Long Weekend

I had a nice 4 day weekend because of the holiday. Friday I went with B to Chuck E Cheese for her end of the year party. Have you been to CEC? It is really more fun than most adults can stand. We then met hubby at Beauregard's for lunch (no greasy pizza for me, thank you). Saturday, I baby-sat our friend's little boy, David, for a few hours. I drained, cleaned, and refilled the hot-tub (with the kids help). The kids and I went swimming next door (the next best thing to your own pool is a neighbor with a pool). I got the rest of my plants in the ground and watered everything. Sunday night we went to O'Charley's to celebrate J's birthday. We got him a basketball goal. We have a really large, flat driveway. We got a few balls so everyone could join in. I can't help thinking how good I might have been at basketball if the goal had only been lower. Yesterday, we all went to see Shrek III. I'm sorry, Mike, that I didn't listen to you. We should have waited for the video. We really wanted to see the new Pirates movie but since it's PG-13 didn't want to take the kids without seeing it first. We ate lunch at Casa Blanca. So overall, we had a great weekend. We got some work done, and had a lot of family time. I'm excited that I have finished planting flowers. Thanks, hubby, for fixing the sprinkler.

We have an exciting week. B's Kindergarten graduation is tonite. Tomorrow is J's end of the year party. Thursday is only 1/2 day of school. Friday they both start summer care, though.

Today is Your Birthday

Today is my son's birthday. He is 9. I'm not sure where the last 9 years have gone. At the end of nine more years he'll be 18 and ready for college. Hopefully, those years won't go by quite so fast.

I don't have any baby pictures on the computer. The above is from his 2nd birthday party. The other picture is from our trip to Disney this year.

Book Review

If you've read any of my posts about the books I'm reading then you know I don't post a traditional review. Besides the fact that I don't really know how to properly review a book there are a couple of reasons for this. I think that the folks at Amazon do a fine job of reviewing and posting reviews and I always include the link to this. Also, I don't want to tell you all about the book, just what I thought, and whether or not you should read it. I try not to include any spoilers.



I finished The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. I read about this book on somenone's blog and then my mother gave me a copy after she finished reading. I found this book very enjoyable but also somewhat depressing. The underlying theme of the book is how a moment's rash decision can not only affect the rest of your life profoundly but everyone around you. It asks a lot of tough questions. I would love to discuss this book with others because I kept wondering what would have happened if the character had did this, or this, instead. It's a good book and I recommend it. Also, if you've read this book and are interested in another book about a child with Down's Syndrome you should read Jewel by Brett Lott.



I looked at my list and realized I've read 40 books so far this year. I'm averaging 8 books a month. It may seem like I don't do anything else but I really do. I just have this somewhat boring job with very little to do. I've got to get into this used book thing, though, because I'm spending a lot on books and I've become my mother's source for books rather than she being mine.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Plants that Grow Well in The South (Zone 7) 1. Begonias 2. Impatiens 3. New Guinea Impatiens 4. Celosia 5. Coleus 6. Hostas (perennial) 7. Marigolds 8. Mums 9. Vinca 10. Purple Secretia 11. Lilly 12. Pansies (fall planting) 13. salvia I have planted all these in my garden with great success. The secret (I believe) to beautiful flowers is water, fertilizer, and pest control.

Wednesday

Yesterday, after hearing the news of my granddaddy's death (see Tuesday's post) I went on with my plans for the day. I went for my morning walk and then headed to the plant nursery. I finally got the landscaping done that I talked about here and I needed to get some annuals planted. As usual I bought far more than I should have when you consider the work involved. The landscapers had put in a lot of mulch and I removed some of that to mulch around the trees in the front yard. I set out a lot of flowers. The hardest part (because the soil is quite easy to dig in) is watering them afterwards. I found out that in the process of removing the old bushes some damage occurred to the sprinkler system. The sprinklers are no longer watering my flower beds. So for the time being I'm going to have to water them by hand. Ughh!! My daughter, B, was a big help with the planting and watering. There is still a lot to do! But, oh, I am so sore today.

Our new furniture was delivered and hopefully somebody is coming today to haul away the old sofa. Last night, I went to Lowe's to buy a new chest freezer (one of the smaller models). My son's birthday is coming up and he wants an ice cream cake. My freezer is always so full that this would not be possible without the new purchase. I buy a lot of entrees, etc from Schwann's. I've wanted to try their frozen pizzas but didn't have the room. Also, we never have the room for ice cream. That's just wrong, folks! We put the freezer in the garage and it was cold in only a few hours. I am looking forward to filling it up.

