Remember when phones worked both ways?...

I'm not one to talk on a phone...I don't like not being able to see to whom I am speaking...but lately, I just want to pick up my phone and call Afghanistan and have a nice long chat to whomever is in charge of things. 'Cuz they're not doing that great of a job!!!

It seems like only yesterday that I was able to just pick up my cellphone and call my husband. Now I can't. I think of something funny and want to tell him and I can't. I have a really tough day, like today and I can't call him and vent. And then just as I'm thinking all this, he calls. And then, I can't remember half the things I wanted to tell him, because I'm just so giddy to talk to him. :) Yes, he still gives me butterflies and I'm sure when he comes home, we'll still be going through the "honeymoon" stage. I can't wait...

So, I actually just got off the phone with my sweet hubby. And hanging up is so sad...everytime. I just don't want to let him go. I love him so much and we can talk forever just like he had been here all along and as if he might be coming home at the end of the day. It really makes me so angry that they've moved him for the third time!!!!! And now he has even more of a sub-standard living situation and no internet to boot! I really miss our daily Skype calls. Being able to see him as I'm talking to him makes a world of a difference. Does he complain through all this unfair treatment?? NO! I'm the one on the soap-box ranting and raving because of all the unfairness! Why should he be singled out to be moved to God-knows-where and away from all of the guys in "our unit"? Oh how I wish I were in charge of that whole situation!.....ugh. And don't forget that when I have something really important (to me anyway..) to tell him, I can't...and I can't even shoot him an e-mail describing my day and all the important things that I wanted to tell him. Because, chances are, I'll talk to him over the phone before he'll be able to check his e-mails. He has to go halfway around the country to use someone's else's internet. And then it's only for a few minutes. Not nearly long enough to read the book I've written to him and view all the cute pics of our nephew that I included in the attachments....and you can forget replying....THAT'S not gonna happen anytime soon. He'll probably be home before he even sees those pictures of Booger...

I guess I can come down from my soapbox now...

Wait..one more thing. I sent that sweet Soldier of mine a St. Patty's Day card and just in the nic of time, I found a four-leaf clover (after searching for two days) to put in the card for good luck...He tells me he got the card (s) (Because I sent two! =)) and the package I sent that same week and I ask him about the four-leaf clover that I looked so hard for...and he says, "What four-leaf clover?"....and "Where are my socks?"

Really?.....

"No Way!"

....says my nephew Booger. It's his new saying, as is, "NO MA!"

He cracks me up! I have no clue where he learned it. I've never heard my sister, his "MA", say it before. She certainly doesn't use it frequently enough to warrant him repeating it. He's still stuck on the "pappy" as we call it. So he mainly mumbles whatever he's saying. But "NO WAY" and "NO MA" are plain as day! 


I don't know what his Ma and Dada are gonna do when they've got two pacified toddlers running around mumbling. That's right, Amanda is expecting again. She's actually due August 4th and it's a GIRL! No doubt  Booger will be extremely jealous. He already demands all the attention. But he's a cutie, so you can't blame him for it. He gets by with lots! I can't wait til he starts repeating everything we say. :) 

How to Tell Spring Has Sprung...

You can finally let your feet breathe.....

...The "yellow-bell" is in bloom and the clouds move quickly in the breeze....

.....The Bradford Pear Trees' Blooms are more frequent than it's leaves...

...Spring flowers are blooming everywhere

...The Peach Trees are blossoming and the air is a little sweeter...

...And even the Cardinals seem to be in a better mood...





But most importantly...there isn't any more of that white stuff covering the ground!!!!

Sips-N-Strokes with the girls...

Instead of having our regular FRG meeting, we decided to have a girl's outing to Sips-N-Strokes...the e-mails were sent out well in advance but when it came time to actually go, only 5 of us were able to attend. But we had a blast! I picked Colby up in Oneonta and she and I went shopping at the Galleria, where we ate lunch @ Ruby Tuesdays and I saw Stephen! Haven't seen him in ages. He's working there now apparently. 

 Colby and I each chose 2 appetizers because we were both really hungry. LOL. 

She had the mozzarella cheese sticks and the queso dip with chips. I had the cheese quesadillas and spring rolls. It was all really good except the queso dip, which was too greasy. Thankfully we didn't have to pay for it. :)


After we ate, we shopped around a bit. We spent a lot of time in B&BW smelling all the air fresheners and then to Yankee Candle where we smelled all the candles. It was so awesome, but of course, my sinuses started to protest. I did however buy $10 worth of votives. :) They smelled so great, I couldn't resist. I got one that reminded me of Jeremy. :) (I miss him so!)

After we were through shopping, we left for Sips-N-Strokes which was only 10 minutes away. We met up with Suzette, Brenda and Alice and checked in. We got our canvases and paints and chatted until the instructor started talking. We had a blast! I was so scared of messing up my painting. LOL. 

