bee and rose

The Four G's

2011-03-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

See that Lego game up there? It's not as innocent as it seems, my friends. The tv commercial for this game is clearly harmful to grown women with teenage sons. It has reduced me to tears on more than one occasion. How on earth can this seemingly child friendly game cause so much heartache and distress? Allow me to weave my tale of woe for you....

A few days ago, I saw this commercial and immediately said to Irish Dancer Girl, "Your brother (aka Teen Caveboy) would love this game...He's such a Lego freak!" She looked at me like I had just told her aliens had invaded the neighborhood. "Uh, Mom...he doesn't play with toys anymore, remember?" She was edging toward me slowly. "He stopped playing with toys back when I was a little girl." (she's 8 years old...) The truth in her words smacked me in the heart like the Karate Kid hitting me with a five finger death punch. Tears welled up in my eyes. I was a blubbering fool in all of 30 seconds. Irish Dancer Girl threw her arms around me and said, "It's ok, Mommy. I still have lots of toys for you to play with." I hugged her tightly and then went to distract myself from my breakdown with the laundry.

Later that day, I went into Teen Caveboy's room to put away some clean clothing. I looked around and realized his life is now all about "The Four G's"...Guitars, Grub, Games (video) and ahem...Girls. I looked at the guitar picks and sheet music scattered on the floor, the XBox games strewn about and realized my wee baby boy is growing up. Not a toy in sight...sigh....I leaned against the wall and tried not to cry again. Time really does fly by in the blink of an eye. It seems like just moments ago that I was cleaning up Legos and stepping on Hot Wheels in his room. Wasn't it just yesterday that he was playing Rock Band and Guitar Hero....not playing a "real" electric guitar like the talented musician he's become, for goodness sakes? And is he really going to be old enough to drive a car next summer???

Heavy sigh...I hung up the clothes in his closet and turned to leave. But wait! What do I spy with my wandering eyes up high??? Let me show you....

Toys! I found toys! Sure, they're scary glow in the dark zombies attacking some plastic army guys, and of course, they're purely for room decoration, but they're still TOYS! My heart was filled with joy! There is still some of the "boy" in my amazing young man. So while I'm not a fan of this G word term...Growing Up...I'm Grateful that I still have a bit of my wee baby boy hiding out in plain sight in Teen Caveboy's room.

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
- George Bernard Shaw
Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Shakin' Our Shamrocks

2011-03-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

Look at that awesome toe point on Irish dancer girl! We are finally finished with what we lovingly refer to in Irish dance as "March Madness"! Whew! As you might imagine, Irish dancers are pretty popular come March. We've just completed our two week tour of performances all over Tucson. We wrapped up the season yesterday with a viewing of the movie "Lord of the Dance 3D".
Here's a little peek at what we've been doing!

Cat with Brandon Mull, author of the fabulous "Fablehaven" series of books! We met him after her performance at the Festival of Books! What a nice guy! (and if you haven't read this series, do it! It's fantastic!)

Parade Prep on the firetruck for the St. Patrick's Day Festival and Parade...

Taking a bow at Pima College's St. Patrick's Day celebration...

And here's a little video of Irish dancer girl in action! The stage floor was super slippery, but she still managed to knock out some great dancing!

Have a wonderful week!

Flapjacks! Get Your Free Flapjacks!

2011-03-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Who wants some FREE pancakes?! I know I would love some free pancakes! Join me and other flapjack aficionados on Monday, March 21 for Perkins Pancake Day!

Perkins Restaurants is serving up free pancakes to benefit Give Kids The World Village, a non-profit organization that provides week long vacations to children suffering from life-threatening illnesses. The children and their families get to spend a week in central Florida at this lovely storybook retreat! It's an amazing place where these beautiful children can make some happy memories with their families. Take a look at this wonderful place!

The children and families are also treated to donated tickets to attractions like Disney World, meals and even get to eat ice cream for breakfast! It's a truly remarkable experience for the children and their families.

All you need to do is visit a Perkins Restaurant on Monday, March 21 and order up a short stack of pancakes! In return, Perkins hopes that guests will consider making a donation in any amount to this fantastic organization. This amazing event will be taking place in Perkins Restaurants across the U.S. and Canada.

Why not check out Give Kids The World on Facebook? Give them a thumbs up while you're there:)

Get ready to get your pancakes on, my friends! Have a fantastic weekend!

The Lost and Found

2011-03-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

See that big pink sign up there? That's my daily mantra. Well, it was until life around here went seriously in the dumper over the last several months...Where should I begin? With the loss of health insurance for my terminally ill husband? Hmm...oh! How about the very long delay of multiple paychecks for said terminally ill husband which still haven't been paid in full (umm, yeah, my children would like for their father to live for a bit longer so being able to purchase his medications would be lovely..just sayin')...or how about the time our tires (all flippin' four of them) went bad on the car...yep, good times. Oh! Oh! Even better! The gas leak that kept us without heat for the two coldest weeks in the winter! Then came the pneumonia, the sinus infections that would not leave and so much more fun. Yeah baby, those were the days! But even in the darkest of days, I would still awake to those encouraging words "Keep Calm and Carry On." The gas leak however, completely sent me over the edge. A new mantra was needed.

Of course, realizing that we could have been blown to smithereens at any moment, I quickly thought this should be my new mantra...

I mean, seriously, who better to rescue us from a huge explosion caused by the lighting of my daughter's birthday cake candles?

Then I found this....

That's great advice...Exactly what I was thinking!

Connor aka Teen Caveboy, however, had this sage advice for me...

(metal horns in the air)...I hear ya, son...music is the great healer of all things.

Cat's advice (which is truly perfect) was this...

I mean really...what makes you feel better than a delicious cupcake?

I still hadn't found just the right mantra so I decided to call in the big guns...I called Harry Potter and he suggested this...

and of course, I checked in with my favorite witch...Samantha Stevens who clearly had fabulous advice...

I even tried this mantra for a while after watching "House of Anubis" with my daughter 3500 times....

I was quickly put in my place by my kids who thought my fake British accent was an insult to all British people. Sigh.....

So...what to do? By George, I think I've got it!

I think that's the ticket! I've missed sitting at the computer with my cuppa joe and visiting my bloggy buddies. I've missed the inspirational stories, the home decorating ideas, the craft and baking projects and even the giveaways! But most of all, I've missed the community and spirit of love that abounds here. (I don't know why I didn't think to do this much sooner!)

Looking forward to seeing you all again!

XoXo,

Freaky Just Got Fabulous!

2011-01-31T17:18:00.000-07:00

After a bit of a hiatus created by a series of very unfortunate events, Bee is back and ready to blog! What better way to conquer the frustrations of life than to have a party!

Miss Catherine turned 8 last week and we celebrated over the weekend with a Monster High themed bash at Pump It Up! Pump It Up is an inflatable play arena...we had the whole arena filled with jumping castles, obstacle courses, and giant slides reserved just for our party guests! It was a blast!

Coming down the ginormous slide!

(I made personalized student ID party favors for each of the guests!)

After an hour of crazy bouncing fun, we headed into to the "Creepeteria" for pizza and cupcakes!

My new favorite cupcake topper...the candy crown cupcake pick

These little tasty beauties were made by yours truly!

Monster High student "Lagoona Blue", daughter of the Creature from the Black Lagoon, came by to visit our birthday girl and her guests!

We set up a birthday wishes photo matte for party guests to sign! I just purchased a blank matte from Michaels, added a few of my own decorations and voila! I'll add a photo of Catherine with her guests, frame and hang in her room as a keepsake!

It was an amazing day filled with loving family and friends!

Happy Birthday, my sweet girl!

I Turned Right...

2011-01-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

This morning upon leaving my home to run errands, I turned right instead of left....At first I was mad at myself for going the wrong way, but sighed and continued on in the opposite direction of my original destination. I've been on "overwhelm" lately and just figured my "old age" was kicking in and my internal GPS was off kilter. Why does it even matter that I made a wrong turn?

If I would have turned left and made it to my destination at that time, I would have been in the parking lot of the Safeway store where Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and many Tucson citizens were shot this morning. I had planned to go to Safeway to check out their cupcake selection for my daughter's upcoming 8th birthday party. Had I turned left like I'd intended instead of right onto Oracle Road, I would have been there when this tragedy took place. This Safeway store is less than a mile from my home and one that I often frequent.

I heard about the shooting when I was on my way back home from other errands. I was completely in shock. I'm devastated for the families of the victims, the injured and absolutely sickened that a child's life was taken in this senseless tragedy.

I immediately came in the house and grabbed my son tightly. He'd tried to get a job at this very Safeway store a few weeks back. I am so grateful that he didn't get this job. He would have most likely been in the parking lot gathering carts or at the very least in the store when this occurred.

I thank God for pointing me in a different direction. My prayers are with the families involved in this horrible tragedy.

Ho Ho The Great Big Ho....

2010-12-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

Over the years here at the Smith house, we have developed traditions that help us celebrate the joys of the Christmas season...

Singing Christmas carols is my daughter's favorite holiday tradition...Right now she wows us with her rendition of the Overstock.com commercial..."Ho, Ho, the Great Big Ho"....(yep, we know it's really "O, O, the Great Big O", which btw is seriously just as hilarious to me...) She loves to belt this out in public...all...the...time....

We also play "Twas the Night Before Christmas" (which is really just Monopoly dressed up for the holidays...) Of course, being the generous mother that I am, I make sure I win every time by gobbling up every property I can and charging exorbitant rent prices as soon as possible. This tradition usually ends with Irish Dancer Girl storming off to her room because she has been rendered financially destitute and Teen Caveboy shaking his head in disappointment at me for my greed.

We also love making gingerbread! Gingerbread houses, gingerbread people...if we can gingerbread it, we will! Last year, our gingerbread house was surrounded by zombies that were taken down by a group of angry princesses. This year we made a giant gingerbread girl. Allow me to introduce Ginger....

So I'm just going to go ahead and say what you're thinking anyway....what's with the candy cane boobs? Yeah, I know...really not appropriate for a child's gingerbread creation...My intention was to add a bit of holiday style to Ginger's dress. Originally, there was one candy cane heart...when I returned from the kitchen, I discovered a "matching" one had been added by my sweet daughter. (I won't even tell you what happened when I found gumdrops had been strategically placed in the center of the hearts...what is wrong with my family????) Anyway, I'm loving this idea for my next gingerbread creation....

Another fun holiday tradition is playing the Christmas Tree game over at noradsanta.org.

The goal is to light up the tree and ornaments by connecting all of the lines. This game will suck you in for HOURS. I have been known to disappear for days in Santa's Village completely mesmerized by this ~~horrible and life-force sucking~~ enjoyable holiday game. (If you decide to wander on over to check it out...pack a lunch and a sleeping bag...) You can also track Santa's trip around the world starting on Christmas Eve over there too.

We also do daily letters to Santa, Auntie Claus, Holly Claus and Mrs. Claus.

We've made cookie dough ornaments (my "Saw" movie inspired ornament for Teen Caveboy was brilliant, I must say...), made sugar cookies (YuMmY) and read tons of Christmas stories. We have gotten our Christmas on around here, yo!

One of my new favorite traditions, is sipping my hot mexi-cocoa (hot chocolate with cinnamon) and reading this book...

This book will make you giggle long after you've finished reading it. It's brilliant! The recounting of his days as a holiday elf is hilarious! Definitely a tradition that will continue around here.

