Monday, October 1, 2007

Fun Monday

Robin, over at Pensieve, is the host(ess) for this week's topic:


Shoes tell a lot about a person and we wanna delve deeply into your soul sole. Photograph your favorite pair--or pairs--of shoes and tell us a little about why they're near and dear to your toes heart (I can't wait to see how Swampy ties this in to Breast Cancer Awareness!). Follow in Jenny's footsteps and make a foot-family portrait...show us your baby bronzed booties...let us see the shoes YOU HAD TO HAVE (but have never worn)...or all those grotesquely dyed-to-match formerly white satin bridemaid's shoes that were worn ONCE...the reinforced steel-toe boots that saved your big toe from being hacked off in that industrial "accident"...or, just take pictures of your nekkid feet--gnarly bunions, twin toes, or perfectly OPI-pedicured tootsies.



I have no pictures of my baby shoes. I can tell you that I spent the first 8 years of school in the lovely white oxfords that went with the also lovely maroon and grey plaid uniform. Ah yes, nothing quite like the smell of wet wool in the wintertime. I will say, though, that the clamp on roller skates worked really well with these shoes.

Then I progressed to these beautiful navy and white saddle shoes to go with the navy plaid uniform for the next 4 years. I also progressed from the smelly wool sweater to the lovely polyester blazer with crest and padded shoulders. Wow.

I got married right out of high school - who really needed that 4 year scholarship, right? Anyway, shoe of choice back in the day was this beauty. Oh so practical for a young wife and mother pushing a baby stroller, don't you know.

I was widowed and had to go to work. My first job was at a police department as a Community Service Officer. These are the heels that I wore to work then.

There followed a succession of poor choices - in men and in shoes. Here are some of the shoes:






I now wear snow boots in the winter and sneaks the rest of the year. I do have one drop-dead gorgeous pair of red heels that I wear on special occasions. But my favorite pair of shoes now are these:




Sunday, September 30, 2007

It wasn't spit!


Yesterday, during his flag football game, my grandson asked his mom for a drink. She told him that he could have some of her coffee and he said, "OK" and chugged away.

Later, after the game (they lost 0-12) he asked for some more and she handed him the cup. It had no lid this time and he made note of it.

Juls said that she took it off because the last time he got a drink, he left his spit on it.

He looked at her, shook his head, and said, "No, Mom, that wasn't spit, it was snot."

Wish I'd gotten a picture of her face!

Friday, September 28, 2007

What fun!

I was just catching up on some reading and found a contest that I could possibly win! I know this, because it requires no skill, no nothing except hopping over to Another Chance Ranch and commenting. Then just mention the contest, as I just did, in your blog and voila!

Hope you win if I don't - not really - but it sounded nice, didnt't it?

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Not Sparklin' Rose?

And all this time, I thought I was a cheap screw top apple wine! Who knew?

You Are Sauvignon Blanc

Engaging and energetic, you have a lot to offer the world - most of it they've never seen anywhere else!
You are the type of person who carves your own path in life... and you invite everyone else to come along.
The only thing predictable about you is that you could have anything up your sleeve.
You're all about sampling all of life's experiences. Both the savory and unsavory ones.

Deep down you are: Laid back and young at heart

Your partying style: Anything goes... seriously!

Your company is enjoyed best with: Smoked meats or spicy food

Ah, the morning cup


My grandson is brilliant. He is charming. He is amusing. He is kind. He is generous. He is an imp with an already developing sarcastic sense of humor. Not that I am at all prejudiced.

He also evidently has A.D.D. His mother does not like labels, nor does she like admitting that there could be a problem with her son. This is not a problem. It is an opportunity to learn, to listen, and to be amazed.

The lil man has trouble focusing. He daydreams, he looks around, he distracts the rest of the class, he just does not focus well. Juls had already made the appointment with the doctor to discuss medication. While talking to his teacher, who majored in special ed, his teacher suggested a cup of black coffee in the morning.

I have know for years that medication, when given to small children, often has the opposite effect of what was intended. My mother, when I was two, gave me "something to calm me down" just before a cross-country car trip. I bounced all the way from California to Iowa.

I did not know that the same was true for caffeine.

Lil man's teacher said that often, when ADD is suspected, a child will be given coffee to drink first thing in the morning. If it does have a calming effect, it pretty much means that the kiddo has ADD.

Lil man has been on this regimen for 8 days now - Monday through Friday of last week and then Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday of this week. He has not had a referral since we started. He has brought home more "GOOD MARKS" in 8 days than he had since school started. Actually, he brought home more good marks in the 1st two days than he had since school started. This is nothing short of miraculous.

Of course, he hates black coffee. One morning, I tried artificial sweetener (sugar would sort of negate the whole purpose, you know) but he misbehaved rather badly that day. Anyway, I get my coffee, he gets his coffee and we sit down to breakfast together. I eat, he eats, I drink my coffee, he sips his coffee, I do the dishes, he sips his coffee, I fold laundry, he sips his coffee - you get the picture. And, needless to say, all of this is punctuated with "Drink your coffee" getting progressively louder and less kindly said. I have always been pleased with anything over 1/2 a cup actually getting consumed.

This morning (please insert the Hallelujah Chorus) he finished his coffee!!!!!




HURRAY!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

and we wonder why he has ADD?

This, God help me, is an actual Messenger conversation between me and my grown-up child.
Sandy Swopes: Juls, Pastor Ted just called and wants to know if he can come and take new pics of the bike...I told him you'd get hold of him this afternoon sometime. His phone number is 364------
Crown Princess: ok, thnx
Sandy Swopes: waiting on a truck to load...want lunch...
Sandy Swopes: want lunch????
Crown Princess: sure
Sandy Swopes: whatcha want? I picked yesterday
Crown Princess: who's loading it?
Sandy Swopes: ricky or jeff
Crown Princess: ricky? sounds like he works there again?
Sandy Swopes: on his days off....
Sandy Swopes: bubbles is riding around with darrell
Sandy Swopes: i was rude to the pastor...sorry
Sandy Swopes: fun monday is on shoes...
Sandy Swopes: herds of chicken
Crown Princess: how were you rude?
Sandy Swopes: as in ooh a chicken and a chicken and a chicken
Crown Princess: what about shoes and that is soo weird
Sandy Swopes: he introduced himself as pastor ted from nazarene yada yada yada and I said , sure Ted, what can I do for you?
Sandy Swopes: what is weird
Crown Princess: jason ridin around w darrell
Sandy Swopes: yunh hunh
Crown Princess: and what about Shoes?
Sandy Swopes: the fun monday post is http://pensieve.typepad.com/pensieve/ should be right up your alley
Sandy Swopes: a-- f----- was the good neighbor of the day and ooh a chicken, she's selling some kind of home decor crap and how much do we have to buy to make up for the trampoline?
Crown Princess: LOL
Crown Princess: why was she neighbor of the day
Crown Princess: ph a chicken, i found out how to check stolen guns and asked linda if i could check urs, she said sure
Sandy Swopes: awesome...i will get you the list
Sandy Swopes: for being compassionate and friendly....
Sandy Swopes: your chicken has ph?
Crown Princess: yup, but i am gunna get him some Degree...strong enough for a man......but made for a chicken
Sandy Swopes: awesome...can I just copy this whole thing for a blog?
Crown Princess: lol, sure
Sandy Swopes: k
Sandy Swopes: what's for lunch?
Crown Princess: ok, you want me to come out there or you wanna pick me up?
Sandy Swopes: did you put gas in your truck?
Sandy Swopes: oh wait you have a car
Crown Princess: lol, not yet but i still have the $ you gave me to do it
Sandy Swopes: buy gas.....
Sandy Swopes: taylor burrito?
Crown Princess: oooh, yummy, i was gonna say that or stak dilla from kbobs
Crown Princess: steak*
Sandy Swopes: and it's frito pie night...yumm o
Crown Princess: and yes i have to work tonight
Sandy Swopes: k...he got a cute new shirt today...
Crown Princess: cool, thanks and thanks for the paper
Sandy Swopes: qwelcome
Crown Princess: didnt like the composistion book...lol
Sandy Swopes: he also likes valero coffee
Crown Princess: lol
Sandy Swopes: i like the compo book - does not fall within the requirements...lol
Crown Princess: it fell with in the "GET YOUR G D HOMEWORK DO
Crown Princess: NE" requirements
Sandy Swopes: what happened to the paper he started with?
Sandy Swopes: never mind p that was cursive
Crown Princess: he hadnt started.....yup
Sandy Swopes: that p is a hyphen
Crown Princess: thought you were hatching a chicken
Crown Princess: lol
Crown Princess: how your eyeball?
Sandy Swopes: it's ok....kind of blurry from the cream stuff
Crown Princess: ewwww
Sandy Swopes: I did check with your dad last night to make sure that I was actually sympathetic and kind when he had his eye surgery..I was.
Crown Princess: llol
Sandy Swopes: did youcheck your email?
Crown Princess: yuppers
Sandy Swopes: me, too
Crown Princess: k
Crown Princess: anything good in your email
Sandy Swopes: just the cute one from you...
Crown Princess: cool
Crown Princess: lovd the mental patient
Sandy Swopes: stole that off a blog - i think the watermelon patch and remind me to tell you about your son - he wrote a blog for you today
Crown Princess: k
Sandy Swopes: please get food and bring it to me
Sandy Swopes: please
Sandy Swopes: please
Sandy Swopes: please
Crown Princess: what kinda burrito?
Sandy Swopes: combo, pelase
Sandy Swopes: wait, pleuse
Sandy Swopes: pleise
Sandy Swopes: pleese
Crown Princess: ha ha
Sandy Swopes: pleyse
Crown Princess: i almost said, but you didnt use A
Crown Princess: lol
Sandy Swopes: and if he just started at the beginning of the alphabet, he'd be right!
Crown Princess: hey whats my blog url
Sandy Swopes: www.oohashinypen.blogspot.com
Crown Princess: you are known as ducks m om?
Sandy Swopes: www.myanderings-myanderings.blogspot.com
Crown Princess: but what do they call you?
Sandy Swopes: Sandy
Crown Princess: lol
Sandy Swopes: I know - bizarre, isn't it?
Crown Princess: what is this hosts name>
Sandy Swopes: Robin
Crown Princess: thnx
Sandy Swopes: gonna play?
Sandy Swopes: it's perfect for the shoe sluts of the world
Crown Princess: check the comments to the assignemnt
Sandy Swopes: k
Sandy Swopes: very nice
Crown Princess: ty
Crown Princess: ok let me get outta here
Sandy Swopes: q
Sandy Swopes: k
Sandy Swopes: the q was the on the ty
Sandy Swopes: the k was on the get out of here
Sandy Swopes: ly
Crown Princess: LY

Fun Not Monday

Robin, over at Pensieve, was contemplating the topic for next week's Fun Monday and put it to a vote. Shoes won, and that will be fun, but I am a book-a-holic. Not a recovering book-a-holic, an enjoying-it-to-the-hilt book-a-holic.




I started thinking about my favorite childhood book and could not stop at just one.




As a kid, I read a lot. I was the youngest child and my sisters were considerably older than I was. I was a late in life child for my parents and I think they were done before I came along. Not whining, just explaining.




Anyway, when I was 8 or 9, our neighbor was injured in a construction job and his wife had to go to work. This was in the day when this was NOT the norm. Lucy decided to go to nursing school and my mom, her BFF, went also. My dad was a functioning alcoholic (you knew there had to be psychobabble in this somewhere, didn't you?) so I just sort of escaped into books.




I had read everything in my school library and in the children's section of my local library by the time I was in 4th grade. I was at the library and picked up some book that our librarian, Mrs. Emily Shortell, did not think appropriate. She guided me to which is the first historical novel I ever read. I was hooked. I skipped history class my senior year in high school every day except for tests and passed with an A-. I attribute this entirely to the amount of history that seeped it's way into my brain from the novels of Irving Stone.




And to Mrs. Emily Shortell...a truly great librarian.
My other bestest book tomorrow....
 
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