Every weekend I have been dressing like a construction worker and this is why.

When Roger and I first surveyed the 2 acres of land that we now reside on, we had stars in our eyes. It may not seem like that much land but to us (coming from the city) it felt like an entire universe could fit in our backyard. Griffin was growing in my belly at the time and as we dreamed of our future family, we made plans for every inch of our forest.

Well, life got in the way and six years and two kids later, the property has sat untouched. One may think that so much land would be a great place for kids to play. It's almost the worst place to set a toddler free. There are chiggers, exposed roots, trenches, holes, poison ivy, yellow jackets, and all kinds of scary things that you can find in a forest in Georgia. Not exactly a relaxing trip outside for mommy. It's been pretty frustrating to not have a place where my wild boys can run around and act crazy. Every boy needs a space to play and explore but not when mommy is having a nervous breakdown every two seconds.

Help is one the way! My mother-in-law is giving the boys an AMAZING swingset for Christmas and we needed a place to put it. So, for the last three weekends my parents have taken the boys so that we could clear out a play space on our property.

{Check out this cornucopia of fun that awaits us!!}

It has been amazing. Roger has cut down trees, chopped them into firewood, and stacked them into a huge pile of wood to be seasoned for next winter. I've helped along the way by strapping on some work gloves and stacking the wood. I've dug up dead pine trees to expose the earth and watched little earthworms burrow in the dirt. I've raked leaves and clipped vines off of trees that have been intertwined for centuries. I've carried bramble and wood over my shoulder. It's felt so good. I've sweated in places that I never even knew that I could sweat. I never knew that dirty sweaty yard work could be so fulfilling.

It's been great on many levels. For one thing, Roger and I make a fantastic team and I love working on projects with him. He's very patient and is a wonderful teacher when it comes to working on the house. I feel more confident when I am near him working. He's one of those men that is capable of doing just about anything. It's sexy to watch him chop down a tree and then for me to hoist it up and carry it off. Have I lost my mind? I just said that yard work was sexy.

It's also been really gratifying to be outside and getting my hands dirty. I love feeling so inherent to the earth. A sense of accomplishment settles in as our old plans for our home start to take shape. The backyard is almost ready for the swing set and we think that we will have it up for a Christmas morning surprise. We are even going to get a little picket fence to wrap around the yard to keep my little ones safe. They can run around like free range chickens while I lay on a hammock and sip on iced tea.

Just me and my chickadees and a picket fence...
sounds like heaven to me!

The Happiness Project :: Week 39

Capturing the last of the Autumn leaves
before they tumble to the ground.

<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://leighvslaundry.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae172/leighbug_photo/2876650690_005fb39e00-4-2.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a></div><br />

If you want to jump on the bandwagon
simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy.
Then, steal my button up there
and include it in your post.
Please let me know if you decide to join in.

Every time Shutterfly sends me free Holiday cards, an angel gets it's wings.

I had great plans for our family Christmas card this year.
Both of my boys were dressed to the nines in identical outfits
and as we waited in line to have their photograph
taken with Santa, excitement filled the air.

It all seemed so perfect, until Koen
left my arms and burst into tears in Santa's lap.
I jumped around like a moron trying to get him to smile.
Koen just screamed louder and Griffin
could not wipe the grimace off of his face.
Oh yeah, it was awesome.
Everyone in line behind us thought that it was awesome too, I'm sure.

Well, thanks to Shutterfly, I can share the special moment
with all of my closest family and friends.
I think that you could not ask for a more perfect holiday card.
Let's spread a little holiday cheer, shall we?

It doesn't have to stop at holiday cards either.
I could have this happy image made into personalized mugs for the Grandparents
or even better would be a few wall calenders for the cousins.

Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year.
Especially if your kids are a couple of scamps like mine.

If you are a blogger and are interested in getting getting
50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly,
you can sign up here: http://bit.ly/sfly2010.

Winner : Christmas Insanity Edition

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. Please take note that my super hilarious and non biased best friend was the judge. Here are the top three in no particular order.

R Montalban
"another use for cookies is to crush them
into tiny pieces and sprinkle them in your hair
to create the full bodied effect you see I am sporting"

Shannon
Suzie did a "bang" up job on this year's Christmas cookies!

