As a parent, when your children are grown, you look back and think is there anything I did right. Some things are obvious, my children all have a moral code that was instilled in them at an early age. They are all self sufficient at an early age. They are all loyal to each other and their family.
There is one thing that I am sure I did right, when they learned how to read I began making them look up words that they were not familiar with in the dictionary. I never dumbed down my vocabulary with them, before they could read I would tell them the meaning of words. When they learned to read the onus was on them.
They did look up those words, in fact at times it was not to my advantage because I used British slang as a way of venting my frustration at drivers instead of using other words. Elizabeth Anne looked those words up and boy was I in trouble.
Today, all of my children, are good at research, they are good at thinking for themselves and they are good at articulating their thoughts.
Since I have never dumbed down my vernacular with them they are now able to communicate with anyone, I am very sure I did one thing right.
I like to think I did a lot of things right, I know without a doubt I made mistakes, all I can do is pray I didn’t mess them up too badly.
Love
Well, Friday is upon us, we call all rejoice once again. I am doing better, I still miss Nocona more than I have words to express. Part of me feels extreme guilt that she died alone, I wish I had been with her, telling her how much she meant to all of us these past 10 years and 3 months. I hope she knew how much we all loved her.
Ok, I am just going to say the thing we are not supposed to say. I really love me. Not the way I look, I think that is well established. I love my mind, my personality, my brain if you will. I love the way I process thoughts, I believe it is unique, I also believe I have passed this thought process on to Elizabeth Anne.
I love the fact I am eclectic in my television viewing and my reading choices, oh and musical selections. I love how I can meet someone and tell you within 5 minutes if they are trustworthy or not. I love that I can spend all day watching the history channel or scyfy channel or discovery or anything that most women don’t watch. I said most, not all, I love that I love words. My grandfather really instilled that within me by teaching me to read when I was 4, he got tired of me asking him to read to me all day long.
So there you have it, I love me. Everyone should love themselves, unless they are racist, then they should not love their personalities, they should change the way they think.
Ok, I’m done, see you all later.
My Review of the New Mary Kay Product
Happy Monday everyone. Warning to BBFF this will be a skin care post.
As anyone who knows me knows that I have been using Mary Kay skin care products since Elizabeth Anne was 6 months old. She is now 24. I have exclusively used the products since then, I even used the shampoo and conditioner when they had that.
Well now they have a new product called Volu-Firm, I always try before I recommend.
I was very happy with the TimeWise skin care regimen, so I was a little hesitant to change. However, since it is Mary Kay and I love everything I threw caution to the wind, ordered it and began my journey.
Huge surprise, I love it! I can actually feel it working and tightening my skin. I feel like I look younger and my skin looks great.
I am going to post a picture, well two, side by side, me at 17 and (gulp) me now at 49. Yes I said it, 49, I usually don’t admit my age, but I happen to think I look pretty good. I’ll let you be the judge.
God Speed Good and Faithful Servant
Keep looking up, cause that’s where it all is; those are the words that ended the morning show I listen to 5 days a week since 1994. That is when I started listening to Kidd Kraddick in the morning; I was there for bath time with Caroline, and yes the creepy version bath time with Kellie.
I have had the pleasure of calling in several times over the years and once my daughter; Elizabeth Anne called into the show. To rat me out for letting her eat popsicles for breakfast. I wonder if she remembers that. I was mortified.
When my children were young, during the school/work week, television wasn’t allowed during the morning rush, it was Kidd and crew that started our mornings.
I could always count on him to not say anything that I would find hard to explain, or anything inappropriate when the kids weren’t in school. As a matter of fact, there were times Kellie would say school rule when things looked like they were going a different direction and Kidd would save whatever it was until after school bells rang.
I could always count on them to make me laugh, to make me cry, to inform and entertain me. He has always made my work mornings enjoyable, bearable and on Fridays he started the weekend off right with Flush the Format.
Elizabeth called me last night and said had I heard, I had not, I ran to the computer to see if it was just a horrible hoax or the truth. This man, who seemed like a part of our family for so long was gone, it was true. Kidd had gone to be with God, and yes I fully believe he did go there, he lived his life as an example of how a Christian should be. Giving selflessly to children and their families that needed a break, to forget they were ill, broken and tired. Over the years I have listened to the Kidd’s kids stories, been moved to give, moved to tears and moved to action.
I know it sounds strange to say a DJ, that I have never met in person (I have met Kellie) was like a member of our family, however that is what he was good at. Coming into our homes, cars and workplace, comforting, relating and informing, he was never brash, always soothing and even while doing does that make me crazy he never made anyone feel less than. That my friends is a gift, to get people to tell the crazy things they do in secret and make them feel normal about it.
My heart goes out to his daughter and to his ex-wife; even after divorce he said not one bad thing about the mother of his child. That is a real man, on air he said she was the best thing that ever happened to him and just because their marriage didn’t last forever, their relationship would.
