So Fun and Gone so fast!

This weekend FLEW by! We started off Friday night with Basketball practice! So fun watching the kiddos play! Nathan was at the Sommet Center sitting courtside watching UT, MTSU, Vandy and Western KY play some hoops. Nathan had some quality time with his father! Such a treat for the both of them.

Saturday morning started off with a 9am game and two VERY excited kiddos! They played a great game but were really excited about their party! And party they did. We had a skate party this year. We allowed the kids to invite some of their school friends, we had pizza, cake and lots of fun!

Saturday night we joined a group of friends to celebrate Tracy's 40th Birthday! Really ?? 40??? how did that happen?? We went to Bone Fish and really had a wonderful time!

Sunday was another BIG day. The cub scout troop had a float in the annual Christmas parade. They had such a neat o float and won first place in the school or church division. Nathan spearheaded this float and is so proud of his cubs! We are looking forward to a Pack Meeting on Tuesday night and a break at last!

The kids are out of school on Friday! They will be out of school until January 11th! They are looking forward to Christmas, seeing their cousins and spending time around the house.

Enjoy the pics, I am going to wrap some more gifts!

Lordy Mercy!

Holy Canoli!
I have been flying by the seat of my pants. I am normally a planner...Live and die by the calender in my iTouch! Well the past week, I have been taking it day to day. Get up and go go go. 'Tis the season, Correct??

In mthe past few days I have:
Written my annual Christmas up date, addressed, stamped and mailed my Christmas cards
finished some of my shopping, years past, I am so done shopping, not this time!
Ate with the kids at school for Christmas celebration luncheon
Helped in both of the kids' classrooms
Finished the Monster Tree
Finished trimmingthe exterior of the house with wreths and a sled on the from porch. No lights on the exterior because the orange extention cord is still in the house, covered-but still inside lighting up the tree.

I need to WRAP WRAP WRAP but alas, we are having a birthday party. A skate party for two cutie little boys who are turning 8 in one week. So for Saturday, Basketball, B day party, then we have a cousin who is turning 40. We are joining them for a night out! Sunday the Cub Scouts have a float in the annual Murfreesboro Christmas parade. Whew! What a fun time!

Cheerio Friends!

A 9ft Tall Monster

A nine foot tall monster has landed in my living room. But first, I hosted Thanksgiving. I made place cards and everything.
I made pretty place setting and I did not cook! We were also fortunate enough to spend time with Daddy T's family. We all enjoyed sharing stories of our beloved Daddy T. All in all we had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed spending time with family.




Now onto the matter at hand. Melissa (my friend) needed a larger tree than the one that she had. I knew that mom had a 9ft tree and mine was 7ft. so I offered to give Melissa my tree and use my mothers 9ft. tree. A 9 foot pre lit tree. Here in lies the problem. Nathan set up the tree...so easy, such a snap. I then leave for the grocery tree is up just needs a fluff or two and then it is ornament time! I return from my grocery run only to find Nathan wrestling with LIGHTS! Lights, this is a pre LIT tree, no lights! Oh he states that it needs more lights! So within minutes, he had
shorted out all the lights, and we had a Pre DARK tree. After much more wrestling we had lights, three separate extension cords, one of which is the orange construction type that is racing itself across my living room floor.

And can we just for a moment talk about how LARGE and inappropriate a nine foot tree is for a residence..? It looked fine, rather nice at my mom's house, in mine? so huge! Takes up the entire half of the living room and most of the windows. The room has literally changed colors because of the lack of natural light. But then that brings us up to the point of the lights that radiate from the tree, they only matter at night. Ugh the vicious cycle.

Today I did the task of applying decorations. I went to the store yesterday and bought what I thought would be nice additions to the bow topper that I made for the manageable 7 ft. tree. I had to add some sparkle -some wondermemt to the bow that would no longer do. Perhaps at this point I should tell of my disdain for ladders. Seeing that I am only 5ftt 6in there was NO way that I would be able to arrange my bow madness unless it was by ladder. I can look at a ladder and fall off of it. They make me nervous..and I have convinced myself that I will fall from a ladder and get hurt. Anyway.....I did it, I go the topper on, the tree decorated cords everywhere and glitter all over the floor....great start to the Christmas season. Nevermind the fact that I have decided that the piece d'resistance is my flying pig that was carefully placed on the tree by yours truly.

Now onto the cards...that is a whole other story.

Flippin Doctor

OK so, I was excited to log onto my blog today and see that my last post had a comment. Because really comments are the only way that I can tell if people are reading my little nuggets of wisdom. If no one is reading I may as well write a journal so that my family can pry the locks off of it when I am gone and remember why they are not sad that they did not get my humor. Anyway on to the comment. I think that it is just fine that that person is endorsing Viagra, and wants to pass it along to others. In some circles this is useful information, but this is MY blog and if you are going to sell such things on my blog, at least offer to give me a cut of the profits.

Onto today's order of business. I don't really look forward to much in my old age, I feel like I have seen and done so much what is left? Well alot, hello I am only 33! So a couple of weeks ago I was accompanying someone to my optometrist. Turns out that this someone needed to be seen by specialist. Andrea tells me " you will want to go to this appointment with so and so" Ok I say, I always go. She then states no you will want to go just to see the "foxy" (I think she said) doctor. Hello! I am in! I have been looking forward to today for long time. So he is hot and he is an eye doctor, BONUS! It just so happens that my best feature is my eyes so is he NOT not going to look at my eyes? Hell no, he is so going to look at my eyes probably call in the other male cute doctors to look at my eyes and then hire me as an eye model.....! And no I did not make a trip to Sephora just for new eye makeup perfume yes perhaps.

So I get up this morning and I am well rested. Turns out cucumbers only make you look like you should be relaxed but really just make you think that you look like an jackass, which you do. I come into my kitchen to yell at the kids, make my cup o Joe. Nathan is in here and I tell him I am taking so and so to the "HOT Doc" as I am now calling him. Aren't you jealous that he may sweep me off my feet and want me to run away with him I ask? He turns around with his suit jacket over his shoulder and tells me "Tell him he can have you." What?? This is the same response that my mom and dad would say each time I started dating someone. Tell him what?? No mention of a dowry splitting assets, custody or anything.

I also decided that I would set my eyes off with a good push up bra, you know do the right thing here since Nathan was OK with my leaving. I look down and I am sporting solid C cup as opposed to my B that I have worked so hard to get. That would be a B LONG mind you. Only thing is the lowest cut thing that I have is a turtle neck. Kind of pointless really. Actually I lied this whole paragraph is a lie. I do not have a push up bra and have not had one since college. I own lots of bras but nothing but a bra with scaffolding would pull these puppies up. I do have many many full coverage mommy bras. Did I tell you about the time that I bought my grandma a nursing bra on accident? I digress!

So Hot Doc enters the room: CRAP he is not hot! He is nothing, I mean he has great hair OK, he is married, so much for the steamy love affair on Nathan. He seems charming. Charming and Hot are NOT the same thing! I know charming. I am charming in my own wacko way. I know that I can be polite and nice and use my manners (and apparently write smut) but just because you can talk nicely to old people and chew with your mouth closed does not hot make you! I know that I have a good personality because on several occasions when my parents were trying to give me away to males (mind you HELLO was right there!) they tried to use the following selling points: she has great hair, she has good birthing hips, great personality and the best one "look at her eyes." As if they did not look at my eyes they would turn to stone. So I know the attributes of charming and well mannnered and while that is good in qualifying you as say a HUMAN, I think I will stick with Nathan.

See you Monday for our follow up HOT DOC!

So Nathan was gone...

So this past weekend Nathan and two of his nearest and dearest went into the woods for a weekend of pooping in the woods, scratching, cursing, smelling and hiking. Although I am pretty sure that they went to the spa and then rolled in a cow pile just so we would think that they are so rugged and woodsmen like.....well I thought that they went to the spa...Then Daniel sent pictures of their trip.

The above picture is my Pampered Chef spatula. I believe I will be interrupting Monday Night Football to talk about well, I am just saying, that does not belong there.

Happy Halloween, aw heck I missed it!

Ok so heck-I missed the bus on letting you all know what we were doing for Halloween. Perhaps it was beciase for the past two weeks, I have done very little. By that I mean docorated for Halloween on Halloween! How does that happen when Fall is by far my favorite time of year. I think that I have been so crazy busy (up to two weeks ago) that I forgot about the little stuff. I have so many projects going on that my home is a wreck....and what do you do when you have a wreck for a house? Keep wrecking it! That is what.....I am cleaning this week, also kids to the dentist, me to the doctor and we start Basketball on Thurday. Nathan and two of his friends are going backpacking for the weekend. Call the search team in...Then upon Nahtan's safe return, I am in the classroom all next week for 3 hours a day.

By the way Breckenridge was the hot spot for Halloween! We had a dinner at our house with friends then family joined the trick or treating crew. We have the candy drawer refilled for the year!

Those two on the end are my kids, one was an Cyborg Alein monster goul..and the other was a GI Joe person. I am no longer in charge of Halloween costuming: ever since I dressed he kids up as a duck and a frog.

The past two weeks...

I am again going to apologize one again for your not being able to enjoy insight into my life. Over the past two weeks we have had a rather amazing life....

Last Saturday we left for Washington DC. I have posted the slide show without any explanation..so here goes-(Que Drum Roll). We went to DC for the internment of my father in law. He was buried last Tuesday in Arlington National Cemetery. More on that later. We headed to DC early for some education. The kids learned about and saw the following: National Air and Space Museum, Museum of National History, Museum of Natural History, WWII Memorial, Capitol, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Union Station, Chinatown, Washington Monument, EOEB, White House, Vietnam Memorial, Reflecting Pool, Lincoln Memorial, Iwo Jima and Arlington and all the street, sidewalks and metro rail lines in between those points. Please keep in mind that we saw and experienced all of this via foot, and metro. We managed to fit all of this into 2 days. I must say, I love Washington DC! I loved the time that I lived there and I love being able to take my kids to enjoy that same city.

I really liked the fact that no matter how many times I tell the kids and my kids I mean Nathan, Ethan, John and Brandi (my niece we took) not to look at the bums, not to talk to the bums and don't EVER make eye contact with them! No matter how many times I gave them that advice, Nathan always got stuck with a bum. We had a bum talk to Nathan for an entire Metro ride, complete with kids asking "what is wrong with that guy?" mid conversation! We had one dude follow us talking to us and yelling directions to me for 12 blocks. DUDE I LIVED HERE! Shut UP! Nathan just walked and talked to the crazy dude! Holy cow! Bums have never been a problem for me because I ignore them or look the other way or tell them a firm NO! Nathan is a bum magnet. Is he afraid that he is going to hurt their feelings? Lordy mercy~

On Tuesday we laid our sweet Daddy T to rest in Arlington. Daddy T died in July and the wait is a long while to be placed in Arlington. Wait or no wait, it was a beautiful day, the type that Daddy T would have loved, nice cool fall day complete with sunshine. Perfect. We started services at the Old Post Chapel in Arlington. Then Daddy T's casket was loaded onto a horse drawn Caisson with 6 horses, 3 were riderless. There was also a riderless horse - with the boots turned backwards. There was a band that played all the way to Daddy T's final resting place. We were joined grave side by all of the Tomb Guards that were not on duty, two regimes of guards in formation, a bagpiper --it was a moving send off. He would be humbled. It was an amazing experience. I believe that if everyone in America and the world could have the amount of pride in our country that we had that day, I dare say we would not have many of the problems that divide our country.

What struck me the most was that most of the people that are around Daddy T in the Cemetery are younger that I am. They are in their 20's and have already died. The hardest part was after we were done at the grave site, we stepped away. Once we had cleared away, a young widow came to visit the site of her loved one. She sobbed her eyes out, she lost so much! My heart hurt so much for her. She has lost more that I hope to ever lose and she is just one person. The loss that is shown in the one small place in out little country is so profound that words cannot begin to explain all the emotions, memories, and images we saw and the loss that we as Americans that are "left behind" feel. So sad!

