They are ALL sleeping!!!!

I'm the only one that is awake and working!!! Even Papa is sleeping!!! I guess the football game wore him out! I wonder who won the game!!

By the way, we had another Hannah Montana Sleepover last night!! My girl loves them sleepovers. She told me this morning that she fell out of the bed last night. I remember a commotion but I didn't realize that she actually fell out of the bed. I know that she is a rough sleeper, so I chalked it up to that. She also snuggled up close to me during the night. I asked her if she did that because she fell out of the bed, and she said yes.

I'm really glad that she is taking a nap today because her incentive today is to go play outside. We are working on cleaning out our flower beds outside and she really enjoys helping me. Whatever makes you happy baby...That's what I say. Plus it doesn't hurt to have a little help in the garden!!
Lata....

Fall weather (I'm a sissy) and Gumbo

The weather here has started to cool off. I'm not sure if it a fluke because even for central Alabama this seems pretty early. Being from South Louisiana, I'm accustomed to Christmas' in shorts. I'm seriously considering making a gumbo either tonight or tomorrow night. My body still hasn't adjusted. It just doesn't seem right to make a gumbo in September. Gumbo's are for December- February.

I need to clean out the fireplace again, because we still have wood in it from last winter. I know, I'm lazy. Actually, I was hoping that Eric would do it and he hasn't done it yet. I also need to buy some firewood so that we will be ready.

My body isn't ready for cool weather. This morning, I walked Eric out and the thermometer read 48. I crawled back into bed after turning the heat up a little to knock the chill out. I know I'm a sissy!!!

Although, it does warm up in the afternoon, I'm still not up for it. It also reminds me that I'm an outsider. Everyone here seems to love this cool weather. Me, not so much!! I don't hate it, but I would rather it be warm. I guess that is why summer is my favorite season.

It is also hard to dress for the day when it is 50 in the morning and 80 in the afternoon. I guess that's why they invented jackets. Anyway, moral of the story...Gumbo at my house tomorrow night!!

Hannah Montana Party

Ok...so it was just Abby, Ryan, and me, but it was still fun. A couple of months ago, Disney channel aired the concert in 3D and it was pretty cool. We went to Wal-mart and picked up our 3D glasses. Abby was so excited. Actually, I've never seen her that excited before.




After the concert, we had a sleepover, except Ryan wasn't invited to the sleepover (sorry kid). Here are some pics from the sleepover:

Little Gangsta's

Ok...so I listen to rap music in the car with the kids. Not the hardcore rap and most of what I listen to is on the radio so it is edited, but it is still rap. The ringtone on my cell phone is Low by Flo-Rida. Everytime it rings Ryan sings and dances and everytime the song plays on the radio he screams phone.

Abby sings the Low song too and today she was singing Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis. She also loves Hannah Montana. We have to listen to the cd on the way to school and if Mommy would let on the way home too. Stay tuned for our Hannah Montana party post!!! (Exciting I know)

So the question is am raising culturally diverse individuals or just gangsta's???

Patriot Day

In honor of Patriot Day, I wanted to write a post about how I feel 7 years later. First of all, I told Abby about it this morning, complete with pictures from a book. She seemed to really understand (she understands a lot for her age). I didn't show her any gory pictures(in case you were wondering). But I did tell her that some bad people crashed airplanes into the WTC. Her reaction: "That makes me sad!!" I haven't gotten the why's yet, but I'm glad because I'm not sure that I want to explain that part to her. The flag at her school was at half mast, as was the flag at the car dealership that we went to today (that is another post, look for it soon). She didn't really notice that the flag at her school was at half mast, but she did notice the one at the car dealership (it is a really huge flag). She asked me, "Why isn't the flag all the way at the top??" I told her, "Remember what we talked about earlier? How those planes crashed into those buildings? We need to remember that. When you see at flag the is in the middle of the pole, you need to remember that something happened." She told me again, that it mad her sad to think of people crashing planes into the buildings. (That is all the details that I gave her BTW. I didn't really want her talking about it all day and I'm not sure if I really want her to understand it completely right now.)

Anyway, back to my feelings...I'm sure most of us remember exactly what we were doing when we heard the news. I was in my last semester in college. I had an 8 am class that morning. Normally, I ran late, but that morning for some reason I was a little early.

