Quick Blog break....

I have been hard at it and hardly had a chance to look at anything much online lately... I'm missing my fix!  So just a quick update for those of you who still bother to check up on me and see what I'm up to.... don't blame you if you skulked off and in disgust as the posts have been nothing but Crap lately!!!


So... first things first... I am totally focused and involved with all things career oriented right now which explains my absence from the blogging world. This is a new thing for me as I like to strike a good balance as a rule, but my current undertaking demands discipline and commitment... I know, two things I really don't have a ton of but I'm working on it!! It so damn hard though, I'm going to succeed and when I do I can then breathe a sigh of relief, until that time I'm all tense and focused and scary.

The photography stuff has really taken a back seat, going for well over a week sometimes between picking up my camera even for just a quicky... sigh.  I need a refresher course I think...   I did take a quick pic today of my lunch... it's thrilling around here people... I made a chicken avocado salad that I found on Pinterest and OMG is the most fabulous thing ever to have crossed my lips... DELISH!!! Seriously.. praise be to the person who first discovered the delight that is cilantro. I could eat it in, on and around everything. I bet it would even be good in a bowl of oatmeal. YUM!!!

Just grab some cooked chicken, an avocado, couple o' green onions, cilantro, mayo and lime juice. I didn't have the measurements either... wing it.. you can't go wrong. Mix it all up and serve with crackers or whatever you like with your salad... It would be marvelous with a crisp, cold, white wine but it's a little early for that today.. have to pick up the kids and don't want to start an international incident in the line up! Go check out the blog I found this on HERE.

Here's another little thing I did with an idea from Pinterest.... I didn't Pin it correctly and so now I'm not able to give credit to the lovely lady who provided me with the idea... sorry!!!

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So cute, quick and very easy!!!! of course I only do the easy stuff!!!!

Anyway, just a quick one.. still a million things I have to do around here today, no time to be wittering away on Blogger. I promised myself a little break before I get back to it.... urgh.... I am not really sure how long I can keep up with this pace but lets hope it's long enough to accomplish my goals!  I'll be back to bore you all to death again soon... until then au revoir!!!

Kids say the darndest things....

So.. last night us gals were sitting at the kitchen table, I was merrily pinning away on Pinterest while Syd was busy doing three hours of social studies homework (which wasn't even required)(urgh!!) and Ash proudly announced she was about to draw a .... banana hammock. I know!!!!!

After a burst of hysterical laughter (banana hammocks always crack me up) I couldn't get her to tell me where she'd even heard of such a thing and of course she didn't know what a banana hammock is! What do you do in this predicament... dial the grandmother of course and give her the pleasure of explaining such a thing to this 7 yr old clown!  Once she knew what it was she was in fits of giggles and that was the end of that.. she did scribble a little something on the paper but it didn't in any way resemble David Beckham in his BH. Bwaahaha.

Then this morning I was sporting a particularly old but fugly functional Ralph Lauren sweatshirt... it was cold alright... and Syd looked at it with a face akin to a bulldog chewing a wasp and said "Thaaat's Ralph Lauren??? I thought RL was supposed to be.. you know... like.... um..... yeah".
Me... "yeah, it's RL and I'll have you know I bought this in Texas before you were born". .... Syd...."Wow and it still fits???"  

Seriously... I just had that conversation with my kid... it happened.  I am no longer the mother of little kids... I'm in the "I have to justify my clothes selection to a tweener" stage. Oh Lord... I should probably rethink the Forever Lazy I have on my Christmas wish list.

Here she is helping this chick through an awkward feather decision. 

Happy Birthday....

A lot has happened since you left us... it's been almost four years.  Ashamed to say I can't even remember now if you would have been sixty or sixty one this birthday! It's been bothering me and I want to call and ask your widow but I won't, I just don't want to admit that it's not right there at the front of my mind.

The girls are growing up nicely, I think you would be proud of them.  We talk of you often and although Ashley has faint memories now there's lots for her to use as memory joggers, we keep the airplane that we gave you that final Christmas front and center. The books with the little messages you wrote in the front cover are a lovely reminder of your love of reading and how you wanted so badly to share that love with them.  Sydney still has the First Day cover of the Rudyard Kipling stamps in her room on her notice board, the copy of Just So Stories in her bookcase. Little reminders that are kept just so we can look at them when we need to and remember the kindhearted man who was Grandpa, beloved and missed. 

We all have our own versions of that horrible day when you were so quickly ripped from our lives, but one thing is for sure, we all know just what it was we lost and however it plays out to each of us, the result is the same, a loss, a terrible gaping hole never to be filled. Sometimes when we're having a bad day one of us might say "this is the worst day of my life" and then we are quickly reminded that no, it's not, not by a long shot. That's what we tell each other and guess what... it keeps it all in perspective. 

Your voice still sounds so clear in my head, your memory still so alive. I have no idea why this year is so hard for me to get through, I just assumed time would heal all pain but it really doesn't. It just dulls the ache for a little while until it breaks through again and takes me hostage one more time. While all around me people are being thankful and looking forward to Christmas I can only think of your birthday, another one you're missing, and another Christmas reminding me of your very last couple of weeks. Thank God you spent those last weeks with us, selfish of me I know but thank God!! We found the video that we took that last Christmas morning, and watched it with tear filled eyes and heavy hearts. I know deep down you don't want us to mourn; but to celebrate the times we had.  We try, we really do. 

The tree we planted for you is growing, how, I have no idea! and the potted plant I received from a friend is still alive and well.  We feel like we have you here watching over us and so in an odd kind of way it's fortunate for us, sad for those missing you in England though. Sad for Mum, missing you so much every day, God only knows how she goes on without you, I am sure she's praying for when she will be with you again. I pray for that too sometimes and imagine you guys back together and happy for eternity, maybe that would give me peace. Knowing the unit is whole again.

Well... dear sweet man... Happy Birthday! We will remember you and love you always. 

Third time's a charm...

I have prepared a couple of blog posts this past few days but can't seem to get them right.... I think I'm up against too much lately to organize my thoughts and share them.  The first was about our Thanksgiving... but honestly it was a good day 'n all but nothing spectacular to write home about. No offense to the family, its just that every other blog says things like good company, good food, lots to be thankful for... I'm sick to death of hearing it this year...but that is totally my problem not yours. My attitude sucks right now.

