Happy Halloween! (a bit belated)

Recently, I found the CUTEST ever picture in Real Simple magazine.  Sooo, I pirated it and turned it into a Halloween Card for Chicken Little.  (Is it pirating if you bought the magazine?  No?  I didn't think so.)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!  Three little piggies!  L.O.V.E.  I added the "costumes" to make them seasonally appropriate.

And what did I put inside?

Get it?  And this little piggy went "wee, wee, wee,wee all the way home."  Of course you get it! 

Ha ha ha ha ha!  I crack myself up! 

And because once just wasn't enough, here they are again....

CL's sister (Lola) also made her a card, but I'm not home and I don't have the cord to get it off of my camera, so I'll post it later this week even though it will be late.

I hope all your little piggies had a safe and happy Halloween!

Hysterical!

Oh my goodness, this cracked me up!  I was reading The Nester this morning, and she had a link to it.  I'm sure that this is old news for most of you, but it was new to me and I had to share.



Have a good weekend!

Dog House & Gratitude

I know I'm always a little late to the party.  I think this came out a few years ago, but I just saw it.  It is HYSTERICAL!  And seasonally appropriate. 



And now, for Part II:



Not that jewelry will solve anything, but it certainly is better than a vacuum cleaner!

I missed Gratitude Friday - AGAIN!  This should be an indication of how KA-RAY-ZEE it has been up in here.  So, here goes...

This week I'm grateful for:

1. Chicken Little got home from college last night. YEA!
2. The Christmas shopping (and 90% of the wrapping) is finished.
3. I had a good two or three days this week when my knees didn't feel like they were turned inside out.
4. We have a temporary opening at the office, and the hiring manager hired Chicken Little to fill in over the holidays!  I'm thrilled for her and she's thrilled not to have to work with food. Besides that, she'll probably make more in the next four weeks than she made all summer at Subway.
5. Our lovely Christmas tree - it's so pretty in the evenings.

One more week...

Cinderelly, Cinderelly...

I would just like to know who is supposed to do all the chores around here now that Chicken Little has moved away?

This is how I spent my Sunday:

Making pancakes - if CL were home, I feel certain that someone would have made breakfast for the fams before I got out of bed. (BTW - the trick to a perfect pancake is waiting to flip them until those bubbles pop.)

Unloading the dishwasher... really?? Where does this stuff go? I don't remember how to do this. At least since she's gone, it takes several days before it's full enough to run.

Oh, the glamorous life! Poop-scoopin' duty! Jealous?? (just keepin' it real, folks)

A little Fall decorating outside...



...and a little decorating inside. This part was fun, but why bother? No one is here to appreciate it. heavy *sigh* and mopey face

Somewhere in here I also went to the grocery store, paid a couple of bills, folded a load of laundry and cut back/cleaned out the back yard flower beds and 1/2 of the beds in the front. Oh woe and weariness, poor, poor, pitiful me... ;-)



Finally, Prince Charming rode in, took a little pity on my Cinderella soul... and cooked dinner. Yes, that is THREE roasted chickens you see. PC's traveling quite a bit, and he's trying to make sure I eat something other than cereal for the next couple of weeks. I can cook, but I don't like to - especially when it's only me. Besides, the man is a professional, so it's better for everyone to just stay out of his way and be appreciative!

Anyway, PC made enough for our dinner (just the two of us even though there are three plates out - it's a habit), and enough left over for salads and sandwiches and maybe even chicken salad later this week. YEA!

CRASH! Back to reality.... did you see those dirty pans? Who do you think did the dishes?

Chicken Little, my sky is falling!!!

Just to be clear - this post is not about implying PC did nothing - he did! In addition to dinner, he did the man-stuff: mowed, edged and weed-eated (is that a word?). This is simply my angst around the loss of the live-in child-labor I used to have.

Must Be Present To Win!

I have a firm belief that for various gift-giving holidays, that if at all possible, you must be present to win. Maybe that's a bit selfish and dictatorial, but oh well... that's the way it is.

I think that this philosophy may be spilling over into other areas of my life...

Joe was out of town last week, which meant I got the bed all to myself. We have a ton of pillows (obviously), and yet it's just never enough. As you can see, since Joe was not present when I made the bed, he did not win. :-)

(Ok - I didn't really "make" the bed, but at least I pulled the covers up.)

It's a sickness...

I was in the kitchen looking for something this weekend and I had a moment that made me go, "hmmmm".... Now, I don't want to be too hasty, or jump to any crazy conclusions, but it is possible, that maybe, I just MIGHT have a problem.

This doesn't include the good china that's in the cabinet over the fridge that I can't reach, or the other set of Christmas plates that are in that same cabinet.

Then there is the placemat, napkin and tablecloth collection.

As much as I love these, you would think that I would store them a little more thoughtfully.

And… I’m only showing you ONE cabinet of glassware.

There is more – oh, so much more – but that is more than enough sharing for today. I recognize that I am a greed-ball when it comes to anything in the kitchen (dishes, glasses, pots and pans, linens, etc.). I have no excuse other than to say that I am a southern woman. I'm sure most of my southern sisters out there completely understand that explanation.

I have visions of dinner parties and holidays and being able to set a Martha-worthy table, which I think I have only done 2 – 3 times – EVER! But, that is beside the point. If the occasion should arise when I need to or want to, I will be prepared.

Surely I am not the only person like this, is there anyone else out there that if asked, has enough dishware to serve dinner to their entire town?

What was I looking for that started this parade of gluttony? I got so distracted that I don’t remember. Whatever it was, I’m sure I found it or another one just like it. :-)

A Cautionary Tale

Do you LOVE getting mail, real mail, out of the real mailbox? I do! I'm talking about something personal from someone you love ... not bills, those I do not love and they don't count.

I also like sending mail, or more accurately, I like the idea of sending mail. I have a pretty extensive stash of cards and stationary, because I have really good intentions. For some reason, I have never managed to send as much as I accumulate. But now, I have the perfect reason to start depleting the supply: Chicken Little!

This weekend I was sorting through the cards looking for the perfect mix of love and encouragement. Instead, I was struck by this one. It seemed a little inappropriate at first (not wanting to encourage wickedness since I know my precious angel is spending every minute in class and studying), but then it occurred to me that this could be a brilliant cautionary tale...




So, I got to work with the letter stamps and markers... Think she'll get the hint?

She's supposedly "grown" now, but I'm still the Mama which means the protective instincts, advice, nagging, and unsolicited "help" will continue... even if I have to rely on the USPS to deliver it!

Got the "I-wants"

I have a bad case of the "I-wants". That's what my mom used to call them. She'd take my brother and me to the store, and we would suddenly become afflicted with the "I-wants" and ask for everything in the store, it didn't matter what, just something, want it, need it, can't live without it, please, please, please....

These situations never ended well - I can remember many times when one or both of us left in tears - because we didn't get what we wanted. Instead we'd be told "stop that crying or I'll really give you something to cry about." lol

Anyway, right now, I just want to be able to buy unnecessary things and not feel guilty or worry about how much they cost. I want to win the lottery. I want a beach house. I want Chicken Little to have a full scholarship, including room, meals & books (she got a good one, but still a lot left cover). I want it to be about 75 degrees with a nice breeze and no humidity. I want a fruity drink with an umbrella in it. I want to have a job I love. I want to go to the book store and buy 10 books on decorating my house, get inspiration, and then go out and re-do everything! I want to have a clean office/craft room with a really cool organization system, and all the time in the world to spend "working" in it! I want, I want, I want...

So, instead of doing something I will regret, I'm settling for a little online window shopping....


CUTE Coach bag - love, love, love this tote. Would like to have this for my laptop and work stuff - my briefcase(s) are getting pretty raggedy. (but still entirely functional)


Martha's craft room - how could you not want this?! Also, I'm sure it's filled with at least one of all of her wonderful products! FAB-U-LOUS!

My camera is just a little Kodak digital share-something or other. It works and it's fine, but I think that if I had a super, nifty SLR digital camera like this with a big lens and a very serious carrying case that I would instantly become an extremely skilled and talented photographer, and my blog would be 100x better and I'd get 1000's of followers. (nice to dream)

Ditto on the MacBook - want, want, want, want, want, want!!! Don't know why, I guess I've just been suckered by the advertising, but I want one. I believe that it would instantly make me smarter, younger, thinner, cleverer, more creative and really, really cool. I'm sure it would also make the blog amazing! Imagine if I had the mac and the camera - I would be unstoppable! Waaa haa haa! .... dangerous!

Oh well, I don't think it's bad to want things. If you didn't want, then there wouldn't be any motivation to do better. But I do know I don't need any of this. To paraphrase a quote from Abe Lincoln (I think): "happiness comes from liking whatever your doing, more than doing whatever you like." I try to keep that in mind and be grateful for everything that I have and all that I get to do.

The last three years have been a bit of a struggle, and in addition to learning the difference between a want and a need, I have learned several other very important lessons:
1. I have a very clear picture of what’s important, what isn't, and what is just stuff.
2. I am more than my stuff.
3. Debt is bad.
4. I get more pleasure from the things I create, than anything I could buy.
5. The pleasure comes from the process and the journey, rather than the final product.
6. I really don't want more stuff, less is better and easier, and I want to downsize, minimize and simplify.
7. The more you have, the more you have to keep up with, and the more stressful it becomes trying to hang on to it.

Speaking of liking what I'm doing, I have to tell you that I really like blogging! I know that nobody reads it, but I don't care. There's some sort of satisfaction I get from doing this everyday (or at least a couple of times a week)! My whole mindset has changed - I'm constantly looking for good things, pretty things, fun things, things that are "blog-able." The process gives me a new perspective and brings me joy.

Still…I really would like that mac... :-)

"Want is a growing giant whom the coat of Have was never large enough to cover." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." Luke 12:15 (ASV)

White River Canoeing

I mentioned that one day last week we went canoeing down a river. This activity was billed as “teambuilding”. Hmmm….



Looks like a promising start, huh?

All those colorful kayaks and tubes looked like they would be so much fun! The tubes weren’t even an option, so we had to pick a kayak or a canoe. Not being that familiar with how to operate either vehicle, I chose to partner up with someone and float down the river in a canoe.

