I've been tagged by Pokey

I've been tagged by the ever-so-lovely Kimberly from Hokey Pokey Life. Funnily enough, some of the random/weird facts that she listed for herself were very similar to what I probably would have written for myself. I'll have to rattle around in the ole noggin to find something different......here goes nothin'!

1) I have ADD when it comes to cleaning my house. I start doing one thing and then somehow end up working on something totally different. I don't techinically have ADD, I just - Oh, look! A butterfly!

2) Since becoming pregnant, Sierra Mist is my best friend. I tell her all my deepest secrets and look forward to seeing her after a long day.......okay maybe not, but there are times where it's the only thing I can handle after a bout of "morning, noon and night" sickness.

3) I am that girl who laughs at inappropriate moments/things when the room is otherwise deathly quiet, sneezes when there ain't a tissue within a 20 mile radius, and also falls spectacularly off of treadmills in a crowded gym. When I embarrass myself it's a go big or go home kinda thang! (On a side note~ My aversion to treadmills is so strong that I even refused to use one during my physical therapy last year. When I told them why, they snickered.)

4) I have two very talented parents. Even after almost thirty years, it still makes me uncomfortable when people bluntly ask if I'm as talented as they are. I mean, what would they do if I responded that , no, I have no discernible talents whatsoever and am as dumb as a stump? Of course, I don't do this but it's mighty temptin'! I need to come up with a more diplomatic way of responding that doesn't embarrass me or the person asking....Hmmmmmm....

5) I'm not good at coming up with diplomatic responses.

6) I absolutely love to make my Hubby laugh. I may not be alone in this, but it's true. I like making people laugh in general, but seeing my Hubby smile or laugh with me over some bit of ridiculousness is bliss!

7) I am always the one who, in a crowded restaurant, manages to get the seat facing the elderly gentleman who, after picking his nose, proceeds to hold up the loaded digit to the light and, um, inspect it. Yep, some people have all the luck!

Well, there you have it. Seven random and/or weird facts about myself. You have my sympathies! I'm not tagging anyone else as I always feel guilty that maybe the person is having a rough week and doesn't have time or....well, you get the idea.

Hail, My Man Cometh!

Oh, happy day! The Hubby is on his way home and we're excited. The Bubs is running around enjoying his Saturday and constantly asking me if it's time to leave. He's also quoting newly learned addition facts, making sure he's saying them correctly so he can tell his Daddy this evening. That kid is so darned precious!

And what am I doing? Am I primping and getting ready to see my man? Not. A. Chance.

I'm cleaning. I'm still in my jammies with my hair jammed in a pony tail and I'm beginning to smell a little funky, people. FUNKY! *sigh* Oh, well. I'll just jump in the shower before it's time to go and hope I have time to dry my hair. The only reason I'm on here typing away is because my back is demanding a break before the cleaning mania resumes.

I'm not really feelin' all that womanly and sexy these days. If I can be blunt for a moment, if I'm not in a grocery store, I'm at school, and I'm always loaded down with housework because I can't seem to finish one thing before I jump on another. Oh, and let's not forget the ultra sexy morning sickness bouts! Fun times.

I think I need a new haircut or something to remind me that, yes, somewhere underneath my mommy gear, I am still a woman.....somewhere. Well, for now I'm gonna go grab my mp3 player and jam out to some Aretha Franklin. I think some "Natural Woman" is in order!

Momma's Birthday

It's my Momma's birthday......er, well it was this weekend. Alright so I'm a little late with her birthday post, but I'm gonna do one anyway!

One of her favorite cakes is a carrot cake. She's diabetic so I took the recipe that I had and "Splenda-rized" it. One of the main things to overcome when I bake with Splenda is to make sure that what I'm baking doesn't dry out. So I toss in an extra egg or a touch more oil, if I need to. No worries with this cake, though. I think it came out pretty well. Take a look for yourself. That's the cake in the picture on the left. I sprinkled walnuts on the top and coated the sides with more walnut pieces on top of the cream cheese icing. Yum!

