Sunday, April 29, 2012

Y is for Yadda Yadda Yadda

You yearn for your youth of yesterday, younger years...Yadda, Yadda, Yadda...Yuppies doing yoga over yonder in the yard...Yadda, Yadda, Yadda...Yolk-yellow yo-yo yarn yanked away...Yadda, Yadda, Yadda...Yummy yeasty Yuengling...Yadda, Yadda, Yadda...Yes, yelling, yet yawning...Yadda, Yadda, Yadda...(yikes)

Friday, April 27, 2012

X is for Xtra letter

Xhilaration xtinguishing, xhaustion xpected...(xhale). "Xtremely xciting xperience, this xcellent A-Z xperiment, xploring xamples, xamining xcerpts.  Xtensive xploits xcavating x's, xemplary xcuse to xit xists? Xtra xplosive xertion to xplain this xception, so as not to xacerbate the xasperation of trying to xceed xpectations with this xhibition!" she xclaimed. "Xtraneous e's have been xcluded. Xylophones, xrays xenophobes, xenon and xylems were xcised...xchanged for this xceedingly xceptionable xcrement."

Thursday, April 26, 2012

W is for We

We were wondering, when we went walking, where we would wander, what we would witness, why we were worried. We were wed...woman and man, worthy of each other, for better or worse. Without being wishy-washy or wasting time, we welcomed wee ones into the world...wow, wild. We watched, wallowing in wide-eyed wonder. We warped into wallflowers, watchdogs, waiters working for these wacky wayward whippersnappers. We waged wars of wit and will. We waded in the wash of windy waves. We wangled our ways into each others hearts...warmth. Without words of warning, while we were watching the way winding, we were weak, weary, worn. What once were wee ones were now weening themselves away, weaving their own webs, whereby we...well...We would have wept were it not for the wealth we won. We will be...wisecracking, weird, whimsical...witnesses to wonderful.

52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 7

There are actually a lot of things going on in this photo that make me happy. I will even accept the hail that was falling when I took it, as it kind of fascinates me. I am happy that I put some more tulips in the ground this year (and will be even happier if they actually come back, with flowers, next year). That rock on the left is home to hens and chicks. My great-grandmother had so many of these rocks, and they made their way to my grandmother's garden, then my mother's garden, and she has shared several with me. They have all sorts of nooks and crannies for the hens and chicks to nestle in. To the right of the tulips is my purple coneflower making its way back. I marvel over the whole perennial flower life cycle every year. All the way on the right, you can get a glimpse of one of our little rivers of rocks. We collect these rocks on Nauset Beach in Cape Cod every year. The reminder of the good times in the ocean makes me happy. I see there is some seedum and moss infiltrating the river, but that is okay too!


Wednesday, April 25, 2012

V is for Variety

Visualizing various viable versions of very versatile verses. Volumes vacillating from Viagra and vasectomies to VD, vibrators, vixens, vamps and vaginas were not virtuous votes...vulgarities vetoed. The variety of what I could vent about is vast, but veers towards a vaguely villainous voice...vacuuming, volume, vanity, vomit, violence...versus the value of views of violets in vases and a visage of Venus on velvet (as to not violate any visitors with my venom). 

With vim and vigor, I ventured to find a victim volunteer who would vie for a verbose post. The verdict was that: one had a violin to practice and vacated, one vowed he had virtually no idea what vein to vocalize about,  and one would not validate my vision. 

I may have been on the verge of victory (or vertigo), but struggled in vain to go viral...Veritably vexed.
(vinca vine)
Vrooming off in my vibrant Volkswagon...OK, no, it's a van...Vino anyone? Valium?


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

U is for Ultra-Random

Unacceptable utterances uttered under umbrellas of ultimatums understandably upset underlings. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to us until now, I have this unstoppable urge to utilize umpteen u's to uncover the ultimate uber-post.

I am unable to undo the ulterior random...

Update: 
Butter lamb feels ugly and relieved that his humiliation is almost over...Alleluia, indeed.

Uncanny: 
This sweet paper hat belongs to a three-year-old friend of mine.  Notice how evenly the teachers lined up the obituaries?

