Some aspects about blogging are pretty cool, while at the same time, pretty Big Brother-ish.

If you've read me for five minutes, you know I have quite an addiction to affection for coffee. And, if you just clicked that link, you know Dunkin' Donuts is my absolute FAVORITE drug of choice.

As much as j'adore 470 calories of lovin' in a smokin' caramel macchiato, I don't like Starbucks coffee (g a s p!). Tastes like cigarettes in liquid form, I don't care what blend you choose. I accidentally swigged a sip of Tad's the other night--I might as well have emptied an entire package of Malboros in the blender, added a little water and frappéd, whipped and pureed myself a caffeine high (bleech! the raspberry flavoring did N O T H I N G to help). Note to self: next time, check for lipstick on the rim before you repeat this heinous error!

For the most part, I savor coffeetime. At home. Preferably in the morning. Alone. Half & half, one Splenda, rounded teaspoon of sugar (if you're fixing me a cup, 12 ounces, not eight...I need the sugar, it keeps me sweet). If I'm meeting a friend for coffee, I might say "coffee", but it means some coffee derivative, which is just fine with both of us, because we all know when we "meet for coffee", it's NOT about the coffee.

ALL this said brings me to my Orwellian point: the marketing genuises hired by Folgers found me and my little ol' blog. I guess from all the mocha rants. They're plying me with free samples of their new gourmet blends if I will only taste and tell. Three pounds: Morning Café, Vanilla Biscotti & Lively Columbian.

It hurt a little to give up my DD this morning, but you know what? It was good! We started with Morning Café and I was pleasantly surprised :). We found it to be pretty much as described on the package--"light-bodied with a clean finish and a delicate bright taste and aroma". My only question is, what does a dirty finish taste like? Starbucks?? (yep, I'm giggling right now) A delicate bright taste....hmmmm. Oh, well, it was good. "Delicate" and "bright" makes me think of fun coffee mugs and "happy". That works. Happy coffeetime in a fun mug.

Wish y'all could join me for the Vanilla Biscotti (a "creamy finish") and Lively Columbian ("distinctively rich"). Stay tuned for my next Joe review.

This is slap crazy enough for whichever side of the cat fence you're on.

It also serves as a post for today, while I go (eee-gads!) shopping with my children. The weather has turned a bit brisk and when they say they have nothing to wear...it's a bit more literal than when I say it.

Wish me luck.........I'd rather stick hot needles in my eyes than do what I'm about to do...:/.


HT: Anna Venger, who manages depth & hilarity, all on one blog.

Okay, PLEASE take this quick test :).

Click here and comment your results. I'm only interested in the top "quiz", don't worry about the bottom one. If you're a blogger, even if you've never commented before, I'd love to hear your results. You know what? Even if you AREN'T a blogger, just one of my lurkers or a "freak" passer-by, take the quiz and tell me your answer. That will be equally helpful.

It's fast guys, just one question, but give me your TOP TWO answers. What are you waiting for?

OOPS, CRAP!! I forgot to ask, if you're married, include your spouse's #1 & #2 answers, too. That's part of it. Sorry for the oversight!!

I'll explain later.

Thanks!

If you haven't already, go and read the comments from yesterday's post. If they don't tickle your funny bone, yours must be broken. PENSIEVE evidently was morphed into an episode of Comedy Central Does Verse.

And, I'm very thankful to let Pamela know that, no, there were NO visitors from Nantucket.

Susan is reigning Limerick Queen for both volume and content. The girl's got game ;) (that girl's got SOMETHING, anyway).

Thanks for the smiles, guys...oh, how I love to smile :D.

I woke up at 2:43 this morning. At 4:10, it occurred to me it was probably because of the 470 calories of death (aka a caramel machiatto, including espresso) I had at 9:00 last night. Not the smartest of decisions, but it was a yummy punctuation to the spur-of-the-moment date Tad and I had. Yummy Italian. Yummy merlot. Yummy two new books. Yummy coffee-for-dessert-death-drink. Yummy hubby for all of the above (say "yummy hubby" three times fast, you'll grin).

At first, I tossed and turned. Then I prayed a while. Then I started thinking in rhyme. I finally drifted off somewhere around 5-something, about the time Marlboro Man was probably herding cows or something. Wish I could remember ANY of the poems I composed; I'm sure they were the wittiest, sharpest lines of verse you woulda ever heard. In their stead, I offer a few more, stemming from my excruciatingly painful manic and demented effortless and light-hearted posts yesterday...

now you try....

It's time to write a new post

But Blogger's a damnable host--

It taunts and it teases,

And rarely, it pleases

___________________________________________

Fill in the blank with your favorite line....better yet, knock yourself out--write one yourself! They're funny and come quickly (at least as far as "poetry" goes, anyway). :)

Here's one from Pamela, I'm copying it from comments to here...made me GRIN like this :D.

There was once was a blogger named pensieve

Who woke up at three so intensive

A latte so late

with her wonderful mate

Brought out words for her blog quite offensive

POSTSCRIPT~I don't think any of you had time to see this, but the first time I hit "publish" and viewed my blog, I had struck through THE ENTIRE BLOG--EVERYTHING, including all the stuff in the right sidebar! Evidently that will happen when you accidently put an "si" instead of a backslash "s" as the ending html command to a strike through, instead of the backslash. Just in case any of you wanna know how to strike through your entire freakin' blog.... Perhaps that was my "punishment" for writing ugly Blogger limericks. I can assure you....I could write much more acerbically than this (thinkin' of my kids **sigh**).

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Go back and read today's posts in order beginning with "Hit and Run"...you'll see a full progression of insanity that makes the ride oh-so-much-more fun :D. Expecially "Part Two"...lovelovelove that visual!


Blogger is one of satan's minions, I am convinced of this. He looks nice in the beginning but then turns on you! Where do I get this? Scripture. It says that satan "kills, steals and destroys", and Blogger has just ROBBED me of TIME! And DESTROYED my lucid thought. And tried to CRUSH and kill my spirit. (wicked, maniacal laugh) Muuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaahaha, but, I will prevail in the end!! Persistence WILL pay off.

