Tuesday, February 27, 2007

heart

I'm working in my scraproom. Aidan often comes in and stands in my chair behind me, and watches over my shouder as I work. I love those moments. Just a few minutes ago, he said,

"You're the best Mommy I ever could have."

"Aw, Aidan!" I gushed. "You always say the sweetest things to me. Why are you so sweet?"

He answered, "Because I love you."

"You know how to love me just right. How'd you ever learn to be so loving? Did you learn by watching me love you?"

"No. I think I just learned it in my heart."

Aidan.
Six years old.
Mine, all mine.

Monday, February 26, 2007

BLOG CHALLENGE: Countdown (again)

10 Favorites:
Favorite Color: Red
Favorite Food: Potatoes. Mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, baked potates, potatoes O'Brien, potato casserole, scalloped potatoes, potato salad.... (You gotta read that with a Forrest Gump accent. Remember the scene about how he likes shrimp?)
Favorite Month: November
Favorite Song: Right now, it's "To End This Quiet", from the soon-to-be-released new album by Poor Rich Folk. It's haunting and emotion-driven, and I think I even sang it in my sleep last night.
Favorite Movie: The Princess Bride is way up there
Favorite Sport: I love to watch hockey and basketball
Favorite Season: Fall
Favorite Day of the week: Monday (the weekend is always so full of obligations and other people's schedules. Monday feels like freedom!)
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Tin Roof Sundae
Favorite Time of Day: early evening

9 Currents
Current Mood: Content
Current Taste: ewwww. Morning breath.
Current Clothes: pajama pants and my SS t-shirt
Current Desktop: a photo of Michael and Cara, Dale and Kristi, & Darren and me at the bowling alley last weekend
Current Toenail Color: au naturel
Current Time: 9:27 a.m.
Current Surroundings: family room clutter, Ian watching cartoons
Current Thoughts: I need to get this room picked up before Patti gets here! And she'd probably appreciate it if I showered and brushed my teeth, too.
Current Wonderings: When am I gonna finish this album that's due today?

8 firsts:
First Best Friend: Crystal
First Kiss: don't remember. Maybe Ricky B.
First Screen Name: ally (I was in love with Ally McBeal at the time)
First Pet: Jasper, a collie
First Piercing: Ears (only piercing, actually)
First Crush: Kyle
First Computer: Tandy Sensation that Darren and I bought after we got married. It was our first big purchase together.
First Home Location: with Darren? a dumpy apartment in Denton, Texas

7 lasts:
Last Cigarette: I can't remember. It's been a long time.
Last Drink: water
Last Kiss: this morning, from Darren as he left for work
Last Movie Seen: Dreamgirls
Last Phone Call: from Luke last night around 9:30
Last CD Played: "Love is a Bullet" by Poor Rich Folk. Its release date is March 27, but Luke gave me a pre-release copy so I can review it. YAY ME! (It's FANTASTIC!)
Last Gift Received: a pair of penguin scissors from Nelleke. They're adorable!

7 Have You Evers
Have You Ever Dated One Of Your Best Friends: yes. I married him. :D
Have You Ever Broken the Law: yes. Everytime I get behind the wheel. I'm a fast driver.
Have You Ever Been Arrested: no, but I should've been.
Have You Ever Skinny Dipped: yes.
Have You Ever Been on TV: no
Have You Ever Kissed Someone You Didn't Know: no

5 Things
...You've Eaten Today: Nothing yet. Bad Stacy, BAD!
... You've Done Today: check email, blog at Scrapropos, get Aidan off to school, feed the cat, check my list of daily blogs
...You Can Hear Right Now: dinosaur cartoon on TV, my keyboard clacking, the hum of the computer... that's it.
...Things You Can't Live Without: music, internet, cell phone, hot showers, ice water
...Things You Do When You're Bored: pick at my cuticles, fall asleep, read whatever's available, call Mom and Dad (they'd probably appreciate if I were bored more often. I rarely call. lol!), hit refresh on ScrapShare

4 places you've been today:
Bathroom, Aidan's room, Kitchen, Family Room

3 people you can tell anything to:
Darren
Cara
Kristi

2 Choices
1. Black or White: Black
2. Hot or Cold: hot

1 thing you want to do before you die:
climb a mountain with Darren

(I stole this list from Nesa's blog. Thanks, Nesa!)

