Mim's b-day party

Much fun was had by all at Mim's 4th birthday party yesterday. The weather wasn't the greatest, but at least the kids got to enjoy the castle for a bit.
Lots of great guests, great cake (Publix, yum), great party!
I'll let the pix tell the rest of the story...

VIDEO:

Let the procrastination continue...

I'm getting NOTHING accomplished today... NOTHING.
Why not share my latest read w/ you.

Let's just set the record straight: if you've read my FB '25 Random Things' then you'll know that I'm a self-ascribed nerd. I really am and in case you don't believe me, just ask my husband or my son. (My girls still think I'm cool.) But I'll admit it, I probably am.

That being said, this is how I choose & read a book...

I hate frilly, romantic, brain-less books... I want a hearty, thought-provoking novel w/ some meat.

East of Eden is my latest -

If you've read it, please let me know your thoughts. I'm following an online commentary to get everything out of it that I possibly can; I'm actually a bit bored with it now - half way through...

I'm also towards the end of a really good Beth Moore study:

Are you reading anything GOOD these days???

My calendar girls

March is my new favorite month.

I should say that I'm just loving the month of March with my darlings on the calendar.

This is not one of those make-it-yourself-Kodak calendars (altho' those are darling, too.)

My little princesses were chosen to represent March in the

Holt Int'l. Children Svcs. calendar for 2009.

I couldn't love this pic (taken by my dear friend Kelli) more - look at their chubby little arms, the way Mims is lovin' on LB... oh, I want this time to last forever!

WARNING - Rant Area - Enter With Caution

We’ve just been turned down by our mortgage company for any programs that will get us out of our house… there was a small hope we’d qualify for a deed-in-lieu, but no go. Do I think we deserve help in getting out – maybe not, but I’m upset that we did the right thing, what people are supposed to do – bought within our means, maintain perfect credit, pay everything on time, etc. and we don’t get minimal help while the people who did what you AREN’T supposed to do are getting the assistance. UGH!!!!!!!!!

I’ll regret posting this in a few days, I’m sure. I’m upset and my husband is sick of me venting to him, so why not post it all for random strangers (and hopefully a few friends) to see.

I’m truly ready to just ‘jingle mail’ the keys back to the bank. Our house has been for sale for ONE YEAR and we’ve yet to get even ONE PHONE CALL on it. Not even one! I’m not kidding. It is priced appropriately – well, not for this market – I could be asking $1.00 and it still might not sell in this market. I’m convinced that Obama is going to offer foreclosure rescue in the near future, so why not jump on that band wagon? I’m that desperate.

So, we’re stuck. Stuck in Dallas, GA. Don’t get me wrong, if my hubby were here, I’d happily be ‘stuck’ in Dallas, GA. This is a fine place to be stuck in… I just don’t want to be a single mother anymore!

Are you sick of my pity party yet?

Oh, wait, wait, wait…. There’s more… The front page of the AJC this morning discusses the $99 MILLION earmarked for GA spending.
Here is a sample of where these funds will go:
$2.4 MILLION to a chicken lab in Athens, GA
$500k for inmate programs
$300k to preserve a 1925 train coach in Savannah, GA
$209k to study blueberries
The ridiculous list goes on and on. I’m all for helping pump life into our economy, but chickens, blueberries, and an antique train – give me a break! I cannot be convinced that this is the answer.

I’m rambling and little here is cohesive, but know this – Costa Rica is looking more and more appealing every second of every day!

Home price slide lingers in ATL

Last week we were blessed with an amazing opportunity to get our house sold.

In today’s paper, however, it states that metro Atlanta’s housing market is back to summer of 2002 levels. People in metro ATL are “worse off than residents in cities such as Miami, Phoenix and Las Vegas…”

“Atlanta ranks fifth worst in the nation behind only Detroit, Cleveland, San Fran, and Minneapolis.”

I SO want to be in FL by the time school starts in the fall. I said this same thing last year at this time!

Panama City Beach, Florida

What a wonderful “Winter Break” it has been!
A friend of a neighbor blessed us with her condo on Panama City Beach, FL for the week. We love it there. The weather was a little brisk, but we basically had the beach to ourselves. Our only friends in the heated pools and the hot tubs were lovely retired snow birds in FL for the winter.
Tony was able to join us and his mom, sister, and nephew were there for a couple of days, too. How nice to see them all!
LB was sick w/ a cold before we left for the beach and got sicker after a couple of days. We had to take her to Urgent Care… her pulse ox was 87 and only rose to 92 after being ‘nebbed.’ She had bi-lateral ear infections and a throat infection and is now back on her asthma inhalers along w/ her other meds!!!
How wonderful to relax and enjoy the water and each other! We hope we can go again soon!

I thought some of you were friends...

WHY did you never warn me about a seemingly harmless, even fun-sounding place known as CHUCK E. CHEESE???? Why??
I've been a mom now for over 13 years; why was I not informed of how hideous this place is on a Saturday afternoon? I will never be the same; I am scarred for life from yesterday's 3-hr birthday party.
Just by the look of the parking lot, I knew it was going to be bad. People fighting for parking spots, parking in the grass, etc. I'd take the Shrine Circus any and everyday over this place... The people, the kids, the crowds, the screaming, pushing, shoving, crying, and did I mention the screaming??? Okay, anyways, we survived (PTL for Tylenol & Coke Zero!) BTW, why don't they have a bar at CEC?

Other weekend happenings:

-A nice friend got my treadmill assembled yesterday - thanks!!!

-Xian is sick w/ a cold, cough, and sore throat:(:(-T is in NJ & NYC enjoying family and Lombardi's Pizza. YUMMY!!!!!

-LB taught herself to ride her bike w/o the training wheels. See the video & pic below:

VIDEO BELOW:

Edited to add these 2 weekend pix, too. LB & Mims enjoying their Sat. morn tradition, chocolate chip pancakes: