Friday Foto Fiesta Finish

This is a twofer, y'all. And no, that's not two bags of reefer.

Rhea over at Texas Word Tangle tagged me with like the best meme EVER. It has to do with books and stuff.


OK, here's the rules:


1. Tag 3-5 people, so the fun keeps going!

2. Leave a comment at the original post at A Striped Armchair, so that Eva, the originator, can collect everyone’s answers.

3. If you leave a comment and link back to Eva as the meme’s creator, she will enter you in a book giveaway contest! She has a whole shelf devoted to giveaway books that you’ll be able to choose from, or a BookMooch Point, if you prefer.

4. Remember that this is all about enjoying books as physical objects, so feel free to describe the exact book you’re talking about, down to that warping from being dropped in the bath water…

5. Make the meme more fun with visuals! Covers of the specific edition you’re talking about, photos of your bookshelves, etc.


Without further digression and hesitations and rules and fodder, here we go:


The books that’ve been on your shelves the longest

Instead of multiple books, I'll give you the one that I KNOW I've had on my shelves since at least the 5th grade.

I love this book. As you can tell, it's been read quite often. Inside, you'll find lots of dog eared pages.



A book that reminds you of something specific in your life

This book was a book that I chose randomly to do a report on for 11th grade English. Little did I know that 14 years later, I would have a discussion with the Irish regarding my life mantra and this book was what tipped me to have the beliefs that I do. Due to a small comment left in a post I did, the Irish was able to walk me back to this book as the start of it all. Who knew? Thanks, Irish. You'll forever be in my heart for that awakening.

A book you acquired in some interesting way

(gift, serendipity in a used bookstore, prize, etc.).

Ummmm.....no one call the cops, but I stole this from my 12th grade English teacher. It has her name signed in the front and all. I had this long discussion with her one day on the Arthurian legend and she brought it in for me to borrow.

I never got around to reading it before the end of the year and she never asked for it. It's gone with me through several moves. Just this past year, I was able to actually break down and read it. And I regret not reading it sooner. I fell in love. It's the history of Merlin. It's amazing. Simply amazing.

The most recent addition to your shelves.

Do you see a theme in my reading material of late? I'm addicted to all things King Arthur.

I just bought this not too long ago and am enjoying the hell out of it. It makes me feel for Morgaine. To see the legend from her eyes.

A book that’s been with you to the most places.

I have to say that this book has gone with me to lots of places. Airports, Disney World, work, Colorado, the backyard, etc....

Hands down, my favorite book in the whole entire world. No contest. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is my second favorite. I love that Reepicheep.

A bonus book that you want to talk about but doesn’t fit into the other questions.

This is the book that took me away from non-stop fiction reading. I love SNL and had to have this book. I devoured it in like 2 days and it started my obsession with non-fiction. I love reading about the genius that is what makes things big or even that makes things fail.

My current non-fiction obsession is all things Disney. Biography, history of, the making of, etc....

Not surprising, I know.

Here's the bookshelf in my living room behind the front door. I don't file my book in any kind of order. Just random. I also like to put things in my shelves. These are all the books that for some reason or another, I saved.

Most fiction books I donate to the library after reading. This shelf holds my Harry Potters, my Lord of the Rings trilogy plus The Hobbit, my Narnia series, my classics, my Jimmy Buffetts, non-fiction, etc....If you're interested, you can click on the pics to make them larger if you want to see what all I have.

This is the shelf in my bedroom, right next to my bed and behind the bathroom door. It holds other non-fiction and mostly reference books. Plus my elementary and middle school yearbooks. As you can see, it's a little messy right now. I need to organize.

And this....this is the pile of books I still need to read. Mostly fiction, but several non-fiction in there as well. My mom gives me all her books when she's done reading them, hence the all the fiction. There's actually more under the table on the floor. Sigh......just not enough hours in the day.

Now I have to tag 3-5 people.

I want to see the list of books from Captain Dumbass, Irish Gumbo and Pseudonymous High School Teacher. And since MAW begged me in her comments....MAW from Unmitigated!

If you wanna play along, head on over to Candid Carrie's for more Foto fun!

Later,

Mama Dawg

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall...

Have you ever really looked AT a mirror? And thought about all its uses?

For instance, a twelve year old boy can find many uses for a mirror. One of them being putting a compact mirror on the tops of their shoes and then standing REAL close to a girl with a skirt on. If he times it just right, he can place his foot directly beneath her skirt and can catch a quick glimpse of some white cotton panties. Hopefully. And I mean hopefully she’s wearing underwear.

In addition, magicians have been known to use them in magic tricks. Hence the phrase “smoke and mirrors”. In some fiction books I’ve read, they’re used for transportation between two worlds.

Drug users use them to cut their cocaine to makes lines. Practical, if illegal.

Fun house mirrors have their uses as well. Think of all the entertainment you can get from laughing at your 6’1” 180 lb boyfriend who all of a sudden looks 5’4” and 300 lbs. Hysterical, I tell ya, hysterical.

Disco balls. Where would society be today if disco balls using mirrors to reflect light all over the dance floor had not been invented? In the shitter, that’s where.

They’re also great for spotting a nasty crusty booger that flies out of your nose without your knowledge and lands on your chin.

Thank goodness I spotted it before I left the house for work.

God bless mirrors.

Later,

Mama Dawg

If The Saxons Can Do It, Why Can't We?

Catchy title, huh. I've been thinking on that one for a while now.

I know, I know. You're thinking to yourself, "WTF?".

I have a point, I swear.

It's.....

...wait a second, I know it.

Give me a minute.

Oh, gotcha.

I was taking a shower the other day and came to the realization that I only shower every other day.

And then, that got me started on what's the norm when it comes to showers.

