A to Z Blog Challenge - N

I am SOOOO behind in my blog readings! Please forgive me, my friends! Life, here, has been a little crazy this week! I hope to catch up soon! I also promised to write a REAL post, but I have just haven't had the time. ~ Bare with me, please!!

Letter N

Nick

The guy that broke my Ashley's heart last night!! I won't go into details. Hope you understand. Let's just say that I could ring his NECK right now for hurting my baby girl!! (Not "physically" hurting her, but emotionally.)

Noah's Ark

I used to collect Noah's Ark "things". And if any of you know what it's like to "collect" something, then you know that once other people know that you are collecting something.... THAT is what you get for gifts for every birthday and Christmas present for years to come! So.... I have MANY "Arks" around my house. I have gotten rid of quite a few, but still have plenty!

Nails

.... As in "fingernails". I do not have polished, pretty fingernails. I would rather have natural, not-too-long, nails. I am not a "foo-foo" kind of girl that has to have the long, sometimes-fake, nails. I admit that they are very pretty... on other people! I DO, however, enjoy going to the nail salon and getting a pedicure! That is sure bliss!! In the summer, my toenails are always painted!

Names

I enjoy researching the origin of "names", whether they are first or last names. It is interesting to know how they came to be.

Nasty

....As in the "nasty" weather that we had last night!! Whew!! We were under a tornado warning once around 7:30pm and then again around 3:14am! I did not get much sleep last night! So a NAP (another "N" word!) is in order... hopefully!... today!

A to Z Blog Challenge - M

Letter M

Miranda

Miranda is my youngest daughter. She will be 20 years old in May. WOW! No more teenagers! Seems like yesterday that she was running around the house with her bleached blonde hair, yelling through her pacifier.... "Mommy! Mommy!" Now, she is in college, studying to be a nurse! Unbelievable!

Mom

I have been a "MOM" now for almost 24 years. (Wow!) It is the most rewarding and challenging job that I have ever done.... and probably will do! I always knew that I wanted to be a mom someday. And I knew that I wanted to be in my 20's when I had children. I also knew that I wanted more than one child. You see... my parents were married when they were in their early 20's, but then waited 10 years before they had ME... their ONLY CHILD! My parents were always the "old" parents. My friends parents were always the "young" parents. It always bothered me. I have also always wanted a sibling. So, this is why I had my girls early, so that I could be a "young" parent! And this is why I have "two" children, and not just one. The relationship that I have with my girls is, I believe, a very good one. I enjoy hanging out with them, and I think for the most part.... they enjoy hanging out with me. I pray that our relationship only grow stronger and closer as we go down life's path. ~ My relationship with my own mother has been like a roller-coaster. It has had it's ups and downs. I honestly do not know how to describe it! I love my mom, but I think I have a lot of resentment towards her for many reasons. Because of this, I have a hard time "loving" her. It's weird and like I said... hard to explain.

Music

I love (Oops! That sure is a hard habit to break!) really enjoy music. I always have! When I was very young, my favorite singers were Olivia Newton-John and Elton John --- We're talking 1970's, here! Then, in my late teen's... my favorite's were Journey, REO Speedwagon, Rod Stewart, Genesis, John "Cougar" Mellencamp, and others in this genre. Now... I still love the artists that I grew up with, but I have added Country Music to my favorites. Some of my favorite artists now are.... Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Keith Anderson, Rascal Flatt, Miranda Lambert, and many, many more! I also enjoy several Christian groups such as... Sidewalk Profits & Casting Crowns. Truthfully... I like most all music except for Rap, and I even like a "little" bit of it!

Mall

Going to the mall to go shopping has always been a part of my life, until just the past few years. I used to really enjoy going to the mall to go shopping. That was something that I did with my mom when I was little, and then something that I did a lot of as a teenager. (Oh! The memories!! **Smile**) My girls grew up going to the mall with me, as well. Sometimes we would go for specific reasons. Other times, it was just something to do to get out of the house on a rainy day. Now, there seems to be a trend of "outdoor" shopping, instead. The malls of today are set up so that you are outside, not inside. I am ok with that. I like it. But, I do miss the days of just "cruising" the mall for no reason!

