Random Stuff (confessions) about Me

I am a fairly open and upbeat person, but I find it hard to sincerely smile at strangers anymore.

I avoid properly parallel parking at all cost. I can do it, I just don't feel like it. When at the post office, I will circle back around until I can find a space with enough room to pull right in next to the curb. I don't mind even going up onto the curb to get myself inside the lines.

I try to water my plants every Sunday. I forgot to do it this week and they are drooping.

I can easily drink 3-4 cups of coffee before lunch.

My muscles are sore from exercise class yesterday. It's something new I've been doing, and the best thing about it is that I am, by far, the strongest one there. The other two ladies are like 50 and 70 years old... and NOT very coordinated. I laugh in my head the entire class.

I have to remind myself to take the time to look into people's eyes. It's something I used to naturally do, and now, for some reason I avoid that face-to-face, eye-to-eye contact.

I make my bed every morning, and sometimes make my kids' beds *gasp* even though they are old enough to take care of it themselves.

Judgmental people really piss me off--especially when they have absolutely no reason to form an opinion about a person or situation. They just have the sickness of needing to judge. And don't get me started about those same people, who tend to have major blind spots of their own!!!

Lately, I've been discouraged about the impact, or lack thereof, my life has made along the way. When I look back and search for fruit... I see very little of the good stuff... thus some of the origins of my most recent cynicism.

My husband is much more strict then me with the boys. (He's very wise).

I have watched Desperate Housewives since the very first episode. *gasp* During the first season, Terry and I were closet DH-watchers, only revealing our trusted-secret to Jen and Dave. But, let me say this: that show is a seriously well-written, well-acted and the most cleverly-humorous show. I highly recommend it!! (haha--I do). I also regularly watch Grey's Anatomy. I've even peeked at Family Guy.

I break the speed limit by 5-15 MPH every single day.

My car hits empty every Thursday like clock-work.

I wish I could be on stage, acting once again. My final "real" acting performance was when I was the lead role in the play, Up the Down Staircase, my Senior year of highschool. I don't know if it was ever video-taped.

I always wear my seatbelt while driving.

I usually end up being the hair dresser/barber for the family. I just cut Caleigh's hair last night. She wanted it cut up to her ears--but I said no and cut it just above her shoulders.

I was horrified when I saw the girl on American Idol last night with the hair that went to the floor and beyond. Jennah is growing her hair longer and longer and longer. She won't even let me trim it. SHE SAW THIS TOO!!! It was just weird--and I have formed MY judgment based on the fact that my daughter could try to emulate--OH NO!!!

I actually do check everyone's blogs and comments everyday... more than once... even if you are a slacker. It's a sickness!

And lastly, I just wasted 85 minutes coming up with these random thoughts. I think I need professional help.

GOOOOOD MORNING!

Don't you just love waking up? Doh--how'd it get to be 1:50 PM?

OK--I don't have time to post right now... and I really wasn't sleeping all day. I'll give you the 12-step Tuesday later today.

(I'm a slacker)!

DUDE!

My boys bounded into the house last night to tell me how awesome they were on the slopes over the weekend. They are hilarious.

I came out of the bathroom to this scary, crazy-haired man/child, standing in my bedroom, checking out my tennis racket. What a weirdo. (I'm sure he just couldn't wait to tell me more about his awesome skills on the rail). I told him I wanted to take a picture of him with the backwards wig--which became a whole photo shoot (at his request)--clothing changes and all. And this morning he announces that he wants to grow his hair out, because "Like, when I take my hat off, there's nothing! I have no hair style. I think I'm gonna grow it long." HAHAHAHAHA.

Just send them away for one weekend and they come back with ALL KINDS of whacky ideas.

If You Lived in Another Time...

(Funny stories sent to me via my parents via their friend, Red).

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be.

Here are some interesting *facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.


Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water..

Houses had thatched roofs (thick straw) piled high , with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying . It's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house.. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a thresh hold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it th at had been there for quite a while.? Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old..

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon.? They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid c ontent caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.

And that's the truth...

