WW: An ungrateful turtle and a tent in my house

I was going to post a pic of the ungrateful box turtle I saved from the middle of the highway yesterday but the ones I snapped with the crackberry as it gripped my yoga mat in the floorboard of my car did not turn out good. Probably because my hand was shaking.  

I always try to save turtles if I see them in the road and they usually go quietly into their little shells until I get them somewhere safe to let them go.  Not this Biotch.  No.  It was trying to get away from me in the car, clawing, and then started trying to get its head around in an attempt to bite me and hissing at me!  

That's when I plopped it down in the passenger's seat, it fell into the floorboard and gripped that yoga mat like it was a life preserver in the middle of the ocean.  I almost ran off the road 3 times.  

I pulled up in the driveway, called C and asked him to please come out and get this bitch outta my car!  He was all like, "okay, be there in a minute".  He thought I was talkin' about the tent I bought for the boys to camp out with in the living room because we have overnight company. 

I want you to know, he put that thing down in the woods behind the house and guess who decided to suddenly become the shy turtle?  Yep, right up in the shell she went... I assume she is gone now and I sincerely hope she never crosses my path again.   

here's the best shot I got of the hussy:

And here is the tent that still sits in the middle of my living room and houses my sleeping boys.  I can hear the snores coming outta there...

I'm linking up with Angie at Seven Clown Circus for Wordful Wednesday.

Salud!

It is so quiet in here, the only thing I can hear is the humming of my laptop, the tapping of my fingers on the keys and the heavy breathing of two sleeping Dacshies at my side. 

Dev and the Dracenator stayed with Momaw & Popaw last night since it was our anniversary.  We headed up the mountain to eat dinner at The Peddler Steakhouse in Boone.  It was delicious.  And it had to be at least 15 degrees cooler up there.  I was actually chilly when I stepped out of the car and had to put a sweater on.  I'm thinking we need to drive up the mountain a few more times this summer!

Here are a few shots I snapped from the car with the crackberry as we were driving toward the mountains. 

I've always been awed by the sun shining down beams through the clouds like that.  Gives me a feeling of comfort and gratitude and the sense that heaven is just on the other side. 

There was also a great big beautiful majestic orange moon on the ride home but no such luck on getting any good shots of it.  Reminds me of a year ago this week when we were in Spain with some really great friends and tried and tried to capture the beauty of a full moon one night but to no avail.  The moon is a tricky subject for an amateur. 

Charlie and I wrote that night down in our little anniversary book I gave him as a gift last year for our one year as our most memorable night of the past year.  We were staying in my friend Jenn's grandmother's vacation home near Puerto Banus and decided we'd make pizzas.  We bought our little pizzas at the market, took them home and turned the oven on to preheat but after about 30 minutes finally came to the conclusion that the oven was no funciona.  It was dead.

What to do?  What to do?  There was a charcoal grill that would not, for the love of God, light.  After several attempts, the gathering of dried palm leaves and various other debris out of the yard, and the shedding of many tears of laughter, we had FIRE and grilled pizza and it was awesome!

Salud!

Eyes wide open

I noticed in the last year or two that when I'm doing something I don't enjoy, mostly housework, that I squint my eyes.  I really can't say whether this is something I have always done or that I only recently realized I was doing it. 

Why do I do this?  I have no idea but I feel that it is a bad habit so I'm trying to force myself to keep my eyes wide open while I'm wiping down the kitchen counter, scrubbing a toilet or mopping the floor.  All of these things I despise, by the way. 

I, honestly, do not know how mothers who work full time do it all while maintaining any sense of sanity.  I really don't.  And I never thought I'd be a stay home mom either.  You see, it was only supposed to be temporary...until Dracen turned a year old, then I'd go back to school and eventually back to work. 

I wanted to be a sonographer/ultrasound tech. or at least I thought I did at the time.  Then, when Darin died in an accident when Dracen was 5 months old, the plan changed.  I didn't think I could handle the stress of school and a full-time job when I had two little ones, grief and a house to care for on my own so I decided to be a full-time mom, at least until the Dracenator started school.  I was very blessed and fortunate to have that option.  

I suddenly became interested in nursing.  I'm not sure who I was trying to kid since I come within a quarter of an inch of passing out cold each time I have my blood drawn.  First, there's a ringing in my ears, then my hearing goes all together and the next thing you know someone whose voice appears faint in the distance is forcing my head between my knees and telling me to take deep breaths.  I would be out the door the first time they made me stick a needle through someone's flesh.  

