It started out as a Wordless Wednesday entry and then......

The Bubs is sportin' a new haircut these days and he is so very, very cute. The change was so drastic that the expression you see on my Dad's face above is pretty much the one everyone was wearing when they caught a glimpse of the new do!

This was supposed to be a Wordless Wednesday kinda thing (albeit a late one), but I just can't help blabbing about my Bubs, y'all!

** Update on Mom......Still in hospital. Due to have surgery tomorrow to investigate complications with her port and the possible removal of it...they can't figure out why her fever spikes every time it's accessed. Had a bad bout of chills earlier this evening while we were there. By the time Dad was on his way home later this evening, she was in bed wrapped up in blankets trying to get some much-needed rest. We are all deeply grateful for your support and prayers! Please, please keep it coming!!

Peace, Y'all

Anna K.

Prayer Request

Mom is in the emergency room as I'm typing this. She's in pain and, we think, fighting off another infection that her immune system just can't handle. Please keep her in your prayers, y'all. I know she'd be thankful....and this blogger would, too. God is able to bring us through this and endow my Mom with healing and strength!

***Update- I spoke with Dad and Aunt Dianne a few hours ago while they were in Mom's room. She's been admitted. They're waiting for the results of a blood culture to determine if she's fighting off another infection. However, her doc seems to think that she could be reacting to meds that are used to access her port for chemo since she's having episodes like this everytime her port is used. The doc also seems to think she could be home by tomorrow evening....we'll see. Thanks for the prayers, y'all!

I'm still steamed.......

Well, I think I've finally cooled off enough to share a bit about why I was too steamed to blog last week.....and this weekend.

I got a call last Wednesday as I was getting ready to pick up the Bubs from preschool. It was the school's secretary telling me that my son was hurt. He'd been pushed by a classmate into the merry-go-round and that "3 of his front teeth were involved". After I finished chewing her out and got a bit more info, I threw on some clothes and ran out of the house. I called Mom on the way to try to calm myself down, let her know the situation and that we'd be coming to her house since she was closer to the school (to find a dentist to take the Bubs to).

I careened into the parking lot, slammed to a stop and ran in....thinking that I had calmed down enough to have a semi-intelligent conversation. Honey, was I WRONG! I ran around the secretary's desk to find my son sitting off to the side. When I got my first look at him I, to put it succinctly, freaked. He had blood in his mouth and his shirt was liberally covered with it as well. His two front teeth and one incisor were pushed back and obviously loose with bruising on the gums surrounding them. I saw red (yes, literally), instantly told them that we wouldn't be back and started demanding answers. When the phrase "it was just an accident" was used, I quickly informed them that they themselves had informed me that he was pushed. When I demanded to know where the adults were on the playground, I got not one definitve answer. That said a lot. I was so undone, that I started to cry and yell at the incompetent nincompoops. We left. Without any offer from them to procure a incident report. This fact didn't hit me till later that evening....

At the dentist's office x-rays and and an exam took place. Once complete, I was informed that the Bubs was very, very lucky that he hadn't recieved any more damage than he had. If the injury had happened with any more force, the teeth would have been knocked out instantly. If he had hit the bar any higher up on his gums, his permanent teeth that are waiting to come in would have been damaged as well. Y'all, I was sick.

The Bubs was a bit upset, but didn't really understand everything that had gone on at the school. He was upset that I was upset. I so very rarely cry around him and he's never seen me be so out of control before. Poor kid. Here he was with a sore mouth and then his Mom threw the hissy fit to end all hissy fits in the middle of the preschool hallway in front of the director. Oi.