We are always looking for new traditions to add around here....what are some of yours?

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Whippin' Up Some Holiday Fun!

2010-12-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

Tis the season to be...assaulting your family with real cream whipped topping! That's right! When you live in the desert, you make your own "snow" day fun! I wish I had photos to show you the devastation I showered upon my family yesterday with just one can of this creamy goodness. However, I was too busy chasing everyone around the house and spraying them down in Reddi~wip.(only the best for my family!) By the way, Connor...nice move using your sister as a human shield...that was brilliant! All I'm sayin' is "don't mess with Mama" at Christmas because there's more Reddi-wippin' that will come your way.

In other holiday news, we went to visit Santa last week. (different Santa from last year...) Catherine was so excited to tell Santa thank you for making her last year's Christmas wish come true. (You can read about that here...) Of course, she made Santa cry again. (and Mrs. Claus...and the elves...and me...and my mom, but I digress...)

You see, last year, the prognosis for her dad's health was very, very poor. (He is diagnosed as "terminal.") The doctors really didn't expect his kidneys to hold up for more than about 6 months then. Catherine asked Santa if he could help her daddy be here for more Christmas holidays. Well, smack my reindeer and call me Mrs. Claus...it worked! Chilly is still here to celebrate another Christmas (fingers crossed...we're almost there!)

The doctors are amazed and shake their heads in disbelief every time they see him. He is in Stage 4 Renal (kidney) Failure and that compounded with his stroke damage and massive heart damage makes for very fragile health. It also decreases his life expectancy dramatically. Now with this loss of health insurance, things are looking bleak. (more on that later...)

So back to Catherine's Christmas Miracle...She thanked Santa for keeping her dad around to see another holiday season and went right to requesting Polly Pocket's Fashion Stage and Rapunzel's Tower play set. Once she and Santa finished their visit, Santa wanted clued in on the details. I shared what happened when we visited "him" last year at the other mall. He and Mrs. Claus were verklempt. They hugged me and Santa told me to not to give up on miracles. Catherine's faith in Santa and his "gift" to give her dad another Christmas helped me remember to trust in God's timing...not the doctors timing. Thank you, my sweet girl, for reminding me that faith and love are the best gifts of Christmas.

Wishing you all a very joyful Monday...

The Good, The Sad and the Ugly...

2010-11-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

The Good...

Road Trip! We are off this week to Sacramento, CA so that Miss Irish Dancer Girl can compete in the Western Region Oireachtas (pronounced O-Rock-tus)! This is a regional competition that requires an invitation from your dance instructor to qualify for attending! All good luck wishes welcome here!

The Sad...

Chilly lost his health insurance without any warning on Thursday. As you might imagine this is seriously devastating to our family. For those of you not familiar with my blog, Chilly (my husband) is terminally ill. Without insurance, his health care needs are extremely expensive. He needs very expensive medications and multiple monthly doctor visits (that are only affordable through insurance) to survive...literally. (and I'm not talking only "long term"...he needs it for his short term survival.) I can't really say much more without sobbing all over my computer monitor.

The Ugly...

All I can say here is that when you are going to directly change the quality or length of someone's life by a choice that you are making, it's nice (not to mention the "right thing to do") to give them a head's up prior to making this decision so that they can have an opportunity to save themselves...While I realize this economy seriously sucks, good old fashioned open communication is always appreciated..."here endeth the lesson..."

(sorry to be so cryptic here...someday I will explain in more detail...)

Bring It On 45th Year! I'm Ready!

2010-11-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

Ok 45th year....I'm ready for you...Throw me your wrinkles, body aches and inability to read fine print...I'm NOT afraid of you. So what if my brain makes it to the coffee pot before my body does? Who cares if I can't remember why I'm standing in the family room? I got kids who can tell me what I'm doing there. So HA! I don't even care that my hormones are making me look like the bearded lady from the carnival! I say Bring It!

And while we're at it, Ms. 45th Year, I don't care if you think I'm middle aged or almost 50...I can still win the age game at the county fair and come home with a ginormous stuffed animal...so boo-yah! (completely due to my great gene pool from the parents...)

I welcome you and embrace you, Ms. 45! Whether you bring me age spots, forgetfulness or saggy body parts...I'm all in! Just don't bring me balloons or clowns...{{{shudder}}} That would be just plain mean...

Peace Out...

Winner! Winner! Halloween Dinner! Bee's Spook~tacular Giveaway is Complete!

2010-10-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

A BIG Spooky ThAnK YoU to everyone who participated in this Spook~tacular Giveaway! I had so much fun doing this giveaway that I will be hosting a Thanksgiving themed giveaway very shortly!

If you missed my "Mother of the Year" post yesterday, scroll on down and check out my bravery ! I learned that nothing is impossible if you just grab an opportunity when it's knocking on your door! It was really a great moment! (Not to mention that my teenager son thinks I rock and that's priceless to me!)

Have a terrific Tuesday!

XoXo

And the Mother of the Year, Decade, Millenium Goes to.....(also Bee's Halloween Giveaway Final Day!)

2010-10-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

So, I am now officially "Mother of the Year!" Wanna see how I won this prestigious title? Take a look...

Meet Connor (aka Teen Caveboy)...he's hanging out with Shim, lead singer of Sick Puppies! You may know Sick Puppies from this very famous video....

(Why not go ahead and watch it again? It will brighten your day and chase away those Monday blues...)

Connor and I headed out to a Sick Puppies concert yesterday. It was FANTASTIC! They are amazing entertainers and the band was very kind in the autograph line. (Connor was first in line, of course!) So how exactly does all of this make me Mother of the Year? Sit a spell and I'll tell ya!

Sick Puppies management made it VERY clear that NO photos were allowed to be taken with any band member personally. They would allow photos of the autograph signing, but no "one on one" photos with any band member PERIOD. Not Gonna Happen...Don't Bother Asking...Just get your autograph and go. Totally understandable since there were over 500 people (seriously, no joke) in line for autographs. Well, being the rebel that I am, I saw an opportunity after they were done doing autographs and just went for it. I wanted to make this special for Connor. I found a staff member who seemed open to my request and thought the worst that could happen was that he would say no. No big....But...he said YES! So off we went to meet Shim! He couldn't have been nicer...this guy absolutely rocks! He was very, very kind to Connor. It was truly one of the highlights of Teen Caveboy's life!

Some highlights of the show....

So there you have it! Mother of the Year! Who's your Mommy now?! (Thanks Chilly, again, for my awesome camera! I've had the best year in picture taking EVER!)

***BEE ALERT!***

Don't forget that today is the last day to enter Bee's Spook~tacular Giveaway! Winner will be chosen via Random Generator tomorrow. Entries will be accepted until midnight Mountain Time tonight. (Monday)

Go HERE to check out all the goodies! There's also a few extras that were added HERE.

Good luck!

New Additions to Bee's Spook~tacular Halloween Giveaway! Deadline Extended to Monday!

2010-10-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday! Just thought I'd throw in a few new additions to the Spook~tacular Giveaway! Who knows what else might end up in this freakishly fab giveaway!?

These little beauties are hot sellers for Black Crow Boo~tique! I know you'll love them too!

If you haven't seen what's in the entire giveaway, just click HERE...or scroll down to the post below! It's filled with all sorts of tricks and treats for your haunted home!

Today is BONUS entry day! Once you've done the mandatory entry on the original giveaway post, come back here and leave a comment about your favorite Halloween costume or memory! That's it!

Here's a reminder on how to enter!

*MANDATORY entry ~ Just leave a comment on the original giveaway post about which item is your favorite in the ginormous Halloween giveaway!

Want some extra chances to win? All righty, then!

*Follow my blog = 1 entry

*Become a Facebook Friend = 1 entry (You can also Twitter about giveaway if you choose not to do FB..just send me a link to it!)

*Blog about my giveaway = 1 entry (send me a link please)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. This increases your chances to win! Also, if you already follow my blog or FB, just leave a comment telling me that:)

*Originally, giveaway was ending on Sunday 10/24 at midnight. Due to popular demand, I'm extending the deadline to Monday 10/25 at midnight!

Open to US and Canadian bloggers. Thanks!

For those who've inquired about Black Crow Boo~tique....As many of you know, I own a boutique Halloween business, Black Crow Boo~tique. The last couple of years we have had to limit our business to local operations due to my husband's mulitple terminal illnesses. We appreciate all of the amazing support we've received...it's overwhelming! As a result, we will re-open BCB on the world wide web come next spring. (Yep, spring...believe it or not, people start shopping then!) We'll have a new website up and will still continue our local parties, sales, and party consulting. Thank you so much for your continued support! Big smoochies to all of you!

Now go enter this AWESOME giveaway!

Bee's Spook~tacular Giveaway!

2010-10-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo! As promised, I'm hosting a ghoulish giveaway here at the Bee and Rose this week! I've put together faBOOlous Halloween finds to help you haunt your home this season! Let's take a look at what kind of BOOty our lucky winner will receive!

Wow! Let me give you the rundown on what the winner will be getting! Are you ready? It's AWESOME! (if you don't wish to read the list, just scroll down to the other photos for a closer look at what's included!)

*Black Crow Boo~tique Primitive Witch Hat and Boots ~ Made by yours truly and handrubbed with cinnamon for that prim look! Also, they smell really good! A best seller every season with Black Crow Boo~tique!

*Enchanted Witch Whisk Broom ~ Handcrafted custom whisk broom made by artisan Thomas Scheumack. Perfect for whisking away any bad mojo messing up your haunted home!

*Mini Witch Cauldron ~ It may be mini, but it sure is mighty! Made of cast iron and perfect for votive candles! (includes scented votive candles not shown.)

*Spiced Cider Jar Candle ~ from Yankee Candle's Simply Home line...mmmm...the perfect fall fragrance!

*Primitive Candle Trio ~ you will love the look and fragrance of these handcrafted primitive candles! Another best seller at BCB!

*Halloween Pennant Garland by Bethany Lowe Designs! ~ Fabulous orange and black glitter silhouette pennant!

*Witch Paper Garland by Bethany Lowe Designs!

*Zombie Finger Puppet ~ added by Teen Caveboy...a favorite item in the Smith Haunted Household!

*BEWARE Streamer ~ from Martha Stewart's Halloween Collection. Black with glow in the dark BEWARE and skull/crossbones design. 100 feet long!

*Orange and Purple Nail Polish ~ make your fingertips freakishly fabulous with these awesome colors!

*Spider Confetti ~ from Martha Stewart's Halloween Collection!

*Halloween Rubber Stamps "Bwaahahahahaha" and "Get Ghoulish" ~ from Martha Stewart's Halloween Collection!

*Reminder Finger Invitations ~from Martha Stewart's Halloween Collection. We use these every year for our parties and our guests LOVE receiving them! Includes 6 "fingers", boxes, silver pen and shredded paper.

*Martha Stewart Haunted Beverage Labels ~ Includes Witches Brew, Goblin Grog and Swamp Cider. (3 labels)

*Pumpkin Seals ~ Twelve orange foil seals from Martha Stewart...perfect for cards, invites, etc!

*Beware Stickers ~ Martha Stewart Halloween...

*Spooky Stickers ~ MS Halloween...includes Rotten, Beware, Caution, Poison, Toxic...great for labeling treats at your Halloween party!

*Bat Mirror Clings ~ Vinyl bat mirror clings from MS Halloween! I use these all over my mirrors and windows! They are reusable too!

*Plastic Skeletons ~ Set of 2 from Martha Stewart Halloween!

