The State Of The Country....

As I sit here and watch the news this morning, drinking a very lovely cup of coffee, I can feel my heart beating faster and faster. What is going on out there? Could we really, in this day and age, have another Great Depression? An analyst came on one of the morning news shows talking about having some actual cash in our homes. This is a just in case measure. Just in case we go to use our ATM cards and there is no money in the machine. Could there really ever not be money in the machine??! There has been many a talk in our home and one Come To Jesus discussion between me and the hubby. More the hubby than me. He was like E.F. Hutton...as he talked about our finances and what was to happen with them during the next three years I sat and listened. My dreams of shopping like my momma taught me dieing a miserable death. Every couple of minutes he would ask me if I understood. I said yes but in my head I was thinking/shouting noNONONONO....no. It is unavoidable though. We all must make some changes in our spending and our saving and our bill paying ways.



The writing is on the wall. It's time to start reading.

Ummmmmmm thank you???

Tonight the hubby gathered us all up for a family walk. I grabbed the dog and some poo-bags then we were off. While walking my Middle Daughter says to me "I wish I would've brought the camera to take pictures of us walking together." I turn to her and say "I don't really want to see pics of my behinny. I live in Denial Land where my behinny looks like Angelina Jolie's' and to see differently would make me gnash my teeth and turn into a pillar of salt." Then The Son runs up and body slammed her as boys are wont to do and my behinny was forgotten. Or so I thought. As we were making our way home she says to me "Mom, your butts not big. It is just right. A nice shape." I can hear my husband snort laughing at the both of us.





I then sat on him with my just right/Angelina Jolie behinny. Snort laugh now big guy.

update: my hubby read this post and says "Hey! That doesn't make me sound nice." I told him everything is fair game for the good of the blog. He watches TV for a bit and then says "Angelina Jolie does have a nice behinny." Oh yeah, he's toast!

Books...

My husband, the love of my life, the father of my chil-ren, the cheese to my macaroni...has a serious problem. He refuses to let me read any of his books before he's had a chance to read them. Hmph. It, of course, makes me mad and also makes me want to read them even more. Now I can see you out there scratching your head in wonder. Why won't he let her read his books you are saying to yourself. I will tell you. In 7th grade one of our required classes was a speed reading class. I have loved to read ever since, well, ever since I can remember. If you take a girl who loves to read and couple that with a speed reading class you get a fast reader. With no back patting and no boastfulness abounding I say with all honesty....I read fast. It is not something I can help. I devour everything written. I love the classics, comics, romances, thrillers, books about dogs, cats, men, women, men and women who wish they were women and men. You name it, I love to read about it. I read Steven Kings The Stand in a day. Yeah. I am a freak of nature. Now the hubby loves this about me but absolutely refuses to let me read a book of his. He hates....Hates!! it that I can read a book in under two hours that takes him a couple of days. He is a night-time-before-bed reader. He likes to read a chapter and then go to sleep. Me?? No. I cannot put a book down once it has me. As I read it's like a movie playing in my head and I can tune everything out and even forget where I am. Laughing out loud is a given. Sometimes when I am reading in bed I try to hold in my laughter and it makes the bed shake and then the Capt wakes up and gives me The Look.



Why have I told you this?? Cause we are fighting over a book. A Robert Parker book. He is one of my favorites!!!!!! He makes me laugh. I luuuuuuuuuvs him! The hubby checked out the book yesterday while we were at the library. I checked out three books and have read them already. (remember...freak) I was looking for something to read after church today when I saw his book. He felt a disturbance in the force and looked over at me...catching me looking at "The Book". We both made a mad dash for it. He won. A very childish wrestling over "The Book" commenced. I lost. I have tried to get at that book all day long. He has been carrying it around with him and sitting with it in his lap. I am not amused. He is. I am determined to read the book. I plan on waiting for him to fall asleep tonight and then I am going to sneak downstairs. I am going to make a cup of tea and maybe a small bowl of pretzels. Then I am going to READ THAT BOOK!!!


