peek into my noggin

a - z

2011-04-12T22:20:00.003-04:00

so ... one of my favorite blogs to read is bored mommy ... she's funny! she recently did this a-z thing ... and i love reading stuff like this .... probably same reason why i secretly love reality tv ... people are interesting ....   so i decided to do the a-z too .... which i never do ... i am always on the 'taking' part of these 'info' relationships ... i never give ... so i finally decided - shit just do it - you know you love it! plus it kinda reminds me of being in middle school & filling out those pretend year books we used to make ....     thanks bored mommy!

A. Age: 34 ... soon will be the 3 & 5

B. Bed size: queen    kinda teeny when you go to sleep with just two people ... and then wake up with 2 people plus 2 dogs & a cat that snuck up in the middle of the night when no one was looking

C. Chore you dislike: cleaning the tub/shower ... hence why i pay the hubby make believe money to do it.

D. Dogs:   2 ... kiwi - 7 month old loudest dog ever beagle, lab & something else, but who knows what? mix  & atreyu - 6 yr old brittany spaniel - who is starting to sport his old man face ... sweet boy.

E. Essential start to your day: brush teeth & splash of cold water in my face ... helps wake me at my 5 am wake up call

F. Favorite color:   tied ... dark grey & black

G. Gold or silver:   silver

H. Height: 5′ 7″

I. Instruments you play: guitar when i was 9 maybe ... for 1 year maybe ... i sucked. and now i like to bang on my drum ... even though i suck at that too.


J. Job title:   ha ha ... not really sure. restaurant point of sale computer programmer, accounting ... would be
the main stuff .... but i would say my biggest job title is trying to pull off being a good mama.

K. Kids: 3 yr old going on 80 ... josie ... my old soul wise lil girl.

L. Live:  in a lil house on a mountain ....

M. Mom’s name:   pauline to most .... 'ma' to me & my dad ... and 'memere' to josie.

N. Nicknames: brodeur .... and dani ... .

O. Overnight hospital stays:   just when josie was born ... could of just been 1 overnighter ... but my midwife
talked us into staying an extra cuz we were in the middle of a heat wave ... and we were in our nice air conditioned room ordering out italian. that just seems wrong.

P. Pet peeves:   oh ... i guess when someone asks you a question ... and then they don't even hear your
answer.

Q. Quote from a movie: show me the way to go home ... i'm tired & i want to go to bed ... i had a little drink about an hour ago and it got right to my head -   jaws

R. Righty or Lefty:   righty

S. Siblings:    nada

T. Time you wake up: 5 am-ish when i need the alarm clock ... without the alarm clock ... usually
7:23 within a minute or 2 - seriously.

U. Underwear:  stuffed into my top drawer

V. Vegetables you don’t like:   mushrooms & radishes

W. What makes you run late:   me ... i am always late & it's always my fault.

X. X-rays you’ve had:   oh a bunch all over

Y. Yummy food you make:   killer beef stew, fajitas, this blueberry crumble thing ... i'm a sucker for soup
making & baked goods.

Z. Zoo Animal Favourites:   giraffe, gorilla & penguins

alone

2010-08-27T08:00:00.002-04:00

one of my favorite blogs girl's gone child led me down the path to this video a lil while back. i like it. it's wonderful. so i am sharing.

last year i went away by myself overnite ... actually for 2 nites .. and did my thing ... going away on a 'road trip by myself - GASP!' was something i used to do often enough before husband, child, house, dogs, cat, dishwashers, washing machines, lawnmowers, & a 'real' jobby job (if that's what you call it) ... when it was just me for a while ... actually me, my dog, my paint & my sewing machine. a time when it was easy to remain myself ... whatever the hell that is ...where now, it is easier to lose myself... again, whatever the hell that means.

people always ask the question ... why alone ... what's wrong ... something must be wrong ... it's the 'only child' thing ... it's funner with 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 ... yeah sometimes it is ... but, sometimes it is important for me to be alone & do things alone ... some sort of backwards self confidence building session perhaps ... either way ... whatever it is ... i think this video helps explain that. for me - alone ... it's about happiness within yourself ... to help spread the happiness to those who are 'affected' by you ... who you love ... who you care about.

perhaps it can also be looked at as a reminder of how lucky we are to have such special people in our lives ...

boobtube

2010-08-23T09:03:00.011-04:00

on this rainy morning the tv has been on in the background as i work ... channel 9 news - wmur.

these are the 2 things that made me come here ... when i haven't in a while ...

i think it is hilarious that some bad ass burglar went & held up 'the dollar store' ... it's THE $1 STORE ... that is too much ... wonder how many $1's he got!
remember playing the drinking game 'thunderstruck'? ... could be just a berlin thing ... but you take a gulp from your boozy drink every time AC/DC says 'thunder' ... basically you get pretty loaded .... well ... you won't get as loaded ... but for the amount of times they play this freekin commercial ... try it out with katrina swett's running for congress ad... yup ... every time she uses the word 'swett' ... could get a little buzz at least.... wow, i wonder how she would campaign if she had a different last name ....
it's only 9 a.m. ... but i'm going to call it ... those are my 2 for the day ... and i love this picture ... cuz it kinda goes with my title ...... she is kinda fondling the boobie part of the tv .... yeeeahhh, i know i am dirty .... raaaa-raaaa-shisssshhhh-boooom-BA!

stuck

2010-07-23T22:50:00.002-04:00

stuck on this ..... or should i say them ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mhi3vW7H50

and this .....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH0CnjXqCLE

now; i will always have one eye open lookin out for a live show with them ....

150

2010-06-19T22:23:00.006-04:00

room 150. this weekend was filled with live music & friends & people watchin & travelin shakedown & 2 a.m. mcdonald mcflurries & seeing a really old dear friend & dancing & laughing & dancing & smiling & dancing & singing & dancing. really a much needed time. about 10 minutes after hopping in the car to begin the journey my words were ' i do not want to be rushed for anything on this trip' ... i feel like most of my life is one big rush. i am always rushing ... rushing to not be too late, rushing trying to find puppy, soos, sippy, ricecake, ... just plain rushing to make deadlines, make it to work, make it to storytime on time so josie can hear all the kids sing her name in the welcoming song (which we rarely get to hear - sad ... mother of the year for that), make it out the door for my run just so i can rush back home to rush to take my shower, rush to make sure i don't let the broccoli cook too long, rush to do my chores, to eat so i can move onto the next ......... blah blah blah ... i needed to not.

so room 150 .... room 150 was the crashing place for the weekend. i admit, i was a little nervous as i really didn't know where i was making my reservation when i was making it ... i didn't pay attention too much, i just new i was within walking distance to the show & that's where my friend was staying ... so that's all i needed. and yeah ... i have stayed in sketchiness in my years of travelin around .... so really i can handle just bout anything .... ummmm .... well ...... either i am just getting too old or have turned into an eating & lodging snob ..... but i could not handle this place. it is the absolute worst place i have ever stayed .... i would rather be tenting on hard pavement in the middle of a parking lot at walmart in the rain - hell, even in the snow. .... i am SO not kidding! and yes, when pulling up ' huh, doesn't look bad 'were my words .... they know how to trick ya from the outside. ... of course the whole place is crawling with phish peeps ... fun, but whenever i saw the sign that said 'there will not be any refunds after 10 mins of checking in' .... i knew i was in trouble. i will admit ... my mind; dirty like it is .... i thought the sign meant something else ... basically saying 'quickies not allowed' ... but ... 10 minutes after opening up the door of room 150 i wanted out! SHIT! now i know what that sign means. the minute i saw those fake maple leafs with glitter on them, that were sitting in their plastic water pitcher vases (with no water in them cuz the glittery leaves were fake of course) in the lobby should of been a hint as well. i initially thought i would take pictures of all this stuff cuz it's just too much .... but as time went on ... i just couldn't bring myself to do it. it was literally too much & actually kinda just awful....

