Sunday, December 21, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Doghouse
thanks to my pal Leslie over at ScrapFreak for sharing this today ...absolute greatness! LOL!
The Doghouse
The Doghouse
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
my girl's gonna be a brace face
my girl has been counting down the days till she finally gets braces -literally counting the days... yeah, she's THAT big of a goober! now, I don't want her to be completely disillusioned because 1) I've BTDT b) she's got a fair amount of work to be done, and 3) the word HEADGEAR has been mentioned -so I tried telling her, it might *seem* like fun but, they're really kind of a pain (pun intended)... not just because of the sore teeth after an adjustment or the raw spots from the brackets rubbing, etc... but because of all the stuff you can't (well, aren't supposed to) eat, and constantly having to worry that you have icky stuff smooshed in the brackets. *sigh* she just won't hear it - it's gonna be "so cool" and she "can't wait to pick out the rubber band colors"... whatever -just don't say I never warned ya, mmm-kay?
so, I took Kendall to the orthodontist yesterday for her preliminary visit; lots of pics, x-rays, all kinds of molds and casts of her teef -holy moses, I don't remember having to do more than bite down and grind my teef on a piece of carbon paper when I got braces -course that was 100 years ago and I've done my best to block out most of those awful memories. the staff at this office is really awesome, they do ortho work on adults but they're totally geared for working with kids and I gotta say, whoever does the hiring must do one heckuva screening job because the folks have such great temperments and bedside (chairside?) manners. they explain EVERYTHING in such a way that the kids, and even dorks like me, can clearly understand.
in between procedures, we were checking things out (ie: snooping) and found a little ring with different colored rubber strips -which, we surmised, must be the different colors for the rubber bands. Kendall's eyes lit up and she started telling me how she's already got it all figured out what her first colors are going to be (blue and pink or maybe blue and purple) and that she's definitely going to stay away from the white rubber bands because they turn yellow and then black (looovely). I asked how she knows that and she says that so and so told her... she's got a few friends who already have braces and apparently, they're her go to people. ugh, anyway, I got the royal eyeroll when I suggested that perhaps those were the bands that the doc puts on to see who actually brushes their teef and who is into growing science experiments in their moufs. *shrug* I'm just sayin... that would be a kick ass idea.
after all the fun and shenanigans, a gal from the office popped in and handed me a booklet with FAQ's, smiled warmly and said, "oh and there's a form tucked inside with the financial breakdown for PHASE I." and then beat a hasty retreat. holy crap! it's a good thing I was sitting down. I actually looked over at K and had a brief moment where I thought, 'you know, she's cute enough that a few crooked teef aren't going to matter ...much'. lol -kidding, kidding... but, thank goodness for the payment plan.
my girl was more than a little disappointed to be walking out of the office yesterday minus a mouthful of metal... I told her it wouldn't happen that fast, but eh, she's a little hardheaded -and really, what do I know (insert my own royal eye roll here)?! her next appointment will be Dec. 16, from there on out, all we'll need is a good metal detector to keep tabs on her. :D
so, I took Kendall to the orthodontist yesterday for her preliminary visit; lots of pics, x-rays, all kinds of molds and casts of her teef -holy moses, I don't remember having to do more than bite down and grind my teef on a piece of carbon paper when I got braces -course that was 100 years ago and I've done my best to block out most of those awful memories. the staff at this office is really awesome, they do ortho work on adults but they're totally geared for working with kids and I gotta say, whoever does the hiring must do one heckuva screening job because the folks have such great temperments and bedside (chairside?) manners. they explain EVERYTHING in such a way that the kids, and even dorks like me, can clearly understand.
in between procedures, we were checking things out (ie: snooping) and found a little ring with different colored rubber strips -which, we surmised, must be the different colors for the rubber bands. Kendall's eyes lit up and she started telling me how she's already got it all figured out what her first colors are going to be (blue and pink or maybe blue and purple) and that she's definitely going to stay away from the white rubber bands because they turn yellow and then black (looovely). I asked how she knows that and she says that so and so told her... she's got a few friends who already have braces and apparently, they're her go to people. ugh, anyway, I got the royal eyeroll when I suggested that perhaps those were the bands that the doc puts on to see who actually brushes their teef and who is into growing science experiments in their moufs. *shrug* I'm just sayin... that would be a kick ass idea.
after all the fun and shenanigans, a gal from the office popped in and handed me a booklet with FAQ's, smiled warmly and said, "oh and there's a form tucked inside with the financial breakdown for PHASE I." and then beat a hasty retreat. holy crap! it's a good thing I was sitting down. I actually looked over at K and had a brief moment where I thought, 'you know, she's cute enough that a few crooked teef aren't going to matter ...much'. lol -kidding, kidding... but, thank goodness for the payment plan.
my girl was more than a little disappointed to be walking out of the office yesterday minus a mouthful of metal... I told her it wouldn't happen that fast, but eh, she's a little hardheaded -and really, what do I know (insert my own royal eye roll here)?! her next appointment will be Dec. 16, from there on out, all we'll need is a good metal detector to keep tabs on her. :D
Thursday, November 13, 2008
d'oh!
When you're feeling smug because, even though you know this afternoon and evening you'll be doing the sports mom hustle; picking kids up, cracking the whip to get homework done and then taxiing to and from basketball practice, -you're still going to rock your family's world with one of their favorite dinners WITHOUT having to break a sweat when you get home! -all because you had the foresight to bust out the crock pot and git-r-done early (pats self on back)...
*ahem*
yeeeahh, uhm... note to self:
It's usually a good idea to make sure that you have actually plugged in the freakin crock pot! *GAAAH!* sadly, this is a classic leafa mcbirdie move. ppfffftt... what a dork.
*ahem*
yeeeahh, uhm... note to self:
It's usually a good idea to make sure that you have actually plugged in the freakin crock pot! *GAAAH!* sadly, this is a classic leafa mcbirdie move. ppfffftt... what a dork.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
takin the day off
No school today, so the boys are out hunting (goose and duck), and the girl and I are veggin' out here at home. It's cold, wet and gray outside and we've both been fighting colds the past few days so we decided to take it easy (I know, nothing new for me, right?) and lay low -in fact, we're still in our jams -I love days like this! Kendall baked a dozen lemon/blueberry muffins earlier today and she's been having a blast playing Webkinz with her bff, Carson -it's so funny, Kendall has him on speaker-phone and they're hootin' and hollerin' at each other -pretty much the same as when they're together in person -little goobers! They're pretty dang cute! Poor Jack had to work. No rest for the weary -even if it is a federal holiday.
many thanks for our veterans
Seeing as it's Veteran's Day, I want to send out a huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to all of the brave men and women who fight or have fought for our feedom and safety. I admit there are times I'm guilty of taking for granted the security I have from day to day, but I do know, if not for our veterans, we would have an entirely different existence -so I say it today, but I hold it in my heart always, thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you do on behalf of our country.
The flower of rememberance in honor of those who have given thier lives for the nation's freedom.
On a separate, but not entirely unrelated, note; last night my oldest son Andrew, who turned 17 a couple of weeks ago, casually informed me that he and a friend had gone to see a Marine recruiter yesterday afternoon. When he told me, I'm not gonna lie, my first reaction was complete and utter fear -the idea that my boy might ever be in harms way leaves me nauseous, with deep, sharp pains in my heart. Next, I was shocked and then pretty bent that he would do this without talking to his dad and I first. He went on to explain that he had only gone along for the ride with his best friend (who turns 18 tomorrow) to see the recruiter who had been "bugging him" to come in. Since he was there, the recruiter asked Andrew to take some sort of placement test, which apparently he scored well on, and then, as Andrew tells it, the guy says he can pretty much do anything he wants. *sigh* My boy is all about doing whatever he wants, so that must have been music to his ears.
I must say that, while I was irritated to hear about this "appointment" after the fact and that my mommy radar kept screaming that my kid was being taken advantage of, today, I realized that ultimately, when the time comes, the choice will be Andrew's. I love him beyond measure and have a profound pride that this tall gangly kid, who's smart as a whip (maybe too smart for his own good) is growing into an amazing young man. Yes, he's given his dad and I a pretty good run for our money these past few years and continues to present us with challenges as parents but he is a good boy and I am just going to pray that he makes well informed choices and keep the faith that God will be watching over him.
The flower of rememberance in honor of those who have given thier lives for the nation's freedom.
On a separate, but not entirely unrelated, note; last night my oldest son Andrew, who turned 17 a couple of weeks ago, casually informed me that he and a friend had gone to see a Marine recruiter yesterday afternoon. When he told me, I'm not gonna lie, my first reaction was complete and utter fear -the idea that my boy might ever be in harms way leaves me nauseous, with deep, sharp pains in my heart. Next, I was shocked and then pretty bent that he would do this without talking to his dad and I first. He went on to explain that he had only gone along for the ride with his best friend (who turns 18 tomorrow) to see the recruiter who had been "bugging him" to come in. Since he was there, the recruiter asked Andrew to take some sort of placement test, which apparently he scored well on, and then, as Andrew tells it, the guy says he can pretty much do anything he wants. *sigh* My boy is all about doing whatever he wants, so that must have been music to his ears.
I must say that, while I was irritated to hear about this "appointment" after the fact and that my mommy radar kept screaming that my kid was being taken advantage of, today, I realized that ultimately, when the time comes, the choice will be Andrew's. I love him beyond measure and have a profound pride that this tall gangly kid, who's smart as a whip (maybe too smart for his own good) is growing into an amazing young man. Yes, he's given his dad and I a pretty good run for our money these past few years and continues to present us with challenges as parents but he is a good boy and I am just going to pray that he makes well informed choices and keep the faith that God will be watching over him.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
get out and VOTE!! -or shut your cake hole.
Pile your dishes in the sink, walk past that mountain of dirty laundry, wedge a hat down over your bushy old bed-head and GO VOTE!! Okay, so that's just my plan but cereally, people, if you don't get out and do the voting thang, I do NOT wanna hear ya bitchin when you aren't happy with what's going on -you vote, you can bitch all ya want. I am absolutely floored when I hear peeps say things like 'my vote doesn't matter', 'I haven't really been following things, I don't know what's what'. It grates on me, what a lackadaisical 'take care of me' society we've become, that people can't even be bothered to put out the effort to educate themselves on the issues that shape our future. It's not rocket science -crap, even my 14 and 17 year old boys know what's going on in the political arena {and yes, I'm disgustingly proud!}... it's not that hard, people!
Folks are expressing concern about having to {gasp} stand in long lines "just to vote" -yet (*irony alert*) those bellyachers are probably the same peeps who are willing to get up at 3am to {gasp} stand in mile-long lines, in the cold and dark, smashed against other crazies waiting to throw down over a good deal on the the latest greatest wii game. *gaah* I know lines are probably going to be long today (which actually, is a good thing, meaning that people are doing their part & having their say), so don't tell Clinton and Stacy, lest I end up on an episode of What Not to Wear, but I'm wearing my sweats and sporting my comfy tennies... yes, out. in. pub-lic. I'm gonna take a snack, because mama can't concentrate when her tummy is growling, a drink -let's hope this isn't the year they start making us take a breathalyzer before we vote! (kidding people, kid-ding!) and a book, which I probably won't even open because this will be a primo people watching opportunity! Yeah, I'm good to go.
Leafa McBirdie -out gettin me vote on! yeeee-ooow!
Folks are expressing concern about having to {gasp} stand in long lines "just to vote" -yet (*irony alert*) those bellyachers are probably the same peeps who are willing to get up at 3am to {gasp} stand in mile-long lines, in the cold and dark, smashed against other crazies waiting to throw down over a good deal on the the latest greatest wii game. *gaah* I know lines are probably going to be long today (which actually, is a good thing, meaning that people are doing their part & having their say), so don't tell Clinton and Stacy, lest I end up on an episode of What Not to Wear, but I'm wearing my sweats and sporting my comfy tennies... yes, out. in. pub-lic. I'm gonna take a snack, because mama can't concentrate when her tummy is growling, a drink -let's hope this isn't the year they start making us take a breathalyzer before we vote! (kidding people, kid-ding!) and a book, which I probably won't even open because this will be a primo people watching opportunity! Yeah, I'm good to go.
