Fun in the sun!

Hi everyone! I've had a pretty busy day... had to go have a crown put on this morning (the in the mouth tooth kind, not on my head jeweled kind) Then it was off to meet Heather at her mother in law's to swim with my girls. Thanks again Marty for letting us cool in your pool! I brought Miss Lala home with me so we've been busy here at the house cleaning, playing Princess, watching SpongeBob SquarePants (whom I can not stand) and cooking spaghetti for dinner so pappy can eat it all up when he gets home (Layla's words).
The plan for tomorrow is get up, eat breakfast, pack the cooler, grab the sunscreen and we are headed to Tie Breaker Aquatic Center. It's a water park in Hopkinsville, KY. Heather & I are taking the girls and meeting Marty & her grandsons, Colin & Noah.... this should be fun ;)  The kiddies only out number us by one so we should be ok.... right? (nervous giggle)
So... with all the kiddie activity you'll understand if I don't get too deep in my blogging for the next day or so.
I'll be posting pics from our adventures on Facebook so you'll have to check them out. Hope everyone's days are as fun filled & blessed as mine!

Birth Order, Smirth Order.... Whatever!

My sisters and I had a sleepover this past weekend (mama was there to :)
We talked, laughed, ate lots of junk food, had a little wine, watched a chick flick and played a silly game called Bezzerwezzer... fun fun Sister Time.
It was great and I can't wait to do it all over again! I love my sisters and if you're lucky enough then you have a sister or two yourself that you adore! I feel truly blessed to have the 3 that I have. When we get together we're unstoppable. We seem to be as entertaining to others as we are to ourselves.

When I take a step back and observe my sisters interacting with one another I definitely can see how the whole "Birth Order Theory" may come into play...
I am the oldest of us 4 and tend to be bossy or somewhat in charge. My two middle sisters tend to mediate and get us on point, more centered. Then the three of us tend to treat the youngest like, well ..uh, the Youngest.
When you put us all together we are like a perfect cocktail, not one flavor stands out above the rest, a perfect blended smoothie :)
I was looking up sisters on the internet which eventually led me to Birth Order so I thought I would check it out. There are several "Birth Order Tests" you can take and not one of them pegged me as the oldest?
The first test labeled me as the Middle Child and the two others said I was the "latter born" and third child... WHAT?  Along with those labels were the personality traits, none of which fit me at all, and yes I was being open minded and objective.
So it got me to thinking, "Are all of these tests wrong or are we not the typical siblings?" I mean, don't all sisters get along 98%  of the time?  Don't all sisters join together when one is in need?  Don't all sisters cheer when the others are up and pray when one is down?  Don't all sisters jump at the chance and opportunity to get together? .... if not, maybe you should
I decided it's not the test that's wrong, it's just that my sisters and I are NOT typical.
We are truly Unique :)  Not unique - one of a kind but unique - not common.
I'm not saying this to be boastful or pompous. I'm just so thankful and so proud of our family.

Some people wistfully wish for world peace. I would wish for all siblings to be able to have what we have. Our family is a gift from God, but our closeness is something we have worked on our whole lives and each one of us had made it a conscience choice to make one another a priority in our busy lives. Sometimes it's not easy or convenient to get together and spend time with one another, but we do it.
It's you that decides what's important in your life, hopefully you're prioritizing your list correctly because the way I see it everything you do & choose today will effect all of your tomorrows.
So no, my sisters and I don't fit into any commonplace description of "Sisters & Birth Order", and for this I say thank you Heavenly Father for I feel truly blessed.
.....when friends betray you ( the true & good ones don't ), or men leave ( the loyal & good ones don't ), or your favorite pet goes away ( sadley they all do at some point ) hopefully your blessed enough to have a sister whose only a phone call away to help lift you up..*This Wish I Wish For You*

I'm Resigning......

I hereby officially give my resignation as an Adult

I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year old again.
I want to go to McDonald's and think that it' the best place to eat, EVER!
I want to think that M&M's are better than money because you can eat them, except for the green ones :)
I want to spend all morning getting the stuff together to open up a Koolaid stand and sell it for .25 cents a cup, end up with $2.75 at the end of the day and think I'm rich!
I want to play in the dirt and run around on my Nanny & Granddaddy's hillside and look for Indian money in their driveway then go down to my cousin Gail's and play on the bridge that seemed SO BIG at the time.
I want to return to a time when life was simple....
When all you knew were your colors, times tables and silly knock-knock jokes, but it didn't bother you because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care. All you knew was to be happy, because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset.

I want to play outside with my friends all day long, from sun-up till sun-down. Ride our bicycles while singing those songs from the 70's at the top of our lungs, only stopping to eat PB&J sandwiches then cool off by spraying each other with the garden hose while the mama's yelled, "Turn off that water! Your wasting it!"   then sneaking back later to do it again.