I met Charlie and married him (2 years ago today, actually!) the summer before the Dracenator started kindergarten.  My BABY was starting school!  What would I do with myself?  Getting a job or going back to school was not calling my name, however.  And, somehow, I found more than enough to do!  

Sometimes though, I still feel that there is something more I should be doing with my time.  One of my biggest fears in life is to one day look back on my life and think that I did not live up to my full potential.  I just haven't heard that "calling" yet though.  I never have and I have always been slightly envious of those who knew, without a shadow of a doubt, what they wanted to be when they grew up at a young age and never once faltered. 

For now though, I will continue to be a book loving, dachshund adoring, decorating obsessed, Jesus worshipping, blogging wife and mom of two boys who struggles to keep her eyes wide open while doing her daily chores.  And maybe, just maybe, will one day hear a distinct calling or even, quite possibly, discover that she's been living it all along...

I've changed my mind...Flip Off!

Okay, so I thought about trying to put together a Fancy Friday post today but I'm just not feeling up to that and at this point it would be afternoon before I could get it done. 

So then I thought of joining in on the Friday Flip-off thing again but then decided I'd just wing it though believe me, I could find a few things to flip off!  Like the wallpaper in the boys' hall bathroom that we started stripping a couple of days ago and it is stuck on those walls like white on rice.  Thank God it's a very small room. I could also flip off the moles, toads, squirrels, and whatever else it is that keeps causing the Darlings to dig in the backyard forcing me to then have to bathe them and muddy up the tub and entire bathroom again!

But, wait!  I said I wasn't doing the flip-off thing today, didn't I?

Well, I do believe I've just changed my mind.  

To the no-good, lowdown, disgusting, scum of the earth, annoying flies that keep coming in the backdoor every single time we open it, here's a BIG FAT FLIP OFF for you!!

To my pain in the arse allergies, WHY must you continue to give me itchy eyes, gunk in my throat and sensitive skin/rashes?  It is JUNE and like 150 degrees of humid heat outside!  You used to only come around in the Spring.  GET LOST and FLIP OFF while you're at it! 

To Litterbugs!  You know who you are.  Why do you think it is okay to throw your nasty trash out your car window or drop it out of your car in a parking lot?  You're sick and you need help.  What do you think those big cans that say TRASH on them are for??!!??!  FLIP OFF!

To the weeds that are growing like wildfires around my house!  It's like a sauna outside.  Do you really think I want to come out there and pull you up?  NO!  I don't!  And you know I don't which is why you continue to sprout up all around the yard...because you think you're safe.  Well, I'm getting bloody well sick and tired of you so BEWARE, your days are numbered.  And FLIP OFF while you're at it!  (Okay, I don't ever say "bloody well" so I've no idea where that came from)

And last, but certainly not least, I am flipping off the dozens of socks without mates around here!  WHERE DO YOUR MATES GO?  Don't you know how to hold a relationship together?  Get with the program, please!  And until you do, you can FLIP OFF!!!

So as not to end on a negative note, I am giving two BIG PATS ON THE BACKS to the boys (notice I didn't call them the demolition duo) this week because for the most part, they have been pretty okay.  Of course, they have been spending a great deal of time playing at their Momaw and Popaw's house in the afternoons but it has always been their idea and I'm proud of them.  Kudos, Boys!  


If you want to see what others are flipping off this Friday, go visit Gigi at Kludgy Mom.

   

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Writer's Workshop...My man list

Mama Kat had some really great prompts this week and I debated over a few of them, finally settling on number 1) The Love List.  Write a list of 50 things you look for in a man.  

Just to clear things up, I am married and therefore, no longer looking for a man since I have one and all.  But, as most of you who know me or who have read my blog much are aware of the fact that I lost my first husband and father of my boys in an accident at the end of 2003.  My boys were 4 years old and 5 months old at the time. 

I grieved and I grieved hard but there came a time when I felt ready, or as ready as I ever thought I'd get, to date again.  Having two young children certainly changed the playing field and it was a whole different ballgame than I remembered from 11 years earlier. 

So here you have it, the 50 things I was looking for in my man...

1. A great sense of humor.  Life can be tough and trying at times which is why the ability to laugh and make others me laugh is so important.  Like Jimmy Buffet say, "if we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane!". 

2. A fondness for children, for obvious reasons.

3.  A love (or at least a like) of animals, especially dogs, cause y'all know how I love my dogs.

4.  A good J-O-B.  Just keepin' it real here.  I wasn't looking for a Bill Gates or a Donald Trump but a man with a certain amount of success was attractive to me.

