Never a dull moment

Earlier tonight I caught Hubs setting a Frito on fire. Yes, you read that right. When I asked him about it he said a guy at work told him it could be done. Two thoughts: One, how did this even come up in
conversation and two, who tried it the first time?

And if you're wondering - a Frito can catch fire.

Life on the Ranch

This past Friday night I had the opportunity to go to the Big Oak Ranch for Girls. The Women's Ministry at my Church has gone a few Friday nights this year to eat and watch movies with the girls so the house parents could have a night out. This was my first time to go and what a treat! We had a Christmas dinner and did some fun crafts.

The Ranch sits on 325 acres. It has 8 residential homes (where the girls live with their foster parents), a gym, pool and equine center. It is so beautiful there. Even the name is beautiful, it comes from Isaiah 61:3 "And they shall be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified." I praise God for men like John Croyle who followed God's calling to minister to these children.

I had no idea the scope of the Big Oak Ranch and the ministry it is. I also had no idea how much a couple of these girls were going to get under my skin and take residence in my heart. One was 14-year old Nara. She's one of those larger-than-life personalities who attached her hip to mine right from the get-go. She kept me laughing and at one point said she wished she could get a hold of my hair and fix it. Hmmm...

Towards the end of the night we were paired with a girl to talk and pray. I was paired with Vanessa. She's in the 10th grade and from the moment she opened her mouth, I wanted to take her home. She told me she and her sister have been at the Ranch for 10 years. That's so hard for me to comprehend. I don't know her story - all I know is that she looked happy and the things she asked me to pray for were normal teenager things like school and a boy at Church she has a crush on. 10 years ago her list was probably a lot different.

I hope I have many more opportunities to go back. I can't get these two girls off my mind. God arranged our meeting and I'll forever be greatful.

My favorite week!

The week before Christmas is by far my favorite week of the year. Even though things are always extremely busy and rushed, the time with my family and friends makes it all worth it.

I had the best weekend. Saturday night Hubs and I had our Sunday School party which is always fun. I love playing Dirty Santa with this group. It's cut-throat and we're not afraid to steal~ No Mr./Mrs. Nice Guy in this group. It's good to laugh so much your stomach hurts!

Yesterday after Church we headed over to my Mama and Daddy's for a Christmas lunch and presents with our immediate family. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this day. Mama made 3 different types of soup and cooked a ham and turkey for sandwiches. I made hot baked spinach dip and Oreo balls and Mama Hen made a homemade blackberry cobbler. We ate ourselves silly before opening gifts.

(I didn't get good pictures of the kids opening their gifts because I was the hander-outer.)

We always spend the afternoon hoppin' the kids up on as much sugar as we can and then send them home with Mama Hen. I firmly believe this is my role as self-proclaimed BEST AUNT EVER and of course, we all know that's what grandparents do.

Abbie and James were our cookie decorators.

Someone was pretty proud of his creation.

Tyler is getting too big and needs to stop growing PRONTO!

Apparently, Matt was being too mischievous for a good shot because I couldn't find one on my camera.

After that, I stopped by a friends for her Christmas Open House and had some apple cider that made me smile. And if that wasn't good enough, I passed a live nativity with a real camel on the way home. It was a wonderful reminder of the real reason for the season. Thank You God for Your precious Son.

Today I'm linking up with Carissa for Miscellany Monday.

This doesn't deserve a title

I cannot tell you how happy I am to finally be home. December has been treating me like I'm a social butterfly and dropping more festivities in my homebody lap than I know what to do with. I decided to come home straight from work instead of going to Church because I didn't think I could "turn it on" till 8:30. You know what I mean - all the smiling and talking. Oh I kid, I was just really tired.

I did make one little detour through the Taco Bell drive-thru. I never thought I'd go back there since we broke up after the stomach revolt of 2009 after eating a Nachos Supreme. I think that may have been when I first realized my stomach had officially entered adulthood.

