
Friday, May 30, 2008
randomness on the way to school

Tuesday, May 27, 2008
move over steven and george...
a million dollar smile



Wednesday, May 21, 2008
sweet spring treats



Monday, May 5, 2008
Warning: Proud Mommy

Brooklyn deserves a post all to herself because I am so proud of her. Brooklyn's teachers completed a three year old "Developmental Assessment" for Brooklyn last week, and she did soooo well. Here's me as a proud mom (*with my usual sidenotes in pink).
Gross Motor Skills:
Mastered (Can do well and does often): running around obstacles, balances on one foot, marches, hops, slides, catches balls, jumps over 6 inches, push/steer toys
Emerging (Learning to do, does occassionally): walks stairs alternating feet
Fine Motor Skills:
Mastered: draws recognizable pictures (smiley faces and some letters), imitates cross (not sure what that means, but I mean the girl goes to church enough she should know what a cross looks like), traces patterns, copies circles, rolls/shapes clay, builds 9-12 block tower, drives nails (that makes her grandpas happy)
Emerging: strings 1/2 inch beads, cuts across paper strip, fastens snaps
Language Skills:
Mastered: uses plural, understands "let's pretend," repeats rhymes, sings songs (apparantly loves to sing "Better is One Day" when the other kids are napping), 4-5 word sentences, repeats 3 or more numbers in order, understands time concept, describes events or stories, 1000 word vocabulary
Emerging: NONE!
Personal Skills:
Mastered: eats independently, washes hands, uses potty independently, wipes nose with tissue, cleans up centers, dresses self with help, brushes hair
Emerging: snaps or hooks clothing, buttons and unbuttons large buttons, pours from a pitcher (when would I EVER want Brooklyn to pour from a pitcher?? "Here Brooklyn, please go set the table and fill the glasses with water...um, No!")
Social Skills:
Mastered: sings/dances to music, plays games with rules, enjoys play pretend, take turns/shares (that's arguable), helps with chores, answers phone (thank goodness for digital phone/caller ID), greets familiar adults (again, arguable), imitates peer actions (unfortunately, the good and the bad), joins other children in play, participates in show and tell
Emerging: NONE
Intellectual Skills:
Mastered: follows 2-4 related directions, understands same-different, matches geometrical forms, understands past-present, refers to self by I or me, knows gender and age, names 10 body parts, matches three colors and shapes
Emerging: NONE
General Comments:
-Brooklyn has excellent language skills. She can carry on conversations like an adult.
-Brooklyn loves to cook food in "home living." She also loves to do art and listen to stories.
-Brooklyn has good self-help skills. She can put her socks and shoes on all by herself.
-Brooklyn is very smart. She can recognize all the letters of the alphabet. She can even write many of them as well.
-Brooklyn is a joy to have in the classroom.
Jaclyn 1, Vacuum 1
Many of you have asked about house selling/hunting. We put the hunting on hold until the selling transforms into "offering/negotiating/contracting/signing." We get soooo many people coming by the house, but no serious offers in a while. But, we are at peace with whatever happens. In fact, we are enjoying a clean, clutter free house and a low mortgage payment for as long as we can.
Most days keeping the house clean is fairly easy. If I know someone is coming that day, I do a quick vacuum around the house to give it that "fresh vacuum lines look." Well, I think the stress of work and our busy lives caught up to me yesterday, because we were leaving the house, running late for a meeting at church, and I wanted to vacuum real quick because someone was coming that evening. We have had numerous problems with this vacuum in the past, but Chad and I had just cleaned it all out- every nook and cranny- and it was working fine. Well, of course that thing decides to not suck up anything and as a bonus, proceeds to cough up dust balls the size of Cleveland in the hallway. Well, I had had enough of just everything at that point and just kicked the hell out of that vacuum. I wish I could say that it pepped up and started up again like a champ, but no, it still was a crappy vacuum, but I felt better after slapping it silly.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
james taylor said it best...
When I was little, I used to believe in the concept of one best friend,
And then I started to become a woman.
I found out that if you allow your heart to open up, God would show you the best in many friends.
One friend is needed when you're going through things with your man. (Problems with Chad? Never!)
Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your mom. (Problems with your mom? That's unheard of!)
Another will sit beside you in the bleachers (or on the couch) as you delight in your children and their activities.
Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be.
One friend will say, 'Let's cry together,'
Another, 'Let's fight together,'
Another, 'Let's walk away together.'
One friend will meet your spiritual need,
Another your shoe (or scrapbooking!) fetish,
Another your love for movies (well, more like Netflix),
Another will be with you in your season of confusion,
Another will be your clarifier,
Another the wind beneath your wings.
But whatever their assignment in your life,
On whatever the occasion,
On whatever the day,
Or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back (to paint!),
Or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself. (Wait....have you done that yet?).
Those are your best friends.
It may all be wrapped up in one woman (not for me!),
But for many, it's wrapped up in several.
One from 7th grade,
A few from high school,
Several from the college years,
Many from church (and TEC),
A couple from old (and current) jobs,
On some (every) days your mother,
On some days your neighbour,
On others, your (Phi Beta Chi) sisters,
And on some (every) days, your daughter.
So whether you've been my friend for 20 minutes or 20 years, I thank God for each of you!
say cheese...or not