Let's take a closer look at all of this treats!

(closer look at the finger invites!)

So, how do you win this Halloween extravaganza? It's easy!

*MANDATORY entry ~ Just leave a comment here about which item is your favorite in the ginormous Halloween giveaway!

Want some extra chances to win? All righty, then!

*Follow my blog = 1 entry

*Become a Facebook Friend = 1 entry

*Blog about my giveaway = 1 entry (send me a link please)

All entries must be received by midnight Mountain Time on Sunday. Open to US and Canadian bloggers.

I will be offering more opportunities to enter in the days ahead! Good luck!!!

Happy Haunting!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Fiends....

2010-10-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

All right...She's not really a fiend, but she sure is cute! Miss Irish Dancer Girl performing at the Tucson Meet Yourself Festival...caught in mid-air!

Ok..now back to my original plan for this post....I love October! I adore Autumn, Halloween and we have Irish dance performances at various festivals to enjoy. We've been busy putting our spookalicious touches around the house to celebrate the season! Thought I'd share a bit of the boo with you!

Even Snow White joins the Halloween fun at our house!

That's just a wee bit of the Halloween mojo we have going on! Because I love this holiday so much, I'm hosting a Halloween ~ Autumn themed giveaway this week! Check back in a day or two to see what freakishly fabulous goodies I have in store for you! Also, a Perricone giveaway is coming soon too!

Happy Autumn!

Dear So and So...Good Clean Fun Edition...

2010-09-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

So I'm a bit early (like 4 days early) on the "Dear So and So..." post...The story of my life...I'm either too early or too late...sigh....

Join the fun brought to you by the fabulous Kat at 3 Bedroom Bungalow!

Dear Children Who Live in My House...

Cat...While I realize that Polly Pocket and her friends love hanging out in your room with Draculaura and her pals, I don't think they enjoy being trampled on by giants...especially female giants with hormone issues. Seriously, they might end up maimed or as amputees if they're not careful. Teen Caveboy...guitar picks are not like rose petals to be scattered across the floor in some sweet gesture of love...PICK UP YOUR STUFF, OFFSPRING or it may turn up missing...just sayin'....

With all my love,

Mommy

Dear Booty and Behind...

Just a note of thanks for finally sitting down after ruining the Tegan and Sara portion of the Paramore concert for us. (I was standing behind you, Colossal Ginormous Dude when I took this photo...) Booty, we were really impressed by your drunk girl dance moves. Wow...American Bandstand would've loved you back in the day. At least Behind had the good sense to just shift from side to side without tossing his alcoholic beverage all over the place.

Hope to never see you at another concert..EVER...

p.s. Booty, thanks for being a shining example of what Teen Caveboy better NEVER bring home to meet Mama...

Dear Antique Baby Grand Piano...aka "Emma"...

Welcome to our home! Thanks for not going home with that creepy guy and saving yourself for Chilly. He's been on the prowl for you for years. I realize you need a HUGE makeover (believe me...I can relate...), but I know in time you will be restored to your greatness. (I've got word into Oprah that I need a makeover too...I'll throw in a good word for you...) I hope you love the name that Cat and Connor bestowed upon you. Thank you, Chilly for giving me such a lovely and most cherished gift!

Can't Wait to Tinkle Your Ivories...(uh...I mean Emma's keys, Chilly...don't get excited...)

Wishing you a fabulous Tuesday!

XoXo!

Are You There, Oprah? It's Me, Dawn....

2010-09-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

Ok...let's review the list of reasons I need a fabulous makeover and spa getaway...all courtesy of Oprah, of course...

Exhibit A....I recently doused my freshly styled hair with lavender/vanilla scented febreeze...in my defense, I thought it was my hairspray...it didn't even register that my hairspray is actually a pump bottle...nope, I just grabbed it and went to town...It even took me a few minutes to realize that my hair was wet and smelling like a lavender field in France before the horror of my actions set in...

Exhibit B...I was excitedly telling Irish Dancer Girl (age 7) that I'd found the perfect costume for Halloween...Sue Sylvester from Glee! Boom! Easy! Just slap on a track suit, grab a megaphone, throw on a short blonde wig, and allow my snarky sarcasm to flow freely from my lips...it's beautiful...right? Nope...Irish Dancer Girl just looked at me and said, "uh, isn't she taller than you...a lot taller than you?...and...(long pause...while she looks at my tummy...) "you know..."(looks at my tummy again...) GRRRR....

Exhibit C...While toasting a bagel for my son, I remembered I had to toss in a load of laundry...zipped over to the washing machine and turned it on...back to the bagel...that I apparently "toasted" in the refrigerator on my way to the washing machine...oh...did I mention that after the wash cycle had completed, my clothing was gone? I had no idea that my clothes could become invisible! I just hope they don't disappear while I'm wearing them...that would be blight on the city of Tucson...chaos would erupt all over the southwest...{{shudder}}

Clearly, this shows that a spa vacation and makeover is needed, right? If I looked better and was revitalized from the spa, I would never behave in such a manner...So come on, Oprah! Help a whack job out...pleeeease????

Have a fabulous day!

Back in the Saddle Again...

2010-09-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have flown by in a blur. School activities, the medical rounds with Chilly, and the very unexpected passing of my Aunt Lil have made for a stressful time around here. I remember spending hours as a child copying Aunt Lil's handwriting because I wanted mine to be as lovely as hers. I will miss her with my whole heart. My heart aches deeply for my Uncle Ben who has lost his soulmate and for my Dad...she was his sister.

As always, music has again uplifted our spirits during this difficult time. Connor and I (along with his best friend) headed up to Phoenix to see Paramore in concert a few days ago. It was simply AWESOME.

(Connor..on the right)

We had amazing seats (as you can see from my photos!) I've been to many, many concerts, but this one takes the cake! This band knows how to rock the crowd! It was a fabulous time, and I'm so glad Connor hounded me relentlessly until I agreed to get tickets months ago! As I've said before...there's nothing like music to soothe the weary soul. It was one of the best nights of my life! Totally worth the 2 hour drive to get there!

I'm going to rock some tunes and shake off the blues now. I think I'm going to start my fall decorating and get my Halloween on!

Have a great weekend!

XoXo

It's What's Inside that Counts

2010-09-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

Whew! Company is gone....school is officially underway at our house...my menopausal brain continues to short out regularly (why did I come in this room again? how did I get to this part of town?)...it's back to normal at the Smith house.

Keepin' it short and sweet today...found a little somethin' for Chilly...

Who wouldn't want an adorable cuddly kidney to squeeze at bedtime? Here Chilly...for you...

Yep...urine in my thoughts, Chilly...hope you're having a pee-ceful day....

I didn't realize how adorable my own organs were until I saw this last night...

This is my intestine! Isn't she cute??? Apparently, she loves it when I drink my Yakult probiotics beverage daily! Awww...

Bet ya' didn't know how cute your insides were! And talented too! Mine blows bubbles...really...it's on film! Check it out...my intestine made a commercial!

You're welcome...I know...you couldn't have gone another minute without seeing that....

Have a lovely day!

Dear So and So...Untitled Edition (aka I'm Lazy)

2010-08-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another fine edition of Dear So and So...Spill your guts to the interwebs...Join the fun brought to you by the most amazing Kat at 3 Bedroom Bungalow!

Dear Shelly...(sniffle sniffle...plop plop...tears streaming down my face)

I'm so sad that you are moving. How will I ever learn the diabolical secrets of torturing loved ones? Clearly, you are the master...I bow to you as I weep over your departure....Your achievements are worthy of an entire blogpost...some day, my sweet friend...some day...

Crying a River of Tears...

ps...you totally remind me of Cousin Serena in that picture....you are so ornery...

Dear Yesterday...

Thank you for being so cloudy and rainy...It forced me to be completely useless and lazy. I forgot how much fun just laying around doing nothing can be! Let's do it again soon...how about....today?

I love doing nothing...

ps...Chilly, don't freak out...my nothing to do list includes washing your big boy panties and shirts...but you are on your own for dinner....mwahahahaha.....

Dear Ridiculously Cute Owlets...

I want you...I need you...I must have you perched around my house...Fly on over here...NOW....

Hoping to see you soon...

Dear Secret Menu at In and Out Burger....

Why do you have to be a secret? My wee girl could've been chowing down at I/O Burger for months if you weren't hiding out in plain sight on www.in-n-out.com/. Come on, just hang yourself up in the restaurant and make it easy for us old moms with picky eaters.

Glad I Discovered the Secret...(ok...busted...Thank you, Shelly for telling me the secret...),

Dear Blogger Post Writer Box...

Why must you be so freakin' difficult lately? Can't you just post my junk as it appears when I write it in the box? Why do you have to add all of this weird spacing and make it look all jacked up? Why are you making my letters XL when I'm not telling you to do so!? I do know how to write a bit of code and you are still messing with me! You are ruining my day...grrrr.....

Understanding Why People Are Jumping Ship to Wordpress...

Have a fabulous weekend!!!

Practically Perfect Monday

2010-08-23T08:42:00.001-07:00

When I was a wee girl, I was enamored by this lovely bag...

Yes, indeed-y! I desperately wanted Mary Poppins' carpet bag! She pulled a hat stand out of that bag for heaven's sake! And a potted plant, a floor lamp, an ornate wall mirror and of course, that magical measuring tape! I wanted Mary Poppins to measure me with that magic tape so badly! I was sure my measurement would read just like Jane's...

"Rather inclined to giggle...Doesn't put stuff away.."

I have a feeling it probably looks more like this...

Maybe someday it will say "Practically Perfect in Every Way"....just like Mary Poppins...sigh....I hope she shows up around here soon....

Actually, I would be delighted if Nanny McPhee would make an appearance around here too...Chilly could use a few of Nanny McPhee's lessons. This is for you, Chilly...

Miss Cat and I joined some fabulous friends to go see "Nanny McPhee Returns" at the movie theater yesterday.

We loved it as much as we did the first Nanny McPhee movie! I adore Emma Thompson (who also wrote it) and was thrilled to see Maggie Smith (brilliant!) in it as well!

It has darling wee piglets, gorgeous scenery, a lovely story and a very sweet surprise at the end. Absolutely worth the limb sacrifice and selling off of jewels for the movie tickets and concessions:)

(Warning for Chilly...you'd best settle up on your past due accounts with me or I'll send Miss Topsey and Miss Turvey after you...they are loan shark heavies that specialize in kidney removal...just sayin'...)

Hope you're Monday is more than practically perfect!

xoxo

Friday Fragments: The Insane and Mundane Edition

2010-08-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

Time for Friday Fragments brought to you by the fabulous Mrs. 4444 over at Half-Past Kissin' Time...show the world your bits and pieces! (minds out of the gutters, please...)

*~Coffee...Just thought you'd want a heads up.....I won't really kill you, but it might cross my mind...unless I have coffee then it's all good....

*~H and M (I know there's an ampersand in between the letters...blogger won't let me use it correctly..grrr.)....yesterday was the grand opening of the fabulosity that is H and M at the Tucson Mall. A little birdie named Meg shared with me that the store was opening at noon and freebies were being given to the first 200 shoppers in line...freebies...like $50-$300 gift cards, t-shirts, and other swag. I'm all about freebies so I scooted on over there about an hour prior opening. There's a lonely security guard at the store entrance. I'm so smooth...I got here early and am first in line....so I wait...the security guard finally (after 10 min) looks at me and smirks..then informs me that "ma'am, this is the exit today...the entrance is on level 2"...

