I'm on vacation- and only have my phone for computer access- so I won't be around too much.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Great Friends!

Ijust have to say, I have the bestest friends! Abs, you really made my week! (Or Art did!) Thanks!

YouTube - Michael Jackson - She's Out Of My Life

This is my favorite Michael Jackson song... pre-Thriller and pre-strangeness. It seems weird that he is gone- I think because he wasn't that much older than me- and the icons from our era aren't supposed to die yet.

This one is making the rounds!

So many people have done this one, I can't begin to figure out who I stole it from! Heck, let's just call it "public domain" at this point!

1. Who was your FIRST prom date? Todd.

2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love? Hmm, if you're talking about Dave in the 7th grade, then no- but I do still talk to his sister who was my best friend. If you're talking about Todd (the first first) then no. Not in 10 years.

 

3. What was your first alcoholic drink?  Hmm.... probably the whiskey, lemon, and honey my dad gave me at 14 to try to knock out a really bad cold. Also knocked out my desire to drink straight whiskey!

4. What was your FIRST job? Driving the tractor through the hayfield.

5. What was your FIRST car? 1970 Chevy Nova. Kelly green.

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today? Scott. He's usually the first phone call and text of the day.

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning? Either Scott, who was 10 minutes late in calling (was supposed to wake me up at 6!) or Savannah, who I was trying to wake up. It has been a while since then!

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher? Mrs. Gabriel

9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?  Indianapolis

 

10. Who was your FIRST best friend & do you still talk?  Donna- and yes, but not as much as we'd like. That should change as all her kids are in college next year.
 

11. Where was your FIRST sleep over?  Probably my friend Ann's house- she is Dave's (see #2) sister.

12. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today? Scott.

13. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?  My cousin Greg. I was the register attendant.

14. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?  Pee.

15. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?  I can't remember if it was Billy Joel or Jimmy Buffet. Of course, I can't remember much about Jimmy Buffet except that the tequila was plentiful!

16. What was the FIRST record/tape/CD you bought?  AC/DC Back in Black

 

17. FIRST hospitalization?  Wow- at 30 when I had Savannah! (I had my tonsils out, but that was outpatient.)

18. FIRST foreign country you've been to?  First and only- Canada.

19. FIRST movie you remember seeing?  In the theatre- Sound of Music. My grandma took me. Had to have been a re-showing, because I'm not old enough to remember the original release.

20. When was your FIRST detention?  My sophomore year. Decided to go home at lunch with a friend I was supposed to go home with after school. She left early and I went with her.

21. What did you do with your FIRST paycheck? Who knows?

22. Your FIRST social networking site? Yahoo 360

23. Who FIRST invited you to Multiply? Hmm... I came over in the mass exodus from 360- it was either Kat, or ZB, or the Wench. Seems like it may have been a team effort!

Happy Father's Day to Great Daddys

My step-dad, Frank, with my mother.

My dad died when I was 17. It rocked my world- seemed to take a bit of the foundation out from under the house. I graduated from high school and college without him- got married without him- had children without him. But he shaped who I am today. He raised me to be right, and honest, and kind, but still be able to have fun.

I used this verse in my Bible  study this morning, but didn't associate it with Father's Day until Kat pointed out that it reminded her of her father.

1 Timothy 3:2-7
Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect.(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.

My mother lived alone for 15 years before she married my step-father. He is such a hero- he treats her like a princess. And she takes great care of him, too. They've been married 10 years now, and it feels like so much longer. Frank is just as much a part of the family as my daddy would have been were he still here. He hasn't tried to take over our lives, but been a silent witness to the love and care that should come with any good marriage.

My children are now growing up without their father. That is his choice, of course, and I have tried to instill in them the fact that it has nothing to do with them. I've explained about narcissistic people. I've tried to preserve their self-esteem in the wake of his denial. Savannah wanted to, so we took Scott out today for lunch because, for all practical purposes, he is more of a father to them than their own father is. He is the voice that tells them right from wrong. He is the one that shows them, through his own actions, what it means to help their mother. He tries to lead by example, but still be the one who knows how to have fun.

So I'm lucky to have these men in my life. Good examples of the kind of people I hope my children grow up to be. Good examples of the kind of man I will hold out for the next time, too.

Tuesday Ten- Around the House in Pictures

1. Kat asked for pictures from inside the house and since Multiply is acting up with me posting pictures to an album, I thought I'd do a TT blog of the inside of the house.

2. Here's the garage- since you're family you get to come in this way!


3. So come on into the kitchen. Yes there are a few dishes in the sink, but if the island is cleaned off, I feel like the kitchen is clean. That works the other way too- the kids think the island is a great place to drop things. I think it makes the kitchen look dirty! 4. No, No! Don't turn left! That's the laundry room, and it is a total wreck! Even cleaned up it is a mess. Just don't look in there! LOL!

5. Come on in the living room. Yes, the boy is playing video games with the wing chair in the middle of the floor. See Abby? You aren't the only one!

6. Here's a better view. Yes, those are crutches. No, no one is hurt right now.  My daughter has strange toys! (Actually, I've asked her to put them up twice now and they're still sitting there.)

