Leggo my Lego
Oldest son received a lego building set for his birthday. Somehow I've been the one roped into building cars. Thank goodness they have step-by-step picture instructions. Actually, I've become quite proficient at building the cars, if I do say so myself. I built a truck and a four-wheeler in about 30 minutes tonight. This is miraculous considering that when I was a kid I could never build anything more than a stack of blocks that I called a house. Where were the instructions then? Or did they put them in the kit and I didn't know it. This is also miraculous considering the fact that I do not have any spatial ability whatsoever. It is always amazing to me to see people who can look at something and then put it together with no further instructions. (My husband can do this. How???!! I do not get it.) Anyway, this post goes out to all you spatially challenged people. Thank goodness for instructions and a willingness to try anything!

Mission Accomplished
Just finished taking all the Christmas stuff down and putting it away in the attic. Vacuumed, dusted and put away the original stuff that I had stored to make room for my Christmas stuff. Whew! I'm glad that's finished.

Nothing to Do
Today was my official last day of work until next week when I start my new job. It feels so strange not to have anything to do. I mean there are plenty of things I could be doing, but nothing I have to do. It feels good!! Maybe I can start reading one of those books I got for Christmas. Freedom feels good!

Narnia
I went to see The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe this afternoon. Wow! If you haven't seen it yet, go see it. If you haven't read it, go read it. The book, as always, is better than the movie, but this movie was really good. I only noticed a few things added to the movie. As usual when a movie is based on a book I've read, I spent half the movie trying to figure out what was left out and what was added. I also had to sit on the front row of the theater. Ugh! There was not an empty spot anywhere else. That's what I get for being late. Then to top off my movie-going experience, there was a woman a couple of seats down from me who kept commenting to her kids the entire movie. 1) She should have read the book. 2)It is rude to talk and laugh inappropriately during a movie. This was a grown woman, not some teeny bopper. At the risk of being called a literary snob, I want you to know that I attended the movie with my mom and grandma who have not read the book. However, they at least knew the gist of the story and were familiar with C.S. Lewis. In addition, they did not proceed to talk through the entire movie. (And yes I have been called a literary snob, but it was by someone who doesn't like to read at all. ;) I do not pretend to be a literature expert, nor have I read everything. There are quite a few classics that I still need to read. However, I had to rethink a friendship when she informed me that the best book she had ever read was The Street Lawyer by John Grisham. No offense to Grisham. I always enjoy his books. But, the best book ever. Um....NO!) Boy, this was a stream of conscioness post wasn't it?? Oh well, I'm just going to go with it.

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Books Galore!
I received several books for Christmas this year. This ought to keep me busy for quite a while!

• In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner


• Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell


• A Million Little Pieces by James Frey


• Fresh-Brewed Life by Nicole Johnson


• Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper

Merry Christmas!
"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15

Quote for the Day
"I WANT THE FLU!" (7-year-old Cole screamed while waiting to get his flu shot. Even more hilarious was the walk back out of the doctor's office where I saw many people giggling and smirking as we walked by. Of course, "I want the flu" was screamed more than once followed by tears and more screaming. Ugh!)

Uprooted and Replanted
I have been through a couple of difficult weeks around here. Before you get worried,nothing bad happened. I just had to make some tough decisions about my career. An attorney made me a very nice offer of a part-time job with some flexibility and better pay with an opportunity to grow my own law business. On the other hand, I love the job I have right now. I work with wonderful people and do fascinating work on a project I really believe in. (Wish I could tell you more, but confidentiality and all that good stuff...) I decided to take the new job, but still a part of me wants to stay right where I am. It never feels good to move from a good spot into new, unknown territory. I had to take my youngest out of his preschool that I love and move him to a daycare. I had to take him out of BSF and I will be moving to an evening class. To most people, this wouldn't sound like that big a deal, but boy it sure has been hard. It is a total change from what I've been doing the past 6 years. Anyway, I'm where I am for the next two weeks and will enjoy spending time with my family over Christmas. On January 4, I embark on new territory! I'll keep you posted.

The Birdo Christmas Shirt is now available at Zazzle!! (We wanted to buy our own silk screening equipment and print our own shirts, but way too much money and effort involved. We found the cool site, Zazzle, and uploaded the design there.)

Sudoku

Have you tried one of these puzzling puzzles yet? I am working my first one tonight with the help of my husband who has a much more logical mind than mine. Keeks tells me they are addictive. I love crosswords and cryptoquotes so I figured I'd give one of these puzzles a try. There are lots of places to get them on the web. Here are a couple of sites you can check out.
Sudoku.com
Sudoku for Kids
The Daily Sudoku

Update: Am now officially addicted!

ATTENTION: The Birdo Christmas Shirt is being designed as I type. Keep your eyes open, the new design will be posted soon. (I know you are waiting on pins and needles!)

Note to Self: Must buy stock in kleenex company if I'm going to continue watching old reruns of Little House on the Prairie.

Update: Will have to invest in more stock if I continue watching The Waltons directly after Little House.

Toy Shopping
Are you looking for the perfect toy for the child in your life? Family Fun magazine always puts out an article on the best toys of the year and you can access it online. My boys would love the castle, but I don't think I'm going to spend $180 on one. It's always fun to see what they pick, even if I don't buy any of the toys. Click here if you want to see the toys for 2005. (Thanks to Tourbus for the tip on the toys.)

For All You Lawyers Out There
I think I have been reading way too many cases. I informed one of my boys tonight that his argument was not ripe. He had suffered no injury and thus had no complaint. Oh my!

On My Nightstand

• The Christmas Train by David Baldacci
• The Storekeepers Daughter by Wanda Brunstetter
• State of Fear by Michael Crichton
• Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
• When God Came Near by Max Lucado
• One Incredible Moment by Max Lucado
• The Message Bible
  

Quote for the Day
"You have brains in your head; you have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." Dr Seuss

Clear Card Concept
Warning: This post will be Seinfeldish. It will probably not be half as funny as when we were talking about it. It is basically a post about nothing.

Have you seen the new playing cards for games that are clear? We got the UNO game with waterproof, clear cards this summer. Of course, the kids immediately threw the cards in the pool because they were waterproof. We then spent the rest of the afternoon diving for the cards that were at the bottom of the pool. We never did play UNO. But, I digress. Last week, Keeks bought a set of Zigity cards (a game by the Cranium people) and it features the clear cards. I like the clear card concept. The cards are very cool looking. But, the cards are way too slick. Everytime someone picked up the cards, they ended up sliding out of their hands and we had to pick them up. The other thing is that the cards get scratched up and then end up being "cloudy" cards instead of clear cards. Once those two problems are cleared up (silly pun intended!) these cards will be a hit. My prediction is that all the old, classic games will come out with a clear card version.

Bath Time
I rarely take a bath, but have friends who do so quite often. I never could figure out the appeal until I tried it for myself tonight. I've been dragging around since I got home from McAllen. I've got a hoarse voice, clogged ears and a neckache. (I am only 38! I am only 38! Must keep repeating this to myself because some days I feel like I'm 80!) I decided to give a soak in the tub a chance. I feel like a new person! I sat in the tub and read a book and relaxed. (The Christmas Train by David Baldacci in case you were wondering.) If you are tired or feeling stressed, try the tub. You won't believe it!

Turkey Drive 2005
The trip to McAllen, Texas was a blast. Youngest son and I drove down on Wednesday. We left at 5:30 a.m. and got to McAllen around 6 p.m. I think it was one of my fastest driving times ever. Amazing, considering the amount of traffic there was in Texas. One good thing about Texas is they drive fast! The traffic was moving the whole time except for in downtown Austin. I got stuck there for about 30 minutes. We had a wonderful time at my sister's house. She cooked a 25 pound turkey which was delicious. We had a fun time with family and friends. We hit the sales at Target on Friday. It was crowded but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. We picked up a couple of new games while we were at Target. We got Cranium Turbo Edition and Scene It. Both were tons of fun. I thought I knew a lot about movies until I played Scene It. Wow! It was pretty hard. The drive home from Texas was great until we hit Waco. The traffic was backed up forever. My mom, now known as The Gramster (originally known as Grammy), cannot stand to wait so she started getting off I-35 and reading the map trying to find an alternate route home. It was hilarious! We always say she has an internal compass. Anyway, we crossed over to 281 and came up to Oklahoma through Wichita Falls. Whew! It seemed like we would never got home. I think we finally got here about 9:30 p.m. I'm still dragging a bit. Maybe I'll go to bed early tonight. Yeah, right, that's what I say every night. ;)

Here it is...the Turkey Drive T-Shirt.

El Pavo by Keeks
I wish I could upload the actual t-shirt designs but alas I can't figure out how to upload a word doc to blogger.

El Pavo T-Shirts Complete
Yes, it's true that I now have about 25 hours into making our turkey t-shirts. Dealing with graphics and lettering is not my forte. Anyway, here are the designs for the shirts. Oh and by the way I ended up printing them myself using Transfer Paper and an iron. I don't know if it was the most cost effective, but it was the fastest way we could figure out to do them. Next on our list is a Christmas t-shirt.

El Pavo (The Turkey)
I was supposed to be working today and instead was sidetracked by visions of a turkey t-shirt that my sister is designing for our Thanksgiving trip to McAllen, TX. I was scanning in her drawing, checking out websites and trying to figure out how to get her design on a shirt without breaking the bank. The theme for the shirt is "Turkey Drive 2005" with a very special turkey now known as El Pavo. I don't know if I can explain the turkey or not. I will have to take you back in time just a bit. My sister always draws this little cartoony type bird. She even puts it next to her name when she signs a card. The bird is known as "Birdo." Ask anyone at the library where she works...they all know Birdo. Anyway, she has now redesigned the signature Birdo with feathers just in time for Thanksgiving. I wanted to name him "Turko" but she insists it is still Birdo. We finally compromised on El Pavo (spanish for turkey). So, just in case you've been wondering what I've been doing with my time, this is the sort of important stuff I've been working on. Designing the perfect t-shirt for a road trip. LOL! (If given permission by the creator of Birdo and El Pavo, I will post pictures so you can see what I'm talking about. I can only post them if given permission and if you promise not to copy these masterpieces!)

Wind Wind Go Away
It was so windy today that I thought my clothes were going to blow off. I am not exaggerating. Ask anyone that lives in Oklahoma. It was horrible today. In fact, when I went to the post office, I had put my hair up in a pony tail in hopes that it would keep my hair from blowing into my face. Wrong! The wind actually blew my pony tail holder out of my hair. The holder was nowhere to be found and my hair was flying everywhere. So much for the ponytail. It was of no use today.

Toilet Lawsuit
People sue for some crazy things. Yesterday I noticed an article in the newspaper about a guy who got glued to a toilet in Home Depot and is now suing. Yes, I know I have a sick sense of humor, but these toilet lawsuits crack me up! (Bad pun intended.) Believe it or not, there have been other toilet lawsuits as well. Anyway, apparently this guy has a history of being stuck to toilets. Hmmm...I may have to do a little research to see just how many toilet lawsuits have been filed the past few years.

Now I've seen it all...A Heated Bra!

Nooma
Kristen always hooks me up with new, interesting things that I wouldn't know about except for her. Her latest find is awesome! Nooma videos are short little videos that pack a powerful punch. I watched the first one called "Rain" last night. I can't stop thinking about it. You can watch clips online here. (By the way, Nooma means "spirit" or "breath.")

Here's why I've been missing in action so long...I've been cruising the Western Caribbean. This was taken on Princess Cays in the Bahamas. Ahhh!! Wish I were there right now. Beautiful!

You Know You're an Okie...
I got this in an email today and laughed my head off. Hope you enjoy it, too.

You know you're 100% Oklahoman if:
1. You can properly pronounce Eufaula, Gotebo, Okemah, and Chickasha.
2. You think that people who complain about the wind in their states
are sissies.
3. A tornado warning siren is your signal to go out in the yard and
look for a funnel.
4. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on
the highway.
5. You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
6. You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined
by the distance to the door, but by the availability of shade.
7. Stores don't have bags, they have sacks.
8. You see people wear bib overalls at funerals.
9. You think everyone from a bigger city has an accent.
10. You measure distance in minutes. ("I'm about 5 minutes away")
11. You refer to the capital of Oklahoma as "The City."
12. It doesn't bother you to use an airport named for a man who died
in an airplane crash.
13. Little smokies are something you serve only for special occasions.
14. You go to the lake because you think it is like going to the
ocean..
15. You listen to the weather forecast before picking out an outfit.
16. You know cowpies are not made of beef.
17. Someone you know has used a football schedule to plan their
wedding date.
18. You have known someone who has had one belt buckle bigger than
your fist.
19. A bad traffic jam involves two cars staring each other down at a
four-way stop, each determined to be the most polite and let the other
go first.
20. You know in which state "Miam-uh" is and in which state "Miam-ee"
is.
21. You aren't surprised to find movie rental, ammunition, and bait
all in the same store.
22. Your "place at the lake" has wheels under it.
23. A Mercedes Benz is not a status symbol. A Ford F350 4x4 is.
24. You know everything goes better with Ranch.
25. You learned how to shoot a gun before you learned how to multiply.
26. You actually get these jokes and are "fixin" to send them to your
friends..
27. Finally, you are 100% Oklahoman if you have ever heard this
conversation:
"You wanna Coke?" "Yeah." "What kind?" "Dr. Pepper

More Photo Fun!
(Yes I shot a ton of these pictures because for once
the boys were actually acting like they liked each other. )

ATTENTION: LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT BOOK
I'm in desperate search of a good, long book to take with my on my upcoming cruise. I went to Barnes Noble tonight, but nothing really struck me. I need a new author and a good read. I get in some of my best reading when I am traveling. I remember when I was 21, my grandma took me out to Las Vegas to celebrate. I read everything I had brought with me and was looking for something to read on the trip home. My aunt had only a few books and one was really thick so I chose it...The Thornbirds. The rest is history. I read that whole 800 page book in about 30 hours. I am not making it up! We had some delays in flights and ended up spending the night in Houston Hobby Airport. I could not sleep, so I found a nice quiet place on a the floor and read like a madwoman. Left early the next morning for OKC, got home, said hello to the family and went in my room to finish the book. Another book I really enjoyed while traveling was The Shell Seekers. Nice long novel with wonderful characters. Please help me! The plane leaves early Sunday morning. I am anxiously awaiting your comments and emails.

Waiting for the fire to die down a bit so they can roast marshmallows.

We had a wonderful fall break spent at Lake Tenkiller. The leaves are changing color and we had gorgeous weather. We spent Saturday on the lake cruising around and fishing. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera on the boat. These boys caught the world's tiniest fish! I have no idea how they managed to catch them, but they did and were thrilled. Anyway, I got some cute pics of the boys so bear with me. If I can just get blogger to post them. Been having trouble with the picture posting tool all night.

Have you heard this guy?
I have been introduced to a lot of good music by my sisters. Kristen recommended Gavin DeGraw to me and I haven't been able to stop listening. Go to his website and you can hear some of his songs. Enjoy!

TV Nostalgia
I was flipping channels last night and discovered that "Hart to Hart" is now on every night at 11 p.m. (For those of you in the OKC area, it is on KSBI.) I loved this show in high school so I was hooked. The show is just as cheesy and fun as ever. I still love it! Then I started thinking of other shows I used to love. Cagney and Lacey, Barnaby Jones Hmmm...looks like I have a thing for detective shows. But, I don't really like too many of the new detective shows. Too much blood and gore these days. Anyway, I guess you know where I'll be at 11 p.m. tonight. There went my goal of starting to get to bed earlier.

Apple Does It Again
Now Apple has annouced a new video iPod. It can hold up to 15,000 songs and 25,000 photos. It can hold 150 hours of video. Unbeliveable! I can't wait to get over to the brand new Apple Store at Penn Square and try one of these out. What will they think of next?

On My Nightstand

• The Journey That Saved Curious George by Louise Borden (Recommended by Bookmoot)
  
• Terrific by Jon Agee (Recommended by Book Moot)
  
• The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters (Fun mystery series. The first is Crocodile on the Sandbank.)
  
• Levenger's newest catalog - "Tools for Serious Readers" (drool, drool...)
  
• Tourist Guide to Branson, Missouri (Planning a trip there in the spring.)
• Oklahoma Bar Journal (For Attorneys not Bar Owners ;) )
  
• Bible Study Fellowship Lesson (Studying the book of Genesis this year. So far all I can say
  
• is "Wow!")

Alas, my little shuffle is still missing from its spot.

