Bazooka Bubble Gum

I bet you did not know that there was a song titled "Bazooka Bubble Gum"!!!

Apparently, Maybelle the chihuahua has trouble with her Bazooka Bubble Gum...she has it stuck to her belly...

And 10 minutes after Maybelle's surgery to remove said bubble gum...Reid enters the room and that is not snot coming out of Reid's nose/mouth....that's right...you guessed it...it is Bazooka Bubble Gum!!!

So, for the Workman's...Next year, please Santa...no bubble gum in the stockings!!!

Have a Safe and Happy New Year's Eve!! We will see you in 2009!!

Carol of the Bells

Carol of the "Southern" Belles and Beaux that is.....

This post is a week late, but it is well worth the wait!!

Ryan, Reid, Sweet Baboo, and I were invited to the 1st Annual Hankins Christmas Caroling party on Monday night, December 22. We had a blast. This is the first time that the Workman's had gone Christmas Caroling. Here is a pic of the whole gang outside at the McCoy's house.

This outing was such a blessing to me!! As you may or may not know, I lost my precious Granny 9 years ago on Christmas day. And for the past 8 years, Christmas has been a bummer!! But this year, God blessed me with great friends who helped me make this year merry and bright!! And as you can see from the picture, it was COLD outside, all those layers made us feel like Randy on "A Christmas Story"!!
We laughed, and sang, and laughed, and sang, and laughed, and sang, and tripped over sticks in dark yards, and Reid thought it was totally cool that Daddy was lighting candles in the car as we approached each home. Then, when we were frozen, starved and all sung out....we headed back to the Hankins for FOOD!!!

There was pasta salad, hot chicken cheese dip, sandwich fixins', mozzarella sticks, jezebel sauce, hot chocolate with peppermint, and PB & J's for the little ones - you know all the good stuff!!! And then....there was the fondue dessert....isn't it pretty?!?!

These are the beautiful angels that made my Christmas wonderful this year....Does it get any better than a great group of BFF's (or for those of you on staff at TSC, my VBF's)?!?!? I love each of you. You are precious and wonderful gifts!!!


And here are our wonderful husbands, friends and fathers that love me and my angels...unconditionally. They have many talents - cooking (see the pic above of the fondue and hot chocolate - thanks Mike Hankins), singing, making us laugh, watching football, chasing down children, and one of them is an all around cabana boy - and he's all mine...I love you, honey!!!

Oh, and the next time that you see Tim Brady, ask him how he has a "Holly, Jolly Christmas"!!!


Many wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

I am temporarily turning off the "project playlist" so that you, my 3 readers, can enjoy the sounds of my sweet baboo (a.k.a. Kendall) play Rockin' Around the Christmas tree song at her piano recital last night. She told me that she got butterflies just before she started playing and they are what caused the "rough spot" in the middle of the song.

All of Mrs. Heather's students did a fantastic job and it was a very enjoyable evening! And this year, we (Bebe and I) made it through the evening without bursting into tears. We even had to laugh when we both started singing the words to the Chipmunks "I just want a hula hoop" as the notes sprung from the piano.

Now, here is what all little brothers do during their sisters piano recital.....they sit on the floor and play legos.

We got home and I had to make a dessert for Friday nights event - check. Then, I had to mix up a hashbrown casserole for Sweet Baboo's classroom party - check, check. As I am mixing up the casserole....this is what I find....

Sidenote - several years ago, my sweet Ryan, made me this fabulous box for our Christmas tree. That way, the tree sits up high and presents can fit all around it and usually my Christmas train goes around the box, but so far this season, it is still in the garage in its box - oh well, there's always next year.


Little did I know that our 4.5 pound chihuahua, Maybelle, would think the stacked presents were a step ladder to the Christmas tree box. Oh, and you will notice Sunshine (our solid black cat) is now sitting on the Christmas box in the background. She thinks that the Christmas tree box is her perch for the months of November and December each year. Of course, Maybelle had other plans for the box and when Maybelle jumped up beside Sunshine, well, let's just say that Maybelle "treed" her first cat!!! So, of course, I yelled -

"Ryan - look at what YOUR dog is doing?!?!?!?!?! and grab the camera!!!"


Merry Christmas!

Mr. Lonely

I think this is how my blog must feel - Mr. Lonely, I'm Mr. Lonely. My crazy writer has ditched me for her way too busy - eating Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas shopping, Christmas wrapping, decorating the house for Christmas, preparing for a Christmas musical, taking Kendall and Reid to various practices, watching college football - lifestyle.

But, alas, Mr. Blog, you have not been ditched. I am here today to tell a funny Reid story.

We bank at Suntrust and the new Suntrust bank in Spring Hill has these really high-tech drive thru's: instead of seeing your teller through the big glass window...you see them on this space age computer screen. I have to admit...I am not very comfortable with it. So today, Reid and I drive thru the bank to make a deposit. The conversation went something like this....

Space Age Drive Thru Teller on Computer Screen: Mrs. Workman, is there any thing else I can do for you today?

Me: No, thank you. (We start to drive away.)

Reid: Mom, how does the computer screen person know your name?

