family and friends!

lots of gifts throughout the year......more than i can count!  our family is blessed......we have alot to be thankful for.......even the memories of family and friends that are gone......i believe they are with us everyday.......i believe they are our angels, who look out for us everyday...... and that's how i envision them at christmas time.......like my own private and personalized angels.

sometimes, i can feel them with me ........when i'm looking at our children and they give me a certain look.....they remind me of my mom or my dad, a special uncle.......sometimes when they give me an attitude.....i imagine how my mom would laugh it off when i told her about their behavior.......grandparents are more forgiving and understanding......they have been through it all........and mostly, survived.  sometimes our children will ask questions about our family or hear stories of growing up or stories of christmases "in the old days". our "old days".......we let our family and friends who we've lost live on through our stories..........one special friend of ours, from college, lives on everyday in my heart....through music.....and laughter and funny stories.

most of the people, so close to my heart, appear to me in everday moments......don't panic.....i don't have ghost sightings or hallucinations!  they come to me and make me laugh when i see a mom and a daughter laughing together, when i see a gentleman dressed to the nines, when i walk at the beach, or see some food in the grocery store.........so many little moments have been shared with our families and friends.

i'm sorry that they may not be here "live action", as our kids used to say, about movies that had real people and weren't animated.......but, they are here, in such fun ways.....in the moments and the stories......the laughter and even tears!.......but, funny enough, they are really happy........because of the wonderful memories.....because i share so many fun memories with our kids and friends and families!

christmas always brings back memories of cozy, warm christmases by the fire, singing around a piano, opening gifts, travelling to see friends and family, having friends and family visiting us..........

oh wait......that's just my memories......they have sweetened over the years.........some christmases had presents from hell,...regifts, of course, ...but that's another blog..... relatives....some other relatives

nasty employers....customers......money stress......travel.....bad christmas trees.......

thank goodness, my memories turn the not so fun times into something to laugh about......as time goes by.....or even the day after christmas.

i'm not perfect, christmases are not perfect, my family and friends are not perfect.........and that's why i love them.......alive and as angels.......they help me to laugh at myself......and they soften the tough stuff.....just stuff of life......they listen to me....i listen to them.......and we can't help but laugh.....at our seriousness........we are like mirror reflections........we are devils advocates and cheerleaders and make the hallmark moments snap back to reality......they keep us real.....they are honest with us and tell us like it is.....they sometimes have better memories than we do and help us fill in the blanks.

these are the best gifts of christmas.....my family and friends who keep me laughing, all year long.........with memories good and not so good.....my friends who are no longer here and my friends who are here, day in and day out!

those are my best presents......family and friends!  ...........who share so much joy!

merry christmas to family and friends!

google, blog, facebook, text, twitter, tweeting......lingo.

i've always been a pretty good communicator.  my biggest problem, growing up, was that my mom told me  that no matter what i was thinking, she could read it on my face.  she used to laugh........even if the words were coming out out one way, my face told the real story.  i've also always been pretty good at reading people....not mind read....just notice some of the "cues".

for example, in my teens, i was out with my mother.....we were out and about and stopped at the gas station, back in the old days when gas stations had english speaking attendants, who wore shirts with their names embroidered and took cash.....just cash.......my mom and i were waiting for "ned" (i still remember his name....he owned the mobil station!) to fill up the tank.  while we were waiting, i noticed that my mom seemed to have a very serious, kind of bothered look on her face.   i asked, "what's the matter mom?"  she answered....nothing was the matter....i persisted...."are you sure?"........she was truly perplexed.  i told her about the impression i got......from my visual.....i continued, "so you're really fine?"........."oh....then it just must be your gas station face!"   we got hysterical! it became code.

the "gas station face" lives on.....and it isn't necessarily used only in the gas station....that same pained look may show up anywhere....unknowingly!  thankfully, my husband also found the term to be kind of helpful and a bit endearing.....rather than saying, "hey!  what's wrong with you?  that's a horrible face you're making!"  a simple reminder...."ahemm, gas station face!"....is way more subtle and always seems a quick reminder and it ends in laughter.

my kids also use "gas station face"....just as a kind reminder,,,to perk up....or question my state of mind.  it's funny....i guess, teenagers pretty much have a mad face, a sad face, a happy face and an exhausted face......it's so much more clear cut........they have way more emotional swinging to do, so they help us adapt by spelling it out for us....on their face.

as an adult, we have alot of stuff to think about.......stuff, like taking care of everyone else........and their swingsand their faces.......or at least, living through them without a gas station face!  as the parents, we try to keep a few notes on their faces....just so we are prepared for what may occur next......it's all there, on their faces.