No worries! Do I care that I stood there like a dorkopotamus for 10 mins? Nope! I've still got 50 minutes! I take the elevator up to level 2...the doors open and BAM! It's like the H and M Disco opened and not the clothing store! There are employees dancing all over the place to Kesha's "Tick Tock" song...the line (oh yes...there was a line...) was in the midst of a "domino wave"...and there was a lot of "whoop~whoop" and chanting of "H and M! H and M!" going on.

Did I mention the line? There were already over 1500 shoppers in line! No freebies for Bee! I found out that the first lady in line actually arrived the night before at 9pm. They had hundreds in line by 2:30am...thousands by store opening. It was completely insane! Needless to say, I left after the ribbon cutting and skee-daddled away from the shopper stampede.

*~Facebook...Fine...I succumbed to the evil that is Facebook...I don't mind sharing my family photos, chattin' it up with family and friends...BUT DO NOT EVER ask me to send you crap for your farms, frontiers or join your Mafia family...Not happening...EVER...(Chilly is apparently "leveling up" so fast in Mafia Wars that all of Facebook lives in fear...pfsh...what~ev...) Anyhoo...wanna be my friend???

*~Your Opinions...I would appreciate your kind assistance with a wee poll this fine Friday...any takers???

*~TGIF...For Catherine....

Have a wonderful weekend, ya'll!

xoxo

A Bee and Her Books

2010-08-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

We've been busy bees preparing for school to begin. Since we are a home~schooling family, we have a library and classroom in our home. Fortunately, our new house has loads of Craftsman era bookshelves built all around our family room. I get all giggly and grin-ish whenever I look at them. I feel like I'm in a public library...one of my favorite places in the world to be!

Yesterday, while I was putting away the final box of books, my mind wandered back to my childhood when I would spend HOURS in the library. I grew up in a small Ohio town and we had a haunted library.

The Pickaway County Library...isn't it awesome?!

There was a resident "lady in white" ghost who was known for tossing books around (especially in the children's area.) My aunt was a volunteer there and would tell me all about the spooky antics of the ghostie. It was a bit creepy if you were there after dark!

In the summer months, the Bookmobile would come to our neighborhood. I LOVED the Bookmobile!

I'd get my paper library card (which I still have) and book it right to the Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden books. My heartstrings are still tugged everytime I see these books too...

I adored Pippi Longstocking, Eloise, The Littles and The Swiss Family Robinson. I would devour ghost stories, witch stories and tales of terror. I loved these two books so much that I kept my original copies.

I think Catherine and I will re-visit lots of these old favorites of mine this school year. I just purchased the complete Little House set last week. I want to do a pioneer theme week and know she will love Laura as much as I did.

One of the things I didn't want my kids to miss out on as home-schooled students was the thrill of ordering from the Scholastic Book Club. (yes...I'm that much of a book nerd...)

When I found out home-schoolers can get the circulars and order from them, I was all in. I remember how I would love to go through and circle all of the books I just had to have. I love watching Catherine do the same!

As luck would have it, both of my kids are avid readers. I love sharing their books with them. When Connor was reading the Percy Jackson series a few years back, he would hide them from me so I couldn't read ahead of him. When the final Harry Potter book was released, we were at the bookstore at midnight. We were first in line. After taking ownership of this prized possession, we went to Nico's Taco Shop for breakfast burritos (at 12:30 am!) What a great memory!

Every night, Catherine will read at least 3 books to her dolls. She also loves to read to my mother (who's away in OH) over the phone each night because she knows Nana can't sleep without a bedtime story.

Lately, she's putting on the heat about visiting our new library because we've lived in Tucson for two months and haven't been there yet. She thinks that is pure sacrilege.

So what about you? Do you have a fond book memories from your childhood?

Have you re-visited any of your books from "back in the day" lately? Do share!

XoXo

Dear So and So...Alphabet Soup

2010-08-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

Dear So and So is brought to the blogosphere by the very sweet

Kat over at 3 Bedroom Bungalow!

Dear Alphabet and Numbers,

I adore you. In fact, Alphabet, I use your lovely letters all over my home...like this...

I delight in hanging words all over my walls or just a single letter here and there! No worries, Numbers! I love you just as much! I get so excited when I find treasures with you so smartly adorning them.

But...I simply swoon when I find you all mixed up with each other...the way you are with the shower curtain in the kids bathroom! Ahhh...my heart goes pitter patter....

Who cares if Teen Caveboy thinks it looks like someone threw up alphabet soup all over his bathroom? I love you and you are staying!

Your adoring fan...

Dear Adorable Princesses...

You rocked the castle yesterday with your fancy ball gowns and giggle fits. The fairies were so happy that you enjoyed their Tiny Treasures Scavenger Hunt that they've decided to have a Black Cat Scavenger Hunt for you on Halloween!

Thank you for gracing us with your witty charm, my fair ladies!

XoXo,

Your Royal Subject,

Dear Monster High Dolls...

First of all, I can't believe your parents let you go to school dressed this way. Also, you may want to fill in your creator (aka Mattel) that some of you require limb salvage immediately upon coming to stay at your new homes. There's nothing like the screech of a 7 year old girl who's doll has lost her hand...or entire arm. (and you don't want to be within a 50 mile radius if a shoe turns up missing...it's like the sound of a nuclear blast...) I realize that you are Monsters, but I can't imagine that you really want to terrorize the youngsters who lovingly play with you, right? I appreciate that my darling daughter has played for hours on end with you and sings your ~~annoying~~ cute little ditty she heard on your website all day long. How about working at keeping yourselves together (literally) so that my hearing won't be further damaged by the banshee~like screaming of my daughter. Sound good?

Willing to let you live here if you stop losing limbs....

Dear Pillsbury Sweet Moments Brownies...

All I can say is YUM...15 seconds in the microwave and my mouth is in brownie heaven...You are a PMS sufferer's dream come true...

With all my love,

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

XOXO

Did You Know Tuesday...Luck of the Irish Edition

2010-08-10T10:47:00.003-07:00

Let's get right to the "Did You Know" fun, shall we?

DID YOU KNOW...

that I have been blessed by the luck of the Irish lately? I have won 3 giveaways in the last two weeks!! Check me out! I won an $80 gift card to CSN Stores from Otin...a $25 Gift Card to Krogers from Polka Dot Moon (who has a very cool etsy shop btw...) and this morning I won a $60 gift card to CSN Stores from Shannon over at It's Trickey! I'm hoping this arrives any day now!

DID YOU KNOW...

that this photo of Catherine (who looks psychotic here) and her dance teacher, Caitlin (whom she adores), was taken only an hour before Irish Dancer Girl came down with major illness and had to leave her dance competition? She could only complete 3 out of 8 dances, poor girl! We had to high tail it back to Tucson for recuperation asap! She's doing much better now, thank goodness!

DID YOU KNOW...

that I HATE clowns? (my evil sister sent me that magnet a while back...grrr...) My sweet friend Meg shared this little goodie with me...

(amen to that!) I was checking out Scope's blog and discovered that the
that the first week in August is National Clown Week. {{{shudder}}} He shared this "lovely" clown dinner portrait with his dear readers. What followed after that portrait has caused me nightmares for days!

Go here to check it out...seriously...(well wait until you're done with my post, then go there because I have an important announcement to make!)

Did You Know...

that today is Teen Caveboy's 14th birthday!!! Happy Birthday, Connor!!!!! You are the most amazing son in the entire universe! I love you!

(you know you're probably getting that red velvet cheesecake...don't you....)

XoXo

Gone Feis~in'

2010-08-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

We're off to Phoenix today! Irish Dancer Girl has a feis (pronounced "fesh"...it's an Irish dance competition) up there on Saturday.

Jazz hands are not just for jazz dancin'!

Any good luck you can send her way is most appreciated!

I plan on hitting Hobby Lobby, Pottery Barn Kids, Rainforest Cafe and maybe Ikea while we're up in the Valley of the Sun. Teen Caveboy wants to check out the Heart Attack Grill...for the sandwiches.....yeah....right....you tell me if you think it's all about the burger...

I know...you can't take your eyes off those ginormous burgers...

Sorry to destroy your dreams, Teen Caveboy...if you're really nice though, I'll take you to Burger King and get you a paper crown to wear while you're having your lunch:)

Wishing you all a terrific weekend!!! See you Monday! Got some great giveaways brewing for next week too!

xoxo

Morning Has Broken...(aka TGFG..Thank Goodness for Google)

2010-08-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

As I've moved along in my life growing spiritually, emotionally, and blah~blah~blah...I've created a routine that helps me set the tone for my day. Immediately upon waking up from my deep golden slumbers, I catch the first conscious thought of the day. I sit with it for a while...meditate on it...and see where it will take me as my day begins....

Normally, I will have thoughts like this...

or this.......

and sometimes this....(ok...a lot of times this...)

You can imagine my shock and surprise over my first thought of today...

Here it is in all of it's bubblegum glory...

I kid you not...and then I couldn't remember the name of this show!!! It drove me bonkers for a solid hour! I remembered Freddie the Frog, Charlie the Owl and Henrietta Hippo...I even remembered Doug and Emmy Jo! After making myself nuts for way too long, I finally Googled and found THE NEW ZOO REVUE!!! (thank you, Google for stopping me from going into complete hysteria...)

Then the theme song came streaming into my brain!

"It's the New Zoo Revue...Coming Right at You!"

I loved this show when I was a kid! I thought Emmy Jo was so cool. I loved how she could rock a pair of go-go boots and a headband.

And check out her preppy style! Emmy Jo had a huge influence on my fashion choices over the years.

One of my favorite toys back then was this little bundle of fun...

When I got this set of reels for my birthday.....

I was in kiddie heaven!

Here's Doug....he and Emmy Jo were married in "real life" and still are to this day!

Now for some New Zoo Revue trivia...Do you know who played Mr. Dingle, the postman???

Everybody knows this guy....even you young whippersnappers who have no idea what the New Zoo Revue is!

It's this guy!!!

Yep! Chuck Woolery was Mr. Dingle!!! You can watch him in action on NZR with this linky...(and you can see Emmy Jo and her fab-oo seventies fashion!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE1ctCtjzoA

(youtube won't let you embed this one...sorry! It's fun to go watch though!)

And because I love you all so much, I have given you yet another linky so you can listen to the theme song! I know you will be humming it all day long! You are welcome! (and yes...that is pure sarcasm...I realize it's totally annoying to hum those kiddie songs all day long...I went through it for years when my kids watched Barney....but here's the linky anyway!!! mwahahahahaha.....)

http://www.televisiontunes.com/New_Zoo_Revue.html

Have a happy Thursday, ya'll!

xoxo

ps...you can now get the New Zoo Revue on DVD!!!

pss...sorry for the poor image quality...it's quite a challenge finding images of this show!

Did You Know Tuesday...Enter at Your Own Risk Edition...

2010-08-03T01:01:00.001-07:00

Back in the old days last year, I made up a bloggy thing called "Did You Know? Tuesday"...It was my very lame and lazy attempt to write a bunch of stuff and pass it off as a post...oops...did I type that out loud??? I meant to say that it was my brilliant way to creatively write snippets of thoughts into one tidy post. So dear readers, today I bestow upon you the return of "Did You Know? Tuesday" in all it's golden witty splendor....that's right...prepared to be (bored silly and yawning in about 30 seconds...) DaZzLeD!....Ready...set...Go!