Me: Because it was on my deposit slip.

Reid: Why does the computer screen person know your name?

Me: So that she knows which account to put the money in.

Reid: Well, I guess that's a good reason! (Conversation ends.)

So for the first time ever, my answer to Reid's question was actually good enough for him to agree with me. Wow!! It is the season for miracles!!

Merry Christmas!!
Melissa

Here Comes Reid Claus

Operation Christmas Child is an organization that is run through Samaritan's Purse. The concept is to take a shoe box and fill it with toys, toiletries, candy, etc. The boxes are collected and sent to needy children all over the world. I thought this would be a great way for Kendall and Reid to understand the blessings they have been given and to share those blessings with those less fortunate. The kids had a really great time packing the boxes they were giving with a toothbrush, toothpaste, crayons, notebooks, soap, washcloths, Hot Wheels and Nerf for the boy box and a Barbie for the girl box. We talked about how we were showing Jesus' love with others. Kendall told me that "it really makes me feel good to help others, Mom!" I thought the object lesson had gone well....until this morning.....at church....when I had this conversation with Reid....

Me: Reid, take your box up to the alter and place it with the other boxes and pray for the little boy that is going to receive your box.

Reid: What do I pray?

Me: Pray that your box will bring happiness to the little boy that receives it.

Reid: Okay.....

Insert here that I watched Reid take his box up to the alter, place it gently, get on his knees, hands folded, I could tell he was praying, my eyes filled with tears over this sweet little moment.....he comes back over to our seats with a huge grin....

Me: What did you pray?

Reid: I prayed that I sure hope that the little boy that is going to get the box has been good all year!

I did not say this to Reid, but I wanted to, "Reid you are not Santa Claus.....and the boxes are not given on a good or bad behavior basis, blah, blah, teaching moment, blah".....but instead.....I hugged his neck tight and said, "Reid, I love you, and I'm sure that little boy has been very good this year!!!"

How can he be so sweet and push us so far to the parenting edge all at the same time???!!!

Merry Christmas Box to all and to all a good night!!!!!!!!!!

Melissa
If you would like more information about Operation Christmas Child, please visit the website at www.samaritanspurse.org.

Bond, James Bond

The Workman's love a good James Bond flick. I remember Ryan and I going to the movies to see GoldenEye. Ryan was like a kid in a candy store. Every time there is a Bond marathon on TV you can be sure the the Workman TV is set on the channel.

Last night, Ryan and I took Kendall and Reid to see their first ever in the theater, no TBS editing, THX Dolby Digital Sound, James Bond film. It was amazing. For the first time ever, (thanks to Fandango.com and Pop dropping Ryan off at the theater - Thanks, Pop!!) we were the first 4 people in the theater and we got to pick out the perfect seats to view the film. Center seats, 5 rows down from the top. Of course, we counted the seats on either side of us to make sure we were exactly in the center. So we are in our seats, popcorn, raisinettes and coke are flowing and the lights go down.....close up on the speeding wheels on the Aston Martin...the music starts, here we go....so exciting!!!

At one point Kendall leans over to me and says "Now, that is just COOL!" Reid was totally impressed with the "bad damage" of Bond's Aston Martin. Reid's quote of the evening, "I've never seen Bond with so much bad damage." Reid and I also jumped out of our seats at one point when a spy plane came out of nowhere, but according to Reid, he was just jumping to make me jump. No help needed, thank you!! Quantam of Solace is fast and furious and a great movie.

Honestly, Sean Connery was my favorite Bond....but then Pierce Brosnan came along and well, he quickly became my favorite James Bond. And now, I have a new favorite James Bond and his name is Daniel Craig. He is every thing Bond is supposed to be: tough but thoughtful, smart and witty, and of course, those blue eyes could get you anywhere!!!
Melissa

Its been a long time, been a long time, been a long lonely.....

I think the words of Robert Plant and Led Zepplin say it best this week:

Its been a long time since I rock and rolled,
Its been a long time since I did the stroll.
Ooh, let me get it back, let me get it back,Let me get it back, baby, where I come from.
Its been a long time, been a long time,
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time.
Yes it has.

The last 2 weeks have been really dull for the Workman's. No trips, no Fall Festivals, nothing but sniffles and sneezes. But everyone seems to be on the mend and Kendall has a 5th grade program next week so stay tuned.....

Melissa

I Want Candy

Isn't that what Halloween is for....CANDY!!!! Well, it is what TSC's annual Fall Fest is for....Candy, Candy and more Candy!!! We had a blast at the Fall Fest and here are a few pics.

First, we have a visit from a very spooky skeleton. This skeleton was very impressed with his mommy's face painting skills, when he first saw his skeleton face in the mirror, "Dang, mom, you did goooood!!"

Then enter in my sugary sweet Candy Corn Fairy:

Poor Sugary Sweet Kendall, she had to hang out with a skeleton, a bat and a skunk!!! My nephews Griffin and Dane are the skunk and the bat.

I was dressed as the "crazy Tony Stewart lady" with Jeff Gordon gear and my BFF, Terri, was "crazy Tony Stewart lady" with Kasey Kahne gear. (That pic is on Terri's camera) 'Cause after all, we are their number one fans....Ryan was dressed as an engineer so he did not get a pic, sorry, hon...ooh, and I got to meet Sarah Palin....she thanked me for my vote!!!

