May 31, 2004
After The Storm ...
Happy Memorial Day! I hope that everyone had a great day. I know that we did. We were invited to a couple’s house that we met at church a few months ago. We talked a lot and ate pizza for dinner. After dinner we talked some more while Ashley rode bikes out front with their son. He is a DOLL let me tell you.
I really like these people and feel like I could talk to them forever. We’ll have to get them over here now for a cook out and maybe some card playing ;)
Posted by tami at 11:55 PM Comments (4)
May 30, 2004
Weather Pandemonium
We just finished watching The Abyss on DVD. Even though it came out in 1989, I had never seen it before. We bought the extended version which added about thirty minutes. Kevin was able to tell me which parts had been added. The first thing that I said when it was over was, “Okay, I’m ready to watch part two now.” To which Kevin laughed and informed that there is NO part two! Let me say that they need to make another of these movies. It was wonderful!
In other news: Kentucky has been bombarded with rain and tornado warnings today. As the rain began to slow down, we walked out in the back yard only to be greeted by another pool (this one was courtesy of Mother Nature). Our yard was totally flooded. We stood on the deck so that we could see our neighbor’s yard and his yard was much worse than ours. There was no grass to be seen in his yard. We’re supposed to get hit again tonight by more storms. We can only pray that it won’t be bad.
By the way, I did take two pictures, but they were too dark to really see any details. It was one of those “had to be here” moments.
Posted by tami at 10:13 PM Comments (3)
May 29, 2004
Golf And A Wedding
Last night we played a game of miniature golf with my parents. It was a nice night and not too hot which made it very fun. The only drawback was that it was a bit pricy: over $4 for adults and over $3 for children. We spent $18 for the four of us which to me is a bit much.
Today Kevin, Ashley, and I went to the wedding of a couple that we met at church. It was a beautiful ceremony. It took all that I had to hold back the tears. Things like weddings and the birth of a child get me emotional. They showed a Power Point slideshow of the couple as children and then together as adults. It was very touching. Afterwards we were treated to wonderful wedding cake and punch. YUM!
Posted by tami at 10:37 PM Comments (2)
May 28, 2004
Camp Crap
Summer Camp: To some people these two words immediately bring back happy memories; they give me the shivers.
My first summer camp experience was wonderful. It was called 4-H camp. We learned some new songs, went hiking through the woods, boating, swimming, put on skits for one another, had dances, etc. I don’t remember the year, but it was the summer that the song Morning Train sang by Sheena Easton was popular. It was a fun filled week and I was sorry that I had to return home so soon.
Once I did return home, I told mom about everything we did, in detail. She seemed impressed until I told her about the shower situation. The shower area was really a shower room. Lined up on two walls were shower heads. There were two, more private areas that had curtains. This is where I showered. Anyway, I told mom about these two twin girls who were taking pictures in the shower. They told everyone, “Our dad says that if we take the pictures, he’ll develop them for us.” You can imagine the look on my mother’s face when I told her that. I made sure that I wasn’t in any pictures, but some of those girls were posing and others were screaming because they didn’t want pictures taken. There’s no telling whatever happened to those pictures or the twin girls for that matter.
I think mom made up her mind right then and there that I was never going back to 4-H camp. I had had the time of my life that summer, but I would never be returning because of the shower incident.
My second camp experience came when I was in the sixth grade. I’m pretty sure that I had just finished sixth grade and upon returning to school would be in the seventh grade. I have to tell you something about myself right here. I was a big girl. I don’t believe that I was fat; I just blossomed early. I started wearing a bra in the third grade and my menses happened when I was in the fifth grade. I was bigger all over than the other girls. When I was in sixth grade, I looked like an eighth grader.
With that said, mom wanted me to attend the church’s summer camp for a week. I did not want to go. I distinctly remember that. Maybe I had a premonition of what was to come. I was in a cabin with about six other girls that were all younger than me and the size of fourth graders and here I was looking like I was their counselor or something. I have the pictures to prove this. As a matter of fact, I still get embarrassed when I see those pictures because I was so much bigger. There wasn’t one girl in my cabin that was my age.
There was no swimming pool either. We had been told beforehand that there was a lake that we could swim in. At the time, this sounded terrible as I was not an expert swimmer. I still depended on an edge to hold on to and knowing exactly how deep it was going to be. I shouldn’t have worried because we were never allowed to go to the lake to swim anyway. I don’t remember the reason given it was just another thing to add to the ever growing list of things I hated about that place.
I remember when I first got there I was thirsty. I had been in a car for over an hour and it seemed like it was over one hundred degrees. I asked the guy checking off names if I could have some water. He informed me, not too nicely either, that a human could go several days without a drink. I remember thinking to myself, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I didn’t want to be here and now I couldn’t even have a drink?!