they do trick us though.  now, because of texting, they don't ever really have to look up.  they can walk and text, eat and text, go online and text on their phone and the computer.  the other night i was texting on facebook......i thought it would be nice to talk to my daughter about it......not because she would care or God forbid, think i was cool.....but because i thought i might be able to impart some motherly goodness, in a "teachable moment", as they say....whoever "they" are.....you know, the ones who put "teachable moment" into our sensitive, new age vocabulary.

my "teachable moment" was just beginning,..... telling an account of the friends i had "texted" on facebook. i was telling my 14 year old about the friends, from high school and college, who i had been "talking to" on facebook "texting".   my husband and i always try these teachable moments......they can smell them a mile away.....i must have a "teachable moment" face....because i can hear them yawning and rolling their eyes......and yet, because we are taking the sensitive new age teachable moment route, we are proud of ourselves....because,  that means we're not "lecturing".....because "they" say that we shouldn't lecture because kids wont listen!  well, i've got news for "them"......they don't listen anyway!

teenagers won't have to worry about losing their hearing when they get old.......they won't need their hearing....because they'll all be typing....and on facebook, i'm told, it's "chatting"......my teachable moment was out the window, simply because i said that i was on facebook, "texting"......i couldn't even hear my teachable moment.....about how great it is to stay friendly with lots of the kids you know, because throughout the years you never know when you'll meet again.....more laughter.

like when i went to college, the first day, i saw my best kindergarten friend.....who knew..... that when i was sharing a swing in kindergarten with a friend, that i would meet that same friend years later.   when i left one job and interviewed for another, who knew that the guy interviewing me would be a great acquaintance from the old job. my teachable moment was kind of a don't" burn your bridges" theme.....the old brownie song, "make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other's gold"kinda story........it got lost in the loud laughter.....laughing at my "lingo".......actually, teenagers won't have to worry about keeping in touch or burning bridges......they'll have millions of friends on facebook....and all they have to do is click a button and "POOF"....they are friended......i suppose, with the click of a button, there will be millions "unfriended" too........my story is lost..... usually because of my lingo.

some time ago, when my daughter was 13.....she was having a bad day....her life was miserable and bad and i wouldn't understand.....she told me that i wouldn't understand, ever, since i had a nice mom growing u[and i couldn't know how bad life is with the parents she has.......i felt her pain....i wanted to help.....she told me i wouldn't and couldn't help.  finally, i said, emphatically, "grace, sometimes, when you're 13, life just sucks!"  i thought, for sure, the word that i really did not like, would catch her attention....she would finally hear me and know i understood.  she looked at me with great pain and regret, she said, "mom, just because you used that word  to be cool.......and you're trying to be cool......

don't even think you can help.....because, YOU ARE NOT COOL!" lingo problem, again.

last night, my son, 13, informed me that he found a picture of our sweet golden retriever on google.....he said that he google'd or google'ed "funny animal images".......and up popped our dog!  i couldn't believe it!  i said, "t.j.!  someone got that form my blog"....he mimicked me and he informed me, "no one reads your blog, mom!  that picture is not from your blog!".......i insisted...i knew it was my picture...."well, t.j., then someone got the picture from my facebook!".........."oh mom, this is too wierd......google,  blog, facebook.....nest you'll be on twitter and you'll be tweeting.......mom, you're embarassing!"  i told him that i did have a twitter account because i opened it when i started my blog....i assured him that i hadn't used it yet.  lingo.

then, while all of the family was together, i asked, "does anyone have an idea for my online business name?".........."mom, you don't have an online business...why do you need a name?"........i answered, "because i'm going to sell my beaded jewelry and vintage things on line.....on "etsy".....i just need a name........should i use littlemarymixup?"......my son fell to the floor, moaning!  my husband asked him to be supportive....."you know mom can do anything, t.j.".......my husband mentioned, to me, that it might not be such a great idea to call a business, "littlemarymixup"....since, people might not want to buy handmade jewelry from a business named "littlemarymixup".....point well taken.

while discussing ideas, for my business name on "etsy", with my husband.....my son handed me a yellow sticky note.........he said he had a name for me.......on the yellow sticky note.....it said, "IF I'M GOING TO MAKE A STORE, I WON"T TORTURE MY FAMILY WITH BAD NAME IDEAS"

i wonder if that's too long a name....being a sensitive new age parent, wanting to create teachable moments, i wouldn't want to "squash" his ideas or "discourage his honesty"........i wonder if i had a gas station face?.....lingo.

a true friend

 "maaaaaaaaaaaaaaary!" i squeaked slowly........"maaaaaaaaaaaary from davenporrrrrrrrrrrrt, iowa!"  "llllllllllliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-eeeeeeeeeeeez" she said with her flat midwestern tone.  my roommate from freshman year in college called.
 tonight to let us know she got our christmas card.  she was amazed at how our children had grown......so much since last year.....since the last christmas card!  she's one of my greatest friends of all time.....considering she  didn't really speak to me, unless desperately driven to it, from the first week of school in september through thanksgiving weekend,,,,,,when she came to my house at thanksgiving.  once again, she didn't really have much choice, since she was a long way from davenport, iiiiiiiiiiiiiowa.  


and being the not so quiet roommate, we noticed within minutes that  the only thing we had in common was that i was the only girl in my family and she was the only girl in her family.  i had two older brothers....alot older.   she had 7 brothers, mostly all younger!  i was very excited to be away at school and overwhelmes with all of the possibilties.....especially having so many people available to play with at all hours....day or night.   maaaaaaaary was pretty much far away from main street, iowa and a bit home sick   and kind of freaked out by so many "sisters".  she was a bit homesick.....the only time i called home, by a payphone down the hall, was to tell my mom that my roommate didn't talk and maybe get some advice.  it was my mission everyday to just try to make her talk to me!  i met lots of other friends .....but, maaaaaaaary was my roomie.....we were supposed to be friends.....we were supposed to stay up all night talking....telling stories.....


that was not the case.  mary was happy to have time in her room alone.  she was sweet but quiet.  others thought she was a bit standoffish.....a bit aloof.   i perservered.....when it came to talking, it's no wonder she was quiet.  i probably rambled on and on......nervously....just to get some kind of feedback!  anything.  she did tell me that her terrarium was kinda special....one of her favorite brothers had given it to her as a gift a year earlier, when she had her appendix removed.  she cared for it enough to bring it half way across the country to her new home in college.  she was very thoughtful and added some great touches to our new home....10 feet by 10 feet.  we worked together, quietly, to decorate our new home.  we found out that we both loved sweaters.  that was enough to start our  friendship.....for me.  maaaaaary may not have been so sure.


one day, the first week of  school, mary announced that she had real iowa popcorn.....and a popcorn popper. and that spelled popcorn.....party.  "corny" (sorry, i couldn't resist.....all these years later....i just thought of it!)  but a great start to have some fun at our new abode!  that was great....everyone knew maaaaaary now.......just a little tricky to get her to talk!


the same week, as maaaaaaaaary was beginning to come out of her shell, she took a walk to town with lots of others.....to look around and get aquainted with the town and the kids.  i decided to clean up our room....i thought that would be a nice roommate thing to do......mary was neat, orderly and organized......i could help to do my share.....dusting, vacuuming and windexing, singing along with the record player (really dated!)....it was the extra windex effort that did me in.....i gave a spritz to the terrarium, the exterior glass......tripped and CRASH....oh dear God...i actually prayed......it was then i heard a voice call out, "was that liz?".........it wasn't God, it was a new friend down the hall....what a reputation.....already.......and now it's her prized possession!  my quiet roommate....i was just making some headway!  this was horrible....i was terrified.....i "broke" (sorry!) ot to her very slowly....she was kind of sad, but understood.  we replaced the glass...it wasn't quite the same, but she seemed to deal with it and me rather well.


she was even more quiet.....it took some time....lots of time....she came home for thanksgiving.....thank goodness for my brothers....they helped her to feel right at home...


we made it through the first semester.....with lots more mix ups....mine.....she continued to adapt.  we were working it out....slowly.  we left for christmas break....a month.  since i would be driving home and she would be flying, she asked if i would please take her terrarium home....it wouldn't last without a little upkeep.   this was my chance to make it up to maaaaaaaaary, my almost, not quite, friend......maybe.


in the christmas  rush, i turned to check the room, and locked the door.  i drove home.  i noticed i was missing something....maaaary's terraaaaarium .......i was panicked!  i called the school.  i called the head of the "washie sinkies"....little ladies, who cleaned the sinks in our rooms.....they would knock and say, in broken english, "washie sinkie, washie sinkie!".....no luck.....they were home for christmas too.  my heart sank.


we came back after break....i poured my heart out to mary...i thought this would be the straw that broke the camel's back....it wasn't......maaaaaaaary laughed and said, "liiiiieeeeeeeeezzzz, it's o.k.....it's not that big of a deeeeeeeaaaaLLLL"


 we were friends....we have been friends, through thick and thin......my mom loved maryyyyyyyy.....everyone got to know her quiet, funny, thoughtful personality.

"whats the deal with texting.....what's the deal with facebook....what's the deal with blackberries.....with digital cameras uploading to the computer....what's the deal with blogs" she asked me tonight.....we laughed because she had been the ultimate wall street woman of the 80's and early 90's....and she was asking me about technology! 


