I haven’t had much time lately to post.  Abbey was in the hospital a few days.  She is better now.  But, I’m still recovering from my overloaded desk at work.  I don’t think I have ever seen such a mess.  Invoices and bill were stacked to the ceiling.  I love my job.  Did y’all read that with plenty of sarcasm?

On to better things……

Y’all know I’m a huge fan of yard sales.  I am bad.  In fact if there was a support group, I would be the president.  My kids are just as bad.  Last year while camping at Virginia Beach we walked around a curve and there was a campsite covered with everything you could think of.  Abbey Beth yelled YARD SALE!  My poor mama covered Abbey’s mouth and walked a little faster.  It wasn’t until our last day that we realized those people were French.  Thank goodness!  Then last Saturday I bought Zack some Osh Kosh B’ Gosh shoes for FIFTY CENTS!  Mama asked him if I got them at Wal-Mart.  He answered with, “No, yard sale.”  Gotta love that even my little man knows the best bargains come from yard sales!

I know y’all know how to yard sale, but do you know the great tips?  You guessed it, I am sharing my knowledge today.  You have to know how to find and have the best ones!

Finding the best:

1. Get up with the chickens!  The good stuff is only there for a short time.
2. Take plenty of small bills and quarters.  Change is often scarce.
3. Read the classifieds to see what area has the most yard sales.
4. Watch for signs.  Signs that are big and neat usually have the best stuff.
5. Don’t be afraid to dig to the bottom of a stack. 
6. It’s OK to make an offer if you want all of a certain thing.  (i.e. box of books, bag of clothes, etc.)

Having the best:

1. Make your signs big, bright, and neat.
2. Get started early.  People will come before the sun comes up!
3. Have plenty of change.  Quarters and ones go fast.
4. Keep your stuff tidy.  People won’t stop if things are thrown everywhere.
5. Have some bags on hand in case people buy a lot.
6. Put like items together.  Kitchen items on one table, clothes on another, etc.
7. Price bigger items a little higher than you really want.  People will ask for lower prices.
8. Have a “freebie box”.  Include mismatched lids to bowls, plastic cups, bags of small toys, etc.
9. Greet people when they come up.  People tend to buy more if you aren’t rude early in the morning.
10. When items aren’t selling, mark them down.  Especially if it’s late in the day.

There are tons more things to remember when it comes to yard sales.  These are just a few of the ones I tend to look for and do.  Any other great tips?

Linda at 2nd Cup  hosts this meme.  I enjoyed reading all the links. Then I decided since I was getting back into my posting I’d try this one.

We had a great time in the snow.  But when you can’t feel your toes, you know it’s time to move on to something warmer.  Cold, tired, and hungry we made it back to our rooms.  We began our quest for a restaurant open on Christmas day. 

 While I searched the phone book, Jason turned on the hot tub for Tyler & Abbey.  Zack thought that was the funniest thing.  He kept running back and forth from the living room to the bathroom.  He threw all his cars in there and giggled as the bubbles covered them.  Many minutes later the kids got out and we headed to TGIF, the only place open on Christmas! 

Our waiter was the best!  He brought out a printout of every ingredient in every food.  He stood beside me helping me find something for Abbey.  Amazing!  We were so thrilled to have someone like him to wait on us!  And, yes, I emailed the company to applaud him for his great job!  When we were all full and ready to relax, we went back to our rooms. 

We changed into our swimming suits, grabbed towels, and headed to the indoor heated pool and water slides!  We went from snow to water in one day!  Abbey and I went down the slide.  When she came out she bawled!  She didn’t know it would be dark.  That was it for the slides.  Tyler wouldn’t even try!  We swam until we were shriveled like prunes. 

It was late by the time we rode the elevator to our room.  Sleep came quick for all of us.  We knew the next day would be filled with much more.

