Thanksgiving 2008

We made it! We had some good food on Thanksgiving because we were all properly stuffed. I think the hardest part of the day was having to throw our own traditions out the window. That's kind of what happens when you are a guest in someone else's home. Their traditions take precedent. It was the first Thanksgiving meal of my life where there was no rice and giblet gravy. Not a big deal in the scheme of things, but just noticed is all.

Black Friday shopping was a complete success by far. Neighbor Debbie decided she would join us. This was her first time, so she was given Rookie status. By golly, she won't be wearing yellow bumper stickers on her butt next year! (Nascar reference there if you don't get it) The Man, Neighbor Debbie, Neighbor Brittani, and myself hit the road at 3:15 a.m. I kid you not. It was right festive and lots of laughter was going on. We hit a store at 4 a.m. and caught a few good deals. Then we headed to Belks. I heart Belks. They were giving gift cards to the first 200 who entered the store. We were around 15 to get in. While shopping, everyone else scratched theirs off to see they had gotten the customary $5.00 card. When asked if I had scratched mine, I replied I wanted to be surprised.

I got surprised.

When I went to check out, the lady scratched mine off. She said in a shocked voice, "You got $100.00!"

What?

I really didn't believe her at first.

I was getting high fives from people checking out in line. I'm glad Paige wasn't there because Miss Hope did a dance of sorts.

The total of my purchases was $101.00. HA! How cool is that? Add in The Man's $5.00 gift card he got and WE GOT CREDIT!

I was on a roll then, Internets. The mood of my day was set and you couldn't touch it.

Wouldn't you call that a successful venture?

Because of the economy and that things are a little tight around The Edge, we have had to refrain from exchanging presents with everyone we know and love. It was not an easy decision, but one that had to be made. It was really nice shopping and talking to Santa without the added pressure of a thousand more gifts to worry about. I truly enjoyed the time with my husband and neighbors and the breakfast wasn't bad, either.

The Man fried his turkey for Thanksgiving. FINALLY. That Man of mine has been wanting to fry him a turkey for years. He's had a fryer for about 4 years now and has never used it. Well, this year was his year. He researched and researched the best way to fry that bird. I made him watch that commercial on television about the dude not having AT&T and so his bird exploded. (my new favorite commercial!) A buddy at work has fried many birds and gave my husband some really great tips that, I think, made his job easier and the turkey better. I am so proud of his hard work and let me tell you.....this was the best turkey I've ever eaten. Hands down.

Note how far away he is from my house and how diligently he's watching. Why, he can't even sit down for keeping such a vigil.

After The Boy got dressed, he had to go out and help supervise. He had to check out the fire extinguisher his Dad had and everything else he could in a 10 ft. radius. Note: If he wasn't on his medicine? I don't think we could have let him go out there. It would have been too dangerous. But, he was able to listen when his Dad told him it was dangerous and to stay far away.

TA DA!! The finished product. 13 and a half pounds of eating goodness right there, Internets.

Last night found us decorating the Christmas Tree. The Man always puts the tree up and Paige and I "fluff" it and make it pretty. Believe it or not, this tree is huge. The angle of this picture makes it look small. How sweet is Makenna and The Boy? They were so excited. I had made another batch of Christmas Tea earlier in the afternoon for us to enjoy. Makenna got her hot chocolate and we continued with our traditions. I made a new tree topper this year I want to show you later. I'm right tickled over it. We're going to finish up with knick knack decorating today and maybe put up our outside stuff. Lu has already called me to let me know they're off of the cruise ship and headed our way (which they have to go through to get home). I'm looking forward to enjoying my Saturday.

Give some Thanks

It's here. Thanksgiving Day 2008. I'm still in shock that I'm sitting in Georgia instead of South Carolina where the blood relatives are.

I guess I'm supposed to compose some cheesy post about how thankful I am about life and all that goes with it. I could just say that my list is just too long to compose and be done with it.

We're good here at The Edge. Carla and I spent a few hours yesterday preparing for the feast we're going to partake in today. I've got it sitting out already ready to cook and enjoy.

We're going eat and share company with some great people we love.

I won't have to miss out on Black Friday because guess what? There are plenty of stores here! My husband isn't out to sea or stuck on a boat somewhere unable to share this with us and he'll be right beside me searching out the good deals.

