From Inmates to Playdates

Posts Tagged ‘TiVo’

It is no secret that I love me some reality TV.

It is also no secret that I am in awe of the invention that is the TiVo.

You see, years ago back when I had a VCR that would automatically fast forward through the commercials, I thought I was enjoying a little bit of heaven on earth, because the thing fast forwarding itself through the commercials meant I didn’t have to worry about getting whatever snack I was eating on the remote. It also meant my hands were free for other things like poking my eyeballs out with forks everytime I forgot to change my VCR tape because unfortunately the thing couldn’t change its own tape.

There was madness in it, I tell you.

Today though, I have the luxury of watching shows I would not normally get to watch simply because we have room on the TiVo for yet another show. In fact, I record some shows just so I have something to watch on the off occasion that Desperate Housewives and Greys Anatomy are both stinkin’ reruns that week. Much to McDaddy’s dismay, I always have some Dr. Phil, the Joy Bahar Show (which he hates by the way!), a list of TiVo suggestions, and even some Oprah for when TV times really get hard.

In my defense I don’t watch a whole lot of Oprah or Dr. Phil anymore although there was a time when I hated to miss a single episode because who doesn’t want to watch the train wreck that is The Dr. Phil Show. In addition to that I haven’t really watched The Bold and The Beautiful since McDaddy was deployed, but I still feel a sense of responsibility to record it because the thought of starting something and not finishing it eats at me until I can’t see straight. So, I record it on the off chance that I get the urge to to rekindle my relationship with Don Diamont who left the sweet, innocent Genoa City, Wisconsin for the bright exciting lights of Los Angeles.

Anyway, what I really started to say before I got off on a rant about my daily docket is that I really love my TiVo. Until the iPhone came along, I considered the TiVo the best invention of my time, but alas, I would have to say the iPhone supassed the TiVo 412 APPS ago. So, I said all that to say that I am arriving home after an evening of meeting my newest niece, Kessa Angeline (who is a living doll by the way!) and American Idol is in full swing. If I still had to depend on the VCR and its contrary ways, I would have to wait until it was over to start my live blogging session to link up over at Boo Mama’s place. But because the TiVo in all it’s glory is hard at work, I can start it right now – a full one hour and three minutes after airing – and live blog the whole thing. So yeah, The TiVo Works For Me!

THIS is American Idol.

Katie Stevens – This gal is such a cutie. It’s hard to say anything bad about her because she is so young. I’m not so sure this was the best song for her because it sounds a bit flat to me. And I mean that in the nicest way because after all, she is so stinkin’ young. The Judges are not impressed, but I don’t really understand that because hello? Younger song. Who you are as an artist. Current. Song is too big. Speaking of poking my eyeballs out… this gal can’t win.

Siobhan Magnus  – Some kind of song about animals in a house with a rising sun. This should be interesting. I’d say all in all Siobhan did a decent job on the song, but it all seemed a bit depressing to me. I agree with Simon (whom I am going to miss terribly next season by the way!).

Lacey Brown - Oh, the pink hair. Why? Just why? Oh. My. Word. As I typed that last sentence, I am sure I heard her say, ”they didn’t know my hair was a mess?” Sweet mercy. She hit that on the head. Pun intended. Not a fan of that song AT ALL. As I suspected the judges love it. I don’t get it.

Katelyn Epperly – The whole antique keyboard thing seems like a bit much to me, but I guess this is a singing show and I should stick to the singing performances. The song didn’t do a whole lot for me even though she did sing it well. Hum, Randy must have heard me.

Didi Benami – Sweet Mercy, what is it with these dreary songs? This song does absolutely nothing for me, however, I love Didi’s voice. She reminds me of Colbie Calliat. In the words of Paula Abdul though, she looks amazing!

Paige Miles – Here we go again. I feel like I’m on a long road to nowhere. Again the song didn’t do much for me, but she sounded okay singing it.  Is it just me or does this gal have some beautiful eyes?

Crystal Bowersox – If this night is to be saved, I think she’ll do it. Easily, the best performance so far tonight. I’m actually rocking back and forth and enjoying this performance. You go, girl!

Lilly Scott – Good song. Good performance. Sadly, it was really good because all the rest were just so average. 

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For more Works For Me Wednesday posts, head over to Rocks In My Dryer.

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!

