46

The older girls came home from school for my birthday on Saturday . We went to our family favorite sushi restaurant, Mura. We are getting pretty predictable when it comes to that being where everyone wants to go for their birthday. We just love it! Afterwards, we went home. #1 brought home cupcakes from Sugarland Bakery, a well know cupcake bakery in Chapel Hill.

They were delicious. There were six different flavors, so we all took a bite of a cupcake and passed them around because everyone wanted a taste of them all. I think my favorite was the cafe con leche. I think we have established another new family favorite and tradition.

I had a couple of gifts to open..... the girls went shopping again! I now have a new purse for the summer, a big round watch and a spa gift certificate that I can't wait to use. (I went and had a facial a couple of weeks ago and walked out looking like I was a teenager. I will explain one day soon.)

Afterwards we watched The Blind Side. None of us went to the theater to see it when it was there and we were really looking forward to it. I really enjoyed it and thought it was one of the better movies that I had seen in a long time.

Since it was my 46th (UGGG) birthday, I thought I would try to come up with 46 things about myself I have never mentioned..... or at least try to come up with 46 things I don't think I have mentioned that often.

1. I love to read but it takes me forever to read a book because I fall asleep whenever I do. I usually get three or four pages in before I my eyes get heavy.
2. I was Miss Trooper Bowl/Miss Pop Warner way back when.
3. I was a cheerleader for ten years
4. I am pretty sure I am addicted to chewing gum and I am trying to break the habit.
5. I am a posture snob - hate bad posture on anybody and am very irritated by it and do not understand why someone wouldn't work to improve it.
6. I went on a cruise on my honeymoon...... the man of the house went with me.
7. I will spend all day building a sandcastle.... it is therapy.
8. The first concert I ever went to see was Loverboy.
9. The best concert I ever went to was either Kenny Chesney or the Black Eyed Peas.
10. I do not have a favorite color, but I do not like yellow.
11. My favorite "flavor/taste" is vinegar.
12. My favorite flowers are zinnias. They are complex and simple at the same time.
13. Once while I was teaching, I had to take my turn at driving a school bus and I was so afraid, I cried the whole time.
14. Snakes give me the willies.
15. One of my good friends in middle school died when he fell off a cliff.
16. I have a torn rotator cuff.
17. My mom was my best friend and I am feeling a little friendless right now.
18. I loved Princess Diana. I still love reading about her.
19. My favorite song is Boston's More Than a Feeling. I have no idea why.
20. I like and listen to all kinds of music except twangy stuff.
21. I like football.
22. I was on the homecoming court every year in high school.....
23. I was the prom queen my senior year.
24. I try to not pay full price for things......
25. except at the grocery store, I do not look for sales or use coupons.....
26. and except for shoes..... gonna buy them if I like them.
27. I have a very hard time remembering names.
28. There is a beach house in my future.
29. I have a keen sense of smell and
30. I won't fry things in my house because I smell it for days. (Who fries things these days anyways? On Christmas morning the man of the house cooks sausage and biscuits and he uses a fry pan outside or in the garage.)
31. I love to play practical jokes on my family.
32. I once rode in the co pilot seat of my uncles tiny plane. I looked out of the window (while we were in the air) and saw that the wing was ducted taped. When I asked my uncle about it he just casually replied that he thought we'd be okay and it was on his "to do" list. I also rode in his plane that Howard Hughes once owned fully equipped and loaded. I preferred the one with the leather seats.
33. I can still do the splits.
34. I dated the same boy all through high school and for two years in college. I wish I could have some of those years back. I feel like I missed out on a lot.
35. My favorite time of day is dusk during the summer. I love to sit and just listen.
36. We are in church limbo right now.
37. I stop to rescue turtles in the road.
38. I wish I had a craft room. I'd have a project going on continuously if I didn't have to pull things out and put things away all of the time.
39. I do not leave the house without make up on. I even put a little powder, concealer and blush on when I work in the yard and go to the gym.
40. If I didn't have plantar fasciitis , heel spurs and arthritis in one of my toes, I would probably wear heals most days just because I could.
41. I love learning about other cultures.
42. I drive a SUV.
43. I love thunder storms.
44. Pickles were my favorite snack when I was little. I still love them and would eat them all of the time if I wasn't so paranoid about the garlic smell.
45. I do not like to wear dresses. I feel awkward in them.
46. I love yoga.