Thinking back, Taco Bell hasn't been my friend for a long time. I met my one and only stalker there the summer before my Senior year of high school. We used to hang out there on Sunday nights after Church and I met a real cutie. Unfortunately, things didn't go so well and I ended up dodging him for months. The last straw was when he showed up at my dorm my Freshmen year of college wearing a doo rag.

Needless to say, I didn't go for the food. About 3:00 today I started craving one of their Strawberry Frutistas and I made a commitment in my heart to move heaven and earth to get one. Only in Alabama does it make more sense to get a frozen drink in the middle of December rather than hot chocolate. It was a sweet 61 degrees as I sat in the drive thru with the window down at 5:30.

I'll go ahead and apologize now for writing a post about my trials and tribulations with Taco Bell. It says a lot about the excitement in my life. So I'll go now. I plan on spending the rest of my night snuggled up on the couch under my electric blanket watching TV with Hubs.

The day where nothing really happened

Surprising, huh? I knew my day was going to be less than spectactular early this morning when I tried to fix my hair and it ended up looking like a big pile of poo. It has fully entered an "in-between" stage and is undeniably dreadful.

Somehow me and my hair managed to make it through the 8 to 5 grind without any of my coworkers running away in horror. I will say that the day did go by fairly quickly and before I knew it, me and my hair were off to the gym. The nice thing about the gym is that I can wear my cap and therefore, devote that hour and 10 minutes to counting down each and every one until it's over.

Hubs and I got home about the same time and promptly popped corn dogs in the oven because we have high food standards. We had a lovely time discussing our day as we stood in the kitchen and anxiously watched the timer countdown for the longest 20 minutes ever. And then, we enjoyed our corn dogs on paper plates while we watched recorded episodes of Judge Judy.

Yes, I know - the excitement is almost more than I can take too. Here's hoping to a good hair day tomorrow. It makes all the difference.

Normally, I'm not real fond of cold weather, but I have to admit - it's kind of put a smile on my face this week. Especially, when my mom showed up at work yesterday with a Caramel Apple Spice. So, so good. A gift of love....

What was not a gift of love was what McDonald's gave me today. About once a month I feel like I just have to have a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and today was that day. What I thought would be a reunion with an old friend turned out to be a brutal betrayal. Apparently, the QPw/C decided it didn't want to be my friend anymore and made war with my stomach. I have decided to breakup with McDonald's. It is now dead to me. It was that bad.

Thankfully, I was feeling much better by the time I got to Church. I'm doing Beth Moore's "Here and Now... There and Then" study on Revelation. Each week I am amazed that I get to see a small glimpse of Heaven. It is humbling and exciting all at the same time.

Now I'm home and all toasty because Hubs has a fire going. I think I'll keep him. He makes my heart smile.





It's gettin' cold up in here!

It's officially winter here in Alabama! We've had some below freezing weather and you know what that means.... massive amounts of people flocking to the grocery store to stock up on milk and bread. Thankfully, we have milk and bread at our house and more importantly - grape Fanta.

I made our first pot of winter chili and it did not disappoint. I love it when it's so spicy that my nose runs. I just can't decide if I'd rather have chili or taco soup. Love, love, love them both.

On another note, Hubs got an Airzooka. If you're super geeky like us, you might have a lot of fun with it! I apologize in advance for the horse laugh you'll here at the end.

11-28-11 Airzooka from Jill Sharpe on Vimeo.

My Pants Feel a Little Tighter

So, I decided to wear a skirt today. That's how I'm dealing with my big, bloated belly full of turkey, ham, dressing, apple pie, etc.

I have LOVED this long weekend. After I got off work Wednesday night I got my hair done, convinced Hubs to go to the grocery store with me and then came home and made a chicken cheese ball. (I refused to go to the in-laws with just ice.)

We had a great time with Hub's family Thanksgiving Day. It was my newest nephew's first holiday and we loved having a baby in the house! It was so sweet to look over and see Hubs with his niece and 2 nephews on his side of the family all on the couch together.

