A CHristmas Miracle

Someone took a picture of Randy and I together! I hope everyone had a Christmas as good as mine.

Come on Christmas! Hurry up! Patience is running thin.

Oh Christmas Time Part 1 - Cookies, Trees and Parades

We have snow!!...and a snowman!

My babies got to see snow on the ground for the first time ever! I am so exciting. SNow in Mississippi never loses its charm. Not only is it pretty...but we all got out of school and work early so that we could make snowmen! (oh, and avoid car crashes) Yay!!!

Interview Part 5

21. How do you define "indulgence" (or, basically, what do you do for yourself, for others, etc. that qualifies as an indulgence)

I am not big on indulgences. I think of my Weight Watchers as spoiling myself. It is basically the only thing that I do that is spending money on myself. I also just bought a Wii Fit for Randy and I for Christmas, but that is along the same vein. I have worked out an hour a day for the last three days. I really want to finish my weight loss journey. If that calls for a few indulgences so be it.

I indulge Randy and the kids occasionally by doing something special with or for them just to make them happy. It is never anything big, but I love to see them happy.

22. What traits do you believe you get from your mother? Your father? (these can be physical and personality-based)

I have my Daddy's nose and my Mom's great love of family. I have my Mom's face shape and my Dad's practical yet stubborn personality. I have my Dad's feet (seriously, they look just like his only bigger) and my Mom's passion.

23. Where do you see yourself when you're 70 years old?


With Randy. Hopefully we will have a few grand kids. We will probably travel some and spend vacations with friends and family. Most of the time I imagine that we will be at home. Enjoying each other.

24. What is your greatest achievement in life so far?

I am very proud of my personal relationships. I love all of my people so much. I think that they are the best investment that I have ever made...all of them.

Interview Part 4

16. Where is God?

Wow. Okay. Well, as Super Z would tell you (because I told him), "God is in your heart." He is also in that cell multiplying over there and in that dying limb that just fell out of our tree. He is in our Christmas tree ornaments and in my Mamaw's new wig. He is in Henna Reese's smile and my Daddy's tears. He is in my little friend Sam's bright shining eyes and in his brother Thomas's big wide smile. He is in my sister's laugh, my Mama's voice, and just floats around everyone that I know (and don't know) pretty much all the time. My God is everywhere and no where specific at all.


17. One of my favorite songs by one of my favorite artists has this line: "In order to survive, you gotta learn to live with regrets." Do you have any?

Not very many, to be honest. Only one that I can think of. And time has made it less of a regret and more of a memory. Time heals all things. Maybe that is just what happens when you learn to live with them?

18. In the same song there's also this lyric: "You used to hold me/told me I was the best/that anything in this world I'd want/I could possess." Who, if anyone, made/makes you feel as if you could achieve anything?

My children. They actually believe that I can do anything. I am a woman of almost Super abilities in their eyes. If I want it to happen it will happen. I think if anybody believes in you that strongly, it will make you more powerful. I don't think I could ever be more powerful than I am right now. I control the world...for two people at least.

19. Which album AND song could you listen to on repeat for hours on end?


Album: Any album by Pink Floyd, Genesis, Johnny Cash, or Tanya Tucker.
Song: In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel. I love that song.

20. If you could turn back time, which moment, memory, etc. in your life do you wish you could experience again? You can name up to three if you'd like.

a. Being a child and living with both of my parents for one day.
b. My wedding. SO sweet. I was SO happy.
c. Any time when my children were little babies. Sigh.

The Princess Loves to Read (just like her Mommy!)

Interview Part 3

11. What is your "sweet escape"? Or, rather, the thing you do, place you go, etc. that "takes you away" from the real world, a la' Calgon?

My answer is so boring. reading is my escape. When I read nothing else exists, no sound can pierce my solace. Just ask Randy. He LOVES that about me. haha

12. What one trait would you bestow upon the world if you could and why?

Tolerance. So many bad things happen in the world everyday. I imagine that a bit of tolerance might be a step in the right direction

13. If you are not already doing it, what would be your epitome of the perfect career?

Reading and writing. Preferably something interesting :)
I like my job though. I like the days that I get to use my brain the most. I love solving problems. I am a huge problem solving geek.

14. Invisibility, teleporting (a la' the movie "Jumper"), telekenesis, pyrokenesis, or psychic/foretelling abilities -- which one of these powers would you prefer?

Teleporting! God, I hate driving. I hate traveling in the car. Sigh. If my family could teleport we could see family whenever we wanted. You couldn't ask for a better power than that.

15. Do you think a movie could be made of your life? Which actor would you like to play you? You can also do the same for, oh let's say, 5 other key people in your life.

A VERY boring movie could be made of my life. :) I would have Donna from that 70s show play me. She would need a fat suit at the beginning of the movie, but hopefully not by the end. Dave Mathews (although not an actor) would play Randy. Goldie Hawn could play my Mom and Bruce Springstein my Dad. lol How cool would that be?

Interview Part 2

6. In what time period (including location) would you have liked to live?

I would have to say New Orleans in the 1920s. I think that would be very cool. It might also be a little stinky. I don't think that hygiene was all that it is now in the 20s.

7. What are your top three pet peeves?

People who assume the worst about others, whining, bad drivers, rudeness, dogs who don't come when you call them, passive aggressiveness, when people say I am "skinny" (!!!WTH) because I am in the middle of a massive weight loss, when Randy calls watching the kids a favor

8. What is your Sunday morning wardrobe? Routine?

I usually sleep in on Sundays. If I am at home I will have my pajamas on until about 2 or 3. On Saturdays I try to get dressed and do something. On Sundays I try to do as little as possible. Sundays usually include books, kids, naps, and a good dinner.

9. Your obituary is being written but is limited to describing you in three ways. What three things would you most like to be remembered for?

I would like to be remembered as a great mother, friend, and wife. Wow. 3 is not enough!!


10. I often think it's interesting to imagine how a person grew up, what they were like when they were younger, what they experienced, etc. Who -- living or dead, younger or older -- would you have liked to grow up with/been friends with/been able to observe, etc.? If you're particularly impressed with this question, you can list two people.

I think I would choose my Mom. I know that is a pretty lame answer, but I would love to have grown up with her. She is a lot of fun. I thing being a kid with her would have been a hoot.

My second choice would be Elizabeth I. What an awesome time to be in. And she is such an intriguing woman. I think that would be awesome.

Interview 2008 Part 1

So now that my 300 is done...haha, well, 1/3 of it anyway, I am moving on to another old favorite. My friend Cat, who did my first set of interview questions, sent me 24 more!! And let me tell you, these are good stuff. I am going to break them into five posts. This is mainly because of Thanksgiving. I am going to be running hither tither and yon until Sunday when I will FINALLY get up to put up a Christmas tree in my house. So, here you go and have a GREAT Thanksgiving!

1. If you could only take ONE thing with you on a deserted island, what would it be?

My family would be my gut response to this...but then what if there was no food?? I would have killed my entire family just so I wouldn't be lonely. But surely there would be food...right? If my family doesn't actually count as ONE thing then I guess I would say a Swiss Army Knife.

2. What is your favorite color and how do you think it characterizes you?

My favorite color is deep blue. The color of blue glass. I guess that this color suits me because it is deep without being too dark. Does that make any sense at all? good.

3. What four traits (e.g. courage) would you most like to instill in your kids?

This is a great question. I have so many dreams of who these little hellions will become. They are my favorite work in progress. I guess that if I had to pick four traits they would be self reliance, a positive outlook, great self esteem, and great ambition.

4. What movie do you think had the best scene/ending? How about the saddest and/or worst scene or ending?

I think that Return of the Jedi had the best ending. Everyone was so happy. The fireworks were going off. The Ewoks were dancing ( you can't beat dancing Ewoks). The ghost jedi were all glowing and smiley. The whole universe was celebrating. That is just the best.

The worst ending was on this awful movie that Randy and I suffered through a couple of weeks ago. It was called Funny Games. He likes horror movies an I tried to pick one out for him. Needless to say, I failed miserably.

5. How do you define "sexy"?

Hmm. Interesting. Sexy is something that is attractive in an edgy sort of way. A good looking man is not necessarily sexy. But a good looking man with a dangerous look in his eyes...that is sexy.

A Marilyn Monroe Moment

10 Stickers in a row!

I am so relieved. Super Z has gotten stickers 10 days in a row! And out of the past 13 days he has gotten 12 stickers. You might think that I am crazy because this is such a big deal to me, but I was seriously worried. Just as he was having trouble being good and paying attention I started meeting tons of kids who were held back in Kindergarten mostly due to behavioral issues. I was so worried about that. Being that his birthday is in December he will already be 18 when he graduates. 19 would be too much. I think kids that are that old going into graduation are more likely to drop out of school. That is just my thought process on it anyway. Wow...isn't it amazing that a sticker drought in Kindergarten has me worried about my son dropping out of school?? I just realized that I might worry a tad bit too much.

But anyway...YAY SUPER Z!!!

The 300 Part 1

I hit 300 posts this month. I think that is pretty impressive. I don't post nearly as often as I used to, but I still enjoy my blog. If I have something to say I can say it and if I just want to show off my kiddies, I can do that too. In honor of my first 300, I am doing a 300 List in 3 parts. The three parts is mostly because I am lazy. The first 100 will be Things I like. The second 100 will be More things abut me. The third 100 will be things I want to do. So...ready...set...GO.

