The Happiest Place on Earth

We're back from Spring Break at Disneyland. I'm proud to report that only one meltdown occurred during our three day extravaganza. It involved being tooooo tired to walk any further and wanting to be pushed in a stroller. The situation was diffused when my husband offered to get me a tasty Mickey shaped beignet. Talking me down with pastry... a recurring tactic in our relationship.

Unlike her mommy, this one handled herself beautifully, no bribes needed. Okay, maybe other than the light up ears.

Water, water everywhere...

My Sweetie often accuses me of watering the yard too much. Let me rephrase that. My husband says I waste water. To be perfectly honest, he does not have an issue with me watering the grass, but he does freak out when I inadvertently water the sidewalk, the neighbor's yard, the street, etc. Hey, I can't help it if occasionally the wind picks up and sends the water intended for our grass over to Mr. Crankenberry's yard next door, or if the water pressure suddenly changes and causes the sprinkler to shoot out a long continual drink to the asphalt. I am however taking a closer look at how much water I actually have been using after discovering random patches of the above flirty fungus sprinkled throughout the yard. Shhhh... please don't say anything to my Sweetie, and maybe he won't notice. Hopefully a roving band of gnomes won't tip him off either.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

Okay, so I've mentioned that I'm addicted to television. I know, I know, one minute I'm telling you about the inordinate amount of ice cream in my freezer and now I'm basically proclaiming my couch potato status.(You're a smart group so you probably already figured as much, right?) Anyhoo, I'm so excited that the new season of Glee has started. Project Runway is winding down so I can replace it with Glee. See, that isn't so bad. It's not like I'm adding to the backlog of shows I've already recorded, I'm merely switching one for the other. Perfectly acceptable, no need for an intervention.This show is appealing to me because I can see myself and a part of my high school experience in each episode.

For example, I totally had an outfit like this in high school. The only difference was that mine was yellow. Does that make it worse? Maybe not because my matching Candie's flats were awesome. (Read the word "awesome" one octave higher than the rest of the text for intended effect)

I even wore things like Emma the guidance counselor. Students are not supposed to dress like the guidance counselor. That's one of the Ten Commandments I think.

Oh yeah, and I had this fitness Nazi for P.E. for two consecutive years. I've already mentioned my thing for TV and ice cream, so you can imagine how well the two of us hit it off.

But the best part of the show besides singing along to the music and reminiscing about my whole choral experience is watching how Rachel finds her Finn. Mine didn't come along until college, but he was worth the wait.

Christmas 1974

I don't remember what was in this package, but I do remember that the Christmas I was four my family bought a brand new artificial tree and all new candy land themed ornaments to go on it. We previously had a white tree with all blue ornaments, but that year we wanted something different. I remember vividly going to Sears to help pick out the new tree and all that would go with it.

The ornaments were my favorite part. There were gingerbread boys, girls and houses along with glittery white reindeer and snowmen that looked like sugar cookies, yet were made out of styrofoam. To my four-year-old sensibilities all these delightful decorations looked good enough to eat. So much so, that is just what I did. One by one I sampled each type of ornament. I left some of the houses with tentative teeth marks in them while the gingerbread men suffered more severely by having whole bites taken out of their heads. What was not bitten was at least licked. Hey, I'm not proud, I'm just reporting the facts.

In this photo I was caught red handed, absconding with yet another decoration. I can't tell if a gingerbread man was about to be crippled or if a reindeer was about to become lame, but it didn't look like I had much remorse over the whole thing. So much for our new decorations.

Thanks so much for strolling down memory lane with me. For more fond recollections of Christmas past, pop over to the blog of our wonderful hostess Beverly for a list of today's participants. Hope your Christmas is delicious!

