June 30, 2006
Wedged Out Again
Do you remember this lovely photo from October 11:
Can you find the common link between that photo and this one?
Yep. It grew back and ingrown all over again. I had the nail wedged out once more this morning. Once you’ve lived with an ingrown toenail and then had the procedure to fix it, you see what a good toe feels like. You see how nice it is to wear shoes without pain. It’s a comfort to know you don’t have to worry about someone accidentally stepping on it all the time.
I only have three more weeks of soaking and bandages to go!
Posted by tami at 11:26 PM Comments (4)
June 29, 2006
The Suburban
I had another dream. This one did not include dead people from my past; however, it did pose an ethical question.
I dreamed that I was driving my parent’s Suburban and it needed gas. I pulled in to a small-time gas station on Lexington Avenue and pulled over at one of the full-service pumps. The attendant came out. I told him I wanted $50 in gas and he went about his business. I actually had $51 in cash, but my plan was to tip him a dollar.
I sat there in the car until he finally came back. He looks at me and kinda laughs out arrogantly, “I hope you brought your checkbook.” Without saying anything, I gaze over to the meter where I see that $83 in gas has gone into the vehicle. I didn’t say anything to the attendant, but got out of the car and went straight in to talk with his boss.
I told the boss what had happened. I also told him if his attendant had stayed there by the pump to watch the meter, this wouldn’t have actually happened. He gave me a cocky look and told me I still had to pay.
I decided that I would pay, but not until the car had sat there, still at the pump, until late into the night. My hope was, though they were small-time, they would still potentially loose some business and this would teach them a lesson.
End of dream.
I thought this dream was interesting in many ways. My parents don’t own a Suburban and as far as I know, there are no full-service pumps here in Winchester anymore. I have no idea why I had this particular dream. I have not been to the gas station lately and I have not read any books or seen any movies with gas stations in them.
It did pose the question, “What would I really do?” What would anyone really do if this happened to them? It’s not a fair situation and yet, you do have that gas in your car.
Posted by tami at 9:15 AM Comments (2)
June 28, 2006
Pet Parade
Last night, the Library had a Pet Parade for anyone in town who had a pet and wanted to come.
Guido had never been to the library, so I don’t know how he knew when we got out of the car that we were headed in the building, but he did! He dragged me all the way inside, so he was huffing and puffing by the time we were in the proper room. You could hear his heavy breathing the entire time.
Ashley is waiting for the parade to begin:
Sydnee and Ashley watched him get lots of attention:
Jesse found a friend:
Daddy carried him out when it was time to go home:
He was one tired pug.
Posted by tami at 11:59 AM Comments (1)
June 27, 2006
My Friend Laurie
I dreamed Ashley and I were in a school. It was a school I was unfamiliar with. Not that it makes any difference, but we were there looking at pictures of relatives up on the gym wall. They were projecting them so that everyone in the room could view the photos. My sister was there with us and she kept commenting, “Our kids weren’t in that picture either.”
This is what I think is the important part:
I saw my friend Laurie, my friend Laurie who I told you about years ago, but I never mentioned her name. My friend Laurie who was murdered many years ago. My friend Laurie who I haven’t dreamed of in a long, long time. Yes, she was there! I saw her walk into the main office and I jumped up from my seated position on the floor. When she left the office to leave, I caught her eye. We looked at each other and she smiled. She had such a pretty smile. I said to her, “You never call me anymore.”
She said, I can’t quite remember what she said, something like, “You know why.” I told her that I had seen her daughter. Then I clarified WHICH daughter, because in my dream, her middle daughter was dead. Laurie gave me a knowing nod. We walked out together laughing and smiling at each other and then she was leaving and I didn’t try to stop her. In my dream it was okay that she just walked off.
Now that I’m awake, I’m thinking, why didn’t I keep her there longer? It was so GOOD to see her. She looked healthy and pretty and she had such good color to her face. The only odd part was that she was alive and her daughter was dead.
Do you think people who are gone know when we dream about them? Do you think they know how happy it makes us to see them if only for a minute? Do you think they know the things that are happening where they left off?
Posted by tami at 11:34 AM Comments (3)
June 26, 2006
Shuffle
Last night we did something for the first time as a family.
We played Rummy:
We had played with Andrew before, but not Andrew AND Ashley.
Ashley has been playing card games like UNO since she was about three and she’s good at them. I always thought Rummy was a little complicated (yea, right) so I never bothered teaching her how to play.
