Dogs and Frogs and Life on the Lake

It's a gloomy day here at Cedar Hollow... overcast and dreary... this alone makes for a painful day.  I also had an adventure last night and wandered down to the water's edge and am feeling the repercussions of that today. The lake is not FAR but the hill back from it is steep. The unstable parts of my spine cannot handle any sort of incline - this is what makes climbing stairs so painful - it squishes the bulging discs and gets things all inflamed. It also started a newly intensified evil gut pain that is beyond description! It really takes my breath away.

All that being said... it was nice to be down at the lake watching Austin and Pop launch my Granddaddy's old fishing boat into the water. Granddaddy Pennington died in 1978 so the boat is old, practically an antique, but she's still seaworthy. We have to replace the battery for the trolling motor because it isn't holding a charge, some small holes had to be plugged and Austin had to clean a bird's nest out of the hull but overall, not bad for an old boat.

Since dachshunds don't make very good swimmers Oscar has to wear a little life jacket in the boat. He was not a fan but he was so cute! I think he would have enjoyed the boat ride if Mawmaw had gone with him. He can't stand to be away from Mawmaw, even when he can see her. Especially if he thinks she fishing without him. He is Mawmaw's fishing buddy. He searches the water carefully to watch for fish and gets excited whenever Mawmaw catches one. He's particularly fond of sushi. She caught three fish from the dock last night (after I had gone back to the house) and Oscar got to snack on one of them.

We also managed to get Little Kitty to wear a collar last night. He loves being outside but I don't want to just let him wander because there are lots of creatures out in the wilderness around here that love little cats - for dinner. I typically hold him in my arms and we walk around the backyard while he sniffs and listens to all the various birds and frogs and such. He really wants to be able to walk around and I would love for him to get to explore - a little - so we're trying to train him to walk on a leash. The biggest hurdle was getting a collar on him. It's taken several weeks but we finally got him to submit to a collar. We took him out last night and he captured a spider carcass (already dead) and explored the corners of the storage shed. This morning he was not having any part of being hooked to a leash. He's super curious but doesn't like anything new.

One of Austin's friends brought his new girlfriend over on Wednesday night. It's sort of a rite of passage that his friends want to introduce their ladies to the cats and the lake and all the fabulous-ness that is Cedar Hollow. This girl was adorable but really, REALLY dumb. She picked up Invinci-Frog and he peed on her. She came inside and asked me if she would get warts from a frog peeing on her and I said "no, I don't think so..." and she went to scrub her hands. When she came out of the bathroom she said, "it's TOADS, not frogs that cause warts, right?" I said, "I think you will be fine." *eyeroll*  Later she became really shocked when she realized I was "the mother". She said, "I thought you were about twenty". That's why I keep the lights low, friends. My two best lights are candle and moon. Also, she was really dumb.

Invinci-Frog is this frog that Austin swears has survived many efforts to eradicate him. Everything short of being burned at the stake or put in a blender... yet he still comes back night after night. Personally, I believe that there are many frogs, not one superior species but there's no convincing Austin of that. We have one fella that likes to come to our dock to go "frog-gigging" which is sort of like fishing but the prey is frogs. I can't allow myself to think about what they do with the frogs once they catch them. I don't care what you say... they can't possibly taste like chicken.

Anyways... lots more pictures of dogs in boats on my facebook page. Feel free to check them out. Maybe tomorrow if I'm pain-free I'll have a more in depth blog entry about some of the questions posed in my comments yesterday. I love feedback and I love the thought provoking questions but I just can't go there today. Today is a "just survive the day" day. Hope it's a good one for you!

Getting Through Saturday

I don't talk much about romance any more because in my heart, that issue feels settled. For so many years I thought I had to be part of a pair to be worth anything. I couldn't comprehend the value of a single person in today's world. Truly, there have been many trials in my life that should have been easier had there been "that guy" in my life. My last marriage showed me the ugly truth, however, that you can be with someone and still be very alone. Honestly, both marriages were like that for me. I have wasted so much energy in my life trying to find someone to be coupled with... and once coupled to make that person love me the way I wanted to be loved. It just never happened.

