Making My Vote Count

Ok, I took a little break. Sorry for not warning you guys and leaving you on the edge of your seats. You didn't notice? Oh, that's ok.

Anyway, in this important election time, it is so important to vote. The future of our country depends on YOU! It is so easy to say it doesn't matter, that your vote doesn't count, that you can't make a difference. . .NOT TRUE, people! Voting is our privilege and responsibility. Get yourself educated on the candidates and VOTE!

Remember, regardless of who you vote for, it is very important to make your voice known! That said, I'm going to reverse an earlier decision to not share who I'm voting for. . .I'm really torn between voting for

Warren Sappand

Julianne Hough (of course she's out due to an appendectomy, so I'm not sure that she's up to the rigorous role at this point. . .)

Thoughts, anyone?

OH, you thought I meant the presidential race. No. My vote doesn't actually count for that one. . .the media told me so. Have a great Halloween! Stay safe and eat lots of chocolate!

A Lesson on the Wild West

Kyler has always been a big fan of cowboys. . .and Indians (yes, I know the pc term is Native American but to a 4 year old, the term is Indian). When other kids were watching Barney or Bob the Builder or Power Rangers, Kyler was watching John Wayne, Bonanza, and Roy Rogers. He also loves Rawhide. Somewhere, however, his western education failed him.



Last night, Kady spent the night with my mom, so it was just shoulder-high-kiddo and myself. He has been explaining the term "ancestor" to me. We had been discussing where his ancestors came from. My dad's grandmother was Native American. This thrilled my son. Somehow this segued into cowboys and trail drives.



Did you know that cowboys used to stay in motels when they took the cows to market? No, seriously, he saw it on Bonanza.



Used to, they ate in bars. There were no restaurants. Cowboys ate in bars, because that's where the food was served. (That's why there are so many bars on those old westerns. . .)



There were no [gulp] McDonald's restaurants. They didn't have them. (Yea, we got one right!)



These are the lessons I remembered. Now, how do I convince him that Clint Eastwood, Michael Landon, and John Wayne were not, um, always accurate in their portrayals of the wild west. . .Any suggestions? And, make sure you sign up for giveaways!

Updates on our Life (w/pics!)

So, what have we been up to, you ask. Oh, just hanging around mostly. (sorry it's sideways--so's our life most days!)Yes, as a matter of fact ditching the baba is going well. . . er, totally dependent on your definition of "well," of course.

We've survived all our birthday parties for one more year. . .

Inappropriate presents were given by family members. . .(yes, that's a knife, and yes, that's a can of Spaghetti O's)

Kyler's reading skills continue to improve. His teacher (and his parents) are very proud of him! He's a great kid.

Well, that's it with us. . .We're off now.

How about y'all?

Fabulous Foliage Friday

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Hello, y'all. I spent Wednesday at home cleaning. . .and managed to take a few pictures of some beautiful foliage out our way. . .ENJOY!

Aren't I blessed to have this drive everyday? Now, we list our house and see what else (if anything) God has in store for us. Thanks for visiting!!

Kaa--ddyy, where's your Ethel?

IMG00108
Originally uploaded by rlkendr

It hit me last night. My daughter is Lucy (of "I Love Lucy"). She's got the red hair. She's definitely always getting into trouble. I'm telling you, she's Lucy. Picture Lucille Ball as a child and you have my daughter.

I'm pretty sure she's found her own Ethel. We call her "Sissy," and she goes to the same babysitter Kady does. Lord, help us all. That is all.

you tube funny

This is what Kelli brought back from her Christian women's conference. . .
Man dancing

Soul Searching from Dr. King

Truthfully, I got. . .not much today. SSSSssssssssoooooooooo, as the election nears, I pass on to you deep thoughts from Martin Luther King, Jr. Honestly, this is not political as much as "life advice" from a great man, but I do think these things are interesting to think about in terms of how we vote, what ideals we pass on, etc. (And before some of you Type A people remind me, yes, I am aware that every quote in the world eventually gets cited to Dr. King and then Mother Theresa. These came from an online site--just humor me, ok?)

Again, Dr. King is always good for some soul searching. . . ENJOY!

1. Life's most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?


2. Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.


3. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.


4. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.


5. We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.


6. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.


7. All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.


8. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live.


9. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.


10. Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important.


11. Cowardice asks the question - is it safe?Expediency asks the question - is it politic?Vanity asks the question - is it popular?But conscience asks the question - is it right?And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.


