Author Archives: Just Call Me Mel

looking for me?

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I’ll be at Touchdown Sally’s tonight, kicking trivia ass with this motley crew:

This pic is from last week’s victory. This week I think I’ll have both boys with me…I’ve heard a rumor that Cmac has been saving his quarters for pool. The boys will be happy campers, that’s for sure.

And for all my friends who made the Man Show comments to me yesterday(on FB and in person) when I posted my trampoline pics…this is for you:

BTW, I was a HUGE fan of the man show. Maybe they’ll bring it back and I can be one of the girls on trampolines…

this, that and a little more

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I blogged over at Fictionistas today about movies I’m looking forward to seeing. Pop by and say hi.

Got my new Pedi color on Friday….I love my turquoise!

Friday night we weathered some stormy weather and watched a couple of movies at the hacienda. I thought Saturday was going to be stormy all day too, but by 11:00, the storms had moved on and the sky was the brightest, cleanest blue I’d ever seen. I love a good spring rain. So while Rader was at his chess tournament, Ian and I looked for 4-leaf clovers and jumped on a trampoline.


My friend Cmac stopped by with pizza and we all went to see Kick-Ass the movie. I wasn’t looking forward to it…but let me just say, that movie was damn kick ass. Seriously. What a surprise it was! It’s rated R for language and pretty graphic violence (that surprised me. It was almost too much for me…) The movie was smart and funny and I LOL’d a lot. I highly recommend it.

Sunday was a patio & margarita day with the girls…& grilled chicken/biscuits at night. I also jumped on the trampoline some more. I think everyone should jump on a trampoline! It ended up being a near perfect weekend.

Today I’m at work but I’m kinda hoping that when I’m done around 1:00, that I can maybe sneak over to my friend Robyn’s house and lay out by her pool. I don’t wanna swim…just soak up some rays. What do you say, Robyn? *sparkle* I can’t go on being pasty anymore…

Did y’all have a good weekend? Do anything fun?

are you near Fulton, MO today?

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My friend Jon Pendergrass is having his first book signing today during Alumni Weekend at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. Stop by & buy a copy of his book Pepper Jack then have him sign that puppy for you.

Alumni Book Signing 11am-1pm
Mueller Leadership HallFeaturing alumni authors: Giles Fowler ’55,
Gary Forrest ’65, Dr. Carlton Caldwell ’80, John Landrum ’80, Jim Muench
’86, Jon Pendergrass ’91 and Matt Murrie ’98

Happy Saturday, y’all!!!!

let it rain

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Storms are moving in and hopefully will be washing away all this pollen. This will be our first stormy weather in the new casa for me and the boys. Should be interesting. And fun. I’m in the mood for some pissed off weather. Sometimes nothing is better than a good spring storm.

Since we’re working on cutting costs, we have a digital converter box for the TV so we can watch local stations. I’m obviously converter-box impaired because I can’t get the thing hooked up. I have never had this problem before! I read directions. I read diagrams. I try to do just as I’m instructed. SO WHY CAN’T I HOOK THE STUPID THING UP? Hoping my bro will have better luck with it.

Think we’re going to a movie this weekend. Ian wants to see Kick Ass so I’m sure that’s what I’ll be forced to endure watching tomorrow. Unless I can talk him into seeing Date Night. I mean, it’s Tina Fey and Steve Carrell. How could we go wrong with that???

any big plans this weekend?

big green tractor

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No, I’m not talking about Jason Aldean’s song…I’m talking about my youngest kid takin’ care of the yard business last night.

In other country music news and oddities, I had to laugh out loud when Jenn Christman, et al were discussing Luke Bryan’s song Rain is a Good Thing (or the Corn Whiskey song as I like to call it.)

Here’s a little taste of the yummy goodness:

Rain makes corn
Corn makes whiskey
Whiskey makes my baby
Feel a little frisky!

Oh yes. THIS is why I listen to country music because seriously, no other genre of music can turn a ride on a big green tracto into a love song or connect the dots between rain making corn and getting frisky…

Speaking of frisky…it’s Thursday…so you know what that means, right? Girls night out!! Watch out Little Rock…

a mish mash of mel

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Trivia Night at Touchdown Sally’s:

Team BITE ME! was again victorious! Together, this motley crew could rule the world of useless knowledge.

The kids:

Ian was wounded in battle yesterday during PE. His ankle was as big as his head for a little while…but according to fishdog, he seemed better this morning. He’s hobbling still but he’ll survive.

