Spa Night

I was in the tub last night and Lexi came up and started rubbing my shoulders, like REALLY REALLY good! Like a professional! So I said, "WOW, Lex, that's awesome...where'd you learn to do that?" And she said, "On t.v., you know those shows where they wear pickles on their eyes?" And at first, I was like, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING, but nevertheless, it felt so good, who cares! So Daddy went and cut us some "pickles" for our eyes and we all enjoyed a little spa night in the tub with back rubs galore and I just realized this post sounds really really sick but trust me, it was pure innocence! And heavenly!

And I realize this is not the most flattering picture, but check out that "pickle". I couldn't resist a little nibble before putting it over my eyes.
Oh, forget it. Who needs "pickles" on their eyes!

My View From Over the Laundry Pile Looking Out the Kitchen Window As I Multi-task My Way To Tomorrow

This evening as I'm standing in my kitchen folding the never ending pile of laundry, looking out my back window, here's what I see. Two BEAUTIFUL angels, one with bedhead and a saggy diaper (pantless), jumping on the trampoline. Smiles as big as Texas spread across their faces. Lexi is teaching Ashton her new trick of falling on her bottom then hopping right back up to her feet on the next bounce. She's quite proud of it. She's also very proud of that black eye, which she got on the trampoline! Uh huh, I did say black eye. Picture day at school is Wednesday. Figures! Every 5 minutes they come inside for water and track dirt onto my freshly mopped floors. But I'm trying REALLY HARD to not let that steal my moment of precious admiration. And after the 5th time, I carried the water OUTSIDE to them! Oh and Lexi just put my bluetooth on her ear and is pretending she works at a drive thru window. She's serving Ashton pretend food. Now that's funny! Behind the trampoline is my very wonderful husband doing something people just don't do in this neighborhood...YARDWORK! I'm sure we're turning heads today. I can see the headlines in the homeowner's association May newsletter already..."New Tennants Do Their Own Yardwork...with a PUSHMOWER"! Seriously. People just don't do that around here. Everyone has lawn service. And for only $70 bucks/month, why not? But we're still too frugal for that! I mean, that's 14, $5 footlongs from Subway! The one guy across the street that DOES do his own yard uses a riding mower. Must be nice. Oh well, he doesn't go to the gym. He has to build those muscles somehow right? And standing at the back door, barking at everyone and everything in the yard is my sweet Candice girl. She's saying in her own little doggie way, "Mommy, those little people are jumping on our trampoline and that crazy guy is messing up all my poop!"

There's a country song that I LOVE by Lonestar called "From the Front Porch Looking In" and it's all about how he's traveled the world and seen the most beautiful places and scenery, but there's nothing more beautiful than the site he sees when he comes home and sees his family from the "front porch looking in". Here are the lyrics to the chorus: "There's a carrot top that can barely walk with her sippy cup of milk. A little blue eyed blond with shoes on wrong cause she likes to dress herself. And the most beautiful girl holding both of them, that's the view I love the most, from my front porch looking in." And that song pretty much describes what I'm thinking right this second, except I guess my song would be more like "My View From Over the Laundry Pile Looking Out the Kitchen Window As I Multi-task My Way To Tomorrow". And somewhere in my song would be the line, "Honey, can you come out and scoop the poop so I can mow the backyard?"

Now I must get back to that laundry pile before it takes over my house!

I've worked HARD for every pound!

So I went to the "female" doctor yesterday for my annual check up. And I mean, honestly, is it REALLY that bad people? It takes 20 seconds, if that. It doesn't hurt. But why do we dread it for the remaining 364 days that follow? I would like to know when they will ever make a plus sized paper gown! Because I ripped mine yesterday just putting it on before the doctor ever came in the room. Nice! When that nurse told me to "wrap it around me" I just had to laugh quite frankly. Because I knew that thing wasn't going to go around me! But I do want to share my experience on....THE SCALE! Now, I am NOT a skinny woman. I've never been a skinny woman. I will never be a skinny woman. And I'm really okay with all of that. I was born wearing at least a size 14. I have come to grips with the fact that I am a beautiful woman, no matter what the number of the scale says. So yesterday at the doctor, when I stepped on that scale, I was actually quite shocked to see that I weighed the EXACT SAME as I did on my wedding day! That was a little over 7 years and 2 babies ago! Now, for a skinny person, that would be total bragging rights. For a fat girl, it's more like, "You haven't managed to lose not one pound in 7 years??!!!" Well, I've lost a few pounds here and there, but they always manage to find me. So ladies, I've come to grips with my weight and the fact that it really hasn't changed in 7 years. And I'd just like to say, I've worked HARD to keep every single pound!

