All I got for Christmas is...

I am soooo excited! My girls look AWESOME in this car!! Woot woot! Yay! It has a 3rd seat and all these kick booty features. Paid.For. Yay for me & Garland working as a team to double team that Salesman! Woot Woot!

Someone was listening all along...

Ever since I got them, I have done nothing but battle with them. I tried to hide them, for their appearance on my body made me extremely self-conscious and damaged my self-esteem at a very young age. I have wished them gone, prayed that they would reduce in size, even flirted with the idea that maybe one day, they would just disappear. But they did not. Alas, every morning I am confronted with the confounded dilemma of what can I wear today to cover them up? Minimize the sight of them. Pretend they don't exist. Hide them from the world.

Yes, I am talking about my breasts. These huge masses that will turn a corner before I ever make it TO the corner have been a consistent deterrent in purchasing bras, lingerie, shirts, camisoles, and dresses. They were-and essentially still are-an embarassment to me. People gawk. Stare. Ask me if they're real. Tumors (yes, this I get quite often). When I was 10 years old I had a boy on the bus tell me he hated me so much and I was so ugly he was going to cut them off. I remember crying the whole way home. I didn't understand back then that he didn't really know what he was talking about. I mean, we were 10, who understood anything at 10?!? In high school, I was a t-shirt & jeans girl. I never wore anything cute. I never wore anything revealing. I always wore sweatshirts or heavy sweaters, etc.

Tonight has changed everything I ever thought about my breasts. Whereas everytime I shopped for bras, I would leave with tears of frustration, tonight I left nearly in tears of joy (no pun intended ha!). I never ever thought I'd see the day where I could walk into a store and a woman didn't look at me like I'd grown 3 extra heads right in front of her when I asked if they carried my size. I never thought I could step into a store and have beautiful, pretty, eye catching bras that were cute & crazy and they would FIT me. I'd tried The Bust Stop before but they were wallet-breaking and didn't hold up near enough, the stitching falling apart within a few weeks. Not to mention for larger-sized ladies, they didn't have a very good selection of cute & feminine styled bras. For less than the price of ONE bra from The Bust Stop, I was able to purchase 2 bras from this wonderful new store in town!

All my prayers in finding a bra with support, style, lift, & comfort were answered when a friend of mine told me about Cacique earlier last week. I was nervous about going in there. And I had to keep reminding myself that this friend was considerably larger than I am & her own chest at least double what I am and if she could walk in this store and find something that fit her, there was hope for me after all. And there was! Normally, I would be in a store for HOURS and walk out with nothing! Tonight, I was in and out with 2 bras that made me feel SO good about my reflection in the mirror---in 15 minutes! 15 minutes people! And she didn't look at me like I'd lost my mind when I told her my bra size. As a matter of fact, when she re-measured me, I actually was able to go up one band size and dropped 3 cup sizes. I am now proudly a size "G" (yes, gasp!) whereas I was previously a size "Double I" Yes. TMI. Right now, I don't care! Because somewhere, someone realized a need. Somewhere, someone said we need to offer more. Somewhere, someone was listening all along. Thank you Lane Bryant...you give countless women the ability to look nice in clothes designed for them. You gave me Cacique!

Like-Fire.

So I'm not getting my sister's Durango. Boo. But she still wants us to come for Christmas. So on the car search front again...=( Or get car fixed front. Boo!

Ready.For.Grey's. But there's a slight discomfort in the knowledge that if anyone walks in on Izzy having sex with a Ghost, she's just going to look like some over-masturbatory freak. Seriously, the riding scenes alone?? Ummm thanks, Shonda for the visual, but this storyline is going NO.WHERE. I actually LOVE Dr. Dixon and hope she is a regular on the show. I enjoy differently abled persons. Asperger's Syndrome can shadow the depth of a person's intelligence in much the same fashion as Autism does. I'm glad they have her on there. Hopefully, they'll follow suit by ditching Denny...I mean I loooooooooove Denny but if you didn't want to get rid of the character then DON'T.KILL.HIM.OFF!

In other news:
I thought no one was reading. I thought I was boring. Turns out, I'm not boring, I'm just a big honking D.O.R.K. Seriously, who puts comments on "embedded" at the end of their profile?Thank you Blaze for helping me out to figure out why I wasn't getting comments. Trust me, I feel much better knowing that I'm just a dork and not boring! Hahaha!

I think I want Plastic Surgery...

For the record, let me start off with the statement that I have never been nor am I currently a vain person. As a matter of fact, I have off and on dealt with my fair share of self esteem issues. But there is only one area that I have "SEI" other than my weight and that is my nose.
I have this humongoid Sicilian nose. On some Mediterraneans this looks great. Greek Gods, Roman Noses, the typical assumption of most Italian/Mediterranean culture is slinky sexy bodies in togas and a prominent nose.
On short frumpy white me, it's not so purty! hahaha
So I've decided if I get plastic surgery EVER, EVER in my life it will be on my nose.

Oh, and I am super duper excited that it didn't snow. I do love this weather but in the event we could be without power, it kinda defeats the purpose of having the warmth indoors and cold outdoors.

P.S. I LOVE Brit's song Out from Under. And the video for Circus totally rocks! Go watch it. Like NOW--------> Britney Circus Video Madonna-esque and I think it is so funny that Britney is putting on her OWN brand of perfume at the beginning. Oh, I from the side view I think it's plain and clear that Brit-Brit has NOT had a boob job...I mean hell...wouldn't YOU have gotten them bigger if you were her??? Ha!
That is all. =D Have a groovy day peeps!

Stupid Automobiles.

My car has been broke down since my birthday. So I'm going to put the money to another vehicle instead of fixing mine right now. Then when I get it fixed later, I'll have 2 perfectly good cars to trade in for something better than both. Ha! Take that intake, head gasket, water pump, and fuel injector! TAKE THAT!

Soooo...my sister just got a Saturn Vue for her birthday and is selling her Durango and I'm going to buy it. Yay for me, gettin' a bigger vehicle! FINALLY! This is a plus.

I still think chevy's are el stupido!

More truth than Poetry...

SCHOOL -- 1958 vs. 2008

Scenario : Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lotwith shotgun in gun rack.
1958 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes tohis car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2008 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off tojail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in fortraumatized students and teachers.

Scenario : Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1958 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and endup buddies.
2008 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark.Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario : Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.
1958 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by thePrincipal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2008 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Testedfor ADD. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has adisability.

Scenario : Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him awhipping with his belt.
1958 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes tocollege, and becomes a successful businessman.
2008 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed tofoster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy's sisterthat she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.

Scenario : Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1958 - Mark shares aspirin with Principal out on the smoking dock.
2008 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario : Pedro fails high school English.
1958 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2008 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appearnationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement forgraduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against stateschool system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from corecurriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for aliving because he cannot speak English.

Scenario : Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them ina model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1958 - Ants die.
2008 - BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged withdomestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed fromhome, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch listand is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario : Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1958 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2008 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny under goes 5 years of therapy

2 and a half What?

I absolutely adore the show 2 And A Half Men. Charlie Sheen has always been a Celebrity Crush of mine and I've always found Jon Cryer to be hilarious and this makes him kind of attractive to me. (Think 1987's Hiding Out. I still get a warm mushy smile thinking about the skating-rink scene with him and Annabeth Gish. How did such a retarded excuse for a high school nerd get so friggin' popular his 2nd time around?? I mean, who the heck cares that he's like 30 and marked for death!?! "Maxwell Houser was cooler than penguin sh*t!" And I'm quoting on that line!)

Anyways, I started watching 2 Men when it started in '03 and have been hooked since. It's constantly got me laughing and the antics are quite comical (duh). What cracks me up even more is that in some weird insane form, I am obsessed with the character Rose aka "Charlie's Stalker" played by Melanie Lynskey. She is awesome at playing the innocent girl next door/one night stand/psychotic stalker/devious wannabe girlfriend. I think I wannabe her...but it would be weird. I'd have to have an ulterior motive in everything I said or did...but in real life, it's just not that funny. Or attractive. Hmmm. If you look at her profile, she was in quite a few movies that I wasn't aware she was even in such as Ever After, Coyote Ugly, Sweet Home Alabama ("Think OMG! Lurlynn! You've got a baby...in a BAR!..." with her prompt response of "Yeah, this one's still on the tit." Ha! Does this count as promoting breastfeeding on my blog?!), and a few others.

