Posts Tagged ‘Thirteen Things’

THIS IS AMERICAN..Simon stop talking… WHAT?

I love that line. Ryan Seacrest, why did you ruin that line? I mean I love you and all, but I look forward to those words each week and when you don’t say them, it’s like you’re cheating on me.

Simon, I love the shirt, dude. So glad you ditched that black tee. It was time.

Okay, so I’m totally playing fast and loose with the whole Thursday Thirteen thing because there are only 12 guys on Idol tonight, but rest assured that I’ll add my two hundred cents and then we’ll round it up to thirteen. Y’all know I’m not good at math.

So…

Todrick Hall- I was tapping my toes in my big, blue, bloggy chair and I liked it. Alot. Even though I have never heard that song. I enjoyed the performance. I enjoyed the vocals and I enjoyed the arrangement. He’s a keeper. And based on the judges’ remarks, I suppose knowing the original version makes a difference because I didn’t agree with them at all. I liked it even more when I found out that he heard it “in his head!”

Sweet mercy, me and Todrick would get along fabulously because I hear things in my head all the time. It’s just not usually a song variation that I hear.

Aaron Kelly – Don’t think I’ve heard this song either. (Can you tell I listen to KLOVE 94% of the time?) This fella is only 16 and the judges are probably going to unload on him because he sounds a bit pitchy to me. I like this kid though. He has a cute face and a good voice.

Jermaine Sellers- Haven’t heard this song for awhile and I wasn’t a big fan of it when it was a hit, but it was okay. Just plain okay. I loved his version of Man In The Mirror during Hollywood Week. “BooBoo the Fool” should have done another Michael Jackson tune. On top of that, he is feisty. And I like feisty.

Careful, Ellen. You’re dangerously close to walking down Ramblin’ Road. Say “hi” to Paula when you get there.

Tim Urban- I know this song. Seems like a weird song choice with all the tuuu laaates, but I’m keeping an open mind. I think this might be the worst song choice ever. Everytime he tries to hit that note, I find myself squinting one eye and cocking my head sideways hoping he can pull the note out at the last minute.. There has to be a better song out there for him. Hopefully he’ll get the chance to bring it, because obviously he forgot it at home this evening.

Joe Munoz – This guy was one of my favorites during Hollywood Week.  He too sang Man In The Mirror and he rocked it out. In my opinion, this wasn’t the best song choice. In fact, it was a bad choice. I was hoping for a little pep in his step. Instead, he tripped over his own feet. He’s probably safe though.

Tyler Grady – Um, no thanks. Not a fan. Pee break.

Movingrightalong.

Lee Dewyze –  Is it just me or does this cat sound strikingly similar to Danny Gokey? Yes, I think so too. My favorite so far. I like the whole scratchy, raspy voice thing. Great performance.

Ellen. Shut it.

Ditto Randy.

Kara. Change your shirt.

Simon. YES YES YES!

Thank you, sir.

John Park – Oh shucks. He reminds me of a lounge singer. Not that I’ve spent much time in lounges, but there was that one time in Vegas when I ended up singing onstage with a band at the Excalibur. But that’s a story for another time. John’s got a great voice but that song didn’t do much for me.

Michael Lynche- Now this boy can sing. Yessir. I like it. He’ll be sticking around a very long time.

Alex Lambert – I like that his voice is different from the rest. Different is good. Just ask me. He seems a bit nervous, but this is the first show, so, I hope he gets to stick around, because hello? his name is Alex. 

Ellen has gone completely bananas.

Casey James – This feller was singing to somebody. You could see it in his eyes. Very good performance.

Andrew Garcia – I liked the version of “Straight Up” that he did during Hollywood week. It was memorable. This guy is one of my favorites even though he’s singing something about going down to a mausoleum. Or something like that. I like his voice and I like those fat diamonds in his ears, too. Nice. Very original.

My favorites were Michael, Alex, Andrew, and Lee.