Po Dunk Pearland, TX

Now I know I have readers from Pearland, TX (my hometown) and please don't be offended by the title of this post. Because Pearland is a far cry these days from being "po-dunk"! But I grew up in semi-small town just 10 miles south of Houston called Pearland. When I was a kid, the population ranged from 12,000-25,000. I remember the day we finally got a Taco Bell! Because prior to that we only had Dairy Queen, Burger King, and McDonald's. And we had an open campus for lunch in high school, so we used to drive 15 minutes to a neighboring town just to get Taco Bell. Then we would drive 15 minutes back to campus and scarf our food down in the car b/c lunch was only 30 minutes long. That was also back in the day when gasoline peaked at $1.12/gallon...and we thought that was HIGH! Now days, I can't afford to drive 15 minutes away for food b/c that would cost me an extra $10 bucks in gasoline! I remember the day our Walmart went "Super Sized". We thought we had finally arrived! A Walmart Supercenter. Well, surely they only put those in the "big" towns! Our football team, on the other hand, left much to be desired. 0-10 EVERY YEAR that I was high school! That has since changed. I think they even went to the state finals last year, which in TX is BIGTIME because high school football in TX is, well, a religion of sorts! Well, I went off to college for 4 years and then came home and taught school for a few years but finally left the "thriving metropolis" of Pearland for the Big D in 1998. Dallas was always where my heart was for some reason. I think it had everything to do with JR, Sue Ellen, Lucy, and Bobby! There was just something about that town! But I've never forgotten my roots! Pearland, once a small Texas town, now boasts of well over 50,000 people, probably more like 75,000. There are TONS of restaurants, shopping areas, fast food places. I think they even have TWO Chili's restaurants now? Am I right? But let me just brag for a minute on the educational system in that small town. I grew up in public schools. Heck, there were NO private schools in Pearland. And homeschooling was probably illegal, or least my momma thought so...."If you don't get your butt to school today, they're gonna put me in JAIL!" Oh, the fear factor technique! But I cannot tell you the greatness that has come out of that little public school system. Every person I know has gone on to do great things. Everyone of them graduated from college and has created a great life for themselves. Many of us became school teachers, not "JUST" teachers, but great teachers. Some have become very successful in business careers. I know a few that have even gone on to serve in public office and do great things for our country. And then there's ME! Who could deny my fame in the blogosphere? (That's a joke!)

Today, here in Orlando, FL one of my former classmates who I went to school and church with my whole life is speaking at a pastor's conference. He's written several NY Times bestsellers. He travels all over the world to speak to church leaders. His name is Donald Miller. I'm currently reading one of his bestselling books, "Blue Like Jazz". My husband is going to hear him speak this afternoon. And it's one of those days that I'm so extra proud of where I came from!!! Po dunk Pearland, TX...home sweet home!

7 More Random Thoughts...

I've been tagged by http://laytonfamily4.blogspot.com/ , a new friend via my friend, Kathryne.

1. I am LONGING to be at the beach right this second. St. Pete Beach to be exact. The only beach I truly love! It's about an hour and a half away. But gas is so expensive and we just went 2 weeks ago. Can't afford to go twice in one month. Boohoo!

2. I could eat (good) Mexican food EVERY DAY of the week! Taco Bellyache doesn't count!

3. I love my new house! In fact, I would marry it if I could!

4. I want a baby grand piano. You thought I was going to say I wanted a baby didn't you? No way JOSE! (That's ho-say for those of you gringos that aren't living as a minority in your state. Oh and a gringo is a white person! Never mind! I grew up in Texas, or should I say Northern Mexico!)