AmusingCrystal
Sometimes I like to crumble the cookies
and put them in the tree...then eat the tree!

The winner is...
R Montalban

"another use for cookies is to crush them
into tiny pieces and sprinkle them in your hair
to create the full bodied effect you see I am sporting"

R Montalban
is the funniest blogger in all the land.
Now head on over to her blog

and marvel at this fantastic award she just earned
to proudly display forever.

Thanks to all the people who played.

Tune in this Friday for another instalment of Freakshow Friday!

Leigh vs. Coca-Cola Cake : A battle of epic proportions

Roger was really tired the night before Thanksgiving. I decided to help him out by getting started on baking the famous Coca-cola cake that he had volunteered to make for the family Thanksgiving feast. It was his night to bedtime with Griffin and I could tell that he was exhausted. Besides, I had had a few successful baking experiences recently, so I was feeling confident and capable. I grabbed our trusty recipe and felt smug as I mixed up all of the ingredients that I had fetched from the store that afternoon. I was even humming while I stirred in the Hershey's chocolate powder.

Roger came stumbling out of Griffin's room with a halo of sleepy hair. He always falls asleep when he does bedtime with Griffin and emerges looking like a zombie. This night was no exception but when he discovered that I had already put the cake in the oven to cook, he suddenly perked up. I felt like such a good wife as I washed the bowl and spoons that I had just used as Roger set to the task of putting away the ingredients for me.

As he cleared the counter, he grabbed the jug of Buttermilk and remarked about the fact that it was low-fat Buttermilk. Apparently, with a cake as delicious as this one, you need Whole Buttermilk to make it so gooey and yummy. He had never made it with the low-fat crap so the fate of the cake was unknown. I instantly felt like a failure in the kitchen and after a heated debate about if the cake in the oven would be tasty, I left for Kroger to fetch more Buttermilk to make a whole new cake, I insisted.

So, I trudged out with the procrastinators of the world and waltzed into Kroger at 9 pm. Let me tell you, it was a madhouse. Once I was in the dairy department, I realized that they only carried low-fat Buttermilk. I even tracked down an unsuspecting stock boy to search for the right Buttermilk. He was no help so I left Kroger in a huff and headed over to Publix.

At this point, I was convinced that Roger was crazy and that there was no such thing as a Whole Buttermilk. I scanned the dairy department and could only find low-fat kind. I was exhausted and it was getting late so I almost started crying. A sweet stock girl saw me tearing up and offered to help. She finally found gourmet Whole Buttermilk in the back. Thank God because I was about to lose my mind.

Knowing that I still had to go home to bake a whole new cake at 10:00 pm, I stopped at the liquor store to get a bottle of Bailey's to put in my coffee while I whipped up the new cake. I may be dumb but I'm not stupid. In fact, one could even argue that I'm a genius when liquor is concerned. I might have grabbed some Peppermint Schnapps too. In a snit, I drove home knowing that the only saving grace for my evening was the fact that I was walking in the house with booze in hand.

Once I found myself settled in the kitchen to bake, I reached up in the cupboard for some coffee to make my adult libation. Guess what? We were out of coffee. Roger looked scared as he walked into the kitchen and saw my face. I slammed doors and pouted and demanded that he pour me a huge glass of Bailey's over ice. He complied and then I told him to scram because I was my own worst enemy and I didn't want him to witness me drowning my sorrows in Bailey's and cake mix. He backed away slowly and left me in my shame. I would take a sip of my drink and then lick the spoon with chocolate batter as I cried.

By the time the cake was done I was drunk and had a tummy ache. This will be the last year that I offer to make that damn cake. Even if the second one came out perfect and was scrumptious.

The End.

For those of you who are keeping track...

Freakshow Friday : Christmas Insanity Edition

It's time for another installment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a funny photo. My best friend will be the judge and she's one hilarious freakaziod. So, bring it! Here is this week's photo, I am totally in the holiday spirit but not as much as this lady!

Would you like a Crack Cookie?

You got a better one for me?

If so, you may just when this awesome award
and have bragging rights forever.