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

We’ve had a great week here at the McResidence.

McDaddy was gone three days last week and will be gone three days this week, so that means I’ll be flying solo here with my sweet fellas. I’ve been busier than a raccoon in a trash-pile this weekend as I shuffled everyone back and forth and here and yonder. Now, I’m curled up in my big, blue, bloggy chair with my laptop, my TiVo remote and my Nielsen TV viewing diary.

That’s what I HAVE been doing.

Here’s what I haven’t been doing. Ahem!

It wasn’t me who felt like a teenage girl out with her boyfriend on Friday night on a date. Because me and McDaddy have been married for eleven years and we shouldn’t be acting like a couple of kids.

On Friday, I did not try on an outfit that I had planned on wearing to a special Veteran’s Service at our church on Sunday morning only to be told by my four-year-old that the outfit “looked silly!”

McDaddy and I definitely did not spend half of our evening scouring the mall for an outfit that did not look silly for the service.

And after purchasing a “not silly” outfit, I certainly did NOT tell McDaddy that I was to be buried in it if something were to happen to me because how weird would that be?

(Remember the post about my funeral where I mentioned I wanted to be buried in red?)

It also wasn’t me who ate half of a batch of chocolate-chip-cookies that were made especially for McDaddy by a lady at our church because I certainly don’t need to eat a half-a-batch of cookies. 

But they were full of deliciousness.

I didn’t have my heart shattered in a million pieces as they whisked my sweet Alex into surgery on Tuesday.

Oh my sweet mercy, I am so thankful it all worked out.

I did not tear up this evening when I went in to pray with Stevie and he explained that his teddy-bear, Milo was on a shelf beside his bed because he was a big-boy and no longer needs to sleep with a stuffed animal.

Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. I hate this growing up thing!

It’s not me who is cutting this post short because I’m so sleepy I can barely hold my eyes open because I am never THAT tired.

Visit MckMama and her Not Me! Monday bloggy carnival for some interesting things that people most certainly did NOT do this week.

A few weeks ago I received a little white post-card in the mail. A post-card that smiled up at me as if we were long, lost friends.

If I had a little more energy, I’d go grab the card and snap a picture of it to share here on the blog.

Instead, it is buried on my kitchen counter among gobs and gobs of debris, papers and bills.

The little white card was from the fine folks at Nielsen informing me that the McFamily has been selected to participate in their television viewing ratings.

Oh sweet mercy, they have no idea they are about to unleash a monster.

A television viewing fool monster.

A few days ago, I received these in the mail.

These, my friend are the keys to the kingdom.

The TV Viewing Kingdom. And, I’VE got the power.

It is all a little more than I can handle. I carefully filled out the diaries earlier today taking note of the correct procedure for documenting my favorite shows. It could take me and my OCD half the night to get it all recorded correctly. Sadly, McDaddy will be absent most of the week which means that Extreme 4×4 and Bones won’t get their proverbial due because he’s not at home to watch his favorite shows. I’ll also be responsible for recording Stevie and Alex’s favorite shows which means I’ll have to document countless episodes of  Tom and Jerry, Monster Jam and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for the next seven days.

So far I’ve recorded Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Wheel of Fortune, Grey’s Anatomy, and Private Practice. This is the first time I’ve watched Private Practice by the way. It’s a really good show! 

I suspect I’ll be a busy girl this week.

I’d like to thank the fine folks at Nielsen for choosing my family. I’m not sure how we were chosen, but I can assure you, I will take this job seriously. Especially seeing as how I’m being compensated for my time and effort.

Yessir, folks.

Five of the crispest dollars you’ll ever see.

Seriously, I think they’re brand spankin’ new.

Don’t tell the fine folks at Nielsen, but I would have done this gig for free.

But since they saw fit to pay me, I’ll take my five bucks and spend it wisely.

Have a great weekend, y’all!

I know there are at least eight of you visiting today hoping to find Thursday Thirteen.

I’m sorry to say that Thursday Thirteen will not be making an appearance today because my body has been invaded by the stupid flu. It is all I can do to keep my food down, much less come up with thirteen thought provoking (ahem!) statements.

Instead, I am publishing my You Capture because there will be at least twelve people visiting from I Should Be Folding Laundry to see what I captured for this week’s technology theme.

Can I just say that I love technology. I am thankful for technology. Me and the technology are friends.

