From Inmates to Playdates

Posts Tagged ‘McResidence’

As always, I have learned a lot of stuff this week. However, instead of compiling another list about the stuff, I thought it might be fun to actually show you pictures of the stuff. Basically I learned that if you don’t have a lot of success in decorating, you should call in some reinforcement.

So, if you want to save yourself from reading 800 and some odd words, you can scroll down to the pictures and skip the mindless commentary. Otherwise, you may want to grab a coke and pull up a chair. As is usually always the case around here at FITP, Inc., this could get lengthy.

Remember when I wrote that McDaddy and I have been remodeling our basement, turning a second kitchen into a playroom? And then remember when I showed you the bright red and yellow wall with the wall words as a teaser? Well, I wasn’t trying to be all secretive about the rooms, its just that I didn’t want to show you the rooms until the walls were decorated.

And because I have never been much of a decorator, I was afraid to attempt it on my own. Sadly, my know-hows do not match up with my want-tos.

Don’t get me wrong. I love to shop. And I love to buy stuff. But when the time comes to actually decorate with the stuff that I’ve bought, the OCD monster rears its ugly head and then I become concerned with having everything symmetrical instead of actually taking a stab at the decorating. In other words, it’s hard for me to think outside of my OCD decorating box.

Enter my gal pals, Amy and Susan.

Amy and Susan are good friends with a good friend of mine, so by proxy they are my friends too, right?

Right.

After pulling just about every single hair out of my head trying to decide where I should put what, I broke down and called Susan to askbeg her and Amy to come over and work their magic on my walls. You see my good friend has some great walls in her home. And every time I’m there, I find myself saying, “I wouldn’t even think to put that there.” And each time, my friend replies, “I tell you its Amy and Susan. They also have great decorating ideas”. So, after a few minutes of listening to my whine, she agreed and we settled on a date. Last Thursday, they showed up on my doorstep and folks, these gals meant business. I had all of my wall stuff on display and I mentioned that the clock was purchased specifically for the wall directly over the entertainment center.

They looked each other in the eye and then at me and frankly replied, “It won’t look good there.”

Wellalrightythen.

The girls immediately went to work, nailing, pounding, measuring, and leveling.

Yes, I said leveling.

Like I said these girls meant business.

Me? My idea of decorating is ordering a bunch of gold-trimmed Home Interior stuff, eyeballing where on the wall I want the pictures and the sconces to hang all while using my other hand to poke small holes in the wall. Then, I pound the nails in like a maniac doing my best to drive the nail straight into the wall without smashing my beloved thumb.

First, can I just say that Home Interior is so yesterday. I was totally committed to pulling the stuff from the walls and dropping it off at the Goodwill. That is until Susan mentioned the words, rod and iron and paint. She snatched up those sconces and promised to bring them back once she got them painted and said that I would be surprised at how good they will look. Again, I would never think to do that.

Words cannot express how thankful I am that these gals took three hours out of their life to come over to set up my new rec room. Now, how ’bout I stop babbling and get to the pictures. I have a lot of before and afters, so I hope you’ll bear with me.

This is the way our basement looked the day after we moved into our house.

Here are the two pathetic walls before…

Pay no mind to the horrible flash photography. As if the Home Interior groupings aren’t enough.

I know. I know. I told you it was bad.

Three hours (and a recliner eviction later) here is my newly remodeled, redecorated rec room. One of the newly painted rod iron sconces will go beside the picture over the entertainment center. The other sconce will go somewhere else.

And just for the record, McDaddy hates this furniture. I purchased it while he was deployed knowing that eventually it would look awesome in this room. The new carpet and new furniture lightened the room up beautifully. (Hey, McDaddy, I told you so!) Like they say, if Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.

But the best part?

The best part is that the walls in this rec room look fabulous.

Have a look.

That’s the clock that I purchased to go over the entertainment center. (Again, pay no mind that this picture is just slightly out of focus. I was hyped up on excitement and Dr. Pepper when I took it!) Susan suggested I paint the shelf black, but as of this writing, it has not been done.

And take a look at my absolute favorite wall….

It would never have dawned on me to hang my beloved Longaberger baskets on the wall. But I had them and they needed to be used.

Oh, and see this curio cabinet?

I was ready to get rid of it, too.

But Susan suggested we paint it, mentioning the words totally, different, cabinet. So, stay tuned for that little trick. The plan is to paint it barn red or farm red. I can’t remember.

