Make New Friends, But Keep the Old

The top picture is one of my Diddy (that's what we ALWAYS called him) teaching Sunday School in the church we grew up in. This was in the early sixties...I was probably in the nursery department with Nellie Graham or Mrs. McClure eating saltine crackers and drinking red Kool Aid out of those silver pitchers they had...peering over the half door waiting on one of my parents to swing by and pick me up.

Growing up in this church was hands down the most incredible thing that could have happened to a kid like me. It instilled values and beliefs that I remain true to this very day and made me many, many friends for life.

Some of them I still see on a regular basis. Some I see only at funerals (increasingly so in the past few years ) and some I run into out of the blue.

Tonight was one of those 'out of the blue' times. A lot of people make fun of Facebook and using it. Granted I am not one of the game players or "App" addicts...but if that's what you like, you'll like FB even more! I simply use it to make friends, find old ones and promote my blog (yeah I know that last one's selfish.)

A month or so ago I was at work and waited on a family that I THOUGHT I went to school with the daughter at the table. Until I saw the credit card I wasn't sure but (as usual) my memory was right and I reconnected with her after 30 some odd years. I told her about FB and I could tell she was as wary as I was in the beginning. I told her to just get her daughter to set every thing up...that's what I did...let my teens get me rolling, give me a short tutorial and I was off down memory lane like a house on fire!

The next day her name popped up on my friend requests and I sent her all the people that she would remember from school to her "friends suggestions."

BAM! Another middle aged person sucked into the FB craze!

She came into eat at the restaurant a couple of weeks later with three other friends she had reconnected with on FB...technology helping us ole farts "Make new friends and FIND the old."

Tonight she came in again and brought a friend I haven't seen since probably the late seventies . Not only did I know this girl from high school but grew up in East Point Christian Church with her...from early childhood through VBS and on to youth retreats at Woodland Christian Camp.

We laughed and talked of old times. She knew both of my parents just as I had known both of hers (her Dad was such a cute man and I always loved his name..Ezra.)

She asked about some of my parents friends and I told her I had kept in touch with some their closer ones.

I told her about a year or two ago when I and my sister went to a funeral for a fallen soldier shot down in a Black Hawk...his Dad had grown up in our church as a youth just as we did. My sister and I sat on a pew together in East Point Christian Church...with my parent's closest friends on the pew right behind us. Mr. and Mrs. Fowler and Mr. and Mrs Kinnett. I told my sister I felt like OUR parents should be sitting right beside them. These four people were like extra parents to us as kids and have loved us even more since our parents died...sending Christmas cards every year and keeping up with us throughout our adult lives.

In the middle of the funeral a cell phone began ringing behind me and my sister. It wasn't a quiet "BUZZ" you hear when the phone is on low or vibrate..it was more like a "Jitterbug" cell phone on the "Call For Help mode."

It rang and rang and rang.

Finally my sister and I hear Mrs. Kinnett whisper to Mr. Kinnett that his cell phone was ringing.

He didn't hear a word she said...straining forward to hear the words the pastor was speaking.

Finally she said (quite loud) "CLYDE...it's your cell phone."

Still no response. She finally tugged on his jacket and said even louder "It's YOUR phone, Clyde ..your CELL phone is ringing!"

My sister and I were absolutely crying tears trying to keep composed.

These are the delightful kind of characters we grew up with in this church and I wouldn't trade them for a million dollars.

I told my friends this story tonight as we reminisced about growing up in East Point and the wonderful Christian Church that we all loved.

These are the memories that will last a life time...these are the friends that will last a life time.

To have these memories are precious ...to reconnect with other friends that share your love, memories and beliefs are just as precious.

To laugh with this girl after over 30 years and still recall all the wonderful times and escapades we all had as youths is a gift in itself.

Thank you Pam for bringing Alicia in and Thank you Facebook for giving us ole farts one more shot at some really good times !!

Jeez...when did we all get middle aged?

The second picture is of my friend from the way back past when she was a "Russellette'...an older version of Massey's Guard. The last is of her on the basket ball team in high school. That's what I always liked about her...she could wear a fringe bathing suit or a pair of sweats and still be cute!

Til next time... Ole Codger Cotton

PS remember as always...click on photos to see in original size !

Makes Ya Wonder Sometimes

Case in point...I brought home a bag of dog food today from the store. I asked my 17 year old son to feed the dogs.

He's gotten pretty good at helping out around the house...especially with the dogs. He's even learned that three big dogs need fresh water every time you feed them (no duh.)

About half an hour later I went out to the garage and the 20lb bag of food had actually been poured into the huge plastic container I keep the dog food in, but I noticed food scattered all over the floor and quickly saw why.

He had opened the bag of food with a claw hammer which was still in the garage floor next to the dog food bin. I asked Zach if he had used a hammer to open the dog food and his reply was "Sure, why not?"

Okay, a knife..maybe. Scissors...even better, but a HAMMER?

The other day I was at Walmart buying a few groceries when an older couple got in line behind me. I put the divider bar behind the last of my groceries and the man started putting their purchases on the conveyor belt. He plopped down a Sunday paper and then tossed two bags of frozen peas right on top of the newspaper. I glanced at the already thawing vegetables as the wife said 'Why'd you put them on top of the paper for goodness sake?"

I told her I had stopped myself from asking him the same question when I mentally reminded myself I had my OWN husband to get on to.

He said casually "It looked like a good place to me."

GO FIGURE !!

My husband will drink all the tea in the fridge but a half a cup and put the pitcher back in the refrigerator. What's he doing...saving that 4 ounces in case someone decides they aren't really all THAT thirsty?

My oldest son will go out and buy a new shirt for work when all of his are dirty...where's the logic in THAT? Granted I stopped doing his laundry (the age of 24 is my cut off for laundry ) but for Pete's sake...throw a load into wash when you know you are going to need a shirt for work.

Lucky for me I have to wear white shirts to work too so we at least always have an ample supply to choose from ...maybe I'll let that one slide!

A while back when my son's car broke down my 'next door husband' towed it home for him, inadvertently tearing off the front bumper. My son just left the bumper laying in my side yard for about 3 weeks before I stacked all the torn up parts behind my garage so at least the neighbors didn't have to look at them. Maybe my son thought bumpers were bio degradable and it would just disappear into the ground.

Living with a house full of men has its upsides too. They are basically low maintenance and rarely ever complain...they leave all the complaining to me and I sincerely appreciate the kind gesture.

I could throw some pig slop on a plate and yell "DINNER" and although they may not brag about my cooking they would surely eat it.

I could open a can of tomatoes I had left in the cabinet...warm it up with some milk added and tell them Tomato soup is for supper and they would eat it, clumps and all. They have never once complained about a plate or bowl of food I placed in front of them.

Men and women are so radically different that sometimes I wonder if we are the same species.

I love my husband and I love my two boys but sometimes they leave ME thinking "What the hell are YA'LL thinking?"

Massey is a train wreck as far as drama and being a hideous "room picker upper" but at least even SHE would balk at a can of stewed tomatoes with milk for supper and I can almost guarantee she would never use a hammer to open a bag of dog food.

MEN!!!

Thank the Lord they have us women to shove them down the path of life and tell them every wrong step they take.

My men may end up in a wheel chair with me "Pushing them down the path" because they just weren't walking fast enough!

Til next time...COTTON

PS. Be sure to double click on the above photo...pretty funny (especially if you are a female)

The Untrained Eye of An Adoring Mom

Just rolled in from work, threw some more unending laundry in the washer and ironed a work shirt for in the morning.



With all my rituals out of the way I am once again free to type me little heart away.



