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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Time for a Toxic Dump

It doesn't seem possible that the New Year is just a few days away.  This past year has seemed to fly by.  I felt that this past year has been one of the best in a long time.  I don't know if I can contribute it to one thing or to a combination of different things.  I am grateful for many things this year.

Spending time with family for one.  It's been different - not having Bigfoot around as much.  Not having him depend on us so much.  He has is own job.... life... he turned 21... got engaged....  He doesn't talk to me as much as he used to, which is sad.  But I also know that that's part of him growing up & moving on.  I thought it would be really sad this first Christmas not to have him waking up under our roof.  But it wasn't.  It was quieter.  The Lego King received the long awaited Lego train with power functions.... and the Princess was surprised with an electric guitar.

The other thing that has changed for me this year is my attitude.  It's been a long time coming I think.  Not taking things so personally, not being offended by people's opinions.  Not really caring so much that they have a different opinion.  I've been getting rid of those 'toxic' things in my life.  A toxic dump - literally & figuratively.  THAT may be the most significant change I think.  In the literal sense I've been getting rid of toxic people in my life.  I've been leaving behind relationships that cause me pain & heartache.  I've made a conscious choice to NOT involve myself in family arguments or those of friends that don't involve me - even though others have tried to suck me in.  "What do YOU think?"  "Didn't so & so do that to you too?"  "I think that so & so should have this or that happen to them.  Don't you?" ..... gossip, gossip, gossip..... and believe me I love gossip along with the best of them.... however, I have been really trying to just listen & let it drop with me.... instead of passing it along to someone else.

Figuratively, I've been doing a toxic dump with stuff.... I've been decluttering throughout the year & have continued to fill the 'Donate Box' as I've gone along.  Some weeks it's been filled faster than others.  I've been getting rid of stuff that I don't need, don't use, don't want, don't like.  As I've been getting rid of things, I've been really looking at them & thinking about the memories that they bring.  For instance, I had this Christmas ornament that was an old fashioned sled - you know the kind with metal runners.  I loved it!  It was just the kind of ornament that was right up my alley.  However, it was given to my ex-husband & me as a wedding present from his mother's best friend.  So every time I saw that ornament, I thought of him & our marriage.  Toxic thoughts - sadness, anger, resentment.  So, I decided that I didn't want to have those thoughts.  I didn't want to waste time in my brain thinking those toxic thoughts.  Even though I liked the ornament, I donated it.  I decided that I liked NOT having toxic thoughts better than seeing that ornament.  Thinking about stuff like that has helped me declutter, when I have had trouble deciding about something.

I'm grateful that this year has brought many blessings.  And that the level of toxicity has decreased.  I'm looking forward to a New Year with an even greater Toxic Dump!

How about you?  What will be in your Toxic Dump at the end of 2012?

Bye!  Love you!  Have a good day, Dear!

PS:  I'm trying out a 'Blog Hop' .... let me know what you think...

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Watch out Rudolph!!!

Watch out Rudolph there is a killer Santa on the loose!!   He has a taste for venison!  Oh NO!!   I caught him in the act, here's a picture to prove it!!  Notice the surprised look on his face and binoculars in his pack to search you out!  Behind him he's got apples for bait!!  Look at the deer he has near his feet & near the basket of apples.  He borrowed them from Uncle Bubba!!  It's a trick!!!  They're fake!!  Stay back Rudolph!!  Awww!  It's too late!  Look away!  Look Away!!!  He got Blitzen!!!  Gross!  He was decapitated!!  Bad Santa!!!

Santa caught in the act!

We just got this Christmas card & we thought we'd bust, laughing about the Killer Santa.  If you look closely you can see the body of the deer.  At first it just looked like he was holding a deer head.  *snicker*

I am sitting back today with a sigh of relief.  Almost all Christmas shopping was completed today.  The only thing that needs to be purchased is a gift card.  I also want to get some scratch-off Lottery tickets.  We've invited my single cousin and his mom, my Aunt for our Annual Christmas Brunch.  If they show up, there will be just a little something under the tree - even if it's just a bunch of scratch offs & a plate of cookies.  I figured I would just wrap up a couple of candles for my Aunt.

King Turd of Poop Mountain has one gift that was ordered from Amazon.  Hopefully it will arrive in time.  They are red polar fleece footie pajamas!  *snicker*  He put them on his Christmas List and I got them.  He didn't want the 'drop seat' so, he'll get to experience the freezing cold of the bathroom after being toasty warm.  Don't ask me how I know.... oh alright.... I had footie pajamas as a kid & teenager & most recently a thing called a 'potato sack'... very similar to footie pajamas except it looks like a big rectangle of material with cuffs at the wrist, ankles & neck.  It was so big that I was able to wear it while I was VERY pregnant.  I looked rather 'snappy' with my teal 'potato sack' and my bright yellow Crocs .... especially when I walked waddled around.... Ahem!!!  Ok, you can stop laughing now... Hey!  HEY!!!  Oh, never mind....

The Princess has been busy all afternoon baking.  She's made several quarts of popcorn for Caramel Corn, along with Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies & she's got the dough for Sugar Cookies chilling in the fridge.  She also asked for ingredients for fudge.  I can't wait to see what else she decides to bake up!  Yeah for us for having a Culinary Arts student at our house!!

How are your final Christmas preparations wrapping up (pun intended)?  Hopefully you've had some comic relief while you've been busy.

Bye!  Love you!  Have a good day, Dear!


Saturday, December 10, 2011

She's a Super Freak....

She's a super freak.... super freak.... she's super freaky.... that's how I'm feeling about now.  I was thinkin' I had it all under control.  until I read Bigfoot's fiance's recent Facebook post (evil Facebook).  Now, I'm freaking out.... dang it!!  (ok... so it's slightly better after having a cup of Tension Tamer tea & 'getting over it')...

See... around here the Pre-Christmas Rules are 1.  Pass around your Christmas List  2.  Do NOT buy anything off your Christmas List for yourself during the month of December.   Bigfoot forgot to tell her the rules.  So... when they sorta broke the first rule and I had to ask for some ideas for Christmas they gave me only two.... Yep, two.... One was a Down Comforter and the other was a Gel Mattress Pad for their bed. Soooo... I ended up buying them both for them and I got them last week.  And today said fiance' went out & bought her own Mattress Pad & already stuck it on the bed.  Now I have to send the one I bought back.... hopefully. 

Now what do I get them?  I have only met her a few times.  I feel a little a lot out of the loop.  I feel dumb that I don't know what to get my son for Christmas... let alone his fiance' of one month.  Does that happen when some kids get older?  Especially boys?  It makes me sad.  Like I don't know him anymore.  I don't know.... They're coming over tomorrow to pick up her Birthday Card.  Her Birthday was Tuesday.  We'll talk then.

The other things that are freaking me out are just stupid things.  Like my To Do List:  This morning when I got up it had 26 things on it... things that I hope to accomplish this weekend. I have done 5.  *sigh*

I have really tried to make it a To Do List instead of a Project List.  A To Do List is stuff that can be accomplished in 1 step.  A Project List is something that takes more than 1 step.  Take the bathroom for instance.  A Project List would be 'Clean Entire Bathroom'.  A To Do List would be 1. Clean Toilet  2. Clean Shower  3. Clean Sink, etc.

I'm thinking that I'd like to be baking some cookies or something tomorrow when Bigfoot & Bigfootette get here tomorrow.  Possibly asking her if she'd like to help.  Do you think that would make me seem warm as a future Mother-In-Law?  She doesn't know me well enough to 'get' me joking with her... as most of my joking is sarcastic.... So I'm thinking that I'll have to do the 'nice' stuff until she gets to know me & I can joke with her.

Hopefully, the next time I chat with you all... I won't be a Super Freak.

