This has been NO tiny feat!

Today's word is "tiny". I suppose I'll post this as my "tiny" pic as I've lost over 20 lbs. The scale itself is not tiny, but it represents a tinier me...and that makes me happy.


Also, Banana Cream Oreos are horrible.

Magic? Oh, I'm not so sure about that!

I suppose it's magical when I get an ok pic of myself. So, here is my magic from yesterday!

Splish Splash part 2

Kennywood Splish Splash!

We went to Kennywood on Tuesday. It was HOT and humid. Good thing was, no one else was stupid enough to go! The lines were short and the boys had a FANTASTIC time!

I rode 6 rides, and was not too bad afterwards! Yippe for me! One of the rides that I rode on was the Raging Rapids. I was splish splashed beyond words. Good thing my shirt was not white! ;) Above is NGM with the Three Musketeers on The Pittsburgh Plunge. I was still chafing from my ride on the Raging Rapids, so I just videoed!!!

Sparkle and Spiral

Well, I wanted to take a pic of the beautiful necklace that we gave NGM's grandma for her birthday. I forgot. :( But, it was silver and a heart and had a garnet inside. It was pretty. Sorry I don't have a pic.

Spiral got me though. And I don't have a pic for that either. GAH! I'm such a slacker.

my relief

Sorry this took so long, I couldn't find the memory card for the camera! Ok. Here is when I feel relief. After 5+ hours of baking, mixing, and decorating, a ginormous cake is finished!

Soon, I will feel relief...

In about 2 or 3 hours, I will have relief. At that time, I will post what gave me that relief.

Curious???

my priorities

Clearly, this is number one.

Not on the road

I never left my house today. Never even got dressed. Yes, this means I'm sans pants...as usual.

I wasn't on a "real" road. I suppose that I'm on a metaphorical one though. A road to better days. A road to making better choices. A road where I can feel happy and not feel icky so much.

My road is a freaking mess right now. Lots of debris, flooding, potholes, construction. You name it, my road is riddled with it.

I'm confused, like when it rains so hard that the wipers don't work. I'm lost, like before mapquest and GPS. I'm alone and my radio is broken.

That's my road.

I wish it was less traveled.

Movement

I danced alone in my brain
The reality was ugly
Playing songs
Moving alone
Surrounded by confusing men
And women who shouldn't be

Keepers of keys
And takers of time
Love and adoration
Bewilder

Inside my head I danced

Late Moody

See Saw
You hold me up
and drop me down

Repeating
waiting for the day

when I'm allowed to stay up

where I can be uplifted
where I'm not flopped
to the ground
again

A sandbag would do
Not what I wanted
ever

But is what is real

late metallic

I've not taken any pics lately. And honestly, I don't have the wherewithall to do so.

I'll offer this instead.
A poem based on each word. To catch back up.

Metallic

My heart hard
Like metal

Burned
Molded

Forced into shape

On an anvil
Hot
mailable

Made to be what the creator chooses

My heart
Hardened
Solid
Cold

Unlike the shape once taken

bla

I'm not even asking for forgiveness. I'm just a total bump on a log these days. I dropped my laptop yesterday. It took me hours to figure out how to get it going again. I finally had to do the thing that takes it back to how it was when it was new. So, I had to reinstall a bunch of crap and set everything up again. Then, I went to bed. I didn't fall asleep until 1 again. But, I tried. I was in bed by about 11.

Life's been...well, interesting. And I promise to get back on track here. Honestly, it's taking all of my energy to do what I NEED to do right now. I'm ok. Seriously, I am. My brain just needs a break.

♥

Wendi's World questions

1. Do you like blue cheese? ICK!
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? Nope, only shot it up.
3. Do you own a gun? Do squirt guns count?
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at sonic? I WISH I could add a flavor. :(
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Three words, "White coat hypertension"!
6. What do you think of hot dogs? I like them even more now that I know how SB feels about them!!! Mmmmmm, wienies!
7. Favorite Christmas movie? White Christmas for serious & Christmas Story for funny.
8. What do you prefer to ????? World peace?
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My kids
11. Favorite hobby? Web surfing
12. Do you have A.D.D.? Me? I do not have...oooooo, looke a kitty!!!
13. What's one trait you hate about yourself? Oh brother, where do I start...
14. Middle name? Jenifer
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: Why is Alex ripping that apart? Zack is being too quiet. PUT DOWN THOSE SCISSORS!
16. Name 3 things you bought yesterday. Goodnights. That's it.
17. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Coffee, Diet whatever, liquid antacid
18. Current worry? What don't I worry about?!
19. Current hate right now? fighting
20. Favorite place to be? Anywhere alone.
21. How did you bring in the New Year? With all the boys watching the ball drop.
22. Where would you like to go? Italy
23. Name three people who will complete this? Everyone in the Circle of Trust had better!!!
24. Do you own slippers? Yep, but I LOVE when my feet are cold.
26. What year would you go back in time to? When my dad was healthy
27. Can you whistle? yes, but according to my mom, I sound like "a turdbird whistling for rain"
28. Favorite color? Purple
29. Would you be a pirate? Would I be??? HELL, I AM ONE!
30. What songs do you sing in the shower? I take baths.
31. Favorite girl's name? What in the hell is a "girl"??
32. Favorite boy's name? How am I supposed to choose that???
33. What's in your pocket right now? HAHAHA, the assumption is that I am WEARING pants!!!
34. Last thing that made you laugh? The last question.
36. Worst injury you've ever had? Do herniated discs count???
37. Do you love where you live? No
38. How many TVs do you have in your house? 5
39. Who is your loudest friend? Princess
40. How many dogs do you have? Just Kiya
41. Does someone have a crush on you? Oh, I highly doubt it.
42. What is your favorite book(s). The Way of the Wolf
43. What is your favorite candy? Chocolate=Reeses PB cups, sugary=smarties
44. Favorite Sports Team? Steelers
45. Your favorite meal? Chicken and rice
46. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Talking on the phone.
47. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Oh crap, it's time to get up already???
48. Do you have any odd habits? I don't wear pants.

I'm sorry...

I'm a double loser now. My brain is running on empty. I promise to make up for the lack of postage yesterday. There is just a lot going on here...and I'm not sleeping well. That makes it all the more difficult to make this fried egg of a brain, work for me.

Juicy

Well, I was looking SO forward to this word. Sadly, my post is nothing near what I wanted it to be.

The clouds today were juicy...as was the air. It's cooled off since the rain, but that juicy air sure makes my sinuses juicy too.



TMI??? Yeah, I thought so. Better than what I wanted to post.

picnic 3

picnic 2

picnic 1

An historic event

I will write more tomorrow about the wonderful picnic thrown at the Princess and Big Sexy's house.

But, from that event comes today's picture.




Amazed? I bet you are!

half/half

Well, we've all heard the age old question, "Is the glass half empty or, is it half full?"
Recently, someone told me that they have the "perfect" answer to that question. They said "If you are pouring the drink, it's half full. If you are drinking the drink, it's half empty." That's a really good answer. Honestly, I cannot even remember who told me that...but if it was one of you, thanks, but I always hated that question anyway. The whole "optimist"/"pessimist" thing is just not me. I don't consider myself either. I am a realist. Meaning, I don't care if the glass is half empty or half full. All I care about is how much juice that kid just wasted and that I have to, now, clean the glass.


So, tell me now...which is which???

Loser Leslie

Yes, I am the first and ONLY person, so far, to blow off blogging for a day. I figure I've blogged several in ONE day before. So, I should be forgiven.



Game On was yesterday's challenge. I even took a picture of an actual event that occurred in my house for the blog. I babysat my nephew for a few hours. Then, I was on the computer phone with a friend from Canada last night, and I dissed my duty. Cramps have a way of squelching your creative mindset anyway. I figured a new post in the start of a brand new day was best.

Ok...yeah...I totally blew it off.

Here is YESTERDAY'S pic. Zack and Alex, in a RARE and BLESSED event. Playing a GAME TOGETHER!!! And surprisingly, the board was NOT turned over and no fights left any tiny pegs or cards missing. (Which we now know, would make SB CRAZY!)

So, without any further ado...

GAME ON!

HEY PRINCESS!

You told me not to be so subtle about things so,
YOU STILL OWE US $25!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just figured I'd remind you.

Fun in the sun???

Nope. Not here. I was SUPPOSED to have a fun in the sun day with Wendi and her boys.
That fell through. Instead, I stayed inside with 5 boys aged 11 and under. Mind you, they ALL got along and completely enjoyed the healthy snacks that Wendi brought for them. ;) (Wendi, I'm totally picking on you ONLY because I know you'll feel bad.)
The kids all had fun and spent some time watching movies, playing video games, and in fact, jumping on the trampoline. I was not fast enough to get a pic of that.

SO, after dinner, I went outside alone. I spied one of those HUGE bumble bees on a neighbor's flowers. I thought, "Yep, that bee is having fun in the sun!!"

Here is the bee, enjoying some purpley nectar. I wish I could have been that bee.

I've been framed!

