Getting a little crafty...

Hater of all things traditional.

And now I find myself...

sewing.

It's something I have always wanted to learn.

When I was a little girl,

my grandmother made a majority of my dresses.

So nearly a year ago I bought a completely rad sewing machine,

with every intention of making something.

But the completely radness of the sewing machine

had me completely afraid to give it a try...

until I saw this post.

And here I am,

two weeks later...

sewing.

And though the scarfs will not be perfect,

maybe even a little wonky...

they are handmade

by me.

And at least I know that

HOLY COW...

I can sew!

Boxing leaves with cars...

These last few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind.  Why is it that as soon as November hits everything just speeds up…way too fast!?  Let’s see, we started off the month in Hilton Head at the Concours d’Elegance.  I am truly-madly-deeply NOT a car chick, but how could anyone resist this lovely lady. 

And then we took our annual autumn leaf tour up to the North Georgia mountains, unfortunately we were a week or two late so we missed the peak colors.  Of course, the tops of the trees were still gorgeous!

Finally this past weekend we celebrated as Manny Pacquiao made history.  Now I know I have no personal connection to the Philippines and Fred is equal parts German & Filipino and 100% American, but I was certainly feeling a little cultural pride!

Fitting of my current mood...

Sometimes no title is required...

If you enjoy...truckvetts

cut-off sweatshirts

great parenting skills

biker shorts

and um, handbags...

Well, I think you may also love my new favorite website...

I give you:

The People of Walmart

How baby umbrellas are made...

theFred:  Where is the umbrella thing?

me:  The blue wrap thing?

theFred:  yeah...

me:  It's in my bag...why do we keep that thing anyway?

theFred:  I don't know.

me:  I mean what's the point...

theFred:  smiling, to protect it from getting wet!?

me:  laughing, it's an umbrella condom...so dumb, just toss it!

Could be why I don't like flip-flops...

The hubby and I recently had a long discussion about a CNN article that reports a study showing spanking as detrimental to children.  And though we have had the discussion previously, since we are getting closer to starting our own family I think we paid a little more attention.

The thing I want to point out about the study is that if found most spanking occurs in the South – conservative Christian…oh yes, welcome to the Bible belt where the tradition of “spare the rod, spoil the child” gets taken to the extreme!

We were both spanked, but Fred (born into a “non-Christian” home) was only spanked once.
One.  Time.

Let that sink in…

ONE TIME!?  I mean I cannot even count the number of times I was spanked.  I was spanked with a hand, a belt, hair brushes (more than one of those were broken on my brother or my own behind), hand held mirrors (insert seven years bad luck joke [here]), shoes…and, oh yes, even a “switch”.  Pretty much whatever was in my mother’s reach was fair game.  And even as I kid, I knew a majority of those spankings were done simply out of frustration…like the time I was spanked with a flip-flop.  A flip-flop.  A foam flip-flop.  May as well been a pillow.

ONE TIME…I’m still recovering from the shock!

I laugh about my spankings now.  I mean what tops getting hit with a flippin flip-flop.  But it’s those spankings that went too far that I remember.  The frustration spankings.  The ones that created bruises/welts and I remember getting dressed for school and picking an outfit that was sure to hide the…evidence.  And that’s when Fred piped in; oh my…you were abused.  No, no.  NO.  I think my mother did the best she could with the knowledge she had.  It was a time when kids were seen not heard.  And I was a rather opinionated kid…shocking, I know!

But I learn from the past.  Discipline born from frustration teaches nothing.  Nah-thing.  Sometimes moms need to give themselves a time out.  And my past is not one I want to repeat, so I’m thankful that Fred and I agree that that “rod” should be used very sparingly.  Only with careful contemplation and only as a last resort.  And considering the array of heels and lack of flip-flops in my closet, I’m sure our someday children will appreciate this as well.

...O-N-E (1) TIME!?...

When pop music meets art...

Oh, this print from arrikworld

I don't know why I love this so,

but I do.

One of those artistic things...

odd, weird, painful, beautiful...like Lady Gaga's performance at the '09 VMAs.

And then the reality of it hits.

Some people shave away at the outside, forming themselves into

society's idea of perfection.

Other's shave away at the inside, working to find

their own version of perfection. 

Those that consume themselves with the external,

also judge others based on the external...what is seen.

And those that consume themselves with the internal,

judge based on the internal...what is felt.

And I am...

a feeler.

Patrick

"It's amazing, Molly.

The love you feel.

You take it with you."

What a lovely man.

I get the feeling that
his reality

the kind of life he led

and 

his love story

was so much better than the fictional movies we all love so dearly.

Quote of the Day

"If we are a species that is born with the intent to live a peaceful, prosperous and content life why is it that we've never been able to collectively achieve that?"

