Thursday, May 31, 2012

Can't Keep Me Quiet!!

Oh HECK NO!!  That did not just happen!

My blog post did not just get eaten by the cyber monsters!  One of my favorites?  The one which was recognized in the BlogHer NaBloPoMo email?  One minute I was reading it, preparing to reply to a comment and the next ...

POOF!!

It was gone. Vanished.  Disappeared from the face of all things bloggy.

But I refuse to let the great internet vacuum win.  I will not be kept silent.  Nope, not this gal!

Fortunately I had a copy of said post tucked away somewhere.  So, what do I do, but just post it again!

Oh sure... the link to the original post takes you to a broken link.  But it is atleast my blog, so hopefully anyone interested enough will poke around a little and find the repost.

And let this be a lesson to whatever force of technology ate my post.  You can't keep a good blogger down.  Or in my case, you can't keep me quiet!

Back When You Were Little

Back when you were little - I used to take afternoon naps with you; your soft head under my chin.


Now - You don't take naps, and you stay up later than I can keep my eyes open.



Back when you were little - You had the cutest chubby little legs, complete with little Michelin man rolls on the thighs.

Now- You are taller than I am.



Back when you were little - People used to comment on your adorable little cheeks

Now - Those cheeks are showing the first fuzz of facial hair.



Back when you were little - You used to come running to show me every little treasure you found and share every part of your adventures.

Now - You are the king of one syllable answers and grunts.



Back when you were little - You used to like my singing and would sing along with me.

Now - You roll your eyes when I sing in the car and beg me to "Please stop"



Back when you were little - You used to plead with me to rub your back while we watched TV or read a book

Now - Ok, maybe some things still haven't changed.



Back when you were little - You were my sweet little boy. The cause of my first gray hairs. The tiny little male child I loved with all my heart.

Now - You're not so little anymore. You're growing more and more independent. But you still cause me new gray hairs. And I still love you just as much as I did back when you were little.






Happy 14th Birthday Little Man!!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

And Now For Something Completely Different...

I was recently tagged in a post at Shouldn't Life Be More Than This to participate in a blogger's game. And I decided to play along since it gives me something to post about today rather than having to drag something out of thin air.

The "rules" say I have to tell you eleven random facts about myself, answer a. eye's eleven questions for me (sweetheart that she is - she only gave me eight!), then tag 11 other bloggers to answer my own 11 questions.  So.. here it goes:



11 Random Facts About Me:
1. I don't like onions.  No.  That's not quite true.  I despise onions.  In any shape or form.  I leave them out of any recipe that calls for them. I can't stand the smell of cooking onions.  And the smell of raw onions makes me gag.
2.  In recent years I have developed a very weak stomach.  Lots of things make me nauseous or even give me the dry heaves.  Including thinking about the dry heaves.  So, we're going to move on quickly from this item.
3.  When I was a kid I went through a phase where I was "allergic" to the sun.  Every time I went out in the sun I would break into hives.
4.  I was also allergic to bees and penicillin.
5.  I had to take a break while doing this because the cat used the litter box and stunk up the entire room.  Forcing me to leave until the air cleared. (see #2)
6.  I love being a grandma more than I ever could have imagined!  Even if I am too young for it.
7.  I need a cup of coffee.  Like, NOW.
8.  Or ice cream...
9.  I love peanut butter and Reese's cups.  But am now likely allergic to peanuts in all shapes and forms.
10.  When I was young I wanted to have black hair and green eyes.
11. It was a lot harder to come up with 11 random facts than I thought it would be!