Saturday, February 24, 2007

tidbits

I've been posing with lots of cows lately. This is the most recent one, taken by my friend Nelleke today as we toured the Fort Worth Stockyards. My internet name is Cowtown Stacy... and all these pics with cows are cracking me up. Gonna make a fun scrapbook layout!


Aidan's "suffering" from Strep Throat and Scarlet Fever, but I say "suffering" in quotes because the kid simply doesn't act sick. AT ALL.
This is either the mildest case of the two ailments in the history of childhood, or we're on antibiotics for nothin'. Seriously. He is FINE. After one dose of the medicine, he declared himself well. LOL! Good thing he has a Momma around to forcefeed those next 9 days' worth of pink medicine to him.

We're supposed to be camping tonight with the Thameses and Carmans, but we decided instead to keep our monthly date with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. I slept through the first half, but Darren enjoyed it very much. We'll join our friends at Mineral Wells tomorrow morning, bright and early in time for breakfast, unless tornados scatter them and their belongings overnight. Thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches out there tonight. HOLD ON TIGHT, FRIENDS! :)

I know that Dani is my kid and that I'm a whole lot biased, but DANG if that girl ain't the most talented kid I've ever known. She's a songwriting fool these days, pounding out really good lyrics and plucking out groovy tunes to go with 'em. Tonight, she wrote a puppet script for a local church puppet team (they've asked her to write it every year for the past 4 years), and when I read it tonight, I LAUGHED OUT LOUD, not once, not twice, but 4 or 5 times! I never knew that Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea could be so funny. She's a gifted writer - way more so than I ever dreamed of being! Tomorrow, she's off to Solo & Ensemble Choir competition. Good luck, Dani!
UPDATE: She got a "1"!! Dani's goin' to State. WOO HOOO!!!!!

Darren's hot.
That's all.
When I read this a year or so from now, I just want to remind myself that tonight, while leaving the Symphony, I was staring at his butt, and mmmmmmm. He'll hate me for this, but hey. He knew what he was getting into when he married me. :D

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Resilient

Aidan's been sorta kinda sick. I mean, he's had dark circles under his eyes, but that's not highly unusual for him. Yesterday, I sent him to school even though he woke up whiny, complaining of a sore throat. I figured it was allergies and drainage, possibly compounded by all the dust floating around the house from Darren's project.

Last night, he cried at dinner, and couldn't swallow his food because his throat hurt so bad. He kept saying "My brain hurts", which has always been his way of saying he has a headache. The little glands in his neck were swollen, so I kept him home today and made a doctor's appointment.

All day long, I kept thinking, "What a mistake. This kid is FINE." He played happily all morning and afternoon. He ate Batman soup and goldfish crackers for lunch without a single complaint. He didn't have a fever. I kept the appointment anyway.

During our hour-long sit in the waiting room, I watched a little patch of rash break out on Aidan's cheek. He was more lathargic than usual, but not whiny. He wanted to be held, and kept asking me to rub his back.

In the exam room, the doctor said, "His glands are definitely swollen, and his throat is red. It could be Strep Throat, or it could be a virus, in which case, he'll just have to wait it out."

I was surprised that the doctor didn't mention the rash that was evident when Aidan took off his shirt. Tiny red dots covered his torso. So I mentioned it. "He's developed this rash in the past hour. Isn't that indicative of a viral infection?" The doctor looked closer, and said, "Actually, that's more indicative of strep!" He asked me to pull down Aidan's pants to inspect below the waistline, which was covered in red spots. "I'm convinced that he has Scarlet Fever," he said. "The rash always starts down here and works its way up. It'll get worse before it gets better. Scarlet Fever often goes hand-in-hand with Strep Throat. Let's order a culture."

30 minutes later, after swabbing and microscoping, we were on our way to the pharmacy for antibiotics. My poor little man has Strep Throat and Scarlet Fever! The thing is, he just doesn't act like he feels that bad. I had strep at least once a year when I was a teen, and I still remember how miserable it felt. The last time I had it, about 5 years ago, I whined like a big ol' baby. But Aidan... he just says his brain hurts and then goes about his day.