After painting, I said "Hey, guess what comes on TV tonight?"
Brooklyn: "What?"
Me: "American Idol."
Brooklyn: "Great! Ryan is going to LOVE my pink fingernails!"
LAWD!
This morning was school picture day. Now, Brooklyn gets her pictures taken at Portrait Innovations (LOVE THEM!) every 4 months or so, so we have plenty of pictures of her, but since they are right there at the school I always say "hey, why not?" And I always leave pissed off. This morning was no different. I cannot STAND that women who they send to take the pictures. She is the most UN-KID-FRIENDLY person I have ever met. Brooklyn has had 5 sets of pictures taken at her school, and I have not liked ANY of them. Brooklyn does awesome at PI because they let her run around and be herself, so obviously, they get natural smiles. This lady forces her to stand or sit in uncomfortable, unnatural poses, and REPRIMANDS her when she moves a hand or a toe. I usually stand back, seething, just so I don't scare all the other kids in line with my rage. Last fall, she actually got MAD at a BABY for crying in the hallway because she was afraid he would upset the other kids...no lady, that's YOU who upsets the kids. I got so mad on behalf of the baby (and his mother who had to leave to go to work) that I told the administration they needed to step in. Well, unfortunately they continue to use that company (maybe they are the only one that makes house calls), but I doubt I will ever buy any pictures. Not that I need any, when I can take sweet ones like this at home:

Friday, April 11, 2008
brendan james update
Hi! Just wanted to let you know that a video of me performing "Early April Morning" was the Video of the Day on PopEater. com!Check it out here: http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnBvcGVhdGVyLmNvbS8yMDA4LzA0LzA5L2JyZW5kYW4tamFtZXMtZWFybHktYXByaWwtbW9ybmluZy12aWRlby1vZi10aGUtZGF5Lw==Please check it out and be sure to leave a comment, who knows what it could lead to!Thanks everyone, talk soon.- b.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
happy birthday to me...
The band...


Friday, April 4, 2008
i heart fur baby

Monday, March 24, 2008
a week in review



Thursday, March 20, 2008
deep thoughts
1. A day without sunshine is like night.
2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
6. He who laughs last thinks the slowest.
7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.
14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?
15. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines
19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?
20. Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the heck happened?'
22. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
23. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
24. Life isn't like a box of chocolates; it's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your rear end tomorrow.
birthday party take 2
The excited birthday girl...

Friday, March 14, 2008
say "ahhhh"

Tuesday, March 11, 2008
catching up
1. The house has been on the market for exactly one month today! We are doing great keeping it clean and have had a steady stream of "shoppers." I have mixed feelings- some days I want to sell right away, and some days, I want to live there forever- just the three of us! I think once the weather warms up for good, things will start moving quickly, so I better prepare myself now. :-)
2. Brooklyn has her first "friends" birthday party on Saturday at the Children Museum. She is very excited about having all her friends come to her party and eat her "Dora and Boots" cake. I'm excited for her, too!
3. Our next GRD gig is on Saturday, March 29th at the Crosswalk Cafe in Eden. I know Eden isn't really "on the way" to anywhere, but we would love to have everyone come out and hear us! If you want more info, you can check out our website, www.myspace.com/gracereignsdown.
4. I am working with a bunch of friends to get together our 10 year high school reunion. This is frustrating. On many levels.
5. Chad started coaching golf last week for Greensboro Academy. Between that, grading papers, and teaching guitar lessons, his work is keeping him pretty busy.
6. Brooklyn informed me this week that her bed was not "comfortable like mommy's." Chad and I may be out shopping for a twin bed this weekend, so if any of you have any suggestions on where to go, let me know!
And, oh yeah...
7. We are going to VEGAS! We are headed to Sin City with my parents, Eric (brother), and Caroline (E's girlfriend) after Christmas for a short vacation! It will be the farthest west I have ever traveled, and we are all very excited. Chad, for obvious reasons, and me, for all the shopping, sightseeing, and cool little places to visit with Brooklyn. I doubt I will even see Chad for the three days we are there- but I am sure my dad will prop him up at the poker table when he gets sleepy. :-)
Monday, March 10, 2008
congrats to brendan on a pretty big week!

