Bra-tty Dog.... November 2014 Funny Friday.

I hope you all (that celebrated) had a fabulous Thanksgiving! Happy Friday! We are another week closer to Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/2015! Is it just me, or has 2014 been the fastest year ever?! 

Today’s post is November’s Funny Friday, a regular feature published on the last Friday of every month. Funny Friday is a collaborative project. Each month one of the participants submits a picture, then we all write 5 captions or thoughts inspired by that month’s picture. Links to the other bloggers’ posts are below, click on them and see what they’ve come up with. I hope we bring a smile to your face as you start your weekend.

Here’s today’s picture. It was submitted by The Momisodes (http://themomisodes.com).

<<Thank you for such an adorably funny picture!>>

1. Okay. I posed for your picture, now where is my bacon?! You said there would be bacon. There had better be bacon!

2. I should have bought the pink one, eh?! I knew the pink one was better, I just couldn't resist this one. It reminds me of chasing the neighbors cat.

3. Get adopted, they said. It will be fun, they said.

4. You have got to stop leaving me alone with the kid. She is taking this dress up thing too far. Too far.

5. Does this make my ears look big?!

I hope I was able to bring some laughter into your Friday. I hope you all have a fantastic day and an even better weekend!

Click on the links below and let some other fabulous bloggers make you smile:

Cluttered Genius (http://www.clutteredgenius.com)

Stacy Sews and Schools (http://stacysewsandschools.blogspot.com)

Follow me home. (http://followmehome.shellybean.com)

Baking In A Tornado (http://www.BakingInATornado.com)

Someone Else’s Genius (http://www.someoneelsesgenius.com)

Confessions of a part-time working mom (http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/)

The Momisodes (http://themomisodes.com)

Sanity Waiting to Happen (http://www.angelaweight.com)

California State of Mind... Use Your Words November 2014

Today’s post is the November 2014 Use Your Words Writing Challenge. This is how it works: participating bloggers submitted 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a blog post. All words/phrases must be used at least once and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

My words are: 

native ~ winding ~ creek ~ bridge ~ spirit ~ clarity

They were submitted by: http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/  (Confessions of a part-time working mom)  <Thank you, T, for such fabulous words!>

I am not a native of California. Sometimes, despite my New England and Southern roots, I feel like I was made to live here. I really do love it here. I am grateful I found my way here. For most of my life, I was a loyal East Coaster, and my heart was in New York City and Boston. I often said you would never catch me living in California. Now, I am here, and I love it. 

I love the weather and the people and the landscape. It is actually gorgeous here. It is not all traffic and beaches and palm trees, like I had imagined for most of my life. There are hills and mountains and grassy fields and rivers and farms. It really offers the best of all worlds. You may even be able to stumble on a creek or two, when we are not in drought conditions. 

Droughts are probably my biggest complaint. Yet, at the same time, my joints are a bit thankful for the lack of rainy days. I am quite fond of warm, sunny weather, and that is bountiful here. Along with plenty of things to do and see. It is really this amazing melting pot. 

You can enjoy the beach and the mountains and a grassy field and a big city, all in one day. Where I live, much to my delight, it does not snow. If ever I wanted to torture myself with snow exposure, I could do so in no time at all. Lake Tahoe and Yosemite are both short drives from where I live. What's better, is the fact that the trips to these places are beautiful. The drive to Tahoe is especially beautiful. You travel up into the mountains, on a winding road, and the views are spectacular. 

San Francisco is close to me as well. There is so much to do there. You can dine on foods from around the world, visit Alcatraz, cross the Golden Gate Bridge, explore small shops, and just lose yourself in the beauty that is the community of San Francisco. It is definitely a fun place. I have only been there three times, and I look forward to many future trips. 

I am a bit of a free spirit, so I am a bit shocked that I was able to stay in one place for so long. I tend to like to travel and move. I am a definite Nomad. I like to explore and have a change of scenery. I tend to get Cabin Fever quite easily. I guess, for the right person, even a gypsy nomadic free spirit can settle down. No complaints here. 

One of my favorite things to do, when I am feeling a touch of Cabin Fever, is travel down the back country roads, windows down, radio blasting, wind in my hair. It brings clarity back to my mind and peace in my soul. It is especially awesome on warm Summer nights. It is something I could not do back in New York or Connecticut. It is one of the many things about California I am grateful for. 

I am not sure why these words turned me into a spokeswoman for California, but this is what they inspired within me. When I first read them, I thought about my heritage and my childhood. I thought briefly about Thanksgiving. Once I sat down to write for you, California came to mind.

