A little turkey and some wine....

Makes me silly....Just wanted to post some pics from Turkey Day of what happens when we drink the vino and dont get it on our sauce hands!

 Cooking with my BFF.. We like to coddle each other while we cook...LMAO.

 Choking my BFF because she was being a pain in the ass with the placement of the cheese on the platter.

Licking my BFF because, well, I just felt like it

                      Goofing around with my Momma and my Uncle Robert

                                                             Kissing my new brother in law because sleeping beauty was pooped from all the turkey eating

10 things you dont know about me...

I was reading a magazine yesterday and in the back there was a section called
10 Things You Didn't Know About  Insert Celebrity Name Here


 While I am the furthest thing from a celebrity, I thought this would be fun... Here it goes:


1.  I am a stickler with driving. I do the speed limit or no more than 5 miles over. Seat belts are mandatory. Turning signals are abused. I don't know why, but the older I get the more cautious I become. Probably because kids are in the car.  That and the fear of being pulled over, because my sick little brain thinks maybe  the lollipop I stole in elementary school was finally reported and they identified me & now there's a warrant and I am busted. LMAO.


2. My nickname in highschool was DFG. This was given to me by the father of my high school boyfriend. I had just met him and within minutes he says, "we are going to call you DFG." I don't know why, but later on after my ex & I had broken up, he revoked it saying that he didn't mean it and it wasn't until after me that his son started bring home girls that lived up to the nickname. But it did stick in our little circle. Can you figure out what DFG stands for?


3. I am on a life journey to find the best pair of jeans. I believe they are out there. That there has to be at least one designer that understands that because I have big hips and need a size above a 5 that that doesn't mean I have thick legs or a fat ass.  That I can find a pair of jeans that fits my waist perfectly without having to get the legs and butt taken in by a seamstress. That I will just put them on & they will fit perfectly. This theory has cost me a lot of money in jeans being that I don't try things on. There was a time when I owned 84 pairs of jeans that I had purchased in a 6 month period because proving this to be true became an obsession.


4. I believe in soul mates. I believe that there is more than one soul mate for each person that you connect and reconnect with in different capacities throughout lifetimes... They don't have to be connections in a romantic sense, sometimes they can be your parents, friends, relatives, strangers on the street....  I believe I have met 2 of mine so far in my life.


5. I want to own an antiques store. I would love to also have handcrafted items from locals to sell in my store. I already have the name picked out as well as the design of the store. I even have a copyright on the name.


6. I have nightmares at least once a week about falling.... Usually I am falling down the stairs at the house I grew up in. I never hit the steps going down. It sort of feels like I am being shoved from behind down them and I always wake up before I hit the bottom...


7. I can name almost every constellation in the sky on any given night. I was obsessed with astronomy when I was kid. Everyone thinks they can point out the big dipper, they are usually wrong about it, but I will let them have it.

 8. I can't walk past a charity or donation set up outside a store without giving something. This also goes for homeless people who ask for money. If I don't have anything on me to give, I feel guilty for days afterwards. I also have the need to talk to old people when I see them sitting by themselves eating because it breaks my heart that they might be lonely and maybe a little conversation, even from a stranger, would make their day.


9. I am obsessed with the blog http://www.remodelaholic.com/ and I must check it every 3 hours or so to see what is on it now. I want to do every single project on there. Actually let me check it now.

10. The second I cross the whitestone bridge, I feel like my confidence and self esteem rise 50% higher than what is was the second before I crossed the bridge. There is something about being back in LI and/or Queens for me that makes me feel more secure, more attractive and happier. Maybe I feel like me again when I am home, I dont know... It's weird, but its a good weird.

You dont own a cell phone?!

I love this reaction from people. NO I don't own a cell phone. I am grateful too that I don't own one.

I did, I loved it, but now I just don't. I could if I wanted one but I have no desire to constantly be attached to a little rectangular box to feel connected to the people I love.

Have you noticed how socially awkward people have become? No one talks to each other. No one has real conversations. See because I cant throw you a one line text means I actually have to put effort into a relationship with you.

Meaning: if you are worth my time you will know it.

The following things have solidified me not getting one either:
( That's right I broke out the bullets)

• Kids walking down the block together, not talking to one another but staring at their cell phones and texting. When I was a kid one of my favorite things to do was to walk around Massapequa with my friends & talk. And talk and talk and talk. We would laugh, we say silly things, and through those walks we get to know each other. It is some of the fondest memories I have of my childhood.

