That was the weekend that was.....

It's late and I need to get some sleep, just wanted to share a couple of 

Halloween pics first.... it's becoming quite the 

high profile holiday in Camp McGilliville...

Struggling with an attack of something hideous on Friday and doubted 

I'd be able to pull off the third annual Halloween Chili Chomp and

Trick or Treat... but as usual I triumphed over it all and did a 

damn fine job of Syd's costumes if I say so myself. 

These were parts of Friday's Book Character day.... 

and this is the Jelly Fish costume that I am so proud of... 

it took forever to hot glue that thing and I have a lot of blisters to prove

it... but I love how it looks!!!! 

And here is the whole crew.... they had a blast and I'm exhausted

and now I'm off to bed... 

Corner View.. Pondering.

I love this theme because it's actually a word I don't hear very often any more!!! My Mum is a big ponderer. She was always pondering something when I was growing up and had a "look" when she was deep in ponderance!!!

I pondered the word pondering while I was in the shower this morning and decided I just don't have enough pondering time lately!!! I couldn't even think of something that I'm currently pondering... argghhhh... I need to rectify that situ... immediately!!!!!

Anyhoodles.... here are the pictures I have picked as very good "pondering" pics.... the first is my friend Lins who I talked about earlier this week. Here she is pondering the thought of becoming a new mother!!!! The second if of course my darling little Ash and who the heck knows whats she's pondering but it's definitely something she's thinking very deeply about.

Enjoy and please go see the other Corner View on the tab to the right of the screen. I'm really going to put in the effort to CV every Wednesday like I should!!!!

What's with the old men lusting after young chicks....

So Jake Gillenhall and Taylor Swift??? only a nine year difference but seems like it's a freakin' ion from where I'm standing.  And apparently the kids at Cosmo Radio agree with me... what dy'all think? And I noticed tonight while waiting an ion in line at Walmart (why the hell do I torture myself by going there?) that Taylor is all over the glossies..whadup Tay Tay??? She seems pretty level headed and intelligent to me (I have to watch a lot of Taylor Swift specials due to 6 yr old infatuation with said pop diva) so why in the heck is she letting herself get all caught up in a media circus... people like me will buy her albums anyway.. it's the only way to avoid a melt down in Wally World.

And speaking of oldies snagging youngies... it's been going on for years... the pictures of Michael Douglas on the tabloids and his beautiful wife Catherine Zeta Jones (a fellow Brit, altho' Welsh bless her) are heartbreaking.  I just can't imagine what she's going through at this point in her life, she's not much older than me and wakes up to a dying man every day! Urgh....it just crushes me.

It's not only happening in Hollywood people, look around you. The other day I was eating lunch at a local restaurant and witnessed the sickening scene of a couple of older guys (one of them clearly in his 60's for Pete's sake) dining with a couple of girls young enough to be their daughters if not granddaughters!!! WTF?? They looked ridiculous, all fat and balding and hanging onto the every word of their obviously gold digging little companions. Giggle Giggle, hanging with grandpa and his slightly younger buddy, there's no such thing as a free lunch ladies and one day when you're giving it up you'll realize the chicken parm was not that good; especially when Grandpa has a heart attack in the middle of one of his rather worn out old jokes that even the roaches in the diner are freakin' sick of!!!!

Where's the attraction? where's the compatibility? what the hell would I have in common with a sixty year old never mind someone even ten years younger? My hubby is three years younger than me and because I'm such a wonderfully youthful soul it has never been an issue. Although, I am wondering when the eff he's ever gonna reach 40, it's taking a mighty long time. My mother and my sister both married guys ten years their junior and once upon a time another sister was married to someone 16 years her senior; my brother's wife is a couple two or three years older than he. We seem to be all over the map when it comes to our choice of spouse.  I have to say tho' the nearer you are in age I think the better your long term chances of staying together and living a happy and fulfilled life. Let's hope I never have to witness my old man lusting after young acquaintances, making a complete ass out of himself in public. I'd have to show my inner 'ass' and go drag him away from the little Lolita and remind him just what it was he got himself into when he said "I do". To use an old English  colloquialism; he knows what side his bread is buttered.

