Don't they know I don't do blood??

Seriously. Talk about trial by fire! 

I just returned from my first day working as a volunteer in the school office, which happens to be right next to the nurse's office. 

So I'm sitting there, happily twiddling my thumbs, answering a few phone calls, trying to figure out the kids' schedules, signing visitors in and out, when all of a sudden a sweaty, panicky, out-of-breath, bleeding girl comes in from recess saying, "I need the nurse." 

The nurse just so happened to be on the high school campus. I called her and said, "Um, we have a bleeder" and she said, "Oh. Well, I usually just slap some Neosporin and a Band-aid on it and send them on their way." 

Ohhhhhhhkie dokie then. 

Perhaps what I *should've* said is, "We got a GUSHER" cause that is certainly more descriptive of what I was staring at at the moment. 

But, not wanting to be the big weenie that I truly am when it comes to looking at blood, I donned my plastic gloves (with the authoritative *SNAP!* of course) and got to work. Both knees, gashed, muddy, and gushing blood...  which happens to be dripping alllllllllllll the way to the ankles. Even got it on her brand new shiny white school shoes, poor kid. Lovely. And wasn't I just just the bomb, still fielding phone calls (gloves and all!) in the midst of the crisis?!

One bottle of antiseptic wash, two gloves, 18 cotton balls, four gauze pads, half a tube of Neosporin, two jumbo Band-aids and a little throw up in the back of my throat later and I had my first patient all patched up and ready to go. 

Hey, a front office secretary's gotta do what a front office secretary's gotta do!! 

Politics Schmolitics

Ask me if I care. Go ahead. I'll be honest. 

Oh how I wish I CARED. How can I make myself care? 

John just called and said everyone at the airport is all abuzz about Obama's speech last night. I missed it. We don't have TV. So yeah, I missed it... and I'm not too broken up about it either.

I am a college-educated woman who was raised in an affluent family and community. I was a Broadcast Journalism major for crying out loud! I have worked in television, radio and print news. I know voting matters. I mean, duh! I know whoever is chosen for President can and will effect my life. 

But the politics... UGH! The campaigning and mud-slinging and talktalktalking until you're blue in the face... BLECH. I trust presidential candidates about as much as I trust the homeless dude on the corner with the sign that says, "Need money to feed my children." I just think they're all blowing hot air out their rears. Don't EVEN get me started. 

After I quit working as a newspaper reporter to become a stay-home mom, I quit reading the newspaper. I think this drives John crazy because he is the type who will read ANY and EVERY paper cover to cover, word for word, day to day. I envy him. I do not share that desire. Newspapers depress me. Too much bad news. One tragic headline about a hurt/lost/kidnapped/murdered/raped/sick child puts me in a melancholy mood for the rest of the day. But that also means I don't know a whole heck of a lot about the candidates. 

Again, I wish I cared. 

Isn't it horrible???

I didn't grow up in a very political household (thank goodness!). I don't think I have a political bone in my body. My parents used to always tease that they only went to vote to negate each others' vote. We didn't spend a whole lot of time sitting around debating the issues at the dinner table. If we got started, it usually got ugly real fast. LOL! My mom and I are the bleeding heart types and my dad, well, let's just suffice it to say he's not. ;) 

We get the paper. We get "Newsweek" magazine. And I TRY to read it. I really really do! But I usually end up skipping right to the more fluffy stuff towards the back. I love Anna Quindlen but I can't STAND to read about politics. I'd rather give myself papercuts on the webbing between my toes than read about politics. 

It's horrible and sad and embarrassing, but it's true. 

But of course now I'm starting to feel panicky because the election is coming up and MY VOTE MATTERS and I WILL vote... so I need to stop whining about it and start paying attention. Do they make Cliff's Notes for this? Or a Politics for Dummies book? If so, bring it on baby!!

