First a few recent pictures.

Halloween
From "Big Baby"
on down to Little Goblin.


The last of
Volleyball
for the year.-->

Something I noticed recently---- Kid Rock's song All Summer Long (and don't get me wrong I like this song) is a clever remake of Deana Carter's song Strawberry Wine. Think about the similarities and you'll see.

Random Abandon

I know I have been unforgivably absent lately but I promise to do better. It's just been rough around here the last few weeks and sometimes other things take priority. I'm trying hard to shape up, I guarantee it!!

How my brother's Thank You card for his wedding gift started:

Mike, Melanie, Audrey, Joseph......
Screwit, my hands tired.

It's a sad commentary when you have so many kids that people can't even write a Thank You to everyone. (Yes, that was sarcasm.)

We are half way through ball season and my kids have started their own little countdown of how many games and practices are left. I swear I don't know where they get this crazy stuff from. They love to play but all of the running is hard and it takes it's toll.

Random Abandon

I had no idea how badly my mouth could hurt. I now understand why people decide to just pull all of their teeth and get fake ones. Much more of this and you can Sign. Me. Up.

My birthday was this week and there is only one thing I can think to sum it up - Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children.

Honestly I'm having a little trouble writing. The pain in my mouth tends to block out everything else. Sorry I've been so distant and uncaring lately, I just can't handle thinking while in pain. I know I'm a whiner but I'm so ready for this to be over.

Random Abandon

After yesterdays post I thought maybe I should list a few things that I was thankful for this week:
1. That only Joe got the Chicken Pox (so far, knock on wood) and not all 4 kids.
2. That Audrey's volleyball team is finally working together and won a game.
3.The God-send of a doctor who gave me medicine for my tooth.
4.That they didn't steal anymore from us than they did.
5.That we have friends that will try to help us get our stuff back.

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and Autumn a mosaic of them all. ~Stanley Horowitz

Random Abandon

The old saying - You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar- Let's just say some people would do well to remember that.

I think the fact that Luke Russert is taking up (almost) right where his father left off is remarkable. It looks like he has the potential to be just as cutting edge and innovative as his Dad. Check out how he has been blogging about the election as well as covering it, along with Hurricane Gustav and other things.

Ever wish someone would stand up for you like Johnny stood up for Baby. "Nobody puts Baby in the corner." (Yes I've watched Dirty Dancing again)

Random Abandon

Things are getting back to normal. If there is such a thing as normal around here. I am settling back into every day life.

There's one sad truth in life I've found
While journeying east and west -
The only folks we really wound
Are those we love the best.
We flatter those we scarcely know,
We please the fleeting guest,
And deal full many a thoughtless blow
To those who love us best.
~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

First volleyball game coming up this week and I can't wait. Basketball tryouts started Friday and all of that will be underway soon.

After a very lengthy discussion about something silly, these statements were made:

Mr. Perfectly Stubborn - Let's change the subject.
Drew- Let's switch to Math.
Yep, that's his favorite subject!!

Random Abandon

Nothing left to countdown. My first week of freedom was .... well ..... busy. It was nice though to have even just a few minutes to myself each day. I think it is hard for people to understand how exhausting it is to never have a second to just breath and collect your thoughts.

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren

We may end up with a woman in the presidential office after all. What do you guys think of Sarah Palin? I'm still a little unsure of this pick.

My thoughts and prayers are with you New Orleans. Gustav looks tough and mean but you have proved before that you can overcome.

Random Abandon

1 more day and then I'm free to breath without someone asking me why!!!!!

It is still blowing my mind that I will have 2 kids in Middle School this year. I just keep repeating my new mantra. I am not that old, I am not that old, I. am. not. that. old!!

Every act of conscious learning requires the willingness to suffer an
injury to one's self-esteem. That is why young children, before they are
aware of their own self-importance, learn so easily. ~Thomas Szasz

Random Abandon

8 days until school starts! I'm so excited and I just can't hide it!!(I'm dancing in my mind, can you tell?)

The Olympics are great!! Does it get any better than Michael Phelps? We have, of course, watched a lot of the volleyball and they are great. I've watched a little of the diving but I keep missing it, hopefully I will get to see the finals.

One of Nintendo's developers has been told that he is not allowed to speak about his "hobbies" in public or to the press. Can you imagine? I understand that his ideas are golden but can they really tell him that he's not allowed to talk about what he likes to anyone. To me that just seems ludicrous. (See the story here.)

Dr. Meredith Grey: Pain, you just have to ride it out, hope it goes away on
its own, hope the wound that caused it heals. There are no solutions, no easy
answers, you just breath deep and wait for it to subside. Most of the time pain
can be managed but sometimes the pain gets you where you least expect it. Hits
way below the belt and doesn't let up. Pain, you just have to fight through,
because the truth is you can't outrun it and life always makes more.

Random Abandon

15 days till school starts!! Alot of the school shopping is done. I'm getting so excited. Time for me and Audrey to go do our beauty day!! Gotta finish the school shopping and get everything set.

Hubby-"My feet smell like roses."
Matt(6 yr. old)-"Dead roses."

Joseph got a pellet gun for his birthday. He was trying to figure it out himself but couldn't. He was explaining to Hubby how hard he had tried to figure it out and said "I read the whole entire book, the part that's English. I couldn't read the rest."

Man my kids are funny!!

I love this part of Rodney Atkins song. It describes so well how a person who tends to hold everything in manages to do it. Not that I would know.

