cue minor heart attack

Seriously... I just was continuing my addiction and noticed Right Here that the new season isn't set to debut until APRIL... APRIL?!?!?!


My life is in jeopardy over this delay... even though I know it shouldn't be

IT IS!


**edit**

I think its a sad, sad sign of my addiction that I just plugged the premiere date in on my calendar so I don't miss it...

don't judge me.

hizzah

work is much better with the Glee soundtracks in the background.


Thanks Santa!

dum de dum

So as we all know Zill is getting a fish tank... a whopper 30-gallon tank on eye-level ...fish tank for Christmas. Her daddy, since if you remember correctly my fish woes prevent me from being involved in this little gift adventure, went and picked up 4 of the fish that she chose at the pet store a few weeks back on Monday. As such, and as all good daddies do, he's spent 10 minutes out of every waking hour since that time on his hands and knees checking up on the fish. And, in true fish form, we lost 2 of them last night and the other 2 are white (they were speckled when we got them)... things are not looking so good for the fishy haven. And we've still got 2 days to go... so I think Super Fishing Dad is bound for Dothan once again to a) buy fish b) find somekind of something that tells you what's wrong with your tank settings, etc. c) hopefully get some fishy advice from the pet store... maybe a book even.

I'm just back to trying not to look at them in case its my fault... even though, to my defense, I have been at work every day while they were at home... so obviously, its gotta be somebody elses fault... right??


And in a moment of divine provision, (Don't you love those? I mean really, diviness), Hayley is getting a princess table with 2 chairs and tea set for Christmas. What is that you say? Why no, no we didn't break down and buy it for her... why no we didn't stray from our stocking and 2 gift plan... why no we didn't drop heavy hints at the fam... it was provided for us, divinely! I got a call earlier this week from a dear friend whose princess daughter has outgrown her princess table... which is especially enchanting because this princess daughter is also a petitey like our Zilla so we often compare notes on their smallness... and in true princess form the daughter told her Mama that "they should find somone to give it to" and the mommy thought of us! Hoorah! Praise God! I know its a simple materialistic gift, but I do beleive it reflects His provision for our family and a sign that he honors the choices we are making in regards to Zilla's gift receiving.... which, when you boil down to it, is the choice to do minimally since we know that our families will do plenty and don't want to ruin their fun... and in their benefit they did honor our wishes last year (when she was t-tiny) to donate to her college fund instead of presents!

And praise God today is the last day of work until next week!

this may be the longest.day.ever ... but I'm guessing tomorrow will probably, in all actuality, be much much longer... this is primarily because I'm not working Thursday and Friday... which translates into a 4 day weekend, which means I'll be completely useless come Monday, and equally useless come the next Friday which I am also taking off... you know, because I can and all.

Today we had the employee luncheon at work and it was good... I'm such a picky eater that the food wasn't really the most enjoyable part but being able to have the cafeteria full of voices and laughter and everyone together was much better than the daily lunch grind which includes the adult version of assigned sitting in the school lunchroom.

We also had our secret santa swap, which I had looked forward to with anticipation and mild anxiety... I tend to wear my expressions on my face and while I was quite sure that I knew all of the ladies in the mix well enough to trust them with safe shopping... I always fear, despite the fact that I am grateful for any gift given to me, that I will have a display face that says otherwise...let's just say that surprise doesn't suit me well... we also had to turn in ideas when we swapped names so I had a second set of anxiety over including things that were within the money limit but also gave options to Santa at the same time, because lets be honest, even when we appreciate, sometimes a simple gift idea can go horribly wrong in the hands of someone who isn't as much like you as you know, you are. Anyway, I got these fabulous notecards (which I love) and a great little change/ID purse and one of the slim/wallet sized Bibles (totally not on my list, but a total love on my part)! I'm actually about 85% sure that it is the perfect fit to the outside pocket on Zill's diaper bag and since I now carry that instead of, well, anything, it will fit in without weighing the bag down any more than her own supplies do.

And I got lots of Christmas cards so now the front of my desk looks all festive and lots of other little goodies from the other department heads... I sent everyone cards but I'm thinking now, that for next year, I should try and find at least a small something for every department head... the mix has been about 1/2 and 1/2 on gifts vs cards so I'm not feeling entirely terrible, but borderlineish.

Zill went to see Santa at the library, yes, this is attempt number 2 at a Santa photo with Breezy this afternoon, so I can't wait to see how the pictures turned out... Mom said the only one of Hayley in Santa's lap is her screaming bloody murder which I think is par for the course on 16-month old Santa pics. But that she did give him five and was friends from afar with him... so at least that's progress I guess.

And I have to give a mad shout out to Walmart for the amazing print jobs they've come through on for me this year. But especially for getting my last order here in less than 5 days, 2 days before expected delivery... that is insanity, but in all goodness. And really, if you haven't ordered pictures through their home delivery program you should totally do it... photos are NINE CENTS for a 4x6 and the quality is there for great reprints and enlargements... if you are all anti-corporate giant I promise this is a concession worth making... especially if you've browsed the cost of printing on any other photo sites lately... you know, because I'm sure there are more people like me who take no less than 50 no more than 500 pictures in a month... just give or take.

4 days

Christmas is in FOUR days.

Seriously... where has this month gone???

Christmas Favorites

Since this is post number 3 today I guess its safe to say that I have not only bypassed my allotted work internet time but that things are slowing down for the holidays...

Here's some of my Christmas decoration favorites.

This was in Zilla's room last year... it was before she had hair for her hairbows... and before the Georgia pot was shattered to death in a SWGA windstorm. This little tree however is the one that was in my room growing up so its got lots of sentimental attached to it.

Mom made these stockings for us... easy to pick out which belongs to each of us right?? Michael actually has had his for 2 years.. and mine and Hayley's were new this year. Hayley's is made of the same material that Mom made her bumper pad out of so we'll always have a piece of her nursery in her stocking. Also, a mad shout out to the people who built our house which has no shelving, mantles, or anything even remotely resembling an acceptable place to hang stockings. And yes, those are paper clips, I'm having a hard time finding cute clips that work on blinds...although I think shower curtain rings will be the next candidates.

And we all know where I stand on this Nativity.. and please ignore the fact that the hand-me-down couch which is still in desperate need of slipcovers doesn't match the green room. In my defense, this was taken last year and that couch is no longer in that room so its not quite as bad.

16 months!

Overalls By Prisspot Designs (I have a contact email if you are interested)

So this was our first attempt to take Zilla (all my favorite Mommy bloggers have nicknames for their kids so I decided it might be fun to use them too) for pictures with Santa Claus... as you can see, there is no Santa to be found. This has many factors, and since I haven't been able to post anything without a list of some kind, we will continue in that tradition.

1. it was freezing and Santa was outside (and by freezing I mean, South Georgia freezing, which is in the 30s with the wind blowing)
2. we stripped her of her warm jacket and loveys and thrust her into a "sleigh" which was indeed a golf cart with sleigh sides with a stranger
*despite this, she didn't enter full tizzy mode, but she wouldn't look at him and dang sure wouldn't let go of anyone who was holding her

So we took about 5 shots, which is basically nothing compared to our normal photo sessions, and called it a morning. On the way back to the car however, we passed a playground, and since she had been down pushing her own stroller (her Aunt Mischa started this thank-you-very-much) she had no intentions of bypassing a perfectly good playground, especially since the weather had been dreary and she'd been stuck inside all week at daycare.

So instead of having pictures with Santa, we have 80 pictures of my child playing all by herself in her cute Christmas overalls that we have gotten our money's worth, or rather Breezy has, since she's worn them more than any other outfit this month.

