School Days

Annie's Home posted her answers to a meme...."6 things you loved or hated about school.” I had never thought about this topic before, and it inspired me. (Thanks, Annie!)

There is a lot that I loved about school...

***I loved school lunch. I love that that I have no memory of feeling ashamed that my lunches were free.

***I love that my memory of sitting in the corner in kindergarten is not one filled with shame, but with respect for my teacher. (I deserved it; talking too much. Shocking--I know.)

***I loved the rules of school; they were predictable and (for me) easy to follow. We had rules at home, too, certainly, but the consequences for breaking them were unpredictable and excessive at times. I also loved the rules of the English language. The predictability of these rules gave me comfort.

***I love that I got a D in Geometry in tenth grade; it keeps me humble and helps me remember that even good kids who work hard sometimes "just don't get it."

***I love the memory of the first moment I realized that teachers are human beings--my shock at seeing Miss Rushford come out of the bathroom stall is obviously still with me today. (So funny.)

***I loved being in a place in which people and events were mostly predictability. Drama in school paled in comparison to the drama at home; I felt safe in school.

***In 6th grade, I learned that I was lovable and appreciated for who I was. I learned that I could sing, write and, well....accomplish just about anything I wanted to in life. My teacher's eyes lit up when she looked at me. I knew I brought her joy, simply by being me. Her smile told me that I was someone special. (I'm pretty sure that anyone who had her felt the same way.) Thank you (again), Miss Johnson. Rest in peace.

***I love that teachers could hug kids back in the day, and even hold them. Miss Cayemberg profoundly impacted my life by showing me such compassion. I had no idea why she was taking me out to lunch that time or that it would probably have been frowned upon by her boss. All I know is that I loved it, and I needed that TLC.

***Odd as it sounds, I love that I did not know my value when I was in high school; it helped me, socially. I knew my place (the middle) in the social scheme of high school, so I didn't ruffle and feathes. I wasn't popular, but that was okay with me. I felt beneath the popular kids, but I truly did not resent them for it, because my self esteem kept me from thinking I deserved more status. It helped me stay off the radar, for the most part. Being popular is a lot of work in high school. It was much easier to just have a few close friends, yet still have a good time.

***I love that Mr. Halbrook expected great things from me in American History and beyond. Mr. H demonstrated a sincere interest in my future and expected that I would go to college. At the time, it made me curious; I didn't understand why a man would notice my intellect. In fact, as I write this, it occurs to me that Mr. H was the first man I remember who saw me as an intelligent young woman and communicated that to me, if not explicitly. Eventually, I would reap what he sowed in those seeds of confidence.

I can honestly say there is nothing that I "hated" about school. I loved school, even though I connected personally with just a few teachers in all of those years. That's all it took; their powerful influences were enough to sustain me through college and beyond.

As my students arrive on Tuesday, I'm going to remember this post. I'm going to remember that what I think about a child is reflected in my eyes (and sometimes, into the future) and that what I say to a young girl (or boy) may leave a powerful, lasting impression.

Oh, the pressure!

Weekly Winners/Sundays in My City

Weekly Winners is a Sunday meme hosted by Lotus Carroll at Sarcastic Mom. She has some stunning photos up today; you will be happy you visited if you stop by. Wow. While you're there, link up your week's favorite photos and see some from other, very talented photographers (I'm just an amateur, but it's fun anyway :)

Another great Sunday meme is Sundays in My City, from Unknown Mami. Check out scenes from all over the world and plan you next vacation!

Okay, I've been crazy-busy this week, preparing my classroom and getting ready for the new school year, so I only had time for a few shots. Here's what I've got...

I call this one No Time to Cook
Calm Before the Storm...

Played in Picnik just a little bit. This one's called Shredded Wheat (it just reminds me of Frosted Mini-Wheats!)
Got lost for about an hour on Saturday afternoon. Since I was already late, I stopped to snap this one.I always wonder why farmers sometimes leave a tree in the middle of a farm field. Maybe it's so they have some shade under which to enjoy their lunches?

Gotta run! If I haven't read your FF post yet, thanks for your patience. Have a terrific week!

It Only Takes a Second

I received this video from our local Police Chief. It's powerful and should be required viewing for all teens and anyone who thinks texting while driving is worth the risk.