Ok, so that's a bit melodramatic, as was my post from two minutes ago, but I'm beginning to calm down. Nothing derails me like having my thoughts in order, a hot cuppa joe nearby, and then NOT being able to write!! As I mentioned, I took time to post replies to all your comments from yesterday, only to have Blogger freeze and lose everything I said. No way to duplicate it, waaayyy too frustrating, so I decided to finish what I started instead. My coffee is now cold and brunch has turned into lunch, and this will most certainly NOT be the post I would've written had I been able to do so when I began eons ago. Tad is going to shoot me, but he will never know how bogged down I got because I WILL get all the things done I had planned on and he will be none the wiser. Ummm, until he reads this. Perhaps THIS is like one of those times I tell my kids "THINK before you SPEAK" except in my case, it's "THINK before you WRITE".

I feel like Eeyore right now. <---- Now THAT made me giggle. And, good lord, y'all are never going to read me again because I have written three paragraphs and said NOTHING. But, hey, they made a whole tv show that ran for 10 years with a "nothing" premise, so there ya go.

If you haven't read Part One, I guess you should for this post to make sense.

As I mentioned earlier today, this follow-up will be anti-climatic. I'm embarrassed I didn't just go ahead and finish the durn thing in one writing, 1) because I wouldn't have gone through the FRUSTRATIONS of today, and 2) there's not that much left to tell. I suppose #1 is my "punishment" for making you wait. TIME.SERVED!

The point...the point...whattheheck was the freakin' point? (are y'all ready to fling sharpened daggers at me yet?) (let me have my fun)

We ALL have our pain-filled memories of teenage angst. Who'd wanna go back to highschool and re-live it? I had a GREAT highschool experience, but great doesn't mean "all good" and that's okay. Somehow, "the sunshine proves the shadows" comes to mind. Weeds and rain make the roses and sunshine that much more beautiful; and I'm thankful to see beauty IN the weeds and rain. That's not something you can do in your teens, I'm not even sure you can in your 20s (unless you're Heather and you got all deep and heady and intellectual during puberty ;) ). I could get really deep and spiritual with this line of thinking, but I have neither the time nor energy to do it justice. I'll move on.

Do you remember the 1980 movie Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour? A beautiful love story with an equally lovely-but-haunting soundtrack**, there's a scene at the end of the film where Reeve's character is cruelly snapped back to the present, after successfully traveling back in time to meet his soulmate. One "present memory" (in this case a then-future-dated coin) transports him from the past to the present when he accidentally unpockets the forgotten coin.

That's where I was going with my post. I will TRY to make the connection. Weak perhaps, but a connection none-the-less.

I had a similar-but-opposite reaction to something recently. Rather than being transported from the past to the present, I was catapulted back to the type scenario mentioned in Part One. Except it really wasn't painful, so PLEASE know this WAS amusing to me! It was an example of a little black cloud following me (hence, the Eeyore)...or maybe a back-handed compliment...or "Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades"....

Kelly (from Pass the Torch) nominated me for a blog "Emmy" (a.k.a. the Mysterious Blog Awards). Basically it's a ploy for a pretty doggone smart blogger to drive traffic to her site (271 comments, I just checked). It's a nice stroke to be nominated, though, in spite of the fact anyone can nominate anybody (just keepin' it "real", not being overly self-deprecating here), and I was thrilled humbled elated shocked touched and pleasantly surprised, especially for the category for which she nominated me--Excellence in Writing.

If I could insert Snoopy doin' his little happy dance right now, I would. You think I'm gonna try THAT with my Blogger morning?? Not a chance......!

I found out pretty much after the "voting" was over, and if I'm not mistaken, Kelly's was my only vote. I did try to vote for all of "you" I saw--Pamela, Ree, Mert/Mary, Kelly, and I even tried to nominate Willowtree for "Best Foreign Blog" and better yet, "King of Jocularity" (he and Ree would've made a lovely king and queen). I realized I had missed Blogging Chicks founder Michele, so I was going to go back and vote for her until I realized it was too late for ANY of my votes to count. You were all robbed.

Here's the tie to the highschool/college oversights: My freakin' blog name was misspelled. I am NOT a perfectionist, but as a former PR/marketing girl, I HATE MISSPELLED WORDS AND TYPOS! Cannot stand it when I do that (ummm, like "grenade" got by me yesterday, I spelled it with two a's). Not only that, but my blog name was not highlighted as a link, and it felt kinda red-headed-step-childish. At least there, I was in good company, neither were Ree's or Pamela's sites--BUT AT LEAST THEIRS WERE SPELLED CORRECTLY. It took me right back to being ticked over the wrong name in college and being left out of those highschool whatever-they-weres.

Now in Mysterious Lady's defense, she must've been a busy girl and since she's never heard of me, an honest mistake. I guess if you aren't a Potter fan (or you've been living under a rock), you'd wonder whattheheck a "pensieve" was anyway. But still, I didn't even recognize my own nomination at first!

Okay, I'm done, again I could make a thousand analogies and elaborate further, but that "list" is still waiting and I'm needing to hurl from all the self-indulgence.


** scroll down and play Tracks 1 & 9...beautiful!

Remember this? This is a pretty good depiction of my frustration level as I'm TRYING to write a follow-up to yesterday's post....'cept substitute "blogger" for "heroin" in the video. (PC disclaimer: please, PLEASE note, I am not diminishing the problems associated with drug use, but the chick in the video is doing what I'd like to be doing right about now...cut down--or turn down (depending on where you live) your volume and it'll "work" just as well; I'm going for a visual here, not auditory.)



I just took the time to reply to every freakin' comment of y'all's from yesterday. Blogger ate 'em. I bet Willowtree could hear my agony all the way down under.

And, I'd like to smack any one who sing-songs, "If at first you don't succeed....".

Trying again :/...NOT holding my breath because I don't feel like turning into a SMURF today! >:(

Wow.

(In my best Yoda voice) Nice readers, I have. Keepers, you are :).

