The Razorback's New Toy

Hello all,

His name is The Razorback, and he is a craigslist bartering addict. He loves to trade stuff. He traded a Mercedes Benz for an ugly, horrible, terrible truck which we nicknamed the Beast. He traded a laptop for a fiberglass boat. He has now traded the beast for a motorcyle. A 1979 Honda Goldwing to be exact. He is very excited about this trade. You ask, does he have a motorcycle license? Of course not! Has he ever driven a motorcycle? Yes, but not since 1988--just 20 years ago!

His mom is having a small coronary attack-- she has threatened his life if he has a wreck. She is also trying to get a promise of Madgette never plopping her rear end on it. Madgette will not be on it anytime soon. That much I can promise. I am a little to scared of it to let my baby get on it. Plus, the Razorback has told her he has to be 150% comfortable with driving it before he will even entertain the idea of riding her around the block.

I used a cane to get myself out the front door so I could get a look at it. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. Check it out for yourself, then leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Laid Up

Those of you who have known me for a while will not be suprised-- I have hurt myself. I wish I had a great story of great entertainment to explain what I have done. My chirporactor says it is a several mini-traumas that have gotten to me and Tuesday was the final straw. So here is the story of all the dumb things I have done to get myself in this shape.
1. Took a HUGE fall in Gallery Furniture in August. Landed on my right leg and rear end.
2. Carrying/moving boxes in my new classroom
3. Loading a small desk in the Yukon by myself (as well as a headboard and footboard)
4. Last straw- putting away the christmas yard decorations.

I was carrying a tub of lights across the front yard to the shed in back when all of a sudden my lower back began to hurt. I put the tub down and called for Richard because I could not stand up straight. He assisted me into the house, and we waited to see if it would get better. Needless to say, it did not get better. I spent the night awake in the recliner. First thing the next morning we called the best chiropractor in the entire state of TX- Dr. Bruce Guillory. He got me an appointment for later in the day and we went to see him. He asked some questions, looked at my hips/legs and showed The Razorback how out of place my hips were. When he placed his hands on my hips, his right hand was at least 6 inches higher than his left hand. My hips are majorly off kilter. Then he gave his diagnosis- it is an SI joint injury. He started treatment by hooking me up to 4 electrodes for about 20 minutes, then followed that with an ultrasound, and finally he did a very small adjustment (it was small because nothing wanted to move!). He sent me home with directions to put ice on it for 30 minutes every hour.

I also had directions to meet him at his office today so he could do another treatment even though he is normally closed on Wednesdays. (Did I mention he is the best chiropractor in TX?) Anyway, he says it will probably be at least a week before I am fully able to walk correctly and function again. I told him I m supposed to go back to work on Monday, ane he told me we would see- he could write me an excuse for work. I told him I did not want to take time off- I wanted to be fixed. He looked at me with all the tolerance a Doctor can muster, and told me that he would see me 2 more times before Monday and we would do everything we could.

So while you are praying for our little gal pal Phebs, lift up a prayer that I will be able to walk again soon without looking like a cripple and that I will be able to return to work on Monday as scheduled.

Prayer Please

I have a very good friend who could use a little prayer right now. My friend Tree, her husband, and her baby Phoebe can use all the prayer you can offer up. They are preparing physically and mentally for Phoebe to have heart surgery tomorrow. This baby is 6 months old (should only be 3 but was born early) and is lovely and very special to all of us. She cannot eat after midnight tonight, and her surgery is not until 3pm tomorrow afternoon. This will be a rough morning-those of you with children can understand. You want them to stop crying and not feel the hunger, but you know you are doing it for their own good.

Both sets of grandparents are in town to give moral support, run errands, and be helpful. I know Tree is very thankful, as are all her friends. Her friends like Momma Pug and I will back off for a couple of days and just help through prayer, then when all the family has gone home we will be there for our friend.

Please just pray for strength for them mentally and physically, for the doctors who will perform the operation, and all the other hands and lives that will touch theirs tomorrow.

We love you Phoebe!

One of Those Nights

Do you ever just have one of those nights when you can't go to sleep even though you know you have an appointment the next morning?
I have been so bad tonight that I just decided to pester The Razorback so he couldn't go to sleep either. Now we have both gotten out of bed and back on the internet. What is wrong with us? I know my alarm is set to go off in 6 hours, but I cannot make myself go to sleep! So I will sit here and surf the world wide web, perhaps read a bit and then make another attempt at going to bed.

Night, Night!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas...

Today has been a very joyful day for our family. Madgette woke up about 7:00 ready to see what Santa had delivered. She woke everyone up, and just about had a heart attack because her daddy made her wait until he could get the webcam set up before he would let her come in. We wanted to let all the Razorbacks family in Arkansas see our Chrsitmas morning. We also wanted to be able to see theirs. It was a lot of fun, except the girls kept forgetting they needed to be in front of the webcam so the other family could see them. So we could hear all the little kids talking, but not see them. It was funny!

Santa brought Madison a bike, and Julie a new digital camera. They were equally excited about what the big man brought them. While this Christmas was smaller than usual, we had just as much fun- if not more- than usual. Julie got a makeup kit which is the third picture, Madgette got some new "Hannah Montana" sparkly high top sneakers, and they both got lots of other stuff and full stockings. The first picture on the page is Madgette all decked out in her safety gear ready to give a no training wheel bike a try. She was concerned about protecting her "skuulll" (say that aloud like school- that's how it sounded)

The second picture is The Razorback getting some great daddy time in with Madgette. He was helping her to set up her DS. You probably can't tell, but he is wearing a Christmas present from his mom. A t-shirt that says "You Know You're a Razorback When..." and it has 10 reasons on the back. (There is a reason he is called "The Razorback")

This evening we ate a little dressing, some ham, cranberry sauce, and rolls until we were all stuffed. Now everything is quiet as everyone is playing their own games, or doing their own hobbies. I am pretty sure Madgette has gone to Julie's room to play, and Julie is probably playing on her computer. The Razorback has gone outside to work on restoring his boat. All is calm... at least for a little while!

