Does she or doesn't she?

She does!
As I write this, I am sitting at the computer with very stinky hair dye soaking into my graying locks. For those of you who know me, feel free to snicker now. You've all been there for my hair boo boos this past couple of years. Who can forget the orange highlights, the "accidental" goth hair, the head wrap I had to wear to church on Sunday?

So why do I do it?
Well, it's not vanity, not really. Basically, I am 27 years old and if I didn't dye my hair it would be about 75% gray. Now, there's nothing wrong with this, if that is what you like. I don't like it. My gray hair is all crazy and frizzy. Since my hair is naturally curly, it doesn't need any frizzy help. Therefore, I dye. I know a lot of A/Ps have issues with this. Good thing I don't!

Enough about that
Tonight was the girls' night that I was so excited about. We went shopping, to Red Lobster, shopping again, and then to Manda's house to chill. Fun, fun, fun! I'm counting the days til next month. We've actually decided to have a slumber party soon. We're going to let Shelby (Chanda's daughter) and Olivia come. They can fight until they collapse.

I love you/I hate you!
Have I mentioned that Shelby and Olivia have a love/hate relationship? Olivia is 2 1/2 years older than Shelby and they love each other (in theory). They talk about each other incessently and want to be together. However...when they get together, fists fly. They are both so used to being the alpha female, they can't handle to competition. Fortunately, Chan & I are so close and have been friends for so long (and had more than a few fights ourselves), so we don't get worked up about it. I think they will eventually work it out and love each other.

Well, that's all tonight. Time to rinse the gray away!


Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

Thank God for small miracles (and mother-in-laws)

I love my mother-in-law!
Today I got my new dryer. It's a very nice Kenmore dryer from the Kenmore Elite series. It has all sorts of fancy bells and whistles and thanks to my very generous mother-in-law, it didn't cost me a penny. That's right, she called the Sears store here in Henderson and paid for it. When I went to pick it up, it was paid for!!Wouldn't take no for an answer (I didn't protest too loudly). Thank you Jesus! (and Jean)

That's not the only reason I love her
From the day I met her, my mother in law has always treated me like one of her kids. Keep in mind, when I met her I was 18, I looked 16 and her son was 31 (I wish I still looked two years younger). She surely thought that he was having an early midlife crisis. Much to her (and everyone elses' surprise), it worked out and 4 years later we married. She has always been such a great friend to me. When we found out we were expecting Olivia she was estatic, came to TN, and bought an entire nursery full of furniture. She then stocked it with every piece of bubble gum colored clothing she could find.

Did I mention that I am her only "girl"?
Or at least I was until Olivia came along. She has two sons and always wanted a daughter. She was almost 30 when she had Mike so she is getting close to 70 now, but you would never know it. She gets down in the floor and plays with Olivia for hours on end and she and I can do some all day marathon shopping trips that would tire the average 21 year old. Several times a year, she comes and stays with us from a time span of a few days up to a few months. During that time, she is the best houseguest you could ask for.

The Laundry Fairy
In fact, when she leaves, Mike and I joke that we miss the Laundry Fairy because she washes our clothes that are dirty when we are at work, irons them, and hangs them back up. It's just like having a fairy. What do we do to deserve all this? We have the ONLY grandchild and she's a darling little girl. Oh, and I call her everyday and check on her and just talk, apparently something you are not used to when you have all boys. Anyway, I've gone on about her enough, I just felt so loving towards her tonight after my great surprise.

In other news...
Have any of you guys investigated the Verizon Ringback tones. They are songs that play when someone calls you (the caller hears the song, not you). Basically, instead of hearing that mechanical ringing noise on their end, the caller hears a song. I did it last night and everyone who has called my phone has loved it! I chose James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" which is a fabulous song, if you get the edited version. The unedited version has a VERY VERY bad word in it. I hate gratituous cursing. But that's a rant for another day.

Girls Night Out
Tomorrow night, I am going out with my best friend, Chanda and her sister, Manda (who is also one of my closest friends). At least once a month, we get sitters (Chanda & I, Manda is still blissfully single) and go out to dinner and back to Manda's house to watch a movie. We always go to Manda's because she has a darling townhouse that is always clean, there are no dirty sippy cups under the couch, and no one is ever crying there. Not that Chan and I don't love our children, it's just nice to visit the other side now and then.

Quarter of a Century of Friendship
These girls have been my friends for over 25 years. Chanda and I are about the same age, Manda is 14 months younger than Chanda. We have pictures of us together when we were tiny wearing Can-Can dresses. Chanda and I talk on the phone every day. In fact, for a horrible two years she moved away and we both had to get unlimited long distance to keep from going bankrupt. Seriously, I don't have any sisters, but if I did I don't think I could love them any more than I love these girls. We have the most fun together. I realize how lucky I am to have had the same best friend for over 25 years and Chanda, if you ever read this, I love you so much!!!!

Gratitude, Smatitude
Well, tonight's entry has been all sappy, so I will leave you guys on a heartless note. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback on my Deathwatch entries (you sickos), so I thought I would share my list with you. Enjoy, you heartless vultures :)

Andrea's List of Doom 2006
Estelle Getty
Gerald Ford
Muhammad Ali
Elizabeth Taylor
Jack Palance
Charlton Heston
Mickey Rooney
Phyllis Diller
Billy Graham
Andy Griffith
Don Knotts
Fidel Castro
Don Rickles
Ariel Sharon
Michael Jackson
Ernest Gallo
Jane Wyman
Nancy Reagan
Lady Bird Johnson
Brooke Astor (famous philanthropist)

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

Death Watch is a hit!

How bizarre
Okay, I've actually gotten some positive feedback about my family's death watch list. I really anticipated negative feedback, but it looks like some of you are as twisted as we are. Well, you wanted more details, so here you go.

Official Rules
The official rules of Death Watch are as follows:
1. Each player must make 20 selections from people they think will die this year. The "candidates" must be widely known, though they don't have to be entertainment celebrities. If there is a dispute over whether someone is a celebrity, then the rest of the group votes on it. The only time there is ever a dispute is when Tim is involved :).
2. Once you've made your selections, everyone turns their lists into that year's captain (this year it's Tim). He then e-mails everyones lists to everyone else so that we can all keep score.
3. When a celebrity on your list dies, you get a point. If that celebrity was on more than one person's list, then they each get a point.
4. When someone dies, we each call each other and say "We've lost another one". That really has nothing to do with the rules, we just enjoy doing it.
5. Whomever has the most points at the end of the year wins. Obviously, the maximum number of points is 20. If there is a tie, then we have a brawl to the death. Just kidding. The prize this year is going to be a trophy with that person's name and the year engraved. We will then pass it around year to year. Does anyone know where I can get a trophy with a coffin on it?
6. Anyone who "aids" anyone on their list to their eternal journey is immediately disqualified. Also, that person will not be visited in prison until the next calendar year.

So, who's last years winner?
Actually, there was no official winner last year. Phillip, Tim, and I all had the lists saved in our computers and something or another happened to each computer, thus eliminating all proof. This year, we are printing hard copies and putting them in safe places.

So, who plays?
In our family, only us tacky ones play. This year's roster is: Tim (uncle), Phillip (uncle), Keith (my brother), Mike (hubbie), Mom, Dad, and me. My aunt Erica (sounds so weird, we're only 6 years apart in age) and my grandparents abstain. They're good people who don't delight in the demise of others.

Anyway, I hope that answers your questions. Please don't turn me in the the "tacky" police, it's genetics.

Have a great day!
Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

William Shatner does it again!

House bought with kidney money?
Just when you think that William Shatner cannot be any cheesier, he goes and one ups himself. Today, he sold a kidney stone that he passed for $25,000. The silver lining to this revolting story is that he is giving the money to Habitat for Humanity.

Wish he would buy me something...
While he's doling out the big bucks, I wish he would run to Sears with me tomorrow. My sweet, old clothes dryer gave up the ghost last night and I must go purchase a new one. I've decided to bite the bullet and buy a snazzy one. Now, I had no idea dryers were so complicated. Nor did I have any idea you could spend $1800 on one. I've decided to go with a modest dryer with a few bells and whistles...at a mere $429. Being a grown-up is so expensive. If only I had 2% of that kidney stone.

American Idol is here!!
Tonight begins the 2006 version of one of my favorite shows...American Idol. I was a little hurt at the end of last season when my boy Bo didn't win, but I've decided to give it another try. Besides, Carrie Underwood is really a talented vocalist, I really like her new song, "Jesus take the wheel".

Which leads me to an odd non-sequitor
You know those bumper stickers that say "Jesus is my co-pilot" or those billboards that say "A dam holds back water, it's not my last name. -Love, God"? Well, they bug me. I know that people are just using them as outreach tools, but God didn't say that. It seems like its trivializing (as well as misrepresenting) God. Maybe it's just me, I can be a little snotty sometimes.

And finally
I was surfing some of my husband's favorite sites today, and he has some really funny ones bookmarked. He loves bizarre news stories. Check out some of these links in your spare time. **Disclaimer**While these are news sites, they may contain controversial material, as news is sometimes controversial. The stories I read were pretty clean, but you never know. Please check with your parents if you are under 35 :)
www.newsofthewierd.com
www.obscurestore.com
www.darwinawards.com (Don't be freaked out by the name of this one. The Darwin awards are awards given to people that off themselves by doing incredibly stupid things. Thus, they are aiding "evolution" by not getting their "stupid" genes in the gene pool. It doesn't have anything to do with evolution vs. creationalism.

Anyway, you guys have a great day. I'm going to pop some popcorn and watch AI!!
Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

Federal Holidays=Good Retail Sales??

Retail Confusion
Today, I went to our local mall. This in itself is not unusual, I shop A LOT. What is unusual is that a federal holiday automatically causes a sale at your local department store. I can see before Christmas sales, even after Thanksgiving sales. But what in the world do dead presidents and civil rights activists have to do with half price foundation garments. Seriously, before long, they will have a "Freedom Sale" on 9/11.

Got great deals, though!
I'm not saying that I did not participate in the madness. I actually got some great Ralph Lauren pieces for Olivia for 50% off retail + an extra 40% off. Thank you MLK!

Seriously!
Actually, I got the opportunity to explain who Martin Luther King was to my child this weekend and I was once again refreshed by the innocence of childhood. I live in the deep South where racism is often a part of everyday life. The most "open-minded" community leaders will not think twice about making a racial slur (in a whisper, off the record). Well, I explained civil rights and inequality and the good work that MLK did in the simplist of terms to my child. She then sweetly said that it was silly for people to act that way, everyone was thesame on the inside. Now, if I can only get her through 13 years of school without being influenced by any of the rednecks around here.

You can do it, if you try hard enough
My husband and I decided before my daugther was born that we would not influence our daughter's opinions on non-spiritual matters. That means we have to shelter her a lot from racist and biased comments in the world around her. So far, she has no preconceived notions about people who look or act differently.

Sick family secret
Okay, for those who don't know us, my family has a sick sense of humor. One thing that we do at the beginning of the year is make a list of celebrities that we think will die this year. If you are offended by this, stop reading. It only gets worse. Anyway, we make a list of 20 ailing celebrities. For each celebrity that dies, you get a point. Whomever has the most points at the end of the year wins. If you think we are the only ones who are sick, check out www.deathlist.net. I finished mine tonight. I won't share the whole list, but let's just say it's going to be a bad year for the wives of Ronald Reagan if my list pans out.

Well, now that I have alienated everyone with a heart, I hope you all have a good night!


Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!