Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Mental Break-down

I have been a mess…a complete and total wreck over the last few weeks….

Not only has my life been turned upside down over the last few months with the following….

1. It started with my own wedding this past May.
2. My mom got engaged
3. My mom sold her house and moved
4. My step sister had a baby
5. My mom’s wedding is in one week
6. My new step dad is in the process of selling his home
7. This weekend they are shopping for a new home
8. And did I mention my mom is getting married in one week and I am in charge of all the planning….

I am not sure where the time went… it feels like yesterday Tim the Tool Man Taylor and I were engaged, now I feel like we have been married over 20 years with a home that never seems to complete itself. I told a friend last night if I could give everything I own away I would accept an empty but complete home. But that isn’t necessarily true; I would always keep my new found leopard print couch (Thanks Mom!). We are just so frustrated and have completely neglected our home. Not to mention this wonderful recession we are having is not much help!

However, two weekends ago Tim the Tool Man Taylor reminds me that are making progress… it might be a little progress…but nonetheless progress.

Let me introduce you to my new rain barrel….fully equipped to hold thousands of gallons of water. You know because we are going “Green” now.



What the heck does “Green” mean anyway….I definitely like the concept but I have seen nothing that comes along with it worth my while. This barrel is supposed to hold rain water that will be used to water my beautiful lawn. Who the heck is going to be driving down my road looking at my beautiful lawn when they are blinded by the bright green siding and a huge hole in the ground? And now, Tim the Tool Man Taylor wants to build compost….no one will want to visit us because that junk stinks for miles and miles. Last week he put cow manure on my lawn to help it grow. I don’t know about you but this going “Green” is for the birds where I am concerned.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Miss Know It All

So for the past two weeks our cousin (Mom of the year) has asked us to take her little girl (Miss Know It All) to dance on Tuesday nights. It is by far one of my greatest joys not only because I love her as my own but because I know that before the night is over she has me bending over backwards for her and she will say something that will blow my mind.

For example last Tuesday we took her to dance and it went down as follows:

I went to pick her up at her house she was already decked out in her leotard, pony tails in place along with her tap shoes. She gets in the car and starts telling me the books of the bible. I just look at her through the rear view mirror thinking....if she misses one or gets one wrong how could I correct her. I mean this 3 year old knows all the books of the bible and I can't get past the first 4 in the New Testament. So we proceed less than a mile down the road to my house.

When we get inside I had definitely already forgotten about the tap shoes....until....I walk into the other room and I hear her in there tapping away on my brand new, very expensive, very dark hardwood floors. Yep....definitely left little scuff marks I had to hurry and change her into her ballet shoes before Tim the Tool Man Taylor catches both of us. Not only does he fuss at me for wearing my heels on these beautiful floors but the floors are a little touchy subject because he physically gets on his hands and knees and cleans them with Windex.....YES that is right ladies...to all of you wives out there....my husband, cleans on his hands and knees, my hardwood floors. I mean could I ask for anything more? They are so sparkly.

Back on subject... before we leave the house toward dance I take Miss Know It All to the bathroom one last time. I don't get to watch her during her classes so I thought Tim the Tool Man Taylor and I could quickly run to the grocery store. I mentioned this to her mother and she said it is okay as long as she doesn't need to go to the bathroom. So I take her literally right before we walk out the door where she sees my makeup bag and has to add a little powder to her cheeks and a little lip gloss (How could I tell her no?). Her class is only 50 minutes how many more times would she have to use it before I can get back.

Finally, as we are in the car on the way to dance....we hear the little GPS Miss Know It All in the back yell at us because we are not going down the same road as her Mommy takes her. Really, does she already know her way around this town? It is amazing. After 5 minutes....she really throws us for a loop to where we almost swerved off the road from so much laughter. She looks at Tim the Tool Man Taylor in the rear view mirror and in her sweet 3 year old little voice she says "so when are you going to put a TV in this car so I can watch it. I want one for me and one for my [brother]." Seriously did she just say that....can I say spoiled and a girl that knows what she wants!

In the car ride I repeatedly ask her if she still needs to use the bathroom and she replies with "no." Until we walk into the door of dance (there are about a hundred young girls running around....it is such a good birth control for me) she says she has to use the bathroom. Of course it is a number 2...I just look at her and say "thanks for saving that one for me." And she kisses me as I drop her off and she tells me "you are my favorite"....I just melt.

