Terrible Twos!

I saw this on Kat's and then Annie's sites. Thought it'd be fun to do (and I love the title). If you read this, please do it, too (and let me know so I can go read yours)!

1. Two Names You Go By: Kari and Sissy
2. Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now: A Glorious New Sundress (I'm that happy with this dress!) and The World's Most Uncomfortable Bra (yeah, that's the official name. Just christened it that myself.)
3. Two Things You Want In A Relationship: Love and Lust. Well. Perhaps I should clarify that answer. I'm assuming we're talking about a relationship as in "marital". Right?
4. Two of Your Favorite Things to Do: Cook and Clean.
5. Two Things You Want Very badly At the Moment: A Nip in the Air and a Hint of Snow!
6. Two Pets You Had/Have: Sydney the Wonder Dog (an extremely intelligent and gorgeous hunk of a Chihuahua) and Blu-Boy the Black Chow.
7. Two People Who Will Fill This out First: Well, I don't know. Hope you all do. I like learning new things about you.
8. Two Things You Did Last Night: (Loved Kat's answer to this!) I took a nice long bath and watched Monk and Psych on TiVo.
9. Two People That Live In Your House: Kaleb and Jacob.
10. Two People You Talked To Last: my sister Sherri and my dearly beloved Randey
11. Two Things You're Doing Tomorrow: wash bedclothes (the in-laws are headed back to Florida in the a.m. so I guess I'll get the room ready for the next guests) and balance my checkbook (had a lot of fun shopping while they were here - tomorrow I'll have to face the music and see what damage I've done. lol)
12. Two Longest Car Rides: from Florida to Montana and from Oklahoma to New York
13. Name 2 of Your Favorite Holidays: Thanksgiving and Christmas.
14.Two Favorite Beverages: grande latte with low fat milk and whipped cream (yeah - that's just like ordering a giant hamburger and fries with a diet coke) and an unsweet Passion shaken ice-tea lemonade (from Starbucks).

So there you have it. Now you all know me just a little bit better. And, if you were paying attention, you also know that I am a horrible and shameless liar. I refer, of course, to number 4. Cooking and cleaning. Oh yeah - 2 things I just live to do! If Randey were reading this, he'd fall out of his chair laughing. Then I'd have to act all offended and pout for an hour or two - far too exhausting all the way around. lol So I'll go ahead and change my answers now. Two of my favorite things to do: read blogs and talk to my husband and kids. There. Now that's honest enough.

The Latest in Cocktail Napkin Fashion!

I was shopping in Weatherford yesterday (more pictures to follow later) when I came across these cute little cocktail napkins in a little store. They screamed for me to buy them, but I resisted. I don't know why, though. They seem so...perfect. In case you can't read them, they say m.o.p.s. which stands for Menopause - Our Personal Summer.
Gotta love that.

P.S. Just a little F.Y.I. - my in-laws are in town for a few days. Great to have them, but it really cuts into my blogging schedule. (lol just kidding!) I should be back on schedule no later than Sunday evening. I feel like I have to say this to keep my Aunt Sandi from sending me threatening e-mails! lol

The Winner of the Favorite Season Pole Is.....

(Drum roll, please.....) AUTUMN! Well now, there's a big surprise. Autumn won with 55% of the vote, summer came in second with 20%, spring was a pretty close third with 17% and winter came in last with only a lousy 6%. (Which only comes to 98% but what can I say? these are the figures that blogspot spit out). What's with the lack of winter love people? That's my second favorite season! Gimme that cold weather and I'm a happy camper. I've always felt that way. Even before I became afflicted with this thing called MEN-O-PAUSE. Now that I'm in a perpetual state of roasting like a turkey, winter has become an even more treasured time of year for me! I'm not going to talk ugly about all you summer people, really I'm not. I don't understand you, but that doesn't mean I think you're crazy (well, really I do think that, but it'd be soooo rude for me to say so, wouldn't it?). I do get the spring voters. Spring is nice...all the pretty plants and trees coming back to life, the weather getting slightly warmer, the sunshine breaking up the monotony that winter can sometimes become. But summer lovers? Please! I beg of you! Anybody that voted for summer, seek medical attention immediately. I believe you may be suffering from heat stroke and are too disoriented to know it. At the very least, go take an ice cold shower. Wake up! Come to your senses! Your brain is baked - that's the only logical explanation for your vote! Or maybe it's my brain thats baked. Yeah, that could be it. I should move. I should move somewhere that doesn't get to triple digits on a regular basis in the summer. Any suggestions? I was telling Joan @http://jcjourneys.blogspot.com/ (a summer person, I believe, but I still like her) that I had been rather randomly checking out houses in Spokane, Washington. The weather up there seems to be perfect for me. How about were you're at? Anybody lookin' to gain a neighbor? I swear, I'd be a good neighbor! I mind my own business...usually. I don't have wild parties or play loud music. I won't park in front of your mailbox. I only need cooler weather. That's my only requirement. Well, that's my major requirement. Come on, people. Help me out. Where's a good place to live for nice cooler weather with no long lasting, blistering, paint peeling, body roasting summers?