But hey, some days we take what we can get. And this one suits me just fine.

I entered a giveaway

So after selfishly reading this great BLOG without commenting on what fun it is for me to read, I got brave this morning and entered a giveaway because 1. I'm a photo nerd and would kill for this program and 2. its only fair to share the drool. As such, I also got to looking at this BLOG for part two of the giveaway and I suggest you visit both!

So, continuing in my selfish ways, I'm getting a second entry in the contest by blogging about the contest which in essence may help me win the contest which will in fact, prove my selfishness to be beneficial.

at least in this case. but not in life so much. because selfishness never gets anyone very far without heartache and pain and lots of bad things piggybackin' along.

So, go check out the blogs and the giveaway, but you know, don't enter because I want to win!

Just kidding!

3 years and counting

We had our third anniversary yesterday... as such, I'm going to blog about a semi-related subject... movie genres.

My favorite categories of movies, check my Netflix if you don't beleive just how true this is,

1. based on a true story (I'm a sucker, especially for happy endings)
2. sports movies (shut up, you know this doesn't surprise you)
3. sports movies based on a true story (this is how its semi-related, we watched The Blind Side at the movies yesterday, and yes you should go see it)
4. animated films (that's right, Alvin, I'm coming to see you after Christmas)

and then all the random hodge podge categories melt in together.... you know, in case you were curious.

something new for our house

So if you know me at all you know that my favorite decoration in my whole entire house is my Willowtree Nativity set that I finally collected all the pieces to last year (through several years of gift-giving from family members)... I'll try to remember to post a picture of it when I get to where I have one stored....

Well, this year I had to find a new place to put my Nativity... it usually sits on the coffee table but this year  a) Hayley can reach the coffee table and b) the coffee table has been repurposed as the flat surface on which the 30-gallon fish tank sits.... yes, 30 gallons, its Hayley's Christmas present, and yes, it is totally her Daddy's responsibility because I kill fish just by observing them from afar in pet stores... true story.

So I decided to put it on this little white dinnette type table in our kitchen because a) we don't eat at it so we don't have to dodge the Nativity for dinner b) otherwise its a junk catching table c) you can see the Nativity when you walk in the back door, which all good SWGA folks know is the only acceptable way to enter a house.

I was also finishing up the Yada Yada Prayer Group series by Neta Jackson (if you haven't read it, you should, great reads and great inspiration... Christian fiction obviously) and in the book one of the families talks about its Nativity tradition and I happen to think its a cool one, and my mom agrees, although Michael pulled out the "dork" card when I started discussing it.

Anyway, the tradition is that only their Nativity Barn gets set up ahead of time.. and all the characters of the Nativity are then dispersed around the house (the wise men far away on the east), Mary and Joseph traveling to the nativity and the shepherds and animals off in the field.. etc, etc... and all throughout December the characters move closer to the nativity as it gets close to Christmas but baby Jesus not appearing in the barn until Christmas morning... and I think that's really cool.. so, we're going to start that at our house next year.. This year, they are already at the Nativity because I'm teaching Hayley who the characters are and she's gotten quite accomplished at making the respective animal noises for the livestock.. but I've got to have time to scope out moving places for my characters that are out of Hayley's reach, but also make sense as to why my wise men are in the living room alone... and the shepherds are no where to be found...

but either way... next year, we're having a moving nativity... and its gonna be awesome

If you haven't heard the Christmas version of "Bonfire" on country radio, you need to check it out... it'll make you laugh... or at least, it made me laugh.

I haven't updated in several weeks but I've been stuck in writers block and we've taken another turn at running around like chickens with our heads cut off for a few weeks but hope to settle down some between now and Christmas (like that will happen)

Anyway... Michael's birthday is today so he's the big 3-0... so we'll be celebrating with low country boil with the fam tonight.

This past Sunday was Heritage Day at Zion, the little church I grew up in before moving to FBC when I was in 6th grade, so we enjoyed the service and music and dinner on the grounds. One of my favorite pastors of all times was there (his kids are my age so our families hung together some when he served there) and he always makes me laugh which was fun too. I had to speak, first on the program YIKES, but I think it went alright... I'd share it but if you don't know the church it probably won't mean as much to you... but I may think about it some more in the next few days.

Every year at Christmas I remember how horrible I am at making and shopping down Christmas lists... every year I tell myself that I'll keep a running list throughout the year so I can have a decent list come December, every year I forget to keep a running list until late November and then I begin backtracking and stalling and saying "I dunno"... every December I also remember the great presents that I wanted to give everyone last year but already had bought them something when I figured it out and told myself to write it down for this year but that now it may be too late to get together for this year or have bought an alternative gift prematurely and now can't buy the fabulous idea from last year because I've already hit my spending limit. and every year, I tell myself I'll do better... and I don't... but what's Christmas without those kinds of traditions? blasphemy I say!

perfect pants

this weekend I broke down and bought some new pants... not only because I needed new pants, but because, lets face it, baby tummy number 2 has already ousted my go-to pants. Yet, in true form, I refused to buy maternity pants just yet (so expensive) (and I still have some loaner clothes coming in from friends) but I did manage to find a great pair of khakis at Old Navy which weren't too hard on the budget but are great fit with a little room for roundness.. which is also good... and once I got these pants and put them on this morning for the first time (yes, I bought them without trying them on, a typical no no but I don't like dressing rooms in winter, they are just cold and uncomfortable, and besides we are headed back to the big city tomorrow so I had a window of exchange available) and realized just how much I had been missing a pair of good khakis... I've been without a pair since, oh, the year I got married.. and these khakis have revolutionized my faith in khakis.. to the point where I may buy more.. but its highly unlikely given my lack of shopping tendencies.

In other news, I met with God for the first time in a while Sunday morning and it was awesome... I am anxious to arrive at that place in my life again where He is as tangible as He has been for me many times before.

In other news, my heart is heavy also... its a fairly long and detailed and personal story that isn't even close to the content of blog-worthy but very close to the Eeyore syndrome.

Oh, and we're not having twins.. hallelujah! (and yes, I said that out loud from the table when the ultrasound was happening).. although we have also decided that hayley isn't quite old enough to be interested in the baby on the screen but old enough to be very interested in all the things that she can't touch in an exam room so she is uninvited from all the subsequent doctors appointments.

But the really good news is that my appetite is coming back so hopefully, just hopefully, the morning sickness is on its way out the door.. Praise God!

people are crazy

and in other cyber stalking news... I read an article yesterday about a family that is receiving 1.5 million dollars in settlements because their teenage son was struck in the head while pitching in a baseball game and the batter used a Louisville Slugger aluminum bat... the family states that the bats don't have adequate warnings of their potential to inflict harm and pain and that they speed the baseballs up on contact which makes the bat responsible for any harm inflicted on a player.


yes. we now live in a country where when you choose to be a baseball player and you get hit with a baseball from a baseball bat during a baseball game you can be paid. because its evidently not common sense that baseball bats speed up balls and players can get hurt from playing sports.


no really... this is crazy.


(although, my sincerest feelings go to this family for the loss of their son and for the other families who are also in court battles from sports injuries, I fail to see how the manufactor of a sports equipment product is wholly liable for those injuries)

addicted

so we've already established that I have much too much addiction to online reading, surfing and general newsy news and blogs...

as such I've decided, Fairfield Inn irritates me... random thought I know, but I've been following USA Today the past couple of weeks for the blips of news stories that I can research in local papers, etc if its really interesting.. they also have great Day In Picture albums, etc... however, Fairfield Inn has the corner market on the 15 second promo ad that runs before you can browse any photo albums or video screens.. which means I've seen the exact same ad for this detested place that I've decided I would rather sleep in a car than stay in because of its irritativeness 500 billion times in the last two weeks... and it irks me... silly I know, but it does.


Also, we know that I am huge fan of Christmas music and over the years have gained great joy in exposing others to relentless Christmas music stations on radio and tv... however, I was flipping radio channels this week and one local station has already gone all Christmas... they are now your "Christmas Music Station" and yes, hello, its not even Thanksgiving.... I have an even bigger beef with those who decorate for Christmas before Halloween.. unacceptable, I now no longer enjoy looking at your decorations because they have been too hastily applied prior to my day of turkey, ham and dumplings thankyouverymuch. Is it really too hard to wait at least until mid-November even though I'd prefer that the whole world, because I have those powers obviously to influence it, do what we do at our house... spend the day after Thanksgiving decorating...it still gives you a solid month of Christmas goodness and you don't have to skimp on other Fall holidays...is that too much to ask??

until next time

I'm so glad gLee will be back on tonight... its such a trivial thing I know, a weekly tv show, but it really does make my Wednesdays better! And its one of the few things that I get to do without worrying about what the Bug is getting into because she's already in the bed snoring away!

We go for our first ultrasound Friday... I'm nervous, just like the first time, but its just part of it I think. There are just so many friends that we have who have struggled with difficult pregnancies, miscarries, infertility and all sorts of not pleasant things that makes a healthy pregnancy for mom and baby feel more like a rarity than not.

In other news, I would basically like to be sleeping all the time, just like I would like someone to come in and clean my house and vehicle from top to bottom for me... so, you know, come on over. : )

I thought I had something witty to share this morning, but alas, it has wandered away like most of my rational thoughts...

until next time,

Dear Santa,

I know this makes me an addict, but please, please please put this in my stocking this year.

Love,
Meghan

hungry I come to You


for I know You satisfy

I am empty

but I know Your love does not run dry

and I wait

and I wait

so I wait for You

so I wait for You



I'm falling on my knees

offering all of me

Jesus, You're all this heart is living for



broken I run to You

for Your arms are open wide

I am weary but I know Your touch restores my life

so I'll wait for You

so I'll wait for You



I'm falling on my knees

offering all of me

Jesus, You're all this heart is living for

Oh, I'm falling on my knees

offering all of me

Jesus, You're all this heart is living for



and I wait for you

and I wait for you

and I wait for you

and I wait



I'm falling on my knees

offering all of me

Jesus, You're all this heart is living for

Oh, I'm falling on my knees

offering all of me

Jesus, You're all this heart is living for



hungry I come to you,

for I know You satisfy

things that don't go well

Things that don't go well with the onset of morning sickness that lasts all day

a. a 20 minute commute to work

b. someone cooking something in the microwave that is now wafting through the hallways of work

c. cornering a 14-month old into getting dressed for daycare

d. the look and thought of approximately 30 different types of food

e. putting on shoes

f. loudness

g. whole wheat ritz.. forget the healthy turn, give me the original

h. leftovers.

i. the alphabet because I've typed 2 numbers and 2 wrong letters since I started this list

j. pants that are borderline too small.. pressure on the tummy is no good

k. having to go to work despite the walking zombie you are because you're the only person who does your job

l. getting up before noon. period.

m. fixing your own food.. bleh

Things that go well with morning sickness that lasts all day

n. looks of sympathy

o. a husband who doesn't gripe over my weakness

p. my bloggers who've updated and kept my mind occupied

q. my life is average.com

r. having Mom be the hero and get the baby ready and off to daycare in the morning with less than 2 minute notification of needing her

s. a sofa that allows you to stretch out completely flat, or curl up tight, and still stare at the tv

t. now I'm out of happy thoughts.. oh wait, here we go again...

u. knowing that this too will pass

v. finding out that people really are nice to you on the second pregnancy despite stories that the first one uses up all of everyone's sympathy

w. now I'm back to negative thoughts, I really never intended to play alphabet soup here

x. the grocery store

y. coming up with a list for the grocery store

z. trying to find something that you can eat that doesn't make you wanna hurl when you think about it


and yes, I'm counting the two asides as their own letter.. back up off me.

blast you silence

all my online authors are quiet today... make it stop!


in other news, as the cashier in Juno says, my eggo is preggo.

Southern Sweetie Fights Back

And back on the thoughts of Being A Southern Sweetie ... this can bite you in the butt (not literally, although in all actuality, it could happened quite literally given a motivated child) ... as it so did to me yesterday...

I was holding this little cutie for a lady who needed to sign some paperwork and I'm talking to her little one who is now in my arms and the lady is making small talk where she then shares "Yea, she was a preemie last year so we've had a lot of problems with her being sick... like, she's been sick for the past two weeks... she's had this and this and that"

and I'm holding her inches from my face... because its impolite to hold them out like the plague.

If I have one more person make something way more complicated than it should, then I'm convinced the world is out to get me.

or at least... the part of me that likes things simple.

in other news

I'm completely stoked because the painstaking process of entering Pampers Gifts to Grow points online has just rewarded me with a points-cash-in for a Dora the Explorer (even though I don't know that Hayley knows who this is....if she does, she hasn't mentioned it.. bahahha) potty seat to fit on the big potty.

Let me just say... yay... no buying, no shipping, just potty seat... and even better, it goes on a real potty so I don't have to wash out a potty chair which I never really thought of until recently and it completely grosses me out.

akward

Ran into a high school classmate of mine at a restaurant last night... first off, didn't even recognize him.. at all.. none whatsoever... and he was sitting at the table next to me... anyway, I come in from outside and he calls me by name, which of course is equally awful when you don't recognize him at  first because you have that stunned look and then the recognition look which of course, in my very expressive face are on entirely different phases of the spectrum... anywho

so I turn around and do all the "how are ya? where ya been? what do you do? tadididida" and he introduces me to his fiance and I say "hey, I'm Meghan, we went to school together..." and about 2 minutes later when I've returned to one of the best fried chicken salads I've ever eaten... I realize that he probably already told her how we knew each other and that the better way of explaining our connection, which didn't even pop into my mind at the time was... "oh, and his grandpa married my grandma for a long time but we never were really "cousin, cousins" but probably should have been, but did at least acknowledged it all along" ...... akward.....

so then after I'm realizing what an idiot I am at impromptu meetings, we get to leave, and he has the dignity to ask about my grandma and some of my cousins... and I feel like a complete waste of meaningful connections, because that confirmed to me that he explained me as the grandma-grandpa connection not the school one.

great.

sing-a-long

Give Me Your Eyes


By: Brandon Heath, Jason Ingram



Look down from a broken sky

Traced out by the city lights

My world from a mile high

Best seat in the house tonight



Touch down on the cold black top

Hold on for the sudden stop

Breath in the familiar shock

Of confusion and chaos



All those people going somewhere

Why have I never cared



Give me your eyes for just one second

Give me your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give me your love for humanity

Give me your arms for the broken hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me you heart for the ones forgotten

Give me your eyes so I can see



Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah



Step out on a busy street

See a girl and our eyes meet

Does her best to smile at me

To hide what's underneath



There's a man just to her right

Too ashamed to tell his wife

He's out of work, He's buying time



Give me your eyes for just one second

Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me you heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see



I've been here a million times

A couple of million eyes

Just move and pass me by

I swear I never thought that I was wrong

I need a second glance

Give me a second chance

To see the way you've seen the people all along




2008 Essential Music / Sitka 6 Music (ASCAP). All rights admin. by Sony/ATV Tunes LLC (ASCAP). / Peertunes Ltd (SEASAC) Grange Hill Music (SEASAC) Windsor Way Music (SEASAC) Grange Hill Music and Windsor Way music administered by Peertunes Ltd.

