Church Sign...

Dear Pastor,

Perhaps you should consider the thoughts that church goers and passersby will have when they read your sign. I'm really not trying to be funny, but this was my first thought when I read the sign....

You mean it's not Tony Danza??

Twilight Zone...

I just finished the last book in the "Twilight" series.









Haven't heard of it? You are missing out. Trust me. My "Team Edward" t-shirt is in the mail.


The first book in the "Twilight" series is "Twilight" and it has already been released on film. I saw the movie on opening night after already finishing the first book. The movie was very true to the book, possibly a little over-acted and over-dramatized in a few places vs. the erotic subtlety of the novel...but all in all, very entertaining!

And then there's Robert Pattinson...




What.

Oh! sorry, I was daydreaming.

They couldn't have cast anyone more perfect, sexy and vampire-y to play Edward. He's completely mesmerizing to the point where you barely notice the slew of other attractive men in the cast.

I know what you're thinking: I've got "Obsessive Cullen Disorder", blah blah blah.




If you haven't read the books or even seen the movie...go ahead, drink the kool-aid, I dare you!

This & That Thursday Tale...

My good friend Emily has requested that I write about another "Betsy-ism" (words that I mispronounce or interpret differently than they should be pronounced or interpreted) that occurred when we worked together at Bucket Media. And so Emily, this one's for you:

Q & B

As a member of the local chamber, we (Bucket Media) were invited to the QMB's (Quarterly Membership Breakfast). I LOVED going to these kind of community events because it's a great way to socialize and meet new people! QMB's were not new to me, I had been going for years! One day while Emily and I were at the office (it happened to be the day before the QMB) I asked Emily:

"Hey Em, are you going to the Q & B tomorrow morning?"

(did you catch that? Q & B??)

Emily: "Ummmm....the what?"

Me: "The Q and B!"

Emily: "What's that?"

Me: "What do you mean what's that? The Questions and Breakfast for the chamber! Duh!!"

Emily (after picking herself up off the floor from laughing hysterically): "Well, I don't know about that, but I AM going to the QUARTERLY MEMBERSHIP BREAKFAST!"

Me: "Whatever."

And so, there you have your story Emily. Everyone now knows that for years I thought people were saying "Q and B" rather than "QMB." And by the way...they do ask questions at these breakfasts so my interpretation made total sense!

*Hey Em...tune in next Thursday and I'll tell about Facsimile! (wink, wink)

It's All About Me, Again....

You know those "chain" emails you get where you answer hundreds of random questions like, "what is the first thought in your head when you wake up in the morning?" I LOVE those emails!! When my friends forward their answers to me after filling them out themselves they always put my name after the question, "who will be the first to fill this out?"

Today, I received one of those "chain" emails, except it wasn't a questionnaire, it asked me to list ten weird things about myself. Um, okay...but I would like to change the title....

10 Weird Eccentric Things About Me:

1. I purposely keep snack bags open so chips and cheese curls go stale. Mmmmm, stale snacks!

2. I hold my breath while crossing bridges (it gets tricky on really long bridges). I really believe that if I hold my breath I will make it across safely. Ditto for when I pass cemeteries!

3. I sometimes eat mayonnaise on my pancakes.

4. When I can't sleep at night I lay awake and think up escape routes out of my house in case something bad happens.

5. I don't let my arms or legs hang over the bed because I am convinced that there are goblins under my bed waiting to feast on my extremities (I imagine them playing cards while waiting for my arm to flop over the side of the bed).

6. I associate celebrities with everyone I know or meet (it helps me remember names). For example, I associate my friend Kara with Barbie (okay, so Barbie isn't really a celebrity per say) and my friend Amy I associate with Courtney Cox. Do you know Warren Krech? I associate him with Dick Van Dyke.

7. My clothes are hung in my closet first by article of clothing and then by color. So, when you open my closet you would see black pants, blue pants, khaki pants, stripe pants, ect. Long sleeve blouses that are solids, long sleeve blouses that are patterns, and so on and so on.

8. I will not eat jello, yogurt, pudding, bananas or custard...anything with mushy texture. GROSS!

9. I suck all the salt off of peanuts and then I spit the peanut out.

10. I vacuum all the rugs in my house every night before I go to bed.

What are some of your "eccentric" qualities?

Ode to Aunt Tan....

(This is not a picture of Aunt Tan...although it is shockingly similar!)

Let me start, as most storytellers do, at the beginning. My mother is the oldest of three girls. My mother and her sister Stephanie (the middle girl) were adopted by my grandfather Charlie Czarlinsky when he married my grandmother. My mother was seven years old and my aunt Stephanie was three. Less than a year later the third daughter was born, Charlayn (pronounced Shar-lan...for those of you wondering where in the heck that name came from, it's part Charles and part JoAnn after my grandparents...yep...you read that right). I'll let you in on a little family joke...Charlayn refers to herself as the "real Czarlinsky." :)



So, Czarlinsky....hmmmmm....what is the origin?? I'll tell you...Jewish. My grandfather came from Jewish decent, and he owned a clothing store downtown (go figure). Another little family joke...the rest of our family refers to aunt Charlayn as the "Jewish princess!" :)



I must admit that there is nothing funnier than having all three of the "Czarlinsky" girls together in one room. They are all a HOOT! For those of you who know my mother and perhaps her two sisters you know exactly what I am talking about! The funniest part of it all is how completely different in personalities they all are...allow me to elaborate:



Jennifer (this is my mother): Socially graceful woman whose children always appeared to be freshly bathed and scrubbed no matter what time of day you ran into them (who else but my mother do you know wears Jones of New York and a full face of make up just to get the mail?).


Aunt Stephanie: We have to beg her to wear a bra when we go out in public. My grandmother's dying words to Stephanie were, "suck in your stomach and put on a little lipstick." I'm not kidding, true story!


Aunt Charlayn: Her dream job is to be a professional tanner...I'm serious, she's down with the brown!



When I was little I couldn't say "Charlayn" so I grew up calling my aunt, "Aunt Chan" (pronounced Shan). A few years ago she came home for a visit and she was so tan that my dad started calling her "Aunt Tan", it stuck. :)


Aunt Tan is who I secretly wished was my mother while I was growing up. Her idea of throwing a birthday party for her kids involved limousines, cirque du soleil and a cake straight from Martha Stewarts kitchen. Her idea of a home cooked meal was the drive thru of Kentucky Fried Chicken and taking it "home." Her "medicine" of choice when her kids were sick was shopping!She totally rocks!


Now, some of you while reading this post are thinking, "hmmmm....Aunt Tan, she's a compulsive shopper, she party's like a rock star, she thinks she's a princess....sounds a lot like Betsy..." That's my point...I think I'm a classic case of the old "hospital switchero!" I think St. Mary's switched mothers on me!


And so...to my Aunt Tan, whom I love so very much, I give you a prayer...one that fits you so perfectly:

The Lord is her shepherd, She shall not want. He leadeth her to Neiman Marcus. He giveth her energy for shopping. He restoreth her checkbook. He teacheth her to make restaurant reservations. He leadeth her past K-Mart for her own sake. Yea, though she walk by Target she shall not go in, for Thou art with her. Thy fashionable clothes they comfort her. Thou preparest diamond jewelry for her in the presence of her enemies. Thou anointest her face with Chanel cosmetics. Her cup overflows! Surely designer clothes shall follow her to the end of her days, and she will walk on Rodeo Drive forever!

I Have No Self Discipline....

I’m pretty sure when you do the Weight Watchers thing you’re not supposed to eat this many in a day, even if they are only 2 points each.

This & That Thursday Tale

Hmmmm....what story from my life should I pull from the shelf and tell today?