Today, I am at work. But I'll be off for the next few days with the funeral and my scheduled off time. I have some posts worked up and I'm going to try and post them this weekend.

Tuesday

I had a post already to go for today. But just after 6am this morning my father called to let me know that my granddaddy had passed away during the night. He was 91. His health has been poor for the last few months and he has been on Hospice so this wasn't unexpected. My parents drove in this afternoon and my brother flew in tonite. We just went through all this with my other grandfather just a few months ago. Pray for my family as there is a lot of unrest between my dad's brother's and my graddaddy's wife of only 9 years.

Interview

Gina sent me these interview questions. I would love to interview you. Just leave me a note in the comments and I will send you the questions.

1. Would you still exercise, even if you didn't have to? Well, if by not having to, you mean I could maintain my weight and eat all I want without exercising, then the answer is no. I do not enjoy exercise. I like feeling good about myself for doing it. And certainly I like the health and weight benefits. But it is a chore like doing laundry to me.

2. Tea or Coffee? Well, living here in the Deep South I am a big Ice Tea Drinker (although, I prefer it unsweetened). I will occasionally drink coffee or hot tea but I really don't like either one. I do like the International Coffees to drink in the winter but really they are closer to hot chocolate than actually coffee.

3. What is your favorite board game? We aren't big game players at our house. When I was younger I really enjoyed Trivial Pursuit. The kids like Monopoly and we played it a lot growing up, too. When I was a teenager Pictionary was really big and I liked it, too.

4. What is the meal you cook most often and why? This one is tough because there are several meals that we have at our house on a regular basis. We have spaghetti pretty much every 2 weeks because it is easy and my husband's favorite. I also cook breakfast for supper frequently because the kids will eat it (and again, it's easy).

5. What are the best and worst things about where you live? The best things are how convenient it is to everything. We live within 5 hours of Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Atlanta, Birmingham and Montgomery. We live only 6 hours from the beach. The worst thing is the area is growing so rapidly and very little "city planning" has taken place. The schools and roads can't keep up with the population growth. The commercial building restrictions are very lenient and buildings are put up without a lot of regard for aesthetics. Builder's put in large housing developments and then developers come along and put in a shopping mall behind them.

7 Things That Happened To Me as a Teenager

I read this meme at Thinking About. This is a blog I read and enjoy regularly. Even though, she didn't tag me, I decided to do this one and pass it on to some of the people who read my blog.



1. When I was 14 my foster sister, Jackie, was removed from our home and sent back to her natural mother. She had been with us for almost 4 years and she was almost 4 years old. It is certainly one of the defining events in my life. The full story can be found on my mom's blog here and here and also on my dad's website here.



2. That same year my brother ran away from home for the first time. He was 17 and he continued to come and go sporadically for the next year. His behavior and the grief he caused my parents caused a very stressful time in my life.



3. I took high school chemistry in the 11th grade. I had not yet decided what career path I was interested in. I was fairly good in math and science and made excellent grades. The chemistry teacher gave me a pamplet about careers in pharmacy and introduced me to an idea I began to pursue. All these years later here I sit typing this blog as a pharmacist.



4. I encountered the world of mean girls in a big way. If you've read Haley Dimarco's book (not related to the movie of the same name) then you know some of what I lived through. I was not popular in school and I did not know what was necessary to fit in and not stand out. Looking back I know this was a blessing but at the time it was pure hell. I struggled a lot with depression but did not know how to cope with it. I was at a conference a year ago where Dimarco spoke about the subject and my mother was surprised to realize I still carried a lot of that around. I do not want my daughter to have to go through that.



5. I fell in love for the first time. We dated for 3 years and I later married someone else. But that first relationship gave me a lot of confidence. There is a country song by Blaine Larson called "Teaching Me How to Love You". The words explain how those previous relationships prepare us for the "love of our life". I don't regret the relationship but I don't regret breaking up either.



6. Because of #4 & #5 I gradually became a stronger person. I quit worrying so much about what was popular or who. I became my own person. By the time I started college I had learned to not let others get to me so much. I made friends who like me for who I was and I trying either to fit in or to stand out.