We returned home on Tuesday night. Spent most of last week recovering from my day in heels-hello blister! I did not hit the gym last week. Slacker I am! Today I am back at it. We had a weekend of visitors for the Middle Tennessee v. Mississippi State game (we lost). We were joined by my brother and his family from Texas. We also had some dear friends in from Mississippi. We had such a wonderful time --I go to love on 5 kids, that were not mine!

Speaking again of my kids, they - along with my hubby headed into the woods for Cub Scout camping weekend. They had a GREAT time camping...however cold it was. Good Times!

Well that is all for now. I promise once something happens that is fun and interesting I will write again...promise.

Washington DC Trip

Drum Roll Please...

This is before elbow grease and effort

This is after....notice cute drawer pulls-NOT my mess and unmade bed!

Last Weekend...

I know I know! I have been hard to come by lately! I have had two kids home for two weeks. I finally find myself-by myself, with something to talk about.

Last weekend was the first weekend that we did not have something pressing to do, visit or accomplish. So since I sold my nightstand a couple of weeks ago and since Nathan emptied the nightstand before I sold it-meaning that he dumped everything on the bed that is now on the floor.....I decided that I would pull out a piece that my mom had in her storage unit.

So how in the world do you refinish an antique dress or is it a nightstand? Any way I decided that if I did not want to continue to walk on my nail polish, fingernail files, camisoles and whatever I should re-finish that thing. And I did! I sanded it, got some stuff at Home Depot and BOOM! a whole new piece of furniture. For the final fun, funky and unique touch, I have gone to Anthropologie (my fav store-if I were rich) and bought some new pulls and they don't match one another but they are to die for! I am going to put them on this afternoon and have Nathan help move it in my room! so excited.

I have also had this other piece from my grandparents house in my garage. This piece is structurally sound but it is a mess. So why not conquer it as well? Only this time I had to sand off the finish, manually because why would you but a sander? So if you seen me in the near future, feel free to take notice of my right arm, it has considerable definition, ahh who am I kidding-it is just an arm. I digress, I then decided that I needed to clean off all the dust, with the help of my kids, several masks, and some old towels, by now I am thinking what the heck have I done? I have ruined a fine antique..off to walmart to find a stain, because that is what you do right? You stain furniture? Sure why not! I found some stain that I liked.... remember I am going old school on this-no Internet research no last minute looking up information! Heck no! I can do this! I get the first coat of stain on and BOOM! It starts raining! I have not finished my second piece....I will and I am sure it will be cute although I have no place for it in my house, and cannot begin to look at the mirror that matches my incomplete piece. We shall see.

Once I get my nightstand in place, I will post a pic!

Now off to begin packing for our trip to Washington DC. We are headed to the capitol. We will lay my father in law to rest in Arlington National cemetery on Tuesday October 13th. From Saturday mid day to Monday we will be touring our nations capitol. I love Washington! I so appreciate it, and the time (my early 20's) that I spent there. It is such a great city and I cannot wait to share it with my kids! They are at the perfect age to enjoy the sights!

October and I have discovered H1N1

Last Monday I had the kids over at my GG's house. We were climbing around, busy busy. Then a scream! Not just a brother get away and stop annoying me scream, a ACK! I am hurt scream! I turn around and see that Ethan's knee is split wide open and blood is running out along with fat! Who knew your knee had fat? Not Me I assure you and I probably have alot of fat on my knee. I digress! So we spend a good couple of hours in the ER. We got 5 heavy duty stitches, a review of how I should remove them in 10-12 days. He is fine, this is our 6th set of stitches in little boys...we are now good at it! And Kudos to EE for for being a big boy! Oh and I was a big girl as well.

Now onto the flu....I do not have it and neither do my kids-yet. And while I do pride myself in not being a germaphobe-I will admit that I have bought a couple of tubes of easy stray disinfectant and jelly germ stuff.

I have made THREE, that is correct THREE, trips to the Social Security office in the past two days. I have had the pleasure to sit and wait, wait and sit, fight with my kids in public, wait and sit....only to be turned down for my plea to change an address. As I sitting and watching the Social Security TV program, I am also aware for the vast array of people parading around me and the all seemed to have brought their offspring or someones offspring or borrowed offspring to make themselves seem all the more pitiful. These people are the unwashed, un mannered, un fanged, public! Most of them are searching for a government hand out. I just wanted to change an address, and I was asked to come back twice! I am not above sitting and waiting with the public. I am a huge fan of public transportation, hello NYC and Washington DC, I enjoy people watching....I look at the public as a quick study in anthropology. However a HUGE dose of the public is just beyond what I can handle at this point for a change of address.

So would you like to know what I did when we left the Social Security office? We, after washing our hands with bleach, is that bad? We went to Walgreens got our flu shot. I am convinced that all communicable diseases are spawned from the social security office or the local courthouse.

Which brings me to the next point. Have any of you ever been to your local court house? I know some people go to night court for entertainment. And while that does sound good and fun and whatnot....you can go and be entertained in the middle of the day at any courthouse USA. These people come from the gutters to stand before a judge and tell their deep dark secrets and this is only in like small court. People from the gutters also have diseases. and they bring them to court to bless others with!

Next week I am staying out of the public eye...because, I am certain that something is infecting my eye...thanks to the public!

Two Weeks Gone

I have not blogged in almost or perhaps over two weeks. I am so sorry! I have been so busy. I say all of the time on this blog. I (at some point) think I will realize that this is my life and it will never calm down.

We had two full weeks of company from out of town. Two separate sets with two different things to do. I know that the Summar family had the best time. The house was clean, sheets were clean, and food was served. I have proven to myself that I can be a hostess.

Speaking of hostessing, I have my scrapping club coming over tonight. The best thing about this group of friends is....I do not feel the need to clean my house. This is my "let it all hang out" group. They are not going to come to my home and turn their noses up at a little dog hair in the corner. I love them for that.

