Rosie (Don't Let The Name or The Face Fool You)

Let me start by saying I am more of a cat person.
I never really knew why I liked cats better until we finally got the boy a dog.
Now it is all crystal clear.

Please don't misunderstand me, I love all animals. (Except snakes, and they are not animals. They are Satan's minions, but that's another story.)
I love doggies, and I had plenty of them growing up.

I was more than willing to let the boy have a dog. He'd been asking for a while, but military housing has a rule about the number of pets one can own.
When sweet old Shelby "went to meet Jesus," we really began to talk seriously about a dog.
But, we were moving.
Then... we were settling into a new place.
Then... it was the holidays.
Then... we were traveling like gypsies.

And then we decided there would never be a perfect time.

After a sad and unsuccessful trip to a shelter, we started looking online. Dan/Daddy eventually found a family who needed to find a new home for their puppy.
Anybody else see red flags? Hear bells and whistles?
The family had a 5 year-old who wasn't taking care of the puppy like she'd agreed to, and the puppy needed WAY MORE attention and yard space than they could give.

So. Rosie came to love with us.
She's Puggle (Pug and Beagle) and Lab.
She's the definition of a cute mess.



The fact that I have to take her picture through the glass door should tell you something.
She is so sweet and so loving, but for the first 3 months of her life, she had no rules or discipline.
She wasn't housebroken, she was allowed to jump on people, and she was allowed to chew and nip. Not toys, but hands and faces and feet and furniture and anything else she can get her razor-sharp teeth around.
She's like a monkey on crack.
We have become "Puppy Rehab."

I do love her, but the nipping is making me psychotic.
(We've tried everything. I hear patience and time may work.)

I am now waking up WAY before I'd like to so I can feed another mouth.
And then letting it outside to make sure the floors stay tinkle and poopie free.

My house has that faint doggie smell that I swore my house would never have.
That's what I get for swearing.

Pray for me blog friends. And, if you don't hear from me in a while, please check on me. I may have been eaten by my really cute dog.

Double Dippin'

A few weeks ago, I linked up with Kelly's Korner when she put the spotlight on Military Families.
Well now she's linking up bloggers who are "Ministry Wives."
Cool.
So I am joining in again. Ha ha!

Sometimes it feels like we've been in the "Tour de France" of ministry...
I've been a Youth Minister's wife, a Pastor's wife, and now I'm an Army Chaplain's wife. And I've been married to the same guy the whole time!
I think I need a raise.
Now that I think about it, all Pastor's wives, Youth Pastor's wives, and Army Chaplain's wives need a raise.
And lots of prayer.

Granny's Got Some Technology

In light of my last post... in which I documented the aging of my son AND myself...

I thought you would all get a hoot out of this.

I spent 45 minutes on the phone with our internet service provider yesterday. The internet was not connecting, and I couldn't figure out what in the world was wrong.
Calling tech support was my last option, but I had tried everything.

The tech support gal "rebooted" and "pinged" and did all sorts of other things that involved modems and routers, and then she asked me if the "wireless" button on the computer was switched "off" or "on."

Y'all. I didn't know where that button was. I didn't even know it existed.
Well.

When my 12 year-old showed me the button, it was in the "off" position.
I flipped it on, and the internet was back. Miracle.

Somewhere at a dinner table last night, a tech gal was telling a hysterical story about Granny and her laptop.

Almost Official

Exactly one month and one day from today, I will be the momma of a teenager.
That sound you hear is my heart stopping and my wallet crying.
No amount of Oil of Olay or sedatives can help me now.

I have known this day was coming, but I had no idea it would affect me the way it has. I keep thinking about the day the boy was born. Lord, help me.

I keep thinking about all the milestones we've passed.
I keep wondering where he's putting all this food he's consuming.
I find myself getting all sentimental.
I wonder when he's going to want a boy/girl birthday party.
I can't figure out how to make myself look younger while he's looking older.
I keep thinking about the crazy years that lie ahead of us.
I wonder how one human can grow so fast, and I realize he's just a few inches from looking down at me. My baby giraffe.

I am also glad that as this big birthday approaches, he's still his momma's boy.
He still likes to hang out with me.
He still asks for my help, and he still tells me (almost) everything.
(Some things I'd rather not know, but I'll never stop listening.)

And his goofiness? I am a fan.

Ten on Tuesday

These questions come from Roots and Rings...


1. What did you do this weekend?
I watched a funny movie with the boy, took the boy to 2 karate lessons, ran 26 errands, watched some "Swamp People," and went to church. We've been on the road for the last 2 weekends, so it was nice to be home.