Things I like:

1. Sitting beside fires
2. egg rolls
3. Acorn Squash cooked by Leigh
4. Bowling.
5. Princess H's kisses
6. Real grape popsicles
7. Johnny Cash
8. PF Chang's
9. Dinner with grownups
10. Wine with friends
11. Quilts
12. Blue glass
13. Fresh watermelon
14. Fresh tomatoes
15. Fishing in the dark
16. Sand between my toes
17. Candy corn
18. The sound of Zane's voice
19. Chocolate chip cookie dough
20. Vodka and cranberry juice
21. Paint It Black
22. Guitar Hero
23. Wii Tennis
24. Going to the movies
25. Talking to my people
26. Sleeping late
27. Apple Heads
28. Sitting on thick grass
29. Days by the lake
30. Nights by the lake
31. My Mom kissing me on the forehead
32. Star filled skies
33. Stephen King
34. Harry Potter
35. Bad boys
36. Loud music
37. The B-52s
38. Fall weather
39. Swimming
40. Shopping for my kids
41. Tulips
42. Shoes
43. My husband
44. Leather seats
45. Friendly dogs
46. My yard
47. My house
48. My carport
49. My driveway
50. My mailbox (lol I could go on and on)
51. Angelina Jolie
52. ER
53. People who think for themselves
54. Watching my kids learn
55. My family
56. My friends
57. People who are real
58. Cooking omelets
59. Tattoos
60. Physics
61. Statistics (30% of all people love statistics)
62. Scrabble
63. Thin socks
64. Foods with 0 points
65. Turkey dipped in ranch dressing
66. My Mamaw's hands
67. Going home
68. Solving problems
69. Long hot baths
70. Blowing bubbles with the kids
71. Hard wood floors
72. The smell of burning leaves
73. Sandpaper
74. Coffee when I am cold
75. Diet Pepsi
76. BC Powder
77. Honey Smacks
78. 94% Fat Free Butter popcorn
79. Laughing so hard it hurts
80. My niece
81. Being a Mama
82. Winning
83. Dates with my husband
84. Fairs
85. Cotton candy
86. Dark hair
87. Old oak trees filled with moss
88. Bee Gees
89. The Goonies
90. French braided hair
91. The smell of the library
92. Camping
93. Roasting marshmallows
94. My pillow
95. Accomplishing a lot in a little bit of time
96. Cheese and crackers
97. Driving fast on curvy roads
98. Being Santa Clause
99. Christmas
100. Honesty

Happy Monday

Her worst habit is sucking on her bottom lip. She sucks on that lip like other kids suck on thumbs. Have you ever heard of anything like this? Either way, I thought this picture was adorable. I hope everyone has a great Monday tomorrow.

I do not like green eggs and ham

These are our friends Thomas (on top with Princess H) and Sam (looking all cute at the party this weekend.) They are our favorite twins in the world. I am sending out good vibes to the twins tonight, wishing them (and their parents...shhh) a good nights rest. Thomas is getting tubes in his ears in the morning. His brother got some a couple of months ago and Thomas thought it sounded like loads of fun. I hope that everything goes smoothly and all babies are feeling better as soon as possible.

The Road to Reading

Super Z is on the way to knowing how to read. He knows several of his sight words now. He picks them off of signs and out of the middle of other words as we drive down the road.

"Look Mom! The is the sight word me!"

"Look Mom! I see the!"

"The sight word it is in the middle of that word, Mom. C-I-T-Y. Do you see it?"

He is also starting to sound out a few things. He seems to do his best when I am not pressuring him. "Come on , baby. You can do it. What sound does S make?," gets me nowhere some nights.
While just riding down the road I will hear from the backseat, "zooooooooooonneeee. Zoooonnee. Mom, does Z-O-N-E spell zone?"

I am so proud and so excited. It is amazing to me how quickly things seem to be clicking together in his brain. His wondermous magical brain.

Finally, A Party

We had a birthday party for Princess H Saturday. We have been to two birthday parties since she actually turned three on October 21 and both times she has been confused as to why the other children get presents and song while she only got a trip to Wal-Mart. She didn't exactly say this with words. It was more the action of trying to steal the other children's presents and telling people, "It is My happy birthday." that gave her away.

We had her party at the park and apart from being a tad bit chilly, it was a great party. I mean I didn't actually get to sit down or visit anyone, but everyone seemed to be having a pleasant time :)

The best thing was that as Princess H opened her presents, she either kissed or put on every one of them. I love having children who appreciate gifts. It makes me think I am doing at least one thing right.

