Sunday

We're having a relaxed Sunday. Of course, Cado Man is in recovery. He's camped out on the couch with one of his buddies waiting for the Cowboys game to come on.

Baby Girl is roaming around the house with her little friend. I think they've been eating all day. Must be nice to be able to eat like that.

Myself, I'm thinking about making some homemade nachos. Sounds like a plan!

The Week from H. E. Double Hockey Sticks

Grrrrrr......

Baby Girl, cheerleading, flip, concussion

Cado Man, football, tackle, dislocated knee cap and torn ligaments

Just keeping it short and to the point.

The Awesome Sea Shell Quest

Baby Girl's fun during our trip was to load up on as many beach treasures as she could possibly find. A quest for the perfect shell, and no easy task.

One evening while strolling down beside the Corpus Christi Marina, she finally found "It." We spotted a shell perched on a rock in the water beside this area here on the right hand side......

(That's my hubby and son discussing the boats in the marina. Hubby got a kick out of some of the boat names.)

"I can get it, Momma."

"Girl, you will fall in."

"No way, just hold on to me." ( ha...tricky, put the responsibility back on me!)

She steps out onto a slippery, wet rock while I'm holding her arm and she's reaching down..... A precarious balancing act at best.

"Ah ha! Got it!"

Flashes that million megawatt smile :) I feel like the world's greatest mom cause I helped her get it. And before you say anything, yeah... i know it could have gone way differently.

Fast Forward to the next morning.....

I'm standing at the sink washing my hands, and I glance down.

"(Insert Curse Word here.) What the hell is that?"

The dang seashell had sprouted eyes and antennae! Not only that, but "It" was in the sink and "It" was ALIVE.

I'm not sure who took the bigger scare, me or the hermit crab...

I bounce into the bedroom. My hubby is looking at me with that all-knowing, ever-irritating grin.

"Damn thing tried to crawl off the vanity this morning while I was taking a shower. Thought I'd save it for ya."

Needless to say, Baby Girl had to put her treasure back in the bay.

Surfing Texas Style

Moving from the wonderful world of suburbia, planned neighborhoods with walking trails and swimming pools, does have its drawbacks. My daughter is making do....



by going

Slip 'N Slide Surfing!!!!!







Never let it be said that my children can't manage to have a good time for under $15.00.

I would show you our lovely swimming pool, but my kids would kill me. Ha ha!

My Baby Girl is Growing Up

Tonight was my baby girl's 8th grade graduation. I think I'll go cry my eyes out now :(

Young mothers....

Seriously, don't blink. It's gone before you know it. The little baby you're holding in your arms right now will be this one sooner than you can imagine. She's my heart!!!!

We've got Baby Birdies!!!

Isn't this little killdeer the cutest ever??? I wasn't home when the eggs finally hatched, but my daughter was. She called me all excited. "Mom, we've got baby birdies!!! You know the little bird by the driveway that we've been watching?? Her eggs hatched! One of them is all ready walking around, and another one is coming out of its egg!" I told her to go grab the camera and take some pictures for me. I think she did a great job, and what a wonderful thing for her to experience.

Only one of the four eggs did not hatch. I checked it out, and it had a tiny crack. Made me sad, but that is the cycle of life. Some make it and some do not, no matter the care that is taken.

Daddy's Girl and My World

This is my baby girl, and my reason for being. ha ha! She really is....

All boys that think they might want to take out my daughter, I'm putting you on notice. We go by the Daddy's Rules AND you might want to give a listen to that song by Rodney Atkins.



It's called....

Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)

Come on in boy, sit on down
And tell me 'bout yourself
So you like my daughter, do you now?
Yeah we think she's something else
She's her daddy's girl and her mama's world
She deserves respect, that's what she'll get
Ain't it son?
Now y'all run along and have some fun
I'll see you when you get back
Bet I'll be up all night
Still cleaning this gun


Hee Hee!!!

