Kids Say the Darndest Things - Aug. '13 Edition

Taken from the sidebar....

Miss B had her Kindergarten assessment and was not able to identify the letter "R" when asked.
(afterwards)Me: "Brookelle, what is the 2nd letter in your name?"
Brookelle: "R"
Me: "See, you know it! Why didn't you say it at school for your teacher?"
Brookelle: "Her finger was just moving on to the next letter too fast. It takes time to guess. Doesn't she know that? Oh, no, she doesn't -- she's OLD!" 8/13

We are Super Organized Around Here

As I was emptying the dirty clothes hamper in the girls' bedroom today, something nearby on the floor caught my eye, so I picked it up:

Here's the thing:  THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAD EVER SEEN THIS INVITATION!

And today is August 27, 2013.

Which means it is 3 1/2 MONTHS AFTER the fact.

How sad that the choir director went to the effort to create a cute reminder, and it was all for naught -- at least in our household.

Yep, that's pretty much how things roll around here!

{Aaugh!}

Simple Surprises

I went on a trip last week, and I had quite the streak of Good Luck.  Or maybe more than luck - just a bunch of happy things that happened.....which left me pleasantly surprised.  They weren't HUGE events, necessarily, so I'll call them "Simple Surprises."

1. Southwest Airlines has Diet Dr. Pepper as a drink choice on their flights!
2. There are GAMES like Connect 4 and Solitaire on the treadmill - it really HELPS the workout go by faster!
3. The "mystery guest artists" at The Grand Ol' Opry didn't end up being a mystery....it turns out Mark Wills sings "19 Somethin',"  "And the Crowd Goes Wild," and "Don't laugh at Me."   And Brett Eldridge sings, "Don't Ya"...all of which I knew!
4. The operator politely called me by name when I called to ask a question!
5. The factory outlet mall was actually pretty close to our hotel (within walking distance) instead of far away like we'd thought it looked from the taxi!
6. I didn't throw up the raw oyster I ate, right out of the shell, at THIS restaurant, in the presence of 5 people who were egging encouraging me on.
7. I was ID'd - that means the "bouncer" COULDN'T TELL IF I was over 21 or not, right?!?  And it has nothing to do with it being policy or anything.....  ;)
8. The Nashville airport provided foot covers (like the ones you'd wear in open houses) for us to go through security - I always think it is gross to walk on the floor in my bare feet when I have to take off my flip flops!
9. When I got done eating my Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory apple pie flavored apple, there were moist towelettes in the bottom of the bag - just what I needed!
10. There was Dish TV access on my iPad on one of the flights I took - I finally watched several of the episodes from season 8 of The Office for the first time.  I'm only 2 years being the times!
11. My girls GOT ON (standby) a "100% booked" flight....and we're able to sit by their Dad!
12. My Jamba Juice gift card money had NOT expired even after a couple years of non-use!
13. I came upon a "test" security checkpoint, where we didn't have to take off our shoes, remove our liquids from our bag, unload our laptops, or any of the usual things except pretty much walk through - that's as EXPEDITED as security can be!

Not Just Plain 'Ol Playtex Anymore

I had the "remarkable" opportunity (read that in your best sarcastic tone) to go BRA shopping the other day - in a real store.

It had been a while (I did it online at Amazon last time) and things have definitely changed.

There were racks and racks (no pun intended!) of brands, colors and varieties to choose from!

So, of course, the manufacturers MUST be feeling the pressure to stand out and catch the consumer's (me) attention - anything that will cause me to pick theirs above another.

And, catch my attention, they DID!  The marketing slogans or catch phrases they used on the labels/tags were quite amusing.

I may or may not have laughed OUT LOUD right there in the middle of the lingerie department!