Oh...do I ever have an award for you!
You will win this brand spankin' new award!!

If you win then I'll linkup to your

Blog and make a big deal
about how funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

The winner will be announced on Monday

From my table to yours!

Happy Thanksgiving from me and my little turkey.

The Happiness Project :: Week 38

Thanksgiving festivities at school and handmade costumes.

Griffin played the role of Squanto in the class play.

<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://leighvslaundry.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae172/leighbug_photo/2876650690_005fb39e00-4-2.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a></div><br />

If you want to jump on the bandwagon
simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy.
Then, steal my button up there
and include it in your post.
Please let me know if you decide to join in.

Not to build it up or anything but this post could very well make world peace a reality.

I am about to share something pretty amazing with y'all. My husband makes the MOST scrumptious cake every holiday. If you want to see an entire room swoon over a dessert, you have to make this. I am passing the recipe to you and I'm telling you, make it for Christmas, your life will never be the same. Here is a little forward written by Roger about his relationship to the very southern "Coca-Cola Cake".

Enjoy!

The coveted Coca-Cola Cake recipe, a family treasure of immeasurable proportions, has withstood the test of time since my early childhood. My aunt Jody would make this desert for us for all occasions. My cousin Alan has not eaten it since his early teens after he snuck down late one night before a Christmas gathering and ate the whole 9"x11" pan all by himself in one sitting. One year when I was in my early 20's I heard from my mother that Jody was not going to make it for one of our Christmas celebrations. I went straight to the phone and called her and said that if she was unable to make it, that I would make it myself. She gave me the recipe and that was just what I did. It is now easily the oldest and most valuable piece of paper that I own. In fact I made it for Leigh one time when we had first started dating and when the pan was empty she actually wept. So now I pass it over to you and yours to share in its chocolaty goodness!

~Roger

Cake Recipe
In a big mixing bowl:
Combine 2 cups of sugar
2 cups of self-rising flour
Mix and set aside

In a small boiler
1 stick butter
1/2 cup Wesson Oil
3 heaping tbs of Hershey Coco (can style)
1 cup of Coke
Heat on medium heat until melted

Pour melted mixture into flour mix and add:
2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

Pour into greased and floured 9 X 13 cake pan
Cook at 325 or 350 (depending on stove) for 35 minutes
Top will look gooey

Icing recipe
Use same boiler used in cake recipe
combine:
1 stick butter
3 tblsp Coco
3/4 cup coke and milk (1:1 ratio)
heat on med to boiling
add one box confectioners sugar
add one or more cups chopped pecans
add one tsp vanilla extract

stick fork through top of cake repeatedly before pouring icing on cake
pour icing on cake and let cool before covering.

You can thank me later!

Winner : Superhero Edition

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. Please take note that my super hilarious and non biased best friend was the judge. Here are the top three in no particular order.

Mother Theresa
Was it good for you, doll?

Shannon
Honey I Shrunk the Kids 6: Nursing Home Edition

I Live In
After leaving the KISS concert,
it became apparent that Grandma did indeed get a contact high.

The winner is...

I Live In

After leaving the KISS concert,
it became apparent that Grandma did indeed get a contact high.

I Live In
is the funniest blogger in all the land.
Now head on over to her blog

and marvel at this fantastic award she just earned
to proudly display forever.

Thanks to all the people who played.

Tune in this Friday for another instalment of Freakshow Friday!

Freakshow Friday : Superhero Edition

It's time for another installment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a funny photo. My best friend will be the judge and she's one hilarious freakaziod. So, bring it! Here is this week's photo, after you come up with a crazy caption you have to check out all of the photos in this series. They had me laughing nonstop. I just couldn't resist using one for Freakshow Friday...

I'm not sure what's going on in the old folks' home these days.

{photo credit here}

You got a better one for me?

If so, you may just when this awesome award
and have bragging rights forever.

Oh...do I ever have an award for you!
You will win this brand spankin' new award!!

If you win then I'll linkup to your

Blog and make a big deal
about how funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

The winner will be announced on Monday

A beautiful romance.

The beauty that can be found in nature inspires me.
I often find myself daydreaming as I look at the trees in the fall.
I've always respected the trees for letting the leaves go.