You want to know what makes me truly thankful? That we even have a roof over our heads.  There's a TV news program on Sunday nights here in the States called 60 minutes and last night they did a story on homeless kids in Florida; I was trying to blog but it caught my attention and gave me a lump in my throat the size of a 20lb turkey. These families were living in trucks and cars because they had lost their homes due to the never freakin' ending recession. Their unemployment had run out, they had been made homeless and rather than lose the kids they packed up and slept in their cars and remained for all intents and purposes "normal" during the day. It's heartbreaking that this is happening.... absolutely heartbreaking.  So ... I am thankful that we do have a roof over our heads, and we  may not be able to keep up with the Jones' but we're not in a truck worrying about the safety of our kids at night.  I cannot fathom the despair that the parents feel when there is just no apparent way out of a situation like that..... and Kim Kardashian fakes a marriage for millions... PULEASE!!!!

You can check out the piece HERE.

Anyway.... don't mean to be a dolly downer... just can't seem to help but feel so helpless and sad at the way this country is headed right now. Yet on and on we see sparkly glittery things we just can't live without!!!! Put down those iPhones people... Apple doesn't need  your money... the homeless in Florida do. Imagine how it would help them if you kept your old phone which is actually perfectly functional, and spent that $200-$400 on some carpentry work on your house, or a little landscaping maybe, and the guy doing the work could feed his kids for a few days.  Just a pie in the sky notion and I know it's not going to happen but in the meantime I can dream. That is all.

Wait .... Thanksgiving is WHEN????

OK... so the other day I looked out from under my rock and the trees were turning from all green and lush to all red and orange and not quite so lush. Hmmm must be fall or something... or wait.. it's mid November already... STOP THE BUS ITS almost THANKSGIVING!!!!

Seriously the whole perception of time thingy when you get older and have more going on so the days wiz by at stupid miles per hour is driving me nuts. I can't get a handle on being prepared and organized when things are happening so quickly.. I'm shocked by every passing season and totally worn out by running around getting crap done at the last minute. Yet there also seems to be those days which are never ending!

Thanksgiving is ONE day... that's it... not a week not even a long weekend it's a DAY and yet it seems to be such a big day. That sounds like a really weird thing to say because it is the biggest holiday of the year in this country but it is still merely one day. Lets just have a nice dinner, all sit around and be thankful and move on. Why oh why do we have to stress about it.... I know why I stress about it... not because I have to cook or anything like that because we're extremely lucky and go visit family every year. I stress because it's my wake up call to silly season... my alarm to the unending demands on time and energy in every imaginable form....parades (yes the Christmas Parade is usually the Monday after Thanksgiving.. seriously!!) parties, pj days at school, Victorian Christmas, Fun Runs, kids out of school, mailing gifts overseas (which is invariably done late) decking the halls and devouring Egg Nog. I still  can't get my head around the American way of celebrating the holidays... totally backwards to me.  It starts at Thanksgiving and ends at Christmas. Whereas in England we didn't really start until right before Christmas and ended at New Years. No wonder I'm all discombobulated. Sigh!!!  I miss that cold brisk walk to the pub, the lengthy dinners with co-workers, the dressing up in fancy evening wear with fabulous fancy shoes... Sigh again!!!!

So ... here it begins... and not to be a total party pooper but for me personally.. I say roll on the New Year!

She called it.....

Today I am taking care of my sweet, little, sickie Ash, for the third straight day. I was completely convinced yesterday that she was fine and would be on her merry way to school this morning and I would be left to concentrate on work again. Not so. The past couple of days she had been waking us up by throwing up first thing, she'd rinse and repeat a few times and then she was fine for the rest of the day. I put her back on her Prevacid thinking that we're back on the reflux roundabout and assured myself this was the end of it.

Well last night she started to get a little upset around eight o'clock and told me she was scared because she knew she was going to be sick again and that she would be missing more school (she absolutely cannot stand to miss school).  I told her it would be OK and that now she's back on the medicine she would be just fine and not to worry. We cuddled for a while and I settled her into bed, she asked for her puke bowl just in case so I fetched it and left it with her and went off to bed myself... I was exhausted from two days of her early morning puke alarms. I was having some kind of fabulous dream, which annoyingly I can't remember now, when I heard a child calling Mama, Mama... what???? It confused me because obviously if it was a fabulous dream there were no kids and therefore no room in the dream for Mama Mama. I stumbled out of bed and sure enough she had a full bowl for me to clean up (she's a very neat puker) and it was game on for the rest of the night. URGH!!!!

So she's sleeping soundly now but please for the love of God this has to be the worst of it and we can move on. I'm lucky enough to be working from home so I am able to continue with what I need to do to stay on track but hells bells I had foolishly envisioned a whole new life... one where I could focus on me and my career. I guess this is my signal that I'm still first and foremost a Mom and no matter what happens my kids will always come first. I'm not going to be some kind of martyr mom though, me myself and I come a damn close second to the motherly stuff. Today will be split between work, puke, lysol and the laundry room with more work on top... and that my friend is how we keep the plates spinning.

I've had this blog for two and a half years and there are a gazillion posts about Peanut being sick... it's just a given I guess and if you plan for it and accept it's gonna happen then you can handle it way better than letting it get you down. I just hate to see her little face all pale and sicky... I hope this is the last of it and she's back to her old self soon.

Gonna be a long month....

So.... looks like we're having a long November this year!!!! Please God let it be so because I can't even begin to think about Christmas there's so much we're trying to accomplish at the end of 2011 I just don't know if I can really do the Holidays justice. Do you think the kids will notice if we just kinda slide by the Yule Tide??

Funnies from my bunnies this week.... yesterday Syd was so indignant about physical activity it cracked me up. She was telling me that she had been moving ALL day and she was exhausted... really??? She's ten years old and can't stay in motion for a morning (it was only about noon). She looked at me with a serious expression "But Mom... Daddy made me RUN and it's the WEEKEND!!!". Bwwaahahahaha I can see an enrollment into a weekend bootcamp in this girls future... where did she get the idea that the weekend is a non activity sit on your ass time, wait.. I'm on the couch with Pinterest and Daddy's in the chair snoozing... sigh... got to change this and soon!!

