Monday, May 31, 2010

Thank You!

Howdy Ya'll!


It is Memorial day - and it is only fitting to take the time to thank all of the men and women that have served in the military to keep America safe.  You have bravery and courage that I can't even imagine.  Thank you for putting your life on the line everyday to allow us to go on living ours.




Be sure and honor those who have served today.


Toodles!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Over or Under: The Great Debate

Howdy Ya'll!

I have a very important question to ask you guys...

...when you put a new roll of toilet paper on the holder, do you put it under or over?

I am an over person myself and I am pretty anal about it.  To me, the paper looks better because it is not hanging down the wall and it also seems like it is easier to grab.  See Exhibit A.

Exhibit A

My husband seems to be an under person.  He has changed out two rolls in the past couple of days and each of them were under.  And, like I said, I am pretty anal about and I switch them immediately.  See Exhibit B.

Exhibit B

So, now it is your turn to decide?  Are you an over or an under person?

Toodles!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Almost Perfect Day

Howdy Ya'll!

My day was almost perfect today and the only thing that could have made it better is if I could have seen my other great friends and family.  I actually had a different blog post subject all ready to go today, but it will come up tomorrow.  By ready to laugh a lot.  :)

Here are the reasons why the day was almost perfect:

  • I didn't work today!  Today was the start of my 4-day weekend.  Woo Hoo!  I didn't get up until 6:30 which is way late for me.  And, that was GREAT.
  • My friend Rhonda and I spent the day scrapbooking.  I wish I could do it every Friday - but, unfortunately, work says no.  :)
The Cricut and Laptop set up for prime scrapbooking

Oh, what a mess it makes.

Just an example of a page completed

  • Then, Rhonda and I went to The Station for lunch.  Oh my, so good!  And, we got a cupcake from Kupcakes.  See a previous post to see my love for these places.
  • We also kind-of planned a trip to Walt Disney World next December with The Polls (that's us!), The Teffs (my bestie and her family) and The Berrys (Rhonda and her family).  You can't believe how much I love, love, love, love, love, love, love that place.  It makes me so happy!
The Monorail traveling through Epcot

When I get to WDW, I revert to a 7 year old kid!
  • AT&T came today and installed UVerse - and right now as I am typing this, I am enjoying the benefits of a faster internet and HBO On Demand.  I am watching Season 2 of True Blood which I haven't watched yet!!  I love UVerse already!!
  • Tony and I drove down to Fayetteville this afternoon after the UVerse man left - and we picked up my birthday present...an iPad!  Yippee!  I think we are Apple freaks...we have an iMac, 2 iPhones and an iPad.
I even got a cute little pink case for it.
  • Since we were down in Fayetteville, we ate at one of my favorite places in Northwest Arkansas...The Catfish Hole, where you can eat as much catfish and fixins as you want...which may require you to be rolled out the door at the end of the meal.
Yum-O!

A little piece of heaven in a mouthful...Hushpuppies.  I told Tony I could eat 100 of these.

  • As we paid, I picked up a Tootsie Roll Pop, orange flavored, and enjoyed it on the ride home.  Did you guys ever hear the rumor that if you found a star on your wrapper that you got a free Pop?  Well, it's not true - I actually googled it tonight...but, my wrapper was null and void of the star tonight anyways.

The day has been great - and I am going to carry on that theme and set up my iPad, play a little Words with Friends, watch some True Blood and read some of Laura Bush's biography.

Toodles.



Thursday, May 27, 2010

Motivation

Howdy Ya'll!

My life has been hectic lately...working until 9 pm and then getting up at 5 am and repeating the cycle.  No Bueno!  With all of the craziness, there was never a moment (or motivation) to work out.

Life has settled down lately - so now I need to find some motivation to work out.  Does anyone else have this problem?  Does anyone want to be my motivation partner?  I help you, you help me??

I need to start having a love/hate relationship with my treadclimber.  I have this great piece of machinery in my house and I NEVER use it.  I used to use this thing all the time...I would watch DVR'd shows or movies and just walk and walk and walk.  It really it great...like walking in sand.


