Good Friday Fragments

Hello friends! It's Good Friday and despite the sadness and solemnity of the day, it does indeed feel good.

Last night was my favorite Mass of the year, Holy Thursday. The church was full and so many of the people I love were there. Charlie was an altar server. I was so proud to watch him serving and taking part in the extra rituals of Holy Thursday. Annie volunteered to strip the sanctuary and the altar at the end of Mass, preparing it for the starkness of Good Friday. And Robbie was so well behaved. It was such a warm experience.

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After church yesterday, prayers were answered. God is good. That's all I have to say about that.

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Annie is coming to the end of her Spring Break. Yesterday I took her driving in an empty parking lot. Max speed = 4 miles an hour. I kept trying to get her to go at least 10. I think Mike is going to be her primary driving teacher. But she wants you to know that she did a great job parking. She also applied for her first job. Holy cow, who is this teenager and what did she do with my little girl?

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Showing a little of my spelling snob here, but I had to snap this at McD's during my morning Diet Coke run yesterday.

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I'm a week beyond my carpal tunnel surgery and all I can say is what the heck was I waiting for?! This has been so easy.. My hand a little tender sometimes and easily fatigued if it's not wrapped or in a splint. But bring on the next one. My left hand in comparison feels so fat and numb. I don't know if it's worse because I'm using the left hand more to compensate for the right or because the difference between the two is so marked. I'm thinking I'll have the left one done in early May.

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If you store your underwear like this, I'm afraid we can't be friends. Who stands their underwear up? And how do you get it to stay that way?

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I have it on good authority that the Easter Bunny has Reese's peanut butter eggs ready to drop in our baskets. That, Peeps and black jelly beans will make Easter complete. And oh yeah, the resurrection of Christ.

Have a blessed Easter. Now go over to Mrs. 4444s, hostess of Friday Fragments, and wish her the same.

Well hello, Mrs. 4444s

It's been a crazy long time since I've done a Friday Fragments post for Mrs. 4444s weekly party. But I'm feeling fragmentish, so I thought it was high time I play along.

We're three days into Lent and I'm feeling the challenge. I gave up Diet Coke, which has been surprisingly easy. But I also gave up Facebook and my words games on Thursdays. I felt like I was being called to give up Facebook entirely for Lent, but I was going kicking and screaming. So I talked it over with a friend and came up with the concept of "Holy Thursdays." It's a day when I step back from all the "noise" and try to be more mindful of God at work in my life. Yesterday was hard -- but with some benefit. I was actually ready for work 20 minutes early because I didn't sit on the couch and nose around Facebook first.

Thanks for all the positive comments about my "Fat Tuesday" post. I wish I could just jump in and make a bunch of big changes at once. But that seems overwhelming. So I'm taking small steps. We'll see how it goes.

Do any of you have a kid that complains about being bullied? How do you decide if it's really bullying or just a sensitive kid? I want to be responsive, but I also don't want to be coddling. Would love some wisdom here.

Winter has arrived -- at least temporarily. It's cold here (in the 30s) and very blustery. And I was just getting used to not wearing my coat again.

No coats necessary for the awesome trip being given away by Eversave. I don't get anything for telling you about it, but why wouldn't I want to share the chance to win a 6-day vacation in Todos Santos, Mexico? (Well, because I want to win it for myself!) But, I'm sharing anyway. Isn't that nice of me? So nice that I'm sure if you win, you'll want to take me as your guest. Enter by clicking the image to the right. (In case that doesn't work, you can click here too.)

If you are the praying type, I would love some prayers toward two special intentions, that I am able to hear -- and trust -- God's voice in two situations.

Thanks, friends. Hope you have a great weekend. Please stop by Mrs. 4444s place for some more Friday Fragments.

Extreme fragments

Today, I'm taking Friday Fragments to the extreme. I'm sure our hostess, Mrs. 4444s, won't mind.

First, let's start with an extreme Christmas tree. It's my brother's tree.

Why yes, that is a flatbed trailer he's using to haul the tree to his house. 

And yes, that is his 6-foot, 4-inch friend standing there dwarfed by the tree. 

Is that awesome or what?!

Then let's throw in some extreme temperatures. Today is December 15. The high here today was 59 degrees! Holy tropical heat wave, Santa!

For extreme temps of a different sort, this time last week I was running a temp of 103.8 degrees! I think that is the sickest I've been in my adult life. I feel much better now, though I've had some extreme bedtimes trying to get my energy back. How's 7:45pm and 8:30pm grab ya? AND, I slept all night long! Terrible for getting things done, but awesome for the body.

This weekend, we're going to be doing some extreme housecleaning. We have a dumpster scheduled to arrive tomorrow. I'm giddy at the thought of just pitching so much STUFF.

Finally, my extreme hairstyle is scheduled to appear next Wednesday. I was supposed to have it done last week, but that's when I was sick, sick, sick.

And now, I am extremely tired and ready for bed. Have a good one!

2-for-1 Friday

Can you believe it? Two blog posts in one day. Guess I'm feeling chatty or inspired or something. It's been a bit since I've done a Friday Fragments post and I'm kind of missing Mrs. 4444s and all the friends I encounter via Friday Fragments so let's not waste any more time.

Halloween was fun -- how can endless flowing candy be otherwise? Robbie went as an Angry Bird (of course -- his latest obsession). Charlie went as a cereal killer. I made the hat myself with spray adhesive. I think I might be in love with spray adhesive. I'm tempted to use it to put the patches on Robbie's Cub Scout uniform.

Robbie was insistent that he carry a Nerf gun as part of his Angry Bird ensemble. Then he would walk up to the door of each house and say "Trick or treat. I'm just a Angry Bird...wif a gun." It was so funny. As we walked through the neighborhood, people would say "Look! An Angry Bird," to which Robbie would shout  while raising his hand in the air "wif a gun!"

We're 4 days into November already and I don't even have my Christmas shopping spreadsheet created yet. What's happening to me? This year instead of shopping in Cleveland, my mom, sisters and I are shopping here in Indy. I'm going to really try to make most of my purchases from independent stores and avoid the big box retailers as much as possible.

I'm still totally loving my green El Naturalista shoes. Look how nice they went with the mammogram robe I got at the breast center today! (It was the same soft, cozy robe I had last year too.) When the tech led me to the changing room, she offered hangers that I could use to hang my clothes up on. I thought it best not to say "Oh, that's ok, I just picked these clothes up off my bedroom floor 30 minutes ago."


How would you love to not have to cook Thanksgiving dinner, but still get to eat all the yummy deliciousness? FitCity Indianapolis and Avec Moi are giving away a free, healthy and still tasty Thanksgiving dinner for 8. If you're in the area and want to enter -- or if you live far away and want to enter and bring the meal to my house to eat -- visit the FitCity Facebook page.


Mike is wrapping up week 2 of the new job. He likes it, but its a transition for all of us. That's a whole 'nother blog post. So please come back to read again later. In the meantime, go visit Mrs. 4444s and all of the other Friday Fragmenters.

Grief-stricken, self-indulgent, joy-filled fragments

If there were ever a week for Mrs. 4444s' Friday Fragments, this is it. My mind is bouncing in about 100 different directions. Not to worry, I will not share 100 fragments. I'll just give you the highlights.

This has been a week of grief. First, my Aunt Connie died two days ago. Then this morning, my Uncle Jim passed away. My mom's sister. My dad's brother. I hate cancer.

All the sadness in my week has me craving comfort food. For two days, I couldn't stop thinking about donuts and how much better donuts would make me feel. I was thinking about donut-induced happiness and said to myself "Donuts make the world go 'round." Then that made me laugh. Because that's the problem. Donuts DO make the world (or at least my rear end and belly) round.


We took Annie to New York City for her Fall Break last week. We had a great time. We went to see "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying." Daniel Radcliffe was wonderful. There was no trace of Harry Potter in him on stage at all. They did a really good job of covering up his scar.

One of the coolest things we saw in the City was a cozy little waterfall, tucked between a couple of buildings in Midtown. We just happened upon it. It was a little oasis of peacefulness. The sound of the water even drowned out most of the sounds of the city. 

You might have already read about the awesome new shoes I bought in New York. Actually, I bought two pair -- one black and one green. They are the most comfortable shoes I've had on my feet in a long time. I walked to and from the subway in them, around Chinatown, in Times Square and in the airport. I "heart" these shoes. But the best part? Check out what's on the bottom. Those are frogs! We were meant for each other.

I had some age spot/warty thing frozen off my cheek the other day. Except it's still there, looking uglier than before. How long does it take for these things to fall off?

After four days of rain, the sun is finally shining here. What's sad is that I didn't even notice the absence of the rain until I saw a post on Facebook that said, "Hey, it's not raining!" Guess it's time I woke up and smelled the roses (or the hot apple cider).

Hug those you love today. Do something that will bring a smile to someone who needs it. Buy a pair of green shoes. Eat a donut. Find the joy.

Fabulous Fragmentation

It's awesome day -- mostly because I don't have to go to work today. (I love my job, but I love days off, too.) The boys and I are headed to the Indiana State Fair in just a bit. But I couldn't leave without celebrating Friday Fragments with Mrs. 4444s and you all!

Over at the 4th Frog Facebook page, we were having a discussion about fairs. What Kimmybeee had to say was so funny, I thought I'd repeat it here:


We are rednecks and hillbillies and country bumpkins lol when we wear cowboy boots, they usually have cow poop on them lol.

