A Surprising Sunday!

Just walked in the door from work, $211.00 richer (or poorer may be more accurate.)

Still, that's a pretty sweet sum on the night before Labor Day. That is after tip out and tip out is usually anywhere from $25 to $30.

It started out slow and the managers started cutting servers.I only had one or two crappy tips and that always has to be expected.

We went down to two servers by 9:00 and luckily I was one of the two.

I work with mostly young kids and thank goodness they care nothing about making money, only about getting out of the restaurant as quickly as they can. GOD BLESS THEM, they help me more than they know.

My last table was a party of eight and they left me a $50.00 tip that put me over the top!

Waiting tables is a crap shoot. You can really bank or you can really bomb. There is only so much you can do to change what kind of tip a customer will leave, but "Baby can I work a table!"

Of course after doing it for over 32 years...I'd better be good at it or what kind of slow learner would I be?

I've learned a few helpful tips on my own along the way:

NEVER ask a woman when her baby is due, unless her water breaks at the table.

If gender is in question, NEVER use "Ma'am or Sir."

NEVER ask if they need change back when picking the bill up, it's THEIR money and of course they want change...it is up to them to choose to leave you some of it and asking usually decreases what they might leave.

NEVER piss off a cook (there's no other way to put THAT one)

Learn as much Spanish as you can...it comes in real handy in a restaurant kitchen. I have learned more Spanish in my serving career than I ever learned from Senora Pallares in high school.

ALWAYS treat the kitchen help with respect...they may be here without a green card, but they are putting out the product that makes or breaks your tip.

I was kidding around with a few of the Mexicans the other day and one of the fry cooks told me that "Diego" wasn't Mexican but was from Salvador. I told them they didn't have tunnels THAT long yet. Sometimes when there are three or four of them back there at one time, I feel like I am working with the penguins from the movie "Happy Feet." I think that is the movie, about the environment and global warming, but the four penguins with their accent stole the show.

I treat these guys with respect, learn their crazy names (Ranulfo, Faustino, Edeberto) and treat them as equals.

Of course we always give them nicknames (Gringo ones) and they have even given me one. I am "Pelos Sporados" which loosely translated is "Spiky Hair." I guess that is better than the nicknames THEY have for SOME of the servers!

It is a melting pot that I work in...Managers with degrees in finance, cooks with degrees in Biology, cooks that aren't even supposed to be here and people working their way through college hoping to move on to better and bigger things.

Me...I am just a mom , wife and server. Granted I make pretty decent money for the hours I work, but it ain't easy if you do it the right way and I try to do that every time I walk through the door.

Bueno Noches.... ALGODON

Bulldog Determination...Lacking on the Field Today, But Living Large at Our House

We have a Bull dog that is as stupid as he is beautiful. After the "Dawgs" started losing their game on TV and as my husband cried into his beer, my bulldog began winning his own personal game.

I had just finished cutting the huge back yard we have and a tree that was growing at the back of the yard is always a pain to cut under because it scratches me to death as I pass by it on my John "Dear."

He fought the valiant fight, he sat and waited for someone to pull the branch down close enough for him to get his teeth around and pulled with all his might until it snapped back up again and then continued to jump after it

Charlie began to FIXATE on this limb hanging down and started hurling his less than buoyant body up to catch a piece of the limb. He would stand or sit as long as it took for someone to go pull the limb down so he could continue his assault on the deadly branch that was obviously driving him crazy (not a far drive.)

I am serious when I say that this lasted WELL over an hour. The kids would take turns going to the back of the yard while Charlie sat beneath the tree just WAITING for someone to pull the branch within the reach of his vise like jaws.

Needless to say, the worrisome branch that got in my way as I cut the back yard is gone...along with a couple of Charlie's pounds. He sat in the back of the yard for over two hours playing with the limb while my two boxers sat by saying in "Dogspeak"..."What a doofus."

I'll have to hand it to Charlie, he didn't give up til the limb was chewed to a nub and hung seven feet above his fat little head.

From his squashed up face to his pink balls poking out the rear, I love the little dog. I am just a dog lover to begin with, but these three dogs know who loves and takes care of them (ME) and shower me with praise, slobber and panting every time I walk into the house.

Wherever I fall asleep in the house (I stay up til after two most nights) or wherever I go ...they are all three behind me just saying in their dogspeak "Whadda ya want us to do now, mom?"

All they have to do is love me and never ask for money...if they learn to speak and ask for things , I am screwed.

The Band...Not Ours Though

I just got home from the first "away" game...the first time I got to actually watch Massey perform. They were AWESOME. Our band is at least 150 members..not counting the color guard. We went across to sit in the home stands for halftime so we could watch them. I filmed them but it was too long to upload so I took this short video of the other band...it is a HOOT!
There are about 40 people in their band , but they were the loudest "little" band I have ever seen (or heard.) They were rockin' the stands on their side and I felt like I was looking at a James Brown back up band. Massey tells me that they are called a "Show Band" and for once, I believe her.
The girls had on heels as they performed...at least three inch heels and all were wearing hair extensions (it was like an old Tina Turner video) and had it "Goin' ON!!"
When our own band came on the field, the couple sitting in front of us from the home team said questioningly "Is that a HIGH SCHOOL band?" The husband remarked that it looked like a college band. When they began their show, one of them said to the other " It's like they are putting on a production."
And they were. They looked professional, polished and pretty stinkin' amazing.
The other band, although it was small put on their OWN production. A tribute to Michael Jackson. I have never seen girls doing back flips in heels but now I have.
Massey said it is called "booty licious" and I find it hard to disagree with her but was fascinated all the same.
I felt like I was at a taping of the Flip Wilson show during commercials...but these girls were teenagers and James Brown never took the field.
I totally understand that this is an all African American high school and that they always have had a lot more rhythm than us Caucasians (I have always been jealous of their capacity to feel the beat) and it was VERY entertaining to say the least.
They were small in number but LARGE in volume and exuberance.
It reminded me of my own high school days.
My high school was an even mix of black/white.(that's what it was called back then "Black' and "White.")
The blacks taught us how to loosen up and have some soul and I have never regretted that, but have been thankful for it. We rocked the house in 1978 and had some awesome chants:
"I can tell by the smell that your mother was a whale...sardines, YEAH and pork and beans."
My husband , who went to an all white very affluent high school thought I was making up that cheer when I told him about it...trust me I wasn't.
The beat, the rhythm and the soul. I'm just a south side girl at heart and I say "Good For Them."
They are a product of their heritage and proud to put it out there for us to see...and I for one enjoyed it immensely, so will you...click on the video.
Entertaining to say the least and true to their ancestry to say the most.
This is NOT a "Dis" but a "Kudos."
A small band program with a few kids that "give it all they got."
ENJOY
Next week I will post a video of Massey's band (another total mix of the races White, Black, Asian, Latino and Muslim.)
That should be even MORE of a Hoot!
(Not really, but at least MY girl will be in it.)
I added this video of Massey on the sidelines before they performed (TJ shot it and narrated it) but it was too funny not to include.
Be sure to watch it as well.
Til next time...WHITE COTTON

As Time Passes By, I Realize...

I went to the funeral of one of my dear friend's parents today. She was one of my many "Running" buddies in high school. I haven't seen her in over thirty years but we have kept in touch through cards, letters and the Internet.

Another of my "Running" buddies was there as well and it was a bittersweet reunion.

Some friends from high school fall by the way side. Others stay in your heart forever...these two girls fall in that category.

One of them I was on the cheer leading squad with, the other I was in the band with. Boy, did we have some good times!

In the words of my 14 year old daughter "OMG."

Thursday night band practice on the football field, Friday night ballgames, Saturday night Rolling parties. We rolled probably two yards a night. We got caught a couple of times but usually got away clean...til we cranked up my friend's mustang with the cherry bomb mufflers (that generally gave way who we were.) There were about ten of us that were all close. Some were seniors, some juniors, I was a sophomore when we all first met and started hanging out...but we were all equals when we were together.

Our favorite hang out was McDonald's on Main St. There was a former police officer from our home town sitting in front of me at the funeral today. As I sat looking at the back of his now balding head, I wondered how many times he had to run us off from McDonald's...they always tried but we'd just circle the block til they left and resumed hanging out.

This was back when the world was a much safer place and Underground Atlanta was still "underground." We'd go to "Broadway", "The Mad Hatter" or "The Pump House"...nightspots in Underground, back when the drinking age was eighteen (what were our law makers thinking?) "Penny a beer night" (what were bar owners thinking?) Of course one Hurricane and you'd be done for the night. It was just fun to go hang out in downtown Atlanta. Our parents would have had a stroke if they knew about some of our antics, but it was basically good clean fun (except for the few fake ID's required) and thankfully we all survived without any major mishaps.

Today is a different time and a different world.

I often think of how lucky I was to grow up in the seventies.

Building homecoming floats, rolling yards, bonfires and pep rallies, powder puff football games and school dances (complete with the disco ball.) We were good kids (except for the Underground thing) and we all knew what morals and consequences were. None of us were into drugs, we were into high school and each other and having the most fun we could.

We were all lucky to have parents that loved us, came to our games and dances (maybe THAT part we didn't like) and raised us all to be pretty decent kids...and thanks to them we all seem to have turned out to be pretty decent parents.

Heaven seems to filling up with a lot of our parents...my mom has been there for over thirty years, my dad for six, several other's have passed as well.

Today they were joined by one more. They must have quite a Booster Club going up there!

It was sad to see another friend lose another parent, but quite heart warming to see old friends from the past even if was for a funeral. Her dad lived to be 87... that ain't too shabby.

When I put my arms around my friend today after the service, I felt just as much love for her as I did when I was in high school.

You know what is crazy? None of us look like we are ole farts, none of us look like we should have kids in college or out of college or kids in high school.

We are still the same old girls with the same love for each other that we had over thirty years ago.

That, in a nutshell... is the meaning of true friendship.

"Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other one's GOLD."

Thoughts and prayers out to my friend and her family...thanks for letting me be a part of your life and for making mine all the richer.

Crisis Averted...This Time

Thank goodness it wasn't the Swine Flu...but I HAVE figured out that my kids are pigs.

Just got home from work and Massey's room looks like she has been living in it without coming out for at least a year. Cups, empty water bottles, clothes covering so much of the floor that you can't even see the carpet. Empty soup bowls with spoons stuck to the side and notebooks and school books every where. At least she stayed in her room WITH her illness.

Zach was a nomad patient. I'd leave for work and he would be propped up in my king size bed (I made him stay on my husband's side) then when I got home he would be on the living room couch taking a nap. When he woke up he would move to the den to watch TV for a while. Let me point out that there is a TV in the living room as well...guess he needed a change of scenery. Then he'd go into his own room to listen to his i pod while I scurried behind him with a can of Lysol chasing the germs away. Sometimes he would just sit at the kitchen table while I was cooking, hacking his head off and causing more work for me once he decided to take his germs into a room he hadn't yet contaminated.

My husband calls him a wanderer...I call him a "wonderer." I wonder why he has to sit in every chair and sofa in the house and use a different blanket every time he lays on a different piece of furniture?

They have both been pretty sick though and since I felt sorry for them, I kept my trap shut and my Lysol can open.

I waited on a man who works for the CDC at work tonight and asked what the difference was between the regular Flu and the Swine Flu. He said basically there isn't much difference, they just don't have a vaccine for the Swine Flu, but with young healthy adults, it should just pass like any other flu. The elderly and really young are most at risk for complications.

That made me feel much better...except for the fact that I have REALLY been feeling "Elderly" lately!

All kidding aside, the kids are on the road to recovery, the house has been cleaned and cleaned and cleaned (Thanks, Zach.)

Now I just dread all the make up work they will both have...for Pete's sake, I can hardly get them to do their daily work, now I have three days of it to make sure they do so they don't get off track...they have both been doing so well this year.

I stayed up til 4 AM this morning cleaning, scrubbing and washing sheets and comforters. When my head hit the freshly decontaminated pillow I was out like a light.

They both slept until after one and when I left for work at 3 they were both asleep again. They have both been drained and I could tell they truly felt bad.

They both seemed almost back to par when I got home from work tonight and it made me feel much better. I guess I can cancel the appointment with the vet after all!

Til next time...COTTON

Raindrops on Roses and Big Fat Wide Faces

These are a few of my favorite things.

The top picture is of course my daughter (with the big fat wide face.) The next picture is one of my dearest friends in the world, the girl on the right (with the big fat wide face.)

They both know they have big fat wide faces...it is both of their best features. I say this with all the love in my heart and soul. These are two of my most prized and dearest friends; My daughter and (let's call her "Terri" for this post.) I met Massey 14 years ago when she came into this world over two months early and almost killed me with an emergency C section and I met 'Terri' twelve years ago when I started at my restaurant. They both have incredibly curly hair, wide honest shining faces (well Terri's usually shines from hot flashes, but it still shines.)
They both have a heart as wide as their face and a soul that has unending depth.