First, I’ll start off with this….

My beloved Hoopty Dell Laptop with a messed-up jack in the back. Man, with that ‘macro’ setting you can see dust and all. I love it when my artsy-fartsy photos turn out looking something other than artsy-fartsy. This happens to look like a dusty laptop keyboard.

And how about this…

My children will probably never ever be introduced to an encyclopedia. Stevie did his first-ever- report today on The Camel and we turned to our good friends at Wikipedia for information and pictures. It reminded me of all the years I spent combing through the pages of the Encyclopedias looking for information for various reports throughout my academic career.

And we can’t forget this….

Hotmail, I love you!

Gone are the days when I would walk to my mailbox to discover a hand-written letter. A quick e-mail with a smiley face at the bottom is generally as good as it gets these days. I do use the heck out of hotmail, though.

And we can’t forget this guy….

Me and the TiVo are tight. I considered this the best invention of my time for a number of years, until this cat came along and knocked the TiVo right off its technological high horse…..

Oh internets, I cannot tell you how happy my beloved iPhone makes me. At my fingertips, I can listen to K-Love, read From Inmates To Playdates, e-mail a picture, find the nearest Olive Garden, calculate a tip split three ways on a $46.84 check, call my mama, view Target’s sales ad, make fart sounds, peruse Facebook, see my social calendar, get a list of movies playing at our local theater, post a tweet, play video poker, look up a phone number, purchase I’d Need A Savior on iTunes, find my house on Google Earth, check my e-mail, look at You Tube, play Toobz, record my voice, look at Photobucket, listen to my iPod, check the weather for the next ten days, and endless, countless other stuff. Seriously.

This thing is a technological gem.

What a fun week this You Capture week has been.

Be sure to visit I Should Be Folding Laundry for other technological type stuff.

Last week I mentioned that the fate of What I Learned This Week was up in the air because Jo-Lynne wasn’t sure if she would continue it. Well, (cupping hands around mouth and yelling loudly) I’M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THE WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK PARTY WILL CONTINUE ON, OVER AT MUSINGS OF A HOUSEWIFE!

It appears that we too will party on, internets!

Excuse me while I find my inside voice.

It has been another exhausting week. I know many all of y’all are tired of my constant talking whining about being overworked and overpaid. Oh, wait I don’t get paid. How ’bout lets just make that overworked.

As I was saying, I keep hoping that next week will be slower. There doesn’t appear to be end in sight though between the PTA, The School Consolidation, The Ladies Retreat, Stevie’s first-ever-report on The Camel, The Fall Party at Stevie’s School, and of course the daily responsibilities here at the company McResidence where I manage housekeeping, nutrition, discipline, entertainment, education, the mail room, appointments, pharmaceutical needs, and hygiene. It’s no wonder I never stop.

My poor van looks like a hurricane has tossed its contents about and I am in desperate need of rekindling my romance with the treadmill at the gym.

But that’s probably enough complaining for one post.

Let me get on with the point.

As if there is one.

Things I Learned This Week… in no particular order…

1. A first grader gets his clothes more muddier at recess than a Kindergartner does.

2. After a little inquiry as to the muddy clothes after the third. day. in. a. row., my first-grader informed me that “the girls chase him everyday and I have to run so fast to get away from them that sometimes I fall.” Wellalrightythen!

3. Fry Pies made in the Amish Country are delightful. A few of the gals on the bus trip this weekend, all bought a dozen pies. I bought one. I have regretted that decision ever since the first bite of fry pie met my lips.

4. First Graders have a LOT of homework.

5. I learned the hard way that when you are on a bus-trip and you pack a bag with a change of clothes, adequate underwear, extra socks and loads of other stuff, you should not leave the bag on the floor because there is a very good chance that someone, somewhere will spill something all over the floor, drenching the bottom of the bag, along with its contents. That whole scenario will remind you that you knew better.

I realize many of you are probably scratching your head at the words ‘adequate’ and ‘underwear’ in that last sentence. I’ll just say that it is one of my many quirks and leave it at that. Only if you know me, you know that I hardly ever leave it at that. The fact is that I never leave home without at least one pair of underwear. I know some of you are hollering, “TMI!”