Okay, now that I have totally ruined my image, I will go. I have shoes to buy, gum to chew and names to remember!

SINCE MONDAY

Since Monday:

Charlie had surgery on his broken leg. They shaved above his hip and the entire back leg except for his foot and now he looks even more pitiful. I picked him up from the vet yesterday. He is under strict crate arrest and he does not like it. He is supposed to rest and remain still for the next FOUR weeks. He protests his crate sentence so hard the crate actually starts rocking. Last night, I thought he was going to turn it over. I don't believe this is what "strict crate rest" meant. On top of that, he has to wear one of those "cones of shame". It keeps getting caught on the sides of his crate and he gets stuck. He has given me some of the dirtiest and most pitiful looks since he has been home. He does get to walk and go outside on a short leash so that I can control him and keep him from running or jumping, but he isn't too happy about this either. Lola (aka Mightmouse) is so excited he is back and outside with her she runs figure eights around him nonstop. It is irritating both me and Charlie to no end. The man of the house left to go out of town yesterday morning but will be back tonight. It will be much easier with the two of us here.

Thank goodness for the light sedative I can give him every six hours!

It does wonders for us all!

I took #3 to the doctor because she was having trouble catching her breathe during soccer games. She has been playing soccer since she was five and plays in a position that runs the length of the entire field all during the game. She rarely comes out of the game and her games are over an hour long. So she is not out of shape. After all of these years, all of sudden, she has sports induced asthma. They prescribed an inhaler to use before games and practices. So now that is one more thing to remember everynight when she is packing up her "suitcases" for school.

My birthday was on Tuesday. The man of the house and I went to #3's soccer game and then from there the three of us went to eat at Bonefish Grill. I love their food. The older girls are coming home one day this weekend and then we will do something with the whole family. A big box was delivered by Fed X and it is sitting on the hearth in the den. I get to open that up then too. The man of the house also gave me a pair of Tory Burch flats that I have wanted for a while.

I love them, but the elastic on the back is a little intense and it pushes/smashes your toes against the front. I let #3 wear them to school to stretch them out for me! HA! She wears a half size larger shoe than I do and her foot is also wider. Worked great! She softened them up and stretched them perfectly! She didn't mind that they were too small for her either!

#1 found out that her BF (of three years) can't go to her sorority's formal Friday night. He plays rugby and his team is in the playoffs. They have a game in Tennessee on Saturday that he just told her about it. I am not sure how long he has known though, but what I do know is that she was so upset. Formals are big, it is like the prom. There are dresses, hair and nail appointments, shoes to buy and tuxes to rent. She had been talking about and looking forward to this for a long time. I felt so bad for her when she called and told me. She didn't think she would be able to find anyone else to go with her at such late notice, but after the word got around the sorority house, someone found her a date. It is a friend of another one of the guys that is going. I know that it is going to be a little weird for her to go with someone she doesn't even know, especially after dating someone for so many years, but I am just happy she is going. She loves dancing, so as long as he doesn't have to left feet she will have fun. She is in college and these are things that she will remember the most when she is older. I would hate for her to look back and remember watching everyone else getting ready and feeling so left out. As far as I know, the BF encouraged her to go.... so good for him.

Not too much going on today. I guess I will hang around the house and be Charlie's nurse. Sometimes it is nice to have something that keeps you home for a few days.

BREAK A LEG

SO.............

my birthday is tomorrow and what do I get?

My sweet little puppy

Charlie

slid off the bed Saturday night and

BROKE

his leg and he will be having

SURGERY

tomorrow

.