Friday was absolutely wonderful. I spent the entire day in my pajamas napping, reading, and watching TV. I did get online early that morning and did about 95% of my Christmas shopping. Total score for not having to battle the crowds (or get out of my pajamas)!

Saturday, Hubs and I ran a few errands before he went to watch the game with friends. (If you're from Alabama you know exactly which game I'm talking about.) Sunday, I woke up to the most beautiful sound - RAIN - and it hasn't stopped all day. I know it's not ideal to most, but I absolutely love it.

Can't wait to see what this week holds!

Ice Ice Baby

We're spending Thanksgiving Day with Hub's family this year. I called my sweet mother-in-law last night on the way home from work and asked what I can bring. She told me all the things she and my sister-and-laws will be making. And then told me to bring ice.

ICE

Should I pull a Phoebe?

Phoebe: Yeah well, that's 'cause I'm in charge of cups and ice, and Monica is gonna rue the day that she put me in charge of cups and ice.

Run Baby Run

I have really started to love running. For some, it comes easy. Me, not so much. I struggled for 2 years to even be able to run 3 miles and every.single.second of it was stinkin' HORRIBLE. I mean, pretty much every step left me wanting to turn around and crawl back to my car begging for sweet mercy the entire way.

But, I kept at it and a couple of months ago, Hubs convinced me to sign up for the Vulcan Run. 6.2 miles seemed impossible at the time. I thought I would run as long as I could and then walk the rest. I was good with that because my personal running goal didn't go past 3 miles. (Yes, I am an overachiever.)

About a month before the Run, I went out running by myself on a Sunday morning before Church. Normally, J2 runs with me but she wasn't feeling well. I headed down to an area close to my house with the intentions of running 2 miles. It was wonderful - I was listening to my praise and worship music, talking to my Lord and before I knew it, the 2 miles were up. I decided to try two more and after that, another two. 6 MILES!! Holy Cow, I think I became a runner that day.

The next Sunday we ran 7 and the next 8. The Vulcan Run has come and gone and I look forward to my morning runs with my friends. It's hard to get up so early (we all work) but I love being out as the sun comes up. It feels like a sweet treat God gives us. It really has become a special time of prayer and worship.

I never thought I'd be a runner. I especially never thought God would use it to give me more time with Him.

I caught my Mom telling someone the other day that I had run a marathon. I had to explain to her that I ran a 10K, not a marathon. BIG DIFFERENCE - BIG! So, if my Mama told any of you I ran a marathon, you probably already guessed that wasn't true. Or maybe you just thought I had turned into Super Girl. If that's the case - I'm good with that.

It's been a while...

Hello, my name is Jill. You may remember me. I used to post here somewhat regularly.

Well, life got in the way for a while and I let this blog take a back seat. Actually, it's more like I left it crying on the curb. I may not have left comments as much as usual but I have been keeping up with all of you. I think I've now rectified this broken blog relationship and I think we're on good terms again.

I've missed being able to tell you all the mundane details of my life. Like how there's an hour of my life I desperately wish I could get back that was spent watching Top 20 Most Shocking Moments - the Backyard Boneheads edition with Jay. #12 was the story of a man who pulled his tooth by tying a string from his tooth to a board and then taking a hammer to the board. He said he used to use pliars but "it hurt too much". I would expand on that but there are no words.

Thankfully, that wasn't the most exciting part of my weekend. Yesterday, we had Thanksgiving with all my family at my Mom and Dad's house. It was wonderful! I do believe my Mama may be the best cook in the world. Her dressing is out of this world! Hubs and I had leftovers for lunch and it was just as good today as it was yesterday.

Unfortunately, Mama Hen's youngest hadn't been feeling good and threw up not too long after we got there. He spent the rest of the afternoon in the back bedroom watching Kung Foo Panda. He did come out long enough to blow the candles out on his birthday cake but then turned around and walked out of the room. You know a 5 year old is sick when he blows the candles out and then makes his way back to the bedroom without any cake. We all thought about his recent projectile experience, the amount of spit that probably came out while blowing out the candles and decided it might not be in our best interest to eat that cake. I had Mama Hen's apple pie instead. Yes, I think that was a wise choice.