Bye!  Love you!  Have a good day, Dear!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Princess In Training

It's been very exciting in Duckville this past week.  We've been shopping & primping & practicing & breaking in high heels.  Yes, it's that time of year again, time for Semi at our local High School.  This was the Princess' first Semi Dance.  And I just have to say it does not seem possible.  My very own Princess is growing up before my very eyes.  And this past weekend, those eyes got very watery..... like.... drippy watery.... *sniff, sniff, waaahhhh*  If it was allergy season I could blame it on that, but I can't.  It's all her fault!!! 

Come on... let's take a walk down memory lane:

She's gone from this...

To this....

To this bright eyed & bushy-tailed girl... *snicker*

To this kick-ass girl!!
   

My gorgeous Princess!
To this beautiful & stunning young woman!

I do have to say that she was absolutely stunning.  When we were talking about her night, she mentioned she had said to her boyfriend that she noticed that about 5 other guys had 'checked her out'.  His reply was 'Oh, yeah, well more than 5 'checked you out'.... a LOT more!'   Which made her kinda grin.

That's what went on at our house this weekend.  What happened at yours?

Bye!  Love you!  Have a good day, Dear!

PS.  Please ignore the silly box above the pic.  I was lucky that I could figure out how to get them side by side!

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Arise! The Queen Cometh!


First, let me set the stage.... Do-do-do-do Do-do-do-do (think - Twilight Zone).... 

There I stand, dressed in a sparkly-silver-lame'-sequins-dress..... a pair of matching strappy high heeled shoes... my hair & make-up perfect.... waving, blowing kisses towards all 8 of my adoring fans...(listen, it's MY Twilight Zone Dream)... I walk gracefully up on stage, smiling as I look out towards the bright lights.... Someone approaches from the left... Oh look!!! Here comes Kerrye from Impossible Cleanliness...  What?  What's that you say, Kerrye?  You're presenting me with The Versatile Blogger Award?  Oh. My. Goodness! (a sob catches in my throat *gulp, sniff, sniff)  Thank you!  Thank you so much!!!  I curtsy, tears glistening in my eyes.....my fans clap & whistle joyously!! Stage fade right..... 




Snap, Snap, Snap!!!  Back to reality people...

There are rules ya know... rules you have to follow when you accept awards... So here they are:

A.  I have to share 7 things about myself with you, and
B.  I have to pass this award on to 15 bloggers I think deserve it.

The Seven Super Secret Things (Dum-dum-duuuuummmmm!)

1.  I grew up in farm country - I spent quite a few summers doing field work a couple of those jobs were sorting & setting cabbage and detasselling corn (yes, detasselling IS a word - it's where you rip the tassels off the top of one variety of corn stalks so that it can pollinate with another variety so you can hopefully 'develop' a stronger variety corn).

2.  I was chosen as Senior Class Flirt during High School.

3.  I don't like scary movies.  The last scary movie I watched was one of the Dawn of the Dead movies on VHS tape with my younger brother during the mid-80's.  I had nightmares for weeks after that.  I have not watched a scary movie since.

4.  I have a lead-foot when it comes to driving. 

5.  I have a secret stash of chocolate-covered caramel popcorn hidden in the backroom.  Only the Princess & I know it's there.  We call it our PMS Popcorn.

6.  I have re-gifted Christmas & Birthday presents.

7.  I am not bothered by someone who calls me a BITCH.  I actually take it as a compliment.  While attending a Domestic Violence Counseling Group a friend of mine told us that it was just an acronym for:  Beauty In Total Control of Herself.  I choose to believe that.  And generally when someone calls me that, they're just angry because they are not in control.  I have a magnet on my fridge that says:  "You call me a Bitch like it's a bad thing!"

The 15 bloggers who also deserve this award are as follows:
 1.  A Slob Comes Clean
 2.  Chillmoms
 3.  Clean, Smart, Simple Style
 4.  Controlling My Chaos
 5.  Declutter Daily
 6.  I'm an Organizing Junkie
 7.  Laundry Hurts My Feelings
 8.  The Bearded Iris
 9.  The Creative Homemaker
10.  A Real Housewife of NYC
11.  The Scott's Crib
12.  The Feral Turtle
13.  Divine Secrets of a Domestic Diva
14.  The Frazzled Homemaker
15.  Love Living Simply

I love reading all of these blogs.  They make me laugh or give me ideas or make me think (Ouch!!!)  Hopefully you'll love them as much as I do.... So I shall now make a decree to:   Go forth & multiply-blog-follower-numbers!!