*I never checked these facts. They could very well all be lies--hahaha.

Quiet Daze

Caleigh's photgraphy skills at work. I'm still in my PJs at 5:30 PM. Woohoo!


That's my girl, making sure "her girls" are all warm and cozy around the fire.

Today has been a very quiet day. And believe me, I don't have too many of those. Terry left early this morning with the boys to finally go snowboarding. The three older girls went to their friends' houses for the day. So, Caleigh and I built a fire to warm ourselves, as we ate orange slices and popcorn. She kept saying, "Mommy, we're being really nice to each other." (What is THAT supposed to mean???)

Did anyone see the Ladies Free Skate Competition? Allisa Czisny's performance actually brought tears to my eyes. It was beautiful. See what quiet days do to me! They bring out all this emotion and sensitivity. Geeezzzzzz!!

Video Clip Entertainment

Menopause is scary!


Just say NO!


Caught on video!


What's for dinner?


Blondestar

The Rules for Commenting

Who makes these rules again? I DO!!! Or wait, YOU DO!!! Oh yea--we're doing this together. Many of you listed some "complaints" in the comment section of Who Makes the Rules while others--more safely--emailed me! Way to go people.

First, let us understand that there are all kinds of blogs out there in cyberland. Mine, and probably yours, falls into a category I would term: a personal blog. It's written for friends and family, so the comment etiquette will not be very strict--thank God. It's, you know, smart-casual... and yet, there are still rules in which we should all be aware.

Secondly, as your reader base increases, usually your commenter base increases as well. People you've never met may become your fast friend in the webworld. This is ok, just remember that even though your are excited about your new friends, you need to be careful you don't appear stalker-like. If you wonder whether you may sound crazy to your new blogger-friend, you probably do, and I would advise you to slow things down a little. Which leads to the third point...

You DO NOT NEED to comment on every single post you read! In fact, you shouldn't comment unless you have something of value to add. The comment section is meant to be a place for dialogue and discussion about the post. Maybe there is a portion of the post in which you wish to comment. It's always nice to copy and paste the few lines from the post and put them in your comment box followed by your thoughts--don't forget the appropriate quotes. You can also quote from a previous comment. It creates a more interesting thread.

IMPORTANT!!! IMPORTANT!!! IMPORTANT!!!

• If you do not have the time to actively read the entire post--DO NOT COMMENT!
• If you do not have the time to read the entire comment thread--DO NOT COMMENT!
• If your thoughts have already been stated by someone else--DO NOT RESTATE THEM!
• Be original (at least try). The more interesting your comments are, the more chances you have to attract new readers to your blog (that is, if you have one).

BTW, You don't have to have your own blog to be a regular reader or commenter. Some people don't allow anonymous comments--I do--but that is completely up to the blogger. Allowing anonymous comments enables people without blogs to comment (hint hint to my mom and dad). You can sign your name in the comment box. You have to "publish" your comment in order for it to post (another hint!).

Be sure your comments are respectful and kind, not argumentative and not too long. Argumentative comments are usually reserved for "public" or "political blogs" (although ours are quite public). A good rule of thumb: follow in the same attitude as the poster i.e. if the post is serious and thought-provoking, let your comments follow suit; if the post is sarcastic or humorous, go ahead and show some wit. PLEASE--if the blogger is being sarcastic and having fun being brash or venting, don't get all spiritual and serious, giving advice or sharing about a sermon you just heard (I got this complaint a lot). Not everyone takes themselves so seriously, but rather finds joy in the mockery *gasp*.

Here's one: If Bob comments on Judy's post, Judy should only respond to Bob's comment in that same comment threat (or privately). [And Yes, one should definitely comment along with the others in his/her own comment threads]. Judy SHOULD NOT respond to Bob's comment on Bob's blog, especially by RANDOMLY inserting a response having NOTHING to do with the post at hand. It's rude. Think of it this way--a conversation is going on in someone's living room with a small or large group of people. Not everyone knows you, nor do you know everyone, although you may know the home owner. When you enter the room, you should be respectful and aware of the conversation that's taking place and try not to steal the attention away by throwing some random off-topic comment into the mix. It's annoying. It's adolescent. It would be nice for you to add to the conversation at hand, or simply listen--or GO AWAY! hee

One more thing: If you are catching up on several past posts, do to your serious slacking, DO NOT COMMENT on the most recent post with something that has to do with a thread three posts earlier. It's simply bad manners.

Finally, don't feel bad if you have fallen short in any or all of these BOLD suggestions. I've gotten it wrong on every point, but I choose to live and learn. You can practice the art of commenting all you want right here. We'll be sure to let you know when you are screwing up. :-D

TABLE MANNERS

I thought posting about table manners would be a fine preparation for my future post on "blogger comment etiquette". First things first. Do you feel that table manners are important? What manners were drilled into your head, growing up? My parents weren't extremely strict about manners, but we all had dinner together every night. We said grace, usually before we started eating. I remember being told to keep the elbows off the table. I definitely remember the statement, "Chew with your mouth closed!" There is one memory that will forever be etched in my mind... I was about 5 or 6 years old.... My aunt was visiting for a week, and sleeping on the couch in the family room off the kitchen. My brother and I were eating Captain Crunch or something crunchy like that for breakfast. Wouldn't you know, my aunt was yelling in from the other room, "CHEW WITH YOUR MOUTH CLOSED!!" We must have awoken her with our chomping hahaha! I was like--I wonder if she's ever eaten this cereal, because its really loud and crunchy, even with your mouth closed.

Anyway, one of my female friends has recently had the pleasure TORTURE of eating with this one fella--we'll call him...* Fred--who seems to have a seriously unhealthy obsession with his food. She's endured about 2 or 3 dining occasions with our dear friend, Fred, only to decide that she would rather have all her hair plucked out one strand at a time, and her nails painfully extracted with pliers then to ever sit at the same table with "Fred" again. How can one have such poor social skills and bad manners at the table without having a clue whatsoever of the offense? ???

Here are some rules we can all live by:

1. Refrain from having a love afair with your food
   
2. Do not make snorting noises or grunting noises while you are placing food in your mouth
   
3. Rather than lick your fingers between bites, try using a napkin
   
4. Try using utensils even
   
5. Do not groan and moan about how good the food tastes... over and over and over again
   
6. Refrain from entering that secret place, your fantasy world, while eating--stay alert and aware of all other guest at the table
   
7. PLEASE DON'T TALK--especially with great passion--immediately after shoveling something into the pie hole
   
8. If you have the slightest suspicion that grease may be running down the side of your mouth--IT IS!! so grab your napkin and make a clean sweep, even if your not sure
   
9. If you must eat fried chicken, do not slurp and suck on the bones--seriously!
   
10. No matter how good it tasted, do not lick the plate or even run your finger along the remaining grease for that final taste

Manners are NOT really meant for the person that is demonstrating them. They are actually meant to benefit everyone else. I don't think having elbows on the table (in a casual setting) is a big deal unless your are squeezing eight plus people around a table meant for six. Lefties should always try to get a chair at the end of the table, or at least at the far left, so they aren't bumping elbows with their right-handed neighbor. (Luke loves to bump elbows with everyone--just to be a nuisance). And eating together with others should be a pleasant experience. Try not to make it horrifying for those around you, by your lack of self-awareness or your worship of food over all other things. Thank you.

*edited for the sake of anomitity--doh!

CELL PHONE MISHAPS

I haven't had too many cell phone mishaps, but I know that there are millions and millions of interesting stories out there. The one pictured above is waterproof AND shockproof! SWEEEEEET!! (I don't own it). My 15 year old son bought a $300 cell phone this summer with his birthday/work money. He didn't purchase insurance right away, because he spent all that he had just buying the phone. The following day we all went over to the Wilkersons for a party and guess who took his cell phone for a nice long swim in the pool. YAH! It was a sad day--but things worked out for him after about a week of desperatation and sheer enginuity (which is another family tale).

