The Random Acts of 2Shaye

PS...... only 3% of the population can claim true Green eyes.....and you are one of them.... what a rare gem you are! :) :)

Wormie gets a new room

This weekend....Big Daddy and I started to redo Wormie's room. We want to give her a grown up room to come home to.....its currently beach ball yellow.....and has been that way for the past 10 years. I will post pictures as soon as the paint is on the wall....and the furniture is back in there. She loves to draw....so we are filling the walls with her art work and pictures of her.....its still and will always be her room...but it's time we gave her someplace special (and grown up) .....to come home to. She helped up sort thru the jungle...and we think she's pretty stoked to get the bedroom furniture that Big Daddy made for her set up.

Save us a spot Annie....

It is with a broken heart that I blog this one...... Our dear Annie....fought as hard as anyone possibly could possibly fight...but lost her battle with Leukemia on Sunday. Her youngest daughter played and won the State Championship on Saturday with 2Shaye....only a few hours prior to mom's passing. We all knew time was getting close....and we held our breath with every text msg and phone call that came on Saturday during the last 2 games...we just wanted Annie to make it through the last game. In the end....she granted that wish and we all know in our hearts that she knew Paige had won States. It was her heart's desire for Paige to play and win this tournament. Paige....so strong....so much the reason we won.....what an effort to finish this last tournament for her mom....with a spirit that could not be rivaled. At one point.....during a bad call..... she lit up at the coaches and the ref's... all of us softball mom's knew at that moment.... Annie's spirit was there and coming out in Paige. Annie was a fighter...and spared NOTHING for a cause! That's what made her so special.

Giving up those final days with her mom....just up to finish out her high school softball could not have been easy ..... but for those of us that knew Ann realized...Paige was exactly where Ann wanted, expected and needed her to be. Paige..... you have the heart and soul of a champion and I admire your courage more than words can express.

Annie.... there are no words to describe our sorrow and how much we'll miss you. All of us ...your softball family....know that you'll find us a shade tree (or have that huge blue and green beach umbrella) at a softball field to gather at when we all reunite.

I love you coot!

Happy Birthday Xbox Junkie

Today is Xbox Junkie's birthday ... we got in so late from partying w/ the birthday boy tonight I wont have time to blog with pictures.... I will add his special blog tomorrow....and do him up right! Maybe a Nonny birthday type blog with pix from yesteryear! Love those that she does!

But I could not let the day end without giving him a shout out .... and tell him way to go on the Learner's Permit and driving!!

Much Much love to my birthday guy! XOXO

The Happiest Place on Earth

A view from our hammock.....from every angle.....

The Hammock

Looking forward

Looking right

Looking over shoulder

Looking left

Looking upward

Looking downward

We usually have our tiki torches out there but the rains have not been on our side this spring.....hopefully weekends with clear nights and tiki torches are on the horizon.

Countless hours spent here.... many nights spent here (there is something so peaceful about sleeping outside under the stars) ...... One of our most favorite places to be....

It never gets old.......... :)

24 Years with Big Daddy

Big Daddy and I recently celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary (May 11). And it is a true fact .... I love him so much more today than I did the day I took his last name. Although we acknowledge this day as one of our most special celebratory days....we both consider our First Date Anniversary as the one we hold closest to our hearts. We always eat the same food as that night ...and sometimes watch the same movie (although the movie isn't really that funny anymore) ... its just what we chose to see that night..and tradition is.....well ...just tradition. And if I told you what it was... you might think we were freaks...so I'll leave it at that. This past October 29th marked 30 years since he picked me up at 5:45 . We were rival high school sweethearts and we both knew very early in.... what we both wanted but it seemed like it took forever to get old enough and the jobs to make it happen...he even gave me a box filled with Patience one year for Christmas...wise guy :-\

As we were reflecting back over the past 24 years... his comment this year was very romantic! "If the next 24 years pass as fast as these did.... we're in trouble" WOW Big Daddy!

I got flowers this year...which is unusual because typically I get them on the First Date Anniversary with the number of years it has been...and a card that simply says... "Meet me at 5:45". Is that sappy enough for you 2Shaye and Graham Craka?? :) These flowers look almost identical to the ones in our wedding...except they were a tad more pink....did he remember??? I'm not so sure...I'm thinking he lucked out. But one thing always remains constant.... since the first flower he ever gave to me...he has always told me the same thing when I thanked him.... " I grew them from a seed.... just for you." I have never found that flower garden ...nor do I want too.... but I know it MUST exist...right???....SURE it does! My mom said I was gonna marry a red-headed farmer...and moms are usually right! ;) Shhhh.... I think Sam knows about the garden....I heard him say the same thing not too long ago!

He's still the one!!

Mother's Day

So it has indeed been awhile since I have last blogged on any level of consistency. My kids have encouraged me to keep it up but I have been giving the excuse that I needed my own camera to properly blog. SO for Mother's Day ... I got my OWN digital camera. I have many blogs to catch up on.... so today I will try to begin my backlogged blogging. Below are pictures from MY new camera on MY special day.

Breakfast... Xbox Junkie, Wormie, 2Shate .. Love them!


Flowers from Big Daddy.... one for each of the little people that call me Mom. Ahhhh...He planted them from a seed ....but I'll cover that in more detail when I blog our anniversary segment :)

2Shaye and Xbox junkie... Thick as thieves even at nap time at Memas.

Wormie getting in on the napping action.

My gift from Sam. He had sent me an email the week prior about the dangerous material that some water bottles are made from. He must love me because he gave me BPA Free Camelback water bottle in my favorite color and a single rose for Mother's Day. The feeling is mutual! :)



My niece, the Farmers Daughter, showing off her culinary skills of making roses.



