Wow.....

Okay, so it's been a really long time since I did a blog post. I have no excuse other than to say I've been busy...............Okay, okay, okay. I didn't believe I was going to leave it at that either. If you know anything about me there's no making a long story short where I'm concerned. There's certainly the exact opposite of that, making a short story long, but NEVER making a long story short. So, of course I have an excuse. I've been busy. To make a short story long, I've been a single parent for most of this time. I haven't left my baby daddy or anything, he's just been working away from home for the majority of the time since I last wrote a blog post. And of course, I've been diligent in my housewifery. Somewhere in this house, my hubs just laughed out loud and he has no idea why. I've been watching a lot of Spongebob and Phineas and Ferb. I prefer P & F but I have little say in the matter. And, naturally, I've been baking cupcakes, sometimes a couple hundred sometimes just a few. But I've definitely been baking them.

See.....

Hey, wait a minute. That's not me. That's my cutie-patootie, freckled-face niece Banana and her baby sister, Ta. And that's not cupcakes, that's sugar cookies. That's when they stayed all night at our house. It was like one of those food vacations you can take, where you check out all the local restaurants and stuff. These awesome chicks came to my house, ate pizza for dinner, made sugar cookies, had chips and cheese and popcorn while we watched a movie, had waffles for breakfast the next morning, and then made, you know, cupcakes. I promised Banana I'd feature her in my blog. I'd forgotten to do it when she helped me put the chocolate fountain together for her brother's graduation party, so I definitely owed her. So, Banana, here you go!!

In other news, this is my kid....

If you're on my Facebook, you've already seen this. I don't mean this is my kid in disguise, I mean this is my kid. He just took this costume out the other day and wore it around for the entire day. If he's not wearing this, he's definitely wearing his cape. He wears it all the time. And if he's not wearing this costume, he's definitely wearing his pajamas, if he's home. Because, if he's home, he's always wearing his pajamas. He doesn't want to wear anything but his pajamas. Sometimes, he takes his pajamas off, takes a bath, then puts his pajamas back on. His Spongebob pajamas are his favs. But, in the event that he's worn them for a few days straight and Mommy or Daddy makes him take them off so they can be laundered, he'll wear something else. So long as it's pajamas. And he will take his pajamas off to put other pajamas on, if he stumbles across a pair that he likes better. Here, he's mixing it up a bit, Spongebob and Iron Man (they're really Superman but he things every thing is Iron Man). Pay no attention to the glasses, they're prescription. :)

This is my other turkey. He really was Iron Man. This of course was from Halloween. We went Trick-or-Treating. I think we went to 8 houses. We still haven't eaten all of the candy.

This is also my boy, the day after Thanksgiving, putting wreaths onto the windows upstairs. Now, this picture is old, and most everyone has seen it already. So, we've been lectured and told not to let our 5 year old on the roof. And we've replied, "Sheesh, it was just the porch roof. He was only one story up. And he's been wanting to do it for years now. Lighten up." Let me tell you, that is not a response people appreciate. They don't appreciate it all. It makes me laugh though and really, isn't that all that matters. (My child was never in any danger during the taking of this picture or the hanging of the wreaths. Come on people, give us some credit.)

In other news, we are now the proud owners of a new vehicle. Yeah, this is my new ride.

I'm kidding of course. This is not my new ride. This is in fact a concrete truck. How many of you were thinking that this is exactly the kind of truck I need to drive? You can admit it. I expect most of you, especially the ones related to me by blood, to think that. I'm horribly offended but, what can you do? This is when we poured concrete for a patio at the rear of our house. My big boy was at school so I had to document the entire thing. Yeah, it was somewhat uncomfortable. I was running around in our yard with a camera and a camcorder while 4 men were doing all the things that concrete requires. I'm fairly certain they either thought I was a lunatic or interested in taking one or more of them out to dinner.

So, now it's Christmas time. I'm still baking cupcakes. Now I'm making fudge, cookies, and truffles as well. And I've discovered that I despise making truffles. So, don't expect any from me. Ever. Seriously, I hate them. With every fiber of my being. What I don't hate......

Look!!! It's my favorite things!!! Gorgeous shoes and sugary sweet goodness!!! Ah.....

More sugary sweet goodness. I watched this movie. My reaction at the time was, "Oh, Thor, where have you been all my life?" My reaction remains the same.

And, of course I still love purses. So, Santa, if you're listening, I would really like a new purse. I've behaved no more inappropriately than I have any other year, so......It's true, I haven't purchased any of the above pictures in a very long time. Wait! No. I mean, I haven't purchases shoes or purses in a very long time. I've NEVER purchased a human being. Ever.

That's not to say, of course, that, were the occassion to present itself, I would not purchase Thor. Because, I can't promise that. But, that's another post for another day. And a long discussion between the hubs and myself to determine if we have the money, if it would require an addition to the house, you know, things like that.

I'm kidding of course. Right now, the only men I wish to have in my life are these dudes and the one taking the picture....

I know I look like a deranged axe murderer in this picture but like I said before, what can you do?

I'm Back

I know it's been a while. I had no idea until I just looked how long it actually had been. What on Earth have you all done without your periodic dose of mildly humorous satire? Probably caught up on some important reading, planted some flowers, cleaned your shower...substitute whatever task you've been using this blog as an excuse to miss. I, for one, have been doing laundry and cooking in addition to working regularly. I only really enjoy doing one of those things. I'll leave it to you to test your memory and decide which one.

To refresh your memory.........

This is me. Since I last posted, I have been to the eye doctor and now wear contacts again. I also have been to the salon and am no longer sporting all the gray hair. It's now orange and yellow...I mean red and blonde. I'm also a year older. I've had a birthday. In fact, my birthday is today. Can't divulge anymore info than that though. It's top secret, highly classified. I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you. Seriously.

These are the two punks, Big BK and Baby BK. We were cooking in this picture..obviously. I'm really good at stating the obvious. It's what I do. ;)

This is Big BK at Easter. We've celebrated that since last we spoke, as well. How cute was he? I know, abolutely irresistably adorable. Takes that after his mommy, hehe.

And this is my Baby BK. I have nothing to add to this picture, it requires nothing.Not with a face like that.

This is our family at Easter. We match, of course. It's our thing. That dude beside of me is the hubs. See what I mean about the hair...the color I mean.

This is what we've been doing with our time since last I spoke to you.

