Recap

Hello blog, did you miss me? I would say that I have missed you, but life has just been too busy....

I went to Atlanta Fest with one of my girlfriends on Thursday and Friday. It was AWESOME! We heard some great music, and some very inspiring speakers. Just what I needed. The highlights were hearing a speaker who was born w/ no limbs, Nick Vujici, and meeting Brandon Heath as I got a shirt signed for J. Here's a couple of pictures (yes, I am soaking wet from rain!):

J made it home safely from camp. She was wiped out, but she had such a good time. Our new children's pastor is such a blessing, and our kids LOVE him! Here's she is dragging off of the "Screaming Eagle" (which the kids want to drive off of a cliff into a huge lake - air went out on the way home).

On Sunday, we had our annual June birthday party at the Stogner's. Judith had the BRILLIANT idea to put candles on the cake for the total ages of all of the June birthdays.

Seemed like a feasible idea....until we lit them all.

I seriously thought we were going to burn my grandmother's house down - lol!

That's enough for today. Next few posts will be about our beach trip & a surpise luau for my mother-in-law's 60th birthday.

Make the most of your summer!
~MM

It's very quiet around here...

That's not exactly something that we are used to around here :)

Right now, we are missing this girl:

J has gone to Kidz Kamp w/ our church. She has never been away from home w/o us, so it is kind of a big deal. Our little girl is lovin' life right now b/c of her new-found freedom & hanging w/ 40 other kids and our wild-n-crazy Kidz pastor. Her daddy isn't faring so well. The first day was horrible, but now that we are on day 3, he is settling in. ;)

Here is the gang w/ all of their "stuff":

And here is Ms Thang waiting to get on the bus and acting too cool for school!

~MM

Reality bytes

2 of my fav bloggers (Stephanie & Michelle) have posts today about blogs and are they really reality. Do we cover up the nitty gritty, and show only the shiny sides of life?

These posts came at a time where I am really struggling w/ the whole blog thing. Why do I blog? Would anyone miss me if I didn't? What things can I do to be more consitant?

To be honest w/ you, I read a lot of blogs that seem very personal, and I often think that people wouldn't want to read that much about me. On the otherhand, those are the blogs that I enjoy most & the people that I feel like I know best in the cyber world.

I don't blog a lot because I struggle w/ what is "blog-worthy" - is it funny enough, is it clever, would someone get something out of my content? I guess I tend to blog the momentous things/projects or things that I think the average reader might like. By doing this, I suppose I am robbing you of the opportunity to see the "real" me. Do you even care to know the "real" me? In fact, is this thing even on?

Well, here you go..... Here are some hard-core "real" facts about me - the good, the bad, the ugly :)

* My dining room table is always covered up w/ mail, books, whatever..... It is the first flat spot that you come to from the front door, and every thing lands there. I try as I might to keep it cleaned off, but no such luck!

* I watch waaaaayyyyy to much junky TV. At my age, I should not have a clue as to who Snooki and The Situation are - but I do (dirty little secret that I have never admitted to). I am also glued to the TV every Wed night for Toddlers and Tiaras and Sunday afternoons for Bridezillas. And.....I LOVE Cheslea Lately - there, I said it! And Joel McHale...yeah, he is the sexiest man on TV.

* My worst habit is interupting people. It is not b/c I think what I have to say is more important - my brain is getting older and I can't remember anything for more than 3 seconds! You gotta let me get it out before I forget :)-


* I am by nature an upbeat person. I try to see the good in all situations. Makes life very interested being married to a law enforcement officer who sees the real shady side of life.

* I absolutely HATE conflict! I don't know so much if I have always had this characteristic. or if it ripened w/ age. I literally get very anxious when people I like/love are in conflict w/ one another, or even complete strangers. You know how women love a good cat fight - NOT ME! I hate it. I feel life is short, and we shouldn't spend so much time tearing each other down.

* Going right along w/ the last one, I am a people pleaser. I can't stand anyone to be upset or disappointed w/ me. I often over-extend myself to do things for others. I say I am going to learn to say "No", but that just hasn't happened. I am not sad about this one, though b/c I do like to help others.

* I really do not enjoy doing laundry or buying groceries b/c I hate putting the stuff up. My closets and cabinets are always in such disarray that it is not fun trying to squeeze stuff in there.