  

I was afraid to put too much of one color on there..and of course you can always fix it...My background turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. Of course it changed a lot before I was completely finished with it...For one..It looks like a sunset in this pic. But it's really water and sand.




When it came time to make the girl, we had to draw a yellow oval for her head..I didn't want it to be to big, but one of the ladies that worked there came over and said to just do it fast, so I did and it turned out pretty good. 

I didn't get to take many pics, because the instructor was going so quickly. I messed up my little girl's arm, but I fixed it so it wasn't so fat. LOL. It still isn't in proportion to her body..but oh well.

I can't wait to do it again! 
Everyone else's paintings turned out really great too. Mostly it was a lot of fun. 






Afterwards, we (minus Suzette who had to get home to her precious little boys) went to a local sports diner and had cokes and appetizers...well I had a yummy salad. :) Then we sat around talking and stood in the parking lot talking until we were too cold to anymore. Brenda and Alice had rode together, so they left and I took Colby back to Oneonta and came home. 


All in all, it was a great day! I can't wait to do it again. I knwo that Colby's artistic side has been sparked again and mine as well. We are all in agreement that next time, the painting will be more simple. LOL.

Today we Celebrate a Very Special Woman...

My Mom!

Name: Edith Deborah Jerleen Hudgins "Debbi"

Born: March 25, 1957

Where: Holy Name of Jesus Hospital in Gadsden, AL

Parents: Louis Fort McConnell Sr.

Mildred Henderson McConnell

Siblings: Louis Fort McConnell Jr.

 This is Mom when she was 12 in 1969.

Important things to know about Debbi:
Marital Status: Widow

Favorite Color: green

Favorite Person: Daddy (Jimmy Ray Hudgins)

Shoe Size: 10

(in case you want to buy her some lovely shoes! :)

Piercings: Eye-brow ring, nose, ears 
Favorite Vacation Spot: The Beach 

First Kiss?: No one is going to care. Me: I care! Who was it?
Mom: Peter in Kindergarten, he was also my first boyfriend

Places You've lived?: Springville, AL
Me: Is that it?
Mom: and I lived in Florida for 6 months, but unless you've lived somewhere more than a year it doesn't count..so Springville

What are you listening to these days?: 3O3, Linkin Park

What are you most proud of?: My children

What is something no one knows about you?: It's not widely known that I'm a pretty good seamstress. "I run a mean sewing machine!"

What celebrity do you have a crush on?: Matthew MacConaughey
Describe yourself in one Word:

Favorite Phrase:
"K-thanks-bye"

Happy Birthday Mom! 
I love you!

The Kindness of Strangers....

It was a nasty day today. It was so cold, in the 40's and rainy with some snow. Mom and I went to Nana's like we do every Monday. After we had taken her to the foot doctor for her check-up and to get her nails cut, we went by CVS to pick up her medicine. 

As we were leaving, there was a line of traffic, so we couldn't immediately pull out. I watched as a Baptist Church van stopped in the middle of the street and 2 little girls and a woman with a large umbrella got out. 

The two little girls crossed the lane of traffic and approached a middle-aged man who was slowly making his way (in the rain) towards the sidewalk with the aid of a walker. 

They were apparently asking the man if they could help him out in any way and as he started talking to them, the woman with the umbrella walked over and held it over him. It was a sight to see. 

It brought a tear to my eye... You really never see the kindness of strangers much anymore. I was amazed and proud of those two little girls especially. :) Maybe the world is not such a bad place after all....

[Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.]-Luke 6:31

Scrapbooking

I finally finished 2007! Well, all that I'm going to do for now. I don't think I even have any pictures from 2007 other than the ones I've already put into the scrapbook. I have been telling myself, "I am going to work on my scrapbook and finish Nov-Dec 2007" so I can get started on the long year of 2008. I started telling myself that about 2 months ago...I started and finshed yesterday! 

These first two pages are from our first camping/hunting trip. We did more laughing and talking than hunting. ;)

I think these turned out really well. I love the colors I chose. Conceited, I know, but seriously...it came together well. I need a little journaling to complete it.

 The Christmas pages, however, were much more difficult. There were lots of pics to work with, and since this is a scrapbook about us, I left out the pics of the rest of the family. I don't know what I'll do with those. *shrugs*

I think all in all, they turned out pretty well, considering I didn't have the best camera back then and someone else was taking the pics...



Oh and did I mention, I look horrible in those pics? But, a memory is a memory...no matter how bad a hair day it was. :P


Next, I'll be doing 2008's pics. There are literally thousands! Jeremy and I were living in Virginia then and I finally had a camera! I'm excited to get started, but it will be hard to only choose a few pics for each day/event. Wish me luck!....

Being Sick...