Yes, we made our son redo our kitchen floor. Now, first of all, these pictures are not in chronological order. Again, stating the obvious. Second, we do not endorse slave labor in any fashion unless the slave happens to be your own child. Then, I say, you've created them with God's blessing and can utilize their physical capabilities in the way that best benefits the family. Third, this was like Christmas for my son. He was given a hammer and told to tear up the floor. It was like this dream come true, his wish upon a star, etc. etc. He took up all four of these tiles by himself as well as several others and the concrete board beneath. He was a great helper that day. Especially since he'd gotten over a stomach virus only the day before.

This is what my better half has been up to.

The hubs has been at work officially since March. This means that he has been out of town regularly, for large snatches of time, leaving me home with the boys to go to work, clean house, do laundry and dishes, run to the doctor and pharmacy, pay the bills, get the boys and myself to Sunday school, church, and bible study  and tuck the boys in at night by myself. That, my dears, is precisely the reason that I haven't created a blog post in a while. Being a single parent is hard.  

And this is what I've been doing....in additon to the things listed above....well since April 29, my job has been, my official, paid position is.................

That's not an error. I meant to leave that area blank. Since 04-29 I have been unemployed, by choice. I am now a stay at home mommy. That is not to say that, as a stay at home mommy I have nothing to do. I've actually been busier since I quit my day job than I was before because I can no longer in good conscience ignore the things that need to be done around the house.

So, that's what's been going on with the folks at 815 Old Horseford Road. Well, what's been going on with the 4 of us anyway. I can't speak as to what the mouse that I'm now subletting to has been doing with his time, other than crawling all over my cabinets, appliances, and coffee table leaving evidence of his presence. I don't actually have a contractual agreement with this rodent that requires me to provide his housing but I've been unable to remove him from my house so I might as well. And you all know how I feel about mice, right?

And now I'm including these pictures just becaue I like them. 

And this one...

My punks are eating the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake I made myself for my birthday. I laid my fork down to take this picture. My Big BK is dressed like a knight. He asked me why he couldn't fly when he wore his cape. I told him it was because he didn't know how. I'm not sure how that answer measures up. It might not ahve been right. My Baby didn't actually eat any of the cheesecake. He just poked holes in it with his fork and his fingers. I wasn't surprised to have to say, "Get your hands out of my cheesecake or I will get my wooden spoon." It's something that I knew I would eventually have to say but that is another story for another day.



Shoes Again

For your viewing pleasure:

Regularly $60-On Sale $19.99

Regularly $75-On Sale $24.99

Regularly $80-On Sale $26.99

Regularly $80-On Sale $24.99

Regularly $60-On Sale $19.99

(In Red)

Regularly $65-On Sale $16.99

(With Green Accents)

Regularly $85-On Sale $19.99

 Regularly $80-On Sale $19.99

Regularly $80-On Sale $29.99

(In Black)

Oh, wait..how did that get in here?

Well, since we're on the subject, this is my newest interest...Clay Matthews from the Green Bay Packers, in his street clothes. I like him alot.

This is Clay Matthews during media day. He's now a spokesperson for Suave shampoo as well as a thick-necked football player.

And this is Clay Matthews doing something-I don't know what, but I like it.

And this is Clay Matthews showing off his awesome arms.

The shoes listed above are available on the JCPenney online outlet. Don't be surprised if you see me wearing some of them.

Clay Matthews currently plays for the Green Bay Packers and earns $1.8 million per year. I don't suspect you'll be seeing me with him anytime in the near future. But I guess that's okay since he's a little young for me..............oh, and I am married. I didn't forget that..really, I didn't.

And for those of you who bombarded me with comments on Facebook regarding by previous statements about the Green Bay Packers, maybe next time you'll listen to me when I pick a football team. My method of picking a winner may be a little unconventional but it clearly can't be disputed.



100 Posts

This marks my 100th post. Bells and whistles, bells and whistles. That's what you'd be hearing right now if I knew how to add sound to my blog. 100 posts! Yay!

In honor of this auspicious occasion..........

I came home last week to find the hubby growling at the boys and the boys completely insane. They'd been stuck at the house due to snow since Tuesday. This was Thursday. Yeah, 2 days. They'd been stuck in the house 2 days. 2 days and rabid cabin fever had set in. So, I took the boys upstairs to play. Hubs had some time during which he could look at AutoTrader, his favorite thing in the world to do.

While upstairs with my psychotic children, I had a brilliant idea. I know the hubs has at times felt unappreciated. He has been a stay at home dad and I believe they suffer with that feeling regularly. He was so grouchy that I, being the wonderfully thoughtful wife that I am, thought I would do something to cheer him up. A surprise-yeah, that was it. I love surprises, more so when I'm the one being surprised but I figured it could work in reverse just as well.

So, while hubby was asleep on the couch, I put one baby to bed and began making my plans. I begged, pleaded and cajoled my baby sister into helping me. Her assistance would be integral to my plan. She agreed to come to the house the following day and pick the turkeys up and keep them for the night. I thought that the boys could stay with her or Mommaw even though I'd never gained Mommaw's agreement. It was assumed that she would agree. I don't think she can resist the boys, especially when she hasn't seen them for a while.

With the main hurdle having been eliminated, I worked on furthering my plan. I gave a great deal of thought to taking him to Lexington but dismissed the idea based on the 2 1/2 hour drive. We had a lot of things to get done Saturday that would be much more difficult to accomplish with that span of time allotted to driving. I wanted to take him to a nice hotel and we'd been talking about going to Hibachi so I googled Huntington. And my plan came together.

I left work an hour early Friday on the premise that I was taking my husband of 10 years out for a romantic night away. We deserved it after all. We've had a somewhat difficult year and previous years that were much more difficult. We needed to take sometime to concentrate on our marriage. It's something we do. We think it's important.

I got home an hour early and told him the plan. The boys were going to Aunt Boss's house. We were going the opposite direction, something I've dreamed of doing on an intermittent basis since they gained the ability to speak and fight. I'd booked us a room at the Pullman Plaza Hotel and made reservations at Hibachi. We checked into the hotel and went straight to the restaurant. And spent an entire hour having supper and barely saying a word. Sigh. It was wonderful. Sometimes it's nice to just not talk. It's especially nice to be comfortable enough with each other to not have to talk. We shared a table with some other people, none of whom we were acquainted with prior to our dinner, one of whom I was well acquainted with by the time we left. I don't think the chic stopped talking the entire time we were there and she wasn't a demure, soft spoken creature either.

It was 8 pm by the time we finished dinner. Our bed time is 9 pm so we wanted to be at the hotel by that time. I'm serious when I say that's our bedtime. Our house is abed by 9 pm. I love it. It seems to work for us because part of the household is so young they need their rest to ensure their health and growth. The other half is too old to keep their eyes open beyond that point. So, what did we do with our time, you might be asking. I did say this was a romantic night, right?

It just so happened, which was a great influence on my plans, that the Big Sandy Arena was hosting a...are your ready....it's really romantic......I'm not sure you're ready for this.......it might be too saccharine (sweet for the hubby when he reads this and asks why I keep using words like that).........I did say romantic and you all know what a sweet personality I have.........

We went to the annual Boat and RV show. Yes, you heard me right. The BOAT and RV show. Because, you know, I'm all about water sports and camping out. I love nothing so much as I do the great outdoors. (Was that believable at all?) We looked at boats and, of course, RVs. Think back through all of the blog posts that you have read, all 99 prior to this. Have you ever read anything that would give you the impression that I would enjoy a boat and rv show? I did do the post once about riding on a boat with the fam. I'll admit I enjoyed that. But camping? I have tried it. A couple of times in a couple of different circumstances. Knowing what you know about me, do you think I'd enjoy that? It's very hard to camp in high heels-I'm just sayin', you know how I like my high heels. That's how much I care for my husband-I would took him to a boat and RV show during our romantic evening because I knew he'd like it.

We looked at boats. We looked at RVs. I did it all in 4 inch stiletto heels because that's just how I roll. We finally had to leave when, upon climbing an elevated platform to look at some pontoons, which I really liked but desperately can't afford, my heel kept slipping between the wooden floor boards. I thought I was going to get to add to my list of places I've fallen though nothing so dramatic as when I traumatized the neighbors. I didn't though. The hubs, always a gentleman, held onto my arm so that I wouldn't. That's just how he rolls.

We had a wonderful time. It was nice to get away but it was nice to get back to the boys too. We always miss them when their away though I'm pretty sure they didn't give us a second thought. Big BK got to stay up late and watch the Upside Down Show, which, according to him, is the funniest show on earth. I completely and overwhelmingly disagree with that and am glad that it only comes on at 11 pm. Baby BK got to see his Mommaw which is his favorite thing in the world to do second only to jack slapping his brother. I dont' think they missed us at all which was only reinforced by their reluctance in coming home.

It was a good weekend though. If you ever find yourself at a loss when it comes to ideas for romance, just let me know. I can hook you up. It's what I do. :)

Congratulations to me on the 100 Blog Posts. I rock!

Just a Quick Post

Day before yesterday I drove the hubby's Explorer to work because the weather stunk. I went out for lunch. When I have lunch I purchase my food then sit in the car and eat and read. It's my 2 favorite things, eating and reading. :) I went to Taco Bell and ordered a Chicken Ranch taco salad because I thought, why not. I haven't had any lettuce in a while. If you know anything about Taco Bell taco salads, they are 95 percent lettuce, 3 percent rice, 1 percent beans, and 1 percent meat. (I have never conducted a scientific study on this topic, or any other topic for that matter, but I'm pretty sure that's how it breaks down.)

I was sitting in the Explorer, putting the ranch dressing on my salad when I moved funny or something and then entire thing flipped out on to the console, seat, and floor. A large portions spilled. Well, a large portion of lettuce and chicken spilled as the rice and beans were attached to the bottom of the bowl. Hubby hasn't mentioned it but I know the Explorer smells like Ranch. I only had 3 napkins to clean it up and it required way more than 3 napkins. I scraped the larges part off of the hard and soft surfaces with my fingers to conserve the napkins. Which leads me to another thing that you may or may not know about BKCMom.......

I will eat Taco Bell Chicken Ranch Taco Salad off the floor of an automobile that isn't too dirty.I paid a good portion of my semi-hard earned income for this salad and it only had a bout 4 pieces of chicken in it to start with. I couldn't afford to lose any. Well, actually, I guess in an effort to preserve the integrity of this blog, I have to be honest and say that BKCMom will eat just about anything off of any floor that looks like it's been cleaned relatively recently. You had no idea I was so disgusting, did you. Well, I guess if you've ever lived with me you do.

In other news regarding my other favorite things.......

I came home from work last week and heard the boys in the family room playing. Hubby was in the living room working on a fire. The boys were in the family room playing....for those of you with somewhat weak constitutions and absolutely no faith in my or hubby's ability to parent well, you might want to stop reading this. The cushions were off of the couch because hubby had vacuumed under them. He said he had to empty the vacuum cleaner twice during the cleaning because it was so dirty. That may or may not be an exaggeration, it's hard to tell with him sometimes and the couch really was dirty. I'd seen it. Then I pushed the cushions back and pretended that I hadn't seen it. In the immortal words of my aunt, you could've sewed lettuce under them. Like I said, the cushions were on the floor. The bar stools were pulled away from the floor, out in the middle of the floor, away from the bar. BabyBK has only recently learned how to climb on the bar stools, a skill that he most definitely needed to be a well-rounded 2 year old. My children, and this is where our parenting is going to be questioned, were climbing on top of the bar stools and jumping onto cushions. Oh, and one of them missed once.

I will respond only to comments and emails that don't threaten to call social services. I will refer all others to my lawyer....:)

Funny Stories

I've recently received some wonderful feedback about the blog. People think it is HILARIOUS! By extension, they think I am HILARIOUS! Finally, evidence to back up the claim that I've made to my husband every single day for the last 10 and a half years. I told him this. He rolled his eyes, grunted, "Yeah," and walked out of the room. He remains unconvinced.

So, I'm sitting here, thinking about what I can write about next for your entertainment. It has to be funny. As I'm thinking, I'm tapping my finger thoughtfully against my chin. It makes me look like I'm concentrating. I like to look like that sometimes. I know...Hubby, do not read beyond this if you think I've made you look like a fool thus far. You are not going to like what follows. Trust me on this. I know I've said that to you before but I mean it this time, trust me. You are not going to like this.

Please allow me to tell you about something that happened at our house a long time ago. This story does not involve either of my two favorite subjects, food or my children. It doesn't contain a combination of those two things. It does contain my absolute least favorite things in the whole world.........

Yes......MICE....or a mouse, anyway.

This story takes place a long time ago, I'm thinking about 8 or 9 years. Hubby and I had been married a year or two. I was still in school at Morehead State. He was working nights at Miller Brothers Coal. We'd exited the newlywed phase of our relationship as will be demonstrated later in this tale. We lived in a single wide mobile home in the High Bottom section of Louisa.