Ok so that's my thoughts for the moment. I think you should watch if you don't already.

Cake Cake Cake

Remember this???

So I spent 8 to 10 hours on a friggin' cake and now fully understand the price tags on cakes from local (good) bakeries. I pulled the cake off but will now chuck this experience up to learning from my mistakes so that next time, perfection is attainable:

Lesson #1:
When a recipe calls for 8in X 8 in square baking pans, they really mean SQUARE. Don't use pyrex. It has rounded edges. Damn my shoulder shrug. "I don't need new baking pans, I have them" was seriously kicking myself in the pants as soon as I took cakes out, began plastering them together, only to realize 2nd tier up that the edges are ROUNDED and I can't take them apart to cut the rounded edges off because the icing plaster had already dried & adhered the cake pieces together.

Lesson #2:
No matter how many hours you Crumb Freeze & Ice, Crumb Freeze & Ice...if you are using any color icing other than Chocolate, a Chocolate cake will ALWAYS show/crumb through. Thank you howdini.com for adding that tidbit of information. (Insert rude hand gesture here with a polite smile.)

Lesson #3:
Kick everyone out of the kitchen. Immediately.

Other than that, it was a pretty good cake! It wasn't HORRIBLE but it was unsightly if you got to close to it. Seen Clueless? Just think "Monet". Yeah. Pics soon. I promise.

Vodka in a bottle...

Tia's bday dinner was great last night and it was really nice not to have to take the children. The location got moved, but it was a nicer place and I met some people that I can actually carry on an intelligent conversation with and not feel like I'm a know it all! That was actually really nice. Normally when I meet new people I keep my mouth shut for the first couple of dinners/meetings because I can come off as a know it all. When this happens they normally tell our mutual friends that I seemed snobbish. This is far from the case. I'm the least snobbish person I know...I just try to hard to keep.it.shut. for their sake even! LOL Anyways, the drink of the day was a Cosmopolitan. Personally, I've never had one. Secretly, I always wanted to try one because I have many acquaintainces that enjoy them on more than a few occasions and of course, I am in love with Sex and the City and that's like their signature drink, hello! (They are making ANOTHER movie! Sequels ROCK!)

Anyways, it was 1/2 off because it was the drink of the day. Now, I am unsure if this is just how Cosmos are made --or if Tia's sister who was Manager this particular night just decided to splash a few extra ounces of Vodka in my glass-- but this drink had me tipsy by my 2nd sip. 2nd SIP!!! SERIOUSLY. I was like WHAT??? Not even 8 ounces of Tequila has me this tipsy! Sheez! Either way, it was a kick ass drink and I shall learn how to make it at home like I have done with every other type of drink I try & like.

So there I'm sitting...28 years old...Cosmo in hand...answering questions about Olivia's Implants and how they work...having a conversation about the difference between speech therapy & speech language therapy...and my head the whole time is like WOW. That's A.LOT. of VODKA! I think I even said that once or twice? Hmmm. Out much Joy? Drink much, Joy??? Not.

I have plans for the rest of today. They include THIS:




How to make a castle cake

(Yes, I am making Natalie's Bday cake. I shall let you know in picturesque form, how this worked out.)

So what are you all doing tonight!?

I has

the new Brit-Brit CD. Yes, tis true! Brit-Brit rocks! I love this CD! It's already uploaded to my iPod & on RE.PEAT!

So found this SITE while googling ideas for Natalie's cake. Go check it. But not while you're at work because your laugh-o-meter will go into the red and then when boss hears you, trouble may insue.

Also found this SITE from my girl Maddie C. Funny stuff. People are insane and stupid at the same time...was this common knowledge and I've been behind the times? Sheez.

So this AM I looked into Livi's backpack to get out her homework to double check it AGAIN before going to school. There was this flyer in there for a Parent's Night Out. I was so totally suprised. 4 hours of care for my child children at no charge? GREAT! I always have my kids and rarely trust anyone with them other than the few that I allow once in a while. Now I can go to Tia's Bday Dinner without kids! Yay!!!!!!!!

Natalie's bday party is Sunday Where a Kid Can be a Kid. Whooptie Doo! =( I hate that place. Overrated & Overpriced. Pics coming soon. Promise.

Happy Birthday Natalie! (Bday was Dec. 1st)
and Happy Birthday Tia!!! Woot Woot...1 more year til ur of drinkin' age! hahahahaha!

More Hair Pics.

I can't find my Camera Cord. So what you get is some grainy pics. I have never highlighted blonde. I have never used a straightener. As of Saturday, I have all of these things and I love love LOOOVE it!! Yay!

Sigh. Best. Ever.

So my birthday rocked. Yes. Rocked. I got the following:

The funny thing with these fragrances is that I have been wanting Magnifique since before it came out and I actually like the Provocative by E. Arden better. Not that Magnifique doesn't have a pleasant scent because it smells wonderful but the Provocative just seems more grown-up and well...Provocative! LOL haha

So my gift make up case w/make up doesn't look exactly like this, but all this stuff is what came in it. My case is brown with gold inlay and trim. It is kind of like alligator skin too and really pretty. I have only my kind and wonderful man to thank for these gifts! I LOVE THEM!

I got gift cards to wal mart (we all could use those, right?!) and J.C. Penney's and candles and Bath & Body Works stuff. We went to dinner at Napoli's on Saturday Night and then Jennifer & I went out and Karaoked for a bit! We also had an over-vodka'd Sex on the Beach (gross) and Mai Tai's! Woot Woot! I had an AWESOME time! =D Yay me! Thanks to everyone that came out and helped me celebrate turning 28!!! (Yes, Michelle...you were right, it was NOT as bad as it seemed!!!)
Oh I also got my nails and hair done. Woot! I know this pic is fuzzy and the light SUCKS but this is the only one I have for now. Later when I get a better shot, I'll post before & afters. I got 8 inches cut off the back and 6 off the front. It's really cute. Plus, I learned how to use a straightener and not only did I get red highlights throughout but I was thinking about blonde highlights but I've never done them so I wasn't sure so my dresser said let's try some subtle blonde in the front (for free because it was my Bday!) just to see how I like it and O.M.G. I looooved it...so I think I'll go back for more blonde streaks in a few weeks!

New Hair! Yay!

Wow...do you realize this is post 200??

Forget the iPhone...I want a Blackberry Storm.

That's all I have for today so far.

Thank You.

Monday Monday...

So last week I was taking care of some business that really bummed me out. Not to mention the let down about Celine & the no hair/nails getting done thing. Those are minor problems compared to the sadness that surrounded me last week about 2 adorable children that deserve better than what they have.

I had my neice & nephew last week because their mother doesn't take very good care of them. And because she doesn't, their Uncle had to take them into his home. He is a very good man with a good wife and 2 kids of his own. He has a very good heart and wasn't about to turn the kids over to the state. This started with a simple babysitting night and has turned into my advising them that if they don't want to bring DHS into it, they needed to go down to the Court House and file for a Habeas Corpus for Emergency Guardianship of the Children. So they got a lawyer and did just that. Until they were able to get the Habeas Corpus though, they didn't want the mother to try and pick the kids up (which she didn't) so they asked me to keep them. So I did.

These kids were the sweetest kids I have ever seen in my life. They were so warm and loving! So caring and compassionate! One girl...2 years old, and one boy...4 years old. How dare a mother treat a child the way she treated hers! They are human beings, not just something you can throw away or discard! Not without consequences, anyway. Yes, they were dirty until Aunt & Uncle got them cleaned up and new clothes. They never asked for their Mother, because they were so used to staying with different people all the time because all she had time to care about was herself.

What possesses a mother to feel that she is the only importance after she has kids? I mean, of course, you shouldn't neglect yourself once you become a mother, but there is a fine line between taking care of yourself so you can take care of them and then taking care of JUST yourself and leaving them to fend for themselves. These children had a PLAN at their house to get food. The Boy would pull a chair up to the counter and climb up ontop of it. He would direct The Girl to stand in the chair. He would pass her 2 bowls, 2 cups, and a box of cereal which she would promptly put on the counter. Once she was down, he would drop to the chair and fill the bowls with cereal, then put the cereal up. Then get the milk out of the fridge and put it up. Then get spoons and serve his sister and then himself at the messy table.

