What's in your car?

It's like that credit card commercial, only it's a meme I'm making up and it doesn't involve medieval torture.

Or maybe it does.

I was thinking today that I should post what's in my car. We've done "What's in my purse?," but let's face it, ladies. Posting the contents of your car is far more entertaining and quite frightening. Right now, I could pass for Granny Clampett with all the oddities in my car.

If you decide to join in, leave a comment. Remember to include what's in the trunk or the back of your van.

I'll go first.

Ahem.

-Empty Diet Coke bottles that make my husband nuts.

-chewed gum by a little girl, wrapped carefully in some sort of paper so as to prevent the dreaded sticking to the seat syndrome

-Sonic refuse

-melted crayon

-cleaning supplies

-box

-CD's (BORING!)

-bills

-suitcase

-umbrella

-maps

-old glasses in case I break the ones I'm wearing and still need to drive

-flip flops

-one sock



I dare think what else would fit in there. :-)

Silliness Abounds

'kay, this post was a spoof. Just my take on all the mortgage rate hype.



This post? Um. I totally picked the round M&M on purpose. They didn't have a thin, model-type option. Tee hee.



I promise to write something that doesn't concern cardboard or heavy lifting very soon.



;>)

Become an M & M

I saw this over at Linda's and it looked like fun. Visit www.becomeanmm.com and try it out.

Here is what I would look like if I were chocolaty and cute.

Amazing Mortgage Rates!

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Coming up for air.

So, does anybody need any boxes?

We are in our new house. My feet hurt. I'm tired of tape. And cardboard. But, I am so thankful and happy that we are finally moved in! There are a few things left back at the other house, but for the most part, we are settling in nicely.

And I do not wish to do this again any time soon.

Ahem.

I did have to post a quick note to let y'all know that I am indeed ALIVE while not kickin'.

Here are a few things that could be overheard at our house over the last few days-

"Mommy, where's Fluffy?"

"Who's Fluffy?"

"Are you sure you want to keep this?"

"Mommy, can I help?"

"Mommy, I'm bored."

"Mommy."

"Hey, Mommy."

"Daddy, can I help?

"Daddy, I'm bored."

"Daddy."

"Hey, Daddy."

"Maggie, I'm bored..."

While on the phone with Memama...

"I haven't had lunch. I had breakfast... chips. Uh-huh. She got me a hot dog and it was the worst hot dog I have ever had in MY LIFE!"

;>)

Remembering Our Fallen Heroes

These are the times that try men's souls.

The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will,

in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country;

but he that stands by it now, deserves the love

and thanks of man and woman.

Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered;

yet we have this consolation with us,

that the harder the conflict,

the more glorious the triumph.

What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly:

it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.

Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods;

and it would be strange indeed

if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.

-Thomas Paine

At Memorial Day and always, I am thankful for those who gave their lives so that I could could live in this great country called America. Thank you to the soldiers who continue to fight and stand ready to protect my freedom. It is because of them that my child can sleep peacefully tonight.

God Bless you all.

Dude, where's my paint swatch?

When you're a kid, part of the excitement of moving to a new place is picking out your new room. My daughter knew immediately which one of the extra bedrooms she wanted to be hers as soon as we walked in the house. Granted, we had not even decided to buy the house yet, but she was bound and determined that she had found her new room. I can't blame her, the windows from that room open up to a wonderful view.

As it turns out, we did settle on that house and so when we went back the other day for the final walk through, she turned to me and said,"Come on, Mommy! Let's go see my new room!"

I have always loved moving into an empty house. It's like a blank canvas ready for us to add our family's personal touches. Whether you love contemporary, country what-nots, or something somewhere in between, personal style adds so much charm and warmth to a home.

Not to mention paint choices.

Long before we even looked at this house, my daughter had selected the new color for her bedrooms walls. Her bedding has a Hawaiian print and the color choices for wall paint are abundant. I told her that she could pick the color of her room this time and she was so excited.