At the time we were experiencing a rabid infestation of the above mentioned rodent. I despise mice. Really, I do. They creep me out beyond anything else in this world. I have nightmares about mice. They are disgusting to the millionth degree and I hate them. I know I shouldn't hate another one of God's creatures but I can't help myself. I've tried to explain to Hubby that it is not something I have control over, this dramatic reaction I have when I see one of the evil creatures. I scream and run away. There's nothing else I can do. It's beyond my control to do anything else. It is an immediate and instantaneous reaction and I can not curb it. Unless I'm in church. If you were in church with me the night we had a mouse running through the sanctuary, you know that I did not give in to this impulse. You would remember it if I had. It took every ounce of self control I had not to jump from my pew and run out of the building. It was the most stressful and uncomfortable church service I've ever endured. You try sitting in a crowded pew with your legs up the entire service wearing patent leather knee boots. It ain't easy.

I digress, again. Anyway, this story takes place a long time ago. As I said, we were experiencing an infestation of biblical proportions. Well maybe not that bad but it seemed bad at the time. I nearly gave hubby a stroke and mortified him beyond his wildest nightmares when I came barrelling out of the house one afternoon screaming. That was when I opened my sink cabinet and saw the gross little bald tail of one as it scurried under or through the cabinet along my drain pipe. If I recall correctly, and I always do, Hubby told me to be quiet before the neighbors heard. He took a look and didn't see anything. He may or may not have thought I was insane. He never really said. He placed a piece of tin cut from a disposable pie pan over the hole and went about his business. I spent the rest of the day afraid to open a door for fear of being attacked by the little beast and his brethren.

Because I hate mice and all they stand for, I immediately endeavoured to place traps all over the trailer. Now, while I hate mice, I hate the idea of cleaning up their brains or guts more so I did not go with the traditional Tom and Jerry style traps. I bought glue traps. At the time, no price would have been too high. Some retailer could have made a fortune off of me. I would've paid whatever they'd asked. As it was, I didn't have to pay much and I bought dozens. Actually it was probably only a couple but I could have bought dozens, that was my state of mind.

I put glue traps where they ran. We'd figured out that they ran along the bottom of my range, across the kitchen staying close to the cabinets until they could duck behind or beneath the refrigerator. Sometimes they would go through my bedroom, which was right off of the kitchen, along the wall into my bathroom. So, I laboured to place a glue trap in places where they could not be avoided. I put one beside of the stove and one in the corner of my bedroom. Why not in front of the stove? Because I knew that when Hubby came in at 4 am he was in the habit of turning the light on in the hood over the stove so that he could see to make himself a snack before going to bed. I'm always thinking about him, you know. It's always been that way.

The following morning, after I'd strategically placed the trap in the kitchen, I was woken by a noise, a loud thumping sound. It caught my attention but unless it was a mouse the likes of which I'd never seen and had no desire to encounter, it didn't concern me so I went back to sleep. I found out the next day what had happened. And oh boy did I laugh. I laughed and I laughed and I laughed.

Hubby had come in from work just like always. He'd gone to the stove and turned on the light just like always. When he'd placed his foot on the floor, he'd stepped on something, a lump of something that made a squealing sound under the pressure of his foot. He quickly saw that he'd stepped in my sticky trap which had worked quite effectively at its intended purpose as he'd also stepped on a mouse that had stepped on the sticky trap. The loud thumping sounds I'd heard was him hopping on one foot trying to sling the trap and the mouse off and hitting my lower cabinets in the process. It didn't work. It was a good sticky trap.

So, how did we, or rather, he resolve this issue? He took his sock off and threw then entire mess onto my front porch. He was so upset by the entire ordeal that he planned to leave the mouse there, so I could see it when I left for school. That would teach me a lesson! How dare I leave a mouse trap out and catch a mouse without telling him about it! He showered and what not then had a change of heart. He knew how terrified I was of mice so he retrieved the thing, pulled his sock free and disposed of it in a way that would not require me to see it. He could have gotten away with the whole thing. I would have never known about his encounter other than to know that he'd disposed of a trapped mouse had he not told me.

I know what you're thinking, "So why did he tell you? That's a little embarrassing. I would've kept it to myself."  I agree completely. It was completely embarrassing for him. But my Hubby was Green when Green wasn't cool, to paraphrase a country song. He told me because he wanted to know if his sock could be saved. He wasn't about tossing out a perfectly good sock just because it had some industrial strength rodent-catching glue and disgusting, vomit-inducing mouse cooties on it. And I'll freely admit that I tried to remove some of the glue from the sock. Alas, it could not be saved and it was disposed of.

But that is not the end of this infestation. One day, after returning from the dollar store where I'd purchased items like toilet paper that belonged in my master bathroom, I walked through the bedroom to deposit them in said bathroom. I looked over to the glue trap in the corner and met the eyes of another one. I screamed, threw my bags hither and yon and ran, not just out of the room but out of the house. I left, went to Martin County and fully intended to spend the entire day there. Hubby was working and wouldn't get home until 10 pm, it was a Saturday so he got off earlier. I couldn't stay there all night though so I went to do some grocery shopping. Smart, right? No. When I got home I had to put all of the groceries away. I turned on all of the lights and turned the TV up really loud, hoping the noise would convince the little beasts that it was not a good idea to come out. I stomped through the kitchen like my feed were embedded in concrete. After the groceries were put away, I parked myself on the recliner with the foot rest and my feet up and didn't move for some time.

I couldn't live like that though. I couldn't stand the stress. That was a long time ago, back before I had responsibilities and some idea what real stress actually was. It was before my hair turned gray. I decided that I would cover the mouse up with a grocery bag so that I knew it was hidden from view and that would lighten my burden a little. When I ventured back into my bedroom, I was horrified to find that the mouse was no longer on the trap. It had escaped and all that was left was little bits of fur. So, these traps could hold a 170 lb human male but not a 6 oz mouse when confronted my a screaming virago that likely scared the bejesus out of it. Of course, I returned to my perch on the recliner and didn't move until hubby came home.

We've had numerous encounters with rodents since then. I've handled them no better. I don't expect to handle it any better in the future. Trust me on this. If you see me scream and run from the room, you know what's up as it is the only thing that gets a reaction like that from me.

It's Been A While

Clearly, it's been a while since I've added an enthralling, edge-of-your-seat blog post. My last post was 10 days ago so it's been at least 10 days. No, wait, that one was just a random thought about bacon fat so it doesn't really count. I guess it's been more than 10 days.

