Starting-Up my Engine

This weekend Roger and his brother Anthony put a new engine into his truck. He has been really excited about this. Kind of like me winning a $5,000 shopping spree to T J Maxx. Yeah this is another "MALE THING" Blog so if you'd rather pass go ahead...
I went into the bathroom Saturday morning and AGAIN found Roger's clothes laying BESIDE the hamper. What is the BIG FAT HAIRY DEAL??? I tried to get the children to pick their clothes up after they showered (HIM TOO) but it was always hit or miss, so I bought a hamper for the bathroom. Kat and Matt are great at this now. Even Gabriel attempts at putting his clothes in there sometimes. When Roger woke up I said, "Honey, you are not setting a good example for the kids by leaving your clothes thrown on the floor. How hard is it to put them in the hamper?
And see, this was my bad for bringing it up first thing. But still...
I told him I was going to get my camera and take a picture and put it on the blog. He said, "Go ahead, I'll take a picture of the kitchen that you need to clean.
I replied, "Oh, you mean the one I was up cleaning at 5:30am this morning when Gabriel got up? Go ahead, but first you need to learn how to turn my camera on.
Isn't that funny? Roger can put a WHOLE CAR together, but he doesn't even know how to turn the camera on. Roger fixes the car while I take pictures of him doing it. We aren't even going to go there about which one has more WORTH, thank-you very much... Anyway, Gabriel was let out of his cage this weekend and I took him to Walmart with me. He is so smart and is showing signs of being at college level already! I was in the girls section looking for a new bra for Katherine and he reached over and picked one out and pulled it over his head and put the biggest darn grin on his head. I thought, yeah, he'll make it to all the top fraternity's... Not only that, but it justified why I need a camera phone...HELLO!

Something worth mentioning...

Ashley spent the night last night and this morning she mentioned that her mom Eva's boyfriend Mark's sister had twins over the weekend. She started telling me what they had planned to name the babies and then they changed their mind and named them some off the wall names that rhymed. She said, "Yeah, Mark told them you might as well name them Bevis and Butthead".
She said this with a straight face and no emotion.
Mean while I was rolling on the floor...

Green Veggies

I've been busy lately running around getting things ready for this big photo shoot I am doing weekend after next that I forgot to pick up some dog food yesterday. I gave Patch the last bit of it and Bartholomeu was having a COW freaking out wanting to eat. I went on this website, while Patch was pregnant, and read about how to make your own dog food. OKAY- that must be something that people do that have NO LIFE because I have enough fun trying to figure out what I am going to make my own human puppies for dinner much less worrying about my canine ones...
Anyway, I do like to add things to their food that are really good for them. Cottage cheese, green veggies (no spices or butter) and eggs, beef or chicken. Small amounts twice a week is enough. I started going through the fridge to see what I could fix Bartholomew for breakfast since Gabriel's speech was this morning and I had no time to run to the store. I boiled him an egg with some freshly Micro-waved green beans and cottage cheese mixed together. -POOP CITY-. He was so excited he acted like a teenage boy walking into an all girl school of super models. Yeah... can't have that sort of excitement before 10am in the morning... It messes up my vibe for the day...
Note to self: Get dog food with non-exciting ingredients...

Here I go again...

"And I've made up my mind...I ain't wasting no more time...Here I go again!"

Does this sound familiar to any of you? I kept humming it to myself this weekend while I ripped up the carpet to start getting the floor ready for refinishing. It was a song by a group called "WHITESNAKE". They were popular back in the late 80's. It's one of those songs you can have car accidents too. (like the previously discussed Van Halen music...) I have got this antique wood floor refinishing down to a science and could probably add that to my list of qualifications with Photographer, Murals, Housewife, Credit repair specialist, Dog breeder, blogger and oh yes, Mommy! (I know "mommy" doesn't call for a capital letter "M" but it should and since no one tells me what I can do on this blog I shall capitalize it from this point on)
Anyway, Matt is getting pretty good at it too and he helped me quite a bit. Just thought I'd keep everyone abreast of my goings on...
Personal to Roger: See honey, I told you I wasn't going to blog about______! GEEEE-I don't write about that personal stuff...
DO I?

97% of the time...