I miss South Carolina with all my entire heart and I will probably have a sad moment or two today because of it.

My family is here with me. All five of us. Together.

Happy Thanksgiving, Internets. I pray you all will feel a blessing today.

I believe this is good news

We have been regulars at Dr. M's office lately. To the point, we no longer have to sign in. The receptionist knows who we are and waves us on.

Last week, the doctor started The Boy on a new medication. I know I've told you this is the hardest part of managing his ADHD. You have to do a trial and error sort of deal and it just kills me to give my child these medications. You don't know how they're going to react and what kind of side effects will happen. This is my Baby. A four year old. In helping him, I have wondered if I will hurt him. Make sense?

Just to set the record straight. I am not in this alone. The Man is right beside me and we make all the decisions for medications together. It's not a "he" or "she" deal. This is just my blog and I tend to use "I" and "me" for the most part.

The new drug of choice is called Vyvanse. I think this might work. The Focalin he was on gave him massive meltdowns. The end of the day was horrible for all involved and that made me so sad and frustrated. I know people who have had amazing success with Focalin and I really REALLY wanted The Boy to have that success so we wouldn't have to try another drug. It just wasn't meant to be. The same parents who loved Focalin also made sure to tell me that they went through many different medications before finding "the one".

Vyvanse might be the one. At least it is at the moment. I know there's a chance it may work for a few months, then just quit. What is up with that??? Then again, it may work for him indefinitely. What is up with this condition??? It has so much control over a brain and how you function. I have researched and researched and come to the conclusion that doctors may never really know all the answers with this condition.

God has just been gracious enough to show doctors what can help control it.

This is has been a great week for my baby in school and at home. Focalin made his speech funny. He would jerk his words when he talked while on it. He would come to tell you something and it would be like he was talking in quicksand. Oh, how I hated that side effect. Now? He's talking slower but plainer. It doesn't appear that it's such a chore for him to formulate his thoughts.

And it lasts. Oh, it lasts much longer. Supper time finds him eating like he should. A 1 mg. Melatonin tablet later and he's ready to settle down for bed.

Is this how it's supposed to be?

He's had a couple of incidents at school. BUT...and I say that loudly here...it's been when a kid has bugged him to death. Both times, he's "used his words" to tell them to stop and they kept right on. So, he popped them one. I personally think that's normal behaviour for a 4 year old. In fact, I'm pretty durn proud he used his words. Miss K., his teacher, has been quick to inform me that he did what he was supposed to with asking them to stop, but she has to write up the report because he did hit a friend. I told her I knew he was wrong in doing that, but HE'S USING HIS WORDS!!!! We are both so proud of him and it's going to get better. With age and maturity, he's going to learn how to walk away. Maybe Miss Rose can work on that next session.

Also, he's had one meltdown in the past week. It was when the Wii remote wasn't working right. I can't say I blame him on that one. My guy loves him some Wii. Therefore, when the remote messed up during a game, he got upset. Can you blame him? He's acting like a 4 year old. That I know and can appreciate.

The impulsivity has been taken down to a decent level. He's able to drag himself to a stop when we holler not to run in the street. Have you any idea how much my heart needed that. I mean the organ inside my body that is beating and keeping me alive. The stress of those situations and how scared that boy has made me? Yeah, my heart is very thankful he's better able to listen and comprehend and make his body stop.

Because the results have been satisfactory in Dr. M.'s eyes, he has requested to see The Boy again in two months. Wow. I don't know if we'll know how to function not having that appointment every week. This makes me nervous, but Dr. M. has faith this will all work out. He's been very diligent in The Boy's care and if there are any concerns or questions, I am to call his office. I think I might can live with that. He told us yesterday that knowing there have been better school days, a better quality of life at home, and add in the fact my kid was scarfing down some popcorn....he's feeling good about this particular medication. (Uh...this is where I request prayers that the good ol' Doc is right)

Miss K. has been the one to witness the best part of the medication. Now, it's our turn. The Boy is out of school until Monday. I get to witness first hand if this is the best choice for my child. I'm right excited about it, to be honest. This kid started walking at 8 months 4 days. He's been in motion ever since. I've been right behind him.

