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Saturday, August 30, 2008

The History of ME on Survey Saturday

1) Raised in: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
2) Your whole name: Rachelle Lynne Goude

3) Birth date: November 29, 1976

4) Any siblings: 1 Sister, 1 Step-sister, 1 brother, 1 half-brother, 3 step-brothers

5) Oldest of them all: yeppers!!

6) Hair color: natural? really dark brown with reddish highlights.

7) Hair length: at my shoulders

8) First school: Preston Elementary

9) Eye color: bluish greyish green

10) Shoe size: 10

11) Mood: frazzled

12) College: Dual bachelor's degree

13) Height: 5'7"

14) Lefty/Righty: Righty

LOVE LIFE

1) Do you remember your first real relationship: a little

2) Do you believe in love: yes i do

3) Where did 3 go?
4) Have you ever been heartbroken: Yes

5) Do you love someone right now: Sure do. With all my heart

6) Have you ever fallen for a friend: Yes. Not a good idea

7) Are you afraid of commitment: Um, no

8) Do you believe in love at first sight: No. I believe in LUST at first sight

THIS OR THAT:

1) Love or Money: Love

2) Coffee or alcohol: um, both?

3) One night stands or relationships: relationships

4) Television or internet: internet

5) Pepsi or Coke; Coke...preferably diet

6) Long night out or romantic night in: how about both?

7) Phone or in Person: In person

HAVE YOU EVER:

1) Have you ever been caught sneaking out : nope

2) Have you ever been skinny dipping: yup

3) Have you ever been on a house boat: only once

4) Have you ever finished an entire jawbreaker: yes

5) Have you ever colored your hair: way too many times to count

6) Have you ever been streaking? waaaayyyyy too many times! LOL!

RANDOM:

1) Are you talking to anyone right now: nope

2) Are you German: I don't think so

3) Are you Italian: no

4) Are you French: maybe a little

5) Are you Mexican: No

6) Are you Dutch: No

7) Are you Indian: yes

8) Are you Irish: yes

9) Are you Russian: No

10) Are your parents still married: no

DO YOU:

1) Do you get depressed about things easily: lately, yes. but Balla is leaving soon

2) Where in the sam hell is 2??

3) Are you comfortable with the way you look: For the most part, yes.

4) How do you dress: some would say in the latest fashion. I call it "Mom gear"

5) Are you scared of growing old alone: no. I have kids, a husband, family and friends. I will never be alone

6) What do you want to be when you grow up: a grandma!

7) Favorite season: spring and fall

8) Are you a vegetarian: NOOOOO! I love meat waaaayyy too much to be a vegetarian!


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Friday, August 29, 2008

Friday Fiesta Foto Finish

I have a phun photo montage this week for Candid Carrie. It actually comes from our photo shoot this past Sunday with my phriend Melissa phrom Hudd's Photography. We were delightfully pleased with the results and I will share with you phour of my phaves to keep in sync with the FX4 for this week! Enjoy because we had a blast taking the pics. Be sure to stop by Candid Carrie's site and why not stop and take a look at Melissa's other photos too. She does a wonderful job. :) Here we go!

My family













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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Reflecting on a Theme

I've been doing pretty good at keeping up my blog, I must say. I said I would do the Survey Saturday and I have kept up with it. (With the exception of this past Saturday, but I was truly not even home at all or even on my computer all day!) I said I was going to do Cadid Carrie's FX4 every Friday and I've stayed true to that so far as well! It's been fun! I wanted to start doing something on Wednesdays as well. I was thinking of something like what I did for Liam Matthews
and calling it something like Awareness Wednesday and then picking something like a specific cancer or something like CMV or a specific disease and writing on it but also featuring someone and their story or struggle with the disease. My only problem is getting the word out and getting volunteers to send me their stories. I can do the research, I can write but I can't make up a person! I will keep working on my networking and see what I can do. Maybe, in the near future, you will see an Awareness Wednesday. I need your help, my friends. Keep on reading and sending YOUR friends and readers my way. Let them know I am looking for features and maybe I will have it. Maybe. Some. Day.

TTFN,

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Sunday, August 24, 2008

Super Survey Sunday! Me In Pictures

I totally missed Survey Saturday because I just pushed fast forward and my day went "BYE BYE"! No, seriously, my day was gone before I could even breathe! I had tax instructor school training in the morning that went over then I went shopping for a quick minute then I had to nap then dinner with my girls and by the time I got home...well I am home now! HAHA! I am pre-writing for Sunday and pushing Saturday's blog to Sunday. I know, I know, lazy me. BUT, I won't find the time and I don't want to make my readers unhappy. I DO have SOME readers, ya know! So, here's something creative I found on myspace. It's neat. I copied and pasted and here are MY answers! Enjoy and I will see you on the flip side!

these are the rules:
Go to www.photobucket. com but don't sign in
Type in your answer to the question in the "search" box.
Use ONLY the first page unless nothing on that page has NOTHING to do with the question.
copy the html and paste it as the answer!

1. What's your first name? (When this posts, it doesn't show my full name so you have to click on it so you can see my full name. ;) )
2. What's your relationship status?
3. What's your favorite color?
4. What's your favorite TV show? (again, not the full image, but you get it)
5. Another Favorite TV show?
6. Fav Disney Movie?
7. Fav Non-Alcoholic Beverage?
8. Fav Alcoholic Beverage?
9. What is your dream vacation?
10. Use one word to describe yourself. (tee-hee)
11.I was born in:
12. My eye color is:
13. Last Movie You watched? (this cuts off half the pic too. it's supposed to be a type of ant.)
14. What kinda cell phone do you have?
15. What is something you do a lot?

TTFN,

Friday, August 22, 2008

Friday Fiesta Foto Finish

It's time again phor another photo phinish on Candid Carrie! WOO HOO! It's Phriday! It's Phriday! I am SUPER excited about THIS Phriday because Balla starts his 2 WONDERFUL weeks of leave today at 1600hrs! (Phour o'clock phor you civillians!) Anyway, here is MY pick phor the photo phinish! I LOVE this pic because it captures my two lovies, Lady Bird and Little Red! We have a big chocolate lab and a small miniature pinscher. I love this pic also because I don't think I could have captured a more perfect pic of them with such perfect timing! They are such beauties and I love them as much as I love my kiddos! Here you go and enjoy! Oh and check out Candid Carrie's FX4 while you're at it!



Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Traumatic Tuesday

(Previously posted on www.tidewatermommies.com/forum. Some contents edited for comedic relief!)

Today we decided to go fishing instead of heading up to Water Country. I don't know WHOSE idea it was,(it was Balla's) but I would have much rather spent the day, stress free, than deal with baiting hooks and dialing 9-1-1. Yes, I said dialing 9-1-1. Did you know that you don't get a signal on the Little Creek base out by Gator Pool? Nope. And trying to scream into a cell phone while your kid is hurt at someone who just can't hear you, yeah. So, let me set it up for you!

We got our poles together and headed to WalMart around 9am to get some worms, ice and drinks and then headed out to the base. We made camp out at Seal Park at the lake and bait up our poles. It was about 930a by the time we started fishing. It was humid and we were getting bites but NOTHING. About 10a, Syd caught the SMALLEST fish I have seen!!! Balla showed her how to get it off the hook then how to kick the thing in the water because it freaked her out once she got it off the hook. The kids continued to bait their hooks after losing numerous worms. Jayson I think was sick of baiting his hook because I was watching him just cast out over and over and over and SNAG! SCREAM! Yep. He caught something alright! He caught Syd right in her eye! Balla and I were on the bank fishing so we had to drop our poles and run to the dock so no one would rip out the hook. Jayson dropped his pole and just started screaming that he didn't do it on purpose and he was sorry and he was a mess. What almost 5yr old kid wouldn't be! That fish was HUGE! LMFAO! Balla cut the line off the hook and looked to see if he could just pull the hook out but nope. It was in there pretty good. So I started to call 9-1-1 while he picked up Syd and took her to the truck. When I called the stupid 9-1-1 it connected me to Norfolk but we were in Virginia Beach. WTF?? So they connected me to VB and they couldn't even hear me. Balla was about to leave me and the other two kids at the beach and I was like HELL NO! So we left EVERYTHING and took her to Boone Clinic hoping to 1. not get pulled over (he was going like 50mph ON BASE!) and 2. be able to get help when we get there since Boone was under renovation. We get there and have no clue where to go. Syd's eye is bleeding and she says she feels dizzy. Balla, A.K.A. best dad in the WORLD, picks her up and we go in. I stop a lady at the pharmacy and ask "Is there a place we can go? My kid has a hook in her eye." That was all it took for them to help us.

