The Illustrious Garden

Okay, okay. I know everyone is sick of hearing about my beloved first garden. But after hearing so much about it, don't ya' want to see what it looked like? Well, huh? Do ya'? Do ya'?

Here's the pics I took in July and meant to post way back then . . .

Aaaah . . . the corn. The corn caused me absolutely the most stress. Being the novice I was, I could not tell when it was ready and drove myself nuts over it. But I've learned for next year. Oh, and of course, I had to battle the raccoons over the corn. It was war!!!

Um . . . our basil did a little too great. It grew to three times the size you see here. It still smells so good out there. Of course, my big plans of canning homemade spaghetti sauce with it never came into fruition. And I read a day late and a dollar short that you have to harvest the leaves before it blooms. C'est la vie! Next year, next year . . .

We had eggplants out the wazoo! Too bad I had no good recipes on what to do with them. I tried one Eggplant Parmesan recipe that was a flop. Rhett ended up giving them away at work. They were just beautiful to look at though.

Our squash and zucchini took over! It did absolutely fabulous! Toward the end, we did have so much rain that powdery mildew did develop. I fought it for a while, but eventually I was like I already have a ton of this frozen and we've eaten it til we could puke. It's time to let it go. It's hard to let something in your care just die though. Next year, I think I should plant it farther apart.


Aaaah . . . the crowning glory of our garden this year. We all ate watermelon til we puked too. But it was probably the most exciting thing to me to grow. I can't believe it grew! And it was so easy 'cause we had so much rain this year. We'll probably never be able to do it again 'cause you know how we don't actually like to work in the garden or anything.

Thanks for looking!

Mama Said

Take The Shot or Not?

I am going nuts trying to decide on flu shots for this year! As soon as I decide one thing, I hear something that suggests we should do something else. I did think we would at least get the seasonal one, but now I'm reading that it is ushering in people getting the swine flu. The swine flu is already rampant in our area so we may get it before the vaccines are released anyway.

Who the heck knows what to do? I'm terrified either way! I don't trust the vaccine, but then I hear about kids and people my age dying right and left. The whole thing is so hyped up on both sides I feel insane!

After reading all the anti-swine flu vaccine stuff, I'm about ready to ditch all vaccinations. Of course, once Obama-care comes in that won't be an option. Actually, in Massachusetts ( I read) that they are trying to pass a bill that makes the swine flu vaccine mandatory! What country are we living in? Not a free one anymore.

Dazed and confused,
Mama Said

Did We Really Just Do This?

Well, yesterday was the day. We actually did IUI for the first time. (For anyone who doesn't know, IUI is artificial insemination.) The whole experience is kind of surreal from making our decision to the actual doing it. I could probably blog for days about all that. But for today, I'll just share the lighter side 'cause my hormones are so whacked out I really can't handle getting emotional.

However, I will ask for prayer that God's will be done in this situation and that whatever the outcome is that it glorifies Him. No matter how much we want another child, we want to fulfill His plan for us even more.

Man, I just got really tickled during the whole process yesterday. I mean, seriously, I was being artificially inseminated! That is just a riot to me! I never ever in a million years would have thought I would be doing that. I'm young enough that I've heard about it all my life. Heard jokes, seen movies, yada yada. But for me to actually be doing it was so weird. And it's so weird thinking okay, Rhett and I just "did it" without doing it if ya' know what I mean. We could possibly have a baby via nurses and syringes. That is whacked out!

The other highlight of the day was when I lost Rhett. Yup, totally lost him on the way to the doctor's. This was a little catastrophic in our world 'cause I couldn't do it without him--nurses and syringes or not. We have to go to a clinic in the nearby Big City. We drove separate so Rhett could go back to work after his part. (I had to wait over an hour for them to prepare his part.) Rhett had no idea where we were going because I always drive us in the Big City. So, Rhett followed me. For awhile.

Yup, totally lost him on the interstate. I noticed he kept lagging behind, but he was so far behind we couldn't both get in the slow lane either. Since he didn't catch up, I just thought well, he must be able to see me and I kept on going. When we get to the exit, I think he's behind me but he gets off on the exit right before! I am frantic! The lab was closing early yesterday and we had limited time to get this done. Plus, Rhett is one of those weird people left in the world that does not have a cell phone. I go racing around downtown Big City trying to find him. I can't. So, I call my brother-in-law who works downtown and tell him the problem. He jumps in his truck and starts circling downtown looking for Rhett. Meanwhile, I go and tell the doctor's office that I've lost my husband. Then, I go stand out on the sidewalk hoping he'll drive by and see me.

Well, my BIL and I totally wasted our time because Rhett was not behind me when I exited off. Oh, no. He had gotten on a totally different interstate when it split several miles back. Apparently, Rhett could not drive over 60 mph or his tires started getting all wobbly. Sure wish he'd told me that before he was supposed to follow me on a 70 mph interstate.

But Rhett, being the superhero he is, made it to downtown, found a random hospital, and started asking where the fertility clinic was. Of course, no one knew and each person had to ask someone else. But finally, someone got him the name of the building and the address. Then, he stood on the top level of a parking garage and pointed to the building he needed to be at and asked someone, "How do I get there?"

