Weekend Randomness With A Touch Of Bling

Wow. Karen at The Rocking Pony has gifted me with an awesome award.

Isn't it pretty?

Now, I'm not sure quite where she got the idea I wear tiaras. It might be from this post. Possibly from this one. Either way, I'm honored that she thinks I deserve one! Thanks so much, Karen! I'll think about who I should pass it along to, and let you know.

Think it will look good with a ponytail and a football jersey?

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We spent quite a bit of time at my MIL's house this weekend, and that always guarantees a good time. It also generally guarantees something funny to post about!

My SIL has a new boyfriend. Well, relatively new. He's been around for a couple of months now. We like him. He's good to her, which is always a plus; he seems to enjoy spending time around my kids, which is definitely a big bonus; he's got a well-trained dog, which as all we women know indicates an ability to commit to something since he took the time to train the dog! He's also really funny when he's just not trying to be, which reminds me of my own kids.

We were sitting around the dining room table, playing games as we often do when we get together. This particular night we were playing Battle of the Sexes. This game is always funny when we play. There is a lot of taunting going on between the two sides of the table. Well, we hadn't played with the new boyfriend, yet. Poor guy. We keep throwing him into these situations, with no warning at all. He's keeping up pretty good, though.

However, if you had been sitting at the table with us Friday night, you'd have heard this conversation about the question What does the Something Blue for a wedding signify?

BF: ...*muttering*...something blue, something blue..... I know! Its that thing around your leg... what's that called?
MIL: A ball and chain?

::everyone laughs for a bit::

BF: No, no.... *muttering again*.... maybe its an emotion.... happiness? ::we all interrupt that not EVER have we heard of blue equaling happiness:: ..... Sympathy?

At this point, we all busted into loud, belly clenching, tear inducing laughter!

Me: *after I could talk again*... Yeah, cuz that's what all women want when they get married.... SYMPATHY!

Yeah, we like him. He's going to fit in with us just fine!

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Also overheard this weekend? Bug's opinion when reminded to say Thank You when I handed him his plate for dinner:

I don't know why we have to use manners all the time! You're my parents! You KNOW I don't always have them!

Ummm....No Good Title Here Today

Well, that's not entirely true. I had a really good one. However, it sounded so incredibly naughty when I read it back that I had to take it down. Lord only knows what the damn Google searches would have looked like.

I've been given a couple of awards recently that I've been a bit slow in both acknowledging and in passing along to my friends. First, the awesome and wonderful Flea passed this along to me:

Wasn't that sweet? And, at least on my end here, totally true! Flea and I have children that share some common "quirks", and in discussing that we've begun developing a friendship. I am truly blessed to be able to count her among my friends. And in that spirit, I'm passing this award along to a couple of someone elses I've become fortunate enough to count among the number of friends I've discovering all the time: Lunanik at Secrets of a Black Heart and Karen at Lyrics of My Life. May you hear the same Randy Newman song from Toy Story in your head on continuous loop that I'm hearing from receiving this award.

Another recent addition to my Trophy Case came to me via Karen at The Rocking Pony. Can I just tell you how awesome she is? LOVE HER! I've stalked her.... I mean, read her blog for quite some time now, and finally... FINALLY its going to pay off! Stay tuned, and I'll fill you in on what I'm talking about in a couple of weeks......

Anyway, Karen gifted me with this gem:

Now, she abso-freakin'-lutely made MY day with this one, and I'm tempted to re-gift it right back at her! However, since that is against some obscure bloggy rule out there somewhere, I'm going to pass this along to a couple of other amazing bloggers that I genuinely consider friends of my heart. These are women I look forward to "seeing" every single day. Amy, at Musings and Memories of a Mommy and Cecily at My Chaos My Bliss. I just want to pack both of these women up and park them both in the houses on either side of me. Truly, they belong here in Arizona.

Thank you again, Flea and Karen. You two are awesome, and you rock! Of course, I tell you that all the time. But, if you are one of the two or possibly three people who have not read any of these women yet.....

Go! Go now!

I'm not going anywhere. No, really. I'm just gonna hang out here for a while, maybe roaming the blogging neighborhood.

Well, at least until the testosterone carriers start circling like vultures for dinner.

Looks Like I'm A Name Dropper

I didn't realize it until Karen at Lyrics of My Life pointed it out to me. To give her credit, she was very subtle about it. She didn't come right out and call me a name dropper. And to be honest, it kinda seems like she appreciates that quality in me.

But is it really such a bad thing, when the only name I dropped was my own?

The lovely Karen gifted me with this award:

Now, before you congratulate me (you were going to do that, right? Right?) you should know that this gift has come with strings attached. I am supposed to convince you all, with three little statements, that I know what I'm doing when it comes to this blogging thing. Well, ok.. really I'm just supposed to give three teeny tiny bits of blogging advice. Take 'em for what they're worth, and remember that I have less than 150 posts to my name. Although apparently my name alone is better than any advice I could give you!

1. Your blog posts do not always have to be full of sunshine and rainbows. Its just as ok to blog about that daydream you had the other day of backing over your stubborn, obstinate husband with your truck because he and the teenager are so stubborn SOMETHING has to break the tension, as it is to do an amazingly heartwarming post about how your youngest son loves to broadcast to anyone who will listen that he has the best and most beautiful mom in the world because she loves to watch the Game Show Network with him. (Well, its ok for ME to blog about those things. You can feel free to pick your own family stress episodes.)

2. Don't feel guilty about being distracted and pulled from your blog post when a really good movie comes on in the background. You can often get more inspiration from crying through Steel Magnolias or laughing through Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure than you can just sitting there staring at the computer screen. (And you know what? After the valley I've been trudging through lately, sobbing --yes, SOBBING, through Steel Magnolias tonight after all my boys were in bed was EXACTLY what I've been needing. Who knew?)

3. Stop and stretch. Stretch your fingers. Stretch your legs. Stretch your back. Stretch your mind. The best ideas and phrases have more of an opportunity to pop right in there if you're comfortable and not stiff and stuffy. For goodness' sake, take the stick out of your posterior!

There you have it. My nuggets of knowledge, such as they are. And now to pass the power along. Because she has recently re-discovered just how powerful simple words and kindnesses can be, I'm giving this award to Stella, the Mountain Momma.

And you don't even have to drop your name! :)

Definition of a Bloggy Friend

1. n. Someone who is ever ready to give advice, suggestions and spaghetti sauce recipes.


2. n. Someone who is apparently blind to all the clutter and construction mess at your blog.

3. n. Someone who loves you so much she gives you awesome awards like this one, with a very cool thing to say in the process:

4. n. Amy at Memories and Musings of a Mommy.



Have I told you all that Amy rocks? Oh, you know I have. Probably on more than one occasion. Have I mentioned that her very next post will be her 100th? No? Well, it will be, so be sure to go check it out. Honest to goodness, people, you will wonder why you have not snatched her up and stuck her in your pocket to take with you everywhere you go. Because that is really what I want to do.

Thank you so much for this award! It fits so nicely in my Trophy Case!

And in the tradition of stylish girls everywhere, I'm passing this along to another worthy woman. Someone I can't seem to stop myself from checking in on at least a handful of times a day, even though the post only changes once. Someone who has recently given her virtual place a fantabulous makeover. Someone who, despite the fact that her colors are black and gold, is every bit a stylin' sports lover like I am. Burgh.... this one's for you, babe!

Do you think, if I asked really nicely...... I might be able to talk her into moving into the vacant house Right.Next.Door to me? She and Jeff would love it.... it's a fixer-upper, and they've become quite good at the flipping/fixing houses thing. (Ok, so I only know of one house, but its my begging, so I can pad it however I want to!). We're in sunny Arizona, so she wouldn't have to deal with that really cold white stuff anymore (although if she were to think she might start to miss it, we're only a couple of hours away from some!). And the house next door has it's own pool right in the back yard!

Plus? She'd get ME for a neighbor. Ok, so maybe we won't tell her that. Don't want to scare her off before she gets here....

