Reflection...

Not sure why, but tonight, I was struck with this overwhelmingly lovely wave of happiness. I realize I've been riding this wave for quite some time, and tonight, it finally washed over me and planted me gently back on the shore, basking in the sunshine, tired, but happy after such a nice swim. 

There are so many reasons why... and just little things. Can I brag a little without sounding too braggish? 

This week:

*My hairdresser told me I looked "so pretty and fresh, and Bohemian" when I walked in the door. Love her. ;) 

*My daughter was one of only two kids in the ENTIRE 5th grade who memorized the ENTIRE Gettysburg Address. ARE YOU FOR REAL? Do you KNOW how long that thing is????? I was so proud! 

*My son was the FIRST kid in the WHOLE 2nd grade to do all of his addition math facts on fast math. I was so proud. :) 

*At basketball practice last night (social hour!), I had so many people I wanted to talk to that I barely made all the rounds before practice was over. 

*There were two ridiculously gorgeous sunsets in a row. 

*I got to have lunch with two girlfriends on a great sunny patio downtown yesterday... and then three hours later we got together for MORE, sipping frozen margaritas on yet another sunny patio. Ahhhhhhh. That's the life. 

*Both kids still beg to sleep with me when Daddy's gone. They are such snuggle bugs. I hope that lasts for years to come. 

*I finished a great book today... first time I've FINISHED a book in several months... I'm still in the middle of quite a few books, but felt good to get all the way to the end. 

*My husband never ceases to surprise and delight me... my yard is BURSTING at the seams with green stalks from mystery bulbs I never even knew he planted!!! He won't tell me what they're going to be, says I have to wait and be surprised when they bloom for me. :) How FREAKING SWEET IS HE??!!

See, I told you, nothing major... just the little things I've come to appreciate so much in life. I hope your week was filled with these little magic moments... and that you are able to recognize them through the chaos and appreciate them!! :) Life is so rich.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Happy Fat Tuesday everyone! I hope you are finding a way to celebrate the day today, by watching a parade, eating pancakes, enjoying the weather or just spending time with a loved one. We are trying to get back into the swing of things after a GREAT weekend in New Orleans!!! We had SO. MUCH. FUN. I have to admit, Mardi Gras in NOLA is really nothing I ever wanted to attend. I thought it would be a bunch of drunk people throwing up and peeing on the street, massive crowds and a bunch of twitty girls flashing their boobs to get beads... 

OH WAIT... that's EXACTLY what it was! HA HA HA. And yet, it was still a rockin good time! Actually, believe it or not, there are lots of families and kids there and the daytime stuff is truly (mostly!) innocent and G-rated. 

John and I snuck away for the weekend and left my Dad in charge of the kiddos. We met up with 18 other party-goers to celebrate our friend Rob's 40th birthday in style. (He was part of the Krewe of Tucks, for those of you who understand what that is.)

Stayed at the Westin on Canal Street, ate tons of Cajun food, seafood (my first raw oyster!), fried food, King cake and big huge breakfasts (if you've never had Lost Bread... go find some NOW!). Drank a little beer (Oh, just a little! Ha!) and enjoyed the parades and festivities. 

And I'm happy to report (although some of you might be disappointed with this news) that you really do NOT have to show your boobs to get beads... and I'm talkin' TONS AND TONS AND TONS (and then some!) of beads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Needless to say, the kids loved the loot we brought home, although I'm frightened how evil my twisted little daughter has been with her new Voo Doo doll! Whatever you do, don't tick her off this week... you might be sorry. ;) 

Feeling Festive!

(I know a lot of you have already seen these photos... but some haven't. Oh, and of course I have to post the BEFORE picture so you can truly appreciate the awesomeness of our refurbish job!)

I'm about to leave to pick up my dad from the airport... Grampa to the rescue! He's coming to cover Kid Duty this weekend so John and I can galavant off to New Orleans for some Mardi Gras fun! :) Yay Grampa! The kids are excited to see him and excited about the prospect of eating lots of Subway and Sonic while we're gone. Ha ha. My little opportunists...