5. I want a boat.

6. I want a horse.

7. I ADORE animals. Oh, I am such an animal lover it's not even funny. I know you wouldn't think it with my obsession with cleanliness, but I do LOVE animals. I would have a house full if I could afford them (and if they didn't smell). My dog used to sleep in my bed, under the covers with her head on the pillow, until my husband became by husband and gave her the boot. So sad!

8. I'll even give you a bonus thought...I EAT, BREATHE, SLEEP TEXAS A&M! Like you couldn't figure that out! Every time a "Texas Aggie Magazine" arrives in my mailbox I have to get out the Kleenex. Being 1200 miles away from my beloved Aggieland is the hardest thing I've ever had to do! But I did manage to make it to FIVE, yes five, Aggie football games last year despite the mileage and I'm hoping to make it just as many this year. I AM THE AGGIE SPIRIT...WHOOP!

Random Thoughts

Will my children ever discover that the apples at McDonald's come with caramel? I wonder how long I can keep this secret from them.

Today, I saw an ad online that read, "Are you nursing material?" and I immediately thought it to be odd and uncomfortable and yet intriguing all at the same time. And then (a half hour later) I realized it meant nursing as in working in a hospital, wearing scrubs kind of nursing. Not the thing you do to feed your baby.

Don't ever attend a Christian women's conference unless you have "issues". If you have "issues" you may just find healing and encouragement there. However, if you don't have "issues" I assure you that "issues" will find you. In fact, perhaps having "issues" is contagious? If so I think I caught some this weekend. And why do they send the musicians with all the sad songs to a women's conference? I guess the men's conference down the road couldn't handle it! It's like they're in the business of making us cry, like we need help. I think they're in cahoots with the Kleenex company!

Today, Lexi said, "I'm never ever having a baby...not till I'm 13!"

Today at lunch, Ashton gagged on a piece of meat. When she finally got it out of her mouth and finished coughing, Lexi said, "Wow. I think she swallowed her uvula!" (That pink thing that hangs from the back of your throat, she's obsessed with it!)

Yesterday, Lexi got a gift from a friend and I guess Ashton felt left out and she wanted a gift too. But instead of laying on the floor having a pity party, which is what I would have done, she went and found a birthday gift bag and brought it to Daddy for him to give to HER and she said, "For me???" I thought that was very creative and resourceful and showed good self esteem. Or maybe I just have way too much time on my hands to analyze these things.

I took a picture today of Lexi with rollers in her hair, jewelry from head to toe, about to put on her very girly dress and shoes and lacy socks, and her bug catcher around her neck with real bugs in it that she caught herself. What's wrong with that picture?

How Much is Gasoline Where You Live???

Just for kicks, I know people from all over the country read my blog (and a few internationals too) so please share with us...HOW MUCH IS GASOLINE WHERE YOU LIVE? I live in Central Florida, near Orlando, and today at Walmart, which is always the cheapest place to get gas in our town, it was $3.39/gallon. I nearly had heart failure. But I pulled it together for some chicken quesadillas at Chili's. We've been told it will be over $4.00/gallon during the summer. It''s a good thing my husband bought me a bike for my birthday.

So tell us, how much is gas where you live??? I hope I get answers from all parts of the country b/c I'm very curious. Oh and make sure to tell us what part of the country (near what major city) you live in too!

My Husband, My Hero

My husband never reads my blog. I know, can you believe it? He doesn't know what he's missing! So I want to just take a moment to tell you all what an INCREDIBLE man I have the privilege of being married to. I've had a series of emotional days here lately. Don't know why. It's not my "time" if you know what I mean. Could be those dern birth control pills I guess. Whatever the case, he has totally stepped in and shielded me and protected me from the fierey darts being thrown by satan lately. I can't tell you all the bad things that have happened to me lately. It's INSANE! But he has just completely wrapped me up with his love and tenderness by saying what I need to hear when I need to hear it, by giving me the affection I crave (without trying to get in my "bidness"...don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about!) He speaks my love language by putting his creativity into buying and making me gifts. Very thoughtful gifts.