-Mike Ramsdell, filmmaker of the documentary "The Anatomy of Hate: A Dialogue for Hope"

Meeting the judge at the grocery store...

If a person has more than 12 items, and gets in the 10 Items or Less line…I judge. The line was created for those quick – crap I just need a gallon of milk to get us through the week moments. Not the I need a gallon of milk, some bred, three cans of soup, two cans of tuna, ground beef, an onion, a half watermelon, apple juice and…oh yeah hamburger buns. No. No-a!

So yesterday’s grocery store venture, I was the one being judged. Publix. Three lanes open, two of those being 10>Less. I had around 20 items in my cart and made my way to the regular line with just one person in front of me unloading her items. No big deal. My cart was not overflowing, but I had no problem waiting.

Then it happened…the clerk at the 10>Less lane waved me over. Her lane was empty. There was no one waiting behind me. No lines. Slow. I looked around a little sheepishly, making sure no one was running towards the lane with a box of tampons and some chocolate ice cream. It was clear. Tumbleweeds were blowing.  Ca-lear!

I make my way over and start unloading my items. I had five items left to unload when a dude with a loaf of bread and liter of coke walks up to the lane. Oh No! I see him look at my cart…Crrrap… and then the conveyer belt which at this point is running so my 20 items are spread out and I’m sure looks like 50 items to him. I’m being judged – dude if you were only here a minute early you would have seen I was waved over, she did it, and I would not have done it…except there was no line, and...Crrrap!

It turns out the clerk and bagger knew dude. The clerk looks over at him and says to the bagger…he looks angry. Clerk waves to dude…and says…you look mad…then laughs with the bagger. Yeah, I was judged. Honestly, I would have said something to dude had the other 10>Less lane not been open and line-free.

Judge not lest ye be judged...

The art of change...

It's a big word.

It's something we look for in others.

We want them to change…

and conform into the person

we believe they should be.

But what if that change,

doesn't fit what we think should be.

What if, instead of conforming

into our own version of perfection…

they grow in they way they need to grow.

Maybe it does not fit our mold.

Maybe imperfection is in the eye of the beholder.

Maybe…

it looks like jumbled up scribble and splatter,

but to someone else it's a Jackson Pollack.

I think when we pray for someone to change,

the prayer actually needs to be internalized…

for our minds to evolve and understand.

She may be odd,

but she may be priceless

once her spirit exits this earth.

No need for a pillow...

One of my friends

that I have known since

grade school

is having a baby,

and we showered her with gifts this weekend.

It's a little bit strange when you remember being little girls...

what was once pretend and dress up

is now reality.

That is not a pillow!

And, I couldn't be happier for her!

What's in a name...

I recently fell in love...

with a DSLR.

The hubby took one look at my test pictures,

and he too was in love.

So together we bought our very own BEAST...

-Nikon D40-

and called it our dating "anniversary" gift.

~

So, the first test shots were trying to capture Snuggles.

Now she is not always the most cooperative model.

It's a Himalayan thing.

I can spap, clap, knock, call, psst and stomp...

but she will not budge.

So out came the kitty-cat hairball medicine...

It's call two birds...one stone!

And it worked...

Seven, the exact opposite...

you look at her and she perks up with a meow, as if asking

"can I help you?"

Even theFred had fun taking photos of what boys take photos of...

bugs, of course!

Meanwhile,

I need a name for her.

Beast just doesn't quite seem fitting.

-Eve-

-Henrietta-

-Cleopatra-

-?-

It's like super glue...

i have had
this song
stuck
in my head
for the last
WEEK!
so i'm passing it along...
and honestly
it's a good song
we are all our own devil
and we make this world
our Hell...
so true!
but after a week,
my husband is
sick
and tired
of me singing
random lyrics...
yeah,
i'm one of
those people.
Enjoy...

A year ago today...

Sankofa is an Akan proverb that comes from the words "san" (return), "ko" (go), and "fa" (look, seek, and take). Meaning we must return to our past in order to move forward and grow. A year ago today I began that jouney. I revisited my old memories and open questions. The question of why was finally answered, and the pain of the past lessened its grip.

And today I am truly thankful to those that gave me that final push I needed to pursue that very journey.  They will never know the way in which they blessed my life.  I am especially thankful to those which held my hand along the way.  They gave me the confidence to take that step and know I would be surrounded with love and prayers.  I only hope that I have the opportunity to repay the kindness that was shown to me during the last year.  Thank you all.

Chilly-willy ding-dong...

Welcome to Atlanta

a hot-humid almost 90 degree day,

and Seven still curls up under the blanket.

"Stupid humans and their air conditioning...

the moddership better pay me overtime for cruel and usual punishment!"

The age of innocence...

When a loved one died,

they could literally see me from Heaven.

Instead of finding comfort it freaked me out…

a lot!