Maybe now I'll get to walk WITH him.

She Knew I'd Do This

I didn't have time to come out and tell her this, but I'm pretty sure that Paige knows I'm going to blog about this.

This weekend I made some Christmas Tea. If you've never tried this, you simply must. I put it in the crock pot and let it simmer all afternoon. The Man and I cleaned the truck out and really detailed the inside of it while it brewed in my kitchen. It was right chilly and when we came inside with cold hands, this was just beyond perfect. I really thought this huge batch I made would have lasted. Alas, I must make more as we have thoroughly enjoyed sipping this liquid goodness.

This morning is like many others have been in the past week or so. Paige has been waiting all weekend to take her a cup of warm Christmas Tea to school with her. Can't say I blame her. I heard the microwave go off while I was getting The Boy dressed. I walked in the kitchen as she did and she headed to the microwave.

Then I saw what she pulled out.

That girl went and put a METAL to-go cup up in my microwave to warm her beverage.

ARGH!!!!

"What were you thinking????" I *think* I screeched.

"What?????" she replied.

"You put a METAL CUP IN THE MICROWAVE?!?!?" said I.

A look of confusion came across her face.

I then gave her the boot camp quick version of why we don't put metal in the microwave. EVAH.

You should have smelled the odor coming from my poor almost dead microwave. It's been on its last leg for a few months now, but she was trying to send it on to the grave, I do believe.

Internets, it's hard living in a house with gifted people. My family is a bunch of Super Intelligents and I am so very proud of them, but, they don't have a lick of common sense. I used to be this way. I remember my mother being so exasperated with me growing up because I couldn't comprehend simple things but could analyze the hardest problems. I'm so glad I got past that.

We'd be in deep doo-doo if all of us here at The Edge were Super's.

Metal in the microwave. I should really make her write a small research paper during Thanksgiving break on the con's of doing such a thing. Don't laugh, I've been known to do stuff like that. That's the former Super (Intelligent) in me.

Sunday Pictures

I have a few pictures to share and catch up with and now seems like a perfect time to do it. I know my Aunt Anne in California digs it when I do this because this is how she can see my kids grow. On the special occasions I speak with her, she always tells me how it tickles her to see these kind of posts. Hi, Aunt Anne!

I apologize for missing out on one picture sequence. Neighbor Greg decided yesterday to do The Diet Coke and Mentos Challenge. When The Man heard this, his eyes literally lit up and he got all excited. We all met out in front of our homes for the demonstration. I believe it was a one liter bottle of diet coke that he used. We were all backed up a respectable distance and waiting on the show. Neighbor Greg dropped a hand full of mentos in the bottle and backed up quickly. A geyser of coke shot up about 6 feet. Wow. This awe inspiring event only lasted a few seconds, but it was very cool. Neighbor Debbie and I agreed it was redneck entertainment at its finest. I, of course, made the comment that was perfectly good waste of diet coke (that's mine and The Man's favorite beverage). Neighbor Debbie started laughing and told her husband, "See? I TOLD you she would say that!" You should really try this some time. Kids love it and men (especially submarine nukes) do, too.

Now, on to the pictures I've been withholding from you!

Makenna had her choir concert Thursday evening. The teacher also had them do an instrumental and she chose the xylophone. This was Aunt Lu's instrument in high school, so this tickled her to hear.

This is Makenna goofing around when she thought I wasn't taking a picture.

Friday, The Man and I went to The Boy's school to have Thanksgiving lunch with him. It was a great time. This is one of my favorite shirts The Boy is wearing. "Good looks run in the Family."

Not crazy about me being in pictures, but I can't very well delete me from their lives growing up over my insecurities, now can I? I really like this picture of us.

Earlier that morning, Lu and her family stopped on their way to Miami. They're taking a 7 day cruise. This is my girls' first cruise and they were so excited. Can't say I blame them! We ate breakfast together and I got to see my people in my town!!! Lu and her girls have been the ones to come visit us on a regular basis and I just love her for it. They're stopping in on their way back home next Saturday and I can't wait to hear how the trip went! (Hard to believe they're twins, isn't it? But they are! I was there in the delivery room when they were born and was the first to hold them!)