I want to believe that anything is possible and that wish you make when blowing out your Birthday candle really WILL come true if you don't tell anybody what your wish was.
I want to be oblivious to how hard life really can be and get overly excited by the little things again.
I want to play games like Hide & Seek, Red rover-Red rover and Duck Duck Goose!
I want to build tents in the living room using kitchen chairs and bed sheets.
I want life simple again.....
I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, depressing news, gossip, illness and loss of loved ones.
I want to believe in the power of smiles & hugs, truth & justice, peace, dreams and my imagination.
S0... I am officially resigning from Adulthood, and if you would like to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first, cause.....
TAG! You're it!

People and places, milestones and phases…….

A milestone is one in a series of markers that we place in our minds as we travel the road of life. We use it as a reference point. It indicates an important event or turning point in your life.
A phase is a stage of development, a clearly distinguishable period of one's life in progress, the development of something.
All phases have a beginning and an end. The end of a phase usually leaves you with a milestone. I believe the milestones and phases of our lives help make us unique individuals.

The older I get the more I seem to accumulate these markers & stages...milestones & phases. There are so many...too many to recall in one sitting. I think maybe that's why we can sit and talk and talk about "Back in the day" or "The good ole' times" or the infamous "I remember when.."
If you listen to someones story weather it's short or long it's always being told with the help of milestones and phases. These things take up most of the room in our memory banks. I personally think we are always evolving and going through new phases in our life. Some good, some not so good...
This past year has been no different than any other year in my life, VERY eventful to say the least. I was thinking about a few of my own milestones and phases...

I had two grandbabies turn two years old, Madeleine & Layla. They're not babies anymore, they're Mimi's little girls AND we celebrated the addition of a new granddaughter, Farrah Elizabeth.
I've watched my oldest son move away to Florida while I'm watching my baby get ready to start his last year of high school.
I've nursed my husband after arm surgery and battles with kidney stones and waited nervously to hear the good news that my Daddy's cancer had not returned.
I've said many a prayer for my sisters this past year, each one of them dealing with fears & tears that I've battled with myself in the past.
I put an end to a 13 year friendship. Definitely one of the hardest things I've gone through but I have no regrets in doing so, it's what was best for me emotionally, mentally & physically. People move in and out of your life all of the time. Sometimes you're left wondering why they were even there to begin with. If you ask yourself that question often enough you will eventually figure it out. It really isn't that big of a mystery once you look back over the relationship.... I'll save all that for another day, another blog.
I quit smoking! 8 months now! I'm so proud of myself! (yes ma'am I am tooting my own horn, but for this I think you'll agree it's justified)
I've started working again. I haven't worked in 7 years. It feels really good to be out in the workforce again.
I really could go on & on but I don't think I have enough blog space to hold it all :)

Those are just a few of my own milestones & phases. I seriously would love to write it all down someday and make a book out of it. It wouldn't matter if anyone other than myself read it, although I think you would find it interesting enough to hold your attention. It's held mine for 42 years........

Things our Mothers never told us...

I have come to realize that I am not my mother, but close enough like her to proudly say I am her daughter :)
I used to think that I didn't really learn alot from my mama. That who I was, what I did and how I lived was all me, but I'm finding out more & more every day that's just not true.
My husband told me the other day what a great cook he thought I was and how did I learn to cook so well? I told him "practice I guess?" Then I got to thinking and said, "from my mama."
 She never gave me any type of cooking class per say but I watched her...watched her cook meal after meal for our family. Even after working 12 hour shifts at the hospital she would come home and cook. Meatloaf, spaghetti, pork chops, fried potatoes, pots of beans in the pressure cooker (do they even make those things anymore? Pressure cookers, not beans lol)
 Anyways.... I watched and I learned. As little girls my daughters asked me, "How did you learn to put on makeup?" Well, it started by watching my mama. She never wore much but definitely always had on her mascara. How did you learn how to pray?... from watching my mama. How did you learn how to be a friend, how did you learn how to be a loyal & faithful wife, How did you learn how to be a mama..... I've learned it all from watching my Mama.
I bet when she was cooking, carefully applying mascara to her eyelashes, saying our bedtime prayers, visiting with Delores or Pat, washing my daddy's work clothes and taking us to the Madison Library on Old Hickory Blvd., she never really knew how much she was being watched and what lessons she was teaching us.
I can only hope that my very own daughters have learned some of those same values from me when I wasn't looking, but they were watching....

We need to remind ourselves that motherhood is HARD! and that there are NO perfect mothers. We all make mistakes. There is no one single way to parent a child, especially since each child is different weather it's yours, mine or theirs.
I'm so very thankful for the Mother that God choose for me.
I love you Mama <3


Martina McBride has an absolutely beautiful song that I LOVE and recommend you check it out on Youtube   "In My Daughters Eyes" {view the one with words scrolling}

Big Brother is watching...........