Sam and Wormie hanging out at my parents house....can you tell they didn't REALLY want their pictures taken? I wonder if Sam is still packing his Mammy's pistol in the back of his pants. ..his expression says it is a possibility.

Big Daddy manning the shisk-a-bobs and eating half of them as he cooks.

Peel-n-eat Shrimp time... .my brothers upper right...my mom lower right..neice on left....Sam upper left.
My sisters-in-law, neice and my mom.

My Dad

and ALWAYS.... a trip to the bottoms... This is a view of "The Bottoms' from my parents backyard ... let me TRY to explain....

It is small in size...just a few acres that has a small creek that borders one side and the Ararat River that borders another side.... This is one of my Dad's most favorite places...it belong to him now but this land has grown gardens for 3 or 4 generations. This place also holds my (and my brothers) childhood secrets....This is where our summer breaks were spent.... Forts, swings on high banks, swings over the Ararat River, the praying rock, fishing for anything that would bite-mostly catfish and hornyhead, catching crawfish by the dozens, building high-tech dams in the creek, camping, fist fights, learning to drive in an old Rambler station wagon, my first (not so real) kiss, working our tail off tending the gardens that my parents planted (it's amazing how hot July was when working in the garden but not when building forts), watching my mom mow and tend to this land with the utmost care, motorcyle jumps, creek banks where you could find snakes hanging out and turtles everywhere, groundhog hunting, mosquito the size of small birds, our ponies (Ranger and Sugarfoot) lived here, the goat stables, my oldest brother getting stuck in the middle of the night trying to sneak in, watching the flood water reach up and completely submerge our bottoms then playing in the mudd when the waters would reside (only to have Dad tell us our feet would get nasty sores from running with barefeet in that nasty mudd but that never happened or stopped us), crossing the Ararat to sneak to the stockyard sales only to get our tails tore up for not letting anyone know where we had gone, remembering our grandpa tending the land and resting with him in the cool grass watching the clouds after he had been hoeing for hours in the garden, taking him a 'quart jar of water' for a nickle, picking up black walnuts with my mom, gun and bow target practice, a great place to slip and smoke, hide and seek, looking for UFOs, minibike and pony trails everywhere, zip line from my backyard, the rose garden where Grandpa picked flowers for Grandma EVERY day....we all knew that this little piece of land was where Grandpa solved worldly problems, prayed, fed his children, hid a few bottles of homebrew or blackberry wine in the creek....and the same went for my dad. It was in fact.... their sanctuary....their safe haven. There is an old building named "Pap's Project" that my grandpa built and I am sure it still contains some of his artifacts. The memories that happened on this little piece of land are too numerous to count (and I only scratched the surface and I can not even begin to imagine the mischief that my dad his eleven brothers and sisters got into as children on this same piece of dirt). So as you can see 'the bottoms' is priceless to my family. This is probably where my life was formed. My brothers and I always try to take a walk to the bottoms and reminisce when we're all together....it is a place that doesnt get old to us. My kids nor Big Daddy can fully understand why this walk is so important for us and words can't fully explain it. Thank God there wasn't computers and Xbox games when we were growing up. It is this place.... 'the bottoms'.... that I call home and holds my fondest childhood memories. :)

Thanks for making my day special!

Annie Update

After a long, hard fought battle... I do believe our Annie is WINNING this war. YAY ANNIE! Just received news today that the last chemo treatment is being effective against the beasty leukemia.......and she's on her way FINALLY to remission and hopefully the long awaited bone marrow transplant. She is still very weak and has to endure one more chemo treatment that we are PRAYING puts her in full remission ... After that...Look out Duke...here she comes for the bone marrow transplant. Thanks to EVERYONE... for ALL of your prayers but its not quite over yet so please keep remembering her and her family as they continue to fight. Ahhh but today......finally.....some Good News! We love you Annie...PLEASE keep fighting... you are doing AMAZING! As soon as this is behind you all... .we're gonna take a girls weekend trip to the beach and PARTY LIKE PIRATES! ARGGHH!!!!!


Picture from the local paper where their youngest daughter recently signed to play softball in college. Background....Annie, Softball Dad...and future coach and long time friend. I will try to find another picture of her oldest softball standout daughter as she has her own accolades that are very impressive. Or maybe yet...Annie Fannie can start blogging .... I have things set up for her to begin...just waiting on her to feel well enough to jump onto the blog train.

Ok guys....I have been very slack in my blogging...and I am going to TRY to bet back on the Blog Train this week.

Annie

Hey folks,

Its been awhile....been insanely busy.... but I am setting up a Blog page for Annie...and almost have it ready to turn over to her so she can blog for us! :)

LOVE YOU ANNIE! Cant wait for you to start bloggin with us!

GetHoneynews.blogspot.com

How well do you know your Husband

Here's a chance to see how well you really know your husband. The real challenge is to send it to your husband to see how right you really are.