After breakfast we got dressed and drove through the mountains for a few hours.  We drove on some trails.  There we saw so many deer, turkeys , and old churches.  When the trail ended we went to downtown Gatlinburg for some shopping.  Zack slept most of the time.  Tyler and abbey oohed and aahhed at the shops lining the streets.  We took a quick break to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp.  Again, an amazing waiter. He came right out and told us the only thing she could have.  After eating we walked the streets some more.  On the way back to the Explorer we stopped at the Aquarium.  Zack loved it!  He kept saying, “Pish, Mama,  Pish!”  Abbey was scared when we walked under the sharks.  It was a little strange being under them, but amazing creatures to look at.  Tyler wasn’t too interested. 

We said goodbye to Gatlinburg for many months.  The Williams family definitely made many memories this Christmas!  I was glad we had our one “Special Christmas”.

Now that my Christmas post are over…. I can NOT wait to show y’all my bathroom remodel!

*** my found money is up to $.14! *** 

I am so frustrated!  I have been trying to upload Christmas pictures on here for weeks now.  I despise having to ask Jason for help.  He is just too smart and it makes me feel a little inferior.  HA!

Until I can post some pictures y’all get….. ready for it? …. A LIST!  Oh yeah!

1. My heart goes out to the people of Haiti!  The destruction is devastating.  I thank God for protecting me everyday.  I pray every morning for the safety of my family.  We just never know what God has in store for us. 
2. I have to to change my ring tone.  An older lady sitting in front of me has the same one!  Not good.
3. I have a gift card I have to use before February.  Guess what…. I can’t find anything to use it on.  Now if I didn’t have that gift card, I would be finding things all over the store. 
4. Some random guy just came in.  He started talking to me about school.  Then he realized we didn’t go to school together.  HA!  I love my job.
5. Zack is so smart.  He takes all his cars and lines them up side by side.  He puts them in line by colors!  He can’t tell you what color they are, but he can line them up!  Love this baby boy of mine!
6. Abbey is still grounded over the money issue.  She keeps asking how much longer.  I may just keep adding days since she’s not keeping up with it!  She acts much better when she’s grounded. 
7. Tyler is growing so fast!  This year he hits the double digits!  TEN!  Oh my!  I just can’t stand it!  My sweet baby boy!
8. I developed some pictures yesterday that were 5 years old.  AND… I have three more rolls to go!  I am so thankful for my digital camera!  No more developing film. 

OK there you have it.  Dani’s randomness until I can get my Christmas pictures uploaded!

The economy is bad.  It’s no secret.  People are cutting back.  Frugal is now a word I hear often.  Apparently my daughter did not get this memo.  Money is just paper in her cute little glitter covered pink wallet.

Last Wednesday I left work early to check on my mom.  I got home before Tyler and Abbey.  I started laundry and dinner.  Then I sat back to relax a little before the chaos of my night began.  Little did I know that the chaos would be triple that night. 

I heard the bus drop the kids off.  A few minutes later they barged through the door.  Abbey’s eyes were big.  I noticed she went straight to her room without one word.  Tyler was right behind her.  I could hear him telling her she better tell me.  When she didn’t say anything he blurted out, “Mama, Abbey gave away SIXTY dollars on the bus.”  What?  Can you repeat that?  Yeah he said it…. SIXTY dollars. 

I was beyond furious.  First, I told her NOT to take her Christmas money to school.  Second, she just GAVE it to a little girl. Third, there was no third.  I was out of my seat in three seconds flat heading to her room. 

“Abbey, why did you give your money away?  Did she ask for it?  Why did you even have it with you?  What on this Earth were you thinking?”  I bombarded her with questions.  I didn’t wait for answers. I kept trying to get a reason to her madness.  The answers finally came.  Not good ones, mind you.  Basically all I got was, “Mama, I don’t know.” 

I definitely will not win Mother of the Year in 2010!  I yelled.  I didn’t raise my voice, I flat out yelled.   She was terrified.  I couldn’t even spank her.  Jason had to because I was that mad.  I grounded her for two weeks.  And… I took all her money from her.  Even her pennies!  I put it up so she can’t find it. 