Rader has a chess tournament this weekend. I love my kid and would do anything for him, but spending all day watching these kids play chess is about as much fun as watching paint dry.

Books:

Pepper Jack is available at Amazon in hardcover, paperback and Kindle and it was written by friend of mine and fellow Arkansan, Jon Pendergrass. I’m downloading it to Rader’s Kindle today…shhhhh don’t tell him the reason he got a Kindle was so that I could use it!!

Jackson Pritchard is a wanted man. Wanted by his clients, by an ex-lover, by a new love interest…and now by the police for questioning. His clients have begun to turn up dead.
Jessica Young wants to live her own life for a change. Now that her second life is ready to begin, her path crosses Jackson’s. Follow them across the country and further as their adventures culminate in an explosive and surprise ending. Pepper Jack is a thriller much in the style of James Patterson. Set predominantly in Memphis, it is filled with rich Southern character and characters.

Weird stuff:
I’ve had 2 nose bleeds in 2 days. I hope this isn’t a direct result of the shelf incident. Phil the Lump is now Phil the Light Bruise. I’m thinking the nose bleeding thing is just my sinuses. Still, it sucks.

The skeeviest thing on earth happened to me yesterday. I’m not going to talk about details but I will say that an offer was made that I couldn’t decline quickly enough. And then I wanted to take a shower–in bleach.

Miscellaneous (did I spell that correctly? I always mess that up…)

I’m thinking of making my own laundry detergent. Anyone out there ever done it before? What did you think? At $.02 a load, I’m thinking it’s worth a try….

• 4 cups of water.
• 1/3 bar of cheap soap, grated.
• 1/2 cup washing soda (not baking soda).
• 1/2 cup of Borax (20 Mule Team).
• 5-gallon bucket for mixing.
• 3 gallons of water.

First, mix the grated soap in a saucepan with 4 cups of water, and heat on low until the soap is completely dissolved. Add hot water/soap mixture to 3 gallons of water in the 5-gallon bucket, stir in the washing soda and Borax, and continue stirring until thickened. Let the mix sit for 24 hours, and voila! Homemade laundry detergent.

lump

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This is my theme for the day. Hell, maybe even for the week…

So yesterday I was working in the new house…unpacking, cleaning, working on laundry. You know, basic GTL Now, my new laundry room is quite large which is fabulous. It also has lots of shelving…which is also fabulous. However, one of the very sharp edged shelves is right next to the washing machine.

Do you see where this is going?

Yes, I have a lump (his name is Phil). And seriously, I kinda think I might even have a slight concussion…unless everyone sees fireworks when they close their eyes and hears weird voices….(ok, I always hear the voices but at least now I have a valid excuse, right?)

This morning my goose egg is more like a robin’s egg but it still hurts! It’s all bruised feeling and I have a dent in the middle of it. Hmph.

I swear that shelf wasn’t there until I stood up…

it’s all a blur

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Before I tell you about my weekend, let me do this:

Dear Cold Front,

Go away. Now.

Not-so-much-love,
Melf

Where do I start? How about with Friday…

Friday morning I spoke to a group of students in a Workplace Readiness class at Benton High School. They were a great (but very quiet…save 1 student named Pierce who was my total favorite because he asked questions like “Do you like potato salad?”) My friend Brenda is the teacher and when I left I was pretty certain I had bored them all to tears. Brenda assured me later that day that the students loved me and voted me best speaker of the year. I guess rambling on about how I don’t like potato salad because potatoes weren’t meant to be served cold worked!

Friday night we had Relay for Life in Bryant. HUGE success and loads of fun. Pictures…let me show you them:

(these are from my phone. I haven’t downloaded my camera pics yet.)

We went with an 80s theme…and boy was it weird seeing myself and my son rocking out the bad fashion:

Meet RUN DM JFerg:

and Ian DMC:

Then there was a DUDE Looks like a Lady contest where our very own Madea Ralph Nelson took top prize:

and Kristal’s boy Hunter is now known as Huntress:

SATURDAY:
5 hours of sleep.

Soccer.

also found my 29th 4-leaf clover

SUNDAY:

Okay, so let me tell you a little story…it goes something like this:

Sunday morning I wake up, have my coffee on my back porch and just relax as I think about all the things I’m going to accomplish for the day. I call JChris and we chit-chat for a while…okay, about an hour. And then something she says triggers something in my head and I yelled: “Oh Shit, Jenn! What day is it? Is today Sunday?”

