Half a Century!

My mom turned 50 on Saturday! She has been wanting to turn 50 just so that she could joing the Red Hat Society and now she finally can! In that respect, I threw her a Red Hat Society party!

This is a woman who has climbed many mountains during her 50 years. She survived two older brothers. She bares the scar from when she had a glass jar of marbles and fell down the stairs with it and cut her neck. She bares a scar from when she touched a hot iron with her hand and to this day, cannot fully stretch her thumb out. She married for the first time at 15, dropped out of high school and then had her first child at 16. She was divorced by 20 and pregnant with me. She raised my brother and I in a couple of apartments, while working for a few years and then met the man she thought would be her saving grace and our saving grace. He moved us to a home in the small town of Smyrna. They then had another child. We built our lives there, went to school there and cowered in fear of this man. She realized her mistake and eventually left that big town of Smyrna to become a single parent again. From that point in 1992 she became this strong woman who could manage a career, her teenage daughter and young son. We struggled. a. lot. We struggled with teenage issues, money, ex-husbands and growing up. Well, eventually, the man of her dreams really did come. He wasn't in disguise this time. He really did sweep her off her feet and save her. He rode in on his Harley. She has now been happily married for eight years, living in a house she loves and running a successful career. She is now a wife, a Grammy, a mother and a friend. She has been my saving grace. We love you mom!!!

Malia

Savannah

We have picked our place to honeymoon. It's not too far from home and it is definitely southern, ya know, to go along with the theme of the renewal. Savannah, Georgia. Home of humidity, hauntings and Paula Deen. I am almost more excited about going to Savannah than I am of the whole renewal. Do you know that Wade and I, in all our 10 years, have never been on a vacation together...alone? We had our honeymoon night in a hotel in Atlanta, but that was it. The Savannah sock has been placed in a safe place in our home and money is being socked away in it weekly.

Since I am planning everything else, I thought I would be generous enough to allow Wade to pick his top choices from a myriad of inns in Savannah. Then I went and researched all of their packages and prices and this is the one he finally chose as our place to stay. The Olde Harbour Inn---Oh shoot, something is wrong with the hyperlink---www.Oldeharbourinn.com. It just doesn't look as pretty that way. Anyways, tell me what you think. If you have ever been to Savannah, let me know where to eat and what attracations we should see. You know we are going to go visit 'ol Paula.

God Bless,
Malia

2007...is it Over Yet?

So far, this year has been crap. First, my friend started the year off in the hospital, six months pregnant...with kidney stones. OUCH!

Then, the store I work at was robbed...at gunpoint. I wasn't there, thank God, but still...it is scary.

Over the weekend, one of our employees died. He would have been 19 on the 19th of this month.

Today, the dresses that I thought we would be getting for our bridesmaids are not going to happen. The company can't even send us swatches of the fabric, so we have pretty much decided not to use them. We were also going to use them for the flower girl. Back to square one.

Hope ya'lls is going better.

God Bless,
Malia

Goodbye

Rest in peace Josh. Your free spirit will be missed. Perform your magic in the sky. Go to a place where you will be understood and no longer confused. We will miss you.

God Bless,
Malia

Posts that Will One Day Be Published

1. Emma's tattoos
2. Halloween (They were so cute).
3. Emma+powder=Hallway wooden floors.
4. Thanksgiving
5. Jackson learns about Hell and the Devil.

God Bless,
Malia

Life-shaping Moments

I got this idea in a magazine, I think it was Real Simple, the December issue: In the rush of the holiday season, an exercise in remembering gifts that money can't buy. Think of a few life-shaping moments that you've been given at various times.

1. When I was 8, my aunt, Auntie is what I call her, called me around my birthday and told me that she was going to take me to get my ears peirced for my birthday. I felt like a total grown up.

2. Having that ring slipped on my finger by my husband.

3. The births of all three of my children.

4. Shopping for wedding dresses with my mother...finally.

5. Being with my Papa when he walked into the arms of Jesus.

6. Losing my first pet.

7. Realizing that being friends with the most popular crowd in school, wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

8. Having my heart broken by that first boy.

9. My first kiss, Eric Alexander.

10. The special traditions that are carried on in my family, like Christmas Eve at Memaw's and Papa's, I haven't missed a one yet. Collards and black-eyed peas at Memaw's and Papa's on New Year's Eve, getting ready for trick-or-treating with my mom when I was kid, every year, Crafting with my mother, etc.

