Fun, busy summer weekend...
Another lively summer weekend! We started out by seeeing the Chiefs win Friday night with cousins and aunts and uncles. Then we met Aunt Robin, Uncle Eric and cousins Kristin and Annie and Kristin's boyfriend, Eric out at our Dunlap house and afterwards all went to eat at Avanti's. Gpa and Gma Goodale joined us, too. Kristin moved into her sorority house yesterday afternoon at Bradley.
We're heading over to Joel's to swim today, which has pretty much been the Sunday norm all summer. Thanks, Joel, for being so generous with your pool! I can tell Alex and Jami are ready for school, though, because when I told them we're swimming today, Alex said, "Swimming again? I've had enough swimming this summer." Wow. I didn't expect to hear that!!
Our house in Dunlap is progressing nicely, now that the ball is rolling. We were out there yesterday and I had fun daydreaming about when we live there and all the fun parties we'll have. I plan to plant a pumpkin patch and blackberry bushes out there. All the other garden items I'll continue to collect from Mom's...let her do the work!!
Jeff and Gabe start framing it soon, hopefully next week. It's fun to see how excited Jeff is to plumb, frame, etc. He explained to the kids that this will be his first time framing a house and that he's been studying it for months now. Jeff pointed out to them that it's great to stretch your mind and continue to learn new things throughout life; it was an awesome lesson for Alex and Jami.
I'm proud of how much Jeff has accomplished on this project. Just getting the land ready with a driveway and building site was quite a feat! Those of you who saw the land right from the start realize what a ways we've come! You can check out the house progress if you browse through all the albums in the picture section.
National Marrow Donor Program
A New Job and Lunch with my Friends
I am going to be a part-time art teacher at Thomas Jefferson school in Peoria! Very exciting...something new and I do love me a challenge! Looking forward to starting on Monday.
Another fun part of my day...I had lunch with my always entertaining friends, Tracy and Heather. I so enjoyed my visit with them!
First Day of Work!!
First Day of School for Alex and Jami!
Clipper-Crazed Mama
Tall-Toothed Types
Labor Day Weekend Fun
This One's For The Girls! (And a little purse hook all must know about!)
I saw "The Women" yesterday with Tracy and Heather...most excellent girlfriends movie! Loved the cast--Meg Ryan, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Annette Benning, Debra Messing, Bette Midler, Candice Bergan--and loved the story!
Afterwards, we ate and lots of talking at Bar Louie. Heather opened up about her midget issues...wow. That's all I can say about that. Wow.
One of the most interesting tidbits of the evening...Tracy's fancy blinged-up purse hook. She whipped it out with great flourish from its velvet (seriously) pouch and positioned it on the edge of the table. Then she placed her purse on the hook and looked at us expectantly. You could totally tell she was way jazzed about this latest acquisition and wanted us to ooh and ahh. Have you ever heard of such a thing as a fancy blinged-up purse hook with its own fancy velvet carrying pouch? She got it at Bath and Body Works, not some fancy European boutique like I guessed. That's the first I've seen of them, but I've a feeling they will be the next must-have accessory in central Illinois. Tracy, you're such a trend-setter!!
Tailgating Season
Ahh, tailgating season is upon us. I have no idea if tailgating really has a season, but if it does, I'm sure it's autumn. I am a HUGE fan of the tailgate party. Jeff and I tried to start up a "tailgating for the school bus" Thursday and Friday morning routine in the neighborhood a couple years ago, but, sadly, it never caught on. Something to do with people on their way to work and not having time to hang out at the trunk of our car drinking coffee and having donuts, waiting for the school bus. Whatever.
A couple weeks ago at Joel's, a guest had a sweet grill set up on the back of his truck for tailgating. I went so far as to google "tailgate grill for Durango". Are you kidding me? When would I ever use that? Then again, if I had one, when wouldn't I use it?
I think parties should have a start time and a tailgating time, an hour prior. So, say, party at six, but tailgating for the party starts at five in the cul-de-sac, street or driveway. I've told people that idea, but so far it hasn't caught on.
Must run. Jami is playing with neighbor kids and Jeff and Alex and some neighbor boys are playing football. Perfect time for icecream, tailgate-style, at the trunk of the Durango. Icecream will have never tasted so good!
Happy tailgating, friends!
Life in Bumper Stickers (or pieces of flair)
Last night we had neighbors over to roast marshmallows. Our neighbor Bryan said what will now become a classic quote to me, "Fat people like to play in sand, too." I thought that would make a lovely bumper sticker. I challenge you to look for those classic gems throughout your day and picture them as bumper stickers. It's just fun.
I also need to mention my neighbor, Dennis. I don't have anything to say about him at this moment (oh, I can think of a few gems about him for sure...) but his wife told me how he's been avidly reading my blog, just wishing he could be mentioned in it. Lyn said it would just make his week. I'm all about spreading joy, so DENNIS. There you have it.
I Am So 12...
My Amazing Husband!
If you've been checking out the progress of our home, either stopping by or viewing the pics, you see we've made a lot of progress. The amazing part to me is that Jeff and Gabe have done all that framing on their own! Andy donated a couple days help, as did Joel, (thanks, guys!), but mainly it's been Jeff and Gabe all the way. I mentioned to Jeff that perhaps he should have honed his framing skills on a shed or garage instead of our dream house, but he thought that was just crazy talk.
Jeff has never once even seem stressed by this HUGE project and he doesn't complain that he's too busy. It helps that he really enjoys what he's doing. His grandpa was a builder and Jeff definitely got his carpentry genes.
When he isn't working at Southwest, his alarm goes off at 4:15, as he often works under lights until the sun comes out. Jeff makes it home by dinner, then plays with Alex and Jami for about an hour. After the kids are in bed, Jeff and I hang out for a bit before we both crash.
