Fun at Cathedral Square

**It's been a rough weekend in our little corner of the world, so I'm behind in my NaBloPoMo posting. I haven't given up, though!**

Saturday we decided to take the kids down to Cathedral Square in the downtown area. It was a beautiful November day here along the Gulf Coast so we took advantage of the weather!

Googie getting a ride on Daddy

Soupy got in on the action, too.

Googie "hugging" the light post

Soupy giving me "a look"

We had a fantastic time and will definitely head back soon. Especially with our wonderful weather (low 70's, light breeze and beautiful blue skies!).

Thought YOU Had Bad Hair Days?

Check out what I got to see when I got home from work this morning. EEK!

Googie had already been up for awhile and had breakfast (hence the remnants still on her face).

I think Googie was channeling Phil Spector!

Sunday, Monday... Happy Days!

This was a post I started back in July. I have no idea why I never actually posted it on my site. So I updated it near the end and decided to use it for today's post. Is that considered cheating?

********************************************************************

I have a problem.


My beloved and adorable daughter, Googie, has picked up some less than desirable words in her quest to conquer the English language.


A few weeks ago, we were grocery shopping. Googie was happily riding in the shopping cart. A woman was approaching us from the opposite end of the store aisle. She reached out to pick up a canned good, but dropped it on the floor.


"Damn it!"


Stunned silence from all around. And all eyes turned to the person who uttered the expletive. Here's a hint... it was not the lady who dropped the can.

Yep. You guessed it. It was MY DAUGHTER!

Of course, those who know The Hub and I probably aren't truly surprised she said such a thing. After all, I've been known to let loose a verbal string of expletives that would make a seasoned sailor blush like a virgin on her wedding night.

Sometimes I blame it on my line of work. Things can get incredibly stressful in the control room. When your entire newscast is crashing and burning before your eyes, sometimes you just need to let it out.

But since having kids, The Hub and I decided we really needed to clean up our language. But we knew we couldn't just quit cold turkey. We needed to have some transition words for those stressful situations. We tried out the darns, rats, fooeys... they just didn't fit.

Then... somehow, someway... we came up with the following list of alternatives:

1. Fonz or fonzin


2. Joanie


3. Chachi


4. Potsie

Now, it shouldn't be hard to figure out how Fonz is used.... but, just in case there are some virgins out there who are actually reading my blog on their wedding night instead of getting down and dirty... Fonz is the fill-in for Fuck.

Fonz You! Mother Fonzer! I am so Fonzin tired of this bull!

So you get the idea, right?

Joanie is the more friendly version of bitch.

Wow, Jane is being such a Joanie today. She must be seriously PMSing.

Chachi is a little more interchangeable. It doesn't have a definitive spot. I just use it was a wildcard word.

John, I can't believe you just called me a Joanie! That really hurt my feelings you fonzin' Chachi!

Potsie usually stands for Prick or Ass, or just about anything. I just like the way it sounds.

Jamie was really being a Potsie during the meeting today.

So there you have it. Some suggestions if you happen to be looking for a way to clean up your language.

********************************************************************

I'm proud to report now, 4 months later, my daughter rarely, if ever mutters a single curse word. I must be doing something right!

One in a Million (Well, 1 in 1,413,056 to be exact)

I'm a child of the 70's.

I'm a child of the 70's with probably THE most popular name of that decade.

Hello, my name is Jennifer and I am 1 in 1,413,056 . That's according to How Many of Me.

Think about that. Nearly 1.5 million people have my same first name. No wonder I was always Jennifer M. in school. I don't think I was ever in a class without at least 2 other Jennifers throughout my school years. There were a few classes where there were 5 of us!!!!

(It didn't help that I don't have a middle name. But that's a blog for another day.)

Even as an adult I can't escape the multiples of J's. In my department alone, there are 4 people, including myself, named Jennifer. Heck, there used to be 5, but she moved on to a bigger market. I will proudly say, I was the original Jennifer... well, at least in the last decade there, probably.

When the subsequent Jens got hired, I was given a nickname by some of my co-workers. Back when JLo first got popular, someone decided to dub me JRo. And so, that name has stuck, 7 years later.