Where is my Shuffle???
Am in a panic. Cannot find my iPod shuffle anywhere. Now I'm cursing the small size of the thing. Here, Shuffle, Shuffle, Shuffle. Please come home.

Wow!!
This is cool!

Pedi, Anyone?
I went to try on shoes the other night and had to borrow some hose at the shoe store to try them on. It was at that moment, I noticed how bad my feet and toenails looked. Embarrasing! I took myself right out today and got myself a pedicure. My feet look much better, not perfect, but better. I'm wearing a color called "Chick Flick Red." I was really stepping out since I usually choose "Big Apple Red." ;) Actually, the two colors are quite a bit different. This one is a darker color of red, a good fall color. I just wonder how I managed to survive so long without getting pedicures. I think I had my first one when I was about 31. Then I went 6 years before getting another. Now, at the age of 38, I find pedicures a necessity of life. I keep wondering why someone didn't tell me about these things when I was a teenager. Then again, I probably wouldn't have had the money to do it back then. And, don't tell me to do my own pedicures. If you saw the way I paint nails, you'd faint! So, I'll just keep going to get it done and sit in that nice massaging chair and be thankful someone else will do it for me. (And next time I won't wait until my feet look quite so bad!)

38 things (via The Happy Homemaker)
1. What is your full name now? Kyndal
2. What color trousers are you wearing? Ummm...I'm wearing yellow pajama pants. I confess that I've been wearing them all day long. I did not wear them in public, though.
3. What are you listening to right now? Jay Leno's monologue
4. What was the last thing you ate? A slice of swiss cheese
5. Do you wish on stars? No.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Bright Red
7. How is the weather right now? Nice and cool, finally!
8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My friend, Dianna.
9. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I got this from The Happy Homemaker's Blog. And yes I like her. She's one of my favorite people.
10. How old are you today? 38
11. Favorite soft drink? Coke...the real one not the diet. This leads to another thought. Does Diet Coke cause you to lose your memory? I recently switched to Diet Coke (the past month or so) and have noticed I can't remember a darn thing. Plus, I was having tons of headaches. Is it the nutrasweet?
12. Favorite sport? To watch: Football. To play: Well let's just say I haven't played a sport in a really long time, but I used to love softball and soccer.
13. Hair color? Brown
14. Siblings? Two younger sisters.
15. Favorite food? I have to pick just one...this will be hard. I'll just be general and say dessert. I love desserts!
16. What was the last movie you saw? 40 Year Old Virgin
17. Favorite yearly event? My birthday.
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? Steve Austin, The Six Million Dollar Man, and his cool rocket ship.
19. Summer or winter? Summer. I can't stand the cold.
20. Hugs or kisses? Hugs
21. Chocolate,vanilla or strawberry? Chocolate
22. How's your mood today? Happy
23. Practical shoes or fashion shoes? Comfortable!
24. Favorite magazines: Mac World, Us, Reader's Digest
25. Do you have a will? Yes.
26. When was the last time you cried? Can't remember.
27. What is under your bed? A card table and dust.
28. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Jennifer W.
29. What did you do last night? Went shopping at the mall for black shoes and a swim suit for my husband. Ever tried to buy a swim suit in October? Not easy to do. But, we did find a suit for $4.99.
30. Favorite TV shows? Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives ( I used to love Judging Amy but they took it off this season. Blah!)
31. What are you afraid of? mice, heights
32. Plain, buttered or salted popcorn? Butter and lots of it.
33. Favorite cat? Garfield
34. Favorite Flower? red rose
35. Number of keys on your key ring? 3
36. Favorite vacations? Yellowstone, Hawaii, Disney World and anywhere with a beach.
37. Three Bloggers who don't blog enough. Keeks and I can't think of anyone else.
38. Six friends who you are tagging: If you read this and do it, let me know. I want to read it!

This and That

• Favorite New T.V. Show: Grey's Anatomy. Have you seen it yet? Cool characters, cool music, cool storylines. I just can't get over Patrick Dempsey being all grown up. I still remember him as that scrawny kid in Can't Buy Me Love. Yes, I'm really showing my age now. My baby sister probably doesn't even know what I'm talking about!
• Last book I read: Whale Talk by Chris Cutcher. This is a young adult book and I highly recommend it. It is a story of a high school boy and the swim team he organizes using the "misfits" of the school. It is about friendship, living with your mistakes and fitting in. A must-read. (Thanks to Bookmoot for the recommendation.)
• Last movie I saw at the theater: The 40 Year Old Virgin. I am almost embarrased to say that I saw this movie, but I did. It was hilarious! One of the girls I was with almost choked on her popcorn because she was laughing so hard. Some guy behind me was actually stomping his feet. Just watch out for the hair waxing scene. Killer!
• Blog that will make you laugh out loud: Manolo's Shoe Blog (Thanks to The Happy Homemaker for the recommendation.)
• Where I have been: Driving kids around, working, cleaning out closets and drawers and my office. I feel like paper has overtaken me. Papers coming home from school, magazines, mail and work. Paper everywhere. I've started throwing everything away and will probably regret it. I'll probably need it tomorrow.
• Future Blogging Ideas: None. I need help. If I could just think of something to write I would.

Shopping Fun
I had to go to Office Depot tonight to get a ream of paper. I love office supply stores. I spent about 30 minutes browsing the store and came out with much more than I went in for. My favorite part of office stores is the pen aisle. I just wish they had somewhere to write with the pens before you buy them. I can't stand scratchy pens. Anyway, I then noticed little tiny sharpie markers with a hook on them. You can hook them to your car keys or whatever. I snatched one right up! What could be more useful than a mini Sharpie? ;)

This comic from "Unshelved" made me laugh out loud. Enjoy! Click here to go to Unshelved's website.

Apple of my Eye
My current phase is anything Apple. I am fascinated by their technology and the sleek look of their products. I received two emails the other night letting me know that an Apple Store is opening right here in OKC. Woohoo! It opens this Saturday at Penn Square Mall. I wish I could go for the grand opening, but I plan to be out of town this weekend. I'll just drag my sister (a fellow apple freak) over there next week.

Phases
It seems I've spent most of my life going through one phase or another. In high school I went through a Michael Jackson and a Madonna phase. In college, I went through a phase of listening to country music and wearing boots all the time. If a movie or a book sparks my interest, I will move into another phase of learning all I can about a subject. After seeing Field of Dreams, I started learning all I could about Shoeless Joe Jackson and the White Sox. My blogging seems to go in phases, too. Some weeks I can think of ideas so fast I can barely get them down. The next week, I have no idea what to write. Bear with me, I'm trying not to make blogging just another "phase" in my life. I enjoy blogging, it just sometimes seems that I have absolutely nothing to write about. That's what's been happening for the past week. Hopefully, my blogger's block will resolve soon.

Handwriting Help
Since Cole started first grade, I find myself having to teach handwriting once again. Kids never seem to want to start writing their numbers or letter in the correct spot which then leads to the number/letter looking not quite right. Also, once they get in the habit of making a number/letter one way, it is very hard to switch. I went in search of handwriting paper like Cole uses at school (so we could practice at home) and came across this handy dandy site simply called Handwriting Paper. Click on the paper you want and print it. Voila!

Glued to the Tube
I've been watching the confirmation hearing of Judge John Roberts with interest. It looks like a lot of the senators prefer to hear themselves talk instead of Judge Roberts. Anyway, if you missed any of the hearings (which I did this morning) you can still watch them on cspan. I'm currently watching the hearings on my computer. Super cool!

Boring/Not Boring
I am very boring today. I can think of nothing to write about. I'll just link you to one of my favorite blogs, The QC Report. It is never boring! Enjoy!

Fun Children's Author
I know I've mentioned Doreen Cronin and her books before, but she is worth mentioning again. We just picked up her newly released book, Diary of a Spider, at the library and thoroughly enjoyed it. She is one of our favorite authors. She wrote Click Clack Moo and Giggle Giggle Quack Quack. In addition, she has written Diary of a Worm. If you want a good laugh, just pick up one of these books. Enjoy! (I found out about Diary of a Spider and Doreen Cronin's website from my favorite book blog, Bookmoot.) By the way, I just looked up Doreen Cronin on Amazon and it appears she has a book I missed called Wiggle. I'm going to reserve it from the library right now!

Supreme Court Watch
I've been watching the Supreme Court vacancies and nominations with interest. Here are a few interesting links for you to explore.