• Friends sitting at my house and in the middle of a conversation breaking out the cell phone to text someone or talk to someone. I mean seriously, could you be any ruder? That makes me nuts. I was taught when you have company you answer your phone & politely say, I have company may I call you back later... Or you don't answer your phone because caller ID is a beautiful thing and if it is an emergency they will call you until you pick up..

• Being on line a store, we are waiting, we all want to get out of there, but I don't need to hear you badmouthing your kids or spouse in the process. I have my own issues, I don't need to be involved in yours now. Plus its rude to the cashier. They are not invisible, you can acknowledge their existence, they probably hate their job and you make it worse. It wouldn't kill you to smile, say how are you today & maybe a thank you when you are finished. GET OFF YOUR PHONE.

I feel like people are too connected, like they cant be alone. They have to talk to someone constantly to feel cared about. It's crazy to me. You sit there & stare at your phone waiting for someone to text you or you call people for no reason just so you can talk to anyone so you are talking.

Can I tell you how freeing it was.. To be able to say, Oh you called? I wasn't home. Sorry I missed you! Not, why didn't you pick up your phone. With a cell phone you are supposed to be available to everyone at every moment. That is insane to me, its like never being alone ever.

My daughter of course wants one, I mean come on Mom, I'm ten, everyone has one.... O'well! I want you to be able to have a conversation face to face. I want you not to be socially awkward when you are 16 because you only know how to text people and not converse properly... I want you to be able to spell not abbreviate....

I don't know. I see the plus, the car breaks down you can call for help, you can call your kids anytime to see what they are doing.. You are at the store and want to ask someone a size..

Here's the thing.... people managed to get help before a cell phone if their car broke... You might have to walk to get help, but hey obesity is a problem so maybe walking is good.  We survived as kids without  constant communication with our parents... Kids can still lie to you over a cell phone about where they are... And people tended to figure it out on their own, the would take an educated guess, they didn't need to phone a friend...

So when people ask me are you going to get a cell phone? No, I'm not. Not anytime soon. Call my house phone and no you cant text that.

Happy Birthday Nanny

Today is my Grandmother's birthday... Her 34th birthday, according to her.

So I just wanted to take today's post to wish my Nanny a very, very, happy birthday! I love you Nanny!

She is my most favorite person in all the world.... I don't think she knows it but she is. She is the glue that keeps our family together & the reason we are all so close. She is the most loving, kindest, honest, purest, selfless person in the world. People could only dream of having a grandmother like her. I am fortunate enough to call her mine. 

Tell us about five things you want to do before you die...

Tell us about five things you want to do before you die....

Everyone has their own bucket list right? Being that I am only 29 mine you can imagine that mine is alot more than 5 things... So I picked the top ones...Now just be warned, I am a relatively simple person, I don't want to do anything crazy like jump out of plane, or swim with sharks.... Mine are more about moments than scaring the crap out of myself.

#1. I want to see my kids grown, accomplished and happy. Each with their own bright future ahead, living their lives, accomplishing their dreams and becoming the people I knew they would.

#2. I want to travel... I want to visit every state in the U.S., then explore all over Europe. I want to visit every country I can. Learn about all cultures, see all the history & beauty that the world has to offer. Spain would most likely be my first stop, then Greece, followed by Italy, then its where ever my suitcase takes me.

#3. I want to own my own business. I want to own a quaint little shop that sells items from antiques to handmade goods. I want to offer delicious homemade desserts with tea. I want to have a little outdoor area that people can sit, drink their tea. I want to own it in an artsy little town with alot of tourism...

#4. I want to have a re-do of my wedding,  new groom and all... I want to have it in a vineyard, down a row of grape vines, lit by candles & white lights. I want a beautifully set table, long enough to seat everyone we love. I want a quiet band to play love melodies in the background while everyone drinks wine & dances. I want to wear a simple white dress. I want a photographer that can capture that kind of magic. I want to read vows written by us, in our own words.

#5. I want to spend every second weekend of July for the rest of my life, sitting on a blanket in Hartford, CT, listening to live Jazz music under the stars at the Hartford Jazz Festival. I want to spend the days of this weekend touring Hartford & visiting all the beautiful gardens, architecture, restaurants and culture. I want to drink my wine at the roof top bar within walking distance of my hotel. I want to be in this place because it was where, I believe, I experienced true happiness for the first time.

You really can use duct tape for ANYTHING...

Potty training sucks. PERIOD.
If you have OCD like me, it really sucks.
If you have OCD & a weak stomach... It's the biggest suck something can suck.

Now that we have that established....
My 2 yr old, the beast, is at the milestone of learning to go on the potty,  near the potty, well, anywhere she takes her diaper off.