(If you find yourself in the same boat, I found this great article about the candidates and where they stand on the major issues. It's basic and easy to understand. I hope you find it helpful! Here's the link, which you'll have to copy and paste:) 

http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/election08/articles/2008/06/03/20080603mccainvsobama0603-CR.html

Do Nothing Day...

Do Nothing Day should be a national holiday. I think I'll write the next president about that. 

Even though my Hallmark calendar doesn't have it printed in official writing in today's block, *I* am declaring today a Do Nothing Day. 

I need it. 

I survived hosting last nights' party with 15 Cheerleaders Gone Wild and the house is clean and John is gone and the kids are gone... 

So today I'm gonna drink too much coffee. And I'm going to sit here and wonder why the sliced cheese doesn't fit across the whole piece of bread.  

I'm going to wonder why you always see photos of brand-new, sharp Crayons, but never of much-loved, well-used, stubby, peeled Crayons. Maybe I'll get out my camera and take some.

I wonder, if a cow laughed really hard, would milk come out her nose?

OH, and here's a good one I've heard before... why do men have nipples? And what WAS the best thing before sliced bread? 

Stuff like that. 

Besides doing absolutely nothing, I may go out and take some photographs of my yard. We're having a lovely "second wind" of sorts. Just when I thought everything was wilted and scorched and done for the year, we're having this sudden explosion of color and it feels fresh and new and wonderfully unexpected. 

Yup, that's it. That's my day. My very totally fabulous Do Nothing Day.

Going to go sit on my duff on the couch now and read for a bit. Can someone please pass the Bon Bons?

*Updated... took that photo! This shrub is called violet silverleaf. Ain't it purty?

Does anyone hear a sizzling sound?

I hear it. It's my BRAIN. It's on overload and I think I may have a few dead pixels in there as well. 

John and I have been trying to catch up on a gazillion things this morning. It's been a hectic summer and has been months since we've been able to have a coherent conversation with each other. 

I pretty much have something on every burner right now... and some other stuff in the microwave. You know those totally intense cooking shows where they're doing some challenge and the contestants have 14 things going at once and one thing is always getting burned, one dropped, one thrown at someone else and, well, you get the point? That is how I feel today. 

First off, look at our poor doofus dog. She had to go to the doggie doctor today to get some foreign object removed from her paw and got to come home with this lovely souvenir. She is clumsy as an ox with it and is whacking into the walls and our legs at all times. Poor little baby. Looks like a furry, grinning satellite dish.

In the meantime we are also trying to figure out:

1. How to deal with our daughter who has declared she's turned from extreme carnivore to vegetarian over night. 

2. Our daughter's 10th birthday, coming up fast and furious. 

3. Juggling cheerleading practice, football games, carpooling, swim practice, cub scouts, John's job, my job, homework, shopping, cleaning AND early Christmas shopping... among other things. 

4. Trying to plan for our "ultra super mega" (as Jasper would say) year ahead... which includes a few BIGGIES... a Caribbean cruise, trip to Ireland, trip to Kauai, summer camp and John's 40th birthday! 

5. Recarpeting the TV room and 17 other things I won't bore you with right now.

Oh... and on top of all this, I decided to volunteer to host a "Spirit Party" here tomorrow night for all the cheerleaders so we can paint posters for the home game this weekend... so far I've had about 30 people RSVP... so I guess it's really happening! HA! 

Alright... sorry for babbling too long... just wanted to give you an idea of why I don't really have a nice, tidy, easy little blog topic for today... but it felt great to get all this off my chest!! Shew! 

Oh what a wonderful feeling! Oh what a wonderful day!

Look at these shining, happy faces. :) Yup, those are the faces of children heading out for their first day of school. 

Hello Ms. Fifth Grader! FIFTH GRADER?! Wait, that can't be right. I think she must've skipped a grade in there somewhere? Perhaps they gave her the wrong class assignment. Yes, that must be it. I'm not old enough to have a FIFTH GRADER!? 
And my all-grown-up second grader who didn't even "need" me to come to his classroom with him today. I feel a bit at a loss. I mean, isn't that what mothers of little kids do? They follow them nervously into the classroom and stand around hovering with their point and shoot cameras until the teacher very politely asks them to leave? Oh yeah, wait, he's not a "little kid" anymore. 
So we had the usual school morning around here. Goes something like this: 

(Kathryn) "Mom, I NEED the PERFECT ponytail today and I HAVE to find my yellow zipper earrings."

(Jasper, from the bathroom) "Um, MOOOOOOOM? Can I flush the scorpion down the toilet?"

(Me) "John, get the dog off the rug cause she's about to puke but I can't help cause I'm frying bacon!"

Just another morning at the Murphy House. 

P.S. - Jasper didn't get to wear the ultra cool outfit I had all laid out for him for his first day cause his Cub Scout leader called and said they'd be leading the first flag raising ceremony this morning at the BRAND NEW school... big deal... newspaper reporter on hand and everything. He's excited. 

Alexander once had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day...

And so did I. 

The end. 

Warm Fuzzies

Okay, can we just take a moment to have a show of hands... be honest now... who here wanted to be Laura Ingalls when you were growing up? 

ME! ME! ME! Come on....... admit it... you're raising your hand too! 

"Little House on the Prairie" was my fa-a-a-a-a-vorite show when I was a kid. I so badly wanted my nickname to be "Half Pint." I wanted Ma and Pa to be my parents (no offense Mom and Dad... you guys weren't too shabby either!). I wanted Mrs. Beadle to be my teacher. Heck, I didn't even mind if I had to have hideous buckteeth, so long as I could wear a bonnet and sleep in a loft! 

Well, I got a brilliant idea a few weeks ago. As many of you know, we Murphys have entered a new frontier... we have NO satellite or cable TV. Nothing, nada, zilch. By choice!! But we're not total freaks. We DO watch movies. ;) 

So back to my brilliant idea. I decided to rent the old episodes of "Little House on the Prairie" to watch with my kids, starting at the very beginning. We're almost finished with season one and my kids are BEGGING for more. Tonight's episode was all about a pesky raccoon Laura was keeping as a pet... and guess what she named him? JASPER! HA HA HA HA. That MADE *my* Jasper's day! 

I can't believe how much I'm truly loving watching these shows the second time around. They're completely different (and better!) watching them as an adult. They have such yummy morals and Christian messages... there isn't a dry eye in this bed at the end of each show! Warm fuzzies all around. (And can I just say, ahem, that Charles isn't too rough on the eyes when he walks around in his suspenders and no shirt... bwahahaha!)

Remember the episode where Caroline bought material to make herself a dress, but instead stayed up all night making dresses for Mary and Laura so they'd have something nice to wear to their school open house? Oh. My. Gosh. SOBBING. I was a wreck! 

Well, certainly a lot has changed since the days of the show. But I tell you what... I am feeling moved by the show in a whole new way and although I never got to be Laura Ingalls, I *can* strive to be more like Caroline Ingalls. :) I know it's easy to snap at the kids (especially at the end of a long summer break!) but I am going to turn a new leaf and try to be more like sweet Caroline. It's a lofty goal for sure, but even if I glean just the teensiest bit of inspiration from her, it can only be a good thing. 

Now tell me, what was YOUR favorite episode? :)

On another quick note... here's something else that gave me a warm fuzzy today... SERIOUSLY??!! WOW. I had NO IDEA this many people were reading my blog! Hee hee. This is a new statcounter I installed today. It counts how many times people (NOT including me) view my blog. I had NO idea!!! You guys are the best! 

(This says I had 45 visitors yesterday and they opened my blog a total of 71 times.)

Gimme a "C" Gimme an "H" Gimme an "E-E-R"

What does it spell??? CHEER!!! And what does it mean? It means my eardrums will never be the same! Youch!

That's right... Kathryn is now an official cheerleader! Isn't it exciting? Isn't it fabulous? Isn't it, um, LOUD? Ha. This girl is serious about cheering. And she loves to practice... anytime, anywhere, and of course, as any good cheerleader would know, at the top of her lungs. I am very proud of her because she DEFINITELY has spirit... enough I think to be a real standout on the squad... well, at least where her vocal chords are concerned. This girl's got a serious set of lungs... but we have known that ever since she was a toddler. ;) We are hoping that now she can put those lungs, her spunk and endless energy to good use, cheering on the Melissa Cardinals and their 5th grade football team!! 

Go Kathryn, Go!

"Never a dull moment"

This was one of my Mom's favorite things to say when I was growing up. This, as well as, "This too shall pass" are things we heard pretty much daily. Still do. :) 

Anyway, Mom, I'm having one of those "never a dull moment" mornings. John got up at 4 a.m. to go to work, then the HELLACIOUS storm started, the power went out and then back on, making our "Adams Family" doorbell chime obnoxiously (yes, at 4:15 a.m.), then the continuous lightening and craaaaaaazy thunder started. Have you ever viciously ripped a pair of jeans? That's what the thunder sounds like this morning. THEN the phone rang... another "red alert" warning from the weather service for severe thunderstorms and flash flooding... well DUH!! 

So I finally decide I'm not going to be able to go back to sleep since the lightening is searing my retinas despite the protection of the curtains AND my eyelids. I come down to the office for a little "quiet time" before the kids get up and I'm hearing this bumping sound... look out the window, and staring me RIGHT in the face is a momma raccoon and her FIVE babies!!! They're all sopping wet and chowing down on bird food the mom knocked out of the bird feeder (so THAT is where all that food is going!). 

Yes, here in Texas, there really *is* never a dull moment. Especially where the wildlife is concerned. We've only been here 10 months and already I've come face to face with raccoons, armadillos, opossums, a Copperhead snake, a tarantula, several Brown Recluse spiders and scorpions (NOT happy about that since these were IN my house!), baby bunnies, roadrunners and the craziest assortment of ugly-ass bugs you've EVER seen!!! 

Well, the gully washer seems to be passing. Wonder if I can go back to sleep. I suppose it's worth a try. :) 

Who Knew?

Who knew you could do so many groovy things with money. I, personally, prefer to spend it. John prefers to save it and apparently Kathryn prefers to fold it into a tie and scarf for her finger people. Amazing what we Murphys do to amuse ourselves. ;)

"It's a Party!"

We just got home from a quick vacation to San Diego to visit friends and family. We are weary travelers, happy to be home, despite the stack of bills and "to do" lists awaiting us. School is a mere week away (woo hoo!) and summer is coming to a close. It's bittersweet for certain. 

But I'm writing to say, I have a new favorite memory from my darling niece, Sophie. We were up at the club pool one day, splashing around together, and just before this photo was taken, she looked at our little swimming group (consisting of her mom, me, my hubby & two kids) and declared, "It's a party!" She was just thrilled to pieces to be with everyone (and to also be the center of attention... which is exactly where she deserves to be!) It was just way too cute. The girl has a smile the size of Wisconsin. That thing is super contagious!! We all adore the bits out of her. 

Our vacation was fun and restful... lots of catching up on stories, watching Olympics (which was a treat since we still, by choice, have no television), riding bikes around the bay, swimming, hanging out on the beach and eating. My goodness we ate a lot. Good times. 

But now I'm anxious to go to bed. I believe my brain is already asleep. 

Big.

Hello from San Diego. I'm a very tired and grumpy girl, taking a break in the hotel room before we go back to the in-laws' for dinner. 4:30 came very early this morning and then I sat in front of THE MOST ANNOYING WOMAN ever in the history of the world on the airplane... it was so excruciating that I was actually praying the plane would crash and put me out of my misery. But anyway, I digress... 

I was sitting on the airplane this morning, watching Jasper play his video game. He does this funny thing with his feet while he plays. They're constantly moving. Like if he's running in the game, his feet are moving as though he's really running in real life. It's pretty funny. So I'm zoning out, staring at his feet, when something hits me like a huge brick in the face. 

Jasper is big. 

Really big. 

I'm looking at his new shiny back-to-school tennis shoes and I'm wondering how it's possible that they fit his feet. Surely they must be three sizes too big? I mean, come on, MY **baby** does not have feet THAT big!!?? How is that even possible? 

This is the kid that I carried on my hip for four years. The baby that was so soft and snuggly that he'd melt against my body so perfectly that it felt at times as though he might flow back into my body. He was tiny and chubby and angelic. He was NOT big. 

Where did he go?? When did I miss it? When did my little baby cross over into Big Kid Kingdom? 

Wow. 

I think it's harder watching your youngest, and last child get big, don't you think? Cause you know there will be no more toddlers in the house. And so you start to imagine your world when there are no more skinny sticky arms wrapped around your neck............ sigh. 

I'm not ready. Can't we slow down? Just for a bit? 

Wow. Big. Still trying to wrap my head around it. 

These are a few of my faaaaaaaavorite things...

My husband says I'm easily impressed. Not sure what that says about my choice in him, ha ha ha, but it is kinda true. I have LOTS of favorite things and I'm quite sentimental about them. I do have a few "new" favorites in my life though and thought I would share them. :) I'm feeling a little sappy about them lately. 

Topping the list this summer are my two new favorite book series, Twilight and Outlander. I just finished the fourth and last book of the Twilight series yesterday and I'm still reeling from it. I feel sad to have finished it. LOVED it. But it's okay that I'm done with Edward and Bella cause now I can get back to Jamie and Claire. Hee hee. LOVE them. They're from the Outlander series... so excited to start the second book, Dragonfly in Amber. These are good THICK books that really take you away and make you swoon....... so many books, so little time! So what's on YOUR nightstand? 

Another new favorite, thanks to my FABULOUS cousin, Holly... this yuuuuuuuummy salad recipe. Oh my gosh... RUN, do not walk, to the grocery store and buy a bag of baby spinach, some fresh raspberries, crumbled goat cheese, chopped walnuts and either spinach salad dressing or raspberry vinegarette, toss them all together and yum yum yum yum. You will NOT be disappointed! I've had this salad four times in the past 10 days and it just keeps getting better and better each time I eat it! 

Birds. Yup. Birds. Another new favorite. I lovelovelovelove that I can look out all the windows in my house and see BIRDS everywhere! We have cardinals galore, finches, blue jays, you name it. But my absolute favorites are the Painted Buntings. Have you heard of these? They are THE MOST AMAZING birds I've ever seen. They do not even seem real, but rather a fantastical creature with the most unreal colors... I looooooooooove them. We have one guy that visits the bird feeder right outside my office window quite often, and each time, he takes my breath away. 

And last but not least, meet Oscar, my cute little weather friend. I got John this digital weather system for his birthday. My dad has one and loves it. Living in Texas, you kinda become a weather junkie. So cute little Oscar (that's what they call him in the brochure) is the guy who shows you what to wear that day... how cute is he? I love checkin' in with him to see if he's got his umbrella ready or is wearing pants or his bathing suit. I just wonder what he'd look like in a tornado... don't think they put THAT mode in the program! ;) 

A little blast from the past...

