Dang it....one little breather and i lose 2 followers....

So dear ramblers....it appears from the almighty stats that a good few people read my last post.....a melodramatic third party narrative on the indicision of the blogger...and yet so few comments? Hmmmm what to make of that? In my effort to lighten up and stop over analyzing, I'm not going to make anything of it. Just remember this, self, this here outlet is totally selfish and needs to remain in perspective so just ramble on and enjoy it!!!!!!

The New Year is looming..that sounds ominous..OK ..the New Year stands excitedly, anxiously waiting in the wings, eager to make a triumphant appearance and obviously solve all the ills of the world. I mean, what else can change the attitude of the masses other than a brand new Norman Rockwell calendar hanging on the fridges of the eternally hopeful? The ball will drop (glad there's only one or we'd be talking about balls dropping..ewww) and overnight we'll be hurled into a brand new year, nay decade, where all will be perfect and harmoniuos with the bright lights of promise beckoning to our disillutioned little selves; offering up a new world of positivity,weightloss and good will to all mankind. There will be fewer smokers, more runners, less alcoholics and you won't hear any cuss words for about...hmmm five days. Good for us!

On a personal note, I too am full of excitment and awe for what the next year will bring for I'm tackling some major goals head on. I pledge to be in a comletely different place at the end of 2011 than I am at the end of this, a year that started out so positively then seemed to take an effin' nose dive somewhere in the middle, hurtled into a deathspin until it finally crashed and burned right around Christmas. Yep....you will not be missed 2010; not one little bit.

As well as planning a bright shiny new venture in the coming weeks I pledge to be realistic about the possible downers that await, after all we don't live in Utopia here folks. I do believe that the more realistic our expectations are the easier it is to cope with our reactions to tradgedy, heartbreak and just the downright shitty happenings that are inevitable....not to say i'm all Eyore or anything...quite the contrary. I'm hoping for the best but keeping a small supply of contingency plans (Aka...wine) stashed there ready to give me a boost when times get rough. All the while my trusty realism will be lurking below the surface, helping me keep the year ahead in perspective. So my friends, let's run with it. Let's all pledge to take just one step towards keeping things in perspective, dispense with the internalizing, agonizing and surrendering to our inner demons. My word I feel all empowered writing this stuff down...I truly need to remind myself that there's alot to be said for what's inside this middle aged whackjob and if I don't stand up and be proud of what I have to offer the world how am I gonna teach my girls to be strong, kind and confident? That, after all is my ultimate goal, not to live life through them but to equip them fully with the tools to be more than I could have ever dreamed of being. To give them wings...more than wings....the enthusiasm and courage to use those wings each and every day.

Phew.....kinda on a high now. I'm not going to ask what your outlook is for the New Year, instead I want to know where you plan to be 365 Days from today and how will each of those days count? You don't have to answer just contemplate........besos¡!

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And to all a Good Night.....

Suddenly, she slammed shut her net book and wheeled herself back away from the desk in her leather, ergonomically friendly, executive chair. Eff it all… she thought as she rubbed her face with both hands and contemplated her next move in the world of social media. 

It had started with a blog, just a little hobby to keep her amused and to feed her need for the acceptance of peers and gushing comments of love and adoration. Then there was the photography.. The beloved photography… she was like a keen girl scout, collecting tips and tricks, gathering little snippets of information; ever on a quest to produce the best pictures she possibly could. Of course they were never, ever good enough. This one not sharp enough, the white balance off in that one, another just plain missing the mark completely. Gah.. When would the phenomenal pinnacle of perfection show itself, oh there were a few near misses but that’s just what they were… misses. She wasn’t about to give up though, you can only put out what you take in, so there was a lot more studying and playing and reading and practicing until she felt it appropriate to allow people to cross her palm with silver in exchange for her work. 

As well as the blog and the photography, there was Facebook and Twitter, funny little interactions with the “followers” and a giggle here and there at the amazing stuff she came to find through tweets and retweets, blogs and how to’s… these people apparently just surf the net all day, surf and tweet, tweet and surf? She didn’t understand it, don’t these people have jobs? Don’t they have a boss standing over them telling them to get off the effin’ internet? Don’t they have kids constantly whining for Mama to do something, fetch something or wash something?

Don’t they have husbands asking for love and affection and time to spend with him? 

Hmmm. Then it occurred to her that either these people are in a troubled place she just wouldn’t want to visit (didn’t seem like it) or they’re living their dream and plastering it all over the Web while they do so (yep this sounded closer to the mark). Interesting concept. One day it would all reveal itself, this community of false creation and intangible innovation. Someone may very soon ask, what exactly am I paying for? Where’s the goods? How many “How to” articles can make it to the web before the online writers bubble bursts right along there with the housing bubble, the Madoff bubble and the Student Loan bubble. Soon it will look like the bath tub scene in Pretty Woman and she would be going under along with all the other social media types. What to do, what to do? 

Like every other mother in her shoes she did what came naturally; poured a huge glass of wine placed the pause/break sign on the blog and signed off to go and enjoy the real world with her family until this block passed. It was time to reevaluate and take stock of what her life had to offer at this time. 

The photography would continue, there was still too much to learn, practice and perfect, the technicalities were tricky but starting to fall into place. Maybe another site would pop up, just in another format, where she may possibly have something tangible to offer, creations that lovers of creativity would flock to own, to love and proudly display in their homes. Not ready to presume herself a “professional” but ready to consider the thought and seek a mentor, she would need a clear head and all the bloggy stuff would have to wait a while. 

The friends that she had made would hopefully stick around and stay in touch, after all, she now had a network of fantastic cyber buddies beyond the blog. She was truly humbled and appreciative of all the love and support people showed in their comments but felt it more important to give them something better, something more.. They honestly deserve it. 

