hello, good-bye last Monday of August

This is a picture I took for my first assignment in photography class.  Assignment 1: Put your camera in M mode, or Manual, adjust some settings and make sure your exposure is correct (or at 0).  And snap away. Seriously, I never thought taking pictures of things could be so much fun, but I am having a blast.  My dogs probably think I am nutso, going around my backyard and taking lots of pictures of a hole in the fence but I did and this is the best one. 

Also, my dogs like music.  I keep it on for them during the day and Scout barks much less now.  But she hasn't stopped completely.  I hear her right now, barking at our neighbors.  I am sure they are SO glad we moved into their neighborhood. 

Speaking of dogs, I think we have 2 or 3 mastiffs living in our neighborhood.  Those dogs are huge but everytime I see one, I want to cry, thinking of Turner and Hooch. 

I have been reading a lot since getting my nook.  Krista lent me the first two books of the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins and I loved them and now I don't know if I want to read the last book because what if it doesn't end in the way that I want.  I know it won't because those kind of stories never end "and they lived happily ever after" and the author's endings make more sense than mine ever would but still...

I also have been reading the Sookie Stackhouse novels (True Blood is based on these books) and I find them hilarious and so much fun to read.  I tend to blow through this quite fast though. 

And I am also trying to get through the stack of Civil War books my dad let me borrow.

Rhett and Noah are loving school.  Noah comes home...happy.  Which is unusual but a welcome change.  I am overwhelmed by their school but as long as they like it and are happy, then I am happy. 

Bye for now!

it's good dogs never say no

Tomorrow is the start of my photography class (notes will be emailed to you Krista!!) and I have a new camera and a notebook and new pens and even nerves to go along with me.  I've been practicing with my camera for the past two days and because everyone else doesn't seem to want to be my test subjects, I have picked my dogs to be.  What do you think?  Is that a good looking dog or what?

snapshots from my house- part 1

I have been busy this week.  Painting, hanging pictures, more painting.  Here are some photos of what I've been doing:

First, this photo does not do my framed picture justice. But here it is anyway.  It is a Ford Smith (and no, I never had heard of him either until I went to art.com looking for pictures that would look great above the fireplace.  But it sounds cool to say, "I have a Ford Smith.")  and I just love it.  Like I said, my photo is a terrible representation of it, so if you want to really see it, you must come visit me!

Just some new decorative balls in my glass vase.  Adding color to my life...

Who needs Pottery Barn?  Well, actually I do. I was inspired to do this because I saw something similar in their catalog.  But, I bought nothing new for this and now it is a collection of my favorite things.  (Oh by the way, Sandy and Melissa, I told Seth the next time we all got together we had to get pictures made of all of us. That way I have some to hang on the wall!) (And Mom and Krista, don't you think we need to have our pictures made again?  It has been almost 4 years!)

It is right by the front door, so when you walk in or if you sit in the office, you see it.  It truly makes me happy, it does.

One more picture.  The hallway to the garage is now our "art gallery."  Easy to be changed, but all created by Rhett and Noah.  Sorry about the mess on the floor.  Seems I am always painting or in between painting these days.  I am making my way upstairs...

This week I also drove to Clinton and met Casey on Tuesday.  Cam stayed with us for almost 2 weeks but he has to get back to school, so we were off as soon as the boys left on the bus.  We already miss him!

Last night we went to a Popscicles on the Playground for new families at the boys' school.  We actually met a few people and had a lovely time talking to adults.  (Ok, can you tell I haven't been talking to grown ups a lot lately?)

We have also gone somewhere after school almost every day because we had to get new shirts, we had to fix Rhett's glasses and today we have to get frozen yogurt.  (Maybe that is a want to.)

Tomorrow, we head back to Edmond for some birthday parties and some time with friends.  Even though it will be hectic and I doubt we see everyone we want to see, I am looking forward to this.

And then, Sunday is Seth's and my 12th anniversary.  We have actually been together 17 years (which coincidentally is how old we both were when we got together).  That means that next year, we will have been together longer than we have been without one another.  Wow.

And next week is going to be exciting as well.  I am starting a photography class at Tulsa Community College!  Judging by these photos, I really am looking forward to learning how to take pictures properly.  Seriously, this is something I have wanted to do for so long and I really want the pictures I see in my head to actually be the pictures that come out on the camera.  You know what I mean?  I hope to share my photos with you so be on the lookout!

One more thing:
It was Pop's birthday yesterday!! Happy Birthday Sammy!!

i love it, love it not

I have lots of photos to share (mostly of my house) but I am too lazy to do all that needs to go into a photo post today.  So, rather, you get to enjoy this post of good and bad.  We have been in Tulsa for about three months and there are some things I love, love, love and a couple of things that I, well, don't. 

Things I Love About Tulsa

• My House.  I love that the laundry room is right next to my bedroom.  I love my kitchen and living room.  I love that the boys have their own space upstairs. 
• The close proximity of Target and my lovely house.  Oh how I love this.  The fact that I can get to my favorite store in about 3 minutes is so awesome!  Yesterday, the boys and I went at 4:45 and got back at 5:20.  In Edmond, this would have been impossible.  No way would I have ventured out a little before peak traffic time to go to a store that is one of the busiest in Edmond.  Love it!
• There are other things close, close to us.  The movie theater.  Pizza.  Gas stations. Post Office.  Boys' pediatrician.  I don't want to go on and on about this or seem like I am bragging, but I've never had this before. 
• Cherry Street Farmers Market. I have only been there once so far but it was beautiful.  I can't wait to go back.  My family enjoyed a farmers market breakfast the day after my mom, Jana and I went and I don't know if it was just thinking that this was fresh sausage, eggs and cheese or what, but it tasted delicious. And this isn't the only Farmers Market around. So we'll be checking those out as well...
• The boys' school.  Sure it is big.  Sure it probably is overwhelming.  But Rhett gets to take Spanish.  And they have Art class. Art class!  Woo-hoo!  Noah's teacher is so organized, she sends home an email everyday about what they did that day.  I find that amazing. 

Things I Don't

• The Drivers.  Oh they are awful.  They are rude and don't pay attention.  They honk at you for the slightest thing and are impatient. Blah.
• The weather.  But I really can't say this is specific to Tulsa.  It was super hot in OKC too this summer.  And everywhere. But I haven't enjoyed it.
• Some things are far away.  Like the baseball fields.  And Cherry Street.  Which isn't a big deal, really, because it is only about 20 minutes away. :) (That one is for you Dad!)