Anyway, I'm in a festive mood! My "new" killer chandelier makes me feel like a movie star every time I see it. I love it. I love how it makes me feel giddy and uninhibited and a little crazy and sassy. :) Doesn't it just scream Mardi Gras? It's getting me in the mood! Also feeling festive around here because of the great weather we're having... and daffodils blooming all over the yard!! YAY. They make me happy... a sure sign spring is just around the corner! 

So I need to go finish packing and dusting the guest room (ha ha), but just wanted to say I'll check back in Sunday night with a full Mardi Gras report and some photos... I'll try to keep them rated PG although I know my friend Renee is hoping for something fun and raunchy! HA HA HA. 

14 years...

Today John and I celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary!! Fourteen years since the magic moment above. This photo is my favorite from our wedding day because it was not posed. It was taken just before the ceremony and was the first time John saw me in my dress . We didn't even know the photographer was hiding in the back of the room. We thought we were all alone. I love it. I also love that I was standing two steps up from the floor, so I'm as tall as John! HA.

Wow... FOURTEEN YEARS! 

That means...

14 years of my life spent with the most incredible man I've ever met. 

14 years of laughing every time I'm around him. 

14 years of feeling lucky every single day, because of him. 

14 years of feeling incredibly secure and well-cared for by him.

14 years of hoping his good nature will rub off on me. 

14 years of extreme pleasure having a GOOD LOOKIN' man in my bed. (Sorry Mom!)

14 years of wondering how I got the nerve to ask him to dance... and being INSANELY GLAD I did!

14 years of enjoying almost always being right. Hee hee. And I was RIGHT again for choosing HIM. That was my BEST "being right" ever!

14 years of harmony, with so few real fights I can literally count them on one hand... and those are still ridiculous enough to have erupted over a toilet plunger, Jimmy Buffet and Jasper's homework! LOL!

14 years of utter certainty that we'll grow old together, unless death takes us first. 

14 years of feeling very short (and even somewhat dainty!) standing next to him. 

14 years of getting to warm my freezing cold hands on his belly. 

14 years of him flirting with me through the windshield while he washes it at gas stations.

14 years of more AMAZING memories than I could ever explain!!!!

14 years of being impressed that he puts on snow chains without ever a single complaint, only laughter.

14 years (or roughly 5,113 mornings) of waking up thinking, "Cool, I get to be Mrs. Murphy again today."

14 years of never regretting saying "I do." 

14 years of knowing I'd do it all again. 

I love you John. Certainly 14 times more than I did the day I married you... and that was already a lot, so you can only imagine... 

I look forward to our next 14 years together. If they're anywhere near as wonderful as the first 14, I *KNOW* I will enjoy every last bit of it. I love being your wife. :) 

Yours forever and then some, 

Stacy

This-N-That

Nothing too exciting or amusing for today, sorry. It's been a weird couple of days... doing random projects here and there, a little of this and that.  Will have some exciting stuff in the coming week, but for today, just random bits...

First off, check out this cool funky sky we had the other night! Looked like "War of the Worlds" or something. Pretty spiffy. 

Roxie would like everyone to know SHE is not afraid of a little peanut butter recall. ;) This is one of her favorite treats. About every 3 months we finish off a jar of peanut butter and then give her what's left to lick until she exhausts her tongue. She loves it! 

And check this out... this chandelier could definitely bring home the blue ribbon for the "World's Most Hideous Light Fixture." I'm SURE of it. I can't stand this thing. It's an eye sore! We've searched high and low for a new one, but the only ones I like seem to come with a $3K+ price tag......... soooooooooo we're going to get a little KAAARAAAAAAAZY and pimp this one out my friends! You'll see... it's going to be fabulous... and if not, then it's going to the dump. We figure it can't get any worse than it already is. So this is today's project... here is the BEFORE shot... can't wait to show you the AFTER!! :) 

Have a great day!!! 

Seeing Red... and a Little Blog Love

I'm getting ready to host a cozy dinner party... and I'm wearing a pink shirt. For those of you who know me well, you know that's a big deal (the shirt, not the dinner). I don't *do* pink. I don't much care for pink. Never have. There's one day a year where I'll tolerate it... and that's on Valentine's Day! Ha ha ha. 

