Overheard: Lesson Learned

This morning over breakfast:

Son 1: "What is this cereal called?"

Me: "Cap'n Crunch"

Son 1: "Craptin' Crunch?"

Me: "Yes."

I'm back, but just to say I'm not posting.

We just returned from a rather spur-of-the-moment trip to the Dallas area for my niece's high school graduation. I'm tired.

We had a wonderful but busy Memorial Day. The $5.99 pool made its first appearance in our (shadeless!) front yard. I'm tired.

Mother's Day Out came to an end last week with a sweet school program during which I probably bruised a few other parents trying to position my camera to capture Son 1 onstage staring into space. I'm tired.

I tried really hard to reshape the poor cowboy hat in the pic below that has been residing at the bottom of the toybox since March. I'm tired.

So this post is all about not posting until I can get un-tired. Um, or until I can fake it really well. Until then, go here and realize that amazingly some people manage to walk the earth without a brain.

Wow, that was quick!

So apparently instead of posting a comment out here, all you very quiet readers went out and voted for me. Check it out!

I also got an email that said I was being sent a very "small" prize. Methinks I should make room in my cabinet for a Nightline coffee mug. And no, the email was not sent from Ted Koppel or whoever is the host these days. Rather, my theory is that "Eric" is a college intern who got the assignment back in September and it is just now getting through all the red tape that must surely be required to get a page on abcnews.com. I can hear it now:

ABC Bigwig: "We need more hits on our website."

ABC Sorta Bigwig: "I know, sir, we're having brainstorming sessions as we speak to figure out what we can do..."

ABC Bigwig: "How about a contest. People love contests. Contests are good. Look at that Idol show. Now that's a contest..."

ABC Sorta Bigwig: "Sir, that's a television show. Ours is a website."

ABC Bigwig: "Whatever. Jordin, wow, she's really good. Explain to me what beat-boxing is anyway."

ABC Sorta Bigwig: "Not-a-Bigwig just got a new intern: Eric Somebody. Maybe he can get him working on it."

ABC Bigwig: "Good, make it happen. And set me up with Paula Abdul...I hear she's single and looking."

ABC Sorta Bigwig: "Right, sir, I'm on it."


And thus, the Nightline Caption Contest is born... Thank you, fans!

Go to abcnews.com and vote for me!

The other day I posted about my friend who was a finalist in the abcnews.com photo caption contest (too bad he did not win). Well, yours truly has carved out a "bigtime" niche of her own. That's right, peoples, I'm a finalist.

So please, both of you Home Team fans go there now and vote for mine! Even if you don't think it's the funniest. Pretty please?! And if you do, leave a comment here, mmmmmm-kay?!

P.S. The caption entry has my entire true name and hometown out there, so if you know me only anonymously, vote for me and then forget you saw that and don't steal my identity or my children.

WFMW: 20 cent STYLISH greeting cards

1. Go to Michael's. Bring $9.99 plus tax.

2. Buy this.

3. Never be without a greeting card again. Need a closeup?

Here are the details:

-- There are 50 cards in the box. Those who know me know my extremely limited math skills, but I believe at $9.99 for the box, that's a mere 20 cents per card.

-- Envelopes are included.

-- The cards are textured with a matte finish. I think this makes them look "richer." Since they are from the crafty-craft store, I'm sure they can be embellished, stamped, punched, and whatever other craft wizardry you people do who have more time (and desire) on your hands than me.

-- The cards are blank inside so get thee some creativity and write your sentiment from the heart. No one ever reads the preprinted notes anyway!

-- I've not had an occasion yet that one of these cards didn't fit: birthday, graduations, new baby, etc. And there are designs that are masculine, as well.

-- If you are reading this and you receive one of these cards from me, you now know how excited I am to be sending you a card AND saving money.

For more very useful Works for Me tips, visit the WFMW queen herself at Rocks in My Dryer.