So what's been happening on Horseford Road? Not much. Not much can happen with all of the snow and ice. Today is the 25th. I didn't have to work the 24th or the 23rd. I did work 20th through 22nd because I had to because I didn't work the 17th, 16th, or the 13th. I'm counting backwards in my head as I write this so excuse the descending order of my dates. The 13th was Monday. It snowed a lot. I was not even willing to try to get out. If you don't know, I drive a Dodge Charger. It's a lovely car and I've enjoyed having it for 2 years now. It's cool but it's 4 door for the kiddies. It's fast enough though my husband says it's not as fast as I think it is. I love it. Unfortunately, it does not go very well in the snow. More unfortunately, it will not climb a hill in the snow. Also for those of you who do not know, we've got about 1/2-1 mile of hill to climb to get to our house. This might not be such an issue if the first 100 yards or so was not almost straight up. My car doesn't do well in that so, on days when the weather is extremely bad, I can't get home if I do manage to get out. So, Monday was out. We spent the entire day at home.

Spending the day with the boys was actually pretty nice. I got a lot of housework done. I mean a lot. They fought a lot too so it evened out the day. We had fun and watched tv, made snacks and cookies and slept late.

Tuesday, the hubby called early to say that I could get out if I wanted too. The roads weren't bad at all. Words that will live in infamy. I believed him because I'm perhaps the most gullible person on the face of the earth. We left the house at 8 am. First, I almost didn't get out of my driveway. Second, I slid off of our gravel road onto the blacktop. Third, I couldn't even get the boys to mom's. Fourth, it took me an hour and a half to make what should have been an hour trip, tops. I was ready to kill my husband, seriously. My day started bad and really didn't get much better......

I actually tried to get my car home rather than beg, steal, or borrow someones AWD or 4WD. We made the blacktop part of the trip easily enough. After the third try at getting up the steep part of the gravel road and sliding back down, I wound up in a ditch. Fortunately, the next door neighbor, J, was driving by and actually used his body to push the back of my car out of the ditch. That was pretty awesome. After the 4th try, hitting it hard and hitting it fast, I was able to get to my house. I thought I would kill the hubby when he walked in. I restrained myself though because I love him and I'm a good Christian girl and don't go around killing people. Also, I don't know who would raise my kids if I go to prison.

Wednesday was not so bad. I got down the hill without too much incident and it warmed up enough that I could get back up with no problem. Then a couple of inches of snow and ice were dumped up on the top of the hill. Actually, I think it was dumped everywhere. I didn't leave the house Thursday or Friday. We had a great time at home. Except that we ran out of diapers by 11 am on Thursday. No problem, I said. This will be a  good opportunity for potty training. 5 pairs of wet underwear and puddles of pee on my hardwood, and countless hours of seeing a toddler's naked but, and I had to revise my thought. He is not ready for potty training. He is quite happy to pee on  himself and whatever gets in the way. He has also become very accomplished at removing his underwear. It was a trying day and we were both thrilled when Daddy got home with the diapers.

So, with the inclement weather, I was forced to use vacation time to stay at home. This resulted in my having no vacation time left, forcing me to go back to work. To do this, I had to borrow a vehicle. We borrowed the father-in-law's Oldsmobile Bravada. It got me where I needed to go, even though I'm convinced that our gravel road is covered with 6 inches of solid ice. But, most importantly, I've learned a valuable lesson. I really like having a warm caboose. That vehicle has seat warmers. I am officially in love with seat warmers. It's absolute paradise having my seat warmed even when the rest of the vehicle is cold. I drove it all week for that reason alone.

And now, since we've gotten an extra couple of inches snow on top of our compacted ice, we're going back to get the Bravada so I can get to work Monday. Ahhh, a warm bottom.  Hehe.

My Husband

The hubby and I have been married for approximately 10-27 1/2 years, depending on who you ask. If you ask either one of us, it feels like 25. If you ask people who can actually count and tell the truth, it's 10. He has stated on different occasions that I make him look foolish on my blog. I disagreed. I told him that I don't make the news, I only report it, meaning that I only state the facts as they occur. If he appears foolish that is of his own doing. I also say that the entire point of this blog is to make people laugh and give them a little peak into our lives so that they can appreciate how normal they actually are. I certainly don't set out to make anyone look or feel foolish, except myself of course, as I will do absolutely anything for a laugh. That being said......I have to say the following about my husband so that my loyal readers will have a complete picture of him.

My husband is a good man and I love him tremendously. That is a fact. He is a good man. He loves God, his children and myself, in that order and I wouldn't have it any other way. I would also use the following words to describe him: (Have you noticed that I appear to have a fondness for bulleted lists? I have no idea where that comes from, but...oh well.)

(A lady at church said one day that he is in fact the better half of our marriage, not me. I'm sure most of my family would agree.) My better half is :

• Honest
• Loyal
• Sweet
• Kind
• Compassionate
• Sensitive (well, most of the time.)
• Intelligent
• A good provider
• Strong
• Handsome
• Trustworthy
• Devoted
• Well-spoken
• Funny (the most important quality, in my opinion)
• Silly
• Playful
• Energetic
• Hard-Working
• Understanding
• Neat
• Sentimental
• Appreciative
• Loving
• Affectionate
• Sympathetic
• Empathetic
• Handsome
• A wonderful father

He also is impatient and has a terrible temper but those are not necessarily good qualities. This is not an all-encompassing list as I don't have all day to sit a list his good attributes. Any quality that appears on the list more than once did so because I thought it bears repeating. He is also a good role model, dedicated to all members of his family, not just his wife and children, willing to do anything in the world for someone he cares about and in possession of a heart as big as all outdoors. I'm the cynical one in the family and I'm the smart mouth. He's not the same. He's funny but never mean. He makes me laugh alot and I think that is one of the best parts of our marriage.

All that being said..................

Please peruse these pictures of my husband changing the oil in my car. He has ramps on which he can pull an automobile to do these kinds of things. In fact, there are very few tools that my husband does not possess. At this time, his old work car was not functioning and was parked on the ramps so that he could work on it. He did not have access to the ramps to change my oil. This is how he solved that problem.

You're eyes are not deceiving you. That is a piece of wood nailed to another piece of wood. I can not vouch for the strength of that apparatus. It may or may not have been held together with one nail or 5. I can not say as I went to the garage, saw that he had some 4-wheeler ramps resting on this and my car parked on them, turned, and went back inside. Thinking of you, my viewing public, I immediately retrieved my camera and took pictures. 

I told him, in no uncertain terms, how I felt about this. I told him that I am not the kind of woman who would get an adrenalin rush and be able to lift a car off of him. Anyone who has ever watched me do anything physical knows that this is true. I also moved my baby away from the potential scene of the accident. (Please pay no attention to the green Pringles can that by baby is elbow deep into. It was one of those days.)



He did manage to change the oil in the car without killing himself. I did not walk outside to find his legs sticking out from beneath my car like when the house fell on the witch in The Wizard of Oz. He probably isn't liking this blog. He probably isn't liking it at all, hehe. But, like I said, I don't create the news, I only report it. (My baby is now trying to drink the chips in the pringles can.)

Things You Might Not Know About BKCMom, continued

I know what you're thinking, continued? How long is she going to keep this farce up? She's pretty easy to read. Talk to her for 2 minutes and you know her entire life story all the way from the first pair of glasses she got to what she had to eat on the Sunday before she completely lost her mind. To that all I can say is, ehhh? I don't believe I'm that transparent or loud-mouthed so my list will continue until I have decided that my the level of privacy that I desire has been reached. So, pphhhtt! Here it is.

**I can start a fire, easily. Ask the hubs. Generally when fires get built at our house with a meaure of success, it's because I've done it. There's something about it, the physics or the dynamics of creating a fire that I seem to have an innate understanding of. Hubby and I agree that I've got a great future as an arsenist or a pyromaniac. I argue flatly that I derive absolutely no excitement or thrill out of building a raging fire so I don't think I'd be a good pyromaniac. (Notice I did not address my future as an arsenist. I like to keep my options open. You never know, with the economy what it is....wink, wink.)

My 3 Goals

You know how a couple of weeks ago I set 3 goals for myself? Sure, you remember. If you know me well you were probably laughing uproariously as you read them because you know me well enough to know that I was being unrealistic and probably somewhat deluded when I made them. I haven't updated you in a while about them. I thought you would like to be updated about them, since I know that you, my viewing public, hangs on the edge of your seat waiting for me to create a new blog post. So here is my update...

Yeah....uh.......mmm.......uh-huh......

There you go.

Additional Things You Don't Know About BKCMom

** I can fold a fitted sheet so neatly it looks like a flat sheet in my closet. Not a useful talent, you say. Have you read my list of things you didn't know about me or this entire blog for that matter? Very little of the skills I have are useful in any real context. Besides the cooking, of course. I can do it though. It's not hard but I can manipulate a fitted sheet into a neat little package. I've thought about giving lesssons but didn't figure I'd make much money at it. Thank you anyway Martha Stewart.

Update

I'm sure you're all wondering what's up with my 3 goals. Especially after a weekend of birthday parties and bonfires. Let's just say, I don't think I've gossiped about anyone but I'm not certain about that. That's pretty much the update. If y'all were betting on how long I'd stick with any of those 3 goals, and you're crazy if you didn't, the person who put their money on what, a week to ten days has some money coming to him/her. Oh, and thanks for the vote of confidence if you did in fact place bets. It's nice when people support you. :)

Baby BKC's Birthday

Okay, so Saturday, October 9 was my baby's Big #2 Basketball Birthday Bash (aah alliteration...). I have not one but many, many complaints to make, most of them centering around my husband. He's been getting by way to easy lately. I mean, look at the last few posts-no complaining at all hardly.

I had Friday off, meaning I was legitimately given the day off and didn't have to use one of my precious vacation days. Hubby was on Fall break all week. He was home all week. He did go work at a body shop owned by some fellow church members a couple days. He's been doing that lately to pick up some spending cash. People at church are much nicer and more compassionate than I am. They want to help us, afraid that we're having a hard time since my hubby lost his job. I say, if I were them, I wouldn't feel the least bit bad for us as he's not even trying to find a job. My mom says that maybe it's because he's trying to better himself. I say he's going to wind up with a job not making as much money as he did before, doesn't necessarily sound like bettering himself to me. But hey, I'm just the wife. I, like Tammy Wynette, stand by my man. And I do appreciate the concern of others. We go to church with a wonderful group of people and I love them.

But I digress... (I say that a lot in my posts, don't I?). I was talking about the b-day party. Hubby was home for the entire week. There was a lot of housework that needed to be done. Just so you know, my house doesn't really get cleaned unless we know someone is coming, like for a party or the holidays. It got a good cleaning in August. It was supposed to be cleaned before Baby BK's party. It will get cleaned again before Thanksgiving because the fam from Ohio will probably stay with us. Then it probably won't get cleaned again until Christmas if I carry through with my plans to have a Christmas brunch, or Easter, if I don't have a Christmas Brunch. Hubby knew that there were things that needed to be done. I'd told him specifically. I wanted him to procure for me some fodder shocks and bales of hay. I purchased mums that needed to be planted. The house needed to be cleaned in addition to this and he knew it. He lives in the house. He knows how little attention I pay it. The mess is not easily ignored, trust me. I have to work very hard to ignore it.
So, what does hubby do throughout the week? I understand that it is very hard to clean house with the punks there. They really set you back being the messy little monsters that they are. They cannot be blamed however as he never actually did anything that could be, in any way, construed as cleaning. He moved some OSB out of the garage to the basement. That's about as close as he got. Then, he proceeded to spend an entire day building a wall in the basement.

Now, he would tell you that by moving the OSB to the basement, he was cleaning the garage. It had to be removed from the garage. I can't argue with that. What I can say is that, once the OSB was in the basement, the battle was won. He'd succeeded in completing that task. Nothing else had to be done with it at that moment. A wall certainly did not need to be build. My mums needed to be planted. They still are not planted. He's going to read this and say, "I don't know where you want them planted at." Rrrraaaarrrrhhhh! That's me screaming in response and throwing something before storming back into the house. They are placed exactly where I want them planted at. And....needless to say, I still don't have a fodder shock or bale of hay.

I spent all day Friday and Saturday at home with the boys. Not a lot of work gets done with the boys there. I'll just be perfectly honest about it, to put it mildly, they're a distraction. If you are a friend on my facebook, you know what I did Friday as I alerted everyone to it every ten minutes.  I made a kettle of hot dog sauce and 4 dozen cupcakes. Strawberry cupcakes filled with marshmallow vanilla cream and chocolate cupcakes filled with fudge. I iced them with butter cream frosting, the best I've made to date though I'm pretty sure I couldn't do it again if I tried. They looked lovely, leastwise most of them did right up until I put them in the fridge. I didn't realize how close to the shelf I was. Some got smashed. Not as bad as the mini Apple Pie cupcakes I made for Homecoming at church. Those things were smooshed terribly. All of them tasted good in spite of their smooshiness though.

Friday evening the neighbors had a bonfire. We went. My babies made sure every body at that bonfire knew who they were before they left. Baby BK especially made a spectacle out of himself. A cute spectacle, but a spectacle nonetheless.

Oh, sorry, I was griping and complaining. I forgot. Saturday, the day of the party, hubby had a church conference to attend. I asked him very nicely to not stay a minute longer than was necessary. If you know my husband, you know he likes to pass his time in deep conversation with anyone he comes across. This is magnified a hundred times at church functions. Before he left that morning, I asked him to do 3 things. Just 3, and none of them overly difficult or mentally taxing. First, I asked him to take a pre-sorted load of laundry downstairs and put it in the washing machine. There was laundry already in the washer that would have to be transferred to the dryer. Second, I asked him to unload the dishwasher. Third, I asked him to take the garbage out on his way out of the house. After having to work around him for 20 minutes in the kitchen, I finally asked if he was going to unload the dishwasher. He'd forgotten. He did it. He walked out of the house without the garbage. I didn't remind him. He's not 5 and I'm not his mother. After he left, I went to the utility room and nearly lost my mind when I found a load of pre-sorted laundry still in a hamper, not in the washer, clean and ready to dry. Seriously, ask the boys. I nearly went crazy.

I spent Saturday afternoon making 5 count 'em 5 different kinds of soup for the party. I had wall to wall crock pots by the time the party rolled around. We had: Ham, Bean, and Vegetable Soup, Clam Chowder, Potato Soup, Chicken and Noodles, and White Chili. The Clam Chowder is my personal favorite but I'm in the minority on that. I think I'm going to have to increase my potato soup production as we had no leftovers and the best thing to date about Baby's birthday is the leftover soup and hot dogs the following Sunday.

I guess that's enough for now. When hubby reads this he's going to have a conniption, I just know it. If he reads it. He's such a busy man now he rarely has the time. I complained that I'd been on my feet all day Friday working and his response was that he'd been busy all day too, making money. Seriously, he said that to me. Me, his wife, the woman who goes to work everyday. Yeah, that's how it went over with me too. He's not been murdered yet. I told him the minute he becomes more valuable to dead than alive, he'd better watch out. Of course, I'm kidding......

Battle of Wills

The Great Cold War 2010 has finally ended at our house. For those of you who are unaware, the hubby and I have been embroiled in a bitter battle of wills for months, possibly the entire year. I don't remember exactly when it started. You see, I hate cleaning the bathroom. I hate it. I really hate it. So I haven't done it since the last time our master bath was cleaned. That's the date I'm fuzzy about. I'm not sure when I cleaned it last. I only know for certain that the last time the bathroom was completely cleaned, top to bottom, I was the one to do it. In fact, I'm the only one who has done it since we moved into the house in April 2007. Hubby will clean a little, sweep, clean the toilet, wipe his hair off of the sink, but he won't clean the bath tub. I'm the only person to clean our bath tub for years. I even had to do it while I was pregnant, which is neither comfortable, easy or safe. I, however, am not the only one to use our bath tub. So....I refused to clean it after the last time. I absolutely refused. That's when the war began.

I refused to clean it. Hubby refused to clean it. Actually, hubby was just going about his regular business. I'm pretty sure he was never aware that we were involved in a battle of wills. He refused to clean it and I refused clean it. Let's just say that the shower has become completely disgusting during this war. Seriously, it's been gross. I won't even touch the shower curtain liner. Hubby generally is more neat than I am. Messes bother him a lot more so I just knew that he would give in first and clean it, especially since he has more time throughout the day than I do. I just knew that he would break down and clean it. I knew that months ago. I knew that weeks ago. Every time he called me at work and said that he'd done a little cleaning before leaving for school, I just knew that he'd finally become completely disgusted with the condition of the bathroom and cleaned it up. And yet, every time, he had not. I started to wonder if he even noticed that it was dirty.

So, you might ask, what's happened. Did he finally clean it? Did I finally clean it? Did the health department condemn us?

Well, our battle of wills has ended. And, you may or may not be surprised to find out that my hubby is much stronger and more stubborn than I. That's right, I broke down this morning and cleaned the shower. And let me tell you, it was disgusting, it was hard work, and I hated every single second of it. I've completely replaced our shower curtain liner because it was too gross to deal with. I would have taken before and after pictures so you could actually see how much work was involved but I figured if pictures got out Social Services might have to investigate the conditions in which I raise my children. I used an entire can of Scrubbing Bubbles, which I hate. That particular cleaner is not strong enough and just forced me to use more elbow grease. Hubby had used all of my The Works cleaner, which I think could strip the bark right off an oak tree. What he used it for I have no idea as I've not actually seen anything cleaned. Listen to me, recommending cleaning products like a regular housewife. Cute, huh?

Baby BK helped me in as much as Baby BK helps with anything. He brought 2 lemons upstairs, for what purpose I couldn't say. He brought a bottle of water upstairs, for what purpose I couldn't say. He then spilled the water all over my bath mat. He caught me unaware and took a cup of water out of the bathroom. I was using the cup to rinse the tub and gauge my progress. He spilled it in the bedroom. Then spilled some more when he put one of the lemons in it. He took my can of hair spray and sprayed it all over the hall floor. He found a tube of pink lipstick in my drawer and half of it has since disappeared. I'm not sure what happened to it. I haven't found it anywhere yet so he may have eaten it.

Anyway......I guess it's nice to have gotten it over with even though I am on the losing end of this battle. It seems petty, I'm sure, the fact that I would live in such a disgusting situation just to have my way. It may be petty. That's just how I roll though. :)

Updates!!!

In relation to my last post, I have a few updates. Feel free to congratulate me.

1. I've managed to go an entire week and spend only $50, including putting gas in my car and buying supper for the boys at Wendy's at night. This is completely amazing on my part. Trust me.

2.  I haven't gossiped about anyone all week. This is not that great of an accomplishment on my part as I don't do that overly much.

3.  I have lost 7 pounds since the last time I weighed myself which was about 10 days ago. I've been very careful with my portion control, even at Homecoming dinner Sunday. I ate only a little bit, just a bite or two of desserts that I was interested in. I've exercised an enormous amount of self control this week. I took delicious chocolate cake home with me and did not eat it like crazy. I am very proud of myself.

New Challenges

I've decided to set 3 new goals for myself. I'm determined to do the following:

1. Spend less money.

 I know what you're thinking. How can she spend less when she says ALL THE TIME that she doesn't spend any money because she doesn't have any money to spend? How many times has she whined about how her husband doesn't have a job? How much more are we going to have to hear....

Well, if THAT'S what you're thinking, you can shut up. But if your are curious as to how I'm going to meet this goal, I'd be happy to tell you. Throughout the times that I've complained about how much money I don't have, I may have been exaggerating my lamentable situation just a teeny tiny little bit. I do spend money everyday. I buy my lunch. And at times, I've spent more money on my lunch than perhaps I should. What can I say? I like lunch.

This brings me to my goal. I plan to spend less money. I still hate the idea of packing my lunch. I just don't have time in the morning to throw one together and I can't stand having a sandwich that was in the frig all night, put together, getting all soggy and gross. So, my method of reaching this goal is to just spend less on the lunch and breakfasts and occasional snacks that I buy. First, I don't plan on buying snacks. No more candy bars for me. Second, I'm cutting down on the amount I spend on Pepsi. I can't cut this out all together as I really like Pepsi and, in lieu of that, Coke, especially with my lunch. So, no more 20 oz bottles. Finally, since, I can't cut out the drink with my one dollar sandwich, I'm going to cut out the fries. There, down to $2.25 per day with no effort hardly.

2. No more gossip!

I've said it before in my blog, I can very easily be drawn into gossiping about other people. I know it's wrong and I feel horrible after I've done it. Why would I choose to do things that make me feel horrible? Exactly. So, no more. I refuse to participate in the creation or dissemination of gossip about anyone. This includes people I don't know.

3. Lose some weight?

Notice this is in question form? There's a reason for that. I, just like everyone else, vow on a regular basis that I plan to lose weight, or at least try to do things that will lead me to lose weight. This time, I'm serious though. No, I mean I'm really serious. I'm starting by eliminating fries from my lunch. (This is also part of my plan to reach my first goal. You know, 2 birds with one stone. That's just how I roll.) I also vow to not stop every other morning and get a chocolate covered honey bun for my breakfast and I've already said that I would no longer buy a 20 oz Pepsi every day. Now, I've also determined that I will not eat as much. This has been going on for a couple of days and so far, I've held up pretty good. I'm not eliminating anything from my diet like carbs. I'm not denying myself anything. I'm just not going to eat as much. Should be easy right? Ha, we're so naive.

These are my goals. I'm going to work hard and pray for assistance and guidance in reaching these goals. The three goals are somewhat interdependent. If I meet number 3, then I'd better have met number 1 as well because I'll need new clothes. Y'all know how I hate to shop right?

I'll post regular updates on how I'm doing, if I've strayed from my plans at all. I don't have a set of scales at my house so I can't weigh myself all the time. That is never going to change as I don't like to do things that make me feel horrible. If anyone else would like to join me in these three rather generic and universal goals, feel free to do so. And feel free to share your progress!!

A Man's Perspective

This is not from a man's perspective. I would never in a million years be so naive as to believe I can understand how a man sees or understands anything. This is, however, one man's response.

Last week, I went shopping. Just on my lunch hour. I was very frugal, hitting only the 75% off rack even though there were tons and tons of purses that I really really reaaaalllllyyyy wanted to purchase. I did not purchase a purse though. I exercised self control and did not buy one. Even though I really wanted to.

I came home wearing different clothes than I had on when I'd left. I think I would have gotten away with it if I hadn't been wearing canary yellow shoes. Hubby doesn't notice a lot of things but he certainly would have noticed the shoes. And he did.

"That's not what you were wearing when you left this morning," he said when I got out of the car. It only took him a couple of minutes to come to this conclusion. THIS is yet one more reason that he needs to get a job. When he left at 5 am and didn't get home until 6 pm, I didn't have to worry about his happening. He paid much less attention then. And I really did buy a lot more stuff then too because I got away with it.

"No, it's not," I replied flatly.

"Where'd you get it? Did your mom give it to you?" Now, I could have covered my tracks here. Mom has given me a few things lately. He wouldn't have known the difference, at least for a month anyway. I did not do this though.I didn't even stretch the truth a bit and say that I'd had it for a while, which is my standard answer. It's true. I'd had it for a while. 5 hours is a while.

"No," I answered.

"So where'd you get it?" He's persistent, I've got to give him credit for that. He can sniff out my indiscretions like nobody's business when he actually notices them. We were still in the garage at this point. I'd not even been inside yet.

"I bought it." This came out as a put-upon sigh, as if he was killing me, because he was. Truly.

I explained to him that I'd stopped on my lunch hour and bought some stuff. I told him how much I'd spent, $50. He didn't completely freak out, just partially. I assured him that I'd cover the cost with my next two reimbursement checks from work. That part is true too, I will.

Now, when hubby tells people that I just went shopping, which he does a lot now, he only tells people that I bought clothes. As if I needed anymore clothes. He adds that sentiment, not me. I certainly think I need more clothes. I always think I need more clothes. He never tells them that I only spent $50. I don't think that's an exorbitant amount of money. He also doesn't tell them what I got because I don't come out looking quite bad enough if he does and he really has no idea what I actually purchased.

This is what I purchased. For $50. Remember, $50.

One dress, really for summer but suitable for winter with some tights and a cardigan, of which I have 2 that would match.

One skirt, gray linen with black trim and two cute pockets in the front. I had no skirt like this previously. It's super cute and completely suitable for work regardless of the season.

One skirt, pin striped and a kind of mermaid silhouette. Again, didn't have one like this and it's great for work no matter the season.

One pair of slacks, gray, boot cut, short length. Short length at this store means I still have to hem, I just don't have to cut off as much.Work appropriate, kind of business casual.

One purple belted tunic, split neckline. Great with the above mentioned skirts or jeans. Matches the purple heels I bought previously.

One black belted tunic, split neckline. Great with the above mentioned skirts or jeans, very versatile.

One pair of ballet flats, bright yellow with a cute self-fabric flower. I didn't have a pair of yellow shoes even though I have a yellow purse. Now I have shoes to match my purse. That just makes me happy.

Remember, $50. I think hubby should actually congratulate me on a job well done. I mean, $50...Come on!?! $50!

In lieu of his congratulations, which I'm pretty sure I'm never actually going to get.....I rock!