Sorry Gillian (my friend Gillian LOVES pink and SHOULD because well, she's just beautiful and super ultra feminine and sweet and has THREE darling little girls, so she's GOTTA love pink, plus with a nickname like Gigi, well, it's a must!!). Gillian probably won't speak to me for a week after I write this, but here goes anyway (if she's as forgiving as she is sweet, she won't take it personally that I can't stand her favorite color!)...

I don't like pink. 

There. I said it. 

I look HIDEOUS in pink. 

I don't like pink wine. 

Or pink lemonade. 

Or pink flowers. 

Or pink slips. 

Or even pink cotton candy. I mean, if you can't CHEW it, then what's the point? 

Okay, in all fairness, and to protect my beloved friendship with Gillian, I've been brainstorming and WAS able to come up with TWO WHOLE THINGS that I like that are pink. Very pink, in fact. :) The first is my cherry blossom trees!!! SUPER ULTRA MEGA pink (as Jasper would say) and I love and adore them. Also, Trident sugarless bubble gum. I'm horribly addicted to it... and it's also as pink as it gets. 

But otherwise, there's just no real pink in my life. I had to actually go out and BUY a pink shirt for Valentine's Day. Not sure what possessed me to do that. I usually just wear red on Valentine's Day and all my decorations are red and white. But for some weird reason, I wanted a pink shirt for today. :) I'll be sure to get a picture of me in it for you Gillian, cause it's probably the only chance you'll ever get to see me in a pink shirt! 

Not sure why I felt compelled to write all that... maybe my "true confession" since one of my best friends of all times is a Pinkaholic and so I feel awful harboring these horrible thoughts against the color. Just wanted to get it off my chest, once and for all. Is it really such a bad thing that pink makes me want to puke??? LOL. ;) 

Okay, and just in time for Valentine's Day, I received a little Blog Love in my inbox today. These two ladies are some of my Mom's dearest friends... and they're so very sweet. :) Thanks ladies for the warm fuzzies... 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! 

Hey, Stacy!!!! You really need to put ALL of this on paper! You are an awesome writer!! You have more talent in your little fingers than most of us have in our entire bodies!! You are defintely your mother's daughter! I appreciate the fact that she turned me on to your blog, as it's a KICK to anticipate the next "installment"!! Keep up the GOOD WORK!!! You have no idea how many lives you are touching!
Love & Respect,
Pat 

Have spent an hour trying to put your blog in my favorite places. I can and did read every word and enjoyed it all. Seems to me your strong suit is: Love of your family and special friends, photography, fantastic way with words, in no particular order. Not to mention a wonderful Mother, wife, daughter and aunt- what more could one want? Talked to your Mom yesterday... she is so proud of you and rightfully so. Love, Patti

Love is in the Air...

Well, seems logical that with Valentine's Day just around the corner, I should write about someone I love. :) 

And that person I'm going to write about is my neighbor, Kate. :) :) 

Kate is seriously the love of my life this week people... she takes the cake! 

Just this week she: 

1) Brought me the first daffodils of spring from her yard. 

2) Gave me a super cute thank you card, complete with the groovy wax stamp closure.

2.5) Brought over a HUGE stack of chick flicks for me to watch while recovering from surgery.

3) Brought me "get well" chocolates after my surgery. 

4) WASHED MY DOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (This is NOT a joke people!)

5) Took my daughter to a school function dinner so I could stay home... and blog about her! ;) (Just wanted to make sure she knows I used my time wisely!)

6) Brought over HAND MADE American Girl doll clothes for Kathryn... for no apparent reason.

7) Reminded me I need to bring over Jasper's pants so she can hem them for me!!!!!!!! 

