"Tears of a clown" by Smokey Robinson

Go to this site to find out what the #1 song on the charts was on the day you were born.
http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/member/birthdayno1.php

Lizzie and Lea

These would be the newest members of the Austin household. Purchased by the oldest child Faith with her birthday money. Am I crazy? Can't be any crazier than the people who painted those shells. The one in black is Lizzie and the one wearing blue is Lea. The pink zebra shell is empty. Just incase they are having a fat day, they can change shells.

HALLELUJAH!!!!

School is back in TODAY! Was just recently informed that Noah had been accepted in to the Pre-k class and YEE HAW, this will be my first year with all 3 kids in school. What on earth am I going to do with my self?

1. Substitue teach
2. get certified h2o areobics intsrutor
3. clean and organize my house
4. shop <<<<<<<<<<<<<<( this one)
5. get addicted to talk shows
6. Get a job ( not going to happen)
7.sleep
8. work out all the time
9. bug my husband at work
10. other

You guys vote and I will take it into consideration.
Tee hee.

Why?

Why are summers so much shorter than when I was in school. I remember having 3 months to enjoy the sun, traveling and and still have time for band and dance camp. It is now almost the end of June and there will be only one month left untill my kids go back to school the first wk of August.

Well I must hurry off to the pool before they close it for the summer. (whimper)

If anyone actualy reads my blog...How long is your summer vacation from school?

My Father's day present

It is so hard to buy things for Bubba. I got him a couple of movies, and a couple of old video games. (that he will never play). So instead.... I got a new deck built on to my bedroom. I cannot wait to lay out there while the kids play in the sprinkler.

Happy father's day to Richard and John! I love you both.

WE ARE NOT A DOG ORPHANAGE

I am getting really sick of every dog with no home or that has escaped from it's home to take refuge in my yard!! We have had in the past year at least 6 dogs take up temp. Residence on my front porch!

Just yesterday it was a golden retriever w/ some sort of skin condition. And NOAH let him in the house. He got up on the couch and I had to drag him out. Now I have to steam clean my couch (like I don't have anything else I need to do). There was a black lab mixed w/ chow ( his tounge was black) who lived here for about 2 months off and on. And a Bassett Hound about 7 months ago whom after about 2 weeks we decided to keep and named "Lucy" and then she ran away after about 2 months. Last year there was a blonde chow mix under our house! A friend of ours took that one in.

Anyway, I'm done venting.

And whatever Is going on with John......IT'S KILLING ME TO KNOW!!!!! TELL US , PLEASE!!!!!

For my southern friends

Only a Southerner knows the difference between a hissie fit and a conniption fit, and that you don't "HAVE" them, you "PITCH" them. Only a Southerner knows how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens, peas, beans, etc., make up "a mess." Only a Southerner can show or point out to you general direction of "yonder." ( I still can't figure this one out.) Only a Southerner knows exactly how long "directly"is, ... as in: "Going to town, be back directly." Even Southern babies know that "Gimme some sugar" is not a request for the white, granular sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl in the middle of the table. ( my kids know that one.) All Southerners know exactly when "by and by" is. They might not use the term, but they know the conceptwell. Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of cold potato salad. If the neighbor's trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin! Only Southerners grow up knowing the difference between "right near" and "a right far piece." They also know that "just down the road" can be 1 mile or 20. Only a Southerner both knows and understands the difference between a redneck, a good ol' boy ( bubba is a good ol' boy , FYI ), and po' white trash. No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing turn signal is actually going to make a turn. A Southerner knows that "fixin" can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adverb. Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines ...and when we're "in line"... we talk to everybody! Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're related, even if only by marriage. In the South, yall is singular .... all yall is plural. Southerners know grits come from corn and how to eat them. (EWWWW!!)Every Southerner knows tomatoes with eggs, bacon, grits, and coffee are perfectly wonderful; that red eye gravy is also a breakfast food; and that fried green tomatoes are not a breakfast food. When you hear someone say, "Well, I caught myself lookin'," you know you are in the presence of a genuine Southerner! Only true Southerners say "sweet tea" and "sweet milk." Sweet tea indicates the need for sugar and lots of it -- we do not like our tea unsweetened ( I still like unsweet tea.). "Sweet milk" means you don't want buttermilk. And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say,"Bless her heart"... and go your own way. And to those of you who are still having a hard time understanding all this Southern stuff ... bless your hearts,I hear they are fixin' to have classes on Southernness as a second language! And for those who are not from the South but have lived here for a long time, all yall need a sign to hang on yalls front porch that reads "I ain't from the South, but I got here as fast as I could."Bless your hearts ... yall have a blessed day.