Snow Day

I'm so excited! School was cancelled today because of the snow we received overnight. My four- year-old was a little grumbly because Friday is Show and Tell Day at her school, and she hated to miss it. The girl lives for performing. LOL! I on the other hand was elated to stay home. My high schoolers have their own daily version of show and tell, and frankly I have seen and heard enough of them to tide me over for awhile ;>)

To detract from the trauma of missing Show and Tell, we decided to spend some time making paper chains for Christmas decorating. We had quite the assembly line going. She would glue and I would make the paper loop. I started referring to her as "Glue Girl," and she then started calling me "Paper Lady."

In my opinion they are never too young to learn the value of crafting in pajamas.

Hope you are having a cozy day!

Almost Famous

Guess what... I'm in the winter issue of Artful Blogging! During the summer I participated in the Mad Hatter's Tea Party hosted by the fabulous Vanessa Valencia over at A Fanciful Twist. Well, the folks at Somerset Studios selected some of the photos from the blogs of the party revelers to feature in a little article about the event, and two of my pics made the cut. This is one of them! Yippee!!!

Now if you are a regular around here, you might recall my previous brush with periodical fame. Let me assure you dear readers that although this is a very exciting time for me, I will not allow the attention to go to my head. I have decided however that this magazine exposure might necessitate the need for me to look at (I mean for) an agent.

I wonder if Ari Gold aka Jeremy Piven is available?

Oh please, please, please!

Cowgirl Up

Yesterday was "Western Day" at the preschool. The baby girl tried really hard to get her daddy to buy her a pony for the big occasion, but that just did not happen...

Mommy on the other hand, just couldn't say no when asked for a pair of PINK boots. Can you blame me?

For a list of more pink goodies that will knock your socks off, ride on over to the blog of our fabulous hostess Beverly. Thanks for stopping by today. Y'all come back and visit again real soon! Happy Trails...

M.I.A.

Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm the girl who hasn't blogged in almost a month. YIKES!!!
All is well, but school started back up on August 5th (Yes, you read that correctly) and I have been treading water ever since. In addition to teaching American Lit. I was given two sections of British Literature to do as well. Normally this would be all well and good, but this new assignment occurred just one day prior to the start of classes (Yes, you read that correctly).

To say that I'm up to my eyebrows in Beowulf would be an understatement. I am literally staying ahead of my students by two days at best. So I just wanted to pop in and say hello before I started my homework. Next on the syllabus is

Le Morte d' Arthur, that is if Le Morte d' Melissa does not occur first. This Brit Lit. business does have a silver lining though...say it with me people... J-a-n-e A-u-s-t-e-n.

Okay, I can do it.

Excuses, Excuses

I finally figured out what May is short for...mayhem.
Things have been crazy busy around my house, you'd think it was Christmas with all the hustle and bustle. I know you can probably relate. Anyhoo, I just wanted to pop in and say hi. I promise not be AWOL much longer, I just need to tick some of these things off my "to do" list first. Okay, so you tick some things off your list too and we'll meet back here in a couple of days.

Pink Saturday

When I was a kid, my mother would often buy Neapolitan ice cream. I think the whole point of this purchase was to get more bang for our buck by getting the variety of three flavors for the price of one. The only problem was, I have never been a fan of chocolate ice cream. Consequently, I would carefully dig out the strawberry and vanilla for myself and stick my dad with just the chocolate. So much for variety.

The same was true with these little Neapolitan candies. I would carefully nibble through the layer of strawberry and then polish off the vanilla mid-section, all the while being very careful not to encroach into the dreaded chocolate layer. I think I tossed the chocolate layer rather than leaving it for someone else. At least that was considerate, right?

I've matured somewhat since then. While I still do not like chocolate ice cream, I can now bring myself to eat all three layers of the candy. (Who knew they all tasted the same to begin with?) In fact I like it so much that I'm now working on not eating it all in one bite. I said I had matured somewhat.

Thank you so much for stopping by today for Pink Saturday. Please come by and share my candy with me anytime! In the meantime, pop over to the blog of our fabulous hostess, Beverly, for a list of today's Pink Saturday participants. Happy Day!

Television Tuesday

If you aren't watching Little Dorrit, the new Masterpiece Classic on PBS, you need to be. Two episodes of the five part drama have already been aired and they are FABULOUS!

The characters are so familiar and endearing that you are left each week with a peculiar feeling of curiosity...that sensation that makes you wonder what they all are doing while you are away from each other between episodes.

The very best part for me is that I have never read the Charles Dickens novel upon which the series is based. I don't know what's going to happen, and I cannot wait to find out. Bliss.

Pack up all your cares and woe...

When the three o'clock bell sounded this afternoon, the teachers beat the buses out of the school parking lot. No more papers, no more books, no more students' dirty looks...at least for a week anyway. Spring Break couldn't come at a better time. I'm going to use the coming week to relax and recharge. I think I might even try to unplug.
I'll check back in after the break. Happy Day!

Confessions...

The good thing about using an artificial Christmas tree is that you can leave it up longer.
The bad thing about using an artificial Christmas tree is that you can leave it up longer.
Exhibit A...
Yes folks, this tree is still up in my dining room. I have taken most of the ornaments off, but it is still not "down."
There, I said it.
My goal is to have it all put away this weekend. I then can join the ranks of all you sane and upright citizens who have already commenced cleaning, purging, and organizing. Or maybe I'll skip all of that and just shift into Valentine mode without feeling so guilty.

Now if I'm going to be really honest, I should admit that there are other Christmas items still lingering around in addition to the tree. But Frosty's on notice, it's thumpety thump thump over the hills to the storage bin for him, ASAP!

Injured Reserve

I have been on the sofa nursing my first athletic injury. I know it's hard to believe that a person in her late thirties hasn't sustained a sports related injury before this, but it's true. Maybe if I had ever been genuinely athletic prior to now it would have happened sooner. However, spraining my ankle while doing cartwheels in the house at the age of nine was as close as I ever came. No worries, I'm going to be alright. I am icing my achy shoulder and following a strict caffeine and painkiller regimen. I am going to have to refrain from playing this for awhile though...

It was the tennis match to end all tennis matches that brought me to my current supine spot. What started out as an innocent best of five match spiraled out of control into a three hour sports fest which added bowling and baseball along the way. While I naturally had enough carbs in my system for this impromptu marathon, I definitely should have been more hydrated. Ooh, and STRETCHING would have been a first rate idea too. If I had stretched then maybe I would not be soooo sore. But alas, I did not.

And this little piggy cried, "Wii, Wii, Wii!" all the way home.

Christmas Past

I've been rummaging through my Christmas goodies trying to figure out which things I want to have out this year. I know, I know, it's still early but I like to start dreaming and planning, because to me that's half the fun.

Over ten years ago I had a brief foray on the craft show circuit. At that time I was really into making country Christmas decor. Santas, snowmen, and angels were the headliners at all of my gigs.

These are some of the pieces that I had leftover after my last show. I really haven't displayed any of them since then, because at the time I was completely burned out from making them, peddling them, and looking at them in general.

Here we are ten years later, when I can finally bear to look at it all again, and wouldn't you know it, not a bit of it fits in with my current decor. I guess Santa and the girls will need a shabby chic overhaul, because they're not up for being country when country just isn't cool. Then again maybe I can slap some lipstick on those angels and call it folk art. That will put them on the "A-List" for sure.

Lining and Zipper and Gathers, Oh My!

So two lines into the directions for the Dorothy costume, I signed a blank check and put it in the swear jar.

I knew the thing had a zipper, but I figured I could rig up the closure with Velcro if I got in over my head. For some reason though, the fact that the pattern did not call for interfacing didn't send up any red flags for me.

Turns out the bodice had to be lined rather than interfaced. In my book, having to deal with lining is the equivalent of making a second garment. ARGH!

It's fitting that one of the main parts of the machine has the word "pressure" in it's title.

However, it was worth the time, effort, and the full round of golf that the check ended up covering.

My Big Break

The November issue of Country Living Magazine features a wonderful article about Silver Bella, a paper arts extravaganza that I attended last year. It was great to flip through the pages and see some of the fun gals that I had the honor of meeting. I was also delighted to catch a glimpse of myself in one photo as well. And I do mean a glimpse...



Those are my hands in the left side of the frame, cutting away at some paper. The adorable Jeanie of Southern Nest is to my left and Natalea, with the lovely locks, is to my right. You can even catch a gratuitous shot of my bangs in the photo as well. I knew keeping my 80's style do would pay off eventually.

Truth be told, my phone has not stopped ringing since the magazine hit the stands. My services are in demand. I can now join the ranks of other great hand models like George Costanza. Ooh, and speaking of which, I will borrow a page from his book and keep my investments safe...



It's now moisturizer and gloves 24/7... or at least when I'm not at a shoot.

Confessions of a Pack Rat

This is a picture of me and my brother from the early 1970's. We were celebrating one of his birthdays, which to me always seemed like the best birthdays ever. The fact that his B-Day fell on October 30th made it even better in my eyes, because sometimes my mom used Halloween as the theme for the celebration. I guess on this particular year, things were a little bit low key and not overtly orange and black. Nothing gives a hint as to the season at all, except for those FAB metal party horns atop the hifi in the background. Those were the party favors.

Fast forward thirty-plus years... two of those same party horns are at home in my own little Halloween vignettes. That's right, I've held on to them since I was four.

No, I did not save the paper plates and cups from that party. Had it been my own party, it would have been a different story though.

School Daze

Three weeks ago I embarked upon my sixteenth year of teaching. I've heard that in more civilized realms of the country, school starts after Labor Day, but not in my neck of the woods. I mainly wanted to let you all know this because I realize that since the onset of school I've only been blogging about once a week. I soooo appreciate each of you stopping by to visit each day, and I hope you continue to do so despite the lulls between my posts. I know I will get a good rhythm going again once a few of the plates have stopped spinning, so to speak. Then it will be back to jars and cakes and crafts as usual. LOL! Thank you for your understanding and your friendship! I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend. I'll see you next week!

Shaken not Stirred

When I was around two years old, we took a family vacation to Disneyland. Part of the trip included stopping to see an elderly aunt and uncle who lived in San Diego. They had never had children of their own, so I think the invasion of four nephews and nieces who ranged in age from two to seventeen took them by surprise. And as much as I hate to admit it, I was probably the most guilty of upsetting the apple cart at their house. You see, my aunt had a song bird that lived in an intriguing cage at the top of a very tall stand. At her command the feathered fellow would whistle and warble and be a regular show off. When not prompted to perform the tiny bird would hop about his cage in silence. I guess this silence disturbed my two year old sensibilities, so I took it upon my self to make the bird sing on my own. I accomplished this by grabbing the stand and giving the bird cage quite a shake. I don't think my aunt or that bird was ever quite the same again. Add a mark in the tally book next to my name for one of those events that lives on in family infamy.

So last year for my birthday my mother gave me this vintage bird cage, in part because I wanted one and partially because she wanted to tell this story again for an audience. Gotta love it right? Well, I've been moving things around a little bit here and there in my house these last couple of days and I decided I needed to revamp the little vignettes I had going on because you know, Easter is over with. Anyhoo, the bird cage was one of the items I relocated. I not only moved it, but I emptied out the mishmash of things I had on display inside it. The poor thing was standing around looking rather forlorn with not even a parakeet with a bad case of vertigo to call it home. That was until the mail arrived and I received this fabulous package from my amazingly talented friend Natalea.
My birthday is next month, but Miss Natalea is so on the ball with her generosity that she sent the package early for added enjoyment and to insure timely delivery. In addition to the darling cards, Natalea took the time to make me a gorgeous bird shaped flip book. Each page is wonderfully unique. Even the backside of each bird is beautifully embellished. Thank you so much Natalea! I love everything! After opening this wonderful present, I knew I had to think of a way to really showcase each individual bird. And what better place could there be for a bevy of beautiful birds than my bird cage?
I love the result. I think the whole vignette really sings now, and I didn't even have to shake it.