Fat Foot Results.....

I sucked it up yesterday and went to the doctor. I HATE Doctors!!! Not as people of course just because I don't usually go to the doctor for anything GOOD. One of these days I'll be pregnant like everyone else I know and that will change but until then....I HATE DOCTORS!!! When I got to the doctors office I was in terrible pain and it was painfully obvious because I was pretty much hopping on one foot. The girls at the front desk could plainly see that it was difficult for me to walk back and forth from my chair to the desk every five minutes to hand them my insurance card, paperwork, drivers license, you name it and I guess it would have been too easy for them to ask me for it at ONE time and saved me quite a bit of agony. Anyway, when I finally got back in the suffocating little closet of a room, the nurses came in with there cheery faces and asked what the problem was SOOOOO I showed them. It certainly didn't make me feel any better when they both gasped and squealed EWWWWWWW when they saw my foot. Then in comes the doctor who knows my husband and had no interest in my rainbow colored elephant foot. Oh no, he wanted to know all about fishing in Orange Beach. Were they catching a lot? How's the season going? When does HE come home? Excuse me doctor but could you please take a gander at MY problem? I promise to bring you a cooler full of grouper if you waive the co-pay!!! Waive the co-pay he didn't but for the low low price of $25 dollars, I found out that I WAS NOT pregnant and my foot was not broken!!! Apparently to have an x-ray it must first be confirmed that you don't have a bun in the oven (and maybe just to squeeze a little more from my insurance company) but what do I care!!!! Three hours later with a pat on the back and a "Tell Mark hello and bring me some fish" I'm home, still in pain and all I have to give to that doctor is a little finger wave (you know which one) and a haha, I get this (see below) and you got my $25 bucks.....


Sorry for the ranting!!! Its the foot, it puts me in a bad mood!!! Hope everyone is having a wonderful Thursday!!!

Wordless Wednesday....BROKEN?

Ok, maybe just a FEW words....last night as I was trying to take Oscar outside for a bath, I was pulling the hose out of the garage. I didn't realize that it had gotten hooked around the brush guard that goes onto Marks Jeep. This thing is VERY heavy and big. I yanked the hose and hard as I could and when I did it lifted the brush guard and it fell over smashing my foot. The results.....

Obviously it is the left one and don't say anything about my toes...I know I know!!!!

Lovely yes???? Don't worry, since I can't walk on it, I'm off to the doctor (no I didn't go when it happened) and HOPEFULLY its not broken. Hope you all enjoyed these disgusting pics!!!!!

So much to say....

I have so many things to write about today I don't even know where to start. Friday, I left work around two o'clock to head south for the weekend. Of course I had forgotten just about everything that I meant to pack so I had to run home before we hit the road. When I pulled up there was a box on my doorstep and it contained these.......

Yes, I DO love them although they will most likely end up next to the purple stripper shoes in the back of my closet. I ask you ladies, who doesn't need a pair of spike heeled silver gladiator shoes in there closet?

On to the beach...

We arrived at the house around 6:30 and immediately went to eat. Eating is the main event when we go to see Mark but this time it was Mexican not shrimp. I have eaten enough shrimp this summer to carry me through the next year. So here we are at the restaurant not exactly looking our best....

Home and to bed. Saturday, since Mark wasn't fishing, we decided to go to the pool for a few hours (or 8). We had a great time spending the day with daddy and some friends and somehow Lucy and Mark ended up very much resembling Scuba Steve.....

I beg you if you ever see my husband to NEVER mention this lovely picture!!!!

After swimming ALL day, we went to EAT AGAIN with our good friends Jimbo and Stephanie...this time it WAS shrimp!!!

Sunday morning Mark did have to fish so we went to Tacky Jacks for a quick breakfast (one of everything) and of course had to have our picture made by the "pokey nosed fish" as Lucy likes to call it. I have a picture from EVERY weekend beside this fish. Lucy seems to think it is a fascinating work of art.....that stinks apparently...

Thats about it. I won't bore you with a book review today (because I haven't quite finished this weeks book). Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!!!! Happy Tuesday!!!

Never miss a beat....