   

 she always askes me about the kids she always loves to hear about the kids....genuinely....we laugh and laugh just because she tells me she thinks i'm a good mom.......i laugh, but i'm grateful to hear kind words from a good, quiet friend  of course i tell her about the kids and  the techno world they live in........what's the deal with your blog..... i said, "read mine, you'll understand....of all people, you will recognize little mary mixup"!

mary lives in the country.....with her husband....in the country....in california....they are mellow...together....and happy......together.....and quiet together......and laugh....together......she and her husband own a business....together......they share one computer......they have a beautiful dog.....the dog wears pearls....fancy.  maaaaaaaary loves all things beautiful .....she likes simple beauty.....one great thing rather than 12 mediocre things....she wears hats....doesn't get sunburn....she is one of the most thoughtful, sweet, beautiful friends i have....she's a great listener.....she's a great sister, aunt and daughter.


imagine..... all that i could have missed...... friendships mean so much to me.....it's christmas time and i'm grateful for great friends....loud and boisterous, quiet and thoughtful, near and far away.........and with lots of patience!






....maaaaaaary loves pearls. she sent them to my baby girl when she was born.....everyone of our college friends thought pearls to be a mandatory accessory......her note wit the sweet pearls said, "every girl should have some pearls....welcome".......i'm glad she sent pearls instead of a terrarium.


tonight, she asked if grace still wore her pearls....."yes," i said, "and they're not even broken!"  we laughed some more.....she's a true friend!

"oops!"...................

today flew by....i just had some cleanup to do around the house...why is it messier on monday after i've had all of this help?...anyway, i had stuff....christmas run a round to do.....friends to call to get some gift ideas .

why is it that christmas was so much fun when we could surprise them with a little tykes kitchen, a fire engine, tricycles, barbies or legos! i remember when things started to change......as kids get bigger and start to question the guy in the red suit, we get more desperate.......we want to keep creating that same christmas morning awe and wonder.  it was crazy from the moment we heard the pitter patter of little feet!  we had to create a rule that grace and t.j. wait at the top of the stairs until we were ready to go downstairs too......or they would have ripped through the presents like a cyclone had passed through.......and we would have missed it all!  they would sit with their christmas pajamas, tapping their elmo slippers (or character of choice as they got older)......they would chatter incessantly about jolly old santa.....and wait....moments....that, to them, seemed like hours!  and then,  the whirl of red and white and green pajamas and speedy little feet......and next.....ripping paper and squeals of joy and excitement.  every little stocking stuffer was acknowledged with an invisible exclamation point. 

 a few years ago, just when the kids started getting suspicious, grace and t.j. tried to rig some kind of trap for santa...just to see if there really was a santa.......they were convinced that they had the camera set in a way that would surprise santa and they would really know the truth.......they were on the edge......we managed to snap a picture of just a blur of red and had them convinced that he must have been in a hurry and in the rush, the photo blurred!

we did everything that we could to keep the dream alive.... we used to sprinkle some reindeer dust, made of oatmeal and glitter, all over the lawn to let the reindeer know where to land....then i would spit carrots all over the yard as proof that the reindeer ate their carrot snack....that's when my husband thought i might be going over the edge.......but, if anything could help to have them believe just another year.....
.
i used to laugh at a friends story of her dad.....growing up, at easter, he used to put "bunny prints" hopping all through the house....putting fingers in baby powder and printing them on the carpet......everywhere!  here he was, this grown man, a wall street tycoon, printing bunny prints all through the house..... finally, his wife.....the girls' mom, said,"honey, i think it's time to stop the peter cottontail bunny prints......the girls are in college now!"


i think like he does.....if i just keep playing the game.....they'll keep believing!  i was in denial....not the kids.  i wanted that santa believing to go on forever.  i believed in santa intensely.  when i was about four, i learned the song"better watch out, better not pout...........he SEES you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake".....well, that's all it took....i really thought i saw him looking in my window, so i quick, closed my eyes....hoping he wouldn't see me awake!  i told our kids that story....that was true, to me, when i was four........i would tell grace and t.j., "i don't know....people may say there's no santa, but i know that i saw him.....so i still believe!"  that kept them going for a little while.


the doubting became too much. it was time to see the old movie "miracle on 34th street", a classic, an old family favorite.  finally, it was time.....for the speech about how we believe in the spirit of christmas......that's the magical part of christmas......i don't think they buy it....i think they humor us.....just so they don't blow the whole present gig.


their turn has come to spread the magic of christmas to little ones.....the littleboy down the street, their little cousin.....they continue to share and the spirit.....and to me, that's part of my magic at christmastime.


so, tonight, i had some errands to run....we still keep our ideas under wraps, hopefully surprising them.....and still trying to keep it simple......but, hopefully with one little something that takes them by surprise......for them, we say............i kinda think that's for us....hopefully, to get that reaction....the "wow".....