When I was learning to spell,

I thought even the 1-letter words had spellings...

so...A=Aie and I=eIa.

My stuffed animals came alive at night,

like Paddington Bear & Corduroy.

To this day I have a hard time tossing out old toys…

thank you Toy Story.

When I heard the word rape on the news,

I thought it was rake…

as in being attacked with a rake.

If you too had silly childhood beliefs,

then you will enjoy this website!

I'm not big on doing this...

...but I found it fitting for today, I think.

"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
Psalm 34:17-18

New Header Images

Don't you love these latest Etsy finds!
~

First, the floral cut-out collage from box64studios:

I mean seriously...SiiiiCK!
~

Second, the circles table from michaelarras:

I have already picked the perfect spot for this in my home!
~

Finally, the recycled bike wheel clock from pixiethis:

Up-cycling at its BEST!
~

Please support handmade!

The thing about hope...

It’s hard to hold on when you need it,

but when it’s time to let go

it never fully fades.

And sometimes

...

I wish it would.

it's Friezing in here...

...and Seven loves it!

So, after the paperwork not going through

because the sales person forgot to get us to sign one page

yet my credit card was charged for the deposit

and no one called to inform us before our scheduled install

so I was left to waste 1/2 day waiting for no reason

and was left pretty underwhelmed with their upfront customer service...

I will never use Empire again!

But we have new carpet,

and it's great to be able to check one more thing off the

remodel list!

I remeber...

baking…

shrinky-dinks

learning…

to cross-stitch

journeys to mysterious lands…

the yellow river game ranch

years ago I was a summer nanny for two girls

I took them to the game ranch

they had never been

I loved watching them walk through

and just take it all in

something new

something beautiful

and that is what it’s about…

in spite of the storms

I still have wonderful, beautiful

memories

A few of our favorite things...

Wold War II Memorial

theFred loved this place

and found his grandfather's name among the honorees. Old Post Office

want to see a 360 degree view of D.C.

without waiting in line for the Washington Memorial

this is the place...

and you can even find a cheap lunch on the lower level!

White House

a must!
Crescent Bend, Knoxville
A beautiful 7-tiered garden with tulips in bloom...lovely!

~
We had an action packed week
and I am glad to be back in my very own bed.
Now we need another vacation to recover!

Peace of Self

when people get it wrong,

and they believe you to be

someone other than who you are

it is inevitable

that

the more you fight

to reveal the truth,

the less likely they are

to find you…

instead

you lose yourself in the fight

and become

that someone else

I lost.

I walked away

and found myself

again.

The fight continued,

but for the first time

I maintained my sense of self

and…

I lost again?

No.

Not a loss.

I did not lose myself.

At last,

I walked away

accomplished.

I may have lost the fight

but I won

the internal battle.

And though those people

are no longer around,

I am eternally grateful

for the gift

of life

of self

and

-peace-

Time to chillax...

The boss and I needed a break,

so we packed up...

our friends

and headed to Gatlinburn, TN.

To "Ahhh...The View" cabin

which was pronounced "awl" the view

by the owner.
And the view was nice...when the weather cooperated.

Of course, most of the weekend looked like this...

Scooby Doo's playground

Luckily we had two

weather channel monitors...

And finally the weather turned,

just as we started back home...

No matter...it was a lovely time away

with my best friend...

Sometimes we need to get away from the everyday

to remember the "awl"

of this magnificent world.

I lost my cool points...

because Amazon delivered this today…

Yeah, I know.
I did see the movie in the theater several months ago and was not that impressed.
But watching it the second time was better…maybe because I didn’t have two teenage girls letting out a little hormone-driven giggles every time Robert Pattenson spoke…moved…took a breath on screen.

But take another look… Okay, crisis averted – I may have just retained my one and only cool point.

Whew!

I finally splurged on the Across The Universe soundtrack!
I L-O-V-E that movie.
It’s truly trip-tastic.
And I still get chills every time it gets to this part.

Sometimes I need a little depth...

i debated, 
but in the end…
keeping this blog filled 
with 
surface level
thoughts
is just 
not 
me.
i have been through far 
too much.
life is 
beautiful
and 
painful.
and I am lucky 
to be alive
and 
feel 
alive
every 
day.
to the 
churched 
i am not 
Christian 
enough,
and to the
un-churched
i am 
too religious.
in the end, 
neither opinion 
matters.
i am 
what 
i am.
religiously unreligious
a faithful believer
forever accepting
never settling
always seeking...

In one word...growdy.

knick-knacks
frou-frou
ruffles
doilies
lace
…all things I was born to hate.

But most of all
-silly-
-expensive-
-decorative-
-themed-
trash cans!?

A trash can
that matches
the shower curtain
that matches
the soap dispenser
that matches
the decorative towel
that no one uses
because…
it doesn’t actually absorb any water
when one attempts to dry their hands!