This weekend is chock full of things that we have to do. We are getting ready for a HUGE yard sale next weekend. My mom and I will be working on that for the next week. The kids also have a Cub Scout event swimming Olympics I think it is called. We will also be going to Linda's for Sunday dinner. Busy times.

Since you've been gone!

I have not blogged in a while. I have been busy. I have been busy cleaning! I clean my house several times a year. You know the clean. The clean that you actually take things apart and replace parts, put them back in only when you replace them, they usually do not fit and are really clean.

I have had a strategy in cleaning my house this time. Start at the top (upstairs) and work down to the most lived in soiled part of the house (the kitchen/heath room). Why am I working so hard at cleaning my house do you ask? I have company coming! I thought about forgoing the cleaning and go for the "I am a real person and you will like me in my mess." But then decided that my mom was coming to meet my company and would probably not appreciate my "laissez faire" attitude and invite them to stay at her home.

So in the interest of keeping my company, my company, I have decided to spend at better portion of the week cleaning my home.

I have never had house guests. EVER! In all my years of year of marriage we have never had a single person stay at our house. We had a couple of friends stay with us the weekend that we got married, but we did not even have a bed so does that really qualify as company?

The reason that we have never had company is not that we do not have any friends, it is that we live in the very place that Nathan grew up and we live near most of our family. I must admit I am quite excited to see what happens when my kids have a melt down and cast their bodies on the floor at their feet. I am sure that they will enjoy the glares that I throw at Nathan when he does something wrong. I am sure that they will enjoy the many wacky phone calls about various things, places and people that I know and have to talk about.

Yep by the time that they are done staying with us they will think that the Holiday Inn with the Holi-Dome is heaven! Ahhh I cannot wait!

A Short by David Sedaris...

I know that many of you visit my blog to get your daily dose of funny. Well-I have nothing that is funny to tell really so I am borrowing something from a book that I am currently SLOWLY reading. The following in an excerpt from "When You Are Engulfed In Flames" by David Sedaris. You may have seen his work in your local bookstore or heard him on This American Life on NPR. I LOVE his works-I get his humor and I appreciate that he can find the funny in the most common of places.

I have enjoyed reading this book so much that I have not yet finished it. Not to say that I am not anxious to get to the end-I just have no time. And what time I do have to read is in the bed at night. I tried to read this book in the bed with the dog and Nathan. I was disturbing them both. Not because I cannot use my "inside voice" but because I was laughing so hard that I woke the dog up and made Nathan actually look up from his laptop (work) and make sure that I was OK. Much to his grumbling dismay, I was OK, just reading to which he huffed and continued on working......ah love in the Summar home.

Ladies and Gentlemen....David Sedaris:

"With a Pal Like This, Who Needs Enemies"

I've always liked the idea of accessories, those little pick-me-ups deigned to invigorate what has come to feel drab and predictable. A woman might rejuvenate an outfit with a vintage Hermes scarf or jaunty rope belt, but the options for men aren't nearly so interesting. I have no use for cuff links or suspenders, and while I'll occasionally pick up a new tie it hardly leaves me feeling "kicky." Hidden accessories can do the trick, but again they're mainly the province of women. Garter belt and lingerie-yes. Sock garter and micro brief-no.

It was my search for something discreet, masculine and practical that led me to the Stadium Pal, an external catheter currently being marketed to sports fans, truck drivers, and anyone else who's tired of searching for a bathroom. At first inspection the device met all my criteria:

Was it masculine, Yes, and proudly so. Knowing that no sensible female would ever voluntarily choose to pee in her pants, the manufacturers went ahead and designed the product exclusively for men. Unlike the regular catheter, which is inserted directly into the penis, the Stadium Pal connects by way of a self adhesive condom, which is then attached to a flexible rubber tube. Urine flows through the tube and collects in the "freedom leg bag," conveniently attached to the user's calf. The bag can be emptied and reused up to twelve times, making it both disgusting and cost effective. And what could be manlier?

What it discreet? According to the brochure, unless you wore it with shorts, no one needed to know anything about it.

What it practical? At the time, yes. I do not drive or attend football games, but I did have a book tour coming up, and the possibilities were endless. Five glasses of iced tea followed by a long public reading? Thanks, Stadium Pal! The window sear on an overloaded coast to coast flight? Don't mind if I do!

I ordered myself a Stadium Pal and realized that while it might make sense in a hospital, it really wasn't very practical for day-to-day use. In an open-air sporting arena, a piping hot thirty two ounce bag of urine might go unnoticed , but not so in a stuffy airplane or small, crowded bookstore. An hour after christening it, I smelled like a nursing home. On top of that, I found that it was hard to pee and do other things at the same time. Reading out loud, discussing my beverage options with a flight attendant, checking into a fine hotel: each activity required its own separate form of concentration, and while no one knew exactly what I was up to, it was pretty clear that something was going on. I think it was my face that gave me away. That and my oddly swollen calf.

What ultimately did me in was the self-adhesive condom. Putting it on was no problem, but its removal qualified as what, in certain cultures, is known as a bris. Wear it once, and you'll need a solid month to fully recover. It will likely be a month in which you'll weigh the relative freedom of peeing in your pants against the unsightly discomfort of a scab-covered penis, ultimately realizing that, in terms of convenient accessory, your better off with a new watchband.

School Picture Proofs and Benjamin Button

I am now living with Benjamin Button. To the left is my husband. To the left is a man that can no longer talk like you and I talk. To the left is a man whom is very proud to have a dental device in his mouth. He can no longer talk like someone that likes -oh say females- he has a sudden lisp to everything.

My husband is Benjamin Button with a twist. He has hit the age of 34 and has decided that the thing to do is get a retainer and braces. I thought that he was going to come home and have a metal mouth. Instead he came home with two appliances. The Benjamin Button part is the part that-aren't we supposed to get the awkward straighten teeth part of our life over before we go to college? Nathan is out of college, has advanced certification, two kids, a full time (more than) job, a wife and a house and two cars.....Yet his wife of 10 years is blogging about his back peddling into puberty. I am waiting for him to really kick of the trend and shave his facial hair! Then he will probably be fired for looking like a kid or he will be put on the cover of Life Magazine for being such an accomplished 12 year old.