If that doesn't work then I am going to withhold sesssssual relations! That'll fix im!

Our new church search....

Every time we move to a new place we have to do the normal "findy" things. We have to find where the grocery store is...Walmart...Target...the mall (hallelujah chorus)...a doctor....a dentist...the fabric store...you get the idea. After the boxes are unpacked and my mind is settled the biggest (read hardest) search begins. We need to find us a church. It is not as easy as it sounds. There are things to take into account when one searches for a church. Mainly, can we walk in and feel welcome. There have been times that we have walked into a new church and told we can sit in the back...right chere'..by the kitchen. Or I hear "Oh no she i-n't!" as my hubby takes me to the front pew all large and in charge while I cringe and try not to look at any of the weaves(for those as white as me a weave is fake hair mixed in with real hair. Ethnic lesson 101 is now complete.) a bristling. Sigh. This is why I send the Capt out on reconnaissance first. He has been getting up on Sundays, looking mighty fine in a suit and tie, to search out The One for us. If he likes it then the next Sunday I get up, put on the church perfume and go check it out. Oh boy. We've been to a couple of churches since we've been here. Wanna hear about em?? Okay.

First up is the Small Church. We walked in and people were really nice. They sat us down and much hand-shaking ensued. I noticed right off that there were no "Zulu's" and that my hubby was a source of great interest. He, of course, was oblivious as he was getting his clap on and singing as loud as possible. Shy? He ain't. After Praise and Worship the pastor came out. No lie you guys...he sounded just like Ben Stein. Next!

The Dome Church. This church had a really neat dome on it. It had a really nice sign out front with "The Time Is Nigh!" on it. We walked in and the Pastor came right over to greet us. He was really nice. Much hand-shaking was had as we were walked to our seats. They sat us behind what I like to call The Committee. You guys all know what I am talking about. Every church has em. Usually they sit in threes or fours. Usually they are women. These ladies were a committee of three. I listened to them talk about everyone who came in. Everyone. No one was safe and these ladies had their fingers on the pulse of the church. They knew it all and now? so did I. There was much "Bless her/his hearting" and some "Oh we should pray for her cause......." All while they smiled and waved at those they were talking about.
Praise and worship started soon after. We stood up to sing and some promise was shown. We started to get our clap on and do the pew sway. This is about the time it happened. Two ladies broke out some flags and started walking around the church waving them. Boo-Bear says to me "what are they doing momma??" I had no idea but was willing to go with it for awhile. Then the pastor comes out and blows...no lie...in a conch. What. The. Heck. Scared the crap out of Boo-Bear. She got this wild look in her eyes and says to me "I do not like this place." Middle Daughter and I got the giggles...this did not go over well with the Capt. Church is a place of reverence and giggles are not allowed. I couldn't help it.

Third and last church was today's. It had everything. The singing was great. No conch blowing. People were friendly. There was a nice mixture of all kinds of people. The message was wonderful. The pastor was very sincere and funny. Best of all?? They have a Starbucks in the foyer. SCORE!!! We all left happy. I was even humming the last song we sang. The hubby was feeling pretty good about the whole thing. After all the drama we had in Korea with the church there I was feeling like calling the whole thing off. The hubby...not so much. He likes to be in church on Sunday. With me sitting right there beside him. Smiling. Today it seemed like it just might happen again. At least until someone blows in a conch.

time keeps on tickin...

When in the world did my son turn 19?!???!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Your firstborn only turns 19 once so a part-ay was had...here is the cake I made. A three layer cake decorated with super-heroes. I am nothing if not a supporter of my chil-ren. :)Here he is getting ready to be sung to, make a big ole wish, blow out some candles and open some presents.
These three are his partners in crime. The one on the right we've known for years. It was a nice surprise when we found out he was here with his family. The Air Force makes the world a smaller place. He spends muchola time with these guys. He only comes home to shower and grab some more clothes. Sigh, my baby?? He is a growin' up.
Yep, very exciting happenins' round here. They were downloading something very intently. I am going to enjoy this next year with him. 20 is just around the corner. All day long I kept thinking "oh my gosh, when I was your age I was pregnant with you and married." It was surreal.
Happy birthday son. May this year be filled with wonderful things. I'll be there to catch you when you fall and to cheer you on when you succeed. Just, ummmmm can you pay me back the $70 you owe me. Kisses!