Ok, short list.  But I think I needed to get it off my chest.  Especially about the drivers.

the difference between day and night

or The First Day of School or The Very First Day at a New School or Finally! School Starts!...I mean, um, oh never mind.

6:45- Rhett's alarm goes off (I'm just guessing here because I didn't hear it.  I was still sleeping.)

Between 6:45 and 7:20-Rhett gets dressed, brushes his teeth, combs his hair, makes sure his backpack is ready and starts to fix his own breakfast (Don't you wish you had a Rhett?)  He also asks Cameron (who is staying with us for another week) what he wants for breakfast.  Cam chooses Fruity Pebbles because they are so much healthier than Cocoa Pebbles.  Ha!

7:30- 7:50- I go up to wake up Noah.  First Noah pops right up.  Then he frowns.  Uh-oh, I think.  I tell him again to get up.  He says he is way too tired.  I try again.  He reiterates that he is too tired.  And cold.  I hand him his robe.  He starts to cry.  And he cries for the next 8 minutes.  I finally give him a choice:  Get dressed now or eat breakfast first, then get dressed.  I drag him down stairs.  He eats a little breakfast. 

7:50- Rhett is completely ready and restless.  Cameron is ready and wants to know why he can't wear his new school shoes.  I tell him because he is not going to school today.  Oh.

8:00- Noah is finally ready and in a better mood.  He did want to wear jeans but I told him it was going to be over 100 degress today, so no.  Sigh. 

8:05- We go outside and get the first day of pictures over with.  At least that is what it looks like from the pictures.  And good news! The bus stops right next door so we don't have to walk far! 

8:11- Bus comes.  I give them a hug, remind them to drink their water and they are off.  To a brand new school.  To brand new kids.  They are so brave. I hope they have a good day. I  hope they find good friends. I hope they like their teachers and I hope they don't feel lost.  While we are at it, I hope they have a great year, full of fun, surprises and a little learning.

Rhett, a fourth grader.  Noah, in second.  They may be night and day, but I'm so proud that they are mine.

Meanwhile, Cam and I have already been on a walk.  We are going to have a good day, just me and him.  I hope he doesn't miss his cousins too much during the day. 

Have a great day!

Look back on summer, in song

Move to Tulsa, Say good-bye to good friends, Try not to cry
Pack it up, Move it Out, Thank God its not too far to go
Get the keys, change the locks, now its time to unpack boxes
Parents tired, Kids are wired, Up and down the stairs they go

New routine, what routine?, sleep late then watch tv
Rhett wants to play baseball, oh look! a summer league
Its so hot, I cry, help I'm melting, I'm a wimp
Soccer camp, no go, Noah's sad, plays the wii.

Unpack boxes, unpack boxes, are we even getting close?

Friends comes, Mom comes, then we hit the road

Road trip! Krista's house! lots of trees and kudzu

Family time, then good-bye, back on the road we go

Home in time to say so long, much needed girl's trip
Just in time...microwave and television on the fritz!
Lots of fun, Kansas City, Eclipse, love my friends
Get back home to find out I was really missed.

More family time, in-laws come, let's go watch baseball
Still hot, extreme heat, will summer ever end?

Rhett's a pitcher and first baseman, sometimes plays left field

He enjoys it, even loves it, and even  makes new friends.

Uncle Scott comes with his kids, more fun at aquarium

July's over, August starts, only 12 days till school begins

Time for one more visit from the cousins and my mom and dad

Nic and Isa, Cam and boys don't want their fun to end!

Painting Pottery just us girls, boys go to baseball game

Then Surprise! Jana's here! for a mini-vacay

Farmer's Market, Cherry Street, lots of veggies, eggs and cheese

Fun girl-time, bought some stuff, great start to a good day

Saturday night, Balloon Festival, 15th Year in Claremore

Balloons went high, Temp just right, Spirits then went really low

Parking Lot! Bad Business! Stuck in place for an hour

Kids gripey, Grown-ups grumpy, wished we had mojitos.

End of summer now is near, only a day til school starts

Boys excited, like their teachers, both their classrooms on second floor

Song now over, did you recognize it? ode to Billy Joel

Are you thinking this is bad : I can't take it anymore!!

phase one of Repaint/Redo complete

Before:

After:

If you look through the doorway, you will see the entryway into the house. The office is by through the glass doors and the dining room is right where the ladder is. I am painting the entryway and hallways next.

The print I was going to have over the fireplace is being framed right now. I have to wait 2 weeks for it. This is the first time I have ever had something framed professionally. I have learned many things from it and will be better prepared if ever I do it again. (Let's just say sticker shock. I am used to buying frames at Hobby Lobby at half off and if it needs a mat, buy a cheap mat. This wasn't going to work for this print but I am so excited for it.)




I repainted the kitchen the same color (Flax if you want to know) and will post pictures of that as well but I seriously need to clean my kitchen first.  And the rest of the house too.  But that is my life.

My favorite part of repainting is afterward.  You know, when you can sit in your newly painted room and say, "Ahh.  Finally, it feels like home."  And it does now.  No more nail holes that you didn't make yourself.  No more dirty smudges or scrapes that weren't made by your kids.  I know I've got a long way to go to make the rest of the house feel like it is ours, but the one room that we spend most of our time in is finished. We are happy.

before the great living room redo

Behold! House pictures, finally.  So in the following images, you will see our living room.  I will love this room when it is finished.  Very much so.  I like it now.  But paint and more curtains are needed. (I haven't told Seth about the curtains yet).

Oh and eventually, a new coffee table will be there as well.  But that may be a while.  Anyway, what you see on the walls are paint samples of two colors. Two stones, one rolling, one hot.  (Hot stone is the lighter, gray color; Rolling Stone is the darker).  More than you would like to know? Perhaps.  But if you have any opinions on paint colors, let me know.  So far, I am leaning away from Hot stone.  Too gray. 

This wall so far is empty.  I think it will be a good wall for family pictures.  We may also put a table of some sort.  I don't know.

I am most excited for what is going above the mantel.  You'll just have to wait and see....

where in the world am I?*

*Actually, I haven't been much anywhere but my mom sure has.  She is still in Germany, enjoying her world travels with my grandmother.  I have just been a lazy blogger...sorry.