I am totally embarrassed to finish that last post. Anti-climatic, but y'all have given me a thousand new posts to write (do I bless you or curse you???). I thought y'all would go to town with the birth date post, color me wrong on that one, with a few exceptions.

Until later today, I thought Mary Engelbreit was fitting. I have never totally understood this print of hers, but it seems to fit something or another today.

A few memories of my youth, decidedly painful for me then, are amusing to me now.



There were about 400 people in my graduating highschool class, and my senior year I was one of maybe 20 girls who made "Beauty Review". It was the first and only time I ever received such an honor, and since this was in the era when the "Miss America" pageant had a positive connotation, I was pretty excited. Years before, I can remember talking with my mom when she was resting in bed (she battled cancer for five years before her death when I was 9), and she would forecast into the future, telling me and my sister that we were Miss America 1982 and 1984, and we believed her dreams for us. In her eyes, we WERE princesses.

This particular "competition" involved nothing more than walking on a stage in a formal evening gown before a panel of judges and the entire school body. My dress was used--emerald green with a squared neckline, long before the current trend of cleavage peeks in casual wear. I have no real memory of the "competition", I wasn't a finalist, but at least it'd be commemorated in our annual that year.

Senior year, I was also our cheerleading captain. Oh, my, I'd freakin' KILL! for one of my old uniforms (Tad would, too), but that's another story. The whole concept of cheerleading cracks me up now, and I have to remind myself I was one of "them" when I'm tempted to have disparaging thoughts. It IS a sport, after all. (Ummm, back then, it was no sport. I'm old.)

I was also voted "Most Valuable Cheerleader", but for the life of me, outside of a girl "earning" a trophy at the Senior Football Dinner, I have no idea what the relevance was. What made me valuable? LOLOL, I was the captain, that's pretty much it, not much talent involved. Anyway, again, I was looking forward to getting our yearbooks at the end of the year, to see some of these memories preserved in pictures.

Try again.

It was highschool. Someone hated me on the yearbook staff.

Beauty review? There were spots in the yearbook for the entire field, the top finalists and the winner. Instead of including a picture of all of us, the staff used two pictures of the top finalists, even though the captions indicated there were supposed to be pictures of both. Somehow, we counted on those pictures and I have no candid family shots, which I hate because it'd be fun for my kids to see what I looked like.

Cheerleading? Nada, again. I'm the stinkin' most-valuable-whatever-that-means-cheerleader-captain, and for our senior picture, I'M CUT OUT OF THE PICTURE!! I was on the end, it's clear someone is cut off, and it's ME!

I think I was crushed, and thankfully, time has healed any wound that previously existed. I think the scar is on my funny bone, because now this makes me giggle.

But this vast conspiracy didn't stop in highschool, it followed me to college. This time, I was awarded the title of Derby Day Queen (I am laughing. Out loud. Right now.). All that entailed was my sorority posting a picture of me (along with reps from every other sorority) in strategic places on campus and people would vote. With money. It was, in actuality, a fundraiser for childhood leukemia sponsored by one of the campus fraternities. I won because the weekend of the final "voting", Theta had our annual parents' day and someone (not me) thought to pass a jar or something and we got lots of money that day. I "won". The winner was supposed to have a photo spread in our collegiate annual. The sponsoring frat (in charge of these photos) INSTEAD used the picture of me that was used for the campus voting ... AND DIDN'T EVEN GET MY STINKIN' NAME RIGHT! Correct last name, incorrect first name. And, durn, it was NOT a good hair day and I was looking forward to being photographed for the first time in my life with lights! camera! and action! At least Childhood Leukemia received some dollars for research.

Okay, why this, why now? Is there any relevance to NOW or is it just a lovely stroll down memory lane for Robin? Relieving some thoughts from mind to pensieve.... Is anyone even STILL reading? I cannot imagine that to be the case, so this post will be for me me me (even though, yes, I completed Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life" and fully realize "it's" not about me, but for the moment and for this post, it IS).

Except this has gotten so long, I guess I'll get to the point later.

Your Birthdate: March 30

You have the type of personality that people either love or hate. You're opinionated, dramatic, intense, and very outspoken. And some people can't get enough of you - they're totally addicted. Others, well, they wish you were a little more reserved. Your strength: Your flair Your weakness: If you think it, you say it Your power color: Scarlet red Your power symbol: Inverted triangle Your power month: March

I'm minding my own business when an email from Iris pops in. She directs me here where I am simulataneously heartened and humbled.

A "gift" of words, overflowing with grace and encouragement. Thank you.

It was Colonel Mustard. In the parlor. With the candlestick. Ooops! Wrong game, although the Clue format works here.

The winning contestant to my "Any Guesses?" post came in at the eleventh hour, and I must add she has a very unfair advantage. Not only is she a friend IRL, she was #1's teacher last year, and I'm happy to say for her, principal this year! Of course, perhaps her winning status should be called into question, not only for the afore-mentioned "nepotism", but because she couldn't figure out how to post a freakin' comment! (Actually, I've had several tell me this week they "tried and it wouldn't go through" :/.......STINKIN' BLOGGER :()(Keep reciting, "you get what you pay for...you get what you pay for").

Without further adieu, her email "post" to me. I will hand deliver the prize (once I figure out what it is).

You've met Dan before, we played a nice game of "Name My Blog" over at his place recently. He's blogging his way through Shane Claiborne's "The Irresistible Revolution". In between posts sharing his thoughts on the book, it looks like he's having a little fun.

I picked this up, and personally, would've bet I was 100% "Dixie", y'all. Go figure.

Your Linguistic Profile:

45% Dixie

45% General American English

5% Yankee

0% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

And I love his post title today: Gargling, Grace, and Glaciers. Gotta go back and comment on that one....tomorrow.