After much fussing yelling I put her in the Explorer and we searched for this little girl.  Luckily she stays with her babysitter that is only a few houses down.  I went to the door to make sure she was still there.  Then I explained the situation to the lady.  She brought the girl to the door.  I made Abbey ask for her money.  She handed her a twenty.  The babysitter asked where the rest was.  She gave forty to another little girl!  OH… I was feeling some more yelling coming on.

We get back in the Explorer.  Abbey assures me she knows exactly where this girl lives.  After knocking on two doors, I finally find her.  This little girl was not as easy as the first.  She wanted to get smart.  She told me Abbey didn’t give her money someone else did.  Finally she reluctantly handed over the other forty.

Abbey was an angel for the rest of the night.  She knew better than to push my buttons.  She even wrote on the bathroom mirror (we leave notes with dry erase markers) how sorry she was.  I felt a tiny bit bad.  No, honestly, I didn’t feel bad. At all.

Here is the question.  Did I do the right thing by getting her money back?  I just could not decide.  Maybe I should have let that be her lesson, but it didn’t seem to bother her that she no longer had money.  What would y’all have done?

Have y’all ever noticed how memories can just pop in your head for no reason?  I was sitting at work the other day and just started laughing.  Of course the guys here thought I had lost my mind.  I guess that’s part true.  I love to be reminded of childhood years, no matter how the memory comes to me.  I’m still not sure what made me think of this.

I can not remember a time when the Pound boys were not around.  There were so many of them.  Brothers and cousins.  My sister kept them when they were young.  We all went to church together.  I loved to play with them.  Brian, one of the younger cousins, was close to my age.  I would go with my brother to visit one of his friends, Hank.  Brian would be there playing with Hank’s younger brother, Ricky.  The three of us would play cops and robbers.  For some reason I was always the damsel in distress.  They would tie me up in the tree house and blindfold me.  Then one would heroically rescue me  while “fighting” the other.  It was fun…. guess I had no choice since I was the only girl in the community at the time.  This was not the memory I planned to share… see how things just pop into my head.

Travis was always around when we were younger.  I seriously think my mom tried to trade me for him.  No way I was the baby girl!  There is no way she would have done that. Is there? 

When my dad had his second leg removed he had to spend a few months in a hospital close to Memphis.  Every weekend we would visit.  This was way before the roads were four lanes.  Those of you close to this area probably can remember how curvy the roads were.  The worst part of the entire trip was the drive.  I especially hated the section of the road by “Pumpkin Hill”.  It was just one big curve after another. 

Travis always wanted to go with us.  Because, as I mentioned before he was always around, my mom would let him.  We would sit in the back seat and play cards. Go Fish, Old Maid, or any other game we could come up with to kill time.  This one time he didn’t want to play cards.  He wanted to drive.  Drive?  What?  No way my mama was letting that happen.  Wrong.  She did. 

His driver’s license were fresh in his pocket and he was ready.  I was scared.  His seat was pushed just as close to the dash as he could get it.  He sat straight as a board in the seat.  I bet if we still had that car you could see the indention his hands made from the grip he had on the steering wheel.  I’m not kidding. 

Since the highway wasn’t four-lane yet, all the eighteen wheelers had to take this same route.  This road was always busy.  There was no way to pass a slow driver on this road because of all the curves.  I kid you not, it was a scary road. 

Travis was being extremely careful. He wasn’t swerving or riding the yellow lines.  He was actually doing pretty good except he was going way under the speed limit. By way under the speed limit, I mean like 40-45!   Traffic was backed up for at least a mile.  Again, I’m not exaggerating.  My mom would tell him to speed up a little.  He’d grip the steering wheel harder and give the old car some more gas.  We’d be going good for a while then he’d start to slow down again.  When we got to “Pumpkin Hill” there was an eighteen wheeler right on our bumper.  I could see the driver’s nose hair.  He was that close.  My mom was beginning to get a little nervous.  She told him to pull over when he could to let some of the traffic pass.  A few minutes down the road he did.  I think he had all the driving he needed for that day.  He let my mom drive the rest of the way home.  I was glad.  He climbed in the back seat with me and we played our usual card games until we got home.  I promised myself I’d never ride with him again.  That didn’t happen.  The next time we went he was driving again.    I still don’t know what my mama was thinking!