(image from Dvice)

I walked into Barnes & Noble the other day and bought a Nook.  When the whole e-reader thing came out, I didn't want to have anything to do with them.  I can't really tell you why.  But then the Apple iPad came out and I really wanted it.  But because it is $500, I decided that I don't really have to have it.  I decided what I wanted from the iPad, I could also get from the Nook and now I have the Nook.  This really is a long, boring story but I haven't blogged in such a long time, I thought I should blog something. 

Anyway, love the Nook.  Love my cover. 

What else is going on?  Let's see, a lot and not much all at the same time.  We have about 2 1/2 weeks left before school starts and I need to get those kids enrolled! They are getting nervous about school, I can tell, but I am sure they will be fine.  I keep telling myself they will be fine.

I am about to begin painting.  We are going to start in the living area and kitchen.  I promise I will take a picture of the before and post it on here in a couple of days.  Then of course, the after picture when we're done. 

But before I begin, I have to go get paint.  And that means a trip to Lowe's.  With the boys.  Not fun. 

Talk to you soon...

Road Trip! Krista's House! Back Home!

Hello all.  So...last week, my mom, the boys and I had a little jaunt (ha!) across half the country to North Carolina to visit my sis and her family.  We drove two days to get there, stayed about 3 and then drove two more days to get back.

I am tired.

When we were driving home, Noah almost had a breakdown and said, "Please, next time can we fly there?"

I nodded my head in agreement.

Actually, the driving wasn't too bad.  It was just long.  And now I know that if we ever drive that way again, we need to take a day or two more to drive.  Each driving day we were in the car at least 10 hours and most of the time it was 11 1/2.  Then, we need to stay longer.  But, I digress.

High points of our trip:

The boys were great in the car.  They watched movies, read, played ds and occasionally talked to each other and us.

The drive through Tennessee was my favorite.  We went over so many rivers and the trees were beautiful as was the gentle curves.  Memphis and Nashville are two places I really want to visit again for longer than a bathroom break and a night's sleep.  Rhett wants to go whitewater rafting.  Noah wants to visit all the children's museums.  Mom wanted to go to Graceland, but settled for seeing a gianormas statue of Elvis that if touched would sound an alarm.

On the way back, we ate at a Subway in Nashville and mom and I both had a pulled pork sub.  That was the closest we got to having Southern barbeque but let me tell you, it was delicious!

The boys and their cousins got along so well.  The girls watched the boys play the Wii (The Simpsons game is their new favorite), they all played on a water slide for hours it seems both Saturday and Sunday, and we watched two movies together.  We first went to a Drive Through and watched Toy Story 3 for the second time, then we watched Descipicable Me, which was hilarious and sweet. 

I loved that we could sit and catch up with Krista and Chris and just hang out, which we couldn't do at Great Wolf Lodge at Christmas. 

Rhett caught the drawing bug and started drawing action figures.  He even imagined his own and Uncle Chris helped bring him to comic book form life.  Pretty awesome.  Rhett went from drawing simple figures to action heroes that had abs, so that is great improvement! 

Oh and this is how Noah looked for half of the trip:

It is not that Noah didn't have a good time, because he did.  He told me.  It is just that he, well, is Noah.  Last night, I asked him if he had a good vacation.  He said, "Yeah.  Well, I had my ups and downs....Probably a few more downs than ups."

And that pretty much sums him up.

As for me, I had more ups than downs.

how our house became our home

Hello there!  I am so excited.  There are no more boxes on the first floor of my house.  Everything is unpacked! Yay. I will post pictures but right now I am being lazy.  Although, if I load pictures, I will have time to read the book I have been reading for the past month.  The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson started out slow but is picking up speed now and I am really into it now.  Anyway...

Back to the house.  Because I have not blogged in a while, I want to tell the story of how our house became our house.  It really isn't a long story but it shows how things just work out in Seth's and my life.  Even if we fight it.  You'll see what I mean in a second.

So the first or second house hunting trip, we were looking at the neighborhood we currently reside in.  It was one of my favorites because it had trees (a plus) and it wasn't flat (I am all about interesting landscape). Our realtor took us to a house that is down the street from our house.  We got out of the car and I looked around.  I wasn't too thrilled with that house's location because it was right at the T in the road.  But I looked down the street and fell in love with another house.  Why? It was different than the others.  It had red bricks that had chunky cement in between (I know that doesn't sound appealing but it really looks neat).  It also had red window frames and black shutters.  Red window frames.  If you know me, you know I am all about the unique touches of a home (hello? Turquoise bathroom anyone?).  I told Seth, "Look at that house.  Too bad it is not on the market.  I love the outside!

A couple of weeks later, Seth called me and told me he looked at some houses with his realtor and nothing really was great except one.  He said, "Remember that red and black windows house?"

It was meant to be.

Except, I balked. 

Seth really liked the house.  He said it was a custom build so it had a lot of special touches throughout the home.  He said it had a good-sized backyard.  It was two-story, which the boys really wanted. Ect. Ect.

That weekend we went house hunting again.  And we looked at the house.  And I did like it.  Then we went to another house in another neighborhood.  This neighborhood had big, huge trees and lots of hills.  It had beautiful houses that were older and I loved them.  I started thinking of all we could do with these houses. 

Seth kept coming back to the red and black windows house.  This house had a neighborhood pool he said.  This way we could be near kids for Rhett and Noah. 

We looked at red and black windows house three times.  Each time I secretly loved it more.  Secretly because I was afraid we wouldn't get it so I didn't even want to try.  Isn't that silly? 

All those other houses were great.  But red and black windows house fit us.  And now that we are in it, I love it as much as you are supposed to love your home.  I can see ourselves here for many, many years.  Down the street are a whole mess of boys and a few girls that Rhett and Noah have already started playing with. I am so glad Seth didn't give up trying to talk me into it.

It really was meant to be.

Like I said, this has happened before.  When we moved to Edmond, I said, "I really want a magnolia tree in our yard."  Just a simple request.  They were everywhere in Edmond so I thought that would be an easy request.  Only one house we looked at had a magnolia tree in the yard.  And that house is the one we ended up buying.  (that probably isn't as good as the story above but I just wanted to drive home my point).

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend.  We are having guests, so I need to finish cleaning.  Talk to you later!

what is the meaning of this?

Rhett and Noah found an old baby name book in the many piles of things I have been dragging out of boxes.  Noah wants to look up his name and so we find it. 