The net book closed, the determination and longing finally acknowledged and the New Year standing proudly awaiting to embrace the latest brave soul to take that leap of faith.

boobs!!!

Look like my booms are in my lap!!!!
Dear Santa ... bring me some lift this year!!!! That is all!!!!

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Corner View December Holidays.....

This weeks theme is the Holidays, specifcally December. I think for me its all about family and being home....when I was a kid we never ever went anywhere on Christmas day and I assumed it was like that for everyone always....I was kinda shocked to realise one day that some people even work on Christmas day!!!!!! How could that be? So now i'm old and know better that the world doesn't just stop because its Christmas....and more importantly there are those in this world who don’t even celebrate Christmas, I have no idea why that's on my mind so much this year but it is...weird!
Anyhoodles.....this year im concentrating on the kids and building their memories and traditions as one does. I seem to have neglected a couple of the English things like an Advent Calendar and Christmas crackers altho Syd did get to take some to school and they were a hit. It's gonna be a quiet one and we will do what we can this year but I can't wait to just get it done and move on, this has been one of the crappiest years of my life ...yes...it has!!!! I say...suck it 2010....and let 2011 bring the fun back into my world!
The picture just kinda sums it up....how I feel....let's hope it transforms into a sunny cabana on the beach someday soon!
Now....go check the other corner viewers they are prolly way happier than me!!

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slow day????

Yep, whilst the rest of the world is involved in the hussle and bussle of Christmas and the holidays (remember not everyone is Christian), yours truly is piddling around with a new camera app. So taken was I with all the Instagram pics popping up all over the net I had to get in on the action. But wait....I have a Droid...what's a chick to do? Find the right app that's what....not one to covet for long before grabbing the handrail of the bandwagon I set out to investigate the "Market" and I was not disappointed! !!
I love it so much I can't even remember the name of it...hahahaha..REtro maybe? If you like the pics and you have a Droid then this app is a must have....easy peasy to use and now I can be one of the cool kids!!!!!!!
Shout out to my OBF Spud for the inspiration....I bestow bloggy love and affection on thee!!!! Check her out at www.spudbaloo.com ... now.

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Time for some Randomonium!!!!!

OK... it's been a while since I have done the Randomonium post...quite frankly 

'cos I haven't been feeling too random... things have been planned and 

precise and there hasn't been too much frivolity. 

Which is a shame at this time of year but I'm starting to find that being a mother

and in charge of the military operation that is "the freakin' holidays" I'm 

left with a feeling of definite frivolity-deficiency.

Honestly.....I'll be glad when this is all over and I can say Happy Effin' 

New Year, Baby!!! bring it!!!! 

His gorgeousness has been on the search for my Christmas gift, he is not 

one to surprise me, there's no walking into a jewelers, dropping a 

months salary and surprising the bejesus outta me. No... but there is always a 

story about some ridiculous moron of a sales clerk.... and this year is

no exception. He's aware of my long time desire to own a Bamboo Craft

or Fun or whatever as long as it's Bamboo and comes with PS Elements.

True to Mr McGilli's nature he has to research the goods and his catchphrase

when shopping is.. "what makes this one better than that...etc". so he hopped online 

today and saw that said items are on the Office Depot website, knowing there was

an Office Depot close to where he was working today he thought he'd stop by 

and see the product, talk to a knowledgeable human being and make an 

informed decision. Not so. When he got to the store he wandered around a 

little but was unable to find anything Bamboo so he asked the sales clerk who gave 

a blank stare and then looked at the manager as if to say, what the eff is he on

about? the manager, ever so helpful, told the clerk to look it up on the web, 

find the item number and see if they have any in stock. OK, sounds reasonable.

Hubs had to guide the search after the clerk said in monotone.. "so what'ma lookin' fir?"

He then found the item and she looked it up, and it said they have none in stock, 

he's familiar with retail stock software and took a look at it himself.. he said there

was some kind of code there that read 12-1-86.. maybe a default code to say 

there was not one in the store. The clerk clearly understood the code and then 

quite confidently announced that they hadn't stocked that item since 1986!!!! 

He laughed and simply asked if the store was even there in 1986, to which she

adamantly replied it sure was, just not in that particular location!! 

He so badly wanted to tell her that no one even had a freakin' laptop in 1986 never

mind a Bamboo Craft/Fun/Tablet and that she was totally full o' shit...

but he's polite so he just shrugged and told her he was sure he'd find it at Best Buy. 

Ummm let's just hope he does, time is running out buster!!!!! 

It's been a shitty kind of a day/week/month/year around here and in response

to all the stress and strife I decided tonight I would treat myself to a cocktail to

ease the pain and help me relax. Well there was too much Jack for one drink and not 

enough for two, I poured it into one small glass, realized it was too much, so I 

poured it into a bigger glass and filled it with Coke Zero (of course) Syd came in to see

what I was doing. I told her I was just getting myself a little Christmas Cheer.

"You need it" she bluntly informed me... thanks kid... then I tasted it

and made a face... she told me "I guess Cheer doesn't taste too good!".

Hmmmm!!!!! 

In other news...not too down with the new layout of FB, you???

the one thing I hate is that it shows the comment that you leave on other people's

walls.... I know it's out there but I kinda don't want it to be out there... 

ya know??? I just don't know why it's bothering me but it is, have been 

spending more time on Twitter which was hard to deal with at first

but I'm getting a handle on it. Also the pics on the top of the deal 

are all the ugly ones I don't want peeps to see right off the bat. 

another thing that makes you go Hmmmmm!!! 

