All Things BD

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T20:20:00.002-06:00

Today I am thankful...

- that I didn't burn my first turkey (which was only a breast because we also made a chicken dish and what am I Rachael Ray?)

- that when I dropped the paper towel roll on the fire extinguisher in the pantry (that is mysteriously missing it's pin), it did not fully discharge, and that the debacle was cleaned up before our guests arrived

- for pumpkin pie

- that my mom is here and was able to share the day, which would have been her 44th wedding anniversary

- that I got to say the prayer before dinner so I could include all our traditional prayers (NOT "good food, good meat, good Lord let's eat"-I'm saving that one for Christmas)

- for my family

- for my friends

- for my friends of the internet persuasion

- that I am living in a beautiful house in a beautiful city in a beautiful state in a beautiful country.

- for the military serving overseas who are sacrificing for our freedom.

and lastly...

I am thankful for stretchy pants and loose fitting tops.

Because I'm So Far Behind On Posting I Can't Stand It Anymore

2009-11-23T14:46:00.000-06:00

*My mom is here

*I feel better

*Boodle started horseback riding lessons

*Loodle is taking piano

*Boodle had an artist's showcase at school

*Loodle got her ears pierced

*Boodle lost another tooth

*Loodle's class made upside down pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving (vanilla pudding, pumpkin mixed with spices, and graham cracker crumble)

*Boodle has started suffering from terrible nighttime nosebleeds (dry air, allergies)

*I did my VERY FIRST photo shoot for a family, and boy is my body SORE (who knew?)

*I went to a Women of Faith Conference, where Steven Curtis Chapman performed and Blair from the Facts of Life was a speaker

*Loodle had her birthday party, and the first gift she tore open with excitement was a hot pink kid-sized Snuggie, which we will immediately have monogrammed

*I broke in my new purple clogs

(Not really on that last one, just wanted to see if you were still reading. Five points if you know the movie reference)

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

2009-11-22T10:01:00.003-06:00

You're 7, which is not possible. Because I'm pretty sure you were just born a little while ago. You are smart, funny, quirky, insightful, thoughtful, a good friend, and a wonderful daughter.

I love the stuffings out of you, kid.

Houseguest

2009-11-16T21:45:00.002-06:00

This lady is here again. We were a tad pleased to see her, and bonus, she'll be here for Thanksgiving.

I'm also currently wallowing in a cold, so you might not hear from me for a while. I'll be busy snuggled in a blanket on the couch and eating my mom's famous grilled cheese sandwich and chicken noodle soup. Nothing heals you faster than being cared for by your mommy. Life is good.

**Two things to note about that photo: Boodle, who is 9, is almost as tall as Grandma; and Grandma is holding a carry-on bag with a bare-chested Johnny Depp. How cool is she?

Stuff

2009-11-12T13:23:00.002-06:00

I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so I might be getting loopy and finding things more interesting and share-worthy than they really are. That having been said, here we go.

* Yesterday I went ~~home and had a nutritious lunch of spinach salad and lightly grilled chicken~~ out to lunch and had shrimp tacos at this great Mexican grill. They serve chips with jalapeno ranch dressing that is to die for. I bellied up to my food while reading a book, and I was halfway through scarfing down a basket of chips and dip when I looked down and saw a dragonfly had just crash landed in the dip. I was startled, and then proceeded to watch him struggling to get out. The humane thing to do would be to rescue him and send him on his way. Instead, I looked at him in disgust, becoming grossed out and pissed that he'd ruined my lunch, and left in a huff. The end.

** I just remembered that a while ago we saw a pigeon get hit by a truck in the Walmart parking lot, but it didn't die right away. I hurried the girls away from it because I didn't want them traumatized, but a lady had just pulled in to a spot near us and asked if it was dead. When I told her no, she proceeded to back out and told me she would go finish it off. We continued inside, and then ran into her on our way out. She reassured us that it was dead, and we notified the staff that they had a dead pigeon in the parking lot. Isn't that a lovely story? I can't think why I waited so long to tell you.

This then reminded me of when The Man was commuting to Santa Barbara from our home town, and he saw a squirrel or something get hit but not die, and he swerved to finish him off. I was horrified at the time, but I was young and stupid. Now I think he and that lady in the parking lot are courageous. Also that The Man is no longer my medical power of attorney.