tonight, i got my own "wow!"........i finished some of our last minute shopping.  feeling relieved, i drove up the driveway and dashed in the house.  i kissed my husband, said good night to the grace and t.j. and sat down to take a breath and return a couple of e-mails, have a little pomegranite seltzer (my favorite).....just before i joined my husband.....he had started up the stairs......
just as i was hitting "send" and ready to go up and get ready for bed, my husband appeared........he looked at me and smiled...he said, "i was ready to fall into bed, when i realized there were no sheets.....no comforter....no quilt....no pillowcases!" he smiled...... thank God he loves me....  all i could say was "oops!" .......................

almost christmas!

i am as tired as daisy tonight.....it's been a long day....so beautiful with our first big sonow of the year! about one foot.....we are blanketed in snow.....i love when it's so snowy that the world just has to slow down....everybody stays put.....nowhere to run.....fire in the fireplace......snoozzzzzzzzz.......i'm about to fade......can't believe it's almost christmas!

we're waiting for snow to arrive....our family get together has been canceled due to long distance travelers and snow advisory for later today......just some winter wonderland photos....hoping for our snow.....and cozy fire in the fireplace.....chili cooking on the stove....peaceful...warm....family.......

i'm dreaming of all of the christmas crazies to melt away once we're blanketed by snow......we need to slow down, be thankful and enjoy the simple moments of the christmas season with family and friends!

how did this happen? it's no surprise....time flies....it's almost christmas! it's not the date that surprises me...i pretty much have this christmas thing figured out. i shop throughout the year....i love to pick special gifts for the people we love....i store them away in my little secret hiding spots...i have a running list, it's in my head. tis better to give than receive...it's true. it's also nice to play hide and seek. this is hereditary....my mom did this too...she, too loved to give and really enjoyed the pursuit of something special.... she sometimes spontaneously found that special something...in april. she would tuck it away, like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter.....only she sometimes had a little trouble finding her hiding spot...that's where the hide and seek comes in.i have inherited the hide of the hide and seek routine....only, i have yet to figure out the seek part.

my mom loved to wrap each gift beautifully....a special ribbon, with wrapping paper and a tag that coordinated, an ornament that would be appropriate for the recipient....lovely touches...and joy wrapping....even if she lost the scissors or tape in the middle of the process.
she wrapped into the wee hours with christmas music playing. i have beautiful memories of wrapping with my mom.

she also planned out when she would have to mail her long distance gifts....plan her trip to the post office....buy her christmas stamps for her christmas cards, always with mary and Jesus on the cover......

somewhere, in all of this jolly elfing, i missed that organizational chromosome......i love to shop, buy, hide and give. did i mention that i have a little disconnect with the seeking and the wrapping and the perfect ribbon and the mailing. i'm still working on that.

this is one case, where i have to say that i've just never been quite the same since i had kids! it all started our first christmas with a baby.....and then the next christmas...with another baby.

anyway, here we are, years later...the kids are early teens and ........well, i'm still blaming them for my mailing mixups when i can.....come on, just once in awhile. no one believes me anyway!

so, my problem is that i hurry and put all of the packages away, so no one will happen upon them....usually, they won't.... and truth be told......either will i. once i find the gifts, my husband is enlisted to help me get them wrapped and ready to deliver or take to the post office. when i have trouble finding some of the hidden gifties, he pleads ignorance and i wander around for hours...sometimes days....looking for the presents. usually, we find them before christmas. occasionally, we have them wrapped before christmas. and rarely, do we get all of them mailed before christmas! last year, our record year, we were able to get our friends little gifts, for the family, to them in may! they were delighted...they don't usually open gifts on memorial day, so it was a real treat. they loved it. they said it was even better than christmas day because sometimes it gets to overwhelming...everything at once! we may have to take advantage of that spirit again this year!

we have a wrapping frenzy somewhere in the vicinity of christmas eve.....lots of colorful paper, bags and ribbons....only, when we're on the road to spend time with family, we barely use the ribbons anymore. we wrap the gifts and pack them in rubbermaid tubs to travel in the car...different tubs for different destinations....it's not quite as christmas romantic as the way my mother did it....but we get it to the right people ....with lots of love and laughter...just minus the ribbons, the wrapping perfection and sometimes the tags.

over the years, we've really created some special traditions for our christmas season.....we used to go and visit the mangers outside many of the different churches. we would explain the story of christmas to our little children...and we cherished those sweet moments...standing in hay, out in the december cold. it was wonderful then and sweet to remember.

we had many kodak moments of our children visiting santa and whispering requests in his ear...we had some very exciting christmas eve nights sprinkling reindeer dust all over the lawn, so the reindeer would be able to spot us and know where to land. we've left cookies and milk for santa. we've called santa on the phone to talk and tell him hopes and dreams. we had christmas parades in our village with santa and mrs. clause and even reindeer and candy galore.
we've read christmas stories throughout the month of december.

