Halloweekend in my City

This weekend, the girls and I went to a Halloween party at the home of my best friend's parents.

We partied with her family, which I consider my 2nd family (the one I chose, heh heh).

Shelbie didn't dress up for the party, so I don't have any pics of her. She'll be dressing up tonight for Trick or Treating.

Elayna dressed up as a Pink Lady.

I had my camera on some weird setting by accident, so the picture quality is horrid.

My BFF's niece, Peighton, absolutley LOVED Elayna.

Peighton is almost two and totally adorable.

And Elayna loves little ones.

This is my BFF's youngest nephew, Bentley, and my BFF's Dad.

And this is my BFF, Danielle, and Me.

We had a great Halloweekend & we're looking forward to taking the kids Trick or Treating tonight! Hope you are enjoying your Halloween as well.

I'm linking up with Sundays in my City....on Monday.

If that surprises you, well, you must be new around here. ;-)

Frightful Fragments

(not really, it just goes with the Halloween Theme)

Fragments are definitely all I have floating around in my brain after this week. It wasn't a bad week, just chaotic and tiring, and I'm glad it's over!

Halloween seriously snuck up on me this year. We didn't even get a pumpkin to carve! This weekend we have a Halloween party & other fun stuff going on. It's going to be fun but I'm sad that October is almost over already.

For the first time in about 20 years, I am working a job with a varied schedule. I wasn't sure how I'd like that, but I do...a lot! I especially like having as many as three days off in the middle of the week, and getting off at 12 or 1pm some days!

The kids & I watched the Gremlins this past week, and I have to confess my two favorite parts of that movie: One is when the Mom microwaves the bad gremlin. But the other part is where Billy's girlfriend is describing how her dad died.

Kate: The worst thing that ever happened to me was on Christmas. Oh, God. It was so horrible. It was Christmas Eve. I was 9 years old. Me and Mom were decorating the tree, waiting for Dad to come home from work. A couple hours went by. Dad wasn't home. So Mom called the office. No answer. Christmas Day came and went, and still nothing. So the police began a search. Four or five days went by. Neither one of us could eat or sleep. Everything was falling apart. It was snowing outside. The house was freezing, so I went to try to light up the fire. That's when I noticed the smell. The firemen came and broke through the chimney top. And me and Mom were expecting them to pull out a dead cat or a bird. And instead they pulled out my father. He was dressed in a Santa Claus suit. He'd been climbing down the chimney... his arms loaded with presents. He was gonna surprise us. He slipped and broke his neck. He died instantly. And that's how I found out there was no Santa Claus.

Y'all, I know my sense of humor is warped. But that is some FUNNY SHIT. And the last line is the best. Pure comedic gold.

Brad Paisley has done it again. This song is GREAT and too funny! We love it here. I wish this was a real video, but it's entertaining nevertheless.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Don't forget to visit Mrs 4444 for more Friday Fragments.

Oh, MY, What HAVE I Done??

Last week, I listed 22 things I have NEVER done.
This week, it's time to spin it around and list 22 things I HAVE done.

This should, theoretically, be easier; however, I'm going to try to keep it clean & family friendly, so maybe notsomuch. Heh.

1. I have gotten three tattoos. I love all three of them and want more.

2. I have gotten 3 piercings besides my ears (nose, belly button, and labret). They have all closed up but I'm ready for more (nose again, and I'm thinking about a Monroe).

3. I have cruised to the Bahamas.

4. I have learned what true love was, when my firstborn child was placed in my arms.

5. I have met Tim Tebow. And got his autograph, pics, and shook his hand. HE TOUCHED ME, people. *Swoon* I heart him.

{I tried SO hard to find a pic of him wearing a shirt, but I just couldn't do it. I got...distracted.}

6. I've flown on an airplane, ridden a train, a charter bus, sailed on a ship....guess I should ride in a helicopter next.

7. I have had surgeries....several of them. Appendectomy, three cesareans, gastric bypass......

8. I have sang karaoke, but it took me until I was 38 years old and had a few drinks to do it. And ya know what? I pretty much rocked it. Booyah!