I'm thinking I shouldn't introduce her to Annie, who earlier this summer declared "I will never marry a redneck, ever."  Just recently we were at a wedding. Late into the reception, Annie walked out into the hall and said "It is full-on hillbilly drunk in there."

* * * 

Last night we met up with some hometown friends of Mike's who were passing through Indy. Josh's mom is of Mexican descent, so they always want to find some authentic Mexican cuisine. We ended up here:

If you plan ahead, you can eat dinner, have your taxes done and schedule your next vacation all at the same time!


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School starts for the boys next week. Charlie's soccer team has already met for practice. But Robbie doesn't have any outside activities. I don't want to overload the kids, but I do think one outside activity is a good idea.

Me: "What activity do you want to do this fall? Swimming?"

Robbie: "No."

Me: "Gymnastics?"

Robbie: "No."

Me: "Soccer?"

Robbie: "No."

Me: "Well, what do you want to do?"

Robbie: "Sit on the couch and watch TV."


At least the kid's honest.



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A few prayer requests: 

* Please continue to pray for those hurt (45) and killed (5) in the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair.
* Prayers for a friend and mother of 8 who will begin treatment for breast cancer next week.
* Prayers for another friend who is struggling with tough love for her daughter who is currently in jail and with the worry of how to help their granddaughter. 
* And of course, prayers that Mike find employment soon are always appreciated. He's been blessed to have some freelance work to do, but we'd sure like a regular paycheck.


Have a great weekend. For more Friday Fragments, click here.

Just fragments

That's what I've got left after this week. Just fragments. A brain download, if you will. And I can do that, thanks to Mrs. 4444s.

Putting out an ABB: Hello officer, I'd like to report an ABB. Yes, that's right. An "assault with a binding brassiere." I purchased a new bra this week. I wanted a new dress, but what I ended up with was a new bra. Anyway, the lady at the pricey store measured me and said I'm "a 41 on the dot, so let's go with a 40."  I'm always up for smaller numbers. But now, after two days of wearing this torture device, I'm pretty sure the durn thing has bruised my sternum.

Play it again, Skeeter: I saw "The Help" on Wednesday night. Great movie! There aren't many I'd pay to see in the theater twice, but this one I would. It was fairly true to the book. Oh, and go easy on the Diet Coke because it's a LONG movie and you don't want to miss anything.

Mason City, Iowa, anyone? Do you live within driving distance of Mason City, Iowa? It's 1/2-way between St. Paul, MN and Des Moines, IA. Anyway, I'll be there in late September speaking at the Upper Midwest Social Media Conference. My topic: Privacy in Blogging and Social Media: How Much Is Too Much? If you've never been to a social media conference, this might be a good one to start with. Admission is only $50.

Home improvement (dis)harmony: Well, we've arrived at no real decision on the paint colors for the first floor. I did convince Mike to postpone the painting there. We're having the master bed and bath painted, but we haven't quite agreed on which room will be which color. I think a Serious Gray in the bedroom and Expressive Plum in the bathroom. Mike wants the opposite. Also, he apparently thinks little fairies are going to come in the night and prep the house for the work to be done. Although the first floor walls won't be painted, they will be painting the ceilings this weekend. Do I have to take down the curtains for them to paint the ceiling? This little fairy is going to need a lot of Diet Coke to pull this all-nighter.

Back to school: Most kids around here started school this week. That's way too early. Annie starts high school on Tuesday. The boys don't start until a week later. Tonight was parent orientation night at the high school. It was a little weird looking around the room, wondering who would be the parents we'll get to know well over the next 4 years. As we listened to the head of school and several of the teachers, I felt like we'd definitely made the right decision about where to send Annie for high school. That felt good.

Time to get a move on in getting this house ready for phase 1 of its renovation. Hope you have a great weekend!

Frags on wheels

Today's installment of Friday Fragments is inspired by wheels. That's been the theme of the week around here this week.

First, there was the Suburban we rented to go to Amish country last weekend. I only drove it for about 30 minutes, but I did not enjoy it. I'm too short to drive something that big. Felt like I was driving a semi. BUT...I did love riding in it. There was so much room. Everyone had plenty of space. There was no "she touched me" or "I'm squished" whining. I could get used to that, as long as Mike does all the driving.

Then on Wednesday, we got to spend 4 hours tooling around Indianapolis in the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Frankly, it was bunderful! (I know, so bad!) I wonder if I can get one of those from CarMax?

Last night, we went to Lucas Oil Raceway where they were racing stock cars and midget cars (apparently the word "midget" is socially acceptable in reference to automobiles). I am really NOT a racing fan, but we had a great time. Going to the race track is like going to the movies with someone you don't like. It's ok because you don't have to talk to each other. I need to make an appointment to get a hearing aid now.