Kate also makes FUR COATS and CUSTOM cheerleader outfits for Kathryn's dolls, brings me cuttings from her garden, has an endless supply of good wine, makes us killer dinners (the Mediterranean feast is still at the top of my favorites!), takes the kids and dogs for walks in the creek when I'm not in the mood, and when I'm really lucky, she'll even sometimes drunk hug me!! LOL! ;) 

I mean, seriously people... do YOU have a friend this good????? I think not. And you can't have Kate... she's all mine. I found her first. Go get your own! ;) 

I LOVE YOU KATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're seriously the best and I don't quite know how to thank you! My husband's not loving you quite so much now because he's wondering how he's going to top the flowers, chocolates, cards and DOG-BATHING this Valentine's Day!!! Ha ha ha. Poor guy. 

(I realize I don't even have a picture of you to go with this blog... hmmm... darnit... we're going to have to work on that!)

When Boys Bake...

When boys bake, they will love an audience.

When boys bake, they will need help scraping.

When boys bake, they will always be entertaining.

When boys bake, they *will* get spit in the batter.

When boys bake, they will get messy.

When boys bake, they will be proud! 

And when boys bake, even if it has spit in it and turns out crispy & burned on the outside and ooey & gooey on the inside and a little bit broken & lumpy, it will STILL be yummy & fabulous!

Blooming and Blossoming...

I was struck yesterday with a lovely notion... and was delighted my daughter was in the mood to play along... 

I was looking out the kitchen window at the GLORIOUS HUGE cherry blossom tree that has just absolutely EXPLODED with color this week (It's outrageously beautiful and so very pink!) when Kathryn came walking in the room, dressed in a pink tank top, looking every bit as lovely as that tree. It struck me right then that I MUST have a photo of her next to the tree! She said she'd oblige (Yay! Sometimes she is NOT in the mood for me and my camera.) and so out we went, and I adore the result. :) 

I was feeling quite overwhelmed taking these photos, looking at all the budding and blooming and blossoming going on... and I'm not talking about the tree. 

Kathryn is growing up, so quickly, right before my eyes... and I love the young woman she is becoming, even though it pains me sometimes to know that my little girl won't be little much longer. 

I told her today in the car that I really really LIKE her. I just do. She looked at me a bit funny and I tried to explain that even if she wasn't MY kid, I'd still like her. She is a great companion and I think it's cool how we have children and then end up with a new friend. A buddy. Someone to hang out with and chit chat with on drives in the car. She's fun. I like being near her. I like who she is and who she is becoming. She makes me proud. She makes me giggle and sometimes looking at her makes me end up with a lump in my throat. 

I love being surrounded by all this pink blossoming beauty. 

My Little Lovelies

Are you kidding me? Have you ever seen anything so hysterical? Oh my gosh, the kids were like pee-in-your-pants funny yesterday during our silly little photo shoot. We got this whole grand idea for their Valentine's Day cards this year (they're giving away Nerds candy) so of course we needed photos for the project. 

I absolutely positively LOVE that they were both so willing to poke fun at themselves! What a great thing to be able to do. Most of us spend a lifetime being way too insecure to be so bold and self-effacing. 

They're a hoot and I'll be their valentine ANY time! 

Why I love My Girls... (Warning! Feeling sappy today!)

My Mom. My Mom will always be my #1 Girl. My Mom is amazing. Always has been. When I was a kid, I poured an entire bottle of Palmolive on the hardwood floors, so I could "ice skate." My Mom didn't even get mad at me, despite the fact it took her about four hours to clean the floors. That's cause she's my Mom. I love my Mom. I know I drive her crazy because I call her almost every day (okay, sometimes twice a day), but I think she's always glad to hear my voice. Having a mom like my Mom made me want to BE a mom. :) IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou Mom!!!!

Kathryn. I see a little of myself and my husband in my daughter, but the rest is all her. Very much her. She is funny and witty and smart and kind and beautiful and serious and sentimental and talented and all that wonderful stuff all wrapped up in one amazing package. Too much to say about a girl I love more than life. Would take 18,002 blogs to truly explain my feelings for this Girl. 

