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I would not want to be on Andrew’s side of this monkey business.  But surprisingly enough, it ended well and no one got the arctic chill.  In case you are still questioning whether I should win first prize with that beef stew (which I may just have to do a tutorial on) Andrew can vouch for me.   This my friends is why i can barely mention the word ‘graduate’.  BTW, that’s one huge piece of plastic he’s holding on to.
I got my camera back. A brand new one.  Seems to work like a charm.  And this one knows how to use it better than I do.  How is this possible?  I’m well-read, survived medical school, and will soon be named Beef Stew Queen of the Year…..and yet a 16 yo is changing settings on my camera which I did not know I have.
….and don’t you worry about my Canon powershot either. It seems this whole camera deal is win-win for everyone.  Emme keeps asking for her own memory card.  She is not fooled the least little bit by the fact that the camera is taking pictures but not saving them.  She wants to ‘upload’ them.  Can you even spell upload, my dear? More on this technical wizard in a moment.

Well someone’s gotta do it…..and 8 years old is not too young to use the pooper scooper.  If I told you she was begging to do it, you wouldn’t believe me….but she was begging none the less.
And this could be a low parenting moment for me…..bathing the dog with the small children. But at least the dog smells  better.  I’m not sure about everyone else.  And there is water EVERYWHERE.  Everywhere, I tell you.
But the chaos of the bath is worth this face all snuggled into mommy’s robe.  
And to redeem myself from this post, and to prove to all humanity that I am not a detriment to my children, we made salt maps of the isle of Crete.  And read Atlantis.  At like 7:30 in the morning.  My artsy-craftsy girls will in fact hustle in the mornings if there is paint and dough in their future.
Then, we made drawings of the Ark of the Covenant.
And then I finished making my flow chart of this eclectic little book for bookclub which you can read about here.  Glad to be done with this one.
And there was supposed to be a picture of Emme lying on her dad’s lap playing with his iPhone….which she knows how to navigate much better than me.  However when I told her to go listen to her book on tape (which is played on an old-fashion tape recorder) she said she didn’t know how to ‘work it’.  Ummmm….you just push play.   Apparently if there’s no complicated touch screen menu, my children are lost.  I had to get up and literally walk into her room and push ‘play’.  She looked all confused.  And then said, “don’t you have that book downloaded onto your  iPod?  ‘Cause I could listen to it on that?”  Ancient technology makes her skeptical and scared.  When I take the plunge and get my iPhone at least I’ll have someone to teach me how to use it. 

Feast your eyes on the sweetest little bundle of furry goodness  you have ever seen. 
I drove to Ashville at 6a this morning and became the proud owner of an English Golden Retriever.  The cutest most lovable one that has ever existed.  I’m sure of it.
….and spent the rest of the day in the midst of secret covert operations to hide Baby Dog until tomorrow…….
…..a little someone in my family who wears blue scrubs and who will remain nameless, did not think I could pull this off…….keeping a puppy in the house without the children discovering him.
and ‘said’ person who wears blue scrubs kept calling me today saying “Are you busted yet?”
O ye of little faith.  I’ve watched a few (hundred) episodes of 24 and I channel Jack Bauer.  So covert operations are my specialty.
The kids are in bed and noone suspects a thing.  Thank you.  Thankyouverymuch.  Now baby dog and I have bonded profusely and I am likely to accomplish very little over the next 2 weeks.
But despite the fact that noone will have clean laundry or cooked meals, I can assure you that I will likely be voted Mother of the Year.  (I think it more than negates my children’s sketchy flossing).
Thank you Stevie for another magical Christmas.  And for your vote.

Baby Dog, as I have affectionately called him all day, will likely be named Max.  Or Hank.  Or Scout. Or Jack.  Unless you wow me with a dog name that doesn’t remind me of some guy I went to  high school with who drove an el camino and had a rebel flag.  

This is  a 7 Quick Takes post……or 7 free association thoughts…….or 7 things I’ve been dying to tell you.  You can link back to Jennifer’s awesome blog for others……

                      ~~~~~~1~~~~~~~

I love wrapping gifts.  I love the ribbons, the paper, the whole kit ‘n kaboodle.  I often write the name right on the gift in pretty curly Q letters.  A gift I have brought can be spotted a mile away.  And I love it when it’s all the same wrapping paper.  And I love polka dots.  And if that paper so happens to be covering an iphone, I love it all the more.

