There was a to-do in our capital city of Columbia,SC yesterday regarding a proposed gay/straight club in a local school.

I sent the following comment to our State newspaper:
"As the parent of a child who I don't yet know will grow up to be gay or straight (she's three) I definitely support such a club. I believe God loves all of his children and we should be preaching acceptance not rejection. There is too much hate and negativity in this world as it is. I would love it if the South would shed some of it's backwoods narrow-minded reputation in favor of open-mindedness and tolerance."
I posted my full name, would have gladly posted my address and telephone number too.

I am never ashamed of what I have to say and anyone who knows me definitely knows I support gay rights. I am striving to instill those values in my child and never pass up a chance to pass on the message to anyone else either regardless of age/sex/creed/religion etc.

Some of my family members are very close-minded and my open-mindedness disturbs them (as their close-mindedness disturbs me). They love to try and bait me and argue but I am a pretty smart cookie and can usually get over. I love to see the steam coming out of their ears when I hand them a little bit of rope and let them hang themselves.
Happens every time so far.

You see I am a FIRM believer in "wrong never truly wins".
Maybe a small battle but never a war, my friends, never a war.

I just hope the kids in Irmo win the right to have their gay/straight alliance.

Okay I know my co-workers are nosey concerned but their nosiness concern is getting a bit old. Because I am getting sick and tired of the not-so-subtle sneak peeks, the outright stares, - the questions on why I have my ear in a big ol' white nut cup, I will let you pick what excuse I will give tomorrow when asked:

1) Got shot in a drive-by shooting

2) A shark snapped it up while I was swimming at Myrtle Beach

3) The ghost of Leonardo Da Vinci attacked me last week

4) I donated it to little deaf kids in a Thirld World Country

5) Madison took my ear to school for a science experiment

6) Stacy bit it off during hot wild monkey sex

Vote dear Blogreaders! My sanity just might depend on it!

I am so down and frustrated tonight about my ear. Ugh. Just sick of it. I am going to try and figure out a way to wash my nasty nasty hair tomorrow. It just HURTS all the time and itches, which means it's healing but Arrgh...
Okay pity part of one - OVER.
This little guy is sitting here begging me with his eyes to get off the computer and play with him for crying out loud! When sister goes to bed it is our time to play fetch and me baby him. He makes me smile. He is the best dog. Me, Stac & Maddie are so lucky to have him in our lives. He may be little but he's five pounds of pure heart. (and yes I know he needs groomed - badly but he gets a bath every week and has no fleas I swear!)

She can run a front-end loader... in pigtails no less. She's a rockstar like her Mamma who used to tear down Transmissions for a living. Rawwrrr....

What odd job did you have that would surprise me? Feel free to make something up (*cough*Grant*cough*) OR if you would rather just tell me what the coolest job you could ever do would entail.

Well I know it's only been a few days but my lord do I have some catching up to do!

It was a rougher surgery than last time as I said before. Still alot of drainage that I didn't have before.
He found a tumor the size of a pearl and he said in two months time we would have been right back where we started. What we do now, I don't know.
I was in no shape to really discuss it when he called to check on me last Thursday night but I go back on June 4th to have the inner ear packing taken out.
I have rested until I can rest no more!
Stacy has taken excellent care of me and Madison too and God Bless my sister "K" who cleaned my house from top to bottom on Friday even steam cleaning the carpets. Nothing soothes the soul like knowing your house is clean.
I am back at work but it should be a quiet week with the boss not back until Thurs/Fri and then if I can get through next week I am on vacay to Oak Island, NC for a week. My toes will be in the sand. I bought a few cute sundresses including a flowered terry short one that feels very seventies!
Anyway i'll be able to get caught up on reading blogs today as no one is around to really bother me I HOPE.
Thanks again for checking up on me and all of the good well wishes and comments. VERY much appreciated. It's nice to be liked!

Stacy snuck in and took a few pics of me sleeping ... attractive I know but I really couldn't care less.

This has been harder this time. More bleeding from the incision, I don't do well with blood either. Ack.

Anyway hopefully i'll get caught up on the blog reading soon. Thanks for all of the well-wishes and for checking up on me.

Stacy, Maddie & My big sis have taken excellent care of me. Time to go lay back down. I did want to give an update though.

Hugs and have a wonderful Memorial Day Week-End.

Many thanks for the veterans who gave of themselves to fight for the freedoms we enjoy every single day. Don't ever take it for granted!

Well I may be back online Friday depending on how I feel. Y'all know me - I can bounce back pretty quick!
Thanks for all the get well wishes and good thoughts. I really appreciate it!
I'll be going to the hospital early in the a.m. hence the writing the night before :)
I might have to go have another cookie because I can't eat or drink after midnight (something I HATE but who doesn't?).
Happy Thursday All!

