where did november go?

wow... i have neglected my blog for almost an entire month!  november has blown by so quickly.  the month started out with football playoffs.  my son's team made it to the second round and after a long, hard fight we lost.  i was happy that the last game was a home game.  it was bittersweet.  lots of precious memories were made in that stadium over the past 4 years. now on to my thankful list...

things i am thankful for:

• god - our perfect savior 
• my family
• my friends
• living in this country with all of our freedoms
• a job
• a precious church family

i hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving,

a halloweenish hodgepodge

it is a halloweenish hodgepodge...i am linking up with joyce over at from this side of the pond...go on over and check out everyone's answers and link up and answer them for yourself!

1. What gives you goosebumps?
singing certain songs at church...hearing someone tell of a moving event in their lives...

2. Halloween-are you a lover or a hater? Okay, that sounds harsh...Halloween-yay or nay?

eh...could take it or leave it!  i don't like all the really scary costumes.  or the ones that make it look like someone is dead/severely injured.  bluedotprincess is going to be a witch this year, but it is a happy witch costume not a scary one!  while i am talking about halloween, what is up with people decorating their yards/houses?  I mean a pumkin, scarecrow, flowers....yes that is fine, but huge fake spider webs and fake spiders the size of a horse, really?  i just don't understand it.  we have a house close to us that has lights and blow ups...it looks like clark griswald's halloween spectacular!

3. Can you respect someone you do not trust, and can you trust someone you do not respect?

no and no! if i can't trust you then there is no way i will respect you and if i do not respect you there is no way i will/can trust you.  unfortunately lots of politicians fall into this category!

4. Apples or oranges? Yes, you have to choose.

i love them both, but i love apples in the autumn. 

 

5. What is something you wish was in your town? (shop, restaurant, attraction, etc)

ikea, hands down!  i love that place!  it probably is a good thing i do not have one in my town otherwise we would be living under the interstate will all my ikea stuff!

6. What non-food item is in your refrigerator or freezer?

dog medicine is in the refrigerator and cool packs for bluedotteen because he has to ice sometimes after football games/practice.

7. Are you at all superstitious?

yes...i wish i was not but i am.  i am ocd too, so it could be a combo.  

8. Insert your own random thought here.

tomorrow night marks the last regular season home game for my son.  time has went by so fast, i cannot believe that his hs football career is nearing its end.  it looks like we will make it into the playoffs, while i am ready to have our friday nights and weekends free again, i am dreading that last game.  

happy wednesday y'all,

not me monday...

i am linking up with mckmama over at my charming kids to admit my shortcomings show my awesomeness!

i most certainly didn't send bluedotprincess to bed when she was complaining about her finger hurting only to take her to the doctor the next day to discover that her finger was broken.  i mean i am an awesome mom who dotes on her children and would never kiss a boo boo and tell them to go to bed and it would feel better in the morning!

i didn't get in a hurry at work using the giant paper cutter only to grab the blade and not the handle, causing a big cut on my finger.  i am always calculated and never rush...plus i am not accident prone!

i didn't ship bluedotprincess off to her grandmother's so bluedotdad and i could have a date...i love my children and enjoy every minute with them, even if it consists of be quiet, eat your food, be still, etc.

head on over to mckmama's blog and link up too...it is like free therapy!

hodgepodge time!

it is wednesday and i am linking up with joyce at from this side of the pond for wednesday hodgepodge.




1. How do you typically react in a sudden, extreme, pressure-filled crisis? Would we want you nearby in an emergency?
i have the ability to remain calm and do whatever necessary during a crisis.  i actually work well under lots of pressure.  however, once the event is done, get ready for some water works as i will have a complete breakdown, think of all the what-if's, etc...

2. Caramel apple-caramel sundae-caramel corn-caramel macchiato...of the four, which carmel treat would you choose?

NONE...i detest caramel!  i live in a family of caramel loving fools, so i make things they like, but never eat it, yuck!

3. Is there such a thing as destiny? Explain.

that is tricky!  i think we can change the course of our lives at any moment.  each action has a reaction, so whatever choice we make leads us to one destiny or another.  i am very thankful that God gave us free will to make our own decisions, however hard making the right decisions are!

4. What's your favorite piece of furniture? I'm referring to something currently in your possession as opposed to something on your wish list.

my bed!  several years ago we invested in an awesome bedroom suite and mattress/box springs.  it feels like i am sleeping on a cloud....i miss it right now, because it is in storage as we do some work at my parents house before we can move it in...oh how i miss my bed.  i think i will go by the mini storage this afternoon just to give it a squeeze and tell it how much i miss it!

5. Wednesday night marks the start of the 2011 Baseball World Series. Did you know? Do you care? Will you be watching? Ever been to a professional baseball game? If you're not an American do you find the title 'World Series' annoying or amusing? 

i knew the world series was coming up....not a huge baseball fan.  i have been to several professional baseball games.  frankly, they bore me!  i am a football/basketball lover!  i think baseball moves to slow and the games are too long. i will watch it for my husband who likes baseball though.

6. A sound that takes me back to my childhood is____________.

quite nature...we lived in the country and the sound of birds, insects, frogs, etc without the sound of cars, planes...it was pure heaven!

7. On average, once you've linked your hodgepodge post to mine how many other participant blogs do you visit? Do you ever come back to the Hodgepodge later in the day or even the day after to read posts?

i try to look at all the links that are posted when i link up...if it is an extremely busy day, it may the weekend before i can go back and look at the links.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

saw this on pinterest and had to share it as my randomness!

happy wednesday y'all,

god is so good...

have you ever just been struggling, really struggling and you talk to a friend, see a tweet, etc that just makes you refocus and feel peaceful? that happened to me today, when i saw this tweet from the youth minister at our church:

why am i spending all this time worrying, struggling?  i just need to turn it all over to god and let him conquer it for me! thanks cody for making me think!
blessings,

cluttered mind

i have a lot on my mind...trying to make sense of this crazy world and life...praying this prayer repeatedly!

blessings blogworld,

tellies this season

so i am a little excited about the new season of tv... here is what i think so far:

sunday -- the amazing race, it is the amazing race....love this show!
monday -- so far nothing has really just been fabulous...i will watch mike & molly, dancing with the stars or catch up on dvr'd shows.
tuesday -- new girl, was anticlimatic. although, last night's episode was hilarious so it has been saved from being axed from the dvr / raising hope - oh my goodness, i love this show!

wednesday -- the middle/ subeurgatory/ modern family, but my favorite is revenge...ohhh this show has sucked me in and i love it!

thursday --  the big bang theory- this show is so funny!  i love this cast and their chemistry.  the office is meh...it doesn't make me sad to just dvr it and watch it whenever.  prime suspect is another favorite...really like this series.

what are you watching?

it is a bluedot hodgepodge

it's wednesday and i am linking up with joyce at from this side of the pond 

1. What's your favorite meal to serve on a chilly autumn evening? taco soup is my absolute favorite...some people call it southwestern chili, either way it is super delish!  it is a really hearty soup and one of the reasons i love it is because there are always leftovers so i can have it in my lunch too!

2. Are you a creature of habit? Explain. the older i get, the more a creature of habit i become.  i used to make fun of my husband because he has an order for everything.  i mean everything!  i feel lost when i am not doing whatever the task in the right order.  

3. What food product (no longer readily available) do you remember and miss from days gone by? i really can't think of a food product that isn't readily available.  we have just moved, so our biggest problem at the grocery is that they do not have an international food section.  

4. What's something you've lost that you've never been able to find? Any theories as to what happened? i lost my wedding band almost 2 years ago.  i was sick and the band had gotten loose.  i think one of 2 things happened, i dropped it in the hallway and it fell into the radiator or it fell off and was lost forever.  it really does make me sad that it is gone.  i can get a replacement ring, i have one, but it just isn't the same as the wedding band my husband gave me on our wedding day.

5. Zoo~circus~ carnival...your favorite? carnival for sure! i like the atmosphere of going from one event to another with the variety that a carnival offers.  

6. What song makes you feel instantly happy? any song by george michael!

7. To what extent are you an argumentative person? i am an argumentative person to the extent that i always want the last word.  drives my husband crazy!

8. Insert your own random thought here. i have a question for the blog world....how do you tell someone that they are wearing too much cologne?  there is someone i work with and you smell them coming and their smell lingers, and lingers, and lingers.  a little dab will do, but this guy must pour a whole bottle on him before he leaves home.  any suggestions on how to nicely tell him to lay off of the cologne?

happy wednesday,

yep!

this is what i have been telling bluedotdad for years!

wednesday hodgepodge

a return to wednesday hodgepodge...it has been a very long time since i linked up and participated in joyce's wednesday hodgepodge over at from this side of the pond, but it is about time i got back into my routine!

1. Do you like chili? Red or white? Beans or no beans? Spice or no spice? Toppings?

i love chili...i like it red or white, i like it with beans and lots of spice.  i also like to top mine with cheese, scallion onions, sour cream and a dash of hot sauce...yum!

2. Red~Orange~Gold...your favorite fall color?

this is a tough question to answer for me...if you are talking about leaf colors i like them all!  fall is my favorite time of year!  i love all the beautiful colors that decorate the landscape this time of year!

