Year 2006 in Review...the meme

1. What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before?
I can't think of anything major for this one...I must make more of an effort to try new things this year.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't make typical resolutions usually....but here is my New Year's Post for last year. I will post my goals for this year in the next few days.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
ME and Shana!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Jason's Grandpa Otto died in Nov.

5. What countries did you visit?
I didn't leave the country this year....hmmmmm that sucks.

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
More patience with those around me

7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
May 13th...Chase's birthday. Hard to forget something like that.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
finishing out my pregnancy healthy was a big one. Also just our family dynamic in general. We have really settled into a family of our own this year. Things are cohesive and working rather well. Dallas has proved to be the right place for us...God was in control of this move.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Patience. It is NOT my strong point.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not anything major...thankfully.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My camera...though Jason actually bought it :-)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Austin and Brodie. These boys have had a lot of adjustments to make with a new brother and they have done it so easily and understandingly. (it is SO a word)

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
There are too many to name. Mostly the media...

14. Where did most of your money go?
HI, I have three kids. Where do you think?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The birth of Chase was a big one.

16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
Sexy Back....inside joke with Jason.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer?
happier/thinner/richer (though not rich of course)

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
laughed, bubble baths, cuddles at bedtime with the boys, dinners out with Jason

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worry and yelling

20. How did you be spend Christmas?
Surrounded by family.

21. Did you fall in love in 2006?
I fell in love with my husband all over again many times. I also fell in love again when Chase was born. I don't think the birth of a child ever gets to be routine...always amazing.

22. How many one-night stands?
HA! Um none.

23. What was your favorite TV program?
Hmmm, I guess Nip/Tuck.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Hate is a waste of time and energy.

25. What was the best book you read?
Praying God's Word by Beth Moore. Not so much for entertainment purposes, but it was a profound book.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Jennifer Knapp...I had heard her before, but I really started to love her music this year.

27. What did you want and get?
a baby! a camera!

28. What did you want and not get?
World Peace (thank you judges)

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
I didn't see many movies....

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 26 and on my actual birthday I went to lunch and shopping with Kree. Then a few days later I had a lovely birthday dinner with Jason.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More time for myself.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Stay at home mom chic

33. What kept you sane?
my kids, my husband and prayer

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I am not much of a celebrity watcher...

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
not sure there is a specific issue that grabbed me, but just the state of politics in general. It is awful!

36. Who did you miss?
I miss my family.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Some of the folks in our Sunday school class....it is nice to really get to know some new people.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.
It doesn't matter if the other person realizes you are right....it is only if God knows you did the right thing or not.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"I am so blessed...." (Martina McBride)

Guns Up...

Thank you Jesus for HDTV! (is that blasphemous?) We didn't even realize we got the NFL network (we are college football people, not pro), but we DO! We got to watch the Texas Tech Bowl game last night. WHAT A GAME!!!! How could we not proudly fly our flag today?

Guns up baby...

(the "normal" LaShawn will return shortly)

Following your gut...

Maybe it is because I am getting older or maybe it is because it is happening more frequently, but I am noticing a rather interesting phenomenon. This phenomenon has been part of my life and I see it all around me in the lives of others. It is the phenomenon of group decisions for one's life.

Let me explain...

When did it become the norm for every decision a person makes to be up for discussion and debate? There seems to be some sort of committee for everything. Sometimes that committee takes the shape of a family that is a little too involved. Sometimes that committee is friends and other times it is just strangers that somehow think they know better how to live your life than you do.

I started thinking about this last night while watching Clerks II. Yes, highly educational stuff there. There is a part towards the end where Randal and Dante have landed themselves in jail. They are fighting and Randal actually has something rather intelligent to say. He asks Dante why he is making life decisions based on what everyone else thinks is right for his life even though it doesn't make sense to him.