Oh, don’t even get me started on decorative soaps!

Warming up winter...

I am adoring this print from papermoth

A-dore-ah!

I love my morning coffee and

wimsy&spice has the perfect addition

maple...marshmallows!

Then, of course, you'll need a new coffee mug

from kimwestad

I'm just smitten with the tiny details on this mug!

Don't laugh...

I recently read about a Fisher Price portable potty being discontinued. And because it is being discontinued it is getting hard to find…meaning some retailers are now charging up to $170 for a thing your child sits to do his/her business. Crazy right!?

So I found it at Walmart where they have the exact one for only $17. Now, the hubby and I are in the “someday” category…we plan to have kids someday. But of course, me being the planner and forever a bargain hunter...it was delivered to our house yesterday - about three plus years early.

I was a little nervous about how theFred would react to such a thing entering our “someday” house.  To my surprise, he was just as excited as I was...even going as far to say he might like to take it camping.  I say that as though the thought of using it myself didn’t cross my mind. Of course, when I mentioned the $170 crazy price tag he told me to wait until they are all gone and put it on eBay for some crazy amount.  But certain things are priceless…like avoiding public restrooms!

In case you ever wonder how the latch breaks...

I believe that it is globally know that red = stop/green = go. But apparently I missed the memo as that was not the case yesterday.

I tried to avoid the dreaded journey, but after two cups of coffee and a tall glass of orange juice…there was no way I could hold off visiting the port-a-potty in 20 degree weather. Now everyone knows not to sit on the seat, but this never stops me from layering the seat with toilet paper just in case I lose my balance or a big wind comes or whatever…anything to avoid touching the craptastic seat.  Oh, and by layering I mean six 1-ply sheets thick all the way around the seat. Needless to say, when I use one of those nasty things I do not wait for the inevitable – I go prepared to go through the 10 minute ritual.

Anyway, being that it was so cold…I was well layered so it took even longer than usual. Well just as I finished adjusting my coat and while I was putting my gloves back on after a squirt of ice cold hand sanitizer, before I could even get the words out, some moron…be nice – intellectually challenged person – breaks open the door.  I mean Bah-Roke the door.  The guy pulled so hard the latch literally went flying across the grass!

Now, I suppose I could understand…maybe…not getting the red/green rule...or maybe he just happened to be colorblind AND illiterate…maybe. But one would think, perhaps, when you have to pull that hard on a door, perhaps, that particular port-a-potty just may possibly be occupied…perhaps! Thankfully I was fully clothed and about 30 seconds from opening the door myself so no harm – no foul, but I know whoever the colorblind-illiterate-intellectually challenged person was...er, would have been blushing with embarrassment had it not been so cold. And he probably learned a valuable lesson; always knock first before bah-reaking a port-a-potty door!

My wonderful-handsome-amazing husband...

I am one of those people.  The kind of person that reads classic novels and gets embarrassed when I read something like…Twilight.  And enjoy it.  Yes, I went through the entire series in two weeks.  And yes, that includes shipping time from Amazon.  I admit it was a wonderful two weeks that completely took me outside of my over-thinking everything world. I allowed myself to be enthralled with a book about vampires…and werewolves. I mean there was not a single word – zero, zilch, zippo – that I wanted or needed to look up in a dictionary and try to use in daily conversation.

So last weekend I went to see the movie...with my wonderful-handsome-amazing husband (can you say brownie points).  This required some strategic planning on my part.  The goal was to avoid at all costs the teenage – screaming – squealing – can’t differentiate the actor from the character crowd.  And we did...somewhat.

Now at this point the movie has been out for nearly two months.  School is in session along with stricter bedtimes and curfews.  So we walk into a theater of about 12 people…other wives with their self-medicated husbands.  Five minutes before the movie starts and we are in the clear…right – nope wrong…oh, so WRONG!

I heard them before I saw them.  The snickering and giggling.  After all my scheming and planning…and only 12 people in the theater.  Twelve.  1-2.  T-w-e-l-e-v-e. That leaves what…like 75 available seats to choose from, and they end up sitting behind me and my wonderful-handsome-amazing husband...go figure!

The second Robert Pattenson appeared they let out a gasp.  Okay, I admit I have done this once myself.  Brad Pitt.  No shirt.  Seven Years in Tibet.  One time.  They did this every time Robert Pattenson appeared.  Every. Time.  I really don’t understand the obsession with that kid…the one that plays the wolf is so much better looking.

And every time.  Every-Single-Time there was a scene between Edward and Bella the two girls would snicker and giggle. And as the level of their obnoxiousness increased so did the force in which my wonderful-handsome-amazing husband would squeeze my hand.  We just looked at each other and laughed…what else could we do.  Move I guess, but by that point we were enjoying the humor of it all so much more than the actual movie!