12. If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.

Have a wonderful day! I'm going home to clean my house. . .yea, me!

An Apology to my Fellow Wal-Mart Customers

Dear Y'all,
I'm sorry. Yes, I am THAT mom, and that was my daughter. I'm sure you heard us. You know, the 2-year-old who screamed ALL THE WAY through Wal-Mart. I know several of you thought about calling DHS. Some of you even had your phones out (and may have made the call . . .). I would just like to explain my side of the story (before DHS gets here).

I rarely go to Wal-Mart, and when I do, I usually grab just the essentials. This time, the essentials took up more than my two arms could carry. . .so I got a shopping cart. It turns out my very determined and head-strong daughter (she was Ssssssooooooooo switched at birth with some other totally sweet and laid-back child) didn't want to sit in the cart. She wanted me to hold her. Call me a failure, but I am not able to push the cart and hold her. Thus, she attempted to make the great escape. . .by flinging herself out of the cart. So, while it's quite possible that it looked like I was throwing her out of the cart, I was actually holding her in. I PROMISE.

Shall I just point out that my lovely daughter has red hair? (and the temperament to go with it. . .) This is the child that will have the pacifier until the day that the orthodontist removes it from her braces. This is the child that refused to apologize to her daddy for over thirty minutes after she hit him. This is the child that holds her own against children two times her size. . .not that her brother has anything to do with that. . .And, while we're at it, did you notice my other child standing quietly? (He was thoroughly embarrassed as well. . .)

I'm sorry. I can't say that enough. I know that many of you go to Wal-Mart simply to relax and enjoy the calm, less-frenzied atmosphere. No? Oh, well, then surely you'll forgive me. And, if not, we'll wait till you return to Wal-Mart and you can hold my daughter in the cart. Thanks, for the offer, by the way.

Sincerely,

Well, you can call DHS to get my name and contact information. They'll probably have me on their frequent offender list by tomorrow. . .Just ask for "That Woman in Wal-Mart."

We're Weird. (There, I said it.)

I wrote the following post a few weeks ago but never posted it. As I face a very difficult professional decision, I reread this post and decided to share it. Again, I'm not sure I've managed to verbalize what I want. . .


Our family situation is different than most. I enter this blog with some trepidation, fearing that I won't be able to say this as I want to (more so than with most posts. . .). If you've read my profile, you know Kevin works away from home. You may have wondered about this. So did we. We asked ourselves if this was really what Kevin needed to do, if this was what God had in mind. We prayed, I fasted over this decision. How could God take Kevin away from us? What sense did it make for a father to leave his children and go to work in Florida (at that time). God kept saying, "wait, just wait." I began to feel Him working on both of us. It still makes no sense to most people (and to us, if we're honest) that the father of my children is gone more often than he's home. That said, let me tell you a little something about our life prior to Kevin's change of career.


I have spent more nights falling asleep by myself than with my husband. Way more nights falling asleep alone. Kevin has worked nights since he was in college. There have been brief changes to this schedule, and he has worked many different schedules (3 1/2, 12 hour shifts; salary from 1 or 2 pm-ish to ?midnight or 1 am Tues-Sat, 3-12-ish different days of the week. . .the list goes on). We never saw him, and when we did, he was more concerned about catching up on his sleep or adjusting to being up during the day. We fought way more than we should. He felt guilty about not being with us. I made him feel guilty about being home with us. He worried about bringing home enough money to support us. (During part of this time, I was in graduate school, which means I contributed zilch to the income.)

Then, in 2006, we suffered such pain. Kev's step-sister lost her husband. Kev's dad passed away. Bad enough, right? Then, the crushing blow. Kevin's best friend was murdered. He was here one minute, with Kevin giving him a hard time about his job (they worked together). Then, he was gone. Dead, just like that. He left behind a wonderful wife and 4 beautiful, smart, funny kids. Slowly, as Kevin came out of this grief (Do we ever actually recover from grief? I'm not sure.), I began to see changes. Little ones at first, but they meant so much to me. He would take Kyler with him more. He would include me more. We would do stuff as a family.

During this time, things began to change at this job. He still worked with a great bunch of guys. Changes, as they are apt to do, were made that were not best for our family. He began to feel himself pulled in a different direction. He kept looking at different options. He talked to me about these options. I guess i should say that WE talked about these options. We had all the same questions that well-meaning friends and family have asked us repeatedly. "Why does he have to go so far?" "Has he thought about ______?" "What about ______________?" Couldn't he just ____________?"