7. When I was 19 and a freshman in college my roomate tried to commit suicide. She came to the room after I was in bed that night bleeding from her wrist and intoxicated. She and I were very close at this point. This relationship was the most intimate female friendship (non-relative) I've ever had. I was ill prepared to deal with her alcoholism or depression. She survived and required surgery to repair the nerve damage. But again this tramatic event is one of the defining events in my life.



I liked this meme and would like to see some others participate: Terry, Mike, Mother.

Book Review

This week I finished reading Time and Again by Jack Finney. This book is a classic time traveler tale. It was first published in the early 1970's. The story follows Si Morley, an artist, chosen by the government for their secret project. He travels back in time to 1882. His instructions to only observe and not interact are naturally not followed. The story starts out slow giving us the background to this particular author's theory of time travel. The book begins to build suspense in the second half and leaves the reader asking for more. I enjoyed this book very much. I thought how much easier it would have been for Si to travel back in time from 1970 then from 2007. It seems to me that so much more technology has been developed in the last 30 years to seperate us from our past. This book is considered by many to be a classic time travel book. I definitely found it superior to some others I've read on that top 100 list circulating. If you enjoy time travel stories than this is a must-read.

Incidentally, Finney published a sequel to this book in 1996. I haven't read this yet but his critics do not seem to like it as well.

Favorite Time Travel Books
1. Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon
2. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine Le'Engle
3. The Mirror by Maryls Millhiser
4. Time and Again by Jack Finney
5. The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger

Bloggy Break

I took a little bloggy break. I'm going to be back Friday, I think.

Superstar

You heard it here first. I am predicting the 2007 Formula One World Championship will go to Lewis Hamilton, F1's new superstar.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Ways To Honor Your Mother (or Wife) on Mother's Day
1. A lovingly selected, addressed and mailed greeting card (hint for my brother)
2. A Phone Call (another hint for my brother)
3. A beautifully made craft (you know, if you are 5)
4. Breakfast in Bed (Cereal will do just fine)
5. Brunch at Cracker Barrel
6. Lunch at The Outback
7. Flowers
8. A Corsage to wear to church
9. Dinner at a Ol' Heidelberg (wife)
10. A few hours of quiet solitude provided by entertaining the children (wife)
11. Her very own TiVo remote (wife)
12. A hug (whether you're 5 or 50 this still works)
13. Just say "I love You"

Wikipedia

I try to learn something new once in a while if not everyday. Today I learned that Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, is an Auburn alumnus. He graduated in 1989. To learn about other interesting facts about my Alma Mater please see the article here.

Book Update

I just finished reading The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult. This is the third book I've read by Picoult (My Sister's Keeper, Mercy)and by far the best. It is the story of Trixie Stone a 14 year-0ld girl struggling with growing up and her parents Laura and Danny and the single moment that changes their lives forever. It is a story of parental love and how far a parent will go to protect or save their child. It is the story of a child dealing with the same issues adults encounter like insecurity and self-hatred. This book made me think hard about what lies I might say to protect my offspring. The author does an excellent job of describing realistic characters with real emotions. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Another book I finished recently is Rick Mofina's If Angels Fall. This is the third book I've read by this author (No Way Back, Be Mine) but actually the first book Mofina published. I have to say that I enjoyed this much better than the previous two I read. Mofina's central character is crime journalist Tom Reed at the San Francisco Star. The story follows the kidnapping of a young child as the story grips the city. Reed's personal life starts to crumble as he tries to solve the story of the year. The book gets very intense and the action continues with very little lull. The reader is well aware of who the kidnapper is and feels the frustration as the authorities keep chasing the wrong suspect. Can Tom solve the crime and convince the police in time to save his own family? If you like crime drama I recommend this book.

Cemetery Stroll

Sunday the kids and went for a walk through Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville. They were having their annual "Cemetery Stroll". Even though I've lived in Huntsville for 13 years I knew very little about this cemetery. It is located near the downtown area and covers 100 acres. It is huge!! Several Alabama Governor's are buried there as well as other prominent figures. The cemetary was established 1818. For this special event 60 costume figures represented the lives of historic and colorful figures buried in the historic section. We parked on the far side of the cemetary, not really knowing where to go, and therefore enjoyed quite a walk. The cemetery is well shaded with gorgeous trees. We got there toward the end and did not get to see all the historic figures but it was fun and interesting, nonetheless.