Monday, September 14, 2009

My YAYA's

First, let me say sorry to my faithful blog readers. I am just now recovering from my mother’s move with packing up her whole entire life into boxes. It was definitely bitter sweet!

Now on to My YAYA’s! When I mean YAYA’s, I mean exactly what you think….down to the tackiest hats you have ever seen.



I officially became YAYA “Mistress Rising Sun” on May 12, 2006 (The day I graduated college) along with my best friend. It was a defining moment in our lives where we had to give up our souls forever over a candle lit ceremony and swear to secrecy that any stories we hear from now on, will only be shared among YAYA’s . This weekend, along with our other 5 YAYA’s, we are embarking on our much anticipated weekend get-a-way. We are initiating a new member from Texas. Our newest member, whom is in love with angels, hearts, and peace signs, is so excited she has rented us a huge van. I imagine us going down the interstate looking much like this…..


It is so funny because we are all so different but exactly the same. Maybe it is our hearts that are the same in that our friendship means more to us than any worldly thing. This weekend will be full of laughter and crying…. in which, I can not wait to get it started! I could not live or breathe without my YAYA’s. For the past 25 years, they have shaped me into the woman that I am and I believe that I have a little of something from each of them….

From “Princess Five & Dime”: I have gained all of my motherly instincts and learned that happiness resides in the smaller more personal things in life.

From “Empress Loves A Lot”: I have learned to enjoy life to the fullest and savor every moment.

From “Viscountess Horney Toad”: Despite the name!.... I have learned to love unconditionally no matter what arises and to have the strength to overcome anything.

From “Duchess Loves to Laugh”: I have learned that it does not matter what others think about me and if it sounds ridiculous it might be the greatest experience of my life.

From “Empress 2 Shakes & A Shimmy”: I have learned that in a friend’s time of need, whether it be good or bad, always make myself available.

And From the newest Texas YAYA (I can’t reveal her name yet…): I have learned that we all need “world peace!”

Here’s to MY YAYA’s I can not wait to see what this weekend will unveil!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

I am such a NERD

This week I have the pleasure of helping my mom clean out her house. This is a huge TASK considering she has accumulated stuff for the past 10 years and it is stuffed in every closest, under a bed, or in a cabinet. One of my favorite things to do is clean out. I know ….I am such a nerd and an OCD neat freak. So when my mom knew she had to clean out her house, I was the first to call because she knew things would be organized by trash, keep, and yard sale. Just like that show “Clean House,” with Niecy Nash.

The reason my mom is cleaning out her house is because she is selling it. And I don’t believe that we are in a down housing market because she had her house for sale less than 1 month and she is already closing this Friday. It is a crazy whirlwind…and what is even crazier is that she is selling her house because she is getting married.

MARRIED!!!!! This is such a big thing for my mom and for me. She has been a single mother since I was like 7 or 8. She has been very independent and taught me to be independent as well. (Sometimes this is hard for Tim the Tool Man Taylor because I am so set in my ways.) However, I am so happy for her and for her new “fiancée” that makes her so happy. I never thought I would see the day that she would let her guard down and actually settle down again with someone other than “Tucker.” This is my mother’s (used to be mine…another story) Maltese that I am pretty sure she has everything left to in her will. But….Mom’s fiancée is considered Mr. Wonderful. He spontaneously takes her places, lets her sleep really late, and even makes her breakfast along with the dog. WOW! My family is shocked by my Mom’s new casual and laid back demeanor.

Going through her stuff has brought back so many memories. I actually found a notebook between 3 of my closest friends in middle school where we shared letters about our middle school crushes and where we worried about what we were going to wear to school. To be back in those days…where you thought you had things to worry about!

So kudos to mom for letting me come through and clean out her old baggage so she can start new and refreshed with her new husband. However, I probably won’t be able to blog again until September 15th when she is actually out, because it will take that long to clean out the stuffed closets, under beds, and in cabinets.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Happy Birthday to ME!

Tomorrow is my 25th birthday! WOO HOO!! I decided long ago that this would be the last birthday that I would celebrate because in my opinion it is the age where I feel and sound “OLD.” I am no longer a teenager or in my early twenties. There are days I will think to myself that I still feel like I am 16 and then I quickly bounce back to reality when I check the mailbox and now I have all these bills to pay and Mommy is not there to rely on. When you are younger you always think about where you would be in 10 years. This was the question they always tried to prepare you for in high school, but in all honesty you never really know. When I was 15, I always thought by the age of 25 I would move away, live in this big city, and be making MEGA bucks .(Yeah I had big dreams!) Not living in the country, only a few miles from home, and working for peanuts.

