TORTURE

The only thing I have to say tonight is that it's really hard watching someone you love be tortured. I will go into detail at a later time, but someone I know is going through a very hard time and I just don't know exactly what I want to say about it right now. It is torture for this person watching someone they love that is sick day in and day out, knowing that the road is only going to get worse very quick, yet this person is being so strong on the outside and I know they are being torn apart on the inside. It's like your hands are tied in these situations and you can only watch and really do nothing to help.

RELAXING AT THE BEACH

Okay, so RELAXING AT THE BEACH may not be entirely truthful with a 2 and a 7 year old, but we are having fun! I am having a hard time tearing myself away from Jason and the girls to do this post tonight. We just came up from the pool and the girls are not in bed yet. It's definitely true what they say, time does fly when you're having fun.

This weekend has definitely been a great success. Even though Sydney peeked at her presents earlier this week, she has had a wonderful time and was thrilled with the presents just the same. Yesterday we went to the pier, then swimming in the pool and to Pizza Hut for dinner. We came back to the room and had a little party with cake and presents. Today we went to the park, to Broadway at the Beach to feed the fish and the ducks, we actually got to play in the sand today because it was SO nice on the beach, then to a park on the beach to play, we went shopping at Tanger Outlets, to TGI Fridays for dinner and then back to the pool again tonight. The girls are so tired I am surprised they are still awake. We have had such a good trip and definitely needed the family time, just the 4 of us.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful weekend and I am going to go get in a few more minutes with Jason and the girls before I have to pack things up to head home tomorrow!

FLY SWATTER

Well, for some reason my kids are having a hard time listening to me lately and doing what I say. I have found myself repeating what I say about 10 times and this is very annoying. Jason has even said, "you're yelling a lot lately." I have also found that if I raise my voice it scares them into doing whatever they were supposed to do in the first place. I do not want to yell at them but this has gotten out of hand. I have found only 1 weapon. THE FLY SWATTER. They are absolutely terrified of it. I don't even have to use is, just threaten to use it or even just show it to them and they are up and moving like busy little bees as hard as they can.

This reminds me that a friend of mine once told me that she has a yard stick. She doesn't spank her kids with it either. She said that she's just not going to strain her voice. She hits the kitchen bar with the yard stick and her kids just straighten right up. I don't know how long it will last, but right now it's all that's working for me, so I'm going to use it while I can and at least I'm not yelling at them. Got any better suggestions, please let me know!

THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS AS THEY APPEAR

Yesterday I went to the Dollar Tree to get some flower pots, thanks for the tip Jessica. They have some really cute ceramic flower pots with a shiny glaze on them this year as well as other gardening materials. They have hand tools, gardening gloves, flower pots, hummingbird feeders, paving stones, seeds and a bunch of other stuff. Rachel and I then went to Wal-Mart and got some small plants and potting soil. It was messy outside so Sydney and I potted the plants in the kitchen after school. A little messy, but fun all the same.

Seeing the hummingbird feeders reminded me of a really funny story from last summer. Maybe you had to just be there but to me it was hilarious. My daddy was at my uncle Ivey's and decided to walk home (because he got mad and wanted to be alone). It was one of those super hot NC summer days when you start sweating as soon as you walk outside. Well, to get to his house from Ivey's he has to walk a long dirt road through the woods and then walk through a huge field. I drove the long way around and got to the house first. It was just blistering hot and I felt sorry for him, I could see him coming across the field but it was at least 5 more minutes before he would get to the house. I decided to go in his house and get him a glass of ice water. There was a mason jar full of cold water so I got a glass out and added some ice cubes, poured in the water and went outside to meet him. He still had a couple of minutes so I crossed the street and walked into the field a little ways. I handed him the glass when I got to him and he took a big gulp, then another...... and he said "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" I said "it's water out of the refrigerator" and he said "that's hummingbird feed!" He had mixed 1-2 cups of sugar with water and he had been using it in the hummingbird feeder. I thought I would just die from laughing so hard. Hey.... at least I tried!

Day 19

Wow, I can hardly believe that this is day 19 of my 30 day blog challenge. It seems like I just got started.