Mountains

I am more of a "beach" person than I am a "mountain" person, but I do like going to the mountains. I feel blessed to live just about half-way between the Gulf of Mexico and the the Great Smokey Mountains. We don't get up to the mountains as often as I would like to. Some of us (not me!) get car sick very easily, so a trip to the mountains is not something that everyone enjoys. It IS a memory that I have with my own parents, tho. We didn't have a lot of money, so we would take "day trips" up to the mountains and just drive around. We would stop and have a picnic at a park. The Fall of 1982 is the last memory I have of a mountain trip with my parents. My daddy died the next February.

A to Z Blog Challenge - L

I'm sure that you are wondering.... "When is she going to write a real post?"... I'm am slowly working on that! I like this blog challenge, but I also miss just "writing". I've also been busy and haven't had a whole lot of time to just sit down and "write". But, I will. I promise!

Letter L

Love

One of my very favorite words, although... I think we tend to use it a bit too much. We use it to describe how we feel about pizza and books that we read. They can not "love" us back! Actual "love", I believe, should be reserved for how we feel about someone or God. I believe that this is what God had in mind. I am extremely guilty of misusing the word "love", myself. I think I am going to try and work on that!

Learning

When I was younger, you would have never heard me say.... "I like to learn." But, as I grow older (unfortunately!) I really do enjoy learning. I enjoy reading non-fiction books that teach me things. I love (oops!) really like American History and learning more about it. I enjoy learning about other countries and their cultures. I have even grown to enjoy learning more about politics over the past few years. It's not something that I totally understand, but I know a lot more about it than I used to!

Laugh

I love (oops, again!) really enjoy hearing children laugh! Especially a good "belly laugh" from a child! It is so precious. I even enjoy a good belly laugh, myself! It feels so good to laugh like that. Too bad we don't do it more often. Hmmmm.... that is a sad thought. We really don't get to enjoy a good belly laugh all that often. You know the kind... the kind where you can't breathe because you are laughing so hard! And then your eyes start watering! And now you can see or breathe!! LOL! I honestly can't remember the last time I had a good belly laugh! I remember it, but I can't tell you "when" it was. I remember NOT being able to stop laughing! My sides and face hurt from laughing so hard! It's a pitty that I ("we" --- wouldn't you agree?) don't do that more often.

LOST

One of my favorite TV shows of all time! I watched almost every single episode! LOVED (oops!) I REALLY liked it! It wasn't what I thought it was going to be, because I am not really into science fiction too much, but I couldn't stop watching it!! It drew me in and I couldn't wait until the next week to watch the next episode! There were so many mysteries within the show. I STILL have not figured them all out! I have said for a while now that I wish the show was in "book form" so that I could READ it. I really think I would understand it better that way! I guess I should watch it on DVD and then I could back track if I wanted to figure something out.

Lipstick

This is something that I enjoy wearing. Even if it is just a little bit. I like a little bit of color on my lips! When I was in high school, the "roll on" kind of lipgloss from Maybeline was very popular! I remember it being VERY messy (and sticky!) and came in lots of flavors. It would stay in my back pocket along with my comb! LOL

A to Z Blog Chalenge - K

Letter K

Kiss

This was the first word that came to my mind! I could write a "mushy" post about kissing, but I will spare you that! Haha! Instead, I will briefly tell you about my very first kiss and also my first kiss with David. My very first kiss was from a boy guy (he was much older than me!) that I didn't even know!! It was around Halloween and I was about 13 at the time. A friend (also about 13 years old) invited me to go with her and her cousin & his girlfriend (both who were around 18-20 years old) to a well-known haunted house in the Atlanta area. I was excited! My friend's cousin (Jay, I think) came to pick us up and as he was driving out of our apartment complex.... he stopped the car so that these two guys could get IN the car! My friend acted like she didn't know anything about it, but I realized real quick that she must have known because before I knew it... she was MAKING OUT with one of the guys in the back seat, right beside me!! Eww!! The "other guy" acted like he wanted to do this with ME! I just made small talk and tried to avoid him as best I could. This continued for the rest of the night. Finally, we were about to pull back into our apartment complex when Jay stopped the car and the two guys jumped out. Before I knew it, tho.... "my guy" had planted a kiss right on my lips!! It was a strange night to say the least! ~ Mine and David's first kiss (I was almost 17 and he was 18.) was on our first date. I was giving him a tour of Stone Mountain park. We had gotten out of the car many times to walk around, but finally, when we had gotten back into the car from one of our walks, we kissed!

