Everybody's Workin For the Weekend!

After my wonderful Friday, (it felt like a whole week in one day), the weekend was too short! I was motivated this morning, but not for work. I will have to say this, manual labor, the morning after, isn't what it used to be. I wanted an electric lift this morning. Every ounce of my body was sore. It took everything I had in me to make it to this spot on the NEWLY COMPLETE DECK ADDITION!

Tim and I worked all weekend on this deck. He cut and nailed and I carried the boards from the trailer to the deck for him. That was the part that made everything hurt this morning. I built two sets of steps, he liked one set, and rebuilt the 2nd set. I have to admit that the last set was a little too tall and shaky. This is the set that Tim liked and we kept them!

The girls all swam yesterday while we worked. We had an uneventful, peaceful weekend. Here's to Working For The Weekend.


The girls and I ate lunch with my grandmother, we call her Mae Mae. Mae Mae, Mary Margaret, Kaye and Taylor

Freaky Friday Continues

Email from my sister-in-law after my post today...
Hey Girl,
Speaking of over sleeping your brother did not want to get up this morning and he has had a bad day to so i guess yall our two of a kind today. Just wanted to say that we had a really great time at your house and I hope we can come back and see you guys soon I always feel comfortable and welcome at your house so I just wanted to say thanks. We miss you guys already I hope your Friday gets better and hope you have a good weekend Love to all of you.

Amanda
My response: Just so you all know my Friday was WUN..DER...FUL...
Amanda,
The rest of my Friday sucked and it is still sucking. I printed payroll to the wrong printer, which meant that payroll was finished after lunch, not before. My tags on my van has been expired since FEBRUARY and I had to get them renewed, found this out when I washed it the other day. Because of my printer mistake, I did not get to finish the rest of my work, so I'll have that feeling of leaving everything undone for the whole weekend. Mr. & Mrs. Butler did not get their vacation approved for next week, I had already let the baby sitter off. FREAKIN GREAT FRIDAY.

Im going swimming. So there, take that evil gods of Friday.

We had a great time too, come back any time and bring the good Friday fairies with you, I think they jumped in your van and hitched to Missouri! I want them back. Love ya
Kaye

TGIF and Not Monday

TGIF and not a Monday, because if I started out a Monday like I started off today, theres no telling what would happen in a weeks time.

First, I over slept. Yes the human alarm clock over slept. I know its hard for some of you to believe that the 5am girl with no alarm clock over slept, I did. 6:30would be the time I got up. Losing that 1 1/2 hour of time set me back. So, I was running around folding clothes, sweeping, vacuuming, washing clothes, basically trying to make up for the lost time, like a mad woman.

Second (this is a question) why do kids take a 30 minute shower and come out looking like they stood in the corner of the shower all afraid of the water? 7:45 the shower becomes available.

Third, just as the shower becomes available, Tim grabs a towel and shuts the bathroom door. I'm asking, what are you doing? Just going in the bathroom he says. I'm, all hurry up, I haven't had my shower. Run to finish up the dishes to find two kids staring at the TV. Chaps my hide.

Next, I jump in shower after manly man comes out of the bathroom and he says, oh, I didn't know you needed the shower. He must have the same selective hearing that the girls have. Is there a doctor for that?

Last, super fast shower, super fast drying hair, throw on the clothes, run out the door at 8:20, jump in the van, gas light comes on, crap, girls fighting over the radio, I look down and realize, I did not turn my clothes inside out. Lucky me, I don't have to walk the kids in to VBS anymore.

Right now, I'm at work, the only person here so far, its nice and quiet, I fixed the clothing issue, I'm loving the quiet.

My advice tip for the day: (this has nothing to do with my morning) Email can be your friend, enemy and embarrassing. Friends love your emails. Enemies just delete your emails, so those emails are a waste of time. Embarrassing emails are emails you type, send and then try to recall them. Keep this in mind the recall button does not always work.

Until the next time,
Kaye

Just a Quickie

Quickie #1: Short story: I was discussing my post on the Kissed a Girl song with Amber, (age 17) that is working at the funeral home this summer. She said to me, Hey Kaye, got me some of that Cherry Chap Stick! I know you like it! (joking) My boss, 83, has no clue and says, "Hey, I've had cherry and grape, I love it." Maybe you had to be there for it to be funny.

Quickie #2: Mary Margaret wants to blog. Should I let her have her own blog or let her be a guest blogger for a while on my blog and see how it goes.

Quickie #3: If I give her her own blog, we need a name for it. Throw out some suggestions! I'll try my first voting poll! She wants to write "reviews" of the movies and books she reads. Oh, and give out love advice. Why advice? Because she is so.wise.already and I am the murderer of Romance.

Who's To Blame?

Note: I know this does not pertain to each and everyone one of us, I saying "in general".

Our children in America are running amuck. How are they running amuck you ask, no morals, no manners, no consideration for another person's feelings, etc. Babies, 13, 14, 15, 16 year old babies (all kids really), are dealing with way too much stress which causes a domino effect in their behavior.

I hear the blame being placed on this, that and the other. Someone blames divorce, peer pressure, music, money. I think that the problem comes full circle to the shoulders of the parents. Most parents are there when the child takes its first breath, love unconditionally, until the teen years. What happens? Do they fall out of love with their child? I don't think so, I think that we have become lazy.

Teenage girl has a question for mom about becoming a woman, pass it off on the school to provide the answer or maybe we should just sit her infront of the TV with an educational movie, or lets leave it alone and let her get the wrong information from other teens, WHO KNOW NOTHING either. Teenage boy wants time with dad, dad brushes him off with, I've not got time, work, play, whatever it is, son is not included, he starts to feel left out, becomes a criminal or a wife beater.

Lazy.

Parents are not PARENTING or they do not know how to PARENT or GUIDE this child/children in the right direction. I also know that every breathing minute can not be dedicated to "watching" over our children. They need their space and we need ours or we would all be crazy. Which brings me to this...

What has set me off on this rant? A new song that my girls seem to know the words to, "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry. I do work, which causes my girls to be in the hands of a baby sitter, which means that I can not be there 24/7 to monitor what goes on. I have had some bad sitters and some good ones. These last 3 years, I have been lucky to have Anna and now this summer Kailey. I still have no complaints. I can say that I stay on top of who they are talking to, texting to and to the music they listen to. I do take the time to talk, whether it is peacefully or a full blown shouting match, we talk. I'm not stupid, I know that I do not get told everything, but they know that I will listen.

This song "I Kissed A Girl" is deceptive. It hides behind this catchy little beat and nice melody, almost sounds like a popular dance song. I was guilty of liking the beat and melody. I have noticed it as "background" noise in the Van on 101.9 KISS FM out of Jonesboro.

My point? I listened to it this weekend and this TRASH was able to slip through undetected.

OMG

Lyrics: I kissed a girl and I liked it. I tasted her cherry chap stick and it was good. I hope my boyfriend don't mind.

I heard both the girls singing with it this weekend. You all know that I was raised Baptist. We take the Bible seriously and literally. God made different races and sexes for a reason. He made men and women to make babies not carpet burn. (ouch, the redneck baptist in me is clawing it's way to the top) There.I.Said.It. I'm not scared. Bring on the comments, throw caution to the wind. Download the song and listen to it, I want to know what you think. What is the point of a blog if you are afraid to give it your all? Yes it is to keep up with each others lives, but it is also an outlet...let's use it.

By the way, I have officially banned KatyPerry.

I have a signature!

This is for Carissa

I did it girl! Check out my signature thingy!

Essay: What We Learned About Italy

Italy

- Most of the Ancient Statues in Italy are naked

- They were amazed that there was an actual city built in the water and they realized that we have seen this city on The Bachelor.

- We watched a video about Italy and found out that the Leaning Tower of Pisa is in fact leaning more and is closed to the public for repairs and rebracing.

- Mary Margaret recognized some of the paintings, she learned about them in art this year. She was really impressed that some of these painting were on ceilings.

- Mary Margaret decided that it is a romantic city, she's all into romance now.

- The food is mostly pasta and wonderful sauces, tomato sauces, Alfredo sauces, etc. Mary Margaret found out that olives were used in a lot of Italian dishes, she loves to eat them plain.

- Taylor was excited about there being so many dishes that included shrimp. She wants to make salad with shrimp and Italian dressing.

- The girls want to go there for vacation this summer. You know I got started on the passports, bought the tickets and all. NOT.

- Taylor wants the next country to be Europe.

My two chefs and the owner of the kitchen. I tried for the Italian make-up from the 80's. It is very hi-larious. The girls insisted that I be in the picture.
I use Bertolli. I love the spices in their stuff. I saute' my mushrooms and onions in the Bertollis Classico Olive Oil and stir in a little Pizza Magic Seasoning.

Brown the hamburger meat while the noodles boil. When the hamburger is browned I add the Bertolli sauce, 1 can of tomato paste, mushrooms, and onions and let it simmer in the electric skillet for about 15 minutes on low. Last I throw it in with the noodles and mix it all up.

We top it with Parmesan and Cheddar cheese.

Garlic bread:(not pictured) I buy the already seasoned New York style Texas toast. Cook in the oven as directed, last 5 minutes I sprinkle shredded mixed cheeses on top.

Things I Loved Today

I borrowed this idea from my friend Carissa. She wrote about things she liked today.

I want to take this idea a little further. As I sit in my husband's chair and wind down from a hectic day at the funeral home, I thought, I should write about the things that I loved today, my day is nowhere near finished.

Things I Loved Today

1. Mary Margaret says in her sing-song voice: "Kaye, Kaye, I luuuuvvvv you!" "I love you too baby." MM:Now I can tell my VBS leader that I did my homework. I still loved it because I could see the love in her eyes when she said it.

2. The smile on the face of my nephew Philip as he walked up yard to the pool. It was the real deal. At least somebody likes me and its not related to homework.

3. "Hey, I love you, Kaye." said by Tim during our lunch telephone call.

4. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" Taylor whispers in my ear.

5. I love the pure, innocent laughter coming from the pool of Mary Margaret, Taylor and Philip.

Blogs I liked today...

-Obviously, I liked Carissa's Blog since I blog-napped her idea.
-Joy Shepard's Blog - she was a cool person in school and still is.
-Smitten Kitchen - this lady cooks what I wish I could cook!
- VintageThirty - I like her header. Parents should not leave their children unattended.
- I Should Be Folding Laundry - Read the posts in this order, Chapters, Be careful What You Wish For and Pretend. Reminder that we are all human and we all have pain.
- Help I Have A Teenager - Read the "It Tickles When You Pee In Tall Grass" OMG I've had a dinner like that!