So, that’s what I learned this week. How ’bout you?

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If you’re joining the What I Learned This Week Carnival, please remember to link to your actual What I Learned This Week post and not the home page on your blog.

Thanks to Jo-Lynne with entrusting me with the party this week.

Weeks before McDaddy left for his six month sentence deployment to Guantanamo Bay, we  made some plans involving  our basement which included some major renovations we wanted to complete. I had some grandiose idea that heading up the construction of the basement would help pass the time and that somehow, I could have it all completed before he returned.

Ahem.

That’s a little much even for me!

Shortly after that idea I discovered first hand how difficult utterly impossible exasperating it is to peel wallpaper from a wall. Wallpaper that had no desire to be separated from the wall it had been attached to for the last ten or so years.

Needless to say the removing of the wallpaper was a slow job that was not finished when McDaddy returned home. My sanity however, was finished, especially after McDaddy announced that peeling the wallpaper was not necessary because based on the shady construction of the basement walls, we should just go ahead and replace the drywall.

Alrightythen.

Sometime between the period of plotting and peeling of the paper, I was introduced to Wall Words by my URL friend, Darcie. I knew then that I wanted the Wall Words in our new area.

Even though the Great Basement Remodel of 2009 2010 is nowhere near completion, I wanted to at least share the Wall Words with you. I ordered Wall Words for the Laundry Room and for our new playroom/music room. And speaking of peeling paper off of the walls, Wall Words are pretty simple to apply. After some preliminary measuring and leveling, all you do is apply the words, rub the words and then peel the paper away.

But I will warn you though, there are colors and fonts, and colors and fonts, and colors and fonts which means that the hardest part of the Wall Words might be deciding between the colors and the fonts.

First up is the [clearly unfinished] laundry room which is actually more of a walkway between the playroom and soon-to-be-mudroom… but still, it’s where I do the laundry -

While we would never actually ‘Drop our drawers’ here (unless of course McDaddy has been working on his heap, ahem! I mean Jeep in the garage and needs to ditch the dirty clothes before entering the rest of the house), I love the saying. It makes me smile everytime I see it. The whole ‘Laundry Room – Drop Your Drawers Here’ is actually a ready-made quote from Wall Words. Don’t you just love it?

I love these daisies on the opposite wall too…

And yes, before you ask, the walls are very bright (Valspar Chickadee) and for some reason these pictures appear as though they were taken in a room full of smoke or steam.

Too bad I’m way too comfy in my big, blue, bloggy chair watching the Olympics (Oh TiVo, I do love you so!) to go back down and attempt the pictures again, so I do hope you’ll excuse the below average photography.

Just around the corner from the laundry area is the 2nd kitchen turned playroom/music room that now houses the drums, the piano and ultimately 523 versions of Lightning McQueen and his posse of course lots of  TOYS. Oh, andI still have two red mirrors to hang up but I want them to hang in a diamond shape instead of a square shape which means McDaddy will have to do some modifications to them, so I’ll post again once we get those up. (And hopefully the photography will be better!)

The picture on the wall is my favorite picture of my fellas and was taken seconds after we landed in Cuba after being away from McDaddy for over 100 days.

And my favorite part of the room, the Wall Words…

No truer words have ever been spoken written on our walls.

Very true indeed.

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And guess what? The kind folks at Wall Words Dot Com have graciously offered a $5.00 discount for any of my readers who might have some words they want to put on their walls. Just enter the code (2010JLY) at checkout.

Simple as that.

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Visit Rocks In My Dryer for other Works For Me Wednesday Posts.

I am a happy girl tonight.

The folks from Slowes, er, I mean Lowes showed up here at the McResidence with two ginormous rolls of carpet for our new playroom/rec room. Remember this red and yellow walls I showed you a few weeks ago?

Well, I learned that while the red and yellow paint does indeed look fabulous, adding the white trim will make the paint pop. And then earlier today I learned that having the carpet installed transforms the room completely. Seriously, the room looks wonderful.

Then about thirty minutes ago, I conned McDaddy into applying the Wall Words in the playroom. Great words that are so fitting for our family.

Just after that, while McDaddy showered, I decided to take matters into my own hands and hang some pictures. I am smiling just thinking about the pictures and how awesome they look hanging around in there. I don’t watch much HGTV but the room rivals (in my humble opinion, mind you) the rooms you see on that network and I’d be willing to bet that we did it much cheaper than they because we did most of the work themselves.

