Take a Picture, it'll last longer

Stranger than Fiction

Last Friday morning, I was sitting in my pajamas, starting my day where I normally do...on my computer with GMA on. The doorbell rang and a teenaged boy was outside. Since I wasn't really dressed, I poked just my face around the door.
"Miss? Could you drive me to school?" I did not know or recognize this boy, who I quickly surmised to be about 14 or 15, and my height.
"Do I know you?" I asked incredulously.
"I'm Roger's friend, from next door. He was supposed to give me a ride, but they are gone."
So five minutes later, I was driving the very shy Miguel to Mary Francis George Junior High school, 1/4 of a mile away. It was a biting cold day and he was not warmly dressed. I got him to class five minutes before the day began. I'd never seen him before and I've not seen him since!

Yesterday, I welcomed Jennifer Haile and her cameraman, John, into my living-room for an interview. They are doing a news story on the use of corporal punishment since there is a bill that has come up in Massachusetts banning spanking. It was about a half-hour interview and they will be contacting me to let me know when the story will air on the evening news. I cut and dyed my hair and wore my U2 shirt to make it very clear that I did not want to be dismissed as if I wear long denim skirts, homeschool my kids and take orders from my husband. I do, on the other hand, believe it is my religious right to judiciously employ spanking as a means of bringing up my children.

Today is garbage day and it is very windy. I heard the truck run early this morning after the kids had left for school. But when Robb came home for lunch, our garbage can was no-where to be found. We looked 1/4 a mile in each direction and there is no sign of it anywhere.

Never a dull moment!!!

Who Let the Rocker-Chick in Here???

 

Sorry for the annoying self-absorption, but it was the only one I managed out of about 25 attempts with my eyes open.

I made this.

 

Evening with the Arts

 
 

Last night, we had a spaghetti dinner and evening of arts at the kid's school. It was really well done with a kid's choir, dramatic readings, and paintings done by each class, which were sold by silent auction. These are Mattie and Calvin's class paintings, which both kids were heavily involved with creating. Mattie drew the outline of the large toucan and did parts of the painting, and Vin painted the green part of the nesting doll, applied many of the stamps and all the jewels. We won Vin's class painting, but we were out-bid on Mattie's. It was a lot of fun and a great opportunity for all three kids to see ways that other kids express artistic creativity. We decided to dress up for the occasion, which was a little crazy considering we were parked at the kid's lunch tables eating spaghetti, but everyone used their good manners and no oxy-clean will be necessary. All proceeds benefit the Gifted and Talented and Art and Music departments. We didn't mind supporting that in the least!

Two more Charleigh-isms

Chuck on Charlotte's Web: I LIKE Spider-Pig!

Chuck on her dinner last night: I'm not caring for that!

Playing with styles

 
 
 
 

So here are my two latest mosacis. I am beginning to have a feel for creating a style with them and that has been fun for me. The tray is the first (and only) one I've done that I wouldn't change anything about. I wanted a very modern feel as oppossed to the super-sweet, shabby chic look of most mosaics now. And I think it turned out exactly as I hoped.

The mailbox is made from the smallest leftovers I had. I wanted it to feel like finding pretty shards in the dirt and I think it turned out great. It is not too sweet, but feels like a treasure to me.

I guess doing these has really helped my confidence. I went around to all the local thrift stores yesterday and asked them to save me any of the broken dishes they would normally throw away. When they asked why I would want them, I was able to say (with a lot of bravado) "I am a mosaic artist."

It's a Charleigh World, I'm just living in it....

 

So yesterday, I went grocery shopping. It was there that I began to crystallize a feeling I've had for a while now...I am just Charleigh's entourage. Literally, everywhere we go, she stops traffic. The toothpaste aisle. The lobster tank. McDonald's. People seem to be drawn to her like a magnet. In the thrift store, she had little old ladies singing songs with her and other kids playing peek-a-boo. She walks out with free toys, free stickers, free candy. People can't seem to help themselves...she just casts some kind of spell on them and they simply must acknowledge her dimples, her big brown eyes, her non stop questions punctuated with her oft-repeated repertoire of songs...which includes but is certainly not limited to:

Blah Blah Blacksheep, have you any more?
You're Worthy, You're Worthy, You're worthy to be praised, forever and a day...
Tomorrow (from Annie)
What if God was one of us...(she heard this at church and really liked the tune)
and the theme to Hannah Montana "Mix it all together and you know you got the best of both worlds!"

A couple of her current -isms...

Mars has "washmouth." Are you gonna buy "washmouth" with your "poupons," Mom?

Charleigh talking to her dad (on a business trip) on the phone: "Who is this? Is this Daddy? Is your name Robb?"

and the one that gets me every time...Charleigh on genitalia: I don't have a Pee-hind. Boys have a pee-hind.

