Better Late Than Never

I'm coming in way late on the Fragging today! We've been kind of busy for the last couple of days. Now we're at my Mother-In-Law's for the weekend. They're out of town, and MIL's dog, Roxanne, is very old and takes medicine several times a day. So we're here taking care of Roxanne, who I call my dogsister-in-law. ;o)








Snail Mail friends! I'm very interested in learning how your snail mailing is going. So, I'm going to do a link up next week. I'm going to do it Wednesday, so hopefully that gives you plenty of time. I'd just like for you to do a post about how it's going, anything special or fun you've received or experienced, or whatever you feel like posting about. It's not a requirement, just something I thought would be fun.
Also, if you haven't already, please share each others' birthdays and other special occasion dates. I just realized I missed one of my Snail Mail partner's birthdays last month, and I felt so bad! It never occurred to me to ask for that. Duh!
Also, if you haven't signed up yet but would like to, just email me! It's ongoing so it's never too late, and in fact I have one person waiting for a partner right now.
One more thing - Andrew has seen Elayna exchanging mail with her partner and wants in, too. So if anyone knows a boy around 10 years old (or younger) who would like a pen pal, let me know. He loves video games & Silly Bandz, and won't take the time to write often I'm sure, so no pressure, LOL.




Speaking of Andrew....last night all of my kids were at their Dad's house, celebrating their baby sister's 2nd birthday. John was at work, so it was just me and Andrew at home. We ordered pizzas and watched movies, and Andrew said it was a GREAT night. =) I wish I had more one on one time like that with all of the kids, it's so much fun!




My eyes have been bothering me for the past few days, so I went to the clinic at work to get them checked out. Turns out I have conjunctivitis, and I can't work again until they clear me! So, I get an unexpected long weekend. Crazy!




Speaking of conjunctivitis...Andrew said to me last night, "Mama, Daddy said you have conjitis."
I said, "Actually, it's called conJUNCTIVitis."
And he said...."DRUNKtivitis??"
That sounds like a good name for a bad hangover!




I've found the perfect peanut butter cookie recipe! But you'll have to go over to my food blog, Southern Loving, to see it.

Alright, time to wrap up this very late version of Friday Fragments! Hope you all have a great weekend, and don't forget to visit Mrs 4444's for more Fragging Fun!

Andrew's Nightmare

(if you don't know anything about Andrew, you may want to read back some. This is the most recent post and a good starting point.)

A while back, shortly after Andrew's mom flaked out and he came back to live with us, my Mother-in-Law and Andrew were shopping and they ran into Andrew's Mom, Christina. They turned a corner and there she was, in the middle of the next aisle, unavoidable. She was so caught up in her own (self-induced) drama at that time that all she did was ramble about her life, and MIL was able to cut it short and then she and Andrew immediately left the store.
Fast forward to last week. MIL and Andrew were together and she drove up to that same store, not thinking anything of it; she shops there frequently.
But as she was getting out of her car, MIL looked over at Andrew and saw that his eyes were welled up with tears. She asked him what was wrong, and he began to cry.
"Last night, I had the worst nightmare of my life," he told her.
"I dreamt you made me go back to Christina!" He was sobbing by this time, so upset just from remembering this dream. He had dreamt that MIL (John's mom, Andrew's grandmother) had taken him back to Christina and forced him to live with her. He begged her to never do that to him, and she of course reassured him that she wouldn't.
I just can't imagine what Christina did that made him feel this way, this strongly, about her. It's very unusual, even in abuse situations, for a child to adamantly state that they never want to see their mother again, and continue to say that (to anyone who will listen) for over two years.
It just makes me more determined than ever that she will never have the chance to do it again.



For more Pour Your Heart Out posts, visit Shell @ Things I Can't Say.

It's that time of year...

Time for the Back to School photo spread!

I had a roller coaster weekend. Some crappy stuff happened, some really good stuff happened.
I'm choosing to focus on the GOOD STUFF!
The rest of it can kiss my butt!
The kids met their teachers on Friday. We love Elayna's teacher; we're a little unsure about Andrew's teacher but we're thinking positive. We helped Shelbie find all of her classes at her freshman orientation.
We had a pretty relaxed weekend, with 3 extra kids over at various times throughout the weekend.
Then, Monday was the big day. My son, Tim, who is a senior this year, drove himself and Shelbie to school. My co-workers helped me out so that I could leave work early and walk in with the small fries, who started fourth grade.

(click to see 'em bigger)

Tim, texting his girlfriend, no doubt.