"Snow White Teeth"

For privacy purposes (and to not make those involved feel any more guilty than I am sure they already feel) I will not use real names in this story...

When I was 20 years old I came back from my freshman year at William Woods (that's another story for another time) and I worked for a car dealership here in Jefferson City as the receptionist (okay, for advertising purposes I'll tell you that it was Riley Cadillac). I LOVED my job at the dealership! I met my very best friend of almost 16 years at Riley's, Amy. I loved working for Kevin Riley (hottie!) and his brothers. I had so much fun and made so many friends at Riley Cadillac!

(Enter flash back music...doodle ooh, doodle ooh, doodle ooh....)

When I was nine years old I fell on the playground at school and chipped my front tooth in half. Dr. Ambrose (my dentist of choice) put a cap on the tooth. The problem with the cap was that it became a little "discolored" next to my real pearly whites and I had to have it "painted" to match the rest. I was very self conscience of this...

(Back to job at Riley Cadillac)

One day, someone I worked with at Riley's (I'm not naming any names, but the dealership has his last name and I think he's a hottie) asked me,

He who's name shall not be spoken: "Just out of curiosity, why is your front tooth not as white as your other teeth?"

Me (extremely self conscience): "Because it's a cap and I need to have it painted and I haven't had time to go to the dentist."

He who's name shall not be spoken: "You should try gargling bleach, that would do the trick!"

Oh, I should mention here that I am probably the MOST gullible person you will ever meet. I take things literally...literally.

So....(can you see where this is going?) I went home after work that evening and guess what I did? Yep....I actually put CLOROX BLEACH in my mouth and swished it around and then gargled it.....

Wanna know the moral of this story?

DO NOT....I REPEAT....DO NOT GARGLE BLEACH (of any kind, not just Clorox). You WILL end up in the emergency room at the local hospital because you WILL burn your esophagus and then you will have to call into work the next day and explain to the owner of the company that you took his advice and gargled bleach and now you will have to whisper for the next two weeks.

*As a side note I should say that I have forgiven "he whose name shall not be spoken." And, I expect MAJOR discounting on any car I buy for the rest of my life! ;)

Don't Get Your Panties In A Wad...

My husband will return home in two weeks! Allow me to shout it out one more time...MY HUSBAND WILL RETURN HOME IN TWO WEEKS! In almost 10 years of marriage this is the longest we have been apart. I'm anxious for him to return home (in other words: I hate ironing, doing laundry, cooking and taking the trash out)!

I went shopping tonight for a little "welcome home, I've missed you, now please start doing the laundry again" present! The selfish side of me thought "why not get something for me...that he can also enjoy?" So I headed to the mall to Victoria's Secret (which I have discovered and will tell you shortly) in the hopes that my inner sex kitten (who is thin, by the way) would emerge and I would find something sassy to wear on the evening he returns. I know I have an, um, overdeveloped posterior, but who says you have to be a size zero to be sexy? Feeling confident that I would find something to suit the situation (no pun intended) I was approached by a sales lady (who by the way was a size 2) "is there anything in particular you are looking for?" (maybe it's just me, but I swear her tone said, "because we don't sell tents and awnings"). "No thank you, I'm just looking."

After rifling around every rack and bin, I discovered her Secret - Victoria hates "fluffy" broads. Come on! I’m not obese, just voluptuous! I've birthed three strapping young men for crying out loud! So...I settled for several pairs of cute little underwear with words printed on the butt (cute, sexy and functional). I didn't bother to try them on (BIG MISTAKE), underwear is underwear...right? WRONG! When I returned home I went into my bedroom to try the underwear on before throwing them into the washing machine...the word "Angel" written across my ass now looked like A - N - G - E - L stretched beyond reading...it was unflattering to say the least. No deal...the underwear are going back in the morning and that skinny bitch that sold them to me can eat them for all I care!

And by the way...I'm beginning to understand the growing proliferation of teen pregnancy...there were at least a dozen teen girls in the store buying up this "wordy" underwear and they were all grabbing the pair that read "Wish Granted".....are you kidding me??? Here's another one of Victoria's Secrets...she's a hooker!

*As a side note, when my mother read this entry she called me frantic about my use of the words a** and b**ch. I assure you I meant them in the nicest way...

Dear Oprah...

Dear Oprah,

I loved you in The Color Purple, but that's not why I am writing.

I know you are busy with your magazine and the girls leadership academy, the talk show and the Angel Network enterprises. I feel your schedule. Believe me. I imagine Stedman needs your attention just as badly as my husband needs mine and that you accumulate laundry and trash and shoes the way I do too. But if you have a tiny moment, I would truly appreciate it if you could return some of my emails or respond to my many, many written letters. It is simply rude to continue to ignore my requests for a dream home, a new car, the shoes you don't wear any longer, or even the simple request to be a guest on your show (I am after all a celebrity too, have you heard of Betsy At The Movies?)!

Next week when I submit my weekly email on your website listing reasons why I should be a guest on your show or why I deserve to have a celebrity chef move in with me for a year, I do not want to receive another generic and meaningless response from someone on your staff! Please, my dear friend O (we are on a nickname basis now), please personally respond yourself! And when you do, be sure to include several open date options for me to choose from to appear on your show...as I am a very busy girl trying to make my own path through the interweb, the office, the P-freaking -TA, the city and the world!

Air kisses & high fives,

Betsy Dudenhoeffer aka Betsy At The Movies

This & That Thursday Tale

As promised....a "tale" from my past...guaranteed to make you "giggle!"

"Hi, my name is Betsy and I'll be your waitress this afternoon! Can I start you off with a strawberry lemonade or a raspberry tea?"

It was my LAST day of SIX YEARS waiting tables at Garfield's Restaurant! I absolutely LOVED my job as a waitress, in fact if I didn't have three strapping young boys and a beast of a husband as well as a home I own, two cars, electricity, water, cable, phone, Internet (you get the point) I would still be a waitress today (let's face it, you can't have all of the above AND have money left over to buy new shoes every week on the tips of a waitress).

As I was saying, it was my last day of six years waiting tables. I was 23 years old and it was time to get a "grown up" job (AKA a job that my parents would be proud to tell their friends about). I had just been seated a table of 8, easy...after all I had six years under my belt of waiting on tables even larger than 8. This particular table had 8 lawyers seated, ready to order and eager to let me know they were limited on time. I had their drinks out to them in a flash, their food came out minutes later, their glasses stayed filled, extra napkins were given, the entire meal was perfect and they were happy to let me know! I took pride in my job and it reflected in my work on a daily basis...I actually had "regulars" that would ask for my table (but enough about how totally awesome I was)...when it came time to bring the check the young gentleman at the end of the table asked me to bring one check and he would take it, I obliged. As soon as I handed him the check I began to gather empty plates and glasses and the gentleman holding the check called out,

Gentleman: "Excuse me mam, can you tell me what this amount on the bottom of the check is?"

Me (walking over to look at the check): "Oh, sure...that's your PITUITARY!"

Gentleman (with a confused look on his face and somewhat of a smirk): "My what?"

Me: "Your PITUITARY...for a party of 8 or more..."

Gentleman (now with a HUGE smile on his face): "Do you mean GRATUITY?"

Me (with a "of course that's what I mean" tone in my voice"): "Oh, sure!"

Yes...for SIX years I had said PITUITARY and NOBODY corrected me until my LAST DAY!

*I should mention that I sometimes have issues with fully understanding others pronunciation of words and so I say A LOT of words incorrectly (that goes for sayings too...that will be next week's story).

There's Something About Betsy

I'm not going to lie to you...I like to talk about myself. So, when I recently received an email from one of my "Betsy At The Movie's" fans (or as I like to refer to as my "peeps") asking if I would post a blog where I share random "bits" about myself I immediately replied back with "Heck ya!"

In honor of my blog title "Giggles and Bits", I now offer you a few "bits" of Betsy! ;)

1. My real name is Ellyn. I don't use the name Ellyn because I think it sounds "old" or at least it did many, many years ago before I became thirty-something!

2. I am the oldest of 5 siblings. I am 35, I have a 30 year old brother, a 24 year old sister, a 21 year old sister and a 19 year old sister!

3. My parents divorced when I was 7 and both parent remarried when I was 9!

4. In the 4th grade I sang a solo in my school play. I was an "auctioneer" and I sang really fast like an auctioneer would sing!

5. In the 6th grade I got the lead in the school play, "Scrooge", yes...I played Scrooge, and I was damn good! :)

6. I play the piano.

7. I love to sing!

8. My dream is to be in a Broadway play!

9. I saw my first Broadway play on February 17th of this year!! It was in New York City at the Gershwin Theatre and the play was "Wicked"! I would see it a million times over if I could!!

10. I have three beautiful (and spoiled) boys! Hayden is 13, Jack is 8 and Benjamin is 7. Benjamin was a HUGE surprise...in fact, you would have thought my husband and I were a couple of teenagers when we found out...the conversation went something like this...

Me: "You can call your parents and tell them that we are pregnant again."

Mark: "Hell no, you tell your parents first!"

Me: "I think it would be better for your parents to know first because they are a little more sane than my parents...we can use your parents as a tester..."

Mark: "I'm not telling my parents first, you tell yours!"

11. My husband and I will celebrate our 10 year anniversary in May! I am completely amazed that my husband has stayed with me this long...he is truly a SAINT!! (Seriously...I'm a DIVA...I admit it's pretty tough to live with me)! :)

12. My oldest son is from my first marriage. My ex-husband and I are neighbors. We make better friends than we did as husband and wife. Together, along with our spouses we make sure that our son Hayden never feels like he has to "choose" between parents and we always make sure that he is comfortable with all of us in the same room. We don't believe in "separate" parent/teacher conferences, we don't require two of everything to be sent home from school, we operate as one big family and it's really, really nice!

13. I would LOVE to be on Oprah someday to talk about the way my ex-husband and I (along with our spouses) handle our situation. It is VERY important to us that our son knows that we all love him very much and that our failed marriage had nothing to do with him! We think it is how EVERY divorced couple with children should operate!

14. I do not and will not eat leftovers. I know I sound spoiled rotten...but I am.

15. My friend Kara is a vegetarian. She's got a killer body...I'm talking Barbie body. A few months ago I considered becoming a vegetarian, but I decided I like meat too much and it all went down hill from there.

16. I have metal wires and screws in my jaw and metal rods, screws and a plastic vertebra in my back. I honestly believe that I am the bionic woman!

17. I have many, many fears...my biggest fear is death. My second biggest fear is midgets...no offense...I just become paralyzed when I see one...even on TV. I think it has something to do with a movie I saw when I was 7 or 8 years old called "Foul Play" starring Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn. There is an Albino and a midget and the midget scared the piss out of me.

18. I was diagnosed with Epilepsy almost six months ago. I've had numerous seizures, which now seem to be under control.

19. I feel extremely blessed to have the people that I work for in my life. I stared working for Brown Printing and Modern Litho-Print almost 2 years ago and my life has completely changed. The owners are absolutely the most amazing people I have ever met. They are extremely patient, kind, giving and all around fantastic. I'm not sure what I did in my life to deserve such an opportunity or such a blessing as having them in my life and the job that I have, but I am so thankful!

20. I LOVE to giggle! I laugh ALL the time! I feel great when I laugh and I love to make others laugh! Laughter really is the best medicine!

21. I am a cancer survivor. I had skin cancer four times on my chest and the last two times I did radiation.

22. I have a shoe fetish! You wouldn't believe me if I told you how many pairs of shoes I have. My husband once told me that the amount of shoes I have is equivalent to a down payment on a new home!

23. I have OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). I am a NEAT freak. I like things to be orderly and straight. I like clean lines. I sometimes have to lock my doors 5 times. I'll go through an entire book of scrap paper until I feel like my "to do" lists are neatly written. I'm like the abusive husband on the movie "Sleeping With The Enemy"...you know the one that beats Julia Roberts because she didn't have the labels on the canned vegetables all facing out...yep, that's me.

24. I have a lazy eye. It's my left eye...I wear contacts (or glasses) at all times. If I am not wearing either my contacts or my glasses my left eye will roll in...even when I am wearing contacts or glasses if I am bored or tired it will roll in. My dad used to say to me, "it's not your fault that your left eye is attracted to your right eye!" I had eye surgery two years ago to strengthen the muscle so it won't roll in so much. It's really not that noticeable unless I point it out which I just did so I'm sure it is all you will be able to focus on now (no pun intended)! :)

25. When I get a good fortune at Chinese restaurants in my fortune cookie, I eat it. Yep...I put it in my mouth and I eat the paper....it will come true if I do.

There you go! 25 random "bits" about me! If there is anything else you want to know just ask!! I'm an open book, and I LOVE to talk about me! :)

It Runs In The Family...

My father (Camden Fine) was on CNBC last night! Check it out! He's a celebrity too! ;)

This & That Thursday Tale

Blogging is a funny thing. It allows you to not only reach out and socialize with other people you would normally never interact with in your own circle of reality but it gives you the freedom to morph into the high school rock star you always wanted to be! No matter how large your readership is someone out there is reading your words and thinking you are badass (oops, there goes my potty mouth)! It’s a powerful, heady thing this blogging power!

My boss Greg tells me almost on a daily basis that I should write a book about my life. There is at least one crazy/abnormal/embarrassing/funny thing that happens to me each and every day and when I share my stories with Greg he responds with, "You should write a book! It could be a best seller!" Maybe someday I'll take his advice...but in the meantime, I've decided that on Thursdays my posts will be a "tale" from my past. I'll call it "This & That Thursday Tales!" :)

So, for my first "This & That" tale....

Let's go back to when I turned sweet 16! Oh how young and naive I was (am). One day my father let me drive his brand new Honda Accord to school (this was a HUGE deal...trust me). The rule was that I was to drive to school. Park. Attend my classes. Drive straight home (alone) after school. I, naturally, offered to take four of my friends home after school...afterall, I was the cool kid with the totally awesome and fully loaded NEW Honda Accord! ;) Now...mind you...this was right about the time that the car manufacturers were trying out new things to make cars "cooler" and instead of having the horn where you could pound your fist on it in the middle of the steering wheel the horn was now a couple of "buttons" on each side of the wheel. While I was backing out of the JCHS parking lot I tried to honk my horn at some friends I saw by pushing the middle of the steering wheel....no sound. Again....(imagine me pounding on the middle of the steering wheel with confusion on my face)....no sound. While the three friends I had in the back seat were hysterically laughing at me my "trusted" friend in the front seat exclaimed, "you must be out of horn fluid!"

Me: "Horn fluid? How can I be out of horn fluid, this is a brand new car!"

Trusted friend (realizing I just took the bait): "Sometimes that happens...just go to Walmart and pick some up!"

So...along with my four friends in the car I drove the car that I was supposed to be driving straight home (alone) to Walmart to buy horn fluid (you can see where this is going, right?).

Me (after walking around aimlessly in Walmart looking for horn fluid): "Excuse me sir, can you tell me where I can find the horn fluid?"

Extremely impatient (and homely) Walmart sales clerk: "Pardon me?"

Me (a little annoyed that I had to repeat myself): "Horn fluid...where will I find it?"

Walmart sales clerk (now with a HUGE grin on his face): "Somebody has played a really mean joke on you."

Me (standing alone as Walmart sales clerk walks off laughing hysterically): "?"