Resilient.
Kids are amazing.

happenings

Darren's been busy. Two and a half years ago, we installed crown molding in three rooms of our house. The front room never got painted, 'cause Darren had his heart set on staining it instead. But I didn't want to stain the crown while everything else in the room was painted. Last weekend, he got all fired up about doing something about it. It's gonna be a long project. My house is swimming in a fine layer of dust - the result of many hours scraping and sanding 89-year old wood. I think it's gonna look GORGEOUS when he finishes!

Aidan's a reader! Last week, he brought a library book home from school and announced that he had to read it five times over the weekend. I thought that was mostly kinda cute. Aidan can't read, after all. I mean, he knows a whole slew of sight words, but read? Not yet. Um, WRONG. He reads beautifully. At first, he was timid and tried to guess the sentences by looking at the pictures, but after 15 minutes of me reminding him to read the WORDS, he totally calmed down and did it! He even reads with inflection and feeling. This Momma got all teary, especially last night when she caught him reading to Ian on the stairs. :D
Friday, Darren and I enjoyed dinner and a sweet visit with one of my most cherished friends, Denise. She was in town with her two boys for a family event, and even though our time together was brief, it was wonderful.

Sunday, I saw my seester off to Tennessee. She promises to come visit in a month. I'll be holding her to it! I've never given up anything for Lent before, but this year, I feel really led to do so. I'm giving up internet in the afternoons between noon and 7:00. When I feel the urge to check email, or read my list of blogs, or hit refresh on ScrapShare, I'll instead pray for Bobbie. I'll pray for healing, for peace, for God's very real presense, for faithful friends, for her DH's stubborn pride, for his renewal of faith, for my beautiful neices, and for reconciliation. That's a hard one for me to pray for. I want to protect Bobbie from any more heartache, and so in MY heart, I want her to not reconcile with the man who causes so much of that heartache. But it's not my call. It's God's. This Lenten season, I'm praying for God to make Bobbie the wife she was called to be, and to make Santos the husband she deserves and so desires. I love her so much!

Friday, February 16, 2007

warts and all



Bobbie is moving back to Tennessee. There's solace in that, and trepidation in that. I'm the sister. I will worry about her. I'll miss knowing that she's right down the street.

Tonight, we had a really good heart-to-heart talk. Lots of raw, honest truth. It was healing for both of us. The most beautiful part is, it was just the beginning of healing. I'm excited to continue the journey. :)

She said something that struck me as really... funny. But not in a funny ha-ha way. She said that all those months, reading my blog from her home in Tennessee, she wanted my life. She wanted to live my joys, my experiences, my friends, my spontaneity. She WANTED it. And then she got here and discovered that my life is pretty mundane. Ho Hum. Big whoop.

She was highly disappointed to discover that most days, I'm sitting here on my butt in front of the computer... no make-up, no lunch dates, no nothin'. And that I yell at my kids too frequently. And my house is usually a mess. And I am grouchy when I don't get enough sleep, which is far too often.

I'm just me.
Nothin' special here.
Just another Mom tryin' to raise happy, healthy kids.
Just another Wife, tryin' to love her husband unconditionally.
Just another Friend, tryin' to not use up too many cell phone minutes.
Just another Child of God, tryin' to remember that she's Chosen, warts and all.




Wednesday, February 14, 2007

a little survey

The blogworld is a neat thing. Every once in a blue moon, I check my stat counter and see who's linking to me and how many hits I'm getting. Once a couple of months ago, I discovered that someone named NesaScraps linked to me. So I followed the link back to HER, and have stalked her ever since. I have no clue how she found me, but there she is, and now, in this weird random thing called Blogdom, she's become my blogfriend. I stole this survey from her. :)

1. Is your second toe longer than your first?
Yep. Doesn't that mean I rule the world or something?

2. Do you have a favorite type of pen?
LePen. Seriously. Narrow barrel, plastic tip. My very best handwriting ever comes out of those pens. I have 'em in every color - brown and cobalt are my favorites. I'd use 'em in my scrapbooks except the dern ink FADES, and that will NEVER do.

3. Look at your planner for March 14, what are you doing?
Um, I may be the only person on the planet who doesn't do planners. I keep it all in my head, or if it's REALLY important, scrawled on the chalkboard in my kitchen.
4. What color are your toenails usually?
no color. Sometimes in summer, if reaching down there doesn't suffocate me, I paint 'em red.

