It's a boy!

Just in case you maybe missed me and wondered what I've been up to.... I had a baby boy earlier this month! We're doing good - just consumed by life with a newborn!

Oh, the Horror!

While a Brittish man wearing fishnets, a corset and heavy make-up may be scary to some, Dr. Frank N. Furter is not usually considered a frightening character.
This week on Glee, they were featuring songs from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, the 1975 cult classic starring Tim Curry as the transvestite Frank. I hate I missed it, but I'm sure the kids did Tim Curry proud. Coincidentally, I was flipping channels around 9:15 and the original RHPS was on TV.
It's cheesy, silly, and in no way scary. Musicals usually don't make for good horror movies. Frank prances around in his outfit and Rocky, his creation, wears little more than a gold speedo. Heck, Janet and Brad spend most of the movie in their underwear. Sure, there are dead bodies and a little gore, but not enough to keep you up at night. It's really a mock-horror/sci-fi flick.
But when I was about 12, it scared the crap out of me. And I never laid eyes on the film.
RHPS become a popular midnight movie shown at one of the theatres in my area. How do I know? My favorite radio station would play the advertisement for it all the time when I was in my room, late at night, listening to music. I'd hear the creepy voice of Rif Raff or Magenta and tidbits of a few of the songs. I was sure RHPS was a super-scary movie. "Horror" was in the title for crying out loud! Just hearing the ad freaked me out enough to change the station. and it was an old school radio, so I had to scroll the dial to one station, and then scoll it back to try and find my station again.
Years later, when my friend's older sister told us about it and how fun it was to sit in the theatre and sing along and throw toast, I couldn't believe it. Props and singing and dancing? That is what I changed the station for? That is what gave me the creeps?
Now that "Paranormal Activity 2"? That would keep meup at night.
This post has been brought to you by Mama Kat's Writers Workshop.

About Me

It's funny. Sometimes exploring bloggie land feels a little like dating. Now, it's been more than 13 years since I've been single so I may not have a clue as to what I'm talking about but stick with me a minute... Sure, you have your favorites that you visit regularly, but sometimes you go venturing out to see who else is out there.
If you're anything like me, you read a post or two and check out their "About Me" page or profile. I might learn that we are both Southern girls and enjoy Yaz so I immediately feel a connection. Based on that, I decide want to check them out again. I may, indeed, visit again only to decide later that I'm really not enjoying them anymore. On the otherhand, I may really like this gal and add her to my favorites list.
There's a little bit of a pressure to have not just a good post but also a good profile. My problem is how do you stuff a lifetime into two paragraphs?
I have a husband and a daughter, but my blog does not revolve around either of those. They are certainly contributing factors, but not the main source of my writing. There's only so many ADORABLE pictures of your child we are interesting in seeing.
I want to come off as witty, but not snarky. Let's face it, who needs another self-righteous bitch in their lives? And then, I want to keep it clean, but I do curse occasionally so I don't want to completely edit myself.
I'm also fairly crafty and enjoy decorating, but I'm not nearly as good as some of the ladies out there so I don't want to mislead people to think I am a go-to girl for tye-dying Tshirts and Halloween decorations (although my fall decorations are pretty cute this year...).
Drinking, going out, dancing and having a good time are not things I gave up when I got married. It doesn't make me a bad person or a bad mom and I certainly don't do it all the time. I enjoy spending time with my friends and if it involves a round of shots, so be it.
I'm Southern and proud of it, but I'm also a bit redneck. We enjoy playing in the mud, college football and bar-b-que (that's a noun and not a verb). I don't want you to think I am some back-woods moron because of it. I have a four-year degree and know the difference between "affect" and "effect".
I enjoy music, movies, TV and reading but don't feel strongly enough about any of them to feel that my preference for them defines me. If you loooove Twilight, that's great. Good for you. I don't care about it, Taylor Swift, The Jersey Shore or James Patterson.
So while I'd love to have a profile that really let's you know who I am, I just don't know how the hell to put 35 years of me onto a single page. What about you?
This post was brought to you by Mama Kat's Writers Workshop.

