This unexpected gift arrived Saturday morning about 9 am. I was reluctantly loading the dishwasher over coffee while Mr. Wonderful was breaking down Christmas boxes for "recycle michael".
When...
from behind me arose such a clatter, I spun my head to see what was the matter...
And what to my wondering eyes should appear? Not a miniature sleigh and 8 tiny reindeer, but my cabinets crashing to the ground. I stood, unable to speak a word, and watched as my cabinets dropped from the ceiling, smashed into the counter, bounced onto the bar stools, toppled head over heels, knocked over our free standing bar, sending shards of glass and wood in all directions.
After the initial shock and assessment of the situation, Mr. Wonderful turns to me and says, "That looks pretty damn good! You know I've always hated those cabinets hanging down there! This sure opens up the space, doesn't it?"
It indeed did open up the space. In fact, we've actually discussed removing that set of cabinets and reworking the kitchen, but couldn't come up with a way to do it without losing half the limited cabinet space I have available. So, we never pursued the idea past a conversation.
Thanks to the "organization gods" blessing me with the opportunity to completely rearrange my remaining cabinets to house the few dishes that survived the crash and to get rid of some way-past-pitching items. It only took the entire day, yesterday, to dump everything from my cabinets and pantry into the middle of the floor, wipe down inside all cabinets, organize, and put away everything I decided was worthy of keeping. Which in turn forced me to clean out the stair closet, that was overflowing with backpacks and coats from the kids dumping them the last day of school. Just in order to put away camping stuff that wasn't properly put away after our last camping adventure.
Most importantly, a special thanks to the angel that called Middle Child to the living room to look at a new toy, just minutes before the cabinets dropped from the ceiling. There were definitely forces of a greater being working in my house that day!
**I'm having trouble uploading pics to show the damage...I'll try to edit later! Be sure to check back to see our blessing!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Chaos...
Chaos- A condition or place of great disorder or confusion.
That is how I would describe my house right now! CHAOS! Today is/was the last day of school/ first day of Christmas break. The kids are all strung out on a sugar-high from Christmas parties, backpacks and shoes litter the floors, boxes and bags of gifts from my students fill up the remaining floor space, and a layer of dust covers most everything else. But not to worry, my adrenalin rush, from the $40 worth of Starbucks gift cards, will kick in soon and I will be motivated to motivate these sugar-junkies into high gear before Mr. Wonderful makes it through the front door in two hours!
That is how I would describe my house right now! CHAOS! Today is/was the last day of school/ first day of Christmas break. The kids are all strung out on a sugar-high from Christmas parties, backpacks and shoes litter the floors, boxes and bags of gifts from my students fill up the remaining floor space, and a layer of dust covers most everything else. But not to worry, my adrenalin rush, from the $40 worth of Starbucks gift cards, will kick in soon and I will be motivated to motivate these sugar-junkies into high gear before Mr. Wonderful makes it through the front door in two hours!
Monday, December 8, 2008
memories...
OK, sorry about the broken neck to view these pictures. These are the memories from the previous post. The picture below(tilt head to the left) is the angel that sat on our tree as I was growing up. The poor thing looks like it has been through a fire and back, but I still put her on display every Christmas like my mom did for years and hopefully one of my children will want to carry on the tradition once we have passed. I hope!
This cherub is the epitome of the 70s, this is one of a pair of cherubs on red velvet that hung on the living room wall of my mom's house (right beside the silver ship on red velvet that I hope doesn't find it's way to my house anytime soon) up until about 2 years ago when this one arrived, all cozy in bubble wrap and a brown box, on my doorstep right before Christmas.
I have wallowed in my own memories enough, time to share some of Mr. Wonderful's as well. This next picture shows a village that was displayed at his house while he was growing up. There are metal people that were given to his parents from his paternal grandfather and then to us three years ago from his mother. The train was passed down to us this year, again, by his mother. It originally belonged to his paternal grandfather, then his father, and now him. It is a Lionel train from the 50s and has been stored for longer than I've known Mr. Wonderful, which has been at least 13 years. His mom gave it to us a couple of weeks ago, Mr. Wonderful bought new track for it at the hobby shop and had the transformer tested. Believe it or not, it still works, it still makes a chugging sound, and smoke still pours out the top as it goes around the track. The look on Mr. Wonderful's face when the train made it's first lap around the track nearly brought tears to my eyes. Since his dad is gone, it was special to bring back a big part of what he shared with his dad growing up.
