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Entries from June 2011

Saturday 9: The Remedy (I Won't Worry)

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Link up here if you're playing along today!

1. What's the remedy for you to stop worrying?

My anti-anxiety medications, heh. I'm not good at the whole "letting go" thing, otherwise.

2. What is your favorite summertime beverage? 

Crystal Light. I like the ones with caffeine. Anything but teas or lemonades, which I can't do.

3. Do you use any freeware on your computer? If yes, do tell.

I'm not sure. I don't know. I use AVG-free to beat viruses and stuff, but other than that... no?

4. What is one thing about your home that has to be just so or it drives you crazy when it comes to organization? 

Everything. Everything has to be just so, or I'm driven crazy. Unfortunately right now, NOTHING is 'just so,' and I'm absolutely beyond my limits about it. So that will be our weekend project, 'cause when Mama ain't happy...

5. Is there a specific subject you're especially curious about? A person? A region of the world? An animal? A field of study? 

So many things! I'm curious about everything. I have a scientist's mind, when I don't know about something, I'd usually like to know more - but in my time, my way, my style of learning. Don't just yap about it to me. The exceptions are business and finances. It's like my mind just shuts down and refuses to comprehend those things. I hate that, because I really do want to understand.

6. What do you consider your most interesting trait?

My sense of humor. It's wacky and, often, uncontainable (unless I'm nervous or being shy). When I'm comfortable and relaxed, there's no telling what I'll say! It's like a form of Tourette's.

7. What is something that really frightens you, and can you trace it back to an event in your life? 

Well, this won't be fun telling, but something that really scares me is when I'm in a small room, like the bathroom, and someone is blocking the door. Or just an overbearing presence, intimidating me and in my personal space. I can easily trace it back to my evil stepmother, TBFH, who would throw me in a room and scream at me until I hyperventilated, blocking the door. If I tried to escape, she would grab me and pull me back in, not caring whether she ripped my clothes or tore my skin. If I managed to get past her, she would just yank me back into the room. So if someone's blocking my escape route, I tend to go into major panic "get me outta here!!!" mode. 

8. Who do you want to yell at to “get a grip!”?

ME!!!!

9. What do you wear to look particularly great for a party or event?

Something that shows off my new bod, like a sleeveless top and a sexy skirt, or a Little Black Dress... I dont' have a lot, so I wear lots of repeats!

Have a good weekend!

Fin.


Aloha Friday

AlohaFriday

Link up here if you're questioning this week!

My question for you this week is:

How clean is your house, right now, on a scale from 1 to 10?

Right this very minute, I'd put mine at a 2. I'm disgusted. This weekend will be spent cleaning up and getting rid of clutter!

Have a good weekend!

Fin.


Wordless Wednesday: Using Up Florida Oranges

Link up with Janice and Susan at 5 Minutes for Mom here if you're wordless today!

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Fin.

P.S. The muffins were outstanding, the cake was flavorful and moist, but the first batch of orange fruit leather was nasty. I made a second batch with honey mixed in, and that was fantastic (IMO). However, it drew flies before I had a chance to wrap it up, so we had to throw away that batch, too. Argh!!


Things That Suck

Two things, at least this past Tuesday (yesterday):

1. Winning a contest and not having the gas to go pick up the prize. I am guaranteed to have won either: a 2011 Ford SUV hybrid, a trip with hotel and airfare included, $2500, or a big-screen LCD TV. I'm supposed to drive up to Woodbridge on Thursday night to claim it. Not having the money for gas to get there, which is near DC, means that it'll have to go unclaimed. Sure would have been nice to have one of those prizes, though. Except for the trip, we'd have sold it and used the money for house repairs, to get this baby ready for sale. Le sigh.

2. Operation Rescue Mallard gone bad:

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This poor drake was the straggler in a flock of ducks that was flying over when Rob was driving home on his motorcycle, and wham! he hit Rob right in the helmet and windshield instead of clearing him. Rob came home, I called a wildlife rehabber, and we were instructed to get him and put him in a box.

So we went out to the lake, where he skedaddled off to be amongst his breathren after the accident, and called out for him. "Bob! Uh, here ducky...!" when Sophia let herself out of the van (not following instructions to stay put) and started running through the flock of geese and ducks converging on us, mistakenly thinking we were giving handouts. Her actions parted the ways quickly and led us down to one hunkered-down bird who refused to scatter. That was our duck. Rob gingerly lifted him into the box, and I could see that both legs, and a wing, were badly damaged. There was blood on the bottom. He was in bad shape.