To my surprise, Andrew taught her to play Rummy a while back. Oh, he taught her how to play Poker too (which I don’t even know how to play)!
I would love to learn how to play Bridge.
Posted by tami at 10:53 AM Comments (1)
June 22, 2006
Cornflakes
Ashley had a friend over, so they played in the pool all day. Normally I enjoy laying out some, but it was so hot, I stayed in the pool too.
*****
I am dying to share an easy cookie recipe with you:
No-Bake Cornflake Cookies
Ingredients:
1 c. light corn syrup
1 c. sugar
1 c. peanut butter
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
6 1/2 c. cornflakes
Directions:
Bring sugar and syrup to a boil. Stir continuously. Take off heat. Add peanut butter, butter, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Pour the cornflakes in a large bowl. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the cornflakes. Stir until all cornflakes are well coated.
Drop large spoons of the cookie mixture on wax paper. Let them sit for 2 hours.
They are wonderful!!
Posted by tami at 5:54 PM Comments (2)
June 21, 2006
An Odd Position
Did you ever think while watching Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) on Sex and the City, “Oh, people can’t really type on their computer in those positions! How awkward that would be!”
I used to think so myself, but Ashley enjoys typing like this:
I wonder how bad that is for her neck and back.
Posted by tami at 10:51 AM Comments (1)
June 20, 2006
It WOULD Be Cheaper ...
I am so mad at myself! I made a big mistake a month ago and I’ve done it to myself again! Here goes:
Kevin and I have Cingular Wireless. We can talk “phone to phone” (from his phone to my phone) all day long if we want and it’s free. These minutes do not count. They do not cost us a dime.
We only have about 500 free calling minutes though. (This is not the exact amount. Kevin knows, but he is not here to ask.) The second you use up those free minutes, they start billing.
500 minutes would seem like an “outrageously huge amount of minutes” and “no one could ever really use that many minutes could they?” – but it’s not.
When you’re leaving Winchester and get a call, and then still have that same call while driving through Lexington – that’s a long call. An important exchange of words must be going on, right? Not on your life!
For me, nine times out of ten, I do not receive important calls. I receive calls that go like this:
“Where are you?”
Kroger
“What are you doing?”
Buying milk.
“When are you going to be home?”
As soon as I’m finished here.
“Hmmm.”
Yea, that was a life-threatening conversation. What you don’t see is me squeezing the phone closed as if it were that person’s head while making a very ugly face. It makes me feel better …
My problem was I was trying to be nice. See, I figured that if someone has a cell, they would prefer to call another cell and not a home phone number. Yes, I now realize that that theory makes no sense. Nevertheless, that is what I thought. Therefore, when someone gave me their cell number, I would give them mine too; no home number, just the cell.
So you see, it is totally my fault when I get all these calls on my cell and then my bill is $30 over one month and then $50 over this month. It makes me sick.
I will have to change my game plan this month. See, when my bill was $30 over, I told people. I specifically told them not to call unless it was an emergency. It is apparent to me now that I am dealing with people who do not have any idea WHAT an emergency actually IS.
This month when my phone rings, I will politely ask friends to call my home phone and then give them the number (it is unlisted). As I’ve explained, it is not their fault they are calling my cell. If it is someone who has my home phone – I will let it ring. That’s my strategy. We will see how it works and how strong my will is not to answer it when it rings.
**People have suggested I change plans. That’s an idea, but hopefully, I can curb my calls and keep this cheaper plan.
Posted by tami at 10:34 AM Comments (1)
June 16, 2006
Cheapside
Walking in downtown Lexington, we saw some interesting things. One of them was these decorative ornaments:
If they had sold them, I would have bought one.
We had lunch at Cheapside Bar and Grill:
Kevin and I had the Italian Grill:
It had Honey baked ham, Genoa salami, Mozzarella cheese, tomato, shredded lettuce and a zesty Italian dressing grilled on herb Foccacia bread. I had never heard of that bread before today, but I won’t be forgetting it any time soon. It was wonderful. I will definitely eat there again!
I was finally able to take a picture of this artistic fountain:
Our trip wouldn’t have been complete had we missed visiting the Friends Book Cellar. No, I didn’t need one more book, however that fact did not deter me one iota. I purchased:
Angela's Ashes: A Memoir by: Frank McCourt
The World According to Garp by: John Irving
The Cider House Rules by: John Irving
Irish Blessings by: Kitty Nash
I do realize that some of these books were made into movies. I haven’t seen any of them though and have no clue what they are about.