That is what it boils down to. Does it make sense to you? In my life there is only one other question I have to ask myself, What does God have to say on the matter? That is it. My life doesn't have to make sense to anyone else. If Jason and I want another dog or another kid it might seem crazy to others, but if it makes sense to us then why is it their business? (for the record another kid is NOT on the agenda...it is an example) In fact, if Jason and I listened to committee decisions on everything then there is a good chance we wouldn't be married and Chase wouldn't be a part of our lives. If people would stop caring so much about how other people view their lives and just start living their life the way it makes sense to them people would be a lot happier.

Getting back to it...

I know I am horrible for not posting in a few days. I am enjoying my hubby being home. Jason took off yesterday and worked from home today.

Yesterday we went and did a little shopping and FINALLY bought Chase his bedding. Yes, I know he is 7 months old. There is a reason it took us so long...a few in fact. One is that we could not find one we really liked that wasn't a million dollars. I am not going to plop down a ton of money on something that is going to get spit up and poop all over it. The other reason was we briefly thought about buying a house and I wanted to wait until we did that to decide what I wanted to do. The house thing has been put on hold for another year or so. We are in no hurry and want to buy the house we want to stay in for a while. So there...that is my reasoning.

Chase loves the bedding. He actually slept a lot better once we put it on. Not sure if it really has anything to do with it, but anything that makes this boy sleep better is golden in my book.

Things have been a little quieter around here since Austin and Brodie are still in Lubbock, but Chase is still keeping me hopping.

To see our pictures from Christmas GO HERE.

Home...

We are home! Well, three of us are home. Austin and Brodie are staying a few more days to hang out with some of the family. Chase, Jason and I made the trek home today and are happy to be here.

We had such a great time. Chase's first Christmas was a good one. I have a lot of pictures to share, but I think I am going to go relax.

I hope you all had a VERY Merry Christmas...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Santa Baby...

We did the Santa thing today. Chase's first time and he could NOT take his eyes off of Santa. He wasn't scared, but terribly interested. It was cute.

We were supposed to leave for Lubbock today, but Jason got hung up at work and we decided to not rush our evening. We will be getting up REALLY early in the morning and going.

Merry Christmas....and yes, I do have cute kids :-)

For You Mommy...

Brodie is just too sweet!!! He brings me every "flower" that he finds outside. I have a whole house full of dandelions.

My posts will be sporadic until after Christmas. Keep an eye on Flickr for lots of pictures.

Have a very Merry Christmas!!!!

Baby Whispers...

Can someone please explain this phenomenon? I mean there has to be a logical explanation...




Whenever Chase goes down for a nap and I need to get something done (laundry, dishes, PEEING, sweeping, or packing so we can get out of here at a decent time today) he only sleeps for 5 minutes....YET, when he goes down and I don't have anything to do he sleeps for 2 hours.

Anyone? Explain?

NEW TOY!!!

Even though I knew what I was getting, I am still SOOOOOOO excited. I did not know WHAT camera I was getting. Jason and I had decided on 3 different ones. The one I got is AWESOME. The pictures it takes are just so far above our old cameras. I am in love....and I will be shooting my little heart out!!!!

I have the bestest hubby!

Montage...

I made this little montage of random photos of our family from this year. Hope you enjoy. With my new camera I hope to bore you to death with lots of pictures in 2007!

Make photo slide shows at onetruemedia.com

Night Attack

Jason and I were sitting in the dark watching TV last night when he decided to get out the video camera and take pictures with it. Now...background. Both of our regular cameras are in different states of brokenness. Jason's camera is just beyond trashed and mine can't zoom (lost the zoom button). Not to mention our cameras are way outdated. SOOOO ...I was telling him IF he did get me a new camera for Christmas I would really like to have it early so I could use it to take pictures. He decides to point out that our camcorder takes pictures (yes it does, but only at 2MP). Anyway, he was being goofy and trying to irritate me. Like the lovely shot of me eating my cereal last night???? Gorgeous, no?

Last night as we were going to bed I found a gift bag on my pillow. It was a 1GB Memory Stick. We have NO electronics that take that kind of memory stick. Gee...wonder what it could be for??? I love Jason, he cracks me up.

Everyone Loves Mail...

I have a few Christmas cards left. If you have not received one from me and would like one, email me your address at: LaShawn0831@gmail.com

Artsy...

I mentioned a few days ago that I wanted to start tapping into my creativity more. Then I dropped the bomb that I am going into nursing still. Not exactly a creative career.

However, I am still serious about the creativity issue. I have been writing again...just privately. At some point some of those writings will be made public. In the coming months there will be much writing, much photography and possibly some painting. There will be sewing and more writing. I feel like I have a lot stored up inside. I need to get it out.

Right now I think I might borrow the boys' sidewalk chalk and go out and doodle with Brodie on the sidewalks. Nothing like looking through the eyes of a 4 year old to get the creative juices flowing.

A plan...

So Jason and I sat down tonight and made a plan for school. I have 4 pre-requisites that I need if I want to do RN school (which has been my plan for the last 4 years). I have gone back and forth on this for good reason. Nursing school is NOT flexible (where as nursing itself is EXTREMELY). That is a hard pill to swallow when you have 3 kids. The good news is that by the time I actually begin full blown nursing school, Brodie will be in kindergarten. There are other degrees I have thought about. Teaching is one I considered heavily, but to be honest....I don't care for other people's kids all that much :-) I also considered getting a graphic/multimedia design degree. There are a lot of reasons to not go that way, but it would have been kinda cool. Nursing (the career not school) makes a good fit for our family. I want to be able to work a schedule that can allow me to be with my kids as much as possible. The truth is we will never NEED me to work. But, I want to. I love being home while the kids are little, but I need more for myself. With nursing I can work a few shifts a week for personal fulfillment (and play money) and be with my kids the rest of the time. I also love being around people and helping them.

So nursing school it is. The next few semesters I will be finishing up the classes I need. Then off to RN school. I am excited, but nervous about the challenges this could present with our family life. Jason is blessed with a job that does have some flexibility in that he can telecommute some and also change up his hours (a little). It should work out. So, after months of indecisiveness I am going after what I have wanted for a long time. Jason is EXTREMELY supportive of this and that helps a lot.

Speechless...

For the first time in a loooooooooooooong time I am pretty much speechless. My last post was SHAMELESS groveling for a gift. I was thinking perhaps my mom or someone in my family might get it for me. Well, today I got an email saying someone had purchased the Flickr account for me for one year. AME YOU ROCK!!!!

Let me tell you about Ame. Ame was on colorguard with me back in high school. I have not seen her since I graduated....and yet, through the power of MySpace we found each other again. There was NO reason for her to do that for me. She is awesome.

Thank you Ame...you really made my day!

Perfect Gift...

I always think of good gifts for myself AFTER people have already bought for me. I am terrible at asking for things. Just not my thing. BUT....considering I am 99% sure that Santa (Jason) got me a new camera for Christmas I would LOOOOOOVE to have a pro Flickr account. I am too cheap to buy it for myself. So if anyone is feeling generous... *grin*

Shameless groveling over :-)

The Star...

Yes, Austin takes after his big mouthed mother.

Austin's Christmas play at church was ADORABLE! He stole the show. Seriously, I had so many people come up afterward and comment on how funny and charismatic he is.

He will either be a preacher or a sitcom star at this rate!


**note to my mom and dad....his shirt WAS tucked in when I dropped him off. It magically untucked itself. **

Talk amongst yourselves...

"I am not where I need to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be." - Joyce Myers

"To God, our journey is as important as our destinations." - Beth Moore

Thank You...

Thank you so much to the admissions office of South Plains College for F-ing up and holding up my transcript request to my new school. Thank you for making it possible for me to get NO financial aid this semester. YOU ROCK!

Identity...

Count me among the mothers that often has had a hard time separating my identity as a mother from my identity as a female. For me they have always felt one in the same. After my divorce my identity became my children. I was "a single mom". That was who I was...the end all be all of it.

Things have changed. I am married to a man who pushes me to be ME! Not just the mom me, but the WHOLE me. I have missed out on parts of myself. I have not explored all there is to me. I am an extremely creative person. I have left all that creativity dormant for a long time. Jason has been my biggest cheerleader in discovering who I am, even when he doesn't know he is doing it.

One area this is really evident is school. I have eluded many times to the fact I was having issues deciding about school. I have always intended to finish out college. Jason is the first person to say, "Yes, you need to get a degree you can use and yes, we have kids to consider, but what do you WANT to do?" I had always thought of what I should do. Or what would be easiest on everyone else.

I am happy with my life. I love my kids, my husband and the life we have made together. I am just really excited about adding some more contentment to that life. Some contentment with myself. I want to tap into my creativity more...I want to live authentically to who God created me to be.

Ho Ho Ho...

Last night was our Christmas party for our Sunday School class. We had a really great time. Click below for some of the pictures. Sorry about the crappy quality of some of the pictures. I am REALLY hoping Santa ( ahem Jason) is getting me what I think he is getting me for Christmas (cough new camera cough).

Element 26 Christmas Party

Christmas letters are a pain in the...

It's that time of year again. When one must get creative and witty and try to compile a summary of their year's events into a one page document of torture known as...(cue evil music) THE CHRISTMAS LETTER!

For the record I love getting Christmas letters and cards. I just hate WRITING the letter. Not so much hate writing it as I hate editing it. I have a strict one page rule about the letter thing (I know Shana...tragic). So today I am going to attempt to get it written. I got our Christmas cards done yesterday. Isn't the picture cute? It isn't the most "posed" picture of the boys ever, but I think it captures them perfectly.

Wish me luck with the letter. You would think that since I write a blog all the time I could do this, but apparently not.

Mom is so in trouble...

Yes, he is pulling up. Yes, all by himself. Yes, I fear for my life with this one.

OK, he is not even 7 months old yet. Friday afternoon I walked into the living room and this is what I saw. He was so proud. Then he fell, but still. He has done it a few more times and has decided to use this new found trick to yank anything and everything down he can find. He is quite the trouble maker.

Bad Blogger Mommy

I am a bad blog mommy! I have been so sick I have missed out on blogging about a lot of stuff happening around here. As you can see, Brodie had a choir performance on Sunday. He did wonderfully and was very proud of himself. Austin dressed up like Moses for school on Monday. It was a blonde Moses, but still. They were having a day to dress up like a character from a book. It was cool. He looked good. The baby did not recognize him. 

Out sick...

The cold from hell has returned....will be back soon.

I'm a star....

Seriously, I look good in pointy shoes...click here to see!

Finally...

We have been fighting with our camcorder off and on for a year. Something wasn't compatible with it and our computer. We finally (after many not so nice words directed at Windows) got a program that works with it. I will now be driving y'all nuts with the videos.

Little Drummer Boys

Brodie was giving Chase a drumming lesson. It is killing Brodie that it is snowing and windy so he can't go out. They are making a nice racket in here.

Day 30...The End

Day 30...The End, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

No more NaBloPoMo....this challenge has been a pain, but worth it. I might do it again in January. MIGHT!!!!

So that is what a housewife looks like...

Most days I have real clothes on by 8 am. Most days I brush my hair and make myself look somewhat human by 9 am. Today is not most days. It is very wintry here today, with our temps being in the high 20s/low 30s (after being 78 yesterday. Can you say SINUS INFECTION?). Last night I went and stocked up on fire logs and food. My plan is to not leave. Jason even took my car to work and is going to get Austin from school. So....imagine my surprise when I see a van pull up outside?

Company?

Today?

Wha....?

As I looked at the sign on the van I realized that we had the maintenance guys scheduled to come service our A/C and heater today.

Why is this bad? Well, I was wearing my sweats that are about 4 sizes too big (I could wear them when I was 9 months pregnant). Since they are so big I roll them about 500 times. They have brown stains that look like dog crap all over them. No, it isn't dog crap, it is cause I put them on when I dye my hair. Yes, folks, I was wearing them. I had on a faded out pretty much see through t-shirt (no bra mind you). I had not brushed my hair, I am not even sure I had brushed my teeth.

Luckily, I had time to dash into my room and throw on some jeans and a sweatshirt (and a bra!) and brush my hair quickly. He, thankfully, was taking a phone call in the van. I normally don't really care what I look like in these moments, but there is a limit to how white trashy I want to look. Even I have some dignity.

Day 29...Authentic

Day 29...Authentic, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

I am mostly posting this to remind myself in the next few days what I want to talk about. Did that make sense? Seriously, I am running on pure caffeine at the moment.

I have been thinking a lot about "Authentic Self" and what that means. I will post more about it as I get my info together.

In other news, Brodie got 5 shots today and Chase got 4. Yes, we are a house running on caffeine and Motrin now.

Day 28...Not Today

Day 28...Not Today, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

Take one cranky, teething baby...add the inability to sleep...shake well. What do you get? A Mommy that doesn't want her picture taken today.

We don't have a prayer...

If these two crazy kids can't make it...what chance do the rest of us have???

Day 27...Teething Hell

Day 27...Teething Hell, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

Well we have officially entered teething hell. Chase has hit a spurt of growth lately. He is crawling on his knees (he has been combat crawling for over a month), he is sitting himself up, and he can pull up to his knees. Yes folks, that is a lot for a little body all in a few days time. And now...fussy central. Seriously, Chase is SUCH a happy baby. He smiles all the time. Well, we are not smiling now. We are also not sleeping. Caffeine is becoming more necessary everyday...for me, not Chase.

Day 26...O Christmas Tee

Day 26...O Christmas Tee, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

The boys and I got the Christmas tree up today. OK, so Jason got the tree up and we decorated it. The only thing missing is my tree skirt. It is MIA. Jason put some of the lights on the house. All I need now is my wreath and a few more things we will be all decorated up.

BTW, I hate this picture of me, but liked the way the camera skewed the lights.

Day 25...New Jammies

Day 25...New Jammies, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

Jason bought me new PJ pants today. I am officially in the Christmas Spirit now that Thanksgiving is over.

We had a great visit with Jason's parents and grandparents. I was very proud of all the yummy food I made. The boys and I are going to get out the Christmas tree tomorrow and get it put up!! So exciting for them (and ME)!

Day 24...Love

Day 24...Love, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

Since my in laws are in town for Thanksgiving, Jason and I went out to eat alone tonight. I took a picture while we were eating with my camera phone, but it turned out really yucky. So I forced Jason to pose for this one and then proceeded to squish his face.

And then...he squished my face.

I am very lucky to have this man.

Day 23...Give Thanks

Day 23...Give Thanks, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

I have so much to be thankful for! Hope your Thanksgiving is blessed!

Day 22...OOPS

Day 22...OOPS, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

Back a few weeks ago I ran a red light. It was a blonde moment. I thought it had just turned yellow. Totally my bad...just one of those bad days. I literally almost cried when I did it. I never do things like that.

Today I got a ticket for $75. OOPS!

Day 21...Rachel Ray

Day 21...Rachel Ray is Everywhere, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

We are a Rachel Ray household. My kids LOVE her. They literally stop everything when they see her on TV. Brodie wanted to buy Ritz crackers today just cause she was on the box. I just love that she is so down to earth and a dork. Jason and I actually set a reminder on our cable to watch her Iron Chef episode. YES, even Jason is a fan.

She re-ignited my love of cooking.

*psssst* A subscription to this magazine would be an awesome Christmas present

Reaching...