From Loving Annie three dozen Toll House Cookies. OMG words fail me to tell you how good these cookies are.
I caught Madison climbing on the counter trying to sneak one after we both ate one and I told her to leave them alone until her Daddy got home.
They are "risk-a-spanking good" LOL (for the record I would NOT spank her over that!).
Thank you so much you sweet, wonderful, thoughtful, kind lady.
I have learned so much about the human spirit and grown through reading your blog.
I will miss you and hope that you reconsider and decide to start blogging again when the time is right for you.
Again thank you for your random act of kindness. It will never be forgotten!

Indulge me while I post a few more pics - my SIL Buffy took tons of them. The lighting was weird but that's the way it was on the stage and I couldn't crop them...

Here is Maddie and Daddy - Thank Heaven For Little Girl's!

If you look toward the bottom you can just glimpse her roses..

Performing "Genevieve The Giraffe" - it was the CUTEST!

For Little Girls Grow Up And Go Away........

"There are many things that children have to know...." from("This Is My Left Foot")

Entering Stage Right.......

Anxiously awaiting her debut! (see the concentration on her face!) She was SERIOUS!

"Jeremiah was a Bullfrog" (sang VERY loudly!) LOL

"Singing Joy To The World!"

"I Wanna put on my~my~my~my~my Boogie Shoes!"

"and Boogie with You"!

Madison and her partner-in-crime Kaitlyn

Madison is the only three year old in her class and she was two when she started and two when she first danced in public at the Sweet Potato Festival. I think she has done remarkably well. Miss Patsy's babies have already been booked to perform at the Catfish Festival next November in Society Hill, SC. Don't you just love these southern festivals LOL I sure do~! They had the Pine Straw Festival in Patrick, SC last Saturday but we, of course could not go.

Here we are before her last number, she looks devilish! I look frazzled LOL

She wore this outfit when they performed "Hot Hot Hot" at the end.

Clowning around before the show began~

Maddie had her first official dance recital on Saturday.
She did GREAT. Here is a list of her numbers: The opening was "Thank Heaven For Little Girls" which was with her Daddy.

He did so good too except for about sweating to death partly from nervousness and partly because a transformer blew and the a/c wasn't working. Yeah. So anyway... the proceeding numbers were:
"Left Foot, Right Foot", "Genevieve The Giraffe" (which I had never even seen or was aware of and it was DARLING), "This Is The Way We Learn Ballet", "Boogie Shoes", "Joy To The World (Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog)" and they ended up with "Hot,Hot,Hot" shaking their little maracas.

I have to say Madison pretty much stole the show. So many people made comments to me or I heard them talking about the "littlest one on the end". She really put alot into her performances and I could see so much improvement from the Sweet Potato Festival last October.

I really felt sorry for the parents whose child or children wouldn't do a thing, and it happened unfortunately.

Madison said she wanted to take the Summer session so we start up again on June 5th.

Oh and my oldest sister whom Maddie calls "MeMaw" presented her with roses. It was definitely a kodak moment. So special! *sigh*

In between the Race Madness we attended my great niece Hannah's sixth birthday party Saturday morning. It was at a place called "The Barn"

They fished, Madison caught the biggest one! She also ran when she pulled it out of the water and it swung towards her. That's my girl! LOL

I just thought this was really cute photo op. Each child had their picture taken. The party was really nice, the cake was yummy, they did the gift bags etc. If you don't care to fish the kids can take pony rides and do a working farm tour.

Yep this is STACY coming over that hill driving that big ol' Dodge! He said it was literally straight up and straight down!

If you look closely you can see his outline it was really hard to take pics with the sun so bright. I drove the Dodge Charger around the obstacle course and of course had the camera WITH me so no pics of that. OMG can I say I want one even MORE now? Please Fairy Godmother if you read my blog, send me a Dodge Charger. Even a used one. Any color! Pink would be hottest!

Dale Earnhardt Jr. when he was being interviewed on SPEED Channel. Too bad he wasn't facing the crowd but I got a pretty good pic.

That is DW (Darrell Waltrip) beside Dale Jr. He is a retired driver, quite popular in his day but not by My Dad *snicker* Long story - i'll share it one day.

Here is little Missy dressed up in her finery from the racetrack that we brought back for her. Diggin' the Dodge Racing Bandana she's wearing!

Note the multiple layers of pink "Dodge Girl Racing" beads LOL Madison does NOT subscribe to the "less is more" rule but she will one day (I hope).

All in all it was a nice week-end and I look forward to it next year!

I want to pay tribute to my Mother In Law, "Miss Hazel". She raised a wonderful son who grew up to be my husband and my child's father.
No, we don't always see eye to eye. We are two VERY different people. She is a perfectionist and a control freak. She knows this however and tries to work on it. She has a heart of gold and her family means everything to her. She lives for my little girl whom she calls "Princess". Honestly I don't think i've heard her call her "Madison" or "Maddie" half a dozen times in her whole life! To her grandchildren she is "Ma".
She is a person I know I can be myself and be completely honest with and knows I expect the same from her. A few weeks ago Madison and I went down and spent the week-end with her and that was one of the best week-ends I have ever had.
P.S. Does auto publish work for anyone else? It sure doesn't work for me!