I've taken quite a few pictures recently, but realized you really don't want to see them all and some were of The Project. I can't share The Project pictures for a while yet. Makenna and The Man are off on an adventure today that I'm sure I'll be sharing with you in the next couple of days. By the way, is it just me or has this year just flown by? Thanksgiving already? That means we put the tree up this week!!

Let Me TELL You...

Let me tell you what that new "friend" of Paige's said.

Paige asked me yesterday if her new friend could come over and hang out for a little while. He and his family are heading out of town for Thanksgiving and they wanted to spend a little time together before he left. Not a problem. I got to speak with his mother when she dropped him off and he was still ever so polite to both The Man and I.

During the course of the evening, a new wife and friend arrived here from TEXAS. She's a new wife and unlearned in the ways of military life. Her husband was on his way from Connecticut to meet her here. Neighbor Debbie and I have been talking her through the things they need to do. Basically lending a helping hand and helping them find their way. She arrived around 6:30 and her husband wasn't going to arrive on base until sometime around midnight. She came over to my house to meet The Man and my family while she anxiously awaited his arrival. We were over on Paige's side of the house so she could meet them and we ended up chatting there a few minutes. In her eyes, Neighbor Debbie and I are edging towards old. Because we're over 30 and all that. She's sweet as can be and so eager to learn.

While we were all standing there talking, I noticed a portrait of myself I had laying to the side. It's a painted portrait done when I was 19 years old...same age as this new bride. I held it up and said..."See! I used to be gorgeous!" Everyone laughed and I noticed that C. (Paige's friend) had his back to us glancing at the television. I said..."C.!!! Look at this picture!! Wasn't I just gorgeous!?!"

He replied, "You still are."

Oh, my.

I said, "I like this boy."

The Man said, "Get out."

Talk about smooth!!!! I was almost, but not quite, left speechless. Right brassy of him to say that...but cool. Nothing like making Mama think she's still got it.


We're gonna be keeping a close eye on that one.

EDITED: Paige has added a picture of her and the new gentleman caller on her blog!




*I have pictures I need to share, but I thought you'd like to hear what kind of boy my girl is dating. I'll be sharing them soon!

Thoughts....

Quite a few thoughts rolling around in Miss Hope's head today. How about I do a normal thing for me and be random about it?

Yeah...about that. Didn't get to finish my post and decided to go ahead and share anyways. The red writing is updated comments and add-ons by me.



1. The new Commander at the Chapel cut my funding for Crafts and Conversations. He called me yesterday to tell me. I had to cancel today's class at the last minute while I was reeling in shock. I had to send out my weekly email newsletter to these ladies that I adore and inform them. Oh, the emails I have received in return stating their dismay and how upset they are. Neighbor Debbie and I are on a mission to find some funding so we can keep this much needed program afloat. The Commander wasn't being malicious or anything. Far from it. The Navy has certain rules and guidelines they have to follow. Even though the program is amazing? There's no "slot" for the funding for it to fit in. Ergo....no more funding. I don't want to say we have to go begging for money...but we gotta go begging for money. Give me a ratty coat and tin cup. I'm ready to fight. (We have since discovered through the course of the day that LOTS of funding has been cut throughout the military. I really and truly thought funding wouldn't get cut so much until...oh....starting around February of next year. Obviously, I was wrong. Now we're wondering if it is even worth fighting for. I'll let you know.)



2. The Boy is on a new medication. ~sigh~ The old one was working a few hours before his metabolism burned it up, but he was crashing too hard coming off of it. Oh, the mood swings and meltdowns we were experiencing. I know it couldn't have been a good feeling for him and we certainly weren't enjoying it. My research shows it should take 3 days for this new medication to work properly. We're on day 3. I need results. (Okay....we had day 3. He had a stellar day at school. He got stickers in ALL 12 activities. Get this...he was SO good, he got FOUR GOLD STARS in a few of the activities. I wouldn't say the medication lasted a full 12 hours....but it wasn't bad. I'm so hoping this might be the one. Say a prayer, would you?)