5. What was the last thing you highlighted?
Dani's hair. The highlights barely showed up when I first did it, but now it seems like the highlights have taken over her head. Her hair just keeps getting lighter!

6. What color are your bedroom curtains?
Drab. Yes, that's a color. Don't believe me? Come to my bedroom.

7. What color are the seats in your car?
Gray

8. Have you ever had a black and white cat?
Socks was black with white... socks. Had him when I was little - like 4. When I was a preteen, we had a black and white cat named Orphan. She was an... orphan. My Mom refused to let her in the house.

9. What is the last thing you put a stamp on?
an envelope addressed to Swartz Creek, MI, containing a check for $10 - payment WAY overdue to a fellow scrapper whose been kind enough not to sic Guido and Sal on me!

10. Do you know anyone who lives in Wyoming?
Surely I do. I know someone in Montana. Wyoming? Hmmmm.

11. Why did you withdraw cash from the ATM the last time?
So Aidan could have lunch money for school

12. Who is the last baby that you held?
Lety's beautiful baby Nyla, at the Fortress scrapbooking retreat. Ahhhh. Sweet sweet baby girl!

13. Do you know of any twins with rhyming names?
nope. Can't think of any that rhyme.

14. Do you like Cinnamon toothpaste?
love it! Why can't I find Close-Up anymore??

15. What kind of car were you driving 2 years ago?
a sad purple minivan. Sad because I hated it so much and never failed to tell it so. I was SO too cool for that minivan. LOL!

16. Pick one: Miami Hurricanes or Florida Gators.
huh?

17. Last time you went to Six Flags
Last Christmas (2005), we took our kids and our neices to Holiday in the Park. We'll probably go again this summer, as the boys will be tall enough to finally ride some good stuff.

18. Do you have any wallpaper in your house?
Duckie border in the kids' bathroom. Other than that, worse, I have padded fabric on the walls in the stairwell and in the KITCHEN. I've already removed padded fabric from three rooms. Previous homeowners were evidently psycho.

19. Closest thing to you that is yellow:
artwork that Aidan brought home from school today


20. Last person to give you a business card?
I can't remember
21. Who is the last person you wrote a check to?
see #9
22. Closest framed picture to you?
Dani when she was 13, where I left her eyes blue and printed the rest of the photo in black and white.
23. Last time you had someone cook for you?
Tonight, took Dani, Bobbie and Brittani to Freebirds for scrumdillyumptious burritos.
24. Have you ever applied for welfare?
Not welfare per se, but did receive Medicaid when I was pregnant with Dani, and for a year after
25. How many emails do you have?
email addresses? Four. my business one, my gmail one that I use primarily, my yahoo one that I use for stuff I figure will generate spam and junk mail, and my charter one, which I'm phasing out, in anticipation of the day I drop kick Charter and their ilk to the proverbial curb.
26. Last time you received flowers?
Last summer, from Aidan. A weed from the yard, but it's the closest thing to flowers I've gotten in a good year.
27. Do you think the sanctity of marriage is meant for only a man & woman?
I think God intended for marriage to be between a man and woman, but I don't think government has any business mandating that.
28. What are you listening to right now?
the crackly sound the air filters make when the heat is running (DANG it's cold here!)
29. Do you play air guitar?
Nope. Air drums. (Me too, Nesa! 'Cept mine's usually Steering Wheel drums)
30. Do you take anything in your coffee?
Depends on the coffee. Good coffee is best black. Bitter nasty coffee needs some doctoring.
31. Do you have any Willow Tree figurines?
no, but I've given them as gifts
32. What is your high school mascot's rival?
huh? I don't even know. I'll ask Dani tomorrow. I bet SHE won't even know. lol
33. Last person you spoke to from high school?
Last person I emailed with? Eric McDonald. No wait. Kevin Holley.
34. Last time you used hand sanitizer?
dunno. I hate hand sanitizer. Give me soap and water, please.
35. Would you like to learn to play the drums?
Yah. I wanna be in Dani's band. I think she'd ban me, though.
36. What color are the blinds in your living room?
no blinds. I have sheers. I want plantation shutters.
37. What is in your inbox at work?
a pack of hunting photos to scrap, a pack of Vietnam Memorial photos to scrap.... for starters
38. Last thing you read in the newspaper?
an article about the Barnett Shale (huge natural gas resevoir 4 miles below my house)
39. What was the last pageant you attended?
none thank goodness (same answer as Nesa)
40. What is the last place you bought pizza from?
Papa John's. Dani and Brian picked it up. It's so nice having kids who can run my errands now!
41. Have you ever worn a crown?
yah. The last time was at Medieval Times in December.
42. What is the last thing you stapled?
some ribbon to a layout
43. Did you ever drink clear Pepsi?
I highly doubt it. Pepsi makes my lip curl.
44. Are you ticklish?
maybe. :)
45. Last time you saw fireworks?
a couple of months ago, right here near my house. Never did figure out what on earth they were all about.
47. Who is the last person that left you a message & you actually returned their call?
Kristi. Finally called her back tonight at 9:30.
48. Last time you parked under a carport?
6 years ago when we lived in The Duplex
49. Do you have a black dog?
no.
50. Do you have any pickles in your fridge?
Lots! They're a good low-carb snack.
51. Do you find Dan French irresistible?
52. Who has the prettiest eyes that you know of?
Dani. Gorgeous blue.
53. Last time you saw a semi truck?
Tonight on I-20
54. Do you remember Ugly Kid Joe?
who?
55. Do you have a little black dress?
honey, I don't have a little black ANYthing.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

