A Birthday Conversation

After church tonight I asked Benjamin if anyone said anything about it being his birthday today:

'Yea....Gannon told Parker it was my birthday & he made me stand up while everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to me.' 

'Was it really that bad?'

'Yes!! Everyone was looking at me!!' He replied with disgust in his voice. 

Lol - he really does hate to be the center of attention. 

A William Conversation

William came home this weekend to hang out with Benjamin for one of our game nights. Which was fun...even if I lost at the games I played...and a few people that said they would come did not. (Yes. Very rude in my book.)

But this afternoon Drew & I got to hang out with William as Benjamin was at work. We played cards...and I still lost. 

But great conversation. Love hanging out with my boys. As we were playing, Drew and I decided we would go to a street fair tonight. We tried to get William to go with us. His response?

He turned his nose and said, 'Y'all are going to be ...adventurous."  

And he said it as if it was the most discussed thing he ever heard. 

We just laughed! Yep. Adventurous would describe Melissa, but never William!! 

That's okay. This world needs calm, reliable, stready, constistent men in this world. Others can be adventurous. 

Shoes & Feet

I love these shoes. I love sling-backs...I love the shiney look. I'm not sure where I got them, but I know where they are going. 

To the Goodwill. 

Oh. My. They hurt my feet. So sad. 

Fall Break Trip

This week is fall break for us. We briefly thought about going somewhere, other things are on the calendar. Like work. 

Gotta work. 

But I was off today! I drove to my parents house last night, so I could go with them to Jackson so my father could visit his 88 year old uncle. 

Benjamin thinks I a mean mom for making him go with me. 

Whatever. 

I know he would rather stay home and play video games, but he did get a nap in. 

Even if he was folded up like the letter V. 

Typical

Last year I was not able to buy Benjamin's fall school picture like I normally do. Since Melissa was a senior, she was taking pictures at a different time, and Benjamin just didn't pay attention to the school announcements.

Typical boy.  He probably had his nose in a book or playing a game.

But then, I somehow missed it in the parents announcements. 

But not this year!! I was determined to get them this year, so I made a point of checking the school calendar. Then I paid on-line because I really didn't trust Benjamin to remember to hand over the check when he got his picture taken.

Last week a friend post her son's picture and commented how she liked them.  I asked Benjamin where his pictures were.  He said he didn't get any pictures.  I didn't think too much of it, because he goes to the vo-tech school in the afternoon.  I just thought they handed them out late in the day and he would just get them the next day.

I forgot about them until this morning. I asked him again if he got them yet and he said no.  I said I would need to check my credit card to see if I was charged for them, because I KNOW I ordered them. 

His surly self said, " I KNOW I took at picture."

Not sure what happened in his brain at that moment but he went to his backpack and started to rummage through it.

Yep.  You guessed it.  He pulled out the pictures.

That kid. How do you forget that you have pictures in your backpack after your mom asked about them???!!!!

But, once again, so typical of him. 

I think they are good.  He didn't like them....he couldn't tell me why. Also, typical.

Using that College Degree

In the last few year I have discovered my idea of a perfect purse is NOT what is being sold in the stores.  Last summer I looked at many stores in several different cites for that 'perfect' purse. 

And I finally found one....even if I did have to cut out the middle pocket to make more room... 

I have enjoyed my purse...but in the last month or so the handles have started to fall apart. 

Very annoying. And it looked very sad. 

So today to took them off. 

(Naked purse)

And added new ones. 

It looks very happy now. 

It's the Little athings

Today I cleaned out the pantry & organized it a little better. Not a big change, but it feels so much better. I did put several things in the give away pile  because I never have used them. 

Also, I was tired of my dingy dishes! A little baking soda later and they are (somewhat) back to shiney. 

Not For Me

Tonight I was peeling the sticker price off these cute little pots of plants Benjamin asked, "Are you trying again?!"

My answer, "No, these are gifts."

Benjamin's response, "Good!"

Oh, yes. My kids know me and my brown thumb. 

 

Tooth Fairy

Melissa was quite upset a few months ago when the orthodontist told her she needed to see about getting her wisdom teeth pulled. We had previously been told she did not have any wisdom teeth, so this was a surprise. Apparently, they can just grow in and appear. 

So a few weeks ago she had her normal check up with her dentist and was told yes, you should not only speak to an oral surgeon about that wisdom teeth, but also about a baby tooth that has a cavity. It needs to be pulled and have an implant to replace it since there's not an adult tooth to replace it. 

Needlessly to say, Melissa was not happy... Yea...she was freaked out! 

So. We did the consultation with the oral surgeon and he agreed the wisdom teeth need to come out as well as the baby tooth with the implant to follow. We are hoping it will all be healed and completed before she leaves for college in August as it takes several months of healing before the final steps can be performed. 