Friday Fragments

You know how when you get a massage, they tell you to drink a lot of water later, in order to "flush the toxins out of your body"? Well, consider Fridays your chance to flush your mental toxins out, with Friday Fragments and Friday's Freewrite. Don't have a dirty mind? (And no, that is not an invitation) Well then, you can flush all the extra miscellaneous tidbits that have cluttered your mind this week, instead. [To learn how to do this (relatively pain-free) click on the FF link above and visit Ordinary and Awesome, too!]

***I started back to school this week, and it has been relatively painless so far (no students yet, haha.) Only kidding-I'm really excited, because this year, instead of only students with emotional-behavioral disabilities, I'll have the pleasure of doing a lot of team-teaching and interacting with typical students and students with learning disabilities, too. This means that when I say, "Good morning!" instead of being ignored or barked at, I just might hear some pleasantries!! And I'm moving from mostly 8th graders to only 6th graders, who I am told are a different breed altogether. I am really looking forward to this year! [BTW, feel free to correct me on the who/whom use here, if you know....]

***One of the hosts of the Miss Universe Pageant (the gorgeous tanorexic) said, "impor-int." I wanted to strangle her. Maybe I need meds?

***Guess what?! The William Wrigley Company is rolling out Orbit White Bubblemint flavored gum on Monday! So what? So what??!! So, the package is pink, and 10% of the proceeds from this flavor (which I happen to be chewing right this minute-it is delicious! Yes, I'm famous that way-Lindsay gave it to me special!!) What was I saying? Oh, yeah. Ten percent of the profits on this gum will go to Bright Pink!! So, please buy Orbit White, available only for a limited time. You can remove stains, whiten teeth, and prevent cancer, all at the same time :)

***Have you seen Suburban Wow yet? Check out this FANTASTIC promo by Mr.& Mrs. Michael's Daddy to learn more. It's really terrific.

***Molly, too, is going back to school. Although she still suffers (as anyone would expect from a woman who lost her teenage son Ryan nearly a year ago), she is in a pretty good place. Physically, she has healed quite well from her 4th lung-repair surgery; it looks like this one took! Here she is, at as mother-of-the-groom, last May, at her son Brandon's wedding. She is one incredible woman. Please pray for her continued healing this year, especially as October 27th (the anniversary) approaches.

For some moving, inspiring stories about Molly, type her name in the search box above. My favorite is Bent, But Not Broken.

***Anissa Mayhew is giving away a fancy-schmancy HP Photosmart Premium with Touchsmart Web printer! Entering is easy; why not try your luck?

***Mr.4444 is a funny guy. At 5:30 this morning, scratching his butt in the bathroom, he says, "This getting-up-early shit is for the birds." (He starts early with this stuff.)

***Oh, crap. Just realized I failed to pick a Favorite Friday Fragment for last week. Even though I am excited about school, I have been dead-dog tired by 7pm every night! I am so sorry, but I just don't have it in me to re-read blogs tonight. I promise to pick at least TWO this week to make it up to you, okay? Thanks for your understanding.

That's it for me. Now that school has started, I'm sure I'll be overflowing with gems next week. In the meantime, if you get anxious, don't be afraid to visit other fragmenters for plenty of entertainment and inspiration. Link your FF post here:

Thousand Words Thursday

Kyle's First Haircut (before and after)

Before, rockin' the comb-over....And after....cute little monkey! BTW, he was only four months old. (Hey, it was either that or have Donald Trump claiming paternity!)

For more "pictures that say a thousand words," visit Jen, at Cheaper Than Therapy.

Tips for School Success

School has started for millions of children. Some of you parents out there are looking for a way to get your kids off to a school year glowing with dedication, responsibility, and organization. I wrote a post in January about helping your child stay organized. If you're serious about tackling this issue, I highly recommend reading If It Wasn't Attached. If you've tried everything in my post and still need inspiration (and/or a good laugh) read Weaselmomma's School of Creative Parenting for a fresh idea.

Congrats to those of you looking forward to having your sanity back after a long summer!
Good luck to teachers heading back to the trenches!

It's going to be a great year!

