From Inmates to Playdates

Posts Tagged ‘Shoes’

Well, if that title doesn’t grab your attention, I don’t know what will.

I’ll let y’all know how many visitors stop by Inmates via Google for searching for something to do with a wet t-shirt. I suspect there will be plenty. More on the wet t-shirt contest in a bit.

Last week, I mentioned I was attending a ladies retreat. Fifteen women from my church (and one visitor) enjoyed a weekend of food, fun, and fellowship. Oh, and did I mention food?

It is interesting to note that the retreat started at 5:00 pm on Friday and ended at 5:00 pm on Saturday.

Did I mention there was fun, fellowship and FOOD?

Oh internets.

We ate and laughed and ate some more. We talked into the wee hours of the night about fashion, shoes, our kids, the new cherry Dr. Pepper, and Deb’s yummy no-bake cookies.

The theme was “Garden of Friends” and everything was centered around flowers. Our retreat was based on this book by Penny Pierce Rose. Basically, each presenter was assigned a flower and we presented the flower based on its characteristics and related them to friends in our “garden of friends.”

I was assigned the sunflower. I love sunflowers. I have them all over my kitchen. I love sunflowers both for their size and their color. There are three characteristics of a sunflower. They stand strong, they seek the sun (Son), and they sow seed. In my garden of friends, I have several sunflowers. McDaddy is a sunflower.

As each flower was presented, we were to think about the qualities of the flower and write the names of friends in our “garden” that had the same qualities of the flower being presented. After each presentation we placed the post-it notes bearing the names of our friends on the flower that they represented.

As you can see, we have lots of Violet friends. Characteristics of the violet are humble, unselfish, go out of their way for others and often work behind the scenes. McDaddy is also a violet. (He is a great friend to have!) 

We also made these cute candle holders / coaster / whatever you want to use them for things.

We also made a picture frame, but for some reason I didn’t get a picture of those.

Anytime we have a shin-dig, I am in charge of games and entertainment.

I could just sit and read my blog to them, but I’m guessin’ that would get old. So, I try to real hard to come up with some great games and some great prizes.

The first ice-breaker we played involved those a snack pack of M&Ms. Each lady opened their snack pack and had to answer a number of questions based on the color of M&Ms that were in their pack.

Red = tell 1 fact about your childhood per red candy

Green = tell 1 fact about one of your hobbies

Blue = tell 1 fact about one of your job

Yellow = tell 1 fact about your dreams and aspirations

Brown = tell 1 fact about your last vacation

Orange = tell about something you like to do

It was a fun way to learn about each girl and as you can see from my snack pack, there were 18 M&Ms in the pack. It took a sweet forever for fifteen girls to get through 18 or so M&Ms.

After we went back to the “lodge” for the evening, we played a couple more games and then I made a grand announcement.

We were having a wet t-shirt contest.

Instructions – fold a t-shirt and place it in a ziplock bag. Fill the ziplock bag full of water smoothing the air out as you go. Repeat with a different t-shirt in a different ziplock bag. Freeze both ziplock bags. Remove the ziplock bags and announce that you are having a wet t-shirt contest. The first team to thaw their shirt and wear it wins.

First, you can try running warm water over it. 

 Just for fun, you might try cracking the ice on the side-walk.

Next, pull like crazy! 

Finally, wear it!

It was loads of cold fun!

Like I said, there was food, fellowship and lots of fun!

I love a good deal. And, as much as I love to shop, it’s not always easy to drag two kids around town while finding the cheapest place to purchase shoes or the latest, greatest new handbag I’ve got my eye on.

So, when I received an e-mail about a new web-site, Freshdeals.com, I thought I’d check it out. As expected, it was full of fresh deals. It’s also a great place to start fresh when you’re shopping for items such as clothing, electronics, beauty products, home decor, gadgets, toys, shoes, the Saturn Sky and much, much, more.

At Freshdeals.com, you will be able to ask product questions, search for the best prices, and share the latest deals with your friends. All in one nice, neat place. [McDaddy, are you taking note? You'll love it here.]

