Auld Lang Sine

Well, it's December 31, 2006 - New Year's Eve. I don't really have very much to say, if you can believe it. We bought Kiddo a new blanket for his bed which he is quite excited about. It's very soft and he likes feeling it and rubbing it against his cheek. I'm wondering if the kid inherited my tactile sense of all things soft; I've had a "softie" or "feelie" my whole life. ("Hello, my name is Jennifer, I'm 33 years old and I still sleep with a softie.") If that makes you think any less of me, I forgive you...I'm comfortable with who I am thank you very much! :) Anyway - Kiddo seems to need something soft too, though not the same material. He prefers fleece and chenille and things of that nature; me, I'm a satin girl through and through. Yeah...go ahead...laugh. Anyway - back to the whole New Year's Eve thing. Anyone got anything really super fun scheduled? We're going to our friend's house this evening; she's 2 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy and he is the computer genius who fixes all our technical woes (when they happen). They've become very good friends and Hubby and I are both looking forward to "ringing in the New Year" at their humble abode. Hubby is making those sweet & sour meatballs we all adore and there should be a good crowd there this evening, so hopefully we'll have enough. We're going to pack up Kiddo's sleeping bag, softie, pillow & a few other things so that when he starts getting cranky, we can bundle him in for the night. There will be other kids there, too, so it's not like he won't have anything to do. I think we'll bring the movie, "Cars" with us for all the little ones to watch. See, I told you I didn't have very much to talk about! Hope everyone celebrates well & responsibly and that you all have a very Happy New Year! I'll talk to you again in 2007! TTFN JMS

Didja think I was dead?

I'm most definitely still alive, almost 30 weeks pregnant and feeling every bit of it! Life has been...well, let's just say chaotic...for the last few months. I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated this blog! Oh...my poor adoring fans. (Yes, you can feel free to shoot me if you desire.) The baby's due date is March 12th 2007. That's 10 weeks from this coming Monday. I can't believe it. I'm very round, nothing fits, my hips are killing me, and I'm constantly being pummeled from the inside. Heartburn has moved in as a permanent resident, along with sleepless nights. I think the sleeplessness is simply getting me prepared for our new addition and reminding me that it is possible to survive (or, function) on little to no sleep. Kiddo has been very good...except when he hasn't been. He's started the terrible 3's (a bit early) because I think he missed out on the terrible 2's. Screaming temper tantrums are becoming the norm and we're on constant watch for the signs that one is on the horizon. He's absolutely impossible to deal with at those times and the best we can do (though this is still a learning process) is dump him in his bed and let him scream it out. You ever try reasoning with a 2 year old? It's not possible...and I still attempt it every time! What am I thinking? We had a wonderful Christmas and though we vacated my poor Mother's house a day earlier than planned - I think she was secretly glad we were gone. She was fighting bronchitis and feeling miserable. I think we were more of a hassle than a help and she was able to get some rest when we drove out at 2:30 PM on Christmas day in the pouring rain. She would never admit to our being in the way or at all a pain to be around, but I do think she was glad to have some quiet time. I'm done traveling, though. I know it's going to sound crabby and harsh, but I'm so tired of traveling all over creation for the holidays and would really love to wake up in my own bed on Christmas morning for once. I would also really love for Kiddo (and his new baby brother or sister) to be able to wake up in their own beds, too. That's not happened once in the 3 years Kiddo has celebrated Christmas with us. Maybe next year I'll get a real, too. Kiddo likes the little 3 foot table-top tree we have, but I miss the smell of a real tree permeating my house during the holidays. I hope your Christmas was wonderful and that your New Year is a happy one! TTFN, JMS