Glad to see my BFF Bambi is back in the blogosphere...kinda.. she's been sorely missed!!! 

and I'm dispensing with the Christmas Memoirs... just can't be bothered. 

Love and Hugs... Moi!!! 

Macro Monday

No snow in South GA... oh how I would love to capture a picture of a gorgeous snowflake... for now we'll have to be content with the gel clings we have on the kitchen door. Other than a crop and quickly throwing these into a collage they are straight out of camera!

Happy Macro Monday y'all... and a Merry Christmas too!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally!

Merry Christmas, originally uploaded by McGillicutty1.

We spent some time on Saturday trying to get a half decent picture of the girls to send out in Christmas cards..... being a little on the late side and a tad bit stressed it was not the joyous occasion depicted in the final result.
There was a lot of fussing and cussing.... but when I put my card in the computer to check the results I was more than pleased to see that the very last picture was actually share worthy!!!! The other 400... Delete!!
I wonder when they grow up if they'll remember the nightmare behind the smiles??? I hope not!!!!

On the 4th Day of Christmas....

Continuing on with my Christmas Memoirs..... 

Here's one I plucked from about circa 1988, I was in my very first

serious relationship and learned a valuable lesson about what

to ask your man for at Christmas. 

I was young, just out of school and working at my first job, my 

boyfriend was in the Army; tall, dark and very handsome! 

We started dating after my eighteenth birthday party where we 

had met for the first time, he was a friend of my sister. 

By the time we got to celebrate our first Christmas together we

were very much an item and completely inseparable...at least on 

the weekends, we lived about three hours apart so didn't get

to see each other during the week but would spend hours on the

phone. It was in one of those conversations that he asked 

what I would like for Christmas, I told him to surprise me! 

When I told my Mum about the conversation, she looked at me

with one of those looks only a mother can do, and told me

that I had made a big mistake. 

Whaaat?? What mistake, he was an awesome boyf and I was 

sure he'd get me something fabulous. 

Christmas came around, handsome boyf turns up with my 

gifts and I very excitedly began to slowly unwrap the 

first one which quite honestly I knew was an LP.. you can't 

disguise and LP no matter how hard you try. 

INXS, Kick, awesome... love INXS, how thoughtful... 

now what's in the big present???

I ripped off the paper to reveal the ugliest ceramic 

CAT you have ever seen, white with green plastic

eyes??????? WT absolute F??????

I thanked him politely and looked over at Mother with that 

all knowing look on her face. Instantly, in that very moment my

first lesson in dealing with the male of the species was learned, 

never give them carte blanch at Christmas, be very specific

in what you ask for. They do not have the gift gene, they just don't

get it... and ladies... if they do, they're gay! 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!  

haven't taken any pics in ages so just rehashing this one to fill in and decorate

my post.... lame I know!!!!! 

Corner View... Traditions...

I try to keep some of my English traditions alive and pass them to my 

kids, even though we're in South GA and some of the traditions here

are way far off from how I remember my Christmases growing up. 

One thing I love to do is bake mince pies at Christmas, it appears to be an 

acquired taste and there aren't many Americans that like this little Christmas

staple. I can't imagine a Christmas without a mince pie... humbug!!! 

I have started to make pumpkin bread and  ginger bread though as the kids

like that way more. 

I guess I really remember it being a tradition in my house

that my Mum baked her ass off before each Christmas. 

She would make the Christmas Cake which is a big deal in England too, 

very rich fruit cake made weeks in advance and soaked in brandy. 

She would use knitting needles to poke holes in the cake to pour the 

brandy in and then wrap it up again, this process went on for several 

days before finally she'd wrap the cake in marzipan and then ice and 

decorate it. Wonderful... mmm. and she made her own Christmas 

Pudding too... I really miss Christmas Pudding.. all rich and warm and soaked

in brandy butter...no wonder everyone in England sleeps thro' the 

Queens speech with all that brandy in the food!!!! 

For other Traditions around the world, click on the links in my 

side bar... you won't be disappointed. 

CHEERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looky Here......and other randomonium!

Well friends it apears that with my wee droid I can circumnavigate the need for a real 'puter and bring you more ramblings than evah before!!!!!! Totally rad dude, 'cept I fear the typing may take forever and be a total drain on the old thumbs....for now tho' its just kinda fun to know I can post from here in a pinch....like when waiting in the Christmas returns line at Wally World, while in the car wash, at the dentist while he's drilling or even dare I say it.....nope I'll leave that one alone hahahahahaaa.
OK..now for some longawaited randomonium, today I finally mailed the packages to England for the family, sheesh it was a freakin hassle...you know the super easy flat rate one size fits one price box they're pushing so hard....well not so easy if its going abroad...no siree.. different effin' complicated complications for that situation. Filled out three different sets of forms and went thru several different envelopes and boxes 'til I finally told the postie...forget it dipshit, I'm off to walk it there my damn self it'll be way easier! And so I did....walked all the way to the UK and dumped it on their doorsteps and came right home before they saw me!!!!!!

Apparently GA has slipped up the map a little and we're now somewhere close to the New England area, or at least that's what the weather thinks. I love some cold weather myself but my family just isn't mentally equipped for the bundling process...no they are way too used to bare feet and no layers, each morning is the same routine of them stepping out only to return several times for gloves scarfs and other such neccessaties......you'd think they'd learn...Mama knows best. Still, the forecast is for 75 later this week so whoop whoop...yeh read it and weep Northerners....I love northerners ....just messin' whichya.

Thumbs are about to give out.... if you enjoyed this mini post...please leave a comment....if you didn't....well I know you did..and don't forget to like me on FB even if you don't!!!!!!! Peace out!!!!!!

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Three Little Birds...

