From Inmates to Playdates

Posts Tagged ‘inlaws’

I have no idea when or where I was when I decided that I “needed” an iPhone.

I just know that the thought was in my head a long time before I ever whined about mentioned it to anyone.  And once something gets into my head people, well, lets just say, it’s not usually pretty. I start by dropping subtle hints to McDaddy and when that doesn’t work, I kick it into high hear mentioning that our church prayer chain could benefit from my access to the internet at all times, even when I’m wandering aimlessly around Wal-Mart or sitting in the pick-up line at the school. Not to mention its usefulness to me and this bloggy empire I’m building because the iPhone would allow me to link up to a blog carnival whether I’m at home or out and about spreading my fabulosity throughout the city and because I can get your comments immediately!

Heck, iCould blog from the iPhone!

Oh, and if I’m being honest the iPhone commercial about the CheckPlease app appealed to me because it would mean that I would never ever as long as we both shall live would have to struggle to figure up 15% of my restaurant bill to leave a tip.

Sometimes, the pressure of that is more than I can take because me and the math are not good friends. If the percentage I am trying to figure has nothing to do with a great sale on some new shoes, you can pretty much forget about it.

If I had only known how much easier math life would be with an iPhone in it, I would have stepped up my iPhone campaign months ago. The last time I checked (with my trusty friend Google from my beloved iPhone, of course) there were over 50,000 apps although I suspect that number increases everyday as people with too much time on their hands from all around the world write (design?) apps for anything you can think of. I’m waiting for an app to wipe my hind-end, but a quick trip to the app store in search of that very thing surprisingly does not exist.

Of the thousands of apps available, I currently have 65 which seems a bit excessive until my brother-in-law who has had his iPhone all of four days informed me he has well over two hundred.

Sucker.

It’s so easy to get sucked into this thing.

Moderation is important.

But sometimes when you are dealing with the best gadget of your time (sorry TiVo!) you want to learn all there is to learn about the new love in your life.

A few days ago I hopped up on my bed to put my make-up on as I do every morning. (I know, I know, I should be in front of a well-lit mirror so that I can see the best angle of my cheek bones, blah, blah, blah!) anyway, as I was saying, I was on my bed getting ready to apply a long list of pure, safe and beneficial product that I purchased from my sister-in-law the Arbonne consultant when I clicked the KLOVE app. Only the KLOVE app wouldn’t play.

Nor would Pandora.

As I slid my fingers across the screens, I was desperate for the phone to make a noise. I worried that the audio output (it almost sounds as if I know what I’m talking about!) was done. I worried that I had dropped it one too many times and I worried that my sweet Alex had hit something the day before that caused the silence I was hearing. The phone wouldn’t even make the little click that it makes when you ‘unlock’ the screen.

I just knew my beloved iPhone had suffered some sort of chronic problem.

I headed to the AT&T store and was surprised to find out that I only needed to turn it off and back on to “reboot” the sound problem. I was so relieved that my precious was okay, I bought one of these… (on the left!)

It is an otterbox and I had no idea what an otterbox was until I pled my case at the AT&T store and complained about the danger of a fatal drop on concrete.  It makes the phone a little bulkier, but I feel at ease now because the thing is like a super-duper shock absorber.

The iPhone and its Otterbox works for me!

And, if you happen to be looking for a great Christmas gift to give, the iPhone would be a fabulous gift for anyone especially those needing help with their math.

Check out We Are THAT Family for more things that work for people.

This might take a while, so bear with me.

Meet mine and McDaddy’s 13 nieces and nephews in order of their birth. (Don’t hold me to it because it gets very tricky especially when you think about 12 babies on McDaddy’s side who are all under the age of seven.

1. Louie Dylan – Dylan is my brother’s son. He was born just after I graduated high school and guess what? He is a junior in high school now. He is 17 years old and is taller than I am. His first love is basketball, with football coming in a close second. I was his babysitter when he was an infant, and he lived with us for a short time last year. He is a good kid and loves to wrestle with Stevie and Alex.

2. Clay Evan- My brother’s other son. Evan was born on Cinco de Mayo in 1995 which makes him 14 years old if my math is correctly (which most likely it isn’t! because hello? I suck at math!) He is in Middle School and is almost as tall as I am (unless he has passed me up in the past two months, which, might I add is entierly possible!) He loves to play his DS and is rarely seen without it in close proximity. He runs track and also sings in the Chorus. (He could also use a quick trip to the Dentist!)

