Did U ever?

If you've had enough of hearing about my weird dreams throughout the years.. mouse click yourself Out of here! this one is the weirdest one YET!

COYOTES! TALKING COYOTES! CUNNING ARTICULATE TALKING COYOTES! They come into my yard and I am always doing tons of yard work (which shows you just HOW unrealistic Dreams are, even more so than FReaking Talking coyotes!) So, at first one approaches as if he's a friendly helpful neighbor and he offers to finish up my sweeping or raking or mowing, Or whatever I'm busy with. My dream is SO real, I feel myself sweating from this hard work AND I can smell the soil! (but oddly, Not the coyotes bad breath) So anyway, back to the coyotes... After a few minutes of helping.. all of a sudden!...His FANGS come out (maybe I'm watching too much of the true blood show?) and the Coyotes (now all of a sudden there are MANY) Are chasing me to EAT ME UP! It's so scary! and I wake up in a sweat! (checking for calluses on my hands of course and making sure my nails aren't dirty!)

Like all my crazy dreams.. I need to analyze this one... This is what I think... I recently called to make vet appointments for my pets and when I was asking what they were due for...KITTY the receptionist (YES I know! what a perfect name!) said they were due for their Leptospirosis shot.. which is important because if WILD animals like raccoons (my brain? registered Coyotes!) come in the yard (hence...yard Work) and urinate and my dogs step in it and lick their paws.. they can get sick! (sick= eaten up)
I watched fantastic mr. fox about a two montha ago and the coyote DID speak a bit like My beloved George Clooney AND he appeared partially animated.. so there is that too..
What do u think of all this??

Did U ever?

I was talking to a friend the other day and I brought up the following story which I hadn't thought about in a long time.When I was dating my husband he was SO infatuated with an OLD car my step father owned and mostly kept in the garage. It was a 1950's or 60's something or other with very low mileage and in mint condition. (I should probably know the details to help my story, this pic from google looks a bit like it) Anyway, throughout the years together dating and then married, My husband would often exchange fun banter with him like.. Please if you EVER think of selling 'her' PLEASE please ask me first. I would LOVe to own that Car. He was so complimentary too about HOW wonderful it was that Bob took such good care of it for so many years.. But of course old stepdad declared he would never sell it. After we had our 2nd son, my husband decided (against my protests) to buy a motorcycle. My mom and her (cranky) husband Also thought this was a foolish purchase and told him so. He didn't keep it too long because he too decided he didn't want to risk his safety with such small kids needing him.
Shortly after he sold it we had been at my moms visiting when Her husband told us that he SOLD the mint car! My husband looked at him in shock and said "Bob, why didn't you ask me, you knew how badly I wanted to buy that car."Bob responded coldly with... "well, You bought that motorcycle Pete, you didn't need the car too! So I sold it to my friend Leroy." ( Later we found out Leroy was a new guy at Bobs job that practically Stole the car from him, he sold it so cheap!)
My husband was not only baffled by this but also so so hurt. What was that?? Was it ignorance? Did he think it was his job to punish him for making a bad decision with the motorcycle? Was it spite? He actually said it spitefully like a bratty child would. Bob passed away many years ago and I've often thought if Mr. Petals still had that car, it would have been one way to have a nice memory of bob.., also,Who knows, it may have helped to form a nice bond between them creating some extra happy memories too. Instead, This act of spite or hatred or whatever it was, along with many other bizarre behaviors by him, left us feeling flat and disheartened. Certain things are just baffling and they make you question... where is the love?
(turn up volume)

Did u EVer??