I was tagged!

Heidi tagged me on her soap-making blog (I love crafty people) So let's play, shall we?

The rules are:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

2. Share five random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.

3. Share the five top places on your "want to see or want to see again" list.

4. Tag a minimum of five random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment in their blog.

Five random factoids about me:
1. I've discovered that my future sister in law and I have an identical quirk: we save sentimental clothing. I still have the shirt I wore on my first date with Robb and the t-shirt we bought on our honeymoon, all of the kid's "going home" baby outfits and the skirt I made in 7th grade home ec. as well as an outfit that Dr. Carter complimented me on in college.

2. I have a spit phobia. Seeing people spit makes me throw up a little bit in my mouth. I can't drink pop after even my own husband. I can't even eat off my own fork if too much time has passed since I last used it.

3. If I am out of yellow legal pads, I cannot function. I might as well stay in bed in the fetal position.

4. I have a BS in Secondary English Education with a concentration in Bible. I've never taught high school English and I don't think I ever really want to.

5. I steal nice pens. I've done it since I was a little kid. My dad is the same way. We used to steal them from one another.

Okay, now, 5 places I want to go

1. Newport, Rhode Island. I would live there if I was a Rockefeller or a Kennedy or a Vanderbilt.

2. The UK. This is a new craving for me. But it's nice to have new dreams.

3. Laguna Beach, California. I would live here if I was a rich hippie.

4. Prince Edward Island.

5. Seattle. Why not?

Five people I'm tagging:

Donna
Ron
Sandy
Jess
Hannah

and my Mom who can post her answers here for my amusement since she hasn't started a blog of her own yet, but really really should because it would be fun for her.

Insomnia

So my friend Insomnia is back. Night three of poor sleep, confusing thoughts, and trying to pray with my mind full of demons. I'm not sure why this happens sometimes, but I suppose it is some biological thing that happens to moms who no longer have small babies, just to keep us in practice should the need arise. ok, time to take on the day...zzzzzzzz

yes, the clock works

Parents, let's chat...

I'm shopping a solution to the constant bickering in my house which makes life nearly unbearable sometimes. I am wondering if you have some effective methods for dealing with the chronic yammering that makes me want to shove a fork in my eyeball for the sweet release of thinking about something other than "He won't stop standing on the ladder to my bed" and "She keeps touching the buttons on my cd player" and my personal favorite..."He got a granola bar and I didn't!"

My current leading solution is to strip their rooms of everything in them and duct tape the children to their own bedroom walls so they have something real to complain about.

But I probably won't.

it was a BAD weekend.

It involved expensive pharmaceuticals, spousal clashes, and frozen pipes. And I don't want to talk about it anymore.

A great local blog for families

Life plus kids is a great local blog detailing events of interest for families in the area. it's been a big help already and will be going on my blog roll...when I get to it!

Saw this on my friend's blog

and thought it was kind of wonderful.

Thomas A. Edison

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.

You saw my junk, now here's my invention....
 
 
 
 

Keepin' it real....

That's right, folks, you need to know that priorities sometimes mean that my house is dirty, disorganized and chaotic. Having spent considerable time away from home this week, working at the music hall, having lunch with my son, and doing some restocking of my ebay troves...well...it's bad. And you should know that my house is just not clean and picture perfect most of the time. So here you go...a disturbing look at real life in a small house with creative people...

Make it fun and play a little "I spy." Can you find the Atari console? Beaded party dress destined for the UK? Italian designer shoes? Yeah, shoot...I can't find them either, but they are in there...

And yes, you are right...I'm blogging it instead of cleaning it.

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

My husband is PUBLISHED!

check out his article on Relevant magazine online

(but don't confuse it with Relavant Magazine...totally different thing)

Charleigh's Haircut

In order to fight our ongoing war against headlice, I cut Chucky's hair. I was worried it wouldn't look like her, but as she bounces around with her little bob, I think it might look even more like Charleigh than ever!
 
 
 

Whatever I think I think I see

becomes this to me...maybe too many china-adhesive fumes?
 

Alien Baby

 

Found "this" today

Once upon a time, in a far off land, long ago, I earned a college degree in English. I took a class called Advanced Grammar and I was very good at it. I can still diagram a compound/complex sentence with modifying participial phrases...and the really sick part....I enjoy it. I know that makes you dislike me a little bit, but keep in mind that I could correct your grammar, but I don't.

So that explains a little bit about why I found this blog so funny I hurt myself a little bit from laughing so hard.

Always Funny when She's Asleep

 

So much so, that Robb and I frequently take her picture when we check on her before we go to bed. This is how we found her last night.

And here are some of our other favorites: