The Almost Worst Day of My Life

Saturday evening, we had an event occur at our home that I'm sure will not soon be forgotten.  It started out as a completely normal Saturday night.  We debated between pizza and a movie, going out for dinner, or skipping the showers and sitting around a backyard campfire.  With pizza being the winning decision, Hubby decided to pull my van into the garage for the night.  I was on the porch, watering flowers, and the kids were here & there.

All of a sudden, I heard a tremendous crash and Hubby began yelling things like, "God, no!"  He's not a yeller so I flipped out.  I remember dropping the watering can and screaming, "What happened?"  Yet, I was frozen with fear.  I remember being unable to approach the dreadful sound, for fear that my 3-year old baby would be lying in the midst of it.

I'll save you from vomiting right now- she's fine.  But, in that moment, I honestly thought he ran her over with the van.  I finally ran off the porch and turned the corner to see a disarray of everything in our garage.  The shelf had fallen over, there was stuff everywhere, and the shiny, black door of our van was opened completely the wrong way.  Meaning, the painted side of the door was touching the front tire/bumper area of the car.

Hubby was in a state of shock and couldn't communicate to me what just occurred.  I was still screaming, "What happened?"  Baby Girl was standing off to the side, in the grass, bawling hysterically.  She had never seen her parents screaming wildly before (unless it was aimed at her for  her misbehavior).  I picked her up to console her, still trying to calm myself down and figure out what happened.

The real story, which I didn't even get out of Hubby until a couple hours later, is as follows.  Before he started the car, he told Baby Girl to back up and get out of the way so he could pull the car in.  He saw her walk away and deemed the situation safe.  Halfway into the garage, he felt a thump thump, which he immediately thought was her tiny, little body.  He threw open the driver's door and shoved the gearshift into park.  He jumped out of the van to see what he hit when the van started going in reverse.  In his panic, he didn't get the gearshift all the way up to park.  It only made it to reverse.  When that happened, he was thrown up against the side of the garage while the door knocked over the shelf.  Pinned between the car and the garage, he was helpless.  The van kept rolling backward and the momentum was enough to force the door all the way forward.  At this point, he still didn't know if she was safe.  That's when he started yelling. 

He somehow managed to stop the vehicle and find his daughter.  It turns out, the object he hit was Son #2's golf bag, which happens to be about the same size as Baby Girl.  His fear turned into rage and he lost his temper quite a bit.  This contributed to Baby's Girl's hysteria.  I worked quickly to calm them both down and tried to figure this puzzle out.  Hubby wasn't even sure if he was injured yet but explained that he was pinned between the car and the garage.

The van door was crumpled like a piece of paper.  It amazes me that a big, strong machine like a vehicle can just crumple the way it did.  I couldn't even bring myself to take a photo of it, I was so sick about the entire situation.

Typically, I am the cause of fender benders in this family.  He doesn't know what it feels like to drive home, sobbing, to tell the story of how you wrecked the car.  He was so angry at himself and angry at Son #2 for leaving his golf clubs in the way.  He kept apologizing to me over and over with the sound of tears in his voice.

The optimist in me kept explaining that there was no need to apologize; that's why it's called an accident.  This accident could have had a much worse ending.  With everyone involved coming out unharmed, I considered it a happy ending.  Sure, it's going to cost a fortune at the body shop.  We couldn't even get the door closed and had to rig the car so the interior lights would go off.  The cost doesn't bother me.  Being without a vehicle for a week or so doesn't bother me.  Cleaning up the mess in the garage didn't bother me.  God had his hand of protection over my family that day, so there's not a single thing I could even ask for.

Feeling very blessed today...

Random Happenings

There is nothing quite like being on the toilet, still in pajamas, when the repairman rings the doorbell over an hour early. Oh yeah there is- when he has to go down into your basement, that could probably be featured on some sort of reality show, to turn off the main water line.  I was a mess, the house was a mess, and the kids were a mess.  I was planning on getting quite a bit accomplished in that final hour before his arrival.  I guess that's what I get for procrastinating!  Let's chalk this one up as a day I don't care to remember.

----------

On a positive note, that repairman was here to install my brand new, sparkling clean dishwasher! I am so ready to be rid of dishpan hands!  I have never been quite this excited before to load the dishwasher!