The day I stuck it to my boss

Back when Steve and I were newlyweds, I used to work in a commercial real estate office in Virginia Beach. Back then, I got paid like $8/hour as a receptionist. It was a family owned company so there were some nice perks, like occasionally being treated to lunch, getting to leave early sometimes and nice Christmas bonuses (what's that?! a Christmas bonus! Who gets those anymore?).
On the down side, some of my bosses were real jerks. This one guy, I'll call him Bill, thought he was hot shit. He'd walk around with his Bible and his day-planner complaining how BUSY he was. At least that's what he'd say when he finally wandered into the office at 11:00 and wouldn't return any calls. Bill was so snobby. He only used GOLD paperclips because he thought they looked classier. One time I had to give him a ride to his house. His car was being detailed or something. I had the windows down and he looked at me like I was insane. "Can we get get some air on in here, " he whined.
I'm telling you all this so you can have a picture of the kind of guy Bill was when I tell you the prank I pulled on him.
I shared the front office with Samantha, the office manager. She and Bill had a love/hate relationship. She loved to pretend she hated him when truth be told, I think she loved all the attention from their nagging/kidding/complaining.
One day, Bill was in the supply closet which was just off our front office. He started singing and Samantha and I decided to show our displeasure by shutting him in there. No big deal. He kept singing and ended up being in there quite a while.
Somewhere I get the bright idea to put strips of clear packing tape across the door frame (I am giggling as I type...). Several strips of clear packing tape all across the door. I'm back at my desk when he finally emerges and SMACK! Bill walks right into the tape! It was like seeing someone walk into a giant spider web. I was laughing so hard I fell off my chair! Samantha stiffled a few giggles then followed Bill into his office as he stammered off.
Afterwards, I had to apologize to Bill. I guess I should be glad nothing worse came of it. But I gotta tell you... it was soooo worth it!
This post has been brought to you by Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop.

Mamas like to boogie, too

OK, that was fun so here I am again playing along with Mama Kat's writers workshop. The prompts I chose are "make a list of things you no longer have in common with your single/childless friends" AND "make a list of things you no longer have in common with your married/child bearing friends" and why you love them all anyway.
These both appeal to me because I fit in both categories at times. I was never one of those people whose life revolved around having children, although I have been married since I was fairly young (22) so I can't really identify with the single life.


things I no longer have in common with my single/childless friends...
1. I can't run off to the beach this weekend to see the Cowboy Mouth show because I gotta take care of the kid. I can't do anything spur of the moment or without pre-arranged childcare.
2. Staying home on a Friday and Saturday night is perfectly acceptable.

3. Sure I like to have stylish, attractive clothes, but if I can't find it on sale at Kohl's or in a thrift store, I probably ain't buying it.
So when we DO get a chance together, we always have fun and I enjoy the lack of diaper/nap time/pre-school talk.


things I no longer have in common with my married/child bearing friends...
1. I still enjoy busting a move at the bars/dance clubs. Have you ever seen the movie "The Sweetest Thing" with Cameron Diaz? Those bars scenes are the stuff of my dreams (and a teensy bit my life 15 years ago).
2. Your kid is cute, but once he/she starts to wail and/or has a category 5 in their diaper, I'm out. You can have them back. Right now.
3. Seeing little newborns does not turn me into mush and automatically make me want 3 more.
But I know that you understand where I'm coming from when I say motherhood is hard and you don't judge me (right?).

My interview with Oprah

Well, sort of. This is my first time of playing along with Mama Kat's writer's workshop and this week's prompt is: Oprah says we all have a story. If you were on her show, what would your story be? What would you be talking about? What advice would she give you?

It's funny because I have seen the commercials lately to promote her final season. In these commercials she says the thing she has learned after doing her show for so many years is that we all have a story. We all want to be heard and we want to know what we said made an impact on someone. I agree.

