Crooked Pigtails

Tagged for real this time!

Sherry tagged me for the Four things Meme:

Four Jobs I have had:

1. Deputy Village Clerk
2. Retail, retail, retail management, retail
3. Tutor
4. Mom

4 places I’ve been:

1. Alaska
2. North Carolina
3. Maine
4. Toronto

4 movies I’ve watched over and over:

1. Steele Magnolias
2. Good Will Hunting
3. The Breakfast Club
4. Both High School Musicals (Hey, I've got girls)

4 shows I watch:

1. Cash Cab
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. The Biggest Loser
4. What Not to Wear

4 places I’d rather be right now:

1. sleeping
2. on the beach
3. Disney World (again, Kids)
4. Fenway Park

4 favorite things to eat:

1. Shanghi wings and Ceaser Salad
2. Tacos
3. Lobster
4. Yogurt

4 places I’ve lived:

1. upstate NY
2. downstate NY
3. Foxboro, MA
4. southeastern CT

4 things I look forward to this new year:

1. The birth of my baby niece or nephew
2. Miss A's first day of Kindergarten (only because she is so excited; I am acutally dreading this a wee bit)
3. Getting my family on a more healthy lifestyle
4. Summer vacation

I'm not tagging anyone else, but I think you should all do it anyway.

Hellllloooooooo

Did ya miss me?

What we have here folks, is a location issue.  My computer is not located where the rest of the family is generally located and, since the rest of the family seems to be quite enamored with me (or at least with my presence) these days, it has become increasingly difficult to find time to be on the computer.  As much as I love you, I am not willing to give up precious sleep for writing; now, vacuuming is another story, but sleep I can no longer live without, and since sleep and blogging seem to collide, sleep wins.  Sorry.  I am working on this, I truly am.

So much has happened:

• I celebrated my 40th birthday
• Miss H celebrated her eighth birthday
• We attended the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds concert tour
• Christmas came and went
• As did the New Year
• Both were lovely
• I got a tattoo
• No, I'm not going to post a photo
• Not even if you beg
• Please don't beg, it won't help and you'll just embarrass yourself
• Both Miss H and Miss A got their ears pierced
• We began remodeling the dining room/living room
• I learned how to use a Saws-All (certainly not the correct spelling)
• I discovered I am very good at demolition
• S had an allergic reaction to a medication--with a rash that lasted almost two weeks--it was scary.  Then gross.  Then it disappeared.
• My kids went sledding for the first time
• I saw Juno with a friend.  Go see it if you have the chance.
• I read the entire Stephanie Plum series.  Read those if you have a chance.
• I (Okay, fine, S) hauled the crap I couldn't live without (and I few things I probably could) out of my parent's basement

None of those things are in correct order, some of them are closer than they appear.

Now, what have you been up to?

This post brought to you by the letters "Q" and "N"

The letter meme is making the rounds once again, and my sister has challenged me to write ten words beginning with either the letter "Q" or the letter "N", and then explaining why I chose them.  Gee?  Q or N?

Why not both?  Here we go:

1.  Quinn: Where else could I possibly begin? Because Quinn is just the sweetest doggie-niece on the planet, yes she is (you were supposed to read that sentence as if you were messing up a goofy golden retriever's ears at the same time).  Nibblets.  As in: Sweet Nibblets!  That dog is cute.

2.  Question. Because you always should.  Never.  Um.  No, ALWAYS.

3.  Quatrain.  Because it brings me instantly back to those days when I could sit about leisurely, and ingest volume after volume of my favorite poetry.  Novel.  Because I am currently reading The Inheritance of Loss, and finding it impossible to put down, and anything but leisurely.

4.  Quantum.  As in leap.  Because it seems as though that is what it takes for me to post a blog entry these days.  Neglect.  Surely, this blog is feeling some.

5.  Quality.  Because I am doing my best to spend as much quality time with the girls as possible before they start school next week, and that feels ridiculous to say because shouldn't we always strive to spend quality time with our loved ones?  What is it about this calendar week that brings the concept so close to home?  Nauseated.  Because I am feeling just a wee bit anxious about Miss A's doctor appointment in the morning.

----------------------------------------------------

And, with that, I must go start running a bath for the girls.  Five of each letter is technically ten, right?  If you must know, the list I had planned to use included: queen, quibble, quiet, quiche, quilt, quote, quack, quit, qualification, November, Nubble Light, nook, noise, nymphomania, nectar, Novocain, nonchalant, and nipple. However, duty calls, and, since I am obviously experiencing some commitment issues with this space, I can't promise to get back tonight.

You know how it works; if anyone is interested in playing, leave a comment and I will assign you a letter.  I'll be nice.  I promise.

Under the Influence *now with notes!

Note to self:  in the future, you would be wise to refrain from writing blog entries while under the influence of both cold medicine and Midol.

Note to everyone else:  after you muddle through this hazy brain post, please check out Erika's comment and super-impose it over this post.  Now, THAT is what I meant to say!

Friday evening was a perfect example of New England in the fall.  It had not stopped raining all day, and by the time Miss H and I arrived at her dance class the wind had picked up, the temperature had dropped, we were damp and chilled through to the bone.  Once the class began, one of the other mothers said that she was going to Starbucks and asked if she could bring any of us back a coffee.

I try to enjoy fru-fru coffees.  I do.  Every few months, I break down and order a specialty coffee.  I look at the menu board, and I choose something that sounds good, something with ingredients I enjoy in other forms. I open my mind, I raise my hopes, I plop down the extreme cost, hell, I even tip the barista because it is not her fault that I can't accept the fact I don't like the swill perfectly lovely cup of coffee she worked hard to make for me. I take an enthusiastic, hopeful gulp, and immediately throw the entire thing in the nearest garbage can. 

Despite my best efforts, I don't like fru-fru coffees.  Give me good old fashioned cream and sugar.  Oh, and coffee should be hot, no ice.

So, when this mom offered to bring us coffee, I mentioned how much I wished I could love the pumpkin spice latte that everyone raves about, how I have wanted to try it for a couple of years, but have resisted.  I thanked her, but declined her offer.

Fifteen minutes later she returned with the latte for me to try because Starbucks was celebrating a grand opening, and all tall drinks were FREE!  Who can resist free?  What did I have to lose? 

Starbucks pumpkin spice latte is a fru-fru coffee.  I don't like fru-fru coffees.  It tastes like pumpkin pie.  I don't like pumpkin pie.  Can I just tell you pumpkin spice latte is yummy, divine, heaven in a Styrofoam cup!

The next time we meet for coffee, I will be ordering fru-fru.

Because I am in a posting funk and I needed something to jump start me...

Stolen from Jen

Life Experience

Bold the ones you've done..

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea (if standing on the shore counts)
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne. MMMmmmm...
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day

38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving (God, no! )
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love (THAN! It's "THAN", you idiot who wrote this, not "THEN." Sheesh.)
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced (Another Good Life Decision)
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived.
105. Wrote articles for a large publication (it doesn't matter that the publication didn't actually publish them, right?)
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet (for the few hours before my mother discovered it)
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat (Does Burger King count?)
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach (Nope. Only squashed them.)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read (Way more than one!)
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life (maybe, I'm a blood donor!)

Now, it's your turn. Do it on your blog, and then leave a comment saying you've done so.

A little help

So that S and I can, after nearly ten years of debate, finally, put these issues to rest and, {once you tell him that I am right and he is wrong, so that he can mend his foolish ways} restore our marital harmony: 

Please tell him us:

1)  When fixing a bowl of corn flakes, which is the proper order: cereal, sugar, milk or, cereal, milk, sugar?

and,

2)  For iced drinks which comes first the ice or the drink?  Fill the glass with ice and pour the drink over?  Or, pour the drink and plop the ice in?

Next, we will come up with a global warming solution.  First things first.

S is for Sarah

I was reading some of my favorite blogs this morning and I discovered that Sarah had posted a new, and funky meme.  Because I have a bit of a blog crush on Sarah, and because I have a strange soft spot for memes, I decided to play.

I asked (OK, begged) Sarah to assign me a letter of the alphabet, which was a little scary, I must say because I worried that she would give me Q or Z, but she graciously, and quickly, I might add, assigned me the letter S.

Now I have to write 10 words that begin with the letter S and explain why I chose them.  Sounds pretty simple, but surprisingly, not so much.

Here we go:

1. Sisters--because a) I am enjoying my two little girls growing together as sisters and b) I am thinking alot about my own sister today; she has a lot on her plate right now, she has a stressful job, she is worried about a friend who was recently diagnosed with a chronic disease, she is planning a wedding and she and her fiance are attempting to buy their first home.  I miss her terribly, I wish I lived closer to her, I want to give her a hug.
2. Sneeze--because that is what Miss A has been doing all morning.  Add to that: spray, splash, slimy and snot!  I won't go into all the details, I think you have the picture.
3. Sprinkle--because Miss H is beginning to get an adorable sprinkle of summer freckles across her nose and cheeks.  She hates them; she doesn't understand, yet, how beautiful she is, that she is truly scrumptious.
4. Snuggle--because almost every morning, Miss A climbs into bed with me minutes before my alarm goes off.  I lift the covers and she shapes her little body against mine and we snuggle.  It is not often that Miss A is still, her little body constantly on the move, but in those first sleepy moments I drink in the scent of her and it refreshes me, soothes me, and I stumble further under her spell, my little girl baby.  The one who truly completes us.
5. Schilling--as in Curt. Because I *heart* Curt Schilling.  Not so much for his amazing talent as a pitcher, not so much for his quiet leadership of my beloved Red Sox; I *heart* Curt Schilling for his brain, for his approach to baseball and life.  I love to hear his interviews; the way analyzes every pitch, every situation, every batter.  I love to watch him in the dug out with his notebooks and his lists and his statistics; he is always studying, always improving, always questioning...it is the way I wish we were all able to approach our careers, our worlds, our lives.  Curt Schilling loves his job and I find that to be intoxicating, sexy, even. 
6. Share--obviously, with a three and a six year old, we are constantly learning to share in this house.  But, I choose this word for the greater implications, the more global and social implications.  Sharing is good.  Sharing is one of those life-lessons that we tend to expect of children, but throw aside as adults.  S and I struggle to teach our girls about sharing, sharing the world, sharing our environmental resources and we strive to teach them to share beyond their possessions, to share their skills and their talents and their ideas...and with that, to understand their own worth, to know that they have value, to know that they deserve a share.  We struggle to teach them how to receive as well as to share.
7. Strength--because this is what I want for my girls, for all of our girls, that they may grow to be strong women, strong people with a strong sense of family and heritage. Because I wish for them a strength that can only be found within themselves, strength of character, a strength of their convictions. 
8. Sentimental--because I am a sentimental fool, because I believe in possibility, because I cry at commercials and because  I scrapbook every second of my girls lives.
9. Scarecrow--because, as I mentioned a while ago, Miss H has a couple of very loose teeth.  One of them is her scarecrow tooth, the tooth I will miss the most when it is gone, the one that is slightly discolored due to injury.  She hopes each day that it is ready to come out, I pray each night she will keep it forever.
10. Spent--because that is how I feel at this point.  This was much more difficult than I anticipated and took me to unexpected places that I fear I was unable to adequately articulate.  (Don't forget, I have a sneezing, snot-spewing toddler at my side) My original list included silly, scribble, soccer, seduction, serendipity, and skedaddle.  But, things changed as I typed, which I will take as a sign, so I will not cheat by extending the list...maybe another day.

Now, if any of you want to play, just let me know and I will assign you a letter.  You don't have to have a blog, you can play in the comments.

Meme

The fabulous Cecily has tagged me!  Well, fine, so she tagged everyone who wanted to be considered tagged.  But, it still counts.  So, here we go:

Six weird things about me:

1.  Apparently, I am shameless enough to consider myself personally tagged when clearly it was a community-wide invitation. 

2.  I can't stand soggy food.  For this reason, I never pack a sandwich lunch, I don't put crackers in my soup, and I eat cereal the minute the milk is poured.  If bread crumbs or other food particles get in the sink, I will leave them there until S gets home to rinse them out for me.  (just writing that sentence, I gagged twice)

Wednesday night is spaghetti night at our house, but I eat only angel hair pasta.  Spaghetti, even thin spaghetti, is too dense for me and makes me gag.  Also, I always serve cottage cheese with pasta.  It is fine to forget the bread, but we must have the cottage cheese.