Lately, Mr. Petals seems incapable of articulating his thoughts as well as he used to. But of course, he is in denial of this.. They say we women go through MENTALpause when we're going through menopause.. but seriously.. they need to find a name for it for men. Maybe it's not all men, but apparently (according to my mother in law).. It is definitely something that runs through the MEN in my father in laws family! Here's the most recent example of what I'm trying to explain. Tonight we are talking about Where a church from his old neighborhood was located.. so he explains it to me by mentioning what park it's near and I understand where it is but he adds... Yeah, so it is between that park and woods elementary school. And we did them all. Okay... there is the example.. And we did them all. Who's WE and What Did they do?? Do u Want to know The best about this latest problem of his?? HE gets impatient with ME... when I don't GEt that kind of abstract, senseless sentence!! (that's the inherited part!!).. So with a look of puzzlement, I innocently say... (well not so innocent, maybe a tiny bit snarky..) "We did them all"? and he snaps, as if how can I NOT understand that perfectly formed sentence...
Yeah.. Me and my friends!.. We hung out at All Three of those spots, the park, the school and the church parking lot! so I (snarkily) said... HOW the hell am I suppose to know what you were referring to!! So he says.. welll What else could I have meant!! (THIS I love!! NOW not only should I listen and comprehend.. it is up to me to decode everything or get a snippy attitude!!) So I reply...
You could have meant that You Cut the grass at all those locations! YOu could have meant YOU Built them all! Maybe you meant that You and I visited them all! ARe u kidding me??
Then he gets fed up and says... Just forget about it!!
Is it me?? Would u have known what WE DID Them ALL meant? We weren't talking about hanging out! we weren't talking about his childhood friends. Someone had mentioned a churches name to me and I thought I knew All the churches where he grew up, so I just questioned if he knew where that one was located... GEEZ!!! I have a feeling I will be giving you more examples pretty soon...

Did u ever?

Who knew I was feeling so hurt? It has been years since I dwelled on our lost friendship, Although fond memories of it do pop into my head at times. We started out just being two moms who had kids who loved to play together. With each play date, our friendship grew closer and closer. Soon the play dates with our two kids graduated into blended family functions, holidays and fun outings. I felt closer to you than to my own sister. As our kids grew they branched out and made more friends in their own schools, acquired different interests, desired to see each other less and less. I can't believe that that fact alone would sabotage the 'sister' hood that we had formed.

Apparently, it must have been me.. must have been something else that made it easy for you to stop treasuring a friendship that I thought we were so lucky to have found. I remember calling you weekly to chat and chat we did! but it soon dawned on me that you were never calling me anymore. So, I called less often. I'm proud of the fact that I'm pretty perceptive...I knew a 'brush off' when I felt one. I vowed to myself that I would stop calling and just see how long it would take for you to call me. The call never came. I'm not sure on the time frame.. but I am going to guess that about EIGHT years went by! I don't remember what sparked the impulse.. but I decided to call you one day.. We caught up on life, the kids, work. You sounded so truly happy to hear from me, promising to keep in touch. I am going to guess that conversation was about..... hmmm? I am thinking 2004?? Six years ago? I remember telling my husband that If you weren't being sincere, You deserved an academy award for your genuine enthusiasm and warmth!

I didn't feel as bad this time around when I never heard back from you, that is why I am so Surprised (and perturbed) at myself for feeling THIS wounded this week, when i got your request to be my friend on Facebook. I stared at your message and your image wondering if I should accept or ignore. I saw pictures of your beautiful children, who I had loved, all grown up.
I decided to sleep on it. I have to say, maybe I am being petty or overly sensitive, but I have decided to ignore this request. To me... your friend request is about 15 years late. You had a great friend, maybe you needed time to go by to realize how important that is, maybe you still haven't realized it. These 'friend' requests on Face book are commonly trivial and meaningless. After all this time... truly "friending' me, means picking up the phone or showing up at my door. Friending me on facebook... Feels SO hurtful and Confirms the fact that to you, I was merely the mother of your son's friend.

Did you ever?