Things We Find At Wal-Mart

Health and Beauty Department

Mary Margaret: Since I have my own money, can I buy some shaving stuff?
ME: Sure
MM: Nair for Bikini's?
ME: NO, you can have shaving cream.
MM: Okay (she walks over and picks up the shaving cream, looks at her list and walks over to the SUMMER'S EVE/KYJELLY/CONDOMS isle)

MM: I need some of this, I want to try it. (Handing me the Warming KY and Summers Eve)
ME: OH.NO.YOU.DON'T.
MM: Why not?
ME: BECAUSE I SAID SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MM: Well, I need it.
ME: DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT IT IS FOR? (imagine my voice several octaves higher)
MM: Not really
ME: (decided not to hold back) KY is for people who have sex ALOT and the Summer's Eve is for women to clean themselves up with because sex stinks.
MM: O.M.G. I don't need that. EWWWW, My stomach hurts now.
ME: Thats right. Remember that.

Note: She has been wanting to buy some of this stuff for a while. I think that she really just wanted to know what it was for and that was her way of finding out.

Pool Party - Southern Style

Party - Southern Style

Bar-B-Que pork chops, smoke links, hot dogs, potato salad, chips and dip and a cooler full of cokes, family and friends...party-southern style.

Speed cleaning/remodeling kept me from posting about our wonderful Italian dinner. My middle brother that lives in Kansas City, Missouri came for a weekend visit.

We had a great time. It was our first pool party. The guest were Clayton & Dianne, Mr. & Mrs. Butler, Andy(brother) & Amanda, Randall & Lisa, all the kids, and M&M's friend Julia. I could tell you that we used, yellow and orange stripe table cloths, pool lights for the pool, napkins folded just so, beautiful platters of bar-b-q, etc. We partied southern-style. Yes, I had the table cloth, $1, ripped straight out of the package, people had to bring their own lawn chairs, the platters were my old cookie sheets covered with foil...keepin' it real in Wynne.

I will have an Italian dinner for you all this week. We sort-of had one on Thursday, but, with all the speed cleaning/remodeling going on it was straight out of the box.

Speed cleaning/remodeling: you all know what I mean, relatives are coming that you haven't seen in years, you all clean like mad people, paint a little, etc. In the south, we move the washers off the front porch, throw away the pool box sitting in your yard for 3 weeks, mow yards and find lost vehicles, (kidding).

I'm posting a slide show of all the pictures, enjoy.

18 years

Italy

I know you all are expecting great pictures and a story about our Italian Wednesday. Sorry. Not gonna happen.

Why?

It was my turn to drop off and pick up the girls and Philip at Vacation Bible School last night. Tim beat me home and COOKED DINNER!!!!! He cooked shrimp, french fries AND he made tea!

Friday you can expect pictures of great Italian food.

The girls went to the Library and checked out movies and books on Italy. Taylor checked out a book that includes what kind of food people eat in Italy. She was excited to see MACARONI AND CHEESE was Italian. Mary Margaret checked out a DVD which we watched before VBS. Her book. What should I say? Her book has only 3 or 4 pictures and a.lot.of.words. The pictures. One picture is of a statue, two boys and a FULL GROWN MAN. She shows me the picture last night. She tells me that the man is trying to help the boys. I said, I see. She said, no look at the man. I looked. I saw. We will be taking the book back. I now know why she kept asking if I was sure she could keep reading the book. I'm fairly sure she did not know this picture was in the book until last night. Fun times.

~!~TACO TUESDAY~!~

After some discussion, the Butler clan decided that Taco Monday is over. The vote to have Taco Tuesday was voted on and won! It was quite funny last night. Mr. & Mrs. Butler (Tim's parents) bought all the grandchildren sombrero's from Mexico, a few years ago, which is why the hats look too small. Mary Margaret was all excited, she kept asking was this going to be a big party, who all is coming, etc. I said nothing. Just get your hats and you'll see. I'm thinking of incorporating some educational material with Taco Tuesday...make them learn a little about Mexico. What do you all think? Oh, maybe we could have food from a different country each night. Maybe that would be too much work for me. The girls were quite dissappointed last night when I told them that they needed to put the hats up and get ready for dinner. Mary Margaret then realized that there would be no party. Boo Hoo. Just the old boring fortlets. MARY MARGARET - I'LL NEVER LET YOU FORGET THE FORTLETS.....
This picture of Mary Margaret is for Carissa over at Good and Crazy People Mary Margaret tried to figure out this sign all night. I'm sure after she reads this blog today, I'll be in trouble. I like to make my life difficult. That's how I roll.
Taylor being silly. I don't have a good blog nick name for her yet. Tattle Teller would be a good one to start with.
Taylor helping with the preparation for our 1st ever Taco Tuesday

The new bathing suit for you all the ooo and ahh over with me.

Are You Serious?!?

A few Are You Serious moments happened this weekend.

- The sales lady in Victoria Secrets do not think its funny when you ask for help looking for a bikini in plus sizes.
Sales Lady: Can I help you?
ME: Yes, I need a bikini for me.
Sales Lady: Are you serious? (You know she's thinking...What the Heck?)
ME: YES.
Sales Lady (drops her eyes and then looks back up): I don't think we have them in stock, mam. (She is probably thinking, I can't freakin believe that I get all the crazy people. Does this woman think she will look good in a bikini? Just cause they make it in your size doesn't mean you should wear it!)
ME: Oh. (I look around the store and back at her)Fine. I was just kidding anyway.
Sales Lady: Oh, good. (She's thinking in text now...OMG...TWC)
This girl was black and I believe that I saw her blush.

- Caladryl sets up like concrete on a fever blister.
What happened you all ask? Someone thought "Oh, I think I've got poison ivy under my nose, I'll put some caladryl on it." Wake up the next morning and it has set up like concrete. Painful coming off

- Talking about babies with the one we call...You are ruining my 13 year old life...can be hazardous to my health
YARM13YOL: I'm not going to have twins or triplets. I'm going to have FORTLETS.
ME: (Spitting and choking on my food) You are going to have what?
YARM13YOL: F.O.R.T.L.E.T.S. (she said it real slow because it was obvious I did not get it)
ME and Taylor in unison: What the heck is a fortlet?
YARM13YOL: Four babies at the same time, duh. (a considerable amount of eyerolling)
ME: That's quadruplets.
Taylor: Not me, I'm going to have just one at a time. Hey, Kaye Kaye, what do they call it when you have one baby at a time?
ME: (thought to myself...On, NO SHE DIDN'T!) O.N.E. C.H.I.L.D.
Taylor: Oh
YARM13YOL: Good to know.
ME: (thought to myself....I wonder if it is too late for Scotty on Star Trek to beam me up?)
Dianne: OMG

- Some people have no shame #1 and #2
#1 Lady walks in office, pulls up her dress, arranges panty hose looks over at me and says...Oh, I was just looking out the window to see if it was raining. ME: (thought to myself...oh really, is that what that was called? Glad I found out.)
#2 I'm in the lady's restroom at work with the door closed, no one could tell I was in the stall. Lady walks in, shuts the door, passes some very loud smelly gas, opens door and walks out. Never knew I was in there, until I walked out right behind her. Priceless look on her face.

The End.

Soup during the War (WWII)

Funny stories from WWII

My boss told a story that cracks me up.

We were discussing a home that is being remodeled on Hamilton Ave, which by the way, is going to be made a Historical site. He said that the two women that lived in this particular house never married and were busy bodies. They kept up with the funerals and carried food to all the families.

There was a death in my bosses family during WWII. The sisters bring their mama's famous white bean soup and this was when the beans were not sold in a bag, you bought them by the pound. Everyone starts to eat their soup and cornbread. Someone had a penny in their soup, another had a quarter, someone found three nickles and last...someone had the receipt from the store in their beans. He said that the money added up to the change on the receipt. A phone call to the sisters proved that one sister had just dumped the contents of the sack in the pot.

I Had to Work, and Still Had a Great Weekend!

I thought that this weekend was going to be just awful, but a new swim suit, a night out just for girls and a mid-night swim with the husband makes a fabulous weekend!

Two funerals Saturday and we thought we would be planning and preparing for the 3rd, but the family decided to wait until Monday to plan that funeral. Nicole (life-saver in disguise #2, there is a #1, I'll get to her in a minute) came for the weekend so that we could go to Memphis while the girls stayed with their grandparents...ended up sitting with the girls all day Saturday for me. She made the girls omelets, toasted sandwiches, tuna fish, and cookies, let them swim, Philip (nephew) got to come over and swim, arranged my cabinet with all my canned good and junk, AND she washed the dishes that they used. Just so that none of you get any bright ideas....Nicole is not for sale, she is mine. She's not allowed to come to your house. I won't let her!

We finally headed to Memphis around 4PM, made it to Watson's Pool to use my in-store credit. While I was there and I asked for Brett the man who sold me the pool so that I could tell him about the intelligent life forms that put up my pool. I asked him for some extra in-store credit since we had problems with the ladder, the pump did not come with all the IMPORTANT parts and that it took a week to get said IMPORTANT parts, that week included the service man coming to the house with the parts and forgetting to leave the parts. Anyway, Brett was very nice, went to the manager, asked for the credit and gave me another $50...that made my total of $200 in-store credit~hello that's what I'm talking about.

Nicole and I ate at TGFI Friday's, it was good and I was starving! Then we hit the Wolfchase Mall. I have to been inside that mall since 2006. The only thing that has changed was the prices of everything. Tell me, who needs to swim in a bathing suit that cost $120? This particular bathing suit did not perform miracles. I found some really nice swim trunks for Tim at Aeropostale, clearanced.

The biggest purchase I made was ............drum roll please......I GOT A NEW SWIM SUIT!!!!! This is a big deal at my house. I haven't purchased a new swimsuit for myself in 6 years. The old suit, the elastic was crumbling and it was possible that it was becoming see through. I will post a picture of it tomorrow so that you can all ooo and ahhh over it with me. I now know why the girls get all excited about their 20,000 bathing suits and want to wear them all the time. I was so excited that when we got home from Memphis at 11PM and saw that Tim was in the pool, Nicole and I decided that we had to swim too.

Sunday, I talked to my dad and my little sister. Mr. Butler Bar-B-Q'ed ribs for Father's day and we just took it easy. The girls cleaned the funeral home for some summer spending money. We went home and swam a little and went to BED.

That was my weekend. Whew. Busy. Fun.

The Babysitting thing is going well. The house was clean all week and no major accidents took place. My #1 life saver is Dianne, another sister-in-law, she is keeping the girls on Tuesdays. I'm officially giving a SHOUT OUT to her for her help.