3. We're not going home for Thanksgiving. I am 37 years old. I've NEVER spent Thanksgiving away from my family. Months ago when we decided we couldn't go, I was fine with it. Totally fine. Almost nonchalant even. In the past week I've been so emotional that I'm just about distraught. How childish of me, huh? Not going home, I think, is the straw that broke the camel's back. I have become an emotional basket case at times ...when I'm not busy....which is not too often. But, often enough for me. I can handle being hundreds of miles away pretty much all the time. Holidays have the power to cut me off at my knees. When I least expect it. (Still emotional. Still wanting to go home. Accepting that I won't. But not liking it.)



4. The Man and I will be starting counseling of our own the first of December. What for, might you ask? We are working in conjunction with Miss Rose, The Boy's therapist. As I explained to my Mama....this is a hard situation. Our son has been diagnosed with something he may have to deal with his entire life. Some people outgrow it (which I highly doubt-I think they learn how to deal) and are okay. What about the formative years? When little brains are developing and learning at the speed of light? I have become so focused on that sweet precious boy of mine that my amazing girls are suffering because of it. Do I love them less? Absolutely not!!! I want to be the best parent I possibly can. We Mama's and Daddy's aren't born knowing how to parent. We learn from example (our own parents) and mostly by trial and error. I can't afford error here. I want to be the best possible Mama I can be for these three precious gifts. If that means I go to therapy/counseling in order to better learn how? Then so be it. The Man feels the same way and God knows I love him for it.



5. I've overbooked myself. Not on purpose, but it happened. Too much to do and not enough time to do it. I had to back away today while I grieve and miss my Thursday morning class. I'm getting house stuff done. I'm regrouping and trying to figure out how I can save this program. I'm looking forward to seeing Makenna do a choir concert tonight. Pretty much the 1,000 thoughts deal where you think and think and think and not too much gets accomplished.



6. Neighbor Debbie is insistent that I learn some new skills. I admit to being a willing pupil. I am no longer afraid of the sewing machine...as long as you keep it simple. Because I adore my Internets, I am taking pictures and documenting what we're doing. I just can't share it yet because some of it is going to be Christmas presents. I'm right tickled over the progress of this project and look forward to feedback.



There you have it. A few of my random thoughts flitting around.

Okay. So my wonderful laptop got all wonky acting earlier today when I was typing this. I'm inclined to believe I got the black screen of death or something like that. I know it took me a solid two hours just to get spider solitaire back. By that time, I had things to do and get ready for. I've got some cute pictures from Makenna's choir concert tonight I can't wait to share with you!

Another page from Paige....

My girl is a smart one for sure. When she got home from HER DATE the other night, I asked if they were "seeing each other" or "dating" or whatever it's being called these days. She said that they had talked about it earlier (when exactly, I'm not sure) and she told this young man that she felt they should hang out some before making any decisions such as dating. She thought that if they were comfortable hanging out, then maybe seeing each other would be an okay deal.

She came back an hour or so later after that to let me know that Young Man had called and asked if she felt comfortable while at the movies. She agreed that it was a nice evening and I guess now they are dating.

Monday morning as she walked out the door on her way to school, I made the comment, "Have a good day with your new boyfriend." Her reply? "I'm sure I shall." And she floated out the door. Ahhh....how sweet.

I've had a few people comment on Paige's age. Yes, she's 14. If you met her and talked with her, you'd swear up and down she's at LEAST 18. Bless her heart, she's being aged before her time. Sure, that's sweet on occasion now, but wait until she's 30 and wishing she looked 20 again. Time has a way of turning on you eventually. She's a good kid. A tad mouthy at times (she got it honest). I can depend on her. Which to me, says alot. I know she'll come through for me in a pinch if need be. I'm not her friend, but I am here for her. She knows this.

I'm not going to just let her have freedoms she has no business having. I'm not crazy, Internets. I'm going to keep a close motherly eye on her. The Man is probably going to investigate any boy who comes within a ten foot radius.

Now if I could just get her to clean her room...........

Another First....

I just want you all to know that I am exercising my right as The Mama to divulge the following information. This blog was started because I hate scrap booking. I wanted something cool that my kids could look back on with fondness and love. Plus, they can pay for the printer ink to print all the pages out if they want a copy.

My girl. My teenager. My BABY....went on a date this evening. I don't think it was really planned that way, but it happened.