And, honestly if I get bored of the treadclimber - I also have Wii "games" and lots and lots of videos.  So, much to choose from.


Just a sample of the DVDs I have.

Of course, I could also just use the Yoga mat and hand weights...just like bootcamp last year.  So many options...


My absolute favorite form of exercise is biking...I don't have a fancy bike...just a Schwinn from Walmart.  I really, really, really love doing this, but I do NOT like doing this alone.  I do need to get back on it though and get my butt prepared for the pain.  We are going to Hilton Head Island this summer and they have over 50 miles of bike trails that I want to try out.



I used to have a workout buddy, a friend from high school, that actually lived up here.  I miss Julie!  (why, oh why, did she have to move back to Dallas)??  So, now I need motivation...

So, your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to tell me what gets you motivated and to tell me your favorite form of exercise and why. 

Let's get to working out - and love/hating it.  :)

Toodles.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Ya'll may think I am crazy...but, I am just a planner

Howdy Ya'll!

I believe everyone knows we are adopting...and if you didn't know, well - now you know too.  :)  We are in the waiting phase...waiting on a birth mom to pick us and you never know how long it will take.  It could be just a few weeks or it could be a year...your guess is as good as mine.  But, I think I need to be as prepared as possible...

...so, I am going to give you a sneak peak into the beginnings of our nursery.  Seriously, you may think I am crazy - but, we have had this furniture in our garage for awhile now and Tony couldn't park there...and we don't use the room for anything right now anyway...so we moved all the furniture in.

Because we are never 100% sure what gender we will be adopting - we have gone gender neutral (but, that does not mean yellow and green).  I got to go with my favorite color...orange!  (and green and turquoise blue too)!

Below are some pictures - and there will be some wall decorations that will come along too...but, I don't have those finished yet.  I have bought some large square frames from IKEA with a matte - and I plan on getting a few yards of the fabrics we have used and I will cover the matte with the fabric.  I am not sure what I will put in the middle of the frames yet...maybe owls.

Here are the pics...enjoy!  (And any suggestions to make it better are welcome!!!)

The corner bookcase...don't you love that alligator and piggy bank?

The bed...I love those white polka dots on the orange.

The inside of the bed...I really love this!

The dresser - and the room wouldn't be complete without a Longhorn or two.

The changing table...ignore that ugly sticker that I have to get off.

An awesome glider rocker that I got second hand...I scored big time!

A view of most of the room.

Hope you had a good visit to our nursery.

Toodles!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Picky, Picky, Picky

Howdy Ya'll!

I think growing up, I was the world's pickiest eater...but now that I am grown, maybe I am just the nation's pickiest eater.  :)  For those of you that have known me since I was a child, you know all about my food weirdness!!

I came up with this blog topic while I was eating dinner tonight (which was chicken, cream corn and ranch style beans).  Because of the juice of the cream corn and ranch style beans, this meal always causes a bit of an issue in my house.  If foods have the ability to touch, I am OUT.  So, when I eat these foods together, it requires a plate for the chicken, a bowl for the corn and a bowl for the beans...ridiculous, I know.  I really need one of these...

I have at least gotten better when eating a meal because I used to eat one thing at a time - and at least I have grown out of that.  (Man, I can't believe I am admitting all of these picky habits that I have).

Below are some of the other picky things around food:
  • I do NOT eat anything with bones.  Blah!  Ribs - out!  Chicken leg - out!  That stuff freaks me out.  I think it was the years of dissecting things in biology classes in high school and college.
  • I don't like most "P" fruits - peaches, pears, pineapples, Oh My!
  • I only like to eat carrots raw...not cooked!
  • I can't even touch mustard...if my husband asked me to make him a sandwich, he has to be on his death bed before I touch that yucky yellow stuff.
  • Vegetables belong in a salad (which I love), but not on a sandwich or burger.
You might think from this list that I am crazy, but you would be amazed that I am so much better than I used to be.  I have branched out a ton!  I mean, hello, before I would never even eat Mexican food (I ordered chicken strips), but now it is my favorite!

I hope I am not alone - what food issues do you have?

Toodles!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

The "Greg"

Howdy Ya'll!

This post is a special gift to my big "brother", Greg Gunnels.  Technically, he is not my brother - but, he is close enough to it.  His sister, Crystal, has been one of my best friends since I was a little girl - and I have spent lots and lots and lots of time around Greg and really the whole Gunnels family.

The reason why this post is dedicated to Greg is because he tends to have his mouth open in most pictures because he is being goofy and that is just the way he is...so the following pictures are paying a tribute to Greg!  Love ya Greg...enjoy!


That is Greg in the background in a secret garden maze in England when we all went on a trip about 14 years ago.  And, check it out...the mouth is wide open!  :)

So, today - Bertha, my dogs, my bestie's little boy Kennon and I all got in on the action and did the "Greg"!

Me and Bertha doing the "Greg"

Toby even got in on the action

Roxy, not so much!

And, Kennon had a half "Greg" going.

This was all done in fun today - and I hope I got a lot of people laughing the are friends or family of Greg's...or even complete strangers to Greg.

Toodles!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Confidence

Howdy Ya'll!

Short post tonight since I got home late, but I have a friend, David Storms, who thinks I am cocky...but, really I am just confident about certain things!  :)  However, my "cockiness" or "confidence" doesn't compare to this little girl.  This video made me laugh...she is too cute and very confident!



Enjoy - toodles!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

This is...American Idol

Howdy Ya'll!

Since American Idol is a guilty pleasure for many people, so I thought, why not blog about it?

When and why did I start watching American Idol?
I remember that my little sister, Ashley, calling me before the season finale of season 1 begging me to watch and to vote for Kelly Clarkson.  I thought it was so funny that she called so I did her the favor, watched the show, voted and became hooked on one of the biggest shows in American history.

Which Idol contestants have I seen in person?
Because I work for Walmart, I have had the pleasure of seeing many of the Idol contestants over the years and I have only paid to see one perfomance (and I didn't even pay to see just him) and the rest have been completely free!

Carrie Underwood - I have seen her in concert twice...once with Rascal Flatts after she released her first album (shortly after Idol) and the second with Keith Urban.  She has a beautiful voice, cute personality, but she is not the most fun to see in concert because she basically just stands there and sings.  And, when you have a person like Keith Urban right after you...he makes you look like an amateur.  However, I will say that she was much better than Rascal Flatts.


Taylor Hicks - Since Taylor Hicks' season, we have had the pleasure to see the winner of each season since at our annual Walmart Shareholder Meeting.  I am sure he sang a couple of songs - he was never my favorite.  And, as I mentioned above, he is the only one I have paid any money to see - however, I paid the money to see Grease a couple of weeks ago and he just happened to be playing Teen Angel.


Kris Allen and Jordin Sparks - Again, I saw them at the Shareholders Meeting performing a couple of songs.  When Kris came, he sang by himself and he also sang with Smokey Robinson who looked like he was in a silver astronaut's uniform, but that is a different story.  :)

David Cook - He has also performed at the Shareholders Meeting, but he has also been to one of our Saturday Morning Meetings.  That meeting was probably my favorite of the 10 years I have been employed at Walmart.  The executives split into teams and had a rock band competition - and the singer for Lee Scott's, the CEO at the time, band was David Cook.  They had American Idol style judging - and Randy Jackson was even there to judge.  As Randy was walking you, he actually said "What's Up?" to me...how cool is that!


Jennifer Hudson - After winning an Oscar, she also came and sang at a Shareholder's Meeting.  She has a great voice, but I am really not a fan of her music.  It is too Adult Contemporary to me.

Daughtry - Last year, Daughtry came and performed a concert with Foreigner.  I totally went for Daughtry only and wasn't interested in Foreigner - but, at the end of the night, I was still at fan of Daughtry and became a total fan of Foreigner!

What contestants have I had a crush on?
There have been two during all the seasons of American Idol that I have had a crush on - and the first crush was probably a little more severe than the second one because I could not stop talking about him.

Bo Bice!  I could not stop talking about him...his performances, his faith, his personality, etc.  It was ridiculous...it was like I was a 12-year old school girl again.  I really can't believe I am admitting this for all to see.


And of course, Casey James!  Who could not have a crush on him...his hair is gorgeous!  He seems like a quiet kind of guy and I wish the best for him.  He is a little bit of eye candy for me, but I am afraid he is going home tonight.

Who are some of my favorite idol contestants from previous seasons?
Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Undewood, Elliott Yamin, Bo Bice, Daughtry and Adam Lambert

Who is my least favorite winner?
Fantasia Barrino - Seriously, I don't know how she won.  She drives me insane with her squeaky voice.  Boo to that winner!

So, now that you know some Idol facts/opinions from me - I have to say that my Idol watching days are coming to an end.  Next week is Simon's last day on American Idol and I can't see watching the show without him.  He is the best thing about the show besides the contestants.  As, I watch the end of my American Idol watching days, I will be cheering on Crystal Bowersox!

Toodles!

Monday, May 17, 2010

You have been pulled over by the fashion police...

Howdy Ya'll -
My bestie Laura requested this topic today - so I thought I would oblige.  :)  Because I work at the corporate headquarters of the world's largest company and I love to travel - I see lots and lots of really bad fashion.  So, in true David Letterman style, I am going to give you my top 10 list and I will issue a public apology now to any of those I offend because you have committed one of the crimes on my top 10 list.  HA!

#10 - Monochromatic Styles
I really do think that wearing all black is very classy - and I love it, but I like to usually punch it up with a fun colorful scarf or something.  But, I don't think you are breaking a rule if you wear all black.

However, when you wear a brown shirt, brown sweater vest, brown skirt, brown tights, brown socks, brown boots (where the brown socks can be seen) and a brown belt...you have gone too far!  Seriously, there are tons of colors that match brown...choose one, throw it in and create a splash in your wardrobe.

#9 - Dramatic Colored Tights
I know that I just mentioned that you should throw in a color or two when you are wearing your clothes, but lets not go back to the 80s tights.  Unless you are an alien or dressing up for Halloween, I don't think purple, blue and green are a natural color to wear on your legs.


#8 - Sequins
Sequins are not appropriate for work!  Let me repeat again, sequin are not appropriate for work - unless you work the pole.  I always wonder why people try and get away with this trend at work...

#7 - Wearing something crazy on your head just so people will think you are silly
GUILTY of this one!  :)


And, for those of you that think my sweater would get me pulled over the by fashion police - I think it looks hot, so don't judge!  :)

#6 - Corsets
Unless you are making a movie about the Civil War or a period prior to that, corsets are not appropriate...especially when you wear them on the outside of your shirt at WORK.  What in the world. We called the girl that wore it...Corset Girl.  I know, how original...

#5 - Wearing a Jacket, just because
So, if you think that wearing a jacket makes you look more professional - check your outfit before you put it on.  If you already have on a plaid button up shirt with a pair of khaki slacks with black shoes - the navy blue pin striped suit jacket you asked your wife to bring you to word does not make you look professional, only silly.

#4 - Blue Hair and a Wallet Chain
Even if you work in the creative area at Walmart, I still don't think it is appropriate for blue spiked hair, baggy jeans and a wallet chain.  Yikes!  I am pretty sure the dress code calls for a conservative hair color and the last time I checked, blue is not on the list.

#3 - Patches
I could have combined this with #5, but it really does deserve it's own recognition.  Patches on a tweed jacket screams vintage and ugly vintage at that.  Stay far, far away.

#2 - No Pants
If you are a friend of mine on facebook, you may have already seen this one - my bestie Laura and I saw many, many people in New York City that thought leggings didn't require pants.  This is unacceptable!

And the #1 is....3-D Cat Sweaters
I cannot make this up!  There was a lady at work that would wear a sweater that looked like it had decapitated cat heads (stuffed animals) sewn all over the sweater.  There was even one by her shoulder that had a jeweled collar.  I really wish that I had a picture of this to share...but I am just not so lucky.  Sorry to disappoint.

Like I said, I don't mean to offend - but, I wanted to share some of the crimes I have witnessed!

