Woe is Me....

Well, first-off I'll say --

Happy St. Patrick's Day.
Now that's out of the way.
(that rhymed you know).

And next, I'll give a quick update on the members of the Nuthouse. I'll start with me because i'm the one writing this, and well, because I'm special.

Me: Please note that the picture to the left represents a current photo of myself, even down to the food stuffed into my mouth...uncanny I tell you..... I'm sitting here at the moment thinking of the laundry that I need to be doing, and the office that I really need to straighten up, and the Monkey room that needs some serious attention, and that I'm supposed to go have some lab work done today, and I smell my chicken that's boiling on the stove for tonight's casserole, and that I wish summer would hurry up and get here, and....ok...i'll stop for now. Oh yeah...and the worst of it all is that starting bright and early at 5am in the morning, I'll be working 36 hours in the next 3 days and that REALLY reeks. My body rejects work of that nature, so i'm not looking forward to it at all. I am however looking forward to Friday night. We've decided to have some friends/family over to grill burgers and then have an easter egg hunt outside in the DARK....something i've never done, but it just sounds like fun.....crazy people, dark, flashlights, brightly colored eggs, and a cemetery...now what could possibly be wrong with that mixture??? I'm so excited!

The Husband: Here he is with his mistress, Bill. This photo just screams SPECIAL, or as we prefer to pronounce it, PECIAL. They truly are special, and I often wish that they lived together instead of Randy and I. It would just make it easier on everyone...well, maybe except for Bill because then he would be stuck with Randy. Oh well, you can't please everyone. Nothing really to update on Randy. He did have a small crisis over the weekend when he discovered that someone neglected to put the fingernail clippers "back where they're supposed to go". I was able to talk him down and I think he's ok. I suppose time will tell. He was a happy boy the past few days because Ethyn has been here with us. We would like that to be a permanent thing, but it's not likely to happen, BUT we can keep hoping and praying that it does. We actually had a span of 3-4 hours alone Saturday evening and took the opportunity to eat at Harveys, one of our favorite spots, and actually saw a movie, Fool's Gold (it was ok, but it's one of those I don't care to see again). I love you honey.

Preston:
(note he has a snowball in one hand and the phone to his ear in the other)Ah, the P-Mite....this child is here recently going to be the death of me. Let me direct you back a couple of posts ago to the picture of him with the inset of Amelia...the girlfriend....need I say MORE? The girlfriend is still in the picture, and I can now identify with the movie Monster-In-Law really well. Let me just say, I do like her...she has a lot of personality...can be funny at times...BUT she is not always kind to my son and uuuugggghhhh that sooooo ruffles my feathers. And the reason it ruffles my feathers is because MY SON is the one who chooses to allow it to keep happening???? I've had the doormat speech with him more times than I can recall now. Let it be known that I am so very proud that he has chosen to go the complete opposite route from his father when it comes to the way he treats females, but I think we went TOO far in the nice direction. I also have had to lower the boom on his obsessive cell phone use...and let me just point out here that he does have a cell phone, BUT he has to share it with his favorite sister, Haley...they both hate that, but as the parent, my name is also BOSS and that's the way I roll. But back to the phone issue, during spring break, I thought I was going to have to have it surgically removed from his ear. I let him know that people who are engaged to marry don't even talk as much as he and Amelia do??? She called at 3am Sunday morning...3 STINKIN' am!!! I know this because I had the family cell phone collection on my bedside table that night. She called before 7 am this morning....what is with girls these days??? I was taught growing up that if a boy wanted to talk to you, then HE would do the calling. I was not allowed to call boys, so basically I was never on the phone with a boy growing up because my buck teeth, bad hair and the "you can't call boys" rule were all going against me. But that's ok...if I had known then what I know now about boys, I wouldn't have been near as bothered by it back then, but I digress.....I'm not sure if it's possible to buy backbone for your children, but if so, I need the location (preferably online as that's where I like to do my shopping because i'm too fat to get out and shop...i have a raging urge to be violent towards skinny people, and that can't be good). I would like to purchase some for Preston possibly as a happy in his Easter basket. Other than his obsession with her and continuing to feel like he can't function without talking to her every hour, he's doing well. My boy even got up in front of our entire church and gave the lesson this past Wednesday night. It was a proud Mommy moment indeed. You drive me nuts, Preston, but I love you dearly.

Ethyn:This child also causes me to wonder why 8th graders need a girlfriend/boyfriend. Why can't they just be content to hang out with friends of the SAME sex...playing sports or riding bikes or what have you??? I believe at the current second, he and his girlfriend Hannah are "together", but that can change in the blink of an eye. These two are a "on again / off again" couple indeed. I'm not sure what the deal is there. He doesn't talk much about it when questioned. I do remember telling him a few days ago..."well, i'm sure you'll be back together in no time," to which he responded, "NO WE WON'T". And of course one of them gave in ONCE again. I don't know too much about Hannah because she's not from Pontotoc, so I don't ever see her. We did go see a production of Cinderella that she was in a few weeks ago. She played an evil stepsister and was REALLY good....has a great talent for that. I'm hoping to go see her in many more no matter if she and Ethyn are an item or not! You should probably avoid marriage at all costs Ethyn....but I love you.

Haley:Haley made me a proud Mommy when she went to her first band function where she had to play a solo in front of judges and made a "1"....or SUPERIOR...she was so excited and we were very proud and happy for her!!! For those who don't know, she plays the clarinet in band. I'm hoping she sticks with it for many reasons, but one of the main ones is so I can be a chaperon for the annual band, Disney World trip!!!...I should get some fun and comfort after listening to the first few years of practicing, right??? Spring soccer season has started back, and she has her first game tomorrow night. I love to watch soccer, but the team aint so hot this year bless their little hearts. She wasn't even wanting to play this spring because they did so poorly in the fall, but since it was already paid for and we had the tacky pink jersey with purple swirls on the shoulders, by golly, we're playing!!! Look up buttercup....things WILL get better and I LOVE LOVE you!

Well, I suppose i've done enough here for one day. I'll go do my laundry, fix my casserole, clean the office, straighten up the monkey room....yeah...you've heard it before......

LATER.....

Spirit of Women Getaway

I will be setting up a booth with my candle products at a local women's event in

Tupelo, MS ~ WOO HOO !
This is our 4th annual Spirit of Women Getaway led by North Mississippi Medical Center. The theme is "Live, Laugh, Learn" and it will be on February 2nd at the BancorpSouth Center. This event will celebrate women, equipping them to take care of themselves and their families. Headlining the event will be Gail Pittman and also a cooking demonstration by Holley Johnson, food editor of MyRecipes.com.
There will be fun and informative booths, shopping, free makeovers, massages and manicures, educational sessions, food vendors and scores of other door prizes.

Last year there were more than 1000 women from North MS and Northwest Alabama. We would love to have you join us this year because as we all know, we women NEED time away from it aaaallll!

WHAT Was I Thinking???

In my head (and that's a dangerous place to be), I thought it would be a superb idea to get my daughter fish as part of her Christmas. She had been asking, and the sane personality in my head kept saying "NO!" And then it happened ~ right there in the fish section of Wal-Mart a few days before Santa was scheduled to drop his load.....the demons in my head started chanting softly...."fish...fish...fish..." and before I could stop myself, there was a 10 gallon aquarium with all the fixins in my buggy.

I rounded the corner and there was my husband giving me that look...that "Dr. Phil" expression of "What the h#&! are you thinking????"
I of course poo-pood away his doubts and fears immediately and told him HE was completely CRAZY for having those thoughts and that things would be great and the world would be a better place if the English residence had some fish!

Did you know that Wal-Mart has a policy that if you keep your receipt from the fish purchase AND bring them the dead fish within 90 days, that they will refund your money?
That right there should have been a raging, red flag right off the bat.

We have now had 6, count them, SIX floaters already PEOPLE!!!! These fish are pure evil. We came home the other day to find the bug eyed fish (which was my favorite by the way) bobbing around with BOTH of his eyes missing...sucked right out of his head with nothing but some dry sockets left. It was like watching a fish freakshow. And i'm just convinced it was those honkin' big goldfish that did it. They were sneaky I tell ya...always hiding and darting around the others with guilt written all over their wet little faces.

It's just been awful and creepy and something I never want to experience again. I'm counting down the days until #7, 8 , 9 and 10 head off to that great fishbowl in the sky. I know that sounds horrible of me, but I can't help it!!! I think from now on that our pets should have fur or possibly be stuffed....it's just best.
For once....and I do mean ONCE, my husband God love him....was RIGHT. Who knew?

Who Are We, You Ask????

Well let me tell you, in case you don't know. To the left over there would be myself and my husband, Randy. We have been married since June of 2004. I'm a lot more laid back than he is, so that sometimes causes feathers to ruffle, but for the most part we gel well together. He's not what you would call a "romantic", but he's extremely loving...a very touchy / feely kind of man. He's a cuddler which is a complete 180 from what i'm used to...it's a good thing. When I'm not undergoing a raging case of PMS, I suppose he enjoys my company. We laugh a lot and if it weren't for humor, i'm completely convinced that one of us would be dead and the other would be doing time.

To the right over there would be my 14 year old son, Preston aka "P-Mite", with a picture of his girlfriend, Amelia. It's a must that she be included because I don't think HE THINKS he could function without her. I've tried my best to teach my boys that the only woman they will EVER need in their life is their mother, but the older they get, they just don't buy it as much...whatever. Preston is definitely my child in that he is (most of the time) laid back and sometimes so much to the point that you have to poke him with a sharp object to get his attention. He hates school with a passion but enjoys getting to see his friends and of course AmElIa. He loves football and that's about the only sport that he shows interest in. He wants a dirtbike so badly he can taste it. The thought of him on one terrifies me in all honesty. The child has already had 2 concussions in his 14 years...we need no more trauma on his record people! He is a very loving child (mostly)...why he got the "Hugger of the Year" award in the 2nd grade, and not a day goes by that he doesn't tell me he loves me SEVERAL times. He's been through a lot in his young life, but he's also had a lot of exciting, positive times that most kids his age will never experience.


Here we have Ethyn, aka "E-Man", my 13 year old stepson. He currently lives with his mother and visits when the mood hits him. It hit him this past weekend and we had a good time! This child has gone through a lot of change in the last couple of years. He went from being an only child to being one of 3 when Randy & I married. It was some major change for him with some honkin' big bumps in the road, but everything is muuuch better now. His personality has changed a lot in the last year or so, for the better. He is a joy to be around...well behaved (for the most part) and when he wants to be, can be very loving. He likes to go and do all the time but seems to be more relaxed lately in having to HAVE something to entertain him, which is nice. He is the dirtbike boy....it's his passion in life at the present time. He's not into any sports right now other than racing. He makes extremely good grades in school and is my most organized child BY FAR...takes care of his stuff and please note that it is HIS STUFF or else!

Brace yourselves....it's a girl...need I say more??? This is Haley, aka "HaleyBug". She is my 11 year old bottle of emotions. One minute we're smiling and the next we are in tears...raging...squealing...head hurting...TEARS. I just don't get it. I don't remember going through the ups and downs, the mood swings when I was her age??? She shot out of my birth canal with her eyes already in "rolled mode" and enough attitude for our entire town's population. Head strong doesn't even begin to cover it. This is the child I've had to read books on to learn how to be a parent...just look at that beautiful face....does it look like trouble??? Heck no! Who knew? I think if I had had her first, Preston would not be in existence. BUT....and here lately my BUT is huge....when her vibes are beating positively, her smile is infectious...her sense of humor, warped (which I love) and she's just plain fun to be with! Will she one day cause me to be in the corner of a sterile room, sporting a snug fitting jacket and a drop of spittle dangling from my chin...possibly, but I wouldn't take anything for this girl...headaches, drama and all!


So here you have us ~ the members of The Nuthouse. You will learn more and more about our lives in the months to come. Some stories may prompt you to want to have the Department of Human Services on speed dial, but I strongly encourage you not to do that for your own safety. I know where you live......