Totally Random

I'm filching this from Melodee over at Actual Unretouched Photo.  Hadn't done a good meme in a while so why not!

What is the last thing you watched on TV?   Helix.  I LOVE a good sci-fi show!!  Can’t wait for the season finale tonight!  But then I have to wait for the new season to start!!  Bummer!

When did you last step outside? What were you doing?  This morning taking my children to school.  It’s a beautiful day even with the pollen!  Wish I could play hookie!!

What is on the walls of the room you are in?  Calendars……work calendars, school calendars, sports calendars, project calendars…..

If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?  A sports complex in our town for my daughter’s volleyball club so they would have a consistent place to practice and an awesome spot for tournaments.  

Tell me something about you that most people don’t know.  I'm pretty transparent but when I was little, I wanted to be a lady truck driver.  Uhm.   Yeah.

Who made the last incoming call on your phone? My husband asking how Sara was doing at the national volleyball team tryouts.

What was the last book you read?  The Mortal Instruments:  City of Bones.

If you could change something about your home, without worry about expense or mess, what would you do?  Add more storage to each and every room!  And make the bonus room into a bedroom for Sara because she keeps begging for it!

What was the last thing you bought?  Bojangles chicken wings for Sara after tryouts last night.  That girl is gonna turn into a chicken wing!!

If you could eat lunch with one famous person, who would it be?  Audrey Hepburn.  I just love her!  She is still an inspiration for women everywhere.

Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?   Lowes or Kirklands.  Would love to remodel and redecorate!!

Is the glass half empty or half full?   Yes

Name something that took you by surprise.  Walking Dead…Lizzie…WOW!!

Name one TV show you will watch every time it’s on.  Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  I LOVE that show!  But I think I gain weight just watching!  Sara wants to go on a road trip and visit all the diners!  LOL!

Name a movie you will watch no matter how many times you’ve seen it.   A Christmas Story and Jaws.

What’s the farthest-away place you’ve been?   Los Angeles

What’s under your bed?  Dust bunnies.  Did you know they make great watch dogs??

What is your favorite time of the day?  Bedtime.  That’s the only time I’m not doing something!

What Inspires You?   God, my children, my husband, my friends.  I can find inspiration in just about anything!

Want to play along?  Answer one of the question in the comments or on your own blog!  It’s a fun way to kick off the weekend!

Finding my way back

Hey there!  If anyone is still visiting my blog, my apologies!  Life got in the way as life is prone to do.  There is so much I've lived through in the last 2 years and would love to share with you where I've been and where I'm heading.  I've missed this blog and this outlet to share my life with you.  It was always therapeutic for me.  So please keep checking back.  I've so much to share!!!

Must Be August!

I don't know what it is about August but it seems to tap on my blogging shoulder and whisper in my ear, "hey, don't ya miss the Blog?"  I have restarted this blog several times always in August.  Now it appears that August missed me or I didn't hear her last year but that's ok.  I have missed blogging.  I don't think many or maybe even ANY people read it, but that's ok too.  Someone may stumble upon it and find something they like one day. 

I am trying to decide what direction to go though.  I've always had a mish-mash of everything on here.  But I wonder if I should focus on SOMETHING like Scouts or Tweens or ADHD or Photography or Health or any number of other things!!  If you happen to read this and have an opinion, drop me a note and let me have it!!  But for now, Let's get this party started and see what we can do here!

I Ate That Frog!!

Have you heard the story about eating a frog? You are given a task to eat a frog. It's a disgusting looking, foul smelling frog! It's HUGE!! And you just don't want to do it. So you put it off. But you keep looking at it and getting sick to your stomach. As the day wears on, it follows you around getting dirtier. It gets hot and sweaty and stinks even worse. And it's doubled in size!!!! Now, you REALLY don't want to eat that frog!! And most of the time.....you don't. You just let it keep following you around getting bigger and dirtier and more disgusting as ever.