A few pictures from John in Iraq. For those who do not know: John is my nephew, he belongs to Tim's sister Angela. John might be able to come home in August for a brief visit. He said that there has been some talk that his group will be coming home for good in December...which would make his tour shorter than the 18 months he expected to be there.

Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School has started. The first one that Taylor attended was at my childhood church, Fitzgerald Baptist Crossing. It was good to see some old friends and most of my dad's side of the family still go there. Taylor and my nephew Philip had perfect attendance.

Please notice all the blue shirts...none of them are my child...my child would be the one in the white and brown dress. All week she wore this blue shirt to church and Friday she says, I want to wear something pretty, its a special night. "Won't everyone be wearing the blue shirt so you all match?" I asked. Nope. she said. Hmmm.

Philip wore his blue shirt, looking all handsome and grown up.

Alyssa will not drowned.

OMG! Aunt KK takes WAY too many pictures.

Mary Margaret, Alyssa and Taylor

Crack Me Up!

This morning, yes I'm working, 3 funerals...anyway....

This community I live in is having its annual "FARM FEST", I remember it being a fun time to see the homemade crafts and listen to the local bands at night. Now you have the "carnies" that come to town and it takes away from the actual Farm Fest, I think. Also someone host several different races, walking, running, etc. The starting and finishing lines have been set up 1 block from the funeral home, this has brought all the lovely spectators.

This is what cracked me up.

A "spectator type person" was walking in front of the funeral home,
my boss says, "Kaye, come here! You have to see this!"
Me: What is it?
Boss: It is a man with a ghetto blaster!
Me: A what?????
This person was carrying a huge "jam box" on his shoulder, and he was wearing parachute pants, high tops, and a black and purple striped shirt with a mullett. I swear, NO LIE.

Ramblings...No...Venting

I want to vent.

I saw someone today at lunch. Usually this person eats lunch alone and always speaks to me, sometimes holding up my lunch, no big deal, I don't mind talking, you all know that! TODAY, this person has lunch buddies, the lunch buddies all said hi and this person DID NOT SPEAK, DID NOT EVEN LOOK UP.

THIS TOWN IS SO FREAKIN STUCK UP, when it is convenient! That just burns me up.

Memories of Summer

Lately memories of summers gone by have been swirling around in my head, dying to get out. I can not explain what has made me think about "Back In The Day" (Mary Margaret uses this term alot. Taylor always says "Olden Days or Times"). Summer makes me think back to a time where my worries were baby sitting for school clothes money and working on my tan during my teen years. As a child, I really don't remember that much about summer. What I do remember was a time where mom did not seem to be worried when my brothers and I would take off on our bikes and ride all the way down town to the library, Wynne was a small town and still is by some standards. She did not worry about leaving us at home, public pool or at the SKATING RINK on Friday nights or even the movies.

My favorite memories are the bike rides to the Library, Wynne Swimland, and tanning and trips to my aunts house in Arizona. I loved getting on my bike, wind blowing, pedals pumping, racing my brothers and never winning. Stopping at friends houses on the way to the Library. My Aunt JoAnn and Uncle Chris were always so nice to me, they flew me out to Arizona countless times, my favorite trip was the one to the Grand Canyon. We drove from Buckeye to the Grand Canyon. My Uncle Chris was a pilot and died several years ago flying home from helping fight a fire in New Mexico, his plane caught a tail wind and crashed. JoAnn was here in December for Papaw's funeral and it was so good to see her.

This picture was taken in July 1990 - Tim and I had been dating for 1 solid month. He was so full of IT back then...When my plane took off from Memphis Airport, he was working on a building somewhere close to the airport...he said, and I quote!!!! "I was watching each airplane take off and waving at each one because I was so in love and you were going to be gone for 1 whole week." I know... he WAS so sweet...believe it or not...I have my doubts...

Note: I just got rid of the HAIR last April. Yes I miss it. I knew how to do BIG HAIR... I'm no good at this new hair, oh, and the new hair is getting gray!

Some Jokes Are NOT Funny

I'm not sure if everyone knows this about Tim, he does Stucco for a living, and of course he owns 1/2 of Butler Wrecker Service, to be honest, Stucco has been very slow.

I'll get to my point.

Yesterday, Tim loaded up is scaffolding and dropped it at the job site here in Wynne. He was very uneasy about leaving it there because theft of iron is big right now. His plan was to go to Memphis and get the material and come back and get started yesterday afternoon, setting up the scaffolding. Well, things do not always work out how they are planned, he made it to Memphis, but did not get started on the job. A certain "known" criminal stopped by while he was at the job site wanting to know about some scrap lumber. Tim thought to himself, I need to just take my tools and stuff home and drag it all back tomorrow...he did not, instead he asks his cop buddies who were on duty last night to watch his stuff.

This morning at 4 AM we got a call that his trailer and tools and scaffolding were gone. It made me sick to my stomach thinking that his stuff was gone. He was really mad. Tim does not holler, seriously he does not raise his voice and even when he raises his voice, he is still not loud, he raised his voice this morning. He was telling me that he knew who took it and he was going to get his stuff.

He gets to the job site and tells the city officers and county officers who he thinks took it. They make the report and Tim says, alright boys, I'm going to get my stuff and probably whoop some tail. (For those of you who know Tim well, Tim does not do those kind of things, he is very mild mannered). He pulls off....