• Point of Law has a feature discussion between Stephen Presser and Richard Epstein.
• SCOTUSblog
• The Supreme Court Nomination Blog
• Supreme Court of the United States - Their official website.

If there are any websites that you like concerning the nominations, let me know.

More on the Nano
My sister already ordered hers. Jan also sent me this link from The Bleat. In the words of my sister, "Must have Apple products!" LOL!

iPod Nano
Apple just came out with an ipod that is so thin and cool! The 4 gig model can hold 1000 songs. I know what I'll be putting on my Christmas wish list this year. I just can't believe how much technology can be squished into tiny gadgets. Awesome!

Operation Underwear
For those of you located in the OKC area, Quail Springs Church of Christ is collecting new underwear and diapers for the hurricane victims. All sizes of underwear are needed. Bras are needed, too. You can take your donations to the south side of the church. The church is located just north of Memorial and May. If you've been looking for a way to help, this is a great place to start!

Update: For more information on Operation Underwear, click here.

Labor Day Fun!

We spent the weekend at Lake Tenkiller. This was one of the boys' favorite parts of the weekend, climbing up the cliffs. Their other favorite part of the weekend was fishing with their dad early one morning. I do not care for fishing so I stayed home. Plus, I got the added bonus of getting to sleep in. I hope they keep fishing! ;) (The only bad part of staying home was I didn't get any pictures of those "big" fish they caught. My husband informed me that all the fish were so small they had to throw them back. The kids didn't care. They had a blast!)

The "big"preschooler on his first day of school.

When Will I Learn?
When will I learn to check pockets before I do laundry? I just removed a load from the dryer and there is red crayon on everything. Yes, it was a load of whites. AHHH!! Also, there is crayon melted inside the dryer near the lint remover and also on the lint remover. It is hard to get off! Fortunately, I see I'm not the only one who has done this.
I think I'll try the toothpaste trick first and see if it works.

Update
How am I going to get it off the clothes??? I was worrying so much about the dryer (it's new) that I forgot about the clothes. Of course there were a couple of pairs of nice khaki shorts in with the underwear. They are now streaked with red.

Unshelved
I stumbled across this website on a link from Bookmoot. I had forgotten all about it and revisited it today. It is hilarious! My sister especially enjoys it since she works at a library. She has some of the most fascinating and crazy things happen while working. I told her she needed to blog about it. These guys cartoon about it. Pure fun!

Etiquette Schmettiqute
I was at TGIFriday's the other night enjoying dinner with my family when I noticed a young couple near us. They appeared to be on a date. (I admit it. I am a people watcher. I prefer to think of myself as an observant person, but really I'm just fascinated by other people.) During their meal, the girl's cell phone rang and she proceeded to eat her dinner and talk on the phone while her date was sitting there. Am I the only one that finds this ridiculous? Whatever happened to manners? I love cell phones and their convenience, but I hate the way they are taking over our society. You can't even go to the movies without someone's phone ringing during the middle of it. It drives me nuts. The worst part is when someone actually answers their phone during the movie and then has a whole conversation. AAAHHH!

Contents of a 6-Year Old's Briefcase

• Plastic Walkie Talkie that does not really work
• 3 fake wooden fish on a stringer
• "Police glasses" in a case
• Brainiac's Secret Agent Activity Book
• Black Wallet containing sheriff's badge
• Handcuffs (toy ones not the real ones) and keys
  
• Pens
• 2 file folders marked "Top Secret"
• Watch
  

This and That

• Younger son starts back to preschool tomorrow. He is so excited!
  
• I'm more impressed by older son's first grade teacher all the time. I went to the parent meeting the other night. Wow!
  
• I have started walking again. However, we have now been going around 8:30 at night instead of early mornings. I like it. That getting up early was killing me, although I sure did get a lot done in the mornings.
  
• I went on a motorcycle ride today with hubby on his new toy. Why do those things have to be so dangerous and yet be so much fun?
• Attended a wonderful church service today. I've missed church the last two weeks while we were out of town and it felt good to be back.
  

Reading Quote for Friday
"It is a man's duty to have books. A library is not a luxury, but one of the necessities of life." --Henry Ward Beecher

Wifi Crazy Part 2
I have now gone so wifi crazy that I bought a router yesterday and set up my own wireless network at home. It is cool! Now I can sit in the living room and access my cable modem and the internet from my laptop. I'm typing this blog entry from my kitchen counter. I also got the boys' computer set up with a handy dandy wireless usb adapter. No need to crack the case when usb is available. Now I just need some type of filtering or parental control program for the internet before I let them get on it. They just want to play nickjr and pbs, but you just don't know what is going to pop up on the internet. Anyone know of any good software? And, I just have to say it. I love technology!

WiFi Crazy
I was able to get my hands on an old laptop computer a few weeks ago for free. I snatched it right up with the idea that I might be able to use it for wireless internet access. I'm always at Panera Bread or somewhere and the idea that I could jump on the internet and surf the web or check my email intrigued me. So for the price of a wifi card I am now able to surf wirelessly. The laptop is a dinosaur running Windows 98, but the thing works pretty darn well! My first outing was to the McDonald's playground. I asked the staff as I ordered my food about using their wifi. They looked at me cluelessly and began laughing. They weren't rude, just cracking up because none of them had ever used it. I'm not even sure they knew their store had it. They did get a manager for me who checked out the whole situation and carried my tray out to the play area for me and helped me get set up. I told them they were going to make a fortune if people could work on their computer while their kids played on the playground. I set up my new "old" laptop and waited for it to bootup and then tried logging on. Lo and behold, it worked! For $2.95 I was able to purchase a 2 hour block of time on the internet. That was the best 2 hours I ever spent in a McDonald's play area!! Now I'm on the hunt for free wifi access. I know Panera has it and so does Java Daves. Also, most of the metropolitan libraries have it. (I'm not sure if all of them do but the one I go to has it. Tried it out the other day. Worked great!) So, if you know of any free areas in OKC let me know. I'm mad at Starbucks because you have to have some contract with T-Mobile to use their wifi. And now I can't stop with the wifi. I'm thinking about doing a wireless network at home so I can access my cable modem with my laptop while I sit on the couch. I also just noticed that the price of new laptops has dropped significantly. I saw one in Dell's flyer the other day for $499! (I think you would have to add a wifi card.) Or, I also have my eye on Mac's ibook for $999. Remember when laptops used to be over $2000?!! Man! I love technology.

Awesome!

Wow! We spotted this rainbow on the way to the bus stop this morning. It was gorgeous. I couldn't capture the whole thing, but did manage to get part of it. It was a full rainbow, not just part of one. Everyone in the neighborhood was out admiring it. One of the finest I've ever seen. As my kids would say, "God sure is a good artist!"

There's a Mouse in the House! (Almost)
Have you played the game Mousetrap lately? It is still as bad as when we were kids. Nothing stays together. Everytime you get one part of the trap together another part falls apart. We have yet to catch a mouse. My kids love that game and always want to play it. I can't figure out why. I promise you, all it does is fall apart. You can just be moving your mouse around the board and the trap will totally destroy itself. Speaking of mice, we seem to have several of them running in our garage lately. I can't figure out why they are trying to get inside at this time of year. Usually you'll see them in the fall just before it turns really cold. We've already caught 3! Disgusting! At least they are in the garage and not in the house. (I should also mention that I use the term "we" loosely. I had nothing to do with catching the mice except buying the traps. My husband takes care of the mouse catching around here.)

In the Company of Liars by David Ellis
This book is fantastic! I read it over the weekend at the lake where my poor sister had to listen to my rant about how the whole thing is written backwards. Yes, he wrote the book in reverse. David Ellis is a genius! It is about a woman on trial for murder and that's about all I can say. I don't want to give anything away. If you like legal-thrillers, mysteries or suspense novels, you'll like this one. Did I say it is written backwards? ;)

The First Grader
Here is the first grader on his first day of school. He had a fantastic day. He was so excited to go back to school this morning that he began asking me at 7:30 a.m. if it was time to catch the bus. The bus does not come until 8:25 a.m. This was his first time to ride the bus to school and he was pumped! (He has been riding the bus home from school since last year.) I have always tried to raise my children to be independent. Well, darn if I haven't done too good a job. That kid marched right on to the bus with never a look back at me. No goodbye, no wave, nothing. He is on to bigger and better things. What a place to be...6 years old and a whole new world in front of you. Go, kid, go!