All in all it was a wonderful experience. We went to the prime clinic and some LT took us right to a room. They numbed up her eye lid and tried to get it out without cutting it. He had to make a small cut to get the hook out. She didn't get any stitches, just 2 steri strips but she did get a tetanus shot. She was a trooper. It was harder on us than it was on her. The two little ones were all upset too and we had have them taken outside the room. So from the time we left the house (9am ish) until the time we left the clinic (1130a ish) we were out for a total of 2 1/2hrs. We fished for about an hour...we caught nothing worth writing about. (And here I sit, blogging about it!) I wish I would have taken a picture while they were workin on her eye for her scrapbook. She would have loved to have that. So Sydnie is not allowed to swim for a week now. But at least she still has her eye sight!

I must say that I have THE BEST husband in the world. He is the BEST DAD in the world too. He acted on instinct and took care of Syd like she was his own when biologically she is not. I thanked him today at dinner and he asked why. I told him for being a good dad. He looked at me like I was on crack and said "Why? Because I make the best burgers in the world?" and then winked at me and kissed me. He then proceeded to give Sydnie another high five and tell her how proud he was of her today for being so brave. I love him!!


Saturday, August 16, 2008

Survey Saturday...This Is My Life

Do you have any voicemails on your cellphone? Nope

How many times a day do you shower? I only shower once every other day

When you wake up what's the first thing you do? Hit snooze and then let the dogs out

Do you play video games? I am addicted to Wii Rock Band

What's the last thing you bought at the store? 4 Algae Eaters, 4 loaves of bread, tuna fish and soy milk

How many states have you lived in? 6 so far, I think

Are you a high school drop out? nope. Graduated in 1995

Left handed or right handed? Righty

Look out the window, what do you see? My deck and the pool

What is to your left? MacKenzie

What was the last thing that made you laugh? My dog swimmin' in the lake on base

Who do you think will be a better mom Nicole Richie? Or Christina Aguilera? Nicole. She is younger and will pay more attention to her kid

Do you read the newspaper? Yep

Can you cook? A little

How many pets do you have? 2 doggies and a ton of fishies

Are you close with your parents? Just my mom

How many best friends do you have? A few.

What are you doing tonight? Maybe playing Rock Band and having some beers with Balla

What time is it? 5:29pm. Yep, I am behind in posting this weekend

Can you make a dollar in change right now? Yup

Do you read gossip magazines? Nope. I go to Perez Hilton for my gossip!

Do you like to sing or dance in the shower? Um, no. Dancing would be a bit dangerous

How do you like your eggs? Cooked?

At McDonalds what do you usually order? I don't! McFatty's is NOT for me!

Are you a friendly person? Sure am!

If you could change one thing about your life right now, what would it be? I'd be holding the winning lottery ticket!!

If you could go back in time, where would you go? At my current age? Probably the 60's or 70's

Have you ever met a famous person? Lots! I used to work at a comedy club

Do you look like anyone famous? Some people say I look like the chick from the Matrix when my hair is dyed black

Have you ever done drugs? I am on a few, yes. OH! You mean ILLEGAL ones? HAHAHAHA! Just mary jane in my younger days!

Have you ever woke up and didn't know who the person was sleeping next to you? um, no

Do you have a criminal record? Nope

What really annoys you? Stupid people and Virgin-i-a drivers...oh wait, those are the same things! LOL!

What are you listening to? My son playing his Leapster and the movie "Unbreakable"

What's your favorite tv-show? I have way too many to list here. My current obsession though is Eureka!

What's your favorite color? blue and green

Who do you want to become the next president? Well, he's dead so I guess Johnny Boy will have to do!

Do you listen to the radio? I listen to FM99 in the morning

Where you ever voted for prom queen/prom king? yeah right!

Do you play any insturments? Clarinet and piano

What's the date today? 8/16/08

What are you looking forward to? Balla's 2 week vacation

When was the last time you were in a swimming pool? Thursday

When your in the shower, what's the first thing you wash? My hair

Do you wear makeup? sometimes

Where is the strangest place you've slept? Hugging the toilet!

How many colors have you dyed your hair? Hmmm...waaaayyy too many!

Have you ever been hit on by somebody 10 years older than you? More than likely. Happens when you are a waitress!

Friday, August 15, 2008

Friday Fiesta Foto Finish

Friday's Fiesta Foto Finish came on pretty fast this week! But I must say that Thursday proved to be a phun photo day pho sho! I took the kids up to Water Country for the day with some of my mommy phriends (yes, it's spelled wrong on purpose!)and we continued the day with dinner at one of the phriend's houses. We met up with another phellow mommy and when it was time phor us to leave we headed on down phor some Rita's Italian Ice. We ate some ice and let the kids play in the grass and before long they were all "dog piled" on top of my oldest daughter. Check it out! She is the one on the bottom. You can only see her hair and her arm! Poor kid!


Not the greatest of photos, but I was too lazy to get my camera out of the car so I used my cell phone. Thanks Candid Carrie for letting me share my photo skillz! I am loving this! AND loving reading your blogs!

TTFN,

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Check Out These Giveaways!

I know I already posted today, but I need to go ahead and make a post of some pretty neato giveaways! So, here they are, in no special order! ;)

Mary Says... having a Blogaversary giveaway on her blog. She hasn't set a deadline yet, but her stash of gifts are sure to please every girl! Go sign up now and wish her a Happy blogaversary!!!

Don't forget that the SITS Girls Recipe site is having their awesome contest that I have personally entered! Once the voting starts I am going to need all the support of my readers and friends alike IF I make it into the top! I really wouldn't mind that $100 Sonoma gift card!!!

SITS is also having a contest on their main site. The winner of that contest will win a set of taper candles from Ana Candles. Ana Candles are still made in the USA and owned and operated in NJ as a family owned business. The candles burn cleanly for at least 14 hours. The color pallet used and the finish on make them the premier striped candle on the market today. Head on over to SITS and enter today!!

I think that is all for now. If I find more, I will edit my post and add them!

TTFN

Awareness Wednesday...For Liam Matthews

People come into your life for a variety of reasons. I have posted this before. Whether she knows it or not, the person I am posting for I still consider a friend. Things may not be the greatest for either of us right now, but oh well. We might both be on different pages in our book of life, but again, oh well. We are both adults and should know that no matter what, we should act as such.


Anyway, I am here today to write about something that has affected the Matthews family in a way they probably never thought possible. I am here today to write about Cytomegalovirus, or CMV. CMV is the virus most frequently transmitted to a developing child before birth. When a baby catches CMV prior to birth it is known as a congenital CMV infection. Approximately 90% of all infants who are infected with CMV prior to delivery are born without symptoms of the virus; however, the remaining 10% will have varying degrees of abnormalities. For infants who are infected by their mothers before birth, two potential problems exist:


1) Generalized infection may occur in the infant, and symptoms may range from moderate enlargement of the liver and spleen (with jaundice) to fatal illness. With supportive treatment most infants with CMV disease usually survive. However, from 80% to 90% will have complications within the first few years of life that may include hearing loss, vision impairment, and varying degrees of mental retardation.


2) Another 5% to 10% of infants who are infected but without symptoms at birth will subsequently have varying degrees of hearing and mental or coordination problems.

(above excerpts taken from StopCMV.com)


Liam Matthews survived. He is deaf but with the help of a cochlear implant, he is learning to hear. He has several delayed developments, but he is learning at his own pace with the help of his extremely patient and loving mother and father, friends and family members. He is making great strides and is always a smiling and happy little boy. Sometimes you can see his frustration, like when he wants to walk on his own but he just can't quite get it. But just around the corner is that happy smile when he hears something he's never heard before or when someone lets him have a sweet treat. All in all I bet the best thing in the world for this family is when they wake up in the morning and see their little boy, their miracle, and his happy face because that is what Liam is. A happy little miracle.
Support Liam and all the other babies out there with CMV by visiting the StopCMV website and joining the fight. I did.
TTFN.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Mama Roho's Leftover Goulash


There are many a night when Balla has duty or he is underway and I just do not feel like cooking so the kids have hot dogs and mac & cheese or rice and pork or sausage and rice or something easy. Well one day I was really bored with all of the same old stuff and just grabbed a bunch of things and threw them together and came up with my own little pot of goodness. They LOVED it! AND my oldest even got to help out so she was happy in the long run. I call it "Mama Roho's Leftover Goulash" and I am sharing it with you. (I have an alterior motive...go check THIS contest out!)



