Super Freak!

I wasn't technically tagged, but Christy wanted to know my 6 wierd things about me, so here goes...

1. I have a pant fetish! I love any type of pants...jeans, slacks, capris, pj's, sweats, work-out pants, etc. I own over 60 pair! I counted about 43 hanging in my closet & that's not counting the ones that were dirty or already clean, but hadn't been hung! I know it's crazy! I just bought 3 more pair this weekend! And I can't stand for the pockets on the back to be far away from the seam that goes down your booty crack - the further the pockets are away from it, the wider your booty looks! (And I hate shorts!)

2. I have to sleep in tight shirts (I can't stand to get tangled up in my clothes), with my hair completely off my face and neck. I can feel it even if one strand of hair is on me. It drives me in sane. I have to lay a certain way to go to sleep - on my right side, with my arm under my pillow, hand cupping the corner of the mattress, with an air pocket for me to breathe - I hate having covers on my face or feeling myself breathing. And I have to have my hubby play with my hair every night before I go to sleep. If he doesn't, I think he's mad...

3. I am such a germ freak! I hate public restrooms. I roll my paper towels down BEFORE I wash my hands, I scrub them, then I turn the water off with the towel. I also open the door with the towel too, then toss it in the trash. If there are no towels, I use my sleeve. Oh, and I hate to use hotel showers. It drives me crazy putting my feet into a tub where someone else's feet have been...who knows how clean they really are! Something else that bugs me is walking into a public restroom with no shoes on. That is so disgusting...I saw some MAN do that at the races in April. I was - oh, do I have to say it...

4. I cannot stand it when people do not tip at restaurants. If the service is bad, that's one thing. But come on... I always tip more than 20%. I know gratuity is only 15%, but I know how much those people get paid an hour, plus they do everything I ask and they clean up after me (and my kids) - don't you think it's worth 20%?! And if I eat lunch for $4.00, I tip at least $2-$3. They work just as hard as those who work at night, ya know?!

5. I can't stand open dresser drawers. Even slight cracks...a huge pet peeve of mine. Seriously, it drives me crazy! I know that's really wierd & I shouldn't sweat the small stuff, but I can't help it.

6. I hate wet socks. I rarely ever wear my shoes around the house (don't like shoe prints in the carpet) & when I step in something wet with my socks on, it really makes me mad! If Mason steps in something or I notice his socks are wet, off they come!!!

Some other things I've found on other blogs about being SUPER FREAKY that I can relate to ---
I get along better with men than women. I don't know why...but I do. If I had to choose between a room full of men or a room full of women (both of which I barely know), I'd go for the men.
I check my sheets at my hotels for creepy crawlies...
I have to sleep on the same side of the bed no matter where I am.
I mix my food - corn and mashed potatoes are my favorites.
I love organization, but I'm the most unorganized person I know!
I grind my teeth at night.
I hate change. The only "change" I like is rearranging my rooms or painting them a different color. I'm comfortable in the shoes I'm in...no need to change. I even have to park on the same side of our church every time!
I hate rides...even the merry-go-round. Brayden got me on Goofy's roller coaster in Disney World in December & I literally couldn't get off of it fast enough. I hummed to myself the entire time. I was terrified!
I'm terrified of heights too - even standing on the kitchen chair, I freak out about getting down! (I am getting better tho)

Tuesday's Treasure

I said I'd post my 6 weirds today, but it's "Treasure" day and today I am going to write about my hubby.

We met at work in 1996 at a trucking company (where he's still employeed). He worked in Risk Management & I was a 'peon' in H.R. He had a strict policy that he didn't date anyone at work. Obviously he made an exception! We "hid" our dating for over a year (but people weren't stupid). I quit in 1997 - he proposed in March of 1998, we were married in August '98 and had Brayden 9 months & 1 day later! :) You know they say not to drink the water in Mexico...