I would love nothing more than to post 423 pictures of the finished area but it is late and I am tired. And, on top of that, I have four boxes of girl scout cookies hiding out in the corner cabinet and I intend to show one of them some love in a bit. Taking all of that into account, I’m sorry to say that the big reveal will have to wait. And, dare I say that my mind is already racing about our next remodel project which will include new flooring in our laundry room (area?) and a newly reconditioned bathroom. After that, we’ll turn a huge junk room into a beautiful mud room which I have already decorated in my mind.

So, just to recap, I learned that fresh paint makes a room look good.

Crisp white trim makes the room look better.

Carpet, wall words and pictures make the room look better AND COMPLETE.

Oh, and I also learned that the more girl-scout cookies you buy, the more girl-scout cookies you will eat.

Just sayin.

Visit Musings Of A Housewife for more lessons learned this week.

Oh, and I also learned that when there are girl-scout cookies on the mind, it is totally possible to publish a post without giving it a title.

Ahem.

I have been a paintin’ fool the past three weeks. I’ve painted eight walls and a set of cabinets.

I don’t so much mind painting, but I’ve learned that I may not be cut out for a career in painting. I’m a messy painter, and I’m a perfectionist, so you can understand why I have such a hard time when I paint. The messiness and the perfection just do not get along well. 

I’m am so pleased with the results. For instance, we turned this plain basement wall,

Into a new playroom wall,

Painting appeals to me because I am all about immediate gratification. This wall transformed in a matter of hours. I can’t wait to get carpet down in this room so that our boys can have a bright great place to play.

Here are just a few of the things I learned about painting…

1. A ladder is no place for a clumsy girl like me.

2. If you have OCD are particular about things it will take you longer to clean your brush and roller than it will to actually paint.

3. When painting, you should have a wet rag on hand because fresh paint wipes away much easier than dry paint.

4. For every touch-up job you do, another touch-up job will present itself. Dang.

5. Painting a ceiling is much easier during the day in the natural light than it is after dark with lights shining in your eyes.

6. If you are painting the ceiling in your laundry room, it is probably a good idea to remove all dirty clothes within a 25 foot radius.

7. It is a lot easier to paint if you know the flooring will be removed and new carpet installed in weeks.

8. It takes paint rollers a sweet forever to dry

9. Instead of attempting to match a paint color to your existing wallpaper border in aisle fourteen at Lowes while your two little boys – wound up like eight day clocks – bombard you with 327 questions about why they can’t paint the playroom Jimmie Johnson blue, how much longer you’re gonna take, and where we gonna eat at?  you should choose a stack of paint color samples and examine them in the peace and tranquility of your home after the kiddos are in bed.

10. White trim will make a bright red wall pop!

How about you? What did you learn this week?

Head over to Musings of a Housewife to see what others have learned. Oh, and this post is also linked to Oh Amanda’s Top Ten Tuesday.

Our home is a joyful place.

Except when two of its members are squabbling over the same version of Lightning McQueen.

Or the youngest of its members forgets that his teeth are only for chewing food.

Even then, the McResidence is a great place to be. Things seldomgo awry. The situation rarely escalates to a point where an adult is required to step in. Everything is so tidy, that no one ever loses anything or leaves toys lying around. Every member of this house is eager to pitch in to do his part, leaving very little work for me. And, as you might of guessed, this place runs like a well-oiled machine.

(Ahem!)

And if you were a fly on the wall, YOU WOULD NEVER hear the following statements in our home…

“Can someone please wipe my bottom?”

“Daddy” (times about 4,329)

“Mom, where is my [insert item here]“

“Mom, can I play the Wii?”, “Or the DS”,”Or the computer”

“Mom can we please watch a show?”

“Are these clean or dirty?”

“I don’t want to!”

“I can’t”

“Is it bedtime?”

“Can this be a play bath?”

“Ew, what is this stuff? Well, I don’t like it!”

“Did you remember to call the insurance company?”

“If toys are left out again, they will be put up and you won’t see them for a month!”

“Is it time to pick up Stevie?” (at least 14 times a day!)

“Mom, why do we need fingernails?” Um, good question, I really have no idea!

“Do you want me to get the spankin’ spoon?”

“Mom, are you in the bathroom?”

“Do I need my aggerly (allergy) pill today?”

“Can we take the JEEP?”

“Mom, can I wear my snow boots today?”

“I’m mad at myself!”

“Can I have a brown sugar and cimmanun poptart?”

I suspect I answer approximately 3,281 questions each day.

And, if you were a fly on the wall in our home, you would not have heard the following conversation take place three nights ago…

ME: “Alex, do not put that booger on the couch, you need to get a tissue – Alex, what are you doing with that booger?”

ALEX: “Putting it back in my nose!”

Seriously, you would NOT have heard that from my 4 year old darling boy because he always wipes his nose with a tissue.

Oh, and FYI, McDaddy and I most definitely did NOT spend another Friday night in the ER because of my stupid blood pressure.

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Visit MckMama’s place for more Not Me! Monday posts!

2009 was a tough year for me.

Ten days into the year, a good friend of mine lost his life in a head-on collision. Three weeks later, the McFamily embarked on a six-month journey that would test my emotional stability limits.

So yeah, it started out rough. In fact, just thinking about it is making me tired. (Brace yourselves people, this could get lengthy!)

*************

After a three-hour ski lesson during our annual McFamily ski trip, Stevie hit the slopes with McDaddy.

NBA hopeful, Stevie learned a few things on the court this year. (he is the one with his arms up in the air and his eyes closed!)

Instead of eating M&Ms, our boys were counting them. 185 M&Ms in each of three bowls. The boys (and their daddy) would eat one everyday signifying that another day of deployment was OVER.

On a cold, snowy January morning in Charleston, WV, the WV Air National Guard Engineering Squadron headed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for a six-month sentence deployment.

After six years of supporting the Huggies Empire with two boys (and a really long run at potty training with the youngest), the McFamily is finally finished with diapers.

Hallelujah. And Amen.

The McFamily is thankful for SKYPE and the web-cam which allowed them to be in contact almost daily with Daddy.

Truly, a blessed girl! Mother’s Day – 2009 

After a failed attempt at visiting McDaddy, finally, the boys and I boarded a military rotator plane in Baltimore in route to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Pictured here at the Baltimore Airport, the local time was 4:10 am.

After 108 days (and a search by some pretty alert drug dogs), the McBoys are reunited with McDaddy at the GTMO airport.

U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay is the oldest U.S. base overseas and the only one in a Communist country. Located on the southeast corner of Cuba, the base is about 400 air miles from Miami, Florida. The terrain and climate of Guantanamo Bay make it a haven for iguanas and banana rats.

Thanks to a cheap flight, the boys and I headed North to visit McDaddy’s sister and her family. The boys enjoyed two weeks with their cousins.

After months of whining and begging, I screamed with delight as I opened my anniversary gift from McDaddy.

Hello, My Precious!

After a very l-o-n-g six-months, our boys made welcome home posters for McDaddy’s return.

While in church one evening, Stevie began to cry as he asked questions about salvation. An hour or so later, while talking to McDaddy on the web-cam, he made the decision to ask Jesus into his heart. His daddy and I were so proud and so happy that he made the decision to worship and live for Jesus.

With tears in my eyes, I watched as McDaddy’s plane arrived from Cuba.

Shortly after, The McFamily headed out in their Summer home camper and did not return for two weeks.

And if by some chance, y’all are still reading, bless your souls.

After seven years of constant mothering and homemaking, I found myself wondering what in the heck I would do with myself 2.5 hours a day, three days each week, while my sweet Alex attends Pre-School.

My favorite Superheroes!

Alex turns 1,460 days (give or take a day because y’all know that my math skills stink!)

The newest Jimmie Johnson fan celebrates his seventh birthday vowing that seven will make him stronger and faster.

And finally, (after this extremely long post) the McFamily celebrates Christmas.

Head over (if you haven’t abandoned this post) to I Should Be Folding Laundry for more You Capture – Favorite Picture posts.

I was totally prepared to compile an extremely long list of things I learned this week.

Then, I visited Jo-Lynne to grab her link and discovered that she will not be doing a Things I Learned This Week post. I thought I might still post my own Things I Learned This Week because? Did you hear me when I said extremely and long?

I was serious about that.

But I thought about it for a second and decided that I could wait a week and post an extremely long honkin’ list of stuff next week instead.

So.

That decision means that I must come up with something else for today because the eight of you that stop by every morning ready to claim your daily dose of crazy would no doubt show up on the Inmates To Playdates doorstep and be highly disappointed if I didn’t post today.

So.

Man, did I mention that I come from a long line of loud talkers?

I basically said all that to say that I’ll be posting a list of Things I Hope To Do instead of Things I Learned this week.

THINGS I HOPE TO DO TODAY

Take the boys to see the new Chipmunks movie.

THINGS I HOPE TO DO NEXT MONTH

Help McDaddy finish the great basement remodeling project of 2009 2010 (I realize this might be a lofty ambition especially since McDaddy will be doing 94% of the work!) The other 6% excites the crap out of me (picking paint colors, carpet choices, painting, and rearranging the furniture!) though.

Clean out every! basket! in! this! house! (All 137 of them)

Clean out every drawer, cabinet, and closet at the McResidence getting rid of things that we no longer need/want, then taking the stuff to the Goodwill.

Renew my Y membership so that I can,

Reacquaint myself with the treadmill.

Rekindle my relationship with the elliptical

and Relight the fire within me to take off excess pounds.

THINGS I HOPE TO DO NEXT YEAR

Lose at least 40 pounds.

Find a hair gel and hairspray that I can’t live without. (Any suggestions?) I know this seems silly but it is so true!

Be in my bed ready to sleep by midnight every night!

Work on my stupid temper.

Try not to use the word stupid when I get frustrated or aggravated. (Just keepin’ it real!)

Now, where to start?

I’ll try to keep you posted throughout the year to update you on my progress!

It is almost midnight.

We had an impromptu Christmas get-together after church. And by impromptu, I mean we had about twelve minutes between the time we walked through the door until our first set of friends showed up. Which meant that objects were thrown willy nilly into our bedroom, baskets of laundry were shoved in our closet and the pile of debris from the kitchen counter-top was tossed onto our bed. I’m sure our friends were not coming over to see if our house was tidy which is good because clearly, we had no idea that we were having a get-together until I invited the first couple, and then another and another and then another. There were fourteen of us total. We feasted on chips and cheese, cookies from the cookie exchange and some sweet treats I made with a couple of gals for Christmas. As always, we enjoyed fellowshipping with our buddies.

Anyway, I said all of that to say that this will be short and sweet.

If that’s possible.

I thought I’d share with you 13 ornaments from my tree. They are not necessarily my favorites because 98% of them are my favorites. There is pretty much a story behind most of them and if I studied my tree long enough, I could probably tell you which one was missing if you were to remove one.

Please keep in mind that my tree sits in (on ?) a rotating Christmas tree stand, so that might explain why a few of the pictures might not be crisp and clear. About half-way through my picture taking extravaganza, it dawned on me that turning the rotator off would be a good idea.

Anyway.

1. This first one is truly one of my favorites. I purchased it at a little gift shop at Snowshoe which is a ski resort. It was the same year the guy in the room next to ours died. 

2. Another favorite. Stevie made it during his first year in pre-school. It makes me smile.

3. This next one is pretty obvious. I love it because it reminds me “our trip to Europe.” (Spoken in my best English accent, or as English as you can get when you talk like a hick!) You know because I come from royalty and all. (Which explains why there are crowns all over my blog!)

4. This next one was a gift from my friend, Billy Gene (whom I really need to write about someday because OH MY WORD, the story is so sweet, I need to share it someday very soon but for now I’ll just show a picture of the ornament because afterall it is almost midnight!) who sent it the first Christmas after I married McDaddy. (I could go all crazy and photoshopphotobucket edit McDaddy’s name onto it, but that would take time and energy. Neither of which I have right now!) Oh, and did I mention that I love snow snowmen?

5. This next one is just plain funny. It proves my quirkiness. And yes, quirkiness is a real word. Just ask me. No matter where I am, if there is a place to shop, I will find it! [On a perfectly unrelated note, I displayed this ornament last year on my blog. That post recieves many hits each month because apparently there are lots of folks googling the words prison and ornament. Who knew?]

6. Every year, I send about a gazillion Christmas cards complete with a letter and a picture. Each year, I buy a cute family frame and place that year’s Christmas picture inside of it. Sadly, I didn’t think to do this until after McDaddy and I had Stevie. The family pictures are among my favorites. This is the 2007 Official picture of the First McFamily.