Two of my favorite pictures from Another Think, aptly entitled Beauty in the Commonplace--Charlie has a keen eye for spotting the extraordinary in the ordinary. Gotta love their titles, "Bucket" and "Shed". A quiet and unassuming argument for simplicity. Thanks to Charlie for permissing me to use them here (I think I just made up a word which should be a word if it's not one). Oh, in addition to that "keen eye" of his, he's an interesting read, too.








































If you wanna read one of the best (IMHO) bloggers out there, be sure to carve out some time with Gordon, aka RLP; You'll enjoy his Foy Davis stories (this one is linked to his recent post). It's been a while since I paid him a visit, but wow...for some reason his post today touched me (and the guy's a complete stranger!). Whether or not you're a believer, whether or not you agree with his theology, you'll be missing alot if you don't check him out.

(These are not paid endorsements...these guys have no idea I exist, lol. But I likey their style and thought some of you would, too :) ).

Enjoy!

Overheard, during the drive home after school today:

"Mom, guess what I did? I stuck my hand up a chicken's butt! No one else would do it [hmmm, me thinks wise classmates]. It felt GROSS inside! I cracked a wing, too."

1) Who said it?
2) What subject was it in?
3) And WHAT in the heck are they doing???

Hint: This is just one step of a 45-day process.

And, yes, the chicken was DEAD (it came from the GROCERY STORE, not some kind of poultry morgue or something!).

The first person to get all three answers wins a prize. I promise, it won't be that chicken.

...and sometimes they surprise you. Pleasantly so.



A few weeks ago, we took Stephen and Rachel to one of our favorite "happy places". Tad and I were sipping a little not-necessarily-Southern comfort while reading the latest and greatest (meaning I don't remember now what we were reading then). The kiddos were mining treasures of their own somewhere nearby. How much do I appreciate that they enjoy this kind of outing as much as we do?!

Stephen had to make a trip to the bathroom, and upon his return, he had a very happy gleam in his eye. Not only did he find treasures galore in the bookstore, he found a five dollar bill on his trip to the loo (for the record, no, I have never used that word before-ha!). This is the kid who used to lay prostrate on any--EVERY--store floor, cheek grazing unknown-disease-laden linoleum, expectant eyes probing the darkness underneath the cashier's platform, silently praying to the grocery store gods that he'd find "silver money". Even at the age of four he understood that would do more for him than copper. Now, a fourth grader, he no longer hits the deck, but always has an eye cast downward "just in case". This time, it paid off.

Well, for two minutes, anyway.

He knew what he had to do, he didn't even question it. We walked over to Customer Service, explained what he had found, and in spite of the confused looks we received, turned in the bill to lost and found. Honestly, as the mom, I was disappointed the CS rep didn't praise him, but then again, he (we) didn't do it to be praised. He understood how he'd feel if he lost $5, how he would hope someone else would do the same for him. He got lots of affirmation from me on the ride home.

About two days later, Thomas was at a middle school football game; it was the afternoon of Rachel's birthday, so the rest of us didn't join him (she certainly didn't want to spend her birthday doing that!). When he got home that night, his adrenaline was flowing--great game (a buddy caught a "b e a u t i f u l" touchdown pass!), a blast with his friends, and sounding like he was on a caffeine buzz, he excitedly and animatedly (the way Thomas lives life) observed, "I've been at school 13 hours today!"

Thomas went on to tell me that he had found a $5 bill on the ground at the game. I asked him if he bought a bunch of junk with it and he said, "Of course not...someone lost it...I turned it in to the concession stand." [**heart swelling, now**]. He's 12. He could've bought enough junk to rot a tooth or two (as if he had any to lose!). And without us there to guide and direct him, he made a difficult choice.

How bizarre that within a few days of each other, BOTH our sons found five dollars? It's doubtful that the rightful owner ever claimed the money in either instance, but somehow I believe both boys gained much more in those decisions than they would have had they bought something; something that by now would have been long forgotten.

And I received an incalculable mommy-paycheck:).

Quote under picture: The soul is dyed the color of it's thoughts. Think only of those things that can bear the full light of day. The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become…


Kelly got me thinking about writing about this, she's a thoughtful blogger who has much experience working with kids. Visit her at Pass the Torch--you'll want to return again and again!

Photo credit: Allposters.com (shop again, shop often!)

Perhaps this drink tastes sweeter, because it took so long to fill the glass.

I'm so happy for you, so proud of you, you get a post whether you like it or not ;). You d e s e r v e it ;). Congratulations in your new, well, "officially new" position.

Because you know which direction to face to find your "success", because of the things that are most important to you, I am especially thankful. Almost nineteen years ago, I chose very wisely.



Caption: "It is not the position you stand, but the direction in which you look"


Photo credit: Allposters.com

...I found myself actually liking Justin Timberlake's techno "Sexyback". This revelation totally mortifies me and I guess by "like" I mean it had me car-dancin'. I don't know the lyrics....didn't google them before I wrote this. I also haven't seen the video (and I'm SURE there is one), which would probably also give me cause never to listen to it again. Imagining it's pure trash, my liking it will probably be short lived.

It was on THREE TIMES, three different stations this morning, and I was bizarrely drawn to that likely-devil-worshipping back beat, kind of like the way you can't help but get sucked into a reality show once you start watching one. Or maybe the way you rubberneck a trainwreck. Goodness knows this is the last thing I'd want my 9-year-old singing!

For the record, I've never been a JT fan...not now, not when he was the poster boytoy for *NSYNC, not when he & Britney were a love thang, not when he was a Mouseketeer.

But.........for today.......in my ignorance, I'm moving to the beat.


UPDATE: I told my sister (who's pretty liberal) about jammin' to this today. She's convinced I've lost my mind..."How COULD YOU.............????" (disappointment ringing in her shrill). "What would you do if you heard Rachel singing that?" Yeah, yeah, I know, I THINK SHE'S RIGHT! THEN, Thomas saw this post. "You like Sexyback???" with disbelief in his expression. Um....well...UGH! :/ I told him that yeah, I liked it, but I sure didn't think I should. Told him I hated the thought of being a terrible influence on him. Told him I hadn't googled the lyrics on purpose 'cause I didn't wanna know how "bad" it was. At least he "gets" me; he soooo gets me. Crap. I cannot imagine what it's like having ME for a mom :/.

