FLASHBACK september 11, 2001

"imagine all the people living life in peace"

i am rushing around getting ready. charlotte and i are taking our 6 kids, plus a few of their friends, to see incubus next month. the tickets go on sale today. a trip to house of blues and some early christmas shopping are in order. kids successfully dropped off at their various schools? check. make-up and hair done? check. money? well poop. i rush out the door and head to the bank. 8:46am...my cash is dispensed from the atm (i know because i still have the receipt). i walk into charlotte's house. she's in her room staring at the today show. "you won't believe what just happened! crazy!!". the camera is focused on the world trade center and smoke is billowing from one of them. matt lauer and katie couric are discussing what could have caused this horrible accident. and then it happened. live. on our tv screen. the whole world watched as a second plane crashed into the world trade center. this was no accident. panic sets in. should i get my kids from school? should i leave them there? what is going on? 
FLASH FORWARD today
14 years have passed. there is a memorial where the towers stood. i haven't seen it but i have been to ground zero while it was being built. you can't help but talk a little softer, be a little nicer, be a lot more respectful when you're there. you can't help but remember how everyone in this country came together after that attack. we don't need to remember 9/11 on september 11. we need to remember 9/11 every single day. we need to be a lot more respectful of each other. we need to be a little nicer to each other. we need to talk a little softer to each other. we need to come together. "for united we stand, divided we fall...and if our backs  
should ever be against the wall...we'll be together, together, you and i".

^part of south tower from world trade center^

THROWBACK THURSDAY

A REPEAT...
"he ain't heavy, he's my brother..."
FLASHBACK october 9, 1967
i am a happy toddler. i live with my mama and daddy in a nice house. we have a dog. life is good.
FLASH FORWARD october 10, 1967
the nightmare begins. mama and daddy bring HIM home. a little brother. "aren't you excited to be a big sister?" ummmmmm. no. no i'm not.
FLASH FORWARD 1970 something
i can't get rid of him. queenie and i are at the park? he is there. queenie and i are at the pool? he is there. queenie spends the night? he is there. he. never. goes. away. he tries to kill me...on multiple occasions. thank you whoever invented locks on doors. and there are times he needs my protection. yeah, exorcist demon, you will not possess my little brother because i'm letting him sleep in my room. 

             

FLASH FORWARD 1980 something
he's in high school now. and is kind of gigantic. no one realizes he's just a freshman. my friends become his friends. he's at all the same parties. the same homecomings. the same proms. he makes getting a date tough, however.  it's hard to get a date when every guy at school has seen you first thing in the morning. with your hair standing on end and no make~up. but, all in all, he's not so bad. 

       

 

FLASH FORWARD today

he's kind of a d~bag.  but he's my d~bag. he's given me a sister. he's given my 2 beautiful nieces. he's my dearest friend AND the bane of my existence.

today is national sibling day. celebrate your brothers and/or sisters...they are the ones that taught you "fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring" (pamela dugdale).

a gallery of siblings:

                         

FLASHBACK 1976 *or possibly further*

 
REPEAT BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT:
"a very merry unbirthday to me...to you..."
i'm not sure when she started...my earliest memory of my grandma marge reading "alice in wonderland" to me was when i was 10. but we had just moved back after 4 years, so it's very possible she had been reading it to me before. she told me i reminded her of alice...i was easily distracted. 
FLASH FORWARD july 2004
grandma marge passed. we start going thru her scrapbook. we learn some very interesting things...she was on the ohio state homecoming court in 1938. what?! that's cool! she was a licensed pilot. what?!!!!!!!!!!! okay!! grandma!! how do you not mention these things to your granddaughter(s)??!! grandma lillie says it best "ladies never brag...and marge was a lady...". i picked up a copy of "alice in wonderland" soon after. i read it at least once a year (or did until i mis-placed my copy...time for a trip to the book store!! yay!! or better yet...someone can get me this louis vuitton edition from penguin publishing...thanks for bringing it to my attention paige!!!). it keeps her close to me.....
FLASH FORWARD today
today is "mad hatter day**"....today is a day that all the stuff we do everyday, that most people would consider sane (going to work, paying the bills, cleaning the house), is complete and utter madness...and all the stuff that makes us happy, that most people would consider madness (playing in the rain, singing at the top of our tone-deaf lungs, dancing with the devil in the pale moon light) would be deemed completely sane!! just for today...
so put on your favorite hat...and get out there and do something completely...sane!!

