Calling all readers!!

Book readers, that is! But I love my blog readers. :-)

We head back to school tomorrow after enjoying nine stay-at-home days. It's going to be a rude awakening tomorrow at 5:30am when the alarm goes off. Yuck.

But let's not think about that.

I spent the break reading. Yes, really! I did some posting too but finished lots of books. No, not these...



Although, based on recent posts (ie. Thanksgiving posts!), you may beg to differ with me. But seriously, if daddy is home, he does story time, not me!

No, I read these for the past week...



Techically, I haven't finished the top book but am half way through---and am really enjoying it. I actually put it aside to update the blog tonight. You should feel honored. Hee hee!!

I really want to know about other authors. I need other books and authors to read! What do you read?? What books do you NOT want to put down?

I am not into sci-fi or other such similar things. I love John Grisham but have read all his stuff--and continue to read them over and over again. I also like mysteries or medical novels. Too scary isn't good because then I can't sleep at night. That does not make for a happy kindergarten class the next day. :-)

So, all you readers out there....what do you like to read?? If you don't want to comment publicly but have authors to share, go to My Profile. My email address is there!

Please share any authors or books you really like. Even if you think I may not like it---someone else will!! Christmas break is only a short 14 school days away. I need some ideas of books to look for at the library.

Regular readers, visitors, or lurkers, please give me ideas!! Again, feel free to email me instead. I need to branch out from my "regular reader" zone. :-)

I will compile a list of authors/books from my comments/emails at a later date!!

The Start of Christmas

Earlier this evening, we headed over to our local outdoor mall/living center thing. You know what I mean, right? Where you have all the really nice stores, architecture, landscaping, etc but it’s all outdoors? We took Alex's semi-formal pictures there this past May. It’s a beautiful area but not so much fun when it’s raining----which it has been all day.

But tonight was the “Lighting of the Tree” along with the arrival of Santa and other such entertainment. So we got the girls in the car and eagerly headed on over to experience such an event. (after the fact: please note the sarcasm in my voice)

After struggling to find a place to park, which must surely be a good sign of things to come, we headed for the main courtyard area by Dillards. The huge tree is there and really looks great.




Next stop, reindeer. Yes, reindeer in Georgia. Guess no one told them they had gone the wrong direction.



Thankfully, no one (ie: Anna or Abby) asked why we had reindeer since it’s not the North Pole or other mind-boggling questions. Safe for another year. They also wouldn’t get close enough for a picture nor ask the handler the deer’s name. So, we have no idea which reindeer we saw tonight. The girls did say it was not Rudolph since his nose was not red. At least we ruled him out.

Right about this time, Katie and Catlan showed up. Anna Grace went running into Cat’s arms. After all, she is really his girlfriend, not Katie. At the same time, we ran into Abby’s teacher at daycare. But Abby wouldn’t even say hi. After all, Ms. Jenn shouldn’t be out in public, but only at school.




After visiting for a few minutes, the teens headed off to shop before meeting up with us for the show. But the show was late getting started and rather boring. So instead Anna Grace decided to pull on the bushes in front of her to make it rain



while Abby danced with daddy (ie: spun circles around him while he stood still).



About this point, both girls were whining because they were tired and wanted to go home. Since not a whole lot was happening, Santa not due to appear for another hour, and tree lighting after that, we packed up and went home.

We reheated all our leftover Thanksgiving goodies and had another Thanksgiving---much to the confusion of the girls. They wanted to know was company coming again!

While we were preparing dinner, we glanced outside and saw it was pouring rain. Good thing we left or we’d have been stuck in that mess.

Yuck!

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I did complete my photo tag from Teresa, so scroll down to see what I found in my Fourth Album/Fourth Picture!

A Photo Tag

A new tag, and an easy one to do! My kind of Saturday activity. No thought involved. Or so I thought....

I was tagged by Teresa at Continuing the Journey to share a photo from my albums. The rules are to go to my fourth photo folder and find the fourth picture. Sounds easy, huh?

Well, I have photo albums on two different computers plus another set on my external drive. So I decided to check them all out to see which picture I would find. The first one I found was a picture of an elephant. Huh.....well, that's not very interesting. But I'll show it to you anyhow. If memory serves correctly, this was a recent trip to the zoo where mom 1) actually went along and didn't stay home to take a nap, and 2) remembered to bring the camera.