You would think four new books would satisfy my appetite. Nope. I’ll be visiting Wal-Mart very shortly and buying: The Rapture by: Tim F. LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. I want to start it tonight!
Posted by tami at 4:58 PM Comments (4)
June 14, 2006
Sometimes They're Bad
I haven’t had a really bad dream in a long time. Last night, though, I had a horrible one. In fact, I am still shaking my head over it.
I dreamed that Andrew had his entire right hand removed.
Let the horror of that sentence absorb.
My sister agreed to let him baby sit this summer if he agreed to have his hand cut off. (No, that doesn’t make any sense, but that was the dream.)
I clearly remember he had a white bandage wrapped around a stump and was lying here at home in his bed.
All sorts of horrible things went through my head – things he would no longer be able to do with ease. I felt like crying. I felt like screaming. Typing it for this post makes me want to cry again. It was a nightmare.
Only when I awoke did it occur to me that he wouldn’t even want to play his keyboard. I opened my eyes and assured myself it was only a dream and then I thanked the Lord repeatedly.
This dream was so real to me. Sometimes bad dreams like this are hard for me to shake and I don’t know why. Not knowing why I had it might cause uneasiness. However, I do know exactly why I had this dream.
FOX is showing season 2 reruns of House which Kevin and I missed the first time around. On last night’s episode, a guy had his entire hand amputated because it was rotting off. It bothered me when I saw it on the show – the actual amputation and him holding up a bandaged stump at the end, but I didn’t say anything.
I guess I now know how much it bothered me. It’s horrifying.
Posted by tami at 9:21 AM Comments (1)
June 12, 2006
I Love You Just The Way You Are
In September of 2003, I sent the makers of Jergens Face Cream an email. I had a full jar that I use to remove my eye make-up, but I wanted to know, when I ran out, where I could buy more.
They responded quickly and efficiently giving me the names of a few drugstores where their product could be purchased. I moved this email to my “saved” folder for future reference.
About two months ago, I ran out of the face cream (it is a very large jar and well worth the $5). I knew I wouldn’t find it at Wal-Mart or K-Mart and I thought for sure I remembered the email saying CVS sold it.
I went in CVS and searched and searched with no luck at all. Knowing that I had to have something to remove my eye make-up, I bought Ponds. When I ran out of Jergens once before, I used Ponds and it took my eye make-up off just fine. It wasn’t near as thick as the Jergens, but it did the job.
This time, the Ponds still took my eye make-up off, but it also started making me break out around my eyes. It didn’t have that effect the time before, but I’m older now. I knew that I had to look for that old email and make sure they said CVS was the right drugstore to find the Jergens.
After some searching, I found the email and to my surprise and delight, saw that Rite Aid and Walgreens were the stores mentioned. I got in the car and went to Rite Aid (we don’t have a Walgreens yet). They had two jars on the shelf, so I bought both! I don’t want to run out anytime soon!
I hate it when I find a product I love and then the company discontinues it! Thank the Lord this is not the case with my Jergens!
Back in April of 2005, I wrote this post about another product: Don't Go Changing To Try And Please Me
To this day, I still receive comments on that post. Not including my responses, I think I have 87 comments and counting. It’s amazing how much we depend on certain products. I hope these companies are listening.
I would be interested to know what product you can’t live without. Leave me a comment :)
Posted by tami at 10:43 AM Comments (2)
June 11, 2006
Back In May ...
A new Gallery is now open. I believe these were taken on May 13.
Posted by tami at 8:50 PM Comments (0)
June 10, 2006
Home From Camp
Selena and Andrew leaving for camp:
Andrew made it back home safely from JROTC camp yesterday. He said he had a great time and would definitely do it again.
He told me one of the first things they did was to demonstrate how to make a bed correctly. I teased Andrew that it probably took him 20 minutes to make his bed (since he never does it at home). He said, “No, it only took about 30 seconds.” I didn’t believe him until he explained that they did the demonstration using HIS bed. He told me that he slept on top of the blankets for the remainder of the week so that he wouldn’t have to make it back up again.
He said when they blew the air horn on the first morning, it about made him pee his pants. If this were me, I think I would have slept on pins and needles the entire time. I hate hearing an alarm clock in the morning. I can’t even imagine an air horn! He was up at 4 or 5 AM every morning and bedtime was at 10:00.
