Hello Kitty...

Last weekend was a busy weekend for the family. We attended a birthday party for my nephew. I am refraining from posting the pictures from the party because I didn't know some of the people there and would've felt awkward asking for their permission to put their image on my blog.

Instead, I am posting some pictures of our trip to the farm after the birthday party. It was so hot outside! The children had so much fun though!

Ella looked at every plant to see if a bloom had appeared since her last visit.


Hadley fed the horse some hay. I tried to get a good picture of her actually feeding the horse, but she got tired of the grass and threw her handful of hay on the ground and walked off.



Layton tried to drive the RTV. He isn't tall enough to reach the peddles, so he sat in my lap while I drove. Yes, it has seat belts, and I do use them.

They had fun in the RTV waiting on me to come take them for a spin.

They had more fun once I put that sucker in gear and took off. We went deep into the trees on the farm to see the hubs dear stand and get the pictures off his outdoors camera, hence the laptop Hadley is holding.

She struck a pose in the woods. It was the middle of the day, and the auto flash on my camera kept flashing when we were in the woods. It was at least 20 degrees cooler in the shade though.

Blurry photo! They weren't holding very still.

There is a cat that lives at the farm. She hangs around the barn most of the time, or so I've been told. I avoid the barn. Anyway, when Layton and Jay came home from the farm last weekend, Layton told me that the cat was going to have kitties. Apparently, she had the litter sometime this week. We spent a good bit of time looking for the new family but couldn't find them. Hopefully, we'll get to see them soon.

Nutcracker, Dead Owl, and PETA Go into a Bar...

I haven't posted very much lately, and I don't have any photographs to post. So, I did the next best thing. My children's artwork. Those who have been in my house know that I do not spend much money on artwork and decorator items for the house. Gees, give me a break; I am an accountant. The fact that I do tax returns for a living should tell you I have zero ability to decorate. Anyway, I frame my children's artwork from school and craft time and hang it on the walls. I have a few pieces from the last year that I am hoping to frame before Christmas. I have scanned them for you to laugh at ahem see.

Hadley won first place for her nutcracker she drew last Christmas. They had some kind of art contest in her class at school.


Ella's owl is cute. He looks dead to me though; he's got those creepy "x" eyes. She drew this when she was five.



Last but definitely not least, I have included a piece that Jay and I discovered in Hadley's room this week. The poster child for PETA strikes again. She equates the word scientist with animal testing.

Now that I am feeling better, be on the lookout for pictures and shenanigans...

Another Day...

Sick Day...

I am taking another sick day. I am feeling slightly better, but my cough keeps getting worse. A little more time on the sofa for me....I have pawned my children off on relatives. I have a new trademark scent. It's a mix of Dolce and Gabbana's Light Blue and Vick's Vapor Rub. Zeksi. What does everyone else do when they get sick?

Definitely More Upbeat...

After a rough morning and giving myself a pep talk, I am ready to take on the day. I still feel like junk in a bucket, but I am ready to keep going.

When is Enough Actually Too Much?....

I have been in a funk. I feel like time is moving too quickly. The days are passing faster and faster, and I cannot keep up with my list of things to be done. I have been cruel to Jay; I have been impatient with my children. I have avoided a certain client for days. I have gone without sufficient sleep; I have skipped meals just to squeeze in one more meeting. I have run short on time; I (honestly) took an electric razor with me to work to shave my legs while preparing federal tax deposits. I finally understand the saying "Enough is enough" in a personal way.

As I sat in my office pondering going on strike and leaving the office, I heard a client come through the door. I walked to the front to be greeted by one of my favorite clients. We talked and looked out at the sky. Then, we saw her...the woman who lives across the street from my office. She has ALS. She was once active; she is confined to a wheelchair now. She and her husband went to visit my grandparents in the nursing home every week until she was no longer able to go. Her family is loving and kind, yet they must all watch her suffer. I cried. I am crying now.