There's this boy (isn't there ALWAYS a boy somewhere?) in her grade that thinks she's beautiful. (He has good taste and is right gutsy to tell a girl flat out she's beautiful.) Today he called and asked if maybe she'd want to go see an early movie. She responded that she didn't have any money, so it was a no go. He informed her that he was inviting her...ergo she wouldn't need money. Oh. She came and asked if she could go to a movie. She's been to movies with friends before. No big deal. We usually do the switch off thing with other parents. You know...where one will take and the other will pick up.

This turned out differently. This boy was coming to pick her up. He and his mother. He came to the door. Met us with a clammy handshake. I asked if The Man and I needed to go do a pick up and he quickly informed me that he would be bringing Paige home.

Oh.

The Man had an inkling this was a date before I did. He asked Paige about it being a date and she said NO! it wasn't. The Man said...is he paying for your ticket? Yes, sir. Is he picking you up? Yes, sir. Then it's a date.

This boy opened the car door for my girl. In fact, he was a door opening fool according to the report when she got back home. Good raising, if you ask me.

She was back home by 7:00p.m. which was perfectly acceptable to us.

While eating a light supper, I mentioned to The Man that my baby was on a date. He asked if that made me nervous. "No," I replied, "if he tries anything, she'll snap him in half."

These kids. Where do they get off growing up so fast?

She believes us to be crazy

Paige has a formal Winter Ball coming up with her R.O.T.C. in December. She's right excited about it as she has a formal gown (Thank you, Melinda!) to wear that is just beautiful. I'm excited about fixing her hair and making sure her accessories are perfect for the evening.

The other night The Man, Paige, and I were in the kitchen chatting. We normally do this while supper is cooking. That's our perfect time to catch up and just talk about our day as the food cooks. Paige was talking about the ball and who she might invite as her date and whatnot. I told her that The Man and I would be more than happy to chaperone if need be. "NO," she exclaimed. She was right adamant about it, too. I told her my parents had chaperoned a thing or two and so had The Man's when he was growing up. No way, no how did that sister want us up at her ball. She went on to accuse us of watching her every move, eyeing her date, and all around embarrassing her.

We kept assuring her that we would act appropriately and not infringe on her space and ability to be all ninja and cool.

Still, she insisted that that last thing she wanted was for us to be there all up in her business.

When I kept trying to argue our side, she cried in exasperation, "Why would you want to be there??????"

I looked at her and in the same tone of voice replied, "So I can blog about it, of course!"

Well, that sealed it right then and there. The Man and I won't be chaperoning her Winter Ball this year.

We took a day....

First off, the kids were out of school yesterday. Add in that The Man was off of work and you got some confusion up in Miss Hope's head. It felt like Saturday all day long and now today feels like Monday and that's throwing me off because my week is busy enough like it is without having to repeat any of it. Make sense? Don't worry...it doesn't to me either.

Carla mentioned she and her family and Dulcie and her family were heading up to Saint Simon's Island for a picnic and asked if we wanted to tag along. Considering the state of the economy at The Edge, something very low cost and fun seemed like a good idea. Also, we enjoy going there this time of year. It's not so warm and there's a playground that always thrills the kids. Of course, I took the camera just in case a good photo opportunity presented itself. The food was great, the weather was perfect (but a little TOO windy at times), and the kids were just thrilled to be outside.

I will tell you this. Fresh air kicks my butt. I was so tired last night it wasn't even funny. Suffice it to say, I got my quota of vitamin D or whatever it is you get from sunlight. Heck, I probably got my fix for a week.

This is the picnic area underneath the live oak. If you take a minute? You can really be awestruck by how magnificent it is. That red dot? Is my son watching a big yellow construction machine work on the other side of the fence. Boys are all about that kind of cool stuff.

This was the view from close to our table. The ocean. It was right there. Man, I love stuff like this.

I love this. I think it's a sweet picture.

Mr. Jealous came running when he saw me taking a picture of Makenna and Dad.

Makenna snapped a quick one of me and The Man. If I'm outside? I got my shades on. Can't see a thing without them. Even cloudy days find me wearing shades.

My new favorite picture. What a beautiful old tree. I think I might frame this picture. It's the best of me right here in front of you. By the way, we did not roll up The Boy's pants legs. If they touch his shoes, he has issues. Therefore, he gives himself high waters all the time. It's a small price to pay for his peace of mind. (It bugs Paige to death!)

That concludes our day. My mission is now to find things for us to do as a family that is cost efficient and fun. There is stuff out there and I'm going to find it. My trusty camera will record the proof. Happy Wednesday! It is Wednesday, right? Crap, I gotta take The Boy to see Miss Rose today. Does it ever end???

A Thought

Yesterday, The Man and I were doing some work in Paige's bathroom. I think the plumbing is old and in dire need of help. Instead of calling for maintenance, I felt we could handle the situation on our own. That's the civilian in me, I believe.

There were issues with her bathtub draining and we have fought this thing quite a bit. I had a light bulb moment where I gave The Man the food for thought that made him able to figure out how to fix it. It was a lovely "AHA" moment.

As he started to fix the problem, I sighed a real big happy sigh and said:

"What it must be like to be you.....married to me."

Update or two and a mystery solved

I don't believe anything ever came of the yahoos who threatened violence at the high school the day after the election. If I had found out it was my kids? I would have reamed them a new one. There's stupid and there's stupid, ya know?

We're still tweaking and experimenting on trying to find the right dosage of medication for The Boy. He started at 5 mg and is now at 15 mg. I'm telling you, this kid is like a bull elephant with 30 people surrounding him with tranquilizer dart guns. He just can't be taken down. I believe his metabolism is just so freaking high, he metabolizes that stuff right on out of his system by lunchtime. He saw Dr. M. on Wednesday. Dr. M. stresses that he doesn't want The Boy to be a wooden soldier. I literally laughed and said that definitely wouldn't happen. If we find the 15 mg dosage isn't the right amount, then the good ol' doc is going to switch to another medication. Argh. He eats well on this medication and it doesn't affect his personality...except after he comes down off of it. Suffice it to say he had a meltdown of massive proportions at our local Walmart when we stopped in to get his new meds filled. To the point where in order to get him out of the store, I had to walk backwards while dragging him by the hands. Not good stuff, Internets. I got punched, kicked, screamed at...you name it. This old lady came up to me as if to say something and I held up one hand whilst wrestling him with the other and said, "I know how he's acting and if I knew no one would call the cops, I'd cut his ass right now." Yes, I said that. I was beyond redemption at that particular moment. (Sorry, family members...it was just that bad) He did, indeed, get his butt cut when I got him the truck. When we got home and Dad found out he had punched me? He got his ENTIRE butt cut then. His Dad made sure he understood that under no circumstances was he to EVER punch his Mama. EVER. Yeah, I was pretty teary the whole time. God, this is hard. It's hard loving this little stinker so much and knowing the road he's on is a long one. I don't want it to be hard for him. Let ME take the hard and leave him be. We shall persevere, though, until we get him where he needs to be. *For those of you who don't believe in spanking? Okay. That's you. This is me. This is how we roll. You do something of this magnitude? You are gonna get.your.butt.cut.*

And to all of you local who read this and maybe saw the crazy lady dragging the kid out of the store? It totally wasn't me.

There's a mystery solved, my friends! Remember when Neighbor Debbie and I found the strange fruit? I had really given up on figuring out what this rancid tasting thing was. The other night, I received an IM on Yah*o (scdreamin30, btw) from Mandi with a link. What on earth, I thought. I clicked on it to find THIS. How about that? The mystery fruit would happen to be persimmons. And we were picking them way too soon.

That meant I had to send Paige on an errand. She does a good bit of evening walks with Neighbor Debbie's daughter, Neighbor Britt. Tonight, she brought me back the fruit of Britt's labor (she had to climb the tree to get to the top where all that was left of the fruit was). ha ha..good one, huh? I agree with Mandi completely. We have ourselves a persimmon tree.

Have I tasted it yet? I haven't quite gotten up the nerve. We're probably going to bust out this evening and see what it's all about. I'll be sure to let you know.

Picture time! Here is the proof of a lot of tree shaking:

Can't wait to hear feedback if you've tasted one of these!

So whaddya do?