I'm the kind of person that likes to do as many things in "one trip" as possible. I have my little laundry system with the baskets and the folded clothes--yada yada. Well, here's a gripe that just got worse: the people in my house will walk clear around a full basket of clothes and never think to carry it to their room unless they are specifically asked by me (excluding Anika--she's a good girl). Because I am usually the last one to bed, I end up carrying two full baskets of clothes up the stairs, along with my glass of water, as I turn off the lights and lock the doors with my toes. I'm quite talented, ya know.



A few weeks ago, in my routine circus performance, I placed my water inside the top basket, remembered that my phone needed to go upstairs to be charged, so I grabbed that and put it on the top of the pile (STUPID), and carefully made my way to the light switches and locks. Well, the stairway lightbulb just happened to be burned out, so, as you can imagine, I stumbled in the dark having my water splash all about--mostly out of the basket onto me. And when I reached the top of the stairs to turn on the bathroom light, I pulled my glass of water out of the basket only to find my cell phone soaking in it. Awwwwwww maaaaaaannnn!! It didn't work for the following day. But eventually, I was able to get all the water out and works again--woohoo.

The only other bad thing that's happened to my cell phone is when the demon dog totally chewed on it. (It was my former phone). That damn dog didn't chew it enough to take it out of commission, but enough make seriously jagged edges all over the ear piece. It was no longer a pleasant experience to use--such a great demon tactic. And I was stuck with that stupid piece of junk for another several months before getting a new one (it somehow, "mysteriously" stopped working).

Do you have an interesting tale? How about you, Turtle? (It's the new green background that makes turtle feel at home here).

WHO MAKES THE RULES?

I've been asked to post some pointers on blogger comment etiquette HAHAHAH! Yea right--and scare all my commenters away!?!? That's like blogging suicide for a personal blogger such as myself. I totally enjoy all the comments my readers post!!! But, I thought it would be fun to make a request of you, my readers. Email me your blog comment pet peeves. You can even give examples to make it interesting, and in a week or so I will post a list of your complaints--anonymously, of course, so things don't get personal! If you do give a personal example I will treat it delicately--hahaha! OK--get ready... get set... VENT!

A CASE OF THE MONDAYS

THINGS I'M MAD ABOUT...

• The crick in my neck that has produce a headache for the past 3 days
• Left-overs going bad in the frig and needing to be thrown out
• The weekly, Monday-chore of creating Nate's lesson plan
• The homeschool quarterly report that I must complete and send in by Jan 24th
• Having to wake Nate every morning more than 3 times before seeing his feet touch the floor
• Having to wake Nate as he spralls on the couch with his nice warm blankey, falling asleep--when he's supposed to be watching his classroom videos
• OK--everything to do with homeschooling!!!
• The treadmill (need I say more)
• The tiny, sliver of glass residing in my foot, which came from dropping my favorite blue glass on the kitchen tiles the other night--smashed into a million pieces. It slipped out of my hand while I was filling it with water from the frig. I would have prefered to throw it down purposely, experiencing the thrill of the shatter, rather than feeling the disappointment of accidentally dropping it.
• Messy bedrooms
• My extreme sense of hunger right now
• The stupidity of staying up so late last night
• Seeing the Christmas tree outside my back door, knowing that it'll most likely remain there until spring
• The annoying slowness of my computer ever since I renewed my internet security software
• The aging of my hair--dry, graying, blahzay
• Causing my 12 year old daughter to cry this morning before heading off to school--HEY, she's failing science because of not turning in several homework assignments, AND she's getting a 75 in gym AGAIN for failing to write her ONE-PAGE sports report by the end of the quarter. She could have handed in the one she wrote from last quarter, seeing as how she didn't hand that one in on time--but no, somehow it got LOST!!! It's probably in the bottom of her locker. It's pathetic.

It sucks to be me!

ANOTHER (BIRTH)DAY ANOTHER DOLLAR

Elizabeth, pictured in the center, turned 9 years old today. Finally, after several years of not having the wherewithall to throw a fun birthday party with a theme, I dug deep into my reserves and found the strength and creativity once again. We had a jungle expedition! It was rather cute. I think the kids loved it.