----------

Since I can't remember the date of my last run, I'm quite proud of the 2.25 miles I ran two nights ago. The marathon is just 2 months away. Yeah, I'm not even close to ready. Boogers!

----------

Last night, we rode approximately 12 miles on our bikes!  We have a trail just blocks from our house that stretches almost our entire state.  It was such a nice ride and I discovered some beautiful scenery I didn't even know existed that close to home!  I am going to buy a basket for my bike so I can take my camera along with me next time.  There were so many times I wish I'd had it!  One spot was so unique that I'm thinking of taking my little cousin there to shoot some of his Senior Portraits.  I also downloaded Map My Ride on my phone so I don't have to keep guessing how far we rode.  The rootbeer float to end the evening was pure bliss!   When was the last time you had a rootbeer float? 

----------

The neighbor boy from a couple posts ago is still a nuisance. Yesterday, he knocked on my door no less than 10 times. In fact, I thought he was the one ringing the bell today when the repairman was early. That's why I didn't even get up right away. When he pounded on the door with his toy gun to tattle that my children were in their grandma's house, I got more than a little irritated. I told him he could not keep knocking on my door all day. Maybe I scared him off because I haven't seen him yet today.

----------

I really need to discover a new way to input information for posts. I had a heck of a time with the formatting for Wednesday's post and today's post is giving me a hard time too. There's gotta be an easier way! I wish I understood more about HTML. If I could just plug in my text and photos like in a Publisher document, I would be one happy chica!

----------

Tonight, I'm loading up on an old school bus, that has no air conditioning, and driving 2 1/2 hours each way for my sign language group to perform.  I was hoping that my oldest member of the group would be going to help chaperone but he has to work.  I am dreading this trip like a visit to the lady doctor.  (Well, not quite that bad.)  I will be crashing into bed sometime around 1:00 AM tonight.  Oh, the things I do for my favorite teenagers in the world!

A Neat Thing

I don't check my blog email too often.  I just forget.  It's the address that I enter on all my couponing websites, my survey sites, and anything else that I worry about getting spam from.  Logging on once or twice a week is pretty common for me.  If I'm blogging a lot, I try to check it every day. 

Because of this lack of being on the ball (does that mean I'm off the ball?), I miss out on stuff from time to time.  For example, I just lost a $10 Shutterfly coupon that expired June 30.  Duh!  I really could have used that too for the $80 project that's been sitting in my cart for some time now. 

Today, I logged onto my email and almost deleted something important.  The subject caught my eye because it had the word "tuba" in it.  Typically, very little spam about tubas is sent out.  I opened it with caution and read an email from a middle school band director.  Through a Google search, he stumbled upon my photo of Son #1 playing his tuba last year.  This band director is making a website as part of his Master's project and requested permission to use my photo!  I doubt that most people ask permission for something that doesn't have a watermark splashed across it (something that I've avoided doing because of how it ruins the look of photos on my blog).  This man also said he would give credit to my blog. 

I shared this information with Son #1, who was thrilled about being featured on a website.  I was quite thrilled too and sent him the full resolution image. 

I just thought that was kind of neat and wanted to share it.  I will also admit that, moments before discovering the email, I was Googling "how to sell stock photos."  I have been thinking lately about trying to sell some of my better work.  I enjoy taking and editing photos and would love to earn a wee bit o' spending money for them.  Can anyone point me in the right direction???

Something funny I just noticed- this photo was taken with what Son #1 calls "The Junky Tuba."  The poor thing has been beat up and dented horribly.  The photo would have turned out much nicer with "The Good Tuba" he brings home for performances and auditions.  Oh well! 

Celebrity WWTK

The Lovely One wants to know:

{one} What Disney character do you most resemble and why?

I would have to say Belle.  She's a brunette and she loves to read.  I'm not quite that avid of a reader, although I'd like to be if I had no other responsibilities in life.  My father isn't crazy like hers but he builds things.  I don't think I'm known as the odd girl in town, but I did land a good-looking prince!

And it got Mamarazzi, wanting to know...

{two} Who was your teenage celebrity crush?

I always had a thing for Alex P. Keaton.  I think it was the sweater vests.

{three} What celebrity would you love to be BFF with?

