Emergency...there's a helicopter on my house.....

So I'm in the shower, hum de hum, singing and the like..

and suddenly there's this big noise... yeah a BIG NOISE!!!

I thought a damn helicopter was landing on the roof..

so I ran out naked to check... not really!! urgghh.

No chopper... back to my daily routine...

Slow forward to later in the day.. and I open the laundry room door

to find my chopper from earlier... the spin cycle of course!!!

I guess the washer just wanted a better look at the dryer!!!!!

Happy Days!!!

Tues. Morning Random Ramblings....

Have been a little slack in the blog world lately, lots to do in real life and quite franky

just not feeling too creative!! I think I'm creatived out!!! blah!!!

A new toy may solve the problem, my darling employer and lover of all things gadgety

has dangled a new carrot..... the Bamboo Fun... Google it... I found it cheapest on

Amazon (my fave) with free shipping. Get one today!!!!

p.s. I am totally out of fun money so I haven't ordered mine yet but I have

a birthday coming up soon so any generous benefactors reading may want to

send me one!!! Thanks!!!!

Been having the weirdest, and I mean Weirdest dreams lately... one was about a

house I lived in with my Mum and it was all done up beautifully, then some guys came

and started to tear it down because we didn't pay the bill. I was terrified and so damn

angry all at the same time. Then they left the stairs half done and dangling so I asked her

how the hell she intended to get down the stairs and she threw herself off the top.

DO NOT want to dream that again!!!

Speaking of dreams, some are kinda reoccurring, not really the situation in the

dreams but the places. I often dream about this one particular house, to my

conscious knowledge I've never seen it but it always appears in my dreams and

I know every detail of it. I'd like to live in it! it's nice!

So, anyone else afraid to fly these days? I never have been, I love flying

but it is getting a little scary. It's starting to get a little like growing up in the UK in the

seventies and never trusting anyone with an Irish accent....

Why don't retailers just cut the crap and dispense with the song and dance of

charging high prices before Christmas??? We all know we can get it 75% off after

Christmas and hoard it 'til next year when we can't remember where we hoarded

it and end up rebuying it at the high price only to discover our hoarding place as

soon as we walk in from the car with the high priced stuff under our arms!!

DANG!!!!!

And finally, really I could go on for days but I have laundry to do, finally,

a shout out to Aunt Kim... she raved about my blog when I saw her at Christmas,

she made me feel really good, she shared her Heineken with me, and we had a

great time!!! She bought me some terrific stemless wine glasses and wrapped

them in the prettiest paper with a big bow!!! She knows me!!!!

She loves Otin and made the comment that she thinks he just doesn't like

people!! LOL... You Rock Aunt Kim and I love you!!!

Ooopsss sorry that's not Aunt Kim, how did that get there???

That's better, here she is.. sad that the Heineken is empty... don't worry

AK..plenty more in the cooler!!! Hugs!!!!

Yep... I had a Merry Little Merlot...

And a merry Cab and one or two merry little Sangria's, there may have been a Jack or two and I think a Heineken showed up for the party somewhere!!!!!While I have been gone from the Blogosphere I have been whooping it up with family and friends... and guess what... we had a fabulous time!!!! The in laws showed up on Christmas Eve and we had a nice dinner and hung out for a while, we opened one present each.... pj's, an idea stolen from Tori at Not in Kalamazoo Anymore... and that will be done forever more in our household... loved it!!!! We all looked so festive going to bed that night!!

Christmas morning was an early one, Ash woke the house up at about four thirty am. We got up and opened presents, then of course I went back to bed... not a morning person, remember? Then hubby made a fabulous breakfast and we all had a relaxed time eating and talking and catching up with his parents. Late morning we started making dinner.... turkey in the crock pot... love it!!! Ham in the oven, whipped up a couple of casserols and tah dah.... it was ready... of course the Aunt and Uncle coming in from the Gulf Coast were late but no biggie... we ate almost as soon as they arrived. Everything went really well.... I mentally patted myself on the back and had another glass of wine....and another and just one more....