Noah:  What does Heb brew mean?
me: It is Hebrew.  It is where the name was derived from.
Noah: ?
me: Well, your name came from the bible.  That is a very old language.
Noah: Oh.
me: It says here your name means peaceful and restful.
Noah: What?
me: Peaceful and restful.
Noah: Aww! I am not peaceful or restful!
me: No, you really aren't.
Noah: I guess I might need a new name....Wait, what does Lee mean?
me: Meadow. My middle name is Leigh too so I know.
Noah: Meadow?

Then I look it up.

me: It also means plum.  So you are a peaceful meadow or a restful plum!

Noah then gives me the look which means I took it too far, even if I didn't.  Fun is over, I go back to my dishes.

A few minutes later...

Noah: Hey! My new name can be Gib!  It means powerful. 

Because being powerful beats being peaceful anyday, at least according to Gib.

its the best of both worlds

I am still surrounded by boxes, but half of them are filled with just paper and some are broken down so that is good.  I tackled the laundry room today and boy, I didn't like doing that.  Actually, none of this has been fun except when I discover that I have more room in this house so I don't have to stuff things into a tiny space.  So yay for that.  And boo for unpacking.  And boo for the humidity because my sons do not want to do anything but watch tv.  They are learning all the songs from Hannah Montana and I actually have always enjoyed the Disney Channel (way back when there was The New Mickey Mouse Club and someone on it looked a little like me-to myself anyway) so I don't mind the shows. 

But I think within a few days all the boxes will be unpacked and we can start living in our house like we should. Then maybe the boys and I can go explore all that Tulsa has to offer.  The aquarium, the zoo (maybe really early in the morning?), the space center, ect.  I hope so.  Summer is flying by...

Well, back to it! 

almost too tired to type this

Hi.  I just wanted to pop in and say, well, hi.  We are here in our new home surrounded by many, many boxes.  It is a little overwhelming and I just don't know where to begin.  I start cleaning the kitchen and then don't know where to put things yet so I move on to the boys' bedrooms only to be reminded that I have to paint before putting their things away.  I love our new house so much but I have to admit that it is the messiest home I have ever moved into.  Dirty everywhere.  All the walls need a new coat of paint but if you know me, then you know I am excited about that. Since Rhett said he would have the "pink" room, I told him he will have the first redo.  I really thought I would get it painted right away (I mean right away) but didn't think about how exhausted I would be. So worn out.  Then Rhett got a sinus infection and we had to spend time finding a doctor and going to the doctor, ect.  The good news is that I think I could live here the rest of my life and not ever have to go furthur than 10 minutes away from home for anything we need.  It takes 2 minutes to get to Target.  It took 3 to get to the doctor.  The mall is just up the road a bit and if I ever want a new car, their are dealers right by Target. We live in the neighborhood right behind the movie theater.  It really is awesome. 

Well, I am done eating lunch so I guess I better go do something.  I guess we can't live much longer surrounded by boxes except I have to say that it certaintly makes you wonder why we need so much stuff. 

Have a great weekend.  We are unpacking.  What about you?

random post while waiting to move

The movers were supposed to come today, but changed it to tomorrow.  So here I am, fighting a cold (of course), eating pretzel M&Ms (so yummy!) and taking a break from everything else to bring you my last blog before the big move.  I don't have anything profound to say because I am too tired to get emotional about leaving a place that we have lived longer than any other place since we got married.  And really, it was only 4 years, so it wasn't even that long!  Ha! Ha! 

Instead I will say that my dad was appalled (appalled I tell you) that I could write such a lengthy and intellectual post about a tv show and still not have read the many books he lent me about The Civil War.  (And Brother, he was just as appalled at you for watching this show too, so you aren't off the hook!)  I told him, jokingly, that  if The Civil War was as interesting as an island with mysteries, then I would be reading those books.  Seriously, though, I was overwhelmed.  So what did my dad do?  He gave me another book about the Civil War.  And I have started reading it.  And I love it!  Yay.

You see, I asked Dad a question about why people in the South call the Civil War, The War Between States. The book he let me borrow is all about the South's attitude toward the war they lost.  Confederates in the Attic follows the author, Tony Horwitz's adventure for places and people who still speak as "though [their] kinsmen died yesterday, not 130 years ago."  It is hilarious and interesting and disturbing all at the same time.  What is most disturbing is that children in the Children of the Confederacy, are being taught to hate Yankees.  Or maybe it is that some parents register their babies at birth to become the youngest child registered in their division of the C. of C. 

I still am not even half-way through the book but I am glad I have it during this stressful week. 

Well, I better get back to it.  I will update when we are moved into our new home and have internet access.  Till then, adios and have a great June!

my thoughts on the final "Lost"

This week is going to be stressful, sad and already started off on a bad note, but I want to take a moment to reflect on something that took up a lot of my time for the past 6 years:  LOST.

The very last episode was last night and I will be honest:  At first, I was too wrapped up in "how's this going to end?" to appreciate the actually ending.  Now that I've had a chance to think, look at other people's reflections and watch the ending again, I can say that is was very appropriate, moving and that I am happy about it.

If you haven't watched it yet, please don't read furthur.  And if you have never watched it, then you probably don't want to read anymore, so see you in another post, brotha! (hee hee, I love Desmond!)

What I loved:

That it really was all about love:
Juliet and Sawyer, Jin and Sun, Charlie and Claire, Jack and Kate and Desmond and Penny all ended happy together.  I wished there had been another Desmond and Penny scene because my favorite episode is "Constant" where Desmond calls Penny on the phone and they declare their love to each other and promise to find one another.  That episode made me realize what they show meant for me (love) and carried me through all the low times.  Oh and I didn't forget about Hurley.  Someone in the blog world put it exactly right when they said that Hurley represented Love itself.  Didn't he, though?

