Take Two In The Morning

I need a happy pill.    And, no, not an "illegal" happy pill.   Never ever those.  I'm talking about the bottles of pills that are in stores like Spencers or sometimes greeting card stores.   They are candies bottled to look like prescription drugs.   For all occasions.   I want one of those bottles with the happy pills - "take 2 if you want to be ecstatically, hysterically, blissfully, eternally happy."   Those pills.  

That's it.   Just a happy pill. 

Hungry for the Hunger Games

Okay, first off.   I clicked the  "update" button on blogger and  I hate it!  I wish I could undo it. 

But what I really want to talk about is the "Hunger Games."   I have read all three books.  I loved them.   Almost as much as "Harry Potter."  Not quite, but almost.   I am waiting until my daughter gets home from college next week because we want to see the movie together.   I know that the plot of the books is maybe a little hard for some people to grasp.  "Why would you want to read a book or see a movie where children are killing each other?"  That kind of thing.  And I can't believe how much people are talking about it on the radio.  It's crazy.  I don't remember "Lord of the Rings" evoking this much conversation and this much shock.  People who have never read the "Hunger Games" books are now opining about the story and debating it's fitness for children, its relevance, etc.   It's PG13 - parents - - do what parents are supposed to do and use your judgment.   And does everything have to be socially relevant?   Was "King Kong" socially relevant?   How about "Jaws?"   Can fiction just be fiction sometimes and not have to be anything more?   Yes, you can find lessons in the Hunger Games, you can find social issues to ruminate over.   But for those of us who just want to celebrate the heroism of Katniss, let us enjoy our moment.     

We Are The Champions

Queen has nothing on me and my husband!  We need to leave the house by 7:25 each morning in order to get me dropped off at work, and Little Boy to school and my husband to work on time.  Fortunately, Little Boy's school and my husband's work are one and the same, so that cuts down on the time.   And normally, we do just fine.  After all, we have a very groovy alarm clock - - a dog who sleeps with us and moves around a lot (mostly moving her posterior in my face or sticking her feet in my ribs).  This morning, however, our alarm clock must have been exhausted because she never went off.   No rib poking, no nothing.   I  don't know what made me do it, but I woke up with a start and looked at the clock.  7:05!   Yikes!   We had 20 minutes before we had to leave!  We both needed to get in the shower.  We needed to get Little Boy up and dressed, which is a major effort all in itself (the getting up part).   Okay.   Shower?    check.   Clothes on with the tags in the back?  check.  Shoes on?  check.  Teeth brushed?  check.   Bed made?  maybe tomorrow.  Breakfast?  are you kidding?  (Okay, don't judge - - Little Boy eats breakfast at school.)

We did it!  We left the house at 7:25!  I had to put my makeup on at work, but other than that, no casualties.   If there was some TV game show or competition that involved getting an entire family out of bed, showered and dressed in the least amount of time, and walking out the door looking might fine, we would definitely be the victors!    Maybe tomorrow we'll have to get up at 7:06 and try to cut down on our time!    You never know when Bob Barker will be looking for a family for his new game show idea!

Ya baby!   WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

Just Sit Back and Relax

I went to the dentist this morning - my regular six month checkup.  Everytime I go, I sit back in the chair and wonder why I even bothered to do my hair and put lipstick on.   And everytime I go, the hygienist (who I adore) tells me, as she's cleaning my teeth, what a great job I'm doing on flossing and to keep it up because it makes her job easier.   I just smile because, No. 1, she's got her hands in my mouth and that's really all I can do.  As a matter of fact, it isn't really a real smile, it's just my hapless attempt to curl my lips while her fist is in my mouth.   And I smile when she tells me what a talented flosser I am because, No. 2, I DON'T FLOSS.   I never have.   And apparently I don't need to.    I would never tell her that, though, because, No. 1, that might make her feel stupid, and I don't want to hurt her feelings.   And, No. 2, because I don't want her to tell me that I need to START flossing.  

So, I left the dentist's office this morning with dentist chair hair, smeared lips, and a great pride in my flossing abilities.    Ssssh.  Don't tell.

From The Mouths Of . . .

My poor college student daughter texted me today.  She said,

"If you mix taco bell hot sauce with top ramen, it tastes exactly like poverty."  