From our house to yours-- MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Afternoon Excitement

This morning was very rough at our home thanks to a disturbing phone call from Chase auto finance. However, the afternoon turned out to be much better. We were able to stop and see baby Phoebe. She was so cute- and VERY expressive with that face! You should have seen her poke her lower lip out before she was ready to cry. Madgette is quite dramatic, but she can't even poke her lip out that far! We can't wait to see her again.

Another source of delight was when we give Phoebe's mom a Christmas card of our family. She told us "I will have to move that other card out of the way to put this one by Momma Pug's card." I was so honored! To think that we could be placed next to the Christmas card of Momma Pug is just amazing.

Christmas Giving

As children we are all told "it is the thought that counts" and "it is better to give than receive."

I must say that I agree with some of that, but definitely not all of it. I totally agree that it is better to give than receive. I love to give gifts to others. I like to give "happies" to my friends and co-workers to let them know how valuable they are in my life, and how much I appreciate them. I love giving Christmas gifts and I try to make sure everyone gets something. Madgette and I even packed a cute tin full of goodies for her bus driver. Ms. K (bus driver) looks out for Madgette each and every morning and gets her to school safely- what could be more important? I wanted her to know that we appreciate her. You should have seen Madgette getting on that bus and giving Ms. K her goodies. Madgette even told her she would need to share them with her son. I was cracking up! Her bus driver just laughed and said "Awww, you mean I have to share?" which Madgette loved.

However, I do not always believe that it is "the thought that counts." Now if a person is doing all they can- then I definitely believe that the thought counts. It is the people who can do and don't that really bother me. Maybe I am always broke because if I see a person that needs something and I have any money I will give it to them, or help them out however I can. There are so many people in this world who are so blessed and give nothing to anyone else.

What really blows my mind is how those same people can fool people into thinking that they are so wonderful. How can people like that keep the reputation of a golden child? The only thing I can think is that it must somehow be inter-related with the story of the prodigal son. But in the story of the prodigal son, the son realizes that he has made a mistake and comes to ask forgiveness. The golden children that I am thinking of will never ask forgiveness, or even admit that they have been disrespectful and/or dishonest.

I guess I am done rambling for this evening. Wow- this really is not what I sat down to write, but it sure is what came out!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

This weekend has been a fun one to say the least. Yesterday was our family baking day. Madgette and Julie helped to make oreo balls and rice krispie treats. We also made haystacks and oyster cracker treats. As soon as I can get rid of this headache this morning we are going to make toffee, fudge, and caramels.
My friend Janet taught me how to make all this wonderful candy, and motivated me to want to make Christmas goodies each year. After doing "baking day" with her ust one year, I knew this was something I would need to do every year. I also knew it would be something I wanted to raise Madgette to do. Madgette kept asking why we were doing this- was there a party, was I taking it to school? My only answer was that it was Christmas time and it's something fun we do.

Madgette has her children's choir performance at church tonight. She is in the kindergarten choir and the pre-k and k choir will perform first, then the 1st-4th grade choir will perform. My girl has been asked to sing the first verse of "Away in a Manger" with the 1st-4th grade choir. I am so proud, my chest might explode!

Tuesday night she has her program at school and has been given one of the speaking parts. She is playing the role of the grandmother, and her teacher says she knows her parts, and the parts of all her friends. I know she will be great- she is such a dramatic child! (Does anyone have any idea where she gets that? I can't figure it out! lol)

So, we are having a great weekend and are looking forward to the week to come. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!

Catching Up

I would like to help my 3 readers catch up on what has been going on here at the Madge...and a Half home for the last couple of weeks. So, pardon the change in subjects as we have had several big events going on in the last few bits.

The American Girl Debacle

The first big event was going to Momma Pug's house to pick up Madgette's birthday/christmas/rest of her life present. It was the long begged for and awaited American Girl Doll named Mia. Momma Pug in a stroke of creative genius decided to leave clues for our little girl to follow in order for her to find her doll. The only issue with that is that Momma Pug writes like a normal adult- not like an elementary school teacher or a computer. Seeing as Madgette is just learning to read, those are the types of writing she understands best. She had to sound out a lot of words and think pretty hard (which was the point I am sure!). She finally got to the box and you could feel the excitement flowing through that room like a cut electricity wire waving in the breeze. With the help of her Uncle and Aunt she was finally able to get to the coveted box that was located inside the shipping box. They frantically opened the doll's box and Madgette pulled the doll out, laid it down, and exclaimed "A new American Girl Catalog!" with full enthusiasm. We all here amazed--the child had completely ignored the doll she had begged us for!

As you can imagine, I was thoroughly embarassed. I wondered how I had raised a child that was that unappreciative-- I was getting upset with her, but I reminded her to tell everyone thank you. She went over to hug her aunt and uncle and her Aunt Momma pug says "I heard your momma tell you to say thank you. You guys aren't very smooth!" Madgette was beginning to realize that she had somehow messed up and came to sit beside me again. I looked at her and asked her (in a serious momma face) "You are being very rude right now. What do you think you are supposed to be doing?" to which her frank response was "be more smooth..."

That was pretty much the end of it all. Momma Pug and The Mark Up both burst into laughter and I was caught so off guard I started laughing even though I knew I shouldn't. Madgette became extremely embarassed so I composed myself moementarily to tell her the correct answer. Soon after that we left the Momma Pug National Headquarters to head home we looked in the back seat to discover that even though we had only been in the car about 2 minutes she was snuggled up to her doll sound asleep.

Thanksgiving Lunch @ School

Madgette had her Thanksgiving lunch at school on Monday, and all the family was able to attend. Thanks to my boss and team of workers, I was even able to go! Madgette was super excited to see everyone as her class came down the hall with each child dressed as an indian.

Her cousin was happy to see another school and was quite amazed by how big the school was. As soon as lunch was over we let her checkout to spend the afternoon with Mimi, Poppa, and her cousin. They had a great afternoon.




Family Picture Time!

The day before Thanksgiving I decided that since the cousins were together and had beautiful coordinating dresses that we should go have pictures taken of the girls, and have some family pictures done while we were there. So I scheduled the appointment and with the help of my mom-in-law got 2 little girls all dressed and ready. The Razorback begrudgingly accepted that he was not getting out of this duty, and Julie got herself ready in record time.


The girls looked like little princesses and we think we got one good picture where both girls weren't giving the camera completely fake smiles. This is not the picture, but I thought it was cute how they were both sharing and looked so beautiful.


You can check out ALL the pictures here at the Sears online gallery.



Julie and I got up early this morning and went to do Christmas shopping and got a couple of good deals. Nothing to really brag about this year. My in-laws had already hit the road to travel home before we got back. The definite highlight of our day today was the Arkansas-LSU game this afternoon. Need I say it again? (Of course I do!!!)

GO HOGS!!!

If it Weren't for Bad Luck...

You all know the old saying, if it weren't for bad luck we wouldn't have any luck at all. This must be the motto that is following me above my head like in the cartoons. Today the battery in the Yukon died while the Razorback was waiting in the car rider line to pick up Madgette. Needless to say, I did not get to stay and help our music teacher get decorations done for the 4th grade musical. We had to go purchase another battery with $100 we do not have.
Not to long ago, our other car drowned. Razorback traded the Benz he bought for an old, ugly truck that he is not fully confident in driving back and forth to his classes. So we are all still riding together.
There are many other issues that I will not be posting on the internet. Just know that the Madge...and a Half family would appreciate any and all prayers at this time. Specifically, strength for the Razorback to make it through school, less financial problems, and the ability to provide Christmas for 2 girls.

Geocaching

I have decided that geocaching will be a great thing for our family to do. Our group of technology specialists learned about this in a meeting this afternoon, and were able to go hunt for 2 caches. It was SO much fun!!!
Being the dork that I am, I have come home and set up my own geocaching account. I have also mapped several of the caches between the softball fields and one of our friends home. We will be stopping and hunting for several along the way. The Razorback cannot fathom why I am into this- there is no prize, it is just about the hunt. I am looking forward to tomorrow and our geocaching that I am not sure I will be able to sleep tonight!
I will update everyone later about how the rest of the family likes it.

Have a great weekend!

Renaissance Festival '08

This weekend we experienced the Texas Renaissance Festival in the big town of Plantersville, TX. Momma pug, The Mark Up, the Razorback, Madgette, Julie, and I all went together and we had a blast. Momma Pug and I completed the girls costumes in the car on the way to the festival and I thought both girls looked beautiful. (Especially since we waited until the last possible moment to complete them) Upon our arrival at the festival, we had to park on aisle 12 which had to have been 12 miles from the entrance. We trekked to the front of the park and entered the world of the renaissance. We were immediately greeted by lots and lots of boobs. I was unsure how some ladies were able to keep them from popping out the top of their dresses!
Madgette and Jiseung took no notice of this type of thing (thank goodness) but stood in awe just looking around at all the people in costumes, vendors in boothes, and all the people wandering around. We had a wonderful day, saw lots of neat things, had to sheild Madgette's eyes a few times, and had several good laughs. The one thing that sticks out in my mind about the whole event was the conversation and laughter that was had in the car during the trip to and from the festival. For another view of the festival check out Momma Pug.

Tooth Fairy

Madgette has lost her first tooth!!!
She was very scared, and cried a little, but she wanted to pull it herself rather than allow any of us to put our fingers in her mouth. I am a little concerned that her grown up tooth is already poking through and it seems like it is set back about 1/8 an inch further back than her other one.
I need some info from those of you who have already raised kids. Do the new teeth come in under the old ones, or are the supposed to come in behind them?

Anyway, the tooth fairy will be making her first stop at the Madge...and a Half home tonight!

Birthday Party

Let's just say Madgette had her best party ever. The thing that gets me is that we probably spent a lot less money on this birthday than we ever have on a party. I think she is just getting to the age where she wants to hang out with other little girls. They did American Idol on the PS2, ate cake and ice cream, opened presents, watched the new TinkerBell movie, had a pillow fight, attempted to play Rock Band, and attempted to go to sleep while watching a movie in the sunroom. They were all asleep by 10:40 p.m., but were up again by 5:15 this morning. We are just exhausted, and this is a day to try and recover.
Check out the slideshow link to see all the pictures we took.

Happy November

Cinderella lived again in the heart of one little girl this Halloween. Wednesday she attended a Halloween party at the gym where she takes Taekwondo, Thursday we had a softball game, Friday we went trick-or-treating. Saturday was an adventure all in itself. It was Madgette's birthday and she had a softball game first thing in the morning, and her team coming over for a sleepover in the p.m. Plus one of her oldest, bestest friends Sofia. The activities of the evening are a whole other blog to come later today. I just wanted to put up the pics of Cinderella during our recovery day!

Busy Week

This is one of the craziest weeks of our year. Halloween, ball games, and Madgette's birthday. Due to lack of money, our trip to the American Girl store in Dallas had to be postponed. So, we are letting her have a sleepover. She has invited all the other 8 girls on her softball team to spend the night. So, come Saturday night we will have 9 six year old little girls running around our house having the time of their lives. I am sure by Sunday we will be ready for them all to head to their respective houses, but we are all excited about the sleeover. We are determined to make Lemonade out of our lemons!

A special thanks goes out to my friend Momma Pug who whipped up this super-cute invitation in about 5 minutes. She is so creative- I am lucky to call her friend!

A day in the life

Realizations I have had this evening:

1. FYI- when you go cold turkey off your anxiety and depression medication, you can act like a donkey. You cannot control yourself and will embarass yourself. (Just in case you didn't know) I would not suggest this to anyone. Always make sure you get to the doctor before your med's run out!
2. Another news flash- insurance adjusters stink. At least the ones who are independently hired to do work during a major disaster like a hurricane. They try to get you to accept a ridiculous amount on your homeowners settlement. I mean, isn't that why we pay for insurance- so when your house is cracked and wiggly they will help pay to fix it?
3. Your child can be dressed as Clifford for school tomorrow if you buy some felt and some red fur. This will make said child extremely happy. Especially if they get to wear red sparkly pants with the furry tail.
4. Knowing your oldest, bestest friend is home safe and sound with all her babies can make a girl feel better. Even if you have not laid eyes on her, nor have plans to do so in the near future. (This lack of plans obviously needs to change!)
5. Friday can be a relief, or it can be an even more stressful day because you suddenly realize there is not even a chance that you will get all your work done before the day is over. Does anyone have a magic wand I can borrow?

Just a Little Update...

We brought the car home today and I must say that getting it off that auction lot was harder than getting a newborn baby released from the hospital!

The Razorback drove it back to my school district to pick up the girls while I headed to an after school meeting. The family all met me when my meeting was over because the Razorback had night class and we had to swap off kids and unfortunately-cars. I did not want him driving a strange possibly dangerous car home at 10 pm. I have had enough middle of the night calls asking to get picked up. Therefore, I got to drive the newly acquired prize home.

I can honestly say I was scared. The gas pedal was really tight, and when it did take off it laid you back in the seat. Right until it started shaking! I have come to the conclusion that I will not be back in that car until it has seen a mechanic and all of it's problems diagnosed. After all the major problems are fixed, I think I will stick with my lovely, safe, strong, high off the ground, Yukon!

The 100 Year Flood

As usual, there is lots of excitement here at Madge and a Half. Last Wednesday night our little suburb of Houston received 8 inches of rain in an hour and a half. Madgette had PraiseKids practice at church during this little rain. By the time we headed home, we passed several stalled vehicles and Julie says "It's like we a motor-boat!" because the roads were flooding. I was getting a little concerned (even in my Yukon) when we turned on our street. By the time we got to the stop sign about 100 feet from our house, I knew we were in trouble. The entire street was flooded and our neighbor's trash can was floating down the middle of the street.

I really love my Yukon and did not want to kill it, so I parked us in the elementary school parking lot across the street (which is higher than the street). Julie, Madgette and I had to wade across the street to get into our home! We put Madgette in the middle and Julie and I each held a hand. The water was at least 3 feet deep, and it was still raining- we finally made it to our front door and laughed so hard we almost fell down. A few hours later we looked outside and the water was all gone. So we made it home safe and sound.



EXCEPT... that the Razorback was in his Wednesday night class, and being the wonderful student that he is, he had his cellphone ringer off so I could not let him know what was going on with the roads. He left class about 9 p.m. headed home and discovered that parts of Beltway 8 were flooded but not yet closed. By the time he realized that the water was to deep for him to go through, it was too late. He was trying to pull off the road and into the new NTB (National Tire and Battery) when his camry died. He had the front end out of the water, but the trunk was floating! The wonderful employees at NTB pulled his car out of the water and into the parking lot. They also rescued as many people as they could from stalled cars. I am so grateful to this store and their employees- they stayed open ALL NIGHT with all the stranded drivers, let them watch TV, made them coffee, and even made the trek about a quarter of a mile across a muddy field to pick up pizzas for all the stranded drivers. If you live in the Humble area, please give the new NTB on the Beltway your business- they deserve it! Anyway, about 5 a.m. the Razorback calls to tell me he was able to get out and catch a ride with an off duty police officer to a local Wal-mart. I got up, woke Julie to let her know what was going on, and went to pick him up.



The insurance company has totaled the car, which has made the Razorback very sad- he loved his Toyota Camry. Needless to say, we have been looking for an inexpensive car all weekend. We decided the best thing we could do was to pay cash for a little junker run around town car for him to drive back and forth to class. We really didn't need the car payment and it was a burden anyway. So this may have been a blessing in disguise.



Today we went to a public auto auction. We went early so we could examine the cars and make a list of the ones we thought we could afford. We picked out a Toyota Avalon, and a couple other cars. We sat there for about 3 hours before any of the cars we were interested in drove onto the auction block. The Avalon was driven in, and we were quickly outbid. The same thing happened with the other cars on our list. I was very discouraged and began reading a book. The Razorback was getting a little desperate so I look up and he is bidding on this black car that was not on our list. It turns out that we did not look at it earlier because someone had written "SOLD" on the windshield. Well dear readers, the Razorback did purchase this little black car for $850. By the time we added all the buyer premiums, and other fees the total came to $1600. I am looking at him asking, "What did you just buy?" to which his response was "Honey, we now own a Benz."



What a hoot! We have bought a car without checking the engine and inspecting it thoroughly. So we have either made a good buy, or the worst mistake of our life. All I can hope is that it will stick together for about a year until he finishes school. The entire purchase price of this car is about the equivalent of 4 months car payment on the camry- and we will not owe anything on it.

So here is a hip, hip, hooray for the one hundred year flood and the thought of being rid of some debt!



Below is a picture the Razorback found like the car we have bought. It is the same style, model, and color. Ours is just missing the little Benz hood ornament... hmmm, do I see a stocking stuffer for the Razorback in our future?

Hurricane Pics

There have been several blogs that I have posted since Hurricane Ike blew onto the Texas coast last month. I finally have enough time to show you all what we experienced. The first picture is of my local HEB (grocery store) when they reopened on generator power. We were just glad to be able to get out even if there was not anything cold to eat.


The second picture is of the HUGE tree that was down at the end of our street. Unfortunately, it was located on private property and the electric company would not touch it. Therefore, our side of the street was without power for many, many days. The homeowners stayed out of town due to the wife being ill- I mean who would want to sit in the Texas heat especially if you were sick. Make sure you notice the full size trampoline that has been crushed underneath it.

The next 2 pictures are of our house. Julie is showing the world our mailbox that was in the middle of our yard. We promptly replaced it with a pretty one. We also had several branches
down in the front yard. The next door neighbors told us that the city had come through before we came home and pulled the huge limbs out of the yard and chopped them up. What good luck for us!

A Night Out

Tonight I had to fulfill a little payback for The Razorback. He has helped work on my student council's homecoming float and it was wonderful. He made arrangements for me to sing with a live band at a local western dance pub. So we got the girls fed, and Madgette tucked into bed before we took off. I must admit I was a little excited, and a little nervous.
Upon arrival we made ourselves at home and got adjusted to the place. The evening wore on, and The Razorback and I finally decided to hit the dance floor and do a two-step. This may have been the biggest mistake in our evening. Obviously, once you step on the dance floor you become available to everyone. I was asked to dance by a short little man, and I looked straight at my husband who I assumed would say No. To my suprise he told me to go ahead, and the short little man escorted me onto the dance floor before I knew what had happened.
As many of you know, I was married at 19 so I have only danced with my husband (except the mandatory high school dances). Needless to say, I was VERY uncomfortable. I saw my husband get up and come out to the dance floor and I breathed a sigh of relief. I just knew he was coming to rescue me by cutting in. I then received my second suprise of the evening-- he was dancing with another woman!!!
Fast forward another hour- I am on the stage singing a little Patsy Cline and the lady he had danced with earlier comes over and wraps her arm around my hubby to inquire if he is alone. He tells her "No, I am here with my wife. She is the one on the stage singing." Can you believe that she continued to question him? She acted suprised that he was with me-the big fat girl. After all of this, we found out that the guy who had asked me to dance was her brother. He was getting me out of the way for his sister.

Oh yes, another entertaining and sad note- I overheard 2 ladies talking in the bathroom. One says to the other "Yeah, I am working on number 5- I need a new babies daddy." It was almost all I could do not to fall off the toilet and convulse into laughter. Then a stroke of sadness came over me as I thought about that baby and the type of inconsistent home life that child must have.
During another restroom trip, I hear one lady say to another "Betty-Lou you said you had to get away from them kids- why you keep calling 'em?" Of course this made me think of Madgette who I do not like to leave. If we cannot do things as a family, we do not do them. I felt bad for that child also. This is the point in the evening where I knew it was time to go home. Maybe I am becoming an old lady but I believe in the old saying "Dance with the one that brung ya" and that your children should be the first priority in your life. I discovered I like my nights at home with my daughter and husband. These are the days of my life, and the ones I love- not the ones where I go out in public and get humiliated.

Update

Hello

My dear friend at Nana Notes posted a twitter asking about our well being. What a great friend! So here we go- we currently have electricity, and running water. The Razorback restored our internet tonight (Go Razorback!!!) but we still have no cable. That is ok, my wonderful hubby went out today and bought an antenna to mount outside the house and it works very well. It even picks up high def. channels and we don't have a monthly fee!!! That will save us a little over $100 per month. HURRAY!

The insurance adjuster is supposed to be here tomorrow. I am actually glad it has taken him a while to get to us. It has given us time to notice all the things about the house that have changed. The Razorback noticed today a 2 inch crack that is zig-zagging up one of the brick walls on the side of the house. We thought that only our sunroom had shifted- now we are thinking that maybe some other damage was done that we did not realize.

I guess to sum it all up, life is glorious again. We are back in the swing of school, softball, tennis team (Julie's activity), and taekwondo. Oh yes, and children's choir at church. The Razorback is going to school full time, and I am overloading my plate as usual which makes me happy. I am glad to have friends, two beautiful children, a fulfilling career, and an amazing husband. Life just doesn't get much better than this!

HUZZA, HUZZA, The Internet has Risen again!

Due to our desperation with the lack of internet, my hubby (The Razorback) has decided to make some changes to our internet, phone, and cable service. Comcast has still not fixed any of these things for us, so he has decided to switch. He has gone with a local company that happens to be right down the street from us. So tonight he has finished installing the modem and we now have wireless internet in our home again.
Julie (the foreign exchange student) is so happy all she can do is smile and type. She has been watching her skype messenger like a hawk for the first sign that her mom or dad in South Korea have logged in. None of them have logged in yet, but she is just happy to be able to get on the internet. I am just as thrilled- I cannot lie!

Tonight Madgette tested for her next level of belt in Taekwondo. She was finally able to kick and break the board on the 3rd try. Now she is an orange belt. She is very very happy. I am just thinking that no one should pick on her at school! BTW, if anyone is interested we are selling raffle tickets for $3 a ticket, and we are selling something else as a fundraiser for her elementary school. If anyone is interested in helping her we would greatly appreciate it!

Internet Addiction

Hi, my name is Madge. I have an addiction to the internet.

Since the lovely hurrican Ike graced the Texas coast last month we have not had phone, internet, or cable TV. Comcast has not seen fit to repair the line that serves our street, even though our street is the only street in Humble, TX that has not been restored. However, through this trial I have discovered a few things.
1. I do not care if I have a home phone. I have not really even noticed we did not have it excet for the few times our exchange student has needed to use my cell to call family. Most anyone who does not have my cell phone number, it not anyone I wish to talk with.
2. Cable is huge to our family. We have gone through a major depression as a family by not being able to see the season premiers of our favorite show's. The other day Momma Pug was visiting and made fun of the fact that we have become Public television station junkies because it is all we have!
3. I cannot live without internet. Seriously!!! We have logged tremendous numbers of hours in places like Burger King, and Barnes and Nobles just to get internet access. I mean come on, I am an instructional technology specialist. I am supposed to be teaching my students how to utilize technology-- this usually requires the use of technology and I use technology and the internet to create all my lesson plans! At this moment I am sitting on the floor of the "Wines and Spirits" aisle at Barnes and Nobles typing this. I am located here because my battery died when I was sitting in the comfy chair so I had to find an outlet.

I have missed my online banking, my daily blogs I read and numerous other things.
Well, I hope someone out there understands all these ramblings...

What Would We Do Without Friends?

I honestly do not know what we would have done without our friends the Conleys through the fallout of Hurricane Ike. They opened their doors and extra bedrooms to us with an open heart. We were able to be in a comfortable home and do whatever we needed to do. This trip also gave us a chance to visit with some of the hubby's family. Madgette spent the night with her cousin and they had an absolute blast!
Julie has learned a lot about the Arkansas Razorbacks, and a little more about our family. She has taken tons of pictures in the Conley family pool and hot tub. We have joked that this is the Conley resort and spa, but I am so appreciative for them. We are planning on heading back to Houston tomorrow morning bright and early. I just hope that someday we can be there for them when they need a hand. Thanks Conley's!!!

Hurricane Fatigue

I heard this phrase announced this week as our journalists were discussing how the general population of Houston is experiencing "hurricane fatigue." I would agree- I am tired of preparing for hurricanes. However, this time I was a little scared. So we decided to evacuate after much deliberation. We left our home in Humble, TX and headed North to our former hometown of Conway, AR. We pulled out at 8:15 p.m. with 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1 kitten, 2 kids and all of their supplies. Madgette slept through the entire trip and is raring to go this morning. Julie slept through some of the trip and is rested. The Razorback drove almost the entire trip (he even took over when I attempted to drive and then failed) so he has slept a lot this morning.
The evacuation experience has left me with a new definition of "hurricane fatigue." Perhaps it should be added to Webster's dictionary: the complete exhaustion that ensues after evacuating from a hurricane; symptoms include headache, sore throat, puffy eyes, and general grumpiness from lack of sleep.

Any thoughts?

This time of year

First Day of School

This time of year can be hard for parents and kids alike. As I have already shared Madgette left the nest this week to begin kindergarten. Not just a normal kindergarten, but a dual language one. Her homeroom teacher is the Spanish part of the duo- so she has spoken to them in mostly Spanish this week. According to Madgette she has not understood most of what her teacher has said this week. She is only able to tell us about what the other teachers in the building have told her. However, she loves her teacher and has complete faith that she will be learning Spanish. I have already noticed that she has mastered some Spanish formal greeting elements that she did not have a week ago.

Madgette was able to stay on green every day this week and was rewarded by a trip into the much coveted treasure box. She was able to secure herself a completely glittered orange pencil and some M&M's. That made all the effort of being obedient and quiet worth it.

Julie has had her own totally different struggles this week. After the first day of school I am pretty sure she thought she had made a major mistake by coming here. She was a little sad by the lack of friends, and thought several of her classes were way to easy. We have jumped through the hoops and gotten 2 of her classes changed, and she has made more and more friends every day. The first update I get every afternoon when I ask how her day has been is that she "made more friends." I am very happy for her, and will be glad when she gets settled into a routine.

Thursday some boy walked up to her, tapped her on the shoulder, handed her a note and walked away. When she opened it she was very suprised- it was a love note! Complete with illustrations, and a phone number for her to call. Luckily, she told her sister about it first and her sister told her NOT to call them. I was able to reinforce what her big sister told her.

So this weekend Julie has gone to spend the night with some friends from our church youth group, and Madgette has gotten us all to herself for the first time in several weeks. However, we do have some very sad news to report- 2 of the kittens have passed away this weekend. The other 2 are eating and doing very well.

Nerves

Does anyone else find it hard to believe that my baby is old enough to start kindergarten? I am struggling with my professional knowledge that her teachers are well trained individuals who specialize in 5 year old children, and my mother side that says she is my baby and that I can't let her go.

I know we have to do this, and I am glad I have a full teaching load so I will be distracted all day. What if she doesn't know what they are asking her to do when they speak to her in Spanish? There are so many "what if's" that make me nervous. I know I have done everything I can to get her ready for this milestone, so I guess that is why she is perfectly happy and excited about her big day. That is probably why I am nervous and she is OK.

Pray for us this week-

Update

So here is a quick update on the going-ons around the Madge and half home.

The little kittens are eating quite regularly, and a getting the hang of eating from a bottle. The one we have named "big mouth" might be the first one evicted from the kitten sibling box. All the kittens will be sound asleep, and big mouth will start meowing. Within moments he will awaken all his siblings. We might have our own version of Big Brother soon!

Julie and Madgette have spent a little to much time together this week since I have gone back to work. They are acting like real sisters- fussing and then playing together. We took Madgette to kindergarten orientation tonight and she got to see her classroom and meet her teacher. Fun, fun! We have to go this weekend and finish her school supply shopping.

The Razorback will also start back to school on Monday. So Monday our entire family will be starting a new school year in one way or another, so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Our latest fiasco

Tonight we came home from dinner with our good friends Momma Pug, The Aggie, Catfish, and Phruitz to an unusual sound in our shed. It was the sound of one very hungry kitten, and the silence of three other kittens who were to weak to make much noise.

We gathered them all up and then made a Wal-Mart run to pick up kitten formula and rushed back home. We attempted to feed them all. Julie and I had the most luck getting some of the kittens to eat. We have named one of them "Big Mouth" which is the noisy little guy who alerted us to their presence. Julie has named the black kitten "Hug" because she/he/it loves to cuddle. The other two remain nameless for the time being.

Did I mention their mom died 2 days ago? She joined our family because she jumped into my engine and rode home with me almost a year ago- but she never did let us touch her- just let us feed her. She always stayed at least 3 feet away from us at all times. We knew she was dead when we were able to walk right up to her. We had not told Madgette about the death in hopes that we could just avoid the topic all together. So guess what other conversation we were lucky enough to have tonight?

Now I feel like we will be awake every few hours bottle feeding little babies. Wish us strength and luck- I think they are going to need it!

Shopping on Tax Free Weekend

We decided to go shopping for Julie's school clothes today, since it was tax-free weekend in Texas. After 2 stores we had gotten everything she needed and her backpack. She was not real enthused with dress code clothes and I cannot say that I blame her since she is a teenager.

I think she was a little shocked at how much we spent to get 5 days worth of dress code clothes so we only have to wash once a week. She said it "cost lots of money" to which my reply was "Welcome to American back to school shopping"

This evening the Razorback cooked us some baked chicken breasts, mac & cheese, and a corn and butter bean mix. Poor Julie, all she would eat was the baked chicken breast. We have gone to the game closet and picked out several games. We have played Zingo which is an educational reading type of Bingo, Connect Four, and are getting ready to begin Monopoly. Julie loves to play games, which fits right into our family!

We are just having a wonderful weekend, spending time together and getting to know each other better. We are broke as all get out, but truly blessed, and extremely happy. Life just doesn't get much better than this!

A Day in the Life of an American Newcomer

Well folks, we are live from the great city of Houston, TX tonight with an update on Foreign Exchange 08-09. She arrived Sunday, and after many trips on the underground train and some horrible directions from airport staff we finally found her. Julie (names have been changed to protect the innocent) was exhausted but excited about being in the U.S.A. (can we blame her?) and Madgette was equally as excited to meet her "big sister."
We came home, she unpacked, and we ate an early dinner. The poor thing went to bed at 5 pm much to the dismay of Madgette who at her young age was quick to point out that it was still daylight. In her book that means we do not go to bed. Julie slept until 8 am this morning, and was still tired. We went out to lunch with my colleagues then one of my newest great friends, Tree, met us at the high school where I was supposed to be doing some training. She gave Julie the grand tour and showed her where all the things of importance were located. I think it was all a bit overwhelming for our exchange student who went back to the home of our friend Tree and took a nap.
Upon my arrival Madgette was quick to volunteer for the job of waking her slumbering big sister. After a quick update on the baby (which was all good) we headed towards home. Both girls slept all the way home, then came in and Julie went back to bed. We let her sleep for another 30 minutes and then woke her up to go to Taekwondo. After class was over, we made our thrice weekly trip next door to the Goodwill and I made my greatest discovery yet. I found a Gail Pittman pasta bowl in my pattern for $3.99. Those of you who are from Mississippi will understand the greatness of this find. For those of you not from MS, let me clue you in. This bowl was created, hand signed and originally at least $40. It was in perfect condition! Woo-hoo!

This evening we have watched a movie and both girls have had showers, hugs, and been sent off or tucked in bed. Now I guess it is time to clean up, and head to bed myself. Another successful day behind us!

A few pictures...

Dancing with Mr. G was worth some "knucks"

Proud parents and a happy kid

Nothin' like hanging with your cousin...

Anxiously awaiting school shots

No longer excited after getting five of them!

Yes, ice cream does help you recover-

Best friends ready for a little baseball

Let's go Astros!!!

Every good band needs a vocalist :-)

Waiting for instructions from the Master- note the white belt

"I really got it?" The Razorback was happy to tie her yellow belt!


Look Mom- it's the board I broke with my hand! By the way, my hand REALLY hurts.

I just wanted to share a few of our summer pictures. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do, and be sure to leave us a comment!