The site says

Fresh Deals is a refreshing new way for shoppers to find and share the latest online deals. We’ve spruced up your average shopping experience by offering a mix of fresh features including intuitive search and our thriving Questions & Answers community. Shoppers often have questions regarding the products they want to buy, but product reviews don’t always have the answers. Our community of experts can answer a wide range of product questions, strengthening consumer confidence when it comes time to purchase. Never settle for stale shopping again. Start fresh. Shop Fresh Deals.

On a whim, I did a search for my favorite shoe, the Nike Air Zoom Hot Shot (which might I add, I have not been able to find in any store in the Charleston area for months) Freshdeals.com helped me find the shoe on two different sites and with the click of a button, I could have purchased the shoe. (Sadly, it was only available in size 11).

Oh, and IF you’ve spent any time here at ‘From Inmates To Playdates’ you know that I triple heart the Saturn Sky.

As you might guess, I also decided to do a search for the Saturn Sky.

I’d like to take this opportunity to let McDaddy know that if indeed he is planning to surprise me with a beloved Saturn Sky, Heritage Saturn of Bel Air, Maryland has the absolute best deal on the 2009 Saturn Sky Roadster. Now, instead of trapsing all over the U.S. in search of the best deal, I’ve Freshdeals.com saved him the trouble.

Wow.

How easy was that?

Freshdeals also has a section for sharing product expertise and asking consumer questions. Apparently, no one has asked a question about the Saturn Sky or the Nike Air Zoom Hot Shot.

My favorite feature of the web-site was the FRESH DEALS section. There, I found coupon codes and promo codes for many items and services. There really are some great FRESH DEALS there on a variety of other retail sites. You should go over there and check it out!

Freshdeals.com will definitely come in handy during the upcoming holiday shopping season. Freshdeals.com works for me! 

Visit We Are THAT Family for other Works For Me Wednesday posts.

———-

This is a compensated review from Freshdeals.com.

Hello Internets!

Today’s Thursday Thirteen will be a little different than what you’re used to.

I thought it might be fun to shake things up a bit.

So, I gave Stevie my camera and instructed him to snap pictures of 13 things in our house that he wanted to show you. Besides some technical help from me (and you should know that I am playing fast and loose with the whole technical help thing) he took the pictures himself and chose what he wanted to show you. The only stipulation was that he could not photograph 13 toys.

He provided the narration and at times I had a time keeping up with him. He can talk way faster than I can type. I’m not at all sure where he gets that from. (Ahem!)  He is definitely his daddy’s son. He didn’t leave out any important details and paused to make sure I got it all recorded just the way he wanted.

And now, may I present, Thursday Thirteen – Thirteen Things From Stevie 

———

1. “The TV is special because we can watch shows like Tom & Jerry and see what else is on”

And because it provides mommy with some great entertainment.

2. “This is one great game because it’s very easy and very fun!” I play it when I feel bored and feel like doing something fun!”

3. “This is a Cub-Scout manual. It tells you what the cub-scout sign is, like wolf ears, the salute and it tells you what all we do in Cub Scouts. I like cub-scouts because it’s fun!”

4. “You think this is the way this monster truck El Toro Loco looks, but its really not because Alex tore a horn off of it when we were camping at Carter Caves.”

5. “This hat is just like the manual because it is from Cub Scouts, also. Except for it’s different. I wear it when I go to Cub-Scout meetings with dad and Levi and his dad, Eli and Jordan and his dad, Josh and Jackson, and his dad and his brother.”

6. “This bed may look like a car to you because it has wheels on the bottom and a license plate, but its a bed. And the funny part of it is, on the back license plate it says Snooze which means you’re snoring!”

7. “We helped daddy change this faucet a long time ago. Once he yelled up to me and asked if any water was coming out of the pipe, I said no. He said that’s the best thing I ever heard because water was flying out all over the place before that.”

8. “This Mario Cart Wii backpack is just like the game which is the second picture, but, except it has a 3-D scratchy part and it shows you Mario, Wario, Toad and Luigi. This backpack goes with me to school.”