5.  I'm a Christian and my faith is a huge part of my life and of who I am so a man who shared my belief and faith in Christ was absolutely necessary in my eyes. 

6.  A love for travel.  I have huge aspirations of seeing the world, or at least a big part of it, before I die so obviously, he couldn't be a homebody.

7.  Non-smoker cause smoking flat grosses me out.

8.  A backbone.  I've never been attracted to a man who allows anyone, me included (not that I would try but you know what I mean), to walk all over him.  We've all seen the hen-pecked husband and it ain't pretty.

9.  Self-confident.  I think this one speaks for itself.

10. NOT metro.  Not that I have anything against a man who is metrosexual but just not attracted to the type.  I wanna look prettier than my man when we go out, if you know what I mean.

11. An extrovert.  I'm not one and I have never had the gift of gab; therefore, I've always found myself attracted to someone more outgoing than myself.  It's that whole "opposites attract" thing I guess.

12. Adventurous, or at least a little more adventurous than me.  I like to be challenged on occasion.  

13. Ability to manage money well and with a healthy balance.

14.  NOT obsessed with sitting on the couch watching ballgame after ballgame or even worse, playing video games.  

15.  An appreciation for all some things beautiful.  Now I'm not talking lace doilies and petticoats here but I wanted someone who would actually have an opinion on what color I'm painting the bedroom, the dress I'm wearing, or the picture I'm hanging over the mantel.   

16.  An appreciation and love for nature.


17.  A love of water, especially the ocean, cause I have a pretty intense love for it myself.

18.  Handyman skills.  Always found a man who knows his way around a drill, a skill saw and a tire jack attractive probably because I don't have a clue how to use any of those things myself and I just think men are supposed to know how to fix things.  Call me old fashioned if you want. 

19.  A smarty pants.  Nothing sexier than a man with a brain he knows how to use.

20.  Admits when he's wrong.  When you are dating someone new and still getting to know each other and the conversation turns to past relationships and all the reasons he gives as to why each relationship did not work have to do with the other person and never any fault of his own, RUN! It's just a matter of time before you become the "crazy" ex.

21.  Honesty.  If you sense dishonesty (or even just a non-disclosure of the whole truth) early in the relationship, beware.

22. Good relationships with his parents/family members.  I believe this speaks volumes about a person.

23.  Has long-term friendships.  Shows the ability to form lasting ties and to stick things out.

24.  Makes me a priority.  Nothing hurts more than feeling like you are way down on the list of priorities of someone you love.

25. Does "little" things like leaving a note on the kitchen counter or giving flowers or a card for no special reason.

26. Selflessness on occasion.  Loving someone sometimes means doing things you really don't want to do but do them anyway because you know how much they mean to the one you love.

27. Makes me feel beautiful even when I'm wearing old sweat pants, no makeup, and haven't lifted a finger to fix my hair.

28. Reliable.  He calls when he says he'll call and shows up when he says he'll show up.

29.  Trustworthy.  You never get those tingly spidey senses that something just ain't right.

30. Passionate.  Apathy is not an attractive quality.

31. Knows how to compromise cause we all know there's a lot of give and take in relationships and life in general.

32. Good at surprises.  I love a good surprise!

33. Has a protective nature.  No woman wants a man who's gonna hide in the linen closet when she hears a strange sound outside.

34. Knows how to take charge but is not a bossy ass about it.

35. Is humble, because in my eyes, humility is an admirable quality.

36. Doesn't push my buttons when it's not safe to push them. I know y'all know what I'm talkin' about.

37. Is a big kid at heart.

38. Never makes me feel that my ideas and opinions are silly or foolish.

39. Doesn't bathe himself in cologne or after shave before he leaves the house.

40.  Not above or afraid to clean up vomit or poo cause these things sometimes happen when you have kids and pets.

41. Understands and supports the fact that women (especially those with destructive fighting boys children) sometimes need "me" or "girlfriends" time. 

42.  Agrees with me that golf is the most boring bad habit  sport on the planet.
 
43.  Says things like, "you look GOOD in that dress!" and "where's the lotion? somebody needs a foot rub."!

44. Pretends to be interested when I tell him all about the good deals I found at the outlet, even if he is a bad actor.

45.  Thinks everything I cook is the bomb even if all I did was follow the directions on the box.

46. Is not annoyed by my little quirks and even thinks they're "cute".

47. Takes my car in for service although I am completely capable of taking it myself.

48. Never walks through a door in front of me or any other woman. In other words, he's a gentleman.

49. Talks to babies and puppies.

50. Doesn't whine like a baby when he's sick or hurt.  Cause there ain't nothin' worse than a whiney man.  And y'all know I'm right. 