It was also about Redemption:
So the island was real and the Sideways World was their "purgatory" or waiting place?  Ok, I'll go with that.  Sideways world seemed a little off anyway.  But how great was it that most of the Losties had a chance to redeem themselves?
When Sideways Locke told Jack, "You don't have a son!", I was mildly confused.  What is going on?  But now I know, with the little help from others, that Jack needed a son in his limbo world to help him resolve any daddy issues he had.  And Locke had to be at fault for his father ending up a vegetative state so he could have a relationship with him.  Also, in Sideways world, he accepted his fate in his wheelchair.  Sayid's love, Nadia, was still alive and even if he couldn't be with her, she had a chance of happiness.  (It was reaching that he ended up with Shannon but I'll go with it because it brought Boone back and I love him). Sawyer was actually the good guy and respected the law.  Kate was still a fugitive, yes, but she said she was innocent and I believed her.  Hurley didn't have the bad luck that plagued him in his real life. Desmond had his father-in-law's respect. Jin and Sun ended up together, happy and pregnant. All of these things happened so they all could break free of their earthly baggage and "let go". 

It could just be the story of Jack and that's okay with me.
Maybe the Sideways world was just Jack's test to see if he could go toward the light...or not.  All the people who showed up at the church all had connections to Jack.  He saved Rose's life. He couldn't save Boone's. These are examples.  All Jack ever wanted to do was save people.  And then he finally realized he couldn't.  And that is when he knew he could.  That the Losties all gathered in the church to help Jack move on was beautiful because even though they all died at different times and in different places and maybe some much later on, Jack is the one who made it possible to move into the light.  He saved the light when he re-corked the evil during his time as Island protector.  

Lost ending=Titanic ending
At the end of Titanic, Jack (huh! same character name) and all the others from the doomed ship gathered in the ship to welcome Rose after she died.  It was the same thing on Lost!  After Jack realized he was dead, he had a reunion with the people that thought the Island was the most important place in their lives or at least the most life-altering. Some people had not resolved all their issues and weren't ready to move on (Ben? Ana Lucia? Daniel?) but connecting to others helped them to move on.

Some last things to ponder:
Juliet, Charile, Boone and Shannon all died on the island.  They didn't have a big part in the Sideways world.  Does that mean that they had already resolved their issues or redeemed themselves before they died or do you think we just didn't see it?

We know Jack died on the island after saving the it and the light.  So I guess it went on: Hurley was protector with Ben as his #2, everyone else went on with their lives...strange to think about how much time passed and how time really had no meaning for the Sideways world.

Do you think anything bad would have happened if the Man In Black would have escaped? Or was that Jacob trying not to be left alone?

Anyway, the creators of this fabulous show have to be happy because guess what? We are still talking about it and probably will for a long time.  Kudos.  I will miss it.

A Tale of Two Wall-E Robots

One day, Big Brother and Little Brother was going to go to a birthday party.  They were very excited about this birthday because it was at a place called Laserquest, where children can run and shoot their friends with lasers.  Awesome.  The brother's less-than-excited Dad was going to take them to the party at 4:30 on a lovely Saturday afternoon. 

At 4:50, the brother's Mom received a phone call from the aforementioned Dad.  What time did the party start was the question.  Mom looked at the invitation and gasped.  The party time was in military time, which means the party started at 1430 hours, which meant 2:30, Dad had to explain to horrified Mom.  Then really-less-than-excited Dad had to explain to crushed brothers that they, gulp, missed the party. 

But heroic Dad came to the rescue.  "We can go to the mall!"  "We can get a treat for you!" As an aside, this is from Dad who doesn't see the Brothers all week because he works in a different city right now.  So keeping the peace and seeing his sons happy is important to him. 

Two hours later, happy-again brothers come home with their treasures.  Big Brother bought baseball cards and proudly showed off his Yankees Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter.  Little Brother came in with not one, but two Wall-Es. 

Mom looked at frazzled Dad and was about to ask why? but Dad quickly explained that there was a sale.  Two for the price of one and a half or something like that.  Smiling wide, Little Brother explained that he was giving one Wall-E to his soon-to-be-excited Cousin from Canyon.  Mom was touched.  Dad was just glad they were home.

A few days later...

Little Brother decides that he wants to keep both Wall-Es.  They are both cute.  They would miss each other.  They both love Little Brother.  He begins to place them side-by-side whereever he sits: at the breakfast table, on the couch, in the car.  No amount of pleading will convince Little Brother that he doesn't need two robots who look exactly alike. 

And now, Wall-E #1 and Wall-E #2 are apart of the family, evening joining in on family activities:

They even beat us at Sorry. 

Big Brother said, "I can't believe I got beat by a pair of stuffed robots."  Little Brother danced happily away with his Wall-Es in his arms.

The End ?


*If this post seems familar to you, it is. What can I say? My kids love things in multiples. 

OKC Hail Storm on May 16th

Because we have another chance of severe weather today, I thought I would share with you an amazing video of footage from Sunday's hail storm in OKC. There are a lot of youtube videos of the storm, but this one is the best because of the pool.

Luckily, we didn't receive anything but rain where we lived but we barely made it home from the mall in OKC before all "hail" broke loose. Ha.
Living in the OKC area is never boring, weather wise. (I know, Texas is equally as interesting! Don't want to offend any fellow Texans here.) I hope we are lucky today as well and miss all the strong stuff. But if we do have hail or worse, you can bet that I will not be standing by a window, filming it. Seriously.

Just a note: you might want to turn off the volume of this video because all he says is "OMG" over and over and it gets a little annoying after awhile. Also, if you think it is a long video, skip until a minute in.

this post is about my brother

I have mentioned the awesome blog before and I hope you have been reading it because it is just really great.  The other day it mentioned that people who help you parallel park are awesome.  And they are. 

When my brother and I were in driver's ed, we had a very strict teacher as our driving instructor.  Now, we were good kids and she liked us (ok, she liked us because we of our great sisters) but it still made me nervous.  Especially the day we were supposed to parallel park,  I was terrified.

And that is when my brother came to the rescue.  He sat right behind the instructor and because of that she couldn't see his sly hand gestures that told me to keep backing up, keep backing up, turn, turn, turn...stop!  I parallel parked perfectly that day.  Thanks to Casey.  He is awesome.  I don't know if I did the same for him but it wasn't for lack of trying. 

Of course, I have not been able to parallel park one time since that day.  But that is okay.  I like parking further away from buildings and walking anyway.

a new story for your enjoyment

A couple of things I need to mention (why did that make me think of Yoda?) before you begin to read Rhett's latest story.  First, these stories must use their spelling words for the week.  That was a big "ahh" moment for me.  Second, we have a neighbor that recently put up a bathouse in her backyard.  You know, for mosquitos.  Uh, yeah.  Anyway, my friend and I were recently talking about how awful of an idea that was and Rhett started listening in.  We ended up discussing bats and vampire bats and everything in between. Noah and Rhett started joking about it how you could become a bat from any little thing. For example: the wind blowing your hair was a sign of batness!  I know, it was totally silly but hilarious to them.  Also, I wasn't planning on putting this on the blog, but Rhett really wanted me to.  Obviously, all your nice comments about his last story went to his head. Anyway, I thought these notes might help. 

