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March 30, 2006
Molly
Andrew wore this shirt the other day:
It brought back memories of a song that I learned in elementary school (many years ago). Here it is:
Cockles and Mussels, or Molly Malone
Comic Song, Written and Composed by James Yorkston
In Dublin's Fair City
Where the girls are so pretty
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone
As she wheel'd her wheel barrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels alive, alive o!
Chorus
Alive, alive o!, alive, alive o!
Crying cockles and mussels alive, alive o!
She was a fishmonger
But sure 'twas no wonder
For so were her father and mother before
And they each wheel'd their barrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels alive, alive o!
Chorus
She died of a fever
And no one could save her
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone
But her ghost wheels her barrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels alive, alive o!
Chorus
I seem to remember a picture of a ghost wheeling a wheel barrow in the music book. It's odd the things I remember.
Posted by tami at 10:45 PM Comments (4)
March 29, 2006
Health Q&A
My friend, Deanna sent this to me in email:
Health Question and Answer Session
Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it. Don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.
Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn, and what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100 percent of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.
Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine. That means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!
Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one.
If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.
Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!
Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?
Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.
Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO ...... Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel good food around!
Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.
Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!
Posted by tami at 3:31 PM Comments (2)
March 27, 2006
Call The Myth Busters!
Over the years, I have heard many people say that dog pee killed their grass. I never had a dog, so I didn’t know any different – I figured that the pee did in fact kill the grass.
I want you to look at the grass that Guido has peed/pooped on:
Isn’t that the longest, healthiest grass you have ever seen!
Now, look at the non-peed/pooped on grass:
It looks terrible! I don’t know if it depends on the dog’s diet or not, but Guido is doing wonders for our yard.
Posted by tami at 3:58 PM Comments (3)
March 26, 2006
Quiet Sunday
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
- Chinese Proverb
I love that quote and believe in it fully. It rings true especially in someone with a memory as bad as mine.
I don’t have anything wonderful or moving to say. Today has been quiet. I finished one book and started another.
Life is good.
Posted by tami at 7:29 PM Comments (2)
March 25, 2006
17
Today is Andrew’s 17th birthday.
We bought him a cake, took him to Don Pablo’s for dinner, and gave him $100. His Nene and papaw also gave him $100 and lots of nice clothes. His Aunt Patt gave him $30 and his Aunt Jennifer gave him $20. I think he had a very special day.
Happy Birthday, Andrew!
Posted by tami at 10:28 PM Comments (5)
March 24, 2006
I
We introduced the letter ‘I’ this week, so we have been showing the kids different things that begin with ‘I’. One of the things we showed them was Iceberg lettuce. The lead teacher cut the lettuce in two pieces. She then painted the lettuce green on the outside edges and yellow in the middle. After that, she stamped a piece of paper with the painted lettuce. Here is how it turned out:
We decorated a can with pastel colors. Then, we had the kids gather sticks that would be appropriate for hanging eggs on. We put their names on the eggs and then had them decorate the eggs with stickers. We then used fishing wire to hang the eggs from the tree (you could use pastel colored ribbon). It looks adorable:
The kids also made icing this week, (for the letter ‘I’) and decorated a cake. It was beautiful, but I didn’t have my camera with me.
Posted by tami at 4:58 PM Comments (1)
March 23, 2006
Bedtime
It’s hard for us to sit down and watch movies. We have certain T.V. shows that we record throughout the week. Therefore, we are normally catching up on those shows on the weekend when we could be watching a movie. Anything that comes on after 10 PM is taped. Since I have started working, I can hardly get my eyes to stay open past 10 o’clock.
That said I did watch a movie last week when I was in bed sick all day. I watched The Bad Seed for the first time. It’s an old black and white movie made in 1956. It’s about a little girl who some people think is a darling, but who is actually a bad seed indeed. I enjoyed it very much and thought the ending was very apt.
Then, this past Saturday night, we stayed up until 1 AM watching Million Dollar Baby . This movie stars Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, and Hilary Swank. It was made in 2004. I can’t even begin to describe how wonderful this movie is. I would watch it again in a heartbeat.
I’m hoping this weekend we will get to see another “new to us” movie. I am still dying to see Walk the Line. I have heard that it’s excellent.
Posted by tami at 4:33 PM Comments (2)
March 21, 2006
Neat
I have a “thing” for clocks. I would say that this “thing” could be traced back to my parents in some way. They have clocks – many clocks throughout their house. They are all unique and beautiful. One of these days, I need to take pictures of them all.
