Proud MaMa Moment

A little over a week ago the local dry cleaner here in town caught fire during the night... it was adjacent to a shopping center that housed other businesses including an empty storefront that was being used as a holding for the donated toys for Toys for Tots.  Over $15,000 in toys and about $6,000 in clothing were lost... as always you can count on the Gaylord community to spring into action and start restocking of those items so that every child can have a Christmas (there was no insurance).  Even I was/am holding a fundraiser and ALL proceeds earned from my Tupperware sales through December 14th will be donated to the Toys for Tots program in Gaylord.  So where does the proud Mama moment come into play?

The first thing out of my baby girl's mouth when she woke up this morning was, Mama we gotta put this money (lefting a handful of change she'd been saving for month) in a baggie so I can take it to school for Toys for Tots!  I wished I'd had a camera handy, her sad little face looking up at me as if to say "if we don't get this money to them there won't be any Christmas"... that's my baby girl.  She really does have my "giving" blood in her.  A moment in time when she wasn't thinking of herself and wouldn't stop until I had the baggie down and filled with change.  I even offered to get some more money for her to take but she didn't want it... this was HER money and SHE was giving it for something she believed to be special and purposeful.  that folks, is my proud mama moment!!

Are You Strong Enough?

Yesterday was a big day here in America... Election Day.  Not just any Election Day, but the one where we decide on who our president will be for the next four years... sometimes a tough decision, sometimes not so much.  There's always a few extra names listed on the ballot of people you've likely never heard of and two you most definitely have... this year, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney were our Primary choices.  When it comes to the president and presidential elections things can get heated, arguments begin, friendships end, people laugh, people cry... for some it's a highly emotional time.

I'll make no bones about it, I didn't vote for Obama the first time and I sure as heck didn't vote for him this time.  He didn't win and honestly I'm ok with that... I'm not ok with some of his past choices, and probably won't be with some of his future choices.  It's ok... it's ok because everyone has made some poor choices throughout their lives and I'm sure Romney would have made some poor decisions throughout his presidency had he won.  We all (I'm guilty of it too) seem to hold the president responsible for everything that goes wrong, and for not making positive changes.  The economy is in a hard hard state right now, people are hurting and struggling, fighting to survive and one man can't fix that.  It is unrealistic to think Obama could have made such great changes in the past four years, and it would have been unrealistic to expect Romney to fix the mess that was created over the past eight plus years.  There is only one that can truly heal the hurt, feed the starving and lessen the struggles... He's our Almighty God.  You know the verse, "I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me" - pull him near, feel his warmth and I promise he'll pull you through whatever your troubles may be.  No president can do that!

So here we are... Obama has another four years to finish what he started, another four years to get it right, to learn from his mistakes and go forward making GOOD decisions to help America turn itself around.  Just keep in mind that ONE man can't do it alone, we all have to be a part of the equation.  We all have to be a part of the solution, be the change you want to see in the world, be the role model the world needs you to be... shake your neighbors hand and let's put this country back together again!

Thankful Thursday...

**only one day late this week**

Yikes, it’s Thankful Thursday already and I wrote nothing in between… boo me.

I’ve been thinking about this Thankful Thursday thing, and I’m thinking I need to think about it sooner than on Thursday’s… I played through so many things that I’m thankful for that I literally got a headache.  Seriously, where do you start when you have so many things to be thankful for?  I’ll tell ya where…  with God.  I know, there was a time when such a statement coming from my mouth would have caused panic but don’t worry… Mercury isn’t in Retrograde or anything like that.  Well maybe it is, I haven’t checked lately so who knows.

Anywho… if ya know me, and I mean really know me and not just think you know me… you know there was a period when me and God didn’t exactly see eye to eye.  I never stopped talking to him, well maybe it was more like yelling at him… but either way, I’ll tell ya flat out he never left my side.  I’ll save you the gory details of my past but there were many a time when, in looking back, He was there catching me every time I fell… except that one time that involved black ice and a concusion, and that other time that involved high heels and ½ dozen shots, but I digress…

It was rough… it still is.  But now I have more faith that everything will be ok.  It was 2010 and after seven years of “bad luck” I’d had enough, I heard his call and followed his lead… the decision was made, me and the kids would be going back to church.  Their father didn’t want any part of it at the time, which was ok cause I was going to need someone to take care of the kids after I burst into flames from stepping foot in a church.  Seriously.  I researched the area churches and decided on Oak Pointe Church in Novi.  The day came, the kids were excited, I was nervous and cautiously approached the building slowly walking in further and further… sigh, phew… no flames.  Would you believe I noticed changes happening right away… and for the better!   For the longest time, while at odds with God, I had that attitude of “just because I don’t go to church doesn’t mean I’m not a Christian, or a good person”… it’s not enough, it really isn’t.   There’s a BIG difference in saying I believe in God and actually believing in him… know what I mean?  You can go around and say, yeah yeah I believe… but do you really?  What do your actions say?  What does your heart say?  Do you feel the belief or is it just  a passive statement??  Do ya get it now?