                                

 

a gallery of silly hats:

      

 

                          

                  

 

                         

 

                                   


**interesting factoid: in the illustrations, the hatter is always seen wearing a top hat with a slip reading "this style 10/6" (meaning that style hat cost 10 shilling sixpence)...so we here in america took it as a sign to act like the hatter on october 6...the english? yeah...they read the date backwards, which means they act like the hatter on june 10...since i like to write my dates backwards but am, in fact, american, i think i will act like a hatter on both dates...XD     

FLASHBACK valentine's day 2012

REPEAT: originally posted to provide christmas gift options, but valentine's day is only 10 days away. if you're too lazy to make this super easy gift, you can always buy one of the gifts i've linked...extra bonus: a hilarious video of ideas!!
"there's the strangest excitement today...if you're awake then you're welcome to hear...i got a gift and it blew me away" 
the bk and i don't really do valentine's gifts...#1~i hate roses. i HATE roses. not knocking you girls that love them, they just aren't for me...and #2~what do you get someone that feels like they have everything?...besides. st valentine's day is about celebrating love. so we do just that. this year we get up before the sun and go to valentine's day breakfast. we are the only people in cracker barrel at 6am, when it opens. we sit by a crackling fire...sip on bottomless cups of hot coffee...and i get to hear about how beautiful i am with no make~up, a messy bun and my glasses on...
but, the bk is unaware of something. i have tucked a small gift in his work bag. something i know he doesn't have. and something i'm sure he will think is stupid, but i do it anyway. i found it on pinterest...a book made of playing cards entitled "52 reasons i heart jamie"...
all you need:

• a full deck of cards (preferably worn and tattered, but you can rough new ones up with sand paper)
• a black sharpie marker (or a computer and printer labels if you're too lazy to write)
• labels
• a hole punch
• binder rings
• your brain

make a cover for your book with the jokers and simply write the title on one with your marker. use your brain (and heart) to come up with 52 reasons why you love him/her. write them on the labels and attach one label to each card (fronts only). punch two holes in each card (make sure they are aligned). and clip together with binder rings. voila!!!

FLASH FORWARD today

we are only 23 days away from christmas...every year it gets harder and harder for me to find the PERFECT gift for my bk. and i know it's gets harder for him. our answer every time one of us asks "what would you like for christmas?"? i have everything i need. which is completely true. this year got a little easier for him...my day job has turned me into a bit of a handbag queen. truth is...i always have been, but i've always been able to find the trendy bags for very cheap (let's not talk about how) so i refuse to pay full price for a designer bag. so, when macy's had their friend's and family sale, this week, i got a michael kors bedford bowling satchel. eek!! merry christmas to cardinal!! but, now...NOW!!...i have to find the bk the PERFECT gift. and he is still saying "i have everything i need/want". DILEMMA!! i m sure many of you are in the same boat so, i googled ideas and found these great gift ideas for under $100:

PARA ÉL:

j. crew classic spread collar shirt: $68 (reg $88); because every guy needs a classic white button up in his closet...

sunspel boxers: $39: come on...your guy needs to get out of the tighty whities...and you don't want to get him hanes at christmas!!

kenneth cole new york watch: $95; help him keep track of the time this christmas so he's not late for the schmancy fancy holiday party!!

art of shaving chrome futura safety razor: $95; because it's no longer NoShavember!!

coach bleeker bull usb keyring: $98; it's a keyring AND a 4GB usb flash drive...cool

                 

                           

         

PARA ELLA:

coach madison op art sateen large wristlet: $98; because sometimes all we need is a lip gloss, a credit card, and our cell phone.

michael kors holiday watch key fob: $48; because, if you aren't gonna have a jag in the driveway on christmas morning, at least make our keys look fancy!

guess multichain bracelet watch: $85; cause it's a watch AND a bracelet!

victoria's secret pillow talk tank pajama: $49.50; because we like to be cute when we lounge around...bonus! free slippers with every pair!

lady gaga fame perfume gift set: $84; because every girl should smell like a rock star...(actually, i wear this and it smells delicious..)

                   

 

                          

happy shopping!!!

FLASHBACK 1988

REPEAT
"so help me if you can, i've got to get back to the house at pooh corner by one. you'd be surprised, there's so much to be done..." 

every morning dustin sees the commercial. a teddy bear that talks to you. a teddy bear that reads you stories. he wants one for christmas this year. the grandparents are looking for a great gift, so i tell them about teddy ruxpin. they rush out and buy one just for dustin. everyone is so excited for him to open his gift. he rips open the paper. he's so excited to see teddy. SO EXCITED!! until. he's so excited until teddy opens his mouth and talks. excitement immediately turns to terror. he will never turn teddy ruxpin on again.
FLASH FORWARD today
the teddy bear phenomenon goes back to teddy roosevelt. turns out old teddy was out hunting and was brought a bear cub. he just couldn't shoot the cub and it became known as "teddy's bear". of course, toy companies jumped on it, and the teddy bear became a staple in children's bedrooms. we all had a favorite. from winnie the pooh to paddington bear to care bears to teddy ruxpin. and, now, kids can even build their own bear at malls all over the country. teddy bears are also a source of comfort.  there are programs that provide teddy bears for kids in crisis, kids with cancer, and other worthy causes.
november 14 is national american teddy bear day. celebrate by donating a teddy bear to teddy bear cops program, stuffed animals for emergencies, toys for tots, or your local hospitals, churches, and homeless shelters.