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I called the rehabber back and, since we couldn't bring him out until late that night when they figured out if they had the space for yet another duck - already having over five dozen to care for - was told to give Bob a little water. We tried. He didn't seem to interested in that. Apparently Tap doesn't taste like Pond. (Lucky us.)

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He'd soiled himself badly, and I didn't want him sitting in that, so we moved him to a slightly bigger box. One with no stinky duck pee or poo. We imagined the rest of the flock back at the lake, still whispering about Bob being ducknapped. We hoped they realized we planned to bring him back, in time.

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Bob seemed content, if not completely stressed, in his new digs. He still didn't drink. We decided to let him chill out there and came in the house. The children were still out playing. Before too long, less than an hour, Sophia came inside to do her impression of poor Bob, which included lolling her head to the side.

Oh, no.

We rushed outside, to find what was clearly a very dead Bob.

I burst into tears, and one by one, so did the children. I don't know that they all would have done that, if I hadn't, but I couldn't help myself. I love the creatures, great and small, and I'm so sad it didn't work out this time. Bob was just too hurt and stressed, and he didn't make it.

Poor Bird. We tried, we really did.

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Things that DON'T suck:

All the support I received, both in the comments here and on Facebook, to continue the blog. Rest assured, I'm not going anywhere. How could I? Thirteen people would be devastated if I left the Interwebs, wouldn't you?  And I won't tone it down, keep it in, change my style, either. Again, how could I? All I know is how to be me. So that's what you get. Thanks for following along. Say hey once in a while. I'd like that. That would be not-the-suck, too.

Fin.


Every Once In A While...

... something happens that makes me want to shut this blog down.

In this case, a former online-only "friend" contacted me just to be nasty about the fact that I'm homeschooling, because apparently I was nasty to her when she was homeschooling her kids (which I, honestly and truthfully, don't remember but expect it was during my pre-medication days when I wasn't really great to ANYone) and I'm such a huge hypocrite. Well, be that as it may, things change, people change, situations change, and this is where we are now, and I'm embracing our new lifestyle.

I just don't get it, though. Why contact someone just to be a bitch to them, when you're leaving them and their life completely and totally alone?! I don't read HER blog, we have blocked each other off Facebook, and I avoid her at all costs. It's a complete mystery to me why some people go out of their way just to cause misery to someone else, out of the blue, unprovoked like that.

It really affects me. I don't just let shit like that roll off my back. I'm sitting here reeling.  I open my life, I tell you what I do, what I think, what I say... and I get crap for it. I'm real, I'm a real person, with real feelings, and yes, I make real mistakes. Lots of them. I own that. But when a friendship goes bad, and especially when it goes really down south, I let it go and leave it behind. Why people can't do the same is beyond me. 

I know I'm rambling. I guess I just wanted to put it out there. And as for YOU, V, LEAVE ME ALONE.

Fin. 


The First Weekend In June

I keep feeling like I had this unproductive weekend, because I didn't accomplish my singular goal at all, so here is a run-through of what I actually did do, to make myself feel better. And to share with you, because I know you hang on the edge of your seat, waiting for me to post these scintillating things I talk about, right?

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First, like I mentioned, there was desire to paint in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Now. So I painted the pantry door. And the little bitty corner of wall next to it, which of course meant that more painting in the kitchen would need to happen, or else that little green section of wall would like mighty curious, all by itself.

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Well, the real first first was making the pizza cake, from Friday night into the wee hours of Saturday morning. 

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And the second thing, immediately after finishing the cake, was scooping up the leftover cake and frosting and constructing these cake pops. These are long since gone, sold right away, but like I (think I) posted yesterday, more can be made if you need parting gifts for Teacher, or a special graduate, or Dad, or, well, anybody, because I really don't care whom you give them to, as long as you buy some. Heh.

So the third thing, then, was painting the door.

I went back and forth all day Saturday after that, moving kitchen furniture (that would be the full baker's rack, the deep freezer, and the table and chairs), scrubbing sections of wall piece by piece, paint first, second, and the exasperatingly always-necessary third coat... and coming back here to play on Facebook and run my stupid Farmville. (I call it "stupid," but I really like it. It gives me a quick opportunity to take frequent breaks from whatever I'm doing, and I've always been a girl who likes taking frequent breaks. Maybe I do have ADHD, but that's how I manage it. Whatever. Moving on.)