Teacher Tweets

I discovered Twitterfall this week, during a technology committee meeting for school. (I don't think you don't need to have a Twitter account to enjoy it.) All you do is type a subject into the Search field (bottom left) and watch. You'll see a "waterfall" of Tweets (in real-time) on that subject, from all over the world. I like that you don't have to keep refreshing your screen to see the Tweets as they fall. (You can freeze the Tweets if they are going too quickly.)

You can see Tweets on all of your favorite TV shows, news topics, or whatever you enjoy reading about. Twitterfall is an excellent Web 2.0 tool for networking! I'm excited about meeting other teachers and finding classroom resources I might otherwise not know about.

The first time I was at Twitterfall, I typed in "Brett Favre" and enjoyed reading from the hundreds of Tweets from all over the world; it was entertaining. Tonight, while looking for teachers who Tweet, I typed in "Teacher." It was very interesting. I guess I'd forgotten how much disdain some students have for their teachers! Here's a collection of Tweets I read in less than five minutes. (I've put asterisks in place of the Twitter I.D.'s of the negative commenters, just cuz.)

*pretty sure my cal teacher is autistic...just sayin.

*fml, f-ck this teacher [Note: I removed the "u."]

*I don't like my Geography teacher. I find it annoying to listen to her. Like, her voice is really annoying and whiney.

* lawl i hate my Cooking Teacher me and Kate both we have to write a report about Vegetarianism ok?

*English teacher = pedo bear. [Kendall told me this means the teacher is a pedophile.]

*Mr.Wright was brushing his teeth in class he is the worst 6th grade teacher ever

*It may just be me, but the whole Spanish curriculum we use just sucks. The textbook, the workbooks, the teacher....... SUCK

*So my English teacher gave me an essay on the second day of school, what ev!

*Sitting in College Algebra. . . . . Hoping the teacher doesn't have an accent. . . .

*energy drinks will kill your liver, says my crazy econ teacher haha

* Dis teacher said psychology wnt b hard, bt damn hes mkin it hard wit all dis hmewrk on da 1st day...

*my teacher's skin looked like a desert storm today and i couldnt focus

*haha its actually this hot girl teacher. Her voice is just so meh meh meh.

*WTF my professor sounds like he got lumps of cottage cheese and spit bubbles all in his mouth.

* my english teacher is weird.

I'm hoping 6th graders are more gentle, haha (I assume the preceding Tweets are from students in high school or college.) Thankfully, not all of the Tweets about teachers were negative...

PatrickdSpikes Got to love when your teacher in college is 26!!!!

BEYASHAsteez brah my history teacher is fine as hell!! This is gonna be a nice a school year

Bellizio My physics teacher just used the expression "if I pull a boner"...

zoeleeanne hahaha the teacher told jacob to twitter wat he told her

MeTheErin Thought I was going to hate Chemistry but my teacher's awesome AND we get to blow sh-t up :)

DonSRiddell RT @dave_carpenter: I am grateful for teachers who come into our lives to teach us right, and wrong. My #1 teacher: http://www.wisdom-of-scotty.com/

JDOG123456 I'm doing this art project for my art teacher. She is AWESOME her name is Ms. Kahle.

DelynaSalazar I think my algebra teacher is on crack, hahaha....seriously! He makes class soo worth it! :)

NileyJyrusFan I wanna give a #shoutout to my Geometry teacher who gave my phone back :D ....he's actually not allowed to do that but he's a good guy:)

aaquijano Meet the teacher tonight at RAE. Teacher seemed nice. Good luck Nikky. This is the beginning of the rest of your life.

CANEISLANDPOOL Ok I like the teacher.... And I signed up to be a PTA mom :)

sgoldman At meet the teacher night. My 8th grade teachers were NEVER this enthusiastic. Ever.

So, remember, if you are Tweeting about your teacher (or boss!), he/she just might be reading....

Brotherly Love

From the moment she could control her eyeballs, Kendall has fixed them on her brother. She has always worshiped Kyle, though he has mostly stiff-armed her her entire life. When she was small, she found any opportunity to hug him, but mostly, he did not reciprocate. Oh, on the obligatory occasions (her birthday, Christmas) he let her embrace him, but usually, he returned very little affection. At times, he was even cold, angrily snapping, "Kendall, get off me!" in response to any bit of affection.