Now, you try.

God Bless,
malia

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Yes, I am still alive!!!! Hold on! Today is a friend's birthday, let me run and E-mail her real quick!.....Okay, sorry, if I didn't get that done now, it wouldn't have gotten done. So, how was your Christmas? Hello? H-h-hello? Oh shoot, I haven't blogged in so long that I don't have any readers anymore......hello? Hey!!! I have a reader?! Oh...there are a few of you....no...no...I really wouldn't like to go to your website...well, I would just rather not try your product......no, wait a minute....all I have left are spammers?!!! UGH!!!! This sucks! Sorry guys! Really, I really will try to be better in this upcoming new year. I will try to keep you interested. More HNTs? Well...ok, I'm sure I could do a few more....yes, definitely more "Kids Say the Darndest Things" I could probably post one of those every day, one for each kid....oh, and you want to know how the renewal planning is going? Well, it is going....I can update you on that every once in a while...sure. Then you will come back and read?! Oh yeah! Yes, yes, yes, I will do much better this year. Thanks! Thanks for giving me another chance. K, have a good one. Bye.

God Bless,
Malia

Heaven and Hell

Jackson is just like me in so many ways. We worry about things we cannot change, things that are inevitable, like death. Like, it hurts our stomachs worry. He asks things about it all the time and these are subjects I avoid because in my happy little world, all things are good, never sad, never painful.

One night while I am at work, I get a message from my mother telling me that she has scared Jackson and he will probably never talk to her again, but will most likely be telling me about it and she wanted me to be prepared. When I got home, she tells me just exactly what it is she has done:

Apparently, this happened over several hours. He kept coming back and asking questions...just like he did me when he asked me about dying.

Jackson asked her if the Devil was real. She explained to him that the Devil is indeed real, but that you can't see Him like you do on t.v., like with horns and a pointy tail. (What!!! He doesn't have horns and a pointy tail?!!!) She expains that the Devil was an angel, but he did wrong by God and God banished him from Heaven. Jackson intrigued says, "Really?"

The questions start coming: What does he look like? Can he come here? Does he really live under the ground?

She explained that you can see the devil in people, like when someone is being real mean, that is the devil. He lives everywhere and yes indeed he can come here.

Jackson walks away, watches a little cartoons and comes back. "Well, can he hurt me? How do I know he is here? Where does he live?

My mother then tells him, "Yes, if you do what the devil wants then he can hurt you and he will try to trick you to hurt you. He lives in Hell." She then goes on to try to explain Heaven and Hell to the boy. She of course, now realizes she has dug herself into a hole and doesn't know how to get out of what she started. So she tried to explain to him about the angel sitting on your shoulder and the devil sitting on the other shoulder like in cartoons.

Jackson went away, watched some cartoons, used the bathroom and came back. He asked, "What happens if you listen to the devil on your shoulder?" You guessed it! She tells him that he will go to Hell! His eyes get wide. He tears up. She just tells him, "That is why we listen to the angel and not the devil, so that we won't have to go to Hell.

Tee hee.

My mother calls her mother and explains what has happened and is wanting to be reassured that she has done a good job of explaining this to a five-year-old. My grandmother helps her recover the mess she has made by telling her that she left out the most important part, asking Jesus for forgiveness. Oh yeah!!!! That would be a good part to add.

Poor boy, is scarred for life, but you know what, every time he has done something wrong. He stops what he is doing, gets down on his knees and prays. Go Grammy!!

God Bless,
Malia

Diarrhea, Cha, Cha, Cha

Emma has a diary. She writes in it. Scribbles really. She carries it around with her. She lays it down whereever there is a blank space. I, being the Mother of the Year, was cleaning up the living room and I grabbed her diary to take and put in a proper place. Next thing I hear is Emma screaming, "GIVE ME BACK MY DIARRHEA!!! GIVE ME MY DIARRHEA!" Sure thing honey, you can have it.

