long week...end??

ah this week will be the longest in history. nasty weather out so that cancels most most of our playdates. stuck inside but i won't give in to the rain!!!! so i am thinking of taking the kiddos to the State Musuem tomorrow. so that will knock out about 4 hours tomorrow.
my brother in law and his girlfriend were here for the weekend and it all went pretty well. i was up in knots about him bringing a stranger into our home, but surprised to find out that i had met her last year at my hubb's company pic-nic. she's a nice girl...and we had a very good time!
Brandon had his Dr appt 2day and (surprisesurprise) he has to wait until the thoracic Dr gets all of his (spread out EVERYWHERE) records b4 he can schedule anything. PLUS since brandon has bronchitis, he can't do anything just yet anyhow. we DID find out that the surgery will take 4 hours and he will be in the hospital 4-7 days, maybe more.my MIL will DEF be coming and staying a while and that is GREAT! yehawww...i am just ready for him to be FIXED.
my writing is very mundane and blah today, which is quite the reflection of how i am feeling. see what the great INdoors does for me!??
i'll post the books i read last week in a bit...and post the ones that i got 2day and will start on THIS week.
OH and i am checking into getting my realtors liscence. i want to do SOMETHING when the kiddos start school that doesn't require a lot of hours...we'll see.
does anyone know when the next season of nip/tuck starts?
and i just have to write about this...the other day the kiddos were making their own lunch (bologna and cheese) i asked them if they wanted mayo or mustard on their sandwich and brooke (as usual) wants only mustard (but "not the sandy kind") and i just HAD to laugh when bub said, "I only want a lot of man'days mom. jus' man-days (mayonaise) hehe. sooo cute. i love the way kids put their own spin on words...

Audrey Daron Lunsford

My brother called me on Tuesday night to tell me that my friend Vangi's husband, Daron, had been kiiled in Iraq. It blew me out of the water. Vangi is a year younger that I and she has a nine month old baby girl. I called my dad today and found out that his remains would arrive in Delaware on Saturday and in Batesville on Sunday. The funeral is going to be next Thursday. I wanted to include a link to his picture in his honor on my blog today. With tears in my eyes, I've looked at his picture....and remember the young man that I met for the first time in October and saw again in March....I have tears in my heart for my old friend, imagining the pain she is feeling. Thinking of the sacrifice that not only he has made, but the one that SHE and her daughter have made as well. My thoughts and love are with you Vangi....I hope Daron's memory will give you some bit of comfort now when you need it most......~alisha~
please PLEASE click the link.....and take a look at the men and women who have given their lives for freedom. SPC. AUDREY DARON LUNSFORD

scare of my life

i had THE scare of my life today, but i don't want to talk about it just yet. that's how upsetting it was. so while i am shaking the memory off, i will try to find something else to write about. hmm. the weather looks good. dog barking incesstantly is driving me out of my mind. kiddos outside throwing dirt over the fence at the neighbor kids (and making some sort of weird barking noise while they are at it) headache is still hanging around. making fried rice for dinner (hoping it turns out as well as Aunt To's , but doubtful since i am working on memory alone.)
exciting eh? with all that behind me, i want to talk about season finales....Desperate Housewives was good....but the relationship that i am most interested in now is Bree's and the CREEP ME OUT pharmishist. hate it that her husband died, but after all that's gone on w/ her this season, don't guess there was much room for a happily ever after storyline. and WHAT is UP with the new neighbors? will have to wait and see like everyone else i guess.......Grey's Anatomy!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!! i can't get the "I'm so sorry" out of my head!!!!! what a surprise....and for once on a season finale i am TRULY surprised.....and mad at Shepard. UGH. but i still love Patrick Dempsey (who is one of the most drool worthy men ever EVER!!!) "I'm so sorry" "I'm so sorry" ARGHHH when does this show start again!!??! and what ever happened to that show "American Dreams"???? i really liked that one.....now the only other finale i am interested in is American Idol....once this is over, my family can have their tv's back.until next season anyhow.
enough tv,
now that my mind has been sufficiently distracted, my scare.....
we went to the pool 2day after an appt i had. Brooke had on her swimmies and KNOWS never to take them off. so, i was twirling bub in the pool and Brooke was on the steps behind us. (not 4 feet away) i realized she had gotten quiet (no splashing or gabbing)....so i turned around thinking she'd gotten back out and was eating Goldfish, but she wasn't. she was laying face DOWN in the pool. her little legs were just barely moving as if she were trying to kick herself over to the side. i DIED 5 TIMES and jerked her up out of the water. she just kinda gulped real hard and looked at me all terrified. she wrapped herself around me and we just sat on the edge of the pool, both of us shaking like leaves. i couldn't let go of her for about five minutes...i kept picturing her in the water...i will prob have dreams about it tonight. when she calmed down, she looked up at me and said "Mommy, that's why you should never hold your nose and close your eyes to go under the water" the EXACT same thing i tell her everytime we go to the pool. maybe this time it really sunk in. literally. ah, i can't even begin to think of what i'd be like if i'd waited ONE more minute to turn around. thank GOD for mommy ears.