What the Artist Has To Say: "I wrote a lot of songs for this new record. 'Give Me Your Eyes' was one of the first that really stuck out. I co-wrote it with Jason Ingram, and musically, it has a hip-hop flavor to it. The song was inspired from the idea that every once in a while, God gives us His eyes. You tend to see a lot of different kinds of people in places like airports. Sometimes, usually only for a few moments, I feel like God gives me true compassion for those people around me. I think that the longer I get to know the character of Jesus, the more compassion I personally have for others. 'Give Me Your Eyes' is saying; 'Jesus give me your eyes so that I can see people the way you see people, so I can love people the way you love people.' One of the core goals of my ministry is focused on striking up conversations about social injustices around the world and being a voice for those who have often been silenced by poverty or lack of influence. I want to challenge people more. 'Give Me Your Eyes' does that. It is one thing to have compassion and quite another to act on it. Most times, it starts with the people around you."

selective memories

So I think I have one of the worst memories in the world... if nothing else, I have a "trigger memory" which means I have no general recall, but if you show me a picture or tell me a story I may remember what you are talking about... I contrast this to several of my friends who have whole-life memory... they know when and where and how old and what color their underwear is... not so for this ole gal...

anyway, you know how when an random memory hits you its even funnier than when it happened? That happened to me today... I'm not sure where the thought process started, but it went something like this before it was all over....

I was thinking about this blog that I read over on Recession Fabulous about getting homecoming dresses and prom dresses from consignment stores and the lady blogging that this was especially good for average or smaller sized girls because those dresses seemed more common... which made me think of a lady I know who sold all but 1 of her daughter's old prom dresses for this very same reason... which made me think about my old prom dresses... my junior prom dress I gave away to a girl that I hope will wear it otherwise, I think, I'm entitled to ask for it back because now that I think about it I have a cousin it might very well fit... then I started thinking about my senior prom dress which was fabulous.. and how much I loved it and felt like the first time I'd had just the perfect dress... until of course, it got stained with the dye from the paper which covered the gym floor in a freak accident.. and how the dress was probably still in my closet at moms... because I'm hoping that one day I'll have an occasion to need it.. although I think, I don't think I'll fit into it...which made me think about giving it to the cousin but then thinking about it having to be dyed and wondered how much the dying process would be.. and whether we'd need to dye it before giving it away.. but that I really didn't want to give it away because I might need it in this imaginiary event I keep waiting on... which made this memory happened....

Last Song, Senior Prom Night: DJ says "I think this is the way to close the night out, y'all have fun now..." to which Marvin's "Let's Get It On" starts playing.

yes. at. senior. prom.

meghan is...

...pumped that her "follow blogs" accepts links to non-blogger sites...thats right, I'm now stalking from afar...bahahaha

...dreading the dishes that have her sink full at home

...excited to be headed to the beach and seafood festival this weekend, despite the fact that she doesn't like seafood

...sad that her work pumpkin of total cuteness rotted overnight on her desk last Thursday..thank you sick pumpkin for the lingering aroma you left.

...needs to cut down her caffiene intake by at least 2 cans a day... and lose about 10 pounds out of the tummy roll and tight-jeans-hips that are less than comfortable.

and. done.

In true facebook form... Meghan is:

weirdly wired in a passive way... that I can't figure out what is fully behind it... so I'm to wound up for bed, but still tired, but don't have a definite train of thought as to why the aforementioned is occuring... strangeness.

In other news glee was not at its best tonight... sadness...

lack of thought creates thought

so after I fumed all day at not having a blogging episode of great in the last few days, I have been rattling all sorts of things off in this head of mine ever since...

you know what I despise? the little puddles of water that hide in the tiniest of a ridge or lip or whatnot on the dishes in the dishwasher.. there you are, being the good little housecleaner when out of now where.. cold wet water splatters off the top of a mug that up until this very moment you were convinced was flat-bottomed... so maybe despised isn't the right word... it think its somewhere more between "you've got to be kidding me" and "no really, is that necessary?" yes.. that is where it fits.

you know what I do enjoy about a good kitchen? And trust me, mine isn't state of the art so almost any kitchen can qualify... the light over the stove.. exhaust fan, so so, light = kitchen love... and tonight, mine blew in my face and of course, we have no replacement bulbs, so I'm in disagreement with my light at this moment and cooking in the dark is no fun...

you know what else is on  my list of non-favorite kitchen experiences? the dish with the varying boiling point..that's right.. the one where its a boiling mass of molten lava or it won't even break a simmer.. or better yet.. it goes from no simmer to massive boil over of molten smelly lava on the burner... it does it on purpose.. if you think i'm kidding, throw some cream of chicken soup in with some water and see what happens...

along this same line of experience in spaghetti sauce, which is probably the inspiration behind this entire rambling and is cooking on my stove as I type this... you've got to get a good boil to get your paste into a thickening agent but not so hard that it never (cue rotini boiling over on the stove) recovers and thickens... and then you have watery, runny sauce which is no fun and beats all odds since you didn't even add a whole 1/2 cup of water to begin with.... here we are back to the YGTBKM/NRW frameset... and a whole 5 bonus points to whoever figures out what those initials stand for without scrolling to the top paragraph.. first to claim takes all...


in other news.... I also think ad valorum taxes are a pain in my budget... and I mean that with all sincerity.

uninspired

I've been less than inspired here lately so its been a while since I've been back... granted, funny stuff happened, but none of it in blog-worthy format...

but I hated to leave you hanging, all two of you that is, and thought that simply starting to blog would unleash a fount of witty ramblings that make us all smile... unfortunately, not so much... instead, meaningless ramblings that don't even resemble humor... oh well, can't be a winner every time. hahaha

I did however re-discover why I don't make the library a regular pit stop in my routine... books suck me in... always have, always will... so much so, that over the weekend, I started reading the one Mama had checked out while she wasn't reading it although she was in the middle of it, and I read 133 pages in a few hours... I also read fast... but anywho, she brought it to me yesterday so I could finish it because she knows what a book junkie I am... so what did I do? I stayed up until 12:45 in the morning finishing the book... 40 more chapters of book... it was like crack cocaine, I couldn't put it down and wait until the next day to finish it... I had to just keep reading until it was completely finished...as if the story and the characters weren't going to be as entertaining tomorrow(today)... and thus, I remembered why I stopped keeping books on hand... I'm too much of an addict to be useful in their presence.

A Southern Sweetie

I'm pretty sure its a southern thing to talk to any and every child who is under the age of 2 who passes you in any setting... but none the less, even this ritual of Southern society has its quirks... and lets face, we've all pulled out the cutesy baby voice at least once in our life at a child who we didn't know in the arms or stroller or carrier of an adult we didn't know...

Quirk 1: The overachiever talker: You've all seen her in action, she goes over and beyond talking about the cuteness of a child who is cute, but isn't the cutest child in whole world... its obvious when she says "and what cute shoes you have" regarding a pair of black leather hightops on an 18 month old girl.. I mean, I'm just sayin' there is a line where the cute babble becomes straight cute lies... and that is one.