Our Very Own African Princess....

As the resident 6th grader round these here parts Boo-Bear had to do a report all about her. She had to list her likes...her dislikes...she had to tell about her family also her pets...some of her hobbies and books she likes to read. As I was going over her list I came across this......check out what she put next to race...

Yep, her momma (me) is Irish with some Scottish and German thrown in for good measure but who knew her daddy (the cutie-pa-tootie Capt) was a "Zullu?!?!" I cannot begin to tell you how long we laughed about that one.

hamba kahle! That means goodbye in Zulu.....what?? you didn't know that??

My Bailout Request To The American People.......

Hello American People,

Times are tough out there. I am not happy about it. My shopping has been curbed tremendously. I can no longer shop with abandon. I haven't bought fabric in months. It has put a crimp in my style. Yesterday I had to think twice about buying a wonderful Starbucks Caramel Machiatto or having coffee at home. I wanted to go out to eat last night and (sob) had to cook instead. This will not do. So I thought about it and came up with a solution. I need a bailout. A cool million should make me feel all warm and fuzzy. I think that you, the American People, should each send me some of your hard earned cash. No checks please, just green pay-pah. Hurry up...no dawdling. The weekend is coming up and I'd like to get out there to stimulate the economy some. Or at least have a beer and some nachos then take in a movie with the hubby. :)

Thank you for your time.
D

P.S. This is a very tongue in cheek post. Sigh.

Welcome to my home!

Okay, I finally stopped being lazy and worried that you would all think I'm messy. I found the camera and took some pictures of our new home. Come on in for the big tour. :) This is what base housing looks like for us here.
First up is the Room Of Greatness....I love this room. It's small but cozy. I can go in there and sit on my couch while I read some of the 5 gazillion quilt books I have. I can create something magical on the ole' Juki or I can look out the window and watch Boo Bear play.

This is what you will see when you walk in the front door.
Here is our living room/ dining room. See the Simplify sign?? I found that while staying with the Rents' this summer and love love love it!!
This is my small little kitchen. I'm not complaining cause I have a kitchen window! I can see our back patio...which is about the same size as the kitchen...but more importantly I will be able to look out there this spring, while I am doing dishes, and enjoy all the flower boxes I am going to fill with wonderful things. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh
This is just another view into the living room. Oh, and my cats butt. heehee
Here is what I like to call our Mudd Room. It is the back door area. I keep the drink fridge out there and some other odds and ends I couldn't find a home for.

Now we are upstairs in Boo-Bears room. See the cute chair?? Yep, found at a wonderful little discount store for only $20!
She wanted to make sure you all got a look at the corner cabinet that she painted....on her own....I think she forgot all the complaining she did while she was doing it. That's my girl!
This is the Middle Daughters room. It is all purples and black. She is slowly finding black and white prints that are "room worthy". She enjoys shopping like any good girlfriend does.
This is my room. Ignore the curtain panel hanging there and not pulled back. I lost the tie back somewhere but decided to take the picture anyway. I made the duvet cover and the pillows while in Korea. I wanted a room that was soothing. A place to lie your head at night and sigh to yourself thinking "oh yeah, this is just right."
Here is one of the IKEA purchases. It's the Capt's and I love love love it!! It stores all of his stuff. I can just keep the doors shut and he can be as messy as he wants to be. :) IKEA is the stuff that makes a marriage happy if you ask me! I would've taken a picture of The Sons room but then you would've wondered where it all went so wrong. He is going to be 19 this Sunday and has definite ideas as to what clean is...his clean not mine. I just shut the door and then happiness rains in my heart once more.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!! Coffee is always on so stop on by if you're in the area!