Now you realize that if you had started your day with a quick frog gulp, it would be over. Would have been unpleasant? Probably. But would it have been better than eating that nasty, dirty, disgusting frog it's grown into.

So today, I decided to eat my frog. I needed to talk to the school about Scott's placement for 3rd grade. I was putting it off because he'd had a rough year last year and I just really didn't want to face the administration. But the school called yesterday with questions about Sara's placement. I tried to eat the frog then. But they didn't have the time to discuss Scott then and asked me to call back in the afternoon. I had time in the afternoon.....but I didn't call. That frog just looked way to gross to eat!! But this morning, I realized that it had to be done and it was in his best interest and I just needed to get over it and do it.

So I did. And it wasn't near as bad as I expected. They appreciated my input and agreed with me on the environment he needed. So I feel good about his upcoming school year. And I'm so glad I made that call. It's over, done, finished!!!

One frog down!! Next frog please!!!

41 is.....

Forty-one is :
· the 13th smallest prime number. It is also the sum of the first six prime numbers (2 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 11 + 13), and the sum of three primes (11 + 13 + 17).
· The atomic number of niobium.
· The New General Catalogue object NGC 41, a spiral galaxy in the constellation Pegasus.
· The number of the last symphony of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (note: '37' is not in the canon).
· "#41", a song by Dave Matthews Band.
· The number of times Paul McCartney sings the phrase "Let It Be" in the Beatles #1 hit Let It Be (song).
· Charlton Heston's designation as a galley slave in the film Ben-Hur.
· The victim number that appears on Dr. Lucy Lynskey's forehead in the Peter Jackson film The Frighteners.
· The precinct number that appears on the NYC police car in the film Ghostbusters during the earthquake moment of the film's climax.
· Worn by and retired for Brian Piccolo, running back for the Chicago Bears. Died June 16, 1970 of embryonal cell carcinoma.
· In Christianity, 41 represents the 39 lashes Jesus received before the crucifixion, plus one for the spear in his side, plus one for the crown of thorns.
· The international direct dialing (IDD) code for Switzerland.
· C-41 process is the film developing process for 35mm color negative film.
· George W. Bush's nickname for his father, George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States.
· Montana is the 41st state of the United States.
ME! I am 41 years young today!! Happy Birthday Me!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!

At least to me, it is! I LOVE Autumn! The crisp clean air, the beautiful colors, the smell of wood smoke from the chimneys! I'm in heaven when the temps start to dip and the leaves start to fall! It comes later around here than where I grew up but it's coming! I can't wait! It signifies a change, a moving on if you will. I've not been around for some time. I've had a lot going on in my life. I miss this blog. Even tho I don't think anyone reads it, I still enjoy doing it. It's a opportunity for me to share my thoughts and feelings and perhaps touch someone along the way. So I'm making an effort to keep up with it better. If anyone happens to stop by on their travels around the net, please leave a quick note and let me know what you think.

Make Your Own Weather

I've been making changes in my life. I'm making a concerted effort to be more positive--focusing on the things over which I have control--basically ME. I have spent too long listening to the negative voices in my head and their impact on my life and the lives of my family is no longer acceptable. I had let my Faith fall and forgotten to hand it all up to God.

Stephen Covey says you must make your own weather. Each and every day, I have the choice to find the bright spots, the Sunny spots 0r to dwell on the dark things, the Clouds. I've seen how staying positive and in control of my emotions can influence how my day goes with my family, my friends and, well basically everything.

So to celebrate and commit to this new approach to my life where I strive to promote the positive and silence those negative voices, I am changing the name of my blog to Sunny, With a Chance... As we make our own weather, each day has the chance to be a great day and with God's help, it will be.

Deja vu

Ever get up, get showered, get ready for work............... and then wake up and realize you have to do it all over again???

What's Your Christmas Spirit Level?

Your Christmas Sprit Level: 65%

You have a lot of Christmas spirit, and it's evident to most people who know you. You love most things Christmas, and you do your best to make sure everyone has a great holiday. While you like the more commercial aspects of Christmas, you truly know what the spirit of Christmas is about. You're all about giving, being kind, and sharing the spirit of Christmas with everyone you know.

