Here they are in their (almost) full marching uniforms, sans hats. (I’ll get that ‘hat pic’ for you soon, Mom! I keep trying to catch them, but, things get hectic when they’re going out on the field, etc. LOL!)

Aren’t they just adorable, though?

Yesterday, I was looking out the kitchen window, watching Patrick walk up the driveway. He stopped to help his dad lift a fairly heavy generator. There was no one in that driveway with Mark, but, a handsome young man. Where my baby’s gone, I do not know. He was this squishy little blob on my left shoulder just the other day.

And Shawn - with his mysterious, rocker-boy elusiveness …completely adorable, for sure - has gaggles of girls swooning, but, has me wondering where my little munchkin went. That little baby smelled so good - his head smelled like glue - I wanted to suck him right up my nose. Odd, I know - but, he was just so sweet and smelled so yummy. We’d fall asleep every afternoon looking into each other’s eyes - me and Shawn and God - the three of us taking an afternoon nap together.

OMG, that is just quite enough, people. Quit pulling the sap out of me! I mean it. I get so unbelievably homesick for Texas on my children’s birthdays that I have to put my emotional guard up today - I’ll sap tomorrow! Now quit messing with me! I’m strong. I’m a ‘thinker’. No ‘feeler’, here, no sir! Not me!

I don’t feel a damn thing!

Except maybe the need to say….

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PATRICK AND SHAWN! I LOVE YOU VERY, VERY MUCH!

My weight loss has been at a standstill for a few weeks now, because of some tummy and migraine issues, but, a standstill is a beautiful implication! It implies that my weight has not gone up - and guess what! It has not! That is so freaking cool - I’ve been basically ‘off’ my good eating plan for almost three weeks now, and I haven’t put on a pound! That is totally cool! My tummy is getting a lot better, too - and migraines I just live with, anyway - so I’m sure to be getting back on the ‘losing track’ in no time at all.

And then - it’s shopping time! There are a few items that I’ve been coveting at Soul-Flower.com for quite a while now. They have some very beautiful wall tapestries that are so reasonably-priced that it is unbelievable! I have actually started ‘designing’ my office all around this one tapestry on their site! This is all in my mind, of course, as my office is still a complete pigsty! But I’m seriously thinking of the tapestry on this one wall - and then going out around the rest of the room from that! I think designers call this a focal point …or something. Didn’t we have a focal point when they teach you how to give birth? I mean, I know we had one, I just don’t know if that’s what they called it. So, conceivably, (accidental pun) once I purchase the tapestry and get this place decorated - I could give birth in my office. I think I’d probably need a uterus for that activity, and I seem to be missing mine… hm….


I totally got off the subject there - weren’t we shopping for clothes? Ha! Digressing - one of my many talents!

One of my favorite skirts at Soul-Flower seems to be gone, but, they are constantly updating and getting in all kinds of cool stuff, so no worries… That’s right - Akuna Matata! Haha!

The blouse I really want features a design by Michael DuBois, called ‘Green Woman’.

Since the other skirt I wanted is no longer there, this is the one I’m hoping to buy soon:

And I just absolutely love these bags! I think I haven’t bought a new purse in about four years - I’m serious, I’ve been carrying around the same denim bag for that long. I just get so picky about purses, that once I find one that is useful to me, I tend to stick with it! These are too cute to pass up, though, useful or not! I think I like the blue one best!

Ok, I’ve got to get out of here - I’m not even supposed to be online! I’m supposed to be getting ready for our two marching band contests! I just couldn’t wait to tell you that thanks to this uber super groovy weight loss, I get to go shopping at one of my very favorite stores! (For clothes, obviously I can buy purses fat! Ha!) Totally tripindicular!!

Image by Jeremy Brooks via Flickr

I will get to sleep in tomorrow, but, once I get up we have to go back to school. We have two band competitions. Yes, that’s right - two of them, back to back - in two different towns, of course.

It is surprising that we are still going to them, really, because, there is NO GAS left in our ENTIRE COUNTY. I am not kidding you. Gas trucks come to fill up the stations, and SWARMS OF PANICKED people attack the stations like they’ll never, ever be able to buy gas again in their whole entire lives.

If you could see the lines. It is so nutso! Well, you can see the lines - check out any news you can find on Calhoun County, Alabama. I’m hoping this will all be over in a few days.

I actually had to hold a spot in front of a gas pump for my mother-in-law. We were lucky enough to find a station with gas and just immediately jumped in line where we could. And we were just lucky enough that this put us in the wrong direction for her gas tank! Argh! I told her, “I’ll jump out and stand there and you go turn the truck around!” Otherwise, it was gonna be back to the END of the line for us!!