3. Who did you idolize when you were growing up?

i was in love with george michael...i had an entire wall of my bedroom with posters/pictures from ceiling to carpet of nothing but george michael.  i was lucky enough to go see him in concert a few years ago in atlanta on his last tour to the states!  i screamed and acted like a giddy teenager too!  don't judge there were thousands of us there that night.  of course my husband got a huge kick out of watching me.

4. When was the last time you did something 'arts and craftsy'? Share please. 

thanks to pinterest (go here to see how much i love it) i have many things on the horizon.  but the last really crafty thing that i did was these pictures.  

5. What's a place that makes you really nervous?

loud places and chaotic places make me nervous....or overtime at rebel ballgames!

6. Horse back riding...yay or nay (neigh?) i have only been horse back riding a few times in my life...i loved it, but it is just not something that i would like to do all the time.

7. What is your favorite cliche?

this is one my husband and i use a lot:  he/she has a case of the apples

8. Insert your own random thought here.

parenting is so hard at times...i hurt for my children when they make mistakes and i know that i cannot fix it for them.  i honestly think that the older they get the harder it gets to have to sit back and let them learn from their mistakes.  

blessings,

alabama

happy monday blog world!  i received this little ditty in an email today and it was so precious i had to share it with you guys!  enjoy!

A man in Topeka, Kansas decided to write a book about churches around 
the country. He started by flying to San Francisco and started working 
east from there. Going to a very large church, he began taking 
photographs and making notes. He spotted a golden telephone on the 
vestibule wall and was intrigued with a sign, which read "Calls: $10,000 
a minute." Seeking out the pastor he asked about the phone and the sign. 
The pastor answered that this golden phone is, in fact, a direct line to 
heaven and if he pays the price he can talk directly to GOD.
 
The man thanked the pastor and continued on his way. As he continued to 
visit churches in Seattle, Houston, St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, and 
many cities and towns all around the United States , he found more 
phones, with the same sign, and the same answer from each pastor.
 
Finally, he arrived in Tuscaloosa Upon entering a church in the 
beautiful state of Alabama, behold, he saw the usual golden telephone. 
But THIS time, the sign read "Calls: 35 cents".
 
Fascinated, he asked to talk to the pastor, "Reverend, I have been in 
cities all across the country and in each church I have found this 
golden telephone and have been told it is a direct line to Heaven and 
that I could talk to GOD, but in the other churches the cost was $10,000 
a minute. Your sign reads only 35 cents a call. Why?"
 
I love this part ... The pastor, smiling broadly, replied, "Son, you're 
in Alabama now - you're in God's Country. It's a local call."

 
American by Birth, Alabamians by the Grace of God.
 
And why do Alabamians go barefoot? When you're in Alabama, you're on 
Holy ground!
 

roll tide,

thank you very much thursday

so i am doing a throw back to thank you very much thursday...i have much to be thankful for these days, so much so that extensive therapy is needed!  but as with life with the bluedots no time is available for the therapy, so here goes!

thank you very much:

• to bluedotprincess who can demolish a room in a matter of seconds.  i really enjoy cleaning rooms repeatedly and your help in dragging items out, especially already packed items for our move is such a help (not)!
• to bluedotteen who refuses to put any of his belongings where they go..i love tripping over your backpack, football clothes, shoes, etc.  the floor, walls and i have a wonderful love/hate relationship and anytime i can fall is a great day!
• to all of our stuff, how did we acquire all of you...stop multiplying and pack yourselves, please!
• to the drivers this week who have cut me off...i love slamming on my breaks.  i must have a sign on my car that says go ahead pull out in front of me!
• to time each day...slow down.  i need every second right now to get everything packed for our move.  if you could multiply for me that would be awesome!
• to the bluedotdoggies please quit shedding..i don't like wearing your hair on me when i go to work!
• to the weather...please, please cool off and be fall like.  i loved you summer, but you have worn out your welcome, goodbye!
• to a certain person who i can't name...you drive me crazy, you volunteered for the position, quit griping about how much of your time you are using, quit questioning every little thing...you are supposed to help, not hurt!

whew...i feel much better now!  hope you all are having a super week!

blessings,

welcome back non-rerun tv shows

i am giddy with excitement waiting for the fall tv line-up to start.  i am looking forward to some returning favorites like:

modern family

the middle

big bang theory

raising hope

how i met your mother

two and a half men

mike and molly

ncis

glee (not so sure this should have made the list, i sort of gave up on this show last season)

the office (i am not so sure i will be as in love with the office now that michael scott is gone)

there several new shows i am ready to try out...although 'the powers that be' do not read into this that i like these because if 'the powers that be' think i like the show it is surely to be cancelled

2 broke girls

new girl

suburagtory

pan am

the playboy club

so what is on your fall tv watch list?

pinterest

pinterest is my new addiction...

be careful if you click here you too could become addicted!

pinterest is a virtual pin board.  you can pin things from websites, you can repin other's pins, etc.  to sum it up it is pure awesomeness!  you have to have an invite before you can start your own boards and start pinning away yourself.  if you want to give it a try, feel free to comment and leave me your email address and i will send you an invite.

happy pinning,

normal chaos plus the big move

the bluedot house is chaotic as ever...we are spending friday nights at a football stadium watching bluedotteen play football.  snif, snif, snif it is his senior year and i have to admit i have been teary eyed on more than one occasion.  school started with the usual fanfare.  busy does not even begin to describe how life has been at our house.  and if that would not be enough to make us crazy we are in the process of moving.  yep we are moving.

last spring i mentioned on the blog that we were looking at houses.  well we did that ALL summer long.  but we never found the right house for us.  one of us would like it but the other not so much.  that is one thing i love about bluedotdad and myself, we balance each other perfectly.  so anyway, our lease is up at the end of this month and seeing as we did not find the house we are on the verge of being homeless.  just kidding, my wonderful parents offered for us to move in with them while we look, decide, etc instead of packing, moving into an apartment, packing and moving again, plus whoo hoo more money for a down payment.

my mom's health has been declining for several years, so i truly feel like this is a god thing...we can help with their house upkeep and hopefully it will bless us all.  so we are in the process right now of packing boxes.  i am so tired of boxes.  i wish i could wiggle my nose and have everything packed and moved.  ahhh in time, i am not a very patient person!

hope you all are having a great week,

where did the time go?

wow...my baby boy is a senior in high school!  where did the time go?  seems like just a few days ago i was bringing home a sweet baby from the hospital...i blinked and i was taking him to preschool...i blinked again and he is a senior. 

my son has taught me so much.  he taught me how to be a mother.  i was only 22 when he was born, so we grew up together.  he taught me about love.  he taught me about being free and vunerable.  he taught me about little boys and how they love their mama's. 

i am so proud of that boy who is/has grown into a fine young man.  my time with him is flying by and while i am excited for him and all that his future holds, i am so sad.  i am going to miss him eating us out of house and home.  i am going to miss his silliness.  i am going to miss him not being here.

cherishing every moment with him,

19 years ago today...

19 years ago today:

• i was 20 years old
• my day began with waking up in my parents home in my childhood bedroom for the last time as a single gal
• i spent the day getting my hair and nails done
• i got to the church ontime
• i wore a gorgeous gown
• we were surrounded by family and friends
• i married the man of my dreams
• cake was eaten, punch drank, rice thrown
• we hadn't eaten all day so we got mcdonald's for our wedding night meal; oh and we were in a rolls royce he in his tux, me in my big wedding dress.

i can honestly tell you that my love for my husband has grown every single day of these 19 years.  we have had happy, joyous, glorious, beautiful, painful, sad, hurtful, grieving and precious moments.  i wouldn't change one second of these past 19 years.  happy anniversary dear husband.  i hope the next 19 years are as much fun as these past 19 years! 

randomness

maybe the title of this post should have been rants.  here are some things i have seen on facebook this week that made me cringe:

• a mom of a 14 year old likes the tv show 16 and pregnant...i mean really, what kind of message are you giving your daugher by liking a tv show about bad choices, premarital sex, etc.  come on folks do you really lack the common sense to see why liking this page on facebook is a bad idea?
• pictures of you, your husband, your kids with little or no clothes on...come on folks, you are putting this out there for everyone to see.  even if you have set up the most secure settings, once it is on the internet someone, somewhere could access it.
• i don't need to know that you are at the bar, the ob/gyn, your kids school, etc.  it is a given that people are out and about each day, but i really do not need a play by play of where you are the minute you get there.
• it is ok to be vague, i don't need to know that your husband has a boil on his butt, it had to be lanced and that he can't sit down.

ok rant over....

 

ryan lynn

sweet angel baby ryan lynn, i can't believe it has been 9 years since you were born into heaven.  my arms still ache for you.  i wonder what you look like.  i long to be in heaven to hold and see you.  my sweet baby you are loved more than i can could ever tell you.  watch us from above and know we love you so very much.
i love you,
mommy

this summer...

this summer flew by...sorry i have been a slacker.  i spent the summer enjoying my kids, husband, family and friends.  we did get a few mini vacations in...here are some pictures from our adventures:

i hope you all had a great summer too!  now it is on to school/work...