I must say that he is my soulmate.
I love his eyes.
I love that he is so strong-minded and intelligent.
I love that we don't fight - but we agree to disagree.
I love his arms.
I love that he works out all the time.
I love that he loves to travel.
I love that he puts his family first...that he'd rather be home with us than playing golf (or anything of the sort).
I love the fact that he's so generous (he let me give a good friend of mine $300 today b/c times are hard in her life).
I love it that he wants to be a dad and that he is.
I love it when he wants to stay home with the kids when I do something with my friends & he doesn't think he's "babysitting."
I totally respect him.
I love his laugh...I love to hear him laugh.
He is my treasure.
He has given me more than I've ever dreamed of.
Without him...oh, I have no idea what I'd do.
Only God knows the love I have for him.

In the midst of --- Monday's Madness

I don't have much to write about today...and if I did, it would be to complain about life & the trying times I'm having. So instead, I thought we could all be reminded of how simple life can be - if we allow it. But also why our world has become what it has......I hope you enjoy this - in the midst of Monday's Madness.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary, December 18, 2005.

Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important?

I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife.

Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. If this is what it means to be no longer young. It's not so bad.

Next confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?

I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.

But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke, it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this Happen?" (regarding Katrina)

Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (shewas murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.

Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Are you laughing?

As I said in the beginning, we tend to wonder why our world has become the way it has. Think about what it says above. We have allowed our system to remove GOD from our lives, our schools, our children. Where will it end? But when GOD allows something 'horrible' to happen to our world, we want to blame Him because He's not supposed to allow it to happen. But who said WE were allowed to remove Him? Why is it so easy to forget Him until something like Katrina happens? He is showing us He is still in control, but we continue to blame Him and push Him out of our lives - because after all, how could He let that happen? Think about it. Is your life headed in the direction you want it to? If not, WHY? Who is in control? It's not you!!!

More from my previous post...

OK, so I said my house was a wreck & sometimes I exaggerate, but I wasn't about my bedroom. Take a little gander for yourself... Yep, I told you it was a wreck! See the little path to get to the other side! That's my dresser ahead, Mason's to the right. Notice the open drawer?! That's a huge pet peeve of mine. I can't even stand it when they are cracked. Why can't they shut them all the way? (I know Mason is only 18 months, but other people in my household dress him!) Those books are all house plan magazines that my husband will not throw away - and we have more! Those clothes on the other side of Mason's dresser need to be hung...and the sad thing is - they're all on hangers. There's a bag over my stereo b/c when I sleep, the clock on it is too bright... Huggies wipes on my night stand for easy access when changing a diaper with a very mobile child. In front of my dresser are 2 old pillows that need to be thrown out. In the far right corner is a bunch of baby stuff, old car seat included. I need to sell it, but I paid well over $200 for it & only used it for less than 6 months. (It's a Britax.) Well, I just wanted to share with you that I am a huge pack rat, I hate to clean & my bedroom is always the last to be touched, so it's always a mess. That is really pathetic - and I honestly can't believe I'm sharing it. How embarrassing! I'm really not "dirty" - I'm just a clutter junky.

It's the Mood!

Today I am blah. I don't know if it's the weather - or just me. I have days like this here and there, but not that often. Shelby had a band concert contest this morning & I got to go! Mason is at the sitters. When I got home, that "mood" hit. ugh! I wanted to scrapbook today - possibly put the finishing touches on Mason's "DIRTY" layout, but I haven't touched it. I get inspired and discouraged when I look at a friends' stuff... Janna is awesome! She truly is an inspiration to me & I told her forever ago that she'd make it big one day --- and she has. She designs for junkitz, teaches at CKU's around the US, etc. I am so envious of her because she followed her dreams. I guess the 'discouragement' comes from the mood & the fact that I'm not as good as that. It would be a dream for me just to be published in a scrapbooking magazine, but they are soooo picky! So, I just give up. (Great attitude, huh?!) Again, it's the mood... I skim through my "Creative Sketches" magazine and wonder why in the world my layouts weren't picked for publishing. The ones they pick are sometimes so busy & they totally take away from the subject. All you see is paper...and I ask myself "Where are the pictures?!" I think to myself how my layouts were just as good, but still.........totally discouraging!