Ash.. well she's always on the move, no worries there!! She even gets a towel out and lays it on the floor and does her "pilates" in the morning. Ash has been thinking hard about getting a new Uncle lately, I'm not going to go into it because it's not my story but it's enough to say we're on a manhunt and it's intense people. She's also been writing songs... yes ... I know!! I was amazed. She sang one to me last night at bedtime when I went to tuck her in and it was pretty good!! It really made me smile, more than smile I was just so blown away by it, it was just a little song and was funny but anyone who can write even a little song has my complete respect, she was a little embarrassed I could tell but all the same she was happy to sing to me and I was tickled by it.

Anyway peeps... I must get off this damn computer. I have been on Pinterest this morning and you know what?? I want to see some of that crap come to fruition... get off the screen and into my hands. So today is going to be a creative kind of a day...See Ya!!!

I'm crawling out of my hole...

So, hello how are you?  I have been in a black hole of sheer concentration these past few days and decided to take a little blog break tonight as I have a spare couple of mins to knock one out. 

This has been a weird week, trying to get into the swing of a whole new way of life for the family, but, despite the weirdness it's going very well. I'm trying to be more structured with the kids and their school work, taking every evening to purposely study and read, taking a more active roll in checking their scores on the study portal that kind of thing. Poor Ash... she has a reading goal to hit of 15 points.. each book is assigned a point value and she has to take a test on every book she reads and will be assigned a proportion of that point value depending on her success on the test. If she has a book worth 1 point and scores 100% on the test she gets 1 point.. get it? Well she's been reading a LOT of books with point values of 0.5 and she had no idea what that actually means in terms of how many books she has to read and test on to reach her goal. When I explained it to her, and pointed out that we're already half way through the 9 weeks she has to reach her goal she was devastated!!! I felt awful... I didn't want to make her upset, merely point out that if she read books with a higher point value she'd achieve her goal quicker. I know she'll reach her goal, she always does, she's a very good reader; I am just ridiculously competitive at times and always figuring out how to reach goals quickly. Urgh... I could kick myself in the ass sometimes!!!! Anyhooo she calmed down and tonight when she came home from school she was happy to announce that she has a chapter book worth 2 points! Smiles.

I'm really trying to stop with the pushy stuff.... really I am. I have to remember that in the grand scheme of things as long as they're not failing their classes and they are happy then it's all good. I want them to be kids first and foremost... so I was positively giddy when they were playing out front with their friends and Ash ran into the house screaming that someone threw a ball and it hit her nuts and knocked them down!!! Hmmm yeah that goes on the list of things you'd never thought you'd be hearing from your daughter. 

So.. that's it for now... plenty for me to be doing with this little bit of free time.. like sit my ass on the couch and watch How It's Made with the spousey.  Toodle Pip!!!! 

Seriously... you wake up and they're gone...

Last night I received a heartfelt plea via text from my sister in law begging that I blog, blog ever day and don't let it slide. She keeps up with our family doings this way and although I am completely overwhelmed with all my responsibilities and commitments at this time I feel that blogging is also a commitment... one to myself which keeps me sane and one to the peeps who are far away and can check in and see what we're up to. That's what you do when you don't live next door to family.. you splash your goings on over the world wide web and it saves a bagillion phone calls explaining our ups and downs to everyone individually. 

It's like our very own town crier with me doing the crying... hear ye, hear ye, the maiden Ashley finally had her damn front tooth pulled by the orthodentist, he declared it was time to get that sucker out of there. The man's damsels in attendance all squealed in shock at the x-rays showing that Maiden Ashley is most definitely in for years of expensive ortho work thus sending her distressed parents to the poor house. Maiden Sydney is finally almost done with her first session of corrective braces and her parents are to be reprieved for a short while until stage two.  Note to self... maybe I should be an orthodentist in my next life; or marry a man without a genetic predisposition to huge horse teeth. 

In other news. I have finally started training for my new career... yes career... not just a job. That's all I'm going to say about it because I will not blog about work. No I won't. 

I can say however that I am not travelling 33 miles each way to work anymore and even after the first day I can feel the benefits of working from/close to home. I love it!!!! love love love it. I do have a lot to accomplish every day and must stay on task but other than that I am not wasting almost two precious hours in my truck stressing over what a waste of time it is to commute. TOTAL waste of time. Nothing productive can be done while driving... nothing... other than listening to Martha Stewart radio but even then I can't jot down the tips and recipes... and because I'm driving for two hours I can't find time to visit her website to find said tips and recipes.. frustrating. So now I have all those lovely hours back... oooohhhh they're all mine!!!!! 

Ten freakin' hours a week... back to me.. boom just like that!!! I am doing that Irish heel kick thingy right now... really I am... bbwwaaahahahahahaaaa.

And finally... we cleaned out the little ladies rooms this weekend... I say little ladies but honestly if you'd have seen what was under their beds they'd be better described as little animals... filthy little hoarders! 

Here's how we did it... Ash was out playing at a friends house, so I made Syd crawl under Ashley's bed and bring out the dead stuff. Then on the next day it was Ashley's turn to crawl under Syd's bed and bring out her crap. Worked well. Very thorough and nothing was left behind, see, because the person under the bed was not on a mission to cover up the disgustingness... only to expose the other sister's evil ways. Not a speck was left behind. We recovered literally a bazillion socks (oddly none of them matched) and a lunch box from way back when; all disgusting and mold infested... which explained the smell of late. My mother in law is reading this and her toes are curling up right now!!! LOL!!!!! Sorry Nanny,  your granddaughters are dirty little creeps and that's the awful truth... you want to have them stay with you for a while so you can train them??? fine with me, they're on their way!!! 

Anyhoodles.. gotta go ..... commute to the other side of the dining room table and open up my work laptop and put a on my professional head. Kim my darling.. we love you and I promise to be a better blogger just because you asked and it made me feel wanted!!xxxxx 

The love of my life... contemplating how sad his life would be if he didn't have me by his side... taking pictures of him... 

Conundrum.... here's the deal...

First off I love love love the word conundrum... have been using it for years.. it perfectly fits any kind of situation that makes you go Hmmmm.

Second off... my friend Misty has a new blog... yes.. and she used the word in the title of the blog and it makes me smile....

Third and final off... ITS AWESOME!!!!  I constantly battle with the "what to do for dinner" thing and it gets on my last nerve. I have checked out a million different crock sites and I'm always left confused and overwhelmed. Too many recipes at once get me all crazy and googly eyed.  Misty is going to do one a day (five days a week) and post about it so it's way easier to follow than a gazzilion recipes all thrown at you all together like a pot of boiling spaghetti on your head. Already she's come up with an amazingly simple way to keep your recipes organized and make a weekly menu.... love it!!!

So ... if you're looking for some simple inspiration and you want to get out of the drive thru, head over and check out the Crock Pot Conundrum and tell her I sent you!!! You're welcome!!!

no idea why I'm adding this pic... it just sums up happy stuff... even if it is all blurry and grainy.... :)

Wordless Wednesday.....

Happy Trick or Treat.....

This is a huge file so I apologize if it takes a million years to open up... wouldn't blame you if you don't stick around to see it although I think it's worth a look.  This is the past four years of Trick or Treating at our place, I think it's neat to see the kids growing up a little more each year. It seems there's a good mix of ghoulish and non-scary costumes going on, there's a zombie, vampires, fairy princesses and jellyfish in there!

We usually have a party and I cook a big pot of chili and we invite friends to come and join us in our neighborhood, it's always been a great place for the kids to walk around gathering their goodies. This year though I wanted to keep it a low key because quite honestly I'm exhausted... and the house is a mess... and it fell on a Monday which is not exactly famous for being the best party night of all the nights of the week. So the girls had just a couple of the usual friends come over and they set out with Daddy while I sat there and gave out candy until thankfully it was all gone and I could turn off the porch light and wait for their return. It seemed to be pretty busy this year though, more little Spidermans than you could shake a stick at.
Urghhh... am I just getting old? I can't wait until the girls don't want to do it anymore but I have a feeling that's a long way off. They love Halloween, they have both said it's their favorite day of the year... can they really love candy that much??? I guess so!!!

Oh Darlin' don't you ever grow up....

Yet another favorite photo from a recent trip to the beach.. you would think I only have 

one daughter the way my pictures are going wouldn't you? 

Well I actually have two beautiful girls but the eldest is so cool it's impossible

 to take a picture of her these days. 

So I will continue to snap away the little one and hang on to the memories for dear life 

because it won't be long and she too will be an ultra cool tweener and there will 

be no room in her life for an ultra uncool camera toting mother.

She promises me that she will always love me and always be my little girl.

But I know that can't be, she has to grow up one day and it's 

only right that I allow her to do that, to embrace her independence, as much as it 

kills me to even think of it. I know she'll always love me but she 

can't always be little.

So I won't think about it.... I will just live in this moment, the moment when we

still hold hands walking to the shops and share laughs and secrets, the moment where

I can still be the only one to comfort her when she's sad and listen to her little 

stories from school. If truth be told the older one still lets me do these things

too but only when no one is watching and God forbid I actually blog about

anything she does!!! 

Big Bro's Birthday

Today is my brother's birthday... Happy Birthday man... he's 49 today. Whoaaahhh... how in the heck did that happen? I never knew people who are my siblings would ever get to be in their late forties, for the love of all that is sane. Worse than that we have a sister even older still ... but not by a lot and she's aging extremely well, maybe a little too well. Not insinuating she's had work, far from it, but she's always had a super moderate lifestyle and keeps things healthy and it shows. She has great skin and very few wrinkles, she also has perfect feet... totally perfect, not a callus, bunion or a cracked heel in site... stinks!!

Anyway that's not what today's post is about, just thought I'd give a nod to the rest of the family... there's another sister in the middle who, if reading this, is pissed at me right now for leaving her out, that's 'cos she's a middle sister... nuff said.

Anywayway.... I didn't want to do a post on family... I wanted to share with you this picture I took at the weekend... we went to Jacksonville beach (never actually been to Jax beach before and I liked it). I had a wedding shoot to do, so I took the man and little bit with me because that's how I roll. It was a gorgeous evening and although it got a little nippy (or nipplish as my friends says) it was well worth the five and a half million mile drive!!!

I don't know why I love this so much, I just do!  I think it's because I love to see the girls with their Daddy, I could not imagine him as a Dad before they came along and now I see it was always what he was meant to be. He's so good with them, always joking and talking and playing, he's truly there for them and that's what counts in the end. So... not getting all sentimental and girly here.... just pointing out that I love this picture! I may even drag it out of digital nomansland and hang it on the wall... yes... in my house... for everyone to see!

Who knows about this....

Do you blog anonymously? Are you a lurker? you know there are actually readers out there who are.... not bloggers!!! shocking I know. Do you care who reads and what you put out there for the world to know??

This has been on my mind a lot lately and probably the reason for my bloggy block. I can't seem to shake the feeling that someone is reading that I may not want to know all my little secrets that I put on my blog.... so if I don't want it out there then why do I continue???  It's like a dirty little habit I can't break, I love blogging and I love the comments and the pictures, the words, the funnies, the peeps.  But it's all so "virtual" I'm starting to feel uncomfortable about it spilling over into my real life world. I blame Twitter.

Not that I'm ever very controversial but I just feel kind of weird about being judged.... I can't put my finger on it.  Who the hell cares what a forty something Mom of 2 thinks about the world anyway?  My own take on blogging is that I laugh at the funny stuff, cry at the heartbreaking stuff and drool over the wonderfully creative crap people share on their blogs. So what's this feeling of weirdity hanging over me???? Where's it coming from?? maybe I'm getting a little afraid that people are taking it all too seriously sometimes, maybe I'M taking it too seriously. What if I do share the fact that John Travolta will be my next husband or that I love my shih tzu's more than life itself.. is it such a bad thing?

One of my favorite bloggers is Sassy Modern Mom... she recently posted about her own Mom finding her blog.. and what to do about it. Eeeekkk at least I know my mother is not reading but there are others I don't want knowing my inner ramblings... what the heck is a girl to do. I am not entirely anon any more!!!

In other news.... I found a couple of very dark, thick hairs under my chin. I knnnoowwww!!! there is no mole just big hairs that I have to pluck... you can't imagine how hideous it feels to find them...growing there with no notice... but on the bright side Halloween is approaching so it might be a cool addition to my old hag costume.