It took hours today to figure out what I would post for "framed". After dinner, Caleb came down the steps with an old bin of pictures which had been stored in a closet in his room. It was fun to see so many memories. There were pictures from all different time periods in my life. In this dusty old bin, filled with negatives, and old photos, was a picture that I've always loved. It is from when I was 4 and in "nursery school" as it was called at the time. I have always loved purple and my mom used to put my hair up in pin curls the night before any special day. Picture day was NO exception. I always wound up looking like I had curly hair, when in fact, it was poker straight. I was the baby of 5 kids. My brother was the oldest, then the 4 girls. Oh, the hours it took on Saturday night, for my mom to pin curl up all the girls' hair for Sunday morning church. It was amazing. She was proficient though as we took turns sitting on her bed, holding the container of bobbipins and the tub of DEP. It's quite a walk down memory lane to think about those days. So, here is my picture for today. A pic of LL when I was only 4 and the world was my oyster.

Flat...ish

Here is my post for today's word. I could not think of anything for today's word. So, as I talked with Princess on the phone, I took a pic of myself lying FLAT on my couch. I have been in this position most of the day. I've been VERY lazy. But, that makes me VERY happy.
:)

Lots of fun stuff

I'm just sayin'

ummm...the opposite of flat!!!

For your reading pleasure.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/norfolk/7496923.stm

Also, it's spelled "cozy".

letting go

I need to let go

let go of SO many things

SO many ideas

So many thoughts

That I BELIEVED made me
who I am today

But, it's ME that made me who I am
Just me and God

I get to DECIDE what stays and what goes

I CHOOSE who I want in my life and who I don't

And death does NOT undo my choice

Please tell me

PLEASE tell me, that I am NOT the ONLY ONE who mistypes those STUPID number/letter codes wrong at LEAST 30% of the time! Js look like Is. Qs look like Gs. Ooooh MAN they drive me SNICKERDOODLES!

I've lost so much
So many people
Such a short time

I had to decide
I had to hurt
I need to heal

Life isn't about this
I'm so tired
And need

This jungle of dreams
Thoughts and trials
Inside my own head

Wielding the sickle
Chopping at vines
Growing too thick

It's confusion that rules
Unsure of my direction
Inevitably tearing into it

Sometimes the good
The bad, at others
Always clearing that path

Making the choices
I need to continue
Living

My brain
My soul
My heart

All sliced
All bleeding
All hurting

Once again.

Through cryptic words
and mixed thoughts

my world expels
a dying breath

which mirror
shall I use today

the magic one
or the reality

fact
fiction
fear

The time it takes to grow
And love

Inside my heart
It aches

Remembrances
Reminders
Regrets

What is the next step
Who is the next one
Where do I start

My life
Almost never mine

It's hard to be
alone together

In groups of people
Yet lost in the crowd

My heart aches
Decisions not mine

For a change
It's out of my hands

But it's still in my heart.

E for effort

Sigh.

My picture for today is this...



Yes, a calendar. I'm so tired today. I had SO much stuff to do for the last couple of days. Not the stuff I enjoy doing either. Ya know, working, grocery shopping, bday party driving, taking care of the kids.

I think I've become spoiled. I enjoy all of our get-togethers SO much, that the mundane daily life, takes effort.

I know the good stuff should make the stupid stuff more tolerable. But, couple the last few days with PMS and I need to use scads of EFFORT just to get my ass off of the couch.

For Benji

Benji and I had a conversation about xrays today. He thought they hurt. I told him that it is no different than having a picture taken and it does not hurt. He asked if I had any xrays. I told him that I have xrays of my head and neck that I could show him. So, this is for Benji. This was prior to my first spinal surgery.

Did you see THAT???? (part 2)

I feel that I should post something thoroughly embarrassing to make up for my "over the line" post today.

So, first I want to show you a video of my special talent. It's stupid. It's embarrassing. It's me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwpcatGwODY

That was a year ago. But I can still whistle through my tongue. So, my pic today will be of me...sans makeup...with my tongue in "whistle" position.

Did you see THAT????

No...no you didn't. ;)

I'm callin' you out!

Dear Order of the Arrow, (<---used in an attempt to manipulate.)
As the ONLY MAN willing, able, and confident enough to comment on our blogs, I am CALLING YOU OUT!

Start one. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!

DO IT.

YES NOW.

Speak for the MEN in our Special Forces group! (Am I the only one thinks "special" means "short bus special" when referring to our group???)

Be the voice of the MANY MALES that encompass our lives!

Tell us that you can aim whilst peeing.

Comfort us and let us know that the grotesque habits of BOYHOOD will evolve into MANNERS as MEN.