Bat People
by Rhett Houston

One day a few famous people named Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher and Alex Rodriguez were in a plane.  They all played for the Yankees.  Above them was a dinosaur. They threw baseballs at it.  But that made it worse.  They were out of the plane when this happened.  The dinosaur sneezed, and they were covered in...well, I probably shouldn't say.
There was a jungle nearby.  They ran into the jungle.  Alex know as A-Rod tripped onto some kind of animal and it bit him. 
Auhhhg! "That hurt!" He said. 
That was a batness bug! It gives you a sickness that has symptoms.  They turn you into a bat!
Huh?
Paper falling from the sky! A sign of batness. 
The next day...
Ahh! A-Rod is a bat!
Open that bottle of coke! I heard that gallons of coke kill them!
"We're talkin' about A-ROD!" said Nick.  We've got to travel back to New York to get a cure.
A-Rod looks afraid. 
There's a circus over there.  "Let's go in," said Derek. 
Hey, we're in New York.  That must have been a portal!
A-Rod found an item and ate it.  Hey! I'm cured!

The End?

a quick look into my week

I think I need glasses.  I am starting to realize that I squint when I look at the tv and computer.  Huh.

The other day the boys and I were driving home from somewhere and they were fighting.

You did not.
Did too.
Did not....
I say, "Wow, look at those beautiful wildflowers."

Rhett said, "Yes. They are pretty."
Noah said, "Mom, are you trying to distract us? Because I guess it worked."

The boys have a talent show in music class at the end of May.  Rhett is going to doing something very funny and talented but I can't really explain it.  But next time you see him, ask him to do his "talent" and he'll crack you up.  Noah can't do it and was sad but I told him that I will teach him to play "Jaws" on the piano.  He was excited.

Seriously, things are really blurry right now.  Has it been like this for awhile?  Or am I just now noticing?

Rhett had his field trip yesterday.  We went to a homestead where there is a house that was built right after the land run of Oklahoma.  The family ordered it from the Sears catalog.  And it was a two-story house!

Speaking of Okies, Dad, your comment really made me laugh hard.  And cringe about the hookworms...

Today I have a Mother's Day Tea with Noah.  I remember two years ago when I had it with Rhett.  It is bittersweet, this last month of school.  I feel so sad that we are leaving that sweet little school.  The teachers are great and I found a lot of friends there.  We are excited to move and look forward to new experiences, but there will be things we will miss.  I had to bring flowers in a vase for the tea.  I picked my own roses and placed them in a square vase.  It looked great.  I would show you a picture, but I upload photos to the laptop and Seth takes that during the week.  So that is why you haven't seen a photo on my blog in awhile!

It is amazing how quickly I reverted back to my old self.  Not having to keep the house clean anymore, I relaxed this week and haven't made the bed in several days.  I thought that if you do something 21 days it would become a habit.  Guess not.

I wish all the wonderful Moms I know a wonderful Mother's Day.  Isn't being a mom great?

things are starting to look up

I really didn't mean to be such a tease yesterday.  I needed to vent but I didn't want to further embarrass my child.  If you really think about it, you'll understand.

Anyway, today is a better day.  Said child is back at school and...

Our house is under contract!!!

Woo-hoo!!

We are so relieved and excited.  Everything is working out.  We'll be out of here by the first of June and in our new home in Tulsa.  I feel so good that it is actually happening now.  May will go by so fast since it is the last of school.  It is so busy during that time.

Have a great day!

And PS- Happy Birthday Melissa!!

this is now my new decree

After staying up until 2 am last night doing something no one should wish on anyone else, I will never take the term "nit-picking" lightly again.  In fact, I think "nit-pickers" are saints.  And so are the "nit-pick-ees."

And that is all I have to say about that.

The Goose written by my son

*This is a short story written by Rhett.  I am changing names in this story because he used his friends names.  But everything else is exactly what he wrote and how he wrote it.

The Goose

One day a few kids named Danny, Rhett, Cole, Joshua and Diego were walking home from school and saw a goose.  David said, "hi", to the goose.  It said hello back, and Danny fainted.  We got Danny back up and the goose said, "do you have fruit?" Joshua had some fruit and gave it to the animal.  We ran away and the goose said, Me WANT more fruit! A cookie flew out of Rhett's backpack and the weird talking animal ate it.  Shoot said Rhett, I payed Diego five bucks for that! 

When the boys got home they sat down on some couch cushions. 
That was freaky.
Yeah, really. 
Ok, Who wants noodles for supper, "said Charles."
"I do" said Rhett and Danny together.
I'm going to read.  AHH! "Where's my Limited edition Chinese bookmark," said Diego.
Let's go outside!
YEAH!
Rhett opened the door and a balloon floated in.  It had a note attached to it.  I am going to get you. Also, I will be wearing a suit because I just got home from work and didn't have time to change, so look out! From Goose. 
Cole said, "On second thought, let's stay in."
Diego said (while chewing) "I have an idea"! We can seal the door with glue! 
To risky. 
On Tuesday, they day they had to use their brains.
We could put a piece of bread in a bushel.  While he's eating we can whap him with a bamboo stick and knock him out. 
The Next day...
It worked!

The End?

my dictionary is equally as awesome

I just recently (and by recently, I mean really just now!) found a website and name of a book that I really want to read.  1000 Awesome Things is the name of the website (book is called The Book of Awesome) and I guess everyday it posts something awesome.  I have only read a few but already love it.

Especially because it is so true!

For example:  #523 When you learn a new word and then suddenly start seeing it everywhere. 

Just this week that has happened to me!  I was reading an article in a magazine and came across a word describing an actor who is now deceased (and I wish I could remember who but that isn't important).  The word: mysogynist.  Now I have heard of masochistic from the Twilight books.  Poor vampire Edward likes to inflict pain upon himself by hanging out with human Bella.  But mysogynist was new.  Looking it up I found it meant hatred of women.  (So I do wish I could remember that guy's name).  Now I have been seeing it everywhere this week!  Which is sad in a way.  Is there really a lot of misogamy going on?  Shame. 