Happy Wednesday everyone!!!

The Golden Hour....

Just a few shots we took last evening.....

 there's always one with the funny face going on.... 

 I loved how the light was hitting their little blond heads as they enjoyed their hot chocolate... 

 such a cute pic of Ash if I do say so.... 

I love to hang out with the girls.... and I don't think they mind me clicking away while they ham it up...

mighty oaks...

The sun is shining....

Here in South GA the month of October is mostly the best month of the year weather wise... it's sunny and bright but a lot cooler and tends to be less humid, a blessed relief from the inferno of summer.

This year though, October 2011, it's not.  It has rained for much of the month so far and we're almost half way through already. Today for the first time this week I can actually see blue skies from my window as I sit at my desk messing around online picturing my perfect life. Yes, picturing my perfect life... like the rest of you online junkies I'm hooked on Pinterest. It's like a little digital fantasy right there at your fingertips, there's goodies galore to fawn over.  Crafts that I'll never do, recipes I definitely will never try, furniture and design way out of my reach  not to mention the clothes and jewels, I'm obviously not a size zero but I can pin that stuff on my style board and dream.... sigh. A more realistic board for me would be Peachy being Plus...  Then there's the words... oh the lovely words... I think that's my favorite part of it.... I laugh so much at the funny quips and the quotes, I relate to the heartfelt observations preserved artistically for prosperity. I can think of situations to match the wise warnings; every little piece of advice is matched with the corresponding heinous act to which I just five minutes ago fell victim to. "oh yes, that soooo happened to me... Pin It".

I think we all need a little fantasy at times don't we?  I read a blog recently which I totally cannot remember the name of, or the name of the author but she talked about Vision Boards. Making a board with pictures and words ripped from various magazines and pasted onto a large poster board, you're then supposed to display it somewhere you will see it on almost a daily basis. The idea is that is depicts what you envision for your future and that these things will be drawn to you in some magical way. Hmmmm don't know about all that... I would kinda like to do it just to see how my particular board would look, kinda hap-hazard I'm sure. Probably would end up a hodge podge of weird crap all piled up into a heap of a mess with no co ordination what so ever. I don't think I even have a defined idea of what I envision for my future, I just sort of stumble through the days not even realizing we're supposed to plan for the days, weeks, years ahead. Doesn't it just keep coming and we keep on keeping on and that's about it?????  See how deep I can get at times!!! LOL.

If I paste a big old house and a cleaning lady on the board, will it happen???  I only want a big house so I can occasionally get away from the kids and have room to breathe... and so that I can have a "creative room" which is Blogger speak for a room where one can make and do stuff and not have to clean up the mess in order to eat dinner at the table. A nice sun room with a high end music system would also be up there at the top of the vision board, imagine spending time in a pretty, bright & sunny room, protected from the bugs with some  lovely music filling the air ... absolutely no TV in there!!!  OK, maybe this vision board could actually take shape after all.... I'll keep you posted. In the meantime if I do remember that chicks name and site I'll come back and update this post.... nah, that's prolly never gonna happen is it??

Tuesday October 11th......

There isn't anything particularly significant about today, and nothing particularly significant has happened over the past few days which leads to the question... what to blog about?

I'm coming out of a really bad few weeks days of feeling under the weather and therefore mentally defeated, I just think too much when I'm on my own or under the weather. I have come to the conclusion I really should read more fiction.  If I read more fiction I'd have less time to manifest thoughts of doom, gloom and downright paranoid schizophrenia!  Sometimes I think I'm going nuts, literally, then I realize I'm just a mid life Mama dealing with life's every day shit balls and that I'm no different to anyone else. How aloof of me to think that my drama is worse than yours!!!  So today is a non drama day. Today is only significant because it's the day I choose to be positive and forget all the little niggling soul destroying thoughts that bombard my brain when I am not at my full BS fighting fitness.

So... I'm going to blog about mushrooms and shopping lists..... yes that's right!

A while ago now a blogging friend of mine (who no longer blogs... leaving a hole in my entire existence) sent me a recipe for a lovely dish that involved mushrooms and broccoli and pasta. It's totally delish;  I just printed out her email and keep it in my recipe drawer.  Every time I bring it out to cook the meal I get to see a little bit of her personality, I don't have it on me otherwise I would reprint it here and you'd see why I love her so much!!! She wrote the recipe just how she talks and it makes me smile. I cooked it for His gorgeousness and myself on Saturday night and read the recipe again with a smile in my heart, can't wait to travel to St Louis soon and hopefully get a nano second to see her and give her a hug!!!!

Saturday morning I asked my lovely seven year old if she'd help me make a shopping list, the other child was sick so we divided and conquered.... youngest and myself did the weekly grocery shopping while oldest child stayed home puking and Dad cleaned up her mess! Perfect!
So, Ash was busying herself writing the shopping list asking me how to spell everything and drawing little pictures next to the items. She had written numbers down first and somehow decided we needed 25 items. When it got to number eleven she said "uh uh, I know what we need here... three bottles of wine!".  I have no idea how she determined we needed three but it sounded good to me so three it was!!! It's just amazing to me what goes on in that little head of hers, I have no earthly idea how people could have kids and not listen to them, interact with them or love them. I just don't understand it. I get so much pure joy from talking with my girls and including them in the day to day actions of running the household and planning stuff I can't imagine how boring it was before they came along. Just a shopping list... but she made it a memorable shopping list and brought a smile to my face on a crappy Saturday morning filled with crud and puke and jobs still waiting to be completed. What will I do when she's all growed up???

Randomonium Friday....

Hello Friends... well it's Friday and thank GOD for that!! this has truly been a week!!!! 

You know when you're all single and have no worries and you get sick and you can just

crawl under the duvet and come out when you feel better??? I long for those days. 

You know when you're married with kids and a job and responsibilities... you can't get sick

because there's no one there to take up the slack.. or feed the dogs... or get the kids to camp..

or do laundry... or make you something good and soothing to eat, like soup. 

There's no crawling under the duvet because there is still shit to be done and if you take time

off work you're an evil slacker and they won't pay you or worse you'll be mocked while

you are at home feeling less than human... fyi .. I really don't have any co-workers so 

that last part doesn't apply but I still feel bad for missing work. 