9. I have gotten a divorce.

10. I have helped to prepare deceased people for the morgue (placing toe tags, putting them in body bags, etc.).

11. I have seen a woman react to the sudden death of her child. It was the most heartbreaking, epic meltdown I have ever seen. Her husband had to carry her out of the Pediatric ICU, cradled in his arms like a baby. I will never forget watching that.

12. I have received a terrifying phone call: "the results of your son's MRI are in, and the pediatrician would like to speak to you in person". (followed by: your son has

Chiari Malformation and needs brain surgery.)

13. I have received the most fanastically wonderful phone call of all time: when the nurse called me immediately after my son's brain surgery to let me know all was well, and then PUT MY SON ON THE PHONE. Incredible.

13. I have met bloggy friends, which was so much fun and I hope to do a lot more of that.

14. I have fallen in love.

15. I have fallen out of love.

16. I have learned that I am so much stronger than I ever realized.

17. I have traveled to the hospital via ambulance after a serious injury.

18. I have learned my strengths, my weaknesses, my passions.

19. I have swam in the ocean, river, springs, lakes, creeks, just about every body of water you can think of.

20. I have owned a cow, goats, and chickens, as well as many other pet animals. I bottle-fed the cow; he'd been abandoned by his mama.

21. I have been in the crowd during an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition filming, watching the building & the big reveal, and met several of the celebs on the show.

22. I have started a blog and maintained it for over 4 years; in fact, my 4th bloggiversary blew right by me in September. I love blogging and hope to keep it up for a long time to come.

Linking up with Mama Kat!

Happy GIRL!!!

It's Tuesday, time for Happy Lists! And I have a whole lotta HAPPY today!
Remember my niece who is pregnant, and torturing me by waiting to announce the baby's sex at a party?
Well....first of all, the party had to be moved up due to her husband's work schedule, which of course made me HAPPY!!
...and we had it LAST NIGHT!!!
So the cake was cut, to reveal that Heather & DJ are expecting.......




A BABY GIRL!!!!! Which brings me to my Happy List.

~ Baby Girl SHOES~ Baby Girl CLOTHES~ Baby Girl HAIR BOWS~ Baby Girl OWL ROOM THEME (no idea where she got THAT inspiration from, heh)~ Baby Girl TOYS ~ Baby Girl KISSES & HUGS~ Baby Girl SHOPPING!!!
Now, if she was having a boy, I'd still have a Happy List. I honestly had no preference. But I can't wait to start spoiling a girl! And girls definitely have the best clothes & shoes. ;-)
What's your Happy today?Share with Mamarazzi!

Never Have I Ever....

{inspired by Mama Kat & The Pioneer Woman}

Man, this was hard for me! I don't feel like I've done that much in my 38 years, but I really had a hard time coming up with 22 things I had NEVER done. But...I did it!

I Have NEVER......

1. Had a younger sibling. I'm the baby of three kids.

2. Smoked. Anything. Seriously.

3. Seen snow. Florida born & bred.

4. Been to Hawaii. But I want to go.

5 Went scuba diving. I'm a big chicken. I have snorkeled though, in the Bahamas. It was wonderful.

6. Broken a bone, except maybe a toe but I don't know for sure.

7. Gone to a prom. My high school boyfriend - turned ex husband - didn't want to go, so we didn't. Sometimes I wish I had.

(other times.....notsomuch.)

8. Bungee jumped. And I never will. Extreme sports are not for me!

9. Had a bikini wax. Yowch!

10. Been to the Florida Keys, which is ridiculous considering I have lived in Florida all my life.

11. Lived anywhere but Florida (see above). I have only lived outside of the county in which I was born for less than a year, then came right back. What can I say? It's home.

12. Owned a brand-new car. Which is probably good since we practically live out of our cars, so it would only look new for about an hour and a half.