Sometimespeople just look for a reason to be offended. Isn't there enough REAL hate and nastiness in the world? Surely we don't have to overthink simple comments. Don't know what I am talking about...go read. Ridiculous!

Day 20...HOT!

Day 20...HOT!, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

This was taken with my phone so not the best quality.

Don't I look hot (and excited) in my paper gown at the doctor's office? Everyone looks good in pink paper.

So it was yearly exam time today. Always fun. Could they make those places any colder? I love my doctor...I haven't seen her in 5 months, but she remembered in amazing detail my kids' names and Jason's name. She is awesome. Doctors like that are hard to find.

Day 19...I'm no expert

Day 19...I'm no expert, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

I have never claimed to be an expert at anything....but I think something is wrong with one of our cameras. YA THINK?!?!? I promise this was not me just messing around. This is really the quality of picture it is now taking. Not good.

Funny (not ha ha funny, more like isn't that interesting), this is how I have been feeling lately. A little out of focus. Still happy and smiling, just not quite right. Hmmmm...

If only it weren't true...

Luann is ME! When I was a teenager her life was EERILY like mine. She even did Color Guard!!! Oh Luann..you know me so well!

All I ask is that I maintain the weight I have lost through the holidays...then I can work on getting more off.

I love Christmas and all...

BUT...could we please do the holidays in order? PLEASE?!?!? I want to have my Thanksgiving and still be able to see fall decorations up. Instead here I am trying to plan Thanksgiving and all I can find are CHRISTMAS THINGS!!!!! NO! This is wrong. Everyone is already talking about gifts and trees and all. This totally takes the focus off of Thanksgiving and what it is for. I personally LOVE Thanksgiving.

Halloween is for October....Thanksgiving is for November..THEN THEN THEN we do Christmas people.

So until Nov. 24th, I say, BAH HUM BUG!!!

Day 18...Playing in the Grass

Day 18...Playing in the Grass, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

The boys and I were playing in the grass....nevermind the fact that all three of us are allergic. Hmmmm.

Day 17...A Better Day

Day 17...A Better Day, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

Today has been a better day than yesterday. I at least feel in control today.

Thank you to those of you that commented yesterday (both here and by email). Especially to Shannon...not sure if I know you or not, but thank you. It made me smile.

In other news, I am gearing up for Thanksgiving (I refuse to start anything Christmas related until after then). I am excited to be having it at my house this year. Of course, that means we get to do it my way. My way is not always traditional. Wonder how many people I will irritate :-)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Day 16...Hugs

Day 16...Hugs, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

Did you ever have one of those days where you felt like a complete failure? Like everything you touch turns to crap? I am having a day like that today. I can't do anything right today. The only thing that has gotten me through today without a total meltdown is hugs from my kids.

Day 15...Ouch

Day 15...Ouch, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

Dearest Sinus Infection/Cold:

PLEASE LEAVE!!!! I have too much to do to spend my time fighting with you.

Sincerely,
Frazzled LaShawn

Day 14...Bonfire

Day 14...Bonfire, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

Here are the boys and I at the Cub Scouts bonfire. You can't see the fire, but that is where we were. My cold has gone into my chest and throat, so I wasn't feeling all that hot, but it was still fun. The boys all did skits and songs by the fire. So glad we went even though we were under the weather.

Six Months...

Chase turned six months old yesterday. That ASTOUNDS me. Six months have come and gone so fast and yet, it is hard to remember what it was like without him. He is just such a delight. He is still in love with his brothers and VERY determined to catch up with them. He is into everything. He is FAST. His current favorite is sneaking into the kitchen and playing with the cat food. He still loves his Daddy time. He smiles constantly. He is a very "touchy" baby. He likes to touch faces when people talk to him. He loves to be sung to. He combat crawls at hyper speed and can sit himself up. He loves to stand on his toes and his hands. As you can see from the picture he LOVES to drive cars. If he had it his way he would always be outside. His eyes are the coolest color right now. They are still blue, but have hazel in the middle.


He is just such a joy and we look forward to seeing what he does next. He is just like Austin and Brodie, in that he is growing up way too fast.

Day 13...The Science Lab

Day 13...The Science Lab, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

I am fascinated by mundane things in other people's lives. I like knowing silly things. What is their favorite food? Where did they meet their husband? What is on their play list? So at the urging of a friend...HERE ARE THE CONTENTS OF MY REFRIGERATOR (you are excited I can tell):

2% milk (cause whole is nasty and Jason won't touch skim)
Butter (the real kind...not nasty margarine)
Eggs
Creamer (flavored...Chocolate Caramel)
BBQ Sauce (3 kinds, cause I am finicky)
Kool-aid (Sugar Free)
Miracle Whip (cause I love that tangy zip)
Mayo (for making ranch and cooking...not for sandwiches)
Chicken Broth (use it a lot)
Sage leaves
Coffee (leaded and unleaded)
Cream (for cooking)
Dog Food (free sample...the dogs love it)
Cinnamon Rolls (we make them on weekends)
Leftovers from last night
Apples (green Grannie Smith...the only kind Jason really likes)
Lunch meat
Bacon
Salad
Baby Carrots
Cheese (many kinds...love cheese)
Wine (Pinot Grigio at the moment)
Salsas (about 10 kinds...we love salsa)
Olives
Pickles
Anti-biotic (for Chase)
Salad Dressings (Ranch and a few Vinaigrettes)
Ketchup, Mustards, and other assorted condiments
Sweet and Sour
Stir Fry Sauce
Country Crock
Slim Fast (for days I don't want to eat breakfast)

It is usually not this nice...I am bad about cleaning it out. But, Jason and I cleaned it out this weekend. Usually I have some science experiments in there....you caught me on a good day.

Honestly...

Did I really just post a picture with a Walmart bag on my head?!?!?! The things I won't do for you people in the blogosphere.

Day 12...Walmart

Day 12...Walmart, originally uploaded by Frazzled LaShawn.

I think Walmart goes out of their way to hire stupid people. There is no other explanation for it in my view.

Example of the day:

I was doing MEGA shopping today. With us being gone to Lubbock last week and Thanksgiving coming up, I needed a lot of stuff. After fighting for an hour to get all the things I need without killing or maiming anyone (this is why I don't like to grocery shop on weekends), I make it to the checkout. I notice that as the checker checks out the person ahead of me he seems a little dumbfounded and agitated. Not good. But, I don't have time to move lines.

It's my turn. I, being the nice and courteous shopper that I am, immediately hand him my coupons so that he knows I have them. He begins scanning my things. All is going well...at first. Over $200 later we are down to my last item....sage leaves. Sounds easy enough...apparently not. The bar code is not scanning. The checker, Geraldy (eastern European I gather from his accent), looks at me as if I am supposed to know what Walmart protocol is in this situation. He tries to scan them 5 more times. You know they say that the definition of insanity is repeating the same action many times and expecting a different result.

"Do you know how this was?", he asked in a very heavy accent

"No. Those are the only fresh sage leaves ya'll have. I just grabbed them," I say...sweetly of course.

"You need for these today?," he asks, hopefully.

"I wouldn't be purchasing them today if I didn't need them," I state...sweetly of course.

Again he looks dumbfounded.

Finally, as if he has suddenly been given supernatural wisdom, he goes to find the price. YES, finally I can get out of Walmart.

He comes back, looking dejected. "CRAP," I think...sweetly of course.

Finally a woman in a red vest appears. We all know the red vest people are the smart ones in Walmart. OK so they are the ones that have worked their long enough to at least have a clue. She gets it all straightened out. Thank you goddess of Walmart.

Then...he forgets my coupons and I have to go to Customer Service to straighten it out. I didn't want his head to explode or anything.

Next time why don't they just put the bag over my head and suffocate me?