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As part of this parenting course we're doing right now (more on that later), Rob and I are each supposed to spend 10 minutes of true quality time with each of the kids, twice per day. So Sophia and I spent one of our ten-minute sessions painting the back of the kitchen wall. I did all the cutting in around the edges, and she painted in the middle. I guided her with the correct way to hold the brush and move it back and forth, back and forth, and then she went and did it her own way. Which is fine. You can lead a horse to water...

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Chloë wanted a painting turn after that, too, so I spent another segment of quality time showing her the same things I'd shown Sophia. She did it more exactly like I showed her, because that is her way. She, being a Virgo like me, is quite a bit of a perfectionist. I am doing my best, now, seeing this, and knowing how difficult it is to be that way, to guide her away from that tendency. It's not easy. Anyway, so they helped me paint the walls.

Jack wanted to paint, too, but he was never available when I was ready for him, because he spent a great deal of the weekend outside with the neighbor kids, riding his bike, driving his Cadillac Escalade Power Wheels, using the girls' scooter, and generally getting dirty and having a ball. So I didn't force the 10 minutes on him, although I do think it's especially important that he and I connect for those 20 min per day. I'll work on it, getting it in.

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So eventually, the bottom half of the kitchen got painted, as far as I could go without moving the refrigerator. Luckily, I have plenty of paint left, for whenever Rob gets around to helping me with that. (I tried, but I'm a weenie.)

In the eight-plus years we've lived here, the kitchen has always been at the top of my "gotta change this" list, but for some reason, it has escaped my ministrations thus far. I even have the paint for the top half. Well, now that we've had to keep the windows open all the time (no AC), the cats have scratched out half the screens in the house, and they've all but shredded the café curtains covering the kitchen windows. I hate it. And I hate the country-cottage-y wallpaper on the top half of the kitchen walls, too. That's fine and good, but I am just not a country-cottage-y type of person. I like bold, striking colors that pop. 

So I got up on the chairs and started to RRRRRRRRRIP the wallpaper off the walls, tossing big strips of it onto to floor, to the kids' shock and dismay. "Mom! What are you DOING?!" they demanded.

I just laughed and let their father explain. That's often the way things go around here. I laugh, and he's left to explain why.

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I pulled off all the copper molds from around the top of the walls, too. I'm going to sell them. I collected them years ago, when we lived in Panama City, FL. And while I still absolutely adore copper - it's my favorite precious metal - it's just not the look I'm going for anymore. So they have to go. I don't have them listed anywhere yet, but I do have some interest. Let me know if you, too, want to stake a claim. I'm willing to break up the lot.

Because we didn't get Rob's Navy paycheck the first of the month and things are uncomfortably tight right now, and also because I'm trying to walk more and drive less in the interest of Saving The Planet, Chloë and I walked to the grocery store late Saturday evening. The kids were begging, crying, for milk, so I decided to break down and spend some of our very little money on a gallon. I mean, it's milk, and they're kids. Not exactly a luxury. 

Chloë and I had the best talk on our way to and from the store. We discussed physical beauty and why that might not be the most important thing about a person, and what things might be more important. She decided that being healthy was the most important thing, and being safe, so we talked about ways she could be healthy and safe. She came up with lots of fantastic answers, like eating junk foods in moderation, always wearing her helmet when she rides her bike or scooter, and getting the proper amount of sleep. I was impressed.

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At the store, she "helped" me shop, and by that, I mean she pushed the little cart around and mostly observed as I made decisions about what to buy and what to leave at the store. We talked about the importance of shopping the perimeter - she remembered what "perimeter" meant from her studies in math - and, like eating junk food, using the processed foods in the center aisles in moderation. I had decided to make a Key Lime Pie for dessert, to use up the Key Limes I'd picked up at a roadside citrus stand in Florida a few weeks ago, so we bought the condensed milk and graham crackers I needed for that, comparing prices-per-unit and all that we always try to do.

And since I have a partially-made batch of hummus in the freezer, I decided that I should get a lemon or two (of which there were none, so I'm going to try Key Lime hummus instead!) and the tahini I need to finish it. We spent about six years looking for the damn tahini, which used to be much easier to find, back when they had a separate section for "health foods." (Now it's next to the mayonnaise and other condiments, in case you're wondering.)

Having "gone green" by walking to the store instead of driving, I'd have felt pretty crappy about getting one of those God-awful plastic grocery bags in which to lug our loot home, so I bought yet another 99¢ canvas bag, too. I just can't stand those plastic bags. They, among other things like inconsiderate smokers, people who drink copious amounts of bottled water and don't even recycle the bottles, and folks who take nine hours to make the right turn in front of me, are the absolute bane of my existence.

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So we walked home, me lugging the bag full of milk-and-schtuff, and continued our nice, Mom-to-Daughter talk. Somehow it morphed into what life will be like as she eases into her teenage years, and how it's natural for girls to butt heads with their mothers frequently in those times. That really upset her. I made her promise to remember one thing: that no matter what she said or did, and no matter what I said or did, I would always love her more than she could understand until she was a mother herself. That eased her mind a bit.

Then that translated into a conversation about the pressures of being a teen and experimenting with things like drugs, alcohol, smoking, and sex. I told her my hopes and expectations, and she asked good questions. Overall, it was a very productive conversation, and I'm so delighted we had the chance to have it.

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So we got home, and I made the pie, and oh, my word, it was freaking delicious. Beyond expectations. I still have plenty of Key Limes, so I plan to bring another pie to our Gardening club this Thursday. Assuming I still have the gas to get there. Jack didn't like the pie, but everyone else devoured it with gusto. I had way more than I had any business having, but after cheesecake, Key Lime Pie has to be my fav... well, no, there's Dutch Apple Cream Pie, and Chocolate Chip Cookies, and... Uh. I just love sweets. I'm in the right business, I think. (And I'm glad I've discovered the power of prunes to help me take off any extra weight I might gain from sampling my own wares! Phooo, do those work well. Golly. *ahem*)

So that was Saturday.

Sunday, we didn't make it to church either, which was sad, especially since I'd visited their food pantry on Thursday after Girl Scouts, and they serviced us quite nicely. (That's something I've never done before in my life, and it's quite humbling. Thank you, to any and all of you who donate to the Food Bank. We haven't needed it before, but with this paycheck snafu, I'm certainly glad it's there for us in this time of need. Now if only there were a Gas Pantry, eh?)

I napped a lot on Sunday. Rob napped a lot, and Sophia did, too. The other two mostly watched Nova shows on the Wii, from Netflix. Jack is especially fond of the Nova programs, and particularly the ones that feed his transportation and mechanically-oriented brain. He'll watch the same ones about plane crashes or rockets taking off over and over, always going upstairs to get a toy that goes along with the program, and making-believe he's part of the action. It's pretty cool. Rob gets a huge kick out of his doing that.

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For my evening 10-minute session with Sophia, she just wanted to play with the discarded boxes I'm trying to get rid of on Freecycle. She's decided she needs them for her tiny toys instead, like finger puppets and the Squinkies a friend gave her at her birthday party in April. Here she is admiring the bunk bed she made for her bunny finger puppet.

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This is her favorite box, though, because "it's the biggest, and it has a window, so I can see what they're doing in there." She asked me to punch holes in the window with my knitting needle, so her bunny could breathe. And so I did, until she told me, "enough."

While Sophia had been napping earlier, I got started training Jack and Chloë on the way we do laundry, from beginning to end. They collected all the laundry in the house, sorted it into the proper piles, learned how to run the washer and the dryer, and then I showed them how to fold their own clothes. For now, I'll leave it at that, until I feel they're ready to start folding Mom & Dad's, and the towels and sheets. I've just always done the laundry myself and only had them run and put away their things. But with the parenting course, I see the error of my ways. I don't know why I didn't, but I guess I figured they would just pick it up eventually. Foolish. So now I'll be working on their "training," and we don't call them "chores" but rather "contributions." It's working out well. They feel important and significant, and Jack even commented that doing the laundry was "fun." (Not to me, but to his big sister. No way he'd let me hear such a thing on purpose!)

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After dinner, when I wanted some knitting time on my sparkle! dress, and Chloë wanted a break from folding laundry, I asked her to spend a little quality time herself with Sophia. The two of them have been fighting a lot again lately, so I asked Chloë read Sophia some stories. She grumped and grumbled about it at first, but in the end, she read three stories to Soap without me asking her to go past the first one. And I made lots of progress on my dress:

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Pretty soon, I'll be at the placket, which is my new favorite word to say. I can't wait to finish the front.