This is a relatively tame example of the vegetation in and around this particular river. There were so many fallen trees, stumps and branches in the river; it quickly became obvious why tubes were not an option. You would be moving along just fine, and then out of nowhere you’d be wedged between a couple of fallen trees, or tipped over by a submerged stump.

A perfect example of how I experienced most of this particular river - from the side of an overturned canoe.

The first casualty was the beer (refer to picture #1), the second was our dignity and poise, the third was the nice buzz most of us had from the few beers consumed prior to the tumbling, and finally the last thing to give way was our good humor.

I’m all about adventure and having fun, and I really LOVE almost any activity involving being on, in or near the water. This, however, was more like one of the challenges you might encounter on a reality TV show. Half way through our trek, there were more than a few people I had identified who should be voted off the island (or in this case, out of the canoe). By the end of the journey, we were all dead tired and starving, but we were a team again – with everyone grateful just to have survived!

In spite of all the ins-and-outs, it was a pretty fun afternoon… Everyone had a good time, with only a few bumps, bruises and missing flip-flops.

The same but different

Hmmm.... These two notes were written about 25 years apart. The top one to me from my mother (who knows why I felt it was scrapbook worthy), and the bottom one from me to my daughter.

Both of them similar in intent and message, but oh so different.

First, my mother called me "do-do" - pronounced "doo -doo". Yes, so kind, but it was a term of endearment. My child would claim to be scarred for life if I were to tag her with a similar moniker.

Second, notice the "added benefit" on the letter to me of how impressive my home keeping skills will be to my future rich husband. Again, things that make you go hmmmm. True, good home keeping skills always come in handy, but I've never known the ability to clean a toilet to "amaze and astound" anyone, and certainly not a man! I guess that was supposed to be the motivator so that I would want to get this stuff done. The motivator on the other note: beauty appointments - getting the hair on your head cut/colored and the hair on your body removed. Kids today have it so rough.

Finally, notice the different chores on both notes. The one addressed to me: straighten house, run vacuum, and clean bathrooms - only 2 hours to complete! I'm left wondering what chores were assigned to my younger brother that day?!

So, what did I ask my Chicken Little to accomplish: run vacuum (same), water the plants, pick up "your" stuff, and bring down "your" laundry (god forbid it say "do your laundry")! All of this taking approximately 30 minutes to complete - if she rested between each activity.

While I'm thrilled to have found actual proof of the "walking-uphill-to-school-both-ways" type of generational differences we all claim to have, I am a little dismayed to actually see how easy the child really does have it.

I'd better get busy, only a few more weeks to come up with all sorts of chores to make up the difference. Otherwise, she won't have any "hardship" stories to tell her own chicks.

Souvenirs

Shells, shells, shells...shells, shells, shells. I love 'em. I don't know what to do with them, but I have jars and jars of them around the house because I just can't help myself. Whenever I'm at a beach, I am on a mission. It's like a treasure hunt!

If I were alive when shells were currency, I would have been the richest old broad in the tribe - fo' sho'!

The top two pictures are some of the ones I found at the beach near Venice, FL which is famous for finding shark teeth. Didn't find any of those, but I admit I wasn't looking for 'em. Actually, there wasn't much on the beach, but about 3 feet into the water the ground got really crunchy, so I was finding these with my toes. WEIRDO!

But wow - what fun and some gorgeous stuff. And look - I found some small pieces of coral, too. How cool is that?! Most of the time I was about waist deep in the ocean. I'd find something and put it in my pocket (I had on shorts over my swimsuit). By the time I was ready to leave, I could barely haul myself out the water my pockets were so heavy and stuffed with my riches!

The next three are a sampling of the ones I found on Sanibel Island. OMG is all I can say about that place. WOW! I could have spent days out there hunting. I was definitely practicing the famous local move known as the Sanibel Stoop. Step and bend, step and bend, step and bend...

There were a lot more seekers on Sanibel. I was concerned that I may have to take out a few old ladies if we were going for the same jewels. I know - it's a sickness. I admit it - I am a shell-hoarder.

Interestingly, there was NO beach glass to be found. I think I have it even worse for that stuff than for shells. But no complaints here - I'm thrilled with all my pretties.

Ouch! This is the other souvenir I brought home. The result of being so wrapped up in my shelling that I forgot about the consequences of staring at the ground with the sun on your back all day. Luckily, I tan easily so most of it is already brown. Oh well, a small price to pay for the trophies I found!!

I wish shell crafts weren't so cheesy looking and really only appropriate for beach house decor. One day, I'm going to come up with something really cute and fun to do with all these, until then I'm just going to be happy knowing that I have them. :-)))

Drive Home

Spent lots of time doing nuthin'...obviously!



Driving is one of my least favorite things to do, so Joe was wonderful and drove almost the entire way! I'm a much better rider, which gives me a chance to read, snap pictures, and doze. I did take the late night driving shift and got caught up on a bunch of podcasts. 18 hours to get home - even though it rained most of the way, it was much quicker than drive to.



All was well when we got home, and as you can tell we were missed and the puppy was so excited to see us.