I'll admit there have been times when I wish my husband didn't even know how to hold a hammer, let alone swing one, but I am very proud of him and consider myself to be the luckiest woman in the world to have such a studly husband!!
Stray Dogs??!!
"Say now, do you ever worry about stray dogs?" This question came from Jeff's 98 1/2 year old grandma yesterday when she called to "visit". I answered her honestly that, no, of all the worries that pass in and out of my mind each day, stray dogs are not among them. Evidently they should be. "Do Alex and Jami know what to do if a stray dog approaches them?" (I don't even know the correct procedure, if there is one.) "Do you know how many kids are attacked every day by stray dogs?" (No, but grandma doesn't either, although she's sure it's a lot.)
When Alex started kindergarten and rode the school bus, grandma's big concern was him riding the bus home in the dark. No matter how many times I told her the bus arrived promptly at our door at 3:20, she kept insisting it was dangerous for him to be on a big school bus in the dark.
When Alex and Jami were infants, the big concern was our cat jumping in the crib and suffocating them. "Do you know how many babies are killed by cats every day?" !!!
I'll be forever grateful for the vast quantities of useful (and life-saving) information Grandma Florey passes on to me every year. You just have to wonder, though, what horrible event transpired in her life involving a dark school bus and a cradle cat and stray dog...
Girly Girl to Tomboy in 30 Seconds
Jami and I enjoyed girl time this morning. We were super-cool as we rode to Grand Prarie in the convertible, giggling as the wind blew our hair every-which-way. We had our pictures taken in a photo booth, bought chocolate syrup lip gloss and sipped soda. We sang our hearts out to all our favorite songs on the radio (something Jeff and Alex discourage very much).
Seconds after we pulled up to the under-construction home, Jami had scaled Mt. Mud and was swinging from a vine, skirt and all. From girly girl to tomboy in 30 seconds. Awesome. I love that about my daughter... just wish she'd change into play clothes first next time!
Kindergarteners!!!!!!
The Spicy Salsa On My Tortilla Chips
Jeff and I have been blessed beyond measure with awesome friends. I've been thinking about my amazing friends a lot lately and thought I'd thank them for being so cool. Listen to this cast of characters I am so, so, so lucky enough to call friends:
Lots of amazing moms, one pilot, 2 friends who have gone off to war more than once, many teachers, a firefighter, friends who run marathons, a serious kickboxer, a friend who donated a kidney, friends who have held my legs while I do keg stands, friends who have held the funnel while I bong a beer, friends who hold my hair while I am "sick" (usually same friends who held legs and funnel), nurses, office managers, friends who ride motorcycles, friends who will watch my kids at the drop of a hat, world-travelers, a friend who flew from Mississippi to cheer me up when Jeff went off to war, camping friends and beach vacation friends, boating friends, friends who make me laugh until I cry (and ultimately pee a little), friends who speak a second language fluently...and on and on and on...
My friends jazz up my life...they are the spicy salsa on my tortilla chips, and I love them!
Now if I can only have some diversity in my friends...Marie is my only multicultural friend. She's Fillipino. I need a gay friend, a midget and a black friend...any leads, anyone???
Goodales Say Goodbye to Groveland
The Coolest Dork
We bought a bunch of tubs off Heather and Gabe for moving, but filled those in no time and were in need of more. Just as I was telling Jeff that I'd need to buy more tubs, a neighbor came over to pick up her kids. A neighbor who moved to our subdivision from Australia a couple months ago, but had just received all her belongings from the movers that day. She offered me all these fabulous Allied Mover boxes, professional quality. Thompsons would chalk this up to my crazy good luck, and they'd be right.
So, I stopped by my neighbor's house today to pick up more boxes from her driveway and found plenty of my favorite kind of boxes: square, just right size. Not too tall and not those short, long ones. Because I'm in love with boxes lately, I pumped my fist in the air, reminiscent of my sporting days. (So kidding; I never had any sporting days, unless you count biddy basketball, and you should).
Just at the moment when I'm pumping my fist, a guy working on a neighboring house walked by. I couldn't just let it go, though, and chalk it up to a slightly embarrassing move, no. Not me. I told this guy, who so could care less, that I'm excited that I found 4 of the most perfect boxes. In my rambling fashion, I continued to tell him I'm moving, hence the need for boxes. To make the conversation just that much more awkward, I went on to tell him I love tubs the most, but that these boxes are free and great, too. OMG! What is wrong with me????!!!! And you know what? I am not sure he even saw me pump my fist.
I am a dork, it's true, but the coolest dork you'll ever meet.
Frustrating Gratitude
We have 7 million 5 hundred thousand jillion things going on in our lives right now, so wouldn't you know it? We got home from Abby's bday party and saw we had a soon-to-be flat tire. Ughhh!!! The gratitude comes into play because we've been driving the Durango with the trailer on the back loaded with our stuff for storage and it would have been terrible to have a blowout while driving down the highway pulling that. So our driveway is a safe place to have a flat, but seriously??? Right now??? I guess I shouldn't complain. Jeff is the one out fixing it right now while I'm blogging...
Our neighbor surprised us with homemade apple pie when we pulled in the driveway, before we noticed our flat tire. Made from apples grown on her own trees. Homemade crust. Yum. Life is good, I will keep reminding myself...
Childhood Perceptions
So, when I was grade school age we drove by the Brighton Woods Apartments at Lake of the Woods Plaza in Dunlap all the time. And oh how I thought Brighton Woods was just the epitome of luxury living. I thought those people had to be so rich to be able to live in an apartment. And they lived within walking distance to John Bee (now Dollar General). I often imagined the Brighton Woodians lounging on Pleather sofas (I thought plastic leather was so chic) listening to Pat Benatar records while their tv dinners were cooking.