Toodles!


Sunday, May 16, 2010

ACTIVATION!!!

Howdy Ya'll!

My husband and I are adopting a baby - and we are about to be activated.  You all may not have a clue what that means so I will give you a peak into the adoption process.

We decided right after Valentine's Day that we wanted to adopt and we contacted American Adoptions out of Kansas City.  We had researched adoption agencies in the past, but we had just been reluctant to pull the trigger.  We had three things to complete before we became activated.

Adoption Profile Questionnaire
American Adoptions has two tracks you pick from when you adopt - there is a Traditional Program and an Agency Assisted Program.  The Agency Assisted program includes any mix of African American and the Traditional Program includes all other races.  With the Questionnaire, we had to decide which program to join and Tony and I decided to join the Traditional Program.

On the questionnaire, you also had to pick what kind of situations you would adopt (which includes choosing races, medical history of family and birth mom, etc) and your budget for the adoption.  We decided that we would adopt any race or combination of races within the Traditional Program and we were somewhat open on the medical history of the birth family.  After we completely filled the questionnaire out and turned it back into the agency, we had a conference call with the agency to discuss our preferences.  The agency liked what they saw on our questionnaire and told us that once we were activated, our profile would be seen by 30-35 birth moms a month.

Adoptive Family Profile
The profile is our way of communicating to birth moms as she will choose an adoptive family based on what we write.  This was much harder to write than I imagined because it means so much - we wanted it to be different than the average adoptive families' profile so we would stand out among the crowd.

We had to include about 50-55 pictures of the two of us and had to answer the following questions or create the following statements:

  1. Profile Introduction:  Every introduction that we saw started off with "Thank you so much for reading our profile..." so we went totally out of the ordinary and started with a Dr. Seuss quote instead.
  2. Tell Us About Your Extended Family
  3. Tell Us About Your House, Neighborhood and Community
  4. How has Adoption affected your life?  I was adopted so I was able to tell my own story.
  5. What are your favorite childhood memories?
  6. A letter to the birth parents
We actually wrote on more topics than this - however, the agency picks the best of the topics we have submitted and they create the profile.

This is not quite activated yet - but, here is the website you can check out in just a few days to see our adoptive family profile.

http://www.americanadoptions.com/family_profile/index/fp_id/11068

Home Study
For the Home Study, we had to get several clearances to make sure we weren't bad people.  :)  These clearances included an FBI check, Arkansas State Police Check and a Sex Offender Check.  

We also had to gather lots and lots of paperwork that included our birth certificates, marriage license, references from 4 friends and 1 family member, our 2009 1040 Tax Forms, pet vaccinations and other documentation.

Then, we had a social worker come out to the house for a tour and to interview us.  During her first visit, she stayed for about 2.5 hours and asked us lots and lots of questions.  Then, she came back a couple of weeks later and interview us separately.

She finished up her report last week and submitted it to the agency to say we would be fine parents.  I mean, hello, did you think she would report it any other way?  HA!

Activation
As soon as we sign this activation agreement, get it notarized and FedEx both the agreement and our activation fee, we are activated.  Activation means that our profile that we created will be shared with potential birth moms.  The profiles are shared with birth moms based on their own situation and how it matches with the selections of ours based on our Adoption Profile Questionnaire.

I may struggle with the waiting part of this phase...literally, it could take 1 week for a mom to pick us or over a year.  We have been told because we are willing to adopt a non-caucausian baby and because we don't have children yet that we should be picked earlier rather than later - but who knows.

We would love to have your thoughts and prayers as we continue through this journey.

Thanks for listening - Toodles!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

No Pictures Please...

Howdy Ya'll!
Have you ever been told that you can't take pictures - but, then you get a sense of rebellion and think, I don't care what they say, I am going to take a pictures anyway?  Sometimes, I do rebel, but mostly, I am a big ole' chicken!