This weekend, I am attending a women's conference here in town and today was crazy with working and then being gone all night. But when I walked through the door tonight, I smelled popcorn. And that may not mean anything to you, but I immediately knew what that meant. It meant that he created a fun daddy/daughter night for him and the girls with popcorn, movies, playing in the tent, and snugglin' on the couch together. And not only that, but the house is CLEAN, cleaner than when I left! It's wonderful to be able to leave my girls with daddy for the weekend and not have a care in the world, because I know he makes it fun for them and they're getting quality bonding time together. Honey bun, I don't know if you'll ever read this but if you do...I ADORE YOU! Your love for me is a total reflection of God's love for His people. And that's what a marriage should be! I'm so proud to be married to you!!!

Love! Love! Love!

What Kind of Shoe Are You

I find this hysterical because you all know of my flip flop fettish! I took a shoe quiz and guess what??? I'm a freakin' flip flop! Yep! I totally agree with all it says except the flake part. I'm very much a "commitment gal".

You Are Flip Flops

You are laid back and very friendly. Cheery and sunny in disposition, you usually have something to smile about. Style is important to you, as long as you can stay casual. It takes a lot to get you to dress up! You are a loyal and true person, though you can be a bit of a flake. You tend to "play hooky" and blow off responsibilities a lot more than most people. You should live: By the beach You should work: At a casual up and coming company

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

Sorry, here's the actual link that works: http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofshoeareyouquiz/

Texas Waffles...revisited

Remember this post? Well, when my mom came this past weekend for a quick visit, she told us she had a surprise in her suitcase for the WHOLE family (cause that's what Granny's do right...bring surprises??) And low and behold, it was THIS!

And all God's people said, "Amen".

Because no Texan should ever live without one. In my humble opinion.

And in case you're wondering, no, I did not top mine with maple syrup. I think you all know how I feel about that stuff. I topped mine with melted (just a smidgin) strawberry jam.

And is there a more appropriate plate to put a Texas waffle on than this??? That's what I call "Deep in the Heart of Texas". Ba da bing! Couldn't resist!

But oh wait, Al Gore would love this one. A hands-on science lesson...here's what global warming will do to our beloved state. Tragic!

Birthday Surprises

Today was a fun birthday! Thank you so much for all the phone calls and emails and bloggity wishes and facebook wall writings and so on and so on. Y'all are awesome!!! I woke up this morning to freshly homemade tortillas from my friend, Milinda. She got up super early this morning to make them for me. She's too good to me! Cary went to her house and picked them up at 7:30 this morning and he used them to make me some breakfast tacos, my FAVORITE breakfast dish (without pork of course!) Oh and Milinda also sent some cooked potatoes for the breakfast tacos. And he also put strawberries and yogurt on my plate, topped off with a nice big glass of COKE! What a man! Then the girls let me open my gifts. Lexi got me some hair clippies and headbands (so she could wear them she said) and a tote bag for all my velcro rollers which have been in the same Dillard's shopping bag for like 10 years. She's so thoughtful! I also got a very pretty princess Bible, pink and small enough to fit in my purse. And I got a bicycle! A big, granny, purple, cruiser bicycle! I had said a few months ago that if I ever got a new bike, I want one of those big fat granny bikes where you don't have to lean over to reach the handle bars and the seat is like as big as my leather club chair! So Cary searched the world high and low and found me a bike to fit my specifications. He said he looked everywhere for a pink one, but couldn't find pink, so I got purple instead. It's pretty! And it has Hawaian flowers on it...Aloho, wiki waku tiki tiki. I don't think that means anything. I just wanted to sound Polynesian. I spent most of the day cleaning house and doing laundry...BLAH! But this afternoon when Cary got home, he made the mother of all birthday cakes for me and we gathered around the table with 4 spoons and just all ate from the same bowl. It was strawberry shortcake with vanilla ice cream, strawberries, hot fudge, and whipped cream on top! Then we went to Charley's for dinner with 2 other couples from our church. It's a steakhouse in Orlando where you get a free steak on your birthday. And 3 of us had birthdays at our table. The girls went to Milinda's house for the evening while we went out. It was VERY yummy and wonderful and I had a good time, but honestly I wanted nothing more than to spend the evening with my family. I told Cary next year, I just want to be with him and the kids. They are at the age where they enjoy birthdays too, even when it's not their own. And I want birthday dinners to be special family memories. So maybe we'll go to a Disney resort or something for our birthday dinners from now on and make that our little tradition. Then after dinner, I headed to the mall as they were about to close and made a quick purchase. My mom gave me a nice litte birthday check this weekend when she was here and the card said I had to spend it on ME, not my house, not the bills, not my children, but ME! So I did! I bought myself a Dooney and Bourke purse. It's quite loverly. I think I'll sleep with it!!! It's one of those things I would NEVER in a million years buy for myself out of OUR money, but since it's birthday money and not coming out of our budget I think it's okay to splurge a little. I deserve it!

