Wednesday, December 28, 2005

hey, y'all

Come look here ....  storm sadness on the sunnyside ...I finally got pictures added!

 

Invasion of the vampire teens

With the holidays , my home has once again become joyfully invaded by teenagers.

The pics are of Caitlin and my niece Holley, who spends all school vacations with us.

I love having a housefull of kids.

Absolutely ANYTHING can happen ...

because they have a friend

 who has a boyfriend

who has a car

 and it's Friday night!

what I can't figure out is how they can stay up all night

and sleep the sleep of the innocent,

 sprawled all over every couch and chair in the living room,

deaf to the sounds of every day life

and people stepping over them.

They never slept that good when they were babies!

I am a good cook...

I also can't figure why me calling them to eat a lovingly prepared meal doen't affect them,

but if I mention ordering pizza, they knock me down coming at a dead run!

Sunday, December 25, 2005

Christmas Past

This is Emily.

Can you tell she is the Queen of our household?

Many of you should know her. She is always in my lap when I talk to you and quite a lot (but not all ) of the typos are her doing.

I remember that awful time when Caitlin was 2 and Mariah was 12.

If one of them wasn't pitching a fit , the other one was.

It was Christmas and I was trying to get through the lighting of the Advent wreath without Caitlin blowing out all of the candles and /or Mariah having a melt down over the phone ringing.

So, here I was smiling my best Christmas smile through clenched teeth, whe Emily comes rubbing up agianst the candles wanting to be petted.

Did you know a cat will burst into flames very quickly?

I tried to beat out the fire with the Advent book, which greatly alarmed the flaming feline.

She  leaped from the table and took off like a comet , with the family in "hot " pursuit.

Tom ended the conflagration by pulling gramma's ancestral afghan off a chair and putting her out.

Miraculously, her skin wasn't hurt, but she was just about naked and horribly embarrassed about the entire ordeal. She came out of it a great deal better than the afghan.

Add to my children's Christmas memories , the scent of "house cats roasting on a open fire."

Yes, that was a good one on the sunnyside.

Have a happy day and may all your pets be uncooked this season.

 

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Caitlin

my little girl

storm sadness on the sunnyside

Do you know that horrible feeling?

 When you have suffered a loss too terrible to discuss,

 so you go about your day,

 feeling as content as you can,

 but there is an ache

 like a tooth you can't help prodding with your toungue?

That's how we all feel down here after the storm.

We don't talk about it a whole lot.

Many euphenisms come up.

When someone says,"oh, yeah, remember BEFORE"...

we all look at the ground

 because the speakers eyes may be tearing up

 and you can't cry anymore.

It won't help.

 You just suck it up and go on.

Because that's all you can do.

 You have to live with the knowledge that you will never feel safe again.

You know that there is no great big 911 number you can call to make help come.

 

 

Friday, December 16, 2005

the 5er

     1.  Do you ever go to someone's journal and just think to yourself, "Oh brother...here they go again...get over it already!"  And do you think your answer is naughty or nice? 

No, I am really glad to hear things from other's lives

     2.  I kinda think naughty can be fun and nice can get boring. Tell us something you have done lately that was naughty.

I haven't been naughty enough lately. i fear I run the risk of being 'Miss Goody Two Shoes"

     3.  Have you ever used the "If you are naughty Santa won't bring you any presents" line on your kids?  And if they remained naughty did you ever withhold their presents?

I tried it with Mariah, but she said,"here's the phone! You just call him right now and tell him to keep his old presents! i 'm tired of being good!"

     4.  If you were at the work Christmas party and your "naughty" boss gave you a squeeze on your back side would you tell anyone?

depends on if the boss is hot....hmmm....maybe I could be a little naughty!

     5.  Tell us about an unexpected nice thing someone has done for you this December...or something nice you have done for something else that wasn't expecting it.

     People have been so sweet to me.Two women I hardly know have given me a good sum of money without any strings attached . I am shocked at the kindness of people. 

Happy!

I got tagged by my dear friends Mal and Bonnie to write 10 things that make me happy.

What a glorious excuse to chronicle my joy!

In no particular order and on the spur of this moment....

1.Caitlin's excitement when she is all dressed up to go out.

2. My red coat that looks like the one I had as a llittle girl that Mariah bought for me...when I wear it I am wrapped up in her love...even though I embarrassed her by crying in the store when she bought if for me.

