Lipstick ladies

Amelia wanted to wear red lipstick to the movies on Sunday. She decided I needed to wear the same so we would match.

Not wanting Lola to be left out, Amelia made sure she had her own set of red lips to compliment ours.

The artist and her work

I have designated a wall in our office to showcase Amelia's art work. I love displaying her hard work, and she loves having it up for all to see. I think having her art on the wall makes her feel both proud and important.

I try to rotate the pieces every few days. Since she brings home so much work from school, I always have plenty of art from which I can make choices. I love looking to the right of my desk and seeing her work. Looking upon what she has produced never fails to make me smile.

The one in which Tim Gunn sways my opinion

There they are again. Almost in the same place they were the last time I made out this list.

I am talking about products that I invariably pick up just about every single time I go to the grocery store. These are not in the realm of milk, bread and eggs, although I do buy a lot of those, but rather products to which I am fiercely loyal and without which neither I nor my family can seem to live without.

One that pops up quite regularly is Gerber pear juice. I like to have at least two bottles of this stuff on hand because unless she has two ounces in every bottle of formula, Lola has problems, ahem, evacuating - if you get my drift.

Raisin Bran Crunch is my favorite cereal. I tried the off-brand produced by Wal-Mart. It's yucky. The bran flakes in it aren't as crunchy and there aren't as many crunchy oat clusters in it as are in the original.

I normally buy a big box of this stuff because I love it so, but the small boxes currently sport tokens that can be redeemed for a Kellogg's alarm clock. Amelia has been coveting this clock since spotting a photo of it on the back of the box. So, in the hopes of granting her wish for a clock she swears she cannot live without but I know will likely end up in the bottom of the toy box, I've been spending more money to buy small boxes of cereal in order to collect six tokens to earn the clock. I'll post later to let you know how this turns out.

I truly love Downy Wrinkle Releaser. It's one of the best products ever invented. Wrinkles do fall completely out of clothes after using it. I've even had it work great on linen, which is a miracle considering that stuff wrinkles if a strong wind hits it. I loathe ironing, but I don't have to worry about it since discovering Downy Wrinkle Releaser. Thanks to this terrific product I can devote time to other things, like getting the nonsense out of my head and into this blog, instead of ironing.

I've always been a loyal Tide user, but I recently upgraded to Tide Totalcare. I didn't believe a detergent alone could help keep clothes like new until I saw the results of testing done by the Good Housekeeping Institute that proved the claims to be true.


Additionally, the company's claims gained more credence with me when my fave fashion guru, Tim Gunn, signed on to promote the product. (Love him!) He's my favorite part of "Project Runway." I think he always gives good, solid advice to the designers. I was so happy when he moved with the show to the Lifetime network because it wouldn't have been worth watching without him.

Anyway, sorry to get off on that gushing tangent, back to my new favorite laundry detergent.


Because I don't spend a ton of money on my clothes (I do tend to spend a little more to get quality clothes for the girls because they're so much harder on them), I like to make them last as long as possible. I can say for certain that my Wal-Mart t-shirts and Lane Bryant shorts and jeans are holding up and looking quite nice since I started laundering them in Tide Totalcare. It's a little pricey, especially since I buy the giant mamma-jamma jug, but I always have a coupon and more often than not catch it on sale.

I believe any woman reading this will agree that when it comes to feminine hygiene products we know our brands and stick to them. For me, Tampax and Always are tops. I've tried other brands. None compare to these two. 'Nuff said.

I've yet to find a better body and hand lotion than Curel Intensive. I have awful skin that I would, if I could, trade in for a new edition. Since I can't get a new model, I use this lotion to help manage the skin I am stuck with. Again, it's another pricey product, but coupons are almost always available, and, you really do get the most for your money by buying the super-duper huge bottle.

Duracell Ultra Advanced batteries. I bow at the altar of these tiny power providers because without them, I dare say, very few things in my house would operate. I've tried all brands of batteries, but these come out on top. They keep Lola's white noise machine going longer and louder than others, make sure my power toothbrush keeps on polishing my teeth to a pearly white, allow me to snap lots of pictures with my digital camera and keep the juice flowing to practically every toy the girls own.

My momma was the world's worst when it came to preferring name brand products over their generic counterparts. Her most famous claim, one my husband still laughs about, was when she said she could taste the difference between McCormick black pepper and the Great Value brand black pepper.