Quirk 2: The unidentifiable child: You've done it... read the verbal cues of color and dress and yet, despite the blue stroller, and lack of hairbow, its a girl.. and you call the child a "handsome thing" to which the adult who accompanies sometimes says "its a girl"... or even worse, the bestower of cute asks "is it a boy or girl" which I think may possibly be even worse than getting it wrong... and don't think just asking "what's your name?" will always clear up the issue.. even though, I admit,this is my Southern sweetie way of trying to figure it out without being a quirk.

Quirk 3: The comparison child: As a way to mark your Southern sweetness as such, and not creepy weird person who talks to random children, you begin talking to the adult about the likeness of this child to yours... new mamas are especially guilty of this because lets face it, we love our kids and think every child has some point of comparison or contast to them

Quirk 4: The snatcher: guilty as charged, I get it from my mother, these Bestowers of cuteness approach child love to a whole new level... asking to hold, or better yet, asking while reaching to hold... the child who've they do not know from the adult they do not know in a public arena. I'm just saying... we know who we are.

you know what I love about Georgians?

 And this is not to make light of the flooding situation... but its simply my thought process as a born and bred Georgian...

Our entire life shuts down for 1/2 inch of snow and ice... but when the flood hits, we're out in our waders, taking pictures and saying, "That water can't be more than a foot deep on that road, this truck is heavy, we'll be fine"... or, like I was, kneeboarding behind a fourwheeler at the age of 8 once the rain stopped but the ditches were still full.

I'm just sayin'...

good little girl

So I've been a good little girl and cut my internet time at work down... but I'm not back to gripe on a subject I've already covered... I just wanted to say, that it really cramps my blogging style...

turns out, most of my random thoughts occur during mini-mental-breaks of the workday... but alas, I'll channel them into night time blogging...

my funniest thought of the day, which will probably get me arrested if it ever comes true, but lets face it, I'm not capable of committing such, and glad to be that way...

my boss is Earl... and the only song I know with Earl in it... Earl Had To Die... circa Dixie Chicks in their prime...

seriously, I almost fell on the floor when the thought hit me today... but, not because I want him to die, but just because I hadn't thought of that song in a long time... and that brought back memories of it being performed at a high school talent show and a certain senior being wrapped in blue tarp and drug across the high school auditorium stage... It was sheer and instant transportation to Dixie Chicks hayday.... and sometimes, life just doesn't get much better than that.

I also read a hilarious post by Crazy Texas Mommy who I don't know but am blog-dicted to her... which resulted in getting the crazy stare from those who walked by my office while my hands covered my face and I shook uncontrolably.. seriously, she cracks me up.

now I'm that mother

last night I had my first "i'm-the-jerk-mother-who-can't-control-their-toddler-from-making-too-much noise-and-squirming-everywhere-and-not-staying-in-their-chair-while-everyone-else-tries-to-smile-it-off-in-the-restaurant"

and let's be honest, I really don't want to talk about it...

so we politely got ours to go and headed home.

swellin'

no seriously, the Dollar General in Fort Gaines is my new favorite store... I mean, it doesn't even look like a Dollar General and they have the cutest decorations ever...


and in other news, Michael tried to drown me in 3 foot swells on the lake yesterday... after he threw 3 gallons of water into the wind which blew it straight back in our faces...

selfish is me

I just got a Holy humbling which I have so needed... here I am griping about things that don't even matter... don't even count for anything.... and yet, there are others, just fighting to survive.

Please lift up my friends, Raymond & Kelley, and their family. For more information on their story, send me an email and I'll be more than happy to share.

And just be thankful.

I know I've never thought as much about how blessed it is to have a full-term birth.

What an amazing story of their love, and their little fighter.

no really, I know y'all are out there... leave me some comments.. I'm feeling unloved

and yes that is my cyber-insecurity speaking... let it be.

snot snatcher

If you are a mommy, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about, but if not, my description should clue you in...

you know those suction bulbs you get to clean out baby noses? Well, Sha Sha, Hayley's sitter, calls them a snot snatcher... and I think thats a phenom name... and it doesn't hurt that it grosses Mikie out.

Whats even better is that Hayley, who despised it in December, now also thinks highly of it, so we're doing some serious snot snatching... I just hope it doesn't incline her to sticking other things up her nose... hmmmmmmmmm

and strike two

So my IT guy of a hubby just spent 7 minutes telling me why I should be glad that I even have 30 minutes because most places don't have that and all the network/system reasons why internet monitoring is so important to IT...

but I still want to be selfish about it... I'm trying not to.. but still.

IT to the Rescue

So our IT guy came around today with memos regarding internet use, time limits, rules about content, etc. etc. etc. and I think he may have dropped "the tone" on me when handing mine over, so I'm trying to cut back on my internet usage at work...just in case it was "the tone"

I mean, I do have several daily addictions that I check out at various times of the day which exceed the 30 minutes of personal time that the memo mandates, so I'll have to speed up even my speed-reading.... but enough about that.

As such, I'll be trying to blog from home which may or may not be as successful as before. I totally understand internet usage policies and am totally for them because, from an HR standpoint, its one less battle to fight. But at the same time, the generation x or y or whatever I am, comes out in me and says "hey, listen, I may spend more than 30 minutes doing non-work related internet things, but none of it is illegal or immoral and I'm still getting everything (and some extra, most days) that is assigned to me (or that I take on of my own accord) done, so, you know, cut a junkie some slack."

oooohhhhh nnnnnnnnnooooooooooo

I'm starving.. have an hour left of work and only 28 cents in my entire bag, desk and vehicle combined....


I've got to get a better allowance.

family ties

Now, we've all established that my family sees a lot of each other... and not just the immediates... so as part of that a localized discussion has begun about adding an additional all-inclusive get together for the family around thanksgiving... and it goes something like this:

About 2 weeks ago, massive email letter: Everyone plan on being here at this time and date so that we all can see each other and the few of us who are sober can enjoy the time with those of us who can't be sober at family gatherings or else the insanity becomes obvious.. no I'm kidding, but we do have family that has fought out of addiction and now has to bypass other family events because there are members there who are working on getting deeper in addiction... still not nice so lets revise again... we have people who like booze and family together... and we have people who can't have booze... so we've decided to have a booze-free day so all can enjoy... and the booze free day is going to be around Thanksgiving. Now that I've spent entirely too much time on that... flash forward to this week:

I receive this email: What are your thoughts about this? Since we are going to Bigdaddy's Sat after Thanksgiving let's not get together Thanksgivng Day.
In which the following occurs: Are you insane? I am SOOO not sharing the dumplings and rice krispies! what the c--- (edited because my mom can't stand this word and I've already used my disclaimer for the week)...i cant get off the day after thanksgiving...only the biggest shopping day ever. thanksgiving day is a must. Lol....That was kinda my response too! But I didn't send anything back

So without naming names, though I completely fess up to being the one who isn't willing to share.. but basically, despite the fact that all of these responses came from the 2nd generations... and despite the fact that this calls for two family gatherings in one week, we are much to selfish with our food to share...