I'm writing this ahead of time because I won't be at work on Friday. I have to go to "Muffins For Mom" at Madison's school from 7:30-8:30 and i'm excited about that. She is too!

Then Stacy and I have some errands to run and we are going out to the Track to walk around and visit the exhibits (they have racecar simulators, a game similar to Plinko on Price is Right, just lots of neat stuff and freebies) and I plan on going by a certain drivers Souvenier Trailer and getting a shirt. Ryan knows who and some of the rest of you may also (Cheeky).

I will TRY and remember to charge up my camera and take it. I'm sure the FUG will be running rampant. Always lots of FUG and drunks at a Nascar Track. I have to admit that. I've been to enough! Anyway y'all be good and I will try to put up a post on Mothers Day also. Try. I know we are going to the Lake on Sunday after Church so i'm looking forward to that too. Lots of good stuff!

That sound is my heart when I see THIS guy's photo!
Manblogger, significant other of Disgruntled Daisy sent me a bunch of pics of "Brett after retirement".
This one really caught my eye. *sigh* I was just thinking football training will start up soon. It just won't be the same watching the Packers without my boy leading them. *sigh*

I had to leave work at 11:00 yesterday to go pick Mad up. She had two nosebleeds.
I got some "Little Noses" to put in her nose every morning and that should do the trick. She does have allergies. We run a humidifier in her room at night also.

After we got home she and I got in her Daddy's chair (his has a better view of the TV - mine sits under a reading lamp) and before I knew it we both fell asleep AND she peed all over me. Oh well none got in Daddy's chair. Guess that will teach me to let her lay on me with a sippy cup in hand *groan*

I'd like to welcome a new member to my BlogrollPink Owl I have also sorrowfully deleted a few who have either stopped blogging or haven't updated in over a month or more.

Instead of having it at a restaurant on Saturday cos' she had to go to Clemson with her sis-in-law we had it at my niece's house last night. Here are me & Madison. It was SO nasty and stormy and rained buckets but everyone came anyway.

Here are me and my goofy nephew. OMG I laughed so much last night. He is crazy and funny as heck. He is not "good with kids" (he SAYS he's not but he is) and I keep threatening to drop Madison off on his doorstep with a bag. He claims he'll call her a cab but I don't believe it!

I really think my Sis had a wonderful birthday. She got alot of nice gifts as well as some nice Red Hat Club gifts!

My parents are having to have their cat Sam put to sleep today. He has tumors that have started bleeding and it just seems like it is best for him. They are heartbroken. I am so sad for them. It's so hard to lose a beloved pet. Sam was one of the meanest cats I have ever known and he was treated like a king but that was just his nature. He was a rescue, so small when he came to them that he could slip underneath the doors. Now THAT is tiny! He had a good life and was well-loved. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone (animal and human) could say that? Peace.

Is it really Monday again? Really? Blech.
I have to talk to Boss about something I wish I didn't have to... but I do.

I did get some things organized clothing wise but not as much as I would have liked to. I tell myself "baby steps.... baby steps".

This is "race week" here in Darlington as they will be running the Dodge Challenger 500 this Saturday but actually the fun runs just about all week:
*Starting with "A Taste of Darlington" on Tuesday (which I just might get to go to this year finally if I can get a babysitter as it is an adults only thing),

*Wednesday they are having a Car Hauler Parade which is alot of fun

*Thursday racing at FMS but we will be at dance class and Stacy & Madison will have their first practice together before the recital!

*Friday is the day we usually go over and walk around at the Track looking at all of the fun vendor stuff they have and buying souveniers. They run the Busch Race that night I'm off Friday and that morning 7:30-8:30 a.m. I have "muffins for Mom" at Maddie's school. I can't wait!

*Saturday Night the "Big Race."

I am really hoping Ryan will be able to make it and give me my great big hug he has promised me!

Gee just writing all this has cheered me up and chased away those Monday Blahs. Off to see how all of YOUR week-ends went. Hope it was a GREAT one!

Okay y'all got a good peep of the one with the parasol but I had my sister re-scan the other two. Here (rightside up) is the boa one in her jazz skirt.

This is the one I didn't show you before.
I am having it made into an 11x17 and framed and hung in our livingroom alongside the ones Katie took last summer at the Isle Of Palms.
I love them all but this is my favorite.
We did take her to the beauty salon to have her hair done but NO make up. I don't believe in that. Doesn't my sweet babygirl look GROWN!

Sorry to bore you with more pictures - these were the only three poses I promise!