We made sure everyone had healthy snacks before lunch: snake eggs, dried ants, live worms with dipping sauce, beetle wings, jungle juice... YUM!

OK--this is the Charlie Brown Crocodile Cake. Isn't it adorable? I'm famous for these goofy and poorly done, but rather brilliant cakes. Hee!

Jennah was my big helper!! She took charge of all the games, demonstrating and explaining all the rules. In the picture, she was showing everyone how to put on large clothing and boots, gather all the safari expedition supplies, stop for a picture, and then make their way safely through the mapped out jungle in record time. Woohoo!

It was fun. And I'm happy we did it. (All these ideas came from the familyfun website).

SHOOT ME NOW!

Where do I begin?? I feel totally on edge! This whole school lock-down/evacuation thing... it was a hoax, which is great. I only mean "great", because it wasn't anything REAL!!! You don't even want to know the story... But I will inform you that several families of the students felt the need to express their anxiety and adrenal surges by forming a freakin' lynching mob. They all got each other going, complaining and having phone calls and hysteria... it's sick! To me it's uncalled for... at least the method!

Being made aware that people were very upset, the superintendant and principal had an open forum this morning for any parents/grandparents who wanted to come ask questions and get answers. It was good--although I HATE that kind of stuff--and yet I felt like certain concerns that were brought up--quite forcefully and emotionally--were sooooo ridiculous. Whatever!! The whole thing increases my blood pressure or something. It makes me feel really stressed out! Anyway--

After the meeting, I was grabbed by the school psychologist, who is also a friend. She needed to make me aware of another [ridiculous] situation brewing with the 7th grade girls. Anika, Anika, Anika... This 7th grade class (of about 8 students) has had its fair share of relational challenges, year after year. It's quite aggravating!!! Plus its the age for shiploads of drama and over-sensitivity.

The story went something like this: They had all come out of a state test together while the two learning disabled classmates remained for longer test times--test modifications recommended by the special ed committee. As the group walked down the hall, one of the girls says, "That's not fair. Why does [so-and-so #1] get more time and we don't? The teacher is probably giving them the answers." And they all start chiming in with this and that, and one of them (which happens to be MINE--ahhhhh) says something to the tune of (and be sure to say it in something like a Napoleon Dynamite voice), "Well, I wish I was stupid, so I could get more time."
Sidenote: She uses the word "STUPID" waaaaaaaayyyyyy too much. And has a since of humor probably a lot like... HER FATHER!!!! (jk Terry), so she didn't think anything of what she said. I'm always telling her that I don't want to hear her using that word. But NOOOOOO!!! She has to continue using it, and at school! And in a very poorly choosen sentence and situation!! Oh bother...

Well, of course, So-and-So #2 in the group--the one who is always, always stirring up relational problems--just HAD to go back and tell So-and-So #1 that ALL the girls were talking bad about her and calling her stupid, blah blah blah, yada yada yada, which caused So-and-So #1 to go into total hysterics. She couldn't even complete her test... which turned into a whole shpeil with the psycologist, and then with the principal, and then the freakin' parent-lynching mob because So-and-SO #2 got a rebuke from the principal in turn causing her to have a total meltdown, and HOLY SMOKES!!!!

So, please, someone... send me away for a while. My head hurts!

THIS... AND OTHER NEWS...

We've been visited by a pod of dolphins! It's January!!! Granted the weather has been unseasonably warm here on the East End of Long Island (NY), but fifty or more dolphins??? Maybe you've heard about it. Maybe you think, "So what!" But its a phenomenon to us, here, in the North East.

These cute little guys have been hanging around for a few weeks, attracting hundreds and hundreds of curious watchers. The police finally blocked off the roads to the beaches where they could be viewed. I didn't get the opportunity to see them for myself. What a lazy bum!!!


The visit from our alien friends became a big issue, as of late, because some of them were beached and dying. I think 17+ have died so far. Today, several marine biologist (and such) were making second huge attempt to lead them out to sea. I'm not sure how successful things went.