Paula Deen and I would cook up a storm together.  Although, if I was BFFs with Martha Stewart, she could decorate my home and help me cultivate a beautiful flower garden.  But she's a little stiff for me.  I really think I would enjoy hanging out with Tina Fey.  She would keep me in stitches all day long!

{four} Who is your celebrity look a like?

I don't think I look like anyone famous.  When I was around 20, people used to say I looked like Jesse from Saved by the Bell.  I never thought so.  Recently, someone said I looked like a character from Smallville.  I've never watched it.  In that movie, Little Black Book, I think I kind of resemble one of the ex-girlfriends.  She has green eyes and freckles.  Anyone have a better suggestion for the next time I'm asked this question?

My Hubby, on the other hand, seems to look like many different celebrities.  He got Tom Cruise once and someone from old cowboy movies a few times.  A kid in our church thinks he looks like Woody from Toy Story, so their whole family calls him Woody now.

Mostly, he gets told that he looks like Joel Osteen.  Once as he was going into surgery, already partially drugged up, and all the nurses were talking about the resemblance.  Once in a restaurant, our waitress swore he was Joel Osteen.  She said she wouldn't bother us because she knows we were incognito.  At one point, she said, "I don't know what his wife looks like...well, I guess she looks like you because you are them!"  It was hilarious; she would not believe us that we weren't the famous televangelists!  (I personally think Hubby is much better looking.)

{five} Which celebrity/celebrity couple would you want to portray you/your honey in a movie about your life?

Is there such a thing as a celebrity couple any more?  I think they all split. 

For myself, I would choose Sandra Bullock.  No, I don't look like her but I wouldn't mind looking like her.  For Hubby, I would choose Patrick Dempsey.  I personally think he looks more like my husband than Joel Osteen.  Plus, I don't think Joel does many movies. 

If you would like to join in the fun with We Want to Know, visit Mamarazzi or Crazymama and link up!

Shutterfly Photo Contest

I'm a little behind the times, but I wanted to tell you about a Shutterfly Facebook Photo Contest before it's too late.  If you've read my blog much, you know how much I love Shutterfly!  I'm especially a fan of their hardback photo albums and custom Christmas cards. 

Right now, Shutterfly is hosting a photo contest and the grand prize is a trip for four to The Bahamas with a professional photo shoot!  How many of us would not love something like that???  Sadly, the first two weeks of the contest are over, but there are still three to go.  This week's theme is "Water Fun."  I know I've taken so many photos of my kids and family and have thought, Wow, that could probably win a contest!  Well, now is my chance! 

There are also instant prizes just for submitting a photo and weekly prizes, including a $500 Shutterfly gift card!

If you would like to check out the contest, visit Shutterfly's Facebook Page. 

Maybe you'll soon see one of my photos as a featured winner on Shutterfly's contest!  (Fingers crossed!)  If you end up winning, I expect some sort of souvenir from the Bahamas!  :)  Good luck, friends!

Unwelcome Neighbors

Maybe this is something that happens to the regular Joe often, but it's not something we've dealt with in the past.  We don't live in a traditional neighborhood and rarely have neighborhood kids running about.  It's both a blessing and a curse.  My brother and I always had our cousins, who lived next door, to play with.  My kids have one another.  Sure, I envy that homey allotment from The Wonder Years where people barbecue together, wash their cars together, and visit one another's yard sales.  But our privacy sure is nice too.

Recently, the house across the street (the old man with six dogs who sat outside in a lawn chair all day, shirtless) went up for rent.  We were thrilled to get rid of the old neighbor but hoped for new owners instead of tenants.  A slew of people seemed to move in there, judging by the numerous cars always parked in the street.  There is only one man I recognize, the others seem to change all the time.  There is a little boy who lives there.  He doesn't go to school with my kids but gets picked up and dropped off right in front of his house on a special bus.  I deducted that he had some sort of special need.

Today, my kids were playing outside with a friend they invited over for the day.  The boy from across the street just showed up- in our back yard.  Uninvited.  Our back yard is very inaccessible to the public, so seeing a stranger in it is rather shocking.  I called one of my kids to the door and asked them who the boy was.  They said he showed up in the back yard and declared, "I need some friends."  I instantly felt sorry for him and encouraged my kids to play with him. 

