A blog about nothing by someone with opinion on everything.

Christmas vacation is going very well here for the Brown family! My children are enjoying themselves thoroughly and Phillip and I are taking it easy. Each day, we come up with some craft or food to make and a way to get out of the house. So far, so good. Previously, Miles has cried when school was out, but this time she is giggling and happy. I think she understands that everyone is out of school, not just her. (At fall break, she seemed to think that the rest of her class was still at school having fun and that we were just keeping her home. We could not convince her otherwise, and she cried like a mopey, depressed thirty-something.)

To think that tomorrow is Christmas Eve is astounding. The weather is so nice and mild. The sun is shining! So much for a white Christmas, huh? That's ok. My childhood memories always seem to include beautiful sunny Christmas days in Louisiana, so I'll talk a nice mild Tennessee Christmas.

We had planned to go to Liberty tonight to Mandy and Neil's house, but it looks like we are going stay in town. They have three more puppies to give away and need to meet some potential adoptive families for these three, so it would be hard to get together. They came over Friday night and I was able to give her the Little Wayne painting I commissioned from Jeff Bertrand. She loved it. We gave Neil some leather work gloves, some bungee cords and a copy of Capote. I guess you just have to know Neil to understand that gift combo. :)

I am very ready for Friday morning. Santa is bringing so many wonderful things this year! In fact, I may have gone a little overboard. Possibly. Slightly. But not really. We have lots of gifts under the tree and will all be getting many things that we wanted...but every penny spent was cash money, so that isn't too bad, right? No lingering debt after the holidays means it is ok, right? But I digress.

2009 has been a strange year. We've sent a child to kindergarten and we've passed along how good it feels to keep on volunteering in this community. We buried Papaw Joe but we've celebrated birthdays with lots of little friends just learning to be themselves. I went back blonde. Lola became a true LSU fan. (She's watching tv, wrapped in an LSU thrown right now. Don't prod her or she will ask you, "How 'bout them tigers?") The entire world said goodbye to MJ. We congratulated Britt on her engagement.

Merry Christmas to each and every family, with warm wishes for 2010!

Posted by Dusty Brown at 2:07 PM | 0 comments  
Labels: Family, Friends, Random stuff

You will need:

1. One tight sealing glass jar for each snowglobe, we bought two jars of pears at Dollar Tree and used those jars. Phillip got the labels off with a razor and acetone while the kids ate some pears. ;) This was cheaper than buying empty jars.


2. Water


3. Glitter, we should have used the larger kind instead of the fine kind I had


4. Glycerin, found in the soap making aisle of Hobby Lobby, $3.47 for a big bottle


5. A figurine, toy, etc., that will fit inside the jar and has a base that can be glued down; we let each girl pick a little figurine from Dollar Tree.


6. Hot glue gun and glue sticks


7. An ornate button to glue on top of the finished product; I have a huge collection of vintage buttons, so we used gold-tone honeycomb buttons.

Thoroughly dry your jar lid. Place a large dollop of hot glue right in the center and glue your figurine or small toy down, making sure to center it. In the jar itself, fill it most of the way with water. Add a nice splash of glycerin. Sprinkle in some glitter. Add a hint of blue food coloring if you'd like. You may need to add or dump a little water to get it basically full when the top is replaced with the figurine inside. Replace the lid very tightly. Turn the jar over and hot glue a pretty button to the top. Shake and enjoy!

Posted by Dusty Brown at 9:51 PM | 0 comments  

Friday, we really saw a big, fat redneck woman in too-small sweatpants and her man, who was a fat redneck (white, duh) guy wearing a black button up shirt, unbuttoned with wife beater, of course. On the back of the shirt was...a grey line drawing of Notorious B.I.G. with rhinestone accents on a crown on his head. At Walmart. Of course.

Posted by Dusty Brown at 10:44 PM | 1 comments  

Posted by Dusty Brown at 12:00 PM | 0 comments  

Yesterday, I had my second mammogram ever. The first was in 2006 before my surgery. This time, I went on the recommendation of my fabulous OB/GYN, Yolanda McGriff. Dr. McGriff had mentioned to me before that my family history indicated that I should consider the testing for the breast cancer gene. The testing is very elaborate, and in order for insurance to cover it, I basically had to have a mammogram and meet with a surgeon to discuss my family history. This information will be documented as a true need for the testing, thus my insurance will cover the testing. Everything looked great on my scans, fyi. I have to go back in another day and have my blood drawn for the testing. Once I get the results, I can decide on my future actions.