I think Tyler and his screech might go home this week.

Just my two cents.

Sweet hallelujah, my boy Kris Allen will be in the house tomorrow night. Yes indeed, I will be there.

In a few short days, we will celebrate the lovely holiday associated with heartfelt messages and short, fat arrow bearing cupids. The US Greeting Card Association (Google it!), estimates that nearly one billion valentines are sent throughout the world each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year – behind Christmas, of course. And surprisingly, statistics show that women purchase approximately 85% of all valentines. Ahem!

I am a big fan of the holidays. All of them. I decorate for July 4th, Christmas, Halloween, Easter and Thanksgiving. I enjoy celebrating and I enjoy purchasing and giving gifts. Actually, I am like a little kid when it comes to giving gifts. When you marry someone who enjoys holidays, you are pretty much signing on for a lifetime of expectation and, well, a proverbial pain in the butt.

I love the whole gift thing and McDaddy pretty much knows that I expect gifts on those special days. That doesn’t mean he has to spend a butt-load of money. It just means that it is important to me that he make an effort.

For those of you who are looking for the perfect gift, this blog is for you. Keep in mind that this is my blog, which means it contains items that would excite me. Your significant other may enjoy other things, but, its a pretty safe bet that something on the list will interest her.

1. Jewelry is always nice. Especially, nice jewelry. There’s something about a gift in a little box that was chosen especially for you. Especially a little blue box from Tiffany & Co.

2. Or any other jewelry for that matter.

3. A massage is a great gift. And, if you’re feeling frisky, you can throw in an extra service, like a facial or a pedicure. And, the good thing about a massage is that YOU can actually give the massage, meaning it will cost you nothing. The massage should however, last longer than five minutes and should not come with any strings attached. (Ahem!)

4. & 5. Shoes and purses are always a safe bet. Nothing makes me happier than a new handbag, or a new pair of shoes. A woman and her purse become close friends. So, if you know her style, surprise her. Pick it out yourself.

6. I suppose if you are the type that loves to cook, this cookware from Rachael Ray would delight you. I like this particular cookware because it’s orange, and because it has nice gripper handles and because, you know, it would look great in my cabinets.

7. Remember earlier in this post I mentioned that the value of the gift is not nearly as important as the effort behind the gift? So, if none of these gifts seem to be within your budget, you may want to try one of these. They are free and they need to be done.

Empty the dishwasher.

Run the vacuum.

Give the kiddos a bath.

Do the laundry.

8.Or buy one of these handy suckers to do the work for her,

9. If the special gal in your life enjoys smelling good, perhaps you might look to Ralph Lauren and his peeps for some sweet smelling awesomeness. I wear Romance daily.

10. And speaking of sweet smelling awesomeness, how about some Yankee Candle Cranberry Chutney. My favorite scent.

11. And, if you, like me are getting older and appliances appeal to you, how about these beauties?

12. The greatest invention of my time is always a great gift choice,

13. And my number one wish? Um, no big surprise here. Its not real practical for a stay-at-mom-with-two-kids, but a girl can wish… and dream. In fact, I spend way more time thinking about this car than I should. I have never been a huge car fan, but, my love for this car has grown into a full blown affair. And, since I really LOVE this little ride, I would be remiss if I didn’t include it on this list.

If all else fails, love your mate, and take her on a date!

Happy “V” Day peeps!

It’s time for another fun edition of Where Did You Come From?  Amused, as always!

Check it out!

1. Willmar, Minnesota arrived from google.com on “One Of Those Dreaded Christmas Letters” by searching for christmas letters that people have written.

• Welcome, Willmar! I’m so glad you stopped by! I hope you enjoyed my past Christmas letters. Yes, I am one of those people who send the annual Christmas letter. Don’t hate me. I do hope you’ll continue to drop in!

2. State College, Pennsylvania arrived from google.com on “Over My Dead Body” by searching for longaberger casket.

• Well, this proves that just maybe I’m not as crazy as I thought. State College, P-A, IF you happen to find a Longaberger basket casket, could you let me know, please? I have made it very clear to McDaddy that IF a Longaberger casket basket is not available, I want to be buried in the very best – a solid mahogany casket. Notice I said solid & mahogany, not pressed & wood. Oh, and if you’re interested, you can read all about my funeral plans, right here.

3. Deltona, Florida arrived from google.com on “God’s Word – From Inmates to Playdates” by searching for god’s promises for inmates.

• Hey Deltona, Florida, guess what? God cares for you and cares about you! Hold tight to His promises, cling to His word, and know that He will meet you where you are! I hope you seek Him during this difficult time in your life! 

4. Gresham, Oregon arrived from google.com on “Wow! That’s weird. – From Inmates to Playdates” by searching for child swallowed tip of plastic fork.

• What’s up, Gresham? I’ve never had a child to swallow the tip of a plastic fork. However. However, I suspect it’s just as crappy searching for the plastic tip of the fork as it is for a penny, which by the way my child swallowed. Ahem! Welcome to the crappy club, sister.

5. Indianapolis, Indiana arrived from bing.com on “Wet T-Shirt Contest” by searching for t-shirt wet contest.

• Seriously, this whole Wet T-shirt contest post has sent me tons of visitors on Google. Indianapolis, I’m sure you were disappointed about MY wet t-shirt post. There were 15 or so of us gals playing a game at a Ladies Retreat attempting to thaw a frozen t-shirt faster than the other team. Yes, as a matter of fact, we do know how to party!

6. Santa Cruz, El Beni arrived from search.yahoo.com on “2009 May” by searching for rotator flight out of gtmo.

• Hello Santa Cruz, I’m so glad you’re here! My hope is that you do not have a loved one deployed at GTMO. However, if you do, you should totally make the trip. Despite all that is happening there, it is a beautiful place. Me and my sweet boys spent a wonderful week there while McDaddy was deployed over there. Good luck to you!!!

7. Sylvan Lake, Alberta arrived from google.ca on “Stupid Cold Sores” by searching for stupid cold sore.

• Hello Sylvan, cold sores suck. Period. Oh, and their stupid, too.

8. Sacramento, California arrived from google.com on “Stupid Cold Sores” by searching for cold sores are stupid.

• Hi Sacramento, Ditto to you on the cold sores. Stupid. Sucky.

9. Ypsilanti, Michigan arrived from google.com on “2009 January 03″ by searching for personalized plates ideas saturn sky.

• Yikes, hey Ypsilanti (sheesh, that’s a tough one!). First, if you happen to work for GM and are searching for a personalized plate for the new Saturn Sky that y’all plan to giveme, please, let me give you some ideas – 1. TOPLESS (ha! sorry, I had to!), 2. My Sky, 3. Gr8Sky, 4. SxySky, 5. Gr8Sky, 6. SeeYa, 7. Blessed, 8. James4 2, or just anything at all you want to put on it would be fine with me! *crossing fingers!*  

10. Mandeville, Louisiana arrived from google.com on “Thursday Thirteen – 13 Vehicles We’ve Owned” by searching for how to bleed brakes for a 1996 toyota camry.

• Mandeville, Louisiana, I’m sorry to say that you probably didn’t find what you were looking for as I know nothing of the bleeding of the brakes. Now McDaddy on the other hand, he could tell you all you need to know about the brakes and the bleeding. Interesting enough though, I loved my 1996 Toyota Camry. It was a great ride.

11. Cincinnati, Ohio arrived from google.com on “Thursday Thirteen – Can “U” Do It?” by searching for What can u do with a spatula.

• Hi Cincinnati! Um, I must admit that I don’t do much with a spatula because I don’t spend any more time than necessary in my kitchen. However, my top uses for a spatula would be scraping mashed potatoes from the bowl or cake mix from the bowl. Unless you are McDaddy who mistakenly calls a turner, a spatula, but don’t hold that against him. He’s a good guy even though he gets a bit confused about kitchen utensils.

12. Syracuse, New York arrived from google.com on “Wet T-Shirt Contest” by searching for 2009 Nap Wet T Shirt Contest.

• Okay, so I have no idea what Nap Wet T Shirt Contest is, but I can tell you that 4-5 per day end up here on my doorstep searching for that very thing. I tried to hook up over at Google, but something told me to turn back, so, Syracuse, if you’re still here, can you fill me in? Please?

13. Costa Mesa, California arrived from google.com on “From Inmates to Playdates” by searching for julie little lowes.

• Hey Costa Mesa, how goes it? I have no idea who Julie Little Lowes is, but I can tell you that there’s not a whole lot of little on this Julie unless you’re talking about my math skills. Oh, and I did go to the Lowes over the weekend.

Happy Thursday, y’all!

For today’s You Capture, Beth challenged us to find love around your home.

This was an easy (and great) challenge because there are so many things in our home that I love! 

I chose thirteen things because, well, it’s Thursday and that’s what I do on Thursdays!

1. My bed – OH. MY. LANDS. I love, love, love my bed! Between the Facebook, the DVR, and the Blog, I don’t spend nearly as much time in it as I would like, but, that’s my own fault. Hear me. I love our bed!

2. McDaddy’s sister and her hubby are photographers. They designed this masterpiece which I totally adore! The verse at the bottom says, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Romans 12:10″  Love. This.

3. This is my wedding bouquet (which is silk) and it is displayed beautifully in our hallway. I’ve loved this from the minute I picked it up!

4. This little gem is my baby blanket made by my aunt. It’s as old as I am which means its been around awhile. I recently had a friend from church add the satin trim, because the original trim was ripped and fraying. I smile everytime I look at it thinking about how special it is.

5. This quilt hangs from the railing in our loft. It was quilted by my great-grandma. Before I knew anything about quilting, I looked at this as nothing more than a blanket. However. Once, I learned a little bit about quilting and the gigantic amount of work that it is, I looked at this quilt much differently. It is one of the few items in my possession that belonged to my great-grandparents.

6. McDaddy remodeled our bathroom almost single-handedly. Our double bowl sink features these bad boys. I LOVE! these faucets. They are so different from any I’ve ever seen before and I love different. Sometimes I walk into our bathroom just to turn the faucet on.

7. Sweet mercy, where would I be without my beloved TiVo. Until the iPhone walked into my life, I considered the TiVo to be the best invention of my time. I LOVE the convenience the DVR affords.

8. And speaking of the iPhone… genius, pure genius and of course, MUCH LOVE!

9. This is my drug of choice. It is also known as Dr. Pepper. I love it, but I do not love the calories.

10. I LOVE my fellas and my fellas LOVE the Wii.

11. So this sexy, sleek Saturn Sky isn’t necessarily at my house, but I would LOVE for it to be. And since the folks at Saturn did away with the Saturn Sky (boo!) maybe they have an extra one sittin’ on a lot somewhere needing a home.

Look no further.

I would welcome the Sky with open arms and I would LOVE it forever and ever.

Hallelujah. And amen.

12. Now, let’s just pretend for one second that my camera is actually focused.

I love Longaberger baskets. I became a consultant because I collected them. And because McDaddy enjoys the fact that I can now purchase them at a discount. LOVE Longaberger and I love discounts.

13. Did I mention that I love my fellas?

Like I said. Lots of love around our home. I am one blessed gal!

——

This post is linked to You Capture over at I Should Be Folding Laundry.

One of the things I received in my Christmas stocking this year was an iTunes gift card.

I was pretty excited because I keep a running list (ahem!) on my iPhone of songs I want to get from iTunes. Unfortunately for me, I forgot that I had the list and went on iTunes all willy nilly looking for some old school tunes.

I thought it would be fun to share those selections because y’all I got some really good stuff. Perhaps some of them will trigger some memories from back in the day.

1. Wayfaring Stranger – (SELAH) – This one isn’t so old school. In fact it’s more new school, but I discovered Selah about a year ago and I really like them a lot. My favorite song of theirs, a medley, Precious Lord, Take My Hand / Just A Closer Walk With Thee was the first song of theirs I purchased.  Oh, and in case you’ve lost sleep wondering how to pronounce their name, it is pronounced SAY-LA. You. are. welcome.

2. Must Be Doin’ Something Right - (BILLY CURRINGTON) – I like this song because of the line that says, “And close those deep, blue, need you, eyes!” Because I need McDaddy and most days he can see it in my deep blue, need you, eyes.

3. Father Figure – (GEORGE MICHAEL) – Circa 1987. This reminds me of my majorette days at Horace Mann Junior High School.

4. Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me – (GEORGE MICHAEL & ELTON JOHN) – I like the part in this song where George Michael says, “Ladies and Gentleman, Mr. Elton John!” I like the piano parts, too.

5. Do Me! – (BELL BIV DEVOE) – Oh. My. Word. This song makes me smile so much. Back in the 90’s, this was one of my favorite songs. I also liked their song, Poison. I think this will be a great song to listen to when I’m rekindling my relationship with the stinkin’ treadmill.

6. Every Little Step - (BOBBY BROWN) - If I had a dollar for every lap I roller skated to one of Bobby Brown’s songs, I could buy me something real nice. I probably shot the duck to his songs too, but sadly, my duck-shootin’ days are over. Him and Paula Abdul’s hits were great to skate to.

7. At This Moment - (Billy Vera & The Beaters) – I’m not sure why I like this song, but I do. It was one of the first songs I ever recorded from the radio on one of my many Compilation Tapes (many of which I still have to this day thankyouverymuch!). I love the whole “WHATWOULD You Think, I would do at this moment when I’m faced with the knowledge that YOU just don’t love me!” That really is a great piece of work regardless of the lyrics. LOVE IT!

8. The River Of Dreams  – (Billy Joel) – This song makes me want to dance. I blasted this song many-a-times in my first car, a Buick Regal (aka as The Skregal).

9. Need You Tonight – (INXS) – “There’s something about you girl, that makes me sweat – I’m lonely – AHHHH!” A great tune and some even better music. Again, another great treadmill tune!

10. The Living Years – (Mike & The Mechanics) – Another one of those songs that has special meaning to me. Back in 1988 (if my memory serves me) a friend of mine lost his mother to cancer. This song was a hit during that time and reminds me of my friend every time I hear it.

11. Every Breath You Take – (The Police) – “I’ll be watchin’ you!” Enough said.

12. Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now - (Starship) – Remember the movie Mannequin? This was the hit song from that movie and again, it reminds me of my Junior High School days.

13. One More Try – (George Michael) – What can I say? I loved me some George Michael back in the day AND I still love his music.

Now, wasn’t that fun? Yes, I thought so!

Next week: Stevie has claimed my Thursday Thirteen for another picturefest of Random Things Around The House. Hope to see you there!

Earlier this week, Jo-Lynne over at Musings of a Housewife mentioned she would be doing a fun bloggy carnival recap of 2009 using the first sentence (or two because I come from a long line of loud) to compile a year in review post. I thought it would be fun to play along.

As I think back on 2009 and the hand it dealt, I remember lots of tears. Ten days into the year, I was shocked to learn that a dear friend had lost his life in a car accident. Three weeks later, our family embarked on a difficult deployment journey. It was not easy, but we made it and I remember to thank God daily for togetherness. 2009 also gave us a new niece (Lydia Kate) along with two more nieces on the way!

In some cases (like January) I had to move on to the second post because the first “sentence” was just a word like WOW!  or some kind of tangent (ahem!). I also discovered that I use some r-e-a-l-l-y long sentences so, you’ll have to bear with me!

