I won’t bore you with the military’s second language consisting mostly of acronyms about AIT and what their MOS is and their last weekend of RSP.

What I will bore you with is how the darling twins along with their friend Jenna kicked some serious butt at their weekend drill in December. It was family day and I was home sick but PhilBillPaul and Scary Baby went. And luckily Jenna’s family brought their camera. Thank you Ed and Dar!

Nothing like a little friendly competition among soldiers. It’s important to know that the group consisted of about 100 males and less than 20 females.

A little tug-of-war.

Some physical training.

Combatives.

Plus a variety of other events and challenges. In the end, the girls shined!

A total of 5 trophies were given out and 3 were given to our girls…

3 point shoot out:
First Place ~ Lizzie

Drill & Ceremony:
First Place ~ Rachel

Pugil Stick:
First Place ~ Jenna

PLUS Jenna also received a medal for basketball. At the end of the day, she was the only one to receive two awards!

I’m not sure their recruiter really understood that he landed 3 golden female recruits and since I’m the mom of two of them, my opinion appears to be a little biased!

When I asked him if he was beaming with pride at his 3 lovely recruits kicking some butt …

Him: “They surprised everyone including me.”

Me: “I beg your pardon? You didn’t expect them to shine?”

Him: “I didn’t expect them to dominate”

No surprise for us.

The Army National Guard is lucky to have these three amazing female soldiers. We already knew that.

I’m pretty sure the trophies were a little cheesy and mostly for the families’ benefit. While we appreciate the gesture, we don’t need trophies to remind us of how incredibly proud we are of our daughters!

I’ve yet to make one of her recipes that we don’t love.

I bought her cookbook and read the entire thing over the Thanksgiving holiday.

I tell everyone to check out her site. (because she depends on PR from me for her little tiny blog venture that hardly anyone knows about.)

Okay, so maybe she doesn’t really need my help.

Seriously, her *little* blog has become what I refer to now as her blog EMPIRE. She has a Midas touch and a seemingly endless stream of brilliant ideas, gorgeous pictures, delicious recipes plus she homeschools 4 kids.

Imagine my excitement when I saw that she was coming to Atlanta on her book tour.

I marked my calendar and realized this weekend that she would be here on Monday and as if she was going to be my personal houseguest, I thought I should bring her a little taste of Georgia.

PhilBillPaul and I braved THE mall on Sunday so I could get a few goodies at River Street Sweets. I always love to give guests a little snack food because when you are traveling it seems like your regular meal time gets a little off schedule.

What better than a praline, a bear claw and some glazed pee-cans?

So at 5:00 pm I double-checked the Borders in Buckhead website that listed her appearance…

Ree Drummond
The Pioneer Woman Cooks is a homespun collection of lush photography, lively rural stories, and scrumptious recipes.

Discussion and Signing December 07, 2009 7:30 PM

I have been following her visits in other cities. I read her last blog post about visiting Dallas and visited all the bloggers who wrote about their amazing time getting to meet her after they were assigned their colored wrist band and place in line. I also discovered that she was there until 2:30 am and signed the cookbook of every person who came.

WOW

That is amazing and authentic and gracious.

This is also when I decided I needed a new plan.

I have an aversion to crowds. And while I am a huge fan, I think there is a fine line between huge fan and hardcore groupie. I could not imagine sitting on the floor at Borders for 4+ hours so I could say hi and get her autograph and a picture.

New plan at 5:30 p.m.

Write a little note to include with River Street Sweets about how much I admire her and thank her for being such an inspiration.

Apologize in the note for not having the fortitude to stay for the personal autograph session.

Have my chauffeur drive me Borders.

Hear her talk.

Um, never mind. Website not updated. Discussion canceled.

Take pictures of the crowd.

Really low quality pictures because I am not a photographer.

Take a picture of her autographing someone else’s cookbook.