Do You Have the Christmas Spirit?

Hey, better than I thought!!

I am Checkers

You Are Checkers

You are very logical and rational. You are able to understand what is and isn't a factor. You're able to compartmentalize and focus on the essentials. You appreciate simplicity. You can see the layers of complexity and beauty in anything. You are also playful and good natured. You don't take life too seriously!

What Board Game Are You?

In No Particular Order

Okay, so I tagged myself for the 7 random things from Kim at And She Lived. Since it’s November and Thanksgiving is around the corner, I’m going to do 7 random things I’m thankful for. So here they are in no particular order:

1. Intermittent wipers. I hate when it’s raining just enough to need a quick swipe but not enough to keep the wipers going. Before intermittent wipers, it was either turn them on and off every 30 seconds or leave them on and listen to them squeak across the windshield. SHUDDER!!!

2. Automatic door locks and windows. We had an unfortunate run in recently when a deer “run in” to the side of my van. Said van is now all healthy now (the deer? Not so much) but while it was getting nipped/tucked, my insurance company was gracious enough to let me use a rental car. Of course the only thing they would cover was a tiny little sardine can which is very nerve wracking when you are used to a Honda mini van. I got in the car and could not for the life of me figure out how to lock the doors or roll down the windows. Scott got in and was checking it all out when I heard him say, “oh, weird, what’s this?”, then “hey, cool, this handle thingy rolls the window down!”. Oh yeah, THAT’s how we use to do it!!

3. Fast food places that take plastic. Need I say more?

4. DVR. Seriously folks, how did we ever watch TV without one? No more missed shows, no more flashing 12:00, no more mad fast rewinding of VHS tapes trying to find an empty one to record on. How else could I watch 4 seasons of LOST on SciFi Mondays without missing a single episode. Me love my TiVo!!

5. Febreze laundry additive. Hey, Scott and Hubby both play hockey and the clothing and gear live in those dark, damp equipment bags so teeming with bacteria you need a gas mask to open them!! EEWWW!!!

6. Invisible dog fences. Our darling Piper, the Hyper Dog (aka—The Mud Pup) would have a much different life if it weren’t for invisible fences. She loves trying to herd every car that goes down the street, digging her way to China under the back porch and running a trench along the property line trying to get the neighbor’s dog to play with her. Our other neighbor says, “I look at her and say that’s a happy dog. She’s so filthy, she must be happy!”

7. Drive-thru Pharmacies. Have I ever told you guys about the time I schlepped Sara (2yrs) and Scott (infant in carrier) into an Eckerds to get a prescription filled only to have Sara lay down on the nasty floor and then proceed to barf up stuff MY grandmother ate and then have the little blond chippy cashier walk by and tell me, “I don’t do throwup”, and THEN after cleaning up floor myself have to stand in line behind 10 people at the counter with infant in carrier in tow and little 2yo covered in stinky vomit and wailing because of being covered in stinky vomit because no one would let me in front of them???? Yes, thank God for drive in pharmacies!!!!

I’m not sure anyone reads this anymore so if you happen by and want to play along, jump in!!!!

40

40……..That’s me……….today……….I’m 40 years old today. What does that mean? I’m no different than was I yesterday………when I was 39. But today………..I’m 40.

What does 40 look like in the mirror? Lots of lines on my face. Dark circles under my eyes. Wiry white hairs on my head—there’d be a lot more to see except for the highlighting. About 30 extra pounds on my body. Sensible shoes on my feet.

I remember growing up and thinking 25 was old. But now………I’m 40. But 40 year olds are supposed to have teenagers. I have grade schoolers. 40 year olds are supposed to be at high levels in their jobs. I’m in a good position but have chosen lower responsibility than I’ve had in the past. 40 year olds are supposed to be wise sages and know everything. Well……that DEFINITELY ain’t me!!!!!!!