Leafa McBirdie -out gettin me vote on! yeeee-ooow!
Friday, October 31, 2008
{UPDATE}
so much for our big storm. nothing more than a few sprinkles so far tonight so Kendall got to go trick or treating. for my troubles, I earned a 'fun size' butterfinger and a 'fun size' almond joy... pfffft. fun size??! puh-leeze! there's nothing 'fun' about having to open 16 dozen leeetle tiiiiny candy bars just so I can get my sugar grove on. gaaah, my laziness is probably the only thing saving me from slipping into a diabetic coma! lol dangit, I just realized I didn't bring the camera upstairs -I'll post a pic of K in her witch get-up, tomorry.
*update on my update*
okay, it's not exactly tomorry, but here's my dot, witched out for h'ween. after starting the eye make-up she decided she didn't want to be an "ugly witch" and put the kibosh on the creepy, full face make-up. *gaaah* impatient little party pooper! lol
*update on my update*
okay, it's not exactly tomorry, but here's my dot, witched out for h'ween. after starting the eye make-up she decided she didn't want to be an "ugly witch" and put the kibosh on the creepy, full face make-up. *gaaah* impatient little party pooper! lol
hoppy hollow weiners
hmmmph -woke up this morning with a bad case of the uglies and the mood to match. good news is I don't have to come up with a costume because nothing, and I do mean NOTHING, would be any scarier than what was looking back at me from my mirror this morning -yikes. bad news? I have to live in my skin all day and try to keep from doing or saying anything that makes peeps want to slip me arsenic laced candy bars. ggrrrr
go figger... we've had gorgeous fall weather here the past couple of weeks and last night, a storm rolls in. not a good, snuggle up inside by the fire, kick ass rain storm -no. it's a freakin windy, drizzly pain in the ass. I already told Kendall, in the event that it's pouring outside, mama's not hauling her bewitched booty from door to door -even if it means no overflowing candy bucket for me to raid. I know, bah humbug and all that crap. however, to make it up to my grill, I've agreed to endure torture worse than any ghosts or goblins could dish out... we're going to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua. *sigh* glutton for punishment? yeah, that would be me. obviously, my love knows no bounds.
**also, just want to pass on a quick little PSA that a friend of mine shared recently:
Sherwood's Milk Chocolate Pirate's Gold Coins
The little foil-covered chocolate coins are not safe for kids to eat this Halloween. They are made in China and contain the Melamine that children's deaths were related to recently!!!!! With Halloween coming soon, pass this on to your family and friends. It is true, Read the full story at the following link from Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/coins.asp
go figger... we've had gorgeous fall weather here the past couple of weeks and last night, a storm rolls in. not a good, snuggle up inside by the fire, kick ass rain storm -no. it's a freakin windy, drizzly pain in the ass. I already told Kendall, in the event that it's pouring outside, mama's not hauling her bewitched booty from door to door -even if it means no overflowing candy bucket for me to raid. I know, bah humbug and all that crap. however, to make it up to my grill, I've agreed to endure torture worse than any ghosts or goblins could dish out... we're going to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua. *sigh* glutton for punishment? yeah, that would be me. obviously, my love knows no bounds.
**also, just want to pass on a quick little PSA that a friend of mine shared recently:
Sherwood's Milk Chocolate Pirate's Gold Coins
The little foil-covered chocolate coins are not safe for kids to eat this Halloween. They are made in China and contain the Melamine that children's deaths were related to recently!!!!! With Halloween coming soon, pass this on to your family and friends. It is true, Read the full story at the following link from Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/coins.asp
Sunday, October 26, 2008
rockin and a'rollin
whoa nelly! we've been having earthquakes since really early this morning. Pop called me at about 9:00am to see if I'd felt the one at around 2:30am -I didn't feel anything and usually earthquakes in the middle of the night wake me up, so I figured it must have just been Heidi (Pop's Rottweiler) moving around in the trailer- she's a big girl.
I got on the USGS site and sure enough we had a shaker at 2:27am and it was a 4.9, centered about 41 miles SW of Eureka -I can't believe I didn't feel that! Poor Pop musta been kinda freaked because he just kept saying that it was the biggest one he's felt since he's been here, how it just kept shaking, it must have lasted over a minute and on and on... lol. I feel bad because he's living in a trailer and even though we've anchored it down tight, with big chains and all, he's worried it's going to pull loose and go careening down the hillside and land in our pond. I tell him not to worry, in the event he did go over the hillside (which isn't gonna happen) he'd have to turn a couple of pretty sharp turns in order to make it into either of the ponds... somehow that didn't have the comforting effect that I'd hoped -lol!
we just had another quake a few minutes ago. this one was a 3.5 but was centered 27 miles N of Eureka. looks like that's about the 5th one in our area since early this morning. it'll be interesting to see what happens throughout the day.
I got on the USGS site and sure enough we had a shaker at 2:27am and it was a 4.9, centered about 41 miles SW of Eureka -I can't believe I didn't feel that! Poor Pop musta been kinda freaked because he just kept saying that it was the biggest one he's felt since he's been here, how it just kept shaking, it must have lasted over a minute and on and on... lol. I feel bad because he's living in a trailer and even though we've anchored it down tight, with big chains and all, he's worried it's going to pull loose and go careening down the hillside and land in our pond. I tell him not to worry, in the event he did go over the hillside (which isn't gonna happen) he'd have to turn a couple of pretty sharp turns in order to make it into either of the ponds... somehow that didn't have the comforting effect that I'd hoped -lol!
we just had another quake a few minutes ago. this one was a 3.5 but was centered 27 miles N of Eureka. looks like that's about the 5th one in our area since early this morning. it'll be interesting to see what happens throughout the day.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
trading places
it's a bit ironic how roles change between parent and child as years roll by. Jack and I moved my Pop up here to live with us 2 & 1/2 years ago -and when I say live WITH us, I mean, we have him out in our front yard in a 38ft trailer. yes, it's true, I've turned my 73 year old father into trailer trash, and we couldn't be happier. :)
it's a win/win for all of us. the hubs and I don't have to worry about Pop not being able to get out and get his meds or groceries. Pop doesn't have to worry about being alone or having to take care of the upkeep on his big old house and yard -and probably the most important thing is that my kids get to hang out and really know their Papa.
I feel very fortunate that a) my hubs is cool with having my Pop around and that they get along. 2) we have the space and resources to make this happen, and c) that I'm able to share a friendship with my Pop that has enriched our father/daughter relationship.
Not having to worry about Pop being alone or being able to get out and about for his meds and/or groceries has been a big relief -a little background; Pop is diabetic and had a pacemaker put in a few years ago, he takes a multitude of meds for his blood pressure, cholesterol, blah blah blah and consequently due to the diabetes, he's got neuropathy which affects the nerves in his feet, in turn affecting his balance -he uses a cane to help keep him steady. like anyone with multiple medical issues, Pop has his good days, weeks, months as well as his more challenging times. before we moved him up here he was going through a rough spell which made it hard for him to do much of anything without easily exhausting himself. he had a hard time just going to the market for a half gallon of milk much less making the rounds for all of his groceries and there were spells when we weren't sure he was getting out to pick up his meds, and if he did get out we were worried about him driving. I do have a brother, that lived fairly close to Pop but he has his own set of issues and well, ...that's a whole 'nuther post. suffice to say, Pop was on his own and it was time that he needed help, he's a proud man so it took some finagling, but here he is.
my job as a 'stay at home' mom has now evolved to include 'caregiver' to Pop. honestly, I never in a million years would have seen this scenario playing out this way. my Pop has always been a big strong man who worked like an ox so, in my mind, I never thought he'd need looking after. it's funny how life has a way of throwing us curve balls.
since Pop's been here, I've learned so many things about myself and what I'm capable of doing. shortly after he got settled into his new digs, he had a situation come up that required debriding and cleansing his feet and changing bandages. it was awful -but not because it was gross (which it was) but because I was afraid I was hurting him, which just killed me... it was very much like taking care of my kids when they've hurt themselves, knowing that it just had to be done. I think that's when it hit me how much our roles have changed from me being a little kid, sitting on the bathroom counter while he cleaned out my ears, to me now, helping him trim his fingernails or put on his shoes. trading places hasn't been exactly easy but it's all good, and so worth it.
it's a win/win for all of us. the hubs and I don't have to worry about Pop not being able to get out and get his meds or groceries. Pop doesn't have to worry about being alone or having to take care of the upkeep on his big old house and yard -and probably the most important thing is that my kids get to hang out and really know their Papa.
I feel very fortunate that a) my hubs is cool with having my Pop around and that they get along. 2) we have the space and resources to make this happen, and c) that I'm able to share a friendship with my Pop that has enriched our father/daughter relationship.
Not having to worry about Pop being alone or being able to get out and about for his meds and/or groceries has been a big relief -a little background; Pop is diabetic and had a pacemaker put in a few years ago, he takes a multitude of meds for his blood pressure, cholesterol, blah blah blah and consequently due to the diabetes, he's got neuropathy which affects the nerves in his feet, in turn affecting his balance -he uses a cane to help keep him steady. like anyone with multiple medical issues, Pop has his good days, weeks, months as well as his more challenging times. before we moved him up here he was going through a rough spell which made it hard for him to do much of anything without easily exhausting himself. he had a hard time just going to the market for a half gallon of milk much less making the rounds for all of his groceries and there were spells when we weren't sure he was getting out to pick up his meds, and if he did get out we were worried about him driving. I do have a brother, that lived fairly close to Pop but he has his own set of issues and well, ...that's a whole 'nuther post. suffice to say, Pop was on his own and it was time that he needed help, he's a proud man so it took some finagling, but here he is.
my job as a 'stay at home' mom has now evolved to include 'caregiver' to Pop. honestly, I never in a million years would have seen this scenario playing out this way. my Pop has always been a big strong man who worked like an ox so, in my mind, I never thought he'd need looking after. it's funny how life has a way of throwing us curve balls.
since Pop's been here, I've learned so many things about myself and what I'm capable of doing. shortly after he got settled into his new digs, he had a situation come up that required debriding and cleansing his feet and changing bandages. it was awful -but not because it was gross (which it was) but because I was afraid I was hurting him, which just killed me... it was very much like taking care of my kids when they've hurt themselves, knowing that it just had to be done. I think that's when it hit me how much our roles have changed from me being a little kid, sitting on the bathroom counter while he cleaned out my ears, to me now, helping him trim his fingernails or put on his shoes. trading places hasn't been exactly easy but it's all good, and so worth it.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
all is right with the world again
*sigh* I'm just so friggin happy right now, I'm almost afraid to jinx myself by sharing the news, but...
MY INTERNET IS *finally* GOOD AGAIN!!
{wOOt!}
my sooper-dooper hubs did a little research and found a new i-net company for us so we can finally dump HUGES (good for nothing) NETWORK -or as I've not so affectionately re-named them: HUGE NUT WART. admittedly, I know nothing about the intricacies that make the world wide web work but I do know that when I pay for something it had better freakin GO... HN had trouble with that concept and well, bottom line? -they had really shitty customer service, plain and simple.
Our new provider is called 101 NETLINK and it's broadband wireless internet -so it's way faster and uh did I mention CHEAPER ?! -yeah, by about $15 a month! These guys came out tonight, after normal business hours, and got us all hooked up and yeehaw!, I'm good to go again! oh yes... I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship. *sigh*
Thursday, October 9, 2008
still here
been having freaking internet problems. hopefully things should be fixed soon (fingers crossed) -that, or I may end up doing 25 to life in the big house... technical difficulties make me a leeetle cRaZy!!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
his name is
KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIID!!
Kid Rock that is. Jack and I went down to Lakeport to see him in concert last weekend and we had a total blast! the really good news? it wasn't too loud -so I guess that proves we aren't too old, right?! {whOOp-whOOp!} as a matter of fact, I was kinda surprised by how diverse the audience was -there were kids, about 12 years old (parent of the year awards going out, there) right up to oldsters in their 70's.
