What's in a name and What were people thinking in 2014

Importance of Name Meaning

Clearly Juliette had an ulterior motive in saying that a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.   Obviously it would smell as sweet but do we really thing a rose called vomit would be the same?  I have my doubts.  Of course, it is highly likely that knowing what vomit means taints my thoughts on that subject.  

This morning on the news they went through some unusual names that people gave their kids in 2014.  People as in plural named their boys Million, Billion, Dagger, Sadman and Swatstik, yes SWATSTIK.  I mean, all I could think of was there was some crazy group of 10 neo-nazi's out there who thought this was a good idea.  Even sadder is the 7 people who named their daughters Lay.  What exactly are you trying to tell your female child?  

I have read studies saying that female children adapt to different names easier than males but I don't know that that is going to get any little girl past the Lay.  I don't know, maybe if it was spelled Lei or Lai it wouldn't be so strange.  Maybe the parents just like potato chips?  Who knows.  It just seems really odd that 7 families independently came up with this name.  Don't even get me started on the 5-11 families that came up with those boys names.  

So I started to think of the little boy on the baseball team named Sadman.  Every time he comes up to bat, what do you call him?  'Go Sad', 'Go Man'?  What about poor Swatstik?  Can you imagine the first time his girlfriend brings him home to meet the parents?  

This is my boyfriend 'Swatstik'.  Mom "Well, it's nice to meet you um, Swatstika".

 Dad "Son, did your parents not love you?  Why would they name you after a Nazi symbol?  Are you a Nazi?"  You know dad's cut to the chase when their baby girl is involved.  

That is nothing compared to the teasing the kids in school are going to give these kids.  Poor Lay is going to be laid 100 times in high school if the teenage girls are mean.   Poor Dagger will have to learn to defend himself with a name like that really early.  Can you imagine if Lay and Dagger actually meet and start dating?  That would be brutal in High School.  Admit it, there is a part of you that remembers how mean kids were and you know it would! 

I just can't help asking myself: what is wrong with James, Michael, Phillip, and Robert?  What about Elizabeth, Rebecca, and good old fashioned Mary?   Why do some parents feel the need to make their kids targets with something so different?   Kids have it hard enough without giving them a name that is going to make it hard on them.  Don't get me wrong, every child is special and I am not saying that feeling like your child is unique and should be recognized as such is wrong but SWATSTIK?  Come on.  

I grew up with a different last name.  It was pronounced nice (spelled a little different but pronounced NICE). First of all because of the spelling it was always getting pronounced incorrectly and by the time I hit 2nd grade when the teacher would call my name the first day of school the entire class would yell out "NICE"!  It was almost sad, man.  It was also a lot to live up to being Laura Nice.  My last name now is no better, in fact, it may be worse, especially when you combine my maiden name with my married name,  although I prefer to keep that one to myself.  I have never really liked Laura but I have to thank GOD that my parents didn't decide to name me Lapis or Lazuli.  Lapis Nice or Lazuli Nice would have just been the end of it for me.  

Luckily for most kids who aren't named Sadman, their parents see reason.  Here are the most popular names over the last 100 years and I was happy when looking into this blog that the top 10 trend in baby names is actually toward traditional and historic names like Olivia, Sophia, Emma, and Eva for girls and Noah, Jacob, Ethan, and Lucas for boys. 

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I am going to make a prediction that with the birth of Princess Charlotte, the name Charlotte will rise in popularity across the world.  That is fine by me, a beautiful name and one that will not get any little girl teased.

Oddly, my father was named James and my mother is Mary the top names in each gender over the last 100 years.  How strange or maybe that's just because I come from a very Catholic family with a LOT of Mary's. 

Now, I have to admit when I was young I had some pretty weird names picked out for my kids.   Taryn if it was a girl, Chance if it was a boy.  (Taryn I heard on an episode of 21 Jump Street and Chance because of the Tinkers to Evers to Chance Chicago Cubs infield).   As I grew older my names for kids changed and became more traditional.  James if it was a boy, after my father and either Emma, Emily, or Kayleigh if it was a girl.  Not a Sadman or Lay in the group.  