Seriously people! While it is good that a 4 & 2 year old can pull that off, is it fair that they have to do this on a regular basis because their mom is coked out on the couch??? It makes me so mad and makes me want to really seriously hurt her for mistreating the kids. Dirty clothes. Dirty house. Screaming. Yelling. Beating. Cigarette burns. Slapping across the face just because. Coked out and neglecting. This doesn't make a good mother. It makes for angry kids. And these babies, they are just so forgiving! They weren't hard...yet. She didn't and doesn't deserve those kids. I hope she never gets them back. She has hurt them and taken away something that will take awhile for them to get back: the safety of their home.

I am glad I was able to help aid in their transition from broken home to loving home with family. From nothing to something. From hurt to love. I''m sorry this is so long but I had to blog this because it was weighing so heavily on my heart and I had to get it out. Children are my world. They are our future. I love all children no matter size, race, ability, attitude--yes some are challenging but they deserve our very best, don't they? They learn from us...from what they see us do. I am not the most perfect parent out there, who is? I know I make mistakes. My children have slipped out quite a few naughty words over the years thanks to yours truly. Nevertheless, they deserve respect, love, equality (to a specific degree, Childhood Education 101...hahaha), acceptance, encouragement, and guidance. But that's another blog for another day...

Oh, and just an FYI if you made it this far....The mother still has not even CALLED to check on the children and it's been over 2 weeks. She hasn't called, come by, NOTHING.

Accomplished.

I'm cheesing it. Because I'm so very very accomplished!

Today I paid off some serious debts on my credit report! In 30 to 60 days or sooner once I call (and write and fax the bureaus) that I have paid off my debts, I will have a higher credit score rating. I'm feeling pretty good about myself at the moment!

The sad part was that 3 of these bills were carried over from The Ex. No, I was not happy to pay them off, but since they were only negatively affecting me and not him, I had no choice. Boo on him for shucking his responsibilities no matter what the court says (it was a simple signature issue people. He didn't sign his part & got away with the damage he did.) and YAY for me for being responsible enough and mature enough to grin and pay it.

The BEST part was one of the bills was STUDENT LOANS! Oh, how I loathe student loans! Amazingly enough, each and all places were complimenting me on the fact that they have NEVER had someone call in to pay a debt that sounded so calm and happy. One even said GIDDY. Yes, giddy. I promptly responded that I wasn't sure whether it was because I was happy to be rid of these nasties that were haunting me, or giddy to cover up the fact that I really wanted to cry & die inside. Laughter ensued. I'm not so sure mine was genuine? Whatever. They are paid and that is ALL I care about. YES! =D

Hmphf!

No Celine. And no hair. Buggars on all of them!

So I get to my appt and it seems that a little old lady with a bladder problem is taking up my time frame. Apparently she had to go to the bathroom about 83 times and she moved at the pace of a snail. It took her 5 minutes to walk to the bathroom. 10-15 minutes in the bathroom and 5 minutes to walk back to the chair. She did this about every 10 minutes or so. Jody was so frustrated but I understood, little old lady syndrome seems to be running rampant these days so I did what any responsible adult would do that had to worry about closing a business and picking up their child from school: I took a raincheck.

Instead of getting my hair done today I shall be getting it done the Saturday of my Birthday dinner. It's going to be at (insert place here) at (insert time here) on Saturday November 22nd. It's kid friendly, too. (Sorry for you kidless peoples but I have to subject you to OPKs [other people's kids] but hopefully we'll be going out afterwards so...any suggestions to that would be great!) The new hair unveiling will be at the bday dinner. Like it's going to be a huge change...hmmm IDK.

If you'd like to know when & where because you'd like to come to my bday dinner, e mail me and I'll let you know. If I don't hear from you, I'll know you don't really love me!!! hahaha

Today...

I am getting my hair done. Yes, done! Woo hoo!

I might get my nails done too. Maybe. We'll see.

Saving the new outfit shopping for later...=D

Summer...I still owe you like 50 bucks. I lost the address. Send to e mail sisterrrr. Por Favor? Gracias!

POSTPONED

CELINE DION IS POSTPONED.

Til February 2nd. Yay.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I hope she gets better soon!

And I was SOOOO excited!

Now I can be excited for February 2nd I guess.

This totally sucks!

Jumping on the bandwagon...

OKKKKKKKKKKKK
So with everyone gettin' their hair DID I decided I need a new 'Do for the Celine concert. So, you know, I can feel fresh and fab and NEW! Woot woot! I got on the phone and called my hair guy whom I love with all my frickin' heart and he is gonna do it so that I can be beautimus. =D I'm cutting and highlighting the natural red. He is so awesome at doing that without actually ruining my hair with harsh chemicals. (Yes, this is a gal who up until 2 years ago never ever used hairspray, blow dryer, product, etc.)

Another thing -- no blonde for me! I've always wanted to know what I'd look like with blonde hair but I'm too chicken shit to go blonde. And Garland isn't so sure I'd be hot with blonde tresses. Who knows...maybe someday. But for now...No.

Onto other things.
I'm highly pissed that they killed off Melinda's husband on Ghost Whisperer. I mean, who writes this crap? HELLLOOOOOO...he was like, awesome! Understanding, sensitive, knows what to say and when to say it...of course he has a writer behind him giving him all the right words and answers but dangggg...did they HAVE to kill him off? And in such a stupid fashion?! hmpf!

Samantha Who tonight had one of the Olsen twins on there. I don't remember which one. I think it was Mary Kate. Whatev. However, I was shocked watching her. I think I was expecting someone old and decrepit with a raspy voice and blotchy skin. IDK. It was like woah...thought she was a little closer to death than that...haha

True Blood. I'm addicted. Thank Kelz (Kelli) for that because I never would have even decided to watch had she not beefed it up for me and now I'm.hooked. I'm ALLLLLL about some vampires! Next Friday is my bday too, so I'm thinking maybe some Twilight? Who knows?! I'm doing my bday dinner Saturday night too...so...if you wanna come, let me know! The more the merrier, I say! =D Kelli has been SLACKING though on the True Blood front though, so I have no one to talk to about it anymore. Boo!

Have I Mentioned...

...that I'm not really that into turning 28 this year? Yeah, I'm aware that you are probably tired of hearing about this. I'm aware you probably don't care. I'm also aware that you have a little red "X" at the top of this webpage that you can click any frickin' time you want. =D Love!

Wow. 28. It's so much closer to 30. *Sigh* I'm already planning my 30th bday. I'm planning on a trip to NEW YORK. Anyone in on that? We could celebrate Sex in the City style...only without the big nose, rose colored glasses, stick up our asses, and abusing naked men for our own sadistic pleasures. OK...maybe we can do the naked men thing...=D haha! MAYBE.

I don't talk much about it face to face. I think writing it in this weblog makes the impact of "pushing thirty" less "pushing daisies" in my mind. Unsure. Will assess and get back to you on this. It's not that I don't think I won't enjoy any of the years to come. It's not even being afraid of what may be. It's more...the fear of what was...or in my case....wasn't. All those years I missed out on EVERYTHING...I can't get back that time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to sit and wallow in the self-pity of it all, but I'm just saying...

Friends:
Be careful how you treat one another. Never tell your true friend what they want to hear. Always tell the truth, even if it hurts (both of you).

Sisters:
Put aside your differences and the quarrells of the past. Sisters are supposed to be your right hand chica. (This can also mean a sista-friend) haha

Brothers:
Get the chips off your shoulders and the protective barriers into check.

Mothers & Fathers:
Always tell your kids you love them, even when they act like they don't want to hear it, they are screaming for that love deep inside. Don't tell your kids your business, it puts unneeded and unintended pressure on them to fix the problem and when they can't...well...it's not pretty inside, that's all I can say.

I'm ready for Thanksgiving & Christmas. Can you tell yet? HAHA!

A New Day Has Come...

HELLO...

Woot woot! Guess where I'll be next week at this EXACT TIME????

GUESS! GUESS!

CELINE.DION. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you get tickets yet Blaze?

I'm so excited! And I just can't HIDE IT!

Thought Race was a "Non issue?"