I guess what I am trying to say is that our life is not be normal. It never has been. This current job situation is something that I wish will be temporary. I wish that some day, Kevin will be able to work close to home on an 8-5 or so job. However, until that time comes, we are satisfied (at least 90% of the time. . .) with the current situation. We currently get to see Kevin every weekend. When we do see him, he is all about family. He plays with the kids. He has more patience with them. He is tired, but he's on a "normal" schedule. It's something we can handle.

And those months in Florida? They taught me that I can do it. I may not do it well, and I can not do it without family and friend support, but I can exist without Kevin to depend upon. As for Kevin, he learned again just how important his wife and kids are to him. He values us more.

I did not write this post in an effort to elicit sympathy, etc, from anyone. It is my feeble attempt to explain my family's circumstances and the decisions we've made, with a great deal of caution and prayer, I might add.

Now, I pray that God will lead us and direct us as to the path He wishes us to take. I pray that I will truly give this over to Him and trust Him fully, in whatever path He leads us on.

Ya gotta love it

My daughter is two. Most 2-year-olds take a doll to the babysitter. Or maybe a blankie. Or a purse. Well, you get the idea. My daughter? She carries a can of Dora Spaghetti Oh's and her (dirty) pajamas. Maybe she wants to move in with the babysitter. . .

An Education Worth Having

A $50,000 education (and 6 years of college later), and do you know the piece of info I use on a daily basis???

Statistically, people are more likely to use the toilet that is closest to them, so theoretically, the toilet farthest away has been used by less people and is (hopefully) the cleanest.

Darn. I gave away my tip, and screwed up the statistics. . .but see what a useful friend I am? ; )

Good Times

My father is a character. That's the nice way of saying he's going to do things his way. He does not change his mind once it's made up. He does not like change. He is stubborn. He is not demonstrative with his affections. He is loud and does not hear well. He is also loyal. He is funny. He loves his family and would do anything for them. He wants what's best for us. He is strong in his convictions and believes in staying active and working hard.

So, where's she going with this, you ask youself. Well, you know me. I've got to get a funny in. (And you know it's a good one if it involves my family. . .)

Once upon a time, several years ago, my dad killed a snake on his farm. We live in a very rural farming area, and snakes are not looked upon favorably. My dad stretched this dead snake out across the road. He set his lawn chair to the side of the house. (I'm sure he also had a beer to sip as he watched what was about to occur.) He then proceeded to watch as car after car would slam on their brakes and swerve to hit the snake. (There were some who stopped in the road, backed up, and ran over the snake again. . .just to make sure they got it.) That is my dad's idea of good entertainment. He has been known to find a snakeskin and stretch it across the back porch to scare my mom to death. That's my dad. (And maybe some of your answers as to why I am the way I am. . .)

Boring? Not us.

Kevin and I got married really young. We were babies, really. The one thing I always told him was I didn't want to be one of those boring, old-people. You know, those people who never do anything. They never go anywhere. They never have anything exciting going on. . .

Seriously, who are those people? My life is far from boring. Take this morning for example. We jumped out of bed running way late. I told Kyler to get dressed, and I started getting ready. I came through the living room. . .and Kyler was watching the Dukes of Hazzard. NO TV IN THE MORNING. You may NOT wear those pants--they have holes all over them! Kady, come back here! Kady, DON'T MAKE ME CHASE YOU! I finish getting ready, get Kady ready, and finally get Kyler out the door. Wait! No breakfast! Mom-of-the-year gets a breakfast bar (out of PopTarts) and gives to Kyler. Kady gets an all-natural, organic fruit roll-up. (She eats breakfast with the babysitter, the woman who most likely keeps DHS out of our house. . .) Guess what?! I have 7 miles until I am out of gas. . .and it's 28 to town. . .We detour to the gas station, where Kyler goes in and pays for the gas. He also gets himself a sausage biscuit for breakfast, so he's well fed this morning. . .

We finally get to town, and of course, Kyler is late to class. I had to go in and sign him in. Kady has this odd smell coming from her wet backside as we do this. When I return to the car, I notice the smell permeates my car. Slowly, the wheels start to turn. . .we had sonic last night for supper. . .she had milk to drink. . .which she drank all of. . .or maybe not. . .OH, Lord, let it not be true! That child spilled milk in her car seat! Last. night. GAG! So, I'm at work trying to figure out how to get the seat cleaned and the car cleaned out before I pick her up this afternoon. The babysitter asked to wash the seat cover, but I couldn't do that to her. She already had to change Kady, and I'm sure she'll wash Kady's dirty clothes.

Boring?! Who are those people? How do I become one of them!?! Please, let me come over to your side!!! I need some boring for awhile!

trust issues [sigh]

Major decisions coming my way. Don't know what's going to happen. . .Like always, I'm trying to just give it to God and not worry. Like always, I find myself taking it back and worrying over it. I seriously need to just LET IT GO. I know God doesn't need my help. He can handle all things. . .so my little problems are no trouble for Him. He always has a plan. He always knows what's best. He can "fix" my worries and problems in ways I couldn't even think of. I need to step back and [gulp] give it to Him and [double gulp] NOT worry.

This seriously is a trust issue. It's as if I don't trust God to do all things and be all things in my life. I have to have control. That's wrong. I know it's wrong, and yet, I find myself doing it over and over and over. . .

Do other people have this same problem? How do you cope?

Unique moi. . .ok, weird me

Remember the night before you started a new school year? That's me. If Only I Had Super Powers tagged me. Oh, the pressure. Considering how much I value and respect her blog and considering she's a speech-language pathologist like myself, I'm trying hard to wow and amaze her. . .I know, I know--just be myself. Here goes. . .

1. I am a complete grammar and typing snob. I can not stand when people confuse "your" and "you're," etc. When you cheer, it's "yea" not "yeah." This stuff irritates me!


2. I make lots of typing and grammar mistakes. Complete double-standard. I'm allowed. Cause I know the difference, that's why.


3. I love what I do. I am horrible at making decisions, so I didn't. I work in a setting that allows me to see people of all ages in a variety of settings. I don't know how long it will last.


4. My husband has no idea what a blog is. He has never seen nor read my blog. . .and doesn't want to.


5. I love to sing, but I refuse to sing with witnesses. My aunt once told me to be quiet. She couldn't hear my cousin's singing for my "noise." I've never really sung in front of anyone since.


6. I am an outdoorsy but clumsy girl. I love to ride horses and have ridden them all my life. I had fun skiing, but it's a wonder I didn't kill someone. I enjoy exercise, but I don't make time for it. I played basketball, softball, and ran track in school. We do take the occasional walk with the requisite pictures of the kids. If only I got the pics uploaded. . .


7. I want to adopt. (Read number 4 and DON'T TELL hubby that I told you!!!) I don't know that we'll ever be able to. . .We have started sponsoring a child in Ethiopia through Compassion International. Perhaps this will fill some of my adoption/nurturing needs. . .

Enough about me. I'm choosing. . .

Amy because she's always fascinating me.

Domestic Accident because I crave her less stressful and more natural life.

Finding Him Bigger because I enjoy finding out how her corner of the globe is going.

The Kennett's Krazy Life because I envy her determination right now and love to find out more about the-girl-who-used-to-live-so-close-that-I-didn't-really-know.

Steph at Red Clay Diaries because she cracks me up, and I think we might be related. . .not on the crazy side of the family!

Okie River Momma because we're in similar boats, and how can you not want to know more about a blog with that name?

And a newbie to my blog. . .

Sara because I admire her strength and passion that I've seen thus far in our acquaintance.

Ok, just one more. . .

Lori because I want to know so much more about her.

GO FOR IT, LADIES!

New Year's Resolutions

Before you think I've lost my mind with that title, let me explain. Tomorrow is my birthday. I'm trying 27 again, because 27 wasn't such a bad year. (Plus, I've temporarily misplaced my birth certificate, so I can be any age I want to be, right?) I never make and thus, never keep resolutions in January.

Several things have been on my mind in the last few weeks. These are things I feel I need to change about ME. Things I haven't been doing or things not done as fully as they should be. Hopefully, I'll be more accoutable to y'all than if I kept them to myself. Here goes.

1. Lose weight. (Currently on track here, but I need all the reminders I can get. . .)
2. Exercise AT LEAST 3 times a week.
3. Write in my prayer journal at least 4x week.
4. Read my Bible EVERY DAY.
5. Read with both kids at least 4x week.
6. Pray WITH both kids at least 5x week. (I'm really bad about this one.)
7. Keep a cleaner house. (I'm not really sure how to state this one objectively, other than to say anything is progress. . .)
8. Eat out no more than 2x week. (This one sounds easier than it is. . .)
9. Begin a recycling program at home.
10. Start buying more natural and organic products for home use.

Comments? You know comments make me happy, people!

wfmw: reading

Hi! I'm Rachel, and if this is your first time to my blog, WELCOME! I'm so glad you're here! (Please feel free to check the place out, including my other blog about strokes!)

I recently found out my son is having difficulty reading. I have been looking at/buying way too many books in an attempt to get him to read and enjoy reading. (Don't get me wrong--books never go to waste at our house!!)

I ran across this book at a book sale. It is a children's book by Jeff Foxworthy, in titled Dirt on my Shirt, it contains lots of poems that will keep kids reading and ENJOYING poetry. WOW! That exceeds my hopes and definitely works for me! To see what works for others, go here, and thanks for stopping by!!

(I recently learned how to use the hyperlink--can you tell?) : )

Rachel

My Dear Husband

Oh, y'all. (For proper "y'all" usage, read this post.) My husband, bless his heart, is skating on rather thin ice. He came home this weekend, and he managed to leave his shaving kit at our house. Ok, no biggie, right? Just get it next weekend. You see, he left his social security card (that he needs to start a new job this week) in his shaving kit. . .because that's where everyone keeps it. . . so I drove three hours to take the man his shaving kit. Since I didn't get down there until after 9:00 last night, I spent the night and drove 3 hours this morning to work. I'm tired of driving (Notice the extreme understatement? Could you FEEL the sarcasm?).

Some observations from my "trip":

1. Nascar drivers are able to drive so long without bathroom breaks because, if you stop, those SLOW people get in front of you again! Trust me, a gal can go a long way without a bathroom break, if she's trying to make good time!
2. Early morning is the best time to travel in Arkansas in order to make good time. Everyone is hurrying to work, so you can cruise right along with the crowd without worrying about those pesky policemen.
3. Husbands are notoriously nice when you drive 6 hours for them. They feel guilt. We, as women, should not take advantage of this guilt, and oh, I don't know, ask for things of large value. [wink, wink]
4. It is significantly quieter (even with the radio blaring) in a car with no children.
5. SIGNIFICANTLY quieter
6. I could hear myself think.
7. I enjoy road trips, especially solo ones.
8. Unless I have to drive 6 hours to take my husband his shaving kit!
9. A shaving kit is no place for a social security card!
10. Fall in the Ozarks is beautiful--absolutely, breath-takingly, awe-inspiringly beautiful!

This left me with only one question: Does he keep his birth certificate in his suitcase?

New blog, new blog, new blog, new blog

Ok, folks, if you read the title, you got the message. After the great response from Thursday's post on blogging tips for stroke survivors, I thought about this all weekend. I finally decided to take the plunge and start another blog.

I have met some wonderful stroke survivors, who are more than welcome to continue checking in for stroke news. I also plan to publish updates relevant to our local stroke group. If you have not had a stroke but would like to learn more about stroke, PLEASE come back! One thing most stroke survivors will tell you is that they never believed it would happen to them. Stroke can affect anyone at anytime!

Wish us luck, and check back often, please! My goal is to have 1-2 posts per week. . .If you have a topic you want to see covered, please email me the question/information at rlkendr[at]yahoo[dot]com.

We're Weird. (There, I said it.)

I wrote the following post a few weeks ago but never posted it. As I face a very difficult professional decision, I reread this post and decided to share it. Again, I'm not sure I've managed to verbalize what I want. . .

Our family situation is different than most. I enter this blog with some trepidation, fearing that I won't be able to say this as I want to (more so than with most posts. . .). If you've read my profile, you know Kevin works away from home. You may have wondered about this. So did we. We asked ourselves if this was really what Kevin needed to do, if this was what God had in mind. We prayed, I fasted over this decision. How could God take Kevin away from us? What sense did it make for a father to leave his children and go to work in Florida (at that time). God kept saying, "wait, just wait." I began to feel Him working on both of us. It still makes no sense to most people (and to us, if we're honest) that the father of my children is gone more often than he's home. That said, let me tell you a little something about our life prior to Kevin's change of career.

I have spent more nights falling asleep by myself than with my husband. Way more nights falling asleep alone. Kevin has worked nights since he was in college. There have been brief changes to this schedule, and he has worked many different schedules (3 1/2, 12 hour shifts; salary from 1 or 2 pm-ish to ?midnight or 1 am Tues-Sat, 3-12-ish different days of the week. . .the list goes on). We never saw him, and when we did, he was more concerned about catching up on his sleep or adjusting to being up during the day. We fought way more than we should. He felt guilty about not being with us. I made him feel guilty about being home with us. He worried about bringing home enough money to support us. (During part of this time, I was in graduate school, which means I contributed zilch to the income.) Then, in 2006, we suffered such pain. Kev's step-sister lost her husband. Kev's dad passed away. Bad enough, right? Then, the crushing blow. Kevin's best friend was murdered. He was here one minute, with Kevin giving him a hard time about his job (they worked together). Then, he was gone. Dead, just like that. He left behind a wonderful wife and 4 beautiful, smart, funny kids. Slowly, as Kevin came out of this grief (Do we ever actually recover from grief? I'm not sure.), I began to see changes. Little ones at first, but they meant so much to me. He would take Kyler with him more. He would include me more. We would do stuff as a family.

During this time, things began to change at this job. He still worked with a great bunch of guys. Changes, as they are apt to do, were made that were not best for our family. He began to feel himself pulled in a different direction. He kept looking at different options. He talked to me about these options. I guess i should say that WE talked about these options. We had all the same questions that well-meaning friends and family have asked us repeatedly. "Why does he have to go so far?" "Has he thought about ______?" "What about ______________?" Couldn't he just ____________?"


I guess what I am trying to say is that our life may not be normal. It never has been. This current job situation is something that I wish will be temporary. I wish that some day, Kevin will be able to work close to home on an 8-5 or so job. However, until that time comes, we are satisfied (at least 90% of the time. . .) with the current situation. We currently get to see Kevin every weekend. When we do see him, he is all about family. He plays with the kids. He has more patience with them. He is tired, but he's on a "normal" schedule. It's something we can handle.


And those months in Florida? They taught me that I can do it. I may not do it well, and I can not do it without family and friend support, but I can exist without Kevin to depend upon. As for Kevin, he learned again just how important his wife and kids are to him. He values us more.
This post is not intended to elicit sympathy, etc, from anyone. It is my feeble way to explain my family and the decisions we've made, with a great deal of caution and prayer, I might add.

Now, I pray that God will lead us and direct us as to the path He wishes us to take. I pray that I will truly give this over to Him and trust Him fully, in whatever path He leads us on.

I fell. . .Now, Can I Get Up?

Thump. Did you hear that? It was me officially falling off the wagon. . .It started Thursday night at the stroke support group. (Thank you to everyone who offered words of encouragement to our group regarding your blogging experiences!!! I thought we had a really great group.) We had delicious, wonderful white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies. . .

Yesterday after the funeral, Aunt Sherry had us all back to her house for a meal. You don't tell Aunt Sherry no. You just don't. I've seen her make 6'5", 250 pound men change their minds. . .effortlessly. (He was her son, but. . .trust me on this.) Like all good Southern women, Aunt Sherry can cook. No, folks. She can COOK. Needless to say, it was wonderful, and my stomach wouldn't have allowed me to say no if I had wanted to.

Later, Kevin and I went on a date. We never go out. We met up with a very nice couple. (The young man works with Kevin.) We went out to Red Lobster. . .um, need I remind you they have shrimp and garlic butter biscuits? So, as of today, I'm officially back on the weight-loss wagon. We'll just have to see how much damage this did to the diet. . .

starting a blog tips

I have stroke support group tonight. (I'm the facilitator.) I am planning on presenting some info about starting a blog. Any tips/advice/encouragment you want to give these guys? Thanks, y'all!

WFMW: Kitchen Organization? Yeah, right.

If you know me, you know I am NOT organized. And my kitchen? I got it free with the house. . .that doesn't mean I have to use it! The best tip, therefore, that I can come up with is for organizing the front of your refrigerator. No, don't leave yet!

You know those really cute family picture Christmas cards that you get? They cover the side of my fridge that you see when you walk in my kitchen. It's also the side next to the stove, so when I'm cooking or coming/going, I see these people whom we love and I pray for them. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I see these people and I pray for them. It works for me.

On the front of my fridge is a little container I got at Wal-Mart that holds all the mail. All mail goes directly into this container that has a very strong maget attached to the back. (It doesn't matter how hard my son slams the fridge door, that sucker is not coming off!) It has multiple compartments, so my husband (who pays most of the bills) keeps his calculator, stamps, envelopes, etc., in it, also. This works for us, because no little (or big) hands can lose the mail once it makes it into the container.

I look forward to reading everyone else's idea, and if you want to read more, check out this blog.

http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2008/09/works-for-me-th.html

Who knows, someone might convert me to the organized side of life. . .and if this is your first time here, welcome and feel free to look around awhile.