Seriously though, she's adjusted to the country life pretty well. She has a boyfriend that we tolerate. He's a good kid (thank goodness), but her daddy still isn't on board with it. Neither is mom for that matter. I really would prefer that she still thought boys were gross.

For anyone that doesn't know, we went from a 5A school to a 1A. My kids have gone through culture shock, mall withdrawal, and for my son... girl withdrawal. LOL! Meaning he can't switch girlfriends every month. They miss their friends tons. A lot of the kids they have known since they were babies. I miss the little boogers, too. Homesick? Yes, sometimes.

My baby girl wanted to move out to the boonies, but I did have to ask her the other day if she would rather live there or here. She says, " Well, I'd rather live there, but only if I could pick up my school and move it." I guess we'll be staying.

Daddy's Rules for Dating My Daughter

Having a teenage daughter myself....
I thought these were pretty funny!

Rule One: If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure not picking anything up.

Rule Two: You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them.

Rule Three: I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don't take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist.

Rule Four:I'm sure you've been told that in today's world, sex without utilizing a 'Barrier method' of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate, when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.

Rule Five: It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is 'early.'

Rule Six: I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.

Rule Seven: As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is fixing her hair, a process than can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge . Instead of just standing there, why don't you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?

Rule Eight: The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka - zipped up to her throat. Movies with strong romantic or sexual themes are to be avoided; movies which feature chain saws are okay. Hockey games are okay. Old folks homes are better.

Rule Nine: Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a potbellied, middle-aged, dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me.

Rule Ten: Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy near Hanoi . When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit the car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car - there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the window is mine.

Ruger what a Blast of a Dog

This is our puppy, Ruger, and he lives up to his name as you can tell. Can you see that smile on his mug? That is one happy mutt! He is 100 mph 24/7. I wish some of his energy would rub off on me. My daughter and I went on a walk last week to enjoy the woods and sunshine. The dogs tagged along, and Ruger was the life of the party. My other dogs don't much care for this wallop of a dog. They get tackled. He gets yelled at. Everyone strolls along sniffing and exploring. Then when they're checking out some interesting scent, he clobbers one of them again. He's a mess, but it's fun to watch the joyful abandon of an animal that is new to the world. His life could have been much different. He was abandoned and me being me, we have a new pet. He's only about three months old, and I know he's gonna be a big 'un. One of these days, maybe I won't drag home strays anymore. HA! My hubby just wishes!

Snow makes my Alien happy

As I've mentioned, my daughter has turned into an alien. She's moody, sulky, and stays holed up in her alien cave.

It started snowing yesterday evening, and by the time night arrived, we had a gorgeous snowfall. Now this is Texas, so this brings great excitement. My daughter is no exception. I saw my little girl again last night, and I have to say I have missed her. She came running into my bedroom holding out a snowball for my inspection. Grinning from ear to ear.

"Look what I got! Cool, huh?"

If snow is all it takes to make my little alien happy again, I'm going to freeze some of that crap. Whenever she gets in her moods, I'll just pop a snowball out of the old feezer and let her have it! Problem solved.

Dear Uncle Sam

Since it's tax season, I thought I'd share a little family funny.

My husband and I were discussing his check stub.
I said, " Look at how much of our money Uncle Sam has!"
" I know it. Uncle Sam gets plenty." said my hubby sadly.

My naive little girl said, "I've got an uncle named Sam! I didn't know that!"

Oh yes, my Bailey, you have an Uncle Sam, and some day you will get to know your dear Uncle Sam very well:)

Teen Situation

I hate my children growing up. I hate having teenagers. I especially hate walking upstairs to find my 14-year-old daughter making out with her boyfriend. That pisses me off! Seriously! I had to lay down the household rules, which I have gone over with her before. This time I did it in front of her boyfriend. She just better be glad that it was me and not her father that walked in on this. That much I do know. He would have killed him and she wouldn't have seen the light of day for a very, very long time. I guess I should be glad that I haven't had these problems with her until this year. I don't want to appear too lax and then I don't want to over react. The thing is I have a son that is 18 months older than her. I know boys, too. I know how they act, what they think, and worst of all....what they want from my daughter. Ahhhhhh! It's enough to make me want to lock her up in her room. I can't do that though.