Being the Mom, I was thinking a girly pink or a cool blue. I should have known that a daughter of mine would know, without a doubt, exactly what color she would want. Right down to the hue or shade or whatever Nancy would tell me was the proper term.

We often drive across a bridge where the water underneath is many shades of blues and greens. As we drove across the bridge every morning to school and every afternoon after school, my daughter would point and say, "There it is, Mommy! THAT COLOR! I WANT THAT COLOR!"

Clearly, I should KNOW what color she was pointing to while I am driving and trying to look through those little rungs of concrete on the side rail. I mean, it wasn't like there were, oh about 50 shades of blue, green, blue-green, green-blue, greenish- bluish, bluish- greenish, and even a touch of grey in that vast mass of water.

I mean, it was SO OBVIOUS!

I decided that I would come clean and admit that I had absolutely no idea what color she was talking about. We went to Lowe's to look at paint choices and we took her pillow sham with us. We were standing there in front of The Wall of paint cards made of colorful squares that never, ever look like the same color when you get them home. I think paint stores must have trick lighting so that you will confidently buy an entire gallon of paint that is the perfect color, only to go home, paint it on the wall, and absolutely hate it.

And return to Lowe's to buy another gallon of paint of an entirely different color.

It's a conspiracy, really.

So we were there at The Wall and I asked her which color was the color she wanted.

"It isn't here, Mommy. They don't have it."

"You mean that out of ALL these color choices of ALL these paint brands none of these colors are the color you want for your room?"

"No."

In a pitiful attempt to find SOMETHING, I began to randomly pull color cards from The Wall.

"How about this color?"

"No. That's not it."

"Well, how about this one?"

"No. They don't have it."

She had just about given up. Then she pulled a little pamphlet from the display.

She opened it up, then with wide eyes, she pointed to a teeny, tiny square of a lovely, light green and said,"THAT'S IT! THAT'S THE COLOR!"

I was so glad I took her with me to choose the color. Otherwise, we would be right back at Lowe's buying a second gallon of paint.

Some may say she was being a little too picky, but I love a girl who knows what she wants.

:>)

I'll take that midnight train, please.

What do Jerry Springer and Bette Midler have in common?

They were both on American Idol tonight.

What a night. Talk about diversity of musical genre.

Congratulations, Jordin! I hope you make your mama proud. May you set a new standard and example for the young, female musical artists. You have the chance to make a difference for young girls across the US by setting a good example of modesty and integrity.

Random Epiphanies

1. I was giddy, just giddy as a school girl when my husband walked in the door this evening with loads and loads of good, clean, stain-free boxes from the grocery store. I realized that when you get more excited about the boxes than your hubs, you've been married a loooonnngg time.

2. I felt sorry for Blake on AI tonight. The new song just didn't fit his voice. Jordin is going to win. I still miss Melinda.

I'm feeling real emotion for complete strangers! This is too much. Can you say "AI Addict?"

3. I was packing my daughter's stuffed animals and I am fairly certain they have been breeding in her room.

4. I'm actually looking forward to cleaning my new house. I think I've inhaled too much cardboard dust.

5. I don't understand how a show about people getting tattoos made it on the air. Can you imagine the pitch, "We want to show people paying other people to be tortured. When it's all over, they will leave in tears and have a deeper understanding of life and a very sore arm."

6. Having to look for boxes and busily packing is a wonderful blessing. There are many people tonight who have nowhere to lay their head. I certainly do not deserve it, but I am very thankful to be moving into a home we can call our own. I pray that I never take any gift He has given for granted and that I will always share what He has given with others.

Have a good evening!

It's only garbage if you aren't moving.

I'm seriously considering changing my blog to "I Lost My Coffee" or "I really should be packing."

We are starting our move in a few days and a moment in the blogosphere is like a day at the spa for me. So, thanks to all of you in my blogroll you have updated your posts.