             ~~~~~~~~~2~~~~~~~~~~
Remember this game?  The girls and I did this for a craft one day.  I know.  I know.  It’s no origami…..but it is paper folding.  And turns out “Timmy and I will be married and have 6 children at the beach”.  This little game producing giggling and cackling and snorting in my children which you cannot imagine.  Every 12,865 times we played it.

~~~~~~~~~~3~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a picture from 2 Christmas’s ago, I think.  And these attractive and smart young people are Steve’s children which I have come to adore.  They will not be coming for Christmas which makes us very lonesome.  We’ve grown accustomed to the chaos of Christmas with eight children.  I shipped their goodies off yesterday and got a little teary eyed.  We will miss you guys so much! 

I have a sudden overwhelming urge to paint everything in my house.  I woke up one morning and am tired of it all.  So you just wait.  Come January, I’m gonna have more house projects going than I have Christmas decorations.  Even this little bathroom…..which I have loved dearly over the years……..I sometimes lock myself in here just to enjoy the beautiful colors and silence.  And I love the gecko.  He wears that Christmas hat all year round, by the way.  He’s a festive little guy.  This kind of whimsical decorating has been my hallmark.  I fear the gecko could be in danger of being kicked out.  I feels the winds of change a-blowin’.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~5~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meet my long lost friend Jake.  He’s the beloved golden retriever that I rescued over 13 years ago.  He has since gone to doggy heaven and gees have we missed this dog dearly.  I dreamed about him for the longest time and Elea (6) still mentions him with tear filled eyes. (she’s her mother’s daughter, little sap)   We’ve been planning to get another one soon and it can’t be soon enough for me.  There’s something about having a ‘big’ dog in the house that just feels right. Know any good breeders? 
~~~~~~~~~~~~6~~~~~~~~~~~

This picture is to remind me to start training for the half marathon soon.  My muffin top is screaming that it can’t be soon enough.  I know I’ve invited you before, but if you want to train with me and meet me in Nashville for the Country Music Half Marathon, please put down the piece of fudge (I’m talking to myself) and lace up those running shoes.  Last year I ran this race and had a sentamental but groovin’ playlist that I ran the race to.  I picked a special song that reminded me of my kids or of some special event or person in my life and ran my little heart out.  Otherwise, thirteen miles can be long and monotonous for someone with ADD.  I can get all manner of little dramas going on in my head as you know from my prior post.  So, what do ya say? Are you in?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~7~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And last but not least, let me tell you two things about Stevie that you may not know.  He grew up in frigid MN where ice abounds in the winter.  And he played a lot of hockey.  It should not have surprised me that he can skate and ski circles around me.  I’m  used to dominating in the skating arena.  The first time my sister and I took our little kids roller skating, something overtook us.  When we got our skates on ,the strobe lights came on and the song “Crocodile Rock” began to play, we left those five year olds to fend for themselves while we got our groove on.   So imagine my chagrin to be completely out-skated  and out-skied…..by a guy.  This man is full of talents.  

There is a riveting discussion going on in my previous post so check it out…along with all the comments.  Our neighborhood progressive dinner was last night so I’ll show you some fun photos from that and announce the winners of my book giveaway.  But first, here’s a peek at my garland…….that I’m ‘froofin’ right up for the Nester’s garland party on Wednesday.  Get your ‘garland on’ and join us! (I sound like I’m doing a news segment—-now back to you Leigh Ann)
And here are my lovely neighbors—-those people whom I have the pleasure and privilege of sharing my life with….(and my dog and my kids and my baked goods, and my Christmas decorations that stay up until Feb 1st—I’m one of those)
And here’s the Tankini Squad—those neighbors who are home in the summer lying by the pool—-and no.. heavens no Leigh Ann, I will NOT be posting  swimsuit shots this summer—unless it’s my head photoshopped onto Jennifer Aniston’s body. So be thinking ahead of time who you’d like your head photoshopped onto. K?  (And as I scroll back through these pictures right before I post them, it occurs to me that I have a bit of  a 70’s flair going on—the wide leg trousers jeans, the shwanky blouse, the Farrah Fawcett  hair—–I think I could be the sidekick of Cousin Eddie or a young Burt Reynolds….I even have a little bit of a swagger).  Note to self: easy on the feathered bangs.

More fellowship……
and my dear very own guardian angel….Donna…..who has been my next door neighbor for the past 8 years and is now moving.  I’m still in stage 1 denial of her leaving….so when I’m able to speak of it like a normal adult, I’ll get back to you.
And the winners for my book giveaway (which took me forever to decide on–because I had to research all the books they recommended) are Denise, Meme, Musings from a Homeschooling Mom, Kelly, and Sheri.  I’ve made my Amazon order of your recommendations and can’t wait to start reading.  Email me your address—and when my books come in—I’ll mail them to you.  Thank you for taking the time to read and comment!  Hugs and love to all!

Yesterday, we woke up to this…

…in East Tennessee when you wake up to this…….

the news declares that school is one-hour late……

when school is one hour late, we drive here…….
and these sleepy heads…..
order this……
and I show the kids this……

and tell them stories about when I was in medical school and my friends and I always studied for tests at Waffle House……and drank lots of coffee…….and played “Waffle-House Do-Wop” on the jukebox……and always.   ALWAYS.  paused to here this:

“Waffle on four……hashbrowns on two…scattered, covered,smothered……2 eggs over medium…toast on two.” 

usually shouted really loudly by someone with an accent like mine.

Waffle House is an icon in our family.  We love the waffles, the coffee, the music the atmosphere…….all of it.  My favorite experience was the time I went in and “Redneck Woman” was blaring on the jukebox and my waitress sang it REAL loud while trying to serve us our food.   It just doesn’t get any better than that.  There’s no better place to embrace  your southernness. Steve loves it too. It has universal appeal no matter where you’re from. Other songs of interest playing on the Waffle House CD:

 

‘I like what I See At the Waffle House’

‘Life is Like a Cup of Coffee’

‘Waffle House,  Thank You’

‘Why Would you Eat Your Grits Any Place Else’

‘Special Lady at the Waffle House’

I don’t make this stuff up.