The city officers and county officers get scared...They also know that Tim is mild mannered...do you see where I'm going to?

The officers called Tim and told him to come back. They had moved his trailer to play a joke on him.

I need to point out also that I was sitting at home in the bed waiting for him to call thinking, man it will take about 5 or 6 hundred to replace the scaffolding and about 500 for the trailer...um, he called back and I asked how much, and I now know that I know nothing about how much that stuff cost. Now I know why he wanted to "Open a Can of Whoop Butt", I know it lost its punch, but this is a PG rated blog.

TTYLA (for those of you who do not speak TXT go to this neat website Lingo2Word my friend at Good and Crazy People found it for me.

Kaye

All In a Days Work

How busy was my day, yesterday? Besides the regular washing clothes, vacuuming, cooking, washing dishes, I managed to do the following yesterday: push mow my whole yard, walk 1 mile with Mary Margaret while Taylor was at Vacation Bible School, and take a dip in the pool. Taylor told me last night that she was sure that I would not be able to get out of the bed this morning, last time I pushed mowed I could not move without something hurting (this was just last week). I have improved! I got up this morning...not sore. Whoop Whoop!

I'm working on a post about my summers from "back in the day". I've heard a few grumbles about the "back in the day" stuff being boring...(like my present life is sooooooooo exciting)...anyway...I'm only going to post a few more, June 20th will be the last one, unless, Mary Margaret and Taylor ask me to do more. As long as they like reading them, I may just keep right on posting them. So if I bore you, don't read it or you think your name may turn up in one of my post and you do not want it to, let me know...

I kept all of my journals, day planners, and notes from my friends from Jr. and High School. While looking for pictures of Tim and I from "back in the day" I read a few notes Monday night written by a few friends, including Jana McGhehey, I haven't heard from her since we graduated, I live just down the road from her dad now, and guess what, today I received an email from her, what a coincidence. I sent her a reply ... I hope to hear from her!

Life happens, I understand that it does. I always thought that the people I went to school with would be the people in my life forever. Do you remember thinking, "we'll be friends forever and ever"? 16 years later, I can say I only see a handful of these people, not daily, but just once and a while. We all move on and make a life, some keeping up with friends and others drifting away. My best friend Dianna, I did not even know her in school and yet I feel like I've known her all my life, sometimes I can't remember a day that I did not know her. My best friends in school, a few of them live here in this small town, we have kids in the or about the same grades, and we never see each other. We should all be ashamed of ourselves for not keeping in better contact with each other. What happens to us as adults?

People, send me your comments...there are at least 2,000 hits on this page...let me know you are alive........I love comments

When a Girl Met a Boy III - Back In The Day

Many nights of long phone calls, mostly the conversation was "What are you watching?" "Nothing" back and forth. Talk about our friends, likes, dislikes, Tim finally asked me out on a 2nd Date.

At that time, City of Wynne sponsored a fireworks display for the 4th of July (notice June 20th was our first date, it took him a while to ask me out a 2nd time) and this was our 2nd date. We watched the fireworks and cruised sonic (the old sonic for those who live in Wynne). He took me out on this date in his dad's 67? Chevy. I believe that this was the night that Tim and I shared our first kiss under the carport of the house that we lived in on Brawner Street. It was short and sweet. I remember that just hearing him say my name made me melt. I had it bad for this boy.

He called me that night when he got home and I remember staying on the phone for a long time that night with him. I remember thinking, this one is a keeper...there was just something about him. I remember Guns-N-Roses playing Sweet Child of Mine.

Short shorts (what we considered to be short back then was mid thigh) and a white crop top, 2 inch hoop ear rings, fossil watch, and of course, Ked's tennis shoes was the outfit that I wore for the 2nd date.

The girls want to know how I remember some of these small details, "back in the day" it was a very huge, special, big deal to get to go out with a boy. We were not allowed to go out every night, every weekend, there were no cell phones, no texting. We only got to go out 1 night on the weekend, which made waiting for Monday to come so much harder, just to see that special someone in the halls at school. It made the wait for Friday night exciting, sweaty hands, fast heart beats, and it took all week just to decide what to wear, all just to spend 2 or 3 hours with that someone special. "Back In The Day" we did not wear our PJ's on a date or to town, we took time and cared about how we look, every hair had to be in place, make up was perfect (even if it was the electric blue eyeshadow and mascara) Yes, I wore it, I'm not ashamed. I even wore the purple and green mascara. Don't hate me, you know I was hot, "Back In The Day".

While I was digging in my box of "Back In The Day" memories, I found my Prom Issues of Seventeen Magazines and dug them out for the girls to look at. Mary Margaret saw an ad for Noxzema. And I quote "Wow, you even had Noxzema, back in the day!"

This picture was taken in August of 1990, just after Tim and I started dating that June, yes, I was in the band.

October 1990, we were getting ready for our first hayride together with my youth group at Union Avenue Baptist Church.


Baby sitter update: the baby sitter is alive and she did not quit the first day.

Breakin' In The New Baby-Sitter

Let me say this first, 18 years ago I would have never thought that I would be sitting in a funeral home, typing on a lap top, spilling my guts to the world about breaking in a new baby sitter.