Thank you for taking the time to read this! Now, do yourself a huge favor, and visit all the other blogs featuring a Use Your Words post. See what words they received, and how they were inspired by them. 

Anyone celebrating Thanksgiving soon, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. In honor of that, I would love to hear something you are thankful for. I am thankful so many people and things. I am currently very thankful for modern medicine. I am thankful also, that it improves every single day. 

http://www.BakingInATornado.com                                    Baking In A Tornado

http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com/                              Spatulas on Parade

http://stacysewsandschools.blogspot.com/                     Stacy Sews and Schools

http://followmehome.shellybean.com                                   Follow me home  

http://batteredhope.blogspot.com                                          Battered Hope

http://www.someoneelsesgenius.com                              Someone Else’s Genius

http://eileensperpetuallybusy.wordpress.com                 Eileen’s Perpetually Busy 

http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/                    Confessions of a part-time working mom

http://www.eviljoyspeaks.wordpress.com                               Evil Joy Speaks

http://www.crumpetsandbollocks.com                            Crumpets and Bollocks 

http://sparklyjenn.blogspot.com/                                     Sparkly Poetic Weirdo  

Memory Lane ... Secret Subject Swap November 2014

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This week, 12 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. 

My “Secret Subject” is:

Tell a funny story from your childhood.

It was submitted by the fabulous: http://stacysewsandschools.blogspot.com/  (Thank you for the fabulous subject!!! <3) 

My childhood is not really something I talk about. I lived an eventfully mundane childhood. So much happened, and yet nothing happened. I moved a lot. I moved more before the age of eighteen, than most people move in eighty years.  I have attended over ten schools. I have seen most of the United States and some of Canada. 

I do not know that any memories stick out to me as particularly funny. I have a few that come to mind, but they are beyond embarrassing. My dad had a tendency to do some funny but mean things to me. I contemplated telling them, and decided I would tell a few of them. My pride is not very happy with me at the moment.

I wore overalls often. I loved them and my dad loved me in them. One time, he was tired of the straps coming unclasped, so he took pliers and tightened them closed. I needed to use the bathroom, and he had a grand time teasing me and took his sweet time loosening them. In the end, I pooped my pants. I think I was about nine years old. I am thirty-one, and he still teases me about it.

As a child, I could sleep very deeply, in odd positions, anywhere. It was my job to do the laundry. When I was about seven years old, I had been doing laundry all day. My method was to wash the laundry, hang it to dry, bring it in, and once it was all done, I would fold it and put it away. This one time I was nearly done, and was exhausted. I was a tiny thing back them (shocking, I know), and had decided to crawl on top of all the clean laundry (I had been piling it up on the couch) and take a nap. Apparently, I was sleeping very deeply. I woke up, and discovered my dad, our neighbors, and few cops talking loudly. It turns out my dad could not find me, I was not coming to the call of him yelling my name, and he thought I was gone. At least I was well rested and energized.

My dad had misplaced his house key, and he was helping my cousin Chris crawl through our kitchen window, so he could unlock the door. It was dark and my dad is an evil man. Chris bumped his head on the window, and my dad screamed at me "Julie run! Some big man just hit Chris in the head! Run fast! Let's get out of here!" My poor cousin was running around screaming, thinking some burglar was in the house going to  kill him. At the time, I thought (knew) my dad was evil. Now, many years later, I giggle a bit as I type this, and remember my cousin's face.

There you go! A tiny bit of humor from my childhood. I'd love to hear some of your funny childhood stories! Please, share away! 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts.  Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

http://www.BakingInATornado.com                            Baking In A Tornado

http://themomisodes.com                                              The Momisodes

http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com/                      Spatulas on Parade

http://stacysewsandschools.blogspot.com/              Stacy Sews and Schools

http://dinoheromommy.com/                              Dinosaur Superhero Mommy

http://climaxedtheblog.blogspot.com                                Climaxed

http://www.someoneelsesgenius.com                     Someone Else’s Genius 

http://berghamchronicles.blogspot.com/            The Bergham’s Life Chronicles

http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/             Confessions of a part-time working mom

http://www.silenceofthemom.blogspot.com               Silence of the Mom

http://www.crumpetsandbollocks.com                     Crumpets and Bollocks

http://sparklyjenn.blogspot.com/                              Sparkly Poetic Weirdo 

Truth is.

I love being Weewee's Mama. She amazes me. She's so smart and funny and sweet. Being a mom is such a blessing. I could not imagine my life without her. She completes me.