Reader's Quote for Friday
"It is unusual to speak in a playfully apologetic tone about one's adult enjoyment of what are called 'children's books.' I think the convention is a silly one....The only imaginative works we ought to grow out of are those which it would have been better not to have read at all." -C.S. Lewis

I'm Gonna Wash That Gray Right Outta My Hair
I was informed by my 6 year old son this morning that I have gray streaks in my hair. He told me that I needed to paint my hair brown to get rid of the gray. Thanks, kid. I'll get right on that as soon as I drop you off at first grade with your 12 year old teacher. LOL!! Also, I want to point out to my readers that my hair is highlighted. Those are not gray streaks. They used to be gray streaks, now they are highlights. Just in case you were wondering.... :)

Yahoo!
Got the teacher we wanted. 2nd year teacher...she looks about 12. Made the mistake of saying this to my son. I'm sure he will tell his brand new teacher this tomorrow morning. Oh well...I feel that you can never go wrong with a new teacher. They are generally enthusiastic and enjoy the kids. Lunch tickets were bought with a minimum of fuss and wait. Oh yeah...they don't even have lunch tickets anymore. They just keep everything on an account on a computer in the cafeteria. Cool! I didn't have to wait to find out our bus number because my nice neighbor waited in the bus line and called me with the number while I was in Cole's room filling out his paperwork. What did we do without cell phones? Then one of my other nice neighbors treated us to lunch. All in all a good morning. Cole can hardly wait for tomorrow morning!

Meet the Teacher
We're off to meet the teacher this morning for my first grade son. He is so excited he can barely stand it. "Who is it? Who is my teacher?" We will all crowd in the hallway to look at the class lists to see who the teacher is. I hope and pray he will get the perfect teacher for him. I loved my mom's comment when I talked to her this morning. "If he doesn't get someone who appreciates his brilliance, march into the principal's office and get him moved to a teacher who does." LOL! Go grandma! I'll post a full report later today. I'm sure you'll be waiting on pins and needles. ;)

Question of the Day: What first attracted you to law?
Jan asks my very first reader question and I'm going to try to answer, but I have a feeling it is going to come out in a discombulated way. I have always been fascinated with lawyers and anything about them including books and t.v. shows. I don't think I ever knew a real life lawyer while I was growing up so any image I had of them was what I saw on t.v. or what I read. Perry Mason was my favorite. LOL! I never started out to be a lawyer, I started out to be a teacher. In fact, I spent ten years of my life as an elementary school teacher and loved it. Around year four, though, I began thinking about doing something else. Something that would really stretch my brain. (Not that teaching doesn't stretch your brain, I was just looking for something different.) I had began suffering teacher burn out as many teachers do from dealing with parents and administration and all that other junk. (Now I'm on the other side of the fence as I get ready to send my oldest to first grade but that's another story! Kudos to all you teachers out there! I always miss going back to school and getting my bulletin boards ready and all that stuff in August, believe it or not.) Anyway, I met a teacher that year whose mother-in-law was a judge. She began telling me how she had started out as a high school English teacher who went to law school at night. A light bulb went off in my head. I could go to law school at night...and so my mind began churning with ideas. I don't really know why I thought I wanted to go to law school. It just seemed like a good idea at the time. I relished the idea of sitting in class and reading those big books and discussing ideas intellectually with others around me. I embraced the idea of matching my brain with all those others. Lucky for me there was a local university that offered law school at night. I went to an informational meeting about it. I signed up for the LSAT and somehow passed the thing. I managed to get into law school and here I am. Now I have the job of my dreams. I get to work with cool people like Jan. I work flex hours part-time and still get to enjoy my boys. I get to work my brain and I love it! By the way, I also found out along the way I was never meant to be a courtroom lawyer. I always thought I'd love the thrill of going into the courtroom and saving clients. It is not for me. It is a high stress job. Way too much stress for me. It only took one trial practice class and a few times going to court on simple motions for me to figure that out. I prefer the research and writing end of the law. I still love watching my law t.v. shows and reading my fiction legal thrillers, but I'll leave the litigation practice to someone else. One other thing I found out about the practice of law...it is tons of paperwork. And I do means tons. I've never seen so much paper in my life. You know how it is, they don't teach you any of this while you are in law school. ;)

Line of Vision by David Ellis
Wow! This was a can't put down legal thriller. If you like courtroom drama, you'll like this one. Twists and turns galore and this is David Ellis' first book. I read this book in two days. I am still thinking about it. I gasped aloud when reading the end. My husband, a nonreader, thinks I am crazy. (By nonreader, I just mean that he does not enjoy reading anything. He would never read a novel in a hundred years. What can I say? Opposites attract.) He happened to be in the room as I was finishing the book, gasping and talking to myself and flipping back pages to make sure I had read correctly. Anyway, I loved this book. I loved the courtroom drama. I love the law. I am a lawyer who never goes to a courtroom so I live vicariously through those who do. I already checked out David Ellis' newest one and can't wait to get started. Thank goodness for my friend in book club who is always looking for new authors and stands in the library browsing the shelves until she runs across gems like these.

Blow off the Dust!
Where have I been? What have I been doing? I've got a lot of catching up to do! Jan is right...the once a day stuff has gone by the wayside. LOL! I'm hoping that with school starting this Thursday and the start of a new routine, my life will resume in a new orderly manner. It will include more exercise, more blogging and more accomplished in my life in general. Will it happen? Stay tuned and watch! (By the way, I'm one of those people who always has big plans and they last for awhile, but then I get bored and move on to something else. Keeps life interesting.) As for the last 3 days, I've been enjoying the last part of our summer freedom at Lake Tenkiller. We enjoyed one day on the water, while most of the last 2 days have been spent inside because of lots of rain. I didn't mind one bit. I played with the kids and spent a lot of time curled up with a book. (Review coming soon...that'll give me something to write about.) That's half my blogging problem these days... I can't think of anything to write about...I think it's called blogger's block or something. Send me ideas...I can use all the help I can get. Send questions. Post comments. Let's blow the dust off this blog and get it rolling again.

Way Behind!
How did I get so far behind on blog entries? I usually try to post just a little something each day and it has been days since my last post. Where does the time go? I can't believe it is already August and in 2 short weeks my older son will be starting 1st grade. Here's what's been keeping me busy the past week or so...

• Estate Sale for my husband's uncle last weekend and this weekend - Believe it or not I had a blast doing this last weekend. I got a sitter for the boys and spent all weekend taking money and haggling with buyers. I met tons of interesting people and sold a couch for $25. If you're looking for a bargain, I'm the one to see! LOL We're having another sale this weekend and then will send everything to auction. You cannot believe how much stuff there is...tons!
• The boys, my mother-in-law and I spent yesterday in Bricktown yesterday eating lunch at the Sonic sit-down restaurant and seeing "March of the Penguins." I love going to Bricktown. No matter how much I go down there I keep saying to myself, "I cannot believe this is in OKC!" March of the Penguins was an excellent movie. I DO NOT know how they were able to shoot those breathtaking scenes. I cannot believe how much those penguins do for their chicks. Amazing!! Go see it. We also went to the Bass Pro Shop and looked at the big aquarium and all the stuffed animals. The boys thought that was really cool.
  
• I spent last night with my book club eating sushi at Sushi Neko. What a fun experience! We got to sit in Tatami Room where you take your shoes off and everything. I have only eaten sushi one other time. I prefer to eat cooked sushi, but I did try one uncooked piece last night. I must admit that it was delicious! It was some kind of tuna or something. It's a good thing I hang out with people who know what's going on. ;) I do know how to use chop sticks so I did have that going for me.
  
• I am in charge of Bible School at church. I attend a small church so we decided that instead of killing ourselves for an entire week we would stretch it out for 5 weeks. LOL! Actually, we are doing Bible School once a week for 5 weeks. Not bad at all. We only have one week left. It has actually gone pretty smoothly thanks to all the wonderful volunteers. The really cool thing is that we put all ages together from 3 year olds to 14 year olds. It is amazing how well all these kids get along. It did my heart good last Wednesday night to see about 35 kids outside playing Duck Duck Goose ranging in age from 3 to 14. Cool!

Loved this post!
Go here and read this post by Joe McKeever about love and marriage. It is thought provoking and insightful.

Stay Cool!

Lake Bums!
Just returned home from Lake Tenkiller, one of my favorite places. You can see from the picture that we had a really rough weekend. That's me and Cole in the front and Chase further back. In the background are our friends and their boat. In the far background, you can see where they are digging out by the dam to make the new spillway. I don't really understand the whole thing, but it is to generate power and they are rerouting the bridge.