There came a moment that the searching and seeking became too much for me. After trying so many times, going on so many dates, striking up so many friendships with the hope of developing a relationship and being disappointed time after time, I realized that my heart couldn't take another let down.  I couldn't go through any more introductory emails... spend any more time waiting for the phone to ring... white knuckle through any more first dates... only to find out that he didn't like cats or whatever excuse was handy to let me know it wasn't going to happen. Again. Nor could I be put in the position of hurting other people... facing the choice of faking interest and attraction or coming up with my own equivalent of the "allergic to cats" excuse. At some point I just couldn't play the game any more. Once I decided that I was one of a rare breed of people who don't HAVE to be part of a couple, it felt like the weight of the world was taken off of my shoulders.

I have been unlucky in love - at least the long term, devoted, unconditional kind - but I have had some wonderful romantic adventures along the way. I don't share those stories here because I don't want to embarrass myself or my parents or my kids... but I could write a book, trust me! Not being in one lifelong committed relationship has helped to expand my horizons and exposed me to more than my narrow world would have permitted. I've had so many of those long conversations that you have during the "getting to know you" stage of a relationship that I could easily write a dissertation on the mind of the American male. I've also learned how strong and independent I am. I wouldn't be who I am if I had been part of a pair.

Knowing what I know now, the chapters of my life that have been revealed to me, make me understand why it was not a great idea for me to be part of a couple in this season of life. It's very hard to be coupled with someone who can't work or do much around the house or enjoy an evening out without pain. Who wants to sit around all the time with me? I have an active and curious mind which helps me stay entertained when the days all look the same but would a partner be as easily entertained? And honestly, there are times that even a gentle embrace is painful so you can eliminate a lot of the stuff involved in a healthy, happy relationship. I'm grateful not to have the guilt of disappointing a spouse.

Being a teen mom was hard but I'm glad I started early and was able to raise my children to adulthood before I became unable to be active. Austin's last year or two of school was hard on us both. He had to assume a lot of responsibility that teenagers shouldn't have but honestly, he couldn't do enough to make life bearable for me. As frustrated as I am with his lack of progress in getting an education or starting a career, I know that without him I would be much, much worse off. He does a lot of the lifting, bending, toting and climbing that I can no longer do. Sometimes he shuts down and stops cooperating but fortunately those times are fewer and farther apart as time goes by.

The point is that even though we don't understand these different seasons of life and may not understand where we're going or why we're going there, there's always a purpose. Can you imagine what life was like for the early followers of Christ on that Saturday between the crucifixion and the resurrection? They believed. They were invested. They had left their homes and families in many cases to follow him and then he was gone. They must have felt so frustrated and abandoned and disillusioned. They had no way of knowing that Sunday was coming.

That's how I feel. This season has stretched long and far and has had so many challenges. I feel impotent. I am a burden on my family and there is no way for me to change these current circumstances. It is the season of waiting and I am not a patient person. Things have not gone my way over the past few years and it's hard to remain optimistic. I play this game with myself where I think, "if the disability case isn't approved, what then? How will you provide for yourself for the rest of your life?" And then I follow up with a prayer that God will not allow that to happen. But I also prayed for many, many years for God to give me that special someone and eventually had to accept that was not His will for me. I didn't understand then but now I do.

I just pray that God gives me the strength to survive my Saturday... in between disaster and resolution... in between disillusionment and understanding. I pray that He will sustain me during my time of not knowing His purpose. And I trust that He will continue to expand my horizons during this season of waiting.

Ultimately all of us are in that position of not knowing the future. I once heard a preacher say that all of us are either in a crisis, just coming out of a crisis or just about to go into a crisis. It's inevitable that we face trials of many kinds. Just remember that Sunday is coming.

love and hugs, y'all!

What's Up Wednesday

Cherries are in season and they are EXPENSIVE! Instead of flowers or jewelry for Mother's Day... get your mom some cherries. I spent $8 on a little bag of them. In the grand scheme of things... they are good for you (and good for easing pain) and people (meaning me) spend more than that on things that aren't as nutritious.