So, what's your take on it? Did you marry and old geezer or date one back in the day? I'd love to hear about it, I think the oldest guy I dated ever was about five years older than me but the biggest freakin' baby on the planet... oh he had the looks but was dumb as a rock. Hence my lesson learned and moved onto someone who had it all, looks, brains and a great sense of humor.. of course... he married me didn't he???

So as not to disappoint... if you were looking for Corner View... I will be posting my Pondering Post tomorrow... I really want to get back to my Corner View Posts... it's my fav project!!!! so check back ... please.

And then there's the drama queens....

It's hilarious to listen to my kids.... they are such little "women". Sometimes when Dad is out of town we have what we call Girls night.. I've mentioned before we have breakfast for dinner and we lounge around and gossip and stuff. Well tonight was a Girls Night.... whoop whoop!!!!

Ash (6 yr old) was telling me about what goes on in the girls bathroom.... she said they're lining up waiting for everyone to go and that's when they all gossip and ask each other about rumors they've heard. What???? so I asked her to re-enact a bathroom scene from first grade and she gladly obliged, adding that they don't have any mirrors so it's not like they're fixing their lipstick or anything. She told me she asked some little girl today if it was true that she had kissed a boy in their class and then the little girl went through all the details!!!!! OMG.
These kids are SIX... what the heck!!!!!! Did you kiss any boys at six??? I sure didn't!!!!

Then Syd chimed in and started to tell me about her school and the fourth grade drama that goes on. She is the kind of kid who's really mellow and doesn't get too involved, she's just friends with everyone. She did tell me that she asks everyone what's going on and will say things like "what's the gossip, girlfriend?" she has to know the juice... just like her Mama. Then she let me in on some of the stuff she listens to when the baby sitter is on her phone... she was highly amused to tell me that the sitter actually uses the word "besties" when referring to her friends... I'm not sure why but that really tickled young Syd. I really tickled me to see her so tickled.  I love it!!!!

I just hope that this relationship will continue where they let me in on their little inner sanctums and confide in me so that I can splash it all across the blogosphere for all to enjoy!!! Notice I"m not naming names or being specific... we'll save that for when I really need the amo,,, and need it I will, I'm sure of that. I was a teenager once myself and I"m under no illusion that this fairy tale romance between me and my darling daughters will remain so blissful without the odd hiccup or two along the way.... watch this space!!!!!

Yep.... they're a couple o' goofs that's for sure!!!!! 

Ode to a Wonderful Friendship!!!

Today my really good friend Lins went to the hospital to have her little baby boy, Daniel. I'm too excited for words and decided to do a little post about how much I love my little Lins and how it was that we met.  People always ask how it was you met your spouse or your current love interest but very seldom ask about how you came to be friends with someone who would seemingly be kind of a mismatch as a friend. You know, it's obvious when you see to chicks about the same age at about the same stage in life, like they're newly married or seriously involved... maybe one is having a baby and the other is contemplating it... well you may just assume they were college roommates or whatever. Or there may be the kids who grew up on the same street, went to the same schools and have remained close ever since.

Lins and I are eleven years apart in age, she is young, pretty and very much a loving, giving person. I on the other hand am older, chubby to the max (I hate to say fat but I am) and come across as reserved and snarky. This has in no way ever affected our friendship. She told me on the day we met that she had an older friend about my age, it was like she was telling me it was OK to be my friend and that she wasn't ashamed to be seen with me. LOL. We met at the Bank where I went to work when we first moved to Thomasville so I can honestly say she is one of the people I have known for the longest in this town. She is loyal, trustworthy and completely on my page... be it a rather crumpled, wierd and whacky page, she totally gets me!!! One of Lins' qualities that sticks in my head is her enthusiam to share, she was training me to take over her position because she was moving to another branch and she held nothing back. If I asked a question she'd light up and say "OK, here's how you do this" and "this is what happens, you can do this, or that, or whatever", never once did she roll her eyes, tsk, or make me feel like I was burdening her.. and that's how it still is to this very day. She's no longer at the Bank and doesn't have to train me but she is very much my go to person in times of need!!! And I hope I am the same for her.... good luck today Lins, I am here for you on this journey into Motherhood and can't wait to meet Daniel whom I know will be totally gorgeous!!!!

