Fall Garden is officially in.

For me there is nothing better than digging in the dirt. The smell of manure, flowers blooming, eating what I've grown - its just a big giant high. Its my own "drug addiction". The gardening thing that is.

I did get my fall garden all planted. In my garden I have two rows of broccoli, three rows of spinach, three rows of head lettuce, and three rows of salad mix. I'm looking forward to some green stuff and maybe, just maybe I'll have enough to share. If you want in - let me know now.

I've been working in the Garden!

All morning long, I have been working in my little, but very productive garden. Its about 15 feet long & 2 or 3 feet wide. This summer it provided me with potatoes, squash & okra. This fall & maybe some winter (its not always freezing here in Texas) it will keep me in lettuce, spinach and broccoli. I can here the yippees from here about the broccoli.

I have incorporated 1 1/2 bags of organic compost into the garden for nutrients and to replace some of the soil that has disappeared over the last year and after one more good turning, I will put the seeds into the ground. There is nothing more satisfying than a job well done. It also helps me eat a little healthier and maybe it will help me lose a few pounds if I eat all this salad. Ya baby.

Can you say ego boost!

I've have gotten so many compliments today on my new hair. Almost everyone has noticed the new cut - some people have noticed the color. Even gay men noticed the new sweater that I called "Boobalicious". It is not revealing, it just accents the twins. Of course when you have DD's, it doesn't take much to make them get noticed.

I feel good!

Woman Stuff - do not read if you're a guy.

I bet all the guys immediately read this blog entry. Here is where they will stop. I just had an eyebrow & bikini wax. I am 39 years old and for the first time in my life had a bikini wax. Not near as bad as I thought it would be, not near as easy and I wish it would have been.

I am slowly but surely doing all the things I've been meaning to do over the past few years. Getting my hair done regularly, getting my eyebrows waxed - now the bikini thing - and facials, I will be getting my first one of those next week.

It feels good to do things for yourself. I am one of those people that take care of everyone else first, then if there is anything left, I take care of me. I'm trying to do better by me these days, not necessarily spending every day in a spa or beauty salon, just regular maintenance. My grandmother says "Women are like cars, the older they get, the more maintenance they need." I've never been compared to a car before, but I hope its a vintage Austin Healy or a hot Aston Martin, at least I know I would never go out of style.

Hormones will get you every time.

I went a little hormonal with Aunt Flo this month. It seems that I all of a sudden decided to become June Cleaver. I pulled up the rug in my living room on Tuesday, beat it to death, polished my wood floors, I've had the den carpet cleaned, I cleaned the refrigerator, got on my hands and knees cleaning the kitchen floor and probably done 12 loads of laundry since Sunday evening. Thank goodness that Aunt Flo has left and I no longer have the desire to start cleaning the closets.

For the record, no, I will not come visit you next time. I have plenty of stuff to do at my house.

Lazy Bloggers in the family

Our family has a lot of bloggers in the family. My mother, my sister, my cousins Brice & Evan, but no one seems to update their blogs but me. Why is this? They are lazy. I used to be the one everyone called a procrastinator, but come on Brice, your blog hasn't been updated since July and you've left your island home on New Zealand and come back to Texas - and you are expecting a new kid. How can we revel in your joy if you don't post it? That may seem a little harsh, but I would rather jump for joy for you than have my mother comment on my lack of photography skills when showing my children's injuries on my blog.

Give me some blog entries you crazy members of my family. I need something new to read!!!

I love you guys! You're awesome! :)

Because today, its all about me.

Today is my birthday, although I have decided to just celebrate the anniversary of a previous birthday. It helps me avoid saying my real age. UGH. Now I have menopause, the AARP and senior discounts to look forward to. Yes, I know those are a little way off, but I'm closer to those things in years than I am to the year I graduated from High School.

That's just plain depressing, to think I've been out of high school more than twenty years. Do I wear black bands around something to signify the death of my youth? Next year I will celebrate because 40 is the new 30, and that sounds so much better than 39 which just sounds old and wrinkly. Now, I have to buy the anti-aging facial cream.

But today it is all about me, fabulous me. My husband & kids got me a new Kate Spade wallet to match my purse. My sister-in-law got me a new key chain. My parents are getting me new luggage. My friend Traci took me to lunch & is feeding my need to read with a couple of books. I have gotten tons of phone calls wishing me happy birthday. I feel loved, appreciated and special. That's what its all about.

I'm just wondering when George Clooney will get here to give me my birthday kiss.

Ladies who Lunch!

I have had the most fabulous of days. My friend Traci, took me to lunch for my birthday, which is tomorrow. We went to Toulouse down on Knox Street. It was excellent! We sat on the patio and enjoyed the wonderful weather. I ate too much fattening food for someone suppose to be on a diet. But the conversation & company was great, so how could I not indulge.

THANKS FOR A GREAT LUNCH TRACI!!

Remembering

Six years ago today I was feeding my oldest child, then 8 month old, watching Good Morning America & talking to my grandma on the phone when Charlie & Diane announced that something was going on at the World Trade Center. They went to the scene and boom the second plane went into the building.

My husband had just lost his job and was on his way to file for unemployment. When he got to the unemployment office, it was surrounded by police and he called me to ask me if I knew what was going on. I told him what was going on and his voice was full of shock "Your kidding me right?" He rushed home and we sat in the den for the rest of the day watching Peter Jennings, and watching and watching and watching.

I never left the den except to go the bathroom after I saw the second plane go into the tower. I'll never forget that day.

I made the board at Curves again!!

I went to Curves today. The first time in I think a month. Somehow, and I truly don't know how, I made the wall as the top 10 losers (weight & inches that is) for the month of August. I really don't know how because I lost no pounds and only .5 inches, but I'll take what I can get. Maybe it will truly motivate me to get moving and get the first 20 lbs. off.

I did sit ups and push ups last night, it was only 5, but I did zero the night before.

Sleep, YES!!

So I took a Xanax last night and slept like the dead. I didn't even feel my husband drop into bed, didn't hear him snore. If I didn't have to go to the bathroom at the ripe old time of 6 am, I would have slept until the alarm. Thank goodness for 8 hours of sleep, even if its drug induced.

I need some sleep!!

I went to bed last night at around 11, which is pretty usual for me. The husband woke me up at 12:30 to let me know he couldn't find Mario to put him in the bathroom for the night. OH LOVELY NIGHT!! Anyway after a 5 minute search he was quickly located and locked in the bathroom. I, of course, could not go back to sleep.

I have had insomnia since I was a Sophomore in High School. I can almost never fall asleep after I get woken up. Of course, last night was no exception. After the Mario fiasco, around 1:30 Turco, another one of my cats, woke me up puking in the bedroom. My husband was kind enough to tap me on the shoulder and ask me if I was going to clean that up. In revenge, I turned on every light in the bedroom to do it. HEH! HEH! HEH! Turco then ran off to the den where he barfed up a cockroach - I am feeling nauseous just thinking about it. Turco has lost his voice and sounds like a old man with a smokers cough. I've though he has a bird bone stuck in this throat, but maybe it was just the cockroach.

After cleaning up the cockroach, I let Turco outside & Zelda, the old woman of a cat we've had since we got married, decides to come in for a midnight snack. At 2:54, I know this because I looked at the clock, she informed me in her old lady kitty voice that she was ready to go outside. Again, the husband tapped me on the shoulder and told me Zelda wanted to go outside.

Needless to say that I am functioning on about 2 1/2 hours of sleep and not in a very good mood. I'm going to take a nap.

Welcome Mario

We have a new family member. In a weak moment we went to visit the kitties the SPCA had up for adoption. This little booger went straight to Hunter and threw his paws up on the window around his face. It was love at first sight. I told Mason, and he said "Take him home."

I'm not sure it that was a good thing or a bad thing. The other cats haven't gotten used to him yet; he has his own litter box that I have to clean out at least twice a day; oh, he finds the washing machine riveting.

The kids named him after Super Mario Brothers - Mason thinks it should be Mario Andretti, because he runs everywhere at full speed.

A little fun with the girls!

Tonight, the girls got together to raise a glass to our friend Traci's 50th birthday. I had a great time. Gordon, thank you so much for cooking for us. Charlene, thank you for having us. Traci, thank you for giving us an excuse to get together & drink wine. I'm almost sure that Tami agrees with me on that. My third birthday present, after the Cooper's GC & The Billdo, is not to put your picture of you blowing out your candles on the cake. I would put it up, but I know you would probably prefer for me to leave it off. So happy birthday again.

Happy Birthday Traci!! You are awesome and other smarmy stuff girls say to each other. See you at work!