tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64415436894226381792012-05-18T21:26:50.552-04:00Laughing...and still going insaneDebbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.comBlogger469125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-52743299327194910872011-05-20T09:28:00.012-04:002011-05-20T10:13:43.378-04:002011-05-20T10:13:43.378-04:00

My laptop is still not fixed. Oh, my daughter's came back two days later looking and acting like it had just received the latest botox and restalyne injections. She has been happily computing away ever since. No word from mine. You know that old saying, "No news is good news"?. I'm not thinking that applies here.So, I may or may not be writing this standing in a computer store pretending to

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com107tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-39069522803734617182011-05-11T08:28:00.005-04:002011-05-11T08:41:13.732-04:002011-05-11T08:41:13.732-04:00

Yesterday, I found the following note from my laptop:Dear Debbie,I've gone on a delayed honeymoon with Wills and Kate. The British citizens insisted on paying for it. Don't feel badly for them. Apparently our hideaway is only $6000 a night and what with the economy tanking and all, they knew the three of us needed a break. Oh, and that nasty rumor you heard about my hard drive crashing is

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-50366854584100280332011-05-09T08:11:00.007-04:002011-05-09T08:33:34.633-04:002011-05-09T08:33:34.633-04:00

Here we are - basking in the afterglow of Mother's Day. I hope that all my friends that are mothers had a great day and that those of you who aren't mothers also had a great day because really, that's just how caring and loving we mothers are. All the time wishing good things on others.But really, Mother's Day? I could have sworn I carried those children inside my very body while they insisted

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-52593617337464852752011-05-06T08:23:00.009-04:002011-05-06T08:52:02.654-04:002011-05-06T08:52:02.654-04:00

It's important to me, in these lean times for almost all families, to know that our government agencies are acting responsibly with our money.Which is why it just warmed my body parts to learn the the Social Security Administration (motto: Don't Come in Our Office Unless You Have a Few Months To Spare Waiting) released the top baby names of 2010 yesterday. Don't even think about the fact that we

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-84303277337861496012011-05-04T08:12:00.013-04:002011-05-19T11:03:50.843-04:002011-05-19T11:03:50.843-04:00

Don't you just hate a weird bedtime?I do love my life. Most of the time. But, it's exhausting. Mentally and physically. And bedtime - well, that's just the little bit of heaven that makes the whole thing worthwhile. But when something messes with my bedtime...now that's a bad night.First, we had watched Black Swan with our oldest son right before bed. Yes, I know I'm always late to the party

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com61tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-49516547161228110432011-05-02T07:00:00.000-04:002011-05-02T07:00:10.853-04:002011-05-02T07:00:10.853-04:00

I assume you all know I live in the great state of Tennessee. I've lived here for all but four years of my life and I have always loved it. The people are very friendly. I can see the gorgeous Smoky Mountains from my home. And every restaurant I go to has iced tea on the menu. Perfection.Except that something odd has happened. You know that perception of Tennessee that some folks have that

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-69221592269182719512011-04-29T07:00:00.000-04:002011-04-29T07:00:05.083-04:002011-04-29T07:00:05.083-04:00

I know that most folks will be discussing the royal wedding today. A lot of people will have gotten up at 4 am or stayed up all night to watch the nuptials. Not me. There are really very few things that come between me and my attempt at a good night's sleep. And while I wish the happy couple all the best, they are just going to have to to start this life of wedded bliss without me.Since I

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-7259725241264632042011-04-27T08:35:00.000-04:002011-04-27T08:39:20.385-04:002011-04-27T08:39:20.385-04:00

So many of you want to know what a normal night is like in my home. The level of interest you all have in my personal life really makes me able to empathize with poor Kate and Wills. It's terribly hard to be both beautiful and famous. Sigh.In an effort to appease the masses, I'll give you a glimpse of my night last night. Just a routine Tuesday evening in the suburb.I arrived home after

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com48tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-59562110241675890502011-04-25T08:27:00.011-04:002011-04-25T08:51:52.199-04:002011-04-25T08:51:52.199-04:00

Why is it that you do something nice and it seems to always backfire? Case in point - last year I gave into my toenails' whining and begging for me to indulge them with the latest shade - lilac. They had seen all the fashionable nails wearing that shade in magazines and just kept pestering me to buy them some. Of course, I couldn't make that almost $4 purchase without considerable contemplation

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-52349696393577359552011-04-22T07:55:00.000-04:002011-04-22T07:58:54.879-04:002011-04-22T07:58:54.879-04:00

Here it is - Good Friday - a day when we should all be focused on holy things. Are we? My guess is that you, like me, have been a little preoccupied with something else. What is that something? Easter baskets.Yes, you are right when you say, "But Debbie. I thought your kids ranged in age from 14 to 20." How sweet you are to remember. Those are indeed their ages. But let me tell you, they

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-34716013118131840602011-04-20T09:10:00.000-04:002011-04-20T09:10:44.601-04:002011-04-20T09:10:44.601-04:00

There are some things in life that I just don't enjoy. Writing a check to the United States Treasury, having an annual pelvic exam, and trying to find jeans or a swimsuit that fit - well, those rank right up at the top of my do not enjoy list.Shopping is such a pain. Any time I try to find something for the lower half of my body that actually fits and doesn't make me look like a plumber in

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-38140221440625998012011-04-15T08:33:00.011-04:002011-04-15T09:11:32.211-04:002011-04-15T09:11:32.211-04:00

Darwin went all the way to the Galapagos Islands to study wildlife and nature. I'm not saying there was anything wrong with that. He probably had the frequent flyer miles he needed to use or maybe an expense account. I say if you can get a nice trip out of it, go for it.As for me, I don't mind bragging that I don't have to leave the comfort of my den chair to study nature. Not since nature

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-43700541713753069492011-04-13T08:45:00.000-04:002011-04-13T08:47:58.141-04:002011-04-13T08:47:58.141-04:00

The alarm goes off. I start to wake up and thoughts of my day begin to swirl around in my head. I'll exercise as soon as the kids go to school. This will be followed by a whirlwind cleaning of the house. Maybe I can get together with a friend for lunch and even begin to tackle one of those bigger projects on my to-do list. Yes, the day is young and so am I.Then, I get out of bed and reality

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com46tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-14978702065635045562011-04-11T08:19:00.014-04:002011-04-11T08:53:21.959-04:002011-04-11T08:53:21.959-04:00

Here we are at the beginning of a week that stands apart from the other 51 weeks of the year. The rules are changed. The rhythm is different. The tension is higher.No, it isn't because tax deadline is the end of the week (although some of us procrastinators should be feeling a wee bit of tension right now). It isn't because the pollen count in beautiful East Tennessee is off the chart and even

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-50497513771829770132011-04-08T07:00:00.000-04:002011-04-08T07:00:04.420-04:002011-04-08T07:00:04.420-04:00

Once upon a time, when our twins were 6, our middle son was 3 and our youngest was about 4 months, we decided to meet some friends to camp on top of a mountain.These were people we had known back when we lived in North Carolina and they also had a preschooler and a baby. They were actually hiking a portion of the Appalachian Trail for a week and were going to meet us on the highest mountain east

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-83998872542616282282011-04-06T07:00:00.000-04:002011-04-06T07:00:00.639-04:002011-04-06T07:00:00.639-04:00

I have a wonderful husband. Intelligent, loving, hard-working. And completely incapable of navigating a drive-thru window without assistance.I know he's not the only one because I've heard other wives talking about the same thing. Still, somehow it amuses me to see this accomplished professional freak out at the sound of a 16 year old's voice on a speaker."Welcome to ____. Would you like

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-9841128490030694862011-04-04T08:39:00.010-04:002011-04-04T09:12:52.460-04:002011-04-04T09:12:52.460-04:00

You always hear people say that being around small children will keep you younger. I've never been completely sure about that. Anytime I've spent a considerable amount of time with very young children, I get ran ragged and loose quite a bit of sleep which has made me feel - and look - at least 20 years older. The last time I was around toddlers and preschoolers for an extended time I found

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com57tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-11159392650820885802011-04-01T06:48:00.009-04:002011-04-01T06:59:12.313-04:002011-04-01T06:59:12.313-04:00

Ah. The wonderful, wacky world of teenagers. I have a house full of them and I still don't understand them. From my hours upon hours of endless blog-hopping, (and I do kinda need some therapy for that), I have noticed that there are 20 mommy bloggers with babies for every one with teenagers. Let's ask ourselves, why is it like this? Yes, parents of teenagers are older as a rule, but lots of

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-22258454487784965062011-03-30T09:20:00.000-04:002011-03-30T09:23:10.183-04:002011-03-30T09:23:10.183-04:00

I wear ugly shoes.It's not so much that I strike out from home intent upon shopping and purchasing the ugliest things I can find. It's just that I have one unbreakable rule about shoes - they must be comfortable.And comfortable, well, I'm just going to say it right how, usually means somewhat less than stylish or attractive.No heels for this woman. None. I might, somewhere in the furthest

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-70005008815974645602011-03-28T10:35:00.000-04:002011-03-28T10:40:12.605-04:002011-03-28T10:40:12.605-04:00

If you've ever written a post about having an appliance die, chances are good that I've left you a comment offering my empathy and talking about how horrible it is when a good appliance loses the long fight to stay in our service. I say those things with complete honesty.A good appliance is a little gift from heaven. I'm so cheap that it has taken me until almost my mid-century mark to

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-65770686781665789532011-03-25T07:00:00.001-04:002011-03-25T07:00:29.401-04:002011-03-25T07:00:29.401-04:00

It's time once again for the trekking off to visit colleges with my high school junior. With the oldest kids, this was all new and exciting. They loved sitting next to me and checking out colleges on the computer then planning our visits. What a fun and thrilling time to think of all the new opportunities on the horizon.That was three years ago. Both my current high schooler and I are more

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com71tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-7992401373540611672011-03-23T08:15:00.000-04:002011-03-23T08:38:10.902-04:002011-03-23T08:38:10.902-04:00

Food is very important to me. From reading your blogs, I think most of you are in agreement. I remember my father-in-law once telling me that when he was a young man, life was all about sex. Then, as he aged somewhat, it became all about alcohol. Finally, he settled on it being all about the food.I think I skipped those first two stages.I'm always thinking one or two meals ahead. You'd think

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com73tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-7398498553390253582011-03-21T08:47:00.000-04:002011-03-21T08:58:10.113-04:002011-03-21T08:58:10.113-04:00

I grew up in East Tennessee. Mountain dialect became a normal part of life for me. I did understand that a good percentage of what I heard wasn't considered grammatically correct and between my well-intentioned parents and school teachers, I was even taught proper English. I'm not saying it all was absorbed - but they did their best.When I landed in college, I learned that even different parts

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-28655709013244296202011-03-18T07:25:00.008-04:002011-03-18T07:45:49.630-04:002011-03-18T07:45:49.630-04:00

Last night a little bit before we went to bed, my husband reminded me that he and our youngest son would be camping this weekend. He will get home from work in time to pack the car and then leave. And they will have time to eat, if I am planning to cook dinner. He is so well trained. He never assumes I will cook dinner, even though I do about 30 nights out of 31.I immediately told him I would

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com53tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441543689422638179.post-23916799589305639332011-03-16T09:23:00.000-04:002011-03-16T09:24:51.777-04:002011-03-16T09:24:51.777-04:00

I've always heard that politicians like to plan unpopular decisions to be released on a busy news day. Supposedly, if there is a sufficient number of big news items in a day, then something smaller will get buried in the news cycle and not as many people will know about it.On the reverse side, if you want to get some attention for what you are doing or saying, you don't choose a busy news day to

Debbiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17480046958714954128noreply@blogger.com37