What is the norm?

My ex husband used to shower daily. Despite the fact that the the only hair he had on his body was a short high and tight and whatever was in his pants.

He didn't smell if he went a day without one. In fact, to my neanderthal nose, he smelled good. All warm and toasty and male.

And then that reminded me of an incident that we had an argument over.

I still say I was right.

I was about 7 months pregnant and we were finishing up the painting of the interior walls of the house in almost every room. While in the middle of painting our room, I realized that we needed something else from Home Depot and asked him if he would go and buy it so we could finish that day.

He said sure and then proceeded to say he was just gonna grab a quick shower before heading over to the HOME DEPOT.

You know, where's it's practically mandatory to have something paint stained or ripped or dust covered in order to just gain entry.

He was going to take a shower to go to Home Depot just to grab something real quick in order to finish up PAINTING when he got back.

Seriously stupid. For real. Right?

We actually argued over this for like 15 minutes. In the end, he showered and came back and by the time he came back, my pregnant ass was all ensconced in the couch with a pint of chocolate ice cream. No way was I getting back up. I made him finish it all on his own.

Now, the whole showering every other day thing is what I grew up doing. I'm not trying to jump on the "green" bandwagon by saving water, but it did make me realize that that is exactly what I was doing.

And then it got me to thinking about what else I do and I quickly realized, not much. But I'm working on resolving that.

My aunt, however, has been "green" all her life. However, it's really not "green". It's just the way she grew up.

She reuses plastic containers until they're falling apart. She washes out Ziploc bags and dries them to use them again. They have a compost pile. She finds uses for almost every kind of packaging. She recycles bows from presents and if the paper is large enough, she'll smooth out and save wrapping paper. She'll take leftovers and mix them up or fry them up or smashes them up to make a new dish.

Those are just some small examples of what she does.

Now, I know this sounds extreme, but really, I've actually read where people do this in an effort to conserve and to recycle.

Where am I going with all this?

No clue.

I just thought it was a neat title and didn't want to waste it.

Oh, and the Saxons reference? That's just because I've been reading "The Mists of Avalon" and they talk about the enemy Saxons. And I just watched "King Arthur" with Kiera and Clive and the Saxons are in there and were extremely dirty compared to Clive and company.

What are your showering habits? Do you look down on people that go a day without showering? Are you obsessive over cleanliness?

Later,

Mama Dawg

Question MeMe

While visiting over at Manic Mariah's place one day, she had been tagged with a Question Meme and if you were one of the first 5 that commented, she would send you a set of questions.

Well, for once in my life, I was actually in her top 5! This girl gets more comments than I've ever seen and she's so much fun. Her home life is so hectic and dramatic and fun and crazy and wild but you can tell it's a home. I love reading her blog.

Anyway, she sent me a list of questions, so here we go!

1) What one fear would you like to conquer? Oh, wow. Fear. Hmmmm......I'm not really afraid of anything like heights or black cats crossing my path or anything like that. I abhor roaches but will kill one if I have to. I'm scared of stuff in the dark that I can't see but can hear, but that's part and parcel of life in the country. I just suck it up and continue to walk in the dark anyway. I fear something happening to my kid, but that's a normal fear for any parent, so how can you conquer that? I guess I don't really fear too much. At least nothing that needs to be conquered.

2)Do you possess any qualities of your astrological sign? Do I? That's a laugh. I do. I really do. Per Wikipedia, here are some traits that Gemini's possess.

Adaptable----yeah, I'm pretty adaptable. I go with the flow.
Communicative----I have a blog, nuff said.
Inquisitive----yep, I'm nosy!
Intellectual, mentally oriented----when I get my head out of my ass long enough, I can be mentally oriented.
Fickle and inconsistent----Every day. Seriously, every day.
Curious----Just call me Alice.
Charming----Some say I am. I choose to believe 'em.
Nervous and tense----I can be. And when I am, I always feel the need to pee or barf or both at the same time.
Superficial----I can be. For real. I can be. But, I try to curb that part of me. I think I do a pretty good job.
Multitasking----yeah, it's kind of what I'm known for, at least when I was at my last job.
Youthful----I always get that I don't seem as old as I am. I don't think they're referring to my looks. You all know how childish I can be on here.
Entertaining----I try. I don't know if I always succeed, but I try.
Upbeat----For the most part, I am. I have days that get me down.
Witty----That's something I can't judge for myself.
Imaginative----Yep. I have a vivid imagination. I mostly keep it to myself, though. It's weird.
Optimistic----I always see the glass half full. Always have.
Clever----I can be. If I put my mind to it.
Self-interested----Who isn't?
Restless----Yeah. And it's probably one of my biggest faults.
Can become cynical, biting, moody (duality)----If you know me personally, you know this to be true.

3)Which long lost childhood object would you most like to find? Nothing. I have all the things I considered precious.

4)What is so great about your favorite underwear? It's comfortable. I really don't have a specific pair. To me, underwear is just underwear. It serves a purpose and as long as it's not riding up my ass, I don't care what kind it is or what it looks like.

5) How are you going to handle it when Light of Your Life starts dating? Pretty good, I think. We live in a small town, so it'll be hard for her to date someone I don't know. Or whose family I don't know. If we lived in a metropolitan area, I might freak out more.

If you want me to send you some questions, just leave me a comment. The first 5 people to say that they want to be interviewed will get a set of questions by the end of the week!

Later,

Mama Dawg

Mama Dawg's Give Away, Part 2!

Whoo, hoo. There's this here Bloggie Give Away Carnival thing that's floating around. I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and throw my stuff out there. Hopefully something will hit!

As my regulars know, I make handmade beaded lanyards, glasses cords, necklaces and bracelets for sale. I have my own etsy shop and have posted about my products before.

Below are some samples of the lanyards I currently have for sale. These are perfect for that teacher in your kids life that is always losing their ID card or needs a place to hang their work keys while at work.

Great for office workers who also have ID badges and/or have a need for a place to hang their office keys.

To get more details, just click on Mama Dawg's etsy on the right side of my blog.

Now to the give away.

The winner will get either one lanyard that currently exists on my etsy or a custom created lanyard in the colors of your choice. If lanyards aren't your thing, you can always request something else in my shop.

This has up to a $25 dollar value.

In order to enter this contest, you can do one of the tasks listed below for one entry. If you do more than one, you get an extra entry. So, if you do all 3, you get 3 entries total!

1. Leave a comment telling me, "Hi! I love your blog. Your are the most talented of all dawgs in Mama Dawg Land and I wish I was as cool as you. " OR, you can just say "Hi!" Either one. I'm cool either way. I just thought I'd shake up the contest entries a bit.

2. Follow me.

3. Blog about this on your blog and post the link back here.

You need to list each entry separately in my comments.

Wait, there's more. If you can leave a comment with the links and/or names of some awesome Irish punk bands, I'll give you an extra 5 entries on top of your other entries. Why Irish punk bands? Cause they're my latest obsession. And it's my blog. I can do whatever I want. I already know about the Dropkick Murphys and the Flogging Molly's (both brilliant in their own right).

If you don't know any Irish punk bands, you can just leave a comment about your favorite artist/band. Either way, you'll get 5 extra entries.

Contest ends Friday, February 6th with the winner announced the following Monday!

Good Luck!

Open to US and Canadian residents only, unless otherwise specified. (I'm talking 'bout you, Kat)

Later,

Mama Dawg

Who Would You Do?

A good chilly good Monday morning to all of you! My weekend was nice and relaxed. I slept in on Saturday AND on Sunday. We watched lots of Buffy and ate some good food. I did a few odds and ends around the house, but for the most part, we didn't go anywhere. I loved it.

Here's your Monday morning jolt of revolting. Except this time, I got a decent one! Once again, "Who Would You Do?" (book by Susan Segrest). Enjoy!

Aren't you the lucky one? It can be hard to meet a nice guy and here you have more than a few good men. Men all hot and bothered for you. Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon and Kiefer Sutherland are ready to do your bidding. But who will you pick? (a tip: try to let the others down easy, because word has it that this crew “can't handle the truth")

And as usual:

*Editor's Note---You HAVE to pick one of the choices. Even if you're a guy and the only choices are guys...same for girls...believe me, there are lots where it's only girls to choose from.

How was your weekend?

Later,

Mama Dawg

Friday Foto Fiesta Finish

Today's pics are New Orleans centered.

My favorite mode of transportation in New Orleans is the streetcar. We had the streetcar line running right behind our house.

I can remember when I first moved there, the sound of the streetcar running at night drove me CRAZY.

Then, I got used to it.

So much so, that when I moved out to the country and tried to sleep in the stillness that you can only get from not being within city limits, I discovered I desperately missed the sound of the streetcar.

Now, of course, I'm used to the stillness and love it.

But what I wouldn't give to hear that streetcar late in the night once more.

Here's a pic of the streetcar stop sign. You find one of these and just stand and wait til the next one comes along.



Here's two of them meeting at Calliope (pronounced Cal-e-o-pee) and St. Charles under I-10.

Here's the beginning of the streetcar line. I took this picture at the cross over on the neutral ground that took me down Sycamore Street. One block from where I used to live. This is where I used to catch the streetcar to take me downtown so I could drink all I want and not drive! It was so worth that $1.25 each way just for that reason alone.

This picture is on the outside wall of the Jewish Community Center on St. Charles. I love these birds. So peaceful.

This is my WTF? picture. This was taken in Metairie, LA which is a neighboring city to New Orleans.

And this is a house not too far from my old house that has been painted since we left.

Where is a homeowners association when you need one, eh?

If you want to join in on more foto fun, head on over to Candid Carrie's!

Later,

Mama Dawg

Spin Cycle

Aaaccckkk...I'm taking the plunge. I'm hooking up to the Spin Cycle hosted by Sprite's Keeper. To read more poems (good, bad and ugly) click on her name.

Instead of giving you a Mama Dawg original (I wrote really bad poetry in high school) I'll instead give you my favorite poem in the entire world.

I actually hate poetry. I don't connect with it at all. Well, not traditional poetry, but I do like songs which are poetry but to music.

Anyway, I digress.

Here's my favorite.

"Funeral Blues" by W.H. Auden:

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead

Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week and my Sunday rest,

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

Yes, I know it's a poem about a lover.

However, if LOML were to ever die, I feel that a part of me would feel this way.

I would want to know why the world has not stopped turning. It should. It's only proper that the whole world grieves with me.

As a mother (or father), you know where I'm coming from.

I am not trying to make light of this. I know that there are those of you that read my blog that have lost a child. Whether in miscarriage, stillborn, a kid or an adult, the loss of a child is literally heartbreaking. No matter how it happened.

Like many, I was first introduced to this poem in the movie "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (one of my favs as well) when the character Matthew (played by the greatest actor ever, John Hannah) reads it at his lover's funeral.

It never fails to bring me to tears.

If you haven't seen this movie or this scene, I've got it below.

Enjoy!



Later,

Mama Dawg

Totally Unserious Post

This is a totally random photo post.

Why, you ask?

Cause I can.

Don't make me bust out the age old question about a dog and his balls. Seriously, don't.

I like this photo. It's a baby slug that landed on my shirt after I did some yard work. Isn't he sweet? Don't you just want to pinch his wittle cheeks?

