Somebody woke up yesterday with pink-eye. IN BOTH EYES.
Sad, is it not?
We have the drops that will magically make the pox vamoose, but getting them into Small Fry’s eyes is like trying to water a gnat.
Ah, well, what do you know? It’s time to go water the gnat…
They say that “with age comes wisdom.” I don’t know how wise I am for my age, but there are some things that the 40-year-old me could’ve told the 18-year-old me. For instance:
There’s nothing wrong with taking chances. Sometimes it will pay off; other times it won’t. When things don’t turn out the way you want them to, it’s not the end of the world. And more often than not, the same people who would’ve been there to congratulate you if things had worked out your way are the same people who will be there to cushion your fall when things don’t.
You will think you’re in love with someone who will break your heart when it becomes clear that he isn’t the one. But then you’ll fall in love with someone who would (and will) walk through fire before letting your heart hurt for one second.
You will reach an age where losing weight will not be easy, so lay off the pizza.
You will make the best friends of your life while in college. College only lasts 4 years, so enjoy those friends and the time you have with them. Because the chances of all of you living in the same town, or even remotely close to one another, is slim.
You think you know how much your parents love you, but you won’t truly know love’s depths until you have children of your own. Your love and admiration for your parents will then grow tenfold.
You will struggle to have children for 9 long years, and there will come a time when you simply give up. Then, miraculously, you’ll find that you were, indeed, meant to have children. With one look at your newborn son, those 9 painful years will drift away.
You have an incredible, brave, funny, dear brother whom you will admire more and more with each passing year.
You will battle depression, and you’ll think it can never be overcome. You’ll even resist help for fear that nothing can make it go away. Don’t resist that help and waste all of that time.
You’ll always wish you were living in your hometown.
You really shouldn’t wear orange, so just stop trying.
You will lose a friendship, and for a while you’ll believe it was entirely the other person’s fault. You will be wrong, and that realization will teach you more than you ever expected.
You will have four dogs who live in the house and shed 30 pounds of dog hair a week. Learn to love the vacuum cleaner.
You will have to learn to use a computer, and you’ll always be intimidated when asking for help. So when you have to take a computer class your senior year of college, do not make the instructor mad.
You will reach the point where you listen to CDs more than the radio, and you’ll find that you don’t really care who sings what on the radio.
Your heart will sink the first time music from your high school years gets introduced as “Classic Hits.”
You will have to say goodbye to the only man who loves you unconditionally, and letting go will be the hardest thing you ever have to do.
You will forbid your mother to leave this earth. EVER.
You will laugh a lot. You’ll cry a lot. Then you’ll laugh some more.
You’re going to be alright. The road ahead isn’t always easy, but it’s worth every step.
Monday was David’s birthday, and since his favorite cake is a homemade strawberry one, I made one for him. Tater Tot added the candles.
Granted, it wasn’t the prettiest cake the world has ever seen, but SHUT YOUR MOUTH, it was good! The icing alone will make you want to jump up, turn around, and slap the next person you see three times.
Here’s the recipe.
STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING
Cake:
1 pkg. plain white cake mix
1 pkg. strawberry gelatin
1 cup mashed strawberries with juice
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup whole milk
4 large eggs
Frosting:
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese
1 stick butter
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup mashed strawberries (drained)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease three 9-inch round pans. Set pans aside.
Place cake mix, strawberry gelatin, mashed strawberries, oil, milk, and eggs in a large bowl and beat on low speed 1 minute. Strawberries should be well-blended.
Divide batter among pans and place in oven.
Bake cakes until lightly brown (about 28-30 minutes). Remove from oven and allow to cool for 40 minutes.
Prepare Frosting:
Combine cream cheese and butter, and mix on low speed for a minute. Add sugar and strawberries. Blend frosting on low until sugar is incorporated.
To assemble: place one cake layer on plate and spread top with frosting. Repeat with other 2 layers. Use remaining frosting for the sides of the cake.
Optional: Have a 3 1/2-year-old decorate with candles.
The last embarrassing moment I wrote about involved a bathing suit, or lack thereof, and a near-death experience in Hawaii.
This one involves a station wagon and Starbucks. The times? They have surely changed. Still, a bunch of men got a good laugh, much like in Hawaii.
A couple or five days a week, I walk into the same Starbucks on my way to school and order one of three things: a caramel apple spice, a caramel mocha (sometimes hot, sometimes iced), or a white chocolate mocha with a shot of peppermint (again, sometimes hot, sometimes cold).
Several times a week, a group of men meets at this particular Starbucks. There are probably six or seven of them, and they always sit near the front of the store. You know…where THE BIG WINDOWS ARE.