I LOVED tv dinners. We had home-cooked meals 355 days of the year, ate at Ponderosa or Heritage House Smorgasbord 5X a year, and (yea!) got tv dinners, on tv trays no less, about 5X a year. Which in my opinion was not enough. I liked the salisbury steak the best, but had it as an adult and yuck. Ah, childhood perceptions. I digress.
Anyway, I was completely jealous of apartment dwellers. How did they get so lucky, while I had to live in a 5-bedroom house with its own garage and yard? (and 4 stinky brothers) Life is so unfair.
As parents, we always want to give our children the things we never had, so I am so pleased that Alex and Jami will experience apartment dwelling first-hand. They are very excited, as are Jeff and I.
I hope this post was inspirational to many, with the message being, dreams really do come true.
Annual Halloween Party
Janet and John (aka The Bobbits) hosted the (8th or 9th?) annual Halloween costume party. Very fun! I especially enjoyed tailgating in Thompson's driveway before the party. That's what it's all about, my friends, the tailgating.
Lore and Frank won, so they'll be hosting next year. Jeff and I are already planning our costumes...
Thanks, Thompsons, for the hospitality and good times!!!
Janet, I can't believe you snaked my cherry chapstick. Not cool!
Holy-Moly-Oly
Wow...a lot has transpired in my life since I last blogged. We moved out of our house, Alex and Jami successfully started a new school and my school had to relocate due to a fire.
First, the move. It was way more emotional than I anticipated. I have never liked goodbyes, and even though we only moved a half hour away, there were many goodbyes. People were so kind...bringing us gifts and cards and a warm breakfast our last morning in the house. I will miss our neighbors and Starke School staff.
Second, Alex and Jami's new school. I was soooo worried about them starting a new school, since they LOVED their old school. I needn't have worried at all, though, since they now LOVE their new school a bunch. Alex made 6 friends his first day and can tell me all their names. Jami made 4 friends, but can only tell me one name. The other three are: the girl with pretty braids, the girl with a purple headband, and that brown-skinned girl. Funny.
Third, TJ's fire. Wow...what a lot of work to set up a classroom from scratch. I miss all my wonderful art supplies and fear I lost them all, since the fire originated in the room right across the hall. We'll know more on Thursday about what can be saved. People were very kind with donations of school supplies and lunches for teachers, etc.
I hear a child screaming...must run! More to come...
The Suite Life of Alex and Jami
**For those of you who don't have children in your home, the title of this blog is a play on words based on "The Suite Life of Zach and Cody" Disney show.
Alex and Jami kept referring to our apartment as a hotel, so we just call it that now. Alex even asked the other day if our hotel has a gift shop in it. He wanted to buy a key chain. He collects them on all our trips, and of course wanted a Lake of the Woods Dunlap, Illinois key chain to add to his collection.
Our hotel is okay, but I miss, miss, miss my Groveland closet!!! I never had to discriminate against out-of-season clothes before...they all lived harmoniously in my closet together...along with my high school prom dresses, bridesmaid's dresses, Jeff's formal military clothes, etc...and I still had room to spare! Now my spring/summer wardrobe is in bags stuffed in the back of my "hotel" closet. Very sad.
I'm settled at our new school location since the fire. I actually love the old/new to us building. The part-time music teacher and I plan to do a lot of team-teaching in the old auditorium between our rooms. High School Muscal 3 will be our second project, Christmas program our first. We couldn't do that at the old school, because music was on a cart...didn't have a separate classroom and my room was too small for team-teaching. All my supplies were lost in the fire, but the community took super-great care of us, and I now have more art supplies than I had before!
Alex and Jami continue to love their new school, so all is well there.
Our new house is coming along, although the weather isn't cooperating much this week.
Hope all is well in my readers' lives!
Jami: Decorating Diva
So, I love to decorate homes, but I am not going to decorate our "hotel". Mainly because it's temporary and all my antiques are in storage. Also, weighing in at only 900 square feet, our hotel is cozy enough without any decorations, right?
Anyway, Jami brought home a cool turkey she made in art class last week, so I taped it to the wall in our living room. That was the beginning of something pretty neat. Jami wanted to add more decorations, so we got out her art supplies, I handed her some tape, and away she went! Our walls are no longer bare, needless to say. Each picture has at least 6 pieces of tape holding it up!
The whole time Jami was decorating, she kept say, "I just love this hotel!" Funny.
I'll post a picture of our beautiful hotel walls soon.
Bubble Bursters
Chances are you've encountered a bubble burster or two in your life. I know I have. I don't enjoy them, not one bit. Bubble bursters are people who love pointing out the negatives of a situation, even when the positives tip the scale. For instance, say you were to tell a bubble burster that you're thrilled to be taking an exotic vacation to Jamaica this coming June and instead of celebrating along with you, they (know-it-all-like) inform you that it will be miserably humid that time of year.
A lot of bubble bursters have crossed our path since we started building our home. Jeff, in his usual laid-back fashion, handles bubble-bursters with ease and shrugs off their ridiculousness. I, on the other hand, become absolutely fired-up (in my typical hot-headed, emotion-driven fashion) by these bubble-bursting bafoons. Especially when their rude comments are aimed at my husband. Kinda like someone picking on your kids...them are fighting words.
Bubble bursters have snidely said, "Oh, you'll have fun plowing that driveway!" Yes, bubble-bursting brute, as a matter of fact, I think I will enjoy plowing our beautiful, curvy, long driveway. I'll have so much flippin' fun that I wouldn't be surprised to see driveway plowing become the next winter sports craze!
We've been asked why we'd want to build in the middle of nowhere. Seriously? 3 minutes from Peoria, population 200,000, is the middle of nowhere??!! Study a map, dude.
A personal favorite...shortly after we bought our backhoe, someone laughed and said, "Can't wait til that breaks down!" That's just mean. FYI, meanie-head pants, we've had our backhoe 7 months and not one problem yet. Ha!