Mom really enjoyed it (heck, we ALL did). I have a big slice in the freezer for the Hubby when he gets home sometime this weekend. Mom wanted to be sure he got some, too.

So Happy Birthday, Mom! I hope you enjoyed everything and I look forward to celebrating many more with you.

PS~ More cause for celebration...Mom's last day of radiation is right around the corner! Yay, Momma!

"We need a clean up on aisle 3!"

I don't really like to go grocery shopping, however, now that the Bubs is in school I can browse in relative peace. This is a great thing! No arguments, begging or temper tantrums....and that's just my behavior, never mind how the Bubs acts! *snicker, snort*

So there I am meandering through the aisles with my handy list at the ready when I start to feel, um, odd. Odd as in my ham and cheese sandwhich that I had for lunch is 'bout to take flight! Yuck. I must have turned a little green and had, I'm sure, a weird and desperate look on my face, cause a few people gave me "the eye". I didn't care one bit. Let 'em take a long look....better to be lookin' at my weird expression than a funky puddle on the floor.

I try to keep moving (anything to get away from that darn dairy section!) and focus on other things. This isn't easy for a nauseous pregnant woman to do when there's literally food everywhere. Anyway, I'm thinking about Hubby and Bubs.....this works for about a split second, but then I start to feel sorry for myself that they're not with me. Oooookaaaaay. Movin' right along. As I'm wracking my brain for another safe thing to think about, my stomach starts to churn even more. Forget distracting thoughts, Honey, I'm beggin' Jesus at this point, "Please, Lord. I really don't feel like throwing up in the middle of Wal-Mart! Help!"

At that very moment, I rounded a corner and heard, "Jeeessuuuus. Mm."

It was a short, older black lady who, even though she was shaking her head, had a smile on her face. We made eye contact and each started smiling at the other. She laughed and said, "When you can't call on anyone else, you can call on Jesus."

"Amen. That's exactly right!", I enthusiastically agreed with her. What I really wanted to tell her was, "Preach to me, Baby! Tell it!" like a friend of mine used to do when the pastor was imparting a word that spoke to her. I didn't loose that smile that she gave me.....but I did loose the nausea! Hallelujah and Thank Ya Jesus!!

When I couldn't call on anyone else, He was there to answer me in the midst of my need, no matter how big or small. It's been that way all of my life. Ain't He good, Y'all?!

Fall Weather and Gettin' Real

It's a cool and overcast day down here and I'm lovin' it! This is my kind of weather. I love this time of year when things begin to cool down a bit and the leaves are changing. This is also one of Hubby's fave times of the year, especially since he hasn't had a fall or winter in, oh let's see....about 3 years! The poor man, however, isn't here to enjoy the lovely weather. He'll be home in another week or so when his current assignment (in the desert) is over. The Bubs and I are missin' him something fierce!

On another subject, I think the "realness" of being prego is beginning to sink in. With all the major changes going on in our family, I allowed it to get bundled up and confused with all the stresses that were happening. Not to mention, I was in shock. I mean, I knew we were trying for another child but I don't think I was expecting things to happen so very quickly. Don't missunderstand me, I'm grateful that concieving went so well because for many other couples it doesn't. Again, it just happened so fast.

Yet, as I browse through baby sections, listen to the many excited exclamations over our news, and go through the day to day bodily changes that come with carrying a baby.....it's becoming both real and even more of a joy than I was previously seeing it as.

We're hoping for a girl. Well, I should say that I'm hoping for a girl and that my two guys are hoping for one of each! The last time that Hubby made a twin joke I think I tossed a shoe at him. If, by some quirk, we have twins I'll do my best to handle everything....but, honestly, one would be perfectly wonderful for me. ~I say, "by some quirk" because, as far as I know, twins don't run in the family.......I hope!~

"Oh, no he di'n't!"

Have you ever seen someone do something that you've thought to yourself, "Oh, no they di'n't!"? I had one of those not-so-fun moments this morning as I was getting the Bubs settled in his classroom. The Bubs was dutifully hanging up his bookbag when he said hello to another student that he'd told me the day before "wasn't his friend anymore". I know how the friend thing goes with children that age. One day they're inseperable, the next they hate one another. The Bubs didn't get this concept at all and was still being his usual happy, charming self. Anyway, the other little boy drew back his hand like he was going to punch the Bubs after he'd simply said hello.....that is until he caught me givin' him "the eye".

