My New Favorite Picture of Me and the Kids

 

I like....

the way Charleigh says, "wuman" (woman)

Things

In my wanderings on the web, I read about a guynameddave who is challenging himself to live with 100 personal items. He is being pretty realistic about it and I am intrigued by it.

Lately, Robb and I have gotten our finances in order and we are managing them pretty well, meeting goals and paying down our debts. This has freed up some cash to be not quite as rigid as we were just a year ago.... when taking an extra ride in the car seemed like too much strain on the budget. What this has led to, however, is a kind of willy-nilly spending on my part with the "extra." It is buying season for my business, and it feels, quite frankly, insane. I can't warehouse all of the stuff that is available to me to buy and ultimately sell. And when I consistently wander into situations when I can fill a bag with top-quality clothes for the fam for just 3 dollars...you can see that this house is full to bursting. Along comes the 100 Things Challenge and I just stop and stare, dumbfounded.

I've had moments lately of true fear. I am terrified of becoming the crazy old lady who hoards things. Certainly, I am genetically wired for this kind of behavior...on both sides of the family! As I've looked around at all this stuff in my house, I know that I have a plan for most of it, and the other stuff, I can incorporate into my business, but still...I feel afraid sometimes.

Which of course, leads to my next logical dilemma. I sell stuff to other people. I sell stuff that is nice and all, but not always terribly practical. I do believe deep down, that vintage items are of higher quality and have greater interest than new items, but still...nobody really NEEDS any of it.

I don't really know how to do SIMPLE. I kind of believe it is a myth, really. I believe we live in a complicated time, in a complicated world, in complicated day-to-day pursuits. I find minimalism a comedic approach to controlling that. And I don't know many poor people who are minimalists...mostly you see that style in upscale decorating magazines, depicting people who have A LOT, no matter how sleek their homes look. On the other hand, I realize that sounds very sour grapes of me...and I understand why it would sound like that. I really love to be surrounded by beautiful things and I find many things beautiful.

So, in case you are wondering, I am not planning on reducing my personal items to 100...however, Robb had the great idea of getting rid of 100 things...which appealed to me very much. I have begun to root out this pile for myself, which will be a true challenge for me.

I don't really have an answer to my discomfiture. It is the question in my mind right now that I roll around while writing my Etsy and Ebay descriptions....trying to imagine the kind of person who will buy my vintage clothes and shoes and books and ephemera...They ARE pretty little things. Things.....

Mattie's Portraits

These are un-edited pics Mattie took while playing with the camera on Sunday. I left out the one of Robb, but it's nice to have it for blackmail purposes.

 
 
 
 

Come and sit

in the backyard, where we spent all afternoon on Sunday, planting some new bushes and enjoying the new firepit.

 

 
 

 

Up, Up and Away!

 

Her Great Grandpa would be THRILLED

as Mattie took her first small airplane ride today (she earned her commercial wings when she was too tiny to remember).

Harrison Ford is chairman (yes, THE H.F.) of a group that sponsors airplane rides for kids to explore the world of being a pilot. We heard about that program at her school and arrived promptly at 7:50 a.m. for the event, which was free, on a first come, first served basis. Unfortunately due to a communication glitch we went from 5th in line to 90th in line...which resulted in a four point five hour wait to make her flight, but with magazines, scissors and the camera in my purse, Tilly and I passed the time reasonably well, all things considered.

Before taking the flight, she took a 20 minute ground class explaining how the plane works and the basic gist of what they could and couldn't do. I was nervous that her propensity for motion sickness would keep her from enjoying the experience, but afterwards she declared it "The best thing I've ever done."

Her great grandpa would be proud.

 

Blood-phobics, beware....

Now don't say I didn't warn you....this post contains blood and lots of it, so there, you've been warned.


So last night, I was headed out on a date with my husband for the first time since.....
well, I really have no idea how long it has been since we've been on a date. So I had dropped my urchins off at my (STILL) best friend Hannah's house, with some considerable guilt since she had already had a long week with her husband out of town. But she assured me that it was fine and that I should go get dolled up and have fun.

So I dolled up and we had just gotten to the restaurant when H calls with

"Now, everything is fine, but..."

and before she got the "but" I had turned white and my heart dropped into my shoes.

"The paramedics are on their way..."

I thought my heart had already hit my shoes but it did a double flip flop bungee drop spectacular....because H is no wimp, so paramedics means REAL. BAD.

The two calls I made to H while Hubby drove like a maniac in heavy traffic to their house were fuzzy, even the one when I spoke to the EMT who told me that Charleigh was resting calmly and the bleeding had stopped.

Apparently, my enterprising four year old was trying to slide down their back-yard slide and wanted her hands free, so she stuck the YARD STICK, that's right...the stick that measures things and is three feet, into her mouth. Since Chuck is vertically challenged and only aspires to three feet, the stick reached the bottom of the slide before she did, only to jam into the back of her throat resulting in ...you guessed it...

copious amounts of blood.

Think, crime scene.

Unable to verify the extent of the bleeding or even really, the source, H did what any smart, babysitting person would do at the time...she reached her bloody hand up and made a bloody phone call to the soon to be bloody EMTs.

They were fantastic, according to H, and soon had her calm and nicely settled on the couch with a new, pink teddy bear. By the time we arrived, they were all just hanging out, and Chuck, though a little big around the eyes...make that, a little BIGGER around the eyes, was just fine. The scrape/puncture/boo boo extraordinaire looked much better and obviously, didn't even warrant a trip to the ER.

After Robb verified her safety and the EMTs had their paperwork signed, he exercised his anxiety by cleaning up the blood and examining the scene of the fall. When everyone had been debriefed...including Mattie, who admitted that the amount of blood had her worried that Charleigh would die of blood loss, we packed it up and headed for home, comfy PJs, a shot of Tylenol for Chucky, and something a little stronger for Mom and Dad.

(and also for H)

*sigh*

A Season of Change

You know that way the air smells when the seasons change? In my soul, I can feel something changing. Books are being placed in my hands, new people are moving into my line of vision and other people are moving out. My children are changing, and my days are oddly off-kilter. I long for different things than I did just a few months ago. Something is happening. I am trying to listen to the still, small voice. I feel restless, impatient, and dissatisfied. I wonder what God is doing.

I think for now, I'd better close up Facebook and get dressed!

My Ridiculous Foray into Facebook

I got this email a minute ago:

Robb said on Facebook that you two are married. We need you to confirm that you are, in fact, married to Robb.

To confirm this relationship request, follow the link below:

This had me laughing until tears ran down my cheeks. Maybe it's just the stress of putting my face out there on a book where a lot of people I have known over the years can now find me and guffaw at how much weight I've gained and how bad my haircut looks, but needing to confirm my marriage of 12 years...well, that just struck me as pretty darn hilarious.

Hello, all. Welcome to the Butterfly. Try not to stare.

I'd love for you to read this post

on my brother's blog about my Dad. I'm very proud of both of them.

Rising Storm

 

This was the sight from my back window last night as thunderstorms rolled it. It seems like everyone I had contact with in the last few days is in the middle of a storm. The wind is battering them, and sheets of difficulty are falling. I can hear in their voices how they just wish the sun would come out again. I wish I could make it better for you, my friends. I hope you see in my picture some hope for a let-up.

Sistas

 

and also, we love Fonzie

"The Loser Cruiser"

per Tammi's request, here's the new minivan. We test drove everything in the tri-state area and hubby took notes on my responses...turns out I hated the Ford Windstar, but had a good tolerance for anything red. This was actually the first van we drove, and since we walked away from the dealership, the price kept dropping dramatically to make it everything I wanted in a minivan: RED, BIG, and CHEAP! It was the perfect vehicle for our trip to Texas, and our family and my parents were able to ride together comfortably, saving tons of gas money. Hubby made it all happen when I had completely lost interest in the hunt. He's the man!

Happy Junquers

I took the kids on the first of the summer junqe (that's high class trash fyi) expeditions yesterday. I was expecting a lot of whining and tearing my hair out of my head, but with the new van, everyone has enough space to themselves and they can easily get in and out by themselves. The older two had a little cash of their own and after the first stop at a church rummage sale, where everybody was able to make their own, grown up purchases, they were hooked. Mattie was proud to by a full bag of good name brand clothes all by herself for just $2.75. And Vin nearly exploded in joy when he purchased three large boxes full of Legos for just 10 dollars.

