Wally World Detox

Ahhhhh! The fresh air of fall. Truly my favorite time of year- starts with my birthday ends with my anniversary- I love Fall! Fabulous time of year and the kiddos and I enjoyed a great fall day yesterday. We shopped for a baby gift (and holy smokes! we found the most adorable leopard print ensemble at Baby Gap with an extra 25% off no less!) we window shopped ( all three of us found things at Pottery Barn that we need) we ate (a lovely bakery in Ft Worth for lunch and good mexican food combined with great company for dinner) we looked for things for the new house although with no particular urgnecy (which was refreshing and such a change!) and we made a surprise stop in to see Pa-pa (hope we didn't cause him too much trouble, the kids sure did have fun though!) A lovely fall day, indeed.

It did not include a stop at Wal-Mart. I haven't been inside the Wal-Mart since Thurs. Sept. 13th so that's 17 days and counting. You know what I have discovered? There are so many more places I prefer to spend money!!! Truly a new lease on life, my shopping life that is. Well, of course, there's my first love - the Gap. I do love that store. And Pottery Barn, need I say more? Hobby Lobby, Pier One, Bed, Bath & Beyond and then theres catalog shopping, oh my!

For real though, I am shopping a fair amount these days for the new house but I still have more cash in my pocket because I am staying away from the evil temptress a.k.a. Wal-Mart. Loving every minute of that.

Headlines

I rarely have time to catch the news anymore. With the amazing bliss of Tivo, I generally always have something waiting that I really want to watch. Besides, I am always asleep at 10:00 or at least, I want to be.

So, I do try to listen to the radio some to at least hear the headlines-though, I probably wouldn't do that if I could figure out how to work my Ipod. And I read over the headlines on Google most every day.

Summary so far, I am generally clueless about what is happening in the world today with the exception of this little gem I am about to share. It reveals more about me than I care to explore, I'm afraid.

Headline yesterday read- OJ's Girlfriend Stands By Him. I know that he has committed yet another bizarre crime of which, I do not know the details. I know he wrote a book entitled If I Did It. Excuse my language for a minute, but what a jackass! He kills his wife then tries to profit from it by writing down the gory details in a book??? I don't even have the words.

So here's my point- how in the name of all that is good and holy did OJ get a girlfriend? What woman is that stupid or desperate or both? I cannot comprehend how utterly and insanely stupid that is. So, OJ's girlfriend wherever you are- get a clue.

Whatcha Gonna Call This?

Very little to report today. I have some sort-of sinus, allergy junk that is making me crazy but I'm sure I'll be fine. Casey was gone last night to a meeting out of town but will return today. We spoke on the phone for the entire drive from Fort Worth to Dallas. If you know us very well, you know we don't do that. Haven't done that for years. We are the people who answer the phone with "whatcha want?" Chatting about nothing on the telephone annoys the heck out of both of us. We use it simply as a communication tool- much like a yellow Post-it note. You know things like- "don't forget the Dr. Pepper, I love you, bye"
"can you find the receipt for the door? what's the number for the lighting place? have a good day, I love you, bye" We save long, drawn out conversations for when I can look into his beautiful eyes. And he can look into World Poker Tour over my shoulder. Just keepin' it real, people.

I went with Duncan to give his report to his class on Monday. It would be impossible to be more proud of him than I was that afternoon. He gave them the facts while being smart and witty. Duncan made all of us feel at ease while he spoke of his disability. Somehow he erased the pity that some of his classmates had felt for him- it was noticeable. A child who spoke to him in baby talk began discussing her artwork with him sans the condescending tone. I am humbled by the amazing things God can accomplish through Duncan. He is mighty and powerful and what an amazing thing it is to see Duncan ready to answer His call.

Sorry for the wacky post- kinda all jumbled up and disjointed- which could very well be a metaphor for my life right now. We all long for things to settle down and know that they soon will. We are wrapping up the house and expect to begin planning the move before long. While I seriously dread the work involved with that, we are all so ready to be in and finished that I long for that day.

His Life

Rather than listening to me go on and on about nothing today, I thought I'd share what my totally rockin' cool son is doing at school this afternoon. He's giving this report to his class. His own idea. He's gonna change the world, and I am lucky enough to be along for the ride.