For instance, when I was 18, I traveled to England and Scotland with my high school and we went to the Tower of London which among several of their sites are the Crown Jewels.  One of the Crown Jewels is the Royal Sceptre with Star of Africa (a Pear Shaped Diamond that is 530.20 carats).  The Star of Africa was on display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London and we were told NO PHOTOS.  All around the jewels were the guards at the Tower called Beefeaters (pictured below).  So, naturally I followed the rules like a scared chicken and didn't even try to take a picture.  However, my friend Neili snuck a photo or two and got away with it - and all this time, I wondered why I didn't have the guts?  What was the worst thing they could have done to me?
Then, if we fast forward to this week, my friend Rhonda and I were in Target trying to get a picture of their baby area for a project she is working on at work.  Now, just so you know, this happens all the time at the competition all over the United States...Walmart people are going to go into the competition and snapping pictures here and there to get an idea what they are up to, but the folks from Target and other competitors do the exact same thing in our stores.  It is just common practice!

Now, Target has decided to build a store right near the Walmart headquarters and they probably get people taking pictures ALL the time.  Rhonda was trying to grab a picture first and was spotted - so we nonchalantly acted like we were shopping the baby section and tried to wait for the Target employees to scatter.  It appear that the coast was clear so we both went for it again...Rhonda got one picture, but she wanted me to zoom in on the sign with my phone...so, I step up to the plate, start zooming in, snap the picture, but I have this app on my iPhone that stabilizes the picture so it takes some time.  While it is trying to stabilize, I GOT CAUGHT!  "Ma'am, you can't take photos in here" says one of the many Target employees that came out of no where (they were on to us).  And, of course, being the chicken I am, said "Okay, sorry" and Rhonda and I walked out of the store.  I didn't think I got the picture - but, I just noticed today that it did take the photo and that made me laugh.  When we got back to the office, Rhonda's boss told her that she should have asked, "Where is it posted that you can't take pictures?", but for a chicken like me, that is taking it too far.  :)  By the way, for your enjoyment and laughter, here is the picture.

Today, at our monthly Saturday Morning Meeting, we had the pleasure of having Laura Bush, former 1st Lady, speak to our group.  Prior to a couple of months ago, we had free reign to take as many pictures as we wanted of the celebrities that came to the meetings.  Over the past "almost" 10 years, that I have spent at the Walmart Home Office, I have had the opportunity to see LOTS of them and I really enjoyed snapping a picture or two of them.

A week after the Oscars, Sandra Bullock and her jerk of an almost ex-husband, Jesse James, came to the meeting and talked about the DVD release of The Blind Side.  I wasn't able to make this meeting because I had prior obligations, but if I was there, I would have taken several pics because I LOVE her.  She seems so real - like you could be true friends.  As I mentioned above, this was just 6 days after the Oscars and Jesse was with her - and his cheating scandal broke on Monday - so, this meeting was the last time they were seen together publicly.  One of the associates at Walmart decided to give one of their pictures they had taken at the meeting to TMZ...gasp!  And, now - "for the privacy of our guests, there are no pictures allowed."  Big Boo!

My bestie Laura and I had prime seats today - we were on the second row, right in the center and only about 20 feet from Laura Bush.  I would have loved to take a picture today - but, the chicken in me didn't even try for a few of reasons.  1)  There are security cameras everywhere!  2)  There was more Walmart security (and of course lots of Secret Service) in there as usual because of our high-profile guest.  3) Unlike the other situations that I described above, I could have gotten in trouble at work and that would be NO BUENO!

Back to Laura Bush - she seems so gracious, sweet and kind.  She is pretty soft-spoken, but carries herself so well.  She was there promoting her new book which I plan on reading this summer - and I am happy to hear that she is so candid about things in her life in the book.  She mentions that she did not sugar-coat events that occurred in her life because "George", as she calls her husband, will not be running for office again so she didn't have to be political in her book.  I loved her - and she made getting up at 5:30 on a Saturday morning totally worth it!

The saint award of the day goes to my husband!  After speaking at our meeting, Mrs. Bush was going to a local Sam's Club and Walmart to sign copies of her book - but, they were handing out wristbands at between 7-8 am which interferes with our Saturday Morning Meeting.  My bestie, Laura and I went to the meeting while Tony heading to Walmart at 7:30 on this fine Saturday morning to get each of us a signed copy of her book.  We thought he would get a wristband, leave and then come back for the 12:30 signing later - but, no! - he was held capture there for 5 hours, but he did come home with two signed copies and a crush on the former 1st Lady.  :)  He said she was a sweet lady and very attractive for an older woman.  HA!

