Means Mania

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T19:41:00.001-05:00

Hello! I know it has been over six months since my last post but things have been crazy busy. My son, Zach, went to prom, turned 18, graduated from high school, we went on our first cruise ever, and Zach started college. What a year! So much going on and so many changes. I hate that I have not been blogging all these events but I have barely been able to keep up. I am hoping that in 2011 I can be more organized, get more exercise, and live healthier. Now that was not a resolution becaue those things never work for me but it is a promise to myself to try to do better.

I began 2011 celebrating with my very best friends, including my husband, my mother, and my niece, Kelsey. The Cheuvront's hosted our New Year Bash (LOL!) at their home. We watched football, played cards, and had a lot of laughs. Life is great when you are sharing it with such good friends. I have to say that I am very blessed to have such a wonderful family and great friends. Below I have posted a group picture taken at the party. I am blessed to be a part of this group.

I am hopefully going to continue posting to this blog and sharing the events of my life with those that care to read. Stay tuned for more Means Mania!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T15:12:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to take this time to say Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers out there that are there for their children. There is nothing like parenthood but I do have to say that it is one of the hardest things I have ever done and often feel inadequate at it. My husband is a wonderful father. He loves our son and would do anything for him. He wants him to have better than what we have had. He has probably changed as many diapers as I have and give him as many baths as I have. He has coached baseball, football, and even soccer even though he had never played soccer himself. He has become so much more since becoming a father. My one regret is that we didn't also have a daughter for him to love as well. He loves my nieces as if they were his own and I dare any boy to hurt one of them. They better watch out because Uncle Steve will be after them at least as fast as their own fathers.

I have to say that Father's Day makes me very sad. I miss my own father terribly. My Daddy was my hero and I miss him so much. I would love to see him one more time. Give him a hug and hear him call me Doll. I wish he could see the wonderful man that his grandson, Zach, has become, see how beautiful his granddaughters are, see the grandson that was named after him and to see the two grandchildren that he has never seen. I would love to share a meal with him and fix him a white cake with carmel icing. I hope that he can see us from where he is and that he is proud of his family and how we have managed since his left us. I hope to see him again one day in heaven.

It is really hard for me to understand those dad's that don't want to be with their kids or how they can chose to be with one over the others. Those Dad's don't know what they are missing out on.

Home Sweet Home!

2010-04-27T21:08:00.000-04:00

Times are a changin'. First of all, I am now getting to work at home three days a week and I absolutely love it. Since 1983 I have work outside of Winchester at various locations which include Richmond, Lexington, and Standford, Kentucky. However, all my hard work has finally paid off. I am now working as a paralegal analyst for the federal government and most importantly is the benefit of getting to work at home three days a week. We bought our home 13 years ago and I have never felt I got to spend all the time I want there. However, now I finally do get to stay home. I only have to travel to Lexington two days a week now. I love being in my home. It is were I am most comfortable.

The next change that will be coming up soon is that my son will soon be 18 years old and a high school graduate. In the fall, he will be leaving to go to college at UK. I am both scared and excited for this change. I want to hang on to him and never let him go but realize I cannot do that. It is time for him to leave the nest and I believe I will be okay with this as long as he comes back from time to time (hopefully more than less). At least that is what I keep telling myself. I am excited however to get to know my husband all over again and begin enjoying activities that we have missed out on because we have been so involved in Zach's life. In addition, I would like to take some classes. Now don't get excited. I am not going off to college myself. Those of you that know me well know that I have never wanted that and still don't but I would like to do some fun things such as a photography class, cooking class, or computer class and maybe even a scrapebooking class. Or maybe I could just get my home organized. There are lots of possibilities and I look forward to exploring them.

Eventful Day!

2010-03-29T21:28:00.000-04:00

Well, there is lots going on today. First of all I would like to wish my beautiful niece, Kolbi, a Happy Birthday! I hope she has a wonderful day. She was suppose to play in a varsity softball game tonight that I know she was looking forward to but it was cancelled due to rain. I hope she was able to make other plans that were equally fun for her.

Also, I started my day today by taking Zach to school and dropping him off to go on his Senior trip to New York for the week. I believe he was excited. I am excited for him too. However, I about had a heart attack earlier today when in called and said, "MOM! I JUST ABOUT GOT BLOWN UP!!!!" Well, what comes to your mind when you think of New York and blowing things up? Yes, that is right.....911. Then he proceeds to tell me that they were at a gas station getting gas for the bus when a lady that was pumping gas drove off with the nozzle still in her gas tank. He said that gas started spuing everywhere. Fortunately, they were able to shut the tanks down. He wasn't sure what happened after that because they had to load the bus and leave. I hope he doesn't call back with any news like that again. I am glad they are all okay and continuing on to their destination. Watch for more interesting stories about Zach's Senior Trip.

I have also been very concerned today for my niece, Kelsey. She is having some serious medical issues. They began over a year ago and she has been treated for several different illnesses but so far nothing has helped. Now, her doctors don't seem to agree with each other on a diagnosis. I feel very sorry for her as she has been away at college and for most of this past year, many have not taken her complaints seriously. However, now there is medical evidence that something is definately wrong but they are not sure what. She is scheduled for more testing later this week. I am hoping we will get some answers then.

Daylight Savings Time

2010-03-15T17:03:00.000-04:00

After checking Facebook, I hope I don't get beat up or booed for writing this post; however, I LOVE the new time. Yes, it was hard for me to get up this morning and I do miss that hour that I lost but I love that it stays light later in the evening. I love having more daylight hours to enjoy. I know lots of people do not like this time and would perfer to stay on the old time but I wish if we had to chose one to stay on it would be this one. I hate getting home late and it already being dark out. I like getting home, being about to cook out on the grill and then still having some daylight left to enjoy.

This week, Steve is at Spring Football Practice and will be every night for the next three week. The new time makes it easier for them to practice because it stays light longer. I am sure they wish it would get a little warmer, as I wish that too. But, with him gone, I have time to get extra things done. I hope to weed the flower bed if it gets a little warmer and also start going to the tanning bed. I want to at least have a slight tan before we go on our Spring Break trip to Pigeon Forge and I want to break out my capris! Lots to be done in the next three weeks. I am so excited for this upcoming spring and summer. I love the warm weather and will appreciate it so much more after such an awful winter.

I know I am just rambling today. I finally feel better and my coughing is at a minumum. I also think I forgot to complete my cookie post by telling you my favorite cookie of all time is OREO. Love em!

Icky, Sicky, Vickie

2010-03-08T16:46:00.001-05:00

Sniff, sniff, cough,cough,cough, gasp, cough, sniff, sniff, honk, honk, sigh. That has been the sound effects I have presented with this week. It started out as just a little sore throat. So I rushed and got my Zicam. I took it religiously every three hours just like the bottle said. However, it developed into a real sore throat. But still as I went to the doctor to get my monthly B-12 shot, I asked if they could call me something in because I had serious congestion by that time with the sore throad. The nurse said no problem. I was thankful as my normal doctor has recently had surgery and will not be in his office for two to three weeks. I go to the drug store to pick up the prescription and I see that it is only a mild antibiotic. Normally, mild doesn't work for me but I am thinking that I have caught it early and it will be okay. At first, I did feel better; however, I was losing my voice which my husband and son thought was quite funny. Not so funny for me when I had to repeat everything two and three times. Hey, I am gasping for air here, don't make me repeat myself. I decided it could be the antihistamine that was causing the tightness, so I stopped taking the Allegra D and started the Musinex DM. Well, that is some good stuff. It works EXACTLY like the commercial says. I have washed several of those little green men down my sink every morning since. There must be an army of them inside me because I can't seem to get rid of them all and it sure isn't any fun trying. (I'm sorry, I am sure that was more information that you needed to know.) Today, I finally decide the Kefalexin is not going to cure me and call the office back. I had several choices: 1) they will call in another antibiotic (this time they checked my chart and saw what I had the last time I had a sinus infection) 2) I could see another doctor that was seeing patients for my current doctor or 3) I could go to the immediate care center. I chose the easiest route of having another prescription called in which may not have been the smartest route but I am hoping for the best. I will start the Cipro tonight after dinner and I am hoping to have a miraculous recovery overnight or at least sometime soon. Wish me luck!

They're Here!

2010-02-26T18:13:00.001-05:00

They are finally here. My Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies! They started teasing me in early January. Asking me if I wanted to order them and then they take forever to get here. I have been longing for them each and every day since last year at this time. They are my secret obsession. (Well, maybe not too secret.) Anyone that knows me very well, knows that I have an obsession for cookies and Girl Scout Thin Mint is my second favorite cookie of all time.
Tonight it will just be me and my cookies home all alone. My husband and son are having a guys night out so I plan to cuddle up with my Thin Mints and savor each and every morsel. I may have a chocolate/mint hangover tomorrow but I will enjoy tonight.

Does anyone know what my most favorite cookie is? Watch for the reveal in my next post.

Up and At'em!

2010-02-21T08:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I am up early since Steve and Zach are both working today. I have already done one load of laundry and clean one bathroom. I am excited about this day! It is suppose to be 58 degrees today. We have not seen 58 for a very long time and I don't want to miss even one minute of it. I can't believe the difference that temperature makes to me. If it is cold, I just want to snuggle up and hibernate. If it is warm, I want to open the doors and windows and just soak up all the sunshine. I am so excited for Spring this year. I neeeeeed sunshine! My whole body feels better when the sun is shining.

Also, today we will be celebrating my brother, Rick's, birthday. Mom is having hamburgers and hotdogs cooked on the grill. How appropriate for this beautiful weather. I hope it melts all the snow. I am going to have to check the cupboard to see what surprise I can whip up for him. Steve and I have hopefully found a gift that he is really going to like. I will have to let you know how he liked it.

Well, I can't waste much more time on the computer. I have way to many things I want to accomplish while the sun is shining. More posts later. Hope you have a great day!

I'm Back!

2010-02-20T15:40:00.002-05:00

I know it has been a really long time since my last post but many things have been going on in my life. I have a 17 year old son that keeps us very busy and I have had some health issues. We are slowing down on the running around with our son as he is 17 and no longer really needs us (that is what he thinks) and my health issues are improving. Nothing serious, just B-12 deficient but it really kicked my butt. I had been experiencing symptoms for a long time but could not find out what was going on. By the time I was diagnosed, my B-12 level was to the point that I was having chest pains and numbness in my hands. I have been told that it takes a long time for the brain to recover from this deficiency and will need shots for a year to recoup but I am feeling much better.

Back to my son. He is 17 years old and has a lot of important decisions ahead of him. (WKU or UK being the biggest one at hand.) However, I think he is putting them off as long as he can. He is excited about starting a new chapter in his life but having qualms about being on his own (of course he would never admit to that). He likes the idea of college life.....all the parties, college athletics events, girls, and being on his own........but I think he is at least a little anxious about fending for himself and knowing that he is making decisions that will affect the rest of his life. At first he was set to go to WKU but now he is leaning toward UK. I liked WKU alot. It is a smaller campus and seems to offer more of a personal touch but I hate the fact that it is over 3 hours away. However, UK is closer to home but it is much larger and I worry that he will get lost between the cracks. Nevertheless, he is a smart boy and I am sure he will figure it out.

I suppose this is enough for today. I am not sure there is anyone out there that is really interested in what I have to say but I do enjoy documenting my thoughts. It is nice to occasionally take time to look back at old posts to see what has been going on in my life. I actually started this blog at my sister-in-law, Shawna's encouragement and to improve my writing skills as I was applying for a new job as a decision writer. Now I have that job and spend 5 days a week writing for a living. I like my knew job but after writing all day, I am not always excited about coming home to write to my blog now. I am hoping to get past that and to start writing regularly again. So, for all of you out there, if you are interested in hearing about my latest happenings, thoughts, and sometimes tangents, stay tuned for more.