The boy is a screamer.  I am far from the best parent in the world, but screaming is something I do not allow my children to do.  It's something I cannot handle.  Even in McDonald's Playland, my kids are not allowed to scream.  That issue became a bit of a battle when I had little girls.  Little girls love to scream.  They just do.  It's something I put a stop to because it drives me absolutely insane.  Baby Girl was napping at the time so I told the kids not to scream.  Yeah, didn't work.

Then, my kids came tearing in the house and locked the door.  "What in the world are you doing?" I demanded to know.  The kids answered that the neighbor boy was attempting to hit them with a belt.  I looked out the window to see a kid tearing around through my yard, screaming and wildly swinging a belt around.  "OK, you stay in the house and stay away from the windows."  That's all I needed to tell my friend is that a neighbor kid hit her son with a belt while he was visiting at my house. 

Minutes later, the neighbor rang my doorbell and asked where the kids were.  I said they were playing.  He asked where and I said I didn't know.  About a minute after that, he knocked at my back door and said that he saw the kids in my house.  I explained that they came in because he was trying to hit them with a belt and they don't want to play with someone who tries to hit them.  He said he wasn't trying to hit them, even though I told him I saw him chasing my kids through the window.  I didn't tell him to leave; I figured he would eventually go home on his own.

Next thing I noticed, he turned on my garden hose and started overflowing the kiddie pool.  I opened the door and told him to turn it off.  A few minutes later, he began spraying the hose at my windows.  That does not make me a happy mama.  I hate water spotted windows!  I walked outside and started shaking my head at him.  I turned off the hose, which he said was broken and wouldn't turn off.  I told him not to spray my windows.  Still, I didn't ask him to leave.

He stayed around for a while and then began walking home.  At that same moment, my other son was being dropped off by his uncle.  The boy walked up to him and asked if he was one of the kids he was trying to whip.  Nice.  My son said no and came on inside.  The kid finally went home. 

I am someone who has patience for children with special needs.  I'm not sure this kid actually has one, other than poor behavior.  I don't want to be mean to him but I'm not comfortable with my kids, especially Baby Girl, being outside with a kid who behaves that way.  I don't allow my kids to play with children whose parents I've never met, but I realize I may not be the norm. 

Do I sneak my kids out the back door, hoping he won't notice when they go out?  This could turn into a regular problem, I'm afraid.  With the neighbors being renters, they probably won't stick around too long anyway.  The problem will probably take care of itself.

Like I said, this is probably something most people deal with all the time, but we're not used to neighborhood kids!  So stop laughing at me now!

The Girl's Birthday

As hard as I try to stop them, my kids keep growing up.  The best part about them is that they get even prettier the older they get.  (Well, the girls at least.)

Big Sis turned 8 on Monday and we had a nice party for her on Saturday.  Since she was little, she's been obsessed with flamingos.  She used to call them BABINGOS.  How cute is that?  When Build-A-Bear came out with a flamingo, she just had to have it.  While browsing the Target dollar bins last week, I saw some flamingo stuff, which gave me the idea.  Big Sis has chosen many, many birthday themes over the past twelve months.  She's already started planning for next year.  But when I asked if she wanted a flamingo party, she exuberantly agreed.

Not many people have entire parties based on flamingos.  Believe me, I've searched.  I did find a couple good ideas online but most people have luaus that feature some flamingos.  So, I had to come up with most of the ideas on my own.  I tried to take a lot of pictures, something I typically fail to do at my own children's parties.  I wanted to show you guys all the cuteness I came up with.

First of all, the food:

I  really wanted to have an all pink menu, but that didn't quite work out.  Watermelon wasn't on sale and there really aren't many other pink foods we like.  I colored the fruit dip pink and chose pink-ish apples, so that works.  Big Sis also requested salami, so that fits into the pink category.  I don't think anyone picked up on my half hearted attempt at a pink theme.

If you can't tell, I have darling little flamingo picks in the food.  They cost a fortune to have shipped here, so please enjoy them fervently.

These pink marshmallows are one of the ideas I found online.  You dip a marshmallow in water, shake off the excess, and cover them with sprinkles.  I had that colored sugar already at home, so I used that.  The kids loved them and said they tasted like Peeps!