Now, that’s all for my side of the family. McDaddy’s side is a very, busy, fertile bunch.

3. Kamme Annaliese- Kamme is the first grandchild on McDaddy’s side. I was thrilled to findout she was a girl. I was also thrilled that I got pregnant with Stevie about six months after Kamme’smom, because that meant that Stevie would have a cousin close in age on that side of the family. Little did I know…. Kammeis a bright child with freckles on her face and a huge vocabulary. She is home-schooled (2nd grade) and she loves to read. She is also very creative and loves horses.

4. Kalli Annette- Kalli is Kamme’s little sister and was born a short time after Stevie. She has a raspy voice and the sweetest giggle you will ever hear. Her nick-name is Kallibopper and for somehow the name stuck. She is also home-schooled (Kindergarten) and loves to play on the computer. She loves princess stuff.

5. Mallory Renee- While I’d love to tell you that Mallory was named after me (Julie Renea), she is not. Her mother, McDaddy’s sister, also has the middle name Renee and so I’m sure her mama was not thinking of me when she named her. I do however, tease her mama that she loves the mall so much that it only made sense to name her MALLory. Mallory is in Kindergarten and loves princesses too! She is a sweet little girl who loves her blanket andloves to be outside withher daddy looking for bugs or snakes or whatever else little girls want to findwhen they are outside with their daddies. She is also a pretty remarkable hula-hooper. (I love made-up words!)

6. Brooke Elizabeth- Brooke is a brown-haired, brown-eyed little girl who could be Stevie’s twin. Her daddy is McDaddy’syoungest brother. She enjoys playing dress-up with her little sister. She is four years old and is a great big-sister.

7. Madeline Day – Madeline is Brooke’s little sister and she has really cute curls all over her head. She likes princesses and dressing up like princesses too. She also enjoys playing with little sister, Brooke. Madeline was born just before Alex.

8. Zachary Michael- Zachary is a lot like my sweet, Alex. He has no fear and loves to run and jump. He also loves The Yankees! He enjoys watching Tom & Jerry and loves, loves, loves, Ka-Chow (Lightning McQueen) and Mator. He has a sweet smile, is loads of fun and is ALL BOY

9. Isaac Cade- Isaac loves to play withcars. He also likes to slide down the slicky slide and doesn’t like loud noises. He is a cutie-patootie with a sweet little haircut and big brown eyes.

10. Noah David- Noah loves any andevery kind of ball. He loves to throw balls andcatch balls. He is a picky eater withbeautiful blue eyes. He also loves to be outside!

11. Kirklen William- Kirklen has a hair full of pretty red curls. He makes the cutest elephant and monkey sounds I’ve heard in a long time. He is always on the move and loves to run and jump.

12. Annabelle Grace – Baby Annabelle is the baby of the group for now! She was born on July 4th which I guess makes her a fire-cracker! At five-months old, she requires her holder to stand up at all times which is not a big deal because who doesn’t love holding a baby girl? She has big, blue eyes and loves to play with the new computer she got for Christmas on Saturday. She will be the baby of the group for a few more weeks.

13. Lydia Kate – Lydia Kate is currently in her mama’s tummy. She will be the little sister to Brooke, Madeline, and Isaac. She is due at the end of December and I can’t wait to meet her!

While this should really be the end of Thursday Thirteen, it is not! I’m throwing caution to the wind today and making this Thursday Fourteen! *Gasp*

14. Currently, three of my sisters-in-law are pregnant. Obviously Lydia Kate is the first. McDaddy’s sister is pregnant (this will be her third daughter and her fourth child) and McDaddy’sbrother’s wife is pregnant withtheir second baby and their first daughter. That means that all three babies will be girls! McDaddy’ssister names all of her children with unique “K” names (Kamme, Kalli, Kirklen) so if you have any suggestions, I’m sure they’d love to hear them. McDaddy’s other brother’s wife is also pregnant. As yet, their baby is also unnamed, so again, any suggestions would be great!

Now, get to commentin! We need some baby girl names!

It is 10:25pm on Monday night. I am sitting up in my bed instead of my big, blue, bloggy chair because there are three people sleeping in my living room.