6. I learned that I will obviously share almost anything on the blog.

7. Nielsen Ratings have no problem calling before 9:00 am on a Saturday morning. If you know me, you know that I detest callers before 9:00 am, most especially on a Saturday morning. Period. I was polite however, because I am being paid by the good folks at Nielsen to complete a survey about my television viewing habits in November. It is safe to say I will not be available during the week of November 12thbecause I will be busy recording the hundreds of shows I watch in my little white viewing book. Oh little TiVo, don’t fail me now!

8. I have been looking for the CARS character, Giovanni for months at the Mart of Walls and the store with the big, red, bulls eye. Apparently, the car is not labeled with the name, “Giovanni.” It is labeled “Ferrari” and it is red. And, if you just so happen to find it at the flea market in the Amish Country, you can count on paying at least double for it. You know, because the Amish folk have to pay for their horses and these days, times are tough for everyone!

9. When your kid has been challenged to peddle 25 tubs of cookie dough to win a ride to McDonalds for lunch in a Hummer Limousine, you will go to the ends of the Earth, (or at least Facebook) to find enough jokers people to pay $14.00 for 3 pounds of cookie dough.

10. A nice even list makes me smile.

That’s it for this week, folks!

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This post is linked to Jo-Lynne’s What I Learned This Week Bloggy Carnival!

Every morning while getting dressed, I listen to K-Love.

As I applied the last bit of make-up to my sleepy eyes, I had to laugh as I listened to the news story about the “most annoying words,” as reported by 47 percent of Americans surveyed in a Marist College poll.

I am good friends with the words.

“Whatever”

“You Know”

“Anyway”

“It is what it is”

And, “At the end of the day”

Friends, I can honestly say that I say whatever about 324 times per day. And, I’ve been known to throw out “It is what it is” and “At the end of the day” several times over the past few days.

Whatever.

See. I told you I say it all the time.

McDaddy would add “Amazing” and “think good thoughts” to the list.

There are lots of things that annoy me.

*Big gasp from the crowd*

McDaddy mentioned he wanted to get to bed early.

I mentioned I’d be joining him just as soon as I wrote a blog post about things that annoy me

And he responded with something like, “So you’ll be in bed by next year?”

And I was all like, “Yes, something like that!”

(Am I too old to say, “I was all like?”)

I’ll just start by saying that this list is just a sampling of the big ole stack of annoyances that aggravate the snot out of me.

Given the time and the energy I could clog up this here wordpress dashboard with things that annoy me. I’ll do my best to keep it short.

Things that annoy me, in no particular order….

• My stupid computer cord. Remember a few weeks ago when I made a plea to McDaddy for a new computer cord and y’all had my back and pleaded with him on my behalf? Well, your pleas were heard and he ordered a new cord for my hoopty laptop. Only the laptop is still having problems. As it turns out, it is not the cord that was the problem. It is the jack in the back of the laptop that is the problem. Just my luck. Anyway, now McDaddy has to take the laptop apart and work his magic to repair it.
• When the grocery bags rip before I get them into the house.
• When the Asplundh folks block our one-lane road for weeks to cut tress down trees marked for death by American Electric Power and I return home to find 4/6 of them sitting on the side of the road doing absolutely nothing four days in a row.
• When Amazing Race on my TiVo is replaced with someone on Sixty Minutes flapping their jaws about something not nearly as interesting as ten teams travelling around the world in a quest to win $1,000,000. NFL should get an earlier start.
• When McDaddy leaves the lid up on the washing machine.
• When a telemarketer who can barely speak the English language rings my phone asking me questions I can barely understand.
• The people that call from the vehicle warranty place telling me that my vehicle warranty is about to expire if I don’t hold on and talk to the annoying person on the other line that has no clue what model or make of car I drive.
• Commercials
• When people park crooked and take up two spaces
• When I chip my toe-nail polish after a pedicure.
• When something doesn’t work as it should (Roomba, vacuum cleaner, the candy-filled telephones I bought for the boys at Wal-greens yesterday)
• A 20% remaining battery warning on my beloved iPhone
• When people don’t follow rules
• When cars are approaching a construction area and instead of merging into traffic, they drive past the stopped traffic to the front of the line and they flip on their blinker expecting the front car to ‘let them in’
• The K. County School Board
• Flossing
• Flat Dr. Pepper
• Temper Tantrums
• Cluttered stuff
• Needing gas when I’m in a super big hurry
• Slow internet service
• Finding a spelling mistake in a blog post after posting it
• Dust
• When the boys hound me about “watching a show in the van every single time we get in it to go somewhere”
• The toes on my left foot because they will not go together like the ones on my right foot.
• Clumpy mascara
• Hair products that make my hair feel like plastic

Okay, I guess you get the picture.

What can I say? It is what it is.

Whatever.

At the end of the day, I’m just a crazy-stay-at-home-mom with a truck-load of quirks.

Thanks for stopping by here for a daily dose of crazy.

Have a great weekend, y’all!

It’s late and I’m tired.

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

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

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

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

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

Best. Invention. Of. My. Time.

Seriously.

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

1. The View.

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

2. America’s Got Talent

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

3. The Young And The Restless

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

4. Tom & Jerry

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

5. Monster Jam

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

6. Survivor: Samoa

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

7. I Want A Dog For Christmas Charlie Brown

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

8. Dancing With The Stars

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

9. Bones

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

10. Auto B. Good

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

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

11. Xtreme 4X4

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

Blah. Blah. and more Blah.

12. Sherri

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

13. Thomas And Friends

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

Wow.

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

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

That’s a wrap. Night y’all.

It’s Thursday.

And you know what ‘It’s Thursday” means.

Another lively edition of  “Thursday Thirteen!” This thing is winding down one week at a time – each week bringing usme one week closer to my sweet McDaddy returning home from a L-O-N-G-B-O-R-I-N-G deployment.

In the meantime, I fill my days as full as I can in an attempt to pass the time.

At this very moment, I’m sitting in my big, blue, bloggy chair with my laptop, a bag of gummy bears, DVR remote and my list of “V” words. In my purse, I keep a little notebook with a running list of more things than you would want to know about words for each letter of the week. Some weeks I have only three or four words on my list. This week, I have 15 words on my “V” list so I will need to trim it down as we go.

Enough rambling.

1. VEIL – Eleven years ago, I made a vow to love, honor and cherish McDaddy as long as we both shall live.  Unfortunately, I had no idea that in a few short years, women the world over would be wearing tiaras on their wedding day. Back in the day, this is the closest thing I could find to a tiara. I loved my veil.

2. VAN – My daily driver happens to be a Dodge Caravan. While it may not be the coolest ride in town, you cannot beat its versatility or the room that it affords. This is what my van looks like when someone accidentally leaves the key in the ignition in the engaged position (ahem!)

3. VEGETABLE – I love vegetables. My favorite vegetable would be mashed potatoes, but most of you would argue that mashed potatoes do not qualify as vegetables. I do love a good FRESH green salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, croutons, boiled eggs, shredded cheese, shredded carrots and creamy blue cheese.

4. VISION – I have better than perfect vision thanks to LASEK surgery in 2007. It is the best money I’ve ever spent. Over the past three days, I have threatened to poke my eyeballs out with forks because OHMYGOSHTHEYITCH! I’ll be thrilled when the pollen GETSTHEHECKOUTOFDODGE!

5. VIRGINIA – Back in the day when McDaddy and I were dating, we loved getting in the car and driving aimlessly until we found a great mall some new place to visit. More than once, we ended up in Virginia because it had a great mall we enjoyed the drive.

6. VISA – During our tour through Europe, I was surprised that no matter what country we were visiting or what the language was, there was always one word that knew no borders or language barriers. Visa was understood in every. single. store. we. visited.

7. VALENTINE – I love Valentine’s Day. There’s something about the red and the pink and the hearts and even the sappy cards, too!

8. VIOLIN – I think the violin is one of the worst sounding instruments on the planet EXCEPT when it is used in the country music industry.

9. VOICE – I come from a long line of loud. I talk loud. I laugh loud. I sing loud. Not that I can actually sing, but I enjoy singing. I happen to sing in Open Letter. As in OPEN up and LETTER fly!

10. VOLUNTEER – I spent many hours during high school volunteering for the American Red Cross. In 1991, I was a representative from the WV chapter to American Red Cross Leadership Camp. It was a great week and I met a lot of really cool people. I have stayed in contact with two of my friends from that year. (Hi Sara! – tell Tim I said, “Hi Howdy!”)

11. VACATION – As soon as McDaddy gets himself back to the great state of West Virginia, we will hit the road and spend some time in our Summer Home which happens to be sitting in my granny’s backyard as I type this post.