The whole place was a joke. There were no activities planned. They would run out of things for us to do and then we would have to play Duck-Duck-Goose (that’s REAL fun for a sixth grader). The only structured activity was church. Ah yes, at church camp, you go to church. It was a little white building with no air conditioning and wooden benches – just like Little House on the Prairie days. We would sit in there for hours it seemed and sweat the sin right out of us. It was not a good thing. I couldn’t wait to get back home and tell mom what a horrible time I had had. I honestly don’t remember what her reaction was. She probably said that I never had to go back; I really don’t remember.
Jump with me to a few years ago. Mom and dad thought it would be a good experience for Andrew to go to summer camp. They were willing to pay and Andrew was excited. I knew that he wouldn’t like it, but it’s better to keep your mouth shut sometimes. Andrew spent one night at camp and then his pawpaw went and picked him up and brought him back home. He said that it was just too hot and he couldn’t handle the bugs. I could have saved them a lot of money, but I didn’t want to shatter their expectations.
This year we are at a new church that goes to a different church camp (Lord, I hope it’s a different church camp). They’ve asked me several times if Ashley was going and then got very disappointed when I said NO and looked at them like they were crazy. First of all Ashley doesn’t have any desire to go. Her worst nightmare is sweating AT ALL. The child hates to sweat. And secondly, she’s only seven years old! They actually thought that I would send my seven year old to camp? No, never, nada. It’s not happening people.
It may sound as if I blame my mom for making me go to a bad camp. I blamed her at the time, but now I see that I would have done the same thing in her situation. The naked picture thing freaked her out, so she says to herself that next time it will be a church camp. She had no way of knowing how horrid it was going to be.
My decision for Ashley won’t change. I’m sure there are some great camps out there, but if she doesn’t want to go, then I’m not forcing her or talking her into it.
Posted by tami at 10:42 AM Comments (1)
May 27, 2004
Crispy?
I ironed sixteen pieces of laundry today and that’s way too much. When it gets to be five or more pieces, I need to take the time to take care of them right away; it’s either do that or stand for two hours ironing. I can’t stand seeing a pile of clothes on top of the dryer, so I’m really surprised that it got so out of hand.
I also washed all of the bed sheets today. I’ve been trying to make this a priority every Thursday. My mom, dad, and aunt about died when they found out that I normally waited about a month before washing them. They didn’t seem dirty to me. As a matter of fact, they still don’t seem dirty after only a week, but I feel guilty, so now I wash them on Thursday’s.
Oprah has said that she likes her sheets washed every other day because she likes the crispness of clean sheets. This is a nice thought however, my sheets are NEVER crisp. I think I would have to iron them and use spray starch if I wanted them crisp. Do you really think that I’m going to iron sheets? I don’t think so!
Apparently this whole “not washing the sheets once a week” concept is very interesting to my dad in particular. In fact, he told me that he has surveyed some of his coworkers recently only to be told that they wait about a month before washing theirs. I don’t know who these coworkers are, if they are married or single, but they gave my dad quite a surprise.
This just goes to show how different we all are and how different our priorities are. I don’t think the sheet washing issue makes one person any cleaner than another. If I take a shower before bed, then how are the sheets getting dirty? That’s a rhetorical question; please do not feel free to answer. Ha! Ha!
How often do you wash your sheets? (If you have a maid that does this job, it doesn’t count!)
Posted by tami at 8:07 PM Comments (3)
May 26, 2004
Water Logged
Today is the first day since Sunday that I have had make-up on and my hair fixed. Being on summer break and swimming every day, there’s just no need to get “dressed”. It would be a total waste of time. That and the fact that Kevin is working during the day and taking a class at Eastern at night, so who would I try to impress?
Lynne requested pictures of some pool action, so I hope these do the trick :)
That is Ashley floating in the tube. She’ll say, “Flush the toilet.” And we’ll pretend to do so while she makes herself go round and round in the tube really fast. I get dizzy when I do that!
That is Andrew. He asked me if he had to smile. It seems the sun is always shining in his face which makes it difficult for him to smile when we are outdoors.
Posted by tami at 12:03 PM Comments (3)
May 25, 2004
Words To Live By
A friend sent these to me:
Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
Eat a live toad in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day.
If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
Never buy a car you can't push.
Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you don't have a leg to stand on.
Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Just get up and dance.
The early worm gets eaten by the bird, so sleep late.
The Second mouse gets the cheese.
When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
Birthdays are good for you; the more you have, the longer you live.
You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.
We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors but they all have to learn to live in the same box.
A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
Happiness comes through doors you didn't even know you left open.
Posted by tami at 10:53 AM Comments (3)
May 24, 2004
The Root Of All Evil?
A friend of mine sent me the following email this afternoon. I have copied and pasted it verbatim. Only my friends name was omitted. It originated from the American Family Association Online in case you’re curious.