I'm not sure when it happened exactly. My little tomboy changed overnight into this mouthy, sulky alien creature that still looks like my daughter, but couldn't possibly be my baby girl. My baby girl doesn't do things like make out with boys. She used to be my best buddy, and we really enjoyed being together. Now she's like a hermit crab upstairs in her shell. Gahhhhh.....I hope she comes out of this some day.



The boyfriend just left. Thank goodness and now I have to go make peace with my alien :)

My last NeRvE!!!!

There went my last nerve. It just ran screaming out the door....

Between my furry friends, my ranting hubby, and my two rugrats.....they've all managed to piss me off today!


This morning I went and woke Baby Girl up to see if she wanted to go to school. I got the mooshed up face and a mumble. She was all sweaty, so I thought well...she probably still doesn't feel good. I ran Sunshine to school and came back home to make some Z's myself. yah... i know, i should get my butt out of bed and be productive. Somedays that just isn't gonna happen and this was one of them. My excuse? Uhm....sore throat. Yep, works for me. Anyway, next thing I know I'm abruptly awakened from a deep sleep and a wonderful dream about Lost's Sawyer. hee hee!



"Mom... Mom, I wanna go to school." huh? Did that really come out of her mouth?

"Why didn't you tell me that earlier when I woke you up?"

"I didn't even know you woke me up."

"Well, I don't think you should go back today."


I go get in the shower. At this point, going back to sleep isn't an option. I'm washing my hair, waking up, relaxing.....hhhmmmmm
Like fingernails on a chalkboard!



"Mommmaaaaa.....I really want to go to school! Pleeeeeezzze."

"Baby Girl, will you just let me take my shower!"

Grrrrrrr.... Tired mom gets dressed.

"Okay, Baby Girl. Are you sure you feel okay? And why do you all of a sudden want to go to school so bad?"

"I'm FINE. There's nothing to do around here, and I'm bored. I don't know how you do this everyday."

Well...After that one, I really should have gone back to bed...

Shortcakes, Kitties, CoUghS and SnEeZes

Another day at the zoo. The dang dog is at the door again whining to be let in. Everyone else around here acts like they don't hear him, and I know that they do. Big sigh...

Took Baby Girl to the doctor today. She's been down with the crud since Thursday. 103 degree fever and NOW she wants to spend time with me. I'll take what I can get though, even if it includes coughs and sneezes. A little cough isn't going to scare me away from spending time with my kid. She just turned fourteen and spending time with me just isn't at the top of her list anymore.

No one is hungry around here this evening, so I'm actually not cooking dinner. Yay! I made strawberry shortcakes for everyone but Baby Girl. She opted for icecream because her appetite is weird.

Baby Girl is sitting here watching Country Fried Home Videos which has to be one of the stupidest shows I've ever seen. Do people really enjoy that crap? I guess that they must since it's still on. I enjoy a lot of what I call "Redneck TV", but I'm afraid I have to draw the line on this one.

Bear, our cocker spaniel, is giving my hubby the big ole brown-eyed begging treatment.

"Oh please, dad....just one bite. Come on! Just drop something would ya?"

There's the nightly clinkity clink of the spoon in the chocolate milk glass. Every night without fail. Isn't it funny how some things start to annoy the heck out of you as the years pass?

awefmkopp[;']

The zoo attack again. Ha ha! Ellie just walked across my keyboard. She's our resident feline. We rescued her last year out of a brush pile. She was actually buried in it. We could hear the kitty, but we just couldn't find her. Baby Girl wouldn't give up, so she just kept pulling and digging. I'll never forget the look on her face when Ellie's little face popped up out of the dirt. With tears in her eyes, she took that baby back to the house. We've had Ellie ever since. Yep... that's her in the picture :)