2. Do you prefer short fingernails or long fingernails?
Short... On my own hands and other people's. Long nails gross me out a little because I wonder how much crud is under them.

3. What is your favorite use for Pinterest?
Wasting time and making myself feel inferior. (I'm kidding. Sorta.)
I probably use it for recipes more than anything.

4. Do you sleep with your mouth open?
No, unless I have a cold and can't breathe. Sleeping with your mouth open is miserable.

5. Where did you have the best pizza you’ve ever eaten?
It's a tie between "Elizabeth's" in NC and the chicken Tuscan pizza at a place here in town.

6. What do you eat for breakfast on weekdays?
Oatmeal or cereal or toast. Maybe an egg. Thrilling, huh?

7. Do you watch awards shows? Why or why not?
Yes. I love to gawk at the celebrities and the clothes. Hollywood fascinates me.

8. Can you whistle? Snap? Curl your tongue? Bend down and touch your palms to the ground?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
And yes.

9. What email service do you use?
Hotmail

10. What is your favorite outdoor activity?
Sitting on the beach watching my 2 guys play in the ocean.

Take 2 Of These And Call Me In The Morning

Taking random photos of my counter tops is not usually at the top of my "To Do" list. This made me laugh, so I had to share it.

We have a corner of the kitchen that "catches" stuff. You know what I mean... school papers, car keys, random mail, coupons, twist ties, and other things that have no home.
Or... "Things That No One Wants To Put In The Proper Place."



I have the cure for what ails ya: Tylenol, off-brand Advil, and/or Sprinkles.

Middle School Mama Observations

I think Presidents deserve more than one day of honor and celebration.
I think I deserve a day to recover from the day off.
I think Tuesdays should never feel like Mondays.

We visited some of our oldest and dearest friends over the long weekend, and we had a great time. But... getting home late and facing Mt. Laundry was not how I wanted to start my week. Even if it is a short week.
So instead of going to the grocery store or doing laundry or unpacking or working on our taxes or anything else productive, I caught up on Facebook and looked through my drafts of blog posts. When I am in a bloggity funk, I tend to start posts but never finish. This morning, I inhaled a 2nd cup of coffee and finished this one.


The boy is halfway through his first official year of Middle School.
Pheeeeeew. (That was me... breathing a big sigh of relief.)
Sometimes I think I would like to be knocked out cold for the next 6 years and then jolted awake on his graduation day. But then I realize all the great things I would miss.
I want to be fully present for the driving test, the first date, the school dances, and all that other fun stuff. I may have to be heavily medicated, but I want to be there.
I want to savor every moment.

Until then, I've been making observations. Middle School is a whole new world. Actually, it's more like a different planet. These are a few of the observations I've made as the mom of a new Middle Schooler...

1. Middle Schoolers are very wiggly. Almost as wiggly as toddlers. They may try to act cool, but they can't stop moving. I have to roll slowly through the car line in fear that one of them is going to wiggle off the sidewalk.

2. Middle Schoolers like to test limits. Well, all kids do this, but Middle Schoolers take limits as a personal challenge. Again - in the car line - they stand their wiggly selves as CLOSETOTHECURB as possible... increasing the chance one of them will pop off the sidewalk in front of my car.

3. Middle School teachers need a raise. A big one.

4. Middle School kids either do not watch the weather forecast or they have superhuman temperature resistance powers. I see shorts and sandals on days when it's sleeting. I see furry boots and zipped up jackets when my AC is running.

5. Middle Schoolers are perpetually embarrassed by their parents, and they have good reason. Dads should not pick up their kids at school wearing a tank top. (See previous post.) Not only is your child humiliated, but the rest of us are nauseated. "Lounge wear" is another story... I drop the boy off at school wearing my pjs at least 3 times a week.

6. A lot of Middle School teachers, parents, and administrators think all Middle School kids are punks with bad attitudes. Some off them are, but most of them are sweet kids with good hearts trying to navigate this scary new world. But some of them are punks. Some of the sweet good-hearted ones act like punks from time to time. Mine included.

7. Middle School kids eat like wild starving horses and still look cute in skinny jeans.

8. Middle School kids need approximately 15.8 hours of sleep each day. This was a beautiful discovery for us, because the boy never slept past 5:00 am as a baby. He ran on fumes for 11 years. Now, he sleeps. Praise God.

9. Middle Schoolers are not too cool for notes in their lunch box, Capri Suns, and Goldfish crackers. Don't let them fool you.

10. You can still smooch your Middle Schooler before he gets out of the car in the mornings. Just get it done at the red light down the street from the school, and make sure no one is looking.

Happy Fat Tuesday, friends.