Early Morning Mishap

2009-07-16T17:16:00.004-04:00

Each morning when I wake up and stumble to the bathroom my cat races me there. Why? you ask. Callie, my Princess, is above drinking from a mere bowl. She must have her water straight from the tap. I have to turn the water on in the bathroom sink and she drinks directly from the spicket. Anyway, this morning was no different from any other; however, as she jumped on the toilet to get to the sink, she lost her footing and splashed into the icy waters of the toilet bowl. She was not a happy princess, to say the least. Well, it took me by surprise. All I could see is her little head peering out with a terrified look on her little face. She was scrambling with all her might to get out. Just as I got to her, she jumped. Dousing me with toilet water. And, yes, this is all happening at 5 a.m. Did I mention, I am not a morning person in the first place. I scream, my husband jumps out of bed to see what awful thing has happened to his wife as she is making her morning stumble to the bathroom. He knows it has to be terrible because of the blood curdling screams that are coming from the bathroom. When he gets there, he sees one very mad cat who is soaking wet and his unhappy wife that is wearing toilet water and holding the sopping wet, mad cat. Well, did I mention, my husband is a morning person. He thought it was hilarious. Of course, he wasn't the one wearing the toilet water, was he. Quite a good chuckle for him. Not the way the Princess and I like to start our morning.

Family Fun

2009-07-06T08:24:00.004-04:00

Every year around the 4th of July, our family gathers for a family reunion at my Aunt Betty's beautiful home. She has a pool and everyone comes together for fun, food, and catching up. Our family is getting pretty large and this year we had 2 new additions. First of all, Scotty, who was born in January to my brother, Scott and his wife Shawna, made his first appearance at the reunion. He seems to have a great time. For just 5 months old, he made quite a splash, literally.

Me and Scotty

The Boys

Kolbi and Scotty

Another addition this year was Pete Travis. He was not born this year but joined the family by marriage. He and Chris or Elle as she prefers to be called this year in June. Unfortunately, I don't have photos of them. They were only at the reunion for a short time as Pete had to return to work and Chris had another appointment. But it was good to see them and I wish them a Happy Marriage.

We missed Brenda and Jackie this year. They were on vacation in Florida. Possibly on a 2 day deep sea fishing trip.

I was a wonderful day. Food was fantastic, especially Aunt Ellen's German Chocolate cake, and Fun was had by all. So glad to get to spend the day in the sun and sharing with family.

Who's Job is it to Clean the Potato Box?

2009-07-02T20:41:00.002-04:00

I must ask this question. Who's job is it to clean the potato box? Just because you buy the groceries and cook the dinner, does that mean it is you job? And if by chance you get busy and go on vacation without cleaning the potato box, is it a disgrace that gnats are flying around your kitchen? Yes, I agree, it is a bad situation, and a sad state of affairs but I don't think it is worthy of alot of excess drama. If it is bothering you that much, maybe you should try cleaning it yourself. I have offered to step down as grocery buyer and potato cooker but that was not the answer, anyone was wanting to hear. So, I ask you, "Who's job is it to clean the potato box?" Should it be the one that also gets to clean the manly dribble from the toilet seat? Should it be the one that sees the tracks in the underwear? Should it be the one that cleans the litter box? Should it be the one that cleans the science projects from the fridge? Just who should clean the potato box, I ask you!?!

Tunica Here We Come!

2009-05-28T22:05:00.002-04:00

Well, tomorrow Mom and I are off on an adventure. We are headed to Tunica, MS tomorrow evening. We have never flown alone so no telling where we may end up. Fortunately, we are going to be in a Harrah's Charter Flight that goes straight to the casino so I don't think we can get lost, but we are both very directionally challenged. So, you never no. If I send out an SOS, someone please help me.

Anyway, she is off to gamble and I am up for anything from gambling, to soaking up the sun, reading a good book or just people watching. That is always interesting, especially when you are in a casino. I wonder what people think of me and Mom on her little red scooter. I wish I had a bionic ear so I could hear what they say. . . . . . .or maybe not. My feelings could get hurt. Since I am just rambling on, I will go now but stay tuned to see what transpired while we were gone.

Long Time, No Blogging!

2009-05-22T20:04:00.005-04:00

I know, I know. It has been a long time since I have posted anything. I have been a little (okay, according to my husband, greatly) obsessed by Facebook. It is addictive. Especially the games. I am also hooked on Sorority Life. I love being able to connect with old friends that I haven't seen in 10, 20, 30 years. I have reconnected with several people I never expected to hear from again. I went to elementary school with this one guy and he moved to GA in 6th grade. He contacted a friend of mine and she mentioned it so I "friended" him and here we are friends again. He now has 3 beautiful (almost grown) kids and is happily married. I am happy for him. We can even chat live. It is great, getting to know people all over again.

Anyway, back to my real life. Lots of things have been going on that I have not posted, so I am going to try and catch up a little at a time. First, I have to share Kelsey's Prom Pictures. She was beautiful and she had a very nice date. Here they are, hope you enjoy.

Kelsey and Rusty

Icemaker Troubles

2009-03-06T20:05:00.002-05:00

How many people do you have to talk to before you can get your icemaker fixed? I don't have an answer to that question yet, but so far the count is up to six. I have to wait until Tuesday for the repair company to call me and schedule an appointment time to fix the icemaker. If I should have problems, I need to call my customer service repair agent, Jamie. Obviously, if you have to have a customer service agent assigned they are expecting you to have problems. I have already talked to the customer service person at Lowe's and was transferred to a person in the appliance person who referred me to the Lowe's service center. Phil at the service center referred me to the Samsung service center. There I talked to Brittany who assigned me a Transaction number and referred me to the repair center; however, I got a recording telling me where I could locate the nearest Lowes in my area. (Excuse me, but isn't that where I started?) I then called the Samsung service center again and got the pleasure of talking to Damen. He told me the transaction number again and transferred me back to the repair department. I talked to Derrick in the service department that asked me to read the serial number from inside the fridge. They were very tiny numbers and I hope I got them right. I am sure Derrick doesn't know that I am closely approaching the age of 46 and my need bifocals at my next eye doctor appointment. Anyway, Derrick finally determined I need a repairman to come to my house to look at the ice maker to figure out what is wrong with it. (Excuse me, isn't that what I asked for 6 people and 1/2 hour ago?!?) Now I must wait until Tuesday to answer the question of how many people must you talk to before getting your Samsung Ice maker fixed. Did I forget to tell you this is in my new refrigerator that I just bought on July 26, 2008?

Move it, Move it, Move it!

2009-02-18T17:43:00.002-05:00

Ever since I received my promotion in April of last year, I have been working at a completely sedentary job. I basically only get up to go to the restroom. I feel I have become deconditioned. I know you are saying to yourself that it's not like a was a wonderfully physically fit person before, but I was up moving some during the day. I have thought about exercising but I don't do anything about it. When I get home, I work on fixing dinner and afterward it is dark out. I know they have gyms for that but I don't want to flaunt that I am totally out of shape. A friend invited me to go to a Cardio Pump class with her. It lasts for an hour. If I went to that they would have to do a cardio pump ---- on me. CPR they call it. No, I am not ready for organized (hour long) exercise just yet, but Zach and I did go for a short walk today and I didn't die. I actually felt pretty good, at least after my legs quit shaking. Hopefully, I can work time into my schedule to keep this up. I am looking forward to the time change. That should help me with my new exercise routine. I also have a new mantra for myself, move it, move it, move it.

Love was in the Air!

2009-02-17T19:04:00.002-05:00

It started early in the week when Steve asked me what I wanted to do for Valentine's Day. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do but with the economy what it is, I hated to spend a lot of money so I told him I didn't want expensive flowers from the florist. (He had just informed me that long stemmed red roses were going for $75.00 at the local florist.) I would much rather go out to dinner than have overpriced roses sitting on the kitchen table. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE fresh cut flowers but I don't want them when the price has been jacked up just for this holiday. Anyway, we discussed our options and decided we would have dinner at home rather than go out to a resturant to only wait 2 hours to be seated. Then we would go to a movie and out for dessert. I think we both looked forward to our date all week. It had been a while since we had been out on the town together.

Anyway, on Saturday morning I got up and made chocolate dipped strawberries and bananas. The strawberries had been $7.99 a pound at the grocery so I decided to do it myself when I saw there was a sale on strawberries for $1.99 and I knew I already had chocolate at home. Of course, I had to sample a few while I was dipping. Fabulous! I love chocolate covered strawberries! They are my absolute favorite. Then I decided to make potato boats to go with the steaks that Steve was going to cook on the grill. At the last minute, Zach called to ask if he and Morgan could tag along. I don't know if we are really cool parents and they wanted to spend time with us or if he didn't have any cash and decided we would foot the bill but it turned into a double date. Dinner was at home with just the 5 of us. (My mom was included in that.) The whole time Zach ate he kept saying how amazing the food was. We had all his favorites, steak, potato boats and chocolate covered strawberries and bananas. I do believe the way to that mans heart is through his stomach. Morgan, you had better be taking notes. He does love to eat. Fortunately, he is very active and can afford to eat what he wants.

After dinner we went to see Mall Cop, a very funny movie. I laughed so hard I thought I would wet my pants. I love to see comedies. I hate to see movies where I cry. Why would anyone pay money to leave the movie theater crying. Watch the news if you want to cry.

Then, we went to Applebee's for dessert. Steve and I shared a blondie with ice cream and maple topping while Zach and Morgan indulged in a warm chocolate chip cookie with ice cream and chocolate syrup. It was a wonderful evening. I think Zach and Morgan had a good time as well.

I guess I should also tell you that I did get roses too. They were beautiful pink roses from the local discount store and I loved them just the same. It was truly a great evening.

Happy Birthday to Trace!

2009-01-27T12:39:00.003-05:00

His birthday was January 21 but we celebrated on Sunday. Gran fixed his favorite dinner of spagetti and his Mom fixed him an awsome chocolate cake. His Aunt Vickie apologized in advance to his Mom and Dad for the give she got him. He thought it was awsome but they weren't so happy. Aunt Vickie has decided maybe it wasn't a good idea after all. She doesn't want him to stay in trouble while playing with the gift. We all had a great time and enjoyed the feast Gran perpared for us.

Trace's Birthday Cake!

Trace and Lainie

Trace with the Nerf Gun that Aunt Vickie got him.

Gran and Lainie

Kelsey with Scotty. His first Mitchell celebration!

Help, I am being chased by Dust Bunnies!

2009-01-24T19:36:00.002-05:00

Today I decided I was really going to clean my house. Most weekends it is hit or miss. Just get the surface dirt, but this weekend I decided to really do a deep cleaning. Well, I have come to the conclusion that I should deep clean more often. More deep cleaning and less hit or miss, because I have missed alot. At one point today, I was chased by a giant dust bunny and I thought he was going to defeat me. But I won. My house still isn't as clean and neat as I would like for it to be but it is much better. If I only had a week to do this I could make a huge difference. But I would probably be dead too. Just working for this one day has made my back hurt and my allergies are raging.

My Newest Addiction

2009-01-21T23:17:00.002-05:00

Well, I am addicted and my sister-in-laws have caused it. They just kept talking about it and I just had to see for myself. I had to check out what all the commotion was about. I now have a Facebook account and I am addicted. I want to spend hours browsing for old friends but the best part is when old friends find me. I was contacted by a girl the I went to school with and have not seen in years. She is now a teacher, has 2 boys and lives in Louisville. I was friended (facebook lingo) by a guy that played ball with my brother. Who knew that he would want to talk to me 20 years later. It is a real boost to my morale. Of course it is also nice that my niece and her friend wanted to friend me too. I now have like 24 friends and I have only been on for about 2 weeks. Some people have hundreds of friends. I can't imagine having that many but it sure is fun. Sometimes I can hardly wait to get home and log on to see if anyone new wants to friend me.