9. “The boots that look like fireman boots are mine. I took them on the scout camping trip at the Kanawha State Forest and I stepped in the creek a couple times and we had a paper cup race down the creek and mine was #6 and then we stopped the race and then I raced a broken cup and my cup together and they both got stuck on a waterfall and I stepped in to find out where it was and the water was too deep and got in my boots and um, they were kind of damp so I didn’t get to wear them on the hiking trip on Sunday up to this huge rock called Alligator rock and the alligator is a rock-eyed alligator.”

Can I just say that the fact that my sweet boy included shoes in this blog makes me smile! The boots were line up in a row and he wanted to turn his boots around so that he could take a picture of the fire badge.

10. “You know this vehicle may look clean, but as usual on off-roading trails we get it so muddy you can’t even see the black. This is one of the best vehicles I like because it has a winch on it now. The wench is for towing other JEEPS out of stuck trouble because they may just spin right out and go right down a hill and it also gets us out of stuck trouble because we can hook ours to a tree and someone else can hook to the tree and it can pull us out of trouble. I took this picture because I wanted to write about this, I really like this, and, on the way home from the camping trip on Saturday I got to switch gears in the Jeep and even when it wasn’t running very well and then on the way home, he let me switch gears again. This is the only vehicle I get to switch gears in and only if mom and Alex stay here, cause if mom and Alex are in there, me and Alex have to sit in the back.”

11. “A long time ago, we had this thing full of toys but now its just half-way full and that’s because we put things back in the right spot, that’s how it got half full. And a long time ago, I think it was a few days before that, me and dad sorted my toy tools and put them back in the right spot. I sorted the black screws in one drawer and the gray screws in the other drawer of my tool bench and I found a black pair of pliers and I decided to put them in a seperate spot.”

12. “This we hardly ever ask to go out and play on because its getting cold. Papa and Dylan helped me and dad build this. After it was already built, me and Alex pretended to build it again. We used toy tools.”

13. “This is a riding toy motorcycle. It may look like a real one because it has vents and something that can hold the tires together but it is not real because it does not have an engine. The way you make it move is by paddling your feet on the floor. I hardly ever ride it because I have more interesting stuff rather than doing that.”

Now, wasn’t that fun?

Yes, I thought so too!

He pays close attention to detail and loves to talk.

Sounds like a perfect DNA match to his dad and his mama.

Enjoy your Thursday, y’all!

I’m not sure where this idea came from.

It’s no secret that I love shoes.

It’s also no secret that I love to talk.

So when I get the chance to talk about shoes, well, let’s just say you can chalk it up to a really good day.

I thought this might be a cute way to showcase some of my fabulous shoes, and believe me, I have more than my share.

In no particular order, may I present to you, the winners of the 2009-2010 Shoe Superlatives.

1. MOST UNFORGETTABLE –

While this shoe is unforgettable, I think you’ll admit it is fabulous. A friend of mine at our church was wearing a pair just like these and I commented how cute they were. Three weeks later, after a trip to the beach, she brought these to me. I have only two shirts that these shoes match. They are, quite possibly, the most uncomfortable pair of shoes on the planet. That, coupled with their bright, sparkly adornments make them the most unforgettable shoe in my closet.

2. BEST ALL AROUND -

These are my go-to guys when I need comfort. Granted, they are not the prettiest. Or even flattering. The guy that invented the Croc has my vote. The Croc flip-flop is the most comfortable shoe I’ve ever worn. It truly is the best all around shoe.

3. MOST ATHLETIC –

I have said it before and I will say it again. You will not find a more comfortable tennis shoe. Ever. It might be a little tough to see, but the back of this shoe is open. While that may not be such a great thing in the middle of the winter when there’s a foot of snow on the ground, it certainly makes hot, sweaty days more bearable when your kicking around town in these suckers. Nike, you outdid yourselves with this shoe. Even the cute pull string thingie is great. You’ll never have to tie your shoe strings again.

4. MOST FLIRTATIOUS -

If these shoes don’t scream flirty, I don’t know what does. The only problem is that they are very uncomfortable. I always have blisters just below my pinky toe when I wear these with one of the two outfits they match.