More then likely, if I have the gene, the surgeon will recommend a bilateral mastectomy and replacement to drastically reduce my chances of developing breast cancer in the future. (Just to clarify, if I do not have the gene, I can still get cancer.) However, with the gene, I have a much greater likelihood of having breast cancer at some point in my life. The odds are like 55% to 77% or something. Dr. Baskin, the surgeon, said that based on my family history (three of my mother's sisters had breast cancer), I should already be doing yearly mammograms and if I have the gene, I also need an annual breast ultrasound. Wow! Isn't it crazy how far technology has come? So many lives could be saved if more people took these precautions like I am! Just something to think about...

Posted by Dusty Brown at 10:58 PM | 3 comments  
Labels: Family

Costumes are currently being collecting for distribution in 2010 to area children in need. Please visit this page for more info. Drop off location is Mills Family Pharmacy thru November 13th or contact me Dusty@DustyBrown.net to make other arrangements. Used costumes are accepted, though you are encouraged to take a gander at the Halloween clearance if you're feeling generous! Our family donated three new costumes for a total cost of $5.22 by taking advantage of Kroger and Walmart's Halloween clearance tonight. Please consider contributing! Children will be selected to receive a costume based on teacher recommendation, Boys and Girls club recommendation or similar requests.

Posted by Dusty Brown at 10:58 PM | 0 comments  

I was just reading US Weekly. In it, a few "stars" claimed that they had nose jobs just because of medical issues and absolutely NOT due to looks. Now first, I should clarify that I don't give a rat's if someone wants a new nose. I wanted and got new boobs three years ago. Then I promptly gained 40 pounds, but that is a whole different subject. Back to the intended subject, I know one family member and more than one friend that had a deviated septum repaired...and none of them look different at all. Which leads me to the point that if you ONLY had it for medicinal reasons, then why does your nose look dramatically different? Exactly. Just own up to wanting a new nose, people. I would not personally mess with my face. Then again, I think I have good features on my face. I would absolutely mess with my flabby arms or double C-section abs. I'm just sayin'.

Second, I just read where Holly from that Playboy show Girls Next Door eats one fast food/junk food meal a day and nothing else but Raisin Bran. That is a horrible dietary influence on young girls!

I miss the early 80's, when chics were hot and still considered 'skinny' in a size 8 or even size 10 jeans. I mean, really. Next time you are with a friend who wears an 8 or a 10, look at them. They are NOT fat; they are slim. Some fo them might night be totally toned, but they are slim! Crap. I'm 5' 3", and when I wore a 9/10, I had no shortage of interested cute, popular guys. They liked the fact that I didn't look like a seventh grader. According to Hollywood, anything over a 2 or maybe a 4 is a total lard-butt. It is ridiculous.

I'm officially ashamed of my three year subscription to US Weekly.

Posted by Dusty Brown at 10:21 PM | 1 comments  
Labels: Random stuff

Just please go visit this site, please! Homemaker Homegirls Inc. thanks you in advance.

Posted by Dusty Brown at 10:35 PM | 0 comments  

Yeah, I wrote "cain't". You have a problem with that? Sometimes you just have to write it the way you want someone to read it, and any true southern girl just has to bust out the "cain't" every now and then.

What made me bust out "cain't"?? I'll tell you what did. This did!

Posted by Dusty Brown at 3:02 AM | 0 comments  

Thank you Michael for all of the old memories, but I'm so glad I was able to see this side of you.

What can I say about the Michael Jackson film, This Is It? Well, for starters, it was phenomenal. The footage truly makes you feel like you were there, a part of it, like you knew him. He was far more normal in the film than he was projected to be in life. He was far less effeminate, noticeably less strung out, far more normal, more humorous and particularly humble in regards to his dancers, musicians and singers.

I left the film so happy that I was part of history. I saw the film at the earliest possible point in time for anyone that wasn't someone to M.J. himself. I saw it when it premiered to the world. I felt included and a complete resurgence of all of the feelings that were felt when he died. I hope that any Michael Jackson fan gets an opportunity to see the film in theaters. It was heart warming. I was really sad when the credits began. I could have watched another hour of his rehearsal footage. It was that good.

Of course, there were a few drawbacks. Someone sitting behind us clearly had a foot fungus of the corn chip variety and we smelled it frequently throughout the showing. We also got a few funny looks for wearing the sparkling gloves that I made for Jen, Meag, Emma and myself. Those things didn't change my opinion of the experience for the worse. By the way, thank you, Jen, for inviting me! I hope your sparkling glove makes a nice addition to your scrapbook!

If you call yourself a fan, you must see This Is It. Then again, if you call yourself a critic, then you truly must see This Is It. I think you'll reevaluate your opinion.

Posted by Dusty Brown at 1:52 AM | 1 comments  
Labels: michael jackson, Random stuff

Three days until my date with Half Pint and her fam! Casey is treating me to Little House on the Prairie at TPAC. I am so excited! Melissa Gilbert is playing Ma, too.