7. Before we were married, a girlfriend hosted a Christmas shower for us. We got married in May, however, I thought this was such a sweet idea. I’ve never attended another Christmas themed bridal shower but I would love to. I treasure each gift we recieved (many were ornaments) and could pretty much tell you who each one came from. This Barbie ornament was given to me at the shower by my mama. She is usually attached to an ornament spinner, but for some reason, I have no idea where my spinners are.

8. My absolute favorite ornaments are those made by my boys in their various classes. This one was made in Sunday School at our lovely little church. He would have been 2 years old. That is my nephew Evan peeking around the corner in the silver stocking.

9. Another favorite. Another family Christmas card picture. I believe this one was 2004 although there is a pretty good chance that I am wrong.

10. Another favorite. [Begin rant] If you happen to work for one of those ornament kiosks in the mall (which by the way I would love, because I love decorating ornaments) it is a good idea that you have nice hand-writing. I purchased this from one of those kiosks and when the gal wrote the info on the ornament, it was barely legible. In my sweetest voice, I kindly explained that I wasn’t happy with the writing and she gave me a new ornament. I brought the sucker home, dug out my fine-tip Sharpie and went to town. The ornament will be even more special to Alex someday because it is in my handwriting. [End rant]

11. Each year, McDaddy’s parents buy an official white house ornament for us. Last year, we had the privilege of visiting the White House at Christmastime. I purchased this from the white house gift shop.

12. This next ornaments is one of the newest on our tree. I picked this up at an arts and crafts show. It is made from a lightbulb and I think it is adorable. Capital High is the name of mine and McDaddy’s high school – GO COUGARS!

13. And last, but definitely not least, this one is another favorite. McDaddy and I moved four times the first four years we were married until we purchased our house in 2002. We have four “door” ornaments on our tree, one for every address we’ve had since we were married. [Just in the case you are wondering, I have edited the address from the ornament to protect the safety of the people currently living at our old address. You know, just in case you are a shady character who is stalking my blog looking for a strange house address to rob. It's a strange world we live in people!]

Merry Christmas Eve, folks. That’s all she wrote.

Literally.

For the past six days, at least one of us here at the McResidence has been battling something.

The poops. The pukes. The snots. And the fever.

Gross? Maybe. But I try to keep things real around here.

Because of the aforementioned nuisences, I need a break today. I had thought about telling you 13 things that are in my van but that would require me to actually get up, walk downstairs to the garage and look in my van and well, that requires energy.

And effort.

Neither of which I have a lot of because for the past two nights I’ve been up at unsightly hours administering breathing treatments for my sweet Alex.

So, let’s just talk about 13 questions you might ask me today.

1. Why are you having such a tough time deciding on a cookie recipe for the cookie exchange?

Well, because with anything in my life, I want to be the best. Especially when there is a cookie exchange crown involved. Ahem, Princess, crown… you get it?

2. When did you last give Alex his round of medicines?

As in all areas of my life, I have a list and it is over on the counter. I keep a list because there are five medicines. Three of them must be given every four hours. Two must be given first thing in the morning. After you do the medicines several times, the hours and the medicines all run together. A list is necessary to keep it all straight because there is madness in the medicinal administration.

3. What is a normal number for a four-year old oxygen level?

Thanks to yesterday’s Doctor’s visit, I discovered that 95 is a normal oxygen level for a healthy four-year old. An oxygen level of 93 is not acceptable.

4. Why are there Dodge floor mats in your closet floor?

Well, if you must know there are Dodge floor mats in my closet floor because they are a Christmas gift for my mama and we do not have a box big enough to wrap them in.

5. I love your nail color. What color is it?

Well, since you asked, my nail color is called Comet Loves Cupid. I love bright red!

6. What did you get at Target today?

The better question would be what didn’t I buy at Target today? I got a great deal on the Wii DJ Hero ($40.00 off!), Monster Mutt (monster truck), 4 pairs of pajamas, Brown Sugar and Cinnamon poptarts, 1% milk, 4 boxes of Christmas ornaments, toothpaste, Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Bread, a Christmas ornament (Letter “D”), Selah CD (for my stocking – you are welcome, McDaddy!), A Jimmie Johnson ornament (for Stevie’s stocking), two pairs of WVU athletic pants and a Dart Board. Dang, I could have called this post Thirteen things I bought at Target today.

7. Why did you buy Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl bread?

Um, because when you toast the Pepperidge Farm Cinammon Swirl bread and slather it with butter it is wonderful and delicious and awesome and you should go buy some right now!