it's all a little different now. our young teens don't have the same twinkle in their eyes when we talk about santa! their eyes are rolling more than twinkling. oh, it's exciting for them...they enjoy giving ideas and wrapping and surprising....christmas is different as our little people grow and grow.....thank goodness we can share some of the christmas joy with other little ones....it's very fun to see our kids with little kids....sharing some of the oohs and ahs of christmas and santa stories.

today, just for fun, we planned to make our gingerbread houses....our friends and all of the kids are older and humor the tradition....they can tolerate anything with sugar involved! you could say the enthusiasm was dwindling and everyone was exhausted from the busy week. plans got just a bit complicated, with different activities planned.......we postponed til monday. i think this may be the last hurrah!

the love of christmas and the spirit of christmas is still there.....and the love of giving...and now, some of the joy of the christmas season comes from random acts of kindness and spreading the joy to the oldest and youngest of believers....and thinking of others who might be lonely at this time of year.

we'll always love santa and christmas and family and that special giving feeling....it's just different.

my husband and i will probably still go outside on christmas eve and spit little pieces of carrot all over the lawn.....since those reindeers get kind of messy when they eat their treats! and there will still be some bites taken out of santa's cookies....all we can hope is that throughout these years, that have flown by so quickly, we've been  able help make some very
 sweet memories with our children.
and, on christmas morning, when they notice the carrot bits all over the lawn, they'll laugh and roll their eyes....and we'll give them more memories of christmas with teens.


the photos are those kodak moments.....the memories are forever...

believe

"........and to all a good night!"

last night, i had an appointment to go to the apple store.....for one on one tutorial...i think it's about 20 or 25 years too late.....better late than sorry....or better late than have  kids continue to make fun of my lack of computer skills.  it was in my best interest...it was in my family's best interest....it was in my blog's best interest....most important, it was a necessity, just to better myself and my skills.....it was finally time.....i felt like i was entering the twilight zone.  gee, wonder why my husband signed me up for a year of tutorials?  i guess because we love each other and even like each other, it was for our own good.......and i would go to the class at the MALL!

i was required to take a computer class in college.  oh, that seemed so exciting!  i love buttons...computer, typewriter, cash register, calculator, elevator.....

it's true.  at one point, i landed a great job as a mortgage broker......the first thing i heard from my enthusiastic college cohorts, "wow!   that's great!  you're gonna love using those calculator buttons every day!"  sharing the joy, they cheered for my love of buttons ....more, actually than for putting my college major, economics, to use.  besides being in sales and using the calculator, i really had no clue about the economy.....i guess those economics classes took a back seat to my computer buttons classes.  i mean, computer classes!

in college, my introduction to the cyber world began with a teacher who worked at the nearby  i.b.m. company.  the class was scheduled right at the dinner hour.....a major social concern.  the class was small, the teacher was small with a "small" voice too.....no computers in the class.....a separate computer lab.....in addition to the class....another social concern.   the greatest concern, at the time, was the teacher spoke to the class........ with one eye looking at the class and one eye looking out the window ......toward the cafeteria.....   hard time concentrating?  ya think?  just a bit distracted?  just me? i was scarred and traumatized........terribly bored and hungry....

then, i took off for  the mall (the 2nd MALL in one week! yikes!).......it was in my best interest...it was in my family's best interest....it was in my blog's best interest....most important, it was a necessity, just to better myself and my skills.....it was finally time.....i felt like i was entering a new world.  gee, wonder why my husband signed me up for a year of tutorials?  i guess because we love each other and even like each other, it was for our own good.......and i would go to the class at the MALL!

i had no one in the car with me....i had no teens to beg for their tunes....i had no husband to beg to use his g.p.s....with the blabbering woman who tells me what to do and the map, that only confuses me.  i put on my favorite station and began belting out my best ......la, ...la, la, la, mmmmm, mmmmmm, deee, la, la,di,, doo, doo, da, da!  none of that tsss, tssss, sh,sh,sh, boom, boom, ch, ch, ch, ch....rap stuff.  i can handle that stuff... and talk about it with the kids..... but, WOW!...... it's great to sing my heart out....pop, showtunes, rock, gospel, country. 

i arrived at the MALL....after taking the wrong route (distracted by my own music!)....i was in MALL traffic....i had to run into the MALL to get to my class.....just like college, i was late for class.  but, i made it.....through the honking merry christmas monsters in myriad automobiles at the MALL!

i sat with my instructor and had a ball.....when i arrived , the store was so frenetic with frenzied, frantic shoppers, i  thought i wouldn't be able to concentrate.....the exact opposite of my draggy, drudgery class from.... hellllllo apple store!  wow...an hour and a half and a cup of starbucks and i was high on computer vibrations!  i had to call that man of mine to thank him....i was so excited and over stimulated, he could barely understand me!

and the best part...i learned all kinds of stuff that i wanted to learn.......blog, blog and more blog pieces of the puzzle.....it was so exciting to learn and be able to implement everything right away!

