08.24.10

Gotcha Day – 3 years Later

Posted in Adoption, Family at 5:16 pm

2010 Fami-versary

It’s hard to believe that 3 years have passed, isn’t it? 
 

08.07.10

Kids Say the Darndest Things (#2)

Posted in General at 1:07 pm

Gabby and Ben were outside riding their Big Wheels with Lamar this morning.  Gabby who ADORES Dora the Explorer and even has a Dora Big Wheel turned to Lamar and they had the following conversation:

Gabby: Daddy! I know how to say sidewalk in Spanish!
Lamar: That’s great Gabby! How do you say it?
Gabby: (with a very self-assured look on her face) “Concrete!”

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Last week while I was in the van taking the kids to daycare, Benjamin turns to me and says:
Ben: You look pretty Mommy.
Me: Why, thank you Benjamin!
Ben: When I grow up, I’m going to marry you!
Me: Ben! You can’t marry your Mommy!
Ben: Oh.  Then I’m going to marry Gabby!
Me: Ben! You can’t marry Gabby, either!
Ben: Vanessa?
Me: You can’t marry her either. She’s your sister. You can’t marry anyone in your family.
Ben: (in a disappointed voice) Oh.  Well, who will I marry?
Me: I don’t know.  Some nice girl that you’ll meet one day.
Gabby: Yeah…like in the 5-year old class.
Ben: (in a disgusted voice) The FIVE-year old class?  There are no girls in the 5 year old class.
Gabby: Yes there is! Jasmine is a girl!
Ben: (shaking his head no) She’s silly.

07.28.10

The Mad Hatter

Posted in Angela, General at 6:38 pm

The Delta Convention begins on Friday in New Orleans and I absolutely cannot wait to get away with Lamar!! This is his first time going to the Big Easy and my first time bringing a MAN to an all FEMALE convention! HA!!  (What the hell am I thinking?? HA!)

Anyway, there are more “firsts” to be found also. This is the first time I’m not staying the ENTIRE time and this will be the first time I’m wearing a HAT to the convention.  In tribute to our Soror Dorothy Height, the National Officers have asked that we wear all white and a hat to the Ecumenical service on Sunday.  The all white is a norm but a HAT??? WHAAAAT!! I don’t do hats! My head is entirely TOO BIG for hats!! What in the world am I going to do?

It’s not mandatory that we wear a hat but I really wanted to at least try (for Dorothy’s sake).  So the hunt began…
First, I had to learn the lingo. Millinery, wide brim, small brim, bucket, fedora, cloche.  Then to figure out what size would fit over my big head which is exasperated by my locs.  I almost gave up before even really getting started.

But in my hat quest, I’ve learned a couple of things along the way:

  1. My head is big, but it’s not THAT big.
  2. Regardless of type, not every hat looks good on everybody.
  3. The right hat can make a dull outfit FABULOUS.
  4. The wrong hat can make an beautiful outfit UGLY.
  5. Any hat must have the proper attitude and swagger to match.
  6. Some hats are HELLA EXPENSIVE.
  7. It’s usually those hats that I am drawn to the most. (It figures)

 But oddly enough, the thing that I learned that surprised me the most is that I actually LIKE wearing hats!  I have never really worn them before and especially as a minister in the pulpit, there was never a need.  But my little hat adventure may have started something!

I wound up finding 2 hats that fit that I liked.  And since I liked them both and they were relatively inexpensive (translation: cheap), I got them both.  A white, dressy number that makes me feel like I’m at the Kentucky Derby or something. (Dorothy Height would be so proud!)  And a camel/white/gold casual sun hat for sightseeing out on the town!

Who would have ever thought of ME turning into a mad hatter!

07.19.10

How Unfortunate…

Posted in General, Vanessa at 6:00 pm

 

Okay, so I’m watching Wipeout on TV with the kids last week which has become a household favorite especially with Benjamin and Gabrielle. Something about watching folks being knocked off giant things into the water makes all three of my kids CRACK-UP!!  (Okay, Okay…I  can’t lie. It cracks me up too!)

Well last week, there was a young woman on the show who recently had gotten married.  She was probably in her mid-twenties and her husband must have been from Hawaii or something because his last name was Ho (like the singer Don Ho).

Call me a snob or whatever, but that was bad enough to me… marrying a man and becoming Mrs. Ho. And adding insult to injury, having little Ho children…my children being referred to as HOs! (*gasp*)

But girlfriend had nerve, the gall, the audacity to keep her maiden AND be hyphenated.

Her maiden name is Funke (pronounced like FUNKY).  Yes…that is her maiden name (as horrible as it is to have to grow up being called Miss Funke).Can you imagine the humiliation of going through life as a Funke? Mr. & Mrs. Funke.  The Funke House.  The Funke Family.

 But to HYPENATE it…. 

Now she’s Mrs. FUNKE-HO. And they are going to be raising Funke-Ho children.

Vanessa and I have been DYING laughing ever since. On the way to the orthodontist today, just the mention of “Paging Dr. Funke-Ho…” and “Funke-Ho, your table is ready” sent the two of us into a burst of uncontrolled laughter for 20 minutes!

 (shaking my head) How unfortunate!

07.17.10

Happy Anniversary!!

Posted in Family, General at 12:01 am

07.12.10

Zucchini Anyone?

Posted in General at 7:01 pm

Now that my garden is growing, we are starting to have more zucchini than I know what to do with!  I have had to get really good at finding recipes that the kids (and mostly Lamar) will enjoy.  My latest find came in the form of Pineapple Zucchini Muffins.  I was skeptical at first about how good these might be but I was pleasantly surprised. These were DELICIOUS!!

 

Even Lucky wants a muffin!

 

 

 

 

 

07.05.10

Look Ma’! I’m Gardening! (Pt. 2)

Posted in Angela, General, Hobbies at 8:06 pm

We took the kids (and yes… Lucky too) on our first family ROAD TRIP down to see my family in North Carolina.  The funny part is that I wasn’t as worried about how a 4, 5, 14-year old and a dog would survive being couped up in a van as much as I was worried about how my GARDEN would survive without me watering it for 4 whole days!    I researched and read all kinds of articles for weeks about how to take care of a garden when you’re out of town and lemme’ tell ya’! Whoever invented SOAKER HOSES and a programmable timer device for the water spout is a GENIUS! 

And all that worrying has paid off!! I got my first “bumper crop” from my garden!! A cherry tomato, a green pepper and a HUGE zucchini squash! LOOK Ma’!! I’M GARDENING!!! (Grandma Lonia would be so proud!)