Then the baby tooth started to fall apart... As she was eating popcorn the other day a piece of the baby tooth came out. A tiny piece. Which she proceeded to place in a bag. 

I told her just throw it away - the dentist won't need to see it. Her response? 

"It's for the tooth fairy."

The tooth fairy?  Child, you are eighteen. There's no tooth fairy. (Which she knows full well!)

Another piece of the baby tooth has fallen out, but she is not in pain. We are hoping it stays that way until her surgery date of May 15th. 

Extrovert Benjamin

Last week Benjamin came in from his second job interview to tell us that they did more role playing than answering questions. Then he said:

' l have used all my extrovert points for then day.'

Then he proceeded to go to his room, shut the door, and only came out the rest of the afternoon and evening for dinner. 

Yep.  No more words left for this one. 

Another One from Benjamin

Since Benjamin has gotten his driver's license, his next item on his (more like mine) to-do-list is to get a job. Last week he was to fill out an on-line application for a local fast-food restaurant that a friend owns. I asked Benjamin if he wanted me to help him with the application.   He said, no, that he would wait for Dad. 

I told him I would be glad to help him. His response?

'No, I'll wait for Dad. He has a real job.'

I was NOT happy with THAT comment! And neither was Melissa! We both were sputtering for a comment!

I finally said, ' I HAVE a real job! And a college degree you know!!'

Yea....he still just wanted his dad help. 

Pray for this child. Pray that he lives to leave this house. 

Brown Thumb

 

Last spring I read that it was possible to grow tulip and daffodil bulbs in a container.  We really don't have a place here to plants bulbs, so this was a great idea as I love these spring flowers. 

But. 

This. 

They looked so promising a few weeks ago. But today? 

This. 

Practically dead. 

My brown thumb strikes again. 

But I'm ever hopeful. Today I planted some summer flowers in my front pots along with a little basil. 

May these live long....and prosper. 

 

Sewing Projects

Last week I made aprons for a friend. Her daughter wants to make mommy and daughter cooking videos where they are dressed as Belle in the beginning of Beauty and the Beast. I was concerned that the mom's apron was too big and the daughter's was too small, but my friend was very happy with the end results. When my friend gave them to her daughter, the little girl ran to get a book like Belle has in the movie. 

 

This week I did the alterations to the Tin Man's costume for the school play. While I hemmed and added some darts, etc, the iron made the biggest difference. 

 

 

Oh, How She Loves Us....NOT!

The other day I was telling Melissa about a new TLC tv show.  It's called "Meet the Putmans". It's about a family that has decided to life a little differently than the rest of us.  They have four adult children whom all are married with children. And they all live together. As in live together in one house.

One house...two bathrooms....only one washer and dryer....for 25 people.  Ten adults and fifteen children.   There is one daughter in this mix, and her husband decided to take HER name instead of her changing her name so their kids would have the same last name as their cousins.  Yep. That's very different from our normal American life.

The Putmans vote on just about everything...from design options to the house they are building (which will have more than two bathrooms for all those people) to whether or not the daughter and her husband can move away so they will be closer to the husband's work.
 
When I was telling my co-workers about it, they, also, thought it was weird as well.  One said it sounded like a cult.  Maybe so. 

Melissa asked me why. I told her they said it's because they love each other that much.  Melissa's comment?

"I don't love you that much."

So.  Benjamin's not the only one who tells it like it is!!

Another Benjamin Comment

Oh, that Benjamin. He does make me laugh. Last Tuesday Benjamin went to the dentist and did not get the best report on his gums. In order to help his gums they gave him an antibiotic that he gargles with for two weeks. 

This afternoon I asked him how it tasted. His answer?

"I feel like I'm chocking on acid."  

No Longer a Teenager

We have made it through the teenage years with our first.  This is the first birthday I was able  to spend with him in two years.  Last year he was at school finishing up his second quarter of college.  The year before that, I was gone with Benjamin on an 8th grade trip to New Orleans.  

He had a good day, I think.

First off - he's on spring break, so he gets to sleep in.  I think all college students love that!  Then in the afternoon he went with a few of his friends to pretend to be protesters in a training sessions for the local police. He's done this another time as well. I think today, he got to throw tennis balls at the trainees. 

Tonight we went out for dinner at a local Japanese place.  (We usually get Japanese on his birthday since he was born in Japan.)  After dinner we went home to hang out for a little while to wait for Drew to get home. He had been traveling, but got home just in time for cake and ice cream and gifts. 

And I think a good time had by all.....lots of laughing....and singing loudly in the car....love these kids...especially this one who made me a mom. 

 

Retirement

Today I went to a college friend's retirement ceremony from the Air Force. What a beautiful ceremony! Sort of made me wish Drew had chosen to do a ceremony....well, almost. 

Maybe the next time he retires, we will. 

 

A Total Klutz

If you are ever in doubt about my gracefulness, this should put an end to any speculation;

The bruise above my ankle is where I forgot to avoid the open dishwasher - and those corners are sharp!!

The bruise on my foot is from running into and tripping over something in the dark last night in my bedroom. Thought I had broken my foot it hurt so much!  Almost slept with an ice pack on my foot. Ouch! 

(They're shiney because I put neosporen on.)

(Think I need to re-paint m my toe nails... ) 

Tax Time

It's tax time!! My parents are in town so their favorite son-in-law and accountant can complete this yearly requirement. The best part? Shopping and Scrabble time with my mom. 

 

New Things

When I buy a car, they ought to kiss my feet and say 'thank you' instead of  shaking my hand and saying 'congratulations'.  

But still. I do like my new car. No more mini-van. 

 

Night to Shine

Last night our church hosted a Night to Shine which is a prom sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. It was a lot of fun!!

My new friend is named Mark. He really wasn't into the dancing or the picture taking, but the food?? That he loved! 

 

 

 

 

God' Grace Shines

Well. Once again, God's Grace has shown on Benjamin.  Or else he's the luckiest boy around.

Lose a wallet? No problem.  He'll get it returned - with ALL the money still in it.  This has happened multiple times.

Lost a phone? No problem.  Even after being lost outside with the rain for two weeks, it'll be returned to Ben  - and THE PHONE STILL WORKS!

Make a dent in your mom's van's bumper?  No problem.  The body shop guy fixes it for free.


FREE!!

Lucky boy.

The body shop guy was able to pop it back into place....it doesn't look perfect, but it looks better than it did.  And didn't charge a single penny....

God's grace strikes again. 

 

Hot and Cold

 It's hot outside.  High over 80 today....my daffodils and tulip bulbs all think its spring. They are all sprouting up. And it's just early February. 

That's the hot.

Then there's the cold.

Or whatever it is.  Melissa stayed home today feeling ill....slight fever, sore throat...  And then Drew came home early with a slight fever, sore throat... I even had to go and pick up the neighbor boy from school because he was feeling bad.

I'll just be washing my hands and staying away from these family members.

Update on the Girlz

I guess I'll do an update on Melissa as well....  She has just over three months before high school graduation. This semester she has another easy schedule.  She's still taking a class at the local vo-tech school, then instead of the English class at the high school  she had last semester, this time she has a typing class.  Then she works the rest of the day at the middle school office.  She still really enjoying it.  I've gotten several compliments from teachers and staff there when I run into one around town.  She's doing a really great job it seems.

Just about every Sunday evening you'll find her in front of the computer working on scholarship applications.  She's already been awarded several from Ole Miss based on her ACT score.  These will take care of the out-of-state tuition and a good portion of the tuition.  I'm hoping that she'll win a few more that will give the cash out right to her instead of to the school. That way she can use that money toward books and other living cost.  Most are announced by end of April. 

She has chosen a roommate.  A girl she meet through one of the Ole Miss sites, but has not meet her in person. On paper it looks like a good fit.  I lean toward a stranger makes for a better roommate that a best friend, but time will tell. 

Melissa is planning on attending orientation this summer and we are hoping her roommate will attend the same one, so they can meet.

And, lastly, there's me.  I'm still enjoying my little part-time job.  I'm not getting the hours in that I was promised, but that's okay with me.  More time for sewing!(And reading!)  I done one baby quilt and one lap size quilts done this year. I'm currently working on one for Melissa.  It's got lots of pieces  - meaning it's time consuming! Especially when I mis-cut one type of strip and had to re-cut them.  Urggg.  But it's getting there. This coming Tuesday is a day off for me, and I'm hoping to get several hours in to work on it.  The quilt has two types of blocks.  It takes about three hours to get one type of block sewn.  One set is almost done - just need to iron them.  I'm hoping on Tuesday I'll get the second type block one.

The only other big thing with us is we are looking to replace my mini-van. Last Saturday and again today we went to test drive lots of brands.  I want something smaller than a mini-van.  There's a few cross-over type vehicles I like. We have narrowed it down to about four...but not sure which one we'll go with. We're in no real rush...so...we got time to find a good deal.

Update on the Boyz

Since I have a few minutes free on this dreary Saturday afternoon, I'll give that update that I thought about on Thursday.... 

William....he's still loving college.  I saw him a few weeks ago when I was at my parents.  I called and invited him over to watch one of the football playoff games - which he wasn't really interested in watching...but he did like the idea of me doing his laundry. So, he came over.  He still has a few weeks left in this quarter then he'll be home for a week before the spring quarter starts. He's telling us he has high B's and low A's. He already has a job for the summer, so he won't really be home much between now and mid-August.  He'll be working for the camp he worked with last summer. This summer he'll be on a 12 week contract instead of a 6 week one.