I went to see Massey in her competition today in North Dakota. Maybe it was just Canton but it felt like I was on a major road trip with Atlanta traffic. My google directions were great...didn't make one wrong turn and I didn't even have a co pilot to read the exits off to me. Am I a multi tasker or what? Besides that, Massey was sending me texts every ten minutes to be updated on my where abouts.



She told me where they were staying at the high school and like the great sneak I am I parked by the buses in the "No Spectators" parking lot and walked right into the school to find them in their "Dorm room" for the weekend. They were pumped! An awesome first performance and these kids were on top of the world. I snapped this picture of them before I went to buy my ticket to join the other people that obeyed all the rules and parked correctly.



I stood in the video taping area so I could tape the performance. The thing about taping is that you are so concentrated on holding the camera steady and including the wide shot of the whole group that you actually don't "SEE" the performance.



The tarp was pulled out...ECHS took the floor.



Yes I did hear a couple of drops and saw some flags that weren't in EXACT sync...but I thought it was beautiful and pretty spectacular in some spots...with my skewed view.



Obviously LITTLE do I know about guard competitions.



When I wormed my way back down to their "Dorm" in the cafeteria the mood was at MOST very bleak. They all said "We sucked. " "It was horrible."



I told one of the girls it may not have been as good as their first performance but it certainly didn't suck and on top of that...sometimes you can't win them all.



It's a fierce competition in the world of Guard. Sometimes you "Stick It" and sometimes you don't.



I was unaware that Massey had started out with the wrong flag...she was no where to be found in the "Dorm" and after talking to some of the chaperones for about five minutes she appeared from the rest room with puffy and bleary eyes.



She was devastated...all her eye make up was gone and she fell into my arms sobbing.



At that precise moment... I was so glad that I had made that long trek for a five minute performance.



That is my job as a mother...to be there when my girl needs arms to collapse into .

After a long talk and wiping away many tears I assured her that if THIS was the worst thing that happened in her life she would be a lucky young woman.

I can guarantee that she will NEVER start a performance again without checking, rechecking and checking again that her flags are in correct order.

It is life...

It's mistakes made along the way and lessoned learned.

By the time I had to leave for work she seemed a lot better and more in control of those ALWAYS high emotions that come so easily to fourteen year old girls.

Her coach was extremely nice about her mistake...Kudos to him.

Webster's defines 'mistake' as "An error or fault resulting from defective judgement, deficient knowledge, or carelessness."

If I know my girl...and I think I do, she will learn from her mistake and never make this one again.

You live and you learn.

That is life...sometimes it's rough and tumble and some times it's smooth sailing.

It's how you handle the bad times and how much you appreciate the good times.

I'm just glad I was there when she had a rough and tumble day.

I'm including the video I shot...YOU be the judge!

Til next time...A "Glad I was there for my girl" COTTON

PS Be sure to click on the pic I took of the group...a great bunch of kids with a LOT of support from a great bunch of parents.

Just Me and the Boy...and the PUPS

Zach sat in the kitchen floor while I finished dinner at the ridiculous hour of almost 9:00. Massey is at competition and Tim has to work all night so I planned dinner to be ready when he got up to get ready for work.
The two boxers stick by us like glue. The bulldog needs more relaxation from doing nothing all day.

He looks like a white turkey waiting to be stuffed! He''ll be pumped up in another hour when I get out his favorite enemy..THE VACUUM CLEANER. My two boxers just look at him when he attacks it...if they could speak I know what they would be saying. "Dude...it's the same machine she gets out twice a week and it's STILL not scared of you."

UPDATE!!!

Zach just left with a friend to go to his house for the night...Tim left for work, Massey is at competition and now it is just ME ME ME!!

Massey just called to say they did great tonight and I got my shift covered for tomorrow until I get back so I can go see her perform !

I am breaking bad here...radio cranked up at 11 PM...watched my boyfriend Apolo Ohno skate (he's so stinkin' sexy) and gonna vacuum the whole damn house with the radio loud enough to hear even with the vacuum on!

I don't get the house to myself much, but when I do..."It's the KELLY COTTON SHOW."

Music from my era blaring...vacuum cleaner wide ass open and me singing along to every song (thank God no one is home.)

OMG!! They just started playing "Satisfaction" by the Stones...am I in a dream? You gotta love 88.9 on the FM dial.

Okay now it's not even funny anymore...it's serious. Chain of Fools just came on. If that's not a vacuuming song I've never heard one!

CHAIN CHAIN CHAIN....

Going to clean the house while no one is here to see or hear me re visiting my far gone youth.

"Close your eyes and I'll kiss you...tomorrow I'll miss you." It just keeps getting better!

Til next time...Comfy Cotton in the Crib!

My Day Off...Zach's Monday !

Frances asked me a week or so ago if Zach could come clean up her yard...clear fallen limbs and pick up roofing scraps left from when she had her new roof put on. Of course I told her he would be happy to do it. Lucky Frances doesn't know...he hasn't been happy about anything in 3 years.

I told Zach about it then but he seemed to think that the idea had gone away until I woke him this morning to tell him "This is the DAY."

Lucky for him I fell right back to sleep. I got up around 1:30 and checked the temperature...perfect yard work weather.

I pulled him off his "Thinky" computer game and dragged him kicking and screaming out to the car. (Not really...he sulked his way out to the car as slow as humanly possible.)

Don't get me wrong...He LOVES Frances, he just hates me bossing him around.

I told him on the way, as he peered forlornly out the passenger window to remember when he got there that he was mad at me and not Frances.



It took him a whopping hour to get the job done and on top of that Frances gave him ten bucks. On the way home he begged for McDonald's and said his back hurt ( cry baby, cry baby, suck yo thumb.)

Had to go by the high school where Massey was practicing, go pick up Zach's friend to spend the night and help deplete the food supply in our house and came home and started cleaning.

I don't mind clutter (well I do, but I can live with it) but when dust builds up like an inch snowfall on the tables pictures and computer desk, it kinda grosses me out.

I cleaned every picture with Windex...and I have a LOT of pictures...Murphy's Oil soaped all the wood and caught my laundry up to only one basket left dirty. I swear Murphy's Oil Soap is like a miracle cleaner...especially when you have three big dogs shaking off their winter fur every time you say their name.

All I have left is to vacuum...the bulldog REALLY loves that! I have to lock him in TJ's room before I even get the Hoover out of the laundry room.

Oh, he THINKS he's a bad ass...but if I actually turn it on you would think he had five dogs chasing him as he scrambles up the stairs on those little white sticks he calls legs.

Massey is home now...so I can give up on cleaning.

She is a cyclone within herself. She makes Pig Pen look like a neat freak with OCD and allergies.

She'll be gone in the morning to her competition and then MY competition will begin...how much crap can I stuff into a garbage bag without her ever missing ? I'll bet A LOT!!

"Ladies and gentleman...we have a winner. Mrs. Cotton took five 30 gallon bags of trash and crap out of her daughter's room and when her daughter came home, didn't notice ONE thing out of place or missing...we may think this is a NEW record!"

"I'd FIRST like to thank Dollar General for their cheap 30 gallon trash bags. I'd also like to thank the Goodwill for taking ANYTHING I give them. I would also like to thank Titan Sanitation for picking up cork boards, old lava lamps and any other crap I have left on the street on a Tuesday night. It's thanks to people like you that I have won this competition...won this race and cleaned out the most disgusting room I have ever seen or had to walk by on a daily basis."

Unfortunately I will have to start my race for the prize all over again as soon as "Katrina" gets back from competition.

She better be mighty glad that she is an "A/B" student...cause she is at best a "D" room cleaner.

Zach recovered from his horrific physical exertion with minimal damage...even said he wouldn't have done it for anybody but "Franny."

Maybe Frances has room for Zach AND Massey...the three dogs can stay here, they rarely ever talk back.