I kid them both relentlessly because they look like twins separated by 36 years...dang that was a LONG labor!

They both wear those cute glasses shaped exactly the same way, they both give and give and you never see either of them in a bad mood... except for Massey when I harp on her cleaning her room and Terri when her meds aren't working :)

When Massey was younger and I would bring her to the restaurant, many people would ask Terri if she was her daughter.

Terri WOULD step in as Massey's mother in a heartbeat if she had to, or if anything ever happened to me and I know this for a fact. She would do anything for me or my girl.

I torment Terri at work on a daily basis and I truly don't know who enjoys it more, me or her?!

She is an awesome person...one I have been lucky enough to come to know and love and one that Massey ADORES.

They both have a mass of thick curly, unruly hair that neither of them know what to do with, they both have a golden heart... and they both love each other and both love me. How lucky can I be?

When I work the day shift with her, she will always let me stay late and let herself be cut from the floor just so I can make extra money. She will take my bank deposit for me on her way home and has even offered to put more money than I give her in my account (she knows how I bank.)

The last time I asked her to make a deposit, she hadn't been in a while and I didn't have any deposit slips so I wrote my account # down for her and asked her to just fill out a deposit slip when she got there. No problem! She didn't mind at all. She said she was going to her mom's house and was there a branch in downtown Newnan? I told her yes, right on the town square.

She called me later after I got home and was cooking dinner. She told me that she made my deposit for me..after going to the wrong bank first and filling out a slip with my account # on it and them telling her I didn't have an account with them. She asked them to check again and they did. They asked if maybe it was a business account and she said "maybe."

She finally asked ..."This IS Bank of ------" isn't it?" They replied "No , this is Bank of America."
She was across the street from my bank...but HEY, she was within walking distance and that's pretty close!

She is also pretty OCD (I wish Massey had THAT in common with her) she keeps all of her things at work in perfect order and EVERYTHING has to be in it's proper place. She keeps her little "Massey" glasses by the service bar so that she can read tickets when she has to.

One day, I went to the hostess stand and got the grease pencil that they use to mark tables on the floor plan and blacked out both lenses of her specks while she wasn't looking. Then I got some check from a table and asked her if she could read the numbers off to me.

She trotted over to her "Shelf of personal items" and retrieved her specks and put them on.

I think she initially thought she was having a stroke. Both lenses were blacked out and I think she thought her time had come. She moved her head back and forward with no improvement in her vision and finally took the glasses off to see if the room was still there, even if it was fuzzy it would be an improvement.

We all laughed so hard...she laughed even harder. She still brings that up from time to time.

I love both these girls...my Massey for the obvious and my Terri for loving me even though I am rotten.

Good friends make all the difference in a day and all the difference in your life. Thank the Lord I have such good ones.

Til next time...Rotten Cotton

The Arnold Ziffle Sniffles

Now I have both my younger kids at home "pick" in bed. (see previous post)

There are currently eleven cases of H1N1 in our county. Hopefully that ISN'T what my kids have, but all beds have been stripped, towels and toothbrushes pulled, washed with bleach and I just ran to the store to pick up some more Lysol to give their shared bathroom a good scrubbing.

If they wake up with curly tails and flat noses in the morning I'll take them to the doctor ( or would the vet be cheaper?) but there are tons of kids out sick this week in their high school and I am praying they will recover on their own with all the water, Mucinex and OJ I have been washing Advil down with.

I read the newspaper from our county online tonight and many parents posted comments on the story about H1N1. Most parents said their own kids were only sick for a couple of days and recovered quickly.

As I type this blog... with my fingers crossed and simultaneously sending up a prayer to the big Guy upstairs I am hoping that my kids will be just as lucky.

They are both usually really healthy kids are are rarely sick so I am hoping they will bounce back quickly.

I got home from work around 4:15 and they both seemed better. I brought them both some French Onion soup and baked sweet potatoes and they seemed to rally.

As the night has gone on they both seem to be puny again, but night time always seems to bring out the worst when you have a fever or the flu, or a cold or whatever they both have.

At least my husband and I seem to be okay and none of the dogs are complaining, so I'll just play it by ear.

I'll just leave their honking cough in God's hands and hope that every thing works out okay. We have several people at work who are sick as well and so far everyone seems to be alright and it's just lasting 48 hours or so.

My sweet brother in law went and checked Massey out of school today when she called me sick and wanting to come home (I was already at work.)

Time to go pump in the bedtime dosages and get back to scrubbing down the house.

At least my house will be clean...I hope it wasn't the house looking like a pig sty that invited these unwelcome germs !

After raising three kids I have a pretty good idea when they need to go to the doctor and when they need to just rest and drink fluids...let's hope it is the second and not the first.

Til next time... Clara Barton (aka Dr. Doolittle)

My Boy is Pick

So I am at work today working a lunch shift when I get a buzz in my back pocket from my cell phone. I snuck off to the restroom as soon as I could, just KNOWING it would be my daughter.

Low and behold, it was my younger son texting me from school (the ONE thing I constantly tell them NOT to do.)

One of his prized possessions is a Ramones jacket that my brother bought him for Christmas last year and he had left it at school on Friday. My bet was that it was gone for good.

The text I received was as follows:

"I found My jacket but i think Im pick." immediately another text came through:

"I found My jacket but i tnink Im sick."

I text'd back: "I am @work. Call your Dad."

Next text came through five minutes later when it really started to get busy:

"Na i can stay At school i have a bad cough and i can barley stay awake."

I decided not to answer him (That will show him I MEAN it about not texting me.)

Exactly twenty seven minutes went by before my pocket buzzed again For Pete's Sake! My husband who is unfortunately still out of work is at home on the computer sending off resumes, but the kids still call me every time they need something!

This one read: "Will you call Dad and ask him if he can check me out"

My text back (I shouldn't have written back, but my kids getting the swine flu has been coming to me in my nightmares) : 'I AM BUSY!"

Two minutes later..."BUZZZ" in my pocket.

"I cant Call him"

I wanted to text back a long lesson about the fact that he seemed to have no problem WHATSOEVER contacting me while I was waiting on tables at high noon and his Dad was at the house pecking away on the Internet and was more available to pick him up than I was, but by this point I was so distracted and getting busier by the minute so I quickly wrote back for the LAST and FINAL time; "Then go 2 the clinic. I am Very busy"

No more buzzing. When 4:00 hit, my phone buzzed again, but since they get off the bus at 4 I knew that at least they were at home with Tim and I called home when I got a free minute.

This time it was Massey, calling me to tell me that Zach was home sick, Dad had checked him out early and he was on the sofa sleeping.

THANKS FOR THE UPDATE!

Dang, how many of these tiny steps could we have avoided if he had just simply gone to the nurse and said "I don't feel well, can you call my parents?"

Sometimes cell phones just seem to make kids so lazy they forget to think. I'm not knocking cell phones, I love to have a line I can reach them on and one they can get me on just as quickly ...BUT USE YOUR NOGGIN!

My daughter will text me from upstairs in the house to ask what is for dinner.

I need to start thinking like them and text her from my bedroom to tell her to clean HER bedroom or tell her to turn her stereo down.

How about a text... "coud u cum rub my feet, they hurt...omg"

Or how about..."can ur BFF give u a ride home from practis i so tyrd'

Or let's shoot one off to my oldest son trying to sneak back home "R U SIRIUS?"

Raising kids has not only changed since my mom raised us, but since my oldest hit middle school.

Cell phones, i pods, i phones, digital cameras...it ALL started with the Walkman if you ask me!

When I was a kid you were hip if you had a Panasonic 'take and tape' 'clackers' or 'bare foot sandals'...anybody remember the bare foot sandals? They were at the height of the "Bead" stage...bracelets, necklaces all strung on fishing line or stretchy string with beads so small you had to use a needle to get them thread onto the string.

The 'clackers' were two glass balls suspended by string. You started by bopping them back and forth slowly and building to the crescendo of moving your hand up and down to make them bounce from top to bottom "Click clacking" up and down in a furious fashion. Were we cool or WHAT?

Skating rinks , ball fields and swimming pools have been replaced by malls, texting and facebook.

Seems like kids are getting lazier... Geez I wish I was one of my kids instead of one of my kid's parents!

Just my own observations, just my own thoughts and views....ya'll should be used to them by now!

Til next time, COTTON

My Good Luck (That's a New one)

Just got home from work. It began pouring buckets about 1 PM today and rained for several hours straight. When I got to work at three, it was a ghost town...the rain had killed the lunch business.

The rain slacked off for a while and the people trickled in.

Kudos for me, I didn't have ONE wacky table and only had one tip under 15%. They cut the floor early, only leaving us closing servers on and a few of my regulars came in and asked for me.

Sometimes I wonder if they ask for me because of my serving skills or just so they can hear my comedy routine. I always have some story about my kids or something that has happened since I last saw them. These are the tables I really enjoy, where I can be myself and joke around without the fear of being fired. These customers that ask for me every time they come in are what usually put me over the top on a shift.

I know what they want to drink before they sit down, some of them I can put the order into the computer before I ever even go to the table and some of them will sit in the lobby for up to thirty minutes if I don't have an open table.

Some people like my sense of humor...some people don't.

I have to be really careful who I joke with...especially if I have never waited on them before.

I remember one time I waited on a family of six that I had never seen before and they ended up being "Secret Shoppers." The father had ordered a cup of chili and when I went back to the table after bringing it to him he told me the chili wasn't hot. I replied smartly "That's why we call it chilly." Of course after my quick witted joke I took it back and brought him a piping hot cup and he was happy. But when the shopper's report came in and the manager asked me if I remembered waiting on them I said of course I did and told him about my snappy comeback.
The manager rolled his eyes and didn't know whether to write me up or give me a service pin for "Superb Recovery."

I know that this is just my job, but to me it is a different thing altogether. It is an ongoing experiment with society. To know which people I can joke around with, which people I can fool into thinking I really DON'T think are idiots but kindred spirits and people that I let abuse me while I put on a fake smile and mentally DARE them to find fault with my service.

It may not be brain surgery, but in my case it seems to be a honed perfection and something that I seem to be quite good at.

I heard so many of my co workers that worked the lunch AND dinner shift today saying that they didn't make squat...and I have been in their shoes a lot of the time.

But tonight the "Server Gods" smiled on me and I walked out the door with almost $200.00 in my pocket after one single shift.

I really enjoy my job...rarely despise it and thankfully only infrequently have the whole shift blow up in my face.

I really needed tonight, financially and mentally.


Gotta be back to open in the morning. I already have my "Rainy days and Mondays always Get Me Down" routine worked up for the regulars... with the rest of them I'll have to 'wing ' it .

Hope my good luck holds out!

Til next time...COTTON

Dog Tired

Woke up with the smell of funnel cakes still in my nostril hairs. Had to be at work for an all store meeting early this morning...even earlier my manager called to see if I could run by the Newnan store to pick up some food product he needed. Knock up another favor he owes me!

Went to the meeting...BORING, except the free food they rolled out for us to try ... new menu items coming out with our next promotion. Came back home, watched a lame movie with Massey on cable and snuggled down for a late morning nap. My favorite time to nap is from 10 to 12 in the late morning hours. Woke refreshed and jumped on my John"Dear" and cut the front and back yard, weed eat ed, raked and swept and I felt GREAT!

Massey looked through all of my cookbooks to find a new recipe for dinner. My oldest son came down this afternoon just to remind us that he was still sneaking back into the nest so we decided to try something new.

Had talapia over fried rice with black beans, red peppers, broccoli and corn salsa, a salad and rolls with rosemary. Cooked some sugar snaps with sun dried tomatoes and it was all delicious.

I cleaned one of three bathrooms, caught up some laundry, read half a book (you HAVE to pick up a Nick Hornby novel) and tossed back a few cold ones.

It is amazing what makes you happy when you are an old woman.

So only one of my three bathrooms is clean...that means I only have two to go.

Dinner dishes are done, my yards look great and I am fixing to run a hot bubble bath to wash my grime away.

A day in the yard, a night with my kids and I feel satisfied.

I feel like the picture of my sister's dog in this photo..worn out but relaxed.

Wake up tomorrow and start all over again.

Til next time...COTTON

Massey's First Football Game

It's 11:30 PM. Went into work this morning at 10:30, worked til almost 4, came home changed clothes and headed to the football field at 5:00. it was Massey's debut in a half time show and my debut as a funnel cake maker. I'll let you guess which was more enjoyable. I am covered in batter and still smell like powdered sugar and funnel cake mix.

It was kinda a bummer, I didn't get to see her perform in the halftime show...I had thirty people waiting in line for a funnel cake as the halftime show started and the line didn't quit until they went into overtime at 10:30.

When the band marched into the stadium one of the other funnel cake moms and I went to see them march in while the oil heated up in our two fryers. They looked SO good and Massey was grinning from ear to ear! In the above pic she is next to last ...looking right at my camera.

When I walked into the stadium a huge guy said "Hey, Massey's mom!" I enthusiastically said hey right back as he passed and asked my new found funnel cake partner who he was
..she didn't have a clue.

I told her I should have said "We heard you were going to be on the clean up crew for the funnel cake stand and I was so excited to see your name... We'll be sure to save ya one, big boy!"

Having just met me thankfully she laughed and said I should have.

They did a great job with the National Anthem and it almost brought tears to my eyes as I stood with my hand over my heart.

Back to the funnel cake stand we went. I told the other ladies "Now let's don't do TOO good of a job or they will never move us away from these fryers."

Lots of practice was done before we figured out how to do it right. Believe it or not, my husband helped us out the whole time! His job was to take tickets for the funnel cakes and chat with the people while they waited five minutes for us to produce their paper plate of crap junk food. He chatted them up and kept it from growing into an angry mob scene.

I hate that I missed her performance , but there will be away games that I can sit in the stands and enjoy the show.

The reason this band program is so successful is that parents like me volunteer and make the whole thing go smoothly. It is a tremendous money maker for the band.

The football team gets all the proceeds from the gates $7 for adults, $6 for kids. There were easily over 4,000 people there...probably more.

The band gets all the concession money. There was face and body painting in school colors, tee shirts, hats, pizza, Chic Fil A... they had a huge grill pit with hot dogs, hamburgers, brats, french fries and popcorn.

They even had homemade ice cream.

I was impressed .

I even picked me up an " East Coweta Band" tee shirt for $2 ( I am now official!)

After going through three, five gallon buckets of funnel cake mix...we decided we had had enough.

One of my newly founded friends and I went to watch the overtime.

We stood by the section of the stands where the band was and the woman with me said "Look how much fun these kids are having."

You know what? THEY WERE.

They have a tremendous band director that genuinely loves our kids and they love him right back. They are part of a great group and the camaraderie is obvious.

This is what high school is all about.

If I had to stand over two fryers @ 400 degrees for four hours for my child to enjoy this experience...it was well worth it.

They were tied 21-21.

Went into overtime...the other team scored but missed the field goal. We came back and scored. MADE OUR FIELD GOAL and won the game by one point.

It brought back memories of my own high school football games and how much fun they were for me.

Massey came in the door at the house still singing the fight song.

It was a wonderful night.

I HATE funnel cakes.

I LOVE my daughter.

I am glad that she goes to such a great school and that I am a small part of making it JUST that.

Going to wash the batter off of my face, drink a cold one and pray to God that I get assigned to wrapping hot dogs in foil at the next home game (I'm not counting on it...just wishing.)

GO ECHS !!!

Update on Einstein

This picture is back when Zach had his day job. The nine to five grind got to him and he decided to continue on with his studies. I am happy to report that he is doing homework EVERY day (with my constant prodding ) and has no grade lower than an 80. He's already had to correct his history teacher...she even got on the Internet to prove she was right only to find that Zach was the one exactly right. He likes a couple of teachers (BIG change for him) and Massey says he seems happy enough when she sees him in the halls at school. Some kids just do their work without any pushing. My older son graduated with a 3.85 without ever bringing home a book. Massey has to work for her grades but she does it willingly and on her own.

Zach has always been the different one. Not in a bad way...just different. He can argue a point until you simply give up and usually he has pretty valid arguments.

He just has a different take on life and his mind works in mysterious ways.

I remember the first time I realized how different his thinking was.

He was in kindergarten...we were riding to my sister's house for Easter dinner. We passed a small church that is on the way and they had the three crosses of Calvary out front. I thought I would squeeze in a quick Sunday school lesson so I said "You know , Zach they nailed Jesus to that cross with nails going through his hands and nails in his feet."
Zach almost immediately replied "I thought they hung him with a rope." Then I had to explain that they still called it hanging but Jesus was nailed to the cross. My mother turned in her grave that day, having had all of us in church every Sunday morning and night. I got slack with my kids...working six days a week and never taking the time to find a church that I liked, "Home schooled" my kids in religion.

On the way back home I got another glimpse into his intricate mind when we passed the church on the way back. He asked why there were three crosses. I told him that there were robbers on either side of Jesus. Throwing in another Sunday school lesson I told him "You know what Jesus said to all of the people that had done all of that to him before he died? He said 'I forgive you.'

Zach cocked his head to one side and said quite calmly...I would have said "I will GET you."

I was glad he was in the back of the van and couldn't see me trying not to laugh, but told him "That is why his name is Jesus and your name is Zach."

His mind never ceases to amaze me.

We have had many ups and downs along the road, but he seems to falling into sane reasoning and realizing that he needs to work the system instead of rebelling every step of the way.

He seems much happier these days and tells me often that he loves me. That means a lot coming from a seventeen year old young man.

I will have to remain diligent and on him every step of the way, but I will.

At least we are off to a good start this school year...that's a first.

I have faith in him and his tremendous ability, he just needs a little shove and baby CAN I SHOVE!

My Yard work

This is my handy work at the front of the subdivision. It's not like pulling into Callaway Gardens, but it is a lot of work. I trim around all the trees, pick up trash and weed eat a fifty foot long ditch on either side. I should have taken a "Before" picture but I rarely wait for it to grow too long before cutting it.

After these few pics I included a video of my tour of yards. I cut my yard and then go to my older neighbors' to do theirs as well. Then we end up with a shot of the three stooges lined up in the gap in the gate that Charlie has chewed. He is whining the whole time (you will hear him.) He sounds like a new born left by a dumpster, just wanting someone to notice him. We had a torrential rainstorm tonight so I will be back on my John "Dear" tomorrow doing it all again. My neighbor two doors down has bought and moved to a house in Grantville and her yard is starting to bother me so I guess I will add that one to my list as well. Enjoy my mutts peeking through the gate (THEY CRACK ME UP)

I Guess I'm Just "Country"

Boy were the wack jobs out tonight! I got to work at 3:30 so I could polish and roll my silverware. At 4:00 I clocked in and got my first table. Before I got their drink order , they seated me again...then came right back with four more people. By 4:15 I had six different tables and here came two more. Just to give you an idea...at one point I had table 10, 11, 12, 13, 30, 31 ,33, 14, 24 and a table over in the bar area.

Dang, I like being busy but I was beginning to feel like I was in a Looney Tunes cartoon. Then as it always happens...two nut jobs sit down. The first comment the man made was "You sure are Kuntry."

I wasn't sure how to respond so simply said "Yes, I did grow up in the south."

Then the wife plows ahead saying she needed to order while she could still remember what her husband wanted. She ordered shrimp and lobster dip for him and a bowl of shrimp and lobster chowder. She specifically said "That is what he is having as his meal." Then she ordered a chicken salad for herself that has pepperochinni peppers, feta cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing (very similar to a Greek type salad.) So per her instructions I ordered his chowder and dip to come out with her salad.

When I brought the food to the table, he said "I don't want'em both NOW."

Before I could say anything she said "Just keep'em, you'll be fine."

I came back by the table to check on them and the man complained that there wasn't enough shrimp in his chowder...the woman said she was fine with her food. I went and had more shrimp cooked to take for his chowder and when I cruised by again he said that "Now this is PERFECT."

As I was spinning circles through the dining room a manager happened to be walking by and asked if everything was okay for them. the man raved about his chowder with more free shrimp in it and the woman said her salad was terrible. Having overheard her comment, I walked over and asked what was wrong with the salad (the same one she had said was fine two minutes ago.)

She jerked her head up towards me and said "I don't have to explain to you why I don't like it."

You don't have to tell me when to leave a table.

I left the manager to kiss her butt (they are so good at it)

I stepped to the table next to them that had just been seated and greeted it. I was not two feet away from the ole bat complaining about her salad. When the manager walked away she looked at her husband and said quite loudly "I just don't like her, she's too brusk(is that a word?) and "I don't care for her attitude one bit." She went on and on while I stepped back enough that she could see I was still standing there, but her tirade about me went on and on.

The manager brought her another salad and I bit the bullet and stopped by to see if it was better. Her husband said "It's all your fault, ya know." I said (looking only at him)" Well then I sincerely apologize." He retorted that he was only kiddin and it was good now.

Out comes a different manager to cruise the dining room. he stops by their table and the man has the balls to say that his chowder was cold and it needed to be taken off the bill.

Excuse me..is this the same bowl that had free shrimp added to it that he stopped me to say how PERFECT it was now?!

The woman said since she had to wait for another salad, that should be taken off too.

Then they had the audacity to say I shot them a "look" when I walked by.

Obviously they misunderstood. I wanted to "Shoot THEM."

They went on and on with the second manager and he voided their entire meal and they walked out without leaving one thin dime. The manager said he just wanted to get them out of there.

Where is MY champion?

I'll tell you where...sitting right across from them by herself waiting for her son to join her for dinner. I had seen her looking at the entire episode out of the corner of her eye and as soon as they left called me over to her table. She asked if they had just walked out without having to pay.

She said she had listened and watched the entire time and was appalled that these two people got away with walking out full and not paying any type of bill at all. I told her I would have a few beers after work and it would be okay. She said I had a delightful personality and gave excellent service.

Lucky for me when the manager strolled back through the dining room she called him to her table and took up for me and praised my skills for not strangling idiots. (or something like that.)

She and her son left me a $16.00 tip on a fifty dollar tab.

I saved the "grifters' receipt just to have for this post. $39.54 was the bill . They both got full, didn't have to pay or tip and walked out to the tune of forty dollars plus tip.

I am so extremely grateful for the woman that came to my defense, tipped me grandly and made me remember that I really AM a good server.

This picture of me is the year I went to work on Halloween dressed as a Waffle House waitress...complete in a Waffle House uniform and black tooth. Only I could talk a Waffle House waitress into letting me borrow a uniform...the black tooth was my idea.

You know how much more crap THEY have to probably put up with on an hourly basis?

The next Halloween the store banned us from wearing costumes...but for that one day I greeted every table with "Good Morning" and called out my orders to the kitchen standing on the line I had invisibly marked on the floor.

Take the good with the bad. Shake off a bad table and proceed to make the next one happy.

Such is the life of ANY waitress.

Til next time....COTTON

I Have to Keep THIS Face in My Mind...

So Massey gets ready to leave for school this morning and I ask her what time her guard practice is. She says 5:30 but she is going to stay at the school until then. I told her by the time she got home at 8:30 she would be starving. She said she would be okay and went to bounce out the door as the clunking bus rolled down the street to announce its arrival.

Before she left she said that most of the girls that stayed after school had their moms bring them something to eat before practice started. Great!

Lucky for me I was working the day shift so I told her I would drop something off on my way home.

My general manager was the MOD (manager on duty) and computing the labor cost in his head, cut down to two servers about 1:oo. He wanted to do it at 12:30 I am sure, but not liking to actually wait on tables himself... gave it another half hour before the labor "Axe" fell.

It was me and one other server, a girl that is as good a server as there is. We just had the weirdest customers, ones that run you to death for no reason or sit at your table like they are moving in.

In comes a nightmare table...in MY section. The woman is disgusting (trust me I am NOT being judgemental) she used to come in with her 'beau' who was old enough to be her Gran pa..they would suck down margaritas and steal the silverware when they left. Sometimes they would actually ask to be seated near the rest rooms because she was "feeling poorly" or as she said it "Pourly."

Well the ole gal has a new beau that looks like he could have been Charles Manson's room mate. He never once looked up at me. She ordered sweet tea and when I asked him what he would like he muttered "Yeah."

Of course I forced the issue and said sweetly (he didn't know I was being a wise guy) "Excuse me, I didn't quite hear your order."

I asked him what he wanted with his steak, how he wanted it cooked and what side dish he wanted ...to which he curtly replied "Damn, how many questions are ya gonna ask me?"

I felt like saying, "Well if you would happen to LOOK at the menu you may see these questions coming in advance." But I gave them a bright smile and just made the best of it.

When the woman asked for more bleu cheese dressing for her salad with a HUGE glob dripping down her chin I felt like saying "Just stick your tongue out and lick up those two ounces running down your face." Of course I didn't, of course I can't...but "Baby, did I WANT to!"

I got their food out as quickly as possible because I had 'real' customers on either side of their booth and in my current position I have to make the best of every table. I already knew this one was a wash so I concentrated on getting them fed and out the door.

