Where in the world is Spiderman?

Three days before Halloween A.J. decided to change his mind about what he wanted to be. Last year, at the end of the season when Target had costumes at like 90% off, he selected a "the Thing" from Fantastic 4, and he was fine with being that until Sunday afternoon. So, yesterday after school we went to Target and they were completely out of cool costumes. Go figure! I told him to expect that. Well, come to find out he wanted to be a "bad guy" (the black Spiderman from the 3rd movie - that he never saw) because he was concerned that one of his more mature 8 year old friends who always is something evil would make fun of him. I told him that he could tell him friend to "go fart on himself" if he felt that way. Was that right? I don't know, I just know that I am not all into "scary" stuff necessarily for Halloween and I have tried to put it off as long as possible. Last year my boys were Star Wars: Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, which I thought was super cool.

This super cute picture is of my Grandparents when they were first married in 1943 in Gary, In. They were so young! My Grandpa soon left for the coast guard in WWII. Now they are 85 and 86 and so wonderful.

Anyway, TV was good last night: Chuck, Heros, CSI Miami is what I watch while my hubby watches more football. I just don't know how one can watch 4 straight days of football???? OU and Dallas did not play over the weekend which was fine with me, I needed a break. We did go see "The Game Plan" with the Rock, it was pretty good, for a kid movie.

Thought of the day: "Worry is like a rocking chair: It gives you something to do, but doesn't get you anywhere." - Anonymous

I think this is sooooooo true. My hubby is a serious worry wart and I am not, something my parents taught me about how you cannot worry about things that are out of your control. I guess it is just easier for some than others.

Two months till Christmas!!

There are just a few things in life which frighten the sh*t out of me - one of them: WASPS. My whole life nothing more could be scarier than being in a room or near a wasp/bee. When I was small I had several bad experiences with being stung and thus scared for life. When I was a teen, we lived in a house built in the 1929 and for some reason wasps loved to enter thru the windows and hang out in my parents upstairs bedroom. Alone during the summer, as I often was watching my younger brother, I would hang out in their room watching TV b/c my brother was monopolizing the downstairs TV playing video games. Well, one more than six occasions I was trapped in the room with the dreaded wasp. Sometimes I would run out and slam the door, shoving a towel up under the jam or others break out in a panic... or both.

Well, long story short - there was a wasp in my house this morning, dead thankfully. I made my hubby remove it b/c I would not go near it. A few weeks ago there was a wasp in my bathroom! Leaving my hubby to deal with it, he swats at it with a shoe and lames it but does not kill it. It disappears and he thinks it dead (I am praying so). Next morning, I am getting ready for the day in the bathroom and here comes that stinking wasp again!!!! So, it is now up to me to take care of the problem. I find the poisonous wasp spray- which I always have several during the summer- and spray the crap out of the offending insect and all the wall paper, widow coverings and surrounding o'ject de arte, finally ending the life of the wasp. It just makes my skin crawl to think of it.

On a more pleasant note, I am bribing my kids with Transformers if they would start loosing some teeth. A.J. is almost 9 and has only lost 4 of the bottom teeth and Z.M. who is 7 has only lost 3. Hereditary, they are predisposed to being late-bloomers but I have seen kids in Kindergartners who have lost more teeth than my 3rd grader. Anyway, Z. is really close to loosing the 4th but wont let me get any near his mouth, lo the bribe.

This is a favorite one of mine: My aunt Marsha, uncle Micky and my Dad (the baby) in their home town in Indiana. (c. 1948).

Thought of the day: " Every man dies, not every man lives. " -- William Wallace (Mel Gibson), Braveheart

Everyone has heard this quote in some form or fashion, yet it is as poignant today as it was in 1300.

Fall has found Texas

This morning was 46*....burrrr..... I did not want to get out of bed this morning b/c I could tell it would be chilly outside of my warm bedsheets. We actually turned on the heater at 68*, just in case, and I was happy when it popped on. So, when I returned from dropping off the kiddos at school I got out the down comforter and put it on the bed. Welcome Fall.





Today I have a bit of house cleaning to do. I have neglected it, opting for errands yesterday in the pouring down rain then taking Z.M. to his 7 yr ck up. Speaking of which, he is in fine health but when they did his hearing test, he did not completely pass on his right ear. When the Dr. looked in there he had an ear infection! He has not had one of those in years!! So, it's antibiotics for him for 10 days. Anyway.... I have bathrooms to see to, more laundry to finish, and dished to do, etc....
(Another cute pic of my mom's cat Baby-Girl)

Thought of the day: "I'm extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end." -Margaret Thatcher

Who knew Lady Thatcher had such wit. But isn't that usually the way with all of us?