This clock hangs on my bedroom wall:
Posted by tami at 6:20 PM Comments (2)
March 20, 2006
Spring Has Sprung
Today is the first day of spring! Yea! I love the following blessing. I learned to sing it when I was in the high school chorus.
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind blow at your back.
May the sun shine warmly on your face.
May the rain fall softly on your fields.
And until we meet again,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Amen.
- Lee Turner
Ancient Gaelic Benediction
Posted by tami at 2:56 PM Comments (0)
March 19, 2006
Stress
In anticipation of our tax check and his spring break, Kevin and I excitedly discussed where the tax money would go. We knew that after buying some much-needed clothing, we would put most of the money on our truck payment.
Kevin was excited about his spring break. The kids would be at school and I would be at work all day. I knew that he was eager to play those computer games that he never had the time to play. Then, without warning, all of our plans changed with one scoot of a table.
***
Somehow, Ashley scooted over our coffee table. When she did this, she found dried dirt. She asked Kevin what it was. To his amazement, he replied that we had termites (wood eaters that can eat through the walls of your entire house). He took me into the living room and scooted the table over for me. Having never seen a termite, I thought they looked like maggots. They were long, white, and crawling around like crazy. It made my skin shiver just knowing that they were in my house.
Notice the mud tunnels:
Once we saw this, we both agreed that the carpet had to go. It had been in the house for ten years and was in bad shape. It doesn’t help that Guido loves to find loose strings and pull them out with his teeth. So, we decided that our tax check would be better spent on pest control measures and new flooring in the living room and down the hall.
We had three different pest inspections. They all agreed that, yes, we did in fact have termites. They looked around the rest of the house and everything seemed fine, but each inspector let us know that the entire house would have to be treated. Since our house is on a concrete slab, they all also agreed that the termites must have come up through a crack in the foundation. We told them that the carpet would be removed very shortly and we would find out.
Our entire house was uprooted for an entire week. Everything that had been in the living room or hallway, had to go in other rooms to be stored while the new floor was being laid. This wouldn’t have been that big a deal except we couldn’t pile anything up against outside walls. The termite guys had to be able to come into each room, pull back the carpet, and drill along all the outside walls, so we had to get very crafty with storage space. Most everything (CD’s, movies, books, lamps, whatnots) ended up in Andrew’s room under his bed and desk.
Imagine our surprise when we pulled back the carpet and saw this:
In the middle of our concrete floor, was the hole you see above filled with wood remnants. We later found out that builders often use a wooden stake to mark off and measure a room. Instead of removing the stake and filling the hole with concrete, they simply cut the stake so that it was level with the rest of the floor.
The termites ate their way through the wood in the floor. Then when they found my coffee table, they decided it was party time – they had struck gold.
Premier arrived promptly on Tuesday morning. Thankfully, I was at work. I couldn’t have handled seeing them drill on the inside and dig a trench on the outside of my entire house. When I arrived home from work that afternoon, they were just finishing and getting ready to leave.
Upon their departure, they mentioned that when they moved the clothes dryer, they noticed that the hose was split in two. They also noticed grease all over the floor behind the washer and dryer.
When they left, Kevin checked the dryer hose, and sure enough, it was in two pieces. The grease was coming from our 12-year-old washing machine. So, without further ado, Kevin and I went to Lowes and picked out a new washing machine and hose for the dryer.
My spirit broke this night. I just couldn’t believe looking around our house that things had gone so terribly wrong. Our couch and armoire were in the kitchen. I was having to slip in here and there to make coffee and my lunch for work. We were spending money to eat out and I knew that there were many more eating out nights to come. It all totally overwhelmed me. My saving grace was Kevin. He was my rock. He was patient and kind and he listened to me and told me that everything was going to be okay. All I could do was nod and believe in him.
The following day, Wednesday, I was in bed sick the entire day. I had some sort of stomach virus. My dad helped Kevin get the new machine home from Lowes.
While I was sleeping off my stomachaches, Kevin installed the floor in the hallway.
Thursday, I returned to work and Kevin laid the floor in the living room. I came home to a beautiful new floor! I couldn’t have been prouder of Kevin. He had never done this kind of work before and to be so skilled at it is just amazing.
Friday, he finished all the doorways and moldings. We moved the furniture back in.
Yesterday, we spent the entire day whipping this house back into shape. I think I did about six loads of clothes and I dusted and swept everything.
