Elvis Who?

It's NASCAR Monday! Wait, don't go, this is not a boring race recap post, I promise. However, it is a boring How I Spent My Summer Vacation post. Enjoy!

On Friday, we made the 4 hour trip to Memphis to watch the trucks race. Despite it being the hottest day of the year we had a great time. The boys handled the crowd and noise very well and proved themselves to be very good race fans. I think we'll be taking them on our annual trip to Texas for the Cup car race next year.

Did you know there are a million things to do in Tennessee? We packed in as many activities that our budget and time would allow for one weekend. We went to Mud Island, the Fire Museum, the Children's Museum of Memphis, the aforementioned truck race, Neely's BBQ, and America's Incredible Pizza Company. And I did NOT have to go to Wal-Mart even once! That made it a perfect vacation for me!

Firsts And Lasts

Wheezer from Wheezer's Cheeze recently posted a 100Truths meme--way too long for me so I picked out the 'Firsts' and 'Lasts' sections of the meme to work with.

My Firsts

1. First surgery: I had surgery when I was about 9 weeks old because of a gastrointestinal condition called Pyloric Stenosis. Will Ferrell had it too and his scar can be seen in some of his movies. My scar is top secret, though. And very camera shy.

2. First piercing: My ears when I was in the third grade. It was also my last, thank you very much.

3. First best friends: Terri. She lives in Texas now and homeschools her 6 children. She's a better woman than I am.

4. First sport I joined: Girls Club basketball in the 4th grade--I hated it--it was my mom's idea. I voluntarily ran track in high school and loved it.

5. First pet: My first pet of my own was a hamster named Roosevelt. She liked baby back ribs.

6. First vacation: We didn't really take vacations growing up but I do remember going to Six Flags in Texas once.

7. First concert: When WD and I were dating he took me to Memphis to see Sting and Natalie Merchant. Awesome.

8. First crush: Do celebrity crushes count? Indy race car driver Danny Sullivan in the mid-80s.

My Lasts

1. Last beverage: Decaf mint green tea this morning.

2. Last phone call: My sister. I called to ask her what she was doing and to tell her what I was doing.

3. Last text message: I texted "Home?" to my sister to ask if she made it home safely after visiting for Father's Day. She did.

4. Last song I listened to: Van Halen's Dancing in the Street. It was against my will.

5. Last time I cried: Last week when I was reading Haven Kimmel's She Got Up Off the Couch. I got to the part where Haven was dreaming about dead mice and her mom came into her room and pretended to pick them off her bed one by one. I don't know why, but that just did me in.

Wordless Wednesday: Fun In The Sun

Alternate titles:

This Is Why I've Been A Bad Blogger Ever Since School Let Out

Why I Haven't Posted Since Last Thursday

The Reason I'm Averaging Only 3 Posts Per Week For The Month Of June

So Long, My Friend. My Yummy, Delicious Friend.

It shouldn't be too much longer until blackberry season is here! We have wild blackberries growing all around us but the best pickin' is done right across the road from our house where they're much easier to get to. Ever since those little white blooms popped up a couple of months ago, I have been craving blackberries--blackberry cake, blackberry cobbler, and maybe I'll even try making my own blackberry wine. And I can't forget my favorite, Blackberry Brulee.

But then something happened...

These guys showed up yesterday from the electric company and doused the roadside with chemicals. I'm guessing that they did this to prevent any saplings from growing up and interfering with the lines but my poor innocent blackberry bushes were caught up in the assault. And while I'm very thankful that the electric company restored my power Saturday morning (after Friday's storm) I do believe they owe me some blackberries!

Wordless Wednesday: Pick One!

It's Over!

Baseball season is over! Wait, make that !!!!!!!!!

I love it when the season starts--the fresh air, the warmer weather, and seeing how excited Big pup gets when he hits the ball. These boys were all on the same T-ball team last year so it's nice to have them all together again, seeing how much they've improved and reconnecting with the parents.

But about halfway through the schedule, I start counting down the games. All the traveling to away games and 2 hour practices on school nights start wearing me down. Not to mention paying 50 cents for one ring pop at the concession stands. So I'm gladly hanging up my chauffeur hat for the summer, relaxing before soccer season starts in the fall, and stocking up on packages of ring pops from the dollar store.

In Case You Really Want To Know...

Out of curiosity wouldn't it just be easier to buy the plain cap'n crunch?

Why, yes, it would BUT seriously, he ate about 15 bowls of the kind with crunchberries before declaring that they tasted funny and he refused to eat them. And I'm too cheap to throw the whole box out!


Woah! (re: shedding picture) Was that with the Furminator?

Mostly I use the rake style brush because they're a double-coated breed but I do love the Furminator! I have the knock off version (have I mentioned I'm cheap?) called the Furbuster and it is perfect for my sister's beagle mix--it gets out so much hair!

OH my, that so looks like my yard. We have a huskyX and I have to admit I love to brush her out and see her coat change from ratty yellow to pure white.

Isn't that one of the most satisfying things in the world? I love it when I'm able to pluck out huge clumps of it with my fingers.


I heard about mint on NPR too. So, has it helped your budgeting?