I have got to get back to posting.  I really miss typing all the craziness I encounter.  I think now that school is back I’ll have plenty to post about.  Trust me… there is never a dull afternoon at my house with all the school stories.

Since I have been a bad blogger, I’m going to bombard y’all with a lot today.  I just could not choose one thing to write about today.  Not to mention that not one of these random things could merritt an entire post.  So, today you get my favorite kind of post… A LIST…  ohhhh ahhhhh applause.  I could just see Vanna White for some reason when I typed that sentence. 

• This morning we were praying on our way to school.  Tyler gets all upset because Abbey is eating her dry cereal while praying.  Then she shoots back at him that some mornings he doesn’t even pray.  They are just back and forth for a few minutes.  Then Tyler says, “Abbey, that is between me and GOD! So back off.”  I was so shocked that he would say that.  Of course Abbey was back at him with the same thing.  I’m not so sure she knew what she was saying, but hopefully one day she will.  My point… or Tyler’s point rather… Our lives with God is just that “With GOD”.  It is only ourselves that will answer to Him for what we do. 
• On a little lighter note… we then started talking about Halloween.  I know it’s early, but since I don’t spend money on costumes, I have to get an early start to making them.  I want Abbey to be a “party in a box”.  I can glitz up a box with glitter, balloons, and streamers and she could wear it.  They just hooted at that idea.  I thought it was good.  Guess it’s too “Giant Preschooler” for Abbey. 
• After a few minutes of talking about costumes Tyler asks me if I remembered the house with all the ghosts and scary stuff from last year.  I wasn’t sure so he says, “You know the one with the Ripstones.”  I’m like Ripstones?  What was he talking about.  He then explains that it was cardboard with R.I.P. on it.  I almost ran off the road.  Seriously where do they come up with this stuff?  Ripstones?  HA-HA!
• Last night we had steamed asparagus, black-eye peas, pork chops, and creamed potatoes.  This is not a joke… Abbey ate almost an entire plate of asparagus!  Then she asked for more!  That kid is going to explode!  At least she eats healthy… not that her allergies will allow anything else.
• A gigantic frog with those suction cup looking feet was on my passenger side window this morning.  Again, I almost ran off the road.  It kept moving back until it was on Tyler’s window.  He was screaming like a girl!  I rolled it down a little and that dang frog PEED on my window!  PEED!  YUCK! 
• Abbey’s room is almost finished.  Pink with brown polka dots.  It’s not what we were expecting, but it’s still cute. I’ll post some pictures as soon as her comforter set comes in.
• Finally, since I’ve bombarded y’all with a lot of nothingness…. I think it’s about time to have another giveaway.  Keep watching… I hope to have my ducks in a row by next week. 

Saturday was a long day.  I was up at 4 a.m. I left my husband and three kids sleeping the morning away.  I loaded my Explorer with my last few boxes and headed to my sister’s house.  We were having a yard sale.  Normally I’m the one stopping at yard sales, but I desperately needed to get rid of some stuff.  I did too!  $110 worth of stuff!  Yay for me!

After our long morning, I went home to dress for some school shopping with Abbey.  I was tired, but a promise shouldn’t be broken!  We shopped for hours.  She tried on so many pairs of jeans.  Abbey is so long legged and skinny, nothing fits.  It took us a while to find the right pair, but it did happen.  She was just way too cute.  I almost didn’t buy them…. I wouldn’t have had she been at the “I like boys” stage.  Thank goodness that’s not happening right now!  Anyway, we checked out.  Guess how much!  You got it… all my mornings hard work spent on my sweet little girl.  Hmm…. is that a sign?

We went home and lounged around for a bit.  I was really tired.  Zack would not lay down for a nap.  Jason was helping a friend and wouldn’t be back for a while.  I called my sister.  She insisted I come back over.  I did with little fuss!  I got there and literally was about to pass out.  We discussed what could be wrong.  Too much heat?  Too tired?  What had I ate?  ummmm…. nothing.  I didn’t have time.  Yard sale, then shopping no time in-between.  So we headed to one of my favorites.  SONIC!  LOVE THAT ICE! 