Recently I have realized that getting old really STINKS! Here are the Top 5 reasons I am getting old:

5. Instead of having lunch dates with my girlfriends I find myself strolling through places like Barnes and Noble looking for good reads.

4. We went to a bar that I use to frequent while in college and while we were there, I realized I was the oldest girl there.

3. I can now use the word century to refer to my age. As one of my best friends told me this week “Holy Cow you are turning a quarter of a century old.” Thanks MO!

2. My friends call me “Gladys” because I have a form of osteoarthritis and I do have a rheumatologist on speed dial.

1. Tomorrow is the last day I get to look forward to something special for a long time. I can now rent a car and my insurance is lowered. Next, I will be looking forward to AARP and the senior citizen coffee at Hardees, but at least they have invented BOTOX since then! I intend to be a 60 year old still looking 25!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Our 3 Month Wedding Anniversary

Tomorrow, August 12th, marks our three month wedding anniversary. I could not help but reminisce back to our three month dating anniversary when “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” came to my mom’s front porch with 3 red roses. It was the sweetest thing I had ever seen however; my mother had a different opinion. I will never forget her face when she saw him standing there with those roses and my “goo goo gah gah” eyes blinking at him. I am not sure what she thought, but her eyes, and her facial expression were not happy by no means! Could it be that this guy was trying to sweep her baby girl off of her feet? Or was he just another sleazy guy that had stepped into her life that she was spending every waking moment with? I never asked her but “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” sensed her anxiety and needless to say I never received roses again until 3 years into our relationship. Now, I just look back and think how crazy I was over this guy I had only known for 3 months and I would have never guessed I would be married to him 4 years later and be crazier about him.

This week I realized two more reasons I love “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” more and more:

1. It makes me crack up every time he ignores me. Sometimes I make him do it on purpose… like when he is watching his favorite tv show and he doesn’t want to be interrupted I will say something important and if he doesn’t respond back to me I make up something along the lines of “I am having purple alien babies” just to see if he is really listening. I get a kick out of making up these absurd lines every time.

2. One thing about being married to or dating a contractor (as I am sure with any other job) is they don’t want to work on a project at home if they have been working all day. For example, this week I come home to find this new contraption:


Yes! This is a bar of soap on one of my hair rubber bands holding down the drain for the tub to drain out the water. I mean, I understand that this is the ugliest bathroom in history and that soon it will be replaced with a new master closet so why spend the money on new bathroom hardware? But….it only took us 11 months to build the roof on our porch to get rid of Stone Hedge… so how long will it take to fix the tub? I love my husband and all of his quick fixes!
Happy 3 month Anniversary Mr. Fix-It!

Monday, August 3, 2009

These are a few of my favorite things...

While I am writing this blog I am singing “Mary Poppins”…"These are a few of my favorite things.” This past week I have encountered some pretty amazing things that I must share. As I have said before…I love the internet! This week I discovered a new website http://www.polyvore.com/. Can I just say AWESOME. I am sure that fashion people in the LA and New York area would say it has been around for years but for me it is a new found obsession. You can pick your favorite clothing website, favorite celebrity, or even search for the word “high heels.” This site enables users to go on there and select clothes or accessories and put them together in a collage. It is so cool that I can search “forever 21” and see their latest clothes mixed with other accessories. Now please be aware the other accessories could costs thousands of dollars but the dress might only be $23.00! Whooo Hooo!

Also this week I am praising my Shark Steam Mop! It is so cool that I can clean all of my hardwoods in less than 5 minutes. We hosted a small cookout this weekend and the next morning clean up was so easy! I recommend a steam mop to all of those poor OCD souls like me who feel like they need to mop nightly.

And now for the biggest surprise of all….."Tim the Tool Man Taylor” has started to build our front porch. Shocked I know! This isn’t a big deal for all of you, but to me this is the ultimate gift. Let me take you through the process…

Stone Hedge: The beginning stages of our cement porch without a roof or columns. Now don't judge me on that "thin mint" 70's green siding. Or the awesome black eagle. I know you want that eagle... I will start the bidding at $10! Any takers??

And now the roof begins: I did threaten "Tim the Tool Man Taylor" with his life if he did not finish this project.