I don't mind packing. Really. I just don't care for begging for boxes. OK. I hate it. If I could go to just one place and get all the cardboard refuse I need, then it would be fine. But, dumspter diving is not a skill to which I aspire.

Thanks to all of the treehuggers, now you can be selective about your dumpster diving. It's about options, people. There are "cardboard only," "Keep doors closed," and my personal favorite, "This stinks to high heaven. How desperate are you?" (I made that one up.)

Lucky for me, the kind folks at Dollar General offered some of their boxes right off the sales floor. Bless their hearts.

I went back to DG for a few more boxes yesterday and the boxes had already been thrown away in the clean and neat "cardboard only" dumpster. The sweet young clerk generously offered me an invitation to dig through the dumpster and then gave me some very important advice, "Just don't go back there after dark."

Thanks for the tip.

;>)

A Mall Meme

I saw this meme over at Clemntine's place and since I am brain dead from inhaling all of the cardboard dust from this little thing we call "moving and makin' mama crazy" I am thankful for a meme.

I'm just sayin.'

Here are the rules-

You get to create your own Mall. Choose 6 stores that would definitely be included in your ideal one stop mall. Then as a bonus you can pick your favorite restaurant and fast food eatery to be located there, too. After you’ve created it, post it and tag some bloggers to join in the fun.


Melanie's Malleria


1. Target- Target in a mall? Yes! Discover the glory of it all.

2. Dollar Tree- A really good one. Not a lame one. The place has to be full to the ceiling with cheaply made goods that I must have for only one buck.

3. Macy's- Hey, I'm cheap, but I still have taste. I like their home furnishings department.

4. A cute little gift shop that has everything for every birthday gift, baby gift, and just plain I gotta have it item. Includes a sweet Southern lady who calls me darlin' and offers to wrap nearly everything I purchase for free. She has a dog in the back that stays there with her all day to keep her comp'ny.

5. A Christian book, music and gift store. With a coffee shop inside.

6. A fun toy store where my daughter and I can splurge on more stuffed animals that will collect dust. :>)


Restaurant- A small town eatery where everyone recognizes me and they are all related to the lady at the gift shop. The menu offers daily specials and the tables always have nice tablecloths and fresh flowers.

Fast food- Chick-fil-A, yum

If you decide to do this meme, leave a note in the comments! Have fun.

My niece, the philospher.

I love being a mom. It is so much fun- playing, crafting, stealing kisses and hugs. So far, being an aunt to Miss Molly has its little rewards, too. We'll get to craft and play (when she can, you know, hold her head up) and I don't have to deal with messy diapers on a daily basis.

Not to mention the stories. Oh, the stories have already begun.

T and C (Molly's parents, not a rap band) were out shopping for a family vehicle. Like most of us, they never envisioned themselves riding around town in a sedan or a station wagon. Like most of us before we had kids, we said we would never be caught dead in a van.

Then we learned that a Corvette convertible doesn't hold a lot of baby stuff, i.e- stroller, pack and play, bottles, clean diapers, dirty diapers. Plus, the kid has to ride somewhere.

So T and C have started looking for a safe and affordable van for the growing family. Last weekend they visited a local dealer. They aren't amateurs at car buying. No, M'am. They had done their research and knew exactly what price range their van of choice should fall in.

Then they met that guy, Mr." starched white shirt and khakis" guy. Mr. "I have only 2 ties and the other one is in the bottom of the hamper" guy. Mr. "Am I wearing enough after shave for ya?" guy.

That guy. The used car salesman.

T and C found a van they really liked. The salesman tried to trick them into an overinflated sale price saying, "With this much down, at this percent interest, this would be your payment."

T kept saying,"Just give me the bottom line. What is the total price?"

The salesman danced around the question, answering, "This would be your payment."

T kept asking.

The salesman kept dancing.

They knew he was trying to trick them into a huge price because they could, you know, add. Plus they didn't even need to finance. That guy just wouldn't listen.