My house is a wreck. You can't even get through my bedroom for all the crap in the floor. I have so much stuff in that room, it's unreal. Clothes need to be hung, they need to be washed, stuff needs to be tossed & I just let it keep getting worse. I've got to turn on some upbeat music and get with it today. Blah is not me! But I can't get motivated at all today.

OK, so now you know I'm not perfect either. I have my moods, I have my days....we are entitled to them, right - we are women. I just need to snap out of it. But how?! I just roll my eyes at my frustration. Sometimes I wonder what my journey here on earth is... I have no career, I have no college education. God blessed me with creativity, but obviously not enough for some people. I'm not the greatest mom in the world, nor the greatest wife, so one can only wonder... Amanda said it perfectly on her blog..."God has a plan for your life" and I know he does, I just have to be patient. :)

Tuesday's Treasure...Who's Your Daddy

Tuesday's Treasure is a little different today, but I hope you enjoy it!

Who's Your Daddy?
A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg, TN. One morning, they were eating breakfast at a little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to his wife, "I hope he doesn't come over here." But sure enough, the man did come over to their table.
"Where are you folks from?" he asked in a friendly voice.
"Oklahoma," they answered.
"Great to have you here in Tennessee," the stranger said. "What do you do for a living?"
"I teach at a seminary," the professor replied.
"Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I've got a really great story for you."
And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with the couple.
The professor groaned and thought to himself, "Great ... Just what I need... another preacher story!"
The man started, "See that mountain over there? (pointing out the restaurant window). Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy born to anunwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place he went, he was always asked the same question, 'Hey boy, who's your daddy?' Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question, 'Who's your daddy?'
He would hide at recess and lunchtime from other students. He would avoid going in to stores because that question hurt him so bad.
"When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. He would always go in late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, 'Who's your daddy?' But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so fast he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd.
Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, "Son, who's your daddy?"
The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church looking at him. Now everyone would finally know the answer to the question, 'Who's your daddy?'
This new preacher, sensed the situation around him and using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to that scared little boy ... "Wait a minute! I know who you are. I see the family resemblance now. You are a child of God."
With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, "Boy, you've got a great inheritance. Go and claim it."
With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same again. Whenever anybody asked him, 'Who's your Daddy?' he'd just tell them, 'I'm a Child of God.'
The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, "Isn't that agreat story?"
The professor responded that it really was a great story! As the man turned to leave, he said, "You know, if that new preacher hadn't told me that I was one of God's children, I probably never would have amounted to anything!" And he walked away.
The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress over & asked her, "Do you know who that man was who just left that was sitting at our table?"
The waitress grinned and said, "Of course. Everybody here knows him. That's Ben Hooper. He's the former governor of Tennessee!"

So, Who's YOUR Daddy?

Easter

Easter was so fun this year. Mason was such a hoot. Coloring eggs was an experience for him. He refused to wear the glove once he got ahold of an egg...so he just got a plain white egg! I have no idea what he is doing in the picture with his hand on his chin - just being silly, I guess. He wanted to lick & eat the egg too. ugh! During the easter egg 'painting,' we made Easter Story Cookies. That was a lot of fun. I think we all learned a little bit more about Easter. I didn't know they gave Jesus vinegar to drink while he was on the cross! Check it out: http://solidgospel.com/subpage.asp?StationId=SolGos&PageNo=89 (if you don't like nuts, substitute chocolate chips for the pecans - that's what we'll do next year!)
Mason got a huge Spongebob stuffed toy & his basket was full of SB stuff! When he saw it all on the couch, he did this little dance while he was walking towards it. It was so cute. Brayden got a new General Greivious (from Star Wars) & the expression on his face was priceless. (I'm so good at getting those shots too!) Shelby got 2 new shirts from American Eagle (good thing we'd gone shopping the week before cause she's so picky), tanning stuff & an AC/DC CD. She's into all the old stuff I listened to growing up. (Even Aerosmith & Bon Jovi!) She was thrilled.