5.  MOST DRAMATIC -

I call these my JLo boots. Mainly because I look feel like JLo when I wear them. They are sassy and sexy and dramatic. I typically try to steer clear of heels because I am the biggest klutz you will ever meet, but the heel is big and clompy and safe. I love strutting around in these boots even though I probably look like an ostrich. Tommy Hilfiger sure knows how to make a cute boot.

6. CLASS CLOWN -

If ever there was a clown shoe, the original croc would be it. I’m not generally a fan of the original croc except for kids. I am a fan of the latest shoe craze however and so I do own a pair. The only suggestion I would make is to steer clear of purchasing a pink croc because unless your OCD permits it, you will not want to wear these shoes with anthing except for a light pink shirt. And, you will only wear them if you do not want to look like a clown. Sadly, its hard to beat the comfort.

7. CUTEST COUPLE

 Awww. Aren’t they sweet? I think y’all will agree that this is one cute pair of shoes. Fit for a princess, I say. Not fit for wearing when you’re driving a stick shift heap, ahem! I mean JEEP because you might accidentally almost plow your mailbox down. But, for any occasion other than that, this sweet pair will get you noticed all over town. I have these in black and brown.

 8. TALLEST –

 I knew when I purchased these suckers, it was a bad idea. Although they are cute as can be, they are tall and uncomfortable and tall. And when you’re talking about shoes and me, well, let’s just say the flatter, the better. Still, these are some cute shoes.

9. SHYEST -

These shoes aren’t sassy or fun or original. They are just kind of blah. They stay to themselves and come out when needed from the bottom of the pile. Oh, and that middle section rubs a nasty blister on the top of my foot if I wear them for too long. 

10. BIGGEST NERD -

This is the shoe that I called on when I was pregnant and big as a house. I also have this same shoe in black (wow. who knew I had so many of the same shoe in black and brown?) They are easy to slide on and easy to slide off. Unfortunately, my feet swelled to about four times their natural size both times I was pregnant, so now, these shoes do not fit properly. Still, they are comfortable. Sadly, I am afraid they are way out of style.

11. MOST UNIQUE -

It’s hard to explain these bad boys. The heel of this shoe is actually wood. The denim fringe you see is just as cute in person as it is here on the blawg. As with many of the others, this is one uncomfortable shoe. (Why do we do that, girls?)

12. MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED…

in falling off, that is. This is the most difficult shoe to keep on my foot. It’s cute and sassy and whathaveyou, but unfortunately, I have a hard enough time just walking, much less walking in some kind of mess like these. I’m telling you, its not easy.

And, I’ll tell you something else that is apparently not easy.

Counting to thirteen, that’s what.

Somewhere between my shoe posing and shoe picking, I lost count and only photographed twelve pair of shoes.

I’ve told y’all before that math is not my strong suit. I wasn’t kidding.

Let me just run over to Google and grab a shoe.

13. BEST DRESSED -

I found this shoe at Zappos.com. They are cute and they look like a really, great shoe.

Product Information:

• Chic and simple, the ‘Tyra’ thong sandal is a wardrobe essential.
• Textured leather upper.
• Poron® padded and leather lined footbed for all day comfort.
• Lightweight injected rubber sole.
• Handmade in Italy.

7.00 oz.

1 1/4″ heel.

And at $274.95, these shoes are proof that I can pick the most expensive item out of a line-up without even trying.

$274.95?

Seriously?

A Wardrobe essential for who?

Certainly not a lowly SAHM who makes a dollar and some change from her blog each month.

Oh well.

Have a great Thursday, y’all.

Dear Alex Ryan:

Today was your first day of pre-school.

You couldn’t wait to wear your ‘new school shoes’ and be a ‘big school boy’. It is so hard to imagine that you are old enough to go to pre-school. It makes me a bit sad to know that you are growing up and becoming independent. I will miss you so much on school days.

I couldn’t help but smile when you walked into your classroom today. You were excited and confident.

I thought about you all morning. I wondered if you were minding your manners. If you were making friends. If you were missing Stevie. If you were missing me and daddy. I wanted you to have a great time and enjoy every second of it. I wished I could have watched you through the window.

