Just saying "No"...to BP

We fueled up the vehicles today. I am boycotting BP until they get their act together. Stroker was a little bothered that we had to pay a couple extra cents per gallon at Shell, but I have decided not to fall for BP's scheme to keep my business while they sit back and let the oil continue to flow.

I also went for another massage today at Ella Spa. It felt really good, but seems like every massage I receive from them is cut about fifteen minutes short. So, is a $25 an our massage really a deal if you only get 45 minutes of a rub down?...I'm just sayin'.

The kiddos and I tackled Wal-Mart today. That store is still a nightmare. Here lateley we prioritize our list and scavenger the store for the most critical items first. As we make our way down the list we begin to tire out and just give up on what ever is left on the list till next time. I honestly don't understand the need in such a huge overhaul and make over...it's just Wal-Mart for Pete's sake.

I went to Kohl's solo today. I spent a little too much time in there, only because it came a monsoon and I had to wait till it was over. It had nothing to do with the sale.

Tomorrow is my annual Dr. appointment. Not looking foreward to that...at all.

Pool Party

Well, Devin's toe (nail) is on the mend. We have been doctoring it with peroxide and Epsom salt foot baths (complete with bubbles and all) everyday this week. No infection to report as of yet, so I think he is going to live. Basketball camp was a bust this year and so was my wallet. I can't believe we forked out hundreds of $$$ for pain and agony. 

On another note, I managed to drop a set of keys that apparently disintegrated when they hit the ground this week. After accepting that they were not visible to the naked eye, Stroker spent most of Thursday afternoon with a metal detector scouring the ground.  There were times that the metal detector would beep so fast that I thought it would explode. Stroker would shuffle through the blades of grass with his foot, then his fingers, then with his foot again, then with his hands eventually to find a half buried twenty year old aluminum can hahahahahaha. It was quite entertaining (or maybe I was just really bored that day).  Anywho... In the end, we were still keyless.

Friday evening, I was in the mood for Olive Garden so that's about all we accomplished that day. Or at least that is the only part of Friday that I remember.

Saturday (yesterday) we hit the floor running. We went to Clarkrange, to White County and momnapped (another form of kidnap) my mom for a few hours. We visited my sister.  Brad, Matasia and Zander came over to Darlene's too.  We all played outside for a while before I took my mom back home. Stroker got a new gas cap for the weed eater because his has been leaking. He was all excited and ready to go home to mow...

That man really loves his yard.

By 6pm, we had to be back in town for Aysiah's "Alice In Wonderland" swimming party. We partied until 9pm. That wrapped up the day for us.

Wednesday Waiting

I am counting down the hours till time to pick up my Devin. I have worried about his toe all week.
Meanwhile...while I wait for camp to be over...
Jett was entered in the Parents magazine photo contest. Vote for him by clicking here:
Vote for Jett

Toe Torture Tuesday

Everyone I spoke to today made mention of my "glowing" skin.  I sounded like a broken record..."We went to Nashville Shores yesterday...We went to Nashville Shores yesterday...We went to Nashville Shores yesterday". Hopefully by tomorrow I will be in a different hue of red. With any luck I might even wake up pink instead.

Stroker's Father's Day gift arrived, so he went to have them installed on the Titan today. He really likes them...I can tell.

Brookelynn wanted to spend the night with her Aunt Darlene tonight, but by the time we ate dinner and got out of Logan's it was 8pm. We didnt get to Sparta untill close to 9pm.  Brookelynn was tired and ready for bed by then. When Stroker and I got up to leave, she said "I want to go back home".

I think part of the problem is that we are missing Devin. We are just not used to having an empty bedroom at our house. It just feels strange.

I know Devin is ready for camp to be over too. Stroker and I got a picture message last night with a picture of Devin's big toe and the words "I hate this camp" underneath. The photo was of his big toe. On the top of his toe was a busted blister the size of Mt. Rushmore. I knew that had to be hurting him.
My motherly instincts immediately kicked in. I called him back and told him that I would be over to the dorms with band aids and ointment. Devin was not very receptive to the idea and told me to stay home. Stroker sent him a text and told him that he would have to get bandages from the camp monitors or it would get worse or infected.
When my phone rang tonight and I seen that it was Devin, I thought hhhmmm his toe must be worse. It was worse alright, only it wasn't the blister...it was the toenail.
Devin told me that he went up for a rebound and so did some big senior guy...when they came down, the senior stepped on (landed on) Devin's toe that was already in bad condition. The coach seen Devin limping around on the ball court and pulled him from the game. When Devin went over and sat on the bleachers he pulled his shoe off and seen the blood on his sock. He then proceeded to pull the sock off. The coach noticed that his toenail had been half torn off and sent him to the nurse. Devin told me the nurse said the whole toenail might come off. They bandaged it up to protect it as best they could, but Devin has spent the remainder of the day on the sidelines.
I was ready again to go over and bring my baby home and doctor him up myself, but he told me no. I cant wait till camp is over tomorrow. I need my children at home where I can protect them.
I hate to think about Titan's Jr cheerleading camp being just around the corner.