In the afternoon I managed to get my sissy and nephew on Skype for a Video Call... she was pretty sloshed... it was really fun!!! That will have to be a tradition now too. Not that I'm gonna wait to have the vid call but it will deffo be a part of Christmas day every year from now on. Of course there was much hilarity with the Wii later in the evening before everyone called it a night.

So Sat morning was a rush to get ready and packed for a sleep over in Tampa for the night... we were having the family "shin dig" at Grannies house in the afternoon.... another opportunity to catch up with the rest of the family and get drunk!!! As always we had a lot of fun, my SIL is a big fan of my blog.... she has impecable taste!!!! and she follows Otin too so!!! told you she has good taste. We had such a good time, there are pictures... but I'm saving them for a real post... this is just a catch up!!

Anyhoodles... we went back to the hotel later, watched The Wedding Planner and fell asleep... nice beds at the Hilton.. not bad... although I have some kind of sinus thing going on that means I am snoring like a freakin' dinosaur and I'm sure I kept the whole of Tampa awake last night. There was even a report on the local new about some supernatural occurance that they were investingating.

So there you have it .... I'm tired, happy and glad it all went well. That's if for another year, just gotta get through New Years and we're home free!!!! Missed y'all.. hope you're Christmas was as lovely as mine and that you had the best of the best!!!!!!

Countdown is beginning.....

So, here we are Wednesday morning... tomorrow is Christmas Eve and you

know the rest... presents wrapped, check, food prepared, almost check,

house cleaned, not quite check.... yard done....

ah yes... hubby's responsible for yard, better take a look out

the window....

Leaves to the left of me....

Leaves to the right.....OMG!!!!!

Better check the back yard... OK... there appears to be progress here....

we have about a third or so done... good.....

Nooooo not good...wtf is this????? our high vac super duper leaf

sucker upper is in pieces and the tool box is out....

Seems we will be living with the leaves a little longer....

I'm off back to bed.....

Sorry family who are about to come visit.... looks like

we'll be a bit of a mess when  you get here!!!! Hope that's ok and that

you'll come anyway, we love you leaves or no leaves!!!

He's Da Bomb

He's Da Bomb, originally uploaded by McGillicutty1.

This is the other man in my life... and I love him.

Thank you and good day!!!

leaves leaves everywhere

leaves leaves everywhere, originally uploaded by McGillicutty1.

Well it seems like everyone has snow 'cept me!!! I'm pissed!!!

I want snow and if I want something I'll damn well get it by fair means or fowl. Even the homies back in jolly Olde England have snow for crying out loud..... oh it's cold here... on and off... and it's raining like you wouldn't believe but snow... nope not a chance.

So what's a girl to do... Picnic of course... no I'm not outside freezin' my buns off eating sarnies and drinking wine out of plastic cups. I'm warm and toasty with my net book on my lap altering a pic to within an inch of it's life.... and this is what I came up with.

Hope you like it!! Now we have snow!!!!

I'm exhausted,,,, and it's not here yet....

See here's the thing.. I love Christmas, or should I say I loved it. Growing up we didn't put the tree or the decorations up until Christmas Eve and left them there until January 6th. This did two things for a little girl excited about all the magic and the presents and the joy of the season.... firstly it made one mad that all one's friends parents put their trees up early, we were the only nuts in the town, it seemed, who waited until Christmas Eve...what a crock!!! On the other hand it was completely magical, the tree would be brought in and fill the house with the lovely scent of fresh pine, we'd drag out the decorations and you know how that goes....reminiscing about your favorite baubles (as we call them in the good olde UK) making sure the tinsel was even all around the tree and wondering if it was even gonna make it; we'd always have to cut some of the tree off to fit it in the house and then we'd put it in a bucket and hope it wouldn't fall over. We didn't have tree stands back then... in the dark ages. Let me also share the rest of the decorations with you, in 1970's Britain there was a lot of shiny weird decorations that looked like they belonged in a Chinese restaurant, we'd hang them from the ceiling and around the edges of the walls, some people would drape tinsel over their pictures hanging on the walls. We had a tradition of Blue Tacking (google it) all the Christmas cards that we received in the hallway of our house. They literally filled the walls, everywhere you looked cards of all shapes and sizes!!! Freakin ridiculous, looking back on it. Then there was the hoop... yes a hoop... my Mum was really pretty creative when I look back on it. She had this crazy idea to cover a hula hoop with red shiny tinsel, then suspend it under the chandelier in the living room with fishing line, then she dangled something else from it, bells or something festive like that. It looked like it was hanging in mid air... then the piece de resistance was the streamers going from the ring to the corners of the room. Magnifique!!!!! We'd then go to bed and voila...wake up the next morning to a beautifully decorated house and Santa had delivered the goods!!!