All told, there are eight extra people sleeping in our home, and surprisingly, we found enough pillows for every person to have one. Except for baby Annabelle, who by the way is a living doll. She is McDaddy’s niece and we just met her for the first time this week. She is a few days shy of her fifth-month birthday and therefore she does not need a pillow.

See, I told you she was a cutie!

You may recall, that Stevie, Alex and I spent two weeks in New Hampshire over the summer. We were hoping to be there for Annabelle’s birth. We left NH on Thursday, and she made her debut into the world two days later on Saturday, July 4th. I have enjoyed holding her and smelling her this week. Oh sweet mercy, babies smell delightful!

Anyway, where was I before I got off on the baby smell tangent? Oh, things I learned, yes, that’s right.

Here’s a list of things I learned this week in simple list format because its late and I’m tired.

1. I learned that it is best to have a plan of attack on black Friday. A plan that involves two people with at least one of them willing to stand in line-after-line while the other frantically searches the store for those things that have been circled with a blue Sharpie Marker in the sales ad. It is also good to take a fair amount of patience with you, along with a cell phone with a freshly charged battery.

2. It is also a good idea to choose the sales ad that represents the bulk of your black Friday wish list and start! there! first! Otherwise, you might be left with nothing at the end of the day.

3. Wal-Mart at 8am on black Friday was a bust.

4. If you need to prepare a quick dinner for 30 people, hotdogs with the fixins is the perfect choice.

5. It is tough to write a Things I Learned This Week post if you have not been diligent with keeping TILTW notes in your beloved iPhone.

6. JC Penney has a huge assortment of lip gloss for young girls. And by huge assortment I mean dozens of lip glosses in all kinds of flavors and scents. I’ve never seen so many lipglosses in all my days. Keebler even has a set. It includes Vienna fingers, EL Fudge, Pecan Sandies, fudge stripes, and soft batch. It made me want to pop open a box and see what all the hype was about. I suspect I’d be eating tubes of lipgloss in the wee hours of the morning if I would have bought a pack of those. Wonder what the calorie content in lip gloss is, anyway?

7. When your child has a birthday on December 12th, it can sneak up on you if you do not plan a month ahead. Ahem!

8. I don’t normally keep a close eye on followers, but I checked today and was pleasantly surprised to see that 88 of y’all are following me. I had only three “followers” for about three months after I started this blogging gig. Its hard to believe that in the big, wide, world there are at least 88 of you who keep coming back for a daily dose of crazy.

Who knew?

9. There are still approximately 8-10 people each day searching for “wet t-shirt contest” over at Google who end up at my place.

10. For some reason, I like a nice, round list.

And that, as they say, is that!

Head over to Musings Of A Housewife (who might I add is all decked out in Christmas cheer) to see more What I Learned This Week posts.

Happy Monday, y’all!

We’re packed to capacity here at the McResidence as McDaddy’s brother-in-law, and three of his family members are staying with us this week for huntin’ season. (And yes, around here we say huntin’!) If you’ve spent any time at From Inmates To Playdates, you know that we are in the midst of remodeling our basement. That means that half of our basement is in disarray (I love that word!) and the other half is in semi-disarray. The good news is that our house-guests are four men, and they are here to hunt. They couldn’t care less what the accommodations as long as they have a warm bed and a toilet. So, my OCD levels are not as frigged up as they would be if those four fellas were girlfriends. Still yet, I have been swarping this week to get the basement in some sort of order.

We also had Thanksgiving and Christmas with McDaddy’s family this weekend. However, we did not party like rock-stars or eat like pigs. We did, however, enjoy being all together as we watched our twelve children play together. In fact, my favorite mother-in-law is here, along with McDaddy’s sister and her three kids and Tom & Jerry is blaring in the background as we wait for their arrival after a long, fourteen hour drive. Life is good!

And praise God it seriously wasn’t me riding the fourteen hours to get here!

It was not me who whined and begged [unsuccessfully!] for McDaddy to get the Christmas decorations out of the loft on Thanksgiving day because I do not whine.

Or beg for that matter.

It also wasn’t me who argued with the folks at Walgreens because they had M&Ms on a sale display table that they weren’t willing to give me the sale price for.

If you are a big-wig at The Walgreens and you happen to be reading From Inmates To Playdates today,  please understand that all M&Ms on an M&M display with a 2 for $3.00  price-tag should be included in the sale regardless of whether they are holiday M&Ms or regular M&Ms. 

Just sayin’

Also, it wasn’t me who scoured Toys-R-Us on black Friday for an hour looking for a second set of Incredible Hulk smash hands. It wasn’t me because surely I  the crazy OCD non-violence mama would never buy one set of these, much less two for my sweet boys who never hit or smack each other.

Dang!

Oh, and it wasn’t me who ate her weight in some kind of scrumptious banana pudding concoction that my sister-in-law, Bridget prepared for our family dinner.  Sweet mercy, I need to get that recipe. Maybe I’ll share it sometime.

And finally, it wasn’t me who found herself a bit emotional this week when we sold our beloved 4-Runner. Because seriously? Who cares about a car, right?

Good bye, 4-Runner. WeI will miss you around here! I knew once McDaddy got the itch for a truck, it would be you that got the boot instead of the heap, ahem, I mean JEEP.

I hope you love your new home! Since you are living just a few short miles from us, maybe our paths will cross someday.

That’s all I got for this week, folks!

Head on over to MckMama’s place for hundreds of Not Me! Monday posts.

What better day to tell you thirteen things I’m thankful for than today on this Thanksgiving holiday.

I love Thanksgiving. I have fond memories of waking up very early on Thanksgiving morning to the smell of turkey and pumpkin pie baking in the oven. And, no Thanksgiving is complete without the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  So, yes, I will watch it even today. I will watch it while I dig through the pile of advertising debris as I plot my course for the black Friday shopping extraganza. Yes, I am one of thosepeople. I will rise at O Dark Thirty to hit Kohls, Target, Wal-Mart and probably Sears in search of bargains that likes of which we only see once a year. I’ll be lucky to come away with my sanity. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the hubbub. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Now, back to thirteen things I am thankful for, in no particular order. When I say no particular order, I mean just that. It is more a matter of how they popped into my head as opposed to order of importance.

1. My three fellas – This one is a given, but certainly worth mentioning right off the bat. These fellers are the light of my life. (And yes, we do say fellers around here!)

2. Our Home – With so many people losing their homes these days, I sure am thankful for our home and the joy that fills it.

3.  SLEEP – Sweet mercy, this probably sounds silly, but believe me when I say that I am certainly thankful for sleep. The boys rarely crawl into bed with us anymore and it is glorious to wake up at 6:40am when the alarm clock goes off instead of 3:40am when someone needs to be fed or changed. [Not sure why this picture is so small or how it will look once its posted!]

4. The Blog – The fact that The Blog made the short list of things I’m thankful for will probably leave some of you shaking your head. The fact is that I really enjoy blogging and people love me here. So, its a great place to come and blow off steam or just say hi!  I have also met a lot of people who I consider to be URL Friends (the opposite of IRL – In real life friends). [Hey, remember that princess?]

5. The United States of America –  I have to say that deployment, coupled with our trip to Guantanamo Bay left a lasting impression on me. I will NEVER EVER AS LONG AS I LIVE look at the American flag without thinking about the honor, sacrifice, and courage of the thousands of soldiers stationed all over the world.

6.  My Parental Units – I am thankful that I have my parents and that they live close-by. I had a great childhood with two loving parents.

7.  The In-Law Siblings - When I married McDaddy I gained a truck-load of in-laws because he is the oldest of five children. His two sisters and two brothers (and their spouses) are also our friends. I am thankful most especially for four great sisters-in-law!

8. Deployment Is Over – I am so, so, thankful that we are done with deployment. This time last year we were preparing for deployment. We filled out a will, a power of attorney, and all the other stuff that comes with your husband being out of the country for six-months. I am THANKFUL to have him back at home!

9 . My In-Laws- I LOVE my in-laws. They are living in Florida where my FIL is serving on active duty and I miss them terribly. And I’m not just saying that because my sweet MIL, Jean  reads From Inmates To Playdates daily. She is one of my biggest bloggy fans and frequently makes references to my book. The book that she wants me to write. Someday. If the opportunity were to present itself. Not at all sure what I’d write about. I’m guessing it would be filled with crazy, crazy, and well, more crazy. [Keep in mind that it was a hot August day when McDaddy returned home. My hair kept its flip for all of three minutes in the humidity.]