this post tied nicely into the 3 word wednesday words
Ambush
Hideous
Meddle

Well... If you've been reading me from the beginning, you will know about my issues with my legal name .
It seems I keep getting myself in trouble by calling myself different names in different settings.
I never thought this at all whacky, but my kids sure do. I sent my boys to pick up the baked clams from our favorite Italian place on Christmas eve..Every time I order out from this restaurant and they ask for a name.. I say the form of my name that is my latest preference - Lucy. (and every time.. the boy on the phone begins singing lucy in the sky with diamonds! :)
So, when i placed the order for the clams and they asked, i automatically said.. Lucy. (i just love that song and being sung to! ) I gave NO last name. No phone number. Rushing around on Christmas Eve.. I remembered to give my kids the money before they left, but I forgot to inform them that the order is under the name LUcY.
They get there and give my first name, the name they know me as, the name most people call me.. Luanne. The waiter says.. "we have NO orders under that name".. so then my boys give our LAST name.."we have No orders under that name" Then they gave my husbands first name.. No Luck! Our phone number?? NO luck...The place was a zoo so the clerks started helping other customers, leaving my kids ambushed and wondering "what the heck is going on" (and may I mention, leaving my clams to become hideously dried out!) Then one counter person.. called out "LUCY"! "is there anyone waiting for a full tray of baked clams named LUCY?" My brilliant kids (who I would have thought more brilliant if they would have just called me as soon as they were puzzled ) realized.. OH Lucy!?! THIS must be our nut job mom!!
Of course when they came home... they not only had to go on and on and on about HOW frustrating this was and HOW I should have remembered to tell them my name, they also had to meddle in my business by giving me their opinion that I am so crazy with this Lucy stuff and that I should just stick to Luanne and stop confusing everyone! Glad they never read my blog.. 'cause I am finally admitting.... since their trip for the clams... I HAVE begun to think I am wacky after I got into trouble yet AGAIN at Zumba class with my name game. My friend gave me a zumba gift card under the name Luanne. However, I usually sign in as Lucy at Zumba when I pay, but because the g.c. says luanne, I signed in as Luanne. Later, a new teacher introduced herself to me and asked my name. I said Lucy. Later she asked if I had forgotten to pay her, because she had NO lucy's on her list! I am starting to feel like a criminal and may begin to add aka to all my signatures.
Thanks for reading!
and happy new year to all my 3 ww buddies,
xo
Lucy Aka Luanne
aka Lulu
aka Lucille
aka Wackadoodle

Did you ever?

Lately I keep feeling like our world is getting more and more crazy. People seem to have Less compassion, Less patience, Less humanity than ever before. I questioned if it was just me thinking this way? Am I just getting older and crankier? You know what? No. that is not it. The world IS getting crazier and It isn't just the younger generation. Even older folks are... well .. Losing it! I see more selfishness and rudeness than I ever remember noticing before.

Tonight I spoke to my 80 year old Mom who lives on her own down in Florida.
Mom volunteers at the hospital a few days a week and volunteers as a bingo caller in between.
She has been calling bingo for years and gets much praise for her fun, outgoing personality.
Last week an 87 year old man got a bingo but hesitated a little too long to shout it out and My mom had already called the next number to which 3 additional people shouted BINGo! The 87 year old mans wife began repeatedly calling my mom a BITCH! Screaming that she went too quickly and that her husband deserved the pot all to himself! ISN'T THERE SOMETHING CRAZY AND SO SO WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?? I am telling you, something bizarre, scary and so sad is happening in the world. We seem to be desensitized to the feelings of others. Decency and morals a thing of the past. My poor mom was so upset and didn't know what to say or do.
I feel so bad to know she was spoken to like that. Mom called The director of the senior center, who told her that she did do the right thing.. Once the next ball was in the slot she had to Call it and honor the multiple winners. Just what an 80 year old donating her time needs, right? insults and aggravation.

On the way home from Bingo, mom stopped off for gas. She waited behind a station wagon while he filled up. After he was done.. He continued to sit in his car and chat with the attendant who was apparently his friend. They both acted totally oblivious to the fact that someone else was waiting. After waiting for a good 5 minutes patiently in her car, my mom leaned her head out the window and said.. "excuse me, would you mind getting going now?" The attendant went inside the gas station and the man in the station wagon deliberately just stayed in his car a few minutes longer. She knew it was just to bother her a little bit more!! HE was inconsiderate from the start and because She asked him to move, he decided to torture her even more?? Hello??? Is it just me?? Does this make any sense? Or are you infuriated too? He should have apologized and quickly moved over or out!! Finally my 80 year old (extremely brazen) little mama... Got OUT of her car and started walking towards him. He finally drove off! I got so upset that she did that! I warned her that with the looneys these days, you can NeVER assume he wouldn't have hurt her.
Hasn't this kind of rudeness and maliciousness happened to you? Do u feel it's happening more often too? What do you feel is the best way to handle hateful, ignorant strangers? I always say ignore these types but how can you in the gas station situation? I swear, I wish I could spray my mom with cretin repellant.

Did u ever?

Did you ever stop and wonder WHO you are blogging for? Is it for you alone? Is it to hopefully leave a little bit of you behind as a legacy for your loved ones? Is it for strangers that may stumble upon your post and be enlightened, amused, displeased, offended? Is it to receive comments? I've been feeling this uneasy pressure about blogging lately. Especially when it comes to participating in the prompt sites that I so love. It seems to me that to use these prompt sites appropriately, you must not only publish a post using the prompt, but you MUST reciprocate and read and comment on Many of the other blogs that also participate in the prompt. Is it just me or did you ever feel this pressure and find it uncomfortably overwhelming in our already pressured busy lives?? I mean somedays, I am lucky if I have enough time to just read my emails and write a quick blog post. It is a luxury to have enough time to reply to emails, write a blog post and Then try to Read (really read, not just skim) the many blogs that I love PLUS try to read (really read, never skim) The others that have participated in a prompt site that I've visited. PA- LEASEEEE! But blogging to many bloggers seems to be very much about reciprocating. Don't we reciprocate enough in our everyday lives?
You made me soup when I was sick.. so now You get a sore throat... I run soup to your house.
I sent you a 'thinking of you card' cause you were having a bad day... I have ... a pain in my ass..
You send me a get well card. I invite you to a dinner.. You feel obligated to invite me back.. Those are the realities of life. Polite, appropriate, friendly. To spill all this decency over here to the blog world is just a little too much for this decent but overly extended blogger.
Thanks to a little help from a very special friend (this song playing is for YOU!) a special friend, who always manages to enlighten and give invaluable advice, I've come to the conclusion that I DID begin blogging for ME and (with the hopes that blogger wouldn't decide to take a walk but be around a while) so my kids could possibly someday look back on all I've felt like sharing. So even though I love getting comments and love being a Decent respectable girl... I've decided I am going to just 'do my thing' over here like a blogging slut. Write what ever I feel like writing. If you like it great, if not.. also okay. I will continue to read blogs that I enjoy to read and comment when I have the time. I will boldly participate in prompt sites Regardless of wether I have ample time to reciprocate. If I am known as the RuDE blogger, Well.. so be it. I will be enjoying a pressure-free pass time like I used to 3 years ago when I was a rookie and unaware of the proprieties involved in ....blabbing.

Did u Ever?

Did u ever notice how absurd some of the text messages we send & receive are? We have really become a world that reads each others minds! Yesterday without putting much thought into it, I sent my middle son a message that was simply this..
I hve chickn what up ? xox
the translation of that? I made your favorite! chicken for dinner! Are you eating home? or do u have other plans? I love you so much! After I sent it, I realized I should have been a bit clearer.. "I have chicken" made me laugh out loud! What made me realize that we have become mind readers was when I received this reply from him.. Thx Mama I ate @ wrk. stopn at Oscars to chill for a bit.
He totally got my rushed message!

No matter how rushed I am, I always have to end each message with ALL three hugs/kisses symbols! Just like HAVING to say 'be careful driving' each time I say goodbye to my kids, the XOX has become a superstitious habit for me knowing I am truly conveying my love to them. As if, even in my haste if I should write only X O , they will assume I love their brothers more? Anyway.. back to the subject of absurd texting. Today despite my crazy busy work day, I wanted to let my husband know I was thinking of him AND that I did get a chance to have an unexpected lunch break! This message was sent to his cell...
hi honey lunch! jst thinkng o U xox
I never heard back from him which isn't weird because he doesn't like typing and if he is real busy at work, he can't make a call. When he came home i told him I sent him a message and when he looked he had never received it! Just then my youngest son walked by and said "Mom.. Why did u send me that note that you were thinking of me when you were eating lunch? I was right in the other room when u were eating!" Gee, I don't even know HoW i sent it to the wrong name?! Which made me start wondering.. Have any of my abbreviated crazy messages been sent out to baffled friends and family members in my address book? Or worse? a doctor? The pharmacist? The butcher? "i have chicken" How confused would HE be? (Come to think of it, he does look at me like I am a bit loopy)
(I really should stop denying that I could use reading glasses to see those tiny letters on this small phone.) In the meantime.... u txt weird 2? Hpe u lve commt

Did u ever?

