MOCHA MORNINGS

t oday's blog consists of some random, and boy do I mean random, thoughts.  aka, nothing else better to blog about... f irst, a random fact... t his morning after dropping off my 4 year old at his two day a week preschool, i went through the drive-thru at the local donut shop and got my 1 year old his donut holes and then cruised on over to sonic and got myself a vanilla diet dr. pepper.  y umtastic! s o, once back home and enjoying my delicious treat, i decide to log on to sonic's website and check out the nutritional value of this little piece of heaven i am slurping down... ... a nd was pleasantly suprised to find out that my large, diet dr. pepper with vanilla only contains 59 calories, 16 carbs and 16 grams of sugar.  so, out of curiosity i build myself a large, regular dr. pepper with vanilla and discover that it contains a whopping 305 calories with 87 carbs and 87 grams of sugar! wow ! craziness! diet all the way for me, baby! n ow, for a random thought...

a s i was uploading some pictures this morning i came across this one and had totally forgotten about taking it.  this was taken in new york when we went on vacation over thanksgiving break in 2009.  these signs were posted in various places throughout the city and i just loved them!  i think every city should enforce such a law.  the people in the town i live in are horrible about constantly honking their horns.  probably one of the first things i noticed when we moved here.  if you are sitting at a stop light and you don't floor the accelerator as soon as the light turns green the person behind you, in front of you and to the left or right of you is honking their horn to remind you that the light has turned green.  they honk at you if you are crossing the street, heck they honk at you if you even look like you are about to cross the street.  they honk at animals and at kids. and lets not forget about the occasional "get-er-done" boys driving their "get-er-done"

i t amazes me how much satisfaction i get from picking up my pen, placing it on my notepad and scratching through my to-do list. such a simple task, but such a sense of accomplishment. my to-do list is never-ending, but that is okay. my mind is running 24/7 with things that need to be done, i.e., pick up the baby's immunization record from the pediatrician, clean out my desk, take donations to food pantry, plan meals for the week, transfer clothes from washer to dryer...you get the picture. if i didn't write it all down, i don't think i would ever get anything done. funny how with all the technology and fun little gadgets we have these days to keep us organized i still get enjoyment out of writing stuff down and marking it off.

e ver have one of those days when everything and everybody gets on your nerves? well, i am having one of those days and i don't foresee it getting any better as the day goes on. over the past few days i have had three packages delivered to my house, unfortunately they don't belong to me. apparently the previous owners OF the previous owners of our house went on an amazon shopping spree, but didn't bother to change their shipping address and so now i have a stack of packages to return in the mail. we also received christmas cards addressed to this family last year, from their own family! you haven't lived here in years folks...ya might want to do an address change.

t his past week was spring break for my boys and those days were filled with spring cleaning, yard work and then a day of fun and sun in fort worth. yesterday was sunny and the weather was absolutely fabulous with a high temp of 78 degrees. a day made especially for mini golf and go-kart racing. today, our red bud tree in the front yard has bloomed and is breathtakingly beautiful, however it has been pouring down rain with temps in the high 30's. and yes, a few moments ago we saw snow flurries. seriously?? is this de ja vue of a month ago, or what? toto, I don't think we're in Texas anymore!

W ho the heck is MSU? That seems to be the question that everyone is asking after they stomped some Vanderbilt butt in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. Murray State University is located in my hometown of Murray, KY and the University that both my husband and I attended. And let me just say, this house is rockin' tonight after watching the Racers kick some booty with that much talked about winning shot at the buzzer that has advanced this Ohio Valley Conference Team to the next round. Their 31-4 record is one of the top three records in the tournament, and it is obvious that they want to win. So, all I have to say is watch out Butler, cause Murray State has obviously come to play some ball! Go Racers!

a fter waking up this morning and getting dressed i came downstairs to fix some coffee and get my bible study on and then i realized two things...it is st. patricks day and i forgot to wear something green . so, after i get loaded up with some delicious caffeine i must retreat back upstairs to change into some more appropriately festive, luck of the irish attire . t he picture to the right is a magnet i have on my fridge of my third son e t han which was taken on his first st. paddy's day , four years ago. it puts a smile on my face every time i walk past it as I remember that day and how our friends thought he was the most adorable child ever with that green wig on, which by the way he wore all day. w ishing everyone a fun, safe st. patrick's day . drink too much beer. and don't pinch or be pinched. "May your home always be too small to hold all of your friends."

I ' m almost sad to admit that as of Saturday, I am now 33. However, my 30's have by far been the best years of my life, so turning 33 has not set me into any kind of major depression or caused a mid-life crisis... YET! My husband and I were able to get away for a night to a very chic hotel in Dallas and enjoyed a fabulous afternoon and evening of apple martini's and champagne in a little cabana by the pool, did some shopping, and enjoyed a scrumptious dinner of steak and shrimp tortilla soup before retreating back outdoors for some more cuddle time by the pool and outdoor fire pits. All in all, an amazing birthday get-away and a much needed weekend of romance and relaxation. ... and isn't this just the coolest elevator door?

h ow wacky will it get? not only is that a question for this wednesday, but any day of the week in my life. i had a break down this morning and ate an apple fritter. it was crunchy , it was greasy , it was filled with warm apples and a ton of sugar and was just disgustingly delicious. and now i feel like a fat cow and expect that i probably gained at least 1 pound back out of the 19 that I have lost since January. what a bummer. anywho, i slurped down some Diet A&W with it, so those zero calories make me feel a little better. m y middle son is on his way to Austin, TX this morning with his fourth grade class to visit the state's capital, and riding on a charter bus. how whacked is that? back in the day if we went ANYWHERE from school we went on the regular, yellow school bus with no AC, windows rolled down and you only got to use the bathroom when the bus had to fill up with gas. but the way i figure it, as much as we pay in school tax around here, they should be riding c

Goal ! well...almost! my little man had his first soccer game on saturday and his first shave on sunday. he did so well at his first soccer game. for the first few minutes he looked liked he had been thrown into the lions den, not for sure what to do, but then he caught on to the whole concept and he did great. which in turn created two unbelievably ecstatic parents, one holding the video camera and the other the digital camera. then on sunday...he decided it was time to shave. and i have to say, this was the most dramatic shave i have ever seen. i think the picture says it all. boy, was he getting into it. preschool today, college tomorrow...why do they grow up so fast?

w hat makes a friend not just a friend, but a great friend....when they show up at your house on a friday morning holding two bags of donut holes for you and your two toddlers. what a nice surprise, which put a smile on my face and enough sugar in my boys' systems to ensure there won't be naps taken in this house today! however, it's friday and i'm not complaining! now, being that i am on this health kick, i will not surrender to those warm, gooey, sweet, round balls of yumminess that my kids are now scarfing down. instead i will continue on my path to the kitchen, coffee in my right hand, baby on my left hip, to fix my oatmeal and banana breakfast. TGIF .

i love coffee . and i love early tuesday mornings when everyone else is asleep and for about 30 minutes there is peace.....and quiet! i was bad this morning and didn't get up in time to go work out with the hubs, but still decided to get up and shower and enjoy this morning before this calm serenity turns into a zoo with caged animals. o n another note: as i sit, sipping my coffee with butter pecan creamer, i open my lap top, scan through the news, roll my eyes as i read the headlines of jake the bachelor and who he picked, log in to my blog and what i see, i just can't believe! i have a new follower! now, to many, well...to most, this might not be a big deal, but to me it just made my day. so, thank you dear new follower for adding some additional joy to this peaceful tuesday morning!

h aving a four year old son equals tons of hot wheels, toy airplanes, and army men scattered all over the entire house. daily i find these objects of his affection all over the house. in my cutting board drawer, in my shoes when I am hurriedly trying to rush out the door, in the microwave, the fruit bowl, and this morning, the worse place of all....the bottom of my foot! OUCH!!! i don't recommend buying airplanes with little spiky propellers and wheels if there is any chance you might step on it. besides causing extreme pain to my foot, it came close to breaking my neck as I slid across the kitchen floor!