so it begins


Dani is a high school Sophomore.

Since Kindergarten, we've been planning for her college years. We've always told her, "Your college education begins now. The colleges you'll get accepted to and the scholarships you'll qualify for - that all begins NOW, with the study ethic you develop and with the importance you place on learning." Seriously. Since Kindergarten, she's known she was college-bound and that she alone would be responsible for getting the free money it would take to get there. You might say that's a heavy burden to place on a little kid. I say it was a burden she needed to understand.

I love getting mail. Our mailman walks up the steps, plunges the letters through our mail slot with a clang clack sproing, and ...SPLAT. They land on the hardwood inside my front door. LOVE that sound every afternoon.

Last month, Dani's PSAT scores arrived. She scored in the 94th percentile among JUNIORS taking the test. That's almost good enough for National Merit consideration. Next year, I think she'll be there. This week, the mail slot is sproinging twice a day to accomodate the extra load of letters. From colleges.

I knew this day would come.
It excites me.
OH! The possibilities!

I just can't believe it's already here.
In two years, we'll be gearing up for graduation. We'll be finalizing plans for college.

TWO.
YEARS.

So it begins.
Tomorrow, no doubt, more letters.

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can...
Begin it!" - Goethe

Monday, February 12, 2007

BLOG CHALLENGE: Dear Cupid

I don't need no fancy things.
No necklaces, no diamond rings.

Don't need Whitman's Chocolate Sampler.
(My butt don't need to be more ampler!)

No fancy fondue dinner out;
That's not what Valentine's about.

No, Cupid, all the hype and such,
It really don't excite me much.

It's the little things! And I ain't lyin'.
Take lessons from this boy named Brian:

(He's Dani's boyfriend. Super sweet.)
He surprised her with a breakfast treat

On Saturday, by stopping by
and deliv'ring to his sweetie pie

A bag of donuts. Chocolate glaze.
Dani gave him a loving gaze

While I said, "Hey! You're not the bomb.
Did you forget about the MOM?"

His quick reply: "You're on a diet."
That kid is really quite a riot.

But anyway. The deal is this:
Surprises equal spousal bliss.

So Cupid, tell my sweetie dear.
Whisper this into his ear:

The little things will melt my heart.
A hand-signed card is a good start.

Or a letter that comfirms for me
He'll love me for eternity.

But if he wants to spend some dough
Here's a little something he should know:

There's a sale. At Macy's, see.
By one and you get one FREE!

I'd like a mix of Tangerine,
Scarlet, Peacock, Shamrock Green,

And round it out with Sunflower, pet.
Has Darren won the lotto yet?

the challenge:
This week's challenge is brought to you unwittingly by PeggyD and Christina's Creative. (If you've been reading NSBR this morning, you'll know what i mean after you read my blog.)Write a letter to Cupid.Say what's on your mind about Valentine's Day.Is it a bunch of bunk?Another chance for Hallmark to make some money?Are you a romantic at heart?Do you have hints for your Valentine?Do you have a Valentine's memory to reminisce about?Dear Cupid....