After he is well enough to come home....

someone will have to be with him 24/7

for two weeks.

Did I mention his nickname is

"Wildthing"?

I am not sure,

but I may be depressed and I may need a glass of wine.

Check back tomorrow.......

THIS AND THAT

I am so looking forward to the weather this weekend.

I cannot wait to get outside and spruce up some of the beds. We are having pine straw and mulch delivered this afternoon and tomorrow after church, we have a few guys coming to help get it out. We have a big yard that requires a lot of pine straw and mulch every spring. We are getting a dump truck full of mulch and 100 bales of pine straw! I love the way fresh mulch smells!

When all is said and done, I am looking forward to the yard looking so fresh and new, ready for some summer flowers to be planted.

I am sure the deer can hardly contain their excitement about the new items that will soon added to the menu!

(They have been devastating this winter.)

(just two days ago)

It was beautiful outside yesterday. It made it all the way up to 75. I have to say, walking puppies 376+ times a day is much more enjoyable when the sun is shining, the sky is blue and the cherry trees are blooming.

I took a magazine outside and sat on the front porch steps and let them run and play until they were tired. That is one thing they rarely are these days..... tired.

I got a little sad sitting there because I am used to going and sitting on my front porch steps or swing and calling my mom. I was really missing her yesterday and feeling very lonely.

I have gone from having a mom I talked to several times a day on the phone (about very random stuff) to not calling anyone, kind of quitting cold turkey.

I miss her.

I told the Man of the House that I think 45 is too young to not have a mother.

Lord willing, I have a lot of living to do and it is a long time to go without having a mom.

My birthday is this week (23rd) and it will be the first birthday ever that I won't see her or get a birthday call from her. She was always so very good at things like that, she never forgot anyones birthday and always made it special.

She even tried to plan her visits to our house on the girls' birthdays so she could be here

for them.

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

(random change of subject)

#2 is having a ball in New York and she is sad that this is her last day.

She had a great time experiencing St. Patrick's Day in the city.

It is such a big event there, a huge celebration.

Someone randomly took a picture of #2 and her friend and posted it on their blog.

She sent the picture to me too.

She is coming home tomorrow. I have to pick up the three girls at the airport, drop #2's friends off at the dorm and then bring #2 home with me. Her car is here and she has to unpack from her trip and then repack before heading back to school. It is so nice that she goes to school so close to home.

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

(another random change in subject)

#1's sorority is having Parent's Weekend.

(Chapel Hill - 30 minutes away)

The Man of the House is playing in the golf tournament today.

There is a cocktail tonight.

#1 hasn't planned on going.

Her boyfriend cannot go because he is out of town for his spring break and she didn't want to go dateless. There is a band playing and she didn't want everyone else to be dancing with their dates and she not have anyone to dance with. We were just going to go for the dinner after the golf tournament today.

So I planned accordingly.

I did not go shopping for my "cocktail attire".

I just got a call from her and she has changed her mind.

"Mom don't kill me, but I think I might want us to go the cocktail tonight."

Great!!

I am convinced that size zero/two girls don't understand the issue of not having anything to wear. You know how it is when you are old(er) and large(r).

You wear things, not because they actually look good on you, you wear them because they hide and camouflage things.

Young skinny girls don't understand it takes a lot prayer to find something to wear to an event that is age appropriate and size appropriate. Things have to have just the right amount of sleeves to hide that ugly part, they cannot be ruffled or if they are, ruffled in just the right places so that the ruffles don't look like projectiles. I cannot do shiny either. There are parts of me that I just don't want to "glow". And I definitely need something stretchy.

I am 1000% positive that I do not have anything hanging in my closet

that I can wear tonight and

shopping for "cocktail attire" is not on my list of things to do today.

I have puppies to watch after all.

Speaking of puppies......

I do not hear Charlie and Lola

and

I know what that means.......

they are into something they shouldn't be!