I walked into the bedroom, the girls still slumbering, it's almost 

cruel to have to turn on the light and awaken them from 

their sweet dreams. Can't I just let them sleep until their bodies tell 

them it's time to wake up? No, sorry, that will never do, school starts 

at eight and they like to be there twenty to thirty minutes before in 

order to grab a quick breakfast, unload their bags and prepare for the

learning experiences to come. 

 I spoke first to my eldest, coaxing her out of bed and into the

shower, rubbing her back and encouraging her with little 

snippets of wisdom and advice on how to make the mornings easier.

Then as she stretched and blinked I turned around to wake the

younger sister laying under the covers in her bed, expecting the same soft, gentle,

 little first exchange of the day. I looked and there was no sign of her 

head, she was obviously fast asleep under the duvet and this may

take some time. I gingerly pulled back the covers and leaned in to

that little angelic face to deliver a kiss on her cheek. Before I 

could get all the way down she jumped up and started singing..

"Three little birds, sat on my window, 

and they told me I don't need to worry".

Scared the crap outta me but made me laugh, her accent was SPOT ON!!!! 

I love Corrine Bailey Rae... and so does my child apparently.

Macro Monday..teeny tiny Santa & Friends.

Check out Lisa's Chaos for more macros...I'm really enjoying this project

thanks to Ashley Sisk who has been quite inspirational and very 

helpful with tips, hints and lots of encouragement!!! 

Lisa and Ashley both ROCK!!!!! 

I'm going with another Christmas theme this week, I love these little guys, 

they were a gift from my Mum and for something so tiny they make my 

Christmas decorations complete!!! 

 The Angel/Santa chick makes me laugh cos she surely looks
as if she didn't get what she wanted in her stocking!!

 Santa looks a tad bit happier.....

And by tiny man standards, the snowman is positively giddy!!!! 

I'm off to check out the other players in this game... see you 

next week!!! mwwauuaaahhhhhh.

On the Third Day of Christmas....

Third in my series of Christmas Memoirs, a journey through the stuff that makes up my collection of Christmas Past. A journey through the misty idealism that surrounds this, the most Wonderful Time of the Year! 

My first real experience of a Christmas not spent at home with the immediate family was when we traveled to visit my ailing Grandfather and spent Christmas at his assisted living apartment. I think I had to be about fourteen or so at the time, not a great age for me; a stroppy teenager struggling with, what I am sure now was depression and constantly worried about the future and the next new single from Duran Duran. It was NOT COOL at all to be at an assisted living community for Christmas and by God I would make sure that everyone around me knew it. I"m not totally sure why but I only remember my Mother, my middle sister and myself being there. My brother at that time was already in the Navy, my eldest sister was married and probably spent the holidays with her in-laws (wise girl) and I'm pretty sure my parents were already on their way to divorce. So that left the three of us spending Christmas with Granddad, squeezing in every last holiday before the old man shuffled off his mortal coil. 

When you're a teenager in Eighties Britain all you care about on Christmas Day is how much loot you get under the tree, watching the Christmas Day Top of the Pops and sneaking in a little wine at dinner. All the other stuff is just ridiculous and embarrassing, you literally get dizzy from all the eye rolling!  So, I remember trying to watch TOTP (as us cool cats called it) and Granddad had the remote. He sat there in his throne, he had a recliner that was mounted on a platform so he could get his aging self in and out of it, and he would just rule from the corner of the room.  Now, Granddad liked music as much as the next geezer, as long as it was from the thirties and forties and didn't have a hint of that Rock n Roll crap, he was appalled to see the hipsters of the early eighties on the screen. "What the hell are these boys wearing make up for? they're not girls are they?" he just didn't understand the likes of Simple Minds, Spandau Ballet and for the love of God, Culture Club. So the old man sat there and very gradually he turned the volume down, just little by little, until I was watching the screen but could not hear a damn thing!!! What's the point of watching TOTP if you can't hear it? Grrrrrr. 

We made it through to the afternoon, my Mum managed to come up with a Christmas dinner in his tiny little kitchen and we set the table ready to sit down and enjoy the fruits of her labor. I remember Aunty Gill (pronounced Jill) coming over to spend the afternoon with us and have dinner. I think she was sick that Christmas, so you had a real mix of miserable people thrown into close proximity on a day that should have been the most joyous of the year! We sat at the table and as is tradition in England we pulled the Christmas crackers and all donned our paper hats, then raised our glasses in a toast, Gill looked around the room at all of us sitting there and announced "Merry Bloody Christmas!!!".  Well we all cracked up and soon the gloom was lifted and we relaxed into a nice dinner, enjoying each others company no matter what our current issues were! At that moment she was elevated to super cool in my estimations, a woman who tells it like it is! 

I have to say that every year since then I have thought about Gill's toast, it's a little frustrating that it doesn't really translate to American. There's no way the timing, the midlands accent and the sheer execution of that statement would ever be replicated but I love that I can clearly hear her voice in my head and it still makes me laugh. Who knows, maybe one day soon we'll travel home to England for Christmas and see Aunty Gill and ask her to make the legendary toast once more! 

Fantastic Friday...

Dang it this has been one hell of a hard week... 

sick kids, sick me and hubster out of town!!!! 

To top it all I have dealt with passive aggression at it's 

worst but won't go into all that. 

Soooo... TGIF... here's what's making me smile this morning.

Syd had to pick something to take to school to put in everyone's 

stocking in her class... she chose Christmas Crackers! Her 

fav tradition from Merry Olde England... I'm so proud.

The girls both have field trips today to see the Nutcracker, they are 

so excited, they love it and want to start dance lessons so that they

can be in it next year. I have warned Ash to stay in her seat

and not run up on the stage!!!! 

Tomorrow I'll be out there in the cold ringing the Salvation Army Bell, collecting

donations for the needy. I don't relish the thought of the cold but 

I take the girls with me and we usually have a good time, I'm happy that

they are happy to do it. 

OK that's it... gotta get ready to start the day... just wanted to 

pop in real quick and let the blogosphere know I'm still alive and 

kicking, not quite on full revs but kicking none the less!!! 

Happy Friday Y'all. 

On the Second Day of Christmas....the second in a series of Holiday Memories

So, moving on, here's another in my seasonal series of posts in which I share fond

 memories of Christmas past.....

When I first moved to the States my adorable husband and I didn't decorate for Christmas, the first year we were together we traveled home to England and visited with family and friends... actually we had a blessing of our holy union and it all turned pear shaped and we flew home weary and bewildered... but that's a whole 'nother post.
Sooooo the following year we lived in a hotel at Christmas time, rather nice really, we were in transit from Texas to Georgia and had a month where we were looking for an apartment and our belongings were in storage. We had a few items with us but not too much, his Gorgeousness was starting at a new position within his company and they were handling the relocation. What they failed to tell us was the Christmas Party was the Friday after we arrived, hmmmm, hadn't packed any finery in our limited luggage so we went on a shopping trip and purchased new duds.... oh I miss that kind of shopping spree, just me and him getting decked out in fabulous attire with matching accessories and shoes!!!
So off we trot, all gorgeous like, making our way to a fabulous evening of dinner and dancing and getting to know the new crew.  These people consisted of a pilots, engineers, officers and their wives.... and us! We didn't know a soul, other than his hideous boss and hideous wife, so it was just a little awkward to say the least. What else was a girl to do but drink the fabulous free wine and have a good time! The rest is history and can't be splashed across the pages of a blog for any old reader to see.
Major digression, the point of the story is that when we were out shopping for our couture, we came across these two little Santa's and just had to buy them. I was thrilled but totally bewildered as to why the English Santa is dressed in green and carries a guitar or whatever that is. It seemed so fitting that these guys would be our first Christmas decorations.... so twee!!!!! We still bring them out every year and inevitably have to explain to an American friend that this bares no resemblance to an English Father Christmas and that it was obviously the creation of an over imaginative American. But we love him all the same!!!!
Hope you enjoyed this memoir and that you will stop back for another episode in the next couple o' days!!!
HoHoHo!!!!

Lets take another look at online shopping shall we?????

Do you shop online for things other than the usual? you know, 

lets say have you ever tried to buy furniture online. I usually check stuff

out but have yet to actually purchase something of that magnitude from the

world wide web, and to be honest I don't know what stopping me.

While surfing I have been really impressed with CSN and their

selection of coffee tables and other pieces that truly suit my style. I have 

shopped there in the past, I mean they have 200 stores people so you can 

find just about anything thats ubercool there!!!! 

There is a need for storage in the McGilli house seeing as there are four

of us and two shih tzus and our house ain't Buckingham Palace believe 

me... so I'm thinking about the trunk style tables they have for when we

purchase our new couches... yes it's that time of life again when the 

old reliables have done their job (and done it well) and we need 

to think about some newbies. We originally bought our couches 

when we bought our first house about eleven years ago and we picked 

them carefully knowing they would have to take us through the young 

children phase and they have indeed excelled!!! However, there are a couple

of wounds from the dogs and there are weird sinking noises occasionally

that do offer a little cause for concern. We never agree on these things

so it will be approx six to eight months before we reach a compromise

...but I'm on the hunt .. NOW!!!! 

So .. go check out the link and have fun browsing.

I received compensation for this review but all opinions are 

completely my own and I do use CSN often.. and love them!!!!!  

Macro Monday...

Just a quick one this morning...... hop on over to Lisa's Chaos to check out all the other Monday Macro's or join in yourself why don't ya?

I call this.... Objects in the Rear View Christmas Balls May Be Scarier Than they Appear!!!!!! 

If you keep your ears open....

So.... for some reason I can't get the alignment to work.... crap... not a good way to start a post!!! 

OK ... there we go, this is how I like it, even though someone commented once that it is 

stupid looking and distracting, thanks anonymous!!! 

This weekend has been a hugely busy weekend full of weird and wonderful things. 

I have, once again, been volunteering with Junior Service League in an 

effort to raise money for children's charities, this time at an event of epic

proportions consisting of ballet performances, arts n crafts, Santa in all kinds

of situations.. that doesn't sound right does it but you know what I mean. 

It was a great opportunity for me to help out an old friend who is a pretty 

awesome photographer and I'm glad to say she shared some stuff with me

that I'm excited to take note of and work on. 

It's great to listen to someone who's already worked it out and worked it out brilliantly

I have to say. One of the things I admire most

about her work is the one thing I'm crappy at

so hopefully I can take her advice and run with it and improve my 

picture taking in turn creating more satisfaction with the end results.

It's strange how territorial and snooty some other photographers can be though,

I did actually witness the "official photographer" of the event whining to the 

organizers about all the mothers and their DSLR's. What??? Seriously???

Get over yourself dude, I wondered if it's a male domination thing or if 

he's really such a douche he wants the whole place to himself. 

I wonder if it's the same in other areas of the arts? Does Justin Timberlake

bitch about Justin Beiber? kinda unfair comparison there but you get my point.

On the home front... little Peanut has been sick AGAIN.... wtf? enough 

already. She's been on Prevacid for a while now and it seems to be working, I think 

this is more of a virus because she's been running a fever and has a sore 

throat. Maybe flu? Dear God I hope not! 

It's been hard to tell her I had to leave her and go to work the Christmas

thingy and not be able to take her with me to see Santa. Boo!

