…dreams over at the Soapbox Queens.  Click on over and share yours–the good, the bad and the ugly.

Harlequin Senior Editor Brenda Chin is in the castle today over at the Soapbox Queens!  Click on over!

But I will. 

One of my dh’s pet peeves is when people take their cell phones into the sanctuary at church, then forget to turn them off.  Once, during revival, we had a guest singer in who was in the middle of a prayer when someone’s cell phone went off and, without missing a beat, he said.  “Listen, that’s the Lord calling now.”  He got a good joke out of it, but he still managed to make his point.

Anyway, anytime a cell phone has rung during church, dh has always tsked under his breath or frowned.  Imagine his surprise and humiliation then, when his phone not only went off in church, but instead of the ring-tone, it was dh’s own pre-recorded voice saying, “The phone is ringing, the phone is ringing.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen that particular shade of red on his cheeks before.

So what about you?  Had any embarrassing things happen lately?

This is absolutely hysterical!  I tried to figure out who to post it directly, but that didn’t work.  So just click here.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

We’re talking about tattoos over at the Soapbox Queens today.  Click on over and hear about mine.

Or Halloween comes early at Chez Nelson, whatever you want to call it.

 It’s no secret that I have issues when it comes to modesty–I’m pretty sure that I’ve mentioned that here before.  If I am naked, then I want to be left alone.  dh knows this and yet last night, after I announced that I was going to have a bath, this is what happened.

I’ve stripped down, have started the water and am bent over the tub to test it, when suddenly the bathroom door expodes open.  “Hey–”

I scream BLUE MURDER   then whirl around and slam the door shut so hard that I send my dh tumbling back.  Or he could have been falling over in laughter, it was hard to be sure.  At any rate, he scared the living hell out of me and my heart was pounding so fast I thought I was going to puke.  Kids come running down the hall.  “What happened?  What did you do to Momma?”

D still can’t answer because he’s still laughing.

I put on my robe, walk out into the bedroom and give him The Stare. 

“I’m s-sorry,” he said.  “I didn’t m-mean to scare you.”

I sent the kids from the room and delivered a silent hand gesture.  Men.  The morons.

Every once in a while I’ll insist that we sit down as a family and play games.  I have visions of family fun, wonderful cozy memories for our children,  a fabulous night punctuated with laughter and popcorn.

What we get is more along the lines of a Jerry Springer episode.

Turns out that we’re ALL horribly competitive and my dh, who will insist he doesn’t care if he wins or not, is usually the first to commence shouting when the game doesn’t go his way.

“Stop hollering.  This is Family Fun Night.”

Daughter snorts.  “More like Family Fued Night.  Momma, you know this never works.   Everybody always ends up mad.”

True, but I am firmly in denial.  I grit my teeth and smile.  “We’re gonna have fun.  Like normal familes.”  I point to the happy people on the box.  “Like them.”

Son rolls his eyes.  “You know that’s not a real family.  They’re just people they paid to put on the box.”

“They could be a real family,” I insist.

“No,” he says, “’cause if they were a real family they’d be fighting like us.”

I cling to that as I ponder the sad state of our Family Fun Night.  In the end, we did play Imaginiff and it was a wonderful game.  We also played Scene It, which was also very fun, but I have to admit that’s where most of the fueding came in.  Both dh and son wanted to be the DVD Master, daughter got ticked because she’d set up a lovely “game play” area and no one wanted to sit there.  Ultimately, we set it to “party play” and ended up enjoying it more.

So what about ya’ll?  Does your family like to play games?  Do ya’ll fight?  If not, please lie.  I’m clinging to the faint hope that we’re normal.

At the Soapbox Queens!  Vicki has finished another fabulous Big Knob book, so click on over and join the festivities.

Dear Mother Nature,

    I don’t know what your game is, but I’m starting to get pissed.  Last week we had nice cooler tempteratures,  with chilly crisp mornings that made my soul sing. 

     This morning, on the other hand, I walked outside into the muggy miserable air and was promptly set upon by half a dozen mosquitoes.   I don’t understand!  Have we southerners, in particular, done something to irritate you?  Or you do just enjoy screwing with us?

 ~Disgruntled in Alabama

My dh’s 20th Class Reunion festivities kick off tomorrow night with a reception before the homecoming game and then on Saturday night, there’s  a big dinner.  I missed my 10 year reunion due to a conference and I missed his 10 year reunion due to a conference, so this will be the first time I have ever been to a reunion of any sort.  (My 20 year isn’t for another couple of years.)

Any advice?  What should I expect?  Have you always gone to your reunions or have you skipped them?  Frankly, I’ve kept up with the people I wanted to keep up with after high school, so I don’t feel any pressing need to attend my own, but…