5. Count that...1, 2, 3, 4, 5 African Americans today informed me that they were finally receiving payback for YEARS...(yes people, they said YEARS) of suffering that they went through because of slavery and hard times in their life, and having to fight to be on welfare (what?) etc...etc...etc... because they were REDEEMED by a black man becoming president of the United States!!!!
They continued to tell me that I have no clue what it was like have hard times. To go through slavery, to be on welfare, to fight past the color of my skin. When they first approached me with the "Were you happy about last night's win?" I simply said "I don't discuss politics with anyone outside my family, but thank you for asking." At that moment, I should have known to choose a different line in the check out. I didn't realize that people took my choice to not speak about my political views/beliefs in public as my being snooty! And to make matters worse, they figured I was some kind of "money" because Ihad a nice purse and didn't purchase my groceries with a state issued "Access Card".
I'm confused...I thought we were voting on the best possible person for the position, not black or white? Excuse me while I hold the eye roll and throw a big fat hand up, fingers in place to play "My heart bleeds for you" with the world's smallest frickin' violin! How does someone take it upon themselves to not only claim suffering for slavery that they never even experienced (helloooooooo they were like no older than 25), but to tell me, a person they don't know, that I have no clue what it's like to have a horrible childhood, have not known hard times, and basically make it seem that I just had life handed to me on a silver platter with a nice little manual tucked under the wet napkin wipe.
Grrrrrrrrrr...I gotta go find those rose colored glasses, because they sure tried to knock them suckers off!

Happy Birthday Sophia Grace!

My beautiful Neice Sophia is 3 years old today! I love you Sophia! Happy Birthday!!!!

Rose Colored Glasses are in the "ON" Position.

Yes, this is going to be a political post. Yes, I may make some of you shake your head at me. Yes, I may cause you to laugh, either at me or with me. Nevertheless, this is a BLOG, aka online journal/diary. I invite your responses, your beliefs, and will always respect your opinions. But only if you do the same for me. :)
I am having no choice but to unite & respect the party in office for the next 4 years. No matter how much I didn't want Obama to win, the fact remains that he did. Unlike many people who were severely disappointed that Bush was re-elected in '04, I am unsure and have mixed feelings about this election. Am I devastated? No. Would I feel differently if McCain was elected? Probably not because I am not 100% positive that McCain would have been a right choice & I'm still not 100% positive that Obama is the best choice either. Unfortunantly, I didn't get any other options. Some family & friends in other states voted Nader or Barr. They weren't on my ballots. Even if they were, would they be worthy of the Oval Office either? WHO IS?
History was made. They continue to speak and reassure that race has no issue here, yet they keep playing up Martin Luther King's speeches and equality for all and blahditity blah blah! In my mind, everyone was already equal. I understand the excitement for an African American becoming President, but don't tell me race has no issue here and then show me that it does. That's hypocritical and sends the wrong message.
Obama's race has nothing to do with why I did not vote for him. I don't see black & white. I see people. I see sincerety. I see dancers, singers, lawyers, teachers, love, compassion. I trust a little too much sometimes. I have been burned many times. Yet I hold on to my rose colored glasses and keep them in my pocket so that at any moment, I can let my guard down and see people for what I hope they are or can be. I just personally don't believe in abortion. Pro-choice for me is make sure you take your friggin' birth control pill or choose to keep the legs closed. Yes, it is as simple as that one thing for me.
So, since I have no choice but to accept what will be, I shall take out my rose colored glasses and see Obama in the light I'd like to be able to see him in. I am informed enough and smart enough to understand that he won't single-handedly be running this country. There is such a thing called CONGRESS. mmmmhmmmmmmmm.
So here I am with my glasses, unsure of which side of the fence I would prefer to be on, unsure if I am willingly or forcibly having to trust him to take care of this country in the best way he can with what limited power he actual holds.
Here's to the next Four Years....

No one will Vote. I guarantee it. Ha Ha! =D

Yes, I voted. Love love LOVE exercising my right to put my 2 cents in. Right now I am hoping for the best.


Yes, I'm wearing my sticker. Everywhere. Did I get anything free:

No, I didn't go to Chic Fil A. Heard the line was too long.
No, I didn't go to Starbucks. Never had it before, why start now?
No, I didn't go to Krispy Kreme. Ewww. Doughnuts are just gross anyway.

But I went to vote & got accosted. Hellllloooo the sign says don't campaign within 300 feet. I'm pretty sure that was at least 50 you were doing, people! I must be a glutton for punishment!

So. I need IDEAS. I'm going to Celine Dion people! I think I must need like...a new outfit or what!? IDK. What do you think? And, I'm thinkin a new do! IDK. I'm polling. But you better comment because for crying out loud don't make me post a voter thingy like Jax did and then have no one vote. Then I'll just feel ashamed and unloved.

Flipping between the Election & Wife Swap on Lifetime or whatever. I love wifeswap. The election is boring me but wow, whatta crowd. Nice of Oprah to use that bodyguard's shoulder as her personal lean-on. I'm suuuuuuure he cares. Did you hear she's getting sued? For like 180 million. Lucky for her even IF the suit is legit, that's just chump change to her. New car, anyone?
I'm random & tired. So sue me.

OH MY GOD!

THIS IS ALL I GOTTA SAY!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MY CELL PHONE WAS MURDERED A WEEK AND A HALF AGO.

MY CELL PHONE WAS MURDERED A WEEK AND A HALF AGO.
THE MEMORIAL SERVICE WAS YESTERDAY. LOL
I WAS UNABLE TO SALVAGE MY VIDEOS, PICTURES, CONTACTS. BOO.
I JUST GOT A NEW PHONE BUT HAVE NO ONE'S NUMBERS. PLEASE, IF YOU WOULD LIKE FOR ME TO HAVE YOUR NUMBERS (THOSE OF YOU THAT I HAD THEM BEFORE AND THOSE OF YOU THAT WANTED ME TO HAVE IT BEFORE AND JUST NEVER SENT THEM OR I NEVER ASKED) SEND THEM TO ME SO I CAN PUT THEM IN MY PHONE.
IF YOU HAVE BEEN TEXTING ME AND NOT GETTING A REPLY, I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THIS MAY HAVE CAUSED AS MY PHONE IS NEW AND I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO USE IT YET AND FOR SOME REASON I CANNOT SEEM TO FIND MY INBOXES AND THEY AUTOMATICALLY DELETE OR SOMETHING. IDK.
I'M LEARNING IT JUST NO TIME TO TEACH MYSELF! SORRY!!!!
PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH ME ON THIS! I LOVED MY OLD PHONE AND THEY DISCONTINUED IT AND THAT SUCKS. BOO!

Hidey Ho, Folks!

Ugh. The dreaded post. The one where I divulge my personal information and bore you all with my "What I've been doing and with whom I've been doing it with" excuses for not blogging...as if you all care! LOL


I've been getting quite a few e-mails and texts and such wondering where I am. What I'm doing. I love that I'm being thought about! Yay! So to keep long stories short, I'm itemizing into lists for you:

• Replaced 2 Employees. (2 are harder to train than 1. I now have 4 on staff. Enough said.)
• I'm a member and on the Board of 2 PTA's. (That is HARD people. Seriously.)
• Policies are constantly being ignored and thus having to be revised and enforced. (Some can't follow rules. Be harder on everyone. How tiring this is!)
• The state is constantly changing requirements. (Which means I have to, as well! Boo!)
• Driver's License had expired. (People, make sure you have Birth Certificates. Like, A MILLION copies. Hidden in a safe spot.)
• Trainings. Gotta love them. I get away from the house & the kids in one outing. Yay!
• DVR is full. (Vids are starting to get auto-deleted! THAT is how far behind I am, people!)
• Blahdyblahdiness. Yes this is a disorder. And I have it.
• Lost some friends. Boo on that. All I have to say to that is, people enter & exit for a reason and whatever that reason is, I'm not going to force anyone to stay or make anyone go. I'm learning too much about who I am and what takes precedence in my life to let these things get me down for too long.
• Olivia has homework EVERY.SINGLE.NIGHT.
• Clients had been calling me and texting me like 24/7. But I put a stop to this type of availability last week and so far, so good. It's not so bad when it's 1 or 2, but when it's all 24 clients at all times of the day and night, and I have to excuse myself from family dinners and/or functions or walk around like a freak with a cell phone for an ear, that's when it's past time to draw.the.line.
• The fair. We went twice. I took my camera a total of NO times. I didn't really care. Wow. That's how bad the Blahdyblahdiness has me. I did ride the SkyScraper though and that was cool but a two second ride with a 28 year old man sitting next to me screaming he's going to wet his pants is NOT worth 25 bucks. EVER.
• Referrals have me tied up. Referrals are NOT fun.
• I love paperwork but please please PLEASE can I have a larger filing cabinet? Thanks.
• Last but certainly not least, the dirty word I shall spell instead of say: L-A-U-N-D-R-Y.