Alas! If you are a follower of my blog, you know that Ethan, John and I have problems remembering and taking school pictures. I have seen the proofs and this year is sure NOT to disappoint! They are disheveled messes! They have teeth missing, hair uncombed, eyes half opened-they are wonderful! I cannot wait to post them when they come in!

Until next time, smile for the camera.

Scred to Death

When you are the ripe old age of 33, you often times have friends that have children that are older than your own. This is the case with me and one of my friends (whom shall remain nameless)-you feel as though you have had a hand in raising their kids too. It takes a village right? If not feeding burping or changing that child then for support of your friend, the parent. This friend has a child whom is the best kid. Honest, wonderful child, considerate, smart, well mannered-all that you could ask for... And then I was scared to death!

This wonderful child has entered PUBERTY! Now I have not seen this kid since the discovery was made. I am fairly certain that he is not sporting the five o clock shadow..however I am somewhat convinced that he is different.....acting!

I do not scare easily....I have twins. I am petrified of them changing. I remember the changes that I went through when I was 18. (Late bloomer) I know that my kids will not cry, slam doors, tell me that I do not love them...I should have thought of all of this prior to having kids. What oh what am I going to do? I remember my brother and the voice changed, moodiness, body odor---Oh what does life hold for me? Should I start telling them about proper application of deodorant? Should I just ignore the fact that I am going to have to face this at some point? How should I prepare? Rest assured, Nathan will have nothing to say to them about any of this. I am alone, all alone!

Anyone want a couple of the sweetest children that are bound to change?

Speaking of Nathan and puberty: Nathan has decided that one tour of braces duty is not enough. Today, Nathan is spending the day at the orthodontist-getting braces! I am doomed!

Let's Talk Yoga!

Let's just take a moment and talk about Yoga. In my quest for a new body and a new mind (ahem), Melissa and I have decided to try Yoga.

Don't we see so many people with the cute little bodies state that Yoga is the go to tool? Don't we see stars walking down Hollywood Boulevard with their Yoga mats? Aren't we so used to hearing that it centers you, makes you feel more "in balance"?

Was I expecting to leave my Yoga class looking like Madonna, Gwenyth or Jennifer Garner? Well no. Was I expecting to leave class feeling more centered? Perhaps. Did I think that it would change my outlook on my little world? Kinda-I admit! Was I expecting to have a better attitude regarding my stresses? Well yeah!

So what happened you ask? Yoga pisses me off! I am not yet going to say that I hate Yoga, but I am not a lover of finding my center and acting like a tree. I have NEVER seen a Downward Dog, I do not like scorpions and don't wish to emulate one. I have never cared to be a warrior much less a warrior 2. I admit, I am bendy and I can flex -but all of my classical ballet training must be thrown out the window. The horror! Flexed feet and squared hips and I just do not calculate.

When I thought of going to Yoga, I thought we were going to meditate, stretch, feel better about ourselves. Well when I left, I only meditated on the clock and when Yoga was going to end. I did stretch, muscles that I wish I had never met. And did I feel better about myself? The room was mostly mirrors-what do you think?

Will I go back?Hmmmm.... Pilate's anyone?

Another Picture Day!

So life would have it, school starts and it is by far-the busiest time of the year. It totally catches me off guard. I think that I am always messing up, forgetting something, or not paying for a HUGE ground breaking make or break scholastic event. Thus far-all three weeks, mind you, of school..this mom has been on the ball. I credit that to the fact that I have been so overwhelmed with to do's and must remembers that I have not screwed anything up yet.

This mommy has been to various health care facilities, overseeing care, buying school supplies, procuring new clothes, cleaning house (and by cleaning house-I mean throwing away junk from the kids room) There are so, so many things that must happen when the kids start school. I am so good that I have started going to the GYM! That is right- THE GYM! Can I just say, I am on the BALL!

So that brings us to the point of this post: the Gym call. Melissa (my BFF) called this morning to tell me that our workout was canceled. Not a problem with me! My legs are pissed at the 40+ squats we did yesterday. I digress....when speaking with M, she asks: "Are the boys freaked about school pictures today?"

WHAT? You mean that reminder that was sent home with both of the kids was not a joke? You mean that even though I am related (thru marriage) to the person who shoots the pictures, he is going to work with my kids at their school TODAY? Is it really 7:20am and I have convince John that an undershirt is not suitable for picture day? Oh the worry!

So I get off the phone (sorry M for hanging up on you) yell at the kids to meet me at Ethan's closet. When we convening at the closet for shall we say for the "clothing classic." I pull out two shirts making sure that they are not the same collared shirts that they wore last year. (that is how many we own) I pull them over the kids heads. Tell them to them meet me in my bathroom because you know my kids do not have a hairbrush in their bathroom. We do good to have toothbrushes in their bath. I brush their hair and tell them to finish up and meet me in the kitchen and we will leave.

I do not pay attention as to how much time has past ....until I smell them! That is correct, since and because they are 1-in a collared shirt and 2- because I put them in said shirt they are now "dressed up." Meaning we get in dad's cologne. And by get into, I mean spray at least 18 squirts on our little bodies. WOW! Then I let my eyes travel up their little bodies ( I was looking for a wet spot from the cologne-serious that bad) and see BAM! HAIR GEL! They literally look like they got out of the shower and the only part of their bodies that got wet was their head. I move closer to inspect and it is stiff and hard! Stiff hair on picture day!