As Kevin cleaned the screen door on the outside, Guido was going mad on the inside trying to catch the dust rag with his teeth. Actually, Guido does not like cleaning of any sort.
Today after church, I spent over an hour clipping coupons and making a grocery list. By the time we finished our grocery shopping, it was time to make dinner. It is now going on nine o’clock and I am finally getting the opportunity to tell you all this. I hate not blogging regularly, but I was under so much stress I felt I couldn’t have handled one more thing. I still couldn’t feel worse for Kevin who deserved a break and didn’t get it.
There are things to be thankful for though.
* I am thankful that Kevin did have the time off.
* I am thankful that we had the money.
* I am thankful for a smart and gifted husband who always reads directions.
Posted by tami at 8:53 PM Comments (3)
March 14, 2006
Guido Goes To School
I talk about Guido every day at school. I have his picture on my cell phone, so all of the kids have seen him. I started hinting earlier in the year that I ought to bring him in for them to meet.
Since Kevin is off on spring break this week, he was able to bring Guido to school. I got some great pictures, but this is the only one that I felt I could share (the others show kid’s faces).
They loved him and I heard over and over when he left about what “a good puppy” he is.
Posted by tami at 3:40 PM Comments (3)
March 10, 2006
Sweet Versus Sick
I can highly recommend this muffin mix:
Although, I don’t know why they are labeled “muffins”. In my opinion, they are every bit as sweet and delicious as cupcakes.
I’m glad it’s Friday, but I have A LOT of work ahead of me this weekend. I’ll tell you all about it when I can snap some pictures. Stories are always better when they have pictures to accompany them.
Oh, if you ever wonder why I don’t blog – it’s because of days like this:
I figured you needed to see that today ;)
Posted by tami at 4:21 PM Comments (5)
March 7, 2006
Sweet Things
My sweetie surprised me with some of my favorite things:
And
YUM!
Posted by tami at 5:13 PM Comments (2)
March 6, 2006
Application
From email: This is hilarious:
Job Application
This is an actual job application that a 17-year-old boy submitted to McDonald's in Florida and they hired him because he was so honest and funny!
Name: Greg Bulmash.
Sex: Not yet. Still waiting for the right person.
Desired Position: Company's President or Vice President. But seriously, whatever's available. If I was in a position to be picky, I wouldn't be applying here in the first place.
Desired Salary: $185,000 a year, plus stock options and a Michael Ovitz style severance package. If that's not possible, make an offer and we can haggle.
Education: Yes.
Last position held: Target for middle management hostility.
Salary: Less than I'm worth.
Most Notable Achievement: My incredible collection of stolen pens and post-it notes.
Reason for Leaving: It sucked.
Hours Available to Work: Any.
Preferred Hours: 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
Do You Have Any Special Skills? Yes, but they're better suited to a more intimate environment.
May We Contact Your Current Employer? If I had one, would I be here?
Do You Have Any Physical Conditions That Would Prohibit You From Lifting Up To 50 lbs? Of what?
Do You Have a Car? I think the more appropriate question here would be "Do you have a car that runs"?
Have You Received Any Special Awards Or Recognition? I may already be a winner of the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes.
What Would You Like To Be Doing In Five Years? Living in the Bahamas with a fabulously wealthy blonde super model who thinks I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread. Actually, I'd like to be doing that now.
Do You Certify That the Above is True and Complete to the Best of Your Knowledge? Yes. Absolutely.
Sign Here: Aries.
Posted by tami at 3:38 PM Comments (0)
March 5, 2006
Interesting
Interesting Thing #1:
While you wait for a table at some western-type restaurants, there are huge vats of shelled peanuts that you can eat from. Either you keep getting handfuls of peanuts from the vats or you can grab yourself a pail, fill it up and then eat from that. Most times when you sit down to wait for your name to be called, you find pails already filled which you can then eat from:
The custom at these restaurants is to throw your empty shells right down on the floor. It took me a while to get used to this idea, but I am now a pro. Last night, while waiting for a table, Kevin leaned over and whispered in my ear, “I don’t think I’ll be eating the peanuts in these places anymore.” I gave him a puzzled look and he leaned in again saying, “This little girl next to us has sucked on three or four nuts and she just spits them back into the pail – slobber and all.” I looked over to see a sweet, angelic-looking little girl in pigtails that seemed to be about two years old. Yes, she looked sweet and I’ll bet she just loved sucking the salt off the shells, but GEEZ! Her daddy would tell her, “don’t do that.” But, then he would go back to playing with his cell phone. He never really made any effort to stop her.
Parents, this is gross. Please don’t let YOUR kids be the ones who spoil it for everyone. Watch your kids and make sure they do the right thing with the nuts. I agree with Kevin – it will be a while before I am able to forget that image.
Interesting Thing #2:
Before we left Winchester yesterday afternoon, Kevin and I went to Wal-Mart and he purchased a bag of men’s white undershirts. They were $12 for five t-shirts. We brought them in the house, left them on the bed and went to Lexington for the day.
When we got home last night with all of our purchases, we laid everything out on the bed and began the process of clipping off price tags, hanging things on hangers, and so on. One of the last things that I did was open that bag of undershirts we had bought early that morning. They were folded together, so I pulled the shirt from the back out first. I was puzzled because on the front of the shirt was an orange football helmet. I thought maybe the company had thrown in a “special, bonus” shirt until I saw the size – it was much smaller than the others Kevin had bought. I asked him about it and we both looked at the bag again to make sure that he had picked up the right size and type of shirt.
It turned out that the BAG was okay, but the contents were not. As I began pulling more t-shirts apart, I noticed they were a dingy yellow. They were also all different sizes. Then it came to us: someone had taken their old, dirty, raunchy t-shirts, put them in that bag and returned them to Wal-Mart. I guarantee you Wal-Mart gave them $12 too!
Kevin took the shirts and receipt back to the store. I never thought they would have believed him, but to their credit, they did and they gave him no trouble at all in exchanging them.
Interesting, huh.
Posted by tami at 8:11 PM Comments (1)
March 4, 2006
Six Posts In One
Until Monday night, I had not been around smokers. I try to avoid people who are smoking at all costs, but Monday was an exception; we had a parent’s night at school. At the end of the night, when I helped some people out to their car, they “lit up”. I was stuck at their car because they were big talkers. The wind was not blowing favorably, so their smoke blew over my entire body. I could feel the stench seeping in my every pore.
When I arrived back home, I walked up to Andrew and he informed me that I “reeked”. I already knew that though. I could hardly wait to strip my clothes off, start the washing machine, and take a shower to wash my hair. I think this summer will be my third or forth year since I stopped smoking. The events such as this keep me from smoking again.
This is why there was no post on Monday night.
On Tuesday after work, I had a follow-up visit at the ophthalmologist. He thought the contacts he gave me at the last visit looked a tad too tight, so he gave me another pair to try. He was running late, which made me run late. This was payday, so when I got home, I had to sit down at the table and write out bills for about 40 minutes. This was also my dad’s birthday, so after going to the post office, we took his gift over to him. I was so tired I thought I would pass out.
This is why there was no post on Tuesday night.
Wednesday I was on edge all day at work. My evaluation was that afternoon. I had never been evaluated in my whole life, so I was naturally, very nervous. The new contacts that I was given the pervious day felt as if they were moving all on their own in my eyes all day. They were scratchy, but I felt that maybe it was just me and that I needed more time to adjust to something new. I also felt as if I was coming down with something again and I hoped it wasn’t strep throat.
The evaluation went fine. But, when I got home from work I couldn’t wait to get those contacts out. When I did get them out, my eyes felt horrible. All I wanted to do was take my make-up off and rub my eyes, but I couldn’t do that because we had church. I wore my glasses and dealt with itchy eyes. When I got home, the last thing I wanted to do was look at a computer screen.
This is why there was no post on Wednesday night.
On Thursday, I went on my first “home visit”. This is exactly what it sounds like – you visit with a student and their parent at their house. I was nervous, but everything went very smoothly. By the time I cooked dinner, helped Kevin clean up, and help Ashley with her homework, all I wanted to do was relax and watch Survivor – and that is exactly what I did, although, I coughed and sneezed through the entire thing.
This is why there was no post on Thursday night.
Friday afternoon, we did all of our grocery shopping. After that, we took Ashley to “open gym”. This is where anyone can go to the gym that pays a fee and you don’t have to be a member. She enjoys this time of freedom with different kids. I let Andrew have a friend over to spend the night. We were tired and I still had a runny nose.
This is why there was no post Friday night.
Today, we went shopping all day long. Some interesting things happened and I will tell you about them tomorrow. I think I have kicked feeling sick.
Saturday’s post – short and sweet.
Posted by tami at 11:55 PM Comments (4)