So, do you prefer traditional or non-traditional names? 

What I am Loving And Have a Pinteresting Wednesday: The one withRainbows

Copy and past the button and join in the fun!

I'm looking for co-hosts for this hop so if you're interested let me know! 

Gosh with a long weekend Wednesday rolled around fast!  Time for another WILaHaPW.  How's that's for a mess of initials? 

Loving: 

Either I was feeling very patriotic or these are my Texas Ranger nails. 

The 2 step gel polish from Sally Hansen. I am super hard on my nails so the fact that I can actually get 4 days out of this before chipping is a win for me.  

Having friends over Sunday and cooking.  I stress like crazy and I know I did 5 loads of dishes and washed the kitchen floor 3 times, not that you could tell.  I scrubbed the carpet spots on hand and knee and again you couldn't tell, but I love having friends over and cooking for them!

Spring harvest 

All of the onions and turnips we have gotten out of our garden!

I love how everything matched.  Even my nail polish! Not planned. 

My new iPhone case.  My old one was cracking and this one is my wedding bouquet and my engagement ring.  <3

What I Pinned: 

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I am feeling the need to remind myself of God's promise of the rainbow a lot lately.  No world wide floods.  I know Texas thinks it is the world, but in fact, it is not.

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I picked this one because I haven't seen the sun lately either but I know it must still be there. I am struggling a little with everything and this made me say to myself, tap the breaks and let Him handle it. 

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Okay, so this one is hard.  Really hard.  I know I have expressed a couple of times my struggles with the fact my husband and I met too late for us to have kids.  I know I have mentioned here and there in random blogs that I have an inner sadness that I carry.  I struggle with this, actually.  Sunday when my friend brought her 9 month old I was given a chance to see what might have been and that longing, that sadness, that missed opportunity started to eat me up. While I was holding the baby my husband's buddy (jokingly?) asked when Joe and I were going to have a baby.  It was so uncomfortable for me.  It hurt in a way I can't explain when I had to say the words "We aren't and I would change that if I could but I can't."   It effected me the rest of the weekend. It effected me so much. Seeing the kind of dad my husband would have been with a baby.  Seeing my step daughter in the brief role of 'big sister'.  Hearing her say to me in her 11 year old voice as I played with the baby "You are so good with kids, Laura."  The sadness would consume me if I weren't careful.  I have to believe God has a reason but I can't see it.  I have to believe there is something more, I just don't understand it.  You know that saying, the struggle is real?  That's how I feel about this.  It will go away for a day or a week or a few weeks but something will bring it back and....the struggle is real. 

Okay enough of that....

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Okay, I have a confession to make, I introduced my almost 12 year old step kid to frapps and she is addicted.  She asks for them whenever we are alone in the truck.  Well, at $3-$5 a pop that isn't happening so I am looking for options....at home options.   YUM.  Mother of the year I am not.  Maybe that is the reason God decided against me contaminating other kids. :)

Your turn!

Memorial Day: things I love about the USA Plus It's Okay Tuesday

There is no doubt in my mind that this is the greatest country in the world.  Is it perfect?  No, of course not.  Is it amazing and a LOT of Americans fail to not only appreciate our freedom but they fail to take advantage of the opportunities because they are taking advantage of the system.

So I put together list of some things I love  about this country. Ready?  

1.  Band of Brothers: 

I realize it is a Mini Series but it is based on real heroes some of whom did not return from Europe.  As the Grandaughter of a World War II veteran, a medic who was stationed in the Pacific Theater, I feel it is incredibly important to appreciate the Greatest Generation.  They built this country.   They saved freedom.   They never once asked "What's in it for me?"  We should be more like that generation and less selfish.  If we spent our time working and enjoying life the way our grandparents or great grandparents did and less time complaining about how life wasn't fair, we would all rise above. 

