I Hope I didn't Say Too Much

Just heard on BBC Radio:

A caller, screaming excitedly that she's preparing for a holiday in Las Vegas,
is prompted by the show host to tell of something else that's happening in her life that is special...

"Oh, well, I can't talk about that, it's a secret"

With hardly any prompting, she quickly blurts out, "It's my great-aunt Dorothy's birthday and we're planning a surprise party!"

Radio Host says, "It might not be such a surprise now."

"It's alright, we haven't said our surname".

He dubs her "Karen from Manchester".

"Karen" then asks to give a shout out to her husband, Steve, daughter Arianna that was standing right next to her and a couple of other family members. She proceeds to again mention her upcoming trip to Las Vegas, her career field and that her husband's 40th birthday is coming up as well.

The radio host mentions that great-aunt Dorothy might be able to put this together.

Here's a tip for future parties planned by Karen's family:

You may want to have it as a surprise for her as well...



just saying.

*names have been changed to protect poor old great-aunt Dorothy.

Oh the Horror! I Think I'm Turning Into a Diva!

It started innocently enough with these...


Yes, my photo, my legs

but then I had to have these...

My photo, my window sill

and yesterday, I catwalked all over the store in these.

Nope, not my photo and have no idea who to give credit to

Aren't they lovely?!

Or they were until my 11 year old so rudely pointed out that they were too big.

Do you think they had my size? Of course not.
Do you think anyone in the free world has them in my size? Certainly not.

Dear Santa,

Remember how I wanted an Edward Cullen Stand Up figure?

Wouldn't these go nicely with it?

I blame HER for this shoe obsession.

Of course this is my photo, who else has one of these destroying her home?

The word "pink" wasn't even in my vocabulary until she was born and Merrill hiking boots were my shoe of choice.

But yesterday, there she was in the back of the cart and when I pulled those gorgeous blue Steve Madden shoes down to try on, OFF went her shoe and UP went a little socked foot as she demanded to have a try.

I think her DNA must've contaminated mine during pregnancy. A transference of sorts.

Whatever happened,
the Hubby's retirement goals are in danger...

What's your guilty pleasure these days?

You Cannot Leaf Imagination in Just ANYone's Hands

Sitting in an overheated, stuffy office in late October, I'm not sure if I would have been annoyed or enchanted with the little girls frolicking in the leaves outside my window.
But that's what someone suffered in a Fall season many years ago.

Leaves are kid magnets, especially for this kid who seemed to have very little parent supervision.

My friend and I would drag my Dad's rake down the block to the county courthouse lawn to rake and jump into the abundant Mulberry leaf treasure in the cool afternoon. Sometimes we'd pile them high to dive into, other times rake them into giant floor plans where our imaginations could envision mansions filled with beautifully dressed ladies.

Those are the memories that directed me out of the house this morning almost mid-sentence.
I had mail that needed preparing, calendars that needed updating, calls to return (on top of the usual house demands) but I left it all open, scattered like leaves on the countertops as I walked out into the queer Autumn light in a hypnotic trance.


I raked and pulled and reminisced as I piled the leaves higher and bigger.

As if I were on a mission, I dragged the piles down the drive and began stacking them on one side until I discovered that the mist was conspiring against my plan, diligently trying to become a light rain.

Rain wouldn't do for a great, crunchy leaf pile.

I pulled the mound back across the drive to the other side shielded from the moisture with conifers...

"Mom!"

Snapping out of my trance, I responded.

"Do you have the brown bin?" (that's the garden waste bin).

"No" I replied.

I heard it being rolled from the back garden to the front

where my children promptly began filling it with leaves.

You can look at this two ways.

You can say,

"Wow, what wonderful children, to see you working and
come out to help without being asked -- on their school holiday!"

Or you can see it like I did...

"Who ARE you people?!"

What kid bins a perfectly good jumping pile of leaves????

There, that's better.

At least they now understand this was supposed to be fun.

I'm Not Above A Good Smear Campaign

Hosted by Cecily and Kelli

The pressure on our winged creature of the night paid off. After her good name was smeared throughout blogland, the Tooth Fairy caved.

With three older brothers, I can't think of anything A2 has tried to hurry along more than the loss of a first tooth and to think when the momentous occasion finally occurred, that the Tooth Fairy forgot to visit? Unforgivable.

Well, she's repented. She successfully pulled off the tooth/cash switch for the boy's first lost tooth (teeth-- a second one came out the next day)...

but even better news?


His Wall-E lunch box came too. Just in time for school holiday. I have one happy little boy who still believes in magic

This little gap-toothed face,
was certainly worth fighting for.

This and That Thursday

This has been one insane week, I find myself dropping into bed far later than anyone who wants to remain civil in the daytime should.

I keep having dreams that I divorce my Hubby and now have this overwhelming urge to squirrel money away.

When I told him, he laughed. Hmmm...

Little guy, A2 (now six) finally lost his first tooth and that good-for-nothing Tooth Fairy never showed up (she should be sacked).

And YOU people. High Fiving me and congratulating me on the potty training while secretly snickering. YOU didn't bother to mention that with a girl, the potty thing is a whole new experience. It's an all-day job with overflowing sinks from creative hand washers and being out and about...who knew that exploring every toilet in every place could be so... time draining?

Little guy just ran in to show me he's pulled his other loose tooth out.

Tooth Fairy, you'd better not blow this one tonight.