Friday, February 09, 2007

ME? You talkin' to ME?

I was at the post office today, standing in line with both of my boys in tow. Aidan was clowning around, rolling around on the floor, trying to crawl between my legs.... After asking him twice to settle down, I finally put my stern Mommy voice in place and said, "AIDAN. ACT LIKE A SIX-YEAR OLD." Then I giggled and said, "oh. You ARE acting like a 6-year old. I want you to act like a CALM six-year old." I heard a couple of snickers from people in line behind me. Aidan straightened up immediately.

Then, I felt a tap on my back. I turned around to face an old woman. I swear... she must've been 85. Chiffon scarf wrapped around her head. Decades-old fur-trimmed plaid coat. Lipstick that didn't follow the outline of her lips. She put her hand on my forearm and said, "Your boys are just fine. And they have a beautiful Mother."

I swear, I thought I was gonna cry right there. Me? BEAUTIFUL?

The very, very weird thing about that is, as I was blowing my hair dry this afternoon, I caught a glimpse of myself and actually thought, "I look pretty today." I dismissed the thought immediately, because... well, you know. It felt weird to think it. I don't usually think of myself that way. But once in a blue moon, I see something in myself....

and then this woman confirmed it at the post office.

My blog header says "You don't love a woman because she is beautiful. She is beautiful because you love her." I think there is so much truth in that. Today, I must be loved beyond measure.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

this doesn't bode well

I've met my match.

We have a new houseguest who will be living with us for the next several months; he's a student from Harding University who interned at Fortress last summer. He came back for the spring semester to work with Fortress again (on his own dime) while he figures out which path to take next. His name is Zach, and last summer, every teenage girl who came in contact with him swooned and sighed and said, "Oooh. He's hotttt." He lives down the hall from Dani now, who spends every waking minute talking to her boyfriend Brian on her cell phone. She's not phased at all by the presense of Zach, thank goodness. :)

Unfortunately for me, I'm in trouble.
See, Zach is a night owl.
I am a night owl, constantly trying to break my bad habit of staying up way too late.
Last night around midnight-thirty, Zach and I started brainstorming a project he's working on at Fortress. Before we knew it, it was 2:30. Then we realized that we have some mutual friends and acquaintences in Uganda. So we got online and started surfing. We started talking about other African countries, and googling and Mapquesting. Traveled over to Jerusalem to say hello to my internet friend Carrie, then went all over Greece, revisiting cities Zach had seen on his trip there a few years back. Discovered that a blog I read, written by a guy who interned at Fortress a couple of years ago and is now teaching English in China, is one of Zach's best friends.

THEN we noticed that it was 3 a.m.
Darren, just so ya know... I tried to spend those wee hours slaving away in my studio, making money, meeting deadlines. It's Zach's fault, and he will be grounded if he pulls that stunt again.
*snort!*

Yep. I've met my match!

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Hi Veronica!

A request from Aidan. :)

I've never tried to do video this way before, but I'm tired of YouTube messing up my audio. SO. When I click this, it opens in Quick Time. Hope it works for you! Let me know if you can see it!

Click here.

Sunday, February 04, 2007

BLOG CHALLENGE: First

These questions were posed by my friend Cara, who realllly wants me to answer them. What - is she tryin' to dig up dirt on me or somethin'? I guess there goes my write-in ballot chances for 2008. Rats.

When was the first time you...

...fell in love ?
I was in 2nd grade, and Kyle was in 3rd. My crush lasted for years and years. I remember in 4th grade being paralyzed and speechless when he ended up at the lunch table sitting across from me. In 6th grade, I wrote his name all over the inside of my closet walls, but I misspelled it and wrote it in Kingergarten-print, just in case my parents saw it and got mad. I could say I'd done it YEARS ago. LOL! By the time we were in high school, we were really good friends, and remained so into college at UNT. I still had it BAD for him; I always did, I suppose, up until the day he died. Brain aneurysm. He was 22.

...lost someone close to you?
Elaine. I was 17. When school let out, she had a slumber party at her parents' lake house, but she was tired and lathargic the whole time... SO unlike my bouncy, bubby, always energetic friend. The following Monday, she was diagnosed with leukemia. She died 5 weeks later.

