Best. Trueblood. Episode. Ever.

Someone needs to get me the screencaps.

NOW!!!!

That is all.

Who, me?

Wow - I am the recipient of two blog awards! *blushes* Thanks ladies!

Stalker over at Taunt has given me the Honest Scrap award (check our her 10 things list - it is hilarious!):

and Cecile over at All I Want and More has bestowed upon me the Kreativ Blogger award:

Now, these awards come with strings attached: Honest Scrap must be paid forward and wants 10 intersting things about me. Kreativ Blogger wants seven favorite things and pay forward to seven blogs. I'm going to cheat and combine the two, 'cause that's the way I roll!!

10 things about me:

1. I have been to the equator.

2. I married my high-school sweetheart (we just had our 17th anniversary!)

3. My favorite candy is Cadbury Eggs.

4. My favorite color is blue - I collect blue glass. (does that count as two? No? Shucks!)

5. I love driving a stick shift. Driving an automatic is just not as much fun!

6. I was once fired from a job for not having sex with my boss.

7. I don't drink milk. Ever.

8. Tulips are my favorite flower.

9. When I made my First Confession, I was so nervous they had to bump me up in the line so I wouldn't pee in my pants!

10. I have marched in Mardi Gras Parades.

That's all I got - like it or lump it....AND, I am passing the awards as follows:

Honest Scrap goes to: Hilda at The Dip Files

Kreativ Blogger goes to:

Stalker at Taunt (hello - she did redesign my book blog - that's pretty darn creative!!)

Michelle at Michelle's Book Blog

Julie at Outlandish Dreaming

Pearl at Pearl's World of Books

Vamp Fan Girl at Lovin' Me Some Romance

Mandi at Smexy Books

K. C. at Smokinhotbooks

Now, I know this is a repeat award for many of you, but I'm here late in the game so let me give my props!!!

I'll bring home the bacon but you don't want me to fry it up in the pan..trust me on this.

They say opposites attract, and in my experience, I would have to agree. I usually describe my husband's and my personality like this: If life is a play, J is on the stage, and I am in the audience. He loves attention and performing, I prefer to blend in and observe.

I was observing today - people watching, if you will, and I thought to myself, "I like being a woman." I know, I know, good thing I do - haha. But seriously, I do like being a woman. I like wearing skirts and dresses, and being feminine. Being ladylike if I want to, or having the option to be hard-ass if that's my preference. My favorite color is navy blue, and I like supernatural books, but I also love the color pink and reading romance novels. Sometimes I cry, and that's okay. I like getting my hair and make-up done and watching chick flicks.

I feel like if I were a man, I'd have to be "on" all the time - you know, tough exterior, manly, loves sports. Something about all that testosterone is just ugh. I'm having a hard time explaining it; I was watching all these people walking by today (male and female) and... I just felt happy to be a woman.

I know there are so many places on this earth where it is definitely NOT a good thing to be a woman, and I am thankful to live in a country where being a woman is not a handicap to happiness.

VAMPIRE LOVE

Do What I Mean, Not What I Say

Last week I wrote that I'm not buying any more diapers. I still stand by it. Yesterday we went out and bought Hello Kitty and Dora "big girl panties" (BGP). Molly is very excited and wants to wear them immediately. I explain that she cannot go potty in her BGP and she must tell me so she can go on the potty. Key words in this story: "on the potty".

So, I'm cleaning the bathrooms and she is helping me. We are in the bathroom and she is standing on her potty cleaning the sink (I'm not forcing my 2-year-old into slave labor, she loves to clean, really). I'm suddenly thinking, "whew, this bathroom must have seen a lot of action this week (I clean it every Saturday) because it really smells." Then I realize Molly pee'd in her BGP. Standing on top of her potty.

So yes, she went - in the bathroom, on her potty. Not IN her potty, ON her potty. Note to self: Be more specific when potty training.

This is why I keep him....Update

Today and tomorrow are tax-free days here in Louisiana so parents can buy school supplies. I mentioned this to J, who said, "Hey, if we go to Target and spend $100, that's $10 saved - we could use it to buy lube." "That's not a school supply", I reply. "Sure it is - I'm gonna school you in the art of luuuvvvv."

See - that's why I keep him!!!

Ha - Apparently we should have gone to Wal-Mart!

UnforGIFTable

You know how everyone has personality "quirks", things that you either don't know about yourself, or, if you do, you don't think that other people notice?

Well, I had a double-whammy revelation this week...

Let me start by saying that I like to give gifts. I can't do my Christmas shopping early because I'd end up giving the gifts before Christmas and have to start over again!