Anyhoodles... went way off track with all that didn't I???  What I was trying to point out is that although it was purgatory waiting for the tree and decs to go up, it meant that all the magic happened in a couple of days and there was no waiting around with a winter wonderland happening around you and no goods being delivered. That's probably what made me into the instant gratification kinda chick I am today.

Jump to present day America, here I am in the hub of Commercial Central... Christmas starts pretty much right after July 4th.... and it goes on and on and on and on and on... you get the picture.  Our tree went up the last weekend of November, my sister pointed out that was pretty ridiculous... she was right. Now it looks like it's been dragged around the back yard several times and attacked by a stray moose. So on THE DAY... you know the DAY that is Christmas, it will be a bedraggled pile of plastic and paper and I"ll be ready to take the damn thing down and get it out of my life for another year. There have been parades, Victorian Christmas, shopping nights, Christmas parties, Church Choir performances and Goodness knows what else. Ash has been to school twice in pajamas to watch Christmas movies and drink hot chocolate... Syd has performed the Reindeer Rap and been to see the Highschoolers perform a Christmas play..... I'm DONE!!! ya hear me freakin' DONE!!! NO MORE!!!!! It goes on and on until when the big day gets here you're totally freakin' over it already. Why can't it all just wait... wait until the week before Christmas, that way one won't get so nauseated with all the Good Will toward men and happy freakin' Jingle Bells.

I took the day off today, it was to stay home with my sick child who's really had a rough week, but it served a purpose to me too. While I took care of her, I took care of me too. I rested with her and realized I'm totally exhausted dammit... not just tired... not just a little out of steam... absolutely, effin' unbelievably exhausted!!!!

So I stayed home and rested, I made good on the opportunity to recharge my batteries... and I made a plan. See when the Americans are planning all the festivities, they over schedule just the first three weeks of December... and then it stops. So here's where I will start.... I'm baking tonight for our visitors, I'll be taking the kids to a light show over the weekend, just us, looking at the lights, enjoying being together. Then I will do some last minute shopping and wrap the gifts in the knowledge that no one has to be anywhere other than home and enjoying our time together. This is where I slow down and focus on the real meaning of Christmas, I will try and enjoy Hubby and the girls, we'll spend quality time together and we'll make our home warm and welcoming to the rest of the family. Yep that's what we're gonna do.

Since starting this post I paused to bake a bunch o' baked goods... lovely pumpkin bread, banana bread and sausage rolls. Tomorrow I'll throw together some sausage cheese balls, mince pies (staple of a British Christmas) and I'll try my hand at some cheese straws.....if you have a recipe for them please send it to me post haste!!! I'm determined to make it all about the hospitality and less about the dollars spent, traditions for my girls that hopefully they'll remember and take forth to the next generation. Who knew that baking at home with some smooth jazz would relax me so????  The wine helped too!! hee hee!!!

Look at the lovely Rose Pumpkin Bread.... who knew???

p.s. Ash just walked in and said she's gonna be nice now 'cos she wants presents!!! LMAO!!!

Attention to detail.. and who's that in the background....

Sometimes when one is trying to get some half decent shots it pays to have the

kids around... they are such clowns.....

When I want to take a picture of my darlings they are not always

cooperative, then when i don't want them in the shot they sneak in anyways...

I had originally thought to capture the Nutcrackers as Ash lined them up

to play with them on the table... but the shots turned into something way cuter!!

Life is never dull with the chicklets around... God luv 'em!!!!

In an effort to redeem the reputation of my beloved Nikon I am posting some pictures that

I took at Victorian Christmas that weren't so shitty after all.

See.... this is how Armadillos celebrate in the South!!!!