Anywho… long story short, we only attended that church for about 8 months when God started making big moves in our lives and he took us to Port Huron for a new and wonderful career!  Then a year later we were called to head north… and back to my home church, Gaylord Evangelical Free Church.  The church has grown TREMENDOUSLY since I left the area in 1999 but it still has that small town warmth and love about it… even though the attendance has grown so much, I still see so many faces I recognize and I’m thankful for that.  A little sad when some of the faces are of those that were in elementary school the last time I saw them, or were just graduating high school and now have families of their own… sigh, I feel so old.  :o(

Back to my long story short… I’m thankful for God and his forgiveness.  If you’ve never heard of 2wordstory, I highly recommend you check out their site and program – it’s AWESOME!  I struggled with my own 2 word story and what it should be, there were sooo many words I could use but I settled on the one most fitting.  My story… Forgiven?  Forgiven.  Someday I’ll tell ya about it, but for now this song by Mercy Me describes it pretty well.

Thankful Thursday...

Yes, I know it’s not Thursday but Thursday got away from me so here we are… celebrating Thankful Thursday on Saturday.  Soooo, on the way to work Thursday morning I was listening to 89.3 and callers were calling in to tell what they were thankful for – after all, it was Thankful Thursday.  What an awesome idea right?  The whole way in I thought about the blog and what to write in regards to Thankful Thursday, had a whole line up of things… then as soon as I got to work it all left and my brain turned to squish.

Let me start by going way back to April 30, 2012… I arrived to work and found this hottie sitting on my keyboard, just waiting to make my day special!

Seems strange I know, but it’s the little things that matter most… and my old cell mate knew just how to make me smile.  She’d come across this old poster and for some crazy reason thought of me, wrote up a little caption bubble and perched him on my keyboard for my morning pleasure.  I am soooo thankful for a great number of things but I’m starting this one off with my cell mate and dear friend Mellea… we’re like sisters that were separated at birth.  We’re both twisted, have minimal filters on our mouths and get each other’s off the wall sense of humor.   People were jealous, I know they were… and they were lurking, just waiting in the wings like vultures for when I left, hoping and praying that I’d leave the poster behind so they could have it – not a chance!!  Here he is in his new home at my new office…. And yes, I did put baby in a corner…

So, of all the things I could have mentioned being thankful for in relation to Ms. Mellea why did I mention the Bon Jovi story?  Because of this stellar young man right here….

Yup, he’s one to be thankful for too.  He’s a Foster Care Worker here in Emmet County and I know there are a lot of people thankful for him.  There must be, because he’s being recognized and honored for going above and beyond and is Foster Care Worker of the year!!! 

On a personal note I think he's jealous of my Bon Jovi poster... he's a jokester too and has made a few silly comments about him.  It's ok though, it puts a smile on my face and that's something to be thankful for!  So can you imagine the smile, not to mention flat out laughter that followed when I saw this on my cube wall just hanging there staring at me...

Here, let me zoom in so you can see that it's actually autographed...

Not only am I honored to be one of the select few to receive one, but he spelled my name right too!!  Told you it's the little things that matter most!  And in case you can't read what it says, let me help ya out... "Best Wishes and keep striving for greatness, continue Living on a Prayer" - told you he was jealous.  ;o)

Happy Today

There are many things that make me happy... the warmth from the sun, the beauty of fresh fallen snow on the trees, waking up, being able to walk, and talk, you know the little things like that.