so the list ....

disgusting disgusting smell of 9 million different body orders when entering the room
disgusting disgusting smell of those 9 million people with their b.o. smoking a pack an hour in the room as well
broken tv speakers
tv sleep timer would go off on it's own
no light fixture ... just a dangling light bulb
a bed that was close to a foot higher on one side than an other
pillows that were 1 inch thick
light fixtures over the headboard that were dangling & off their keister
a scarey bedspread that looked like it has literally been on that bed since the 70's & has never been taken off to be washed.
just one towel the size of of a bathmat for the two of us to shower with
the floor of the bathtub was cracked ... wondered where the water was going ... 5 hours later the bathroom floor was filled with water .... that's where it was going.
after just being curious about what it looked like under that 70's spread ... i peeked, only to find obviuosly unwashed bloody stained sheets.
after that .... my disappointment that they didn't have little individual shampoo & conditioner bottles seemed quite minor.

never mind the layer of grime & dirt on everything in the room ... and how the maid came by in the morning to see if we needed new towels .... just trying to get one extra - she took our only one that we hadn't even gotten a chance to use yet & said 'i will be back later'. yes, she went to wash it & stuck it in the dryer & brought 2 back to us a couple hours later ... thank goodness i had done my preaching the day before about not feeling rushed on this trip. thinking about this now ... at least i think she washed it .... she could of just taken the towel from the dude next door & stuck it in the dryer & brought over a nice warm yucky dude residue towel ....

the question is why the hell didn't i say anything ... complain - demand .... my friends room was just as disgusting as ours ... so you know that all 200 rooms were the same .... i knew nothing would matter to these people ... it wasn't worth it ... the trouble. so just had to laugh & not touch anything.

i know i am forgetting things .... but these were the ones that really stuck out. fortunately we had brought our own pillows & a blanket - just a last minute 'just in case thing'. so sleeping was a blanket that i keep in my car for the dogs - yeah dogs - & was happy for that to be the first layer on the bed spread, then on top of that 1 sleeping bag that i keep in the car, then the pillows & blanket we brougt (thank goodness). slept fully clothed - pants & long sleeve to be sure not one little inch of skin touched that 70's beadspread. AAAACKKK!

i'm sure this doesn't sound nearly as bad as it was .... but in my little notes of life that i take i have a whole page dedicated to big letters saying NEVER STAY AT AMERICAS BEST VALUE INN. * beware when tv remote control is listed as an anemity *

but again the important part besides the constant jokes, sqeemish smells & sights of our room 150 ... was the live music, friends & people watchin & travelin shakedown & 2 a.m mcdonald's mcflurries, & seeing a really old dear friend & dancing & laughing & dancing & smiling & dancing & singing & dancing.

vamp

2010-06-13T08:45:00.003-04:00

feelin like things need a little vamping ..... not vampiring .... vampires spook me .... teeth, sucking, blood, yuck, i can't even put the tiniest little blood drawn from a paper cut in my mouth .... so, just vamping. .... as my lil one sleeps this rainy morning away, i sit in the bedroom above hers trying to figure why it is that i can program a whole new menu for our POS systems at work (basically computer programming, reporting, printing & design ....) in an hour or two & it has taken me just as long to figure out how to get this new design for my blog to look somewhat like i want it. i hate having rules to design ... i want all color choices, download pictures, fonts for everything .... that is why the word template can be your friend at times, but also your foe. don't get me wrong ... i know that there is some way to have all those things ... it is just my impatient brain making sure i do not become friends with the latest technology. yes i am complaining ... when i know the fix is to just not be stubborn, be patient & learn .... but yes, i am complaining. this is why i am a slacker with i tunes ... although i am very impressed that i even have an 'i' anything ... i have an i touch ... but only because i got it for a gift. this is also why i don't know how to work the advances in our stereo system, movie system, camera system, phone system, the riding lawnmower, the snow blower, and the tractor .... oops. got carried away ... should take away the last three mentioned ... those i don't learn for other reasons. one less thing for me to feel responsible to do when the grass is too long, there is a snow storm or i need the earth to be scratched up for my newest flowerbed. ..... i really should learn the tractor ..... it is my flowerbed & i am one to want something done rather quickly when i get the idea in my head ... hence, i should learn the tractor. i know i would like it ... i would feel cool riding the tractor ... i may even hit the road in the tractor. and ... i might even put on my fun cowboy hat type hat that i have & ride the tractor in the road .... and feel cool. so ... truth be told ... i have hopped on the tractor once ... which led to almost, almost, almost disaster. a story for another day .... but .... the 'learning the tractor' may make it on one of my bazillion lists of 'things to do'.

so ... from vampires, to design, to 'i' products, to snow storms, to tractors .... i could go on & on & on ... but finally at 9:10 am i think i hear my lil one peeping! .... and the day begins .... again.

it is not just a tree ....

2010-05-02T22:34:00.006-04:00

was thinking about this tonite ... & made me chuckle ... so .......

setting: 6 pm ... in a car traveling on 93 after a day of furniture shopping in nashua

josie: mama mama look

josie: mama mama

me: what sweetie

josie: look at that over there over there

me: huh ... what is it?

josie: look look it's a tree

me: a tree?

josie: it's so beautiful

this is what happens when a little woodsy country girl spends the day in a city without trees ....

copy that ...

2010-04-28T21:58:00.004-04:00

so ... i have come to realize that i could never be a salesman ... especially a photo copier salesman ... simply because of this statement that i heard one say .... 'you are so lucky - you have the cheapest date in town' ... 'the biggest bang for your buck' .... geez ... i don't know there is just something about that ... just couldn't do it with a straight face ....

2010-03-14T16:37:00.004-04:00

things that have been happenin at our abode ....

big big chicky

bridgewater's famous signs .... this sign speaks the truth

that's all josie ...

randoms ...

WONDERING if people ever steal 'this house is protected by ....' signs to put up at their own house?

WONDERING if the person who invented pez dispensers got their idea from a mailbox. you know what i mean? .... hmmm.

WONDERING about those panties that say the days of the week on them. can people actually pull off wearing wednesday panties on wednesday? i could never .... but would be impressed with someone who could ....

those were my top 3 WONDERING thoughts that came up this hour ....

good morning shoppers

2010-01-24T21:02:00.005-05:00

sunday groceries ... an unusual sunday outing for josie & i ... but figured we probably won't be able to get off this hill tommorrow with all the rain & ice ... and i was happy we went!

this is why ...

over the speakers comes on: 'good morning shoppers ... just want to take a moment and wish a very happy birthday to one of our associates .... happy birthday anna in the bakery ... happy birthday!'

a minute later ...

'good morning ... just wishing anna a happy birthday from the meat department'

10 seconds later ...

'happy birthday anna ... coming from the fish dept'

that was so fun .... made me really smile .... can only imagine how big anna's smile was ...

first of 20 10

2010-01-22T21:34:00.006-05:00

things ....
of course leonard cohen's hallelujah is being covered at this moment ... the moments

love on my late nite's of work that atreyu sits at the edge of the driveway in the dark & snow waiting for my safe arrival. his little but wiggles so fast ... he must be excited to get out of the cold ...

enjoying the music of this hope for haiti ... and trying not to cry during the speaking parts ... yes, if it was easy ... i would go get a little person over there & bring him here for josie in a heartbeat.

my paperwhites opened this week as my tulips started falling. not really sure if i like the smell of paperwhites ... i don't think they are subtle enough for my taste. was very nice having tulips in the winter ...

josie painting almost everyday ... she is very particular when doing this ... fresh brushes, going through each color one by one to see what it gives her .... definitely like her mother with this ... she is making me itch to pick up a brush ... which i haven't done since before she was born.

got the opportunity to dress up this week ... for a special dinner put on by my work ... actually felt nice to pay attention to trying to look nice ... had some funny times with the ladies i work with ... i am lucky to work with such special people. yet, another reason for being lucky ...

last time josie saw stevie wonder it was new year's eve at 11:30 at nite ... and she kept saying - 'look it's papa' ... so so funny. tonite she saw stevie ... and kept repeating his name & almost started crying when he stopped singing ... she wanted more ... so did i.

walked out onto a gorgeous nitefall on thursday evening ... 6 pm ... bottom of sky light blue gradually getting darker blue the higher you go ... and the brightest crescent moon ... which reminds me that tonite when josie pointed out the moon, like she always does ... she got the explanation of how '2 people in completely differnt places on earth are looking at the same moon - cuz there is only one' ... i think she actually took that in ... that has always been a comforting thing to think about for me ...

could write all nite ... so i am stopping now ... here are a few pix of josie ...

dog days of winter

2009-12-31T19:40:00.003-05:00

just setting dinner down at the table & the purina dog show is on in the background. josie turns around to look at the tv ...

announcer: and this is 'blah blah blah' a miniature poodle

josie: wow, i like it's shoes

singing for grandmama

2009-12-28T22:55:00.002-05:00

tinsel, crutches, snow & my other randomness

2009-12-26T16:58:00.013-05:00

this should be a xmas post ... but we all know that i am not that on top of things, so maybe that will come a little later ... although hope everyone had laughs & fun on xmas!

some things ...

it's been a couple weeks now, but on the front page of the union leader was an article about this father who is raising a newborn, because the mom left. an unforunate situation of course ... and went on to talk how he had to quit his job because of all the attention that raising a child requires & now he was struggling to support his child & buy her xmas gifts ... again an unfortunate situation. BUT ... in my mind, did this make front page of the paper because it is a FATHER ... how many mothers are in this same situation, don't quit there jobs & are stuck working just to pay daycare ... and you never ever hear about it ... seriously COME ON ...

also a couple weeks ago josie experienced her first snow storm of the season... got out her hat, mittens, boots & snow suit ... when i showed her her snowsuit ... she said ... 'no i want to be a bat' ... (what she was for halloween) ... we went out & played in the snow for 2 1/2 hrs at night ... snow angels, snow cookies, snow pancakes & a lot of snowballs

she also met santa for the first time ... the candy cane his little elf gave her saved the day ... santa was funny cuz he was the guy from the local hardware store that spent a little extra time in the bar the night before ... he was funny.

brought josie to the xmas parade ... where she thought she saw randy in the parade & has been talking about it ever since ... happy & sad at the same time ... but the best part of the parade for me was when we were walking back to the car & saw this lady wearing tinsel hair trying to light a ciggi ... seriously, you should never try to light a ciggarette when you have tinsel hair in your face ... she didn't catch on fire thank god ... but probably only because was too tipsy to actually get her ciggarette lit.

saw a guy walking on crutches in a snowstorm ...

and finally ... the only good thing about me working so much ... it's helped us get a great family vaca ... st croix can't come soon enough ...

and here is josie seeing her first snow fall of the season

who needs a title?

2009-11-23T15:04:00.008-05:00

less than a week until phish with michele & colb, michele & steve & lianne & paul ... in portland ... why do i have this pretty little picture of us walking to the show in snowfall ... hmmm ...
so i did girl things ... spent a night out with girls from the office ... we were ginnie pigs for a new spa 'girls night' package that the common man is offering ... i wasn't all that excited for pink robes & all the froo froo ... well .......... turns out ... i love froo froo ... pink robes, manicure, pedicure, facial & chair massage ... oh & food & wine ... a great nite ... i work with fun ladies
wish they had the gray nailpolish i wanted ...
i have been to 3 stores so far to find the 'right' color/style gray i want & no luck so far ... now, i kinda like the challenge ...
also had the pleasure of hanging with my best girls from college ... a super special night at the common man inn in claremont. great company, great eats, special moments, hot tub, champagne, no kids & no boys for all of us ... a much needed getaway ...
love how you don't see people for months & months ... but when you finally get to see them it seems like you were just hanging on the couch watching the chick flick of the month ... love my friends ...
josie - she has been picking out her own clothes ... here's one outfit ... she did an awesome job!

note to self: need to pick up some more 'beautiful dresses & tutus' for josie ... that's all she wants to wear ... yup, i got a girly girl ... but a girly girl that wears a cape! love it!
still wearin flip flops ... maybe i'll make it till dec ? ... maybe not if i get my cozy snowfall walk to the phish show ...
josie's favorite things this week .... pipe cleaners, pretending to cook eggs, crystalized ginger, nail polish, making me walk ahead of her & then her running & screaming ... 'mama, wait for me" , oh & singing dan zane's east side west side ... she's got it down pat!
she has also been asking about ramby (randy) still ... 3 days in a row this week ... she says she misses him ... i do too ....

a good & funny boy ....

and a good & funny girl ....

a ninja, a pizza eating bat, a shark, & a geisha

2009-11-11T22:45:00.002-05:00

josie's first halloween out trick - or - treating ... and she loved it. she joined the mcclane cherubs, which was very exciting ... they were so good to her ... teaching her all about halloween ...

things .... 2

2009-10-26T12:24:00.006-04:00

wondering if sid the science kid cartoon on pbs played it's flue vaccine episode yesterday by coincidence ... they probably went digging through their archives looking & hoping to find something with 'vaccine' in the title ....

speaking of flu .... heard today that 30% if people who have died of h1n1 are healthy ... didn't realize.

speaking of the flu again ............ i'm sick of hearing about the flu! sick of hearing about hand washing too!

noticed yesterday josie has molers coming in on the left side of her mouth ..... ouch! maybe that explains the bursts of 'terrible 2' behavior ..... or maybe that is just because she is 2. i will say though, she is a very good girl most of the time ... lucky. but this might explain her no eating at all habit .... like serious, no eating!

tried to convince josie to go on a hike with me yesterday .... but i got a 'no' ... 'science center' ... great! science center sounds great! so spent the afternoon there peeking at all the animals.

came home & climbed trees ....

then off to work for me for the night ...... my current car ride music .... black crowes ... with maybe a beyonce 'single ladies' sneaking in if feelin a little wiggly ......
realized while at work .... that i hadn't done any sort of taking care of myself ... did not touch my hair since waking up ... no shower ... just took the minutes to brush my teeth a few times throughout the day .... & had a splash of cold water on my face at 5 a.m. to try to wake up ............... that kind of day .......... will it ever slow down .......... just a little?

things ... 1

2009-10-24T22:16:00.003-04:00

yesterday i found out that i know my first person with the h1n1 virus .... we were hanging out at the copier together on monday night at work ....

today i had a great moment .... in a doorway ......

i love how my kitty likes to stay in the house in the fall & winter ... it's too cold for him ... i don't have to worry about him when it starts getting dark .... he's just in his 'cozy warm spots' .....

missing randy quite a bit still .... and i know atreyu is too .... he is much calmer in one sense, but in the other he doesn't know what to do with himself ....

josie is supposed to be a bat for halloween ... but she thinks she wants to wear a hat, wings & tutu ..... that works just as good too .... i'd like to find her blue or purple hair to go with that ...

got phish tix through their lottery this week .... can't believe we actually 'won' ... even though you have to pay .... stoked & stoked about the company that will be sitting next to me .... fingers crossed ....

i'm addicted to the show dexter .... ... murder show & wine ... has become quite the ritual .... hmmmm .....

locked myself out of house today .... because i forgot to write my note saying unlock doors .... .

that's it for tonite ..................... oh & a pic of jj of course ....

if the shoe fits ...