Storm News

It would appear that we are about to have our first experience with a tropical storm named Edouard. Our cars are gased, water purchased, bathtub filled, and snacks ready. I have never been through a storm of this caliber, so I am a little anxious. The Razorback has an unhealthy attachment to "The Weather Channel" and Madgette just wants him to change the channel. At five you get really bored with bad weather-or in our house maybe it is just a girl thing.

The meterologist says we will get the worst part of the wind and rain in Houston because we are to the right side of the projected path. Great. This glorious storm is suposed to hit us about lunchtime. On the bright side, at least it won't be 110 degrees here tomorrow! I will be sure to keep you posted to what happens to the Madge...and a Half family.

Kindergarten...Here She Comes!

Today was a momentous day for our family. Kindergarten registration! We arrived at her school this morning to be greeted by a huge line. We stood surrounded by families of other pre-k and kindergarten children- most of whom spoke Spanish as their native language. We waited in all the lines, filled out all the paperwork, and succeeded in registering this small young lady.

This event has reminded me of how outgoing she is. Madgette has never met a stranger- (wonder where she gets that?) and will start a conversation with anyone she sees. While most of the little hispanic girls were staying close to their mothers and being shy, Madgette would walk right over to them and greet them with a very cheerful "Hola!"

How is it that she is old enough to start public school? She was just being born the other day- broken leg, messed up neck, crooked fingers, and all. The Razorback and I are very, very blessed to have a healthy, vibrant, intelligent daughter. She amazes us on a daily basis with something she does or says. Is she spoiled? Maybe. Is she loved? Tremendously and without a doubt!!!

Can we all say "Bad day"

So yesterday we were in a big furniture store in Houston and I slipped and fell. I didn't break anything, but I have messed up all the muscles in my leg and foot. I am wearing one of those big beautiful boots. The doctor wanted me to do crutches which I am not steady enough to do. So then she prescribed me a walker. Yes, you read it correctly-a walker. What am I? 80?
I am hurting and not feeling that great today.

Then we had to take Madison to the doctor to get all her final immunizations before kindergarten. They decided to stick her finger to test her for anemia, and she did not like that at all. She wined about it. When the nurse came in she had 5 bandaids hanging on her scrub top so I knew we were in trouble. I must admit, she was a very skilled and speedy nurse. This was obviously not her first rodeo. Madison took her first shot with an "ow!" and a little wine. By the time the second shot was given, she was done. She was twisting and screaming that she didn't want anymore shots. At this point her dad had to hold her still. I was trying to sooth her, and the nurse moved to the other side and administered 3 more shots with lightening speed. (She did say the last 2 burned going in)

Madison was screaming crying, and I once again realized what a set of lungs she has. Her daddy almost lost an eardrum in the process. By the time we left the office Madison had a coupon for a free ice cream sundae from Culvers, as well as one High School Musical sticker and 2 HSM tattoos. She felt a lot better after she got her ice cream.

The Razorback needed to go to his shipping store before we all went home. So he goes in the store and Madison and I stayed in the car so I could stay off my foot. I thought after about half an hour that he had gotten lost in the 200 square feet this establishment offered. By the time he came out, I discovered that one of his sound systems he had shipped to a school had been completely smashed while being delivered. Great. A $400 system now unusable.

After we finally got home I got online to check my bank account. DirecTV had wihdrawn $100 from my account. Here is the kicker--we do not have service with them, and have not had service with them in about 5 years! HOW did they get my account number?! I called them and they have no idea. They did not seem to believe me that I had not loaned my debit card to anyone else. I mean, I think I would remember loaning someone my debit card-especially if they are going to use $100 off of it.
So I am frustrated. I have to go to the bank and fill out a fraud form. So much for staying off my foot. The bank cannot fax me a copy, and they will not refund my money until an investigation has been done. Now my account is overdrawn and there is seemingly nothing I can do except fill out a form and wait. AAAHHHH!!!!!!

And guess what--the day is not over yet!!

Off to the bank we go- oh wait, I have to put my boot back on!

What's Under YOUR Bed?

LadyBelle and her boyfriend "Duece"

As a child I was always scared there was a monster under my bed. My monster hated reading, so he was out to get me because I read every night before I went to sleep. As an adult, I no longer have that fear (thank goodness!) but I have the fear of what a 8 month old puppy can carry under the bed and destroy.

Ladybelle- the cutest female toy schnauzer on the planet fears nothing. She also has no qualms about chewing up something that belongs to her parents or big sister. Today I decided to clean the master bedroom and bath and Madison volunteered to help. In an effort to do an excellent job we pushed, pulled and wrangled the mattress and boxsprings off the bed te reveal the mess below.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!

Ladybelle had chewed up flip-flops, a magic wand, several rawhide bones, pens, pencils, dixie cups, and anything else she could wrap her furry little mouth around.

It sure is a good thing that she is cute! I am currently taking a break after getting the underside of the bed cleaned out and then put back together. So I guess I will sign off for now and go finish my bedroom cleaning project.

Lazy Monday

After the Sunday of craziness at Momma pug's house, we all got in bed a little after midnight last night. Needless to say we all slept in this morning. The Razorback has already become frustrated with his employment this morning, and Madgette and I cannot get motivated to get out of our pajamas.

I should be cleaning the house to prepare for the upcoming arrival of the foreign exchange student. She emailed me this morning to tell us that she thinks she found a flight about 6 days earlier which would be great. We would actually be able to get her settled before I go back on contract for this school year.

The phone is ringing, my Dad is calling. Gotta Go!

Welcome to my page

Hi, I am Madge. And I am here to tell you like it is.