7. Here's the computer- my favorite chair. I'm usually there or in the kitchen.

8. If you need to go to the little girls' room while you're downstairs, here's the little bathroom. It is so little I can't get inside and take a picture, so you get the look from the door.

9. And the only bedroom that is presentable enough to show you is mine. Savannah's isn't that bad but she didn't want anyone to see it. Brandon's should be condemned by the board of health. It is boy funk central in there!

10. And I'd let you use my bathroom. It has a chance of being clean. There again, the boy gets his own bathroom. We just don't go in there.

These quick notes are sure upping the traffic- and my unread posts!

Fifteen Books on My Shelf

Cherei listed the top 15 books she just  has to have on her shelves at home. Got me looking at the shelves and seeing what I wouldn't dare part with. Ok, all of them!  I really love having books around. I'll try to come up with just 15.

1. The Bible. Actually, I have two that I like the most, but there are probably 8 here somewhere!

2. Cookbooks. I'll group all of these together, but you can't have my Better Homes and Gardens one! The others I might lend you.

3. Savannah by Eugenia Price. This book is the whole reason Savannah has her name. Great book, great city, great name!

4. The Best Loved Poems of The America People. This was my grandmother's book. She even has things taped inside the cover, things written on the blank pages, etc. It also has wonderful poems like Casey at the Bat, St. Peter at the Gate, the Old Oaken Bucket... poems that take me back to childhood.

5. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I've read this book several times. It has a healing aura around it.

6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The best romance story of all times according to me!

7. Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange. See #6- this is just from the other point of view!

8. My high school annuals. Since I've found so many people on Facebook, I keep having to look back to remind me who they are!

9. Anything by Karen Kingsbury. She writes awesome books!

10. 1776 by David McCullough. I wish I owned his John Adams book, too. I love history!

11. My Twilight books. I don't think I've ever read 4 books that quickly!

12. (This should be up at the top of the list) The book my grandma wrote for me when she was in her 80's- all about her growing up and the family and life.

13. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I haven't read it yet, but it looks impressive sitting on my shelf! All 800 pages worth!

14. Gone With the Wind. I have read this one- all 1000 pages. And seen the movie more times than I can count!

15. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Probably the biggest book I've ever read (at 1200 pages) but it sure doesn't feel like it. You want a good look at the direction this country is going in, read this 60 year old book!

And there you have it- I could keep going and going, but I'll stop boring you to death. Now, what's on your shelf?

Ok Kathy - we're twins now!

Picture Perfect- The Letter B

B is for Brandon...
B is for Baseball...

The boy was a fantastic pitcher in little league, then he broke his elbow. It is nice to see him back on the mound for his senior year.

Welcome to

P I C T U R E  P E R F E C T

...oOo...

 Each week a new theme will be posted here on Friday morning. You are invited to put up your best picture on your own blog with that theme in mind, and you do have the whole weekend to post your picture, so there is no rush

Remember it should be just  ONE and ORIGINAL, taken by YOU,and not off the internet,

Then come back and leave a comment on this page in the comment box so that everyone can link to your blog and see your photo. Don't forget to OPEN your page to EVERYONE for that day.

By all means mention your camera and lens used, and if the picture has been altered or enhanced in any way, so we can all learn and improve our techniques.

Try and post a decent size picture on your blog page for an increased WOW factor. Often so much is lost or distorted if the size is too big or too small.

Remember this is NOT a competition, this about being creative having fun and being supportive of one another.

Out of the box thinking is encouraged.

~ Have FUN out there! ~

I wish I'd known from the beginning that I was born a strong woman. What a difference it would have made! I wish I'd known that I was born a courageous woman; I've spent so much of my life cowering... I wish I'd known that I'd been born to take on the world; I wouldn't have run from it for so long, but run to it with open arms. from Excavating Your Authentic Self by Sarah Ban Breathnach (Thanks for posting this on Susan's blog, Cherei!)

I'm liking the new layout- but I have a friend who isn't. Thought I'd test a few things on here! I'm trying to see if you can post a link by html.......LINK

It's Here! It's Here!

This is our vacation this year:

(The picture looks funny because I took it from the kitchen window.) I decided that this was such a good deal (can you say 24' pool for $1300?) that we'd not go to the beach this year and use our vacation money on the pool. We are going to Cherokee, NC on a mission trip (that costs $100 per person!) and may do a couple of fun things while we're in the mountains. But this is our vacation.

This is what I found when I first got home today:

It has been so fun to watch them build this. They'll be done later on tonight. We can't swim in it for maybe 3 days or so- the fire department came and filled it from the hydrant, so the water is COLD!

Now we can finish the patio and have a lot of fun outside this summer!

Quiche and the Real Man- Thanks, Cherei!

Well, I made Cherei's quiche for dinner tonight. Scott's a trooper- he is becoming my guinea pig on several dishes. But it was a hit- he loved it! I took Cherei's recipe- find it here- and used what I had- tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, bacon, and cheese. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a healthy dinner!