A for real conversation between me and the hubby

Me: I had this weird dream about you last night.

Him: Oh yeah?

Me: Yeah, I dreamed that there was a woman who went with you guys on your trip and that you were attracted to her and you kissed her. (This was said in a mildly pissy voice as I was mad about the dream I had and wanted him to understand the importance of my anger. hmph!)

Him: Cue the sound of crickets.

Me: Yeah, then you asked me to forgive you and I said no. What do you have to say about that??

Him: Did the girls have a good day at school?

Me: ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT KISSING SOME WOMAN AND MY SUB-CONSCIOUS TOTALLY KNOWS AND IS TRYING TO TELL ME ????

Him: ummmm, no.

Me: WELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL AREN'T YOU GOING TO SAY ANYTHING ELSE.

Him: confused silence and I can hear him thinking in his head "Why God did I answer this phone??"

Cue my head exploding.

Yep, trying to lower the dosage on the "ole vitamins" just ain't no fun. Nope. Nu-uh. No fun at all. God help us everyone.

God help us everyone.

WHY LORD?!?!?! WHY!!!!

The hubby is away this week and I am a very big believer in the whole "while the cats away the mouse will play". I had plans people! Big plans!! I was gonna go shopping...and watch a couple of movies...and sit at Barnes and Noble whiling the day away reading books for free while sipping a coffee made oh so right. Has any of this happened?? No. Why you ask?? That darned storm that blew in here on Sunday and took out a whole lotta power everywhere. Even. The. Girls. School.

Yeah. Heh.

My girls had Monday off....then Tuesday was a half day...then last night I get a call saying that school has been cancelled for today. Since it was a recording there was no one to hear my whimper of defeat.

Another day of my girls waaaanting to do something with me. Waaaaaaaanting to talk to me. Even waaaaaanting to go walking with me in the morning. Did we not get enough together time during the summer of the big move????? I needed this week. I waaaanted to see The Women. What about my coffee made oh so right while I whiled the day away reading books for free?? Sniff. The hubby will be home soon and he will want to be all large and in charge again. Sniiiiiiiiiiiiiif He will not want to see The Women. He gets bored after a half an hour at Barnes and Noble...who gets bored at Barnes and Noble I ask you?!?!???!?

Stoopid Ike.

Hurricane Ike!

Today at around noon we started to get some wind. By three it was a rockin and a rollin outside. Hurricane Ike was making himself felt all the way in my part of the world...Ohio. I had the girls with me out shopping. We were trying to pick out some curtains for their rooms. All the lights in the store started to flicker on and off so we asked someone what was going on and they said that the last bit of Hurricane Ike was upon us. As I drove home I noticed that many of the shops were closing their doors. The power was out all over town. We had high winds for hours. I went outside after it calmed down a bit and took some pics.


There are trees and branches EVERYWHERE! I kept thinking about what Texas must look like. If our town looked a mess after getting the last bit of the storm what must they have gone through to be hit full on.

Wow.

sunday plans...

Ahhh Sunday. A day of relaxation and naps. Or is that Monday?? Or Weds?? Or Friday!!
heehee

Dropped the hubby off at the airport this morning at the un-bearable hour of 5-ish am. He'll be back before we know it and this will be a regular thing at this base for us. He gets to travel all over the US doing "important" Air Force stuff. This time he is at a class to learn more about the "important" stuff. I have some "important" stuff of my own to do around here. I. Am. Cleaning. Yep, doesn't get more important than that round here. :) I want to get my Monday stuff done today so that tomorrow I can go to the movies while the kids are at school. Anyone out there seen the new movie The Women?? Any movie that talks about keeping things in the vault is a movie I need to see.

I need to ask a question of Ohio.....Ohio, what is the deal with all the crickets you have going on here?? It's like the 8th plague of Moses in my shed. I do not like crickets. Can we do a little sumpin sumpin about it?? Thank you.