My Life



By Duncan Cumby

Most of you know me, but in case you don’t, my name is Duncan. Some of my friends call me Dunk. I am seven years old. I like to play baseball and video games. I love to do stuff with my Dad. I am probably a lot like you.
My favorite color is yellow. You might have noticed that is the color of my wheelchair. Some of you may have wondered why I use that chair. It’s really pretty simple, I have a condition called Cerebral Palsy.





Here is a picture of me when I was first born. I didn’t get enough oxygen while I was being born and that caused my brain to be injured. The part of my brain that got hurt is the part that makes my muscles work. The rest of my brain is just fine so I can still solve problems, make choices and do schoolwork just as well as anyone else.
That is what Cerebral Palsy means, your muscles don’t understand what your brain tells them to do. Cerebral Palsy is a condition, it isn’t a disease. You cannot catch Cerebral Palsy from me, no one can. It doesn’t make me sick and I do not have to take medicine for it. It won’t ever get worse, but it won’t go away, either.
Because of my Cerebral Palsy I need help moving around and you might have a hard time understanding what I say. Sometimes I get frustrated because I have to try extra hard to get the words to come out right. My brain knows exactly what to say, it just can’t get the message to my mouth. If I am talking to you and you can’t understand a word just ask me to spell it. That usually helps.
I have some special people in my life because of my Cerebral Palsy. Lots of therapists help me to learn new ways to do things on my own. Sometimes you may see them in our class. They are very cool people and they help me a lot. Mrs. Tani is also here to help me. She helps me with moving around the school and my writing. Also, she helps me with lunch because you must use a lot of muscles to eat. You may have seen Mrs. Lacy in our classroom. She is an Occupational Therapist or OT. She helps with my fine motor skills. That means things like using my fingers to pick things up and my handwriting. At other times you may have seen me leave class with a man. His name is Wayne Cooper and he is one of my Physical Therapists. Gretchen Cooper is the other one. They help me with my gross motor skills which means things like walking, kicking or throwing a ball and balance.


I have some special tools called equipment that I use to help me each day. Sometimes I wear braces on my feet. They help keep my ankles straight and make it a little easier to walk in my gait trainer. You have probably seen me walk in that to gym. Of course, I have my wheelchair. I usually use that for longer distances. When I was a baby I had a special chair to help me sit up, and that is what I am sitting in in the picture above. It was my first birthday! In the classroom I have a different chair than all of you. It has sides on it because I have a hard time with my balance. Also, I use a computer to do some of my schoolwork.
Even though I have a disability, I am still a normal kid. Remember when you meet someone new, they may be different on the outside but we are all alike on the inside.

What's Your Day?

Ah, I am in a crazy hurry this A.M. Tons and tons to do but I just couldn't leave this alone. Do you know what today is? Come on, think hard. Do ya? Oh yeah baby, it's National Talk Like a Pirate Day. For real.

Honestly, I don't begrudge anyone who chooses to celebrate today- sometimes you just need something to get you through the week with your sanity intact and if National Talk Like a Pirate Day helps, then so be it. I do reserve the right to change my opinion completely should my children or husband decide to begin celebrating.

But this has me thinking- I mean obviously, someone just made this day up. So,
what day would you make up? I mean like I said, I am fine with the pirate nonsense but certainly wouldn't have wasted my time with that one.

Here are my ideas- National Do Not Ask Your Mom Any Questions Day, National Husbands Cook Dinner Day, National Buy Anything You Want No Questions Asked Day, National Give Your Wife Diamonds Day (this one has a special clause too! every time your wife has to remind of this day, the diamonds get bigger) Hmmmm, I think I could go on and on but I've gotta run Matey!

Bad Sign?

I think this could be a bad sign. I have issued myself a new challenge. You have fair warning that it is stupid. Get out now if you don't want to clutter your mind with useless crap from mine. Alright then, here it is. I will not allow myself to go Wal-Mart.

You see, it's really a simple little thing. But then the more I think of it the more I think it could be a sign I have been in Hillbillyville too long. I don't even like Wal-Mart which in and of itself makes my little "self-challenge" stupid. Why do I have to issue myself a challenge to stay out of a store I don't even like? Because apparently, I am just stupid enough to go there anyway.

Seriously though. We do not have a plethora (ah, plethora used to be my favorite word back before I had children. Now it is.......we better leave that alone for now) Sorry, back on track- we don't have a lot of choices around these parts. If you need something that can't be found at HEB- or I should say our tiny version of HEB- then you're going to Wally World. Plain and simple, no other choice. And I need alot of stuff, being high-maintenance and all, I find there are lots of things you can't get at HEB. Things like freshly boiled shrimp, Hope in a Jar, new patchwork Coach bags, Tyler Candles, or a lovely turquoise and sterling silver necklace. Seems to have slipped my mind that you cannot get any of that stuff at the Wal-Mart either.