All in all, it's been a great weekend!

You might be a maw maw if...

1.   You record Judge Judy everyday. And you looked on Netflix to see if you could get Season 1.

2.   There is no such thing as "too much" moisturizer after you take your makeup off at night.

3.   You find yourself not drinking anything after 7 for fear you'll be going to the bathroom all night.

4.   You go for your annual physical and the doctor starts his sentence with "women your age...".

5.   You go to a restaurant and don't recognize one single song that plays the whole time you're there.

6.   The 90's are the "good ole' days".

7.   You blink and it's your birthday again. And you have to really think about how old you'll be.

8.   College students look like babies.

9.   You're too tired to think of a 9 and 10 and decide to go to bed instead.

I'm not saying any of these relate to me in any.way.whatsoever. It's just an observation...



Miscellany Monday

Today I'm linking up with Carissa at lowercase letters for Miscellany Monday.

ONE -  Weather - I can't believe this heat. Sometimes I walk outside and it almost feels suffocating. The 20 feet or so I walk from my office to my car in the afternoons is enough to do me in. I've said it before, but I will forever be grateful to this man, Willis Haviland Carrier - inventor of the air conditioner.

TWO - Running - After almost 4 years, I'm really starting to love it. Don't get me wrong, it's still EXTREMELY hard to get up at 5AM and get started. And I still ask myself a dozen times while I'm running what is wrong in my fool head to put myself through that BUT - the feeling afterwards is indescribable.

THREE - I'll be an Aunt again in November! (No, not Mama Hen.) Hubs sister, Kay is PG with a boy! I just can't wait for him to get here!

FOUR- I caught an episode of Toddlers &Tiaras this weekend and I've gone from being speechless to ranting to back to speechless. It would be interesting to see a "Where Are They Now" on these little girls in 20 years. Do they even have a chance? So sad...

FIVE - My baby brother turned 34 yesterday. It's amazing how that can happen when I'm just 29...

Have a great Monday!

A Perfect 10

It's hard to believe but my sweet niece, Abbie Grace, turned 10 today. Where has the time gone???

If I could bottle up her enthusiasm for EVERY.SINGLE.THING I would be a millionaire. She is Anne of Green Gables, Laura Ingalls, and a princess all rolled into one.

I picked her up last night for some girl time. We checked into a hotel and I'm not going to lie, I was T.I.R.E.D. I could have laid down on that hotel bed right then and been out! I had not slept good the night before and it was a long week at work. But, I told my old lady bones to get it together and we headed out to eat. I told Abbie we could eat anywhere she wanted and all she wanted was a cheeseburger. So, that's what we did. Then we spent the next few hours going to every single shoe store in Hoover looking for this ONE pair of shoes that she was dying to have. Thankfully, we finally found a pair that she liked and that fit.

This girl had me laughing all night. I love it that she totally confident in herself. She even talked me into taking her to Toys R Us before heading home.

After we woke up and got ready we headed to IHop for breakfast. She couldn't resist the funny face pancakes.

Our day ended with manicures and pedicures. I can't believe I didn't take a picture of her fingers and toes because she got the cutest color with flowers and polka dots.  Thanks for letting me be a part of your day Abbie girl! I'm the luckiest Aunt in the world!

Catching Up

If there was a Worst Blogger of the Year award, I'm pretty sure I would get it. I'm not quite sure why I can't seem to post more than once a month... It could have something to do with my unique ability to waste more time than the average person. It's good to be above average at something, right?

I'm also pretty sure it has something to do with the heat. Usually getting in my car to leave work is a happy, happy time. Now I spend the first few minutes of my drive home trying to hold my legs up so the seat doesn't burn my skin off. Yes I know, I somehow can't remember to grab a towel or something before I leave home.

I have had a busy couple of months. In May I wrapped up my 12 week exercise class (started another last night!), finished leading Beth Moore's David study on Wednesday nights and... took a trip to Vegas with my sister-in-laws.