I picked up a few things at the store today. We've gotten into the habit (this week... two days in a row so far which equals "habit" in my world) of eating a big meal at lunch and then eating Special K with fruit for dinner. I'm not sure but I think I'm sleeping better without having a big meal later in the day. I've been eating fruit for breakfast - melon, grapes, strawberries. And I haven't been hungry - not even during my normal "snack times". For snacks I've been eating peanuts or red hots. Ok, red hots aren't nutritious but they last a long time. The important thing is that I'm eating better and eating less and I haven't seen Debbie in two weeks!

Pollen has been heavy lately. The weather has been really warm in the day but cool at night so we've been keeping the windows open. Last night I had to add an extra blanket but still enjoyed breathing the cool air, even if it was pollinated.

Jamie has improved her cat's cradle skills since Monday and has even taught her friends at school. We're bringing it back, y'all! She was proud to show me her "double witch's broom" this afternoon. She has a field trip coming up and she was explaining the politics of who is sitting by whom on the bus. In case you were wondering, third grade hasn't changed all that much since we were there.

We have the WORST luck with icemakers. When I got up yesterday morning there was a big chunk of plastic in my cup, leftover from the ice from the night before. I'm guessing that big chunk of plastic had something to do with the icemaker no longer crushing ice. The repairman was surprised that we had to call him back again... it's only been three months since he last fixed it. It's not like we're making margaritas or something... our ice usage is normal, I would think. We've only had the refrigerator for a year and a half.

One of Austin's friends came over last night with his baby - and the baby's mama. The cats were curious about this tiny human. Baby slept the whole time he was here. I told mama to go hang out with the guys and I would holler if if the baby woke up. She was nervous - she had never left him before and she didn't want to impose, I think. Honestly, he wasn't any trouble because he just slept.

The garden is growing... my fig tree has sprouted a few leaves... the sun rises, the sun sets and life goes on!

 the fig tree is the thing that looks like a piece of straw in the middle of the circle

Come Play On MY Mood Swings

At the risk of sounding bi-polar, today has been a total mix of ugh and awww.  I'll color code my report so you can see the different shades of my ever changing mood ring. In case you can't tell... this is the not happy stuff. This is the happy stuff. 

Pain level - astronomical. From earache to muscle spasms in my rear to the evil gut pain that will be the death of me. 

Windows open, beautiful weather here today. It's a little warmer than I prefer but it's cooler here in the basement than on the main level of the house. 

My kid has been procrastinating on putting on the renewal sticker on my car tag. Here in Georgia your registration renews on your birthday. He finally went to do it today and the adhesive came off the sticker from being left in the hot car for a month. Don't know if they'll just replace it or if I'm going to have to MacGyver it in place. Either way it means an extra trip to the tag office which... fortunately is never crowded and the people are always nice. 

Mom vacuumed the downstairs for me today. I always think, "eh... it's fine" and then she does it and it looks so much better. I love my living space. 

Pop made an awesome lunch. 

I got several fruits and veggies in today. 

Dinner is going to be cereal. 

Have I mentioned pain today? Don't want to bury the lead. It really is the lowlight of the day.

The highlight was introducing my niece Jamie to the wonderful world of cat's cradle. You know, from back in the days when we didn't have electronic entertainment and had to entertain ourselves with rocks and sticks and pieces of yarn. We took that activity right up to current day by you-tubing some how-to videos to learn some other tricks. 

Also adored fixing her hair for her basketball game. 

Won't be celebrating the Cinco de Mayo today... 

Got a birthday card in the mail with an Amazon gift card... I'll be shopping later. I have loved this birthday so very much thanks to the wonderful people in my life. 

Looking forward to Dancing With The Stars tonight, even though I'm not a fan of Abby from Dance Moms and she's going to be on there as a guest judge. 

My cousin's grandbaby is in the hospital... and it's my cousin's birthday. So that's a bummer. The baby is my first cousin, twice removed for those of you who understand that process. 

My cousin who is having the really bad headaches got the results from another round of tests and the good news is that they didn't find anything wrong. The bad news is that they still don't know what's causing these really disabling headaches. The good news is that we are Sisters in Suffering and have really bonded through this. 

I got a graduation invitation in the mail for my friend Mary's daughter, Natalie who is the valedictorian of her class. I can't think of anyone I've known who was the valedictorian. I'm so proud for Mary - for the whole family. They're the sweetest people I know. 

I'm generally in sort of a funk about the whole pain thing and the lack of control it gives me over my life. 

But I'm also super, super grateful for how God has provided in this season of waiting.

And this girl... always makes me smile. I also really adore the fuzzy rug she loves to sprawl out on when she's watching My Little Pony. Can I just freeze this age? 

Hope your week has started off on a good note. Love and hugs, y'all! 

Answer Me This

Linking up with Kendra at Catholic All Year for Answer Me This because my list of things to mention in my next blog entry is looking pretty anemic and I'll jump on any writing prompts. Hope you are entertained.

The way this is SUPPOSED to work is that you link to your own blog and answer the questions there but the large majority of my blog readers are not bloggers themselves. I hear that blogs are no longer in vogue but ... I still have a "dumb" phone so apparently, keeping up with technology is not high on my priority list. If you feel moved to join in the conversation feel free to respond via Facebook or in comments or email me. I love all methods of feedback. Anything to prove that you're not my imaginary friends and really do read here.

I'm answering two sets of questions because... who doesn't like seconds?

1. Are you becoming your mother?

In some ways, bless my dad's heart. She and I have many of the same physical issues which makes us alike in many ways... we rarely feel good two days in a row and we rarely feel good at the same time. I think personality wise I've always been a bit more like my dad - same lame jokes, never met a stranger extrovert kind of way. Pain makes you an unintentional introvert because it's hard to get out and be among "the people" and when you are out and about you are often uncomfortable so it's hard to be outgoing and engaging. 

2. Coffee or tea?

I've mostly eliminated coffee from my routine except in rare occasions. I'm a big fan of iced tea and in cool weather I love hot tea. I start with two tea bags and just refill with water all day so by the end of the day it's mostly hot water but that's ok. Tea wise I prefer mint teas because the flavor lingers longer. 

3. What foreign country would you like to visit?

Italy, first for the food and secondly for the history. England first for the history and maybe a tiny bit for the food (fish and chips?). I've been reading a lot of travel blogs lately and they make me want to visit France where as in the past I've been kind of meh on all things French. I'm fascinated with other cultures but not particularly adventurous when it comes to weird meats. I'll eat pretty much any fruit or vegetable ONCE but when it comes to consuming unknown protein sources notsomuch. This makes me less interested in visiting Asian countries than Europe. Although they eat some pretty questionable parts in Europe too. 

If you're looking for a good travel blog to read I like Ott's World and Rick Steve's website. You kind of have to dig to find the travel blogs on Rick's website but they're worth it - really great recaps of his tours made by people on the tour. 

4. Do you cry easily?

I cry at milestones, crossroads, life changing moments... I always refer back to Ryan's first preschool performance where I was holding the huge videocamera to record the event and was sobbing so much that the video wiggles with every deep breath. I cry whenever I see reunions. I prefer to cry in private because I don't cry pretty - red face, snot and all that. 

5. How often do you wear heels?

I hate heels so much that not only do I not wear them - I don't think anyone else should wear them. I am overly concerned when I'm out and about with my daughter-in-law when she is wearing heels. I'm just certain that her feet must hurt. The moment that broke me from heels forever was when I was in Vegas for my wedding. We were walking late at night in the old part of Vegas and my feet hurt so bad that I stopped at a street vendor and bought a pair of flipflops.  $140 cocktail dress - $2 flip flops - I'm just THAT classy. For the most part now I wear crocs or my mary jane sketchers or flip flops. Anything that makes my feet happy.

6. Do you play an instrument?

I played the flute (badly) in band in 5th, 6th and 7th grade. I was really bad. Once I got demoted to the lowest level band, I gave it up. I've always wanted to play the piano because it is one of those life skills that makes you valuable at parties and gatherings. Since I rarely go to parties or gatherings I don't imagine it matters so much any more. 

PART DEUX

1. What's for dinner?

I had an elaborate food post on Friday so you kinda already know what's for dinner. That's mostly what I've been eating this weekend. Evil gut pain returned today so I imagine I will be eating that which pains me least to make for the rest of the day. 