Soooo my EP - The Ballroom Break-In was selected by the iTunes Editorial Staff as a featured album this week! If you go to the folk section of iTunes you'll see my mug under 'staff picks.' If you haven't bought my EP yet, check it out for only $3.96 on iTunes...That's about as salesy as I can get...hopefully music works out b/c i don't see a career in sales ;-) iTunes Link: http://phobos. apple. com/WebObjects/MZStore. woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=259242210&s=143441- b
Then....he sent word that his original song, Hero's Song, will be part of a double album hitting stores March 18th. He's surrounded by some pretty impressive company:
Eddie Vedder, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Bright Eyes are among the artists contributing songs to a forthcoming double album benefiting Iraq Veterans Against The War.'Body of War: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran', was compiled by was by Iraq war veteran Tomas Young, who was paralysed in the war after only one week of service.The collection, due out in the US on March 18, includes a previously unreleased version of Vedder's 'No More', which he wrote specifically for the 'Body of War' documentary about Young's life. Vedder performed the song with Ben Harper at Lollapalooza in 2007."Tomas has taught me a great deal, and our friendship has become one of depth and sincerity," Vedder said in a statement. "It has been a mind-expanding experience. I see how he relies on the strength of the songs to help him through each day. It is a true living example of the power of music."The double-CD set also features songs by Rage Against The Machine, Roger Waters, Tom Waits and Tori Amos, among others. Sales proceeds will go toward Iraq Veterans Against The War, a non-profit organisation that gives voice to active-duty service people and veterans who areagainst the war, but are under various pressures to remain silent.The album tracklisting is:Disc 1'Hero's Song' - Brendan James' American Terrorist' - Lupe Fiasco'Light Up Ya Lighter' - Michael Franti & Spearhead 'Guerilla Radio' - Rage Against The Machine 'Son Of A Bush' - Public Enemy 'Empty Walls' -Serj Tankian 'Let Them Eat War' - Bad Religion 'White People For Peace' - Against Me!'Letter From Iraq' - Bouncing Souls'War' - Dilated Peoples'Overcome (The Recapitulation)' - RX Bandits 'Fields Of Agony' - No Use For A Name 'Bushonomics' - Talib Kweli & Cornel West 'The 4th Branch - Immortal Technique 'B.Y.O.B.' - System Of A Down 'No More' (Live) - Eddie Vedder & Ben HarperDisc 2'Devils & Dust' - Bruce Springsteen'Masters Of War' (Live) - Pearl Jam'When The President Talks To God' - Bright Eyes 'Gimme Some Truth' - John Lennon 'The Restless Consumer' - Neil Young 'Battle Hymns' - The Nightwatchman 'Anthrax' - Kimya Dawson 'WMD' - Blow Up Hollywood 'State Of The Union' - David Ford 'Yo George' - Tori Amos 'Love Vigilantes' - Laura Cantrell 'Black Rain' - Ben Harper 'To Kill The Child' - Roger Waters 'Day After Tomorrow' - Tom Waits--
Thursday, March 6, 2008
call your moms
Unfortunately, it starts with some sadness....
My friend, Caroline's, grandmother passed away on Saturday, and I attended the memorial service yesterday afternoon. Her grandmother, Ellenor, had been a member of my church my whole life, she attended Sunday School with my mom and Grandma, and I grew up with all of her grandchildren- Caroline, in particular. She was always a very sweet woman, but learning more about her yesterday allowed me to have some "personal reflection time."
1. Ellenor was married to her husband, George, for 65 years. Wow. Chad and I have shared so many memories in the past 10 years....its amazing to think about what is yet to come. I admire their devotion, strength, and unfailing love, and I hope that one day, I will look at 80 year old Chad and think "Wow. Where has the time gone?....and where has your hair gone?"
2. Ellenor stayed in touch with about 8 women whom she had been friends with since her childhood. Ellenor was 86 years old when she passed so we are looking at about 70+ years of friendships with the SAME WOMEN. My friends and I pride ourselves on our upcoming "10 year friend-a-versary" but this just pales in comparison. 10 years has brought us multiple marriages, a baby, many moves in and out of the state, and just the regular hustle and bustle of life. But we have email, texting, MySpace, etc....and all that, though makes it easier to stay in touch, still needs the perserverance from us as people to make it work. Our weekly girls' nights, our annual Christmas party- all these things become priority for us, because, yes, we want to be those 80 year old women one day looking back at pictures of ourselves and know that through it all, these friendships remained constant. And I think we can do it. I KNOW we can do it.
3. Life is too short. Ellenor lived 86 years, yet I bet if you would have asked her, she would have lived another 86 more. We need to value one another, appreciate the time we have, hug our kids, call our moms (and grandmas), and just live life to its fullest every single day.
And maybe, just maybe, I won't rant anymore about my living room furniture. Then again, maybe not. I think it keeps me young. :-)
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
rooms to go? A big fat no!
To help me tell my story, I will share with you a letter I wrote RTG in 2006:
September 21, 2006
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing this letter to inform you of how extremely dissatisfied I have been with my Rooms To Go experience.