But what makes me the happiest today??  Knowing that my baby girl loves me and isn't afraid to show that love and affection in front of a bus full of kids.  Every day she gives me a hug goodbye and says "I love you mama."  That just makes me puff all up inside and darn near make me wet my pants with joy... cause I know it won't last long. :o(

Be Aware, Very Aware

Well now apparently October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month – and here I thought it was domestic awareness month, or was it breast cancer awareness month?  We have grown to have so many “awareness” causes that we not only have to double up and share month’s now but we’ve worked our way down to giving each day an awareness!!   Did you know Oct 27^th is Cranky Co-workers day – since that’s on a Saturday this year I think I’ll celebrate a day early!  Now don’t everyone go having a stroke about this but, Oct 29^th is World Stroke Day!  Yes, I know having a stroke isn’t funny, it’s very serious – but do we need a day for it?  November 15^th is World Philosophy Day… really?  Cause around here it’s known as Opening Day for Firearm season… To hunt or not to hunt, that is the question… I think, therefore I’m overqualified… no wait, I have more!!  Bwahahaha   Do ya see where I’m coming from here folks?  Do I need to go on?  You want to know why this week is traditionally hell week for me?  Because of all these dumb made up days… Boss’s day is Oct 16^th, Sweetest Day (BLECH) is the 20^th this year but sometimes those two are neck & neck with each other and what falls in between??  Of course you don’t know, that’s why this rant has taken this direction (it seriously has gone in a direction I didn’t intend)… because there’s always so much love being shown to boss’s and sweeties (sniffle sniffle) that I get left behind, forgotten and kicked to the side without even so much as a bottle o’ booze. 

That is all… Carry on people, carry on.

Mama it Fell Out!

For the last couple of weeks all I've heard is, "mama my tooth is really wiggly."  Well ok, that might not be ALL I've heard but I've heard it a LOT, until this morning.  I was getting breakfast ready for baby girl and next thing I know she comes running to the kitchen saying "mama mama it fell out!", I spun around and sure enough there she stood with her hand out holding a little tooth!

It was so cute & funny to hear her talk that I made her repeat herself several times just to hear her talk... luckily she was so excited that she didn't realize what I was doing.  Then I warned her about eating and drinking now because the tooth is missing and things could fall out - she looked at me like I'd gone bonkers. 

As you can see, that tiny little tooth left quite a decent size hole...

I'm not sure what the going rate for teeth is these days but I can sure bet you it won't be as much as the Tooth Fairy's new door that will magically appear tonight....

Yes, I know I'm a dork - so what!  Santa has a chimney, why can't the Tooth Fairy have a door?

Bully Time...

**NOTE... my access to a "real" internet connection is currently limited, therefore you will likely see, from time to time, a rash of posts come about that one would normally see several days or weeks apart from each other...


Soooo... three days into riding the bus, the bus she so excitedly loves to ride to and fro, she encountered a bully.  Some students get on the bus at the end of the day and then get off at another location to catch their "real" bus home - they are called transfer students in the eyes of the busing system.  One particular little girl, also a first grader, decided it would be fun to hit baby girl on the head while she was departing for her bus.  Baby girl asked her to stop multiple times but the bully continued and even dared grab at her face resulting in this...

Of course I made the calls necessary to make sure this doesn't happen again and I was assured that reports were made, parents talked to and an investigation was under way.  I also found out that the bus has a camera on it but, of course, the girls were close to the front of the bus in the "blind spot" of the camera.  The Bus Garage Supervisor said you can tell something's happening based on the other kids movements but you can't actually see what's going on... then he went on to tell me of all the new safety improvements being made to buses... he was rather chatty & offered no real solution other than to keep an eye on them and hope that it doesn't happen again.  The scratch is healing well and it's a little early to tell how it will eventually look but right now it's looking like a scar on her nose...

You would think an apology would come from the parent and child... nearly 2 weeks later and not one word from either... Hmmm...

Firsts...

My baby girl started first grade last week... sigh.  It was a day of many firsts for us... last year she attended a school that I absolutely loved and could have and would have been the only thing that kept me from moving.  It's a charter school and while still considered a public school, the kids all wore uniforms, there was no busing system or in house lunches & breakfast options.

I had hoped to be settled closer t work before school started but it was crazy to think that would happen so quickly... I barely had time to prepare for the initial move north, let alone find a place too!  So for the moment we are with family and making it work... bouncing her from school to school isn't what I wanted to do but she won't be the first to do it, right?  Other kids have survived starting at multiple new schools during their child hood, right?  She'll be ok... right?

So the day quickly came upon us and it was time... the FIRST day of the FIRST grade and her FIRST experience in riding a bus to and from school, and don't forget her FIRST time with the option to either take her luch to school or to buy it there.  I think I was more scared than her... having been a shy child I know it can be scarey doing something new for the FIRST time.  The bus came, she timidly got on and away she went... my baby girl, growing up and learning indpendence.  As the tears filled my eyes I prayed I'd taught her enough and covered all the scenarios of what to do in a "what if" situation... and with that, I was in my car headed for the school to make sure she made it safely.