Cinco De Mayo

Did you know that Cinco De Mayo is not actually Mexican Independence Day? No, that is celebrated on September 16. Cinco De Mayo is actually the date of the Battle of Puebla. Furthermore, it is a far more significant holiday in the United States than in Mexico. In the United States we use it as an exuse to eat Mexican food and drink Margaritas. As if, we needed an exuse.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!!

If You Had The Money...

I saw a post on blog I ran across called Everydayreading and thought this would make an interesting post.

You need to take some time and think about this: If you had unlimited funds, what are 5 things that you would spend gobs of money on? Then, what 5 things could you not see spending money on no matter how much you have. Sometimes hubby and I talk about this as a distant but still possible dream. Although, he wants enough money to live comfortably off the interest without working and I just want enough to do some things I dream about. Trust me when I say our lists would be very different.

So after much thought:
1) I would love to travel and travel in style. I've actually travelled very little in my life. I would love to go to Europe, especially Italy. I would like to have the time off work to do this for several weeks at a time with no rush. I would like to travel by air and rail in first class. I would love to stay in really, really nice hotels and be treated like royalty. Oh, and I want to go to one of those island resorts where everything is included and they provide your every need.

2) I would like to have the money to do some extensive remodeling in our house because I have about decided we will probably stay there barring any unforseen circumstances. But if I had unlimited funds I think I would have another house built from the ground up. It would be surrounded by a lot of land. It would not be extravagant but it would contain a lot of different things I long for: a theater room, a pool, a reading nook, built in shelves and lots of closets.

3) Food. Oh, Yeah! And someone to cook it for me perhaps. They just opened one of those Fresh Markets in our town and I think about whay the cook could prepare for me every night. Except of course the one or two nights we were eating out. We eat out a lot now, actually. But in my dream we would have a babysitter and we would eat out alone! And we would eat lots of good food while traveling. After all this I might need a personal trainer to lose all that extra weight.

4) Charity. I think I would give more money to my favorite causes. And then I would support every good cause that came my way. My favorite cause is Children's Miracle Network which supports our Children's Hospital here in Alabama. I also give money to my alma mater. MDA has recently become an important cause to me. I want be taken in by charities that are not doing what they claim. Check out www.give.org before you give.

5) Books. You might think I spend a lot of money on books now. But I hold back some. I would need lots of bookshelves. I wouldn't have to give away the books anymore. I could have all the classics in one of those sets like this one.

What I wouldn't spend money on.
1) Even if I had gobs of money I would not spend it on clothes for myself. I just can't see spending money on something just because it has a designer label. Is it really worth the extra $100? I don't think so. I don't think I would want more clothes either. But I might pay someone else to do the laundry. And I especially wouldn't spend hundreds on designer purses and shoes.

2) I can't see spending extravagantly on my children. I read somewhere about how birthday parties had got out of hand, costing $5,ooo and up. I do not think it is a good idea to buy a 16 year-0ld a brand new sports car. Do they need the latest computer console? I think that if gets have extravagant taste they probably need a job.

3) Along with not spending money on clothes I cannot see spending it on appearances either. Where was I reading about someone getting a $400 haircut? Huh? I mean was it really that good a haircut? I'm not opposed to splurging on a spa trip once in a while but not endless treatments to make oneself feel beautiful. And plastic surgery? To make you look younger? I'll get back to you on that one. But to enhance the bosoms? NO WAY!

4) I don't think having more money would change my jewelry tastes either. I might own more than one watch at a time. But I am happy with my wedding set and a few nice necklaces and one pair of good earrings. I don't think if I had more I would necessarily wear more.

5) Politics. I think the political system in this country has gotten out of hand. Currently seated Congressman and Senators have to spend too much time fundraising and spend too little time actually governing. Why would I spend my money to get someone elected so they could spend their time in office raising more money? The amount of money candidates spend campaigning is obscene. I don't want any part of this madness.

Well, that was actually harder than I thought and may reveal more about myself than I intended. Anyway, give it a shot if you are interested.

Happy Birthday

Today is my mother's birthday. She is 36 (just kidding!) Go to Bears in Exile and wish her a Happy Birthday!