I laughed out loud. 

Have a nice weekend everyone!

TGIF No More

Yea!  Today is Friday!  Oh, wait.   Fridays are not the same anymore since we got "Little Boy."  Fridays used to be the reward of my existence (sad, I know).   I could look forward to the weekend, knowing that, finally, my time was MY time and I could do whatever I wanted.  I don't need to let my boss know my whereabouts every second, I don't need to pretend to be working when I'm actually blogging - - oops, I didn't say that.   My husband and I could take off and do anything we wanted.  Or, we could do nothing at all.   And if my husband had somewhere he needed to be or someone he needed to help for a few hours, then I had a precious few hours to myself.  Yes, those were our weekends of old.  

These days, however, Friday isn't the "yippee" kind of day it used to be.  It's the "wow, we have a 6 year old living with us that we need to entertain every second of every hour of my precious weekend" kind of Friday.    It's not really THAT bad, but I had forgotten that when you have young children in your home, your time is really not your own anymore.   We raised three children, so I know.  As my son said, we've done our time.  And what a wonderful time it was.   But it's kind of different when the child is not your own.   But now is the time that I find out who I really am.   Am I really someone who can give respite to a little boy who has only had turmoil in his short life?  Am I someone who can forget about my wants and needs and put someone else first, above all else?   I hope so.  I pray so.   "Little Boy" is definitely an energetic 6 year old, but he is a 6 year old who has been through what nobody (especially children) should have to go through but yet so many do.   So, I will cease with the whining  because we really are happy that we can help him to feel happy and secure and loved for a few months.  

Time to throw off that burden of selfishness and put on that cloak of selflessness.   "Little Boy" deserves that.

Fantastical Fantasy Revisited

Yesterday I posted about the Mega Millions and its jackpot of a zillion dollars, and I mentioned an earlier post I had written about what I would do if I had tons of money.  So, since I have not a clue as to what to write about this morning, I am reposting that earlier post, with a few revisions.  I'm sorry if that's cheating, but my brain is on strike this morning.

Alright, so I have this fantasy.  I fantasize about having tons of money.  And I mean TONS of it.  Like millions and millions of dollars.  Mega bucks.  Not billions, though.  I don't want to be greedy, not even in my fantasy.  But millions.  And sometimes when I'm bored I think about what I would do with all that money.  First, of course, I would pay tithing.  And then we'd become debt free.  We'd buy a bigger house (not gigantic, but one with more than one bathroom).  We recently got rid of our 1995 Dodge Caravan (affectionately known as the "purple ghetto van") and our 1997 Kia and we bought a 2009 Toyota.  Right now we are a one-car family but in my fantasy I would buy my husband a new truck.  College tuition and expenses - check.  Then after ensuring that our family would be financially okay for the rest of our lives, I would set up a charitable trust.   But I wouldn't donate to organized charities.  Nope, not me.  There are plenty of rich people and celebrities to donate to the American Cancer Society or the American Red Cross or Habitate for Humanity, or whatever.  Those are all worthy organizations that help millions of people.  But this is my fantasy. 

I want to make a difference in individual lives . . . in the lives of people who struggle every day to make ends meet, sometimes successfully, sometimes not so much.  People who work hard but are losing their jobs, their medical insurance, their homes, their dignity . . . the forgotten.   Yes.  I want to help the middle class.  You see, I figure that the government helps the poor among us, and the rich don't need help.   But nobody ever thinks about the middle.  The betweeners.   They are the silent sufferers.  And THAT is my fantasy.   To help bring peace to troubled hearts, one person or family at a time.  To help make individual lives less burdensome and more joyful.    But it all has to be anonymous - - that is a must for this girl's fantasy.

In real life, however, I will never have millions of dollars, and will never be able to live out my fantasy.  

But, in real life, I can still make a difference.   We all can.  In real life, we can all be a little kinder to one another and we can be a little more willing to lend a helping hand.  We can help bring a smile to someone's face and maybe make their day a little brighter.   Fantasy??!   Nah, real life is where it's at!!