C was sitting in the passenger's front seat with the salesman in the driver's seat. The salesman kept spouting out lies. T was in the back seat feeding Molly when Molly let out a sound from inside her diaper that told that car salesman exactly what she thought.

C calmly turned to the salesman and said,"She said what you are saying is a bunch of cr*p."

The salesman answered,"That's not what she said."

Like any good parents would do, they took the advice,if you will, of their infant daughter over that guy because she's got more brains than he does.

And more gas.

They say it's her birthday...

Today is my dear friend Lucy's birthday. Her name isn't really Lucy, but somehow a few years ago I told her that we were Lucy and Ethel. I was Ethel (not Cousin Ethel.)

Let me tell you a few things about Lucy...

She is an awesome mom. She is totally devoted to her daughter and takes parenting very seriously.

She loves her family.

She is a caretaker and a nurturer.

She has sacrificed so much (willingly) for people in her life. She is a giver.

She loves, loves, loves a good cup of coffee.

She is very organized. She knows how many monkeys are in her kids' barrel of monkeys. (Something I cannot relate to. :>))

She is a talented singer, actress and musician.

She is crafty.

She's smart.

She loves red lipstick. (a girl after my own heart!)

She loves good food and she isn't afraid to "eat like a real woman." (No nibbles for us! We can put down some groceries!)

She is an awesome cook and hostess.

She loves animals and once took in a mama cat and kittens, and then took them with her during a hurricane evacuation. With her child, her two dogs, cat, and two turtles. Yes, m'am. She did.

She is my sister in Christ and I love her.

Happy Birthday, Lucy. You got some 'xplainin to dooooo.

Click here to enjoy one of the best scenes with Lucy and Ethel!!

Finally, some real writing talent in the family.

My daughter asked to put something on my blog. This is her latest favorite story. Her teacher asked the class to write about a "shy purple pig."

THE SHY PURPLE PIG

Once their was a planet called purple planet. Evrything was purple. Egsept for the people and the animals! But Shy purple pig happened to be purple. One day purple pig overheard the Farmer talking to a detectives’ boss about him. O.K.,Il’ take Him. Shy purple pig, Welcome to the detective life. I need you to go out there and be a detective. So he did.
THE END

This post could save your life, or just make you want a doughnut.

According to a recent news article, people in the South are more likely to have a stroke than folks in other regions of the US.

Go figure.

The article goes on to say (I shall paraphrase a bit) we Southerners are having strokes left and right because we are fat, lazy, uneducated, are smoking like chimney stacks and running up our blood sugar with all of those Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Now I know I might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but don't insult my blood glucose levels. ;>)

Call it a hunch, but I'm thinking this high incidence of stroke may be related to all the meat we eat. You know, the meat that has been cooked in fat (which came from some other meat source). Never mind that we boil all of the nutrients out of our vegetables and season them with more meat (or just fat.) Even our bread has Crisco in it.

Rumor has it that somebody in Stark, Mississippi came up with a butter flavored ice cream.

OK. That last sentence? I made it up. Everybody knows that people from Mississippi don't eat butter flavored anything. They eat butter, not butter substitutes.

I do not mean to make light of the serious, life-threatening, debilitating medical condition known as stroke. Just consider this my silly attempt to get your attention. A healthy diet, exercise, and regular check-ups with your doctor are key to stroke prevention.

You should also know what to do if you or someone you love experiences a stroke. Time lost is brain lost.

So while you're sitting there at your computer eating your buttered biscuit and fried chicken, take a moment to read the warning signs of a stroke.

The information could save a life. That life could be yours.

Love-Me-Knots. Check it out!

Bows, bows, bows.

They've got your precious bows, here.

Bows. Who wants bows?

Have you visited Love-Me-Knots? Mommy Dearest and her friend Melissa have launched an awesome website where you can purchase handcrafted bows for your sweet girl or grand girl. You'll love the gorgeous ribbons for those curls and you'll love knowing you've helped two great stay at home moms.

SO, check it out! You'll be glad you did.

