Who thinks she's adorable no matter what shoes?
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Hokey Pokey

E shakin' it ALL about
(This picture reminds me of Mom, Marisa and me dancing in the living room to 'Doin' Da Butt... sex-ay, sex-ay'!)
Friday, June 08, 2007
Inventory: Purse

Thursday, June 07, 2007
Wild Ride
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Little Miss Show Off
I thought that Ella looked super cute in her skirt this morning so I told her to stand still for a picture. This is what I got.
I have no idea why she pulled up her shirt!
"Sweetie! Put your shirt down!"
It's All About Me!
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not that I know of
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? That would be yesterday, due to pregnancy hormones, and then I promptly started laughing. Psychosis is fun!
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes!
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Heavenly Ham
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes, Ella Grace, and wee little Baby Mc!
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Who wouldn't?!
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Sometimes
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes, although when I had mono they were HUGE and was ready to rip them out
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Hell yeah!
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Gonna have to go with Cracklin' Oat Bran
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Generally, no
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes, save for pregnancy induced instability!
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Vanilla with peanut butter or cornflakes on top
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their teeth
15. RED OR PINK? Red!
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? When I am not patient with Ella
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Grandmama
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Yes, but I understand if they don't because it takes a while!
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? white capris, sandals
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Cheesy tots from BK
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Kidd Kraddick in the Morning via the internet
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Red!
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Magnolias, babies after a bath
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? David, about 30 seconds ago!
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Fo' sho!
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? UGA football, SEC football
27. HAIR COLOR? Natural brown with blond highlights (getting new highlights tonight!)
28. EYE COLOR? Green
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Oh yeah!
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Mashed potatoes with lots of salt and butter
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Oh boy, Happy Endings. I don't even attempt scary movies
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Spider Man 3
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Dark pink with little light pink, white and coral stripes
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer!
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs, generally, although E's kisses are pretty great
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? I have no idea
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Marisa! I'm calling you out!
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Most people
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Fixin' to start over with the Harry Potter series in preparation for the new one!
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? plain black pad
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? After the Catch (Deadliest Catch) Discovery, part of Mythbusters, part of Leno
42. FAVORITE SOUND? E's peels of laughter, kind words
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Um, Rolling Stones, I guess
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Cancun, Mexico
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Yes, a whole slew of them! :)
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Athens, GA
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Mom
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Crazy 8's
I have come up with a list, albeit a rather surface one, that has a domestic tone to it. It could come from the fact that I created the list while making a peach cobbler!
1) I am silly about my shampoo and conditioner. The smell of it is seemingly more important than how it actually makes my hair feel. If I don't like the smell, I won't use it anymore. And I don't like to use the same brand/smell over and over.
2) I will forever buy and use Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Golden cake mix. It is the absolute best tasting batter for licking off the beaters and for cooked cake. My Grandmama used it and I have warm, delicious memories of Marisa and I standing in her kitchen, each getting a beater to lick. YUM.
3) When I first try a recipe I have to follow it to the letter, no matter how wrong I think it sounds. I will not stray on the first attempt. Ever. Unfortunately, this once lead to a severe over peppering of homemade lasagna due to an error in the cookbook. My brain told me it was WAY too much but I had to follow the recipe, and then we all promptly choked on the first bite.
4) When I fall into product love, I fall hard. I will remain true to a brand or type of item once I 'discover' it. I posted a long time ago about Reynold's plastic wrap with the slider and Pam with flour. I still buy use them, to a fault!
5) Just like Ashley notices people's left handedness, I notice people's Southerness. It's like I'm always looking out for some of 'my people' out here. If I hear someone drag out words or use phrases like 'y'all' or 'fixin' to' I make a mental note of it, if not ask them outright where they are from!
6) Just in time for the last Harry Potter book to come out, I recognize another oddity of mine. If I am going to read a book or see a movie in a series, I need to re-read or re-watch the previous ones. This can become quite a feat when there are oh, say six, previous installments that need to be revisited! I feel like I will have forgotten something in the earlier ones that will be critical in the next! Either that or I will sit by David during the movie and ask questions like 'Now who's that?' or 'Didn't they find that in the last one?' which NEVER goes over very well.
7) I have a personal mission to make sure that busty gals are wearing the right size bra. Very weird, I know, but I have learned from the sad mistake of accepting what Victoria's Secret says I should be. (Victoria is a lyin' B and I don't give a damn what her secret is. Hell hath no fury, right?!) I have found that more often than not, us girls are not giving our girls the proper support or coverage and I'm out to fix it! Now where's my Big Boobied Bra Girl cape?
8) David and I have a ceramic raccoon that sits guard over our house. We found him in the bushes at the first house we lived in when we moved here. He must have been on the previous owner's front stoop and fell in the shrubs to be forgotten. We named him Coon (clever, aren't we?) and put him inside to peer out the sliding glass door. We moved him into the next two houses and he always sits looking outside. Right now he's in the sill at my kitchen window. While we have never had any break ins or trouble, thanks to his vigilant watch no doubt, he has let a few spiders and ants in. But we'll overlook it. And the next time we move he will come with.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Alphabet song
Once again, I apologize for the poor quality and shaky screen. I take these videos on my digital camera so it's not as good as a real video camera.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Painfully true
Guy: "Man! I really need to start taking steriods!"