As you can see, the water was very shallow, especially with the changing tides. I feel bad for the fun-loving creatures. They were probably looking for me to come out and play. And now they're gone--well, I think.


OTHER LATE BREAKING NEWS... My son texted me a message today that the school was in a "Lockdown." This was a bit frightening and disconcerting, as you may imagine!!! It wasn't a drill, either, it was the real thing. This has never happened at our little iddy biddy school. Someone... some very wrong person... posted a threat in the window of a door, inside the building. Not knowing if it was a valid threat, the school administration had to quickly evacuate the entire preK-12 grades, as well as, every other person. I don't believe the threat proved to be anything more than a hoax, thank God, but that piece is yet to be discovered. The investigation continues.

I got my adrenaline rush for the day.

THEY'RE CALLING...

but no one's listening...

The treadmill is in it's operating position--*check*. It's not like I said I would use it, did I?

My baby grand is tuned and ready to be played. I've sadly paid very little attention to its call... the only playtime its getting is from piano students... and ones who haven't practice much either. Poor baby!

I WANT to play! I want to workout (well--that's a stretch to couple the words "want to" and "workout" together in a sentence). The problem is, I can't see where these things fit into my life!! When do I get time to take care of ME??? It FEELS like I'm on a constant treadmill--one that's got a bit of a trampoline effect--running and bouncing from one thing to the next. And yet none of the running and bouncing brings me any great joy. It's certainly not activities that recharge my batteries!!! The running and bouncing are for everyone else, and I can't say there is a huge amount of appreciation coming back to me. If I were doing it for that kind of payment, I would have had you go ahead and shoot me a loooong time ago.

Example 1: I was letting my son know, for the second time, that I expected him to go to the baseball clinics on Sunday afternoons, because I wanted him to have that particular outlet for his schooling. He gave me an unbelieveably hard time. Spoiled rotten! He then informed me that Terry and I have been keeping him from his dream of snowboarding all winter, and won't even support him in that---(WHAT?!?!?!) We've had sixty degree temperatures all winter so far. The mountains that we have season passes for hasn't even opened!! THERE'S NO SNOW!!!! But we won't let him buy a snowmaking machine. BECAUSE WE DON'T EVEN HAVE AN INCLINE IN OUR YARD!!! Because of this... it's all our fault! We are getting blamed EVEN FOR THE WEATHER!!! FOR CRUSHING OUR SON'S DREAMS!!! Holy crap! What is he on drugs? I mean, are you kidding me??

Example 2: There was a nice thing for me this past weekend... a friend came over for dinner and we had some great conversation. Thank you Kim! It gave me a bit of a recharge, but then... the following day the kids were off from school and I had a long-time friend ask if I wanted to get together. (My kids were amazed when I told them I had a friend coming over. They were like "You are???? The same one, or someone else?" Yea, it's pathetic). Anyway, I reluctantly said yes, knowing that this particular friend is... rather taxing and intense. I think I cancelled the two previously planned get togethers... and the opportunities are few and far between with her.

So it had been about 2 years since we'd sat down for a real chat. I kept trying to convince and coach myself, "Come on, Karen! It'll be fine. You'll be able to find out what's been happening in her life. You haven't even heard out how she likes married life, etc., etc." But I knew...

Things went ok, for the first 45 minutes. But the next hour was just what I feared it would be. My kids totally offended her with their humorous antics and craziness (and a bit of disrespect). She let me know outright that she felt Luke was being very disrespectful to me. "YES, I KNOW! [although he was playing around with me, and we have that kind of relationship--whereas he's not accustomed to my having friends over that are as stiff as you!]" Needless to say, it pissed me off. She has always been this way, but it still pissed me off. That's about when we dove into controversial conversations--the church being a man's world, the church's over emphasis of doctrine, the church putting too much stock in man's interpretations of the Bible and finite understanding of God, the problems with putting God into a box, the absolute crime of hearing sermons that cause my kids (and myself) to feel that the Bible and Christianity is boring... yea! I was getting into all kinds of trouble!!!! Oops! It was NOT on purpose, I swear. I'd mistakenly say one taboo thing and a whole controversial and "stimulating" conversation would ensue.

Ok. This was NOT MY IDEA of Karen's personal time to recharge!!! Some people love to get all into controversy... but I don't. I, in fact, hate it. I enjoy rocking the boat sometimes... and I do like discussions that make one think--but it does not recharge me to partake in these discussions. It drains me!!! And to top it all off, my piano student was patiently waiting for us to finish our conversation, so that I could give the lesson. The converstation wasn't exactly at an stopping place. I planned the lesson strategically, so my get-together would have and ending point. Why did I agree to meet? And why did I give into discussing those topics? Why? Why? Why? I guess I owe her an amends--hahaha! Or does she owe me...?

AHHH THE 80's...

OK--Sohailah and I were crazy roommates in college. We decided to dust off our highschool prom dresses--JUST TO BE FUNNY--and wear them to Mitch's 21st surprise birthday party--which was suppose to be a black and white event. We even put on fishnet stocking under those fine pink, puff-sleeved formals. We were so much fun! But NO ONE GOT THE JOKE!!! All our friends seemed to just figure that we had no fashion sense (which baffles me to this day--har har) and they basically ignored our attire altogether. It was a bit humiliating, but Sohailah and I still know how funny we really were. (Love you girlfriend).

OK and now this... can someone please explain to me what we were thinking?? This was graduation!!! We were SERIOUS!!!! Holly and Kryslie probably were the most sensibly dressed, but Valerie, Jamie and I??? Holy smokes. Anyway, I borrowed that dress from someone on my hall--I think it was Holly. hahahah!!!

RENO UPDATES AND NEW STUFF

I have a lot of family pictures on the walls.
Mitchel Stout is an amazing photographer.

And I have a beautiful family too!

I never did post a picture of my new kitchen table...

I was waiting for new chairs. That make take a while, so here's the table.

Terry built it in the basement! The lighting is all new, too.

And there's the new oven there in the mirror...(LOVE IT)!

Here it is close-up!

I couldn't get a good picture of the girls' new room. I wasn't about to clean it just so I could take a nice picture. Yes, it's messy already!!!!

More painting and work is yet to be done. Hate to bore you with it.

I will be posting about my son's severely materialistic mindset... in the near future. I need to find the humor in it first, though. Oh yea... the humor is that he's only 13!! HA HA HA HA

Well, that's it for today. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!!!

PIZZA AND PAPER PLATES

Caleigh offered to help set the table for the gourmet, Friday night pizza meal.



I don't know what her method was...


Being the mean mom that I am, I had to fix the plates to match the places where there were chairs... and we only needed 7 place settings. Not sixteen!



Needless to say, Caleigh was a bit put-out about the change!

YOU ARE BLESSED, NOAH STEVEN

Born seven months ago... living at home for two months without a glitch... things suddenly went horribly wrong for you. You had to be hospitalized.

I know that you tried to get better.

You held onto your bears while listening to music, and dreamed about better things...

How you loved Mommy and Daddy...

And adored the snuggle-time with
your big sis, Emily....

You always had lots of friends around to bring giggles (and props)... But after five months, the doctors still could not figure out your diagnosis.

Today marks the day God either brings you home, or performs a HUGE miracle which would mean you could go home with mommy, daddy and sis to stay here on earth a little longer. I hope you can stay.

But regardless of what happens,

Noah Steven, you have impacted my life greatly. I will never be the same. Thank you, Adrienne and Jason, for sharing your journey as you have walked it out. Now I see what Jesus' love is truly like.

THE PEELE FAMILY

I was thumbing through some pictures on my computer, when I came across this one. It was taken about 4 1/2 years ago, which was the first time in many years that my siblings, parents and I had all been together... and the last time since. We are standing in our birth order.

Back Row from left to right: Jimmy--always with a hat, me--I'm post-pregnant there so give me a break about the chubbies, Johnny--looking like he has a bee up his nose, Dave--trying to show off his masonry muscles, Jane--looking pretty darn good, and Russ--the oldest and wisest of us all.
Front Row from left to right: Mom, Dad and... Kitty? (uh-oh--I can't remember if that's the dog's name).

