Saturday, October 30, 2010

Getting My Panties In a Bunch

Yep, underwear.  First, I will not call them panties.  I hate that word.  I love the British word knickers, but that doesn't work around here.  Underpants makes me squirm just as much as panties.  So underwear, it is.  Why the picture of my glorious underthings floating in the breeze?  I'm having a world shattering underwear crisis.  Not unlike jeans and shoes, underwear is now becoming my nemesis because nothing exists that fits the way I want, in a price range I think is reasonable.

There are a few in the line-up that I kind of like.  But they are from Victoria's Secret and they are not cheap.  But they are kind of cheaply made and I seem to be going through them like water.  I keep  making holes in my underwear in the strangest place.  Not on a seam, but right in the front.  It can't be the washer because then all of my clothes would be ripped.  And I haven't gained weight, so it's not like I'm busting out of them.  I just make these weird holes. The material gets very thin only right there and then rips.  I had a thought recently that maybe it's from the zipper of my pants rubbing on it.  But it's not like I run around rubbing myself on things or running marathons in my regular pants, so I don't get it.

I used to love these really cheap things made by Rene Rafe.  You could get them at Filene's Basement for like 6.99 for 6 pair.  They were always by the checkout at the one here. Bikini briefs.  No thongs for me.  Sometimes they were solid, sometimes prints, but I always loved them.  Then our Filene's Basement closed and there isn't one close enough to bother.  And I can't find them ANYWHERE.  When I went to help my sister a-ster move in Maryland, we actually went out of our way to go to a Filene's Basement to get them!  (I really am desperate)  They had the brand but not the style.  The only style they had were grannie panties and I sure can't handle those yet.

My other sister e-ster was once near a Filene's Basement so she stopped and got some.  But though they were THE STYLE I wanted, they were strangely tight in the elastic.  I wear them, but not with anything that I would want to have panty lines show through(when would I ever want panty lines to show through?).

So I've tried others.  I've tried fancy names at Marshall's but those were ridiculous.  I've tried looking at K-Mart but they only have high briefs and the like.  I've looked at VS but they want like $5 per pair and that is highway robbery if there ever was such a thing.  I won't wear thongs, I don't love anything but cotton and I just want something normal.

So there I was in Benny's last week (kind of like a 5 and 10 with the strangest assortment of cheap things) and lo and behold there were some underwear I thought I would love.  They are boy shorts but I had a pair of those once and really liked them.  So, then I was stymied on the size.  I chose small rather than extra small which claimed it fit size 4-6.  I'm a 2-4 but sometimes feel bigger, so I thought these would be nice.  They are Hanes, 3 to a bag, very cheap.  Victory at last.  Until I tried to wear them.
WTF????  First, I took them out of the bag and they were HUGE.  So HUGE I was sure they would fall right down.  But then I tried them on and they were kind of roomy but not bad.  I figured maybe I'd wear them to bed.  And then I washed them.  Yes, they shrunk, but in weird places.  Like the elastic only!  They are big enough that they look like shorts (guess that's why they call them boy shorts).  My sister says they look like boxer briefs and basically, they do.  So, they have a seam up the front AND back with the roomiest crotch you will ever see.  I think I could wear them out in public as exercise shorts.  And they are 3 funky colors.  So, I wore them to bed.  But they are so weird I don't know that I can even wear them there.  I sure can't wear them under any pants or I will look like I am wearing depends.  I may have recently had a birthday, but not one that allows a person to wear depends yet!

So, I hope all of you advertisers who are sneaking into my blog will take pity on my sad state of naked crotch and send me samples to try out and report on.  I am so particular that if I can approve something, you know it will be good for the masses.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Feel Good Friday



I'm a trifle early on Feel Good Friday this time.  That's unheard of!  Hop over to thegirlnextdoorgrowsup and link up your own Feel Good Friday!  She's having a contest soon too, so go check her out!


1.  We've had a touch of unseasonably warm weather (60+) this week, so a) I've been wearing short sleeves again and b) the garden isn't dead yet!  The chard I planted in the spring is still chugging and I would say this week has made it happier than ever.  They are a nice dark green and there are lots of new leaves coming out.  They suffer near death experiences often during the summer, so this is a nice change of pace.  And a lot of the stuff that blocked their light has died off, so it's a free for all.  And I was able to pick enough tonight to cook them for us.

Rachel Rae taught me that you just take some oil in the pan, open a clove or 2 of garlic and smash them a little and let them dance around in the oil to flavor it, then put in the greens, cover them until they wilt and voila. I shake them around a few times.  I put a touch of salt at the end and a little vinegar.  Amazing how something so green and leafy can please the palate.  Even k-ster eats them with gusto.  Gusto and whatever else I am serving.  It's so damned easy, it's ridiculous!!!

2.  My mother had a weird thing going on that required an ultrasound and it appears to be nothing.  I had another one of those moments that I was telling themotherload about where I 'm worried about some test results and then out of nowhere, a peace comes over me and I know it's fine.  There have been 3 of those moments.  Yesterday was most odd because it was while I was vacuuming and I was actually putting away the crevice tool when I felt it.  And it was nothing, so that is good.

3. I survived my birthday without much hurrah.  There are 2 videos that my sister e-ster created to commemorate the unveiling of the Crazy Creek Chair and you will have to check them out here in case you missed them.  I've always wanted to do infomercials.  Now with the power of 4g, I can!  This is what the fates won't allow me to own a phone with 4g.  I'd have to call in sick so I can video tape things all day.

4.  All of the storm windows that we had intact are now back on the house, where they belong.  The 4 new windows arrived yesterday and ready to install.  And of course, now that the storm windows are up, it's 65 degrees and I need to open the windows for some fresh air!

5.  I ordered the stinkin' greenhouse to the tune of a small fortune.  I did not let the man swindle me into buying the "system" for another $500 which would have allowed me to put heat out there.  I don't plan to do that yet. I can buy it later.  He did the I'm telling you you'll be sorry pause, but didn't twist my arm.  And I told him it was my birthday, cuz it was that day, and he threw in some extras.  I never play cards like that, but I thought I'd give it a whirl.

So there, the fastest Feel Good Friday ever created by these here hands!  Go see the girl and link up your own!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

I Say It's My Birthday

I just have to start by saying, I was not drunk.  No alcohol was involved.  I am glad to show you how much thought I put into dressing up for the occasion.  But, I have great legs, so I can get away with it.

So, today might be my birthday.  Some people don't like birthdays because it means they are another year older.  That doesn't bother me.  I don't like birthdays because it means people like to sneak surprises on me or try to make a spectacle out of me.  I don't like surprises or being made a spectacle.  We celebrated my birthday last night at my parents house with my sister e-ster and her boyfriend.  A-ster had something sent to the house for me.