Do slugs have cheeks? Are they some of the critters they do make-up testing on? If so, are there applicators tiny enough to swipe the cheeks? What season do you think a slug is?



On a totally non-make-up related issue.....the inner psychopath in me just wanted to dump a shitload of salt on him to watch him melt.

I'm going to hell for sure.


See, here's my punishment for that thought.

No, really, that's just a random Disney pic I had in a folder. Like my pirate bandana? I went pirate themed that day. Luckily that was the day I got to see the Pirate Tutorial. I was ready, y'all.

Unfortunately, no one told me they only pick kids for the tutorial. I wasted all that pirate lovliness for nothing.

Pirates suck.

No they don't. They rule.

Hey, you know what would be cool? An Irish pirate! Even better, a female Irish pirate! I'd call her Molly. And she'd have red hair and a big bosom. And a laugh like a drunk lumberjack. And I'd be her parrot sidekick.

That would be cool.

Remember when I told you I know how to shop?

Yeah, I wasn't lying.

This past weekend, Old Navy was having a sale that gave you 50% off the lowest clearance price.

The most I paid was $6.50 for a pair of suede shoes for LOML. The least I paid was $1 for a pair of shorts.

This entire lot pictured below is worth, at full retail price without tax, $130.50.

Guess what I paid? Guess.

Seriously, play along here. Guess.

Nope.

No to that, too.

I paid $28.25 before tax.

How's that for shopping? It's a pair of shorts, a skort, a skirt, 2 shirts, a tank top, a summer sweater tank and two pairs of shoes.

Yeah, I rock.

Later,

Mama Dawg

The One Where I Lose Half My Followers & Piss Off My Neighbor Who Reads This Blog

*Clarification......this is based on MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES that I PERSONALLY have had with several churches of two different denominations. This is NOT AIMED at ANY AND ALL religions and churches. I don't presume to assume that all religions are the same when it comes to their views and ideals. Having said that, this post is not about YOU. It's about ME and my realization that I was WRONG. Let's not forget that this is what this post is about.

You know, I’ve posted on here before that I’m not a deep person.

And I still stand by that.

I’ll tell you why.

Every time I have these deep meaningful thoughts, they fall to shit by the time I’m done.

Case in point.

I’m not a religious person. At all. I have major doubts about God, the Bible, the whole shebang.

But what really chaps my ass is organized religion.

Yes, as mentioned on here before, I attend church.

I go pretty much every Sunday.

But…I mostly go because of my daughter.

She’s expressed an interest in church. I suspect it’s mostly because of Sunday school and not the sermon at 11.

However, I’m willing to take her every Sunday until she gets to the age where she can make an INFORMED decision about religion and beliefs and church attendance.

It’s my job as a mom to make sure she’s well rounded. Other than a Methodist church in town, our religious choices are slim to none.

It’s a nice church. I know several people in the congregation. They’re good people. You won’t find me complaining about them on here.

I even like Bro. D. He’s a nice guy.

Now, church is a voluntary activity. It’s not mandatory in order to, well, be an active member of the community. It’s helpful, but not mandatory. You don’t get in trouble for not attending (I’m talking legally here, folks, not religiously).

And, if you live in a tiny southern REPUBLICAN town, a majority of the folks that you interact with on a daily basis are of the same mind when it comes to their politics.

With the inauguration happening today, a topic that was broached at church on Sunday was to pray for the new President (and my mind interpreted the tone of this being said, not the words, as to mean they want to pray for his heathen pagan soul, not a general “make everything work out OK” prayer).

Now, I’m real prickly when it comes to separation of church and state. Religion doesn’t belong in the White House and the White House doesn’t belong in church.

Back when the election was going on, there was some talk up at the pulpit about the Democratic nominee. Nothing outright was said, but you could tell what he WASN’T saying and you could see heads nodding in agreement in the pews.

I was thisclose to getting up and walking out the door. But, I chose not to make a scene.

This past Sunday, I had a feeling something might be said in regards to Tuesday’s festivities and history making occasion.

And, I wasn’t wrong…but I wasn’t right either. Nothing big was said and my hackles laid down and rested from being raised for so long.

But, it got me to thinking.

This is one of the reasons I don’t like organized religion.

The incredible feeling of moral superiorority.

It’s their way or the highway.

No tolerance for other religions.

The incessant need to gather more and more followers (sounds kind of like blogging, eh?) and to convert non-believers.

I’m a huge proponent of letting people believe what they want to believe. I’m a big believer that no one religion is right OR wrong.

It drives me insane and I can’t stand it that they are not tolerant of others. I dislike people like that.

And then…..I actually listened to my thoughts and realized…I’m just like them.

I’m sitting there in the pew feeling all morally superior because I have tolerance for others.

When in reality, the joke was on me the whole time. Cause I was sitting there judging them for THEIR beliefs.

How fucked up is that?

So, from now on….no more deep thoughts.

Or if I have any, I’ll make sure to spin them so I rival Jack Handey.

Hanging Head In Shame,

Mama Dawg

Who Would You Do?

It's a lovely Monday morning once again (ever notice they're kinda like sunrises...inevitable?) and time for your Monday Morning "Who Would You Do?" (book by Susan Segrest).

I took pity on all of you and gave you a semi-good one. I say semi cause Meggie's not looking too hot these days. Not Courtney Love nasty, just over injected.

Would you rather be Meg Ryan's secret sex slave (but she never acknowledges you in public) or Julia Robert's man about town (including her date to the Oscars) but not get any action with her between the sheets?

And as always:

*Editor's Note---You HAVE to pick one of the choices. Even if you're a guy and the only choices are guys...same for girls...believe me, there are lots where it's only girls to choose from.

Have a good Monday, y'all!

Later,

Mama Dawg

Good Saturday Morning!