So I’m not anything that in my mind’s eye is 40. But, here I am………..40. No different than I was yesterday……….but somehow………..different. 40.

50 Questions

Ages ago, Kim at The Bitter Ball tagged me for this meme. Honestly, Kim. I had it finished but never got it posted and then lost it in cyberspace somewhere. So I’ve completed it…..for the 2nd time!!! So my 2 readers had better read it!!! ((smootches))

1. Do you like blue cheese? Yes
2. Have you ever smoked? nope
3. Do you own a gun ? yes, well hubby does.
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Never been to Sonic.
5. Do you get nervous before dr. appts ? yes
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Gotta be in the mood for them but good with chili, onions and mustard
7. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coffee or a Vitamin Water
9. Can you do push ups? I suppose but why would I?
10. What do you order at Starbucks? Caramel machiata
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? Braided sterling silver ring…. from Silpada of course.
12. Favorite hobby? Photography but I rarely have time for it.
13. How do you eat your eggs? If I make them, scrambled with cheese or in an omelete. If Mom makes them, over easy so I can dip my toast in the yoke.
14. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? I’m a procrastinator.
15. Middle name ? Jen J
16. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. I don’t want to work. I’m tired. I don’t want to work. 17. Name 3 things you bought yesterday? Lunch, 2 little plastic dogs and a bouncy ball from the “kiddie slots” at the ice rink. Well, the kids played the slots. I just supplied the quarters.
18. Three drinks you regularly drink? Sweet iced tea (it’s a southern thang), water, coffee
19. Current worry right now ? kids
20. Current hate right now? work
21. Favorite place to be? The mountains
22. How did you bring in the New Years? No clue, probably snoring.
23. Where would you like to go? Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Maine, Australia
24. Name three people who will complete this. I’m not even sure 3 people read this blog!!
25. Do you own slippers? Somewhere.
26. What shirt are you wearing? A frilly little peasant blousey looking thing.
27. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Never have, prefer flannel even in the summer
28. Can you whistle? nope
29. Favorite color? Burgundy
30. Would you be a pirate? Nope, can’t swim and get seasick.
31. What songs do you sing in the shower? Anything and everything
32. Favorite girl's name? Of course my little girl’s name but if Scott had been a girl, he would have been Alyssa Nicole
33. Favorite boy's name? Of course my little boy’s name. I don’t know. Boy names were Hubby’s responsibility so I’m not sure.
34. What's in your pocket right now? nothing
35. Last thing that made you laugh? Scott jumping into the pool on top of his swim teacher.
36. Best bed sheets as a child? We always had plain white cotton sheets.
37. Worst injury you've ever had? I’m with Kim on this one. A 3rd degree tear you know where definitely tops my list.
38. Do you love where you live? It’s good. It’s rural but close to stuff. But I miss the mountains.
39. How many TV's do you have?
40. Who is your loudest friend? John
41. How many dogs do you have? One wild and crazy border collie
42. What are you thrilled about right now? How well Sara is doing in swim lessons and Scott’s efforts in swim lessons. They have both come a long way.
43. Do you have a crush on someone? There is a guy at work……. Also I’m in love with George Clooney, Johnny Depp and John Cusak
44. What is your favorite book? no favorite, i have too many interests
45. What is your favorite candy? Milky Way Dark or 3 Musketeers
46. Favorite Sports Team? NHL Carolina Hurricanes
47. What song do you want played at your funeral? I know it is cliché but I like The Dance. There was another but I can’t remember it now.
48. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Trying to help Sara stop coughing so we could all get some sleep.
49. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? Holy Cow!! I’m gonna be late for work!

I won!! I won!!!

Sheila at Designs by Shelia was giving away a free blog design. I've been wanting a new design but I know nothing about that kind of stuff so I entered not expected anything to come of it because I NEVER win!! But I DID WIN!!!

Go on over to her site and check out her work. It's AWESOME!!! Thanks so much, Sheila! I can't wait to work with you!!

What? or better yet....... WHO?