E-ster gave something for my laptop to sit on when I use it on my lap, but the laptop is bigger than the holder, so that proved to be a tricky trying to use it last night.   She will return it and see what else we can find.

My parents gave me a sound machine that is supposed to create soothing background noise for sleeping.  We have become so addicted to a fan that it's actually scary trying to sleep without it.  And this summer, we used a bigger fan that got to be even more addicting.  With the onset of fall, we've had to scale back to the smaller quiet fan.  Somehow I thought the sound machine would wean us off the fan.  And onto it, I guess.

We have 24 sounds to choose from.  12 of them are "nature sounds" and 12 are nature with a twist of brain wave interaction sounds.  I liked Echoes, which was some synthesizer and lots of nature sounds and probably lots of subliminal messages.  K-ster didn't like the crickets, so he chose ocean, which was strictly ocean sounds.  Well, folks, I don't live on the water for a reason.  I slept very poorly.  I actually came out of sleep several times due to the rolling of the ocean.  I need a consistent noise.  Not the rolling of anything.  So, I think we will put that on hold until the weekend when I wont' care if I dont' get my necessary minutes of sleep.  But no more ocean, ever.  Maybe creek or rain.  Or possibly crickets.

A-ster gave me the Crazy Creek Chair that I'd been wanting.  My friend z-ster in college used to use one and I always thought he looked ridiculous and I wouldn't even go near the damned thing.  But this summer, several things occurred when I was like "Oh that Crazy Creek Chair would be perfect".  So, what is it?


Doesn't look much like a chair, does it? How about now?



There are some other highly unflattering pictures that will remain off of this blog.  However, there are 2 video clips at the bottom of this post that might amuse you.  I didn't realize she was filming, I was kidding when I mentioned it because my father didn't know his Iphone 4 could do video.

I happen to really like this hibiscus print. Can you tell?  Wait, is there a theme emerging here? Yes, my ipod also has the same skin on it. But the chair came much later than the skins and just happens to match. Now, if I could just get the seats of The General to match....

So, if e-ster gets around to sharing the evil video she created, I will add it because it's pretty funny.

Today at school, I was coming in from lunch duty and was accosted by this in the office.
So, I carried them up to my room amid a thousand 7th graders and they were all amazed.  How did I get them?  Where did they come from?  But not one of them asked Who sent them? 

Other than the flowers, and a couple of students who knew it was my birthday and thought they might get extra credit for saying Joyeux Anniversaire or Bonne Anniversaire, it was a pretty quiet day.  No real surprises.  No one unexpectedly singing to me.   No strange tactics to get me into a room where a surprise cake was awaiting my screams.  Just the way I like it.  I taught my class at the gym.  K-ster cooked supper.  Just another day in the week. 

Oh and I ordered my greenhouse today.  And told him it was my birthday, so what else could he do for me?  He is throwing in 3 other little gifts which probably cost the company 34 cents but I never try to swindle things out of people, so I feel I deserve it.  But k-ster just explained how difficult it might be to actually receive the shipment (it's coming on a variety of pallets) so now I have to figure that out.  Sit down and watch boys, I might have to break out the tractor myself to unload these things.  But  I have 12-15 days to figure that out.

 

Monday, October 25, 2010

It's the Petit Things That Thrill Me

Did I tell you I'm frugal? Don't like to spend money? Try to get the most bang for my buck? As a teacher, this works well for the district because I try not to spend money.

Last year, two of my students,  made a podcast for the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Language podcast contest. And the won!!! We got $500 which I haven't completely used yet.  Not district money, though they do think they can control what I do with it because it was made out to the school. I digress.   But this is the latest installment:

diction2


I know, I'm such a geek. Really, it's the little things that I love.  I bought 20 of these awesome dictionaries. I love how they look inside. They also have great examples of how to use some of the words in sentences.

diction1


Remember when your French teacher had dictionaries that look like these?

diction3


Not in my room, they won't. They have these awesome plastic like covers that look they will last longer than the paperback versions you see here.  So, thank you to those girls for their hilarious video about why we need to learn languages!!!  Did you click and see it yet?  You've got to!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Blindly Hemming

I've been hemming and hawing now for 2 weekends.  When you are short like me, you usually have think about hemming pants.  I refuse to be one of those people who just rolls up the pants and says "screw it".  I don't find it fashionable.  I also refuse to pay someone to hem them because I can sew and there is no reason I can't do it myself.  I've even been paid numerous times to sew things for people, so I know I can do it.  It's just a matter of sitting down to do it because it's so simple.

Usually, I just hem them by cutting them if necessary and then folding a hem and sewing with a regular foot.  You see this on most casual pants and jeans, nothing fancy, nothing offensive.  But if you look at some of your classier pants that have been professionally hemmed, you will find a rather fancy stitch that looks like this.
  Why would you even look at your hem?  Most normal people probably don't even know it's there.  Anyway, it does a really neat thing by sewing on the piece that you've folded and it leaves little tiny stitches on the outside but they are hardly detectable.  Really, you can hardly see those little flecks in the bottom picture.  


So what makes this magic happen, you ask?  You need a blind hemming foot because this called a blind hem.  I never knew that this foot could do such a thing, but I've used it twice and it really is magic. I used to be afraid of it because it looks like it would break the needle.

Last weekend, I sat down to hem these very pants and just about lost my mind.  There is a little bit of mental work involved in making the blind hem work.  You have to figure out which fabric you want on top and your brain really doesn't believe that all of the stitches won't show through.  It takes me a lot of twisting and turning the fabric and moving it around a lot before it makes sense to me.  After 4 attempts last weekend, I gave up. I almost skyped my sister a-ster (who sews really well) to walk me through it.  That shows how desperate I was.  See, neither of us ever had any sewing lessons, we've just figured it all out as we've gone and she has far more patience than I do, so she has figured out some really nifty things.  Especially on her serger.  But if I were to call her for help, that would really annoy me because it would mean I haven't figured it out.

Then I tried just doing a regular hem and I couldn't even make that happen.  It's all probably because I was in a hurry to wear them that afternoon (to a lia sophia show where I literally did not make ONE sale and had to drive an hour each way to get there and smell CANDLES the entire time which my nose does not appreciate).  So, not really caring if I have them to wear to my show this afternoon, I gave it another whirl by looking at the first pair I did a while back ( I knew if I personally had done it once, I could somehow channel that knowledge again and make it work).  All of a sudden, light dawned and we had a beautiful hem.




I like my hem on these kinds of pants to fall just above the bottom of the heel of my shoe.  This poses a problem because I wear different heels, mostly not very high.  I will never be able to wear these with total flats.  But that's OK because they will be ass kicking gorgeous with all of my slightly to very high heeled shoes.  These are the marvelous pants that I walked into Ann Taylor Loft, tried on and they instantly worked on me.  Very rare.

I especially like how they show off my derriere.  I'll leave you with a look at my super fine ass.  Just kidding, I can't seem to get a clear picture of my but-tocks by myself.  I'll leave it to your imagination.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Feel Good Friday



Here we are again. It's like a cycle, there's a Friday every week. And I find 5 things that made me feel good. It all just comes so fast! Get over to the girl's website and link up and tell us your Feel Good Stories!

1.  How could these pictures NOT make me feel good?

There is a river just at the end of my street and on the way to a meeting yesterday, this was the site I was driving toward.  I whipped out my phone though this isn't even close to how spectacular it was in person, I can't believe how good these pictures look from my dinky phone.  In my experience, rainbows are usually very faint.  O.M.G. the colors in this were so vibrant I thought it was a joke.  I even saw the very dark purple all the way on the left that I never see.  AND there was another one beside it. If you look just over the bow of the white sailboat, you can almost see it.  It's to the right of the big one.  When I first got out of the truck, they were both just screaming I'M A RAINBOW but then the clouds came and the one on the right just about disappeared.  The darker one was making a perfect arc over the windmill and.  I promise I didn't do any editing here.  SPEC.TAC.U.LAR.  I didn't know I was such a fan of rainbows until recently.

2.  Some girls at school really want to have a glee club, along the lines of that stupid show Glee.  We have a chorus but it's not a show chorus.  These girls have really worked out lots of plans but need an adult to help it come together. It's really beyond our realm, but someone suggested I use my secret powers at the Cultural Center and it looks like something VERY cool will come out of it.  Like a 20 minute movie that they will make.  I can't wait to iron out the details and get them going.  I want to see it plant a seed for many more years of something like this.  Very exciting.

3.  My bloggy friend Erin over at themotherload does NOT have breast cancer.  I don't know her from a hole in the wall, other than I like her blog, and she blogged about some scary lumps and the fear of waiting and having an MRI and now dealing with the fact that it's not cancer.  She's around my age and this is a fear I live with daily (yes I know having this fear causes stress and stress allows cancer to walk in without a hall pass but I can't help it) so I feel for her.  Go check out her writing.  Though she will tell you she isn't at her best, dealing with the aftermath of not being given a life sentence, she writes well and she's a pleasure to read.

4.  K-ster got to go to the opening game of the professional hockey team we have around here.  Though I don't give a rat's ass about hockey or any professional sport, he does and it makes me happy that he gets so excited.  However, he was a little too excited the night before, as you can watch here.  His brother got season tickets so it's nice that he and his brother get to do this.

5.  I've come to a decision about my greenhouse and I will purchase it on Monday.  You'd think I was building a house with the amount of effort I've put into researching this.   I looked at the PDF of the directions.  Wow, not rocket science but it's not as simple as I thought it would be.  It makes me laugh because in the picture, it shows them using a forklift to raise the frame and I was thinking, wow, does the average person have something like that?  We have a front end loader but I know that is not normal.  This will come in very handy as will k-ster and his friends who all will flock to the homestead when they hear that something is being built and it might involve a tractor.  I dont' know what I'd do if k-ster was one of those pansy ass boys who can't get his hands dirty.  My rule is that I should not be able to drive more things than my man can.  Phew, he passes. 

Now, go see the girl and link up!!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Men That Go Bump In the Night

I like to sleep.  I have trouble going to sleep, but once I am there, don't make me leave or you will be very sorry.  K-ster was very excited all week to be going to the season home opener of a hockey game tonight.  Apparently so excited last night was he that he  got up a tiny bit too early.  I don't know who I am that I think I can spend my time making these movies. Everyone's doing it, so I jumped on the bandwagon. And the voices are backwards. The man's voice is me and the woman's is k-ster. I'm sure I'm going to hear about this when he finds out.



You will have to click here because I am too defunct at this hour to embed it.

Monday, October 18, 2010

100th Post, 100 Things

I've been debating this post for about 30 posts now.  Do I do a 100 things about me post at my 100th post?  Does anyone care?  Do I even know 100 things about myself?  Are there 100 things that could be even remotely interesting?  And most importantly, if I write about them, will people read them?  But it will be cool to have them out there, so many years from now, before the internet becomes obsolete, I can look back and say WOW, that's what I thought when my blog turned 100.  And then I can chuckle at my naive ways.  And the joys of youth.  Or something like that.

So I must confess that I could not sit down and do this all in one sitting.  And I am not certain that I haven't repeated myself.  And I definitely didn't put these in any order of importance.  That would be way too much of a math problem.

1.  I can trace my mother's side of the family back to the Mayflower.
2.  I love animals and want to be a vet if I come back in another life.  Maybe then I will have the gift of math and science knowledge and that will work out.
3.  I always knew I would be a teacher, I just didn't know what I would teach.
4.  At 35, I can still do a split.
5.  At 35, I still think I am 16 (see #4).
6.  I never thought I would be a fitness instructor, but I am.  But who are we kidding, all cheerleaders because some sort of instructor in something that requires bouncing.
7.  When I bought my ipod, I got free engraving, so I have Run For Your Life on there.  I believe we are all running from death and I don't mean that to be morose and depressing. 
8.  I love dark chocolate.
9.  I can type really fast but I tend to really pound on the keyboard.  My college roommate did not appreciate this.  People in computer labs tend to get annoyed.  My students are super amazed that I can type so fast and often without looking.  This shocks me because they are the kids who have grown up with computers growing out of their butts so I don't know why they can't type faster than me.
10.  I live 1/4 mile from the ocean but I have never been on a whale watch or seen a whale in real life.
11.  I am not a fan of boats (see #10).
12.  I grew up in the house where I live now.  And so did my mother.
13.  I treasure my teeth.
14.  For most of my life, I refused to drink tea on a regular basis because I was afraid it would stain my teeth(see #13).
15.  I never saw Star Wars and I 'm OK with that.
16.  I never, ever liked Michael Jackson or his music.
17.  I pegged my pants in middle school and maybe a little into high school.
18.  I can cook, sew, crochet, knit, and drive a tractor.
19.  I was raised to figure out how to do it and so I do.  (for a bit of irony, see my post about chivalry)
20.  I am an amazing player of the new game Bananagrams.  People quake in my presence.  This game illustrates my savant powers.
21.  Reading is one of my favorite activities, so much so that I have a M. Ed in reading but I teach French.
22.  Until I was in 9th grade, I went with my family to Florida twice a year but we usually didn't go to Disney World or do touristy things.  I'm not sure what we did, really, but we liked it.  There were lots of trips in the car to visit family and friends.  And we were introduced to WalMart in Kissimmee and we thought that was a great place.  What did we know?
23.  I am right handed.  I am virtually incompetent with my left hand, except for typing and playing the piano.
24.  I once helped a left handed student learn to crochet by trying it left handed myself.  It made me understand her pain trying to learn how to use her right hand, so I didn't force the issue and left her do it "backwards" to my way.  But it really made no difference in the final product.
25.  I have never lived my life in a way that wasn't determined by the school calendar (student, college student, teacher, never a break in the cycle!)
26.  I watched The Guiding Light for about 30 years of my life.  We loved to watch it and would sneak in to watch it without my father knowing as much as we could.  My mother would tape it and then we'd watch it with her, until she realized we were there and weren't supposed to be watching it.  As an adult, I continued, LOVING the show.  Until the very end, last year.  So sad.
27.  I am very prompt and have no patience for those who aren't.
28.  I love newly sharpened pencils.  I feel like I could write a masterpiece if I just had a sharp pencil!
29.  I do not color my hair and made a vow to my father that I never would.
30.  I don't wear make up anymore, including nail polish, because I am certain it has chemicals that will kill me.
31.  I am a HUGE fan of plants and will never live in a house without them.  Or comprehend those who say they kill everything.   I bring in my outdoor plants to school for the winter so they don't die.  They add an air of gorgeous at the front entrance of our school.  And they save me from buying new plants every spring.
32.  I've had stitches once in my life, from cutting my hand with a knife as I tried to split a peach for my sister and myself when I was in 3rd grade.
33.  I believe my chiropractor keeps my body in line with itself and keeps me healthy and injury free.  But I do pause every time I go and wonder if this might be the day that he twists me the wrong way and breaks my back.  I love living on the edge like that.
34.  I haven't eaten beef since I was 16 because it bothers my stomach.  Sometimes I really crave a fat, juicy, nasty McDonald's hamburger.  But, sitting on a toilet to enjoy a meal isn't my cup of tea.
35.  My birthday is in October and I was born 2 weeks late.  It's the last thing I was ever late for!!  See #27
36.  My middle sister got married before I did.  My youngest sister bought a house before I did. I think I am supposed to be mad at this.  I just keep thinking "good, at least someone is doing it right."
37.  I sing.  In fact, this may be how I landed my job at the school where I work.  I didn't have to sing for the interview, but because I sang with a chorale, a member of the chorale got me the interview and lo and behold, she's long gone and here I am 15 years later, still teaching there.
38.  When I was in high school, I sang the National Anthem at basketball games.  And one time, I forgot the words midway through the song.  Instead of running away crying, I laughed and felt like "oh well, whatever" and started again, much to the amusement of the crowd.  That might have been the moment I realized I could never be a professional singer and spend my life singing on a stage.  I am too easily distracted and would forget the words all the time!
39.  I speak French fluently.
40.  I have never driven a car on the opposite side of the road, like they do in England.
41.  I am very Irish but don't love potatoes or bagpipes.
42.  I am a wordsmith and simply love wordgames.  See #20.
43.  Pink is my favorite color, but I'm growing weary of this because it seems pink is EVERYONE's favorite color.  K-ster has taken to thinking he can bribe me with pink to get me to do things.  I'm on to that though.
44.  I do not ever want to skydive.  Ever.
45.  I have never been on a rollercoaster.
46.  I cannot drive a stick shift.
47.  I made my prom dress for my senior prom.
48.  I love the show The Apprentice but don't like The Celebrity Apprentice.  I used to want to audition for The Apprentice.
49.  I am very glad that American Idol was not around when I was a teenage because I would have thought I was meant to be on there.  See  #37.
50.  I took ballet lessons until I was a freshman in high school.
51.  My first job was cleaning the bathrooms in my family's campground.  For pennies, I am sure.
52.  My first job outside of my family was for a small bakery/convenience store and I made $4.15 per hour.
53.  I have been to 11 countries.
54.  I was woman of the year in 2010 for my local American Business Women's Association.
55.  I don't like spicy food.
56.  I don't like greasy food.
57.  I love dessert and I am not afraid to eat it.
58.  I love chocolate milk.
59.  Will and Grace was one of my all time favorite shows.
60.  I used to work for a marketing company promoting alcohol but finding me with a drink in my hand is very, very rare.
61.  I have an aunt that lived to 103.
62.  I don't like to paint houses.  If you move and want my help, I will do just about anything but I WILL NOT PAINT.
63.  I enjoy vacuuming and mowing the grass.  I think they are pretty much the same activity.
64.  I have a cat.
65.  I like dogs but I haven't owned one for longer than 6 months.
66.  Croissants make me sad.  Click here
67.  I rarely pay full price for clothing or shoes.  I shop at Marshall, TJMax or just wait for sales unless I am super desperate.  I am not a fashionista.
68.  I eat yogurt every day and have for so many years, I wonder just how much "good" bacteria is in my intestines!
69.  I am very afraid of bugs in the house.  Outside is fine, in my house, not so fine.  Click here.
70.  Dirty Dancing was one of my favorite movies.
71.  Where the Red Fern Grows is my favorite book.  Followed very closely by The Help.
72.  I used to have a dream about having to take a trip on a plane every time I knew something was coming up that I didn't want to do.
73.  I spent the spring of my sophomore year in college in Aix-en-Provence, France.
74.  I never had to take Calculus!
75.  I played checkers with a woman who was brain injured and only communicated by eye blinks.  We had to move the chips for her based on her eye blinks.
76. The first computer I used was a TRS-80 from Radio Shack!
77.  I have plowed snow.
78.  I am not opposed to hunting if you plan to eat what you kill and you use a bow and arrow to kill it. In the woods, in the wild, not on any kind of wildlife reserve.
79.  I don't like leather because it smells and it's cold.  I do love the smell of my leather saddle, though.
80.  I never played a sport other than cheerleading.
81.  I did not become a runner until 2001.
82.  I have to sleep with a pillow between my knees because my hips ache if I don't!
83.  The only cake I like is Devil's Food or cheesecake.
84.  My birthstone is opal and I happen to love opals.
85.  I have never been to the west coast.
86.  I don't like wine.
87.  I don't mind the smell of manure.
88.  I like to call Target Targay.
89.  I do not use facebook.
90.  I don't like to carve pumpkins.
91.  I have an overdeveloped sense of smell.
92.  I am about to buy a greenhouse.
93.  If I eat anything with a sharp taste (dark chocolate, sharp cheese, cough medicine) I immediately sneeze.
94.  I have never eaten escargot.
95.  I don't love to go camping in tents.
96.  I am very afraid of balloons in confined spaces because they pop and I don't like the noise. 
97.  When I was little and the teacher talked about playing with the parachute, I thought we were going to have to parachute out of planes and I just about lost my mind with fear.
98.  I had braces.
99.  I went to a Christian school for 9 years.
100.  I am such a narcissist that I found 99 things to say about myself on my 100th post.