18 years ago today I was more than likely I was sitting at a home that I was baby sitting at, wondering just how to break-up with someone. I was probably listening to an Eagles Album. I babysat for a couple that summer that had an amazing stereo and they had every record of rock-in-roll that you could think of. Their stereo did not have a cassette player, I was stuck listening to the ancient vinyl records. The reason I say that I can't believe that I would be breaking in a baby sitter is this, I vowed to never have kids, only puppies. Kids were going to cramp my style. I was going to Russellville Tech and study music and history and drive a convertible VW Bug, don't you all worry, I was also going to invest in the L.A. Looks, Super Hold hair spray so my Bangs and side wings did not get messed up! My dreams were to drive around Russellville with the top down, Jefferson Starship, Bon Jovi, or Mondonna blaring from the radio. Have an awesome music career (I have no idea why I thought that I could have a music career in Russelliville, Arkansas, probably had something to do with band camp being in Russellville). I was going to share an apartment with my best friend Jammie and we were going to rule the world.

Life happened.

I met Tim. I fell in love. Jammie fell in love. Life happened.

Stay tuned, I know you are all on pins and needles.

When a Girl Met A Boy II

Our first date (I was 16, Tim was 19) was to the movies to see the new Dick Tracey film with Warren Beatty and Madonna. I wore a cute ensemble of Bermuda shorts with a matching Bermuda shirt. I was so in style with the 80's. My bermuda shorts in today's times would be called "Grandma" shorts. My Bermuda button up shirt tied in the front and of course I wore the Keds with the white turned down socks. Tim met me at the movies and I had my usual crew with me, Jammie Britton and Kim Rushing. We sat through the movies next to each other and never looked at each other. Jammie, my ride, rushed out of the movie theater and left me there, Tim had to take me home. I know this sounds a little planned, but really it wasn't, Jammie was always pulling pranks like that. Tim told me about his dog during this ride and said he would call soon. He had on navy blue dress shorts and a button up shirt and his classic Reebok's that he still wears to this day! I don't know what Tim will do for tennis shoes if Reebok's stops making the classic tennis shoe. BonJovi's, Never Say Goodbye was playing on FM100. (I lived close to the movie theater).

I remember thinking that night that he had the prettiest blue/green eyes I have ever seen. My friend Dianna teases him about his eyes all the time. The other night we were pulling through the drive in window at Wendy's, Tim leans over me and asks the lady at the window for a discount. She says "Boy, I be giving you a discount all de time" He said, oh, come on, you know you can give me a discount. She says "Shoot, okay" so I but in and I say, So is this where all my love is going to? She says...that man there he got some pretty eyes and I can't resist them eyes, but I ain't getting none of his love, I just giving him burgers. Tim turned quite red. 18 years ago, he was so shy, he would have never, never done more than ask for ketchup and sometimes I had to do that.

Tim asked me the other night if I remembered any of our "firsts" together and I think I surprised him and he really surprised me by remembering some things. Stay tuned for some of those "firsts" stories...June 20 is just around the corner!
Tim's senior picture.

Flash of Memories

Wow my third entry...aren't you all lucky.

Today at the Funeral Home I spoke with the daughter of one of my old bosses, from way back when I was a teenager. The memory that flooded back to me was of my Papaw Clark that passed away in December 2007.

Papaw worked for the Employment Security Division here in Wynne. He helped me get a job with the Cross County Health Department and a summer aide. He was told that I would be a file clerk. I remember the day that he called and was so excited, Katie Bug, I've found you a summer job.

I started that job. My job was to stuff the STD Bags with Condoms.

My Papaw came by to check on me and found out what I was doing and was livid! He marched right in Pat Edwards office and said I thought she was going to be a file clerk! Mrs. Edwards said she is, she's filing condoms. He said That Job is Not Appropriate. Mrs. Edwards said, it is appropriate if she wants a job. I worked the whole summer and was much more educated in the STD department than I ever thought I would be. The look on the faces of my classmates that summer when they came in for the STD bag was priceless. Everyone were not the saints they pretended to be.

I miss my papaw today.

And the Award Goes To.....

Amber, summer help at the funeral home, gets the award today for most improved. In todays world of technology, the typewriter has been thrown to the side and forgotten about. Billy told Amber to use the typewriter. She comes to me and asks me how to put the paper in the typewriter. I show her and then I ask, do you not learn how to type in school anymore? She says no. We use computers. Amber learned quickly and "flew solo" with the typewriter while I was gone to lunch! I know this post is silly, who cares.

Friends, We Have A Pool and Is Sally Hansen a man!?!

The Pool guys got to the house about 2 PM and was finished by 5 PM. We started filling the pool yesterday afternoon and filled 15 inches. We started the water again this morning, you can only fill it during daylight hours, because the sunlight heats the liner and makes it softer.
This is the pool under construction.

Isn't it pretty?

Sally Hansen must be a man!


Lets be honest. We all wax or pluck or bare some kind of pain to be beautiful. I am my father's daughter and I love him dearly, but I do not want his unibrow, so I wax. I do not wax my legs or underarms and I have never even thought about a bikini wax. I feel that if we endure the pain of the product, it should at least WORK!

This product has to be made by a man. I thought that I would save a couple of trips to the beauty shop and do my own eyebrows. I use the "hair off" strips, but I thought, this wax will remove it and I wouldn't have to do it every week. I get my little eyebrow stick, put on the wax, above and below the brow as instructed to do and press the cute little cloth to my eyebrow and rip. GOD.BLESS.AMERICA.THAT.HURTS. My hair dresser hurts, but she has NEVER, NEVER, NEVER hurt me like that.