Did You Know...

that my 7 year old daughter received a job promotion today? That's right! She was promoted from "Pack Mule" to "Roadie" for doing such a bang up job carrying her brother's guitar gear to his lesson. Bravo, Teen Caveboy for offering up such a worthy promotion! (and for promoting child labor...good on you! High fives all around! That's my boy!)

Did You Know...

that my home is about to become (hell on earth) a wee bit tense due to the appearance of this (starts with a "B" and ends with "itch") lovely creature...(I know...you've seen her here before)....All I can say is "Run for your lives, people of Tucson...Run as fast as you can!" (I'll understand if you're too afraid to read further....)

Attn: Chilly (the hubs)...if you even try to talk to me this morning, I promise this is what you're gonna get...

Just back quietly out of the kitchen and run as fast as those swollen feet will let ya....The kids have already made their way into the fallout shelter...

Did You Know...

that I was terrified of Witch Hazel when I was a wee girl?

I also had nightmares about Bugs in this costume...I'm not kidding! Completely freaked me out!

Did You Know...

that I'm absolutely crazy about hat boxes...especially vintage ones?

Did You Know...

that we have a Kissing Bug epidemic in Arizona? I know...sounds so cute, huh? These evil creatures can bite you and then infect you with a disease that won't show up until 10-20 years later! A very bad "I can kill you" kind of disease! WHAT??? What the heck? Aren't rattlesnakes and scorpions enough torture for us in AZ????? Welcome to our nightmare...

Did You Know...

that something amazing happened to me? Well, smack my bottom and color me surprised! I won a giveaway!!! That's right! I am the proud new owner of an $80 CSN gift certificate thanks to Mr. Fabulous himself...Otin...or more properly known as Wizard of Otin. Not only is Otin a spinner of tales, he also has a very generous and kind heart. Thank you, kind sir, for the winnings! Now get on over there and grace him with your presence!

Did You Know...

that I'm thrilled to be back to blogging and connecting with you all again!!???

Wishing you all a lovely day!

xoxo

My Checkered Preppy Past

2010-08-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

So, I just finished reading this book....

Jen Lancaster (once again) had me giggling and cackling from start to finish of this book. It's a memoir where she uses her fashion choices of her youth to tell her story. It got me thinking about what my fashion memoir would "look like" and it hit me like a ton of grosgrain ribbon belts...

I'm still stuck in my preppy 80's past (and my 70's hippie/gypsy style, but we'll save the 70's vibe for another day)....especially in the shoe department and with anything plaid. Show me a pair of Minnetonka moccasins, Sperry Topsiders, Bass Weejuns and colorful espadrilles and I'll bubble over like a bottle of freshy popped champagne. As for plaid...I just can't get enough of plaid!

I wore these all the time in my youth....

(sporto duck shoe...I had these in multiple colors)

If you look in my closet today, you will still find Tretorns (now sporting a pink chevron), Sperry topsiders (now in plaid) and brown suede Minnetonka moccasins (minus the beads). I saw Sporto duck shoes at DSW last week and actually squealed out loud!! A few weeks back while shopping at Urban Outfitters and other campus shops, I spotted these and actually got verklempt!

Asics Tiger Sneakers! I wore mine completely out back in the day!

Whale boots and espadrilles!! Can I hear a whoop! whoop!?

I still love a good Ralph Lauren polo and plaid madras or khakis depending on my mood...and in the fall, I love wearing a plaid kilt style skirt with black riding boots at least once...(oh yeah...and a sweater...no topless action here...sorry!)

This is my must have for this fall...

Who cares that it's never cold enough in Tucson to wear a coat most of the time!? This Tracy Porter beauty will be mine!

Now if you really want to see something that is absolutely adorable in plaid...you must go HERE....do it...it will give you warm fuzzies for days!

Oh! And go pick up a Jen Lancaster book too!

So, what would your fashion memoir look like?

XoXo

ps...I just realized that yet again, I'm so old that the fashion trends of my youth have made a comeback...sigh.....

Friday Fragments: I've Got Nothin' for a Title (but Stuff to Say!)

2010-07-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

I'm hanging with the fabulous Mrs. 4444 today and joining the Friday Fragments Fun!

Don't be shy! Clickety on over and join the party!

As you may have gathered from my lame title, my brain's on fog alert this morning...hopefully you won't think I'm completely mental by the end of this post!

Fragment 1 Comment Confusion....

As you may know, I've been out of the blogosphere for a bit takin' care of the hubster (aka Meat Sack, Chilly, Dude Who'd Better Bring Home Take-Out Tonight, etc...)

I've discovered a lot of weird stuff going on in the blog world upon my return. For instance, what is up with the massive amounts of comment spam? Holy word verification, Blog Man! And why are they all connected to penis enhancing products? (note to spammers...no penis here...I can see how you might think there would be with all of the pink, roses and girlish~ness over here...move along please, you freaks...)

I've seen lots of blogs with the new CommentLuv thing going on...If you have it, do you like it? Does it help with the spam? I've also noticed lots of bloggers have turned their word verifications back ON. Is this helping too? What are your thoughts about the new comment plug-ins that are out there?

Fragment 2: Where Did Everyone Go???

Over this past week, I've tried to visit every blog I follow. More than half of them are gone! POOF! Just like that! Here no more! I tracked some of them down on Wordpress, but others have made like Elvis and apparently left the building! Has blogging become...dare I say it...a bit of old news? What do you think is happening in the blogging world??

Fragment 3: CSN Store Reviews...

Ok...they found me...CSN cornered me last week and wants me to do a giveaway/ review...Is it worth it? Have you done one? Have you shopped at CSN.com? Feedback is much appreciated on this!

Fragment 4: Cupcake Overload

Ok..I'm just gonna come right out and say it...I bake a mean cupcake. I'm a cupcake baker extraordinaire! I can't boil water or make toast, but dagnabit, I can bake fabulous cupcakes. This is my daughter's new favorite thing...

We are going to rock the ginormous cupcake action this weekend while we catch up on DC Cupcake and Cupcake Wars. We are totally hooked on these shows....and Man Vs Food...and anything with Paula Deen and Sandra Lee...I gotta stop now...my tummy is growling...

Fragment 5: Secret Language of the Smith Family

We have confused many a guest at our home with our secret language. Heck, we even confuse our kids, cashiers, bank tellers, Chilly's doctors....just about everybody. Chilly and I have developed our own language...It happens in marriage...Our language just happens to be in movie quote speak. We've actually offended people who don't "get" what we're saying!

Right now we are over-using "it's the @$%#-ing Catalina Wine Mixer, Dude!" (please note that I insert the actual word "bleeping" in front of Catalina Wine Mixer...unlike my nerdanderthal husband...) We also say 'Effin' A- Cotton...Effin' A...." ALOT...But the one I use waaaay too much is "That's gold, Jerry...Gold!"....that drives my entire family insane!

Do you have a secret family language or code??? Wanna share?

(anyone guess where those quotes up there come from???)

Fragment 6: TTFN

Well, it's TTFN! (also another quote from a very loved cartoon character...any guesses?) Gotta' split! ( I just typed spit...like 8x while trying to type that!) We've completed all 7 seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which was fabulous, btw...I love me some Spike...oh yes, I do....) and are off to find a new series to finish off our summer vac-ay...any suggestions???

Have a wonderful weekend!

Wishes Served Up Daily

2010-07-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

Wishing is BIG business at our house. I realized this yesterday when my daughter made it her mission to turn my frown upside down. She came in with her bag of wishing tricks and a fairy wand determined that she was going to wish away my day of doldrums.

"All you need, Mama is Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust!" she exclaimed while laying out her wishing implements. (no kidding...She calls herself the Wish Fairy...)

Here are her assorted tools of the trade...

Mystical Wishing Tools

While she was working her magical mojo on me, I pondered all of the ways we get our wishing on at our house. Turns out, we do a lot of wishing around here!

We wish on stars and birthday candles. We toss coins in fountains at the mall to make wishes (You're welcome, malls all over America for my enormous financial contributions over the years...) We send our well wishes out in cards to celebrate special occasions like holidays and birthdays.

We blow on dandelions. We close our eyes and wish on necklace clasps that have found their way around to the front of our necks. We blow bubbles and know when they pop that our wish will be granted. Heck, we even have a genie lamp!

We wish on snowflakes (a rarity in Tucson!) We make a wish whenever we notice the clock reads 11:11. And of course, we've been known to go a little nuts at Thanksgiving over the wishbone.

I've always wanted a wishing well. This one will do nicely if I can convince Disney to send it my way...(I'll get Catherine aka Wish Fairy to work on that one pronto...)

Which brings me to my Wish List...Yep, I even have a special notebook that I keep all my wishes in. (I'm such an organizing freak that I even catalog my wishes!) I love going back through it to see what I've wished for over the years:)

Here are two favorite wishing moments...

Catherine on her 6th birthday wishing good things for her family...

Connor (at age 5) on the beach in Florida wishing for a bucket of LGM's (Little Green Men) from Toy Story on our trip to Disney World the next day...

(Teen Caveboy will deny that this is actually him because he wouldn't be caught dead blowing sand wishes on a beach...sorry dude! It was captured on film nine years ago for my eternal viewing pleasure and for your eternal embarrassment. You're welcome!)

While my little Wish Fairy was putting her final touches on her wish making for my immediate happiness, I asked her what she thought about wishes.

"Wishes are prayers that look really pretty! God loves to hear your wishes!"

And with that, I will leave you with words of wisdom from this wee sage...

“You see, the most fantastic, magical things can happen, and it all starts with a wish!” ~ Jiminy Cricket

So tell me...
How do you get your wishing on?

Wishing you a lovely day!

Dear So and So...Cheesecake, Childcare and Chumps Edition

2010-07-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another fine edition of Dear So and So...

brought to you by the lovely Kat over at 3 Bedroom Bungalow! And off we go!

Dear Teen Caveboy,

Let's review the "quality of childcare assessment" your darling little sister handed to me yesterday detailing the incidents that occurred while in your care...(her words are in bold.)...

Bad (apparently there was a doll~napping for ransom...)

Not Good (hint...knocking on her door and running away is just goofy...especially after the 400th time...)

Very Bad (for bothering her while she was enjoying some Polly Pocket cruise time and a movie...)

Annoying (I know...it's just who you are...)

Sometimes Funny (well now...here's a spot of sunshine...)

Here are some helpful hints for today's adventure in sister~sitting....

*There will be no doll~napping...(unless of course, she actually pays the ransom, then I'll take a 50% cut...)

*Keep in mind that there will come a day when she will spy on you and your girlfriends....if you want her to keep that info out of my hands, then BE NICE!

*Funny is good...it makes her happy...however, I'm talking funny ~ha/ha...not gross toilet humor funny...(although I realize she can give you a run for your money on that end...)

And...here's a little inspiration for you to improve your job performance...Your sister has her eye on this object that lives in your room...

Your precious Les Paul Prophecy guitar...

It may meet up with an "accident" and end up in this.....

She is that diabolical...Trust me...you gotta watch your back around a seven year old who's been wronged! Just sayin'....

Good Luck! You're going to need it...

xoxo

Mommy Dearest

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear People Who Park in the Handicap Spots that Really Don't Need Them (and the people who rudely yell at me when I do...)