Ha! I might or might not have agreed with that statement after the way my triceps felt!
Ain't It the Truth?
Friday, May 18, 2007
Garden Update #1
Everything is just getting started so there isn't anything terribly exciting to report but I will not be deterred!
Row of peppers of the left and tomatoes on the right (and my footprints where I sank in deep from all that rain we got!)
I hope that this quells all of the cries for the garden update for now! hee hee!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Sneek peek
Profile shot with baby on its back, head at right, chest at bottom with a hand just above it
Monday, May 14, 2007
'How do I look?!'
She was so excited to wear all her new stuff to preschool today and show everybody. So excited, in fact, that while I was trying to take her picture she kept 'hop, hop, hopping like a bunny'. The bunny eventually slowed down her hopping and decided that she looked so cute that a picture was definitely in order. (She kept asking me 'How do I look?!' once she got dressed!)
Berry Sweet
David remembered that when we were at the garden center getting everything we needed for the garden I really wanted some strawberry plants but we decided against them. So now I have 'June Bearing' strawberries that promise one large crop of berries in June. That is just a month or so away so some of them already have little fruits on them!
I can't wait to walk out to the garden, pick a strawberry and eat it fresh from the vine. Yum!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Flowers for you
Happy Mother's Day!
This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's alright honey, Mommy's here." Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.
This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse. For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.
This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes. And for the mothers who lost their baby in that precious 9 months that they will never get to watch grow on earth but one day will be reunited with in Heaven!
This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors. And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.
This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.
This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the (grand) mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.
This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat.
For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."
This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.
This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.
This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college.
This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.
This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.
This is for all the step-mothers who raised another woman's child or children, and gave their time, attention, and love... sometimes totally unappreciated!
For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14-year-olds dye their hair green.
For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.
This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.
What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home? Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?
The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation. And mature mothers learning to let go.
For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.
Single mothers and married mothers.
Mothers with money, mothers without.
This is for you all. For all of us. Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can. Tell them every day that we love them. And pray.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Yes, he owns shorts
Did I say that I would be better about posting and then not do it? Me?!
Last night was the first softball game for the Animals of Science (that still makes me laugh!). Ella and I went and cheered them on through not one, but two losses. I lived up to everyone's expectations and broke out the camera to prove that a) David does have legs and b) that he can, in fact, run. I know that both points were disputable at times but here is the proof!
That darn fence...
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Q & A
The Rules
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions of my choice.
3. Then, you should update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You have to include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you get to ask them five questions.
Ashley's very customized, very thought inducing interview:
1) What do you miss (other than family and friends) the most about Georgia?
Southern accents (and mine, to a degree, sniff sniff), lots of foods,
drinks and food products (pork bbq, country ham, sweet tea, Duke's
mayo), and the Georgia Bulldogs
2) If you had $500 to spend today on whatever you wanted, what would you buy?
Practical me says a new couch, which we need desperately. Not so
practical me says lots of new shoes and clothes and definitely a pair of
Lucky jeans in a size that I aim to be once this whole pregnancy bit is
over!
3) If you could reenact one scene from Gone With the Wind, what would it be and why?
Oh boy, this is a great question for me! I would definitely reenact the
BBQ scene at the beginning. Scarlett was being her most excellent
bosom showing, charming, jealous, coquettish self and it looks like
fun! Although, the scene in the library where she chews out Rhett and
throws stuff at him would also be pretty fun!
4) What about Kansas was brand new to you or surprising?
I was surprised how much people looooved my accent, that there were
very few black people, the fair amount of racisim, the use of cardinal
direction for everything (ex: 'the classroom is in the northeast corner
of the building' or 'go south 3 blocks and then turn east'... I never got
anywhere for the first few months!) and the fact that women don't use
their maiden names as their middle name when they marry.
5) Tell us one thing that you think most of us don't know about you.
I haven't decided what I want to do when I grow up. Sounds funny,
but I don't have a clear idea as of yet!
Alright, kids, take your mouse on over to the comment link and tell me to interview you!
Spring Showers
Monday, April 30, 2007
Baby sightings (and hearings)
On a quick note: this weekend I finally pestered David enough that he gave in and hooked up the ultrasound (that he uses on the horses) for me! Yippee! After a little searching, he found our little baby M! We got to see the abdomen and head of our wee little one. It was pretty exciting to see and of course now I'm ready to hook it up every day! The machine can't print pictures but maybe I can get him to do it again and I can take a picture of the picture? We'll see...
Along those same lines, I had a doctor's appointment today where we got to hear the heartbeat. It was a strong and fast 159 beats/min. and everything looked good. I found out that I'm going to have to be scheduled for another c-section, which I'm not so fond of, but I'll take it how it comes.
More later, I promise! (Maybe even the return of garden updates! Control yourselves!)
Thursday, April 26, 2007
A week later...!
Holy smokes, y'all... I can NOT believe that I have gone this long without posting! I still don't have much time to put up everything that is swirling around in my head, but I did have these pictures from this weekend that I thought were cute. Those of you in a dire need of an Ella Grace fix, here you are! It was cowgirl time the other night and she got out her hat, boots, rocking horse and rope for a little 'ranch work'.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Kansas, y'all
On the same morning that I saw the sweet tea sign, I logged into my Hotmail account to find this ad:
mmm... southern style chicken biscuits!
I'm thinking that the teeny tiny writing at the bottom, something about 'participation may vary' is gonna get me. I doubt that I will ever see this surface in Kansas, the state known for its beef, but it was fun to dream away to a sweet southern lullaby of sweet tea and chicken biscuits!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Pickled