(I am so corny)

3.My ancient mean cat Emily teasing my hair into an unconquerable mess while I am asleep.

4.Just the sight of my Tom

5.Tom playing "Ripple" on the guitar, even when he forgets the words.

6.trying on pants that used to fit and are now too big

7.Smelling the salt air on the way to the beach

8.the kids in my class running to hug me in the morning

9.friends that are so at home at my house they come in without knocking

10.calling everyone I know to invite them to a party.

 

 

So, if you read this ...you are tagged!

 

Monday, December 12, 2005

Cookiefest

Tom's surgery went well, much better than we originally thought.

The way things stand now, the doc feels he has a 75% chance of getting 75% of the use of his arm. He will not be able to do the work he has done for the past 20 years, making doors and windows, but he will be able to play his guitar and get around okay.

The past weeks have been a a blur to me.

I can hardly even remember what has happened. I have been going to work at 7:30 until 3:00, going to tutor from 4 until 7 and baby sitting from 8 until 3:00. ( It'a not as bad as it sounds, Victoria goes to bed at 9 and I sleep on their couch)

It has bugged me that we didn't have our Christmas tree up yet.We usually have it up by the day after Thanksgiving, so it is practically nude by Christmas!

 I told my daughters I was putting it up yesterday,come hell or high water (which is not a good threat to make in this area of the country)

Caitln had spent the night with a friend and I called her to say I was coming to get her. She kinda hemmed and hawed a bit, less than enthusiastic about coming home. I was such a good mom, "Okay, you do what ever you want to , but I am putting up the tree. Just call your sister and let her know you wont' be here."

What I wanted to say was more along the lines of, "well, just forget about your poor mother who is working so hard to try to give you a Christmas...go ahead and break her heart"

Do I get extra points for restraint?

Well that took care of that.

20 minutes later, Mariah showed up with Caitlin in tow!

See, parents of teens, they do grow up and realize what matters!

 Mariah wouldn't miss trimming the tree with her daddy and I for the world.( apparantly wont' let her sister miss it either)

The second picture is of my house Sunday with the terrible teens. Since they were 5, their moms have all gotten together and made cookies at Christmas.They love this tradition and never want anything to change. Stephanie, the head baker mom in in the group has had a hard time with chronic fatigue lately. We are all worried about her. The kids were quite indignant about the Cookiefest not being held at her house.

Instead of carefully prepared cookies and homemade frosting, I threw some store-bought cookie dough sheets at them and told them to have at it! A few flour fights later, they had some cookies made and a lot of fun!

The other shot is a random one of them last summer that I just liked. They look like Laguana Beach.

Life is good here on the sunnyside.

Wednesday, December 7, 2005

3The Mammogram


For years and years they told me


Be careful of your breasts


Don't ever squeeze or bruise them.

 
<


And give them monthly tests

 

So I heeded all their warnings,
<
And protected them by law.<

Guarded them very carefully,
<

 


And I always wore my bra.

 

After 30 years of astute care
 
My gyno, Dr Pruitt,
<
Said I should get a Mammogram
 
"OK," I said, "let's do it
"Stand up here real close" she said


 


(She got my boob in line


"And tell me when it hurts," she said,
<


 


"Ah yes! Right there, that's fine

She stepped upon a pedal,


I could not believe my eyes!
<

A plastic plate came slamming down,
 <
My hooters in a vise


My skin was stretched and mangled

 
From underneath my chin.


My poor boob was being squashed


To Swedish Pancake thin


 


Excruciating pain I felt,
<
>


Within it's viselike grip



A prisoner in this vicious thing


>


My poor defenseless tit!
<


 
>


"Take a deep breath, she said to me


 


Who does she think she's kidding?!?
<



My chest is mashed in her machine


And woozy I am getting.


"There, that's good," I heard her say


 


(The room was slowly swaying


 


"Now, let's have a go at the other one."
<



Have mercy, I was praying


 


It squeezed me from both up and down,
<


 


It squeezed me from both sides


 


I'll bet SHE'S never had this done,
<


To HER tender little hide.
<



Next time that they make me do this


 


I will request a blindfold.


I have no wish to see again


 

My knockers getting steam rolled
>


 


If I had no problem when I came in,
<


 


I surely have one now


 


If there had been a cyst in there,
<
It would have gone "ker-pow!"
 
<


This machine was created by a man,
<

Of this, I have no doubt

 

I'd like to stick his balls in there,


And, see how THEY come out!