My Bench Buddy

If I had the time and sense enough to do it, I would write a tribute to each of my most favorite friends.
They all are such blessings to me, and they each one make my life better in some way.

But today, it's all about Amy...

Amy and I met in California; we were residents together of the Army's beautiful post in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

She was my neighbor, and we became instant friends.

We spent HOURS sitting on the park bench at the playground, watching our kids play in the sand. Some of the best times of my life, girl!

Anywho... Amy is creative. I mean CREATIVE. The girl has talent. She makes Martha jealous. She can decorate and craft and sew and paint like nobody's business. And... she re-upholsters furniture! I told you she was good.

All this week, she's giving a "tutorial" on her blog.

If you feel inspired to re-cover something, go visit.

I always felt inspired to be more creative and crafty around Amy. I guess I should have used (abused) her talents when we lived closer...

Her hubby is also currently deployed, and she's done 348,572 projects. They're on her blog, too.

Maybe if I still lived next door to her, I would have accomplished more during this deployment. Maybe I would have decorated and sewn and re-upholstered furniture.

Or maybe... I would be sitting on the park bench with Amy and SHE'D be doing nothing with me!

Ten on Tuesday with a Headache

I don't know how coherent and thought-provoking any of this is gonna be. I have been battling a raging headache most of the live long day.
I made the mistake of sweeping off the porches yesterday. Months worth of dust and the beginnings of some pollen, I'm sure.
I can hear the song playing in my hurtin' brain right now...

"It's the most wonderful time of the year...."

No. Not the Christmas version. My version. The one abut Spring time and Zyrtec and trips to the doctor. What? You don't know that version. I promise to fill you in someday.

But not today. Today belongs to Ten on Tuesday. And I am glad. My aching skull can't come up with too much.

I think Chelsea said these questions came from her hubby.

1. Of your current hobbies, which would you choose to spend more time, money, and effort on? Why?
Easy peasy. My scrapbooking. It is a LOVE that I have let die.

2. List the two other hobbies/habitual activities (not chores) besides the one listed above that you regularly do now and didn’t choose in question one.
Blogging and reading. But... there are WAY too many chores in there.

3. Why are you spending time on the above two hobbies/habitual activities at all if you really wanted to spend your time on the first one you chose? …or to put it another way, what are these two hobbies/habitual activities fulfilling that the first one doesn’t if you don’t want to put all your effort into the first hobby?
Ouch. The main reason? I am a perfectionist. If I feel like I can't sit down and churn out years worth of beautifully scrapped photos... Then I just don't sit down and do it. The other 2 require less effort and are a little more "instant gratification." I also know I'll be interrupted in my scrapping, and that irritates me, too. Gosh... They're terrible reasons.

4. Ready John 3:16 in the bible… In what way does this passage affect you? What are your feelings towards these words, positively or negatively?
Love it. Love it. Love it. Can I say it again? It is the reason I get up in the mornings and the hope I have when I don't feel like getting up in the mornings. It humbles me and makes me so very grateful. I do not deserve love like that.

5. M&M’s: nuts, no nuts, or peanut butter?
With peanuts. 100%. Although, that peanut butter kind is pretty tasty. 2 flavors that God meant to go together... peanut and chocolate.

6. Putting away the feeling of pride being a bad thing; what secretly/openly are you proud about yourself?
I am organized. I don't know if I can be proud about that, though, because of my motivation. I am only organized because I'd probably kill somebody if I weren't. I hate chaos.

7. Given one room in the house to do with what you want, not changing the actual size of the room and with all the money you would need, what would you do, and be specific? (this can range from bouncy floor,walls & ceilings; to hard wood floor with wood paneling and purple ceiling with a chair; to nothing)
Another easy peasy. The Den or Living Room. I don't know what you call it, but it's where we LIVE. I want new furniture... sofa, chairs, loveseats, ottomans, rugs. I'd love to paint (boo, ARMY housing). Hardwoods would be great. So would a new TV, as long as I'm dreaming.

8. What’s the next movie you’re going to see? Not what you’d LIKE to GO see, but the next movie you realistically are going to watch.
Probably the Netflix one that's been lying on the coffee table for 2 weeks... it's "G.I. Joe", I think. (Come on now, I live with a 10 year-old boy.) OR... I will take that boy with me this weekend to see Johnny Depp. I mean "Alice in Wonderland."