I packed ham sandwiches and snacks and for good behavior, we stopped for slushies at Sonic. We came home with a full trunk of goods for the store, new summer clothes and some fall ones to stockpile for school, and a couple of goofy movies to watch on a rainy Friday night.

Fun finds of the day--these antique blown glass Christmas beads tossed into a box of worthless Mardi Gras beads.
Time to get to work!!!

"I wish Zachy and Ellora didn't move to Ollocodo"

Hear their goodbye on the radio here

me too, Charleigh, me too.

I've been tagged

The Rules:
1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.



THE QUESTIONS:

What were you doing five years ago?
It was five years ago that I signed up to try selling on eBay. I had gone to an auction with Robb and lost my head bidding on a dishpan full of antique silverplate flatware. I won the auction for 12 dollars and then thought..."what the heck am I gonna do with these?" Since Vin was 2 and Mattie was 3, I still had a couple of free hours in the afternoon while they napped...and thus it all began. My first sale was a metal thermos for 99 cents. I borrowed the digital camera from church which held 8 pictures.

What are five things on your to-do list for today?
1. Start a mosaic I've been thinking about for months
2. Leave feedback on ebay- a month behind- CHECK!
3. Vacuum the pool
4. Call mom
5. Go out with Jaye T for dessert.

What are five snacks you enjoy?
1. Bag of popcorn and a glass of red wine

2. Bag of popcorn and peanut M&Ms

3. Doritos and cottage cheese

4. String cheese

5. Robb's fresh peach salsa!

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?
1. Turn the house in Michigan into some kind of shelter for people on the verge of losing what they have.

2. Obliterate our debt and everyone else we know

3. Go on staff at Vintage full time.

4. Adopt a village in Africa

5. Set up a foundation to help families pay for autism/related therapies

What are five of your bad habits?
1. procrastinating

2. stock-piling things I'll use "someday."

3. getting lost in blogging instead of doing something productive

4. being a workaholic

5. staying home too much and too long to remain productive

What are five places where you have lived?
1. PA- western and eastern (whoo hoo Scranton!)

2. New York City

3. Foxboro, MA

4. Michigan

5. Arkansas

What are five jobs you’ve had?

1. Christmas Tree sales-girl

2. Telemarketer to the Amish

3. Girl Friday to Dr. Rembert Byrd Carter, M.Div., PH.D.

4. 4th Grade Teacher

5. Church secretary

I Tag:
Ron, Shadenfruedette, and Hannah...now start blogging again girl!

The Whole Fam

 

I pushed back from my heaping plate of Texas BBQ to take this photo of my whole family. For those of you who are even attempting to keep track, I have an older brother, Ron, now married to Ashley. I have a younger sister, Courtney, married to Ron. I have a youngest sister, Ashley, married to John. My dad is Ron and my mom is Bonnie. And I of course, am married to Robb. Clear as mudd, right? And oh, yeah, that's my cousin Jeremy in the right corner, with his woman, Lucy. I am still alittle fuzzy on how he managed to get a girl like that since I mostly remember him as the kid wearing the "Bat Boy" outfit, who didn't like to fingerpaint in kindergarten because it was too yucky. Now that I've embarrassed him, who knows what memory he'll unearth about me, his older cousin with giant teeth and never-cut hair down to her butt. But I digress. I miss you guys already.

Here Comes the Bride

Isn't she lovely? (And he has a good personality) hee hee
 
 
 
 

Photos by Mattie

Mattie amused herself at the battlefield as I often do...behind the camera. I like her style! 
 
 
 

Pappa Was a Happy Camper

We bought the four dollar cd to play in the car for the auto tour of the Prairie Grove Civil War Battlefield. It was a warm day, but beautiful. I think everyone liked this day, but my Dad really enjoyed himself!
 
 
 
 

Nortwest Arkansas Naturals

 

I just remembered to check the website for this commemorative shot...it was Nestle Drumstick night. We totally missed the stand where they were handing out the free cones, but we did have a fun time at the game.