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? James Bond, action/drama movie, ballgame, ultimate fighting
2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? 1000 Island
3 What's one food he doesn't like? - asparagus
4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order? Food: He orders something different every time…always a gamble as he’s constantly looking for a new food adventure. Drink: Dr. Pepper
5. Where did he go to high school? East Surry
6. What size shoe does he wear? 11.5
7.. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? That’s hard…he culls everything out…doesn’t like clutter…but I’ll say cars because once we get one..he refuses to let them go…and they are NOT classics….only worn out ones that just sit there! Makes NO sense!
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Triple Decker Club or BLT..toss up.
9. What would this person eat every day if he could? Steak
10. What is his favorite cereal? Special K…he is his mom’s child.
11. What would he never wear? A kilt….anything else he could probably be talked into wearing.
12. What is his favorite sports team? Wake Forest
13. Who did he vote for? McCain
14. Who is his best friend? Must be Ryan….he’s the one that gets the other Wake basketball ticket MOST of the time.
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Me getting excited over little things that don’t really matter… he’s always saying… “what’s the most important thing…?.... NOT TO GET EXCITED”
16. What is his heritage? Im pretty sure he has German in his lineage.
17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? He would prefer a chocolate pie…hands down….but Chocolate pound cake if it has to be a cake.
18. Did he play sports in high school? Football… #70…offensive tackle…white cleats…Yelp we were high school sweethearts and I loved to watch him play!
19. What could he spend hours doing? Watching our kids play any sport.
20. What is one unique talent he has? He can remember all kinds of useless movie trivia and quotes.

Jump on in and take a stab at it!

Prayer Request

I just received a phone call ... from a close friend...about another close friend of ours....Ann Honeycutt. She was diagnosed with acute leukemia last May...went through extensive chemo....and was officially in remission early this past fall. Blood work from yesterday has revealed that her leukemia is active again. Please pray for her and her family. She has daughters that are friends and the same age as Wormie and 2Shaye and a great husband.

She is a fighter and a 'mean ole coot'...and yes that is a term of endearment..... but please, PLEASE remember her in your prayers.

We love you Annie Fannie!

Hard Headed Child

Friday night was the first game in the Conference Tourney for 2Shaye. Her team was up about 20 points and the coach was running the starters in and out to give more of the bench some time in the game. 2Shaye happened to be in playing with about 2 minutes before halftime. She had missed a shot and went up for a rebound with 2 other opponents. When she came down her legs were undercut out from under her. Nothing intentional....just part of the game. She came down...along with the other 2 opponents.... hitting the hardwood ....hard with the back of her head....and it did make a nice echo. I was hoping that the sound didn't come from just her heading bouncing off the floor. She looked a bit dazed as she tried to get up...but made it to her feet pretty quickly. The refs went over to ask all of them if they were ok to resume play. 2Shaye stooped over and put her hands on her knees.....so I pretty much knew at that point it was her noggin that had made the echo...because rarely does she give into the pain of the sport. I saw the ref motion for the coach...who walked came and guided 2Shaye back to the bench. I kept a watch out towards the bench...and at the half buzzer she was the first off the bench and into the locker room. A few minutes later, the coach came and told me to come check on her. I found her...after some hunting...in one of the rooms in the locker room ... in total darkness with ice on her head and neck. She said the fall had caused a visual migraine but only in her peripheral vision. Sidenote: she does suffer from these visual migraine occasionally which usually turns into a full blown migraine withing 30 mins if meds aren't immediately taken at onset. It it like looking through heat vapors off a hot fire or asphalt road in August... everything is distorted. I have had a few of these and they are unnerving. Two of her coaches gave me the 'eye' telling me....better take her on in....for evaluation. But being hardheaded....2Shaye decided that she would work herself up towards the court and sit off to the side to see if the headache got better... but she was so sensitive to light she couldn't watch the game. She then told me when she first hit the ground and tried to stand up that it was like looking through 'black lint' and wasn't sure she could see the bench well enough to find it. Hence the coach coming to assist her..... I trump-ed her and insisted that we go get things checked out when her vision did not clear up as it will typically do..and she was looking a bit strange through the eyes. I found the Xbox Junkie and told him were going going to take her....he insisted on staying and watching the guys' game and we found him a ride home and left him ... only to win the half shot 50-50 shootout.....who would have thunk? Anyway he had a passel of guys coming over to hang out that night...and he was in fear that his plans would be interrupted if he left...that's brotherly love for ya ;) but in the end....his plans worked out ok. I also went to tell Sam what we had decided as he was in the stands peering down to where 2Shaye was sitting and I could tell by his expression he was concerned. He went with us ...as we headed for a 'head check'. Since this was a 'head check' we got placed on the 'fast track' at the Emergency Room...which was nice since the place was PACKED! We even got her CT scan in quickly...... because unfortunately there were 2 folks coming in that was being considered Level 1 traumas.... one being a motorcycle wreck where it was overheard by 2Shaye that the patient had lost a tremendous amount of skin...and that was something I did not want to witness...so we got her in and out of the CT apparatus quickly. Doc said.... as we had suspected...that 2Shaye's CT showed nothing but Fluff in the cranial region! Just kidding 2Shaye.... FORTUNATELY her CT was clear but they said she did have a mild concussion. She has to take it easy for a few days then by Monday back to her normal activities. Her team plays a huge rival on Tuesday night....and I had already told her...I would not allow her to play unless we got things checked out because I know she will give it all she has on Tuesday...and no game is worth the potential of additional damage from a head injury. So she has been cleared for take off...... All of the Xbox Junkie's buddies adore 2Shaye anyway so they were all here making sure she was 'going to be ok for the Mt Airy game'. Its all about the game for these athletes, isn't it? After Sam left.....being a psycho-mom....I sent her to bed although that didn't take much convincing since she was still suffering from a headache.....and I crawled into bed beside of her to sleep and monitor her the rest of the night.

Big thanks to Sam....for always being there for her and being so helpful to us that night. It's so nice that you are always offering your help to all of us ...regardless of the situation....and always unprompted. We love you!

Thanks for all the calls and inquiries about 2Shaye....it has been incredible at the amount of folks that have called her/us to check on things...so many, many thanks for your concerns!

Also ....Big'ole thanks to Sam's parents who offered to hang out with the Xbox Junkie and his entourage of friends after the game...and then for driving all the way to Winston to come find her. We actually had gotten out is such a quick time ...due to the fast track patient care...that we just ended up meeting them and grabbed a quick bite to eat. We almost declined the offer...as Big Daddy was afraid that the Xbox Junkie and his friends would tear the house down but we decided he would make the right decisions and take care of the homefront. He did call when were were about 2 mins from the house to inform us that one of the guys had hit his head over the basketball rim outside and was 'bleeding all over the place'. That's a nice feeling after what we had just gone through...but alas his buddy just had small scrape on the top of his head....but there was blood here and there! :\

All is well and #14 can hit the hardwoods on Tuesday unless she starts with more headaches....and I will bug up on her with MANY questions up until Tuesday night...so she might as well expect some hounding between now and then! But she knows I'm psycho...and like a mama bear.... we love all of our bear cubs beyond words!

me and my guys.....And James Bond

So this weekend was a continuation of a new trend at our house…..just me and my guys. It seems that we are gravitating to more and more weekends with just Big Daddy, the Xbox Junkie and me. Might as well get used to it…it is going to be the way of the future.

This was the latest weekend with me and my guys..... except the Xbox Junkie wasn't buying into our idea of entertainment.... although he and I did have a battle with guitar hero on Saturday night. He hung out with us some...but found other things to do and avoid the marathon that was taking place before his eyes. Poor guy!

After we returned home from 2Shaye and the Xbox Junkie’s games on Friday night, Big Daddy goes to his chair, grabs the remote and settles in. Our tastes in TV shows are on different ends of the entertainment spectrum….I am a HGTV addict and he loves….well…ESPN, the History Channel, the Travel Channel, Ultimate fighting, any Rocky movie, anything James Bond or any action movies similar to those…AND that he’s seen at least 1001 times. Once he settles in on his TV show selection of the night… ultimate fighting… .I sweetly turn to him and say as graciously as I can say it...."Baby I really don’t wanna watch that crap tonight…can’t you find us a James Bond movie or something else?” On a side note: I don’t mind a James Bond movie every now and then….especially if it’s Sean Connery…because I have always had a crush on him….from 007 to King Arthur…..I can watch him over and over. 2nd side note: Big Daddy and I even went to the movies afew months ago… my idea….to see Quantum of Solstice the latest James Bond movie… Sad part we went to the late, late show…and we both ended up falling asleep…. So we’ll definitely have to rent that when it comes out… Just glad we woke up before the movie was over…yelp we are losers! Ok..back to the real story…. So as soon as I let the James Bond movie suggestion out of my mouth…he went to his encore stations and low and behold…..it was a "BOND UNBOUND" weekend. He had hit the jackpot....and it was all my fault. So I decided at that very moment…I would not complain and I would just see how many 007 movies he could handle over the weekend. Now keep in mind that Big Daddy hates to sit around the house all weekend and watch TV unless its an ACC weekend….so in between times of his laundry chores, cleaning, working outside…he would come in and resume his position in front of the Bond Unbound channel. I kept busy …and didn’t say anything about the TV all weekend…but when he would sit down to watch…I would plop down too and act interested. I was thankful Wake played at home on Sunday afternoon because he and I went to th game and it gave us (errr me) a break from James Bond because on Sunday it more Roger Moore than my beloved Sean Connery. We came back home…. More BOND…. Until at 10pm …when I finally broke. I took control of the remote and turned it to HGTV…ahhhh! I did learn some trivia tho….before every movie they would give out movie trivia….. I will share SOME of the trivia I learned…most I have forgotten at this point…..goes back to being old….and will list the movies we watched in their entirety….needless to say we did not get through all 22 movies ..but he did give it a valiant effort. And of course…some we watched 2 times since the were running non-stop. It was hard to not double up since we were still trying to be productive around the house.

From Russia with Love
Live and Let Die
The Spy Who Loved Me
For Your Eyes Only
Thunderball
Dr. NO
Moonraker
Diamonds are Forever
On her Majesty's Secret Service
Licence to Kill


Trivia
Jill St. John was first American citizen Bond Girl in a 007 movie.

The last James Bond movie seen by JKF before his death was From Russia with love.

James Bond is a Navy Commander.

Jane Seymour was a Bond girl.

Sean Connery made about 1.3 million as James Bond….unheard of salary.

Sean Connery bought the moon buggy in the Diamonds are Forever movie for 54K.

Paul McCartney wrote Live and Let Die for the movie.

Sean Connery wears a toupee in all the James Bond movies....it doesnt even matter...look at this picture....he's a fine secret agent!


The phrase ‘Bond, James Bond’ is one of the top 100 movie lines of all time.

There have been 6 actors who have played James Bond….of which the ONLY one For My EYES Only….is Sean Connery and he played in 7 of them. And as ‘active’ as James Bond is in the movies…no wonder they had to change out actors! So many bond girls….so little time.

There have been a total of 22 James Bond movies.

Dr. No was the first Bond movie in 1962

Rhonda, Rhonda, Rhonda!!!

It has been a rough month for Wormie's side kick....her car, Rhonda. Rhonda seems to have gotten into mischief a few weeks ago. Wormie's side of the story goes like this.... it appears that Rhonda MAY have gotten herself involved in a party that happened to get a little out of control where she lives. According to Wormie.... she went to bed early because she was tired from working a long shift at the hospital. Now keep in mind that Wormie can hear things that aren't typically heard by human ears...even when she's tired....so how she missed a party THAT LOUD....and going on in the SAME apartment pod that she lives in...is totally inconceivable to me.....but I have to take her at her word. Right? ... Right! So anyway.....she goes down to her car the next morning about 11am...only to find that someone has tap danced on the hood. There is even this HUGE tennis shoe impression. She is furious...and immediately calls Big Daddy as she starts her investigation.... finds out from some of the people that live below her ...that there had been a huge party in their complex that night....and Rhonda wasn't the only car victim in the parking lot. It seems that the whole apartment place was bickering about the loudness of the party.....all while Wormie slept through the music that was loud enough to be heard around the world....and Rhonda getting abused. Im not saying...Im just saaaaying...... ????

THEN .... we assume totally unrelated to the dance incident or so we think......and before she even had a chance to come back home to grace our presence to have an estimate done for the break dance night....she calls on her way to work.... 'Something's not quite right w/ Rhonda....engine light....sounds funny....drives ok...etc'. We were afraid for her to drive it home from work or to school the next day... so a friend came to pick her up...and Big Daddy and I left early the next morning to see if we could get her car back home....or get it fixed down there... We decided to bring it home...and leave 2Shaye's sled for her to drive (which started a war...but Wormie needed something to drive...and the Burb just seemed overkill to leave with her..the rat is a stick and even tho she can drive it... maybe not all that well in city traffic......but OH MY GOSH...how would we even think about leaving Clark, 2Shaye's car named after Clark Kent because she's a superman freak, in an apartment complex where dancing on hoods of cars seems ok???..calm down 2Shaye...it's the RIGHT THING TO DO!). Anyway...We get to her place of employment to check out Rhonda....to find... that she had driven Rhonda to work that night on a busy highway....in subzero degree weather (actually it was balmy 12 degrees that night) with less than 1/16th of a tank of gas..... GAHHHH... That wasn't her problem but it does nothing for my or Big Daddy's peace of mind...knowing she's living on the edge like this....she's breaking all the rules we gave her about keeping gas in her car....never let it get past the 1/4 tank...or never rely on the 'idiot light'....all that good stuff that I typically do but is totally unacceptable for her! anyways....we get her some petrol.....and drive her car home. It appeared that she was having issues with an idle control module....and we were ok to drive him back home....since more than likely it was only carbon build up. We were hoping that a good DNC of the module and it would be good to go...and it was.....for about 3 days..... then it all started over. We have ordered the parts...and hopefully she will be back in this weekend to get it changed out. At least it's an excuse to get her back home with us AGAIN this weekend! YAY us!

We love you Wormie...but baby please, please, please....keep more gas in your car...ESPECIALLY late at night and in freezing weather...and on a major highway..... You are worrying your parents into sleepless nights!! And 2Shaye...that goes for you as well!

And just HOW DID you sleep through such a loud music and a banging party that was going on right under you that night???? Just curious!

Hello world...Wormie is 21!

I can not believe that Wormie is 21....where has the time gone?

Wormie came home this past weekend to spend her birthday w/ her parents.... actually I know she was probably more excited about getting new hair....low lights with red streaks....looks AWESOME by the way. We spent the weekend shopping, baking cakes, fixing her favorite meals, watching TV, buying her flowers and all things she likes. She was supposed to make me some curtains for the kitchen window....as I cant find ANYthing I want to go in that window. We shopped for fabric....and found what we THINK might be perfect....but she left me holding the JoAnn's bag with the fabric still in place and neatly folded as it was when the lady that rang up my order. I have been inspired by JL to drag out the sewing machine and attempt it myself...keep in mind...I dont even know how to fix the bobbin....but what the heck.... SURELY I can hem some fabric and throw it up on the window....i'll take pictures if I can find time. And if it's too bad... my crafty daughter can fix it the next time she comes home.

Speaking of pictures.... Wormie was supposed to send me pictures of her new hair and some of her stuff she got for her birthday but alas...im still waiting for her to email me pictures. 2Shaye had her camera with her in Raleigh so I have found myself at a huge disadvantage of wanting to blog Wormie's birthday...but not having the tools for the trade.... Just a thought kids...maybe a INexpensive digital camera for my birthday....so I can do this blogging in a respectable way. HINT HINT!

Anyways.... Wormie we hope you enjoyed your birthday weekend as much as we enjoyed spending it with you. We love you ....more than our words can express.

Dont be afraid to keep your nose clean.....be THE example!

Happy Birthday Baby!

AP Biology....what the heck!

So....2Shaye had this huge AP Biology project that was due today.....she had spent hours upon hours working on this book that she had to turn in as her end of semester project. They had to write a book that would clearly discuss the 6 Kingdoms...such as Protista, Animalia, Plantae, etc.... She chose to do an interactive children's book. I so wished she had taken pictures of this project since she dedicated so much time (and it was dag gone cute as you can make biology kingdoms) .... but she was so glad to be finished she didn't want to remember any of it. The name of her book was called... Keys to the Kingdoms....and every page had to be hand drawn and hand written. She had castles, keys, stick figures and all kinds of fun things most kids would love to read about. It was an interactive book with flaps cut out to lift up to reveal answers underneath. Big Daddy assisted her with the razor knife....since he left to go to the Wake game with the tools she needed....to cut the flaps. I felt bad about leaving her up finishing this project alone (now had she blown most of it off till the last minute I would have gone to bed and left her alone in her misery but in all fairness she did spends hours and hours detailing all of this work). So I stayed with her.....until 4am.....and she did allow me some crayola time. You would think after 47 years I would be tired of coloring but I'm not..... 2Shaye and I went to bed at 4.... and I was already sick from a nasty cold... so when the alarm went off 1 hour after I crawled in the bed.... i set it for 8:15....to call in because my head was pounding and my throat was terrible.....and I was so sleep deprived that I just simply was miserable and knew I would not be productive had I gone in. So I tanked up on cold meds and crawled back in the bed. 2Shaye got up and turned in her project to a teacher she is less than fond of...but got the compliment that her book was one of the unique projects she had seen.... guess that's good coming from someone that doesn't seem to care for 2Shaye or anyone in her class for that matter.

Big Daddy had no idea I had stayed at home today.....he always leaves for work before I get out of bed...but every morning before he leaves he always comes and tells me all the sweet things that help me get through each day....and this morning I had no idea he even woke me ....he said...he was trying to talk to me and I rolled over in the middle of his morning rituals of 'sweet nothings'. I apologized and told him I was just so tired and sickly that I had no recollection of him even speaking to me. When I told him we pulled an all-niter....he goes 'WE'......and I broke the news to him.... I told him that it was apparent that 2Shaye would need me in college to help her color so I was building up stamina for college in the fall and that I would have to go away with 2Shaye because I'm not sure I can handle her leaving me. ;)

Note to 2Shaye: Pay all of these times we spend together.....the late hours doing homework or late night talks or just the time we spend together when the house has fallen asleep and left us up.... forward to your babies if you choose someday to have them.... they are more rewarding than you'll probably realize at the time. I am...and will always be....your biggest fan....that is as long as you allow me the privilege to color with you until 4am....even if it is biology pictures of warts and fungus....... ILU

Shout out to MGBigs

So....2Shaye got this new Flip Video gadget for her birthday and she carries it wherever she goes to capture life as she knows it. She and her bestest, MGBigs, had gone to CVS to print out some pictures and they had some time to kill so they meandered throughout CVS... MGBigs is caught on film...doing the Robot. We all love her ... 'she's just the cutest little thing'... Break it down, Bigs!

A view from the Locker Room....

2Shaye's team has this ritual before all ballgames...they do this little song thing while they are waiting for their coach to come to the locker room before the game...she's just shared it with me....now I am sharing it with you.... Notice the SHhush at the very end....? Their coach leaves them to have quiet time to focus.....they had rather sing....so when they hear him coming they all stop singing...... Like he doesnt hear them ;) Enjoy!

Go Cards...but mostly a BIG thanks for the Graham support

Tonight we spent the evening sitting on the hard bleachers at East Surry High School where the Xbox Junkie and 2Shaye's teams had their way with the Golden Eagles from Surry Central. Their games turned out a big win for each of them. They both played well.....and we were proud as always. Go Cards #14 and #20!

So.... what made tonight different and more special than a typical game????? We had some dear friends show up tonight....mainly to support 2Shaye. And I'm not talking fans that decided to drive across town to a neighborhood gym.... I'm talking fans that drove all the way from Graham just to watch her play....IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK at that! Big Daddy and I want to sincerely thank the Graham Crakas (JSC squared) and along with Worker Man's parents, AC and MC for being there and being so supportive of 2Shaye. It's not everyday that folks give up a few hours of road time just to travel to a high school basketball game when they don't even have a child playing.... SO BIG BIG BIG Thanks for that!

.....and while I am being Thankful...let me also be apologetic..... I am truly sorry that I did not make it over to say a proper "hello"...... I had a long lost friend that lives in Dobson (the opposing enemy) show up to talk to me during halftime of 2Shaye's game.... and the music was blaring so loudly during the guy's varsity warm ups that I had planned to scoot over during their halftime.... but the Graham Fans left before the guy's half due to the long ride home and probably snagging dinner......so let me tell you .... I am truly TRULY sorry that I did not get an opportunity to talk to each of you in person. I would have excused myself from talking to my buddy and made my way to see you.... had I realized you were leaving.... again... I am sending my sincerest apologies to each one of you for that.

Also...... Thanks to all of you for taking care of 2Shaye when she comes to Graham to visit Sam..... She loves each one of you and we are thankful you all have taken her in and treated her like your family. We can never thank you enough for that!

Sending our love back to Graham!!!

2Shaye is 18 today!!

Happy 18th Birthday 2Shaye!

hmmmm...I think we've LEGALLY fulfilled our parental obligations now.....so you best turn up the charm to stay here rent free! ;)

Actually .... we don't want you to EVER leave....your spark is a HUGE part of what keeps our lives happy!

We love you 2Shaye.....to the moon and back ...times a gazillion and then some!

As soon as we can figure out your new flip video camera... we'll download some of your videos of today's events!

HAVE A HAPPY DAY....even tho' it's going to be bittersweet just thinking about sending Sam back to 'the pack' tomorrow.

Celebrate and enjoy your special day.....

New Years Eve

New Year's Eve wasn't the most exciting time we've had but after an incredibly busy fall and holiday season, ringing in the New Year quietly was VERY welcomed. Typically we get together with friends or have our children close by to toast the beginning of the New Year. This year we found ourselves alone enjoying the quietness that will begin to prepare us for the empty nest. Please do not think this is depressing or sad.....because it was not. Big Daddy and I enjoy couch and TV time together. It isn't often we have the opportunity to discuss life's ever changing paths of our kids or work or what we would like to do IF we ever get to enjoy retirement ... so these quiet times are special. We tried to tune into the UNC basketball game but we found ourselves dozing in and out of conscientiousness as did the team Carolina was pelting on the court. However, we did gather ourselves together about 11:50...turned it to Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve Party and watched the ball drop in Times Square (an awesome place to visit...just not in the crowds on New Year's Eve...we're too old now to find that anything BUT appealing) ...got the traditional midnight kiss and I sent the kid's a txt msg to wishing them a Happy New Year altough I don't think Wormie had service to receive hers .....then waited for them to start filtering back in.