Uberraschung (German for surprise): 
I can't tell you where I got these awesome Uberraschung eggs because it is illegal to bring or ship them into this country.
We are that unable to protect our children from choking hazards (underachievers). Unbelievable! To say I was a little excited to get these chocolate contraband treats would be an understatement.

Unsettling: 
Up until seeing these lovely mannequins, I understood that cute babies sold the clothing.

U unnecessary: 
Um, here is another Q word that needs no U. We are unsure if we heard our waitress pronounce her unique name.


Ugli: These are the first four letters of my maiden name (there are five more letters after those!) The g is silent, but to the uninformed, I was Ugly...  Ugh!

Uh-oh, now what? U guessed it! Thank you to Stacy, undercover queen of the random thoughts rebellion!
Stacy

Monday, April 23, 2012

T is for Talk

Talking tends to take turns traveling through twisting topics, tying together tales. The telephone teases, taunts, tempts...tearing me from tedious tasks, turning tension to tranquility. 

Typical telephone talk trends and tendencies through time:

Tots tickled at the trill of the telephone
Tempestuous teen tears and troubles
Trying to keep tabs
Time-outs from tending to toddler's tantrums and tirades
Tasty talk of the tawdry and tacky
Trading tips
Terse tangles leaving a terrible taste
Tangents tackling train of thought
Telephones trump texting for true talking

Thanks for tip-toeing over! Toodles 'til tomorrow...Tuesday!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

S is for Something

A simple sighting sidelined me, steering my shopping cart slightly sideways towards the soda display...seemingly stuck, as I struggled to sneak away. Several seasons surely have slipped by since that someone swiped my sensibility and sabotaged my self-esteem. Something so long ago still stops me sharp. Something in seeing him standing there stirred up the shame. Slimeball. Seriously? Still? This someone shifted into something sinister, a sign...somewhat suspect in severity, and to show me what? Something spoiling my Saturday spree at my sanctuary (Wegmans grocery store). "Stand up straight and smile" said my sometimes sassy self. "Silently sprint to safety" said my scared schoolgirl self. I swerved and snuck away into the stacked stock of snacks. Something sort of silly...something so stupid...same old something. Sorry.

Friday, April 20, 2012

R is for Really?

Restraint replacing rambunctious, rigid removing rowdy...random rattlings rendering reaching resolution rough. 
Really? R? 
Riled up, requiring resuscitation to rally for R? 
I reckoned remarks would readily rise, reminiscing of relaxed ramblings, remembering the routine.
Really?
 R risks residing as the rotten letter in the rotation?
 Rats! 
Requesting rest? Refused? Really?

Romantic red roses receding?

Really!
(Reassured S rules rescue and rejuvenation.)

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Q is for Qi

The quandary makes me quiver, as I quietly question the quality of my letters, while I quickly scan the game board. My opponent cannot see the quizzical look, nor hear the quips. There is no opportunity to quarrel about the queries of word origin, no need to quell the crowd. I suppose it seems quaint for this quirky gal to begin a quest that she cannot quit until she wins her quota, quenching her desire to be the quintessential queen...of Words with Friends.

The initial glimpse of that lone Q tile makes one queasy. Unless there is a tile with the marking that qualifies it as a U, you are out of luck. No quays, quarts, quotients, quilts or quiche for you...without a U...until...

Words with friends came along as an online, sort of mystical interwebs, game. The device you play on, with the designated app, does all of the quashing of questionable words for the opponents who are quarantined to their own touch screens. There is no penalty for trying some odd combinations of letters in hopes that they might actually be a word, according to the electronic powers that be. I am sure that is how the word qi was discovered amongst my friends with words. News sent a quake through the grapevine that there was a use for Q with no U necessary...just a free standing I. 

Our dictionary is quite old, and the word qi is not in it. We could not quote the definitions, and pass the book to the next player in the queue. A quick google search eased my querulousness by showing results that explained qi as a life force, breath or air...I just know it's worth a minimum of 11 points, but 31 points if that free I is next to an open triple letter space.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

P is for Please

PSA...People! Please prohibit procrastination and promptly pick up and put away the piles of your personal possessions...pronto!

I predict that my pleading for pleasant premises and property will not predicate the proper panic. Prior proof prevails that patience, politeness nor petulance promote positive performance. Perhaps punishment would prompt the proper push to produce progress? Would I be proud to pose this possible piece as the pinnacle of my parenting pursuit? Practically a predicament for one prone to persistently prioritizing pleasing people peacefully. Preposterous!

Please potatoes...please pity your poor parent and provide a paltry portion of preoccupation with my plea (not pestering...I promise)...please, pretty please...processing?


52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 6

Plain and simple... ...everything on this platter makes me happy!

This was brought out at my sister's birthday party as dessert. Me. Oh. My. Can't talk about it anymore right now, or my feelings will shift to sadness, due to the fact that there is no Hostess here right now! However, happiness IS just one quick (and dangerous) trip to the store away!

You can click to check out what is making other folks happy this week.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

O is for Odd bits of Random

Often one's oblivion outweighs one's own omniscience. Occasionally, obstacles, or old opinions on obscenity, offer offensive options over objections of outrage. Overachieving o-word operators? Obviously obnoxious or outrageously ostentatious. OK...

We've discussed orchestra, and I don't wish to revisit oreos (but you can), so out with the other random...in no particular order...

Oversized O cereal...

Over here we have the odoriferous outhouse that was offered at a party we went to over the weekend. Oh my, what a tagline...

Any outlandish photos overstaying their welcome on my cellphone? Of course...

I live in Syracuse, home of the Orange, and this is a pumpkin version of their mascot: Otto...

This is a Bills vs. Bengals game from 2010, and standing on the 35 yard line (on the left) are Owens (as in Terrell) and Ochocinco!

Ouch! I am in need of an octane much higher than the cherry soda I just drank to keep this operation running, or I can just open myself to the overwhelming desire to sleep and dream of...wait for it...the Ocean!

Thanks to the Omnipotent Stacy for officiating this random gathering!
Stacy

Monday, April 16, 2012

N is for Noise

Nefarious noise nimbly, nastily nabs nightly slumber. Nothing but numerous negotiations with the snorer (my nuptial partner).

Nuisance noise never needs to be near me. Not my nature to neglect the nasty sounds like nail biting, coughing, chomping, slurping, barking. No thank you!

Negative noise is neither nifty nor nice. News nitwits nagging my neurosis with their nettling nonsense.

Now it is necessary to find sounds to neutralize the nauseating negative...nestle up in a niche with a novel while a neighborhood breeze blows...nuzzle with a sleeping child and listen to the sweet breathing sounds (especially newborns)...musical notes navigating their way through the air...laughter (nothing beats laughter)...nil...

I know it is not necessarily normal to not be able to tune out the noise around me. It is nothing I am nervous about, but it does make me a little nuts nevertheless.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

M is for Mine

Many moments make mothers melt...multitudes of memories...


Miss Lily, Me (Mommy), Mister Matthew



Thursday, April 12, 2012

L is for Legos

There are lots and lots of lovely L words that I could have legitimately linked together. Instead, let's lift our voices and loudly cheer for Legos!

Look at me...



Starting with the lad's Downtown Lego City, lots of action and folks lingering and loitering about.

Another view...land and air.



Lavish Lego Lilliputians in the Lego Kingdom.



Ludicrous Lego light sabers launched by Lucas, and landed by Luke in Star Wars Land.



Lovely Lady Lily's lifted land.



Lily's Lego Land



We Love Legos!

K is for Knick-Knacks

Kindred kamikaze kids keep knick-knacks kicking around my kitchen. Knowing I lost the knack for knowing a life of neatness...Karma? Kismet? Can't knock me for trying. Plus, there is a knave in my kingdom with his own knapsack full of kooky clutter. His name? Ken.

He fancies himself as the king of coupons and candy. Seriously, we have enough candy to call it clutter. Last week he thought someone had stolen some candy out of his car, and was surprised anyone would have been interested in his discount Christmas stash. I had to KO that myth, by letting him know that I had rescued his goods from the eighty degree heat of three weeks ago.