ABC to air show based on UK program 'Wife Swap'
Dear (friend),
Just when you think television can't sink any lower, it does. ABC has plans this fall to air a new program called "Trading Moms," based on the program "Wife Swap" now showing in the United Kingdom. ABC had originally planned to call the program "The Swap," then decided to change the name-but not the content. It is a program in which men swap wives for 10 days.
Here is a review of the program from ZAP2IT, a web-based magazine. "The title, which conjures up visions of a 1970s swingers party, is racier than the concept: Two married women switch places with one another for 10 days, living with the other's family and taking on the other woman's household duties. At the end of 10 days, the families get together to discuss what they experienced."
The concept is that wives and mothers are property, to be traded like automobiles. If one is unhappy with their wife, or mom, they can swap with someone else to see if things go better with their new wife and new family.
For the sake of ratings (money), ABC is willing to desecrate the institution of marriage, parenthood and family. Click here to see the ZAP2IT article.
Please sign the petition letter to ABC below concerning their decision to air this program. We will present ABC with a list of those who sign, using only their name and state.
Click here to sign the petition.
Please forward this letter to your family and friends.
Sincerely,
Don
Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association
Okay, here’s the thing: I’m glad that she sent this to me. Apparently she felt strongly enough about this issue that she forwarded it on to me and that’s great, but I won’t be signing. I like to be aware of upcoming television shows and other news, so it’s not like I’m trying to demean her or this association by the things that I am going to say. Therefore, don’t get snooty and condescending if you don’t agree with me.
I just feel that petitions like this are silly. As adults, we are required to make decisions on a daily basis. These decisions can be as small as how to dress or what to have for dinner or as big as should I take this job, or should I buy this car. There will always be decisions that need to be made and as adults it is our judgment call that prevails in our own lives. As far as the television goes, I honestly feel: if you don’t like it, don’t watch it. You don’t have to watch it, no one is making you. No one is even making you buy a television set for that matter. It’s all up to us what we watch and what our children watch. I know that my children watch things that I wasn’t allowed to watch at their age. But, as their parent, it is my judgment call as it was way back for my parents. I think a lot depends on the child and the maturity level.
I can’t give an opinion on this Trading Moms show because I haven’t seen it, so I don’t know how things will be done; if the trading mom will have her own bedroom, bathroom privacy, etc. But, as with any of these reality television shows, if they want to subject themselves to whatever it is they are doing then who am I to judge? The mom’s on this show will have to be a legal age (meaning: adult) so let them make their own decisions or mistakes. Who will have to answer for it in the end? Not me!
Oh and P.S. I NEVER pass along those emails that say I have to send it to 10 other people or I don’t love Jesus. Give me a break! That’s not the way it works!
Posted by tami at 9:36 PM Comments (2)
May 23, 2004
It Flows Like Water
The pool warmed up to 80 degrees yesterday, so we were able to take our first dip of the summer. I enjoyed myself even though I really didn’t swim as much as just walk around in the water. Hopefully we’ll get more use out of the pool this year. Last year the weather just didn’t stay hot enough to keep the pool at a reasonable temperature. The thermometer floats at the surface of the water, so you have to keep in mind that no matter what it reads, it is much colder 5 feet at the bottom.
Tonight in our class at church, we were introduced to a new workbook. This one will deal with money and the problems that some couples face with money issues. I know that people do argue about money however this has never been an issue with Kevin and I. Still, I do expect to learn quite a lot of new things from this class. It looks like it’s going to be fun!
Posted by tami at 9:26 PM Comments (3)
May 22, 2004
The Pink Ladies
My Aunt Patt requested a new picture, so here it is: the pink ladies in their full glory. Notice the red band-aid on little Jesse’s knee. Too cute!
Posted by tami at 10:52 PM Comments (1)
May 21, 2004
Time Waits For No Man ... Or Woman
It is with much excitement that I can announce the release of the complete first seasons of The Waltons and The Jetsons on DVD! I can’t wait to get both of these in my hands! You didn’t think I was actually going to wait until Christmas to get these, now did you? Baa! I wait for no one!
Today was the last day of Andrew’s 9th grade year and Ashley’s 2nd grade year. We have a full two months off to swim, rest, and do as we please. I am expecting a fun-filled summer :)
Posted by tami at 3:39 PM Comments (2)
May 20, 2004
You Are What You Keep, I Mean Eat
Sometimes our lives are so hectic that before we know it clutter can begin to take over. About a year ago, I was guilty of letting magazines pile up. I have since donated them and honestly haven’t missed them at all. This is true for most things around our homes that we hoard; if they were taken away we wouldn’t really miss them.
I’m not referring to houses where you can easily walk around and everything has its place. I’m talking about those homes where you have to watch where you step or you may get hurt.
While clearing out some of my own paper clutter, I found an article from Good Housekeeping that talks about how long you should keep foods. Some of us are guilty of keeping foods way too long. In our minds, we think that because we spent good money on an item, it should be kept for an infinite amount of time. This way of thinking about anything, not only food, can get us into big trouble.