 We will celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary on Monday.  Happy Anniversary, C! 




Now go visit Mama Kat over at Mama's Losin' It.

Wordful Wednesday: The good ole days

I took the demolition duo to see Toy Story 3D yesterday though I didn't really get why it needed to be 3D.  What is with the sudden comeback of all things 3D?

 It's rather annoying because, number 1, it costs more and number 2, you have to keep up with those glasses and you always, inevitably, end up getting butter from the popcorn on them and it's impossible to get off.  Although I think we all 3 managed to avoid this yesterday for a change because I said, like every 2 minutes, "be very, very, careful not to touch the lenses or you will not be able to see." They actually paid heed to my words for a change.  Imagine that. 

I actually got choked up in the movie and had to fight back my tears.  I don't want to give away the movie but it was bittersweet and made me feel slightly guilty for growing up and turning my back on Barbie, the cold rabbits (that weren't really rabbits at all, rather giraffes...I was an odd kid), Mrs. Beasely, Raggedy Ann & Andy and all the numerous other dolls and stuffed animals that were my prized possessions for many years.   

I started trying to remember when, exactly, I stopped playing with my toys but I don't know.  There are so many things like that in life that we look back on and think, hmm..when was the very last time I...?  We usually don't consciously think we are doing a "little" thing for the very last time, yet change is constant and inevitable which is why it is so important, yet often soo difficult, to live in and cherish the present moment.  

I look back on old pics of the boys, all sweet and cute with their chubby little legs and cheeks, and I wonder how and when, exactly, they turned into the boys they are now and I know that they still have so much growing and changing yet to do and it is going to go by so very fast because, I am finding, that time has a sneaky way of speeding up with each birthday I celebrate. 

So, I am gonna try my best to live for this moment, place and time with hopes that one day, in the not so distant future, I'm gonna be looking back on this time and saying, "those were the good ole days and I wouln't trade one single memory of them, not for anything this world has to offer."  

Makin' Brownies, 2005

Easter of this year

You can see more Wordful Wednesdays over at Seven Clown Circus.

PINT: Blogging injuries and stuff

I had such a fun time with Post it Note Tuesday (PINT) with Supah Mommy last week that I've decided to attend that party again this week. 

Okay, that is totally supposed to say pelican, NOT penguin because yes, I do know the difference!

50 percent less stressed

We've been in our new neighborhood for about 2 and a half months now.  About a week and a half ago, I could not find the Dracenator (although I have told him to let me know before he leaves the yard).  When I saw the huge blow up water slide our neighbors across the street were blowing up in the front yard, it did not take long to find him. 

Charlie asks if Dracen was there and the mom says, "yes, and he's fine" and then continued to tell him how when he walked up, he pointed to the two ionic titanium necklaces (cause he was wearing his and his brother's) around his neck and said, "this necklace makes me 50 percent less stressed".  

In case you don't know what that is, it's something that many of the boys in little  league started wearing this year.

                                  

Why?  I really had no clue, but apparently, they make some (at least the Dracenator, who is not quite 7) feel 50 percent less stressed.  I guess he thought that if he wore two, he would have no stress at all.  Like a 6 or 7 year old really has sooo much to be stressed about! 

This made me start thinking of things that make me feel less stressed and here are a few that come to mind....

~I don't drink on a regular basis but a glass or two of really good red wine on occasion.

~Baths, especially bubble baths (throw in a glass of red wine and I'm sure to be at least 75 percent less stressed)

~The boys a.k.a the demoliton duo getting along for a change. (these moments are few and far between!)

~Yoga.

~a pedicure

~time with my girlfriends (it's been way too long since we all got together!) 

~strolling the antiques mall

~going out to lunch with Charlie

~good music

~a good massage (another thing that has been way too long!)

~watching the Darlings run and play in the fenced in backyard (I am doing that now from the sunroom :) )

~a good chick flick

~I don't have a cat but hearing a cat's purr has always been soothing to me

~reading a good book

~praying

~the ocean... who I miss dearly :(

~finishing all the laundry and housework...oh, wait, it's NEVER finished which is why I must get busy.  Maybe the Dracenator will let me borrow his necklace...

What makes you 50 percent less stressed?