The Man and I had to make a decision this morning we shouldn't have.

We have decided to keep Paige home from high school today.

Why, you ask?

Because it was stated yesterday that if Obama won, then certain individuals would be showing up at school today with guns blazing to take out those who supported him.

I was in shock when I heard this. Seriously?

I know this is a huge high school with many different cultures walking the halls, but seriously?

When Neighbor Greg called the school early this morning to address this, he received a call back saying that they had "heard of these rumors but didn't have names so they couldn't pursue it and they really didn't know what the fuss was over something so trivial".

Trivial, huh?

Both Paige and Britt want to go and see what goes down, they just don't want to be shot. Can't say I blame them. Kids are an emotional bunch and I'm sure if no guns are involved? There'll be issues to settle as the day progresses.

All I know? When I write this excuse tomorrow? It better not be rejected.

I am appalled that this has happened and we had to make this choice.

My Issues

I am having some serious issues trying to compose a post here.

I am so nervous about this election, I can't hardly stand it. So much is at stake.

I will be following it all until the end and the results are final.

Hopefully, regular programming will then resume here at The Edge.

I'm pretty sure my husband's blog will kick into high gear then. Unless I can find him some good nerve pills.

The Big Picture Post

Edited on November 26, 2008. Why? Because the original title of the post was The Big Butt Picture Post and I was getting hits from all over the world. Methinks there's a bunch of perverts out there looking for things they shouldn't be.





Lots of pictures taken recently. I'll just jump right on in and start with captions to let you know what was going on. Sound good? Yeah, it does to me, too.

My son was supposed to be in bed. Instead, he was in the hallway messing around. He decided to put his feet in the lid of the laundry hamper, then freaked when he couldn't get them out. Smooth move, Son. We were able to save the hamper lid with little trauma.

Last Sunday evening, we enjoy the festival at the church we've been attending. Face painting, hay rides, food, games, and balloon swords made for a fun evening!

The mini-pumpkins we decorated Crafts and Conversation Thursday before last. I love how everyone does something different and they are all so cool! Add in some spider suckers and call it a good time! The pumpkin on the plate wasn't dry yet. It was a lady bug!

The Boy and Neighbor Debbie's daughter last night. When I asked for permission to post her kids' pictures on my blog, she informed me it was perfectly okay and I could even give directions on where to pick them up if I wanted to. I love this because these two are literally growing up together. They fight like brother and sister and two minutes later play beautifully together.

The crew who Trick or Treats together scores the most candy. The menfolk were kind enough to walk with them while Neighbor Debbie and I held the home front down and dished goodies.

Speaking of.......told you I had a costume! I wore my Great Pumpkin outfit during the day and slipped a little head piece on for evening. Neighbor Debbie had her own head piece and we were set.

I'm doing the close up so you can see the straw coming out of hers. I found out later I had mine on backwards!!!! Oh well, it was still rockin'.

Thanks to Miss Carla and her amazing powers to find anything on the Internet, my baby got the costume of his dreams. The Green Power Ranger! (you HAVE to say that with feeling). He had a helmet/mask deal, but it didn't make it. He'd wear it a minute, then take it off. I think he was kind of hating it on his face. It's all good. I'm sure this outfit will become the norm around The Edge.

Speaking of Internet. While searching for craft ideas, Neighbor Debbie came across The Puking Pumpkin. Thus, her determination to make one of her very own. It turned out fabulous. Many folks would have to get a closer look while escorting kids and then laugh and proclaim they would be making their own.

Last we have the warning: P.E. can be dangerous! Yesterday, Makenna was pushed (or fell..still unclear) at P.E. The nurse called and said her arm seemed fine and she was going to wrap it up and send her back to class. We're kind of used to calls from the nurse because my child finds in necessary to share all ills and woes. This morning, she was still complaining, so The Man packed her up and took her for an x-ray. It's not broken, just badly bruised. The local E.R. put a half cast thing and sling on...much to her pleasure and surprise! Home she came, bandaged and ailing. I looked at The Man and said...."Just what the Diva needs...more Diva accessories."

This concludes The Big Butt Picture Post. I'll try not to let them get away from me again. Have a wonderful weekend and can you believe it's NOVEMBER already? What's up with that?