Gillian. My dear, dear, wonderful faithful friend. We email each other sometimes up to 20 times a day. I'm not even kidding. I swear it. We tell each other EVERYTHING. And I do mean EVERYTHING! LOL! I don't like days without her. We support each other and congratulate each other for things we know are important to us... but no one else seems to care about (like when we clean out our closets!!). We are each other's #1 cheerleaders and biggest fans. Sometimes I think we even fill that space we wish our husbands would fill, but don't. You know that space? Even though she's all the way up there in freezing cold Canada, I still feel closer and more connected to her than even my closest neighbors. She's so good for me too... a very good influence because she's a passionate Christian and she doesn't even cuss. I love her. A lot. 

Renee. My lovely, wonderful, hysterical Renee. She "gets" me. She's like the sister I never had, but always wanted. She makes me feel good, all warm and fuzzy. It's hard to explain, but she just does. That's one of the biggest compliments I can give. I could never get tired of just hanging out with her and talking to her. She's a great listener and makes a mean fondue... she gives me those Sunset magazine backyard moments we all want to have... wine and candles and good food and conversation. She even puts real vanilla beans in her sugar. Who does that? She does! I miss miss miss miss her. Every day. She's one of the few things that made it hard for me to leave California!!

Terri. Terri is unlike anyone else I've ever met. She is the busiest woman I know. She is also the most dedicated mother I know. She loves her children (even the four-leggedones!) to death and would (and does) do anything for them. They are lucky to have her. She is truly the most unselfish person I've ever met... almost to a fault though. We all want her to learn to take care of herself as well as she takes care of everyone else around her! 

Jodie. Jodie is the neighbor and friend I always wish I'd taken more time to get to know. But all those times we stood in the cul-de-sac chatting in between grocery shopping and carpooling and exercising were fabulous. Jodie is simply all around good stuff. That woman is inspiring. She has THE COOLEST house and THE COOLEST three kids and she is A-MA-ZING the way she keeps it all together. She's quite hip too and makes it all look very easy. I wish more families could be like hers. It would be a much better world if they could. 

Heidi. Heidi saved me in Washington. I wonder if she ever knew that. During some of my most difficult years, in a new state, with no family and John overseas, Heidi was my salvation. She taught me to get out and still have fun, even in the rain and even when my heart was ripping in half because I was missing John so fiercely. She got me off my ass and onto a tandem bike and even convinced me to eat Tofurkey and to CLIMB the face of a snowy mountain and then ski down (Ski to Sea race!). She taught me how to love brownies and coffee and life and friendship. She taught me that dogs deserve to be walked, yes, again, even in the rain. She taught me that it's really okay if your shoes get muddy. REALLY muddy. She is passionate about her family and food and health and education and students and reading and Earth and politics and dogs and I just think the world of her. Everyone needs a friend like Heidi, but sadly, very few people are fortunate enough to have one. I'm glad I do. :) I miss sitting on the front porch step, drinking banana smoothies with her. 

Anne. My sister in law. How did I get to be so lucky to choose a husband that came with such a wonderful perk?! Anne, all I can say about you is that I love and adore and trust you so much that YOU are the person I want to be my childrens' mother if I ever die. I would hand them over to you with a happy heart. I think the world of you and just love you to pieces. I am so glad to have a sister like you! You rock. Need I say more?

Okay, this is really fun. :) But my problem (HARDLY a problem!!!) is that I have too many Girls to love right now and I don't want you guys to lose interest and quit reading... so I'll stop here for today. Oh, and please know I'm not listing you in any particular order! LOL! But really... Holly, Tiffany, Deb, Buffi, Ginny, Leanna, Kate... and more... you're next! 

By the way, I don't even know if you all read this stuff, and it doesn't really matter... just feels good to get some of this down on cyber paper. :) 

I LOVE YOU GIRLS!

Stressing over Strawberries & Drawing a Blank...

Okay, that's a weird title, but I'm in a weird mood, so deal with it. ;) 

I'm sitting here right now, in my fuzzy yellow ducky pajamas (it's true, I knew you wouldn't believe me, so there's the picture to prove it), sipping luke warm coffee, trying to get inspired. But all I'm getting is discouraged and whiny. I'm staring at a blank blog template, not knowing what to write about today... and here's what I'm thinking (my Mom and John have heard me complain about this more times than they can count on their fingers and toes, but here it goes again):

I want to be REALLYREALLYREALLY good at something. ANYTHING (I'm not picky!). But something. 