P.S. I still hate Nellie Olsen.

Posted by Dusty Brown at 11:25 AM | 0 comments  

Posted by Dusty Brown at 11:23 AM | 0 comments  

Miles went on her very first real school field trip yesterday! We both enjoyed our day at the Walden Pumpkin Farm. It was beautifully sunny and nice outside.

We did a hay ride, petted baby goats and calves, saw turkeys, chickens, pheasants, horses and pigs. We got to pick our own pumpkins to take home and Miles went through a hay maze.

Posted by Dusty Brown at 12:47 PM | 0 comments  

Miles and Lola got flu shots and H1N1 nasal mists today, so we are much more confident that we won't have any major illnesses at our house this flu season. Also, Lola would like for you all to know that she does NOT have the swan flu.

Posted by Dusty Brown at 7:47 PM | 0 comments  
Labels: Family

It will never cease to amaze me how many hits I get from my posts on Little Richard!

Posted by Dusty Brown at 1:23 AM | 2 comments  

I realized tonight that I never blogged about Disney on Ice. This was our second year seeing the show at The Sommet Center. Since Daddy works downtown, we met him at work and set out on our evening of fun.

The girls brought their hats from last year to avoid the temptation to buy new souvenirs, and I'm glad we did that because I didn't see much that caught my eye. Workers came around selling $15 snow cones, but I assured my kids that I'd buy them the cup for $8 at the Disney Store and they dropped it.


Lola has grown up so much since last year, so she was into it far more. Miles was more into sitting back and admiring the production. Lots of smiles from our group, nonetheless.

Posted by Dusty Brown at 12:14 AM | 0 comments  
Labels: Family

Mandy is my actual, functional, best friend. She is my best friend from childhood who has known me the longest and to this day, knows my deepest darkest secrets. I rely on her to be my rock, my cheerleader, my confidant and my partner in crime on a regular basis. We haven't always seen each other much more often than once or twice a year since she is a bit of a rambler (or has a history of being one) and has spent time living elsewhere, but we will always be on that level with each other. We are each a part of the others' families and we know each other in and out. She can see right through me and she isn't scared to call me out. Our husbands were fast friends and are hilariously, two peas in a pod. If she calls me out on something, I know it is for real and that I need to really think about what she said, because she knows me deep down to my soul. I'd give her a lung, a kidney or my bone marrow, and she knows it. She'd fly to Mexico in the middle of the night to kick some corrupt government booty and bail me out of jail. That's just the way we are. She has a couple of other best friends, and she would do that for them, too. The few other people that she counts as best friends have really different personalities, like apples and oranges, just like my short list.

I also have best friends from college that I rarely see but will always consider best friends. They are not all at the same point in their lives, so I can't hold it against them that our lives don't always correspond these days. I have two children; they either have zero or live an hour away. I have been married 8 years today; they either haven't walked down that aisle of life yet or they didn't marry someone that makes an effort to be a great friend to my husband. They still mean the world to me, but they aren't really filling that void at this point and they will never compare to someone that has grown up with me and is truly here for me when I need her. I know we'll be friends til we die, though, and that at one point, my life revolved around them, so they will remain what I consider a close friend or even one of my best friends.

I also have a few friends that are by far, my best friends in my momtourage. Shea and Jen are my main homegirls. I love them to death and I rely on them for certain things. I also know we will be friends outside of the mom role. I think Shea and I will be stalking Donny Whalberg at a retirement home, but she had two best friends before I ever met her, Juli and Sara, and that doesn't offend me. We're get each other on a different level. We are parents but still people. I couldn't make it through the daily grind without them.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that its hard to feel like you have hurt one person by calling another person your best friend when you don't mean any harm or insult, because I can't even begin to list all of the other people that are important to me. I didn't write this for any specific reason but just because I regularly see that as women, we (not meaning anyone listed here) don't always think it through when we get our feelings hurt. Agreed?

Posted by Dusty Brown at 12:26 AM | 1 comments  
Labels: Friends

Phillip and I spent Saturday in Chattanooga. We ventured to the city on the river for a friend's wedding and had some good times, for sure. We attended the wedding of Jeremy and Ellen Money at the Convention Center. The ceremony was nice, and Ellen's dress was gorgeous. I really liked the style and the way part of it was gold. The train was nice, too!

Once we wished them well and sent them off, we all headed downtown to Market Street to spend some quality time at Deluxe. I liked Deluxe a lot. It reminded me of the downstairs of Sebastion's from many many years ago.

The night was really nice because we got a chance to visit with old friends that we rarely see and spouses or other friends that we're getting to know more and more. Some of the guys there this weekend are younger than me, thus from a different era at the Sigma Chi house, but we have mutual friends. We hope to see all of them more often now.

