A Day in the Life of a Knothead

Couple of "Funnies"

2009-07-06T15:55:00.003-05:00

I came across a tiny post-it note where I had jotted down a few Lane-isms one day a few months ago. I thought they were still cute, so I wanted to share 'em...

"That's too conflicated for babies." = Something too hard for a baby to do.

"Did cowboys ride camels before they had horses?"

"Maybe this is the road McQueen built the first time!" = A rough road downtown near the BJCC. (In case you've been living under a rock for several years...Doing his community service, Lightning McQueen, from the Disney movie "Cars", paved the road through Radiator Springs too quickly. Since it was very rough and bumpy, McQueen had to dig it up and start over before he could go on to California to win the Piston Cup.)

and finally...

"Dad, do you want a smirl?" = You know, the chocolate & marshmallowy goodness sandwiched between two crispy graham crackers...a smirl!

Aye, Chihuahua!

2009-07-06T14:35:00.006-05:00

I know I haven't blogged in a long time, but I had to get this down before I forgot to do it. This is an excerpt from a conversation sparked by some dog stickers this morning.

Lane: "I want to get a chihuahua, and I want it to be a boy. I want him to be a boy so I can name him 'Chucky'."

Me: "Chucky the Chihuahua?"

Lane: "No, not that. Not that kind of a name. I'm going to name him 'Chucky Barnes'."

Me: "Chucky Barnes? Why's that?"

Lane: "Cause that's just a good kind of name for a chihuahua. Chucky. Chucky Barnes."

...blah...blah...blah...I mention I'd get a girl chihuahua and name her "Chintzy". Lane liked that, but he still would name a boy "Chucky"....

Lane: "I like the name 'Chucky' because it's short and snappy!"

OK. So, when and where did he learn to talk like an 80-year old?

It's Snowing!!!

2009-03-01T09:53:00.004-06:00

Here's the view from our computer. This webcam is a fun thing to have! I'm sure I'll have more snowy fun to post later today. Lane just said he wants to go outside and have a snowball fight! And, he said:

"I see a snowman! It's wearing an Alabama hat." (Must be our neighbors across the street.)

"Hey, I know! When we go outside, we can make a snow cake!" (He's talking about cotton candy.)

"We can have a real snowball fight. The kind you have outside, not inside." (With big white pom-pom balls)

Anyhow, this says I can see fun coming! See ya later!

Everybody Matters

2009-02-28T18:14:00.009-06:00

Yes, it's true. I've been accused of talking too much. I know it. You know it.

I'm not really sure how it happened, but I have developed a different type of talking "thing" in the last...I don't know...20 or 25 years. I've gotten some interesting responses from dinner and shopping companions because of it. I'm not even trying to get attention with it, but I get it anyway. It's just such a natural habit that I don't even realize I'm doing it.

Basically, when I go out in public, I am overly conscious of all the other people who are out there, too. I'm not talking about all the other people who went out in public the way I did...to get some laundry supplies, to grab a quick meal on-the-run, to make a pit stop with the boys because it "cannot wait!", to make a transaction at the bank, or on a really special day, actually sit down in a restaurant for a quiet meal with a friend or my sweet husband.

The people I notice most are those who are tallying my purchase, taking my crazed food order, re-stocking and straightening the store shelves, holding a door open for me and my entourage, changing the garbage can liners in the restroom, sweeping the food court floor at the mall, counting the number of items I'm allowed to carry into the fitting room, filling and re-filling my sweet tea and salsa, standing guard at the door in case we decide to steal something, pushing around a cleaning cart and wearing those lovely protective gloves to keep off the gross stuff. I'm only one of the many that these people are serving.

Have you seen THOSE people? I hope so.

Just where did these people come from? And what are they thinking? The nerve!

A little common courtesy, please. I am constantly aware of the unconscionable rudeness and mistreatment that I see every time I am in a public place. Even at church. No, I'm not talking about the ones in service positions. I'm talking about us, the patrons of all these places in our bubble of the creme de la creme. Uh, oh. I may get some nasty-grams because of this. Maybe you've suddenly decided I'm talking too much again.