I will miss you an inordinate amount Kidd Kraddick, you gave so much of yourself that I believe you wore your heart out here on earth. I am positive God said to you well done and welcome home. I know you are there with the mother and father you missed so much after their passing.
My prayers are with your family and your radio family.
Mary Kay Seminar
Sunday I will begin my Mary Kay Seminar experience. I know, not my first time at this rodeo, however it is my first time without Sandi. The last time I was there was my last time with her, that time I was the only one from her personal team to go. We got to spend major amounts of time together, it is a gift I cherish to this day.
This is not going to be easy, however, with Wanda, Faith and Louise I know we will be ok. We all have such wonderful memories of our dear friend that I know together we can not only celebrate our lives in MK we can celebrate the woman that brought us together as friends.
A lot of people have a hard time understanding the relationship we all had with Sandi. They don’t understand we were friends long before she brought me into the Mary Kay world. She was a mentor, friend, sister and huge influence in my life. We shared our sons with each other, we shared details of our lives, when my mother passed a way she shared her mother with me.
She never had a daughter, she used to tell me that if she’d had one she imagined that daughter would have been like my Elizabeth Anne. Sandi took great delight in the fact that Tessa’s middle name is the same as hers. One day I’ll tell Tess about my friend Sandi who was glamorous, smart, beautiful, funny and above all loyal.
Happy Birthday Alex
Today is a special day, I know what you are thinking, well, yeah, it’s Friday, it is indeed, however, today is Thomas Alexander’s birthday. We always knew his middle name would be Alexander, it was tough choosing the first name, however, I am proud to say it is after the very first one of my ancestors to come to America on the Testerman side.
It is a day I remember well, we were so excited to welcome him the nurses thought we were in to have our first child, they were shocked to learn he was going to be our last. I think he came into this world smiling, he did it fast, he would wake up smiling. He never woke up crying, Elizabeth Anne nicknamed him Mr Sunshine Face because of it, she would run to his room and say “mommy, Mr Sunshine Face is awake!” I think Jeffrey was just happy to have another boy in the family, this way he was not outnumbered.
He quickly became just as adventurous as his brother and sister, making me wish I had 4 sets of eyes and 4 pairs of hands, always full of life, wanting to explore.
Today he is 22 and still has that smile, still wants to explore the world, learn new things and remains one of the top three things in my life I am most proud of.
He not only works two jobs but he goes to school as well, he is a daredevil in a truck, car or motorcycle, which makes me nervous. He has thought provoking ideas and we have these great conversations, even if we don’t agree on some things, he still knows how to intelligently debate his side. I am so proud of that, he is passionate about his beliefs and not afraid to voice them, however, not belligerently.
So, happy birthday son, I love you more than you will ever know, you make me proud every day that goes by.
Confessions of a Non-romantic
I have never been an overly mushy person, you know the type I mean. With the advent of social media we can clearly see who these people are. I am continually shocked that people put every aspect of their life on the Internet.
Their romantic life, I have always been a private person by nature. I keep things close to the vest as it were. You can talk to me for an hour, walk away and realize I never told you one personal thing about myself.
I have never been one to NEED another person in my life, I would be perfectly content to be alone. I know what you are thinking, it’s easy to say things like that when you have someone. Well, you, who say that, don’t know me. Several of you that do know me can verify the truth of that statement. If the Irishman dumped me today I would be sad but not devastated, I would miss him for a while but never chase after him.
Some mistake that for coldness, however, I call it self reliant. I don’t depend on anyone but me for my happiness in life. I am not a big believer in happiness anyway, I hang my hat on joy instead, my soul has great joy.
On to a different topic, I hate this time of year for many reasons, but today, I hate it for my bad hair. My hair is so curly in the humidity, why didn’t God give me good hair. Elizabeth Anne has great hair, so I guess as long as my daughter looks good that’s all that counts. It’s too late for me to achieve prettiness anyway.
Peace out homies!
Good News
I hate weighing myself; however it is a necessary evil when engaging in a weight loss program. Since starting back with Weight Watchers I have lost a total of 12 pounds. Not easy my friends, I am tempted all of the time with sweets, that is my real downfall. I can control everything else, but the sweets, man oh man, is that hard.
I have also given up Diet Coke, all soda really, so this time around I have made even more changes, not an easy thing. I do love Diet Coke; however I have decided all of those chemicals are not good for me. If I can clean my car battery with it I don’t think I should be putting it into my body. So there you have it folks, I am doing my best to clean up my food act. I have definite addictions that I am doing my best to address, I figure if I can get a handle on the food thing then the rest should be easier to deal with.
This evening will be particularly difficult as I will be making cookies for Elizabeth Anne; she has a craving for the no bake oatmeal cookies. She is insistent that her mother make them for her, so make them I will. I know what you are thinking, why can’t she do this herself, after all she is 24, well let me tell you, I will continue to make her cookies as long as I am able to. As a mother I consider it my solemn duty to do the things for my children that I can. And this is a simple thing that she takes so much joy in, as do I, the funny thing is, before she picks up the cookies she is going to the dentist. Perhaps I should call them and tell them of her sugar addiction, now that would be funny.
