Heart of Dixie

Compliments/It's a Gift

I really should pay people more compliments. Today at Walgreen's the checkout lady said how pretty my hair was. I was so pleased and it really made my whole day. I know I've seen people with a nice outfit, cute shoes, etc. but 99% of the time I'm just to shy to say anything. I need to make more of an effort.

After my doc's appointment this morning, I felt I needed retail therapy so I headed to Kohl's.
Checkout lady: Did you find everything that you needed?
Me: Yes, too much so!
She (smiling): Well, I'm glad you found some things you liked.
Me: You know there is a state law that requires me to spend $200 everytime I come in.
She (chuckling): I heard that!

Then, as she scans the final item and the total is displayed, she starts seriously laughing outloud. The total: $200.57. heh

She: Well, you made it exactly! How did you do that?
Me (smiling and retrieving my credit card): It's a gift :D

Heinous night on American Idol

Last night was so disappointing! Taylor and Chris were both okay, so not being blown away by them, especially Chris, was reason enough to be disappointed. I thought Mandisa and Katherine were both awful, Bucky blew the lyrics (although since the judges couldn't understand what he was singing didn't catch it), Kellie went flat every now and again, Elliot went off key (at least to me). Gosh, I really HATE to say this, but Paris was the best.

Is anyone else just sick to death of the way Paula is acting this season? Simon can't get two words out of his mouth before she's yelling how wrong she is. He's shown a tremendous amount of patience IMHO. Of course it could be it's all a set up for ratings.

And what was with her flirty comment to Ace about wanting to him to tell her the story of the scar sometime. Ai yi yi! Even Randy and Simon were appalled. Makes you wonder if the story that Corey whats-his-name told was true.

Attention Bo Bice fans!

He's coming to see me! Well, at least he's coming to my area. Cool beans.
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060328/NEWS/603280326/1001

My friend Lori is temporarily working at a call center for an online/catalog garden center. Since most of the yard around my house is, for the most part, totally shaded, I have a hard time finding plants that will grow in partial/full shade. I usually buy impatiens because they work, but I've definitely grown weary of them. Lori supplied a very long list of plants that will grow in the shade. Woohoo! Maybe I'll have a prettier garden this year - or maybe I'll just be growing different munchies for the deer.

It's a blustery kind of day here without the strong wind, if that makes any sense. Rainyish, overcast, chilly, but not really cold. It will get up to the lower 60's today. I hope the rain will knock some of the pollen out of the air for a day or two. My ears and throat are already feeling the effects.

This crosses the line

Bur first, a word from our sponsor - oh, that would be me :-D

This past week we took a trek to Florida, picked up Loryn, and visited three theme parks:

Busch Gardens in Tampa

Loryn with Gina Giraffe

Cypress Springs in Winter Haven

Loryn in front of the peacock on Topiary Trail

and Sea World
ummmm, apparently we didn't take any photos at Sea World.

While Busch Gardens and Sea World are both well known and we'd all been to both several times, none of us had been to Cypress Gardens. I was a little nervous about it since I'm the one who suggested it. It was a most pleasant surprise and a good day was had by all! Cypress Gardens is most known for its water ski shows, but in 2004 an adventure park company bought it and brought it up to date. Amusement rides for the fearless and fearful! Well maintained, clean, and friendly employees. Decent food that is lower in cost than comparable parks. The best part, though, IMHO, was the water park. I've got an article on Cypress Gardens coming out in the next issue of All Things Girl so I'll let that tell the rest of the story.

Anyway, back to the title of this post ... so what did cross the line? It wasn't a chicken but .....

It was a t-shirt a guy was wearing at Sea World. Blazoned across the front were the words "Your little princess is my little w h o r e". Holy cow. This wasn't some punk with body piercings everywhere. This was a somewhat geeky guy (leaning more toward the roly-poly, moppy hair type rather than the skinny, nerdy type). I'm no prude but this is ridiculous!

Supernatural/Alien Contact?

Wednesday night I was sitting across the room watching the special recap of Survivor when my printer started making the same noise it does when it's printing. Remember I am way across the room, and I hadn't been on the computer in about two hours and at least three hours since I had printed anything. When a sheet of paper shot out into the out tray, the hubs made a comment about maybe the fax machine portion of the printer finally working.
Me: "Well, it's not hooked up to any telephone line."
He: "Oh." (pause for about 30 seconds) "Are you going to see what it is?"
Me (pulling up my blankie over my nose): "Heck, no! It might be from a ghost or an alien or something!"