I look in my mirror, expecting all my unwanted eyebrow hair and wanted skin to be missing, and guess what. IT.DID.NOT.FREAKIN.WORK. The pretty green wax was still on my face, except for this one dot in the middle of my eyebrow that was a mistake, it worked there.

The box says, washes off with water easily...BULL.CRAP. More like, you need to scrub with a pumas rock to remove all that pretty green sticky wax.

Because I have not had enough pain for the week, I decide, maybe this will work on my legs better. I see a spot that I missed shaving 3 inches above my knee and whip out the wax spatula and smear the pretty green wax on and apply the cute little cloth and rip.

GOD. BLESS.AMERICA.THAT.HURT.AND.IT.DID.NOT.FREAKIN.WORK.

I want to talk to this man Sally Hansen code name THE TORTURER.

If Sally Hansen is a man, lets wax his eyebrows, back, underarms, and other certain parts of the male body, you know what else...(family blog so I'm keeping it PG rated) and see how he likes it. If you are going to bare the pain, THE FREAKIN PRODUCT SHOULD AT LEAST WORK.

Thank you very much for listening.
Kaye

Comfortable Does Not Last Long

Just when you get comfortable and you say to yourself...wow things are going great...comfortable goes out the window and difficult bust down your front door, without knocking first.

Monday would have been the first day with the new summer babysitter. She needed to take the driver's test. Okay, no big deal, I brought the girls to work with me and they watched movies on the big screen TV and they were really good. Tuesday is now the first day with the new babysitter and everything was fine. Except for this, the baby sitters grandmother is ill and she is going to sit with her. I understand that she needs to be with her grandmother, and I hope she gets better.


Now I'm looking for a baby sitter.

Anyway...I was comfortable with my summer set up. I was not having to stress about what to do with the girls, my comfortable boarded that Jet Plane, MAYBE to return again. Difficult busted down my front door, without knocking first. Difficult has no home training, as we say way down south. When I refer to Difficult, I mean that life in general is difficult. I want to be a kid again, back to when comfortable was always available and difficult was just a test or homework.

In other unrelated news...
Tim is at home as we speak, leveling the yard for the pool and the masonry sand is being delivered from Razor Rock Sand Company. Exciting. Last night we all worked on the yard, even my nephew Philip (I think he has a secret motive behind his work...swimming.) Ha Ha. Philip is a good helper. Tim moved campers and boats. I, the great SHERA (do you all remember that from the He-Man cartoon?) removed the back steps from the deck and re-attached them to the side of the deck. Whew.

Dianne's sister Beverly gave her some cool curtain panels that were made for corner windows. We took them apart last night and rearranged them and this is what we came up with...


Thank you, Thank you, no need to give me a standing ovation. Dianne and I were really amazed that the material matched her walls so perfectly.

Pool Time Part 2

The Pool company called. I'M GETTING MY POOL INSTALLED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. Thats weeks early. Hate me, i don't care!

Taco Monday

I have to admit that I stole the idea of "Taco Monday" from Erin and Russ. (check out Sandy's Blog), the difference is, theirs is Taco Thursday (much catchier name). This was our first Taco Monday and it was an exciting one.

I was tired. After work, I needed to pick up my pool that Paul brought from Memphis. (If we picked up the pool, that shaved off a week of waiting for it to be installed and it gave me a gift card of $100) Thanks to Paul for picking it up! So, I hooked up the trailer to Tim's ride and headed out to Dianna and Paul's house. I'm on call for the funeral home, so of course, in the middle of all that the Arkansas Democrat Gazette called, with an important question. Answered that and got back on the road again. Get to Dianna's drive-way and the answering services calls again...take care of that and get the trailer backed up to Paul's truck. The swimming pool stuff is HEAVY. We get it all loaded on the trailer and off I go, home unhook trailer, change clothes (because I'm hot and sweaty) and head back to town to get groceries and my van. Get home, cool down and start my first Taco Monday. We had great plans, tacos and The Bachelorette. Whooop Whooop we were going to be too wild.

Tim calls. My plans come to a halt. Josh, our nephew, called and told Tim that he was at the State Park here in Wynne, fishing. When he and his buddy got ready to come in and pull in the boat, Josh's truck and trailer was no where to be found. Tim asked me to ride and help look. We live on the back side of the State Park on Crowley's Ridge, so it was possible that the thief could be riding around on the back roads. Off we go!

I call Dianne, the sister-in-law with a brother-in-law who is a state police officer. About the time that he gets on the phone to call headquarters, the following goes down all a the same time:

-State Police Brother-in-law calls headquarters
-Mr. McClintock call police in Wynne because someone drops off a boat trailer in front of his house.
-Concerned citizen in Madison calls the police because there is a Toyota Truck with Butler Wrecker on the window speeding, spinning tires, and "doing" donuts all over town.
-Girlfriend's friend tells parents and/or an adult that her friend's boyfriend has stolen a truck in Wynne.
-Cops in Madison stop the vehicle and make the arrest.

17 year old stole the truck. At one point last night I was told it was a 13 year old...not true.

We headed home for Taco Monday and The Bachelorette. We might have Chicken Taco Tuesday (I bought way too much taco stuff!).

POOL TIME

I BOUGHT THIS. I'M EXCITED.