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...