Sadly, I could go on and on and on, but I won't. I'll spare you.
I'm not sure why people choose to be pessimistic. And I do think it's a choice. All these bubble bursters I've described are adults. Get a filter. (You know it's bad when I'm saying get a filter. Me, whose own filter is constantly malfunctioning!!)
Wish they'd please leave our project alone, especially since we have so much of ourselves in it. Guess that's why I take it more personally than their comments are probably meant.
Wicky-Stick Whipped
I have some rather "rough" students in some of my classes at TJ, so I learned the first week of school that a lot of art supplies can be used as weapons and must sometimes be kept out of sight. Scissors are obvious. I had to call the office my third day of work to have a boy removed for using his scissors as a weapon.
But wicky sticks? Honestly, I didn't see it coming.
Wicky sticks are candle-wick-like soft art tools that come in a variety of colors and stick together, bend and shape, and can be taken apart when you're done. The kids love them. Well, except one boy who probably hopes to never set eyes on a wicky stick again.
In one of my "rough" classes today, I suddenly heard a howl of anguish. Not that uncommon, really, but when I investigated I found the boy had red whip marks on his arm and he was pointing to another boy saying "He whipped me! He whipped me!" Then, of course, he wanted to start pushing, shoving and fighting him.
After piecing together their stories, it became obvious that the student had been a victim of WSW. (wicky-stick whippin'). Sidenote: the boy soooo deserved it, for many reasons, not that that makes it any better. Well, maybe a little.
I called the office to have both boys removed with the message that a wicky-stick whippin' had occurred. They said it was their first case of WSW ever.
The exciting thing about teaching is there never is a dull moment. But, you see, we teachers quite often crave dull moments...
My New Favorite Song
I love that Jason Miraz song, "I'm Yours". So fun and happy! It's my new favorite. I would have it on my mp3 player, but I think I either packed it or misplaced it. I'm also missing a lot of clothes and I thought I was so diligent to bring all our clothes to the hotel, instead of putting them in storage, so they wouldn't get all yucked-up. Hmmm...
Off to Heather's baby shower today. Exciting, because we all find out along with Heather if she's having a boy or girl come February. I'm looking forward to that long-anticipated news and visiting with everyone.
BEST Christmas Gift Ever! (for my little boy)
Jeff and I bought tickets to a Steelers vs Browns game in Pittsburgh for Alex's Christmas gift this year. We are way excited to present them to him, as our little Steelers fan will flip! I'm excited, too. I think it will be a lot of fun, but most likely freezing, since the game is on December 28th.
I'm not usually very good at gifts, but I feel I absolutely knocked this one out of the park! (Couldn't think of a football analogy...that would have been better.)
Happy Thanksgiving to all!!
My Arms Don't Photograph Well...
Hello, my name is Marci and I'm a weight-denier.
Allow me to explain. The first case of denial was years ago when I was wanting to get pregnant for the first time, so I ate whatever I wanted, thinking (so wrongly) that if I was going to be pregnant anyway, what's a little fat added to it?
It took me a while back then to notice the weight creeping on and it was tight jeans that finally made me face the truth. Only, I didn't face the truth. Jeff and I still laugh at what we refer to as the "incredibly shrinking jeans" incident. I told him one day, and I really believed this, that my jeans were shrinking in the dryer.
After having my babies, I did a fabulous job shedding the weight and maintained it for a few years. Now it's "suddenly" (over the past 3-4 years suddenly!) crept back on. Denial crept back, too.
A couple months ago I was looking at pictures a friend took where my sausage arms just looked absolutely hideous. Picture after picture, my fat arms dominated the photos. Instead of realizing then and there that I needed to once again exercise more and eat far less, I came to the conclusion that my arms just aren't very photogenic. You know how some people look fine in real life, but bad in photos? That's my arms, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, they look bad in photos and in real life.
I finally faced the facts last week when I had to get a physical for work. Had to be weighed. Ugh. I tried so hard to come up with a reason for the scale to lie, but came up blank. I eat too much and exercise too little. Bottom line. So I have been exercising more and trying to eat less to get back to my target weight. I should be there by Christmas.
If it weren't for denial, I would have noticed the weight creeping on years ago and nipped it in the bud before it became an issue.
Will I ever learn???!!!!
Gotta Love Teachable Moments...Kinda...
So, as a mom and teacher, I've read many an article on child-rearing and child-development. Enough to know that you should try to take advantage of "teachable moments". Check out this glowing example of a teachable moment with my children today.
Alex, my ten days away from turning 8-year-old, was acting like a jerk. Here's how I turned his unruliness into a teachable moment.
"Alex Michael, you're acting like a jerk. You know what jerk means?" [vocabulary-boosting opportunity] After telling him the detailed definition of jerk, I said, "A synonym of jerk is jackass." [word study exercise] "Ass is a word you're not allowed to say. Ass is also where I will gleefully spank you if you continue to act like a jerk." [using new word in sentence] "Any questions?" [leaving discussion open-ended for further investigation]
He didn't have any questions. Probably because I did such a thorough job covering the bases.
I'm eagerly awaiting my Mother-of-the-Year Award...
It's A Wonderful Life
I love the saying "It's A Wonderful Life" (and it's my favorite Christmas movie).
Sometimes in my active life, there are moments of complete clarity and contentment. It doesn't happen every day, not even close, although I try to be grateful every day.
One of my moments of contentment occurred this past weekend morning, when the kids came tumbling into bed with Jeff and me. Alex and Jami used to do that all the time, but it's not as often now that they're getting older.
There we were, the four of us snuggled in bed under "Big Puff" (Jeff and my fabulously warm winter comforter) and the feeling of absolute contentment just flooded over me.
It just doesn't get any better than being married to the love of my life and raising two healthy, happy children. Even if we were just on a mattress on the floor (since the actual bed is in storage) of our college-like apartment.