While my life is nothing extraordinary- I don't come from a place of trauma, or of extreme circumstances- I've lived quite a life. Most of us have had some struggle at some point in our lives: divorce, loss of a loved one, miscarriage, financial worries, infidelity... the list goes on and on. So many times along the way I wished there was someone who really understood and knew what I was going through at the time. I say really understood because unless you have been in that person's shoes, you have no way of truly understanding what they are dealing with.

That fact has caused me to bottle up my emotions lots of times, a fact that is foreign to my husband and his side of the family. They can and will air their dirty laundry to anybody, anywhere. I know it drives other people crazy, too, but that's just how I am.

Why do I want to tell someone about the hard time I'm having only to have them look at me like I had grown a third eye? "What? What did she say? Quick, look away...pretend you didn't hear and maybe it'll go away..."

Or to have them try and rationalize the situation, giving a logical explanation for everything when they don't have a clue. "Well of course you feel that way. You probably aren't eating enough spinach. Studies have shown that people who eat spinach are practically perfect in every way (actually that's Mary Poppins)."

Or worse yet, they feign a polite smile, tell you they are so sorry and then they avoid you like the plague. "Oh, is that Mary over there? Last time I saw her she was babbling on about some sob story. I don't want to hear that again."

So yes, Oprah, everyone does have a story. It may not seem significant or you may not understand, but it's their story and it's important to them. And if we could learn to be a little more compassionate, maybe more people would be willing to share their story, therefore helping others who are dealing with the same thing.

Oops! I did it again

I swear, somebody take my temperature! I must be ill! This is what I made for lunch today:
An Asian salad very similar to what you'd get in a restaurant. It's lettuce, bagged coleslaw, canned mandarin oranges, chow mien noodles, Asian sesame dressing and chicken nuggets! It was very good. And the best part? It was all stuff I had on hand! When you live out in the sticks, you don't want to drive to the grocery store unless you have to (ie: beer run).
I also wanted to mention that I tried another version of the peach enchiladas. I don't keep soda on hand (see earlier mention RE: grocery store) and found another recipe that omits the soda, but uses water instead. It wasn't quite as golden, crispy on top, but still VERY GOOD! And I also use less butter, sugar and soda than

it calls for, but whatever suits your taste.

All this has pointed me in a new direction for my blog. I'll still tell you about things we've done or rant on my family once and a while, but I thought I'd do a little more lifestyle stuff: cooking, decorating, cleaning... all that good housewife stuff since I am officially unemployed now!

Stayed tuned and let me know what you think.

How to Eat Like a Southerner

As my mother-in-law and her sister are returning home to IL today after a visit here, I thought I would educate a few of you out there. I love them, I do, but they needed this training before they got here! In case you haven't learned enough watching Paula Deen, here are a few pointers:
How to Eat Like a Southerner
1. Grits are ground corn, best served with lots of butter and cheese. For all that is good on this Earth, do not put sugar on them!
2. Peaches should be peeled before you eat them. I know this is mind blowing to some of you, but eating a peach with the fuzz on is like making out with Justin Beiber. Both are a little hairy and make me want to wipe off my tongue.
3. Yes, we know the peanuts are wet. We like them that way. It's called boiled peanuts and they are delicious.
4. If someone offers you "Bar-B-Que" it is pork and because we are in the midlands of SC, it will have a mustard-based sauce on it. "Bar-B-Que" is not to be used as a verb and it is not the same thing as a"sloppy joe," no matter what the people back home call it.
5. Whatever you do, don't ask for a "pop." It's Coke. Otherwise, don't be surprised if somebody smacks you upside the head!
Ya'll come back now, ya heah?

Gross, funny or logical?

Let me preface this by saying I am an every-other-day kinda gal when it comes to washing my hair. It's thick and dry and it works better that way.
So is it gross, funny or logical that up until today, I had not washed my hair since Wednesday? Thursday was my "off" day and then Friday I just never got around to it. We were in the pool so I figured a little chlorine will rinse it off. Then Saturday we got up kinda early so I said I'd wait until Sunday. Then Sunday we were going to be on the lake all day so I figured "why bother?"
Come on...you know you've done it to!

Da Bomb!