The Drink Station

It hadn't rained here in a month and a half.  But all week, there was a high chance of rain all day on Saturday.  I was bummed all week.  The day of the party, I kept checking the radar and looking outside.  It was overcast, but just didn't want to rain.  Finally, I took a chance and started setting up things outside.  Moments later, it began sprinkling.  I grabbed everything perishable and hurried inside.  Fortunately, the raindrops only lasted a couple minutes and we didn't get rained on.  Right now, we're pretty anxious for that rain!!!

The punch in the photo above is raspberry sherbet and cherry 7-UP.  It was amazingly delicious!  I meant to float raspberries in the ice water, but forgot.  Look how horrid my grass looks!  Wowzers!  You'd think I live in the desert!

The Kids' Table

The flamingo boxes were from Target.  I filled them with junk toys like bouncy balls, little rings, and glow in the dark bracelets.  Each cup had a bendy flamingo straw, which also cost a fortune to ship.

The gift of the day was a pink iPod from my parents.  She's been anxiously awaiting her own iPod for the longest time.  I guess the next thing she'll ask for is a cell phone.  Hmmm....

We had a pink water balloon toss and a pink scavenger hunt.  The winners received a dandy little flamingo pen with feathers all over it and a little notepad.  I took a photo of each guest with the birthday girl, which I will use for thank-you notes. 

Finally, we moved on to cake.  I made a 3-tier chocolate and pink cake that was decorated with clearance flamingo lawn ornaments from JoAnn's.  The bottom tier was pink, the middle tier was grass, and the top tier was a pool of water.  Big Sis helped me design it.  My mother purchased the huge flamingo balloon and Big Sis wore an adorable flamingo shirt with sequins and a pink tutu.  I had to spoil her with a pink feather boa and pink feathers for her hair.

Sisters

It turned out to be a lovely and special day!

WWTK

It's late on Wednesday and I am just now posting We Want To Know.  Better late than never!

If you would like to link up, visit Mamarazzi or Crazymama.  All are welcome!

Crazymama, just got back from the grocery store, where she was shopping while hungry.  That is never a good idea and caused her to come up with these questions for today.

{1} Walking down the cookie aisle at the store, what do you pick?
Whatever is on sale and I have a coupon for. My days of picking out whatever looks good are over. But if I was going to do that, it would be one of those Pepperidge Farms cookies, like Mint Milanos or those crunchy chocolate chip cookies!

{2} Would you rather eat chips or crackers? which kind?
It depends on my mood. If it's chips, it's cheesy Pringles! If it's crackers I'm in the mood for, it would be anything with cheese on them, like Cheez-It's or, better yet, those Pepperidge Farms crackers with cheese baked on top - mmmm! No, I am not getting paid to endorse Pepperidge Farms....they just make some good products! Maybe I should be getting paid...

{3} What kind of pickles do you like?
I really only like pickles if I'm eating a club sandwich. When I do eat them, they must be crunchy and dill!

{4} What is your favorite candy?
Oh, the list could go on for eternity! I'm not a fan of fruity candy but I love chocolate!! My favorites change, but always include Dove, Symphony with toffee, any chocolate with almonds, plain M&Ms, Take 5, Kit Kat, and Cadburry Eggs, of course!

{5} marycate wants to know about your beverage preference.  Coke Or Pepsi? Diet Drinkers?
It's Diet Coke all the way, baby! I'm one of those people who hates restaurants that serve Pepsi. When a waitress says, "Is Diet Pepsi ok?" I say, "No, I'll have ice water with lemon.'"

First Responder

Hubby called home with a very interesting story yesterday.  He was driving back to the truck terminal after finishing his route.  He noticed a car on fire on the side of the highway.  He pulled his truck over in front of the car and ran to see what happened.  He was the first person there.

He saw a young man climbing out of the window of the upside-down car.  "What happened?" he immediately asked.  The man was bleeding but seemed well.  He said he lost control of the car and hit the guardrail.  It flipped the car over and the car caught fire.  Hubby realized that he'd better pull the man away from the burning vehicle.  The man exclaimed that his ankle was hurt so Hubby hoisted the man up (said he was much too large to carry) and assisted him further away from the highway.  Within twenty seconds, the car exploded!  I said that Hubby saved his life but, like any regular hero, he said he didn't do anything.  He said the man saved himself.  But if Hubby hadn't pulled him away, he likely could have been killed by the explosion.