This cherub is the epitome of the 70s, this is one of a pair of cherubs on red velvet that hung on the living room wall of my mom's house (right beside the silver ship on red velvet that I hope doesn't find it's way to my house anytime soon) up until about 2 years ago when this one arrived, all cozy in bubble wrap and a brown box, on my doorstep right before Christmas.
I have wallowed in my own memories enough, time to share some of Mr. Wonderful's as well. This next picture shows a village that was displayed at his house while he was growing up. There are metal people that were given to his parents from his paternal grandfather and then to us three years ago from his mother. The train was passed down to us this year, again, by his mother. It originally belonged to his paternal grandfather, then his father, and now him. It is a Lionel train from the 50s and has been stored for longer than I've known Mr. Wonderful, which has been at least 13 years. His mom gave it to us a couple of weeks ago, Mr. Wonderful bought new track for it at the hobby shop and had the transformer tested. Believe it or not, it still works, it still makes a chugging sound, and smoke still pours out the top as it goes around the track. The look on Mr. Wonderful's face when the train made it's first lap around the track nearly brought tears to my eyes. Since his dad is gone, it was special to bring back a big part of what he shared with his dad growing up.
Blah Humbug
It is that time of year when "Blah Humbug" strikes me. This is when I feel all sorry for myself that I can't be with my family (mom, dad, brothers) for the holidays. It has been this way since Mr. Wonderful and I moved our family to first the Bluegrass State and then to the Lone Star State.
It really saddens me that my mom has not spent a Christmas with the kids in 10 years and they are getting to the age where they will start not "believing". It also saddens me that I have not spent a Christmas with my family and our traditions of ham and macaroni salad and huge family gatherings with all sorts of fun and games and sharing. Although I am grateful that we live close to Mr. Wonderful's family and get to share the holidays with them and we have our own traditions with our kids, it just isn't the same as being at "home".
My mom has been gracious over the years and sends me reminders of "home" to display during the holidays. Such as the angel tree topper that was on our tree every year for longer than I can remember (looks like it has survived a fire) that she sent me about 5 years ago, and one of the pair of cherubs that hung on her wall for years which now one hangs on my tree and my brother owns the other one.
Although I wish we lived closer, we are close at heart and that is what matters.
It really saddens me that my mom has not spent a Christmas with the kids in 10 years and they are getting to the age where they will start not "believing". It also saddens me that I have not spent a Christmas with my family and our traditions of ham and macaroni salad and huge family gatherings with all sorts of fun and games and sharing. Although I am grateful that we live close to Mr. Wonderful's family and get to share the holidays with them and we have our own traditions with our kids, it just isn't the same as being at "home".
My mom has been gracious over the years and sends me reminders of "home" to display during the holidays. Such as the angel tree topper that was on our tree every year for longer than I can remember (looks like it has survived a fire) that she sent me about 5 years ago, and one of the pair of cherubs that hung on her wall for years which now one hangs on my tree and my brother owns the other one.
Although I wish we lived closer, we are close at heart and that is what matters.
Kid in a toy store...
...That is how I would describe myself last week when Mr. Wonderful and I took the day to do a little shopping for the little angels. Man they must have been really really REALLY super good kids according to the final balance in the bank account after four hours of shopping! Good Gawd, "Santa" is B-R-O-K-E, BROKE!
I can't complain though, I'm going to have A LOT of fun come Christmas morning!
Our first stop was this little Old Fashioned Toy Shop, this was the most fun I've had shopping in ages. Classic toys spread wall to wall. Picture this...Mr. Wonderful and I enter the toy shop. He's on a mission. I, on the other hand, am taken back to childhood and sounded a little something like this..."OH MAN, they have Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls!" "OH WOW! LOOK! Metal spinning tops! I haven't seen one of these in years! Mr. Wonderful? Hey, where are you?" I quickly stopped the three tops I had spinning at once and went over to join Mr. Wonderful and his party-pooper attitude only to be distracted by...wind up toys! That encounter went a little something like this..."OH! WINDUP TOYS!! LOOK! They have monkeys and turtles and oh, look, this one flips and this one hops! These are awesome! I remember my collection of wind up toys, my favorite..." I was interrupted my Mr. Wonderful's party-pooper attitude once again. This time with an official warning "We are here to shop for the kids, not reminisce about your childhood. Now come on, before you get us kicked out of here." I'm not sure who shit in his wheaties, but I was having myself a good ol' time and I don't think that little old lady behind the counter minded one bit that I was enjoying myself like a kid in a toy store!
For the record, I purchased that spinning top, 3 wind up toys, a sock monkey, one of those wheel things that stays on the metal bar without falling off, and a kalidescope. Like I said, I will have a ball Christmas morning! Hopefully the little angels will too!
I can't complain though, I'm going to have A LOT of fun come Christmas morning!
Our first stop was this little Old Fashioned Toy Shop, this was the most fun I've had shopping in ages. Classic toys spread wall to wall. Picture this...Mr. Wonderful and I enter the toy shop. He's on a mission. I, on the other hand, am taken back to childhood and sounded a little something like this..."OH MAN, they have Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls!" "OH WOW! LOOK! Metal spinning tops! I haven't seen one of these in years! Mr. Wonderful? Hey, where are you?" I quickly stopped the three tops I had spinning at once and went over to join Mr. Wonderful and his party-pooper attitude only to be distracted by...wind up toys! That encounter went a little something like this..."OH! WINDUP TOYS!! LOOK! They have monkeys and turtles and oh, look, this one flips and this one hops! These are awesome! I remember my collection of wind up toys, my favorite..." I was interrupted my Mr. Wonderful's party-pooper attitude once again. This time with an official warning "We are here to shop for the kids, not reminisce about your childhood. Now come on, before you get us kicked out of here." I'm not sure who shit in his wheaties, but I was having myself a good ol' time and I don't think that little old lady behind the counter minded one bit that I was enjoying myself like a kid in a toy store!
For the record, I purchased that spinning top, 3 wind up toys, a sock monkey, one of those wheel things that stays on the metal bar without falling off, and a kalidescope. Like I said, I will have a ball Christmas morning! Hopefully the little angels will too!
Friday, November 28, 2008
OMG!!
The source of my frustration right now...Mr. Wonderful, of course! This is my day off. MY DAY OFF! and I have talked to him more than if he were here sitting in the chair beside me. He's driving me up the freakin' wall and he's not even here. UGH! I don't know why I let him annoy me the way that I do, I really don't, but I continue to let his calls and requests bother me. I have no one to blame except for myself for this problem. By letting him know it annoys me and doing nothing about it, I essentially tell him that it is OK to call every 5 min. I do have caller ID, I don't have to answer the phone....if it is truly important, he'll call back, right?
Monday, November 10, 2008
Mall Rats, Migration, and Mullets
Let me preface this post by saying, "I don't get out much." This fact became abundantly clear Friday evening.
You see, my oldest child, at the ripe age of 11, attended the birthday party of a friend. The "party" consisted of meeting at the mall and being set free to "shop" as they pleased, without adult supervision.
Mr. Wonderful and I, being the over protective parents that we are, decided it would be best if I (not sure how I always draw the short straw, but...) followed behind at a distance, keeping the girls at least within sight. This "following at a distance" lasted about as long as the attention span of a gnat. When the girls entered the first store of the evening, Build a Bear, I made a call to Mr. Wonderful and played my BULLSHIT card. There was no way in HELL I was following six girls around the mall for another THREE hours, especially after working all day!
After playing my BULLSHIT card, sucessfully at that :), I batted my eyelashes a few times and earned myself Chili's for dinner! Two victories in my corner already and the night was still young. After seeing that our oldest child was well and good, Mr Wonderful took Middle Child and Monster Man and went home. I set out to find Birthday Girl's mom and the second set of over protective parents. I found them in the food court anxiously waiting for 9pm to roll around.
Here is where the "I don't get out much" quote comes into play. While the other parents chatted away, I zoned out and "people watched". I must say, I did get my fill of "Emo", skinny pants, crazy hair and make-up, tight clothing, and butt cheeks. My mom always taught me not to stare, but I'm sure I was staring. In fact, I KNOW I was staring! Not because I was being rude, but because I was in culture shock for the second time in my life. (The first time was when we moved to big city Fort Worth from small town Ohio.)
With all that being said, here are my (biased, I'm sure) opinions on my observations at the mall...
I now know what students mean when they talk about "Emo", not a fashion trend I'm "down" with, nor ever will be, but I can now relate. To each his/her own...I guess.
Skinny jeans...WTF?? Boys and Girls? This is something I will never attempt to wear or let my own kids wear. They look absolutely hid-e-ous! Now, if they come out with some "Thick Jeans" style, I'm all over that. Until that day, I'm sticking with my mid-rise, full-cut denim.
Now, I can vouch for crazy hair and make-up. I mean who hasn't wanted to be bold on occasion and not had the guts to do so? I'm all about taking risks when it comes to hair! Especially since I've went from 80's hair band hair to shaved neck in the past month and from dirty blonde to auburn this weekend. AND, I'm wearing midnight plum nail polish which looks nearly black and green eye shadow to match my shirt. I'm tired of the same old brown shadow and red pollish. I'm tired of being in hair and make-up limbo, so I TOTALLY understand the craziness in that area.
I can't say the same about tight clothing,, but I will say this...there are certain things that some people should NOT wear in public! Such as jeans 3 sizes too small (I'm not sure how that chic was still breathing!)...4 inch spike heel boots and a leather lace up top. Come on lady, my daughter is shopping here too! BY HERSELF! Show some modesty for Chrissake! As for the tight clothing...no spandex after 12, please? I saw a woman wearing spandex and I was ready to take cover if she blew, I was seriously scared!
In the 90 minutes I spent zoned out, people watching, I saw more butt cheek than I ever care to see the rest of my life. What is the point of wearing a skirt THAT short? Again, where's the modesty?
Oh and same sex relationships? I know they exist, but I guess I was a tad off on my perception of "how many". My last weekend visit to the mall must have been before Ellen came "out of the closet"!
I really do need to make a habit of getting out more often, without the kids. Just to sit and people watch, to ensure that the next time I find myself in a similar situation I will NOT be in culture shock!
Migration...
This weekend, although I suffered culture shock, was beautiful weather wise. It was bright and sunny, mid 70s, a nice breeze blowing...you get the picture. As I walked to the mailbox to retrieve the 23 pounds of catalog delivered daily, I stopped and stared in amazement. (Staring seems to be a problem with me these days.) The recipient of my stare this time was not freakish dress or tight clothing, but a monarch butterfly in route to Mexico for the winter (I'm assuming). Butterflies have always caught my eye, so to speak. The right colors, the ease at which they float through the air, the simplicity of life and the freedom they possess. What amazes me about the monarch, specifically, is that the last bunch to hatch for the season is instinctively bred to migrate, for the winter, to Mexico where they gather from all over North America by the thousands and "wake" in the spring and return to their "homes" further north. It just blows my mind that an insect, AN INSECT!, is capable of such greatness to ensure survival of the species.
Mullets...
This is a public service announcement...
Please be warned that mullets are out in full-force! Yes people, "business in the front, party in the rear" in BACK! I witnessed it myself at CiCi's Pizza Saturday evening. I innocently walked in to pick my order, which wasn't ready, when I saw it! I had taken a seat to wait for the overly cheerful CiCi's employee to retrieve my order from the kitchen when I looked up and saw it, plain as day! A woman walked up to the register with "ears cut out" and hair past her bra in the back! Once again, I caught myself staring. This time wondering who the fuck let her out of the salon looking like THAT!
I really do need to get out more often!
You see, my oldest child, at the ripe age of 11, attended the birthday party of a friend. The "party" consisted of meeting at the mall and being set free to "shop" as they pleased, without adult supervision.
Mr. Wonderful and I, being the over protective parents that we are, decided it would be best if I (not sure how I always draw the short straw, but...) followed behind at a distance, keeping the girls at least within sight. This "following at a distance" lasted about as long as the attention span of a gnat. When the girls entered the first store of the evening, Build a Bear, I made a call to Mr. Wonderful and played my BULLSHIT card. There was no way in HELL I was following six girls around the mall for another THREE hours, especially after working all day!