8. What are you drinking right now?

Dr. Pepper, of course. From a coffee mug. Because sometimes I wish I drank coffee just so I could sip from a coffee cup. I also drink milk from a wine glass for the same reason.

Quirks, much? I’m a very weird girl, what can I say?

9.  What was with all the noise on your street yesterday?

Well, after six years of sliding off of our hill in icy conditions, somebody decided we needed a guard-rail by the lake. And, even though McDaddy was none too thrilled, I was very happy, well, except for all the ruckus they caused installing the thing.

10. What are you listening to?

Nosey tonight, aren’t we? Actually, in between Alex’s coughing fits I am watching Sing-Off which by the way I love! And that Nick Lachey is a cutie patootie. I loved him on Nick and Jessica, but after the divorce, I guess Just Nick wouldn’t be much of a show, so I miss seeing him. I was hoping he would get the judging gig on American Idol. But oh well. What do I know? I do like seeing the Boyz II Men guy. Motownphilly, baby! The Voice of Lee are my favorite. The whole color coordinated outfit thing makes me smile!

11.  Why is there a brand new “thing” of toothpaste in your bathroom trash can?

Um, because it is nasty. Steve’s sister gave us a “thing” of toothpaste (and I say “thing” because it is not a tube. It is Mentadent and I have no idea what you call the pump thing!) and it is straight-up gross. I hate any toothpaste with baking soda. So, after returning home from The Target, I threw the whole thing in the trash.

12.  What is the last song you downloaded from iTunes.

It’s been a long time, but the last song I downloaded was I’d Need A Savior by Among The Thirsty.

13. And, now one from McDaddy because as I said, I am tired and have no energy and no effort to think of one last question.

Did you think of me today?

Well, yes McDaddy, I did think of you, because I was in Target and I was looking for something specific for you, which by the way they didn’t have and yes, again, when I had to carry 83 bags from the garage to the house. Yes, indeed, I did think about you!

That’s a wrap!

And what about you? Do you have a question for The Princess? I see Bloggers doing this Question and Answer thing all the time, only, my question / answer commentary would be very short were it not for my favorite Mother-In-Law, McDaddy, and a few others. Go on! Ask me something!

Lines.

Lines.

And more lines.

I wait in my share of them.

Lucky for y’all I decided not to bore you with pictures of the car-pool line at school, the line at the Doctor’s office, or the line of children waiting to check out at Santa’s Workshop this week. Santa’s workshop warrants a whole blog post of its own, but I’ll save that for a slow blog day.

In the meantime, Beth challenged us to shoot (take?) pictures of lines. On any given day here at the McResidence I could take a picture of a line of CARS. They are lined up all over the house. Currently, there are six CARS lined up on the coffee table because the boys said the CARS wanted to watch the television. I could have taken an awesome picture of some lines when Stevie’s cub-scout troop toured the television station this week because there was a big antannae thing in the midst of some satellites that had some really cool lines, but unfortunately, it was dark and cold and well, I have no idea how to take pictures in the dark, so, you’ll just have to take my word for it.

I did get some pretty cool indoor shots if I do say so myself. And, yes, I usually say so myself.

These are the lines that appear in McDaddy’s forehead when he’s wrestling in the floor with Alex and he scrunches his face up because Alex is trying to do some sort of DDT move on him. I asked him to hold real still for about four seconds so I could shoot this.

I was actually laying down in the floor beside of the wrestling match shooting this shot.

Which happens to be a Longaberger laundry hamper with some really cool lines when its shot from the bottom.

Then, I got maneuvered myself back around to look for lines around the house when it dawned on me that its not hard to find lines. In fact, we (or at least I) carry lines around with me everyday.

I’m sure all those lines tell some sort of palmistry story, but unfortunately I know nothing at all about life lines and whathaveyou. I do know that these were meant for lovin’ and were not made for serious or dirty work because as you recall, I am a princess.

This next one is a shot of the place-mats on my dining room table.

And my bathroom wall-paper (makes you want to tour the McResidence, huh?) which could also fit the plaid or square category, I suppose.

And finally, this little guy is part of our Christmas decorations. He sits in a little Longaberger sled beside of his bear buddies.

Like I said, “Lots of lines!”

This was a fun week!

Head over to I Should Be Folding Laundry for more Line pictures!