And I also got to meet one of my favorite girls from the 'hood...Bon Qui Qui...

And don't worry....everyone's candy bag was filled to the top before the night was over! Happy Halloween!!!

Melissa

Fast Cars and Freedom

Last weekend was spent enjoying Fast Cars and Freedom. The Fast Cars were the 43 cars and drivers of the Pep Boys 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the Freedom was 1) we were free from the kids for a couple days and 2) we stayed "free" by not getting arrested for stalking or harrassment.

We kicked off our weekend of fun Saturday night at Cousin Jeff's in the ATL, the dirty south, HOT-lanta, in the OTP. The city has lots of names and it is one of my favorites!! C. Jeff really wanted to watch the Ole Miss vs. Arkansas game and was able to purchase it through pay-per-view. Sadly, the broadcast was in lo-def television with color commentators, Bert and Ernie and the sound was by the Burger King. The Ole Miss Rebs posted a victory but trust me, it wasn't pretty. Then, off to bed, where I tried to sleep but as they say in the Disney commerical "I'm too excited to sleep!!!"

Sunday. October 26th, is a day I will never forget....it was my first time to visit pit road while at a NASCAR race. I am now officially one degree from Jeff Gordon. I met a guy named Jeff who works for DuPont and does the official pit tours for Jeff Gordon, and he knows Jeff Gordon, so therefore, I am one degree away.

Cousin Jeff asked me to pose with him. I was picking on him on Saturday night because everyone in our family has a picture on the scrolling digital photo frame in his living room except for me. He said "That's because my favorite picture of you is not very flattering." And then he showed me his fav pic and I said "You're right, it is not very flattering, but it is funny and is a great memory." So we took the above pic so that I could make it into the scrolling digital picture frame.

We got to meet a friend of Terri's from high school named Tom. He is the gas can man for the #18 Kyle Busch M&M's car. He was so nice and it was really cool to hear his inside scoop. He even promised us that Kyle is a nice guy.

Then the best thing of all happened. No, Terri and I did not get to meet Jeff Gordon or Kasey Kahne, but we ended up with a sweet spot to watch the cars roll through inspection. We were literally inches away from the cars as they rolled by us. Oh yeah - I am as close to Jeff Gordon's car as it looks in the picture!!! We talked to pit crew guys. We joked with pit crew guys. We even made friends with the security guard. He gave Terri and I a little to much "crowd power" and Terri and I almost ended up in a chick fight. I'm sure that we could have taken the girl. "Do you work here?" she asked with a sneer. "Yes, according to Mr. SEH-KERR-ITY, we do!!!"

There is no way I can tell you how much fun we had this weekend. It was a new experience. There are so many inside jokes that none of you would get. Here are just a few to ponder:

1. The Tony Stewart Lady

2. Nick - Show me your rock star face!

3. Super Sorry about 12th place, Kyle!

4. The explosion of red car window paint onto C. Jeff's garage floor. Great, now we've lost our deposit.

5. We learned a new song "Country Bumpkin" by Cal Smith. If you are ever in the mood for a laugh, look that one up and play it LOUD!!

Be sure to jump over to http://www.fourbetterorworse.blogspot.com/ for Terri's review of the race.

Congratulations to Carl Edwards on the win. I've seen the victory flip live twice now. I'm over it. I'm ready for Jeff Gordon to win!!!!

Melissa

Summertime

It may be 65 degrees in TN, but it feels like Summertime in Orange Beach, AL. We had a fabulous fall break and none of us wanted to come home. Here is a pic of the whole gang!


Here are some high-lights of the trip:

On the way to Orange Beach, Reid discovered mile marker signs on the side on the interstate. Now, you have to realize that we left at 4 pm and this was around mile marker 134 so it was around 9 pm and we've been in the car a little over 5 hours when this coversation started.

R: 1-3-4, what does that mean?

M: It means that we are on mile 134 in Alabama.

R: 1-3-3, what does that mean?

M: It means we've driven 1 mile since number 134.

R: 1-3-2, what number to we have to go to?

M: 37

R: So if we are on 1-3-2....I mean 1-3-1, we just passed it, how much longer is that?

M: About 100 miles.

Ryan now chimes in to the conversation:

Ry: So, Reid, if we are traveling 70 miles per hour and we are starting at mile marker 1-3-1....

R: (Interrupting) Ah, Daddy, we just passed 1-3-0....

Ry: Okay, so if we are traveling 70 miles per hour and we are at mile marker 1-3-0 and we have to go to mile marker 37, how far are we and how long will it take?

I am now texting Kimberly & Mark, asking if I jump out of the math equation filled car, could they please pick me up on the interstate as they drive by. (They are about 2 hours behind us, but I'm willing to wait.)

We woke up on Thursday to a beautiful 82 degree day. Cabana Boy Ryan took the chairs and umbrellas down to the beach and had us all set up and ready to go. I get up to use all of my Pampered Chef kitchen tools that I brought to make fruit salsa. "Ryan - now I know why you bring Mel to the beach, she cooks" says Kimberly. Everyone awoke to the loudest oven timer sound that I've ever heard when the orange rolls I had popped into the oven were ready! Sorry, I did not know it was so loud! So after breakfast and coffee, we headed to the beach for a day of lounging! Kimberly mentions that she loves America because you can drive for 7 hours and wake up at the beach. I love America, too!!!

I had purchased some quality beach reading material - Cosmo, Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping and Rachael Ray's mag. While reading a Cosmo article late in the afternoon, I discovered that there are 3 things you should never discuss on your day off. They are: Your Job, Money, and Friend's Relationships. Well, beach gang, we just blew Thursday because we've discussed everyone of these topics and we threw in religion so we are just going to have to completely redo Thursday!

We discovered that going to the beach can actually improve your own self image even if you are a few pounds overweight. Have you seen what some women will put on (or not put on) and then walk around in public? There are many ladies out there who have on bikini's that have no business wearing a bikini. I may be overweight but my Land's End swimsuit covers everything that needs to be covered!

We officially snapped 1 beach chair on Thursday and discovered that one was toast - more on this later.

Friday we woke up to another beautiful 82 degree day and it was Collin's 18th birthday. We started the day with fresh beignets from Cafe Beignet and Starbucks. Props to Mark and Ryan! Reid starts telling Collin that we are taking him to the "ballerina" for Collin's birthday. (He meant ballet.) He kept saying this because we were taking Collin out for a special birthday dinner and to ride go-karts and in our family when you are trying to keep a secret, you insert "going to the ballet" for wherever you are going. This prompted a discussion of what male "ballerina's" are called. Collin was quick with his "They are ballerino's" answer and we all laughed. There is no way that male ballerina's are ballerino's but after a quick google search (thanks Kendall)....guess what....male ballerina's are ballerino's. Way to go, Collin! And Collin - did you say that you wanted a monkey card for your birthday???!!!???

Everyone headed to the beach after breakfast and presents except for Kimberly and I. We stayed back to bake a cake for Collin. We start getting out a bowl, pan, eggs, etc. but we can not find a mixer. We looked in every cabinet (we thought) and give up. Well, we decide we will just take turns hand mixing the cake batter. We start putting our ingredients into a bowl, and I open a drawer to find measuring cups. In the drawer were the beaters to a mixer. I pull them out of the drawer and say "if we have these, there's got to be a mixer". We open the one cabinet we did not open the first time and there sat the mixer. "Way to Go, Carolyn!" was shouted through the condo! We baked the cake, and headed down to the beach to lounge with everyone else.

When we got there, we were told that Collin had caught a fish....with his bare hands!! Yeah, right, really?!?!?!?!

We officially snapped beach chair number 2 on Friday! - Once again, more on this later.

We decided to eat cake before dinner but before we ate cake we decided that Reid and Mark were going to silly string Collin when he and Olivia came up from the beach. Let's just call it an ambush and say that the boys had way too much fun with the silly string!

We ate dinner at Cosmo's and it was fabulous!! I highly recommend it!! Kendall started falling asleep at dinner - this was because she had a busy day - surfing - not the ocean waves, the internet!! Thank goodness for condo 1016. But, we sure wish they would boost their internet signal! We had to save the "ballet" for Saturday night because we had a few showers on Friday evening.

Saturday was a little cool in the morning so the Johnson clan headed over to The Wharf to check out the shops. The Workman's went to Target. Can you tell the difference in our kids ages??? We spend the afternoon on the beach and officially snapped beach chair number 3. We either have to go home tomorrow or go buy more beach chairs. We are running LOW!!!

The Beach Chair Grave Yard - So you've heard me mention that we snapped a few beach chairs. Guess what Carolyn is getting for her next birthday. This was Ryan's beach chair snap. I'm not sure I can actually explain how funny this was! But trust me, it was funny, I don't care who you are!! "How can a beach chair snap while you are stilling completely still?" says Mark.

Saturday night we went to Lulu's for some awesome tuna dip, fried okra, crab melts, mahi mahi tacos and the best part......Krispy Kreme UnChristmas Bread Pudding. Oh, yeah, bread pudding with the Krispy Kreme donuts as the bread. I've died and gone to bread pudding heaven!!! While at Lulu's, Reid and I braved our way through the "BooLu" Haunted House. Reid rejoined the group telling everyone that Mom was totally freaked out!! I won't mention that I had to push him through the turns and twists of the haunted house. We sat around our table and all sang Margaritaville with the band and watched people who had consumed too many margaritas (not us) out on the dance floor. It was totally entertaining!!! Now, off to the ballet.....

One thing we always forget about going to the beach in the "off-season" is that stuff closes early. We got over to the go-kart track and it was closed but we did get in a few games of skee-ball before they kicked us out. Collin was able to win enough tickets to "buy" Olivia two rings! "Honey, how much did you pay for my ring?" "5 tickets, baby, nothing's too good for you!"

Sunday was a sad day for everyone....we had to pack up and head home. The Workman's had an interesting Waffle House adventure on the road....I'll share soon!

All in all, it was a great trip with wonderful weather, fabulous food, and even more fabulous friends! It is a Workman tradition to schedule our next trip to the beach before we leave the beach....so, 362 days and counting until we are heading back!!!

Melissa

Promises, Promises

Later this week, we are headed to Orange Beach, AL for Fall Break. Our friends, M, K, O and O's friend C are going with us. Reid is in love with O and thinks that he will marry her one day. This is the conversation I had with him regarding behavior at the condo.

You must know that Reid loves to be naked. Reid comes in from the beach, drops his wet swim suit in the bathroom floor and then streaks through the condo until I track him down and make him put on underwear.

You must also know that we are having this conversation in my bathroom and he is sitting on the toilet.

Reid: So when we are at the beach, do I have to sleep in pajama's or can I sleep in my boxers only?

Me: Well, I would prefer pajama's but boxers will be okay. And you may not for any reason run around the condo NAKED!!

Reid: What??? Why???

Me: Because we are having guests and our guests do not want to see you naked....

Reid: Ahhhhh, man....can I run around the condo in my boxers?

Me: No......

Reid: Ahhhhh, man....can I run around the condo in my pajama's?

Me: Yes, that's okay.

Reid: Good, then I promise to run around the condo in my pajama's and then I will take them off to go to sleep.

Me: Sounds like a plan!!

All I can say is "You make me Promises, Promises, I knew you'd never keep". I really pray that this is one promise that Reid decides to keep. I'll keep you posted!

Melissa

From Dixie With Love

Things I Loved From My Weekend at Ole Miss:

1. As we are packing the car to head from Memphis to Oxford early on Saturday morning - Kendall says "MOM...NOSEBLEED!!!!!" I turn around to find that yes, indeed, my 10 year old dressed in her Ole Miss game day finest (thanks, Limited Too!) has blood pouring out of her nose. I yell "Kendall, do not get blood on your outfit!" while Nurse Jenny grabs her nose and pinches it and gets the bleeding stopped. Thank goodness for Jenny!! And Kendall did not get any blood on her adorable outfit.

2. The baby car - Ryan asked us to drive his baby car since he and Reid were going 4-wheeling on Saturday and they would need my truck. Do you know how easy it is to find a parallel parking space when you only need enough space for a baby car???!!! Piece of cake!!!

3. A "Rebel Yell" (a.k.a. a shout out) to the Grove set up team. Bevill, you and your mom did such an amazing job with the food and the set up. The table was beautiful, the food was wonderful and the hospitality was like no other!! And Thank You to Jeff and Will who sat in the Grove on Friday afternoon to secure our awesome spot on the Walk of Champions.

4. The Walk of Champions - A couple of hours before the game, the Ole Miss football coaches and players walk through the Grove down the Walk of Champions over to the stadium. Hotty Toddy is hollered throughout the crowd. The band plays. Everyone gets pumped. Go Rebs!! Beat the Gamecocks!! And such can be heard all over the Grove. And the players keep their hands out so that everyone can give them a high five.

5. Kendall, Jenny and I did not have to open one door for ourselves. The gentlemen of Ole Miss did that for us. We also heard Yes Mam and You're Welcome come out of their mouths as we thanked them for opening the doors. Everyone loves a southern gentleman!! Especially when they are dressed in khakis, an oxford shirt and a tie!!

6. Cute shoes - while wearing my red, white and blue plaid platform heels seems like a really bad idea, when 40+ friends and total strangers tell you how cute your shoes are...it is totally worth the pain!

7. The beautiful October weather that we had. Thank You to God for providing us with the sunshine and that slight breeze that washed the smell of magnolias under your nose.

8. Kendall at her first SEC football game. As we walk into the stadium Kendall says "I have never seen so much red in all of my life." We hooped and hollered and cheered and high-fived and yelled Hotty Toddy. The new rule (since the cheer involves a few bad words) is that she/we can say the cheer only while in the stadium. She looked at me and said, "but Mom, I feel like such a bad girl when I say the cheer." It is okay Kendall, I promise! She also noticed a Rebels fan giving the Gamecocks fans "the finger" and says to me - "Mom, he must not know the golden rule, I'm sure he would not want to be treated like that!" So true, Kendall, so true!

9. That the end of every Ole Miss game, whether they win or lose, the band plays From Dixie With Love...and knowing that Jenny and I are sworn to play that song at Jeff's funeral. And then after From Dixie with Love, they put Elvis up on the brand new jumbo tron singing Glory, Glory Hallelujah! Name another school that plays Elvis on the jumbo tron!!!

10. I did not love this part but just as a side note - SC Gamecocks fans are NOT nice. They are sore losers, sore winners and just overall not a pleasant crowd.

11. While walking from the Grove back over to the car, some SC fans were running their mouth in their car while sitting in traffic. Jenny hollers out "Watch your mouth" so I say "What was that all about" and Jenny replies "Just some yankees from South Carolina!" You've got to be really grounded in the fact that you are in the south when you call people from SC, "yankees"!!

