This isn't a real post, because if it was, I would probably be telling more vacation stories, none of which (thankfully) involve further car wreckage. Nope, this is about the many comments left on yesterday's post about the flower my dad is sporting on his blazer. When we first learned we would potentially be having an on-the-spot wedding at the Grand Canyon, I felt certain that flowers were required. But real flowers in the Canyon seemed... complicated. So I went to Etsy---as one does---and it was there I discovered the awesome folks at Muncle Fred Art. I was able to get my stepmom this...
You may perhaps remember that during the last few months of last year---having no idea how much 2012 was going to suck, and how much less I'd be working---we decided to give all of our spare moneys to our favorite contractor so that he and his guys could rip down our sagging deck and replace it, and then of course it ended up taking forever, including failing the first building inspection in January because the handrail on the stairs ends on the second-to-bottom step instead of the bottom step. (TRUE STORY!) (Know how you fix that? Your contractor comes over and attaches a piece of...
Every now and then I realize that I've left you hanging on a variety of things---by accident, and because I'm disorganized (not on purpose)---and/or I think of a few minor things I want to share that aren't entire-post-worthy. And then I throw them all together in a single mish-mash post and call it a day. Hooray! First of all, I can't stop watching this video: (No, that has nothing to do with anything, I just love it. You're welcome.) * * * * * Next, I realized I never filled you in on the recent developments in Dog Saga-land. After a lot of consideration and discussion and research, we...
If nothing else, I'm learning to sit with helplessness these days. I think Chickie is, too. It sucks (especially for control freaks like us). We are both learning and relearning how to take charge of what we can, and to surrender the rest. Did I mention that it sucks? While Chickadee was in the hospital I found myself browsing Etsy---I don't even know what I was looking for, really---and I ended up finding this: (Image shamelessly stolen from Berkey Designs because I love them and hope you will, too. Beautiful craftsmanship, fast shipping, and pretty wrapping, too.) I bought it for my...
Lord, but it's been a good long time since I regaled you with a story about my lady-bits. I mean, lately it's been all I HAVE ANGST and MY KIDS HAVE ISSUES and IT TOOK 37 DAYS TO BUILD THIS STUPID FENCE, and---surprisingly!---this has left precious little time for in-depth discussions of the various ways in which I sometimes end up naked in front of strangers. Clearly my priorities are WAY out of whack. Needless to say, I live to serve you, my loyal audience. And given how long it's been and the fact that I wasn't due for a gynecological check-up, I went ahead and did the next best thing: I...
I enjoy order and predictability. Having a kid on the spectrum has made The Schedule even more important to my life---he just plain functions better when he knows exactly what will be happening when. It's easier to get his cooperation when things are planned. And so it came to pass that every Saturday I call for the children to bring their hamper downstairs, and every Sunday afternoon I announce that I need the basket of clean clothes put away (if they haven't been already) and the basket should be returned to me, emptied, before dinner. This seems to work out pretty well; the children never...
I am a stress shopper. I feel like I should apologize for that; like I should be embarrassed that my preferred outlet for pesky unpleasant feelings is to obsessively hunt down the perfect bargain or just spend a couple of hours walking up and down the aisles at TJ Maxx, certain that today they'll have that perfect outfit that will make me happy. It's not that I'm unaware that it's a rather predictable and boring transference, and not really the healthiest coping mechanism, it's just that I'm as good at justifying it as I am at doing it. I'm not binge eating. I'm not drinking or doing drugs....
With everything else that's been going on, I forgot to tell you the MOST EXCITING NEWS EVER about my new eye doctor. I know, you thought today was going to be a boring old Monday and here I am with this SCINTILLATING story. Because everyone knows that eye doctor visits are the stuff legends are made of! Yes!! Okay, maybe not. But I did go to a new eye doctor. I hadn't been in over three years, if you don't count my last few sorry attempts to wear contact lenses. I figured I'd learned my lesson that score, anyway; I just wanted to get an updated prescription and some new glasses. I picked a...
I find my fingers itching to click "Buy" on polo shirts. I spend a goodish chunk of every day combing websites and sales and coupons for Want Not, and of course some of the deals I'm finding, I'm also buying. I consider it an occupational hazard. Though I don't really consider it a hazard, even when my daughter opens the pantry and beholds fifteen boxes of cereal and dryly inquires, "Exactly how many people do you think live here, Mom?" My standard line is that I am cursed with tightwad tendencies but impeccable taste; for me, the deals are about getting the expensive stuff for cheap, not...