How selfish am I? I was actually thinking about closing the office for the day just because I don't feel well. It's time for me to put on my big girl panties and deal with it. Yes, I have been ridiculously busy, but I have also been ridiculously selfish. I should be grateful that I can still work a gazillion hours a week, pick up the children from school, do the laundry, cook supper, go to the gym, go to the grocery store, open a car door, nurture my marriage, help with homework, and lather, rinse, repeat. This is life. This is MY life. It is time to stop complaining and start kicking some butt. There are 24 hours in a day. Anything is possible given enough time, money, and effort.


Shout Out to the Hubs...That ain't nuthin', turn it around!
Shout Out to the C-O-D...How long was I in there?

By the way, the photo is me ironing clothes on vacation. Ella took the picture.

I Do Not Like Green Eggs and Ham....

Another bride, another groom, another sunny honeymoon, another season, another reason, for I don't Wednesday...

Did you like that? It seems a little funnier if you actually sing the song with it. Anyway, it's Wednesday, and I am ready to tell the world about some more things that "I Don't."

I don't wear shorts. Bizarre? Yes, because I live in Alabama where it is (as my friend from the North would say) wicked hot!

I don't like buffet food. It just feels odd to pick through food with people I don't even know. Who knows what some of them are breathing on the buffet?

I don't like waking up 10 minutes before my alarm goes off in the morning. Does that bother anyone else?

I don't like calling AT&T customer support. I had to call recently (remember the whole dead phone thing), and the man I spoke to told me to call a different number from my cell phone. So, I call the new number and am told to hang up and call from a land line. Seriously?

I don't like it when people leave their cell phones turned off. I know a woman who is the queen of turning off her cell phone except for when she needs to call someone. When there is actually an emergency, no one can ever get in touch with her. I once asked her what the point of having a cell phone is if she doesn't leave it on. I'm still waiting on her to answer me...because I left that question on her voice mail, which she never checks because her phone is never on.

I don't like "one uppers." You know who I am talking about. People like this:

Example 1.
Me: One time, I broke my pinkie finger.
One Upper: That's nothing; I broke my arm in 8 places.
Me: That must have hurt. Did you have to have surgery?
One Upper: Yes, with no anesthesia because I have such a high pain tolerance.
Me: Oh. I've never had surgery of any kind, so I don't know what that must be like.

Example 2.
Me: I had the worst day. My car wouldn't start, and I broke my glasses.
One Upper: No, I had the worst day. My car wouldn't start; my contacts fell in the toilet; my dog ate my breakfast; and junior wet the bed.


I don't like buying pregnancy tests. Yep, I'm throwing that one out there. It's absolutely humiliating. The clerk is looking at you, and she knows you've been getting busy or you wouldn't be buying the test. The worst is when they try to make small talk about it. 'You hoping for a little one soon?'

I don't like having embarrassing prescriptions filled. Example: The nuggets had chicken pox last May. Yes, I thought the vaccine was 100% too. Anyways, the pediatrician gives me a prescription for the children. When I got in the car, I realized that it was for Valtrex (in liquid form). That's right-the herpes stuff-where people are swinging and talking about how great it is. Because the chicken pox virus is a herpes virus, the prescription was meant to lessen their symptoms. Still though, when I rolled up at the pharmacy, I made sure to point out that my two children were not harboring STDs but pox. The pharmacist laughed, and said she knew that's what it was for.


Well, I guess that sums up this week's crazy list of things "I Don't." I'll catcha later...

Gravy...

Ella looks like she is walking on water in this picture. She is actually jumping off the diving board. That's right! My child that wouldn't get off the pool stairs (even with floaties) less than 6 weeks ago is now treading water, swimming under water, jumping off the diving board, and growing gills. It's the miracle of attending a gym with a pool. The pool is open to all children who are potty trained and have adult supervision.

The hubs watched in amazement. This is his happy face.

This is his "my wife wants me to smile in a picture" face.

These are the girls with their friend Alexis. She got a little bit of sun this day.

What day is complete without a picture of the youngest nuggets being silly? It's the gravy shot for today.

Heat and Soul Hadley....

