Mark your calendars

I'm going to go finish my France video to post later, but couldn't resist this blurb on my "headlines" when logging on. Family Home Evening is looking up come the end of September :)

Southern gentleman Brad Womack is ABC's newest Bachelor, the network has announced.

Starring in a reality series about romance – the 11th edition of the matchmaking show – is a drastic change for the Atlanta-born, Texas-reared 34-year-old, who spent his 20s working in the oil fields of Louisiana, North Dakota and California.

But perhaps it's not so different from tending bar, which is how he began his rise to success. Working with his brothers Wesley and Chad (his twin), Womack saved enough money to purchase his first drinking establishment in 2001. He now co-owns four bars with his brothers – both of whom are married – and resides in Austin. (He and the brothers are featured on the MySpace page for one of their bars, The Chuggin' Monkey.)

Already, the show has dubbed him "The Bachelor's own McSteamy" and claims he is "sincere" and "optimistic" about finding his wife.

Womack is set to wrangle his perfect match among 25 eager women he'll meet in the Monday, Sept. 24, premiere (9:30 p.m. ET).

On another note. We have a yard guy who's supposed to be helping us keep up on our foliage issues and it's not working out. MEANING . . . he never shows up. Does anyone have any suggestions of a replacement company that's good with desert landscaping, or even a good website to figure what I could do so I can do it myself. I am SO sick of looking at our dead plants and/or overgrown weeds and plants. It's driving me crazy and I can't get my kids on board to work out there with me (in the heat) for a couple hours at a time, EVEN if I promise we'll swim afterward.

Brock has bit through his last binky. I don't know how many little bits of silicone bink parts he's swallowed cuz I have thought it sounded weird when he sucked on it for the past couple days. Upon examining it, sure enough, he has bit two holes into the sides. Now he's been in bed for 40 minutes and I can hear him farting around and then stopping to whine for his "BIIINNNKKKK." I figure this may be a great time to break the habit since he knows it's broken (he even threw it away himself.) However, I am more attached to the bink sometimes than he is as it's an instant soother/go to bed aide. So, we'll see how long my resolve lasts. I may be taking a stop at Walmart tomorrow morning before naptime. I guess it's a sign that my baby is really not so much a baby anymore. I'm not really sad about that; I mean he's nearly two. It's exciting, but a little bittersweet as I've enjoyed having a "baby" to the family, but don't want him growing up as "babied." I am trying to teach him to tough up a bit and not be so quick to listen to his squeals and blame the other kids; he's smart that way. Also, I need to encourage him to speak a little more clearly. The loss of the bink should help that, I figure.

Alright, off to video.