Please, please, please take an extra 4 seconds out of your trip to the Huge-orama store to look the person working at the check-out line in the eye and say SOMETHING to them. Tell them "hello" before they say it to you (You know they HAVE to say it to you. It's part of their job. If they didn't say "Hi! How are you today?", chances are you would think they were pretty darn rude & have a bad attitude about their job. Ironic?). Actually look at their face and find their eyes. They're located just above the nose and sometimes are hidden behind a pair of glasses. If you find them & speak pleasantly to this person, I'll bet you'll find some teeth located just below that same nose. That's called a smile!!!!!!

Here's what happened to me. In high school, I worked for a local department store. I now firmly believe every teen needs to have a job in a retail or restaurant environment (or other service-type job). It put me on the flip side of being out in public at the most opportune time. To some degree, I still suffered from a sense of entitlement as a teen (and still have to watch it at times), but I know that job opened my eyes to a whole new perspective. I was the one treated rudely. I got the brunt of frustration from customers who had a bad day. I had to clean up the fitting room that was trashed with clothes off their hangers, paper & chewed gum on the floor and handprints on the mirrors. I got to clean up little-girl pee-pee on the sales floor at another retail job...then re-hang (seriously) about 20 different clothing items the mom left all over the fitting room...at closing time (I think she bought one item. I'm not bitter.). I was even *gasp* ignored! But, God is good and has brought me full-circle.

I've learned that I'm not the only one who notices these people in service positions. My children notice them, too. It's almost like the kids seek them out so they can say "hello!" They don't really seek them, but they DO notice and speak to them. We also smile and speak to people sitting alone, people on elevators and just...people. With all the many flaws and failures in my life, I'm glad this isn't one of them. (NOTE: We also talk about when it is and is not appropriate to speak to strangers, so no nasty grams for that!)

Acknowledging people is the first active step in living like you believe everybody matters! Maybe you believe it, maybe not, but you should because God does.

God believed that you matter enough for His only Son, Jesus Christ, to make a trip to our earth for the sole purpose of dying as a sacrifice to pay for your sins. Your sins are booking you a one-way ticket to a place where God never visits and where your eternity is waaaaaay worse than any service or hard labor job you can even imagine...with complete darkness and seperation from God. But, Jesus paid the price for your sins. All you have to do is accept his payment as His gift to you and make him the Lord of your life. It's that easy...for anybody.

The Ballroom

2009-02-02T16:34:00.005-06:00

I have fond memories of playing the board game "Clue". It's always been one of my favorites. So, when I found a one-player version at the toystore, I was very excited. Now...what was I thinking?

Well, I finally decided to get it out in hopes of openning it to play. I've been waiting for the "right" time to give it a try. Lane beat me to it. This is nothing new to me. He notices EVERYTHING, so he saw the box on the counter, even hidden under some other books.

So, here we go. I'm getting it all out, & he's playing it before it's even out of the box. It has clue cards that have the whole mystery described on one side and the answers on the other side. This is more of a logic puzzle game that's based on the original board game and is rated for ages 10+. I really didn't question if he'd be able to at least sort out some of the clue details and follow along with the mystery, but I knew he couldn't read all the cards by himself yet. Well...he can't read the cards, but he's ALL into it! Loving the whole thing.

Then, the phone rang. My friend, Jenny, and I can have a conversation that may last for 45 minutes but only 20 of that is true conversation. Between our collective 4 boys, we have issues...but, I digress. Jenny knows Lane very well, so she said I had to remember to tell this story, just to let other folks know how things are day to day around here.

I had told him we were only playing through two mystery cards, and we did. Once I was on the phone/distracted he went on for the next round. Since I wanted to have at least a little adult conversation, I was willing to give him his own turn. Dumb me. I, and Jenny, end up working through this one, too. So, here's what Jenny wants you to know...