WE ARE GETTING MARRIED!

A six-year-old boy told his father he wanted to marry the little girl across the street.The father, being modern and well-schooled in handling children, hid his smile behind his hand. "That's a serious step," he said. "Have you thought it out completely?""Yes," his young son answered. "We can spend one week in my room and the next in hers. It's right across the street, so I can run home if I get scared of the dark.""How about transportation?" the father asked."I have my wagon, and we both have our tricycles," the little boy answered.The boy had an answer to every question the father raised.Finally, in exasperation, his dad asked, "What about babies? When you're married, you're liable to have babies, you know.""We've thought about that, too," the little boy replied. "We're not going to have babies. Every time she lays an egg, I'm going to step on it!"

A WOMAN WHO READS

One morning her husband returns after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out. She motors out a short distance, anchors and begins to read her book.
Along comes a game warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and says, "Good morning, Ma'am. What are you doing?"
"Reading a book," she replies. (thinking isn't that obvious?).
"You're in a restricted fishing area", he informs her.
"I'm sorry officer, but I'm not fishing, I'm reading."
"Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up."
"If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault," says the woman.
"But I have not even touched you," says the game warden.
"That's true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment."
"Have a nice day ma'am," and he left.
MORAL of this STORY

Never argue with a woman who reads. It is likely she can also think.

Because it's bible school week

Jesus and Satan were having an ongoing argument about who was better on the computer.
They had been going at it for days, and frankly Godwas tired of hearing all the bickering.
Finally fed up, God said, "THAT'S IT! I have had enough. I am going to set up a test that will run for two hours, and from those results, I will judge who does the better job."
So Satan and Jesus sat down at the keyboards and typed away.
They moused.
They faxed.
They E-mailed.
They E-mailed with attachments.
They downloaded.
They did spreadsheets.
They wrote reports.
They created labels and cards.
They created charts and graphs.
They did some genealogy reports.
They did every job known to man.
Jesus worked with heavenly efficiency and Satan was faster than Hell.
Then, ten minutes before their time was up, lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, thunder rolled, rain poured, and, of course, the power went off.
Satan stared at his blank screen and screamed every curse word known in the underworld.
Jesus just sighed.
Finally the electricity came back on, and each of them restarted their computers. Satan started searching frantically, screaming: "It's gone! It's all GONE! "I lost everything when the power went out!"
Meanwhile, Jesus quietly started printing out all of his files from the past two hours of work.
Satan observed this and became irate. "Wait!" he screamed. "That's not fair! He cheated! How come he has all his work andI don't have any?"
God just shrugged and said, "Jesus saves."

Is this for real?

I found this picture at this site .

Plenty of stupid stuff to say.

My brother has challenged us to post something everyday in the month of june. So I am telling you that I will be posting a bunch of stupid stuff on here just to keep up. ( he has not posted today. yet)

FYI

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour. I wonder who volunteered to find that out.

PANCACKE MIX WARNING

Check the date of your Bisquick!!!

VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU READ THIS ALL THE WAY THROUGH!! FOR YOUR SAFETYAND THOSE THAT YOU LOVE DEAR ABBY:
I recently made a batch of pancakes for my healthy 14-year-old son, using a mix that was in our pantry. He said that they tasted "funny,"but ate them anyway. About 10 minutes later, he began having difficultybreathing and his lips began turning purple. I gave him his allergy pill, had him sit on the sofa and told him to relax. He was wheezingwhile inhaling and exhaling. My husband, a volunteer firefighter andEMT, heated up some water, and we had my son lean over the water so thesteam could clear his chest and sinuses. Soon, his breathing became moreregular and his lips returned to a more normal color. We checked thedate on the box of pancake mix and, to my dismay, found it was veryoutdated. As a reference librarian at an academic institution, I have the ability to search through many research databases. I did just that,and found an article the next day that mentioned a 19-year-old maleDYING after eating pancakes made with outdated mix. Apparently, the mold that forms in old pancake mix can be toxic! When we told our friendsabout my son's close call, we were surprised at the number of people whomentioned that they should check their own pancake mix since they don't use it often, or they had purchased it some time ago. With so manypeople shopping at warehouse-type stores and buying large sizes ofpancake mix, I hope your readers will take the time to check theexpiration date on their boxes. Also, beware of outdated cake, brownie and cookie mixes.

I myself will not be eating any of the above due to my weight loss goals, but I'll keep an eye out for the rest of my family.

I AM A WINNER!!!

I'm not sure who knows about the contest at my YMCA, so I will fill you all in. During the month of May, they gave us the opportunity to get a card that listed 9 different fitness classes that they offer. You had to do each class by the end of May. The classes included spin, water aerobics, cardio kick box, step, belly dancing, killer abs, and one that you could choose form anything. I chose water aerobics since I did that anyway. For all the classes you did, you got 5 Y bucks that you could use for any program. Mine totaled 45 and I am going to use them for Faith and Georgia's stroke lessons this summer. Anyway.....Today the drew from the cards that were full and I WON! I won a backpack cooler (which I really needed), 2 beach towels, sunglasses, sunblock (spf 4), ocean potion aloe lotion, one of these spray bottles with a fan on it, a book called "Don't stop laughing now" ( inspirational), a water bottle w/ one of those things that u put in the freezer in it and one free personal training session.

I'm so happy!

The pool is open!!

I have been looking forward to this part of summer ever since we started school last year. Well, now that it is open I plan on getting as tan as possible, fit as possible, and still keep up with everything else I have to do. Oh yeah, the kids love it too. :-)

Thank you to Tersie

I guess most of you don't know who Tersie is. She is a girl who went to the same high school as me. I followed the "yellow link road" and found her blog. On her blog she is journaling everthing she is doing to loose the weight she wants, and ultimately ride in a bike ride called the TOSRV. This is a bike ride that is done every mother's day. Anyway, on her blog she has a link to a site called FITDAY. I checked it out, and thought some of you would really be interested in it.FitDay is an online diet and fitness journal. Anyone can join for free and you get a diary that tracks your nutrition, weight loss, activity and more. Users come to FitDay and enter what foods they eat and what activities they do, and FitDay gives detailed reports on calories, carbs, fat, caloric balance and more. It will show you in pie graph form how it all balances out. That is my favorite part so far. I tried to put a link here so you can see mine everyday, but it is not working out just yet. In time.

Anyway. Thanks Tersie and I'm with ya!!!!

P.S. a little lesson in HTML. I deleted one tiny little backslash and now the link to my fitday journal works. No ugly remarks on what you find there, please. :-/

I'm the Energizer Bunny!

At least that is what my arms are saying after the abuse my weedeater gave me today.

I have weedeated the entire bank toward the cemetery (for those of you who know what that means) . And weedeated all the way around the front and back of the house. Cleared all the branches from the back yard and cut the grass back there too. The yard is starting to shape up nicely.