2. Baseball on National Holidays.   Okay, so baseball isn't there for Veterans Day, Presidents Day or MLK Day but is there any doubt that those days would be better if it was?  No sport does patriotism the way MLB does from the Red, White and Blue camo hats to the giant flags, to the National anthem and God Bless America. Memorial Day and July 4th were made for baseball. 

3. Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, potato salad, brownies, and our grills.   

We had friends over Sunday and it was amazing because the 35 days of rain in the last 50 or whatever it is stopped about 1 and we were able to spend our entire night outside on the deck. 

This is just peaceful brilliance.

4. Freedom:

Our freedom was won by those amazing men and women who served and sacrificed for all of us. We are all free to choose who we are and how we will survive, or not survive.   We all have the gift of education and we all have the chance to take advantage of that education to better ourselves and our children.  Most importantly we are free to live how we want, where we want, with whom we want and worship as we wish.   Only when our individual freedom effects someone else's freedom does the debate start about who's freedom is more important. Usually, as is the case with prayer, the freedom of the majority is put aside for the freedom of the minority.   Is it right?   Probably not but freedom isn't perfect and it isn't free.  

5. Coffee. 

If we were British we would drink tea but thanks to the amazing people in Boston we threw tea in the harbor and never looked back.   Coffee became a way of life and thank GOD for that.  I will only ever drink my tea iced and sweet but you  give me coffee hot, cold, strong, creamy, full of lucious flavors or just plain.   Anyway you slice it, coffee is genius. 

6. Apple Pie.  What I did baseball and hot dogs.  Apple pie had to be there.   Actually I love Cherry best but Apple is good too.  Pie is brilliant and I almost convince myself there are some health benefits to fruit, sugar, and buttery crust.  

7. Outdoor sports

Fishing, swimming, hiking, biking,  softball, baseball,  and anything that gets you outside in beautiful weather is a win. 

8. Moments of peace. 

Have you ever stopped to think there are places in this world where there is no peace?   There is no quiet. Can you imagine living in Israel where having a bomb shelter in your home is a necessity?   Can you imagine being a Christian in a Muslim country where Isis or any other radical group is terrorizing people? Can you imagine the reality of explosions going on day or night?  Probably not.  Thank God for that.

9. The vote. 

We take it for granted.  We hate politicians.  We argue with our friends.  We mute our friends during election season on Social Media but,  we have the right to vote our conscious and that earns us the right to complain about the idiots in office. 

10. The American Soldier and the American Spirit: 

It has been there for almost 240 years.   Sacrificing comforts,  missing family, dying so we could live, laugh,  love, act on and express our beliefs, and sleep easy.   God Bless the American Troops, past, present, and future.  Without them, the USA would have failed a long, long time ago.  Without them, we would be drinking tea or speaking German.  Without them, we would have reason to fear terrorists could prevail.   We have the best trained and strongest military in the world.  Nobody, not crazy terrorists outside this country or in, will prevail.  This country knows how to come together and fight when outsiders attack and deep down, this country is full of men, women, and children who will grab a pitch fork or a shovel and fight, if need be.  We do not give up.  We are the sons and daughters of the United States of America and if you push us, the great eagle will swoop down on the little field mice and tear them limb from crazy limb.  

Can't forget It's Okay Tuesday:

It's okay:

*Sometimes I just don't feel like I am a good enough Step-mom.  I suspect that every parent goes through this.  I feel like when my kid acts up I am suppose to have some special insight into why and know how to fix it and that isn't the way the world works.  Shoot, I don't know how to fix it sometimes when I act up. 

*I haven't picked up a paint brush to paint furniture in weeks.  I want to but right now I am feeling like a total failure because I haven't sold either of the pieces that I had for sale and I look at the 3 pieces in the garage and think to myself  "If I refinish these and I do them the way someone else should want them, I won't want them in my house.  If I make them the way I want them, they may not sell."   I haven't figured out where I am going with this side business and can it even be called a business if you haven't done anything but paint some pieces that haven't sold?