12. Taking Kendall over to the AOTT house. Jenny got choked up as she explained to Kendall that Kendall is a legacy because of Jenny's membership, and basically is a shoo-in for the sorority. They walked through the house, Jenny showed her where you eat dinner and where you wait for your dates to pick you up. Kendall even got to see Jenny's old room. All of the AOTT girls were so sweet to Kendall and she loved it!!!

13. But what I loved most, was the soft snoring of my baby girl as I turned onto Highway 7 to come home after a long day. This was my favorite part because the last time I left Ole Miss to come home, I bawled the whole way. Mainly because this was before I met Ryan, and before I had kids, and my life was a wreck. I didn't want to come home. I wanted to stay in Oxford, hide in my sister's room, and pretend I went to school there. But Saturday was different, this time, I knew that when I turned onto Highway 7, I had spent an awesome day with my sister, my sweet Kendall, Cousin Jeff, my Ole Miss friends who love and accept me just because I'm Jenny's sister and Jeff's cousin, and I was coming home to tell my sweet Ryan about what an incredible day Kendall and I just had.

Now...we just have to figure out how we are going to pay for out of state tuition...Ryan says "think scholarship"!!!

Hotty Toddy,
Melissa

Another One Bites the Dust

Actually, it is Another One ALMOST Bites the Dust! Several years ago, I dropped a brand new cell phone in a 24 oz. ice cold diet coke. Not only did I ruin my phone, but the diet coke exploded all over my fairly new truck and my outfit. I still have diet coke splashes on the roof of the truck.

This afternoon, while working over at the church, I made a pit stop at the restroom. When my pit stop was complete, I flushed and stood up. Then, much to my horror, my brand new, not even 3 week old, full keyboard, ENVY II cell phone falls out of my pocket and into the toilet! I immediately grab it, grab paper towels and start drying. Of course, the phone starts going crazy and calling Ryan - 'cause he's first in my contacts, of course!! I am literally sick at my stomach at this point. Good thing I'm still in the restroom! How am I going to tell Ryan that I've ruined another brand new phone???

So, if this ever happens to you....take the phone back over to your office where one of your bestest friends, SS, tells you to take the phone completely apart. Place all of the pieces (including the SIM card) in front of your desk heater and turn the heater on low. Let the warm air flow around and through the phone for approximately one hour. Then, viola, the phone returns to normal function!

I did have to confess to Ryan that the phone had an accident. He was okay with it, but he was not looking forward to purchasing a new phone and now, thanks to S's brillance, he does not have to!! I love you, girl!! And I owe you, big time!!

Melissa

These Boots Are Made for Walkin'

Okay so they weren't boots - they were tennis shoes. And we didn't walk over anybody - we walked around the Vanderbilt campus in Nashville. Bebe and I did make it the whole 3 miles much to Reid's shock and amazement. Reid rode his scooter for 2 miles, rode on Daddy's shoulder for 1/2 mile and walked the other 1/2 mile. We laughed, we cried, Kelsie's shoe kept coming untied and I only had to save Reid once from crashing into a parking meter. Man, that was close.

The Heart Walk on Saturday was amazing. We had beautiful weather. We were there with amazing friends. We walked in memory of our Granny and to honor Abigail and Susannah. It was amazing to stand in the sea of 1,000's and pray for Susannah's upcoming heart surgery. The Abigail's Angels team raised over $6800 for the American Heart Association! Thank you to everyone who donated to Ryan, Bebe, Jenny and I. We appreciate your love and support.

I stole this photo from TW's website. This is our official team photo. That's Abigail in the front holding the big red sign. We had our camera and we planned on taking wonderful pictures but unfortunately, we did not have fresh batteries. Big Nanny is going to email me her pictures so I'll add some to this page when I receive those.

Later in the day, we "walked" over to M & K's for some Alabama football and some good food. There's nothing like food, fun, friends and football. Does anyone know a song about things that start with the letter "F"? We laughed, and ate, and laughed, and screamed at the TV, and ate, and ate, and ate. Look at all of our pretty food: TN Nachos, 4 P Salad, Loaded Potatoes, Rotel, Pineapple Cheese Casserole, Bacon Wrapped Weines, Jezebel Sauce, Artichoke Dip, and the Sundrop Cake is in the kitchen - still warm and ooey-gooey. Southern Girls - we know how to make a killer appetizer and we know how to cheer at a college football game!!! Gotta love it!!!

It was a great college football weekend! Hotty Toddy to Ole Miss for their 31-30 win over Florida!!!! Way to go Rebels!!! Alabama beat Georgia. South Carolina beat UAB. Can't get better, right?!? Oh yes, it can - Tennessee LOST!! Yee-haw!!

Melissa

It's Not Easy Being Green

I am happy to report that Reid stayed on a "green" card all week this week. I guess the whole "I'm gonna empty your room down to a mattress and a dresser, if you do anything wrong this week" threat/promise worked. Trust me, his change was not parenting skills, it was lots of prayer at the foot of his bed all week long!! He has been such a happy, fun-loving kid this week. He is smiling when he gets off the bus and he is not dragging his feet in the mornings to get on the bus. I simply remind him each morning, "What kind of day are we going to have, Reid?" His response - with a devilish grin - a GREEN day! I have to note that he did move from a green card to a blue card (warning) on Wednesday. This was because C was writing his "S's" wrong and Reid was trying to correct him during quiet time. I can't fault Reid for doing something that I would have done!! :-) I just gently reminded him not to correct his classmates during quiet time. And that he should probably leave all the correcting to Mrs. H!!!