This morning I started my day by catching up on blog reading. I love to read other people's blogs. And then I get bummed cause I don't write as well as they do. I'm not nearly as funny. 

Darnit.

So then I decide to flip through the latest Pottery Barn catalogue that's been sittin' here collecting dust for weeks. By page 12 I'm totally depressed that NO room in my house looks even NEAR that amazing. And while I *do* realize NO ONE truly lives that way, I still want my house to look like it! Is that so wrong? 

Darnit. 

Okay, then I decide to browse through some of my favorite photography websites... big mistake. There is INSANE talent out there folks.

Double darnit. 

Hmmm. Ooooh, I know... how 'bout I look through this gardening magazine so I'll know what I should be doing in my garden this month. ACK... crapcrapcrap... look at page 28... why do they make growing strawberries look SO. PLAIN. EASY?! It's not people. I've tried. More than once. But right there, on page 28, there's a hand, overflowing with ripe, luscious, perfect, gorgeous, juicy strawberries. ACK!

Alright Stacy, forget all that... let's just go do some shopping on Etsy cause maybe a new cute necklace would cheer you up... hmmm, maybe something funky and small and silver on a leather cord... oh wow, ohhhhhhhkay... look at all these people oozing with creativity!!!!!!!!!

SCREAM!

Where oh where is MY creativity?? Oh where oh where can it be? 

See, this is my problem. I get in these moods where I just wish I were someone else. Well, not totally... I don't want their life or kids or husband or pets or bills or problems or in-laws or hair... I just want their creativity! I want to suck it out of them and drink it up for myself. I want to CREATE. And I want to do something TOTALLY ORIGINAL... but WHAT? 

So now I'm mad at myself now for being so whiny. I don't want to be whiny. I want to be a FABULOUS writer or photographer or gardener or interior decorator or chef or figure skater or musician or SOMETHING. 

Anything... as long as I'm totally fabulous at it!

I try to convince myself to take a step back and realize I'm actually doing okay because I do think I'm a little good at a lot of things, so that's gotta count for something, right? I mean, I'm a pretty decent photographer, I've got lots of thriving houseplants (even if I can't grow a strawberry to save my life... oh wait, that's not true... we got ONE edible one last year!!!! LOL!), my house is plain, but pretty, and I'm crafty enough to help the kids make a killer diorama. What else? Oh, my blog's got a fairly impressive following of readers, so it can't be all that bad... 

But I still have this annoying nagging sensation that it's just not good enough. I want MORE. I want fabulous!

I have to believe that SOMEDAY I'll figure it out. It's probably in there somewhere, I just haven't tapped into it quite yet. I gotta go stand out there like Ben Franklin with his lightening rod and be bold and patient and confident (and a little bit crazy) and hope it will just HIT me, just like that... and then I'll know. And then I can just get on with it. 

Someday.

Day Two. Enough Already!

Seriously people, HOW DO YOU DO IT? Those of you who live in really cold places... WHY? Cold is for penguins. And popsicles. And beer. Igloos, sure. Not people. 

It's another frozen day here... and yeah, it's pretty to look at, through the window, but geez Louise, do I really have to go OUT there? Unless I'm skiing, I just pretty much don't like to be cold. My blood is in shock. I'm ready for some good ol' Texas HOT weather baby! Bring it on! 

And those of you who live in those absurdly cold places... feel free to come visit any time you feel the need to thaw out a bit. 

Have a great day and stay warm! 

Got ice?

We do! Lots of it too!
The trees are happy to finally be shedding their heavy burden as the ice is beginning to melt. It's quite beautiful outside, albeit still extremely cold, wet and slushy. 

It looks as if there are a million diamonds falling from the trees right now... from trees with branches that seem to be made of glass, shining brightly in the sun. Beautiful. If I thought I could do the landscape justice with my camera, and truly capture it, I'd venture back outside, but I am not sure if photos would reflect the true beauty, so I'm choosing to stay in, stay warm and enjoy the scene through the window. I think my dog shares my sentiment. 

Slow News Day...

Ahhh, another day where I just can't seem to think of something to blog about, althouth I have a few ideas brewing.

So on this slow news day, I'll post some snapshots I took of Jasper and Roxie a few moments ago, just to let you know I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. We were attempting a shot of the two of them together, but anytime Jasper would get near Roxie, she'd go on Hyper Lick Mode. She can't help herself. That girl loves to lick people. Big slobbery wet licks right on the kisser... that's her favorite attack. :) It makes Jasper giggle like mad, and Roxie KNOWS this and loves it. 

Just a Spoon Full of Sugar, Please.

Cover your eyes Anne Shirley. You don't want to see this! It could get ugly. 

May I ask, when did our nation get to be so dang rude? I mean, seriously... some people are JUST SO RUDE. 

Lately my daughter and I have been watching some old timey TV series... like "Little House on the Prairie," "Anne of Green Gables," and "The House of Elliot," a fantastic BBC production about a quirky photographer and two sisters trying to launch their own fashion house in London. 

I love shows set in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They seems so fanciful and dreamy and romantic and I always tell John I think I would've loved to have lived during this time period... until he reminds me I'd have to give up my beloved laptop, iPod, scalding-hot showers, electric blanket, Photoshop, and the list goes on. Hmmm. On second thought... 

But really, what I mean is I just ADORE how people used to treat each other and talk to one another. People were just more proper. They were concerned about manners and appearances and reputations. It was simply unacceptable to use foul language or to talk back to your elders. Women acted like ladies and men acted like gentlemen. Kids in classrooms respected and feared their teachers. Kids said "Yes Ma'am" to their mothers. People had tea together. And boys certainly did not run around with their pants barely hanging on and underwear sticking out. 

Now please don't get me wrong. I'm far from perfect and I'm not saying I'm all high and mighty in the manners and etiquette departments. I am certainly no Pollyanna or Emily Post and my mother in law still cringes because I have to concentrate very hard to remember how to properly set a table. But I do so desperately wish we could get BACK to the way things were... just a little. 

Even my best friend in Canada teases us Americans. For example, if we don't understand someone, we yell back, "What?!" But in Canada, they say, "Pardon?" See... simple nuances. 

I just wish more gentlemen would still open doors for women weighted down with hands full of groceries and dozing toddlers. I wish people wouldn't have intimate cell phone conversations in the grocery store line. I wish more kids would say "Yes, please" and "No, thank you" (two things I started teaching my children in the womb). I wish (Oh how I wish!) more people would chew with their mouths closed. I wish teenagers wouldn't be allowed to text or play DS at the table in a nice restaurant. And when did it become a crime to say hello to passersby on the street? 

We need Mary Poppins to come work a little magic on us! 

All it takes is courtesy and perhaps a smile people. Are we all so busy and grouchy and stressed that we can't even smile and wave at each other anymore? 

Okay, so granted, I probably wouldn't enjoy wearing a proper dress (No jeans?! The horror!) every single day and I certainly don't want to have to go down to the creek to wash that dress... but can't we all just try to act a teensy bit old fashioned and put a little effort back into being polite and proper and respectful? Our children are watching us and they're taking notes...

Yes, I daresay we could all stand an extra dose of nice these days. Don't you?  

You Like Me! You Really Like Me!

Remember Sally Fields accepting her Oscar for best actress in "Places in the Heart?" That's what she said... "You like me, you really like me!" Ha. Love that! 

That's how I feel when I look at my blog following. A little shocked, and a little giddy. Gosh, it's truly humbling. 

I never thought anyone would really care about my blog. I pretty much do it for myself... a little creative outlet, not as serious as a diary, but simply a place to put down some random thoughts that are constantly knocking around inside my head. 

But wow... I want to thank all of you for reading! Makes me feel great. Here's a map of my followers... you know who you are... THANK YOU! You guys just keep stroking my ego and I'll just keep blogging!! Deal? 

(Double click on map to enlarge and see if you can find yourself!!)

A Story, by Jasper, age 7

Once upon a time, a farmer taught his ducks how to dance. 

Now he hears "tip tap, click clack!" just about every second. 

So he taught them how to juggle. 

Now he hears "crash bam, bang wham!" just about every second. 

So he taught them how to write. 

Now he hears "scritch scratch, crumble crumble" just about every second. 

So he taught them how to be quiet. 

Now he is happy. 

Oh. Dear. God. Dread Thirteen.

I'm not entirely sure, but I think I had a mini heart attack this morning. 

Okay, so maybe that's an exaggeration, but I do know SOMETHING unpleasant happened inside me. 

Here's the deal. I decided yesterday to send an email to my 13-year-old niece. She's a great, smart, funny kid with a bubbly personality. She has no brothers or sisters, so I have always tried to make an effort to be close to her... to be that cool aunt she could always come to in a crisis or to share secrets with or to take her to get her ears pierced when Mom said no. You know. We all need an aunt like that. 

So back to the email. I realize kids these days don't talk on the phone. They text and email. I'm fine with that. Whatever. So I email her. 

This morning I woke up to find a reply in my inbox. I was excited, especially seeing it was a long reply! YAY... COMMUNICATION! 

Upon reading the first two paragraphs, however, my heart started to feel queer inside my chest. Was I having a heart attack? Or maybe just a panic attack? Oh God. What's happening? 

My mom always tells me to "DREAD 13." Kinda her catch phrase these days. And my niece is a GOOD teenager... doesn't cause trouble, makes straight As, plays the flute... but she's STILL a teenager and well, we all know, teenagers are weird! 

Sorry, back to this email again... in this day and age where all kids do is text back and forth all day for hours on end, it's "cool" (oh, I'm sorry, I should say "kul") to use their version of shorthand (kwim? LOL!) and NO punctuation or capitalization... and I "get" that. Again, whatever. Just trying to save time.

But what KILLS me is how it's obviously cool to PURPOSEFULLY misspell as many words as possible!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH. Ouch... there goes my heart again. 

Please understand, I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a major in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Communications. I care. I care a lot. About grammar. And punctuation. And NOT ending sentences with a preposition. 

When I'm blogging or emailing or just chatting with friends, I try to loosen up and be casual about it, allowing for some run on sentences, dangling participles and such, but it STILL bothers me... and it's damned near impossible for me to resist correcting people (including my husband who almost ALWAYS gets the use of "I" and "me" backwards!). 

But this latest email was just SO completely disturbing on SO many levels. It's not that it was poorly written with a few careless spelling errors... but that it was DELIBERATELY written poorly! No caps, strange punctuation with little smiley faces throughout and the worst part... the crazy spelling. For example, did you know that in the teenage world itz kul to spell stuff with a "z" anywhere an "s" iz suppozed 2B? LOL. 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. My heart can't take it!

It disturbs me because these kids are our FUTURE. They are our future TEACHERS and LEADERS. And parents. And journalists?! 

Scary thought isn't it? 

This isn't even the "big teenager stuff" like dating and sex and drugs and drunk driving. It's just in that petty subcategory alongside wearing too much eyeliner, turning up the music too loud and eye rolling. 

But it also disturbs me because maybe today I feel old... older than I did yesterday. I'm obviously NOT the cool, hip aunt I thought I was. Darnit. I read the Twilight books and saw the movie. I listen to the latest music. I even still wear some jeans with holes in the knees and know how to use iTunes without the manual, but I guess it's not enough.

I tried, but failed. 

Well, for now I'll just have to take solace in the fact that I don't yet have a teenager to call my very own. Lucky me. I still have three years. Thank you God. I'm not ready. I'm reaaaaaaaaaaaaaally not ready. 

And I will TRY to swallow my panic and true feelings about this new writing phenomenon and just at least be happy that my 13-year-old niece is still inherently a good kid and will still even "talk" to me. That's good. It's a start. 

Itz kul, kwim?