BACK TO THE BATHROOM~ I yell! Now it is 7:28! School starts in 17 minutes! I comb their stiff headwear until it looks picturable. OK Load up in the car and let's go. I mess with the dog trying to get her to go to school with us. She will not enter the car. That is odd, she is always ready to GO-anywhere. I put her back in the house and enter the car. NO wonder why she will not get in the car. It smells like a car full of teenage boys that will not take a shower but will instead wear cologne. I roll down the windows tell the kids ONE squirt-thinking that their poor teachers, classmates and how lucky I am that by the time they get home they will be SO over the collared shirts that they will rip them off and I will be cologne free for the evening.

I have a school picture block. Every year I mess up this day. I will not let them take re-takes for fear that they will be even worse than the original and then I will be stuck. So I keep the first shot because who said school pictures had to be good pictures? Who said you had to NOT look like a homeless person? Not this mommy! These should be really good--

I tried!

The next figure in the equasion

The next figure in the equation that I am try in to figure is WORKING OUT! I have never been particularly good at math- I can however work out. I have done it twice this week and WHEW! That is enough! But I believe that I will do it again.

Melissa and I have been partners in our quests for fitness. She just had a baby and I --well I just did something completely different. Melissa and I have made a commitment to go to the Y everyday (other than Tuesday) and work out. So we drop off the kids at school and head out for torture! Neither of us really love working out but it is so much better to have someone to talk to when you are sweating your shirt off.

Tomorrow we are going to Yoga. I have never done a whole class of yoga. Imagine- me the one who did ballet for 14 years, taught ballet, performed ballet and I have NEVER done a class of yoga! This should be fun! I am looking forward to being a pile of goop on the floor..is that a yoga pose?

In other news, the kids are having a wonderful first full week of school. It appears that I am helping in Ethan's class every Tuesday morning. I am not sure when I will help in John's class. It has really been so fun to watch some of these kids grow up with one another. We have kids in each of their classes that I have known since the first year of pre school. They really have wonderful classes and great teachers. I am a happy mom!

We finished last week with Talmadge's funeral. Over 1200 people came to pay their respects to Daddy T. We were so touched. We miss him each day but are so thankful for the example that he set for us. We will set out for Arlington for burial in October.

First day of Second Grade

The kids started Second Grade today! Whew! It seems like not too long ago I was blogging about sending them off to Pre School! Now they are such big kids! They both have WONDERFUL teachers, good classmates and are excited about the year ahead. What more could I ask for?

On another note:

My dear sweet father in law passed away on Saturday. My kids and Daddy T were the most wonderful friends...they were the three amigos. Ethan and John have lost so much in losing their daddy T. They will no longer have their daddy T waiting for them after school, no more endless candy, no just for the heck of it trips to Chuck E Cheese....So many things that Daddy T did with those two that will not happen again. It makes my heart hurt to know what we have lost. Daddy t, upon my father's passing-stepped up to the plate and decided without saying that he should take care of the fatherly stuff that daddy used to take care of....So when I needed something, and even if I would just call to ask him a question, he just did it...poof done! I just knew it was because it was his way of letting me know that I was going to be OK. He stepped up to the plate when he knew my daddy couldn't. Finally, he never left my presence without telling each of us that he loved us. It is going to be really really hard to say Good Bye... O how my heart does hurt.

in all honesty...

So for that past few posts I have no had much to say. Mostly because we have been so incredibly busy that who has time time to think of neat insights, cute quotes, and catchy cliques-not me, although I think I just did. HA! Amazing!

For my kids, their summer is coming to a quick end. As you know, they go to year round school. So instead of them spending August in the heat complaining of the heat-they are putting their brains in overdrive and learning. Ahh-love me some year-rounded (ness) I will go and register them on Thursday, attend open house on Wednesday and BAM Thursday-I own two second graders. I have been told that, some of the teachers are looking forward to the "always at school helping" side of me. ha!

Furthermore if I can put my two cents in on the John and Kate Divorce, and the Death of Michael Jackson-ha! While I am so overly well informed on both of those topics I will NOT be an outlet for their business. However I do have a fun MJ story for you later...

My brother and sister in law are moving in a week! They will head to live in the 'burbs of Houston. While I am awful proud to have a brother who has a delightful family and a wife whom is the closest of my friends and an awesome job. I am NOT in any way shape or form ready to say see you soon. As you gather I do not do Good Bye! Not even with my daddy. I am also happy to report that my brother is going to get his second MBA, this time from Penn State in Materials Management. Lord have mercy! How much schoolin' does you need? I suppose we will be heading to the gulf coast of Texas alot now. Bikini time for me whoo hoo! Oh and the Penn State school and Texas address, internet people.

So here comes the title of the post in real time:

In all honesty: I am a fat ass, a lard ass, a buffoon, a heifer (although I think that has more to do with my attitude than my ass) an adipose mass? I have no clue. Not that anyone has told me recently that I am fat, I own a mirror (contrary to my hair) and sometimes look at myself and muttle something along the lines of "what are you waiting for a size 30 to look good?" Well NO! I was indeed waiting for a pain free, massive liposuction proceedure to be approved by the FDA. Not going to happen-Hoover said that they don't even have a vacuum for my hot mess. And for the record I HAVE NEVER BEEN A SIZE 30-not judging, just never been that adipose.

So to say it honestly: FAT Blah! and you know what? being fat will kill your fat ass! So in order to save my life and keep my kids well dressed, nourished and groomed, transported etc.-no offense Nate. I had a Lap Band placed in my body last Thursday. I worked for over 6 months proving that I was fat, talking about my fat, being counseled on my fat ( really look at me-do I look like I have an eating disorder?) Thursday was D day. Nathan, my biggest fan, was by my side, as well as my "fat" nurse, whom is not fat at all and quite cute, we are friends, skinny friends are fun. They like to pretend that they are fat until you show them a thigh- then they shut up. Fun, try it!