I was able to go to Reid's classroom today and make ice cream. The class is learning about liquids and solids and I thought Mrs. H did a wonderful job with this illustration. You take a sandwich bag and add 1 cup milk, 1 cup sugar, and 4 tsp. vanilla. Seal it up tight. Then you place the little sandwich bag into a gallon size bag and add ice and rock salt. Swish, swish, swish for about 2-3 minutes and ta-da, the liquid milk has turned into solid ice cream. Reid (and the other classmates and me) were all really impressed!! And I have to say - I tasted the ice cream, by no means was it a chocolate bananna milkshake (made with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup - KCJ) from Cold Stone - but it was quite tasty!

Kendall had a great week and a glowing parent/teacher conference. She's an angel, she is a joy to have in class, she scored outstanding in every category on her TCAP's and her IAI (reading) tests. Now, if she could just figure out how to duplicate this report every year from now until graduation.....

Have a great weekend everyone!

Melissa

Piece of My Heart

This Saturday, Ryan, Bebe and I will be walking in the American Heart Association Heart Walk. We are walking to honor my Granny, Loretta Thomason, who passed away from heart disease. We are also walking for Abigail and Susannah. Abigail and Susannah are two little girls from our church that were born with heart disease.

If you would like to, you can help us by going to the THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION web site. Click on the DONATE button. Type in the name ROBYN ELLIS. Robyn's name will come up along with Abigail's Angels. You can click there to donate. All donations are tax deductable!

Thanks for helping us to raise money for heart research! And please pray that Bebe and I can make the entire 3 mile walk. Reid is convinced that Bebe and I will NEVER make it the WHOLE way! Thanks for the confidence, son!

Melissa

Patience

Apparently, Reid's level of groundedness is not sinking in. This is our conversation as he gets off the bus on Friday afternoon:

Reid: Mom, I tried not to pull my color today but I just did not make it.

Me: What happened, son? (Trying to hug him and acting concerned.)

Reid: Well, I stole someone's snack out of their backpack and Mrs. H caught me but I told her it wasn't me.

Me: YOU DID WHAT???!!!???!!!???? (No longer hugging, I'm trying not to wrap my hands around his neck and start choking.) So if you did not take it - how did it end up in your backpack?

Reid: Well, it was after snack time, and I knew she was not going to eat the snack anyway.

Me: Well, go to your room and I will talk to Daddy about your punishment.

Reid: (With his head bowed low...) Alright, mama. (Mama is his name for me when he knows he is in deep.)

Then I find this note in his backpack:

Mr. & Mrs. Workman -

Reid had to pull his color to yellow. He went into B's backpack and took her snack. Reid gave her snack back but denied that he took it. B cried at lunch. He walked laps and missed his recess. We talked about being honest again. Thanks!

Mrs. H

Okay, it is official. I have reached my parenting limit. He had the snack in his possession but denied that he took it. What? Did it just fall into his backpack? I called EB and we started discussing punishment to add to Reid's grounding. We decided that since he really enjoys going to football games and since we were headed to the IHS vs. FHS game, Reid would not be allowed to go. We thought this punishment would phase him a little, but he had a great time at his Bebe's and told us that he was glad we had dropped him off at her house. AAARRRRGGGHHHH - not the response we were looking for!!!

So, we have started a new strategy.

Reid and EB had a sit down man to man talk last night, for a LONG time. We are lifting the punishments. BUT, if he pulls one color, for any reason, everything in his room (down to the bed and the dresser) will be removed from his room. No toys, no dvd, no train table, no blanket, no dog-dog, nothing!!!

And apparently, this was motivating! I am happy to report, that Reid came home today and his color was still on GREEN!!! YEAH!!! I hope this streak lasts!! Because I really was not looking forward to cleaning out his room. Where would I put everything......

So for now, we are going to continue to be PATIENT with Reid and allow him to earn his right to have privileges.

I would also like to tell you a little bit about Kendall. Kendall is our 10 year old daughter. She is a quiet, people-pleasing, piano-playing, music-loving, travel anywhere, always happy, straight A student. Boy, I hope she stays that way!!!!!!

Melissa

Photograph

Fav Foto Friday -

Where's Ryan you may ask....This pic was taken for his birthday so that he could replace the 10 year old picture on his desk. We love you, EB!!

I'm About to Lose Control, and I Think I Like It

I had a parent teacher conference with Mrs. H today - if you recall from Tuesday's post, Reid's teacher Mrs. H, called the house with some disturbing information about our precious boy. Basically, Reid has no self control. The list of things that Reid needs to work on at school include:

1. Needs to demonstrate self control. (Sit down and shut up!, If Mrs. H says stop - stop, immediately - the first time you are asked! Quit wiggling!)
2. Needs to accept constructive guidance. (In other words - don't talk back! and don't blame someone else!)
3. Needs to listen attentively. (See #1)

So here is part of my conversation with Mrs. H:

Mrs. H - Reid is a very smart and capable boy. He just has the sillies and needs to settle down.