Malia

Biotch!

My kids...I tell you....The other day, I was frying catfish for Sunday supper. The grease was hot and poppin'. Dylan was supposed to be helping me cook supper as his chore for the day. He was over doing some dishes. I was standing with Wade as he was "helping" to direct me in if the fish was done or not. Just then the grease popped and landed on my hand. It was hot and burnin'. My first instinct was to scream an explicative, but I am a mom and so I have trained myself not to say those kinds of words. So, instead, I chose to scream out, "SON OF A BIOTCH!"

Dylan turns and looks and says, "What's a biotch?"

Mother of the year=Me

Malia

Kids Say the Darndest Thing...3

Emma has been sick this weekend. She has the crud that is going around because of the weather change....temperature, cough, raspy chest, stopped up nose, running nose....So yesterday, she was riding back with my mother from picking the boys up from school. She sucks her thumb and you know, not even a stopped up nose will come between a girl and her thumb. So she says, "Grammy do you hear that?" She sticks her thumb in her mouth and attempts to breathe through her stopped up little nose, "It sounds like Darth Vader!"

Malia

Friends...Words of Wisdom

There's a lot you can do to help a friend through hard times. There's also a lot you can do to make things worse.

Malia

Mattel is obviously running out of ideas

Have you seen this? What will Mattel think of next? Are they seriously running out of ideas? I mean, a dog, where you have to clean up it's poop. Blech!

Malia

The Flowers

I have run into my first mishap with planning this whole wedding/renewal shebang. I want these flowers.

My mother doesn't. Guess what, it is not her shin dig. I pained through magazines and books, websites and E-mails trying to figure out what kind of flowers I wanted. My eye kept going back to these and then I had Wade choose his top five from my stack of 100. He chose these as his number one pick also. So, my mother and I met with the potential florist yesterday and I figured out that my mom can really grate on my nerves and she wants this thing more than I do.

We pretty much do not have the same taste in anything. The florist said that the cala lilies are expensive, about $8.75 per flower and that she does not think that she can make silk ones that will match the roses. I explain that we can do more roses than cala's, that is fine with me. Well, my mother chimes in that I can put some white ones in there too and that will help with the cost. Well, that is not what I want. I personally, think that the white will not go well with all this purple and then, boom, white. I just don't like it. That pissed her off, she then began to huff and puff and blow all my excitement down.

Next thing, I was talking about the ribbon that would go around the maids' bouquets and that I would like something sparkly, because, you know, I like things that sparkle. Mom mentioned to the florist that we could get the rhinstones that go in the flowers. The florist stated that these cost about $65 for 25. I said, "Well, we don't need to get them if they are that expensive." Mom says, "If I am spending this much, $65 is not going to matter. Well, hello, I think I would want more than 25. I wouldn't want them just in my bouquet, I would want them throughout. In my opinion, it would look funny to have them only in my bouquet and nowhere else. I don't think it would flow well.

Well, I haven't even looked at cakes yet, I was trying to concentrate on the flowers and get that done first. The cake can come later. Sure I have seen them and said, "Yeah, I like that one, but I never said, "That's the one!" She starts talking to the florist about the flowers on the cake and THE KIND OF CAKE I WANT! I told her, "I haven't decided on a cake yet, I haven't even really looked!" My mom says, "You said you wanted that one in that book, you said that was the one and that was it!" Hello people, NO I DIDN'T!

I mean, come on! This is ridiculous. It is not your event mom, you don't get to make the decisions here!

Oh, and then!...the florist was asking what color I wanted in the mother's corsages, but...she wasn't looking at me and asking me...she was looking at my mother and asking my mother what color she wanted. Uh, exscuse me...don't I get a say in that? Of course my mother wants WHITE ROSES! Hello! There are not going to be white roses ANYWHERE else in that wedding. Nowhere! I chime in and say, "No, the same lavender." My mom argues, "Well, fine, but just so long as you know that you are get to have to get with EVERYBODY (seriously, how many people are going to have mother's corsages) and make sure they color coordinate their clothes with the lavender roses. Really? Is that what everyone does? Do they say, "Oh, I know that my corsage is going to be green, so I can't wear royal blue! I mean, really, whatever! She says, "Well, are you at least okay with baby's breath?" Well, no mother, I am not okay with baby's breath, I want it to look like Barney came in there and bled his purple blood all over the damn place and you know what, YOU ARE GOING TO JUST HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT!!! UGH!