Went to the Y this evening and lifted weights for about 45 mins, and then did my spin for another 45.
Tommorrow is just the usual picking up the house, laundry and cleaning out the car then off to the grocery. ( and a nice big glass of Reisling around 8pm) :-)

Bubba is taking me on the General Jackson sat. for a late celebration of our anniversary. I'm so excited!!

And one more thing.....for some reason my side bar content is way down at the bottom of this page. So...no one has noticed I figured out how to put links her to all of your blogs there. YEAH ME!

Second day of summer training

Okay. We did not go to the Y this morning, we are going in a bit though. I want to try the belly dancing class at 7 and georgia has yoga at 4:30.

Today, I have finished cutting the grass ( 4 acres of it) and the kids and I started raking up and picking up all the branches that the storms throw down in my yard. The sad part about that is, now that we have cleaned them up, it will probably storm tonight and leave more sticks and branches for me to pick up.

I can't believe that is all I have done today. (except call John a geek every chance I had.)

For tomorrow, I think we shall get alot more yard work done. There is alot of "stuff" that we need to get rid of and around the side of the house ther is a pile that needs to be cleaned out so I can plant pretty things.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Oh, by the way the plant is what I got for mother's day.

Tightening up the camp.

Summer is here and if my kids and I plan on doing anything at all this summer, we are going to have to tighten up this camp!
I am going to try and post here everyday to let anyone who cares know what we got done. ( and keep me accoutable to doing it.) This post will actually be what I am planning on doing today instead of what we actually got done.

1. Purge the kitchen. I am pulling everything out and putting back what I want to keep or need.
(Faith is doing the silverware drawer right now.)

2. Wash ever piece of fabric that is not attached to furniture. (sorting to come later)

3. Keeping my kids from killing eachother.

Well i better get off my butt and get to work.=)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
well, I did get to some of the sorting. I got the girls clothes hung up according to outfits (since they seem to have trouble in that dept.) , and I did do some weed eating.

Also went upstairs and changed the light bulb in the attic so i could do some work up there in a few days. Why? you ask....cause there are spiders. I don't like them and if i turn the light on and spray bug stuff they will go away. That was a major accomplishment. whew!

Tommorow is a YMCA day so all work will wait till we get back. ( I am going to let the kids swim if it's not storming.)

MOM'S BLOG

I don't know if those of you who read here are aware that my mother also has a blog. Well my brother got her a "real" blog for mother's day. and here is the URL............... www.talkingtomykids.com. Check it out once in a while and let her know you are there.

Spin again.

I already have posted my opinion of the spinning classes I took. I was not real encouraged at first, but my opinion is changing. So much in fact that I have put "spin" on my pocket calendar every thurs. at 5.

The last few times I have been, I was the only one in the class and Scot (the instructor) tailored the class just for little ole' me. Teaching me how to rate my pain so to speak and keep it at a steady 6 or 7. ( on a scale from 1-10). Not trying to keep up with everyone else if I go to another class.

Anyway. I am feeling much stronger lately, and I have noticed that when I indulge in a BIG meal like fettucini w/ broccoli and chicken with bread. (mmmmm. fettucini.) I do feel grossly full but my body uses it up way faster than it would have before. It is becoming more efficient. Using up what I eat. That's a good thing!

As far as weight loss goes.... there is none so to speak. But as we all know muscle weighs more than fat, and my inches have just moved around a bit. Curvier would be a good word.

So...to conclude, I would definitely recommend spinning. But be warned you must stick with it and not try to keep up w/ everyone else in the class.

And use the padded seat cushions. =)

Remembering when

I knew at some point that they were going to tear down my old high school, but when I saw this pic on my brother's blog, I started to cry.

I have gotten very used to living far away from where I grew up. I miss it when holidays come around, and when I talk to my family or Melissa. I even miss it when I hear my friends here talk about growing up around here. I am surrounded by their stomping ground.