364 more days till I turn 35!

Happy Birthday Me!!!!!!!!!!

April 15th...a blessing or a curse of a birthdate? So far Uncle Sam has always blessed me with a nice birthday present. This year was no exception. In fact, my birthday gift from Uncle Sam is already hanging on my walls, adorning my bed, planted in my flowerbeds, etc etc. In other words, tax return filed, issued, SPENT! I love my birthday, don't know why! Birthdays rock, which is probably why I always go to such extremes for my childrens' birthday parties. I'm turning 34 this year. A friend just called and asked to speak to my husband and I overheard them talking about breakfast items...hmmmm....something must be up! But sadly, I have no plans tomorrow other than housework and laundry during the day. Bluh bluh bluh. Why can't there be like a Chucky Cheese for adults? Oh, wait. It's called Las Vegas! (Been there, done that, made a baby there! Let's just say Ashton was almost named "Bella" after the Bellagio hotel!) We are going out with two couples tomorrow evening. There's a steakhouse in Orlando where you get a free steak on your birthday and there are three of us with birthdays. We all went there together last year too. I've been hearing my husband and children scheming up birthday surprises since Friday. I'm very curious!

Tutu Much Fun Today...

Today was the girls' ballerina birthday party. It was beautiful and magical and probably the most girly event I've ever seen! Here's the low-down for all you friends and family afar who couldn't attend:

The invitations: A cute homemade on the computer pink swirly background with a cartoon ballerina in the middle, opaqued out a little, and it read: "Prima Ballerinas Lexi and Ashton are having birthdays. We'll pirouette and spin in our tutu and bows as we dance around on our tippy toes! Debut: Sunday, April 12th. Curtain Call: 2:00. Final Bow: 4:00. Recital Hall: (our address). It will be tutu fun if you can come!

The attire: I made each girl who came their very own tutu to keep and told them to wear either a ballet leotard with tight or just play clothes to the party to wear under their tutus.

The entertainment: As the girls arrived, they each got their tutus on and got to put on make up and have their nails done. I also had a friend that does face painting and she came and brought her supplies and put sparkly princess powder on all the girls. Then Lexi's ballet teacher taught the girls a dance in 3 phases and they preformed for us a mini recital to the Beauty and the Beast music. It was PRECIOUS!!!!

The food: Very simple. pink and white cupcakes with white icing and colored sugar sprinkles. All the colored sugar was pastel colors. So cute! Daddy made them! With the left over cake mix, he also made an adult pink cake with pink icing. The kids had juice boxes and those little tiny blue bell ice cream individual sized containers. I also had pretty cookies, snack foods, and drinks out for the adults.

The decorations: White table cloths with tuille left over from the tutus spread out. Purple and blue candles to match the furry tiaras I used on the tables. Flowers and those little tiny jewels you buy at the craft store spread out all over the table. It was very princess like!

Overall, this was a very simple party and cheap. The biggest chore was making the tutus. That took forever, but the looks on their faces and the joy they had about taking them home totally made up for all the hard work!!! Enjoy the pictures!