So this is my 15th time that I have been under General anesthesia. Remember the knees?? So by now my friends I know when they can give me meds and when they need to hold off. I told Dr Steeley if he could keep me up and I could watch I would be all for it... he said -I will take pics. He did. I will post them if I can....back to business. I have had nothing in my IV but saline. Glorified water. And they have this anesthesiologist that is like 15 (hello Dougie Howser!) I get all set on the table, and I think about MJ, the gloved one. I look up at the little man doctor and I tell him "DO NOT look at my stuff."He then assured me that he would not. Then I saw him raise the needle and start to give me the juice (without warning gasp I am not ready-hello have to tell skinny nurse friend not to kill me I have two kids!) and I tell him " OK bring on the MJ Juice." My skinny nurse friend said they laughed the whole time after that. I just hope that they did it correct!

So now, I am drinking 600 liquid calories a day, I have NO energy, I have no kids (they are at camp) and feel like a fat person who can only sleep with discomfort, whom has been sprayed by bullets (7 holes in the abdonmen) and that silly Dr. Houser put a tube that was too big in my throat and now I have a sore throat and tongue. I tell you....what! I had no idea how much get up and go food gives you.

Here's to a longer life- now raise your protein shakes that are fit for body builders (which is not what I am going for) and take a slow sip! It is a long road to skinny sista!

Hilton Head Vacay

New Tiger Cubs

All good things come to an end!

As we head into the last day of our vacation...we are confused. It rained this morning, leaving the beach muddy. I have a feeling that we will be at the pool. We have really had a wonderful vacation. Nathan played 36 holes of golf. I went to the spa yesterday and had a one hour massage and a pedicure. What a wonderful treat! The kids have been water babies. They are tan as brown buscuits...they are bute as can be! I am looking forward to returning home, kissing Millie, hugging mommy and loving home.

This has been such a great vacation! I am still so proud that we can all vacation as a family and get along.

An Anniversary!

Sweet Bella and John!

Firstly, this is our 10th anniversary! Ten years ago today, my parents gladly let me go and made Nathan sign a "No return, No refunds, and No exchanges!" policy. You know when you get married, 10 years seems so far away. And while it was a long haul with 2 kids, 2 houses, 1 dog, many dreams-I think that I am good for many many more years of marriage! Thanks booty for making our dreams come true!

Next--my mommy's new puppy will be released from the hospital today. As stated...Bella had Parvo and was in puppy ICU for 4 days. We are so happy to welcome Miss Bella home today!

Lastly, we are heading out very soon! I am so excited to witness the joy of the ocean once again with my kids. Me Mommy and Daddy T are headed down today. I also look forward to catching up with my sister in laws, I have not been able to talk to them for some time...so busy! Time to slow down! Vacation, Here we come!

Oh man!

So many things that I need to get done this week. So many things that I have been putting off! And time is ticking!

We are all heading off to Hilton Head Island for a week of fellowship with family, sun, surf and memories to be made! We are staying in the same house that we stayed in when we traveled to HHI in 2007. The house is amazing and works out really well for a quaint party of 14! See it is not just the Summar clan. It is the Gilley (Nathan's mom and stepfather- Daddy T and Me Mommy) the Pope's (Nathan's sister whom is my age and her husband) they have two kids-Christopher and Caroline. Then we have the Walker family Nathan's younger sister and her hubby and their two kids! Whew! I am amazed and so proud that we can all travel with one another and spend a week under one roof. Not many families can do such a thing.

So back to all the things that I need to do. Normally if I were leaving for ONE WEEK that will happen in a few days I would have the suitcases out. Items in piles abound, lists all over the place, stress, planning packing the car, stress and packing the dog. Ask me what I have done in prep for our forthcoming trip? NOTHING! I have been playing with the kids. I have gone to the pool, had spend the night events, taken the kids out to eat, visited the assisted living place. I have done whatever I can NOT to pack or plan for this trip. I have to get alot of things done in the next couple of days.

So seeing that it is LATE! I am heading off to bed. Hopefully I can get my tires rotated, balances and clean the car out while the kids are at VBS in the morning. Oh and the kids are having a blast at VBS! The church has gone all out again! What a great time!

A Weekend Story

Remember me?

Hello friends!

I think that this has to the longest span that I have gone without blogging. Needless to say, I have been a busy lady. Since I was with you good folks last I have done quite a mess of things! Firstly I am the proud mom to two upcoming second graders! I can remember second grade! Now tell me how I have two second graders???? Time flies people, time flies.

Nathan and I took a break from Murfreesboro and headed west. We took the rather long but easy drive to Ft. Worth Texas. We have some wonderful people in the Ft. Worth area that were really excited to meet me. Nathan and I had such a blast, met some really wonderful friends and made connections that will be everlasting. I had forgotten how flat and vegetation free Texas is...but Texas is such a wonderful place. Now I have ALOT of reasons to head back. Thanks for making us feel especially "at home" and welcome!

While we were on vacation we got a call from our alarm system. We had a motion detector go off. We thought for sure nothing had happened! I mean really! The police came by, did a canvas and did not notice that our house had been broken into. Yep that is correct, no need to adjust your sets, this is the third time the house has been broken into. This time nothing was stolen, but with some of the new things that we have done to the house and purchases that have been made, it will be the LAST time that they can enter without incident. Our home is Ft. Knox!

While we were gone, we were met with our own little family tragedy. RubyJack, my mom's Great Pyrenees died. This is such a loss for all of us but most especially my mom whom loved that silly girl! But we know that RubyJack is up in doggy heaven with Grandaddy so we are comforted with that notion.

Ethan and John are spending the week at Cub Scout day camp. They are having such a wonderful time. They come home each day tired, smelly and talking 90 miles a minute about all the cool things they did that day. Ethan even caught 2 fish!

We have vacation quickly approaching! We are headed with Nathan's family to Hilton Head Island. We have rented a HUGE house and will have 6 kids with us. Our kids are the oldest! We have done this vacation before and we have such a blast with everyone. The house that we have is amazing. We are so looking forward to the surf, sand and family fellowship!

Happy BeLated Memorial Day!

I hope that each of you had a wonderful Memorial Day! I hope that you took a second and thought of all military and their families. I thought of all my father's friends and my dad. I remain so proud of the career that he chose, the people that he served with and I am proud to have been a "military brat."