Answers To A. Eye's Questions:
1.  Soy milk or regular milk? Cow's milk - skim. 
2.  Favorite sport to watch? Why?   Football.   I never liked football much until I got together with The Man of the House.  He was a life-long fan, and after spending Sunday afternoons and evenings, Monday nights, and some Saturdays and Thursdays watching with him.  It grew on me.  Then when the Carolina's finally got a team I was hooked!
3.  Sitcoms or reality television?   I suppose this depends on your definition of "reality television".  I have never seen a single episode of Survivor or The Bachelor.  I don't watch shows like the "Real Housewives of" anything, or anything with the Kardashians, or anything on MTV.  (I still mourn the days when "Music TV" used to really play MUSIC videos!  Pretty much all day!)  However I do watch a lot of food shows, and shows like Planet Earth and it's various spin-offs.  Sometimes I'll even watch Deadliest Catch.  And I occasionally find myself watching marathons of  "Say Yes to the Dress"  On my really off days I have gotten sucked into an episode (or 2, or 5) of "Toddlers and Tiaras" or "My Strange Addiction".  4.  Laptop or tablet? Why?  Laptop.  'Cause that's what we have.
5.  Which person has influenced your life the most? Jesus
6.  Which would you most hate to be without, television, computer, or cell phone? I have to say computer. Because as long as I have that I can find stuff to watch and can communicate with others.
7.  Which would you hate to be without, your hair or a body shape you liked?  My hair.
8.  Where would you rather live - high-rise or suburbs? Why?  Suburbs.  I like having a yard.  And I am afraid of heights.

My Questions For:
Janice's Footsteps
Monday Morning Musings
This n That
Just My Thoughts
Everyday Underwear
Coffee and Spellcheck
Feeling Beachie
Winnie's Inky Fingers

AND ANYONE else who wants to answer them in the comments section!!

1.  What is your favorite book?
2.  Favorite sweet treat?
3.  Who would play you in the movie version of your life?
4.  What was your favorite subject to study in school?
5.  What are you grateful for everyday?
6.  Do you still have your tonsils?
7.  If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
8.  Who do you miss the most?
9.  If you could be any fictional character, who would you chose?
10.  What is your favorite sound?
11.  When was the last time you were nervous?

Friday, May 25, 2012

A "Graeter" Ice Cream

When my dear friend over at Carano's Punk Rock Cucina recently blogged about Graeter's Ice Cream, I thought to myself:  "Sounds good.  Too bad it's not available around here"  So you can imagine my pleasure and surprise when the very next day I got an email from Earth Fare Supermarket with a coupon for a free pint of Graeter's with a $5 purchase!  It's as if the very universe was telling me I needed to try this ice cream.

After trying it, I have to say that: The universe was right!!

Being the coffee and chocolate obsessed gal that I am, I went straight for the Mocha Chocolate Chip

This ice cream is simply delicious!  Maybe it's their French Pot Process of making only 2 gallons at a time.  Maybe it's the all natural ingredients.  But whatever the reason - I consider it pure heaven in a cardboard container! 

The coffee flavor was perfect.  Strong without being bitter.  The ice cream was smooth and creamy.  The chocolate.  Oh... the chocolate!  I think they must grate the chocolate "chips" themselves.  The sizes varied and I even found a large chunk buried in the middle of my pint! 



I'm not ashamed to tell you that in the past two days I have eaten the entire pint all by myself... with apologies to the Man of the House and a promise to pick up more soon!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

My Eyes Are Right Here

The Grand baby's new favorite game seems to be trying to pretend the person holding him just doesn't exist.  

The rules of this game seem simple.  He is completely intent on looking at absolutely anything else in the room, except you - the person holding him.  And he's very good at it.  Especially when the person holding him (that would be me) has her own face about 6 inches from his and is saying "Hey.. I'm right here.  Helloooo... right here pal.  Right.  Here." 

Oh sure. Every so often, his eyes will finally stray over and meet yours. He'll give you that huge melt-my-heart grin, laugh, and immediately look away to something - anything - else.


Now.. I will admit there is a very slim chance that the combination tuna sandwich and cheesecake breath he may have been experiencing thanks to my lunch could have caused him to keep looking away in an attempt to keep his eyes from watering.  But maybe not.

When he finally grew tired of the game and was making eye contact with me, and talking to me; I told him that I didn't find that game very funny.  In fact, it's a little rude. 

His response?  He grinned and actually chuckled... and then looked away from me to check out the ceiling fan.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Follow Friday, Or: The simple things: avoiding conflict, finding patience, and getting perspective.

Yes...  She's baaaack.  For another Follow Friday Fill-in. 

I figured out that the nice thing about these is that my brain can start the weekend early.  I don't feel pressure to come up with some witty, insightful, or inspirational blog post - Feeling Beachie does all the hard work for me!  And I get to meet some other great bloggers along the way. 


To play along, just play the fill-in game and add the Follow Friday linky-dink thing to your own blog.

This week's statements:

1)  I like to avoid _____ if possible.
2)  _____ is a virtue I do not have.
3)  Sometimes the _____ are the _____.
4)  I think that _____ are the best _____.

And now... the part you've all been waiting for... MY RESPONSES!!

1)  I like to avoid conflict if possible. I'm just not typically a confrontational type of person.


2)  Patience is a virtue I do not have.


3)  Sometimes the worst times in your life are the best things that happen to you.  It just takes perspective to see it

4)  I think that the simple things in life are the best things in life.









Thursday, May 17, 2012

From Hair To Eternity

Like many women, I spend a lot to time thinking about my hair.  We have a love/hate relationship.  One minute it's my crowning glory, the next day it's the bane of my existence.  I can't be 100% sure what each day will bring, but based on the fact that it's taking forever to dry and doing some strange flippy things - I think I know where this is headed. (pun unintended)

Like many girls of my generation, I fell prey to the Dorothy Hamill spell and convinced my mother to let me cut my hair when I was about 7 years old.  That began years of short hair.  I'm pretty sure it stayed short for so long because every time it would start to grow out, my mother would get fed up with that awkward in between stage and cut it all off again.  I even went through a pixie stage in middle school.  Except for a few trials at a bob, I usually keep it shoulder length or longer now.

Sometimes I wear it straight.  Most of the time I let it just do it's natural curling and waving thing. 

Usually it's some shade of red.  But I have played with being blond, and brunette.

But all things aside - the frizzy days, the flat days, the what on earth is it doing? days - I love my hair. It's thick. It's naturally wavy to curly. Second only to my eyes, it is the feature I get the most compliments.  Oh sure, it's got a little more gray than I like to admit; but thanks to a box of hair color every now and then, no one has to know exactly how much.

How do you feel about your hair?













Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The Self-Cleaning Kitchen

I want a self-cleaning kitchen.  Yeh... go ahead and laugh.  I heard it too.  But while you may chuckle over my impossible fantasy; I am completely serious.
Before I go to bed at night I want to turn out the light and push a button.  When I stumble back into the room in the morning the dishes will be washed and put away.  The counter tops will be wiped down.  And the floor will be swept.

Oh!  And the coffee will be made.  If I'm dreaming I might as well dream big, right?  Although, for the sake of complete honesty - that part usually happens anyway since The Man of the House is up before me most mornings.  He's good like that.

There will be no more asking a 13 year old boy to empty the dishwasher, only to have to listen to him grumble and groan as if he were just sentenced to 30 years hard labor.  No finding random globs of jelly, or invisible mystery sticky spots on the counter top.  No more going to sleep thinking the dishes are caught up, only to wake in the morning to find that someone has crept in and filled the sink with empty bowls, cups, and coffee mugs. 

Only a bright, sparkly kitchen.  Shiny.  Clean.  Ahhh... nice, huh?

And until the day that they invent the self-cleaning kitchen, I really wish the person mainly responsible for that duty around here would keep up with it a little better.  Oh...wait.  That's me. 

Monday, May 14, 2012

The Little Man's Guitar Recital

(I apologize for all the shaking, drifting, and refocusing.  I was trying to hold onto a sleeping grandbaby while shooting video with one hand





He started lessons in August 2011.  This was his first recital.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Why Worry?

I recently found myself in a comment "conversation" with another blogger about worrying.  She made the comment that "hey, I could get hit by the beer truck tomorrow and it'd all be over anyway, so why worry, right? Still hard not to, though!"

I think the difference is that with the bus scenario, at least I wouldn't have time to worry.  There I would be, walking down the street, minding my own business.  And let's be honest, I'd probably be worrying about something completely different.  Maybe the off-spring, my health, the health of the Man of the House, the economy, or biological warfare.  Maybe I'd be worrying about where the beef for the burger I just ate actually came from.  Was it treated humanely? how much bovine hormone and antibiotics did I take in with my bacon and cheese? not to mention the cheese.  Oh, and the bacon.  Whatever.  You get the picture.  I would be worrying about something.  And then, out of nowhere - BAM!!  Bus.  And then none of the worrying about any of the rest of it would matter. 

That's the point:

 How much time do we spend worrying?  How much of what we worry about never even happens?  So we worried about - you guessed it - NOTHING!  Worrying isn't going to stop the things that will happen from happening.  And it isn't going to take care of them if they do happen. 

So, sure, I could spend my days worrying about crime, super viruses, and a long list of other things.  Or, I can try to stop worrying.  I can focus on fixing or preventing the things I can do something about.  And I can trust God to deal with the rest of it. 

(Thanx to Cindy @ Everyday Underwear  for the inspiration!)

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Lost In A Dream

When I first woke up this morning, a phrase was in my head.  Like a message from a dream.  In those first moments it was clear, and in that hazy half awake stage it had great meaning.  I tried to hold onto it.  But like all dreams, the more awake I became - the more distant it seemed.  Until it was gone. 

I can still feel it there.  Just on the fringes of my waking mind.   But I can't seem to recapture it.  Like chasing a shadow. 

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Off The Posting Track

Maybe one of these months I'll finally get this NaBloPoMo thing right...

I will finally find the time and creativity to post every single day of the month.  I will be clever.  I will be humorous and insightful depending on the day.  I will post to my blog and completely dominate the NaBloPoMo challenge.  I will rock the prompts like no one has ever rocked them before.  All others posting to the monthly soup will stand in awe of how I took the challenge and owned it. 

Or maybe not...

Probably not...

I tried.  I truly had every great intention when I signed myself up and started the month.  THIS was going to be the month I finally signed up for this puppy and completed it!  It was my month to post!  Alas, life got in the way.  It threw me off the posting track into a ditch and laughed at me as it flew past. 

Maybe next month.  Hope always springs eternal.  Right?

Saturday, May 5, 2012

With Actions and Truth

I'm cross-posting between my other blog and here because I am just too tired to think creatively enough to come up with two separate posts today.  I apologize for rmy laziness...

Today The Man of the House, The Little Man, and myself went with our small group from church to work on a service project. Our church sponsers days like this a few times a year, (known as "Love Loud" projects) for members to go out into the community and be of service to others.


We each did various chores including weeding and weed eating, hauled garbage, assembled a grill, spread some mulch, power washing, and assorted repair work.

It was a great experience. And exhausting.

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth ~ 1 John 3:18

Friday, May 4, 2012

Blog Hoppin'

I'm not a "forward this email for/so/to" kind of gal.  I always delete the emails or toss the snail mails asking me to participate by sending a recipe to X and three more letters to the people of my choosing.   I don't post spammy type things just so everyone will know how I feel about.. well, anything. 

This particular frame of mind would explain why I have also never taken part in a "Blog Hop".  Seemed like the same sort of gobbledygook to me.  (Yes, gobbledygook IS a real word.  Just ask Miriam-Webster!) But Megan over at Monday Morning Musings was just so darn persuasive,  and made it look like so much fun - I had to give it a shot just this one time.  We'll see...

This week's "Follow Friday" is hosted by Feeling Beachie and Monday Morning Musings.  Please stop by their blogs and consider following them on their blogs, twitter, etc.

To play along, just play the fill-in game and add the Follow Friday linky doodad to your own blog.  (yes, doodad is also a real word.  I promise)

This week’s statements:
1. I can’t stand when people say ____
2. If you are going to __ please___
3. Call me a _____ because ______
4. If I had a dollar for every time I heard ______, I swear I’d be a millionaire by now.

And now with no further ado...  MY RESPONSES:

1. I can’t stand when people say li-bary.  It's libRary people!!  LI - BRARY!!  There is another R in there.  USE IT!!


2. If you are going to say li-bary please make sure I am out of hearing range.  I don't want to have to hurt you.  Or feel my ears start bleeding.

