HELLO FIVE POUNDS

It was cool enough outside yesterday to wear jeans.

It was a nice change.

HOWEVER.....

I was so uncomfortable all day long. I felt like someone stuffed me into them.

When I was getting dressed in the morning, I changed shirts several times to find the most forgiving one.

All day yesterday, this was the image that I couldn't get out of my head:

I'm seriously considering one of these!

And,

I might have to get this.

$69.77?

I wonder how they came up with that price.

That is just an odd number to me.... $69.77. Not $69.99?

I would be more inclined to purchase something I could just slather on

and wait for it to work its magic.

I just haven't been very motivated lately and haven't been to the gym since the kids went back to school. I do walk most mornings and I am always on the go, hardly ever sitting around. That is just not enough anymore. I don't eat "bad" food, just too much good food. It is time to cut back and get moving.

It is so frustrating.

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I'VE GOT A HANKERING

The Man of the House and I said we would never do it again.

We said we would never get another dog after losing Cleo in January.

We loved her like she was one of our kids. If you've ever had a dog, you know that they do become one of your children.

I miss Cleo.

I miss her and I miss having a dog.

I miss things like this........

#1 and #2 always had a dog (or two) growing up.

Before Cleo, there were two very spoiled West Highland Terriers named Nicholas and Muffin.

#3 is now the only child at home and will be for 5 1/2 years.

I always feel so guilty when we leave her home by herself. It looks so lonely and I know a dog would be great company to her.

She misses having a dog too and she keeps asking if we are ever going to get another one.

The Man of the House and I have these wonderful plans that involves travel, Italy, beaches and airplanes once #3 is in college. Things like that are just so hard to do when there is a four legged child in your house. But on the other hand, 5 1/2 years is a long time from now.

We saw these guys when we went to Charleston in August......

and ever since then I've had this hankering.

I've been doing a lot of looking and researching on the internet.

I have fallen for the "doodles".

The face on this guy above just kills me. How sweet does he look?

On the other hand.........

the guy below probably WOULD kill me if we brought a puppy home.

Mr. Bubbles has become a spoiled little cat and usually is a good sport about most of things we put him go through. I don't know how he would feel about sharing all of the attention but,

I am pretty sure he'd gladly share his Elf Costume.

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H1N1-ing

Have you H1N1-ed yet?

#3 came home from school yesterday with fever, chills, aches and the grumpies.

She woke up this morning feeling the same and out of nowhere has a cough that makes her sound like a 100 year old chain smoker.

I looked up the symptoms of H1N1 and it is a perfect match - minus the sore throat.

There have been kids out of school because of H1N1, more and more each day.

They are telling us on every news report all about it, but I still can't decide.

They aren't testing for it anymore at the doctor's office, because they are running out of flu tests and flu season hasn't officially started.

So, I am just not sure if she really has it.

She is wearing a toboggan and a hoodie over her pajamas because she says she can't get warm.

I made her homemade chicken soup this morning.

(That should get me some Mom Points!)

Right now she is sitting all glassy eyed in front of the TV.

***************************

Question:

What could be worse than feeling bad and having a fever?

Answer:

Feeling bad, having a fever AND having homework!

Her teachers are looking out for her and sent her homework home with a friend!

She is thrilled!

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MY ZETA AND AXO GIRLS

Okay, so I thought I'd show you where all of the House Budget is going this year.

I really wanted to redo our office and turn it into something that looks like this:

or I'd even settle for something like this:

but it is not going to happen now.

We have dues to pay!!

Last week both of my girls were going through Rush at their schools. They both looked exhausted when they came home over the weekend. I am hoping that now it is all over, they will settle into a regular school routine and study a little.

#2 is now a Zeta. She was so excited to get a bid from her first choice.

They have a great house and have a lot of exciting things on the calendar.

Her first mixer is on Thursday. It is a themed one called the ABC Party

Everyone has to dress up as someone/something that starts with same letter as their first name.

#2's first name starts with a B.

All weekend long we brainstormed and made a list of all of the possibilities.

She thinks she is gong to go as a BIKER....as in Harley Davidson Biker.

Some of her other choices are a ballerina, Barbie or to dress up like the Brooks Brothers with another "B" girl. Thursday is along time from now so I am sure she will change her mind several times by then.

(any ideas?)

This is their house.

She says it is really neat inside and I cannot wait until I get to go check it out!

This how they decorated the dining area for Bid Day.

It was a preppy jungle theme.

bid day dinner...

the new pledge class...

#2 on the left and her roommate and suite mate ready for a rush event

They all three got bids for the same sorority and are really excited about that.

#1 Rushed last year and is a member of AXO at her school. So she was on the inside of all of the discussions and planning this year. So much time goes into each house getting everything just right. They practiced for months on their skits and dances. After each day of rush, they stayed at the house and cleaned and decorated it for the next day's theme. Sometimes it took all night. It payed off for them though. They got a great pledge class.

Her is #1 and her "Big". They were in a skit on this night and had to wear a western themed outfit.

this is #1's pledge class

(they feel so much older now that they aren't the newcomers!)

They took the new pledges out on the town in limos on Bid Day

and went midnight bowling.

I am yawning just thinking about how late these girls stay up!

I do not know how they do it!

#1 and her Little Buddy

They don't have "Bigs" and "Littles" yet.

I think they wait until the orientation meetings are over in a month and then reveal who each of the new pledges' "Bigs" are.

Of course, they look for any excuse to have a party!

They're young and can handle it.

It just tuckers me out thinking about it all.

So, no new office for me.

(I'm not really mad!)

I have dues to pay, formal dresses to buy, Harley Davidson paraphernalia to get

and so on. Oh, and just like last week, I think I see plenty of craft projects in my future!