Lane looked at each room and decided that the "dead body" couldn't be in this one or that one because "the dead body wouldn't fit in there. He's too long to lay in that floor." Spacial relationship skills here? Logical process of elimination? He tried not to be too perplexed when I said, "But, maybe the dead body was draped over that chair or that table over there. Or, maybe they stuffed him in that cabinet. How do we know? The clue card doesn't tell us." Yeah, Jenny thought that was shockingly funny, too. So, we're placing all the different characters where they need to go, sort-of, and no one is supposed to be in the ballroom. Lane can't figure out where the ballroom is. He's looking...looking... I showed him the ballroom. He doesn't know WHY that's the ballroom. "What happened to all the balls? That can't be the ballroom. Oh, did they just take all the balls out, and it's kind-of like a gym?" I reassured him that there were no balls in the mystery and that this was a ballroom like the one on the Cinderella movie. After that I reminded him that Cinderella went to a ball which is the same as a dance. "Oh yeah. Well, they COULD play with balls in the ballroom, too. It's big like a gym." I guess that's the same reasoning he used when he thought the dead body should be found in there. It IS big enough for a dead body.

Yes, this is only a sample of daily life in a house full of knotheads.

Froggies Get a Remodel

2009-01-18T15:45:00.005-06:00

I am completely fascinated by these 1-inch wonders! I decided to move our pet tree frogs to a new location - the family room. After adding a "waterfall" (a water filter) and sprucing their place up a bit, I really wanted to be able to spend more time with the little guys (or girls - hard to know). I'm still working on the full waterfall effect, but for now, it's not too shabby for a frog house. :) Hope you like the pix.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-05T17:17:00.006-06:00

I thought it'd be fun to post the favorite Christmas gift that each of us received this year. We all got many nice things, but these are some faves...

Lane's fave:
"U Command WALL-E"
Reed's faves:

Andrea's fave:
The New ESV Study Bible
Brad's fave:
Sweater reads "Hi! My name is BRAD"

Our family had a very nice Christmas. Due to scheduling conflicts, we weren't able to see all of our relatives this year, and we missed them. Sometimes things just don't work out, and you have to do what's best for your own immediate family (i.e. the kids). I had several dissappointments of my own because of my delusions of grandure. I really thought I had cut back enough on what I wanted to accomplish this Christmas, but I guess I was wrong. I still plan to finish the family trees I am drawing, so those will get where they're going at some point. The other biggie is Christmas cards. I was able to give some out to family that I saw, but all our friends, and some relatives, didn't get one. I have given thought to sending out a Happy New Year card or something. The boys' school pictures came back in time to distribute, but there was a problem with some of the prints. So, some folks got pics, some folks didn't. It's just the usual ridiculousness of my life. Enough of the depressing!

Punkin' Patch

2009-01-05T16:48:00.007-06:00

Lane had his first school field trip this year. We went to a local pumpkin patch. He enjoyed the petting farm a lot. He made buddies with a goat. Later he and his friends found a sweet fawn to talk to. The funniest thing I saw, though, was the rooster with a blonde mullet! These are some pix from the big day.

A Bit Late, but Here's Halloween Stuff...

2009-01-05T16:06:00.005-06:00

For Halloween, Lane wanted to be a robot. He and I made a trip to Home Depot for robot supplies. He was super proud of how awesome his costume turned out because he helped make it. I must say, he was a big hit at our church Trunk-or-Treat. So many people said that it was a very creative and great costume. Lane just beamed with pride, and I was so happy for him! His friend, Sean Patrick, is in this pic with Lane.

Reed dressed as a friendly ghost for Halloween. I'm suddenly big on cutting t-shirts to make other things/clothes. This was about as easy as dressing him in a white sheet, but he could see where he was going - a big plus for a little ghost! I had always wanted to be a ghost for Halloween, but the person in charge of making me a costume couldn't get past the part about not being able to see where I was going. So, alas, I was always a witch. Is anyone suprised? I thought not.

Reed's big thing at Trunk-or-Treat was the lollipops. Every trunk he visited that gave him a sucker, he thought he needed to open it immediately and eat it. I do mean EVERY time. We were picking up slobbery lollipops all night. Guess that tells you who the real SUCKERS were! Reed's friend, Chase, is in this pic with him. He was a very cute Robin Hood.

On the Road Again

2008-12-22T14:06:00.003-06:00

Travelling in the car is one of the best times to learn new "Lane-isms" or to hear "Deep Thoughts by Lane".

On the way to Grandmother & PawPaw's to celebrate Christmas with the family, we had to make a pit-stop. Thank goodness for boys & what they can do on the side of the road just as well as they do it in a proper restroom! This zinger came during the zip & button. "Hey! I turned that tee-tee into mud!" Like I said, thank goodness for outdoor plumming...and living in a state where it's almost expected that little boys use it.