That being said, when it is time to change her diaper, I tend to consider going on strike. Maybe just putting her up for temporary adoption. I'd take her back... as soon as she's fully potty trained.

She's sixteen months old now. She's been showing signs of being ready to potty train since she was thirteen months old. I have no clue how to potty train her. No clue at all.

With this whole motherhood thing, I sincerely hope unconditional love counts for a lot. A lot. Maybe most of it.

The truth is... diapers stink. Literally and figuratively.

Pictures.

I decided it was time to upload a few pictures. I'm sure there will be more after Halloween.

All The King's Horses.... October 2014 Funny Friday

Today’s post is October’s Funny Friday, a regular feature published on the last Friday of every month (We are posting early this month, due to the holiday). Funny Friday is a collaborative project. Each month one of the participants submits a picture, then we all write 5 captions or thoughts inspired by that month’s picture. Links to the other bloggers’ posts are below, click on them and see what they’ve come up with. I hope we bring a smile to your face as you start your weekend.

Here’s today’s picture. It was submitted by The Bergham’s Life Chronicles (http://berghamchronicles.blogspot.com/) Yes, that's ME!!!

1. Sit on a cloud, they said. It will be fun, they said.

2. I should've taken a few extra skydiving lessons. I just don't think I'm doing it right.

3. Look, Mom, I'm flyinnnnnnng.

4. Obviously, I'm going to get there way before the chicken. 

5. I hope the King's men stocked up on Krazy Glue.

Click on the links below and let some other bloggers make you smile:

Sanity Waiting to Happen http://angelaweight.com

Cluttered Genius http://www.clutteredgenius.com

Stacy Sews and Schools http://stacysewsandschools.blogspot.com

Follow me home http://followmehome.shellybean.com

Baking In A Tornado http://www.BakingInATornado.com

Someone Else’s Genius http://www.someoneelsesgenius.com

Confessions of a part-time working mom http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/

The Momisodes http://themomisodes.com

I hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween next week!!! Feel free to let me know what you and/or your children are dressing up as this year!!!

Bump.

Yesterday was Embee's eleventh birthday. My mind is blown. She was four, when Chadski and I started dating. Now, she is eleven. How did that even happen??

While searching for a small gift for Embee (she got all her gifts last weekend, but I decided we should give her something small on her actual birthday), we ended up at TJMaxx. We found an electronic basketball hoop. It hangs on the back of a door and is interactive.

Lately, we've been playing with the suction cup hoop on the back of our door. A lot. I'm not so good. Chadski is decent. Weewee is the best rebound girl ever. We have fun. Why we didn't just buy the electronic hoop, I don't know.

At around 7 pm last night, I was crawling into the car, and going to buy our hoop. The hoop we should've bought earlier in the afternoon. It was fine. I bought it and home it came.

Chadski masterfully assembled it, with a bit of help from Weewee, and we were shooting hoops in no time. We were having fun. Weewee was having fun. In the midst of her fun and excitement,  Weewee started to do her twirling, and she was really into it. Twirling is new for her. She's only been doing it for a few weeks. She loves it. It's fun to watch, and her joy is infectious.

So, here we are... a joyous basketball playing, twirling family... and then it happened. Weewee fell. She fell hard, face/forehead first, into her wooden toy box. The sound isn't something I'll forget anytime soon.

I screamed. Chadski scooped her up. She cried. I hyperventilated. It was horrible. She had a huge bump on her forehead, and it was bright read. Chadski put frozen peas on it. I held her.

I was so scared. I'm a new mom. I don't trust myself. So, I called Nana Cici for backup. Since she didn't answer, we headed over to her house. She met us at the door, and went into Doctor Nana mode. We decided to treat it with frozen peas and keep her awake for a bit.

We returned home and Chadski kept her occupied,  while I sat and watched her like a hawk. Then she puked. Then I panicked. Her doctor was called. The on call physician was contacted. We waited for a call back. We finally were told to bring her to the ER. The puking could be normal, or it could be a sign of something horrible.

We went to the ER. Waited and waited and waited. The doctor was fabulous, and I'm not just saying that, because he said Weewee was genuinely one of the most beautiful babies he's ever seen.

He was thorough and calm. I think he knew I was a mess inside. He calmed me and kept me informed. We finished her observation, received our instructions, and came home.

Being out until 3:15 in the morning is far from our norm. Chadski and Weewee went to bed. I stayed up for hours, watching Weewee closely. Finally, I slept.

So far so good. She woke up in a good mood. Ate breakfast like normal. She seems fine. I'm grateful. I'm sure one day, I'll tell her the story about the bump she got on Embee's eleventh birthday. I'm sure we may even laugh. For today, I'll hug her tight and remain grateful.

Owl always love Fall.... Use Your Words October 2014!

Today’s post is a writing challenge. This is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them. 

My words are: 

Candy Corn ~ Costumes ~ Chili ~ Banana Peppers

They were submitted by: http://followmehome.shellybean.com     Thank you for such great words! 

It's Fall y'all!!! I love Fall. I truly love Fall. Now, I will confess, I used to be a lover of Winter. That was before I lived in Buffalo, New York, for five years. Five long, freezing cold years. That ended my love of Winter and snow. Permanently. Then for a short time, I LOVED Summer. I still do, just not as much as I did. Now, I am a steadfast lover of all things Fall. I am not sure if it is because I live in California, and Fall is amazing here, or if it is just that I now realize the true wonderfulness of Fall. Either way, Fall and I are BFFs. 

I think the only things I don't like about Fall are candy corn and spider decorations. The hot cocoa, falling leaves of various colors, pumpkins, apples, hay rides, apple cider, Football (Go Packers!!!), etc etc - all that I love. I love Fall foods in general. Caramel apples, pumpkin bars, apple cobbler, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, apple cider, stews, chili, turkey, cranberries... I could go on and on. It is all so yummy, If I were forced to pick a favorite, I think I would pick chili. I love meaty chili and bean filled chili and mild chili and spicy chili. I especially love it full of peppers, but please no banana peppers. Not sure why, but I do not like how they taste. 

Here are a few chili recipes:
Crockpot Beef Chili from Baking in a Tornado
White Chili from Baking in a Tornado
Black Bean and Stout Chili

This year, Fall is a bit special. Weewee is fifteen months old, and she is really developing by leaps and bounds. Every day she grows, her vocabulary grows, and her view of the world grows. She will be sixteen months old, by the time Halloween is here. This will be her first year dressing up and going Trick or Treating, It may be her only year. I am not decided yet. I knew we would definitely let her go out this year. I looked everywhere for just the right costume. They tend to cost a small fortune and I tend to not like any I find. Finally, we found some cute costumes at Costco, and they were under $20! Win! So, this year Miss Weewee will be... pause for dramatic effect.... an owl! The cutest little owl ever! Okay, I may be biased, but she is darn cute! I will definitely post pics! If Daddy had it his way, she would have been the cutest little shark ever, but luckily Mama got her way! Yay! 

We attended the local Pumpkin Festival this past weekend. We had a fun time. We went through a haunted house, and I fell on my booty in front of a ton of people. Yay! Haha! It really was a fun time. I am certain it will be even more fun next year, when Weewee will be able to be more interactive. We are planning on going to the local pumpkin patch, and enjoying their corn maze and hay ride. I also would love to make a trip up to Apple Hill, and pick a few apples. We do not really have any traditions, so this year and next, I plan on starting as many as I can. I know they will change and evolve as Weewee grows, and that will be great.

I really hope she grows to love Fall as much as I do. I hope she never takes any interest in Winter or snow. I will be a sad Mama if I have to trek to the snow, and let her experience it. I am still traumatized from my years in Buffalo. I am just not ready for snow yet. Maybe one day. Maybe.

Do you have any Fall traditions? I'd love to hear about them. I am open to ideas and suggestions, on what to start with Weewee. What is your favorite season? Are you a Fall person, like me, or does a different season strike your fancy? 

I hope you all have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend!


Links to the other “Use Your Words” posts:

http://www.BakingInATornado.com                    Baking In A Tornado

http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com/             Spatulas on Parade

http://stacysewsandschools.blogspot.com/        Stacy Sews and Schools

http://followmehome.shellybean.com                Follow me home

http://batteredhope.blogspot.com                     Battered Hope 

http://www.eviljoyspeaks.wordpress.com           Evil Joy Speaks

http://themomisodes.com                                  The Momisodes
http://www.someoneelsesgenius.com                Someone Else’s Genius   

http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/                   Confessions of a part-time working mom

http://www.crumpetsandbollocks.com               Crumpets an Bollocks

http://sparklyjenn.blogspot.com/                       Sparkly Poetic Weirdo

http://eileensperpetuallybusy.wordpress.com/   Eileen’s Perpetually Busy  

Thanks for taking the time to read this! I hope you enjoy all the Use Your Word posts this month! I hope you all have a wonderful Fall!!!!!!!!!!!!