Exploring the World

I have been exploring the blogging world a lot for the past couple of nights. It is so much fun, I just love reading other people's blogs and getting a peek into their world. It's interesting to see how they express themselves and what they choose to talk about.
Personally I am in a yucky funk right now. I'm usually a very positive, content person but for the last few days, I've been quite the opposite. I do have valid reasons for this......maybe I'll go into them sometime. Hopefully I'll shake my rotten mood; we have the kids this weekend (well, my kids, not SS) and if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. There's a Twilight Christmas Parade & Tree Lighting on Saturday night and at this rate, I'll be going as the Grinch.

From Sweet Little Boys to Wanna-Be Men

I can't even describe how much I love this picture. This is my son and his friend Cody, who is my best friend's son. They go to school together and hang out together. They like each other a lot.

They are now 14 years old. This picture was taken when they were about three.
They will be driving soon! They are in HIGH SCHOOL together. Can someone please explain to me how this happened? Because I'm positive this picture was taken only yesterday.

:::sigh:::
The taller one is Cody....he is HUGE now. He's on the football team and is probably around 6', over 250 #s. The little one is my son, he's short like his mama but is almost my height now.

They're in the 9th grade. They like girls and cars and weird music.

At least they still like each other, although they probably wouldn't go around hugging like this at school. ;o)

I'm Shy

In a weird way, I'm really shy. When I first meet people, I do a lot of observing and listening, and very little talking. Once I get to know people, I open up and my personality comes out.
But on a blog, that's hard, and I think it's holding me back. I'm being shy on my blog.....hesitant to really open up and show everyone my true self. I'm kind of polite and kind and quiet. I'm in that "I don't really know you so I'm shy" mode. But I can't do that here! Because how will I ever get to my comfort zone? I won't......because as long as I don't open up, nobody else will either and my blog will just probably fizzle out.
So, that's my latest project.....work on opening up and really sharing my life and my true, weird, sarcastic, goofy, dorky self.

Thankful Part II

I am not really into celebrating Thanksgiving in the traditional sense. I just can't buy the story that the Indians sat down with the Pilgrims and had a grand feast and said "THANK YOU! Thank you for stealing our land!! Let's all live in harmony!" It just doesn't ring true for me.
But, I do enjoy visiting with (some of) my relatives and most of all, reflecting on everything that I am thankful for.
My Husband (a.k.a. Mr. Wonderful)! The reason he is first is because without him, I couldn't be who I am and couldn't interact with everyone else in my life the way I do. He has brought me out of depression and made me look at things differently, enjoy life and relax. I can't even describe the difference in my life now vs. a few years ago. I can honestly say that I think of it all the time, it's almost always in the back of my mind, the fact that my life is so much better now and I am married to the best man in the world. He means everything to me and I am SO lucky to have found the love of my life! He is kind, loving, giving, understanding, everything I ever dreamed of and so much more. And he keeps me laughing all the time!
Then come my kids!
Princess is six and I can't believe that. I miss her being little! But I am so proud of her. She is SO smart, and has a very fun personality. She is stubborn and at the same time that it drives me crazy, I know exactly where she got it from so I'm smiling inside. She's her mother's child! She also has my smart mouth. =X She's very loyal......the people she loves, she loves completely and fiercely, and everyone else is just kind of there. She's picky about who she really lets in to her heart. She's outgoing and loves to dance, even if the dances sometimes shock me (she's great at doing the Superman that....um, yeah, you know....Dance. !! )
Ladybug is unique. She really wants to please everyone and make peoply happy. She worries too much but that's just her. She works so hard in school and her efforts really pay off. School is harder for her, but it doesn't get her down. She has such a caring personality. She thinks she wants to become a vet, and I hope she sticks with that. She'd be great at it. She is very giving, and has been since she was very little. She would often rather give than receive, and even when she receives she wants to make sure that everyone else does too. She loves everyone and everyone loves her. She is often in her own little world, and will walk right into a pole or say something that leaves you speechless........but that's just Ladybug.
T-bone, T-bone, T-bone, where do I begin? This child has given me the biggest emotional ups and downs of my life. My firstborn, when I had him I learned what a Mother's love was all about. I loved him so fiercely I would've fought to the ends of the world for him. I literally threatened to kill someone who rear-ended me while he was in the car with me. I missed so much work to stay home with him that I basically got fired. I didn't care! I hated working and leaving him. Years passed and he became a teen. O.M.G. We fight! We scream! He, too, is a LOT like me, but he's also a LOT like his dad. He even looks like him and talks like him. He challenges me and pushes every single one of my buttons. But he is getting a lot better. It is weird to look at him almost eye-to-eye. He is growing up. It's fascinating. His voice sounds like his dad's, when I call I have to ask who I'm talking to. He definitely has the same sense of humor as me. And the same taste in cars (Mustangs!!). He has big dreams and goals, and I hope he follows through.....he's very smart and totally full of potential.
Spiderman (my stepson)......I am really proud of him, and my role in helping him. He tried so hard to please everyone but he just couldn't. He was so smart but he just couldn't handle school work. He has come a LONG way and it feels good to see that. Talk about butting heads, OMG! When we first met I thought I was going to lose my mind dealing with him. But then things started to fall into place and I made it my mission to get him help, and that's what I did. He is funny, and such a charmer. He, too, wants everyone to be happy. If you stub your toe he's running over asking, "Are you OK???" He's so sweet with his baby brother. He stalks little girls from behind trees (lol). His favorite thing to do is just RUN and play. Give him a playground and he is as happy as can be.
I'm very thankful for the relationship I have with my niece, Reh-roh. She has turned into a great young woman and I love having her living here with us right now. She is a cool person and one of my best friends. And I'm glad she has her BF, who makes her very happy.
I'm thankful that my sister has found someone who makes her happy, and my brother and his wife are happy with their little family. My parents.........well, I wish they could be happier. I wish they didn't get mad over weird things, and could look at things in a more positive way. But I am thankful for Mom's health, and that Dad's current health problem should be fixed relatively simply and without a hard recovery for him. I'm grateful for my in-laws, except for StepFIL who is a big jerk. I do wish that MIL could find the strength to be on her own, but that is entirely up to her, and nobody else can help her with that. But they are cool people who accepted me and my children and are great to us; I'm very thankful for that.
I'm thankful that the relationships between me, Mr. Wonderful and our exes are peaceful (knock on wood). God only knows we have been through hell and it's so nice to have a drama-free life right now, I can only hope it stays this way.
One more thing, I'm glad that I have a job that I love. I think I'll always be the type who would prefer to be a SAHM if we could afford it, but if I am going to work, this is without a doubt the best job for me. I have too much fun most of the time, and I really like what I do.
I could go on, but this is long enough......I'm very lucky that I could go on though!
So very much to be thankful for in my life.

Family OFF!

Do you see this? DO YOU? This may well be the best thing EVER invented. FAMILY REPELLANT! I was introduced to it this Thanksgiving and was just thrilled! You know how those big family gatherings go. Some of the family is great, others.......not so much. Just break out the FAMILY OFF! As soon as you see those family freaks, start spraying! No more avoiding holiday parties, as long as you bring the handy-dandy Family OFF! A couple of sprays ensure a peaceful, fun time with the family of your choice. Available at stores near you!

Thankful

I'm going to post several "Thankful" posts, but I already did this one on my doggie myspace page and I wanted to share it here.

One of the things I am most thankful for in my life is my doggies. They give me so much; unconditional love, pride, satisfaction, joy, laughter, and life lessons.


Tater........Tater is a dog like no other. You'd really have to spend time with him to understand his Taterifficness. He is unlike any other dog I've ever known. He is not the slightest bit hyper, although he loves a good romp with one of the younger dogs. But with us, he's calm and gentle. He is not a kisser, so when you are blessed with a kiss from him you feel very, very special. He just seems very wise and sometimes solemn. He is very loving though, but instead of kisses he cuddles. He'll just press his face up against yours. Or just look at you with those soulful little eyes. He adores John, but he definitely loves me too. We sometimes compete for his attention. He gives it on his terms, when he wants to, but it's very frequent. But if you call him and he doesn't want to come, he simply doesn't. He is the closest thing to a perfect dog that I have ever seen.

Izzy.......OMGoodness. She is just Izzy and always will be, I believe. She's wonderfully Izzylicious. She is also very loving but NOT a cuddler. Her legs are long and stiff like a giraffe's. She is only totally still when she's sleeping. But she loves every human and every dog. She is affectionate and if you call her (or any of the other dogs), she comes running. Everything excites her. Everything. She is obsessed with balls, and flaying 'fetch' (but she's not that good at bringing the ball back). She is very smart, she picks up cues and is very observant. I adore her.


Then there's Tony. He is our old man. He is truly a sweet dog at heart, he just has very little patience with youngsters (canine version) and is quick to let them know it. Sometimes he needs a little break in the crate, and I think he actually likes that. His own space without rugrats bothering him. He is such a sweet dog though, truly. He has a spring in his step sometimes, and gets around much better than when we first got him. I am very glad that he is with us, and I would be very, very picky about letting him be adopted. I would be perfectly happy if he stays with us forever. (he's already at least 15 years old.) A potential adopter would have to understand him, and accept him as he is. He's so spoiled, I feed him right in his doggie bed. I mean, he's like 105 in dog years? Come on, he needs a break! But take him out to the park on a leash and you'd never dream he was that old. Dogs are awesome, and old dogs are very special.


We have Maizy the foster right now. She is 2½. She is adorable, and extremely loving (read: OBSESSIVE kisser!!!) She is very exuberant and loooves to play with the other dogs. She also loves to get into the trash and tear things up. Anything she can get her little paws on. She likes to jump onto the kitchen table if our backs are turned. She is always into something! She is so pretty and looks like a puppy, and probably always will. She will make a great family dog and I think (hope) she will be adopted very soon. I LOVE her. As a foster. =)

B to the Log

I haven't blogged lately because I just haven't felt like I had anything interesting to say. But I was inspired by another blogger tonight and I'm going to work on blogging more, and making this blog something different.................

Halloween

We had a blast on Halloween. We went to Boo at the Zoo, which is at the community college zoo. They really do an awesome job, the kids loved it. Admission is one canned good per person.

One of Princess's friends thought she was dressed as a Lunch Lady for Halloween. Princess Nurse was not amused (but I was...).