With that in mind, here's my story: SIL sent me an e-mail a few weeks ago telling me to expect a gift in the mail. She sounded very excited. Did I reply with a thank you? No. I chastised her for sending me a gift when I was not in a position to reciprocate. I immediately realized what I had done and apologized and thanked her ('cause I know she only sends cool gifts!*)

Then, yesterday, J told me I don't accept gifts well. And I know he is right. It is very difficult for me to accept a gift and give nothing in return. I feel very guilty about it. Which is weird, because I have no problem giving gifts. I like giving goofy, silly gifts for no reason. For example, I gave my SILs Twilight Sweethearts. No biggie, less than $2, just something small that says "I knew you would like this and I wanted to make you smile." But, would I be able to accept that graciously from someone else and take it for what it was? I don't know. I do know that there are several people in this world that I will never be able to do enough for in thanks for gifts they have given me, and I'm sure if they knew they would be upset. But I can't help it - it's just the way I am.

Is this a woman thing? A Southern thing? A Catholic thing? Is this common or do I have issues? I don't know. Is there really anything you can do about it?

*It was a very cool and thoughtful gift.

There's Always One...

Today you get a "vent"....

Jeeze Louise my co-worker is such a bitch! Apparently she is confused and doesn't understand that the phrase is "You get more flies with honey" not "Pile on the shit and the flies will come".

This is the co-worker that, whatever I say it will not be right. I've given up trying to second guess what she wants and just accept that whatever it is will be wrong and I'll have to listen to her condescending diatribe about why I'm wrong. It hit me today that I'll bet she thinks the only reason I'm still working there is SIL(H). That makes me feel bad, because it means no matter what I do, it's never going to be good enough.

Oh, well. That's why I always do her stuff last. And will continue to do so.

.

Naked Sunday

Mark my words, here and now...Today I bought my last box of diapers. Ever. Is Molly potty-trained yet? Well, no. But her 3rd birthday is 8 weeks away, and I REFUSE to have a three-year-old in diapers. Today we gave it a trial run....she took off all her clothes (except her socks) and ran around naked. Did I mention she loves being naked? She sat on everything that had a flat surface (I'm having a vision of declined dinner invitations in our near future) and yelled "naked, naked, naked" at the top of her lungs. Of course, J and I are yelling "potty, potty, potty" right back at her but she was not interested.

BB starts yelling "She's got my American Girl dog! What if she puts it by her vagina?! AAAHHHH!!"

Then, J dropped naked Molly on Ian's bed to wake him up. We should do that every time - he got up right away!!!

Well, she's back in her diaper now, but she didn't have an accident, so I think that's a step in the right direction. The problem is she's not really interested in potty training. She still doesn't tell us when she's got a messy diaper, and if we suspect she does and ask her about it, she laughs and runs away. Next weekend I will pick up "big girl panties" at the store and hopefully she'll change her mind, 'cause she's not getting any more diapers when this box runs out.

Romance Novel

Today is my 17th wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary to the man of my dreams! It's hard to believe we've been together this long.....

1985: 10th grade, I sat in the front of Mrs. Little's English class, J sat in the back. I always came to class prepared, homework done, adequate supplies, ready to learn. He cracked jokes and hung out with That Crowd.

For Mardi Gras that year, my parents decided to take us to Canal Street for Bacchus. They parked in Algiers Point and we walked to the Algiers/Canal Street Ferry. There was another family with us, and the daughter (whose name now escapes me) was my age. I saw J and his friends getting on the ferry, and told my friend, "Let's move to the other side, we don't want to be around those boys." We get to Canal Street and our parents let us walk around by ourselves for a bit. And who do we happen upon, but J and his friends, drunk, laying on a flattened cardboard box waiting for the parade. I still remember looking at them, trying to decide which way to go, when I heard, "Hey! I know that girl - she's in my English class!" One thing led to another and we watched the whole parade with them. They put us up on their shoulders to catch beads and we had a lot of fun. I was sooo attracted to...J's friend. J's friend and I dated briefly (a week?) but it didn't work out. Which was okay with me because I was attracted to...J's other friend.

J and I developed a friendship, and I used to call him to moan about his other friend and why he didn't like me back and all that teenage drama stuff. We would talk on the phone and I could hear him watching cartoons. He was a nice guy. And then, I decided I was wasting my time on his friend, when the one I really liked was...J. And we started dating.

One afternoon, not long after we started dating, I was sitting in his room and noticed a post-it next to his phone. It said "Potential Girlfriend" and had my phone number on it. And "Potential" was crossed out! All this time has passed and I still think that's the cutest/funniest thing.

We had a few breakups and heartaches during high school and college - to the point he went to California to get some distance between us. We still spoke on the phone, but the physical distance was important, I think, for both of us. And then he came back to me...on my 19th birthday. I was working as a waitress in a bar and when I saw him walk in. I couldn't believe he'd come back to me.

We moved in together soon after that, got engaged, got married, and started a family. And I wouldn't change any of it. Not one thing. I love you, J, with all my heart. Thank you for this wonderful life I'm living. It wouldn't be as wonderful without you.