i enjoyed strolling through the mall on my way out...people hustling and bustling, babies visiting santa at eight o'clock at night, stopped in stores alone, just me, not wanting or needing anything.....no one with me to want anything or plead for anything!  i stopped, i looked, i even had my camera with me for my apple visit....i played tourist in the MALL and i had a BALL!

i put down my camera for a moment to try on some gloves.....i meandered all the way to the car....outside in the half empty parking lot....meandered to the car.......started to put my key in the ignition and realized i left my camera in one of the stores......the adrenaline was pumping....how could i stand to lose the camera when i had a blog with a purpose,  if only for me!  i waved to the security guard in the jeep.....he "radio'd" the store for me and "10-4".....no luck.....i had to run and run and run, up escalators, through bunches of late night fried shoppers and workers....i ran and ran through food courts and gift stalls.....i ran and ran past aromas of pretzels and pizzas and soapy stores and musky stores and music stores....i finally arrived at the store my intuition sent me to.....the doors were closed....the doors were....locked!  i knocked incessantly...i knocked and knocked...and klinked and klinked with my rings....one woman looked up.....we made eye contact and....i waved...i waved and waved frantically.....she came to the glass door....i begged in a loud voice.  rather loud for the end of a long MALL day.  while quiet workers, wearing ipods and headphones,

swept and swept with brushes and brooms, the store clerk scrambled among the racks and slowly sorted through the gloves and accessories and she looked over at me....sadly.  she was exhausted....she hadn't really even tried...i felt my heart sink.  she approached me at the glass doors....she took her keys, unlocked the door and let me in to rummage through the chaotic table, where i had been standing, just an hour before......anad then, i found it!  .i found my camera!

i screamed,  "thank you! thank you! thank you!"........i offered them a reward, they all smiled and refused.....i ran to the door and shouted, "thankyou! thank you! thank you!..........merrrrrry chrrristmas!  they laughed.

i ran and ran....back to the car relieved and rejuvenated!  joy to the world!  life is good.  the mall was closed and i was exhausted....i started up the car and began my way to home sweet home.....excited to implement some new computer tricks and cartwheels.  i got on the highway and piped in the tunes and began singing in the car, to my hearts content......la, la, la, adee, dee, da, ho, ho, ho,mmmmm....mmm.......dee, dee, la,la la......WHoosh.... whooosh....it flew right over the hood.... and up on the rooftop..... click, click, click and down off the bumper..... nice and slick! ....and i had to exclaim as it flew out of sight, "merry christmas wreath to all and to all a good night!"

smile and say cheese

"yeah....that was back when life was simple."

while out christmas shopping, earlier this month, i walked down the pet aisle......with two dogs, two cats, two fish, it seems we always need something.   we have soft beds for the dogs that seem to be a two for one special......the cats use them....the dogs don't seem to feel territorial about their beds...it's funny to see our two golden retrievers back down for the cats....i remember seeing a needlepoint pillow that said, "if you want the best seat in the house, move the cat".....it seems to be true in our house.  the goldens are pretty gentle and sweet natured.....it's kinda funny though, daisy and fitzy  are very protective with thte kitties.

when daisy was a small puppy, grace adopted her kitten and named him "tic tac"......when tic tac would scoot out the door, we would say to daisy, "daisy, get the kitten!" and she would chase this tiny kitten and put her fornt paws on either side of him, put her chin on top and then, gently put the kitty in her mouth and wait for me to come collect tic tac.....daisy has been that way with every kitten that has strutted through these doors to make our house his home.  it's a very funny relatiionship.

while out christmas shopping, earlier this month, i walked down the pet aisle......with two dogs, two cats, two fish, it seems we always need something.   we have soft beds for the dogs that seem to be a two for one special......the cats use them....the dogs don't seem to feel territorial about their beds...it's funny to see our two golden retrievers back down for the cats....i remember seeing a needlepoint pillow that said, "if you want the best seat in the house, move the cat".....it seems to be true in our house.  the goldens are pretty gentle and sweet natured.....it's kinda funny though, daisy and fitzy  are very protective with thte kitties.

when daisy was a small puppy, grace adopted her kitten and named him "tic tac"......when tic tac would scoot out the door, we would say to daisy, "daisy, get the kitten!" and she would chase this tiny kitten and put her fornt paws on either side of him, put her chin on top and then, gently put the kitty in her mouth and wait for me to come collect tic tac.....daisy has been that way with every kitten that has strutted through these doors to make our house his home.  it's a very funny relatiionship.

so, it doesn't surprise me to see happy and jinx, t.j.'s cat, sprawled out on the dog beds, lounging away as though they're at a day spa.....and the dogs are driven to the hardwood floor.   i always laugh when i see the dogs have to forfeit their warm, cozy bed.....they seem defeated.  the kitties seem smug....but that's just typical"cattitude"....what else can we expect from cats.....we, apprently are here, just to serve them and their needs.