Mmmm... I love Claussen pickles! I go through stages where I will buy them frequently and then not so often. Here I am, back in a Claussen 'swing' and don't you just know that it fits perfectly with the whole pregnancy territory?!
I bought a jar of pickles this past Sunday and have enjoyed a ham and cheese sandwich with them for the past 3 days! Cutting up the pickles and putting them in the sandwich reminds me of going to the cottage house in Florida with Granny and Grandaddy. They always had cold Claussens and taught me to pile them on a sandwich like a champ. Each time I have a sandwich not only do I relish in the yumminess of it, but I am also taken back to days by the bay with G&G. That's worth a trip to the grocery store by itself!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Lambies
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Sugar Sunny Tower

1. Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:
have a middle name) to determine the first half of your new last name:
a = Leather
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Ol' blue eyes

Monday, April 09, 2007
November Babies Rock!
Unfortunately, I had to mark down a first on the ol' pregnancy front yesterday. I had my very first pregnancy induced bowl hugging incident. Ugh. At least it wasn't as painful as an alcohol induced incident, though!
Easter Bunny
We had such a good time yesterday! Ella really comprehended the concept of the Easter Bunny and was so excited to see what he might bring her. We dyed some eggs and left those for Mister Cottontail (I had heard that if you leave him some eggs, he will hide them...). When she got up she was so excited about her new flip flops, Lincoln Logs and candy.* Then she got to hunt the eggs that the Easter Bunny hid! Big times!
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Big Brother
http://www.sat-gps-locate.com
Let me know what you think!
Berry Green
Baby McClure is the size of a strawberry this week! I read that my next food/baby comparison will be a cocktail shrimp, which I don't really like... Seafood has never been one of my favorites and the smell of it normally makes me turn in the other direction. That's on a normal day. These days are not normal. Each day is a very heightened sensory experience and as much as a whiff of shrimp is apt to make me sick.
The first time around I didn't really get sick or 'green' at all. Wasn't I a lucky girl?! Apparently my luck has run a bit shy this time because I have waves of greenness and some of the strangest things are all of the sudden disgusting to me. Wheat bread, for example. Ick. And I have lost all desire to drink my beloved sweet tea!
There have been some rumblings that maybe this is a little boy strawberry since the pregnancy is different from the first. Hmmm.... Whatever it is, it will not be a cocktail shrimp! An apricot, perhaps...
(Oh! I just realized that I have not officially named the due date! November 14th, kids, write it down!)
Monday, April 02, 2007
I (heart) Dot Dresses
Sunday was so nice outside that Ella and Lil did a little bonding, just hanging out.
David agreed to play on our department's softball team (the Animals of Science, ha ha!) and he had his first practice Sunday afternoon. Ella and I went to watch and then we all headed over to the slides for a little fun in the sun.
No April Fool
(Don't know who Bert is or why I am writing riddles? Click the link and see what you find!)