Til next time....Talkin' trash Cotton

Breath of Fresh Air...or As Close as I Get

Guess what peeps? I am actually taking Friday off !



I decided today, that when even your big toes hurt it is time to step back (gingerly) and give them a 24 hour reprieve.



Came home from that wonderful place I now call "Work Hell" and watched some Olympics. I am digging those coats the snow boarders wear...hope I can find one for Zach. Of course he said he wanted one without the USA patch on the arm...maybe I can get him a "Nazi in a former life" patch to sew on his!

He finally watched some of the Olympics with me when I threw in that comment I wrote on my blog about "It's not like I asked him to give me a bikini wax."

He said that was WAY over the boundaries of mother/ son discussions and watched the women's half pipe with me as he picked all of them apart . Granted he's never even been on a snow board or skis or even a slope covered with snow..but he is quite the critic. What ticked me off the most is that he was right...seconds after he commented on a mistake the commentator said the same exact thing! "Show off, none living up to his potential smart mouth teen!" I guess that covers most teens...but MY son is the "King" of 'showing off and not living up to his potential with a smart mouth.'

At least he is excelling in one area!

So after I MADE him watch the Olympics with me he finally logged off his game on the computer...some kind of 'thinky' game that he gets so into I wonder if he's planning the demise of our nation via the web?

So I log onto Facebook...Here we go!

There were four lonely cows wandering the web looking for a home. The Mafia wars seemed to be building to a climax I have never understood anyway and I have been sent hearts, hugs, pillows and candies that I still haven't figured out how to touch feel or eat.

At least the Texas "Hold'em" requests have petered away...guess they lost all their money and are all in some sort of cyber re hab.

I guess if I learned about all these apps I may enjoy them...but thinking about it again, I'd have to give it a big fat "NO."

I have enough bad habits and vices to let "Cyber Apps" into my already desperate life.

When they come up with a "Make my feet stop hurting" app or a "Find my husband a really good job" app...I will be the first one on board.

Til then... I'll be honest. I don't even know HOW to accept these gifts and requests. When I click on them the first thing that pops up is a window saying I am allowing my personal info and profile to be open to access.

In the world I am currently living in...this just sounds like Chase or Capitol One trying to contact me since I have stopped picking up the phone when they call.

OH YEAH...I"ll click on the app and they will have my checking account number and just draft their money out of my already squeaking balance!

Use your bail out money and I'll catch up with you as soon as I can! I do mail them payments...granted they are late but at least I am making the effort.

SCAMS!!

I may be broke but I ain't STUPID!

I use FB for talking to friends and throwing my blog out to the masses. Til I get back on the financial track...I ain't giving nobody a stinkin' cow or a hug!

All you Farmviller's have fun...all you Mafia geeks keep on shooting...sorry if you feel dissed by me but I am too paranoid to join in the fun for now.

The dryer is beeping telling me the clothes are dry...I'm surprised there's not an app for that!

A whole day off tomorrow...a whole day to rest my throbbing feet and ease my constantly throbbing mind.

Where's the app for THAT??

Til next time, hugs, kisses and pillows being thrown right back at ya!

COTTON

The Pressure Seems To Be Easing Up...HUMPH!!

Another day done and I'm still employed.

I got lucky at work...only one crazy table and the rest were great!

I had a ten top of drinkers (yippee) and a few other tables when I came up to greet a table from behind. One guy sitting with his back to me.

As soon as I welcomed him with our fake greeting I looked down to see my brother sitting at the table.

It's always great because I know he wants a bloody mary and a bone in rib eye with a salad with bleu cheese.

My brother is hands down my hero. Smart enough to only marry once and stupid enough to love me and my sister through thick or thin (there's been enough thick to choke an elephant.)

His tip was almost as phat as him and I wish I could have chased him out the door and given it back but I was already thinking about how now the mortgage check would clear!

I made $55 bucks off the big drinkers and had one of my regulars come in with his wife and family and ended my night up feeling like a bandit when I walked out the door.

I'll just have to take it one day at a time and one shift at a time.

Tim has upped to four part time jobs and we are definitely on the road back. I just wish it wasn't such a long road.

I slept 12 hours last night...it felt better than a vacation. My brother once again unknowingly saved my butt, no one complained about me at work (that I know of) and I am back home to hopefully sleep another 12 hours before hitting the doors at work again.

It's so easy to get into debt and so hard to make a comeback from it.

Two months ago I wouldn't even think it possible now I see a light ahead.

Pray it isn't a freight train barreling down the tracks towards us and we should be okay.

Came in from work and one of my dear friends that used to work with me... who has moved on to a REAL job mailed us a ton of free sandwich and salad cards from her company...Massey already has them split into groups for us all (wonder what she hid for herself?)

Life sucks but Life can be good.

I have been dealt a blow but I have been uplifted...

I was at the bottom but with help from family and friends we are scrambling our way back.

That's a good word for it..."Scrambling."

That sums up my life over the past year...but you know what? "Scrambling" is my best friend these days.

It allows me to be behind or fading fast..but as soon as I can it allows me a breath and the will to scramble further. It allows me to accept help from others and helps me with my crazy deposit strategy with my bank. It helps me make dinner out of assorted left over cans in my cabinet and all the kids say how great it is.

It allows me to work 33 days in a row , then sleep 12 hours and scramble back to work.

My life has always seemed to be a scramble so at least I haven't been shocked by the turn of events.

I am a lucky, lucky woman. I have a husband who loves me (God bless him ) and three great kids that keep me awake if nothing else. I have 3 pups I adore and a sis and bro that have been there every step of the way...whether the steps were back or forward.

The public sector is currently killing me, but as a good friend wrote to me..."KARMA KARMA KARMA."

No wonder my brother's intials are "JC"

He's my Super Star !

"Hey JC, JC... You're alright with me"

Home Sweet Home

AAHHH...

Back in my house, surrounded by people and pets that love me.

Trying to shake off yesterday...the past is a done deal, you can only change today or tomorrow.

Work was uneventful (that's a GOOD thing when you're me.) I started out quiet and reserved... didn't feel much like 'chatting' but working with my two best friends always makes Tuesday my favorite day so around noon I decided to shuck off my cloak of "pissedness" and enjoy what short time I may have left clocking in and working with them.

Lisa is like a mother figure to me. Granted she is younger than me AND Republican...two things my own mother was not, but she gets on to me almost as much as my Mom did and lucky for me she can't ground me or take away my car.

Teresa is simply a delightful friend. Loving and compassionate...and a wide open target for my daily barbs and pranks. When she follows me to my tables helping me take out plates of food...I always tell my customers "Just don't look at her or say anything and she'll wander off in a minute." They always look at me like I'm crazy but look at her like she may be CRAZIER.

Today one of the servers I work with had two tables beside each other with women who hadn't seen eighty in at least a couple of years. I told the young server that the second woman on the left was Teresa's college room mate. I told her Teresa was a senior when this woman was a freshman but they were really close as classmates and enjoyed the weekend nights at the Speakeasy's.

It felt good to be funny again.

Teresa said she hadn't been to go see who I was talking about, was she still there and which woman was it? I told her it was the woman sitting in the 'Rascal' at the end of the table. My good friend cracked up (like she always does at my jokes) and we kept on working.

Five minutes later she asked if the lady had left? I told her she had plenty of time to go see her because she had 'fallen and couldn't get up.'

So I'm back in my groove...working with my two closest buddies. One I keep thinking is going to take a switch to me for working too much and another I poke fun at every chance I get.

Good friends are a good thing to have ANYTIME...but to have them by your side when the chips are down and you are feeling at your lowest is remarkable.

Came home and my daughter even had her room clean (by her standards) HEY!! At least the THOUGHT was there.

Made a big pot of Jumbalaya and curled up at the kitchen table with a book and three dogs snuggled beside me.

