Wish You Here.....

Ever since I went to Gettysburg with my first grade class I've been buying postcards... not as a collection, but to send. I wanted to show that I GO places... girl on the move - yup.. that's me. But there's one glitch.... I never send them - not ever. I always have the best intentions, but then they stack.... dolphins, beach umbrellas, mountains, sunsets... laughing at me... "Why did you bring us home? We're still HEEEEERE..." When I would remember my address book the front desk would have no stamps, when I'd bring stamps I couldn't find them... If I found stamps.. there were no addresses...

Last month we went to Florida and I thought the girls would go for the cheap gift store purchase and a good rainy day activity. It worked.. they felt like vacation shoppers and then attacked the cards with the same energy as a macaroni craft... Yet, now, I'm guilty.... "Momma, Delaney never got our cards... Neither did Grandma..." WHY?..."Girls, your Momma has a condition. It's called, I wish that you knew I wish you were here!" .... So, please consider this my postcard to everyone... from everywhere I've ever been. I wish you were there, but not really, I was home before I knew it.

Betrayed

For Christmas 2005 George gave me a mudroom - complete with an extra (albeit old) freezer, life-size storage cabinet, coat closet slash pantry, and..... front load washer & dryer. I fought the idea of the expense, but once I saw those stacked white boxes with their space odyssey port hole doors I knew my years of unfinished, lint filter ladened, concrete walled drudgery was over... My new laundry area was sunny yellow and decorated with mid-scale Longaberger baskets... it was quite the HGTV "reveal."

At first I ignored the shaking... as it grew more violent there were times I thought some Blackhawks were using my roof as a telepad... eventually there was an unexplained leak - I blamed the new cats - then... hard plastic shards were attaching themselves to my kids fleece pajamas like burrs.

I called Sears. After waiting several days to arrive, he took thirty seconds to say "I have really bad news. It's the bearing(s).. It will take over $900 to fix it. Do you want to?" Did I WANT TO? NO, I didn't WANT to fix a nearly brand new machine! My last machine was free and older than me and hey, I got rid of it because it was ugly... not because it was broken... Somewhere out there, that thing is still spinning away! "Yeah, these don't last as long as the top loading ones.".... REALLY? 39 months isn't "as long."... After I exchanged $65 for a $100 coupon off my next Kenmore Quiet Pak II - I needed some alone time.

Why? Why the betrayal, the abandonment? Was it my fault? Was it because I washed any hard surface thing that fit in that stainless steel diameter? ... The Leap Frog Refrigerator alphabet (in a garment bag); the Target bathroom foot stool (it's just too hard to clean under those slip resistant discs); shoes - many many shoes; beachtowels accidentally harboring moon sand; maybe it was me... maybe this wasn't my Mother's Electrolux... maybe I need to be gentler? Regardless.. it hurts.

Now, especially after the dishwasher's demise just the day before I am on a first name basis with Jerry the Sears appliance sales associate who's just nineteen and putting himself through Carroll Community college - I guess it's good to help in the cause.

So, today, thanks to twelve months 'same as cash' we start over... It's the Quiet Pak IV... it's flashier, more options, more ways to break... (break my heart is more like it)... I couldn't wait to start a load... softer now though... children's play clothes (no shoes)... just to hear the purrr, ... Welcome Home Baby!

A Partnership...George is on the blogwagon...

George is officially on the blogwagon.... he calls me with these inspired ideas...and it's good to hear him laugh at himself (even when it's at my expense)... I encourage you to encourage him at:
http://imgonnagetmeablog.blogspot.com/

2009 - My Personal To Do List

I'm sure there's a Good Housekeeping magazine somewhere that promotes going public with ones "to do" list. Probably helps in honoring the committment. I saw the idea from friend and blogger "Mousetower." Hers was very ambitious (but she'll probably have it completed by the end of tax season) and hers also involved a great deal of sewing related activities....

1) Perpetually Craig's List everything that is not being used or enjoyed (that means I keep the kids). If it's not a sellable items throw it in the van and head for the Rescue Mission.

2) Find a way to have our July 2000 wedding video edited. I'm sure the guy doesn't work from VHS anymore, I should probably call. (The editing is paid for, but I've been busy - look for this In my 2010 list as well).

3) Clean out closets at least three times per year.

4) Organize barn (that's where all of the storage is).

5) Apply for Section 8a (disadvantaged business status) - this is a January priority.

6) Apply for Maryland (women owned) - MBE/WBE status - 1st quarter priority.

7) Decorate computer lab

8) Clean or replace basement carpet

9) Book one full week of camping vacation

10) Have all scrapbooking within one year of being current

I guess I should include health & fitness goals..

11) Eat at least one fruit & one vegetable & drink one water bottle per day

Shoot! I forgot spiritual issues... I'm a mess! goals? spiritual goals.... George suggests, "Obey Your Husband."... I'll get back to you....

There... that's a good start! What's on YOUR "To Do" List?

Whether you are red or blue - this is just plain funny!

Thanks to gracesuponus for this fantastic visual!

Happy Unscheduled New Year!

While I try to give the kids lots of exposure to activities (t-ball; dance; camps; gymnastics; scouts et al) I think it's so important to schedule nothing... Some folks call them "Pajamas Days!" That really works for me - I also think it does a lot for family team building. How can they be close if they're only together on the run? A friend once told me that they tell their four children, "You're a Partenza - and that means something!" I LOVE that! Can you imagine if every family was it's own team? So we are the Schooley's! No uniforms yet, but we can work on that.

Goodbye 2008 - Goodbye to Princesses!

It appears that we did Disney World in the nick-of-time. It's so rare now that anyone wants to be Snow White or Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty - we're more the Disney Channel now than Disney Dreams... It doesn't seem fair. I understand that a 7 year old would be finishing up, but even our 4 year old is following suit...quickly.... So, I guess it is time to say a sweet goodnight to the girls, Aurora, Cindy and the gang... it was a lovely horsedrawn ride... And they Lived Happily Everafter....