Take bonus picture of husband getting in on photo op. Do not fix red eye in any pictures because this is not a photography blog.

Do not even attempt to get a wrist band.

You know I’m not good at math but if just 20 people were in each group…um, my calculator tells me that would be 1,020 people.

Find someone helping her to give my gift bag to her later.

I bet if I sneak around to the back of their table I can give them the goodies.

Have dinner in one of our special favorite, fine restaurants.

Oh yes, we dined IN.

Come home and blog about how I breathed Pioneer Woman’s air.

Go to bed.

A few bonus things I did not expect:

Bonus #1 ~ Meeting a fellow mother of fraternal twins who braved the crowds with her adorable 10 month old babies, Emaline & Benjamin.

Did you know that people actually ask if boy/girl twins are identical? It’s a timeless joke among mothers of twins and really scary if you think about it.

Bonus #2 ~ Talking to Pioneer Woman’s sister Betsy and her friend Hyacinth and having them pose for a quick picture.

They were adorable and so friendly and excited when I told them there were snacks in the bag, they said they hadn’t had dinner and were starving and would guard the bag. I told them to go ahead and bust out the glazed pee-cans – she would never know they were missing!

I would have gladly brought them all Zesto chili dogs but I think that might have created a riot at Borders.

Bonus #3 ~ Betsy so kindly gave me an awesome and exclusive Pioneer Woman t-shirt.

Thank you Emaline for modeling the t-shirt.

All in all, it was a super fun night and I am as impressed as ever with all that Pioneer Woman has accomplished as a mom blogger sharing her life with the internet universe!!

Put her cookbook on your Christmas list if you haven’t already bought one! Did anyone else go out and meet her during her book tour?

First, I want to clear up some confusion from Monday’s post about the teenagers and clean rooms. Those pictures and conversation were from several weeks ago and we did have a very nice Thanksgiving.

Mostly because I did not take pictures of their room during their Thanksgiving break.

Second, I know it is Thursday as I have now come out of my heavily medicated state from back-to-back migraines. I had to go easy on the first round of drugs because I had to drive to the airport to pick up PhilBillPaul and Scary Baby on Monday afternoon. So Tuesday is but a blur and therefore no Wednesday post.

That explanation is really just for my mom and Granny as they sometimes stress when I don’t stick to my blog “schedule.”

Now back to…

Clean Rooms

After we surprised Scary Baby with her Thanksgiving trip to Texas with Daddy, we struck a deal that when she got back, she would be cleaning out her dresser drawers and closet that were atrocious.

I have never seen clothes multiply more rapidly for one child than this one. She goes to sleep and in the morning her drawers won’t open because they are stuffed so tight. Her closet has its own issues. Seems clothes jump off the hangers and pile themselves on the floor.

In a tribute to her 10 year-old independence and my vast experience with the first three darling children, I let her tackle this on her own.

Why?

Because they have all repeatedly told me with love in their voice, “PLEASE STAY OUT MOM. I CAN HANDLE IT AND DON’T NEED YOUR HELP.”

So this time, I listened and said I would leave her alone.

For anyone wondering, I did give her clear and simple instructions.

• Clean out one drawer at a time so it’s not so overwhelming.
• Create a Give Away pile with clothes that do not fit and are not stained or torn.
• Create a Throw Away pile for clothes that are too gross for you or anyone else to wear.

I was a little annoyed when she said, “Come in and look BUT don’t worry, I’m NOT done – it’s just really funny and I want you to see it before I start.”

And yes, it was quite high until she JUMPED into the pile.

Lord help me but I didn’t see anything funny. And I crawled back into my room thankful for remnants of medication still floating in my system.

But then I summoned her back to my room and said “Here’s my camera. Take before and after pictures so you can document your progress.”

She was all excited to take pictures and asked how many she should take. Love digital…take as many as you want!

Then I fell into a deep sleep for about two hours until she was pecking on me saying, “I’m done. Want to see the pictures?”