*** There is something totally awesome about this story. "World's Tallest Man Unveils World's Biggest Cookie" And why did I find it infinitely more amusing to know he did it in an IKEA in Oslo?

**** I'm leaving tomorrow for two days to do a church conference thing in Houston, and I was outlining to The Man his Parental Responsibilities while I'm gone.

The Man: So when are you leaving?
Me: Tomorrow at 11am
The Man: So when do I get the kids?
Me: Saturday morning
The Man: ???
Me: They're having a sleepover so you can go to your Wrap Party for your game
The Man: Oh, that's RIGHT. So basically I'm going to go to work tomorrow, and I won't see my children until Saturday morning?
Me: Yep
The Man: I love you

**** I went to the school to eat lunch with the girls today, and while I waited for their class to come in, I was watching a table of 3rd graders. There was some jockeying for space, and they kept saying leave a space for Addie, leave a space for Addie! I was curious, and then a teacher came walking up with Addie, who is a Down Syndrome kid. The classmates were vying for her to be able to sit next to them, boys and girls alike. She sat down with them and they all started chatting away together, not realizing how profoundly awesome that was.

I am going to hold onto that lunch memory every time I start lamenting the fact that kids these days are so mean and uncaring and insensitive. They're not. When given the chance to be decent and caring and loyal, they can break your heart with the size of theirs.

***** Catch you all on the flip side, if I don't succumb to what is surely the R2D2 virus. May the force be with you. Always.

The One Where Loodle Cooks

2009-11-09T20:39:00.008-06:00

Tonight, I ~~worked twice as hard as usual~~ took the night off and let Loodle make dinner. They were all up in arms last week because I always cook deadly poison with a side of grilled liver and onions, so I said, fine, you pick the menu and make it.

I knew full well that this would actually be MORE work for me, but the point was for them to realize that a lot of planning and thought and work goes into making a dinner. *snicker snort guffaw* Or at least realize that they had no interest in doing this on a weekly basis and leave me to my devices.

Loodle, my almost 7-year-old, was up first. She went through our two kids' cookbooks and picked.... sandwiches. And brownies. Oooookay, but wait! It's a circular sandwich! Bread baked into a circle is exciting!! After adding baked potato chips and carrots to the menu, away we went. Here are some pics from her prep and the final product, of which she was extremely proud.

Making round bread is easy. Take two Pilsbury french bread loaves and form a circle and pinch the ends together. Viola!

This was a cold cut Super Sub.

There were many steps in its preparation, but I'm pretty sure you know how to assemble turkey, ham, bologna, provolone, American cheese, spinach and olives without visual aids.

How it ended up with a face is... actually not a mystery, because all food items Loodle is involved with inevitably end up with a face of some sort.

Anything resembling outlandish toppings (i.e. mustard, mayo, pickles, peppers and tomatoes were left on the side to be added as necessary, which the girls used exactly zero times)

Those are brownie "buttons", whatever that means. (surely are not meant for me to put my feet upon whilst watching The Big Bang Theory) They were made from scratch, thank you very much, and there are mini m&m's mixed right into the batter. You want some right now, don't you?

Bits and Pieces

2009-11-05T14:01:00.000-06:00

Just A Note to the Lady In Front of Me at the Store Who Took EIGHTEEN Minutes to Check Out:

OMG FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY WOULD YOU SHUT UP AND LET THE CHECKER SCAN YOUR FREAKING FOOD WITHOUT HAVING TO HEAR ABOUT HOW THE VITAMINS IN THE SMALLER BOTTLE ARE HIGHER "POTENCY" AND HOW THE MINCED GARLIC IS BLAH BLAH BLAH AND THOSE ROLLS SHOWED ON THE SHELF AS $.50 EACH BUT THAT'S RIDICULOUS AND DID YOU GET THE TWO COUPONS FOR ROLAIDS CAN YOU PLEASE GO THROUGH ALL THE COUPONS AGAIN ONE BY ONE AND CHECK AND LOOK HE'S DONE SCANNING NOW AND HAS GIVEN YOU A TOTAL AND NOW YOU DIG THROUGH YOUR PURSE AND BRING OUT YOUR CHECKBOOK AND PROCEED TO FILL IT OUT SLOWER THAN THE POLAR ICECAPS ARE MELTING SO HELP ME GOD IF I SEE YOU IN THE PARKING LOT I WILL RUN YOU OVER AND NOT EVEN FEEL BAD ABOUT IT NO MATTER WHAT I'M READING IN MY BIBLE STUDY CLASS RIGHT NOW

/capslock

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The lady across the street was sweeping her garage walls today. The WALLS. Then she appeared to be scrubbing the garage floor. I don't NEED this kind of pressure, lady.

