s-t-r-e-t-c-h

So, it's been pointed out to me that this is a most neglected blog.  Sorry.  Really, I am.  I've grown lazy.  See, the whole plug the cord into the camera and into the laptop simultaneously thing has really cramped my style.  Turns out, that's a problem. 

Anyway, new year.  New goals.

I'm taking a different approach to 2011.  Instead of doing the resolution thing that will be seriously disappointing by January 3rd, I'm going to try the pick a word deal. 

I've read about this on lots of blogs in other years, and wondered about the perfect word for me.  People were coming up with creative words and creative ways to implement the word into their lives.  For instance, one woman picked the word "nest", then she proceeded to adopt another daughter, build a new humongous house, and fill it with amazing things because she and her family are millionaires.  Not a bad choice of a word, but a pretty high bar she set there.

This year, I only heard of the pick a word thing once, and as I was reading, the most perfect word for me came to light.  So, for 2011, I present stretch.

I feel the confusion.  Let me explain.

I will stretch my world.  Stretch my body (that takes care of the exercise resolution thing), stretch my photography (time to get real about this, wouldn't you say?), stretch my comfort zone (it's getting boring around here; time to shake things up), stretch my faith (I feel a real desire to deepen my faith, and no time like the present), stretch my patience level (whining never killed anyone, technically), stretch, stretch, stretch, stretch.  Wait.  Am I spelling that correctly?  It's starting to look funny. 

You get the idea. 

First up, we'll stretch the family -- with a cat. 

Mama Bear

It has been brought to my attention that I have a very neglected blog.  It's true, I'm afraid.  And I will get back to this soon, but for this very instant, I'm totally using it for therapy.  See, the gym is already closed, and if I go outside to try to burn off this energy, I will be eaten alive by the mosquitoes.  So, right now, my only outlet is this blog.

Mama Bear is done, done, done shopping on the east side of this city.  Tonight I took the kids out to dinner, and to run two simple errands.  Dinner was o.k., except we found out our favorite manager at McAlister's has been moved to a different location.  That explains the subpar service we've been getting.  We'll have to try to hunt her down and get things back to normal.

However, that was NOT the excitement of the evening.  Off to Office Max, where no kidding, there were hookers getting business cards or having some posters printed or laminated or something.  Hookers.  Honest to goodness.  That's the only reasonable explination as to their attire and their demeanor and the whole "vibe".  And in all honesty, I actually found it rather amusing.  The kids didn't seem to notice, they weren't hurting anyone, and you know, a girl has to make a living.  As long as it's not my girl.  And if my boys ever require their services, that will be the last thing they ever do with their wee willies.  (I digress).

Onto Target.  You know, the Target where I was a witness to a woman getting hit in the parking lot just a few years ago.  The place that has things in it that are REQUIRED to keep this house running.  The place that I have chosen to patron simply because the people at our local Walmart are stark raving mad and the Meijer seems to want to give the local jobs to u-scans.  Anyway, Target -- my home away from home.  Thanks to my dear, darling daughter, we visited the restroom, where I'm sure a homeless woman was using the facility to wash for the day.  O.k.  Prayers sent for her and her circumstances.

Check out, go to the parking lot.  This *ahem* girl stops her car to talk to a group of high school boys in that main aisle that everyone has to cross to get to the cars.  Fine.  I watch her, she waves me on.  Kindness.  Graci.  No sooner than we step into the aisle and she punches the gas.  Not inches forward, not mild pressure to the gas pedal.  More like squeal the tires guns it.  Thanks to the good Lord above for making the distance between her and us so great that we had time to move.  Of course, then I moved back...right into her path.  She has awoken the beast.  You'd better believe that we are about to have words.  She decides to swerve around me.  Good one.  If I hadn't had my kids there, we would have probably duked it out -- I was that mad (still am, thank you very much). 

What is wrong with the people on this side of town??????  Could we possibly go more ghetto than where we are right now?  It's not like the people around here are impoverished and haven't had an education.  It's that they feel the need to act like there is some huge chip on their shoulder because they have to *work* for a living and the rest of us are just bothering them by being on their planet.  Well, guess what.  I'm done. 

For my money, I will put extra gas in the car and drive north or south.  The East Side can go to hell.  It's nearly there, anyway.

Molly Lou

Heff and His Tooth

Cooper has revisited his Spiderman robe from many years ago.  We've taken to calling him Heff.  Just so you know.

Anyway, Heff has been hanging on to a tooth for WAY too long.  If I recall correctly, the dentist told me he would naturally lose it by the start of last school year.  This tooth has caused many an argument, many tears, and many literal nightmares.  It's wiggled, waggled, rotated, stuck out, bent in, and gone completely sideways.  Well, last night, the top of it-- the part that's supposed to be stuck in your jaw --  started scraping the inside of his mouth, so it was finally time.  And, of course...Jeff was out with the guys.  Soooo, Heff and I manned up and tackled this thing head on.

He agonized, he whined, he cried, and I did what every supportive mother does:  I made faces at him and took pictures.  He would clamp his mouth shut so I couldn't even get a finger in there, so we resorted to opera singing to try to encourage a wide open mouth.  And by "we", I mean Nick, Maddie, and myself.  Meanwhile Cooper tried dunking his head under the water in a full sink.  I'm not sure what that was going to accomplish, but I was too busy goofing off with the other two to even ask.  Oh, so helpful!

Just as he was about to give up hope, the Big Gun (aka, Daddy) came home  and took over.

I wish I could show you the end result, but by this time, I was unceremoniously kicked out of the bathroom. 

How rude. 

I do know that the tooth fairy got a very nice note:  "Dear Tooth Fairy, I have had this tooth for a while, so the time has come for you to have it.  Sincerely, Cooper M. Engle" and in return, Heff is now $2.00 richer.

Poor Neglected Blog

Way overdue, I present Easter: 

Louisville Part I

I take way too many pictures.  And I don't do a good job of getting them off my camera, through my computer, and back out to the real world.

So, way back a few weeks ago, my pals and I went to Louisville, and these are some of the pictures I took. 

We spent a good portion of the first day walking around Old Louisville enjoying the architecture.  I can't imagine living in one of these homes, but they inspired me to take a second look at our home's "curbside appeal".

I particularly loved the gorgeous windows and mailboxes.

Quotes

Very rarely do I quote something to someone, but at least once I day, I'll run a favorite quote through my head.  Today, one of my favorite blogs has a new (to me) quote that will be frequently replayed in my mind::

Find out who you are, and do it on purpose.  ~Dolly Parton

Seriously?  I'm going to start quoting Dolly Parton?  (oh, brother.)

My other favorite quote that I like to say to myself: 

Put on your big girl panties and just deal with it. 

I don't know who said that first, but it's kept me in line several times since I heard it.

I wonder if anyone will ever quote me.  I'd better start watching my p's and q's just in case.