Should Bible Study and Vegas be in the same sentence??? J/K. My sister-in-law Kay had to do an audit for work and was sweet enough to invite Amy and me along for four nights of sister-in-law togetherness. I certainly had a great time with Amy and Kay but I think it's safe to say I'm not a Vegas kind of girl.

I did enjoy laying out by this fabulous pool

and seeing the Hoover Dam

and my favorite Sister-in-Laws

and these two kissing turtles that we saw at Red Rock Canyon.

Till next time...

Old Man Sharpe

A few days ago Jay and I were sitting in the living room watching TV when I commented that I wished the big light wasn't on. I started to get up and had to do a double-take.

Apparently, I need to start calling him Paw Paw. I also might need to limit his time on the internet - or at least hold onto the credit card.

Mama Mia

I'm not very good with writing my thoughts so it will be impossible for me to explain how much I love my Mama. I'm not sure how I got so lucky. I guess the Lord knew I would have been totally whacked out without her. (Well more whacked out than I already am.)

It's amazing how our relationship has evolved through the years. We've become true friends. I wish all of you knew her. To know her is to love her. And for those of us who do, we are so blessed!

Happy Mother's Day!



The Painful Truth

I had my first mammogram today. I was NOT sufficiently warned. I was NOT prepared. I didn't know this was going to happen when I went to my appointment. They should have told me. Someone should have told me.

I love how the nurse said there would be some "slight discomfort". Um yeah, sure if slight discomfort means PAIN.LIKE.NO.OTHER!

If we can put a man on the moon, why can they not find a better, less painful way to do this??? Just something to ponder.

No Means No

In case you didn't know, I'm not much of a rebel. I've pretty much been a plain Jane my entire life. My wardrobe consists of white, black, gray, off-white, brown... get the picture? Everytime my BF and I go shopping she tries and tries to get me to buy some clothes that are bright colors but I always end up buying my "safe" pieces.

I think I might have just taken a baby step. I can't help but smile when I look down at my bright colored toes peaking out of my brown shoes (and of course, brown pants)! You gotta love a polish called "No Means No"!

Watch out y'all! Who knows what's next!

Yes, I'm Alive

To those of you that checked on me to make sure I'm still alive - the answer is Yes. I won't post a pic to prove it because I seriously need to get my hair and eyebrows done. If I was a cool chick I would spend the next few minutes recounting the amazing things I've had going on which caused me to have no time for blogging A SINGLE THING for almost two months. But I think we all know better than that. So, I'll just give you the facts m'am, just the facts.

Things that have happened since I last blogged:

1. I joined a 12-week exercise class that has kicked my hiney in every possible way. It meets on Tuesday and Thurday nights and for almost 2 hours I do a workout that causes me to sweat more than I would have previously thought humanly possible. I just completed week 7 and since I'm still alive, I consider that a success!

2. I've discovered PMS in my 30's is completely different than PMS in my 20's. There are now 2 days of every month where my world feels like it's caving in. I think it's in my best interest (and everyone around me) to take a medical leave from life on those 2 days and remain holed up in my bed with books, magazines, the remote control and every possible kind of chocolate known to man.

3. Hubs and I took a quick trip to Tampa a couple of weeks ago to see a Yankees Spring Training game. We flew out on a Friday morning, saw the game Friday night and flew back Saturday afternoon.

4. I'm leading Beth Moore's David: Seeking a Heart Like His study on Wednesday nights at Church. It's so good and I've met the sweetest ladies through it. I'm learning so much. 

5. I've found that having something going on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday nights every week is throwing me for a loop. My homebody self doesn't really know what to do.

So there you have it, all my excuses reasons for not blogging. There are more that include the likes of sheer laziness but we won't get into all that. I missed you guys and thanks to those of you who checked in!



And another week begins

It's 7:06AM and I'm sitting on my couch in my jammies. Obviously, this is not a normal Monday or I would be preparing to go to work. But I'm not! It's a random vacation day because I'm hosting Bunko at my house tonight! Joy and bliss...