Sometimes, I imagine that the trees
and the leaves are having a heartfelt goodbye.
That the two grow desperate when the leaf starts to change colors
because they know that they are about to have to separate.

I like to imagine that the brightest leaves
are the ones that are madly in love
with the branches that they hang from.
That the two sway in the wind and cherish every moment
before the leaf slips out of grasp from the tree.

I drive down the road and admire
all of the heartbroken leaves.

Fall becomes terribly romantic if you look at it that way.

Thoughts on Motherhood : Showing Strength

As Mama, it is up to me to show my children how to be fearless in a time of crisis. I spent some time last month with Koen crying in my arms and looking down at him with a heart full of fear and worry. I never once let him in on the fact that I was alarmed. You see, Koen had to be admitted to the hospital with a possible case of Mastoiditus last month. This is a very serious infection of the mastoid bone (which is located behind the ear) that can cause all kinds of horrible things to children if it goes untreated. So, we took it very seriously when we were told to get blood work and a CAT scan for a true diagnosis.

We found ourselves in a bright lab room in the hospital. The nurse stuck him in his chubby foot to get the blood work as he lay down on the cold lab table. I leaned over his body and held his hands so that he could not escape, my face was just above his and he was screaming beneath me. My heart started to race and my eyes welled up with tears as I put my lips next to his ear and sang old church hymns to try to calm him down. He struggled and cried and I just wanted to cry with him. I brushed the hair from his forehead and my tears almost started to fall when I saw his eyes focus on my face. In that single moment of eye contact, our souls spoke. He looked so fearful and was looking to me for strength.

At that moment I knew that I could not cry with him, it was time for me show him that he was safe and that I was not afraid. Fighting back the tears, I told him "Look at Mommy, you are safe, Mommy is here, it's almost over." His eyes locked with mine and he calmed down as I continued to gaze at him and sing. His little body relaxed and they were able to get the blood that they needed. I snatched him up and rocked him to sleep, still fighting back the tears.

We spent three days in the hospital so that he could get an IV of antibiotics to clear up the infection. The poor little guy had to have an IV in his foot and could not walk the entire time. I found reservoirs of strength dwelling within me. My mom stayed at the hospital with us the entire time and we tried to make it as easy as we could for my sweet little fella. We found a child's size wheelchair and we would go on walks around the floor. We would wheel him up to a window that overlooked the parking lot and let him watch the cars. It was October so the nurses had decorated the unit with pumpkins and black cats. We made a game to see who could find the most pumpkins. We let him empty an entire box of cheerios on the bed and then throw them all on the floor. We found pots and pans in the playroom and let him pretend to cook Legos. All the while, my heart was breaking into a million pieces for my strong little boy. I could not allow myself to feel weak because he needed me. We created a "new normal" in the hospital and thrived on our new routine.

The next week, we ended up at Outpatient Services getting tubes put in his ears and his adenoids removed. He woke up in furious fit in the recovery room. As he kicked and yelled himself awake from the anesthesia, I found myself singing the same church hymns in his ear. A nurse came into check on him and was a flurry of explanations. "This is just him coming out of the anesthesia , he'll calm down soon." she announced. I was a rock at that moment even though my heart was pounding. My child flopped around like a fish out of water in my arms. I nodded to the nurse and was a bit dismissive as she said "Oh, so you're not upset that he's upset?"

I could not allow myself to be upset with him. He needed me and I tapped into that reservoir of strength yet again. We wrestled and I sang to him and tried to calm him down. Inside, my heart was racing and I could feel panic sneaking up on me. He finally settled into my arms and took a nap. The nurse patted my back and said "Good work mama, most mothers freak out when they
see their children in that hysterical state."

I did not cry one tear until I was home with a healthy toddler. I climbed into the shower and with water dripping down my face, let go of all my strength, and cried my eyeballs out. I had remained strong for my sweet boy with courage that only a mama could have. There will be more moments in my boys' childhood where I have to be a solid force for them, I'm sure. No matter how my heart aches for them or beats fast with fear near them, I will always be the woman who makes them feel safe.

It's simply part of the job.