13. Pushed a baby out of my va-jay-jay. Three c-sections for me.

14. Gotten a real massage from a professional masseusse. But if you're looking for Christmas gift ideas for me.......

15. Watched Gone with the Wind in its entirety. I've been most of it but never all at once.

16. Milked a cow. I've been on a lot of farms, both sets of grandparents farmed, but they didn't raise cows.

17. Met my great-grandparents. They had all passed away when I was born, and now all of my grandparents have passed as well.

18. Been white water rafting. It sounds like fun, but again, I'm kind of chicken.

19. Drank moonshine, although one of my grandparents had a still. I also went to a mud bog recently (don't ask, there was nothing better to do) where some friends were passing it around but I declined. Ick.

20. Read any of the Harry Potter books or seen any of the movies. They just hold no appeal for me.

21. Visited New York City, and I don't have a burning desire to do so. It's not on my bucket list or anything.

22. Learned how to sew properly. I barely passed Home Ec. I can sew a button on if I absolutely must, but that is the extent of my skills.

Whew!! How about you? Have you ever????

When You are No Longer Fat

I'm Pouring My Heart Out today with Shell.

When you are no longer fat, so many things change.

Many of these changes are expected. But some will take you by surprise.

For instance....

When you are no longer fat, people will go out of their way to hold a door open for you. They will rush ahead, or wait extra long for you to get there.

When you are no longer fat, your jokes suddenly become much more funny. People actually listen to what you're saying. Suddenly you are quite charming.

When you are no longer fat, people will call you nicknames such as "Little One". You will look at them like they're crazy, and ask them to repeat that. After being overweight for almost your entire life, that will amaze you.

When you are no longer fat, people will openly express their disdain for fat people around you. They are not cruel enough to say anything in front of fat people, but they will certainly talk behind their back. They don't know that you used to be fat. You will be shocked at the disgust people have for overweight people.

When you are no longer fat, those outfits that look so cute on the hanger, actually look cute on YOU, too. Shopping is much more enjoyable.

When you are no longer fat, you will get hired on the spot for jobs that you apply for. Even in a bad economy, you won't have to wait for those phone calls that, in the past, often never came.

When you are no longer fat, you will appreciate being treated with kindness and respect. You will enjoy being complimented.

When you are no longer fat, you will want to cry out, I am still the same person I always was! And you will hurt for that fat girl who was ignored, dismissed, and treated with condescension. Because she's still in there, wondering why people could never see past the surface before.

Happy Hour*

*I wish! lol

Here's the stuff that's currently making me happy.

~ This week is Elayna's first week of Safety Patrol duty. She is loving it! And she is so happy, which means I am so happy.

~ My night with my son. We had a great time. He makes me happy.

~ Speaking of Tim, he and Shelbie (my 15 yo ) are becoming much closer lately. Sibling love = Happy Mama!

~ I called my BFF's son to ask him a quick question. He is 18 and like another son to me. He ended the phone call with "Love you, Bye" and my heart melted into a big drippy puddle. I love that kid.

~ The reveal party to find out the sex of my niece's baby had to be moved. Instead of October 29th, it looks like we'll be doing it Monday the 24th. YAY!!! :o) Happy!

~ Random texts in the middle of the day that let you know someone is thinking of you. HAPPY!

Dum Dum, Give me Gum Gum!

For the past approximately 20 years, I have not chewed gum.

I have TMJ disorder, and for years, it hurt to chew gum. Like, major pain, severe headache lasting throughout the following day, and hurting my entire skull. Throbbing. So, I had to finally call it quits. Gum and I, we broke up.

And then. Just a few weeks ago, I had a little night out. Maybe I had a little to drink. Maybe I had a lot to drink. Who's counting? And when the night was wrapping up, someone offered me a piece of gum. Which I think most of us realize is nice person code for "You got some major funky breath going on." And somehow, my soggy inebriated brain thought that sounded like a great idea. So I took a stick of gum, and Oh.My.God. It was like an orgasm in my mouth. I had no idea how much I had missed Gum. I had no idea how amazing the new flavors of gum tasted. I had no idea what I'd been missing in all these years!

And here's the most amazing part: I did not get a headache.

