Happy Birthday!

To my DH. He's 51 today. It's so hard to do a decent birthday dinner in Halloween, and this year, Number One Son has hockey practice and Darling Daughter has a birthday sleepover, so we did a birthday breakfast. (No pics because we were all in pjs.)

We had bulls-eyes (eggs in toast), pancakes, and a Cinnabon ice cream log roll. It really went well with the pancakes. The kids helped cook, but I was left alone with the clean up since they all had to catch school buses.

I know it's early, but....

Go Phillies!

Aww, shucks

Thanks, Kristen.
Ok now I have to play the game (yes, you never get something for nothing and this is no exception):

1. Do you have the same friends since childhood?

No, the high school I went to wasn't a neighborhood school and after I went away to college, I lost touch, especially since my parents moved away. I do keep in touch with a few college friends and camp friends. Definitely camp friends.

2. What do you value most about your friends?

Laughter, acceptance, honesty and support. (even long distance)

3. Are your friends sounding boards?

Sometimes, but most of them are far away.

4. What is your favorite activity to share with friends?

Depends if they're close or far. I love a weekend getaway, just girls, hanging out, eating and drinking, catching up; or going to dinner/ movies; or even just catching up via email/blogging. I'm not so much into the phone these days, not sure why.

Ok enough about me. Now, I have to pass this “Friendship Award” on to treasured Bloggy Friends, new and old.

The envelope please read in no particular order

Madeline
Thystle
Judy
Linda
(3 out of the 4 are sort of new to blogging, so maybe they'll make new Blog Friends around the web)
Go check out their blogs and say HI from me.

Oh, and I've been BOO-ed by Kristen, too. And I'm passing it on to all of you!

Rants and Raves

Hmmm, let me see....

Rants:

• snow in October
• wet leaves
• laundry that sits in the washer too long and smells "skunky" (what? that never happens to you?)
• smelly cat litter boxes
• neverending laundry
• unreasonable spouses
• weeds
• chilly floors in the morning
  

Raves:

• a good night's sleep
• Greek food
• sunshine
• John Denver - at high volume when I'm alone in a car
• quilts
• mothers (man, I miss mine. But my mother-in-law is a pretty good substitute most times)
• cottage gardens
• good smelling candles
• a crackling fireplace (sadly, I do not have one)
  

Some days are diamonds (some days are stone)

Now the face that I see in my mirror, more and more is a stranger to me.
More and more I can see there's a danger in becoming what I never thought I'd be.
Some days are diamonds, some days are stone. Some times the hard times won't leave me alone.
Some times the cold winds blow a chill in my bones.
Some days are diamonds, some days are stone.

~John Denver

Yes, I do like John Denver. Really. Shut. up.

Just Do It!

I don't care if you're a McCain supporter or an Obama supporter, or live in a red state or a blue state, or live in a swing state or non-swing state....but

Get Out and VOTE next Tuesday!

Really, I don't want to hear you say that you're vote doesn't count or that you don't like either presidential candidate.

There are other races in your hometown that are important to your community.

Pay attention. Cast your ballot. Yes, it's important, dammit!

Just do it.

Okay folks, I need serious help

Really. I'm in a serious dinner rut and inspiration crisis.

I've perused my cookbooks, browsed my favorite recipe websites, pillaged thumbed through my (extensive) magazine recipe files...

I just need someone to cook plan my dinners for me.

I know that's a lot to ask, so I'd be very happy if you all would just share a typical 5-7 day rotation with me.

Recipes would be nice, but not necessary. I am just begging desperate for new ideas.

Oh, did I mention that DH (that's darling husband) isn't really a fan of red sauce or chicken. That seriously limits my pasta repertoire.

Personally, I make a mean lasagna and I love spaghetti, roast chicken, and cheesy pasta dishes. But not DH. Ugh.

Oh, and Darling Daughter doesn't really like anything besides mac and cheese, spaghetti, chicken nuggets and my spanakopita. Ugh.

Number One Son will eat (almost) anything. Whew.