The darling kid actually took aerial shots of inside her drawers.

FYI: She took 19 pictures. I edited that down to 5 just for y’all.

Lesson learned: Never doubt your child’s ability. They can do just about anything they put their mind to!

I’m pretty sure Scary Baby is for hire and will come and clean out your child’s room for cash. She’s always looking for ways to earn a little money.

P.S. I still have to review the Give Away bags – I have often found perfectly good clothes in them because, by the end, the darlings have a tendency to stuff anything in the bags because it is easier than folding or hanging.

I’m not caught up in the Twilight Saga.

So while everyone was watching that this weekend, I wasn’t.

I looked back and realized it’s been almost a full year since I’ve reviewed any movies. You would think I would make it a regular blog feature, maybe do it monthly since we get free movie tickets.

But that would require planning and organization which is not my strong suit right now.

Instead I’m working more on being spontaneous so PhilBillPaul and I decided to squeeze in a movie last night. As I’ve shared before, I’m kind of picky and don’t like to waste time in a mediocre movie even if it is free!

What a nice surprise to watch a movie that was funny and poignant and really makes you stop and think about the blessings all around us.

If you see just one movie this holiday season, I think this is the one to see…

The Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw
It is based on a true story about a family in Tennessee who take in an amazing teenager who needs a home.
A

Scary Baby really wants to see it but we needed to see it first since it is rated PG-13. Entertaining with a message we hope all our kids will get. For me, it’s that rare movie that I will gladly sit and watch again.

Go see it and come back and tell me if you like it as much as I did!

I hope you’ll find ways to reach out and find ways to honor our military, not just on Veteran’s Day or this week, but on any day you encounter an opportunity to say “Thank You” to the amazing men and women who serve and sacrifice for all of us.

Today’s post is from an email that my cousin Sally sent me last week. I cannot miss the irony of the fact that she sent this to me 7 days ago on Wednesday, November 4th. Her email said…

“Hey! I rarely forward e-mails but this one really got to me.”

She knows very well about a Soldier’s life…she married an Army Soldier and her youngest son is a Soldier.

Maybe you’ve already seen it. Can any of us see it too much?

The email said “this is being circulated around the world – please keep it going.”

This is my little way of passing it on and if you are touched by it, I hope you will also pass it on…

*************

WHEN A SOLDIER COMES HOME

When a soldier comes home, he finds it hard….

…to listen to his son whine about being bored.

…to keep a straight face when people complain about potholes.

…to be tolerant of people who complain about the hassle of getting ready for work.

…to be understanding when a co-worker complains about a bad night’s sleep.

…to be silent when people pray to God for a new car.

…to control his panic when his wife tells him he needs to drive slower.

…to be compassionate when a businessman expresses a fear of flying.

…to keep from laughing when anxious parents say they’re afraid to send their kids off to summer camp.

…to keep from ridiculing someone who complains about hot weather.

…to control his frustration when a colleague gripes about his coffee being cold.

…to remain calm when his daughter complains about having to walk the dog.

…to be civil to people who complain about their jobs.

…to just walk away when someone says they only get two weeks of vacation a year.

…to be forgiving when someone says how hard it is to have a new baby in the house.

The only thing harder than being a Soldier…

Is loving one.

I was asked to pass this on and I will gladly do so,

Will you?

The formal name is Freshmen Recruit Orientation Group and they say this is experience will help them “complete the transition from civilian student to military cadet…”

I found it mildly amusing that this article appeared in the Atlanta Journal on the day they left:

College 101 for parents

Here is the text I got from one of the unnamed twins on their first day.

“This sucks I hate it so far”

My response:

Six days later, we drove up to the college for another ceremony. Let’s see now – that makes three from May to August. High school graduation, basic training graduation and now the FROG week ceremony.

We watched over 200 new cadets lap the drill field for their Sunday morning 3 mile run.

And get hosed off by the local fire truck.