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Jack went to bed first tonight, so again, I didn't really get to spend my QT with him. I'll give him extra tomorrow. After story time between the girls, Chloë wanted her ten minutes with me. Sophia and Dad spent those ten minutes together, too, playing and Soph telling cute, six-year-old stories to her Daddy. Chloë and I went for a moonlit walk around the smaller lake.

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I took the Nikon along, just in case I found anything cool to take a picture of, but most of my pictures didn't turn out. I liked the way these branches stuck out far into the light of the street lamp, so I snapped it.

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Halfway 'round the lake, I spotted a "frog" hopping off the path, toward the water. I managed to catch it for Chloë, who immediately squealed when she felt it and dropped him. So I caught him again, and then, of course, I could see it was really a toad and not a frog at all. We agreed to bring him home to show Daddy and Sophia. We took turns holding him and talking about what we learned months ago when we covered Amphibians, about the differences between frogs and toads. Chloë surprised me by remembering quite a lot of them without my prompting her, and I felt a lot of pride inside me.

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There were a lot of ducks and drakes pairing up along our walk, but those photos didn't come out. I'm glad this one of Mama and her four ducklings did, though - how cute are they?! I just adore baby aminals of all flavors and varieties. I'm definitely a Woman in that regard. Baby people, baby ducks, baby anything, and my heart melts.

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Chloë could barely wait to burst in the front door and show them the toad. We had to shh-shh-shh her, because the windows are open, and our neighbors sleep early. Of course, they gave her all the attention she was due, and there was even more fun when Sophia, holding the poor toad, dropped him in the house. I was in the powder room when that happened, but the sounds of them all gadding about, trying to catch it, were amusing to hear.

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Chloë went to bed shortly after that - no, she had her ten minutes of Dad time first, and they looked through an American Baby magazine together, of all things - and Sophia and I shared some more time while I knit. She drew pictures of different things, like Chloë and I taking a walk, and of an "alien monster mouth" coming out of the sky and eating our entire unsuspecting family. I'm not really worried about that one, since she was giggling while she told me what it was. Sophia loves to color and draw, and she has become quite good at it, actually. I'll have to show you some of her drawings next time.

For now, though, I'm going to wrap up my weekend by trying to knit at least to the placket and making my To-Do list for the coming week.  I hope yours is a good one.

Fin.


Sunday Stealing: The Team Jeffie Meme

Sunday Stealing

Link up here if you're playing along today!

Cheers to all of us thieves!

TRUE OR FALSE

Q: Kissed someone on your friends list? 

Definitely. Quite of few of them, actually! ;)

Q: Been arrested? 

Not yet...

Q: Held a snake? 

Many times, yes.

Q: Been suspended from school? 

No, never.

Q: Sang karaoke? 

Not yet, but I really, really, really, really want to! Someone take me and get me drunk so I can do it!

Q: Done something you told yourself you wouldn't do? 

Oh, yeah. I'm the queen o' that.

Q: Laughed until you started crying? 

Many times.

Q: Caught a snowflake on your tongue? 

Naturally.

Q: Kissed in the rain? 

Yeah. It's pretty great.

Q: Sang in the shower? 

Always. Loudly.

Q: Sat on a roof top? 

Yes, both at home in B'ville and at the Long Key ... um... having a wine brain moment ... marine lab while in college, in the FL Keys. Those were the days...

Q: Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? 

At least twice! I remember when I was about four or five, my mom was fully dressed, with her coat and shoes and glasses on, and on her way out to work. Our neighbor came over and pushed HER into the pool! There were huge laughs all around. Those kinds of hijinks... ah, the good days, when we still had my mom.

Q: Broken a bone?

My right pinky toe, a minimum of three different times. It's very ouchy forevermore.

Q: Shaved your head?

Not quite, but I came VERY close to it the other day! I went pretty short, and I buzzed it down myself in the back. That was exciting. I've decided if I ever get cancer and lose all my hair, it won't be so bad after all, being bald. I always thought I'd be a horribly ugly baldy, but now I think, give me a kerchief and I'm good.

Q: Played a prank on someone? 

Is the Pope Catholic?

Q: Shot a gun? 

Yes, and I burned my eye doing it. The shell flew backward and went down inside my goggles, singeing my eye and cheek. Other than that, it was a pretty, uh, killer experience. I'd do it again, with the right person.

