If you put a group of Mean Girls up against the Taliban, who would win?

My money would be on the mean girls.

It has been a week filled with lil’ bits of drama.

*MSMG* has hit our house. Have you heard of this disease?

*Middle School Mean Girls.* They are like a cancer. They infiltrate healthy friends and healthy relationships and make them sickly.

Linds is learning life lessons: some people are not happy until they make others miserable

It will take some time for her to acquire her ‘mean girl radar.’ But she is catching on.

It breaks my heart to see her hurting, she has such a huge heart, is such a good friend and a cheerleader for the underdogs(bullied, slow, challenged kids) in school.

I am pretty sure mean girls come from grown up mean Mommies. Shame on the mean mommies.

Anyhoo. ON the brighter side of life…

Linds went to a Halloween party last night.

I told her to “strike a pose” Give me attitude. She is a professional pose striker and attitude giver. :)

Hey, Madonna does not take crap from anyone, now does she?

And just for sh*ts and giggles, a Halloween pose from 10 years ago:

1999

2009

She has not changed much, has she??? Gosh, I could just nibble her little butterfly cheeks off!!!

We are not trick or treating this year. Last year was our last.

I remember when they were little and we had so many “firsts.” Now we seem to have the milestone “lasts”…you know that makes me weepy!

We don’t get trick or treater’s where we live (in the woods) I think we may go see a movie, or do some baking tonight.

Have a wonderful night filled with treats and NO mean girls!!!

TGIF; Driving lessons begin in the garage.

Remember Wednesday when I was Unhappy about our broken garage door? Well, I did not know the full story. Sometimes it is better to NOT know the full story.

What I knew: After hearing a large crash in  the garage at 6:20 am, Coach re-enters the house and tells me “You can’t get your car out, get someone to take Linds to school and please call a garage repair guy”

Me still asleep: OK.

Good news: The garage repair guy comes, works on it for about 15 minutes puts it all back together and finds nothing mechanically wrong with it. He is confuzzled. I am confuzzled. He charges me NOTHING and I give him a big kiss thank you!

Around 2:30 that day Coach calls me and inquires about the door status. I give him the good news and then he tells me the rest of the story:

“Well your daughter (Lo) put her backpack in the back seat of my truck and unknowingly closed the truck door with the garage door motor cord stuck in the truck door , she then proceeded to back out of the garage….bringing with the garage door with US!!!”

 The ‘just a bit too long’ cord.

In hindsight, it is pretty funny. Well it is hilarious since no one and neither vehicle were injured. 

The really funny part? I did  this same thing about a year ago, but with different results. When I unknowingly caught the cord in my car, I pulled out and as the hood of my car exited the garage, the door came down at lightening speed and narrowly missed my hood. It took me till later that day to figure out what I did to make the garage door come crashing down.

Today’s To Do List: Shorten that darn cord!!!

 

I hope you all have nice plans this weekend, or NO plans at all…that is nice too. Remember to fall back Sunday morning.

Anyone having a big weekend??? 

My 5 cents.

I have the most exciting news to share.

Maybe I Should clarify: It is exciting news to ME. But if you stare deeply into my eyes and repeat what I say, you will be just as excited….

As I was finishing up my weekly Target run last week stimulating of the economy.. I bellied up to the cashier (I always wanted to belly up to something) and plopped down my reusable shopping bag *from another store* and my items to purchase. The cashier smiled brightly and told me that I would get 500 dollars off of my order for bringing in my own bags!!!

Can you hardly stand this? I was ecstatic. I squealed with delight, gave her a high 5 and then did a one handed cart wheel and a round-off back handspring.

Her jaw dropped as she said to me: “Geeze lady, calm your butt down, it’s only 5 cents.”

Oops.

Ok, some of that happened; the 5 cents part.

But I can still do a one handed cartwheel. And a round-off. forrizzle.

Target will give you a nickel off of your order for every bag you bring in.

I just can’t decide if I should spend my nickel or save it for a rainy day. No rain in the forecast so lets spend!!!

Time for MATH CLASS:

I go to Target at least one time a week. I usually need at least 2 reusable bags.

Multiply that by a year and I have saved a whopping 5 dollars and 2 cents.

I still can’t decide what to do with it.

Don’t get me wrong, you won’t hear me complaining about saving money, but the most important part of this is encouraging people to do away with the Satan made plastic bags.

I am super duper excited about this big step in the right direction… This is what happens to someone who has nightmares filled with landfills and the great Garbage Swirl floating in our oceans. AND I drank a lot of coffee this morning too.