I'm sure I looked like some kind of child creeper... I sat in my car, waiting and watching, waiting and watching... wondering what was taking so long... and then the buses all started pulling in.  Her bus pulled in and of course I couldn't see it so I scurrying out of the car and "snuck" up into the school yard and hid behind a tree, watching and waiting once again for her to appear from the big yellow bus... being careful that she didn't see me.  Off she came, just a trucking along and keeping up with the other kids and heading into school - my very own, Ms. Independent.

The traditional first day, in front of the door picture... 

Hey There, Hi There, uhhh Hello!

I know it's been a while since you've all heard from me and there's a good reason for it... been lots happening in a super fast way!  Trust me, it's not that I haven't had anything to say... far from it.  So let me kinda bring you up to speed and then I'll try to get back on track with my regularly scheduled posts from here...

The basic low down... I moved, or rather am in the process of moving.  I'm lucky enough to have one of those jobs that allows you to transfer to other area's of the state when an opening arises.  Well I've been away from my family for nearly 13 years, mom's health has been up and down over the last couple years so I decided it was time to get back "home."  I figured it would take a while for any sort of transfer to come available, thinking there wasn't much turn over in Northern Michigan... boy was I wrong!  I submitted my transfer request mid June and within 2 weeks had received my first call for a contract position in Antrim County.  While I wasn't thrilled about that type of position, I do love that area.  The position had just opened up and there were only 2 people on the transfer list willing to go there so they weren't sure how it was going to work and if they had to post the position for outside apps to or not but she would get back with me. 

In the meantime I received a call from the Alpena County office wanting to schedule an interview.  Woot! Woot!  Of course it still wasn't my first choice but it at least was getting me closer to home... so to the interview I went, that was on July 12th.  I felt it went ok, probably could have done better but I did what I could... and when I got back to work on the 13th there was a message from Emmet County also wanting to schedule an interview - holy cow guys!  So back North I went for that interview on the 17th and before I had even gotten back south that day they had called my boss for a reference because they had chosen ME as the worker they wanted to fill their open spot.  I know my boss wasn't happy about it but I was ecstatic!  The official offer came that very next day and they wanted me to start the next pay cycle - ONLY TWO WEEKS LATER!!!  Holy speed demons Batman!  When they want to move fast with something they sure don't waste any time!!  That's when things went lickety split and it was the quickest two weeks EVER!

Thankfully I was moving back closer to family and am able to stay with them until I can tie up loose ends, get out of my lease and get ALL my stuff moved north.  The new office is great, my new co-workers have been VERY friendly and welcoming, making me feel right at home and as if I'd been here for years.  It is of course an adjustment in many ways but we're managing, the kids are loving the country atmosphere... baby girl loves spending her days with grandma, helping with errands, visiting family and learning new things.  And the boy has adjusted just well to his new preschool/daycare, of course I knew he would cause he's my social butterfly.  I am a little nervous about registering baby girl for school next week though... she's used to going to a charter school and now she'll be in full blown public school complete with having to ride a bus!  I'm scared - pray for me!

80's Child...

yes, it's true... as much as it's going to date me, I'm an 80's child and by that I mean the 80's are when I was in the prime of my youth.  I've made it safely through the 70's, 80's, 90's and the first 11.5 years of the 00's but I must say by far that the 80's were and is the best decade to ever live through.

This past week I had the most awesome unexpected last minute opportunity to go see Def Leppard & Poison in concert!!!  I know you're jealous, cause I was!  As I always do, I was sitting there watching the morning news on Friday and they announced the concert for the next day.  I casually post on Facebook a comment about who was going to take me to the concert, a question I never even expected an answer too but I swear in less than 10 minutes I had a text message from an old friend that I hadn't seen since probably 1998ish letting me know that she just happened to have an extra ticket to the concert!!! SAY WHAT!!!!???

Talk about instant giddyness!  Weeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!  Well of course you know I couldn't turn that down, so guess what I did Saturday night!?  I know I know... silly question, right?

We co-ordinated our evening, met up for a little pre-concert tailgating and then went on in for some good old fashion 80's fun!  Here we are waiting for Poison to come on stage....

oh now let me back up just a little.... while I was prepping thy body for the festivities I decided I was going to do some sort of 80's hair for the fun of it.  You'll notice in the pic above, my hair is somewhat short... certainly most shorter than it ever was in the 80's or 90's for that matter.  So I did a little googling to see what kind of fashion short hair was in the 80's and this is what I found...

Seriously?  #1 I have rather fine and thin hair... to make any of these happen was going to be some kind of feat.  #2 even though it was as hot as it has been, I'm pretty sure if I had achieved any of these my hair would have dropped within 10 minutes of the elements.  But I gave it a whirl...

Before 80's hair attempt...

 Attempt in process....

80's attempt still in progress....

Well that was fun.... so as you can now see, my 80's attempt with short hair - FAIL!  But I suppose I still ended up with a little poof in the bangs with my "Something About Mary" swirl...

hey at least I haven't lost my touch in the makeup department... that's still kinda 80's-ish right?   I digress... it was an awesome concert!  I'm a tad jealous though at all the smart phone people... their phones were taking better pictures than my actual camera!!  So I either need to get with technology and upgrade to a smart phone or I need a better camera... I'm thinking both!  hahaha

Def Leppard doing their thang...

 Bret Michaels and the Poison crew making me tingle...



Pinterest Addiction

Have you heard of Pinterest?  Yeah I know, neither had I until a few months ago and turns out several of my friends even at that time were "members" - why had nobody told me!?  As if the internet itself wasn't a world of information to begin with, now it's like EVERYTHING is in one spot!  ONE FREAKING SPOT!!!

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.  People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and share their favorite recipes.  I personally use it to expand my horizons, plan my dream home and mainly just drool over all the neat foods and creativity!

It's a beautiful thing!  Roy and I literally spent an hour last night just scrolling through the food section looking at all the yummy goodness and getting ideas for new recipes to try.  It's not just all about food though, that's just the #1 thing I look at most often... there are decorating ideas, ideas for kid projects, organizing, weddings, vacations, awesome photographs and sooooo much more!

If you haven't checked it out yet, I encourage you to do so... but be prepared to add a new addiction to your list!

Be Happy

In my cousin Tiffany's blog yesterday she talked about what made her happy this week and ended with the question of, "What made you happy this week?"  Do you know, even with all that I'm thankful for I couldn't think of one thing that I was happy about.  All thoughts immediately when dark and blah... what the heck?  I seriously just zoomed right in on all things that went wrong, were sad or just plain aggravating throughout the week.  I physically had to make myself stop thinking of all the bad and switch to the good... This past week this is what brought spots of happiness in my life...

Being able to spend time with life long friends

Pilots that weren't drunk and got me to and from my destinations safely

Spending five days where it was ALL ABOUT ME!!!

Spending five days driving a most awesome Dodge Charger

Eating the most awesome brisket from Rudy's in Leon Springs

That Sasquatch didn't get me

The most awesome co-worker ever covered me while I was out 3 days - she really went out of her way for me!

Most importantly I'm happy that I have a roof over my head, food in the fridge and a healthy family... there are many out there seriously hurting and cannot say that.  The hardest thing I've had to do in the past year... sit with a mother and grandmother and discuss the burial of their 23 year old son/grandson.

Counting my blessings...

Gettin' Crafty

Every once in a while I like to get crafty... nothing extravagant or consuming great amounts of time, just a crafty craft here & there.  I'm not good at designing spaces or being visibly organized but I do like making things and being different when I can.

Everyone at work pretty much has the same standard pencil holders, there's a few out of the norms but for the most part - we all went to Staples.  Well I want to be better organized at work... not because it will help me, but because it will look all nice & neat & perty.  When you're desk is a mess & scattered it gives the impression that you too are scattered - no so much in my case, in fact it's just the opposite.  If everything is neat, tidy and "in its place" I'm lost... I don't know where anything is.  If it's a scattered mess, I can take you right to what you're looking for... and that applies to all area's of my life.

So long story short... I got crafty.  To start off with,  I wanted bright & colorful pencil holders but didn't want to spend all day making them or my whole paycheck buying supplies to do the project.  So I cleaned up a couple jars I had laying around the house, bought a couple $.97 bottles of acrylic art paint and voila!

Cleaned up banana pepper jar...

 Squirt some paint in the jar and a dribble of water, slosh it around to cover inside... be sure to put the lid on before shaking.

 Tip it over to let all excess paint to come out.

and here you have it... the finished product proudly displaying my pens at work.  Pretty don't you think?  

  I plan on making more brightful holders.  Everyone needs at least one of them and they're usually out themselves.  They were fun, simple and cute - how could i pass this one up?  I'll be making more of these in the future... won't the be delightful all colored up and fixing one another.

**NOTE - I just realized this whole last paragraph makes absolutely NO sense.  Why?  Because I was literally falling asleep as I typed it and you all know how thoughts can run and jumble when you're falling asleep... oopsie.

The Mask I Wear

Don't be fooled by me.
Don't be fooled by the face I wear
For I wear a mask. I wear a thousand masks-
   masks that I'm afraid to take off
     and none of them are me.    
Pretending is an art that's second nature with me 

           but don't be fooled,
   for God's sake, don't be fooled.
I give you the impression that I'm secure
That all is sunny and unruffled with me
   within as well as without,
    that confidence is my name
     and coolness my game,
    that the water's calm
   and I'm in command,
  and that I need no one.
But don't believe me. Please!

My surface may be smooth but my surface is my mask,
My ever-varying and ever-concealing mask.
Beneath lies no smugness, no complacence.
Beneath dwells the real me in confusion, in fear, in aloneness.
   But I hide this.
    I don't want anybody to know it.
     I panic at the thought of my
            weaknesses
      and fear exposing them.
That's why I frantically create my masks
          to hide behind.
They're nonchalant, sophisticated facades
          to help me pretend,
To shield me from the glance that
            knows.
But such a glance is precisely my salvation,
   my only salvation,
       and I know it.

That is, if it's followed by acceptance,
   and if it's followed by love.
It's the only thing that can liberate me from myself
   from my own self-built prison walls

I dislike hiding, honestly
I dislike the superficial game I'm playing,
   the superficial phony game.
I'd really like to be genuine and me.
But I need your help, your hand to hold
Even though my masks would tell you otherwise
That glance from you is the only thing that assures me
   of what I can't assure myself,
     that I'm really worth something.

But I don't tell you this.
   I don't dare.
      I'm afraid to.
I'm afraid you'll think less of me, that you'll laugh
   and your laugh would kill me.
I'm afraid that deep-down I'm nothing,
        that I'm just no good
             and you will see this and reject me.

So I play my game, my desperate, pretending game
With a facade of assurance without,
And a trembling child within.
So begins the parade of masks,

The glittering but empty parade of masks,
   and my life becomes a front.
I idly chatter to you in suave tones of surface talk.
I tell you everything that's nothing
   and nothing of what's everything,
                 of what's crying within me.
So when I'm going through my routine
   do not be fooled by what I'm saying
Please listen carefully and try to hear
   what I'm not saying
Hear what I'd like to say
   but what I can not say.

It will not be easy for you,
   long felt inadequacies make my defenses strong.

  The nearer you approach me
   the blinder I may strike back.
Despite what books say of men, I am irrational;
I fight against the very thing that I cry out for.
   you wonder who I am
    you shouldn't
     for I am everyman
     and every woman
      who wears a mask.

Don't be fooled by me.
At least not by the face I wear.
~Author Unknown~

Ugly Toes...

I don't do "girly."  I just don't do it... it's not me, it never has been.  I'm not one of those girls that has or has to have tons of girl friends that get together every Friday night to do our nails, hair or whatever it is girly girls do.  I don't do girl trips, girls night out, spa trips etc.  I have female friends that I'm close with and talk to about most anything but we aren't the "lets get together for the evening, drink wine and giggle all night" kind of girls... and I'm happy with that.  But just because I'm not a girly girl doesn't mean I don't like to be treated special, treated like a girl and pampered once in a while... which brings me to ugly toe day.

Toes are ugly, they just are.  I don't care who they're attached to, they're ugly.  Well here we are now, diving into the summer and guess what... it's toe fest out there!  Sandals, flip flops, toe showing shoes are everywhere.  Yes I wear them too but never gave my toes a thought... years ago, and I do mean YEARS ago, a male friend of mine said that painted toenails on a woman were sexy.  Really?  Well I suppose if anything was going to make them not so ugly, polish would do it... but sexy?  So here I am after all these years and guess what... I broke down and got me some sexy toes... ok, maybe not so much sexy, but not as ugly as they once were... I have... GIRLY TOES!!!!!  AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH  How'd that happen and why?

Here we have the elusive ugly toe in a "before" picture... notice on the right foot, the second toe is somewhat deformed and left crazed from a traumatic experience in the early 2000's.  On the left foot we have Mr. Pinky toe with a split nail... that's two, two nails in one.  Gross huh?

The "after" picture... ugly toes now sexified... I guess.

I'll have to admit, even though I'm not so much a girly girl, I did like having them done and they do look better than they did before... me thinks.

The Devil in Disguise

A quick bit about me... I'm married with two beautiful angelic children, hahaha.  No seriously, they ARE beautiful and they ARE angelic... it's just that when the Devil takes over, my boy runs the gamut full force and I swear he's going to give me either a heart attack or a stroke before I turn 50!

Here he is being all charming and debonaire...

Then if you look closely you can see that little Devil grin shining through... 

and right there on church grounds no less!!

 

So, lately he's become quite an escape artist... on the go, doesn't like to be cooped up in the house.  So what better way to fix that other than taking off outside when our backs are turned!  He's gotten outside before but it's never been this bad before.  One day last weekend I was literally in the bathroom doing my thing when my daughter comes and says, Where's the boy*?  So off I went and sure enough there he was in the front running up and down the sidewalk in the rain wearing only a t-shirt and pull up. And if that weren't bad enough, of course the dog went out with him and was checking out the neighbors dog too.  Heart attack #1 for the weekend right there... you just never know what could happen.  A stranger could come along and snatch him right up, he could run in the road and get hit - anything could have happened and that scares the bajeebers outta me!  Couple more times he snuck out and got into the car and was pretending to drive... then he snuck out with the dog again while I was vacuuming.  SERIOUSLY!!!  I was in the living room vacuuming, I turn around and see that the sliding door in the kitchen is open and there they both were, in the yard.  The dog was taking a dump so I shudder to think what could have happened had the boy got tangled in that mess.

Let's fast forward to Tuesday, day 3 o f Houdini's adventures.  The hubs works midnight's so the boy usually goes to daycare on his work night so he can get sleep, but then he's there on his days off even if it falls on a week day.  So Tuesday morning the hubs comes home at 6:15am super tired and hoping the boy will sleep longer... one can always hope.  Well long about the day apparently hubs fell asleep for a brief moment in the chair and when he woke up the boy & dog were gone and the back door wide open.  So he rushes to get clothes on and by the time he's outside to see the boy dog combo in the neighbors yard, the police had arrived.  Oh yeah, never a dull moment around here... don't know who, but someone saw him out there chasing the dog around.  I honestly have to assume it was a passer by because all the neighbors know us and have seen the kids out there running around and know we've had these issues of late.  HOWEVER, if you were a passer by and didn't know better I suppose it would only be natural to call the police when you see a 3 year old in a diaper chasing a pit bull through the neighborhood.  Yes that's right, I said pit bull and for all you nay sayers, bite me.  The sensationalized media hype about Pit Bulls is a topic for another day but for now I think these pictures speak big volumes in disproving your vicious myth.

So after that "little" incident we decided it was time to invest in a chain lock...

It wasn't long before he tried sneaking out again... from the living room I heard the door slide open and then a little voice say, hey guys door not open.  hehehehe... nope it sure doesn't.  But that didn't stop him from at least trying to squeeze out it... anyone want to take bets on how long it will be before he finds
a way around this little set back?

*Actual names omitted for security reasons

Unexpected Guests

I absolutely love surprise guests, it's how I know who is a real friend and who isn't - they aren't afraid to just drop in any time!  I know some people freak out because their house may be a mess, they may not be dressed or whatever but I say screw it and YAAY, come on in!  Oh sure you will likely show up on a day my house has been terrorized and looks like I haven't cleaned in three weeks but I don't care... #1 I have two very active young children and #2 you just showed up unannounced, you certainly can't expect a tidy home without warning.  So I guess if you're judgmental and particular then please, by all means - call first... or if you're traveling a great distance to get here, cause it would suck if you drove five hours to surprise us and nobody was here - I've done it and it sucks.

But I digress...

Last week we've had a couple of unannounced guests show up... not the type you may expect, I know I didn't expect them, but it was exciting all the same!  On Thursday evening I was relaxing, watching one of my shows when my daughter comes in all excited and says "there's a geese in the back yard."  "A geese huh?" "yeah, it has a green head."  "that would be a Mallard."  And then it clicked - what the heck is a duck doing in our yard??  I know we live fairly close to the water but we're also "in the city" and there isn't much wildlife happening around here.

I got up to check and sure enough, Ma & Pa Mallard were strutting around the back yard!  The kids were so excited, they were feeding the ducks right from the back door!  Who needs to go to the park to feed the ducks - they come to you now!  Pa Mallard was such a gentleman, he was letting Ma get all the food first and just stood by watching, checking things out like all good protectors should.  Pa toured the yard, the bushes, the flower beds all for what I believe to be a nesting spot.  That's when I got excited!  How kewl would it be to have baby ducks in your back yard?  I'm a country girl at heart and would love for my kids to experience that!  They eventually left, but came back the next day... and I haven't seen them since.  I'm hoping they just went away for the weekend to visit family... If they come back I'm going to have to invest in some real food for them. I mean, after all, we can't have the Mama eating poorly if she's expecting and has to raise babies... she needs good nutritional feed!