This is us, including all the spouses and children, plus an aunt. (That's Nate, right next to me--what a dork! He tries to be). Since that picture, only one baby has been added--Dylan, the first great grand baby for my parents. I wanted to disspell any rumors that my family was completely white-trash (only a slightly--hee).

QUEASY STOMACHS BEWARE!!!

Since everyone loved my pedicure so much, allow me to show you all the other designs I had considered...

This one I call "Casual Wear" (are those hairly legs??)

"Summer Attire" (eww)

Here we have "Highly Decorated" (ooh pretty--haha)

"Conservative Church Dress"

And for this one it's "All Out Naked" (very natural looking)

Hope you enjoyed!!! No one threw up, did they?

PIANO MOVERS ARE OVER-RATED

I have two pianos. My newest one is a Yamaha 5'7" grand. I've had it for about 3 years. I was supposed to get the grand piano for my 10th wedding anniversary, but we bought a house instead. The trade off was definitely worth it, especially because I got my grand piano for Christmas a few years later. Sweet! The other piano I have is the one I've played on all my growing up years--hours and hours and hours of practicing! It has held up beautifully well, even and after hundreds of moves. It's scratched and banged up a bit, but still very usuable.

During our kids' little bedroom switch-a-roo this past week, Nate ended up in the bedroom with the piano. He was NOT happy and insisted that we must move this thing out of his room (WTF??). So... we came up with a plan... (he is soooooo freakin' spoiled--that boy). We heaved-hooed that spinnet up the stairs and into the girls new bedroom. It was a challenge for sure and I was concerned that someone was going to hurt themselves. The method was a little unorthadox, to say the least. We turned it on its side, onto a bath rug, and slid it to the stairway. (A dolly would have come in handy, but SOMEBODY left it in the driveway to be run over by the car). Once we arrived at the stairway, we flipped it one more turn, so that it was upside-down, and then huffed that baby up to the top. No direct lifting involved--just sliding and pushing and pulling. Then, we continued to slide it right on into the girls room, flipped it upright and voila! Play me a song, Sam!

The piano tuner is coming tomorrow!

MY NEW YEAR'S CHECK LIST

Everyone's been talking about New Year's Resolutions. I'm not much for making these self-promises at the New Year, although I do like to periodically set goals for myself. Life has been busy for the past... umpTEEN YEARS!!! I have done fairly well in keeping my life on track... mostly.... I've found that certain disciplines have gotten a lot harder as I've gotten older. Why is that? Could it be that we survive more disappointments as we live longer? And disappointments can lead to cynicism (of course not in ME!!!). Physically speaking (also a LARGE disappointment--har har), it's definitely tons more difficult to keep the ole body in shape, as metabolism slows, energy levels decrease, kids come onto the scene, sapping any and all the energy that we do happen to have. Yea! This whole stage of mine is completely the kids fault!!! My muffin-top is all their fault. My lack of work-out time... their fault. My addiction to coffee--them! My inability to up-keep my outer appearance i.e. my hair style, make-up, skin and nail care, weight all gone to POT! Their Fault!! Damn kids!

Well, I've decided to stop allowing them to rule my life. Here is my checklist and where I am on each item so far:

Pedicure(do you like it?)

My first day juicing in the Breville since before Christmas

Satin sheetsSTRIPT OFF the bed for good (haven't slept in a week because of the slippery hell)
Girls all moved into their new rooms
The piano still needs moving... up the freakin stairs.
Take treadmill out of the upright position its been in since Dec. 24th, and use it so I can really look HOT for my babe!
File all the boxes and boxes of paperwork into the EMPTY filing cabinet so that at least some of the many eye sores can be elimated from my bedroom.
revisit the idea of practicing the piano AGAIN! (One week wasn't good enough to last another year).
Get out use that new tennis racket I received for Christmas, while this weird spring weather in January holds.
Try one of Terry's John Grisham novels.
Get a real pedicure because that picture was just a joke.