I went to the back to check something out for a manager... when I came back, ole gal said she was sorry but she had just "Done throwed all up in my napkin, I couldn't make it to the rest room and can you just bring a check and a 'go' box?"

Yeah! Makes you wanna be a server "Don't it?"

Needless to say I wore gloves when I cleaned their table, threw away the dishes, napkins and plates.

Once gone, things picked up.

At least nobody else got sick and my other customers were nice enough not to point out that I had complete idiots at the table right next to them.

The insanity continued til 4;00 when I should have been off work , but was still stuck there with tables.

Massey sent me a text telling me that I had to have her dinner there soon.

I left in time to take her a meal from my restaurant to eat before practice started. I called her on her cell, which she answered in the band room...with horns, percussion and winds sounding like they were serenading me. I told her I was almost out of gas (what else is new) and she needed to meet me outside the building.

She was standing there waiting like a good girl, but before I had even pulled out of the parking lot she sent me a text asking if I could bring her back a pair of "Soffee" shorts for practice. I told her I would and she text'd back that she needed them in fifteen minutes.

I got home and searched her wreck of a room high and low for "Soffee" shorts and couldn't find them. She had asked for black ones but I could only find purple.

I called her back (five minutes to spare) and she said happily that "Dallas is going to loan me a pair."

Could she have not called me to tell me that?

After the day I had just had... "Soffee" shorts were the last straw.

Thank the Lord she was at practice and Thank the Lord I came across this picture of her when she demanded nothing more than a hot dog (no bun) for dinner and a glass of milk before bed.

Kids...they can kill you without trying and wonder what happened to you after they do.

I love my girl, love all my kids...I just can't wait til they ALL have three kids doing the same things to them that they are doing to me NOW!

And I thought the ole crazy woman was a challenge.

BATH TIME !

Boy, do I NEED a bath! I took a rare Sunday off because number one: I needed a "mental health" day, number two: a co worker called and begged me for the shift and number three: I had yard work to do!

Now that I am getting paid to keep the front entrance to the subdivision neat and trim, I intend to do just that.

I had yesterday off, but it turned out to be a wash. First off, I slept til noon. After nine straight days working I needed the rest. Then my husband reminded me that we had to go to a wedding in Athens for a good friend of his' daughter . I tried to get out of going, but after really ticking my husband off decided that I couldn't back out .

Massey went with us (of course) and the wedding was held at the Botanical Garden in Athens. It was beautiful. A chapel nestled in the woods full of nothing but windows and skylights...all you could see from the inside of the chapel was nature at every turn. After the ceremony, we all took the path from the chapel to the conservatory for the reception. The path was full of every flower, plant and herb you can imagine. The conservatory was magnificent and a perfect place for a reception. We had originally planned to leave right after the ceremony to go eat at the Varsity, but once the chafing dishes were uncovered, quickly decided to stay. Quail, roast beef, turkey, crab cakes, mashed potatoes, grits, tomato and mozzarella salad, lobster dip, fresh vegetables, fruit, yeast rolls and free wine screamed "PLEASE STAY!"

I had four plates of food and a glass of chardonnay. Massey and I both slept on the way home and enjoyed the trip back home immensely.

We left home at 4 and got back after 10...after sleeping til noon I had shot the entire day. That is why I decided I needed to take Sunday off as well.

One day to please the hubby, one day to please myself.

I got up this morning and gassed up my John "Dear" and headed to the front of our subdivision. There's really not much to cut on the mower because a lot of it is down in a ditch on both sides of the entrance. It is more weed eating than anything...but that is the exercise I enjoy the most. My stinkin' weed eater's 'fender' fell off (the thing that keeps grass and tiny rocks from flying into your face.) I went to Walmart to discover they don't sell spare guards, went to Lowes to find the same. Finally went to Home Depot to find ANY kind of part that might work.

I went to garden... got sent to hardware and back to electrical to finally find a guy nice enough to at least 'try' to rig my weed eater. We decided on some clamps that hold electrical wiring conduits and I took them home to try and fix my baby.

Two hours later, my son came into the garage and asked if I needed the duct tape. He's so funny that I forgot to laugh, but I think the look on my face and the grease on my hands told him it was a good time for him to go back inside the house.

I went to my older (really older) neighbors house to borrow his weed eater but his is an electric and unless I had enough drop cords to wire a Pink Floyd concert...I was out of luck.

I called my 'next door husband' but he was obviously screening his calls in case I needed him AGAIN. I have abused this man so much I expect to wake up any morning to the sound of him putting up the "Great Wall" between his house and mine.

But he called me back and told me that he wasn't home but I could use his weed eater that was in his shed.

So on my fourth trip back to the front of the subdivision, I finally got the job done. I am so proud that I may go up there tomorrow and take a couple of pictures to post just so you can see how great it looks!

When I came back home, my husband said "I thought you said you needed a day off for yourself."

You know, it may sound crazy...but it WAS for me.

To drive into my subdivision and see it looking trim and neat makes my day!

Tomorrow ...my own yard !

Tonight...my own bubble bath.

Til next time....COTTON

PS this pic is another one of my faves...Zach in a bubble bath at his Aunt Cin's house when he was six

Why Ya Scared?

First off, you HAVE to click on each individual picture to see them larger so you can see the look on all three kids faces. In picture one to the left , TJ is probably five or six, I don't think the other kids were born yet, but if they were it was only Zach and he was probably asleep in a play pen inside the condo. I wanted to have a pic of me and TJ sitting on the balcony ... you would have thought I was trying forcefully to push him off. It took several tries before Cin and I quit laughing and this was the best shot we got. The look on his face is one of complete TERROR. Let's move on to the photo of Zach and TJ with the basketball. Zach looks as if he is just WAITING for TJ to smash the ball into his face, which had probably already crossed TJ's mind (from the smirk TJ is wearing.) Last is a picture of Massey on TJ's shoulders in St. Augustine when we visited my mother in law one year. Massey was trying so hard to look cool in her blue shades she had begged me to buy, but they didn't hide that look of fear while she sat on her older brother's shoulders.
You just never know with older sibs at young ages (or moms in TJ's case.) They talk you into something that they make sound like so much fun but only turns out to be fun for THEM. I can remember times when my brother and sister would say "Come on, Kelly...it will be FUN!"