Revel in our wit and encourage us to JUST KEEP POSTING! (Think Dory!)

Be our voice of REASON and exude the GENTLE SPIRIT which IS YOU!

DO IT.

I'll let you taste my ice cream...bow chicka!

;)

♥,

Lady Leslie

(think it worked???)

boys

So, our whole blogging ring is riddled with sons. ALL of our children are BOYS! I'd like to know someone who could tell us the odds of this. 4 women, with 11 sons and no daughters. WTF is wrong with us? I mean really? Why were WE blessed with the little booger eaters?

I saw a study done that suggested that mothers of sons live an average of 6 months less PER SON than women with daughters.

EAT THAT YOU DOUBTERS THAT BOYS ARE HARDER!!!!!!!!!!!!! :PPPPPPPppppppppp!

How many times have you had THAT conversation with another mother. You know, those moms of girls or MIXED kids??? "Oh, you have NO idea how difficult it is to have to put rumba tights on little Hannah." YEAH, I BET IT IS! But tell me THIS, has LITTLE HANNAH EVER PEED DIRECTLY INTO YOUR FACE???? I THINK NOT! NOR HAS SHE EVER PEED ALL OVER THE BATHROOM WALLS TO THE POINT THAT YOU HAVE TO PAINT IT YELLOW!!!!!

I'm SORRY, IS MY FRUSTRATION SHOWING??????

Color my world

Well, when we moved into this house, 5 1/2 years ago, the first room we painted was the livingroom. A deep mauvey/purple/maroon kinda color. I loved it. I actually still do. It's time to lighten up the room though. I'm aiming for a light blue.

ANYWAY, when the room was initially painted, Alex was still tiny. We had a spring loaded baby gate in the doorway between the livingroom and diningroom. It inevitably rubbed the paint off of the areas where the gate was against the wall. Once the gate was no longer needed, the beautiful white primer shined through. This has been for years now.

In true "son" fashion, Alex decided one day, to "color my world". When a 6yo decides to match his crayons to the wall and color in the white spots, it's totally time to repaint.

So...here's my pic.

ICE CREAM

All the blog friends (with hubbies and SOME kids) went for ice cream last night. Sadly, our family got the slow side and it took forever to get our ice cream mixed in and served.
Mmmmm, mint with pb cups FTW!!! (that mean For The Win to you non-web peeps)

Kudos to Big Sexy for being the only one brave enough to taste my ice cream.

Wait


What???? O_o

Believe

This post is hard. I knew what I wanted to use when I first saw the word. My dad wrote a poem. YEARS and YEARS ago. He added to it over time. Then, the finished product was done 3/13/04. My sister printed and framed a copy for each of us kids.
My dad was a believer. To his core. Not just in God, but in SO many things. He was someone who had a quiet presence. So when he spoke up, BOY it meant a LOT! He was amazing. He passed away on September, 30th 2006. I still miss him everyday. His poem hangs in my diningroom. I can almost never read it without tearing up.

So, with that...my picture for "believe", in honor of my daddy.

Accessory

Word number two had me thinking. I even looked it up on Dictionary.com to find all the definitions.
Then, I talked with Princess and it all became clear to me.

My accessory is this...




Yes! Deodorant! This is an accessory in my house, by my stinky sons. Personally, I see it as a NECESSITY!

Caleb is beginning to actually WANT to smell nicer. Zack, on the other hand, LOVES to stink. EEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWwwwwwwwwwwww!!!

Boys are STINKY...that is all!!!!!!!!!

fyi

I write in clumps. I've written poetry as long as I can remember. It's highly circumstantial and should never be deciphered. Fact is, what it means tonight, won't even exist tomorrow. Because, in my opinion, that is what poetry does. It releases the stuff that builds up, makes something worth writing down, then disappears. It's nice to have a venue to write. Slightly public, but not. :blush:

A carousel of dreams
spins in time with rhythmic tones

horses
and children

ever circling

trapped in a movement

a mechanical response

never hearing the music

or stopping


a continuous droll

calling to it's neighbors

asking if they feel the pulse

a staged presence

inwardly rotted

outwardly painted

the horse

pegged

to

the

floor

Grrrrr
I hate when I cannot sleep
and things spin in my mind

Thoughts of life
and trials

Worries of words
and deeds

Not sure if things
can ever be

the storybook
I've created

inside of me
a turmoil

Ever raging
rivers of ice

like they saying goes
So much more below the surface
than meets the eye

an iceberg
cold
hard
deep
chilled
immersed

What makes it grow
how does it melt

And the flooding
that results
won't be surmountable

I'm so tired
and I need to sleep
but my thoughts
beg me to write

To release the words
crept from my brain

onto a page
and in doing so
creeps in the fear
that the chastisement
will come swiftly
and cruel

Don't take my words to heart
it's never what it seems
but an escape
a release
a blessing

to expel verbally
that which lies
deepest in my soul

to brush it at last
away

one stroke
one key stroke

the permanence of
the written word

on a venue
allowed by any

as freeing
as confining

such is life...