Okay, so then I went to my other set of albums on my laptop and found the fourth/fourth again and came across this picture. I love it. This is from Katie's Confirmation last year. It's not one of her favorites but will always be one of mine.



And on to the last set of albums that I have. You'd think I would consolidate but it makes life more fun when I have to search for things, don't you think? But on my final search for the fourth album/fouth photo, I found this one. It must be from Anna Grace's birthday (or close to it) because she is sporting the happening Hello Kitty tattoo.



Gee, maybe tonight's project should be finding all my albums and getting them in some sort of order!! Nah.....

Okay, as part of my tag, I need to select three more lucky winners to participate. In no particular order, I tag Fliss at The Adventures of Fliss and Mike, Robin at Dreaming of Tea with Hope, and Margaret at Journey for Baby Miracle.

I will let these lovely ladies know their tasks...........right after I eat leftover Thanksgiving dinner. Yum!!

PS. Stay tuned for more later tonight............

Mama and her babies

If you were expecting creativity, you'd better scroll down to my Thanksgiving posts. I'm tired today so you just get this picture of mom with her babies. The girls look as cute as always. Me? I have my hair pulled back and am ready for bed. But hey! I have so few pictures of us that I was willing to share this side of me just for you. :-)

A Thanksgiving recap..

Well, I am too tired to try and outdo yesterday's post so here is another picture book for your enjoyment!!

The day began
at the crack of dawn
when Dave left our house
while I contined to yawn.



He was off runnning
13 miles of fun
Why oh why, I ask?
Why do you run?



But he returned safely
and was quite proud of his race
Good going dad!
Now put a smile on your face!!



Time to start dinner,
get the turkey to roasting
company is coming
and we have been boasting :-)



Got to have good food
and drink for the crowd,
or our reps will be ruined
and we won't feel proud.

Ha! (okay a stretch on that one)

The tables are set
we are ready to go,
waiting for the doorbell
so we can say hello!




(cheesy, I know. Hey, I'm tired!)

New games and treats
arrive from two places
all for the girls
who have smiles on their faces




Thank you Ms Tracy and Ms Rosa!

Kids played outside
with balls and other stuff
fun had by all
until mom cried, enough!



Friends are all here,
time to serve all the treats
while we await the arrival
of the large yummy beast.



The teens say, we're starving,
when will we dine?
It's hard to be patient,
so please give us a sign!



Now we are full,
dinner hits the spot,
we wait for dessert,
time to get the pies hot.



How can we eat more,
we join in to say?
We're all too full,
maybe another day?

The teen finds a way
to make food hit the spot.
He eats lots of sweets
when the rest of us can not.



The boyfriend takes treats
home with him too,
'cuz we sure don't need them
although Alex says we do.



What great teens we have
who cook and who clean
without all the drama
about how mom is so mean




The linens are cleared
and are now on my stairs.
They shouldn't be there
but I say, who cares??



More dishes to wash,
more things to be done.
A busy, crazy day
which truly was fun.



Now football is on,
we have leftovers galore.
guess there's no need
to head to a store.




This post is so silly
I am sure that you say,
but we hope that you've had
a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

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No more rhyming for a while. I promise!

A Thanksgiving Prelude

I awoke this morning at the ripe time of three, unable to sleep, and thought "golly gee". As I lay there all warm and snug in my bed, I thought of a post, off the top of my head.

'Tis the day before Thanksgiving
and I’m raring to go.
It’s time to start cleaning
but the kids all yell, NO!

Company is coming
I remind them with glee,
so get busy scrubbing
or you’ll have no turkey.

Out comes the vacuum,
the swiffer, the mop.
Oh when will this end?
When will it stop?

Keep cleaning and scrubbing
and dusting the mess.
Are we done yet, dear mom?
Please, please say yes.

Your work here is done,
I tell my young slaves.
Your freedom is granted.
Enjoy the rest of today.

Oh company is coming!
Seven guests, maybe more.
Do we have enough tables?
Or shall we sit on the floor?

Do we move the couches
to make one large space?
Or put adults in one room
and the kids have their place?

Ah! The boyfriend is coming.
What a brave, noble man.
Maybe a teen table will work,
what a plan, what a plan!

That problem solved,
what’s next on the list?
Surely there’s something
I conveniently missed.

The food is all purchased
I hope and I pray,
or back shopping I go
on today of all days.