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The girls listen to classical music while falling asleep. Tonight, Loodle was out here complaining about her sister not letting her fall asleep. I gave her half-assed instructions and sent her back to her room. The Man, looking to actually PARENT in this situation, followed quietly after her down the hall and overheard:

Loodle: Did you skip ahead to this song?
Boodle: Yes.
Loodle: (pause) Why do you hate me?

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Loodle, the almost 7 year old, is currently reading the bible. For fun. I'm barely keeping up with her in my bible study class entitled "The Big Picture", wherein we read through the bible over the course of a couple dozen weeks.

So we're in the van a couple days ago, and Loodle says, "Oh, right, I was at the part where Moses goes back to Egypt." Thank goodness I know what's happening, since I've just gone through Exodus. I idly inquire what she's reading about in the book. "Boils. It was the 6th plague." Um, oooookay, gonna have to take your word on that one. I wait for a bit, and then ask again what she's reading. "I'm reading about the Angel of Death." Awesome. Carry on.

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In a related note, a few weeks ago I volunteered in Kids' Praise during the second half of church, and Loodle was there watching a Veggie Tales movie about the whole Moses/Pharaoh/plague situation. If you're not familiar, Pharaoh has his heart hardened even after all these plagues are brought upon his people, but the last straw is when God orders all the firstborn sons of Egypt be killed, even the Pharaoh's.

Obviously, in a Veggie Tales movie, this is a delicate subject, so they portrayed this part by showing all the babies in baskets floating gently down the river into the sunset.

Loodle turns to me and says matter-of-fact: "Does that mean they killed them?"

Um, yeah, it does, and now I'm rethinking the whole church thing altogether, because you are just too smart for sugar-coating. Alternately, is it blasphemous to rip out the entire Old Testament from her bible?

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Our carpool buddy, a 6 year old girl, was riding in our van today after school on our way to an afternoon outing. She spoke up with the following: "I could use a drink right now." (me, giggling internally because I'm juvenile and also think maybe I'll need a drink after an afternoon with three giggly girls) Then she mutters: "Yeah, I could use a cold one." STOP IT, you're killing me.

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Later, another friend, a 5 year old boy this time, met us at the local library, and we were walking down to see a movie, when the carpool girl accidentally brushed him with her bookbag.

5yob: Hey, watch it! You're gonna hurt my wiener!
6yog: (oblivious)
5yob: (I'm guessing he realizes you're not supposed to say wiener) Oh, I mean you almost hit my tenders.
6yog: Are you talking about chicken nuggets?
5yob: Grinning, no I mean my tenders. You know.
6yog: Yeah, tenders are chicken nuggets.
5yob: No, I mean...
(This is where I finally have to intervene before I DIE of a heart attack from withheld chortling and guffawing)
Me: No, he's talking about his boy parts.
6yog: Oh. Sorry.

Wordless Wednesday: Judging By Mold Progression, I Think Halloween Is Over

2009-11-04T19:01:00.002-06:00

Say Cheeeeeeeese!

2009-11-03T10:18:00.006-06:00

The beginning of the school year brings about an argument in our household that I'm sure not many folks have.

Picture Day.

We've been through, oh what is it, six? Yeah, six picture days now, and I can honestly say I've liked exactly one of the pictures that we got back. From EITHER child.

In the beginning, Boodle was at an age where she was extraordinarily uncomfortable getting in front of anybody, where their entire being would be focused on just her. She couldn't take the pressure, so the first two years' pics were tearstained, manic looking photos. Ah, fond memories to last a lifetime.

Then, she finally got comfortable enough not to cry, so we moved into the CHEEEEEZE! phase. There were two years' worth of Camembert shots that the dentist could use to diagnose a cavity.