Everyone always comments on how much the children look like Roger. They say he could not deny them. What's that supposed to mean? NO! THEIR NOT MINE! Would you be for real! He would never say that... He knows I would beat him with a bat...
Anyway, my usual response is, "Yeah, don't tell anyone 'cause it's an old family secret that some men in Roger's family actually give birth. Roger pushed out every one of his kids."
I just knew all our children would look like me. I have strong genes. I mean I look EXACTLY like my dad. Roger's genes are weak because he looks neither just like his mom nor his dad, he's more a mix of them. Don't you love how I come up with this scientific stuff? Maybe these strong genes skip a generation... I don't know, but last night Roger made the comment that Gabriel's hair looked just like his when he was little. THAT WAS THE LAST STRAW!!! My Goodness! Can't I claim ONE THING!!! Gabriel has hair like me! I went digging thru pictures so I could blog about being RIGHT. "LOOK!" I would say, He has hair like ME! Your hair was straight!!! HA- ON YOU!
I hate to be wrong (which thankfully is only like 3% of the time) but when I saw this picture I felt a SLAP across my face.
Gabriel and Roger not only have the same hair, but the same FACE. That is a picture of Roger above! Matt thought it WAS Gabriel and wanted to know who the people in the picture with him were. YOUR Great-Grandmother, MATT- when she didn't have WHITE HAIR! Geesszzz!
Maybe Roger is autistic too...humm

This marriage was made in Heaven... But so was Lightning and Thunder

There are things that go really good together, like PB&J and pancake & syrup. Other things sound strange together but end up being awesome. Take mashed potatoes for instance. My cousin Amy used to put a spoonful of sour cream on her's. I thought it was weird but now I always add sour cream to my mashed potatoes when I am mixing them and they are great. Maybe I though it was weird because Amy was doing it. I mean Amy was ALWAYS making weird food concoctions. She used to collect TACO BELL sauce packets and mix them in her scrambled eggs... BUT that's another blog... Anyway Roger and I are in the strange concoctions side of things. If any normal dating service had read our BIO's they would NEVER have put us together. Roger and I are a good example of WHAT NOT TO MIX.

MY LIKES:
Reading
Easy listening music
Vans
Taking it easy
Intellectual talk
Art shows
Malls
Computers
Talking on the phone
Driving the speed limit

Roger's likes:
Likes LOOKING at magazines
Loud Rap or Rock music
BIG trucks or little sports cars
Constantly on the go
NO long talks
Discount Autoparts
Going to the Monster Truck Shows
Watching TV
Working on his truck
Speeding

Get the picture? To the naked eye it seems we fall short. But you know, looking at these lists makes me see OLD. I mean I like looking at magazines I just read them too, and I love the occasional rock song, heck, I had a wreck one time listening to Van Halen ( when I was 19, does that count?). I like my Van because it's practical. I can separate the children and they don't fight AS MUCH. I love talking with intelligent people but I enjoy talking with DUMB ones too. I've driven over the speed limit but I talk my way out of paying the bill. Roger More or less says, "YEAH, I was going 90...WHAT'S IT TO YOU??? I can at least FAKE RESPECT when it comes down to a $400 speeding ticket...
Pretty much I have to be on time for everything. It gives me the willies to be running behind, and I get loud and start shouting orders. Roger is pokey slow UNLESS someone is coming over and he wants our house to look like a model home. He does a "10 Second Tidy" and starts shouting orders. Sometimes I want to hire a hitman and I am sure he feels the same. But this morning on the way to church we were listening to that song by LEE ANN RIMES called "How do I live without you". I looked over and he was singing it and smiled at me.
So I forgive him for the other 162,476,375 bad things he's done... So sue me
Rock on... (with easy listening!!!)

Bracelet Babe

Yes, Katherine is the "Bracelet Babe". I am going to get her some business cards saying so. When she was in 4th grade she sold them like crazy. Now that I am homeschooling her for this year she has a hard time finding a market. She made one yesterday that was so cool. I KNOW she could make quite a lot of money if she could find her a market. She is down to $6.00 and is concerned about having no money. When I was her age that was the last thing on my mind. Since she likes to be the little entrepreneur I want to help her to find that market. Anyone have any ideas? I thought about having a t-shirt made for her that says "Bracelet Babe" and get her a little canvas tote and take her to Clearwater Beach during spring break. She could EASILY sell these bracelets to all the kids at the beach. Their cool, colorful, and cheap. Ideas or suggestions? Post them in my comments, PLEASE!

A Hair in the Head is Worth Two in the Brush...