2. What's the last thing you borrowed from someone?

I try not to borrow things because I'm the world's worst at returning them. I mean, the worst. If you lend me something you might as well be giving it to me. With that in mind, I never lend anything - I give it away. If I have something that someone else can use, I'm happy to share. If it comes back, that's ok too. 

Right now I'm sleeping in a bed that came from my Grandmother's house and was intended to be passed down to my cousin Michelle but they haven't been able to arrange transport for it. When things got damp around here last Summer Austin's bed was ruined and I gave him mine so I'm sleeping in Michelle's bed (which is really going to go to her daughter McKenzie) for the time being. That's my biggest borrowed thing, I suppose. 

3. What is your favorite prayer?

I'm not Catholic, although I do love my Catholic mommy blogs. We Baptists tend to improv our prayers. I will say that in my darkest hours when I don't have words to express, I like knowing that simply saying the name of Jesus is all I need. I believe that the Holy Spirit interprets our groans and makes sense of that which we can't articulate. 

4. What is the oldest thing in your house?

Besides my parents? *snicker* 

We have several antiques here that came from my Grandmother and Great-Grandmother but I don't know the exact ages of any of them. 

5. What's the best concert you ever attended?

I haven't really been to many. When I was a teenager I was a groupie for the band that played at Six Flags. I had a seasons pass and we went to Six Flags several times a week to hang out with the band - they were called Rare Breed. 

I went to the Madonna "Like A Virgin" concert in 1985 with a group of friends. We rode in a limo and thought we were something special. 

There was one concert at Six Flags - on the big stage - that a group of us went to see. It was open seating and they had the crowd line up to enter the arena at a certain place in the park. When they opened the gates there was a stampede and one of our friends got knocked to the ground and we were pushed past her. A big guy picked her up and carried her out of the crowd. It was before the days of cellphones so it took us several hours to find her and find out that she was ok. That was probably the defining moment of me NOT liking crowds. Another concert at Six Flags - Michael W. Smith, a Christian artist, we were in the third row near a big speaker. I couldn't hear for days afterward - which began my hatred for loud music. So... me and concerts... not always the best of times. 

6. Do you have a nickname?

My name doesn't really shorten well. I don't really have a nickname which is odd because I'm always nicknaming other people and animals and things. I think the closest thing I have to a nickname is Mom, Mommy, Aunt Heather and sometimes Sis. My kids are Boo, Codes, and Doodle Bug/Augie. They've NEVER been called by their given names! 

Hope this was more entertaining for you than my recap of the various aches and pains of the weekend would have been! Happy Sunday! Love and hugs! 

About Food

The house is quiet and I'm still in my pjs with a sleeping dachshund on my lap. My parents are out shopping and the kid is still asleep. It's about 11:30am. I really have to go to the bathroom but don't want to disturb the dog and remind him that he is currently a "stay dog".

I had a busy day yesterday - not busy relative to what most people do on a daily basis and definitely not busy in relation to what I USED to DO on a normal work day but busy for me at this stage in life.

• I went to the grocery store.
• I made stuffed peppers in the crockpot for dinner.
• I cooked wheatberries in a separate crockpot and assembled a wheatberry salad. 
• I did a load of laundry.
• I worked on my family tree for about two hours. 
• I watched five episodes of Grey's Anatomy. 
• I read a couple more chapters in Patricia Cornwell's book about Ruth Bell Graham. 

See? Not much in comparison to your day, I bet but it was pleasantly productive for me. I'm battling some dizzy spells, probably due to two new medications that I'm taking for blood pressure and high cholesterol. And I've had a headache that is threatening to get ugly but I've been fighting it with advil. So if you factor in - sitting perfectly still and trying to stop the world from spinning - between each of those things, the day goes by like a speeding bullet.