OK... update... before I even got this post edited and out for your enjoyment, little Daniel sprang into the world and I've only seen a little pic on my phone but he looks adorable!!!! Hip Hip Hooray... I love happy days like this!!!!!! I can't wait to spoil this little boy, and let my kids mold him into the perfect little monster just like them!!

I think I'm coming back....

This past few weeks, nay months, have been weird in the creative bloggy photog department, I know I have harped on and on about it. Quite honestly there's just no inspiration!!!!! and quiter honestlier there's nothing worser that checking in on a blog to find the blogger harping on about lack of inspiration and flailing mojo!! I hereby officially apologize for the utter crud I have been posting lately. Thank you to the die hards who've stayed faithful... true appreciative looks in your direction!!!!!

So... moving on .... I think the spark within, the yearning, the creative juices, the mojolity is back. I am taking this very slowly and being a little more selective about things but I'm feeling the old McGilli is coming back to life. I have a few ideas for future posts in the gestational phase.... does that even make sense?  Are they gestational or are the embryonic??? OK they are tiny and about to grow into major feats of creative accomplishment!!! let's just put it that way. I'm bubbling with ideas for what to do with all these pictures I take, instead of hiding them under my bushell.. in the darkness of my closed little Net-book... I'm going to bring them to life and let them see the light of day... displayed for all the world to see... yes I'm taking them to Times Square people!!!! no not really but I would if  I could... bbbaaabaahahahahahaaaa.

Then there's the words.... my novel isn't coming along at all. I did what I seem to remember amounted to about the first chapter and that's where I stopped.  So I need another idea for creative writing... something that's smaller and not as daunting as a novel... let's say a column.. or a blog... shit... I have a blog!!!! Grrr.. what would be great is something like a mini series but in book form??? is there such a thing???? should I invent it if there is not??? Do they have ongoing stories in magazines??? I don't know but something with smaller chunks may be good.. ideas welcome people.. throw me a freakin' bone here!!!

In other news... Ash is turning into a tiny little Taylor Swift, she has been practicing her songs on the ride to school in the mornings... it's so cute!!!! I love to hear her little voice singing away and she's totally lost in the moment, she told me it calms her and prepares her for the day!!!! She's six people!!!! There's a special on the Hub channel tonight (used to be Discovery Kids) and she' engrossed in it... I was kinda alarmed to find both girls running around chasing each other around the couches during the commercial break... apparently they are exercising while watching TV... good for them!!!!!! and squats!!! You go ladies!!!! just like their mother... well maybe like their inner mother.. you know the little skinny chick from years ago??? no?? don't remember her??? well she's in there somewhere, covered in layers of homemaker and mommyness.

And finally... I'm uber excited about tomorrows trip to the airshow... "you're excited about a freakin' air show" I hear you cry???? yes I am... because it will present me with a million and one opportunities for awesome shots!!!!! I can't think of anything cooler!!!! I mean, I know I will have to endure groans and moans from the peanut gallery while I hold up proceedings to get the perfect shot but i don't care. I can't wait to get home and edit the goodies. hip hip hooray!!!!! OK my lovies.... y'all get a good nights sleep now cos it's an early start tomorrow!!!! hugs peeps.

ps... a little example of recent mojo for your titilation.....

 Ash all beautiful with some fantastic bokeh going on......

And the lovely Lins with some fantastic beauty and a new baby going on!!!!!

Bits and bobs but doesn't quite warrant randomonium....

Now....doesn't that look good. It's all about the light see.

Have to say Beer is not my go to kinda drink but every now and again it's

just so refreshing to pull a cold one outta the fridge. 

My sissy in law loves Heineken so this is just for her!!! 