I gotta admit, I like me some KR, but I wasn't sure what to expect at one of his concerts... headbangers? ghetto rappers? he's been known to hang with Hank Jr. so, maybe some good ol' boys...?? I dunno, but I was excited because this was a weekend away, without kids (cereally... can't remember the last time we've gone away w/o kids) and we walked on the wild side.
starting out, our friend tells us he'll leave our tix at the golf course, we can pick them up in the pro shop. cool... we decide since we're there, we'll just eat dinner at the golf course restaurant and head on over to the concert. we have a little bit of trouble tracking down the tickets but finally get them in hand and decide we'll just sit in the bar to eat, hoping it'll be faster than being seated in the dining room. the hostess is great and realizes that we're kinda in a time crunch so she gets our orders right in and gets us started with our salads.
meanwhile, there are a handful of peeps bellied up to the bar, among them, these 4 older gals. they're playing liar's dice and apparently, one of the gals is a newbie to the game, so there's lots of coaching going on and they're having a good time. I think it's safe to assume they've probably been there for a good part of the afternoon. dice are flying and it's getting wild.
over at our table, Jack and I are cracking up, listening to these gals shouting their bids and slamming their dice on the bar as we scarf down our salads. we exchange a few quiet little comments about how cute it is that, at their age, these gals are out, partying down. and then, you know how you hear someone say something, and it sounds like it's coming your direction but you don't know anyone else there, and what they're saying doesn't seem to apply to you so you assume they're talking to someone else?? yeah, but then... there it is again: "hey -you like tequilla??" so we both crane our necks around and sure enough old bird #1 is turned around on her barstool asking US if we like tequilla LOL! not wanting to seem lame beyond our years (I mean, c'mon... we're going to a freaking Kid Rock concert!) we both nod (probably not very convincingly) yes ...oh, us, yeah... hells yeah! and before we know it we have a couple of overflowing shot glasses along with some wedges of lime and a giant salt shaker plunked in front of us as we, (okay me) get that deer in the headlights look...
okay, at this point, I feel it's important to share the fact that, as much as I joke about needing to get my drink on, I actually very rarely drink, and when I do, it's usually nothing stronger than a margarita or a Smirnoff Ice, which is on par with a wine cooler -NEVER straight up liquor. NEVER. well, at least not since my bachelorette party, nov. 1989 -when, after way too many Kamikazi's, I filled up the map pocket on the inside of my friend Terri's passenger door with the contents of my stomach ...it wasn't pretty, and I haven't forgotten.
I was afraid to make eye contact with Jack because I have a bad habit of laughing hysterically when I get nervous ...so, I grabbed my glass, Jack and I did a quick cheers and tossed 'em back. -and I'm happy to report that I didn't puke or even fall out of my chair.
at that point old bird #3 turns to old bird #1 and says "c'mon, leave 'em alonnnne, they're trying to eat their dinnnennenner". then, old bird #2 starts yelling "who'sh turn ish it, anywaysh?"... and so it went. as we were getting ready to pay our bill, old bird #3 comes over to the table and invites us over to her house to hang out and bbq with all of them and their husbands, not that she normally just invites people over, she says, but it might be fun to have some new people... then she goes on to tell us they got there (to the bar) by boat so she's got to give us instructions to get there by car (at this point we'd already told them about 6 times that we were going to the concert) so we just smiled and thanked them and then ran like hell...
got over to the concert, which was at an outdoor venue, stood in line (forever) to show our ID's (as if my gray hair and wrinkles aren't proof enough) for wristbands so we could get drinks. then stood in line to get in. while we were in line we actually ran into a couple of friends from out of the area so we hung out with them for awhile while the opening band (Rehab) played, and we stood in line (forfrickenEVER)to get drinks. funny thing ...while we were standing there I actually had a guy grab me and pull me out of the way because his very LARGE and tall and big and sweaty-and very drunk friend, was about to fall on me. LOL ...I'm telling you, it was crazy.
we finally went to find our seats, and omg... we had such awesome seats -8th row baybee. honestly, I wouldn't have wanted to be any closer because, even with all the security, the crowd has a way of surging forward and it becomes more like a mosh pit and when it's 90 degrees, I don't want to be squished up against a bunch of sweaty strangers... ick ... I'm just sayin'.
so, the stage goes dark and where u at Rock, where you at? starts playing and the crowd goes wild. Kid comes out, dressed all in white, with his trademark aviators and he's looking just like the bad-ass dude you see on tv or CD covers... and by the end of the night he's in black jeans, no shirt (yyyeeeeaaooow!) and he's just this amazingly talented guy who puts on a helluva show. I was really surprised at how down to earth he was -the show wasn't full of chest thumping and macho posturing, which honestly, coming from him woulda been kinda haaawt... but he does show what a diverse performer he is when he jams on the electric guitar, then jumps in and plays the drums... he even hops up and does some old school scratching on the turn tables.... Rev Run (from Run-DMC and Runs House on MTV) comes out and he and Kid rock some of the old Run-DMC hits.
there were some mellow moments during the show, no doubt strategically timed so that old folks like me could catch their breath and maybe puff on their asthma inhalers before they keel over... like when Kid sings Picture, (the duet he did with Sheryl Crow) with one of his backup singers (who, ironically, looks like Sheryl Crow) and then when he sings Amen while a slide show of patriotic pictures shows on the big screen behind him... that was really cool. I also really appreciated that he got out there and did his thing without spouting off one way or the other about his political views... I saw an interview recently, where he said something to the effect that, that's not what he's there for... he's knows singing and song writing, not political science, he's here to entertain and just because he's a public figure it doesn't make him qualified to tell people who they should vote for, that's up to them to decide.
something else that really impressed me, because of how great he sounded, was the fact that there is no backing track... all the stuff we heard was live. I'm usually not a crazy about live shows because often times performers have so much engineering done on their studio stuff, when you hear them live they really sound like crap... but that definitely wasn't the case for this show.
*technically* no cameras are allowed at the show... but once it starts there's no way security can keep up with everyone who's whipping out their cell phones or point & shoots... so, that said, I'll leave you with a few of the pics I managed to get. ah, goooood times!
.
and finally... a pic of us old (sweaty) folks.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
the conclusion of WEDDING WEEK
it always amazes me how much work and money goes into weddings - an elaborate dress, flowers, cake, photos, reception hall, caterers, booze, -oh yeah baybee its all about the open bar! bottom line, it's a butt load of money and effort and all for just a few hours of "showtime".
Jack and I had a typical wedding with all the trappings and when I stop and think about how much money we could have saved and put towards a house, or maybe even towards that honeymoon we never took (because we were so po' after that big stinkin wedding), it makes me almost ill. seriously, when the big day is over and the guests have all gone home (or passed out in the parking lot) what do you have to show for all that money that was spent?? well, I can tell you what I have; a giant album that I flip thru every 5 or 10 years -usually when I need to prove to my kids that I did, in fact, used to be thin and Jack did, in fact, used to have hair. oh, I also have a luuuurvely gown, complete with reeeeally big poofy sleeves, that has been carefully heirloom packaged and is waiting in the attic for me to offer up to my dot when the time comes. pffft! I can just see her now -begging not to have to wear it! aaaaaaahahaha... poor kid!
anyway... the wedding we went to last weekend was a really refreshing change. the bride's mom made the wedding dress, the groom's mom made all the bridesmaid's dresses, there was no church, no reception hall, no superficial BS... our niece Katie & her fiancee Graydon (aka: Grady -Katie & Grady... isn't that cute?!) were married at my in-law's ranch out in Bear River, way up on a hillside overlooking the Bear River Valley with the Pacific Ocean for a backdrop. aside from the hellacious wind that threatened to carry us right off of that hillside, the ceremony was absolute greatness. not only was it very brief and pretty freaking hysterical but it was very personal and so THEM.
K & G were married by Rick, a close friend of the family, and who, for this occassion had the esteemed title of "Reverend Rick". I don't know all the nitty-gritty details but rumor has it Rick sent away and became ordained via some kind of mail order deal and now he's legit to do something like 3 weddings, 1 funeral and 5 baptisms... if I'm lyin, I'm dyin! LOL!
the reception was back at the ranch, where friends tackled the chores of setting up tables, cooking and serving a wonderful meal of spaghetti, meatballs, hot wings, bread, salad,... I don't even remember what else, but it was great food -none of that crappy, dried out chicken cordon bleu like you get at most weddings. the cakes were from Costco, delicious, and GONE by the end of the night... the music was played over speakers that were hooked up to a computer with a pre-programed i-tunes playlist. there was even one of those giant bounce-house things with a slide for the kidlets -as well as a few of the more erm, ...adventurous (read: drunk) adults!
after it got dark and things were getting mellow, we all gathered around the firepit, listened to one of Katie's bridesmaids, Jen, play the guitar and sing -wow! what an incredible voice that chick had- and then as the guitar was passed on and my FIL busted out his ukelele (yes, a ukelele!) we busted out the marshmallows, and got busy making s'mores!
the kicker here is that K & G live in Utah, and yet they managed to do a heckuva job planning this thing all the way out here in CA. they had friends and family who traveled great distances to be at the wedding, coming from Utah, Las Vegas, Iowa, North Carolina... all over the freakin place, many of them camped out at the ranch, either in tents, RV's, out in the bus barn that was turned into the "womens dormitory" and a few peeps even stayed in a horse trailer! some of the older folks stayed at the quaint little B & B's in town... but the point is, they came all that way just so they could be here for K & G's wedding week -and what a week it was!
The bride and her daddy:
The wedding party:
"Reverend Rick" performing the ceremony:
exchanging the rings:
smoooches!
Kendall with Chicago (groomsman) & Daisie (bridesmaid)
the bouncy house (this thing was worth it's weight in gold!):
Jack and I had a typical wedding with all the trappings and when I stop and think about how much money we could have saved and put towards a house, or maybe even towards that honeymoon we never took (because we were so po' after that big stinkin wedding), it makes me almost ill. seriously, when the big day is over and the guests have all gone home (or passed out in the parking lot) what do you have to show for all that money that was spent?? well, I can tell you what I have; a giant album that I flip thru every 5 or 10 years -usually when I need to prove to my kids that I did, in fact, used to be thin and Jack did, in fact, used to have hair. oh, I also have a luuuurvely gown, complete with reeeeally big poofy sleeves, that has been carefully heirloom packaged and is waiting in the attic for me to offer up to my dot when the time comes. pffft! I can just see her now -begging not to have to wear it! aaaaaaahahaha... poor kid!
anyway... the wedding we went to last weekend was a really refreshing change. the bride's mom made the wedding dress, the groom's mom made all the bridesmaid's dresses, there was no church, no reception hall, no superficial BS... our niece Katie & her fiancee Graydon (aka: Grady -Katie & Grady... isn't that cute?!) were married at my in-law's ranch out in Bear River, way up on a hillside overlooking the Bear River Valley with the Pacific Ocean for a backdrop. aside from the hellacious wind that threatened to carry us right off of that hillside, the ceremony was absolute greatness. not only was it very brief and pretty freaking hysterical but it was very personal and so THEM.
