So glad I'm not a teenager anymore...sort of

 

It's homecoming in the little hamlet of Maquoketa. 2 girls in high school this year was twice the fun getting ready.

Which do you think is more stressful, getting ready, or getting them ready. Everything is a crisis!! Don't ya love drama.

My oldest angel is in the blue...with the boyfriend in the sports car. A red Celica. (it's his Mom's! lucky her!!)

My youngest is a freshman this year and changed her hair 3 times before she was happy. Her guy was pretty nervous but what a sweetie!

They are my beauties and I hope they have fun, but I sure am glad it's over!

The next manicure around here is MINE :)

L

I'm excited to start the Fall Reading Challenge at Callapidder Days! I love to read, love books, and love to hear what everyone else is reading and how they like it!

Here is my list

• The Time Travelers Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
• Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
• Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
• Lisey's Story - Stephen King

Maybe a little ambitious with the Ayn Rand thousand pager on there, but I'll get to them sooner or later!!

Some more weekend finds and projects to ready

Went over and got reconnected with my next door neighbor. She's an older lady and years ago I had helped her with some computer tutoring. She never put it together that I was the one who had moved in next door 5 years ago. So now she's all happy about neighboring again and said for me to come over just ANY time :) I picked up this cute little juice size pitcher. Eyed some other things that I later went back to get. and hopefully will post about later. This guy has some fleabites on the ice lip. still very cute funky little piece. for $2.00

Funny kitchy little tree frog hooks. too cute! for a buck I couldn't resist.

Project number 1. Maybe Ivory paint for this guy? Got him for a Dollar. Bathroom perhaps?

Project #2...my first chalkboard project.

This is my favorite piece. I got the tile for $1.00 and the easle (silver with a bamboo look if it doesnt show up that well) for a dime. I love the colors of teal and chocolate in the tile. It makes me happy.

Here's what I went back to neighbor Helen's for. The cornucopia, well everyone should have one for fall, there were about 3 others over there and I should have grabbed them all (since I think the leftovers may have gone to the dump...sad day) and the flowers and leaves in it and the flowers in my urn in the backgroud, plus flowers for my door basket. I was very happy to so simply add a season to my home.

Of course I did have an approval committee inspecting the purchases.

He seems rather disinterested.

Laura

Yard SaleExtravaganza!

Our City wide yard sale was this weekend, but folks have figured out that anticipation is a great motivator so many of the sales actually started on Thursday even though the date for the City Wide sales was set for Saturday. I began scoring early!

My first trip out scored me the fun little christmas candles for .50 cents, the garland with mini lights and a battery pack for $3.00, The copy of Dr. Zhivago for .50Cents, the little hobnail vase for .25 cents and the little glass lamp and shade (which does not match) for $2.00 for a grand total spending of...$6.75...so far.

I'm new to blogging...very very new...and actually so inspired by all of the decorating blogs I've found and thrifting blogs and...well all of it! I can't wait to see more and share more!!

And at another stop...4 Ayn Rand's for $.10 cents each for a total in spending now of $7.15. I'm excited to have these!

Friday I had to run to the mall with my daughters to shop for shoes but since I took the day off, I started in on yard sales as soon as we got home. Niether daughter would join me. I'm not worried. The bug will bite them one of these days!

So I walked up the street to the end of the block and found these:

The table was marked 10 for $1.00. How could I resist the adorable shape of the Taylor Smith and Taylor Boutonniere set or the vintage Fire King mugs. I just needed the round cake pan. And then on another table I found this cute little bird cage. (The flower inside is just for fun, I got that at another stop) Too fun! So where was I? Oh yes total so far $8.65

On to the next stop...

And see more great finds from all over here:

Southern Hospitality

LOVE this site! :)

New one of youngest angel and friend

I like this picture of Catherine, shows her just as she is...beautiful!

Too Much To Catch Up On

Lets surfice it to say, prayer works.
In it's own time and it's own way, but just fine.

Girls are fine an both in high school and homecoming is coming up. Dresses and hair and makeup and shoes. finery and silly boys who'll ditch their tie in the first 5 minutes of the dance. Seems trivial from this side.

dont most things?

looking back is just that way.

Melancholy mood

So what do I do to combat it...listen to every Lifehouse song on youtube. ;)

And it occurs to me that what I want is my youth, because when I had that I could have had anything I wanted and I just aimed too low ...sorry out there, you're not bad people, but there IS more than a mold infested dank tavern and gravel roads. And wouldn't I give anything to be young again, as young as my soul feels and oh how I wouldn't waste it. I would make it be worth singing about and writing about and people would aspire to it. and could I ? if I could say possess someone else? if i had that choice...would I take it? at what cost? their life? mine? what about my children? nearly grown and off to lives better than I'd ever had, but still children to me. Would I walk away from them? I know I would to help them, to take up for them to encourage them. When Catherine had a bully i wanted so much to be 14 again and kick some butt. Go back and take charge and exert some peer presure of my own.

ANd to find a good love. which brings us back to lifehouse...which is all sappy love and how much you can make yourself ache by listening to it. I want the whole works, love, angst, yearning, xtcy, passion, jealousy, joy, all of it. I want to not be able to breathe when he's near, or when he's away. I want to feel my heart skip when I see him and feel like a caged animal when I want to get back to him and to spoil him rotten, shower him with every love he's ever imagined. I just want to be IN love not over it, or around it, or outside it anymore.

Which brings me back to age and how that would all be possible if I were young and how I could have someone who stole the very strength from my legs. and I'm not and I don't know what to do with this and not get resentful.

So that brings me back to listening to lifehouse and feeling melancholy and letting wash over and through and maybe getting a little weepy and snuffling and self-piting and then listening and letting it go. what else can you do?

Too many things running around loose

Brittany - my daughter. She has had a rough string of luck in the past 3 weeks. A teacher accused her of cheating, she didn't. She got strep throat, 4 days later she had to have her wisdom teeth out from which she got dry socket. She's stressed and grouchy and won't let anyone but Jonathan in to help her.

Oh a positive note, Catherine seems to be doing just fine :) She's needs some extra attention, tho she really doesn't want it.

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Pale crooked scars lay across the land.

Writing Stickies

An event for one of my projects
_________________________________

"you never talk to me"
"I do so talk to you"
"No, No you don't. You never just come up and say, 'hey, class was a trip..blah, blah'. like with other people"
"It's not that"
"what"
"that, you know..anything. Guess I just didn't have anything TO say. Wait! that one time we stood and talked for like an hour after class! I do so talk to you... and just as much ."
"that was debating, that was different, that wasn't talking."
"was to me"
"nope. that was just an extension of class. Talking is saying hi, and not that nod thing you do from across the room, but SAYING hi. Or do you avoid me?"

She was half kidding when she asked it, she was only trying to find out if she had offended him in some way, had put him off or needed to apologize for something she did or said. Correct a wrong impression.

He had been standing there munching on a handful of chips, the room was busy with people milling around, making their way to the food line, chatting, grabbing handfuls of snacks from the courtesy bowls on the tables and resting pops, coffee, and juice while they did. All that stopped, it all went to silent static, it all squealched away. He finished his chips, brushed off his salty hands, turned, and fully looked directly at her. Directly. At. Her.

And the electricity scorched her.

"now that...that I do."

And before her heart started beating again, he turned and stalked away.

Chicken and Noodles

Chicken and Noodles and Doodle land
All is well in doodle land after all. Thanks for the panic attack, neurosis. I have my speaker, I'm redeemed after all. I hosted a fun friends get together this weekend and I remembered to come to work...but barely. All I really want to do is gaze off into the distance and day dream. and hope.

Independence needs some daily attention for awhile.

On my post-it-note here I had 6 stresses listed...I'm now down to 4 :)

Chicken and noodles

Noodles - 2 cups of flour, 4 eggs, 1tsp salt, roll out to about 1/8 inch thickness or a little more, let rest an hour, slice into 1" to 1 1/2" squares (use a pizza cutter to make this fast).

Chicken - whole chicken, cover with water, 1 bay leaf, Tony's cajun, garlic salt, celery stalks with leaves. boil till chicken starts to fall off bone, take out chicken to cool. strain stock and put it back in the pot. When cool enough, pick chicken and put it in the stock, add about 3 cups of water, 3 or 4 chicken boulion cubes, and the dried noodles...try to drop noodles right on rolling boil bubble...simmer til nice and thick and stoop-ie.

just so I don't forget...also to save time and mess...you can use the homestyle amish noodles...I bag works for one stock pot and 1 chicken

It's all so over-whelming. I'm so behind and incapable of redeeming myself at this point. I'm becoming my own worst nightmare...I'll let someone down. From now on I'll speak and in their head, or worse to each other, they'll 'yah right' me! They'll roll their eyes, they'll give each other...a look. I've lost credibility. I've lost respect. Of all the things I wanted to do, what kept me from it for so long was THIS feeling right here.

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Roofgee - I like that better
Aurala

No particular reason...but to remember:

She was curled up on him, head on his chest, cuddled in the crook of his arm. The comfort. The sheer joy that made her eyes sting with tears of contentment.
"I want to have this to live in forever, I want this feeling... a toy on a shelf to take down some gray day..." she stifled a yawn. "I love you, I want you to know that." She nearly nodded off.." I thought I'd tell you now, in case I forget to remember tomorrow."

*****

rufgee

ol' dome