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!