She is skinny she can afford a sugar addiction, I have never been skinny, I could never afford a sugar addiction, even though I have one.
I will never give up my television addiction, even if some shows irritate me, I love television and movies. Speaking of movies, this coming weekend kicks off a long summer of greatness, Ironman 3 is coming out, and I am so excited! I love superhero movies and I love Robert Downey Jr and I love Tony Stark. The trifecta of movie watching! Tonight is Bones, How I Met Your Mother, Defiance, Revolution and Castle; it takes two days to watch one evening of television for me.
Friday Musings
So today on the Kidd Kraddick Show, Kellie Raspberry said how long can one continue to use the excuse “I’m still carrying the baby weight”. Well, my “baby” is 21 years old and I am still using that excuse for my lack of, well, weight loss.
So far it has been an uneventful week. I spent Tuesday evening with Elizabeth Anne, shopping for shoes for her, she said the one thing I thought I would never hear from her, “those heels aren’t high enough”. Music to my ears. Wednesday was spent organizing my Mary Kay inventory and cleaning the office area and organizing the bedroom. I plan on tackling the dinning, living and kitchen areas this weekend. Spring cleaning in full force and it makes me not happy as I hate it. I really want a maid, the minute I feel I make enough money for one, she is there! Or he, I will not discriminate; men can clean just like women. Oh a man maid, I think I like it.
I do believe this world is becoming increasingly vulgar, I hear it more and more in casual conversation, in stores, in the park, everywhere. Surprisingly, to me, the biggest offenders are women, I don’t know why that surprises me, but it does. I remember when I was about 15, I was watching television with my mom and they said the H word. I say it like that because that is what I remember thinking, oh, wow I can’t believe the said the H word in front of my mom. I was so embarrassed; I just sat there thinking maybe she didn’t notice. She did, and I will never forget what she said. She sighed and shook her head and said you know it is a real shame. I said what is? She said with all the words available in the world, the one they chose to use was a vulgar one. It’s so sad that they have such a limited vocabulary. Well that struck a chord with me, even at that age I took such pride in my vocabulary. I had read the dictionary, I scored exceptionally well on tests and played word games. I decided right then and there that before relying on vulgar words I would exhaust my knowledge of other descriptive words.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am no angel, and I do let loose, however I have to be extremely angry for it to come flying out of my mouth. I would urge everyone to look at their words, listen to themselves, then try and find an alternative. If you can’t, so be it, however remember there are so many words available just waiting to be used. I suggest the dictionary as reading material, and Shakespeare, and the Bible, all have wonderful words in them.
Happy Friday, I hope you all have a fantastic weekend, enjoy the cold, wet weather.
Not a Joke
Well here we are, the jokiest day of the year, yes, I did just make up a word, after all it is April 1st, the day when we can make up things.
Yesterday was Easter Sunday, the day Christians around the world celebrate our living, breathing, resurrected Savior. I am proud to be counted among those numbers.
I got to see my children and spend some time with the Irishman, a good day indeed. I hope everyone had a great day and remembered to put Christ in the center of their celebrations. We had a great show on Saturday regarding Easter Sunday and the week leading up to the resurrection celebration. It should be up today on the website in case you missed it. Once again, shameless plug, http://www.convosate.com, all of our previous shows can be heard there, I hope you will give us a listen.
This coming Saturday is a really good show, how to be a Ruth while waiting for your Boaz, I hear and see it over and over. Women lamenting on the fact they don’t have their Boaz, however they are not behaving like a Ruth. In order for God to bring you a good man you have to be a good woman, not perfect, but good. I would also like to point out if a man belongs to someone else, married, engaged, dating; he is not your Boaz. You can’t justify it, God is watching, he sees what you are doing all of the time, so stop.
Spent part of Saturday with Elizabeth Anne, she got a new tattoo, well two of them; she wanted me to get one with her. I told her I would when I turned 50, to commemorate the big birthday, trust me when I tell you she will hold me to it. In thinking on what I will get it will probably be the Aquarius sign, not because I am huge into astrology, I am not, but because I do like the water symbol. Nothing more, nothing less, that is all.
After that it was off to see the Irishman get shaved, if you are new to me I know you are thinking, what. Well I will clarify; he does this every year to raise funds for the Saint Balderick foundation. They fund research to cure cancers that effect children, I am very proud that he does this, it was his fourth year participating. Someone paid $200.00 for him to keep his beard, I paid $100.00 to get it off. Great fun for everyone and lots of money raised for a wonderful cause.
If you want to see his before and after you can check out my Facebook photos if we are friends on FB, if not, I will think about posting them here so all can see the transformation.
Angie World 