 JANUARY

I am so happy to report that all manner of Christmas decorations have been stowed away in our loft for another year and my big, blue, bloggy [BBB] chair is back in place at the McResidence. I am coming to you from the BBB Chair and tonight I thought I’d write a post about my funeral.

Ah, my funeral. Must. Read. Now.

FEBRUARY

Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.  Psalm 55:17

Day 2 of deployment. It’s going to be a L-O-N-G six months people.

MARCH

Things not to ask me about today.

Sheesh. I’m guessing from the tone in this post, it is a very long list.

APRIL

Typically, when I have a problem, I consult nag McDaddy.

Oh, Internets, I’m not so sure I would call it nagging, but McDaddy probably would!

MAY

Three months and one day ago, my boys and I watched as McDaddy boarded a plane to fulfill a 6-month deployment responsibility with the WV Air National Guard.

Easily, one of the worst days of my life.

JUNE

I am so excited to announce that I finally completed a project that I’ve been wanting to do since we moved into our house seven years ago.

The finished project looks awesome!

JULY

Wow.

Obviously, when the idea of Thursday Thirteen – The Alphabet edition popped into my head 20 some odd weeks ago, I gave little thought to what might happen when it was time for me to come up with thirteen words that begin with the letter U.

Because seriously?

 Have you ever thought about “U” words?

(I know, I know! That’s a lot more than just the first sentence. What can I say? I love to tease. After all I did do 26 weeks of Thursday Thirteens going through the entire alphabet during the stupid deployment!)

AUGUST

We’ve had six months of tears, doubt and massive heartache. I didn’t even mind fighthing with 30 red, white and blue balloons because they were all tangled together and because the wind was blowing like mad.

Folks, after six long months, IT IS OVER!

SEPTEMBER

I am the most organized person I know.

May I introduce you to Braggy McBraggerson?

OCTOBER

I’ve got a busy weekend ahead of me and I have about 4,387 things on my to-do list.

Apparently, October 1, 2009 was a pretty typical day in the life of me!

NOVEMBER

This was hardly a typical shopping experience.

You can say that again!

DECEMBER

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.

Just another post about some Things I Learned This Week.

And if that’s not enough crazy for you (and also because this will serve as my Thursday Thirteen post this week) you can go read about some other really weird stuff.

Thanks for stopping by Inmates! 

Although I have no idea what 2010 has in store for the McFamily, I am sure of God’s grace and mercy in our lives today and everyday!

Happy New Year, Internets!

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!

I seriously considered telling you about 13 things I want for Christmas, but coming up with thirteen things I’d like to have seems like a lot of work at this hour. My time would be better spent placing the gold beads (garland) on my Christmas tree so that it would be complete. I am kicking around the idea of attempting it solo because McDaddy is not here. While it may seem like an easy job for one person, perhaps I should let you know that our tree is 9 feet tall which means I would have to stand on a bar stool which means that danger is imminent because, well, I am clumsy enough without climbing onto a bar-stool and attempting to balance myself without falling off or tipping the stool.

However.

I have a condition called Iwantitdonerightnow, so it looks like I’ll be throwing caution to the wind and climbing on that bar-stool here directly.

Wish me luck!

But for now, may I present 13 things I could live without, in no particular order except the order they fly out of my head.

1. Olives – I don’t get it. They stink, they taste bad and they are expensive. That’s a triple whammy in my book.

2. Gnomes – Again, I don’t get it (them!) They are ugly and useless. The very fact that gnomes made this list, makes me shake my head wondering what made me even think of gnomes.

3. My Phone Ringing Before 9:00 am -  If you are not dead or bleeding, or calling about someone who is dead or bleeding, you should not be calling the McResidence under any circumstance. Period. Thank you, and Amen!