She takes her diaper off constantly. Like every 5 minutes. Which is great because it means she is ready, right? Um NO. She hates the diaper but equally hates the potty. We have the seat that goes over the potty so you can go like Mommy & sissy.. Wont use it, just wastes toliet paper.
We have the potty that sings when you go in it.... She learned you can stand in it & it will sing too.

Lately she is taking her diaper off as soon as she poops. I normally will get it off within 5 minutes but that is not fast enough. The past week, I have walked in her room to find her in her crib, poop diaper off, white crib now brown. NASTY. Then there are times I hear water splashing... Oh but it's not water she has peed & is splashing in it like she is playing a rain puddle....On the coffee table... She thinks it funny, Mommy not so much. This is only bad when its bed time & nap time.... I have to sleep eventually people. I cant be up all night worry about Poop.

So I reached out to my Mommy friends on facebook & asked them what to do.. How to keep the diaper on when needed. One said keep pants on her... I do , she knows how to take them off, even Jeans and leggings. ( I still have a hard time taking off leggings) One said pull ups.. She rips them at the sides or just pulls them down. That is a nasty mess to clean too when she slides it down.
Then someone mentioned DUCT TAPE. Tape the diaper on her. I thought about this. I wavered between I cant, that's horrible, to that's genius. I went with GENUIS.

Why not? You can fix everything else with duct tape. I happen to have some... Let's gve it a try....

You know what, she hasnt figured it out yet... There is a tranny  on the local radio station that is called Th Duct Tape Diva , I may have to call him/her & give her this tip.
As she says " If you can't duct it, F*ck it"

Do you have any scars? How'd you get them?

Do you have any scars? How'd you get them?

I have a bunch of scars but I have 3 particular scars that I notice everyday.

My first one is one under my left eye, its not huge and if you never noticed it, you probably never will. That is from me, at the wise old age of three, jumping on my grandfathers dog Devil dog... (Appropriately named)  Of course the dog was sleeping and I startled him and he bit me right under my eye. My parents opted not to go to the hospital for stitches so viola... My scar.
When I was growing up it was alot more noticeable & bigger, maybe my face was just smaller, anyhow, people in school used to ask me all the time how I got this scar. At first I told the real story, but as the years went on, and the question kept being asked, I would make stuff up... My sister hit me with a bat, I rode my bike into a tree.. I was sliced with a pizza slicer... LOL.

My second one is a tiny scar under my chin.... I see it everyday when I put on my makeup. It is a reminder to me that the world is filled with crazy people.
My ex-boyfriend, we shall call him senor psycho, I dated him when I was 16...Decided one day after we broke up, that I needed to learn a lesson. (What this lesson was I still have no idea, but those were his words, I am here to teach you a lesson)
So he snuck in my house when I was alone & attacked me. For 6 hours or so he physically beat the hell out of me. Luckily, I don't remember all of it, but the pictures the police took were enough to show it was bad.
I do remember this portion of the "lesson" I was supposed to be learning, he hit me repeatedly in the face with a metal hanger & split my chin open. Hence the scar.


Scar number three is on my left shoulder, it is 2 vertical lines, very thick & about 1 inch long. These came from the same ex boyfriend, Senor Psycho. At one point in his "lesson" I was trying to get away & I did... I was walking toward the door and to stop me, he threw a drinking glass at my back with the force of a major league baseball pitcher. The glass of course shattered & left 2 huge chunks of glass sticking out of my shoulder blade. I am lucky it only left 2. I see this scar everyday when I am getting dressed. 

It so funny to me how a simple little line on your skin can hold a story...I story that you can remember every detail to... Because the scar is not just physical, it's emotional too...

In what era or time period would you want to visit or live?

In what era or time period would you want to visit or live?

This is an easy one for me... The roaring 20's... I love, adore, this era. Everything about it from the clothes to the music. The sophistication that both the men & women had. The way of life, the simplicity of life. The beauty of the towns with the cobblestone streets, the fun of the speakeasy's... Even the style of the hair, makeup, furniture, men in suits & hats...

There was no cell phones or video games or tv's... You actually had to find entertainment and it was good, fun, entertainment like the movies or the fair or the beach, dinner parties, even just taking a walk together. Life was simpler then, safer, happier.

This is when a lady was treated like a lady & man played the role of the man. Kids knew how to be kids, they didn't grow up so fast, they played & had imaginations...

Anytime I see something on tv or hear of a book that pertains to this era.. I have to get a look at it. I feel drawn to it.

If reincarnation exists... I bet I am from that time, I bet I had the time of my life then... Maybe that's why I love it so much.

What would you NOT save??

If your house was on fire, what five things would you be glad to see go up in flames?

It's so funny because as soon as I read this one thing in particular popped into my head... My husband works construction so in the winter he works outside & working in NYC it gets cold. So he wears these pants, they are jeans lined with fleece and I HATE them. I dread the cold weather & seeing him in these things everyday. They are so unflattering and hideous looking and of course he LOVES them. He even will try to wear them on the weekends when he is not working. So my 1st item of 5 would be those god awful jean fleece horrors.

My couch... We just bought a new house and gutted it, so everything in the house is new except my couch. The hubby refuses to buy a new one ( or 2 new ones as I want) until the baby who is 2 is a little bigger & not the queen of stains, spilling and all that messes up everything. So if that was to catch on fire, I would not be sad even a little. I would actually fan the flames to help the process....

It's horrible to say this but... The baby's bookcase. It is a battle that I admit defeat to. It is her favorite thing to do 854 times a day... Pull all the books off the shelves and throw them onto the floor. For most people this would probably be just a nuisance but I am a little OCD and the books HAVE to be in size order as well as by author. So putting these back gets to be a bit much, it consumes my day lately. Yes reading is great, I know, my oldest constantly has her head in a book, a quality I instilled in her in a very young age. The baby however, prefers to throw them, rip them and do anything but read them. So if they happened to get burned up... I can't say I would be all that devastated.

Again I have to post of the hubby's clothes.... There is this carhart mustard yellow insulated sweat jacket. I loathe this jacket. I detest this garment. I cringe when he leaves the house with it on. It is faded, stained, ripped and just plain old ugly. When he combines this "jacket" with the fleece lined jeans I swear he can make more money sitting at Penn Station with a cup than he does at his actual job. I would pour gasoline on it just to insure that it didn't make it out- AT ALL. 
Now don't get me wrong... The hubby is a good looking man, in shape, but he cares about comfort not fashion, while I am fashion all the way.... As long as its warm he loves it. I tell him all the time, don't ever say your name out loud because I have a lot of friends who work in the city & I donut want anyone to associate us when you are dressed like that. Ha Ha.

Ah & last but not least.....My 10 yr olds snuggie. It's not a rob, it's not a blanket, you cant fold it or hang it, it just kinda lays around in a pile waiting for the chance that it might get worn. It's too big on her & the material is just awful. But of course she loves it. Her Pappy bought it for her so you CAN NOT throw it out.  I have a wood stove, maybe this one might actually make into that....

National Blog Posting Month

So I have signed up to a link that gives you a topic everyday or a question that you can answer for a month. So I will try to keep up with this...  No promises......Here is today's:

Now that you're old and wise, what advice do you have for children so that they can avoid the mistakes you made?



Well for my girls at least this is my advice...
Having been the child of a teen mom & becoming a teen mom myself, I would like to break this cycle with my daughters... So my oldest has been hearing this since she could talk from me....

School is the most important thing... You can be pretty and popular and smart all at the same time. Looks fade, trust me. Friendships fade, but true friendships, not ones built on popularity will last lifetimes, it is good to be street smart but learning, or being book smart is the greatest gift you can give yourself. Don't worry about boys there will be plenty of time for them. No one you date in high school will end up being your spouse.

Go to college. Basically this is not an option it is a goal. Pick a field you would love and can make a career out of. Not just  what is going to make you the most money. Don't worry about boys, there will be plenty of time for them. ( They are still boys in college.) GRADUATE.

Get a starter job, work hard, get your own apartment, create a rainy day account & do it all by yourself! ( the sense of pride you will get from this I can't even describe).

Live up your twenties with your girlfriends, travel, explore, have fun, discover who YOU are. Learn what makes YOU happy in life, what makes YOU tick, set your morals & discover your faith.. Remember the ones I instilled in you but now is your time to decide for yourself.

When you know all these things about yourself, when you know you can and you have done it on your own now you can find a partner in life, now you are ready... You have done all you wanted, you know who you are, you have achieved your goals, you have become a strong, independent woman.  Now love... Because you needed to love yourself first, then love life to truly love someone else. With no regrets, no missed chances... I want for you everything I couldn't do.

Once when I said this to my daughter who is 10, she asked me:
Do you regret it Mom? Having me so young.?
I tell her No because I had you at 17 and the path that I was on you became the greatest thing I have ever accomplished and you saved my life... But I want more for you, I want you to live. Really live life. Do all the things we worked so hard for you to be able to do.