How To: Drawing Stuff...

2008-10-17T16:56:00.000-05:00

http://www.wikihow.com/Category:Drawing

Play Photoshop Tennis - wikiHow

2008-10-17T16:53:00.001-05:00

Play Photoshop Tennis - wikiHow

Southern or Red Neck?

2008-10-17T14:44:00.009-05:00

While reviewing Lane's school work from the week with him, I usually learn SOMETHING. Today was no different. The following are what I learned from his Weekly Reader:

#1:
A discussion question at the bottom of the page prompted me to ask,
"Where might you find a pumpkin?"
L: "a pumpkin patch" (He has a field trip to one next week & is so excited!)
Me: "Where else?"
L: "Wal*Mart"
I have to say that I was unsure if this was okay with me or not! Although we rarely shop at Wal*Mart, my child apparently thinks that's where people go to get everything!

#2:
The end of these weekly hand-outs always has a fill-in-the-blank word or phrase applying to a letter they learned ("P") and the topic for that week. This week was Pumpkin Pie. So Lane goes into an explanation about how red necks say it like this, "punkin pi" (You know... "pi" sounds like it has a stretched out version of a short "a" sound.) not "pumpkin pie" (which he enunciates VERY correctly for me - I'm sure Mrs. Stacey is so proud!). Then I told Lane his Uncle Kevin would make fun of him for saying it correctly because my brother has always picked on me for correct pronunciation of words. When we're together, I think he sits in wait for me to say "ten" so he can repeat it just like I said it... the proper way!

Lovin' Me Some Einstein!

2008-10-16T19:37:00.003-05:00

I love Albert Einstein! Wow! Check out the very insightful and thought provoking quotes in the YouTube video I have added to my blog sidebar>>>>>>>
You may have to pause each frame to have time to read each quote shown. You also may have to think about a few of them for a minute. The more I learn about him, the better I see his sense of humor that encourages his intellect. He seems to really have a grip on who he is and who he is with respect to others, the world and to God. Wow!

FYI/BTW, I'm going to post this same entry to my AndiCastleberry blog. Oh yeah, and my facebook has the video, too. :o)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Halloween

2008-10-14T16:41:00.008-05:00

This morning, while I was finishing those last-minute tasks before darting out the door to school, Lane decided to "decorate for Halloween" in our den. He found a roll of toilet paper I forgot to carry into the downstairs bathroom. I think I left it at the top of the stairs - so I wouldn't forget it, of course. I'm not sure who taught him how, but he rolled the family room. I know he threw the roll, too, because I found dust bunnies from the ceiling fan lying around. Knothead!

Then there's always the Knothead I married. I guess he was playing with my camera and took some random photos. Maybe it was Lane. I doubt I'll ever know for sure.

Creepy!

Moon!

2008-10-11T20:31:00.000-05:00

Conversation ALL the way home from Sam's Club:

Reed: "Moon! Moon! Moon! Daddy, moon! Moon! Moon! Jump! Daddy, cow! Moon! Cow jump! Moon! Moon! Look! Moon! Moon. Moon...Moon! Daddy, moon! Moon mama. Look. Moon...Moon! Moon! Moon! Moon, Daddy, moon!" (repeat, repeat, repeat)

Big Weirdo

2008-10-11T20:06:00.000-05:00

The short story:
Brad opens door.
Lane: "Hey! I thought you were a big weirdo!"

The full story:
While sitting in the Sam's Club parking lot tonight, Lane didn't understand why I wasn't rolling the windows down all the way while we waited for Brad to come back with our "treasures". He wasn't going to let it go, so I told him it isn't safe to sit in your car in a big parking lot in the dark with your windows all the way down. L: "Why?" Me: "Because that way a big weirdo can't just reach in and grab you right out of the car." 10 minutes later...Brad knocks on the back window wanting me to unlock it for him. When he opened the tailgate, Lane said, "Hey! I thought you were a big weirdo!"

