wordless wednesday

little mother hen's first halloween

just a quick thought...

i was watching CBS morning news...trying to get a little local news before the talking heads took over (i was too late)...and a CBS News director of polls (i forget her title...but she's the one who goes over the giant united states map to discuss which states are voting red and which are voting blue on a daily basis).

i digress...anywho, this lady stated that barack obama is outspending mccain almost 3:1 in most of the swing states for advertising. let me spell that out for you.

barack obama is spending other peoples' money almost 3 times faster than john mccain. and he's only running for president now...with money that people have willingly given him. i wonder what he'll do when he's using everybody's money if he becomes president.

he's super good at spending other peoples' money.

i'm just sayin.

i'm inspired

i don't know about you, but lately i have had an overwhelming urge to simplify...my life, our home, our schedules. there are too many chefs in our kitchen and i need to take control. along with my urge to simplify was my feeling of being completely overwhelmed by such a thought. i mean, where to begin? well i'll tell you where.

Kristen over at we are THAT family is one smart sweet-tea-loving woman. she recently wrote a post that was instrumental in pushing me into action. now, we're not doing anything drastic like shutting off cable *GASP*. but i'm putting a plan together. baby steps people. baby steps.

i know you'll be waiting with bells (or goofy ass shoes) on, so i'll be sure to keep you abreast of anything pertinent.

hugs and kisses to all,

the queen

sunday confessional 10/26/08

confession: sometimes i want to use utensils to seriously mame people.

ok, so you know how when people are searching for an answer about something or an opinion on a specific topic and they ask you because of what they perceive to be your expertise in a given area...so you give them your very best information in good faith...then they look at you and say, "no, i'm pretty sure you're wrong. i looked it up on the internet and you're waaay off"? well, that makes me want to stab a fork in their eyes.

seriously, what is it with people? i mean, don't waste your breath asking me a question if you're just going to immediately pull out your citation list (that's three pages long) so you can attempt to prove me wrong. what is the point of this exercise? don't ask me a question that you already know the answer to. i have one word for you -- shenanigans.

100 things you may or may not know

can you believe that this is my 100th post? well, can you? anywho, in honor of my 100th post, i wanted you to know some things. i mean, we've been dating long enough now, there are some things that you should know about me before we take our relationship any further. without further ado...

1. i am freakishly afraid of balloons. well, actually i'm afraid of them popping in my face or in the faces of my kids. i cringe whenever the kids get balloons

2. i love little house on the prairie. i wish it was still on. it is way better than the crap that's on tv now for our kids.

3. i smoked for 3 months of my life. when i turned 18. i never inhaled. not really

4. i have never smoked pot. not even once. not even a little.

5. i had a wine cooler when i was 14. i didn't drink alcohol after than until i was 20

6. i dated a boy named mike in middle school and high school. he was the best man when i married mr. husband. i'm not kidding

7. i love to watch our kids sleep. i wonder what they're dreaming about. they look so peaceful.

8. i am a registered nurse.

9. i retired 2 years ago to stay home with our kids.

10. 3 months later i found out i was pregnant with baby #3.

11. i have never traveled to a foreign country.

12. i have never been outside the continental united states.

13. when i was little i used to sneak drinks of my grandma's tab.

14. i tried tab again a few years ago. it tastes like toilets.

15. i can remember my other grandma coming into my bedroom to tell my sister and i that we had a new baby sister.

16. i refuse to go to a male OBGYN.

17. i know that some people think that's weird.

18. i don't care.

19. i took my uncle for show and tell to my preschool class. he is very tall.

20. i have a very cool husband.

21. i am a dog person.

22. i tolerate some cats.

23. i had two goldfish when i was little.

24. i named them after my parents.

25. i overfed them and they died.

26. our oldest weighed 10 pounds 15 ounces when she was born. she was 11 days overdue.

27. our second child weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce when he was born. he was 2

weeks early.

28. our third child weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces when he was born. he was 4 week early

29. i have breastfed all three of our children.

30. some people in our family think i'm weird for doing that. (and, before you ask, they were all weaned by 12 months of age)

31. i don’t care.

32. i have had 3 c-sections.

33. i hound my husband every day to quit smoking.

34. i am a toilet paper coming over the top of the roll kind of girl.

35. if i could have all of the free time i wanted to do anything i wanted, i'd spend most of it being with my family taking pictures and scrapbooking for our kids.

36. my all-time favorite dessert is my grandma's chocolate pie. she cheats on the crust, but the rest is entirely from scratch. yum!

37. when i was first born, my parents had a poodle named boo boo.

38. i was allergic to her so they gave her to my grandparents.

39. when i was 6, our parents gave us a black lab puppy named smokey for Christmas.

40. soon after that, they sent him to live on a farm because they thought he would get too big.

41. when i was 10, we had a cocker spaniel puppy named sidney.

42. he ate through the back door.

43. a few days later, he moved to a farm.

44. we were really mad at our parents.

45. when i was 12, my dad brought a yellow lab mix puppy home.

46. we named her maggie. she lived with us until we had to put her to sleep 6 years ago.

47. when maggie was still living, we got a chocolate lab puppy.

48. her name is bailey and my kids love her.

49. i was named after my grandma.

50. she was named after her grandma.

49. it took me ten years to perfect my grandma's recipe for oatmeal cookies and make them like she did.

50. we still have the swingset that my sisters and i used as kids. my kids swing on it now. that’s cool.

51. i remember lying bed with my parents the morning the phone rang with a police man on the other end telling my mom that her sister had been killed in a drunk driving accident.

52. i was 6.

53. she was cool. she used to pick me up in her VW beetle and we'd go get ice cream or go play in the park.

54. i have plantars warts.

55. my husband rubs my feet anyway.

56. i drool in my sleep.

57. sometimes i wake up in a pool of drool.

58. even i think it's gross.

59. i do not sleep on my back.

60. i do not sleep on my stomach.

61. i sleep hanging from the ceiling like a bat.

62. just kidding. i sleep on my side.

63. i like chocolate chip cookies.

64. without the chocolate chips.

65. i cannot sleep with the tv on.

66. my husband hates this about me.

67. i am a morning person.

68. my husband hates this about me also.

69. i don't usually eat breakfast.

70. unless i'm going out with my breakfast club.

71. my mom is my mentor and my friend.

72. i would rather have a handful of close friends who would drop whatever they are doing if i need them without hesitation than to have 100 people i know who are always too busy for me.

73. i love burn notice on USA.

74. i run like a girl but throw like a guy.

75. i am allergic to 5 kinds of grass.

76. i didn't know that there were even 5 kinds of grass to be allergic to.

77. i keep lots of things. just in case.

78. i drive the speed limit +5.

79. i used to listen to angry music.

80. i have to have a fan on to sleep.

81. i have known my friend erin since we were 3 years old. she will forever hold a grudge because in preschool i was in the tall club and we wouldn't let her join because she wasn't tall enough.

82. i feel insignificant and unimportant when i'm with my in-laws.

83. my sisters and i created a book of our childhood memories and gave it to our grandmas last Christmas.

84. it was the coolest present we could have ever given them.

85. i keep a stash of 3 musketeers in the freezer that i break into when the kids are getting the best of me. (hey! it's better than a pitcher of margaritas.)

86. i am Catholic.

87. i haven't been to church in a very long time.

88. i'm working on that.

89. Christmas is my favorite holiday by far.

90. i do not like the taste of beer.

91. when i'm pregnant i crave beer. (and, no before you ask, i don't drink when i'm pregnant)

92. i do not have time in my life for inconsiderate people who do nothing but suck my will to live from me.

93. i am a Boston fan by marriage.

94. i am constantly worried that i’m doing it wrong.

95. i secretly want to take ballroom dancing lessons with mr. husband.

96. a year ago i told mr. husband that i’d rather have no presents at all than to have presents just for the sake of having presents.

97. a few months later, he surprised me with a plane ticket to see my friend kim for my birthday.

98. he gets me.

99. i love lima beans.

100. i am thankful for the family and friends who are a part of my life. the ones who actually participate in my life and make their presence known. the ones who care and show their love and kindness. the ones who don’t suck the life out of me. thank you. you know who you are.