I always get all goofy & giggly when someone new joins my little list of minions blog followers.  It always makes me do a happy dance around the kitchen (the Princess & I grab hands & jump up and down - the 'boys' think we're weird)... so anyhoot, I know that all of the above mentioned bloggers get that tingly-giggly feeling too (although - they may not dance around like me)...  

Don't forget to congratulate them for winning The Versatile Blogger Award!  And don't forget to check out Kerrye's blog - Impossible Cleanliness for cool cleaning tips & decorating ideas!  Thanks again, Kerrye!

Bye!  Love you!  Have a good day, Dear!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Deal of the Day

I love, love, love deals.  I jokingly say that my favorite word is 'CLEARANCE' or better yet, the word 'FREE'!  My kids have slunk low down in the seats of the van so that no one can see them when I have stopped & grabbed something along the edge of the road.  I'm not one of those people who pick up stuff just because it's sitting there along the road.  I grab it if it's something I can use.  For example - you know those round-spinning-chip-displays that they have at convenience stores?  The tall tower-like ones that hold about 100 individual bags of chips?  Well, I found one of those along the road, slammed on the brakes & jammed it in the back of the van.  I use mine to hold scrapbook supplies so I can see them.  I had just been looking at those cool spinning towers that hold stuff & didn't want to pay what they wanted.  This works great & was FREE!!!

This past weekend, the Princess & I made a thrifting trip.  We stopped at some local thrift stores to check them out.  I was primarily looking for dessert plates, bowls  & serving pieces for my set of Christmas dishes.  About 9 years ago King Turd bought me a whole set of Christmas dishes, just because I had said I had always thought it would be fun to have some.  He surprised me - such a mush.  Anyhoot, they have been well 'loved' and the snowman image has faded & worn off.  So I thought I'd look for new ones.  Found plates last year at Goodwill for $1 each, a Debbie Mumm set put out by Oneida.  Then a month or so ago I found the coffee mugs to match.  I figured that I might find more as thrift stores put out Christmas items.  Well, didn't find the dishes, but I did find alot of other things.

First we stopped at Volunteers of America, nothing much there, so we moved along to Lilly's Consignment Shop.  Lilly's has been in business for over 25 years.  They have nice clean clothing & household items there.  The Princess was looking for new jeans.  While she was trying some on, I went exploring.  I found an Eldreth Pottery Nativity Set for $19.  It matches my Salt-Fired Santa Collection.  The Princess found 3 pairs of jeans



                           

for $8 each, she was happy.  We moved on from there & headed to Goodwill.  Talk about 'Deal of the Day', we made a 'killin'!  On the way I mentioned to The Princess that she might want to look for a dress for Prom, since they sometimes have brand new dresses for $15 or so.  Then she mentioned that 'Semi' was going to be in December & she'd like to go.  So we decided to look for a dress for that.  We found a beautiful halter-style dress that was mid-calf length for $9.  I can't wait to take pictures of her all 'dolled up'.  Then we moved over to housewares & toys (we're always on the lookout for legos for the Lego King).  We found 2 wooden stools with woven-grass seats for $3 each.  Then we found 6 ladderback kitchen chairs with rushed seats - $4 each!!!  Sweet!!!



I love finding deals that make my home & family comfortable.  I've been pretty picky about what comes into the house in the past couple of years.  Having that yard sale this summer opened my eyes even more to the crap that is brought in vs. the crap taken out.  I haven't grabbed stuff 'just because',  I've tried to only pick up stuff to make our life better and bring us joy.  Not to stuff ourselves or our home with possessions.  I continue to toss & sort & declutter as I go.  It's a work in progress, I'm just careful as to which Deal of the Day I purchase.

What is your best Deal of the Day?

Bye!  Love you!  Have a good day, Dear!

 
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