Well, last Wednesday, I parked my station wagon, went in, got my caramel apple spice, and went back to my car. I used the keyless remote, but when I got to my car, it was still locked. I must have pushed the unlock button 15 times in a panic before I realized I could just use my key. Of course, when I tried to turn the key, it wouldn’t budge. By this time, I felt sick. What was wrong with my car? My phone is in my purse, and my purse is in my car. Oh, stinking heck! I’ll be late. What do I do? Do I have it towed for something like this? And how can I pay for it when I can’t get to my purse, which is sitting right there on the seat…
That’s when I actually looked inside the car. It was very clean, whereas mine looks like it’s driven by a mother with two small children. That was my first clue. The fact that there were no car seats was another.
I’d been standing there for what felt like a sweet forever before I realized that I was basically trying to steal someone else’s car.
I backed up a few steps, looked to my left, and there — three spaces over was my car.
And there, inside Starbucks, were half-a-dozen retired men chuckling and giving me the thumbs-up.
This time, at least, all of my clothes were on.
We do. We’ve got plenty of it.
Three out of our four dogs aren’t crazy about the ice, but Duke doesn’t mind. He goes outside every time the door opens. I’m not sure what he does out there other than stand around and bark at the ice. Granted, he’s not the Einstein of the dog world, but he’s as sweet as they come.
I didn’t think we were going to get the forecasted WINTER WEATHER, because the last time Memphis was supposed to get WINTER WEATHER, we got a dusting of snow. And then there was the time that the school systems jumped the gun and cancelled school. For rain. So you can see why I didn’t put a lot stock in all the WINTER WEATHER talk.
So, naturally, the WINTER WEATHER came.
It started out with sleet, followed by a little — but beautiful — snow, and then the freezing rain started falling. We kept hearing that the big, pretty snow was on its way to us, but it skipped right over Memphis. My mother, who lives an hour northeast of us, called this morning to report that she was looking at about seven inches of beautiful snow. I’ve never been so homesick.
David, Tater Tot, Small Fry and I have been crammed into our house for about 36 hours, and cabin fever is about to set in. I asked David to drive us all to the grocery store, and he looked at me like I’d offered to clean the house and cook a delicious meal. In other words, he was stunned.
After explaining that he most certainly would NOT put his family in the car and drive us to the store for diet coke and Fiddle Faddle, he promptly jumped in the shower, defrosted his Jeep, asked for my grocery list, and left. Apparently, cabin fever got the better of him.
Tater Tot has managed to play with every toy he has while watching loads of movies and untold episodes of Scooby-Doo on Boomerang.
And Small Fry? Well, he’s now crawling, so he’s led us on several chases.
Things are about to pick up around here. If I think the ice is something, wait until Small Fry starts walking.
After fixing supper for my sweet people one night last weekend, I decided that I didn’t want to eat what I cooked. I’d been staring at it for well over and hour, and I was tired of it. (This happens to me often. It drives David nuts. It also makes him a little nervous, which is good. I like to keep him on his toes.)
Anyhoo.
I found this in the cabinet.
And I ate Fiddle Faddle for supper. I didn’t eat the entire box, even though its caramel salty-sweetness was tempting.
That would’ve been unhealthy…
(Well, of course, we’re all winners, right?)
Last night, Tater Tot and I conducted our very scientific drawing. I simply printed all the comments, cut them into strips, folded them, and had Tater Tot pull a slip from the bag.
Here’s my assistant, always ready to help.
All the entries…
Choosing a winner…
He FINALLY pulled one out of the bag…
The winner of the Stay-Put-Socks giveaway is…..
Amanda from uncommonroad.blogspot.com!
Congratulations, Amanda! I’ll get in touch with you so that I can send your mailing information to the folks at Stay-Put-Socks.
As it turns out, Amanda isn’t the only winner.
The owner is offering free shipping to anyone who left a comment and decides to place an online order with Stay-Put-Socks between now and January 31st. Simply use the code “freeshipping.” (I told you she was nice, didn’t I?)
Y’all, this giveaway has been oodles of fun! The best thing about it, other than sharing a product that I just lurve, has been finding so many GREAT blogs! It’ll take me a while to visit everyone’s site, but I’m slowly making my way there, and I know I’ll have so many to add to my Google Reader file.
Thanks to Kate Brotherson at Stay-Put-Socks for the great product and for making the give-away possible. Also, thanks again to BooMama for sending so many great bloggers and readers this way.
Most of all, thanks to everyone who entered and left a comment. It was a pleasure reading them all. I hope to see you around the blogosphere again.
Goodnight all.
- Let me just start by telling you how excited I am about tomorrow’s giveaway! I’m even more thrilled at the number of you who stopped by to leave a comment. (Thanks, Sophie, for sending folks this way!) I’ve found some great new blogs to add to my Google Reader, which means I’ll be staying up even later than usual from now on.
- About the giveaway, later tonight I’ll draw a winner, using the highly scientific method of putting all entries into a bowl and having Tater Tot pull one out. (Remember, I’m new to this giveaway thing. I had no idea the response would be so great, or I’d have checked into some really neat computer-generated picking method.)