I feel like I'm still recovering from the last few days. I'm a creature of habit and when I'm out of routine, nothing about me feels right. Thursday morning I left on an 8 hour drive to High Point, NC to meet with a new client. This isn't something I normally do and I felt really bad for Hubs. I wasn't sure how he would make it 2 nights without me. Right...

I left early in the morning and was loving that the weather was so beautiful. It was probably around 12 or so that it started getting a little warm. But guess what wasn't working - um hmm, that's right, the air conditioner. It wasn't bad though. I kept the fan on and there was a little cool air blowing so I was totally comfortable. I think this was also around the time that my head started hurting - not bad, just enough to be annoying.

I checked into my hotel around 4:00 that afternoon and considered taking some pics to give you a hotel tour like PW, but really, when you've seen one Hampton, you've seen them all. It's just not the same as seeing a pic of this.

Around 5:30 or so I was getting really hungry and my headache was getting worse. I drove around until I found a Wal-Mart so I could get some Tylenol. At this point, I was getting that feeling - that feeling that I might throw-up. It's rare that I get a headache like that but I was well aware of how it would play out if I didn't get some medicine and food in me and I get my hiney in the bed.

I've never been so thankful for a place where you can get your Tylenol and a Subway sandwich in one stop. I got back to the hotel as fast as I could and it's a testament to how bad I felt that I didn't stop in the lobby and grab one of the fresh baked cookies they had just put out for the guests.

Thankfully, my head was much better when I woke up Friday morning. My meeting with the client was uneventful but SO LONG. I think I was probably asleep that night by 9. I wanted to be up and on the road by 7 to get home for my nephew's Crossing Over ceremony for the scouts. I'm sure I would have been well-rested if I had not BEEN WOKEN UP at 1:30 in the morning by some teenagers knocking on each other's doors yelling "house keeping". I kid you not.

I did manage to get on the road by 7 but the ride back did not go as well as the ride up. It was unbelievably hot and the fan was no longer blowing cool air. And then... all traffic on the interstate completely stopped - for 40 minutes. I was hot, I was sticky, I was tired and I was completely "done" with this trip.

Needless to say, I stayed at home Saturday night and didn't make it to the Crossing Over ceremony. After reading this, I think I'll be ok with just looking at the pictures.

Letting go...

Hubs and I got new carpet in the bedrooms this week and I must say, I think I'm in love with it. Of course, in an effort to save money, Hubs decided we'd move all the furniture in and out of the bedrooms ourselves rather than have the carpet people do it. It didn't turn out to be as bad as I thought but let me just tell you - it wasn't fun.

It did turn out to be the perfect time to clean out some things. I mainly concentrated on a couple of my closets and my bookshelves. Remember my bookshelves? It seemed right after I got the new ones, they were already getting full. I just KEEP buying more books. And lately, I've been getting a little convicted about the amount of money I spend buying them. It's spurred me to start using my library card a lot more which is great because the library is one of the greatest places on earth!

Before I put my books back on the shelves, I looked at each one and made a determination - would I want to read this book again? I started putting the "no reads" in a pile and before I knew it, I had a pile of about 100 books that I WILL NEVER READ AGAIN! I made a decision right then and there to get rid of them. I bagged them up before I could change my mind. I'm going to offer them up first to my Bunko girls and any that are left will go straight to the Thrift Store.

And that my friends, is progress.

Giveaway Winner

Thanks to all of you who participated in my first Giveway in 2011! And the winner chosen with Random.org of

The Pioneer Woman's Black Heels to Tractor Wheels is....

Bonnie!

Bonnie said...

Favorite book is: "Cross Creek" by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. A lovely book about life in the deep south back in the 30's. Very well written.
Bonnie, shoot me an email (jill.w.sharpe@gmail.com) with your address and I'll get your book out to you ASAP!

Giveaway!!!