Since I couldn't take a picture of Mrs. Bush today - I just took a picture of her autograph for you all.  :)

Toodles!

Friday, May 14, 2010

What Do I Read?

Show Us Your Life with Kelly's Korner
Howdy Ya'll!
My mom would be so proud of this post because she was always the reader in the family. She was so fast at reading (and still is) - it seems like she can sit down with a good book and be done within a couple of hours. Me...not so much. However, if I really love the book, I won't put it down.


I am excited because we are coming up on prime book reading season...no more TV shows in the way and my plan for the summer is to read, read, read. We are going to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina this summer - and because it will be the first "relaxing" vacation that I have had in several years, I plan to get lots of that reading accomplished there.


There were definitely favorite books growing up - but, my all-time favorite children's book was The Monster at the End of This Book. I would laugh and laugh and laugh. If you don't have this for your kids (my future little one already this in their library), run (don't walk) to the store and buy it! And, preferably buy it at Walmart (just to help me out a little)! :)



I also loved, loved, loved Shel Silverstein! His poetry made me laugh constantly. Seriously, how could one not love "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out"?

And, now that I have grown older and wiser - some of my tastes in books apparently stayed in the younger reader age because I really enjoyed the Twilight and Harry Potter Series. I picked up on the Harry Potter Series at the right time
because I read books 1-6 in a matter of two months or so - and then right as I was finished reading them, a couple of weeks later book 7 came out! I happened to be in Texas the weekend it came out so I drug my niece and nephew up to Walmart at midnight to get the new book and good times were had by all!




I really enjoy reading stuff that is mostly light in nature - and chick lit falls right into that enjoyment. My opinion is that I spend so much of my life being serious at work that I want to entertain myself on my own time. I am not saying that I won't read a biography or a very deep book on occasion, but usually you will find me reading Sophia Kinsella, Jen Lancaster or James Patterson. 


Sophia Kinsella wrote Confessions of a Shopaholic and there are many books in the series. She also has books outside of that series and in each one, the lead female character gets herself in all kinds of predicaments. They are so humorous and very light which is a welcomed change from the day-to-day work life. If you love chick flick movies, check out her books because you will love them too.



Jen Lancaster is soooooooo funny. She writes non-fiction books about herself - which include her financial struggles when she lost her job after September 11th, her weight struggles, etc. Now, these topics don't seem funny - but, check her out and you will see what I mean. I really just want to be her friend (or just be part of one of her footnotes...if you read the books, you know what I am talking about). Bitter is the New Black was her first book that she wrote...READ IT!



And, of course, good ole James Patterson gives me a little suspense every once in awhile. I love the short chapters in his books...which may sound weird, but I am not one that likes to stop in the middle of a chapter and I always check to see how many pages are left in the chapter before moving on. With his books, I can just keep reading and reading and reading and I will fly through 20 chapters in no time.




There are many more that I read too...Nicholas Sparks (if I just want to be sad), Mary Higgins Clark, the Sookie Stackhouse Series, John Grisham, Emily Giffin and the list could go on and on and on.

So, listen up mom - I will admit, I LOVE to read. That is probably now your proudest moment, so live it up!


Toodles!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

What's in a Name?

Howdy Ya'll!

I wonder if I am normal girl because I have been thinking about names for my future children since I was young.  But, you know what, they have all changed.  Heck, now that we know we will be adopting a baby (hopefully in the very near future), my opinions on names have changed several times.  Now that I look back at it all, what was all that worrying about which I was much younger?

My whole life I have always disliked my middle name, Aline, because it seems so old-fashioned.  However, I will say that I have never met anyone my age that has that name.  My mom and grandmother also have the same middle name and I have always been under pressure to use that when I have kids.  It was NEVER in my list of names that I have been thinking about for the past 20 years - but, I think I have made a U-turn (I will get to that in a minute).

Tony also has a family tradition within his name - both he and his dad have the initials ASx(last name removed to protect identity).  :) His mom had asked us several years ago if we would use those initials for our future kids and we really had no intention to because there weren't a lot of good A and S names in our opinion.  But, now we have had a change of heart here as well.

So - with all that being said - here are the names we have come up with for our future kiddo.

Girl Name - Kinley Aline
You can see that we have used my middle name and if we get blessed with a girl, she will carry on the tradition of the middle name for the 4th generation.  I honestly think it is pretty cool that she would also have a piece of family tradition with her always.  Also, I have to thank my best friend, Laura, for the name Kinley because she had that name picked out for years and years for her little girl, but when she had a boy and named him Kennon, she thought it was just too close to Kinley.  I asked if I could use it - and she said, of course...so I will always have a story to share with Ms. Kinley about how her Auntie Laura helped name her too.

Boy Name - Anderson Sawyer
If a little boy graces our lives, he will carry on the tradition that his daddy and Gran-Stan have - the initials ASx (again last initial removed).  I am really loving this name!

I was listening to Kidd Kraddick today (and I really don't know if it was from today's show or one from the past since I listen on the Kidd Kraddick Network on iHeartRadio on my iPhone) and they talk about how when you are picking out the name of your kids you should scream them.  And, that really, really made me laugh because I have already tested that out...because, believe you me, I heard my full name so many times in my life when I was getting in trouble (remember my post from yesterday).

Well, that's that.  We are excited for a little Kinley or Anderson to show up in our lives.  We will keep you posted about the whole adoption thing so you can follow our journey.

Toodles!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Memories...and will I have payback?

Howdy Ya'll!

So - my mom has brought up several childhood memories lately and it reminded me of how bad I was when I was younger. I would classify my younger self as the smart-allic (sp?), but smart gal. I had quite a mouth on me...and some of the favorite memories are below where my mouth got me in trouble. I also sprinkled in a few pictures to see all the awful hair that I had back in the day.

Around 3rd Grade
We were sitting in the cafeteria for lunch - and the one of the aide's told us that the next person to open their mouth would be sent to the principal's office. And, of course, this smarty decided to open her mouth as wide as she could (but not make a peep) and sure enough, I got sent to the principal's office. I was ridiculous!


Around 4th Grade
I was in my Sunday School class the week before Easter and our Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Parrish (one of my favorite people), was telling us all about the Sunrise Service for Easter Sunday. She told us that we could get up early and come to church without brushing our teeth. At the end of class, we were doing sentence prayers and when it came my turn, I prayed that Mrs. Parrish would brush her teeth before church the following Sunday.

Are you sensing a pattern here? I am not learning my lesson, am I?


Fast-Forward to 9th or 10th Grade
I loved to terrorize two teachers in high school. I really think it was because they both made it so easy. Mrs. Knowles was my computer teacher and she treated us like we were in pre-school. She even had the Alphabet circling her room (really, this was high school people!). So, of course, I still had a smart mouth and it got me in trouble repeatedly in her class. One of the most notable times was when she had both hands up in the air and I ask her if she was Sure. I was talking about those old Sure commercials where the people would have their hands in the air to show they didn't have sweat stains. :) Anyways, she thought I was questioning her teachings or something - and of course, that was the first time of MANY times that I got kicked out of her class.


Freshmen Year of College
I know you are all thinking - surely she has learned her lesson this late in her life - but, NOPE. We had a visiting professor for our Honors Political Science class - he was a member of the Texas Supreme Court and he was a terrible professor. But, during one of his lectures, he said that ALL politicians cheat on their spouses - so, I raised my hand and asked the following question, "So, you are a politician, have you cheated on your wife?" And, he pleaded the fifth - so, we all know what that means.



So, I think I have learned my lesson now (or at least most of the time). So, my question is, am I going to get payback when we adopt this child? Will he or she have a mouth like me? How will I teach them lessons in life that I apparently couldn't learn on my own? We will see how this will all play out and I will keep you all posted.

Toodles!