I'm going on record here as saying teachers don't get paid nearly enough. I don't care that they have 5-6 weeks off in the summer, a week at Christmas, a week in the Spring, and days off here and there, they don't get paid close to what they deserve.

The other category that readily comes to mind are CNAs (certified nursing assistants). They wipe grown-up noses and behinds, take care of others' personal hygiene and do things the rest of us would rather not think about.

Celebrities--athletes, actors, rock stars and the like, should receive only fame and a minimal pittance for their efforts. They're getting paid to do what they love--PLAY for a living in some fashion or another! They could end world hunger with what they make. I started to write the word "earn" as the last word in that sentence, but I'm not so sure they earn it; depends on your definition. They don't earn more money because they work harder than the first two categories mentioned. They just make lots more money for their sponsors. Teachers and CNAs don't have sponsors.

Ok...I'm just tired. I just subbed 1/2 a day for first graders and 1/2 a day with 7th graders. I'm not sure there was much of a difference.

This is my public THANK YOU to anyone who reads this and who falls into paragraph #1 or #2. Merci beaucoup! Muchos Gracias! Mille Grazie! Xie_Xie! Hartelijk Dank!

Feel free to add to the list of "underpaids" in the comments section.

Before I headed out for the day, I checked in with Everyday Mommy to see the results for the Writing from the Heart contest she hosted last month. Although I haven't read all the entries, I'm working my way through the list. If you'd like to be encouraged (and hear the testimonies about how children teach US about God), hang out there this week during your blogging time. They're rather diverse AND insightful.

My entry, if I'm not mistaken, had the most comments I've ever received on a post. It certainly was heartfelt, almost painful to write...but ultimately redemptive. A warm smile is curling around my lips right now as I consider the irony (?) of my most "challenging" child being the one who has taught me the most about God.... To me, THAT...is...beautiful :).

Want it FREE?! Check out Susie from Bluebird Designs. She's giving away two free customized designs to those who email her between now and September 22. Her e-dress is bluebirdblogs@ gmail.com

Poor Susie is working with me on a PENSIEVE re-design (can you imagine what it's like to work with the girl who can't make a decision?). Please pray for her as you feel led :D.

p.s. I found out about this from Kelly, and if you tell Susie I sent you, you get absolutely nothing in addition....

So I end the week of my first bloggiversary not knowing quite how to spell "bloggeversary" and not having written half the posts I thought I'd write this week. They're all swirling in my pensieve, but stapling my tail to the chair is a whole 'nother thing.

The title for this? The number of this post! Two-hundred. For some reason I like that this milestone fell the week of celebrating one year of blogging.

Actually, I'm in the middle of writing what I thought would be my 200th entry, one where I'm thinking not just soabboxing. But ... ah, life ... called me away from keyboard and blog. Since it's the weekend, I'm not sure if I'll finish it. Who knows? Soccer and football and church, oh my!

Anyhoo, you know bloggers are notorious for stealing borrowing ideas from other bloggers, and yep, that's what I'm getting ready to do. Thing is, I CANNOT remember where I saw this to give credit where credit's due, so if it's YOU, please email me or comment so I can link back to the original. I remember when I saw it, I mentioned liking it or wanting to do something similar for my bloggaversary (did you notice it's spelled three different ways?) . Wish I had thought of it on my own :).

For those who "don't" but would like to join in the

festivities, there's always another way ;)

L'Chaim!!

Champagne toast courtesy of Pamela.

Some blogs I read for fun, some because they're kindreds, some to be encouraged and some when I'm up for a challenge. The diversity is appealing. I read both people with whom I have much in common, and those who I will never see eye-to-eye with. Perhaps it is those writers from whom I learn the most, they certainly give me pause to think about ideas I might not consider otherwise. The difference of opinion is not threatening, although, I suppose a few years back, that's not something I could say. One of the aspects most appreciated is being routed to other great posts, sometimes to an author I know, often to one I don't. Thanks to all of you who help me get around :).

When I have enough time to think and I feel like going to "class", I read Scot McKnight. According to his bio, "McKnight is a widely-recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. He is the Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University (Chicago, Illinois), where he is also the Department Chair and the Director of the College of Christian Life and Thought. A popular and witty speaker, Dr. McKnight has given interviews on radios across the nation, has appeared on television, and is regularly asked to speak in local churches and educational events. Dr. McKnight obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham (1986).... He is the author of more than twenty books, including the award-winning The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others (Paraclete, 2004), which won the Christianity Today book of the year for Christian Living."

Recently, I saw a post that got my attention (okay, all of them get my attention, this one included a free book!). It explains the motive for this post. Rather than write any more, click here to read the first two chapters of his soon-to-be-released book, The Real Mary, Why Evangelical Christians Can Embrace the Mother of Jesus. This will be an interesting read; as a mainline Protestant, I have never studied the person of Mary. I'm expectant to consider a new dimension to Jesus, too, in the process.
For more information, visit his publisher; there's also still time to join the "street team" (and receive your own free advance copy) if you act by 9/18.

I love a tall caramel macchiato breve but despise ordering them, ESPECIALLY if I'm getting a grande or venti because it sounds rather pretentious. Seriously, why can't you just say a large with half & half, instead of "breve" and "venti". Small, medium, large. Does it REALLY taste any better with fancy smancy words?

When I went to Starbucks' website to pick up a picture for you, I saw the "nutrition facts table" for beverages. Boy, wasn't I excited when I saw one of my FAVORITE GUILTY PLEASURES in the universe had only 170 calories, just 5 of which were "fat calories". It even had vitamin A (10%) and C (30%), a veritable health drink!

Yeah...............r i g h t. Try again. Who was I kidding!! NO wonder the dryer has been shrinking my clothes! :`(

I want to cry. I want to cuss. I want to cry and cuss, but I will do neither, because we ARE only talking coffee here.