And today I come home to find this... YAY to no shutters and hardie siding!


Stay tuned for the final product...I am off to try to start the grill and not burn our new roof down!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Mr. Wonderful

Sorry I haven’t blogged in a few days…I have been attempting to complete those 10 loads of laundry that has been haunting my dreams. I am down 3 loads…only 7 more to go! By the time I am think I am finished I will have accumulated 10 more.

Today, I am blogging on something I think a lot of girls can relate to. Recently I started reading at night. I did this several years ago but I gave up on trying to finish a book. I would start a book when I crawled in bed at night then after reading 2 pages I would fall asleep. I figured after a year and I had only got to page 60, I should give up trying. However, over the past few weeks I have picked up the hobby again (it is an excuse to skip the gym.) I have read 2 love stories (Nora Roberts & Nicholas Sparks) in less than a month and I have already felt myself changing. You know how a girl does…you start to feel all warm and fuzzy and the need to be romantic overwhelms you. By the end of the book, you think the story should be about your life and you do all you can to incorporate the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Wonderful into your own relationship. Okay maybe I am crazy! Maybe I am the only girl in the world that thinks this way! But, over the past few days I have found myself getting mad at “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” for not quitting his job and spending long days walking on the beach hand in hand while he whispers sweet nothings into my ear. I want Mr. Wonderful, Sporadic, and Does What Ever I Want. (Perhaps I should give up the romance novels...because does that really exist?) But then I have snapped back and realized that if he didn’t work and if he wasn’t who he is, then I would never have fallen in love with him in the first place. Once I dated a guy that did everything I wanted to do…and you know what?...He annoyed the heck out of me. If “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” always did what I wanted to do then I would have never learned how to venture out and try new things like lay and grout tile, go to a rodeo, or let him fly me around without a parachute (a blog for another day.) Sometimes I think the hardest job in life is being a girl. Then I think about the boys that have to put up with all of our complaining and nagging and the little things I have to go through daily doesn’t look near that bad!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Creating A “Tooter Town”

This past week, our cousins came over for a visit and informed us that they were thinking about moving.

A little background:

Our cousins are technically “Tim the Tool Man Taylor’s” cousins but mine by marriage. I actually consider them as a brother and sister in-law. They only live about 1 mile from our home and are always there for us when we need them…usually to bring over some toilet paper or ice when I don’t want to go to the grocery store. I call the husband “Mr. Workaholic,” his wife “Wife and Mother of the Year (every year!),” and they have two children, a 3 year old girl “Miss Know it All,” and their 4 year old son “Mr. Cuddle Bug.” However, this week they informed us they were thinking about buying 100’s of acres in the middle of no where and they wanted us all to move there and form a compound.

“Mr. Workaholic” and “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” thinks we can purchase this property and become sustainable. Don’t they understand that this week I killed a peace lily because I over watered it and that out of 5 tomato plants I planted, only 2 of them have survived? And now, they expect that I am going to be able to plant hundreds of corn stalks, pick beans, and milk cows? In a perfect world I would be like “Mr. Workaholic’s” wife, “Wife and Mother of the Year.” When “Mr. Workaholic” walks in the door she has his tea in her hand, a meal already on the table, kids already fed, 5 loads of laundry complete, and already baked a cake for dessert. And all of this done by 5:00pm! She is truly amazing and would be perfect for sustainable living. She is so good, she could even home school her kids while milking a cow. I am the complete opposite…I have about 10 loads of laundry overflowing the hamper, no food in the fridge, and I make a quick dash to McDonald’s for dinner. If McDonald’s or a Walmart doesn’t make it or provide it, then we won’t have it.

When I think about sustainable living I imagine this little town that was located about 10 miles from my mom’s house. It is called “Tooter Town.” It is a town with 2 signs about 500 yards apart (“Welcome to Tooter Town” and “You are Now Leaving Tooter Town”), a gas station in a double wide trailer, and about 5 families in trailers/homes in-between. On the sign it says population 9. I would imagine this would be us in the middle of no where with a sign that says “Welcome to Crazyville stay long enough and you will be just as crazy.”