I noticed that she learned how to get his attention for "legitimate" reasons; a skinned knee, hurt feelings at school, a disappointment. At times, she even resorted to playing the "Helpless Female" card, simply to allow him the opportunity to showcase his muscles or demonstrate his "superior" intelligence. She has always given him the stage if he wanted it and has always been proud of her big brother.

Kendall's friends also adore Kyle; female volume levels always increase when Kyle comes home to girls in the house. He's the handsome, nice, upper classman. When the friends aren't around, though, Kyle has been cool towards Kendall. She hasn't let it get to her; she has always been happy to accept whatever level of affection he offered, even if that was limited to a grumbled "Good night."

They have bickered, of course, like all siblings. However, we have drawn the line at physical fighting, so that's never been an issue. We have had to admonish Kyle, though, at times, for just not being nice to his sister. I've often said to him, "You should be nicer to your sister; you might want to date one of her friends one day."

In the past year, though, things have changed; they've grown closer. He respects her opinion about a lot of things. I've seen Kyle let Kendall hug him almost whenever she feels like it. He accepts her affection with little protest, even letting her give him a back scratch now and then. He gives her advice about boys and attends her school performances (without complaint) and even gives her praise for a job well done. He's becoming a young man; a loving, kind, young man.

These days, my biggest complaint is that Kyle and Kendall get along too well. Sometimes, it's as if the two of them are twins, laughing and talking to the point of excluding all other company. We sometimes have a hard time getting them to settle down, and Mr.4444 often says jokingly, "Quit getting along!" They love to horse around; she regularly gives Kyle piggy-back rides, sometimes in public. (Taking those two to the grocery store when they are in a giddy mood can be maddening!)

Kendall will be a freshman this year, and her brother will be a senior. Like her veteran brother, she has joined Student Council. Like Kyle, Kendall has focused on working hard and getting good grades. Like Kyle, she has embraced all that school has to offer and is looking forward to the new school year.

Let's hope they save the piggy-back rides for the parking lot.

Weekly Winners/Sundays in My City

Weekly Winners is a Sunday meme hosted by Lotus Carroll at Sarcastic Mom. Link up your week's favorite photos and see some from real photographers :) Another great Sunday meme is Sundays in My City, from Unknown Mami.

You don't have to live in the city to participate, as evidenced in my photos this week:

6:30 am Saturday morning (No, that's not me-it's my neighbor.)

Isn't this gorgeous? It was worth it, getting up that early, to pick Kendall up from a lock-in she attended the night before.

Pretty typical farm around here. Just thought I'd include it for you "city folks."

As a "city" girl, my heart breaks every time I pass this baby cow on my way to Tinytown. He/She's been in there for days now. Clearly, the farmer has no conscience about his plans to keep this little guy nice and tender for butchering. I know, I know, he has to make a living, too, but why does he leave him right out where everyone who drives by can feel sorry for him?!

On a lighter note, here's Kyle with his first car, a 1994 Honda Accord.

Don't forget to visit Weekly Winners and Sundays in My City for great pics from around the globe :)

Tastes Like Chicken

And you thought this was disgusting?!

Tonight, I noticed the dog rolling in something,

on the livingroom floor (just after coming in from outside.)

"Cooper?!" I said, good-naturedly. What in the world are you doing??

The lighting in the livingroom wasn't very good, apparently. This gave me a false sense of "Oh, this is just a piece of a knotty stick from outside," and I picked it up...

in my bare hand.Peering at it closely, I still decided it was something innocuous. (Time for another eye exam.)

"Cooper, get up!" I pushed him off of what I then saw was something much bigger. [Swallow your coffee now.]





I hate dogs.

Friday Fragments

So many thoughts, spinning around in my head these days. That's why I'm happy to have a place to spill them out. Friday Fragments-your "brain dump" headquarters; perfect way to share those bits and pieces that are too short for stand-alone posts, but too good to just discard. Pull up a chair and join me! [click on the FF button above for more info]

***Sara Bonds, of Ordinary and Awesome also has Friday Freewrites, another great place to link up your random thoughts. Click the button to link up and meet other freewriters :)***Yea, me! I spent another hour in the dentist's chair this week, fully expecting to lose it over the shots again, but I didn't. I declined the nitrous gas (because I'm too cheap to pay th $82) and sucked it up like a big girl.