Brooch Bouquet Completed...

Here it is... Ta-Da... Viola... Drum Roll Please.....

My sister wanted the underlay ribbon in a plaid to match the kilts being worn at the wedding & the overlay ribbon is an emerald green to match her shoes & engagement ring....I love it!!

Brooch Bouquet

So my sister is getting married....

Which in turns means that all the decorating and planning has been laid in my hands. About 3 months ago I suggested to her a brooch bouquet. I loved it when I saw it & since her taste is a little more eclectic than most, I thought she would love it too!

So of course from the picture I saw online I said I could make it for her. I mean how hard can it be to make a bouquet with pins right? You simply stick the pins in a round piece of foam and viola....

Yeah not so much. First you had to buy all the pins. This took months of my mother & I searching. We went to every thrift store, consignment shop, yard sales, antique stores...Everywhere.

So turns out it's a little more complicated than what I had thought.
This required tools & supplies, besides the pins & ribbons.
We needed
Needle nose pliers
Wire cutters
floral wire
floral tape

You have to take floral wire, wire it around the backs of the pins so that the pin stands up straight without drooping when you hold it by the "stem".(which depending on the pins weight has to be doubled for strength)
We did this with the needle nose pliers so that they were NOT coming off.
Then you have to wrap the wire with floral tape , this part sucked.
Then you have to arrange them, this part took forever.
Then when you have it in a way that it looks full & gorgeous, you wrap the whole lot of stems first with the floral wire for more support. ( We did it at the top, middle & bottom of the stem)
Then wrap the whole stem with floral tape.

So this took

120 brooches, earrings, pins, 14 hours, 4 people & a hell of a lot of patience.

But here it is, we still have to do the stem with the ribbon
 (my sister is out getting it now so it matches her shoes)

Isn't it gorgeous? My daughter who is 10 said she wants one when she gets married. My sister said she could use this one! Wouldn't be fantastic if this became a family heirloom?

Eat, Pray, Love...

This is my new read... So far I am loving it.

 I have always had internal conflict with the thought of soul mates. I have read so much about them, at one time I believe that I shared a very brief period of my life with mine. But what I have learned is that soul mates are not always meant to find each other in every life & lives out there days in pure bliss.. Sometimes they are not ready to be together, each one is at a different point of their journey so to speak, and still have lessons to learn before they can be together. They do usually find each other across their lifetimes, but sometimes in different forms, not always as lovers. Sometimes they are your father, your child, your friend, a neighbor, even just a stranger you pass on the street. Your soul always knows its them, whether your brain realizes it is or not.

This used to torture me, why we couldnt have them forever. Why they would have to leave us if our souls were made for one anothers. It still bothers me from time to time. But there was a point in the book, lets call it the " Pray" section that got my attention and for the first time in a long time put my mind and heart to rest. It hit me so hard I had to underline it.

" People think your soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you and then they leave. And thank god for it. The problem is you cant let this one go."

A paragraph later it continues " their purpose was to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little big, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so a new light could get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you had to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master and  beat it. That is their job, and they did great, but now its over. Problem is you cant accept that this relationship had a real short shelf life."

This passage has given me peace. This whole book has brought a calmness to my brain. It makes me want to learn how to enjoy life instead of trying to turn it into a to do list... 

I told you she was smart....

If you didnt want to take a nap when you were little you would just cry until you fell asleep.. Nothing you could really do about it, nap time means you are taking a nap. Mom has that off button which allows your crying to not affect her decision on the nap. A childs nap time is necessary.. It preserves the little bit of sanity we are trying so desperately to hold to.

My Taylor... Smart. Very smart. She cries, then she screams, then she rattles the bars on the crib like a prisoner in jail, then she kicks, the she calms, the calm before the storm.. This is when she knows I will have to take her out of the crib...

She screams, then throws everything out of the crib, flails her body around to the point where I am afraid she is going to crack her head open. Here's the point where she is smarter than me. She pushes the nipple in on her bottle & dumps the whole thing over her head. OVER HER HEAD.

She KNOWS this requires an immediate bath, followed by Mommy stripping her bed & washing down the crib.  Knowing this, she is very satisfied that she bought herself an extra 20 -30 minutes out of the crib.

After she is more than happy to lay down quietly & nap. I am left without the sanity I was trying to preserve.. scratching my head wondering how I was one upped by a 17 month old.

 Her nap time bottles have been changed to water, she hasn"t out smarted me yet..  I think I still have another few months before she does.