Jenn: Yeah. It’s Sunday.
Mel: Shit! I have to be in Hot Springs to speak in 2 hours! I gotta go!

Yes, after the busy weekend and the lack of sleep, I completely forgot about my scheduled speaking engagement and booksigning at the AAIM conference!!!

Luckily, I’m quick with a shower and make up brush. I arrived 45 minutes early and had a great time. (BTW, if you’re a writer, make friends with your librarian. They will get your book out there.)

My signing was successful and I made several contacts for school visits. (which I love!)

On the agenda this week? Sleep. Lots and lots of sleep.

How was your weekend?

Flamingos, Sock Monkeys & 4-Leaf Clovers OH MY!

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These things make me happy.

and btw, I found 10 4-Leaf Clovers yesterday. Or was it 11? I can’t remember. But you can see them here.

Okay, I don’t know why I find 4-leaf clovers so easily. I wish I could tell you. I joke about it being because I’m part Leprechaun, but now I wonder if that’s a joke at all. Because I do sparkle a lot. And I look awesome in green. And I have dye my hair red. And I find 4-leaf clovers almost every day….without really looking for them.

That’s the weird part. Ask my kids. Ian spent hours looking the other day, I walked outside, over to the patch of clover where he was, and just picked one. It’s truly bizarre.

Wanna know whats funny? I’m a little superstitious about 4-leaf clovers. For instance:

  1. I believe if you think you saw a 4-leaf clover and you pick it only to discover it was a 3-leaf that fooled you, then you won’t find another 4 -leaf clover for a while. You may also have bad luck…or at least a bad day.
  2. If you see a 4-leaf clover in a patch but don’t pick it immediately, it won’t be there when you go back for it. I think my family the Leprechauns move it.
  3. If you find one 4-leaf clover in a patch, chances are, there are more.
  4. If you go back to the same patch where you found a 4-leaf clover, you will continue to find them. My family The Leprechauns reward you for your 4-leaf clover faith.

So what do you think? I know there are lots of you out there who never find 4-leaf clovers, and that’s a foriegn concept to me. Do you think maybe I’m part Leprechaun? Or is this some weird genetic mutation? I mean, let’s get real. It’s not a super power or anything. I totally love finding 4-leaf clovers, but it’s not like I get lucky am the luckiest person on earth or anything…

in which she asks for your help…

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Before I ask for help, lemme tell you a story:

So last night was trivia night at Touchdown Sally’s and I had to leave early because my kid had a raging headache thanks to his allergies. (and the music was awfully loud. I’m not an old fogey but there was a table in the back room that wouldn’t come up front with the rest of us to play so Brent had to have the volume turned up to Death Star so they could hear.) So we left after the first half because Ian was in pain.

And we came in 4th place. Coincidence? I think not.

Now for some serious bidness:

Friday I’m walking to fight cancer in the Relay for Life in Bryant. This is a very important event for many reasons, but the main one being, my friend ALL-CAPS KRISTAL. Here’s her story:

My Reason to Relay

My Reason to join Relay for Life is my daughter, and your daughter or son. I had never given much thought to CANCER. My daughter had been a healthy beautiful little girl, she was never even sick. I worried about the normal things, are they eating right, are they progressing, is it time for shots, don’t talk to strangers. I never worried about Cancer; my family did not have a history of it. I thought she had a stomach ache, and it turned out to be a tumor. That is the day my life changed. Your first reaction is WE WILL FIGHT this. We fought hard we went for two years every treatment to fight this we did. The problem is we ran out of treatments. It takes research to find new cures for Cancer, and Resarch takes money. My daughter’s Cancer was Neuroblastoma Stage 4 she was given a 20% survival chance. I want to help raise awareness and money for research, My wish is that another parent never has to be sitting where I was that fateful day, and if they are there I want the Doctors to be able to say, THEY HAVE A CHANCE. And RESEARCH is the WAY.

Kristal lost Katie to this horrible disease. NOBODY should have to experience what my dear friend did. I wasn’t around when Katie was sick, but I’m doing everything I can now to support my friend and help raise money to find a cure. So please… donate if you can. Even $5 will help.

Our team theme is 80s and we’ll be dressed accordingly and walking all night long. I’ll take loads of pics and report back on Monday.

Please help if you can. It could make the difference in another child’s life.

PS: I found 3 more 4-leaf clovers yesterday…the total is now at 14.