Mark bought us new phones and they just arrived yesterday. I’m going to use my last remaining minutes before we have to leave for the game to try and get them set up. If my exhausted body and mind can even hold up.

Ya’ll have a SUPER GREAT night! Stay out of mansions - they’re killers! Killers, I tell you!

Image via Wikipedia

…wait for it…

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

…and I am JUST NOW about to reach payout for the first time! Are you proud of me? Do you think I’m awesome? Or ….do you think I’m ‘Awesome Blossom’? Hahaha!

Now listen, please don’t let this sway you when my new training course comes out next month. It’s called ‘The Uber Duber Queen Adsense Exclusive Club’! I’ll be teaching you all the ins and outs of Adsense affiliation. I will teach you how to pace yourself, so you don’t make too much money too fast and burn yourself out on the whole ‘affiliate marketing game’. Because goodness knows, we wouldn’t want you to burn out on too much success and go back and get a J.O.B.

Stay tuned closely to the blog, as details for the most important marketing education club will be coming out soon!

Image via Wikipedia

With the way my back is hurting and with the way my feet are killing me, I will once again proudly make this statement, “I much rather prefer getting paid to write.” All of this physical work is just for the birds. Birds, I tell you, birds. I hope L gets better soon. Of course I love her and actually want her to get better, but, I can’t wait till she gets her a$$ back to work! Haha!

I’m behind, as usual, on some of my own stuff, which bites, really. I’ve got a long two days ahead of me, neither of which spare much time for being on the computer.

Way too sleepy to continue…

May possibly add more ‘meat’ to this at a later time….

(Click to biggify.)

Uh…yeah…Lynn and I have been talking a lot lately! Ha!

I stumbled onto the Twitter Grader this afternoon and I, being the self-centered me that I am, checked my score. I got a 94, not too shabby. And then, further with the self-concern, I wondered how I compared to Lynn Terry’s score. I put in her name and clicked ‘Get My Grade’ and went to other windows bee-bopping around, doing other things, while I waited. When I finally went back to that window - before I could even notice her score - I saw it! Lynn is completely obsessed with me! There’s no denying it! It’s all there in black and white! Burnt orange and white! Whatev!

Hahaha! I’m just kidding! Lynn and I have known each other for a number of years - well, she’s been on my radar, anyhoo. I’m frequently wearing my slacker-gear and I joined her forum eons ago (in internet-speak) and never freaking posted!

Image via Wikipedia

But, I digress - this post is about Lynn being in love with me. Oh yeah. See, she has this free webinar every Tuesday morning - just for me! Seriously - go read the page! Go on - click it! You’ll see - it says it right there in that post - this is for Lisa. Yep. Yeppers.

And she makes up catchy new phrases like “Rank and Tank” just for me to use! And then she makes nice long posts to explain them thoroughly - to me!

Alright, alright, I’m just razzin’ ya again! But let me tell ya something she does do for me. And I imagine for a lot of other people, too. I mean, she teaches me a lot, sure. But sometimes she reaches straight through the computer screen and touches. my. heart., effectively adding fuel to the fire I already have burning there. You know the fire - that fire I have to succeed at this thing called ‘online business’.

So Lynn, thank you! Even though I probably won’t be leaving my husband for ya anytime soon (ya never know - it could happen)! Thank you for teaching me (and all of us that learn from you) so much!

What the heck happened?! This was supposed to be a ‘givin’ Lynn grief’ post and it turned into another ‘Lynn Terry Lovefest’. Man! (Sorry, davebo, or whatever your name is - I guess Lynn’s good nature just brings it out in us - even when we’re trying to give her a hard time!)

Image via Wikipedia

I do remember the part about starling’s being brought into the United States - New York, I think it was, in around 1910. And there were only either 10 or 50 of them. Period. Total. And that did it. Now they are everywhere!

Except, it would seem, in North East Alabama. There are very few of them here year-round, anyway. Most of the year, even in spring, I only see one or two of them at a time, three if I’m lucky.

They come every fall, though - from somewhere - and they go …somewhere…

And I love the livin’ crap out of it! I miss my precious starlings! The ones I raised and just having oodles of them around. I used to raise the ones that would fall out of the nest. They were so precious. Oh, how I adored them. And they me. (Yeah, yeah, it’s called ‘imprinting’, I know. Shut up.)

But then my mean ol’ hubband-person went and got leather furniture! Indoor flight practice prior to release and leather furniture just do not go together! They were already scratching up lampshades and pictures and all kinds of things that Mark didn’t notice. (Shhhh!!)

I miss them so much! My three favorites, or, I should say, the three that I really bonded with were Birdy, Quasar, and Piglet. Oh gosh, I loved those birds. Man, am I dorky saphead or what? I had intended months ago to post a picture I’d taken of my keyboard for Loretta, my online business tycoon friend just to show her what a nutter for my birds I am (HA!), but, of course, in my true slacker form, I never got around to it. I took the picture, I just never got it online. I’ve dug around for it a little tonight, but, I can’t find it. And I’m getting super-sleepy. (Nighttime wimp, I am.) I’ll get it posted for you all (and Loretta) tomorrow, and then you will have proof positive that I am off my rocker!

(And yes, I realize my ‘bird talk’ winds up in the category ‘Animals’ - quite silly, really. I think some ‘bug talk’ is in there, too. I’ll get around to changing that to ‘Creatures’ one day. For now, just work with me.)

(We’ll call them In-Law “J” and In-Law “L” - with In-Law “L” having surgery and therefore, my working with In-Law “J”.) (Ah crap! Forget that, too much work - they are now J and L. Period.)

Luckily, J only needs help with the houses that they clean on Thursday and Friday. And I’m earning a little money. But… Well, lemme put it to ya this way…on the first day, last Thursday, after we were finished, we got back in the truck to leave and J says, “See now? That wasn’t too bad, was it?”

I didn’t even have the heart to be dishonest. I replied, “Actually, I much rather enjoy getting paid to write.” I just didn’t have it in me.

I figure, though, if I can’t write on Thursdays and Fridays…at least I can write about what I do on Thursdays and Fridays. A small appeasement, to be sure, but, perhaps it will hold me over.

The Crazy Big Friday House

And check this out - the house we went to on Friday was actually four stories tall! It was a two story house with a basement and a (seriously, hardcore cool!) room built into the attic. And they had two garages and not just any two garages. No. There was a garage on the first floor and another garage on the basement level. Very freaky.

The first floor garage was on the side of the house and the basement garage was at the back. So you have a driveway that goes to the side of the house and you can turn left into a driveway that leads to the garage. Or you can keep winding around to the back of the house to turn into the driveway that leads to the ‘lower’ garage that faces the back yard.

And dudes. Seriously. That attic room? Totally KILLER! And you wouldn’t guess who gets to live in it! A ninth grade kid! I’m talking that room had two or three recliners, a big screen TV decked out with video games, a ping pong table (yeah! no kidding!) and a twin bed for the kid to sleep in when he gets done leading his wild party life! Can you believe that?

If I ever let my boys (8th & 9th grades) see that room - they would. never. let. up. And I do mean never. For real - in my death bed at 99 years old, they’d sit around the bed, saying their goodbyes, and throw in a dig or two about that ‘kid who had the kick a$$ attic room they never got’!

You know they would! Damn kids!

It’s Just Too Big, Though!

This house is so big that it’s almost like a hotel. And I think that’s more about their things than the actual house, really. When we first walked in, there was a storage closet off the kitchen full of kitchen appliances, cleaning supplies, etc. And they had between three and five coffee makers! And in that room they also had TWO extra refrigerators! Now, I admit, when my mom and dad had an extra fridge in the garage, it did come in mighty handy! But - THREE refrigerators? Yikes!

The other thing that stood out to me as ‘hotel-ish’ was the chairs and lounges around the pool. There were just so many. And I will be the first to tell you I want a house (and its accompanying furniture) to be accommodating to my extended family. Mark and I both love to have our families and friends over. There was just something about all those chairs that made the home seem less ‘home-ish’.

Well, that’s all the spouting off I’ll do on the topic for today - believe me, there’s plenty more brewing - and I’ve only cleaned houses with J twice so far! Haha! And besides that, my stupid stomach is killing me - I want to go lie down and watch a movie. I just got new movies from the UPS man and those nice PR people. You are gonna freak when you hear about the one I’m watching tonight!

My lips are sealed tonight, though! You’ll just have to keep checking in! Ha!

Will, the star of the movie, is a very quiet and shy boy, and he and his family belong to a very strict religion, which dictates that they are not allowed to enjoy entertainment media. He even has to leave the classroom if the teacher puts on a documentary for the students to watch.

The bully, Lee, has been abandoned by his parents and is the ward of his bossy older brother. He is the worst-behaved kid in the entire school. He has access to his brother’s film-pirating equipment and that is, in part, what inspires him to make the movie.

They are both quite lonely and really bond with each other in the making of their movie. The rest of the kids at school soon find out about the movie and many of them wish to be in it themselves. Will invites them to come along, and Lee is quite upset by this, telling Will it was better when it was just the two of them.

It is a very adventurous and rambunctious movie with some very funny stunts. And it has an extremely pleasing ending!