Girls Getaway 2012 Wrap-Up

By the time Barb's van had pulled in front of my house, I'd already showered the kids with lots of good-bye hugs and kisses.  However, just as I turned to close the door behind me, Natalie suddenly reached out her arm to hold it open.

"Wait!  I want to give you one of my stuffed animals to take with you so that you don't forget me!" said Natalie.

She returned a moment later with her beloved night time pal, Twinkle.

"But, she's your favorite.  Are you sure you want me to take her?" I asked.

"Yes! You can even sleep with her," replied Natalie.

Twinkle turned out to be a great traveling partner..even if she consumed most of my Nutella during our weekend retreat.

Twinkle enjoying breakfast on the deck.

We waited for the rain to clear before heading out to the outlet mall.
Twinkle was a little possessive with the remote.
Thankfully, "There's Something About Mary" was something we could all agree on watching. 

 Paint Box Cafe is now our new favorite lunch spot.
It has become a pinning sensation for it's recipes and decor.

The cafe offers half a dozen little nooks to nosh in.

An old door and silverware are re-purposed into a cool mug rack. 

Blake's Choice Sandwich
Panini with turkey, Monterey Jack & Cheddar
& "Paint Box bacon"
A house specialty featuring pecans pressed into the pork.

After lunch we headed to the outlets.  

Twinkle tried to be helpful, but since she only sees in black and white she often chose
some crazy outfits for us to try on.

Our little companion turned out to be a shopping good luck charm. 

Twinkle offered to help me with my digital scrapbooking, but
her little claws kept getting stuck between the keys. 

No cooking is our #1 rule while away.  We enjoyed a quiet evening in
with some yummy, thin crust pizza from JJ Twiggs.

Turns out Twinkle is a bit of a lush.

Here's how we found her the next morning.
What a lightweight.

In the 6 years Barb and I have made this trip - this is the first time
I thought to take a photo of us together.
It will be fun to look back on when we're 80.

I'm back home now...and have finally caught up with the laundry.  The kids had lots of adventures with their Dad, but seemed happy to have me back...especially my "Big Kid" aka husband. After the kids went to bed, he told me he was going out to fill up our cars for the week.  But, when he returned, he presented me with a cherry stolen and my favorite tea to enjoy in the morning.  He also bought me a bag of Godiva chocolate, as he had noticed my stash had been depleted.

I may go out of town once a year...but I'll always return home.  I promise.

Trifecta Writing Challenge Week 36

This week's writing challenge is to provide a metaphor or simile to help describe what you see.  Make your analogy 33 words or less, and make it clever or witty or unusual enough to grab our attention.  

Pulsing.

A vascular bundle of nerves.

A vessel of nervous energy.

Sweating bullets

I'm a wreck.

Twitchy.

Musings from Natalie # 18

Natalie: "Mom should I have children?"
Me: "Natalie that is something you don't even need to worry about for 20+ years.  Yes, I would love to have grandchildren some day, however, if you don't want to have kids you don't have to have them."
Natalie: "Yeah, what would I do with bossy children anyway?" she replied.


Natalie: "Mom, what do you think heaven is like?"
Me: "I think it is a place of peace and happiness."
Natalie: "I hope it's a land of Jelly Bellys!"


Upon hearing this oldie but a goodie from Sister Sledge, Natalie deemed it a "rockin' girl song"

Girls Getaway 2012

Well, my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

I'm only bringing the essentials.

It's that time again! Heading to the Lake for some relaxing and rejuvenation.  To read about last year's shenanigans, click here and here.

I'm Just Not Cut Out For Porn

Over the past 30 years, I have had many, MANY jobs. Sometimes holding down two or three part-time jobs at one time.  I've collated newspaper ads, served frozen yogurt, and greeted preppy teens at The Gap. I've been paid to give my opinions on everything from fat free Alfredo sauce to selecting a new logo for a frozen pizza company.  Once I was given the task of hanging out in a local Target to interview shoppers about their pet's favorite brand of food. However, none of my previous employment could have prepared me for the job of motherhood.  It's not only hands on...it has required me to be on my feet, too. Day and night I've clocked in countless hours of wiping up spills, scrubbing down walls and bandaging scraped knees; while scaring monsters out of closets.  It has turned me into an exterminator of sorts from ridding the tub of nasty soap scum rings to removing teeny tiny critters from each and every strand of my little darlings' heads.

So, I admit there have been times during my career as a stay at home mom, when I've fantasized about what my life would be like today had I chosen a different path.  I imagine I'd be a much cleaner person.  I wouldn't need to change my clothes so often because someone has accidentally barfed or sneezed on me.  Or, because I've just spent the morning crawling under a bed and reaching behind dusty appliances to retrieve a beloved toy.  My hairstyle would be neater, too since I didn't need to pick clumps of chocolate frosting out of my hair because my lil' helper decided to turn the mixer on the highest setting.

Being a Mom is a dirty job.

Maybe that is why when I recently applied for a "Creative Writer" position, the company thought I would make a great addition to their team...of porn writers.

Yep, you read that right.

Porn.

I guess from reading the writing samples I sent them, they believed that I, who have spent almost a decade dealing with dirty dishes, grimy laundry and sticky surfaces....would be the perfect person to become a wordsmith of wet dreams.  Even though they were sure to stress that not all of the writing would be porn-related, I just don't think I'm cut out for the job.  I'm mean, it's not that I'm squeamish.  I have done some pretty dirty things...like catching projectile vomit with my bare hands or getting poo out of my wood grain floor, but some dirt is just too filthy for me.


.

I Know What You Mean # 5

"Mom, what are turn lips?"

I'm pretty sure she wasn't interested in the idiom -- talking out of both sides of your mouth. Rather, I think she was interested in turnips.


While picking up new windshield wipers for our car, Natalie said, "I wish they had kid wipers."

I don't think she was referring to me and the other moms of the world who wipe mouths and bottoms and everything in between. Rather, I think she wished that our car came equipped with side wipers for rear passengers like her.

5 Year Olds Do Not Make Good PR Agents

I know that for some of you, everything I write about is old news...that's because you've already heard the story firsthand -- from my 5 year old daughter!  For her, nothing is off limits.  Whether she's making sure everyone within a 20 foot perimeter at the grocery checkout knows my true age or she's telling her kindergarten teacher that her Mommy got pulled over by a police man for "breaking the law".  For the record, I was driving 40 in a 25, but I thought the limit was 35 and there were lots of hills and...sigh.  

I love Natalie, but I don't agree with her PR tactics -- all news is not good PR.  Since there is no way to undue her gift for gab, perhaps I just need to help her with her spinning techniques.

For example, instead of saying, "My Mom is 40 years OLD!" she could say, "My Mom is only 34 years older than me."  My hope being that she forgets to say the "older than me" part.

And, instead of saying, "My Mom got pulled over for breaking the law!" she could say, "My Mom is very interested in my education.  Today’s ‘Word of the Day” is consequences.”

I unwrapped this Dove Chocolate Promise
just hours after the "The Great Pullover"