At that point, Hubby realized he didn't have his phone and sure would have liked a photo of the scene.  There was a burning car between him and his truck and there was no way he was getting to it.  He said other people began pouring in and called 911.  The crying man mentioned the pain in his ankle again so Hubby, the FedEx guy, decided to examine it.  He declared it to be broken and told the guy he was going to tie up his shoe to give it some support. 

After approximately twenty minutes, the police finally arrived.  Here's the kicker to the story:  the cop approached the scene carrying a citation in his hand.  "I'm gonna need to see your license," he said in a very rough, demeaning manner.  Hubby was appalled!  He didn't ask if the man was OK, if he needed help, or what happened.  He immediately assumed the man didn't have a license and was going to cite him.  The driver simply replied, "Um, it's on fire."  I thought that was a great response!  Then the cop looked at Hubby and said, "You gotta get that truck out of here!"  He didn't ask his name or thank him for helping.  Hubby obeyed, hustled to his truck, and drove away. 

I thought it was such an odd way to handle an accident.  I'm sure this kind of stuff is routine for police officers, but it's certainly not routine for the citizens involved.  Just like a surgeon performs the same procedure over and over, he still reassures the patient that everything will be fine and explains the surgery in great detail.  This cop had no "bedside manner" at all.  I encouraged Hubby to call that police department and complain about the first officer on scene.  He refused.

Even though he'll get no public recognition, no awards, no newspaper photo, he's still my Handsome Hero Husband.  He's got a pretty cute, little fan club around here!

The Happs

I'm taking the phrase Lazy Days of Summer far too literally!  It's been over 90 degrees for a couple weeks now and I haven't left the house much.  I'm way too content to sit on the couch, sipping iced tea and playing iPhone games.  (Scramble With Friends is my current fav.)

Our dishwasher has been broken for over a month now so I have dishpan hands most of the day.  The A/C in Hubby's new car went out too.  Repair bills are no fun, people!

I am keeping busy though...I can't believe it's already July!  The summer is flying by and I wish I could will it to slow down!  We'll be shopping for pencil boxes, crayons, and backpacks before I know it!  Hubby's side tile cleaning business has been picking up.  It usually does in the summer.  This year, I've been the one helping him.  I must say, I really enjoy it!  Although, when it's 96 degrees outside and you're standing behind a hot truck that is shooting out nearly boiling water, it can get a wee bit uncomfortable.  When I turned on my car after our last job, this is what it said:

But here are the results we get from the work:



BEFORE



AFTER



Also, my photography business is totally taking off!  I am finally making enough money to pay for my website  hosting!  I had two more photo shoots recently and have some bookings for a few more!  I am finally starting to feel less guilty about charging people for my services.  When I hear what Seniors are paying local studios, I feel like I should be charging twice as much!  I don't spend any of my profits.  They all go into an envelope for a new camera.  I've saved up $250 all by my little self and I'm actually quite proud of my little (very little) savings.

Did I tell you we started yet another business?  My brother, cousin, and I (well, Hubby) bought a Photo Booth!  It's so much fun and we are really enjoying it!  So far, we've done a graduation party and one other event.  We're not making much money yet, but it will come in time.  Which reminds me- I've got to get our business cards ordered!  I did the website myself, which was out of my comfort zone.  But it turned out pretty well and the guys were happy with it.

The bad news bug has bitten around here lately too.  My best friend's nephew was killed in a car accident Sunday.  To make matters worse, it was his twentieth birthday.  The family is just a mess and his poor mother had to get The Phone Call in Florida and drive up here to bury her son. People, I just cannot imagine.

A former classmate of my brother's jumped off "Suicide Bridge" here in town.  They just spent two years renovating the bridge to deter people from jumping.  The guy climbed up on his car and shimmied over the railing.

Less tragic, but still quite painful, my cousin's fiancee called her up one night and ended things.  No real reason, no explanation.  He felt it wasn't God's will.  Two days prior, he called and encouraged her to put a bid on a house.  They honeymoon was booked and paid for, her dress was hanging in her bedroom, and the Save the Dates had been mailed.  I was blown away at first but now have a great desire to fly out to St. Louis and give this dude a piece of my mind.  I was with them the last time he was here, taking their engagement pictures.  He sure seemed pretty sure of God's will that day!  I removed all their photos from my website, which was sad for me because they were my best work ever. But my poor cousin is devastated and embarrassed.  I just don't understand how things can change that quickly.