- Let’s set today’s entry deadline at 5:00 CST.
In other ramblings about the week ahead:
- I’m supposed to have my final evaluation by my principal at work sometime this week, and all hints point to Monday or Tuesday for the “drive-by,” as my friend, April, calls it. This one is unscheduled, a “drop-in,” and can happen any time during the day.
- I was sure it was going to happen last Thursday during Language Arts, so I planned something fun for the class and started on time. (That last part alone should be enough to earn a few high marks.)
- My principal didn’t come, obviously, which is proof that not choosing to make a living as a fortune-teller was a good thing.
- I spent the better part of Sunday planning another lesson in case she comes this week. I still think the drive-by will occur during Language Arts because we’ve adopted a new method of teaching, and I believe she will want to see how it’s going.
- If she happens to come during Science, I’m sunk. Dead in the water.
- If she happens to read the blog, please, fearless leader, drop in during Language Arts! I would really like to keep my job.
- She is a very busy person and couldn’t possibly have time to read the blog. That’s probably a good thing.
- Unless she knows someone who needs a pair of Stay-Put-Socks.
That is all for this Monday. I hope to see you back tomorrow to find out who won the pair of Stay-Put-Socks. Thanks to the owner of the company, there’s even a deal for everyone else who didn’t win but would still like a pair!
Happy Monday!
In the last several months, I noticed that every single manufacturer had reduced the font size on every single label/tag/whatever. Why, I had to squint to read the fine print that I’d never had to squint for before. The very idea…
When I brought this injustice up to David, he reminded me that, “You just turned 29 for the 12th time. Chances are, THAT’S the reason you’re having trouble reading the fine print.” He didn’t buy my conspiracy theory at all.
So I made an appointment with our eye doctor, and several days ago he betrayed me and told me that yes, indeed, my eyesight has changed a little since my last visit. And then he said, “Well, you just turned 40. It’s time.”
Pass the Kleenex, please. I’ve hit the age where people say that. Bleh. (Not that I’m not thankful to still be here or anything, but, you know, it DOES take some getting used to. The being 40 thing, not the being here thing. Oh, you know what I mean.)
I don’t need prescription glasses…yet. My day is coming, though. The doctor said I’ll probably need them next year. Until then, he suggested buying a pair of these.
I found them at Stein Mart. Turns out there are some pretty cute reading glasses out there, so I’m now on a mission to find the snazziest ones around.
I’m not crazy about wearing them, and they take some getting used to, even though the strength is only 1.00. However, the fine print is now easier to read.
It says, “Welcome to 40, Grammaw.”
For the last few months I’ve been chasing/hunting/calling/retrieving Small Fry’s socks. It seems that I find them everywhere but on his scrumptious little chubby feet. And while I love nothing more than a pair of baby feet, it is winter here in Memphis, and the child’s tootsies are like ice cubes most of the time due to the game he and I play called “You-put-em-on-me-and-I’ll-take-em-off.”
I tried longer socks, although I’m not sure why I thought that would work. He simply had more sock to play with once he pulled the suckers off his feet. I tried little shoes, but they got in the way of his trying to crawl. I asked everyone I knew how to keep socks on an 8-month-old, and everyone I asked laughed in my face. Then they asked what I did with Tater Tot, but I don’t think we had this much of a problem with him removing his socks.
Finally, I turned to the one all-knowing source: the internet. Oh, yes, I googled “how to keep socks on a baby,” and the most wonderful link came up for a product called Stay Put Socks. What are Stay Put Socks, you ask? Well, let me clue you in. They’re little rubber rings that slip over your baby’s feet and rest loosely around his ankles. They’ll let the socks slide only so far, but they won’t slip off. It’s genius, I tell you. GENIUS! And affordable. So I ordered a couple, one for Small Fry’s current size and one to grow into, and in just a few days they arrived.
Small Fry was more than happy to model how they work. Here he is without them.
Here’s how one of the rings slips right over his chunky foot.
Now it’s on!
And the sock stays put!
After a day or so of not finding socks in the car seat, the crib, under chairs, and in Small Fry’s mouth, I emailed the owner of the company to tell her how much I like the product, and she emailed back. How nice was that? Then, she even agreed to do a give-away.
Y’all! If you have a sock-tugging baby, you definitely want to get in on this. If you don’t, you still want to get in on it because these would make a great baby gift for an expecting mother who has no idea how much time she’s going to spend putting socks back on her child. I’m thinking of ordering several pairs to give as gifts. (Pregnant friends, so sorry to spoil part of your surprise, but it’s for the greater good. I know you understand!)
All you have to do is check out the website. Just click on Stay Put Socks. Then come back here and leave a comment. We’ll give it until Tuesday, the 26th, and then a random winner will be selected. I’ll get in touch with you, and your pair of Stay Put Socks will be sent directly to you from the company.
That is all, friends. I am off to do all kinds of things, except pick up Small Fry’s socks!