10.  Our Church – The Lord sent us to our sweet, little church about two months before we were married. We have been worshipping there ever since. Most of our friends are from our church. I have no doubt that I could call any of them at any hour of the day and they would drop what they were doing to come to our rescue. I am thankful for the love I feel when I enter the church doors. I look forward to going to church for each service.

11. My new job- Okay, so its not a new job. Its a job that I’ve been privileged to hold since 2003. While there are days that I miss the craziness that happened in jail, I am so appreciative that I’m the one who is there everyday with my boys. When they are sick it’s me who holds them, when they want to make lego chapels, it’s me who gets to help them design it, when they want to play outside on the swingset, its me who gets to sit and listen to them make big plans about pretend repairs and super jumps off of the swings. I am thankful for the chance to be home with them every day.

12. My twin brothers – While I am not as close to my twin-brothers as I would like to be, I am so thankful they are my brothers.

13. A tie between my TiVo and my iPhone – I know this probably sounds silly! These two little gadgets make my life easier and happier. They save me time and just make my world a better place.

That’s all.

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!

I thought I’d shake things up a bit.

For this week’s Thursday Thirteen, I’m going to find 13 entertaining pictures in my photobucket files and share them with you. I’d like to post all the pictures without commentary, but if you know me IRL (as opposed to URL)  you know that I don’t do anything without commentary.

So, I’ll be as brief as possible. This should be fun!

1. This was taken at an Air Force Base in Florida (McDaddy would remember which one and probably what we drove that day). It was the sight of Alex’s much needed first haircut.

2.  Stevie and Alex doing one of the things they love to do!

3. My last day in jail. The bars clanged for the last time. I’m sure South Central Regional Jail hasn’t been the same since. The fabulosity has left the building. (And you thought that whole ‘inmates’ thing was just a catchy title!)

4.  My very own McDaddyDreamy. Just before Stevie’s birth in 2002.

5. For those of you who miss this gal. This was the original “From Inmates To Playdates” Princess. She’s all grown up now!

6. This next one is a bit quirky. I’m a quirky gal who worked with inmates, so… the fact that I visited the OJ crime scene while visiting family in California just weeks after this horrendous crime should not surprise you. This was the front gate to Nicole Brown Simpson’s place in Brentwood, California.

7. My favorite ride showing off in Chili Pepper Red. The sexy, sleek Saturn Sky.

8. My sweet Stevie – Halloween, 2007 (I think!)

9. This picture was taken before I underwent (is that a word?) Lasik surgery.

Either this computer or photobucket is running v-e-r-y-s-l-o-w…. this is very frustrating! I just logged out of Internet Explorer and clicked on Mozilla Firefox. I’ll see if that helps.

10. This is a picture of some of my favorite people. Meet the McInlaws. McDaddy, me, his siblings and their spouses. The 2 girls beside of me are his sisters and the two fellas on the far right are his brothers. This family makes me happy!

11. I think this next picture is precious! Stevie was the ring bearer in McDaddy’s brother’s wedding. He was a cutie!

12. My sweet boys!

13. And last but not least. Here’s me and McDaddy circa 1993 in Hawaii. Please go easy on the bangs and the glasses.

That’s a wrap.

A very slow wrap, but a wrap none-the-less.

Thanks for stopping by Inmates!

What would you do if you knew you would not fail?
 
Recently I heard this quote and it has taken root in my brain. I have thought a lot about roads in my life that I turned off of, afraid that I would never see the end of the street. If I knew I wouldn’t fail though, I would still be trudging down some of them, my hopes high and my worries light.
 
Life is not like this though and so I’ve been thinking about various incidents  in my life, how they have changed me and how changing my behavior would have changed my life.
 
A couple of years ago, McDaddy received an early Christmas present. The McInLaws and I went together to purchase a TomTom GPS System. For those of you living under a rock wondering what a TomTom is… it is the smart choice in personal navigation. In other words, this system when plugged into a vehicle can navigate you to any destination in the US, England or Canada. On a recent trip, this new loyal friend guided us from our drive-way right to the door of our destination. She was a little peeved when we missed a turn, and then again when we turned into a scrapbook store parking lot to kill time because we arrived a little early. It didn’t know our plans had changed and she became increasingly agitated.