My two

Two of a kind
these boys of mine

Walking in stride
almost alike

18 months apart
yet twins at heart

These young men
growing so much

taller than mom

To look up at your own son
it sounds so odd

My heart these two split
and kept it for years

A year apart in life
they will move on to bigger things
before the dust settles
and I can even accept them growing

My dreams for them are HUGE
To look up at my sons one day

Nicknames and such...

So, it seems that, as friends we are creating nicknames for each other. Wendi is clearly "Southern Belle". Tami is the "Princess". I was dubbed "Lady Leslie" by Tami's AWESOME husband...although I don't believe for a MINUTE anyone else, but Tami and Dave, will EVER call me that! Curt gets "Eaglescout" for obvious reasons. Although his "Order of the Arrow" is sadly overlooked. :(

Now, when discussing my husband, I've given him the unfortunate moniker of "The Beast". Whereas, Tami and Wendi call him "Nocturnal Grand Master"!

Growing up, I was almost never called by my name. Everyone in my family always had a nickname for me...and I for them. It was always something silly with a story that was WAY too long to explain. So, just for reference, here are just a few of the nicknames I've been called in my life...and STILL answer to.

Squeeze
Bessa Mae
Mooch
Magoona magonna magooch
Bessy
Beezwax
Beezwaxamundo
Squeezemiester
LJ
Jenny
Toots (not like the train sound. LOL)
Babydoll
The Momma
Presh
Honey



Gah, I think that's it. Well, that's all of the ones I can actually POST! I've had just as many nicknames for my family and friends. It makes me feel good to use nicknames with people. It makes it feel like home.

July Fun

Aahh!!!

Today, I took the boys to a local park for a play date. It was really Alex's friends from Kindergarten but since The Beast was sleeping, the other two had to go. They insisted they weren't going to have fun. They were wrong. ;)

We stayed about 3 hours before heading home, tired, thirsty, and hungry.

There were so many "Aahh!!" moments. I chose two to post.

First, is Alex...being chased by girls and screaming. Oh, he loves to call himself a "Girl magnet" and he actually is. Scary...very scary.



Second, is Caleb...being a goob. I didn't ask him to do this, but it fit the word perfectly!!!



Seems I'm the first one with the challenge done for today. What the heck is that all about? You girls actually busy or what???


And you thought I was going to post something bad!!! Tsk tsk!

Challenge

So, Wendi has challenged Tami and I to take a pic of something with each of these words over the next 26 days. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to #13. This begins tomorrow...so "Aahh", it is. Hmmmmm...what could I POSSIBLY take a pic of for that??? Heh heh heh...

1. Aahh!!
2. Accessory
3. Believe
4. Color my world
5. Did you see THAT?
6. Effort
7. Flat
8. Framed
9. Fun in the sun
10. Game on
11. Half and half
12. Historic
13. Juicy
14. Metallic
15. Moody
16. Movement
17. On the road
18. Priorities
19. Relief
20. Sparkle
21. Spiral
22. Splish splash
23. This magic moment
24. Tiny
25. Way to go
26. Yummy

oh...also this...

#1

Ok ladies, you talked me into it. As if I have that much to blog about. HAHAHA!
I'm Leslie. Married with three sons. Caleb is 11, Zack is 10, and Alexander is 6.

I guess I'll start by talking about my tattoo since I chose that as my pic.

I got it a month ago. It's a daisy, with a bee.

The daisy is in memory of my sister who passed away this past August. She was 44. It was WAY too early for her to go. Our favorite flower was the daisy. There is just something special about them. They bloom where they are. They aren't fancy. They are simple yet lovely. And they can tell you if someone loves you or not.

Anyway, I asked my sister's son, Shawn to design the tat for me. He is a brilliant artist and I felt it fitting since it was to memorialize his mom. He did a beautiful job.

The bee is representative of the pain in life. How some things hurt. But, in reality, without the bee, there would be no more daisies. So, take the pain in stride.

I also have my sons' initials in the petals of the daisy. It really encompasses so much for me. I'm proud of it. The only thing that I hate is that I can't see it unless I look in the mirror.