We went to church (it was packed in the 2nd service - Eric even had to get up & get more chairs for people) We then came home & my aunt and uncle came down to watch the boys find eggs. That's them in the picture (with the kids). About 1pm, we headed up to Eric's parents for Easter "ham"burgers! :)

We tried to get my annual Easter pictures, but as you can see, no one wanted to cooperate. Brayden was mad (in the bottom picture) for some reason, Mason couldn't sit still & poor Shelby was trying to control him, all while her hair was all over the place. This is the best picture & Mason is blurry! Oh well - it's a story for their scrapbooks! The top pciture is a little blurry too - but at least they were both half smiling. Like their matching shirts?!

Last but not least, a pic of me and my dear hubby. We never get our picture made together, so I try every chance I get. Shelby took a few for us & this was the best one. If the pics are too small to see, click on them & they should come up larger. I hope you had a blessed Easter!

Oh, I almost forgot! Mason went to the doctor today for his 18 month check up. He didn't gain much weight at all (since 15 months - maybe 3 oz.) - in the 25%, but he took a huge growth spurt. He grew 4 inches in 3 months - in the 90%. He's doing great & she's so happy he's such a talker. (I may beg to differ at times! haha)

Texas Motor Speedway...

Kasey Kahne won the race at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend!

We had a great weekend. We left Saturday morning at 8:30 and arrived at the track a little after 12. We did some shopping at the trailers (I got a new Dale Jr. shirt), then watched the Busch race. It was ok...not my cup of tea - I like the big boys (Nextel Cup). We checked in at the hotel & stayed for about an hour and a half before heading to Dallas (the West End) to eat at the Spaghetti Warehouse, then we went to Gator's for the boys to have a beer. A little after 10pm, we were headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep.

Up at 6am to head to the track - for the race at 1. Yep, that's right. We were there a little after 8...after a stop to Starbuck's & Krispy Kreme. OH MY! I've never had a hot & fresh glazed donut from there. I think I could've eaten a dozen without thinking twice. I'm so glad we don't have one close to here!! It would ruin my diet for sure. The race was awesome. I tend to get a little loud when I attend these events. I haven't liked Jimmie Johnson since he won at Daytona with his arrogant speech afterwards, so when I saw him walking, I yelled "48 sucks" as loud as I could. He wasn't too far from us, so I'm sure he heard. You wouldn't believe the attentiont that got...and how many people clapped! Boy, there are all kinds at a Nascar race. You've got the guys who don't wear shirts (that need to), you've got girls who barely wear shirts, the guys in the stands that hold up signs that say "Show me yer tits" and the girls in the in-field that show them (yes, they do!), those with money, those without (and wonder how they even got in), those in between, the rednecks, man - I could go on! We left with about 80 laps left in the race, but listened to it on the radio...we wanted to beat the traffic. The first year it opened, we were there and it took over 2 hours just ot get out of the track. I slept the whole time, so it didn't matter to me. Jeff Burton won that race. We've been to 4 different tracks. We've had good seats (this weekend), we've had bad seats and we've had a private suite (Bristol). That was awesome.

Anyway, things have settled down here for the most part. I've been busy with my aunt since she got in town last week. Tuesday we went shopping in NWA, Wednesday in the Fort. I had to get the boys matching shirts for Easter & Brayden hates them b/c they have pink in them. It's a Tommy polo style shirt with navy, white & pink stripes. It was really the only thing I could find in both sizes, but it's cute & they will be adorable.

Last night I colored the top of Shelby's hair (the bottom part is dark brown & the top is blonde). Well, needless to say, she looks like Cruella now. It's not blonde - it's WHITE! I laughed my rear off last night when she came in to show me. She was so mad (as you can see in the picture) & telling me to shut up. :) But I couldn't help it. It was hilarious!!! We're going to have it fixed tomorrow!! I can't ruin my Easter pictures! She had to wear it up in a ponytail today, but everyone still noticed! :)

I hope you have a great weekend. I will try to post tomorrow. Brayden has practice in 20 minutes & I'm always late...so I better go.

GOD BLESS!

Nascar here we come!!

Here's a picture of us in Ponca (where we had our family reunion a few weeks ago). Mason was enjoying playing with Shelby's hair! :) This is also the picture I have on my checks now!