When the time came to pick you up, I was excited to hear all about your day. I watched as your class appeared at the top of the steps. I could tell you had a great day!

As  you walked to the van from the car-pool line, you were smiling and yelling in all caps ‘LOOK MOM, I GOT A NEW FOLDER’

When I asked you how your day at school was, you replied, “It was a great day. I got a new school folder, but I don’t think I have a homework, I got to play outside for recess and everybody loved my new school shoes.”

Sweet boy, if everyone likes your shoes, it is indeed a good day.

I am so happy that you had a great first day at school. I love you, sweet boy!

Love, Mama

——–

I’m also happy that my beloved Canon PowerShot A720 was able to capture the memory for all of eternity (and for McDaddy who is working out of town this week!).

The Canon powershot works for me.

Visit We Are THAT Family for more things that might work for you!

It’s been a fun, relaxing weekend.

We spent Labor Day weekend camping with 12 families from our church. We had a great time with great friends.

Of course with that many people, you know there is lots for me to learn.

What did I learn? Oh, I thought you’d never ask.

Horses are measured in hands. A hand equals four inches.

A new blog design is so! very! exciting! (wink, wink)

Liberty University received $325,000. for playing West Virginia University in football on Saturday. I was shocked to hear that because our economy is faltering and people are struggling, yet, college teams receive hundreds of thousands of dollars to play another team? Professional players receive millions of dollars to handle a ball. It’s absurd!

If your kids are due for shots, there is a really good chance they will spend more time dreading the shot, than they will crying about the actual shot.

When  you order a shirt that says “Go Topless” from All Things Jeep Dot com, you should be ready to explain it 329 times the day you wear it with your church camping group.

The Croc flip-flop is quite possibly the most comfortable shoe on the planet. (I didn’t really learn this fact this week, but it’s worth sharing because it is so true!)

When your six-year-old insists he can pour his own chocolate milk, you should by all means follow him to the camper to ‘help’ or else you will be spending the next fifteen minutes wondering why you didn’t.

A new blog design is very exciting.

What?

I’ve already said that?

Well, I said it again because it’s worth repeating.

Very! Exciting!

So, stay tuned! I’ll be hosting a Big Reveal real soon!

And I’ll just tell you that it’s going to be very exciting!

Enjoy your Tuesday, y’all!

There’s a lot of excitement and hoopla on the facebook about football starting this week.

I couldn’t care less about football unless there is a party of people watching laughing and talking and plenty of food to eat. I follow the crowd and when they whoop and holler, I whoop and holler.

Otherwise, I know nothing of football unless you count the fact that I cross my fingers each week hoping like heck that Michigan Rich Rodriguez gets beat.  Because hello? Did you hear what he did to the West Virginia Mountaineers? It still fires me up to think about it.

West Virginians lovingly refer to the traitor him as Rich Fraudriguez.

ANYWAY.

In high-school, I spent countless hours on the football field because I was a band geek. I must admit, I really hate that term, because that implies that everyone on the field blowing a horn or banging on a drum is a geek. And, I for one, do not qualify as a geek. I know very little about science and I know even less about math. Unless I’m counting votes on the American Idol or figuring up the sale price of a great pair of shoes. Granted, the whole band uniform typically makes one LOOK like a geek, but that’s not to say that the person wearing it is a geek.

And, don’t even get me started on the horrid band shoes. That’s a whole ‘nother post. Seriously, someone out there should definitely design a fashion-savvy band uniform with a fabulous pair of shoes.

Anyway, what I was trying to say before I lost my place in the story (something that happens often if you know me IRL) was that I  knew nothing of football except half-time and kickoff because that’s when our marching band did our thing on the field. And, also, because after half-time I would make a bee-line to the concession stand for a corn-dog and an ice-cold coca-cola classic.

You can’t beat a concession stand deep-fried, almost burnt corn-dog slathered in ketchup and mustard.

Being on that field and looking up into the stands at the crowd of people was an exciting experience, however, I bet it was not nearly as exciting for me as it was the quarterback who broke away from the pack to lead his high-school team to a win. I just can’t imagine what that must be like.