Look through the pantry, the fridge,
and the freezer.
I know I forgot something since
I’m such an old geezer.

Potatoes and stuffing,
rolls, pies, and cake,
green beans and corn
and more things to bake.

Alas, things are missing,
although only a few.
Guess shopping will happen.
More things to do.

Now the linens are ironed,
the tables are set.
Will it last ‘til the morning?
Let’s make a bet!

The shopping is done
our day now complete.
Naps have been taken
The house is all neat.

Dad’s rested for tomorrow’s
great, crazy fun
of the Atlanta Half Marathon
Run, dad, run, run!

Time to make dinner
and get girls to bed
or tomorrow they’ll be grumpy
which I surely do dread!

The day draws to an end
but I just want to say,
blessings and good wishes
for your Thanksgiving Day!

Just Dance....

Today was the first official day of vacation time. It was a yucky, rainy day so the girls found ways to entertain themselves indoors. Katie decided they needed to have a dance party in her room. They spent lots of time together dancing, singing, jumping on the bed....you get the picture?

Katie then spent a few hours editing various videos to create a montage for your enjoyment. Of course, this was all done on my laptop so I was without a computer many hours today. I think I went through withdrawal but am on the road to recovery.

Anyhow, she even tossed in a bit of the video I wanted to post of her back in October but someone Katie wouldn't let me.

Oh, and I still have not folded my laundry. Maybe tomorrow.

Nah, who am I kidding??

Without further ado, here are scenes from today. Enjoy!

And don't laugh too hard. You may hurt yourself.

Update at 9:20ish Monday night: the girl shaking her bootie is Anna Grace. Several of you have emailed to ask about that!!!

Airing Dirty Laundry.....

Oh.......I've got you hooked now, don't I? You are anxiously waiting to read the rest of the post to see what I am going to share. You are on the edge of your seat quickly reading each word to see what happens next. You are expecting some great revelation of our lives. Hah!

Sorry to disappoint you........but, here is the story.

The little ones had finished dinner so we sent them off to get jammies on. Of course, that means finding clean underwear which can be a task in and of itself. So they checked the dresser



which looked suspiciously empty. No underwear to be found.

Okay, on to mom's room where all the clean laundry is located but not sorted, folded, etc. Hmmm. Good luck there.



Guess what tomorrow's project will be???

So, then I say...check my purse.



All eyes look to me in wonderment and disbelief. Why would there be toddler underwear (or anyone's underwear for that matter) in my purse? Long story short, I keep extra clothes at school for AG in case she needs them (you know, spilling milk, paint, etc). Turns out one of my girls had an accident recently so used Anna's extra clothes. Since I never got them back, I put underwear in my purse "just in case". But I never transferred them to my closet. They've been in my purse for a couple of weeks.

Well, after gaining underwear from mom's purse, we are now fully clothed for bedtime and awaiting the wonderful treat of the evening----ie: the reason why we eat dinner.

While waiting for dessert, Dave surfed the music channels and came across...



yes, Taylor Swift. We've been in Georgia too long. But suffice it to say, she has become a favorite amongst the girls in our house---including mom.

Anna Grace loves her new song "Love Story" and knows all the words (with embellishments). Katie even made them a new bedtime CD of only Taylor Swift. Save me!



I have saved you from the video of AG depicting the Taylor Swift song in question. Therefore, you can keep reading. :-)


After treats of ice cream





the girls are in bed, Alex is heading to a friend's house for the night, and Katie is hanging out with Catlan.

And we are enjoying a late dinner, movie, and no work (for me!) tomorrow.

So no true dirty laundry tonight. Maybe another night. Or maybe you are stuck with clean laundry---all over my room. :-)

Stay tuned for other revelations of my life.

Overheard today............

Whoo Hoo! I am on a blog roll. Okay, not funny. But two posts in one night AND two days in a row. I really am on a roll. :-)

I just finished my tag from Laura but just had to add these funnies from tonight!

These are a few things we overheard from kids five and under:

"Time for some loving." (Abby to Katie when she wants a hug)

"You are almost dead because you are 41." (Anna Grace to mommy)

"I'm not going to be your best friend." (Abby to Anna Grace)

"Anna and Logan sitting in a tree. K I S and T U V. First comes love. Second comes marry. Third comes baby in a baby carriage." (Anna Grace to anyone who is listening)

Don't you love little people??!! They can always make you smile. Good thing too especially when they are being naughty. Whew.