***I found some old love letters under Kyle's mattress this week when I was flipping it. (No, I did not even consider reading them, except to see who they were from), and it just cracked me up-- that he would think "No one would ever look under here!" If I were a snoop (which I'm not, because I don't need to be), that would be the first place I would look. When I was a kid, I did the same thing, though; we think we're so brilliant when we're teenagers.

***Whenever President Obama "addresses the nation," I feel like he is talking to someone other than me, about me, behind my back in a way. He seems to only be talking to the people who agree with him on his healthcare reform plan. He just assumes that anyone who doesn't embrace his current healthcare reform plan is either a lunatic or had to be paid to say so. I find that offensive. We have the same ultimate goal (I think) of seeing that everyone get proper healthcare. Isn't it possible that we might meet somewhere in the middle?

***This week, I laughed out loud at M.E.'s fragment that went like this...

* I must be getting old (For a bunch of reasons, and not just because I’m beginning the transition from tampons to bladder-control pads, either.) When I was at the movies, watching the Ugly Truth and thinking murderous thoughts about the teenagers and their mid-movie texting, I kept wondering if some of them were old enough to be hearing some of the R-rated dialogue. Which is ridiculous, since I know my kids learned more on the bus in third grade than I knew when I graduated from high school. (“Mommy, what kind of a job is a blowjob?”)

M.E., the award goes to you this week! Honorable Mention this week goes to Parenting By Dummies, who wrote a very creative, amusing post about bed-wetting, which all parents will appreciate....

"At about 3:25 am, the perp was discovered, screaming angrily in his bed. The assailant attempted to allude authorities by thrashing about wildly..." Read more here.

***Yesterday, I conducted a home visit to a new student's house. (I like to settle their minds about middle school and get to know them a little bit before it gets crazy-busy.) When I approached the boy's grandma to shake her hand, she gasped, "Oh, you're young! Thank GOD! I was so worried." This cracked me up! She was apparently worried that her youngster might get an "old, cranky" teacher this year. We both laughed when I told her that I hook the kids with my "youthful appearance," and then, when they start thinking they can take advantage of me, I tell them I'm 46, and they fall back in line. (It's a perfect snare.)

***Almost forgot! If you entered my Picnik Giveaway, guess what? You won! Yup-Mrs.Ski and ? (sorry-I spaced on who posted the lovely roadside before/after!!) Still one more code to give out--don't be afraid...)

Here's McKlinky, so you can link up your FRIDAY FRAGMENTS post and meet other fragmenters. You kids have fun!

What's That Smell?!

Yesterday, I ranted about annoying baby shower games. I have to admit, though, one of the games we played on Saturday at my niece's shower was one I had never had the pleasure of playing before. I don't know what it was called, but I'm sure you can think of a title.

The game involved identifying what was in each of seven "dirty" diapers...

Mom's had nine kids, so we figured she'd be an expert. She hammed it up for this photo...Kendall figured there was only one way to know for sure!

What do you think? Hersheys? Twix? Snickers? Baby Ruth?

Pretty hilarious (though disgusting), I have to admit!

I can't leave you with these images stuck in your mind, so I'll end with a pic of the beautiful mom-to-be...Kim, may you never have to sniff seven poopy diapers in one day!

Rants and Raves

Welcome to "Wednesday Rants and Raves," an idea from A Little Blog About Nothing. Raving is easy for me. Rants, I don't have too many of, but here goes....

Rave: I just loved this post from Mama Still Wears Gucci-Soothing Babies, One Pair of Pants-on-Fire at a Time. Way too cute!

Rant: Before you think you are cool and hip, telling everyone "Check out my blog!" make sure that you have a blog, please. I cannot stand it when my local radio station DJ says, "Check out the WXXW blog" when in fact, it is nothing but a webpage with some videos or commentary that they posted. That is not a blog. Key features that make a blog a blog are interaction between the writer and readers (commenting) and (often) links to other resources. Without this relationship between readers and the writer, you have an on-line journal, or at best, a virtual bulletin board, not a blog. I have no idea why this bugs me so much, but I appreciate the rant space :)

Rave: Kendall came in from mowing the lawn (wearing her I-pod, of course.) She raved about a song that she absolutely loves because of its message to young girls. I looked it up and completely understood why she loves it. Here's part of it.

I used to care so much about what others think about
I almost didn't have a thought of my own
The slightest remark would make me embark on the journey
of self-doubt, but that was a while ago...
This girl has got stronger, and if I knew then what I know now
I would have told myself don't worry any longer, it's okay

It's by Natasha Bedingfield. For the rest of the lyrics, click here.

Rant: Baby showers at which guests do word-searches, play guessing games, and play Bingo for an hour or more are not enjoyable to me. I say just let me come and fill my face while you open your gifts, and then send me home. Who's with me on this? [Kimmy, if you're reading this, I love you, and I enjoyed being there to see you lit up from ear-to-ear with that mountain of gifts; I've never seen you happier, and I loved being there to contribute to that. I'm just sayin....]

Rave: I found a new blog this week (Cuz 190 reader subscriptions wasn't nearly enough), and I have to tell you, Meggan is hilarious! (no pressure, Meggan) I loved reading As the Vagina Turns, the first in a series of tragic, tragic tales about her...uh...vagina, of course, but she also writes about life in general on her very beautiful blog. Check her out!


Visit A Little Blog About Nothing to read more Rants & Raves.

Go, Dogs, Go!

Mr.4444 and Cooper were on their own on Sunday, so he was excited to read about a nearby community's 3rd Annual "Doggy Dip." Since the swim season for humans ended on Saturday, organizers opened up the man-made, fenced-in lake to dogs! For $5, participants were handed a few plastic bags and welcomed to the pool.

Cooper (on the left) was in canine heaven! Mr.4444 said that in the hour and a half that he was there, he did not see a single conflict between any of the dogs.Two hundred and fifty dogs participated, with funds raised going to the local Humane Society Chapter. Of course, not all of the dogs were of the human variety....(Only kidding on that last remark; I just couldn't resist!)

[Photos courtesy of the Green Bay Press Gazette.]

Hoo-Hah's Wanted

My sister, Michelle, has a friend who posted this find on Facebook (it's real, BTW):

"MODEL CALL - Brazilian Bikini Wax Several models are needed for our Brazilian Bikini Wax Class MONDAY , August xxth at Noon! INDIRA Salon Spa - APPLETON 1-2 hour Commitment FREE! ($75 value) "

Michelle's reply (with which I closely identify):

"For Real? WOW. I would never pimp out my hoo-ha for a WAX job. OUCH!! I'm not sure what would be more embarrassing - being the model, or watching it! And it's a CLASS? That implies INEXPERIENCE. Run!! Run away, fast!"

(Unless you are a masochistic exhibitionist, of course.)

Weekly Winners/Sundays in My City

Weekly Winners is a collection of favorite photos from the week. Lotus hosts Weekly Winners over at Sarcastic Mom.
And this is my first time participating in Sundays in My City, a new meme from Unknown Mami (Who is that girl, anyway??!) All you have to do is post a photo or three from where you live. We don't live in a city; we live in a wooded development 15 minutes from civilization, but Mami said I can take pics anyway, so here is a gorgeous lavender bush from our neighborhood.

I'm kind of excited, because this is the first time I've ever taken a good close-up photo of a flower. I love it!
And, related to "my" city are Mr.4444's newly-painted toenails, all ready for Packers Football! Go Pack!!(Love the Piggy Paints, BTW!) Note the coordinating green bruises on his left foot (broken toe is healing nicely, thanks.)

Got my prize from Hallie today!! Woohoo!!And finally, here's what I'll be tackling on Monday...

It's my old classroom (most of it), sitting in my new classroom, waiting to be unpacked. Wish me luck!

Visit Sarcastic Mom's Weekly Winners for some really terrific shots and Unknown Mami for Sundays in My City.

Then Again, Maybe Not

Kendall and I worked for hours on her bedroom one day this week, sorting through clothing for school and saying goodbye (or at least "See you again, some day") to pieces of her childhood. She dug this bed out from her closet."I remember this!" she exclaimed, and after a second, "What should we do with it?"