**After reading a couple of comments, I had to go back and re-read what I posted last night here. Apparently, it really does sound like I was trying to bribe Burgh to come be my new neighbor. And, while that would be amazingly cool, I actually was talking about Amy. Although how strange would it be to find out that Burgh's hubby was named Jeff as well? Ya know what, people..... lets just start a commune down here in sunny Arizona. All my favorite blogger girls can come out, that way no one loses a neighbor they love, and we all gain some! Whaddya say?**

You Don't Have To Be A Bridesmaid To Catch The Bouquet

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, I think I'm going to direct Coach over to Karen at The Rocking Pony for ideas.

See what she gave me? Those gorgeous flowers!

How did she know my favorite kinds? Hmmm.... maybe Coach is one step ahead of me this year, and has actually been the one dispensing advice?

Nah.

But since Thursday is the ONLY day this week that we don't have something going on (and even that's a stretch, since Jock has baseball practice until 7 and SOMEONE has to get him home), we'll probably just hang here at the house. And really, I'm ok with that. In fact, I'm so ok with it, that I'll most likely take it one step further and not even really exert myself to cook much. Lucky for me, my boys love.Love.LOVE Velveeta Shells ~N~ Cheese. And maybe, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I'll dress it up a bit. You know.... throw some bacon pieces in there or something.

Speaking of throwing.... I'm gonna toss one of these marvelous bouquets over to Amy at Memories and Musings of a Mommy, another one to Kidzmama at Not a Spare Minute, and one to Hallie at Wonderful World of Wieners. Now, it occurs to me that I quite probably have gifted each of these fantabulous blogging women with at least one other award before. *shrug* I'm nothing if not loyal! At the very least, that should nudge those of you who have not yet visited them to get your butts off the bench and head over there for a peek or two! (Although I'm going to caution you to watch where you're peeking at Hallie's place..... she's not at all shy about what she shows you!) (Oh... did I mention that I LOVE these women?)

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And, just because I want to, and it IS my blog and I'm ALLOWED to do what I want to, I'm going to share a few small bits of randomness with you.

~~ I am going to be 35 years old in less than a month, and for the First.Time.Ever I visited the inside of the Boys' Locker Room. The parents' meeting for the Freshman baseball team was held there tonight at the high school. Yes, folks. The Boys' Locker Room. Sadly, it was not quite as glamorous as I've always believed. And for those of you who do not have boys in your house, believe me when I tell you that you will NEVER understand the exact odor of that room. However, those of you that have been blessed with sons (especially of the teenage variety, more especially of the teenage athlete variety), you will understand the dilemma of trying not to breathe. At All. Because smells that bad carry tastes with them.

~~ I spent the afternoon wishing I had gotten out of my car while in the drive through at lunch to go ask the woman in the car ahead of me a very important question. Why would you order the Double Cheeseburger, and then ask them to HOLD THE CHEESE???

~~ If I could offer one small piece of advice to an unidentified driver along my morning commute? When you discover that you have mistakenly gotten yourself on the interchange ramp to leave one freeway and get on another? Please, for the love of all that is holy, just keep going until you come to the first available off ramp, exiting safely, and then turn around. Do not... I REPEAT.... DO NOT put your tiny little car in reverse and attempt to back up, assuming that my larger vehicle will simply stop and give you the room you would like to maneuver yourself backwards and back onto the highway.

You, my scary-driving commuter friend.... will NOT be getting any bouquets tossed your direction from me this year.

You are, however, forewarned of the possibility of other, less friendly items being thrown at you.

Have I Told You Lately?

Stella, over at Mountain Momma, awarded me this recently! I love that Stella lurks more than she comments, mostly because I'm guilty of the same thing over at her blog! She is awesome, and I can count her among the many emotionally powerful women I know and read.