**Must stop tapping feet and twitching eyes***

I am easily excited.

I just can’t imagine this rubbish rolling up to my beaches…

And seeing sea creatures suffer because of our lacksy daisyness, well that just breaks my heart into a million little pieces. Broken hearts=litter.

Have you been using your own bags?

I have noticed more and more people getting on the bandwagon, and I consider them my friends…the others? NOT so MUCH. :)

Are you one of my *friends*?

Recycling your plastic bags is better than throwing them in the garbage…But it still takes lots of resources *petroleum* to make them.

Plastic bags NOT taken directly to the recycling center seem to magically somehow make their way to our water ways. And right into our little turtle friends mouth. He is not smart, he will put anything in his mouth. Poor thimble sized brain turtles. We have bigger brains than sea creatures…we must do something for them.

Right?

PS. I am not a big fan of paper bags either, but you can use leftover paper bags (fast food, liquor store) to scoop cat poop. I’m just sayin’

Get creative!!!

It makes me happy that…

• …My husband loves any dinner I prepare, be it a fantastic compilation I have poured hours into or a soup and sandwich kind of night.
• …I enjoy being around my girls and vice versa.
• …I never run out of things to talk to my Mom about.
• …I have tivo.
• …My washer and dryer are wonderful.

•  …I found this photo on my laptop that Lo took of herself trying to go ‘cross eyed’.

  
• …I can sleep in most weekends, and no one gives me any grief.
• …Fall will be here *fingers crossed* soon.
• …I have a new grocery store right around the corner.

•  

• …Tomorrow is my Uncle Jim’s birthday. He is the best Uncle in the universe and he looks really snazzy in a fuchsia tie. Remember the book: Real men eat quiche?  Well I say: Real men wear fuchsia.

 

Ok, for the negative Nancy in me…I have only TWO Unhappy moments {so far} this week to share:

It makes me unhappy that:

…*someone* accidentally threw away her $300.00 retainer yesterday at school. “Um, hello Mrs. Dr. Orthodontist, guess what…”

...Our garage door decided that it has had enough of this opening and closing business and it’s taking a ‘break’. Literally. If you were my car, wouldn’t  you be scared? Two of the panels are hanging by a prayer in midair with a few large bolts laying on the garage floor!

      

• Looks like another $expensive$ week at Casa Day by Day.
• I hope your happy’s outweigh your NOT happy’s today too.

What you are happy about today?

The Grandma Tree

A few days after my Grandma passed away, Coach’s Dad gave us a Yellow Tabebuia tree to plant in our yard in Grandma’s memory.

Isn’t that just the nicest gift ever? Yes, I have said before how lucky I am to have two (thanks to the beauty of 2nd marriages) wonderful sets of in laws.

I chose the perfect spot to plant The Grandma Tree too. Just off the pool lanai area, where she is visible from the kitchen, family room, back hall, the master bedroom and of course the lanai too.

Right now she looks like this:

When this type of tree is moved, it will drop every singe leaf. she is bare naked.

We planted her a few weeks ago…and apparently she is happy because she is already sprouting leaves!!!!

This is what a mature Tabebuia tree looks like. They have a short, but intense blooming period…I think in March. Not sure if ours will bloom this coming year, or maybe wait a year?

One thing I did learn about these trees is that the more mature they become, the more blooming they will do. I think that is pretty cool...

getting older makes you show more of your true color!

Which sums up my Grandmas’ life perfectly.

If she was full of anything, she was full of color!!!

K…for my Kitchen

I love our kitchen. I adore our kitchen. I adore our lovely Kulinary Korrect kitchen.

I feel so lucky to have my kick-butt kitchen. I know there are a gazillion kitchens bigger and better than ours…but ours is perfect for our family, and taking into consideration our humble beginnings…this is a dream come true.

Of course, it was klearly kustomized for us by KCoach.

Our Kitchen was one of the first designs that Coach did when we moved to Florida and built our house 13 years ago. I think I was able to put my 2 cents in here and there, but for the most part it was all him.

We have made a few renovations in the last 13 years; new appliances,  countertops and sink. But the layout/style is Klassic.  And Klassic never gets old.

Have I ever mentioned my unnatural love of appliances?

Well, this obsession is worthy of therapy sessions. Many sessions. :) 

  Notice Cocoa on the rooster rug in front of the sink…her favorite spot to nap and watch for falling food make me go around her!!