Q: Donated Blood? 

Every chance I get. I'm O-neg, so I feel obligated. And I like the goodies.

LAST PERSON...

1. You hung out with? 

Chloë and I had some good quality time together tonight.

2. You texted? 

Checking... Oh yeah, Hubby. Duh.

3. You were in a car with? 

My daughters, Chloë & Sophia

4. Went to the movies with? 

Gotta be Hubs, but I seriously can't remember, it's been so long.

5. You went to shop with? 

Chloë, tonight

6. You talked on the phone? 

The lady who ordered a cake from me this weekend.

7. Made you laugh? 

My son, Jack. He's gotten funnier lately!

8. You hugged? 

Chloë, again

IN THE LAST 48 HOURS HAVE YOU...

1. Sang? 

Just a little bit.

2. Listened to music? 

Quite a lot. I am right now, through the earphones (93.7 Bob FM live online)

3. Danced Crazy?

Mmm, probably not, but I do that often enough anyway!

4. Cried?

No, but I've felt like it - at least 'til my meds kicked in. :\

FIRSTS .....

1.Who was your first prom (or homecoming) date? 

Benjamin Alan Peterson, still a good friend

2. Who was your first roommate? 

Well, in childhood, it was my sister, Stacey. But in college, it was Jenn from Rochester. We liked each other, but we didn't work out as roommates too well! 

3. What alcoholic beverage did you drink when you got drunk the first time? 

Goldschläger ;)

4. What was your first job? 

Aside from babysitting and helping my dad out at his office, I was a cashier at Big M Supermarket on State Fair Blvd in Baldwinsville... I loved that job!!

5. What was your first car? 

A red '89 or '91 (forget) Ford Escort wagon, but that story has a bad ending, so that's all she wrote ... for now.

6. When did you go to your first funeral and viewing?

Well, my mother died when I was 7, but we weren't allowed to those. We did get to go to a memorial service given for her a little while later, and I'm SO thankful for that. I guess I was a young teen when I went to my first real funeral and wake.

7. Who was your first grade teacher? 

It was supposed to be Mrs. Sullivan, but she had a baby right before school started, and she decided to stay home with her baby. So until we moved out of town in April, I had a different substitute every day of the year. I didn't like that, and they all hated me. I was very... Sophia-like. A royal pain. A challenge. And I NEVER shut up or did my work. I thought I was very stupid. Then we moved, and I had to take the placement tests, and they put me in the class with all the smart kids. What? I'm smart?! I had NO CLUE. It was a shock to my system.

8. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane? 

Who knows. I had many flights as a youngster. My first solo (sans-parents-and-sister) flight was when I was five, from Jersey to Syracuse. My sister was supposed to go, but she balked, so I went in her place. She's older.

9. When you snuck out of your house for the first time? 

It was with Julie Halverson in 8th grade. We snuck out in the middle of the night when she was sleeping over, and went to the grocery store. We bought all kinds of junk food and snuck back home. I think that was the ONLY time I ever snuck out, too. LOL!

10. Who was your first best friend? 

I had several, but my longest-lasting-bestest-best friend would have to be Lisa. There's also Erin, a long-lasting bestie, and Shana, and Kristal, and now I have a few more. I'm lucky to have several close friends. I like to think my funeral would be well-attended. 

11. Who was your first Best Friend in high school? 

Erin :)

12. Where was your first sleepover? 

Thea Nelson's house, in elementary, and I went a lot. The things that went on at that shy girl's house - you wouldn't believe! Yes, there was plenty of nudity.

13. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day? 

My darling, dear, devoted husband. He's my true best friend, always.

14. Whose wedding were you in the first time you were a Bridesmaid or groomsman? 

My dad and stepmother, a year after Mom died. Well, a year, 3 months, and 4 days, but who's counting?

15. What is the first thing you did when you got up this morning?

Answered the doorbell and got a nice big surprise

16. First time you tied your shoe laces?

Not a clue in the world. Kids these days don't really need to learn, what with Velcro and Crocs! I'm not worried about it. They'll learn when they need to learn.

17. Are you Facebook friends with your first crush? 

No. My first crush is a long-lost soul, for whom I've been searching forever. Years. Not to get back together or anything, just because it's interesting to me to figure out what happened to him. Matthew Buffalo, where are you?

