Attack of the Zombies

Consider yourself warned.
These were some kooky questions... but I loved them!

Here's Ten on Tuesday
1. Quick! Zombies are coming!! What do you do?
Scream. 'Cause screaming makes everything better. Then, I would run. I am NOT a runner, and I hate exercise. But, I've always said, "I don't run unless something is chasing me." Zombies would qualify.

2. Whew, that was a close one. …I think your phone is ringing. Oh, it’s your best friend! She thinks she’s been bitten by a zombie. What advice do you give her?
Put some Neosporin on it. And meet me at Starbucks.

3. You realize it’s time to leave your current location because it’s clearly not safe anymore. Are you going to move at night or day? Defend your reasoning.
I would go during the day. I like to be able to see what's going on. I don't think Zombies like the light. Oh, that's vampires, isn't it?

4. During your relocation, you come across a weapon superstore. My, that’s convenient. What kind of weaponry do you choose?
Yeah baby. A flame thrower-gun thing. That IS the correct terminology. 'Cause I have seen movies where they burn Zombies, and it works.

5. As you leave, an old lady on the side of the street begs you to help her. Do you? Why or why not?
Well my first instinct is YES! Help the old lady! But... what if she's a zombie?!? I would have to get a little closer to her and look into her eyes to SEE if she's really an innocent old lady. I think Zombies have weird eyes.

6. Good choice, you’re clearly a good person to have around in a zombie apocalypse. Oh hey, there’s a wifi signal here! You can’t stay long but this is your chance to gather some intel on the current situation. What’s the first website you check?
Whew... Glad I thought about the old lady being a zombie...
Umm... I would check CNN first. (I know it's not part of the question, but then I'd check Facebook. To make sure my family and friends are ok.)

7. SHH! What was that noise?!
The sound of me gasping for air and my heart beating out of my chest 'cause I had to run.

8. I think it’s time to get out of here. I hope you have a plan. Where are you going now?
I have no idea. Honestly, they probably would have caught me by now.

9. Wait a minute, that looks like a bite mark on your arm… You may be infected too! Will you tell other people?
Told you they'd catch me. I will tell them to join me in my Zombie Army. (I don't want to be alone.)

10. How does this story end?
With me having nightmares. I can't even watch "crime" TV without dreaming something is after me. Now it'll be Zombies.

Ya'll KNOW I Hate This Time Change...

... So I won't go on and on and on. (Maybe.)

I'll just say that I am one tired old lady. TIRED.

And to make matters worse, I keep reminding myself about what time it REALLY is. Or what time it would be if we hadn't set the stupid clocks forward.

Please don't call me a complainer. I love love love the fact that it stays light later. I just hate the fact that it's dark when we get up, and I lost an hour of my day.

It messes with my brain.

And that is dangerous.

Now on to much more important things.

For almost a week I've had something on my mind.

Urgency.

The need to live with intention and purpose, while keeping in mind that none of us is promised tomorrow.
As opposed to living like I'm "running around like a chicken with my head cut off." (Which I DO.)

Pretty deep thoughts for a girl who can't get over Daylight Savings Time.

Someone in my Bible study last week told us about the feeling she had when her daughter was about to go away to college. It wasn't a feeling of "I don't want her to go." It was a feeling of "I hope I've done what I was supposed to do to make sure she's ready for the realities of this life." That thought has stuck with me all week.

Have I said and done the things that matter? That really matter?
Have I thanked people?
Have I treated people with respect?
Have I made certain my son knows why we do and say the things we do and say?
Have I been the example I need to be? In EVERY situation?

So many days I feel like I'm just "going through the motions." And I don't want that to be reality.

Now. I need a nap.

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....