On the way out the door Abbey asked to eat in the shed.  We all hooted at her.  THE SHED??!!  HA HA!  Seems that little Miss Abbey had seen some people eating on the tables outside at Sonic.  Her word exactly, “Mama, I needed to try out the shed.  Seems everyone is doing that now days.”  ummmm another sign?

We ate at “the shed” It was fun and I felt better the minute I ate one single french fry!  No joke.   Next time you go to Sonic you have got to try out ”the shed”  It was so fun!

Our nice waitress... do you call them that?

Nep enjoys a little Diet Coke too!

 Nieca…. poor thing always has ALL the kids!

Zack learned how to drink from a straw under “the shed”, but noooo… Aunt Nene lets him stick his hand in the cup! 

Now don’t you all want to try out a nice Route 44 Diet Coke under “the shed”?

• When trying to find the perfect dress go with the first one you think looks good.  After trying on about 20 dresses, I bought the one I tried on first.  I could have cut that shopping trip down to only ten minutes instead of two hours!
• When it’s over ninety degrees outside, drive the Explorer that’s air conditioner works all the time.  Or, better yet, get the other one fixed…. ahem…. Jason…. did you get that?
• When your kids don’t like a certain brand of cereal they usually dump it in the sink.  That cereal will clog the drain beyond Draino.  Your husband will have to do a ton of work.  Then he will get frustrated and call his dad who will come over and blow some air in it or something and the sink will be fixed.  Thanks Mr. Ricky!  Your are GREAT!
• When you decide not to follow your husband’s advice you will be scolded.  Yes, even at 31 your husband can still make you feel exactly like a three year old caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
• When you decide to be Miss Mary Homemaker and do a ton of stuff at once the scolding will begin.
• When you bake pork chops, steam squash and potatoes, heat oil for fried okra,  wash/dry clothes, and run the dishwasher do not get the bright idea to melt chocolate in the microwave for chocolate covered strawberries.
• When you do all the above, you will flip the breaker for the kitchen.  Then your husband will be mad because he has told you many times not to run everything at once.  Then he will try to fix it.  He will run into many problems.  He will have to rewire half the kitchen at 8:00 p.m.  That is when the real scolding begins.

I hope you will learn from my mistakes.

Dear Young Lady Driver,

I am not usually surprised by the things I see.  In this day and age things just don’t come as a surprise to me anymore.  I’m used to seeing the stranger things.  However, what I saw you do yesterday completely shocked me and honestly appalled me!

First, I need to say I am a good driver.  I usually obey the speed limit.  I do not put mascara on when I drive.  I give my signal in plenty of time. And, I do not follow too close!  I, like the many other people in the world, can not afford any kind of traffic ticket.  So, I obey the rules.

My Grandmama gave me some amazing advice.  “Watch the other feller.”   I always follow her advice.  It’s a good thing since you obviously were not following her rule of driving.  You in your Hummer were doing the unthinkable.  TEXTING!  Yes you were!  I pulled into the lane beside you so I could take the next exit.  You were driving way too fast and using no hands!  I did a double take.  You were holding your phone with both hands.  Your thumbs were going crazy.  Texting!  Do you not realize what kind of danger you put yourself and others in.  Suppose I had swerved toward you…. you would never have seen it!  You were too busy probably gossipping about the color Suzy Q wore to the mall.  I just don’t understand. 

I want to leave you with a piece of advice.  Not everyone is “watching the other feller.”  So, put away the phone and pay attention!  I’d sure hate to see the other feller watch you go in the ditch!

Thank you.

Dani

Now, to the man I saw this morning.  I won’t even write you a letter.  I feel that your complete ignorance would not even understand a letter.  Do not drive with your dog in your lap.  Do not let said dog put his/her front paws on the steering wheel while you drive 70 down the highway.  Thank you.

Next,  to all my thousands hundred three readers my Grandmama was smart.  The other feller needs to be watched. 

That’s all.  I’m off the podium now.