Tonight I drove home, 30 miles through the countryside, with the windows

down and music playing loud. My hair was wildly billowing around my

face and I thought I was some hot stuff.... until I realized I was 

really just a hot mess with my left blinker going the whole time looking

like some old lady from Florida blasting down the freeway!!! 

Speaking of light (first paragraph) do keep up. I love this pic I snagged of 

Ash in the park the other day. 

This is Midnight Monster Webkins that she named Bob.

Uh oh.... Daddy just walked in and suggested we go to the Blue Angels air show

in Jacksonville this weekend.... say what??? Hell yeah!!!!!! 

I love me an air show!!!!! 

OK gotta go and discuss logistics... see y'all later!!! 

Brands I Use: Shh... the Secret Medicine Cabinet

Hey... I love this!!!!! The young author of this blog is the daughter of a good friend of mine. I told her I'd take a look and I love what I saw.... maybe I'll run with the what's in your medicine cabinet thing too....

Go check her out and please follow her... I don't think she'll disappoint.

Brands I Use: Shh... the Secret Medicine Cabinet: "The medicine cabinet I guess some people actually keep medicine in there I don't I don't know what other people keep in their cabinets Bec..."

Weekend Weekend Weekend....

So... it's the weekend... and what to do what to do. There are a million and one projects around the house but I say Eff 'em. I'm just not in the mood.... the weather is SOOOOO beautiful I should be out and about soaking up some of the South GA, North Fl natural wonders.

I think it would be good for me and Nikon to go off exploring, it has literally been ages since I took any good pictures, tried to get some of the girls the other day and this was the result..... they just don't cooperate.

Although I have to say I'm still impressed at how beautiful Syd looks even with the tongue out!!! 

This is why I prefer to shoot spiders, they can be really beautiful and they don't stick their tongues out or whine about me having a camera stuck in their tiny little faces. Maybe I should be some kind of professional insect photographer??? Is there a call for that kind of thing??? Hmmm wonder if I could hang in the Amazon for six months discovering and shooting all kinds of new creepy crawlies???? what about my Pedi's????

OK... update in other news.....yesterday Ash lost a couple of things... firstly, her second tooth popped out at school with a little help from the school nurse, she proudly displayed it to me when she got home. Wow.. she's really starting to look like a big kid. Here is her Tooth Fairy Savings plan, "I'm not going to put it under my pillow, I"m gonna trick the tooth fairy and hide it. I will save up all my teeth until I'm about ten years old, and then I'll put them all under my pillow together and maybe I"ll get TEN BUCKS!!!!".  That's my girl, already realizing there's a benefit in saving!!!!!  Unfortunately that realization didn't last long and she caved telling me "nah, I need a dollar now!!".  Sigh. The other thing she lost yesterday was about three or four inches of hair, yep, finally she looks like she belongs to someone. There was just not enough time in the morning to deal with the drama of brushing Ash's hair so off it came. It's cute as can be, a little bob framing her pretty little face. I so wanted to have kids with flowing blonde locks, the kind that you can create fabulous do's with but it's just not happening. They both have curls and people always mention them but damn it we just don't have the energy to style those curls every day..... cursed are the curls!!!!!!! I'm over it. 

And finally...yesterday was REPORT CARD DAY!!!! the most exciting part of every nine weeks of the school  year and I was not disappointed.... both girls have done very well, exceptionally well even. I am so proud of them!!!!! Little geniuses (well of course they are). There is a lot to be said for their teachers and the schools they attend, these people truly bring out the best my kids have to offer and I appreciate them every single day. I know they work hard, I know they care and most of all I know my kids are safe and loved. Thank you, thank you, thank you lovely teachers of the world... I never realized the importance of teachers until I had kids myself!!!!!! 

OK... time to get my ass off the computer and get out dooooorrrsssssss!!!!!!!!!! Hope your weekend is as lovely as mine!!!!!!!! 

And the Winner is......

The Lovely Liz!!!!!!

I'd like to get a Le Creuset stock pot or some new Calphalon egg pans! Thanks for the giveaway!