Right as I am convinced our chances for this month were over and that Rhett had probably gone on back to work and I'm totally P.O.ed that I had gone through taking Chlomed and spent $300 on an ultrasound the day before to see if I was ovulating, there comes Rhett walking in the distance. It was kind of like a movie 'cause I wasn't sure it was him and I started moving closer till we met in the middle in a passionate embrace. Okay, so that's not true. As soon as I got close enough to be sure it was him, I started screaming at him to hurry. I did smile at him though 'cause I was really glad to see him.

So, once again, Rhett pulled us through and saved the day and I think just maybe he might be a little more receptive to having a cell phone.
Totally lovin' my hero,
Mama Said

Z What?!?!?!?!?

Yes, ladies and gents, this is the shoe my podiatrist is recommending! The Z Coil. And, yes, I actually even went and tried it on. It was pretty comfy . . . if I could get past the fact that I'd look really, really weird and if I wouldn't get that spring hung on stuff. I can't walk through a doorway without getting my clothes hung. Every time I look at these shoes I get horrible visions of getting hung on escalator or something.

Oh, and the price. Yeah, over $200 to look freaky. But you can't put a price on pain relief I tell ya' and if I can't find something else, I will be wearing the robot shoes. They were nice and springy. Put a little bounce in my step. (Hee, hee. Okay, I'll stop.) I just for the life of me cannot figure out why they did not enclose the spring.

Limping along,
Mama Said

Truly My Child

There are so many moments throughout the day where I just stop and stare at BFG and think: "You are so just like me!"

Like today, she woke up and immediately packed a basket of stuffed animals to take with her to Publix. I asked what she wanted for breakfast and her reply was: "I don't want breakfast. I want to get to Publix so we don't miss the 'stamples'."

Yes, when you are like us, food samples take on a high priority.

Mama Said

$55 and A Backseat Attack Later . . .

So, Rocky has these weird red bumps on the top of each toe on his back paws. Even though they've been there for weeks, BFG and I make a mad dash to the vet the other morning to get'em checked out.



Now, Rocky is not the best car dog on the planet. But he was doing pretty good this round until he decided to put his front paws up in the back window and look out that way. Kind like sticking his whole upper half in the back window like he woulda got up there if he coulda.



BFG is strapped in her booster back there with him and she started telling him, "No, Rocky. Get down!" And being the genius I am, I said, "Oh, don't make him get down. He likes it. Isn't it so cute? At least he's not crying."



Okay, by the time we were done, I am sure BFG would have loved to hear him crying instead. Within two minutes of my famous last words, Rocky had scooted all the way over with his top half in the window and his bottom half on top of BFG!!!



Here's the exchange. But keep in mind, we are driving on a very curvy, pot-hole-filled, patched up, narrow, no-shoulder back road.

BFG: Aaaaaaaagh!!!!! GET OFF ME!!!!! Aaaaaagh!!!

Me (thinking): Oh my gosh! What is he doing? He's been neutered, but will he do anything? This is terrible! He is on top of her!

Me (daring to take my eyes off the road for seconds while making feeble attempts to get him down): Rocky, GET DOWN!

BFG: Aaaaaaagh! Aaaaaaaaagh! Don't put your we*nie on me!!!!! AAAAAAAAAGH!

ME: Oh my gosh!!!! What are we going to do?!?!?!?!?!? I can't get him off. I can't get him off!!! There's no where to pull over!!!

BFG(with her face smashed against the window in attempt to avoid him): Get him off me!!!

Me: Aaaaaagh!

(I can't even see her in the rearview mirror at this point because he is that big and on top of her.)

Finally, I made contact with his leash and yanked him like I have never yanked him before. He got down and never got back up there. I don't know what the heck he was doing. I don't think it was what I feared.



After it was over, Me: Oh, ha, ha, ha! Rocky wanted to sit in your lap, didn't he? And he was too big. Ha, ha, ha.



That made BFG feel better. It made me feel better when no body parts looking weird was mentioned or anything. And we got a laugh over it later. I'm sure we were a sight to see on that two-lane road. And it was by the grace of God that we did not see a single car on that road that whole way. Amazing.



Mama Said

Unexcused Absence

I don't know what my problem has been this summer. I have had very little desire to blog.

I think about it.

I've written about oh, maybe a hundred posts in my head.

Just can't seem to make it to the computer.

I'm not even sure why.

But I have a few sneaky suspicions . . .

Please excuse Mama Said from her blog for one or more of the following reasons:

A) She has been too busy chasing after her dog and keeping him out of the trashcan and from chewing up all the toilet paper.

B) She had her very first garden which somehow became quite time consuming. Although, it shouldn't have because she only weeded it about 2 days out of the whole summer. But, boy, did she sure like to look at it!

C) DVR!!! Mama Said has been catching up on a year's worth of TV since June 13 (The Day We Got TV Back). Unfortunately, she is rather addicted to TV and all she has really wanted to do this summer (after looking at her garden) is lay down in bed with a heating pad and watch TV until she pukes. BTW, Mama Said highly applauds whoever the genius is that invented DVR and fully believes she can never live without it again.

D) Facebook . . . she finally jumped on. Enough said.

Don't give up on me, ya'll! I feel a come back a-comin'!
Mama Said