No Taylor....

NO TAYLOR..... OH TAYLOR NO

This must be the most commonly used phrase in my house lately. It is the reason for my lack of blogging. This beautiful, smart, cunning, sneaky little thing I call Taylor is in the process of taking total control over my house.

She runs this house. I find myself at least 3/4 of my day saying NO TAYLOR, STOP THAT TAYLOR, TAYLOR CAN YOU HEAR ME? NO NO NO....

Then she looks at me, smiles, comes over, and hugs me while she says Mom.... Like she is saying Oh Mom, you silly woman... Then goes right back to what she is NOT supposed to be doing.

Her lastest antics include.. Drawing on my cream colored couch 3 times in a week with a blue pen. Why do you let her have pens you ask... I dont. I hide them all, up high, in child locked drawers, rooms whose doors are always closed, I hide them so good I have a hard time finding one when I need it. But Taylor, she is smarter than your average 17 month old. Its not only pens, she is not biased, a crayon will work, a metal object that leaves marks on the walls.. Right now I have a beautiful mural of red, yellow & gray metal marks on my WHITE diningroom wall, yellow crayon on my front window, and a few doors which has been tastefully redecorated by my little monster.

In fact I just said No Taylor about 4 times & caught her with a pen as I wrote that little paragraph.

See I organzied her dresser the other day, to switch out the winter to the spring, get rid of stuff that didnt fit her anymore and so on.. So while I was in the bottom drawer, the sock & blankey drawer, her favorite to play in... I discovered under her socks & blankies PENS.  She had about 10 in there. Perfectly hidden underneath socks which she un-paired to hide them. See I told you....CUNNING.  Along with the pens were about 30 of her "sissy's" forbidden colored paperclips & post it pads,some bandaids.. still in the wrapper.. as well as most of my makeup brushes that I have been going crazy looking for, an oreo, not eaten but saved for later I guess.. and the biggest mystery of our house... the missing toothbrushes. It seems like I buy new toothbrushes every week. She had about 3 weeks worth.  I couldnt help but giggle to myself about find the stash of my little hoarder.

I am not sure if she has realized that I found her little hiding spot. But I keep checking to see what else she will put there.....Oh Taylor.

A Womans Heart....

I was just watching the Titanic.. It was on & I just couldnt force myself to change the channel. The kids were sleeping as is Pat...and I found myself to be overly emotional for a movie I have seen about a million times. Then there was one line that hit me...

" A womans heart is a deep ocean of secrets"

I dont think any one line could be more true. Women think with there hearts, we smile with them, love with them & hurt with them. I think if a man or anyone for that matter could look inside a womans heart for even a moment they would be surprised as to what they find. Would they realize that they dont  know this person so well? Probably I think because, I know that I dont know myself so well at times. Would they be surprised by what they found? I know I am surprised by the occasional memory that is triggered by any number of random things.  Would they be amazed at the secrets we keep locked up in our hearts so well? Secrets that we ourselves dont even realize we are keeping in them at times. Would our secrets hurt or heal? Would it be beneficial for someone to be able to know what you keep there? I dont know, at times yes, maybe it would be.

I know there are secrets in my heart, secrets that I repress because they are too painful, secrets that I pull out from time to time just to take myself someplace else for a moment, secrets that I am grateful are mine and secrets that I wish one day to share with my daughters so that they can understand their mother better and really know who I am or was... Yes a womans heart is a deep ocean of secrets.... I think we need it to be that way... I know I do.

She's humming....

Taylor has ALWAYS loved music.. She stops & dances immediately upon hearing music, doesnt matter if its the radio or an advertisment jingle, she will stop what she is doing & dancing for the duration.

She loves to play with a harmonica, recorder, toy drums, her little piano, anything that makes noise music.
Nothing makes her happier.... or makes me happier to watch!

So we bought her this kids song dvd with the basic childrens songs on it for christmas. Since Taylor was never one to watch tv I thought I would put it on for background noise so she could twirl, clap her hands & dance to.... yeah right...Can we say addicted much??

This video is on probably 4 hours a day.... Its the first thing she wants after her diaper in the morning... everytime we have a bottle we have to watch it.. She will run to the tv & screech, tapping on the glass doors where the dvd player is until I put it on.... Then her eyes light up & the dancing begins... It is adorable to watch her, though I want to stick pencils in my ears after 5 minutes...

This morning she was sitting in her chair drinking her bottle, with her blanket & her baby, watching this video AGAIN... & I hear someone humming the songs...
So I look around the room, no one is around but me & Taylor.. I know everyone is sleeping...