Now, Boodle has moved on to the Uncertain Smile years. I blame myself, because after trying to better my photography skills using my ~~guinea pigs~~ kids, I've spoken to them about a natural smile, and I'm sure I've done it in a consistent, loving, helpful way. *snort*

So. School starts. Actually, let me back up. The devil himself invades school administrators and they institute SPRING portrait day last April, and after foolishly purchasing the package last fall of less than memorable pictures, I refused (REFUSED!) to buy any pics for Spring.

Back to this school year, and a big brouhaha erupts over whether I'm going to shell out $50 EACH for their photos. Me: NO. Them: Waaaaaaah. End scene. I've finally decided that I'm sick of the traditional, you-must-have-pictorial-evidence-that-your-child-went-to-school-this-year portraits.

So last week, on picture day, I took them after school to a beloved park with a stream and sand and turtles, and told them that they could play to their hearts' desires after they let me take their pics on the pretty path. I didn't mention school photos, just told them to have fun.

So, you tell me. Do you think the portrait company would be able to get anything close to these faces or these full of depth expressions? And should I shell out $100+ just for tradition's sake? And WHEN did I turn into my bah humbug husband???

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The Man Is Famous!

2009-11-02T21:15:00.002-06:00

Okay, maybe not personally famous, but still. We were watching The Big Bang Theory tonight (which, if you're not watching, dude, it's awesome), and a commercial came on for the game his company worked on. A commercial for his game! On TV!! In the middle of a totally awesome show that's on a REGULAR channel, not one of those weird cable access channels.

The Man totally rocks and I'm totally bragging on him.

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Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T20:25:00.007-05:00

This is Sharpay from High School Musical, in case that's not obvious. Which, dude, it's so not. We lost the hair scrunchie that goes with it, and it was cold so Loodle added a sweater for comfort.

Meet the Victorian Queen, not to be confused with Queen Victoria. This distinction was made clear to everyone by Boodle.
I can't begin to describe my joy to see that Loodle is WORKING this dress. I'll be looking back at this outfit fondly, I'm sure, when I'm arguing over the trampy clothes she's trying to pick out at Hot Topic in a few years.

Garth Brooks. 'Nuff said.

Down With The Boll Weevil

2009-10-27T06:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I had to use the Urban Dictionary to find out how the phrase "smoke a bowl" is spelled. Is it boll, like boll weevil? Or is it a bowl, like an actual bowl?

That is sad, but not as sad as looking up the spelling of "boll weevil" and seeing that Alabama has a Boll Weevil Monument, and also in California, there's a Boll Weevil Restaurant. After clicking through, it's revealed to be a chain, and the one in Chula Vista has the same great burgers and the same great beer, but the sauce isn't on the tray, you have to ask for it, and don't even get us started on them letting Julieta go, which means now you have to bring your own crackers and cherries. Apparently.

Here in the fine state of Texas, we have a Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation. Which, if you click through and see their logo, compels me to give them my very last penny to keep that giant insect from devouring our state.

The TBWEF is hiring, btw. I considered going for a Field Technician job, but it required things like "common sense" and activities like "walking, hiking, climbing, standing, balancing, kneeling, stooping, bending, stretching and reaching in extremely rugged, cotton-field terrain, including walking across ditches and furrows, up and down steep banks, over muddy ground and through loose, shifting sand." I'm pretty sure I'm no good at ANY of that. Also, I would be unable to correctly identify a boll weevil, and instead would eradicate some rare, newly discovered beetle that could cure cancer.

That would suck.

Just Like Bert & Ernie's Pad

2009-10-26T21:13:00.004-05:00

Last year sometime, the girls decided that having a playroom was crap, and it was time to split the bunk beds apart and have separate rooms. Hallelujah, bedtime became infinitely easier, what with the inability to talk all the livelong day and keep each other awake until I come in screaming.

Whew. SO glad that happened. But. Yesterday. I must have been tired. Or in a particularly giving, loving ~~delusional~~ mood. God help us, I agreed to put the beds BACK in the same room and resurrect the playroom. And by "I agreed", I mean I signed up The Man for heavy lifting.

It is now 9:15pm, and let me just say... the talking. THE TALKING. What did I expect? They are GIRLS. It's the first night of Room Switcheroo 2009. Luckily, The Man has drawn the short straw and has to be the one to awaken them in the morning to get ready for school. Ha ha.