Shelbie, wearing her new school's colors.

Andrew & Elayna

Elayna's cool shoes

Layna at her desk

Andrew & John, waiting to go into school

This was the first year of the Uniform Requirements, and I thought all of the kids looked really good. I also found shopping very easy with the uniform requirements. So, no complaints here, so far.

They all had great first days, and I'm kind of glad to get back into the routine!
Tomorrow, the Small Fries will ride the bus home for the first time ever. They're excited but a little nervous. I made them little bus-shaped cards with the bus number on it, because they were worried about forgetting which bus to get on. They loved them! Please cross your fingers that my children make it home on the school bus tomorrow. LOL!

Hope y'all are having a good week.
Did your kids go back to school yet?

Summer's Winding Down....

My kids go back to school on Monday. Today is meet the teacher day! Elayna had a fantastic teacher last year, and I really hope she gets another one just as good. Andrew's teacher last year......well, let's just say I hope he gets a great one this year! ;o)


This year, Andrew and Elayna are going into the fourth grade.
My daughter Shelbie is going to be a freshman in high school, and my son Tim will be a senior in high school. I can hardly believe it! Two kids in high school, and one about to graduate. I know it's said all the time, but...where DOES the time go??


Daily life will be changing dramatically as of today. The summer is over, so the girls will be home all the time now except for every other weekend, when they go to their dads.
Andrew will be coming home Saturday from spending the entire summer with his grandmother. (being spoiled rotten!)
Tim will be with me a little less now, though. During the school year, he is with me from Thursday - Monday, every other week, and is with his dad the rest of the time.
So, more of all of the kids except Tim. And he's so busy with work & anyway!
Did I mention he's a SENIOR? Gah!

Thank you all so much for your comments on my last post. I have been wanting to write about my feelings about Tim's color blindness for a while now. It felt so good to write about it, and then to get your kind comments was even better. Just another reminder of why I love blogging so much!

I am so ready for fall! I've loved summer, but fall is my favorite season and I can't wait for it. Cooler temps, fires in the fireplace, Halloween, and of course....the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes. LOL

Alright, that's all my brain will allow me to remember today.
Have a great weekend & visit Mrs 4444s for more Fraggin'.

Through His Eyes

Most of you see this picture the way it appears on top.
But my oldest son, Tim, sees it as it appears on the bottom.

That's because he is color blind.
Now before I go on, I realize that there are far worse things in life than color blindness.
My son had brain surgery. So, I get that, trust me.

My dad is color blind, so I grow up aware of that, but honestly, I thought little of it. My dad didn't make a big deal of it. I also knew that it passed from father, to daughter, to her sons. I didn't think much of that either.
But I suspected early on that my son was, indeed, color blind. He is a very smart kid. Even at a very young age, he would blow our minds with his intelligence. So when he had trouble learning his colors, I was immediately concerned. But at first, the doctors kind of blew me off; he was too young to really be diagnosed. They thought he just had trouble learning his colors.
I knew better. And in time, the doctors and school realized that I was right. He was definitely color blind.
As a mother, I think about it far more than I did as a daughter. I think of all the things that I can see, that my son cannot see. When he asks me what color something is, I feel a little squeeze of pain in my heart. That literal ache. I wish I could take his color blindness away, and let him see what I see. I literally would happily give him my color vision and be color blind for the rest of my life. I've seen plenty. I want him to see it now.
At home, we laugh and joke about it. But inside, I am hurting.
He brushes it off. He would not want to know the pain it causes me. I guess you can't miss what you've never had. He doesn't make a big deal of it at all.
Color blindness is strange. He can recognize some colors perfectly. And there are some colors that he sees better in different lighting. But I'll never truly know what exactly he sees, and the way that he sees them.
I want him to see the beautiful colors of a sunset. I want him to know what color his car really is. I want him to know the true color of his girlfriend's eyes. There are so many beautiful things in the world that he will never fully see.
And as a mother, it breaks my heart.

For more Pour Your Heart Out Posts, visit Shell at Things I Can't Say.

Self Reflections

"

Christy from Just Thinkin' and Lisa from The Sarcastic Lab Rat have started a new meme. This one is called Self Reflections Tuesday. It's all about us, as bloggers, not our kids and husbands and pets and other random stuff. Go on over to one of the host blogs to read all about it!

Today's Theme: Introduce yourself! Show us a self-portrait and list 5 things you like about yourself. And we are looking for things you really like ... not just 'I like that I'm a mommy'.