Vacation Information

OK – I lied. Well, not intentionally, of course, but never-the-less… Actually, it was true when I said it but is no longer true. Let me explain... Since the time I posted last, our crack team of network gurus in the IT Department has, yet again, blocked access to blogs – all of them. I think they have simply denied access to any site containing any form of the word "blog". So, I’m back again to trying to do this posting thing at home. So much for being able to post during lunch breaks, huh? But I’m sure my network access issues aren’t what you’re interested in right now, am I right? You want to know about my vacation, don’t you? Well, by now you all should have received (those of you who receive my e-mail updates) an e-mail with a link to view some of our pictures from said vacation. We’re waiting on some pictures to come back from the "Foto Hut" (nod to one of my favorite TV shows) and as soon as I get them scanned, I’ll add those to the Photo Album on Kodak Gallery. I’m hoping they’re good, because neither Hubby nor I remember what we took pictures of. Anyway – the trip was WONDERFUL and Kiddo was as good as gold through the whole thing. One or two minor screaming fits, but they were short lived when he realized we weren’t just stopping what we were doing, we were preparing to do something else that was possibly even more fun! He had a ball in the sand, dug into crab holes, made sea-shell soup (brewed in a small yellow bucket filled with sea shells, sea water & sand then stirred like crazy with a little purple shovel), and picked up sea shells to decorate the sand "monolith" with (notice I didn’t say castle). He jumped waves in the ocean, paddled around in the pool on a little inflatable "dog boat" with holes cut in the bottom for his legs, went in the hot tub and had fun playing with the "fountains and bubbles", and somehow managed NOT to get sunburned! I guess we did a good job with the 50SPF sun block. Hubby and friends spent some time surf fishing, and while they did catch a few small fish, Hubby managed to hook a shark! No, really – an actual shark. Granted, it was only about 12" or 13" long, but it was a mean looking thing! He reeled it in and as it dragged across the sand, he looked at me, pointed at the shark and said, "Uh…I’m not touching that!" It was great! We celebrated our 6th anniversary out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, which also happens to be the place where our friend (who kindly invited us along on this lovely vacation) works. He is the bar manager there… If you’re ever in the area and want a REALLY GREAT place to eat, we highly recommend it! We went to Myrtle Beach to the Ripley’s Believe it or Not Aquarium – another place where Kiddo was thrilled with his surroundings! (Fish are friends, not food!) He ogled saw-fish, sharks, sea turtles, big lumpy-headed fish, small sparkly fish, brightly colored fish, tried to pet a ray (he didn’t manage it with his short arms, but mommy did!), and had an all-around good time. Anyway – I can’t say enough about it. The sun rises were lovely, the sun sets were beautiful. The beach was quiet and all but deserted. The house we stayed in was fantastic (it even had an elevator!) and quite comfortable. And the best part of the whole thing was the company. We miss our friends and we’re sorry we only get to see them once a year. TTFN JMS

Excitement

I knew this would happen – it’s 11:00 AM and I’m trying to find something productive to do. I’m so excited about having an actual vacation that I’m finding it very hard to concentrate. I feel like a little kid anticipating Christmas or a birthday! Actually, Hubby’s and my 6th Anniversary is tomorrow so that, in itself, is exciting! (Come to think of it, the UT Vols were playing UF Gators that day, too! Not that I really care, but I know some people really live and breathe UT football.) It is now 11:23 AM and you can see by how little I’ve written that I’m a bit scattered today. I guess my ADD has chosen today to rear its ugly head. Well, I’m signing off. I’ll write more when we get back. I have about 15 neighbors looking after our house, so don’t get any ideas! ;-P TTFN JMS

Ah Ha!

I've just discovered something that I couldn't do before! My network access must have changed at the office because whereas I never used to be able to even VIEW my blog (or anyone else's) I can now not only view, but CREATE! This gives me a great advantage over my exhaustion and lack of motivation to do anything other than eat, bathe Kiddo, put him to bed, and go there myself after I get home at night! Now - I can start blogging again with some regularity because I can do it in 15 minutes during my lunch break! What a concept! (And I'm sure you're all SO thrilled that I will be updating this "thing" that has been so sorely neglected lately.) Anyway - there's SO much that's been going on and I'm going to try not to make this one post as long as the last installment of the HP series (800-something pages I think, but am so looking forward to the final installment! And it had better be over 1000 pages because there's simply NO WAY JKR will be able to wrap things up satisfactorily if it's not that long.) Side notes complete...moving on. Finally starting to feel human again, though this ugly headache has been plaguing me for about 5 days now, and though kind Hubby has spent an hour sweetly/viciously digging at the pressure points in my head, neck and shoulders (which has helped tremendously) I still have this nagging "thing" that won't go away. (Notice that "thing" seems to be my word of the day?) Maybe it's sinuses? Morning sickness (which for me was all day and mostly evening sickness) is quite a bit better, though I'm still tired a lot. I'm at 14+ weeks right now and into the 2nd trimester! How cool is that? We're going on an actual vacation to Holden Beach, NC... We'll be staying at what looks to be a wonderful house on the beach (link shows actual house) and with some good friends. This is very exciting because it's the first actual vacation we've taken in a very long time. Our trip to CT over Christmas in '05 doesn't count because though it was relaxing and fun, it was still a family thing, and we had to fly to get there. I'll be sure to e-mail you all some pictures when we get back. Job is still great, Hubby and Kiddo are both doing fine. Kiddo got up from a nap yesterday and came out of his room saying, "Daddy, I awake now!" and not only was he awake, but he had put his own pants on - all by himself! Getting to be such a big boy! So...hope everyone is doing well. I think that maybe my being able to post at work will be a good thing, but we'll see. TTFN JMS

