This boy......

So, this morning Parker woke up bright and early. He was so excited you would have thought it was Christmas morning. This was the brief conversation that followed when I walked into his room to turn on the light.

Parker: "Hey Mom, I want you to get me this afternoon right after primetime begins, ok?"

Me: "Well Park, I will probably be there to pick you up about an hour after you get out of school."

P: "But Mom, I want to get home early" (Keep in mind that he is not trick or treating with us this year- he is going down to his dad's house-BOO!)

Me: "Well, Parker, I have to work. I will leave as early as I can to get home and meet your daddy."

P: "Mom, you need to go to Mr. Bill (my boss) and tell him that you son needs to celebrate Halloween really early."

Me: "Well, Parker I can't. Mr. Bill isn't even in the office today."

P: "Really? Well then why don't we get this party started right now!"

The kid cracks me up. How can my day be bad when that is what my day starts with?
Happy Halloween! Be safe!

Sweet niblets...

Can I just say that Life is Good? Really good. No particular reason.... just relishing in the fact that despite a bad economy, job layoffs, a crazy presidential election, falling stocks...... life is still really good. I have a happy and healthy (despite the little stomach bug) family that I love with all my heart. Despite all of the busyness, things are good. I guess it is good to be busy. It means you have a purpose. Either shuttling kids to places, going to the dr, fulfilling obligations with friends- you still have a purpose. It is nice to think about.
**insert smiling faces, rainbows, happy flowers various other cheesy happy stuff**

A few weeks ago, while standing in the pew at Veronica's wedding, I got to thinking. I promise I was paying attention but I was also trying my damndest not to cry. So, I got to thinking. Each girl in our circle has such different qualities. Some are those that are completely expected. I, for one, always cry. I can't hold back the tears. Ask Angie about her wedding.... and the massive amounts of tears that were shed. From me. All from me. Yeah, that was a memory.
Anne- she is the sweet one. The princess. Pink clouds and happy rainbows used to gather in her room in college. I hardly ever saw her unhappy and no matter what she always had that upbeat happy voice. And the tiara. She always wore her tiara. And the one thing that I love most about her is that she ends every phone call with "Love you". She makes me feel special every single time I talk to her on the phone.
Angie- is the athletic one. And the crazy one. She can make up dances like its no ones business. She can do cheerleading jumps in the middle of a Wal Mart at 2 am. She can also belt out a Barbra Streisand tune at the drop of a hat. She was my big sister in my sorority and is the closest thing that I have to a sister here on earth.
Veronica- my latino bud. I haven't told her this but I never would have guessed her to be of hispanic descent (please don't kill me if I got that wrong V) when I met her. She even kinda had a southern accent. But seeing her in her element, in Miami, was so very wonderful and funny at the same time. Never in my life have I heard an accent like that come out of such a sweet pretty girl. She can bless you up and down in spanish and turn around and smile with such a sweet innocent face. I know that if any man ever did anything to any of us girls, she would seriously kick their arse. I would be very afraid of her if she wasn't my friend. Love you V!
Shannon- I think I had to tell someone who was sitting at our table at V's wedding that we were afraid she might have Turrett's Syndrome. That girl will say anything that comes to her mind. She is so funny and animated. She also has two of the most adorable children. I swear that Luke can say anything and be adorable with that southern drawl. If you need insurance she is the one to call. Her picture is about to be all over Atlanta so it will be fun to see her on a billboard and be able to say "Hey, that girl is my friend".

It is just a funny thought how such different personalities came to be friends. These friends give you purpose. I, myself, think that I am mughty lucky that thses girls not only like me, they love me. For who I am. For the crazy qualities I possess. Just as I do for them.

It goes without saying that my husband and son give me purpose. They give me a reason to get up every morning. They give me a reason to breathe, to dream, to believe, to think, and to cherish. I have a wonderful extended family as well. They love me no matter what. Life is good. And I am so glad that I am at a place in my life where I can say that. Whew- what a ride.

Oh my gosh- it's Tuesday????

If it gets really quiet around here, I apologize in advance. Craziness abounds and if I still have a job on November 10, it will be a miracle. Between doctors, dentists, and halloween visitation with the ex- I am missing so much time from work. On top of it all I had to run out of the office yesterday afternoon in order to keep the Alabama police from hunting me down. I got a speeding ticket in Sept while driving back from my grandmothers. No problemo.... Mike sent in a check over two weeks ago thinking that allowed plenty of time for it to clear before my court date this morning. Well, I called yesterday and they had not received it. So, I ran all over Decatur trying to find a money order. I realized the post office did those so I could knock everything out in one fell swoop. After standing in line for 30 minutes, I was informed that even overnighting it to Dothan, AL would not work. Apparently since it was a small town it wouldn't get there until Wed afternoon (um, that is overnighting it?). So, Mike made some calls and got it all straightened out. Our friend Scott has a brother in law in Dothan and he helped take care of it. Augh.
So then this morning, I pull into the parking deck at work and get a call from Parker's teacher. Parker had gotten sick with a nasty stomach bug (I'll spare you the details) and I had to go get him. So I am now sitting at home.
I guess I will do a quick recap of the weekend. Parker had his last soccer game on Saturday. He finished the season with a whopping 31 goals. After the game, Mike and Parker went to the Little River Game Ranch. I was still kinda sick and didn't want to get worse. I stayed home and worked on books for my table at the fall festival. The rest of the weekend was somewhat uneventful. I did get the pleasure of hanging out at Scrap Chic on Sunday afternoon. It is so much fun to hang out with those girls. I got my hands on some on the new Tim Holtz seasonal grungeboard. I ran it through the sizzix in an embossing folder and it looks so good. I can't wait to spray it and distress it. It will be perfect on some christmas projects I have up my sleeve.
Here are some pics from the weekend:

World War 3 and subsequent peace talks

So yesterday morning there was a small war at my house. Over a sweatshirt. A stinking green (olive green) sweatshirt (supercute, from Gymboree, had cable knit sweater stuff around neck). 45 minutes we fought over that shirt. It finally ended in him putting the shirt on in the car while sitting in the carpool lane. Lemme tell ya, he wasn't happy about it. He let me know that by screaming "I hate you" as he got out of the car. Nice.
So all day long, I labor over the fact that I hate battles like that with my child. "Pick your battles" is a phrase I always keep at the forefront of my mind, although that wasn't an option over the sweatshirt because 1. it was really cold outside and 2. every other sweatshirt we had was way too small. Apparently someones arms grew exponentially over the summer.
So, as a mother, we face the guilt of feeling like we aren't a good parent. Much to my dismay, the hard part that I was warned of in the beginning was nothing compared to when the baby grows up and begins to walk and talk. Parenting is hard. Way harder than I could have ever guessed. But worth it. 150% worth it.
So, when I picked Parker up from school I was ready for the fighting to resume. I was braced for the worst. WHat was one of the first things out of his mouth? "Hey mom, this sweatshirt is really warm, I like it" Um, excuse me. I nearly fell over. We went home and had a good night of Mommy/Parker time. It was great. Never once did the tv get turned on. We ate cereal for dinner (don't even start), we read words on the boxes, he used the table centerpiece pumpkins to discuss bigger, smaller, shorter and taller, we read books and cuddled in bed.
One significant change in our bestime routine was made...... we laid out the clothes for the next day. Let's just say that this morning was peaceful and easy. I would say that the peace talks were sucessful.

fun stuff

Since it seems that I have had an abundance of spare time in bed over the last two months (between my jaw and this CRUD), my laptop has become my best friend. I can read blogs till the cows come home and peruse around eclectic little online shops to find stuff that I would love to buy, but never do. So, I have compiled many many favorites. And since I am a generous spirit (or just a plain bored one) I will share some finds with you.

My most favorite would be these

These little jewels are perfect for those folks who are always borrowing your pens yet never return them. "This set of 8 hilarious pens each measure 5" long, guarantee an impression and allows you to have a chuckle at someone else's expense! Pens Read: "Springfield Sexual Addiction Center," "Shecky the Clown-Bar Mitzvahs, Weddings, Interventions," "Dr. Lance Hughes, Proctology," "Electrolysis Is Us," "Van Nuys Center for Cosmetic Surgery," "Verdant Fields Nudist Camp," "Stuffed with Love Taxidermy," and "Howie's House of Hair." These can be found at patinastores.com.