2009-10-09T22:02:00.004-04:00

the heels ... that go best with my sweatpants ... i thought they were my very first pair, but i now remember that i did where some kind of heel to the proms ... but .... i like doing my supermodel walk in my heels & sweats ...

bases loaded

2009-10-07T21:27:00.003-04:00

and he is safe! i watched this last night ... baseball! i guess i was rooting for the tigers ... & they lost ... in the 12th inning ... & it was so fun to watch ... even though they lost. i used to watch ball games all the time .. but i haven't watched a whole game on tv in years ... i nervous snacked ... hot blue chips & choc. chips ... (so bad) ... woke josie up from my squeels ... & even watched parts through the slits inbetween my fingers while i was covering my eyes ... i loved it!

oh & part 2 of my story ... joe walked in from outside ...

joe: 'what is that ... what are you doing?'

me: 'watching baseball ... it's in extra innings ... we're in the 10th'

joe: 'what is there 7?'

me: 'no 9'

joe: 'k ... i know nothing ... i'm going to clean the shed'

sweet ... the shed got cleaned ... maybe if i continue watching sports lots of little 'to dos' will get done .... kidding ... kinda ...

a night of feeling like a kid again .... something everyone should feel - often!

my drummin star

2009-10-01T21:36:00.003-04:00

wonderous wings

2009-09-10T22:17:00.003-04:00

my little fairy ........ a very cute night .... if you have a little girl ... i would highly recommend making the trek to cackleberries garden center in meredith at some point to sign up for their email list ... which then leads to an invitation to the annual fairy night ... sparkles, wings, goodies, music, and lots of other things to make your little girl feel magical!

1 more day till fairy night ...

2009-08-25T22:31:00.004-04:00

tomorrow is fairy night at cackleberries ... bubbles, sparkles, flowers, enchanted gardens and wings ... can't wait! josie just got her reservation ... 5pm with 5 other 2 year olds ... her wings & her dress are hanging in her closet waiting patiently ...

cackleberries garden center in meredith puts on this wonderful event for the first 100 young girls who rsvp ... what a great idea! .... pictures soon ....

a new way of doing things ...

2009-08-17T22:08:00.004-04:00

k ... new concept here ... i figure if i have any sort of shot of keeping up with this blessed thing, then i need to shorten things up ... so now, thoughts or photos or both ... that is my goal ... i'm going to try really hard to remember my camera ... to catch my wacky stuff that stumbles in front of me... & to remember where i put my little book with my thoughts as i think, hear, or see them ...

my thought today ... saw a commercial saying the chance of a child being diagnosed with autism is 1 in 166. that is way too high .................. what is going on?

broccoli for me ...

2009-07-14T21:31:00.003-04:00

that's my girl ....

julie andrews?

2009-04-13T12:34:00.003-04:00

i have watched this http://video.yahoo.com/watch/4816051/12849087 5 times today so far & it makes me happy!

week in review ...

2009-03-30T14:49:00.011-04:00

last weekend we went away for a visit to maine. shayna, one of my close friends from high school & one of my traveling partners for a summer of cross country driving is expecting a little boy anytime now ... so we went up for a visit & her baby shower. one of our friends passed away last spring ... which reconnected us. hadn't seen each other in over 10 years ... but it was like i saw her yesterday. i love that. we had a super time ... so nice to hang out - again find myself saying i wish they lived next door. i wonder how a life would be where i would have close friends just around the corner? ... that makes me smile. but, unfortunately ... since we all have been such travelers in our years ... we have all ended up spread out over the map. josie had a great ride ... slept most of the way both there & back ...

unlike this ride where she was miserable ... a dramatic hollywood picture we think.

when she was awake though ... she's getting ready for her stint on late night tv to show her silly baby tricks ... a big mouth needs two pacifiers ... KIDDING ... but she sure is chatty!

josie has started a new thing also - that is just so cool & i have to admit hilarious. her "thing" is her puppy .... well now, she has started to make her puppy do things. nice things ... they kiss & hug each other (with sound effects), she feeds him (with sound effects), she gives him something to drink (sound effects) & she shares her pacifier with him (yes, sound effects there too) and a lot more. but ... she has also started having him do things that she knows she will get in trouble for. so you see the puppy taking the toilet paper roll from the holder, i see the puppy turning the dials on the washing machine, the puppy trying to turn off the lights etc ... it is hilarious. i absolutely love her thought process right now ... it is so cool!

i'll finish up reporting some other things that have happened this week in josie world ...

josie is super stoked that they brought back this commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6743_i5FOZ4&feature=user, everything stops & her feet go into "foot fires" she is so excited!

she is going to see her own live drumming performance on 4.10 at the franklin opera house ... you should check it out ... http://www.blackbearmoon.com/

josie has switched from waving every time the vacuum gets turned on to crying ... not sure why??

says "oops" every time she falls or something drops ... so about 100 "oops" a day. it is still cute after 100.

has very long conversations with biscuit our cat.

whenever she sees anything resembling a plant or flower she starts sniffing even if she is all the way across the room.

i know these are probably usual things ... but to us - as "1st timers" this stuff is the best! and if we ever become "second timers" i'm sure it will all be just as special.

that was our week in review ... the end! oh ... p.s. april fool's rocked this year!! i was a partner in crime & fooled so many people ... rad! ... that might deserve a blog entry ...

storytime

2009-03-19T20:35:00.003-04:00

quick story ...

so this woman came into the office yesterday ... and kept staring at me ... i could see her out of the corner of my eye. i eventually looked up at her & she did not break her stare ... i really don't like that when people do that ... very uncomfortable. finally, she says ... "wow, look at your hair ... you are way too young to have all that gray hair ... what are you 22?" ... off by 10 years there ... "well, i think the gray hair makes you look even younger". i was not offended at all, i'm actually used to it ... i like my gray. i find it very interesting how people choose their words to make "the comment". could be a touchy subject for some ... but not me. plus, almost always, the comments are very positive - i love how often i come across - or get into conversations with kind people.

so ... speaking of gray - it made me remember this story ...

years ago i used to work in a country store. one night a woman came in ... she shopped & then came to the counter. she looked up at me & she just stared. same type of stare as i was talking about above. finally she says ... "can i tell you something" ... i say "yes" ... she says "you have an indian behind you with long gray hair - he is your guide" ... i think i said "really" ... but i do remember turning around like an idiot ... (thinking i might see an indian ... what an embarrassing thing that was)

we chatted for a while - about "that subject" ... i finished cashing her out & then she got her stuff together to leave. as she was walking out the door she says "you should paint on rocks ... you love that" ... what? that was it ... she was out the door. so, when i was thinking about this encounter i did i remember that when i was younger i had these two rocks ... one painted like a cat & another had 2 hearts on it ... one pink & one purple. i loved those rocks ... i got them when i was maybe 5 & had them out in my room all the way till i went to college - (i wonder where they are now?). wonder if she "saw" that through me ... either way, the sad thing is that i haven't painted on any rocks yet. i should ...

dancin queen

2009-03-11T21:53:00.004-04:00

josie dancin to her dad's strummin ... yes she is wearing her bathing suit over her clothes & yes she has the hiccups. a special night at the halles ... as the az halle's put it ... everyday is a "halle-day"

5 minutes of my day ...

