How About a Little Trivia?

Why do I take these silly quizzes?  Just to prove how quickly my mind is deteriorating I guess. 

I named 42 US states in 10 minutes

Something Fruity in the Fruit Basket

Can you tell I'm raising boys...........

Seeing the Future with Tater Tot

A brief look into the mind of an 8 year old...

What are you going to be when you grow up? Dirt bike rider
Are you going to get married? Yes
Who are you going to marry? Taylor {our 16 year old neighbor in SC}


Are you going to have kids? Maybe...but one will be enough
Do you want a son or a daughter? Son
Why? Cause I'll already know what he like and I was a little boy once so it will be easier


What will you name him? Jackson or Austin or Michael
How much money will you make? Usually you get like $200 every lap
Where will you live? Greenville, SC


What kind of car will you drive? A black and yellow Mustang
How much will your house cost? 10 grand
What is your favorite food? Japanese


Where will you go on vacation? To a place to ride go carts and play putt putt like Myrtle Beach
Will your wife work? No, she will stay home with the kid
What does daddy do all day at work? He just works at The Fresh Market


But what does he do there? He tells people what to do and fires people
What does mommy do? Stays home and works on the computer
How much do you think cars cost? $1,000.

A Few of My Favorite Things

You all know how Oprah reveals all of her favorite things right before Christmastime every year? Well, mine may not be as expensive and I may not have one to give each of you.... but here's my list nonetheless.

Shane's Newest Favorite Things

OPI "Bastille My Heart" nail polish. This is a deep shade of burgundy and one coat really does do it!

I am so addicted to this crazy game! I'll admit, I bought it for the boys, but I'm usually the one playing it. By the way, the original is much better than the second one.

Every time I get my hair cut the stylist always comments on what great condition my hair is in. Then they ask what products I use. They're genuinely amazed when I tell them Aussie 3 Minute Miracle once a week and

Aussie Hair Insurance daily. I just spray it on my hair after I was it, comb it through and blow dry. I seriously never have split ends and never bother buying the salon products.

3 Musketeers 100 calorie bars. They may be little but they are all I need to get through those sweet cravings. Plus, at Big Lots, you get two for .60 cents. We buy them by the box {36 mini bars of heaven}.

I love all of the reusable bags you can buy at almost all the major stores now. They're usually only .99 cents and are quite sturdy. I use them for my groceries, but for everything else. I just keep them in my car so I don't forget them.

Zout stain remover has taken out every single thing I've sprayed it on. Love it, love it, love it.

With two boys in my house, it's a must have in my laundry room.

Jeff Lewis from Flipping Out on Bravo. He's gay, he's arrogant and he's hilarious. Can't wait for season 3!

Well, ther you have it. I know you will all sleep a little more soundly tonight. And no, I wasn't even paid to mention these products.... I just love 'em that's all. ;)

I'm Thankful For...

...the hardships I endured growing up.  I'm glad I wasn't handed everything on a silver platter.  Working for something sure makes you appreciate it a lot more!

...the grandparents God saw fit to bless me with.  They were both a huge influence on my life growing up.  They helped form the adult I am today.

...the heartbreaks I felt during my teenage years.  They made me appreciate and recognize real love.

...college and even more thankful for the grant that allowed me to go.

...the mistakes I've made.  I have learned from every single one of them.

...my husband.  As my grandmother says, "You two were just made for each other."  After 18 years he is still the one I want to share all of my days with.

...my two sons.  God generously blessed me with two children that have proven to be the loves of my life.

...salvation.  Without it, my life here on earth would be pointless.

Camping x 2

Both boys went camping this weekend. Luckily, Darrin and I got to stay home. How is that possible? Well, Payton was invited to go camping at Smith Mountain Lake State Park with his friend and family. They left Friday right after school and returned around 4:00 p.m. today. From what I hear he had a blast! He says his new sleeping bag we got him kept him "warm and toasty." Here's his top ten favorite things about camping:

1. Sleeping in a tent
2. Telling ghost stories
3. Fishing
4. Not having to take a bath
5. Eating smores
6. Cooking over the fire
7. Hiking in the woods
8. Being with his friend
9. Finding cool rocks
10. 
    
    Wading in the lake

He says he wants to go back again soon. Sure home Uncle Jim and Aunt Dawn have a camping trip planned soon so he can tag along. Unfortunately for him, Darrin and I art not camping folks.

Garrett was at the same lake, just on the other side of it. The Roanoke College Children's Choir had their annual Fall Retreat this weekend at the 4-H camp. It was a little shorter.... he had to check in my 9:15 a.m. Saturday and was home today at 1:00 p.m. Darrin and I took him bright and early Saturday morning. We got him all settled in his "cabin" {which was really a nice brick building with electricity, indoor plumbing and everything.} He hung around for a little bit to listen to the choir practice. Darrin hadn't had a chance to hear them before.


Garrett was so excited to spend the night without me or Darrin around. He was in a room with four other boys and an adult male chaperon {a choir member's father}. Last night there was a 70's disco dance too. From what I hear Garrett, and 99% of the other boys, danced to one song and spent the rest of the time plastered to the wall just watching.
Garrett wants to go back too. I could handle his style of camping...... bed, electricity, TV, indoor bathroom with shower... That just may be do-able.
Oh, I almost forgot. The kids could choose some of the albums {as in record albums} that the DJ used at the dance to bring home. Garrett, for no apparent reason, chose Shaun Cassidy's album with Da Doo Ron Ron on it. Garrett had no idea, but I was a huge Shaun Cassidy fan back in the day. I had a light blue, satin SC jacket and a long pink SC night gown. Da Doo Ron Ron was my absolute favorite song too! I can't wait to listen to it...... I just have to locate a record player.

So what did Darrin and I do while the boys were gone? We spent yesterday shopping... we found flea markets, Goodwills and even stopped by the mall. Then we met his brother, Danny, at Red Lobster for their endless shrimp. After eating we went to his place and watched the funniest movie, Baby Mama. I thought it would be totally stupid but it kept us all laughing.

Outrageous School Pictures

Each fall we always buy two sets of school pictures. One set of Payton and one of Garrett. We always get the the cheapest package that contains an 8x10. That usually comes with enough pictures for family and friends. Yesterday the boys brought home the school picture sheet with packages, prices, etc. I was shocked! The cheapest package that met the above criteria is $38! For that price I would get 1-8x10, 2-5x7, 4-3 1/2x5 and 8-wallets. What happened to $25-ish? No way am I buying two packages at that price. That's almost $80 just for school pictures.

So, what are we doing instead? They will have their pictures made so they will appear in the yearbook. I just won't purchase any of them. Then, we will take them to a local portrait studio and have pictures taken with a $9.99 coupon in hand. How much are you paying for school pictures? Doesn't $38 seem high to you or am I just becoming a cheapskate?

In Love Already?

Payton burst through the door today at 2:11, threw down his backpack and announced... "Mom, I may not be able to do much today.  I have a girl on my mind!"  What in the world was he talking about?  A girl on his mind?  At 8 years old??  I, of course, had to find out all the details.  "A girl on your mind?  Who?,"  I said.  "Her name is Tess.  She's in my class.  I told her I loved her on the way to the bathrooms today.  And guess what?  She said she loves me too!!!," he exclaimed with much excitement. 

I thought I was the love of his life.  After all, he's called me his "best girl" since he could talk.  And, he's even said he would marry me if daddy hadn't already.  Who is this Tess girl that's moving in on my Tater Tot?  I have to meet her and lay down a few ground rules.  I'll be kind and gentle, don't worry.  Stay tuned as I'm sure there will new developments in the near future....

Happy Birthday, Payton!

We celebrated Payton's 8th birthday a little early this year.  His actual birthday is the 19th but we celebrated this past Saturday at our local YMCA.  He he had 18 kids there and they all had a blast.  There was cake, ice cream, gifts and swimming.  He was fortunate enough to have out of town family come too.... Darrin's parents, grandmother and brother as well as my mom, brother and his family.  After the party we had a family cook out at our house.  Darrin served up delicious burgers and hot dogs.  Yummy!! 

He got some really great gifts as well.  We got him a much needed new bike.  Gee & Paw got him a Nintendo DS, so now he can leave his big brother's alone.  Nana, Papa and Uncle Danny got him a new (professional) skateboard.  Uncle Jim and Aunt Dawn got him a really cool game for his new DS.  He hit the jackpot if you ask me! 

It was a fantastic weekend to say the least.  For tons more pictures, go to flickr.

A Little Political Humor

Don't get your panties in a bunch after reading this. And, please, please, please don't take offense to it. I just thought it was cute. You can click on it to enlarge it for easier reading. Aren't I so sweet today?

{Thanks for sharing it, mom!}

Happy Anniversary Cabbage Patch Kids!