K & G were married by Rick, a close friend of the family, and who, for this occassion had the esteemed title of "Reverend Rick". I don't know all the nitty-gritty details but rumor has it Rick sent away and became ordained via some kind of mail order deal and now he's legit to do something like 3 weddings, 1 funeral and 5 baptisms... if I'm lyin, I'm dyin! LOL!
the reception was back at the ranch, where friends tackled the chores of setting up tables, cooking and serving a wonderful meal of spaghetti, meatballs, hot wings, bread, salad,... I don't even remember what else, but it was great food -none of that crappy, dried out chicken cordon bleu like you get at most weddings. the cakes were from Costco, delicious, and GONE by the end of the night... the music was played over speakers that were hooked up to a computer with a pre-programed i-tunes playlist. there was even one of those giant bounce-house things with a slide for the kidlets -as well as a few of the more erm, ...adventurous (read: drunk) adults!
after it got dark and things were getting mellow, we all gathered around the firepit, listened to one of Katie's bridesmaids, Jen, play the guitar and sing -wow! what an incredible voice that chick had- and then as the guitar was passed on and my FIL busted out his ukelele (yes, a ukelele!) we busted out the marshmallows, and got busy making s'mores!
the kicker here is that K & G live in Utah, and yet they managed to do a heckuva job planning this thing all the way out here in CA. they had friends and family who traveled great distances to be at the wedding, coming from Utah, Las Vegas, Iowa, North Carolina... all over the freakin place, many of them camped out at the ranch, either in tents, RV's, out in the bus barn that was turned into the "womens dormitory" and a few peeps even stayed in a horse trailer! some of the older folks stayed at the quaint little B & B's in town... but the point is, they came all that way just so they could be here for K & G's wedding week -and what a week it was!
The bride and her daddy:
The wedding party:
"Reverend Rick" performing the ceremony:
exchanging the rings:
smoooches!
Kendall with Chicago (groomsman) & Daisie (bridesmaid)
the bouncy house (this thing was worth it's weight in gold!):
Monday, August 11, 2008
where the hell have I been?
I mean, seriously.
Last Friday, I met up with my niece Katie -and about 15 other crazy chicks- for a "spa day". Now, honestly, I'm not really a 'spend the day at the spa' kinda girl but we'd all been invited to spend the afternoon together as part of Katie's pre-wedding festivities (in lieu of a bridal shower/bachelorette party), so how could I refuse? Having never gone to a spa (oh yeah, I was a spa virgin), I didn't really know what to expect... in fact, about 5 months ago, when we were given a list of different services we could try, I more or less closed my eyes and pointed to one -I mean, I don't know a Vichy Shower from a Seaweed Pack so, what the hell... eenie-meeny-miney-mo... I ended up getting a shoulder/back/neck massage along with a spa pedicure. oookay, fine, sounds safe enough, doesnt' it?
not so much.
please talk amongst yourselves whilst I make a valium cocktail with a chaser of prozac.
I gotta tell you that, while I love being hugged by my peeps and love snuggling with my kids, I'm not a thuper-dooper touchy feely person by nature and the idea of peeps I don't know touching me, weirds me out -I mean, it's not like I freak if I happen to bump into someone, but I'm just very concious of the whole 'personal space' concept that we learned way back in preschool, so, when I realized a perfect stranger was going to: a.) be touching me in a more intimate manner than oh, lets say, a handshake and 2.) I'd be nekkid from the waist up while they were doing that, not to mention c.) someone else would later be touching my FEET -eeeew, feeeet! I was a tad put off so, needless to say, I spent the next four and a half months trying to catch a cold, pneumonia, malaria ...anything, so I could gracefully skip out on spa-day. sigh... no dice.
fast forward to "spa day". I seriously consider taking a couple of beers... possibly an entire 6 pack, with me to shotgun in the parking lot before I join the girls, but I worry that stumbling in, slurring at 10am, I might draw even more attention to myself than I will with my sweaty palms and the huge sweat stains that are showing up under my pits.
I arrive (un-inebriated, damn it) and we all go thru the introductions, hugs and niceties and suddenly, I'm thinking to myself, hey, there are so many people in here, maybe I can just hang out and chat and no one will notice if I don't actually get anything done, I can just plaster the same mellowed-out smile on my face that all the other girls seem to have, and no one will be the wiser, right? -okay, good plan. a few minutes later, I was completely caught off guard when my name was called out by a gal, who apparently takes her fashion cues from the late, great Johnny Cash, because she's dressed in black from her head to her toes... hmmm, I don't remember meeting her -and then my eyes drift down to the little design just above her left breast where I see the words: The Spa at Personal Choice. DAMN IT, again -I'd forgotten all about that friggen sign up sheet, and my number was up!
Head hung low, I follow Johnny Cash, Jr. thru the catacombs where we finally arrive at a candle-lit room with soft Celtic music playing, there's even a little waterfall to add to the ambiance -I mean, they really go all out to create a calm, relaxing atmosphere. I kid you not, I had to choke back a nervous laugh because my first thought was, dayum, I hope Jr's not gonna put the moves on me back here -which I realize was completely random but eh, that's pretty much how I roll ...and as I'm kinda cracking myself up, it dawns on me that the Celtic music reminds me an awful lot of the pan flute CD that I used to tease my homegrill about after finding it in her collection. Zamfir, anyone. ...anyone? ah, but I digress... I'm on the verge of nervous hysteria when Jr tells me to take my shirt and bra off and get comfortable up on the table (SEE?! I knew she was gonna put the moves on me -I KNEW it!) -then, as if sensing that I was a spa newb, she added, "face-down". pfffft. yeah, ok, I knew that -and then she excused herself so I could disrobe.
I got myself undressed, carefully hiding my boulder holder in the folds of my discarded shirt -don't ask me why, but I've always folded my clothes, being sure to tuck my underoos out of sight anytime I have to undress (I'm talkin like undressing at the dr's office etc... NOT whilst in the throws of passion... wait, passion? pfffft... nevermind.). I turned to get on the table but it was too high to just back up and sit down on, so I looked around, but there was no stepstool. So, I start to panic that Jr is gonna walk back in any second now, and not only see me standing there half nekkid but witness me trying to hike my fat ass up on the table that is too high... ugh, I finally make it up there and as I'm trying to get myself turned around and flipped onto my belly, I reach out and grab something, which turns out to be the face stirrup thing, for a little leverage and the freakin thing completely falls off! O. M. G.! so, now I'm on my belly, trying to hold my head up so I can see what I'm doing, while keeping my bewbs plastered down on the table, as I try and reattach the face thing without getting up off the table... I sure hope the spa doesn't have any hidden cameras in those rooms, because I'm tellin you, if they do, I'm sure you'll be seeing me and my boingly-doinglies on one of those shows where you send in video clips for cash. I was seriously thankful I hadn't forgotten my deodorant because I was starting to work up a sweat -and that's the moment Jr chose to come back in. now, completely mortified, I tell her that I've broken the face stirrup (what the hell do you call that thing anyway?) and she calmly tells me "oh, ...don't worry, it's not broken, it. just. has to. go in liiike... uhm..." and then she procedes to fight with the stoopit thing for what seems like several minutes, until, thankfully, it *finally* clicks back into place. by this time, I'm so busy concentrating on not spontaniously combusting, I just bury my face in the newly repaired face holder and pray I don't do anything else embarassing... like fart.
heeere we go... Jr splashes some oil on my back but before she actually begins the massage, I hear her take a series of what sounds like deep cleansing breaths like they teach in Lamaze class -I'm guessing that was to fortify her for the work ahead because once she got started she really worked my muscles, to the point of it being almost painful. I kept hearing her taking these deep breaths in and slow breaths out and I wondered if maybe she was doing that to cue me to breathe that way in order to relax... meanwhile, I was busy praying I wouldn't become so relaxed that I'd let one fly -gaah, talk about the coup de grâce, eh? by the time it was over, I felt like a lump of clay after it's been smooshed and kneeded until it's smooth and pliable -I was completely relaxed, and I realized as I was getting dressed, that I had survived, and so had Jr., who's name it turns out, was Alisha... and I had in fact really, really enjoyed my first massage.
fully relaxed, I floated out to the pedicure bench to sit with my feet in water that was so warm, I instantly regretted not having relieved my bladder beforehand -especially in my newly relaxed state. after a nice soak, I had my feet scrubbed, and then got exfoliated all the way up to my knees (thank goodness I had thought to shave that morning... I would have been mortified if she'd seen the Yeti legs I had been sporting!), feet and legs lotioned, nails and cuticles trimmed... and then had my toenails painted Stilleto red... and finished off with a spritz of yummy smelling almond oil -B.E.A.-youuu-tiful! I was so distracted by talking with all the girls durring this process, I didn't even have time to think about how weirded out I am by people touching my feet... long (boring) story there, but it has to do with some surgeries I had 20+ years ago.
so now, that I've experienced (and survived) "spa-day" I'm thinking I may indeed be a "spa-day" type of girl after all... and Jack may have to work some extra hours, do some side jobs, maybe even sell a kidney to keep me in the style to which I'm quickly becoming accustomed.
ahhh... life's good.
Last Friday, I met up with my niece Katie -and about 15 other crazy chicks- for a "spa day". Now, honestly, I'm not really a 'spend the day at the spa' kinda girl but we'd all been invited to spend the afternoon together as part of Katie's pre-wedding festivities (in lieu of a bridal shower/bachelorette party), so how could I refuse? Having never gone to a spa (oh yeah, I was a spa virgin), I didn't really know what to expect... in fact, about 5 months ago, when we were given a list of different services we could try, I more or less closed my eyes and pointed to one -I mean, I don't know a Vichy Shower from a Seaweed Pack so, what the hell... eenie-meeny-miney-mo... I ended up getting a shoulder/back/neck massage along with a spa pedicure. oookay, fine, sounds safe enough, doesnt' it?
not so much.
please talk amongst yourselves whilst I make a valium cocktail with a chaser of prozac.
I gotta tell you that, while I love being hugged by my peeps and love snuggling with my kids, I'm not a thuper-dooper touchy feely person by nature and the idea of peeps I don't know touching me, weirds me out -I mean, it's not like I freak if I happen to bump into someone, but I'm just very concious of the whole 'personal space' concept that we learned way back in preschool, so, when I realized a perfect stranger was going to: a.) be touching me in a more intimate manner than oh, lets say, a handshake and 2.) I'd be nekkid from the waist up while they were doing that, not to mention c.) someone else would later be touching my FEET -eeeew, feeeet! I was a tad put off so, needless to say, I spent the next four and a half months trying to catch a cold, pneumonia, malaria ...anything, so I could gracefully skip out on spa-day. sigh... no dice.
fast forward to "spa day". I seriously consider taking a couple of beers... possibly an entire 6 pack, with me to shotgun in the parking lot before I join the girls, but I worry that stumbling in, slurring at 10am, I might draw even more attention to myself than I will with my sweaty palms and the huge sweat stains that are showing up under my pits.
I arrive (un-inebriated, damn it) and we all go thru the introductions, hugs and niceties and suddenly, I'm thinking to myself, hey, there are so many people in here, maybe I can just hang out and chat and no one will notice if I don't actually get anything done, I can just plaster the same mellowed-out smile on my face that all the other girls seem to have, and no one will be the wiser, right? -okay, good plan. a few minutes later, I was completely caught off guard when my name was called out by a gal, who apparently takes her fashion cues from the late, great Johnny Cash, because she's dressed in black from her head to her toes... hmmm, I don't remember meeting her -and then my eyes drift down to the little design just above her left breast where I see the words: The Spa at Personal Choice. DAMN IT, again -I'd forgotten all about that friggen sign up sheet, and my number was up!
Head hung low, I follow Johnny Cash, Jr. thru the catacombs where we finally arrive at a candle-lit room with soft Celtic music playing, there's even a little waterfall to add to the ambiance -I mean, they really go all out to create a calm, relaxing atmosphere. I kid you not, I had to choke back a nervous laugh because my first thought was, dayum, I hope Jr's not gonna put the moves on me back here -which I realize was completely random but eh, that's pretty much how I roll ...and as I'm kinda cracking myself up, it dawns on me that the Celtic music reminds me an awful lot of the pan flute CD that I used to tease my homegrill about after finding it in her collection. Zamfir, anyone. ...anyone? ah, but I digress... I'm on the verge of nervous hysteria when Jr tells me to take my shirt and bra off and get comfortable up on the table (SEE?! I knew she was gonna put the moves on me -I KNEW it!) -then, as if sensing that I was a spa newb, she added, "face-down". pfffft. yeah, ok, I knew that -and then she excused herself so I could disrobe.
I got myself undressed, carefully hiding my boulder holder in the folds of my discarded shirt -don't ask me why, but I've always folded my clothes, being sure to tuck my underoos out of sight anytime I have to undress (I'm talkin like undressing at the dr's office etc... NOT whilst in the throws of passion... wait, passion? pfffft... nevermind.). I turned to get on the table but it was too high to just back up and sit down on, so I looked around, but there was no stepstool. So, I start to panic that Jr is gonna walk back in any second now, and not only see me standing there half nekkid but witness me trying to hike my fat ass up on the table that is too high... ugh, I finally make it up there and as I'm trying to get myself turned around and flipped onto my belly, I reach out and grab something, which turns out to be the face stirrup thing, for a little leverage and the freakin thing completely falls off! O. M. G.! so, now I'm on my belly, trying to hold my head up so I can see what I'm doing, while keeping my bewbs plastered down on the table, as I try and reattach the face thing without getting up off the table... I sure hope the spa doesn't have any hidden cameras in those rooms, because I'm tellin you, if they do, I'm sure you'll be seeing me and my boingly-doinglies on one of those shows where you send in video clips for cash. I was seriously thankful I hadn't forgotten my deodorant because I was starting to work up a sweat -and that's the moment Jr chose to come back in. now, completely mortified, I tell her that I've broken the face stirrup (what the hell do you call that thing anyway?) and she calmly tells me "oh, ...don't worry, it's not broken, it. just. has to. go in liiike... uhm..." and then she procedes to fight with the stoopit thing for what seems like several minutes, until, thankfully, it *finally* clicks back into place. by this time, I'm so busy concentrating on not spontaniously combusting, I just bury my face in the newly repaired face holder and pray I don't do anything else embarassing... like fart.
heeere we go... Jr splashes some oil on my back but before she actually begins the massage, I hear her take a series of what sounds like deep cleansing breaths like they teach in Lamaze class -I'm guessing that was to fortify her for the work ahead because once she got started she really worked my muscles, to the point of it being almost painful. I kept hearing her taking these deep breaths in and slow breaths out and I wondered if maybe she was doing that to cue me to breathe that way in order to relax... meanwhile, I was busy praying I wouldn't become so relaxed that I'd let one fly -gaah, talk about the coup de grâce, eh? by the time it was over, I felt like a lump of clay after it's been smooshed and kneeded until it's smooth and pliable -I was completely relaxed, and I realized as I was getting dressed, that I had survived, and so had Jr., who's name it turns out, was Alisha... and I had in fact really, really enjoyed my first massage.
fully relaxed, I floated out to the pedicure bench to sit with my feet in water that was so warm, I instantly regretted not having relieved my bladder beforehand -especially in my newly relaxed state. after a nice soak, I had my feet scrubbed, and then got exfoliated all the way up to my knees (thank goodness I had thought to shave that morning... I would have been mortified if she'd seen the Yeti legs I had been sporting!), feet and legs lotioned, nails and cuticles trimmed... and then had my toenails painted Stilleto red... and finished off with a spritz of yummy smelling almond oil -B.E.A.-youuu-tiful! I was so distracted by talking with all the girls durring this process, I didn't even have time to think about how weirded out I am by people touching my feet... long (boring) story there, but it has to do with some surgeries I had 20+ years ago.
so now, that I've experienced (and survived) "spa-day" I'm thinking I may indeed be a "spa-day" type of girl after all... and Jack may have to work some extra hours, do some side jobs, maybe even sell a kidney to keep me in the style to which I'm quickly becoming accustomed.
ahhh... life's good.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Happy Monday
whoa! did this weekend fly by or what?! we went to our annual family reunion out in Bear River, soaked up the sunshine, ate waaaay too much good food... ahhh, good times!
I managed to read another book, too; The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I bought it over a year ago and just couldn't get into it so I set it aside and went on to other things, but I came across it again while I was prowling around looking for something to read this weekend, so I decided to give it another shot. I can't for the life of me imagine why I had trouble with it before, or why it took me so long to pick it up again, but I devoured it this time-SMK is a great story teller!
other than that, not much going on around Rancho McBirdie... I'm still slooooowwly working on my office/scraproom... finally got enough crap moved and got one wall painted (whoop-dee-fricken do, right?! LOL!) just need to get some shelves taken down now, so I can tackle the next wall... it's a slow process but I'm diggin the fact that I'm doing it all myself, and so far, I haven't screwed anything up -d'oh!, hope I didn't just jinx myself!
I managed to read another book, too; The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I bought it over a year ago and just couldn't get into it so I set it aside and went on to other things, but I came across it again while I was prowling around looking for something to read this weekend, so I decided to give it another shot. I can't for the life of me imagine why I had trouble with it before, or why it took me so long to pick it up again, but I devoured it this time-SMK is a great story teller!
other than that, not much going on around Rancho McBirdie... I'm still slooooowwly working on my office/scraproom... finally got enough crap moved and got one wall painted (whoop-dee-fricken do, right?! LOL!) just need to get some shelves taken down now, so I can tackle the next wall... it's a slow process but I'm diggin the fact that I'm doing it all myself, and so far, I haven't screwed anything up -d'oh!, hope I didn't just jinx myself!
Friday, August 1, 2008
today's blog post is brought to you by...
the letter B.
B is for BFF. My homegrill Shayna Lou and her stud-muffin Doyle brought their motley crew up to visit us earlier this week. It's always great to see them and I love love love that our kids are BUDS and have no problemo picking up where they left off the last time they got together.
B is also for BEACH. We went to a couple of local beaches while the crew was here and the kids had a blast playing in the freezing-ass surf. I'm pretty sure they each smuggled enough sand home in their pockets (not to mention their nether regions -helleeeew??...chaffing anyone?!) to create their own personal little beaches here at home! Good times. :)
We've had absolutely BEAUTIFUL weather the past few days. I got raccoon eyes from getting BURNT at the beach while I was wearing my big ol' glasses and then yesterday, I managed to flambée myself to a complete friggin' crisp whilst I was finishing up yet another BOOK out on the front patio. *gaaah* I seem to have knack for looking like a complete dork whenever we go out in public and last night was no exception, I was practically glowing neon red when we went out to dinner to celebrate Jack's BIRTHDAY. We celebrated with some of our family who are in town early for our niece's wedding next week. Jack opened all kinds of fun gifts and cards, but the kids and I gave him his big prezzie a couple of weeks ago. We got him a new stainless BBQ -and I think we've used it almost every night since then -it's a real step up from what we had, lemme tell ya!
B is for BIRDS -the kids and I have started keeping a list of the ones we see around here. We saw BROWN Pelicans at the beach the other day so we've added them to the list and then the day before yesterday, we saw some Quail in the backyard -ordinarilly that wouldn't really be that big of a deal except that they had a whole bunch of BABIES with them -they were so stinkin cute running all over the place!
A couple of weeks ago, we went to this awesome little BIRDING shop down in Old Town Eureka and bought some new hummingbird feeders. We've had lots of different kinds but these are by far the best yet because they're so easy to clean. I'm so excited that the hummers have started to visit them pretty regularly. I got a couple of decent pics of a Rufous Hummingbird at the feeder in the BACKYARD but I really wish I could manage to take a pic of the little hummers that I've been catching in my garage window lately. For some reason they come into the garage when the big door is up and they fly to the back window and hover there trying to get out. Eventually, they exhaust themselves enough that all I have to do is go put my hand underneath them and they'll land on my fingers and I can scoop them up. The funny thing, (funny -duh! not funny haha!) is that not only is there a full size roll-up garage door wide open behind them, but there's also a regular door about 3 feet away, that's wide open too! Derrr!
And finally, B is for BLABBERMOUTH... 'nuff said.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Urban Dictionary definition o' the day
I'm not really sure which came first, the books or the website (my personal fave), but the Urban Dictionary is a filarious collection of slang words and phrases and their off the chain meanings. Granted some of the references are kinda wack but considering the fact that anyone and their dog can submit entries, they're usually good for a laughgasm or two. I get the Word of the Day sent to me so's I can stay hip with the jive lingo -I know ya'll probably thought I was just naturally fly... so now, my cover is blown but today's missive cracked me up so I figured I'd edjumacate y'all.
July 24: critical ass
adj. The stage in fat accumulation when fabric can no longer contain the enormity of one's buttocks.
Jesus, I can't zip up these jeans anymore - I've reached critical ass!
comment on this definition
Check out the new Mo' Urban Dictionary, shipping today from Amazon. The book includes:
multislacking: doing multiple slackeresque things concurrently
workahol: what workaholics are addicted to
foreploy: misrepresenting yourself on a date in hopes of getting lucky
July 24: critical ass
adj. The stage in fat accumulation when fabric can no longer contain the enormity of one's buttocks.
Jesus, I can't zip up these jeans anymore - I've reached critical ass!
comment on this definition
Check out the new Mo' Urban Dictionary, shipping today from Amazon. The book includes:
multislacking: doing multiple slackeresque things concurrently
workahol: what workaholics are addicted to
foreploy: misrepresenting yourself on a date in hopes of getting lucky
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
ten years ago?? ...I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast!
Thanks for the tag, Shayna Lou. Really. Thanks. ...loads.
;) Love you. ...mean it.
Ten years ago:
10 years ago I had a 6 1/2 yo, 4 1/2 yo and a one month old baby.
10 years ago I had reeeally really short hair.
10 years ago I became a scrapbooker.
10 years ago we were opening up and building our upstairs.
10 years ago we had our nephew living with us.
10 years ago I wasn't sure I'd still be married 10 years later.
Five things on today's to-do list:
1. take Heidi to the vet
2. take Pop to the chiropractor
c. clean off the back patio
4. clean out the car
5. think of clever ways to torture Shayna for tagging me. ;)
A snack I enjoy:
fresh fruit- especially watermelon, grapes and strawberries ...mmmmm-mm!
do lots of traveling with the family
finish/remodel our house
Places I have lived:
W.Sacramento, CA
Elk Grove, CA
Sacramento, CA
Eureka, CA
Cutten, CA
Loleta, CA
Peeps I am tagging:
Slush
Caffee
;) Love you. ...mean it.
Ten years ago:
10 years ago I had a 6 1/2 yo, 4 1/2 yo and a one month old baby.
10 years ago I had reeeally really short hair.
10 years ago I became a scrapbooker.
10 years ago we were opening up and building our upstairs.
10 years ago we had our nephew living with us.
10 years ago I wasn't sure I'd still be married 10 years later.
Five things on today's to-do list:
1. take Heidi to the vet
2. take Pop to the chiropractor
c. clean off the back patio
4. clean out the car
5. think of clever ways to torture Shayna for tagging me. ;)
A snack I enjoy:
fresh fruit- especially watermelon, grapes and strawberries ...mmmmm-mm!
Things I would do if I were a millionaire:
investdo lots of traveling with the family
finish/remodel our house
Places I have lived:
W.Sacramento, CA
Elk Grove, CA
Sacramento, CA
Eureka, CA
Cutten, CA
Loleta, CA
Peeps I am tagging:
Slush
Caffee
Monday, July 21, 2008
nothing too exciting
Just thought I'd let ya'll know, I'm still going strong with my little projects. I'm in the process of attacking my office and some other little things upstairs. Other than that we've been having a great summer so far, even if the weather hasn't been so great. We've had lots of dreary gray days lately, but I guess that's par for the course up here on the north coast, *sigh* -I suppose it just serves to make us more grateful for the nice days we do get.
I've been doing lots of reading lately, as you can see by my growing book list over on the left. I really need to get back into my routine of going to the library because I've been spending a small fortune, but I've been loving the bookmarked books at Target -seriously, some good stuff there! I'm reading The Faraday Girls right now and after a bit of a slow start, I'm finding myself picking it up every chance I get. It's been years since I've been such a voracious reader and I gotta say it's a nice change from having me arse planted in front of my 'puter for hours on end.
Oh well, duty calls... I'm off to town with Pop for an exciting afternoon of grocery shopping and probably a stop at the Mexican restraunt for lunch. :)
I've been doing lots of reading lately, as you can see by my growing book list over on the left. I really need to get back into my routine of going to the library because I've been spending a small fortune, but I've been loving the bookmarked books at Target -seriously, some good stuff there! I'm reading The Faraday Girls right now and after a bit of a slow start, I'm finding myself picking it up every chance I get. It's been years since I've been such a voracious reader and I gotta say it's a nice change from having me arse planted in front of my 'puter for hours on end.