The Happiness Project :: Week 37

When Roger walks in the door holding a bouquet of roses.

<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://leighvslaundry.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae172/leighbug_photo/2876650690_005fb39e00-4-2.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a></div><br />

If you want to jump on the bandwagon
simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy.
Then, steal my button up there
and include it in your post.
Please let me know if you decide to join in.

An essay about disfunctional people, how I like to laugh at them, and a picture of my pretty red toes.

On Saturday afternoon I escaped to the nail salon to get myself a much needed pedicure and "me" time. I was boy-less so I felt all relaxed as the water bubbled over my feet. I sighed a lovely sigh and noticed that three generations of women were sitting at the drying station together in front me. A grandmother sat in a chair with her mouth hanging open, a middle aged woman sat next to her (which I'm assuming was the old lady's daughter), and a five year old girl with a bad attitude (daughter and granddaughter, I'm sure) sat on the other side. These women became my entertainment as I got my pedicure. I just adore people watching and do it with no shame. Yes, I am a shameless people watcher.

The grandmother dosed off and slowly slumped over. This caused her to smudge the drying nail polish on her hand. She woke up with a snort, held up the damaged nail, (that just so happened to be her middle finger) and called over a grumpy Asian man to fix her nail. Her daughter (the middle aged woman, if you're slow) said "Put down your middle finger mom!" and looked around the room blushing.

Just as soon as the Asian man had fixed Granny's nail, the five year old grew impatient and tapped her fingernail to see if it was dry, causing the polish to smear. "Mama, my nail got messed up!" she announced as the man trudged over to fix her nail too. The middle aged woman rolled her eyes and scolded her daughter to leave her nails alone. This caused the child to erupt into tears and yell "You don't love me!" at the top of her lungs.

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Granny was dosing off again. Her hands fell into her lap and smudged her nails, she grimaced and shot the bird into the air again, waving her damaged middle finger and exclaiming "Oh no, I done it again." The man trudged over to fix her nail for a second time and the middle aged woman fussed at her Mother to keep still. A few peaceful moments passed and just when I thought that the show was over, the little girl stood up to grab a mint from a candy jar beside her and messed up the nail polish on her entire hand.

The middle aged woman became incensed and starting yelling at her daughter even louder to sit down and stop messing up her nails. This woke up Granny yet again who looked shocked to see that her finger was messed up for a third time. I laughed out loud as Granny flipped off the entire salon by accident again and all three of them looked up and gave me the stink eye. At that point I realized that I was openly staring at them and pretended to read a Cosmopolitan magazine in my lap.

The entire cycle of nail smudging, nail fixing, fussing, waking up Granny, uncontrollable tears, and general madness happened three more times before they all gave up and left the nail salon in a huff. The middle aged woman led the angry brigade out the door and screamed about the fact that she was never taking either of then to the nail salon again. The little girl followed closely behind and was crying so hard that she was drooling a little bit and blubbering. Granny shuffled out of there with her hands waving in the air and blew on her nails in a panic. I suddenly became very happy that I have two boys.

The End

Winner : Young Love Edition

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. Please take note that my super hilarious and non biased best friend was the judge. Here are the top three in no particular order.

Amy
"Of COURSE I won't show my boobs," she said.
"I want to keep this classy."

The Reality Soldier
Much to her delight,
Wendy's father succumbed to a heart attack
and they promptly received the life insurance check they were after.

Kelly Lund and Kids
"My Dad's gonna shoot you..."

The winner is...
Kelly Lund and Kids

"My Dad's gonna shoot you..."

Kelly Lund and Kids
is the funniest blogger in all the land.
Now head on over to her blog

and marvel at this fantastic award she just earned
to proudly display forever.

Thanks to all the people who played.

Tune in this Friday for another instalment of Freakshow Friday!

Freakshow Friday : Young Love Edition

It's time for another installment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a funny photo. My best friend will be the judge and she's one hilarious freakaziod. So, bring it! Here is this week's photo, their parents must be so proud...

The new poster children for Planned Parenthood.

You got a better one for me?

If so, you may just when this awesome award
and have bragging rights forever.

Oh...do I ever have an award for you!
You will win this brand spankin' new award!!

If you win then I'll linkup to your

Blog and make a big deal
about how funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

The winner will be announced on Monday

You Capture :: Serene

The assignment at You Capture was Serene.
I happened upon a butterfly this week
that was the calmest winged insect that I have ever seen.
She looped around daintily and then fluttered onto
my sweet Miss Huff's Lantana.
She perched and seemed to sigh as her wings folded back.
Then, she just sat there and looked at me,
I swear, this butterfly looked me right in the eyes.
We communicated and she told me to fold my wings more often.
Truly, I know that she was sent to give me a message from God.

"Smell the flowers." she told me with her antenna.

This butterfly was trying to teach me to be more serene.

Christmas is only 44 sleeps, 14 hours, 53 minutes, and 43 seconds away, but who's counting?

I'm totally looking out for y'all, my lovely readers.

I have a great different deal to bestow upon you
just in time for the holiday season.
I don't just take any hook that potential advertisers
send my way but I could not pass this up.
It's cause I lurve you!


I have teamed up with eShakti and here is a promo code especially created for you
to get 15% off when they shop at eShakti - valid till the end of November.
Just type in Le3H19 when you shop!

Not familiar with sShakti?
It is an amazing website where you
can custom order clothes to fit your curves
or cover your knobby knees.
Either way, they make it to fit you just right.

Happy Shopping!

Tune in soon for more discounts from awesome websites.
Do I have your back, or what?

Retro post : Griffin's Long Lost Fears

From time to time I like to look back
over my posts from this time last year.
It always puts my life into perspective
because inevitably, if it involves my children,
we have moved out of a particular phase in their life.
So, what seemed HUGE last year is a distant memory.

Take a look at what we were dealing with last November.
We've come a long way, baby.

This was originally posted November 4, 2009.

Things have a been a bit intense over at our house. Griffin has been

dealing with some new found fears over here and last night, he decided to go ahead and turn them into full blown phobias. Here are his latest terrors.

Nyctophobia
Fear of the dark
My poor son has gone wonky when the sun goes down.
We have gathered almost every lamp in the house
and placed them lovingly in his room.
He even dodges shadows beneath furniture
and stares with horror out the window when darkness falls.
Daylight Savings Time is his enemy.

Samhainophobia
Fear of Halloween
He has had it with all of the Halloween hullabaloo.
He is terrorized by the 50% off aisle
of masks and spider webs at any store.
All of our Halloween decorations
had to put in a box and then later
hidden in the trunk of my car.
He could not stand the thought
of a glittery pumpkin living in the closet.

Egyptphobia
This is a very rare phobia that has him paralyzed in fear.
He is afraid of Egypt, really his fear now extends
to the entire continent of Africa.
I blame this on a kid in his class.
For the month of September, he studied Egypt at school.
Some kid got a hold of him on the playground and
told him about the mummification process.
Now, he is afraid of his brain being pulled out of his nose.
He is afraid of the Pyramids, King Tutt masks, The Sphinx,
and the idea of any form of travel to Egypt.
The kid is ruined.

Pilgrimphobia
Fear of Pilgrims
This phobia does not exist.
I think that he just threw this one in
last night for dramatic effect.
In an attempt to comfort him yesterday,
I told him that Halloween was over and
now it was all about Thanksgiving.
The cartoon Arthur happened to be playing
and they were dressed as Pilgrims.
Griffin hid behind the couch and
very passionately announced that he was scared of them too.

All that I can do is be there for him with
a listening ear and a comforting hug.
I must try my hardest not to make fun of his fears.
You gotta admit, the Pilgrim one is a hard pill to swallow.

Must.Not.Laugh.

The Happiness Project :: Week 36

Today is my birthday
and this is my fancy party.
I feel so very loved.

Also...I wrote a film review
over at the awesome blog In It For The Kills.
You can check it out here...

<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://leighvslaundry.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae172/leighbug_photo/2876650690_005fb39e00-4-2.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a></div><br />

If you want to jump on the bandwagon
simply post a photo of something that
makes you wildly happy.
Then, steal my button up there
and include it in your post.
Please let me know if you decide to join in.

Don't forget to link up to Mr. Linky.