$205.5 Million In The Bank

I don't gamble, I don't bet on football games, I don't buy lottery tickets.   I don't have much money and I really prefer to keep it for, oh, FOOD or my electric bill, rather than throwing it away on things that won't benefit me.  Having said that, however, I just read that the Mega Millions lottery jackpot is now up to $290 million, which would mean a $205.5 million lump sum payment.   The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever was in 2007 - - $390 million.   Which would mean, oh, I don't know, maybe a $275 million lump sum payment??   Holy moly!!  My imagination does not stretch that far.

I still won't buy a lottery ticket, even with a 1 in three zillion chance to win $290 million.   But, it IS kind of fun to think about what you would do with $205.5 million cold hard cash.  That's kind of a game I play sometimes.   I imagine that some mega rich stranger leaves me all his money because once I was kind to him and he always remembered me, the stranger who was kind.   Ridiculous, I know.  But that's the way my mind works sometimes.  Scary, very scary.    But what WOULD you do with that kind of money?  How could you ever SPEND that much money?  With so many people in hard times these days, would you be benevolent and find ways to improve others lives?   Would you buy a mansion on each continent?  Would you BUY a continent??  I have a friend who wants to live in Disneyland.   Literally.  Set up house in Sleeping Beauty's castle.  Maybe she could buy Disneyland.    I wrote a post last year about what I would do with a sudden fortune dropping in my lap, because you know - - stranger things have happened.   I don't think I'd change much from what I said in that post.  

But . . . what would YOU do?  What would you do with $205.5 million?   Do tell.

Sharing Is Good

Thank you to Ermie for honoring me with the Versatile Blogger Award :)   Yippee!

These are the rules - - for with such an award, there is responsibility, and most of the time I'm very responsible.

* Nominate 15 others for the award and inform them with a comment on each of their blogs.  (I, however, am irresponsible right off the bat and am only going to nominate 7 others today).

* Create a post for the Versatile Blogger Award (hence, this post).

* Thank the blogger who nominated you in a post with a link back to their blog (see above --  2 out of 3 so far!).

* Share 7 random things about myself.

* And, of course, include this set of rules (which, really are just guidelines in my humble opinion).

Randomness about me - -
(1) I am left handed
(2) I wanted to be a police detective when I was younger
(3) I just finished eating a purple cupcake :)
(4) My husband is 9 years younger than I am
(5) My grown children just recently found out how old I REALLY am (I've been VERY good at telling them all sorts of ages, none of which was my REAL age)
(6) I used to play high school softball
(7) My nickname as a child (given by my siblings) was gutter head.

And now, without further ado - - my seven nominees.   You may see a theme.  I follow some wonderful photography blogs.  I do a lot of traveling through those blogs.   And, I have discovered a couple of new, shall we say irreverantly bold blogs lately dealing with motherhood that I LOVE.   Here goes - -

Daryl at all-throughmyeyes.blogspot.com - - I visit NYC a lot through Daryl's amazing bird's eye view photos.

Anni at whatisbelgium.blogspot.com - -  Beautiful, heartfelt photos of Belgium.  Thanks to Anni's photos, I also visit Belgium  . . . often.

Gina and Teri at our-wild-hearts.blogspot.com - - They are collectors of wild hearts :)

Teri at terihoover-crystal-iris.images.blogspot - -  I have a soft spot in my heart for Teri.

blog.mommyrotten.com - - hilariously honest.

adventuresofnotsupermom.com - - like mommyrotten, notsupermom is hilarious.  If you're a mom, she's a must read.

Selena at becausemotherhoodsucks.com - - I don't think she really thinks motherhood sucks, but lucky for us she is irreverant and hilarious.

So, there you have it.  Please visit these blogs.   You will find a whole new world you never knew existed!

The Haunting of Davis Elementary School

Yesterday I posted about our 100-year old school, Davis Elementary, which is in irreversible structural distress.    Because my husband will occasionally have stories of some new problem with the school, I have thought about the need for a new school off and on for a long time.  It was only after writing that post, however, that this thought occurred to me -- 100 year old building could equal 100 year old HAUNTED building!   How could I not have thought of that before??  Some of you know about my interest in the paranormal.  It's fascinating to me.   If I had a bucket list (which I don't), a ghost hunt would be at the top of that list, with big giant stars next to it. 