Diet Update

This morning I weighed in with a net loss of 15.8lbs (we'll just go ahead and round that to 16). This despite the chocolate cake I had this week and the strawberry shortcake yesterday. And all the other junk I've been consuming. Maybe it is two days of exercising. Maybe it is all the water I've been drinking. At any rate, I'm feeling good about this and am going to try and stick to the diet better next week.

Nothing But Noodles

Wednesday I took the kids out to lunch (1/2 day of school) before their dentist appt. B had wanted to try Nothing But Noodles for a few months. She really wanted fettucine and they did not have any on the kids menu. They did have spiral pasta with Alfredo sauce but we all know it is not the same. I had heard the adult entrees were pretty big (and they should be for $6.19) and so I ordered the Fettucine Alfredo and added chicken (another $2) and B and I split it. It came with a bread stick. J got the kids mac n cheese which was actually spiral pasta and cheese. You order at a counter, pick up your drinks and tablewear and someone brings the food to your table. The three of us ate for about $17 but we didn't have to leave a tip. Much more expensive than fast food but still less than table service. We had enough food but it was by no means, too much. The kids enjoyed eating with chopsticks because they give kids chopstick helpers. I might have eaten with chopsticks, too, if I had some helpers. You eat on real dishes but you can't really compare it to a table service restaurant. No one comes by and refills your tea glass. It was kinda noisy in there, too. It is a popular place for the working lunch crowd. I'm not saying we won't go back but really for a little more we could have been at Maccaroni Grill and there would have been leftovers.

Book Review

In my continuing quest to read more of that top 100 list that was circulated a few months back I just finished reading S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders. This is a very short book. It is the story of Ponyboy, a "greaser" in the 1960's. It is the story of teenagers in a rough part of time who have little choice about their destiny. It was written by Hinton when she was in high school. I enjoyed it much more than Catcher in the Rye especially because the language is better. I know they made a movie about it in the '80's but I haven't seen it. If you, too, are trying to whiddle away at the Well Read list, I suggest this book.

I also read another of Martha Grimes books, Help the Poor Struggler. This is another murder mystery featuring Scotland Yard's Richard Jury and his sidekick Melrose Plant. These books keep getting better.

Tuesday

Well, I feel better now thanks to a square of Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate with White Mint Filling. What better than chocolate to cure a work induced, sleep-deprived headache?

We had a pretty good weekend. Friday, I went to the Birmingham Zoo with B's Kindergarten class. B's teacher and another Mom road down with me. The girls sat in the back and watched a movie and I enjoyed conversing with these two adults. The kids enjoyed the zoo but I thought it was a little dissapointing after seeing Animal Kingdom in January.

Saturday, Hubby went to work and I figured out how to get the kids and my bikes in the back of the Tahoe (along with the kids). We went to the local Greenway and road a couple of miles. All three of us need to work up some stamina for longer rides. It was a pleasant ride, though, and we stopped in the middle for a snack.

Saturday night Hubby came home and we met Beth and lil' David at Casa Blanca for supper. This is our fallback Mexican Restaurant because going to Rosie's on Saturday night with kids would be crazy.

Sunday Hubby worked all day again. I was feeling unsettled all day and by the time he came home I had decided against cooking supper. We tossed around some take out ideas and finally decided to go to Cheeburger Cheeburger. The food and atmosphere did nothing to improve my mood and I ate too much. I finally decided the reason for my mood was skipping exercise for several days. I've got to get back to that soon.

We watched the movie, Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest this weekend. J has been wanting to watch Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith for the last couple of months and I have been reluctant. The movie is PG13 but it is mostly the evil nature of the film that holds me back. I haven't seen it since I saw it at the theater so maybe I am remembering it too vividly. My main concern with PG13 movies is language and references to sex. The violence in Pirates did not seem that bad and the kids seemed to enjoy it. I think it all seems like make believe to them anyway. So maybe we will watch the Star Wars movie soon.

Tomorrow, the kids get out of school at 11:30 and they have a dentist appt . But first, we are going to eat at Nothing But Noodles. B has been wanting to try it for months. I'll let you know how it goes.

Monday

I know it is not Monday morning. I worked at that other job yesterday. And I mean I WORKED. I feel slightly hung over this morning. I worked all night long in my sleep, also. I need to catch up on my blog reading and hopefully post a regular post today. And I need a nap. Naps should be allowed at work, shouldn't they?