After a while I did look at it. Two lines of weird symbols. ::shiver:: I threw it away. Maybe I should have saved it and sent it to some UFO group. I might have become rich on the made-for-tv movie!

In the "he knows too much stuff" category (see previous entry), someone called the hubs last night, described a snake he had found, and asked what it was. The hubs goes on to say what it was, that it was fairly rare, how big it gets, and where it's found. How come he can remember all that stuff and not remember to do/not do something I've asked him about a gazillion times? Oh - strike that last part - I know why. He's a he. "nuff said :D

To quote the penguins from Madagascar

We're going to The Wild - We're going to Antarctica!!! For real!!

John and I have been daydreaming about going Antarctica for a while but the trips we've found have just been waaaaayyyy to expensive. Yesterday we got a brochure from AARP (it's John's membership, not mine! LOL!) and it had a 19-day cruise to Antarctica in it. It's still very expensive but more within our reach. John called, found out more, and booked the trip! WHEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Mistake gone good

A year or so ago I bought a really cute and comfy off-white pullover shirt that I thought was a cotton blend. Sleeveless with a sort-of cowl neckline that ended on one shoulder with a hangy-down end. Yeah, I know, not a good description but maybe you get a (very, very) broad picture. As I've posted before, I'm totally anal when it comes to laundry. Whites only. Dark jeans only. Lighter-colored/faded jeans only. "Good" clothes sorted by lights and darks and lightweight from heavier weight. You get the idea.

So this shirt, while it was an off-white, it was more toward the white side than the cream side of off-white. Geez, I'm just really making a lot of sense here, huh?

As fastidious as I am about laundry, I noticed that the shirt was looking a bit dingy like white socks that had never been washed in hot water and/or with bleach and/or with darker colored clothes. So I decide to wash it with a load of white clothes in hot water with bleach. You can imagine my total surprise when I pulled it out of the washer this morning and it was a lovely shade of beige! Really! I was amazed, astonished, and pleased all at the same time.

I then looked at the materials and care tag - no chlorine bleach. Hmmmm-why's that? Made with 55% silk, 20% vicose (whatever the heck that is!), and 25% nylon. Oh.

At least my laundry goof turned out well!

The true sign of spring appeared today! Even though the trees are greening and the bushes are in bloom, my for-sure sign that spring is here was spotted about an hour ago in the back. Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal arrived!

I Hate Income Taxes!

This time every year I get sooooooo freakin' irritated when I get our stuff together to give to our CPA to do our income taxes. Not only do we have the maximum taken from our checks, we both have extra taken out for federal taxes. Despite all that, we always have to pay two to three thousands more on April 15. To add insult to injury, last year the state made us pay a penalty because, even though state taxes are taken from our paychecks, we don't pay additional taxes on a quarterly basis. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Avery was right

A couple of days ago, Avery looked at me very seriously, then smiled and said, "Grammy, you're going to miss me when I go home." Out of the mouths of babes, as the old saying goes. We took him home yesterday, and oh boy, do I ever miss the little fella'. He is such a joy.

Thursday morning when we were getting everything ready to go, he asked me where we were going. I told him we were first going somewhere to see cows and horses (the rodeo is in town), then somewhere to eat lunch, and then we were going to take him home.
Avery (eyes bright): We're going to see horses and cows and then go EAT!
Me: Yep! Then we're going to take Avery home.
Avery: Oh. Well, you don't have to take me home, Grammy. I can just stay with you.

awwwwwwwwww.

And have I mentioned how smart he is? :-D He truly is a remarkable child.

On another subject, the hubs knows everything there is to know about wildlife and hunting. Or so it seems. I'm always amazed when he asks me to look up an animal on the internet because he's unfamiliar with it. It always turns out to be some small, obscure creature that lives only in a very small area of some southeast Asian forest or in an extremely limited area in the Andes Mountains, or similar. So why do I mention this?

I'm reading a book as part of a book review program set up by Deb of All Things Girl and Time-Warner. The main character is supposed to be a hunter, and I, as a wife and a mother to avid hunters and a member of the one the world's largest hunting organizations, I was appalled by the character's choice of weapons to deer hunt. A 12-guage shotgun - sheesh! I was telling the hubs, and he said, "Well, if it's in New Jersey, it's illegal to hunt with a rifle. You have to use a shotgun."

I looked at him in amazement as part of the book is set in New Jersey, but I had not mentioned this at all. I immediately got the book and looked to see where the hunting lodge was located. Upstate New York. My indignation returned :-) However, I am still amazed at his knowledge. Now if I could just convince him that housework was just as exciting as hunting .......

A perfect way to end the day

I had to work today. When I came in the door, both Avery and Dixie came running toward me with big smiles on their faces. Avery just told me he was ready to go to bed. When I tucked him in, he hugged me and said, "I love you, Grammy."

It just doesn't get any better than that.

What a good boy!

Avery is staying with us until Thursday. He played hard all afternoon and then had a great time playing in a bubble bath in my oversized tub. There were probably no more than two times that I had to say, "No, Avery, don't do that." He has the typical kid snotty nose and cough and is taking two medicines. When it's time, he takes the cup and drinks it all down with absolutely not the slightest hint of a fuss.

Just a few minutes ago, it looked like he was getting droopy, so I wanted to make sure he had on a fresh Pamper before he went to sleep. I picked him up from John's lap and told him I was going to put a fresh Pamper on him and then he could come back and get in Pop's lap. "No," he said, "I want to go to bed. Could I have some chocolate milk, please?" I remind you, this is a two-year-old and this is an exact quote.

He got his dry diaper, took his last dose of medicine for the day, got his milk, and snuggled down. I believe he's already asleep.

He is such a good fella' and his Grammy loves him "a zillion much."

feeling a little down in the hoof

If you're not in the mood to listen to me whine and cry, then you'd better click the red X in the upper right corner of the screen and move on. If your browser uses something besides the red X then just do whatever it takes to leave.

Any time any of my kids and their families are here, I cook, cleanup, do the laundry, whatever, while they, for the vast majority of the time, are in here chatting, watching TV, using the computer, etc. Okay, yeah, every once in a while it'd be nice if someone came in and offered to help, but I'd probably turn them down. I really do enjoy doing things for my family...really, I do.

I try very hard to help them in whatever way I can, whether it's babysitting, running an errand for them, and sometimes even financially. I've even driven to Birmingham late in the afternoon to take care of Avery while my DIL was in class and then come home after she was finished. I truly expect nothing in return but some loving appreciation.

So what's gotten me into the pity pool?

My son, DIL, and Avery are down this weekend for DIL"s mother's birthday. DIL's sister planned a family get-together/cookout at lunch today for her. So tonight, it struck me as I was preparing dinner for everyone with two little ones in the kitchen helping me and everyone else in the den watching TV or on the computer, that not once have my kids ever done that for me. In fact, for the last two years I've planned my own birthday (family outing to a baseball game), bought the tickets, and the whole schmeer.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm loved just when I'm busting my butt for other people ... and sometimes I feel like I know it for a fact.

Tonight is one of those nights that I know it for a fact.

Maybe one day.

Maybe.

Help! Save me from myself!

First, I've been cleaning this week, and ::major gulp:: I've actually been enjoying it. ::wailing and sobbing:: Isn't that the first sign that you're getting really old?

But wait.

It gets worse.

Yesterday the hubs and I went to buy car tags; went to CVS to pick up his prescription; and then, with sales ads in hand, went to two different grocery stores and Wal-Mart buying stuff where it was either on sale or the cheapest. God help us. The next thing you know we'll be eating the 4:00 p.m. early bird special dinner at Piccadilly with all the other old retirees.

Weird

weird weather. I've been talking about that subject all winter .. what little winter there was. Today the temperature reached almost 80. I KNOW that it will be another cold snap, but we've not had much of a winter at all. Fleas and ticks are going to be the size of beach balls.

Weird dreams. It's not unusual for me to have weird dreams every night. What I really found weird was listening to Katie Couric this morning. She and her mother have some of the exact same weird dreams I have, like forgetting that you were enrolled in a certain class until mid-term or final exams and you have to take a test about a subject about which you know nothing. I thought my dream was because I either feel inferior to people who completed their education and have college degrees or angry because I have to clean up the work mess left by a higher-paid employee with a degree. That's definitely not the case of Katie Couric.

Gosh, I'm pooped! I've worked all day in the house and my wagon is draggin'.