Crocs!
Jan found a picture of the croc shoes I mentioned in my post yesterday. No actual crocodiles were used to make the shoes. LOL!
I know they are ugly, but they are so darn comfortable! I bought this khaki color and a pair of red ones.
Thank you, Jan!
You can see more crocs here.

This and That

• I'm finally well! I can wear contacts again. I can breathe. I can eat. Yes!
• I'm going to a swim party this afternoon with my friends that I used to teach school with. I haven't seen some of them in a couple of years. I'm looking forward to it.
• I play Bunco tonight. I wonder if I can roll 5 buncos again???
• Yes, I do plan to goof off the rest of today but I am working this morning.
• I started my morning walking routine again. It feels good! I'm 2 for 2 mornings so far this week.
  
• Will it be the Sidekick or the Nokia? I'm going to get the Nokia. I've convinced myself the other is too expensive. But, stay posted. I've been known to change my mind.
• I bought myself some of those ugly Croc shoes that everyone is wearing. They are the most comfortable things I've ever put on. Now I know why people wear them. (Maybe Jan can find a picture of them. She is the shoe queen!)
  
• The hurricane is headed for my sister's house is McAllen. Well, at least part of the storm. I talked to her this morning and I believe she said they are going to be north of the eye. People are boarding up their windows and everything. She said she is going to tape hers. She already moved all her stuff on her patio inside. Scary! I know all about tornadoes, but nothing about hurricanes.
  

New Phone
I've been shopping for a new cell phone the past several days. Decisions, decisions! If only I didn't like gadgets quite so much. I know I should just get a regular cell phone (if there is such a thing) and be done with it and then I see things like the Blackberry, Sidekick or the Treo. I saw the T-Mobile Sidekick for real yesterday and I can't stop thinking about it. You have instant access to email and the web from anywhere. It has this cool color screen that flips out and there is a keyboard underneath. Sweet! What do I need this for? I have no idea...but it is awesome! Oh and somewhere on this Sidekick there is a phone. Actually, the salesperson at T-Mobile called me on the Sidekick so I could see how the phone works and sounds because this thing does not look like a phone. Go take a look at it here. I have been repeating to myself, "Must get the Nokia not the Sidekick." My sister swears I will come out of there next time with a Sidekick. I'll keep you posted.

Still Sick
Yep, you read that right. I am still sick. I now have pink eye in both eyes. My head is so clogged I wonder if I will ever breathe again. My voice has disappeared and my throat still hurts. On the bright side, I have figured out that if I take advil every 4 hours, the temperature stays down and the headache stays gone. I feel better today than yesterday and I feel like eating today so I think I'm on the road to recovery. I have not watched a Lifetime movie in 3 days and I feel like blogging. I think I'm getting better! ;)

Hats off to Dove
I saw on the Today show that Dove is doing a campaign using "real" women instead of ultra thin models in an effort to boost women's self esteem and promote positive body image. Go Dove!

Comment for the Day:
(Heard in the car) Chase Age 4: "Hey Mom when can we go see Elvis' stone?" (Translation: When can we go see where Elvis is buried?)
Great, not only are my kids fascinated with Elvis, now they are fascinated with cemeteries. So, I guess this summer I'm going to have to make a trip to a local cemetery to satisfy their curiosity. I don't think I'll be driving all the way to Graceland, though. ;) While I'm typing this, the 4-year old has Jailhouse Rock cranked up in his room so loud that I had to ask him to turn it down. I hope this is not a sign of what is coming in the teenage years.
The picture was taken by my 10 year old niece at Sid's Diner in Yukon of Elvis Impersonater, Elvis Thrasher. This is what started the whole Elvis kick at our house.

Sick!
I have been sick since Sunday and have just emerged from my bed. I feel somewhat better today, but not tiptop. What is it with this summer? My family has been sicker this summer than they ever were all winter. If you would like to commiserate with me, I will detail my symptoms. I've had an awful case of the pink eye in my right eye. It does not want to go away. It is horrible...painful, uncomfortable, sensitive to light, goopy and nasty. On top of all this is the fact that it just looks bad and I have to wear my glasses. I do not like to wear glasses. They are always sliding down my nose. I prefer contacts. On the bright side, at least I have a new pair of glasses to wear. I got a new pair about 6 months ago so at least I have a pair with the proper prescription. I also have an upper respiratory infection. I went to a clinic on Sunday where they gave me antibiotic drops for my eyes and regular antibiotics for the sinus infection. I thought I'd be well in no time, but this stuff is hanging on. I think I may have also caught youngest son's illness that he had for about 6 days where he ran a fever, had a headache and sorethroat because for the past 2 days I have also felt like I have the flu. My back has been killing me, my head aches and my throat hurts. Double blah! Even sicker is the fact that while I have been laying around, I have taken to watching Lifetime movies. On Sunday, I watched three movies. The general theme of these movies is that there is some kind of love story gone wacko. Someone comes in between them so they decide to kill that person. (generally it is the parents) The girl is usually standing in the background whispering in her boyfriend's ear while he holds the gun, "Do it. We have to do it. They'll never let us be together." The worst part is that these movies are based on real life events. They always give the short blurb at the end that tells if they were convicted of the crime or not. Last night's movie, Murder in the Hamptons, was a little more original because you were never sure if the wife and her boyfriend did it or not. I mean you are pretty sure they did it, but there wasn't any hard evidence. I have watched more tv the past two days than I've watched in about a year. Today, I'm turning off the tv and reading a book. Now what did I do with that Danielle Steele novel? Just kidding!! LOL!!!

Just to Make You Smile
I was going through a bunch of my pictures last night and ran across this one from our vacation in June. I started cracking up! This is Chase with his cousin, Kathryn. We are at Port Isabel, Texas at a restaurant called Pirate's Landing. They had to pose before we left the restaurant. I think my nephew, Josh, lifted Chase up so he could be the pirate. (One bad thing about going digital is that I hardly ever get my pictures printed anymore. They are just in a big pile on my computer instead of in a big pile in a shoebox. One nice thing about the Mac is my photos are actually semi-organized thanks to the iPhoto software. It is very easy to import your photos, edit phots and organize photos. My mom taught me how to print using my new printer so now I've got actual copies in hand. I must say it is nice to have the actual print in hand!)

Hello Dolly
I went to see Lyric Theatre's production of Hello Dolly last night. Sally Struther starred as Dolly. She was fantastic! I was laughing throughout the musical. All in all, a fun way to spend the evening. Cool costumes, good music, and excellent seats...ahh! Life is good.

To the Guy Taking Pictures During the Movie Last Night
I do NOT appreciate you taking pictures or taping the movie or whatever you were doing during Mr. and Mrs. Smith last night. That is ridiculous! Stealing pictures from a movie right there in a movie theater where all of us behind you can see exactly what you are doing. 1) Get a life. Don't you have anything better to do than look at pictures of Angelina Jolie? 2) Stealing is wrong. What is this world coming to? My sister and I were enjoying the movie when she pointed out the guy down below us with his cell phone out taking pictures of the movie. Unbelievable! OK, my rant is over. Back to the movie. I found it highly entertaining and funny. It was a quirky sort of movie so maybe that's why I've heard a lot people say they didn't like it. As for me, I liked it!

Podcasts
Apple released its new version of iTunes last week that features podcasts built right in. Podcasts are radio shows. Some are done by individuals and some are done by commerical broadcasters like ESPN. The whole world of podcasting is new to me, but I'm having a blast checking it all out. If you are interested, you can give it a try here. Just download the iTunes Software Version 4.9 and start listening. If you really get into it, you can have the shows synced to your iPod so you can take the shows along with you. Have fun! (By the way, some people do their blogs as a podcast.)

Happy 4th of July!

Graphic Novels/Comic Books
I've always been a fan of comic books. When I was a kid I kept a huge stack of comics under my chair in the kitchen so I could read while I ate my cereal in the morning. I mostly read Archie, Looney Tunes and Disney Comics. I wasn't really into the superheroes. However, now that I have 2 boys, I can see that the superheroes may become a big thing around here. (Actually I guess they already are, the boys just can't read yet.) Lately, I've been noticing more and more of the graphic novels at the bookstore and the library, although I haven't read any yet. I just read an interesting post over at Bookmoot about graphic novels and how it is a good way to get kids to read, especially kids who can't really get the pictures of the story in their head when they read. Bookmoot then pointed me to an excellent website (Sidekicks) with recommendations of graphic novels for elementary aged readers. I've already been to my local library's website to reserve a few. I can't wait to get started! I'm for any kind of books that will get kids hooked on reading.