It was the most wonderful kiss EVER!

Kindergarten

I barely remember my Kindergarten class, but I do remember my teacher. Her name was Mrs. Patterson. She came to my house to meet me & my family before the first day of school. I remember that I was very shy and wouldn't talk to her. But, she was a very sweet, older lady. My Kindergarten was in a Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia. The only thing I remember doing in Kindergarten was using a big easel to paint. Back then, Kindergarten wasn't 5 days a week, either. It was only 2 or 3 mornings a week!

Key Chains

Ashley used to collect them when she was little. I think they were a "trendy" thing to collect at that time. She had them attached to her school backpack and she would "jingle" as she walked! LOL! David's mom even began collecting them for her and would send her some from Philadelphia, where she lived. I remember one in particular that she sent. It was a rubber saltine cracker! Too funny!

Kellogg's

Kellogg's Pop Tarts were one of my VERY FAVORITE foods as a child! I ate them for breakfast just about every morning!! I loved them!! I didn't really like the ones without the frosting. My favorites were the brown-sugar-cinnamon, the strawberry & the chocolate with the white frosting & cream (can't remember the name). I still love Pop-Tarts, but don't buy them anymore due to the fact that they aren't so "nutritional". They are more like a "treat", now. When my girls were little, I tried to get them to like Pop-tarts, but they never did. I still don't understand why! LOL!

Key hole

My grandmother lived in a home that was built around 1930. This is where my mother grew up and the house that I spent a lot of time in as a child. The doorknobs of the house were BIG and they had key holes that you could look through! The keys that fit these doors were called "skeleton keys". (I never understood why) When I was little, we would spend every Christmas there. Santa would put my gifts under the Christmas tree that was in the living room. I would get up real early in the morning and sneak to try and peek through the keyhole to see what Santa had left for me! I never could see much, but I could always tell that he had come!

A to Z Blog Challenge - J

Letter J

Jackson

He is my 8 1/2 year old Golden Retriever. He is such a sweetie! Always has been. He has never been any trouble what-so-ever! My heart saddens as I think about him getting older. We lost our first Golden at the age of 9, when his kidneys suddenly shut down. It was horrible!! I know that it is something that you have to go thru with pets, but that doesn't make it any easier!

Jerk

This is what my legs do!! They jerk. I have Restless Leg Syndrome. I am very thankful that there is medication that I can take to help calm my legs down, but I hate having to be on medication for the rest of my life. **Frown** RLS is NOT fun!! The "jerking" happens when your body is at rest. Something "misfires" in your brain, and your legs still think they are moving when they should be at rest. It is genetic. My mother has it, as well.

Japan

My heart still goes out to the people of Japan and the horrible natural disaster that they have been through and continue to deal with. 

Jelly Beans

This is one of my very favorite candies! I can not buy them, because I will eat them all! I don't really have a favorite color or flavor. I like them all! My favorite brands are Brach's & Jelly Bellies. Last Summer, when the girls and I went to Universal Studios in Florida, we went to Harry Potter World and we bought some of the "Bertie Botts Jelly Beans". In the movie... the jelly beans had flavors such as grass, black pepper and ear wax!! BLECH!!! But, the box of beans that we bought, tasted pretty normal. It was fun to try each flavor though! We had fun sitting in our hotel room trying to guess which flavor each bean was! I only had one nasty tasting one. It was a brown color. I'm still not sure what flavor it was!

Jackets

I have a "thing" for jackets. I am attracted to them in stores! I have no idea why! LOL! I don't have a whole lot of jackets, but I have quite a few!

A to Z Blog - I

David and I had a fun time on our little "escape" to Atlanta for the weekend! I'll have to write and tell you about our adventures in another post! For now.... on to letter I.