And next week, I'm taking some friends for a limo-chauffered girls' day, courtesy of one of my tourism contacts!

Finally, in the category of "spinning my wheels," I have had a heck of a time getting a uniform skirt for Annie to wear to high school. It's a long story that she probably doesn't want me to share all the details about, but let's just say that $45, 3 yards of fabric and umpteen phone calls and e-mails later, she is still skirtless. At this point, she might be showing up on the first day of school in a plaid sari.

In need of more fragments? Wheel yourself on over to Mrs. 4444s's place to hear what she's got to say today!

Time to frag, again?

How can it be Friday again? It seems that it was just Friday two days ago. But the calendar says Friday and you know what that means...Fragments with Mrs. 4444s. So here goes nothing...

* Resolve. Willpower. Motivation. Good sense. Whatever you call it, I seem to have lost it when it comes to diet and exercise. I start out the day being really good. Then a few things slip in here and there and before I know it...ka-blooey! I really must start recording what I eat.

*Caralyn -- winner of the Chex Mix prize pack -- has not responded to me yet. So Caralyn, if you're reading this, e-mail me at 4thfrog70 (at) gmail (dot) com by Saturday at 6pm. If I don't hear from you, I'll have to draw another name.

* Annie is going to the midnight showing of the Harry Potter movie tonight. I want to watch Part 1 over again, then hop in the car and go to a showing of Part 2 at a more sensible time.

* There are 5 Amys here at the Bloggy Conference. FIVE. In my sorority pledge class, there were 7 (out of 37 girls). Six in my high school graduating class. Didn't mothers in the 1970s have any creativity? (Love you, Mom!)

* I think this might be the weekend I can kiss this iPhone 3G goodbye. 3G. Not 3GS. Not 4.0. When some college kids I was with recently saw that I'm still using a 3G they looked at me like I'd just sprouted pteradactyl wings.

* We have one month of summer left and I'm finding it very difficult to squeeze in a mini-vacation for the family. Between summer school, high school orientation, parent orientation and work, when's a girl supposed to get away for a little R&R. I mean besides this bed-to-myself-no-cooking-for-anyone blog conference I'm at.

Ok. Brain emptied -- or at least too tired to squeeze out any more fragments. If you're craving more fragments, hit up Mrs. 4444s website.

Late night fragments

Well, it's actually not that terribly late by my standards. Only 10:47pm. I'm just getting warmed up. Whether you're stopping by here late at night or early in the morning, welcome to Friday Fragments, hosted as always by Mrs. 4444s.

I bought a new pair of tennis shoes last week. I'm ashamed to say (but of course I'm going to say it) that I haven't been exercising because I lost one of my tennis shoes. And it's been gone for a LONG time. So last week, Mike and I rode up to Marshall's and bought a new pair for $30. The dog is happy about that. And I even went out walking on my lunch hour the other day. Good investment for sure.

We took Robbie to see Zookeeper, the movie, tonight. I got free passes from Gofobo. I smuggled in some fruit snacks and we were set for a cheap night at the theater. When we got there, we saw a poster advertising free popcorn. So while we waited in line, Mike and I each fired up our iPhones and went to popcorn.yahoo.com and got instant coupons for free popcorn. Woohoo! The popcorn was the small size -- about the same size as a brown paper lunch sack. Do you know how much they wanted for that stinkin' bag of popcorn if you actually had to pay for it? $6/bag! For about 25 cents worth of popcorn kernels. I'll keep walking softly and carrying a big purse, thankyouverymuch.

Charlie comes home tomorrow. He's been at my parents house since Monday, going to basketball camp at my high school. I miss that kid.

Is anyone else shaking their head, wondering how it's already July 7th already? The kids go back to school in just 5 and 6 weeks! I feel like I'm just getting warmed up to summer. Time to get out the calendar, try to squeeze in some memory-making activities and start watching for back to school sales. Where is the "pause" button?


Next week, I'm headed to Cincinnati to attend Bloggy Conference. (See the button to the right. I tried to paste it in here and it kept jacking up my entry.) I got my conference registration in exchange for volunteering to work the conference. And I'm sharing a room with another blogger, Judy, who writes at Dirt Road Musings. We've only spoken on the phone, but I'm pretty sure she's not a serial killer. She is younger and skinnier than I am, but I'll try not to hold that against her. Funny thing is that Judy is from the same town as one of my favorite bloggers, Annie, of Annie Weighs, but they don't know each other...yet. Bloggy Con will be the first not-for-business social media conferences I've gone to. I'm excited (and a little nervous). Anyone else going?

Don't forget to enter the Chex Mix Muddy Buddies giveaway. I'll draw the winner Saturday night at 9pm EST.

One last thing before I wrap up. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. No details necessary (no job offers for Mike to share, either), just thankful to be on the receiving end of His faithfulness today. 

Be sure to stop by Mrs. 4444s's place for more Friday Fragments.

Fraggalaggadingdong

Ever have one of those weeks that seems to both crawl along and move at light speed at the same time? It seems like last weekend was 2 weeks ago, yet I can hardly believe its Friday again.

And if it's Friday, it's time for Mrs. 4444s Friday Fragments. Woohoo!

I took Annie and Robbie to see "Mr. Popper's Penguins" at the theater the other day -- matinee pricing. Even at just $5/person, it was overpriced for the amount of entertainment the movie offered. I wanted it to be funny and sweet, but it pretty much fell short on both accounts. It did leave me with the word "yabsolutely," which I enjoy, so it was not all for naught.

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It's been almost two months since my mother-in-law passed away. Missing her creeps in unexpectedly. I turned the TV on the other day to find Wimbledon coverage. Karen loved watching Wimbledon and seeing it on the screen made me a little teary.

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We're going to meet my new nephew over the holiday weekend. I can't wait. Oh, and he has a name now. Benjamin. Love it. (Although my vote was for Oliver. Annie says she's going to use Oliver when she has kids. We'll see about that. When I was her age, I was going to name a kid "Letiticia.")

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Thanks for your kind words over my mini meltdown regarding Mike's job search. He's had some good conversations with 3 or 4 contacts since then, so hopefully something will come into place soon.

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We've reached the point of the summer where my feet hurt -- BAD. The bottoms of my feet are all dried out and cracked and painful to walk on. And the bones on the top of my feet hurt from spending too much time in old sandals. So now I'm at that embarrassing stage where I need to lather my feet in lotion, put on cotton socks and wear tennis shoes, regardless of what else I'm wearing. It's either that or hobble around. You know you're getting old when the Good Feet Store commercial comes on and you turn up the radio to hear it better.

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Do you have big plans for the 4th? We're going to my folks' for the day. I'm planning to make homemade red potato salad and maybe some fruit salad, too. Not sure what we'll do about fireworks. My parents live on the outer edge of a small town. I'm hoping we can see fireworks from their driveway.

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This concludes a very long day of blogging (doing some catching up on some other sites), so I'm ready to call it a night. Have a great weekend! Be sure to visit Mrs. 4444s for more Friday Fragments.

Math fragments

I know, I know. It's Friday and all thoughts are towards the weekend and who wants to do math over the weekend? But bear with me for this edition of Friday Fragments.

1. A king-size bed is 76x80 inches. If Person A is 5 feet 3 inches and Person B is 6 feet 2 inches and their combined width does not exceed the width of the bed (even allowing for plenty of extra room), is a king-size bed big enough for Person A + Person B. Answer: No. Factor in Person C who is 48 inches tall, give or take a few inches, and who climbs in the king-size bed and sleeps at a diagonal slant, then a king-size bed is NOT big enough.
   


2. The distance from point A (home) to point B (work) is approximately 20 miles. Given an average driving speed of 45 miles per hour, how long does it take to get from point A to point B? Answer: 120 minutes. Did I mention the required stops at points C, D, and E to deliver children to their activities that start at 8am, 8:30am and 9am, respectively? So glad next week is camp and summer-school free.
   


3. How many days are in a week? Answer: 647. At least that's what it feels like when you're waiting for some news about the interview your husband had last Thursday.
   


4. 681 Facebook friends + 1,303 Twitter followers = a.) This person has too much time on their hands. b.) This person is not good at time management. c.) This person does not sleep much. d.) This person needs to get a life. e.) All of the above.
   


5. There are 5 people in a family.  Each person wears 2 outfits and 1 pair of pajamas each day, how many loads of laundry does this family generate in an average week? Answer: 56. I know. I don't get it either, but I get to wash, dry and fold it.
   


6. How many days does it take for a nectarine to ripen to juicy perfection while sitting on your desk? Answer: 4, but it was so worth the wait.
   


7. You've come to the end of my Friday Fragments and you're wanting more. What time is it? Answer: It's Half-Past Kissin' Time. Head over there for more Friday Fragments.
   

Fragments in 8 minutes or less

It's Friday. It's Fragments. And I'm frantic to whip these out before I have to go pick Annie up from summer gym in 8, yipes!, 7 minutes.

Going for the acrostic approach to today's fragments.

F: Filter. Is yours on? Do you know what I'm talking about?

R: Robins. Our baby robins are getting so big! Mike's hooking up the baby bird cam again and I'll post a new video here soon.

A: Amy. That's my name. It's also the first name of about a bazillion other girls born in or around 1970. If this is your first visit, nice to meetcha.

G: Girlfriends. Gotta have 'em. I used to get together with mine weekly. But then we all started working more and coffee-klatching less. I miss them.

M: Mike. He had two job interviews this week. Please pray that something -- the right thing -- happens soon.

E: Envy. My sister sent me a video of her big pregnant belly and the little squirt dancing in there. I swear I an arm or a leg almost popped right out of the top of her belly button. It made me a little envious. I LOVED being pregnant. Now, when my belly moves all on its own, it's not so cute.

N: Needs. In our current budget-challenged state, when there are so many things I want -- a new phone, new tennis shoes, a new car, a nice vacation -- I have to be mindful to be thankful that while there are plenty of wants, our needs do not go unanswered.

T: Time. Never enough of it. Or maybe I'm a bad manager of it (more likely the case). But my to-do lists are fast growing. Hoping to catch up on a bunch of it this weekend.

S: Shoot! Two minutes over my deadline. Guess that makes this "Fragments in 10 minutes or less."

Have a great weekend!

Fragments, already

It took me 5 long minutes to come up with that winner of a title. I think I've caught writer's block from my friend Insomnimom. Hopefully dishing it out in small doses via Mrs. 4444s Friday Fragments will help shake things loose.

School's out. And back in. The boys finished up on Tuesday. Annie started summer school on Wednesday. Then the next two weeks are camps for the boys -- sports camp, art camp, science camp. Why does everything happen in June? June is when I want to kick back and relax. Offer camps in July when we're all sick of each other again.

This is Charlie on one of the last days of school -- Field Day. Who could resist a charmer like this?

Who knew that my lack of social life would elicit such a response? Lots of interesting comments re: the reality (or not) of Facebook. And one sad comment about the effect of having children on the capacity for fun, which I will respond to in a future post. As far as Facebook goes, I think I'm pretty honest about my life in my comments. If I'm having a fat day or a crummy day, I don't mind putting it out there. The same if something good happens. But I know some people only put the "pretty" stuff on their statuses.

I made a new recipe to take to a pitch-in the other night. It was an easy enough recipe that even a bad cook like me couldn't mess it up:

Guacamole Kabobs

2 avacados
2 TBS lime juice
2 TBS cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
Cherry or grape tomatoes

Cut the avacados down the middle, remove the pit, cut the flesh from the skin. Cube the avacado. Toss with lime juice, cilantro and salt. Put on party pics, alternating tomato, avacado, tomato. The yumminess of guacamole, without the added calories and fat of chips to dip in it.

Question:  Parents of high schoolers -- Does your kid have an internet-capable phone? Why or why not?

I think that's about it for this week's edition of Friday Fragments. Until next time, join the 4th Frog fun on Facebook, where you can see things like this little gal. (Her name's Tootsie and I met her in the nail salon!)

Don't forget to visit Mrs. 4444s for more fragmented folks!

Fraggin' kids

I've got kids on the brain tonight, so I thought I'd dish up some fraggin' kids today.

 

We've hit the home stretch of Annie's 8th grade year. Tomorrow (well, today -- in just 7 hours actually), her class will do a dramatic presentation of the Passion for Good Friday. It's really the first of the last events of 8th grade. After the Passion, there will be May Crowning, the DC trip and graduation. It's really so hard to believe that she's been there for 9 years. As I heard recently, "the days are long, but the years are short." So true.

One of Annie's favorite activities of late has been to record silly, rambling videos for friends and post them on Facebook. I've watched them. Nothing harmful, just lots of random silliness. I thought it was getting to be a bit much, but she got a text from an old friend today who's had a pretty rough go of it lately. This friend told her that those videos were one of the first things the friend has laughed at in a long time. Just another testament to the power of humor and of social media.

Charlie goes back to the doctor tomorrow for a check of his arm. I hope they give him a new cast because the one he has on now is filthy! I swear he must roll in dirt on recess. And if a new cast is in the future, I'd be happy for it to be waterproof.

Pics of Robbie's first birthday popped up on Mike's FB page tonight. He was so little, round-faced and happy. And blonde! Who could resist this cutie?

I wrote a guest post about Robbie on Acting Balanced. Not sure when it will post, but I'll let you know. It was a step out of my comfort zone, but good for me to do.

Speaking of babies -- the baby-birds-to-be are still doing well. There are four eggs in the nest now and we're trying to avoid using the front door as much as possible because a.) we don't want to disturb the nest and b.) we don't want Mama to peck our eyes out.

Not specifically related to kids, but moms -- and anyone interested in healthy habits: I'd love it if you'd visit the Fit City Moms blog to read (and comment on!) my post this month -- 15 minute start to fitness.

It's almost 3:30am and I'm fresh out of fragments. If you need more, be sure to visit Mrs. 4444s Half-Past Kissin' Time blog. Wishing you all a happy Easter and a wonderful weekend.

TGIFragments

Usually I'm trying to tie up all my Friday Fragments at the last minute on Friday afternoon or Friday evening and am usually one of the last to jump in Mrs. 4444s Friday Fragments pool. Not today. Today, I'm posting my Friday Fragments on Thursday night!

Why so punctual you ask, because tomorrow I'm on the road. Back up to Fort Wayne for a day-long tourism extravaganza. First stop, the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale. I have a few Vera Bradley pieces. Two -- a laptop bag and a rolling suitcase -- I bought myself. The others were given to me as gifts. But I'm really excited to go to this sale. Not so much for the deals (which are pretty blog-worthy -- a friend of mine went tonight and got an $85 bag for $28), but for the spectacle of it. It's like Black Friday shopping. I'm in it for the people watching and if I find some bargains along the way, even better.

***

There was a time when I was quite crafty. I scrapbooked and stamped cards and made Christmas decorations. But that was before I had a job and kids who needed to be in 3 different places at one time. However, that old crafter in me was awakened when I saw this springy project, recycled water bottle flowers. I just might try this one or a garden full.

***

Speaking of garden -- we got the word that we're free to plant in the community garden. I can plant my lettuce now, but probably need to plant the cucumber, cilantro, tomatoes, peppers and sunflowers after Mother's Day.

***

If you follow the 4th Frog on Facebook, you know that I really, really, really miss my couch. Only 9 more days. Would it be bad if I came home from church on Easter, plopped down on the couch and didn't move for, say, 6-8 hours?

***

On Monday, I made a conscious decision to cut back on the carbs, drink fewer (1 or none) Diet Cokes, and eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies. I also was careful to go to bed at a decent hour. And you know what? I felt great! Last night, I fell asleep in the chair at 11:30pm and slept there for a couple hours before going up to bed. At work today, I succumbed to some brownies and a donut at the office. I had Diet Coke at lunch and at dinner. And you know what this time? I felt like crap. Sluggish, no energy.

***

Robbie got his soccer uniform on Tuesday. He was quite proud of it. The shirt is white (who gives 8 year old boys white shirts?!) with blue trim. So on the way home, he was going through all the possible names for his team. White sharks, white lightning, ice blades. I suggested the mighty snowmen. He wasn't so into it. But you know what name he thought was the best? He thought it up all by himself. The White Butt Cheeks. Oh yeah...

Ok folks, it's a busy day tomorrow and I'm trying to get back to that decent bedtime idea, so that's enough fragments from me. But if you haven't had your fill, stop by Mrs. 4444s' place for more Friday Fragments.

Late to the party

I really need to get into the habit of writing my Friday Fragments throughout the week so I'm not so unfashionably late to Mrs. 4444s Friday Fragments party.

Tardy or not, here goes:

Thank you all for your support regarding my mother-in-law's illness. I realized that I've never updated here. Although we had originally been told it was a matter of days, she is still with us, which has meant that Mike's been able to go spend several days with her and we'll probably all head down there again soon. 

Last weekend, we were given the same news about my grandmother. She is 87 years old and was hospitalized a bit unexpectedly. We thought she was going to go to a nursing home, but she took a turn for the worse, was largely unresponsive for several days and a transfer to hospice was arranged for last Monday. My uncle went in to see her on Monday morning, touched her arm and said "Mom, it's John." Boy was he shocked when she opened her eyes and plainly said "Well, hi John! How are you?" By that afternoon she was sitting up in a chair and eating yogurt. 

The above situations clearly indicate that the secret to immortality is being related to me! 

***

In the category of "just how dumb can people be?" -- On Monday, there were crazy thunderstorms in our area. I looked out my office window to see two men up on the roof of the 2-story house across the street, trying to lay down tarp. Crazy, I know, and you wouldn't find me up there in a thundering, lightning downpour, but I guess if they were trying to cover a leak I can understand. What I couldn't understand, when I looked out again a few minutes later, was that they had a KID up there with him. He was easily only 10 or 11 years old. On a two-story roof. In the rain. While thunder and lightning was all around. I wanted to call the police. Others in our office said it's not a crime to be an idiot parent. But if he had fallen off that roof and I did nothing, I would have been sick forever. So I called the non-emergency number. By the time the police got there to "check the child's welfare," all three were safely down, thank God.

***

You know that big thunderstorm? Well, no one in the office wanted to go out for lunch on Monday (and I'd left mine sitting in the fridge at home), so we decided to order something in. We were thrilled to find out that the downtown Jimmy John's would deliver to us. Boy, did I feel awful when the delivery guy showed up. He had ridden his BIKE more than 2 miles in that storm to bring our lunch! If I'd known it was bike delivery, I never would have ordered. So some so-fast-it's-freaky props to Paul, sandwich deliverer extraordinaire!