Ingredients

Leftover Mac & Cheese
1 box of Mac & Cheese
1 lb of ground pork
1 can of corn
1 can of peas
Spices to taste including:
garlic powder
chopped onion
onion salt
Lowery's seasoned pork rub

Directions

Cook box of mac & cheese according to directions.

In a skillet pan, add pork, Lowery's pork rub, garlic powder, onion salt and chopped onion to pan and cook until pork is no longer pink.

In a large pot, combine corn, peas and leftover mac & cheese and heat on medium heat until warm.

Add pork and newly cooked mac & cheese to the pot and stir all ingrediants together until well blended. Let simmer for about 3 minutes. Feel free to add more spices during this 3 minutes if you would like.


That's it! Enjoy! This makes alot so you WILL have leftovers if you have a small family! Be sure to check out the Saucy Eats Contest and try your luck at winning a $100 Gift Card to Williams-Sonoma and a New Digital Camera so that YOU can become the next "lady-who-posts-great-pictures-and-recipes-on-her-blog" blogger!!!


TTFN!!

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Survey Saturday...About Me

  • I Am a mom, a wife, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter and so much more.
  • I Want to hold the winning lottery ticket!
  • I Have everything I could possibly want in life.
  • I Wish for the perfect job...
  • I Hate James Patrick Pennell II...my ex-husband and biological father of my 2 daughters.
  • I Fear the dark and losing my children.
  • I Hear the trickling of the fish tanks...it is what inspires me to write some days.
  • I Search the internet for stupid things, like this survey!
  • I Wonder what my grand-babies are going to look like.
  • I Regret nothing.
  • I Love my life and everything in it!
  • I Ache every morning when I roll over to hit the snooze button.
  • I Always hit that damn snooze button!
  • I Usually listen to Tommy and Rumble on FM99 Monday thru Friday after I hit the snooze button a few times.
  • I Am Not afraid to stand up for myself!
  • I Dance when I clean!
  • I Sing all the time!
  • I Never say never...unless we are talking about Hampton Roads traffic!
  • I Rarely go to bed before 10pm.
  • I Cry at least once a week. :(
  • I Am Not Always perfect, but I try NOT to be!
  • I Lose my temper quite often when my kids ask me "What are we doing today" 5 times each...before 10am!
  • I'm Confused ...doesn't that say enough?
  • I Need this deployment to come and go quickly so Balla and I can start our 101 nights of...ahem..."love".
  • I Should do the dishes NOW so I don't have to do them LATER!

Friday, August 8, 2008

Friday Fiesta Foto Finish

I am going to try something out on Candid Carrie's Blog called Phavorite Phriday Photo! This week I am picking the photo of Balla and Mrs Paruser right before she gave birth to Lil Squirt. We went out the night she went into labor and I caught them "comparing" bellies. It made me laugh soooo hard and I think it will make you all laugh as well. So, here is MY Phavorite Phriday Photo!



TTFN!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

I'm A Blogger 'Tard

While reading some pretty informative and funny blogs today I noticed pretty colors and big words and wondered to myself 'how does one make my blog all pretty and neat like those?? I want pretty words every now and again and I want to make my words really big or make them really really small but HOW?' So I googled and I searched my pretty little 'tardo heart out for a good 45 minutes. Yes, 45 minutes I searched for an answer to my question. All this time I have been writing my blog in "edit html" because I know how to work it...really work it. I mean I took a bunch of classes on it at one time and even wrote a program that rocked! But 'tardo me obviouslyCANNOT READ!!! Either that or I am really effing blind to miss the stinking COMPOSE button. Now I know. But now I feel like a computer illiterated blogger 'tard.