Look, I realize when you see me hopping out of my snazzy sports car with boundless energy, you might be inclined to think..."HA! She's faking a handicap!" What you aren't seeing (no doubt because of my blinding beauty) is the decrepit human meat sack crawling out the passenger side of the car. (yep, that would be Chilly...just joshin' about the whole meat sack thing...I just like the way it sounds..I know...I've watched way too much Buffy the Vampire Slayer this summer...)

And BOO TO YOU for those who've actually had the audacity to try and put me in my place in the parking lot thinking that I'm trying to steal the spot from a deserving handicapped person. Again, refer to meat sack crawling from the passenger side....

When you park in a handi~spot and you really aren't in need of it, it creates all sorts of issues for the party that does need it. Poor Chilly has nearly suffered heart failure from his trekking across a parking lot in the hellish heat of the desert. It's a cryin' shame....

Thanks for not parking there anymore...(and for cutting me slack when I do...with Meat Sack in the car, of course...),

Sincerely,

The Lady Who Will Kick You in the Shins and Run...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Delicious Red Velvet Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory,

My son enjoyed you so much last week that he has requested you for his birthday! Isn't that fabulous? Especially since I'm loving the whole $8.00 per slice thingy...yeah...riiiight....not so much....

While I understand that $50 for an entire cheesecake may seem like pennies on the dollar to a true epicurean, I must stand my ground and say no to your delectable temptations. It's going to be hard and it may actually reduce my normally strong as a rock teenager to sobbing. But for my wallet's sake, I must turn away from your whispers of "come and get me" and "don't you love your son?" I must be strong and step away from the cheesecake....

I will always love your yummy delicious~ness,

Your (very hungry and cheesecake craving ) Admirer

ps...(I'll be there around 6:00 pm on Aug 10 to pick you up....shhhh....I'll be in disguise to hide my shame....)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love,

How Do Ya Like Me Now?!

2010-07-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

It’s reveal day here at the Bee and Rose! I treated myself to a bloggy makeover to mark my return to the Land of Blog!

Isn’t it lovely??!! The gals over at Designer Blogs created this beautiful design for me! I have to tell you…they are simply the BEST!

Amy is the fabulous designer who created this awesome bloggy home for me! She took all the little bits and pieces I gave her and wove it into a magical blend of bloggy delight! It’s so much more than I could’ve ever imagined! Thank you sooo much, Amy! You are one of the kindest people around!

These ladies have a portfolio of designs that are absolutely gorgeous! I highly recommend them! They are top notch professionals. They stay in close communication during the creative process. They are super friendly. Customer satisfaction is definitely top priority with these ladies! Scooty on over there and check them out! You will love them!

XoXo

Revenge of the Anti-Twi~Hard (aka Teen Caveboy's Evil Plan)

2010-07-06T07:02:00.002-07:00

All right...I'll admit it...I'm still a wee bit of a Twi-hard....I haven't seen Eclipse just yet, but I'm hoping to do that soon. I've heard that it's the best one yet. I certainly hope so because after watching Twilight, I wanted to grab this out of my son's closet.....

Yes, Teen Caveboy really does have this t-shirt. He loves to wear it out and about to annoy all the Twi-hards. He gets tons of comments on that shirt! Shhh...don't tell, but it's actually been a bit of a chick magnet for him too! He constantly gets stopped and asked about this shirt...even by the die hard Twilighter girls (and their moms!) I mean really...you would think he's some kind of celebrity with the attention he gets while wearing this shirt! I can't get any shopping done when he's with me wearing this thing because we are dealing with his "fans." (This is his way of getting even with me for swooning over Edward Cullen and anything Twilight related for the last couple of years.)

Of course, he had to rent the original campy movie version of Buffy to see what the fuss was all about. Now we are full into the series dvds. We are currently watching season 2...I know how the rest of my summer is going to be spent...there are six or seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer...

Sigh....the things we do because we love our children....

I will admit, I forgot how much I loved this guy...Yep...that would be Spike...the bad boy vampire with a British accent...oh yeah, baby....

So, what do you think? Think Buffy could take on the Cullens? That would be the icing on the cake of Teen Caveboy's summer. He would pay big bucks to go see that!

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

2010-07-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

Hello, Bloggy Friends and Family!

I have missed you all with my whole heart! We are finally moved! It was pretty stressful and overwhelming, but it's done! (Single parents...I take my hats off to you...I had to do this move without Chilly's help and WOW! it was a challenge!)

A huge heartfelt thanks to all of you who emailed your very loving thoughts and prayers to us during this time! It really kept me going!

As some of you know, we moved into "town" (Tucson) to be closer to Chilly's medical care. I am now a "city" girl. I love being a few minutes from 3 different Target stores! I love being 10 minutes from Pottery Barn, Sephora and Anthropologie! But most of all, I love being 5 minutes from Chilly's kidney doctor!

Our "new" house really isn't so new...it's actually 87 years old! (Which is a rare gem in Tucson!) It was one of the original ranches in this area. And yes, it's haunted. Catherine has seen 3 "little kids" in the playroom. A close friend of mine came over the other day and thought Cat was having a playdate because she "saw" a 3 kids in the playroom too! Chilly and I have seen a few spectral images ourselves. Connor saw a woman in a long suede coat and hat outside at dusk last night who simply vanished right before his eyes! Maybe we need to call Ghost Hunters!

We also had some uninvited guests running across the rooftop. While unpacking a few days after move-in, I kept hearing heavy pitter patter across the roof. I thought maybe it was a large raven or some kind of big bird. Uh, no...it was a couple of BOBCATS!!!!

Yeah...two stinkin' bobcats decided to play games on my roof! They were busted early one morning when we saw them jumping over the courtyard fence and then leaping up to the orange trees onto the roof!

I'm sure you can completely understand why I would wear this on my head when returning from a shopping trip from Ikea...(the big one went on my head...I'm all about multi-functional usage of household goods...) The garage is separate from the house so I had to protect my assets from a bobcat assault, you know?

Now that the dog is out and on patrol, the bobcats have gone buh-bye...whew!

To answer those of you who've inquired about Chilly....

Chilly's prognosis is pretty poor. His phosphorus and potassium levels are really high and are stressing his kidneys and heart. Without dialysis, Chilly's life expectancy is at best 6-9 months. With dialysis, maybe a couple of years.

Chilly has opted to pass on the dialysis. He doesn't want to do it. He's sick and tired of being sick and tired.

One of the difficult parts of this journey with Chilly is that back before his triple bypass, he chose to cancel his life insurance. (I know...I can hear you all gasping in shock...) He just didn't think he needed it. (Excuse me while I roll my eyes...) As you may imagine, that has been a source of frustration in my household. After his bypass (when he realized that he actually did need it), he found out that it was almost impossible to get it. We did find a company that would do it if he went for a year without any other heart attacks or major health events. It would be VERY EXPENSIVE (read...sacrificing a limb, your first born,etc...), but at least it was possible. Then came along Mr. Cerebellar Stroke and all hopes for a policy were dashed. No one will come near Chilly with a ten foot life insurance policy pole.

I decided to share this so that if you ever feel the need to cancel a life insurance policy, that you might think twice. Chilly believed that he would live long enough to put money aside for his retirement...that he would be around to take care of his family, etc. He truly didn't believe he would be dealing with multiple terminal illnesses and not live to see his children into adulthood. His monthly medical expenses are extremely high. I pray every day that I will be able to make it once he's no longer here. I'm scared...I'll just come right out and say it. But I have faith that God will guide me and that somehow it will all work out.

So on that bright and cheery note, I will bid you farewell....(yes, I'm still filled with sarcasm...)

I am back to blogging now and will be scooting around visiting you all...that's not a threat...it's a promise!

I love you all and thanks again for hanging with me through all of this craziness!

XoXo...

My A-Muse-ing Month of April.....

2010-04-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

All righty then! So, as per usual, I've had to be away from the blogosphere due to circumstances beyond my control. April has been one crazy month that started off with a bang! Teen Caveboy and I went to see 30 Seconds to Mars and Muse in concert. It was FABULOUS! (If you ever have an opportunity to see these bands...GO! They are amazing!) I completely embarrassed Teen Caveboy with my stalker-like papparazzi behavior of Jared Leto at the autograph tent...lol! I'm only 5'2 so I literally had to hold my camera over my head and just hope for the best...Here's what I got....

Oh, did I forget to mention that Mr. Leto is now sporting a pink mohawk???

I still love ya, Jared...but I will always be partial to this look..those eyes...sigh.....

And may I say that he was super nice to his fans...it was impressive!

We also saw Switchfoot, Five Finger Death Punch (yeah...I know...but they were super nice guys off-stage...) and Silver Sun Pickups. It was a long day, but we had a great time. Nothing like music to soothe a weary soul!

So, that's how we started April...mid-month we decided it was time to move to Tucson in order to be closer to Chilly's medical care. Chilly is in Stage 4 Renal (kidney) Failure (there are only 5 stages...the fifth stage being death...Chilly likes to do things in a very dramatic fashion...He's still getting around and doing his thing, but it's taking it's toll on him. Prayers are always welcome here:)

Currently, we live about 45 minutes from the hospital and his doctors. We've been house hunting, packing, etc. We found a wonderful house and it's 10 minutes from all of Chilly's doctors and the hospital. We are moving in June 1. Nothing like putting your house on the market and then moving 30 days later to add some zest to your life!

Now I must be off to do some personal grooming....My son called me Wolverine the other day to which Chilly replied, "do you call her that because she has a uni-brow?" WHAT?! After Connor finished his fit of hysterical laughter, he explained that my nails were toooo long and I was inflicting injury upon the family. So now, apparently I must go wax the brows and trim the nails or my kids are going to send me off to hang with Jacob in Forks. Personally, I'd prefer Wolverine to come whisk me away...

Have a fabulous weekend!

XoXo
dawn

Angels and Ear Trumpets...Chilly's Story

2010-03-31T12:56:00.000-07:00

I'm officially residing in the Land of Blog once again! Woo hoo!

Here's a recent photo of me...(ok...not really me, but a good depiction of my life as of late!)

This is one of the reasons for my blogging absence...my new deafness in my right ear..more on those sordid details in another post....

Now, I promised you the story about Chilly's Near Death Experience and I'm going to deliver it right now! Let us begin...

As you may remember, Chilly had a triple bypass surgery in March 2008. He died for 6 minutes during his recovery. Those six minutes completely changed his life.

Prior to his bypass, Chilly was blessed with many loved ones telling him they would pray for him and his speedy recovery. He shared with me that he thought all that praying was a waste of time...that it wouldn't make a difference anyway. Well, we all prayed for him anyway. Chilly was very negative about the surgery and it's outcome...just overall negative about everything at that point.

Day 3 of Chilly's recovery was also his 40th birthday...it was the day he died. He was very irritable all day long. I had not left the hospital once since his surgery. He finally told me that we (his father and I) needed to go home for the night. He was super grumpy, so we felt it was best to give him some space.

I was home for about 5 minutes when a call came from the hospital asking me to return immediately. The nurse would not tell me if Chilly was even still alive. She wouldn't answer any of my questions. We live 40 minutes from the hospital. Racing back to the hospital was the longest 40 minutes of my life. Upon my return to the hospital, I found a pastor standing outside Chilly's room, the crash cart (obviously used) and his room filled with about 20 doctors. Chilly was lying in the bed with his eyes closed. I heard the heart monitor beeping so I knew he was still alive.