Oh well, duty calls... I'm off to town with Pop for an exciting afternoon of grocery shopping and probably a stop at the Mexican restraunt for lunch. :)
Sunday, July 6, 2008
the cat, the visit and some much needed down time
In addition to all the hustle and bustle that was already going on around here, we had a bit of trauma last Monday night with Pop's cat, Tom. First, a little background info: In a nut shell (so to speak), Tom is... 'special' -the last vet we took him to told us he thought Tom was psychotic (after said vet was forced to don elbow length leather gloves and a long handled net in order to capture Tom, who was in hyper freak-out mode, darting around an exam room that was roughly the size of a bedroom closet, hissing, growling and ready to eat the face off of anyone who got too close) anyhow, he's always been a bit neurotic, constantly licking and scratching himself (fleas and flea allergies have been ruled out) but Monday night we noticed that his scratching had gotten so severe, his head and shoulders were virtually one giant scab, he also had open sores that were bleeding -the poor dude was a mess.
Obviously Tom needed to go to the vet but considering that the last vet had said it "might be more humane to euthanize Tom than put him thru another visit to the vet", I was worried about trying to take him back there. I decided to stop by the vet's office the next morning and explain the situation and asked if they'd see him, the receptionist remembered Tom from the last visit (I'm telling you, it was AWFUL!) but said they had an extra doc on duty and they could see him that afternoon. The receptionist mentioned that they might need to tranquilize him and would that be okay?! Uhm... yes, by all means, and while you're at it how about a little sumpin'-sumpin' for me too?! Ugh, great -my aunt and uncle were coming that afternoon... and I need to pick Matt up from summer school... oh well, we'd make it work.
Came home to get ready to load up the psycho cat but could only find 1/2 of the cat carrier... wth!? I'm already a nervous wreck and now I have to figure out how I'm going to get our feline Cujo from point A to point B without being confined?! ...I don't think so. After a few frantic calls to my hubs, where I may have threatened to set his boat on fire, the rest of the carrier was found and Andrew was able to drop Tom into the carrier. Okay, the mere fact that Tom was able to be dropped into the carrier rather than stuffed, crammed or otherwise violently inserted was proof that he wasn't feeling well.
Arriving at the vet's office, I learned that the doc we'd be seeing was new there... in fact, it was her first day. I couldn't help thinking that after this experience, it might very well be her last day as well... I sincerely hoped that she wouldn't be traumatized forever. When she came into the exam room, I nervously explained Tom's history of going ape-shit once being released and I warned her that once the genie was out of the bottle, so to speak, it might not be so easy to put him back (without the help of a tranqilizer dart).
I have to hand it to this chick, she might have been a little leery at first but she was always in control. She opened that carrier and calmly grabbed Tom and then with the help of a tech she was able to take his temprature (which earned her some well deserved growls and hisses) then she looked at his teef and examined his owies... and then gave him a couple of shots -a steroid to stop the itching and an antibiotic to stop any infections and she applied a topical treatment for parasites. Amazingly, when it was all said and done, there was no bloodshed and she still had all ten fingers! Hmmm... can you guess who we're going to ask for should the need arise for another visit to the vet?! Doc Renner is my hero! :)
Whew! Tom was all fixed up and loaded back into the car, I remembered to gather up Matt from summer school and just as we were racing home, Andrew called to let me know that Aunt Ruby and Uncle Bob had arrived... the day hadn't gone as I'd planned but in the end it all worked out just fine, although I'm not sure Tom would agree.
I thoroughly enjoyed the time with my aunt and uncle -they were here Tuesday thru Friday and we had a nice, relaxing visit. We did some sightseeing in Ferndale and around old town Eureka and of course, lots of chatting and catching up. I hadn't seen them since my mom died last year... hard to believe it was a year July 5th... *sigh* Anyway, it was great to see them and I'm already looking forward to them coming back next summer -they're good peeps.
Jack took the kids up to the lake on Thursday for the long holiday weekend, and I was going to drive up late Friday or early Saturday but I was exhausted. I ended up staying home which gave me a couple of days to regroup and get things back to 'normal' around here. The peace and quiet was just what I needed. I read an awesome book (Driving Sideways by Jess Riley... omg, I laughed out loud so many times... LOVE her style!) and *insert happy dance here* I got to sleep in for the first time in a loooong time... and it was grrrreat! Pop and I went out to lunch on Saturday and spent part of the afternoon playing with his new power chair -now he's literally 'hell on wheels'! :) Today I dragged him with me to Costco just to get him out of the house for a bit -I'm so glad to have him here, we really do have fun together.
The family got home late this evening and it sounds like they had a great time too. Tomorrow it's back to the grindstone for some of us -back to work for Jack, summer school for Matt, which means I'll be draggin me arse out of bed early too... but it's all good! :) I'm happy to report that Tom is doing 100% better which has done wonders for his disposition -he really is a great kitty... as long as you don't piss him off!
Obviously Tom needed to go to the vet but considering that the last vet had said it "might be more humane to euthanize Tom than put him thru another visit to the vet", I was worried about trying to take him back there. I decided to stop by the vet's office the next morning and explain the situation and asked if they'd see him, the receptionist remembered Tom from the last visit (I'm telling you, it was AWFUL!) but said they had an extra doc on duty and they could see him that afternoon. The receptionist mentioned that they might need to tranquilize him and would that be okay?! Uhm... yes, by all means, and while you're at it how about a little sumpin'-sumpin' for me too?! Ugh, great -my aunt and uncle were coming that afternoon... and I need to pick Matt up from summer school... oh well, we'd make it work.
Came home to get ready to load up the psycho cat but could only find 1/2 of the cat carrier... wth!? I'm already a nervous wreck and now I have to figure out how I'm going to get our feline Cujo from point A to point B without being confined?! ...I don't think so. After a few frantic calls to my hubs, where I may have threatened to set his boat on fire, the rest of the carrier was found and Andrew was able to drop Tom into the carrier. Okay, the mere fact that Tom was able to be dropped into the carrier rather than stuffed, crammed or otherwise violently inserted was proof that he wasn't feeling well.
Arriving at the vet's office, I learned that the doc we'd be seeing was new there... in fact, it was her first day. I couldn't help thinking that after this experience, it might very well be her last day as well... I sincerely hoped that she wouldn't be traumatized forever. When she came into the exam room, I nervously explained Tom's history of going ape-shit once being released and I warned her that once the genie was out of the bottle, so to speak, it might not be so easy to put him back (without the help of a tranqilizer dart).
I have to hand it to this chick, she might have been a little leery at first but she was always in control. She opened that carrier and calmly grabbed Tom and then with the help of a tech she was able to take his temprature (which earned her some well deserved growls and hisses) then she looked at his teef and examined his owies... and then gave him a couple of shots -a steroid to stop the itching and an antibiotic to stop any infections and she applied a topical treatment for parasites. Amazingly, when it was all said and done, there was no bloodshed and she still had all ten fingers! Hmmm... can you guess who we're going to ask for should the need arise for another visit to the vet?! Doc Renner is my hero! :)
Whew! Tom was all fixed up and loaded back into the car, I remembered to gather up Matt from summer school and just as we were racing home, Andrew called to let me know that Aunt Ruby and Uncle Bob had arrived... the day hadn't gone as I'd planned but in the end it all worked out just fine, although I'm not sure Tom would agree.
I thoroughly enjoyed the time with my aunt and uncle -they were here Tuesday thru Friday and we had a nice, relaxing visit. We did some sightseeing in Ferndale and around old town Eureka and of course, lots of chatting and catching up. I hadn't seen them since my mom died last year... hard to believe it was a year July 5th... *sigh* Anyway, it was great to see them and I'm already looking forward to them coming back next summer -they're good peeps.
Jack took the kids up to the lake on Thursday for the long holiday weekend, and I was going to drive up late Friday or early Saturday but I was exhausted. I ended up staying home which gave me a couple of days to regroup and get things back to 'normal' around here. The peace and quiet was just what I needed. I read an awesome book (Driving Sideways by Jess Riley... omg, I laughed out loud so many times... LOVE her style!) and *insert happy dance here* I got to sleep in for the first time in a loooong time... and it was grrrreat! Pop and I went out to lunch on Saturday and spent part of the afternoon playing with his new power chair -now he's literally 'hell on wheels'! :) Today I dragged him with me to Costco just to get him out of the house for a bit -I'm so glad to have him here, we really do have fun together.
The family got home late this evening and it sounds like they had a great time too. Tomorrow it's back to the grindstone for some of us -back to work for Jack, summer school for Matt, which means I'll be draggin me arse out of bed early too... but it's all good! :) I'm happy to report that Tom is doing 100% better which has done wonders for his disposition -he really is a great kitty... as long as you don't piss him off!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Been a busy bee these past few weeks...
Nothing like finding out company is on their way, to get me offa my ass and kicked into high gear -lol! I found out my aunt and uncle are making the long trek from East Tennessee, driving all the way out here to Cali to attend a wedding, visiting friends and family along the way, and they're going to be in my neck o' the woods early next week. I'm completely stoked but when I realized they'd be staying with us for a few days, I freaked a little (okay, a lot) because we've never really had house guests -well, aside from my mom or Shayna and her brood -but that doesn't really count because they already knew we were slobs and chose to come anyway, my aunt and uncle on the other hand, don't really know what they're getting into...
Anyway, I've had several projects in the works over the past few months, many of which were close to completion but not quite to the point where I could cross them off my to-do list... my tendancy to get distracted and move on to other things has been out of control lately... SO, I've been rushing around like a crazy chick (don't be alarmed, I've had plenty of practice with this) dotting my t's and crossing my i's... tending to odds and ends and trying to make the house look like a family lives here instead of a pack of transient college kids. I've been a whirling dervish, RE-re-painting my front door (the red just wasn't workin for me, so it's back to green!), finishing up my interior painting, re-arranging and re-hanging pictures and artwork, doing a mini make over in my downstairs bathroom -installing one of those curved shower curtain rods and hanging my new shower curtain (it's WAY cute!), cleaning out kitchen cupboards to accomodate my new dishes (loooove them!), re-organizing kitchen drawers so I can convert 3 drawers into one slide out cabinet that will contain my trash and recycle bins so I can finally (after 13 years) get rid of the trash can that's been parked in front of my kitchen sink.... oh, and I've been doing LOTS of gardening.
Like I said ...a whirling dervish, but I have to say, that as busy and tired as I've been lately, I'm SO pleased with the changes around here. So many things I've said I'd get to "someday" have finally been done. I can't believe how rewarding it is at the end of the day, to fall into a heap on the couch and look around at all the changes taking place and realize that our house has fianlly gone from homely to homey. LOL!
Anyway, I've had several projects in the works over the past few months, many of which were close to completion but not quite to the point where I could cross them off my to-do list... my tendancy to get distracted and move on to other things has been out of control lately... SO, I've been rushing around like a crazy chick (don't be alarmed, I've had plenty of practice with this) dotting my t's and crossing my i's... tending to odds and ends and trying to make the house look like a family lives here instead of a pack of transient college kids. I've been a whirling dervish, RE-re-painting my front door (the red just wasn't workin for me, so it's back to green!), finishing up my interior painting, re-arranging and re-hanging pictures and artwork, doing a mini make over in my downstairs bathroom -installing one of those curved shower curtain rods and hanging my new shower curtain (it's WAY cute!), cleaning out kitchen cupboards to accomodate my new dishes (loooove them!), re-organizing kitchen drawers so I can convert 3 drawers into one slide out cabinet that will contain my trash and recycle bins so I can finally (after 13 years) get rid of the trash can that's been parked in front of my kitchen sink.... oh, and I've been doing LOTS of gardening.