Do you sense I may have been sick this week? 

In other news... what the hell is up with that horrid, horrid of all fashion trends.. 

orange, black and white zig zags???? No ... please for the love of good taste

don't take part in this ridiculous fad. Zig zags have never been flattering and never will be.

Never ever.. stop the madness now! 

Bunting... now there's a thing. It's huge.. I am sure those of you way more up to date

and cooler than me have realized this for a while but I'm just getting on the bunting 

band wagon.. and I ADORE IT!!! I want to cover my whole house and back garden

in bunting... I want to Bunt my whole existence. I wonder if I could make teeny tiny

bunting and hang it around my neck? No? Maybe not... might be a little too clowny.

Just so you know.. my Mum who is just wired to spot trends a million miles away

sent me some bunting about what.. two or so years ago... see she knows what's hot.
FYI.. she's in a nursing home and hardly gets out.. and she's still cooler than me.

My youngest child asked a very interesting question this week while we were driving..

"are we rednecks or Christians?"

Ummm .. yeah that's a good question! what in the world would cause her to 

think that "redneck" was a religion? Growing up South GA... shakes head and runs

off to sign her up for the National League of Junior Cotillions..... 

Fall... definitely here.  We threw some scary looking dollar store bought stuff out on the

porch last week... maybe that's what prompted the question above! 

I actually hate decorating for Fall.. don't see the point... we never did stuff like that at 

home in Blighty but the girls always want some Halloween decorations so I cave and then

cringe every time I drive up to the house.  If only I had the time and inclination to make 

it a super duper display of classy, divine decor suited toward harvest festival rather than 

the macabre. But I don't... it's not something I have much interest in so I'll grin and 

bear it until Nov 1st when it's all coming down baby!!
I did see some cool Halloween bunting on Etsy... hmmm... yes!!!

yes... it's just bokeh... SOOC... I have to be the only bozo alive who can get
a pic of just bokeh!!!!!


So that's it from me... another crap post to make you wish you'd just blown on by
me in your reader... sorry! Still fuzzy headed and longing for a little rest and recuperation.
Stop by tomorrow to check out chicks... yes... Fall chicks.. like Easter 'cept in October.
I know.

Wordless Wednesday....

Macro Monday

This weeks link up to Macro Monday comes to you from Panacea Fl. 

A little fishing town in the Florida Panhandle it's located on Dickerson Bay, we walked 

along this little beach and checking out the plants and wildlife! 

This little fellow is a sand spur (this is the first time I've seen on actually on it's plant) they are 

usually found embedded in the most tender part of one's foot!!! EEoooucccchh!!! 

Monarchs find their way to this part of Florida every year.. very pretty.. if you like that kind of thing.

We all know that moths and butterflies are not my cup of tea...can't stand all that fluttering! 

Schools out....

So... Fall break already!!! Can you believe it. Where in the world has the time gone??? I literally feel like the kids just went back after summer and now they're out again for a whole ten days. My head is spinning at how quickly time is flying past me... leaving me wondering what the hell is going on. 

Look at that pencil go!!!!!!! 

I wish we had somewhere to go during this break but unfortunately we're still working

stiffs and the girls will go to the YMCA instead of a trip to the mountains... sigh. 

Trying not to dwell on it, regrets and coveting the fortunes of others are something I really need

to work on . In my next life I want to be a teacher.. or a trust fund baby or something. 

On the bright side, it is FALL!! It's still hot here but the 'idiot not to be trusted" on the radio

just said we're in for a cold front.... yay... 80 degrees instead of 95.

I'm starting to feel like spending a little more time in the kitchen, I love love love

pumpkin recipes so this is the time of year I make pies and pancakes and everything that 

smells so good, spicey and homey... yum!!! 

Don't get me wrong I'm no Suzie homemaker but I have a darn good stab at it for ... 

umm... about three weeks in October!!  a girl can try!!! 

What are your plans for October? by far the most delicious month in the year!!! 

Monday.. a great day for some Randomonium...

I wanted to join in with Macro Monday over at Lisa's Chaos but guess what.. no macro shots to share. I have had a definite slump in the picture taking lately. A huge cavernous void from which I'm finding it hard to climb out of.  It's my fav hobby so how can it be so up and down??? weird.

In an effort to get out the slump I have signed on to Scott Kelby's World Wide Photo Walk, I will be joining a bunch of camera wielding maniacs and walking around Tallahassee.. yes the Capital of Florida....snapping anything and everything. We will then converge on a lovely restaurant and eat lunch and talk about the great pics we took.... nerdalicious!!!!! I even got my sister in Wales interested... check  it out people there are walks all over the World.. hence the name.

It's about four in the afternoon as I type, this has been a very unproductive Monday at home with sick child and I am feeling very sleepy.. very sleepy indeed. The remedy for this is to sit down and bang out a random post whilst enjoying a very delicious cup of coffee and an apple fritter... yes it's my way of starting the day again!!!

At last I am no longer a member of the "have not seen Bridesmaids" gang. The hubs and I watched it Saturday night (which is why I'm probably so tired.. that movie is loooongg!).  It wasn't what I thought it would be but I thoroughly enjoyed it... and will watch it again soon. It's def up there with Pretty Woman and Dirty Dancing.... only better... alot better!

Ash has decided to switch back to taking her lunch to school again... which is a good thing because then at least I know she's getting something good.  Her reason for the switch.. so that she can sit with the cool kids! Whenever I think of taking lunch to school I think of Tab, my mother made me take Tab because I was a fat kid. In the seventies if you took Tab to school you were a fat kid, and didn't sit with the cool kids. I can't even think what else I had in my lunch box except an apple and Tab. Maybe that was all I had!!! Sheesh!!

If you are a member of Sam's Club here's a tip.. you have to go try their garlic something or other chicken sausages.. .they ... are .... to ... die ... for!!!!!!  

and finally.... it's that time of year again... when I have to get out of bed in the pitch black and I CAN'T STAND IT!!!!! Looking for a school for the kids that starts at nine and a job for me that starts at ten, all with the same stopping time in the afternoon of course. Any ideas????

Thanks for tuning in folks.... hopefully the groove will be back soon and I'll be my old creative, witty self!!!!

Food coloring, paper and straws.... I call it... cheap entertainment!!!! 