A Giveaway at The Bunnys Bungalow - Go Over There and Leave a Comment to Enter!

See all the stuff in this photo? It's for a giveaway at http://thebunnysbungalow.blogspot.com/. The drawing will be held Saturday morning. She said to spread the word, so I'm doing my part. I actually entered this contest so I'm kind of lessening my chances of winning, aren't I? But, as I told Debra, the only thing I've ever won was a t-shirt from the radio station back in 1977 so my odds weren't great anyway. Isn't it a fantastic giveaway, though? Head on over there and enter! Good luck all!

A Rose By Any Other Name? Or Is It More Than That?

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS RELIGIOUS REFERENCES. DO NOT READ IF ANOTHER PERSON'S BELIEFS OFFEND YOU.
This just in from the A.P.:

AMSTERDAM - A Roman Catholic Bishop in the Netherlands has proposed people of all faiths refer to God as Allah to foster understanding, stoking an already heated debate on religious tolerance in a country with one million Muslims.
Bishop Tiny Muskens, from the southern diocese of Breda, told Dutch television on Monday that God did not mind what he was named and that in Indonesia, where Muskens spent eight years, priests used the word "Allah" while celebrating Mass.
"Allah is a very beautiful word for God. Shouldn't we all say that from now on we will name God Allah? ... What does God care what we call him? It is our problem."

God, Allah, Jehovah, Shangdi...these are names that various religions all over the world use to refer to the All-Mighty, the Supreme Being who created us all. But there are some religious zealots out there who believe that their supreme being wants them to not only hate people of a different culture or religion, but to actually kill them for those differences. I'm not referring to Muslims, per se. I'm referring to those people out there who believe their religion is the only religion, the only way to worship the All-Mighty. Unfortunately, those people can be found in just about every religion. It's when those people choose to forcibly impose their beliefs on others that I have a problem. And now I hear about this priest who wants the whole world to change the name they use to refer to their Supreme Being to Allah, in an effort to "foster understanding". And that will accomplish understanding how? Should we all start speaking the same language - world wide - so that we might "foster" even more understanding amongst the residents of earth? Okay. Which language? Should we also make all women wear burkhas or face covers so that we don't offend certain religions? Should we also require all worshippers of the All-Mighty to sit in the lotus position while humming and chanting with their eyes closed? And maybe we should insist that every temple and mosque around the world hang a cross front and center. I mean, really, wouldn't it be great if we could all worship in the same way, with the same understanding? Wouldn't it feel wonderful to know that everyone in the world understands your religious views and together, we could all feel the warmth of our All-Mighty's grace? But changing the way people refer to the All-Mighty isn't the answer. That's not fostering understanding. And it's not necessary amongst the peaceable and tolerant religions of this world. Its only important to those who wish to impose their will upon the rest of the world. I don't mind referring to God as Allah. I do mind being bullied or threatened or intimidated into doing it. I do mind doing it because somebody feels a need to appease someone else who has no tolerance for my beliefs. I believe in religious freedom. I believe that a person's relationship with God is between that person and God. The conversations between God and His children aren't always open for public consumption. I believe that God planned our world so that we wouldn't all speak the same language and we all wouldn't look the same and we all don't live the same experiences. I believe that God gave each of us a separate set of circumstances for our lives and how we get through it and how we relate to each other and how we accept and nurture our relationship with Him is what matters. If you don't believe the same, I accept that. I don't want to force my beliefs on you. Ever. I will share my feelings with you, but I'm almost certain that your beliefs and mine won't always agree. Isn't that wonderful? Again, if you don't belief what I do, that is okay with me. But don't tell me I should use your words or adopt your traditions and suppress my own because it will make us understand each other better. We can understand each other better by explaining our beliefs without fear of reprisal. We can understand each other better by practicing tolerance not submitting to intolerance.
But that's just my belief.