I am in a state of confusion. My brain is muddled. What do I want to be when I grow up? Maybe the better question is WHO do I want to be? When I was young, that question seemed simple—a singer or a lady truck driver (thank you ”BJ and the Bear”). Where did those dreams go? Well, I sang in church all through high school then I slowly faded out of it. I recently have sung Christmas concerts with the local Chorale but twenty years of neglect has really done a number on my voice. Where I once was a top 1st soprano, I now struggle to sing second and secretly consider converting to alto. As for the lady truck driver, I can’t even back up my minivan so I think an eighteen wheeler is totally out of the question.

Once out of college, I poured myself into the corporate world. My goal then was to be the VP of quality for a medical device or pharmaceutical company. I was young…..ambitious……stupid. A few years later, I got married and the long hours and travel I was doing wasn’t much fun anymore.

Then I had children and my whole world changed. At first, I just wanted to keep working to have that “grownup” contact and I still enjoyed what I did. Now, I just want to be home. I can’t keep up with the house and the Hubby and the children and the Piper dog. I sit at work thinking of all the things I could be doing if I was anywhere but there. Don’t get me wrong. I have a good job. I make a difference for people with what I do. I have a great boss…..which is VERY difficult to come by. I make good money. But still……..I’m not happy.

I’m working on a home business that could really explode for me and eventually be my own boss…..but even with the prospect of leaving my daily 9-5 behind and working for, well, ME, I still lack motivation to achieve this.

Maybe it’s a midlife crisis hitting just a tad early. Maybe it’s a dash of depression sneaking in here. Maybe I’ve just not found my sweet spot in life.

So WHO do I want to be?

--a really good Mama who has the time and energy to spend with her children, and has the patience to help them work through their developmental phases which are wreaking havoc in our home.

--a really good Wife who has the time to keep the house kept up, who doesn’t harbor bitter resentment against her Hubby for what he does………or doesn’t do, who can forgive and forget.

--a really good Woman who takes the time to indulge in the things she enjoys like writing and photography and growing her business.

Now, how do I do this?

Marriage Monday--The Crazy Way We Met

Want this button?

Today I am participating in Marriage Mondays at Chrysalis. Thanks to Kim at The Bitter Ball for cluing me into this one.

The topic for this month is The Crazy Way We Met. To tell the story, I have to go back in time to even before Hubby and I met. I grew up in the mountains of Tennessee and then moved to the northern suburbs of Chicago with I got out of college. My brother knew Hubby from church. They were both interested in the same woman (another church member) and were at that time mortal enemies. It turned out, she wasn’t interested in either of them but that’s another story. So then they became friends. He started hanging out at my parents’ house and I think they “adopted” him.

The summer of 1992, I went home to visit for July 4th. Mom said that Hubby might come over because she had been talking about me and he wanted to meet me. MOM!!!!!! Ok, whatever. On Saturday, he came and helped my Dad mow the lawn and Mom invited him to have dinner with us. No biggie.

On Sunday, we sat together at church and then went hiking with a friend of mine. We had a lot of fun together. My friend said, “I think he likes you”. On the way home, he asked me to go to see a movie with him, Patriot Games. “Sure” I said. I think he almost fainted. So it went through out the week. I think we saw each other at least every other day.

Saturday came and was July 4th. Mom was having a cookout for the youth group so we all helped with that and then we went to see the fireworks. Something about those fireworks. I think they were magical. After the fireworks, we sat and talked for a long time. He leaned over and gently kissed me. I said, “you know, long distance relationships don’t work out”. And I kissed him back.

Spring 1993 came and we were engaged. Winter of 1994 came and we were married. So 16 years later, I must admit I was wrong. J

Jose is no longer my friend

I didn’t tell you about my weekend, did I? It was something else! We had Scott’s b-day party Sat at The Little Gym. Awesome place! They are so good with the children and they get to run around like crazy!!! He had a Transformer cake and got tons of Transformer toys, surprisingly, none of which he already had. He was in Transformer Heaven!!