Invisibly shaken and quietly breakin'
Desperately takin' one breath at a time
Beneath this composure I know it's over

-Rodney Atkins lyrics

Random Abandon

We ate at Hardee's the other day and they were exceptionally slow. We overheard them talking about how some people hadn't showed up, there was only 1 person working back in the kitchen and of the 5 or 6 people working out front none of them knew how to do anything in the kitchen. We were talking about how they shouldn't hire these people that weren't willing to train to do everything. About that time our darling little 6 yr. old chimed in "Yeah but they probably get paid more." From the mouth of babes is all I can say.

Foot Fashions

22 days till school starts!! 14 days till volleyball starts! Then basketball is next. Time for a whole new kind of stress.

Random Abandon

29 days till school starts....I'm so excited. Time to start school shopping. On another school note I love the idea our governor is pushing. Anyone of you have kids that go year round? How does it work out?

I'm leaving on a jet plane.
Don't know if I'll be back again.

I think I'm in a quote mood so here are a few that suit my current disposition:

The sun shines and warms and lights us
and we have no curiosity to know why this is so;
but we ask the reason of all evil, of pain,
and hunger, and mosquitoes and silly people. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I had the blues because I had

no shoes until upon the street,

I met a man who had no feet.

To be wronged is nothing

unless you continue to remember it.

Random Abandon

I do not normally chime in on the whole evolution scene but to me this was just ridiculous. Thought it might be of interest to you guys. How is it that we evolved from both apes and fish?
Human Speech Traced to Talking Fish.

Warning: Don't just grab Pop Tarts from a toaster that your child has turned the setting all the way up on. The "icing" on the front does melt and will take away your fingerprints (okay so if your going to commit a crime soon- take note of this) and it isn't pleasant.

Thin Mint Blizzards Rock my World! 'Nough said!!

And yes I'm still keeping count - We have 36 days till school starts. I have almost adjusted to them being here all day but I still can't wait.

Random Abandon

I hate June Bugs! I'm researching how to kill them. No, I'm not kidding. They are disgusting, I hate them and they scare me. For some reason I'm scared they will crawl into my ears. Did you know that they lay their eggs one year, the eggs hatch and turn into adults the next year and it's not until the year after that they actually crawl out of the ground and come after me. I really hate these guys!!

Shocker- with as picky as I am about food, who would've thought I
wouldn't like Chinese food. Like I said Shock-er!

Since light travels faster than sound, people appear bright until you hear them speak.

43 days till school starts!!
How much can one woman take!!!!!

Random Abandon

What's your favorite patriotic song? Mine is "My Country, Tis of Thee". Look here for a list to help you decide.

I place economy among the first and most important virtues,and public debt as the greatest of dangers. To preserve ourindependence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.
- Thomas Jefferson

Who is The Mole? Does anyone have a clue? Everyone I have suspected so far has gone home. I'm at a loss.

Dear One's Definition of Stress: The confusion created when one's mind overrides the body's desire to beat or choke some punk who desperately needs it.

Random Abandon

I prefer the word homemaker because housewife seems to imply

that there may be a wife someplace else.

A quote from the Gilmore Girls;

Emily-"Well then what do you usually eat for breakfast?"
Rory-"Usually
just a pop tart."
Emily-"I'll have the maid whip one up for you."

Oh to be so posh that you don't know what a pop tart is!!

Random Abandon

Happy Birthday to my Daddy!!

We saw a segment on the news the other day that said that people who have bumper stickers are more likely to have road rage. I said Dear One needed a bumper sticker, the kids thought I was hilarious, Dear One not so much. He informed us that he doesn't have road rage he has stupid people rage.

I love it when it rains while the sun is still shining. There is nothing more beautiful.

63 days till school starts!!

Random Abandon

Jo spent the night at his papaws and when his uncle called and he answered the phone this is how the conversation went:

Uncle: (trying to pick on him and being sarcastic) Who is this?
Jo: This is Leota Dickens’ grandson.

Now where did he get those manners from? That’s my little (crap I should’ve said big) man for ya!

The end of Little League season = The beginning of summer (for real)
Nothing to do but laze and have fun. Man do I wish that were true.

I think....You say

Track :: Running
Snake :: Poisonous
Assignment :: Work
Blockbuster ::
Movies
Bombastic :: Wordy
Adventure :: Trek
First time ::
Virgin
Aged :: Wine
Grip :: Squeeze
Shortcut:: Cheat

So what would you have thought?

If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time,
the insane asylums would be filled with mothers.
70 days till school starts!!

Random Abandon

Given my obsession with Myspace and now blogging I never thought I would say I didn’t want comments but after just two days of my kids being off from school I have said it. They, for some reason, feel the need to comment on every statement that is made so we have a new rule – No Comments! This doesn’t apply to me – Obviously!!

Boy- n.: a noise with dirt on it.

Dickens Dinner #2 is over and done and we actually made it to this one. All went well but everyone wasn’t there so we shall see what the future holds.

“I can’t believe yall got to play with Play-Doh all day. That’s so not fair.”

Ok not a weird quote for a family with a bunch of little boys except….

It came from my 13 yr. old talking on her cell phone to one of her friends from school.

Got to love the last week of school!

Now I shall leave you with a short thought: Remember someone always has it worse than you!

77 days till school starts!!

Random Abandon

West Virginia is no longer Open for Business. We are once again simply Wild and Wonderful. Actually it's been that way for awhile but I just saw it for myself. See history here.

West Virginia restaurants are really lacking. Case in point: The KFC in Wytheville, VA has dumplings and they are actually good. Get with it people.

Traveling with kids is dangerous to your health!!

Weddings can be beautiful in so many different ways, what works for some may not work for others. Funny how marriages follow those exact same lines.