Here's the top finalists:

• Gimme a boost
• Add-a-tude  (on a padded bra)
• We've got you covered
• We have your back
• Smooth Operators
• This is NOT a bra
• Prepare to stop traffic
• The secret's inside
• A secret makeover
• Give "the girls" a little lift
• Put "the girls" back where they belong

And my personal FAVORITE:

• Headlights are for cars

And after trying on 10+ bras, I found ONE to buy.  {sigh}

My New Baby was Delivered Last Week

After having THE SAME washing machine our whole entire marriage (18 yrs. 11 months), we had to finally replace it.  {boo hoo!}
My grandma had bought it brand new for herself about 22ish years ago. She only got to use it for a year or two before she passed away.
Then it sat in my parents' mudroom/garage for about a year and a half until I got married and became the proud owner of it.

Over the years, we'd had a "Maytag Man" come out and service it a few times and he kept telling me, "They don't make 'em like this anymore!" And he would gush about how good it was - and I felt pretty lucky to have "inherited" it.   BTW, it's matching dryer is still plugging along for us!

The appliance salesman told me that I should only expect a new one to last about 12 years now.  WHAT?!?   So, it's got HALF the life expectancy of my beloved whose spin ability just failed...and we spent 3 weeks mourning the loss...and then when everyone ran out of clothes and the piles were stacked to high heaven, we were forced to buy a new one...? (because the repair charge would be about a third of the cost of a brand new one, and we already fixed it once.)

So I present to you My New Baby:

No dust and crud build-up.  And it has a non-slamming lid.

I guess the "new ones" don't have agitators (that pole sticking up in the middle) anymore,

and I was having a problem with that in the store.

Because HOW are the clothes going to get as clean when they're not AGITATED?

Do any of you even know what I'm talking about - or was my machine THAT old?

But, I'm most excited about the size of the drum - look at all that room.  Hello bigger loads!!!

My children (OK, maybe not Ryan) could play hide-n-seek in there - although I don't encourage that!

My old one had 6 buttons:  small, medium, large and hot, warm, cold.

Now look at this panel of confusion!

But, I'm still that person using a flip cell phone with push-buttons, so this is a tad above my level!  ;)

Like I'd been told, They sure don't make 'em like they used to! 

But, I figured it out - And I spent the next day doing all the backed up laundry.....yeah!

Fifteen Ways My Husband and I are Different

1.  He says ONE word
for every 1,000 of my words.

2.  He barely cracks a smile when he hears a joke - or something funny.
 My cackle laughter is heard for at least a block radius in the same situation.

3.  He likes bananas
I believe bananas are Satan's fruit.

4.  He will "escort" bugs/spiders out of our house.
I practice the ol' tissue-smash-and flush method if my home has been "invaded."

5.  He often will say, "NO, thanks" to candy/ice cream/treats.  (He says NO!???)
I say, "YES, PLEASE!!"

6.  He sleeps with a sheet half-way covering himself.
I sleep with ALL the covers/blankets tucked right up under my chin and secured down all around me so there are NO "air holes."

7.  He has a Science mind.
I have an English mind.

8.  He likes Miracle Whip.
I think Miracle Whip is one of Satan's condiments.

9.  He likes fish.
I've tried...several times...but just don't.
(the only time he's getting it for dinner is out at a restaurant)

10.  He remembers every great sports trivia (scores from games 20+ years ago).
I remember the words to every conversation.

11.  He can "train" for a race/event one or two times, and finish with a good time (even medals).
I train daily for months, and finish behind him, and at the middle to back of the pack.

12.  He's the calm one.
I shoot first, ask questions later.

13.  He is 6' 3"
I am 5' 3"

14.  He likes to sleep until the last moment possible.
 When I wake up, my mind starts racing, and I *have to* get going in the morning.

15.  He is Brilliant.
The smartest thing I ever did was marry him.  almost 19 years ago.


 But other than that, I really think this relationship can work!  ;)

 How are you and your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend different?

Checkers, Anyone?

Or maybe a game of chess? - you take your pick.

Either way, we've got the yard-sized game board for it IN our lawn!

We moved into our new house exactly one year ago today and we finally put in our sod last Saturday.
(Yep.  This is the same yard that was suppose to be done by Summer, so our kids would have somewhere to play all Summer......but WHATEVER!)

But, by today, it looks like THIS!  "They" say it's normal...?!?

{Let's hope so!}