After playing my BULLSHIT card, sucessfully at that :), I batted my eyelashes a few times and earned myself Chili's for dinner! Two victories in my corner already and the night was still young. After seeing that our oldest child was well and good, Mr Wonderful took Middle Child and Monster Man and went home. I set out to find Birthday Girl's mom and the second set of over protective parents. I found them in the food court anxiously waiting for 9pm to roll around.
Here is where the "I don't get out much" quote comes into play. While the other parents chatted away, I zoned out and "people watched". I must say, I did get my fill of "Emo", skinny pants, crazy hair and make-up, tight clothing, and butt cheeks. My mom always taught me not to stare, but I'm sure I was staring. In fact, I KNOW I was staring! Not because I was being rude, but because I was in culture shock for the second time in my life. (The first time was when we moved to big city Fort Worth from small town Ohio.)
With all that being said, here are my (biased, I'm sure) opinions on my observations at the mall...
I now know what students mean when they talk about "Emo", not a fashion trend I'm "down" with, nor ever will be, but I can now relate. To each his/her own...I guess.
Skinny jeans...WTF?? Boys and Girls? This is something I will never attempt to wear or let my own kids wear. They look absolutely hid-e-ous! Now, if they come out with some "Thick Jeans" style, I'm all over that. Until that day, I'm sticking with my mid-rise, full-cut denim.
Now, I can vouch for crazy hair and make-up. I mean who hasn't wanted to be bold on occasion and not had the guts to do so? I'm all about taking risks when it comes to hair! Especially since I've went from 80's hair band hair to shaved neck in the past month and from dirty blonde to auburn this weekend. AND, I'm wearing midnight plum nail polish which looks nearly black and green eye shadow to match my shirt. I'm tired of the same old brown shadow and red pollish. I'm tired of being in hair and make-up limbo, so I TOTALLY understand the craziness in that area.
I can't say the same about tight clothing,, but I will say this...there are certain things that some people should NOT wear in public! Such as jeans 3 sizes too small (I'm not sure how that chic was still breathing!)...4 inch spike heel boots and a leather lace up top. Come on lady, my daughter is shopping here too! BY HERSELF! Show some modesty for Chrissake! As for the tight clothing...no spandex after 12, please? I saw a woman wearing spandex and I was ready to take cover if she blew, I was seriously scared!
In the 90 minutes I spent zoned out, people watching, I saw more butt cheek than I ever care to see the rest of my life. What is the point of wearing a skirt THAT short? Again, where's the modesty?
Oh and same sex relationships? I know they exist, but I guess I was a tad off on my perception of "how many". My last weekend visit to the mall must have been before Ellen came "out of the closet"!
I really do need to make a habit of getting out more often, without the kids. Just to sit and people watch, to ensure that the next time I find myself in a similar situation I will NOT be in culture shock!
Migration...
This weekend, although I suffered culture shock, was beautiful weather wise. It was bright and sunny, mid 70s, a nice breeze blowing...you get the picture. As I walked to the mailbox to retrieve the 23 pounds of catalog delivered daily, I stopped and stared in amazement. (Staring seems to be a problem with me these days.) The recipient of my stare this time was not freakish dress or tight clothing, but a monarch butterfly in route to Mexico for the winter (I'm assuming). Butterflies have always caught my eye, so to speak. The right colors, the ease at which they float through the air, the simplicity of life and the freedom they possess. What amazes me about the monarch, specifically, is that the last bunch to hatch for the season is instinctively bred to migrate, for the winter, to Mexico where they gather from all over North America by the thousands and "wake" in the spring and return to their "homes" further north. It just blows my mind that an insect, AN INSECT!, is capable of such greatness to ensure survival of the species.
Mullets...
This is a public service announcement...
Please be warned that mullets are out in full-force! Yes people, "business in the front, party in the rear" in BACK! I witnessed it myself at CiCi's Pizza Saturday evening. I innocently walked in to pick my order, which wasn't ready, when I saw it! I had taken a seat to wait for the overly cheerful CiCi's employee to retrieve my order from the kitchen when I looked up and saw it, plain as day! A woman walked up to the register with "ears cut out" and hair past her bra in the back! Once again, I caught myself staring. This time wondering who the fuck let her out of the salon looking like THAT!
I really do need to get out more often!
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