* I LOVE to handwash dishes and clean the toilets. {Yes, you read this correctly!} Know why? B/c NO ONE bothers me while I am doing them. Washing dishes is my 5-10 minutes of no one talking to me. It is my down time. Toilets....ditto.

* I love God & His creations; I love this country & the men/women who protect it; and I love my crazy, lop-sided family - even the liberal ones :)

* I love scrapbooking, but I often struggle w/ where it fits into my life. It is very theraputic for me, but I often feel guilty if the house is messy and I can't bring myself to scrap or clean.

* I am bi-polar when it comes to shopping - on one hand I am a total tightwad, and on the other I will spend whatever on a few things in my life (namely scrap supplies & bare esscentuals make-up)

* I am my own worst enemy. I pick myself apart constantly - not good enough, need to do this, need to stop this; etc. I am certain that is a common characteristic in women!

* I can be too emotional at times. Just last night I was having a conversation w/ J's principal about the teacher we had last year. All of the sudden tears are just pouring out of my eyes b/c of how much this lady meant to us. Where did that come from?!

* I fear that some people take me as fake, but I am very sincere in my motives - if I compliment you, I mean it. And, I actively seek to build people up and thank them. On the flip side, I won't criticize you or tear you down w/o some major provocation.

* I am a work in progress. I really do hope that I am finally on the right road w/ my weight. Thrive has been a godsend for me, and I am so thankful that my skinny friend talked me into joining w/ her.

* I am not motivated by money, possessions or toys. I am content in my 20 year old split level house in our little neighborhood. The people there are great and I enjoy the wooded-lot.

* I am a mother hen when it comes to guarding my child. I filter every TV show, song, and website she interacts with. Sometimes I wonder if I am preventing her from really living.

* I am a die-hard conservative. I will not make apologies for it. I think the Christian values and free enterprise system that this country was built upon is what makes it so great. If you don't like it, move to a socialist country and leave me be.

* I've always tried to do the right things in raising J, especially in nutrition. I used to really obsess on cover all of the food groups in meals, and having everything just so. Probably one of the most liberating experiences I have had, was when my mother-in-law (who is an excellent cook & does go out of her way to home cook most meals) fed my child a frozen dinner one time. It would never had occurred to me to "cheat" like that. Now, we keep one or two on hand for emergencies :)

Please be patient w/ me as I am at this crossroads in my blogging experience.....as I try to figure out what direction this thing needs to be going in.

Peace,
~MM

To Dos

First of all, it's Memorial Day - a day that we should pause and remember those who have served/are serving and sacrificing the comforts of home to protect our freedoms and keep up safe. It is also a day that I think about all of the families who share their mothers, fathers, sons and daughters with the entire country. I think that far outweighs the "unofficial start of summer" designation.

With that said, one of my scrappy friends, Michelle Whitlow, came across a fun idea for summer. Here's our version.....

Some are fun and simple (waterballoon fight, frog watching on our fish pond), and others are to make us accountable (fix kitchen drawer, memorize a Psalm, do a book report). And some seem almost impossible (teach Kya a new trick, do not disturb Daddy day)! We keep adding, and J can't check off things fast enough! I keep trying to remind her that we have about 10 weeks to accomplish all of this, but she won't hear of it :)

What's on your list?
~MM

To quote Alice Cooper....

School's out for summer!

3rd grade was tough, but we survived and we now have a 4th grader living in this house. This year's cirriculum was stuff that I learned in Jr High and High School. J has never had to study before; she has breezed right thru school. This year, she had to really apply herself. She did, and she scored A Honor Roll again this year. yay!

Here's some of the end of school year fun.....

The Whole Gang (I can't tell you how much I love these kids - they are just so sweet and alot of fun):


Field Day - girls beat boys at tug of war:


End of year party w/ the sweetest teacher ever, Miss Bloom:


Honor's Day with some of her buddies:


And reward for all A's all year.....American Girl Bistro:



~MM

15 Minute Layout

Seriously folks, you don't have to invest hours on end in one scrapbooking page. I started with this sketch at Creative Scrappers, 1 cute photo of my cousin's daughter, and then some Sassafrass Lass goodness. And viola!



It's no masterpiece, but it is fun (and it is no longer a photo sitting in a box).

Hope you all have a blessed Mother's Day!
~MM

Cat Burglar

Janell reminded me that I never shared the story about the intruder we had a couple of weeks ago. I have really been trying to supress the memory, but since she asked I dredged it back up :)

At night & sometimes during the day, we put the cats in the basement. At night b/c they annoy you to the point you can’t sleep and they get Kya-Lou all riled up. During the day b/c the devils have figured out how to open cabinets, and make big messes when left to their own devices…. In retrospect, it probably isn’t a good idea, but we have opened the window in the basement so they can sit in the sill and sun themselves & get fresh air. They love it. We have been doing this for like 4 years, and never any incident.

Bobby had class this particular week, so he was going to leave @ 7:00 to figure out where he needed to go at West GA, and to get a parking spot. He left, but came back in. He asked me if I had been in the basement b/c the screen was out of the window and lying in the flower bed. He said he didn’t see the cats, but he was going to walk down there & look. I just said if they were missing, we couldn’t tell J yet. I would come home at lunch & look, we could pay the kids on spring break to look; etc. When he opened the door a big, longhair black cat ran across the room and into the now closed window (Bobby had pushed it down from the outside). Apparently the thing was going ballistic, b/c Bobby flew back up the stairs & slammed the door. He went back outside, raised the window, and then back down into the basement.

No sign of our 2 cats, and the intruder had gotten so scared that he buried himself under the treadmill in the junk room. I’m thinking how on earth is this going to work…..our cats are MIA (we are assuming outside, which they never go), and a rogue, stray cat is our house!!!!! Bobby opens the door to the outside and goes back in to scare the cat out. I decide to iron my shirt for work b/c I already have 10 minutes invested in this that I didn’t account for, and I needed to get back on track.

While I am ironing, I hear a big “PLOP”, and I recognize it as a cat falling out of the ceiling onto the washer lid. Sadly, it is a regular occurrence at our house, as our kitties love to sit on the rafters. There is one part of the laundry room that they can get up there on them b/c the ceiling was removed (and never been replaced by slacker husband!) It just happens to be over the washing machine…..I have digressed. Anyway, it is Cleo – J’s cat. Whew, if one had to be missing, it did NOT need to be her. So I walked over to her, and she just had a glazed stare on her face, and I could tell she was nervous. I patted her, and asked Bobby what to do with her (he was in the other room slamming stuff around trying to get the other one out of there). He told me to put her in the main part of the house and shut the door. Cleo was so nervous, that when I went to scoop her up, she jumped back onto the rafter. UGH!

I finally sweet talked her, and she came down. I took her upstairs, and came back down. As I was coming down the steps, a black blur ran across in front of me, and out the door. I ran to the door and caught a glimpse, and it was a fairly good size cat.

So Bobby goes to work, and I start back ironing. I’m thinking the scenario thru…. we are down to missing one cat and the bandit is out. I’m feeling pretty confident that I can handle this. Buzz is a chow hound and a home body. I’m thinking it won’t be long before she shows back up. Of the 2, she is the bad butt, so we knew she was taking advantage of the freedom. About this time, who do you think comes slinking out of the space where the hot water tank is? Yep, BBB (Bad Butt Buzz), only now she is WTB (Whooped Tail Buzz). I swear that cat was so loooowwwww to the ground, and she was slinking like a snake. She also had that glazed look on her face. I spoke to her, and she never acknowledged me. She got to the steps, could see the door cracked from where Bobby had left, and took off like a rocket up those steps. She slammed the door open, and ran into the wall upstairs and about 4 feet up it before she hit the floor – it was crazy!

I ran upstairs to check on her, and poor thing was literally panting! It takes a lot to get a cat to pant! Anyway, they were both mentally fried that morning. I had decided to leave the basement door opened so they could roam the house today, but I went down to the basement to leave them some food so they would not go on scavenger hunt thru my cabinets. They wouldn’t even go down there to eat, so it must have been a freakish experience. These cats are usually at your feet at the first crinkle of the bag.

I can only figure that they were lounging in the window sill, psychotic black cat walks by, my girls hiss/growl at it b/c there is a screen b/w them, psycho cat jumps on the ledge, he pulls the screen out, and the rest is a nightmare for my cats! The curtains had been pulled down, so there must have been some sort of altercation. They are balloon valances, and they only hang half way down the window – so there must have been some air action in the altercation.

I mean – what kind of Monday are you set up for when you wake up and a strange cat has broken into your house?!

Here are our 2 spoiled rotten cats at better moments in their lives :)



Have a good one!
~MM