We learned that Rachel Leigh had the highest PT score of all the female cadets.

We are looking into legally changing her name to Roger Leroy. Because we now call her “The Beast” and sometimes just say “You’re The Man.” Luckily, since she is now 18, we don’t think this is damaging her sexual identity. But I’m sure some would argue we are damaging her self-esteem.

Which would be so WRONG. She has NO self-esteem issues.

Congrats to the newest cadets of Charlie Company…

We spent the day with them enjoying a nice lunch and then helping them get their dorm room organized.

Which took about an hour since they have their black trunk, 2 boxes, 6 drawers and a desk.

They’re learning how to live in a simple, clutter-free environment which we think is just fine and dandy!

Our main goal was delivering and setting up the computer.

Thank goodness Scary Baby was there to test everything for them.

Lizzie was able to log on to Facebook after several frustrating minutes of banging on the keyboard and discovering the “R” key sticks.

Phew. All is well with the world.

Now, we just hope they stay and thrive this first semester. I don’t know the current statistic but I do know that many, many freshman college students come home both because they are homesick but more often, it seems, they don’t handle the independence so well – meaning the social aspects are fabulous but they forgot they were also suppose to study!

Social skills are Lizzie’s specialty as evidenced by the trip to the mall she organized as soon as they had free time.

Blurry picture compliments of PhilBillPaul’s cell phone.

Side note: Lizzie…tell Meadows she looks tough.

So here are my big questions to all those moms who have college kids…

How excited were you when they left? Are you still crying? Do you feel like you prepared them well to live away from home? Are you enjoying quiet days at your house?

Leave a comment and let me know – I’m fascinated to hear about everyone’s experiences. I’m pretty sure you can guess how I’m feeling this week.

P.S. Happy Birthday Mom!

In and out.

Over and over.

To recover from the 4 days “at home” with the darling twins.

“At home” is very subjective and is great material for:

• Another post
• The Book
• The Jerry Springer show

Luckily, I’ve been able to dig deep, pick out the happy pictures and share the moments of Family Day at Ft. Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina and our safe arrival home.

So without further ado, I will continue to…

Focus on the Positive

Watching the Soldiers come out of the woods was simply amazing.

Much more so than the YouTube video I encouraged you to watch.

We were overcome with emotion and pride as Toby Keith’s “American Soldier” played and we tried to find our babies Soldiers…

In case you couldn’t pick them out – because let’s face it – they all kind of look alike in their ACUs (Army Combat Uniforms)…

It was an honor for us to meet many of the drill sergeants.

I was glad to be able to thank them for their service and for taking care of our daughters over the summer.

They were very complimentary of “The Twins” and many of them thanked us for raising such fine young women.

Lizzie showed that her PT (physical training) really paid off.

This was on a dare from Scary Baby over the phone a few weeks before we arrived. We were all duly impressed!

This sign was in the stairway we walked up to see their sleeping bay where they had spent their last 10 weeks…

Such a powerful reminder of who they are becoming.

Picture snapped as we picked up their gear and just before we all got kicked out…

Then we headed for air conditioning.

PhilBillPaul and I had made a pledge to do our best to not complain about the heat. Even though it was about 120 degrees with no breeze and we were all sweating while standing still.

Because we realized that our darling twins had endured this heat wearing full gear for most of the summer so we were pretty sure we could last for one day.

Our lily white Lizzie’s only request was that we spend the day inside – she was so sick of the South Carolina heat.

No surprise that she reveled in her day of freedom with some of her favorite things…

Bowling and nachos with that liquid cheese that is really not cheese.

Happy girl. She earned every bit of that neon orange cheese.

You may have forgotten but we do have a 4th child. He still lives with us.

He did greet us on the driveway at 1:00 a.m. and actually hugged one of his sisters.

The Grunter was also kind enough to do a little decorating before we got home.

He hung the banner and lined the curb in front of our house with American flags.