And now that the thought is lodged firmly in my brain, it seemed only natural to do some googling:  my fingers pecked out "haunted elementary schools", of course.  My search didn't show much activity during school hours (maybe because if I were a spirit I would be very afraid of 400 elementary school-aged children!).   But, there was a plethora (Mark) of elementary school activity AFTER school hours.  Among my findings were these - -


Jefferson Elementary in Middletown is said to have been built atop a burial ground of some sort, and as a consequence has numerous ghosts. Employees sometimes hear the sounds of phantom children playing in the gymnasium, or see a ghostly little girl roaming the halls.

According to local legend, Washington Elementary School is haunted by the ghost of a thirteen year old boy who died while the school was being renovated. He strayed into an off-limits area, fell through a hole in the floor, and wasn't discovered until much later. Students and teachers report strong feelings of dread in the area where the boy died. Scratching, knocking, and bangs can be heard in the same hallway. Mysterious shadows flit through corridors, particularly at twilight.

David E. Smith Elementary School has numerous reports of ghostly occurrences in the girls' bathroom. Girls who stay at the school for after-school activities have told of feeling a sudden chill in the air when they step into the restroom. Others claim to have heard screaming, seen writing on the walls, and even felt themselves being touched and warned to leave because the bathroom was too dangerous. Some have even reported seeing blood dripping on the floor.

It is reported that two kids were playing tetherball after school around 7p.m one of the kids hit the ball and the chains wraped around one of the kids throat. The other one didn`t know what to do while his/her friend was choking. So the kid ran home.They said the kid choked on the chains. Late nights residents say you could here a chain hitting the pole on the court and a sound of someone choking.

I was fifth grade tetherball champion (complete with cool certificate, thank you very much), so that one kind of creeped me out.

So, my conclusion is this - I don't have to travel to Pennsylvania - - yet - - to go ghost hunting!   I can start right here in my own backyard.  I've not heard of any ghostly reports from our own school,  but you'd think that with a hundred years of history, something is hanging around, right?  I don't really want to see blood dripping on the floor, and I don't want to be touched.  Not for my first time.  But maybe I could handle scratching or knocking or hearing someone scream. This could be a trial run for my REAL ghost hunt!   Of course, I don't have any equipment, except for the EMF detector app on my iPhone.   That will have to do . . . that and my keen mind.

I will let my daughter know that we have a ghost hunting date when she gets home from college in a few weeks.  She'll be thrilled (I say sarcastically) as I'm sure the school board will be as well (again, sarcastically).    

And The Walls Come Crumbling Down

My husband works at an elementary school that is over 100 years old.   Oh, how wonderful, you may say.   A true historic building.   It must be awesome to work in a building with such history and fabulous architecture behind it.      Thousands of little school children have entered the hallowed halls of Davis Elementary School.   Many are long gone, dead and buried.   Many are grandparents or even great grandparents to some of the children who now attend their alma mater.    And there are many, many wonderful stories and memories they could share about their time at Davis.  I'm sure if you had a trained eye, you could see great architecture in the walls at Davis.  And, yes, it does have a lot of history.    But, unfortunately, the history these days that the staff at Davis is hoping NOT to go down in the books is that of the entire roof caving in while school is in session.   And they cross their fingers in the winter time that heating will work.   Not too long ago my husband and the other faculty had to conduct parent-teacher conferences wearing coats and hats and gloves - - because the furnace was not working.  Yes, it is 100 years old, but even more than 100 years of history, it has 100 years worth of wear and tear and problems that cannot be addressed adequately due to the school's age.  Purely for safety purposes it is time to get a new school.

The citizens of the city in which Davis resides have voted down three (yes, THREE) bonds to build a new school.   They are either uninformed or uninterested.   I go with the latter.  The school district has gone to great lengths to inform the citizens of the reasons for the new school.   So, why else would they vote "no" other than they don't care or . . . well, they don't care.    Next month is another bond vote.   We are hoping that the citizens will have had an awakening and that the fourth time will be the charm. 

Wish us luck.   If this next bond is voted down, I will again sit on the edge of my seat everyday hoping not to hear the news that the walls have fallen in on 100 year old Davis Elementary School. 

Discombobulated!