I think it has helped a little, tiny, itty-bitty bit. It mostly gets me more involved in my finances and shows me exactly where my money is going. I like that I can compare how much hubby spends on food while at work from month to month and seeing if what we've paid for gas each month has decreased any. But I hate getting those email reminders that say "You've exceeded your budget for shopping this month!"

www.poissonrouge.com This one requires no reading to navigate. Kids could really be lost there for hours.

Thanks Dawna! I took a look around and I got lost there for hours!


(re: Dr. Seuss poem) That must've been a startling email to get! Here's hoping the long arm of the law is satisfied and won't be coming after you anymore!

Amen! The email said I had 3 days to take it down but it only took me half a second! But it makes me wonder if schools everywhere are having to get permission to read it. The poem is quite long and I only printed--with credit to Dr. S--a small excerpt of it. What about including excerpts from books in book reviews or the lyrics to songs? It's all very confusing. And scary. I think I hid under my desk for the day.

I would not post it on my blog, I would not post it in a fog, I would not steal your poem straight from you, I would not could not please don't sue!

This is from Robin and must be shared! Perfect!

Oh no, please tell me you don't wear slippers to the grocery store! Now I have to see a flick of the slippers, post one please!

Guilty! I get a new pair for Christmas each year and since we're already 6 months down, I will spare you all from looking at a pic of my well-worn slippers. You're welcome!

Okay, so I don't wear slippers to the grocery store, but I DO love the Blues Clues with Steve. I think I stopped watching when Joe came on.

I hear ya. Joe is so over the top--he needs to calm down a bit:)

My Picky Eater, Part...I've Lost Track

I've got 6 more years until my oldest becomes a teenager. That gives me 6 years to prepare for all the sarcasm, moodiness, and disrespect that comes with an insolent teenage boy. So while he's playing loud music in his room behind closed doors and having me drop him off a block away from school, I'd like the record to show that I painstakingly--and with love--remove all the crunch berries from Cap'n Crunch cereal. That way, the offending crunch berries do not mingle with the more delectable yellow corn squares. I just hope he remembers this when he's 16!

Wordless Wednesday: Husky Hair Everywhere

Web Surfing Part 2

Have you read Dogblog yet? A man walks around San Francisco and takes pictures of dogs tied to benches, poles, meters, etc. Very funny. Here's another funny animal blog: F**k You Penguin. You've probably read this one before, seeing how it has almost 7000 followers. Just in case you haven't, it's about a blogger who derides animals for being so cute.

I heard about Mint.com on NPR one morning and had to try it out. I love it. It's a free budgeting website that has really helped me see where my money is going--with pie charts! You have to register, though.

Starfall is one of my favorite educational sites. It's geared toward young children learning how to read. Big pup absolutely loves the 'All About Me' section. Funbrain is another educational site where kids can play games. Click on the 'Playground' section. It's fun and free--no registering.

Web surfing part one is here:)

Green Eggs And Copyright Infringement

I love introducing people to great poetry--that's my goal here on Poetry Fridays. A couple of weeks ago I posted an excerpt from a Dr. Seuss poem--a popular one that is normally read at graduation ceremonies. And then I got an email full of words like 'allegedly', 'liability', 'legal counsel', 'copyright infringement', and my favorite 'counter notification pursuant to sections 512(g)(2) and (3)'. I sure hope that all that means is "TAKE IT DOWN!", because that's what I did. It's gone, Dr. S, I promise. So now I'm sticking only to posting poems that are in the public domain. A life of crime is just not for me.

So please enjoy this poem by Edgar Lee Masters that was published BEFORE 1923, thank you very much!

The Circuit Judge by Edgar Lee Masters

Take note, passers-by, of the sharp erosions
Eaten in my head-stone by the wind and rain —
Almost as if an intangible Nemesis or hatred
Were marking scores against me,
But to destroy, and not preserve, my memory.
I in life was the Circuit Judge, a maker of notches,
Deciding cases on the points the lawyers scored,
Not on the right of the matter.
O wind and rain, leave my head-stone alone!
For worse than the anger of the wronged,
The curses of the poor,
Was to lie speechless, yet with vision clear,
Seeing that even Hod Putt, the murderer,
Hanged by my sentence,
Was innocent in soul compared with me.

Tea and Teletubbies

Kristen from La Dolce Vita tagged me for a list of Happy Things recently. And by recently I mean TWO days ago. I think this is the quickest I've ever responded to a tag!

So here's my list of 6 unimportant things that make me happy:

1. My kitchen. It's exactly what I wanted when we had our house built.

2. My morning tea. It's decaf but still, it jumpstarts my day.

3. NPR. It's my only news source. Well, that, and people.com.

4. Taste Of Home magazine. It's nice to get something other than bills in the mail.

5. When I catch a glimpse of the shows my boys watched when they were really little--Blues Clues (with Steve), 64 Zoo Lane, Oobi, Teletubbies--it brings back good memories.

6. My slippers! I've been known to wear them to the grocery store. I'm sorry.

Thanks again for the tag, Kristen!

Wordless Wednesday: Pick One!

Goodbye First Grade

Today's the last day of school! I don't know who I'm more excited for--Big pup or myself. No more getting up early and having to do homework. Here's to a summer of going to the movies, playing in the pool, watching baseball and race cars, and lots of other fun activities. And somewhere between Chuck E. Cheese and the zoo I would like to take a nap, please.