***

Two thumbs up for lessons learned. I got a call from the school nurse yesterday that Charlie had been hurt on recess and that she thought we might want to get his arm x-rayed. Of course I didn't get the call right away because I'd left my cell phone at home and when she called the office, I was out to lunch. But when I returned the call about an hour later, she said she'd bandaged it and he went back to class. When I got home, he was sitting on the couch (yes, MY couch), which is pretty unusual for him. So, having learned my lesson from a few years ago, I didn't give him the "I think your fine" speech. Instead, I took him for x-rays. And this morning, I took him to school sporting a new red cast...

Have a great weekend friends!

Staycation fragments

It may be Spring Break, but I'm not missing the fragalicious party thrown every week by Mrs. 4444s. When you're finished here, click on the button below to join the fun with other folks who have frags to share.

We're rockin' the staycation idea for Spring Break this year. It's been a good combo of out-of-the-ordinary fun, housework and sleep. Guess which I've enjoyed the most?

On Monday, we took in Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules. Cute, but not as cute as the first one.

On Tuesday, I took the kids to a rally at the Indiana Statehouse. It was actually a work event. Annie was sure we were going to get arrested -- even after I told her it was an AARP rally. I think she was disappointed that it was so tame. After the rally, we went to the Rhythm Discovery Center, a place full of drums and cymbals and xylophones and gongs, which should seriously consider selling Advil in the gift shop.

Wednesday was mostly a lazy day. Except that I folded about 4 loads of laundry and spent almost 5 hours at Panera Bread working on blog posts and other freelance articles. Ok, so maybe not so lazy.

Yesterday, I had another video shoot for IN Shape Indiana. I think one more and we're finished. I'll let you know when they launch. Or you can sign up for their e-mail newsletter and get the video segments sent directly to your in-box. Then, we took the family out to Monster Mini Golf for a little glow in the dark links. Even though I have a self-professed disdain for miniature golf, we had great time, even if (or maybe because) a few of us fudged our scores a bit.

Now it's Friday and I'm already a little sad about the return of school and work. But if my Butler Bulldogs win the big game tomorrow, everything will be a whole lot brighter.

Forgotten fragments

Friday. Thank goodness.

And thank Mrs. 4444s for hosting today's fragments.

This first fragment is a video of some sort. I remember enjoying it so much when I first saw it that I thought "I HAVE to share this on Friday fragments!" and so I started this post several days ago, pasting in the embed code for this video. But right now, it's just a big black rectangle on my screen and I cannot for the life of me remember what the heck it is. So I guess it'll be a big surprise for me when I hit the publish button. 



Thank you to everyone who shared kind words regarding my mother-in-law. We went for a visit on Wednesday, a chance for a final goodbye. It was a time filled with laughter and tears. Please continue to keep us and especially my in-laws in your prayers as we continue this journey.

When the time does come that my MIL passes away, I've arranged for several great bloggers to share guest posts here. That way I won't feel pressured to post and you won't wonder if this blog has come to a sudden end.

Yesterday was the start of March Madness, aka the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament. My Butler Bulldogs beat Old Dominion with a buzzer-beater. Gotta love that!

Depending on who you ask, I either earned mother of the year yesterday or should be turned into the truant officer. I let Charlie stay home from school to watch the Butler game. He hasn't had any "mental health" days this year, has been working to stay on top of his homework, and needed funeral clothes. So I took him shopping in the morning -- (FYI, Old Navy does not carry anything funeral appropriate, but I did score a suit for $16 for at Once Upon a Child!), then Mike took him to watch the game with other Butler alum this afternoon.

I'm sure there is more I was more I was planning to share for this week's fragments. But my curiosity about that darn video is killing me, so I'll end it here.

Finally fragments

Whew! Does anyone else feel like it took Friday for-ev-er to get here this week? As a little reward to myself for making it through the week, I'm playing in Mrs. 4444s Friday Fragments sandbox. When you're finished here, be sure to head over to Mrs. 4444s to link up to other fragment fans.

* My post about my struggles with food, Food Fight, brought about a lot of comments, all of which I appreciate. Many of you told me you felt much the same -- which is one of the great things about the blogosphere. But the ones that really stuck with me were the ones that basically told me to get over myself. That my focus is not in the right place. I needed to hear it and I'm grateful that we can be real with each other. So thanks.

* Another place I'd like for you to visit today is The Lazy Christian. I've got a guest post over there, which provides a bit of an update regarding me stepping outside of my own self and reaching out to help others in need. I wish the news were better, but I plan to do something about that today.

*  Tomorrow night is date night! Woohoo! We haven't had one of those in a long time. We plan to go see The King's Speech with a gift card we got for Christmas.

* Some good things are happening on the job front. That's all I can say, but keep praying for the right things to happen.

* My goal for the weekend is to get the laundry folded and put away and to get my bedroom cleaned. Anything else will be gravy. What's on your agenda for this weekend?


Whatever you plan to do (or not do!), I hope it's a good one.