I HATE FACEBOOK

Okay, it's time I get something off my chest. This whole facebook craze...RETARDED!!!!! I mean reeee.taaaaar.ded! I think facebook is the dumbest concept ever. Let me tell you why I have such feelings of negativity towards this very popular site. For starters, If you want to send me a message, just email me for heaven's sake. Why would I want to LOG IN to yet another online account to send a message or read a message I could have read or sent while checking my email? Furthermore, I thought the purpose of facebook was to put pictures on there, but no one even puts pictures on there. Can someone please tell me the purpose of facebook? Is it like how we had yahoo messenger in the 90's and in the 00's we have facebook? What next? Cause I still really kind of like yahoo messenger. Is that old school? Cause if so, I'm old school. (And my yahoo ID is hmjaggie if you'd like to messenger me!) They just send people flowers and "poke them" and tell what they're doing right this second and have a popularity contest to see how many friends they can accumulate, even if they don't even know the person they just added as a friend. I'm sorry to have to rant about this, but I just really hate facebook, can you tell? That said, if you'd like to add me as your friend on facebook, please send me an EMAIL. hmjaggie@yahoo.com . Because after all, I'm all about giving in to peer pressure and I don't want to look like a big fat loser on that site nor do I not want to participate in the latest craze, so I'm on a quest to find facebook friends, even if I don't really know them in person. I shall take over the facebook empire with all of my popularity. Mwa-ha-ha. That was the evil laugh and I'm typing with my evil eye right now. Does anyone else look at their facebook friends' friend lists and compare their number of friends to your number of friends? Is this just me? Because I think I'm still in the 20 something range of friends, which by facebook standards is LOSERVILLE! But the majority of my friends aren't on facebook, nor do they blog, nor do they read my blog, nor do they care about technology because they're too busy doing productive things like, oh you know, RAISING THEIR CHILDREN! Which is what I should be doing right now. Gotta run!

Can't Shake the Sadness

I've been in deep thought all day about Vanessa, whom I mentioned in yesterday's post. I guess I'm just still in shock. It seems so impossible that someone so alive and so full of life and so young could die so suddenly of something so awful. And this afternoon, my friend Stephanie (Aggieland Mommy) called to tell me the news of her mom's sudden passing. She died in her sleep today. My heart is so heavy for her and her family right now. Please lift up both of these families in your prayers. I can't imagine their grief and sorrow.

Random Thoughts

Why do china hutches have lights? My husband says it's so you can turn the light on when guests come over as if to say, "Look what I have! Look at all my pretty things!"

Whoever wrote the Subway, "$5 Footlong" jingle is a genius. I sing that song all day.

Why is Pepsi always cheaper than coke? I hate Pepsi. And yet $4.98/12 pak is KILLING ME!

I would totally go on that show, "The Biggest Loser" if you didn't have to wear the tank top with spandex shorts on national television!

How do you know that bottled water is not just tap water in a bottle? I mean, really.

Why do toddlers need to get cavities filled if their teeth are just going to fall out soon?

For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks...

Matthew 12:34b. Y'all gonna get a lil dose of Pastor Heather today. Whether you want it or not! This verse has been on my mind since I got up this morning. I heard it loud and clear when I got in the shower this morning. And I've been hearing it loud and clear in my head all day. Which makes me wonder, "God???? You tryin' to tell me something?" Of all the powerful words in the scriptures, this one is one of those IN YOUR FACE verses that will BRING.YOU.TO.YOUR.KNEES. Can I get an amen?

I saw an episode of King of Queens last week (my favorite show) where Doug and Carrie were fighting and this new program on her computer was recording and making a transcript of every word they said. When they printed it out the next day and read it, they were in complete shock at the words they had spoken to one another. They even called in a neighbor who was a marriage counselor and he told them they were beyond help! At the end of the episode, Carrie's dad had gotten a hold of the transcript and turned it into an on stage play at the senior center and they all enjoyed watching "their fight" acted out on stage. Hillariously funny episode, but my gosh, if a computer recorded a transcript of every word I spoke thoughout the day, Lord help the computer! I don't even want to imagine what I would read back.