... and lets be honest here... the food is never good at massive get-togethers, its either cold or funky or just plain out bad... even though separately we can cook something up... so you end up going home hungry and disgruntled that your even your favorites had sucumb to the family feast mediocrity...

so I get to talking to Mama today and get the 1st generation scoop from her... and its equal hilarity

evidently, we are all the little-old-ladies-who-give-dirty-looks-and-make-the-guest-speaker-sit-elsewhere-because-they-are-in-our-pew and didn't know it!

update:
phone rings
Ma: instantly Now I'm need to make one of them things myself
Me: wait wait wait
Ma: giggling In Microsoft word and I have one page and I want it to be 4 to a page like hers
Me: wait wait wait.. you want to what?
Ma: more laughterNow I gotta do that, send something that will print 4 to a page but I only have one page of it
Me: ok, so you maybe should... no, wait... you should go in and set it like a postcard... we walk through the steps
Ma: But that only gives me two blocks not 4
Me: you don't have 4 blanks on your page?
Ma: No, I only have 2
Me: what? wait a second...
Ma: No, I got this, I'll just make 4 pages of it...
Me: the same thing on 4 pages? 5 lines is all?
Ma: yea, that's what she did
Me: sounding doubtful if that's how you want to do it
Ma: I got this
Me: you do?
Ma: don't talk to me like you don't think its the best way
Me: weellll...
Ma: as long as the ends match the mean or the mean matches the end or whatever I'm trying to say there.. it'll be fine
Me: if you say so
Ma: laughing hysterically
Ma: I could be crazy as insert anonomous name for their own protection... wouldn't that be bad?

no seriously, this is why I love her.

And that's a wrap

Our weekend flew by but it was much fun... although 6 1/2 hours in a canoe will teach you just how out of shape you really are... I mean really.

So its been a full-blown Monday in my little corner of the world.. and from what I can tell, its really been a Monday for mama...

here's our conversation from earlier

Ma: so this girl emailed me something and she says I'm supposed to print 4 pages in 1 and I did what she said about File, Print but I'm getting 4 copies of 1 page
Me: um ok...
Ma: I mean .. she wants 4 pages on 1 page... can you tell me how?
Me: What program are you in? starts listing...
Ma: It says Microsoft Powerpoint
Me: ok, we can manage this.. File, Print... then look on the left and it gives you an option to "pring what"
Ma: wait, I'm not there...... ok.... File, Print, OOH, I see it
Me: Now select handout and 4
Ma: ok, got it

10 minutes later, phones back

Ma: So I wasn't really paying attention because I was doing something else... how do I do this? I just went to File and Print but its not there...
Me: Are you in the same program?
Ma: ummmm... it says Microsoft Word starts snickering
Me: OK... so go to File, Print
Ma: wait, I'm not there
Me: see! you are still not paying attention
Ma: starts giggling
Me: now on the bottom right it says "zoom" and there is a drop down box
Ma: I don't see that... I don't have that choice
Me: ok... do you see "print what"
Ma: yes
Me: ok, look to the right and what do you see
Ma: giggling again ZOOM
Me: ok, now choose 4 to 1
Ma: ok I got it, I got it... Its just been a Monday


See that is what I love about Mondays, not that my mother, who is really getting much more computer saavy loses her mind, but that no matter who you are where you are what you do, all someone has to say is "Its a Monday" and no futher questions or explanations needed.

its got to be the only good thing about Mondays... am I right??

P.S. If you live close to our hometown, there is a great study that started yesterday called "Staying In Love" led by Andy Stanley hosted by FUMC... its from 6p - 7p and is based on this: "Falling in Love is Easy...But Can Two People Really Stay in Love Forever?"Childcare provided.. and you can watch this weeks session online at http://www.northpoint.org/, choose "Messages" and then look for the series so you won't be "behind". Disclaimer: I haven't done this myself but those were the instructions given to me... please let me know if I need to change them. Also, there were 35 couples there last night so you can totally slip in this week and you won't be the only one there! And odds are out of 35 couples you'll know somebody so no chickening out!

Office Bathrooms

So the worst part of any place is a public bathroom... at work, I have managed to avoid these by using an employee only bathroom... which is certainly a step up in the world... however, an office bathroom also presents a few downsides, two of which I've experienced in the last few weeks, which is disturbing enough because prior to these experiences the past year of office bathrooms hasn't presented any problems...

I think that the worst part of sharing an employee bathroom with only a few other employees is that when something unpleasant happens.. you know know that its someone you know... so now you can't really look at any of those people without the public bathroom shiver spiralling through you... and you just want to wash your hands everytime you get any paperwork or touch their office supplies....

so maybe select office bathrooms aren't as reassuring as I first thought...

and while we're talking potty mouth, Michael made this joke yesterday...

DISCLAIMER: If you are my mother, or are telling this to my mother, you must warn her of the impending use of the "C" word

setting: browsing the baby section at target, Michael, Hayley, Courtney and Me and arrive on the potty chair/diaper genie/general bath supplies aisle...

Me to Michael: Did find her (hayley) a potty chair?
Me to Courtney: That's what she's getting for Christmas
Michael: No, but its going to be a crappy gift

ah sookie, somebody let the crazy out of the bag

Don't stop.. believing...

So if you're my facebook friend you already know I'm hooked on FOX's new show, gLee... and yes, that capital L is the Loser L on the Forehead, just in case you aren't in the know...

Its basically about the school misfits coming together to form a show choir as part of "Glee Club" and is your basic high school settting cool kids vs. outsiders production.. but, it involves really good music (always a plus)... an entertaining villian.. and a nutzo wife who is hateable.. all the makings of quality entertainment I'm sure... which brings me to my ramblings today... why, in tv and movies, do cheerleaders wear their uniforms to school everyday? This is the most random thing ever, but is a media precendent for establishing who is cool and who isn't.. obviously... my one complaint, isn't really a complaint but really more a tiny bit of disappointment, but their "Push It" debut last night was a little much... which I'm pretty conservative with what I think is appropriate for tv watchers to see (so obviously, we don't watch much tv at our house because there aren't a lot of options left) and it was a little over the top... i'm just sayin'... but overall the show is a hit, even though it earns me the Loser L from Michael every commercial break.. but what can I say? I must have a little Early Arrivals Show Choir still left in me somewhere

in other facebook related news, I alerted you by status that I was back to blogging... so welcome back if you've been here before, if not, welcome for the first time, and if you have a blog, send me the link so we can be blogging friends and I can stalk your blogs along with my other daily addictions.

In a totally different direction, I had this really random dream last night... this couple that we know, who don't live in Blakely, were spending the night at our house for like a week, because something was going on and they couldn't stay anywhere else or something like that... so they're all crashed up in hayley's room, and I don't know where Hayley is sleeping because she is in the dream in other parts so she's around..but anyway, its the middle of the night and for some reason michael and hayley and I are walking around in the backyard when my dad pulls up and drives his truck into our backdoor, and is like knocking with the truck, not driving through the doors... and so we finally get his attention and he says something that I can't remember now and then it flashes back to inside the house and there are some more people over and the same couple is there and the wife of the couple starts saying "I can't believe you raise a baby in this filth.. this house is filthy and disgusting..." and I'm all, thinking in my head in the dream, "clean it yourself if you can do better jerk" but being the nice little hostess I say something about "well, we didn't get a chance to super clean it before you got here since we were out of town and blah blah blah..." but in my head in my dream I'm totally going "you ungrateful meanie... I'm letting you stay in my house and we aren't even close friends and you have the nerve to comment on it" but I let it slide and then the next day I come in from work and (yes, it was a prolonged dream sequence) the wife is sitting on my couch, just out of the shower, and goes "You need to clean this, this and this so that I can do blah blah blah" and then I woke up. So weird. So, just for the record, if you come to my house and say something about it being filthy, I already have a chip on my shoulder so look out!