My younger son had all the laundry caught up and my older son was at work...making money he can donate to his rent.

Life could be better but it could ALWAYS be worse.

I've decided to commit myself to not getting fired before Tim lands a great job...and once he does to commit myself to trying to make something...anything out of my writing.

I would love nothing more than to just write and write and write. Thanks to my 'pseudo' mom I have found problogging.net and will venture into finding a paying spot on the web. It's a site where you contribute to companies looking for a specific Web content.

Wish me luck.

Wish me success before I get fired.

I have two large kettles of water on the stove boiling to go take the hottest bath of my life.

I have slept a total of five hours in the last two nights. The stress is killing me...That USED to be my three kid's job.

I am determined to not put THEM out of work!!

Going to soak in a tub filled with 'Sweet Pea' bubbles and wake up tomorrow determined to find a way to not only succeed ...but be happy!

Til next time...Cleansing the Cotton

Happy Valentine's Day

Thought I would post a pic of me and Tim for Valentine's Day. Dang...why did I marry a younger man? He always make me look so old in our pictures together. I think this cute hat he gave me takes at least two years off my age...whadda ya think?

On Facebook this week they had you put up a picture of you with your significant other so I posted this one. It's almost too close to the real thing once I look at it...although Granny probably outweighs me , I still have her beat with the wrinkles and worry lines.

It's Valentine's Day so I went and got Tim a HUGE big fat nothing....unfortunately it won't surprise him.

I did go to Bath and Body and got Miss Massey some lotion and lip gloss. My older son is getting a stay of eviction and my younger son is getting an attitude adjustment...I hope they are all happy with their gifts. Like they say, it's the thought that counts.

I wanted Zach to come downstairs tonight for 2 minutes and watch Apolo Ohno race for the Gold with me and you would have thought I asked him to come downstairs and give me a bikini wax.

They are both good boys but are lacking in the 'Touchy Feely' department...unless they need something from Mom.

My three dogs were perfectly overjoyed with the dog biscuits I tossed in their mouths. Now THAT'S gratitude.

The boys say I spoil Massey...and I probably do. But with all her faults she does the ONE thing I ask...MAKE GOOD GRADES. I really don't know how she does it with all the million things she has going every day, but at least she brings home all A's and B's. Being a solid 'C' student throughout my academic days...I'd say that's worth some lotion and lip gloss.

I did give Zach $$ to go to the Masquerade for a concert on Thursday and I did vacuum TJ's room last night , sprayed some Febreeze AND put a Renuzit solid in the corner by his bed. If that doesn't say "I Love You" to a son, what does?

Tim went back to work tonight. I know his boss is ticked he didn't go last night but our car insurance was late and a deductible from a possible wreck would have wrecked US.

Life seems to be looking up here at the Clampett's. We don't have 70 million in Mr. Drysdale's bank...but thanks to our friends... from Newnan to Bug Tussle ...we are making some forward advancement and looking towards a brighter 2010.

By this time next year, we may be able to put in a cement pond!

Happy Valentine's Day to every one.

Kiss the one you are with, hug the family that you love and be grateful that God loves you even more.

Til next time... STUPID CUPID COTTON

Can I Pick a Day Off or WHAT ?

The first picture shows Massey in the snow the last time it snowed THIS much. Obviously it has been a while ! The next pic is of my front yard the first hour the snow began to fall. It is 5 hours later and the snow is still falling silently... blanketing our small part of the world with it's beautiful crisp clean gift wrapping.



When you live in the deep South snow is like an unexpected surprise...something you think only happens north of the Mason Dixon line.



It has soothed my nerves, made my world quiet for a few hours and almost been a calming for my soul.



After over 30 days I finally have a day off. Can I pick a day off or WHAT?


It's also my husband's birthday. Massey baked him a cake and made him a card. We let him sleep all day since he worked all night.



Around 3:00 I made BLT's for me , Massey and Zach. TJ was at work . They were probably the best sandwiches this 90lb. frame ever tasted. I saved some bacon in case Tim woke up and wanted one.



Granted the wafting smell of bacon woke him up and Massey trotted up the steps with a sandwich for her Dad. A few minutes later when she went to retrieve his plate she said "Daddy wants another sandwich."



I didn't know he was in the upstairs hall and said "Just leave him alone, he'll fall back to sleep in a few minutes."



Ain't I a sweet wife?



After hearing him say "HEY!!!"..I scrambled to the kitchen to make the birthday boy another sandwich.



My three dogs are down to ten paws. Rosie has been limping for a couple of weeks with her back foot. Ham did something to his front paw a couple of days ago and one of his toes (do dogs call them toes?) is swollen like a balloon. Zach mentioned that I should make them go out into the snow...the cold snow would help the swelling. Dang, he's smart!



I thought about sending Zach out with the dogs to see if the swelling in his 17 year old 'know it all' head would go down.



The dogs were quite taken with the snow just as I was. Charlie the white bulldog seemed to blend into the landscape of snow and the boxers just bounced around like "What the HEY!"



You just don't know how much I needed this day off...snow or no snow.



The snow made it so much nicer though. It was like God saying "Cotton...relax and enjoy, this gift of quiet beauty is just for you... to enjoy in your home with your family and not have to be anywhere or go anywhere."



Thank you God...I really needed this!!



Rice Krispie treats are made. Tim's birthday cake is made. Dinner is ready...his pick of chicken breasts and baked potatoes are ready.



The snow is still falling, like God is extending my present.



Life is good when you are at home with loved ones and don't have to rush off to work, school to pick up kids or guard practice with the daughter.

My husband wanted to go into work tonight but I begged him not to. If he got in an accident or got hit by an uninsured motorist we would be back to square one. I don't think his boss was happy but we can't take another hit right now (no pun intended.)

It is only sleeting now...which is worse for driving.

I am taking my tired ole self to bed early. God gave me a snow day, he knew I needed it.

Tomorrow brings work back with a frenzy...two double shifts back to back.

I am WOMAN, hear me ROAR...

At least I had today...and BOY did I need it!

Happy Birthday Tim...and I am glad you aren't on the road...with our recent luck you would get hit by a run a way car thief. You can ALWAYS pick up extra shifts...at least I hope you can.

If not...blame it on me.

Going to do laundry and headed to bed after a wonderful day off with my kids and doggies.

Til next time...a MUCH relieved COTTON

Who Won the Super Bowl? I DID !!!

Every year I forget to ask for Super Bowl Sunday off. It is a ghost town after six PM with every one scattering off to parties and get togethers.

I drug myself into my work clothes once again and went in for a long 8 hour shift anticipating eating all the free food I could get from the cooks.

It started slow enough, but after half an hour I had six nice tables going. Lucky for me my section was in the bar area with our new flat screen plasma TVs all on the Super bowl pregame show. Every one was drinking (Cha ching ) and as the restaurant emptied my section stayed full. I didn't stop for the next six hours and only had one bad tip...Amateurs, go figure!

I've worked the past twelve Super Bowls and never walked out with more than $40 in my pocket.

Walked out tonight with almost $200 in my pocket.

I thought there might be a reporter standing out front when I burst out the door into the parking lot with a microphone stuck in my face saying "Cotton...you've just won the Super Bowl, where are you going first?" And I would show him all my money and shout into the microphone "I'M GOING TO THE BANK FIRST THING IN THE MORNING !!"

It's amazing how good a great shift can make you feel. As I walked to my car, my back pain seemed to go away and my feet didn't hurt quite so bad. I didn't say much about making big bucks because the other girls I worked with didn't hit the jack pot like I did...but HEY ! You win some you lose some.

Tonight I was a winner! I've had plenty of shifts where the shoe was on the other foot and I limped to my car cursing about my rotten luck and thinking how bad my feet hurt in that "Other" shoe.