Big Weekend for Winners!

Ooo-La-La! OU won! LSU won! The Cowboys won! The Saints won! What a great football weekend! And..... A.J.'s basketball team WON! The Maverick's won!

I read a really cool book this weekend - amidst all the football - by "Allie MacKay" who is a alias of Sue-Ellen Welfonder called "Highlander in her Bed". It is about an 14th century bed that is enchanted by it's owner (Sir Alexander Douglas - is a ghost) who was killed on the way to gift it to his future-bride. He has been protecting it against the family members/descendants of his killer's (a MacDougall) family until he chances upon it's current owner, Mara McDougall, a Philly tour guide who inherits a Scottish castle and moves it in. They fall in love (of course) and at the end they find a way to live happily ever after.

Today Z.M. goes in for his 7yr ck up with the new pediatrician. When we moved to the Dallas area 6 yrs ago, one of the boys got sick almost as soon as we settled in. Basically not knowing any Drs. I opened up the local magazine and picked one based on the ad "now taking new patients". Their office was very close to where I worked and the kids Preschool (even though it is completely across town from where we live) so it was convenient. Now that I am not currently working and the kids do not get sick all the time as they did when they were in preschool it is quite a trek just to go to the Drs. I liked the physicians but with gas being so costly it just did not make sense to continue to make the drive. So, we transferred to a new office about 4 miles from the house, we will have to see how it goes.

(Above picture: Baby-Girl, my mother's cat. Baby-Girl was hit by a car when she was a kitten and had surgery/hip replacement. She is such a sweetie my mom could hardly resist not adopting her.)

Thought of the day: "If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else." - Yogi Berra

Clever huh?

Shopping makes things all better!

Well, I survived. Of course I would but it is nice to be past the dental appointment. The doped me up on Nitrous - which took all day to wear off - and fixed the filling that was the problem. Afterward to aide me recover I went shopping at Old Navy and it did indeed help. I only spent $21 but I got a skirt, a pair of capri's and some yoga pants. I love sales!

My mother raised me to be an economist out of necessity. We did not have a lot of extra money growing up and I rarely got new clothes. My mom loved garage sales and resale shops and surprisingly she found some good stuff there. My first pair of Guess Jeans (which was the must-have of middle school in the late 80's) from a resale shop. They were light wash denim with the two inch zipper on the ankles and the pink upside-down triangle on the back pocket. They had to be worn with colored Keds which had to match the polo shirt with the up-turned collar. The good ole days.

Now, I only buy things on sale whether at Target, Old Navy or at the local Outlets but not because I cannot afford things regular price but because I have worked many years in retail and know that given enough time things always go on sale. Old Navy, for example, has a new line every month or so, they have to then place the previous month's styles on clearance to make room for the new arrivals. Therefore, the longer the store has the older items, the lower the price. And if you choose a store that has a large inventory the more likely to have many sale items. The only down side is that if you wait too long the items sale quickly so if it is something you HAVE to have, buy it. I have been known to occasionally but something full priced - but only under dire circumstances.....

Thought of the day: "The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention is to sit down and look comfortable." - Lane Olinhouse

Also pick up the phone. People used to ask me how I stay so thin- I never got to sit. When the boys were younger and home and had to be entertained I was so busy I did not have time to sit. Because as soon as I did I had to get up for some reason or another. We have a 2 story house and it was inevitable that whatever was needed was on the other floor. Up and down all day long. Z.M., when he was a baby, he would not be put down so I carried him most of the time. So, running around with an extra twenty pounds burned extra calories. Also, I could barely get food into my mouth before I was beckoned again some of the time as well.
Have a happy Friday.

In which Christi suffers from dental anxiety

It is true. I dislike the dentist. Today at 11am I have an appointment with my dentist to have a filling redone which constitutes a needle and pain. I even had a bad dream about it last night.

Anyway... I had to spend another goodly amount $$$$ on my Ford SUV yesterday b/c it needed new breaks! $546 worth. According to the shop the breaks were bad off but it is supposedly common with my particular vehicle. Of course my hubby tried to blame me for being an aggressive braker but lo it is not entirely my fault. That means we have put almost $1000. into the SUV in the last 2 months: a new rear air part, new battery and now new brakes - on a vehicle that is only 4yrs old too.

Yesterday A.J. brought home a form to fill out for student council. He is interested in running for third grade representative - how awesome is that? He is so outgoing and funny that this is right up his alley. I was terribly shy as a kid (just like Z.M. is) and my Hubby is too laid back to take an active role in anything that requires extra work. Now, he did date his high school's student council president, but that was as close to it as he got. So, we have to fill out his application form and return it tomorrow for consideration. I hope he gets it. :-)

Thought of the day: "Don't carry a grudge. While you're carrying the grudge the other guy's out dancing." - Buddy Hackett

Isn't this so true. Most the time the person you are holding a grudge about doesn't even know it. I am an easily forgiving person and rarely hold grudges. One thing I have learned: You cannot control the thoughts/actions/behaviors of others, your efforts are futile. I also do not worry about issues that are out of my control because all I would be doing is waisting my time and emotional state.

God Weeps For His Team!

The Cowboys lost. There is a standing joke about why there is a hole in the top of the Cowboys stadium - so God can watch his favorite team. Makes sense, right? Well, it is raining today for one reason only - God is weeping because the Patriots beat the Boys squarely 48-27. Surprisingly the Saints won - made my Dad happy, except for LSU lost!

I have been working on my family's genealogy for years now it seems and today I found that my Grandfather's sister was married before to a man whom we did not know, we knew of the second husband. She died in 1962 and her daughters are spiteful (according to my mother) and so I have made no attempt to contact them about their parentage. Ancestry.com is very helpful if not frustratingly so sometimes and I found her and the second husband's marriage cert. which shows a maiden and married name. So, I have been trying to locate more information....

Here is a picture of my Grandfather and his sister in Missouri as children. I love old pictures of my family. Their father was about 50 when he married their mother and so he was about 52-54 when the kids were born and soon died afterward. My Great-grandmother was young still and now widowed. But not long after she remarried and then died herself. The kids were taken across the country to live with the step-father's relations and treated very poorly. My Grandpa left home at 13 and joined a motorcycle gang and no one is sure exactly what happened to Lucille until my Grandpa Bill sought her out as adults. She was an alcoholic and died from in at a young age. One would have to assume she was abused due to her vices and unhappy disposition. After she died her children waited a few days (almost a week if I recall) before contacting my Gpa. My mother was only 12 at the time and had only met her aunt once. It is a shame really, what happened to them but before modern medicine life was often tragic.

Though of the day: "Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts." - Charles Dickens

Wise words.

King Lear is coming!

I have been a busy bee this morning! I found out yesterday that my Father-in-Law - whom I just have a ton of respect for - is coming for a visit tomorrow. Eek! I had already on my Thursday agenda to install some new flush mount light fixtures I bought at the Home Depot yesterday, continue with the never-ending laundry cycle, clean up the mess made from last nights dinner and walk the dog. Unfortunately, Harley did not get her walk since I started folding the already clean laundry as soon as I got back from dropping off the kiddos at school and watching Good Morning America. Then - of course - I have to finish the last 30 or so pages of a book I was reading by Liz Carlyle "A Woman of Virtue". It was a great book...now onto the next one "No true Gentleman". So, once done with my reading I installed all 3 new fixtures and rounded off my morning with finishing the dishes and cleaning up the upstairs (ie: toilets, toys, vacuum, new sheets, etc...) in preparation for my FIL (the same one my Harley adores more than anyone).

I am again proud of my handiness. Growing up my father and I did not have a lot in common - I being a girly-girl and he being a "what do I do with a girl???" kinda dad. So, he started off trying to get me to play sports {basketball, softball, soccer, tennis - you get the picture} but I am not the least bit athletically inclined so I refused. I danced ballet and as said ballerina we must be dainty and graceful. I loved hanging out with my dad regardless and so therefore a garage/tools relationship began. He showed me tools and virtually all ways to caulk, spackle, paint, fix, hang and install just about anything. I really did not use my skills until one year my then boyfriend (now hubby) and I moved into an apartment together. The cable outlet was on the wrong side of the living room from where we wanted it so I just ran the cable to the other side - no big deal. My BF was so surprised. Bless his non-handy heart that his dad never taught him such things (through no fault of my FIL) and ever since I am the most handy one in the house. Since we have moved in to our current home about 6 yrs ago I have installed 9 new light fixtures, drilled and attached all the darn cabinet pulls, ran wiring for outdoor lighting, replaced several switches and all covers, put up crown moulding, chair rail moulding and quarter-round - among other things. Not that I am bragging.
Anyway... So, now I am hungry after burning all that energy and still have 2 or 3 loads of laundry to finish and a new book to start. There is just not enough hours in the day!
Thought of the day: "We do not understand: JOY... until it we face sorrow; FAITH... until it is tested; PEACE... until faced with conflict; LOVE... until it is lost; HOPE... until confronted with doubts." - Unknown (to me)
This is so true. We cannot fully understand each and any of these emotions unless we are shown what life is like without them. But all these are found through our spirituality and determination to over come adversity in any way it presents itself. Have a blessed Thursday.