Good Saturday morning to all of you!I had some more housecleaning to do, so....off we go!

First off, Light of My Life has gotten the jewelry making bug from her mama.

Santa brought her a bunch of jewelry making stuff and she's been working like a demon.

She's decided that she wants to put it up on etsy to sell. I told her I would make her her own etsy shop to sell her wares.

When I asked her what she was going to do with the money she makes, she told me (and no joke here, all her ideas) that she is going to put half towards her Disney money (we're hopefully going in May) and the other half in her savings account.

I am so proud of her.Anyway, here's the link to her shop. There's also a few pics for you to view.








I also received an award from someone that I WOULD LOVE TO MEET in real life. I "met" her through a RL friend who also blogs. Small world, huh? Anyway, she's awesome. She just had a baby a few months ago. She also has killer recipes on her blog.




Here's the rules for this one:

Here's the Friend Bloggy Award Scoop:

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

Wow. So cool. Thanks again Lisa over at Growing Up Mo' for the beautiful award.

I'll have to think on this one and get back to you guys.


Then, Diane over at Good Mourning, Glory tagged me with this:

Go to my fourth folder & pick out the fourth picture. No cropping or editing allowed. Here it is.

This is a picture of LOML and her cousin whom she met for the very first time a few weeks ago. This is my cousin's child. They hit it off right away. I have more pics from this trip, but haven't posted about it yet. I love their rosy cheeks and you can see the windswept hair.

That's all I got today, folks. We're heading to the big city for some birthday shopping (my mom's b-day was Thursday) and dinner. Plus a little Chuck E Cheese for LOML and her friend. I think I'm more excited about Chuck E Cheese than they are!


Later,

Mama Dawg

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta

This week, LOML's school had their reading fair. It's not mandatory for any of the grades in the elementary school except for 4th grade. However, LOML loves to read and really wanted to participate. She participated last year and won second place for the whole second grade individual division. She was pleased as punch. She got a trophy and a ribbon and couldn't have been happier.



This year, she chose to do her project on The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler. It's a wonderful book (I had to read it so I knew how to help her). She really enjoyed the book and she had so much fun working on her project.

She entered her board in the individual category which means minimal help from anyone. The only help I gave her on this board was the spray painted background, I had to help her cut her mermaid tail cause it was too hard (it was that thick foam poster board) and I had to do all the hot gluing.

Otherwise, it's all hers!

Here she is with her ribbon looking pleased as punch. Oh, and I should mention...she took 2nd place AGAIN! I'm so proud of her. She did a bang up job and she's pleased with herself as well.

Here's the board by itself so you can see it in all it's glory.

This has to be one of my favorite pictures. Not because there's anything great about the shot. You can't really see LOML's face or anything.

However, this is her "boyfriend". You will notice how they're not standing near each other, but they are in each other's periphial. While she was "studiously" looking at the other projects, he would walk up and down the aisle next to hers and look at her out of the corner of his eyes. He'd catch me looking at him every once in a while and would duck his head in shyness. LOML knew of his presence the entire time but acted surprised when she saw him right next to her at one point.

I caught this picture so you could see what I'm talking about. I could never get one where he was watching her. Maybe next time.

Just for the record, these two have been "boyfriend and girlfriend" since almost the beginning of second grade. That's when we moved up here. He laid claim to her almost the minute she walked in the door. She's gotten a watch from him for her birthday last year and this year at Christmas, he gave her a Hannah Montana silver heart necklace. My kid's 8 and she's already gotten more presents from a boyfriend than I ever did! This kid likes her so much. I mean, I've never seen an 8 year old boy like a girl as much as he does her. He talks to her (sometimes) and if we're out in public, he'll actually come up to her and talk to her.

One time, we were in a city that's about an hour away. It was before Christmas and we were in the mall. We had just finished eating lunch and were making our way to Claire's (of course) when we ran into him. I backed off and let them have some privacy but they actually stood there and talked for about 10 minutes. It was the sweetest thing.

Anyway, if you wanna join in on more Foto Fun, click on over to Candid Carrie's.

Later,

Mama Dawg

Sacred

As most of you know, I got sucked into Facebook. I "befriended" lots of people. Most of them are from high school but a few are my new found bloggy friends.

I've enjoyed seeing what everyone from high school as grown into. And by that, I mean either their careers or their family life. And for some, their political parties. Those make me laugh the most.

However, I've really reconnected with two people that I considered to be my closest friends while living in Florida.

One of them is Jenny, who knew me in high school. We probably met in middle school, but didn't become friends til our Freshman year in high school. However, once we became friends, it was hard, fast and furious. Our friendship, I mean. We clicked and bonded and giggled and dreamed for 3 years.

We grew apart our senior year. She was heavily involved in Drama and by that time, I didn't give a crap anymore about school. I still had my activities, but by then, I was just going through the motions. There was no fight, no falling out. Just a gradual decline of the friendship. Very organic.

We briefly connected a few years ago but other than a couple of Christmas cards, nothing happened.

When I got on Facebook, we found each other again. And I swear, it's like no time has passed. We've both grown. In different directions, but we've both grown. I am enjoying getting to know her as an adult.

The other person that I've reconnected with and which has pleased me to no end is my friend Mimi. I've posted about her before. She's a trip.

Mimi and I met when I worked at Disney. I started working there when I was 17 and the day I turned 18, we were out in the clubs. Dancing our fool asses off and living it up like only an 18 and 19 year old can. We hit every club that we heard about. We danced and laughed and lived.

We became tight real fast. She was the first friend that I actually said "I love you" to. Before her, I knew that I loved my friends, but never said it. Because, well, we were in high school. She was the sister I always wanted and never had. I told her things I had never told anyone before. We had experiences that I had never had before. I took my first road trip with her.

We moved in together and life happened. We disconnected and moved our separate ways. Years later, through the magic that is the Internet, we found each other again. It was great but we only half heartedly stayed in touch. I was busy with an infant and still new to the whole Internet thing. She was busy going through life stuff and trying to raise 2 boys. We lost touch but amicably.

With FB in the picture, we found each other again. And it's different this time. This time, we have time for each other. We are not just doing the same old BS on Facebook. You know, the "how have you been" and "oh, such a sweet family" stuff. We are talking like we used to. Making each other laugh. Making plans to meet up this spring and maybe do a trip together in the late summer. We're really making an effort to re-connect.

I'm feeling all these warm fuzzies and my heart is happy.

I know you're probably wondering where all this is going, aren't you?

During all these conversations I've been having with these two friends, I have discovered how they viewed me during that time that we were younger.

When you're in high school, you really don't care what your friends think of you. You're friends. You don't need to know what they think of you. If you didn't like each other, you wouldn't be friends.

So, I never had any clue what their perceptions of me were back then.

A few comments here and there during some conversations have brought to light what they thought of me back then.

And it makes me want to weep.

For joy. And I love them for it. For seeing in me who I really am. For seeing in me the person I always wanted to be.

They saw confidence. They saw a free-spirit. And even back then, they saw someone who really didn't care what others thought of me. They saw that spark.

I was never a traditionally pretty girl. When you saw me, you didn't think "Wow, what a stunner". But, there was something always there. Some little spark.

I never saw this of course. I'm going by what others told me.

The other thing I've discovered is that I knew who I was all along. Even through high school and those early adult years.

I had this guy friend in high school. His name was Chris. He is a Native American.

He made me this lovely Indian medicine bag. He told me to put sacred items of mine inside. They would help to keep me calm and centered.




So, I did. When I was 16 or 17, these are the items that I put inside.

I had forgotten about this little bag, but when I was reliving some memories last night, I remembered it. I pulled it out and opened it up.

Inside were the following items:

The ring you see on the left is a ring that an ex-boyfriend gave to me. He was the only guy in high school that I dated for more than 2 weeks. We actually dated for 2 months. We met while on the track team and I fell head over heels for the guy. He was on a club soccer team and they went to England. While in England, he bought me some presents. These were actually the first AND last gifts I got from a boyfriend. He got me a teddy bear, but he also got me this lovely ring that has an Irish saying on it. Don't ask me again what it says. It's in Gaelic. I wore it until we broke up. After Chris made me this medicine bag, I had healed from the break up enough to recognize that I would appreciate this when I got older. So, in the bag it went.

The next item is a Canadian penny. I can not, for the life of me, remember why this is significant. But, at one time in my life, it was.

The next item is an alexandrite and gold ring from my childhood. It was my first piece of real jewelry and was given to my by my mother.

The next item is an alexandrite and gold earring. The mate is missing. They were one of the first pairs of real gemstone and gold earrings I got when I got my ears pierced. Again, they were a present from my mom.

The next item is a shell. No clue on the back story to that one. But, it must have meant something at one time.

The last item is what brings this bag and the reconnection to my old friends together.

It's a folded up piece of paper. When I opened it up, this is what I found:

At age 16, I knew enough to believe in myself. To write it down.

To make it sacred.

Later,

Mama Dawg

Gross Post

I'm not kidding. If you don't like to see dead animals or the circle of life, please leave now. There's nothing bloody or gory, but still, if you're a bleeding heart like I am, this will not please you.

Warning over.

The below three pics are the reason why I had to resort to using the deathly hallows traps on the mice in my house.

I can not have this happening. I've had to throw away so much food because of these fuckers. I'm so over feeling sorry for the mice.

I'm done.



Yeah, that's an apple. That had to be thrown away. And no, they're not nibbling and spitting. They're eating it.

This was a brand new bag of trail mix. They chewed through the plastic and got to the good stuff. This is a $4 bag of trail mix that I had to toss. I could barely afford it the first time.

This is big ass container of nuts. My mom likes these. I don't. So, no loss for me, but still. They ate through the plastic lid. You can see how full the can is. Practically to the top.

Here's where it gets a little macabre.

Because Max is still a puppy (and really, what dog doesn't), I have to find a place to place the carcasses where he won't go and get them and bring them back to me a few days later. All nasty smelling and dripping post mortem ooze.

So, I put 'em up in a tree.

Yep. A tree.

Guess how many I caught in all?

Just guess.

7.

SEVEN fucking mice. Two of them I let go. Y'all read about that.

The other 5? Yeah, deader than doornails.

Count the tails.

Here's the front of them in their tree. Good riddance pestilence.

Speaking of Max and rodents, Sunday night, he caught a mole. He actually dug it up out of the ground and caught it.

He then played with it. All night. Then he hid it where I can't find it. I'm sure I'll smell it soon.

Now, I actually had the opportunity to "save" this mole from Max but chose not to.

Why not you ask?

Cause they dig these tunnels in all over the yard. And when it rains, it softens the dirt to the point that if you're walking in the yard, you start to sink into the ground. I've sprained my ankle a couple of times and nearly fell flat on my ass another.

They're horrible.

You can see the dirt on his nose where he was digging.

Yeah, I declined all doggie kisses Sunday night.

Sorry if you're offended, but I just can't live with these critters any more. I've had to throw away about a dozen shirts and sweaters where they've eaten holes in them or pooped and peed so much, the stains won't come out.

They're a menace.

Later,

Mama Mouse Dawg

Eat Your Heart Out, Ryan Seacrest

I've been interviewed TWICE in the past week!