We had a great weekend. The boys (all 3) headed up the the lake on Friday after work and school. I headed up after I got some things done on Saturday. We had the entire family. We had mom, the four of us, my brother and his family, my cousin and her family. We also had Morris and Vicki here from Ocean Springs! What a treat to have them for a visit.

How we are back to the real world. The kids are done with school on Friday. I cannot believe that I have two second graders! They are so smart, they love school, and I cannot wait to see what happens next year. They are my delight and lately I have stretched so thin that I have not had a moment to admire them.

Nathan and I are heading to Texas on Thursday morning. I am nowhere near ready. We are planning a 5am departure. I am hoping that we can pull that off. We will be home on Tuesday. The kids are staying with their grandparents. Honestly after the three weeks that I have had, I am looking forward to 10 hours in the car.

Hello!

OK firstly, we did get robbed again. Yes, we lost my new computer, my dad's camera and all the stuff that I mentioned before. Yes USAA really thinks that we are wonderful people who live in the ghetto. However we do not live in the ghetto because when you live in the ghetto, you do not get robbed! People have asked me some of the most insightful questions like:

Did you make sure that the doors were locked? (well who cares if they were locked, they were alarmed!)
Did you see any broken windows? (O man! I missed that!)
Are you sure that the alarm was on?
Did you hear them? (actually yes and I had coffee and crumpets with them)

Or we can make statements....

You should put your alarm sign up. (that was what the detectie had to say)
Maybe you thought your alarm was set and it wasn't. (insightful as that is but even the alarm co. knows it was on)

Finally~ No, we do not know how the people got in the house with the alarm on. We are now taking other measures to insure that our home is safe. The lovely people that robbed our house were in jail at the time we got hit this time.

Yes, It happened again!

For the second time in the past 5 months, we have been robbed. The first time-we did not have the alarm set. This time, Thursday morning, we HAD our alarm set. We live in a wonderful neighborhood. We had ALL of the windows locked. Our house was secure. I have had two detectives, one patrolman, one alarm tech and the area manager for the alarm company come out and look at any way that these people came into my house. NO ONE can figure out how someone got in, stole all my stuff AGAIN and left.

This time they got:
My louis vuitton purse, same purse, as last time
My Louis Vuitton Wallett
My new ITouch
My Laptop
My father's camera

So on Saturday (in a mere couple of hours) we are going to home depot to get more spot lights, wireless cameras for the outside and inside of the house.

On top of all that stress and talking to the alarms company, the police, and detectives. My GG was in the hospital overnight. I believe that she is OK. I, on the other hand, am a VERY tired person!

Happy Birthday Mommy! I hope that #66 is a wonderful year for you!

What Lasts about 10 years?

Well let me just tell you!

Our house is about 10 years old. We have been in this house for about 2.5 years. I am WILD about my house. I think that it is the perfect house for our family and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful neighborhood to live and raise our kids. That said.

What does last about 10 years?

Every major appliance!

In the short time that we have lived here we have replaced:

Year 1
the roof
Two HVAC units
6 windows
a new fence

Year Two
replaced hardwood and had to have the house sanded and refinished

I am sure that there are more, and I will be told of them once Nathan reads this.

The newest thing to happen: new dishwasher and disposal. Now I am not complaining but also in there was the purchase of two new cars...... or one new car and one that was slightly used.

So when I broke the news to Nathan that we needed a new dishwasher-he almost lost it. I told him that it was OK dishwashers did not cost $20,000! So now I have a new stainless steel dishwasher, complete with jets that may clean off food and perhaps does not sound like a 747 landing in my kitchen! So exciting!

I am so happy that Nathan did not offer to purchase me new dish towels instead of a dishwasher!

All God's Children were at my house!

Happy Mother's day!

Take a minute to show that you care,

Take a second to give a hug

Take a moment to listen

Take a lifetime to show how grateful

I love you mom!

Happy Mother's Day!

A Kid.

It's Raining!

It has been raining here for nearly a week. Everything is green and pretty and I am wishing that I had my container garden planted but I do not.

But what is planted- is my grass. And with rain comes tall grass and what happened 15 years ago? Nathan vowed to NEVER mow grass again. So we have a problem. My lawn mower man has not been by, I live in a Nazi-controlled neighborhood and I am pretty sure that come the end of the week and if Mr. Lawnmower has not shown, I will be pushing one of these around my front yard.

We do not own a motorized lawnmower. OH NO! That would mean that we would have to mow our own yard. But for some crazy reason we own one of these (see picture).

I am giving it to the end of the week before the neighbors start to drop by and look for us dead inside the house or we get a strongly worded letter in the mail in regards to the height of our grass.

I am still in campaign mode for an IPhone. I do not know if it will work and it is not looking very promising but I will continue to try!

I am 33!

I am 33! I cannot believe that I am that old. I feel like I am 22, well not really because ugh 22!

I had a wonderful day with my family. We went out to Brunch after I took my sweet time getting ready. We headed up to Green Hills to shop. I really did nto get anything that was that out of the ordinary or crazy. I got some new kitchen towels and this is newsworthy because the last time I got new kitchen towels was when we got married nearly 10 years ago. I also got some new kitchen shears, since my other ones went missing. How do kitchen shears go missing I ask you. I also got some jewlery so sweet when the kids shop for you! And even cuter when they pick things out that they think will look good on mommy. I got to visit my fav store: Anthropologie! I did not get anything althought I would like to purchase the entire place. We almost got mommy an IPhone. But it was like $600 more than what I have now each year so I will stick with what I have thank you!

Anyway, a great day with the family!

Two Little Girls!

RubyJack the only time that she was still at puppy school. Keep in mind that this little baby is only 4 mos old. She will be with sister Shannon this weekend while Nona gets with some friends.

Mom and RubyJack with the same haircut, awww so sweet!

John with baby Sarah. He loves babies and took her picture to school today to show Mrs. Lindsay

There is Ethan showing off his baby skills. Sweet Sarah!



And here is what the rest of Sarah's life will be like, 4 boys watching over her. No dating, no sneaking out, no nothing!