You can Klearly see, I am not a fan of Klutter. But I am a fan of oils/vinegars/spices. And a lil’ bit of Kolor. 

The old saying that The Kitchen is the HEart of the HoMe is so true. Ours is the center of our life….oh, to think of all the Kalories injested in here…oy vey!

Our kitchen is my favorite room in our house, with our master bedroom/bath a close second. Do you have a favorite room in your house?

 

To see how other folks used the letter K today, go visit: A-Z Mondays.

Oy vey. Can someone write a clear manual on raising kids? And soon?

Here is where we may have messed up…

But, before that: where the hell is my “raising my children perfectly” manual?

You know, when you buy a new car, you get a book thicker than my waist.

But bring home a new baby? NOTHING. Nothing.

To be brief and not too detailed….because my girls read this…and perhaps some of their friends too.

One of my girls had boyfriends in the past. And when I say boyfriends, I don’t mean in the ‘dating’ kind…it is the talking on the phone, texting, IM’ing kind. And she was collecting them like beanie babies for a while there. We gave her a hard time about it. The WHOLE family did…Myself, Dad, Sister, Grandparents, Uncle…So much so, I think it hurt her feelings. and for that I am really sorry.

Sometimes I forget what it was like to be a teenager. Oh, you remember those hellish wonderful years, right?

I remember what it was like when boys first realized I existed. For me, it was approximately 6 years after I found that they existed. But I think my sweet girl, found them the same time they found her. And boy…did they find her.

Since we gave her such a hard time about it all…now she has turned into a clam. She shares NOTHING. And this makes me sad. I want her to be able to share with me.

I screwed up.

Do you always screw up with the first one? Is that a given? Do I get another chance?

This whole scenario makes me think the Duggars and their 29 19 kids are on to something. Practice makes perfect.

Apparently also being pregnant that many times makes you think of some crazy names that all start with the letter J.

Jjjjjjjj...jonas jamima, jusanne, jauren, jalindsay, ja'eff....or something crazy...

Is it better to know something is going on that you don’t approve of, than to NOT know what is going on at all???

For now on, I will keep my ears open, my heart wide and my words to a minimum.

And with minimum, you know I mean, still a few words. right?

I think this may be for the best.

Gosh, this parenting class is the hardest/funnest I ever had to take.

When do I get my report card?????

Do I get extra points for anything??? ANYTHING????

Have you learned anything you would like to share with the class?

TGIF; Google Smoogle.

Happy Friday Ya’ll.

I’m not feeling any mojo the last few days..not sure what my issue is, so I don’t have anything to say except for the following 492 words.

I am very impressed shocked with the google words/phrases to lead people to my blog.

Now, I know we have all googled some silly phrases, but, I think it is quite normal to google how to rid your rescue boxer named Ozzie of his horrid wharf breath your local weather or news.

Lately there has been lots of phrases that include Kathy Lee Gifford and her hurt wrist.  I had no idea so many folks in the world worried about her and her wrist. I could not even remember writing about Kathy Lee Gifford or her wrist, but I did have a post where I noted how annoying she can be.

 Then I also received a lot of visits from people looking up the great Pooh quotes that I posted back on “P” day. That sweet, cuddly Pooh bear, he is so  timeless…just like the Rapper's Delight he is a classic!

Hotel, Motel, Holiday INN….good luck getting that out of your head today.

Sadly, I am still getting hits on my post about needing a Sister Wife. Yes, I still need one, and apparently so do other people. Forget Russian Brides and health care reform, lets have a Sister wife-Exchange program.  And I still think they very clever by hiding canned goods in their hair in lieu of using the Bump-IT!  They are the original bump-it girls.

After looking at that picture again I realized I could fit in… I like being close with my friends and I look good in all shades of blue & green.

 

And two of the most disturbing phrases that led folks to my blog:

 

you tube dr. oz yesterday's show on hemorrhoids 

Seriously, I don’t recall every writing about Dr. Oz or Rhoids. That I would remember.

And I saved the most frightening best for last:

Why does busybee make my pee orange?

For real. Why would someone google that??? I have nothing to do with your pee, ok? Perhaps someone is taking too many busy bee vitamins? Ewwww.

 

Happy Friday.

I hope you have a weekend filled with close friends, good hair, regular colored pee, contagiously good music and NO worries.

oh, and go ahead and google something silly…it will bring a smile to the day of someone you don’t know..or perhaps make them wonder about civilization as we know it. either way, it is fun!

Anything interesting on your calendar for the weekend??

A crime has occured.

And it happened weeks ago.

I am sure it has happened to you too.

While picking up your candy corn and decorative gourds, you should never hear Christmas Carols playing over the loud speaker.

This is so wrong. This triggers something in me that comes from deep down inside.

I can’t be held responsible for cart/ankle injuries because of *PCTD.

*Premature Christmas Traumatic Disorder*

This makes me want to stick a fork in my ear while running/shrieking through the aisles of my local store.

Must write letters to congress.

Will you support me on this platform?

Boxer/pumpkin photo borrowed from: www.k9ring.com/blog/?tag=/favorite+dog+breeds

Boxer/adorable girls/Christmas tree borrowed from: MY file. Which clearly was taken AT Christmas time.

To Brag, or not to Brag…

That is the question.

Well, really, this is not bragging, it is sharing. I know there is a difference. And lord knows, I am a sharer.

Lo attended her homecoming dance on Saturday. She is 3 for 3 going with girlfriends. I love this. She is ready to have fun with her friends.  I wish I had been as carefree at her age.

Let’s count how many homecoming dances Suz attended: ZIP.

That includes Prom too: Zip.

Of course there is a story about prom, I have shared it with my girls a dozen few times. My story includes Madonna, a last minute loser boyfriend, lost keys, a broken window and a boat on wheels. Luckily, no pictures were taken that night. :)

Ok, here is the pictures of my Lo from Saturday. I wish I had a ‘before’ shot from an hour and a half earlier when she walked into the house after her 3 hour softball practice. A transformation happened.  

Junior year

Gawsh…what a knock out. She had a wonderful time with her friends…her feet were killing her from dancing, but she still awoke  early Sunday morning for 2 back to back scrimmage softball games. 

 

Sophomore year  

With the dreaded cast. Luckily Black goes with anything…even GREEN.

Freshman year…so cute!

 

 

I wish I could freeze this year…all the talk about college plans, life goals for the near future, it just flips me out!!!

How does a parent ever let them go?  Is chaining them to the house illegal?

L is for…

Laughing.

This is my favorite sport/past time/hobby.

I admit, I have been criticized for my laugh. It is a bit on the ‘cackling’ side. It is a bit loud.

I apologize. But if this is my crime. I will do my time. I can’t control it.

I was spanked many times in school for my uncontrollable laugh. Yes, I am a horrible person, because I laugh.

Put that on my PERMANENT RECORD MR. Principal.

Did you know that laughing burns calories???? It does. Seriously, I should be stick skinny right now if that were scientifically accurate.

I have noticed that everyone in my family has their own laugh.

I love them all.

I love the loud, full mouth open laugh.

I love the mouth closed, almost silent laugh.

I love the snorting/giggling laugh.

Have you ever seen the ‘mouth wide open, and I will bite your face off laugh’?

I have mastered this one too.

I even love the almost silent, but body is shaking to the nth degree laugh.

I love the laugh that causes a person to shake so much, and if they are holding a baby, you have to shout out to them: “Don’t shake the baby!”

Of course, babies should learn early on…laughing is not only good medicine,

it is the elixir of life.

All laughs all great. They all bring me joy. They all make me laugh.

Sometimes my girls ask me: why do you laugh so much?

My reply: If I were not laughing, then I would be crying.

Have you laughed today?

What the hey are you waiting for?

To see how others used the L word today visit: A-Z mondays!

From The RUFF Streets…

To my 600 thread count Sheets!

And the loveseat.

And the leather sectional.

And sometimes even on a dog bed.

This week is our one year anniversary since we Adopted our Ozzie

Boy, did this guy win the lottery?

On second thought, perhaps we are the winners?

We still wonder what his life was before he was rescued. He was found wandering the mean streets of Tampa…39 lbs, scared, hungry and sick with heartworms. His ears were clipped (badly) his tail docked (badly) and he was not fixed yet.

He is now a healthy 60lb happy boy.

What a year for him. He has a nice home, a nice friend to run from play with. A new family…including two teenagers that like to dress him up on occasion. Ok, I dress him up too. I think he likes it.

He spent new years eve in a beautiful mountain home in N.C with his family. Family vacations around here, usually include the dogs too!

He is living the life… He gets at least two car rides a day and two square meals a day plus cookies and bananas.

And of course, he gets lots of love and kisses!

Two of my favorite posts regarding our boxers:

How owning boxers is somewhat similar to living with Angelina Jolie.

Irony

I can’t stress how much adopting a rescue dog has enhanced our lives. I will never ever get another pet anywhere without trying to go through a rescue organization first.

If you know anyone looking for a pet, please encourage them to seek a rescue group or the local shelter. There are rescue groups out there for just about EVERY breed of dog or cat..and of course the Heinz 57’s (mutts) are always a treat too.

There are so many needy pets out there!!!

And remember:

Please spay and neuter all your animals…and any weird relatives too. Especially that strange Uncle.

I find older men distinguished.

Is 44 considered older? Maybe. If you are 20. Which I used to be.

Coach, circa 1971.

Who knew that way back in 1985, we would still be celebrating birthdays together??

The Love birds. Circa 1985. This was Halloween; we just started dating in September. Your Mom took this picture. I can only imagine what she thought about me: HOOKER? French maid???

Of course, back then we did not have a clue what was ahead of us. All good. Mostly Good. Ok, mostly ALL good.

For the big 44, I have got you some great gifts to commemorate the day.

Oh, and don’t stress about the money. I’ve finally after 6 weeks of playing won the lottery!!!

Not enough for you to retire…yet, but a nice little purse full of moolah for the man himself. Well, I mean for me to buy the man himself some gifts. You know how I am such a brilliant shopper and all!!!!

First of all I will traded in your pick up truck and get you a new less stained, less dented model:

It has that new car smell, not the new athlete smell.

It is all ready to go, I even put in a nice rubber mat in the bed so all your softball equipment won’t roll around.

And for the work days, this will make your commute much nicer. Don’t you think?

It is deluxe, right down to the built in refrigerator. You know, so you can keep your beef jerky fresh raspberry tea cold.

This could possibly be your favorite gift of all:

The Dolphins will win the super bowl this year!!!!! Yes, it is a miracle.

I have arranged for a helicopter to drop us and 34 2 of our closest friends right at the stadium in Tampa. VIP all the way baby!!!!

And also, I called all the world leaders the powers that be, and we will have this flippin’ economy booming in a week or two. Get that manufacturing plant full of employees again, we will be rolling in the dough work!!!!

I took the liberty to move mountains hypnotize all the softball parents prior to our season starting. They WILL all act properly this year. They will all see beyond their own daughter and actually THINK OF THE TEAM AS A WHOLE, and not just ONE kid . Yep, no more whining 40 year old Dads!!!! No more threatening of your life!!!

WOOHOOO!!

It will actually BE FUN this year!!

I know, this is amazing. And some thought the parting the red seas was a miracle????

And of course, the year would not be complete without the best gift ever. And this one I can actually PROMISE to you: The undying, unfaltering love of your wife and the two cutest teenager daughters in the world. That is a given.

Everything else is just icing on the cake of life!!!!

Speaking of cake? I am assuming you still love Carvel??????

Happy Birthday Baby!!!!

M is for….

Matchbooks! I have a vast collection of matchbooks. I love em’

Suz Fun Fact: I earned the camp name Pyro (as in Pyromaniac) at girl scout camp. I just could not leave the fire alone. To clarify, this was Girl Scout Leader training camp about 10 years ago!!! Don’t worry, my fascination with fire is over, now I limit it to soy candles. Mmmm…I can almost smell the sulfur just looking at this picture. :)

I started collecting matchbooks to smell the sulfur a long time ago. You used to be able to find them everywhere. Now, smoking is so politically incorrect, not to mention a death sentence, you can hardly find them anymore.

Believe it or not, matches, according to my greenbook are more environmentally friendly than lighters.

Lighters sit in landfills. forever :(

The very first match ever was invented in 1827. People had been fooling around with phosphorous since 1669 trying to light things up to make a type of match. The matchbook was finally patented in 1910 by the Diamond Match Co.

Apparently, I am not the only person who collects these as I found tons on Ebay. No, I did not bid. I like to find mine on my own, just like my sea glass collection. :)

Some of my favorites:

The party favors from OUR wedding. Yep, looks like I over ordered. Apparently back in the ‘90’s there were not too many options for party favors. I have a plethora of wedding matchbooks I have collected over the years and some of those folks are still married!!!

I even have some from our rehearsal dinner (that place is long gone) and from our honeymoon in CA.

The Coach used to travel internationally back in the day and he brought home some interesting matchbooks! I always loved it when he brought them to me. It reminded me that he was thinking about me, and also it reminded me that I am a cheap date gift receiver.

Do you collect anything that is hard to come by today?

Can your collection go up in flames…with the strike of a match?

For other M words today, go visit: A-Z Mondays.