And this is how little Peanut's like to eat cotton candy... (candy floss for our euro readers!)

That's a lot of sugar for an itty bitty Peanut, and yes she ate it all!!! (pretty much)

This is how the trees are decorated all down Main St. it really helps put

one in a festive mood!!! lovely!!!

So I hope you'll agree that these are not baaad pictures and if I could just perfect the

aperture and the ISO as advised by my good friend Spud, I might just be onto something.

I think I just naturally like pictures taken in daylight with crisp colors and sharp images.

Corner View... Books....

This week's corner view is books.... and my picture sucks.... sorry.
 Last week was Victorian Christmas here in my little Corner of the World.... and my fave book store downtown had the neatest wreath hanging on their doors so I though... yay... that will be my Corner View.... and I snapped the pic... and it sucks... but I'm still posting it cos you'll get the idea!!!!!!

note to self... really must do better with CV... I love Jane and the other CVers and don't want to let them down by being a lazy ass participant!!!!

It has newspaper at the back and then pages from books making up the front of the wreath.

Too Cool... if you're in Thomasville, go check it out, it's called the Bookshelf and it's very cool!!

Now, go check out the other Corner Views... I'm sure they did a much better job than this slacker!

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A little Tuesday Morning Randomonium....

Lately I have been really good about writing posts and scheduling them, thus freeing up my time to check out other blogs, comment and make new friends. Also more time for playing with the kids, getting them everything they need for school in the final weeks before Christmas and taking care of hubby who has a mystery illness called Man Flu.  Man Flu is of course not terminal although the patient has to be cared for like it is the very worst, life threatening disease on the planet. You must administer more medicine than woman flu requires (which apparently is a mild irritation compared to Man Flu...see how MF gets a capitalization even!) and the victim of MF must wear ridiculous clothing and spend a lot of time "resting" in front of the TV. Honestly, sweats with beige socks!!! and slippers!!!! How does being a people of Walmart make you feel better????

Today though I have run out of scheduled items so for a fill in I like to do my little Randomonium spot, it has a special place in my heart......

Dexter... watched the final episode last night (we have to download it 'cos we're too cheap for Showtime) and it was disturbing!!! Both hubster and myself are sad... just sad.... boo hooooo.

Syd... she's sick too and really upset that she can't perform in the Christmas extravaganza at school tonight... why oh why is it so hard to watch you're little ones when their hearts are breaking?  I wish I had some miracle drug that would perk her up and get her on the stage tonight, she's practiced so much that Peanut knows the song and offered to take her place!!! LOL.. now that's funny!!!!

Weather... it sucks here right now... one day it's freezing and raining... then it's downright hot... but still raining.. which makes for heavy fog and steam... yes steam people.. it's like living in a damn rain forest right now. And because it's so wet out everywhere looks shitty... just plain shitty... like the whole town needs a good clean. I'm ready for some brisk, dry weather with a beautiful blue sky.. not too much to ask.

Work.... I love my job, mainly because I love the people I work with. They are sad at the moment and that's all I have to say... I"m praying for some healing!!!

Dogs... my babies are the light of my life, and that's all I have to say about that.

Christmas... apparently we are the host family for this Christmas' celebrations.. all of a sudden we've leaped from an intimate little family Christmas to hosting six additional guests.... now I"m cooking a proper dinner for ten.. better get something russelled up real quick like.  I am really looking forward to it though, I love to have a houseful and entertain.  As long as my IV of red wine doesn't run out, all will be well.

And finally... I am kinda pissed at my beloved Nikon... yes I went there.... sorry Nikon Girls... I just can't get to grips with it in the dark!!!! I took it to Victorian Christmas the other night and it was a disaster. I know, I know I need to read the manual... but I don't want to read the freakin' manual, it's boring, I just want to take awesome pictures!!!!!!!!!!!  Here's a look at how I did...........put you're coffee down...........

What's up with this... Why is the peanut a blur??

OK used the flash (I know!) and there's a dark shadow????

No flash, and it just Stinks!!!!!

No flash, stood very still.... still stinks!!!!

Finally, half decent I guess.

None of the above have been edited.. what's the point? they stink!!

This is Halloween, this is Halloween!!!!

Today's post comes to you from unfamiliar territory, I am live from the bedroom of little Ash!!! Let me describe my surroundings.....we're sitting on a  princess bed, off white iron molded into a kinda swirly four poster with little finials on the posts. Cute! The sheets and duvet are pink, yellow and purple with tiny flowers on the fabric with bigger flowers sewn on for decoration and ribbon embellishments.... sounds posh right? came form Wally World. There's a pile of clean clothes at the bottom of the bed that I couldn't be bothered to put away, Daisy is now curled up on the clean clothes... she's a shih tzu and doesn't shed so I don't care!!!

My coffee is on the little white shelf next to the bed... the shelf has wooden hooks underneath and from them hang a Hello Kitty purse, a straw Cowgirl hat (Sheriff no less!) and a tiny yellow, hanger for dolls clothes. Next to the shelves is a GIANT window, covered with two inch faux wood blinds in white (custom made for the huge window and never pulled up cos they weigh  more than me!!!). Outside it's a cold, wet miserable day, the rain is steadily falling without a hope of letting up before we have to go and ring the Salvation Army Bell outside the local Publix (British contingent: read Sainsbury's). A holiday tradition we adopted a couple of years ago and the girls love it!!!!!

Back to my post and why I am coming to you from the room of and odd little five year old... another of our holiday traditions is to watch the Nightmare Before Christmas!!!! We ADORE this movie... watch it all year round but almost every weekend during the Holiday season. Forget A Wonderful Life and The Grinch we're all about Jack the Pumpkin King and Santy Claus. Tim Burton is a freakin' genius y'all. We also have James and Giant Peach which is just fabulous, this year we may add to the collection with the Corpse Bride and Coraline.  If you haven't already discovered the magnificence that is Tim Burton you have been missing out!!
Ash likes to share the excitement of the movie so she requested that I come into her room and blog from here while we watch the movie together. With so much inspiration how could I refuse!!!! Daddy's being a grinch, he's watching some truck show on Man TV and hogging the bigger screen.... it doesn't matter to us, Nightmare is great no matter where you watch it.... as long as you can cuddle and enjoy it with someone you love!!!!

p.s. Ash has a new way of expressing herself.  I put a hook on the outside of her bedroom door so she can hang her little chalk board, she then draws a picture so you can tell her mood, or she'll leave a message so you know who is or is not allowed in at any given time. Here's the mood board from this morning....

Guess she got up on the wrong side of the Princess bed!!!

Go ahead, link to this post and let us know your favorite Christmas movie and how you like to watch it.

wtf is a blogfrog????

Something new to wrestle with over the next few weeks...

i think i like it though cos it brought me one new follower already...

i'm thinking it's kinda like fb meets blogging....

i'll try it for a while and if i don't like it ...

i'll nix it and won't give it another thought...

check out the link thingy on the side bar, click the link that says

something about appearing here and be my "frog friend"....

c'mon  you know you want to play along... right?

Do you shake, rattle and peek????

Every year at Christmas (and on birthdays) I can yank his gorgeousness' chain

(shut up) until he can't freakin stand it.

He has never been good with secrets, if he buys something for me he has to run

home right away and give it to me... if he's planning a gift he'll tell me about it... and he can't

stand it if I've planned something for him and told one of the kids!!!!

So the tradition continues... this year I have purchased a gift for him

already and it's the only wrapped present currently under the tree.

I mention it now and again to get him all in a fluster... he thinks I don't

know he's frantically trying to figure it out. He tells me he doesn't care.

Then all I have to do is wait a few days and hit him with the big one...

"So, Babe, what do  you think is in the box?"

He asks a  few questions like is it bigger than a bread box, have I asked

for it or mentioned it .. that kind of thing.

Then we wait a few more days... he brings it up...

Him "Babe, if I guess it right, will you tell me what's in the box?"

Me "Nope"

Him "Well what the fuck... why do you ask me to guess then?"

Me "Cos I know you can't stand it!! and it makes me laugh"

Him "You're a bitch!!!"

And so the Warm Happy Holidays continue in McGillyville!!!!

Try it..... it's hilarious, I will get so much joy from this game and never get tired of it!!!

p.s. if I disappear, show this blog to the cops!!!

He was a lovely man, kind to animals and helped old ladies across the street, it's just a shame he

couldn't stand the suspense and excitement that one gift under the tree could bring, you never

know who's living next door..... and her, she was so funny and happy... she had no idea the

strain one wrapped gift under the tree would place on a man.... on a family... a community!!!

Prompted by signs.... and dreams...

Found a new blog tonight.... Mama's Losin' It... something in the name of this blog spoke to me!!! Wonder why?

Anyway, Mama Kat wrote a post on several prompts and asked us to write about one of the prompts and then link to it... guess what???? I have just the thing!!!!

When hubby and I met there was a little hitch in the wedding preparations in that he is American and I'm British. Makes planning a wedding a logistical nightmare, for the purposes of the immigration legalities it was necessary for us to be married in the States; for the purposes of a damn good knees up and including a million of my closest friends I wanted to have a wedding in the UK.  So we compromised, he and I went to the see Gloria Peters, the JP in Hunt County Courthouse, Texas. We said our bit and got ourselves legally hitched, a romantic day, lovely!!!! Really, just he and I and our shiny gold wedding bands, then we spent the day in Dallas sightseeing and ate Mexican in the evening!!!  Then a few weeks later we flew to the UK for our "blessing" in the Anglican Church. A day which I had really had no say in the planning of due to my being 4000 miles away in Dallas, TX.  Long story short, my mother can be a bit of a nightmare at times, this just happened to be one of those times.... only the most important day of my life... and she's being a total bitch.

The day proceeded despite all the drama and tears, Hubs and I packed up all our stuff the next day and got he hell out of Dodge, cut the stay with the folks short and spent the rest of our vacation with friends before returning to the States a week later.

Once we were home and settled into married life I started to have terrifying nightmares about the wedding. It was pure hell, I would cry all the time, I felt totally let down and miserable. You just can't get that day back once it's gone and been ruined, you can't repeat it, you can't get hold of everyone there and apologize for the behavior of family members. I was in a lot of pain when it should have been the happiest day of my life.  Then one night I went to sleep and dreamed that my Grandmother was talking to me, she had died about thirteen years before. She was so gentle and hugged me telling me that everything was going to be OK and that I was a good girl.  She told me to move on and forget about it and have a lovely life, that it wasn't my fault.

I woke up and immediately felt like a huge weight had been lifted from me, I felt comforted and loved, as if someone up there could see the whole mess without being involved and had exonerated me from any blame in the nightmare that was my wedding.  I stopped having nightmares and was able to put it all behind me.

I have not had a dream like it since, but I'm totally open to more visits of that nature. It was amazing!!!!!

Where did those come from???

Man..... where in the world did those long legs come from... not from me
that's for freakin' sure!!!!!

Feelin' a little melancholy..

First born is not a little baby any more....

she's no where near being a teen but she's no longer
a chubby little baby girl, but that's how I see her

I remember the smell, the touch of her gentle baby hand
in mind, the soft, soft, head snuggled into my shoulder
the rocking in the rocking chair!!!

Now she's all legs eleven and goofy teeth!!!!

But she'll always be my sweet, sweet girl!!

Shallow thoughts for the Christmas Season.....

Yep, I'm going there.....

If this is the season of giving then how come no one is giving to me?

How's that for shallow? I want gifts people gifts, I love a good surprise as much as

the next shallow gold digger!!! Seems that as soon as you become a parent its

all about the kids and they get everything....pouty pout!!!

When you're invited to someone's house over the holidays why do you

feel obligated to take something with you?  They did the inviting,

can't I just turn up and enjoy????? Sometimes it's more stressful

thinking of something spectacular to contribute than it would

have been to stay home and order a pizza.

I love a gag gift, have given a few in my time, but you

better back it up with something wonderful like a cashmere

sweater or diamonds buddy otherwise it's just freakin'

rude, yeah.... rude!!!

Make your gift giving thoughful, otherwise you may as well just

dump some vulgar cash in a damn envelope and be done!!!