Like I said ...a whirling dervish, but I have to say, that as busy and tired as I've been lately, I'm SO pleased with the changes around here. So many things I've said I'd get to "someday" have finally been done. I can't believe how rewarding it is at the end of the day, to fall into a heap on the couch and look around at all the changes taking place and realize that our house has fianlly gone from homely to homey. LOL!
I love you ba-ay-beeee...
I know it's been around awhile but o.m.g. -I swear I laugh me arse off each time this commercial comes on tv -the family even yells "HURRY! HURRY!! -your commercial's on!!" so I won't miss it! The 30 second version is pretty stinkin funny but I found the extended version on YouTube -it's got to be one of my all time faves! Oh, and bonus... this little ditty is practically guaranteed to be tattooed on your brain so, go ahead, give in and sing along... you know you wanna!
Friday, June 6, 2008
go speed racer! go speed racer! go speed racer, go-o-o-o-o-o-o!
...to traffic violaters school. *sigh*
cripes, I've always sorta toyed with the idea of going back to school to further my edjumacayshun but I never thought I'd be going so I could keep a stinkin speeding ticket off my otherwise spotless driving record. GAAAAH! Well, that's not really true, way back at the end of February, I actually had a premonition that something like this might happen. Sure enough, about a month later, I got pulled over on a curvy, mountainous road when Smokey clocked me going 72 mph in a, uhm, ...55 mph zone. {what can I say, the car has a mind of it's own, lol!}.
Anyway, the po-po was pretty cool (aside from the fact that he actually issued me the freaking ticket) -he only wrote me up for doing 65 mph so I'd be eligible for traffic school and could keep the ticket off my record and, most importantly, it won't jack up my insurance.
...so bright and early (8 o'stinkin clock) tomorrow morning I will be sitting in traffic violator's class, listening to the instructor expound the virtues of being a safe, courteous, law abiding driver, and counting the minutes untill the bell rings and I am free once again to hit the open road -paying close attention to the speed limit, of course.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
someone needs to
confiscate this chick's bedazzler -and while they're at it maybe they can let her in on the whole 'less is more' concept when it comes to the green eye shadow. dayuum!
Guinness World Record holder for the 'Most Pierced Woman', Elaine Davidson, poses for a photograph in the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland showing some of her five thousand nine hundred and twenty piercings on May 16, 2008.
REUTERS/David Moir (BRITAIN)
lol! seriously, I can barely pull a sweater over my head without getting it snagged on an earring -I can't even begin to imagine what kind of damage this gal could do, ay-yi-yi. since I came across this picture my mind has been reeling with questions, like for instance:
* is she insane? because, if I was judging by that picture, I'd have to say 'hell yeah!'.
* how did she get started with the whole piercing thing? I mean, did she go in one day to get her belly pierced and think 'hey, that looks hawt! I'm gonna get my nipples done next!' and then the whole thing just spiraled out of control from there??
* I wonder what she looked like before she became a human pin cushion...
* I would NOT want to be stuck in line behind her going through airport security.
* can you imagine the poor chump who wakes up and sees that face on the pillow next to him each morning? it's like a nightmare that starts AFTER you wake up! -pffftt!
* I wonder if it's possible for her to sneak up on people -or do you think she jingle-jangle-jingles too much?
* I wonder what would happen if she got too close to one of those giant magnets like they have at a junkyard to pick up cars.
* they say she's got 5,920 piercings... I gotta admit I'm just a leeeetle bit curious about where they all are.
* she seems like she'd be the perfect poster girl for chronic infection.
* I know some people take their jewelry off before they go to bed -I'm guessing she's not one of them.
* I wonder how much all that stuff weighs (and does she wish she could take it all off before she goes to the dr. and has to step up on the scale?!)
* is she going to keep piercing until there's not a square inch of skin w/o a hole in it?
* why has no one done an intervention for her?
* I wonder how long it will be until the center of her tongue falls out -with all those holes in there it's got to be just a matter of time.
Guinness World Record holder for the 'Most Pierced Woman', Elaine Davidson, poses for a photograph in the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland showing some of her five thousand nine hundred and twenty piercings on May 16, 2008.
REUTERS/David Moir (BRITAIN)
lol! seriously, I can barely pull a sweater over my head without getting it snagged on an earring -I can't even begin to imagine what kind of damage this gal could do, ay-yi-yi. since I came across this picture my mind has been reeling with questions, like for instance:
* is she insane? because, if I was judging by that picture, I'd have to say 'hell yeah!'.
* how did she get started with the whole piercing thing? I mean, did she go in one day to get her belly pierced and think 'hey, that looks hawt! I'm gonna get my nipples done next!' and then the whole thing just spiraled out of control from there??
* I wonder what she looked like before she became a human pin cushion...
* I would NOT want to be stuck in line behind her going through airport security.
* can you imagine the poor chump who wakes up and sees that face on the pillow next to him each morning? it's like a nightmare that starts AFTER you wake up! -pffftt!
* I wonder if it's possible for her to sneak up on people -or do you think she jingle-jangle-jingles too much?
* I wonder what would happen if she got too close to one of those giant magnets like they have at a junkyard to pick up cars.
* they say she's got 5,920 piercings... I gotta admit I'm just a leeeetle bit curious about where they all are.
* she seems like she'd be the perfect poster girl for chronic infection.
* I know some people take their jewelry off before they go to bed -I'm guessing she's not one of them.
* I wonder how much all that stuff weighs (and does she wish she could take it all off before she goes to the dr. and has to step up on the scale?!)
* is she going to keep piercing until there's not a square inch of skin w/o a hole in it?
* why has no one done an intervention for her?
* I wonder how long it will be until the center of her tongue falls out -with all those holes in there it's got to be just a matter of time.
Monday, May 19, 2008
pretty feet are happy feet...
Please, please, please ladies if you're going to wear sandals or flip-flops out in public do us all a favor: treat yourself to a pedi or invest in some decent foot care products and take care of that bidniz at home... there's almost (notice I say almost) nothing nastier than looking at someones dried out crackly feet or nasty unkempt toenails.
I'm completely grossed out by yucky feet, and I'm hyper-conscious about showing my feet in public, so while shopping for goodies to keep my feet in tip top shape, I caved and bought one of those PedEgg gizmo's that are being advertised like crazy -you've probably seen the infomercials (look how it works on this orange yet won't pop this balloon ...yaddayaddayadda). I usually refuse to buy anything that's featured in an infomercial just on principal, because they're annoying as hell. But, my need for pretty, callous-free feet got the better of me and I am now the owner of a 'professional' PedEgg.
My first thought when I looked at this thing was "dayum, this baby looks like a cheese grater" (and really, who would want to drag one of those across their tootsies?!) so I started out cautiously (I actually even read the instructions for fear of ending up with bloody stumps where my feet used to be -lol) but it's really user friendly and I got great results -plus, I got the job done much faster than when I've used a pumice stone. I'm tellin you, the PedEgg's awesome -well, except when you have to dump out the shavings {gag} -that kinda grossed me out.
but wait there's more (you knew that was coming right?)...
-it also comes with emery pads you can attach to the bottom of the egg to smooth out any little rough spots that are left over. All this for just $9.99 (don't get me started about how pissed I was when I realized that if I had ordered it off of the stinkin infomercial I could have got not one, but TWO PedEggs AND a tube of Miracle Foot Repair all for the low, low price of only $10 *gaaah* -that'll teach me!).
Serially, it's a great little gadget that lives up to the late night spiel.
But back to me and my pretty feet... whilst strolling the aisles of the Walgreen's (and tossing things willy-nilly into my cart) I also got some of the new Sally Hansen JUST FEET Spa Foot Cream... ooooh ahhh, this stuff is heaven, it feels great and has a luuuurvely lavender scent -my favorite! Now, I don't expect that peeps are going to be trying to smell my feet, but if they did, they would be in for a treat! I also bought some sassy new nail polish- which I painted on my dot's toes last night and she deemed the color to be 'stunning'- so I guess we're set for sandal season here -how about you?
I'm completely grossed out by yucky feet, and I'm hyper-conscious about showing my feet in public, so while shopping for goodies to keep my feet in tip top shape, I caved and bought one of those PedEgg gizmo's that are being advertised like crazy -you've probably seen the infomercials (look how it works on this orange yet won't pop this balloon ...yaddayaddayadda). I usually refuse to buy anything that's featured in an infomercial just on principal, because they're annoying as hell. But, my need for pretty, callous-free feet got the better of me and I am now the owner of a 'professional' PedEgg.
My first thought when I looked at this thing was "dayum, this baby looks like a cheese grater" (and really, who would want to drag one of those across their tootsies?!) so I started out cautiously (I actually even read the instructions for fear of ending up with bloody stumps where my feet used to be -lol) but it's really user friendly and I got great results -plus, I got the job done much faster than when I've used a pumice stone. I'm tellin you, the PedEgg's awesome -well, except when you have to dump out the shavings {gag} -that kinda grossed me out.
but wait there's more (you knew that was coming right?)...
-it also comes with emery pads you can attach to the bottom of the egg to smooth out any little rough spots that are left over. All this for just $9.99 (don't get me started about how pissed I was when I realized that if I had ordered it off of the stinkin infomercial I could have got not one, but TWO PedEggs AND a tube of Miracle Foot Repair all for the low, low price of only $10 *gaaah* -that'll teach me!).
Serially, it's a great little gadget that lives up to the late night spiel.
But back to me and my pretty feet... whilst strolling the aisles of the Walgreen's (and tossing things willy-nilly into my cart) I also got some of the new Sally Hansen JUST FEET Spa Foot Cream... ooooh ahhh, this stuff is heaven, it feels great and has a luuuurvely lavender scent -my favorite! Now, I don't expect that peeps are going to be trying to smell my feet, but if they did, they would be in for a treat! I also bought some sassy new nail polish- which I painted on my dot's toes last night and she deemed the color to be 'stunning'- so I guess we're set for sandal season here -how about you?
Saturday, May 17, 2008
1-2-3...smile!
hey, no dumb faces. oops! your eyes were closed. okay, thats it -I'm gonna beat the next person who does 'bunny ears'! GAAAH! I must have repeated these things about 40 times while trying to take prom pics tonight -lol! but I think I finally got some good ones of Andrew with his giiiiirlfriend Casey and his buddy Kevin with his date Bree.
and one of my favorites of the night (bwwwahahaha! I totally dig this girl!)
and one of my favorites of the night (bwwwahahaha! I totally dig this girl!)
Thursday, May 15, 2008
lactose intolerance and gastric bloating are not a laughing matter
...unless, of course, you're immature like me. ppffffftt! ;)
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Miss you Mom...
I've been feelin a little blue these past few days, thinking ahead to tomorrow -it will be my first Mother's Day without my mom. It's been 10 months since she died and almost daily I catch myself wishing I could call her to give her the scoop about Andrew's first 'real' girlfriend, or to ask about a recipe or just for advice on how to keep the nasty old earwigs out of my planters... our daily chats are definitely one of the things I miss the most. But it's not all sad stuff, I crack up when I catch myself using one of her silly sayings and think what a kick she'd get out of it and I smile each time I look out my kitchen window and see the new leaves on her memorial tree -knowing how impressed she would be with the beautiful deep burgundy of the new growth that is now gradually turning to a bright spring green as the leaves continue to grow and fill in the still small canopy. We have an abundance of birds that come to eat from the many feeders we have stationed around the yard, they love the tree and I can hardly wait untill it's branches are sturdy enough to support a feeder for them -mom would love that too.
I've finally framed the last photo I got of her -it's from last Christmas and she's sporting a festive red sweater and a great big smile. It sits on my desk, right next to my computer monitor -I get a kick out of seeing her there smiling back at me everyday. She's never far from my thoughts.
Today when I went down the road to get the mail, there was a small package waiting for me. My first thought was that it must be something for Jack or maybe it was from one of my scrapbooking buddies... but then I saw that the return address was from my Aunt June and Aunt Ruby in Tennessee. Some of you might remember that my mom lived with them the last few years of her life. I have always thought the world of each of them but I will never be able to describe how much love, respect and gratitude I have for their compassion and all the tender loving care they gave my mom -they were completely dedicated to her. They were, literally, the answer to so many prayers. After Mom died, Aunt June and Aunt Ruby took me aside and made it a point to tell me that they knew they could never take her place but they would be there for me on her behalf. {sniff}
So, fast forward to today, when I open the package and find a card and a small white box tied with a gold bow and shimmery stars.