Here's wishing you many moments of contentment over this holiday season!
Voice Lessons
My friend and colleague teaches music part-time and voice lessons in the evenings. So I asked her today if there is any hope for a voice like mine. I thought for sure she would say no, that some people just don't have what it takes to sing well. But she said that with practice and lessons I could improve my voice.
Now here's my dilemma. Do I take voice lessons to improve my singing, or would that be like how Jennifer Grey from Dirty Dancing got a nose job and then never really worked again? You know how Barbara Streisand is known for her nose? I'm not saying I'm known for my singing voice, but maybe I just wouldn't be me if I could actually carry a tune.
A little background info on my singing. When I was in third grade, I was singing with my BFFs. They told me I sounded just like Diana Ross. I was a little bummed, because they got to be the ones who sounded like Olivia Newton-John and Pat Benatar, but whatever.
I went all through school feeling confident in my singing abilities because, after all, I sounded just like Diana Ross, right? I never joined the chorus or anything, but I definitely belted out Happy Birthday and the Star-Spangled Banner with confidence when the occasion arose.
Then came college. And karoake at Stix. I was excited because it would be the first time Jeff would hear my singing. I knew my voice-like-an-angel would make him fall even deeper in love with me.
But I was gonged halfway through my song! I was flabbergasted! The nerve! How could Diana Ross be gonged? It just didn't make sense.
My friends and Jeff were laughing hysterically. I was shocked. My college BFFs informed me that I cannot sing to save my life. I didn't believe them. In fact, I cleared my throat, signed up for another song and took another turn. Only to be gonged again.
So I understood that I didn't sing well, but I wasn't about to give it up. Every year on my birthday I still sing my very special song, "Did You Ever Know That I'm Your Hero".
A couple years ago, some friends videotaped my performance. Ouch. I'm no Diana Ross. I'm a little pitchy, amongst other things. But I'm not discouraged, I just sing on!
If I take voice lessons, though, would that ruin my very special song?
To take voice lessons or not to take voice lessons...a little feedback from my fans might be helpful.
Yes People, in a good way
Jeff and I are "yes people", but in a good way. In the way that when our friends and family invite us to join them, we say yes. I am so glad we have this trait, otherwise we might miss out on a lot of wonderful moments that make life rock.
For instance, our friends the Korgers organized a vacation to Mexico a few years back and when they asked if we wanted to go, being yes people, we naturally said yes right away. It started as 5 couples going, so the price was based on splitting 5 ways. Then one couple dropped out. Then another. It was down to 3 couples, so the price almost doubled, but we had said yes, so we were there.
We have extremely fond memories of our Mexico vacation with the Korgers and Whites. Whitey passed away in August of this year, making our Mexico time with him even more special. We really got to know him on that trip, and what an awesome person he was! Gentle, kind and soft-spoken. Also an amazing cook...he made "cracker eggs" for us in the morning and they were the yummiest eggs ever. Sadly, I've never been able to duplicate the recipe.
There always seem to be a lot of reasons to say no to social events/gatherings. Jeff and I are soooooo busy right now with our house project. But one of the many things I love about Jeff is that he says yes, even when it would be much easier to say no.
I will be forever and a day grateful that we said yes to Mexico and the time we were able to spend with Whitey, an incredible person that is so missed by so many.
I Just Want To Be A Princess!
I just want to be a princess, but I swear to God, Jeff blocks me every step of the way. Check out this "little errand" he had me do today. He asked me the other night if I would run down to the house after school and spread some salt on the driveway. He had a pallet of a million 500-pound bags of salt delivered. They might have been only 50 lbs, but please. Just because I have sausage arms does not mean I have muscle!
So this "little job" was a huge pain in my arse (and back). I'm surprised Jeff didn't just have me jump on the backhoe and move the whole pallet closer to the house. I think he should have called my brothers for the job. But it's done now. Grrrrr...
Anyway, while I was spreading salt, very non-princess-like, I looked around and saw that I was in a real-life winter wonderland! Our land is breathtakingly beautiful through all seasons, but winter might just take the cake. It was Christmas card-like.
But back to me just wanting to be a princess. Another case in point where Jeff princess-blocked me: Monday morning I was heading out to work and had to start the car early because we have no garage. Oh, how I miss my garage and I promise to never take garages for granted again! I digress.
Anyway, I was dreading the whole scraping the car thing. I hinted to Jeff, who was on the computer, that I sure hoped my feet didn't get all wet in my little (very cute) ballet slipper shoes while I scraped the car. Obviously I was hoping he'd be my prince and offer to scrape it for me. But, no. He replied, "Good luck with that, darlin'." Princess-blocked again!
Jeff is close to perfect, and would be there, if only he'd allow his wife to be the princess she so wants and deserves to be!!!!
Tag, You're It!
Okay, so my blogger friend, Heatherty Featherty (a friend from high school), had a "Tag, You're It" blog and I was chosen as one of her six to pass it on. She listed 6 things that make her happy and then chose 6 bloggers to do the same.
The six things that make me happy are:
1. My husband and children...I am truly, truly blessed!!
2. Travel...I love planning trips, being excited for trips, taking trips and organizing photos after trips.
3. Taking pictures. Want to take a photography class to get better at it.
4. Hanging out with family and friends...I love my people!!
5. Reading good books that I can't put down and that keep me awake way past my bedtime! (which is pathetically early).
6. Planning our dream home and decorating, which includes antiquing...I love antique shops and their musty, old smell. (Not normal to love musty, old smells, I know).
6 people I tag to list 6 things that make them happy:
(I don't know 6 bloggers, and Heather is one of them, but she already did it...)
1. Jessica
2. Lyn
3. Mick
4. Heather D. (you used to blog about your house construction...time to start again)!!
5. Janet (just because you are the funniest person I know and if you had a blog it would be a total hoot)!
6. Heatherty Featherty (I know you already did it, but I'm out of people)!!
Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!