Nothing gets my shackles up like receiving the same old

shit year after year from the same person... where is the

fun in that? No fun in receiving and you're not telling

me you had fun being a brainless ninny buying the same old

pile of steaming dung year after year????

If you're gonna regift and recycle make sure, damn sure,

that you don't give me back the crappy gift that I

regifted to you three years ago!!!!

Wrapping matters, oh yes, yes it does!!! Even if you have to get

the skinny, spotty faced girl at the store to do it, wrapping MATTERS.

DO NOT... I repeat... DO NOT hand me something in a

freakin' bag from the store where you bought it three minutes

ago on your way to the restaurant or the house or wherever it

is we're getting together to exchange these thoughtfully picked

out, meaningful expressions of our feelings for one another.

And finally, if I hate your gift then I reserve the right to return it

to the store...and if I get there and they tell me it was $3, I'm

reserving the right to cut you out of my life forever!!! I would

much rather get something you made, even cookies than get a piece

of shit thing from Wally World that cost $3!!!!!

And finally, finally on an unshallow, deep, meaningful note

I want to share with you one of my fave "gifts" that a friend of mine

bought for a gift swap and I wanted this the minute I saw it, I beat

everyone up until I was the one who got to take it home!!!

I adore this spoon rest and bring it out every year!! aawwww!!!!

When I grow up I want to have boobies....

So it's getting to the end of the calendar year.... half way through the school year. We had to go and see Ashley's class room and have a conference with her teacher... yada yada yada....

We already know she's the brightest bulb on the tree, the sharpest blade in the drawer and all the other stuff. I'm not just braggin' cos she's my kid, ask anyone who knows her??? So we're sitting there at the tiny table with the tiny chairs that makes my butt look like a freakin' hot air balloon, no lie. The teacher, my hubby and myself are in deep conversation about the gifted program and first grade when Ash appears from behind a large bookshelf where she had been playing in the dress up area....she's wearing a red halter-neck dress to her ankles and a pair of high heels.. cool... it was the apples stuffed into the top of the dress that was the kicker!!!! We all looked around and there was this stunned silence and then we all fell off the tiny little chairs and peed our pants on the floor!!! She has a fascination for boobies, I have no idea how this bodes for the future!!!

Here she is with some black walnuts we found on a day out recently.... see, told you she's a nut!!!

Just a Quickie.... or not???/

Whenever I say just a quickie it turns out to be a longie... gufaww gufaaww!!!!!

I just wanted to get on here and thank my newest followers!!! I am so grateful when I get new followers it's like playing to a whole new crowd, and you know how much I love playing to the crowd. I love the old crowd too don't get me wrong, so don't start commenting saying hey how 'bout me blah blah blah.. (that's aimed at Bambi and Spud 'cos they're the needy, whiney ones) (that I really heart so much!!). There....

So in case you don't know what I"m about, I am married to a gorgeous man who is kinda funny and witty himself in a shyish kinda way. I have two girls who are HILARIOUS.... really it's a riot,most of it is so quick and there's so much I can't remember it all but that was how this blog was borne. I try and put down their antics and share a little of what it's like to be 40 and raise two kids in elementary school.... actually Ash is just in Kindergarten!!! I am torn as to whether I think it's a good idea to have kids later in life (wtf??) or in your early twenties... right about now I"m a little jealous of those my age with teenagers who fend for themselves... until I hear the cell phone/computer/boys stuff then I go back to being happy dealing with hair brushing and putting away Barbies!!!!!

Tonight, I am on the computer tapping away at the keys and Ash is behind me playing while I try and concentrate..... and this Mr Therapist is how the conversation went..... word for word....

Ash..... where's Syd??

Me....I'm not telling you.....(she's at a birthday party)

Ash.... well if you don't tell me I'll just look weird and put this snorkel down my pants!!!!

So there's the gist of it, in a nutshell, life is grand, I love my family and I love this little Southern GA

town we have made our home. So come on back, take a peek and please make yourself heard!!!

 Future Leaders of America!!!

GO GREEN GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Click on the title of this post and head over to the Mother Load to see her latest giveaway!!! I love the coffee thing because it's perfect for when you're in Tallahassee and get a Starbucks and take it to TJ MAxx and you don't want to burn your freakin' fingers off while shopping for all the sparkley bargains they have there!!!!

So people... here's what we do at McGilly's place to help our planet....we try (I say try, cos it's hard to avoid them sometimes) not to use plastic bags..... I have some wonderful shoppers from a well known Insurance Company that I happen to work for...I even have one that is thermal so will keep the frozen stuff cool. If I forget to take them I get paper bags... the clerks are kinda grumpy when you ask for paper but that's part of the fun!!!
Now, I ask you this, why don't they have the paper bags at the ready and the plastic stashed away???????

This year I am also trying a new tactic on the Christmas shopping... of course it's hard to escape plastic completely but I'm shopping for wooden toys for all the friends and family who have small children. I found the cutest and I mean CUTEST wooden jump ropes (skipping ropes) they have a lady bug and flower design for the handles!!!! There are plenty of puzzles and books and stuff that will keep them entertained and happy for longer than the plastic barbies will lay in the landfill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So my Greeno friends.. hop on over to The Mother Load and get your two cents in...

Kids Korner II

A beautiful flower, by Sydney....

And a friendly lion, by Ashley.

stay tuned for this fairly regular series of posts showcasing the wonderful

artwork of my creative kiddywinks.

Yes... you're in the right place.... here I am......

How'dja like my new look????????????  Bright, colorful, just like me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is all thanks to the wonderful Kim over at So Many Kids so Little Time ..... Well this busy lady took time out to help me with a Button for my site... and now I'm all buttoned up and refreshed with crazy ass colors and such!!!!

I love it!!!! I hope you do too and all this colorfulness won't make you unfollow me!!!:o(

Go check out Kim's site and check out the NoMoSlackMo which is also Kim's brainchild.

I am so grateful.... she's my NBF!!!!!  mmwwwuuuaaaahhhh!!!!!!!!

This Girl......

So, as imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I'm jumping on the bandwagon

inspired by Julochka, Spudbaloo and Bambi, three of the most admired

ladies on my reading list!!!

This girl is woman not girl….International of course, with small town warmth….she’s Weekend not Wednesday…. She’s painted nails and mascara, blush and liner…..definitely not comfortable without her face on. Nikon, Kodak and Olympus but never Canon.  She’s Rhythm and Blues, disco and funk….never hard rock and absolutely, definitely, positively, never, ever, ever Steely Dan….. this girl is South not North…happy and funny with always a quip…. She’s diamonds, she’s silver not gold…Gucci not Rolex…..this girl is pumps not tennis shoes, sometimes heels, definitely not Birkenstocks…..unabashedly a bargain hunter, never pays retail. This girl is Toshiba not Mac, she’s twitter and fb…she’s Picasso not Warhol and always absrtact….when it rains she misses the sun and when it shines she misses the rain…she's nautical and knot tying, aviation and speed. She’s evening not morning, late nights and lie ins. This girl is green eyed not jealous, blonde but not ditsy…. And that my 

friends is that.

Corner View...Corners of your house...

Hello Again... have been a little lazy on the Corner View project this last couple

of weeks.... mainly because I'm lazy.. that's all.

This week's theme is easy though and I had just taken these pics right

before I checked Jane's site, and I thought, Blimey that's uncanny!!!

So here I am all ready and willing and able to participate in

the awsomeness that is Corner View...

Now, click the links below for more corner views....besos!!!!

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, allison, lise, cate, crescent moon, erin, otli, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, vanessa, britta, april, b, kyndale samantha, kristina, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, aimee, sunnymama, jenell, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, jodi, gillian, travelingmama, athena, pienduzz, latisha, clairette, kelleyn, iris, demara, mus, ninja, guusje, di, sammi, theresa, cherry b, victoria, kathryn , lisa, liza, juliette, braja, mulot, anne, lucy, leonor, elizabeth, helene, dominique, shokoofeh, cole, jenna, podane, grey-lemon, line, nihal, urbaNiche, inner toddler, puna, lucylaine, adrienne, emily, lynn, skywriting, eliane, the wanderer´s daughter, carole, anna, dorit, kenza, sherry, conny, susan, l´atelier