No, actually we are the ones watching :) Big Brother, season 13 has begun! It started last Thursday evening and again last night. Looks like it will have it's regular schedule. Wednesday nights are for the "Veto" competitions. Thursday nights are for "Eliminations" and "Head of Household" and Sundays are left for "Nomination Ceremony" along with the "Have or Have Not" competition........                               

If you're wondering what in the world I"m talking about, then you obviously aren't a fan of one of the most popular and highest rated shows on T.V.
Big Brother could be described as part game show part reality show. Game show in the fact that these people are competing to win a half of a million dollars and reality show since the contestants are living together in the secluded Big Brother house and their every move is being taped. The only "semi-privacy" they have is sitting on the toilet and taking a shower (you can hear them, just not see them) Viewers have a chance to watch the action not just during the three 1 hour episodes of game play and chaos but each evening from 11pm till 2am on the Showtime channel and you can subscribe to their live feed on the Internet which runs 24/7...... GOOD GRIEF!

I've actually thought of trying to get on the show myself, even printed out the online application one time. Then I thought, "Humm..Do I really want millions of people watching me eat, sleep & play? 
...not to mention watching me burp, fart, pick my nose, clean out my ears, have mini versions of mental breakdowns while I cry in the Diary Room about how much I miss my family and how much I can't stand Evil Dick" , he's one of the Houseguest.  (Houseguest are what the contestants are called)

Anyways.... If all of this sounds crazy, but entertaining, well...It is! Most of my family watches this show each week and then we call each other to compare notes.... "OMG! Did you see what Rachel did? oh No she didn't! Jeff and Jordan should have voted her off! Yeah, well I can't believe Evil Dick just said that to his daughter! Really? I can. He isn't called Evil for no reason. hahaha!"

If you want to begin to understand that conversation then you'll have to tune into channel 5 and watch it along with the rest of us :) If you're already a fan then mama said we should do a Big Brother night at her house!

{sidenote... Ok,Ok. I know it's not PBS or Hallmark Channel. It's a pretty cool show though. It's fun & entertaining. I for one enjoy anything that gets my family to chatting and giggling about some nonsense and can take our minds off of our own crazy reality for a few minutes here and there}

My Mother is on Facebook! .........and everybody else

I read a headline the other day, “Facebook will no longer exist after February 2012” …users have from now until February 2012 to contact old friends, stay in touch with relatives or social network in general". WHAT! NO WAY! They can’t do that. What are we going to do without Facebook???

OK, calm down. It was just a bogus rumor that had been started, totally untrue. But….. it got me to thinking, “What would happen if Facebook went away?”

  There are definitely lots of pros to having this form of communication at our fingertips. I personally have been in touch with friends and even some family that I haven’t seen or spoken to in years thanks to FB. I’ve been able to find out how they are – what they are doing now- if they have kids, grandkids. – I’ve even found out through FB that we’ve lost a few sweet souls.  Facebook is a great way to get in touch with a whole group of people all at once. Maybe you’re having a party or reunion. Maybe you’re planning a wedding or baby shower. It's definitely a great way to share your cool vacations photos or those sweet little baby pictures.

But what if..... what if it went away... What ever would we do?

Well, maybe we would start calling people again in order to see how they've been and if everything is going good for them and their family. Maybe we could go back to the old fashion way of inviting people to an event or gathering. (paper invites and phone calls) 

 Remember when people would come over and visit and sometimes you would pull out the ole' photo albums with all the pictures, old & new.

I'm not trying to insinuate that Facebook is a bad thing. It's not. I myself use it quite often. I used it to inform you all about this Blog I'm doing. I guess what I am trying to put out there is that we shouldn't allow technology in any form become so much a part of our lives that without it we feel lost.

I left my cellphone at home yesterday when George and I headed into town.. I nearly panicked! I almost made him turn around and go back to get it even though it would have put us late for our appointment. {we did not turn back} I feel naked without my phone by my side. I feel like something bad or good even, will happen and I won't be able to know about it. How absurd is that? I mean, there once upon a time was A TIME when we didn't have cellphones. It wasn't even that horribly long ago.

So I'm thinking, maybe we need a technology vacation. One day a week where there's no such thing as cellphones, computers, xbox, playstations { housephones and TV's are fine, they've been here forever. Ok, not forever but long enough} No GPS telling you in that weird computer voice, "Turn Left in 1.2 miles". Yeah, even that thing has taken over. On two separate occasions I asked someone the best way to get to "such & such" and was told, "Haha. You know, I'm not sure. I just use my tomtom or garmin and go with it."  WHAT!

I'm gonna give it a try by golly.... well not today obviously since I've been on this computer checking my Facebook and writing my Blog while talking on my cell phone to my friend I haven't actually visited in over a month and programming my Direct TV to remind me that one of my favorite shows is on at 9pm tonight and then........

Maybe I'll start tomorrow? I need to check my electronic calendar first  ;)