2009-03-07T15:43:00.003-05:00

my little girl being so cute! she looks like she should have a newspaper under her arm.

what a beautiful day. since papa had a little side job to do today josie & i decided to head out right after breakfast for a run to the post office & a walk.

on our walk we went by the farm that is a couple miles down our road .. saw a kitty, duck, & dog ... & josie said each one of their names the minute they caught her eye. i even heard a meow, meow come out after she said kitty. i swear this little girl has a ton of words in her brain that she just doesn't share. ... the best story of that so far was when we were in toys'r us & she points up to this bed that is basically up on the rafters & screams "dora" what!!! she was barely saying mama & papa. i think it might be time to get the ani difranco cd's out of my car before she starts picking up some of those nice words ... yikes ... that's just what i need to come out at story time. actually to be completely honest, i need to clean up my language as well.

so, back to the reason of writing ... within 5 minutes i had two interesting episodes. just finished my walk, josie was packed in the car & i was folding up the stroller to load it in the back of the car ... & this guys slows down & says ... "is there a campground around here?" " i have a wheel chair lift in my car" ... my mind gets confused about the two abrupt statements that basically came out in one sentence ... ok, "no, i'm all set - i don't need the lift ... and yeah there is a campground, but about 10 minutes in the opposite direction (giving him directions)" he says "i guess there is a lesbian campground around here, that isn't really that anymore, but i just need a cheap place to put my trailer ... see my wheelchair lift" (again one sentence) ... my response ... "yeah, cool lift ... & i don't know anything about the campground, if it is the same one ... it looks like a nice place" he responds ... "don't slip on the ice & drives off" i was waiting to see him come back around, as he needed to turn around to get to where he wanted to go ... but he never did. interesting fellow. so, truly "touched" by the special man ... i hopped in my car & started to drive off ... except, shit ... (wait i am cleaning up my language) ... shoot, i'm stuck! got out, looked around .. it's one tire that i drove up into the snowbank too far. wasn't quite sure what i was going to do, didn't have a shovel ... was thinking this out & within 30 seconds i see this woman and 3 children coming down the road. when they got to me she offered for her two sons (maybe 5 & 6ish) & herself to push me out ... i felt bad, but after a little convincing the 3 of them got me out ... while her little daughter waited so nicely behind them ... what a good little girl. ohhh ... thank you so much!

an interesting 5 minutes that i wanted to share ... people are special ... in every way that word can be interpreted.

14 days update

2009-03-06T06:49:00.003-05:00

while i was working hard on my 14 days (a couple posts ago) my hubby was working hard on this

we like to say ... "this is what happens when you don't have wii" ...

so onto the 14 days update ... 1st week was great. did all my outside exercising, no candy from the candy counter, ab exercises everyday, to bed by 10 & no laptop in bed ... from monday to monday ... then tuesday i got sick & all my rules went down the drain. only things i followed, was in bed by 10 - cuz i was super sick ... & no candy from the candy counter. oh, & i did take a look at that mp3 thingy ... but still don't know how to work it.

i liked the idea of giving myself some short term goals ... i'll have to do it again ...

weekend highlights

2009-03-02T07:44:00.005-05:00

josie learned a new word this weekend: TUTU
Pronunciation: \ˈtü-(ˌ)tü\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from (baby talk) tutu backside
Date: 1913
: a short projecting skirt worn by a ballerina

she also pointed out the moon in the sky both nights this weekend: one from the car window & one while we were walking out to the car ... oh so cool!

the last exciting event of the weekend: dishwasher!

action: smiling while jumping in the air

noun: time saver, water & electric saver (checked on this ... it will!), no more pruney fingers, & no more rock, paper, scissors to see who does the dishes! here it is ...

tiny house = miniature version ... perfect!

count me in!

2009-02-15T07:54:00.003-05:00

ok ... i admit it ... i completely lack self discipline. i haven't always been this way ... gosh, i remember the days where i would go for a run 5 times a week - rain or shine, a chip never touched my mouth, & no red meat. i used to hardly watch any tv & always be reading a book. i actually think i was so committed to that because it made me feel good to be in control & also to feel the benefits of daily exercise (body & mind) & a decent diet.

well, those days are gone ... i can't remember the last time that i had a week of regular exercise & my diet is very open to impulse. i currently have no outlet as a stress reliever besides surfing the net ... which is just not productive! i miss yoga!! ... oh yeah, but most of all i miss having time!! my day is jammed packed ... this is a sample ... every weekday i am up at 5 working, then getting dominic off to work (making breakfast & his lunch), then shower, then josie up, then dropped off at my parents for the day, then work, then pick-up of josie around 4:30, home by 5, dinner by 6, josie time, josie to bed around 8. now some nights i have to work again (ahh... the joy of having the ability of working from home & in office ... YOU ARE ALWAYS WORKING!!). so if i'm not working ... this time is used for catching up on blogs i like to follow, emails, onezee work (will be starting up again - new order coming), or vegging in front of the tv. my mondays & fridays have a couple more hours of leniency ... as i am not tied into going to the office - which i am so thankful for! i'm hoping once it gets a little warmer & a lighter out i will be fitting in a walk after dinner with josie & dominic (if i can talk him into it) so we can get some quality time & daily exercise. (just a note ... i am aware that most families with children have this crazy schedule ...especially if both parents are trying to work ... no wonder we are a society of overweight, tired, impulsive people ... we have no time! ... things need to change)

so that said ... while reading my friend michele's blog - she asked for a partner in her "14 day" goals ... i thought - "i'm in! - this is perfect" mine are pretty simple also ... here they are

1. no computer in bed at night - book instead
2. no candy at work - (i work in an office above a store that has over a 20ft candy counter)
3. do 3 days of outside activity to get exercise
4. work on stomach muscles every day.
5. learn to use my mp3 thingy.
6. try to get at least 7 hrs of sleep per night - so lights off & in bed by 10 (weekdays)
7. fix my hubby's pants that need mending/patchwork.

i'm excited! so michele ... when do we start ... monday? maybe on friday i could head down & if nice enough, we could bring the girls on a little hike/walk somewhere ... you could get the live conversation & we could both get the exercise done for that day :)

a family affair ...

2009-02-12T21:41:00.003-05:00

maybe we shouldn't be doing this 4 minutes before josie's bed time ... but couldn't resist the cutenss of her magic finger pointing to the freezer ....

parties galore

2009-02-08T22:21:00.005-05:00

i had a weekend of parties ... on saturday we woke up & didn't have to get out of our pj's ... (well, josie didn't) we went to our neighbors house to celebrate teal's 6th birthday. it was a pajama pancake party! what a great idea i might add ... pancake breakfast with a smorgasbord of fixings ... whipped cream, marshmallows, jimmies, hot fudge, strawberries ... there was a lot of excitement. josie was the youngest ... but was fascinated by all the big girls ... they were so nice to her! ... they even made her a visor ... this is her still flying high from the big girl party ...

then i left a couple hours later to visit one of my best friends who is having a baby very soon. brigid & i went down to rye to hang out with jen ... for a night of good eats & baby talk. this is the first time that i have left dominic & josie alone overnight since she has been here ... kinda hard to believe actually. had a great night ... woke up, got ready & headed off to her baby shower. she got a ton of "must haves" ... five more weeks till josie has another little friend!

a fun weekend ... but always nice to walk in the door to home ...