I feel discombobulated this morning.  My email had been hacked and my entire list of contacts have been receiving weird emails from "me" (one even at 3 a.m. this morning).  So I decided to close my account (which I have had forever), thinking that would solve all my problems.  I'm so naive.   I don't know if it will solve the hacking problem, that remains to be seen.   But when I went to sign into my blog this morning, I had difficulty.  I got flustered and even almost cried because I thought I would be lost to my blogging friends forever.   How sad that would be :(

Obviously, I'm not very good technologically.   You could even say that I'm techno-challenged - to the nth degree.   So, this morning when I tried to sign into my blog I used my new email account and it wouldn't work.   I made my blog with my old email account, so I guess I still have to sign into my blog using my old email account.   I am going to be one confused puppy  for a long, long time . . .  

Ants Are Ugly??

Okay, I didn't know what I wanted to write about this morning, and I still don't know where this will go, but I heard a blurb on the radio this morning about a new "reality" show coming to Bravo.  I  stopped what I was doing because I wasn't sure I heard what I heard.  So, I shook the cobwebs out of my head, and then googled the phrase I thought I heard, but was hoping I was wrong.  I wasn't wrong.  One of the reality "stars," in describing herself, said "I don't like ants and I don't like ugly people."  Seriously??!!   But, honest.  She said this.   And "she" isn't a little 13 year old girl who can kind of be forgiven for such stupid remarks because her brain is not fully formed.  This is a 33 year old woman with a fully formed brain.  Well, after that remark, I guess the brain thing is debatable.  She is 33 and supported by her daddy.  Her REAL, very rich daddy, not her sugar daddy. 

So, I can kind of understand the ants thing.  I don't like ants, either.  But . . . ugly people?   She doesn't like ugly people?!  I wonder how she judges ugly vs. not ugly.   Warts on the nose?    No $200 hair cut?   Levis instead of whatever brand rich people wear?    No plastic surgery to correct those unsightly freckles?   I don't know . I have freckles, and I like them.  They're kind of cute and make me look younger.  Maybe just the fact that I don't have a zillion dollars and I actually work for a living would make me ugly in her eyes.   Just like beauty comes from within, I think ugly comes from within too.   First impression??  --  33-year-old-little-rich-girl-being-supported-by-her-daddy is U.G.L.Y.    I'm glad I have my reality and not spoiled-rich-girl's "reality".    Some day "reality" is going to smack 33-year-old-rich-girl right in her surgically enhanced nose.

Just A Little Thought

Here's just a little thought from me to you.   I was sitting here kind of feeling like "poops" (thanks for the word, Michelle).  Feeling kind of sad.   And someone within my little blogging family said something that made me feel better.   And it occurred to me what power we have to uplift those around us.   The power of a simple word or phrase, whether written in a blog or spoken face-to-face, can do so much to build each other up.  And because of that power, we have a great responsibility to use it to do good, rather than the thoughtless words that can deflate instead of inspire.   

So, thank you to my blogging friends who daily inflate me, so to speak, with your words!     

Ding Dong

Dorothy  It really was no miracle.  What happened was just this . . .

Dorothy: [singing] The wind began to switch / The house, to pitch / And suddenly the hinges started to unhitch / Just then the Witch / To satisfy an itch / Went flying on her broomstick, thumbing for a hitch!

Munchkin: And, oh, what happened then was rich!

Munchkins: [singing] The house began to pitch / The kitchen took a slich / It landed on the Wicked Witch in the middle of a ditch / Which was not a happy situation for the Wicked Witch!

 

 

I feel like a house landed on top of me.  Am I the wicked witch of the [north]west ??

Walking Can Be A Pain

I walked to work this morning for the first time in a year and a half.  It's a two mile walk.  I didn't walk because I wanted to but rather because I had to.  I used to enjoy my walk - - our town is beautiful, and in spring the colors are bursting.    Of course, it's too early for there to be much color yet, but I don't think that would have mattered anyway.  I didn't really want to walk, the skies are gray and threatening rain, and I am so out of shape that I knew - - I just knew - - that it would be a painful way to start my day.   I was right.   When I was walking to work for pleasure, I was in great shape, I could wear cute clothes (that's important!) and I walked with confidence.   This morning it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other.   Before I was even half way there, my knees hurt, my hips hurt, and at one point even my rear end hurt.  I felt like a crippled old lady (which I am not).   A couple of senior citizens were out walking.  They were behind me, but soon passed me and soon after that were out of sight.  Humiliating. 

  I don't want to do it, but I know that if I want to ever gain my pride back and be able to beat those two old ladies, I need to keep walking.   I guess my aches and pains are nothing that four or five ibuprofen won't cure.   I just need to keep telling myself that, though, because right now my nice comfortable car is calling me . . . . all aboard!

Stubborn Stupid Washer

Ugh.   My washer is being stupid.  It washes, yes.  But it will only spin like 1 out of every 5 loads.  It seems to be just as moody in its cycle as . . . well . . . I'm sure you can guess the rest.  It's driving me crazy!  I never know how it's going to react, or if it will just have a meltdown and stop its spinning cycle altogether.  I just want to give it some Midol and let it take a nap and be all better in about 5-7 days.   I don't want to buy a new washing machine.   It works.   It just refuses to consistently spin.   And so I've been wringing my clothes out by hand in the utility sink.  Um, not working out too well.  I think I need one of those hand wringer-thingys that you crank, because I can't get all the water out by just using my hands, so drying my clothes now takes three times as long.   Last night it took me four hours to dry a load of towels.   I could have driven to Seattle or Boise or Portland in the time it took my towels to be dry and fluffy.

Stubborn stupid washer. 

"Little Boy"

So, the social worker took "Little Boy" to my husband's office after school yesterday.  She told him that she had some really good news.  She then asked him what the best news he could get would be, and he said, "Not having to go back to that foster home."   The social worker told him that he wouldn't have to go back there, and asked him where he would like to live.   "Little Boy" looked at my husband and said, "With Mr. L . . ."    And that was the best news Mr. L could have gotten.   And the social worker said that yesterday was the best day of social working she had experienced.  Ever.

And while we may only have "Little Boy" for a short while, maybe it will be long enough to help him feel valued and safe.   And hopefully down the road when he finally settles in to his permanent home, he will go with confidence, knowing that somebody loves him.  

If only all little boys and girls . . . and big boys and girls . . . could be loved . . . by somebody.  What a better world it would be.

Need Help? Call 1-800 MYHUSBAND

Our children are grown up, one in college out of state, one working full-time a couple hours away, and the other married and going to school and working.   Empty nesters, really. 

Yet . . . are we??? 

My husband has a kind, soft heart.  He likes to help people.   Maybe that's why he became a counselor.   He will drop everything and come running in a heartbeat if you need help.   

Well, someone needs help.   And he's seven years old.  And he's had a hard go of it in his short little life.  His mother and father weren't married.   Mom has a drug problem and was in jail.  So "little boy" went to stay with his father.   His father was arrested and became a guest of the county.   "Little boy" went to a foster home.   Father then was released and soon thereafter found dead on a street corner.   Mom was released from jail but is in no position or doesn't want to care for "little boy."   Grandma and aunt came from out of state to take "little  boy" home with them.   Apparently it's not quite that easy.  Grandma and aunt have to go through the process of being approved, and that takes time . . . lots of time.    So, in the mean time, grandma and aunt have gone back to their home out of state while they wait to be approved and "little boy" continues to be in the foster home.   

The foster home consists of six foster boys and a foster mother and father.   The foster mother doesn't speak English.   Really?!  I didn't know they could place children with people who can't communicate with them.   All the other foster boys are older than "little boy" and he gets a little lost.   I mean, it's probably hard enough having a mother who can't or doesn't want to care for you and a father who is dead.   But to be invisible in a roomful of people would be mega hard.  

So, my kind husband had the idea of us (yes, the empty nesters) bringing in "little boy" to stay with us while his grandma and aunt are going through the process of approval.   So, we filled out a zillion forms and now we were just informed that our home is scheduled for a walk-thru today.  Immediately I am panicking - - not because of the reality of  "little boy" coming to stay with us.   No, that's the easy part.   No, I'm panicking because I am picturing every little dusty corner of my house , and I didn't have time to clean the bathroom superclean, and I have laundry piled up in the laundry room, and the room we have for "little boy" is our daughter's old room and it's painted pink!   Well, not pink pink, but a shade of pink/lavendar.  Not a boy's color at all.   And the living room needs to be vacuumed, and I wonder if my house smells funny - - will I have time to light a candle before the CPS worker comes??   

I guess I just need to breathe and think of the positive.  "Little boy" will have his own room.  He will not be invisible.  And . . . we speak English.    

Blogging Is A Team Sport Part II

A big thank you to Ruth at http://welcometome.blogspot.com/ for thinking of me for the Versatile Blogger Award.  The only other thing I had ever won pre-blog was a goldfish at my junior high school carnival.   This is kinda fun!   

It is now my turn to award some of my favorites!  The rules say I'm supposed to award 15 people with the Versatile Blogger Award.  And I know I said in a recent blog that I am nothing if not obedient.  However . . . I am giving this particular award to 10 blogs, not 15.  I apologize to the award-rules-making-people.   Here goes . . .

Michelle at http://buttertoastrocks.blogspot.com/ is always upbeat and funny.   Every mother on earth can find something in Michelle to relate to.

Collie at http://coldpressedday.blogspot.com/ is inspired and inspiring.   You'll always feel uplifted when reading her blog.

Tammy at http://pahomekeeper.blogspot.com/ - "Homekeeping, Down Syndrome and Autism Stuff."  Tammy deals with all of these topics in a funny, positive and inspiring way.

Patti at http://iheartredboots.blogspot.com/.  Patti really hearts red shoes, and that is what drew me to her blog - - I also heart red shoes, and now I heart Patti's blog.

Sherry at http://lifeandaview.blogspot.com/.  She just cracks me up.   She has a really innocent way and a great sense of humor.   Plus . . . she's my sister :)

MiMi at http://magicalmysticalmimi.blogspot.com/.   Unfiltered, hilarious and totally out of the box.  Love it!

Masked Mom at http://maskedmom.blogspot.com/.  She is self-described as  "an uneasy cross between Superman & June Cleaver, between The Lone Ranger & Jill Taylor."  I describe her as a wonderful, insightful writer.

Sarah at http://mylifeincontradictions.blogspot.com/.   Sarah shares her journey through life, with all the ups and downs, and is really, really talented.

Melanie at http://isthisthemiddle.blogspot.com/.  Melanie is funny.  Plain and simple.   Funny.

TangledLou at http://peripheralimages.blogspot.com/.  TangledLou is . . . well, she is just an amazing writer.  I believe we will all be buying her books someday, and I will be the first in line.  

Please check these bloggers out.   It is really worth your time!

And, now for the next "rule."   I must tell you 7 things about myself that you might not otherwise have known.   I hate this.  There really aren't 7 things of interest about me.  Seriously!   But I'll try.  Feel free to skip this part if you want :)

1.   The couch is my friend.  Actually, the couch is my enemy.  I really need to get up and move!

2.  I really like talk radio . . . especially now during this political season.

3.  I always wanted to marry Peter Blair Dennis Bernard Noone - then I grew up.

4.  I cry during Animal Cops Houston.

5.  I am way too sensitive.

6.  I wish I was as talented a writer as all those people above.

7.  I am a really good singer - - in my mind :)

Alright, now all you bloggers that I listed above now have to go through this same exercise.  Nominate people and let them know and then tell us 7 tidbits about yourself.  I think that's it.

TTFN 


  

Time Is On My Side - Or Is It?

Ok, I am sitting here at my desk, once again with my fingers poised on the keyboard and . . . once again . . . at a loss for words (thoughts?).  So, I will just move my fingers and see what comes out.

As some of you know, I was in Seattle this past weekend.   My husband was at a conference Friday and Saturday, so I had a lot of time to entertain myself.   We were near the airport this time and, not wanting to drive downtown or even to the nearby mall (I am not much of a shopper - - I know, I know - - how can that be??! - - I'm a girl! - - but it's true), I stayed at the hotel.   And I read.   I had downloaded a couple of books to my Kindle.   I read "Obsession" and "Impulse," both by Debra Webb, and both FBI/police/serial killer/catch-em thrillers.    They were like a Part 2 and 3 (I didn't read part 1) and I liked them both, and the time flew by.   But when I was done, and as I sit here this morning, I wondered what better use of my time I could have made.  Or what better choices in reading material I could have made.   The books, although entertaining, were obviously not very uplifting - - serial killers?  torture?  They didn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy.   And there was an occasional f-word, which I cannot stand.  The use of that word makes me cringe and feel just . . . icky.  I tried to gloss over it everytime I came upon it, but you know . . . that's hard, if not impossible, to do.  