Then some of our close friends came back to our house for the “afterparty”. We had pizza and beer. THEN we ladies asked “Jim” to mix us some margaritas. Now, we knew better but no one else would do it so it was up to him. And apparently, we told him they weren’t very strong so he apparently bumped it up a notch………..or ten!!!!!!!!!!!! I was very happy and really silly. It was fun. Until………………

About 10:30 everyone left except for one of the girls who was sleeping over with Sara. About 10:35, I sat in the recliner to watch the girls play checkers. About 10:40, I felt the need……….urgent, desperate need……….to run to the bathroom. That pretty much ends the night. I got soooo sick!! Then I collapsed on the bed and didn’t get up until morning. Oh and my friend barely made it home before worshiping the porcelain god!

Don’t worry, hubby was taking care of the children. I think I remember him coming in about midnight and laughing at me. Then I woke several times with a jack hammer working in my head but the room was spinning so fast I couldn’t find the floor to get some Excedrin. And when do you think the kids got up? 6:45am!! Uggghhh!! I’ll save you the rest of the gory details but let’s just say I didn’t fully recover until late Sunday night. Yes, I learned my lesson…………….never let “Jim” mix the drinks!!!! LOL!!! So I think it will be quite some time before I dance with Jose again!

Here's my sign.....

I'm going to get a T-shirt that says this!!! I have had not one but TWO people assume I was pregnant in the last month!!!! So not funny!!! Yes, I have gained weight......yes, a lot of weight. Yes, now that I am older, I carry it in my midsection and yes, I do can look pregnant depending on how I stand. But, NO!!! I am NOT pregnant!! So don't assume I am!!!!!

Nor do I want to be. I'm crashing headfirst into 40 this year. My last "baby" just started school. I have the patience of a ..................... well, I don't have any patience!!! I am done having babies so I can enjoy the next stages in my children's lives.

I should also add that both people (who were people I work with--not strangers) were mortally embarrassed. And to that I say..........GOOD!!! Next time, wait until I'm carrying around a 3yo on my hip to congratulate me!!!

But, honestly folks, I really need to get off my big fat pregnant looking butt and take care of myself. I guess I wasn't listening the first time some one assumed I was pregnant. This time I get the message! GEEZ!!! I'm working on a plan that I'll share later so ya'll can help me along.

But here's the kicker. Have you seen the new fashions for this summer????? They ALL look like maternity shirts!!!!! I'm doomed!!!!!

Ok, Ok, I get the message!!!!

I was starving. Don’t ask me why. I had eaten a ton of chips and salsa and a lunch special #6 at the local Mexican restaurant. But the afternoon munchies settled in anyway. I checked my wallet—a $20 bill and a handful of pennies. So I checked my desk—65 cents. Well THAT won’t get anything out of the machine. So I rifled through the pennies and ………. Eureka!! A dime!!!! Woohoo!!

Now armed with 75 cents, I headed to the breakroom. HHhhmmm……. A bag of Doritos is all I could get. Well, that would work. I was craving salt, anyway. In went one quarter, then a second, followed by 2 dimes then the nickel. But wait, what was the odd metallic sound? It had spat out my nickel! So I put it back in….. and again it spat it out. Over and over and over, I fed the machine my nickel and it promptly spat it out. What was I to do? Maybe it was the sequence, yeah, that was it. So I pushed the coin return button and collected my money. THIS time, I started with the nickel. Perhaps it wants that first. But again, the machine spat it out. Maybe it was the sensor…….so I dropped it in slow. Nope. Then I shot it in fast. Still no go. I rubbed it on my pants. Nope. Scraped the edge with my fingernail. Uhn uh.

At this point I realize how silly and desperate I must look and I admit defeat, retreating to my desk with a glass of water. Kudos to my Diet Angel!! But next time, she may just have to knock me up side the head!!!!

Name Update

Well, the two people who read my blog have spoken and I'm gonna leave it as is. But I'm leaving the Wag More pic at the top. :) Thanks!!!!