*I am in desperate need of a haircut and can't seem to find the time to get it done.   My split ends have split ends. 

*Lately, everyone at work is more use to seeing me without makeup than with it.  I am suffering from a big time case of "I just don't care".  The problem is, I look like I have no eyes when I don't wear eye makeup.  I have big eyes but without mascara, you can't see my lashes.  

*I really want to go to Broken Bow, Oklahoma for our 1st anniversary but we can't plan anything yet.  I have been looking at cottage rentals and I am in complete love with this place.  So much so that I am actually ready to move there, forever.  It is perfect.  There are hills and a lake.  It is the place I always wanted to live in my dreams.  We didn't take a true honeymoon.  We spent a couple of days in a hotel then moved into our new house.   I would say in the 8 months of marriage the 2 nights in the hotel have been the least stressed and most relaxed nights of our marriage.  

*I am trying really hard not to complain about rain after years of drought but I really need to see the sun for a consistent two week period before the next rain shower.  I realize what I am asking.  I realize this is Texas and the minute it stops raining it is going to hit 100 degrees.  I am getting cabin fever and to be honest, we are all getting a little depressed being stuck indoors all weekend long every weekend.  

*I have failed completely so far this year at making a commitment to getting back into a exercise routine.  

Embrace: The video that is causing women to think about themselves

Watch the video here

Have you seen the video from Taryn Brumfitt making rounds on social media?  She is raising money for a documentary called Embrace which will deal with women and their body image.  I encourage everyone to watch the video regardless of your desire to contribute to the project.   It is another one of those eye opening moments where we realize just how hard we are on ourselves as women.  Mental health is at least as important as physical health and learning to love ourselves is obviously the biggest struggle a lot of women have.

Much like the Dove video generated positive discussion on women's negative body image, this video is eye opening.   Hopefully, we all learn to accept ourselves and teach our daughters to accept themselves and stop being so hard on ourselves.

Aside from that I wish you all a happy Memorial Day weekend and hope that you hug a soldier if you got one and hug one for me, too!   Thank you to all those who serve or have served and make this country the best!  Everyone eat lots of potato salad and grilled stuff! 

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Housekeeping Notes:  I have changed the blog comments and am now using DISQUS.  I hope this change is a positive and makes things more uniform and easier.   Thanks. 

Thursday Ten: TV Reunions

I don't watch many current TV shows.  What can I say? Between work, life, and kids I hardly see a Rangers game much less TV.  Yet here I sit, in bed sick and I started thinking about TV shows and the ones I really want to know...what are the characters doing now?   Over the years we have seen Very Brady Reunions and Dallas had not only a TV movie but a new series (which I admit I loved but lost track of when the mister came into my life.) 

So here is a list of my top 10 TV shows that I really want to know, where are they now, who are they with, and what are they doing? 

1. Friends:

Nobody told me life was going to be that way. My job was a joke, I was broke, and my love life was DOA. They were there for me every Thursday night for ten years and I loved them.  Oh sure, I loved some seasons more than others.  I think we can all admit the writers trying to shove a Joey-Rachel romance down our throats was a disaster.  I think we all know that every other wife Ross ever had was a waste of airtime.   Still, the show made me laugh then and it makes me laugh now. I really want to know how Monica and Chandler are and Ross and Rachel are handling parenthood with Tweens. I really want to see where Phoebe and Joey are now.  Shoot, I even miss Central Perk.  

2. 

Felicity: 

Ben, Noel, Noel, Ben, Ben, Ben.  I swear I went back and forth as much as Felicity.  I am just going to ignore the last episode and say it was all a bad dream, Noel didn't die and have them get back together.  

3.

This show was titles right.  I just need a show to explain the show to me. What does it all mean?  I am still lost. 