18. Who was the first person you met from the blogosphere?

Hm...I can't think of anyone! I've met people IRL that have blogs, but I knew them before that. And I know IRL people who have blogs, but I knew them before that. I don't think I've met anyone IRL *after* I met them through their blog... have I??!

19. What was the first music album that you bought?

LOL I think it was those lip syncers, Milli Vanilli!!

20. Who was your first celebrity crush?

Matt Dillon. Oh, man. But not anymore. Now it's another Matt. Damon. Oh, my word, he is hawt.

Is that the end? Boo. 

Guess I'll go get another glass of wine and tell you about my day!

Fin.


The Door Is Green

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A few weeks ago, I entered this big paint giveaway from Glidden, and I received my can of paint yesterday. New Grass Green, I think it's called. I like it!

I need to paint pretty much everywhere in the house, to clean up some walls and hide imperfections on others... so when my manic phase hit around 2 in the morning last night, I (Rob) cracked open that new baby, and I got right to work!

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I like it. It's brighter than I expected, especially after the second very necessary coat (a third might be called for), but I like it. Now to finish the rest of the kitchen!  The kids are all bug-eyed over it this morning. They're used to Mom doing projects in the middle of the night, but a drastic change of color is somewhat unusual!

My weekend is wide open. I'm off to see how I can fill it.

Fin.


Presence. Presents. Gifts. Give?

Who knows what the hell I'm talking about there. It was one of those things where you think you're being clever and esoteric, but really you're just being a boob. You know?

Anyway.

Here's another offering from You Take The Cake!: 

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Yes, more cake pops. They are just so yummy! And as such, plus the fact they are fully customizable for your needs, they would make a great gift for Dad, grads and teachers. Think about it, hm? $25 for a basket of twelve.

Fin.


Cropped. Chopped. Cut. Cute?

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The other morning, I guess I was in a manic phase something fierce, because I dared Rob to cut my hair. And I didn't stop him when he picked up the scissors. Or when he grabbed a fistful of my hair. And then he started chopping his way through it, and I was so shocked, I couldn't say anything to stop him when he went for the second bunch of hair. And then he held it up, and oh, my word, it was ALL. MY. HAIR!

The whole back, anyway. There was nothing to do but take the scissors from him and start hacking away at the front and sides of it. And so I did.

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I've had mixed reactions from people.  Some like it, and some think it's way too short. Which is fine, because the guy whose opinions seriously matter to me thinks it's super-sexy, and he's all over me all the time since we (we!) chopped off my hair.

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I guess I like it, too. I mean, it's pretty freakin' simple to take care of, and when it falls just so, I kind of look adorable.  I have yet to go to my salon to have them clean it up, because (a) we don't have the money right now and (b) it's kind of okay the way it is!

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And while I'm showing you all the pictures I've taken with the awesome and FREE! Instagram app on my iPhone (get it and follow me; I'll follow you back), here's one of Chloë that I think is Teh Awesome. I mean, really. That kid is photogenic as all-get-out, so it's hard to take a crap picture of her, but look at it! I took that with my phone, people! Awesome.

Anyway, yeah. I'll be back. Make comments while I'm decorating cake pops, yes?

Fin.


It's A Pizza Cake!

2011-06-04

Thursday night, I got a semi-frantic phone call from a mother in search of a last-minute cake baker for her daughter's 14th birthday party on Saturday. Could I help? Could it be a giant slice of pizza? On and on. I agreed to take on her cake, at a fraction of the cost she had been quoted by other bakers looking to capitalize on the rush job. I underbid a little bit. I should have asked for more. Live and learn.

Anyway, so tonight, I started - and finished - the cake. It went well! Better than I expected, actually. I think it turned out okay. The only hitch is that I lost my notes, and I can't remember how to spell the poor birthday girl's name! So I'll have to write that on when the mom comes to pick up her cake tomorrow. 

With the leftover cake and frosting, I'm now making some cake pops to photograph for the website. I'm going to advertise them as gifts for Dads, Grads, and Teachers, none of which I really needed to capitalize. But I can do that, because I'm a free-spirited wood nymph. Or something.

So... you like?

Fin.

 


Saturday 9: The Best & The Worst

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Link up here if you're playing along this weekend!

1. What was the best thing that happened to you this week? 

I got a last-minute cake order on Thursday night, for this weekend (tomorrow), which will definitely help with the cash-flow problem we're experiencing right now.

The worst? 

We recently switched banks, and on the 1st of this month, my husband's entire paycheck went into the WRONG freaking account. So we have absolutely ZERO money right now. No food, no gas, and I can't pay the bills. To say we're stressed right now would be the understatement of the century. Plus they're saying it's going to take two whole weeks to fix the problem. :|

2. What's the best thing someone's done for you (recently or not so recently)? 

I was in college as an undergrad at the (muy expensive) University of Miami. My dad refused to help out with student loans, and though I had a half-tuition scholarship, half of a lot is still a lot. I had maxed out my loan apps, and I still couldn't cover the balance. It was an extremely stressful time. At the eleventh hour, after which my entire college career would have been for naught and no grades counted and no degree conferred, a semi-anonymous little old lady in a far, far place send me a check for the entire balance owed to the University.

(In retrospect, though I loved my experience at UM, if I'd known what I was going to go through, I would have gone to one of the many other schools offering me a free ride! Hindsight is 20/20.)

What's the worst thing someone's done to you (again, recently or not so recently)? 

A person to whom I am somewhat related stated something to the effect of, "She has no good qualities," to my husband, about me. That devastated me, emotionally. And I am not a person whose emotions you should fuck with. Just sayin'.

3. What's the best thing about your job? 

I'm a stay-home mom, first and foremost, so that's my main "job." The best thing, of course, is that I don't miss a single "first," and I get to be there for them every step of the way. I get to hear all the funny crap they say, and I get to kiss away their tears when they get booboos. I wouldn't trade that for any job in the world, assuming NASA isn't going to come calling anytime soon...

Worst? 

Not knowing what something I do or don't do, or say or don't say, is going to hurt my child(ren) considerably down the road. The most important thing in the world to me is to do a good job at this parenting thing, and I'm constantly doubting myself. It's scary being a mom, sometimes.

4. What's the best new website you've found? 

Positive Parenting Solutions - I've signed up as a lifetime member in the past week or so, and I'm already getting so much out of it. I'm thankful that Janice & Susan over at 5 Minutes for Mom introduced me to it, because I think it will do wonders for the issues my family is and will continue to face as we navigate their childhoods together.

Worst? 

Bidz.com - I got my husband a couple nice Father's Day gifts on there, a week or two ago, for super-duper cheap compared to their relative value. So now I think about "what else could I get?" on there all the time, a thought I can ill-afford to have. Literally!

5. What's the best book you've read? 

I'll have to read it as an adult, which I've not yet done, but my favorite book is Evergreen by Belva Plain. I can't exactly say why. Really, though, anything by Jodi Picoult is going to be near or at the top of my "best books" list!

Worst? 

I was never a fan of those Richard Scarry books, even as a kid. Too busy, maybe? I don't know.

6. What's the best movie you've seen? 

Recently, I watched Dear Zachary instantly on Netflix, and I was so moved by it, I can't stop thinking about it. I talk about it all the time. I even wrote to the family involved in it, and they wrote me back! It's been such a blessing for me. I hope you will consider watching it, too.

Worst? 

Ernest Goes to... movies are the worst piece of trash ever conceived.

7. What's the best meal you've had? 

I can't even remember what I had to eat, other than the tastiest mashed potatoes ever created, but it was at The Inn Between somewhere between Camillus and I-Don't-Know (Manlius, maybe?), in Central New York. So yum! Friends I worked with at the time, who were 10+ years older than I was (in high school), took me there for a Valentine's Day dinner they wanted to share with me. Good times, good times.

Worst? 

Ham. Ick. Bleck. Puke. That jelly that gets on it after it's been in the fridge overnight? Ugh. Vomit.

8. What's the best holiday? 

Independence Day, aka the Fourth of July here in the States. It's my favorite! 

Worst? 

I don't know, "Celebrate Child Abuse Day"?  I can't think of a "worst holiday," sorry.

9. What's the best thing in your future? 

How should I know? Other than that Hubs gets out of the Navy in less than two years, woohoo!

Worst? 

Uhhh... dying?

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Fin.


Aloha Friday

AlohaFriday

Link up here if you're questioning things today!

My question for you this week is:

How old is too old for a thing to be blogged (about)?

We went to Missouri at the end of February. It was a big, weeklong trip, and I have lots to tell about it. But, is it "old news," or do you wanna hear about it? 

Thanks for visiting; have a great weekend!

Fin.