Here's my current top 5 list of things that are da bomb! (for anyone who doesn't appreciate my slang, that's things I really like!)
1. The smell of Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa products. You can't really go wrong with BBW products, but this stuff smells like spring flowers after the rain!
2. These stuffed portabella mushrooms from my friend Andrea. So good! I made them for me and a friend and she's vegetarian, so I substituted carrots and cauliflower for the chicken . It's a a giant version of the appetizer you order at restaurants.
3. Cruisin' on the lake in the evening. My parents just bought a pontoon boat and we went on the "maiden voyage" last night. The weather was awesome!
4. Soon being unemployed - by choice! My school job is grant funded, the grant is over and I'm outta there in about a month!
5. Being close to finding a new pastor at church. We've been without a pastor for over a year and I'm on the committee to hire a new one. We've seen some great candidates and I'm excited!

Here's my current list of things that should have da bomb dropped on them:
1. Being close to finding a new pastor at church. We're almost there, but this process has taken so long and is so rigorous. I hope we make a decision soon!
2. Steve's iphone. He's on that thing all the damn time! Did you see the Marriage Ref last week? Same thing.
3. Savannah's restless night. I guess the soothing boat ride did nothing for her last night because she was up about 3 times in the night and got up very early this morning (keep in mind early for us is about 6:30). I'm hoping I can work in a nap for all of us today.
4. From last summer's post: hair removal. Nuf said.
5. Doing dishes. Why can't I seem to keep up? It's like the little bastards are Gremlins and they reproduce when you get them wet!

What's on your "bomb" list?

Take this job and...

My stomach has felt like a blender this week and somebody keeps pushing the "pulverize" button, dammit! Nasty stomach bug! Go away!
Moving along... otherwise, it has been a good week. I've been home long enough to catch my breath from our recent travels to Rome and the beach. Both were good trips. If you're lucky, I may post some pics.
But the best part of this week is work! I am almost. done. forever!
"No more homework, no more books! No more teacher's dirty looks!" (did you ever sing that little rhyme?)
I run a program at an elementary school and my last day with kids was Tuesday. And other than to finish up some reports and data collection, I am done and I'm not going back! Technically, I don't have a job to go back to. My program was grant funded and with the lovely state of education finance right now, I don't see them discovering any pot of unused money anytime soon.
And then, boys and girls, I get to stay home. Whoo-hoo! Ok, maybe I'm not quite cut out for domestic bliss either, but I'll keep you posted.

Driving the Speed Limit

Normally I wouldn't consider going 35 to be speeding, unless of course, you're in a construction zone, but when your age is the same as the in-town speed limit, it's puts a new perspective on things. Yes, it's my birthday!

I've always tried to appreciate everything I had and be grateful for the moment. The exception would be the 5 years I lived out of state. There was nothing I wanted more than to get back to good ole' SC and put down some roots. But being married to a Navy boy and subsequently a college boy, made that difficult. Eventually we made our way back to the South and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon...

In my 35 years I feel like I've been through a lot and been able to experience a lot. I only have 1 regret and that was something I did NOT do, rather than something I did.

Life is good these days. As you probably know, we have been in our dream house for almost a year. At times it seemed like that day would never come, but here we are. On many occasions I look around and think how blessed I am to have this.

And while Savannah knows how to test my patience like no other, she is healthy and smart and has a big future ahead of her. If I could just get her to listen to me....

Steve is gone more lately than he is home, but his world travels pay for our home and will allow me to not go back to work next year. I'm looking forward to that! It's also nice to be able to join him occasionally, like I will soon in Rome! He drives me nuts, sometimes, too, but we're still together after almost 13 years.

We have our health and that's something many of our friends and family don't have. Oh some days, we moan and groan like a bunch of old people, but it's nothing compared to the battles some people are facing like multiple bouts of cancer.

So, for now I'm happy to be "driving" the speed limit. Just wish I could do it in a convertible....

Snowtorius!