Senses

Do you ever hear a song and suddenly you’re transported back in time to another, younger, part of your life? Or catch a scent, odor, smell (whatever) and it reminds you of a particular vacation, highpoint (or not-so-highpoint) of your childhood, or a relative that is no longer around? I wonder if pregnancy enhances those senses…? I know it does; my sense of smell is heightened right now because smells that normally don’t bother me are making me insane (or sick), but does it enhance your ability to recall certain things, certain times? Does it help or hinder your aural recollection, too? I feel almost like a disjointed, abstract, offbeat "superhero" (for want of a better word) with all these heightened senses and no possible way of making any use of them. My sense of, and reaction to, smell is probably the biggest and most noticeable difference right now; it makes me crave things I wouldn’t normally want or avoid like the plague things that I would typically enjoy. It also is a huge factor in how my stomach feels and if I’m going to be paying a visit (or several) to the “porcelain goddess”. My “sense” of exhaustion is heightened, too. I’m tired. All the time. If you asked me what I would most like to do right this minute (any time of day or night) I’d answer, “Take a nap”. I could sleep all day – and I have done just that. Thank goodness for my understanding husband. I’m sure there are other things that are heightened, but also is my lessening ability to put up with BS. My tolerance level is nil. It packed a suitcase and hitched a ride out of town. The dog annoys me by her very presence and that I cannot explain because I usually adore my dog. Kiddo and his noisy toys are getting on my last nerve; I’d like to take the Weeble Tree House that he loves so much and toss it in the trash! But – even though I’m tired, my nerves are shot, and my stomach is in a constant state of turmoil, I really do feel aright and am very much looking forward to our new addition. Can I just say that 9 months is a LONG time!?

Been a long time, eh?

Ok - after about the 50th e-mail from one of my loyal blog enthusiasts asking why I was leaving everyone hanging so long, I've managed to find time where I'm not only awake (a rarity these days), but alone. Hubby & Kiddo went to church tonight for choir practice and play-time respectively. But, however long it's been since I last posted (what, about 2 weeks or more?) this post will be short. I just wanted to share the first pictures of New Baby Shell who's due date is 3/12/07. Pretty exciting, huh? TTFN JMS

Curious-er and Curious-er

Below is what I was going to post yesterday evening...interesting that I didn't. ************************************* Do you ever have one of those days? You know…those…days? Today is one of those days. I think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today and have been, as I would say to Kiddo, a "Grumpy Puss". I went to bed around 8:30 last night and slept until 6:00 this morning, but it wasn't restful sleep. Kiddo got up twice, which in itself is unusual, and I just couldn't get comfortable. First I was freezing then I was roasting. Then I needed to pee…twice. I'm exhausted today, and have been for the last couple of weeks. What's up with me? I'm lethargic at work, my allergy medicine seems to have quit working completely even though I'm taking it the same way I always do, and I have no interest in anything except sleep. And yes, I'm already on medication to assist me with depression. What do you think, should I sit down with a big jug of cheap wine, a pack of cigarettes, and a trashy novel and spend a couple of days doing absolutely nothing but getting drunk and smoking cigarettes? Actually – I don't think that would help. Isn't that a shame? Ugh. ************************************* Yeah. So. Anyway...Kiddo's going to be a big brother sometime early next year! How's that for news! TTFN JMS