Happy Wednesday!

I am getting excited for Halloween! But if you go to the stores they already have Christmas out! I take one holiday at a time. Z.M. is going to be Optimus Prime from Transformers and A.J. is going to be the big hunky guy from Fantastic 4. Last year it was so cold Halloween night that we had to wear layers upon layers and all got runny noses, and we live in Texas - hello! - it is supposed to be only in the 50's at night. This morning it was 58*....so cool. I took Harley for a walk after I dropped the kiddos off at school and it was so nice out. It is finally starting to feel like fall, well, at least during the morning hours.

Thought of the day: "There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots; the other, wings." - Hodding Carter, Sr.

I love this quote b/c as parents we are to shape our children to be the best person they can be. So they will understand their roots - their family, heritage and customs - and wings so they may soar to new heights, create new dreams and find success in all they desire.

Cowboys won by a hair!

I cannot believe that the Boys pulled it off last night. What a nail-bitter! I had such a hard time falling asleep after that. Anyway... I have to go to the dentist this morning for my bi-yearly cleaning, fun. Then I am making a pot-roast for dinner, which I need to start soon.

I love this pic of my boys. It was taken a few years ago at a local mall. We were taking pics for our annual Christmas card and they sat for a moment and I snapped this quickly and it turned out so cute. That is usually how it happens. It shows their personalities too. A.J. is out going and rowdy and Z.M. is shy and quiet.

I woke up to 63* in Dallas and it is sooooo nice and cool. We have had a pretty mild summer in comparison to the usual 15+ days of over 100*, plus we have had a ton of rain. I am really ready for fall and sweaters.

Thought of the day: "Use the talents you have, for the woods would be silent if not birds sang except the best." - Unknown

Not everyone can "sing" well but everyone can "sing" their own way...

SOONERS ROCK!!

OU rules!!! We beat Texas 28-21! Whooo!!!!

We had a pretty fun weekend with all the football games and such. OU & LSU won, USC lost (yea) and A.J.'s team actually won their game! A.J. scored 4 buckets and 2 free-throws and earned a little under 50% of the teams total points. I was so happy the boys won a game - all the parents were. Saturday night we went over to a friends house for more football and to chat and let our kids play and Sunday we watched more football and then went to our son's game. Other than that we did not do much. We watched "Knocked Up" last night - it was very funny.

My favorite cousin's birthday is tomorrow and I have been teasing her about being 29, which in only one year away from being 30!!! (she did the same to me when I turned 30). It was funny when my Mother turned 40+ she never would admit she was in her 40's. She was not 42 but 30-12, etc... I think I may adopt that when I hit 40 (in about 8 years). Now my Mom is 56 and is Fab. And like her, I don't look my age. I get looks all the time from people who do not believe I am over 30. Ha! I know I will appreciate it later....and all that crap.

Thought of the day: "I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck." - Emma Goldman

Well, I don't necessarily agree with this statement, I just thought it interesting. I, for one, have had my fair share of getting roses throughout the years but diamonds would trump them anyday in my book. This Emma Goldman probably recieved diamonds frequently from uncaring people and roses rarely from those she loved?? Or maybe she just had an affinity for gardens. How about both?

GO OU!

Boomer Sooner - Boomer Sooner - Go OU! Beat Texas! WHOOO.





Ok. Now that I got that out.... The big game "The OU vs. Texas Game" or sometimes it is known as "Battle in Big D" or "Red River Shoot-Out" is tomorrow here in Dallas and we cannot wait to watch it on our new hdtv. Since both OU and Texas lost last weekend it should make for a very enjoyable game. What also makes it fun is that my dad went to Texas (back in the day) and then in the 80's he took a job at OU so then he became an OU fan except on the day OU played Texas. Some years he would wear his OU shirt with a Texas hat or his burnt orange button-up shirt with a white tie and an OU hat. Well, my brother, husband and I all graduated from OU and currently my dad works at LSU so we have fun betting on the games and joke around about the other team...etc...