So, it seems, I will never get to just be Jennifer. There are too darn many of us!

I guess it's no wonder that once I signed up for this NaBloPoMo gig, I was quickly contacted and asked if I wanted to join The Circle of Jens group. Jen Y. over at A Thousand Times No said the powerful and many Jennifers out there make up 2% of NaBloPoMo. Woot! Shout out to us all!
She gave me the idea to blog about all things Jen.

So from one Jennifer to another, thank you!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1,413,056 people named Jennifer in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

It's Beginning to Sound A Lot Like Christmas...

... and I LOVE it!

Yes, the calendar says November 6. Yes, stores have had their Christmas displays up since April. But, for the most part, I'm in heaven!

What I consider the "holiday season" (Halloween-New Years) has been my favorite time of year since I can remember. I LIVE for the chance to drive around and admire the twinkling lights strung up on homes across my hometown. And the Christmas music... oh, the Christmas music.

It honestly doesn't bother me to hear Christmas Carols when I'm just throwing out my now rotten jack-o-lanterns. I was in heaven driving to work the other night. I was scanning through the radio dial and heard the first Christmas songs of the season on Radio Delilah. Most people might recoil in horror. Not me. I turned the radio up. I sang along. I had tears in my eyes (yes, I'm a sap).

I think my love for Christmas music comes from my high school band days. Sure, we'd still be in full-blown marching season, but our band director would still have us reading through Christmas sheet music to prepare for our Christmas concert.

It wasn't odd for me to be seen carrying Halloween candy to school, along with my books and a folder filled with the flute/piccolo parts to some very familiar Christmas songs. My all time favorite was Stille Nacht by Manheim Steamroller. We even sang the "Oooooo" parts. To this day, hearing this song makes me think of high school band performances.

I guess ultimately, Christmas music, Christmas decorations... they are all emotional triggers to some very happy memories. Memories filled with childhood delight at what Santa left under the tree... of dinners with my mom and dad, grandparents, countless aunts, uncles and cousins... the smell of a warm fire mixed with the sweet aroma of a Christmas tree covered in twinkling lights and sparkling ornaments... of happiness.

I love Christmas. I love Christmas music. I can't wait to watch Googie and Soupy grow. I hope I can instill in them the feeling of family, hope and love I feel every holiday season.

Deck the halls!

Gonna go back in time!

Ok. So pretend you are in a time machine.

And we've set the date to November 1, 2007.

Wow. We're in the past. Freaky huh?

Now I can post the obligatory Halloween pics of Googie and Soupy!

It was The Hub's idea to dress Mr. Soupy up as Indiana Jones in honor of the new movie currently being filmed.

Now, obviously I'm quite biased... but I think he makes quite the handsome Indy, don't you? Maybe I should get him an agent and get in touch with Spielberg's people?

Then there was my precious little Googie. She has long been my lil' ladybug, so this costume just seemed appropriate.

After hitting about 6 houses or so, she was ready to trade in her costume for her pajamas and an evening curled up in my recliner, watching cartoons and eating chickenfriesketchup.

It didn't help that both Soupy and Googie were fighting some pretty serious colds. So Halloween wasn't the grandest of times for them this year.

NaBloPoMo- I'm doin' it!!!!

So... I'm doing it. I've got to do something to get back in the swing of things.

I keep saying it. Over. And over. And over again, I know... but I really do want to write on this blog o'mine. Heck, I have some great, unwritten posts floating around in my head. I'm not writing for lack of content. It's there. But there are only so many hours in the day.

So, to challenge myself, I'm jumping on the NaBloPoMo bandwagon. I'm even going to catch up and make posts for the November days I've missed.

Maybe by the end of the month, I'll be on top of things!

Word to Your Mutha!

Things I Hate Today

*Calling in sick for a Friday. I always feel like people don't believe that I'm really ill.

*Calling in sick late in the day (I work overnights). I went to bed Thursday morning feeling a little sniffly, but otherwise ok. I woke Thursday afternoon with fever, a throat so sore I could barely swallow or even talk and swollen lymph nodes in my neck. Calling in at 1:30pm meant my replacement (who was already well into working half his day already) had to be sent home, only to return to work at 10:30pm.

*Having a ridiculously sore throat. A throat, as mentioned above, so sore I can't really swallow or talk. I like to talk. A lot. And... well, if you don't swallow, where does the saliva go? That's right... you get drooly (or at least, I get drooly). I feel like a St. Bernard for Godsake.

Just Make It Go Away

Of all the things we should've said, That were never said.

All the things we should've done, That we never did.

All the things that you needed from me.

All the things that you wanted for me.

All the things that I should've given, But I didn't.

It's hard to believe it's been four years. And yet, it's not that hard to believe.

Four years since my Dad died.

Tonight, I'm moved to tears.

I miss him so very much.

It's not fair. Life's not fair, I know. But I shouldn't have lost my dad so soon. My dad was just two months shy of turning 51 years old when he died. Before he got the chance to watch his first granddaughter, my oldest niece (in the pics with him) grow into the beautiful young lady she is today. Before he got to see my sister's other beautiful daughter, named for him.

Before he saw my babies... my beautiful baby girl, Googie. Before he saw his grandson, who also shares his name.

I want to scream. Even now. Scream like I did the night I found out he was gone.

The pain feels as raw tonight as it did four years ago when I sat on my sister's front porch, racked with sobs.

I've wanted to write something on this sad anniversary. I've been composing it for months in my head.

But sitting here, in front of the computer tonight, all I can do is cry.

I miss his smell.

I miss his voice. Sometimes it's so hard to remember the sound of it.

I miss his laugh.

I miss his stupid jokes. He'd tell you the same joke 20 times. It never got any funnier, but that didn't matter. He was known for his sense of humor, for his pranks and his jokes.

I like to think I got my sense of humor from him.

We didn't always get along well in the last few years of his life. Sometimes I hate myself for that.
Especially around this time of year.

My dad wasn't a saint, but really who is? He was a good man. He was a good friend. He was a good dad.

I wish the pain of missing him so much would go away. I wish I could make it through this anniversary without tears... I wish I could just enjoy the warm memories...

Maybe someday.

I miss you Boudreau.

Neglect

It's a sad, sad thing to see my blog sitting here so lonely. No updating. Nothing new posted since early August.

I think of great topics every day. And yet, I don't write. I need to work on that, for me. I promise I will. Just tell Googie and Soupy to give me a moment's peace, will ya?

To make up for my horrible lack of writing... check out this gratitious pic of my cuties, ridin' in style at the grocery store.

Doh!

What happens you take The Hub, add family photos and a computer website that can turn you into a character from a popular animated series?





You get this, of course. A fine portrait of our Fam-Damily! It's pretty spot on... at least for The Hub and I.

If you'd like to see what a Simpsonized version of yourself would look like, go for it. But I wanna see, so you better share!

After all, I showed you mine!

When Good Moms... Go Bad

Or maybe a better title would be "When Good Moms Get Drunk".

This is what happens when you have to say goodbye to a friend, who moves to the other side of the country.


The two friends left behind drown their sorrows in $10 martinis and pose for photos as they lick sugar off the rim of the glass.



A left behind friend puts on a brave face in a photo with the friend who is leaving.

Another brave face from the other one left behind.

And a left behind friend tries on a pair of hooker heels in the sex shop. I'm not sayin' who that foot belongs to, though!

I did it!

Yes... I survived baking and decorating Googie's cake for her birthday party. It was a lot of work and at the end, I had to rush things to make it to her party site on time. I don't think it came out too bad, all things considered.

This was the inspiration cake, featured in Woman's Day magazine earlier this summer.

And this is how my version turned out. Obviously, I'm not a "food" photographer. I didn't have studio lighting, etc. Oh... and I'm not a professional cake artist.

Googie seemed to really like it. And I got lots of comments and compliments from the parents at the party. Even the "party attendant" at the party site asked where I bought the cake. He was surprised when he found out I made it myself.

Googie's reaction after she enjoyed some cake.

Yeah, it was worth it!

Going Out of My Mind

That has to be it. That is the explanation for the adventure I'm about to embark upon.

You see, Googie turns 2 years old this weekend. I've decided, under some kind of drug-induced stupor, surely, I will make her birthday cake. And I have no one to blame but myself for this decision. It's not like Googie made the request. Nope.

I saw this...

And decided my daughter MUST have it for her 2nd birthday cake. (Cake from Woman's Day Magazine, Tropical Cake)

I'll pause now so you can finish laughing.

.

.

.

.

.

Done yet? No??? Ok, carry on.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Surely you are done now, right? Seriously?

.

.

.

.

.

.

Ok. Who told you about my lack of artistry at cake decorating? Yes, there was that cockcake debacle. (Oh yeah, I haven't written about it... YET... Ok. I will.)

Anyhoo... so, I'm making this cake for Googie, along with a dozen or so cupcakes.

I'm nervous. REALLY nervous.

If I'm successful, I'll gleefully post photos of my confection creation.

If I'm not, I'll be sending The Hub up to Wal-Mart for a quickie cake.

I have until Thursday afternoon. We'll see what happens!

New Business Venture... or Glutton for Punishment???

So, evidently my 2 under 2, working outside of the home (and overnights to boot) and just life in general aren't enough to consume my time.

Oh, no! Sleeping an average of 4 hours a day must be too much for me. Cause I've decided, after much prodding from friends and family, to take the first steps toward a part time gig. I'm going to start offering my photography services to people. It's an idea I've thrown around before.

I've even slowly started setting up a little page for my new biz (though technically, it's not a REAL business... I mean, no business license, etc.).

You can check it out here. http://photographsandmemoriesbyjen.blogspot.com/ I'd love to see what you think!

EDIT TO ADD... Ok, so NO ONE was gonna tell me I actually wrote "consume my TEAM" in the first paragraph, instead of consume my "TIME". ROTFLMAO I'm a doofus.

Sunday Sprinkler Fun

What's better on a hot, sunny afternoon than a nice cool soak in the sprinkler?

Googie had a blast enjoying the cool water.

It WAS a little cold, which prompted some pretty funny looking faces.

She loved running in and out of the spray of water...

And cheesing for the camera.

Soupy didn't play in the sprinkler. He was chilling in his bouncy seat in the shade on the patio.

He did get hit with a little of the mist from the sprinkler. He didn't like that much.

Hence the serious look!

My budding artiste

The world may be a canvas, but for now, Googie is practicing her art on....

Herself.

She how proud she is? She did this a few weeks ago, after I left for work. The Hub realized she was quiet... too quiet... and went to investigate. She was on her bed with an ink pen she found.



She even drew on the bottom of her foot (Good gracious it's a dirty foot, too!)!

Seriously. Look at those legs! Look at that technique! The expression in the pen strokes! Ignore the bruised toenail. It's fine now, I promise!

But Googie doesn't just express herself on herself. Oh no. She likes to experiment on other canvasses.

Like the carousel rocking horse I found for her. Admittedly, the rocking horse needs a paint job... but somehow I don't think Crayola's wax medium is the right look.

I don't want to stifle her creativity, though. I'll just have to keep a close eye on her, before she decides to practice on Soupy.

Just.Can't.Do.It.

I have a to do list the length of my leg. But I just can't move.

I am battling a wicked cold and Soupy is trying to get over a wicked stomach virus. The Hub and Googie have a mild case of it.

I'm going to bed. Maybe I'll return to the Land of the Living sometime Wednesday.

Ego Booster... sort of?

So Googie is learning new words everyday. She's mastered several phrases, but her latest one... well, you'll see.

I was sitting on the bed the other night wearing a tank top sans bra. I was surfing the web on my laptop and she was bouncing around the bed like a little freak. She decided to sit behind me and fling her arms over my shoulders, in a reverse hug.

So, there we sit, Googie hanging over my shoulder as I read blogs. Evidently my tank top caught her eye. Cause she made a move for it, pulling it down to reveal my quite ample chest.

Googie: "Mommy! Boobies!"

Me: "Yes baby, Mommy's boobies."

Googie: "Boobies! HOT Boobies!"

At least someone noticed?!?!?!?! LOL