YOU GO Liz.... GET THAT STOCK POT and show us what you're cooking!!!!!!!!!!! 


Thanks for taking part y'all and stay tuned, there may be another coming soon.

Finally... some fall pictures!!!!

Complete Randomonium......

OK there's a lot to get to this morning.... or should I say afternoon already!!! Jeeze where does the freakin' day go?  Up in Zzzzzzz's is where it's gone today, we've had a hectic week and so his gorgeousness and I got rid of the kids today and have been lazy bums!!! yay!!!!!

Now.. onto the business of all the random crap I need to share with you. I had a jewelry party last weekend, you know the kind where you do nibbles and drinks and your friends come and listen to a pitch then buy all kinds of goodies and you get a bunch o' free stuff. It bombed. I had three loyal friends show up!!! Oh well, not to worry, that will teach me to be a lazy biotch and just send a quick note on FB rather than proper invitations followed by phone calls etc. I am getting a beautiful free necklace so can't complain.

Two of my azaleas are brown and crispy are they dead? Should I be watering them or something?

Here's a drawing that Ash did for me this week after I hollered at her for not doing as I asked the first time...

Apparently my hands get big when I holler. Isn't it good for kids to express their feelings when they are pissed at the world? Does this mean that I am raising an emotionally sane person who can get the inner angst out on paper and therefore won't grow up harboring all kinda hatred for the mother who made her brush her teeth... horrible, horrible Mommy!!! 

Housewives of DC, totally in love with that show, it is sooo like watching a train wreck. It has been the best one yet and I await the new season with bated breath. I watched the preview for Housewives of Beverly Hills and I just don't think I'll be tuning into that one, I have a phobia of people with bad face jobs and it looks like they have all had some really bad work done. I would be gagging the whole time and just can't put myself through it so no... not for moi. I'll just watch reruns of DC until they come out with a new season. 

OK if you are reading this blog and have just tuned in for the first time it is no secret that my dearest darling hubby is not the get up and go kinda guy. There are many days spent nagging and nagging but it's just the way we live, we can't and should not change the people we love. However, last weekend he got up and had a brilliant idea, to paint one of the kitchen cabinet doors with blackboard paint.... and I love it!!!!!! What do you think?  Of course I need to think of something way more creative to write but just for the pic I scribbled this..... 

Now if I could just get him to get out there and do something with those crispy azaleas.... the weather here has been close to perfect this past week. Cool mornings, warm sunny afternoons and practically no humidity. So on that note I'm off to enjoy the great outdoors... well the great back yard anyway... if I can get McLazyass off the couch that is... or maybe I'll just snuggle there with him and open the french doors... doesn't that count????????? 

Don't forget to check out my giveaway... honestly.. who wouldn't want a $75 gift certificate to CSN stores??

Awesome Giveaway....CSN Stores....

If you are a regular you will know that I have done reviews in the past 

for CSN Stores, an online wonderland of goodies for the home. 

There is everything from a drop leaf table to wine glasses to the cutest most 

modern kitchen accents and appliances. 

Here's the deal.. just head over to CSN... there are 200 stores for 

goodness sake so you know there will be something for everyone. 

Let me know what you like the most, and leave a comment

here as to why you would love to win this giveaway...a gift certificate
in the amount of $75.

A lot of the items are shipped for free and everything that I have received

so far came very well packaged and in good time. 

So.... enjoy browsing and don't forget to comment in order to 

qualify.  This giveaway will be drawn on October 15th.

I'm excited to be sharing this giveaway with my lovely readers
and can't wait to see what you buy...i'm serious you'll love it!!!!
Here is something that I purchased and have had a lot of'
compliments on it. Happy Shopping friends!!!

http://www.csnstores.com/Minka-Ambience-10500-477-abm1020.html

I've been seriously restricted.

Happy Tuesday y'all.

Well it appears that working full time and having a little 'commute' is infringing on

my blogtivity. The tweny minutes I would snag in the morning to knock out a

quick blog or the thirty mins when I got home in the afternoon are now filled with

drive time and embarassing myself all over the country via Sirius Radio. 