Of course, the fallout for ME is that I get to move 87 pieces of furniture around and try and make some sense of the clutter. Ssssshhhh. Don't tell the girls that while they are in school, I periodically go through their ~~garbage! IT'S GARBAGE~~ stuff and ~~throw away~~ box up their things and move them to the garage. Of course, they've not ONCE missed a single item. (except for those stick ponies that neighed and played the William Tell Overture until the batteries/motor started to go bad so they sounded like Rossini had smoked a bowl, but I told them uh, duuuh, hmmm, no clue. They're maybe in the closet... oh you should keep looking! No? How about a lollipop!)

Anyway. A nine year old and an almost seven year old sharing a room. I'm sure it'll last WELL into their teens.

Or, in a more likely scenario, next week I'll be documenting the line taped down the center of the room.

Fresh Air Is So Invigorating

2009-10-23T16:54:00.003-05:00

This is what happens to a child after a record-breaking, hotter-than-Hades summer spent inside:

"But Mother, whatever does one DO when out of doors?"

Wish me luck this winter as we delve into the concept of what a park looks like.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Cancer Sucks

2009-10-22T15:42:00.001-05:00

My friend Monica and I just got back from the hospital, where we visited another friend who was diagnosed with APL last Friday. She's around my age with a husband, a 2nd grader and a yellow lab puppy. And now she'll be in the hospital for two weeks getting chemo, and choosing what the doctor referred to as a "cranial prosthetic" to use when her own hair falls out.

Cancer sucks.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-21T22:06:00.004-05:00

Visit to California

2009-10-20T05:52:00.001-05:00

Okay, I'm a week late, but here's what happened on my trip last weekend to sunny Cali:

Upon arrival at LAX, I was whisked away by my sister and law and bestest friend Tiffany and taken directly OUT of town for a weekend spent at the spa, the movies, the bowling alley, various yummy restaurants, the hotel, and the casino. We talked and talked and TALKED, and by "we", I mean I'm pretty sure I never paused for a breath. I might have missed my best friend just a tad with all the drama this summer. It was SO good to reconnect and RELAX. And no, we're not going to discuss just how much money I lost at poker. We're NOT.

Funny story: we almost became small-time criminals. We went bowling, and while I was putting bowling balls away and Tiffany was putting shoes away and getting coupons, we neglected to actually PAY for the bowling. We discovered this half an hour later while waiting for a movie to start. Of course, because we believe in Karma coming back to kick us in the cajones, we went back after the movie and did the walk of shame up to the counter. They gave us some good natured ribbing as well as gesturing for security to take us away, then THANKED us for returning to pay, which is awesome and also very sad.

Next I got to spend the night at my friend W's house, where I watched football, sat in front of a warm and delicious fireplace, and got my hat handed to me in Chinese Checkers by a 5 year old. Good times.

On Monday, I went to visit my mother-in-law. I was excited and trepidatious at the same time. I hadn't seen her since they took her down off the mountain, and I was trying to prepare myself. I was afraid she wouldn't remember me, but those fears were put to rest about 3 minutes after she woke up. She immediately knew who I was, squeezed my hand and touched my cheek. We got the breathing guy to put in the tube thingy (sorry to get so technical with y'all), and she was able to talk to us for a LONG time.

We joked about the troubles she and Tiffany had with the trailer when they first left for the lake. (They had a hell of a time attaching it to the trailer hitch, and a few minutes after starting out, it FELL OFF, and some nice gentlemen stopped to save the day and help get it reattached) I reminded her that she threatened to leave it to Tiffany in her will, and Tiffany countered with the suggestion that when her mom kicks the bucket (yes, we're THAT family), she'd bury her in it like Connie did with all the family pets in the back yard.

Tiffany: "Here lies Constance, who passed away at the ripe old age of 102, with the trailer..."
Connie: "That put her under."

We burst out laughing. It was so wonderful to see Connie's personality really shining through. The expressive eyebrows, the grin, the sparkling eyes. A coworker of hers also came down to visit and brought a small photo album for Connie to go through. She spent a LONG time looking at the pics of her coworkers, recognizing all of them, giving details about what was happening. I could not have asked for more with this visit, and have a renewed hope that she will improve by leaps and bounds with every day and every visitor that comes.