The director called me at home later. Unfortunately for her, I was no longer a weepy mess. Yes, I was in full control of all my faculties and I let her have it....all without raising my voice. I was amazed at the audacity of the woman to blatantly try to sweep the injury of my child under the rug in between making me feel like I was making too big a of a fuss for, again, "just an accident". She even tried to excuse the teacher by saying that she had to watch twelve whole children on the playground (which is tiny, by the way). I laughed at her and told her she would get no sympathy from me. None at all since I had worked in public education and watched 30+ children - some of whom had severe behavioral problems- on much larger playgrounds. After that, she wasn't able to get a word in edge-wise as I verbally tore her a new one. She was surprised to learn that I had even had a conference with the Bubs' teacher a few weeks back about him coming home with scratches and deep bruises that had come from other classmates. She was quickly informed that her deficiency as an administrator was the reason for the breakdown in communication by letting these people stay employed and becoming too comfortable in their positions. Oh, yeah folks...Anna was lettin' her fly.

So to sum up a very stressful few days, because of their negligence my child was injured and they were shady about the circumstances by not answering my questions and not providing sufficient information. The Bubs isn't returning and I will be sending them a dentist bill. My father, who is a public school educator of 30 years, give or take, will be writing a letter to the director's boss detailing his dissatisfaction with their subpar care and has already begun to warn parents away from the facility. He knows a lot of people, y'all!

I trusted them to care for my child for a few hours in the morning everyday. Just a few hours. Apparently that was too much to ask. One of the Bubs' injured teeth fell out today and I wanted to cry all over again.

Too steamed to blog....

Don't feel like blogging. Steamed that the pre-school peeps couldn't keep my son from being injured by a little girl. All I will say is that an emergency visit to the dentist was warranted and I will never take my son back there again....and I scared the snot out of the secretary and the director. I don't do angry nicely apparently.

Soooo....I'm heading to some of my fave blogs for some much-needed distraction and humor. And now I'm going to shamelessly plug my cuz from Boondock Ramblings by telling you to head here for some giggles. She posts under Notes From A Small Town Girl. Enjoy!

Peace, Y'all!

Anna K.

Greening Up My Act

Seems like the new hip thing is "going green". That's a good thing. But with so many conflicting reports about what it means to truly be green, my head feels like it's gonna explode! I want to be more aware and responsible about my family's impact on the environment, but I also want solutions that are easy to maintain when we're all runnin' around like maniacs. I know, I want to have my cake and eat it, too! But what's the point of trying to make a change if it's not going to last?

I recently bought some reusable shopping bags from one of my fave places to shop - Target (pronounced Tah-shay around here ;0) ). They come in different sizes to accomodate just about any size shopping trip. There's even one that collapses down to the size of a wallet so you can toss it in your purse and go. If I'm able to keep up with these in the next month or so, I think I'll start using reusable bags for as many of my shopping runs as I can. I used them for the first time the other day and it was a relief not to have to round up all of those aggravating plastic bags and shove them into my pantry!

Earth Day also seems to inspire people to get outside, sling some dirt and plant things. Dad, who's a 1st grade teacher, joined together with other classes to plant a container garden today. Over the weekend he and the Bubs planted a small veggie garden to tend to over the summer. They both had a blast getting dirty and the Bubs was even allowed to be in charge of the water hose. This is HUGE for him!

So what does Earth Day inspire you to do? Do you have any green advice or tips for me? If so, share the green love, Shug!

Peace, Y'all!