Me - I know, I am so sorry.

Mrs. H - Reid had to pull his card again today.

Me - He did?!?! What on earth for?

Mrs. H - He was being disrespectful on the playground.

Me - In what way?

Mrs. H - When I called him down for being way out of control on the playground, and gave him a warning his reply was "Well, that's okay, I'm grounded anyway."

I need to insert here that Mrs. H said it took everything she had not to laugh at this comment.

So, Reid has decided that since he is grounded anyway that he might as well continue to be bad...in his mind..."What could be worse...I'm already grounded this week."

Just wait my little friend...Do you realize that mommies and daddies can add levels of grounding? Reid's current level is grounded from outside, no friends, and no scooter. Do you know that I could throw in - grounded from outside and No TV?, or maybe grounded from outside and No toys in your room this week? or the ultimate throw in - maybe I'll add both No TV and No toys in your room this week to the no outside grounding?

One of Engineer Boy's favorite things to say about Reid is that he needs an audience or an accomplice. What better place to display this than a first grade classroom? He loves to make his friends laugh and he loves to play with reckless abandon. He loves it when he is the center of attention. Reid is testing the boundaries of Mrs. H and of me and EB. Don't all 7 year olds test us? What am I going to do with this boy? One thing I am going to do is to stand firm, follow through and make the boundary walls high. Reid can be stubborn but he has met his match in me! In the words of my little sis, "He is going to make a fine teenager!!!" And in the words of my dad, "I hope you have a kid just like you someday!" Thanks, Pop! You got your wish!!

Melissa

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

It took me forever to come up with a blog title. There was an entire lunch dedicated to finding just the right title for a blog. Serious props to KCJ for finally landing on the right one and props to TJS for completing the thought with the song title as blog titles idea and props to BG for helping me with the idea for this post.

I've been wanting to start a blog for quite awhile but I never could come up with just the right explanation of myself. I don't really have a nickname to use like Big Nanny, my husband was not happy with me using the word "stalker" in my blog title,and even though I love Nascar...I just could not make "Last Lap with Mel"or "Mel's Finish at the Checkered Flag" not sound like I was on my death bed. But, my, my, there were a few good titles along the way. Here are just a few for you to enjoy.

MelRose's Place - The most perfect name ever. My name is Melissa Rose. I have always loved it. I even had MelRose on my vanity plate when I was young and dumb enough to pay for vanity plates. But because of a show that I dearly love, the name was already taken.

Confessions of a Redneck Stalker - Because that's who I am. I have OCD and I don't do anything without putting my heart and soul into doing it. Just ask TJ about my straw fettish, or ask Vince Gill why he accused me of stalking him, or ask Jeff Gordon why there is a poster of me at Hendrick Motorsports with the caption "If you see this girl, please call SECURITY!!"

Nut Free Zone or No Nuts Allowed - This is because I am highly allergic to pecans, almonds, cashews, etc. But if this was my blog name, could those of you reading it right now, really continue to read it? Didn't think so!!

Hey Y'all Watch This - Okay, well, I do kinda like to live on the edge and I usually end up wearing a walking boot or having knee surgery afterwards!

Blue Bunny Bonnie Confessions - Blue Bonnie was my character for VBS Water Wars 2008. While the name was funny, it just didn't scream "me".

So finally, after an hour, we came to karaoke confessions. I love music. I randomly break out into song quite frequently. I love all types of music from Elvis to Rick Springfield to Harry Connick, Jr. to Rascal Flatts to Nelly (edited versions, of course) to Mandisa to Mercy Me to musicals like Mama Mia and Hairspray. Like I said, all types of music.


I also love to sing karaoke. And I love to tell stories about my crazy life - which is where the confession part kicks in.

My goal with this blog is to tell my crazy stories using the title or a lyric from a song for each post. So now, I Have Found What I'm Looking For - a blog title - Karaoke Confessions. Don't you just love it? Actually, Big Nanny has challenged me to continue to keep coming up with song titles for the blog entries, don't worry Big Nanny, I will succeed - I love a good challenge!

Melissa

T R O U B L E

In the famous words of Elvis (and Travis Tritt - but Elvis did it first!) - I smell T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!! To make a long story short, Reid's teacher just called the house. I don't think any of my teachers ever PERSONALLY called my parents house. They probably should have, but they didn't. Reid is my 7 year old son. He is my precious, sweet, highly active, hand-eye coordinated, can do anything including lying, arguing, trading Pokemon cards on the playground, not bringing homework home kind of boy. Those last 4 items in the list is why we got a call from his teacher. Sidebar - While Ryan was on the phone with Mrs. H, Reid looks at Kendall as they are sitting on the couch and says "I am SO grounded!" As they say in the south - "You will pay for your raisin'". Well, Reid Thomas Workman will be my payment. I just feel really bad for Ryan (Engineer Boy). He was a good kid. Why does he have to pay for all of the many times my parents should have been called?

Whew, glad he made the first post easy!!!

Melissa