Have a great weekend!

BUSY AS BEES

It has been three weeks since

Charlie and Lola

joined our family.

They have adjusted nicely and are working hard at getting the potty thing

figured out.

We are exhausted and are just trying to stay one step ahead of them.

They are no longer quiet, sweet and innocent puppies,

they are just the opposite.

They are constantly on the move and into everything.

Lola did sit still long enough for me

to get a few clear pictures of her this week,

but Charlie hasn't been as cooperative.

They play hard and then sleep like hamsters.

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

GOOD WEEKEND GONE

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Are you doing anything special today?

I am planning on cooking up a little corned beef and cabbage.

I am so behind with posting. Since my mom passed away, I am really feeling like I will never get back on track. I have been a little busier and computer time has fallen a little down on my list of things to do. I am trying to get back into the swing of things. So here it is, Wednesday, and I am just now getting #2's birthday pictures from the weekend posted.

Our weekend and the beginning of the week was full of puppies, birthday celebrations, restaurants, spring breakers, soccer, spin class and shopping. The rest of this week is supposed to be gorgeous and warm. I cannot wait to get outside.

#1 was home last week for spring break. It was wonderful having her home. I love it when she is here because she loves going to the gym and really nags me until I stop making excuses and go with her. She and I went to the gym five times and ended up going to four killer spin classes. We even talked The Man of the House into joining us on Saturday. I am so proud of myself, but now that she is back at school, I have to keep it up by myself. That is going to be hard to do.

This week is #2's spring break. She came home on Friday but yesterday she flew to NYC. One of her good friends at school lives in Long Island and invited some of the girls on their hall to come and visit. She was so excited. I took her to the airport yesterday and dropped her off. It felt very strange doing that. She checked in and flew by herself. None of my girls have ever done that before. I know that she is going to see New York very differently with her friends than she does when we go. The girl that she is staying with grew up there and knows all of the good places to shop and eat. I think it is very exciting and cannot wait to hear her stories and see the pictures. (MCW... watch out for her!)

Our family celebrated #2's birthday on Friday night. We went to the restaurant of her choice and I wasn't surprised that she wanted steak. That is what she usually chooses. Afterwards, we went home to open presents and have cake.

This is an orange raspberry cake that I saw Giada make on TV.

It was really really good and easy to make.

my man and Charlie

she is liking that little blue box.....

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

I talked to #2 last night. She and her friends were watching a movie and then planning on going to bed early. They needed their sleep. They are riding the train into the city early this morning and are planning on shopping all day. I have a feeling that birthday gift card will come in handy today.

NINETEEN THINGS

#2 turned 19 on Monday.

She was born on 3-08 at 3:08.

We haven't had our family celebration for her yet, we are having that tonight.

We are going out to eat and then coming home to open presents.

Here are 19 pictures/fun things about #2.

#1

She LOVES to sleep late.

#2

She is very flexible and graceful.

#3

She used to be a itty bitty thing,

but now she is taller than everyone in our family except for her dad.

#4

She is artistic.

She is in the design school at NC State and majoring in Graphic Design.

(school project)

a portfolio piece

before

after

#5

When she was in high school, she had an annual cookie exchange and photo session at our house for all of her friends.

#6

She looks good in animal print.

#7

She's been up to her neck in sand.

#8

She ate dinner at a table next to Mike Ditka.

#9

Her cheerleading team won a National Championship (and the coveted jacket) at

Cheersport in Atlanta

and then went on to place third at Worlds.

#10

Hair....

and lots of it!!

#11

She went to Mexico twice with her youth group and learned how to mix and pour cement.

#12

This is the day she turned 12.

#13

Blue eyes by the Black Eyed Susans

#14

The BIG 1 - 4 !

#15

Hating her braces on her 15th birthday!

#16

Sweet 16!

#17

She turned 17 in Puerto Rico.

#18

Sweet 18!

#19

She loves her puppies!!!