The Cake, the Fish and the Bag-lady

She is too pretty. I love this picture. I bought her the cute hat and she put it on right away, along with her the jacket which was a gift from her great grandma and grandpa Felter.
I lied. I did get to sit down while we opened presents. I love opening gifts with my babies. It is one of the bonuses that comes with being the Mama.
By the end of presents Princess H looked like a bag lady. She was wearing the new hat and jacket along with a new fairy skirt over her pants and her new blingy bag. How cute is she?

These are my creative contribution to the party. Gummy fish in jello. Apparently the gummy fish were disgusting (according to Super Z, who spit his half chewed fish on the ground) but I was proud of them anyway.

Randy's cake was not as elaborate as last year, but it was still cute and delicious. It was a triple layer ocean colored heart shaped cake lined in mini marshmallows. It was topped by Princess H's favorite princess (That would be Ariel...Earl in Princess H speak) and some gummy fish to keep her company.

Three Little Monkeys

Wee.

If she can do it, why can't I????

Better.

I love this girl and her little bee

I got to spend a little time with my best friend/cousin Becky this weekend. It was a lot of fun. I miss her a lot. It is always great when I get to see her and her many many (3) children :)

I hope I will get to see her again soon. So what do you think, Beck? When are you coming to see my house????

Happy Halloween from Batman and Wonder Woman

Who knew that Wonder Woman was such a ham??

Now this is what I call a cool kid

"Mom, when I get grown don't make me move out. I just want to spend a little more time with you."

"There is anger in me right now. If you look at me I am probably going to end up in time out."

Upon hearing about his appointment for a check-up and flu shot, "Mom, I don't want to get a flea shot. I don't even have fleas!"

We enjoyed our trip to the museum :)

Haiku Friday

Daughters have a way

of wrapping Daddys around

those little fingers

I, Democrat

I have been a Democrat since before I could vote. I attribute this to my Dad and his pro-union - anti Reagan politics. Growing up in Mississippi, I knew that my Dad was one of the only Democrats in either side of my family. What I didn't know was that he was a minority all over the state.

In Mississippi it is assumed by many that if you are an African American you are a Democrat and if you are white you are a Republican. I am not sure why that is, but that is pretty much the gist of it.

In this election season it has become more apparent than ever that most people assume that I am a Republican (This is despite the Bright blue dot in a really red state sticker on the back of my Accord...go figure.) and that being a Democrat is almost as wicked as being an abortion Doctor. People will say the craziest things to me. More specifically they will say ugly uninformed things about Barrack Obama. I am not a great lover of all things Obama. I started out as a Hillary supporter. But I do think that he is a smart man and that he will be a good President. I don't want to hear about him being a closet Muslim. I don't really care what his religion is. I know, I am crazy like that.

Let me get this straight, I don't mind talking about the issues with anyone. 96% of the people I love disagree with me on most issues. Please please, just don't be ugly. It is okay that my beliefs are different than yours; be polite and be informed. If you are going to spout something as the truth, make sure that it is the truth.

Anyway, I am just amazed by the stigma that is suddenly attached to being a white Democrat in Mississippi. It is confusing. Because believe me, I am just as southern as that guy over there eating grits in his John Deere hat. I say ya'll. I love sweet tea.

Princess H is 3!!

It is hard to believe, but Princess H turns three today. I am not sure where the last three years went. She is now older than Super Z was when she was born!


My baby has changed a lot in the past year. She is as fearless and beautiful as ever, but now she is also sneaky and smart. I am not sure if this is an upgrade that I am ready for. The Princess is not nearly as reasonable as her older counterpart :) She seems to think that if she wants it bad enough (screams, cries, hissy fits loud and long enough) that she will get it.

I love the optimism, not so much the noise :) Do you think that year three will issue in a period of calm or are there more storms in the future? Either way, the Princes is awesome. I have loved every minute of my three years as her Mommy, damaged eardrums and all.

PS - There will be no party pics until November as we are delaying the party. All in good time :)

Haiku Friday

Green motorcycles,

super heroes and magic:

That's what Z's made of.

*

Dirt, noise and laughter

follow him throughout the day

and fill up my life.

15 Words I Could Use to Describe Princess H

1. Bossy
2. Sweet
3. Opinionated
4. Independent
5. Soft
6. Loud
7. Volatile
8. Lovely
9. Uninhibited
10. Wild
11. Friendly
12. Talkative
13. Brave
14. Tough
15. Beautiful
    

We love new pajamas

The kids both got new pajamas today. We were celebrating the fact that Super Z has gotten 5 stickers in a row at school!!!!If that doesn't deserve brand new footie Transformer pajamas then I don't know what does. The princess was just celebrating the fact that she is turning 3 next week. We are going to celebrate in lots of little ways this month because she isn't getting to have her party until November 8. I know, it sucks. We are only delaying so that her Aunt Lee Lee can come. A party wouldn't be a party without Aunt Lee Lee.