Blowing Kisses

2008-10-10T18:32:00.003-05:00

So, yesterday after school, I took the boys to get a haircut. Since we were hungry, we went to Pasquales Pizza afterward. As typical, Lane chose to befriend the young college-ish age girl working at the register. He picked out a booth next to the counter where his new friend had to sit. When I walked to the table with our drinks, he was already at it. In times like these, I always feel the need to go ahead and post a disclaimer about anything that may happen or be said in the following 30 minutes while we patron their establishment. I went ahead and said, "Prepare to be entertained." Of course, they were not dissapointed.

After the eating adventure was over, we were headed to the car. At least he made his daddy proud with his good taste...Lane had to go back to the store window and blow the pretty blonde girl a kiss.

HIJACKED!

2008-10-07T04:26:00.003-05:00

That is exactly what has happened to my old blog name! Wow! Somebody's using it to promote "knock-off hand bags for terrorism". I know! I don't understand, either!

So, as you see, THIS is just the type of thing that happens to a knot head. You never know what's waiting around the proverbial corner of the next moment. Could be a nice friend ahead of you in the Starbucks drive-thru who pays for your order; Could be a terrorist fake-selling cheap, fake "stripper" hand bags in YOUR good name. I guess Forrest's mamma was right. What a wise woman.

Robot Parade

2008-10-03T18:32:00.001-05:00

The boys and I found this VERY cute video today while searching for different make-your-own robot costumes. Now they won't stop singing this song!!!!

Robot Parade from Jared Foster on Vimeo.

Ok! Ok! Ok! I hear you!

2008-10-02T16:28:00.003-05:00

To my DEAR friends, I am now going to try this again. How many times have I been taunted for slacking off on my blog? I've lost count.

Just to catch you up on a few of the many things that have happened since March, I'll make a list. I'm sure I'll think of more things you've missed in the next few days, so this is an ongoing list. If you need more info on each incident, leave a comment/question.

1) Lane feels sorry for Satan, so he wants to pray for him to stop being bad so that he (Satan) can one day go back to heaven. He immediately begins to pray for Satan in the car on the way to church one Wednesday night. He wants Satan to receive salvation! Have you ever been humbled to tears by a child?
2) We got to see the newborn giraffe at the zoo when she was just a day old. Our lucky day!
3) Ok, so we spent a LOT of time at the zoo this summer. I'm very thankful for the fountains at the children's zoo.
4) Both little guys took swimming lessons for the first time this summer. That became Lane's "new sport". Yeah, that didn't last too long. We didn't have much of a pool to swim in the rest of the summer. Reed thought he was big stuff jumping off the side of the pool. My arms had quite a workout from lifting him back up on the wall over and over and over.
5) Back to the zoo, we were able to stump the kangaroo keepers with Lane's question. "When does the mama kangaroo get her pouch?" Do you know the answer? She's born with it. Kangaroos...many unusual facts to be known there. Good times.
6) We adopted 3 tadpoles in August. We were able to watch them all become froglets and then full-blown tree frogs. After a bunch of research and learning everything to be known about tree frogs, I think they are squirrel tree frogs, kin to the green tree frog but smaller. They may grow to be 1.5 to 2-inches long and could live up to 5 or 10 or even 15 years. Well, two of them could. I'm sorry to say that The President of the United States of America (aka Frog #1) met an untimely death after a trip to school. But, let's not talk about that - especially to Lane. I think he still hasn't figured it out yet. More on frogs another day.

That's enough list for now. Anybody who has something I should mention, I'm taking requests.

What happened today? I had Biblical Theology this morning. I love my group! Awesome girls! We talked about God's grace from Ephesians. No, we don't have the RIGHT to talk to God or to get salvation and go to heaven. It's not a right we are born with. Quite the opposite! It is a PRIVALIGE that God even looks at us or thinks of us or doesn't just burn us all up to ashes the instant we sin. And then to think that he SAVES us from complete darkness and eternal damnation to the horrid place where pure evil resides! Thank you LORD for even my next breath! And thank you LORD for my salvation through Jesus Christ! Wow!

Gotta go. I'm not really able to identify the sound I just heard coming from downstairs, so I'd better go see what was just dumped out in the floor.....

What was that white stuff?

2008-03-17T16:43:00.004-05:00

Here's some pics from the "big" snow we had in January. I was just looking back through my pics and thought I'd share these. :-)

Water into wine...

