Friday, September 30, 2011

Friday fun time :)

play along here!

1. I need a week off to get my house cleaned, it seems likeAre all 14 (almost 15) year old boys as messy as mine?  Aiyaiyai!




2. We really need to know how lucky we were when we were kids.  We really could play outside until the street lights came on.  We didn't have cell phones, iPods, iPads or any of that stuff - we had to make do with cans and string.  Go figure! 



3. A great deal of lying went on yesterday, apparently.  Somehow "I'm not going to be able to be there because I can't afford to fly out" turned into "haha I don't have to be there"...  Dumbass.  Liar.  You think I don't save this stuff?  Think again.



4. I'd really like big tall glass of water right now.



5. It was announced that the Red Sox season is over.  I'm sad.  I'm sadder that Tito will probably go as manager.  I like him.  He's cute.



6. I have a LOT of steak knives.  Seriously.  I have a set in a butcher block, then I have a set of stainless steel knives that I got at an estate sale - there has to be 2-3 sets in there, you could tell that they were probably a wedding gift.  And they're sharp.  I stuck a hand in the box and sliced a finger open.  So they're really sharp. 



7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing, tomorrow my plans include sleeping late, stupid TV and bad food (LOL) and Sunday, I want to FINALLY finish painting the spare bedroom!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Life..

Some random Sunday thoughts.


Life is so short - embrace what you have, don't think about what you don't have and use your time wisely.  You never know if someday you're going to be told that you have an expiration date.  Live like that day is tomorrow.  Don't have regrets.  Don't put things off until it's a "better" time - because really, there's never a "better" time. 

I got some crappy news this weekend.  I knew that something was wrong, just couldn't put my finger on it.  Now so much makes sense.  I can't share it, but just know that it puts a whole new spin on life and what it means.  And really, how short and sometimes SO fucking unfair it is.

It makes me think of a man who turned his back on a child when he was one.  Because he was mad at his mother.  If that's not biting your nose off to spite your face, I don't know what is.  What would happen if all of a sudden this man got news that he had 1, 2 or 3 years at the most to live.  Would he then realize how much of an asshole he'd been?  And for what?  Because he was taken to court over child support which is something that she swore she'd never do.  Well - he swore that he loved her.  We all know how that turned out. 

If nothing else, just realize that tomorrow could be it.  Or next week.  If you were given a certain amount of time to live - how would you spend it?  Would you have regrets?  Would you right any wrongs?  Would you LIVE?

"Be patient and understanding. Life is too short to be vengeful or malicious."
 Phillips Brooks

 

Friday, September 23, 2011

Friday Fill-Ins

click here here here! to play along :)

And...here we go!




1. When I walk around my neighborhood I see kids playing, toys left out, all the signs of a good neighborhood where people trust each other not to steal their shit.  LOL



2. Anything baked - is my favorite thing to cook.  I'll admit it - I'm a carb addict.  I have a problem.  LOL



3. Life is grand, ain't it?  While my life isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination (I really would like the opportunity to show that winning the lottery doesn't screw up *everyone* that wins it...) it's good.  I have a roof over my head, a kid that loves me, a good job, car with 4 tires, what else could I want?



4. My sexy blanket from Pottery Barn makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.  I don't think they even make it any more - it's a faux fur one - for my queen sized bed.  It probably weighs about 10 lbs. when it's folded up.  I've had to promise to leave it to my friend Jason if I die - seriously.  And I'd throw down over this blanket.  It's that good.  LOL



5. Pumpkin!  is my favorite Autumn vegetable. Pumpkin pie.  mmmmmmmm  A close 2nd?  Butternut squash.  I'm looking for a good recipe for a bisque - I know where to buy it, but haven't come close in making it. 



6. Revenge is better when it is served cold.  Oops.  I'm sorry.  Did I say that? 



7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the Bronk Brothers show with my friend Jackie, tomorrow my plans include sleeping in and Sunday, I want to finish painting the spare bedroom!
 
 
Happy Friday all :)

Monday, September 19, 2011

An interesting Spin...

Jen at Sprite's Keeper has a great idea of a Spin Cycle.  She gives a different topic, and people give their spin.  This week's topic?  Morals.  Yikes.