See you soon, Melinda

I can't believe Melinda was voted off.

Maybe it is all a blessing in disguise? Without the AI title, Melinda can have a little more creative freedom and really make her music all her own. Can I just say that I really have admired that she has dressed and acted appropriately on stage? She managed to be stylish without being immodest.

Looking forward to the CD, Melinda!

YOU ARE W-O-M-A-N!!

Random blips in my brain

Updated to add: Your comments are proof that you guys are quite the intuitive ones, too! Lovin' your comments. Fun. Thanks.

It's really frightening, the things I think about throughout the day. Other people are spending time planning healthy meals for their families, saving the planet or discovering cures for cancer. I'm just trying to make sure my clothes match.

Consider these my deep thoughts for the day. (Scary.)


1. While I was watching one of those commode (Mommy Dearest, I didn't say "toilet." Wink Wink) cleaner commercials, I kept noticing how much they claimed that the product killed germs. They even get all mathematical about it and use a decimal point- "99.9 % of harmful bacteria."

I like a sparkling bowl, if you will, but has it ever occurred to anyone what is going to go in there after we have disinfected it? Ahem.

I'm thinking 100% harmful bacteria.

So, let's do a good job cleaning the commode and focus more attention on the bathroom sink.

Just a thought.

2. Has anyone noticed that the Geico gecko has a different British dialect? Did they think we wouldn't notice? It's like when they replaced Darrin Stephens with a new Darrin on Bewitched. They tried to switch them on the sly; the actors even had the same first name.

I want to know. What happened to the first gecko? Did they fail to renew his contract or did he meet a tragic ending, one where his tail didn't grow back?

3. I think the actress who plays Meredith on Grey's Anatomy needs a new hairdo.

4. I think Jennifer Anniston's face is getting longer.

5. I think Cracker Barrel is a weird name for a restaurant that doesn't sell crackers. Or barrels.

And who is the old man sitting next to the barrel in the logo?

6. I don't understand why it is OK to drink coffee and listen to Diana Krall in Barnes and Noble but it is not OK to have a snack and whisper in the public library.

I'm just sayin.'

7. I realized today that I have become a connoisseur of chicken nuggets. They could feature me on Food Network.

Or not.

There's an iPod in the henhouse.

I've been buying more organic foods. We have switched to organic milk, eggs, and some meats. The organic meats are a little more difficult to find.

The switch isn't just for hubs and me, but for our daughter. Years from now folks may say organic was much ado about nothing but for now, I am not sure the added hormones are safe. (The organic milk actually tastes better! Seriously!)

I don't mind a little pesticide sprinkled on my fruits and veggies. I figure that I can wash those off. OK. Truth is, I'm cheap. We may go totally organic with that food group, too. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next week. Maybe when the prices go down...

Yesterday, while at Publix, I found a new (for me) brand of organic eggs- The Country Hen. I read the package late last night while making cupcakes and had to chuckle. These cage free hens are living the life in "sunlit barns and porches."

I am soooo glad I found The Country Hen. I just hate those snooty city hens strutting down Madison Avenue in their big Prada sunglasses with their blackberries and MP3 players. Don't you?

;>)

The last 24 hours in a nutshell.

1. Drove to my parents' house for a short, but sweet Mother's Day visit.

2. Saw a Piggly Wiggly, a small town square, tall pines, short bridges over "branches" (instead of "creeks"), brown thrashers, mockingbirds, cows, horses, and one mama deer and baby standing on the side of the road.

3. Smelled the aroma of speckled butter beans pressure cooking on the stove, jasmine on the vine, and smoke that had traveled for miles from the Georgia Fires still burning.

4. Heard a little girl giggle with her PaPa.

5. Tasted way too many speckled butter beans, some pork roast, a Hardee's breakfast biscuit, homemade hamburgers and pound cake. (It's a good thing I was only there for one night!)

6. Enjoyed the sweetness of being a mother and a daughter all at the same time.

And did I mention the butter beans?