I haven't taken any good pictures lately and without them I feel naked. I feel I have

nothing to illustrate my posts. The kids are rebelling against me snapping them

and it's killing me. They are the most beautiful girls in the world and for some

reason have decided they definitely do NOT want Mommy shoving the

camera in their faces any more.. not no way.. not no how.

At this very moment I am coming to you live from the local library and it's not

a very inspiring place to be. I'm surrounded by people accessing all kinds of

weird, suspicious crap, guessing they don't have computers at home. I can't connect

to the internet on my net book in the office, there's no wi-fi for me to connect to

and I really didn't feel like sitting in Wendy's all by myself so I chose the library.

Hmmm maybe a frosty at Wendy's would have been a better option.

Does this mean I need an iPad? can I blog from an iPad? what are the

advantages to having one? other than I can play the piano on an iPad.

Do you think if I mention iPad a gazziolion times on this post they will send

me one? What about a BambooCraft? I really want them to send me one of

those.. may have to ramp up the efforts for them to notice my blogs and tweets.

Speaking of free stuff... I have a very exciting giveaway!!! one you

won't want to miss so tune in tomorrow and see what it is that

you... yes you... could win!!!!!

That's if I can get online and make time to actually prepare the

amazing giveaway post. I know I have a lot of lurkers out there and

you will want to join in and comment tomorrow I promise you.

'til then my little darlings... au revoir!!!

from the good old days before "no press, Mama".

They told me I'm boring....

Me boring... I beg to freakin' differ!!!! 

Although I guess they had a point. 

For some reason, and I can't for the life of me think what is going on here, I 

feel compelled to call into the talk shows on Cosmo Radio. 

I listen to them religiously going to and from work and I get so involved that

I feel I am part of the stupid show. I have to say my fav is Wake Up with Taylor.

She is hilarious and I start to think I'm hanging out with her just a talking and 

a laughing all the way to work. It's hard to get out of the car. 

Then on the way home it's Cocktails with Patrick, which I used to think was 

pretty good and funny but to be honest his side kick Leah is funnier than he is.

So last night I'm driving home and this compulsion to call in washes over me 

(again) this would make it the third time I'd called in the past couple of weeks.

The "bit" was called 'what yo beef is' and you call in to complain about something

and tell them you have a beef with someone or something. 

Well I don't really have any beefs to be honest, life has been going perfectly smoothly 

and  there's nothing eating away at me right now. Strange, cos I'm usually kinda 

caustic and snarky but presently, the planets must be aligned, I'm completely tickitty boo.

However, call in I must, so I made up a little beef and honestly.... it was lame. So

lame I'm just going to hope that none of my readers were tuned in to the radio show and

I can keep my lameness under wraps. Here's the thing tho'... they had some hideous

guy in the studio with them (another radio show host) and he said he liked my accent

but that I was BORING!!!! Man that hurt!!! Boring... call me anything but please

don't call me boring, especially when you are on the show to get a date... how boring

are you if you can't even get your own dates?????? dummy!!!!!! 

Then a few minutes later, and exactly why I was still tuned in, I don't know after such a 

blow to my ego, another caller said she had a beef with my beef... cool...

so there you have it... How could I have been boring if it prompted a rebuttal from 

another listener and an almost-cat-fight ensued??? Isn't that what makes a call in show

interesting? Comment; then cause someone to comment on your comment and so 

on, therefore creating a DISCUSSION a DEBATE something to get your teeth into!!! 

I tried calling back but alas was home before I could get thru and didn't want my 

family to know I'm obsessed with calling into radio shows so I gave up. Instead, I 

ran (well walked quick like) to my beloved net book and emailed them!!!!! 

WTF is wrong with me??? I couldn't let it go... then I started to break out in a cold 

sweat because I don't have Sirius Radio in the house and would no never know if they

saw my email and commented on it.  I would never know what the outcome of 

the discussion would be??? if they would ever retract their initial declaration of my

boringness!!! 

Yeah... now I have a BEEF.... thanks Cocks with P... I'm all beefed up with

no one to call!!!!