For those of you who read this....Please take a moment to absorb your surroundings and try to imagine what it would feel like to not always be able to see someone you went to high school with or pass by a place you used to hang out at. It seems like that would be pretty cool.

I love where I live, and I love my friends here. I have a boat load of memories in this area (nashville included).

But, I feel as if someone has died.

High school, for everyone, helped in some way,create the people we r today.

THANK YOU WAVERLY HIGH SCHOOL! GO TIGERS!

I guess I should tell you that you could not see the stadium due to the high scool sitting in front of it.

Bean counter

Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, your right half of your brain is better developed than most people. If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1 minute, your right half of the brain is developed normally. If you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein. If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, the advice is to look for more of this type of exercise to make that part of the brain stronger!!!

And, yes, the man is really there!!!

commoncourtesy7

This is a official invitation to join in on some conversation with me at your leisure. I have been logging on to my messenger alot more, and upgraded it. so if you would like to chat just add me to your buddy list and please put your real name on the request so that I know who u r.

Working out.

I told you all that I would post about my experience with taking a spin class. I have now taken 4 classes and think I am ready to form an initial opinion (subject to change of course.) The first class was.. to put it bluntly... a pain in the a__. The bike seat hurt so bad that I
was begging to get to the part of the class where you pedal standing up. Standing up it turns out was worse. 45 mins the class lasted, doing a 2 min stand (uphill climb) every 7 mins.
When the class was over I made it clear that my bottom was in agony and wanted to know how in the world he ( the instructor) could stand it. He assured me that I (my butt) would get used to it after about 4 or 5 classes.

Well I do not give up easily, so I have been going back every Fri. with my ever so loyal friend Sheryl (who's butt hurt also). And it is getting easier. I decided this week to go to a different spin class during the time Georgia is Yoga because I would not be able to go to the Fri. class. Of course there was a different instructor and the class was MUCH harder. She had us doing 4 min climbs and 2 min runs.

I left the class early. I couldn't hang.

I will be however returning to my Fri. class, and appreciating Scott the instructor much more.

My Valentines day present

I wanted to show off my valentines day

present that Bubba brought home to me.

Accessories not included. A designer found the vanity

and it was in need of of repair. Bubba covered where

the veneer was with dark chocolate ultrasuade and

built lifts on the bottom that are also upolstered.

I haven't had a space of my own like this in a long time.

It's so nice!

Thank you Bubba!

My Girl Scout troop

Well mom, I guess there was one more thing i forgot to tell you about. The Girl Scout trip to the YMCA! They learned so much. Water safety, How to save youself, someone else, how NOT to try and save someone, and different swimming techniques. They learned the front crawl and the side stroke that they all were required to swim for 50 yrds. They had to glide for at least 6 ft., and kick for 25 yards. There were a couple more requirements I can't think of right now, but they are 2 steps from earning their swimming patch. YEAH! I love this job.

On another note, Georgia will be starting kids yoga on march the 7th and we are very excited about that. Here is the link if you want to check out what the program objectives are.http://www.yogakids.com/what/Check it out.

Just so everyone knows, my brother has not emailed me, but has created a post on his site about my blog. I guess i'll take what i can get. :-*

Do something unexpected for someone you don't know very well.

Thanks KIM!!!!!

That pic of me down there.

For those of you who were there, you know it is my high school graduation. I was hoping that my brother would see it and prompt him to email me. the guy on the right is my brother, and the guy on the left is Todd Remy, a friend of my brother's.
I will be posting about the kids soon for those of you who haven't seen them in a while.
Well, I'm off to h2o areobics. later!

i'm going to figure out how to blog.

My brother has a site where his family and friends go to read different things about his life and other interesting stuff. (his friends mostly), so i htought i would give it a try. Now, I am no computer expert like him, but i'm no dummy either. So, hopefully this will be pretty cool, and mabey my brother will check it ou once in a while. :) I will put a link to his site so you can check it out.
www.carcutt.net