Like I said, I know very little about football but I do enjoy a good bowl game party.

The last time I went to a bowl-game party, we enjoyed lots of laughs and some good eatin’ (That’s West Virginia slang for eating for those of you who may not be fluent in red-neck.) And, since I’ve mentioned eating more times that I want to admit in this post, lets get to the point.

Yes, as a matter of fact, there is a point.

It took us awhile to get here because sweet mercy I can talk like nobody’s business but we finally made it! If you’re still reading, I’d like to say bless your sweet soul. I realize I probably lost the majority of folks back at the whole ‘football starting this week’ bit. See, that’s just proof that you shouldn’t judge a blog-post by its opening line.

Where was I?

The point. Yes, the point.

My dip recipe.

Yes, I said all of that to talk about a dip recipe.

I wanted to join Boo-Mama’s Dip-Tacular extravaganza today and in order to do that I have to provide a dip recipe.

You should know that before preparing anything in my kitchen it must meet the following criteria.

• fast
• easy
• fail proof

What can I say? I’m a simple girl.

Without further ado and seemingly endless rambling, here’s my dip recipe -

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip

• 15 oz. canned chicken (rinsed wel in warm/hot water) – you can also use boiled chicken then shred in a food processor.
• 8 oz. cheddar cheese
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 8-10 oz ranch dressing
• 8-10 oz  Texas Pete, Franks Red Hot or your favorite buffalo sauce ( I actually use barbecue sauce because I am not a fan of hot sauce.)

Add the ranch and hot sauce to balance for the right amount of heat. The ranch counteracts if it becomes too hot, but the hot sauce “kick” makes the dip.

Mix everything together and melt in the microwave stirring frequently. Or you can bake at 350 until the cheese is melted. Serve with tortilla chips, celery and anything else you love to dip!

 

Thanks for stopping by y’all. 

I’ll be camping with my fellas and 12 other families this weekend! It’s a pretty safe bet I won’t be talking about football, but it’s a sure thing that I’ll be eatin’ some good food and wearing some fabulous shoes!

Head over to Boo-Mama for more yummy dip-taculal recipes and probably a lot less rambling.

Exactly one month and one day ago, I blogged about a dump truck.

Today, I am mentioning the dump truck again because OHMYWORDITWASWORSETODAY!

Without going into too much detail, my day started with an appointment at a particular Doctor that may or may not use a dump truck in her examinations.

Or at least it felt like a dump truck.

The procedure that was done one month and one day ago will sadly have to be repeated. Today’s procedure was worse than the first. The party, held in my honor was painful.

But, that’s all I’m going to say about that.

You are welcome!

In addition to that, I feel like I could pluck my eyes out with forks because SWEETMERCYTHEYITCHLIKEMAD.

As if that’s not enough, my sweet Alex has some sort of Summer Snot Croup that is causing fever, lack of appetite and sluggishness.

And if you know anything about Alex, you know that is not normal.

I busted out the nebulizer tonight, but I fear it was probably too late. I fully expect to be making a trip to the Dr’s office tomorrow. I am hopeful that I’m wrong.

McDaddy had planned a nice weekend for the two of us as a sort of late anniversary get-away, but sadly, it does not appear we will be able to slip off for the weekend. So, as you might guess I’m a little blah today.

Not my usual shiny, happy self who enjoys talking about the Saturn Sky and reality TV.

I’ll do my best to use what little bit of energy I have left to discuss the injustice taking place in Retail America.

Because you know, every now and again we need to actually learn something around here.

While shopping for school clothes last week with my sweet boys, I was again reminded of the meager offering in the boy’s department.

The girls department is filled with all manner of frills, sparkles, lights, hearts, dogs, bears, cats, stripes, polka-dots, plaid, short, long, tie-dye, hot pink, light pink, medium pink, barely pink, not pink at all and any other color you can imagine. Oh, and need I mention those hoochie mama Bratz doll shirts?

The boys department offers stripes, sports, CARS or super-heroes.

Seriously, it’s a disgrace.

The shoe department plays the same discrimination game.

I saw 437 pairs of little girl shoes that had me drooling and wishing that my baby-bearin’ days weren’t over.

Most of the stores we visited in our quest for the perfect tennis shoe for my boys did not offer EVEN ONE STINKIN PAIR of tennis shoes that fit my proverbial bill (easy to get on, elastic in lieu of strings for Alex, NO velcro, and affordable.)

After making our way to nine stores, we found these

And another pair just like these, except with red trim for Alex. I was thrilled because Stride Rite happened to be in the midst of their Buy-One-Get-One-Half-Off sale which means I was able to sqaunder some cash because mama needs some new shoes, too! The new shoes made Alex talk non-stop about how excited he is to start pre-school.

That boy loves shoes. I’m not sure where he gets that from.

Somewhere out there in Retailville, there is someone with the power to even the playing field.

Mamas like to dress little boys cute, too. Can I get an Amen?

I just don’t get it. It’s all very frustrating.

We did get a post-card from Stevie’s 1st grade teacher in the mail  today. She has big shoes to fill because his Kindergarten teacher was the best. (I had originally written the bomb, but erased it because I’m in my mid-thirties and shouldn’t be using the word ‘the bomb’ to describe a member of the teaching profession.) I hope he has another great year. His teacher, Mrs. P. happens to be the cousin of one of my best buddies and the teacher that I requested for my sweet boy just after being elected PTA President because hello? Shouldn’t being the PTA President have its perks?

Other than that, the day is almost done.

McDaddy is watching Bones.

Surprisingly I have never watched that show. As you might guess, they are talking about all manner of embalming a human body.

Which interests me because I am a freak weird like that and because I recently watched an embalming. It is a really cute show. Cute because I have laughed out loud several times. Not like Criminal Minds where I sit here on pins and needles wondering ‘who done it’ and hiding my eyes when they show the victim.

Unfortunately, I’d rather dig my eyes out than hide them.

OHMYGOSHTHEYITCH.

Ok, that’s all.

I apologize for all the randomness.

Enjoy your weekend, y’all.

To: Stevie and Alex

From: Your Mama

Date: July 26, 2009

RE: Just So You Know

Dear Stevie and Alex:

I don’t have any idea how old you will be when you come to realize that I’ve been “writing some stuff” here at From Inmates To Playdates – some of it about you. It is my hope that you will find it sweet and interesting.

The past 24 weeks of deployment have not been easy for any of us. The two of you have been wonderful. I know you miss daddy very much and I know that he misses you, too! When you are grown, I hope you remember the important role daddy played in your lives. I also hope that you realize how blessed you are to have him in your life. He is a strong Godly example. He is quiet, patient and compassionate with you guys. He is a hard-worker and he is dedicated to his employers, his family, and our God. He is kind and thoughtful. He protects us and he provides for us.

His work takes him about of town more than he would like, but when he is not working, he is fully involved in your lives and in parenting you. He treasures your strengths and your talents. He teaches you and enjoys spending time with you. He adores you both and treasures all of the things you do together.

Just so you know…. We are blessed to be so loved!!!

Love, Mommy

Dear Stevie:

Wow!

Just last night, I sat beside of you in a church-pew and explained communion to you. You had many questions regarding salvation and couldn’t explain why you had tears streaming down your face.

You talked to Pastor Al before leaving church and stated matter-of-fact that you were going to be saved when we got home. Thankfully, the web-cam worked and daddy and I were both able to talk to you about salvation. We were both confident that you understood exactly what salvation was. We listened as you prayed, “Dear Jesus, thank you for the chance to be a Christian!” Stevie, I cannot tell you how proud of you I am. Daddy and I are thrilled that you have made this decision. I will never forget hearing you ask, “Is it okay if I pray different than what you said?” You said your very own prayer to the Lord and I know He smiled down on you!

It is my hope that you always seek guidance and direction from our Lord. I am so thankful to be your mom. You are a joy to parent.

Happy Spiritual Birthday, sweet boy!

Love, Mommy

PS – You did a great job during your music camp performance. I enjoyed watching you sing praises to Jesus.