4. GEICO commercials featuring those stupid cave-men -Who came up with this marketing campaign? Whomever they are, they should be fired immediately. The caveman thing is the dumbest commercial campaign EVER!

5. LOL- I triple hate the whole LOL thing. You will never, and I repeat never, see my name associated with any LOL or OMG or TTYL or LMBO. They are showing up more and more on The Facebook. I do use these from time to time, or even this but never a three or four letter combo. 

6. ICY ROADS- I am a scaredy cat when it comes to icy roads. I have no confidence and I live on a big, freakin, hill, so, icy roads + me = danger!

7. CAPPUCCINO – I know I’m going to rile some feathers with this one.. Why anyone would spend $6.00 on a ridiculously high calorie hot beverage is beyond me. I like a good (cheap) cup of hot chocolate from time to time, but those expensive, over-priced (not the same thing!) high calorie hot drinks do nothing for me. I even tried a (very expensive) cup of hot chocolate at Starbucks one time. It was the worst cup of hot chocolate I ever drank and after two sips I tossed it in a garbage can. Big. Waste. Of. Money.

8. SPRITE and 7-UP - I don’t remember ever hating these lemony-lime drinks, but now that I’m an adult, I’d just as soon drink water than try to force this crap down my throat. If its a day or so flat, it’s ten times worse. Complete nastiness!

9. DUST – Sweet mercy, where does it all come from? The very second I dust the TV and its stand, particles land right back on the silly thing. The attempt almost seems useless.I don’t mind cleaning. I really don’t. I do mind dusting.

10.  HACKERS- With all of my heart, I firmly believe there is a special place reserved in a really hot place for those individuals who get their kicks from hacking into other people’s computer accounts. It’s no secret that I am as nosey as the next gal, however! However, those who hack into Facebook accounts, bank accounts, e-mail accounts, and any other account out there need to be banned from the internet for life. Even someone as nosey as me knows that there are limits.

11.  BLOGGER COMMENT BOXES WITHOUT THE NAME/URL OPTION- Okay, if your blog is hosted by Blogger, I have a question. When I try to leave a comment on a blogger blog without the name/url option, I get an error message telling me to please sign in to Google or something I can’t remember right off. I’ve signed (logged?) in to Google about three trillion times and it never ever remembers me. I get the same stupid message which I wish I could remember because I’ve been wanting to make this plea for a long time! So, my question (and you thought I’d never get to the question) is why do some of you opt not to allow the name/url option? (And yes, I am totally going on the search right now for a comment box like the one I speak of!)

Okay, I found one. It says Choose an Identity. GOOGLE ACCOUNT and has a place for a user account and password. It also has an option for Open ID. Only once you click on Open ID, there is no Open ID option. 

When presented with this screen, I have no idea what to do. 

If you are still reading, bless your soul, because I know its possible you might not be understanding any of this Number 11. 

Comments are hard to come by and I think bloggers should make it easy peasy for readers to leave comments. When I see that option, I just mumble something and go on my merry way!

Have you ever noticed that the further I get into my list, the lenghthier the commentary?

12. DIAL UP INTERNET SERVICE - Thankfully, we are blessed with The DSL here at the McResidence, however, there are still those who must deal with the ridiculousness of the Dial Up. It is beyond me how we can put a man on the moon or how we can offer shoes buy one get one free but we can’t find a way to provide DSL to every neighborhood in America.

Now, I recognize that I know very little about the infrastructure of the internet, however, (man, there are lots of howevers tonight!) I know that someone somewhere has the means and the money to make this happen.

13. ENERGY SAVING LIGHTBULBS- I’m just full of myself today.. don’t ya think?  I know there are a few of you out there who will not agree with me on this. Remember about ten (very long) paragraphs ago when I mentioned that I am a “wantitdonerightnow” kind of girl. That means that when I flip a switch, I expect the light to come on full force immediately. Not three minutes from now.

My word. I’m aggravated just thinking about these thirteen things.

Enjoy your Thursday, y’all!

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!