12. VANILLA - I think the vanilla scent should be outlawed. Vanilla candles, vanilla body spray and vanilla milkshakes. Um, no thank you.

13. VEHICLE – (You knew this was coming!) – My favorite vehicle is the Saturn Sky.

And, just because I like to shake things up a bit, take a look at this tough ride.

Notice, I said tough.

Not sexy.

The Saturn Sky is still the sexiest ride on the road.

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And, for those of you who have waited patiently about a question I posed to you last week regarding the name of this utensil.

I call this thing a turner.

McDaddy calls it a spatula.

A spatula looks like this

If you Googlize the word spatula and the word turner, you will undoubtedly find both of these items listed under both names.

Who knew?

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Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your week!

I am writing this week’s Thursday Thirteen from my sister-in-law’s house in Candia, New Hampshire.

Me and the boys are enjoying our visit and most of all my boys are pre-occupied with their cousins most of the day which leaves me ample time to blog and snack on bon-bons and Dr. Pepper.

Because of that I have been able to stay two or three days ahead of the bloggy boat which is why I am composing my Thursday Thirteen for this week on Monday. (Except for those last three words!)

If my memory serves me correct, we should be on the Letter T.

1. TALKING – I was wired to be a talker. In elementary school, I pretty much always received an “X” in the “Listens attentively” column. What can I say? Well, apparently a lot. –  Still. love. to. talk.

2. TiVO -  I have always been very fond of the television. The invention of the TiVo has become a necessity in my household, especially since so many of the shows that I love are not fit for viewing by my boys. Some of my favorite shows are The Young And The Restless, American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, Desperate Housewives, Greys Anatomy and The View.

3. TEMPERATURE – I am very particular about the temperature. My ideal temperature would be 85 degrees with zero humidity. Humidity makes me cranky.

4. TIARA – I don’t wear one, but I would should. I would pick one like this one from tutu.com.

5. TONSILS – Had mine removed in the 6th grade. The only part I remember is the enema.

6. TRUCK – McDaddy would like to trade our 4-Runner for a truck. I would pick this one for him. A 2009 Chevy Silverado SS. Not that I know the first thing about trucks, but surely the whole ‘SS’ thing means something cool like Super Special. (It probably means Super Sport now that I think about it.)

7. TWINS – I have twin brothers that are four years older than me. My cousin, Sarah gave birth to twin boys in January. Multiples are proof that God has a sense of humor. I lovingly refer to these guys as Scrubby and Stubby.

8. TEXAS - McDaddy and I spent two weeks in Houston, Texas so that he could attend some type of control system guru training. When he goes to training, I scrapbook in the hotel room. While we were in Texas we drove to Galveston for an afternoon. We have been blessed to travel quite a bit on his company’s dime.

9. TARGET – I go there occasionally, but, I prefer the Mart Of Walls any day of the week.

10. TATTLE – Something I deal with on a daily basis with my boys. It is tough deciding what should be tattlable and what shouldn’t be.

11. THE MAN – This one came to be as I was talking to McDaddy on the phone last night. I assume he was referring to himself because in my book, he IS the man. (Hi McDaddy! I miss you!)

12. THANKFUL - So very thankful for all of the blessings in my life. Especially for these two happy, healthy little boogers. (Disneyland – 2008)

 13. TOW MATER – Up until now, Lightning McQueen has gotten all the attention here at Inmates. I thought it was high time I give Mater his five seconds of fame. Our boys have just about every frazzlin’ CARS toy ever made. Except that the big-wigs at Disney are so very clever. They discovered that if they take a black sharpie to Lightning McQueen they can market it and call him Tar McQueen. Or, they can color some green on and call him Cactus McQueen.  Or they can take off two wheels and call it Finish Line McQueen. Disney folks, you should be ashamed of yourself. Instead, you are laughing all the way to the bank. Because my boys? They totally fall for your Lightning McQueen scam. Because of that we have 416 versions of Lightning McQueen wearning various paint jobs and tires. And this guy? All he gets is the shaft.

Mater. Stand up and be noticed.

Now, wasn’t that fun?

A special shout out to McDaddy for helping me come up with my last three “T” words this week. (Even for the one I didn’t use!) 

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Happy To Be At Home hosts a weekly Thursday Thirteen. Head over there and tell them I sent ya!