Do you remember what it was like at Christmas or your birthday and you were excited to know what your presents were going to be? I remember Shannon and I searching the house completely over at Christmas time every time Mama would leave and we never ever found anything!

Well, last night Sydney got into my closet where she knew her birthday presents were. I was charging her Nintendo DS. She found the DS and her Zhu Zhu pet from Rachel. I was just so outdone and disguisted. Her birthday isn't until the 18th. We gave her the option to have another big party this year, because we always have this huge party with about 50 people, or a shopping weekend at Myrtle Beach. She chose the shopping weekend. Jason and I reserved the hotel and planned to take her out to dinner Friday night and give her the presents after dinner. Well, these were her only presents except for Carrie Underwood tickets. She LOVES Carrie Underwood so she will be so excited, but she knows what her other presents are. I think all in all I was just disappointed that I didn't get to see her face when she saw them. This is one of the best parts of being a mom for me. I like to surprise them and see their faces when they get so excited.

At first I told her I was taking them back, she cried, then I said she would have to wait til Friday after dinner to see if she still gets the same presents and she still cried. I really couldn't be mad or upset with her because I used to try to find my presents too. I really don't think I will have to worry about her doing it again because after all the drama she cried because she did it in the first place!

LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT...

Today I am completely at a loss of words.

What to write about?

Well, I wish it would snow like it did a couple of weeks ago, that would be nice. Right now the wind sounds like a creature from some Sci-Fi film outside Sydney's window. I need to back off of the horror movies.... but they're soooo good.

Speaking of, have you seen Last House on the Left? Well it really isn't a horror movie, but it was good. If you have seen it you will know what I am talking about here... There was one scene that just completely dragged on WAY too long, come on, I could have done without all of that detail. The girl was supposed to be like 16? Also, in the end paralysing the victim was a little too nice I thought. He should have gotten to feel everything and been tortured just a little longer I thought. I think any parent would agree.

As an update on Little Bit, the puppy, she is still at my daddy's and she is doing absolutely wonderful.

Yesterday and today I have been completely engrossed in a new series of books I picked up. THE MORGANVILLE VAMPIRES. I finished the first book GLASS HOUSE and started the second book THE DEAD GIRL'S DANCE last night. I have always loved vampire books and movies and since the Twilight series came out it seems like everyone is getting published, so I am in reader's heaven lately. This is why I didn't even know it was supposed to snow or rain tonight. I haven't checked the weather in a couple of days. My plan for today was to go get some potting soil, flower pots and new plants and spend the day outside getting them all set up. Spring will come soon enough though, then I can take the girls to the strawberry patch! I really do not eat strawberries but I really enjoy picking them and the girls love it too so I always look forward to it in the spring.

THE LUCKIEST PERSON IN THE WORLD

Well, today is a very special day for me. Today 13 years ago I married the best man in the world and my best friend, Jason Brown. I don't know exactly how to explain to you what he means to me or all the emotions I feel when I think about him. It has been a wonderful ride so far and I hope that we have countless years to go. It really doesn't seem like we have been married this long. I worry it's just going to go by so fast and then we will be old and that still is not enough time.

There have been so many thing to happen during these years we have been together and I am just so grateful that I have had Jason to share them with me. He has been by my side since I was 17 and has never once let me down. I hope that he can say the same for me. I try to be exactly what a wife should be. We have lost several family members and there have been so many babies born into our family. These are just facts of life. At times it has been a roller coaster, but he has been my rock. If I knew then what I know now and all about the hard times we would face, I would do it again over and over. There is no one else in this world I would rather be next to day by day for the rest of my life. If it was all over tomorrow, I can say without a doubt that I have been made happier by my husband than anyone in the world. He has loved me unconditionally, been there for me through the good and bad and he has brought so many people into my life that otherwise I would never have known. Friends, family and my two precious daughters. Hopefully, this is just the beginning.

The way I feel for him, the love is just like an explosion, an overflowing from my heart, there is so much of it and I have no other words to describe it. I have just got to be the luckiest person in the world.