9. Use the keyboard only and make your best smiley/funny/cool face –> like this! 8^)
:^O I am not good at that. I like my email with the real little faces you just put in.

10. What makes you cry? What makes you pray? What makes you laugh?
You make think I'm making this up, but the same answer applies to all three. Everything! I cry at the drop of a hat (everything), I TRY to pray all the time (for everything), and (ask my friends and family) I laugh at everything. Even the stuff that nobody else is laughing at. Or, I make up something to laugh about.

Cheese Puffs on My Head... And Other Stuff That Happened

Is it really Monday morning already?

What a weekend-y weekend.

So for your Monday morning blog reading pleasure, I bring you...

Our weekend:

We had friends over for dinner on Friday night.

The boy had a basketball game on Saturday.

I took the Boy and his buddy to the bookstore after the game, and they both picked out huge stacks of new books. I may not be the world's greatest momma, but when my boy gets excited about books, then I am a happy momma. (My friend was happy about her son's reading excitement too... just not thrilled with the receipt!)

We had lunch with our book-loving friends... at a new place we've been wanting to try.

We spent the afternoon doing absolutely nothing. Ahhh...

We made up for that bliss by going back out Saturday night with 3 friends and their kids. There were 4 of us grown-ups, and there were 12 kids. Yep. 12. You read that right. Let it be known that I contributed one to the party. We had dinner, then we took the little people to an arcade. If we weren't smoking something before, we wanted to by the time we left. I love the treasures that hard earned money gets you at an arcade. And the stomach virus we probably picked up while there.

Sunday's weather made us feel human again. I think we made it out of the 50's. We went to Sunday School... which we'd been ditching while Dan/Daddy was home. Yep. You read that right too. The CHAPLAIN'S family ditched Sunday School. Don't tell my Mamaw.

After church, we came home to another afternoon of nothing. Ahhh...
Until the firetruck showed up and had to put out a fire in the woods near our house. The entire neighborhood stood outside for the excitement. Everyone except the boy, who was HIGHLY annoyed at me for making him stay inside. He has asthma, and smoke and asthma just don't mix. Try telling that to a 10 year-old whose friends are all outside chatting it up with the fireman.

Sunday night was AWANAS (Bible Club for kids). During game time, my sweet friend (the game leader) asked for adult volunteers. Then she smiled and handed me a shower cap. The 4 "adults" had to wear the shower cap and have our heads COVERED in shaving cream. Then, our team of kids lined up and threw cheese puffs at our capped and creamed heads. 'Cause cheese puffs stick to shaving cream, in case you were wondering. There is photographic evidence, but it's on my phone... and I am trying to get it on the computer.
Have you ever smelled the combined smell of cheese puffs and shaving cream? With a hint of sweaty kid in the background? Good times.

That's it. That's all I've got. Besides some bright orange food dye powder in my ears.

Willy Nilly and His Idiom Friends

While I was driving the boy and his buddy home from basketball practice this week, we had the most entertaining of conversations. The boy and his buddy are 10 and 11 years old... almost 11 and 12 years old... pretty much EVERY conversation with them is entertaining. If not, educational. Often times, hilarious. Occasionally, inappropriate.

I was spouting off words of wisdom and talking about old wives tales without actually using the word "idiom." My smarty pants boy said,

"Oh. You mean 'idioms' don't you?"

Well yes I did, but I didn't want to show off in front of you and your friend here, thanks.

Idioms... those funny little sayings that everyone knows and uses. By my definition, idioms have a different meaning than the obvious.

Like:

Don't count your chickens before they hatch. ('Cause nothing's worse than a stinky unhatched egg.)

Hold your horses. (I use this one ALL the time. People in my house are SO patient.)

He's sitting on the fence. (Ouch.)

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. (Again with the eggs.)

Actions speak louder than words. (Unless I'm using my redneck mama voice.)

She got a taste of her own medicine. (Well why would she taste anyone else's medicine if it's not prescribed for her?)

I could go on and on. There are about a zillion, and I use a half zillion every day.

This week, I have been getting back to square one(idiom alert).

We put Dan/Daddy back on a plane for the Middle East, and we began the process of restoring "normal" around here.

