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-

-?-