Ponderings

I work for a company that is actively hiring new personnel. Something I've noticed that rubs me the wrong way every time I see it: people showing up for interviews (you know, those scary things that help employers determine if they want to hire you?) wearing jeans, t-shirts, and flip flops. Or, tight, belly-baring (popularly called "crop top") shirts, spandex-like pants and stilettos. (Can you say "Street Walker"?) Or, wrinkled khakis, sneakers, and wrinkled, sloppy shirts (Ahem…guys have you ever heard of something called an iron? It's not a new invention, you know…) (I watched a guy get out of his car today looking all spiffy and proceed to shut the door to his car, bend down, and check his pearly-whites in his car's side-view mirror – right in front of the Director's office. At least he was dressed appropriately.) Greasy, unwashed hair – ick. Baseball caps & sunglasses (inside). One guy even showed up with a black t-shirt that had a white logo of a hand "flipping the bird" to the world at large. Does it have anything to do with where I live or is this a general trend through the U.S.? TTFN JMS P.S.: You all (those to whom I send my e-mail notifications) should have gotten an e-mail from Kodak Gallery inviting you to view my recently posted pictures. I just want to make sure you know it really is from me, not some automatically generated thing trying to get you to sign up for something. I've done all that work for you; all you have to do is log-in!

The Big Screen

We took Kiddo to see his first in-theater movie today! I think it was fun and entertaining for him, but Hubby and I were the ones that came away with a new favorite movie. It's a definite "must-see-in-theater-then-run-right-out-and-purchase-as-soon-as-it-comes-out-on-DVD" kinda movie. They're not just for kids anymore! (I'm not really sure what that means, exactly, but I thought it sounded good!) TTFN JMS

Family Photos etc...

I've had a couple people e-mail me recently wondering why I haven't posted any pictures of myself or my family on my blog. The reason for this is because I do not want anything that personal plastered up all over the web where anyone (including random, though decidedly friendly New Zealanders) can see who and where we are. It bothers me. Yes, I realize I've put up personal information, but it's all in written, "story-ish" form and has been slightly augmented - meaning, as I'm sure you know by now - that all names have been changed to protect the innocent (and even the not-so-innocent). I'm considering a small web site to accommodate those types of pictures and personal info. Or, maybe I'll just get you all hooked up to Snapfish or Kodak Gallery or some-such system so I can start sharing password-protected pictures like mad. Either way - that's something that I am working on. If you'd like to receive notifications of recently posted pictures, please e-mail me or leave a comment, so I can make sure you're on my "interested" list when I get something figured out. TTFN JMS

Birthday Blessings

Please join me in wishing my wonderful friend whom I love very much a happy, happy birthday!

TTFN

JMS

Feelings...

Feel like crap, look like crap...don't care. Realized I wore a nice white (work-appropriate) t-shirt to the office today that had some big stain on it from who knows when or where that I didn't notice until supper-time tonight. Hubby & I went to meet our lawyer to take pictures of the intersection where Hubby and our friend, the matriarch of the Clinton Clan, were rear-ended back in 2002. Irritated me. Went through a 3 day trial back in February that was declared a mistrial; wouldn't you think he'd have done that already? He'd never seen the intersection before today. Yeah - gives me lots of confidence going forward. Went to Fazoli's for supper and managed to get two more red spots on my white t-shirt. All-in-all, not a great day. Still living, though, so I guess that's a good thing, huh? TTFN JMS