Those calculations were with NON-FREAKIN'-FAT MILK! That was the default setting. I recalculated using half & half (breve), and my heart sank. We're up to 20% vitamin A now, and 9 grams of protein, but thanks for the whopping 450 calories, 310 of which are FAT CALORIES! (tears)

And then I remembered the Seinfeld "Non-fat Yogurt conspiracy" (can't figure out how to link this, but you can cut and paste in your browser: http://www.seinfeld-fan.net/videos/yogurt_mayor.mov ) and I KNEW I'd been had.

Off for a brisk walk in the neighborhood. And to mourn my loss ... Ignorance.WAS.Bliss (and evidently fattening, too)!

Growing up in a college town, football was a way of life. It's what you did on Saturdays during the fall. I can remember tailgaiting right outside the stadium with some of my friends. What I didn't understand then that I do now, was their parents must've been some kind of boosters to have had that kind of placement; I guess the catered spread and open bar should've told me something, too, but when you're a kid, that kind of thing is wasted. Even if we had tickets in the stands, we'd sit on the hill and hang out with friends, pretty much oblivious to the game until halftime (I'm a girl, it was never actually about "football" for me).

As the teen years approached, it was also about Friday night highschool ball. The two highschools in our hometown were always in contention for the State title, those were definitely the glory years. The coach was an institution, silver buzz cut for as long as I can remember, deep grooves in his face from seasons spent in the sun, he knew EVERYONE'S name, whether they played ball or not. He was driven and devoted and fair, and he taught "his kids" a way of life, not just a game. The good ones are cut from the same cloth, aren't they?

I'm smiling while I write this, because I can almost feel the heat of a Saturday afternoon college game...I can smell the mixture of grass and sweat and alcohol (not from me, from others, older, who somehow didn't garner a seat in the stands, and who thought the only way to watch a game was to do so with the companions of bourbon and Coke). And, oh, those Friday nights, especially later in the season--cool and crisp and the weekly anticipation of a win, which happened more often than not.

I remember thinking I could never "like" someone who didn't like football. That statement is LUDICROUS to me now, but growing up, I guess I thought it was some kind of measure of masculinity. Anyone who didn't enjoy the game, must be a wimp. This wasn't taught...it was "caught". I guess from the passion and intensity of living in a place where winning was a way of life. Sometime after my own college won a National Championship (and then got put on probation for the rest of my college years :/), sometime after graduation, I realized I really didn't like watching football, it was the accompanying pagentry that allured me, and gradually it no longer held my interest.

Until now.

My baby is playing football. I am rather certain, he would (will) cringe reading this, especially because I called him "baby". He's in middle school now and this is his first year playing. His work ethic amazes me--he has not complained once about the heat (over 100 degree heat index every day at practice with ridiculous humidity) or how hard they're being driven. You gotta know Thomas...he'll avoid work--or anything that resembles it--with every fiber of his being. Until now. The kid is REVELING in the midst. He took a pretty rough lick at practice, and came home to show me his "badge of honor"--from the top of his shoulder to his elbow, his arm looks like a side of beef after Rocky got through with it; instead, it was the helmet of one of his best friends, nailing him at "top speed" (took him by surprise, lol, never saw it coming). Lesson learned.

I've been caught off guard by the bearish mother-emotion that is surfacing within. Savage and raw and protective. This game "looks" so different to me now. I see its brutality. I can feel the inner rage of an unjust call, yet the first game hasn't even been played! It no longer holds the romantic, nostalgic allure it once held...it's no longer a measure of masculinity . I feel the pain of every mother whose child is at the bottom of a pile of bodies...or is it worse to be the mom whose child never sees field time?

Why do I find myself thinking golf or tennis is the way to go? Even soccer and basketball--not exactly "contact" sports--scare me now. The boys are bigger. They play to win. Whatever the cost.

Can you tell I danced for ten years? Ballet. Geez.........what a powderpuff, I am. Then, again, it was in the pre-Title IX era.

Postscript: The season is over...and it ended without a single win :/. Thomas' "big play" was recovering an on-sides kick. If "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game" is true, they played well. In spite of eight losses, they never gave up. They didn't talk smack and their enthusiasm never waned. They've learned what it is to taste loss, and I imagine they've built more character than any 12 year old is interested in.

...and they're already excited about next year :).

Is this necessary? I'm grieved because it must be.

My immediate thoughts when reading it were "Toto, we aren't in Kansas anymore." "You've come a long way, baby." You've gotta be kidding ... gimme a break ... is this really what this** has come to????! Does this stuff need to be spelled out? HAVE PARENTS LOST THEIR EVER-LOVIN' MINDS?

The purpose of _______ youth activities, events, and trips is to have fun, build relationships with one another, and deepen our walk with God.
We want you to have a great time at Youth Group events as well as be challenged to grow spiritually. The stated guidelines will help us achieve these interpersonal and spiritual goals.

Malissa has GOT to be one of the sweetest bloggers out there, I dunno, when I read her, that's the impression I leave with...even when she's not the happiest of campers. Anyways, she tagged me last month, and since I'm lousy at these kind of things, I'm just now getting to it. Hmmm, for my bloggaversary week. Just can't seem to go "heavy" today after all those tributes yesterday.

So, with no FURTHER adieu (is that the right word?), lemme try to make some choices (giggle).

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. The "line girl" at the Western Sizzlin' ("What number would you like?", "Baked potatoes or fries?", "Peppers and onions, or mushroom gravy?")(After college graduation, lasted three days because I quit since they didn't trust me handling the money.)
2. Movie theater concession attendant (we used real butter for the popcorn).
3. Shoe salesman
4. Marketing director

Four movies I could watch over and over:

HOW COULD I FORGET THE STING, MY #1 ALL-TIME FAVORITE? It deserves a place above any common numbers!
1. The Sound of Music
2. When Harry Met Sally
3. It's a Wonderful Life
4. Something's Gotta Give & You've Got Mail

Four Places I have lived:

1. Atlanta, Ga.
2. Murrells Inlet, S.C.
3. New Ellenton, S.C.
4. NC/SC border

Four things I like to do:

1. Cook (and then eat what I cook)
2. Spend time with good friends (this, after cooking and while eating is doubly good)
3. Listen to my children help each other
4. Do you really wanna know #4? Nothin' says "lovin'" like lovin'...... ;)

(notice I didn't say blogging; since it's obvious I do that and rather often, why state the obvious?)