And maybe you know by now that I have an itsy-bitsy bit of OCD, and I tend to obsess on things. It's not addiction, exactly. It's just obsession. Harmless little obsession. *cue Psycho music*

So, that's what's up with me and gum now. It doesn't give me a headache any more. I don't know why, but I'm not questioning Gum. I am obsessed. I am a gum fiend. I chew gum, I buy gum, I search for gum. I ask for gum. I smack gum and I pop gum. I chew like a cow. I am totally obnoxious. See, what I had forgotten about gum is that for some weird reason, chewing gum makes me happy. It puts me in a better mood. Who needs Prozac? I have spearmint Extra, baby.

Which leads me to the burning question on my mind this Monday morning.

Do you have any gum?

Fragmentationally Challenged

I don't really have a whole lot to say today. I'm lacking inspiration. But I'll put pretty dividers on here to spruce the place up and fill some space and it'll all be good!

I have a date tonight....

............with my son. Tim. I think we're going to go out for dinner. I heart him.

I love this girl more every day, and this post tops them all. Unless you just hate laughing, I highly recommend reading her blog.


Random Convo from Dysfunction Junction:

Tim - "He wouldn't hurt a fly. He wouldn't hurt a fly if it assaulted him, and he was carrying a shotgun. And a can of Raid."

My teenage daughter and I have a "song". You know, a song we call "our song". It just cracks us up!

Have a wonderful weekend,

and don't forget to visit Mrs 4444 for more Friday Fragments!

Happy Stuff

Iiiiit's HAPPY TIME! Here I go!
* I have finally started seeing clients at my new job. And I LOVE it! One client in particular is just awesome. She is 93 and keeps me laughing the entire time I'm with her. LOVE her. I'll give you just one little gem from her, about the girl who had taken care of her the previous day: "She was real nice, but she was dressed like a tramp."
* I went out to karaoke Friday night with my BFF. We hadn't been in a while and I was SO ready for a night out! First we went to dinner at a BBQ restaurant, and brought 4 of our 6 kids with us. We all had a blast, although I'm not sure we're welcome back in that establishment. ;-) It was a fun night.
* My oldest son Tim has changed so much recently, in a good way. Last night he totally blew my mind. Earlier in the day, he and Elayna, my 10 year old, were playing video games, and they were bickering in the way that siblings often do while playing video games. I didn't pay any attention, to be honest. Then Tim went off to work, and when he got home late last night, he and I were sitting around talking, along with my oldest daughter. Then out of the blue, he asked me if Elayna was in bed, then got up and went into her room. When he came out about 5 minutes later I asked "What were you doing?" And he said "I was being mean to her earlier today when we were playing video games and I wanted to apologize. I felt really bad."
And then they had to revive me with smelling salts.....no seriously, though, I was floored. Shocked. And impressed. That was SO out of character for him. When Elayna got up this morning I asked her if he'd been unusually mean yesterday, but she said no. She seemed shocked too, but I know it absolutely made her day. My kids fight like all kids do, but they truly love each other and it's nice when I get to see that side of them.
* And my friends are still at it; brightening my day on a daily basis, reminding me that I am not the alone in the day to day craziness of life, and that they love me.

* OMG, are you watching Halloween Wars? It's like Cupcake Wars, Halloween edition, only without the cupcakes. (I know, that made no sense.) It's the same host & setup as Cupcake Wars, but they carve pumpkins and use cake and candy to make these incredible Halloween scenes. I LOVE it!
Okay, happy campers, go visit Mamarazzi for some more Happy stuff!

It's a.....

....surprise.

AKA, torture.

When my niece, Heather, found out she was pregnant, my sister (her mom) told her about this really cool idea she had seen on TV. This couple had their ultrasound, but instead of the tech telling them the baby's sex, they had him write it down and then seal it in an envelope. They then took that envelope to a bakery and told them if it was a girl, to bake a cake that was pink on the inside, and if it was a boy, blue. Then ice it with a gender-neutral color. The couple then gathered all their friends and family for a party, and when they cut they cake, everyone found out the sex of the baby.