So I look at Taylor... & there she is humming the song almost perfectly while drinking her bottle... I was amazed... Of course I had to run into the bedroom & wake Pat up to tell him...

Pee Pee in the Potty....

The fun of potty training has begun in my house...

Taylor knows now when she has gone to the bathroom in her diaper... She will walk up to me with a diaper, the wipes & lay down on the floor so that I change her. When she did this last night, Pat & I asked her, " Tay where's the potty?" to which she immediately got up & ran to the bathroom. We were both amazed. So Pat went & got her potty seat and when she saw that she ripped off her diaper & ran after him. She is only 14 months old! She sat on the potty no problem & was mad when we took her off.

So this morning when she did the diaper routine, I said want to go to the potty? She ran right in there & waited to be placed on the seat. Yessss!!!!

This is going to be sooo much easier than I thought!

My New Blog Adventure...

So I started a new blog for everyone to follow that has to do with the house, the renovation & all the craziness that comes along with it... So here it is....Out of the Ashes.....

http://fromashestohome.blogspot.com/

Oldie, but it Makes Me Giggle...

 My top aggravations....


1. Changing Taylor's diaper... I need her to stay still she needs to roll. She gets the urge to roll more so when she has poop then when its just pee. It must hilarious to watch, but it is impossible to do. She is very strong, I think she could take me.

2. Pat & the toothpaste... Every morning without fail! I go into the bathroom, he has the cap on one side of the sink and toothpaste open on the other. Every morning I put the cap back on & put the toothpaste away. I think he does it on purpose, I bet he thinks its funny.

3. Spiders, specifically Daddy Long Legs... I know spiders are supposedly a sign of a clean house, but come one man, my house isn't that clean. I kill about 6 a day sometimes more.... A DAY!

* did you know that Daddy Long Legs carry a poison that can kill a human.. the deadliest to humans but there mouths are too small to bite us* Thank god for that or my whole little family would be gone!

4. Laundry... I think they wait and watch, then wait some more & just when I have the last little piece of laundry done & put away, here they come, almost prancing like they are sooo funny with an armful of dirty... Even though I just asked anyone have any dirty laundry I didn't get? Noooo, but I am learning that Nooo means we have it hidden so we can do the laundry prance... I think Pat & Lissi are in co-hoots.

5. The living room area rug... We have a rug in the living room that wrinkles when you walk over it. I hate that. It pisses me off. I don't know how to make it stop. I have tried everything short of nailing it down.

6. Dishes... You know what a sink is right? In my mind or how I understood it, that is where you put the dirty ones that need to be washed. IN the SINK, not next to it, not near it, not on the counter across from it... IN IT! It must take too much energy to lower the arm into the sink, I don't get it. DIRTY = SINK, maybe my mother had it wrong, I will have to ask her.

7. Alyssa & Scissors... Every time that child has scissors you would think we just yelled Happy New Year & threw confetti, it doesn't matter what she is cutting or where, it can be 5 seconds or 2 hours and I feel like the clean up crew for a ticker tape parade.

8. Socks... I don't know what I do wrong. I use bleach, I use detergent, but I can never get them clean clean. WTF? I have even been so desperate that I researched it online to make sure I am doing it right. For some reason I am being punished by my whites, I want them whiter they like dingy... I am going to have to get that lady from the cheer commerical here.

9. The Night Time Mess Fairy... I don't know who this S.O.B is but when I catch it, mother's everywhere will rejoice & sing my name in praise. I am the last one to go to sleep ALWAYS. I am the last one to see the house, every night. Somewhere between my last waking memory & the time my brain is jolted back to life by Taylor, someone has come into my home & trashed it. I am setting up a video camera.. I will prove this theory to be true, maybe this fairy is friends with the sock stealer and I can get both at once.

10. The Lady Across the STREET... I hate the fact that we even live close enough to people to be able to say that... But this whack job, um I mean woman, has 4 maybe more dogs.. She lets them out whenever Taylor is sleeping, it's like she waits for it. These things bark like mad which then warrants her to scream like a banshee at them telling them to "shut up". This of course always wakes up Taylor. I want to walk over there & open her gate sometimes. I think they are barking for help, they want to get away from her, I might assist them in their plea. The dogs told me to, that will be my insanity plea.

11. Breaking News... If I am watching something I am invested. I want to see it through. It is very rare that I get to sit & enjoy any sort of show lately without having my own "breaking news" to interrupt me from it every 3 seconds. So unless my life is in eminent danger, break it during commercial. I don't care what famous person overdosed today or who tiger woods is sleeping with this week...

12. Taylor with the cheerios... I love that she loves them. I love that she wants to eat them in a bowl like her sisters, but why does she love to put them on the floor & stomp on them? Is it the popping noise, the crumbling of that perfect circle or do it amuse her to watch me take out the vaccum 26 times a day?

NEW MOON

So I just finished the second book in the Twilight series...

Lets say I read about 600 pages in about 12 constantly interrupted hours...

After everyone went to sleep last night I had to fight to keep my eyes open. My brain would NOT let me put this book down, I HAD to know... I fought exhaustion till about 1am. It was no longer a one more page fight in my head, it had become a one more word, till I passed out book in hand...

But around 10 am this morning once I was settled from the normal morning routine, I curled up with the remaining 2 chapters... I am in love with these books...I want more.

I was going to start the 3rd book today but I have kind of neglected the house in my wild reading adventure, so I will be taking the rest of the evening & the day tomorrow to get caught up.

I can wait to disappear into their world again....

TWILIGHT

So I am not normally one to follow the trend, as far a reading goes anyhow. I didnt jump on the Harry Potter band wagon, it was not my kind of fiction. I dont tend to like or respond to books that have all that much make believe in them, not since I was little anyhow.

I prefer a good love story, and by love story I mean exactly that, not book porn. I love biographies, I love challenging reads for example my proudest read to date was making it through Plato Republic, it took FOREVER, but I did it & I understood it. I am also guilty of taking Oprahs book club suggestions from time to time... I hate it but the woman knows books! It's would be like denying Martha Stewart knew anything about being crafty... You cant!

So of course when the whole twilight craze started, I was adament that I was NOT reading this. I dont like stories of vampires - make believe. Mind you I have seen the movie, about a thousand times thanks to Alyssa's obsession, but it still left me with no desire to read the book.

That was until I needed to find a way to ignore Pat for an afternoon... He was cranky &  I wanted to just block him so I had to occupy myself.  I looked all around & noticed I had read every book I have in the house at least twice, except Plato, I think a second time would kill me.... but I couldnt find anything, all the magazines I had also read a million times, and I read the paper this morning. This left me in Alyssa's room saying, " Where are those  twilight books we got you for christmas, I was to read something & I guess that will do for now" to which she replied... " No, you called twilight stupid, you cant have them. Plus I am in the middle of it now & you will lose my place." This went on for about 10 minutes before she finally handed it over with strict instructions like I was stealing her bible. The twilight rules were as follows

1. Dont lose my spot - I will kill you.
2. Dont let Taylor even look at it, she can destroy my stuff with her eyes, she is a beast.
 ( Her nickname for her baby sister, nice right?)
3. No food or drink anywhere in the area of the book.
4. DO NOT fold the pages like you do in your books, here is a book mark you can use.
5. You are not to take it in the bathroom ( this one made me laugh which was followed by a Mommmm)
6. You have ONE day, then I am taking it back.
7. If anything happens to the book you must immediately take me to the store to replace it.

Finally after signing a contract in blood, she gave it to me.

Within minutes I could feel it. There are certain books that I know within one chapter they are about to consume my attention till it is finished. Normally they are only about 270 pages, easy for me, about 2 hours pre-Taylor days. This book is easily about 500 pages, I have Taylor constantly Mom-ing me every 5 seconds plus Alyssa & Tori running around. This was going to be a challenge but it was too late, I was already hooked.

I started reading it around 10 am on saturday morning, I read it all day, in between getting the kids dressed, naps, lunch, chores, everything. As soon as I was done doing what I had to do, it was right back in my hands. We even went to the stores & I brought the damn thing in the car and read it the whole way there & back. I honestly could wait to get out of the store so I could get back to it.  I stayed up till about midnight having to force myself to go to sleep with only 4 chapters left.

I woke up before Taylor, this would normally prompt me to immediately go back to sleep, but not Sunday... I knew that book was there, I knew I couldnt fall back asleep while it was on the night stand.. So I laid in bed & finished it. It was fantastic...  it left me wanting more.. so I snuck into Alyssa's room while she was in her pre-teen Sunday morning coma, to avoid another blood contract & took the next book out of the saga... Twilight New Moon... I havent seen the movie so I dont know what to expect... but I am looking forward to it!

A new blog to come

Once we sign on the dotted line & the house is offically, offically ours....

I will start a new blog on our adventure of 1st time home buyers, renovations & keeping our sanity through it all....

I little way to let all of you be there with me through it all....

I will post once it's "offically offical"