And then Shellie, over at Little But Loud, gifted me with this awesome award! She thinks, and I'm in complete agreement, that it might be fun if we were actually neighbors. Of course, it might just be because she thinks the weather here might be kinda nice! :)

Have I told you all how amazing it makes me feel to receive these awards? When I started this blog, it was mainly to have an outlet for my creativity. One that didn't subject poor Coach, Jock and Bug to being my *borderline* unwilling audience. For while they all love to hear me sing, I'm not so sure they enjoy my written ramblings quite as much. Although that hasn't stopped me, it was nice to have a different outlet.

I was reading a recent post from Karen at Lyrics of My Life when I realized that another reason I have so enjoyed this blog is because this is something that is MINE. I don't have to share it. Yes, we share the computer. Not the point. This blog isn't contributed to by Coach and the boys, outside of being my inspiration more often than not. (And admit it... you all have loved the inspiration given me by these boys! I know it constantly amazes me how funny they are!)

And yes, I'll admit it here, for the first time. One other reason, a small one to be sure, but still there, was in retaliation for a very unkind blog post written about me by someone else. When I started this blog, I was full of hurt feelings and was convincing myself that if this person could do something like that.... well then, it totally made them fair game and it was ok if I wrote unkind things right back.

*sigh*

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I simply don't have it in me to be that vindictive and vengeful. Each time I sat down to write a snarky post, I found myself writing about something completely different that what I had intended. After numerous attempts to get myself "back on track, damn it!", I realized that it just wasn't going to happen. I couldn't be that obnoxious. Besides, its not like I was going to take out full page ads in the local paper broadcasting my blog, so the person in question was never going to see what I wrote anyway.

However, I do send a thankful thought towards that blog's direction every time one of my awesome blog friends leaves me a fantastic comment, gifts me with an amazing award, or sends me a phenomenal spaghetti sauce recipe!

You guys rock!

I Might End Up With A Legion After All....

Well, at least a mini-one. Burgh Baby's Mom thinks my blog is a treasure! And while I am supposed to pass this along, I think everyone else has it already! :) I'll keep my eye out, and if I see a blog that hasn't been awarded this, you'll hear from me!

Back to my being a treasure.....


That thought has led to some rather interesting speculation on my part....


Since I'm constantly buried under mountains of laundry and dishes, does that make me "buried treasure"?

And if I'm buried treasure, does that mean that some super-sexy pirate is obsessed with searching the entire world over for me? (Hey! My speculation....my details!)

And if I've got a super-sexy pirate obsessing over me, can he look like this?

*sigh*

It would be so nice to be absconded with. Just for a day or two. Or maybe a decade.

**Disclaimer: It is entirely possible that I have read at least one too many deliciously trashy novels in my lifetime. If that is really the case, then you maybe want to disregard anything after "Burgh Baby's Mom thinks I'm a treasure!"**

Party On!

Wow!!

I've been granted this award by two of my favorite blogging buddies:

Hallie at Wonderful World of Wieners and the Kidzmama at Not a Spare Minute.

How cool is that?

My favorite part of this award (aside from the fact that it means you really love me and I must be doing something right with this whole creativity thing I've got going on here) (also, aside from the other fact that it came from two people who so completely deserved their award in the first place that I am amazed and humbled that they think I'm worth it, too!).....

This award seems to automatically link in my brain to one of my favorite movies of all time. The one movie that I know I can go to anytime I'm needing a "feel-good" moment or two. C'mon.... you all know what movie I'm talking about (at least, if you've read me for any length of time you know).......

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure!

YES!!! I'm excellent!

And now its time for me to be excellent to someone else. Ten other someone else's to be specific. Although I have to be careful on this one. Some of you have already been gifted this fantabulous award. Hmm.... let me think .....

Burgh Baby's Mom..... because Alexis rockin' the bling is just too cute! :)

Amy at Memories and Musings of A Mommy......because really? I just love her! And she recently saved my family from jarred spaghetti sauce!

Cecily at My Chaos My Bliss..... because she always has such nice things to say to me, and her kids are the most photogenic brood I've seen!

Mo...... because she's got some awesome internal strength going on that I completely admire and respect!

Dad's Dish..... because he makes me think of home every day!

Lunanik at Secrets of A Black Heart....because I love her realism and I'm not sure she's received enough awards lately! :)

Moooooog at Mental Poo and Slick because they are two of the funniest adolescent boys masquerading as adults I've had the great fortune to laugh with (or is that at? hmm...)daily!

Ok.... I know that's only 8 people. But the rest of you that I love have already gotten this award! :) Heck, two of you passed it on to me!

So, thanks again Hallie and Kidzmama! I'm not sure I deserve it, but I'll still leave you all with this parting thought:

Be excellent to each other!

Feelin' The Love....And Then Again, Not So Much

I've been a bit remiss here. Karen, over at The Rocking Pony (have I mentioned how much I LOVE her blog??) bestowed upon me this pretty, pretty award recently. And to share the blogger love, I'm passing it along to Amy at Memories and Musings of a Mommy because she is one of the blogs I simply MUST READ every day! (And no, it has nothing to do with recently being posted on her fridge.... this is not a bribe to ensure my continued spot there!)



For those of you out there who ~~for whatever reason~~ still don't know what the whole "less-than-three" thing is.... tilt your heads to the right ....further....further.... THERE! See? It looks just like a heart. Mostly like a heart. Ok... indicative of a heart. Sheesh! It means she loves me! Ok, ok...she loves my blog. But, I'm choosing to take that personal!

I AM LOVED!

Well, I'm "less-than-three'd" which is the same thing.

And after the day I've had with my oldest child, I'll take all the love I can get.

When you first get pregnant, all anyone tells you is what a wonderful event it is. Then they start telling you bits and pieces about how difficult the first few months might be. They tell you to sleep all you can; get involved with other new moms-to-be for support; and offer all sorts of reading material.

No one mentions even a whisper of what happens when that adorable little baby turns into an opinionated, moody, independent, hormone-riddled "I-hate-you-you're-so-unfair-this-family-sucks-eggs" teenager.

*sigh*

There are support groups these days for more things than I can even guess, but I have not found one for parents of teenagers, unless said teenager is on drugs or something equally as awful. Not a single one for parents of teenagers who are just acting like weenies.

Of course, "Weenie Support" just sounds like an.. umm..... interesting name for a support group.

Its extremely fortunate for this child that I love him so damn much.

And that I'm not a cannibal.

I'm On A Roll

WooHoo!! Yay me!

Ok, ok. I'll quit the self-cheering now. Besides, apparently other people think I'm worth cheering for anyway!

Thanks go to Lunanik from Secrets Of A Black Heart for awarding me with this. And I have to agree with her (no, not about awarding me, although naturally I think that's awesome!) about why I, too, love receiving these awards. They just make me feel good. Maybe its a substitute for the validation I secretly, desperately yearn for from my kids? Who knows. I just know I like feeling like Sally Field at the Oscars!

Now, I know that my kids are older than a lot of mommy bloggers out there. I no longer have babies, or even toddlers. My kids are definitely in "big boy" beds these days. What's my point, you ask? Well, my point is that the "crib" I'm rockin' simply can't be taken literally. Nope. We're a household full of boys, one of them a teenager. So our crib is more along the lines of MTV slang. Meaning... I rock the house.

I quite like the sound of that. Brings to mind all the 80's bands I'm so fond of. :)

Alas. *sigh* I don't get to hold onto the trophy for long, however. I must pass the torch along to another worthy crib rocker. On the down side, it is awfully difficult to select one or two of you to pass this along to. On the positive... the design is better for the daddies than the flowers of this award were!

And so it is with all the blogging love in my heart that I pass this along to:

Karen at The Rocking Pony
The other Karen at Lyrics of My Life
And finally, because dads deserve some lovin' and attention, too.... Chris at The SuperDad Chronicles.

Enjoy, my friends!

As for me.... I'm going back to my "party like a rock star" fantasies while I Rock My House!

My Trophy Case

While I would like to, honestly like to, note here who all of these are from.....

Well, I suck. I can't remember on a couple of them, and will admit that I'm probably too lazy to go looking. At least, right now I am. I'm leaving myself the option of editing this later to give credit where it's due!