So what exactly are morals?  My definition?  They're your personal code of what's right and wrong.  They're what stops you from keeping something you know doesn't belong to you; sort of your conscience.  Urban dictionary has some not so funny definitions here.  I think a lot of my 20's was spent in a morality hangover.  Does that make me a bad person now?  Did it make me a bad person then?  I don't think so - for either.  I may have made some poor choices - but show me someone who's never made a bad choice in their lifetime.  While I think our past is what shapes us today, I think that people can change and be better people, sometimes because of bad choices.  On the flip side, I think some people are just born without any conscience whatsoever.  They will never change.  But - they show us what we don't want to do/be when we grow up.  I've said, half-jokingly sometimes that we all make bad choices in our lives - I just happen to have permanent proof of mine.  Figure that one out.  LOL

If I had no morals or integrity, I'd still be with my ex-boyfriend (who had quite a bit of money).  I couldn't in good conscience stay in a relationship where I didn't love the other person.  He was making some poor choices at the time and I tried to steer him the right way - and it cost me the relationship.  Had I been willing to look the other way - I could have still been in the relationship.  But I couldn't do that.  I look back, and I think that in the long run - him making the choices he did ended up costing him way more than it did me.  I miss the friendship that we had, but not the relationship.  I miss being able to pay bills without having to worry about overdrawing my account, but not having to compromise my integrity or my morals.  Because staying with him for the money would have been wrong.  

Do I consider myself a moral person now?  I consider myself an honest person that has integrity and refuses to compromise that for anyone or anything.  I'm certainly by no means perfect.   I would walk a mile in someone else's shoes before even attempting to judge them or their choices, and I would expect the same from them. 

Have some of this, it'll regulate your morals.. :)

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Good words to live by..

Desiderata
By Max Ehrman



Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.



As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all people.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly;and listen to all

even to the dull and ignorant;

they too have their story.



Avoid loud and aggressive people, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself to others you will become vain and bitter;

there will always be greater and lesser persons than yourself.



Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.

But let not this blind you to the virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.



Be yourself especially do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love;

in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.



Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline be gentle with yourself.



You are a child of the universe,

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have the right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.



Therefore be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.



With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

"Max Ehrmann © 1927, 1954 All Rights Reserved. In some reference books, Desiderata is still sometimes thought to have been 'found' at Old St. Paul's Church in Baltimore and to date back to 1692. It was actually written by Max Ehrmann and copyrighted by him in 1927, the copyright was renewed in 1954 by Bertha K. Ehrmann."



Thursday......

Oh, the DRAMA in my neighborhood!  Sometimes I think that I live in a bubble.  There are maybe 50 families in my neighborhood - and for the most part, everyone knows each other, all the kids get along, and while there are conflicts now and then, everyone gets past them.
Last week, a kid that's staying with his sister (because apparently the parents can't handle him?) decides to pick on Josh at the bus stop, smashing his cereal and then pulling stuff out of his backpack.  It was handled at school, I stayed out of it pretty much - because in High School - you really need to step back and let them work it out.  If it happens again, then I'll step in. 
Yesterday, two kids were arguing on the bus the whole way home.  The bus that is to capacity - if not more.  It escalated - and one kid starting punching the other one after they got off the bus.  The kid hitting?  A 16 year old, staying with his mother and her boyfriend.  Who's got quite the record from what I understand.  The one he was punching?  A 15 year old girl - who's got special needs.  She's OK, but he's lucky he's not 17 yet.  Luckily one of the adults was nearby, knowing that there had been issues on the bus lately.  If she hadn't been there, who knows how bad it could have gotten.
There are maybe 10 different versions of each story.  Which one is right?  I don't know.  I wasn't there.  But there were a lot of adults that were pretty pissed off last night.  THAT almost got out of hand.
A core group of us - ones that have lived here the longest - got together with our kids and had a long talk about how they need to set a good example for the younger kids, and they need to pay more attention to what is going on around them.  And if they see something happening like what happened yesterday - they need to step in and stop it before it gets out of hand. 
The kids in the neighborhood are good kids.  They're not hoodlums.  They're not punks. 
What happened to common courtesy?  Respect?  Not hitting a girl - EVER?  (And for the record - mine knows if he ever hits a girl and I find out, his ass is grass and I'm the lawnmower)....

Eeeesh...  it's been a long week.  And I have set some wheels in motion that may come back to bite me in the ass, and I can only hope that I've done the right thing.  Oy..

I'd rather be here right now:

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Alllllllllllllllllrighty then!!