I've worked so many days in a row that it was all becoming a blur. Tonight gave me some clarity. I finally made it to the "Waitress Super Bowl" and came out a winner.

"I'd like to thank God first...without him I'd be a lost soul. Next I would like to thank all of the people that forgot to go to the liquor store on Saturday and had to pay high dollar to get their 'drink on' tonight in a restaurant. Lastly I'd like to thank the public for not coming in to eat five minutes before the store closed and keeping me and the cooks there for an extra hour unnecessarily. Heck, I couldn't be happier if I WAS going to Disney World!"

Pretty good speech...too bad that reporter wasn't in the parking lot to hear it. I'd rather give it to ya'll ANY WAY!

Til next time...COTTON

I May Be Handy...But Can I Build an Ark?

HELP ME! I'm drowning! The stinkin' rain is back and brought it's foul friend "Cold" with it. I live in the south for one reason (maybe more than one) and that is because the weather is mild to warm most of the time. NOT SO this winter.

My back yard hasn't been entirely dry since Thanksgiving and given my emotionally drenched status...It ain't helping ! Three big dogs plus depression plus over working plus too many rainy days to count = CRAP.

My husband keeps saying "We need the rain, don't complain."

Well complain I will. I feel like the ape in this picture...holding a tiny piece of wood over my head while the rain just never stops. Oh, the sun will peek out and tease us for a day...then the rain comes back like "Gotcha!"

I am not a rainy day person. I am a 90 degree sunny day girl who LOVES sweating out in the yard with a weed eater .

That ground hog in Pennsylvania on Tuesday didn't help. He should had stood where he couldn't see his shadow or just have been paid off to lie. It seems to work for politicians, how hard can it be for a varmint?

At least I got my doors fixed to keep this weather I hate out of the house, but I am beginning to wonder if this rain will EVER go away?

If I was rich and could sleep in on my king size bed with non stop Discovery channel and some poor stoop to walk my dogs with an umbrella over their heads three times a day I might be happier about the apparent monsoon we are having.

Another bad thing about it is that my garage door opener is broken so every time I come home from work I have to get out of my car and open the garage door by hand..."AARGG" How did people survive without garage openers? They must have felt as helpless as I do when I wheel into the drive and brave myself to not only get OUT of the car to open the door but have to get out again and shut it. DAMN broken technology !! I would almost rather my TV remote stopped working (uh..maybe NOT.)

All in semi jest...I know we need the rain and I can deal with it....I just like to bitch about it because it makes ME feel better!

It COULD be four feet of snow or an earthquake or tsunami. I'm just a weather wimp and like to gripe when it's on my own dime!

That last paragraph has me thinking though. I am a lucky gal, and need to step back and look at the world wide picture.

Okay! We're having some rain..it will end one day...WON'T IT ?

Til next time Soakin' wet COTTON



PS click on the pic of the ape, he's pretty cute!

Dog Tired...

Just got in from work...feeling like Charlie LOOKS in the above picture!

Some good friends of mine came in just as I was getting off of work. A great couple of folks that I have come to be good friends with through waiting on them at work. I absolutely LOVE picking on the husband "Gomer" as I fondly call him. His wife is kinda crazy like me...I mean a "Good" crazy and they are both wonderful people. I was telling them I needed to replace the weather stripping on my doors and have all the materials but it has been so cold I have put off taking the doors off in case I got in over my head and ended up letting all the warm air out of the house by the time I figured it all out.

Gomer told me how easy it was to pull off the old stripping and just push in the new.

Whadda ya know? Gomer was right! I did the worst door in under two minutes. The cold air that use to flow through like an air conditioner on high totally vanished and I was so excited I decided to do all three exterior doors tonight. I'll have to call Wally at the gas station in Mayberry and tell him to give Gomer a raise!

I have the new weather stripping for the bottom of the doors but have opted to wait til tomorrow since I have to take the door off to nail on the new strip to the bottom of the door.


Dang! I'm a handy dandy ole woman! (with advice from Gomer)

I replaced my pipes and kitchen faucet a couple of years ago. That was a bit tougher job and required a heavy duty wrench and a bottle of wine. At least I finally got it done and felt proud of my handiwork. It is amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.

Tomorrow I will tackle taking the doors off and putting the new sweeps on the bottom of the doors before the next Arctic wave comes blowing through our normally warm southern region.

I am a tired old woman...but a focused one. If I can make it through the last year...I can make it through any thing. With the prayers and help from so many people...we are on our way back. It is a feeling of relief and a feeling of being loved.

I am so pumped up I feel like waking Zach up to help me knock the pins out of the doors and put the sweeps on the doors tonight...but I'll let it slide til tomorrow.

I can't wait to see how much the power bill goes down now that we aren't paying to heat the outside anymore!

NOW for that caulking task I have been meaning to get to around the tubs and showers !

Only nine more days til I get a day off!! My last day off was January 16 and my next day off is February 13. I prefer it this way. If I have two days off I absolutely DREAD going back. If I have to go every day it just gets to be something I get used to doing every day like taking a bath and brushing my teeth. So for nine more days I will think of it as hygiene.

On my day off Massey is performing in a competition in Nashville and I can think of no better way to spend that one day off than a nice road trip by myself going to see my girl perform and having ten hours of doing nothing but seeing the roadside, listening to music that I like and watching my daughter smile when she sees me arrive. Well worth it !

Til next time...COTTON

Tired of Winter...I'm a Weather Sissy

Just got home from work again...seems like I always am. When I work these long work weeks (14 days) I try to sleep until I have to get up to get ready for work. I don't get much done around the house during the day but I feel better and have more energy to do house work when I get home. I am sure the kids are tired of hearing the vacuum cleaner running at midnight but when they wake up the dishes are done and the dog hair is off the carpets.

Of course I squeeze in blogging first (priorities) so they have to put up with me rambling around the downstairs like the "Cleaning Troll." I have the dogs to keep me company and they haven't complained once about the late night cleaning so I'm sticking to my current schedule.

Work was crazy. Now I remember why I quit working Saturday nights. I went in at 1:30 and worked til 10:00. Most everyone I waited on was nice but it was in such rapid fire motion that I began lose track of not only time but my mind and patience.

There is one couple that comes in several times a week. If I am there they ask for my table and then the fun begins. (NOT)

Something is always wrong or not to their liking. I mean, if I ate at a restaurant that always got it wrong I think I would go elsewhere. Not them ! They feed on the attention they get from the managers...who bend over backwards to kow tow to them. I realize that they spend a great deal of money in our store, but half the time the gripes are unfounded and they still get treated like we are in the wrong and owe them something when in fact we don't.

If they would just smile every once in a while it would make it a lot easier to take. They come in looking like they just lost their best friend and even when everything is perfect they act the same. Kind of a pitiful way to live your life if you ask me. They were my only negative table though and I got to wait on several regulars that I haven't seen since I quit working Saturdays.

I banked and even though it was an almost ten hour shift it all worked out to my advantage.

My manager asked me if I would be willing to work overtime on Valentine week...they hound me every week about my hours but when they need extra help they act like they are doing me a favor when in fact I am helping THEM!

I told him of course I would and started plotting right then and there.

Since management OK'd overtime for me that week, I am going to pick up every available shift I can. Heck...I bet I can squeeze 80 hours into that week if I try hard enough. I can make the house note and pay some of Massey's band dues off and maybe even have some money left to buy me some new underwear. If I got in car wreck and the paramedics had to strip me down to my underwear ...I would die of embarrassment, not the injuries!

I remember when I was little , my mom always told me to wear good underwear in case something happened. I guess she was looking out for her good name as my mother, but I have that tidbit of info stored in my brain and think of that every time I pull on a ratty pair of panties and get in my car to go to work. It makes me drive all that more carefully.

Isn't it weird the things you remember your mother taught you as a kid? I never cross my eyes anymore or even swallow chewing gum. You'll never catch ME sitting too close to the TV set or driving less than three car links behind a car going thirty miles per hour.

Thank goodness my mom died before cell phones were invented...she would already have me at the Neurologist's checking for that brain tumor.

It has been a dismal past year for us, but things are looking up and I am ready for Spring. I am ready to work in the yards and get that sun that my mother also warned me about.

I am so crazy anyway that she is probably already rolling over in her grave thinking "How is she going to survive without me?"

I have been wondering that SAME thing for almost 34 years.

Til next time...

COTTON

The Long and Winding Road...With Speed Bumps

Zach isn't home tonight so I decided to write about him without the worry of him coming in and seeing that I was exposing him to the "Blog" world.
He has traveled a long and winding road in his 17 years.

The first picture is when he was still a sweet little toddler..not ashamed of the fact that he was not only wearing Barney sneakers but holding Barney as well... astride a Batman bike with training wheels. Oh if they could only remain in that stage til they moved out!

Then comes the Halloween picture as a tough Mortal Combat character...with his Snow Princess sister by his side. I don't think he's stood that close to Massey since this picture was taken. I loved that age as well. He was just starting to grow up but was still comfortable enough with me putting finger nail polish on his chigger bites on his privates in the summer when he got infested in the woods behind our house or the time he was so sick with the stomach flu that he wandered into my room and said "Will you put that medicine up my butt again to make me stop throwing up?" (You can't raise kids without suppositories on hand.)

Then we move onto the tough phase when they first hit middle school and think they know EVERYTHING...Really, They DO (NOT)

He grew his hair out so long that he made Cousin "It" on the Addams family look like a preppy. The more I encouraged a hair cut the longer he wanted it. Finally one summer day a girl at the pool told him he would be cute if he had shorter hair...the next day he asked me to take him to get a hair cut!

Since he was a "Man" now I stayed in the car and let him go in on his own. BIG MISTAKE !

He came out styling a Mohawk with liberty spikes.

We let him keep it and for the first time he got up an hour early for school every day just to glue his spikes up and make sure his "Coif" was perfect.

No wonder I have so many lines on my face.

He is now seventeen...somewhat better and somewhat worse.

He has finally come into his own and started to realize his potential as an academic. He is the brightest kid I have and has refused til now to use his potential to his advantage...fighting authority figures and teachers every step of his skinny way .

He has had ups and downs...he has been in trouble a couple of times but has worked his own way back to normalcy (for a 17 year old boy.)

I once again enjoy being around him and take comfort in the fact that he ends every cell phone call to me with "I love you."

What more could you want from a child that has grown into young adulthood than still having them not only love you but TELL you every day?

Okay...two down and one to go.

UH OH !! The last one is a female.

God help me...

Til next time...COTTON

Be sure to click on each photo...

Three Kids Asleep...Three Kids Still Up

Just walked in from work. Didn't think tonight would ever end! At least the kids were all in bed and the house is nice and quiet. My OTHER three kids were still awake and waiting right by the kitchen door for Mama to come in and give them some loving.

The tipping Gods smiled upon me tonight...it seemed they were just throwing money at me and thank goodness I am a pretty good "Catcher On The Fly." (little shout out to JD Salinger.)


Every table I had was nice ...only one guy left me $5 on a $48 tab. Hey! Not bad all in all. You know what they say "One bad apple."

I was so tired when I went in at four that I almost asked to go home. I've worked the past seven days and have seven more to go. Once it starts getting busy though I am alright...just takes a while for this ole woman to get her engine running sometimes. I work with mostly all young people in their early twenties...well "I" work...mostly they complain and hide in the bathroom with their cell phone texting their friends about how awful it is to have to be at work on Karaoke night. They probably add those little musical notes in their text (where do they find those? I've often wondered.) It took me forever to just learn how to make smiley faces with punctuation marks.

I was glad I hung in there ... made better money than I have made all week, so the back ache and twisted ankle I have been limping on for three days felt better til I went to the back of the kitchen to check out and stepped in a huge puddle of water that soaked both my feet and made the rode home cold and damp.

Once in the house the dogs couldn't seem to stay away from my shoes...they could care less if it is kitchen slop, just smells like steak to them and I had to put my shoes in the garage for them to settle down for their "blog picture."

Tim had an interview today WOO HOO ! I was long gone to work when he got back and now he is at Wally World stocking shelves so I won't talk to him til morning. I hope it went well. The other night when I rolled the trash out to the street I saw a beautiful falling star and made a wish for Tim. I think it was God telling me to hang in there just a bit longer and wanted to send me a sign that he was still looking out for us.

Time to go iron a shirt for tomorrow...if I iron a shirt the night before and take a bath...it gives me thirty more minutes in the bed in the morning . I have myself on a strict 20 minute schedule from wake up to walking out the door for work. With my low maintenance hair and a pre ironed shirt sometimes I can make it out the door in 15 minutes. I've thought about shaving my head like Britney Spears did and sleeping in my car with my cell phone as an alarm clock and I can knock it down to 10 minutes EASY!

Tomorrow is a day shift (my favorite kind) and I can spend the entire night with the kids and cook them an actual meal that doesn't involve a microwave.

It is such a relief to at least have Tim back to work even if it is part time (I know it is a HUGE relief for him) and I have three great kids that haven't complained once in the past year.

I think my dogs are secretly trying to teach each other how to speak English so they can bitch...but they are dummies and will never master it (I hope.) Thank goodness they say English is the hardest language to learn!

Thanks to everyone that reads my blog, helps me out and prays for me. Your prayers are so important to me and I can feel the tide changing.

Just pray it's not a tsunami!

Til next time...An older, tired but hopeful COTTON

Parent Paranoia Will Destroy Ya...

Massey's friend is coming tonight to join our crazy family for a week while her parents go to Michigan to find a house for their transfer of employment for the dad.

Thank goodness they have no clue about my blog or they would have the plane turned around on the tarmac.

I got home from work just in time to take Massey to guard practice. It was all worked out...I would let Tim sleep til time to go pick Massey up @ nine and they would swing by and pick up her friend, and bring her home to stay with us for a week.

I went to the store after taking Massey to practice and bought some junk food, nutritious food and some water bottles that were on sale.

I came back home and began to tackle Massey's room that ALWAYS looks like Katrina has just roared through .

It took two hours just to go through her dresser and sort the clothes...putting the summer clothes she had sworn she had put in the garage actually IN the garage... and throwing away so much "crap" off the floor I knew she would never miss.

In the last drawer of her dresser I found a VCR tape labeled "Paradise in Paris." My heart fell to my feet. It wasn't in a box and I couldn't see a rating on the tape. It was buried beneath what was her underwear drawer ... visions of when TJ turned sixteen and I found his printed off(color) copy of Pamela Lee Anderson totally nude that had used half of my color ink cartridge from my printer came to mind...that was the day the computer was moved into the dining room.

I asked my husband if he had seen the "PARIS" tape before and he said no. I couldn't read the side of the VCR tape because it was old and so are my eyes.

I took it downstairs with a heart so heavy ... wondering which friends were fixing to be banned not only from her phone but from her Facebook.

I got into my kitchen... with that horrible florescent lighting and put on my granny glasses.

The side of the tape read "Mary Kate and Ashley Go to Paris."

It was one of her old Olsen twins movies that she was so hooked on in elementary school.

She wasn't going to the kinky side...she is just extremely lazy on cleaning out her dresser.

I didn't even tell her what had happened...I make myself look stupid enough on my own without admitting to mistakes she doesn't know about!

I was truly relieved... and my husband is still laughing at me.