Turns out that the lady is going to cost more than what they originally told us at that lovely Marlow House, so that will be more stress added. My mom is saying that she can do some of the decorations, but people, I am going to have to tell her, fine, but if that is what is going to happen, then you are going to have to go with what I want without getting pissed about it. How in the hell do people handle this crap?

Malia

Another Installment of "Kid's Say the Darndest Things"

Yesterday, while riding back home from having pictures taken by Rachael, Jackson whined, "Mom, my leg is burning." "Hmmm...", I said. Dylan though, he had the answer, in a very serious, diagnostic voice, he wondered aloud, "Well, I hope that it is not because you are turning into an alien." Jackson looked very worried.

Today, while Wade was allowing Jackson to watch some kind of horribly violent movie that I would not have approved of, Jackson shreiked in disgust after some kind of monster ripped the skin from a man's chest and then crushed his skull, (that's right, he won the father of the year award), "Ewww, I saw his belly bones!"

Malia

Smell My Finger

This sweet little girl

.....>yep, that one .....>

the one made of sugar and spice and everything nice....She walked into the office the other day with her finger in front of her face, just walking, then all of a sudden, a puzzled look comes over her face. She looks at her finger, looks at me and says, "Mom..smell my finger." She proceeds to move her finger in the direction of my nose and I, being the obediant mother of the cutest two year old in the world begin to oblige her request while asking, "What's wrong with your finger?" Just as I begin to inhale, she says, "It was in my butt."

Photo courtesy of one awesomely tall and talented, Rachael Thackston.

Malia

Already?

My son...the dramatic one....Dylan...I never thought I would have to deal with this so soon.

There we are...driving home from school and the boys are asking me what we are having for snack. Well, just earlier that week, I had taken it upon myself to put us all on a more healthy lifestyle and I have made out menus for breakfast, lunch, AM snack, PM snack and supper. This shall all go into affect starting Monday...so, don't mess with me...I will be without Coke, sugar and anything good to eat.

Anyways, there we are...on the way home from school and the boys are asking me what they can have for snack. "Can I have Spongebob fruit snacks? Can I have three peices of candy? Can I have a soda?"

Being the new good mom, I say, "No, I am picking your snack today. We are going to start eating healthy. I am putting everyone on a diet."

Dylan says, "A diet!!! That stinks! You don't get to eat good food on a diet! (This should all be said with a high-pitched whine)

Me, "Dylan it is good for you."

Dylan, "Ugh, You can't put me on a diet!!! IT'S MY LIFE!!!"


Malia

A Renewal

Some of you know about my "not wedding" situation and some of you don't. Basically, I didn't ever get to have a wedding. If you want me to explain in more detail, let me know, and I will go into the whole speil.

For my nine year anniversary, my mother and stepfather gave me a wedding magazine. With a lot of skeptism, I went along on the ride. Well, now the down payment on the venue has been placed, so it must really be happening.

I invite you all to check out our wedding website, even though it is a renewal, at Maliaandwade.weddings.com. Sign our guestbook.

We will be having the ceremony at The Marlow House, which is a beautiful Victorian era house, built in 1887. I want this ceremony to be as close to traditional as possible, even though this wedding, is as far from traditional as I can imagine. I am leaning towards a Victorian theme even. I am so excited.

I haven't picked out the first stitch of anything, not color, though I am leaning towards a purple, not a bridesmaid, not flower, just the place, that's it. I have a lot of planning to do before May 26, 2007. The main thing is the dress. I have the dress. The dress that I never got to wear. The only thing surprisingly that doesn't fit in it, is the top. I have to get to work on that, but I am just too damn tired to hit the gym when I get off of work. The rest of the time I have Emma. I really want to be able to wear that dress. The photos are equally important to me, as a matter of fact, probably the most important to me. The place is beautiful, my children are going to be gorgeous and my husband is going to be handsome and I want every moment captured on film, so that I can relive it time and time again. Lord knows I have waited long enough. I haven't made the guest list. Oh, we do have a caterer! Woo hoo. Only because it was included with the house. Anyways, I encourage you all to visit the websites and give me any ideas you may have. I promise to keep you updated as soon as any details come in.