We are off to Dallas tomorrow morning. I'm so anxious, but dread the drive. I know it's only 5 hours, but I hate riding in a vehicle. Eric wants to take the mustang - I'm not sure about that. It will be an experience. But I'm so happy we are taking a weekend off - away from everything to spend together. Even tho he has 2 co-workers going (one with a wife & one with a cousin - b/c his wife, my friend, didn't want to go). I think it will be a blessing. We've needed some time alone for a LONG time! The last time we tried (just to go to dinner) was when Shelby was going through the attitude thing & she all of a sudden didn't feel well (as we were about to leave). It broke my heart that I couldn't spend 3 hours alone with him. I guess there was a reason we weren't supposed to go.....????

Saturday we will go to the Busch race. (I'd rather be shopping, but I don't know my way around & will, for sure, get lost.) I'm not really a Busch girl, I like my Nextel Cup guys. However, I don't really have a favorite this year. I still like Dale Jr. (8) and cutie Carl Edwards (99). Eric's favorite (and has been forever) is Mark Martin (6). I personally cannot stand Kevin Harvick (29) or Jimmie Johnson (48)...they are whiners. I used to be a big ANTI-Gordon (24) & Stewart (20), but they've calmed their attitudes down & aren't so arrogant anymore. It's actually nice watching them race - and I don't even mind if they win. We get to watch them race on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. My mom is keeping all 3 kids, so it will be an experience for her - since she's never kept Mason. She's going to do her thing with them during the day & bring them back to our house to sleep. She thinks they will do much better here --- I think she just doesn't have the room for them at home. :)

Things have been going a lot better with Shelby. After Eric and I talked with her about "cutting" and "suicide," she seems to be doing well. Her attitude has changed somewhat & I've now given her clothes, make-up, bed & door back to her. (Can't remember if I mentioned that or not.) Oh, don't worry, the 'cutting' she was doing was with scissors & they were small scratches - almost looked like a cat scratched her. They weren't serious. But the 'suicide' thing, I took seriously - whether she was or not. Personally, I think she was doing it for the attention. She is seeking counselling at school & I was told that if I need to get her further help, they would inform me (if they thought she was actually serious). Needless to say, I haven't heard anything. And with all this stress, that's why I haven't been on here posting. I think somewhat, I've taken it out on a dear friend of mine (she knows who she is) and I'm sorry. I sometimes feel like everyone is out to get me, when in fact, it's the devil doing his part. This past month has been a long, hard battle for me. And as strong as I may seem on the outside, it's tearing me up on the inside. I don't tend to show my feelings that often!

On another note....The weather here is gorgeous today - after all the storms we've had the past 2 days. (Christy's blog tells you how it was.) I slept right through it last night. I've been sick - and since we'll be headed out tomorrow, I wanted to get some rest to fight it off. I dozed....oh, I mean I slept hard from about 6pm to 8:30 when Shelby came running in the Family Room (after hearing the tornado sirens) to kiss me & tell me she loves me. (She's such a hoot sometimes...and so dramatic.) Then I went to be at 9:20 & slept until 7 this morning. I dozed a little this afternoon, but not for long! I feel much better.

OH....Just thought I'd share with you that I'm soooooo happy my aunt is home! These 6 months will fly by & the 6 months she's in Arizona will drag!! She came down today to play with Mason. He cried when she left. Well, you know that little 'please don't go - and feel sorry for me' cry. He was really cute. Dispite him not feeling well. He has his very 1st ear infection! Yep, at almost 18 months, he's never had one before.

Well, it's almost time for me to get my kidos at school. It will be Monday before I try to post again. I hope you have a blessed weekend! Oh - and don't forget to look for God! He'll be the one standing right by your side!

Tuesday's Treasure

OK...here's the deal. I've been on here 3 times trying to work on my post...and the computer has messed up once & I had to shut it down the 2nd time....... So all you get today is Tuesday's Treasure. I'll try to post tomorrow.

tell me 2 things no one knows about you
I hate the smell of fresh cut grass
I graduated Salutatorian of modeling class
tell me 1 thing you wish you could change
Marrying Shelby's father - big mistake!
tell me 1 thing you wish for
peace, happiness, prosperity
And to meet Faith Hill!!!