27 hours ...

2009-01-31T21:29:00.007-05:00

i read about this blog in a magazine recently; while i was in the doctor's office ... some of you have probably already heard of matt, liz & madeline ... but it is so real & touching ... i can't help but pass it along incase you haven't.

http://www.mattlogelin.com/

i suggest checking out the section on the home page that says if you are a first timer to this blog - "click here"

another reminder to always appreciate the loved ones in your life ... joe, thank you for you ...

refreshing photos

2009-01-28T20:24:00.006-05:00

i did not get a chance to catch any of the inauguration or the festivities that went along with it. we were on vacation & did not have access to a tv for most of that day ... so, i've been trying to catch up a little bit online ...

even if he is a politician ... these photos are refreshing.

randy part 2

2009-01-25T19:01:00.008-05:00

isn't this picture much better ... a better day in randy's world! poor guy ... even though he's feeling under the weather - still perky enough to pose for a picture as his little friend plays with him. she keeps insisting he wears this funny blue hat ... and shows him her new airplane & the jeep from the "pink jeep tours" that joe & i went on. a good sport.

in the middle of the night i woke up to him getting up from his bed to make his way to the water bowl & then hop on the couch ... this is wonderful because he couldn't get up there by himself at all yesterday. he must of broke his fever ... what a wonderful feeling that must of been.

i awoke this morning to him back on his bed & was able to get up on his own without too much stumbling & asked to go out ... perfect! he drank all day long & has even gotten his bark back. he always barks at joe when he starts dancing ... so, he decided to test him with the "canadian jig" & yup randy is back on top of his game in that department.

the only thing we have going that still makes me a little nervous is his eating ... really not wanting to eat all that much ... but who does when your sick - right? it will come ...

i just can not believe the change in him within 24 hrs. i don't know how many times today joe & i have said "i really thought we were going to lose him yesterday" ... but, we didn't ... & i think he has quite some fight left in him ... what a come back!

back from the 80's ... (weather that is)

2009-01-24T23:09:00.008-05:00

we're back ... and we had a great time ... & it makes us miss family. joe really misses hanging out with his brother. it would be so fun if we could be closer. we had a what, how, where dinner - which was the funnest dinner party idea ever! ... little hiking, sunshine, jeep'n, live music, zoolights, beautiful scenic drives, scorpions, ancient dwellings, ink, shopping, traffic, & airports (northwest is not recommended ... their snack is a can of tuna & chips & only offer drinks once on a 4 hour flight) ... oh & (on our way back our stroller was broken in detroit ... & then when we got home to manchester it was missing all together) but with that said ... we traveled safely - which is the most important part! ... so we are thankful for that

josie got to spend quite a bit of time with grandmama & grandpapa ... which she loved! lucky little girl! she'll be happy to see them this spring!
personally, i am just thankful to have a couple days to recoup before starting the real world again. josie still has been going to bed around 10 pm & waking up at 9 am ... (kind of a bummer at night, but it's wonderful to sleep in in the morning!)

we did come home to a very sick dog ... randy, our old white guy is not well. this morning we actually thought that we might have to say goodbye ... but with some reassurance from the doc, we are going to see how the weekend goes. yesterday he got antibiotics & was doing ok ... but, this morning he couldn't move ... his back legs were not functioning. he would not even eat chicken pot pie, ham, beef stew - or anything ... & no water; not even from my fingertips. dr. lester believes that he has an infection in his spine ... so he has the fever & yuckiness that goes along with an infection & the pain of it being in his spine. the doc wanted joe to swing into the office today to pick up an appetite stimulant to see if it would help ... & it did. this afternoon he did eat some chicken & ham ... and finally drank some water. then tonight he ate a little more, got up on his own to get some water & asked to go outside. (we had been making him go out) he made it down all the stairs to josie's room without one mishap. (he always comes down with me when i get her ready for bed ... last night he fell down them all). we just need the antibiotics to fight the infection & need randy to keep his strength up & the doc thinks he might be able to beat it ... i think he can. he's definitely not giving up yet! ... so any good thoughts will help! this morning amongst the sadness of randy's desperation came josie ... she totally knew something was wrong. she kept giving randy her pacifiers, a cookie, & she would take her favorite puppy & put right by him. she also gave him mooches on his paws ... very sweet!

oh, ok, & one last thing ... i am really going to try to do better at this blog thing & write more often. time, time, time ... might get on my side?

10 days & counting

2009-01-05T14:19:00.012-05:00

it's almost here ... & we can't wait. on the 15th we will be leaving for AZ!! we have started to get our things in order ... reservations are made in manchester on the 14th (thanks to a free room at the holiday inn & complimentary breakfast & airport shuttle - perks for working for the common man) to save us from a very early morning trip to the airport ... we still have to wake up early - but at least it is not the weeeee hours of the morning with an hour drive ahead of us.

we have our luggage out, a few brand new books hidden away for josie & some of josie's favorite toys have disappeared so when she see's them on the plane ... she will be so happy that she will sit for 5 hours staight :)

the dogs have there room reserved at the kennel & biscuit has his kitty-sitter lined up ... always feel bad about the animals ... but biscuit will get some much needed rest (yeah right ... he is always sleeping!) & the dogs will get to play with all the other dogs at the kennel - so that's fun ... right?

while we are out there dominic & i will be sneaking away for an overnight trip to sedona while josie has a special sleepover with grandmama & grandpapa ... & we are just so excited. we are staying in the same hotel that we stayed in when we got married & have dinner planned at the restaurant we went to for our reception. i'm sure we will be doing a little roaming around the area too - possibly a jeep tour or a quick trip to jerome ... jerome is "a mile-high town with 50 mile views" an old mining town, that turned into a ghost town until hippies & craftsmen settled there in the 60's. a funky little place.

the best part will be hanging with family & relaxing! i can't wait for josie to see everyone & it will be so fun to watch her. the last time mon'oncle p saw her she was only 4 weeks old & ma'taunte kt hasn't gotten to see her yet ... so it is all very exciting!

besides packing & making lists (& losing them & having to start new ones ... as i am famous for) ... just need to print those tickets & we are ready to go!

coming to a theatre near you ... josie tricks

2008-12-29T07:24:00.003-05:00

josie has been working on her stand-up act - so i thought i would share. don't worry, we have more tricks in our back pocket ... so she might have a sequel come out soon!

x-mas has begun ...

2008-12-24T23:11:00.004-05:00

wow ... i am still full & it is 11:30 - too many goodies! tonight we had our xmas with memere & pepere down the road ... with a wonderful dinner. what a treat ... josie was just beside herself with so much to see, hear & feel ... oh & taste! she got her first introduction to "gifts" ... lucky little girl.

in the adult world right now ... dominic & i are so excited for josie to wake up (with one rule .. not at 5 a.m. please) & come up those stairs & see all the gifts under the tree. she is so much fun ... true excitement about so much! then memere & pepere will be coming up to the house for meat pie around lunch & then i'm sure there will be some snoozing & snacking for the rest of the day. our friend loie might pop in also - which would be wonderful company.

only thing missing is grandmama & grandpapa ... who are out in pheonix right now. hopefully we get a video chat in at some point. ... but we will see them soon. 3 weeks & counting ... we can't wait!

hope everyone has a great day tomorrow! love & hugs from the 3 of us up on the hill! xoxo

what's up doc ... with your shots!

2008-12-05T21:30:00.006-05:00

do any kiddos like going to the doc's? ... my kiddo definately doesn't that's for sure. the other day josie went for her 15 month appt (even though she just turned 16 months) ... a basic visit with 2 shots. we were afraid we would get pressured to give her a flu shot also, but luckily we weren't. should of known better since my midwife/pediatrician doesn't even take one - even though she deals with sickness everyday.

so here's the scoop ...

head circumfrence: 18 3/4" - just above 90th percentile

height: almost 31" - 50th percentile

weight: 22 lbs - just below 25th percentile

so, we have an average height, skinny little peanut with lots of room for her big brain & smarts!

interesting part, josie is now old enough to hold her own with the the nurses & ped. she put up a pretty good fight when anyone got in her space ... think it's good that she can hold her own, but there is a time & place. needless to say a bit of a stressful visit for mama & baby ... & i even think a tiny bit for papa too ... even though he is usually cool as a cuke.

note to self: addition to the xmas list - a pretend doctor's kit so we can practice for next time.

amazing traveler

2008-11-30T15:40:00.013-05:00

the minute i saw her, i wanted her picture - but felt so bad about taking it. i actually had dominic turn around & we parked in a parking lot waiting for her to ride by us, so i could snap a few. as you can see - they aren't the best, as i was playing a bad game of incognito.

so what is her deal? is she happy or is she sad? she had the biggest smile on her face ... & her dogs are so good - one walking right by her side & her old yellow sitting ontop of her trailer 'o stuff. have you ever seen anyone have so much stuff while riding a bicycle? - really quite amazing that she could even manage to tow it.

i saw her close to a month ago ... & i think of her quite often still. i've never seen anything like that - she literally had so much stuff with her, all this clothes hanging out everywhere - everything that she owned i'm sure. did she lose her house? forclosure? fire? divorce? .... is she ok now - it is so cold out? is this by choice? walk-about of sorts? it's taken me a while to post this one, cuz i almost feel bad doing it. but, as i said - if you could of seen the smile she had on her face riding down tenny mt. highway ... i think she was happy & feeling free. i hope so.

one more honker gone ... poor guy

2008-11-11T07:19:00.003-05:00

my husband ... so proud! a canadian goose & a teal. even though it is sad for me to see feathers lying around our yard ... come to find out, i really like duck - so i have to thank him for bringing home dinner.

quotes of the day

2008-11-10T12:08:00.002-05:00

drum roll please ... it is only noon, but i am feeling pretty safe with posting my " " 's of the day so early.

the best "quote" of the day so far ....

"religion is a smile on a dog" - edie brikell

worst "quote" so far ...

"can you believe obama picked that muslim to run everything" - nh republican (obviously) citizen.

i could probably go into some lengthy comments about both of these ... but, i don't have the time & more importantly - no preaching from me today. so, who knows, i could have better ones by tonight ... i will be heading out into public one more time today ... ????

an old find

2008-11-07T07:08:00.003-05:00

took a minute this morning, in the midst of my early morning work schedule to look at an old sketchbook that caught my eye ... this is something that i found ... so surprised to find this amongst drawings ... remembering that i actually used to write for the fun of it way back when ... here you go

understand what? ...
understand others trying to tell you how to be...
be strong! be smart!
strong how?
strong to make yourself hurt ...
strong to not make yourself feel truth ...
smart about what?
smart enough to make your socks match just cause they're supposed to...
smart to brush your teeth ... your hair... your toes, just cuz smart people keep themselves clean?
foolish!
how about brushing the stars ... try to ... at least you are looking at them.
can't see them? paint them!
be strong enough to lift the moon ... or at least strong enough to draw it.
O - look a circle, a moon ... see many can be strong!
stars & moons your typical story ... of course i'm being typical.
although, i have to say i'm not always ... catch me on my mushroom & frog day ...
it will be a fairytale!!

the end :)

the vote was rocked!

2008-11-05T06:03:00.002-05:00

now that smile is a breath of fresh air!

what great news to wake up to this morning ... today will be a great day!

ultimate communication

2008-10-30T21:27:00.009-04:00

i know this lady who is amazing. i have only seen her once. real quick, at a friends house - she did not remember me; but that is ok. i had only spoken to her on the phone for 45 minutes one time. after she is done talking (helping) she can not remember anything ... so that explains the lack of memory.

this lady is able to read animals (living or passed) - by "read" i mean she can feel what they feel & she can understand what they think. my dog, abe, was a difficult dog, & had some medical & psychological issues - but he gave the best, best hugs in the world! he was so happy to see anyone & would nudge your hand with his nose until you gave absolutely 100% of your attention to him. if you dared to get down to his level - you would get drenched in slobbery kisses. so, in our search of trying to help him, we came across this special lady. she pinpointed abe's medical issues to a t! he had problems with his foot & she was able to even tell us, between which toes hurt him the most. simply amazing. she was also able to tell us about many things that abe was curious about. the first thing he wanted to know was whether it was his fault that the cat (maple) didn't come home (which it really wasn't - the cat snuck out the door at night while abe was coming in ... & then the cat never came home). poor thing, still thinking about that - it had been years. that is actually when his problems started.
he was also curious about what the little girl next door was carrying around in her shopping cart (she was 3 & would tramps around the yard with her shopping cart, full of dolls & toys ... and abe would lay outside & watch her). another amazing thing was he was wondering why he couldn't roam around free anymore (which, at the time, we had a man that would walk by our house all the time & complain because abe would wonder all over the neighborhood - so we started keeping him on a leash). the whole experience was unbelievable & a true gift.

so, i understand that this lady is also able to connect with people that have passed, but she doesn't like to ... so she doesn't "practice" it too often. well, i found out today that she lost her husband a couple of days ago; which is just awful. my absolute first thought was whether or not she would be able to communicate with her husband. it's a very interesting situation. my friend told me that she sometimes has trouble reading her own animals or people she is too close to ... so, with this amazing power, the time where she might want to use it the most, it might not work. to me, that is such a sad situation ... maybe it is for her also, or maybe not? maybe she is content with his passing & doesn't need to know anything more.

my rant on the rantter

2008-10-23T21:16:00.006-04:00

i made a deal with myself ... & it was that i wasn't going to write about work. there is way too much crazy stuff that goes on there, i can't bring it into this blog world. BUT, with that said - i have a quick one. today i happened to answer the phone call of absolute craziness! the company i work for is holding an event in support of barack obama this weekend. we have teamed up with ben & jerry's & stoneyfield farms to hold these events - this is our 3rd one. well, i guess i should be more precise - it is actually the owners of these companies that are getting together to put this together, not the actual companies.