The down side is that my husband is not nearly as enthused with Facebook as I am and wonders what the big deal is. It must be a girl thing but there sure alot of guys on Facebook so I don't thing that is it. Maybe it is because guys from my past want to friend me. Oh well, I will just have to fit it in where I can.

Baby Update

2009-01-14T06:59:00.002-05:00

Scotty and Shawna are doing fine. Scotty, however, is having some problems with jaundice but at his doctor's visit yesterday his levels stayed the same and he does not have to go back to the doctor until Friday. Hopefully, by then he will be okay. He lost some weight at first but is gaining it back already. On Monday at his doctor's visit he had dropped to 9 lbs 11 ozs and on Tuesday he was back to 9 lbs 14 ozs. He will be back to the 10 lbs mark before you know it. By his 6 week check up he will probably be at 20 lbs. Poor Shawna, her back will be shot by the time this kid walks. Stay tuned for more baby updates.

Please Welcome Our New Addition!

2009-01-10T21:33:00.008-05:00

Richard Scott Mitchell, Jr. (Scottie or Hoss as some refer to him) made his arrival about 8:30 p.m. on January 9, 2009 (He will share his birthday with his Nanny Worthington!). He weighed a whopping 10 pounds and 3 ounces and was 21 inches long. A real hoss cat! I know at first we were calling him Tater Tot but he is so much more than that. I do not believe Tater Tot is very fitting name for someone that comes into the world weighing more than a whole 10 pound bag of potatos. Hoss is much more fitting. And I must say, Shawna looked better than any one has a right to after delivering a 10 pound baby. She was amazing! She looks great and I am sure she feels much lighter. Of course, Scott is a very proud Daddy and Lainie is going to be a wonderful big sister. I am sure she will make her little brother tow the line just as I did with my little brothers. Below you will find a few (LOL) pictures. And yes, I am the proud aunt, and so what if there are more than just a few pictures of our new baby and everyone at the resturant had to look at them last night. Enjoy!

Here he is with his Gran. He isn't even an hour old yet. Still a little blue looking.

Here he is with me, his Aunt Vickie.

Lainie will be a wonderful big sister. She takes her duties very serious.

Scottie is getting ready to take a hearing test. He passed with flying colors. His ears are in good shape.

Here he is with his Mom on Saturday (still not even 24 hours old). Doesn't she look great! Nothing like you would expect someone would that just gave birth to a 10 pound 3 ounce baby boy.

Here is Scottie with his first baseball cap on. Still a little big but I think it will fit before too long. This was from his Uncle Steve.

Quick! Someone call Coach Brooks. I think we have found him a new lineman!

Here is the whole happy Mitchell family; minus Brutus, Winnie and Red. All plan to be reunited tomorrow.

Big Day!

2009-01-09T09:08:00.002-05:00

Well, today is the big day when life changing events will take place. First of all, Shawna is going to be admitted to the hospital today for her induction. Tater Tot should make his appearance sometime to day and I am to deliver the "Big Sister" for the main event.

Second, my baby is going to take his drivers test to get his license. This one, I am nervous about. This is truly going to be life changing. This means I loose even more control. Soon he will be all grown up and no longer need his "Big Dumb Mom". He thinks he doesn't now. This is a big test. Did I do my job as a mother? Will he be safe? Will he do what he is suppose to do? I hope I have taught him well. We will soon see.

If anyone is reading, please say a prayer for us today. It is truly a big day for my family. We get a new addition and Zach will begin driving on his own. It is both exciting and scary. More tomorrow on these big events.

Christmas Funny Photos

2009-01-06T20:38:00.004-05:00

Here are some of my favorite Christmas photos. I guess I will see who reads my blog by who kills me for posting these on the internet. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Here is Steve wearing my new sunglasses he got me for Christmas. He looks real cool.

Does something smell bad?

The police are back in town. Watch your step!

Here is Lainie and Zach. Zach is wearing Lainie's new Grouch Marcs glasses.

Here is Kolbi in her designer ribbon!

Here is Shawna - wrapped for Christmas!

Kelsey is styling with Zach's new hat. There were several comments regarding this hat, that maybe we should have two. One to _ _ _ _ in and one to cover it up with.

Here is Max dressed up for Christmas.

Here is Big and Thinks He's Rich

Christmas Hustle and Bustle

2008-12-19T07:03:00.003-05:00

Wait, it can't be December 19! Is anyone else struggling to get it all done in time. I have been off work all week on vacation and I have worked harder than if I had been at work. I have wrapped gifts and shopped with my mother. I look forward to the time I can rest a little. The weather has put a real damper on everything. I am already looking forward to Spring. I am tired of this gray mist. It is such a downer.

On the bright side, I did have a great time with my mother. We have had lunch together almost everyday and we got lots of great bargins yesterday. Coupons are a great help. Sometimes places will even honor expired coupons. It never hurts to ask. Dick's gave her $25.00 dollars off yesterday from a coupon that expired in November. Also, there were 2 very nice girls at Aerie that were very helpful. They helped me to get a great deal on my gift for Kolbi. Also, did you know that if you order something at the store, they will give you free shipping to your home. I thought that was really great. Also, I became a member of the A-List. I highly recommend this. It gives great discounts. One Thursday a month you can receive 20% off. This is a help.

I have got to run. There is more wrapping of gifts to be done. May you and yours have a very Merry Christmas!

Soiree Pictures

2008-12-13T23:20:00.004-05:00

Here they are. Ready for the dance. Zach and Morgan.Kelsey and Fridge (Justin).

All together now.

Looking good!

See my Pretty Girl!

2008-12-12T19:04:00.003-05:00

Here is my beautiful niece, Kolbi, giving her Uncle Steve a quick peck on the cheek before she leaves for her Christmas dance. Believe me, there is not a boy there good enough for my Kolbi. She is much too mature for a middle school boy. She will be excited to get to high school so she can meet some boys closer to her height and her maturity level. Go Kolbi!

Here is Kolbi with her grandmother. Gotta love Gran!

Here is the pretty girl. Too Cool Kolbi!

More pics tomorrow when Kelsey, her sister, and Zach go to there dance at the Opera House. Stay tuned for more pics.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T22:22:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I have to say that the things I am most thankful for are my family, my friends, my health, my job and my home. All are things that are very important to me. I have certainly enjoyed today. My husband and I share a delicious breakfast and then he helped me to prepare the food that I planned to take to my mother's. I got to spend time with him and my son before we went to Mom's. At Mom's I was able to visit with both my brothers and their families. We have grown to a total of 14 now. Soon to be 15 when Tater Tot joins the mix.

Tomorrow will be spent looking for the greatest deals to be had. I will get up sometime around 4 a.m. to be at Wal-Mart by 5 a.m. to gather the sale items on my list. The main problem is that most of the stuff is things that I want for myself. The have a great stick vac that is great for picking up kitty litter. I have one but I want another one. Also they have great deals on flash drives and SD cards for my camera.

Then it will be off to West Virginia where Michelle and I will continue to shop for great deals and my mother will get to participate in her favorite past time - gambling! She loves the slots. She is much luckier than I am. I just feel like I am making a deposit but she actually wins sometimes.

I must say that I am very fortunate to have such a great family. We are all very close and enjoy being with each other. I know that all families are not that way, so I thank the Lord each and every day for the gift that he is given me. I am truly blessed!

The Girls Got Class!

2008-11-26T07:18:00.004-05:00

Congrats to Kelsey. She has signed her letter of intent with Tusculum College. She has received a very good scholarship, part academics and part softball. Very cool. In August 2009 she will be leaving us to go to Greenville, TN to become a Freshman in college. She has worked very hard to get to this point in her life and I am so proud of her. Congrats to you, Kelsey!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2008-10-31T06:51:00.003-04:00

I know it has been a long time since I have wrote but football is almost over and hopefully I will get back on track. I wish I had some cool Halloween pics to add but since my little guy is now 16, Halloween isn't what it use to be. Plus, I have to work concession stand tonight instead of handing out candy. Anyway, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

The Rewards of Motherhood!

2008-09-27T14:47:00.003-04:00

I am the mother of a 16 year old. Most days, my job as a mother, are thankless. You work hard but sometimes you feel your hard work is for nothing. The rewards are sometimes few and far between. When you have small children, you often get hugs and kisses and I love you's, but once they start to get older and you are no longer the center of their universe, your job as mother seems to have less meaning. I am very lucky. I have a great son, but sometimes I think I will never get him raised to be responsible. He forgets everything and sees nothing wrong with drink cans and clothes littering his room. I try to help him but it seems like such an endless job. Just yesterday, we went to the football field for the big Friday night game, only to have to turn around and go back home to pick up his jersey. I realize as he gets older, I have to let go and let him learn from his mistakes. I get frustrated when he forgets to do things or looses things. I want his grades to be better. He just wants me to quit hounding him. He doesn't want the hear the speech I give every time he goes out. Be good and behave yourself. Sometimes, I even feel like he doesn't love me, although I know that is not true. Then there are the days you really seem to get you big paycheck. Sometime I am so proud of him that a paycheck could never be big enough to cover the rewards I feel. Like watching him hit his first homerun, when he brings home really good grades, or when you see him run with the football in a Varsity game. But today I really got a great reward as a mother. He was out with some of his friends, shopping at Wal-Mart and saw this elder lady trying to load her purchase in her car and he stopped to ask if she needed help. I was so proud of him. Here he was with his buddies but he still had time to stop and help this stranger. I feel like I have finally been rewarded for my hard work. Now, if I can just teach him responsibility!

We Interrupt this Life to bring you Football Season!

2008-09-25T17:40:00.006-04:00

Wow! Can you believe those Cards? That's the Clark County Cardinal!!! They are 4-0 for the first time in a very long time and I am proud to say my son plays for them as well as my husband is a coach. We have the #1 Running Back in the state. Way to go Ryan Williams! You make GRC proud.

My New Kitchen

2008-09-07T14:58:00.002-04:00

Here it is. What everyone has been waiting for. Pictures of my kitchen. I have waited a while to post these pictures. I am not sure why it has taken so long but I am sure time is involved. I seem to be short on that alot lately.

Anyway, here it is. I hope everyone likes it as much as I do. It is perfect. I love it!!! Everything is so clean and neat and organized. Love it, love it. Alot has gone in to the creating of this kitchen. Maybe some blood, alot of sweat and even some tears went to the completion of my wonderful kitchen. I want to thank everyone that worked on it. I want to say, "Thank You!" to Steve, Zach, Scott, Rick, and Leo. Your help was greatly appreciated. It is awesome!

Recipe of the Day!

2008-09-04T17:22:00.004-04:00

I have a great friend who recently fell down some steps and broke her leg and tore legaments in her foot. Some of the football parents went together and made meals and delivered to her for a few days until she could get back on her feet. I made my chicken casserole and took to her. Today, I received a beautiful Thank You note from her. She was also requesting my recipe. She said that she and her mom liked it so much they would like to have the recipe. So, I thought I would share with all. I hope you like it as much and me and my family do.

Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (You can use canned chicken but we perfer the real thing)
1 box chicken broth
2 cans of cream of chicken & herb soup (You can use just cream of chicken but I like this alot better)
1 large blue bag of Peppridge Farm stuffing mix (I use a little over half of this bag but I like a lot of the stuffing part but if you perfer less, buy the small bag)
1 stick of butter or margarine (I'm like Paula Deen, I perfer butter)

I cook my chicken in the crockpot while I am at work about 7 hours on low. When I get home (Preheat oven to 350 degrees), I remove the chicken from the crockpot and place it in a 9x13 baking dish. Shread into small pieces. I then salt and pepper it. Pour both cans of cream of chicken & herb in a bowl and add 1 cup of chicken broth. Stir together and pour over shredded chicken. Be sure all the chicken is covered in the soup mixture. Then melt butter. Pour the Peppridge Farm stuffing mix in a bowl and pour the melted butter on top and stir. Pour chicken broth over stuffing mix until all is moist. I usually use the rest of the box but you decide how moist you want it. Place baking dish is preheated over for 20-30 minutes. Casserole is done when soup is bubbling and it is getting brown on top.