Four of my favorite foods:

1. Chocolate (cake, ice cream, chocolate just-about-anything)
2. Southern prepared veggies (fresh corn, fried okra, sauteed squash in a pound of butter)
3. Grilled seafood
4. My mother-in-law's friend chicken (great! NOW I'm hungry)

Four places I would like to be right now:

1. No question, the beach
2. The beach
3. The beach
4. Sitting on the front porch of a cabin in the NC mountains, sipping hot coffee out of a perfectly-fitted-to-my-hand mug, reading a GREAT book, sitting next to my husband

Four websites I visit daily:

1. Weather sites (especially during the school year)
2. Centurytel (it's my home page, and now that I'm writing that, I need to change it...b o r i n g)
3. iTunes...it's a kid thing these days
4. B L O G M A T E S, but actually, it changes day to day...too many good ones to read 'em all in a day, so it's a weekly kind of thing

Four places I have been on vacation:

1. Washington, D.C. (if you haven't gone, you MUST!!!) I've gone half a dozen times and I NEVER get tired of it!!!!
2. NYC, pre-9-11. Went to the top of the WTC, not sure which building. I'll look for the pics sometime soon.
3. Boston (a GREAT city, exceeded my expectations, wanna take the kids back sometime).
4. Chicago (again, it exceeded my expectations, a beautiful and clean downtown, and so much to see and do, three days wasn't nearly enough)

Four friends I think might respond—-hmmm

1. Julie, because she ditched the book meme. I'm letting Jennifer off the hook 'cause she's done a gazillion tags...!
2. Debs, she's one crazy cross-stitcher;) and Mert (Mary), cause I'm almost somewhat postive she creates some of the cutest banners around!
3. Lori, cause she's one of my Youniquely Woman sistahs.
4. Swampwitch, because she's still learning the ropes around the globosphere ;)

Or heck, if you're just looking for something to post, go for it (and let me know you did!)

I ALMOST kept my answers to four per....maybe it's just that I don't know how to count :).

As spoken by Todd Beamer, Flight 93, 9.11

September 11, 2001...I started the day with thoughts of a dear friend who was celebrating a 30-something birthday; those thoughts were quickly replaced with images of chaos, confusion and destruction. A branding of terror that seared itself upon our collective hearts, silent scars which tell a story that never should have been written.

...the first date my children will remember for the rest of their lives with the words "I remember what I was doing when I heard...", much like, I suppose, my earliest "like" memory--the '72 summer Olympics in Munich.

I remember thinking "the sky is falling" as I studied our own azure sky 670 miles away from what would eventually be known as Ground Zero, and I wanted to duck and cover but there was nowhere safe to hide...the vulnerability, the underbelly exposure, wondering how to protect our children?

The strangest memory, perhaps, is recalling the song "American Pie" playing over and over in my mind's ear...."the day the 'music' died..." I googled the lyrics just now, and wow, although written about something entirely different, so much of it "fits" 9-11...bizarre.

Pausing to remember the living and the dead, grateful to discover moments of beauty when we have eyes to see and ears to hear.


Many moments of beauty--lives of beauty--are honored in this week's Blogging Chicks Carnival. If you have a few moments to spare, you'll be blessed.

Nope, not writing about weddings. Instead, a new carnival. and an old post. I've never submitted anything to the FLC, but something about it caught my eye this week, and I decided to include my post on Writing from the Heart (so many people responded emotionally to it the first time, I though possibly, it might be helpful to post again). Jennifer displays a great imagination in the way she organized this week's Family Life carnival--check it out if you have time.

...I started blogging. My first two posts were on the same day. The first one was about complications from too many choices (lol, a topic I've revisited over and over again); the second one (on the same day) was about the price of gasoline. In case you're wondering, in the Tennessee Valley it's exactly 60 cents LESS/gallon now than it was a year ago. Why am I certain of this?? Only because I blogged it.

On the surface, it was an odd time to begin...the day before the anniversary of September 11. However, because Tad and the kids were on their annual father/kid camping trip with his best friend and their children, it was a perfect time for me--Q-U-I-E-T in my house :). Things like this don't come quickly to me, that whole having to make decisions decisions DECISIONS thing, so I needed a block of time to "research" everything.

For the first six months of my blogging enterprise, I was invisible, writing as if I were being read, but never sharing my URL with anyone. Silly, I know, but I was shy (you may not laugh). Tad pressed me, and although I let Rachel see it first, his encouragement helped me finally step out of my self-imposed anonymity. Most friends IRL WILL NOT POST (stinkin' voyeurs!), so it finally dawned on me to comment to other bloggers. There are a thousand conversations going on at once (okay, more like a gazillion), wish there was more time to read all I'd like to. I have DEFINITELY learned a lot over the past year...here, and in life in general...ALWAYS a good thing. Hmmmm, you CAN teach an old dawg new tricks :).

There are lots of thoughts swirling in the old Pensieve these days, some of which you'll see in the days to come ;)...also, a few surprises coming soon to this spot. Stay tuned.

For now, enjoy some cake to celebrate my first bloggaversary--this one TASTES as spectacular as it LOOKS!

A hug and HT to Jen, a little over a year ago she asked me to read her newly-begun blog. Now, a newlywed :) :) :), this 20-something had no idea the influence she'd have in that simple request. Neither did I.

Oh! My!! Word!!!

Just caught up with Shannon @ Rocks in My Dryer and she had this little dittie posted. My baby girl is way past Barbie age, so I had no idea about the decline advances Mattel had made with their dolls...and "accessories".

Reminds me, I've gotta go let Aussie out.

...I found these, too. Definite smilemakers. Because it's Friday and I'm not much in a writing mood (but very much so in a reading one), I'm posting them with no further comment. I'll leave that to YOU! ;) Enjoy~

So very, very grateful to the Blogger gods for cooperating with picture imports with little to no effort (and exasperated frustration!) from me!