Now, while I am like my dear departed momma in a lot of ways, I am not this bad when it comes to preferring name brand products. I challenge anyone to find a name brand medication in my house, and I assure you that the majority of foods in my freezer and pantry are labeled with the Great Value name. However, when it comes to the above products as well as a few others (like Bounty paper products), I intend to stick to what has proven to work best.

What products do you always buy the name brand? I'd love for you to share.

New specs

I am so loving my new glasses! I picked them up Tuesday and have been wearing them ever since, which is unusual for me because I normally only wear my glasses when I cannot for whatever reason wear contacts.

These frames are by Lulu Guinness, a sassy, flirty and girlie London designer. I really like how they frame my face and think they're much nicer on me than my old pair, which are too Granny Clampett for my taste.

I also love how even though the overall color of the frames is brown there's enough black and white in them to make them wearable with any outfit. I especially like how the frames are large enough to hide the thickness of my lenses, which could easily qualify as substitute bottoms for Coke bottles.

Jeff says I look "studious" in my new specs, and Amelia said they make me look fun. I have been trying for almost 20 years to find a set of frames I like. It took a while, but I finally did it.

Party girls

Amelia, Lola and I helped our little buddy Cooper celebrate his first birthday on Saturday. We all had a blast and truly enjoyed spending time with Cooper and his family.

Amelia loved the blue cupcakes. I think she had three.

Lola was not happy to be in the play yard. As a matter of fact, Cooper didn't care too much for it either.

Amelia and Cooper's siblings Jesse Grace and Duece had tons of fun playing outside.

The birthday boy after demolishing his cake. I don't know that he ate much of it, but he sure had fun tearing into it. His doggy, Izzy, reaped the benefits of him getting a lot of cake on the ground as she made sure to devour all that she could find.

Pure randomness

1. When I was a little girl, my dad's mom and step-father told me the devil lived in their living room closet. I was terrified to open the door to what I was sure was hell so I always stayed far away from it. After my grandmother died, I walked into her house when relatives were there cleaning up. The door was open. I froze. I finally summoned the courage and peeked in. It was full of blankets and junk! I never got the chance to ask them why they would be so mean to a child.

2. I was born in Frankfurt, Germany. I am still friends with the family who lived next door to us there.

3. In both my pregnancies, my water broke at around 11 p.m. at 37 weeks, 3 days gestation.

4. I am an only child, but I begged Santa Claus for three years to bring me a brother.

5. When I was in eighth grade an upper classman gave me the unfortunate nickname, "Tig 'O Bitties" because of my substantial bosom.

6. Before I became pregnant and even during my pregnancies, I idealized breastfeeding my children, but after they were born, I discovered I hated it.

7. My dad died at the age of 43. I was 13 when he passed. I am terrified of not living past the age of 43.

8. My great-uncle suffered a major stroke after which the only words he could recall were "shit" and "goddamn." My grandmother somehow learned to decipher what he was trying to communicate using just those two words.

9. My grandmother never had a driver's license yet she often drove. My grandfather made her quit driving when she backed into a school bus stopped below her driveway dropping off children.

10. I have two tattoos: a scorpion in memory of my dad and a sunshine surrounded by stars in honor of Amelia. I plan to get one soon in honor of Lola.

11. I didn't learn how to tie my shoes until I was seven.

12. Rats freak me out.

13. I had two pet parakeets when I was little. It wasn't until after George I and George II died that we learned parakeets do not thrive in homes that use propane heaters.

14. My daddy was a real-life rodeo cowboy when he was a teen.

15. I worked three jobs while also attending college full-time.

16. Favorite mixed drink: Margarita, frozen with extra-salt.

17. Favorite soft drink: Pepsi

18: Favorite junk food: Little Debbie Cakes.

19. When I was a newspaper reporter, I loved getting to go on ride-alongs with the police.

20. I absolutely abhor smoking and will go out of my way to avoid people who are smoking, especially if my children are with me.

21. I went to seven proms while I was in high school: one in grades eight, nine and ten and two in my junior and senior years.

22. I love pickled eggs. I developed a love for them when I used to get them at the beer store in New Hope, which was the closest place to get alcohol before Guntersville went wet in 1984. I would go with my parents on their beer run just so I could get a pickled egg.