book.......................ends

so my diet is a bit off again today. cup of coffee and 2 muffins for b'fast. muffin and water for lunch. cookie (1!!). leftover gumbo and rice (again) for dinner and 3 cookies after. drank water w/ meal and green tea now. oh and i snuck half a buddy bar in there somwhere today. not TOO bad, but day is not over yet.
here are the book's that i promised...


"The Bachelorette Party" by Karen McCulloh Lutz is a great read! You may recognize her name because she co-wrote "Legally Blonde" and "10 Things I Hate About You" as seen on many of your t.v.'s Very VERY funny book. This is one that you will want to finish in one sitting....love it love it LOVE it.
I haven't started on "The Painted Kiss" yet but when I do, I'll get back at ya.
"The Virgin" by Erik Barmack wasn't all that great for me, but then, I am not MALE. this book did give a fun twist to pop culture through a male perspective, albeit a loser male perspective. sardonic and a bit clever (reluctant there) and i guessed the ending far before i should have which doesn't make for a very good read in my book. try it for fun if nothing better to read.
"The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell is my obligatory "smart book" that i force myself to read so my mind won't get all muddled by the otherwise no thought required books that I usually read. I love Malcolm Gladwell (not in a seedy way, eh) but i like the way he thinks. i liked this book better than "Blink". and I proclaim MR Gladwell the "human nature guru". must read...go get it YESTERDAY.
oh yeah, and if you move your cursor over the books, you will see the line "hosted by image shack" but if you CLICK on the image you will be directed to either the author's webpage or Barnes and Noble....

so that's it for now.....hope i've inspired you to pick up a book....oh and i am thinking of adding another blog to live next door to this one, only it will be all about the books that my kiddos are reading.....that list is wayyyy long, but i want to get it up here someday.
off to watch "Lemony Snickets'" w/ them right now....bringing out the popcorn w/ yummy butter...see i told you the day wasn't over yet. sayonora diet

you saw it here first

on refresh yourself on my 5-3 post. those of you who watched the OC tonight and saw Seth reading "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" by Chuck Klosterman.....YOU SAW IT HERE FIRST! yes yes i've already read it. and as i've already said, you must read it. i'm sure it will now become a staple of pop-culture (as it should be). but i read it first. heh.
so i went to the pool today w/ the kiddos and a friend of mine, Melinda and her boy, Brent. she's 35 and looks better in a bikini then i ever have in my LIFE. kudos to her....we had a nice time and my boy has finally found someone he loves to play with! i like to watch them together. Brooke was brave and swam around on her own all over the pool, as did Brandon. Brent also decided to give it a try and strapped on a floatie and swam around some for the first time.
i'm working on a few new books, no rush b/c i've been busy and i haven't had much chance to read....and i;ve been too tired at bedtime to even flip the first page. i did read a few last week buy need to find the covers to post on here....procrastinator i am, i'll post them later. read one VERY good and one VERY VERY bad. will share both later.
so my diet was last on my priority list today. big red's visiting so i don't care much really. funny how all my resolve goes straight down the drain when the red eye comes to town. here's what i ate today: orange/strawberry drink for b/fast, 2 cookies b4 swimming, leftover prosiutto cream pasta from last night, 3 more cookies, more than a cup of cheese nips, another cookie, and i just ate a bowl of rice and chicken gumbo. argh. should've started w/ coffee or green tea. no worries, after all, tomorrow is another day.
just saw my frist trailer for Dukes of Hazzard. think i'll see this one in the theater. try to anyhow. ok, kiddos are done w/ dinner so i am off here to play another game of Memory (3rd time today).