"Why are you causing all of this drama here, Chilly?" I said trying to smile as I tried to walk with very shaky legs into his room. He opened his eyes and I could tell immediately that something had deeply affected him. He couldn't speak and his pupils were so dilated his eyes looked completely black. The doctors began telling me that he had coded shortly after I left. Thanks to Frank, an awesome nurse, Chilly's life was saved.

Once all of the hullaballoo was over and the doctors were gone, Chilly shared with me what happened during his "death." Keep in mind that prior to the surgery, Chilly didn't believe in the afterlife or the power of prayer. Here is his accounting of what happened...

"I felt like I went to sleep and woke up standing in a liquid sunrise that was all around me. It was deeply peaceful and I loved being there. I felt like it was pure peace and love. I didn't want to be anywhere else. There was really no sense of time there.

Two beings appeared...one on each side of me...It was almost like they were holding my hands. One was tall and one was short. They were made of light, and it appeared that they were wearing white robes. They had no faces, but I could "hear" them in my mind...I guess they were telepathing to me. We stood there looking out over the horizon together. They emanated a deep love and peace. They "asked" me if I was ready to go. I said I wanted to go get my family so they could see this. They indicated that the family could not be there. They "shared" with me that I had a choice. I could continue on with them, or I could go back. I decided to go back and get my family anyway. The next thing I remember is feeling pulled back and seeing the lights of the room above me. It was very startling to be back.

I learned that I had died for over 6 minutes. I'm grateful that I am back with my family. However, every day I miss that blissful peace that I felt. I was depressed for many months after the surgery because being in the sunrise was painless and peaceful. It felt like home. Being back has been difficult. Watching my family deal with all of my health issues is painful. I guess I still have unfinished business here.

I feel that what I experienced is God. It's very emotional to talk about my experience. I decided to share it so that others may find the same peace about the afterlife that I now have. I know that my loved ones that have passed are in a better place...a place of pure love. I know there is no more suffering there. I am no longer afraid to die."

~William Smith aka Chilly

Shortly after Chilly shared this with me in the hospital room, a nurse came in. He told her what happened. Later that evening, several researchers from the University of Arizona came in to document his experience.

Recently, we were watching a program on the Discovery Channel about NDE's and someone shared the same experience that Chilly had! Chilly was very moved by the man's story as it was almost identical to his own. Prior to having his Near Death Experience, Chilly would have laughed and thought you were crazy if you told him this happened to you. He was a complete non-believer. He knows better now!

Thanks for letting us share Chilly's story with you. I hope it will bring you some sense of peace about what lies before us.

I'm happy to be back! Looking forward to visiting all of my bloggy friends and family over the coming weeks!

XoXo

How About a Little Salsa?

2010-03-12T05:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! We've had a bundle of good times around here these last few weeks! Chilly has just returned from a fabulous visit at University Medical Center. He "enjoyed" a lovely trip to the acute care facility because his kidneys decided they no longer enjoyed working for him...let's just say they were failing fast...as in ready to bite the bullet in a matter of days if he refused hospitalization. His pancreas went on strike as well. All kidding aside, he is extremely fortunate that he survived. It wasn't looking so good there for a while. Happily, he has returned home and is much improved! He does miss the five star restaurant quality menu and food service he received while hospitalized. Seriously, it was like he was on vacation at Canyon Ranch Spa. He'll probably find some excuse to get himself hospitalized again just for the food!

It seemed for a moment that we were going to get some dance instruction or cooking lessons while visiting the hospital too. A nurse came to inform us that the SALSA Clinic was coming to see Chilly and me. Wow! How fun! Salsa lessons! Were we going to learn how to make a diabetic salsa or was some hunky dance instructor coming to teach us a little sexy Salsa dancing? Um...yeah....wrong on both counts....

SALSA stands for Southern Arizona LIMB SALVAGE Alliance...That's right, folks...LIMB SALVAGE! Nothing like hearing the words LIMB SALVAGE to brighten your day! Apparently, ~~my idiot husband~~ Chilly hadn't been taking very good care of a few blisters gone bad on his feet. (You would think that being in the hospital last June for 4 days for this very thing would make him realize that he has to take good care of his feet.) Anyhoo...he is now the proud owner of a lovely black boot/cast thingy on one foot up to the knee and a Frankenstein boot on the other. Niiiiiiice, Chilly....you are really stylin' now! He is seriously lucky he didn't lose a foot or two!

On the bright side, Chilly's neurologist finally cleared him to drive. I was thrilled! No more hour and a half trips to his office twice daily for me! (Yeah, three hours a day of my life for the last 7 months that I will never get back...yes, I am whining and complaining about that!) I could actually get back to my regular morning routine of blogging and coffee! Oh! Wait...did you hear that? That would be the screeching brakes of my hopes and dreams coming to a fast stop...Ironically, the moment he is cleared to drive, his hopes (and mine) are dashed....Dr. Miami of the SALSA Clinic (not his real name...just my name for him...and yes, he is a hottie....) put the big kabosh on driving for Chilly for another 3-6 months! Wha....???? I guess you can't go driving around in ginormous Frankenstein boots and foot casts. Can this husband of mine be any more high maintenance!?

So, there you have it....we are home...limbs and vital organs saved for now...
let's hope it stays that way for a while!

I will be posting a very special piece in a few days. It's taken me a year of bribery and nagging, but I've finally convinced Chilly to share what happened to him during his triple bypass two years ago. He had a near death experience that dramatically impacted the way he sees the world. He has never shared it with others...just close family. It was actually studied by researchers at the hospital...they take these events very seriously for research purposes. Recently, Chilly has found others who share the same kind of experience. I hope you'll swing by for a visit!

Thanks (again and again) for understanding my lack of blogging activity. I will hopefully visiting you all regularly starting next Monday. Just when I think I can get back in the saddle, I get the wind knocked out of my sails with unexpected hospitalizations! I am so grateful to all of you.

XoXo

Limbo and Leprechauns

2010-02-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

I've really been a blogging slacker lately....It seems that my days just fly by so quickly with running Chilly all over the place, home~schooling the kiddos, and now it appears that Chilly has probably suffered a couple of mini~strokes. I've received tons of emails inquiring about my bloggy absence and Chilly's health. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind concern. I'm overwhelmed by your kind thoughts and prayers! Here's a quick update on the Chillmeister....

Even though he realizes he has suffered some form of stroke (or most probable...multiple mini~strokes) Chilly is being stubborn and refusing medical treatment. He feels it won't stop the inevitable and may even make things worse. It is enormously frustrating. It just feels like we are always in limbo...waiting for something to improve or decline. In addition to all of this, my son's friend lost his mother to cancer last weekend. We attended her funeral this past week. Overall, it's been a difficult time for all of us.

Valentine's Day was difficult. We tried to enjoy the day, but in the back of our minds we knew it was probably our last together. He has lost consciousness on 3 occasions in the last week. He is definitely dealing with new neurological impairments over the last couple of weeks. His speech is seemingly more affected, his voice is becoming very raspy (this is actually stroke related)....his mobility has taken a turn for the worse. I cannot imagine what he must be feeling....his kidneys are so damaged...his eyesight is worsening...he's dealing with congestive heart failure...and now more stroke issues...His legs are so thin that I can't figure out how they continue to hold him upright. Every morning I wake up, I reach over to check his breathing. So far...so good....I have a newfound respect for caregivers, especially since becoming Chilly's caregiver. It's an enormous job physically, mentally and emotionally. This is diabetes at it's worst...I pray for a cure for this wretched disease every single day.

Enough with the pity party....Let's move on to brighter chit~chat....

St. Patrick's Day is around the corner! That means lots of Irish dance performances and parades around here! Last Tuesday, Irish Dancer Girl had a class with Michael Patrick Gallagher. (world renowned Riverdance lead!)

It was an amazing experience for her! He is simply the world's best Irish dancer, and our school is lucky to have him! I'll try for some video when he returns in a few weeks!

I asked her today if she would like to have a Leprechaun Luncheon to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. She rolled her eyes and said, "Mom, don't you know that leprechauns are "burnin" legends?" (I think she meant "urban" legends...hee hee hee...) Now, I'm on a mission to make her believe in leprechauns!

Thanks for your patience with me...I promise to be visiting your blogs over the next week. I've just been in a vulnerable place lately as well as never seeming to have 5 free minutes to sit down! I miss every single one of you!

XoXo

Dear So and So...Love Songs and Criminal Minds.....

2010-02-05T10:29:00.001-07:00

Dear Michael Buble,

I love you...really, really love you. Please feel free to come and sing for me any time you are in Arizona. I was feelin' sad this morning about Chilly and then I saw you singing this song....

I started tapping my toes, then I started be-bopping my head and shoulders, then I got up and danced around the family room. At first, my kids looked at me like I was a complete nutcase, but then Cat joined me in my happy dance. Thanks for making us smile...

You are the best!

XoXo

ps...You were hilarious on Saturday Night Live....LoVed your Hamm and Buble skit!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear C. Thomas Howell...

You were BRILLIANT as The Reaper on Criminal Minds (the best show on tv). ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! I was completely riveted during the 100th episode. I went through a rollercoaster of emotions watching that episode. It was the best acting I've seen in years. You terrified me! I actually had nightmares about that episode! Hope to see more of your fine talent in the future!

You rock!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Lady Who Threw Up All Over the Drive Thru Screen in Front of Me at McDonalds This Morning...

Thanks for ruining my coffee stop. You suck. I get that you were ~~drunk off your "a-word"~~ feeling ill...but seriously....projectile puking all over the drive thru screen is really not cool. Maybe next time, try opening your door and pointing your sick face to the ground. I wasn't "lovin' it" at McD's this morning all because of you.

Really Mad At You...

ps..you're lucky Michael Buble turned my frown upside down....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear White Christmas/Birthday/Valentine's Day Tree..

I realize you are probably feeling a bit out of your comfort zone. Let's just throw caution to the wind and see what fun we can have with you for a while! Maybe we can do something fun for Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day and more! I promise I won't cover you in footballs for Superbowl Sunday. I may dress you like a pirate for National Talk Like a Pirate Day though....just sayin'...

Thanks for understanding...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have a fabulous weekend, ya'll!

The City of Townsville Comes to Sahuarita

2010-02-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

(taps microphone...) Is this thing on?

Well, it appears that I have found my way back to the Land of Blog.

Whew! I thought I'd never get back here!

Lots of activity around the Smith house over the last month!

Some cute little 6 year old girl turned 7 last week!

We had fabulous Powerpuff Girls themed party!

(By the way...this is for the Boomerang network on tv...uh, yeah...thanks for bringing back the Powerpuff Girls...do you know how hard it is to find PPG themed party stuff, Boomerang???)

I spent over a month trying to win various ebay auctions for party supplies just to have some stupid person snipe my bid in the last 5 seconds of the auctions! I finally managed to outsmart the snipers and pulled together a pretty fantastic party. We had a "City of Townsville Carnival" complete with villains trying to wreck the fun. The Powerpuff Girls came to the rescue and the carnival was saved! Buh-bye, Mojo-Jojo! NO CAKE FOR YOU! (obscure Soup Nazi reference for Chilly...)

And yes...I still have one of my Christmas trees up. We just added birthday cards, gift ornaments, bows, etc. to give it a birthday party vibe. Just yesterday, I changed it to a Valentine's theme. I figure I may as well get my money's worth out of one of my trees! Watch out future holidays! You're next!

Speaking of ebay...do you have any fantastic (or horrifying) ebay stories for me? It's been a while since I visited ebay. I was like a maniac trying to win those auctions...I was yelling at the computer stuff like..."big money! no whammies!" while waiting for the countdown clock to hit zero..."just try and snipe me again, you ebay losers!"....My kids thought I'd completely lost my marbles. I think I did....my kids probably have them listed on ebay with free shipping...

Hope you are all having a fabulous week! It's so good to be back!!!

xoxo

Wicked Winds Are Blowin'...

2010-01-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

Wowza! We had some jacked up weather here in Arizona last night! I thought for sure we were going to end up in Oz or maybe New Mexico! We actually had a tornado watch! We had 75 mile an hour wind gusts, and did I mention...A TORNADO WATCH...in January!

I realize you might be laughing at me...maybe thinking I'm a big scaredy cat~sissy girl...(you're right)....but we do not have things like tornado watches in southern AZ....hence the reason I love living here....NO TORNADOS...I grew up in the midwest and I've had my fill of those nasty things. Today it's raining (LOVE the rain...it's a rare event here)....but tomorrow we are supposed to get 1-2" of SNOW! HELLO, Mother Nature! What the french toast is going on!?! I don't own a winter coat, Mother Nature...come on!

Update on my Precious (laptop) and her STD's....

It's official...my Precious should wear better condoms because apparently she gets around. She has multiple STD's and lots of wrinkles (meaning: tons of viruses and her video card is dying causing lots of red and blue lines across my monitor.) Her fans are going out causing her to over~heat (probably computer menopause)..She is five years old...(that's like 150 in human years.) I am only able to use her for very short periods of time (like 5 minutes once a day..ugh) before she finally bites the dust. I am hoping to have a new computer by the end of next week. I would love to have a new one right now, but Chilly requires medications...I know, it's really tempting to just slide on those meds for the hubster...heck, what's one more heart attack? (Just kiddin', Chilly....smoochies for you....) Wish me luck that I will be back and be a fully functioning blogger once again by month's end!

Congratulations to Irish Dancer Girl who won 4 medals at her latest feis! (pronounced "fesh"...it's an Irish Dance competiton) This wee 6 year old kicked Irish boot-ay! You rock my ghillies off, Cat! Mommy LoVeS you!!!!

As ALWAYS, thanks for hanging with me through all of my drama lately! I really miss the blogging world, but hope to return by week's end. We've also been trucking Chilly to and from multiple doc appts, etc. He seems to have stabilized for a bit. Let's hope it stays that way for a while!

XoXo!

What's New, Pussycat? Tainted Love All Around....

2010-01-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

I'll tell ya' what's new....there's tainted love at my house....

My Precious (nickname for my laptop) has contracted an STD...(Stupid Technical Disease.)

Some Jerkity McJerk Jerk infected my laptop with a virus. I am not a happy bee...This virus actually reconfigured my anti-virus software to pretend like it was still working...ugh...It also possibly infected my flash drives too....fabulous (insert sarcasm).....

I will be taking Miss Precious and her flash drives to the Computer Guru tomorrow...these guys know their STD's....I hope there is a cure!

I do realize the holidays are over and I really need to change out my header! I haven't completely lost my mind...yet.....I will be sporting a new look as soon as my computer disease is healed:)

Oh, and here's the icing on the cupcake of my day....a huge mountain lion decided to come hang out in my yard this evening! Yep, it completely freaked me out! I haven't seen it in the last half hour so hopefully it has moved on! Good times at the Smith house!

(This isn't my house, but it was taken in Tucson! This looks exactly like the one in my yard!)

Bee Back Soon!

ps...if you have been receiving Anonymous comments with lots of weird symbols or strange fonts, do NOT publish them...they may contain virus codes....especially if they keep hitting an old post repeatedly....

Dear So and So...Happy New Year Edition (I'm officially One today!!)

2009-12-31T08:24:00.014-07:00

(I know I'm a day early for Dear So and So...oopsy!)

Dear Blog,

Happy 1st Birthday! You are growing up so fast! It seems like only yesterday I was changing around your headers and sidebars...feeding you with lots of words and pictures to help you grow. I realize I have been sort of a latch~key Momma lately. I promise going forward into the new year that I will take better care of you! I will spend more time nurturing you and a new makeover is coming! I also promise more play~dates with old bloggy pals and we'll make some new ones too!

With Much Love,
Momma Bee

Dear New Toothbrush Holder,

You are simply freakin' cool. I know my family thinks you are weird, but I love you. I know you are for holding toothbrushes and toothpaste, but I think I'll hang some jewelry on you instead.

Thanks for the giggles,

Dear Teen Caveboy,
Thank you for giving me your old iPod when Santa brought your new one. I loved that you wrapped it too! You are awesome! I am happy to be the recipient of any of your "old school" techie gadgets...I can't wait to see what Mother's Day brings! (hint hint...how about moving your sweet flat screen TV to my office?) Yeah, I know...that's just Mommy crazy talking again:)

Love,

p.s. For the family members who asked for a photo of Teen Caveboy's room re~do...His flat screen now sits where his Christmas tree is in the photo...Will take more photos later....

Dear Stupid Blog Comment Spammers...

REALLY??? Stop with the stupid Viagra and Cialis comment spam already! Obviously, you don't read my blog or you would know that I do NOT have a penis so therefore would not have use of those medications...and why is it that you keep spamming the same post (Marshmallow World?) Sounds like you might be describing your own "you know whatsy"....just sayin'....

Sick and Tired of Rejecting Your Comments,
Frustrated BEE

Dear New Year (2010),

I welcome you with open arms! I can't wait to see what you have in store for us! We would love a year of happy~happy / joy~joy at the Smith house in 2010! Please feel free to keep away all illnesses, hospital visits, financial ruin, etc. (Oh, and go put some clothes on...it's too cold to be running around in a diaper and top hat...)

Thanks for your very kind understanding,

Dear Fellow Citizens of Blogland,

I LOVE YOU! I am truly and deeply grateful for your unfailing support over this past year! You stuck with me through my computer crashing, my challenges with Chilly and his health....you are all simply the BEST!

Wishing all of you a very prosperous and joyous New Year!

With Much Love and Gratitude,

Smith Family Festival of Trees!

2009-12-21T23:36:00.000-07:00

We've been busy bees with our holiday preparations here at the Smith household! We have 7 trees...yep, it's the "Festival of Trees" at our house! (This drives Chilly absolutely bonkers!) I'm sure Santa will be completely confused when he arrives! He'll probably try to find a liquor cabinet from the stress of it all! (sorry Santa...no liquor cabinet here!)

Here is the Smith Family Festival of Trees rundown...

The FAMILY TREE ~ covered in heirloom ornaments, family photos, hand~crafted ornies from the kiddos and crocheted snowflakes from my grandma, Gigi....

(taken while we were still in the process of decorating it...)

Irish Dancer Girl's Tree ~ a six foot white tree filled with fairy finery, fashionistas, princesses and pretty things...

Teen Caveboy's Tree ~ covered in his favorite cartoon characters and Nightmare Before Christmas pals with a big Jack Skellington sitting at the top...(I was forbidden to photograph it by TC...ugh...teenagers...)

S'mores Tree ~ we have a tree devoted entirely to S'mores...I have no idea why I let my kids drag me down this marshmallow road...(our S'mores kept getting washed out by my flash...these are imposters posing as our s'mores...)

The Kitchen Tree ~ filled with cookies and candies...

(apparently, zombies love this tree...they keep showing up here in groups...I know that dreadful moaning I heard coming from the kitchen must have been zombie caroling...they left this behind...)

Petite Pink Princess Tree with Tiara Topper ~ in Irish Dancer Girl's room....

Black Tree ~ in Teen Caveboy's bunker....covered in Coca Cola ornaments, red lights, and black & red plaid ribbon...I love this tree!

I even have a teeny tiny Charlie Brown tree on my desk...

So, there you have it! We are tree decorating fools around here! My goal is to find a vintage aluminum tree for next year!

And speaking of zombies...

Zombie, I tried to warn you...I'm sure being skewered by a unicorn and surrounded by jeering princesses is your idea of a fabulous time...(scroll down to the post below if you're confused...)

Wishing you all a very happy Tuesday!

xoxo

ps...for those who've inquired about Chilly...We received some difficult news this past Friday...Chilly's kidneys appear to be failing rapidly. This is putting more stress on his already very damaged heart. They are watching him very closely for another stroke as well. His eyesight is starting to deteriorate again due to the extensive vascular damage in his body. We are just grateful that he is home with us and that we can be together this Christmas.

Your very kind words and prayers are deeply appreciated. It really does make a difference in our lives knowing so many people send their love. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Dear So and So...Right Down Santa Claus Lane

2009-12-07T15:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday!

I will be bending the rules a bit and post my Friday's "Dear So and So" post today! "Dear So and So" is brought to you by the lovely Kat over at 3 Bedroom Bungalow!

Let us begin...

Dear Zombie Who Showed Up at Cat's Gingerbread Cottage Last Night....

I can appreciate that you are "undead" and may still enjoy some holiday cheer. However, you may find that a six year old girl, who's gingerbread cottage has been defiled by the likes of you, can be a very dangerous enemy. It's probably best to drag your half eaten limbs and exposed brain off to the mall or some other favorite zombie haunt. Seriously, you don't want to mess with Irish Dancer Girl. She has moves that can put even the most fearsome zombie to shame. Last year, we had a monster with weird shoes show up and this is what happened....

That's right...a monster homicide…Irish Dancer Girl was busted in the back yard with a shovel and a fresh pile of dirt…you better watch out, Zombie….

Wishing You "Season's Eatings",

p.s. Zombie, don't think I don't know who you are working for...this has Teen Caveboy's prints all over it...Your hint for L4D2 is noted, Teen Caveboy.

Dear Cheeseballs, Chex Party Mix and Other Assorted Christmas Yummies,

I will miss you terribly this year since my mom will be in Ohio for the holidays and will not be slaving away in the kitchen to make you for my eating pleasure. Oh, I know...she gave me that fantastic binder with all of your delectable recipes in it so that I can make them myself....but it just isn't the same without my Mommy's love.

Hoping that Mom Reads This and Feels Horribly Guilty,

Dear Friends and Family in Blogland...

Your loving support, emails and awesome comments have really kept my family's spirits up. I am so blessed to have you all in my life (cyber or otherwise!) I promise to be visiting you all more often now that things are slowing down. You have truly changed my world, and I am forever grateful!

With Much Love and Gratitude,

Love...Actually is All Around....

2009-12-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

In my attempts to feel fabulous and festive, I've decided to have a Christmas film festival for myself this week. I would love any suggestions! I will definitely be watching my two all time favorites...

"Love Actually" never fails to make my heart feel full. I highly recommend it for holiday viewing! Who can resist the charms of Bing Crosby & Danny Kaye in "White Christmas?" I always wanted one of those gorgeous red gowns with white fur...simply divine!

Once you hear the music from "Love Actually", you won't be able to stop singing Bill Nighy's rendition of "Christmas is All Around." All of the "Love Actually" music is superb, especially the instrumental pieces by Craig Armstrong. I listen to the soundtrack all year round! And Colin Firth and Liam Neeson are in this film....how can you pass that up?!

I also adore "The Holiday" too....I know...I am a big, sappy romantic when it comes to Christmas movies!

So, please help a sister out! I'd love to know what your holiday faves are! I need some ideas! I've got my special popcorn with white chocolate chips ready to go!

xoxo,