Flower Pics as Promised

This may not look like much but it is quite an accomplishment for the Home Team since we are not very landscape-inclined. I think I should have swept the sidewalk before taking this picture, but wait, what's that just in front of my husband's truck bumper?? That would be the broom, being swiped by Son 1.

These are what I'm calling my Iron Impatiens. They withstood several very unseasonable freezes when their siblings in the ground died and were thus replaced with the begonias in the picture above. Rock on II's! (And thank you Son 2 for your diligent watering!)

The Home Team's Week in Review

Guess I've been a bit of a slug this week as far as posting goes, so here's what's been going on at Home Team's house:

1. I got what I think is possibly the best haircut of my life. I won it at a silent auction at our church and "Damon" doesn't know it but I was the only bidder. I sat down in his chair and as he took the scrunchy out and my hair just sort of stayed up, he says "...oh, honey, the Lord sent you to me..." He proceeded to whack away ala Edward Scissorhands and I came away with a new hip 'do that I love. Despite the fact that he wondered aloud why all his clients have "problem hair," I will be going back to him in a few months.

2. Son 1 and Son 2 got through the week with no major injuries, but Son 2's head met with my brow which caused tears. From me.

3. My newly-planted hydrangea is still alive. This is news. I will post pics soon.

4. The scale says I lost 10 pounds! And, no, it is not broken.

5. I can't believe Melinda Doolittle isn't on AI anymore. And I got to watch about seven minutes of "The Office."

Yep, that's all the excitement here lately. Be sure to visit again for another riveting installment...

ABC News and a friend from high school

Please go here and vote for my high school friend, Russell Reid. He's a finalist in the ABC News caption contest. It's about time his wit made the bigtime (shush! Fictional captions are bigtime!).

Thanks!

Could I ask for a more devoted husband?

Last night as we walked through our neighborhood past our church, I noticed lots of cars in the parking lot. A lot for a Thursday evening, anyway:

Me: "What do you think's going on at the church?"
Hubs: "Don't know, funeral??
Me: "Either that or a wedding..."
Hubs: "Harrumph. Either way your life is over..."

The Interview Meme

My wonderful friend Chilihead has included me in the Interview Meme that I hear is going around, but since I've been rather extinct out here lately I wouldn't know. I'm taking her word for it. So here's my contribution:

1. What was your favorite outfit in 1987? The one you wore every time you could and made sure was washed for those nights out on the town?

I had an unlimited supply of shaker-knit sweaters in the mid- to late 80s so I could always fall back on one of those with my jeans and Huaraches. And I had a lavender long-sleeve shirt that had puffy sleeves, a la, Seinfeld but not as cute. Yeah, I thought I was original in that shirt, when really the reason I felt that way was because NO ONE ELSE HAD ONE. Didn’t get clued in on that mistake until about 1989.

2. Have you achieved three of your life goals?

Yes: graduated from college, married the man of my dreams, became a mom. I’m starting to let go of “...become an Olympic figure skater…” and I haven't given up on "...make money as a photographer..."

3. Do you ever fly in your dreams? If so, how do you take off ( e.g., jump, run & jump, lift up off the ground, etc.)?

I do fly in my dreams! It’s been a while; I wish I knew what life events triggered that dream because I always wake up invigorated. I tend to run and jump. Like a gazelle. A gazelle on steroids. A gazelle on steroids with the wind at his back. Oh…it’s a fun dream!

4. You have five minutes to pack up and leave. What stays and what goes?

What goes: contact case and solution, eye-makeup remover, eye glasses. Sight is an important thing to me. Son 1 and Son 2. One diaper. One sippy cup. Husband. If it is a permanent exit, husband gets to take a bottle of water and my 30-odd photo albums. Purse. ALWAYS my purse. And a cell phone charger. And my computer. And my calendar!!

What stays: who cares? As long as I have my calendar.

5. Your family is being transferred. You get to pick where you'd like to live, but it can't be in the United States. Where do you choose?

A tough one. I do not want to learn a new language. So I’m going to Mexico; when I get there they will change all their literature, signs, forms, and grocery items in the whole country to English.