Thank you for tuning in.  I'd love to have more followers, since poor vandy is over there following me all by her lonesome.  So hop on!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Surrender to Sleep

I don't go to sleep well. Once I'm there, I sleep like it's my job, but it's rare that I can hit the pillow and fall asleep within 2 minutes.  I envy k-ster that he can close his eyes and be asleep in minutes.  I have never taken a sleeping pill in my life. Warm milk does nothing.  Chamomile tea doesn't really do much either and if I drink it too close to sleep, I have to go to the bathroom all night and never get to sleep.

Let me introduce you to The Republic of Tea's Surrender to Sleep tea.  O.M.G.  I have not been asked to review this tea or any tea by The Republic of Tea.  But I would love to blog about your teas in a future post.  Hint. Hint.  I don't know what this tea is laced with, but it is pheNOMinal.  I love the taste.  Not tart lemon, not too much chamomile (which can taste like grass), but just right.  And in about 30 minutes, I am practically drooling in my need to sleep.  Most of the time.  There have been a few times when there must have been some caffeine in my system that I didn't know about and it didn't work.  But most of the time, all I can say is WOW.  I don't know if it works if you are already frustrated that you aren't asleep and then you try to drink it to calm yourself.  But it's like pure opium.  I think, I have no idea.

I highly recommend that if you would like to unwind before bed, and then sleep like it's what you were put on earth to do, you should drink this tea.

Then come back in 2 posts and read my 100th post.  I'm writing 100 things about myself as a tribute to the 100th episode of my blog.  Hurry up and come back!!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

If I Blog About Nuns, Will I Go to Hell?

When we were little and people would ask what my sisters and I wanted to be when we grew up, my father would always respond "NUNS!  None of this and none of that!"  Ahh people thought he was so witty.  I was raised Catholic, though that was my mother's religion, not my father's.  Interesting that though he wasn't Catholic, he thought the lifestyle of the nun would be perfect for his daughters so they would stay away from boys. 

When I still liked Catholicism, oh who am I kidding, I pretty much never liked it, I did think being a nun would be great.  I liked the idea of living, basically, in a dorm for the rest of my life.  And doing creative things like making clothing out of curtains for children when I was their governess. Oh, that was just Julie Andrews playing a role, huh?  And then you could fly around.  Wait, Sally Fields really didn't fly and wasn't really a nun, you tell me? 

So then I realized that being a nun meant always having to smell that nasty stuff that churches always smell like.  And you have to be quiet all the time.  And you aren't supposed to laugh a lot.  Or have your own opinions.  I don't know, maybe the nunhood isn't all that strict, but I did get quite turned off to it at one point, so I never really pursued it.  I think I just wanted to be the rebel nun.  The "bad" nun. The bawdy nun, where the Mother Superior was always shaking her head at what a rascal I was.

What brought all this up, you ask?  I was just reading the paper and the headline says "Nashville nuns lead nation in number of newcomers."  Excuse me?  I went to Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, which is where the Bible belt has a notch or two.  Nuns????  Baptists, Presbyterians, you name any protestant religion and I'll buy it, but nuns????  There were so few Catholics I met that they basically had a support group of about 3 people because we were surrounded by protestants!

Apparently the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville have done something to lure them in.  27 postulants (those are nuns in waiting) have entered the convent this fall.  What on earth is going on????  Here is another staggering statistic.  In 1965, there were 179,954 nuns in the US and today there are 57, 544.  Are you kidding?  There are still 50,000+ nuns around here?  I would have believed maybe 5,000.  I'm not sure there are any nuns around where I live.  I never see them out in their habits.  Not even their casual habits (those make me laugh the most). 

I have nothing else to say.  I'm just amazed that anyone is going into the nunhood anymore and in Nashville, of all places.  If you are a nun, please enlighten us as the joyous lifestyle that nunnery brings because all I ever picture is doom and gloom and sadness and never being allowed to express yourself.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Feel Good Friday


I can't believe we're here again already.  I haven't had a very inspiring week, so I'm going to have to go out on a limb here.

1.  I got my hair cut Saturday.  It was really long, for me, and I looked like an old hag so I knew it was time.  I told her I still have to be able to pull it back . She took that to mean that I would like some layers (which I don't like to have) and make it shorter than I'd expect.  It isn't awful but I'm not sure I like it yet.  I wash my hair at night, so it's kind of crazy by morning.  Which looked cute 3 times this week but I am not sure I can pull it off every day.

2.  It was such a relief not to have to create a float for the parade on Sunday.  I explained that last week, here.  It was a relief with a capital R.

3.  I do an after school activity called Recess Gone Wild.  My intention was that we would do a boot camp type of thing, but I didn't wan to scare them with all sorts of drills, so I planned on silly things that would make them exercise.  But they saw the word RECESS and spent the entire time last week asking when recess would start, while I was knocking myself out trying to make it fun and funny.  When I asked them what they signed up for,, they explained that they thought they were going to go next door and play on the playground like they did in elementary school.  So, I hauled them over there yesterday, fully expecting that after 3.2 minutes, they would be bored and ask me what they could do next.  A playground is a powerful thing.  They boys took a football and played some game they made up on the field that was not football.  They were like little boys, they had so much fun.  The girls did death defying gymnastics on the playground and kept saying how much they miss recess and how much FUN they were having.  Right up until the end.  Even the brats that want to just gossip had fun swinging while they gossiped.  Now if I can just make it work for 5 more weeks...

4.  I planned to make my decision about getting a greenhouse last weekend.  I really wanted it already put up like 2 weeks ago.  So many choices.  I bit the bullet and called a company and with a crazy price later, we got off the phone and I have to decide what I want to do.  I dont' want to heat it, or do crazy things just yet.  But I also don't want a puny 8 foot by 8 foot greenhouse that is like a closet.  He made me feel bad when he told me he thought that would be right for me.  So then he found a magical thing and quoted me a price and I have to decide what I think about forking over money for a hobby that might or might not feed us a little longer.  It's all part of my master plan but I have to actually get the greenhouse as the first step in making the master plan actually come to fruition.  So, something perfect is out there for me, but I have to decide if I want it.

5.  I found some coconut ice cream that just pleases the heck out of me.

I told you, this was not a great week.  A lot more feel bad than feel good.  So go find the girl and link up your own feel good stuff.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Random Dozen Minus One

Time for a Random Dozen with Linda.  I'm a little short on creativity today, and I like her dozen (missing #4 , so maybe that makes it a Blogger's Dozen?) so here we go. 

1. Is there a word which you initially mispronounced? There was a show on at some point in the 80s called the Cavannaugh's.  I called it the "Cavanas" like "bananas" and my parents rolled on the floor laughing, back we had to actually write rolling on the floor laughing, not like today's shorthand. 

2. How do you feel about the use of texting shortcuts and trends? I think it's pure laziness and don't usually do it.  I do, however, leave out apostrophes when I text.