Don't even get me started on the whole dunking cookies in milk thing!

3.  I am obsessed with handwriting.  I loved my handwriting when I was a teen and young adult; it was one of very few things during that awkward time that I was proud of about myself.  I have been known to void checks (even those written to strangers, to pay bills for instance) because I didn't like the way my handwriting looked.  This goes for thank you notes as well: I will rip up an entire note card because I don't like my handwriting in the last sentence.  It takes me a long time to write thank you notes; I buy note cards in large quantities, and I believe that computers have ruined handwriting, mine included.

4.  I am a book snob. 

I will not purchase a book that has an Oprah (or any other) book club stamp on the cover unless it can be peeled off, and I won't purchase a book that has been made into a movie unless the cover is original and not connected to the movie.

I will not loan books that I care about being returned, even to my family.

I write in my books; I break the bindings.

Along those same lines, my magazines must be fresh.  I can't stand to read a magazine that has already been read, and I have to tear out the subscription cards before I start to read.

5.  I pace while talking on the phone.  I can't sit still, if I am not doing some sort of household chore (usually dishes or laundry) while talking, I simply pace back and forth.  It is a clearly genetic quirk; my father does it and so do both of my girls.  The dog follows me; it drives my husband up the wall.

6.  I have a major weakness for tote bags and office supplies.  I have way more of both than I will ever need, but I can't resist buying them.  In fact, just yesterday, I showed S a tote that I love and suggested to him that it may make a nice Mother's day gift.  Based on his reaction, I think I will be buying the bag for myself.

7.  I can only park to the left.  Since I started driving the mini-van this has been worse, but, in all honesty, it has always been true.  I can parallel park like a champ, but I will drive around and around a parking lot, passing up perfectly good spaces, until I find a space I can pull into on the left.

_________________________________

Yes, I know that is seven things, but I'm not really counting #1!  Even though it is both weird and true.

Okay...so now I tag my sister, and anyone else who wishes to participate.  If you don't have a blog, you can leave your list in the comments.

9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

Because I am a sucker for these:

Nine lasts:

1.  last meal:  coffee, vanilla yogurt and a banana
2.  last beverage: yeah, that would be coffee
3.  last movie seen: Elizabethtown
4.  last phone call: my honey
5.  last cd played:  Jack Johnson
6.  last bubble bath: couldn't begin to remember
7.  last time you cried: last Tuesday
8.  last time you stayed up ALL night:  about a year ago, when the entire family decided to engage in a game of tag-team puking.
9.  last time you left the state you live in: last week when my mom was here; we went to The Christmas Tree shop (twice!)

8 have you evers:

1.  have you ever dated someone twice: thankfully, no
2.  have you ever skinny dipped:  yes
3.  have you ever kissed somebody and regretted it: oh yeah
4.  have you ever fallen in love: yes
5.  have you ever lost someone you loved: yes
6.  have you ever been depressed: yes
7.  have you ever been drunk and thrown up: of course!
8.  have you ever cried yourself to sleep: many times

7 things you’re wearing:

1. jeans
2. collared shirt
3. socks
4. glasses
5. wedding rings
6. necklace with daughter's birthstone
7. my mothers ring

6 things you've done today:

1. showered
2. drove my daughter to school
3. drove a friend's daughter to pre-school
4. took my youngest to the library for story time
5. returned email and phone messages
6. laundry

5 favorite things:

You mean besides raindrops on roses?

1. my family
2. the ocean
3. books
4. starfish
5. my children's artwork

4 people you can tell pretty much anything to:

1. steve x's 4
2.
3.
4

3 wishes:

1. a big addition to the back of our house
2. to lose 50 pounds before my sister's wedding
3. a Red Sox world series win in 2006

2 things you want to do before you die:

1. write a book that publishing companies would fight over
2. play with my grandchildren

1 thing you regret:

1. not inquiring about a mortgage sooner