2008-03-16T22:36:00.002-05:00

As much as possible, I'm about to start recording Lane's self-spoken prayers. Definately noteworthy! Tonight he thanked God for many things. Brad could tell more, but here's a list of a few of them:

our house,
the people that built our house,
turning the water into wine,
etc....

Afterwards, Lane asked his dad if he had heard all of what his prayer said. Brad said, "Yes." So, Lane said "Ok, so tell me what I said I was thankful for." Brad listed all the different things - except the water into wine. So, of course, Lane asked him if he heard that part. Brad said, "Yes. Did you learn about that in Sunday School today?" Lane said, "Ha! No. We learned about that a long time ago, like 500 years ago!" (Today's lesson was about Jesus. They learned about saying "Hosanna" to Him and waving palm leaves - for Palm Sunday.)

On a different note, Reed fell yesterday with a toy car in his hands. He landed smack on the car with his face, hitting his top right tooth. This is the same tooth he somehow (a mystery) chipped two Sundays ago at church. This time, it bled a good bit and left a dark blood ring around the tooth at his gum line. Tonight I'm afraid it's starting to turn a little brown. We'll be going to the dentist again tomorrow. Such a bummer! I'll post results later. Night, night!

Gettin' on The Train....

2008-03-15T22:24:00.002-05:00

You want to know what I'm really like on the inside? What really gets me in my favorite kind of mood? Check out www.live365.com. Go to the Blues genre section. Listen to BLUES TRAIN. Wow! Kickin' back!

Karate Kid

2008-02-09T01:11:00.000-06:00

The Kid earned his Tae Kwon Do Cubs Red Stripe belt last Friday. We've been waiting a long time for a RED belt. At one point, he said he wanted a red belt, not a black belt. Red belts are better than black belts - because they're red.

New Kids in Town!

2008-02-09T00:44:00.000-06:00

Our newest family members were born last Thursday. They're already a whole week old! At 5+ pounds each, they are just so tiny! I'm such a proud aunt! Check 'em out...

Proud daddy, too. Way to go, Bookie!

Wishful Thinking... December 2008

2008-01-23T00:33:00.000-06:00

Goose!

2008-01-23T00:16:00.000-06:00

Tonight, at bedtime, we were sealing the deal on getting Lane in the bed. This is a feat of mental strength. I was fading fast and had laid across his bed for a break. Well, Brad was suckered into "a game of Simon Says just one time." After the 5 minute game/cardio workout, Lane wanted to play again. Brad told him that Mommy would have to play instead. Lane said I couldn't play because I was asleep. Brad, funny guy, said, "I'll bet she'd wake up if you goosed her." So...... Lane proceeded to play an impromptu game of Duck. Duck. Goose! Guess who was the goose. Little knot-head!

Baby, it's COLD outside!

2008-01-21T22:13:00.000-06:00

Where, oh where, did the warm weather go? It is COLD! They don't call it Sweet Home Alabama for nothing. We like it warm here! We were a tad dissappointed that there was not quite enough snow to make a tiny snowman this week. Hopefully, the one morning of snow won't be a once-in-a-lifetime event for the boys. They really enjoyed their FIRST snow, so I guess I can stand the cold if it means we get to have a little of the white stuff. BTW, Lane was excited on Friday to find out about the snow coming. He said he was excited that we were going to have a "white Christmas"! Brad told him we would just be having a "white Saturday" - to ward off the hopes of Santa coming back so soon.

With the on-set of the new year comes those dreaded resolutions to do and be better. Well, I'm not a fan of coming up with resolutions for the heck of it. I never make them. That way, I never break them! :-) I'm a smart girl. But, this time, I'm taking a chance. I'm working on a couple of areas. I guess you could say I'm trying to step it up a little. Mostly, it boils down to me trying to grow up some. I suppose it's about time for that. Although, I'm still only about 23 in my own mind! ;)

We have arrived! January 17, 2008

2008-01-17T17:21:00.000-06:00

Well, here we are. The Castleberrys are finally beginning to catch up with the rest of the world. I'm sure you'll find some stuff here soon. We'll see just how much I stay up to date with this. :-)