Okay another crazy baby dream last night!! This time instead of me
neglecting the baby, I was carrying him around in a baby store looking for baby necessities. ( I vividly recall admiring black and white polka dotted baby shorts!) The sales woman looked at my puffy old face and like a good phony baloney, she asked... Awww Is this your first baby?? I instantly began bawling and cried.." NO!! I HAVE ADULT MEN LIVING AT HOME!!" I woke up in a cold sweat wondering... WHaT the hell did this dream mean???
Do you clearly remember some of your dreams? do u have ANY idea what the hell is wrong with me?
speaking of babies... Have u see this adorable funny video yet?? I tried having the video on my blog but I just can't make this happen.. Hope u pop over to u tube and check this out (ooh, but leave me a comment first!)
serious baby

Did u ever

I can't believe that this april I will be celebrating my THIRD blogging anniversary!
I felt like looking back a bit, adding some new pictures and music to spruce up the old place and asking my more current readers...
did u ever read my very first blog post?....

Thursday, April 20, 2006

What's in a name?

Having decided to try my hand at blogging, my first obstacle was a name. My name has never sat well with me. My parents named me after my fathers mother. Lucille. No offense to all the Lucille's out there, but I never cared for that name. I also never cared for the nick name that came from Lucille. LuLu. Since I was a wee little baby, my family called me LuLu. For many years ( like "baby" in Dirty Dancing) I didn't realize there was anything wrong with the name. Then my first passionate kiss at age 12! This innocent young boy (Eric) whispered " Oh LuLu". Well, the silliness of that name had me laughing instead of kissing. He felt uncomfortable and I felt my name didn't fit me. To the rescue my big sister- who suggests I take the Lu from Lucille and the Anne of my middle name and become Luanne! A New Lu is born. From that day forth I introduced my self to everyone as Luanne. In school i was still Lucille, At home the LuLu would not die. At my wedding I had the priest call me Lucille ( for my moms sake mostly) and several friends afterward said how sorry they were that the priest got my name wrong! I never legally changed my name so the confusion has been troublesome. Well, here I am now many, many years later, My husband and my friends call me Luanne. My mom still throws an occasional LuLu at me, which I now do not mind at all. After all the hoopla and insecurity and awkward circumstances..... I wish I would have just been a Lucy.

I gave this whole explanation as to why I chose to be referred to as Lucy but I am surprised I didn't talk more about taking on the new hobby of blogging or about the blogs title. I AM a little weird, so I guess it shouldn't surprise me. I rarely look back on what I've written but this week...Looking back on some of my older posts, it made me realize that I used to share much more of my life. I'm not really sure whY I don't as much lately? I also realized that my memory is worse than I thought! I had forgotten so much of what I've written. That reinforces another emotional feeling I've had all week... that we ONly go around once!! I mean, of course I've always known that.. but this week for some reason, I am really ... REALLY focusing on that poignant fact. Not just about my life, but even random strangers will bring it to mind! Like.. My son's friend talked about how Amy Fischer was stripping. I felt so sad for her.... first she shoots some poor innocent woman in the head, then goes to prison, now strips for a living?? THIS is how she is using her Once around?? I don't think when we are young and making life choices we really REALLY have it sink in..... THIS is the path I am choosing to live my ONE chance on. Hind sight really is 20/20. I wonder if this wondering means something? Did u ever feel like this too?

Did u ever?

One of my friends had an interesting theory about t.v. adding so much pressure to our lives.
Much more than our pre-t.v. ancestors had.
Of course we all know how much pressure it adds to young girls who feel they have to meet the unrealistic standards of models in ads. But it is pressuring us in other ways too. I never thought about how much till she brought this subject up.
For example, she was saying... Did u ever watch HGtv and then look around at your own house and think ... Damn! this isn't as great as I had thought! So many shows depict top of the line everything and it makes us feel as if we aren't as fortunate as we had thought we were!
Huge mansions, gorgeous backyards, bigger and better... EVERYthing! Mr. petals loves watching that station and I always yell to him... 'Why are you watching this? It's Depressing!!'