He was involved in the following:
*land navigation (maps)
*rock wall climb (he was tied to a partner and then blindfolded during the climb)
* Giant Swing (jump off a giant pole in a swing)
* One Rope Bridge (two large poles are attached by a rope and you have to make it from one side to the other without touching the ground)
* Aid & Litter Carry (getting people on stretchers from one place to another)
*He had to copy four different types of swimming that were demonstrated by the instructor
*running – lots and lots of running, marching, push-ups, sit-ups
*had to complete a physical fitness test
One day he had to go to the end of the lunch line because he didn’t take his hat off quickly enough when he entered the building.
I think this discipline is good for him, but I’m happy he’s home.
Posted by tami at 8:10 PM Comments (1)
June 9, 2006
Tina
*My sister, Jennifer, relayed the following story to me last week. I hope you will find it as funny as I did.
Before I start though, you need to know this:
My son, Andrew, had gone out for a run.
Since buzzing all of his hair off, a lot of people have to get a double take before they recognize him. Add sunglasses and a ball cap and he is in disguise.
Here is Jennifer’s story:
She said she went over to my mom’s for a visit. While there, mom told her the oddest thing had happened. She said that some guy had run by, across the street, waving his hands at her, as if he knew who she was, yelling, “Tina! Tina!” Mom said the guy really thought she was someone else named Tina. So she waved back.
Well, Jennifer put two and two together. She told mom he wasn’t yelling, “TINA, TINA”, it was Andrew yelling, “NENA! NENA!”
Posted by tami at 11:29 AM Comments (2)
June 8, 2006
Happy 37th Birthday, Kevin!
He mows the yard:
He cooks in the rain:
Volunteers:
Makes purses:
Sews dresses:
On this dress in particular, he made the dress, apron, pantaloons, and cap.
Does hair whenever asked:
This includes coloring, perms, and cutting.
Gives swimming lessons:
Paints with ease:
Knows how to crochet:
Puts things together – he even reads the directions from start to finish!
He does all this, plus much, much more than I could ever convey. He is my Superman.
**For those of you on dial-up, I apologize. I know there are a TON of pictures. They should have been put in a photo gallery, BUT guess who creates the galleries for me. That’s right, Kevin! I wanted to surprise him with these photos,
so I couldn’t possibly ask him to create a gallery for me! You understand.
Posted by tami at 10:46 AM Comments (2)
June 7, 2006
The Nametag
As you know, I am babysitting Jesse and Sydnee this week and taking them to VBS. They are enjoying themselves immensely.
Each morning when they arrive, they are given a huge sticker with their name on it. They put this nametag on their shirt so that all the teachers will know who they are.
I just let them keep the stickers on once we got back to my house. No problem, right? Wrong!
Sydnee was playing with Ashley in her room and Jesse was on my bed watching TV, so I thought I would get on the computer for a few minutes. I had only been on the computer a short while when I heard Jesse say, “Look, Aunt Tami.” I looked and saw this:
Do you see that thing wrapped tightly around Church’s tail? Yep. That’s her nametag!
Doesn’t he look thrilled!
Posted by tami at 9:17 AM Comments (3)
June 6, 2006
Winchester History
I was never fond of studying history. Although I am particularly interested in some events (the Holocaust and the sinking of the Titanic), there are many things in history books I could care less about. It’s a shame, but that’s the truth.
I have a friend who is a great historian here in Winchester. She can give you dates, places, events, ancestors, and so forth of the people here. Many, many times I have described a house on a particular street and she has given me the entire history of the people who lived in that house. She has an uncanny ability to remember these details. In fact, I told you about her at Christmas, only then, I focused on her artistic abilities. She is truly a brilliant person and I am blessed to have her friendship.
She makes history FUN. Can you imagine? I enjoy listening to her stories and I always want more. Maybe it’s because she is telling me about local history; about the people who lived in houses I see daily. I don’t know about that, but I do know it’s a good thing that she makes me crave more.
I found some pictures of Winchester back in the day and you know how I LOVE pictures. I would have added them directly to this post, but I worry about copyright laws. Therefore, here are links to some of the cool photos I found on the web:
I wish I could tell which building this is. Unbelievably, things have changed so much it’s hard to tell. Downtown Building
Here is a bed & breakfast: House on Belmont
Another bed & breakfast: Guerrant Mountain Mission Bed & Breakfast
There are PAGES of pictures on this site: Clark County KyGenWeb In fact, this is the best site for information I have seen. If you’re interested in Winchester’s history, this is the place to start! I have learned about people who were killed by trains, tornadoes, “African accidents”, gunshot wounds and a great deal more. This site even has stories of slaves. It never occurred to me that slaves were bought and sold here. It is interesting reading.
And here's one more neat site: Kentucky Genealogy Records
Posted by tami at 11:02 AM Comments (2)
June 5, 2006
Wig
I don’t think I ever mentioned that Andrew’s place of employment went out of business (here in Winchester) a while back. However, he does have a summer job. He is babysitting four days a week for his two 4-year-old cousins (Jesse and Sydnee). If you look through the photo gallery, you will see pictures of them.
I mention this because this week I am watching them. Andrew leaves for JROTC camp this afternoon and won’t return until sometime Friday. I lucked out though. Vacation Bible School is all this week at our church. I signed them up to go with Ashley. They won’t be in her class, but I think they will enjoy knowing she is there. I will pick them up from home each day and have them at the church by 8:30. Then, I will return at 12:00 to pick them back up and bring them home for lunch. If it’s hot enough, I may take them for a swim – we’ll see.
Kids are naturally funny, especially at their age. If you listen and carry on conversations with them, you will hear some hilarious things. A few nights ago, they came for a visit and brought this long, blonde wig. I have no idea where it came from, but they had fun posing for funny photos.
Jesse:
Sydnee:
Posted by tami at 10:32 AM Comments (1)
June 4, 2006
Liquids
Yesterday, Ashley celebrated her 10th birthday. Her only request was going to Jacobson Park to play. Fortunately, for us, it was an absolutely gorgeous day!
Guido shocked us all by doing something that he had never done before – he peed on the leg of Kevin’s blue jeans as soon as we had settled into our chairs. We can only figure there were so many dog smells; he didn’t notice where the pee was landing.
We had only been at the park 20 minutes when Ashley decided she had to ride a paddle boat. She had never ridden one before, so Kevin took her while I stayed with Guido.
They were out on the water for a while, but when we spotted them coming back, my dad made the comment that Kevin must be hot because he saw him wiping his face off. As Kevin approached, we saw that he was sopping wet. Come to find out, as he stepped off the side of the boat, it sunk and he fell off into the water – blue jeans, tennis shoes, wallet and all! He was completely soaked. Somehow, none of us witnessed the incident.
He was peed on.
He was dunked.
He was still a happy camper. That’s my Kevin.
Posted by tami at 5:04 PM Comments (1)
June 2, 2006
Unrestrained
While driving through the streets of Lexington we noticed people standing at every bus stop we passed. We must have been passing by at scheduled bus stop times because normally we see no one waiting for a bus. It’s nice to know they are getting riders; it was only a few years back when they were hurting for business and had to cut routes.
I saw something that made me curious though. Two women were waiting for a bus and they each had a baby in their arms. There was no car seat or baby carrier.
I find it very curious that the bus system does not have to enforce any child restraint laws. This goes for the school system also. Every day I saw children riding busses that, had they been in a car, would legally have had to be in a car seat. What is the difference? Car seats are even required on airplanes, so why not a bus that makes frequent stops.
Posted by tami at 8:23 PM Comments (6)
June 1, 2006
New Store
This is one that I had never seen before:
A store that sells new husbands has just opened in New York City, where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates.
You may visit the store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the attributes of the men increase as the shopper ascends the flights.
There is, however, a catch: you may choose any man from a particular floor, or you may choose to go up a floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!
So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband.
On the first floor the sign on the door reads:
Floor 1- These men have jobs.
The second floor sign reads:
Floor 2 - These men have jobs and love kids.
The third floor sign reads:
Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love kids, and are extremely good looking. "Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.
She goes to the fourth floor and sign reads:
Floor 4 - These men have jobs, love kids, are drop-dead good looking and help with the housework.
"Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims, "I can hardly stand it!"
Still, she goes to the fifth floor and sign reads:
Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love kids, are drop-dead gorgeous, help with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak.
She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor and the sign
reads:
Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor.
There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please.
Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.
A new WIVES store opened across the street.
The first floor has wives that love sex.
The second floor has wives that love sex and have money.
The third through sixth floors have never been visited.
Posted by tami at 9:52 AM Comments (2)