader Mom" thing, right? Go google it if you don't. Scary. But fortunately all my parents remember that this is about the kids not them, so it makes it much easier and way fun when they just want to see their girls have a good time and learn a lot. We had a pool party last night at our house to kick off the season. Remember being a little girl and going to pool parties?

So, thanks Linda, for the email reminding me that I've never posted pictures of my new French Doors in the bedroom. So here they are for your viewing pleasure!!!





I just realized how terrible these pictures are. You can't see the floor or the chandelier or anything. But you get the idea. I love them and I'm so happy with the way they turned out. We painted the floors a robin's egg blue so the whole room just feels like a little beach cottage. Love. Them. Although the process was a nightmare and so messy and of course we chose a 109 degree day to install them. However, I am still married after the experience, but I wouldn't recommend embarking on it as like a couple's therapy or anything.

And it's August 1st and you know what that means!!! A new FREE desktop is available over at my website, so go grab yours and get set for August. I decided to put Missy-poo in the picture looking studious in her glasses instead of the kids this time. Don't you hate people who dress up their pets and take pictures of them?

So, I'm trying not to bore you anymore by posting pictures of my latest web designs, but I just have to send you over to Sara at MellyRoo Designs. Not only does she have a sassy-cute blog now, but she has the ca-yutest baby!!!!

So, that's it. I'm off to dress kids and maybe dress myself. If I can pull my thumb out of my mouth and quit whining and start acting like the 30-something grown up that I, sadly, am.

But first, a little funny-ness for your Friday!