I would love to be on a breezy beach with a great book right now.  (To further enhance my laziness.)  The Help was such a great book that I dread starting another.  I know it can only pale in comparison.  Good news for me- I'm still keeping up with my Bible reading.  I'm finally in Psalms!

I'm not planting a garden this year.  I'm really sad about that.  It just didn't happen and time kept on ticking.  It's too late now and I'm really going to miss those fresh tomatoes!!!

The marathon is coming up in a couple of months and it's way too hot to run.  Boogers.

Son #1 just returned from Boy Scout Camp and had a great time.  I missed that little brat!  :)  He's taking piano lessons from a really skilled teacher (at $18 a half hour!) and is speeding along.  Listening to piano practice is quite different from the tuba I'm used to.  He misses his horn and is anxious to pick it back up in August.  He did not get into the Youth Symphony Orchestra, but was OK with that.  He may still make the Youth Philharmonic, but I haven't heard anything yet.

That's The Happs for now.  Hopefully I can blog again before August!

Happiness & Pain

Happiness Is...
Starting off the day with a clean house.

Pain Is...
Unloading a dishwasher full of dirty dishes to wash all of them by hand because the dishwasher is broken.

Happiness Is...
Having the kids home from school.

Pain Is...

Worrying about your children every day and wondering of the decisions you're making are the best decisions to mold them into happy, successful adults some day.

Happiness is...

Feeling accomplished after running 2 miles.

Pain Is...

Resisting my own homemade chocolate chip cookies, knowing that four in one day is not good for me.

Happiness Is...

Finally booking a trip to Disney World after five years!

Pain Is...

The credit card bill of nearly six grand that will come due in a couple weeks.

Happiness Is...

Summer! I just can't say it enough! There is nothing better than a windows-open day!

WWTK

Since it's been nearly a month since I've blogged, I thought I would jump back in there with a WWTK! Shame on me for being so neglectful!

Today's questions are from two people, Kenzie  who wants to know...

1. What are your 4th of July plans?

Good question, Kenzie!  We typically picnic at my mom's house with the entire extended family.  On Memorial Day this year, we all went to my grandpa's instead.  As a recent widower, we knew he would leave the party too early if it was elsewhere.  If we all invade his home, he has no choice but to stay and party!  4th of July will be very similar.  My brother is smoking a pork butt and brisket.  He got a new Big Green Egg (and posts photos on Instagram several times a week about what he's cooking, saying things like, "Come see how good my butt smells,") and smokes things for an entire 24-hour day!  The results are amazing, so I'm not complaining!  The kids will play with the sprinkler and Slip & Slide and the adults will migrate between the cool house and huge front porch or play Corn Hole.  I love just chillin' with the fam!

2. Are you going to set off fireworks?

Knowing my immature brother, probably.  But not at Grandpa's...he will have none of that foolishness.  Our city set off fireworks Sunday night and we planned on going.  Around 9PM, we were wasted from the hot day and church picnic and decided to skip them.  There are other fireworks tonight but I have a feeling that the same thing will happen.

...And Crazymama was wondering...

3. What is your favorite BBQ side dish?

Oh, there are so many when it comes to side dishes.  I am kind of a side dish queen!  My go-to favorite is Hashbrown Casserole because it goes with everything.  There are a couple great salads I love, including Fancy Cole Slaw and that broccoli, bacon, cheese stuff with the mayo on it.  Mmmm!  For the 4th, I'm making Grandma's Potato Salad in her honor.  But I don't share that recipe.  

4. What is your favorite BBQ main dish?

I guess I'll have to say my brother's butt!  How disgusting does that sound????

5. Do you decorate or dress in red white and blue for the 4th? 

Yeah, I typically get into the spirit with my attire.  But I'm not a decorator.  It's way too much work, I'm not very good about it, and I'm lazy about getting it down in a timely manner.  When I'm a billionaire, I will hire someone to come decorate and un-decorate for each holiday!

If you want to link up for WWTK, hit up Mamarazzi or Crazymama!