For all of you that know me you know I never brag about anything. And I'm not now...Just telling a story about "My Hair"... My hair used to be average. It was thick but it wasn't curly or straight, it was just there. Never really knew what to do with it. As a teenager in the 80's, I would get a perm. That was the thing THEN, to have wicked, curly, BIG hair. In the 90's my 80's hairstyle was getting old but I just didn't know what to do with it. My hair had this awkward wave but nothing I was overjoyed about. I would cut it short then grow it LONNGGGUGH. Never satisfied. Then I had Katherine and she wanted to PULL my hair so I cut it shorter. I noticed one day when I had washed my hair and not had time to dry it (happens frequently when your a new mom) that it seemed a bit "wavier" than usual. I used to blow-dry and brush my hair at the same time into some sort of style so I never saw much else but straight hair. I went out and bought a diffuser and my hair had curls! It either went away or I did something wrong. Then I had Matt. When he was 2 I went to REGIS and spent A LOT of MONEY. I got my hair cut, colored and highlighted. I asked the hairstylist what I could DO with my hair. Maybe roll it or something? She said, "Are you crazy? You have beautiful curls already in your hair!". I can proudly say that I haven't used a brush now in 6 years! After Gabriel was born it got even curlier. Roger said if I had any more children I would have a "FRO". God knew at the time he was going to give me Gabriel so he traded up and gave me one easy thing in my life! I can go 3 days without washing my hair and the crappier it looks the more compliments I get... Go figure. Some girl at the drive-in window at Krystals told me I had beautiful hair and did I roll it? 3 DAYS NOT WASHED!!! I put my fingers through my hair, spray it and go. Other common comments: Who does your hair? - How do you roll it? - Where do you get your hair done? - Is that your natural hair? - Can I get a sample DNA of your hair for my future child? And last but not least from a smart-alec in the family that doesn't read this blog... "OH, SO YOU JUST WOKE UP ONE DAY WITH CURLY HAIR?
YES... I DID!!!

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet

Epiphany is tomorrow. The Greek orthodox are celebrating the Baptism of Jesus. This sounds really special and I can't figure out why we ALL don't celebrate it too. Unfortunately I am not digging deeper into this today because I have something else on my agenda. Tarpon Springs is like the Greek Capital of the United States (or at least Florida). They are having a huge "party" this year because this is their 100th Epiphany. I know you guys know what this is...It's where all those good looking Greek teenage boys jump in freezing water to retrieve the cross that is thrown in. They are suppose to have a year of good luck and other blessings if they are the one that finds it and brings it to the surface. This is a huge big deal and they have been fixing up "The Sponge Docks" for just this event.
Things I like about Greeks:
Their desserts - BAKLAVA -Oh Whatever! Greek Food!!!
Their cool names Kalliniki, Theadosha...
News on Athina Onassis
Well, now the main part of this blog is about WHO is visiting because of this 100th celebration. His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew, the spritual leader of Orthodoxy!(WHAT A NAME- wouldn't you hate to be HIM in kindergarten!)) I am thinking this is Greek for "Pope". He is the cross tosser this year. I am so excited for them! I have thought about taking the children and going.
I wonder what reaction I would get if I shouted "I NAMED MY DOG AFTER YOU!"

Riding the SHORT BUS like his Dad...

Maybe I am slow too. I mean everything goes over my head. I remember being a freshman in high school and someone making the comment that they were going "to the getto to buy plants that Friday night". I thought that was stupid 'cause they had a plant nursery down the street... so you see I've always been a bit naive or slow, whatever you'd like to call it. If Charley Manson talked to me for any length of time he would probably have me convinced he really was a good guy.
And hey! Not to mention that Gabriel has Autism. He is VERY smart. He just lacks common sense and a control of his temper. So you see, it IS okay when I tell you that my Bartholomeu... He rides the "Short Bus". My dog Patch is a very smart girl but the daddy of the puppies is more like Goofy. Well GORSH! Buddy is so sweet. He doesn't pick fights... he's a lover, not a fighter. All the puppies took after Patch... except for Bartholomeu. He is buddy Jr. They have the same look in their eyes too. A look that TELLS you they are in the special class at school. I was telling Teresa (Buddy's Mom) about this the other day and she said, "Yeah, my Buddy rides the SHORT BUS." I had no idea what this meant but it sounded hilarious and I started laughing and then said, "what do you mean?" (told you I was slow to get the point) She told me, "well you know how school buses are long and then there are the short ones that take care of the special needs kids? Well Buddy rides the SHORT BUS".
Boy, I tell you... I learn something new everyday! I'm going to get on that short bus tomorrow and see what else I can find out...
Anyway... Lana says it is okay that Bartholomeu rides the SHORT BUS 'cause all good lookin guys are really dumb and Bartholomeu is HOT! So glad to have friends that set me straight 'cause that explains A LOT!