I know you might be thinking, "WHAT?!? Normal shouldn't be when he's GONE. It should be when he's home."

And you're right. Partly. You know what vacations are like? You know how the whole family gets kinda out-of-whack after just a few days off their routine? Everyone is off schedule, no one is eating properly, no one is sleeping properly, etc., etc.

Well, that's what it was like around here... except it was 2 weeks. It was a regular field day(idiom alert). The folks at Krispy Kreme knew us by our first names. The cats couldn't find anywhere to rest. Even the Wii and the Playstation were tired.

Now Dan/Daddy has been greatly missed, and we'll be glad when he's home for good, but that chaos was driving me up the wall(idiom alert).

So all this week, I have been catching up on MOUNTAINS of laundry, re-stocking the fridge, getting the boy back into bed at a respectable hour, running errands that didn't get run, catching up on my Bible study, and making sure we eat at least one vegetable.

No more running around all "willy-nilly." Is that an idiom? Just who is Willy-Nilly? And why is he associated with mayhem? Poor Willy. Maybe he's been on R&R, too.

First let me say that I love Girl Scout Cookies. Love in a bad kinda way.

Now, here's Ten on Tuesday from Chelsea!


1. If you were given an hour to use a $200 Amazon gift card, what would you buy?
I don't have the foggiest idea. But trust me.. I WOULD spend it.

2. Are there any fairly common foods that you’ve never had?
Nope. None that I know of. I will eat almost anything, and even if I don't like it, I've probably tried it. Thanks, Mom.

3. What was your favorite way to use your imagination as a kid?
Standing on my bed, looking in the mirror, and singing into a hairbrush for a microphone. Except at my Granny's house. She had a 4 poster bed whose finials popped off and made EXCELLENT microphones. Or... swinging in my swing and pretending I was a trapeze artist in the circus.

4. What’s your favorite state? Why?
Well, South Carolina, of course. It has mountains, beaches, and the city of Charleston. And I'm from there!

5. If it was our culture to have our parents choose our spouses, do you think yours would make a good choice?
I'm sure they would have. Although I may have argued with them at some point in the process!

6. What’s your favorite herb?
Cilantro.

7. If you could have dinner with one celebrity, who would you choose?
Johnny Depp. You can tell my husband. He already knows.

8. What’s your favorite Disney movie?
Beauty and the Beast.

9. If you had to listen to the same song over and over for 24 hours, what song would you choose?
Ugh. Sorry, but this isn't gonnna happen. I HATE it when songs get stuck in my head. Especially because it never seems to be a good one. So why would I CHOOSE to listen to one.

10. How do you order your steak?
I used to be a Medium Well chic, but lately I've been leaning towards Medium. They just taste better when they're not grey and cardboardy. Mooooo....

Too Much Water...

... Will give you a headache.
Let me clarify...

Too many water rides will make you feel older than you really are. LOTS older.

Back last summer, when we planned Dan/Daddy's R&R, we talked about going to the Great Wolf Lodge.

Dear Great Wolf Lodge, If you want to send me a free 3 day stay for this plug I'm about to give you... go right ahead.

The Great Wolf Lodge is a chain of indoor water parks/lodge-type hotels/resort-ish places. A great place for families. LOTS to do. LOTS to poop out the kids.

The boy and I had visited with our buddies, the Smiths, back in the Spring. We all had a blast, and we knew we wanted to go back when Dan/Daddy was home.

On a side note:
It was a better plan when I didn't stop to think about putting on a swimsuit in February. Don't misunderstand... All the activities are indoors, and it's a balmy 84 degrees.
But, you see, in February, the whiteness that is my body is at an all-time blinding high. (I am NOT suggesting that everyone go out and broil their skin. I am a sunscreen slathering fool.) No amount of self-tanner can compensate for skin that ain't seen the light of day since August. Not to mention the "winter-time" foods I've been consuming. Don't even get me started on the timing of the Girl Scout cookies, either. Even chubby-ness looks better with a tiny tan. And I wasn't sporting one.

That's why I am the keeper-o-the-camera. (Unless I'm fully clothed.)















We had a blast, and it wasn't all just water rides and games. Well, it was.

I learned something on our little trip. Something that will, I'm sure, help me in the parenting years that are rapidly approaching.