Silent Sunday

...........

..............

.......

OK not so silent... I'm so proud of my lovely Syd, what makes her smart is knowing

that homework and studying are not an option.  She's going to do great things! 

Just because you can doesn't mean you should...

For the love of all that is SANE.. can we just go back to do things in the 

old way.... can we stop with the back linking and suggestions and the finishing

of words and sentences???

I don't really give a flying rats ass about the new layout of FB, it's just a little 

distraction in my day and it's not enough to throw me into a frenzy. 

Which in itself is shocking because the teeniest thing will throw me into a frenzy

as you know.. if you're a regular here.. are you?

What I do care about is all the effin' thinking for me that not only FB is trying to 

do but actually Google and all sorts of other sites are doing. 

I use Gmail... I love it... but today I noticed (and it's probably been there for  a

long time but I just noticed today) that when I sent an email there was a little 

"suggestion" as to who else I'd like to include in the email. 

Excuse me but I know who I want to send the damn email to and I don't need 

interference from the stupid program... what are you my Mother???

Yesterday I wanted to send a FB message to a friend who is a tad older than me and is 

a very respected kind of mentor figure. She lives close by and I adore her, she's 

such an inspiration to me when I need guidance.. PS.. everyone should have a mentor.

Anyautolink... I wanted to include the name of my company and do you think 

FB would let me do it without trying to link it to other friends I have on FB... 

other not quite as "mature" people who I knew in years gone by but still stay in touch 

with but don't necessarily want linked into my conversations.

 Google+ has the right idea.. you don't want certain friends seeing certain stuff you

 would gladly share with other certain friends. 

I don't even know if respectable mentor lady would even see these links or not?

Urgh... too much pressure. Just go back to the good old days of adding the 

little @ if you want to link someone into your messages. 

We are adults, we know who we want to link to and who we want to send 

emails to thank you very much!  Just leave us be, give us the toys and then step 

back and let us decide how we want to play with them, it's what every good 

parent should do!!! 

I'm ready to go back to good old pen and paper.. you???

The Cross Roads....

Well well well... I kinda find myself at a junction of sorts... 

I have spent the last few weeks undergoing the rigors of a very thorough recruiting process 

necessary to progress to the next level of my career. 

A level which will eventually lead to a fantastic opportunity for my family and I, an 

opportunity to provide us with a certain amount of security for our future.

Whoop whoop for me right? yes I am excited but it also means the commitment 

of ALOT of time and effort on my behalf so I have to make some 

decisions about my blogging and photography. I just won't be able to do it

all going forward. Right now I'm weighing up my options and considering how

best to plan my time. When thinking about closing down the blog I realize

I will miss it so much... the therapy, the camaraderie, the laughs, the bullshit... 

it's like losing a little friend one turns to in times of need. Maybe I can just post 

when I want to and not actually think to much about it... oh wait... isn't that what 

I do now??? pretty much!!! 

I'm going to have to make my time with the family count extra because there will be less 

of it. Instead of thinking in terms of a blogger listening to their chatter and thinking

"ooohhh that would make a good post".. I'll have to be fully engaged thinking.."ooohhh

these are our memories". I am sure I will continue sticking the camera in their faces

at every available opportunity. I don't think that will ever stop. 

The hard thing for me is that I want to be good at everything I do... such a freak! 

I want to be the best ever parent in the world, I want my kids to look back and think 

that I was a good Mom and taught them well, helped them grow in to good, productive and

kind citizens. I want to be the best photographer I can be, to learn the art and be able

to produce fantastic pictures to look back on, whether it be as a "pro" or otherwise. 

I realize that if this new opportunity means I can no longer have my own photography 

business then I can still keep it as an uber-hobby. I can continue to learn and read and 

absorb all I can, maybe focus on it in a little different way, more for personal 

pleasure than as a way to make a living. I actually think my foray into professional 

photography has taught me a valuable lesson but that's for some other time .. some other

post.  I am envisioning that this new path my life is about to take is going to be a 

huge change for us, I don't know if I will even have time to dwell on how 

super perfect I want to be.... I'll just have to be super perfect without thinking

about it!!!! 

"It is time for you to stop being an extra in other people's movies, and be the 

star of your own." ~Alan Cohen

Thanks Liz.. The Fragrant Muse for the quote!!! 

Lovely eggs....

I never thought I'd be marveling over a crate of eggs. 

Maybe I need to get out more. 

But they are lovely n'est pas???

When will the madness of mass production stop and let us all 

get back to lovely little eggs, the way they should be... 

different shapes, sizes and colors.. just like people.

Goodies for photographers and bloggers....

Hey all you guys and gals out there who are hooked on the  

fascinating world of photography and editing, textures and actions and all the goodies that 

go along with them... . 

You have to check this out... 

Reverie is having an enormous giveaway... 

Now then.. I have to go..sorry... there is so much to check out it's like a box of 

deliciousness all in one place. Even if you don't win you'll discover all kinds of 

spectacular sites out there ready to inspire you in your artistic adventures. 

See you in a day or two!!!! 

being the youngest...

"it stinks being the youngest!!". 

yes it does my friend... yes it does!!!! 

Grandparents Day....

So.. this week at school included the much anticipated Grandparents day for both my kids, you know.... Grandparents Day.... remember that well known day set aside to honor and acknowledge our Grands... you don't??? me neither.

We never had a special day set aside for the parents of our parents when I was growing up, no special songs or poems, no dedicated mornings with refreshments and little objet d'art.... not a damn thing! As much as we love those of the previous generation who offer attention and gifts to our kids I'm not entirely sure we need a day at school dedicated to the demonstration of such love. Oh.... but wait... of course.. there are those kids who don't have parents and miss out on that other special day... wait.. what special day? They make us little mother's day cards and father's day cards which honestly they don't really have to... but a day when we get to go to school and be honored for being the fools responsible for these crazy ass kids being in the world... nope don't remember getting that invitation.