3. Tell me about your high school senior picture. Loved it.  I had the right color hair happening that day and I just loved the way all of the colors in the whole picture looked.  I had a little fender bender on the way there, so I must have been a little flushed and it all just worked.  I never once had hair in real life that cooperated the way it did that day.

5. Share a high school or college homecoming memory.  I loved homecoming my senior year.  I went to the homecoming dance with a boy I really liked.  I  must have lived under a rock, because I didn't know you were supposed to wear fancy dresses for homecoming.  I wore what looked like a church dress.  Very Jessica McClintock (flowery and some lace, no poof though).  I wasn't homecoming queen but I wanted to be.  I wasn't nominated.  Recently, a rumor has floated that I was supposed to be nominated by the cheerleaders but I refused to do it because they wanted to nominate a boy that I thought was disgusting.  I did think he was disgusting, but I can't believe I gave up my one chance to be homecoming queen just because I didn't want to be seen with him.  I must have had very high standards.  So I wasn't even in the court.  But I survived.  I really had fun at that dance and can't tell you why.

6.
Linda at Mocha with Linda wants to know: "Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets?"  Sunrises.  Sunsets just make me very sad because that means another day is over.  When I was in France in college, I had the worst time every day right around sunset because I would get really sad.  Once the sun had gone down, I was fine but I learned to hide myself so I couldn't see the sun going down.

7. Lea at Cici's Corner asks, "What is something you have not done that you desire to do?"
Hmmm.  I am riding a horse and that is something I always wanted to do but did not start until 2 years ago.  I guess continuing with that, I someday want to own a large horse farm.

8. Carol at Wanderings of an Elusive Mind ponders, "If you could come back [in another life] as an animal, which would it be?"  This is a tough one.  I think I would like to be a pet, not a wild animal because I want to know that I have food and shelter.  But I would have to have nice owners who don't do mean things and understand that I am an animal, not a human.

9. Joyce from The Other Side of the Pond is curious: "Where were you 10 years ago?" Please feel free to elaborate more than just your physical location.  I was literally right where I am now, doing what I do now, with k-ster like I am now.  I don't like change and work to keep things the way they are because I like that.  Well, I was sitting on a different couch then, maybe that's a difference.

10. When you are proven to be correct in any contentious discussion, do you gloat?  Depends on what you mean by gloat.  If you mean I do the I told you so dance and then refer in the future to the LAST time I was right, then yes, I guess I gloat.  But I don't take pride in it.  It's usually like "Listen to me, I know I'm right" because I often have a hard time getting people to listen to me though I am usually right if I am being that persistent about it.  If I can find the answer on the internet, I try to do it in the moment so the argument can be overwith.  I hate arguments when I am certain of the answer, so I look it up with the arguers with there to put an end to it.

11. What is your favorite food which includes the ingredient "caramel?"  Snickers

12. From my 17 year-old daughter to you: "If you could be part of any fictional family, which family would you choose and why?" (She's so cute. And clever.)   that would be Linda's daughter, not mine.  Umm.  This is a tough one.  I think said that about another number too.  I used to want to be part of the Seaver family from Growing Pains because I liked them and thought Joanna Kerns was a great mother.  And I liked that Jason's office was right in the house.  Oh and Kirk Cameron.  LOVED HIM.

Now go see Linda and link up your own answers.

Monday, October 11, 2010

A Tisket, A Tasket, Shamelessly Promoting My Basket

It's time once again for my annual lia sophia holiday giveaway.  This year's basket has 20 pieces of lia sophia jewelry for the lucky winner!  From now until November 30, everyone who orders 3 pieces or more will get an entry into the drawing for the basket.  You can order online and view the catalog here.

November hostesses get 5 entries for the basket!!  A catalog party (which means you don't  have to have everyone to your house, you just have them look through the catalog or the website and order and if you have $250 or more in orders, it's a show!) is a great way to host when you live too far away for me to come do your show.  However, the jewelry is so much prettier in person, I love to come and show it all off.   If you host a catalog show for November, once you have $250 in sales, you will earn 20% of your sales in FREE jewelry as well as 4 hostess bonus items for $15-$20.

This is a great way to get people together to do some holiday shopping AND someone will win the basket of 20 pieces and they'll be set for gifts for quite some time!

Did I mention the November special?  Buy 3 items and your most expensive is half price (ALWAYS) but then you can take any 3 pieces in addition to that and pay 50%!  That means you can get 6 pieces and only pay full price for the 2 cheapest.  I know, it sounds crazy but it's true.

100% lifetime guarantee on the jewelry. If you've picked up anything in the time you've been reading my blog, it should be that I don't put up with any baloney and I assure you, I would not sell this jewelry if I didn't think it was worth it.  I have used their guarantee a few times and they have given me a credit for what I've paid with no problem.


Don't miss your chance to win this!!  Even if it is sideways and refuses to turn the right way.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Arachnophobia? Look No Further

WARNING:  As the title suggests, the theme of this post is spiders which means I might describe said creatures in vivid detail and include pictures.  I am not responsible for the outrageous behavior this might induce.  There is also a picture of my leg, but that shouldn't cause too much fear.

I am a pretty strong gal.  I am not afraid of a lot of things.  But when it comes to bugs, I am nothing but a chicken.  I become a shrieking little girl when bugs are where they should not be and I embarrass myself with the shrieking.  Recently, we had one of those giant things that look like mosquitoes gone VERY wrong, like a daddy longlegs with a huge beak like a mosquito and they fly. I think I read somewhere that they can't even bite and they die before they ever get a chance to even eat but they are food for something.  This does not matter, when one is near me.  And we had one in the house.  I went right into orbit and k-ster got up to actually kill it.  Until it landed on or near me and I hid under a blanket and went crazy.  And he assured me it fell behind the couch, dead.  However, the next evening, out of NOWHERE it resurrected itself and flew up right behind me, grazed me head and carried on.  I am surprised you didn't hear the shrieking where you live.

So yesterday, I was in the bathroom, the one we call the cat's bathroom because her litter box is there.  There isn't a door, just a curtain.  After I happily went to the bathroom, flushed and got ready to leave, I saw it.  What, you don't see it?  That's because this is what it looks like when there is no spider there.  But see where the arrow is pointing?  See how close it is to where I will have to push back the curtain so I can get out of there? If ever there was a time I wish I'd had my phone to take a picture and to call for help, that was it.

So, I tried climbing out the window.

 I'm not kidding.  I was that upset over it.  But, the window is pretty small and I was worried I might break the storm window we just so painstakingly put back on.  Or that i might actually hurt myself over a stupid spider.  And I had no shoes or pants on at the time.  And I thought if I broke my leg, or killed myself on the propane tank that was there, it would be pretty ridiculous to find out it was just because I wouldn't deal with a spider.



I know, why didn't I just kill it? Well, the only instrument of torture was a paintbrush.  And when a spider is this big, it's hard to think a  paintbrush might kill it.


So, I did the only logical thing.  I stood there for a few minutes, fairly vibrating with the horror.  I tried the window again.  I looked to see what I might really kill it with.  I wished k-ster would come home and help me.

And then I sucked it up and used the paintbrush to move the curtain.  And every time I did, the thing would move a leg.  I figured if I got it open like 5 inches, I could slither out and get the vacuum and be done with it.  And I got out.  And ran right for the vacuum and put on some shoes because you cannot fight a spider with no shoes. 


But no pants seemed to still be fine.

On the way back to the bathroom, I had two thoughts.  How would I get the vacuum nozzle around the curtain to get the damned thing?  And should I just go outside with the vacuum and stick the hose through the window and suck it in that way?  I decided on plan A but when I got back to the curtain, I quickly realized I could not stick the nozzle in and back and suck it out without potentially knocking it onto the floor and then it would be all over.  I could see its nasty body through the curtain and it hadn't moved.  I stood there, vacuuming the floor while I thought about it and decided to screw it.  It could just climb down and eat me later that night, but I was not going to stick my hand back in that room.

Went I went outside, yes I had pants on by then, k-ster had come home and he came in and took care of it.  I know he thinks I'm nuts.  I don't know how he got that nozzle around the corner to kill it but he did and he's my hero. 

I know you think it was like that big. But really, it was like this.  And I don't care who you are, nothing with thick legs like that and that nasty coloring should be on such a pretty curtain inside your house.  It would have held you hostage too.  And according to the site where I found it, it's called a fishing spider and is a meat eater that can glide on water.  This makes sense.  We've had a lot of rain and when I have found spiders like this, or their nasty darker cousins, they always seem to be near water sources.  I have had the pleasure of finding a couple of them in my shower a time or two and they always have the same effect but at least then I can soak them in hot water until they die. 

We have a dirt cellar, that currently is pretty wet because of the rain, and they like to hang out down there.  I know there are others waiting to show up where they don't belong.  I just can't deal with spiders. But I can look at pictures and not freak out, so how is that possible?

This has been very traumatizing for me, reliving the ordeal, so I must retire to my boudoir.  I'm linking up here though.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Feel Good Friday


It's here again!!  There are some seemingly minor things that make me happy this week, so bear with me.

First there was this.  Yes, the sky.  It's BLUE!!  We've had a lot of rain and I've had enough.  When I got up this morning and saw this, I was quite pleased.

Then there was this.  I know, a row of lonely soldiers.  Very strange.  These are storm windows.  Not just any storm windows.  These are the original storm windows that were taken off the house 14 years ago when the new windows were installed.  Everyone tried to say the new windows were super and no storm windows would be needed, but I always had my doubts.  When the wind blows in the winter and the curtains move, I say we need to put up the storm windows.  But no one listens to me, so the storm windows went into the barn and have sat there for all this time.  The screens on the new windows are fiberglass and they have all finally succumbed to the weather we have here and are falling apart.  I took a screen to an aluminum guy to get it repaired and we got to talking.  The screens that came with the new windows are also pure crap and there's a plastic piece that breaks and eventually every screen will fall out and we won't be able to get it back in.  So he convinced me that rather than buying all new screens and their frames, I should look and see if all the storm windows are still there and if so, just fix the screens on those.  He agreed that the new windows are pure crap.  In fact, he said this before I even told him the brand or age and that was just from looking at the screen.

So being super frugal, I went home and found just about all of the storm windows.  We checked to make sure they all fit, then I scrubbed the hell out of them and took all of them apart so I could get the screens redone.  And then I lined them up nicely to dry.  And then it rained for a week and everything fell over and got filthy again.  And one window broke.  Thus the picture.  But I dropped off the screens and the frames for the storms that need to be replaced and the whole she-bang will cost just over $500 instead of big bucks for all brand new storm windows.  K-ster just has to paint the old storm windows this weekend, then we'll get the new screens and life will be warmer, I believe.
Then there is exhibit 3.  I know, what????  This weekend is the annual festival in town that kind of puts summer to bed and welcomes fall.  There is a parade on Sunday and for the first time in many years, I am not in charge of a float for school.  Seeing this trailer empty, knowing I don't have to fill it just makes me breathe.  When we were kids, EVERY group under the sun would make floats for the parade and it was legendary.  Every troop, school, you name it.  They'd be lined up on side roads the morning of the parade and if you were supposed to be on one, it took forever to find yours (remember, no cell phones then, so you had to just find people you were trying to meet up with).  Bands were paid to come from afar.  It was really something.  And it was long.

I hadn't seen the parade for all of my college years and when my friend j-ster and I watched it the year we graduated, we just threw up.  There were like 2 floats and a couple of old cars.  We were horrified.  So, we decided that since I had access to kids, we should create a float for school to be in the parade.  So, for many years, I have spent September trying to organize kids and help j-ster create a fantabulous float.  The problems are many.  First, these kids haven't been exposed to the fabulous parades we knew, so they just dont' get it.  They dont' understand what a float is.  They don't believe they have to actually show up.  We are limited in resources, so we walk around my yard finding crap to recycle into stuff.  And it just makes me a raging nightmare for the week before. Because j-ster and I don't like to create crap.  And we like to win.  And sometimes we have won ribbons for our floats.  And one year we won $500.  But after all the years we've done it, the parade still sucks and no one cares.  And this year, I said EFF THIS and I never mentioned it at school.  And no one cares.  I think j-ster is a little sad.  She loves papier mache.   And my dad is probably a little sad that he isn't driving his truck.  But there is a mystery vehicle that isn't my dad's attached to this trailer.  So I have no idea what's going on.  And we had a little joke of using this one piece of crap fencing on a board and each year we'd fashion it into something new (a windmill, a mountain, etc) and it's kind of sad not to be refashioning it.  But not sad enough that I want to whip something together right now.  It's amazing to think how much time and energy I've spent on those in the past and how much freer I feel. 
 
Number 4, we had a professional day today that appeared all week like it was going to suck but it turned out not so bad.  And I made someone laugh so hard I was pretty sure he might have wet himself.  I know I would have if I had been laughing that hard.  I amused myself but not the way I amused him.
 
And last, but not least.  I walked into Ann Taylor  Loft today, tried on a pair of pants I didn't plan to buy and they fit like butter.  I have to hem them, but since when is that new?  I can't believe they fit my butt the way I like.  And they were 40% off.

Now get over to see thegirlnextdoor and link up your own Feel Good Friday!!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

I'm Legging-ed and Dangerous

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that leggings have come back.  I love leggings. Correction.  I love to wear leggings.  I do not love to see everyone wearing leggings because some just shouldn't, but I do love to wear them.  And since I'm short, many things come too far down my butt to look attractive, so now that I can wear leggings again, I can dig out those tunics and get away with it. 