Have you ever known a negative person? One who says nothing but critical, judgemental, negative, hurtful word after word after word and you just want to say...SHUT UP! I find myself being that person every now and then. I think I've been that person lately. Not the one saying SHUT UP, but the one being negative and judgemental. Psalms 64:3 says "They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows." OUCH! "Out of the overflow of the heart"...what does that mean? It means, what's 'down there' comes out in form of words. If you're an angry, bitter person, who deals with resentment and hurt and unforgiveness, others will know by the words you speak. Your words will be bitter and angry and hurtful and critical and negative. On the other hand, if you have joy in your heart (notice I didn't say happiness...happiness is circumstantial and will go away...joy is internal and ONLY comes from loving and serving your creator!!!) that joy will spill over from your heart to your mouth and your words will be like a pleasing aroma. "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." Proverbs 16:24 How true is that? I have surrounded myself with many friends who lift me up with their words. They speak encouragement. Whether I deserve it or not. And I usually don't. And those are the people I find myself wanting to be around. (Not sure they want to be around me...that's a whole other blog entry!)

What do my words say about my heart when my husband, God love him, comes home from the store without the ONE ITEM I sent him there to get? Or what about when my child's teeny tiny hands have failed her once again and she drops her juice all over my freshly mopped floor for the 10th time that day?

Today at lunch, we ate with a family from our church and the husband told me that our daughter, Lexi, has been growling at their son every time she sees him at church. He asked his son, "Why do you think she does this?" And his son responded, "Maybe she learned it from her mommy." I truly hope not! My hope is that she learned that from our dog and not from me. But as I put this truth to practice and teach her this verse, I hope that her growls will quickly turn to puppy love or at least something nicer than a growl! And I hope her growls are not a reflection of what's in her heart, but rather a phase of acting like a dog...a phase that has lasted WAY TOO LONG in my opinion. (It was cute when she was 2, but now she's 5!)

As we start out this week, in the season of Spring where all things are made new, let's focus on this thought of renewing our hearts with JOY so that what comes out of our mouth will be pleasant rather than deadly. And let's focus on surrounding ourselves with others who also have joy in their hearts as attitudes tend to be contagious.

First Sleepover. And stuff.

The girls are having their very first sleepover tonight. Their friend, Caroline, from church and also in Lexi's class at school, is staying with us tonight. I'm not sure who was more excited...Lexi, Ashton, or Caroline. We started the afternoon with half price slushes from Sonic. Pink ones ofcourse. Then we came home and played "having babies in our tummies" until I suggested they play something else like dress up or clean mommy's house. For real. Is my child the only one obsessed with having a baby in her tummy? She ALWAYS begs to watch "A Baby Story" on TLC and I kind of let her because it's not graphic or anything, but it IS reality. Maybe she'll grow up to be an OB/GYN or a labor and delivery nurse or an anesthesiologist, or better yet...A MOM! After realizing that Oprah was on in the background, and it was about the pregnant MAN, yes, a man, I realized I might should turn the t.v. off as Oprah was asking questions about growing a penis and LORD, what would Caroline go home and tell her mother that she heard at PASTOR CARY'S HOUSE! For Heaven's sake! So I did what I had to do to get their minds off of giving birth. We went outside and drove the little yellow hummer onto people's lawns, people who pay big bucks for their yards to look pristine. And then we crashed the hummer into the lawn furniture. It was an accident. No one was injured. Well, except for the furniture, which came crashing down, but fortunately not on top of anyone. We put everything back together and then loaded up and went to KFC for some good ol' greasy fried chicken. Nothing's too good for my guests. And in the car, the Big ol' hungry spider made an appearance, which was a BIG hit. (Daddy's version of the insy winsy spider.) And then a Kirk Franklin song came on the radio and oh my soul, the sista in me comes out when I hear me a Kirk Franklin song. Seriously, click on that link. I'll give you $20 bucks if you can sit still thru that song! And I'm sure Caroline will go home and tell her parents about that crazy pastor Cary and Ms. Heather and how loud their music is and they danced REALLY funny when this one song came on the radio. And then we came home and ate ice cream cones on the back porch. By then, the girls were so dirty and sticky that I had to throw them in the tub, which I'm sure might also sound strange to Caroline's parents, especially because they all bathed together. And 30 years ago, that would not have been wierd, but today it kind of is. Everyone is now sleeping soundly. They fell asleep watching Air Buddies in Lexi's room, which is probably also a taboo. I can hear it now. "Mom, Lexi has a TV IN HER BEDROOM!" I always had a t.v. in my bedroom growing up and never thought twice about it when I had my own children. But apparently it's a no-no these days??? And to that, I will use Lexi's new favorite word (which she probably learned from watching t.v. in her room). "Whatever." But all in all, a fun filled sleep over is being had by all. Oh, but the sad part...Caroline is moving to Mexico soon. Her parents are missionaries with Wycliffe Bible translators. Every time Lexi makes a good friend, either we move or they move. It stinks. Thank God for webcams!