Forgiveness & Explanation

I am writing today to ask your forgiveness for the lack of content posted here over the last week. May I just say that I’ve been exhausted, mentally and physically, and couldn’t bear the thought of attempting to write anything except one very short grocery list. To begin with – and as you’ll probably remember – I’ve been planning two very large events at my office; and, as I haven’t been very forthcoming with details on these events, I’ll give them to you now. The company I work for, Brink’s Home Security, has grown to over 1,000,000 customers! That being said, the main call center that handles all incoming and outgoing Customer Care calls as well as the Monitoring of home alarms and dispatch of emergency services just plain got too small to handle the volume of calls and alarms. Enter Knoxville, TN and the new National Customer Contact Center that works seamlessly with the original National Service Center in Irving, TX. The NCCC is a brand new building whose construction was completed in late March/ early April of this year. I’ve been planning the Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting event for all the local big-wigs, including the Knox County Mayor, some local officials, the Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership, local business owners and members of the Knoxville Chamber, AND the Chairman and CEO of The Brink’s Company, Michael T. Dan and the President of Brink’s Home Security, Bob Allen. There were also a host of other Brink’s executives here for the big day. Needless to say there was much more involved than stretching a ribbon across the front door, snapping a few pictures with people grinning for all they’re worth, cutting the ribbon and shouting, “Yay!” I’ll not go into details of what all was involved, but we sent out 100 invitations, organized give-aways (mini-flash lights and the like), put together a gift for the Mayor, received RSVPs, called people we had not received RSVPs from so we could get a head-count to the caterer, organized vendors, floral arrangements, photographer, videographer, etc… (I’m gasping for breath just reliving it all.) That’s not to mention the four times we switched the head-count on the poor caterer; they were WONDERFUL, though, and deserve the highest recommendation I can give. Oh, and organized guided tours of the building, instructed parking attendants, pressure washed the parking lot (we hired out for this…can you imagine me running around in my heels pressure washing the parking lot?), made sure the landscapers had watered the plants, cut and trimmed the grass etc... Anyway – it was a big deal indeed and went off without a hitch! Oh – and when I say we, I mean I. There were other people involved, and I certainly don’t want to give the impression that I did it ALL myself, but if it makes you feel better, I’ll definitely take the credit!!! That event was on Wednesday, June 28th. Then, on July 1st, we had our Family Day Carnival Event. I planned this one, too. We had four inflatable games including a Wacky Shack, a 29 foot slide with a vicious T-Rex and a Kong-like gorilla in fierce battle, a ball-crawl for the little ones, and something called a Tiger Belly Bouncer which was essentially an enclosed trampoline shaped like a tiger cub on its back; pretty cute. There were also hot dogs, sno-cones, cotton candy, give-aways, a raffle, a couple police cruisers, (the fire engine didn’t show up), face-painting clowns, cookie decorating, a golf challenge and more! It was great and I think everyone had a wonderful time. So I had two very large events within 3 days then had Sunday, Monday (generously offered by my boss and gladly taken by me) & Tuesday off. Kiddo’s “Gammy”, as he calls her, came for the Family Day event from Greenville, SC by bus on Friday. That was an almost 10-hour ordeal for her and I felt obligated to offer to drive her back; though I actually really wanted to go spend some more time with her so obligation was not really the issue. We drove down on Sunday right after church and got there about 6:00 PM. (Boy – did we luck out in the traffic department; there wasn’t much of it at all!) While in SC, we saw my sister, her husband, their adorable daughter, and a few other family members, met Gammy’s neighbor and her menagerie (5 cats, two of which are kittens, 3 dogs, two of which are tiny Pomeranians. She came over one morning just after bathing them and they both had on little pink satin bathrobes with pink fur trim - strange that I would think that kind of doggie abuse was cute, but I did.), did some running around in the back yard, spent some quality time with Gammy and generally had a nice visit. Then it was time to drive home. We left Tuesday morning around 10:00 and got home around 2:00. (Again, hardly any traffic!) Kiddo slept most of the way home (an almost 4 hour trip), woke up raring to go, spent some time in his kiddie-pool, got prune fingers and couldn’t figure out if they hurt or just looked weird (yeah, not a fan of wrinkly fingers), went to bed at 7:30 and got up around 8:00 this morning. I’m back at work and attempting to readjust to life post-events and sitting here scratching my head wondering which pile of neglected paperwork to attack first. I guess filing wins because it’s the bigger stack and has been calling to me longer! Anyway – hope everyone had a wonderful 4th! Happiness & fireworks to all! TTFN JMS

Wardrobe Malfunctions

I spent some of last night getting my outfit ready for today. (The significance of today is that it’s the day before the BIG event I’ve been planning at the office and the day that all the Grand High Muckety-Mucks start arriving.) After deciding I needed a dressy belt, I went to the “I’d-hate-to-be-here-on-a-Saturday-afternoon” hell that is commonly referred to as “Wally-World”. While I was there, Hubby called me and suggested I might want to pick up something else to wear instead of the beige blazer he was desperately trying to iron for me. (Yes, Hubby does iron…and cook…and do laundry…I’m a very lucky girl.) So I picked myself up a sweater set that’s sort of a dusty plum color (love it), and found my dressy belt (exactly like I had in mind), and er…added one pair of shoes to my collection (which Hubby will probably groan about). Anyway – after performing some at-home dry cleaning to my new sweater set, organizing my stuff for the morning, and doing a few other things, it was time for bed. This morning I got up, showered (if I’m going to tell the story you need ALL the details, sorry), got dressed and left for work. On my way out of town, I stopped at Walgreens to pick up my allergy meds and a small box of safety pins. I wanted to pin up the tank top part of my sweater set because I felt it was a little low, if you know what I mean. (I’m looking for Administrative Professional here, not Slutty Secretary.) So I’m in and out of Walgreens in less than 5 minutes, drive the 13 miles to my office, get out of the car, say hello to the Security Guard who is trying to raise the flag (in the rain) get to the door and realize, “Oh Damn! I don’t have my badge!” This is an issue because not only can I not get in the door, but I can’t clock in! The Security Officer says, “Well, I can’t let you in without a badge before the doors are unlocked. I have no way of knowing that you are or are not supposed to be here!” This means that I need to get back in my car, call Hubby to let him know what I’ve done, call my boss to let him know I’m an idiot, drive the 13 miles back home, to retrieve the badge that Hubby has kindly placed on the front door knob as he headed off back to bed. Here’s the fun part. I get out of my car in my driveway and begin to make my way to the front door and realize I’m feeling a draft; a draft in a place where a properly dressed professional should not feel a draft. I reach behind me to investigate, and to my horror discover that the zipper to my black, knee-length, linen skirt is wide open! How long I’ve been wandering around the world with my A-double-S hanging out is anyone’s guess; but all I can say is that I KNOW I closed it before I left the house. It must have eased its way down during my morning errands. I quickly rectified the atrocity that had become my outfit while standing on the front porch of my little house, made certain the offending zipper was “locked” in the upright position, grabbed my badge off the door knob, drove 13 miles back to the office, and still managed to clock in at exactly 8:00 AM. Am I good, or am I good? I know this post probably falls under the category of TMI (too much information), but I had to share my em-bare-ass-ment. (“Laugh it up, Fuzz Ball!”) For those unfortunate witnesses, I’ll simply say that I’m glad to have been able to provide you with a good laugh; mortifying as it was for me. I can take it. (Insert heart-wrenching sob here.) TTFN JMS

Peeves

No - I don’t mean the poltergeist of Harry Potter fame, I mean peeves, as in Pet Peeves - things that are irritating even in their existence. Here are a list of mine, in case you wanted to know: * Toilets seats that move when you sit on them. Who really wants to think about the ickiness on the back of your leg should the seat slide and allow you to accidentally touch the porcelain? Certainly not I. * People who don’t wash their hands after using the restroom. I’m referring here, to the inevitable happening of you’re being in a stall in a public restroom and someone comes in, uses the facilities, touching everything in sight, and proceeds to leave the restroom without (hear me, folks), WITHOUT washing their hands!!! And people wonder why they get sick? * People who have pets (specifically dogs) and leave them in the yard. Here’s a hint, if you can’t take care of it, don’t take it home! And while I’m on the subject of animals, how about those folks who insist on letting their animal, dog, cat, or otherwise, have "just one litter" before getting them fixed? I don’t understand that logic; a thought process totally beyond my comprehension. * The fact that there are people in this world who should never, in a million millennia, ever be allowed to have, much less raise, children. Conversely, that there are people in this world who should be allowed to have, and to raise, multiple children, and yet they cannot - for various reasons. That’s just sad to me; there should be a law...I just have to remember that God always has a plan, even if I don’t like or understand it. * Ice trays filled too full so when they freeze it’s all one big frigging cube! * Having to turn socks right-side-out before washing them; yuck! * The fact that I must (yes, must) straighten the sheets prior to getting into bed (mostly because the bed never gets made when we get out of it). Actually, I think that’s probably one of Hubby’s pet peeves. I guess it’s just my slight OCD rearing it’s ugly head. * Toilet paper UNDER rather than OVER. * Nasty toothpaste caps. Ah...the list could go on but it’s probably a good idea for me to stop now. I wonder, can you tell the kind of day I’ve had? Oh - and I have to be at work at 6:00 AM on Wednesday. Just one more thing to gripe about. TTFN JMS

Wow!