This year the Xbox Junkie went down the road to a big New Year's Eve party at a chickfriend's house. After the ball dropped in Times Square, the Xbox Junkie and his passel of guy friends were headed back here to do what most guys do.... Xbox, basketball with the outside speakers blaring with rap music, maybe some 8-ball, and Texas-style ping pong. So in a few hours, our quiet solitude would turn into very loud and rambunctious....and yes it IS comforting to hear all of these sounds as I know when they are here and loud....they're not out finding themselves in mischief....and that's a good thing!


2Shaye had a date planned so she was bustling around getting ready for a night out with Sam and the Graham Crakas (Sam's sister and brother-in-law......and her hosts when she travels to Raleigh to spend time with Sam). 2Shaye loves hanging with the Graham Crakas so she was excited to be bringing in the New Year with them. They were going to dinner and a movie. Not sure where they ended up eating but I think they went to see Marley and Me. After that, they linked up with Sam's parents at a friends house to ring in the New Year. They headed home shortly after midnight and offered to pick up the Xbox Junkie and his entourage from their party so they could begin 2009 with welts and bruises from Texas style ping pong. It is my understanding from hearing the Xbox Junkie reflect back on ping pong that evening.... that Sam was pretty nasty in ping pong and not many wanted to play him but the ones that were brave enough to take him on....sported souvenirs (aka as bruises) for several days. Guess that's a guy thing.....just not sure.

Wormie had been home several days with us and was finding the need to escape from her psycho-parents at any cost. One of her friend's was having a small get together so she went there to hang out, graze on snacks and maybe do Wii fit and other Wii games. Her boyfriend, (we'll call him 'Money-clip' to put him into the witness protection plan that was made famous by the FBI), stopped by to pick her up and off they went to begin their evening festivities. I do not know exactly what all they got into as she never offered any fun chit-chat about her evening. The Xbox Junkie's friends said that she rolled in about 3-4am-ish. The Xbox Junkie wouldn't offer any clues as to her landing time as he said he didn't see her or Money-Clip when she got home. He is a protective brother....just ask 2Shaye as he's always offering fashion advise. Since she is hanging on the edge of 21, we didn't monitor her comings and goings too closely on that particular evening....but being psycho-parents, we do keep a watch on her MOST of the time. It's part of the torture we expect her to inflict upon her children. She denies she will.....but we know it's just part of becoming a psycho-parent...and she will definitely fall into that category....it's just in the genes.

Even though this was one of the quietest New Year's celebrations in a while .... Big Daddy is still the one that I want to bring in the New Year with....and yes I am selfish sometimes w/ his time so getting him home alone for a few hours always makes me crazy-happy...especially knowing the kids were happy being where and with whom they wanted to be with.

Happy 2009!

Christmas Eve... and squirrels

As Christmas Eve approached we found ourselves the morning of..... without squirrels....the evening meal tradition at my parents house. For as many years as I can remember, we have always tried to have a huge pot of Brunswick stew at my parents for our main entree. My dad used to hunt squirrels for the stew on Christmas Eve but eventually that task was handed down to my brothers Big Phil and Big Mark. Some years they would come home empty handed and at that point my dad would open the bathroom window overlooking our bottom land..... and he would be patient and eventually a big gray squirrel would come into his scope and with a loud bang that rocked the whole house and being a sure shot, our evening meal would fall to the ground. As the years passed, we found that Big Daddy was the best squirrel cleaner of the bunch. Somehow he can skin one and hardly have a stray hair anywhere. My mom particularly prefers his cleaning methods as she is one of the pickiest cooks in all of the land (I know that seems a bit odd since I am talking about cleaning squirrel ... of all things).

In a quandary about the lack of squirrel, I called my youngest brother Big Phil to inquire about his work hours and the possibility of him bringing home the meat. Big Phil is one of the managers of one of the largest retail establishments known in all of the land...Ill just refer to that as Phil-Mart.....so he is pretty non-existent to any of us during the holiday season as he is always working at Phil-Mart...I am sure he works as hard as Santa! That being said, Big Phil had not had an opportunity to get out and hunt up our traditional vermin.....and Big Daddy was working....so I had no choice but to call upon Sam to help out. Sam is quite handy with guns and hunting however he didn't seem to think I was serious about this reques.... but being the true sport he always is....he got his .22 and bullets and headed our way. On a side note....when hunting for vermin to consume, I do prefer a .22 instead of a shotgun just because the thought of birdshot scattered throughout the meat just gives me chills to think about...even if we are talking about squirrel. I had instructed Sam to shoot once and not mess up the meat. :) About the time Sam pulled up....so did Big Daddy. They decided to go together on the big hunt for 2 'good eating-sized' squirrels. Big Daddy noticed the gun in Sam's hand and thought that he would just tag along since it was apparent that Sam was using his gun....Sam asked him if he was going to get his gun and it was then that they realized that Sam has the EXACT replica of Big Daddy's chosen squirrel killing gun. So Big Daddy happily went to get his gun and off they went. The Xbox Junkie decided to go...not because he enjoys hunting.... he just don't get the whole hunting fiasco. But maybe he went just to see if there would be squirrel on the menu....not that he would touch it cause he's just not all that into eating bushy tailed rats. Plus he only enjoys hunting on the Xbox....so if he's going to kill anything he would prefer it be on video games because when it's all said and done.... he's a lover not a killer! :)

So finally.....with guns in hand and not the right time of day to kill squirrels they headed off to kill the squirrels against the odds. After about an hour....they came back in from the big hunt with 2 squirrels. Now the daunting task of cleaning the vermin was underway. Not sure Sam had cleaned many a'squirrel but we all know from earlier on.... Big Daddy is KING when it comes to cleaning squirrels. So Sam observed and I called my parents to let them know that there was indeed going to be squirrel for Christmas Eve dinner than night.

After they cleaned the squirrels....we let them soak in salt ice water for a few hours then I cleaned it and cut it up into pieces so it would be ready to be put into the Brunswick stew that Big Phil was planning on cooking. And my mom is right... Big Daddy had done an excellent job skinning out those squirrels. :) My mom usually cooks in a big cast iron pot over the fire in the fireplace and I will say the whole romantic thought of squirrel cooking over a roaring fire at my parents house truly seems like Christmas to me. This year it was just too hot to have the big roaring fire so we just cooked it at my mom's house on the stove.

I took a large kettle of chicken'n dumplins for the weak at heart....and I will say.... I chose chicken'n dumplins as my meal this year. Sam had his first taste of Brunswich stew with squirrel but I didn't watch to see his reaction...I am sure it was priceless. But I know that my parents really loved having the traditional Brunswick stew. And if any of you are interested in the recipe... just leave me a comment! :)

Christmas Eve was complete and we opened gifts with my parents and enjoyed the evening! and Big Thanks to Sam for the squirrel that night as it was him that was the sure shot of the day.

Decking the halls and the biggest Tree in the forest

Decorating the biggest tree in the forest is always a ceremony of sorts. We start by letting Big Daddy adorn the tree with those magical lights that make the tree come to life. He always wants to stop at 3 strands but we 'encourage' him to stay on task and put as many as it takes to cast giant shadows. Once the lights are on and glowing enough to put off warmth ... we adorn the tree with our ornaments. Every year I try to find the kids an ornament that signifies something of meaning in their life for that particular year. Sometimes its hard and I do not always hit my mark....but I try desperately to find something meaningful. This year.... it was one of those OFF years where I just couldn't find anything on the shelves that clearly reflected them to the point that I felt satisfied with my purchases. I guess some years are just that way.

Notice the wall in the background with pieces of paper and cardboard taped to it.......'The Wall of Smiles' had just gotten under way...more to come in a later blog.

Wormie got ANOTHER snowchick that was named...'On the go'..... the snowchick was drinking Starbucks and chatting on the cell. Now... I know for a fact that Wormie is always on the cell....as she clocks in about 4500 minutes a month (wow!)...and I know she loves her Starbucks...something has to wake her up to get to class.....but seriously Wormie.... 4500 minutes a month??? .... you must have a LOT to say ;) I wont even discuss the number of text messages that enters and exits that particular cell....busy busy girl! Again... not really any significant meaning to her ornie but it was one that made me grin when I saw it perched up on the shelf at the Hallmark store... I did think of her immediately when I saw it! She wasn't overly excited but gracious as always none the less.

2Shaye's ornament was another hard find. 2009 will prove to be a better year for her ornament selection as she gets ready to graduate from high school and enters into college in the fall..... but for this year..... I settled for a High School Musical locker that plays song snippets from the 3rd (painful to endure) movie. While the entire house PLUS Sam hates the thought of HSM we know it is a special love of 2Shaye's....so we grin and bear it...but it is NOT easy. Got to love her ability to find entertainment in so many genres though!

If you will notice that RED HMS3 locker is strategically placed so it appears in about EVERY picture...That is our 2Shaye at work for you!

Now its time to find something for the Xbox Junkie. And go figure... I hunted to the ends of the earth and did not find one that was symbolic to the hours he clocks in on Xbox. But if you remember the numbers from Wormie's cell usage....he probably doubles her cell time. So again.... this year... Xbox Junkie ends up with ANOTHER ESPN ornament. His life is based on Xbox playing and watching ESPN Sports Center updates. So until he does more than those 2 activities he'll be stuck with ESPN ornaments. Hopefully this year he will find more to accomplish and his ornament for 2009 will show some signs that his life took on some other type of positive growth. As I am blogging at this moment.... I can hear him yelling from his room... 'WOW", "I'M TERRIBLE", "that gun is Nasty", "That burnt his biscuit", "I hate stupid video games". .... maybe its time to intervene and get him away from the controller. If I wasn't just plain scared to think of what I'd see..... I'd take his walls down and put in sound proof glass because with his loudness he has to be entertaining to watch....but being a smart mom....I'll elect NOT to change out his walls.

I do get an ornie for Big Daddy and me as well. Ours is usually some type of normal Mom and Dad ornament...or maybe 2 cute animals riding a sledge or cutting down a tree....or maybe 2 pink flamingo's standing together. Ours isn't as significant as the kids but we do have our own collection. The kids always put on their ornaments while listening to Christmas music....I can't get enough of Christmas music during the holidays and by the time Dec 26 rolls around the Xbox Junkie is to the point of slitting his wrists. After the kids do their ornaments, Big Daddy and I hang ours always starting with the newest one and ending it with a simple kiss.... yes... its a cheesy event but he has always been a sport...and besides it takes all of 10 seconds to hang the ornament and seal it with a kiss....not to much to ask!

After our special ornaments, the kids crafty elementary ornaments go on with special love. After all those are hung we add all the other things we have collected over the year. Lastly the put the angel that 2Shaye made in the 2nd grade (Sam's mom was her teacher that year) on top of our tree.

We also get a new nutcracker each year and the new one always takes center stage. Somehow we neglected to get a picture of our nutcrackers this year... NOT COOL!

Wormie will not be happy with all of these pictures of her....as she got straight out of bed to participate and has already threatened me if I put these pictures on here....oh well if she decides to have children of her own someday, she can torture them as I have mine and do exactly what they ask me not to :)

Luker and Reese under the tree!

This is my "Believe' sign....and to think... I did not watch Polar Express once this year....now that is tragic!! That happens to be my one request from the kids....to watch that movie with me every year.