In April of 2003 my husband and I bought a blue leather living room set from your store on Wendover Avenue in Greensboro, NC. By the end of that year, the threading in the sofa had begun to unravel and the cushions had begun to detach from the sofa. Because this line of furniture had since been discontinued, my husband and I had to go in the store and “re-select” a new living room set, one of “equal or greater value.” We chose a brown leather set, one that was several hundred dollars more. This extra money was then added to our remaining balance.
On March 16, 2006, we had to call in the service technician again out to our house. The frames in both the loveseat and the sofa had snapped in half, posing a safety risk to my family. We were told that the loveseat had a faulty piece of wood and the sofa frame had broken due to the fact that no one had installed a center leg upon delivery. The technician, Bob W., wrote up the report and on March 29, 13 days later, the furniture was picked up from my house. Having two broken pieces of furniture in my living room for two weeks with a small child made me extremely nervous, especially after being told by the technician that a large splinter could come up from the loveseat at any given moment. Once the furniture was picked up, we were without a sofa or loveseat until it was returned on April 8, 2006.
On September 1, 2006, only five months later, the sofa frame broke once again. When one sits on the middle cushion, the frame is resting on the floor. We proceeded to visit the Rooms to Go on Wendover Avenue. The manager on duty, Ken Canovali, came out to speak with us. Ken was extremely rude to my husband and very impatient with our problem, explaining that there was nothing he could do for us at this time. We would have to email (not call) a woman named Bonnie, the Regional Customer Service Manager. He explained that he would have to email Bonnie and explain our situation and have her call us. When we explained our frustration with the furniture, he offered no help, just continually said that Bonnie would call us. Ken later apologized for loosing his temper with and yelling at my husband, explaining he was under the weather that day. However, I found his behavior extremely unprofessional in all respects. Ken told us that he would speak with his supervisor after we had requested certain paperwork from him. We would like to have a copy of our phone records. Ken said that he would mail these papers to us after the Labor Day weekend. We still have not received this paperwork nor heard a word from Ken 20 days later.
Later that day, we received a phone call from a Customer Service Representative. It was not Bonnie and there was no Manager on duty that day with whom to speak. The Representative explained that she would need to schedule a technician to visit the home. We scheduled the visit for the following Saturday.
Saturday morning, September 9th, we received a phone call at 8:00am explaining that the technician was not going to be able to come due to a “family emergency.” We rescheduled a technician to visit the following Friday, September 15th.
At this point, I have now had a broken sofa (again!) for two weeks. I have tried to contact Ken three times, and have yet been able to reach him at the Wendover store. Neither he nor “Bonnie” has called to follow up with us at any time over the past three weeks.
I have been extremely dissatisfied with not only the quality of your furniture, but also the quality of customer service this Greensboro store has offered us.
Bob W. returned to our home on Friday, September 15. He has been the ONLY Rooms to Go employee with whom I can say has been extremely kind, compassionate, understanding, and apologetic to our situation. Bob explained that he will write up the report once again (yes, he was the same Bob W. who visited our home in April.).
My husband and I both work full time, and I have had to take a total of four days off work to wait the “4 hour time slot” for the technicians to arrive for all of our furniture troubles. This does not include the Saturday last week we freed our calendar for the Service Technician and any more days that may come with this new problem.
We have yet to receive a call 6 days later about the status of our furniture.
I am extremely upset with your company’s customer service as well as the quality of this furniture. We hope to resolve this issue with our current furniture as quickly as possible, and I can assure you that neither I, nor my family or friends, will be visiting a Rooms to Go for any of our future home furnishing needs.
I thank you for reading this letter, and I would appreciate correspondence back at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Jaclyn Johnson
Well, after that letter was written, we had to "re-select" another set of furniture- this time a microfiber set that was less expensive than the previous 2 sets. Because they do not give refunds, we had to find something else to use the rest of our "store credit," so we chose an entertainment center.
To make a long story somewhat shorter (longer?), since that re-select, we had the couch break (and then replaced), the entertainment center delivered with two different pieces (a different base and top), the correct base to come later, but the top to crack and have to be replaced, and a crazy delivery man who stalked us for weeks saying that he lost his sunglasses in our front yard.
If you are keeping count, and made it to the end of this post, our living room furniture count is (5) couches, (2) loveseats, (1) chair and ottoman, (2) coffee tables, (6) end tables, (6) lamps, (2) entertainment bases, and (2) entertainment tops. This all stemmed from one purchase in early 2003....just so we could save a few bucks. Trust me, the time and energy spent fighting this company, taking off work, calling customer service, and dealing with broken furniture was NOT worth "no financing until 2006."