HEY!! With teens you have to be on top of them before they snow you under.

Luckily my girl gets away this time with just being a slob...a mess and a terrible cleaner.

On top of that...her friend had a lot of homework tonight and won't be coming to our house til tomorrow after school... by THAT time Massey's room will be a wreck again...minus one "Paradise in Paris" video.

God bless Massey...her mom is a KOOK!

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY !!!

"It rained for forty days and forty nights." Well maybe not THAT long but it sure feels like it. Went into work early and got off late...it was raining before I went in and still raining when I left.

Just letting the dogs go outside is a major ordeal. Once the back door is opened they all three take off like a shot trying to beat the other one to NO WHERE. Mud is all on their underside, especially the bull dog who sits so close to the ground I should have named him "Low Rider."

The female boxer has talons where her claws should be and it's like wiping the feet of a hawk who has been using Sally Hansen's growth formula.

The male boxer isn't quite so bad but when I let them in one at a time to wipe their paws, instead of standing on the beach towel like the other two..he lays down immediately on the towel. No getting under that belly or even being able to wipe his feet as the 100 pounds lays solidly on the towel like "See...I'm the GOOD one."

All three of them follow me from room to room. All day and all night. If I make a move so do all three of them. Maybe I should start living in the garage til this monsoon ends.

I've used more beach towels this winter than I did all summer...and still have paw prints on my once semi white kitchen floor.

I love them though...they are the only ones that don't complain or ask for something from me.

I have to get my male boxer a girlfriend though. He is at that age where he is humping ready. He's proven to be hetero...doesn't show much interest in the bull dog but every once in a while goes crazy over Rosie, my female boxer (and she's fixed for Pete's sake.) Not to mention that Rosie is his AUNT!!

When he starts his desperate attempts at wooing Rosie, my husband says "Ham is after his "Aunt Girlfriend again."

Such is the life in a household with three mutts...but I could do with the rain going away for more than three days at a time.

At least I am off of work finally. I had a couple that came in thirty minutes before closing to sit and make out at the table for over an hour and then tried to pay with a gift card from Outback Steakhouse. I went back to the table and said nicely "This is an Outback gift card" and said he "I know...it was a gift. Cool, huh?"

I told him he wasn't at Outback but yes it WAS a cool gift.

Then five minutes before closing an older couple came strolling in to eat as well. Just wasn't my night. At least the older couple ordered right off the bat and ate quickly while watching my other table slobber all other each other.

The older couple tipped me well...probably for the free peep show. The younger make out marathoners left me five bucks on a $60 tab. I guess being able to see the depth of their love for each other was part of my compensation.

I was just glad to get out of there and head home to let the dogs out and wipe their paws again when they tramped back in.

As you can see they are all once again snuggled around the table where I type on the computer. They don't tip...but they show their love.

Tim is at work til in the morning so I will head up to bed to let them follow me up the steps . The bulldog goes under the king size bed like a troll..his back two digits always sticking out just to let me know he is there. The female boxer goes back downstairs eventually to curl up on the sofa and Ham jumps up on my king size bed to sleep back to back against me (he is so stinkin warm) with his head on Tim's pillow snoring loudly away like Homer Simpson.

When Tim comes through the downstairs door at 7:30 in the morning Ham jumps off the bed like "uh oh...Daddy's home" and I simply turn Tim's pillow over before he gets up the steps and say "Hey honey...how was work?"

How long can I keep up this routine? Pretty long if I just wash his pillow case three times a week.

Til next time "A sneaky wife" AKA Coniving Cotton

Guard Season Crankin' Up Again

Just got home from Massey's first Winter Guard competition. My sister went with me and we left for Harrison High School with about "NO" minutes to spare. The school is 60 miles away and Massey's performance was at 6:34. We left Newnan at 5:20 and screeched onto the Interstate praying that traffic was light and the directions were right!

Of course Massey had called me about thirty minutes before making sure I had left in plenty of time to get there (Yeah...RIGHT)

I'll have to hand it to Google..the directions were perfect (sometimes they are WAY off the mark.)

As we approached the last mile of the journey we had ten minutes til she took the floor in competition. As I shot my car into the parking lot of the school it was was packed so I jumped out at the front door and left my sister to park the car and meet me inside.

I got into the gym as the girls were rolling out their tarp to perform on...no sign of my sister yet and scrambled to the far end of the packed gym to get a seat.

When a group performs the doors are shut to the gym and no one can enter or leave til the performance is over. As the gym doors were swinging shut my sister slid through sideways and made it in!

The above picture is of them right before they started their performance (one minute after I ran through the gym doors.)

Two tickets for a four minute performance $16.... Gas for the ride there and back $15....Smile on my daughter's face when she knew not only her Mom but her Aunt were there to see her..PRICELESS.

I seem to have God in my corner every time I race to one of these events. Like an idiot I never leave with any time to spare and told my sister I haven't seen Massey perform once without still sweating from the race from my car to the arena and haven't caught my breath until her performance is over.

After they performed I met back up with my sister who had slipped in under the wire at the other end of the gym and we went to wait on Massey to change and come back .

We stayed to watch about about six or seven other groups perform surrounded by Massey and her guard team on the less crowded visitors side of the gym. When the first group started to perform my sister was whispering something in my ear and Massey immediately said "Mama...shh."

There is a strict unwritten rule that you give every guard team the respect and attention you would give your own (Guess I missed that one in the handbook.)

After that my sister and I behaved properly and had a really good time sitting with Massey's team in the stands watching the others perform.

It is a great group she is a part of and the friendship and camaraderie always makes me smile. To see teens having not only a good time together but respecting other teams and bonding with other guards as well makes me happy that she has chosen this group to join.

On the way home...thank goodness we weren't under 'time' pressure...a girl in the car in front of us on Cobb Parkway (a really busy highway) not only had her interior light on but was applying mascara as she drove in the fog and drizzle. She probably had a blue tooth too and was chatting as she drove and applied her make up on a busy road in the dark and the rain.

She obviously was more of a professional driver than me...she made the turn onto the highway and I missed it..stinkin young kids think they are SO smart...hey... maybe they are!

Next competition is in two weeks in Tennessee. I had better leave REALLY early for that one!!

Til next time Cruising COTTON

When Life is in the crapper...Suck it UP

As if we haven't had it hard enough...our septic tank is backed up. I don't mean my financial or emotional tank but our actual septic tank. Although my emotional and financial tanks are gurgling as I type...the septic tank is telling me "S--- happens."


A week ago I noticed some funky activity in the downstairs toilet. Just a random 'glug glug' sound from the toilet on the bottom floor of our house. When I would go in to investigate it appeared that my toilet was burping bubbles for no apparent reason. I bought some rid x and poured it down the john and flushed.



Next day I thought my problems had been flushed away. BOY was I wrong! The laundry room is right across the hall from the bathroom and when I washed my sheets and comforter I heard water running and walked into the bathroom to discover two inches of warm soapy water on my bathroom floor... all coming out of the toilet and pouring onto my bathroom floor.



HOORAY!! One more thing going wrong at the wrong time.



At least it wasn't "Dooky" but simply the washer emptying up through my toilet and flooding my bathroom floor. After using every towel in my house to sop up the mess I turned the water off behind the toilet and simply went to bed hoping it would just be a bad dream in the morning.

NOT SO...

My sister came over and ran a snake through the washer pipe and came up with some lint but seemed there was nothing else blocking the way.

I tried flushing the toilet again and at first thought we had success.

NOT SO...AGAIN.

Two minutes later I heard the gurgling sound and went to get more towels before the water started pouring out once again.

GEEZ LOUISE.... give me a break!

We determined when talking to a septic company (after my sister came back over and smelled sewage in my front yard area) that we needed our septic tank pumped.