And it always was...for THEM! How many times did I have to get my ankle stuck in the spokes of their bike while they peddled me flying down "Mad Dog" hill with dogs snapping at us the whole way as I clung to their back sitting on the seat while my older sibs stood up and peddled (obviously NOT fast enough?) I still have the scar on my right ankle. Or "Go ahead and take the bone away from the dog, he won't mind." Brothers and sisters just seem to thrive on inflicting pain and discomfort on younger sibs when growing up. Unfortunately I was the youngest and had to wait for TJ to come along to retaliate. He was so scared that day on the balcony of the condo. For Pete's sake, we were on the second floor, it wasn't like I asked him to sit on the ledge of the Chrysler building...but to him it was the same thing.

When you are a kid, the world seems so big and scary...when you grow up you realize that in fact it is BIGGER and SCARIER. Maybe my older brother and sister were just trying to give me a reality check and prepare me for the future.

NAW!! They were just amusing themselves, but unknowingly they were IN FACT preparing me for the future. Maybe they should have been a touch meaner!

My 'Pity" Party Woke Me Up

My "Pity" party began this morning. Just me and my head were invited and luckily no one else showed up. I got to work and the weight of my problems hit me like a brick in the face. Then I took it upon myself to take everything as slap against me or as if no one cared that I was drowning on the inside or wanted to help me. I just wanted Ed McMahon to walk in with a big check with my name on it and a handful of balloons
...then I remembered he had just died. Well, CRAP...there goes that chance. My day got better when a few friends came in and made my day, I got lucky with a few big parties and I began to feel better.

Then I came home from work, still pouting but going to my sister's for a birthday party for my daughter. We had a great time and when I got home I did what I do when I feel down and out...go through my many, many photo albums.

The first one I came across was a picture of me and Tim when we got married. DAMN, did "I" pick out that dress? TJ looked cute though and I always like looking at a picture of my Diddy.

I came next to a few pictures of the kids when they were small. Do all kids think they look "Ultra" cool in their Halloween costumes? When I was a kid, it was a hard plastic "Caspar" mask from A&P with two nostril holes and eye holes that dug into your face all night and a cheap tie on outfit that could go up into flames at any given minute(if you read the warning label.)

Then came vacation pictures. The kids and cousins had such a good time and they always managed to break at least two or three things in each house we rented. Super glue was always first on the packing list ...followed by Vodka. Dang, six kids don't make a week at the beach easy without the Vodka.

Then the pictures of TJ growing up, all the kids all growing up.

Then I come across a picture of our last family reunion.

Look what a great family I come from...look how many people that are my blood , love me!!

Sometimes you have to take a step back from reality slapping you relentlessly in the face and look at the whole picture...ALL of the picture(s).

Granted I seem to be going over a mighty wide speed bump...but that's what shock absorbers are for.

I have come a long way from the young girl Tim married. We have three great kids and a host of family that loves us.

"Count your blessings, name them one by one."

PS If you double click on any picture it will show in its original size.

The "PAR-TAY" for "MASSEY"

Here is the birthday girl on the front porch of her favorite place to be... Aunt Cin's farm house. We went there tonight to have a party since it was the first night I've had off since her birthday. My sister and brother in law bought a 107 year old farm house on six acres. It includes a barn with a hay loft, smoke house, coy pond...huge vegetable garden and tons and tons of flowers and any plant you could possibly imagine. She has peach trees and grape vines, pecan trees and blueberries. It truly is a paradise and my girl LOVES going there. As you can see, I went ahead and knocked out the photo of someone with a lampshade on their head (Thanks for the idea, Harvey.) Next is a picture that Massey took of me peeking through a bouquet of flowers from Cindy's yard (Massey thought it was lame and Cin and I thought it was hilarious.) Next is a picture that will soon be the new screen saver on my computer. How did my girl get so grown up? For Pete's sake, we look like two friends out to lunch somewhere (with me being the MUCH older friend.) The last pic was taken when Cin and I were loading the dishwasher. My husband is standing up and my two sons are hamming it up. My brother in law has his eyes shut, probably praying we would all leave soon! We had a fabulous meal that my sis cooked; pork loin, black beans with rice, white corn on the Cobb, spinach salad and rolls. There is nothing better to me than being with my sister for any celebration or reason. My husband and kids are just as crazy about her and her husband is one lucky man. TJ read the blog I wrote about him with his "Potty" picture while we were there and took it pretty well...especially after he read the 'welcome back home' part! He'll probably show up tomorrow morning with a truck and all his meager worldly possessions waiting to squeeze back into the nest...AGAIN. My nest may become a little more crowded. Guess I need to start gathering more twigs to make it a little bigger.

Til next time...COTTON

Okay, NOW Maybe I Owe Him

Okay, now maybe I "DO" owe him. I mean what kid hasn't had a picture like this taken? This was one year on vacation when one of my nephews snuck into the bathroom of the rental house and busted him going #2. I remember as a kid when the "Swinger" Polaroid was all the rage. My sis and bro took the same type of picture of me on the throne. Don't ya just HATE older sibs when you are too young to fight back ? I mean you can try to fight back but they just laugh at you and put their hand onto your forehead to hold you just far enough away that you can't reach them with the swinging strikes you are viciously trying to land. TJ was the oldest in OUR house, but unfortunately he had two cousins that were both older and held their ages over his young head as if they were holding a "WWF" championship belt. As they have grown older they have gotten close, but back then, TJ was "The Baby" and they made the most of their situation. Now TJ wants to come back home...AGAIN. I was firmly against it at first.."Hold Your Ground, Kelly." But as the time gets closer to the end of his lease on his house and he comes by more and more often with that sad "Puppy Dog" face...What's a Mom gonna do? I mean, his dog has already been here for over a month...he thought he would attack me from the point of me being a total "Dog Lover" and sneak on back in after the dog got settled. Dang! I sometimes wish I wasn't such a pushover where my kids are concerned. But after posting this picture, I guess I can let him come on back ONE more time. As my sister often reminds me, "It is what Diddy would have done." My father was always called Diddy...maybe Sean"Puffy" Combs owes us some type of royalty for the use of our father's nickname (I'll have to check into that.) So after much soul searching and feeling bad...at least I got him back with this pic. Maybe I will tell him that if it isn't a short stint back home, I will post more of his pictures on my blog...or begin to photo shop a few of my own. God, I love my boy...I just want to love him from a different house. If he needs me though, I will be there. If he needs to feel the love of our house...come feel it. There will be ground rules, there will be stipulations and there will be a time limit. He is a handsome, smart and capable kid...the problem is, he is "MY" kid and I can't ...or won't ...turn my back on one of my children when they need me. Hopefully I won't have to snap another shot of him on the john to get him to move on once again. We'll see!