'Nuf said.

A New Tag!

Okay, I give up looking for a cute clip art tag to add here. So sorry to be the huge damper in your evening. I know you are crushed. :-)

I was tagged today by Laura to share Eight Things About Me. Can you stand the suspense??

Here you go! And in no particular order.

8 Favorite TV Shows
*Everyone Loves Raymond
*Two and a Half Men
*Seinfeld
*Frasier
*Cheers
*Blue Collar TV
*Adoption Story
*A Baby Story
I don't watch much TV anymore. Can you tell??

8 Things I Look Forward To
*bedtime
*kids sleeping past 6:30am
*putting on sweats at the end of the day
*the Christmas season
*a warm fireplace
*popcorn at the movies
*not locking the bathroom door in fear of little guests
*Katie's graduation, although bittersweet

8 Things on My Wish List
*a complete make-over
*quiet time
*a beach trip
*to complete a sentence without being interrupted
*to get in shape without all the work (yeah right!)
*to lose 20 pounds but still eat what I want (hee hee!)
*to have more help around the house
*that I won't cry at Katie's graduation (sniff)

8 Things I Did Yesterday
*taught a class of 18 kindergarteners
*went to the grocery store to buy milk (again, geesh)
*got caught up on my favorite blogs
*updated the blog (twice!)
*emailed friends
*ate chicken wings for dinner
*watched football
*texted Katie

8 Favorite Restaurants
*Chilis
*Taco Mac
*Jersey Mikes
*Texas Roadhouse
*Longhorn Steakhouse
*Johnny's Pizza
*TGI Fridays
*Chin Chin
(not that we go out much except for fast food!)

8 People to Tag
I decided to tag people who have been recent visitors or those I don't know extremely well yet----but would like to! Feel free to join in the fun but I won't be hurt if you choose not to participate. :-)
*Ivy
*Kate
*Kim
*Tarita
*Regina
*Sharon
*Terrye
*Dawn

Rules, Rules - here are the rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Answer all 8 of the six items listed.
3. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

This made me giggle......

Katie was asked a few weeks ago to babysit for a neighbor. What made it strange is the dad emailed to ask her to sit and not the mom. Usually it's mom. So we thought perhaps he'd planned a special, nice adult night. Then....it crossed our minds that tonight is a local GA Tech game, of which dad is a grad. Hmmmm.

So, tonight after Katie is sitting, I texted her to see where the parents were for the night. Turns out mom went to Bunko and dad went to the Tech game. My guess is mom already had plans when dad got tickets for the game.

Guess dad had to find the sitter since mom had the plans made first!! He was very good about following up and reminding her when to come. He didn't want to miss the game. :-)

Go dads!

Twins or not twins?

Boy has it been a busy week! I am just now getting caught up on some of my favorite blogs. I have been trying to get to bed early each night in hopes of getting a better night's sleep. (note: it didn't work) So, now it's almost the end of the week and I'm giving up. Sigh.

I was reading my friend Karen's blog about the dumb things people say in regards to adoption. It got me thinking about our situation. We've really not experienced many negative comments. Our biggest questions are: Are they really sisters? and, Are they twins?

To me, the girls look very different so I have never understood that question. Until tonight. Since I have been too lazy busy to take pictures of the girls lately, I looked through the old ones. I came across this one that I must have taken recently but forgot I did. When I looked at it, I realized why people must ask the question. Check it out!


From this angle, I can see why, if you looked quickly or didn't know the girls very welll, you might think they are twins. Of course, it doesn't help that they are often dressed the same!

In other news, tomorrow is our last day before the Thanksgiving break. Yeah for us! As the girls would say, we will have


yes, count 'em, NINE stay at home days. :-)

(this of course counts the weekends)

I am sure we will have some very interesting days next week. Stay tuned!