You know what I'm talkin' about when I say "the eye", dontcha? Uh-huh. I thought so!

I didn't say anything right then. The teacher was busy handling three other things and hadn't caught what had happened, but I know for a fact that she has a no tolerance policy on violence or any threatening behavior in her room. I followed Bubs to his seat to give him a good-bye kiss and waited for the other boy to come to his seat.....the one right next to my child. He smacked his lips and rolled his eyes at me as he moved his tray and chair as far away from the Bubs as possible. (Oh, no he di'n't!!) Well, y'all, I reverted back to my old teacher's assistant days and put a stop to that behavior.

I slid his tray and chair back to their correct positions and let him know that he needed to sit where the teacher had assigned him. Then I calmly -yes, calmly- let him know that it wasn't a good idea to hit people...or to act like he was going to hit someone and that I knew that the teacher would never allow that in her classroom. With huge, round eyes focused on mine, I could tell he was shocked.

"Oh yes, Baby, you neeeever know what Ms. Anna will see," I told him.

With that, I gave the Bubs a big kiss and told him to have a wonderful day. And then it hit me......Oh, no. I'm in another teacher's classroom that may not appreciate me doing that at all! Oy.

Come to find out the teacher was cool with it and followed through with the student as I was leaving. *whew!* Thank goodness, 'cause I thought I was going to be the next one in line to be reprimanded!

P.S. My prayers go out to those already affected by Hurricane Ike and those still in its path. If you're of a prayin' persuasion.....join me, Shugs!

Hanna survival and the coup-staging laundry pile....

Well, we made it! Other than lots of branches down in the yard, we came through Hanna unscathed. There were areas that lost power and reports of localized flooding and damage but for the most part, Hanna didn't rock the boat. Hallelujah!

As of this morning, I've had my first true bout of morning sickness. Yick. It came out of nowhere and caught me completely off guard. Thankfully, I was in the privacy of our home. I would have hated to be in the middle of volunteering in Dad's classroom when the urge to hurl struck! Double yick.

Meanwhile, back at the Bat Cave.......

I think the laundry pile is trying to stage a hostile takeover. Seriously. I keep hacking away at the pile, but it seems to be multiplying instead of lessening....and following me. I noticed a definite increase in the volume of the pile when Hubby got fed up with not being able to find clean items. Um, I kept telling the man that if he didn't put his items with the rest of the dirty clothes, more than likely, the stuff wouldn't get washed. I guess he finally believed me. Yay, me!

Speaking of Hubby, he'll be leaving for two weeks this weekend. I'm able to deal with his absences a lot better than the Bubs. He's completely undone when Daddy isn't there to hang out in the evening and then give him his goodnight kisses. I'm sure we'll do what we can to circumvent his bedtime routine anxiety with phone calls. It's worked in the past........

I've gotta run. I think the laundry pile has worked its way down the hallway and is peeking around the corner at me!

Sick days and Hurricane Hanna

After a pretty rough night of coughing, the Bubs and I are having a sick day. The doctor said yesterday that my little guy had a bronchial infection. After a loooooonnnnnnggggggg wait at the pharmacy we came away with albuterol and a bottle of antibiotics. I'm hoping that they do their thing quickly. I hurt for the Bubs when he doesn't feel good.

On to other things..........

So the big topic around here is the weather. More specifically, Hurricane Hanna and what category it'll be when it hits us. And then there's her annoying siblings, Ike and Josephine. May they stay out at sea! We all breathed a sigh of relief for those in the Gulf Coast area when Gustav hit at a much more reduced strength than had been predicted. Even though there was damage and the usual loss of utilities that happens during and after a hurricane, it was not nearly as overwhelmingly devastating like it was after Katrina.

Seeing the footage of the damage and watching the people trying to cope with being away from their homes and jobs brought back a lot of memories of going through hurricanes when I was younger. We'd all be glued to the weather station the week before landfall. Even my younger brother would want to know the latest details in between his game playing and Dragon Ball Z episodes. Mom would go to the store to stock up on neccessities, probably fending off wild-eyed women for that last jug of water or loaf of bread, Dad would get things secured outside and gas up the car while Aaron and I would gather things to take and tape the windows. The day before the storm was about to hit we'd load up the car with food, batteries and flashlights, things to keep us entertained, bedding and whatever else was needed to wait out the storm at Aunt D's and Gramma's house. We always headed there during hurricanes to help them out and because they lived a little further inland than we did. On the drive over we could already see the clouds rollin' in and the wind begin to pick up. Now the wind right before a hurricane has a very distinct feel to it. It's warm and humid and has a way of sounding like the ocean with the way it sweeps the pine trees around.

Then the storm would make landfall and we'd all settle in the living room and listen to the wind and rain beat on Gramma's little house. The t.v. would be the focus as we watched local reports and listened for tornado warnings. The next thing we knew, there would be a loud bang outside and the electricity would go out. The transformers on the power lines up and down the street had exploded. Out came the battery operated radio, flashlights and lanterns.....and the card games. Anything to keep two kids entertained, right?

Even though I remember my parents not allowing us near the windows during the worst of the storms, especially the eye wall which is always the worst, I do remember them letting my brother and I step out on the screened porch when things had died down a bit. Boy, it was something to hear the wind start miles off and barrel through the trees like a living thing and see branches and even pine needles sticking out of the ground like knives! Already, the buzz of chainsaws could be heard around the neighborhood as people began to clear away felled trees and other piles of debris. Miraculously, Grammas house -beyond a couple lost roof shingles- was never damaged. Our house, on the other hand, didn't fare as well during two particularly intense hurricanes. All told I think one end of the house was demolished by a flying tree that slammed into my bedroom and the hallway bathroom along with another tree that fell across the living room and lots of water damage. The overall frame of the house was never right after that and my parents would constantly come across leaks during rainy weather. Thanks Mr. Skimpy Insurance Adjuster Man.....you shoulda just totaled the thing, for cryin' out loud! It may have been just another mobile home to you (or "aluminum condo" as Dad called it), but it was HOME to us.

I remember those rides back to our house, when the roads were finally cleared, to check out the damage. The world looked like it was bent. Everything from signs to giant trees were at an angle. At first the car would ring with exclamations of horror over familiar sights that were damaged or destroyed all together and the forests that had been ripped apart by micro bursts. The closer we got to our house, however, the more subdued we'd become. The look on my parent's faces when we would finally see what had happened.......well, I don't think I'll ever forget the mixture of sadness, helplessness and then grim determination that I saw. Could you imagine seeing everything that you'd worked so hard to maintain so utterly beyond your help? It was mindblowing for me, personally. What was even more of a mental tangle was the fact that we had to, somehow, make it livable while it was fixed. I lived in the living room for a couple months after that, I think.

We got through it all with lots of prayer, tears and many generous helping hands and hearts. Now that the Hubby and I have our own home and family, I more fully understand what it must have been like for my parents. It wasn't just a home that was damaged, it was memories and their sense of security. Yet, they got through it all.....and got my brother and I through, too.

I have pictures, so you can't be mad at me for staying away.....right?

Whew! I've finally found a moment to hop on here! I've been a little preoccupied with the Bubs beginning school, getting used to the idea of being pregnant and other household business. Life has a way of just happening, doesn't it?

Oh, I have pictures of our little man's first day of school to share with y'all! He was so very cute in his uniform. Take a gander and see for yourself......

Even though we were all excited (and very ready) for the Bubs to start school, it was still an emotional thing for us. The Hubby is extremely proud of how well the Bubs is doing so far and is relieved to see how much he enjoys school. I still catch myself looking in the rear view mirror as I take care of errands, ready to ask the Bubs what he's doing or to sing along with him when a favorite song of his comes on. Oddly, that gets to me more than dropping him off at his class. Let the waterworks commence....darn these hormones!!