Word Choices, or as I like to call them, Semantics

Really?!?

Seriously?!?

Whatever...

This sounds like something one of my teenagers might say, along with rolled eyes and a heavy sigh, but actually that's me you're listening to. I have found there is a strong correlation between how I feel physically and how my words sound coming out of my mouth.

As I mentioned in a previous post, my "neck issues" have returned in full force this week. I have been in a great deal of pain for a good portion of the last 8 days. I find that when I am in pain the regulatory device that controls my words tends to be on the fritz, as well. When you are in pain, you don't really care about being polite or politically correct. (Although I usually do not subscribe to being politically correct when I feel great either.) It really boils down to the fact that you are hurting, you want people to stop talking and go away, unless they are standing in front of you with a glass of water and a fistful of muscle relaxers, followed quickly by "Hey, let me massage your neck and back for you. I'm free for an hour!"

Here are some examples:

1. Abigail has to be reminded to feed the bunnies.

Healthy Genny: "Absie, don't forget to feed the bunnies before you go to school...sweetie."

Genny in Pain: "If I have to remind you one more stinkin' time to feed those rabbits, we are taking them to the nearest park and throwing them out for the coyotes to eat!"

2. Genny prepares dinner

Healthy Genny: "Time to eat, everyone. I made your favorites!" (spoken in sing-song voice)

Genny in Pain: Child: "Mom, what's for dinner?" Me: "Like I care? You should be cooking for me."

3. Girls ask for help with homework

Healthy Genny: "Why I would love to edit your 8-page paper! It's my greatest joy to help you."

Genny in Pain: "It'll be fine like it is. Who cares if you get a bad grade? Doesn't your teacher always drop the lowest score?"

Now I hope you realize I'm kidding...um, yeah, well kinda...I'm pretty sure I'm joking. Yes, that's it. I was just playing with ya. After all, it's only semantics...right?

Hop to It!

I love these photos Abigail took of the bunnies a couple weeks ago. She has such a unique perspective and the bunnies are always so sweet. We let them out so I could try and clip their nails. Ohmyword....why do I even try? They are so jittery when I try to start snipping. I managed to get some of them done on both bunnies so I called that success. And, we will live to try another day.

SABLE

BUBBLES

Yes, we can see you, silly rabbit!

I'm Not A Fan

I don't know why I sit around and think about these things. I guess it comes from an extremely stressful, long October. My neck has decided to start hurting again and I've been putting heat on it this morning. This has nothing to do with this post, except when I am sitting still with heat on my neck, my mind wanders and here is where it wandered today...I'm sorry.

There are some things that many, many people like...dare I say LOVE...that I simply do not care for. (Sorry about the sentence ended with a preposition. I hate that, too!) And, remember, I apologized earlier.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I will eat one, but I can actually avoid one even straight out of the oven.

Crazy, right?

Oreos

I just don't care for the whole black teeth thing or, the whole scraping your teeth over the icing if you're into eating them that way. Ugh. Nails on a chalkboard...

Hot Chocolate

It's just too sweet or something.

(And I don't know why this is underlining and won't go away, but I don't like that either.)

White Cake with White Icing

Boring

Squirrels

I believe I've spoken enough on this topic for you to know my true feelings.

Dogs

Yes, I know. It's practically unAmerican.

Sorry.

There's really no point to this post. In fact, I think I need to go back and put heat on my neck again. Thinking about things that irritate me have really irritated my neck. Heavy sigh...

So Let's Talk About Football

I know! Me? Talk about football? What in the world is this blog coming to? More importantly I would like to discuss the Aggies and their complete inability to play a full four quarters of a game. I can't tell you how many texts I've gotten from Jeff (at the game) which look like this:

14 - 0 Ags up

17-3 Ags

24-3 Ags at half

time passes....

31-6 middle of 3rd

time passes...

31-34 ballgame

What?!? Did they just walk out of the stadium? Stand there? Forget all their plays? Now I know these guys are smart because they got into A&M. (I refuse to acknowledge any rule bending to allow "less than qualified" players in. Sure, they probably live with their tutor, but they came in legally, right?)

Not sure what's going on with those guys but, to borrow a High School Musical phrase, they "gotta get their head in the game!" (And yes, I know that was about basketball.)

Anyway, to get to my point...and I do have one. Aggies, I need you to win. The moods in our house are not happy when you blow a game in the 4th quarter. Romo is killing us with the Cowboys and even the TCU Frogs lost this last weekend. Thank goodness the Rangers are in the playoffs!

Of course, everyone loves to hate on the Aggies, so we get all that grief, too. You know...how dare we move to the SEC because we couldn't possibly play all those great teams. Hello...news flash. It's not about winning, people; it's about money. (and you can quote me on that)

My favorite comment over the Aggies' loss to Arkansas this last weekend was posted by my husband on Facebook: As an Aggie and a Cowboys fan, I am glad my joy comes from the Lord.

Gig 'em!

It's A Good Thing

As all four of you who read this blog know, I am no Martha Stewart. I have a good idea every now and then, am a passable scrapbooker and a fairly decent cook. I can be crafty when called upon in a school project emergency. (Like the time I made Rebecca a Jacqueline Kennedy pillbox hat out of a sailor cap, black fabric and hot glue.)

But, THE SNACK BOX. Definitely one of our better ideas. It was mostly a "necessity is the mother of invention" type situation, but a good idea nonetheless.

After I pick the girls up from school they are always thirsty and starving. Maybe it's the fact that we have a 20 minute drive home, but they are "dying, I tell you, dying" and don't want to wait for food. So, being the gracious and generous mother that I am, I would stop at 7-11 and buy them (and me) a drink and a snack. Well, at an average of $7.00 per stop x 3 days per week, we were racking up an impressive amount per month.

Enter the Snack Box. I now keep a full box of snacks in the car at all times. The girls' friends absolutely love riding anywhere with us. We always have food. Then, I added a little cooler of drinks, too, making me the most generous mother anywhere in the world. (also making my girls the most spoiled children in the world: negative side affect)

I recommend one for your car or minivan. It's a good thing!

Just a Little Trip Cross Country

Rebecca took up a new sport this year -- cross country. It's been a great experience for her. Her team is like a big family and Coach Raines has really developed this group of kids into good runners. We've enjoyed this sport because we have our evenings free. Sure, we've been waking up at 5:30 a.m. every Saturday since August 13, but we're home by 10:30 a.m. That's not so bad, right?

It's also been good for me because while the team is running and lifting weights I've been walking. Nothing like a good hour of forced exercise.

Group Shot from the Grace Prep Meet

I've commented that the starting line looks like a scene from Braveheart. This is one of the smaller meets we attended. At some starting lines, there were anywhere from 75-100 runners. Becca is almost in the middle here. (Click on any photo to enlarge and actually see!)

Mid-Race (Becca in yellow, Jeff on left, me in shadow)

Audrey, Becca, Lizzie

Jeff and I working the finish line at the Grace Prep meet

This is usually how you see the runners, from a distance.

Becca's shirt is the color of the grass!

The middle schoolers love Becca. Her coach says she is the "team mother."

Crazy group shot!

Three more weeks...I'm actually going to miss it, especially when I'm sitting on hard bleachers in a smelly gym. Oh, basketball, why'd ya have to go and ruin a good time?

And Now Back To "Why Was This Photo Taken?"

Some time last year I posted photos that I had found on my computer that were odd in some way. Mostly I asked the question, "Why is this on the computer?" I've discovered this year's collection of photos to mostly have one photographer, which explains quite a bit about Abigail and her sense of humor. So, I give you Why Was This Photo Taken - Version 2.0. Enjoy!