when my son arrived home from school, he noticed fitzy, the three year old golden, chewing on a new  plush dog toy.  immediately, he questioned me, "didn't you buy that for the dogs' christmas present?  i thought we couldn't give that to them til NEXT week?"  yes, that's what i said when i brought the toys home.....but, today, i decided to take them out for them to enjoy.   t.j. is like my resident observer, always noticing how i discipline the dogs....since he turned thirteen, he is especially critical of my dog training skills.  actually, i think i have done rather well....except for when it comes to fitzy with food!

while having his afterschool snack, he look over at me......he said, "mom.".......and pointed to the floor.....the toy was in shreds with the stuffing all over the room, looking like a winter snow.  he is like the doggie discipline police....maybe he'll have a career in animal control.  he has told me several times that i am just not assertive enough with the dogs....and not consistent either.......i quiet him down by mentioning that's where i may have failed my children too!   it works.  score for the parents!

after his disappointment in my "instant gratification gift giving" skills, we reminisced about daisy when she was fitzy's age......"remember, daisy always ate sticks while she and i waited  for you and grace at the bus stop?  fitzy never really learned that.....she seems to enjoy the toys more than daisy."

that's when he said, "yeah, that was back when life was simple.".........i think he may have been imitating me  going on about what life was like when i was a kid...."back when we were kids.....blah, blah, blah..."

blog or christmas card?

sometimes, it seems that i just can't get my hands on the computer....literally. it has taken me quite a while to finally sit down at this computer...it's the newer one in the family...and it is the most desired. i try to get my time on the computer when i can have it all to myself...when everyone is out of the house!

i had a few moments this morning to try to download or upload or whatever my most recent photos from my camera....simple you say...just a few minutes. i found the camera cord in the car, where we had it stored from a weekend trip where we thought we might need it....like we couldn't wait til sunday night to put the pics on our computer. instant gratification generation. i plugged in the camera and the computer.... i found the file...where i was hoping for the pics to magically travel....thinking i would quick make a cup of coffee while i leisurely waited.....and waited and waited. i put the coffee down....i looked at the computer and nothing....nothing.

i picked up my cell phone...it was my son, t.j.....he was waiting for me to deliver his history paper that had been printed out earlier this morning...but, it took too long and he had to run out the door to the bus.....pleading, as he ran down the "school bus path" to the bus....."PLEASE DROP IT OFF BEFORE LUNCH! THANKS!".....please and thank you! on the run! i would have done anything he asked...just hearing those magical words....on the fly! so, by picking up the phone, my whole agenda changed....i put my computer confusion on hold, put the dogs in the car, started up the car, put it in reverse and.....i had to put it back in park so that i could run back into the house....to get the history print out! i dropped it off at the school, where the wonderful receptionist was waiting for t.j.'s paper to arrive....as though i was a medic delivering a kidney!

i had a quick chat with the principal... wanted to thank him for something....via e-mail....until i had a technical glitch...so, i used the spoken word to say "thanks".....like the old days.

i began driving, with the dogs, down to town.....to get a HOT cup of coffee. as i began my drive, i realized that i had missed a "tweens" meeting that had a woman scheduled to speak about.....organization! i guess that's an indication of how much i needed to be there!

i got my coffee and it was hot! i took the dogs to the beach....the coffee got cold...but the day was beautiful!

i came home to get "organized".....i sat at the computer to try again...before my daughter arrived home on the schoolbus....and would no doubt be hovering to get her time on the computer. the phone rang...it was my daughter....she had walked to her middle school with some friends to visit their old teachers....she needed a ride home. i went to pick her up....tried to call her brother, who was on his bus ride home.....my cell phone battery was dead.

my daughter and i arrived home. i let her get going on the computer. i took care of some stuff around the house...non techno. when grace finished up, i gave it another go....i could not even get to the file....when i realized that my computer genius children couldn't even save me, i finally called my husband, on his cell phone...i pleaded for help...he tried....it was painful for both of us. he said he was at the hotel, dropping off his boss....he would be home shortly to help. a real computer crisis intervention!

after dinner, with my husband in the room, i began another attempt to get the pictures on the computer. things happened.... so out of control. my husband, laughing, told me that when i called him earlier.....his boss had to get up and walk away for a minute.....not because the phone call was a problem.....but, because it reminded him of the same conversations he and his kids have with his wife.....computer coaching over the phone is like trying to land a plane from a control tower in the wrong airport!

after everyone went to bed...in the wee hours....in the peace and quiet....it happened....i circled the plane around and around....found the right airport....and landed my airplane. the pictures were in. the eagle had landed.

now, why did i want them in so badly? was it for my blog or for our christmas card? too bad i didn't get to that organizational meeting.