I really do try not to spoil my child. Mostly I fail but I have gotten better about not giving her EVERYTHING she wants. I do, however, LOVE to surprise her. I love to see the look on her face when she gets in the car and I've randomly picked out a toy or candy or something that she really gets excited about. I love the huge hug and super dramatic "OH THANK YOU THANK YOU MOMMY. YOU'RE MY FAVORITE MOMMY IN THE WORLD (as if I was competing with some of her other mom's). I LOVE YOU ALL THE WAY TO THE MOON!!" And hearing those words melt my heart. So this week's little surprise was the Hannah Montana movie and a huge bucket of Double Bubble!! When she opened the beautiful wrapping (a Wal-Mart bag) and dug inside I thought she was going to pass out with joy. She even told me she loved me to the moon and BACK....now that my friends is A LOT of love!!! Last night as I was packing for the beach, I set Lucy up in the "big chair" and turned on the movie while I packed for the beach this weekend. When I came back into the living room (about 10 minutes later). I found her like this......


Double Bubble bucket in one hand and yes that is the trash can she pulled out of the pantry so that every time her gum "tasted yuck" she could spit it out and throw the other one away without missing a second of the movie!!! Pretty clever kid, HUH? Of course I would hate for her not to be able to get up and scream, dance and replay the Hoedown Throwdown two thousand times a night!!!!

Scatterbrained and Forgetful...

Yep, that's me!!! I was so excited last week to share with everyone the books I had read and this week I just forgot. What I also forgot was to put up a few pictures of cheer leading and the new haircut. My brain doesn't work the way it once did so I found it difficult to remember to take pictures AFTER the haircut and BEFORE Lucy got all sweaty during the football game. So anyway, lets just roll it all in to one Book Review/Picture/Wordless Wednesday post shall we?




They obviously don't have their uniforms yet so hopefully I'll remember to take my good camera and get some better shots!!

And on to the haircut...

Below...Lucy's "I haven't had a nap today, its 3:30, I've cheered in 100 degrees all day" face...

And as for the book review....

I have read two this week that are definitely worth mentioning. The first is Undertow by Sydney Bauer. It is a very interesting drama about a teenager who drowns in a boating accident and her friends mother charged with murder. It will keep you on the edge of your seat and introduce you to the sickening world of dirty racist politicians....

Secondly, I have started the Left Behind series and finished the first book just yesterday. If you are a Christian it will bring you closer to God, if not, it will give you something to seriously consider. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for answers. Although it is fiction, it is a great way of explaining the book of Revelations so everyone can understand. It has certainly made me realize that the end is near and how to be prepared...


Well, that's it!!! I think I'm all caught up for now. And just for giggles, here is a picture of Lucy and her cousin Cate at the lake last weekend...

When the Hornets Rock the House.....

.....they rock it ALL THE WAY DOWN!!! Cant you just feel the cool breeze blowing through the stadium, the smell of hotdogs, and the excitement of the crowd when the players run onto the field for the first time. Yea, me either. I feel 100 degrees of stale air making me sweat like a pig as I sit in a high school stadium, leaning into my neighboring cheerleader mom praying that a tiny cloud will cover the sun if only for a millisecond so maybe the back of my shirt will stop sticking to my neck. Yes, this is little league football my friends and it has officially begun.....in AUGUST!!

Obviously, I had my first experience as a little league "cheerleader mom" this weekend. Lucy was beside herself and boucing off the walls with anticipation of her first "real game". We got to the field at 11:30 for the noon kickoff. We gathered at one end of the stadium so the coaches could count the girls and get them in line. They walked down to the sidelines and seeing the delerious smile of enjoyment on Lucy's face got to me and I thought I felt a tear run down my face. I was mistaken, it was sweat. Lucy did an excellent job of doing the cheers and was the most incredible at holding her waterbottle (which contained orange gatorade-Her favorite) to her mouth and cheering at the same time! I will admit, despite the sweltering heat I was a very proud momma on Saturday and absolutely cannot wait to do it again.

After the game we went to Sweet and Sassy to get Lucy's hair cut. Since she wanted short and I wanted long we compromised and....Ok, She won.