Team Mascot (Not!)

This rooster showed up at most of our T-Ball Games. He lives at one of the houses across the street from the fields. Isn't that hilarious? The rooster is so tame you can pet him. But, if you have painted toenails, look out! He might give them a little peck. Chase enjoyed the games much more when the rooster showed up. One Saturday morning at practice the rooster showed up with a bunch of guineas and they had to run them off the field with a 4-wheeler. It was a riot! And in case you are wondering, this is not out in the country. This is in Bethany, Oklahoma!!!

WooHoo!
Just figured out that using Firefox as my browser I can get all the buttons, etc that I used to get when I used Windows. I also can now post pictures directly from blogger. Woohoo! Go blogger! Maybe I can get back to posting more regularly now. It was getting to be such a pain that I wasn't posting at all...well that plus I was having blogger's block.

T-Ball Season Officially Over

I can't believe that Cole's first season of T-Ball is already over. He had a blast. I still can't say enough good things about the league that he played in. He had excellent coaches that taught him skills as well as good sportsmanship. That parents were nice and good sports, as well. I loved the fact that the teams prayed together before each game. All in all, a wonderful experience. After the game, the kids could hardly wait to get their trophies. Since this was Cole's first sports experience, he could barely wait to get his hands on that trophy. I'm not sure he knew exactly what a trophy was. On the way to the game, he began questioning us about the trophy and what it looked like. Chase's main concern was whether or not a trophy came with a cookie! The trophy was served up with some ice cream and cupcakes so I think both the boys were happy.

Cool Idea

One of my friends called to wish me a Happy Birthday and also told me that she always tells people what she likes about them on their birthday. She then proceeded to tell me what she likes about me. I think this is a great idea! It made my day. I'm going to try to start doing it for other people on their birthdays. Cool!

A Few of My Favorite Gifts

• iPod Shuffle


• Seinfeld Season 4 on DVD


• Peanuts Treasury Book by Charles Schulz


• Gift Cards to Barnes Noble


• Michael W. Smith The Second Decade CD


• Gift Card to iTunes Store

Batman Begins

I went to see Batman Begins this weekend. Wow! It was quite a movie. I know I'm 38 years old, but I still have thing for superhero movies. I loved the Superman movies as a kid. More recently, I loved the Spiderman movies. This Batman movie is excellent. It beats the other three hands down. It tells the whole story of how Batman becomes Batman. My whole family loved it. (I would not recommend this movie for young children. I did not take my boys. It has some pretty dark ,intense scenes.)

Big 38!

Today I am 38! I have been celebrating my birthday in my usual fashion...all week! ;) It started last Friday with a cookout at my mom's house. The whole family pitched in and bought me an iPod shuffle. This little gadget is amazing. It is the size of a pack of gum and holds about 120 songs. Amazing! I went out to dinner last night with my husband and his aunt. I went out to lunch today with my sister and then treated myself to a manicure and pedicure this afternoon. I played bunco tonight and rolled 5 (you read that right) buncos!! I won $25 for rolling the most buncos. All in all, a great birthday. The celebration will continue tomorrow with lunch with some of my co-workers and then will continue on to Saturday to dinner with my husband. See, I told you I could celebrate for a week.

Dashboard Widgets

For those of you wanting more info on Apple's Widgets, you can click here. It's like being a kid in a candy shop! Which one should I download next?

Cool New Tool

Apple's new operating system (Tiger) has a new feature called Dashboard Widgets. These are little applets that sit on your desktop and appear and disappear as you need them. There's a calculator, weather forecast, clock and calendar among many others. Tonight, I'm trying out a new blogging widget called Dash Blog. So, here it is...my first entry using Dash Blog. I just had to give it a try. No logging into blogger or anything. I just pull it up on my desktop and start typing. It was too easy to resist.

I'm Back!

Well, folks, I'm finally back from my vacation. I had a blast and the drive wasn't near as bad as I feared. In fact, it went great. The boys were super and we made the drive to McAllen in record time...only 12 hours. My sister almost fainted when I called her around 2:00 p.m. and told her we were already south of San Antonio. I didn't speed either. We just made good time and stopped only when absolutely necessary. We took the kids swimming a couple of times and spent two days at South Padre Island. Man! I love the beach. This was the first time I've gotten to stay overnight at Padre and it was well worth the money. There's nothing better than being able to jump into a hotel pool and wash off all that sand and salt. LOL There's nothing worse than a long car ride home after trying to wash all the sand and salt off unsuccessfully while small children are melting down from a long day. I think we played it the smart way this year by staying overnight. We ate delicious seafood at Pirate's Landing in Port Isabel. My favorite thing about this restaurant, besides the seafood, is that they have a wheel of toppings for your baked potato. They bring out one of those holders with a big dish of butter, sour cream, and bacon that turns. We have always affectionately referred to this as the "wheel of toppings." It is no longer available at any restaurant that I know of in OKC. The last restaurant you could get it was Larry's Steak House and it shut down years ago and was torn down and replaced by a Taco Bell. (sigh) Anyhow, I enjoyed visiting with my sister and her husband and my niece and nephews. We had a wonderful time and now I know I can make that drive by myself!

Currently playing in iTunes: Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

Must Be Crazy

Tomorrow morning around 6 a.m. I hit the road for McAllen, Texas. It is about a 15 hour drive from here. (I think you might be able to make it in 12 if you don't stop much, but I have to stop.) I am driving alone with my two boys, age 4 and 6. I must be crazy! Thankfully, I have one of those handy vcr/tv combos with headphones. I hope to make it down there before dark. I also hope to make it down there with my sanity in tact. ;)

Pardon my Dust

Since I have become a Mac user I have had a few problems posting to my blog. Nothing major, just a few inconveniences. For example, some of my little buttons that I use to format my fonts don't show up anymore and my spell checker doesn't work all the time. Also, I was in need of a way to post pictures more easily to my blog. So, I've been in search of a way to blog more easily. I may just have found it tonight. I just found a sweet little program called MarsEdit that I'm using on a 30 day trial basis. If I like it, I may just buy it. So bear with me, as I try it out. I'm not quite sure of all the features yet nor am I sure of what I'm doing.

Best Children's Book You Haven't Read

Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot by Margot Theis Raven
This is the true story of a pilot, Gail Halvorsen, and his special mission of dropping chocolate to children during the Berlin Airlift in 1948. I loved this book and cried when I read it. It is well written, beautifully illustrated and all the better because it is true. Special thanks to Bookmoot for tipping me off to this fantastic book. She even got to meet the author and Gail Halvorsen in person. Wow! I haven't read the book to my boys yet. I'm not sure they would understand the beauty of the story, plus I would be choking up through half the book because it is so touching. Then again, you're never too young to learn about the kindness of others. I may give it a try tonight.

This and That

• I am still walking in the mornings! I haven't been making it 5 days a week but usually 3 days so not too shabby.


• I finished the book Detour by James Siegal last night. I still haven't decided if I liked it or not. Don't get me wrong. It was a fast read. It was interesting with lots of excitement. I think I just never really connected to the main characters or something. I like his writing. It is fast paced and filled with twists and turns. I loved his other book Derailed. Maybe I was too busy comparing Detour to Derailed. I have a tendancy to do that.

I will be in and out of town a lot over the next few month so blogging will be minimal. Ha, you say! It has already been minimal! Well, it is fixing to get even worse. Uh oh...my Okie lingo just came out. I just used "fixing to" in a sentence. I will leave it in just for your pleasure. I can already hear you laughing!

I am gearing up for a busy, fun summer. I am planning lots of trips to the lake, a trip to see my sister and her family in south Texas and possibly a trip to Six Flags. The boys have been begging me to take them to Six Flags so we may just do it. I just wish it weren't so hot already. Maybe it would be better as a fall trip. I'm a heat wimp and so is oldest son.