(I stole that from a friend on facebook!)
I am eating my words because we got snow! Yes, usually us Southerners don't quite know what to do with ourselves when we get this much snow (about 6 inches here) but we played and built snowmen and sledded and all that good stuff!
It started yesterday around 3:00 and quit sometime during the night. We got out around 8:00 this morning and took some pics of the fresh snow.

Beautiful, isn't it? My dad found an OLD sled (wooden with metal rails) and we drug that behind the golf cart and 4-wheeler. What else do you expect a couple of rednecks to do when it snows?!

Savannah had a blast! After about 45 minutes though, she was done!

So pretty in the trees!

And now, almost 24 hours later, the snow is 90% gone! Yep, that what some sun and 45 degree weather will do for it. And we're glad! It's nice to see it come and nicer to see it go.

Now, who's ready for summer?

Catch Up

So I'm sitting here watching the Grammy's and thought I would stop by for a visit. Might I say, how the heck did Pink do that?? Amazing!
In the past week, the weather has been freezing and it has been gorgeous (65 degrees). In the past week, Steve has been home for 48 hours. He's off again to CA this week. He's gone much of the next few months. It's kinda nice having some time to myself, but I'm not so thrilled about playing single parent. Oh well...
We did finally buy a new couch! From Big Lots, of all places! It's a little more contemporary than my taste, but it's super comfy and was a great deal at $700!Speaking of catching up, I finally went and visited one of my BFFs last weekend. I hadn't seen her in forever so it was lots of fun and fabulous to see her. Here we are imposing our bad habits on Savannah...

I also realized that I had bragged on Christmas in the new house and I never posted any pics. It's only one, but this is my favorite. I just love this angle and how everything looks together. That's the old sofa, BTW...

And I bragged on the Christmas sercys I made for Savannah's class and never shared a pic. Here's that, too...

Otherwise, we're doing good. Hope ya'll are staying warm!

Winter Blahs!

It's January 4 and I am sick of football, sick of this cold weather (even the pool had ice on it this morning) and sick of work (I haven't even been there since Jan. 10)! Somebody wake me when it's spring....

Bitches and hos

Hey ya'll! It's been a while so I have several random things saved up for you...
- I've gotten on my school soapbox before. Seriously, if people were better parents, crap like this wouldn't happen. A 7th grade kid had to drop out of a program at school in order to care for his infant child. That's right. I said infant child. Why? Because the baby's mother, also a 7th grader, had to go stay at the Dept. Of Juvenile Justice.
-I am loving those new Gap commercials! The dancing is awesome and the chanting is so damn catchy! "How cute are these boots?! How cute are these boots?!"
-There has been some family drama going on for the past several months. Some things have happened recently and I've had my fill. So I called up the family member and told him I'd like to sit down and talk with him about everything and see if we couldn't clear the air. He said, "that's fine, but I don't know what good it would do." We were not able to meet tonight, and maybe we won't get to, but by his words right there, I have peace knowing that I at least tried.
-I am loving Christmas in the new house! I'll have to post some pics soon. It's extra special knowing how fortunate I am to be spending Christmas with my family in our dream house!
-I have one more day of school! Then I am off until Jan. 4!!! Can I get a Whoo-hoo!!!?!?!
-Mama has a little Christmas village set up in her kitchen. It also has a few little figures and decorations with it. One day, standing in front of it, Savannah says, "Why is there a little singing bitch and a big singing bitch?" Or at least that's what WE heard. OMG! We laughed so hard. Finally realized she was saying singing "bench"- her phrase for the little group of carolers.
- just in case you haven't heard this one yet...What's the difference between Santa and Tiger? Santa stops after 3 ho's.