Did u ever see those shows that go on and on about the perfect wedding?
The bride and groom pick out the perfect flowers, they have a wedding coordinator. They have to even sample and choose their perfect cake! When we got married, the cake came with the package. i don't even think I asked what filling it would have! So brides today, must compete with all these added details or risk having a wedding that will be considered horrible?? I am so happy I planned my wedding unaware of needing to be so fancy schmancy!
It's also the same with entertaining. Years ago you would put out some wine and cheese and your friends would be happy in No time. Now... martha and the likes of her are making us feel so inferior if we don't create an impressive masterpiece spread. No wonder I hate having company lately! I don't have the time, energy or desire to perform these creative miracles!

I think my friend makes a really smart point... Now, Think about years ago, without tv. The only people they mostly compared themselves with, were their neighbors who were probably in a similar economic status as they were. Any unrealistic ad in a magazine, was just that..Unrealistic. No regular folks can really have a house that expensive, hair so coiffed, clothes so fine.
I was thinking about this as I was watching a tonight show i had taped. Some actress sat there talking to Jay and her legs were so distractingly SHinY! I leaned over to Mr. Petals and said...
Oh great, I guess we're all suppose to have shiny legs now too !? He didn't know what i was talking about. He was half asleep, but I realized that I am so guilty of being made to feel inferior by much of the junk on t.v. How 'bout you?

Did u ever?

Each day do the thing you most dread first;then every other goal will be easy-brenda Novak



Recently in my near-by shopping center, a little aquarium store opened. It surprised me. I mean with all the huge pet stores on every corner... An aquarium store?? I immediately felt sorry for the owner. So far, I've seen no activity at all. During a recession?the nation at it's worst economical state? People out of work?... WHo the heck is buying Fish?? To look at! People are having a difficult enough time buying fish to FEED their starving kids.
We just drove by there again tonight on our way to the pharmacy. My husband started making jokes about the aquarium store. As bad as I've felt I couldn't help laughing too. (he can be very funny) He said let's go in there and ask "how much for 2 lbs. of filet of sole? " They will be happy to have someone walk in even if only to direct us to the seafood store.
Did u ever notice how quickly these little places pop up and then go out? It is so sad. As a former little business owner myself, I so know the pain of that. The dream, the hard work, the expense, the stress! .. and then... BAM... you just can't stay afloat.
well, at least when the aquarium closes up ( we have a bet going, I say 6 mts.) the fish may stay afloat? Or do they end up at the Seafood store on sale for .99 a lb? (always be suspicious of food that goes on sale)

Did u ever?

I have 309 unread emails in my dominant email account. That little postage stamp icon on my desk top haunts me each day as that number constantly increases many times each day, reminding me Of how truly un-organized I am even on a flat desktop screen. I have what has to be over a thousand that I've opened and read or only half read but have them stuck there, awaiting deletion or another look or filing to a new folder. This disarray of emails as you may have guessed is just the tip of my totally cluttered, disorganized iceberg. I am totally puzzled by my organized friends. Did you ever meet someone like them? Or maybe YOU are lucky enough to be like this. We will be talking about something she bought years ago,she tries to memorize the price, she says 'wait a sec'... and really, like only two seconds later...She freaking whips the receipt out of her Ausss! I am always astounded! I take a sip of tea, turn around and she is holding the receipt to the couch she bought in 1992! How the hell is that even possible if you aren't an illusionist?
Well, Little Lulu is changing up things over here for the NEw yeaR and for my NEw ATTituDE! ( did u read my last post??NO? please do!)

I have been picking the brains of these amazing(wacky), brilliant(anal),organizers!(freaks)
One of my clients is the best I've met so far, and considering she is a teacher, I decided to take my entire lesson from her on organizational skills.( i had to get the smelling salts out, when I told her of my current filing system.~ A large Macy's shopping bag that I throw EVERy receipt, paid bill, tax return, bank statement in! When that overflows onto my closet floor it gets shipped to the garage (the land of the lost) and replaced with a brand new bag!) She regained consciousness and instructed me to go to Target first for the filing cabinet. (yes, I really mean business) Being that Ms. Kay is a thrifty organizer (cheapskate), she told me Target has the best price for the cabinet. OKAY. Check! got it. (Black and sleek, reminiscent of the sexy shoes I had my eye on but the $32.00 I spent, would have only bought me One heel.) Next, she instructed me to go to Costco for a box of 50 filing folders and a box of 50 hanging folders. Check! got 'em! only cost 14.oo total! ( 32. + 14.= $46.00 or 1/2 of one shoe)