Okay, what is everyone else doing out there today?? Any exciting plans?? Any travel? Any intrigue?? Barbecuing?? Cleaning up after Ike??

I'm off to dust something. Have a great day everyone!

I sucketh long time....

I promised pictures...I promised a great ole post about our new house then you don't hear from me for-evah. I don't know what happened (written in a very whiney kinda way) I haven't been busy. I've been doing the same ole same ole. I've been kinda ummmmm I don't know. I miss my best-ies. Yep...Walker Leigh and Walker Jen I miss ya!!! I made a big mistake in our check book (doncha love it that I put all my biz-niss on the web?!?!) and we are paying for it now. sigh. The hubby has been working long hours trying to figure out the ins and outs of the new job.



I found myself walking around the house and sighing a lot.



Then I got over myself and started a new quilting project. I got our all of my books and patterns and magazines. I perused for a whole day. I got out some of my fabric and revelled in all the colors. I started feeling a little better. I got some oil for the Juki Of Greatness and filled up the pan. I sewed some scraps just to get my sea legs back. I started feeling even better. I found a small wall hanging that looked easy enough. I've been working on it for three days. It's a lot of fun. Just right for the wall by our front door...of course you would know what wall I'm talking about if I could get some pics on here...coming soon to a computer near you!! I promise!!



I think I would feel much better (hint hint) if you all out there could take up a collection and send me to Australia!! Hey yeah!!! I could go hang out with http://www.ozcountryquiltingmum@blogspot.com and then I could go on over for a cuppa with
http://thechocolatecat.blogspot.com/ then they could take me to their quilting guild and I could see all the wonderful quilts and hang out with all the wonderful quilters. Ahhhhhhhh my soul would sing. Thennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn I could go on over to http://judylaquidara.blogspot.com/ and watch all the greatness that goes on over there.

Yep, that would make me happy!! That and a million dollars. heeheeheehee

Pics are coming soon!! :)

9 - 11

We will never forget.

In Memory....

We lost a beloved member in the quilting community on the 1st of Sept. I loved reading her column in Quilters Newsletter. I'll bet that right now she is heading a quilting bee in Heaven. Every time I sew my "Loose Threads" together I will think of her. Mrs. Kelley, we will truly miss you.

IKEA....

We needed a few things for the house so I looked online the other day to see if there was an IKEA nearby. Oh my, was there ever! We decided to wait until payday and then hit it and hit it hard. Saturday was designated IKEA Shopping Extravaganza Day. Guess what time I woke up on Saturday?? Hmmmmm? 4am. I was so excited to be getting some dressers for our rooms and getting the Capt's clothes put away that I couldn't sleep. I had visions of not stepping on his piles anymore....of him having a place to put stuff away in....of finally getting the big closet.

Ladies, how many outfits does one man need?????

Anyway, we took Middle Daughter with us. She is almost 16 and has definite ideas as to how her room should look. We got to the store an hour before it opened, hmmmmmmmmmmm what to do?? My idea of breakfast was seconded and we were off! If you haven't eaten some pancakes at Bob Evans you haven't lived. I got the blueberry stuffed stack with a side of bacon. I smiled the whole time. :) Doesn't take much folks.

After breakfast we went back to IKEA to shop like my momma taught me. I made her proud that day. I don't mean to brag but you know that store where they give the contestant a shopping cart and five minutes to fill it?? Oh int-netz...I would totally kill!! We rolled out of there with two large trolleys and a large shopping cart filled with some furniture...a chair....a desk chair....some organizational wonders....and a few other odds and ends I deemed "new house worthy." When we left the IKEA gods gave me a standing ovation and I think I even saw one wiping away some tears of gratitude. The Capt was a different story. He kept muttering about how someone should've warned him about the whole shopping thing before he married me. I told him to buck up bucky and to take me to Starbucks cause after all that shopping I was feeling a little parched.

Us Trophy Wives get parched easily after a day of breakfasting and shopping.
Today we are putting everything together. Let us hope we don't kill each other. :)