He's Driving Me Crazy! And Now It's Legal For Him To Do It!

See this kid? This is my baby. My youngest. The last tenant of my womb. See that piece of paper he's holding? I know...it's all blurred and white but so what? You don't need to read the actual words anyway. I can tell you what it says. It says, "Kari Leigh. You are officially an old woman. Your youngest child has been granted a Learners Permit to drive. That means you can no longer pretend you are the parent of a youngling. You are just one more old lady in the world today. Give up the hair color now. Go gray. Completely gray. Your days as a young, hip mom are over, lady. You are now nearing the crest of the hill we call "Mount Middle Age". A couple more steps and you will, indeed, be over the hill. And by the way, your youngest child may not drive without an adult over the age of eighteen (and Heaven knows, Kari, YOU qualify on that score) accompanying him."

Okay. So maybe it doesn't say that in so many words, but that's the general idea. He's had this permit for about a week. I've just refused to grasp the full meaning of it. It wasn't until we were leaving tennis practice (the boys', not mine) last night that I realized...Kaleb will be a junior in high school this year and Jake will be a sophomore. What the heck? Where did the time go? How did this happen? Just the other day, those two were sitting in carseats and stealing each other's bottles. Well, I guess it wasn't just the other day that they were doing that. How funny would that have looked? Two teenage boys, strapped into carseats, their heads smushed against the ceiling of the car while they snatch bottles out of each others mouths...yeah, that's a vision. Still, it doesn't seem possible that my youngest little baby can now drive a car. Sure, sure. Jake getting his permit isn't supposed to be about me and only a narcissistic personality such as mine could turn it into such. Yeah? So? I'm self-centered. Duh.You really think pointing that out to me will change the way I'm viewing this? Please. Look up "narcissist" in the dictionary, then get back to me. Try to see it from my point of view, would you? And the point I'm making is, his getting a permit is just one more indication that my old age is fast approaching. He's my baby! My youngest baby! First menopause, now this! A part of me says I'm looking at this all wrong. But that part isn't dealing with wrinkles, hot flashes and flabby arms. I think I need a therapist. Or a good, stiff drink. Or both. I guess the good news is, now I'll have one more driver to get me home after a drunken session at the therapist's office, huh?

Hey, look! Over there, wearing the feathers...It's Big Chief Ima Goober!

This, ladies and gentlemen, is my husband. Yes. I'm proud to say that. Honestly. This man is the most important human being in the world to me. I love him. Nay, dare I say, I adore him. He makes my heart go pitter-patter. He makes me feel better when I'm feeling down. He makes me laugh when I'm feeling grumpy. He makes me cry with just the very sweetness of his soul. And maybe most importantly, he has yet to strangle me in an effort to escape my menopausal induced madness. This is just a wonderful, wonderful man. Oh I'm so lucky. Indeed, I am. Can't say it enough. Just can't. But. There are times when dealing with him is just like having an extra kid around. And this was OBVIOUSLY one of those times. We took a trip this weekend to one of those tiny little towns scattered all over Texas. We thought we'd check out some of the "antique" (aka junk) stores around that area. As we were walking through this one store, I heard Randey in the back of the place. Actually, what I heard sounded a lot like the air going out of a tire. It was Randey, trying to get my attention. I turned around and went back. And there he stood. In all his magnificence. Wearing this. I, in my firmest "mother" voice, told him to take that thing off and put it back. Right now! He wanted me to take a picture of him first. Thought it was just sooooo cool. I snapped the picture quickly and then left him just as quickly. It was either that or slap his hand and tell him no-no. It wasn't until later that night, when I was telling someone about this incident that Randey shared this piece of news: that funny headdress he was wearing? It was selling for the low, low price of $2,200.00! And here's photographic proof that my husband was playing with it like he'd found it down at the Five and Dime. Geez. No concept.