Anna K.

~~~~~~~

Head over to Crazy Days of Summer for another green post.

Tagged like a clearance item at Target.....

Hey, y'all! I've been tagged by Kimberly from A Hokey Pokey Life and my cousin (sorry for being such a slacker, Cuz!) with a meme. I'm ashamed to admit that it took me a bit to figure out what a meme was and what it meant to be tagged. Yep, I am such a blogging newbie!

Anyhoo - Let's get this party started......

1) Link back to the person who tagged you.

2) Post these rules on your blog.

3) Share six unimportant/quirky things about yourself.

4)Tag six random people at the end of your entry.



Hmmmm.....Let's see.



1. I loooove watching Are You Being Served and other British shows. So much so, in fact, that Mom has started calling me an Anglophile! My english accent is atrocious, however. It just comes out all wrong with a southern twang....



2. You can read my face like a book. This, of course is annoying in the extreme for me as it means a career in the CIA is out.....*sigh* (As, if!!) It also means that my Hubby gets the biggest kick out of saying the most shocking things to me just to see how red I turn. That's okay, I get him back eventually. -Insert evil chuckle here.-


3. I am rather good at organizing things out in my head and/or on paper but am abyssmal at carrying those plans out in real life. It's yet another flaw that I've had to accept about myself and improve on. If I just try to do things while I'm thinking about them and not put them off, I manage things a little better. Most of the time.....

4. I think I may have the only Hubby in the world who forbids me from buying any more cheaply made shoes. I am banned for life from Pay Less. I would buy the shoes because they were cheap, but then complain that wearing them made my feet and back hurt. Even though I have to save up for some of my kicks these days, my back and feet don't bother me as much and I've discovered that, yes, there are cute AND comfy shoes to be found. My Hubby is AWESOME and totally understanding of my shoe obsession. Well, right up to the moment he looks in our closet!

5. I love to make people laugh. Sometimes I blatantly use this as a defense mechanism or as a way to diffuse tense situations but most of the time it's just a way to relate and have a good time.

6. When I have the time or am graced with a stroke of inspiration, I like to work on a story I've been writing. It's a Christian Romance. I'd like to start posting snippets of it on here, but am unsure of doing so without a copyright of some sort. If any of my bloggy friends have info on that, I'd be tickled pink if y'all would share it with me!

So here's the part where I'm supposed to tag six peeps with this meme. Um, I'm going to have to be a rebel and opt not to do that. I know most people are either too busy or have already been tagged with something like this. So twenty lashes with a wet noodle for me!

Peace, Y'all!

Anna K.

New Adventure.......Of A Sweaty Sort

I've begun a new adventure, y'all. It's one that I've been meaning to begin for a couple of years now but put off for one reason or another....some valid, some not so valid. To understand why this adventure is not just one of pleasure and new experience, but one of neccessity you must understand this one fact - I'm fat.

Now before all the skinny ladies log off in horror, I assure you it's not catching! So come back out from under your chair and come down from the ceiling.......That's better. Where was I? Oh, yes - fat.

Last week I joined Curves. I chose Curves because I felt like the program was something I could maintain and would make a lasting impact on the way I take care of myself. I could've joined for any number of reasons besides those -like the endless amount of tactless things people say to me, strangers and acquaintances alike- but those were the main motivators.......that and, you know, living long enough to watch the Bubs grow up.

I've got to admit that I'm a tad nervous. I'm not trying to lose weight to look better in jeans or be more appealing to my Hubby (who loves me just like I am anyway thankyouverymuch :0) ), I'm doing this to be able to live a full, long life. With my family history of diabetes, heart disease, high blood-pressure, and cancer.....well, I've got to get my hefty hauches in gear to beat the generational cycle.

As soon as I walk in to Curves, I'm greeted with a smile and a hello. The intructors are wonderfully patient and dilligent in making sure my technique is correct on the machines and during the stretching routine. LOVE the stretching routine as it keeps back pain at bay. I've been pleasantly surprised by the level of camaraderie between the ladies. I get a kick out of watching them catch up with the latest happenings while bouncing all over the place! I leave feeling energetic and refreshed. Two adjectives that I haven't used in so long it's really not funny....really.

So I invite you to join me on my new adventure. The ups, the downs and everything in between! What's your latest adventure?

Peace Y'all!
Anna K.

*Notice the lack of picture.....yep, I'm not gonna put up a "before" pic until I've got an "after"!

Just Kidding

Have you ever tried to talk to someone that was so indecisive they couldn't say anything outright? I've met quite a few people in my life that use the phrase, "just kidding" so frequently that you never know quite what they're trying to tell you. I found the SNL widget that you see on my sidebar (sorry it didn't fit) and I couldn't resist! ~It's the middle video with Judy Grimes.

Author's Note- And before you think I'm being snarky and judgemental I will fully admit to using the "just kidding" ploy, too. Although after watching this, I may never ever use it again....just kidding!


Peace Y'all!
Anna K.

Everyday Photos

Earning Stickers

My son's life has suddenly started to revolve around the earning of stickers. Stickers for remembering to go to the bathroom, stickers for good behavior at school, etc. Little did I know that I would be earning a sticker right along with the Bubs yesterday...........

When I told the Bubs that we were going for a check-up with his doctor instead of going to school, he was completely fine with it...excited, in fact. I, on the other hand, was freaking out on the inside. You see, immunizations were also on the morning's to do list. I told him that, but didn't exactly tell him the details. David thinks it's an everyday kinda thing to go see the doctor because they are supposed to make you feel better. I think this outlook of his was fostered by watching his Ammah go to the doctor so often during her battles with two kinds of cancer and how we all talked with him about that. He prefers to know as many facts as he can find out rather than not knowing anything at all.

So we find a parking space -one of my own creation on the grass since the rest of the parking lot was crammed full- and rush in late, as usual. The doctor was clear and concise and gave me not one iota of trouble for the Bubs being a "man-child". The kid has always been taller than most his age and I've gotten the third-degree in the past about how much I was feeding him. *sigh* This was from the same doctor who thought my child needed speech therapy and thought he was developmentally delayed. I'm here to tell you that my 5 year old child is quite articulate and is beginning to read. (insert na-na-boo-boos and stuck out toungues here!) Needless to say, we don't see that individual any more. Our current physician seemed to have some sense, thankfully. I mean, who wants to take their child to a callous, snotty idiot?

Then comes the hard part of our visit...getting the dreaded shots. All four of them. Two in each leg. This was the first time we had to go through immunizations without my Hubby being there. I was fine outwardly but I was an absolute wreck on the inside. So much so, that the nurses had to tell me a couple of times how they needed me to restrain the Bubs. I was so preoccupied that I didn't give a hoot that they thought I was a ditz. They took pity on me, recognizing my plight, and were able to finally get us in postition. Meanwhile, David is laughing and talking about the large stickers that were displayed in the small office, trying to pick out his favorite. You know, generally charming the socks off of the nurses. (He totally gets that from his Dad!) The shots were given in the span of a couple of heartbeats. So much tension over something so quick! The Bubs was a trooper. He yelled out in shock and then shoved his fingers into his eyes to keep from crying. He gingerly got down from the table and stumbled over to get his prize - a sticker. He picked out one for himself and one for me. He told me that I earned a sticker, too. What a sweetie!

Peace, Y'all!

Anna K.

Crafty Kinda Day

I've been avoiding my craft closet. It's noticed. Like most relationships that are just beginning, I lavished attention on it right after we first moved in a couple years ago. I spent time making sure I organized all of my tools and supplies so that I could easily access them and I even enlisted my hubby to help me install some free-standing shelving. In recent months I've avoided it with a passion. It moans at me as I walk by the guest room where it's located, telling me to clean it out. The term "tlc" was bandied about quite a bit, as in it was in desperate need of some. *SIGH* So I finally bit the bullet today and tackled the task of paring down my junk. Granted, I wasn't able to spend more than 20 minutes or so on it, but I still managed to sort out a trunkful to take to a local charity second-hand store. I feel better about the whole relationship and am more than ready to give it another go. Now I just have to decide what I most want to keep....Uh-oh! I'm tellin' you, that ain't gonna be easy!