!!kiddos back!!

so i've been too busy to post anything the past few days, but I have a very good excuse....my kiddos are home!!!!!! i went Friday (yes 3 days early) to get them...Brooke almost ripped her carseat to pieces when she spotted me!! i could barely let go of them. but now i sit at my computer in utter contentment...they are just a few steps away! Bub woke up this morning with a headache. he told me that his bed gave him a headache and that i should hold him until his headache went away! (this was at 7 in the morning) so he fell asleep on my arm while we were watching "Rescue Heroes" for the fiftieth time. well, afternoon rolled around and we were trying to think of things to do. when Brandon asked Bub if he wanted to go swimming, he popped right up and said "oh yes! i think swimming will make my headache go all away!" oh the things that come out of his mouth! after swimming (btw, Brooke swam around ON HER OWN for the first time...she had a floatie but this is the first time she's ever let go of me!) we came home, packed a lunch and went to the park for a picnic. we took Hobbes w/ us and had a nice time. a guy came walking up with his dog (a minipinscher) and Hobbes, who barks like a Rottweiler all the time) jumped right up in Brandon's arms and started shaking like a leaf! it was too funny. GOOD NEWS: Brandon's Alpha-1 test came back negative so that's a big wipe off the forehead. now if only he could get that surgery to fix his lung scheduled next month and he will be well on his way back to normal. well, as normal as my weirdo man can be i guess. ok, now i'm off to clip my Sunday coupons....oh yeah, and the answer to my Q a week or so ago....what is the most contagious thing in the world? ans: a yawn. yawwwwwn. tell me, did YOU just yawn?? even typing the word makes me YAWWWWWN

the garage

i repainted the pantry, painted a shelf, finished the laundry, and cleaned out the garage yesterday. i came to a box of my Mother's things and i found her bag of hair things. bobby pins, scrunchies, picks, etc. these were things she used before chemo.... i was looking through the bag when i saw a piece of hair. a piece of my mother's hair wrapped around a brown bobby pin. i slowly unravled it so that it wouldn't tear. i held it up to the light and just looked at it. i was touching TOUCHING a piece of my mothers HAIR!!!!!!!!! i frantically dug through the bag to find more. each time i found a piece i added it to the small pile in my other hand. when i couldn't find anymore i sat on the floor and looked at it. this only tangible, touchable piece left of my mom. and it's here in MY hand. in some strange, perhaps twisted way, she was there beside me again. i felt her watching me. and i cried. for the first time in a very long time i didn't bite the insides of my cheeks to keep from crying. i didn't close my eyes to blink them away. i didn't swallow that lump in the back of my throat that pops up everytime someone mentions her name or calls me on Mother's day to see how i am doing. i wasn't okay. and i didn't have to be because i was holding a part of my mom right in my hand. afterwards i put on her glasses and looked at myself in the mirror, and i saw her looking back at me. never before has the statement "you look exactly like your mother" been so important to me. i realized that while i held her hair in my hand, the physical part left of her, in MY HAND, i was holding the rest of her. she was everything i am.everything i hope to be. the rest of her is tucked safely away in my heart....and nothing, not even the selfishness of death, can ever EVER take her away from me.

monday sans kiddos

ok so i planned on having the garage finished, the pantry repainted and all of my laundry done by this time (9:00pm) and well, i picked up a little trash in the garage and washed ONE load and didn't even look at the pantry (unless you count getting the brownies out of it looking at it) so pretty much NOTHING on my to-do list has gotten DONE. so i'm adding 2day's list to tomorrow's list and i was planning on laying by the pool w/ my book tomorrow.all day. icksnay on that eh?
so my MIL called me this morn and let me know that my boy is missing me and wanting to "go to my mommy's house because i miss my mommy and my hobbsey" ahhhhhhh makes me feel even worse about them being gone. dang i miss my babies and i am doing nothing but watch TV to distract me......they are taking pics 2nite on the beach in PC so i am waiting, very impatiently i may add, for her to call me and let me know how it went AND to hear their voices again..
i used some of my M'day giftcard to buy a food chopper i've been wanting for a while @ BBand B. didn't need anything else or find anything else that i really wanted so i'm saving it for whenever i am in need of a shopping fix. i love giftcards b/c i love to get exactly what i want and never have to return anything.
my man and i have been having a nice time acting like newlyweds....i rented "Meet the Fockers" for us to watch 2nite but it may turn in to a tomorrow night movie b/c he won't get off until midnight tonight. sucks b/c i hate being alone at night.....good thing is, it's just for the night b/c he's filling in for someone else....
off for now, hopefully when i check in tomorrow at least half of my to-do list will be finished...tune in for the cliff-hanger......