Now if someone could just teach me how to insert cute names and smilies...oh wait, that's HTML Ro-ho! DER!

TTFN

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

"Pesky Pest" Product Review

Living here in good 'ole Virginia there is quite a bit of water or "sources" of water lurking EVERYWHERE. In our backyard we have a pool for the kiddos and a pool for the doggies. We have to empty the pool for the doggies every other day because of pesky pests known as mosquitoes. YUCK! Now the big pool is treated with chemicals so THOSE pesky pests do not enjoy the big pool but another pesky pest, known as the fly, does. So, in our wonderfully comfy back yard oasis we have, or rather HAD, two of THE MOST annoying pest known to man. The mosquito and the fly. Let us add to the fact that we also live about 20 minutes from the ocean, 5 minutes from the nearest stagnant water source AND we have animals that poo in the yard and we have a haven for those pesky pests!

On a journey one day to my local home improvement store I was looking for a solution to my mosquito problem because my giant lab had become severely allergic to their bites and vets had not come up with a flea, tick AND mosquito prevention at that time yet. Anyway, I asked the Man-in-the-Blue-Shirt for some help and he directed me to the insecticide isle and to the best product ever to hit the shelves! Cutter Bug Free Backyard!! You just spray this stuff on your lawn and in an hour or so your yard is "bug free" from those pesky mosquitoes for "up to 4 weeks"!! Now, I buy at least 4 bottles to keep us stocked for the summer.

My next find was actually introduced to me after a "playdate gone bad". Yes, I shall explain. HAHA! I hosted a few friends and their kiddos for a playdate before we had our big pool installed. It was a nice, summer day and we set up a small, kiddie pool on the deck and just let the kids play while us "adults" chatted it up under the umbrella outside. Everyone brought something to share and we kept it inside but left the door open so people could go in and out as they pleased. I was HORRIFIED to see that as soon as we opened up the food, it was attacked assulted by flies! We covered up what we could but the kiddos kept uncovering things and not covering it back up. BLAH! GROSS! One of the ladies was trying to feed her little one a banana and flies were just hovering all over the poor baby and its banana! I was soo embarrassed I wanted to crawl up into a ball and DIE! After everyone left I had to buy fly paper and a fly swatter to kill all those pesky pests that were left over in my home.

The next day I called my BFF and told her of my misfortune at my first and probably last playdate. She stops me mid-story and says "OH! I have something for you! It stinks to high heaven but works like a charm. If you want it, I'll bring you one to try." So, she brought one over and yes, it stunk to high heaven and all the way down to hell and back but all be damned if it didn't work! Of course the flies were still attracked to the sweet stuff, but not so much that it is totally overwhelming. We used to have to put something over our sodas, ice tea, beer, food, ANYTHING we took outside. Now we can take anything outside as long as we use this thing! It is AWSOME! OH! You want to know what it IS?! My bad! It is the Rescue Disposable Fly Bag!! All you do is add water and tie it somewhere FAR FAR away from where ever you sit outside and it attracks the flies into the bag. When it is full, well, you will know it. We can always tell because the fly poplulation around US increases and THOSE pesky pests ARE attracted to our pool, checmical or no chemical!

So, I still host playdates and BBQs pretty much bug free thanks to Cutter Bug Free Backyard and Rescue Disposable Fly Bag. You can fo sho tell the difference when the backyard needs a spray or when we need a new bag! I hope some of my blog friends can benefit from MY success with these awsome products!!

TTFN!

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Survey Saturday...30 Fun Facts

1. What is your occupation right now? i'm a mom and a wife until September

2. What color are your socks right now? what socks?

3. What are you listening to right now? the fish tank

4. What was the last thing you ate? prime rib from The Grate Steak

5. Can you drive a stick shift? yep

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Mrs Paruser

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? she is one of my BFF's

8. How old are you today? 31

9. What is your favorite sport to watch? Football...GO BROWNS!!!!!

10. What is your favorite drink? beer...micro-brewed please!

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? once...every 6-8 weeks!