              

 

                

                                      

not so MANIC MONDAY

 "trick or treat...trick or treat...the bitter and the sweet..."

FLASHBACK 1974
halloween. so much fun in oxnard. daddy spends the day getting the house ready for a party. an album with ghostly moans and groans plays in the background. dry ice, in an iron bucket, gives the house a fog~filled look. lil bro, queenie, and i. all dressed up for trick~or~treat. all the houses are decorated...some scarier than others. we get all the best treats. snickers. baby ruth. double bubble bubble gum. homemade cookies. and, my absolute favorite, popcorn balls!!!! mom and rikki get their wine glasses re~filled every other stop. perfect night.
FLASH FORWARD 1993
i take the kids to a carnival at school. cody had just seen "nightmare before christmas" and wants to be jack skellington. i work my tail off on his costume. it even includes jack's dog, zero, floating behind. he wins a costume contest and gets a gigantic snicker bar. i don't get pictures because i'll get them tomorrow night, with all the kids, when we go trick~or~treating. cody wakes up, the next morning. "i don't wanna be jack...i wanna be hong kong phooey." are you flippin kidding me right now?! fine. and i go about trying to make dog ears. "i don't wanna be hong kong phooey...i wanna be a ghostbuster". really?! i begin to make a proton pack. it's time to go now. cody comes out in his "barney" pajamas. ugh. he still gets the best treats. snickers. baby ruth. hubba bubba bubble gum. and homemade popcorn balls from a woman, EVERYBODY in town knows, who also offers pre~packaged candy just in case the parents are afraid she might have poisoned the popcorn. boo.
FLASH FORWARD 2009

oops! last year, i agreed to go trick~or~treating with emma. i'm a witch...she's my cat. back in july, she starts talking about what we'll be this year. i leave it completely up to her...as long as i get to be cute. the bk and i have a party after, and we're going as pirates. emma doesn't want to be a pirate. okay. i can still do this. emma calls me. "we are going as the scooby~doo gang. i'm daphne". that means...ummmmm...that means i have to be VELMA! velma is NOT cute. emma gets the best treats. snickers. baby ruth. hubba bubba bubble gum (why doesn't anyone give out double bubble anymore?). but gone are the homemade cookies. and gone, forever, are the homemade popcorn balls. 
for obvious reasons, october is halloween safety month. so, i have a few tips for you and your kids:

#1~costumes: wear well~fitting shoes, costumes, and masks. this will help avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls. swords, knives, should be short, soft, and flexible. also, there should be some reflective tape on bags and costumes...this will help drivers see you. and avoid walking near candles or luminaries so that your costume doesn't, accidentally, catch fire. and test any make~up you will use on a small area of skin. it would totally suck to remove the make~up , at the end of the night, only to find you were allergic to it the whole time. ugh. 
#2~trick~or~treating: go with a group or trusted adult. never ever ever go alone. carry a flashlight, to help others see you and to help you see. and walk, don't run. try to use sidewalks and crosswalks whenever possible. only go to well~lit houses, and never enter a home without a trusted adult. and don't forget about stranger danger! DO NOT ACCEPT RIDES FROM STRANGERS!!
#3~the treats: examine all treats before eating. look for choking hazards and tampering. if it's open, toss it. the cdc recommends only eating factory wrapped treats and avoiding homemade goodies made by strangers.

a bit of information about #3. there are millions of stories, told by your friends, that go kind of like this: my friend's sister's boyfriend's cousin's girlfriend's mom's friend's daughter's teacher's son *insert halloween urban legend here*. maybe it was poison popcorn balls, razor blade filled apples, drug laced pixie stix. i did a bit of research...the drug laced pixie stix actually happened, but, as it turns out, the father of the boy that died was the culprit. he murdered the boy, in 1974, for insurance money and made it appear to be a madman passing out the candy. the razor blades in the apples? kind of false. oh, there were reports. but no one was ever taken to the hospital with an injury. and, there is some question as to how the razor blades got there...even some reports say the parents, or child, may have done it as a hoax. so my advice here: although it's always better to err on the side of safety, don't flip out if your kid comes in eating a homemade popcorn ball you didn't realize they had. the chances that it's poisoned are really non~existent. 
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

a gallery of awesome halloween costumes: