Summer Fun

Bathing suits? Check!




















Swimming pool? Check!



















Sunny weather to warm up the water so we can have some summer fun? Not in the past week!!!! Maybe this week. It looks like sunny days are in the forecast for us!

Fake

The Photo Hunter word of the week is Fake. This scanned picture of Bear was taken at the Livestock Show several years ago. I think he's 3 or 4. He's on a fake bull at a fake rodeo. But he thinks he's hot stuff.

More Than Meets The Eye

Hubby knows I've been in a summer funk so he calls at midnight to tell me to set the alarm for the next morning. We are going to see Transformers. What? Wake-up early?? Ok, whatever. Why was I ambivalent about going to see this movie? I couldn't tell you now as I turned out to really love it! Hubby was absolutely giddy when we walked out of the theater. Lamb was giggling (in a good way) throughout the whole thing. Bear was all excited, yet worried about one of the autobots. It had everything: humor, a little romance, action, special effects, a likable hero, a kick-butt girl who didn't scream through the whole entire movie, & a set-up for a sequel. I mean, I know it's a good movie when I have tears in my eyes over a ROBOT. The special effects were seamless. These transformers really looked like they were transforming. There was some minor cussing (not any of the *big* words) and, obviously, fighting. However, no blood & guts and I don't remember seeing any dead bodies. Mainly it was robot against robot. Hubby says this has been his favorite summer movie so far.


Oh! There were a lot of Disney channel actors making cameos too. We saw actors from Hannah Montana, Suite Life of Zach & Cody, and Phil of the Future. That was fun too.


Sadly, it wasn't a movie to determine whether Josh should be my honey or not. He had a major role, but he wasn't on screen as much. It's really Shia LeBeouf's movie. I asked Lamb if he was her hero. She just looked at me. One day I'll miss those looks, I'm sure.


Now I'm all fired up to see Live Free or Die Hard! Yippee Ki Yay!

A Bible Story

"My bible says 'sluggard' rather than 'lazybones' and I like that," said Lamb when I casually mentioned getting her a new bible. The one she uses now is a light blue Precious Moments that was given to her by her great-grandparents at her birth. Her name is the same as her great-grandmother's, just with an extra 'A' towards the end. You can see where my granddaddy forgot that and had to squeeze it in. It's a special bible and I would like for it to be preserved. Plus, she's in a teen bible study. It's my hang-up, not hers. But, she's an easy-going Instant G.R.I.T.S. so she humored me. Looking on-line, we found a bible made specifically for teen girls that she liked. I also told her that it might be fun to get a different translation and compare her two bibles.
Yesterday, we went to Lifeway Christian Stores to pick up said bible. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of picking up a box that contained a version with a purple suede cover. Way too pricey for me so I put it down and grabbed the one we saw originally. At the check-out, Miss Easy Going had turned into Miss Moody. It got even worse when the clerk mentioned that today was a 40% off any item sale. Walking to the car, I finally got it out of Lamb that she *really* wanted the purple suede bible but that it wasn't the end of the world, she's OK. Sigh. We decided that when she's outgrown her teen bible, her new bible would be purple suede.
Once we are home, she dives into her bible and stays there all day. Checking it out, transferring papers, and reading. "Guess what?! It says 'sluggard' too!!!" All is well in her world.

The Flag

Foto Pherrets word of the week is flag:

This was taken from the ferry on Ellis Island.

Happy 4th of July

Foto Pherrets doesn't have their photo word up yet so I thought I'd make my own. This is a picture of Coastie Brother when he had a tour of duty in Kuwait back in 2003. Some clever person (not hubby) photoshopped it into a joke.

Now it's 2007 and Coastie Brother is serving another tour of duty in a different location. He has good friends and he's had some good times. But, he still is away from home, away from his kids & family. Thank you Coastie Brother & your unit for securing our freedoms. Thank you to all the ones who came before you and all the ones who will go after you. Thank you to the signers of the Declaration of Independence. It wasn't easy. Doing the right brave thing rarely ever is.

Loaded Questions # 20

This week's installment:





Hypotheticals:


If you could only work on one body part at the gym, what would it be?


My thighs.


Anything Goes:


Use one adjective to describe the game of baseball?


sexy


No-Brainers:


What would you like to know more about?


photography


Personals:


What is the last movie that made your eyes tear up?

Talladega Nights from laughing so hard (there might have been another more recent one but it's late & I can't think)

10 things to do before I die

In no particular order here are ten things I want to accomplish.



1. see my kids grown, happy, healthy, & successful in whatever they do in life




2. become a grandmother (in many, many, many, many...years)




3. swim with the dolphins




4. go to Europe




5. see more of the U.S. (especially Atlanta, Hollywood, Savannah, D.C., & northern Kentucky) along with visiting all the baseball stadiums/state capitols




6. become a certified teacher




7. celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary (we've celebrated 17 so far)




8. own a beach house somewhere along the Emerald Coast in Florida




9. clean my house




10. Lamb told me I had to include this: scrapbook her Washington DC trip which happened over 2 years ago. And Bear says I MUST finish crocheting his orange blanket.

New Honey?

I still don't have anyone to call my honey. However, there is a candidate who is a front runner. Josh Duhamel. I have enjoyed him since his Leo Du Pres days on All My Children (back when I watched soaps). I followed him to Las Vegas, but we parted ways this last season. Too much tv, not enough time to watch it. He has a new movie which starts tomorrow. You might have heard of it, a little movie called Transformers. I'm not opposed to action films, I rather enjoy them for the most part. This one didn't seem to appeal to me, even though hubby & Bear are all excited about it. But, I'm going to go see it to give Josh a trial run as my new honey prospect. Wish me luck! Not for naming a new honey, but for enjoying the movie! ;)

8 Things Revisited

After listing 8 things that I know, I got to thinking about ALL the things I don't know. Here are 8 things that I need to learn:

1. I need to learn that not everyone has the same expectations that I do. I'm mostly talking about work, but it can also apply to all points in my life. People just aren't going to respond or act they way I would in the same situation. Imagine that!
2. I need to learn to drive a stick shift.
3. Goes along with #2. I need to learn to read a map. Without knowing #s 1 & 2, I'll be a horrible partner to hubby (or anyone else) on The Amazing Race. It would hurt my feelings to read on the message boards how useless I am on the challenges and the driving and the navigation and.....
4. Courtesy of hubby, I need to learn to not worry so much. Silly man, doesn't he know that if you worry, it won't come true? I'll try to learn it on a lesser level.
5. I need to learn some self-discipline &/or non-procrastination (new word :) ). If I could do that, then during the summers I could still have a schedule. I do much better with a schedule. And I'd get tons of things done. I have yet to start one thing I wanted to accomplish this summer. Oh wait! I did get my spoon collection together. Whew. I feel better.
6. I need to learn how to change a flat tire. It would be horribly embarrassing to get stranded on the side of the road because I don't (altho, I think I could figure it out). And you better believe Lamb will learn before she takes a car out by herself.
7. I need to learn to like water without adding kool-aid to it.
8. I need to learn to not put off making appointments. I dread it every single time and I don't know why. Lamb & Bear need orthodontist consults like 6mths ago. Sigh, I'll do it tomorrow.

Sweet

Photo Hunter's word this week is Sweet. I had a hard time choosing the perfect picture. I finally narrowed it down to 2 pictures. And thought, by golly, it's my blog and if I want to showcase 2 pictures, then 2 I shall! The 1st picture showcases my sweet hubby's creative talent. We went to Vegas a little over 2 years ago (without kids, Woot!). It was just a marvelous time! Once we returned home, hubby made this poster for me. The man is pure genius and a sweetheart to boot!
This next picture I choose because of the boy in the picture with Lamb. You can just see that he's interested in what she's saying to him and he's enjoying being with her. When they were in 5th grade, they went on a travel sponsored trip (thru the school) to Washington DC. I did not go, but my mom went. She said that this boy was so thoughtful and gentlemanly. When walking up stairs, he would place his hand on Lamb's back to help her. They would seek each other out to partner together. The teacher told me that really those 2 were the only ones truly interested in the history and where they were. Most of the kids took it as just a fun time sans parents. Sadly, the two go to different schools and haven't talked since 5th grade (they are going into 8th now). However, I'll always be grateful to him for showing her that this is how she should be treated, whether it be friend or boyfriend. She does have another really good (boy) friend. Bear thinks they'll be a couple one day because, and I quote, "they have good chemistry." We'll see. We'll see.
These are my SWEET pictures. Enjoy!

Friday's Feast

On the menu for this Friday:

Appetizer
How many pieces of jewelry do you wear most days?
6: my wedding ring set and one other ring, charm bracelet, necklace, and 2 pairs of earrings

Soup
What is your favorite instrumental song?
love theme from St. Elmo's Fire is the very 1st thing that came to my mind

Salad
Who has a last name that you like?
a little girl who I help teach, her last name just flows

Main Course
Name a popular movie you’ve never seen.
The Princess Bride

Dessert
Fill in the blank: Nothing makes me ___________ like ______
Nothing makes me more depressed like paying bills.

Mr. 3,000

Congrats to Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros!!! He hit his 3,000th hit of his career. What an achievement! While I'm incredibly happy for him, I'm also bummed. I have tickets for TOMORROW night's game. Who knew he'd get 3 hits in one game?
*Even though he is not 'fan friendly', he is one of Bear's baseball heroes. And a great one to have. Now Bear has added 3,000 hits to his baseball goals.

Amazing Grace

I wasn't going to blog this as I didn't want it to seem that it's always all about Bear. However, someone thinks I absolutely should. I promise that it won't always be about him. It's just that he's.....um, not quiet. Plus, it's a sweet story about my sweet boy.

This week is vacation bible school week. Lamb is too old to attend so she's enjoying her No Bear time.
Being in the car with Bear is such a fun experience. Since I work at the same school he attends, I think of the travel time as our time. And he uses it to his full advantage. He tells me all about his day or we work on his homework. Picking him up from VBS is no different.
We were in the car with the son of Bubba's Sis when, out of the blue, Bear states that he accepted Jesus into his heart. May I add that I love her children. They are so accepting and loving to my children. My children are safe with them in body and spirit. Bear didn't think twice about conversing with me at that moment. He knew he'd be accepted no matter what he said.
Anyway, I responded that I thought Bear had already accepted Him. "I just want to make sure it took," was his reply. A few minutes later, when we were alone in the car, Bear again mentioned accepting Jesus and asked if tonight I could recite the prayer and he repeat after me. While I don't mind a bit, I wondered why he didn't want to do it independently. When asked, he told me that he can't read the prayer with his eyes closed! And, he couldn't do it at church because they weren't saying it out loud. You see, not everyone is ready to accept Jesus and that's ok. So, those who were did it silently. But, Bear's eyes were closed so he couldn't do it.
So right there at the stop light (on the corner of 518 & Dixie Farm Rd), I recited the prayer and, with eyes closed, Bear repeated after me. I could have told him that it doesn't matter if his eyes are opened or closed. What matters is what is inside his heart. I just wanted him to remain my sweet innocent baby a day longer.

Now *this* is quality entertainment ;)

My spoon collection of my family's (and Coastie Brother's) travels finally has a home! After being fussed at, ahem Coastie Brother, I found the perfect spoon display case as a birthday present from Mom. Two months later, I organized it. I already need a new one as not all of them fit!

And don't these shoes just scream my name? I heart them!

My Time

This week's word is Time. This picture shows how I would like to spend my time right now...... on a Florida Emerald Coast beach.

Loaded Questions #19

The questions for this week:

Hypotheticals:

If you had to run a marathon, how many miles do you think you could last?

I'd be lucky to last one mile!

Anything Goes:

What is life's greatest mystery?

Where that one sock ends up

No-Brainers:

What is your favorite flower?

White Gerbera Daisy (also, the always classic Red Rose)

Personals:

What do you generally sleep in at night?

Tank top/pajama shorts

Conversation with Bear

As we were watching America's Got Talent, Bear was outraged that an older couple didn't make it to the next round. He thought since they were old, yet had talent, they should have moved on. I asked him what he thought of me. His reply: You aren't old, but you aren't young. You are medium rare. Once you hit 40, you'll be well done, like Daddy. Me? I'm still a frozen piece of steak.

Visual DNA

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Click on "Read my VisualDNA" above for a detailed interpretation.
It describes me pretty well!

Ten Greatest Bands

This week's Ten on Tuesday was hard to narrow down but here's my posted early list. I've been sitting on this for a week. Ready to get it out there. :)

You can totally tell what generation I come from.

1. Bon Jovi



2. Beatles



3. Duran Duran



4. Van Halen



5. Journey



6. Aerosmith



7. U2



8. Guns N Roses



9. Eagles



10. The GoGo's

contenders that I wanted on my list: Def Leppard, Poison, BeeGees, Police, Motley Crue, Queen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Cars, Chicago, The Monkees.....I'll stop now

3 current bands I think may have Great Band written all over them generations to come: The Fray, Nickelback, and Maroon 5. Time will tell if I'm right or not.