If that ain't some S*#%!!!

Once again more Angels appeared in our lives. After putting my family on their prayer list at my sister's church, some wonderful people got together and told her they were mailing me a check to have my septic tank pumped. I was struggling to pay our mortgage and barely had $$ left to put gas in my car.



They are coming to pump my septic tank and we will be able to not only relieve ourselves without worry of a "crap shoot" but will be able to wash clothes again as well.

While I was at work today working a ten hour shift, my sister came over and cleaned my house...took home my laundry to wash and left dinner simmering in a crock pot on my counter.

One thing I have learned is that Zach "Plunges" like a girl. When I was sopping up water and asked him to use the plunger to try and make the oncoming tsunami smaller he put his fore finger on top of the plunger handle and pushed slowly "up, down, up, down." I snatched it out of his hand as the water hit the top of the bowl and began furiously jamming the plunger fast and as hard as I could. He asked me if I was mad and I told him no...that is just the way you are supposed to use a plunger.

When the septic people pumped out our tank they said the filter cap was missing and we still needed our lines snaked...$150 for the cap and $185 for the snake. We declined their generous offer. I suppose we will have to have the cap replaced but that goes on my "To Do-Do" list. At least I can wash clothes again and flush the toilet after peeing without a plunger between my legs.

Massey called me at work tonight (the kids ALWAYS call between 6 and 7... like that is my slow time at the restaurant) to ask if a good friend of hers can stay with us for a week while her parents fly to Michigan to look for a new house to relocate to. For Pete's sake...if I am having trouble feeding five family members and three dogs...what's one more teen age girl?

She has a lot of family issues and is a dear sweet girl just trying to have a happy time being a teen...so I said yes (like an idiot.)

Maybe she will know how to use a plunger properly ! If not, I can teach her.

Work has picked up some and I have resigned myself to be happy to have a job and have put leaving my place of employment on the back burner. I still plan on finding a new job, but would be crazy (er) to leave a paycheck that is certain most of the time for the unknown...especially in this economy. Now that I have another mouth to feed coming on board for a week (I hope she likes Kibbles and Bits) my strategy has to adapt to the new situation.

I told Massey that so many people have helped us out...it is time to start helping others. At least this girl is extremely sweet and seems to LOVE being with us (much stress relief for her.)

So my "Crap" has been sucked up and paid for by Angels... work is going okay...and Tim picked up a third part time job (Thank goodness since our family just grew by one for a week.)

One thing I can say is that life is never dull in our house. It is a house constantly filled with teens (a good thing in my book) and a place that they seem to enjoy.

Thanks to my sister and brother and the many other people that have helped in so many ways... in the words of the wise Dr. King...

WE SHALL OVERCOME !!

Til next time... "Flushin' Freely" COTTON

Return of "The Girls"

Went into work yesterday and about noon the walkers and wheelchairs came clanking through the doors of the restaurant..."The Girls" were back for another visit!

Same two care givers were with them and they had a couple of new faces with them. It takes them forever and a day just to get everyone seated and settled in.

They had a hot little firecracker from Ireland with them that was cracking me up. She wanted hot tea...and two minutes after we set her mug of steaming water in front of her she hollered (quite loudly) at me "Hey...this water is Luke warm at best!" I went to pick the mug up and it was hot, but I told her I would be right back with a new cup of hot water. I told the cooks to nuke the water in the microwave and took her back a cup that could burn off finger prints. She haughtily said "That's more like it" and was satisfied for another two minutes. She had taken her dinner napkin and spread it out under her dinner plate like a table cloth and was buttering a piece of bread with the small ramekin of butter that comes with the bread baskets. As I walked by her she said "I need another wee pot of butter for my bread." I came back with her "Wee Pot" of butter and by then of course her water was Luke warm again and had to replaced for the second time in a five minute span. This didn't bother me in the least.

I love waiting on these delightful ladies every time they come into our store ... they can boss me around all they want and I will hurry back to the table for more directions and requests.

They had a"Dapper Dan" with them on this trip and a lovely couple (he was in a wheel chair) his wife sat by him the entire time holding and rubbing his hand and the look in her eyes said that this was the most important man in her life and she was proud to still have him beside her...even if it was in a wheel chair and he had to be told what to do and helped through the entire eating process.

Ole "Dapper Dan" was on his own (swinging bachelor) and wandered off a couple of times from the table. At one point when every one was finishing their lunch he wandered back to the kitchen area to announce that he was with the big group but he was leaving. The girl who was waiting on them with me gently took him by the hand and suggested that they go back out to the dining room to wait for the others.

One of the care givers told me that after their last visit she had read my blog about them. We both had a good laugh and it made my day that she had read my blog about waiting on these wonderful seniors and that she had read how much it means to me to be a small part of their last days . Unfortunately with Alzheimer's it may not be days but years that they live in this state...but being able to wait on them, make their demands seem like nothing and get a smile out of one or two of them is enough to make my week.

One of the women had ordered the pork chop (after a LONG conversation and much debate.)
When I went back to check on them after the food arrived her chop sat untouched on the plate. She said she couldn't even cut it. I told her I would get a steak knife and cut it up for her. She got testy with me and said she didn't WANT me to cut it. She asked if I could just get her a ground beef patty cooked and put it in a box to go and she would give the pork chop to her dog. I told her of course I would and went to the kitchen to tell the cooks to put me a hamburger patty cooked in a box to go (I didn't ring it up.)

When I went back to the table one of the care givers called me over to ask me what was going on. I explained it all to her and she said "My goodness, she doesn't even HAVE a dog." I told I her I had wondered about that but it just seemed to make her happy so I didn't mind getting it for her. When I brought the hamburger patty back in a box the woman looked at it for a good thirty seconds and seemed so pleased that it made my day.

If these women had any memory left, they would ask for me every time they came in! Actually though one of them DID say "I remember you from last time." Whether she did or didn't doesn't matter. What matters is that I remember them .

As they scattered back to their walkers and shuffled their way out the door...my day was immediately brighter. On a high note, I don't think any of them stole any dishes this time!!

Til next time...Cotton

Still Reeling From My Fall...

At least my lip has healed past the point of looking like the biggest cold sore on the planet. My temple is still so sore that it hurts to put gel in my hair.

I went to Home Depot a couple of days ago to buy some weather stripping for my doors that send in cold air like it was sent an invitation. The guy told me to take the door off of the hinges to replace the bottom sweep I had bought. I thought about it and decided I would keep the beach towels in place for a couple more days. I just couldn't see taking my front door off the hinges while I replaced the bottom weather strip. For Pete's sake... the house would be down to forty degrees inside before I could get the door back on. At least I have all the materials and if it warms up in the next day or two I will get it done then.

Work blessed me once again with a good shift and I am getting closer to my house note...due this week and being drafted out of my already "Drafty" checking account. I picked up a double shift tomorrow and if I can pick up one more I think I will make it.

This new year has been a blessing...just to see the old one go away has been an incentive to feel better.

The kids don't have to go to school til 10:30 on Monday because of the Arctic freeze that has invaded us and they are both happy about that. Zach cooked Italian sausages with peppers and onions on hoagie rolls (rolls compliments of work) when I got home and now the kids are all fed and snuggled in bed.

The dogs are fed and laying at my feet ...ready to go join me on the king size bed while Tim is at work. Laundry is almost caught up...house is semi clean and after a quick run through with the vacuum downstairs I am headed to bed to watch some "Investigation Discovery" and be back to work in the AM.

Tim had an interview last week for a VERY promising job as a transportation manager and will hear about it this week . Keep your fingers crossed...this could be the break that makes!!!


Glad that the cold is going away...glad my scars are going away and hoping for some good news tomorrow.

Night night !!

Til next time COTTON