Elvis Sighting
We spotted Elvis tonight in Yukon at Sid's Diner singing in the parking lot. It was a riot! I thought my mom was going to wreck her van getting into the parking lot. Cole was thrilled to see the "king." I think he thought it was really Elvis. We went in and got a hamburger at Sid's and then he insisted that we get back outside and boogie with Elvis. He even got his autograph. He is now insisting that he wants a white jumpsuit so he can dress up like Elvis for Halloween. I had to find a suit on the internet for him so that he would leave me alone. He insisted that I buy it now, but I refused. I told him Halloween is 6 months off and he may change his mind by then. He told me he is not changing his mind and that he wants to order an Elvis wig, too. The kid was practicing Elvis moves at a restaurant today. I may be in trouble. He may not change his mind. Next he'll be wanting a karaoke machine to sing along with. Hey, wait, I've got one of those in my closet. ;) Just for fun, I'm posting Elvis' website (the impersonator that is). He was nice and was actually pretty good. That reminds me of one other scary thing. Both of my boys are insisting that I get Elvis Thrasher for their birthday parties. Can you imagine??!!!

All About Hair
I went to get a haircut and color today and came home with a perm instead. What in the world happened? LOL I just am sick of my hair. It has gotten slightly wavy and unmanageable the past few years. I blame the wave on pregnancy. It used to be very straight and then something happened when I was pregnant. Not that I'm complaining...a little body is nice. But unruly, wavy hair is not nice. Anyway, my stylist has been trying to talk me into a perm for months. She kept telling me it would look good because I already have some natural curl. Today I just told her to go for it since we kept looking in books for a cut that would work with my hair and nothing would work because of my natural "wave." I have not had a perm since the 80's. Remember the big hair?! I got a really bad perm and have not had one since. It was the frizziest thing you have ever seen. I must say my 2005 perm turned out much better. It is a nice loose perm and it isn't frizzy at all. I just hope it looks good when you readers who see me in real life see me again. Let's hope it doesn't look like my 80's perm when you see me. At least it will be easy to fix...wash and wear. I'm all about easy to take care of hair!

SWEET!
I am now blogging on my brand new iMac. This thing is unbelievable. You've got to see it to believe it. It didn't arrive until about 6:00 which was about the time I was getting ready to go see 42nd Street with some friends at the Civic Center. Needless to say, I wasn't about to wait until tomorrow morning to set this baby up. I unplugged my old machine and set this one up as soon as I got home. I had the new computer up and running in less than 5 minutes. I am not making this up. I was even connected to the internet included in the 5 minute set up time. It was that easy! I'm impressed so far. This is my first Mac ever. I've been a Windows user since 1993. I may stay up all night playing with my new toy. Nah...I'm getting too old to pull all nighters, but this sure is fun!

It's Almost Here!
The new computer is almost here! I can barely wait!! It is on a truck in OKC. (This tracking info is amazing. I love technology in case you hadn't already noticed.) I hope it gets here this afternoon. Hopefully, I'll be blogging from my new computer later this afternoon. Woohoo!

Oklahoma Centennial Book Festival
Just read in the newspaper today that a book festival will be held on Saturday from 10-5 at Oklahoma City University. It is free and will feature 85 authors. Looks pretty cool to me. I have to go to a wedding that day, so I doubt I'll get a chance to go, but maybe some of my readers will get the chance to go. I'd love to have Bill Wallace sign one of his books! It looks like they have a lot of neat activities planned just for kids, too. Man! I wish I could go.

Another Car Conversation
Many of the banks here in Oklahoma have been bought out and have changed their name to "CHASE." My youngest son, whose name is Chase (age 4), is fascinated with the fact that his name is now posted all over town. He informed me that the reason his name is everywhere is because "everyone likes me!" LOL! The Man (oldest son with microscopic hair on his toes) is mad because his name is not posted all over town.

He's a Man!
Some of my most interesting conversations are carried on in the car. Yesterday while driving home from the doctor's office, Cole informed me that he is now a man. (He is 6 years old.) "You're a man now?" I asked. "Yes," he replied. "I know I'm a man because I have hair on my toes." LOL!!! So that's the criteria for being a man these days. Hair on the toes. I thought I was going to have to pull the car over, but I managed to keep my composure and make it the rest of the way home. When we got home he insisted that I inspect the hair on his toes. What could be more interesting than looking at tiny hairs on a 6-year old boy's toes? It was hilarious! I can barely type this because I'm laughing so hard. There's no telling what this kid will come up with next. Most of the time I refer to him as a 30 year old trapped in a 6 year old's body. Not anymore...now he is just THE MAN (with hair on his toes!!)

Messy Desk Blues
Once again my desk is covered in stacks and piles everywhere. It has taken me an hour just to get these stacks in a semi-organized state. Now I must start putting away and tossing. Sigh...
Why do I let my desk get like this? Now, I have to stop and get it cleaned off before I can do anything else. I can't get any work done with it looking like this. Wish me luck!

Lots of Little Stuff

• I am still walking most weekdays. I missed this morning because it was raining. I got to sleep in until 7 a.m. It was nice!
• It has been crazy, as usual, around here.
  
• Cole had his first t-ball game. It was a blast watching all those little kids play. The kids had a lot of fun, too. The most hilarious thing was the third baseman from the other team who laid down on the field. He just laid there. My mother-in-law asked me why he was laying there. My answer, "He's five." LOL!
• My new computer has shipped and I'm anxiously awaiting its arrival.
• We finally got our spring weather in Oklahoma at which point it turned hot. There was no in-between weather. Go figure! You'd think I'd be used to it by now. I've only been in Oklahoma my whole life.
  
• I finished the book Suspect before my book club meeting. It was excellent. It kept me guessing the whole time as to who the real culprit was. Creepy and suspenseful. I liked it.
  
• It has been so busy around here that I haven't had time to read any other books. Rats!

High School Memories
Jan gave me couple of ideas to write about so I'll start with the easy one. What did I do on the weekends when I was a junior in high school? Hmmm...now that's doing some real going back in time considering that I'm getting ready to go to my 20-year high school reunion this summer. I spent most of my weekends goofing off with friends. We were always having sleepovers at my house or one of my friend's houses. We spent a lot of time listening to music and making up silly dances. My favorite artists as a junior were probably Michael Jackson and Madonna. (Now that's scary! Look at those two now!) We went to a lot of movies and rented a lot of movies. Not a lot of excitement to speak of, but at the time it was a lot of fun. We acted silly and laughed a lot. In fact, this weekend, I ran into one of my friend's dads and he was telling me that he had gotten up at 3 in the morning because there was some sort of excitement in the neighborhood. When he and his wife got back in the bed, he said they started laughing and talking about when Kyndal used to spend the night and they never got any sleep at all. Can you imagine? I have no idea why they would say that. ;) Of course, those of you who know me personally know why they would say that. I'm not the quietest person in the world and I'm a night owl. There's nothing I like better than a good slumber party and laughing all night! So, there you go, Jan, my weekends consisted of slumber parties, movies and laughing. Oh and did I mention we used to eat lots of pizza and Chinese food and rotel? Not all at the same time, but those were some of our favorites. (I am now officially rambling so I will sign off now...)

More Info on Diabetes
American Diabetes Association
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Diabetes Health Magazine

Walking in Someone Else's Shoes
Each week I am reminded of how blessed I am and how often I take my life for granted. I often forget about the things other people must live with and live through. Take today, for example. A friend came by my mom's house to drop off her son for my mom to watch. My mom and I were in the back part of the house working on the computer and hollered at her to come on back. When she didn't come back, my mom went to find her. She then began talking a mile a minute telling us that she needed help. Her blood sugar was dropping and she needed a cookie or orange juice. Thankfully, my mom had some cookies handy and we had coke. We started giving it to her as quickly as we could. It was scary. It made me sad. I wanted to cry and call 911. My mom had the presence of mind to start praying out loud. Everything was fine in less than 5 minutes. After she was fine, our friend started telling us how she was afraid this would happen while she was alone with her son. (She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 11.) How often I forget what it must be like to live in someone else's body and live their life. Another example, my friend Juli, whose 9-year old son has a brain tumor. They are headed to Memphis for his surgery on the 23rd of May. I received an email from her the other day. It was positive and grateful. She spoke of faith and of making memories with her son. It made me cry. It also made me realize how small my problems are how big our God is. I'm not writing this to make us look at how much worse off other people are than we are. My point is that I have so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to. I spend a lot of needless time on things that matter so little. I want to spend time on the things that count. I also am too hard on people. I don't stop to think about what other people may be living with. I am too quick to judge and too harsh. I want to treat others in a more kind, patient and compassionate manner.