Next came the labeling and that's when she totally lost Loopy lulu! I was very confused but, determined not to look like a complete clutter idiot, I nodded a LOT! She was ready to give me an A+ for attitude and attention span! Until, she asked me to repeat what she had said. My defense was 'uhhhh, I was concentrating on your haircut so intensely I lost my concentration on your filing system!" ( ehem, bullshit)
SO, her being a bit anal and apparently intolerant of slow learners, my lesson was terminated on the spot! (what a terrible teacher!) But, No worries, I am SO on top of this filing stuff without her! I really have a system going. Instead of starting the millions of folders she was attempting to tell me to start. It makes more sense to me to tackle them as they come along. SO, for example, I paid a credit card bill after Christmas, then I started a hanging folder that simply says Credit cards. IN there I put folders for my different cards. WAHHLAAA! Childs play!
My son's school papers were cluttering up my hutch, SO, I Made up one with his name and several inside for his school papers and other categories. As more clutter accumulates, I will just make up another folder!! (Sure hope 50 will be enough!)
I think my way is less time consuming than her way too! So what do you think?
Pretty impressive, no? I am going to LOVE being organized and I am so excited that I am going to have all that extra room at the bottom of my closet! you know what THAT means! (That is where I keep the SHoES! ) If i do get those sleek new ones, wait a few months then ask me to see the receipt! ok?

Did u EVER?

Did you ever feel like Christmas just isn't what it used to be? This used to be one of my favorite holidays. Something feels so different. There used to be this gigantic build up of excitement. The excitement in getting the house decorated and the cookies baked and making plans to visit friends. Now, everything feels like just another overwhelming chore for an overworked, underpaid elf-mom. I guess I have to blame my kids. They used to get so excited and that fueled this crazy elf to work her butt off, night and day to pull off another ideal Christmas season. Last year as I decorated our home I asked them to carry the Christmas bins in the house from the garage, One by one, my sons kept shooting me 'the look' . The look with their big Scroogelike eyes that said..." aRe u CRaZZy? what the hell do we need all these bins of decorations for??" I felt I got resistance every step of the way. Frustrated by their indifference, I did away with our Tradition of them getting new pajamas on Christmas Eve. ( their stunned faces that there were NO pjs, pierced my pissed off heart!)
This year, The tree went up later than usual. Every night, everybody had plans and No one was able to get together to decorate this poor thing. So Finally, One night, With an empty house, A full wine glass, and That damn James taylors moving voice, moving me to ridiculous tears, I decorated my tree all alone for the first time ever. With each ornament there was a reminder of the years past. AWW, The ernie and Bert that My eldest loved! The thomas train that my youngest adored. And My middle sons simpsons characters. Why would hanging Marge simpson on a Christmas tree move a grown woman to sob? SO pathetic!! Ernie and Bert affected me the most. I had to get the tissue box. About 21 years ago, while shopping with my then three year old son and husband at the mall, we ran into our close friend Aunt Mare. She 'borrowed' my son from us, took him to Macys and he returned with these precious Ernie and Bert characters in his sweet little hands, that He had PROUDLY picked out and that He has placed on our tree each year since.
I of course really don't 'blame' my kids. They are getting older and It is so normal that they are losing interest in some of the traditions that they treasured as children. (but I am not getting older. In fact, after reading this I think i am more immature than ever! ) I am missing the magic. Which makes me wonder if that is why God invented grandkids? Someday, That magic feeling may return and Ernie and Bert will be passed down to a new set of sweet little hands.
One thing I do know, No matter how much they declare that they don't need this and don't care about that. They DO love getting those pjs and They will be wearing them this Christmas morning.
So, did u ever feel like this?