I did not leave the house yesterday but spent a goodly amount of time writing my book. I was inspired to write a historical romance when I met my favorite author Cathy Maxwell back in July. I wrote poems when I was in high-school, two of which got published, and I have finished a sorta contemporary romance -sorta historical. When I met Cathy, who's historical romances are great, I thought maybe I should try my hand at it since I enjoy reading them so much. So far I have about 62,000 words and am about 2/3 finished. I know where I am headed with the plot but it is the word-by-word movement that makes it a slow process. I also have the concept of my next one too, my main characters sister's story.

Thought of the day: "Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." - James Baldwin



Ha Ha Ha. Is that not so true.
Happy Friday.

It's raining....again...

I woke up this morning around 5:30am to the pitter-patter of rain against my freshly washed car. The boys and I washed the vehicles in the driveway on Monday afternoon, they enjoy doing that, even though they play with the hose more than actually wash the car. I returned home from Choir practice last night and decided to leave it in the driveway instead of putting it in the garage, and lo since it was clean and out Mother Nature decided to add her raindrops to make it cleaner. Right?

Our poor dog, Harley Girl, has really bad allergies to grass and she scratches, licks and bites herself incessantly during the summer and our vet blew us off and she is once again miserable so I have to get a "second opinion" with another vet soon b/c I feel so bad for her. She has large bald spots with a rashy skin and it is awful.

She is a black Schnauzer - hence the name: Harley [like Davidson]. She is very overprotective of us, especially my Hubby. Sometimes I cannot even hold a conversation with him without her barking in between us, mainly at me. She likes me pretty well when he is not at home though. However, her favorite person on the planet is my Father-in-law. She gets more excited than the children when he comes over. It is pretty funny.

My Hubby and I will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary in March and are going to NYC to celebrate! Neither of us has been there before and we wanted to experience something for the first time together. We threw around skiing in Colorado, San Francisco, Seattle, Palm Beach or the Keys. But we kept coming back to New York. So, I booked our hotel yesterday, so the trip is becoming more official. I am holding out for cheaper airfare b/c the hotel will cost about $1800. Eek. NYC is a lot more expensive than Dallas but we will only have a 10 yr. anniv. once and it will probably be another 10 years before we have another vacation without the kids. A few years ago we went to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, for my hubby's work trip. It was a short trip but it was nice. I am so looking forward to going to NYC.

Though of the day: "In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson

Whoo! What a weekend!

I woke up Saturday with unbridled optimism for today was going to be a great day. Then it went slowly - quickly actually - downhill from there. After a lazy morning of sitting around and playing with the kids I got ready for the day ahead. Z.M.'s birthday party was scheduled for 2:30 so I decided to run the rest of my pre-party errands around lunch time. Well....after the first stop at the party store I opted to head to the mall instead of the Dollar Tree (which has $1 Mylar balloons). The bookstore at the mall had a coupon, which was expiring on Sunday, for a book I wanted to get so I decided to stop in there first. Once I returned to my car - in a very timely manner by the way - the car would not start!!! "NO, NOT TODAY!" I said as I hit the stirring wheel (it was almost noon now). Feeling the divine hand in this, was I actually parked near Sears. I went over to the store and they called the mall security. The poor young dude who's job it was to secure the parking lot knew not how to jump a vehicle (or much less tackle a criminal of some sort). Thank heavens the guy across the space from me was a air-conditioner repair man who DID know who to jump a car. YEA! So, I am off to Sears finally thinking it would only take a few moments to replace the battery. One hour and 45 mins. and $135 later I finally get my new battery which leaves me only 30 mins. till Z.M.'s party starts. This whole time I had to instruct my DH on where to get the cake, pack up the party supplies and goodie bags, etc... (thank goodness he can follow instructions). I was hungry and stressed out. Did I realize that I would be there for that long I would have left the waiting room to walk around the mall or get something to eat. But no... I now had half an hour to eat and head over to the party.

Since the party was now underway, all Z.M.'s friends there and having a good time bowling, they were showing the OU game on the big-screen tv. And the lose! NO! The day has now gotten worse. Anyway...
Texas lost, Florida lost... at least my team wasn't the only loser. But OU plays Texas next Saturday which is always exciting. The upside was the Dallas Cowboys won but A.J.'s basketball team lost -again -, but they scored 11 points (the most all season).

Thought of the day: "He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much." - Bessie Anderson Stanley

This is one of my favorites b/c it is so true. Success should not be measured solely by wealth but by how much we share such joys with others.