weekend post

my kiddos left about 3 hours ago for Florida w/ their nana/pappy and i am already feeling lost. i cried like a baby when the door closed. weird maybe but i've said goodbye to someone thinking i would see them again too many times. and i know it soulnds horrible to say it like that, but i live in fear of losing them...so i stepped on out on what little faith i have and let them go for a week. but i will be calling 10 times a day...
this will be my last post for the weekend...hoping i will stya busy and my man and i are planning on fishing tomorrow....
here's a piece of a poem that i will leave behind...

If Roses grow in Heaven,
Lord please pick a bunch for me,
Place them in my Mother's arms
and tell her they're from me.
Tell her I love her and miss her,
and when she turns to smile,
place a kiss upon her cheek
and hold her for awhile.
Because remembering her is easy,
I do it every day,
but there's an ache within my heart
that will never go away.

Happy Mother's Day to my mom....i love you and i miss you more everyday...

recent reads

AK! just realized i wrote a book that last entry...so here's a look at what i am reading....



haven't started on M'Chair, but Cocoa puffs is the most over analyzing books that i have ever read. Chuck Closterman explains our lives in media terms...why we think the way we do and act the way we do...and he bases his info off of all forms of mainstream media...it's a very good read..you'll laugh and you'll go hmmm. 4 and half stars.

catch up

so i've been lazy about posting on my blog. spent yesterday afternoon by the pool and my chest got blistered. ugh. planned on going doing the same 2day (laying by the pool, not getting blistered) but thought that my chest had already been subjected to enough heat for the time being....hopefully it'll fade in a day or two. kiddos leaving on Sat w/ my man's parents...while it will be nice to have a little time to ourselves, i think i will go stir crazy without them. i've never been away from them so long when i didn't have anything else to keep me busy (the other times i have been away so long were when i stayed w/ mom a few times @ the hospital and when she died last year...so my mind was very occupied)..this time, i dunno WHAT i will do!!!
i have a Q and i will give you the answer sometime this week...i want to see how many of you can answer correctly....
What is the most contagious thing in the world!???
This is not a trick Q and i want your honest answer!! I think you'll find the correct answer very interesting!
Learned a very important lesson in Life101 Sunday night. i painted a small stool that my mother made when she was in the 10th grade. it was just a plain wooded stool that at diff times in its life has been used as an end table, a nightstand, a footstool, and even a toilet paper holder. i painted it a nice semiglossy creme and had hopes of putting it in the corner of my d'stairs bath. i left it downstairs overnight to dry and when i got up the next morning i was face to face w/ a very shabbily painted stool. it's creme now, but there are strips of the old brown wood peeking through the pretty paint. it's not a better version of the stool, only a differnet version. what did i do wrong!? then it dawned on me. i didn't prine my stool. b/c it wasn't primed, all of the old paint was allowed to seep through. so, in a way that is all my own, i applied this to life. often we get in a rush to do something and we don't take the time to prime ourselves before we jump in the paint bucket. i remember being in middle school wishing i could hurry and get to high school, then getting to high school wishing i could hurry and get OUT of school altogether. after that came marriage, quickly after that kiddos. did i really have time to "prime" myself for all of those big changes that happened so quickly in my life? now i work to be a better wife, mother, sister, friend....i "prime" myself every morning, in hopes that one day someone will look at me and see a well primed nicely "painted" person. one day, when my kiddos are a bit older, i will buy them a stool and let them paint....and show them that nothing in life should be rushed, because when it is, it never turns out to be the pretty object that you have in your head.