We’re still not sure if they missed the wiener dogs more than us. Since they are now 18 (which we have been reminded of several times) you’ll have to ask them.

Lord knows and so do we that they can speak for themselves…

GIANT SIGH…

More updates on Wednesday – if you can stand it.

It’s totally worth 5 minutes of your day…

Side note: This is from Family Day last year since I’m actually writing this before we are there!

Graduation was Thursday evening and then we drove home. I’m sure I’ll “have to” share a few pictures next week!

Until then…

THEY ARE HOME…

Sleeping in their own beds.

With four full days of family, friends, and catching up FUN!!!!

Before they leave again…

All is well.

We’re counting our blessings this weekend.

Hope you do too.

We’re leaving this afternoon.

En route to Family Day and Graduation

And then we are bringing home

The darling twins.

Whom I’m sure you are sick of hearing about.

But we’re so excited to see them.

And so very proud of them.

“The Deal” consists of whatever bargain I can find – usually through restaurant.com or coupons from mailers or websites.

This past Friday we went to a restaurant about 3 miles down the road from our house. We think it has been there for about 8 years or so but we had avoided it until this year because:

• a. it was a chain
• b. we don’t eat a lot of meat
• c. bison on the menu stresses PhilBillPaul

We first visited with Granny in May during the graduation hoopla.

We discovered that every burger can be made with your choice of beef or bison. Whew.

One of the best cheeseburgers I’ve ever had. Fresh cut french fries. Homemade soups. Everything was excellent.

So when we got a coupon at the beginning of July for $10 off a meal, we gladly returned.

This time PhilBillPaul had the fresh fish sandwich and I stuck with the cheeseburger. Excellent food again and great service which included the server returning the $10 off coupon saying it didn’t expire for a few weeks and to please come back again.

OH. MY. GOSH. It was like they were glad we were customers?!!

We went back with another couple two weeks later. And then returned again with Scary Baby.

Because I had to have the most perfect fresh fish sandwich ever.

Can I also mention they have the coolest kids’ packs?

They keep all ages busy at the table while you wait for your food.

Fun Dad’s creativity knows no bounds.

Where were these cool things like crayangles and wikki stix when I had 3 toddlers?

On top of the entertainment, the service was excellent especially when this fluke of an accident happened.

Right as our food arrived, I knocked the ketchup bottle into my glass and we all watched my glass slowly crack and the quick-thinking waitress catch the broken glass overflowing with soda in her hands.

Unfortunately the soda also ran over the edges of the table and onto our feet. Oh yes, we all sat through our meal with sticky feet.

Side note: PhilBillPaul wants everyone to know that a piece of glass actually hit him and it hurt. He also wants everyone to know that if he had broken the glass with the ketchup bottle, he would have never heard the end of it.

Um. Yeah. Whatever. I apologized. Like I did it on purpose?

And when the manager found out, she came over and offered to get wet towels we could take to the bathroom which we declined. Mostly because our hot, fresh food had just arrived and we were all starving!

Instead we ordered two cups of water to go so we could rinse our feet in the parking lot.

The manager caught me on the way out the door and offered another towel I could use in the parking lot.

I’m saying WOW in a big way on every level for this chain restaurant experience!

If beef or bison is not your thing and my raving review hasn’t convinced you to try the fish sandwich…find a location near you and try their summer, not-always-on-the-menu BEST Strawberry Shortcake Dessert I have ever had. In my life.

PhilBillPaul agreed and that’s a big endorsement since he doesn’t even like fruit.

Read more about the restaurant’s eco-friendly goals at their website and sign up for your own coupons and specials via email. I just did because it says you get a free dessert on your birthday…and PhilBillPaul’s birthday is in just a few weeks. Woo-hoo!

I think I can now apply to become their official spokesperson. I’ll let you know if they hire me.

Let me know if you have ever eaten at Ted’s and have you tried the bison?