Allposters.com rides again.

I don't read all my email forwards these days, hope I haven't missed any I would've liked as much as this one. This chick-a-rita "gets it" (even if she's only make believe) :).

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. "Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today." So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. "H-m-m, " she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today." So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. "Well," she said, "Today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head. "YEAH!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"

Attitude is everything.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly....... Leave the rest to God.

Yesterday while blog-bouncing (after my dental rant and while my jaw regained consciousness), I discovered an unexpected buried treasure. I follow a gazillion blogs (I use the word "follow" very l o o s e l y), so I usually like to read several posts written between my visits.

One of my favorites is Jennifer's over at Snapshots. She writes well and her posts encourage.

Perhaps none so personally encouraging as this one :). After my visit with the macabre Dr. C (who, by the way, also went into a dissertation on Steve Irwin and how he "did himself in" by pulling out the stingray barb), finding a link to one of my posts was equivalent to a dose of Blogger vitamin C.

I picked this up from Yvonne quite by accident. I visited her blog after a recent comment, but since one of my kids needed the computer, I minimized it to come back to later. Voila! When I returned, it was on a page from like January. Anyhoo, I thought this was cool and the stuff a fun, simple post is made of.

Be amazed...perhaps for the first time EVAH--I actually chose ONE THING and, although tempted, did not even sneak a pick at the very close runner up.

Your Brain's Pattern

Your mind is a firestorm - full of intensity and drama. Your thoughts may seem scattered to you most of the time... But they often seem strong and passionate to those around you. You are a natural influencer. The thoughts you share are very powerful and persuading.

Great >:( !

As if I wasn't tense enough, IE just shut down, "we're-sorry-for-any-inconvenience" my behind, and I was almost DONE with this post. BIG GRROOOOWWWLLLL emanating from deep within. Let's try again. (thinking vile and wretched thoughts right now and if there was someone standing next to me I'd ring their bell). Sometimes I wish I could be as free-talking as Marnie, but for a host of reasons that ain't gonna happen. Moving on...

I hate dread going to the dentist for anything, even cleanings (I have very sensitive teeth), but ESPECIALLY for everything else. Today's visit was to refill three old cavities, so, to say the least, I woke up this morning with fear and trembling.

This is probably universal, as Dr. C says "NO ONE is glad to see me unless they're having their teeth whitened or have a true dental emergency." He understands fully well his vocation is a necessary
e v i l. I mean, really, go no further than their tray of "instruments" ... they LOOK like mini torture devices (why am I thinking about first-year "Alias" right now?). Then the noises, ai yi yi, THE NOISES: high-pitched whirring and whining, mini jackhammers drilling inside your head, a fine-mist facial of water and your own enameled DNA flying all over the place...and then there's that thing about using dental records to identify bodies. It just scares me, okay?

I suppose Dr. C was trying to get my mind off the fact, that in his hand he held the elixir that would render me a slobbering, facially-paralyzed, dental drunk for the next three hours. Instead, for all his lively banter, my internal "homeland security" went from "High orange" to "Highest red".

Get this conversation...makes me wonder what his pick-up lines sounded like before he got married:

Spoken very excitedly, "Guess what I saw yesterday?" [I have no idea, but it was a rhetorical question anyway.]

"Live cadavers." pause for effect [my head does a quick double-take, "WHAT??!"]

"Real, live cadavers." [isn't this an oxymoron??]

He begins explaining, his hands animated for effect. No matter the expression of horror disgust increasing repulsion replacing my usual affable smile. He just wasn't reading or responding to my social cues to cut the convo SHORT.

Apparently, he took the family to see Bodies: The Exhibition, now touring in Atlanta. He couldn't get enough of these 21 dead people, various parts dissected for his viewing pleasure. Real. live. dead. people. I'm sure it was educational. Lungs ravaged by emphasema would surely prevent at least some of the viewers from picking up a cigarette. Livers destroyed by cirrhosis would likely deter others from partaking of the wicked drink. Reading the FAQs, this clearly has educational value.

I am sure I'd find this fascinating (once I made a trip to the restroom to hurl), but it feels like our appetite for the macabre is out of control. Voyeurs watching trainwreck after trainwreck, from reality tv to...REALITY. I need to watch the Brady Bunch or Cosby Show or take a shower or something.

Back to my story, post injection, Dr. C leaves the room to allow me time to numb up. So, I start reading the book "I couldn't put down!" acording to the friend who gave it to me over the weekend, and I swear, if my shoulders weren't already stress-shrugged up to ear level, they were now! This book begins with the brutal rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl! I HAVE a 14-year-old daughter, so reading something like this is disquieting (an understatement). After I got through the initial shock of its opening, I didn't have anything else to do while I waited, so I kept going. Forty pages in, I'm intrigued, so it looks like I'm gonna have to finish. The review on this link and my friend's enthusiasm (?) are compelling.

I wonder if Homeland Security (photo credit, I picked up their alert chart from the website) is gonna investigate my blog now since I talked about it. Wierd...big brother...feeling very 1984-ish right now.

Is it totally narcissistic to tell ya I'm outta here for a few days? Packing up the fam and headed to South Carolina for the long weekend. Family AND friends. Cake AND icing!

Soooooooo, if you're hungry for a Pensieve fix (the narcissim continues), why don't cha read my old stuff, posts I wrote well before my link was given out and before I bit the bullet got over my fear of stepping into others' lives started posting on complete stranger's blogs commented elsewhere. Pensieve went public sometime in March.....a slow "roll out". I'll have to go back and do some re-reading, it'll probably be funny to me now to read 'em--I always wrote as if someone else was seeing it, which amuses me now.

Anyhoo, went to the doc yesterday and apparently I didn't just have allergies or a raging end-of-summer cold; instead, bronchitis. Guess that explains the lung I coughed up. No worries, the process of poisoning those nasty little germs is well underway.

Have a great coupla days and I'll play catch up on Tuesday...after an hour and a half with the dentist :/.

Oh, be sure to check out the Blogging Chicks carnival; it'll be posted sometime Sunday :).