So here is some beef to chew on.

An update on the pothole blitz - they filled it! Yes, the government does work for me! So no more keplunk.

Today, you should go over to Tiffany’s place @ Jail Diet and see a very long & thorough interview where she grills me on the intimate details of my life. The highlights include Aqua Net, puke, what perfume I wear, my obsession with reality tv, & what I can cook. Very interesting. Many thanks to her for taking the time to do that!

I have a new review up at Props & Pans about free samples from Wal-Mart. Go over and visit if you like to try new things!

And just in case you care, the neighbors mowed their yard last night.

We have a lot of odd neighbors. In the 6 years we’ve resided here, I’ve witnessed some crazy stuff. Granted, I admit to being a nosy person. There I said it. I like to watch people. I’m not a stalker, but I do take interest in what is going on around me.

Let me tell you about the neighbors across the street. They are a good place to start. Married couple probably in their 50’s. Very nice and very polite. They moved in about a year after we did. The first time I noticed them flying a freak flag was while they were mowing their yard. Sounds innocent enough, but it is the manner in which the husband does it. Not just once, but every single time - in nice khaki’s, dress shoes, a button down dress shirt (tucked in perfectly) and a belt! Who does that?

He mows their yard at least twice a week and picks up leaves/sticks during his daily inspection. I have seen him out there in the pouring rain and picking up a twig that fell and happened to land on their sidewalk. Oh the horror! He must be sitting in the front window just waiting to pounce on anything that crosses his lawn.

His wife completes him in that Jerry Maguire sense. Frequently, you’ll see her out front picking up air that probably blew over from a neighbor’s yard or rearranging rocks in the landscape so that every stone is turned in the same direction.

We are one of the many neighbors they despise on this street I’m sure. Along with most of the normal people we don’t spend our free time obsessing over the perfection of our lawn. In the fall I can see them cringe when the wind blows all the leaves from other yards into theirs. We used to have a ginkgo tree in the front yard that would drop these horrible stink bomb seeds every fall. My husband mentioned to them we were thinking taking the tree out and they all but offered to chip in. They got a new roof last summer and sent their contractor over to give us an estimate. The balls uh? Wonder what they think of the 960 lbs of rubber in the driveway?

While keeping up with my “bird-watching” hobby I noticed a flurry of activity that resembled a Realtor showing their house. Um? There is no sale sign in the yard, so I look online (public information, not being nosy) and search homes for sale on our street. What do you know, their house is for sale. It even states in the description that there is no sign due to owner refusal. Seriously? I knew they were a little anal, but dude that’s anal. Looks like they will be moving soon though.

Don’t worry they aren’t the only odd-ball neighbors. Stay tuned. Now that it is warm out I’m sure the old lady next door will appear in her bikini clad wrinkly bod to sun bathe in the driveway. Oh yes, there will be pictures.

Seems like the new thing is doing interviews via blogs. It’s almost as new as sliced bread! I’ve done 2 this week. They were actually kind of fun & I had extra time since it’s spring break. I’m going to post the short one here that Mrs. Chicky grilled me with.

1) Seriously, what the heck does “Fenicle” mean?
Fenicle was my grandmother’s maiden name. She was one of 6 girls and being such a unique last name, I guess my mom felt it was sad not to carry it on. I made up a story in middle school after being humiliated by a full-name roll call and told people it was French for Nicole. Sounded good anyway.

2) Dog person or cat person?
I am definitely NOT a cat person (sorry!). I almost didn’t marry my husband because his parents had a cat and it scared the heck out of me!! The first time I saw it I didn’t know what it was. It must have weighed 40 lbs and his dad kept it shaved. We recently got a new puppy. You can read about how hell froze over here.

3) Brad Pitt or George Clooney?
Oh man, I’d be 100% George. He’s got that sexy older man appeal. I’m a sucker for older, distinguished men. Freaky I know. Plus I personally never had an interest in Brad. I’m Team Aniston!

4) What was your major in college and what made you choose it?
Truth be told, I choose my college based on where my friends went and I choose my major based on the required subjects. I settled into Child Development & Family Studies (sounds cool uh?) at Purdue because I did not have to take any foreign languages. I choose the “Youth & Family Services” specialization. See in high school I took 1 year of Spanish, but I never really bothered to learn it. They wouldn’t let me take the second year. Something about how I mocked the language? Spanish would be a hell of a lot easier if we just used “el” in front of a word and “o” after. For example: El-lamp-o OR El-cool-o

5) What is your biggest fear?
Fear? I can remember my two biggest fears used to be losing someone I love and being in a serious car accident. Both happened in 10 months time….so what’s left? My biggest fear now is falling, especially down steps. I seriously have nightmares about it. I don’t know if it is because I am unbalanced due to the leg/ankle injuries from the accident or just a fear of getting hurt again.

Thanks Mrs. Chicky!!

Theory of Thought bestowed upon me a “Thinking Blogger” award. She obviously didn’t read about how I flunked college algebra 9 times. I’m not much of a thinker, but thanks!!

In spirit of this made-up-make-ya-feel-the-love award, I’d like to pass it on to several daily reads (in no particular order) - Canape, Jail Diet, Kate, Devra, & Haley.

Enjoy. Pass along, just don’t pass it back!

We took advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend and got out of the house. Lot’s of walking and lot’s of parks. Sunday afternoon Nate decided to run a few errands. After he left Ethan and I walked to a large park which is very close to our house. There is a lot of room to play and run around, plus it has a lake with ducks. A park with duck poop is the best time ever! I left this note on the door figuring Nate would be back in about an hour and he could come pick us up.

About an hour and a half later Nate drove up with this panicked look on his face. Turns out he read the “come pick us up” part and then skipped down to the words “hospital” and “hurry.” In a state of panic he drove to the hospital we frequent down the road, looking for us. When he couldn’t find information on us in the ER he drove back home and re-read the note in its entirety. The park we went to is on the grounds of a State Hospital.

I can certainly understand his panic. (I guess the hurry part with three explanation points didn’t help.) A little over two years ago Nate was at work when he received a phone call that would change a person’s heart forever. My son and I were involved in a serious car accident in which an elderly driver crossed the center line and hit us head on. The only thing the sheriff told him was it was pretty bad and that he should meet the helicopter at the hospital. He sat in that same ER he went to today for over an hour waiting. When Ethan finally arrived by ambulance he was relieved to find him relatively unharmed. The heart wrenching moment came when they informed him I was at a hospital across town and they had already “lost” me twice. The outlook was grim. During these past few years he’s spent his fair share time in ER’s, operating waiting rooms, doctor offices and hospital rooms.

My intention was not to scare him today. Never did I dream he would jump to conclusions without reading it fully, but I guess since that is the world we’ve lived in lately he couldn’t help it. Thankfully his trip this time was short and we won’t get billed for it!

My friend Haley tagged me for a meme about what defines a “real mom.” Kristen started this and it’s been traveling the blogging networks.

I have come across several that made me laugh, like Mrs. Chicken allowing her daughter to eat chocolate for breakfast. Mainly because just recently I fed Ethan fruit snacks when we were running late one morning. So that is all too real to me.

Bon’s description and photo gave me goose-bumps and made my eyes sting. I’ve known families who have lost a child and it gave me some perspective. As Bon stated, “real mom’s sometimes have children you can’t see.”

*I’m passing this onto Wendy, Jen & Izzy.

*REAL MOMS…..

DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

WISH FOR HAPPINESS, BUT SETTLE FOR PEACE

PRAY FOR THE BEST & PREPARE FOR THE WORST