So what do I do after I get rid of stuff I was never going to use? I come across another crafty thing to get interested in, of course! My thanks to Verry Sherry who shared this cute idea that she found on another blog. I may have seen this somewhere before a long time ago, but it's nifty all the same. It's a box that you can make using paper and nothing else. That's right, no glue or tape neccessary! Just some folding and four snips with a pair of scissors was all it took. I had so much fun making the first one, I made another larger one. I had each done in no time flat - and not one sign of angry mumbling or lip-biting. This is a miracle for me, y'all. The first one I made from paper and the second from card stock. For gift-giving, I think I'd prefer the card stock. I had to run a straight edge over every fold to get it flat enough, but the stability of the paper is worth the tiny bit of extra effort. I like the versatility of this project. With different paper or some embellishements, this could be tailored to fit any occasion or personality. This would also be a great way to recycle materials like Verry Sherry in her Irish version. So what do you do when you have a crafty kinda day?

Peace, Y'all!

Anna K.

Guy Humor

My Bubs is such a guy! Yesterday we were hanging out on the couch when all of a sudden he turns to me....

"Mom?"

"What, Bubs?"

"I'm gonna toot in a minute." (Toot is our term for passing gas.)

A slight pause.

"Oookaay. Does that mean you have to go to the bathroom?"

"Nope. It means you're gonna laugh in a minute!"

And, boy, did we! Shouts of laughter from me and little boy, mischievious giggles from the Bubs filled the air. Oh! He is such a boy up one side and down the other and I love it. Maybe it's because I was a tomboy when I was little. I don't know, but I delight in every second of his earthy sense of humor, his energetic ways and his up-front manner.

It's the little moments like those that I will look back on and remember with love and, yes, laughter when he his grown and living his own life. Life's everyday occasions turned into life's perfect treasures.

Peace,

So I'm not Hallmark, y'all....

Mom's in the hospital again. She has a bacterial infection that she was unable to fight off as a result of a chemo-ravaged immune system. I wanted to make her something to cheer her up.

Aha! A get well card!

So I hop on the computer and start looking up different quotes to include in a card.....nothing's really striking my fancy. I wanted to do something funny and Mom has an offbeat sense of humor. I begin to peruse humorous quotes and happened upon one by that well-known and prolific author, "Unknown". In a flurry of patterned paper, glue, pens and chalk color pads, this is what I came up with:

NO, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. It does say, "Love is like a booger..." I told you that I wanted it to be goofy!

The inside says, "..you keep picking at it until you get it, then you wonder what to do with it." I signed it from me and the Bubs, her two boogers. I wanted to give her a laugh and she got one. The quote may have been off the wall and the picture a little silly, but I'll gladly play the goofy fool if it will bring Mom some joy in the midst of her pain and battle to get well.





I think the process of making this for Mom was therapeutic for me as well. It helped to counteract the feeling of helplessness that tries to creep in and overwhelm me when my defenses are down after watching what she's going through. I also think that it gives someone a bit of power when they can laugh in spite of their pain and I wanted to give her the opportunity to do that. Because she was so often the one to do that for me when I was a little girl having to go through various surgeries and endless doctor's appointments. (I had bladder issues -no pun intended...I think- and endless ear infections)

So if you know someone who is going through a rough time, I would encourage you to give them the gift of laughter. It does good like a medicine.




Peace,

Felt like he was right there with me....

Stop! Before you read any further, please listen to the song "More Time" by NEEDTOBREATHE that's on my playlist (bottom of the page). I'm asking this because it's neccessary for understanding this post, y'all.

I'm a music nut. I love it. I need it. I'm surrounded by it most of the time. I've come to the realization that, outside of prayer, it's the one thing that can lift my mood or smooth out rough days for me. I recently purchased the P.S I Love You soundtrack and this particular song captured my attention. It felt like my hubby was sitting right there with me singing this to me. Not because the singer's voice is like hubby's, but the words......the words were such an echo of some of the things he's been telling me the last few weeks.

"Hold on, Love. Just a few more months and we'll be together. I know you understand. I love you and the Bubs."

I do understand and I know that this isn't what he had planned. As the quote goes, "Life is what happens while you're busy making plans." So I'll wait as long as I need to until he's safely home with us. He's worth every single moment.