Anyway, my point is that is weird.  And awesome in a strange way because now I know how to say it correctly (not miss o gom me its mi saw ga me) and now I can offended when I read it or hear it in discussion.  :)

You want to know something else that is awesome?  Well, I think we found a house in Tulsa!  I'm no misoneist (hatred or fear of change) so I am very excited.  I am already planning on what I want to do to decorate.  Yes, my dictionary is open to the miso- words and I found that one.  Am I misleading you to think I knew that word from the top of my mommy brain?  I think I want to make some miso someday but thinking of miso makes me miss my friend Cathy, who probably would tell me that if I made miso, it would be a misplay. :)  This is fun.  You should try it! It is...awesome.

10 things I like about Noah

• The other day when Rhett was talking about the girl he likes, he wondered aloud if she liked him.  Noah answered quickly, "Of course she does!"  Rhett asked, "How do you know?"  Noah said, "You're handsome!"
• Noah can imitate the boy from the movie "Up" so spot on.  Especially when the boy says, "I'm tired. My feet hurt. I have to go to the bathroom."  So hilarious.
• When Noah is happy, he is so happy.  When he is not, he definitely is not.  There is no in-between with this fella.
• He still loves cheese more than any other food.  Except when it is on broccoli.  Then he will go without it. 
• Noah likes a girl too but when hasn't he?  Such a charmer. 
• When he wants something, he doesn't forget it.  Right now, he really wants a Yorkie webkinz.  Everyday he asks for it and then he says, "I just really miss Raider!" (Nana and Pop's yorkie) and cries. 
• His best friend spent the night with us the other night and they probably said 10 words to each other the whole time.  Not because they were fighting-but because they playing video games.  They both love the Wii and the DS so much, which is probably why they are best friends.
• Noah has stopped wanting to go to Sunday School, instead wanting to just stay with Seth and me during church.  Then we proceed to play hang-man the entire time.  That is bad to admit, isn't it?
• Noah hates to lose.  He hates not getting his way.  He is lovable but if you get on his bad side, watch out. He gives the best hugs and he will always be my baby. 

ten things I like about Rhett

Rhett is almost 9 and a half and is growing up in every way.  Somedays he sounds like a teenager, which is a little scary.  Here are some more things about my oldest son:

• He loves the Yankees and doesn't care what those who love to hate them think about that.
• He has apparently gotten over his "Girls? Who cares?" stage and has admitted to liking one that is in his class.  But, I've already said too much so that is all you get.
• Ok, one more thing.  He does push-ups before seeing this girl. 
• He talks about how he and one of his friends thinksSelena Gomez is "hot" but doesn't think Miranda Cosgrove is.  Why? I ask.  Carly (from iCarly) is so cute and on a better show in my opinion.  (Wizards of Waverly Place? Really?)
• He has a way of making Noah so mad.  I don't know how he does it but he has that special knack.
• He is a good friend.  Very loyal and kind and caring.  He makes them feel good about themselves, even if it is just by laughing at their jokes. 
• He loves baseball.  So glad we found out that Tulsa has a summer league too, otherwise we would have been in hot water.
• He loves steak.  Everytime we go out to eat he says "I want steak."  Or "Orange Chicken from Panda Express."  But mostly steak.
• He will argue with you and not let things go and is very stubborn.  Now you all can go, "I know where he gets that from" and even if you are thinking of different people, you still would probably be right.
• He is considerate and tells me thank you, all the time.

Come back tomorrow.  I can't leave Noah out.  He doesn't like that...

it's just one of those days

Joshua Radin sings a wonderful song called "One of Those Days".

It's chorus goes like this:

So I crawl underneath my blanket

Where I can hide away

I know I can't take it

'Cause I see now

It's just one of those days.

I like this song, especially on days like this.  (I know, already? Yes)

• I woke up this morning and had to say good-bye to my husband again.  This week-long absence from him is getting old.
• While making a smoothie for the boys, my blender begins smoking. 
• I pour the hot water from my kettle to my cup and out comes a fly.
• I am going to make eggs for myself and I drop one on the floor.
• I had to tell the boys that the fish were going to a new home today.  Cries ensue.

Still,

I am sitting here now, drinking a cold cup of tea (new water! new cup!), listening to Joshua Radin's "Brand New Day" and laughing about how sometimes a Monday is a Monday.  I am remembering that we had a great weekend: looking at houses, watching "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," enjoying the sunshine and friends yesterday, and having Seth here.  And after writing this, I am going to attempt to make myself breakfast and exercise before cleaning out the fish tank.  I guess the day goes on...

It's a brand new day

The sun is shining

It's a brand new day

For the first time in such a long, long time

I know I'll be okay

the howling wind, broken eggs, Noah

Oh, how I hate the wind.  Last night, it blew so hard.  My neighbor's wind chimes were out of control and the wind carried the sound of the trains going by right to my window.  We have a lot of trains going through Edmond in the middle of the night.  Most of the time I can barely hear it. 

Yesterday, the boys and I dyed Easter eggs.  These eggs were hard boiled, until I realized they really weren't.  Never fun finding that out.  FYI: Soft-boiled eggs are just as messy as raw eggs.  Rhett was disappointed because he really wanted to eat a hard-boiled egg.  I am the one who broke them.  One on the floor.  Eww. 

This morning, I woke Noah up.  He said, "Mom, how am I going to get through 7 hours of school?"  Poor kid.  Doesn't realize how good he has it in first grade.

That is all I have. 

don't tell my kids about this

Saturday, our church held their Easter Egg Hunt.  We didn't go.

Look, I am all for having Easter Egg Hunts early.  Well, not really.  Seriously, I wasn't ready.  We went to church yesterday and during Children's Moment, the lovely children's minister asked what next week was and my kids probably had no clue.  What?  Easter is here?  Already?

At least that is what I thought.  So when a friend at our soccer game on Saturday asked if we were going to hunt Easter Eggs that day, I balked.  First, it was just awful outside.  Windy, cold and rainy.  Baa.  Second, it wasn't Easter yet! 

Am I making too big of deal out of this?  Maybe.  I said to my friend that I wish they could have it on Easter or even the day before.  She said, "Oh.  I guess.  But I am sure they have a hard time fitting it all in."  I don't see.