Sunday Shuffle and more on Monday

Sunday was a busy one. I had to get out of bed at 6am because my pounding headache would not let me lay there any longer. After I dosed myself with some "Goody's" headache powder I took into laundry, dishes, organising and started gathering Devin's basketball camp supplies.

I had some fresh garden squash, so after a quick trip to Food Lion around 10am, I baked (yes you read that correctly...I BAKED) a squash casserole. We took it to dad's with us to go along with all the good food that Phyllis had already prepared. We hung out at daddy's house till after 3pm. Mike had also made Daddy a handmade gift  that was pretty neat. Daddy loved the shadow box that Darlene and I had made. That made the entire week of work worth it. I am sooo very blessed to have a daddy to visit on Father's Day. There are so many people that no longer have their dad's. I thank the Lord frequently for blessing me with still having my parents around.

When we left Daddy's, we went to Stroker's mom's because she had cooked dinner too. We had already ate too much at dad's, so we just fixed us a plate to take with us for later.

We had to leave Mildred's at 5pm to get Devin to basketball camp and get his dorm set up.  He and Braiden were sooo excited. Devin kept saying "your gonna miss me mom".  I told him "of course I will".

Brookelynn and Paradise went to see Karate Kidd with their granny at 6pm and I had a much needed hair appointment at 7:30.  What a day!

Monday

It has been Nashville Shores from 10am  - 5pm today with Brookelynn and her best friend Jalyn, Jalyn's sister Britton, and Jalyn's mom Tammy. I am one sunburnt soul this evening.

Shadow box Saturday

Devin and I got up early this morning to go shopping for Basketball camp clothes. He found outfits for everyday of camp in just one store. Guys are so easy to shop for.

Stroker and I made a quick trip to Sparta then back home to get started again on daddy's Father's Day Gift.
We spent the entire rest of the day finishing the shadow box. Darlene came over around 1pm. We ventured out to Hobby Lobby for a few decorations and finished up the shadow box around 7pm. We are really pleased with the outcome. Daddy will appreciate it for sure. We put some of the siding from the house, a door hinge, metal from the roof, and a piece of the brick from the chimney.

It was another hot one today. These temperatures are above average this year.

Four for Friday

1. A trip to the beach takes too much time, planning, and preparation. Is it really worth it?  I have spent hours this week trying to find the perfect vacation spot. Maybe I should have booked sooner. I thought businesses on the gulf were giving deals this year due to the oil leak. The only "deals" that I find are on places that I wouldn't want to stay. We want "gulf front". Not down the street from the beach, not across the street from the beach...We want to step out of the building onto the sand. All of the reasonably priced condos with that criteria were booked earlier by some well prepared traveler that always has everything together. All of us unprepared, last minute traveler's either (1)have to pay out the big bucks, (2)settle for 2nd best, or (3)just stay at home. We are not sure at this point if we will go with option #1, #2 or #3. Hhhhmmm...decisions..decisions..

2.Today was opening day for Toy Story 3. Devin and Brooke each give it 2 thumbs up. It seems like only yesterday that Devin was having his Toy Story 4th Birthday party.

3.This afternoon was Paradise's 4th birthday party at the park. She decided to have another Princess Party.

4.Only two days left till Fathers Day. It doesn't look like Strokers gift is going to arrive in time and the project for my dad is moving slower than BP on stopping the oil leak. There might be a couple of very appreciated yet empty handed dads around here come Sunday.

Making the Most of Monday

The heat has been unbearable the last few days. Yesterday, Brookelynn and I decided to lay down and take a two hour nap since it was just too hot to do anything else.  I also ordered Stroker some step bars for the truck and forgot to check my email for the confirmation. Of course Stroker was on the computer next and received the email. One of these holiday's I am going to get him a gift and it WILL be a surprise.

Today Brooke and I hit the stores early. The sun was shining extra bright. Brooke commented that her sunglasses were not blocking the sun well. She said they must not be "dented" (tinted) enough.  By 8:15 am we were at Kohl's. She just had to have a new swim suit for next weeks trip to Nashville Shores with her BFF Jailyn. I found myself a spice rack LOL. I know what your thinking...I am the last person on earth that would ever need or use a spice rack, but it was neat, organized and on sale so I bought it. I also found me some new (cheap) sunglasses to wear to Nashville Shores. I am always afraid that I will lose my good Christian Dior glasses when I go to a park, and I end up squinting in the sun all day. This time I will be prepared. Hobby Lobby, Kirkland's and TJ Maxx were other stops we made. We found a few good buys there too. By then, Mt. Juliet seemed too long of a drive so we opted out of that trip.

The heat was sooo hard on us that Brookelynn asked me to take her to get her hair cut off...so I said OK. This time I let her tell the stylist what she wanted. After about three inches were cut, Brooke looked at the stylist and said "Shorter".