Stinks...really stinks. I hate it with a passion. I thought that it was merely a sore throat. But, nay...it is a full-blown rebellion from my sinuses....They hate me! No really. It seems that everytime I get well again, they act up. I mean, it starts with a sore throat, then sneezing. Next comes the coughing, watery eyes and diffuculty breathing. Needless to say, I've hit all those stages and then some in the past 3 days. I just know I'll have the flu by the weekend. And just you wait..the weather will be beautiful and I'll be laid up in bed practically dying. I exaggerate, but seriously, I feel awful! I've just taken some Nyquil and perhaps that will make me feel better. I'm going to try and sleep it off. I've already gone through one box of tissues. I'll keep you posted. 

This is probably the cause of my sinuses' misbehavior....

Spring shows her face

Beautiful Day

Though my day was mainly unscheduled, Mom and I did accomplish what we set out to do a week ago. We are proud of our accomplishment I must say. Cleaning off the front porch has been in the "works" for several months but we could never get enough courage to go out whilst it was so cold. But alas, it took the babysitting of my 18-month-old nephew, "Booger" to get us to at least bag up the old clothes that the dog had been using as a bed and move the remainder of boxes, that were supposed to be used as yard-sale material, to the edge of the porch where they would be more accessible to load. After that was done on Tuesday, we planned to take the junk to the landfill Wednesday...that was a no-go. It poured all night Tuesday and most of Wednesday. So, our plans were literally a wash-out. Then today, after I was awakened before I had gotten my full 7 hours of sleep (although I must admit, it was a welcomed phone call), we loaded the stuff into the truck and headed to the landfill. It was such a beautiful day that I took a few photos along the way. You can really see where the rain washed out the road on the third picture.

The clouds didn't spoil the day at all. It was so beautiful! The wind was blowing, but pleasantly, so it wasn't chilly at all. I will, however, spare the details of the landfill. :)

After Mom and I left we did some shopping and ate a late lunch/ early dinner and then we had to stop the Grove Street house to drop off some fixtures for the new renter. The sun was just setting behind the tree-line and I snapped a few pics. All in all, it was a gorgeous day and I am so thankful that I was able to be enjoy it! :)  

March......still acting like a lion.

It's March. Definitely March. Saturday and Sunday were pretty ideal as far as weekend weather goes and then Monday was beautiful as well.

Tuesday was a bit cooler, but still just as pretty and then Tuesday night...well...let's just say you can tell we're in Alabama. It's storming like crazy. Wind blowing the windchimes around so that even their normal pretty tinkling is a racket. If only we could tame the lion.



To top off the unwelcomed cold rainy weather, "Booger" has pink-eye. So washing our hands everytime we touch anything in his vicinity is a must. And bless his heart, he doesn't know why we try to keep him from touching us. I think I used half a bottle of hand sanitizer on his and my hands. He does enjoy using it though. And a box of cars will keep any toddler amused for hours on a rainy day.


Hopefully his pink-eye won't spread and March will clear up and turn into a lovely spring. Here's to wishful thinking....

Snow in Alabama!

It's been so long since I've written. I feel like I'm neglecting this...but I've been trying to keep busy. January went by quickly, which was amazing! February kind of drug by. Which is odd, seeing as it has the fewest days. We did have lots of snow on the 12th of February. At the end of the day, it was up to almost 4 inches!! The dogs really enjoyed it with the exception of Tuti....lol. She hated it! It was too cold for her little shivvery self.

Poor Tuti...she hated it so bad, she wouldn't even go potty! Jose on the other hand was thrilled! He was acting like a puppy instead of a 12-year-old Man that he is!


And Khloe Grace was so silly! She adores being outside anyway, so snow was like an added bonus! We've been letting her stay inside and she behaves really well. But she would much rather be outside barking at birds, deer and Annah (the Rottweiler).

After puttin on sweaters, Jose and Tuti were ready for a walk...


Since Jeremy wasn't here, I decided that I needed a replica..So I fashioned a Jeremy Snowman...introducing..SPC Oaks...Snowman Extroidinaire!

The snow was so pretty! Very picturesque! The dogs and I enjoyed looking at and romping in it...Well they romped, I looked and took the pics!

We walked down the drive and to the road to see what everything that way looked like...


And of course because Jeremy wasn't here to enjoy the snow with us...so, I took the Jeremy doll along! :)


Khloe Grace decided she needed to roll in the snow on the back porch...




Jeremy sent me the most beautiful roses for Valentine's Day. :) It was such a sweet surprise! He also sent a Swarovsky Crystal Rose figurine which I absolutely adore!


I am so ready for Jeremy to come home!! I miss him A LOT!!! Not having him here to enjoy the snow was a bummer. :( But I'm sure that there will be lots of snow in our future! LOL.
We've made it past the half-way mark! YAY! Lots of the other guys will be coming home for R&R, but Jeremy won't since he was here for Christmas. :( But that is ok. It's not too long til he comes home for good. I say this, but in my mind it still feels like forever...just trying to be brave! I will try to publish another post soon! :)