Later that night, we had to make a run to the grocery store. Keep in mind Lucy had not had a nap after all of these exhausting events and was a bit loopy for lack of a better word. She stood in the cart the entire time we were in the store yelling...WHO ROCKS THE HOUSE? THE HORNETS ROCK THE HOUSE AND WHEN THE HORNETS ROCK THE HOUSE THEY ROCK IT ALL THE WAY DOWN. On the all the way down she started standing and shook her little tushie "all the way down". Other than a few odd looks from people who I assume did not think it appropriate for a four year old to shake it like that, we got a few laughs and I wasn't THAT embarrased. Thankfully on the way home she fell asleep in the car and saved me from having to explain to the neighbors why their kids were waking up because of a booty dancing, screaming little girl outside!!!

I left my camera at home but I promise to post cheerleader and haircut pics tomorrow!!!!

Calling All Readers....

As I have fallen deeper into this addictive blogging universe I have noticed a lot of "special" weekly posting ideas from some wonderful bloggers and thought I would start my own. How original am I?! Since I don't do a lot of exciting things, unless of course you think driving A LOT, working in real estate, or every step Lucy takes is exciting. Which I have to admit, I think Lucy is pretty exciting! Ok, I'm getting side tracked...I do love to read and I am always looking for a new book. I love to hear of books that other people have read and try them for myself. So my, oh so original idea, is to do a book review every.....what day is it?....oh yea, TUESDAY and it will be called, WAIT FOR IT, WAAAAIIIITTT FOOOOOR IIIIIIT....Ashley's TUESDAY BOOK REVIEW!!!! Don't you love it?!! So, enough of my idiotic rambling and on to the good stuff (or at least I think books are "good stuff")....

Ok, so for my first TUESDAY BOOK REVIEW I am actually going to tell you about a series of books that I have finally finished and can't say enough good things about.


Janet Evanovich - The Stephanie Plum Series

If you love mystery/suspense/funny books these are for you. Stephanie Plum is a lingerie buyer who loses her job and goes to work as a bounty hunter for her cousin. There are fifteen books in all and every one of them will have you laughing out loud and unable to put them down. They make for excellent light reading and I have read all of them in about two months (yes they are that good). Everything about the books makes you want to read the next one. The hysterical situations and the sexy, crazy, over the top characters will have you reading late into the night! I don't want to give too much away but I would recommend that you start from the beginning although you don't have to. All of the books are listed on Janet Evanovich's website here. Check them out and let me know what you think. Also, if anyone else does a book review, let me know. I would love to hear about what everyone is reading and check it out for myself!!

What's with the 'tude?

Oh how I would love to say I have the sweetest most perfect daughter on earth. If I ever say that, please know that I am lying. Lets start at the beginning shall we? Nine months (and two weeks) prior to January 18, 2005 I became pregnant. Oh what a joyous occasion to find out I was having a baby! A month or two later while I was throwing up in the toilet or parking lot or nearby bush, I began to wonder if babies were all that wonderful after all. A few more months pass and though the puking has subsided, I now have acne and have gained 65 yes SIXTY FIVE pounds by the end of nine months. But that wasn't it...oh no...Lucy didn't come until TWO WEEKS later. But when I went into the hospital and had her twenty four hours later by C-section all the pain and discomfort was forgotten. I fell instantly in love with this perfect child! As she grew throughout the next three years I became more and more attached - if that is possible - savoring each milestone. Poopie diapers were perfectly acceptable dinner conversation, throwing food was adorable, pulling everything out of my wallet was hysterical and coloring on the walls was just "one of those things". Terrible twos were never an issue and threes were just as easy.....then we get to four and I SWEAR we skipped from three to sixteen. What happened to hugs and snuggles and random kisses and hold me mommys? I don't understand where my baby went. Now I just get attitude. I hear things like, "If I can't have a cookie then I won't be your daughter" , "If you make me wear that I will NOT go to school", and "this is ridiculous," yes she says ridiculous, "I'm calling Nana". I HOPE beyond hope that this is just a phase. She only seems to do this at home, with me. When we are in public she is 99% of the time very very well behaved! Just wondering if I'm the only mother out there with a sixteen year old in a four year old's body or have a really been through some crazy time warp?

Life's Little Lessons....

I am not usually one to get sappy and give advice. As far as I'm concerned, I don't feel fit to give ANYONE advice. I can only stick to what I believe in and let God lead the way. Today something happened that really made me wonder if I was doing everything right as far as raising my child. Most of the time I'm pretty easy going. If paint spills on the floor or something gets broken because of Lucy, its no big deal. No yelling, no time out just a hug a good clean up and move on with our lives. This is "small stuff" and for the most part I "don't sweat it". Then there are other times when maybe I've had a bad day at work, tired or just in a mood that I fly off the handle at the smallest thing. These are the only regrets I have in life and today it really made me realize that I don't need to worry about the ridiculous little mishaps of everyday living. I believe deep down in my heart that all I can do is teach her right from wrong and pray for the best. I want more than anything for her to be well rounded, responsible and able to make her own decisions without an overbearing mother hovering over her or telling her that something she wants to try or experience is wrong (with limitations of course). I only want to give her more love than she can stand, be a shoulder to cry on, a guide when she is lost or confused or a best friend to laugh with. When I got some bad news this morning a song got stuck in my head and brought in so many emotions I didn't know what to do with myself. So here is the song and I think it rings true for all parents. So my little piece of advice courtesy of Crosby Stills and Nash.....

Teach, your children well
Their father's hell
Did slowly go by
And feed them on your dreams
The one they pick's
The one you'll know by.
Don't you ever ask them why
If they told you, you would die
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you.

And just to clarify. This had nothing to do with events at my house but some family friends lost a son this morning and it has really gotten to me. Please say a prayer for this family, I can't imagine what they are going through.

Endless Cheers, GNO, and Butterfly Snatching

Since I'm usually a day late and a dollar short I don't feel so bad about posting about the weekend on a Tuesday!!! We had an extremely packed-full-of-fun weekend and I even took pictures - YAY ME!! So lets just get right down to it....

Friday, my sweet little Lucy started Cheerleader Camp. When she was finished on Friday she told me she liked it better than gymnastics. Before this, gymnastics was at the top of the list beating out skipping daycare for a day and going to the beach - so I knew we had a winner. Although they learned about fifty cheers, Lucy can only seem to remember ONE and yes this is the ENDLESS CHEER. This cheer can be used to express feelings, turned into a song, or just chanted OVER AND OVER AND OVER. I think Lucy has forgotten an extensive amount of vocabulary and replaced it with....say it with me now.....BIG G, LITTLE O, GO, GO!!!!

Please forgive the quality of this picture. I had to take it from WAY up in the stands and obviously my little point and shoot couldn't handle the stress....better pictures to come....

Friday night was girls night!!! Who doesn't love that!!! I would like to raise a toast to my girls - Amber, Morgan, Mycalee, Amy, Nicole, Lindy, Melissa (and LeAnn even though she wasn't there this time) and it is simply - Thank you for being you and for letting me be me!!!!

I stole this picture from Amber!!! Thanks girl!!!

Saturday was back to cheerleader camp, lunch with the ten people who wanted to go see Lucy cheer, dinner at a new Hibachi restaurant in town and home to bed!!!

AHHHHH....Sunday. We decided to take a little road trip to Childersburg, AL to visit DeSoto Cavers. Since I had not been there since my fourth grade field trip (we won't say how long ago THAT was) I thought it would be fun. We toured the cave....
Where not only did we see huge formations, Indian burial grounds and an underground waterfall, Lucy discovered the art of piling gravel on benches....
Out of the cave and on to the butterfly exhibit. A sign posted on the gate clearly stated DO NOT TOUCH THE BUTTERFLIES.....

So she held herself back.....

And I was so proud. But who am I to deny the child a scientific learning experience?

And then I remembered to set a good example. So I told her we had to follow the rules. But she didn't want to....So she grabbed one out of the bush....

After that it was time to GET THE HECK OUT OF THERE....But I'm pretty sure (with this face) Lucy was scheming to get a butterfly in her pocket!

Sorry so long!!! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!!!!