For lunch, I took Brookelynn to try out "The Country Chic". She liked the sandwich almost as much as she loved the mother/daughter shopping day.

Darlene came over around 4pm and we got started on Daddy's "Father's Day" gift. I would throw in a sneak peak, but I don't want to spoil anything. For dinner, Darlene joined the four of us at Fazoli's. It has been a long, hot, productive day.

Hot as Fire!

95 degrees today, and it's not even officially "summer" yet.  Brookelynn couldn't take it, so she went to her friend Jailyn's for a pool party. The rest of us spent most of the day inside. We didn't just sit around the house, it was way to pretty of a day for that. What I mean by spent the day inside, was...inside Kohl's (I had a coupon, so I had to go), inside Wal-Mart (trying to find the things we need in the middle of their remodel nightmare), inside the car dealership (no I  am not shopping for a new car, not till 2012. Stroker took my car for an oil change), inside the truck (took a drive to Smithville). Enduring the heat between all the In's and outs was miserable.  How can people stand to have an outdoor activity in this weather?

Giving Back

 Today was orthodontist day for Devin. A good report too. Another month and he might be done with the rubber bands.
 This evening we donated our services to Heart of the Cumberland again.  What a rewarding experience. It feels good to give back to the community.
Before we knew it, it was 9pm.
Brookelynn went to VBS with Aysiah tonight.
We also found out today that the Cookeville Garden Club will be creating a tranquil garden beside our house with fountains, lighted trees, picnic tables, flowers, shrubs and benches. It will look soo awesome when it is complete. I can't wait!

Afterwords we walked over to

 for dinner.

Too Tired

I can describe the way I felt today in one word...

I think the lack of rest for the last few weeks is catching up with me. The kids and I  didn't even leave the house till 10 am.  We stopped by to get some breakfast and caffeine then we headed to my mom's. We spent most of the day at my sister's house. Jett got a t-ball set yesterday that he had brought down to show his "Nana". 

We sat outside for a while today since the weather was so nice. By 3pm it was getting a little too warm out, so we went back inside. Devin was having the same kind of day that I was ...as you can see.He snuck in a "power nap" before we headed back home.

Brookelynn and I done a little afternoon shopping at Kirklands & TJMaxx.  We all had a late dinner at  before heading home and calling it a day.

No schedules, no appointments, no agenda

So, after deciding that Orlando was too far to drive this weekend, we decided to just take it easy today. No schedules, no appointments, no agenda. I started the day with a trip to Kohl's to spend my "Kohl's Cash" while everyone else got up and dressed for the day. I called Erin in Murfreesboro to see if they would like to meet up with us for lunch since we haven't got to see them in a long time.  The seven of us all met up at

.

The food was good...the service, not so good. Afterwords, Stroker, the kids and I went to Franklin to make our annual donation to

.

We also toured about a dozen new houses in the West Haven community. Brookelynn wanted to look at more, but Stroker and I had seen enough. The house that Stroker and I liked was priced at $529K, so I guess we will have to pass LOL.

Brookelynn and I refused to head home before stopping by the mall to do a little shopping. The guys were not happy about it, but they gave in to us girls.

As we were heading out of Nashville, we had the idea to go to the movies tonight, then we realized that we wouldn't make it home in time.  We called Bucket and Jennifer to see if they would like to meet up with us for dinner at

.

They thought it sounded pretty good, so they drove over and the eight of us had dinner together.

May be we will catch a movie tomorrow since Georgia weather is calling for 50% rain. We had contemplated another quick "daycation" to Six Flags, but we don't want to take any chances on the weather. I guess we will have to schedule that trip for a later date. Most rides have a 54" height requirement anyway. 

Brooke needs a little extra time to grow those last two inches.

In Full Bloom

We almost loaded up and headed south to Florida tonight, but neither Stroker nor I could gather up the energy for the ten hour drive. We went to dinner at Logan's while we debated if we were rested enough from last weekends trip to Indiana to take on another theme park so soon.
The last time we were at Sea World was when Brookelynn was three years old. We haven't been on a beach trip since 2005, but according to the news, the oil is only four miles from the Florida coastline. My idea of R&R on the beach does not include the smell of crude and the sheen of glistening oil.  I guess we will rest up a bit more before we take on our next adventure.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch (so to speak), our cactus are in full bloom.  I look foreword to the June blooms each year...and they are in yellow, just like our June wedding anniversary colors.

Number Seven

Today is our seventh anniversary.  The memories of our wedding day still seem so vivid. I can remember the warmth of the evening sun, the sound of my daddy taking a deep breath as he walked me up the pathway, and the look on Strokers face as I approached the alter. I hope I never forget the details of the day and the emotions that took place on June 2, 2003.

I don't know the people in the video below, but I do love what the preacher says at the alter...

for that reason, I wanted to share the video.

Mary Ann + Lester \\ Wedding Trailer from Starcross'd Creative on Vimeo.