Did U ever

Fury, Guilt, Thankful

Have you noticed there seems to be such a breakdown in our society? A breakdown in courtesy. A breakdown in family values. A breakdown in respect for your fellow man. How do kids have a chance to learn about morals, values, and general decency, when they are so often exposed to the pitiful behavior of their own parents.
My husband and I went to dinner the other night at the Outback. Not a fancy place, but It is still a restaurant. We were seated in a booth and across the aisle also in a booth was a Mother and her daughter. For their entire dinner, the Mother had her feet stretched across and propped up on the opposite booth seat. For the entire dinner, she basically ignored the girl and 'played' with her phone or blackberry or whatever the heck she was busy with. Every-time the waiter approached her, she didn't bother looking up at him either, She just barked what she wanted and kept her nose in her phone.
Maybe I have attention deficit disorder or something, I couldn't stop observing her inappropriate, rude behavior. It was distracting me. When I take one of my kids to dinner, part of the reason I love that we are eating out together, is so that I can totally focus my attention on THEM. No others chiming in and taking the floor. THEY can tell me everything on their mind, they can have my undivided attention. I am not cooking, or ironing or cleaning Or ON THE damn Cell phone. I am so Thankful to be Absorbing The importance of MY CHILD! I wanted to go over and shake some sense into that moron AND also inform her that it's bad manners to have her dirty boots on someone else's furniture. I couldn't help wondering...
What if I DID do that? Do you think that kind of bold interfering would totally unlock someone's inner fury? Or Would they be acting angry but in fact be feeling guilt? Or would they be grateful for being enlightened? Wouldn't it make me just as rude as she was? I came to the conclusion, If I ever had the nerve to be so rude and bold, I bet for sure, I would have gone home with her bloomin onion on my head and her Boomerang burger around my neck. Hate to even imagine where she would assault me with that cell phone!


wishing my 3 ww friends a very happy thanksgiving tomorrow.

did u ever?

After waiting FOREVER for a best buy guy (Not THAt one Sherrie) to find me a David Cook cd, And then waiting for TEN minutes on line because there were only two cashiers... I FINALLY got to pay for my cd. Just as she took my change out of the register and BEFORE she ripped the receipt and gave me both... The OTHER cashier, who apparently was having a lot of trouble and was THE cause of the tie up on line.. asks MY cashier for help. WITHOUT handing me the change that is IN HER F*&%ing Palm, she begins to walk over to assist the other cashier! Is it NOT common sense to finish up with your customer first? I find that At 49 yrs. old, I don't wait anymore for their common sense to kick in, I demand it. I said 'excuse me, please finish my transaction first, I need to GO".
I feel like i encounter this kind of ignorance/inconsiderateness EVERYWhERE today and it totally pisses me off~!
what about u?
(hey..did u notice I am starting a repeating theme segment? "Did u ever".. Look for these to pop up once in a while) I got the idea from clever skittlesand her quickies!
here are my last two!
did u ever
did u ever

did u ever?

Did you ever have such a vivid memory about something long ago and kind of insignificant?
We were driving home from our very lovely **'anniversary date' ** a couple of weeks ago.
Bjork came on the cd player. My husband began reminiscing about how he had first discovered her. ( he loves Bjork... his motto? A day without Bjork is like a day without sunshine)
He knew EXACTLY when he
had first heard the song playing and how he HAD to run out the very next day and buy her album.
He THEN was able to remember exactly Which job location he was working on at that time, Which fellow workers were there...
AND that Weird Al Yankovich was the V.J. Who played that miraculous bjork song! As I listened with great interest (not really, I had heard this story already, but I wanted to let
him have his memory) We drove past a restaurant that We had last gone to when I was pregnant with my eldest son On NEW YEARS DAY 1984! I excitedly said to my husband...hey, hey... I REMEMBER going there! On New Years day 1984, we were with so and so and so and so AND... I WAS WEARING THAT BEAUTIFUL BLACK MATERNITY TOP THAT PHYLLIS HAD LENT ME! To which he laughed and replied... "yet we both DON'T remember where last years halloween decorations are!" Did u ever experience weird memories like these??

** Our anniversary date- I realize I never wrote a post about this special day.. We had A lovely dinner at a favorite italian restaurant, and then we went to see the movie, The Secret life of bees. Very typical of my husband.. He insisted I choose the restaurant AND the movie. I asked.. what is it only MY anniversary? As much as he tried to enjoy my choice, My husband dosed at the theater. I really wanted to see this film, because I read the book years ago and really adored it. Unfortunately,
The movie was a bit like honey... sweet but Oh so slow.