Hostess with the Mostess...anxiety attacks

Is it November yet? Seriously, while this time of year is filled with so many good things...it's filled with SO many good things, and work things, and social things, and travel things, and church things....AGH!!!
We are having our real house warming party this week and I'm a little overwhelmed. I don't "entertain" well. A few friends and a six-pack. OK. No problem. More than 5 friends and a planned menu? OMG! I have to do this and this and buy food and Oh, I don't have anymore trash bags and NO!! Don't eat that! It's for the party! Savannah go brush your teeth for the 10th time! What stinks? Ugh! The dog never got a bath. I think I liked the square tray better. Do we have a bottle opener? Steve? STEVE! Hey! Will you take a shower already?!? People will be here in 20 minutes and I still have to put out some ice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dinner of Champions

We all know the breakfast of champions is Wheaties...or beer, depending on how you roll, but I , my friends, just had the dinner of champions:
some boiled peanuts, a Mike's Hard Lemonade and a cup of ice cream left-over from Savannah's birthday party the other week.
I know, it's sounds kinda yuck, but really it was a suiting end to my work week. I've been back to work since August, but It was my first week at work with the kids - all 80 of them- and I'm beat!

Hair today, gone tomorrow

Kermit says it's not easy being green. Maybe so, but sometimes it ain't easy being a girl. Don't get me wrong. I don't wish I were a guy or anything like that, but who hasn't envied a guy every now and then?
They avoid nasty bathrooms and porta-potties don't frighten them. They can pee standing up! Need to be somewhere in 10 minutes? No problem. Guys just take a quick shower and throw on deodorant and clothes. Want to go hang out with the guys? They just call up a buddy on the phone. Wife's got the kids and his friend is already at the bar. No problem! Not to mention other monthly "joys" women experience.
But the one that really kills me is going swimming. Guys just take off their shirt. Done. In the water doing cannonballs! Girls? Ha! It involves 2 major tragedies: swim wear and hair removal.
1. Swim wear. No woman enjoys picking out a bathing suit. They're expensive and it takes forever to find one that's flattering. We realize that most men could care less, but it's not really about what the man thinks. It's about what we think. We need to look decent enough to go out in public wearing 1/10th of the clothes we normally wear and even then, we think that shirt makes us look 6 months pregnant! Got a big hiney? You need to find a skirt. Got big boobs? Need to have underwire. Got a flabby belly? Need to get a tankini. The striped one? No, the color's all wrong. What about the halter? It's too short. Maybe the one with the belt? Too expensive. And so on and so on and so on...
2. Hair removal. Guys can go without shaving any part of their body for days and it would be totally acceptable. Girls, on the other hand, show up somewhere without having shaved their legs in 2 days and suddenly we're Euro-hippies. Puh-lease. There's also the regular shaving of the arm pits and for some people, their bikini area. This cannot be done in 2 minutes with success; therefore we can't throw caution to the wind and hop in the pool. No, for me, it requires waxing. Expensive and painful waxing. You all saw "40 Year Old Virgin," right? Ok, so maybe it isn't "Kelly Clarkson" bad, but it's not pleasant. If you're lucky, the technician knows what she's doing and it goes by quickly. I once had a 45 minute session. No shit. It was awful.
And yet, we go through this summer after summer. Kermit may not have liked being green, but he was acceptably naked and didn't have a lick of hair.

P.S. I finally added a few pics to this Paris post if you're interested.

Let's make a deal

Ya'll know I love a good bargain and I got 2 for you this week. AND pictures! I know, pull yourself up off the floor already so you can see!
Saturday we were in the mountains and stopped at this new thrift store that benefits the local hospice program. Love that. The hospice ladies that cared for my grandaddy were awesome! Anyway... I got a Gap bag that was monogrammed (except it wasn't my monogram so I had to pick out 2 of the 3 letters. I don't recommend this but it is possible), a pair of Born shoes, a pair Italian nude sandals, and a little milk glass bowl to go with my collection. all for $7! Deal!

I told ya'll I shopped the big consignment sale last night. While I didn't find a super-duper deal or a "must have," I did get 2 pair of shoes, a pack of onsies (gift), 2 movies, 1 CD, 1 coat, 11 tops, 12 pants/jeans, 4 dresses and 1 pair of socks. Most were name brand like Gymboree or Old Navy. all that for $155! Deal!
Add in a few basic pieces from Tar-jay and Walmart and Miss Savannah is all set for the fall!
P.S.- I use Blogger. Can anyone tell me how to write a post and then schedule it to publish later??