Luckily, our neighborhood is having an Easter Egg Hunt this coming Saturday.  The day before Easter.  And if we happen to miss that, I will hide Easter eggs in our backyard filled with goodies.  Unless it is cold. Then it will be inside.

sharing six things, mostly random things

• I'm missing my spellcheck on my blogger.  Did you realize I misspelled typo-ed "statement" in my title from yesterday? 
• I'm eating jellybeans and my teeth will pay for it later, but oh well.
• I have my hair in a bun styled like Jessica Alba:

 

 

Except that it isn't that fabulous.  Mine is less fancy, thinner headband, more disheveled (meaning: windblown).  Yes, I had to look up disheveled to make sure I spelled it right.  Stupid non-existent spell checker.

• I am, oh, so excited, for Lost tonight.  Lots of answers await.  Including, how old is Richard Alpert? 
• I just finished reading Beautiful Creatures by Kari Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  It was right up my alley:  supernatural forces, love, drama, oh and southern roots thrown in.  Awesome.  Can't wait for the sequel in October. 
• It looks like we are staying here until end of school year.  I have mixed feelings about this.  On one hand, I am happy the boys will get to finish out their year here.  On another hand, we miss Seth.  Only 2 more months, only 2 more months...

making a statemtent with my shoes

Have you heard about TOMS shoes?  "With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need.  One for One."?  I bought some today.  I have wanted some for a long time because they are perfect casual shoes to wear with jeans or capris or skirts. (Although, I don't wear skirts much).  And they are comfortable which is big when your feet are used to Ugg boots but aren't quite ready for open-toed shoes.  And they come in all different styles and colors.  I went in thinking I was going to get black but saw these (above) and knew those were the ones.  They actually have statistics about the world as a village: 

if the world was a village of 100 people
3 are slaves
23 drink polluted water
43 live on less than $2 a day
40 have no shoes

and so on.

What a statement.  These shoes are made from hemp and recycled plastic bottles. 

To be fair to myself, I have always had a wacky taste in shoes.  I had yellow converse high-tops.  I wore light brown suede ankle boots with shorts.  I even owned a pair of plaid, canvas shoes with chunky heels.  Those were not comfortable.  So to buy plain black Toms wasn't in the cards for me.  Not when I saw these.  What can I say? 

Does this mean I will give up my sheepskin and wool-lined boots that are not good for the environment?

Of course not, you silly!

But I think I just made my-Ugg-boot-wearing-self a little less guilty about it.

We all have to start somewhere.

And these were just so cute...

a short note on family fun

Last night, the boys and I played Monopoly (not the junior kind) and it was actually fun.  No having to count out their money-both made change like math whizzes! No need to read the cards (although I have to say that Community Chest and Chance are a little outdated...guess that is why they have a new Monopoly game out there).  Heck, they even made sure to pay rent on the space they landed on, even if Rhett we weren't paying attention (I can't say I did the same every time).  This was the first time playing that game didn't seem like a chore.  (No offense to my two offspring).

I don't know how it will go once their dad plays with them.  He is a shark and has bankrupted me quickly before.  Until I played with Seth, I had no idea that the game could end.  :)

Have a good day!

it's time for a catch up

We still haven't moved.

Rhett is having a Hippy Party today in his honor in his class.  Although we keep pushing the move date back, his teacher says she still is having the party for him and she is glad to keep him for a while longer.

Noah has started soccer and loves it.  Really loves it.  Noah doesn't like physical activity, so I am super excited.  It only took 3 years.

Speaking of physical activity, today the boys are getting roller blades.  I promised.  It is Spring Break next week and that seems like a good time to learn roller blading.  They really want to play Ice Hockey, so I told them they must learn how to skate first.  First step: Learn how to roller blading.  Second step:  See if we get past the first step.  Third step:  If they are successful and still love it and still want to play ice hockey, we will start going to the ice rink and practice ice skating.  If after all of that they still want to play ice hockey, the rinks offer Ice Hockey camps and lessons, so that would be step 4.  If they are committed, then I am willing. But we are not repeating another "I want to do this!" and four weeks later, after signing up for guitar lessons and buying an age appropriate guitar want to quit because it is too hard and we just don't like it!  I know, I should have made Rhett continue on but it got to be a battle every day.  I don't know how my mom did it.  (Piano lessons for all of us.  I do remember her threatening to ground me if I missed one more lesson, the only time I remember her threatening to do that).  This has turned into something not about ice hockey so moving on...

My house is pretty and clean and freshly painted. Now please somebody buy it.

We have stopped going to Boy Scouts.  Not because the boys stopped wanting to go, because I just don't want to take them.  Is that sending a great message or what?  Maybe I am the one with the problem and not the boys after all.  See above rant about guitar lessons.

My mom and dad and my nephew are coming for a visit.  It may be their last visit to this home.  I am glad they are coming.  Seth is coming home today too.  Yay!

I have to go feed the dogs now. I think I have said pretty much all I wanted to say.  Have a great weekend!

32 going on 12, maybe 13

Yesterday, my son, Rhett, brought home a surprise for me.  It actually made me laugh at loud and then marvel at how much he must love to make me happy.

It was this. 

He said he won it at his class auction that they have every month.  They use "Buffalo Bucks" that they earn throughout the month for turning in their homework on time or keeping their desk neat, ect. 

He dropped 70 Buffalo Bucks on it.

Of course, my poster is a little worse for wear.  It has creases from being folded into the size of a sheet of paper.  It has pin holes from being hung up on a wall.  There is even a slight tear near the bottom. 

Which makes me wonder:

What girl decided she no longer liked Edward aka Robert Pattinson enough to hang on her wall?
Who took his place?
Was it Jacob?
Or maybe the heartthrob from Dear John or maybe it was Justin Bieber?
Or maybe she just redecorated her room when she decided she was too old to have posters of cute guys on her wall.

I remember who was on my walls when I was younger. 

Mike aka Kirk Cameron
Michael J. Fox in his Back to the Future Days

Sigh

I have strayed from my original thought.  Which is that Rhett beat out a third grade girl for this poster just for me.  I asked him why.  He said, "I knew Twilight makes you happy."

I will keep this poster (not on a wall, darn it) as a reminder that my son will stand teasing from other kids in his class to buy a poster for his mom.  And I won't think too hard about what this actually says about me.  :)

He is going to be a great boyfriend someday.

Fun Question:  If you were in my position, who would you wish were on your poster?