That's about it. It's Friday and feels like it's Sunday. I'm dying for a Sprite. I want to go eat with fun people and my man and laugh and talk about stupid stuff but everyone's either busy or has kids (like Me!)pregnant and can't eat certain types of food or plain doesn't feel like getting out. (No offense and not talking about anyone in particular. I know like 15 people that are pregnant and we can't all get together because one of you IS bound to puke no matter what it is and I just don't want a puke-party dinner.) Thanks. LOL!!!

Next month is my Birthday and I'm trippin. YES I SAID TRIPPIN. I don't WANT to be 28. I don't CARE to be 28. That's closer to 30 than what I prefer. *Sigh*

Guess what else next month is? CELINE DION at the B-O-FRICKIN K! I want Celine Dion tickets. It's on my list of things to do before I die. I am in absolute LOVE with Celine Dion and don't care what anyone else says about her. I'm pouty because they are so dang expensive and they sold out before they could even go on sale through Ticket Master. I mean, HOW THE HELL do you SELL out before you go ON SALE? Like OVER a year ago she was sold out. Awesome. I'm watching Craigslist like crazy but I don't want crappy seats either so...

Well enough for now. Excited for the weekend. Rest & relaxation. I can only hope. =D

Because Michele yelled at me...*sniff*sniff*

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo remember how I told you all that Natalie was a HAM and that she was always being silly and that she would likely become the class clown at her school????

Yeah...she DID it again.

See this guy:

Uh huh. Apparently Natalie decided that she was going to hide behind my chair and watch what I was watching (Jeff Dunham, the Ventriloquist) on YouTube and then she took herself to school today and the teacher told everyone to quiet down and they didn't so Natalie did her best Achmed voice and repeated his infamous "Silence! I keeel you!"

The reason why I said again earlier is because Natalie had already previously mentioned some of Achmed's "funnies" during classtime, I just didn't blog it. (October is a BLAH month for me. Sorry.) When Steven, a new kid, started, they had to go around the circle and introduce themselves. Natalie decided to introduce herself like Achmed did, in the same voice. "I am AUCK-MED. A...C...PHLEGM!...." Her teacher was CRACKING. UP. She said Natalie said it exactly like Achmed did. And trust me, I have SEEN this child do this character before. She can do it, the eyebrows, everything, to a TEE. It's Hil.ar.i.ous.

What is WRONG with my child? Seriously!!!!!???

October Scmocktober!

OVERRATED.

"Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker..." ~Willy Wonka

Yes, I like Halloween. And my Grandmere's birthday. And it's the month that Garland and I officially started dating way back in the day...but that's about all I love about October.

You think you get over something...and realize suddenly like a brick just smacked you down that you just buried it deep down.

True Dat.

True Horror. True Freakshows. True Vampires.

True Blood.

Quite possibly one of the best HBO Series Shows that I have seen. 2nd to Big Love only.



First let me say that Anna Paquin is like, my most favoritest actress EVER. I loved her as Rogue in X-Men, as Jane in Jane Eyre, and as the girl who dolled up the a-typical unpopular girl who can be made into Prom Queen in She's All That. (Side Note: That movie was SO high school!)



Secondly, Is Stephen Moyer hot or is it just the sexual vibes he puts off from being the undead?

I am already pumped for next week. I think I have missed the first episode, maybe the first 2? I don't know. I know they are airing the first few episodes on HBO Thursday night, but I'll just have to DVR those and view later because GREY'S ANATOMY!!!!!!!!! is premiering Thursday night and I am TOO EXCITED about that! Seriously!

Blame it on Your Friends...

According to Kelli, meeting old friends + nervousness = DRUNK.
Drunk = drunk IMs & texts.
Kelli drunk texts + me = amused for most of the night (& morning) and laughing my ass off!

She also seems to think that her being drunk is her friends' fault. Uh huh...and they just HAPPENED to twist your arm WHEN?!

That is all.

"It was a good day..." ~Ice Cube, '93

Firstly, I posted more pics on Uniformesque for your viewing pleasure. Thank you so much for all of your raves about my daughters being beautiful! I think they are beautiful, but every mother thinks that about their own. It's when others tell you that they are that you truly feel blessed with beautiful children. Olivia's school pictures constantly come out like she's a model of some sort. And Natalie, well, she looks like me so I already knew she was gorgeous!!!! LOL!

Secondly, I am picking up my computer today. I am so excited that I didn't lose anything on it. I did send Derek a tiny Bonzai plant. Hope he enjoys it. It was pretty and didn't cost much either. But I was freaking HAPPY to not have to replace a whole HARD DRIVE and come up with tons of new documents and lose tons and tons of pictures. I am grateful to him for making a mistake that ended up saving me money!

Thirdly, the drum roll of the day, week, year, decade!!!....

MY FREAKING CAR IS PAID.OFF!!!!!!!!

I am SO.EXCITED!! I made the LAST payment exactly 5 minutes ago and it was only $98.34!!! If i'd known THAT was my payoff quote, I'd have paid it SOONER!!!! 300+ bucks a month I no longer have to pay to Little Rock, AR! YAY!!!!

I HAD to share this! This is like, WOW...my car is paid off. I should get my title in a month. SHOULD being the operative word.

Yay. It's ALL.MINE. WOOT WOOT!

Thank You Stacia! =D

After the few weeks I have had, it seems that everything is coming together! (Thank you Stacia for consistently telling me how things will work out in the end. I have to live and breathe that statement!)

I got a call from the computer place today because my computer has been sitting there because well, I was trying to come up with the extra $336.00 (+ service fee of $50) to replace the hard drive! Through some extremely random twist of fate, a new guy named Derek thought that it was a new drop off and he looked at it and found that it was NOT the hard drive AT ALL!!!! (WHAT!? YAY!!) There is a bracket that hold the tiny fan that the hard drive uses to run the hard drive disk. The bracket had broken off and scraped the disk (which made it look like a crack in the disk which is why they diagnosed it as Disk Crack-Hard Drive Failure...I think they did it on PURPOSE.) and without this bracket, the fan won't run the disk or something technical like that.

So the bracket costs 15 buckaroos & the service fee is $50 so...um...I'm picking up my computer sometime tomorrow!!!! YAY FOR FATE!!!!!!!!! I gushed to Derek at how much I love him and he seemed extremely embarassed and totally didn't know what to say other than an abashed "You're welcome." I think I'll send him flowers tomorrow. Wow. I didn't lose ANYTHING! ANYTHING! All 3000 pics will for sure be backed up on CD before the end of tomorrow. Documents too. Ahhh...relief...

Also. Tomorrow is AN AWESOME DAY. I'll tell you why TOMORROW!!!!!!

Just like Dad's...

So, a few years ago, Garland asked me if I could try to make Tabouli because even though he loves Jamil's Tabouli, he has never found a place including Jamil's who made it like his father did before he passed away. (Insert awwww here because he thinks so highly of my cooking that he left it in my hands to make it like his Daddy.)

So, I looked up some recipes, got the ingredients, and set to work on creating Tabouli. Mind you, I have NEVER even tasted Tabouli before. So I made it, I tasted it, decided it needed extra this or that, and then when I served it to him, he took one bite (I was SOOOO nervous!!) and literally his face lit up (and his eyes I think got watery!!!) He said it tasted JUST like his Dad's and that it was wonderful!

Every week he eats at the same place he & his Dad ate at in mid-town. He goes by himself and has a lunch there & sometimes (even though he's never told me) I think he goes and visits his Father's grave. I was happy I was able to recreate this simple meal/salad so that he can once again have that feeling of being closer to his Dad.

Why am I telling you this? Well, because Olivia & Natalie & I got together this weekend and I taught them how to make Tabouli. It was fun! They mixed, cut, washed, measured, and tasted (they DID NOT like it!) and served it to Daddy. They were so proud of themselves!!! Here's some pictures from the Kitchen Of Joy:

Uniformesque

Natalie in her uniform. She just HAD to wear the tights. This was when she told me she felt "schoolery!"


Olivia wanted tights too, but they weren't required so it was socks for her. So she wanted to wear her socks pulled up. Good luck with that. HAHA

They kept dancing. They thought wearing uniforms was one of the best things in the world.

They were pretending to "propose" to each other. Olivia thought that to "receive" the "ring" she had to get on one knee too! Look at the "suprise" on their faces!

1st Day of School

Natalie started school today. (Pics in a day or so...I promise.)