She needs to take a chill pill.
 
I thought about this little system, and its benefits to me if I could hook the thing up to my brain. It would give me a swift kick in the tail when I was about to turn onto a wrong road. Not that I have a miserable life, but because I can use all the help I can get. For instance, if I had a TomTom, I would not open my mouth to say the wrong thing because my loyal friend would be there to tell me I was about to make a wrong turn. He would save me the guilt I would feel afterward and save the poor soul I offended the reason to be offended. 

Seriously, I’m working on it.
 
I can think of at least two people right off the top of my head that could have benefitted from TomToms services in the past month. These two people have made decisions that have significantly changed the way people viewed them and its my belief a little navigation on their part could have avoided the crash courses they caused.
 
Oh….. and when I didn’t comlete my Graduate School thesis, TomTom would have been there to guide me along the road to see that I finished that silly thing so I wouldn’t have failure looming over my head. I would also know that the quote, “What would you do if you knew you would not fail” had a lot more meaning to me than I would  like to admit. You see, I have failed. My thesis is nothing more than words on my computer hard drive now. I have no intention of finishing and quite frankly, I am sometimes sorry that I even started grad school, because now I have to admit that I have unfinished business. I have no desire to finish now…but, the end result is still the same no matter what my intentions are at this point. I could list all the reasons why I didn’t finish the thesis – entitled “Gun Use in West Virginia Domestic Violence Cases,” but seriously, who even cares about that anyway. I wanted to write a thesis on something cool like murder or meyhem, but, the chair of my thesis committee had other ideas.

I have other ideas about him now too, but, that’s a whole ’nother blog.
 
If TomTom would have been on the job back then, he would have told me to back myself up, pick my own thesis topic and drive quickly to the end of the trail to get it finished. My grad school days did produce a group of great friends and provided me with lots of knowledge about Criminology, Statistics, Criminal law, Grant Writing and Counseling. If nothing else, I sure learned how to be a criminal during my academic pursuit at Marshall University Graduate School. The really sad part is that I was at the end of the road ready to pull into Masters Avenue and my thesis was not and is not as of this date finished. TomTom sure could have aided me in making a different turn to make those two years really mean something. Its all water under the bridge now and TomTom has rerouted me. Its not always easy to forget though and I’ve not forgotten it, even after eleven years. I have other interests in life now and couldn’t say with 100% clarity that I would finish it if I had the chance to go back. Instead of focusing on that, I will spend the next howevermany years routing myself down roads that will have significance in my life – raising my boys, nurturing my marriage and maybe even going back to work when my sweet angels are both in school. 

I am proud of what I have achieved and would like to think that I’ve learned something from the navigation system of my life. I’ve learned that its not always about the destination. There are so many wonderful things to see on the route, if your too involved in the destination you may miss out on the chance to make friends, change your course or learn something. I’ve learned this the hard way.  Winston Churchill once said, Failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts…. I will continue to focus on the road ahead of me and not look back down that long road I turned off of eleven years ago.
 
When you find yourself on the WRONG road, take advice from your internal  TomTom – at the next intersection make a RIGHT turn.

It’s late and I’m tired.

I thought about doing a Thursday Twelve and listing all of our nieces and nephews, however, I don’t have parental consent for all of them and I’d really like to add pictures.

[Note: If you happen to be the parent of one of the twelve children I am referring to, please let me know your thoughts before next Thursday. Mkay, thanks!]

But for this week, we’ll talk about my TiVo.

Have I mentioned that I triple big puffy red heart my TiVo.

I’ve got one thing to say about the TiVo.

Best. Invention. Of. My. Time.

Seriously.

But, you should keep in mind that this list is only a sampling of what is there. I could probably fill up a Thursday Three-Hundred-and-Twelve if need be.

1. The View.

I know, I know. You’re thinking I’m a weirdo. And, yes, I probably am. But, I love the View. Today, Chris Rock is on today talking about weaves and I am watching the gadget guy introduce the first self-cleaning, washable, flushable litter box which you can buy at Catgenie.com for $329. Where else can you find out about David Letterman’s indesretions, a weave, a Samsung camera and Patrick Swayze all in one big place. Oh, but I miss Elisabeth Hasselbeck and hope she returns soon!

2. America’s Got Talent

Obviously I’m a little behind on my DVR viewing. I have no idea when America’s Got Talent finished, but, the two episodes on my DVR are from September. So, who knows if I’ll get to them before McDaddy introduces them to the delete button.

3. The Young And The Restless

I’ve been a part of the Y&R family for over 20 years. I did get behind on the daily drama when McDaddy was deployed, but I’ve since got back into the Y&R groove. I decided to start watching again even though the writers killed off Brad. I miss you, Don Diamont. And, y’all I know that he is now on the Bold and the Beautiful now and I used to watch the Bold and the Beautiful every.single.day, but I’m trying to cut back, so I haven’t started B&B back up yet.

4. Tom & Jerry

Sometime last year, Stevie was at my granny’s house and watched a show that he wondered “if I had ever heard of about a cat and a mouse called Tom and Jerry.”  Then, last Christmas, we got StevieSanta brought a Tom & Jerry DVD for his Christmas stocking. Ever since then, our boys have been a fan of that silly cat and mouse duo. They giggle themselves silly everytime they watch it.

5. Monster Jam

Two boys = Lots of monster trucks. Stevie’s favorite is El Toro Loco and Alex’s favorite changes daily. They love to ‘play in the dirt’ with their monster trucks.

6. Survivor: Samoa

When Survivor first premiered, McDaddy’s sister and her husband would come over every Thursday evening for dinner so we could watch Survivor and Friends. Then, we’d talk and talk and talk like we hadn’t seen eachother for months. That was back in the day before either of us had kids and back when actually got paid for working a full-time-job. I still watch Survivor, but the novelty has either worn off or been replaced by American Idol and Dancing With The Stars. Oh, and just for the record, between my whine and my whine, I wouldn’t last 40 minutes on Survivor, much less 40 days.

7. I Want A Dog For Christmas Charlie Brown

Don’t ask me why this is still on our TiVo. Our boys watched it about 4, 732 times between December and March. In fact, It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown had already made its holiday debut when my boys were still waiting for Charlie Brown to get that dumb dog. For some reason, it is still there.

8. Dancing With The Stars

It’s rare that I would ever be behind on my DWTS viewing. This week is no different. The episode that I have saved on the DVR happens to be the Tribute to Patrick Swayze. I’ve watched the group dance several times and I might watch it several more before deleting it. I actually cried the first time I watched it.

9. Bones

Bones is McDaddy’s baby. He got hooked on Bones while he was deployed at Guantanamo Bay and has been watching it ever since he returned home. We now watch it together. It’s a crime show which I usually enjoy, but sometimes it grosses me out.

10. Auto B. Good

Auto B Good is a cute cartoon that features cars. The Auto B Good website says this about the show…. 

In every child’s imagination, the inanimate come to life. What if it was possible for those creations to become a reality and teach important life lessons? There is such a place, the little City of Auto, just off of County Road “B” in the State of Good. Our boys like this show and we like them watching it.

11. Xtreme 4X4

Sheesh. McDaddy and Stevie love to watch this show together. Here’s what the show’s web-site says about tonight’s episode… Jeep Scrambler gets its tub, drivetrain, beadlocks and more all in a 2 car garage with simple tools. We’ll install a doubler kit for more gearing options, diy beadlocks, then keeping with our budget theme, we’ll head to a local custom shop where the cage will be professionally welded cheaper than having to buy an expensive 220 volt machine.

Blah. Blah. and more Blah.

12. Sherri

Sherri Shepherd has a new sitcom based on her life. It is on Lifetime and it is really cute. I watched the pilot earlier this week and I liked it. Malcolm Jamal Warner plays her hubby. If you’re older than dirtabout my age you probably remember him from the Cosby Show. Okay, in a search for a picture of Theo Huxtable, I just discovered Warner was born on 1970 which happens to be just a few short years ahead of me. Maybe the whole ‘older than dirt’ thing was a little much.

13. Thomas And Friends

As time passes, our boys watch Thomas less and less which is fine with me because the narrator’s voice drives me on a slow train to insane. They still play with the 437 trains they have with the train track set, but thankfully, the days of Thomas on our DVR are just about over.

Wow.