Letter I

Idol

I love watching American Idol on TV each year. My girls and I began watching it the year that Fantasia won. We weren't watching because of her, but because we knew (sort-of) Diana DiGarmo who was the runner-up to Fantasia! Diana went to the same church that we went to when we lived in Atlanta. She was in Ashley's Sunday School class and was involved in a lot of the same activities. She and Ashley were never really friends, but Ashley remembers her. We have a few pictures and videos where we "think" we see Diana, but can not prove it. Anyway.... this year's Idol show is very good!! My favorites are Scotty & Lauren, but everyone that is on the show is so extremely talented!! Any one of them could win!

Idiot

This is the word that I use to call someone when they do something stupid. It normally is never anyone that I actually "know". It is usually someone that I see on TV or when I am driving. There are so many stupid drivers out there doing some really dumb (and dangerous!) things! So, when I see them... I say... "What an idiot!" or... "You, idiot!".  Of course, they can not hear me! Thankfully!

Insects

Most of these little "buggy" creatures don't bother me. There are only a few that do, such as spiders!!!! I don't mind the little tiny ones.... but.... Ew!! I do NOT like the big ones!!! I will scream and pitch a fit if one is in my house!! I have been known to crawl up on my kitchen counter if there is one in my house and scream for someone to come and kill it! What is NOT fun is when I am home alone and one of these creepy creatures goes hurrying across my floor!! I have had to be brave and kill them myself. BLECH!!!!

Island

I love, love, love the beach!! So, escaping to an island would be WONDERFUL and has been wonderful the few times that I have been to one! Nothing beats that tropical breeze, the sun and the crystal clear, aqua blue waters!! Of course, I have to have some shade, tho! Can't handle too much sun!

Ikea

While David and I were in Atlanta this past weekend, we went to the Ikea store that is there. WOW!! What a store!! We actually got lost just trying to get inside the store!! It was very crowded, too! I think people came from all over to go shopping that day! The store has a little bit of everything. From furniture to lighting fixtures. From dishes to appliances. We had a fun time checking it out!

A to Z Blog Challenge - H

Hello my friends! Just a little reminder that tomorrow there will not be a letter for the challenge and also... David and I are escaping for a few days for a little anniversary trip this weekend! YAY!! I'll see you at the end of the weekend!!

This post will be a short & sweet one! My ESCAPE awaits me!! :)

Letter H

Heaven

I love reading about Heaven and what it might be like when I get there! I am not ready to die anytime soon, but I am not afraid TO die. I know that my life here on earth is only temporary and that Heaven is my ultimate destination.

Hearts

I love hearts! Always have. I am very attracted to anything that has a heart on it. Back when we lived in Atlanta, my decorating style was more "country" than anything else, and most things that were country had hearts on them! If you came to my house today, you would still find hearts scattered here and there, but not as many. Hearts remind me of love, and love reminds me of God's love.

Houses

Ever since I can remember... I have had a "thing" for houses! I grew up living in Apartments so I guess that is where my fascination for houses came from. I especially loved houses that had stairs!! They were like mansions to me! I also remember having a furniture catalog from the Ethan Allen store. I would spend HOURS going thru it and imagining myself living in each room! I also spent a lot of my time designing houses. I would draw them out on paper, in a notebook that I kept. When I got older, I would buy magazines that had floorplans in them. I kept them for a long time, until we moved to Columbus and then I threw them away. Now, I miss them!

Hand-Me-Downs

Growing up, I would wait each Summer for the big box of hand-me-down clothes to arrive from my cousins in Florida! My mother "made" most of my clothes, so to get this box of "store bought" clothes was a thrill for me! My girls didn't wear too many hand-me-downs when they were little. Not because I didn't want them to, but because we didn't have anyone to give us any. Ashley's best friend has been giving Ashley her hand-me-down's for years now and Ashley LOVES when her friend cleans out her closet!! Then, Miranda gets the leftovers of what Ashley doesn't want. It works out well!

Hamsters

As a child, not only did I have my Toy Fox Terrier, Penny... but, I had hamsters! I loved them! I don't remember in total how many I had, over the years. Probably 3 or 4. They either didn't live long or they would escape from their cages and then never found again! (They really are crafty little critters!) The one that I had the longest was named Queenie. She was blonde. I had her for about 3 years until she finally escaped and was never found again! I cried and cried!!! When my girls were little, we tried having hamsters. It didn't work out too well, so we said NO MORE!