So I go to Wal-Mart and I look for things I might like to buy instead of the previously mentioned, magical items. If I examine this from a logical standpoint I can tell you that Wal-Mart does not now nor have they ever sold anything I would rather buy than the afore mentioned list. When I am wandering around the aisles of the Wal-Mart in a shopper's daze, logic is far from the picture. I leave with a basket full of junk that I have paid a minimum of $100 for.

Beginning to see the problem??? So my solution is- stay away. I am too dumb, it would seem, to just not buy crap I don't need nor even want, so I just can't go. I haven't been to the Wal-Mart since Thursday Sept. 13th. From time to time I will post my Wal-Mart updates so we can see how long I can stay away. I think it would be kinda cool to not go for a whole year but with the holidays coming I am not sure how practical that is. We'll see. In the meantime, you can find me wandering the aisles of Target.

Toliet Humor and Name Brands

Duncan has great taste. As far as I can remember, he always has. He enjoys good food, prefers swanky resorts to your everyday motel, and he likes to look good. Recently he asked for a leather club chair for his new room. I'm guessing it won't be long before he begins requesting a nice Merlot with his steak. The boy has great taste.

I don't remember exactly how old he was, but I would guess about 4, when he decided all his clothing should be Polo. If you asked him whether or not he liked a shirt or pants he would simply reply one of two things. The choices were "it's not Polo" or, as I am sure you can guess, "it's Polo". A smile and head nod accompanied the latter. If you have ever priced completely outfitting a young man in Ralph Lauren then you will understand why I stopped asking.

But this put me in quite the quandary. I, too, have great taste. Can you say that about yourself without sounding arrogant? Oh well, whatever, I do. I mean how else would a 4 year old even know what Polo was, right? And little boys that are well dressed, well they simply make you want to have more little boys.

So, I used my bargain hunting abilities and, if you consulted my husband, too much of my disposable income to procure a rather fantastic wardrobe for the boy for the past several years. He is well dressed, though not completely in Polo.

And now he is seven and he has ruined it for me. Oh, he still looks adorable in his little striped pique Polos and the darling madras button downs we found when my shoppers intuition sent me straight to Dillards that summer day. But in a way that only a seven year old boy could do, he has forever changed the words Ralph Lauren.

As he was sitting on his bed getting ready for school last week he began reading the labels.

Dunk - "Hmmm, I didn't know Ralph Your-N made Polo"

Mom- Laughing " You're reading upside down. It's Lauren, Ralph Lauren"

Dunk- "Yeah. But I call it Ralph's Urine (pointing to his pants and giggling) Get it?"

Joke's on you, Mom.

She's So Crafty

I did not get to take the day off today to do crafts, which is kinda crappy but oh well. I am also quite disappointed with the pictures I took of my crafts I did on Tuesday but, whatcha gonna do? I am gonna eat dinner, put on my PJs and watch more Big Love on HBO.

Here are the pics- these are shirts I made for Duncan. I cut out the stencils with a hot knife, then stenciled on the shirts. He didn't even know I made them, which made them extra cool. The skull is not orange- it's a really cool bronze metallic paint. It almost looks tone-on-tone. The picture looks like *&^%$.

Maybe tomorrow I can get him to model them. I am hoping to make a girly version of the skull for Caroline for Halloween. Also, I had so much fun that I forsee everything in the near future being stenciled on. Beware of your Christmas gifts from me!!! LOL!!!

Is a picture really worth a 1000 words?

My one lonely picture is it for today- I thought I had more uploaded and I simply don't have time to go back and do it now. This is the brick rock combo on the new house. It looks great but has been more than a headache. Still trying to fix that mess. The work was fine- the people we have to deal with, not so much.


Hopefully, I will be back tomorrow with some new pictures of the crafts I did yesterday. No, I don't time for it. I simply decided I was "taking the day off" to do what I wanted. And I liked it so much I just might do it again tomorrow- hmm, how bout that?

Just Passin' Through

Just a quick update to acknowledge the fact that I have become a lazy blogger. Fact is, I have been anything but lazy lately just flat run out of time for blogging. I'll make a real effort to get back in the swing of things tomorrow with pictures and all.