Granted, I signed up for both of them and they weren't interviewing me because I'm THAT fascinating. It's because I jumped down their throats when they offered to do an interview with a blogger.

The first set of questions is from the ever fascinating Jess over at This Life is Mine.


What was the funniest thing you have ever experienced?

What had me on the floor laughing my ass off? So many things. I love to laugh and find humor in some of the most mundane things. Recently it was a passage from a book by George Carlin. I was laughing so hard, I couldn't stop. It actually brought tears to my eyes. LOML got concerned cause I wouldn't stop.

If you had a million dollars what would you do with it?

If it was a cool million, I'd find some way to turn it into more money so I could take care of my family and friends but then build a no-kill animal shelter that I ran. I heard about this awesome idea that this guy in NC or VA had. He houses military pets. You know, when a guy or girl does a tour of duty but they have no one to take their dog or cat or whatever while they're gone for 15 months. He takes them in and houses them for FREE until they get back from their tour. This way, the military people don't have to give up their pets. I LOVE this idea.

What is your favorite breakfast food?

My favorite breakfast food has to be homemade blueberry scones and French roast coffee. But my most frequent breakfast is an egg sandwich on wheat bread. Yeah, I know. It's why I'm overweight.

If we went out on the town, what would we do for fun?

Oh, girl. What WOULDN'T we do is the question. That's easier to answer. And that answer is NOTHING! We would do it all! Really paint the town red! We'd make the local news we'd have so much fun.

What song always puts a smile on your face?

It's not so much a song as it is artists. Artists whose songs never fail to put a smile on my face are Billy Joel, Jonny Lang, Jimmy Buffett and the Eagles.

What artists make me bounce in my seat from wanting to dance? Any kind of hip-hop. Chris Brown, T.I., Beyonce (Single Ladies is like my fav song right now), Britney, Lil' Wayne, etc.....

What would I find in your refrigerator right now?

Almost empty bags of lettuce, roasted red pepper spread, milk, your regular condiments, half and half, leftovers, blood orange soda, lemonade, breads, veggies, cheese...it's pretty full right now.

How would you describe yourself in three words?

Tired, strange, fun.

The second set of questions is from Heinous over at IPR. Don't make me type out the name of his blog. I get confused and lost and next thing you know, I'm off on a tangent talking about my intense dislike of Chris Martin.

Wait, what was I talking about?

Oh, yeah, Heinous from IPR sent me this second set of questions. If you aren't reading this guy, you should. He's good. Real good.

What is the bravest thing that you feel you've ever done? Physically, emotionally, or whatever.

Wow. I have to say quitting my job without a safety net in 2007 and moving to the backwoods country after having lived in New Orleans for 9 years. I uprooted my daughter and myself to move to a place where there's no job opportunities and is below the national poverty line. However, I've never been happier.

What one talent do you wish you had that you don't?

I wish I could sing. But, I can't. I could literally make someone drop dead from the horribleness that is my singing. I still miss my Aunt Gladys.

We all have our reasons for blogging but what would be your ultimate goal for your blog or as a blogger?

Well, we all have secret dreams of becoming the next Dooce, but, in reality, I don't have a goal. I'm just having fun. When I get bored of this, I'll move on to something else.

You can trade lives with any one person for a month. Who would it be and why?

I would trade lives with my daughter. I would love to see what she sees and feel what she feels and do what she does. She seems to have such a good life.

There's a fire and your family is safe but you have the chance to save any one item from your house. What would it be and why?

My camera bag.

You have the chance to go back in time and warn yourself before making a bad choice. What choice would it be and what would you tell yourself?

I would not tell my ex-husband I was pregnant. I would have just kept it to myself and broke up with him (we got married when I was 5 months preggo) before I started showing. Yeah, that seems harsh, but he hasn't been around in 8 years. It's already like he doesn't know.

Good questions guys.

If anyone wants me to do an interview for them, just drop me a line in the comments and I'll come up with some questions.

Later,

Mama Dawg

Who Would You Do?

Morning boys and girls. It's time for your Monday Morning "Who Would You Do?" (book by Susan Segrest).

Since the boys complain so much about not having girls on here but my readers are primarily women, I thought I'd mix it up a bit. Here's something for everyone. Except straight people, apparently.

Boy George and RuPaul are, for some unknown reason, both flashing their butt cleavage at you. Where do you look?

*Editor's Note---You HAVE to pick one of the choices. Even if you're a guy and the only choices are guys...same for girls...believe me, there are lots where it's only girls to choose from.

Have a GREAT Monday!

Later,

Mama Dawg

Mama Dawg vs. Mighty Mouse Part 2

Well, if you've been a regular reader of mine for a while now, you'll know that round 1 happened quite a while ago. Since that time, we've had several more mice that I've caught in the mean traps (the ones that snap their tiny necks).

People, I just can't care any more about a mouse's life. Yes, they're cute. Yes, they're a distant relative of my favorite mouse in the whole world (Mickey)....but, they're nasty. And they ate an ENTIRE box of whole wheat pasta plus a small bag of sunflower seeds as well some cat food.

Last night, when I got home from work, LOML was so excited because she caught a mouse. She said she was in the kitchen and heard a rustling noise in the dog food bag. When she opened it up, she saw a mouse. She quickly closed the bag so he wouldn't escape and my mom put a clip on the top to keep it sealed.

I went in the kitchen and took a look inside the bag. It was a mouse all right. A baby one at that. Not a newborn, but one that was about 1 1/2 inches long. He was so CUTE!

But, I had to harden my heart.

While I was standing there in the kitchen, I heard the sound of little feet running in the shelves and I knew that there was another mouse somewhere in there.

Even though I knew it was foolish, I started pulling boxes off the shelf and lo and behold! Another baby mouse! Except this one was trapped. And was just young enough to not know to try to escape no matter how desperate the situation was. And because he didn't move, I was able to get the humane trap right in front of him and herded him into the trap! I then added his brother to the mix. I dropped a cube of cheese inside. Since I didn't want them coming back, my MO is to drive farther out to the country than I already am and let them go. Then they can become someone else's problem!

Anyway, here's some pics of the prisoners mice.

Aren't they adorable?

Here's a video of Max and his reaction to these teeny tiny harmless mice.

How's your Thursday so far?

Later,

Mama Dawg

My Raisins Are Mocking Me

I was sitting here eating a box of Sun-Maid raisins and noticed that when you lift the lid, the little flap that tucks into the box says “Work hard. Play fair. Sleep well.”


I didn’t think much about it at the very second I read it. It just kind of made me smile and I went back to reading blogs working.

A little time goes by and I start thinking about this “advice” from my box of raisins.

I started to get pissed.

Who the hell does this so-called “Sun-Maid” think she is to give me advice on my life?

I mean, for God’s sake, she’s a cartoon “maid” on a box of raisins. There’s some big Aztec-y looking sun type symbol behind her and she’s wearing a red bonnet that’s loosely tied ‘neath her chin.

First of all, honey, that look went out like in the 1800’s. Get with the program. Cut your hair, put some product in it and ditch the bonnet. That bright red lipstick does nothing for your complexion and your eyebrows need plucking.

Second of all, all you do is stare vapidly out into space from a box of raisins. When have you ever worked hard?

As for play fair? I don’t think so. I get the feeling you’re a cheater at Monopoly. You probably slip yourself a few extra $20’s when you’re playing the banker. Yeah, you do. I can see the guilt in your eyes from here. Not only that, but you totally sell yourself as a “healthier snack” than other crap out there in the stores. You’re 130 calories for 1.5 ounces of dried grapes. I need to eat like 5 of you in order to satiate any hunger I might be feeling between breakfast and lunch. That’s like 650 calories just for a snack.

No, my dear, you don’t play fair.

As for sleep well?

Yeah, it’s time to call the cops on your smiling raisin sun-maid ass. There’s no way you could know that unless you were peeking in my windows at night.

And last I checked, that’s illegal.

I do have a question for you though. How did you get by the amazing Barking Max? He barks at his shadow or if the wind blows in from the North. He totally would have busted you. Ninja like skills you must have, princess. Ninja like skills.

I think you should go back to what you’re good at and leave the advice giving career alone. You’re not any good.

Later,

Mama Dawg

P.S. When did they decide to put the California Raisin on the top of the box while little Miss Vapid is on the cover? The double pop culture references are making me a little dizzy.

Lad, I Don't Know Where Ya Been, But I See You Won First Prize!

I got this lovely beauty from Diane over at Good Mourning, Glory. I found her not too long ago. I have no clue where or how, but I love her. She posts some incredible postmortem photographs (from the olden days when they would take pics of the dead...they're not gory or gross, but beautiful). She fascinates me and yet she's the one to give ME an award. Thanks Diane!

As usual, there's rules.

But, you know me. I have this compulsive need to break them.

So, instead of me naming 10 people to give this to, I say the first 10 people on my crack bloggers blog roll on the right get this award.

(here's the rules if you want 'em:

The purpose of this award is to give it to someone who is showing gratitude or a good attitude ("if life hands you lemons, made lemonade") within their life or blog.

The rules: put the logo on your blog, nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude and/or gratitude, link to your nominees, let them know they have received the award by commenting on their blog, and share the love and link to the person from whom you received your award. )


In addition, have you heard this? If not, why not? This is a song that I put on repeat constantly in my iPod. It's such a fun song.






Due to all this Facebook crap, I found one of my best friends from high school. Her name is Jenny and she's got her own blog. I don't know if she's looking for a lot of traffic to her blog, so if you go over there, please remember to be nice and polite. She's not like me. She's classy.

We had such a blast in school together. We had all these inside jokes and we kept a notebook that we passed back and forth to each other in the halls instead of notes. Less conspicuous that way. We never got caught, either. And I still have the notebook. Maybe I'll dig it out and post some tidbits here. That would be funny.

Anyway, she tagged me to share 7 things you never needed (or probably wanted) to know about me.

Let's see.......

1. I'm related to Jimmy Carter. Don't ask me how. I have no clue. All I know is that it's on my fathers side and that it's really a distant relation.

2. I ran track in high school. For one year. Til a line drive at a baseball game (yes, I was in the dugout with the baseball players...that's another story for another time) hit my shin so hard, it left a bump and bruise for a month. I limped forever. So, my track career was a bust.

3. I have a chicken pox scar on my right cheek. Other than if someone asks about it, I forget I have it. Even in high school. It never bothered me.

4. I can actually sing the whole song, "Ice Ice Baby" and not miss a word. However, no one that has ever heard me sing has lived to tell the tale. Or at least I assume they're dead. I've never heard back from them after I sang the song. I miss my Aunt Gladys.

5. There are very few things I'll eat. In fact, the list is so short, I can list them all here. English peas (the little green balls), celery and melons. I don't eat these alone and with the exception of celery, I won't eat them mixed in anything. If the celery is chopped up fine enough, I'll eat it.

6. I'm incredibly thoughtless. Not in a mean way, just in an "I'm totally not aware of my surroundings so if I forget your birthday or to ask you how you are after an illness, it's not intentional" way.

7. No matter what a guy looks like (for the most part), if he has a Scottish, Irish, Australian or British accent, I'd probably do him. No guarantees, but they have much better odds than any others out there.

So, thanks Jen, for that fun tag.

If you wanna do it, just do it. It's yours for the taking.

Later,

Mama Dawg