Heather thought this was a great idea, and so did I. She decided to do the same thing. Her gender ultrasound was scheduled for October 7th, so she decided to have the party on October 29th. That sounded great.

Except now we're in that waiting period. They had the ultrasound yesterday and immediately took the envelope to the bakery. And I am losing my mind.

You see, I have NO patience. None. And suddenly these three weeks feel like forever!

They got a video of the ultrasound, and last night my three kids and I went to my parents' house and we all watched the video along with Heather, her husband and her mom. I got right in front of the TV and watched like a hawk. Heather's husband said "What are you looking for?" and I said "DUH! A PENIS!!!"

But the ultrasound tech left out the money shot!

Sigh.

It was really awesome to get to share that ultrasound video with my family. My kids were thrilled. We are so excited to have another baby coming into our family. The party will be great, too.

But I'm considering breaking into a bakery after hours to get some inside info.......anyone want to be my getaway driver?

Time After Time

It's Wednesday, and time for another installment of WWTK!

This week they want to know what we do with our time.

1. If you had an extra hour to do ANYTHING for yourself each day, what would you do?

Most definitely, an hour phone call with my BFF. We rarely get to talk on the phone, although we text daily, but a solid, uninterrupted hour of conversation with her? Priceless.

2. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

I am a total night owl. I always have been. And it's funny that this question is asked today, because for the first time in over five years, I will be going to work at 7am. I worked nights for over 4 years at the hospital, and for the past year have worked nights and/or late mornings. I am slightly freaking out about having to get up at the butt crack of dawn in the morning!

*ETA* I didn't sleep last night. Like, at all. This should be interesting!

3. How much sleep do you get on an average night?

This is hard to answer because, as I stated above, I'm a night owl and I sleep weird hours. But my best guess is 6-8 hours per night/day. I LOVE sleep. I just don't like doing it at night. Which is going to be tricky now. lol

4. When do you find time to blog/surf the ol' interweb?

Rarely, these days! I usually get time online after the kids go to bed. It's nice and quiet and peaceful!

5. What is the ONE thing you're never too busy for?

I'm never too busy for Facebook. One, because I can check in quickly. Also because I can do that on the run; my phone is not a Smart Phone, but it can access Facebook. So I am on there a lot throughout the day.

Visit Mamarazzi and Queso to join in for WWTK!

Happy List Time!!

Note: I'm putting DysFUNctional MOMents on hiatus for now.

For one thing, I just don't have any extra time to devote to it.

And for another, Mamarazzi (one of my favorite bloggers EVER!!) has moved her Happy List to Tuesday!

So without further ado, let's get happy!

~ I've mentioned this one already recently, but I am SO excited about my new job, or I should actually say, career. Every day I learn more and become more confident that it's a wonderful company and right where I need to be. Happy!

~ I have to say it again - I have amazing friends who build me up and support me no matter what, and they make me all kinds of happy!

~ My son Tim is living with me full time now. He LOVES his new job and they love him. He works his butt off. Best of all, he is happy - very happy. His whole attitude has changed. I have loved him with all my heart since I found out I was pregnant, but I will tell you straight up that there have been moments where I have not LIKED him a whole lot. But now, he is so much fun to be around. And when my babies are happy, Mama is HAPPY!

~ We find out at the end of this month if my niece is having a baby boy or girl. Her pregnancy is progressing wonderfully and I am SOOOO FREAKING HAPPY!!! I can't wait to squeeze a fresh new baby!!

~ FALL! I say it every year, I LOVE FALL! It's my favorite season. Soon I will be whining about the cold, but I love the season, the way things look, the events of fall, the decorations, and HALLOWEEN! Happy!!

~ All of these HAPPY things have combined to give me a fresh new outlook on life. I'm going to be making some positive changes to keep the happy....well...happy, if you will! I'm remembering that I am a strong tough chick and I'm not going to let life's little bumps get me down. I'm going to take a little more time for ME, because guess what - I deserve it! And ME TIME makes me HAPPY!

I hope you're happy, and I hope you check out the other Happy Lists over at Dandelion Wishes!