My Girly Room Has Begun....

If anybody has seen the previous pictures of my home that I have posted, you know that inside is mainly earth tone colors...browns, greens, golds, burgundy (is burgundy really an earth tone? or should I call that an accent color? Whatever, doesn't matter I guess). My point is that my whole entire house was lacking anything "girly". Yep, all earth tones. Well, accept for the Star Wars room. Guess that's anything but earth toned. Ha,ha, get it? Earth toned? The room is STAR Wars? As in extra-terrestrial? Not of this earth? Ah well, nevermind. I digress anyway. After wandering around Blogland for a few weeks or so, I realized that I was drawn to the really "pretty" rooms and decorating sites. I fell in love with Sophie Honeysuckle's blog...all those pretty fabrics, wallpapers, chandeliers...all of it. So....I announced to my family that I was going to have one girly room in this house...no arguments, no ifs, ands or buts. A girly room. They all looked at me like..."okay. knock yourself out. why do we need to know this?" It wasn't the ginormous issue I thought it would be. In fact, it occured to me at that time, that I may have been seriously overestimating their interest in my decorating hobby. I was somewhat...disappointed. I hate to say it, but I honestly believe Randey and the boys couldn't care less if they lived in a house with all white walls and no throw pillows! Can.You.Imagine? So...fine. I don't need them to love my new room (which is good because Jacob acted like I was force feeding him liver when I dragged him in to look at the bed this afternoon). "Yeah, Mom, it looks...okay, I guess. I don't like pink so no, I don't really like this, ya know?". That kid can be such a weenie when he tries. So I smacked him and threw him out into the hallway. (Okay, no I didn't. Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.) Well...where in the heck was I going with this? Oh yeah...I've got the bed all "dressed". Now I have to start doing something to the walls...I found a cute wooden sign that I think I'm going to hang over the bed with some flowery plates I've been carrying around for a few years (I knew they'd come in handy one of these days). I've also got two lamps that I put somewhere in the garage for the yard sale I swear I'm going to have one of these days. I think they'll work in this room. Just to need paint them and "shabby" 'em up a little. And find lampshades that will look right. Then I need to get some kind of rug to go next to the bed. By the way, do me a favor and ignore all the black stuff on the carpet in that picture. That's Blu-boys fur (the Chow). He sheds constantly. That's a whole other post, though. Don't even get me started on that! So how's my room looking so far? Too many patterns? Too pink and green? The huge pink pillow looks better in person than it does in the picture. I think so anyway. This is my first attempt at a girly room since my daughter was little. I may be rusty, but I'm determined to get it right. So help me out here. Any advice? (But be gentle...I'm sensitive and easily hurt. Stop laughing, Aunt Sandi! I am!).

If I pretend it's winter, will it feel any colder?

These are a close-up of my snowflake earrings that Randey bought me last year. I came across them the other day and thought "Gee whiz, can't wait to wear those again. Hope it gets colder soon". Then I cracked my shin because I tripped over the footstool laughing so hard. Cold? Here? In Texas? That's just crazy talk! I felt like such a silly goose. A hot, sweaty, silly goose. A hot, sweaty, somewhat less than perky, silly silly goose. Yeaaaaahhhhh. Okay, sorry. Got lost in the moment. I'm back now. Once I dried the sweat from my brow and the tears from my eyes, I took charge of the situation. I wore my little snowflake earrings. I blew a big raspberry to this miserable heat and waggled my tongue at the triple digits and slapped those sparkly little flakes into my lobes and pranced around all day like they were the smartest fashion accessory going. And I'm gonna do it again tomorrow, too. So there. And if, from this point forward, I'm known as that lunatic woman who doesn't know winter from summer, so what? Big deal. Arrest me. Just make sure you lock me up in an air conditioned room. Wouldn't want my earrings to melt, you know.

P.S. Only 2 days left to vote in the "Favorite Season" pole (located on the leftside of this blog).