Eat and enjoy. My family likes this with mashed potatos and green beans. I usually open some cranberry sauce to go with it. Yum!!!

Love the Crockpot!

2008-08-25T07:32:00.002-04:00

My family likes ham but I don't always have time to wait while a ham cooks. My husband really wanted ham last week and he said I should try cooking it in the crockpot. We cook alot of stuff in there, so why should ham be any different. Here is what we did.

Be careful to choose a ham that will fit. We didn't. So Steve just cut part of it off and dropped it down the side. Next, I packed brown sugar on top. I was going to add a Coke to it but we didn't have any. I only had Sunkist so I used that. I set the crockpot to low for 7 hours. When I got home it smelled delicious. I fixed some greenbeens and mac&cheese to go with it as well as some garlic bread. It was quick and easy and we had a great meal. The next night I used the leftover ham to drop in my bean soup with cornbread and fried potatoes. A $7.00 ham went a long way.

I hope you try it and love it as much as my family did.

Goodbye, Old Friend - - - Hello, New Friend!

2008-08-17T20:59:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to an old friend. I have done many things with my old friend. We have gone on vacations together, attended many ballgames together, we have even worked together. My friend has been there for me through the good times and the bad. My friend has brought much happiness to mine and my family's life. I was so sad to see my old friend go.

The good news is that a new friend came into my life as I said goodbye to my old friend. My new friend is younger and full of life. My new friend is so much fun. I know there is no way that my new friend can take the place of my old friend but I do look forward to going to ballgames and on vacation with my new friend. I think my new friend is going to fit in well. I plan to take my new friend to work with me tomorrow and introduce my new friend to all of my friends at work.

My old friend is a 99 Ford Expedition (Eddie Bauer series) and my new friend is a 05 Ford Freestyle Limited.

Nieces

2008-08-14T17:24:00.003-04:00

I have been blessed with wonderful nieces.

When I was pregnant with Zach and for a year after the pregnancy, I had several health problems. I won't bore you with all of them today but when we discussed having more children, my husband was afraid I would have these problems again and possibly worse the second time around. I argued with him about it for a while, mainly because I still wanted to have a little girl. But he looked at me and said, "We are a happy and healthy family, why mess with that?" What could I say? He was right. God had blessed us with a happy and healthy family and I was grateful, however, I still long for a girl sometimes.

But again, God blessed me with nieces. Over the last 3 days, I have had the pleasure of spending time with three of them. Lainie, 4; Kolbi, 12; and Kelsey, soon to be 18.

I was with Lainie on Tuesday night. Lainie's mother is pregnant with another niece or nephew of mine. I personally think it will be a boy, but what do I know. Anyway, Lainie wants to know when I am going to have a baby brother/sister for Zach. What do you tell a 4 year old? I had my tube tied and I can't have more babies, just didn't seem appropriate. But we had lots of fun. She wanted to wear my lipstick, so I applied it for her. Then she told her Dad that she didn't do it, that Aunt Vickie was the one that did. She looked really cute with purple lips.

Yesterday, I had the wonderful experience of shopping with 2 teenagers and a senior citizen. What a day. We were suppose to be shopping for back-to-school clothes and Kelsey's birthday. Kelsey is very difficult to shop for - especially when it comes to clothes. She is a big tomboy and doesn't care about the latest and coolest styles. She is happy with jeans/shorts and t-shirts. However, we were not even lucky enough to find that yesterday. But, we had a good day and I enjoyed the time I was able to spend with her.

Later in the evening, Kolbi called and asked if I needed help with my kitchen. (We have been remodeling our kitchen - as I will discuss in another post later) I was delighted that she was willing to help, because I was really tired from shopping all day and was fighting a headache. She came over and while I was cooking supper, she organized all my can goods and my spices and put them in the cabinets. I might finally cook a complete meal in my new kitchen. While we were working, we had some girl talk, which I really enjoyed since I only have a 16 year old boy.

All in all, I must say I have enjoyed the time I have spent with each of them. They are all very different but very special to me. I am blessed that my brother's share their children with me. Also, Zach is lucky. He never feels like an only child because he had the benefit of cousins. Sometimes, they all act like brothers and sisters.

Wireless Internet

2008-07-27T12:31:00.001-04:00

I just got a new laptop before I went away for training. I also called the telephone company and they were going to send a router so I could set up my wireless internet. The problem was the router didn't show up until after I had left for training. So, today while they are busy working on my kitchen, I am downstairs in the office trying to find something contructive to do instead of telling them to hurry up on my kitchen. I am working on the laundry and I have sorted the bills but then I remember my router. I have been worried I would not be able to set it up on my own, but I decided I had to give it a try. Guess what?! It is up and running beautifully. I did it. All by myself....and a little help from Ben with AT&T Support. But I did all the actual work. Now I can sit on my bed and blog!

Home at Last!

2008-07-26T07:31:00.004-04:00

I finally made it home about 10:30 p.m. last night. It was wonderful to see Steve and Zach. I just didn't want to let go of them. I think Zach has grown another inch and has gotten some sun on his face. He is so handsome and Steve has grown a goattee while I was gone. I will just say that is interesting, but I was happy to see him no matter what. They picked Marcia and I up at the airport. I will have to say I was soooo happy not to have to pack that luggage any more. They took us to Steak and Shake for dinner since we hadn't had time to get anything at the airport. It tasted so good. I love Kentucky and I am very happy that I live here. Who am I kidding, I am just happy to be where my family is.

I Made It!!!

2008-07-25T08:48:00.002-04:00

I made it. I am soon to be on my way home. Right now I am sitting in class listening to one of my classmate tell a story about how he was at dinner and witnessed a pick pocket steal someones wallet last night and how he chased him down to try and get it back. I was thinking he was a real hero and then he explained that the boys were 8 and 10 years old. It was still a good thing to do. The lady got her wallet back but it was unclear if they actually caught the boys. It is a good thing I wasn't the one to catch them. First of all if I had been running after them, I probably would have been huffing and puffing so hard I couldn't have even give them a good scolding, but if I had been able, I would have probably have given them a beating.

Any way, we are also passing around a box of chocolate just waiting for the time to pass. We can't leave until 11:30 a.m. My flight isn't until 5:20. We tried to get on the 2:20 flight but it was booked. They informed us that the 11:20 flight still had seats available. So here I am, thinking to myself, WHY CAN'T WE MAKE THE 11:20 FLIGHT. It isn't like I am learning something that is really going to make a big difference in my job and it would probably save the federal government a few dollars in the process. But who am I to tell the Federal Government anything. So I will sit here and listen to these stories and munch on my chocolate. Hopefully, I will make it home sometime today. So close but yet so far away!

3 Kentucky Girls in DC

2008-07-21T17:03:00.004-04:00

Becoming a decision writer just further proves I have a severe mental impairment. I lack concentration and I have difficulty with pace and persistence. Today's class was grueling. I cannot concentrate when the instructor and at least 5 classmates are talking. I read one sentence 5 times. Today was the worst day yet. Only 4 more days to go. I hope I make it.

It was so hot (98) on Saturday. We went to Chinatown. There wasn't much of China there, however, we did see a movie there. If you get a chance, see Mama Mia. It is an excellent movie. People were clapping and cheering during the movie it was so good. This movie made you want to jump up, dance and sing. Very uplifting movie. Well worth the $8.50 matinee price I paid to see it.

Then we went to the Vietnam Memorial. I am not a big history person and was not prepared to be impressed my what I saw. However, when we got there, a volunteer was telling what each part of the memorial stood for and how he had fought in that war. He told us how he watched men die. Men that were his friends and how he asked himself each day why he had been spared. This memorial truly came to life with his testimony. Then I was truly impressed by the awesomeness of the memorial. I was happy to get to shake his hand and thank him for his service.

Here we are: 3 Kentucky girls in DC at the World War II Memorial. This too was an awesome work of art. The fountains at this display were great. However, I would have love to take a swim right about then. We were so hot and tired by then and we still had to find the metro station. Finally, we got there and got back to our stop near our hotel. Fortunately, our favorite restaurant (Chevy's) is right as you get off. We all went in and got something to drink. We were so thirsty. Margaritas for Marcia and I and Sprite with pineapple juice for Shawna. We had a light meal and then went back to the hotel for a much needed shower and then fell into bed exhausted.

Sunday, we got up to do it again. We went to the Natural History Museum. I wasn't prepared to like that either. I tell you I am not much into old dead stuff but the HOPE DIAMOND was beautiful. Well worth the trip. Then Shawna took it easy on us old girls and let us go back to the hotel for a brief afternoon nap before we went to old town (Alexandria, VA).

Shawna had never been to Old Town so I was happy she was getting to see something new. I was happy to see Shawna come to visit (I think she saved me from packing up and going home early) but I knew she had seen much of what we went to on Saturday before. So I was really glad she enjoyed Old Town. It is such a pretty little town. The water front is beautiful with all the sailboat and everything. Lots of restaurants and shops. Wish we had got there early enough to go into some of the shops, but unfortunately they were closed. Shawna wanted to go to the Christmas shop and get an ornament for her Christmas tree. We had dinner at the Chart House. A real fancy smancy place. Shawna and I even tried caviar. Neither one of us liked it. It tastes like sardines. Now I know you are going to ask how do I know what sardines taste like. Well, that is probably another story entirely but Granny Iva loved sardines in mustard sauce and she was good at talking her granddaughter into trying new things. Not a favorite but Granny tried.

Things I Miss from Home (cont.)

2008-07-21T16:51:00.004-04:00

I can't believe I forgot this one. But I just had to add it.

My Soap Opera! (All My Children)

I thought they would have SoapNet and I would be okay. In three weeks alot of things could happen on a soap opera. I need to know if Erica is still in jail. Is Ritchie still alive? What has Annie done lately? Please help me here. I need an update.

Things I Miss From Home

2008-07-19T07:55:00.003-04:00

Things I Miss From Home:

Steve and Zach

The rest of my family

Callie and Max

My hand held showerhead (I just don't feel clean without it)

My bed

My car

Homecooking (I am tired of eating out)

My friends (sorry, this should have been higher on the list)

My garden (I hope there are ripe tomatos when I get home)

My things (You just can't pack it all)

Things I Like About DC:

Maid Service (I don't even have to yell at them to take out the trash)

Chevy's Happy Hour (Love those Margaritas!)
Breakfast Buffet
Street Vendors
My Expense Account

DC Night Tour

2008-07-18T18:15:00.007-04:00

This was taken on the south side of the White House. I was shooed away by police. I wasn't suppose to be taking pictures here. However, I was quick enough to get this one.

Me at the FDR Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

I am getting a little better about moving the pictures on this laptop but I still have a ways to go. Hopefully, they will get better as I go. Shawna and Lisa are a big help to me. They are great with the computer.

We had a great time on this tour, however, we didn't get back until 11:00 p.m. We were very tired, hot and thirsty when we arrived back at our hotel. Marcia's foot was really hurting and very swollen. We had a tough time staying awake the next day in class, but it was worth it too see all these amazing sights. It is difficult to explain the sheer magnificants of some of these monuments. So much marble!

Shawna comes tomorrow. No telling what we will get into then. I think she wants to go to China town. That will be an experience and I hope in a good way but since I don't like chinese food, maybe not so much. But I will be sure and let you know in my next post. Stay tuned!

Where in the World are Marcia and Vickie?

2008-07-18T18:12:00.003-04:00

Can you guess where we are?

Arlington Cemetery

2008-07-15T22:15:00.006-04:00

Marcia and I rode the metro by ourselves for the first time tonight. We went to Arlington Cemetery. It was a truly moving experience. I was awesome to watch. I hope you enjoy the pictures above. On the way back we stopped and picked up some T-shirts from the street vendors and then we ate at Chevys again. More margaritas!!!

I am very excited. This weekend should be much better. My sister-in-law, Shawna, is coming to visit and she is bringing little Tater Tot too. However, Lainie and Scott can't come. I hope Scott is staying home to work on my kitchen. I am afraid of what I might find when I get back.

Tomorrow night, Marcia and I are going on a night tour of DC. It should be interesting. More pictures then.

Homesick

2008-07-13T15:08:00.003-04:00

Today is Sunday. I usually spend Sunday's with Steve reading the paper and drinking coffee in the morning. This is something we both enjoy. Also, today is the day that I have dinner with my whole family. You know, my mother, my brothers and their families. I enjoy sharing my week with them and hearing about them and what they did all week. Mom always has a feast for everyone to fill up on. I really miss this today. I know, I should be making the most of this $200 a night hotel and expense account but it is really true. Money can't buy happiness. I miss Steve and Zach terribly. It is not so bad during the week when I am in class but the weekends are hell!

Alexandria VA - Old Towne

2008-07-13T00:19:00.003-04:00

I have made it a whole week here in Arlington. I have rode the metro, shuttles and now a trolley. Marcia, Chad, Rainbow, and I (yes, her name is really Rainbow) went to Old Towne tonight. We took the metro to Alexandria and then rode a trolley to the waterfront where we had dinner at Busby's Pizza. It was fabulous. We really enjoyed the pizza and the conversation. Chad and Rainbow are attorneys that are in our Decision Writer class. Rainbow is from Wilmore KY but is working in the Dayton OH ODAR office. She usually acts as our tour guide. She has been to DC before and she understands how the metro works. She is great with directions, unlike me. She has been very helpful to Marcia, Chad and I. Chad is originally from Arkansas but is now working in the St. Louis ODAR as a new decision writer. Chad and Rainbow are both in there early 30's but have been great about letting Marcia and I hang out with them. Marcia and I think they should get together. They are both young and single.

We had originally set out to go to Alexandria VA to watch the fireworks as it is there independence day. However, the fireworks were suppose to begin at 9:30 and we didn't finish dinner until 9:40. By then, the fireworks were over. We were all a little disappointed but we had a good time any way. I was disappointed that I didn't get any pictures of the waterfront but I think Marcia and I can make our way back there without help from Rainbow. It is a straight shot on the Metro to there. Also, Christy has told us the Charter House is a good place to eat and it is directly on the water front. Alexandria was beautiful. Just like and old town. There were musician playing on the sidewalk and all sorts of other festivities going on. I can't wait to go back. Hopefully I will have pictures to share then.

2 Kentucky Girls go to Washington Nationals Game

2008-07-10T23:25:00.006-04:00

Marcia and I went to the Washington National Game tonight. It was fun. We had a great time. However, to get there we had to take the metro. Very interesting. I will never again complain about Lexington traffic. Give me my own air conditioned car any day over the metro. Marcia or I either one had ever been on the metro. We were packed in like sardines, but we finally made it there and back without any problems. We had help from some of our fellow classmates. They are alot more travel than us girls from KY.

We did get to see Austin Kearns play. I have some pretty good pictures considering we sat in the second to last row from the top. The Nationals were loosing when we left but I understand they tied up in the last inning and had to go into extra innings, but ended up loosing 5-2. We had fun and had a new adventure. I think we are going to the Mall tomorrow night. I think we can handle that. We are very experienced shoppers.

Marcia and Vickie's Big Adventure

2008-07-09T17:07:00.003-04:00

Well, it's an adventure, but it didn't start off the way we had hoped. My mother and Zach took us to the Lexington Airport where we thought we would take off for Cincinnati at 11:40 on Monday. It turned out there was bad weather in South Dakota, delaying our flight to Cincy. Sounds strange I know but we didn't fly out until 12:30. So when we got to Cincy, we had missed our connecting flight. We were then put on the 3:20 flight to DC, giving us a layover in Cincy. But we decided to make the most of it and went to Outback for lunch. We had a great lunch of cheesefries and that delicious brown bread they serve. We felt much better after we had loaded up on Carbs. We finally made it to DC about 5:30. Ronald Regan airport is not air conditioned and it is very humid here and it was terribly crowded. We finally collected our luggage and believe me if I had had to pack that luggage around too long before we got to the airport, I think I would have found I could do without a few pair of those shoes I packed. (9 pair) We arrived at our hotel after a very frightening ride on the hotel shuttle. I hope Zach never drives that bad. We had to just throw our bags in our room and take off for the "Meet and Greet" session. I am glad we got our fill of carbs at lunch because they served salad for our meal. Thankfully, they had wine to go with it. We were late so we just picked a table and sat down. The ladies we were sitting with were very nice but when they found out we were Decision Writers they kind of gave us the cold shoulder. We did not realize the "Meet and Greet" was for Legal Assistant training too. They went on to explain that in there office the attorneys were blocking the hiring of paralegals as decision writers, so therefore they thought we were attorneys, but we quickly explained that things were not like that in our office and that we got along well with our attorneys and that we had just recently been legal assistants ourselves.

All in all, we are doing well. Marcia's ankle is still swelling some and my ears are still hurting from the plane ride but we are safe and have nice clean hotel rooms. We plan to make the most of our time in DC. I will have more adventures later.

What a Great Day!

2008-07-05T21:30:00.006-04:00

This morning when I got up it was raining. I was really bummed. Today is that day for the Mitchell/Lile/Cohorn family reunion. I really enjoy this reunion. I love seeing my 2 aunts (my dad's sisters). They are wonderful, strong women who are great cooks and love to tell stories of days gone by. I enjoy hearing about their families and telling them about mine. I love seeing my cousins and their families. Each year the reunion is a little different. We have some that have left us for one reason or another (death, divorce, prior engagements, etc) and each year we have new faces (new babies, boyfriend/girlfriend, or just plain friends). All are welcome. It is a great day full of fun, food, swimming and sharing of stories. It is one of my favorite times of the year. I believe I like it better than Christmas and I say this because I am an outdoor person and all this takes place beside my aunt's beautiful pool. I love her home and her lovely yard. This year the new face was "Austin". Truett and Tonya's new addition. He is certainly a little water dog. I had the pleasure of playing with him in the pool. He is so sweet. His brother, Alex, has really grown up this year. He was like talking to a little man. Even though the day started with a little rain, it sure turned into a blue sky day!

I took a Honey Bun cake to the reunion and I had several requests for the recipe, so here it is.

Honey Bun Cake

1 yellow cake mix with pudding 1 eight ounce carton sour cream

4 eggs 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/3 cup water 2/3 cup chopped pecans

Combine first 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Set aside.

Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans and set aside.

Grease and flour a 13 x 9 x 2 inch cake pan. Pour half of the batter into pan. Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture over the batter. Repeat the layers. Gently swirl batter with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Remove from overn. Drizzle glaze over cake and cool.

Glaze

1 cup sifted powered sugar (I don't sift, so what if there are a few lumps)

2 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. (I just use a spoon and beat real fast) Drizzle over cake.

Eat and Enjoy! Especially good with coffee.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-05T00:04:00.004-04:00

Busy day. First, I did laundry to try to get ready for this trip. I am going to Arlington VA for Decision Writer training on Monday. I will be gone for 3 weeks. I have not packed the first piece yet. But laundry is close to done. Then Steve and I went to look for boarder for the kitchen. He thought it would be a good idea to remodel my kitchen while I'm gone. My biggest fear is that I will get back and my kitchen will be a disaster. I hope I am wrong. Couldn't find any boarder today but I plan to go to Perspectives tomorrow to look for some before going to Frankfort to my Family Reunion. The we went to Jazzman's for lunch. BIG MISTAKE. They said it would be a 10 minute wait. It turned into 20. We finally go a table and then we waited an hour for our food. Steve ordered a club sandwich and I got a pork barbecue sandwich. I don't think it takes an hour to make either. However, the manager came and apologized and gave us our meal for free. I told us he hopes we come back when they get faster at preparing the food. The food was good but not good enough to wait that long. Came home and did more laundry and then went back out to grocery. My chauffeur, Zach, took me. When I got back home, I made strawberry daiquiris and cheese dip. Mmm, good. Then I fixed tacos for dinner. I still haven't packed anything. Madison called and ask us to come to her grandmother's house where they were lighting fire works and then we went to watch the fireworks at Lykins. We had a good time but now it is 11:30 and I still haven't packed anything. Maybe tomorrow.

Check out my Slide Show! Pictures from Vacation!

2008-07-01T19:27:00.005-04:00

We just got back from a short vacation to Cherokee NC/Pigeon Forge TN. The trip was much too short but all we could fit in before I leave for my trip to Arlington VA. I leave Monday for Decision Writer training which is a requirement for my new job as paralegal analyst. You will see pictures of Me, Steve and Zach. Mom went too but there are no pictures of her because she was the big time gambler this weekend. I am very sorry to report she did not hit the jackpot. Maybe next time, Mom! Zach and I walked along a creek that ran through Cherokee. It was very pretty. Then you will see the Jet Boat that we rode on. It was very exciting. It went really fast and the driver would spin the boat around and splash water into the boat. I have not had that much fun in a boat since my Dad got ride of our boat. It really brought back wonderful memories of times gone by. You will also see pictures from a petting zoo that we went too. We got to feed the bears and Zach liked the monkeys. Hope you enjoy the pics.

Trying to Buy a Car

2008-07-01T05:28:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to let you know the reason I have not had a new post in such a long time is because my Internet has been down. I have tried everything I know about computers to get it fixed and have been unsuccessful, so yesterday I had Zach try to get it fixed and he did. Come to find out our modem was shot. I really missed surfing the net and blogging.

I have been trying to purchase a new vehicle (well, new to me). I have looked around and finally found the type of vehicle I wanted to purchase. Now the job is to find the one I want. I have been working with two different dealerships. At one dealership, I really like the salesman and he has really made every effort to find the right car for me. So far, he has been unsuccessful. However, the other dealership has the car I want but they have been rude and deceitful. I have refused to do business with those people. I have decided not to make a purchase until I find the perfect car for me. This could take a very long time.

Friend Survery

2008-06-19T15:30:00.002-04:00

Shawna was right. This is a better post than an email.

1. What time is it?
4:00 p.m.
2. What's your full name?
Vickie Lynn Mitchell Means
3. What are you most afraid of?
Cancer
4. What was the last movie that you saw in a theater?
17 Dresses
5. Place of birth:
Frankfort, KY
6. Favorite food :
Mexican
7. What's your natural hair color?
Brown
8. Ever been to Alaska?
No
9. Ever TP someone?
Yes
10. Love someone so much it made you cry?
Yes
11. Been in a car accident?
Yes - minor
12. Croutons or bacon bits:
Croutons
13. Favorite day of the week:
Saturday
14. Favorite restaurant:
Jalapenos
15. Favorite Flower:
Daisey
16. Favorite sport to watch on T.V:
Baseball
17. Favorite drink:
Sweet Tea
18. Favorite ice cream:
Caramel
19. Disney or Warner Brothers:
Disney
20. Ever been on a ship?
No
21. What color is your bedroom carpet?
Hard Wood Floor
22. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
Written - once Actual driving test - 0
23. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail?
Lisa C.
24. What do you do when you are bored?
Read or surf the net
25. Bedtime:
11:00 p.m.
26. Who will respond to this e-mail the quickest?
I don't know
27. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond?
I don't know
28. Who is the person that you are most curious to see their responses?
you!
29. Favorite TV show:
All My Children
30. Last person you went to dinner with:
my family
31. Who do you think will be President?
Not sure
32. What are your favorite colors?
Red or Hot Pink
33. How many tattoos do you have?
0
34. How many pets do you have?
2
35. Which came first, the chicken or the egg
The Chicken
36. What do you want to do before you die?
go on a Cruise
37. Have you ever been to Hawaii
No but want to
38. Have you been to countries outside the U.S.
YES
39. How many people are you sending
this e-mail to?
None
40. Time this survey ended:
4:10 p.m.

The Boy was Rockin'!

2008-06-11T21:25:00.008-04:00

I have watched Zach play a lot of games this year and he just hasn't seem to really get in the groove of things yet. Well, tonight changed all that. The boy hit a 3 run homer, made a double play and assisted with another double play. This was his second homerun of the year. Oh, and he pitched too. We won 10-0. What a game! He did a great job. See the pics below.

Cicada

2008-06-08T20:07:00.003-04:00

As Shawna has made it clear in past post, I don't like snakes. Well, maybe don't like is putting it mildly. I detest snakes, bugs and any other flying or furry creature that might crawl on me. So, now that our yard is crawling, with Cicada, I don't even want to go outside. My cat, Max, agrees with me. He hates when they dive bomb on him too. I went to get in the car yesterday and here they came, two of them, right on me. It was horrible. It is a good thing they only come out every 17 years. I love the outdoors and I probably wouldn't if I had to deal with them.

Cicada, please go away and don't come again in 17 years. I don't remember them ever being this bad.

New Arrival

2008-06-08T15:29:00.002-04:00

Now please don't get confused. I told you about the new member of the mob in my last post but it isn't due to arrive until January 2009. Well, that is still the case but I want to tell you about my great niece that has just arrived on the Means' side of my family.

Skylynn arrived Friday morning after keeping her Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa awake all night long. She is 7 pounds 1 ounce and 19 1/2 inches long. She has a full head of hair the same color as her mother. She was about three weeks early but she sure doesn't look like it. She is beautiful. And here is where I would share a picture with you if I had one, however, I don't have one. I know you find that hard to believe since I take pictures of everything but Skylynn was in ICU due to low blood sugar and poor circulation. This is all very common for babies that arrive early. She is doing well and reports from her mother were that she was eating well. The doctor said if she was eating well she would be able to be released from ICU soon. So, no picture at this time but I hope to have one soon. I will be sure to share then.

Christina (Mom to Skylynn) is also having a few problems. Her blood pressure was elevated when we were at the hospital but who could blame her. She was scared to death when the baby didn't immediately cry and they took their time explaining everything to her. That in its self is enough to make you have high blood pressure, let alone all the poking and prodding they do to you after having a baby. You are sure that half of the hospital has to take a peek at your privates. I know when I had Zach, I was able to provide 3 nursing students an example of the largest hemorrhoid they had ever seen. Very embarrassing. I hope Christina doesn't have to go through that.

I want to say Congratulation to Rob and Christina for making sure a beautiful baby. I wish them all well. Photos to come later.

Special Report

2008-06-03T19:59:00.005-04:00

I know it has been forever since my last post and I will admit part of the reason I have not posted is because I have had a SECRET. A very big SECRET. I was told I couldn't tell all of you about this special information until certain parties (Ann, GW and Joey) had been informed. So I understand that all parties have been informed so I get to tell the rest of you.

This special report involves the "Mob". The Mitchell Mob that is. We are soon to have a new addition to the Mob. This new member should arrive sometime in January 2009. We are very, very excited about this new member. I personally hope he/she arrives on January 28, 2009, because on January 28, 1955 was the year that the Mitchell Mob first began. However, I have no way of knowing what day in January the new member will arrive.

Until this new member arrives, I have decided to call this new member "Tater Tot". The youngest member of the Mob was lovingly referred to as "Pumpkin Seed" until the day she arrived. This name, Pumpkin Seed, came about because her mother didn't want her unborn child to be referred to as he/she/it and not knowing the sex of the child, she decided to refer to it as "Pumpkin Seed". I think this name for the child also reflected somewhat on the mother's personality. So, I am really going out on a limb here. I haven't even discussed this with them but I want this new member to be referred to with a reflection of the father's personality. Therefore, the name "Tater Tot". In all my future posts, I will refer to this little one as "Tater Tot". I know you are thinking, "Tater Tot" why that? Scott is the Jumbo Spud and this will be his "Tater Tot". Well, it is better than "ButterBean" that Scott mentioned and better than "Cheeto" that Steve wanted me to call it.

In case you haven't got the hint yet, Scott and Shawna are expecting their new bundle of joy in January 2009!

What a Stressful Week!

2008-05-23T21:55:00.005-04:00

Oh wow, what a stressful week it has been. On Monday, I turned 45. That wasn't such a big deal. The stressful part was watching Zach play ball ---- in the cold --- in the rain. Not my idea of the best way to spend my birthday. However, to look on the bright side, it was the first game of summer ball. Zach has really had a difficult time playing high school ball this year. Coach just won't give him a chance. So, summer ball is much more laid back and there is a different coach. Even though it was raining Zach was finally enjoying baseball again. He had a great game, so all in all it wasn't a bad day. Besides that, I got presents from my friends. That was really good.

Tuesday was election day. Now what could me more stressful than trying to decide who I want to run the whole United States. That is a big decision. I, personnally, would like to choose whoever is going to reduce the price of gas. I hope I chose the right one.

Wednesday, my baby turned 16. Yes, that's right, Zach is 16 years old and if that wasn't stressful enough, I had to take Steve to see an Orthopedic Surgeon. He has been having knee pain for some time and it has finally got to the point where he could no longer stand the pain. The surgeon said he needed a total knee replacement. Not what we wanted to hear. However, he did not want to do the surgery. He doesn't like to do total knee replacement on people in their 40's. Well, Steve is 48 --- soon to be 49 (November). So, he recommended Steve for Supra injections. That is 5 injections, one each week for 5 weeks directly into the knee. The injection is made of rooster comb. Sounds kind of weird, I know, but he hopes this will reduce his pain and buy him some time before he has to have the surgery. I really hope it helps. Anyway, after the appointment, we headed to the ball field and Zach spent his birthday playing baseball. At least it wasn't raining. Just very windy.

Thursday, well that day wasn't too bad. I still went to a ball field but it was to watch Kelsey (my niece) and Morgan (Zach's girlfriend) play softball. I told you in past post that baseball had taken over my life, well, I wasn't kidding. Here are some of the pictures I took at the game. Kelsey is #10 and Morgan is below.

Friday (today) has been the most stessful day of all and I didn't even have to go to work. So, I know you are asking why was it so stressful, Zach got his drivers permit today. That just brings into light a whole new set of worries. He did really well, he only missed 2 on the exam. He drove me to the bank and the grocery afterwards. Also, Steve had his first injection today. I hope it works and gives him some relief. He says it is stiff but the doctor told him to expect that. And again, I sat in the rain and cold and watched Zach play ball. Did I forget to mention we are 3-0. Woohoo! Two more games tomorrow. I am praying for sunshine. Hopefully, next week will be less stressful, but I don't ever see that happening again with Zach driving. He even wanted to drive home tonight from the game in the dark and the rain. What was he thinking?! Oh yeah, I forgot, he is 16, he wasn't thinking!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-05-18T20:51:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is my birthday, but Steve and Zach wanted to give me my presents tonight because I have to work tomorrow and then Zach plays ball in the evening. They gave me TOYS! I never get toys. My boys get toys but never me. I am so excited. I got toys! Not one, not two, but three toys. They gave me my own MP3 player. I have been using Zach's old one but it is really nice to have my own. I also got a 7" digital picture frame. Now I can watch all my pictures. But best of all, I got a Garmin GPS device. I am so excited. Now maybe I can find my way around by myself. I have a very bad habit of getting lost. When I call Steve and tell him I am lost, he gets upset. I guess because he worries about me but he isn't very patient with me. So, most of the time, if I get lost, I call my good friend, Lisa. She is great. She always helps me. She knows where all of the high schools are in Lexington. However, if I get out of Lisa's area of expertise, I am in TROUBLE. I hope this will help me get to places with getting lost. I am looking forward to using it on my trip to Washington DC. It even has a setting to use when you are walking. Well, today has been pretty good. Rick and Michelle got me flower pots with flowers already planted in them. Very beautiful. Also, PJ's and a key fob. I love it all. I hope tomorrow is as good. I know I will be at work and then at the ballpark but I will just have to make the most of it. Maybe Zach will hit a homerun for my birthday. Now, that would be a great present too!

Meet the Mob Boss!

2008-05-11T13:28:00.003-04:00

I want you all to meet someone that is very near and dear to me. My mom. She is jokingly known as the "Mob Boss". I guess you can say that she is the boss of the Mitchell Mob. She even has a licence plate on her car that says Mafia Town Car.

Now, before you start getting any ideas about what my mother is like, just let me tell you a little about her. She is a wonderful mother, even though her title doesn't reflect it. She is many thing to us in the "Mob". She is the doctor and the nurse, the lawyer, the loan officer, the secretary, the law enforcer, the inventor, the butcher, the cook, the baker, the housekeeper, the defender, the fighter of many battles, the coach, the cheerleader, the lecturer, the teacher, the grounds keeper, the taxi cab driver, the day care worker, the story teller, the grocerer, the personal shopper, the painter, the messenger, the fairy godmother, and many, many more things to us. I just can't think of them all right at this moment.

My mother has a very hard job. She keeps us all in line. She not only takes care of me and my brothers, she takes care of our spouses and our children too. Not that is not an easy task. We can be a roudy bunch. But she is the one that oversees us all. We are all very close. I am not saying that we don't have our squabbles, because we do. But we are all there for each other when it counts. We fuss and fight, but we also laugh and cry together.

I know you are still asking yourself, why is she called the "Mob Boss". Well, it started at a unhappy occasion. One of our very close friends had just passed away and we were all going to the funeral. My mother wore a black dress and both of my brothers and my husband wore black suits. Just in case you don't know my brothers or my husband, I want you to know that they are all big men. Rick and Scott are over 6 foot tall and weigh 350+ pounds. Rick is bald. My husband is 5 foot 10 inches tall and 300+ pounds. They all came to the chuch wearing sunglasses. As they were all helping my mother into the church someone said you all look like you are from the Mob and one of my brothers looked at Mom and said, "I guess that makes you the Mob Boss." and it has stuck to this day.

And just so you know, don't mess with any member of the Mob or the Mob Boss will be after you. Because believe me, if you think the three guys can be intimadating, you haven't seen my 72 year old mother shake her cane at you yet.

I love you, Mom. Hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day with the Mob.

Baby Shower

2008-05-03T21:36:00.008-04:00

I had the pleasure of attending a baby shower for my niece, Christina, today at the Embassy Suites. It was very nice. The food was excellent and I had a great time. I was so glad that Christina shared her special day with me.

The cake/cupcakes were wonderful. They were decorated to match the nursery. Mine had a daisey and butterfly on it. It was white raspberry flavored cake served with a raspberry glaze. It was awsome.

Christina got a lot of wonderful gifts. Here is the Hippo bank I got her from Personally Yours. We passed it around at the shower and everyone put spare change in it. I thought that was really cool. Her (Skylynn's - that is going to be the baby's name) bank is almost full and she isn't even her yet.

I love the baby's name. Her mom wanted to call her Sky and her dad wanted to call her Lynn. So they compromised and called her Skylynn. I love it! Skylynn Renee is going to be a very special child. I believe Rob and Christina will be wonderful parents.

Rob and Christina

Unfortunately, Christina is having problems with her blood pressure and has been put on bed rest. So, I am going to post pictures from the baby shower for her to see. Hope everyone enjoys them too. Christina, if you are reading, I hope you are feeling well.

Halloween costume from Aunt Eileen.

Handmade quilt bought at a silent auction several years ago by Grandma!

Mom - Christina

Grandma - Theresa

Grandpa - Leo

Aunt Eileen

Great-Grandma - Eileen

Day at Keeneland

2008-05-03T21:21:00.007-04:00

It has been a while since I have been able to post. I explained in my last post that baseball has taken control of my life. Well, it still has. I am just trying to sneak in a few minutes and share with you my wonderful day at Keeneland. The weather was fantastic and I was with some great friends. See the pictures below.

Here are my lunch buddies. They are truly friends you can count on.

Lisa, Me, and Marcia

This is Sharon and Christy! The one above is Marcia and Christy.

Baseball and Pinkalicious

2008-04-16T20:52:00.006-04:00

Baseball has taken over my life. Everynight we have some sort of baseball event. Some nights we don't even get home until 1 a.m. I don't know how these boys are suppose to get their homework done. Zach says he is keeping up. I've heard that one before.

Tonight we played in Powell County. Met up with some friends we played ball with several years ago. The boys have really grown. Zach and Morgan played against each other and I got to talk to Matthew. He is going to Morehead and told me to tell Kelsey "Hello". I hope when they are older they are able to meet up and date. He is such a sweet and handsome guy, just the type guy Kelsey would really like.

Went to Lainie's dance recital this weekend. It was so cute. Very pinkalicious. She tap danced to "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to". She did a great job. Her Daddy and Granddaddy brought her flowers. She thought they were wonderful. I loved her outfit and hair. Such a little lady. So different from Hannah Montana plays baseball.

Well, I feel as if I am just rambling tonight. I have started training for my new job this week. My brain is on overload and it isn't getting much sleep. I think by Friday it may explode. However, I am going to get a little down time then. I plan to go to Keeneland with my Lunch Buddies. More about that later.

It was Horrible!

2008-04-10T21:34:00.003-04:00

Here I was just trying to run the daily race, get off work, rush to pick Zach up from school, go home and let him change, run him back to the ball field, run back home, do some chores, hurry back to the field so that I can work concession stand and watch a ballgame. My mind was racing about all that need to be done. So, now I have just got home from work and was on my way in the house when I saw it. There it was with it's beady little eyes and long forked tongue. It was looking at me. I was moving. It was in the bush next to the house. I froze. I didn't know what to do. It just sat there looking at me. What to do? I took off and ran into the house. Finally, I was safe inside my house. I looked back out the door. Yes, it was still there. It was still looking at me.

It was a SNAKE!!!

I immediately called my husband. He was at football practice. I told him he need to come home. He wanted to know why. I told him it was an emergency. He asked what kind of emergency. I told him there was a snake at the door. He said "What?" I said, well not exactly at the door, but in the bush by the door. He asked how big it was. I relied that it was TOO big. I told him he need to come home at take it away. He said he couldn't leave football practice to come and move a tiny snake. I told him if he loved me he would. He said that he did love me but he was coaching and I would be fine. He told me it would go away.

I finished my chores and was ready to go to the ball game. I peaked out the door and HE (the snake) was still there. What was I going to do? I was being held hostage in my own home. Well, I had made a commitment to the ball team. I had to work the concession stand. I had to get out that door. I had a little talk with myself. You can do it. You can do it. I opened the door and out I went. I ran so fast. I am sure if the neighbors were watching they were wondering what I was doing. I am sure no one has ever witnessed me move that fast. I was outside and in my car in a flash. I made it.

I went to the game, worked concession stand and after the game, Zach had to practice with the JV team. My husband, being the nice man he is told me to go home and he would wait for Zach. I said, "NO WAY". He (the snake) will be waiting for me. Steve informed me it was dark and cooler out so the snake would have gone by now. I wasn't sure he was telling the truth but I really wanted to get home. So I drove home. As I got out of the car, I looked down to make sure he (the snake) hadn't slithered out to the drive way waiting for me. He (the snake) wasn't there. So I inched my way up the sidewalk and on to the porch. I looked at the bush and he wasn't there. I might have saw him down inside the bush now, but I didn't wait for him to pop out on me. I quickly ran inside. Safe once again.

Spring Break was Too Short

2008-04-05T21:43:00.014-04:00

We are back from Pigeon Forge/Powell TN. The first two days in Pigeon Forge were magnificent. The weather was about 70 degrees and sunny. It was so wonderful. Steve and I were pretty much on our own for the first couple of days. We enjoyed shopping the outlet malls and just exploring the sites together. I guess this is what it will be like when Zach goes to college.

We would sometimes meet with the group for meals or parent meetings but otherwise we just did as we pleased. Zach seemed to enjoy the 4 story cabin that the team stayed in on top of a mountain and we enjoyed our hotel. I would have, however, traded the dishwasher and the garbage disposal for a full size coffee pot and 2 coffee mugs. I think the dishwasher and the garbage disposal were overkill since there were no dishes in the kitchen. I don't understand their thinking.

On Thursday we moved to a hotel in Powell TN and that is when the rain began. The games were cancelled for the whole weekend. The boys were miserable cramped in hotel rooms (4 to a room). The only fun they had was when they realized the Bryan Station baseball team was staying in the hotel next to ours and they went the the CVS parking lot to play whiffle ball. However, the management at CVS didn't seem to like the situation and called the police. Both teams fled to their hotels. Fortunately, nothing came of that incident. We came home on Friday because the games were cancelled and everyone was beginning to get grumpy. Especially Coach Allison.

Today Steve and I took a ride in the country. We haven't done that forever and at the price of gas we won't be doing it again soon. However, we use to do it all the time. I forgot how much I enjoyed it. We took the camera and shot some great pics of turkeys, calves, and even a rabbit. I even picked some daffodils from the side of the road. They were beautiful.

Turkeys taking a walk.

A bunny rabbit sitting beside the road.

Cute little calf.

I love daffodils.

What a beautiful sunset. We have to go home now. It is getting too late to take pictures. We got some really good shots.

I have one more day before I have to go back to work. I think it will be spent cleaning and doing laundry but I have enjoyed the time off. It just went too fast.

Spring Break

2008-03-31T20:07:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow we are off for Spring Break. We are going to Pigeon Forge with the baseball team. Zach will be staying in a 30 person cabin (not sure it is still considered a cabin if it holds 30 people. I imagine a cabin as being cozy. Not with 30 people.). Steve and I are staying in a nice hotel close to the "cabin". We will be in Pigeon Forge for 2 days and then we go to Knoxville for 3 days for the boys to play ball.

I am looking forward to the down time and shopping. I want to sleep late (at least until 8) and enjoy being with my husband. I hope there are lots of sales because I love to shop too.

When we return, I will be sure to share some of the pictures. I am sure the scenery will be awesome. The trees and flowers are starting to bloom and I hope the sun shines bright the whole time we are gone. I just can't seem to talk the weatherman into seeing things my way.

Happy Birthday, Kolbi!

2008-03-30T20:36:00.002-04:00

Today is Kolbi's birthday! She is 12 years old. She is the fashionesta of the middle school. I believe she has a complete new wardrobe after today. She was fortunate enough to go to Richmond/Danville and spend the weekend with her cousin and aunt and they took her on a shopping spree much like the one she went on a week or so ago with me and my mother.

Kolbi will be the best dressed middle school girl in Winchester. She has great clothes and better accessories. But most of all it is her winning personality that make her so special. I have to say I enjoy spending time with her. We share a love for reading. I hope she enjoys the book I got her for her birthday. She also received several great selections from her other aunt and cousin. I think she will busy for some time with her new reading material.

Softball starts on Wednesday for Kolbi. I can't wait to see her play. I won't be able to make it on Wednesday but look forward to watching her play soon. I hope all of her and Zach's games are not on the same days. I hope to see her pitch and hit a homerun.

Happy Birthday, Kolbi! Good luck Wednesday. I will be thinking of you.

Spring is Finally Here!

2008-03-29T23:22:00.003-04:00

Today has been so beautiful. I hate to see it end. I love to see the trees budding, the flowers blooming and the sun shining. It was wonderful. I even went and got a pedicure. My toes even look springy.

This week has been very busy. Monday was Zach's first day of Varsity baseball. The first game was at home but we have also traveled to Paris and Jackson this week. The boys have won all there games so far and Zach has played in two of the three games. He has only got to hit and got out both times but at least he is making contact. I hope he gets a chance to play more but he is having a good time and that is all that matters.

The baseball team is going to Pigeon Forge for Spring Break so we will be leaving with them on Tuesday. I am looking forward to this mini vacation. I hope it is warm and sunny there but if it isn't we still have a nice hotel and I will enjoy sleeping in for a change.

At work, I am finishing up training our new hires. I have been told that I will start my new job on April 14. I am very excited and nervous at the same time about this. I am very comfortable in my old job and being a paralegal analyst is all new to me. I know I am going to have to dig in and work hard but I look forward to the challenge.

Great Easter Weekend

2008-03-23T19:44:00.002-04:00

This has been a great weekend for many reasons. First, my husband, Steve, did not have to work. We got to sleep in and then Steve, Zach and I went out for breakfast before Zach went to baseball practice. Then Steve and I spent the day running errands. I know that doesn't sound very exciting but I really enjoyed spending the day with my husband doing mundane tasks.

My favorite time on Saturday was when we purchased a new gas grill. Mine went out in late fall. It was a terrible disaster. The knobs burned off. Can you believe that? My brother-in-law, Leo, says that a spider built a nest in the tubing that goes to the knobs and when I lit the grill it caused the nest to catch fire, in turn setting the knobs on fire. Sounds like a good explanation to me. (At least, this way it isn't my fault. My husband is always making fun of me about burning things. That is definitely a good topic for another post. I only have small fires.)

Back to the grill story. Here is my son, Zach, admiring our new grill. I love to cookout and ever since the fire incident, I have had to fry way more foods than my family needs fried. Grilling makes dinner quick and easy. I even have a side burner and a gridle to use on this grill. Saturday night, Steve grilled out hamburgers. They were so good, the only thing that would have made them any better was if I had had a garden tomato to go with it. I plan to have tenderloin later this week.

Sunday was a good day also. I got to sleep in again and I prepared breakfast for my family. It isn't often when we can have breakfast together two mornings in a row. We just spent the morning doing household chores but I love that we were all home working together. I even had an afternoon nap. It doesn't get much better than that.

Then we went to my Mom's for dinner. I really enjoy getting together with my family for Sunday dinner. Sometimes it is filled with chaos but it is always heartwarming. I love each and everyone of them. I get to hear about Lainie's swimming lessons, Trace's judo class, Kolbi's middle school friends, Kelsey's softball games, stories about Team Mitchell, and all about Clays Mill and Hannah McClure Elementary happenings. I know that some days there is chaos, even crying and screaming but most of all there is a lot of love.

So, that was my weekend. I can wait to see what my week brings. I will be sure to share it in my next posting.

Birthday Shopping with the Fashionesta

2008-03-19T20:44:00.007-04:00

I am very lucky to have 2 wonderful sister-in-laws that let me share there children. I have only one son. They have girls. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my son very much and I love my nephews as well. But I love shopping for little girls and my sister-in-laws let me share in there shopping trips with their girls. Sometimes they even let me take them on my own. What fun!

Last night, I had the pleasure of shopping with Kolbi, my middle school niece, and my mother. We were on a shopping trip for Kolbi's birthday. She is truly a fashionesta. She loves accessories. Anything from headbands, purses, funky socks, jewelry, sunglasses and every other kind of accessory you can think of. She also likes clothes.

When Kolbi and I get together, watch out. The dressing room will be stuffed with all kinds of outfits. We have an understanding, she will try on everything, she doesn't have to like it, just try it. Sometimes we get a good laugh out of an outfit and sometimes she is really surprised when she likes something after she tries it on that she thought she wouldn't like. I have to say that some of my favorite times with Kolbi have been spent in a dressing room.

Last night, we were very successful. Kolbi will be in high fashion this spring. She will be the envy of all middle school girls and all the little boys will like what they see.

I must again reemphasize my thanks to my two brothers and their wives for sharing their children with me. I am very fortunate to have these kids in my life.

Jamboree Fun!

2008-03-16T19:16:00.003-04:00

Last night, Steve, Zach and I went to the local theater where we saw the Clark County Jamboree. Tickets were only $5.00. It was really good. The mayor, the County Attorney, Centerline played the Hee Haw gang. It was very entertaining.

Zach really enjoyed it. He like the "HOT" girls, Hannah Rector and Jesse Pennington. Les Taylor also sang. He was very good.