Although this would not happen for another 4 to 5 years, I have already started thinking how are we going to sell the “thin mint” (this is what I call our house because it is a 1970’s mint green color and looks like the inside of an Andes Mint.) It has no master bathroom, no kitchen cabinet doors, and a pool that is falling in. Stress immediately fills up my body…there is no way in heck we are going to have all of this finished in 4 to 5 years to sell. However, by the time our house is finished, moving and creating our own “Tooter Town” might not be so bad after all.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The Money Pit

Have you ever just had one of those days where enough is enough? You have had all you can take and you just wish the time would come to go to bed and wake up refreshed and renewed. This was my day! When I came home I wanted nothing more than to relax out by my pool and swim a couple of laps to relieve the stress from a hard day at work. I dreamed the whole way home about my pool until I pulled into my drive way and snapped back into reality. We live in the money pit.

Yes! I mean just like the movie. We bought this house in hopes to turn it around. We never expected how long it would take. We work nights and weekends to try to get it finished but lately we have spent more time fantasying rather than doing the hard labor. However, just when we decide to fix something, something else breaks. It is a never ending battle. Once, “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” worked on the plumbing and the power went out? How do you explain this one?

Tonight I wanted to come home, kick off my heels, and run until I felt the cold water between my toes! If I started to run I would have fallen into this:


This is our pool. We had the bright idea to drain the pool at the end of last summer in hopes to get a new pool liner by this past spring. Fools we were to think we would actually have the grading complete in the back yard. When we think we have our vision complete, “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” comes up with another idea for a pergola or outdoor kitchen. By the time we have fantasized of our dream backyard it has turned dark and we have yet to do physical work. I guess tonight I will just have to settle for a hot bath and lifetime movie and hope tomorrow I will have the energy to get out there and measure the pool for a new liner.

Monday, July 20, 2009

My Half Year’s Resolution starts TODAY!

I have finally realized what it means when everyone said “Don’t let yourself go after you get married.” I know…it has only been 2 ½ months since we have been married but I have become lazy. I definitely have the “I got my man now why do I need to impress him” attitude. I worked really hard for a year before the wedding. Hitting the gym at least 5 days a week and I paid a personal trainer once a week. I was in great shape. I had lost a good bit of weight (thanks to Tosca Reno and “The Clean Eating Diet”) and my husband always commented on how good I was looking. I have always been one for fashion and would put on my makeup just to walk to the mailbox.

However, after the wedding it seems like I just don’t care as much. I am still paying the gym monthly, but not going. I am almost too embarrassed to walk in there because I know the “girls” will be talking about me, how I was looking so good and how could I gain that much weight back in a short amount of time. Luckily for me, I really don’t see those girls outside of the gym.
You would think two of my best friends would inspire me. I have one best friend we call “Mrs. Fitness” she never misses a day at the gym and she will drink two liters of water before each beer. Then my other best friend wakes up at 5am each day before work and does at least an hour long cardio session. Hello, why have they not started an intervention on my butt?

This weekend was a wake up call when I realized on Saturday I had eaten 5 full meals…and Sunday I ate 5 cookies. WHAT? I never eat these kinds of things. Also, last weekend I went with “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” to Home Depot (our second home.) When I came downstairs he looked at me and I knew what he was thinking without him saying a word. (You are wearing that?, with your hair like that?, no makeup?, maybe you should change those tight jeans.) I had fallen into the rut of letting myself go!

So today I start my own intervention and Half Year’s Resolution! I just hope that someone doesn’t bring in the weekly Krispy Kreme doughnuts… the downfall of working ½ mile from that sweet tasting delicious goodness of Krispy Kreme. I figure if I at least blog about it and tell others it might inspire me to actually drive my car into the gym parking lot tonight… instead of driving by the parking lot on my way to get french fries from McDonalds.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Mom's Brand Loyalty and Her Many Lessons

It started in college when I realized that I had instilled my mother’s brand loyalty. It was the first time I could vote so I definitely voted the same party she did, I only bought Tide detergent because that is what she used all of my life, and I was only partial to Kellogg’s cereal. One time, my roommates decided that we were going to save money (the extra money was probably used to go out downtown Clemson). When they went grocery shopping they returned home with those huge bags of off-brand name cereal. I couldn’t believe my eyes it was pure shock! I wouldn’t eat those things because they were not what I was use to and mostly because I think that weekend the ants had invaded our kitchen cabinets. See the ants didn’t think they belonged their either.