It was also nice because this was Phillip's first real opportunity to meet some of the guys that he's heard about for years. Well, only a few were there, really, Matt Hutton; Brian Nale (Anjeanetta's little bro) and Money, but still. Now he will truly know who I'm talking about when I refer back to silliness from college. There was a group of us that spent all of our time together back in the day, and we sorta grew up together. We were all great friends. These guys were part of that group, as were Missi, Kirby, Anjeaneatta, Mary Katherine, Flair, Patrick, Casey, Brackin, Alex Green, Bliss, Peanut, Stinky, Harper, Reed, Fuqua, Mickey, who am I forgetting?? I wish Patrick, a big part of the H127 puzzle, had traveled down for the weekend but alas, we'll catch him on his next trip. (H127 was our apartment number at Rosewood. It was three Chi Omegas who were also little sisters, and H127 served as the gathering place for a big group of people on a regular basis from 1997 to 1998.)

I know that when we're all old and gray, we'll still have each other as friends. We've all grown up to be good people, and we've created our own families that might one day get together for an Indian Summer road trip... and that sounds really nice to me. I also hope we get to have our very own 'Big Chill' one day, except nobody has to die to bring us all together for a weekend, but I digress.

Thanks for the memories, Money!

Posted by Dusty Brown at 1:16 PM | 1 comments  

Thursday night we head to Disney on Ice!! We are celebrating Miles' birthday with this special family treat. Her birthday isn't for another week and a half, but she's also having a party on the day before her 6th birthday, so she's getting to stretch out her celebration!

Posted by Dusty Brown at 9:51 PM | 3 comments  

I totally stole the style of my title from Angel.

Anyhoo, this weekend was the bomb. Like the atom bomb. Awesome. And painful, but I digress.

Friday night, we hosted Mandy and Neil for a little sleepover/birthday celebration for Mandy! We had a ball. The kids spent the night at my parents' house and we stayed up late giggling just like we did in 6th grade. Saturday, Mandy, Neil and I hung out around the house while Phil went and got the kids.

He took them to Franklin, where his brother's wife, Aunt Melissa, took Miles on a shopping spree for her upcoming birthday! Miles scored two skirts, a blouse, some knee socks, some adorable new mary janes, an awesome coat and a Build-A-Bear unicorn. Lola got a unicorn, too. Then his parents asked if the girls could stay the night.

Saturday night found us at Shea's house for a birthday party for Jen and Shea. Good times and plenty of laughs with a group of awesome friends! THEN it happened. As we were leaving, I slipped on Shea's front steps. It literally happened as I was warning Phillip not to slip because the rain had made them super slick. I have a mammoth sized bruise on my right booty cheek and another on my back. Ouch. Super ouch. I'm in pain. Regardless, it was extremely fun.

Sunday, I did a few chores around the house while Phil went and got my babies. Then we watched the rest of the Titans game before I made the cookies for mini fruit pizzas. The girls helped make their own concoctions once the cookies cooled. Very delicious, if I do say so myself! I made Lola a new blankie and patched Miles' old blankie with two silly hearts that I zigzagged into place. Mandy and Neil came over again after the girls went to bed and Neil promptly took a power nap on my living room floor. I swear, how that boy can sleep on hard wood floor is beyond me. We talked about putting a bed back up in the extra bedroom since we already know that they'll spend a lot of time here this winter. I just can't have someone sleeping on my floor on a regular basis. The thought of that makes my back hurt.

Needless to say, seeing so many friends this weekend was awesome, but we're ready for a new week around the Brown household. We are also praying for sunny days, since I currently feel like I live in Seattle!

PS Here is my super easy version of fruit pizza. I included the extracts for added flavor and I recommend using the small cookies because a big one gets soggy:

Base:
1 package break apart sugar cookie cough

Cream cheese spread:
1 bar of softened cream cheese
1 T of frozen orange juice concentrate
About 4 heaping tablespoons of marshmallow creme
splash of almond extract
splash of vanilla extract

Topping:
About half a pound of fresh pineapple (about half a cored pineapple), 1 container of strawberries, one kiwi, 1 pint of blueberries

Break cookies apart. Use 1.5 squares for each cookie so they will be a little bigger. Bake as directed. Cool completely. Meanwhile, mix all cream spread ingredients together, whipping it up real good. Set to the side or better yet, refrigerate. Chop pineapple into small cubes, slice strawberries, slice and peel kiwi. Mix all fruit together with the blueberries.

Allow people to build their own mini fruit pizza using 1 cookie with a layer of cream cheese mixture topped by fresh fruit mixture. Yummmmmm-my!!!!

Posted by Dusty Brown at 1:04 AM | 1 comments