"Grandma and Grandpa gave you that. They found it at a garage sale and cleaned it up. She made the little mattress thingy, see?"

"Oh, yeah..."

"It could be an antique, you know.""It might even be worth something some day."Or not...Yup; that's Kendall's initials, carved into the antique doll bed.

Of course, she has no idea how they got there...

In her defense, it probably happened ten years ago. Can I still punish her?

Friday Fragments/Friday's Freewrite

Friday Fragments (and Friday's Freewrite) are bits and pieces of your week that are usually brief; too short for a stand-alone post, but too good to discard. Collect humorous observations, "Heard" items, and other small gems and put them together in a Friday Fragments post. Then leave a link to your Friday Fragments post with McKLinky and link back to me in your post (please). (And don't forget to get two-for-one by doing the same at Sara's place! :) Click on either button above to learn more.

***This is how humid it was last Sunday (93%) when we were leaving to drive Kyle back to camp. I took out my camera to take a pic of the foggy windows on the truck, but my camera lens instantly fogged up, too! ***TMI Alert- I wonder how Danielle (Knotty Yarn) feels about women all over the country (and possibly the world) thinking of her (and laughing) during their "times of the month," for the rest of their lives, at her expense. I'll bet it cracks her up. If you've read/seen Stuck in the Middle With You, you know what I'm referring to. If not, you don't know what you're missing!

***The beautiful thing about fragments is that they can be as long or as short as you like. I had a hard time choosing which of Andrew's Fragments I loved best this week, because they all made me laugh pretty hard, but I'm choosing this shorter one as a teaser...

- We have two dogs. A pug and a border collie. Just the other night, I was watching television and, from the hallway, I heard the pug grunting, as if he were lifting weights. A rhythmic sort of expression of air, short and ... well, obscene-like. So I peeked around the corner and found the collie mounting the pug. They're both males. And I swear to God himself, all I could say was,

"Oh! Sorry!"

You really should go back and read the amusing fragments about the booger picker and the inspiring, underwear digger that Andrew observed in his spy-themed fragments. Andrew, the award goes to you this week!***I have to give Honorable Mention to Hallie this week, for this one, though:

*I'm married to a man that thinks it's TOTALLY NORMAL to take his cell phone into the bathroom and use it to listen to music....while he's "doing" his business. When I point out how VERY, VERY WRONG I think this is, he attempts to show me his "toilet moves." (Picture dancing in your chair. Now swap the chair for a toilet.) Disturbing, right?

Yes, a little, but I bet it would make me laugh. (Ask him if you can get that on video, K?)

***Gertrude, over at Abstract Arboretum is celebrating her first Blogiversary this week with a Spring Street Candle Giveaway! If you hurry (it closes today at noon) and throw your hat in the ring, you could win some lovely candles/scents from Spring Street Candle, and you do NOT need to have a blog to enter, so get on over there and tell her I sent you! Happy Blogiversary, Gertrude!

***If you like taking pictures and would enjoy three free months of Picnik Premium's photo-editing membership (or just want to see me with no makeup on), check out my post from yesterday. So far, your odds are excellent to win, and I'll be giving away three prizes.

***Yesterday, we picked up Kyle's new/used car from the Honda dealer (my wonderful BIL, Tom, found it for us). Kyle's away at camp but knows about the car, so imagine his shock when Mr.4444 sent this text to him:

"Good thing I took your car for a test drive. A tie rod broke, and I ended up in the ditch on the access road. Not much body damage. Tie rods are about $200."

The poor kid about had a heart attack!! He snuck out into the woods (not supposed to have his phone at camp) and called Mr.4444, panicked out of his mind! Mr.4444 finally interrupted his freak-out to tell him,

"Oh, I got you good, didn't I?!"

I suspect there may be revenge in the near future...

***Just to be clear, I do NOT expect everyone to read every blog listed under a meme when you sign McKlinky. Blog reading should be a joy, not a chore. (If you are reading my blog out of obligation, please STOP right NOW.) Your time is too valuable to do that if you're not enjoying yourself. That said, I encourage you to stop in to say hi to at least a few Fragmenters each week; you'll meet a lot of great people and find some hilarious, inspiring posts. So many of you did last week and told me you were glad you did, so there!