It's Alex's 8'th birthday today! I took the day off work to have lunch with him and take treats to his class.
I cannot believe he is 8 already, as it seems like just yesterday he was born. Crazy to think in 8 more short years he'll be DRIVING!
Happy birthday, baby boy!!
Little, Itty-Bitty Things...
that make me smile BIG!
These teeny, tiny things never fail to bring a smile to my face...
1. Christmas cards in the mail--I get ridiculously excited to open them all.
2. Rows of buses delivering kids to school--I don't know why, it just seems so hopeful.
3. The smell of scotch tape--before you judge, take a whiff. It must be real, authentic scotch tape, though, not some knock-off, cheap-o brand. I would wear it as a perfume if I could.
4. The smell of real PlayDoh brand play-doh--doesn't everyone love that?
5. Bedtime--it is large fun to drift off to sleep.
6. Morning internet and coffee time--so sweet.
I'm Not A Scrooge, But...
Seriously, enough Christmas music already. I seem to have lost my MP3 player, so I am at the mercy of the car radio, and my choices are hard rock or Christmas music. Are you kidding me?Seeing as how I play Christmas music during my art classes, I'm getting my fill.
Do hard rockers have no holiday spirit? Why are they the only stations not playing Christmas music? AC/DC, Metallica and Nirvana on one hand (station) or Winter Wonderland, Frosty and Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree on the other. Ughh.
Only 2 more weeks, right? Or do they play holiday tunes through the New Year? I sincerely hope not. Bah-hum-bug.
"Bless his/her Heart"
You can preface just about anything with "bless his/her heart" and it will no longer sound malicious/gossipy/rude. Those three little words suddenly transform your catty comment into something concerned and compassionate.
Some examples:
1. Bless her heart, K. hasn't any fashion sense.
*Take out the "bless her heart" and see how it changes the tone real fast...can you say bitchy?
2. H. isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, bless his heart.
*I believe H. was just called dumb, but it doesn't seem nearly that harsh with those 3 magic words, does it?
3. Bless her heart, L. is being a real be-atch.
*You gotta love that you can "sweetly" call someone a be-atch!!
Go ahead and try out the "bless his/her heart" technique. I think you'll enjoy that you can still be your spiteful self, bless your heart, but come off sounding so much more considerate!!!
Let the Holiday Festivities Begin!!
Today is my last day of teaching for 2 1/2 weeks!
Tomorrow I go to Alex and Jami's school to do the room mother thing, and then out for pizza tomorrow night with our entertaining friends, the Swansons.
Swansons must be feeling lucky, lucky, lucky since they'll see the Goodales Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday for a movie. Goodale overtime! They couldn't ask for a more pleasant Christmas gift, I'm sure.
Saturday is the annual Thompson Christmas Celebration, guaranteed to be a side-splittingly merry evening, always a hoot and a holler. I look forward to it all year long!
Jeff is off for 10 days, starting tonight, which I LOVE. Exciting Christmas Eve and Christmas Day activities and then we're off to the Steelers game next weekend.
THEN... blah January sets in. Ugh...
I can't think of anything nice to say about January, so I will say nothing at all.
Wild and Free
I forgot to wear a bra to work today. That has never happened to me before. I can't figure out how I forgot, either, since it's as automatic as brushing my teeth. I didn't have a frazel-ly morning; I even woke before the alarm. Everything ran smoothly. How random.
Check out how I noticed I forgot to wear a bra...
I was washing my hands in the teacher's lounge and looking in the mirror, marveling for the millionth time how I got all the looks and all the brains in the family and how my poor brothers got jipped, when I noticed something was off. Upon closer inspection, I realized I had improper boob placement...they were way lower than they should be. Then it hit me...the girls were loose.
I wore a tank top and sweater today, so it wasn't totally awkward, in fact it was rather comfortable.
The teachers all got a good laugh out of it, as you can imagine, so all's well that ends well. From now on, I'll have to be more careful in the morning, I guess.
Itching to Entertain!!
I LOVE hosting parties and haven't been able to in months. I'm going crazy to entertain!!
Jeff and I planned our Groveland home and our new home around entertaining, making sure there is plenty of room and areas to host a variety of gatherings, from the casual game night, to the rowdy football party, to the intimate dinner fete, to the big ole honkin' bash.
Now we're in this little apartment, but I can't fight the urge any longer! I am going to plan a swanky apartment soiree for January...that dull, yuck of a month.
hgtv.com and marthastewart.com are among my favorite websites and they've been flooded with fabulous entertaining ideas all month, as they usually are. Wait until we live in our new home. Every weekend, a party at the Goodale's home!
Anyway, back to my swanky apartment soiree. It'll be like those elegant New York City high rise parties. Well, except that instead of a fancy, ultra-chic NYC dwelling, it's a cheapish, 70s Dunlap apartment.
But I know how my friends roll, and if we invite them, they will come.
Our cozy dwelling actually looks pretty darn cute, with all the walls covered in children's art and Christmas cards hanging everywhere. lights strung from windows, fiber optic tree lit. One thing it isn't is tacky. No, siree, not our apartment.
I Don't Get It
I have turned into a real chicken and I just don't understand it.
You'd think I grew up and lived in Texas my whole life until recently, by the way I drive in the snow. I'm all white-knuckled and 10mph and in 4WD, and the whole time, my heart is racing. That is not like me at all.
There are other things, too.
A couple years ago at Disney I rode a roller coaster and OMG... I HATED it! Couldn't wait for it to end. Seriously, I almost cried.
Then I rode the harmless log flume with Alex at Sea World and even the log flume freaked me out! The log flume, people!
What's weird about that is I used to LOVE an exhilirating roller coaster ride. In fact, when we lived in Missouri, I had a season pass to Six Flags. I taught 15 minutes from Six Flags, so I would run there after work just to ride some coasters. Loved them.