Here I am....



and here I go.........

1. I like that I make people laugh. (usually on purpose!)

2. I like that I am a very loyal friend. Once we are true, bonded friends, we always will be.

3. I like that I am a very kind person, but not a doormat. I am nice, but I don't take crap. Mess with me or my family, you will see my ugly side.

4. I like that I am a very caring person who volunteers her time to help others, human and animal.

5. I like that, with the wisdom of old age, I have accepted my flaws, worked on the ones I can or want to change, and learned to live with the ones I can't...or just don't want to change! =)

There you have it!
Go check out the other Self Reflections and then join in the fun!

Getting to Know Me

I always want to participate in this meme but I always remember too late.
Although I guess I'm still late, but not as late as I normally would be.
Anyway! I'm jumping in, deal with it.







1. What kind of athlete has the hottest body?

football players (Tim Tebow!)

2. Are you a planner or a procrastinator?

I am a procrastinator, big time. Bad.

3. Diet or regular (soda)?

Diet Dr Pepper. I'm completely addicted.

4. What's your one "must have" for Fall?

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. I don't do Starbucks any other time of the year, but that stuff is delicious. I am already looking forward to it! (when does it start anyway??)

5. What's your favorite fast food restaurant?

Depends on my mood, but I'll say Chipotle.

6. What do you think is the sexiest profession for a guy?

any kind of hard labor that creates muscles. *eyebrow wiggle*
or, football player (Tim Tebow). LOL

7. Did you wear braces?

Yep, and now I have one kid in braces and will have another one in braces soon...YAY!

8. Would you rather have a guy that's super sexy or kind?

Definitely kind...my husband is such a genuinely good and kind person and I adore him for that.

YAY I did it! Now get on over to MannLand and you can do it too!

Go forth and frag!

I'm pretty sure that on the Fifth day, the Good Lord created Fragging. And He said, Go forth and Frag on Fridays, and it will be Good.



It's Friday the 13th! Are you skeered?



For most of this week, there were 5 females in my house. Ages 9, 10, 13, 14 and 37.
(Me, my two girls, and two of their friends.)
I noticed that Tim, my teenage son, made himself scarce. Smart kid.
They kept us entertained, and very busy, that's for sure.



Today my kids go to their dad's house. They'll spend next week there, and then school starts on Monday, August 23rd, and we'll go back to our normal routine. So next week is the last week we'll have no kids at home. Once I clean up from the chaos that has occurred this week, I'm sure you can guess what I'll be doing next week! Me + my pillow = BFF!



I went looking for a page divider image for today and found this pop tart divider. Is it not the cutest thing ever?



I also found this. I kind of love it.





I hope you all have a fantastic Friday & a wonderful Weekend! Visit Mrs 4444 for more Friday Fragments. I'm pretty sure it's a Commandment!!

Peek In My Windows

I've been promising pics of the new house since we moved in, and I definitely have not delivered. But I'm working on it. I have a few pics to get started!

My home is old, with a lot of wood walls and mostly wood floors. I love it!

I got this little table at a home store on a super clearance sale, and I got the lily candle holder on top in St Augustine at a little shop, also on a super clearance!

This is a wide shot of the little table,
and the cross votive holder that is on the wall above it.
(the votive holder was a Christmas gift from hubby.)

The fireplace.
The betta fish doesn't really belong on the mantel, but he's sort of displaced right now. He was in the family room, but it gets too hot in there. He belongs to Elayna but can't live in her room, because she also has a kitten. Poor thing, he needs a permanent spot!

This is my cross wall.
Some of these crosses were gifts, others were thrifty finds.
It's a work in progress, I plan to add to it and expand it for many years!

Alright my friends, there is more to come. This weekend when the light is good, my camera is coming out!

Umm...weekend wrap up on a Wordful Wednesday?

Well hello my friends! I'm alive and well. The party did not kill me. I just took a little break. I've been recuperating!



As expected, something did get broken. But, it happened before the party AND!! It was not something that belonged to me!
It was.....my son's car window.
He and his friend were playing around Friday night, his friend swung a bat, and it hit the triangular window by the passenger side window.
Woops.




Other than that, all went well. The bonfire got rained out, but we'll do that another time.
My son's girlfriend was able to come. She has very strict parents, so we were happy that they allowed her to come. They had fun.



A couple of the kids haven't left yet! We've had a full house all week.






So, I'm way behind, with little hope for catching up anytime ever soon.


I hope those of you who went to BlogHer had fun!
And I hope y'all are having a great week.