Can you believe it's been 25 years since the first Cabbage Patch Kids were "born?" Amazing I know! I was 12 years old when they first came out. A tad old to still be playing with dolls maybe, but I still had to have one. I didn't care if it was a boy or a girl and definitely didn't care what kind of clothes it had on. I just wanted one... any one!

I got one for Christmas that year. Santa must have really had some connections. Mine had brown hair in pigtails. She wore denim jeans, a yellow striped shirt and a green zip up jacket. She had the cutest white sneakers with pink stripes too.

It was really similar to the one pictured on the left, just different colors. I couldn't wait to open her up and smell her head. I knew it should smell like baby powder and it did. I was ecstatic.

I don't remember what her "given" name was but I quickly changed it to Comishell Lynn. Don't even ask how I came up with that. I have absolutely no idea. I was 12, cut me some slack. I sent off to make the name change official and quickly received a new birth certificate for her.

Can you believe that 25 years later, Comishell is still sitting in my room at my mom's house? And, if you smell really hard {and brush away the dust} you can still faintly smell baby powder. No kidding!

I'm so glad that these great dolls are still around and still popular after all this time. My 3 year old niece enjoys playing with mine. She pulls down the doll's little jeans, points to Xavier Roberts' signature on her hiney, and just laughs. So cute.

Now, for a limited time only, you can get Limited Edition 25th Anniversary Cabbage Patch Kids. They are the original CPK and are available for the first time since their debut in 1983. Each one-of-a-kind Kid is an exact reproduction of an original. They even used the original sculpts and molds as well as the exact materials of the classics. They have the same faces, clothing and names too. Isn't that too cool? They're going to sell for $29.99, not bad by today's standards.

I'd love to find a reproduction of Comishell Lynn. She could finally be reunited with her long lost twin! If you'd like to read more about CPK and their anniversary, visit their website.

P.O.O.P.I.E.'s Unite

Nester is hosting a P.O.O.P.I.E. party and I'm going. Yippee!! What on earth am I talking about? What.... you haven't heard? You haven't heard about the huge controversy raging around the blogosphere? Well, then, please allow me to fill you in.

P.O.O.P.I.E. stands for People Opposing Objectionable Pretend plants In the Environment. Makes perfectly good sense now, right? I'm all for the environment you know and keeping it pretend plant free is a great way to improve everyone's environments. Now, before you take a stand and decide to be anti-P.O.O.P.I.E, let me explain. We're not against all pretend plants... just the ones that are glaringly fake. You know what I'm talking about. The ones that have super shiny, perfectly formed fake leaves or the bright red, never wilting roses perched high on a shelf somewhere. They can be fake but they must at least resemble what the plant would look like if it were actually living. Dried flowers and plants is always a plus and you can never go wrong with those.

And, although I am a P.O.O.P.I.E. club member, after checking around my own home I found a few highly objectionable pieces myself. Sure glad Nester doesn't live close by. I just know she'd be on my doorstep today demanding I give them to her.

This is our entertainment center in our living room. I really like the arrangement on top of it, but not sure if Nester would approve. No feathers or dried anything. Just fake, fake, fake.

Here's a close up of it. My husband entered a golf tournament and won a prize. He could pick any prize off of the table and he chose this for me! See why I love it so much? That was so thoughtful.

This is the fireplace in our downstairs playroom. The arrangement on the right isn't too bad really. The flowers and greenery look and even feel quite real.

{Did you notice the wedding picture? That's me and my honey... 1991}

I'm not showing you the ones that I need to get rid of. After taking pictures of them I was just too ashamed to let you see them. They look pretty bad. One even has a little bird in it. I suppose it is quite unrealistic to think a bird would want to live in a basket on top of my frig, huh? I'm going to chuck them just as soon as I find their replacements.

Want to meet other P.O.O.P.I.E.S.? Head on over to the Nesting Place and check out her Mr. Linky Dink!

Chuck E. Cheese & Bowling

To celebrate the boys surviving the dreaded first day of school, we took them to Chuck E. Cheese... which we do every year. Darrin had as much fun as they did. It didn't take the three of them very long to go through 100 tokens!

I told them to act like they liked each other

Ready for some F-U-N!!

He's really my third child

Then, a few days later, we had family fun night and Garrett brought a friend with him. We ate at Applebee's {yummy} and then headed to the bowling alley. The kids bowled two games. Garrett won the first game and then Lindsey won the other. Payton came in a close third both times. He still has a little trouble getting the ball "all the way down there" to the pins.

Garrett & Lindsey sizing up the competition (Payton)

So serious