When I first learned to drive my father made me learn how to change a tire.   I remember thinking ‘you are NOT serious!’.   I was sure he hated me…for why else would he put me through so much physical exhaustion?   So, for about 2 hours….I struggled…me & my 90 pound frame… jacking up a car and struggling with lug nuts.  Covered in dirt and grease.  I bet he had a great laugh watching from the window.

While he wanted me to be prepared….my thought was…why don’t I just drive to a gas station and have them fix it?

Now that I have my own children to torture raise….I sorta see his point.  Although I’m not making them learn how to change a tire (because that’s why we have things like AAA…. and dads), I do have my girls maintain the vehicle and keep track of the air pressure.   Especially in cold weather, when…tires lose air.   This is my Middle Child filling up her tires which were 5-10 lbs. low.   And now I’m the one sadistically smiling in the window.

*footnote:  I’m also very horrible because the girls also must fork out the dough on car maintenance…as well as filling out their own tax returns.

Okay, so……It’s 3 pm, Shane is busy peddling his wares at the Home & Garden Show (his putting greens),  kid 1 is at college, kids 2 and 3 were invited to separate sleepovers!  *ahhhhh*  just sayin.   What does this mean?  LOTS and LOTS of HOURS of ALONE time for muah!   Oh,  and that means TWO blissful days….Saturday AND Sunday!!!    ((jealous much??  lol))

I’m going to watch ALL MY shows!
(NOT sports, NOT ABC Family NOT Big Cat Diary!)
I’m going to soak in a tub so hot my skin turns red!
I’m going to not clean anything!
I’m going to sit around in my jammies allll day.
I’m going to read a book and sing out of tune.
I’m going to eat jellybeans for dinner!……..

…..right after Dublin and I are done watching the fire

Looky Looky what I won over at Easy Eco To Go!

Thank you Julia!  I’ll tell you, I’ve been hangin out over at Easy Eco for a while now.  Julia has a LOT of information on her site and hosts many giveaways.   I highly recommend visiting her, she’s got a LOT of good information on her blog!
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You will hear more on these products in the Spring and Summer when I get my garden going!

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Thanks to Jannie Funster for bestowing this Scary Clown Award on me!

“Given to blogs which display a great sense of humor, and just the right leaven of attitude.”

There’s no rules! (Scary clowns don’t live by rules…didn’t you watch “It”? )

I’m passing it on to these people who crack me up:  (Take it, or leave it, lol.)

47 & Starting Over
Feet Off The Table
Momisodes
Daisy’s Dead Air

A Nut In A Nutshell
Suburb Sanity
Our daze in the desert
Cow Patty Surprise
Shady Lady
504 main
Super Mommy To The Rescue
Six Feet Under Blog
Land of Bean

Ring ring….cell phone a ringin…It’s my 19 yr old college Freshman…..“Hellooo Kaylee.”

“Hi mom…..  Whaaatcha dooooin?”

“Nuuuu-thin”

“Well, I was gonna tell you this week sometime….but I thought I’d just tell you now.”

((My mind is conjuring up all sorts of images in a 10 second time frame))

“I went on a date” ((note:  she doesn’t go on a whole lot of dates.  she’s extremely picky.))

*now I’m repeating everything she says to Shane, who is reading the paper and half-listening to me *….”Kaylee went on a daaaate.”      (((Okay…back to my phone conversation….)))

“You DID?……Wiiiith whoooo?”

“Well….his name is  *blah blah blah*……”

*to shane:   “His name is ‘blah blah blah”*   (Not looking up, he says…”Oh.  Okay.”)

“He’s a MARINE!”

*to shane:  “He’s a MARINE”*  (Not looking up, he gives a little shrug & says, “Really.”)*

“He just finished boot camp and is going back this week for job training.  He’ll be in the US so we can still keep in touch.”

*to shane:  “He just finished boot camp”  (Glancing over just a bit he replies,  “Oh?”)*

“So how old is he like 18, 19?”