If you say anything at all to the teenage boy running the ride about how you HATE to be the person in the raft going backwards...

You will go backwards every time.

P.S. Great Wolf Lodge,
If you want me to continue coming back and spending our money EVEN though I am not at all happy with the tan-ness of my skin nor the size to which it has stretched...

Keep on serving me this:

Ten on Tuesday... Sorta

Lands sakes. I have a new little nasty habit of blogging only once a week. What's up with that?

At least this week, I have 2 excuses.

EXCUSE #1: I am remembering what it's like to be married.

Let me start by revealing something that may confuse you. Or concern you. Or make you question my sanity. Again.

When a member of your family does not actually live in your home for extended periods of time, you FORGET what it's like to have them there.

Let me clarify. Having Dan/Daddy home for his R&R takes some adjustments.

I never realized just how tiny that space is between the bathroom cabinets and the closet door... until I had to get ready with that door opening and closing behind me.

I forgot to buy 5 gallons of milk instead of 3... per week, that is.

I didn't remember that ice cream is one of the 4 food groups and should never be an optional item on the grocery list.

I have been letting my towel hog the towel bar.

I am obviously part Eskimo. My idea of a warm home? 70 degrees. Put on a Snuggie if necessary. Dan/Daddy's idea of a warm home? 85 degrees with an option to wear swimsuits while watching TV. (I know... we don't "fit the mold" of the old married couple on this one... The man is always warm and the wife is always cold... There are a LOT of molds we don't fit.)

It's the little things that you really do forget about.

So, we have had ourselves a busy week of fun and re-adjustments. Just being real here, folks.

EXCUSE #2: The computer went and got himself a virus.
Not just any old virus, but a nice nasty one. If my computer were a person, I'd still be cleaning up puke. A virus that prevented us from even accessing the Internet. A virus that required the costly assistance of a member of the Nerd Patrol. Did I mention costly? A virus that went BEHIND my expensive firewall/spy ware/virus blocker. Did I mention costly?


Oh yeah, we had company, too. Dan/Daddy's family came to stay with us for a few days to see him. I suppose that's No Blogging Excuse #3

So.......

With the adventure of remembering what it's like to be married combined with the dying computer AND the visit of 4 additional family members....

Here's this week's attempt at Ten on Tuesday.


1. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Baskin Robbins Peanut Butter Chocolate. I've also heard it's the most fattening flavor they have. Figures.

2. What is your earliest memory?
Riding my tricycle in my parents' driveway. I was maybe 3?

3. What is your earliest memory of a dessert?
This is a hoot. We were not big dessert eaters in my home growing up. When my mom would bake a dessert, we would ask, "Who died?" (You know, cause Southern people take food to the homes where someone has passed on.) I do remember eating "Little Debbie" cakes with my baby brother while sitting in our swing.

4. Do you have any recurring dreams?
Yes. It's horrible. It's the one where you need to scream but can't. Something bad is happening, but when you open your mouth, nothing comes out. I hate it.

5. Have you ever dreamed about dessert?
Probably.

6. What is one thing (aside from a cell phone or computer) that you cannot go the entire day without?
Hugging the little boy that lives at my house. And eating. And coffee.

7. What is one dessert you could go your entire life without ever having again?
Anything with raisins. Yucks. They should not even be allowed near a dessert.

8. If you could go on vacation tomorrow, where would you go? (Assume someone else is footing the bill, but within reason…so “the moon” won’t work)
I am! Actually we are going on a quick 2 day "family getaway" to a hotel/indoor waterpark. If I could selfishly choose, it would be the beach. But sadly, no one else is footing the bill.

9. If you could have any dessert tomorrow, what would you have (assume someone else is buying it for you. Within reason though, no “gold sprinkled ice cream cones.”)
Pie. I love pie. And cake. I love cake. I can't even begin to be specific.

10. What was your first impression of your significant other? If you’re single, what was your first impression of your best friend?
I thought he was tall. And nice looking. But I also thought that he needed to leave me alone, because I was dating someone else.
For the record, I thought my best friend was a lot like me.

11. What is your first impression of dessert pizza? (Personally, I think it’s weird. I love dessert but I don’t want any on my pizza.)
I like them. I like the brownie crust with the peanut butter cream cheese "sauce" and the M&M toppings. Now that's specific.