As always, I love etsy. Oh etsy..... such trouble for me to get into. The sheer fact that you can search things by color is so dangerous. Anything green is always on my list. As well as anything personalized, vintage, shabby chic, or involving cupcakes- they all lead me into temptation. Oh deliver me from evil......

from The Paper Princess











perverted cupcake magnets from seller KillTaupe

Or this jewel from seller wilibleu:

And....just in case you aren't yet impressed with my totally random stuff for the day, I have the following for you:

I will let you figure out what they say....

Tough it out Tuesday

So, the crud has officially invaded my body. I am the walking epitome of that old Nyquil commercial (Sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, runny nose, etc.) I am convinced that dayquil is just orange jello in a little gel cap. It doesn't do a thing for me. Oh well. I gotta remember to bring a can of lysol to work tomorrow to disinfect the stinking cubicle I am in.

So, with the election quickly descending upon us, I have found some fun in the situation. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate debating politics and religion. I just don't do it. My take is that I like anyone who enjoys cupcakes and long walks in the park. No confrontation or debate on that one since I avoid confrontation at all costs. Anyways, I digress. Driving around town, I see this everywhere. Here in GA, more specifically right down the street from our house, there is apparently a guy named Mike Jacobs running for State Representative. His district ends just a few blocks from our house. I keep seeing the signs. Everytime I see them I can't help but crack up. I love it. As soon as Election day comes and goes, I am going to rip one down and permanently put it in our yard. Just to make me smile on a daily basis. To make matters worse, Mike has been getting calls concerning land disputes and zoning issues. I guess they get his number off the GA bar website. Hardy har har.

Another funny political moment came last night when Parker saw that one of his friends houses had an Obama/Biden sign in their yard. The poor little guy came home last night and asked if they could still be friends. Poor little guy. I had to explain to him that we are friends with people of every belief. Just because we may not all agree does not mean that we can't be friends. I am constantly reminded of how different the world must look through the eyes of a child. Oh I wish I could be that innocent and sweet again....

Monday Fun...

So, what a weekend. I was sick throughout most of it, but we still managed to have fun. Parker had a soccer game, we decorated for Halloween, finally found jeans for my size 6 slim boy, and went to a 5 year old's birthday party. I got one album almost done for my table at the fall festival. Guess who forgot to take their camera to any of the above events? Yep- what a great memory keeper I am.
I am hoping that we make it to the pumpkin patch this weekend with Parker. My sister in law Stephanie sent me pictures of my adorable nieces at the pumpkin patch. Caroline and Ella look like they had fun.


In other saddening news, the Boston Red Sox lost last night against the Rays. Boo Hoo. There is a definite mood change around our house when baseball season ends. We are a pretty dull bunch to be around until April. Normally we would just change gears and cheer for the Patriots, but that isn't fun anymore since Brady is out. What about the Boston Bruins or the Celtics? Is basketball season going on yet? Ha- I really have no idea. I can follow college football but we all know that Mikey isn't down with that. Seeing as how I didn't join a pick'em team this year, I am pretty disconnected from even college football. It's been a weird year.

I gotta go look at the sign up schedule for the YMCA. We are signing Parker up for Karate this winter. I have heard that this helps instill discipline into children so I am keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed that this is true. After a successful hearing test, I know that Parker has perfect hearing. He is just not choosing to utilize it when words come out of my mouth. Such is life with a 5 year old boy....

I leave you with a little funny I got from my friend Angie. It cracked me up.
My Nine Names (this is fun!)

1. YOUR REAL NAME:

Amy

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle.)

Amyizzle

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color and favorite animal)

Green chipmunk

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (your middle name and street you live on/or neighborhood if it's a number)

Beth Seaman

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first

2 letters of your first name)

Jacam

6. YOUR SUPERHERO/CRIMINAL NAME: (Your 2nd favorite color, and favorite drink )

Orange Cosmopolitan

7. YOUR IRAQI NAME: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, 1st letter of your last name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of your dads name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, and last letter of your moms first name).

McJiby

8. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (parents middle names).

Cherie Eugene

9. YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets)

Black Leia