I keep trying to get Ken signed up for other tasks around here. His knife skills are frightening and we can kiss any dough kneading goodbye. Knitting is an unlikely hobby as well. The computer keyboard is the most likely place to find him. He plays Peggle like it's his job, is an entertainment know-it-all and completes surveys as if we might change the world. We earn some sort of kooky online funny money for the completion of these surveys, but I have yet to see anything purchased. Today though, a perk arrived in the mail in a fairly large, but very light, box.I know these are labeled "Code L", but I really didn't want to save this for tomorrow and mess up a potentially keen post (keep those fingers crossed that I don't kill another letter). We are apparently going to be toilet paper testers now! (Sorry T, I couldn't wait for you either.) Do you see that Diary roll there? Say "Diary roll" a few times quickly...got that? Did you go where I think you went? (I actually hope you didn't go at all.) Now please allow me to share some of the directions for using this toilet paper...(I will be so mad when it is letter X day.) I am fairly confident that all four of us cannot be trusted to carry on this mission simultaneously. Two of us could barely get through the directions without wetting ourselves.


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

J is for Jumble

Jealous of the Jims and Janes joyfully jotting jazzy jabberring jags. The job of just jumping in, joining, justifiably jolts, jars and jams me up. At this juncture, my brain is jumbled...jiggling like jell-o. The jury may judge and jeer, but I will jaunt along...jolly from the joy of jellybeans, junk food and juleps!

52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 5

So simple, yet such fun...Decorating for Easter really made me happy this year. This little guy that my mom brought over made me smile... I have a lot of other decorations, but they are far more subtle than some of the decor for other holidays. I really enjoyed just having a touch of bunnies or eggs here and there. Of course, you can't put out a cute little Easter pail without filling it with candy, so that was another bonus!



Tuesday, April 10, 2012

I is for Itty bits of random

Intuition indicates and information implies it is time to initiate an itemized list of random!

I was irresponsible when I ignored the inkling that I had intended to include something yesterday...H is for headache and haircut. I think you can tell who has which.

The incident in which we incurred these results provided insufficient interjections and interest to inspire us to try to imitate the process again.
The issue might've involved the intensity of the color of the silk ties that we injured. I let the husband independently choose which innocent ties we could cut up, as I did not want to insult him.

I saw the irony in my itch to inquire as to how festive the red roses were that the husband brought me for Easter, when I could have been so much less impressed...
Incognito?

It is butter! It traveled from Buffalo to have Easter dinner with us. Inscribed on the flag inserted into his backside is the word "Alleluia".
Ironic, as that is what my arteries screamed when they saw it.

I must thank Stacy for taking the initiative to host the long standing institution: Random Thoughts Tuesday.
Stacy
(That intoxicated lady is spilling her wine.)

Monday, April 9, 2012

H is for Help

Hershey hangovers hardly helpful...having hours to hide after hosting holidays here. Harmless jellybeans haunting me. Ham having a hootenanny in the fridge where it's holding the lime bars hostage. Half-eaten cookies playing havoc with me. High fructose hijinx. Housework? Humpf...hardly!

How do we get it all together? Where do we put it? And how to keep it all together? I know there were more things on my counter last week, but I am not sure exactly what they were, or where I stashed them to be out of the way. I tried to harness the clutter in the name of hospitality, or maybe it was really sanity. Hard habit to break-the need for something resembling order...hard habit to start-the effort to restore order.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter!

You all go on ahead with your day of good food, great company, love and laughs. If anyone needs me, I'll be here googling remedies for sugar rush. Maybe I can show some self-control and discipline to enjoy things in moderation...you know, one jelly bean for every malted milk egg, marshmallow eggs balanced with plain Peeps. Plenty of fluids-there's some Kool aid mix in the cupboard. There's protein in peanut butter, right?

Thank you for visiting and being part of my world. I wish I could share my cookies with all of you! Well, I sort of can...

Saturday, April 7, 2012

G is for Guest

Gadzooks! Gotta get going girl!

Granted, you may be glum to hear that I have run out of gas and do not feel like my garrulous self as it grows later and later tonight. I am glad that I was surrounded by a gregarious bunch this afternoon, and took some notes, to help get in the groove. Give a round of applause for our guests today, as they each give us three G words...

Guy Jr - guardian, genitalia, greatness

(Give me a break!)

Guy Jr's guy friend - Gom___(his last name), greed, garden

(Got it!)

Girl - gross, genius, gong

(Great!)

Girl's girl friend - grease, growth, garbage

(Gosh!)

Guy - ginormous, gorilla, gorgeous

(Grand!)

Guess who? - grrrrr, growl, gimme

(Good Grief!)

I was not exactly gushing with gratitude over their gracious gifts, but you get what you get. However, for these things I am grateful...the cookies are frosted, the house is clean, the eggs are done boiling, the oven is off...so, good-night!

Friday, April 6, 2012

F is for Friends

Frantically formulating Friday's fun fare...fiddle-fart...fiddle-fart...FOCUS, fercryingoutloud!

For real, I am just going to pick a topic today. Go Away Fozzie, it is not you! Sadly, family, it is not you either. For goodness sake, why is my husband still standing next to me? Oh, it is to make suggestions like Fred Flinstone...flee, will ya?

Finally, free to frolic in the fabulousness of my final answer...friends! Remember back when you had a best friend in math class, and a best friend from your neighborhood, and one from homeroom? Now it feels like the categories have changed a bit, but still need some sort of explanation. There are facebook friends, blog world friends...two categories that flummox those with no familiarity with such folly. I fear that there are also PlayStation 3 friends as well, but fortunately, (or unfortunately) I don't have any of those. Finally, there are friends...the ones you can just call friends and people somehow understand and know what you are talking about.

Facts (ok, they're opinions):


A friend will iron tablecloths nice and fancy for you, instead of just calling you out for being too freakin' lazy to do so yourself.

A friend who drops a double batch of Chex mix on the floor will just sit down next to you and together you will eat what seems salvageable until you are full.

A friend will wait for you to laugh first if you don't make it to the bathroom in time. (At least that is what I think a friend would do.)

A friend does not comment on how the quantity of chocolate you eat could foster frumpiness.

A friend does not keep figures on favors. They ask, you ask and somehow it's fair.

A friend may feign distaste for your foes, but will frankly inform you if you're being friggin' unreasonable.

A friend shares her food and makes any feast feel fancy.

A friend may finish your sentences, but would never finish your favorite candy.

A friend will let you feel funny, at least for a little while, even when your jokes have fallen flat.


Finally, a friend will show up at your front door, in your incoming emails or call your fone (let it slide) when you least expect, but most need it. Friends are fabulous!

May you find friends that forgive your faults, with no fear of flaunting their own flaws in return...knowing that you will return the favor.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

E is for Eek!

Every evening energy eventually escapes...enter exhaustion! Last night was no different. I thought briefly about today's letter...Easter eggs! Easy...except...Did that choice live up to my expectations? We haven't even decorated ours yet, so there would have been no enjoyable evidence of our [eventual] elegant eggs.

I waited until this morning to give E any further thought. It would have helped if I could have gotten the children's song "E Eats Everything", by They Might Be Giants, out of my head. I knew better than to let on to anyone else what I was thinking, or they'd have all joined in for a full on choral jamboree. (And now I have the song stuck in my head again.) Enough excuses!

Before I knew it, I had an extremely long and seemingly endless list. I had to write things down, because lists that exist only in my head are rather elusive these days. I get kind of wrapped up in the excitement and entertainment (or lack thereof) surrounding me. Emotions get enticed to join in, without exception. I encourage myself to escape, to capture the essence of what really matters. But the answer, in my mind? EVERYTHING!

I am eager to be educated as to everyone's eye on this entry!


**Extra: Excessive envelopes? (They all came yesterday from the bank )**

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 4

This fancy glass of Alligator Swamp Water made me happy... ...and not just because it had alcohol in it!

My mother and I had a few friends over to my house to eat Southern inspired food and watch The Help. Everybody brought something for our feast.

We had pimento cheese spread (I could almost cry that it's gone), deviled eggs, fried chicken, jumbalaya, fried okra,
tomato pie, greens, buttermilk pie,

(A huge thanks to Ricki Jill from Art@Home for the recipe. I hope this is similar to what it is supposed to look like.)

apple pudding, lemonade, and sweet tea (one with and one without alcohol).

The other things we certainly had a lot of was laughs! It made me happy to share some time and try new things with some of the special people in my life.


Check out what is making other people happy this week!

D is for Decisions

It started last night with a general sense of confusion regarding today's letter. I knew what I had picked out for my happy picture, and while it does start with the letter d, I was dissatisfied at the thought of using that word here as well. Then the dog looked at me longingly...uh, no Foz (and you might not be F either, so go back to sleep).

This morning the downward spiral started. Doughnuts? I thought a lot about doughnuts...mmm, doughnuts. I have a delightful daughter and a dandy dad, but then this whole thing would turn into some sort of debacle where I'd have to account for everyone. Drama. Certain people who live here have already looked at the calendar to see which days the first letters of their names fall on (see message to Foz). Daydreaming? (See doughnuts.) I asked the girls if we should write about DD's, and they did not seem interested. Dammit, how was I going to decide? Oh, well there's something...Decisions.

I am not a champion decision maker. It is not the result of making poor ones, but the discomfort of making one at all sometimes. Often people will say "Do what you want". I don't know if it is a mom thing, or a me thing, but I find it nearly impossible to completely separate out what I might like to do, from that which is good for the rest of the herd. I guess I could try explaining the pile of dirty clothes, the dog crossing his legs, and no food on the table as being a direct result of me choosing a day in bed with a book. Sometimes I can't make a decent lunch decision because I am too busy accounting for what dinner will be.

I am not sure if I am delighted with this decision to draft up a ditty about decisions, but it's just about done, and it really is such a thing for me.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Crafting some random

C what I did right there with the title? Clever? Oh, yeah, that's right I already did my letter C post. Confused? I decided to participate in this year's A-Z blogging challenge for the month of April. 26 letters in 26 days (Sundays off). Sorry. I just couldn't continue carrying copious crumbs of random around in my cranium (seriously, I'll stop soon) for fear I'd combust. Luckily Stacy is still hosting her party where we can bring our randoms, regardless of what letter they start with.

Stacy

Carrying on...

Target, you have offended me by suggesting that Star Wars is just for boys.
Forget Luke Skywalker, I think I had a nine year old girl crush on C3P-O. (Han Solo too, as I wasn't completely out of touch.) Maybe you have something special in the princesses from all movies line, but those aren't on sale? I could really use a new bun-headed Leia, but not at full price. Hmpf! Plus, my son is offended that you've excluded Legos.

Look what I found in the business certificate filing section of the paper this weekend?
What kind of business do we think she's starting?

I was visiting a friend and felt as dismayed as Lisa Simpson must have by how badly Malibu Stacy and her friends had let themselves go to hell.


C is for Crayola Crayons

This is a sight that brought me great joy as a kid.

When I opened the box to take the photo, I have to admit that I still got a little charge. I don't care for the smell of these waxy wonder sticks, but the visual and thought of good times to come? Yay!


I took great care of my crayons, and could not stand to see broken ones. Those kids at school would just use them all willy nilly, with no regard. For what? I am not certain. A crayon that was worn down far enough to need the paper ripped for further coloring was pretty much dead to me. The box of 64, while delightful, put me in a bit of a quandary because it had the crayon sharpener built right in, but that required some tearing of paper, and the point just never looked as magical as a fresh crayon. Sigh, that was disappointing. I used to try to color my skies and grasses with a slanted grip so that the top of the crayon wouldn't get so flat. Oh, and in case there was any doubt in your mind, they had/have to be Crayola.

I was not, nor am, overly protective of my children's crayons. Those were for their enjoyment, however recklessly they saw fit. I just would not have wanted to share my own box with them. In fact, I think I did grow to have some appreciation for the worn down point of a green Crayola because it meant someone had been inspired. Little hands had drawn big things.

In an attempt to prove how far I have come in my crayon usage relaxation, let me show you what recently went on in my very own kitchen, at the hands of my daughter.

Maybe I felt a little crazy at first...
Wait, that's kind of cool!
Hey, I feel pretty calm!
Who am I to stand in the way of creativity?

**If you are looking for Random Tuesday Thoughts, fear not, there are plenty of hours this Tuesday left for me to post them.**