My favorite thing is the capri legging. I hadn't been able to find them.  I found 2 pair yesterday and WATCH OUT because I'm going to find every excuse I can to wear them.  I especially like the look of a legging with high heels, but when I wear heels to school, I get very grouchy, so I am stuck with flats.  I feel somehow sassy with leggings. I used to wear them while ago, but never felt sassy.  These days I do.  Who knows?

I tried to take a picture, with my phone, of me rocking leggings but this is about as good as it gets.  I kept getting way too many pictures of my boobs even when I pointed the camera down.  I'm not afraid to say I have great legs, so I can get away with leggings.  My legs are so awesome, I should be arrested for walking around in public with them.  But I don't usually carry the my-legs-are-effin'-awesome attitude with me, so people don't notice.



I also happen to love this top.  I can't remember where I got it but I know it was on a whim.  And it's the softest thing I've ever worn.  And the color is nice too.  And one of my students told me I look pretty today, which is really rare.  6th graders.  Sometimes I just love them.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

One of My Favorite Posts

Finding the Funny

I seem to have blogger's block, but I will do my best.

My family owns a campground and has since I was 2. My mother grew up here and then tried to move 1 town away but came back to run the show and then we grew up here. Keep in mind, I like to call it a campground because that portrays a better picture than a trailer park, which is what my mother calls it. This is what I see when you say TRAILER PARK.

This is what I see when you say CAMPGROUND.

So, please remember, we grew up next to a CAMPGROUND, not a TRAILER PARK. And at no point did we ever live IN the trailer park or campground. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

So, I really wish I'd taken a picture when I could sense there was something blog worthy forming, but I felt that I would intrude on these people's privacy so I left it alone. But here's the story and you will spend the whole time wishing I had snapped a few pictures. My mother told me that a couple had arrived with a trailer and paid in full for the two weeks (our max so that we don't end up like a
but she still wasn't feeling good about it. I found out when I walked down to see it. It had been stripped. All of the lights that should have been on the outside were missing. The metal thing that covers a hot water heater on the outside was missing and they didn't even have one. The license plate was held on with zip ties. They weren't hooked up to the water because they had no pipes inside. The electrical work was missing so they had run an orange extension cord inside. Oh boy. And they smoked like chimneys. And they had 2 dogs who didn't bark much. And they drove a beat up truck that was just as bad as the trailer and they told my mother it didn't reverse.

And then I noticed the "curtains". In most trailers, you have either crank out windows or, in most new models, windows that slide open on a track. These people had some crank out windows. And then they had some pop out windows. This meant that they broke the seal on the bottom of a window that wasn't meant to open and they propped the glass out by putting a piece of 2 by 4 to keep it propped open. And then their "curtains" were pieces of plywood that they had set against the windows so that only about the top 6 inches were clear glass. You can imagine that this wasn't going to last long here in a so my mother spent every day wishing they would go away. And then her wish came true. They took the truck and the dogs and NOTHING ELSE and called her from another state and said they were sorry to run out but they had been working for some very rude/mean people who gave them that trailer and then tried to make them remodel it while living in it. She gave the number of the woman who they worked for and said that maybe they would come take it back.

And then I went down to see what they had left behind. For starters, the trailer, all windows cranked/propped open as wide as could be. A huge load of lumber that was going to be used to remodel the thing. Clothes on a clothesline. Food. Like they were in the middle of a meal and one said let's go and the other said OK and they just took off. The trash they had ripped out of the trailer to remodel it. And my mother stood there doing the I Told You So dance until she turned blue.

Amazingly, when the employers were called to come retrieve this trailer, they did. But they left the crap. Until today. I went over to put it all in the truck to haul it to the dump (so it wouldn't look like we lived in a and it was all gone.

Now if only I had taken some pictures so we could all have such fashionable curtains. And I could sell them on my etsy.

UPDATE:  visit this link to see pictures of the actual trailer and the bizarre circumstances under which I "ran" into it!

One of My Favorite Posts

I seem to have blogger's block, but I will do my best.

My family owns a campground and has since I was 2. My mother grew up here and then tried to move 1 town away but came back to run the show and then we grew up here. Keep in mind, I like to call it a campground because that portrays a better picture than a trailer park, which is what my mother calls it. This is what I see when you say TRAILER PARK.

This is what I see when you say CAMPGROUND.

So, please remember, we grew up next to a CAMPGROUND, not a TRAILER PARK. And at no point did we ever live IN the trailer park or campground. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

So, I really wish I'd taken a picture when I could sense there was something blog worthy forming, but I felt that I would intrude on these people's privacy so I left it alone. But here's the story and you will spend the whole time wishing I had snapped a few pictures. My mother told me that a couple had arrived with a trailer and paid in full for the two weeks (our max so that we don't end up like a
but she still wasn't feeling good about it. I found out when I walked down to see it. It had been stripped. All of the lights that should have been on the outside were missing. The metal thing that covers a hot water heater on the outside was missing and they didn't even have one. The license plate was held on with zip ties. They weren't hooked up to the water because they had no pipes inside. The electrical work was missing so they had run an orange extension cord inside. Oh boy. And they smoked like chimneys. And they had 2 dogs who didn't bark much. And they drove a beat up truck that was just as bad as the trailer and they told my mother it didn't reverse.

And then I noticed the "curtains". In most trailers, you have either crank out windows or, in most new models, windows that slide open on a track. These people had some crank out windows. And then they had some pop out windows. This meant that they broke the seal on the bottom of a window that wasn't meant to open and they propped the glass out by putting a piece of 2 by 4 to keep it propped open. And then their "curtains" were pieces of plywood that they had set against the windows so that only about the top 6 inches were clear glass. You can imagine that this wasn't going to last long here in a so my mother spent every day wishing they would go away. And then her wish came true. They took the truck and the dogs and NOTHING ELSE and called her from another state and said they were sorry to run out but they had been working for some very rude/mean people who gave them that trailer and then tried to make them remodel it while living in it. She gave the number of the woman who they worked for and said that maybe they would come take it back.

And then I went down to see what they had left behind. For starters, the trailer, all windows cranked/propped open as wide as could be. A huge load of lumber that was going to be used to remodel the thing. Clothes on a clothesline. Food. Like they were in the middle of a meal and one said let's go and the other said OK and they just took off. The trash they had ripped out of the trailer to remodel it. And my mother stood there doing the I Told You So dance until she turned blue.

Amazingly, when the employers were called to come retrieve this trailer, they did. But they left the crap. Until today. I went over to put it all in the truck to haul it to the dump (so it wouldn't look like we lived in a and it was all gone.

Now if only I had taken some pictures so we could all have such fashionable curtains. And I could sell them on my etsy.