Malia

Day One

Another first day of school for us, one in Kindergarten, one in second grade. This was not only a new school year, but a new school, so we were all a bit nervous. We had met the teachers at open house, which I think I told you about, so they seemed pretty nice.

Well, of course, you can't go to school in the morning and not be running late, right? I mean, you all do that, right? Right? Well, mom and I had been up until after 2 a.m. Sunday night, because she was making gorilla bread, which, according to Paula Dean, kicks monkey bread's butt, and we agree...I was watching my Tivo'ed So You Think You Can Dance...I mean helping her make it. So we had a good reason to be running late, like dad didn't have the boys take showers the night before while mom was working, so mom had to take care of that, unknowingly this morning.

We had our gorilla bread, still warm from the night before...on the go. We pulled up to the school with five minutes to spare, which kind of sucked because it was like, "Here is your class, honey, remember that nice lady you spent five minutes with the other day? Good. You're cool, right? Okay, see ya later then." Turn around and leave. Kind of made me feel bad, but I wouldn't want them being singled out as the late kids the first day of school.

They seemed to have liked it. After I waited in line to pick them up for 35 minutes, that's right, hope they have that fixed by tomorrow, I pull up and see Jackson working the ladies and Dylan looking worried. Once in the safety of my car, they both expressed that they had good days, but Dylan thought being a car rider was "hard" because he didn't know where to go. Poor guy. Always worrying. Jackson said something about the three girls he made friends with. They compared notes about the playground, rattled off what they had for lunch and somewhere in there, I think they both mentioned that they had fun. This relieved me. This relieved their father, who was a military brat and has poor memories of having to change schools about the same time in life.

Tomorrow, I unfortunately have a meeting to go to, which will not allow me to drop off or pick up my children from school. Hopefully, my mother will be able to fill my shoes and adequately corral them to their classes. Dylan offered to walk Jackson down. He is so sweet. I am excited and think it will be a great school year. Hope all of yours was equally good today.

Ask me again when they get their first sad face or F and I will tell you how the school system is failing them.

While I am bragging about the boys, take a look at how big this girl is getting....


Malia

Potty Training again...

We are trying it again...this time with a little more success. She has gone peepee in the potty several times, but no poop. She went all day while we were running errands, she did wet in her pullups and make the princess hearts go away at all. As soon as she goes all the time in the potty, we can have a pee party and yes, you are all invited.

We had Open House last night and the boys got to meet the teachers at their new school. They seemed very nice, but I was a little concerned when Dylan's teacher said, "We haven't yet decided which reading program we are going to use....no, we are not going to use Saxon math anymore, we haven't decided how we are going to do the math yet." Hello people, school starts Monday! Shouldn't you know how and what you are going to teach the children? I mean I don't have a degree or anything, so I could be totally wrong on that one.

Speaking of degrees, I have decided that as soon as my co-worker and friend, Devin, finishes school, which should be in May, I am going to start back and try to go to West Georgia and get my teaching degree. I am excited and I plan to get it done so that I can have a freakin' career and I can quit worrying about the money.

Now, another school-related note, I keep hearing complaints about the kids clothes being so hard to find to go with dress code. Some examples were buying jeans without holes above the waist and that they were so hard to find. People, Levi's, which I believe are still cool, are available at any Target, department store and even Wal-mrat now. Then I have heard complaints about not being able to find loosefitting shirts for the girls. Puhlease!!! Either get a larger size if you feel like you can't find that style or hey, there are plenty of styles of shirts that are loose fitting! She will live if it doesn't say GAP! Oh and they can't find shorts that aren't too short for the dress code. So...if you seriously can't find shorts long enough...put them in capris. Thanks, that will be $100.00.

More later...maybe.

Malia