The yucky day

I was eating a hot dog the other day and thought a bit of mayo had dropped onto my hand. So I did what any classy southern girl would do-- I licked it off.

Except it wasn't mayo.

It was this:

Blech! Patooie! Soap tastes gross, y'all.

Especially when I didn't even do anything bad to deserve it. Like the time I called my sister the f-dash-dash-dash word while sitting on the swingset in the backyard circa 1981.

"Green tea extract" my foot! It did not taste anything like green tea. OR butter.

Have you ever had your mouth washed out with soap? If so, what did you do to deserve it?

(Or were you punished for saying a word that you really didn't know was bad, it just somehow came out of your mouth when your big sister made you really mad? If I told you that Dial soap tastes even worse than Bath & Body Works, would I be considered a connoisseur?)

And was there a real washing of the mouth involved or did you just have to bite down on the bar of soap a la Ralphie in "A Christmas Story"?

My "debonaire" dad

My dad sent this picture to me tonight.

And if that thin young man with shades and a motor scooter wasn't enough, he wrote this on the back of the photo:

"In case you don't recognize this handsome, debonaire, playboy. It's me. Show this to Dan & all pretty girls."

I admit it... I totally busted a gut when I read the back of this picture-- especially the part about showing it to all pretty girls! Oh my oh my oh my! How funny is that?!

This is completely opposite of what I know my dad to be like. Not that he isn't handsome or anything... he's just a rather quiet, devoted man that has been married to my mom for over 3 decades. So it's hard to see him as a "debonaire playboy". It does make me think that I need to ask my dad a few more questions about his childhood and young adult life. Maybe even bring out the old voice recorder.

Are y'all surprised by old pictures of your parents or how they used to be back in the day?

This also makes me wonder what my boys are going to think about David and I when we were younger. Or even if they were to look back to how we are right now... would anything be surprising to them? Would we seem like normal parents or like old fogey's? Maybe I should ask them when they wake up in the morning. Or maybe I just don't want to know.

bam! slice! into the pot!

I have always loved to cook. I did not inherit this passion for cooking from my mom. She was the baby of the family and has always hated cooking (although she can clean like nobody's business)!

While my mom can cook quite well, she just doesn't enjoy it.

My mom's mom, however, was an excellent cook! One of my favorites dishes that she cooked was crab soup. I have such fond memories of her chopping the crabs in half with a butcher knife. Every once in a while, one would escape and scurry across the kitchen floor. It didn't take long for her to jump up and catch it again-- then bam! slice! into the pot! She was like superwoman to me as I watched in awe while the crabs would pinch and scratch at her hands. She never flinched. She showed no fear. *sigh* I miss her.

Another great cook in the familia is my grandma on my dad's side-- lovingly referred to as G-ma. G-ma was always kind enough to let me help her in the kitchen... mixing, frying, grating, stirring... I wish I had a picture of us in the kitchen together, but I'll spare y'all the circa 1990 photo that's floating around my computer somewhere.

Did you learn to love or hate cooking?

My sibs

I have 3 sisters and 1 brother. Growing up, we were the "unusually large" family that people stared at.

It is kinda funny that now, in my church and amongst my friends, I "only" have three children. And even if I had five kids, we wouldn't exactly be turning heads or anything-- although if I had 5 BOYS, we might! But alas, I only have 3... sniff, sniff...

(I find it odd that just because I have three boys, people assume I am disappointed and that I should keep trying for that elusive girl. Ummm... yeah... no thank you, I am not anti-girl or anything, but there is room enough for only one QUEEN in this family, and that's ME! hehehe But that's a rant for another day...)

From left to right, Bobo (Debbie), Lele (Leah), Stephen (nickname varies according to mood-- hehe, j/k!), Marsha (no fun nickname, although I was called Nerd and Dragonlady a few times), and Coco (Christine). This was taken at my mom's 60th b-day party... hence the Korean dresses. It's not what you would normally find me wearing to Target or Kroger or something. And is it just me or do I look prego in that dress?! Agh!

My Mommy

A picture of my mom from back in the day...

A more recent picture...

It's hard to believe that she's 61 years old now! But she's as beautiful as ever!

Many people think she's my sister... And I'm okay with that so long as people think she's my older sister and not my younger sister. ;)

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, MOMMY! I LOVE YOU!!!