My oldest child is one of the sweetest children I have ever met. She loves all animals. When she was younger, she had an "animal lovers list" in her journal. She told us she struck Jay's name from the roll call because he hunts. We thought she was kidding about the list until I happened across it one day while cleaning her room. Sure enough, Jay's name had a big, blue mark through it.

Here she is cleaning out her hamsters' cage. It is her responsibility to clean up after her critters. You can see the water all over the driveway behind her. I have never seen anyone take a hamster cage so seriously.



Hadley doesn't smile much when I take her picture. I have to beg her to bust out a grin. It's like she were born in 1890 when no one smiled in photographs. You know what I am talking about. The serious pictures of way back when. She may be serious, but she sure is sweet.

67% of my Children Nuggets...

67% fell asleep on my bed tonight. Obviously, the sheets are being washed. I didn't actually get to witness this cuteness in person. I am at work. Shhhhh...don't tell that I'm blogging from work. HA! A massive project caused me to have to work this evening, so Jay took this picture and emailed it to me. I couldn't resist the urge to post it. I have been a bad blogger the last few days and not posted like I should. The aforementioned project has taken over my will to live. Hopefully, more posting will ensue after I deliver the compiled financial statements to the bank tomorrow.

I Don't and I Won't...

Another Wednesday is upon us! Like last week, I am participating in Jenna's I Don't Wednesday. She is doing a special edition this week. I am just doing a normal list because I listed my creed of beliefs a while back.



I don't like almonds.

I don't like seeing my children cry. I have even been known to seek punishment for bullies. Example: There was a child who bullied my oldest for an entire year. It started when she told Hadley that we weren't rich enough to be her friend. She stuck gum in Hadley's hair, cut Hadley's hair, called her names, put glue in Hadley's chair, and on and on. Finally, after speaking to the teacher and principal (more than once), I met my limit for turning the other cheek. I bought Hadley a jumbo pack of Hubba Bubba and told her to take care of business. She didn't get bullied after that.

I don't know how to play Monopoly. It wasn't a game I was ever interested in playing, so I haven't ever played it. Rook...that's more my speed.

I don't drink coffee. I prefer a Diet Mountain Dew in the mornings. At work, I drink water or crystal light. I love the lemonade flavor!

I don't like it when clients try to skirt labor laws. Just pay your people overtime, pay workers comp, and deal with it. Pigs get fat; hogs get slaughtered.

I don't like the smell that is left in the kitchen after you fry something for dinner.

I don't let my middle child buy lunch at school. It's too dangerous with her allergies.


Well, that should wrap up this week's list of don'ts. I have to conserve some for next week too!

Layton Stars as Bat Boy...

Layton loves all things Batman. Yesterday, as I was folding laundry, Layton ran into the room, struck a pose, and declared himself to be "Bat Boy." Alright. I can handle that. Then, he informed me that he was wearing his "Bat Curtain." I lost it at that point. I had to leave the room, so he wouldn't see me laughing. Seriously, what would you do if he came running to you dressed as Bat Boy in his Bat Curtain and camo undies?

Too Little Too Late...

I mentioned a while back that the hubs and I had gathered the nuggets and attempted a vacation. At long last, here are some photographs of the event.



We always take a cooler with us to the beach. It's a lovely cooler with a strap and place to put our camera. This year, we included pop ice with the drinks and such.

Layton loves pirate items. He just had to have a patch, gun, and sword from Souvenir City.

Yes, that is me basically fully clothed in the Gulf of Mexico. The glare of the sun off my white skin has blinded innocent children in the past, so I refrain from hurting others.

Layton (AKA Tater Chop) was precious. His black eye was healing nicely on the trip.

We took a ride to Fort Morgan. It was hot. No, it was HOT!! I forced the children to let me take their picture with an anchor. You can tell from Ella's face that this was not a picture they wanted to be in.

We ate.

And ate.

Layton got a chill and had to cover up.

They played in the surf.

They posed for pictures.

I took this picture through the binoculars. I thought it turned out pretty good. There were a number of off shore platforms in the distance. I didn't know much about them before the trip and probably still don't know much about them. I did learn that some of the platforms cost close to $500,000,000 to build. Think about how much money an oil or gas company must make off of a platform if they are willing to spend half a billion dollars to build one.

There is a Season...

School has started. The familiar sounds of packing lunch boxes and filling water bottles were in the house this morning. The look of tired children who stayed up too late is once again a daily routine.

Some of you may know this about my family; to others this is a new thing. When I wake the children in the morning, it is only to move them from their beds to the den. I place each child in front of the fire place. In the winter months, the fire glows softly and warms their bones. In the warmer months, they might request a blanket, but mostly it gives them a peaceful spot to finish waking up. This is what they looked like this morning.



Layton never actually awakened. He basically slept through getting dressed and had to be carried to the car. So, I give you a picture of him from Saturday instead. Yes, he is wearing orange (a color I avoid due to my vampire-like complexion). I have decided he must be a Tennessee fan. My crimson blood is still reeling from this discovery.

Ella was ready for her first day of first grade. She picked out a brand new lunchbox and backpack. Of course I had her name monogrammed on each.

Hadley has reached the point where she doesn't want me to help her get ready in the mornings. She picks her own clothes, fixes her hair, and handles her own breakfast. Apparently, she doesn't need me anymore. Who am I kidding? I totally bought all her school supplies.

I was glad to usher each one of them to school this morning. We have a better routine during the school year. We know what is going on each and every day. There are no surprises with scheduling. Summer comes along and it's as if my calendar takes the shape of spaghetti. I heart school.

Old Dog...New Trick...

You may remember me mentioning my broken cell phone. The part of the story I have yet to mention is the part where I used my upgrade to get my oldest child a new cell phone. Ergo, in order to get a new phone for myself, I must pay full price. Do you hear that sound? It's the sound of me attempting cardiopulmonary resuscitation on my husband because he just looked at the sticker price of a no-commitment cell phone. I will have to make do with what we have at the house for a while.

I took my SIM card out of the broken phone and inserted it into Hadley's old cell phone. She mostly just used it when she traveled with her grandparents and to text me while I'm trying to work.

Earlier today, I decided to check out the pictures she had taken with her phone. I was not prepared for it. Hadley and Ella came with me to work today, so I had to try really hard not to laugh out loud.


Her bedroom at the beach house.

Her hamster.

The Empire State Building.

Hadley and Layton...with the hamster...see it?

Self Portrait.

These are just a few. There are LITERALLY 30 pictures of her hamster! There are pictures of me ironing and cooking. There are snapshots of her brother putting away his laundry. It is so funny!

On a sad note, we went to orientation last night. Hadley is moving to the Intermediate School this year. She requested that I take her to Wal-Mart to buy a mirror for her locker. :( She's growing so quickly. Wait....why am I sad? Built in babysitter!

Whistle...

Batman Layton (as he prefers to be called right now) loves keys. He has two keys on a necklace that he has been wearing for several days. We played catch in the front yard recently, and when he wanted to take a break, he blew his keys as if they were a whistle. It was completely adorable. This photo is courtesy of Mr. iPhone.

Never Have I Ever...

Have you ever played the game referenced in the title of this post? Instead of proclaiming things she has never done, Jenna does an "I Don't!" post on Wednesday each week, and she has invited all the bloggers of the world to create their own list of don'ts. So, here goes....

I don't like watching live TV. Mr. Tivo has ruined me for all eternity.

I don't have an ipod or mp3 player of any kind. It's on my list of things to do within the next decade.

I don't even know how to download mp3s. Is that grammatically correct? mp3s? You do download them, right?

Clearly, I am not up to speed on entertainment.

I don't like hanging up laundry that has not been ironed. At my house, it's ironed before it goes in the closet just to make things more efficient in the mornings. I gave up sleep years ago in exchange for laundry...if only I could give up food too...

Last but not least for this week...


I don't want to think about how long it will take me to drop off and pick up the children from school...starting Monday. They will be at three different schools this year.



I'd love to read about all of the things you "don't." Please join in...