So, I guess my point is - - the books didn't make me feel good, they didn't uplift and inspire me to be a better person, they used language with which I am not comfortable.  It was just "entertainment".   And really, how entertaining is it to read about human beings being kidnapped and tortured and killed?  And so I sit here thinking, WHAT A WASTE OF TIME!   I know that some people think that occasionally using time in that way - - purely to entertain - - is okay .  And I agree.  It's just the source of entertainment that I personally need to be more aware of.   I am sure that there was something better I could have done with all that time I had, and I regret that.   

Time is precious, and to use it in a way that doesn't make you feel good, or improve life, is a shame.     

Do. Act.

Well, I think my post yesterday caused just a wee bit of angst (that's why I apologized in advance!).   So, today I will stick with something benign . . .

I am sitting at a computer in the lobby of our hotel in Seattle, and I am looking out the massive windows at the most beautiful trees and foliage.   The skies are gray (hey - it's March AND it's Seattle), and it has a really cozy kind of feeling to it.   Our drive over the mountains was without event - - unless you count the absolutely GORGEOUS mountains - - which, duh, I must.    So I will rephrase.   Our drive over the mountains was breathtaking and awe inspiring.

And as I sit here I am overcome with the beauty surrounding us.  And it saddens me to acknowledge that there is ugliness in the world, too, some of which we cannot overlook and pretend isn't there.   And some ugliness demands that we stand up and be counted  and try to effect change.   We all have the power to make change.   To change lives.  To change someone's life for the positive.  It is overwhelming to look around and see all that needs to be done and easy then methaphorically to crawl back into our beds, pull the covers over our heads, and ignore it.  Because we don't think anything we can do will matter.  And we would be wrong.   I am reminded of the movie "Pay It Forward."    Only precious few, by virtue of their position in life, have the opportunity to reach thousands and millions.  All of us have the opportunity (obligation) to reach the one.    In our own way, quietly and without fanfare, to do something good for someone.   And we each need to decide what that "something good" will be for us.  No one else can decide that for us, and no one can tell us that our "something good" isn't good enough.   Because, trust me, it will be.

So, that's what the beauty of the trees whispered to me just now.   Do.  Act.  Love. 

Just A Little Miffed

Okay, first off, I guess I need to apologize in advance to anyone who happens to be a Lady Gaga fan.   But I need to blow off a little steam.  I promise to make it short.

Gaga was at Harvard kicking off her Born This Way Foundation - - founded to "make the world a better place."   I think her foundation is primarily to help stop bullying and prevent violence, which I am all for.  I even posted an anti-bullying blurb on my facebook page yesterday.    But she just seems so entitled, so spoiled.   "I believe that if you have revolutionary potential, you must make the world a better place and use it."  What the heck does that mean??  "Revolutionary potential"!!???  

She said that if there were a law to make people be kind to one another, "you know, I'd be chained naked to a fence somewhere trying to pass it."  What???!

"We need to be tolerant of other people," while she seems to be very intolerant of anybody who feels differently than she does.

But the one statement that really burned me was when she said that "teachers don't give a &%*#."  I took that very personally.   In our family alone, we have no less than eight educators.   An elementary school counselor (my husband), three university professors, two middle school teachers and two high school teachers.   So, yes, I took that statement VERY personally.   If my husband didn't give a *%#*, we wouldn't now be filling out a thousand forms trying to become eligible to care for one of the little boys he counsels (whose mother is in jail and father just died).   If my brother and sister-in-law didn't give a *%&, then their current and former students wouldn't be on facebook everyday thanking them for caring.   And if my father-in-law, who taught at the university level for 35 years, didn't give a %$*&, then 500 people would not have shown up at his funeral.   Just ask Mark if he, as a teacher, didn't (and still does) give a *%(# for his students.  Just read his blog -- on any day -- and you can feel the love for his students and his students for him.

You know, I hope that her foundation does some good.  But right now, Lady Gaga, you make me want to ga-gag.