“No.  Uh…um.   25″

*to shane with my heart thumping.   “Um…he’s TWENTY-FIIIIIVE“.     (Ahhh, there’s the reaction.  Head tilts down, eyesbrows raise up.   “Whhhat?”    Lip curls a bit like Elvis.  “Twenty.  Five?”)*

“Yeah.  He’s the son of a lady I work with.  He’s very nice.  In fact, I’ve raised my standard of dating after talking with him.”

“25?”

“Yes mom.  25″

“Well…..why is he just going through boot camp now?  I mean….why did he wait so long to enlist?  Most kids go in right out of high school.”

*I did not wait for her to answer…..I looked over at shane and pretended to have just heard the answer from our daughter….I said in an alarmed voice….“Jail!!!  He was in JAIL?”  (now the paper gets ruffled and abruptly put down….and I get the rise I was looking for.…..”WHAT?????…..  No….he didn’t”….as he’s giving me that look that says….Please tell me you are lying.)*

((of course I laughed pretty hard and admitted I lied….plus, it was good payback for the farting in bed thing the other day))  Turns out he was going to college for Law Enforcement and needed help with tuition costs so he enlisted.   –or….so I’m told anyhow–

So.  The bad news is….he’s…..”um, 25″.
The good news is….he’ll be going out of state for training for a few months.

Thus, this leaves them time to get to know each other.  From a far.  A very far. 
*oh, and of course, I did look him up on Facebook.    Pleasantly surprised.*  But…25.
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For more Wednesday fun, click the Circus button!

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Every time I visit a blog of a young mom,  I’m amazed by how different baby things are now…from when I had my kids.   Take strollers for instance.  I remember pushing that stroller thinking…’These things should really have cupholders!”  Now they have like 6.

Kaylee and her cousin Jeffrey 1991

Me! 1965 How do ya like the foot rest?

MY mom! c. 1944

My grandma (dads mom) pushing her baby doll!

I think it’s kinda sad that my husband of 21 yrs has forgotten my birthday once and can’t remember something I tell him  5 minutes later….but….he remembers evvvvery lions name…every cheetah’s name….every storyline…on BIG CAT DIARY.    Same thing with Meercat Manor.

Truly……bizarre.
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You know…I have a routine that I thoroughly enjoy.   I go to bed around 10 every night.  I like to relax and watch a tv show in peace and quiet.   I like to be able to fall asleep listening to the t.v.   Shane usually goes to bed around 12.   Now….when a certain someone breaks this routine for me, it throws me completely off.   The past two nights I’ll catch him around 9:30 yawning in his recliner.   “Oh no”…I think to myself….”I hope to God he isn’t going to bed early”.   And….sure enough he does.

Now, if he just went to sleep… it wouldn’t be bad.  But he’s gotta put some stupid sports show on…and toss and turn.  COMPLETELY ruins my serenity.    Last night was especially horrible.  I don’t know what the heck this man ate but he gets all comfortable and announces….”Oh no!…I can’t stop it…Take cover!”

I gave him the death glare.  “If you are gonna fart you better just leave the room now”.

“Too late”.

If the smell could be seen it would be like that green death smoke in the movie The Ten Commandments”….slowly winding it’s way to my FACE.   I almost suffocated myself trying to cover my nose and mouth with my blankie.    Then….he starts this thing….actually, I started it months ago….I’ll whisper someones name and then pretend I didn’t.   Yeah, I know…2nd grade, but whatever.    Anyhow, at what is now 11pm I here him whisper….”Sheilaaaaa”.

“Stop it and go to sleep damnit.”

“What, I didn’t say anything.”

“Yes you did now shut the hell up and go to sleep”

((6 times later))

“STOP IT YOU JACKASS!”

“I didn’t do it!  It’s my nose making noises….I’m talking out of my nose”

“Well, I suppose that is possible.  You are, after all able to talk out of your ASSsssss.”
I then rolled over with my heavy eyelids and burnt nose hairs and said….this reminds me of sleepovers when I was a kid.  There was always that one person at 5am….when everyone else was drifting off to sleep….that couldn’t SHUT THERE TRAP.  Yep, it’s like that.

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32 seconds of smiles….2 weeks of training…Dublin’s new job!