Dear Alex:

You have been such a great boy this month. You are doing such a great job on the potty. Daddy will be so surprised when he returns home.

You learned to wink this month and it is one off the cutest things I’ve ever seen.

You enjoyed playing with lots of cousins this month. You are a good little traveller who loves to visit new places. I enjoy watching you “be a big boy!” a fact that you continually remind me of. You really are a big-boy. You love shoes, poptarts, shoes, Tom & Jerry, picking mommy flowers, the jeep and “the McDonalds with the play-park.”

Oh, and did I mention that you love shoes?

Not sure where that comes from.

I enjoy being your mommy. You have been such a trooper the past five months. Daddy and I appreciate you being such a great boy! You give the best kisses and hugs a mommy could ask for.

I love you very, very, much!

Love, Mommy

Just So You Know is a monthly letter I write to my two boys, Stevie and Alex.

Last night I crossed another thing off of my “things I want to do sometime” list.

It was quite an evening and one I will never forget. Unfortunately, today is Thursday and I know that my loyal blog fans are looking forward to reading all about the letter “S.” So, I’ll save that post for another day and proceed through the alphabet.

You may recall that I began my Thursday Thirteen Alphabet Edition a few weeks before McDaddy left for his 6-month deployment. If all goes as planned, McDaddy should be returning home around the time we get to the letter “Z.”

I’ll quit rambling (something I excel at!) and get started.

1. SUMMER – Here at the McResidence, we are enjoying our summer. It sure  would be nice to see a little more sunshine though.

2. SONG – There is a song on KLOVE by Jimmy Needhem called Forgiven and Loved. It is my new favorite song right now. I also like “There Will Be A Day” by the wonderfully talented Jeremy Camp.

3. SLEEP – I never seem to get enough. Between the iPhone, the TiVo, the facebook and my friend aDell, I stay up way later than necessary.

4. SALE – Few things excite me quite like a good sale. A 50% off in front of the word is even better.

5. SCARECROW – I love scarecrows. Fall is my favorite season and I have lots of scarecrows. I picked this guy up at a craft fair at our lovely little church.

6. SHAMU – The day after Christmas, the McFamily took a vacation to Disney. We spent one day at Sea World because they were offering free admission for military families. I am always amazed by this guy.

7. SHOES – I counted 45 pairs of shoes in my closet. I found these cute shoes at the JC Penney outlet in Columbus, Ohio. They are not the least bit comfortable.

Here is my favorite shoe. I was never a big fan of the tennis shoes until I found these suckers. May I introduce you to the Nike Air Zoom Hot Shot.

8. SKI – McDaddy loves to ski. Each year, we get together for a ski trip. The guys ski and the gals stay in with the kids, scrapbook and relax. This year, McDaddy and I watched as Stevie had his first ski lesson. After a three-hour lesson, Stevie accompanied McDaddy on the bunny slopes and a couple harder ones.

9. SOLDIER -My favorite soldier. My Hubby. My hero. McDaddy.

10. SPAGHETTI -My favorite meal is spaghetti. My top 3 favorite spaghettis are Olive Garden, my mama’s, my mother-in-laws. (Hi Jean, you made my blog!)

11. SUITCASE – I am currently packing my suitcase for a trip to New Hampshire to see McDaddy’s sister, Angie and her family. Oh, AND. Angie is pregnant with a baby girl. Baby Anna will be the 12th grandbaby in our family. I am praying that Baby Anna makes her debut while we are there.

12. SALAD DRESSING – I love salad BUT I will only eat it if I have salad dressing. My first choice for salad dressing would be blue cheese. Eating a salad without dressing is unheard of.

13. SWITZERLAND – McDaddy and I had the privilege to tour Europe in 2000. We visited Lucerne, Switzerland during that vacation. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Here’s a shot of me and McDaddy at Mt. Pilatus.

I’m not sure why this pic is so small. Hopefully, you can clearly see that I am wearing capri pants and not pegged pants.

Happy Thursday, Ya’ll!

Can you believe I left the Saturn Sky off of my Thursday Thirteen list?

Nah, me neither.