My Weekend Catharsis or How All Free and Clear Washed Away All of my Shame.

I believe that our environment is a direct reflection of what we are feeling within ourselves. For example, to give you an idea of how my husband has been feeling, I will talk about our yard. Our poor yard has been neglected for years. Granted, we live on 2 acres and we are surrounded by a forest, but that does not matter. Thank God no one in the neighborhood can see our home from the street because if they could, they would think that we are rednecks. The lawn is ignored, the paint is cracking on the porch, the trees are overgrown, and the lawnmower has been broken for a year and a half.

I can't just put the condition of our home off on my husband either, my laundry room is a direct mirror to my soul. Unwashed clothes and insanity live in front of my washing machine at all times. The clothes live in various piles in states of dirty, clean, and clothing purgatory.

Don't judge me.

Inside, my thoughts have been piling up just like my dirty dish towels on the floor. My husband's spirit has been overgrowing like the weeds at the end of our driveway that are now small trees. We trudge on...walking through the fallen leaves and sifting through the laundry baskets for a matching pair of socks. Sometimes, we even settle for a mismatched pair.

Well, over the weekend something amazing happened...we rolled up our sleeves and took care of our home. We had an appraisal scheduled for this morning so there is nothing like an appraiser roaming through your home to get you motivated. It was cleaning insanity! Roger and my dad mowed the lawn, cut down trees, blew leaves off of the driveway, and even fixed a broken railing on the porch. I set myself to the task of defeating the laundry room. I separated, washed, folded, and put away all of the insane clothes. Overcoming my stage 4 hoarder ways, I cleaned out closets and donated bags of treasures to Goodwill. I dusted and mopped and put a little elbow grease into cleaning my bathtubs. If my life were a movie, the weekend would have been a montage of us cleaning to that Karate Kid song about being a hero. You know the one that I'm talking about? This one...

Check out my mad cleaning skills!

As the layers were unearthed in my yard and laundry room, I could feel a fog lifting from around us. Every single action that we took to take care of our home settled someplace deep within. We tended to the house but really, we were taking care of ourselves. It felt so good to take pride in our little home that is full of love and a light layer of dust. Nothing like a little dusting of the soul to make your entire life feel renewed.

Winner : Orgy Edition

We have a winner for this week's installment of Freakshow Friday. Please take note that my super hilarious and non biased best friend was the judge. Here are the top three in no particular order.

Asha
Some one spiked the punch at
Long Dong High Homecoming Dance.

Kristy
The cast of Yo Gabba Gabba sans costume

fredamans
Welcome to Vietnam, sailor.

The winner is...
Asha

Some one spiked the punch at
Long Dong High Homecoming Dance.

Asha
is the funniest blogger in all the land.
Now head on over to her blog

and marvel at this fantastic award she just earned
to proudly display forever.

Thanks to all the people who played.

Tune in this Friday for another instalment of Freakshow Friday!

Freakshow Friday : Orgy Edition

It's time for another installment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a funny photo. My best friend will be the judge and she's one hilarious freakaziod. So, bring it! Here is this week's photo, this crew is out of control.

Everybody say "Sexy time!"

You got a better one for me?

If so, you may just when this awesome award
and have bragging rights forever.

Oh...do I ever have an award for you!
You will win this brand spankin' new award!!

If you win then I'll linkup to your

Blog and make a big deal
about how funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

The winner will be announced on Monday

You Capture :: Halloween

The assignment over at You Capture was Halloween.
It had been six years since
Roger and I celebrated an adult Halloween.
I've either been pregnant, nursing a new baby, or just being Mom
when the holiday has rolled around.

Well, last weekend we dropped
the lil' nippers off at my parents
and high tailed it into Atlanta
for some good old fashioned
Halloween debauchery.

We had a great time,
from what I can remember.
It was so much fun to dress up
and run around like idiots.

Tracy was the Tootsie Roll Pop Owl.

Roger was Bill Murray from Caddyshack.
(aka Carl Spackler)

I was a drunk witch and
David was Dog the Bounty Hunter.

P.S. Thanks so much for your support and prayers for Koen yesterday.
His surgery went great and he is on the mend.