23. Snobs are my enemy. I cannot abide people who look down upon others because of their station in life.

24. Holding a grudge is easy for me if I believe strongly that I am right about something.

25. When I was little and my mom would leave by herself, my daddy would tell me she had "run away with the rabbits." I now, after having had children, completely understand the need of a mother to sometimes "run away with the rabbits."

Brand new kindergartner

Amelia started kindergarten today. She was actually more excited than nervous and had no problem letting her daddy and I leave when the time came.

There was some minor drama this morning when I realized I'd left her snack at home and hadn't grabbed enough money for her lunch. However, I remedied the snack problem when I remembered I had snacks for Amelia stashed in Lola's diaper bag, and I was able to bum a quarter off of a friend so Amelia would be able to buy lunch.

The first week of school kindergartners have the option of leaving at 11:30 or staying until the end of school day at 2:35. I'd told Amelia I'd be picking her up at 11:30. Even though she was aware what time I was coming to get her, she wasn't happy about having to leave school because shortly after getting in the car she began crying and questioning why she was going home.

So, instead of driving her home, I drove back around to the front of the school, walked her back in her classroom and told her teacher I'd be back at 2:30. Amelia never batted an eye. She didn't even tell me bye, but rather went right to her table and began coloring.

When I picked her up later, the long day had gotten the better of her, though, as she announced she didn't want to go back tomorrow because "school takes too long" and because she didn't have a blanket at naptime. After we got home, though, she was able to get some rest and get some food in her tummy both of which served to assist in changing her attitude because at the supper table she said she did want to go back.

All in all, I think she had a really great day. She really likes the playground, loves getting to play "noodle swords" in the gym - even though she said she got "really sweaty" in there, is eager to go to the library and on a field trip, and seems excited about getting to read and learn math.

It's strange having her gone so long, and I caught myself feeling a little sad a few times - most especially when I glimpsed her beloved yellow blanket balled up on the bed where she'd left it. But, any sadness I feel is overshadowed by how proud I am of the fact she's excited about learning and happy to be attending school.

Welcome Janie

We have added a new member to our household. Janie Betta Fish came to live with us yesterday.

Amelia has been begging for a fish for over a year. Her yearnings began when she discovered a friend of hers had a goldfish just like Elmo's fish Dorothy.

I finally gave in to her requests and allowed her to bring home a fish from Petco. I let her choose one from the many Betta fish on display after reading that these make great first fish for kids.

Amelia had already decided if she got a boy he would be named Wally, but if she got a girl she would be Janie. After looking through the selection, she chose a bright blue female. We picked out a small purple tank that included food, plants, rocks and tank conditioner and I snatched a care sheet before checking out. I was careful to choose a tank that has a lid on it so Mojo, our cat, cannot get his paws the fish.

Amelia very carefully carried Janie to the car and gently placed her on the seat next to her. Janie made it home safe and sound. We placed her in the tank where she seems quite happy.

Amelia can't get enough of Janie. She spends lots of time watching her swim and talking to her. She even talked her daddy last night into carrying Janie into her room so she could sleep on the dresser.

I pray this works out. I know I'll be Janie's main caretaker so I am studying all the things I need to do to ensure she stays with us for a long time. I read online about one family who've had the same Betta for seven years. I hope we'll be so lucky.

Family fun day

Jeff and I took the girls to Chattanooga Saturday to visit the Creative Discovery Museum. We had a blast. If you haven't visited this super-fun place, I highly recommend making a trip there soon. Kids of all ages are guaranteed an enjoyable time.

Our future archaeologist digging for dinosaur bones.

Lola had so much fun playing in "The Little Yellow Playhouse," which is an area designated just for children age 4 and under with a play yard for infants only.

I know these things to be true

I want ... to make time to get away with my husband more often.

I need ... to learn how to finish things I begin.

I cannot ... wink or snap.

I have ... few "true" friends.

I love ... getting pedicures.

I wish ... I could close my mother's estate.

I hate ... some people in my family.

I can ... find the strength to carry on.

I try ... to tell my husband and girls I love them often.

I believe ... it really is better to give than to receive.

I do not ... like people who are pretentious.

I am ... a firm believer that what goes around comes around.

I would ... live anywhere so long as Jeff, Amelia and Lola were with me.

I shouldn't ... stay up late, but I do because doing so allows me some time alone.

I will ... always try to find the bright side of any situation.