I mean, I skydived when I was 19. I jumped out of a perfectly fine airplane and wasn't frightened, not one bit. I used to repel from cliffs at Giant City Park and thought it was a great thrill.
So, you see, for me to be chicken isn't me. But the thought of skydiving now...hell no I wouldn't do it! Who was that crazy 19-year old Marci?!
A mystery that I can't figure out and don't like. I mean, I don't care if I ever like amusement park rides again, but my panicky driving issues need to be resolved. I am a nuisance on the highway being that nervous-nilly of a driver.
Steelers Win!
We had an awesome time at the Steelers game! Alex thanked us at least 100 times for taking him. We won the lottery with the weather...45 and sunny, in Pittsburgh in December. Sweet.
Alex informed me that the Bears and Steelers are playing each other in 09. Evidently this is a big deal and doesn't happen every year, and he wants to go big time. I'm all for it...I thoroughly enjoyed the whole NFL atmosphere and experience, but I will insist on tailgating next time. Green with envy I was, seeing all those tailgaters with their fancy gear and raucous behavior!
Busy Bees or Whiny Wienies?
It is a huge pet peeve of mine when people complain about being too busy. Especially around people who are far busier than them. Like when a stay-at-home mom complains to a working mom about being too busy. Really? That's how you want to play that?
It should be a rule that stay-at-home moms never get to complain about being too busy. See, I can say that because I was a full-time mom for 7 years, so I walked a mile and can definitely say that stay-at-home moms have a pretty sweet gig, all and all.
My friend Jen is so cool...she has 6 kids (not a typ-o, she really does!), works outside the home and has a husband who is periodically deployed to Afghanistan. She truly is busy. Yet, I can honestly say I've never once heard her utter that dreaded phrase: "I'm soooo busy". (Must be said in a whiny voice, by the way.)
Also, my groovy sister-in-law Robin. Her life is way full, with 4 kids and a full-time job, amongst other activities, yet she's cheery when I see her and never whines about not having enough free time. Love her.
So if you're a whiner about your busy life, make a New Year's relsolution to learn to manage your time better. If you need tips organizing your life, I can help you. I happen to be an efficiency queen, if I do say so myself. It's a gift of mine... something I've totally got going on. I may have sausage arms and crazy driving-in-foul-weather issues, but I run a smooth household and life, that I do.
Let me know if you need my assistance.
He Massaged My Lungs, Therefore He LOVES Me!!!
It really is the small gestures sometimes.
I have one allergy in the whole world and that's dogs. Usually it's no big deal. I just use my inhaler and move on. But dogs were everywhere for the last couple weeks at our holiday festivities, so that threw me into a bit of a breathing "situation".
Went to the doctor yesterday and got a fun shot on my boo-tay and some good drugs, so on the way to recovery. My back was achy, though, from my lungs working over-time huffing and puffing. So Jeff, way cute last night, gave me a nice back rub. In the middle of my back rub, he started pounding with his fists on my achy lungs. "Uh, honey, what's that about?" I asked.
He said he was breaking up the phlegm in my chest. I don't know why, because to write it doesn't sound very romantic, but I swear I thought that was so sweet. I'm like, "You care about my phlegmy lungs? How sweet are you! You love me, you really love me!"
Small gestures=big love, sometimes.
Other news, besides my phlegmy lungs, which may be a bit of an odd post, but it's my blog, so whatever.
Our house is finally progressing favorably!!! Almost all the way framed in...that didn't take too long, did it??? And the paper is being put on the roof, prepping it for shingles. The guest house above the garage is almost all the way framed in, the last part to be finished. Jeff is off all next week and we have a crew of 5 for the week, so YAY!
I'll take some pics today and post them. Jeff is pretty happy, too, because it's been an extremely challenging project for him, but it's coming together nicely. I think it looks amazing!!! So excited!!!
A Shout Out
My husband retires from the Air Guard on Wednesday, after 20 years of service. (Yay, Jeff!) Also, our guard friends deployed to Afghanistan are coming home this month, so I thought it'd be a great time to do a shout-out to our military folk and their supportive families. Thanks to all who served in the past, are currently serving, and those who will serve and protect in the future!!! Your sacrifice is greatly appreciated!!!
Lucky Lottery? I Think Not...
So, I'm reading this fiction book, "Lucky You" about a 32-year old woman winning a 36 million dollar lottery and how it basically ruins her life. I'm not finished yet, so I think her life will turn back around, I hope.
"Lottery" by Patricia Wood is one of the best books I've ever read. It is also fiction and about the down-side of winning the lottery. Jeff and I have seen Dateline or 20/20 shows on real people who have won the lottery just to have their lives fall apart. Bankruptcies, divorces, family estrangement, etc. Yuck.
Makes you wonder...is winning the lottery even worth it?
I've never played the lotto and don't have any desire to after reading these stories, that's for sure. I think the problem lies in everyone knowing you won and wanting a piece of the pie. If you could keep it secret and just carry on with your life, so many problems may never arise. Hmmm... I wonder.
Is being lucky enough to win the lottery ultimately bad luck???
Speaking of books, I have book club next week and haven't read "Homeschool" yet. I tried, but it wasn't available at the library. I don't want to disappoint my book club ladies, so I better make a trip to the library again this week and then power read!
My book club turns 8 this summer. I founded it with my friend Patricia and we've had members come and go through the years, but for quite some time now we've been settled with our five members, ranging in age from early 30s to early 50s. It's fun. We usually meet at restaurants every other month. For years we met once a month, but that got to be too much for everyone.
Speaking of clubs, I'm joining/co-starting a new one. A knitting club. Perhaps we'll be the "knitty gritties"? I don't know our name yet, but we're meeting Sunday for the first time to make scarves. If you'd like to join us, let me know.