And me? I'm not a huge fan of fish or seafood. Although I do make a breaded lemon tilapia for DH. I just make it on a night when I'm not really hungry.

See my problem?

I'm just getting bored of running through chicken piccata, sloppy joes, spanakopita, pastitsio, pork chops, burgers, chicken pot pie, etc. See? I'm so bored, I can't even think of what we usually eat.

So I would be forever grateful if you would just give me ideas of what is in your family-friendly, economical dinner rotation.

You guys are the best!

I'm blushing here

at the nice things BJ said about me and the other blogs "she can't live without".

Not that that doesn't give me just a little anxiety.

Oh, no, not at ALL.

I just have to live up to that rep now when I blog about my mundane meanderings and thoughts.

Gulp.

But THANK YOU!

It's always nice to get a little pick-me-up from friends. Even internet friends.

And chocolate too. Chocolate is ALWAYS well received.

:-)

Danish Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard

“Never cease loving a person, and never give up hope for him, for even the prodigal son who had fallen most low, could still be saved; the bitterest enemy and also he who was your friend could again be your friend; love that has grown cold can kindle”

Soren Kierkegaard

Just because.

I just love contests

....and pimping blogs, so rush over to visit Racie at Wait, wait, there's more
She's giving away a McCain or Obama glass, but go there and she'll explain it better.

And while you're there, poke around a little, she's got some great posts.

And a handy-dandy "follow me" button that she just added, so make her feel good and add yourself!

This is overdue...

Deb gave me this last week, and I've been a slacker, so here goes.

Thank you, Deb!

So, the rules of this award are that I have to list 6 things that make me happy. and then Pass It On.

Hmmmm, this might be tough considering the foolishness that has been going around here lately. (Did I mention that Rude Teenage Son had the nerve to call me stupid today? And in public?!) No, well, then I won't. Suffice it to say, he doesn't make me happy right now and he has lost his computer privileges for as long as I see fit to torture him.

Annndd, the ranting from DH is continuing. This time about hockey. A sport I know nothing about. A sport that He encouraged Number Once Son to take up. A sport that He played as a youth. A sport that He signed up for and (you would think) investigated about the costs, time commitment, etc. Well now apparently its My Fault that NOS has some tournaments and travel games and * apparently *I was supposed to get all the details while DH was traveling. And didn't. So I must be stupid. Of course. Mind you, He receives the same gazillion emails that I do, and has access to the same website that I do. But he's toooooo busy. And Important. And I just work part-time (at 3 jobs) so that I can be free to manage kids' schedules, etc. Fair enough on the managing kids' schedules point, but NOT FAIR on the getting ridiculously angry and undervaluing my role just because I don't have a Big Powerful Important (Paying) Job and I didn't get the stupid details while he was away. I just deleted a paragraph of too much ranting. Nuf said on that subject.

On to 6 things that make me happy (right now. It is a fluid list and I reserve to change it and reprioritize it my whim).

1. the joy of children
2. cats that snuggle
3. perennial gardens
4. quilts
5. a good book
6. blogging

And now I have to pass this award, tag thing on 6 others. Carrie, since I left you off the list last time, you're it. The rest of you, do with this what you will. I know some of you don't like doing these things, so consider yourself skipped over. If I comment on your blog and/or read your blog, and you like these things. C&P the award and stick it on your side bar.

ps. If you're related to me or to DH, or know us in real life, please know that I love him dearly, and put up with his quirks in a regular basis as he mostly does with mine. And I love both of my children dearly, but we have our moments. And really, isn't it healthy to get this off my chest?

Oh. my. gosh. How perfect!

This little gem is from the fabulous Niki - one of the sassy, sexy, hip, Smartini girls.

She was looking for a little help with shoe-shopping from her internet peeps, and while she didn't actually choose one of our fabulous suggestions, she awarded a consolation prize to those of who tirelessly and selflessly researched appropriate and fun footwear for her to peruse.

Yay! Thank you!!!!!

It's a mini (just the right size to not clutter up my desk) desk calendar with all sorts of wonderful shoe porn to peruse on days when the daily office grind just gets you down.