Guess what showed up in my Inbox a couple of days ago... an email from Amazon letting me know that my copies of Black Heels to Tractor Wheels had been shipped. Did you get that??? COPIES! Which means I have one to give away. Oh yes, I was thinking all about you guys when I placed my pre-order a few weeks ago.

You have up to 3 chances to win. Leave a separate comment letting me know:

1. What's your favorite book?                         
2. And/Or You're a follower.                         
3. And/Or You blogged about this Giveaway.

Comments will be closed Thursday at 7:00 Central time and I'll select a winner using Random.org.

The Essentials

Today we've had snow, rain, sleet and ice and I had absolutely no idea that any of it was coming. We left work early because they were starting to close roads in sections of Birmingham and it was just plain ole' yucky outside.

Hubs stopped by the store on his way home to pick up the essentials. This is what he came home with.

And I wonder why I can't lose weight.

PMS

Dear PMS,

You are not my friend. In fact, I have nothing for you. You make me miserable by making me feel bad about myself. You affect my emotions, my skin, my weight and my BRAIN! That is the worst part. When you come around, all my thoughts become irrational. And somehow EACH and EVERY month you manage to sneak up on me and it takes me 3 or 4 days to realize why everything has gone haywire.

But you have not defeated me! Today I got an App for that. Oh yes I did. From now on, I will have a countdown for when you're coming. And I'll be ready! I'll be on alert and believe me when I say - YOU HAVE LOST YOUR HOLD ON ME!

Sincerely,

Jill

(OK, that's a lot of big talk. I might be setting the bar a bit high...)

A cut above

Hubs + pocket knife + work = trip to the doc + stiches

I can already tell he's gonna milk it for all it's worth!

I know you're curious

Most of the blogs I read are written by some very fabulous mama's. Oh yes, I'm talking about you, and you, and you. At our age, and being married as long as we have, Jay and I get a lot of questions about what we do with our time since we don't have kids. It's like everyone thinks we should have these crazy, exciting lives.

It always makes me laugh when Mama Hen and I talk and she asks what we're going to do over the weekend. My usual answer is pretty much nothing and then she goes into this long deal about how we don't have kids and she just can't believe we don't go out and do stuff. Of course, when I ask her what she thinks we should be doing, she can't come up with anything. That's when I say EXACTLY.

So in case any of you wonder what you'd most likely be doing if you didn't have kids - this is a typical Friday night (except we don't normally take a picture). I get home from work and immediately put on my pajamas. And yes, they're flannel and plaid. Then I get the contacts out and the glasses on. My next order of business is to wait for Hubs to call and tell me he's on his way so we can talk about what he's gonna pick up and bring home for supper. Once he's home, we eat, watch TV or a movie and then I head off to bed to read.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Twice as "SNICE"

It's hard to believe, but I'm on my second snow/ice (aka SNICE) day. I went to bed Sunday night in Alabama but it appears I've woken up the past two mornings up North! Of course it only appears that way. All I have to do is turn on the TV and see all-day coverage of how we're in a "state of emergency" when we have a couple of inches of snow and I know I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

And if there was even a smidgen of doubt left after that, I just needed to keep the TV on or check Facebook and check out the 1,893,548 times I heard or read War Eagle or Roll Ducks Roll. Don't get me wrong. I'm proud of our Auburn Tigers and their National Championship win. I even sported some Auburn sweatpants yesterday (a gift from a friend for Christmas).

(That gasp you just heard was my Mama.) I'm just not a football fan. I can only devote so much brain power and excitement to sports and my beloved Yankees got it all.

So, it's another day at home. Hubs went on into work. I think the excitement of driving his work truck with chains on the tires was just too much. I'm choosing to believe that over the possibility that he didn't want to hang out with me for one more day. Surely it's not because I made him watch Steel Magnolias, hmmm?

I'm gonna get in the kitchen in a few minutes and see what I can cook good for supper the rest of the week with things I already have in the freezer and/or pantry. It's a challenge from Leanna over at Thoughts and Whatnots. Who knows? This might be my year for cooking!