One of my close friends also had a little sick one at home and she 

worked longer and harder than I did, so if you're reading.. I'm 

full of sympathy and hope you can now take a little rest and be good

to yourself and your family no one deserves it more than you.

And so after this little whiney post, I offer you this, keep your eyes and 

ears open, it's amazing what you can learn about others and more

importantly what you can learn about yourself.

On the first day of Christmas.....

As promised…. Here it is, the inaugural post in my series of very personal Christmas experiences and impressions of the season as a whole. I’ll be sharing things very close to my heart in a lot of these posts so get ready to be tantalized by what will prove to be a weird and wonderful expedition into the ugly reality lurking behind all the tinsel and glitter!!!! Whatever… just get on with it…

On the first day of Christmas…. I’ll kick off with something from my childhood, may as well start at the beginning right? I do recall way back when, and I’m talking waaay back.. when I was about four or so, circa 1973/4, I was tremendously excited to receive a little stuffed panda and a book called the Twinkle Annual. Twinkle was a magazine for little girls and every year they came out with an annual (as did most comic’s at that time, do they still do that??). I seem to remember these gifts being given to me by my Mum’s hairdresser who we called Aunty Margaret, a lovely older lady with curly hair and glasses and a beautiful warmth. I could not sleep on Christmas Eve, I was soooo full of excitement about Santa coming and what gifts he would leave for me, my brother told me that the sooner I went to sleep the sooner I would wake up and see what I had. I lay there for what seemed like forever thinking that the night would never, ever end, and I remember it as if it was just yesterday!  Well, the funny thing about that particular year is that I don’t recall anything other than the panda and the Twinkle annual. I’m sure I got a gift pack of soaps and bath stuff, we always got one of those from one of our aunts, and another aunt would send us World Wildlife Fund Christmas Cards with a crisp one pound note taped inside with perfect precision.

There is a photo somewhere of me on that wonderful day, I’m wearing a red maxi dress with blue ruffles around the neck and wrists (it was lovely polyester nylon!!) and I’m holding that precious panda in my arms. Cute! We liked to dress nicely on Christmas day and I loved that part of it, even at that tender age I was definitely one for formality and had a sense of occasion!!!

I believe we lived in my Grandmothers cottage at the time, maybe we had just moved to Scotland I’m not sure but I do know that there was my Grandmother, my parents and all four of us kids in a tiny one bed roomed cottage and we had two bull mastiffs….. Whoa… what a thought!!! I know we must have lived there cos that’s where I was when I remember trying to get to sleep, lying on some blankets that were on top of an old travel chest that she had lying on it’s side. I can only imagine the rest of the kids were on the floor or the large double bed… did they sleep on the couch?? Where did Nanna sleep?? I know I’m not wrong about it but I can’t imagine four kids and three adults in a teeny tiny one bed cottage? Freaky.

Anyhoodles, one or two meager Christmases when I was a little girl didn’t kill me and the memories are fond to be honest. I loved that panda and kept him for a long time, until one day my dear brother used it for target practice for his air rifle. Nice!!! And if I could find the picture you’d see a happy little blonde girl with shiny cheeks and a happy little smile in her fancy dress. So… think about it… forget the credit card overload and get your kid a little panda this year. She will love you for it…. I guarantee it!!!

Countdown to Christmas..... whatever!!!

OK, see ya November…. Nice knowing you although seems like you snuck in and snuck out again pretty damn quick without so much of a Howdjyado.

And so it begins, the merry month of December! Time for wonder and joy, peace and goodwill, joy to all mankind! For who exactly? Not this mama… no… the month starts out badly with my sister having the audacity to be born at the beginning of one of the busiest months of the year.  Whoa McGilli, that’s a little harsh I hear you cry… the thing is I hate it when someone has a birthday at the beginning of the month… for this reason… this is me merrily skipping along for the rest of the year thinking.. Ok.. Sissy has a birthday in December, not even giving it the slightest thought that being her birthday is on the 4th it may take some preparation in NOVEMBER!!!!! And the fact that she’s on the other side of the world might also be an indication that aforethought is required in this situation… other sissy… same thing only in February…. Which is in fact worse because my birthday also falls in February and therefore is the only thing on my mind for the whole month to be honest!!!! (Not really, it’s on my mind for two months, I start thinking about it in January, but didn’t want to sound totally self absorbed).

So dearest Sissy if you’re reading this and wondering if your jolly, little, Welsh posty will be sporting a package from the States.. Not yet… be patient and wait ‘til a more reasonable time of the month! It’s like being fashionably late… kind of.

Once it hits me that it’s December (around the 8th or so) I will realize that there are lots of things to attend in our social little community here in South GA. There’s Christmas festivities here there and everywhere, a Victorian Christmas, ballet performances, school performances, parades and special late night gatherings down town among all the pretty lights and decorations. It’s fantastical and magical and awesomical and downright freakin’ exhausting!!!!!!!

One gets sucked into every little event and then around the 21st it all just stops… abruptly… without warning. Suddenly the kids are out of school and there’s no more entertainment for them…. What the heck is up with that??? The whole town has had it to the back teeth by this time and we’re ready to take down the tree, stop with the turkey and trimmin’s and just be January already!!!! And so my friends, I am left with an empty feeling, a kind of anticlimactic feeling of underwhelming gloom. Like the true meaning and magic have been left somewhere around the middle of the month and that the actual real day… the Glorious 25th… is a little bit of a let down. It’s been like that since I arrived here in the States and it’s just because I was brought up celebrating in a different way. A way in which Christmas Eve was the beginning of the celebrations, that way Christmas Day was all new and fresh and exciting. Our traditions then proceeded all the way into the New Year, so about the first week of January was when we all got sick to death of it all….. And by my reckoning that’s a good time to get fed up, not on Christmas Day….it’s kinda rude…right???

I‘m going to do a series of posts called the Twelve Days of Christmas, I know, that took a horrendous amount of creativity to come up with that name!!!  I will share with you some of the things I love the most, miss the most and remember the most….I will start tomorrow and you are welcome to join in and share the love if you feel so inclined, just link back to my posts so we can all see who’s playing.

I wish I had a button or some kinda clever little picture to decorate the post but hey ho I don’t… as yet… unless some clever little blog elf is reading and wants to come up with something ridiculously cute for this venture?? Anyone?? Don’t be shy now, just surprise me with something, consider it a Chrissy Pressie!!! Thanks!!!

See y’all tomorrow for the beginning of my festive memoirs…

Macro Monday.

Wow....there has been a lot going on since I last posted!!!! 

I have been seriously busy with a ton of things, Thanksgiving, a new phone,

the Christmas Parade, and Chic fil A not having a wi fi hot spot! I thought

they all had hot spots... apparently not in rural South GA!!!! 

First, lets get to the matter in hand, it's Macro Monday and I snapped

this little beauty this weekend while fishing off a beautiful beach in 

South Florida... I lead a glamorous life! hee hee...no really I do.

isn't he gorgeous!!! in a weird crabby kinda way!!! 

and this guy... not a macro but I have been playing around with 

PS Elements 9 and having so much fun! Who knew? 

I feel like I'm back in kindergarten and being given a paint pot and

a big piece of paper, the teacher telling me to go ahead, do what

ever comes to mind. There is a picture of me as a little girl

(one of the few) and I'm happy as can be painting a big picture of 

a face, my own face screwed up in the sunlight of the conservatory

and my hair all a big mess. I think one day when I'm grown up I'll 

have some kind of a studio in a loft apartment and just paint and

take pictures and create stuff all day!!! 

anyhoodles... in other news... I got a Droid for Christmas from my 

gorgeous hubby and it's replaced him as the love of my life! 

ain't that ironic???

Well maybe it hasn't exactly replaced him but it has taken up a huge

amount of my curiosity and therefore time and therefore leaving

his gorgeousness out in the cold a teeny bit. I highly 

recommend the Droid to anyone and everyone who loves to 

tweet, FB and other such nonsense!!! 

You may want to just double check the state of your Union first

and make sure it's stable enough to handle it... or buy one

for each of you!!! Hub's will be arriving shortly I'm sure.

Well there you have it... go back and check out the other Macro's please

and see y'all back here soon!!!! Mwuuaahhhh!!

It always comes back to Snakes... and spiders...

One of my aims with my photography is to capture things that 

the average peep doesn't see every day. 

and I think I got it here.... 

 I truly don't like snakes... however... I think for some reason when 

my camera is in front of my face I'm just fine!!! The processing is 

thanks to the tips I have learned lately from Kim's class. 

And look at this little madam... she's quite at home with

her friend there!! yes it's real and no I didn't want to handle it. 

Leave the scary stuff to the kids..I say!! 

Soooo... been rather busy here lately which explains the lack of posting.

Hope to rectify that in the coming weeks, this is one of my favorite

times of year for blogging. I love to read everyone's accounts of 

family nightmares, see their lovely pictures and recount my own feelings, 

at this, the most Wonderful Time of the Year!!! 

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow US Citizens!!! 

hee hee feels kinda weird saying that. 

Voilaaaaa!!!!

practice blending copy, originally uploaded by McGillicutty1.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks???? This old rover is learning something new every day thanks to the wonderfullality of Kim Klassen.

If you are the least bit intimidated by Photoshop and think you will never be able to master that unruly little tinker I'm here to tell you "yes you can!" and it's as easy as signing up for the next Skinny-Mini E-course she is running starting on Dec 6th. "but the holidays" I hear you whine..... I don't wanna hear it. I have been busier than a busy thing on a busy day lately and I have managed to fit it in.

Super duper easy to follow instructions on video and you can go back and replay when you need to however many times you need to.... and you can even get the 30 day free trial of Elements 9 to see if this is indeed your cuppa char.

I will not be the same evah evah again.... I loved this picture when I took it and then just made it black and white using a rinky dink little application...now I have given it layers... yeah... layers!!!

So.... if you don't want to actually do anything but you do appreciate the fine work of a genius head on over to see Kim anyway.. just click the button on my sidebar.

I'm pumped.... and want to share the pumpedness!!!!!! Hugs y'all.

Corner View... anything goes!

This weeks corner view theme is anything goes... therefore it leads me to believe I can do whatever the heck I want!!! Yay... a free reign... just what us McGilli's love is a free reign.  Sooo.. my little corner view this week in this "anything goes" session is "flight".  For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a pilot, I dreamed of joining the Navy at a young age and wanted desperately to fly Harriers. I loved the way they "jumped" into the air and didn't need a whole lot of room to take off and land. I would go to Navy Days every summer at the Naval Base we lived close to in Rosyth Scotland and would eagerly await the display of the Harriers, they seemed to appear from the water and up over the piers and scare the living daylights outta ya.

When I was about 13 or 14 I wrote a letter to the Navy (was it addressed to THE ROYAL NAVY??) and asked if I could be the first woman to fly Harriers.  They replied and I wish that I had kept that letter, I was very proud to have received a letter back from THE ROYAL NAVY, even if it was a Dear John. They told me that public opinion was not in favor of sending females into War situations and that there would probably never be a woman fighter jet pilot in the ROYAL NAVY... however, there were lots of other careers I could pursue in the WRNS. (Womens Royal Naval Service). I did eventually talk to a recruiter about becoming a commissioned officer shortly before I graduated High School, all I had to do was keep up my good grades, pass my A-levels and Bob's your uncle I was in. I passed, however, then I changed my mind.... alas... if I knew then what I know now!!! whatever... no regrets!!!!

Anyhoodles... I went on to marry a man who is also in love with all things flying and had a career working with airplanes after his stint in the US Navy... match made in heaven n'est pas? We are plane geeks... and don't apologize for it. Not when you can go to an air show and see these magnificent machines ruling the skies at 400 mph!!!! The noise, the smell the exhilaration.... love, love, love it!!!! Our dream is to make it to a Red Bull Air Race one of these fine days.... who knows?

So... check it out... pictures from the Blue Angels Homecoming Show this past weekend at NAS Pensacola. We all had a great day and seem to be passing the love of aviation to our girls who can't wait for next year's air show circuit. You could say it's in their blood 'cos their Papa was jumping out of planes long before they were born!!!!

and that my friends is this weeks Corner View.... for other peeks at life across the globe check out the links to the right!! See you next week!!!!!

Cashews and B-3

Ridiculously busy week ahead of me... too many commitments to 

mention and too many kids activities topping it off.

Don't know which way is up or my ass from my

elbow.... the key is FOCUS. 

Did you know that a couple of handfuls of cashews is as effective

as a Prozac??? Guess who'll be popping cashews this week?

Also... Niacin... or vitamin B-3 is the miracle supplement.. it 

will aid in depression and also helps burn your food creating 

ENERGY... so guess who'll be poppin' B-3 like it's going out of style?

Yep, I'll be happier than a crack smokin' skinny bitch and the

upside is that I'll remember the whole whirlwind week.

To top it off, His Gorgeousness is MIA this week. Thanks

Corporate America!!! It's probably a good thing 'cos I don't 

need all his goofy gorgeousness infiltrating my thoughts!!! 

I need to FOCUS!!!! 

Mid Life Mama signing off... see you tomorrow for Corner View. 

(yes, it's nuts that I can still post whilst so hyper busy!!!).

Macro Monday

Pomegranates are a little memory from my childhood... 

I decided to buy one today and show it to my kids, I love to share

memories from childhood with them. 

They didn't like pomegranates! 

Oh well. 

Go check out Lisa's Chaos for more macros... she has to cutest flip flop today!!! 

The solution to sore feet.....why expensive shoes of course!!!!!

So, if you’re me and you have a great Mother in Law then you can have conversations like the following….

Me: I am so fat and lazy I can’t stand myself. I need to eat less and move more, seriously I’m a moose.

M-I-L; I know… I’m gaining weight too and my feet hurt a lot lately, Mikey (my F-I-L) told me my feet hurt cos I’m fat.

Me: OMG no he didn’t, Hahahah I never thought about it but my feet hurt too… and no wonder carrying all that weight around.

M-I-L: I just buy more expensive shoes so they don’t hurt….

Me: ME TOO!!!!!!  I thought that was just my own little theory that $100 shoes don’t hurt as bad as bargain basement shoes…. You do it too??? How hilarious.

We both crack up!!!!!!

Busted, my theory is obviously crap, maybe if I lost a few pounds the shoes wouldn’t be straining under the sheer pressure of a moose walking around on them all day and I could spend less on shoes and more on … well…. Shoes!!! Hahahahahaaa. Imagine, I could get three pairs for the price of one pair of fatty arbuckles. I have to admit though the last pair of nice shoes I bought hurt my feet more than anything I have ever in my entire life worn and I have worn some hurtful shoes, believe me. I don’t know what to do because I wore them for an entire day at work and even threw my hip out because I was walking like a total gnarly witch all day, I can’t return them now… can I??? or can I??? have you ever returned shoes after wearing them, like, all day? Or should I just take them to the local cobbler and have him stretch them? Yes, we have a local cobbler in this quaint wee town, but he’s not called a cobbler ‘cos this is S. Georgia in the twenties, yo!

I do possess one pair of particularly delectable shoes which I can’t wear to work because they’re for night crawling… you know…. Out in the evening with your posse just cruising and chillin’ and lookin’ all cool and shit.  Or not, I am after all over forty and the mother of two girls with a couple of Shih Tzu’s that treat me like I’m a God. How can I be a chic fashionista cruising’ the bars with fantastic shoes on???? Truth is.. that’s just a fantasy left over from my youth and too many episodes of Real Housewives. The shoes I’m referring too are pretty incredible but I have only worn them once… urggghhh a complete waste of gorgeousness all huddled in the bottom of my closet waiting for that special occasion, that people who are not me, have every other week. The best thing about said beauties is that they make me into a 5’9” moose which is  way better than a 5’4” moose by anyone’s standards.

Anyhoodles, I am now contemplating the purchase of some more shoes for this season, they’re gonna have to be man enough to get me through the fall, the problem is it’s still freakin’ hot here. You can’t wear the kind of shoes that will get you thru the fall when temps are ranging from 45 to 85 degrees in one damn day. It’s just too hard. Which is why my solution is to have more than one pair about my person at any given time. I have resolved to keep a spare pair in the car, in my desk at work and in my oversized handbag. There…. All bases covered, thank you and good night!!!!

Corner View... Autumn

I am sooo happy it's Autumn this week on Corner View. 

I have been able to get out and take some pictures in this glorious weather

we've been having here in South GA. 

Our corner of the world is so beautiful at this time of year, October 

is usually so hospitable with bright skies and mild temperatures.

The mist in the morning is a fantastic sight and it warms

up to sunny afternoons... Yum!!!! 

for other Corner Views click the link to the right and be sure to visit
Theresa at All of Us...