On Monday night, Tiffany, Mama DB and I went out to dinner at Red Lobster (mmm, seafood), then proceeded to DB's house where we harassed her hubby into setting up Rock Band for us (thanks Mr. DB!). Side note: cats know instinctively the best time to plop in the middle of the room and lick their butts. I'm just sayin'. We rocked da howse until Mama DB cried uncle. She apparently had a raging case of bronchitis, but I don't know. I think she's just getting old.

Speaking of which, after the late Monday night and then early morning flight, I was convinced I was coming down with the H1N1 last week. Turns out I'm just getting old and set in my ways, suffering mightily when I don't get a requisite 7 hours of sleep. What a wimp. At least on the flight home I was able to score a row to myself and snore my way back to Texas.

That's about it. Good times were had, people are now sorely missed as usual. Let's work on that "mash Arizona and New Mexico together, creating 1,000 fewer miles between Texas and California" machine, shall we?

Trailer Trash Bunco Rocks My Socks

2009-10-16T16:09:00.007-05:00

Trailer Trash Bunco Night was a smashing success. I've gotten so many compliments on how fun and relaxed it was. How could it not be, with tater tot casserole involved? Sad to say, only two people got into the sartorial spirit of things, one of them being myself. I was in jeans and a trashy tank-top, and my friend Amy wore a short denim skirt, wife-beater tank and cowgirl boots. Awesome. The rest of the women couldn't stand the idea of NOT dressing up for a night away from children who may or may not have been wiping hands and noses on their clothing earlier in the day. Fair enough.

Here's the recipe for Tater Tot Casserole, btw. Eat at your own risk:

Tater Tot Casserole:

1 pkg Tater Tots
8 oz. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 - 1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can French Fried Onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 4 ingredients in a big bowl. Grease a 9x13 pan and put casserole mix in, pressing down lightly and evenly into the pan. Top with more cheese to taste and the onions. Cover LOOSELY with foil and bake for approx. 45min to an hour. Uncover at the end to let the onions get browned. Enjoy.
(that last step is SOOOOOO obvious)

Here are some pics of the food from the night. Antacids were distributed as party favors.

Tater Tot Casserole
Pork Rinds
Mmm, Cheese In A Can
Pigs In A Blanket

Yes, those ARE Ho-hos and Twinkies. I know, right? RIGHT???

Of course, it wouldn't be my house if I didn't run out of wine glasses and have to serve it in various tumblers, one of which bore an uncanny resemblance to a votive holder. I also had to ask someone to bring a corkscrew, because wow I'm not a drinker and who doesn't want to come party with me right now?

The evening was such a success that I had to start doing dishes and clattering pans to get people to leave at 10:30pm. This even AFTER I told people I was getting up at 4:30 IN THE MORNING to leave for my flight to California. These women sure like to party.

Next up is Betsy, and I just don't know how she's going to top this Bunco night. The bar is set pretty high. Or low, if you want to look at it that way.

Wordless Wednesday: Style and Flair

2009-10-14T21:24:00.001-05:00

I'm Here! But Not For Long

2009-10-08T08:52:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted all week, and I'm trying to feel guilty, but I've been too busy for that. I'll catch you up on my goings-on, tell you what's coming down the pike, and then bid you a fond farewell. Probably until next Thursday.

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I'm hosting Bunco this month, and it's tomorrow night. Bunco is a dice rolling excuse to get together and eat and drink. You rotate tables, play in teams, and basically try to roll sixes and lots of them. We usually have around 12 people, and the parties, er games, have been getting kind of elaborate. I've decided to take things down a notch, to help those coming after me to not feel so pressured to put on a raging soiree.

My solution? Trailer Trash Bunco. That's right. I'm going to minimally clean my house and serve cheese-in-a-can, tater tot casserole and rice crispy treats. I plan to dress in my best polyester. I'm even considering having The Man park his car in the yard with the hood up. It's gonna be legendary. No other bunco night will top it. They'll be talking about it for WEEKS. Or, it will simply be a more relaxed night and everyone will have fun, but whatever. CHEESE IN A CAN.