Ok - now I know what you're all up to on Saturday nights! While I officially have 1 comment on what I wrote about the British Comedies last night, I have received several e-mails about which Brit-Coms are your personal favorites. Now please keep in mind that I'll have to go to great lengths to see some of the ones you've recommended; should I start with the ETPTV station or BBC and ask them to add these to their regular programming? Thanks for all your notes; I really love getting them. OH! And I heard from an Uncle (UB) I haven't heard from in quite a while and it was SO GREAT to know a little of what he and my Aunt (AC) have been up to! I hope that maybe we'll be able to keep in touch a bit more! UB/AC, you know my e-mail address, and I believe AC even has my phone number...? TTFN JMS P.S.: I've found a new favorite source of information! Google will always be my favorite search-engine, but you've just GOT to check out Wikipedia! It's like having your own personal set of encyclopedias, searchable at the touch of a button (or two) and in multiple languages, if you so desire! You must check it out, if you haven't already!

The British Comedies

Does the name Hyacinth Bucket ring a bell to anyone? Or, as the show is officially called, "Keeping Up Appearances"? Love the show, absolutely cannot stand the woman, which usually means I have a tough time watching it. She is absolutely the most obnoxious person I have ever seen! Are there really people like her in the world; or are they just in Britain? Speaking of British comedies, we’re currently watching "Waiting for God"; an hysterical comedy about a retirement home. More specifically, Diana (who is the most awful woman you could want to meet, yet somehow manages to be ridiculously funny at the same time) and her pseudo-roommate/gentleman friend/punching-bag, Tom, who is slightly on the loony side. This one is most definitely worth watching. Oh - and there’s my personal favorite, "As Time Goes By" with Dame Judy Dench and Geoffrey Palmer as Jean & Lionel, respectively. Hey - this one needs no explanation except that its JUDY DENCH for goodness sake! It’s got to be good, right? And there’s this strange one called "Last of the Summer Wine", which I don’t exactly get, but it certainly is funny - most of the time. There was one called "'Allo, 'Allo", but I don’t know what happened to it and I wasn’t fond of it to begin with and therefore I don’t miss it all that much. Anyway - thought I’d share. If you don’t watch the British comedies - you’re definitely missing out on some wonderful viewing! TTFN JMS PS: Kiddo has not had a temp at all today and has been generally good! Thanks for all the prayers you sent up - I think they helped!

Kiddo's Update

Hubby took Kiddo to see the doctor today because he is still sporting a fever and because he said to me this morning, "My neck hurts!" Our friend mentioned the word (scary to all parents) ~S~T~R~E~P~...so Kiddo went to the pediatrician's office this afternoon. Yep - definitely has a fever. Throat is fine, no strep. Ears nice and clean. Hubby said the doctor even commented on Kiddo's level of speech for his age. That's all good news. Give him acetaminiphin (what we've already been doing, and not sure if I can spell that word) and call them back if the fever persists. This sort of thing is apparently going around and someone somewhere said that it typically runs its course in about 4 days. Here's hoping! Keep prayin' folks! It's helping! TTFN JMS PS: Phoebe is with us for a week and she's being good as gold. Very quiet night last night which means that one or both of the puppies are comfortable.

Prayers and Poems

Kiddo is still not feeling well. He spent most of the day feeling better, but then his fever spiked around 4:00 PM; and since he'd only slept today for about 30 minutes in the car, we put him to bed early. He and I have a special prayer we say every night that goes something like this: "Thank you God for this wonderful day, and all the people I got to meet, all the food I got to eat, and everybody that I love. Amen!" He's gotten to a point where he's got it memorized and can recite it on his own without my help; though I usually follow along anyway because I like to say prayers with my son. Tonight, however, I started him off as usual, and he took it and ran away, with something to the effect of: "Thank you God (that's both of us, and I stopped helping here) for this wonderful day, and apple juice, and blue juice (blue Gatorade or Powerade), and food, and everybody that I love. Amen! Amen!" It took every ounce of restraint I posessed not to burst out laughing (with pride, of course), but I was grinning like mad. The boy knows what's important! The other thing I wanted to share today is a poem that makes me think of my Grandma, Tennie. She read to me all the time when I was growing up and some of the books I've purchased for Kiddo, I've gotten because she used to read them to me. This one is from "A Child's Garden of Verses" by Robert Louis Stevenson.

MY SHADOW

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,

And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.

He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head,

And I see him jump before me when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow -

Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;

For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,

And sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all.

He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,

And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.

He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see;

I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning very early, before the sun was up,

I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;

But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,

Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

TTFN JMS