My stuffed peppers turned out a bit spicy but really good. I should have taken pictures but didn't think about it at the time. I bought the leanest ground beef I could find... mixed it with dry rice, cumin, garlic powder and salt and stuffed some really pretty yellow and red peppers. I also mixed in one can of mexican rotel - its a combo of tomatoes and peppers with cilantro and lime with the beef mixture for all but one pepper. My mom doesn't like cilantro so I made her pepper before I mixed the rotel into the meat mixture and put the "hat" (the stem) back on the pepper in the crockpot. Once the peppers were in the crockpot I added two more cans of rotel and two cans of crushed tomatoes. I think I probably should have stuck to just one more can of rotel because it did end up a bit spicier than I prefer. I put a big bunch of cilantro on top of it all - instead of chopping so that those who don't like cilantro can easily avoid it. I'm a cilantro addict PLUS it's a really good filter for toxins in your system so you should eat a lot of it!

We also did baked corn on the cob. I saw this on Pinterest and thought, "yeah, whatever..."... you put the whole ear of corn on a baking sheet and bake it for thirty minutes at 350. You don't take off the husks and silks before baking. After thirty minutes the corn is perfectly steamed and the husks and silks slip right off. The corn is super juicy and the flavor hasn't leached out by being boiled in water (my usual cooking method). It was seriously the most perfect corn on the cob I've ever had and the EASIEST!

My wheatberry salad includes cranberries, figs and cranberry flavored goat cheese. I sugared the cranberries to make them a little less sour and just mixed it all together with some balsamic vinegar.

Later today I'm doing a cucumber/radish salad. I had the recipe in my mind when I was at the store yesterday morning although I've never done it ... I thought it would be a good combo and then I saw it on Barefoot Contessa yesterday afternoon which gave me a few tips. It's a mixture of sliced cucumbers, radishes and a little red onion mixed with sour cream, plain greek yogurt and fresh dill. The steps that I would not have thought to do were slicing and salting the cucumbers and setting them in a colander to drain for several hours before mixing into the salad. She also put her yogurt in a paper towel (or a cheesecloth, I guess) and let it drain. I think it would also help to drain the sour cream. This keeps the salad from getting soggy. It's sort of a tzatziki flavor plus radishes and I think it would go nicely on a bed of greens.

I'm all about having little healthy salads ready to go. I actually FEEL like prepping meals about once a week and it doesn't take long for me to wear myself out. After grocery shopping and putting the peppers in the crockpot yesterday I had to rest for a few hours before I could do anything else. By that time every step was agony. Fortunately Pop and Austin both like to cook and we usually have a lot of leftover stuff that can be easily heated for meals so I don't HAVE to cook often.

Most everything I bought yesterday was fresh produce because we have a lot of meat in the freezer but didn't have a lot of healthy sides. I bought some roma tomatoes because we loved broiled tomatoes with parmesan. And broccoli... which I think may end up stir fried with garlic for a side dish. We have a great non-stick pan that requires hardly any oil that is great for that sort of thing. I bought a big container of salad greens and several options from the salad bar so we can have a big salad with hardly any prep.

The garden is also beginning to feed us. There is some russian kale that is ready to be picked... cabbage just about ready to go... spinach that we're already enjoying along with lots of green onion. We have a ton of rosemary and parsley.

I haven't had a Little Debbie in over a week... I can't remember how many days now... and I really, truly haven't missed them. It had become something I did out of routine... at a certain time of night I would have a package of Little Debbies. Now, when I get the munchies I refill my ice water and if I'm feeling snacky I have an ice cream bar or popcorn. It's been a week of good eating - eating more than I normally would at meals - because of my birthday - so I doubt I'm losing any weight but I feel better about my choices. Over the long run, making better choices will result in a better outcome, I'm convinced. I can't do a lot to change my situation but I can control what I eat and drink.

Anyways... this is a long blog post and I don't have any photos to share so I think I'm going to hit "publish" and go get dressed and start slicing some cucumbers. Hope your Friday is lovely! Love and hugs, y'all!

Birthday Wrap Up

Last night we had a great time at Spice-55 - a Thai restaurant in Helen. We had - seriously - the most enthusiastic waiter of all time. I have never had anyone sing "Happy Birthday" to me with as much - well, enthusiasm. He was a hoot! He giggled at everything you said and had a huge smile! The food was great. Austin was able to get sushi (which he loves) and the girls were able to get "Cody Special Fried Rice" - fried rice with no vegetables. That's how my Cody always orders it.