Perhaps I Shouldn't Have Canceled Their Dentist Appointments

The Flu Bug Bites Again

Ashton slept till 10:30 this morning. That NEVER happens! Actually, she climbed up in my bed at 7:30 a.m. and I thought she was up for the day. I cozied her up next to me to snuggle and steal a few more minutes from the clock. After a few seconds, she was sound asleep. And on FIRE! Her body was burning up. And before you get all whiny on me about still being in bed at 7:30, I should have prefaced that with the fact that I was up till 2 putting the finishing touches on a camp brochure for our youth director, which is part of my new job. I'm sure they didn't intend for me to work in the wee hours of the morning, but hey, it works for me!!! I'm a total night owl. Oh and it's Spring Break. On school days, we're usually up by 7. But back to Ashton. When she got up at 10:30, I gave her some Motrin. She didn't want to eat all day, just wanted to be held. I went to the bathroom with her on my hip. I walked the dog with her on my hip. I made up all the beds and loaded the dishwasher with her on my hip. I even vacuumed with her on my hip. You didn't think I would give myself a day off from cleaning floors just because I have a sick baby did you? You silly internets! So since I burned double calories today, you know doing all my chores while toting around a 28 lb weight, I think I'm totally entitled to a big honkin chocolate something tonight. Cary is in a meeting tonight, but I called him anyways. He answered whispering, "I'll call you back" and I replied in my own whisper, "No need, just bring me some chocolate. BIG chocolate." Heeheee. I'm sending him telepathic brain waves right this second....BRING REESES PEANUT BUTTER CUPS or something with hot fudge will do! But back to the flu. I still feel rather fortunate that it's just been fever and sleepiness in this house, and not the other less desirable symptoms that usually come with the flu like potty issues and congestion. In fact, fever and tiredness sounds great to me...an excuse to not get out of bed for a whole day??? Really??? I'll take it!

Home Sweet Home

But before I tell you all about my home sweet home, just a quick public service announcement...BEWARE OF SUGAR FREE LIFESAVERS! And this is not an April Fool's joke, I promise. They can serve as a laxative. Uh huh. Says so right there on the package. Just ask Cary. And Ashton. And my mom. And I'll leave it at that. And now onto much happier thoughts...MY HOUSE! Oh, it's just glorious. I feel like Dorothy from Wizard of Oz every time I venture more than 5 minutes away from home. I just want to click my little red heals together and voila, be standing in my living room! I even decided since we have this beautiful home, why not try to give my kids one of those fancy Potty Barn Kids bedrooms? (On a Target budget of course). You know, the ones from the magazines that kids apparently DON'T LIVE IN??? Seriously. What child's bedroom looks like that, I ask you. Where are the toys??? And boogers? And soiled sheets? And lizard cages? And dirty shoes? And unmatched socks tossed about? And 30 piggy banks (of all different styles)? And crayon markings on the wall? And baby dolls who have received "hair cuts"? And 30,000 stuffed animals? And juice stained carpets? And naked barbies? And fossilized food under the bed? And speaking of fossils, what about the rock collection that grows every time we go to Chili's (don't ask)? But now really, since we started fresh and new in this house, I decided to have a picturesque child's bedroom, free of all that stuff. Well, except for the lizard cage. And boogers. So, what happened to all the other "stuff" you ask? It's in the "play room"...which happens to be the first room you see when you walk into the house. I'm smiling. Can you see me smiling? It's a sarcastic grin. So now I must try to create one of those picture perfect Pottery Barn playrooms, where children apparently DON'T REALLY PLAY! I'm still smiling.