I guess you can tell a lot about a girl by taking a quick peek at her TiVo.

And speaking of TiVo, it could probably use a break.

That’s a wrap. Night y’all.

Welcome to another week here at “From Inmates To Playdates!”

I had a great weekend filled with friends, family and fellowship.

While at the airport waiting for my aunt to arrive from California, I did notfind myself wiping tears from my eyes as I watched four soldiers from the US Army reunite with their families. It reminded me of my own reunion with McDaddy when he returned from deployment in August. But, you know me, I’m never emotional….

I did not fight tears as I watched the movie Fireproof for the second time on Saturday with a room full of couples from our church, especially when the song ‘While I’m Waiting’ by John Waller played because I. am. not. a. crybaby.

It was not me who had a disturbing conversation with the “copier guy” on Friday night. And, I definitely did not HANG UP on him because I would never conduct myself in that manner.

It also wasn’t mewho wiped tears as me and McDaddy watched the DVD of our wedding on Sunday afternoon because I never cryat weddings. And watching that video definitely didn’t make me wish I could get married again! (to McDaddy again, of course!)

Oh, and you should know that I would NEVER arrive at a birthday party 30 minutes late, because anyone who knows me KNOWS that I have no patience for people being late. Seriously. It is one of my biggest peeves.

And finally it’s not mewho is dreading this week because McDaddy is going out of town, again. Because seriously, me and my craziness get along just fine without him.

Nope. Not me. None of it.

Regardless of what you do or don’t do, I hope you have a great week! My awesome brother-in-law, Dave won a 1/2 marathon over the weekend. You can read his interview over here. Congrats, Dave! We are so proud of you!

For more ‘Not Me! Mond’ posts, visit MckMama’s place.

After your helpful comments and suggestions, I now have Thursday Thirteen posts planned out for the next eight weeks.

It’s not always easy coming up with thirteen of something.

This week, I thought it would be fun to show you thirteen things that hang around in the McResidence. Complete with special names!

Not real creative, but I think you’ll enjoy them anyway. I’ll apologize ahead of time for the poor lighting of some of them. I’m not so great at taking pictures of pictures.

Anyway.

Here we go….

1.WILD AND CRAZY –  Look at these crazy kids… This first picture hangs above our bed. It is 25×25. It was the picture we included in our Christmas Card back in 1999.

2. Best Smile Overall – Get it? He’s wearing denim overalls! This picture hangs in our living room. It is a picture of Alex when he was about 18 months old. The little wicker rocking chair that he is sitting in belonged to my daddy when he was a little boy. Today, the chair is sitting in Alex’s room. This picture makes me smile.

3.  ALL BOY!  - This next one is a picture of Stevie when he was 4 years old. It was taken in a creek a few miles from our house. Look at that sweet smile.

4. BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE – This was our Christmas picture in 2006. It makes me smile.

5. BROTHERLY LOVE - This picture is one of my favorites. McDaddy’s sister and her hubby own a photography studio. We are so blessed to have wonderful, fun family pictures. I LOVE this picture!

6. LOVE BIRDS  – This one was taken just before Christmas last year. Two cool kids.

7.  BEACH BUMS- This super cool shot was taken at a beach in Florida. It was several grandkids ago, but I still love it. McDaddy is on the far right with Stevie and I directly beside of him. The photographers are beside of me. McDaddy’s brother, sister and other brother are in the back and his parents are in the front. The sunset was just gorgeous!

8. PLAYIN’ FOOTSIES -  This picture is another example of how fun it is to have photographers in the family. It is doubtful that I’d have something like this if we had to go to an outside photographer.

That happens to be a picture of our feet. The verse says, “He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” Psalm 40:2

9. LINUS – This is my baby blanket. It was made with love by my aunt Jane. I love it still to this day.

10. NAME GAME - This one is pretty self-explanatory.

11. BASKET CASE – From the bathroom… I am a Longaberger rep and I also collect baskets. I have over 100 baskets scattered throughout the McResidence.

12. STITCHES – This quilt was quilted by my great-grandma. It hangs in our loft.

13. I HEART THIS – This hangs out in our hallway.

It is my bridal bouquet. It happened to be silk so it still looks just like it did back in 1998.

How’s that for fun?

What about you? Where is your favorite place to ‘hang out?’