I had pad kee mao. It's my standard "go to" meal at Thai restaurants because the first (or maybe second) time I had Thai food I asked the waiter what his favorite dish was and that's what he recommended. I'm always worried about it being too spicy but it wasn't - it was perfect. I also ordered basil rolls which are always good and seem to be a healthier choice, maybe? They are rice noodles and cucumber with a big basil leaf wrapped in rice paper. It comes with a spicy sauce. I know I always feel like Thai food is lighter than Chinese food.

I'll sprinkle a few pictures throughout this post for your viewing pleasure.

One of the funniest things was the Asian Muzak they piped into the restaurant. We were sort of playing "Name That Tune" trying to figure out the songs. Sarabeth was able to pick out several but then Madonna's "Like A Virgin" came on. She said, "what are they saying? who is that?" Her mom just said, "You wouldn't have heard it before". And we tried to stifle our giggles. When she's older I'll tell her about the Madonna concert that Aunt Heather went to in 1985. Angie, Jamie and I embarrassed Sarabeth by dancing in our chairs to YMCA. Good times.

"you're HOW OLD????"

I had the best time last night because I got to be surrounded by the kids. It seems like wherever I sit it ends up being the kids table. I can't even pretend that it bothers me... I mean... I'm the cool aunt and my kid always chooses to sit beside me... so I can't complain. Although, to be honest, my kid sits beside me because he knows I can't eat restaurant portions and he likes to be close enough to "help me finish". It goes both ways... he had a sushi roll that was called a bagel roll that had salmon and cream cheese and a crispy layer... and I snagged a bite or two. I left his octopus alone. Not a fan.

Pain wise - I took a percocet so... it wasn't pain free but it wasn't miserable either. There's a lot of stuff I could do if I was willing to take a lot more drugs but... it's a balancing act. I wasn't driving or drinking or making any legal decisions so it was ok to go out "under the influence". The sad truth is that it doesn't really alter me. If anything, when the pain is eased up, I feel like I can think more clearly. I won't drive under the influence of pain meds but... it's a shame there's not a way to make the pain go away AND be able to function at the same time. It's rare that I HAVE to go out to eat and I certainly can't afford to treat myself to a nice meal out. We have a lot of great meals here at the house - and all of us can cook - so it's not like we ever HAVE to go out to eat to have a decent meal. But it's nice every now and then. I appreciated having my family gathered around.

My sister-in-law the air drummer - she's actually a real drummer, too.

Poor Austin entered the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes this year and has been getting tons of spam mail from them telling him that these things will "improve" his chances at winning. He has been diligently responding to all of these emails and really believed that he had a very good chance of winning. The announcement was supposed to be today - although it seems like they have other times of the year they do it? Right? For the past month he has been talking about how he will spend the money. He even set his alarm this morning so he could be awake and dressed if they came here. I never want to be a dream buster but you always want to help your kids be realistic about things. I told him many times that it wasn't likely to happen and his answer was always, "but it COULD happen" and you can't argue with that. Since they didn't show up in the driveway today with his roses and the big fake check, I think he's a little disappointed. He also burned his hand cooking dinner so he's uncomfortable from that, too.

My nieces and I watched The Muppet Movie (the 2011 version) yesterday and today and they had to leave this afternoon with only 2 minutes and 49 seconds to go but they want me to wait to watch the end with them. They have seen it before - they want to see my reaction to the end. Jamie is LOVING the plush rug that Cody and Marquee got me for my birthday and spent her afternoon making handprints and playing tic tac toe in the rug drinking her hot chocolate that Mawmaw made her. We love spoiling them when they're here.

Depressed Dachshund - Mawmaw and Pop left him for a little while

I've had a bit of birthday whiplash today. I'm dragging. I was badly out of breath this morning but determined to accomplish the only two tasks that I HAD to do today early on. The humidity is high so it took twice as long to straighten my hair and it didn't work. I'm still a frizzy mess. I'm not in absolute misery but I don't feel great either. Somehow, though, hurting after a few good days is less frustrating than hurting for no good reason. I'm gonna float on that for awhile.

That's about all for today! Happy Wednesday, y'all!

"Cody Special" fried rice... too hot with a little drama!

Being goofy with the kid