Weekend Outtakes

Another picture post! I couldn't resist! :-)

Friday:

Katie and her friends headed to the northside of Atlanta for the beginning of the state football playoffs. It was a foggy, rainy night but they went anyhow. We knew the team didn't likely stand a chance of winning and continuing in the playoffs, but the kids really wanted to be there---especially since this was their last high school game as seniors. Sure enough, the team didn't do well. Bummer, but not unexpected.
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Katie's boyfriend, Catlan, signed his National Letter of Intent to play baseball for a metro area Georgia university. He'd had the papers for a day or so before signing. Not because he didn't want to but because he was too busy. But on Thursday night (I know, I am saying it was Friday. Sorry!), his parents called him in from cleaning his truck to sign the papers. His mom emailed shortly afterwards to tell family and friends it was a done deal. Turns out Cat hadn't told Katie yet. I told her before he did. Whoops! But, in his defense, his mom was on the ball and emailed immediately. He returned to his truck or other stuff before letting others know. Such a guy thing to do!
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Saturday:

Alex and Dave had a soccer tournament this weekend in a neighboring county. They were gone all day Saturday. The weather was cold, well for Georgia. The rest of you may think it was warm. Anyhow, it was in the fifties and windy. Makes for a long and chilly day. Alex left here with running pants that he promptly lost within the first hour. How? Well, the boy laid them down on the sidelines during warm-ups. When he returned later, they were gone. We're hoping someone turned them in to the not to be seen lost and found. Dave is going to call tomorrow to check on it.
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I have a friend who is currently writing a book. I had the privilege of being able to read part of it this weekend and offer suggestions. It has started me thinking about writing myself. I have always loved to write but once life got busy, all I had time to do was read. But I think about it and wonder do I have the ability. What what I write about? It needs to be something I can relate to otherwise it won't seem real to me. Then it hit me. Big City Northern girl moves to Southern Small Town. No, that is not a title but maybe a place to begin. Yes, I moved from a nice metro area to podunk nowhere in south Georgia in 1989. It was all for a good reason though. Dave and I had just been married and that's where he was working. Ah, well, I don't know. We'll see how life plays out over the next ten years. That's likely how long it will take me to write anything!
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Sunday:

Do any of you have little girls who are into the Barbie movies? If so, you will relate to our morning. Well, really our day. Anyhow, the newest Barbie movie we own is "Barbie and the Diamond Castle"---or something like that. All I know is, we've watched it umpteen million times (yes, that is a real phrase). Fortunately, we have put the portable DVD player into the playroom so we don't always have to watch it or hear it. But all to no avail. Today, the girls reenacted the scenes over and over and over again. Get the picture? I am so tired of hearing about the characters, the plot, and heading for (gasp) Diamond Castle. On the other hand, at least they are being creative. That's a plus, right?
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Today the girls were coloring when we realized it was very quiet. Not usually a good sign. After further investigation, we found they were coloring on the walls and doors of the playroom as well as some columns in the family room. Fortunately, it was nothing the Mr Clean Magic Eraser could not erase but.....suffice it to say, mommy was not very happy with children aged five and under.
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We were talking today about Thanksgiving and who would be joining us for dinner. We have no family coming into town but do have friends who will spend the day with us. Dave also has a co-worker who is coming as she has no family in town. She is fluent in English as well as Spanish. Dave happened to tell Anna Grace that Miss Rosa spoke Spanish. Anna Grace's response:
"How will I understand her during dinner?"

We explained that she will speak English too when she is eating at our house.

"What about when she's not eating?

Guess we confused the poor kid.
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The girls wanted to go outside and play today even though it was chilly. No problem. They found socks (although I think at least one pair came out of the dirty clothes pile), grabbed a sweatshirt and headed outside. I said they wouldn't last more than thirty minutes. Dave said he doubted if they'd last five minutes. When they walked out the door, he started his stopwatch. You know how long they made it? Fourty-one seconds. Yep, 41 seconds. Not even a full minute. Good thing we live in the south. They may not survive the northern winters.

In my defense: I was wrapped up in progress reports and not thinking clearly.
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After a nice and quiet busy family dinner, Alex volunteered to make the little ones milk shakes for dessert. I bought the industrial size ice cream carton today at Wal-Mart so he was all set. The girls had a quick bath and came down to watch their big brother make them a treat. Truth be known, he likely wanted to make himself a shake but knew it would cause the girls to beg for one also. So he anticipated that and offered to treat them as well. No matter the reason, they were very excited to have attention from Alex. Katie is always there for them; Alex not so much.
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Speaking of Katie, she just stopped by to see what I was doing. Blogging again, Mom? That is so weird! Basically meaning, "You are nuts for spending so much time doing this. No one wants to read about our life." But I like it. Even if only a few people read, it is a fun, creative outlet for me.

Have a great night!