AWESOME SIGHT

We went to the NC State football game last Saturday.

It was military appreciate night.

We have several military bases in North Carolina and many members of the military were at the game. Before the game started two sky divers landed on the field with the game ball. It was such an awesome sight.

Everyone was on their feet cheering.

The hair on my arms stood at attention..... I got goose bumps.

Members of the military unveiled an American flag that was the size of the football field while the band played during halftime.

(more goose bumps)

We have season tickets outside down in the lower section, but my husband's company has one of those swanky boxes up top that comes in handy when it is hot, cold or rainy out (or if we get hungry!). We have access to it most games. During the second half we went up to say hello and to see what kind of cookies they were serving. HA!

This is the view from way up there.

Man of the House, #3 , and a friend wasted no time and were perusing the buffet line.

After all of the tail gating.....eating......before the game, I don't know how they were even able to look at the food.

There is another game this weekend, but it is supposed to rain!

I know where I will be sitting!

SORORITY CRAFTING

I got a phone call from #1 Sunday night saying that she was coming home Monday after class to spend the night and she was bringing some sorority friends. (It is so great that she is only thirty minutes away!) They had a project that they needed some help with.

Rush is over at her school and Bid Day was last Friday. Now every week for the next month,

the older members have to make and decorate gifts for their "little buddies". All of the new members of #1's sorority are showered with gifts at the weekly orientation meetings.

They planned on having a craft/movie night at our house, but H1N1 and other stomach viruses are going through the school and especially the sorority. The two other girls ended up being sick and not being able to come.

That was too bad, because I was looking forward to cooking them dinner and having them here.

This week, #1 had to decorate notebooks and bulletin boards.

After we dropped #3 off at soccer practice, we headed to the fabric store to pick out fabric and ribbon. The cork boards were decorated to match the rooms of the girls that will be getting them.

Here is how they turned out!

Cute!

It was such an easy project, I might have to start making them for #3 to give as birthday gifts!

I am also thinking about making seasonal ones to hang in my laundry room and pantry.

I need a place to hang up weekly schedules and reminders, instead on junking up my counter tops.

As #1 left this morning she told me she would be back next week (maybe with friends)........

we have coolers to decorate!

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MOUNTAINS, FOG AND BEARS, OH MY!!

I volunteered to chaperone a fieldtrip for the seventh grade at #3's school BEFORE I knew what time they planned on leaving.

We had to be at the school at 6:00 AM - which meant we had to leave our house at 5:40 - which meant I had to get up before five.

I am still trying to recover!

We went to Grandfather Mountain in the North Carolina mountains.

It was a 3 1/2 drive.

It was a long 3 1/2 hour drive on a bus loaded with 12 and 13 year old girls.

You would think that since it was so early, they would all want to sleep.

Nope.

They sang.

They sang that Miley Cyrus song, Party in the USA.

Someone was nice enough to print off the lyrics and pass them out.

You know how it goes.....

Noddin’ my head like yea

 Movin my hips like yea 

I got my hands up,

 They’re playin my song

 I know im gonna be ok 

Yea, It's a party in the USA Yea, It's a party in the USA 

(I tried to post a video that I took on my camera of them singing at the top of their lungs here, but I can't seem to figure that out.

When I did this, the fonts all changed sizes along with the spacing. ??????)

There was a lot of posing going on too!

Going up the mountains in a bus was a bit much for me. Add to that,

it was foggy and we couldn't see where we were going.

There were a lot of queasy stomachs that were glad when we finally made it.

Once we got to Grandfather Mountain,

we had to drive up even a steeper mountain with one hairpin turn after the other.

Now that our stomachs were ALL acting up, it was lunch time. (MMMMM YUM!)

After that, we separated into our little groups and had an itinerary  to follow.

Not every group did the same thing, some groups were shuttled up to the main attraction,

the mile high swinging bridge. Other groups had to hike up to it. 

My group drew the short straw.....we were hikers!!

The fog was so thick it felt like rain....

so much for my hair. This was when I was wishing I didn't use all that hairspray! 

Our hike ended at the base of the bridge. Right when we got to it,

of course, the wind started blowing, black clouds rolled in and the thunder began (but it was off in the distance).

We figured out why it is called a swinging bridge.....

it really does swing, especially during a thunderstorm.

I am such a good chaperone.... look at those girls standing on that metal bridge!!

Did you know that a metal mile high swinging bridge is very slippery

when it is wet!!

I did tell them to hold on..... or else!!!

How exactly do you avoid a storm and high winds on Grandfather Mountain?

You pack into the tiny, hot and muggy gift shop and stand there for forty- five minutes...

and you listen to the girls squeal every time they hear lightening and you watch the boys sneak and buy

energy drinks and chug them like they are at a frat party.

This was when I was glad that I was chaperoning the "squealers" instead of the "chuggers".

The vision of a 3 1/2 hour bus ride home with a bunch of hyper boys didn't sound as entertaining as the "Miley Cyrus Wanna Be's"!

The storm finally passed.

We made it down the mountain and back to the lodge just in time for a riveting lecture on the history of Grandfather Mountain....wet blue jeans and all.

Right before we left, we were able to walk through the animal habitats.

Look who was hungry!

Now, just a 3 1/2 hour bus ride home!!

And yes, they were singing that song again!!!

Noddin’ my head like yea 

Movin my hips like yea

 I got my hands up, 

They’re playin my song I know im gonna be ok

 Yea, It's a party in the USA Yea, It's a party in the USA 

*************

Oh, this just looks like a big mess.

Everytime I try to correct things it just makes it worse. Sorry! 

I'm not going to try to post a video again until I do some practicing!!

If you have any hints for me, email me!

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