Moral of this story...when your parents tell you to drive straight home (alone), do it.

The End!

"A Change Would Do You Good"

For those of you who do not know, I was diagnosed with Epilepsy about six months ago. According to my neurologist Epilepsy is very common, however most people are born with Epilepsy...it is very rare to be diagnosed later in life (particularly in your 30's). What is Epilepsy?? Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain (please hold back on the jokes)! So, what does this mean for me?? CHANGE! To begin, I had my license taken away back in October when I had my first seizure so I have been completely dependent on anyone with four wheels and a valid license. I was also told that alcohol is not a smart choice. That was hard to swallow (no pun intended) as I love to have the occasional glass of wine with my dinner or after I've put my kids to bed. Okay, Okay...the occasional glass of wine is still okay according to doc...but my Thursday night socials are not. In the beginning I pouted...I stomped my feet...I slammed the doors...I cried myself to sleep...that was almost six months ago...

Fast forward to present...

I truly believe that my diagnoses was a message from the good Lord above. I think God looked at my life and thought, "A change would do you good" and so my story begins...

My marriage is absolutely the best it's ever been...my husband and I have spent more time together recently than we have in the ten years we have been married. He has been my rock (and my driver). :) I am more focused at my job and the success is really starting to show (I'm really proud of my New York trip). My relationships with my family is stronger as I have really had to rely on them for support (and rides). :) But most of all, this change has forced me to step back and take a look at my own life and ask myself what I want to be, where I want to be and how I want to be. I've started a spiritual journey and I'm working on strengthening my relationship with God and trusting in Him more. It's really been amazing!!

Don't get me wrong...it's still very tough for me...not being able to drive and having to rely on everyone has been really difficult (in fact, yesterday I had an appointment with my neurologist and I really thought he was going to give me my driving privileges back but he didn't...he's not quite ready...we are shooting for April 30th now and I had a little melt down). BUT...I see the good...I realize it's all part of a plan that He has for me.

So...thank you to my friends and to my family (especially G&B and D..you know who you are)! But most of all...thank you to the big guy above!! :)

*As a side note...if you would like to be a part of the "Driving Miss Betsy" crew, let me know...I'm always looking for rides! ;)

Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick...(Quick to catch on, that is)!

Remember that I told you my husband is gone until April? Yesterday (day 1) my two younger boys and I went to TJ Maxx after dropping off our beagle at Petco to be groomed. Upon entering the store my boys raced back to the kids & toy section of the store while I browsed around in purses and shoes. When I made my way back to where the boys were my son Jack (8 years old) was holding a big detective kit ($24.00 for black dust and a paint brush in a shiny metal case, apparently you can catch ANY thief with this "high tech" kit) and with his beautiful big brown eyes he looked up at me and asked if I would buy the detective kit for him. Could you tell him no? I didn't think so...so of course I said yes! I turned my back to start walking towards the front and I heard Jack quietly say to his younger brother...

"See Ben...it's like I said, when you want something you either ask maw maw and paw paw or you wait until Dad's gone and then you ask mom!"

Had I just been out smarted???

Friday night the boys and I went up the street to my friend Tina's house. Tina also has a son named Jack and he is 8 years old too! Here is a picture of my two boys (my Jack is in the middle and Benjamin is on the right) with Tina's son Jack (left).

Today my niece Sophia (13 months) and my new baby nephew Henry (2 weeks) came to my house!! I bought Sophie a Strawberry Shortcake doll and she LOVED her! Here are some pictures...

Check out her leggings....yes, those are sequins!!! Do they make those for 35 year olds?

Got Milk??

And this is my new nephew (Sophie's baby brother), Henry Edmund Hockaday Fine!! He is SO tiny...it's hard for me to believe that my boys were once this small....

So, my first weekend with my husband away...only four more to go...you know what they say, "time flies when you are having fun...." Hmmmm....this weekend seemed to drag on.... ;)