3. Call me a joiner because I'm playing along with this whole "follow Friday" thing.

4. If I had a dollar for every time I heard how blue my eyes are and asked if they were contacts, I swear I’d be a millionaire by now.










Thursday, May 3, 2012

Programmed To Make You Crazy

If you are a new mother, or an expecting mother - I think it's important for you to know this.  I wish someone had warned me.  Being able to mentally prepare myself for this aspect of motherhood would saved me a lot of mental anguish and distress.  OK... probably not.  But it still would have been nice to know.  So, I feel it is my duty to warn you.

If there is a particular kid's television show which you find annoying, creepy, or disgusting - your kid is going to love it.  Not only that, but the amount to which it drives you completely insane in the shortest time possible is exactly how much your offspring is going to enjoy it and will directly affect how often he is going to want to watch it.

Oh sure.  I can hear you thinking it... "MY child is never going to watch that show!"  Uh huh.  Let me tell you a little story about another naive mom:

There is a certain purple dinosaur who shall remain nameless.  And there was a a certain young mom (yes, I was young.  This was some time ago - alright??)  who felt that Mr Purple Dinosaur was a tool of all things evil sent here to destroy joy and peace. 

The sound of his stupid, irritating voice would grate on her very bones.  If she had one nerve left, Mr Purple Dinosaur was sitting smack right on it.  And that song he sang.  That song climbed inside your brain and ate away at it like a demonic ear worm.  The young mother could hear it in her dreams nightmares

The young mom swore her beautiful little princess would never watch the show with Mr Purple Dinosaur.  Nope.  "Not my kid", she swore.  Until the day the little Princess saw Mr Purple Dinosaur.  And adored him.  She wanted to watch him every day.  She wanted to sing his smarmy little song loudly and with enthusiasm.

Fortunately the fascination did not last long, and the mother survived to see the next annoying kid's show that came along.  And there is always another one waiting around the corner.  I think somewhere in the creative offices at Nickelodeon studios there sits a bunch of people carefully considering what will be the next great thing to make parents' skin crawl.

So, there you have it.  You have been warned.  The only way to avoid it is to toss out the television, and make sure your child is not exposed to any influences outside the home until... well.. until they leave home!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Don't Let The Yellow Door Hit You On Your Way Out

Dear Pollen;

I could no longer hold my feelings inside.  I had to write to tell you that I deeply, truly, madly, endlessly despise you!  I, for one, have just about enough of your antics!  What makes you think you have the right to take over Spring and ruin it for so many of the rest of us?  I am sick and tired of your little games. 

I can't take any more of the way you make my eyes water and itch.  Completing the image with dark circles underneath that make me appear as if I have done a few rounds with a heavyweight boxer.  Not that I can see it for myself, thanks to the way they swell up.

The way you make my sinuses close up, and yet somehow you still manage to keep my nose drip, drip, dripping between the seemingly endless sneezing:  nice - really nice.  As if that isn't enough misery, you also cause the roof of my mouth to be itchy and irritated, along with a sore throat.  And you top the entire package off with some wheezy breathing. 

It's not even the way you treat me personally.  You have no respect for any of my belongings either.  You turn my car a funky color by leaving a coating of yellow on top of the original paint color.  Also spreading your yellow dust onto my windows, the front door, and all over my porch and driveway.  It's disgusting to have yellow finger tips every time I try to touch something.  Which means washing my hands before I accidentally touch my face and make the above mentioned attacks even worse! 

Oh sure, you think you are so great and special.  I'm sure the pharmaceutical companies are big fans of yours.  And the tissue manufacturers (who I probably single-handedly keep in business this time of year).  And yes, I know all about how you are responsible for the creation of delicious fruits and vegetables.  I don't want to hear it.  Come back and talk to me sometime in late June or July.  When I'm not a sneezing, wheezing, snotty mess.  Maybe I'll be willing to listen as I bite into a nice juicy peach or slice up a ripe tomato. 

Until then, I don't want anything to do with you.  Do me a favor - take your yellow mess and just leave!

Insincerely Yours...