Rollin'

Its payroll day here at HACC so like a good little payroll worker I should be entering all the time for the last of the 4 facilties.. that's right I already got the first 3 done by lunch, booyah, I'm just sayin... but like a good little cyber junkie whose eyes are blurred from too much type and comparision, I'm taking a mental break to update my one follower on life inside HR at HACC... for some reason, using initials makes me happy.. obviously... maybe I'll name my next kid in initials... but not l.m.n.o.p. or anything like that... haha.. out of control, I know.

anywho, my 400 pictures I ordered to catch up from April of Hayley arrived yesterday.. and don't mock me for taking so many, really, that's less than half of what I take.. so there... but focusing back in, so I spent a good 15 minutes sorting out duplicates, that's right, I order enough for 6 other family sets plus mine each time, because I'm now one of those mommies who thrust their child's photo into every hand that seems outstretched... I lie, they've all requested the pictures... maybe not directly, but they have... I was the genius who decided to upload to walmart (9 cent prints with home delivery, unbeatable!) but now, my family, whom I love dearestly (because that's a word and all), has evidently decided that despite the fact that this gives them ample time to browse and select their own photos, that it is, in essence, still much more convienent to get me to order for them... and I do.. because that's what mommies do.

but I digress from rambling, as always...

I'm thinking about uploading my monthly Clearwater writing to here... but that means I gotta remember to do that from home...which is in most cases fairly unlikely, but maybe I'll figure a system out after all.

I also got this really great dress for some upcoming weddings, total change in direction I know, and now I've got to get shoes to match.. so if you see some bronze or gold strappy sandals with a less than stileto heel, gimmie a holla... we all know how much I hate shopping, and how bad I am at it, so I need all the help I can gather! : )

Dentist....

I do hate the dentist... actually, not my dentist... cause Dr. Jay is in/out in5 minutes with just a brief check in, no poking or prodding.. and I actually love my Ollie, my hygeinist (because I'm not even going to pretend to know how to spell that right on the first try) and her real name is Mrs. Olivia, but her granddaughter calls her Ollie and I think its the cutest thing ever so now I've decided to call her that... even without asking her permission.

But to my original train of thought... I hate going to the dentist.. and its mostly because of the noise... I hate hearing the scraper and scrubber thingy... my favorite part is the water rinse, but of course, thats only 10 seconds of bliss... but really, I shouldn't complain because the whole ordeal takes less than 30 minutes so really, I'm not that bad off... but its just one of those things that is preprogrammed in me to complain about... so now I have.

Hayley Girl On The Sand

Cookie Thief

So my 13-month-old figured out how to get in the Chips Ahoy this weekend.. not all too surprising since she is my own flesh and blood... but then, I asked if I could have one and she told me NO! Actually, she looked me dead in the face and shook her head NO... something we've been trying to teach her for weeks... well, that *nods head* means yes and *shakes head* means no... but evidently, only NO is compatible with the 13-month old brain...

so as if I haven't learned my lesson...

we're playing nicely in the floor last night and she's "cooking" with a sand bucket and shovel and smacking.. yes, she smackes and yes, its hilarious... and so Michael asks for some, and she shares.. and mixes some more and then gives me some.. and this continues for a good 5 minutes or so, because we're first parents with an only child so we think nothing of acting like complete fools for extended periods of time... so I reach down for my shovel-full for the 10th time or so.. and she looks me dead in the eye and WACKS me in the head with the shovel, pulling it away just before I can eat off it... and then proceeds to cackle at me.

I'm think I'm starting to learn though... if she makes direct eye contact, something that is no good is about to go down.

am I really blonde after all?

So I was laying in bed... is it laying or lying? I always overthink it and end up with the wrong one.. anyway, as I was snuggling in under the covers and doing my end of day check list I got to thinking about one of my cousins that I spent some time laughing with this past weekend and realized, for the first time, that all 8 of us cousins have nicknames... and I thought, how strange that I haven't noticed this before... after all, I'm in the middle so they've been in place before and after me and the youngest of us is now 18.. so thats a minimum of 18 maximum of 29 years of nicknames that I totally didn't recognize until this very moment.


I think I may be blonde after all... but it was this stunning revelation that kept me up for a good 15 minutes as I pondered if there were other nickname family groups that I had bypassed their collective embrace of nicknames.. I mean really, if I missed this on for the past 24 years surely there are more... I even pondered getting up to ask this cousin and the aunts who are now getting hip and joining the cyberworld if this was a deliberate action or simply the result of many many many years of multiple family gatherings... we now see each other for 4 major holidays and 1 annual gathering every 12 months.... and who is responsible for the original penning of the nicknames?

So now I'm on a mission to try and figure it out.. but knowing my family as I do.. I predict that there was no deliberate nature in the nicknames and that no one can remember who called who that name first... but maybe I'll be suprised.

And now, here I am going on and on about this set of nicknames which I am sure you are now thinking must be a great collection of nicknames to be so clever as to go unnoticed as a nickname.. and I further realize that only 2 nickname currently in use isn't some derivitive of our given names... this extends to 3 if you now include my daughter... although, I do think originally there was a third... so lets run through...

April - Doodle (this one I've got to get the full story on... one of my aunts also calls her "doo" so her nickname even has a nickname.

Patrick - He used to be Little Man if I remember correctly, but now its just Pat, so he actually has evolved his nickname

Alana - Lana Gail, take a letter of the first name and add the middle, and I think this may have come from her mother, but I haven't polled around yet, because I know I hear her say that

Me - Meg, not a stretch for a nickname here, just drop the last 3 letters of the given

Mischa - Misch, also sometimes doubled up, misch-misch.. drop one letter and you're good to go.. although I can't remember how many people double the calling

Clayton - Bubba, which I think actually came from his mom and his little sister, although he also is called Clayton Britt, which is his given name, so he's another one sneaking in the double-nicks

Brett - BA is the most common, which is just taking his first and middle initial.. I think his mom also calls him brett alan (his given name again) and maybe one of the other aunts does as well...hmmm

Courtney - Court Court... I know one aunt is most common in the doubling factor but I think her mom doubles up too... this is just a dropping of the last 3, but I think most of the cousins only use one court...

So there we be.. nicknames and all.... interesting.

follower, part dos

I'm also hopelessly addicted to browsing cake and decorating websites (charm city cakes I'm stalking you and am disappointed that there aren't as many cake photos on your site as I expected) as well as photography sites and blogs (check out charm city cakes links page for some great sites for both options...thats where my addiction truly engaged itself... I mean really, I should probably get therapy about it.

follower

so I've gotten hooked on the "Blogs I'm Following" aspect of blogger much in the same way one gets addicted to facebook, or at least, to the way facebook used to be, when it actually updated you on legitimate changes or actions to your friends pages, not just that they are now subscribed to the 15th million application that has no bearing on real life... and I'm in a total daze because only one of my shameless addiction blogs has updated today... I mean, come on, I totally stink at monthly updates much less daily, but I'm an addict here... help a sister out! : )

p.s. I'm trying to speak more truth in my life.... and it makes me feel better.

I also am getting up earlier in the morning per Michael's genius... and as much as I hate that I don't hate it... I don't hate it... it does make the day a bit better and me a bit less bitter... although I would kill, or at least come close to thinking, but not really ever actually if you know what I'm saying and all, to get to spend until 9 a.m. in bed just one morning... followed by at least 2 hours of nothingness on the sofa... but there's no rest for the mommyhood.

A verse for thought

Hosea 10:12

Sow for yourselves according to righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God); reap according to mercy and loving-kindness. Break up your uncultivated ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, to inquire for and of Him, and to require His favor, till He comes and teaches you righteousness and rains His righteous gift of salvation upon you.

I got this verse in an email this week, and while I haven't decided which translation fits it best... its a verse to change your life... Live in righteousness, break up the unbroken ground and seek the Lord until He comes to you.

To get out. That would be nice.

Tag Team, Back Again

So I swore off blogging about two months ago because I couldn't get going... but as you can see, I'm too much of a generation computer junkie to really give up on my cyber ramblings...

so I'll be back in brief...

so just hang tight!

Done.

Done blogging for a while because I can't keep this thing on track.

I may be back. I may not.

Believe it or Not

Believe it or not I am up past 10:30 for the second night in a row... VBS throws all our schedules off! But its going well so no compliants there.

My heart has been heavy for a lot of people and a lot of families here recently. It seems as if the devil has stepped right in the middle of this small space of southwest Georgia, spread his arms wide, and began war. It is something that will take more than isolated prayer to upend. I think that the battle has begun.

In less serious thought processes... Hayley is walking really well and turned 10 months old this week. Michael went to Sam's and bought a huge - 35 ounces - container of Cheese Balls, which we have shared with Hayley, but mostly devoured ourselves and relived the fun parts of childhood that cheese balls represent in the process.

I read The Shack a few months back and we got into a pretty good discussion on it at our monthly HOPE circle meeting in May... if you've never read the Shack, you should read it before you weigh any thought to the coming type from my end... if you know the background of the story, then you can follow where I start which is kinda in the middle of it all.

The Shack centers around how God works through the bad, ugly and evil things of this world, and uses it for the good. Not a novel concept by any means, something most Bible Belt Christians have been embedded with since birth.. bad things happen to good people for no good reason (that we fathom) and God swoops in and makes good things happen from it... basically. The Shack challenged my endorsement and understanding of that process to a different level of comprehension, that I think I'm more comfortable with, and is more concrete than "God is working through this." The arguing point, for lack of a better term, that the Shack presents is that God doesn't plan bad things as lessons to us, or what not, but that God allows those bad things to happen and then takes those things, works them into His glory and His plan. It is much the same way that we have free will for the good things in life, we also have used that free will to influence the world around us, daily and for generations before us, which now bear consequences on the present and future... much the way that environmentalists frame conservation and recycling. The sins of the past are the root of the problems of the present... or something along those lines. So we ask, using our churchy vocabulary, who's sin caused the bad things that happen to good people now? Whose sin caused cancer.. whose sin brought murder of innocent lives... and the list goes on... but what we argue from the guidance of the Shack, whether you endorse it or not, is that it is not the result of one specific payback for one specific sin, but rather the consequences of the concious and unconcious choices we as people make every day, generation after generation, and how those consquences transform the world around us.. into a place which has those bad things. Its not my sin that made my family member sick, or the sin of another family, but its the choices we've made as a society.. its the types of toxins and poisons we've allowed to enter into our food systems... its the choices of families to let children raise themselves, the choices of society to disengage a social rule or conduct or standard of behavior. It is without a doubt that everything bad in this world, while used quite deceptively by Satan himself, is actually a consequence of the poor choices we make with the free will that God so graciously gave us. So it is not that God is sitting up in Heaven passivly watching the bad things in life happen to teach us that He is God.. but rather He sees the bad things that are to happen and are happening and out of love, reaches down and out to us, and turns those things into something good, somehow... maybe not in a way that we understand it or not in a way that we observe it... and perhaps as Bible Belt Christians we tend to say "God is working whether you know it or not" and never conceive of the fact that the brokeness in our world breaks Gods heart equally if not more than our own. That God doesn't delight in the bad things that happen as a way of "that'll teach them" but that he journeys with us in brokenness and then steps in with healing. What a marvelous concept... God is never passive. never. He is always working, always striving, always growing with us, moving with us, covering us. always. just like that.

Where has it gone?

It's been over 4 months since my last post.. sorry to all of you who try to keep track of us via this blog! Parenthood is a great craziness... and you make lots of mental to-dos that never make it into a to-done.. for lack of better phrasing...

New stuff for us:

Michael - is now the Men's Leader for the Bethel Association, is registered for a mission trip to Mexico, yes, the swine-flu country, and will become the one and only technology director this summer for the school system. Newsletters are at 425 per month and he's got a few speaking gigs coming up at local churches

Hayley - turned 9 months yesterday, has crawling mastered, is pulling up and prop-walking every which a way, is no longer nursing, and is eating the fool out of some baby food... 5-6 containers a day! She's got 4 teeth, two bottom center and two top center and teething hasn't turned her into a whiny baby so praise God for that! She hasn't grown into her baby dedication dress yet so we're still waiting on that.. I'm planning a special ceremony for that, we're going non-traditional, more details to come. She loved her first easter... especially the eggs, which we are still playing with, although on my mental note is an item to pack up the easter stuff, she's still on the petite side which we hope will not get us in trouble at the pediatrician today.. she's just so active that she burns everything off... good metabolism I think and she's just small framed.

Me - I cut my hair shorter than its been for a while, my car had to have a new battery last week when it died out of no where, I'm still in the HR business and now really understand what that means, I hit my one year anniversary with HACC in February, I turned 24, though michael says 25 is what counts because of insurance..haha, and I really think that's about it

Our house- we finished the painting but we haven't gotten the new floor in, we found what we want a few weeks back but its special order so we want to make sure we've got the right measurements before ordering. Michael has also started a slate rock project in the back yard/ flower beds that I think is going to be cool when its finished, and yes it involves a fish cleaning station

New house - we went in with Michael's parents and bought a place at the lake last month... its just right for all our family, less than 1000 sq. ft, 2 full baths, 3 bedrooms, full kitchen and sitting room, screened in porch, wonderful water views and walking distance from the water! We just stumbled upon it and wah lah!

I had a pretty good revelation into parts of my spiritual unhappiness here of late... I was trying to worship God the way that Michael does and our town does, which is good for them, but rather stifling for me... so I've got to get back in touch with my Wesley roots, and not be afraid to showcase those roots in a town that's never seen much like that before.. which if you don't know Wesley makes it sound taboo and out-there.. but its totally not, its just a whole different approach to worship and relationship than what is most common in Blakely.. there is no God in a box, no Jesus on a shelf, its full out Jesus-freak mode... worship that means something, that moves you so much that you can't stand still, that you can't keep your eyes open because you are so close that you feel God listening to your very heart... and I've got to get back to it.

hearts y'all.. catch me around!

January Smanuary

What a fun month this has been!

Hayley has mastered the roll-over in all directions and can spin in circles using her upperbody strength, she hasn't quite got the moving front and back figured out but she's starting to pull her knees up and under a little bit, so mobility here we come!

We also have tackled, and when I say "we" I really mean Michael and his daddy and Jordan, have knocked out a wall and are in the midst of painting our newely opened kitchen/eating/living room... a great room of sorts.. and its fabulous! We'd still really prefer to find some land and build a house and a pond, but this will make our house more livable until we do!

As a result of the first two paragraphs, I'm finding it very hard to get any housework done! I don't think I've cooked a meal in weeks, though Michael has been great about making breakfast several times a week during that time... oh wait, I did make spaghetti one day last week..or was it the week before... anyway, I've found that being a mom runs all those things together, my memory is shot! But back to my original thought, its simply more fun to play with her than clean house and then I'm crashing as soon as I get still which means not much happens after she goes to bed either. its an interesting phenom.

I've been battling negativity lately and its a battle for sure... trying to get a hold of my own negatives (I've found myself more in the pessimist bracket than ever before, in regards to some arenas) and trying to find a better way to deal with others' negatives at the same time. a battle that is by no means fought in one month...

pray hard.

that's about it.. nothing super exciting... was going to do a "25 Things" list as is the current Facebook rage, but would rather have lunch!