The booger was the best behaved child in the classroom. WHAT? MY Natalie. The best behaved. Whatever!
Let's recap her day so my jaw can drop in astonishment again:

She sat. (OMG. She SAT?)
She got her AM sticker. (this is a good thing. But HER getting it? That's WEIRD.)
She ate. (Ate. Yes. EVERYTHING. And didn't get up ONCE??)
She wrote. (How the heck did they get her to pick UP a pencil?!)
She SLEPT. (I haven't gotten her to nap for me in a year!)
She got her PM sticker.

I keep reminding myself that it's her first day and she's always good the first few days until she learns the rules and then starts trying to bend them. About 3 PM yesterday, I started getting antsy. My heart was like "where is my child? where is my child? where is my natalie?" So of course, in response, I go and pick her up early. (About 5 PM) and the child wasn't excited to see me. She didn't want to leave, I had to stand up there for 20 minutes waiting for her to finish playing (her day ends at 6 PM) and then she fought me to leave.

I'm glad she had fun. I am so excited she is LEARNING. She was singing her Mr. M has a Munching Mouth Song and it was SO CUTE at dinner last night.

I love herrrr!!!

6 Odd Things About Moi.

No one tagged me but screw it. I need something to do because all that's left is laundry. Oddly enough, I am a lot like Kat. But I'll try to be "original" here:

1. I am a "matcher." I like to "match" things. The kids. The brushes. The decor. (understandably so on that one) Also, the dishes. Like, each kid has a certain color of a plate. And they STAY that color until they leave. And that color matches the sippy cup. The bowl. And the cot. Yes. I like to MATCH. My friends say I'm just anal and obsessive compulsive. But if that WERE the truth, my house would be MUCH MUCH cleaner, right?
2. The reason I rarely post during the day isn't just because Natalie or some other child interrupts. It's because I CANNOT stand the separation bar between the posts. I don't know why. It's just annoying to me. I'd rather say everything I have to say once. In one post. At one time. I mean seriously, who comes back and reads a blog 3 or 4 times a day? I mean, besides me!?
3. I correct grammar and/or spelling. All the time. Everywhere I go. I have read that this is a controlling trait but I'm really not a controlling type person. (I am not referring to you, Stacia! Promise!) It's not that I'm purposefully looking for something that needs to be corrected, I just happen to always see the sentence that was forgotten at the top of a page in a book. I catch the misspelled word on page 467 in a novel. It is mentally exhausting for me to NOT say something to someone when they err in this manner.
4. I have the ODDEST sense of humor. Ever. Don't believe me? Hang around me for a few days. Seriously, I SEE the words "Nom nom nom nom nom" and I am giggling until tears fall down my cheeks. Like right now. Yes. GIGGLES!
5. Socks with out shoes? NO WAY. I will NOT wear socks with no shoes. I CANNOT stand the way a sock feels on my feet with no shoe on over it. They get dirty, and heaven forbid if you should step in a tiny puddle of water in the kitchen! They start to feel extremely bunchy and they slip and slide and make my toes feel icky. Eww. Shoes, or bare-footed for me please!
6. I LOVE BOOKS. I collect them. Read them. Touch them. Smell them. I have books and books and more books on top of that. There is not enough wood at Lowe's to build anything large enough to hold my books. I could be my own library. I also LOVE notebooks. I have many. Not all are written in, mind you, but the thickness and the smooth new lines and the smell of new pages is just comforting to me.

And now that you know how Odd I really am, I'm tagging anyone that wants to do it.

Friday Mid-Day Blog.

Ok so I HAVE been blogging. I just HAVEN'T been POSTING. So, yes, the new blogs are up now.

Guess what? Even though this week has been pretty disasterous, it COULD be worse. I decided to do a mid-day post (normally I post at night) of a list of what I am happy about. To kind of get my 3 day weekend on the right start. So here goes:

1. ALL MY BILLS ARE PAID. YAYYY for me! I mean, ALL MY BILLS. As in, for NEXT month! Like I owe NOTHING til October! WOOT!
2. It's Friday & that excites me!
3. Even more exciting, it's a 3 day weekend!
4. I get to buy ballet & tap shoes this weekend!
5. My shows will be back...SOON!

I think that is it for now. There was something else, pretty dang important, but Natalie came out here and caused a ruckus (this explains the rarely blogging during the day) and my train of thought derailed. Boo.

New Page.

I did a new page. Did you notice? It only took a few moments once I figured out how to do all of it. It wasn't that hard. The hard part was changing around my font and colors so that it was a MASTERPIECE. LOL! It took forever until I found out what looked the prettiest!

So yeah, what do you think?? I put the link where I got the background at the top of the page. I need something a little more personal (maybe a header with pics and our family name or whatever but hey, take it one step at a time. I FINALLY got away from the black...aren't you proud!?!)

I also added music. Don't hate. Appreciate. I, unlike some, still DO like most of the music I listened to as a teen. If that makes me a dork, bring on the taped glasses & buck teeth SONNNN!

I take that back. Just don't hate the Nelly. I LOOOOVE "Get to stompin' in muh errr ferce wuns"! It cracks me up. Every.Time.

I could be watching Grey's right now...if it was ON! I saw a commercial today for Desperate Housewives Return Date and I am just anxiously awaiting Grey's Anatomy. Who remembers the house plans laid out in candlelight? I DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Free Stuff. & DHS has a stick...

MyMyxer is a site that you sign up on with your phone and you send yourself Texts of Backgrounds, Songs, Ringtones, just about anything you want that falls under those categories. You can even search for uploaded ones other people put on there. I now get all my ringtones and backgrounds from here. Try it if you haven't. And for those of you who are technically challenged, it gives you explicit instructions on HOW to send these things to your phone.

Just sayin...

It's Wednesday. I have YET to receive my birth certificate in the mail. Boo on expired licenses. Boo on no birth certificate to rectify expired license. Guess I should call them again. And again.

I got a call from DHS today. They gave me bad news (yes, more bad news this week that I may not go into detail on.) Seriously, I think DHS makes me throw up a little. A lot. In my mouth. Everything they say is contradictory. I shall leave it at that. Does anyone feel the same? DHS needs some serious revamping going on here. Seriously.

Terrible Tuesday.

Too much stress. Cannot blog about it. I hate it when I am limited in what I can blog about. I am being let down by too many people at the same time and I have more work on my shoulders now than what I intended for this Fall.

In other news, my computer is officially DEAD. Yes. DEAD. As in HARD DRIVE failure. What? Didn't I just go through this like 6 months or so ago? A child in my home jammed her fingers into the blue ON switch so hard that the button broke through the protective sleeve behind it and it cracked the spinning wheel on my hard drive. Grrr for unkempt, uncontrollable children in my home. The sad thing is, the children will listen to me all day long, but when Mommy shows up, my rules for some reason no longer take precedence.

On a side note here, is it just me, or are there a TON of people who do NOT teach their children A.) Manners, B.) Personal Space, C.) Boundaries D.) Respect???? And this list could continue!!!!

Luckily, I have 2 other computers with Internet in my home. Un-luckily, all 3000 pics and unknown amount of business letter heads and such...are not on back up disk. BOO. I get everything on CD now, just to let you know.

Mapping & Therapy

Disclaimer:
We refer to Olivia's implants as her "ear/ears." Get over it. LOL
I will go into some detail as if none of you know anything about Implants because not a lot of people do and since I have new readers (YAY!! I LOVE NEW FRIENDS!!!!), it makes it easier sometimes to explain.
Thank you!

So today Garland and I took Olivia to Oklahoma City for her 6 month therapy and mapping for her Implants. For those of you that do not know about Cochlear Implants, you can read up on Olivia and some of her stories here, here, and here.

Olivia had a great therapy session. She was able to hear and repeat words at 10 and even 5 decibals of sound. (That's good, btw, look at it this way: 10 decibals is a whisper and without the implants, Olivia has no hearing under 150 decibals.) She does not like wearing her newer "ear" by itself. She whines and cries and pitches these fits screaming and being all dramatic that "it doesn't sound like the other one, mommy! it sounds like a BOYYY!" and trust me, she does NOT like her processor sounding like a "boy."

For those of you that don't know about CI's, the technology is wonderful and state of the art, but the sound that Olivia actually hears is not the same as you and I hear or sound. It's more robotic but with AV-Therapy, those that are trained from especially a young age, learn it better and adapt better and then the sound becomes more fluid to the listener. Some little girls that were deafened later in life have reported that their Implants sound like "Barbie" or some other type of cartoon character like with a high voice. Olivia has reported that her first ear sounds like Barbie from Mariposa (how she distinguishes this from any other Barbie movie I will never know!!!) and her new ear sounds like the Transformer Optimus Prime (yes, from the movie) but with more *insert funny 6 year old talking in deep bass here* and she doesn't like Optimus Prime in her head apparently.

Anyway. Olivia has had a hard time pronouncing simple sounds that deal with an ending 'D' and 'G'. Ex: She has been saying BLUG instead of BLOOD. When I told Dr. Wolf this, he came to the conclusion after hooking her device to his computer, that Olivia isn't hearing low frequencies well enough to distinguish the difference and that he would need to turn up her lower frequency in order for her to be able to learn the sounds. Then Dr. Wolf went into her master volume and tried to turn it up and Olivia.TOTALLY.FREAKED.out. Seriously. The girl went into a screaming crying fit I haven't seen since she was like 2. WTF? She's in the seat screaming it was too loud. So Dr. Wolf took it off her and hooked it to the computer again and noticed that her higher frequency sounds were extremely loud as it was, and were even louder if he turned up the master volume. So he brought down the volume of the high frequency sounds and she was happier and then he was able to turn up her master volume.

Yay! So we should see Olivia responding better to lower frequency sounds. We should see her continue to progress in the higher frequency sounds. We should see her progress in everything now that her internal master volume was turned up. Instructions: Olivia must wear her new ear by itself when not at school or a social function so that she can learn to utilize the sound she is hearing with it and not use her other ear as a crutch. The reason why they are doing it only when we are at home is because they don't want her to become frustrated if she can't completely hear anything in social environments. Also, when she doesn't fully understand things, background noise becomes more prominent because she is easily distracted and then she gets overstimulated and then...well...we ALL know what happens when children get overstimulated!!

We got back in town tonight about 7 pm, did a quick run through Glenpool, ate, and then came home. Olivia is already complaining about not being able to wear her older ear, but she's not pitching too much of a fit. For now. Now I have to go get them in bed. FUUUN....

Meet the Teachers...

We went to Natalie's new school today and met all of her new teachers.

She is going to have SO.MUCH.FUN. We have to go this weekend and get her ballet slippers, tap shoes, (for her Sound & Step class) and new tennis shoes. Just you wait until I get the pics of her in her uniform. The girl is too freaking cute. She says "Mommy, I feel all "schoolery" I said "You mean scholarly?" She sighs and says annoyed, "No. I mean SCHOOLery!" And she was serious. LOL!

I'm excited that she's going to be going to school. I don't know what I'll do with her gone though. I think I'm ready for her to be out of the house so she can learn more than what I can teach her here. But I think I might miss her. She's so funny and great to be with. She's like a Tiny Joy walking around. Mouthy but hilarious. =D Yes. That's me. I mean her. LOL Whatever!

Just… profane, or really offensive?

Yes, you read right. That IS from Pretty Woman.

Anyways, I felt like I was in FREAKING HIGH SCHOOL again today. How awesome could that be you ask?
I talked to:
*Rebecca
*Jackie
*Jennifer
on the cell. Go figure! But that's not it!
I SAW:
*Leslie
*Mandy
I helped Rebecca with dinner plans, picked Jackie's legalized brain, and annoyed Jennifer with my fast-as-lightening texting skills. I ran into Leslie at Carraba's (which was gooooood btw) and met Mandy at Build-A-Bear where I spent an OBSCENE amount of money on 2 stuffed critters for my little critters. I'll never do THAT again, that's for sure. (Yeah right)

So Mandy ate in the food court and we had blasts from Sonic and hung out at BABW for a useless amount of time so the girls could pick out shoes and outfits...yes, for bears (well technically, a kitty cat & a bunny rabbit). On our way out of the Mall, I stopped by Lancome to check out their new fragrance Magnifique' which btw is like sniffing HEAVEN thank you and the woman...she SNUBBED me. Which brings me to my next paragraph.

Demographics show that if you go into an expensive area of a mall (or any place for that matter), you will be treated based on how you look. In most places, this isn't really the case, but in some places they are. Apparently, the Lancome counter in Macy's (or Dilliard's, whichever) is one of those correct demographics. WHAT.THE.HELL? Normally I go in there and I'm dressed in a button down with dark jeans and nice heels and my awesome Coach products. Today, I wasn't doin anything special so I was just in jeans, tennis shoes, a nice brown tank, and my old hobo bag. Now, I'm a leeeetle on the heavy side (for the moment) so I am not always in the new tight fitting outfits that are made for much smaller frames but I'm not some kind of sludge covered creatin trying to infect the masses at the Lancome counter!

Usually, the woman behind the counter recognizes me, so no matter what I'm looking like, I am always greeted with a smile and helped immediately. Not tonight. The skinny blonde-haired red lipped hussy started walking towards me as I approached the new Fragrance counter and was hollering "Hello!" and then for some reason, she went behind the counter and never uttered another word to me, just a look on her face that read are you SURE you can afford the stuff in here, sweetie? So I did what any other person unable to afford their stuff would do: I tried it all on, perfume and all, smiled politely and walked away. Damn, why'd that chick have to be there? I SERIOUSLY wanted to buy the damn perfume!

And people wonder why I just might have a thing against blondes. REALLY?!

Random Thoughts for Friday...

I'm so ready for Grey's Anatomy new season and I'm currently looking for a new blogger name. Yes, I'm BORED TO TEARS with JOYYY! I need something awesome. Also, where do you guys get all your kick ass layouts for Blogger? Suggestions are welcome and encouraged!
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Natalie is going to start school on September 2nd. I never thought I would be able to sit here and say to anyone that my daughter is going to a private school. Wow. That's a huge feat for me. I'm very proud of myself for getting to this point in my life.

Natalie is too smart for her own good. She needs this. Staying home with me for 4 years has done her good, but now, it's time for her to move on to bigger and better things. She loves her uniforms and loves her patch with her school name. I'm not going to say where but it's a great place and I'm excited that she gets to go there! She has open house on Sunday and I'm really really excited to meet her teachers!

This is my BABY, hello!!!!!

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I stayed up wayyy too late last night stalking everyone's blogs and leaving comments. Sorry. I just hate sleeping. I'm always afraid I'm going to miss something exciting. So now I'm like freaking tired and I can't think and I'll probably miss something exciting IF I go to bed early tonight because nothing exciting really happened last night. Except get comments. LOL I love getting comments.
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I got a few calls for my open position today. That's cool. I liked one but her name was the name of one of my old, less than reliable workers so I had a little bout of PTSD with that. LOL Here's the convo that happened in my head when I heard her name:

ME: "Yes, I'll need some Information starting with your name."
HER: "Melissa _____."
ME: "I'm sorry, I don't hire people named Melissa because they are liars and unreliable and thieves. Now, what's your middle name and we'll go from there."
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I miss some of the kids that went on to school. =( I hate being attached but at the same time, it helps to be attached. I'm thinking of opening up another business, only using my expert opinions to change the way that places in my same profession are set up. I've got a superfantabulous idea. I just have to figure it out on paper and then I'll get back to you! =D
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I find myself switching to cartoons even when there are no children in my house. When will this stop? I mean, I'm a huge fan of Spongebob and Avatar and a few others. But for crying out loud, I'm an ADULT people! I should not be THAT into cartoons. Sheez.

Le sigh...That's all I've got for now. Happy Friday Blogger People!

Weak People...

Ever knew someone who asked for your opinion, advice, and then didn't take it? They bug you and beg you and plead for it, and then discard it like a broken-heeled shoe?

When people don't listen to me, it makes me mad. It's not like I don't know what I'm talking about. I KNOW what I'm talking about. I'm not stupid. I've heard it all before. Been there, done that, sold the T-Shirts for those that would find the "funny" in stupid decisions.

Dumb people make dumb decisions. Stupid people make stupid decisions.

Weak people make rushed decisions. Decisions they don't feel right about, even if they don't want to make them. I hate it when people let a man tell them what to do. I hate it when people let a man dictate to them what they need to be doing (and that is usually whatever the man wants them to do.) Don't get me wrong, men are awesome, but damn, if you aren't co-habitating/married to the man, screw his unmoving, unwavering, uncaring about someone else's thoughts, feelings, and wants ways.

People don't realize how much their decisions effect someone else. This wasn't just someone's roomie, someone's friend, and someone's employee. This was someone with responsibilities to quite a few people that now have to scramble and scrape to pick up all the rushed, poked, probed, demanded, and controlled pieces that have fallen.

I hate being disappointed. Especially disappointed in people who could and should make better decisions.

Oh well. Can't boss everyone!

If I were...

So you all have done this. Now it's my turn. You all have awesome answers (Especially Melissa. I swear, I already had the Porch Swing in my head when I read Jackie's and then I read yours and I couldn't copy-cat! Damn you!)

• If I were an animal, I would be a Panther. (I always wanted to be sleek, seductive, sneaky, stunning, & strong.)
• If I were a movie, I would be When Harry Met Sally. (Because Meg Ryan ROCKS and this movie is awesome.)
• If I were a food, I would be hot wings & ranch. (I would just have to keep myself from snacking on my arms...)
• If I were a tv character, I would be Spongebob Squarepants. (So I could live on the beach. All.the.time. And I LOVE to make people laugh!) or Meredith Grey. (Then I could kiss McDreamy...sighhhh)
• If I were a piece of clothing, I would be hip hugging bell bottomed jeans, white washed, well worn, comfortable.
• If I were a day of the week, I would be Sunday afternoon. (Calm, heavy, relaxing, not exactly ready for the weekend to end and curled up reading a book.)
• If I were a holiday, I would be Thanksgiving. (Warm, comforting, full, laughter, smiles, dark hues of color, sweet pungent aromas, family.)
• If I were a piece of furniture, I would be a rocking chair. (Beautiful, familial, soothing, caring, fluid.)
• If I were a color, I would be one of those multi-colored crayons that you make out of broken/old crayons in muffin cups in the oven. (Bright, happy, ever-changing, every color in the rainbow to use for every mood and thought I have!)
• If I were a city, I would be Palermo, Sicily. (Exciting, complex, busy, inspiring, beautiful, mountainous, oceanic.)

He really just wants to die...

Walking into Wal Mart tonight, Dave the Wal Mart man was taking a break smoking a cigarette. Now, my daughters both think that smoking will kill you and that you will get arrested if caught with the cancer stick between your lips. They both find it gross and Olivia, on more than one two and even three occasions, has informed smokers that their lungs will get black and they will die. Some people humor her, very few get angry, some actually do give her dirty looks, but she's 6 so you know, they should friggin deal.

Anyways, so tonight Natalie sees that Dave is outside smoking as she was entering WM with her Daddy. She turned to Daddy and says, "Daddy, that man is smoking." Dad says "Yes. Yes he is smoking." "Why is he smoking, Daddy?" "I don't know. Some people just do. Why do you think he smokes?" (After a few moments of SERIOUS thought, at this point they're checking out the ice cream section.) "Yeah, I know why. 'Cause he hates his job 'cause working at Wal Mart doesn't pay the bills. So he wants to kill himself. He just really wants to die, Daddy. So...that's why he smokes!"

Where does she GET this stuff??

Kissing at 25.

We had a conversation today. About boys and babies and kissing. I was cracking up at my 4 year old because she tries so hard to talk like an "uh-dulttt" and it comes off extremely comical. I shall try to video tape her next time just so you can see what I'm talking about. Anyway, here's the convo:

Natalie: Mommy, I want to grow up and get married and have babies when I'm 25 or 26.
Me (shocked): Why 25 or 26?
Natalie (with an eyeroll): BEECAUUUUUSE, duh! Babies screw everything up! And I want to be a cheerleader and stuff and go to college and everybody KNOWS you can't be a cheerleader and go to college if you have BABIES!
Me (holding in the laughter): You can still be a cheerleader and go to college if you have babies, lots of people do that now, but I do think you should wait to have kids until after you're done with learning what you want to do as your adult job.
Natalie (with a HUGE sigh): Mom. Seriously. I just said I want to be a cheerleader when I'm an "uhdult".
Me: Natalie. Seriously. You can do cheerleading in high school and college. When you are doing those extra things, you still have one thing that you should focus on in what you want to do.
Natalie (with a VERY thoughtful looking face): Yeah, I'm thinking about CSI Stuff. I could be a CSI and work with dead people and do cheerleading.
Me (shaking my head): Sure, whatever you want to do child. But you are right in waiting to have babies.
Natalie (disgusted look on her face): Yeah, well, you gotta be married and stuff to do that and I'm not going to kiss a boy until I'm 25!

Yeah, that was soooo nice to know. At least she's got her priorities in order.

For now.

I am so sad.

So I woke up this morning and was watching Transformers (Yes, I finally saw that movie omg it was great! I'm such a geek!) and I pulled up my home page to start checking my mail and I see that Bernie Mac died Saturday. Of pneumonia. Pneumonia?! Dangggg!

Did you see that? BERNIE MAC! I mean, I grew up listening and watching this guy like ALL.THE.TIME. My dad loved him, not necessarily his language, but he was FUNNY. Seriously.

So I'm sad. Because he was THE MAN. And then I looked at the TV and he was on the screen. I was like WHOAAAAA he was IN Transformers?? Then it dawned on me he won't be in the 2nd one. So that made me even sadder.

Goodbye Bernie Mac. May you rest in peace!

You WILL be missed! ♥

Pics of San Antonio.

Yes, these are orange smiles. Yes, they made my heart melt. Get over it. LOL And may I remind you, that even though Ben & Jerry's is WONDERFUL, it is not always wise to get your children their own Ice Cream Shakes at 11 pm...no matter HOW LATE you're staying up. Because when you're ready for bed, and they still aren't...it makes for a long day at Sea World! LMFAO!

Just a few pics of us on the River Ferry & At Sea World and such. =D I love my family. Look at Natalie, she is such a silly little Mini-Me. Seriously.






This is my rental car. Sweeeeet. I loved it. Cherished it. Was sad to see it go. Boo! The Mazda 3 rocked, but not as much as the Dodge Charger. I.Want.The.Charger.

I love the Hard Rock Cafe. I don't know why. It's just a quaint little place with my kind of environment. I feel so different there. IDK why. I just feel ROCKIN' or something. Oh, yeah, and I thought this "waterfall" was pretty. =D Yay!

Natalie & Olivia posing for silly pics at the RiverCenter Mall.

There are more photos but...if you want to see them they are on my myspace. Tons. Seriously. =D Yay!

Because Miss Priss Said So...

So Andrea suggested to post this on my site. So I am. Yay for me, I love making new blogger friends. I shall add her to my list. =D The following is my response to her post Scared Isn't the Right Word. Woot Woot!

If I may speak bluntly - and I believe I may, seeing that you invited differing opinion commentary lol- I am one of those "anti-abortion crazies." I have my reasons, but I don't need to get into defending my beliefs, and to be honest with you, I feel no need to hear justification from anyone else who believes differently and feel no need to justify myself. =D

I personally believe that people lose sight of the truth by getting caught up in the events leading up to the elections. Politicians are politicians straight up. They can promise anything in the world to everyone. It doesn't matter how sincere they may seem, how right-winged or left-winged they are. Promising a new world or any kind of change doesn't mean they can deliver once they reach their post because the legislature isn't that simplistic. The President is no more than a "patsy," a face and signature of the decision makers. No matter who he is. Bush, Clinton, Reagan, McCain, Obama, it's all the same. Mr. President doesn't MAKE the decisions all by his lonesome, he signs off on decisions made by "majority rules." They can veto all they want, but the fact remains that whomever the public sends as it's speakers, it's law makers, will continue to put their demands at the fingertips of El Presidente.

I am a staunch voter. I read up on all candidates. I don't vote popular. I don't vote on who promises what to who. I don't vote Democratic. I don't vote Republican.I vote educated. I vote belief system. I vote informed. I vote armed with knowledge of the history and the dedication and the work and the sweat behind each name on that ballot. When I step in that cubicle and I read the names printed, the proposals that are amended or created, I automatically see all of the information I have dug up whether good or bad. I pull everything I have researched and I use it for my personalized belief-system vote.If people want to see a change or make a change, it doesn't matter who's in THE SEAT. What matters is who's in Congress. Senate. House.

So if people want to see change, the election they should be worried about is the election of the officials from their States that are being sent to DC.

And now I'm off my Soap Box. Whereas I apologized for wordy-ness in Andrea's Blog, I feel no need to do that in my own. =D That's why it's MIIIIIIIINE.