So back to Grandparents day... we don't have any Grands in the vicinity therefore it's up to one of us parents to beg for a couple of hours off so that our kids don't feel all sad and alone on this special day which they have prepared for during the course of the SIX weeks prior!!! This year it was Dad's turn, apparently Ash remembered it as being we had both gone in prior years but I really don't think we could have... anyway she had a meltdown the morning of because she wanted us both there because it's not fair she doesn't have Grands around... totally my fault for that one...and don't I know it. She settled down and apparently once Dad got there and watched them sing a couple of songs all was well again. The performance was lovely and when they were done the assistant principle said a few words and invited all the grandparents to spend some time with their little darlings and go visit the Book Fair which just happened to be going on at that time in the Library.... Ahhhh I see.... get the Grands all huddled in one place, soften them up with some darling songs in their honor and then herd them and their wallets to the damn book fair!!!

Such a cunning plan, the brainchild of a mastermind no doubt... who in their right mind is going to refuse to buy a child a book while they are in the school... in the library... under the scrutiny of the librarian who just oozes with importance of reading at an early age.  No one.. that's who!!!  It's called Grandparentgate... favors for books.... songs for literacy..... we will herd the old peeps in there and close the door.. no one escapes until the bookshelves are bare.

Hubs was quite frankly beat down by the time he escaped....but he did have a brilliant idea... why not send a note home something to this effect... OK folks, we're having a book fair, you don't have to come, just send us five bucks and we'll call it good. The school gets their cash and the families get left alone to go about their daily lives without all the brew ha ha and the kids can go about the business of learning to read and write and rithmetic.... see what a good life it would be.

This article has been brought to you by the Coalition for Realism and the Campaign for Life Ain't a Bowl of Freakin' Cherries People.

Chicken... no head....

Running around like a chicken with no head this morning!!! 

Three different birthday parties to get the kids to, a little photo shoot of a fund

raiser for a cancer charity and chaperoning one of the birthday "parties" which

is herding a bunch of wild tween girls around the mall and a pizza place! 

Not to mention trying to get some picture orders in and make some well overdue

phone calls and return library books.. also overdue..... I have a little headache brewing. 

With five minutes to spare before Ash gets picked up for the pool party she can't 

find the sunscreen... fits of hysteria.....I assure her that the friends picking her up 

are bound have some but she continues to whine in her oh so aggravating way until 

I'm about to SNAP!! The friend turns up and thankfully has sunscreen but no

towels... guess who did all the laundry this morning.. phew.. I am happy to let them

use my freshly laundered nice smelling towels. That NEVER happens!!! 

Now a ten minute peaceful interlude while Ash is gone, Syd is with Daddy at a 

neighbors house borrowing a pressure washer (he blew the motor in ours this morning!)

and I can decompress before the next session of chaos with the tweens at the Mall.

I swear.... weekends are getting more and more hectic around here. I seem to recall 

there was a time when they would play quietly and take naps in the afternoon, I could potter

around and do little projects here and there and life was charmed. Not so now!!! 

Would I change it... sometimes yes.. but mostly no... my blessings are 

well and truly counted! 

That's that then.....

So... the tomato plant of 2011 is gone... caput... deceased... in the shitter. I think I got maybe about seven tomatoes and they were DELISH!!!! Between the birds, squirrels and my tomato loving shih tzu it was a fight to get one that hadn't already been tampered with.
Next year I'm going for a ton of those hanging upsy daisy, topsy turvy things and I will adorn the back porch with them!!! Until then it's adeiu to Tommy... thanks for memories.

Men behaving badly....

OK I am pissed.... pissed that I haven't had a chance to download the new Texture Bundle II from Kim Klassen, let alone use it!! I want you to go check out her site and see what goodies she has to offer in the way of Textures, Kim was the first person to introduce me to the world of textures and I loved her Skinny Mini classes. By the way she hasn't asked me to toot her horn or anything... I just want to share the lurve!!!

Today is Texture Tuesday and I don't have anything to add because I have been gallivanting around South Florida with the family and didn't pick up my laptop one single time I was there. I purchased the bundle on Friday and still haven't downloaded it yet... slacker!!! I did take some pictures but honestly I probably will never even share any of them because I just wasn't in the mood. I was so damn hot!!!! You can't really cart around the big girl camera in that heat (not to mention the fact I'm afraid I'll drop it in a swamp or something!) and the little camera died on me... wtf... it just died with no indication of a pre-existing condition. This being so I realized I need to get the D60 fixed and use that to take some good family fun shots without the hassle/worry of the big camera or the unreliability of the little girl camera. So complicated!!! It's been almost a year since the demise of the D60 so it's time I got my act together and get it seen to... again with the slackerness.

So, yes, there we were out in a State Park and they had a little cafe/gift shop thing where you can actually buy a beer... in a State Park... I know!!!! We decided to take the air boat ride which I was a little disappointed in because it was a huge air boat, not a little thing that would speed across the lake, top speed was probably what... 3 miles a YEAR!!!! So.. when purchasing the tickets the helpful chap at the kiosk lets us know it's thirty minutes to launch and we're welcome to take snacks and beverages on board with us which can be purchased upstairs in the snack and beverage department. I send hubs and father in law in search of such... they come back with four deliciously cold and yummy beers... only to be told we can't take them on the damn air tug boat!!

So we're trying to chug them when we're herded down the ramp onto the boat, I still have my beer because I'm a lady and can't chug it like my sister-in-law did in three seconds flat. The she-man at the end of the ramp tells me to get rid or go back up the ramp and drink it before boarding the boat... yeah... how the hell you gonna get a rotund chick like me back up that single file ramp when everyone else is heading down it???? My only option was to get rid; she ceremoniously dumped my delish beer into the lake rendering all the wildlife totally useless for the next three hours. Bitch. I pointed out that they may want to tell the helpful chappy at the kiosk to let peeps know there's a 'no beer on the boat' rule... which is a stupid rule if you ask me... who the hell goes on a boat WITHOUT beer...anyone???? no didn't think so. She then proceeded to list all the places where they had a damn sign.. I just walked off but she kept on talking... there's a sign here.. and there's one there... and if you had looked there's one on the wall there and blah blah blah... By this time I just wanted to take a sign and shove it down her throat!!!! URGH!!

The boat ride kinda sucked... it would have been better with a nice cold beer... but hey... you don't know until you try right. As we were leaving we saw a chalkboard sign which read "Please.. no alcohol beyond this point"... I died laughing as my dear father-in-law just happened to casually erase the word "no". Funny stuff !

Sorry Florida State Parks.... we promise to behave next time!!!