...drank alcohol?
I was 16, I think. Possibly 15. It was on the golf course at night, sitting on a bridge over a little creek, and the drink of choice was a bottle of 3-dollar port. I drank the whole thing and then barfed it up into the stream below. It's probably why I dislike wine - even good wine - so much to this day.

...got kissed?
Aren't girls supposed to remember this stuff? I don't. I remember my first french kiss, though. Jeff P, on that same golf course. I lost one of my Mom's pearl earrings that night and got in SO much trouble.

...went to the hospital?
I was a senior in high school, and had been bitten by a brown recluse. School nurse wouldn't let my drive in case I had some weird reaction from the bite, so my Mommy had to come pick me up and take me. In my 17-year old maturity, I thought that was the lamest thing EVER. The doctor drained the poison and gave me antibiotics. I have a small scar where the spider bit me.

...lost a pet?
Jasper was our collie. He loved to chase cars. We lived in a tiny rural Kansas town back then (I was 5), and he always chased OUR car when we went to the community pool. He got under our tires. I will never forget it. Dad buried him in our backyard.

...got your heart broken?
When I was in college, my parents sent my troubled youngest brother away to live with his biological father. My heart never ached as it did that weekend. I begged and begged for them to just let him move in with me at college, but in their wisdom, they wouldn't hear of it. It took me a long time to forgive them for sending him away. Honestly, I don't know if all of me really has.

...smoked a cigarette?
In college, sitting outside my dorm room door in the hallway of Kerr Hall. Menthol. Did it to impress a boy (KYLE!). Backfired. He said, "Since when did YOU start smoking?"... and I could tell he was disappointed in me. :(

...broke a bone?
I never have!

...got a job?
When I was 15, I started working in the concession stand at the movies. LOVED that job, 'cause I got to see all my friends when they came in, and I got into the movies for free when I wasn't working. Totally cool job. My Dad made me quit after a few months because he got tired of it interfering with the family's weekend activities. For years and years, I had a scar on my forearm from burning it on the popcorn kettle, but I just looked and it must have finally faded away!

...got cheated on?
Ya know, I don't think I ever got cheated on. I dated a lot in high school and college, but only had a few serious relationships. If one of those guys cheated on me, I never knew it.

...rode the city bus?
Summer of 1990, on a trip with college friends in Seattle. It was one of those "accordion" buses and I thought it was so cool.

...went to a concert?
I can't remember which one came first - Journey with Jeff S, Rod and Kristina (my Dad drove us to Dallas and waited 'til the concert was over to take us home), or Steppenwolf and The Guess Who with Jeff T and his friends. Jeff T was 10 years older than me, and went to our church. I was shocked that my parents let me go when he asked!

...met someone famous?
I really don't know. It was probably Steven Curtis Chapman in the mid-90s.

...dyed your hair?
Does Sun-In in the '80s count? First bottle do-it-yourself job was early '90s - auburn. LOVED it. First professional job was late '90s - again, auburn, with lowlights and highlights. Darren loves it when my hair is red!

...got your own cell phone?
Christmas 2000. Aidan was a tiny baby. We were at my parents' house in Oklahoma for Christmas and something started ringing under the tree. I finally figured out that it was one of my presents! Darren had charged the phone and given the number to my best friend back in Fort Worth (HI KAREN K!), and told her when to call. :)

...got a myspace?
Last spring, I think. Maybe summer. And only so I could get email updates when my friend Luke updates his site. I never go to my page, except when someone invites me to be their friend - gotta log in to say yes. :)

...snuck out the house?
8th grade. Sherilyn and I snuck out of her parents' house, then tiptoed to the backyard to steal toilet paper from the camper. Then we walked down the road and wrapped the chief of police's house! Funny thing is, her college-aged brothers were "babysitting" us, but were so absorbed in UT baseball on TV that we didn't need to sneak out. We could've just announced our plans and they wouldn't have blinked an eye.

...drove a car?
I was about 11 or 12. Started driving Dad's truck when we'd go out to "the farm" - our 15 acres out in the country where we raised pigs, cattle and vegetables. Me driving the truck made it easier for Dad to throw hay bales, haul water, etc.