Happy Mother's Day Ma Mallard

Am I Mom Enough? A Motherhood Wish List

I'm hoping that all or at least most mother's will agree with this article.  If you haven't seen the cover of Time Magazine, take a gander and read the story HERE.  Then read the article linked below... that's my wish!

Am I Mom Enough? A Motherhood Wish List

The Third Side...

I’ve always tried to live a drama free life but it seems that anymore I don’t even have to do anything and it finds me!!  I see it happening all around me and that’s where I leave it, I don’t ask questions (although I’ll listen if someone starts talking) and I certainly don’t pass judgment or bad mouth those involved.  There are always three sides to every story, your side, their side and the TRUTH!

The opposite sides of each story are not necessarily good or bad, but different views of an event.  Have you ever jumped to a conclusion before hearing both sides of a story? Have you ever failed to give someone the benefit of the doubt, even though they had never wronged you or even your loved one?  We’ve all done it at one time or another… thankfully I’ve learned over the years not to do that anymore.

Arguments amongst friends can lead to real sticky, unwanted situations. If the argument doesn’t involve you at all, then it is in your best interest to remain neutral. That means not taking sides- getting both sides of the story, understanding where each person is coming from, and not to side with one person over the other. It’s not your job to play detective to figure out the truth. Your job is to be a friend to both.  And for the love of all things Holy – Please refrain from all bashing.  If you weren’t there to witness the event, then you have no right bashing one or the other… and if one side comes to you bashing the other, I’d rethink them as a friend - cause you know they’re just as wrong and only bashing to build themselves up.  Chances are they’ve bashed you to the one they’re now bashing as well.

“Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.”  ~Jack Buck

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Are you listening to me?
Yes I can hear you!
No, I know you can hear me but are you LISTENING to me!?

If I had a dime for every time I had that conversation I’d be a dime-onare.  With the fast paced way we live these days, it seems more and more people have become listening impaired.  We don’t listen to our spouse, our children, friends, those we love and those we don’t love.  People just don’t listen anymore and we should.  Listening can be such a powerful tool.

When we are listened to it makes us (or at least me) feel, respected, loved, appreciated, and alive!   Think of your friends and family members, which ones do you talk to the most?  Is it the ones that listen to you or the ones that only hear what you’re saying?  I’d be willing to bet it’s the ones that are listening… and I bet they’re also the ones that are more fun, more comforting and just plain interesting aren’t they?  The majority just muddle through life hearing many things but not really paying attention to what is actually being said – not really listening.

I don’t mean to sound sexist but I think women listen better.  It’s not to any fault of the men, they can’t help that we’re better at it… :o) Women are just naturally compassionate listeners, caring and giving to others is our thing and to be good at it we have to listen.  Men have more of an aggression for succeeding in the work place, being the wage earner and financially providing for the family.  I remember MANY years ago when I was dating a man he was having a conversation with his younger sister and getting frustrated because she “wasn’t listening” to him when in reality he was the one not listening.  I stopped him before he blew his lid and said, no what she’s saying is… and even though I repeated exactly what she had been saying he finally “heard” what she was saying and a major fight was avoided.  His mother witnessed the whole thing and was sooo thankful I had been there – apparently that was a common occurrence around there.

How many times have you gotten a gift from your boyfriend or husband that just floored you?  Something you’d never use, never ask for and completely opposite of your taste?  The first Christmas I spent with my now husband he kept asking me what I wanted for Christmas.  I’d say new tires for my car every single time, every time!  I got a necklace and a bracelet… both very pretty and nice and probably about the same price as a new set of tires, but I don’t wear jewelry.  We’d been together about 3 months at the time; couldn’t he see the extent of my jewelry wearing was most likely a simple ring?  But I digress…

Listening requires complete attention and is how we learn.  The more we listen, the more we learn.  We all need to realize and understand that listening, not hearing, not talking, is a magical magical thing.  A true listener, is more effective, more loved, and does more good.  Go ahead and give it a whirl… try LISTENING to your spouse, your parents, your children, friends etc… you’ll be surprised at what kind of miracles happen right before your eyes!  The next time you’re anxious to interject during a conversation, take a moment and really listen to what the other person is saying.

 

 

Posts coming soon - Stay Tuned!