I remember that I parked my car at 7:45 and I walked straight to class. Class went on as usual because no one had heard the news yet. Before my 9:45 class started someone walked in and said that the "World Trade Center Towers had collapsed" and that was it. No elaboration or anything. BTW, this person wasn't very trustworthy, so I (being a skeptic) didn't think twice about it. Actually, I did think twice about it. I thought, how do TWO buildings fall down on the same day? This guy must be an idiot. After that class, Eric and I met up on campus as we usually do. We headed straight for the McDonald's near campus (because there was a TV there) and we were glued to the tube for most of the afternoon. I think that we both must have left at some point because we did have other classes to attend that day and I had work.

I don't remember anything after the McD's trip until I arrived at work. Everyone there was glued to the television also.

Next thing that I remember is getting home. My sister had the TV on and she was watching MTV News. WHAT??? Oh no this was not acceptable. Had my mother been there it would have been on CNN. I immediately changed the channel to some sort of normal news program and I watched the news come in all through the night.

My feelings today are somewhat similar to those that I felt on that day. The utter sadness has changed with time. I am no longer brought to tears by the pictures and accounts of what happened. Though, I did feel a little choked up this morning by the presidents speech at the Pentagon, I held it together. (No matter who you are, whether you like him or not, he was the President on that day and he, along with Guiliani, helped this nation through that tough time.)

Two years ago on 9/11, hubby and I watched World Trade Center with Nicholas Cage (we weren't actually with him). I think that everyone needs to watch this movie. I was particularly impressed with how they added in some comedic interludes at just the right time in the movie. I was really expecting to cry through the whole movie, but I didn't. The movie showed the true heroism and courage that all involved had within them.

I hope that everyone had their moment of silence and remembered (or tried to remember) exactly how they felt on the dreadful day. I know that I did (can you tell?)

Ok...I think that I'm done now. But before I go I want to leave you with this http://www.cassyfiano.com/2008/09/remembering-9-11-2. It is a blog I found while searching for 9/11 material. I thought it was very good. Hope you do too. And also, my song of choice for today would be Have You Forgotten? by Darryl Worley. Check it out!!!

Death by Butter Knife!?!?

I had no idea a butter knife could do so much damage!!! I was trying to open a new bottle of mayo and somehow my thumb came into contact with the sharpest part of a butter knife and it hurts like hell!!!

Moral of the story: Though it may look dull, don't underestimate its power!!!

Gustav (in a nutshell)!!!

Gustav was no Katrina or Rita that just goes to show ya when women get mad they break shit but when men get mad they just talk shit!!!!

Disclaimer: These are not my words but if I would have to describe this storm, this is how I would do it!!!

I love it!!!!

Please read these letters very carefully.


Letter #1: From Senator Barack H. Obama:

Dear (Former) President Putin:

I'm sorry to be writing this e-mail instead of meeting you in person, preferably in the Oval Office, where I belong. Soon, soon.

Nevertheless, and notwithstanding the foregoing, I felt it imperative that I express my concern about Russia's invasion of the tiny, democratically elected sovereign nation of Georgia.

It would appear that you are not familiar with my platform for change and hope War does not fit into this template and I am quite frankly at a loss for words to express my distress.

As the chosen leader of a new generation of Americans who speak a global language of peace, hope, harmony and change, this is simply unacceptable. Quite frankly, your actions pose potentially severe, long-term consequences I'm not sure what those might be, but they might not be nice or fun.

Please picture me looking very serious when I say that I respectfully request you to calm down. Life is but a flicker in time and we're but actors strutting and fretting. That is to say, we're all on this planetary journey together and our karma is interrelated and interdependent. Thus, it would seem that our differences are best resolved through words, not bombs.

It is said that war is a failure of diplomacy. I would submit that it is also counterintuitive. If my Kenyan father and my Kansan mother and my multinational upbringing taught me anything, it is that we are all One. That said, I am The One the world has been waiting for -- and you are, quite frankly, blocking my chi.

As soon as possible, I'd like to sit down and begin talking about how we can resolve these and other differences that threaten peace-loving people, which I'm sure includes you. I haven't looked into your eyes and would never presume to know your soul, but I do know that we share a common humanity and that we can all just get along.

Please do not fail me; I absolutely do not want to have to unleash the United Nations to deal with a matter which may be so easily resolved by two humanitarians such as you and I.

Yours in Global Harmony, President [in waiting] Barack Hussein Obama



Letter # 2: From Senator John McCain:

Hey, Putin.

Don't make me come over there.

McCain