Benjamin...Mr. 16....yeah....he still needs to practice his driving....especially the backing up in a parking lot.  We are considering letting him get his license within the next month or two.  It would help if he ASKED to drive, but he doesn't.  Acts like he really doesn't care...so....yea....we're in no rush, then. 

Soccer ended a few weeks ago and I must say: As much as I enjoy watching Benjamin play, I, also, enjoy having a free calendar!  I made the executive decision that we would NOT be doing spring soccer with the local rec league.  I just need a break - actually, I think he needs a break, too.  We might do the summer league....we'll see...  He will be helping Melissa with the sound board at the high school play. That'll keep him busy a few weeks in March.

Then there's Drew.  He still loves his job and right now he isn't traveling.  It sort of odd that he doesn't have any trips on the calendar, but I'll take it! I like him being home.  For the last month or so, he's been busy with our rent house.  The renters moved out at the New Year and just this week we got new renters.  Overall, the change over went smooth.  We had no major damage done to the house - love it when a Marine is our renter! It was very clean!   They really were good renters....just wished they had stayed longer.  The new family is an active duty Air Force.  And once again, we're hoping they will stay two or three years.

While we had no damage and did not have to re-paint  or carpet the house, we did find out today that the hot tub has a leak.  Boo hiss hiss.  Oh, well. I guess the money we saved with the paint and carpet will be put into repairing the hot tub.  Such is life.

Yesterday....A Day in the Life of a Teenage Driver

Yesterday as Mr. 16 was driving us to his ortho apt, I was thinking that I need to write a blog post. Maybe one with an update on everyone since it's been like a month since I've posted.  I was going to say how well Mr. 16 was doing at driving.  He got us to ortho without me having to yell too much.  I still think he needs to brake sooner than he does....BUT! He stayed in the lane and didn't come close to any other car or mailbox or curb.

But then as we were leaving ortho this happened:




Yep.  He backed into someone.  Thankfully, it was a ten year old huge SUV...not a brand new Lexus or some such car.  The lady was nice about it...and since there was no damage on her car, we didn't even exchange insurance info.  But she did try to get a police report - which we found out our fair city doesn't do reports for parking lot mishaps.

Grateful for small favors in life.

But it put a damper on the day....he did NOT want to drive himself to school...sat in the back...  And yes, I was a good momma and told him I still loved him and was still proud of him. And that I wasn't TOO mad...just slightly annoyed. 

And we talked about how when you are driving you must not get distracted!! We got distracted by some people walking across the parking lots pulling suitcases. Where in the world did they come from and where were they going???

We'll never know because that's when we hit the SUV. 

Distractions. Not good when you are driving!!! 

We're hoping our body-shop guy can just pop it out....but that's on the list for Monday....

Here's the other car. See? No damage! Just a little white paint. 

 

First Quilt of 2017

On Thursday I finished my first quilt of the year. It's for a friend from Guam that will have a baby next month. 

 

And I'm already thinking of my next quilt...

Brutal Morning Coming

Tomorrow is gonna be brutal.  The kids have to go  back to school.  Bright and early.  Today Benjamin slept till after noon. Tomorrow it'll be 6:30am.

 Then there's Melissa. The last few days she has been in Atlanta with a church group. They were to be back around 9/10pm tonight...but then they had a flat tire.

Can a church trip happen without car trouble???  Apparently, not.

So...she'll be home around midnight.  She's already text asking if she can skip first hour of class..

Hm....yea...that would be a NO!  We are on what's called a 4 by 4 block schedule, so tomorrow the high school starts a whole new semester with new classes for everyone.  She needs to be there the first day of class to hear all the information about her new classes. She can take a nap after school.  She's young - she'll survive. Besides.....I'm not totally convinced my kids actually go to sleep before a decent time anyway.

And I'll be up early with my little duckies as well.  While I'm not going back to work until Monday, I doubt I'll go back to bed after the kids leaves. I rarely do.  But just might have to take a nap like Melissa!

Happy New Year

Several of my friends have posted in facebook about how bad 2016 was for them. I knew some have had some very bad events in their life this past year. But for Drew & I & our kids??  

It was a good year. 

We saw William really settle into college and get his own summer job. Melissa is enjoying her senior year and is very excited to be accepted into the college program she desires and has already been awarded a few scholarships. Benjamin has continued to do well in school and has come into his own on the soccer field. All three have remained active in church groups and love Jesus. All of our parents are still doing well and we were able to spend time with them as well as other family. 

And a perk of the year?? No run ins with nuts and a trip to the ER. That's a huge win in my book!

We closed out the year playing games with our friends. Drew & I came home early because we like our sleep! But before we left, I got to spend time with my new guy. Melissa and I think he's the most adorable one around!