Sunday.  A day of rest.  I think I'll rest.  And then get my ass up and out for a walk.  :)

Life is short - embrace it.  A good friend of mine died a year ago this week.  She left behind two kids, and lots of friends that were all just devastated by it.  And it could have all been prevented.  Grrrr....  But I won't go there.  I'm trying for more zen in my life, not anger.

Speaking of Zen... this really isn't.  But again - life is short.  I know you're still reading.  You can try and hide your ISP, but it still shows up.  Including your location, what you read, how long you're on there, etc.   I'm not sure what the hell you're looking for - or why you continue to read and try and hide it.  But guess what?  It's past time that they knew.  It's not fair to them, it's not fair to my kid.  They have a right to know about each other.  Granted, I'm sure it was easier to explain M - maybe it was a lie about being separated at the time?  Who knows.  I'm sure it'll be a lot harder to explain a 6 month age difference.  But regardless - you have two choices - I do it, or you do it.  Plain and simple.  You were given an opportunity months ago, and ignored it.  So now?  Now instead of wondering if, you can wonder when.

Ahhhhhhhhhh.... OK... back to zen....

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Sunday Morning....

So Jack here has an interesting photography thing going on for Sunday mornings....

While I didn't take this today, I took it yesterday with the intention of sharing it.  Today.  :)  While I'm enjoying my coffee.  Out of the new Keurig.  I caved.  I bought one.  It's not bad, but I want one that has a "mega cup" size.  I don't like having to use 2 k-cups to get one decent coffee mug out of it. 
Anyway... enjoy :)


Friday, September 2, 2011

Friday Fill-Ins :)



Click here to play along!



1. When I was 10 years old I wanted to be a princess, a teacher, a movie star and a mother.  I got one of them right! LOL



2. Corn is my favorite vegetable because of the sweet corn man.  You have no idea of how good this stuff is.  I buy at least 2 doz ears and cut/freeze them for the winter.  Corn chowdah, chili, all sorts of good stuff benefits from the sweet corn man's expertise!



3. My dream pet is a dog that doesn't eat my house. LOL  But I have to say that the cat we have now (Ninja) is pretty cool.


4. When you are a good person, love surrounds you. When you are not a good person and live your life by lies and deception, negativity surrounds you.  I choose love.  I choose to live a good life.  I choose to lead by example and have my son be surrounded by people that love him in the hopes that he will grow up to be a better person than me (and I don't have to hope he'll grow up to be a better person than his father - he already is one).



5. If I could live anywhere in the world I'd live in the Cape during the summer, and I'm not sure during the winter.  I love Seattle.  I think I'd choose there.  It is so beautiful, surrounded by mountains and the ocean.  That is what I crave.  Michigan is so darn flat (where I am at least).  LOL



6. The good life keep on shinin' on me. In spite of my financial issues, I do have a good life.  I am surrounded by good people, good friends, good job (albeit a bit boring, but it's a good one) and some interesting potential dates.. :)



7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing and getting ready for tomorrow my plans include garage sale in the rain (yet again!!) and Sunday, I want to maybe cookout, depending on the weather.  It is, after all, Labor Day!!
 
Enjoy the long weekend everyone!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Wierdness.....

Things get deleted, strange views pop up, twitter feeds disappear... Not sure what is going on.  But happy Thursday nonetheless!  I can't believe that it is September already.  School starts next week.  I'm the mother of a High School freshman.  Holy shit. 

I read someone's twitter that said "I hope my mum is cheating on my dad.  that would mean maybe we could leave.  Anything would be better than this".  That just breaks my heart that a kid would feel that way.   She's 16, but really?  She is still A KID.  How fucked up do the parents have to be to have their kid either aware of them not getting along, or maybe the father is a miserable SOB, who knows.  But it's just sad.  I think every kid deserves to grow up in a house where they are loved and happy - and around people that are happy.  My kid is almost 15, and he still loves me and wants to hang out with me.  I don't (I hope) think we'll ever get to the stage where he hates me or doesn't want to be around me.  Maybe it's my parenting, maybe not.  But I have to be doing something right. 

To that girl, I'd say - you have 2 years left and you can get out of that house and then your life will begin.  Don't let your parents screw up your future relationships - look for something better than what they have and don't you EVER settle for less than what you deserve.

Hang in there. 

Me...