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Bunco usually lasts until 10pm, and since I'm hosting, I'll probably be up ~~catching up on the TV shows I will miss Thursday night~~ cleaning until late. So what did I plan for myself? To get up the next morning at 5am to catch a flight to Los Angeles. I'm going to visit my mother-in-law who is improving and in a step-down type of place right now in L.A. Also, it's the illustrious Tiffany's birthday next Tuesday, so we're escaping to the spa over the weekend for some long-deserved R&R. I'm not sure I deserve it, but Tiff surely does, and what kind of friend would I be if I wasn't there for her? NO FRIEND AT ALL.

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Boodle is getting glasses. I wasn't going to say anything until I had a photo of her in them, but dude, it's my kid, not a prop. She was initially excited about them, but it all turned ugly on Tuesday. We went last week to pick out frames, and I was trying so hard not to me a pushy, bossy mom who bends her daughter to her will (I'm not saying I ever do that, except that I do that ALL THE DAMN TIME) that I didn't really pay enough attention to the frames she chose.

Turns out, kid-sized frames don't fit so good on a non=kid-sized face. Duh. I'm such a good mom. She got her frames back on Monday, and seemed okay with them, but I was nervous. She kept taking them off and just not seeming right about all of it. Then on Tuesday, I got a call from school that she had a headache and I brought her home. After relaxing for a while, and being reminded to keep putting her glasses on, we talked and talked and TALKED and she finally confessed that she really didn't like them, thought they were too small for her face, and was embarrassed to wear them at school.

*thud*

That was my heart dropping. My poor kid who seemed to get the short end of the DNA stick from The Man and I (teeth issues, super thick hair with a super tender scalp, junk in the trunk) now has to wear glasses and feels BAD about them already. After some more discussion and through the miracle that is the Walmart eyewear shop's return/exchange policy, we procured new frames that are of suitable size and style. As soon as they come in and I get a picture of her rockin' those glasses, I'll post it.

Alright, I think that's finally it. I'm done with my brain dump. Enjoy your weekend everyone, and I'll catch up with you all next week!

PS - there's currently an 80% chance of rain and lightning on Friday when I'm supposed to fly out, so please pray to whatever being in which you believe that things go smoothly. It's really important to me that I be there for my sister-in-law. She needs me. And my toes need a manicure.

Yet Another Reason To Love Texas

2009-10-01T06:26:00.000-05:00

Oh, dear. This story might have shoved Florida out of the running for the top state from which weird, bizarre, this-can't-be-real news stories spawn.

Dude takes my jewelry back, I'm gonna have to eat his fish. Fair's fair.

I love that the cops say it's a civil matter. Don't bother with the suit: I'll spot you the $1.75 per that you're out.

After A Come To Jesus Meeting...

2009-09-29T20:10:00.004-05:00

my children independently brought me these:

"From someone who loves you most"

Tonight showed both my best and worst attributes as a parent. The details are not worth the typing skills involved, but we got through it, hugged it out, and they're still breathing with all appendages attached. Success.

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Urban Dictionary Definition of "Come to Jesus Meeting":

A meeting where someone close to you (e.g. friend, family, etc.) are confronted over behavior that's causing consternation that's negatively effecting your relationship.

A Milestone Reached

2009-09-25T07:08:00.003-05:00

I think I'm about 18 years too late and 4 wine coolers too short, but I reached a milestone this morning. I managed to stay awake all night for the first time in my life.

I went out to dinner last night and watched the sunset from the patio of my favorite fish taco restaurant, and at home this morning I watched the sunrise as I got the girls ready for school. Not a wink was slept all night. How 'bout that? To quote Rachel from 'Friends': "Wow, that's quite a waste of time." This WAS pretty, though -

Caffeine + afternoon nap + late night Rock Band session + really good chick lit book = All-Nighter

Best parts:

* Kids are in school today, so I can sleep until 2:40pm
* No hangover
* No Organic Chemistry final to cram for
* Still feeling delirously high from sleep deprivation

Worst parts:

* Besides feeling like a moron for not being able to get to bed like a responsible 38-year-old, I'm guessing the worst parts are yet to come

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Wordless Wednesday: Obi-Wan's Real Killer

2009-09-23T06:13:00.000-05:00

If You Put A Ham In Front Of A Camera...

2009-09-22T00:17:00.004-05:00

she'll give you quite a show.

aaaaand now we're done.