I love technology. Well, when it's not misbehaving. I remember getting my first computer, shortly after Kathryn was born. My parents paid for it because I wasn't in the mood for a computer, but the adoring grandparents wanted hourly updates on the new grandbaby, so they forked over some cash and I caved. Well, that was the beginning of a beautiful relationship for me. Yeah, both with the computer AND my new baby... ha ha ha. Now I'm a total computer junkie. The joke around here is that if the house were to catch on fire, I'd grab the laptop before the children. But it's NOT true... just John razzing me. ;) 

Here's part of why I ADORE the computer... it's a time machine of sorts, allowing you to easily peruse thousands of old photos (and on my computer, that's no exaggeration... you don't EVEN want to know how many photos I have on here!) and other little gems, taking you back to some of those precious moments you shared with your toddlers, so you can see their chubby thighs and faces and hear their squeaky voices once again. I'm soooooooooo glad I have some of these videos! I absolutely treasure them. Here is Jasper, when he was about 3 years old, telling me the names of all of his Thomas the Tank Engine trains. The child was OBSESSED. But it's his VOICE that gets me... oh what a treat!!!!

ENJOY! :) 

I miss having toddlers around. And strangely enough, I kinda miss Thomas the Tank Engine, rolling along...

Awwwww!!!

Oh my goodness... wook at the cute widdle bitty baby bunnie wabbits!!! (This is apparently how you have to talk when you're in the midst of baby bunnies... because even the grown ups were talking this way.) Have you EVER seen anything more darling? I'm pretty sure you haven't. Trust me. 

Our neighbor called this evening and invited us to come have a peek at a little treasure in her yard... a small hole containing four newborn bunnies. They discovered them yesterday after a close call with the lawnmower (eeeeeek!). We have lots of bunnies around here, but this is the first time I've seen any like this. Precious! 

Our neighbor assured us it's a myth that the mother will eat her babies if she smells human scent on them... ummmmmmm, I sure hope she's right because the girls couldn't resist snuggling these little darlings. 

What a treat! 

"Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day."

Ahhhhh, such helpful advice from the late President Harry S. Truman. I'm envisioning it now. And I'll keep it in mind. But seriously, are you kidding me? Look at the forecast for today! WHOOOOAAAAA!!

I feel grumpy just LOOKING at it! The kids and I have been staying inside, at the mercy of the air-conditioning. Kathryn has mastered dollar bill origami and is plowing through the fifth Harry Potter book. Jasper has a callus on his thumb from playing so much Game Cube. I'm caught up with my housekeeping and scrapbooking... but really, come on, we're done now. We want to go out to play! Enough is enough! Is it November yet? 

Back by popular demand... "A Moment of Silence, Please"

Alright, you silly people... I've had several requests to post this email I sent out a few weeks ago. So here it is, a little double-dipping for you Buffi! ;)

Yes. My friends. It is a sad, sad day. For me, it is the beginning of the end. My dear friends, I will need your support during this difficult time. 

Here is proof. Proof of my sad day. Proof of my very first, honest-to-goodness GRAY hair! I found it on my head today. 

At first, when I saw it, I thought for sure it was just one of Roxie's hairs that somehow landed on top of my head during my shower. Strange. It must be. Yes. A simple dog hair. Same color, same length, same texture (oh Lord!)... so I took a deep breath and grabbed it and tenderly tried to remove the offensive item. But it stuck. And then it dawned on me... it was ATTACHED! 

It was not Roxie's. 

It was mine!

Oh God. 

*Yank!*

Isn't it hideous? It's so... so... SHINY! Like a beacon, screaming to the world, "I am old! And GRAY!" And it was sticking. Straight. Up. 

Yes, the beginning of the end for sure. I feel old. I think I feel tired all of a sudden. I think my left hip hurts a little. I hadn't noticed that before. Maybe I should go drink some milk. 

I can no longer be "that girl" who can honestly say, "Oh (giggle) gosh, I don't have any gray hair." She is gone. There is a new girl in town. A new, older, grayer girl. Is grayer even a word? 

I just want to thank all of you for loving me in my prime and I hope you can find it in your hearts to still love me, even as an old gray hag. We've had some good years together, haven't we? It's been fun. Thanks for the memories.