Have a fabulous day and stay away from playing the lottery, please!!!
Triple-Play Oops
Oops. 3 times oops.
We've had several flat tires lately on my vehicle. Each time, Jeff has been like, "That's weird...it's the sidewall again." And I'm like, "Whatever". Jeff changes the tire, we take the car in and spend lots of money on a new tire and life goes on.
Well, come to find, it's the way I've been parking on the street at work that is causing all these flat tires. Evidently, I plow right into that curb when I park. Shouldn't they make tires stronger than that?! What the heck?!
The parking lot is full by the time I arrive at work, so the street is my only choice. After discovering that I've caused all these flats, I tried so hard yesterday to park without touching the curb. Oh, it was nerve-wracking!!
I swear I parked 3 feet from the curb. I worried all day that I would get a ticket for basically parking in the middle of the road.
I scrounged the parking lot today and found a spot, so I didn't have to try the whole curb-parking thing again. It seems impossible to get close enough to not be in the way of passing cars, yet not too close to rub my tire.
Shouldn't they have covered curb-parking in driver's ed? Or did they and I was too busy fixating on my social life to pay attention in class, which was pretty much the norm in high school for me.
What I think is cute about the whole story is that Jeff had to know all along that I was the culprit for these 3 flat tires, yet he pretty much stayed quiet about it, except for little comments about someone "hugging the curbs". He's pretty sweet that way, not giving me a hard time and all. Not sure I'd be that kind if the situation were reversed...
Valium...BIG Disappointment
A couple years ago, I had excruciating pain in my uterus/abdomen/kidney/ovary area and had Jeff rush me to a Prompt Care. I was totally convinced that I had uterine and ovarian cancer and some kidney stones sprinkled in. I even had big plans to kick the cancer's arse, that's how convinced I was.
But then, after the doctor examined me, I found out it was only really, really bad menstrual cramps. Who would have thunk cramps could be that painful?
Good news...they gave me a shot in the boo-tay and a crazy amount of prescription drugs. Way more drugs than I think cramps warranted, but I'm no doctor, so whatever.
I was way excited because one of the many, many prescriptions was for VALIUM. VALIUM, people. I'd heard such magical things about VALIUM, I couldn't believe my great luck.
I saved that bottle of valium for just the right time, decided not to take it that day because, miracle of miracles, I started feeling much better after I realized I didn't have a life-threatening disease.
So, about a month after filling my prescription, Jeff and I were hanging around on a Friday night without any plans, so I decided to "try" my valium. I announced my plans to Jeff with great flourish and enthusiasm and settled in with a beer and my pill.
I was expecting fantastic things from that little pill. I was giddy with anticipation.
But then...disappointment. Approximately 20 minutes after taking the pill, I told Jeff I was going to bed for the night. It was around 7:30.
That's what valium did for me. Not even close to what I was hoping for. I ended up finishing the bottle over the course of a year, before it expired, so as not to be wasteful, but I used it as a sleeping pill pretty much.
I am here to clear up all the valium-hype. (If there is any?) I thought it was pretty lame. A big let-down. Don't waste your time. I got the same effect from Tylenol PM.
AWESOME Song!
I Love this Kenny Chesney song, and the lyrics are amazing, so I copied it for my friends! I wonder if I can add music to this site? I will look into that. Also looking into switching over to blogspot.
Kenny Chesney, Never Wanted Nothin' More Lyrics
| Looking for Kenny Chesney tabs and chords? Browse alphabet (above) |
Artist: Chesney Kenny |
Buy Kenny Chesney Sheet Music Buy Kenny Chesney CDs |
Couldn't wait to turn 16 and drive all the boy's around
Foot on the gas and hands on the wheel was all I could think about
A little rust in the bed of that
Five-hundred dollars it was mine, all mine and I never wanted nothin' more
I took Katie down by the river with a six dollar bottle of wine
Just a fool tryin' to play it cool hopin' she'd let me cross the line
I was praying that she couldn't tell I hadn't been that far before
The first time's a one time feelin and I never wanted nothin' more,
No I never wanted nothin' more..
(Chorus)
Well I'm what I am and I'm what I'm not
I'm sure happy with what I've got
I live to love and laugh a lot
And thats all I need
My buddies all tried to change my mind
But I told them that I'd thought it through
Katie laughed and my mama cried when they heard me say "I do"
A little ring is a little thing, but its all I could afford
Now she's mine, all mine till the day I die, and I never wanted nothin' more
(Chorus)
One Sunday I listened to the preacher and I knew he was preaching to me
I couldn't help it I walked up front and I got down on my knees
Right then and there, I swear I changed when I found the Lord
Glory Hallelujah, good God almighty I never wanted nothin' more
(Chorus)
Never wanted nothin' more...
And I never wanted nothin' more
It's All About Siblings!
Just a fun little mention about how fun it is to have siblings!
Some of my favorite sibling quotes:
"Be kind to your siblings. They're your greatest link to your past and most likely to stick with you in the future."
And:
"When I count my blessings, the greatest of my joys, Our parents gave us siblings instead of rooms of toys."
I also want to recognize my good fortune to have SEVEN sister-in-laws!
I grew up always, always wanting a sister and never had one.
Now I have 7.
Lucky Me!!!
*I'm experimenting with more "fun" colors, etc in my text, in the hopes of increasing reading pleasurability. I think I made that term up.
About Picture
So, the pic with me and my bros is about "jazz hands". And I think it's tacky that you can totally see my white bra through my black shirt. I should've worn my black bra. I will from now on. With that shirt, anyway. Not with a white shirt.
I'm Moving to Blog Spot!
Please move with me over to blogspot. It should be way cooler and people can comment directly to the site instead of having to email me. Bookmark this:
http://marcinfamnfriends.blogspot.com/
C ya over there, friends!!