The card read:
Dear Lisa,
The string of pearls in rememberance of the Mother gone, but not forgotten.
Love from Ruby and June.
I've finally framed the last photo I got of her -it's from last Christmas and she's sporting a festive red sweater and a great big smile. It sits on my desk, right next to my computer monitor -I get a kick out of seeing her there smiling back at me everyday. She's never far from my thoughts.
Today when I went down the road to get the mail, there was a small package waiting for me. My first thought was that it must be something for Jack or maybe it was from one of my scrapbooking buddies... but then I saw that the return address was from my Aunt June and Aunt Ruby in Tennessee. Some of you might remember that my mom lived with them the last few years of her life. I have always thought the world of each of them but I will never be able to describe how much love, respect and gratitude I have for their compassion and all the tender loving care they gave my mom -they were completely dedicated to her. They were, literally, the answer to so many prayers. After Mom died, Aunt June and Aunt Ruby took me aside and made it a point to tell me that they knew they could never take her place but they would be there for me on her behalf. {sniff}
So, fast forward to today, when I open the package and find a card and a small white box tied with a gold bow and shimmery stars.
The card read:
Dear Lisa,
The string of pearls in rememberance of the Mother gone, but not forgotten.
Love from Ruby and June.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
it's not easy being green
It might be more accurate to say, 'it's not easy finding green'. Who knew finding the right shade of paint could be so dang hard?! GAAH! It's no secret that green is my favorite color; it's the color of springtime, renewal... money! heh heh heh ...that said, I decided green would be the color for my craft room/studio/office -or as it's come to be known lately, the place I plant my fat ass and surf the web. It's true, I haven't been feeling all that crafty lately, thus the reason for the room makeover. I figure, maybe, with a fresh, clean, spunky room, inspiration will strike ~or~ at the very least, I'll have a spiffy new room to bunk in once my hubs gets fed up with my 'projects'. LOL
My search for the perfect green started out at the local paint store where I spent a good long time gathering paint chips and with my hands full of every color from 'tropical grass' to 'zippidy doo dah' (yeah thats really a color!) I flashed a smile at the paint gal and headed out the door with a promise to be back soon.
After coming home and taping several paint chips up on the wall, I thought I had a pretty good handle on what I wanted; something fresh, maybe even a little bit unexpected but not too over the top. I want the ho-hum blah ...ness to be replaced by a shot of enthusiasm, but I don't want to have to bust out the shades to enjoy it. Should be easy enough, yes? Uhm... No.
I'm no stranger to color. I've taken art classes, I know how the color wheel works -that blue and yellow make green... but this paint business -whew- it's so much more complex. There are blue-greens, yellow-greens, minty greens, pine greens, grass greens, soft greens, and the ever poplular, puke {or baby poop} greens... there are more, but I'm sure you get the picture. The first color I chose to sample was called 'Sunny Glade', a nice enough color but after a couple of days of looking at it on the wall, it looked too minty. Hmmmph. I really thought it was the one.
Meanwhile, while visiting my friend Wendall's blog (visiting/stalking, whatever! -you say potato, I say spud...) I got a look at her studio and BAM it hit me -THAT'S the green! I LOVE IT -it's perfect. So, I email and nag her and beg for all the paint details and being the soooper schweetie that she is {or maybe she was askeered that her freaky blog stalker had contacted her??} she climbed around under the stairs in her garage and came up with all the nitty gritty info for me. Happy-happy-joy-joy! She got it at Lowe's, it's made by Valspar, it's called Jalapeno Jelly ...etc. etc. etc. Well, we don't have a Lowe's within 100 miles of us but my local paint store carries Valspar so woo-hoo, I'm off to see the wizard!! No dice. Even with all the particulars, my paint gal doesn't have the right stuff to make the mix. We concluded that Lowe's probably has some exclusive colors from Valspar and, barring a 200 mile round trip, I was shit out of luck. *sigh* Back to the drawing board... I should mention also that I went to the Valspar website in hopes that I could eyeball the color on line and try to match it locally but the color they showed is NOTHING like what Wendall has -in fact she commented that if I got a can of that paint I shouldn't freak out until I saw it on the wall but what's on the website is definitely not a good representation of her paint. UGH! I'm tellin ya... paint is weird.
At some point in our "chatting" Wendall said she loves the color in her studio so much, sometimes she goes in there and wants to lick the walls -{who's the freak now?" LOL!} It doesn't surprise me though, because they're the exact same color as a granny smith apple -I'd probably be tempted to take a taste myself! ;) Soooo... with that in mind, bright and early the next morning I stopped by the grocery store and bought the yummiest granny apple I could find and headed for the paint store. The gals all got a kick out of me standing there matching paint chips up to my apple -lol! but hey, a gals got to do what a gals got to do, right?
I came home with 2 different quarts of paint -both of which are perfect matches to my granny apple. The first one, unfortunately named 'Asparagus', is a deeper green, like you see when you look down by the apple's stem, the second color, called 'Olive Garden', is a bit lighter like you'd see on the sides of the apple. I have both colors up on the wall now and it's a toss up, I like them both. The lighter color is nice, kinda mellow but fun. The darker color, is bold and fun and it's definitely different than anything I would have chosen without benefit of seeing something similar in Wendall's studio. I admit, when I saw first saw it up on my wall, my first thought was how much it looked like baby poop -you know, like when they first start eating green beans? *gag* but after a couple of coats and a couple of days of curing, it's definitely the front runner -pffftt- no pun intended!
LOL! I just realized you can see my 'inspiration' apple on my shelf!
My search for the perfect green started out at the local paint store where I spent a good long time gathering paint chips and with my hands full of every color from 'tropical grass' to 'zippidy doo dah' (yeah thats really a color!) I flashed a smile at the paint gal and headed out the door with a promise to be back soon.
After coming home and taping several paint chips up on the wall, I thought I had a pretty good handle on what I wanted; something fresh, maybe even a little bit unexpected but not too over the top. I want the ho-hum blah ...ness to be replaced by a shot of enthusiasm, but I don't want to have to bust out the shades to enjoy it. Should be easy enough, yes? Uhm... No.
I'm no stranger to color. I've taken art classes, I know how the color wheel works -that blue and yellow make green... but this paint business -whew- it's so much more complex. There are blue-greens, yellow-greens, minty greens, pine greens, grass greens, soft greens, and the ever poplular, puke {or baby poop} greens... there are more, but I'm sure you get the picture. The first color I chose to sample was called 'Sunny Glade', a nice enough color but after a couple of days of looking at it on the wall, it looked too minty. Hmmmph. I really thought it was the one.
Meanwhile, while visiting my friend Wendall's blog (visiting/stalking, whatever! -you say potato, I say spud...) I got a look at her studio and BAM it hit me -THAT'S the green! I LOVE IT -it's perfect. So, I email and nag her and beg for all the paint details and being the soooper schweetie that she is {or maybe she was askeered that her freaky blog stalker had contacted her??} she climbed around under the stairs in her garage and came up with all the nitty gritty info for me. Happy-happy-joy-joy! She got it at Lowe's, it's made by Valspar, it's called Jalapeno Jelly ...etc. etc. etc. Well, we don't have a Lowe's within 100 miles of us but my local paint store carries Valspar so woo-hoo, I'm off to see the wizard!! No dice. Even with all the particulars, my paint gal doesn't have the right stuff to make the mix. We concluded that Lowe's probably has some exclusive colors from Valspar and, barring a 200 mile round trip, I was shit out of luck. *sigh* Back to the drawing board... I should mention also that I went to the Valspar website in hopes that I could eyeball the color on line and try to match it locally but the color they showed is NOTHING like what Wendall has -in fact she commented that if I got a can of that paint I shouldn't freak out until I saw it on the wall but what's on the website is definitely not a good representation of her paint. UGH! I'm tellin ya... paint is weird.
At some point in our "chatting" Wendall said she loves the color in her studio so much, sometimes she goes in there and wants to lick the walls -{who's the freak now?" LOL!} It doesn't surprise me though, because they're the exact same color as a granny smith apple -I'd probably be tempted to take a taste myself! ;) Soooo... with that in mind, bright and early the next morning I stopped by the grocery store and bought the yummiest granny apple I could find and headed for the paint store. The gals all got a kick out of me standing there matching paint chips up to my apple -lol! but hey, a gals got to do what a gals got to do, right?
I came home with 2 different quarts of paint -both of which are perfect matches to my granny apple. The first one, unfortunately named 'Asparagus', is a deeper green, like you see when you look down by the apple's stem, the second color, called 'Olive Garden', is a bit lighter like you'd see on the sides of the apple. I have both colors up on the wall now and it's a toss up, I like them both. The lighter color is nice, kinda mellow but fun. The darker color, is bold and fun and it's definitely different than anything I would have chosen without benefit of seeing something similar in Wendall's studio. I admit, when I saw first saw it up on my wall, my first thought was how much it looked like baby poop -you know, like when they first start eating green beans? *gag* but after a couple of coats and a couple of days of curing, it's definitely the front runner -pffftt- no pun intended!
LOL! I just realized you can see my 'inspiration' apple on my shelf!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
funfunfun mail!
WOOO-HOOO! I got some fun mail this afternoon from my pal Bethany! :) She surprised me with this awesome little {note}worthy spiral notebook from Making Memories that I've been drooling over for weeks!
I've already got an idea of what I want to do with it and get this -I'm actually excited about doing something crafty! (yay me!) THANK YOU SO MUCH BEFFY!! you da bomb, baybee! *muuuah*
Sunday, April 27, 2008
ADD, OCD ...call it what you will, I am the queen of distractions
So, a few weeks ago I finally decided to jump in and tackle the mess that has taken over my scraproom. I've been organizing and doing some hardcore purging, finally getting rid of tons of the 'really cool' stuff I just HAD to have over the years, but strangely, have never been compelled to actually use. There was a time it would have killed me to get rid of this stuff, but now, I'm sick of looking at it and trying to work around it -and I just want it gone. In a weird way, it's kind of exciting, even a little liberating, to be able to simplify and reclaim this room.
While changes are gradually taking place, and it *is* looking better in here, it's definitely been a sllllooooow process and my ADD keeps kicking into overdrive. I find myself slacking on the cleaning and skipping ahead to what I want to do next, which is ...PAINT! (pffftt! nevermind the fact that I still have a few odds and ends to finish up from my last painting project -but that's a whole 'nuther story...) I've been collecting paint chips and taping them up on the walls so I can get a look at the colors in the different light throughout the day. A few days ago I actually bought a quart of what I thought was going to be THE color and painted a patch of wall behind the door, just to test it out. Then, last night as I was putting on the second coat, I was kinda diggin it so I decided to paint a little more, ...and then a little more, so I could really get a feel for it... I ended up painting all around the door and a good portion of the wall... meanwhile, as that was drying, I was looking at all the paint chips again and found another color that I might like better, so I'll be getting a quart of that tomorrow -you know, just to make sure I end up with exactly the right color. *gaah* as if ADD weren't enough, now my OCD tendencies are starting to surface. Soon I'll be obsessing about being distracted ...all while I should be cleaning and organizing -it's a vicious cycle, I tell ya! *note to self: call pharmacy and refill meds.
(here's a little preview of color #1 -it's actually darker IRL)
I cereally drive myself crazy when I get hung up on stuff like this. Thank goodness Jack has pretty much learned to take my chaotic tendencies in stride -which is just one of the many reasons I keep him around. ;) He occasionally peeks in to check on my progress (or lack thereof) and usually aknowledges any changes with a quick smile and a nod and then he's gone -he's smart that way.
Hopefully, once the room is done, I'll find my mojo. It's been so long since I've done anything artsy-fartsy, I'm beginning to wonder if I even *gasp* want a scraproom anymore.
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