4. 

Don't hate the message hate the messenger.  I can't fix Mr. Cosby but that doesn't mean I care any less about the Huxtables. Tell me you don't want to know what kind of dad Theo turned out to be...go on.  

5. 

I don't know how they could do a reunion show about the Korean War but they couldn't. Maybe the 4077th could reunite for something.  A 20th anniversary of the end of the war or something.  I just want to see Hawkeye and Hot Lips and BJ again and Klinger and Radar.  Make this happen before everyone is dead! 

6.

I miss that bar.  I miss Sam and Woody and NORM!  Bring it on.  Just do it with Diane because I don't want to see Kirsty Alley. 

7. 

Truthfully this is the show that made me think of this blog.  I suddenly thought to myself what are Brian and Michael up to now?  It's been 10 years since we last saw them after all.  What about Lindsey and Mel?  What about the kids? 

8. 

Please admit just the thought of Alex P Keaton and an Obama presidency is enough to want this to happen! 

9. 

When this show was good it was so very good.  David and Maddie...they had chemistry and they were hysterical.  What are they doing today?  Where are they? Are they together?  Hmmmm. 

10. 

I can't help that I love this show.  When it's on, I watch it.   I love it.  I even got use to Rose McGowen.  Yes it was a little cheesy and they jumped the ship in the last season or two making Leo bad and then making up the two bad/good/bad witches to fight.  Even the fact that all the sisters got a happy ending as someone else was silly but I don't care.   They could have do a show with the now teen boys and how the sisters are handling half witch-Half white lighters.  Oh yes, thought about this.  

That's my list, what would you like to see? 

Enjoy the Ride!

Links to photos found here


Simply,
Laura

Whoops one more picture

My What I'm Loving blog

I forgot to post the above photo to today's blog so yeah...here or is. Lol

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What I'm Loving and Have a Pinteresting Wed: The one with the Chicks

It't Time for What I'm Loving and Have a Pinteresting Wednesday!   The Blog Hop where you get to share all the things you love and pinned this week.   Grab the button if you are so inclined and join in the fun!

What I'm Loving 

This week I am sharing our chicken coop love.   Now keep in mind that while the basic building is finished there are a few little details I haven't worked on yet. Specifically, the Best Little Hen House in Texas sign for the coop and the Welcome to the Chicken Ranch sign for the gate.  The chickens don't care but I have to trick it out a little.

Partially made, my varagesale saw horses put to good use

In the beginning there was wood and my husband saw that most of the wood was free (reclaimed pallets) and he said 'this is good...for a chicken coop.'  So he began building a frame and used the basic design of his deer stands from our land in East Texas.   

I can't take credit for the building.  My chief job was holding stuff while he cut and screwed things together.  I played the role of wood shop apprentice.  

Ready for customization

When we move the pieces to the chicken area and assembled it, my part started. First up is chicken coop color design.  For this I turned to "The Kid" who said "green is dad's and your favorite and pink is mine." Hard to argue with logic like that!   So I bought the paint and waited...because God had foreseen to replenish the drought ridden lakes, all in two months.  

Legs and painting begin 

I took the opportunity of a dry day to  paint the body.  I added a little flair to the green by throwing in some blue.  If this thing is going to look like an Easter Egg we may as well go all out.  And then...I waited for another dry day.   

Pink and Green, the kiddo picked

And God saw that the chicken coop needed to be done so the chicks could move in so he created a sunny day and I painted the trim pink.   (Last night we added a shingle roof and by we, I mean hubs, but I didn't get a picture because I was busy taking chicken video.) 

The chicks in their new home

Chicken love 

This is their first day out of the coop.  They were in heaven.

These are the 7 babies we got last week that aren't yet ready for the big chick coop.  Yes, we now have 23 chicks.  I can't wait for eggs!   I swear I had no idea how funny chickens were or how lovable.  There is a chance that some of the littlest ones are roosters since the Silkies only come in straight runs.   (That means you get what you get) as opposed to pullets (hens) 

Have a Pinteresting Wednesday:

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To keep with the chicken themed blog, I am sharing some of my Chickens folder in Pinterest, not to be confused with my CHICKEN folder which has recipes,   Don't tell my girls though, they are eggers not dinner.

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Love this sign.  I want to call it the Chicken Ranch because well, we are in Texas and because I also want to do a sign The Best Little Hen House in Texas...get it? Chicken Ranch?

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After this blog, I totally need this sign! 

Okay so what are you loving and pinning this week?

I don't want to Adult Today: 10 reason I want to be a kid again

                                                                                                                   
Every once in a blue moon I get a wild hair and do a Bonus Blog.  Today is that day.  I saw this cute blog hop and wanted to join in.  


So here is why I don't want to be an adult today:

1. Kids get to go to bed early and they complain about it.  I want to go to bed early.  Okay, let's be honest,  I have wanted to go to bed since I woke up.

2. Summer Vacation.  
I want that back.  I want it back now.

3. Endless energy.
I don't know what happened but somewhere between 20-something and 40-something I lost the ability to stay up all night and still go to class, er, work.

4. I want this bedroom 
Yes, I know it is a little boy themed but who cares?

5. I want to eat poprocks and drink a sugar filled coke, not diet!

6 . If I were a kid, I am pretty sure my knees wouldn't ache and my back would let me do handstands.

7. Swimming!
Oh, we swam all day as kids and drank lemonade, and caught fire flies.

8. Cocoa Pebbles:
When you are a kid, you can eat that stuff.  When you are a 40 year old woman, you know better but that doesn't mean you don't want to eat them, or Fruity Pebbles sometimes.

9. No Cellphone:
I know, this is a double edged sword because kids have them and use them all the time but I didn't as a kid and I am pretty sure, I was happier for not having them.

10.  Grandparents:
First, if I were a kid, mine would still be around.  Second, I could go get spoiled by them because that's what grandparents do and Third, I just really, really miss them and would love to sit and talk with them and have some lemonade and catch fire flies and eat a hamburger they grilled with white bread and not care.










 

Hey, It's Okay 71: Dear Spring plus my MLB Shop Wish List

Link up with Amber!

I am feeling a little  lot blah today.  I can't decide if this is a cold, allergies, or I am dying.  You have to love spring....or something.   

So first and foremost for my It's Okay:

*It's okay that with a cold/allergies I actually wish I were dying sometimes.  Looking like Rudolph isn't my idea of a Make-UP statement! 

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This is how I feel today: 

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Want this!

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To make matters worse, my husband woke up with the same sneezing, aching, runny nose, and crusty eyes this morning.  This probably won't end well for either of us.   He is a terrible grump when he feels bad and I just want to sleep when I do.

Okay for the rest of my it's okay post because my feeling like all of the 7 dwarfs except Happy and Doc is probably not the best, most positive, greatest blog post in the history of ever.  

It's okay to want this:

MLB Shop Link

and this

MLB Shop Link to this Item

and these

MLB Shop Link to this item

And after having broken my favorite Rangers charm bracelet on Opening Day (is it a sign?) I really want this:

MLB Shop Link to this

All that is okay, right?

It is also okay that I really hope my husband sees this blog and orders me that Pandora Bracelet for my birthday.   LOL, who am I kidding, he will probably get me a chicken coop.   

Finally, it's okay that I have my What I'm Loving and Have a Pinteresting Wednesday blog hop post ready to go and that tomorrow my blog is a total theme piece.   If you feel like joining in (Please do!!)  the hop posts at 9pm central tonight.  

Oh, and on that, it is okay that I am not all blog savvy and know how to create those wonderful little buttons that automatically link back to my blog so if you are linking up, it's copy and paste time because someone (Me) slept through computer training in high school.  They still use DOS right?