What Were You Thinking?

One
Big
Awful
Mistake
America

Money for My Opinion -- Wow!

So, today my good fortune continued...I love completing surveys! The Neilsen TV Rating company called asking our household to do a survey on our radio listening habits (we've done the TV version before). And best of all, we get paid to do it. How much more fun could it be than getting paid to tell someone what you think!

Spring Break 2009

Just got back from a trip to the beach. I had a meeting and the kids were on spring break. The weather was beautiful. The ocean was too cold to swim in but the hotel's pool was heated. So, they soaked up the sun and swam a bit. I worked...bummer.

Play Ball, Y'all

Last year was a good contest year for me -- I won an autographed upscale Mexican food cookbook, a Martha Stewart tote filled with product samples, a Big Sexy Hair product-filled box, and tickets to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame induction concert (where we saw Styx, Taylor Hicks, the Temptations, Clarence Carter, and others).

Just when I thought my winnings were headed the direction of the stock market, I scored another prize today. And this is one of those really good ones, too! If I could name 6 desserts served at Riverwalk Stadium, I would win two 6-packs of season tickets for the Biscuits from Y102. Do you even need to ask if I could name the desserts?!?! So, a brownie, banana split, funnel cake, Dippin Dots, root beer float and ice cream cone later, I have myself some tickets!

Play ball, y'all!

Old School Bowling

Kids can have all the latest gadgets, but two days into spring break and Madalyn has laid aside all things electronic and constructed a bowling alley in our entryway, despite having an upper respiratory infection. Perhaps its the steroids she was prescribed...

On Our Front Porch

As we wait on spring to officially arrive, here's the flag of the month on our front porch.

Bake Me a Cake

Madalyn loves to cook, bake, chop, dice, puree...you name it and if it has to do with food, she loves it. So it wasn't surprising when she proudly handed me a recipe for Eleanor Roosevelt's Pink Cloud on Angel Food Cake that she had hand-copied from a textbook at school (while she was supposed to be reading the story, mind you). The only thing is, she also very proudly announced that she hadn't copied it word for word because she'd heard us tell Cody to be careful of that on research papers.

At least we know she's listened to the lecture on plagiarism, but I'm not too sure how the cake will turn out...

$30 For What?

One guess...yep, another field trip! This time it's to the Sloss Furnaces and McWane Center in Birmingham. Both neat places, but for a day out of school and more of my money? I'm trapped into letting her go lest the principal think us destitute. Ugh!

Anniversary Wishes

Eleven years ago (oh my gosh has it been that long?), I married the kindest man in the world. Sweetie, I am so blessed that you are part of my life and just wanted to say I love you! Thanks for being who you are and for loving me just as I am. Happy Anniversary!

PBS - Not Just for Kids

Most folks think of PBS as daytime viewing for kids (mine did enjoy their share of Barney and Clifford the Big Red Dog). If you haven't taken a look at the adult offerings PBS has (no, not those), you're really missing some quality television.

Last year, Madalyn and I had so much fun watching their Masterpiece Classics series of movies about the Jane Austen classics, Pride & Prejudice, Emma and Sense & Sensibility, on Sunday nights.

Because I've been so busy and forgot to check the listings at the first of the year, we've already missed Wuthering Heights and Oliver Twist. But we'll get to see Dickens' David Copperfield and The Old Curiosity Shop.

They have great programming on other nights, too, like a peek inside the British royal family and a show that follows three Native American teens through their struggles on the reservation and how they get an opportunity to document the effects of oil refineries on their land as part of rehab.

If you haven't watched PBS in a while, or you just can't take another room redo or any more housewives from you-name-the-place, give it a try. And consider making a contribution to keep it on the air...my daughter and I would kindly thank you!

Let It Snow

Okay, so my mother has taken it upon herself to be the snow patrol. It's not a job she has to assume often here in the deep south, but to my groggy dismay, she called this morning at 5:30AM to let the kids know it was snowing. Only it hadn't yet accumulated on the ground so I climbed back in bed and let the kids sleep.

Two hours later she couldn't stand it any longer so she called a friend in Montgomery to confirm that it was in fact snowing in town before calling us again. This time, we were quite surprised to see the ground covered and a heavy snow falling. Now, for those of you who see it all the time, our heavy snow is like picnic weather for you. But we get quite excited for the occasional blanket of white.

Enjoy the photos from our house while we thaw out!

Snow Dad, Snow Mads, Snow Mom & Snow Co (L to R)

There's snow place like home!

Berries peeking through the snow

Snow-covered branches

Snow on the ground