Here are a few time rules that I found interesting in this article.
In The Pantry: Time Good
* Baking powder/soda - 18 months
* Semisweet chocolate - 2 years
*Unsweetened Chocolate - 18 months
* Coffee - 2 weeks after opening
* Flour - 1 year
* Peanut butter - 2 months after opening
* White sugar - 2 years
* Tea bags - 18 months
In The Refrigerator:
* Sour cream - 2 weeks
* Eggs (in shell) - 1 month
* Pork chops - 3 to 5 days
* Ground meat - 1 to 2 days
* Roasts - 3 to 5 days
* Steaks - 3 to 5 days
* Bacon or hotdogs - 1 week
* Lunch meat slices - 5 days
* Any fish - 1 to 2 days
In The Freezer:
* Bread - 3 months
* Butter - 9 months
* Ice Cream/Sherbet - 1 month
* Precooked meat/fish dish - 3 months
* Precooked poultry dish - 6 months
* Bacon - 1 month
* Hotdogs - 2 weeks
* Roasts - 1 year
* Ground Beef - 1 year
* Pork Chops - 4 months
* Steaks - 1 year
* Nuts - 3 months
* Fruit pies - 8 months
* Vegetables - 1 year
* TV Dinners - 6 months
Know that freezing something does not make it eternally good to eat. Everything should be eaten or replaced within a reasonable amount of time. Go through your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry and if something says that it should have been sold in the early 90’s, that’s a good indication that it needs to be thrown away.
Some people think that I may be a tad obsessive compulsive, but my freezer is almost empty before I grocery shop for more food. The way that I feel is if there’s food in the freezer then we should eat it before we buy more. This same philosophy holds true for my cupboards and refrigerator. So, for the most part, I never have to worry about food being old or dated.
My problem lies with how long I should keep the kids art work and school papers. Can someone please blog about that issue for me?
Posted by tami at 3:50 PM Comments (2)
May 19, 2004
Daddy Or Grandpa?
Sadly, actor Tony Randall died yesterday at the age of 84. He did a wonderful job on The Odd Couple and he was very entertaining in the many interviews that I saw him in. But, to me, Tony Randall brings up an important issue. That issue would be: how old is too old to become a parent?
He and his wife, Heather were 50 years apart in age. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like. To me it’s no different than when Anna Nicole Smith married that man in his 80’s. What does a girl that age see in a man that old? Do I believe that there can be love between people with such an age gap? Yes. But would I want to put myself in the position where I was pretty much assured that he was going to die first? No! To me personally, I would be worried every day that he was going to die and at such a young age, I don’t think it’s fair to have to worry that much.
Back on topic: Tony became a father for the first time when he was 77. Okay, so you’ve gotten married to someone who is 50 years your junior, but do you really need to be having babies at 77? Some people would argue that he wanted to be a father so it doesn’t matter how old he was. Even though he’s gone now, one of his children had him for seven years and the other for five. That all may be true, but I don’t think it’s fair to the children. At seven and five these kids aren’t going to remember their father, who he was, or how he was with them. By the time they reach adulthood, all of the memories they have now will be faded into almost nothing. Sure, they can watch his show on TV or see him in video, but they won’t remember the way he was with them personally. This boy and girl will grow up with no father and I don’t think it was fair of their parents who knew that this would happen. I mean, what was the probability that he was going to live to be 100? If that was the chance they were taking, then it was a very thin opening and it didn’t pay out in the end.
You might say that many dads die everyday in freak accidents when they are very young and that you never know when someone is going to die. That’s true enough, but those are accidents. Tony knew that he was 77 and that most men don’t live that long anyway. I think it’s selfish to have babies when you’re that old.
Another argument is that he wanted to leave his legacy to someone. To that I say: he was married before this for 54 years! If he was that worried about leaving a legacy, he should have thought about it in those 54 years.
Oh well. What’s done is done and it cannot be changed. It does make for an interesting topic though ;)
Posted by tami at 12:14 PM Comments (2)
May 18, 2004
Is That Nice?
Ashley just came into the kitchen with her Barbie. She said that she didn’t want her to be married anymore, so she made Barbie’s husband have a heart attack. Hmm, should I be worried?
Posted by tami at 5:53 PM Comments (1)
Opinions Are Like ...
We just finished watching Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. If you are the least bit squeamish, this is not the movie for you. I really don’t enjoy most scary movies, but I wanted to see this one since it is based on Shelley’s novel. I wonder how close this comes to the actual book. No matter; who knows when I would get around to reading it.
As far as the movie went; it was pleasing. I especially enjoyed the music: very eerie and mysterious. Most people probably wouldn’t like it so much, but I enjoy odd musical scores. The story moved slowly at the beginning, but they had to do that in order to show the events that led up to Frankenstein’s creation of the man. I really did feel sorry for this creature. He would have been perfectly alright if not for the quick judgment of others where his looks were concerned. I think this happens in today’s society all the time; not only with looks, but also weight, clothes and other things. We can never please everyone. Someone is always going to be sneering at us behind our backs or thinking that they are better than we are. All we can do is live with what we have and make the most out of it. You know what they say about opinions ….. well, it’s true.
Posted by tami at 11:48 AM Comments (7)
May 17, 2004
It's A Girl Thing
I went for my yearly dreaded gynecological exam this morning. I had to make an appointment with someone totally new because the person that I saw last year had gone elsewhere. It’s odd though; if I keep seeing someone new every year, I figure by the time I die, all of Kentucky will have seen Tami’s treasures. Now isn’t that a pleasant thought?!
This was a new, female doctor at a new office. She was fabulous to say the least. She allowed Kevin to stay in the exam room the entire time. This impressed me because some doctors (mainly male doctors) don’t appreciate this. I think they feel awkward and intimidated giving the wife an exam while the husband sits in the side chair looking on. Ah, well, this is just one of the many reasons why I love female doctors.
I am happy to say that the exam went great and there was no pain or discomfort involved. I have had exams by many male doctors who have caused distress and soreness, so this was a breeze! I was amazed at how easy and ordinary one of these exams could be! Maybe when I have to reschedule next year, I won’t feel so anxious. Let’s just hope this doctor is still there :)
Posted by tami at 3:49 PM Comments (1)
May 16, 2004
Frasier & Friends
This is the end of a busy week. My parents went on vacation to Jekyll Island so we were in charge of keeping things at their house going smoothly. We went over there every night and took in the mail and newspaper. We fed their cat and kept her litter box clean. We didn’t mind doing any of this though. They live in a big house and it was nice being over there for a while each night (and pretending that it was ours. Shh! I didn't say that!).
Since my parents were out of town, we also babysat for my sisters twins each night. Mom and dad normally have this job, but since they were gone, we took over. It wasn’t bad; they really are good kids. They kept us busy and on our toes at night. We would cook dinner while babysitting and then go over to mom and dads for a while. The coming week should be pretty tame in comparison. This is the last week of school. Ashley no longer has reading or spelling homework and I believe that Andrew has wrapped up his big projects.
Oh, how could I not mention the end of Frasier and Friends?! Friends ended the way that I thought it would. In the end the only thing we really cared about was whether Ross and Rachel would get together. Everyone else was settled except for Joey and he’s getting a new show, so even he was taken care of. All in all, I thought it ended the best way possible.
Frasier was a HUGE letdown. I still am baffled by the way things ended. I continue to wonder if they meant to add more at the end. It just didn’t seem finished. I believe that the only reason the show ended to begin with is because some magazines (which I will not mention) said that they thought it was time for Frasier to end. They thought that it had been on long enough and that any more air time would only sour things. I disagree heavily. I think that another year would have given them more time to really wrap things up instead of this hurried ending. But, what do I know?
Posted by tami at 10:12 PM Comments (0)
May 15, 2004
Church Bulletins
These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:
1. Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at Calvary Methodist. Come hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.
2. Announcement in a church bulletin for a national PRAYER & FASTING Conference: "The cost for attending the Fasting and Prayer conference includes meals."
3. The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water." The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus."
4. Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
5. Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
6. Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
7. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
8. Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.
9. Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
10. At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.
11. This evening at 7 P.M. there will be a hymn sing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
12. Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 P.M. - prayer and medication to follow.
13. The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours."
Posted by tami at 11:59 AM Comments (1)
May 14, 2004
Clever Woman
A couple went to breakfast at a restaurant where the special was two eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast for $1.99. "Sounds good," the wife said. "But I don't want the eggs."
"Then I'll have to charge you two dollars and forty-nine cents because you're ordering la carte," the waitress warned her.
"You mean I'd have to pay for not taking the eggs?" the wife asked incredulously. "Then I'll take the special."
"How do you want your eggs?"
"Raw and in the shell," the wife replied. She took the two eggs home.
Posted by tami at 1:27 PM Comments (0)
May 13, 2004
No Buffalo!
I have a way of tuning out commercials. Kevin and I can be sitting on the couch watching a show and then the commercials will come on. He’ll start laughing or say, “Did you see that?” My answer is always the same, “No, I wasn’t paying any attention.” Somehow I can look at the TV and still tune the entire thing out of my mind. All those millions of dollars that these companies spend on advertising is totally lost on me. It was reported in THIS article that the network charged $2 MILLION dollars for a 30 SECOND commercial during the last showing of Friends. How asinine is that? I taped the last episode and fast-forwarded through all the commercials. I was honestly more interested that night in who would get booted off of Survivor, so I taped Friends.
The one commercial I unfortunately haven’t been able to avoid the Jessica Simpson/Pizza Hut commercial where they are promoting buffalo chicken on a pizza. I have nothing against Jessica Simpson. In fact, I have a great respect for her because she does many charity concerts. You don’t see many singers these days donating all profits from their concerts to charity. In my book this makes her a Good Samaritan. With that said; this commercial drives me batty. I think it’s because they play it every five minutes and it gets old real quick. I know she’s pretty, but do we really need to hear her say to a buffalo, “flap’em again” one more time? I think not.
Posted by tami at 11:12 AM Comments (2)
May 12, 2004
Fortunate Son
After 9-11 we watched in horror as Iraqis sang and danced and basically had a big block party in the middle of the street. They were thrilled that the Twin Towers and the Pentagon had been hit and also that a plane full of people had crashed. Right then and there I was being influenced to dislike these people. I’m sure that many Americans and others around the country felt the same way. Since this incident things have only worsened. It’s not just Americans who are being targeted; it’s anyone who stands in their way; anyone who may have a differing opinion, anyone who is not in their group.
Back in October eight Marines were charged with the death of an Iraqi POW. This week we found out that more Iraqis were being abused. My honest, gut opinion when I heard this was that they probably deserved it. I also thought: here they’ve laughed at us; now who’s laughing?
Yesterday’s news told of an American soldier who was beheaded in an attempt to avenge the prisoner abuse. To read more about the abuse go HERE. There is also a picture that shows one form of abuse the Iraqi’s went through.
I realized something about myself that I didn’t like. I realized that when it came to hearing about the Iraqis, I didn’t care. When I heard about this American yesterday, it broke my heart. It got me to thinking: We are ALL people. We ALL matter. We ALL have a purpose in life. God loves us ALL. He doesn’t just love the Christians. He loves US ALL no matter what religion, no matter where on earth we are, no matter what we do – HE still loves us. I was wrong for feeling that those Iraqi soldiers didn’t matter. I was wrong about the POW’s. I was wrong and I’m admitting it and I’m very sorry. I’m sure that when Nick Berg, the American soldier who was beheaded, signed up for the military he never in his wildest, most wicked dreams thought that he would ever be in that situation. As far as the news story says, he thought that he was coming home back in March. I am so sorry for him and his family, but I am also sorry for all of the other lives lost in this war and this goes for the Iraqi’s also. A life is a life, American or not. I believe that 9-11 was horrific, but that doesn’t mean its okay to torture people who may have played no part in any of this. I wish this war would end. Forgive me Lord and help me to accept all people as you do.
Posted by tami at 8:58 AM Comments (0)
May 11, 2004
Another Dud
I don’t know what it is about me but I seem to be harder on movies than other people I know. My neighbor let me borrow Stuck On You thinking that I would really enjoy it. She watched it and thought it was very entertaining and funny. I, on the other hand, don’t think I laughed once. I thought the whole premise was dumb.
These two guys are conjoined twins and one wants to be a movie star so they both have to travel to Hollywood and go through the good and the bad. I’m sorry I just thought the whole thing was juvenile and stupid. But, it could just be me. If any of you have seen this movie leave me a comment with your opinion. Surely I’m not the only one who didn’t like it.
Posted by tami at 12:19 PM Comments (2)
May 10, 2004
Smoke Stench
Kevin took me to a restaurant in Lexington yesterday for lunch for Mother’s Day. We had an excellent meal, but the thing that I really enjoyed was not having to deal with smoking or non-smoking.
A few weeks ago, Lexington passed a smoking ban in all bars and restaurants. There was a debate about this for some time, but the ban finally passed after going to the Supreme Court. I believe that the media has had a great time playing this up like tons of people will no longer go to bars or restaurants. However, in the past few weeks, the restaurants have been just as full as they’ve always been. I don’t know about the bars, but I would say that this has been the case for them also. I’m glad that the ban passed though because it never mattered whether I sat in the non-smoking section or not; I could still smell the smoke.
Several weeks ago, we ate at Applebee’s here in Winchester. I asked for non-smoking. Once we were seated in the non-smoking section I realized that the only thing keeping me from the bar and the smoking section was a three foot half-wall that was open at the top. Since it was a table for two, our table was right up against this wall. Right on the other side was another table with two smokers. I couldn’t believe it! Why even have smoking sections if it’s going to be like this? To answer any questions; no, we didn’t say anything. We were hungry and it was late and we just wanted to eat and get out of there.
I wish so much that they would pass that smoking ban here in Winchester. You can’t even go to Wal-Mart without having to deal with it. At the back of Wal-Mart they have a small café/grill area (those are the only names I could think of for it) and people are allowed to smoke there as they eat their uh …. food. Did you get the sarcasm in that? Anyway, the milk, eggs, butter, and all kinds of other dairy products are in this same area of the store. I hate going back there to get my milk because I know that I’m going to be bombarded with foul cigarette smells. I don’t want it in my hair, on my clothes or anywhere else. It’s been almost two years not since I quit and I can’t handle the smell any more. When someone walks up to me I can immediately tell whether or not they smoke. I can smell it a mile away. It doesn’t matter how much perfume or cologne you put on, how many sticks of gum or mints you put in your mouth – if you smoke, you smell like smoke. It’s embedded in your skin, hair, clothes – everything.
And let me just say this to you smokers. When you walk into a room, like a doctor’s office for example, the smoke smell floods in with you. The non-smokers are thinking about how much you reek. This goes for church also. If you think you blend in with everyone else then you’re wrong. We smell it.
I’m not saying that I’m a better person than smokers; after all, I did smoke for 15 years. All I’m trying to point out is that it does affect others and if you’re trying to hide it, you can’t. It’s a nasty habit and I’m glad that I broke it before it broke me. Now, I wonder how we could get that ban passed here.
*UPDATE*
After posting this morning THIS article was in tonight’s news. How ironic is that?
Posted by tami at 11:02 AM Comments (2)
May 9, 2004
Happy Mother's Day!
This is from Art Herman:
THE TOP 18 THINGS THAT YOU WILL NEVER HEAR A SOUTHERN BOY SAY:
18. Oh I just couldn't, she's only thirteen.
17. I'll take Shakespeare for 1000, Alex.
16. Duct tape won't fix that.
15. We don't keep firearms in this house.
14. You can't feed that to the dog.
13. No kids in the back of the pickup, it's just not safe.
12. Wrestling is fake.
11. I'll have grapefruit and grapes instead of biscuits and gravy.
10. Honey, we don't need another dog.
9. I just couldn't find a thing at Wal-Mart today.
8. Trim the fat off that steak.
7. The tires on that truck are too big.
6. I've got it all on the C: drive.
5. My fiance, Bobbie Jo, is registered at Tiffany's.
4. She's too young to be wearing a bikini.
3. I need to check my e-mail.
2. Those shorts ought to be a little longer, Betty Mae.
AND THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT YOU WILL NEVER HEAR A SOUTHERN BOY SAY...
1. Nope, no more for me. I'm driving.
Posted by tami at 9:37 AM Comments (2)
May 8, 2004
The Wheels On The Bus ...
Yesterday was interesting. I went on a field trip with Ashley’s class to the Thoroughbred Center in Lexington. We saw a play entitled Stone Soup and Dragon Dumplings. It was a cute play and all of the kids enjoyed it. The interesting part for me was riding on a school bus after all these years. I had wanted to sit in the front, but instead got placed in the very back seat. It was bumpy, but we made it.
After the play we came back to Winchester to College Park and had lunch. The kids played on the playground for a few hours. The only bad thing was the heat. I can actually see red between the hairs on my head where I got too much sun. It never occurred to me that I might need sunscreen. By the time we got back to the school everyone was sweaty, red, and dying for a drink. Knowing that I had a banquet to attend later that night, when I got home I started over from scratch. I took my make-up off, shaved my legs, showered, and redid everything.
Since this Sunday is Mother’s Day, our church had a mother/daughter banquet. My mom, Ashley and I all went. The church looked beautiful! When we walked in, the sanctuary had been transformed to look like the front yard of a house. The theme was “Lighting My Path” which is based on Thomas Kincade and his paintings. For those of you who don’t know, he is known as “The Painter of Light” and his paintings are truly beautiful. We had a nice dinner and some great conversation with the other people at our table. I took some pictures with my regular camera. When I get the film back and if the pictures turn out, maybe I will get Kevin to scan them in the computer so that I can post them on here.
Posted by tami at 10:11 PM Comments (5)
May 7, 2004
How Much Do You Know?
Many thanks to GW for this really cool quiz site. I made up my own quiz and now you can go and test yourself to see just how much you know about me. There are only 10 questions. All of the answers can be found within the pages of my blog, but try to answer without looking :) Good luck!
Posted by tami at 2:35 PM Comments (2)
May 6, 2004
Tree Sitting
Since the weather was so beautiful yesterday afternoon, I asked Ashley if she wanted to go out front and ride her bike. She said yes so I got a lawn chair and set it up under our weeping willow tree, put our cat Church on his leash, and grabbed my book. It was beautiful out there under the willow tree; just warm enough to be comfortable. The only thing that grabbed my attention after a few minutes was the incessant chirp of a robin. I kept thinking how brave she was that she was so close to Church and me. She wasn’t singing though, it was a definite chirp. She flew from branch to branch and then when I thought she was going to fly away, she would fly down to the grass or the sidewalk right in front of me. I wondered what was up with her, but just assumed that she had brain damage.
After riding her bike up and down the sidewalk for a while, Ashley walked over to the tree and looked up. “Look! There’s a bird’s nest!” she said. I looked up and right above my head (I couldn’t have been any more exact) was this bird’s nest. It dawned on me then why this robin was acting so troubled: this was her nest and I bet it had babies in it. I said this much to Ashley and she went back to riding her bike.
At last I opened my book and was just reading the words of Hercule Poirot when I felt IT hit my arm, back, and hair. That mamma robin was so mad and so afraid that I was infringing on her territory that she dropped a load on me. There is no eloquent way of saying it. I was mortified to say the least! I had Ashley go and get her daddy so that he could help me. She doesn’t know it, but I could hear her laughter from inside the house. She thought that it was the funniest thing ever! The only thing Kevin had to say was, “That’s what you get for sitting under a TREE.” Thanks, Hun!
Posted by tami at 7:59 AM Comments (2)
May 5, 2004
Muddled Wedding
I have a question concerning wedding etiquette. If any of you know the answer, please leave a comment as I would appreciate it. Here goes: When we started our new church we met a couple there who is getting married later this month. But, back at the beginning of April this couple let it be known where they were registered. I watched as many people brought gifts in to them and thought that I should get them something also.
We bought them several things off of their registry and they were thrilled and very grateful. I’ve never heard that anyone is giving her or has already given her a shower. Anyway, she has since given me an invitation to the wedding.
Now for the question: Am I supposed to buy another gift? If I show up empty handed am I going to look bad? Also, there was no mention of a reception in the invitation, so if they have a reception am I to assume that we aren’t invited to this? Okay so that’s two questions. I don’t think that I’ve been to a wedding since I was very young and didn’t have to worry about the gift; that was mom’s job. The rules get a little muddled in my mind, so someone help me :)
Posted by tami at 7:58 AM Comments (5)
May 4, 2004
Short & Sweet
Our phone got fixed as of 9:30 this morning. We are very happy now :)
Posted by tami at 10:03 PM Comments (1)
May 3, 2004
Bad Lines
Back in August we were having phone troubles. You could pick up the phone and hear other peoples conversations and likewise they could hear ours. Now, the phone is dead. We have no dial tone, we aren’t able to call out, and no one can call us. This happened several times last week. When we called to report the problem, the phone company promptly called us back which somehow reset the line. The representative from the phone company was very nice and said that she would send us an email with directions to follow if this were to happen again. She said, “You can reset your own phone, but if we have to get someone over there it will cost you.” I agreed that doing it ourselves was much better. Free is good.
As it turns out the FREE way hasn’t done a bit of good. We did everything that was in our power to reset our phones. Nothing works. So, over the weekend I put in two repair notices over the Internet. This is how I notified them before. We have yet to have anyone get in touch with us. I gave them my cell phone number and Kevin’s. For some reason, they don’t like returning calls to a cell phone, but if that’s all you have then who’s to complain?
I called Kevin at work (from one cell to another) and gave him the phone company’s repair number and the case number that was given to me in email. Hopefully things will get straightened out TODAY. I had honestly thought at one time that we could just live with cell phones and cancel our regular phone. I clearly wasn’t in my right mind in thinking this way. Number one: the cell phones cost us if we go over our allotted number of hours each month. Number two: we have a teenage boy who stays on the phone for about three hours each night. He likes to play the piano for his girlfriend and video games for his guy friends. He’s about to go out of his mind and drive us out of ours not being able to talk to anyone. I will keep you updated if there are any new developments. If you have been trying to call me and the line has been busy, now you know the story.
*UPDATE*
Kevin got in touch with the phone company. They said that they have a work order for us which means that they will be coming to our house. The only bad thing is that they won’t be coming until tomorrow between 8AM and 12PM. I guess we should be thankful that they are coming this week, huh?!
Posted by tami at 11:55 AM Comments (2)
May 2, 2004
Blue Collar Comedy
Last night we watched Big Fish. This is a movie that is worth watching at least once. The story was interesting and different and there was some beautiful scenery throughout the entire thing. I believe with any Tim Burton film you can expect to see some excellent backdrops.
A MUST SEE is Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie. This is the funniest thing that I have seen in a long time. Rent this and you’ll be in for a night filled with laughter. There are four different comedians that entertain you for over an hour and a half. Don’t miss this one!
Posted by tami at 4:47 PM Comments (4)
May 1, 2004
It Was Lost On Me
When you hear a movie mentioned over and over on television at the Academy Awards show and how great it was, it just makes you want to see it. Today Kevin and I watched Lost in Translation. I have to say right here that Bill Murray was nominated for best actor in a leading role. This movie was also nominated for its directing, best original screenplay, and best picture. So what do I know?
Let me tell you what I know. I know that somebody got drunk and watched this movie and then nominated it for a bunch of awards. I also know that this is THE WORST movie Kevin and I have ever watched together. Yes, people it was THAT bad. There was no story as far as I could tell. The scenes seemed to crawl along. At one point Kevin and I had a good laugh as we both discovered that we were counting down the minutes left! It’s pretty sad when you can’t wait for it to be over. The only reason we watched it all is because we paid money to rent it. Sometimes you just can’t trust The Academy. The only good thing about this movie is that it wasn’t over two hours!
Posted by tami at 7:18 PM Comments (4)