My computer space...

is a mess!! We have a small office space in our house that is used for the computer room. We have a medium sized desk that is grossly overstuffed with various things, ranging from papers to electronics to peripherals. I also have a small desk that is supposed to be for paper scrapping, but it's holding more photos and computer equipment. My husband has a small card table in the room that he uses for paying bills. I also have a bookcase in the room that my dad built when I was in elementary school. We wont say how long ago that's been!

There is one small window with a green-striped french curtain. The walls are a wonderful shade of blue (no, they dont exactly match, but still look nice together) and the carpet is tan colored. The walls are covered with various certificates and awards that my husband and I have been awarded through the years.

Since I now have a laptop, my "computer room" is wherever I'm sitting. Presently, it's the livingroom couch.

What was I thinking....

when I woke this morning? My first thought was..."Man, it's too early to get up!". Then, I thought, "Brad's surgery is today!" (DH had a fatty mass removed from his chest. My third thought this morning was, "We leave for Charlotte this afternoon!! It's time, it's time!!!!" WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

Ok, this will be my last post until next week. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Goodbyes

I dont like goodbyes. Never have...never will. Being a military wife, I've had to experience way too many of them. When it does come time, I'm usually a combination crier/hugger/"see ya later" type of person. I know that I probably will never see the person again, but "goodbye" seems so permanent. I'm a hugger by nature, so that's what I do. As for the crying, I didnt used to. I had been all "tough as nails" and all. Then, I went through a life changing experience that has altered my emotional life all together. I'm much more caring, tender, and cry-ish now. Heck, I even cry over tv commercials! I think it's partly from being a Mom and partly from my experience.

Anyway, I just hope I dont have to do any goodbyes anytime soon. They hurt too much!!

My first pet...

or atleast, the first one I can remember, was a beagle named Smokey. Smokey was the most loving pet I believe I've ever had. He always wanted to sit on the couch with us and lay his head on our leg. When it was time for bed, I remember him lying at the foot of either mine or my brother's bed. As Smokey got older, he began snapping at folks. On day, when my mom had him outside with her while she was working in the flower garden, a gentleman walked up and said, "Is this your dog? He just bit me." That was all it took. Smokey went on a ride the next day, but never came back. My mom said she wasnt having a dog around that bit people. It just wasnt safe.

I think we lasted about 2 months before we went to the SPCA and adopted Penny. She was a cutiepie! Penny was a chihuahua/poodle mix and was so tiny! When I became pregnant, She used to lay on top of my belly. When the baby would kick, she would jump up, look down at my belly, the up at me. It was so funny!!

My favorite vacation...

...has to be last year's trip to Texas. My husband, youngest daughter, and myself were headed for Mt Pleasant, TX to meet our new brother-in-love and new nephew. Along the way, we visited my parents in AL.

After a few days there, we headed for Memphis where we met up with a friend we hadnt seen in over 15 years! He took us on a tour, including the Peabody Motel and the ducks! Our second day in Memphis we took the tour at Graceland. Definitely a stop for anyone planning a visit to Memphis.

From Mempis we headed to Texas. We spent a whole week there, getting to know our newest family memebers. My sis-in-love & her family live in a cabin, that is absolutely gorgeous! It was so comforting. We were treated to a tour of the area, as well as a trip to their local dirttrack.

After our time in Memphis, we headed to my in-loves in Baker, LA...just outside of Baton Rouge. We spent another week there seeing family and friends. I love going to Baker. My husband's family are so sweet...they're always feeding you! Good 'ol southern hospitality!

From LA, we headed back to my parents for a day or two, then to Pidgeon Forge where we met some friends and had a wonderful time at Dollywood. We stayed another day or two to get rested up, then headed for home.

All-in-all, we spent 3 weeks on the road. Yes, we were exhausted once we got home, but our minds were full of memories. I was able to scrap a mini-album of our trip and have two pages per destination.

I'll blog atcha later!

Childsplay

Hmmmm, what aspect of childsplay do I remember most? I suppose it has to be sharing. Being a female, I naturally had tons of Barbie things...clothes, accessories, cars, buildings, etc. Of course, so did my friends. My mom even devised a way to differentiate my things from my friends. Whenever my friends and I would get together we would always share. Swapping was common amongst Barbie fans, also.

My friends and I also shared our hopes and dreams. That was my favorite thing. Unfortunately, I've lost contace with most of my childhood friends, but it would be fun to see how many of us accomplished those hopes and dreams.

Favorite Words

There's something you dont think about often...your favorite words. I've spent all day thinking about what my list would look like. I think something like...

1. God/Jesus - I would be lost without either one
2. Family - my strength
3. Love - keeps me going through even my darkest hour
4. Friendship - means everything to me. something I can count on
5. Grandkids - what I most look forward to
6. Ladybug - my husband's nickname for me
7. Bamabuds - I know, unusual, but more meaningful than I can say. This is a wonderful group of NASCAR fans who would give the shirt off their back if you need it.

I realize that a couple of these are somewhat odd, but maybe in a later blog I can go into more detail about them all.

Have a wonderful day!!

My comforts

My comfort food has to be my mom's red velvet cake. She always made it for holidays and our birthdays, but also whenever something drastic happened in our lives...good or bad. I've tried others' red velvet cakes, but none compares to Mom's!

My comfort items have to be my family. No matter what kind of day I've had at work, I know that when I get home they will accept me no matter what. They also have a special way of cheering me up.

My greatest comfort has to be my assurance of my salvation. I know that Jesus Christ is my personal Lord and Savior and that I will see Him face to face!

My bad habit...

Well, I suppose you should make that plural. I have more than one bad habit. I dont like to admit this fact, but.......

My worst habit is procrastination. For instance, I started cleaning house yesterday but got interrupted by a phone call. Naturally, I had to step outside on the patio to chat with my friend. When we hung up, I went inside and started watching a movie. I knew I needed to get back to my housework, but "it can wait. That dust isnt going anywhere." Yeah...right!

One of my other bad habits is biting my fingernails. I know, you'd think a woman my age would have stopped by now. Since I stopped smoking 4 yrs ago, this habit has increased. I think it has something to do with my being used to having something in my hands/mouth.

Now, dont get me started on my familys' bad habits! That's a whole other blog!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Wow! What can I say? I had a wonderful Mother's Day!!

First, I skipped Sunday School but went to church. Gotta sleep in a little, ya know? After church we all piled in the car (including our "new" son, Jason) and headed for Olive Garden...MY pick! I stuffed myself with salad, breadsticks & two different types of soup, as well as some of the mushrooms & fried raviolies off the sampler platter we ordered.

After eating, the girls gave me presents! Lecia gave me a beautiful basket filled with scented bath stuff (think she's trying to tell me something?), an angel, and a ladybug planter filled with daisies. Amy gave me a set of salt/pepper shakers that look like grapes, and Terri gave me a hanger with a bunch of grapes (can ya tell what my kitchen theme is?).

The girls & Jason headed home while Bear & I went to Best Buy, my all time favoritest store!! He wanted to get me "Call of Duty 2" since I had just completed "Call of Duty "!! We decided to get the expansion game for CoD instead of CoD2. You know, take it in order. Then...I got a new laptop!! WEEEEEEEEE DOGGIES!!! It's a Gateway with tons of memory, 100G harddrive, DVD/CD burners, card reader, etc. Plus, it was on sale for $799!!! Cant beat that price!! It was definitely the best buy! Now...to get that blamed internet to work! Wireless...gotta hate it!

All in all, I'd have to say that I had the best Mother's Day ever! I got to spend time with my family, get some things I'd been wanting, and even got to spend time with the Lord. Who could ask for more? I sure cant!!

What super power would you like to have?

I think I would like to have the power to see through walls, like Superman does. That way I can see who's at my front door without having to open it (no, no viewer hole). I could also see what my girls were up to in their locked rooms! hehe Wonderful idea, dont you think?

If I could take tomorrow off of work, I'd...

start off by going to Hardees for an order of their yummy buiscuits and gravy. I'd then head to Coffee Break for a grande vanilla mocha. After sipping on the coffee awhile, I'd then stop by Kenyon Bailey or Luther's nurseries and browse their rose bushes. I'd so love to start a themed rose garden with nothing but roses named after people. Doesnt the sound like a neat idea? After browsing the roses a bit, I'd treat myself to lunch at Applebees. (gotta love that oriental chicken salad!) Then comes my favorite part of the day...working in the yard! I have so much to do outside, it's not even funny!! I'd work until my hands and knees couldnt take anymore, then scoot inside for a nice, long, hot soaking bath. Dinner would be light, perhaps pasta salad. Then a nice glass of wine, and watching tv in bed until I fall asleep.

Yep, that's my idea of a perfect day to myself!

Colors

I am most drawn to midnight blue and bright red. I just love how bright they are without hurting your eyes.

Blacks and grays depress me. They just look so dark and dismal. I'd rather have bright and light around me!

I also really love purple and orange, but dont surround myself with these colors. With my skin tone, I dont look good in either color. Go figure!

I am most optimistic about...

how my girls will turn do when they're on their own. We have been blessed with three wonderful daughters, all smart, friendly, and loving. Our oldest is already out of the house and married. She just graduated from college and is ready to start her career as an elementary school teacher. Needless to say, we're very proud of her! Our middle daughter will start college this fall. She's decided on Southeastern University in Florida and will major in church administration. Our youngest daughter cant quite make up her mind. She really wants to work with DNA, but her heart is with music. She'll graduate from high school next spring, so still has plenty of time to make her decision.

About the only thing I'm pessimistic about is my health. Seems I'm always going to the doctor about something. These 12 mediciations I take every day dont help, I'm sure!

Blog Prompt for 5/8/2006

***Bring on the music! What do you like/not like? How does it make you feel or influence your day? When do you need music or prefer silence?***

I love just about any type of music...except opera, rap & that screaming stuff. I just cant get into music I cant understand what they're singing! My all time favorite type of music is Contemporary Christian and Southern Rock. Gotta love the Newsboys and Lynyrd Skynyrd! I use music as a comfort sound. Songs I've heard since I was a teen brings back good memories, helping improve my mood alot of times. I only prefer silence when trying to go to sleep, but any other time...GIVE ME MUSIC!!!