Cue the theme music, hear the birds chirping,

Oh, give me a break, life is not like the movies. Or even the funny sitcoms.

DH (that's darling husband) came home last night after being gone for 11 days.

You'd think that there would be violins or a mariachi band or something playing right?

Or maybe June Cleaver presenting him with one of those delicious, home-cooked gourmet meals he's been missing for the past 11 days.

Eh, not so much.

He did get shrieks of glee from dd, and a "hey! Dad's home" from Number One Son.

From me he got an offer to do his truckload of dirty laundry and tacos. Yup tacos.

Now, mind you, he's eaten tacos before and not complained. It's a kid-friendly meal that's been requested lately. And did I mention that I had a headache and body-ache of monumental proportions yesterday?

His response? A BandM (bitch and moan) about how he's been gone for 11 days and the best I could do is tacos?

Oh, bite me.

I fed them all and went to bed. At 7:30 PM. Alone.

Welcome home.

Blog Box!

Tiffany from Random Musings from the Downbeat has blogged about the Travveling Blog Box!

She posted pics and says it's almost ready to ship out to Carrie in PA. Yay! The journey has begun! '

Run on over there and take a look!

Rants and Raves

Rants

• that itch in the middle of my back that I can't reach
• hangnails
• nervous dogs, esp. the little yippers
• junk mail
• gaining weight
• aches and pains of getting older
• not finding stamps
• people who are rude in parking lots
• blurry pictures
• gray hair
• weak coffee
  

Raves

• Halloween candy, esp chocolate varieties
• Thanksgiving - is there a more perfect holiday?
• snuggling with my kids
• a cat on my lap
• making new friends
• chardonnay
• the internet
• hot, buttered popcorn
• a really good book
• pedicures
• a good strong cup of coffee
  

I'm sure there's more....

Enjoy the day

For MissThystle, with love

I was distressed and dismayed when I heard that you could not find the treasured "Rockin' Nut Road" dark chocolate Snickers.

So, I did what any truly good friend would do.

I emailed the company.

And here is their reply:

In response to your email regarding SNICKERS ROCKIN' NUT ROAD BAR.

Thank you for your email.

This product is being shipped to warehouses nationally. However, it may not be
available in all of the stores right now -- or may be temporarily out of stock.

Why not ask your store manager about ordering it?

Have a great day!

Your Friends at Mars Snackfood US

I love that they consider themselves to be my friend. It's only fitting considering how much chocolate I've consumed recently.

Go help our economy! Shop! Buy chocolate.

Resolutions

Yup. I'm making them. Who needs New Year's?

I solemnly resolve:

* to stay off the computer before my kids go off to school. Really. NO email or Facebook update is so important that it can't wait until 7:30 AM.
* to stay off the computer between 3 and 4 pm - the first hour that DD is home from school
* to put all dishes in the dishwasher and NOT in the sink
* to clear all junk mail OFF my kitchen counter and into the trash promptly so that I can actually use my counter for, well, kitchen stuff
* to do at least one load of laundry every day so that I don't drown in in it
* to actually deposit said laundry into the appropriate rooms so it doesn't obscure a path to my bed
* to clean out my purse. Really.
* to stop eating almost an entire bowl of Lipton French onion dip solo. I'm burping onions here and it's not pretty. And now my body is rebelling and demanding things like crisp apples, oatmeal, and baby carrots.
* to stop procrastinating. Well, maybe I can start that one tomorrow, today's list is pretty full.
* to read all magazines within a week and then GET RID OF THEM.

I know there's more.

I need an intervention here.

Anything on your list?

Anyone remember...?

...past discussions about being a sports mom? The natural order that develops among the parents (usually, but not always, the chauffeuring moms)?

There are those who drop off and sit in their car, those that leave and go grocery shopping, those that sit and read a book or clean out their purse, those who watch every move on the playing field, regardless whether it's practice or a game, and those who chitchat with the other parents.

Back in June, I blogged about baseball, and how I moved from the book reading mom to the chitchat mom; because it was a really nice group of parents. None too obsessive or crazy about their kid's participation, not to "helicopter-y", just normal. And friendly. And not too cliquey.

Well, we're into the football and hockey teams and soccer too (as a rec program). Since soccer is a rec program, and there are some younger kids, most parents bring a canvas chair and hang around. They've progressed to splitting into 2 teams and playing games, so I hang around; although I did leave during practices to run errands. I'm sociable with those parents sitting around me, but I also bring a magazine or catalog to browse through. Nothing as attention intensive as a book; but really, when the kids are picking dandelions and looking at the clouds, how involved can I be? When DD is playing, I cheer her on, and pay attention. She's good, involved and paying attention. She's also one of the older kids since they merged the younger and older programs after we signed up. :-(

So, football is a school sport, so I know some of the parents in a nod,how are you kind of way, but I don't sit with a group or seek out the other parents to chit chat. So far, so good. I usually have DD with me and we goof around. take pics of the game, and I do the purse clean-out thing.

Hockey is a whole 'nother beast. DH was doing the practice drop-offs, but he's away last week and this week, so I've been doing it. This is a big hockey town, maybe because of our proximity to the frozen lakes of Canada or the fact that a pro hov=ckey team is in the next city to our west.

These parents have been in hockey for YEARS, and know all the programs, the coaches, the travel teams, etc. Ugh. It's apparently quite the little clique. It's not that they're *not friendly, I just don't KNOW them and I'm not in their world. At all.

Last week, I stayed at Number One Son's practice (at the rinky dink rink) because it didn't make sense to leave. I brought a book, but managed some polite chitchat with the other mom sitting there. Another mom came along and I listened in on some of the conversation....whoa, was she into it. Rattling off names, and coaches and teams and tournaments and leagues..... I could only smile politely and nod my head since I had no clue what she was talking about. Thank God for my book.

I'm safe at the big rink because I can go up to the bar that overlooks the rink and get my Black Forest beer and (you guessed it!) sweet potato fries.

This morning, practice was at a local college rink, and one of the moms offered to bring Mickey home for me so that I could go to church (where I also work part-time). But I DON"T KNOW WHAT SHE LOOKS LIKE! yikes. So I had to approach several tables of "HOCKEY MOMS" (who were all talking about upcoming tournaments) and ask who she was. I really felt like an outsider since Mickey is new to the program. He's only been skating for about 2 years and I swear, some of the kids have been skating since they could walk.

Although I am very sociable and quite chatty in most areas of my life; I prefer to be the quiet one at my kid's sports.

I'm not altogether sure why.

I'm definitely not shy; but I'm more sociable and confident in situations where I have some sort of "official role" and I "work the room". And no, I am not volunteering to be Team Mom or anything with sports. No way, no how.

So, how about you? A reader/purse-cleaner or one of the team moms? Where do you fit in?

I'm soooo sad and lonely.....

wondering:::sniff::: why Lorrie won't follow me. :-(

I might have to go find some chocolate and sit in a corner in my sorrow and despair.

But if you want to see the fun side of Lorrie, go here

She wants to know your favorite sweet temptation. She's giving away 2 mud items (woohoo!) You get to keep one and you get to give one away on your blog. If there's one thing I like as much as entering contests, it's the thought of being able to hold one myself!

If you see Lorrie, please tell her to add me to her Twitter list. I've already eaten too much chocolate.

Inspiration

This came to me in an email from my friend Madeline

Subject: FW: The Invisible Mother

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.

Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously, not.

No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? & Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated suma cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England ..

Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in.

I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself.

I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe .

I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:

'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.

It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.' At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life.

It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right.

And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know...I just did.

Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does.

We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance.

Because sometimes you need a little reminder.

Woohooo!

Tiffany has the Blog Box!

:::Doing the Happy Dance:::

Can't wait to see pics and see her post about it.

Ladies - the journey has begun!

Thanks, Heather

I'm supposed to be WORKING here.

Instead. I'm figuring out my Karaoke personality.

Your Karaoke Theme Song is "Margaritaville"

You are a true party animal, but your style is mild and chill. Kicking back with a few friends and a few drinks is all you need to be happy. You certainly don't feel pressured to be a part of any party scene. In fact, you avoid trendier spots. You've been known to kick loose anywhere and everywhere. All you need is a cooler. You might also sing: "Gin and Juice," "Love Shack," and "Red Red Wine" Stay away from people who sing: "Wind Beneath My Wings"

What's Your Karaoke Theme Song?

Confession time

Okay, so you all know that Darling Daughter helped me pick the names for the Traveling Bloggy Box on Saturday - which in itself is embarrassing because it should have been in the mail 2 weeks ago.

But we missed the mail on Saturday and you know what that means....

No mail on Sunday.

And NO MAIL ON MONDAY!
Thank you very much Christopher Columbus. Not.

So the box only went out to Tiffany today. I'm sorry I'm a slacker. I did send it Priority mail (only because it was only like 40 cents more than the other way).

This box was heavy - more than 6 pounds. I wouldn't recommend that you go heavy, but it's up to you. I don't want anyone to go broke from the mailing. There's lots of fun stuff that doesn't weigh (or cost) a lot.

I did include 2 books, if Tiffany doesn't like them, they might get passed on. They were not new. One came to me from my Saskatchewan friend (hi Tracy!) when she finished it on our Chicago trip, and one was a garage sale find. But I love books and I love seeing them get passed on to other readers.

Now that the box is set up - the journal, the order of mailing, the addresses - I hope it will move along quicker than it took me to get it on its way. You can reuse the box (it's sort of an odd size) or use another box, just take pics as you unpack it and write in the journal and don't forget to include the journal and addresses when you send it on.

At the end of the journey, I'll blog the journal entries maybe? Or send the journal around a second time so you can all read them? What makes sense?

In other news today:

• Number One Son's football team won their game today 29 to 14. It was 25 to 0 until the last quarter. #10 on the other team was a fast little critter - very short and he outran everyone for a touchdown (twice) where he outpaced everyone by half a football field almost.
• Our Indian Summer is over, I think. It went from 75 to 55 degrees and the wind was BLOWING on the football field. Brrrr.
• DH left today for his 11 day travel extravaganza. Part business and part pleasure.
• Since DH wasn't around and the football game ran late, I picked up takeout from Aja Noodle. Yum. That's my guilty pleasure (takeout, not Aja Noodle in particular) when DH is gone. Because let's face it, it's cheaper to order takeout for one adult and 2 kids than it is to order for 2 adults and 2 kids, especially when one adult has a hearty appetite.
• Mickey's hockey practice tomorrow night is at the big rink. Yup, the one with the heated bar and good draft beers and sweet potato fries. :-)
  
• Anyone pick up those Rocky Road snickers? I brought them to work today and they got me through the day. They are omigosh good!

Later, gators.

Ooh, me, me pick me! Pick me!

Yes, I VOLUNTEERED to drive Number One Son to his hockey practice tonight.

At 9:15. PM. On a school night. Did I mention that once it's dark out, I like to be home in my jammies? (Well, okay, I make exceptions for NYC and for vacations and Girls' Nights Out). But really, I like to be upstairs in bed watching Bravo by 9 PM.

I volunteered because DH is packing and leaves tomorrow for a whirlwind business slash pleasure trip that will take him to 5 states in the next 12 days. The business part is for reals, but there is a 8 day golf trip to Myrtle Beach in the middle there. (So I don't feel too bad for him, you shouldn't either)

And because the hockey rink has a heated bar that serves a really good selection of reasonably priced draft beers and my all-time favorite SWEET POTATO FRIES. (Yes, that was the real reason, I admit it)

Except, guess what? Yup, the practice was at the rinky-dink kiddies sports rink. With no bar and no snack bar. Grrrr.

So, I dropped him off and went to Wegman's for milk and then a quick stop to Tim Horton's for a chai.

And then the other moms who were there were a little chatty. But I still managed to finish my chick-lit book. And then I joined the chitchat. I couldn't start out talking or it would have been rude to read. But if I establish myself as a reader first, then I can join in on the conversation when I'm feeling more sociable. You have to establish this early on or you're sunk. You know what I mean.

For Little League baseball this summer, I didn't properly establish myself as the magazine reader or purse cleaner and so I was one of the chatty moms. After that, I couldn't just separate myself and read by myself. But that all worked out because it was a great team and the other parents were really nice.

Rant over.

Now for the Rave.

When I went to the grocery store for milk I walked right by the Halloween candy display. Funny how they place that, isn't it?

Anyway, the first bag I saw caught my eye (yeah, yeah, no surprise, right?) It was a new kind of Snickers - Rocky Road - in dark chocolate!

Oh. My. God. I don't even really like candy with marshmellows in it, but this was HEAVEN.

Run. Or drive. But go out and get yourself some.

Definitely worth it.

But it still doesn't quite make up for the hockey practice being at the rinky dink kiddie rink.

Try em, tell me if you like them.

I'm feeling left out.

The reason?

I think I might be the only blogger that hasn't blogged about skimpy Halloween costumes for children. Just look around. Granted, there's a lot of fodder out there.

Another reason? Because another internet friend had Stanley Steemer come to their house today. Her appointment time? Between 9 and 11 AM. Their arrival? 9:30 AM.

My appointment time? Between 12 noon and 5 PM. No call. Still waiting for their arrival. This sucks. It's 80 degrees and bee-yoo-tee-full here.

I just called them. They're supposedly at the job before mine and will be here in about 45 minutes. The time now? 2:55 PM.

3:40. They called and said they were in my town and on their way.

4:15. Still not here.

My town is not that big.

4:35 he arrived. It's now 4:53 and he's *just bringing in the equipment. I'm not sure I want to know what he was doing in his truck for almost 20 minutes. Turns out he's not alone - there was a second guy in there.

Oh, and another reason? Said internet friend (Hi, Sally!) also said she had two cute young guys show up. Who showed up for my job? Mutt and Jeff.

I'm moving to Minnesota.

Tag!... You're It!

And I *love being IT. I wish it would happen more often.

So, Tiffany, from Random Musings from the DownBeat tagged me for this meme.

So apparently I'm supposed to say 6 random things about myself that I've never shared with anyone before.

Here goes nothing. Slap me if I've revealed any of this fascinating stuff before.

1. I love, loved, loved, loved summer camp as a kid. And I would go back in a heartbeat if I could. The clear, clean mountain lakes, the crisp mornings, swimming, canoeing and sailing, hikes, sleeping in tents (platform, on a bed), camp food, friends - I loved it all. In fact, my first job after I graduated college was working full-time for a year-round camp. Woohoo! I got PAID for it. Not much, of course, but I did get paid and I also got room and board and I was doing something I LOVED. And because of the room and board, I didn't have to move back in with my parents while I looked for a job as a social worker or admissions counselor.
2. My father was a pastor and I rebelled against that (nothing radical or shocking) and didn't go to church at all in college; but working at a camp after college, I put together the non-denominational chapel services - really just devotions - and eventually went on my own to find a church in my twenties. Now, I work for 3 churches and love visiting the shut-ins, bringing communion, assisting with worship and offering up the prayers of intercession, and ESPECIALLY the children's message - a short, fun talk based on the gospel for the day. I fact, if I were a bit younger, I would consider going to seminary and becoming an ordained minister myself. Really. And I'm a huge sinner - sloth, swearing, gluttony, greed, sharp-tongued - the whole nine yards. Thank God for grace. Really.
3. I could read all day long. Every day. Rain or shine. I love plane rides and airports and even doctor's waiting rooms because they give me a chance to read without guilt.
   
4. I love garage sales, estate sales and auctions. They are a treasure trove of marvelous finds (some questionable, some priceless) and they are also recycling at it's finest and good stewardship.
5. I love making new friends and catching up with old friends. My idea of a perfect weekend would be a group or couples gathering at a cabin away from it all to eat and drink and drink and eat and laugh and play games. Alternatively, my other ideal weekend would be a girls' weekend in a fun city and eating and drinking and sightseeing and drinking and eating.
   
6. As much as I am a sociable, outgoing person; sometimes I hope the voicemail will pick up so that I don't have to actually talk to the person I'm calling. That is why I LOVE email.

So, who am I tagging to pass this on? (...trying to tag people I haven't tagged before, but my memory is faulty)

1. Mandy
2. Deb
3. BJ
4. Sarah
5. Marla
6. Lea

Have fun!

*Finally!

Yes, really. I have the first goodies packed up in the Traveling Bloggy Box of Goodness ready to go to Tiffany in Baltimore. Shocking, I know.

And then I realized that I forgot to pick the names for the order of the box's journey.

So, Emma, who saw Lorrie's awesome video, immediately volunteered to do the same video pick. I tried to beg off knowing that my video skills are not quite up to the challenge and that my house is too cluttered, but she insisted. :-)
(Yeah, that's CAT hair all over Emma's hat. Shut. Up.)



So, here's the order:
The box starts with me and goes to Tiffany in Baltimore.

From there it goes to:
Carrie - Pearls of Something (somewhere in Pennsylvania)
Karen - The Wub Queen (Upstate New York)
Heather - Nobody But Yourself (Upstate New York)
Deb - Don't judge this book by its cover
Lea - Everything but the kitchen sink (Upstate New York)
BJ - Don't Overthink It (Dallas, TX)
Lorrie - Our Name is Blog (NYC)
Lauren - WV Lauren (Pennsylvania)
Sarah - SoulMoxie (Utah)
Mandy - Let's Make a Roux (North Carolina)
Marla - Pak Adventures (Washington - the state)
Kendra - Miss Thystle (Arizona)
Back To ME!!!! Yay!

I hope this works! Have fun!

Homecoming, Farmer's Market and more

My son is only in middle school, so I didn't think I'd be doing this; but he started modified football this year, and the team was in the Homecoming Parade on Main Street.

It's a beautiful, fairly warm day so we dropped him off at the meeting place at 8:30 AM and went to the Farmer's Market and took pics before the parade started.


I love the colors!


View from the canal bridge. The Erie Canal.
Yes, that's Number One Son on the left - more interested in catching candy than in waving.
Oops, the right side of the photo - he was on the left of the group.

Then we went shopping in the cutesy little shoppes on Main Street and look what we found!
She obviously doesn't know the talent of the artist, because when I asked if she had any more "Our Name Is Mud" stuff, she hesitated, then said, "well I don't have very much stuff anymore, but I think there's a few around somewhere". She didn't even tell me what she had or point me in the right direction. Poor salesmanship, obviously. I poked around on my own and found the cat and dog hair platters, an Irish platter, 2 "mom and dad are great" bowls, and 4 or 5 coffee mugs. Hmmf, does she not know what she has? The potential? The creative and comic genius that is Lorrie? :-) (Love ya Lorrie!)

I loved this shirt, but what's the point of buying it? Because honestly, let's be real. Would I ever let myself run out of wine? They also had out of coffee and out of beer shirts, too. And I can tell you from experience with both - that is not a pretty situation.
Enjoy the day!

Football and soccer this afternoon! Woot!

Afternoon update - more pics below! Temps in the 70's -love it!



Full stands for the football game. A sea of red.

Can you see the score? It says 35-0! At halftime, it was 42 - 0!
A beautiful day!

Thursday...

getting better. Although I'd still really like a rainy day to stay home and do nothing. Alone.

Darling Daughter has taken to carrying around the dog's harness collar and sleeping with it. She also gathered dog hair and put it in a ziplock bag.

Is there an adult version I could do? His dog bed got peed on, so I can't snuggle that. I have some standards, people!

Thanks for all the hugs.

Wednesday....

...doesn't suck as much as Monday, but I've still got nuthin' to say.

Sorry.

Yes, Monday sucks

at least this one does.

Desmond 1994-2008
(kindly protector, gracious defender - a fitting name)

Yes, my children camped out and slept next to him last night.
This was Desmond this morning, he had such trouble standing up. His hind legs were losing muscle control and he was getting increasingly paralyzed.

We took him to the vet this evening, the whole family. We all discussed it with the vet, and all got to cuddle and hold him right 'til the end.

Rest in peace, Kindly Protector.

May all your days be filled with balls to chase,
bones to chew
and lots of long walks in the woods.

We love you!

I hate that Monday is tomorrow

After such a great weekend, it doesn't seem quite fair when it comes crashing to an end. (my apologies to those of you who have faced real misery this week, I know mine is trivial)

No, we didn't crash the car on our way home from Canada. That ride was uneventful.

But at 4:00, the vet's office opened up so we could retrieve our dog, Desmond, who was boarding for the weekend. I already got a call while in Canada that he had a urinary tract infection and was having a hard time with his weak hind legs.

Desmond will be 14 at Thanksgiving.
Number One Son turned 13 in June.
Do the math.

I got this dog when I was pregnant with my first child. He was a 10 week old puppy when I brought him home on a cold, snowy day in early February of 1995. Even though he was a golden/ lab mix, he immediately decided that my pregnant lap was where he most wanted to be. He turned out to be so gentle and so kind - never a snap or a growl, even with 2 very enthusiastic young dog lovers who were known to try and ride him like a horse, take his favorite toys, play with his food and otherwise annoy/love him to death.

Desmond - do you know what it means? One source that I found almost 14 years ago, said that it meant "Kindly protector". When I went to look it up recently, I found "Gracious defender". Either way, he's been a real gem and a sweetheart.

When they brought him out of the vet's office, they had a sling around his middle to help him walk. We lifted him up into the back of the van as urine dribbled out of him. I had the kids sit in back with him and wrapped him in a blanket.

This is just too hard. Well maybe not too hard, but *so hard. And it sucks, mostly because he still nuzzles us with his head and wags his tail and his eyes light up when he looks at us.

And a $40.00 boarding bill cost $241 because of vet care and medicine. And I imagine we'll be spending more in this next week.

Shit.

And DH and I had a fight on the way to take Number One Son to hockey. Before I found out about the dog.

Shit.

And DH just told me that when he was bringing our boat to a new marina for winter storage, the right shaft and propeller broke off. That's like a $5000 part or some crap like that.

Shit.

I have to see if I can dig up some old puppy photos to scan.

It's great to pull off a surprise!

We converged on Niagara Falls, ON from Illinois, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. It took 2 days of travel, lots of secrets and diversions, but we did it. We totally surprised my Mother-in-law for her 80th birthday.
15 of us came into the restaurant singing happy birthday. She was totally shocked.
We've spent today at the Falls, going on the Maid of the Mist boat tour, walking around, being tourists and now - everyone (well almost everyone) is in the hotel pool and whirlpool.
This has been a great weekend so far, but I'm EXHAUSTED!

Chicago

I feel like I've been pretty busy since I got back from my weekend away and I haven't said anything about Chicago. Or the witty women I met there.

This weekend will be busy, too, as the entire extended family will be surprising my Mother-in-law in Niagara Falls, ON for her 80th birthday.

As the saying goes, "The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get" or something like that.

So, in a nutshell:

Chicago - great town, lots of energy
The company - great! It was a hoot to meet people face-to face that I've "known" online for many years. I started out on the AOL boards about 13 years ago, although I'm not sure that any of this weekend's group goes back that far with me. (No, there were no trolls, oddities, or mom jeans - and contrary to my husband's fears, we did not sit around and bad mouth our husbands. Puh-leeze, we had better stuff to do. Besides, with DH's as wonderful as ours, what could we say? ;-))
What we did - the ferris wheel on Navy Pier,

happy hour at our hotel,
window shopping and people watching on Michigan Ave,
an architectural boat cruise on the Chicago River,



and lots of talking
The verdict? I'd do it again in a heartbeat! It was a fun adventure to go to a city that I'd never been to, meet people I'd never met, and get away on my own.