...got your own digital camera?
Three years ago, when we started looking to buy our first house, we decided to get a digital camera so we could remember the differences in each house when we got home. I'm still using that same Camera - a Canon PowerShot A80. It's been a real workhorse, taking thousands and thousands of shots, riding around in my purse everyday. Part of it is held together with scotch tape now, but it still works perfectly. I still have my trusty Canon Rebel packed away... gathering dust... feeling lonely. I'm so spoiled to the instant gratification of digital now, I don't know that I'll ever go back to film, even though I dearly love the photos that my old Rebel took! A digital Rebel is on my dream list.

How old are you now?
37

the challenge:
This challenge is brought to you courtesy of my friend Cara, who for some reason reallllllly wanted me to answer these questions on my blog.

Friday, February 02, 2007

to Stacy, from Stacy

FedEx dropped a package on my front porch this afternoon:


How special am I?? :D
I'm expecting a package any day from my "Secret Cupid" on ScrapShare, and I thought maybe this was it. (After all, I know several Stacys on the board.) I thought, "WOW!!! Someone went ALL OUT! What a cool box!" Soon, though, I realized that I was way off base. Here's what was inside:



I don't know if Stacy Madison, the adorable co-founder of Stacy's Pita Chips, is a scrapbooker or not, but she oughta be. (And if she's not, she should hire me to scrapbook FOR her!)This box - besides being a treasure trove of pita chips (4 different flavors: Cinnamon Sugar, Parmesan Garlic and Herb, Texarkana Hot, and Pesto & Sundried Tomato, which Darren scarfed immediately)- is a gold mine of memorabilia. It contains my name EVERYWHERE (spelled correctly, no less), including on a big sticker that says "I'm a natural Stacy". The box itself is sturdy enough to use for scrapbook stuff storage. If it were 12x12, it'd be perfection. Also included in the surprise delivery are coupons and a "send Stacy's to a friend for free" postcard. This was definitely a good mail day! What a fun marketing strategy.

I immediately posted on ScrapShare to see how many other Stacys experienced Happy Mail today. So far, only one had, but she pointed me to this press release which assures me that I'm only one of 133,000 Stacys who got free chips today. Apparently, Dallas/Fort Worth is one of the "hot spots" in the nation for the name Stacy. We're ranked #6!

How appropriate that this summer, Elaine turned me on to Stacy's chips while I was in Nashville. I made Amy take a picture of me holding the bag, mostly because it's labeled "Simply Naked", and that just cracked me up. But also, they're darn good chips.

You know I've been losing weight, and that cutting out starches has been a huge impetus in my success, right? Do you think that maybe, just MAYBE, the carbs don't count if they're labeled with my name? Oh, I hope so. 'Cause there's some really cool logo stuff with MY NAME ON IT that I'm dying to have. All I hafta do is collect UPC labels. :D

Thursday, February 01, 2007

100 days smarter

Aidan came home today wearing a badge that boasted the title of this blog. Today was the 100th day of school, and that's a BIG DEAL to my little kindergartener. He's been anticipating today's events since day 10, when Zero the Hero visited his classroom and rubber banded the first grouping of 10 straws together. Every day, the class leader gets to pull a straw and place it in a cup with the others. When ten are gathered, they get rubber banded together. It was a neat way for the kids to see the numbers adding up.

Aidan had homework this week to commemorate the day. All of the Kindergarten classes worked together on a big wall mural. Aidan was assigned #94, and was assigned the task of creatively displaying it. He chose to use my scrapbooking stamps to make his numbers. First, he drew the numbers, then drew around the numbers to make them boxy, then he filled in the outline with 9s and 4s. So clever! He was proud as punch of his artwork.


His second assignment was to bring 100 items in a baggie. They had to be all the same item, and had to fit in a quart-size baggie. I offered a dozen suggestions, but he vetoes q-tips, mini-marshmallows, cheerios, pebbles, buttons and screws. Finally, when I suggested sunflower seeds, he got excited. lol!


I wanted to go to school today and experience 100th Day with him, but ALAS! I'm sick. So I waited anxiously for him to get home and fill me in.

"How was it, Aidan?"
"It was more exciting that I thought it would be!" he exclaimed.
"Cool! Why?" I probed.
"Just because," he answered, bounding out of the room, headed for his toys.

Tomorrow, Ian goes to Kindergarten Round-UP. This time next year, I'll have another kid who's 100 days smarter. :)