When I met “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” we had probably dated almost a year before he hit me with the most shocking news…he was allergic to Tide detergent and I had to start using something completely different. What else was I suppose to use (like that was the only laundry detergent humans ever made)? I immediately called my Aunt, I call her “Mother Theresa,” not only is that her name but she is a saint. Fortunately, her son whom they call “Precious One” (only because he could probably murder someone and it would never be his fault according to my family) is allergic to Tide too. She hooked me onto ALL detergent. Now and I forever will be brand loyal to ALL. Well, unless my husband breaks into this allergic reaction again and I must find another brand.

Then, when I moved in with my husband it got worse! I had to change from my ever so soft Kleenex Cottonelle toilet paper to that hard, cardboard Scott tissue. WHAT???? It took a long while, but I am finally accustomed to Scott’s. I can barely use anything else. I try sneaking in at least the soft Scott and take it out of the wrappers before “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” can see it.
With this, I have already told you how OCD I am about how everything has its own place in the house and humans definitely made toilet paper and paper towel holders to be used.

When I was younger there were lessons my mom taught me :

1. Replace the toilet paper when empty and make sure it rolled over and down. Never under and down.

2. Never leave a drink on your night stand.

3. Never drive your car if the gas is below half full. Always keep your gas tank at least half full. I guess my mom was always worried about running out of gas. Maybe she had to push a car once and never wanted me to have to experience that one.


I came home yesterday to find the following:


Yep, no toilet paper on the roll. At first I wasn’t going to replace it and make “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” panic when he realized it wasn’t there. And hope he would replace it with the roll going over and down. But we were having company over so I quickly replaced it.


Then I go to the kitchen to find the following:


Yep, no paper towels either. But the empty roll still there. To his advantage, I forgot to buy some at the grocery store.

However, after much frustration over the matter we had a wonderful dinner with the family and once they were gone, I went upstairs for my nightly routine and to take a long bath. I was so tired from working and slaving over my, oh so fabulous, Paula Dean roast that the bath was exactly what I needed. What I did not expect was to be sitting in the tub and look over to see what I had done to the toilet paper: (GASP!!)



How could I fuss at “Tim the Tool Man Taylor” when I was this lazy? Had I lost my mind? The mere fact that I could get the toilet paper out of the cabinet and sit it on the toilet paper stand and not remove the old toilet paper roll…what else could I say?

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Why I decided to blog...

It is sad. I have a daily routine that I am OCD about. And, it is not like waking up, brushing my teeth, shampooing before I shave…No! It is a daily internet routine. I come into work check my work email (which I have already seen once on my blackberry), I check g-mail, and Facebook, read my favorite blogs, check out the latest gossip with People and US magazine, and lastly I check all of the CBS Soaps. I have been addicted to the soap operas since a child because my grandmother only had a TV with channels 4, 7, and, 13. She loved Price Is Right so I guess she watched the soaps that came on afterwards. And still 20 years later I am still following Victor and Nikki Newman.
I tell you this because I am addicted to the internet. My favorite blog is Jasmine Star @
www.jasminestar.com. She is a photographer based out of Orange Beach, CA and I am in awe of her. She doesn’t know it but she is already my best friend and I have never met her. One day she was featured on another blog called The Pioneer Woman. My best friend in the world emailed me and asked if I had already visited The Pioneer Woman because she was voted best blog of the year. I immediately had to follow her @ www.thepioneerwoman.com. She inspired me to write my own blog. On her website she has this steamy love story (like a Danielle Steel novel) about how she, Pioneer Woman went from Black Heels to Tractor Wheels. As I started to read the story about how she met her husband “Marlboro Man,” I could not help to think about myself. No, I did not grow up in some big city or even as a country club girl but I did wear the latest fashion and travel long distances with my mother to shop at the finest boutiques. Now I find myself signing up to go to bull riding competitions and learning how to drive F-350 diesel pick-up trucks. I went from a small town/city girl to a country girl. As an only child, I always had everything I wanted and never had to work for it. Although my husband does provide me with everything I want and need, one thing this marriage has taught me is to work hard to have the best of everything. Needless to say, I have been seen shoveling dirt, laying sod, and even sanding down floors on our home. This is so I can have yard of the month (which I am far for achieving) or hardwood floors without thresholds (a word my contractor husband taught me.) (This is me sanding the floors in our newly remodeled kitchen.)

I went from being given everything to working and appreciating everything I have. So when I am always complaining about living in the worst house in our zip code, at night I go to bed with a husband that loves me more than words can say and I know that one day my hard work will pay off. When you get a few extra hours, sit down with a cup of coffee or a large glass of wine and read about the Pioneer Woman and her sexy Marlboro Man.