so, ring, ring ... i pick up the phone ... this is so & so & i absolutely need to talk to so & so (the owner) right now! sorry, he's not in, but i can take a message. i said this is so & so & i need his cell #. unsure if this perhaps could be a legit caller, i double check with everyone to see if anyone knows this demanding, rude woman. ha, i was right - no one did - so once again i have to hop on the phone & explain to this obnoxious woman that i could only take a message. of course, this had to be done in my most pleasant voice (luckily she cannot see my rolling eyes). so, here she goes - she must of found the bullseye on me! she starts ripping into me about this event & how disgusted she is about the whole thing. how she feels like throwing up because she ate at one of our restaurants last night ... knowing now that the owner supports barack obama. she has started a phone chain & has spoken to at least 100 people to tell them that we support obama & to not eat at any of our restaurants. and all those 100 people are calling 3-5 people ... so they are boycotting our company & not going to give us any money & make us poor. oh, yeah & she is also putting out ads in the boston globe & union leader stating how despicable the company is to join those awful "liberals" of ben & jerry's & do this. she stopped eating their ice cream a couple years ago, because they support liberal thinking! oh yeah, & her husband found out that stoneyfield farm was "liberal" so he stopped eating their yogurt! - oh my ... lucky for columbo! she went on for 20 minutes, no joke - repeating every negative ad mccain has put out there word for word - can anyone say brainwashed? it got to the point that i had to sit back, close my eyes & tie my tongue in a double knot. i kept trying to remind myself i am at work, not at home - so no voicing opinions. anyways, the things that i heard today were scary ... don't get me wrong, i am a complete supporter or voicing your opinion & supporting whomever & whatever you want to. but, the major thing about that - is that you can't be ignorant about it ... get your facts straight before you sound like a fool! i wonder what she would of thought knowing she was preaching to a "hippie" at heart, un-church going, pro-choice, supporter of gay marriage & gay rights, extremely liberal chick! like i said in one of my earlier blogs, i really shouldn't be talking about politics. a little harsh, i know ... but hay, what can i say?

survivors

2008-10-21T22:15:00.004-04:00

you know that choked up feeling when you feel a tear might be coming? this past sunday was a day full of those. on sunday my day started early, meeting my friend & coworker sally to head off to the making strides against breast cancer walk in laconia. it was freezing, but i would say that possibly 750 people came out to walk! i have always wanted to do this, & have never been able to find someone to actually commit to do it with me, until this year. i should of done it sooner, even if i was by myself. now, i hope that i won't have to miss a walk for a very long time. the best part for me was watching all the "survivors" - so touching. ... these women glowing & walking so proud - it was really beautiful. i found myself choking up sometimes seeing them & wondering what their struggle must of been like. with that thought, i quickly caught myself thinking of all the families & friends walking for someone that wasn't able beat it. a pretty profound day. i'm not too much of a "pink" girl, but i was more than happy to wear it on sunday! thanks to the support of my wonderful friends & family i exceeded my fundraising goal - very cool, thank you.

whoopers

2008-10-16T20:43:00.011-04:00

it's an ULTRALITE AIRCRAFT ... that's what i saw. poor joe, since he's woken up this morning, i must of asked him the name of what i saw at least 8 times. why my memory won't remember that "term" i don't know. so i have not been able to find a picture of exactly what i saw anywhere. this is kinda what i saw - the bottom is kinda the the same, the top was different - it was a parachute.

the best thing about this picture, though, is the story that goes with it. these are whooping cranes that are following this ultrlite. in the 1940's whooping cranes were almost extinct ... at one point there were only 20 left, all in the same flock. so governmental wildlife refuges got involved & have been trying to protect the cranes & establish additional flocks. the people that help raise the cranes always dress in different outfits to disguise themselves - so the cranes won't know they are being raised by humans. (see the picture) so, once the cranes are ready, they use these ultralite aircrafts to help the cranes learn how to migrate. right now they go from wisconsin to florida. in case you would like to read about all details you can go here. love how one thing leads to another - that was fun!

oh yeah, if none of this makes sense to you, you might need to read the post before this one ...

lesson learned

2008-10-12T22:09:00.006-04:00

lesson # 1 - if i'm going to blog - have a camera close by at all times! today i saw a flying thing-a-ma-jig ... and have no pictures to prove it! on my way home, from a very exhausting days work - a parachute catches my eye in the distance. ... very cool. it is very hard to follow a parachute and drive on the road at the same time ... very dangerous, at least with me at the wheel. for the first time ever, i was happy to get stuck with a red light. so, i got some details ... green & yellow parachute, what could be a humungous fan with blinking lights on the back & 3 wheels. kinda like a go-cart with a fan. very fun! but the best part about all of this, i was quickly shifted out of work mode to a much more enjoyable curiosity mode. that said ... once i got home, i immediately asked dominic if he had saw the flying thing-a-ma-jig, since we were traveling on the same road, around the same time - and he didn't. so i start in with my list of descriptors & all i got out were two ... parachute & huge ... yup, he knew i was going to say huge fan & then said the name of my thing-a-ma-jig. now, this isn't the ending that i wanted for my story ... but - i can't remember what he told me it was called! he is now sleeping ... so once again it is a mystery until tomorrow morning. & no, i am not going to google it ... i've thought about it a couple times & don't want to give in!

ok back to watching this ridiculous debate. i think it is so rude when people laugh out loud while someone is trying to prove a point ... reminds me of a bully. mccain just turns me off. i probably shouldn't write about politics, as there is no chance of me having a "fair" point of view.

good night

whimpers in the air

2008-10-11T22:45:00.004-04:00

my first blog entry ... yikes, the world can now peek into my noggin!

i have become a constant visitor at my friend michele's blog http://mymichelesblog.blogspot.com/ & i love it. it has become one of my daily "things" ... & my daily "things" make me happy! so many interesting comments, events & happenings seem to happen all around me quite often -i think this would be the perfect way to save those memories. so, that said, the day i decided that blogging was for me was the day i heard whimpers in the air.

i'm doing dishes, josie is eating breakfast in her chair & i thought i heard our neighbors tiny dog wiley squealing outside. atreyu - my dog - will sometimes bite his ankles, so i thought the morning play ritual was under way. about a half hour later i faintly heard the whimper again. looking out the window, i realize - wait a minute - wiley isn't here, & i haven't seen atreyu for at least an hour. so, i grab josie & outside we go. wandering around, we hear the cries get louder ... & once i started calling atreyu's name they were non-stop. after minutes of wandering around the woods, i realized that it literally sounded like it was coming from the middle of driveway. hmmm...oh my gosh! he's in the culvert! i get the stroller, scoot josie in there & instantly think , "i need to call dominic" then just as quick as that came through, the thought of "NO ... be a strong woman and figure this out on your own!" so, i peek in, and see little eyeballs glaring at me. poor thing. with all the insane weather we had this summer, our culvert was 3/4 of the way filled with sand/mud. atreyu's little pot-belly body was stuck! i grab a shovel & hop into the ditch. josie's eyes are huge, i'm sure wondering - "mama, what are you doing & who are you talking to?" first gross thing, hop down in the ditch to only have yucky, muddy, decomposing leaves squeeze through my toes! so i start digging & really no progress was to be had. the only way i could reach in far enough to dig him out was to lay on my belly in all the sludge & go in the culvert - & there was no way that was happening, until last resort! hmmm ... my neighbor ben, he's super tall & will be going to work soon, i will give him a call to swing in! perfect - he answered & will be down in a sec! in the meantime, i have to call dominic as this is just too much, this dog has been through so much & really this only goes along with the story of his life. so, long story short - ben pops by, shovels him out in about 10 minutes & i have one ecstatic, smelly, exhausted dog! he was probably in there for at least an hour. atreyu's life stumbles ... this dog has jumped out of a moving car, been hit by a car, been hit by a motorcycle, ate a complete pack of birth control pills, got into a scuffle with a porcupine, & now got stuck in a culvert! thought cats were supposed to have 9 lives, not dogs!