12. Favorite food? yes! (LMFAO!)

13. What is the last movie you watched? The Bucket List

14. Favorite day of the year? every day I wake up next to Balla

15. How do you vent anger? by blogging and venting to my BFF's

16. What was your favorite toy as a child? uh, I don't remember

17. What is your favorite season? when it's warm and the kids are in school

18. Cherries or Blueberries? cherries

19. Living arrangements? Balla, the 3 kids, 2 doggies and the 2 fish tanks full of fish

20. When was the last time you cried? last night cuz i didn't feel good

21. What is on the floor of your closet? my new rollerblades, a pair of old Navy combat boots and a pair of tennis shoes on my side and a camel back and a Navy bag on his side

22. What did you do last night? went out with my girls from TM to Cheddars

23. What inspires you? stupid people and those I love the most

24. What are you most afraid of? losing my kids

25. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? cheese

26. Favorite dog breed? lab

27. Favorite day of the week? any day i wake up and Balla is there

28. How many states have you lived in? 6...i think

29. Can you name those states? Ohio, Illinois, California, Florida, Mississippi, Virginia

30. Favorite state you have lived in? Cali baby!

Friday, August 1, 2008

Are YOU Handicap? THEN DON'T PARK THERE!!

Today I braved the world of tax-free Friday. It was ok. I got most, if not all of our school supplies all in one trip. Total cost for supplies was $59 tax-free and that was for 3 kiddos. Total cost for 3 pair of kiddo shoes at Payless was $51 tax-free. Not bad considering my oldest has to wear adult shoes! I am only missing 6 "fat" pencils for my son, some paper towels and a couple things of hand sanitizer.

Normally, I park in the back of the parking lot and walk because, well, that is how we get our exercise. Walk in the stifling heat as far as you can and sweat off those calories! Today, however, we went to Target and our Target is being renovated so the parking lot is not big AT ALL. So, I just chose the parking spot that was open and it just happened to be right up front...next to the handicap spot. When we went to leave, I got in the car and let it "cool off" for a minute and glanced up after looking at my steals. I spotted a van with a permanent handicap symbol on it so I decided to watch and see who would get out. Normally I do not give a rat's butt, but I was super curious because this van was covered in those car magnets, most of which were sports related. Like: "Cheerleader" "Soccer MOM" "Team Parent" "Baseball Mom"...stuff like that. I waited and watched. In the mean time ANOTHER van with a similar license plate pulled up. I am sitting there thinking to myself that maybe, just maybe it will be a mom with a handicap child or maybe the mom is handicap or carrying a cane or helping out one of HER parents or something like that. Yeah, no. The door opens and out jumps this healthy, skinny, young lady and 3 kids, all of them obviously NOT handicap. No grandma, no wheelchair, no cane. UM, HELLO? Park somewhere else and WALK!!! Leave the handicap spot for someone who actually needs it! Especially when, two spaces down there were like 5 spots open!!! AHHH!

I continue to sit and watch because it is taking van #2 quite a while to get out. This one HAS to be handicap of some sort. I wait. And from the back of the car my kid asks "Momma, what are we doing?" and I say "People watching" and continue to stare at van #2. While waiting for van #2 to open up and get out, a third vehicle pulls in next to me. It's two really young ladies in a Cadillac with one of those hanging handicap signs. I watch THEM get out. Are THEY handicap? yeah. right. About as handicap as a kid in a candy shop. Douche bags! I wanted to get out and yell at them! Completely appalled by this time I am still holding out for van #2. The occupant is STILL inside so they just HAVE to be handicap. OH! WAIT! The door is opening! They are stepping out! Is that a cane? A walker? Oh HELL no! Chick was on her cell phone and still is!!! Ain't nothing wrong with HER either!!! What is WRONG with people these days?!?! I swear! No wonder I see all these old people driving around the parking lots over and over and over again! It's because all these young people are taking up their parking spots using their grandma's cars!!!

Anyway, I won free ice cream today over on Tale of a Kansas Girl. I've never won anything before so that was kinda cool to win yummy ice cream! Tomorrow is Survey Saturday so look for something good to come from me if I can find something fun and flavorful! I also made some yummy goulash that I want to post the recipe for so look for that soon as well. I have been a slacker, I know. There's alot for me to catch up on! HA! But this is all for now.

TTFN