I like the fact that we could go out for a night on the town and stay within our county and not spend a fortune and still have a great time. I was very impressed with our local theater. I am proud of our city officials that put it all together.

I look forward to going there again to see other performances.

Hannah Montana Plays Baseball

2008-03-16T08:28:00.009-04:00

My young niece, Lainie, has a very vivid imagination. She loves to play dress up and has been every princess Disney has created, she has been an M&M and even a member of the Incredibles. Sometimes she takes on the personality of an animal, such as a cat. When she is a cat, she meows and licks paw and pretends she is giving herself a bath, just as a cat does.

Her most recent fantasy is a bit more modern and mature. At Christmas, she receive a Hannah Montanta wig as a gift. As you can see, before she received the Hannah Montana wig, she was Snow White (I hope I have my princess correct). Now, each Sunday when she arrives at my Mom's home for Sunday dinner with the family, she is Hannah Montana. She has been Hannah Montana for several weeks now.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of watching Hannah Montana play baseball (indoor T-ball actually). I love T-ball. If you have never watched 4-6 T-ball, you should. It is great entertainment, you never know what to expect next. I have to say Lainie at least knows how to hit the ball fairly well and knows which way to run. That is more than I can say for some of the little players.

I loved the end of the game, as each team passes the other team shaking hands and telling each other good game. In first stage T-ball, you don't keep score (however, some parents do) and you don't actually get out. Everyone is a winner.

Exciting Day and Great Night!

2008-03-14T20:31:00.002-04:00

Today is the day I have been working for my whole professional career. Today, I was promoted to Paralegal Analysis. I was so shocked. I didn't really think I had a chance at it. We were suppose to only have one slot open and they announced someone elses name. She is very qualified and has been working at ODAR for longer then me. I was happy for her. Then they announced my best friend as receiving a promotion too. I was very happy for her. She is a hard worker and how can you not be happy for your best friend if she receives a promotion. But then the chief kept talking and he said he had one more position and it was for me. I know that my mouth had to drop clear to my knees. I was so shocked. I am still having a hard time believing that I was selected.

That is my main fault. I don't have enough faith in myself. Maybe it is lack of self esteem. I want to work on that and give myself more credit. I have worked hard to get where I am and I deserve this promotion.

Tonight has been wonderful. My husband, son and mother took me out to dinner to celebrate. They all told me how proud they were of my accomplishment. We went to the Mexican resturant and celebrated with margaritas. My favorite. The food was great as well as being with my family. If only Daddy could have been there.

Spring plays Peek - a - Boo!

2008-03-13T21:12:00.002-04:00

Today was wonderful. I love spring weather. I just hate that it is going to rain and get cooler tomorrow. I feel like Spring is playing Peek - a - Boo with us. We opened the doors and windows tonight at dinner. It felt so good.

I hope by having the doors and windows open, it carried some of the germs out of my house. As you may have read from my last post, Zach has the flu. But today he became even worse. He now has strep to go with the flu. Dr. Taylor says he got the combo pak. At resturants and other places the combo pak is a good thing but at the doctors office the combo is not a good thing. I hope he gets well soon.

I want to wish Leo Means "Happy Birthday!" today. Just in case he reads my blog, I want him to know that I am thinking of him. "Happy Birthday, Leo." Hope you have a great day!

Soon another little girl will be having a birthday. She is my super cool middle school niece. I hope to have a picture to go with that post. More on her later.

Flu Bug

2008-03-13T07:13:00.002-04:00

My poor baby, Zach, (he's not exactly a baby anymore) has the Flu. He is miserable. He has a temperature of 103. I has been to the dr and the dr says he can expect the feel awful until at least Friday, then it may go into a sinus infection or pneumonia. Wow, isn't that something to look forward to.

He missed the basketball game he was so looking forward to on Tuesday and didn't even get to say a proper goodbye to his girlfriend, Morgan, before she left on her trip to Florida with the GRC Choir.

Zach doesn't usually like school too much but I think he will be glad to return. He is also missing baseball practice. I think that is what he hates most about being sick, even though he has been too sick to even complain about missing it.

I too wish all the sickness would be gone, along with the snow, ice, rain and cold temperatures. I want abundant sunshine, beautiful flowers, leafy trees and baseball. More later about our trip to Pigeon Forge with the GRC baseball team.

Princess Callie

2008-03-05T19:45:00.003-05:00

I know that each and every one of you have been sitting on the edge of your seat since my last post to find out more about Princess Callie. She is my beloved calico cat. She just thinks she is a princess.

This cat is like no other cat I have ever had the pleasure of owning. She is by far the most lovable. Callie is always waiting at the door for me when I get home. Steve says she can hear my car drive up and starts meowing for me. She would be happy and content for me to sit on the couch all day long holding and petting her.

Callie is almost like having a dog. She loves to play fetch. If you will throw her toy mouse down the hallway, she will go and get it and bring it back and drop it at your feet. Sometimes in the middle of the night, she will bring her mouse for Steve or I to throw for her. Needless to say, Steve and I aren't up for playing at that time of night.

Callie is also like a dog because she like to lick you. I know dogs like to lick people, especially when they are glad to see you but I didn't think cats were that way until we got Callie. Steve doesn't like it too much at night when she licks him in the face. He has called her several names in the middle of the night, but Princess was not one of them.

She also like to chase a laser pointer. This is her most favorite game of all. All you have to do is touch the laser pointer and she is at your feet just waiting to take off after the light. I don't understand why that game is so fun. It is not like she can ever catch the light.

Callie is jealous. If Steve and I are touching, she has to be right with us, usually touching both of us. If we get in bed, and Steve puts his arm over me, you can bet she will find a way to get between us. If she gets too hot between us, she will sleep on my hip. That is sometimes dangerous for her because if I turn over in the night, she goes flying off the bed.

Well, that's enough about Princess Callie for today. I'm sure you are glad you tuned in to get the scoop on the Princess. Maybe I will have something even more interesting to talk about tomorrow.

Bad Day

2008-03-04T20:05:00.003-05:00

Did you ever have one of those days where the minute you step out of bed, your whole goal for that day is to get back home to get back in bed? That was my day yesterday. I felt so bad. I was coughing and my ears and my throat hurt. All I wanted to do was take some medicine and crawl back in bed. But of course that was not what I did. I forced myself to get up and get ready for work. I kept saying this mantra over and over to myself, "you'll feel better in a minute". Well folks, it never happened. I drug to work and everyone kept saying, "Are you sick? You don't look so good." Well, duh. I don't feel so good either. But I kept repeating my mantra over and over. "You're going to feel better any minute now." Instead of feeling better, I just coughed and coughed. When I got home, I was so happy to see my bed, right there where I left it. Just calling me to crawl in and that is just what I did. It felt so good. Now in hind sight, I see I probably should have stayed right there. But I pushed myself to get up and go. Next time, I am going to listen to that little voice in my head and stay put.

Today was much better. I feel much better. I still feel like crap but I am much better than I was yesterday. I am at least able to make it down the stairs to write my post. Shawna got me started with this but I am really enjoying it. I miss the days I don't have time to write. I am not sure anyone really cares what I have to say but I enjoy doing it and I guess that is all that really matters.

I guess this post doesn't really say much. I will try and do better tomorrow. Hopefully, I will have something exciting to write about. Maybe I will tell you about Callie, the princess cat.

Date Night

2008-03-02T09:22:00.001-05:00

Steve and I rarely get a date night but this Friday everything just seemed to fall into place. Zach was going to the ballgame with his girlfriend and Mom wanted to stay in because of the awful rain. Dinner was great. My filet was cooked to perfection. Met with some old friend and was able to share parts of my Reno trip with them. After that we went to see a local play.

Steve and I don't usually go to plays. Steve really isn't a play sort of guy. If he had known there was also a wrestling match in town also, we probably wouldn't have gone to the play. I'm glad I didn't know about the wrestling match until the next day. I am sure he would have accused me of holding that information out on him. But he was a really good sport and took me to the play. I think he even liked it a little bit.

At the play we were greeted by a beautiful brown haired girl I have know since she was a baby. She was working the spot lights. I think she should have been one of the girls on stage wearing one of the fabulous dresses. She would have really lit up the stage. She has a wonderful smile. At the end of the play she was surrounded by friends, but didn't hesitate to give me a farewell hug. Her moma should be very proud of her.

The play was very exciting. It was called Sillouettes of Broadway. It was produced by a guy I went to school and church with back in the day. It had short scenes from various Broadway plays. Lion King was my favorite. It was very moving. I loved it.

I also have to mention there were two guys that have played ball with my son. One was a football player and the other a baseball player. I have to say they are much better at acting than ball playing. They both did a terrific job.

I really enjoyed spending time with my husband. It was like we were dating again. He even opened the truck door for me. He is such awesome husband. I love him more and more each day.

My Trip to Reno/Lake Tahoe

2008-02-27T18:45:00.004-05:00

I don't usually stray too far from home, so when Mom asked me to go to Reno I was hesitant to accept. I was torn with what to do. On one hand, it sounded like a great trip, but on the other, I felt guilty leaving my husband and son at home on their own. But my husband, being the wonderful man he is, encouraged me to go. I am so glad he did. I had a wonderful time! Reno is kind of a dirty little town but Lake Tahoe is fabulous. There was 3 feet of snow on the ground the day we went but it was beautiful.

Shawna and I don't gamble like Mom and Scott, so we took little day trips on our own. One day we walked down to the River Front and watched movies. I especially liked Definitely, Maybe. Another day we took a bus to the mall. You learn a lot from public transportation. I was very happy to see my car when I got home. The mall was not as big as the Fayette Mall but I got some bargains to take home to my teenage son. He thought it was Christmas again.

The last night we were in Reno was the best. We had dinner at this fancy-smancy steak house. We were like Beverly Hillbillies at the steak house. It was different than any place I have ever been. I was a little surprised when the waiter appeared and said he was going to clean my palette. I had no idea what he was talking about. He set in front of us small champagne glasses with a melon baller size scoop of lemon sorbet. Then he poured about 2 ounces of champagne on top of it. I later found out that the champagne was Christal and I understand that is about $200.00 a bottle. This was very tasty. I wouldn't mind having my palette cleansed again.

But that wasn't the only surprise. After having our palettes cleansed, we were served a delicious prime rib with new potatoes. I was stuffed when the waiter asked about dessert, so I said "no, thank you". As we were waiting for the check, the waiter brought warm towels so we could wash our hands and he brought another steaming dish and set it on the table. Imagine our surprise when we found chocolate truffles in the dish. They were awesome.

The best part of going away was coming home. When I got home there was a beautiful vase of fresh cut flowers and a love note on the kitchen table from my husband. Unfortunately, it was his night to work Bingo for the baseball team, so he wasn't home when I got there. However, Zach was home and gave his Mom a big old hug. He helped me bring in my luggage and we caught up on his love life. It's almost as good as a soap opera. The best part was that night when Steve got home and got in bed with me and put his big old paw over me. I knew all was right with the world again.

P.S. Did I mention this whole trip was free? Mom and Scott are high rollers, so this trip was a gift to them. All I paid for were the gifts I brought back to my family. I like living the high life.

The Beginning

2008-02-26T19:50:00.002-05:00

I never thought much about blogs until I started reading my sister-in-laws blog. It is very interesting so I started reading the links on her blog. Then I was hooked. I started reading other blogs. Now I am thinking to myself, I might like to try one. I have done some research and ask her alot of questions, so here I am creating my own blog.

I have decided this is a good way to broaden my creativity, strenghten my writing skills and keep others up to date with my family. I hope to post everyday but I am not sure time will permit an entry each day. Maybe I will at least be able to post once a week. I want to include pictures and interesting stories about our lives but I may just ramble about whatever I am thinking about at the time.

Tomorrow I want to share my trip to Reno and Lake Tahoe. I have some beautiful pictures. Stay tuned for more!