Almost Somewhat Positive

Oh God. What. Have. I. Done.

2009-03-16T16:15:00.005-05:00

Today was Anna's Parent/Teacher conference, and usually it's a breeze so I wasn't nervous at all. Anna is advanced for her age, and this has been the case for her whole life.

I even mentioned this on Facebook today, and my blogging buddy Sonia replied:

So, if they tell you she's dealing meth at school, that would probably be a surprise, right?

And to which I quipped back, via the wonder that is Facebook:

Well, as long as she's cooking it during the science portion of class, I really don't see what the big deal is. ;) I sure hope she's better at lighting a Bunsen burner than I am at lighting a gas grill.

Let me say this again, people: "Pride goeth before the fall."~ Praphrased, God.

I should have been nervous it turns out, and I should have taken a cue from this: Emma, my lovely 3 year old decided that she needed to tinkle whilst I applied my war paint.

And so, naturally , she said, "It sounds like I'm peeeeee-ing a WAINBOW!"

To which I replied after a loud snort, "Yes... how does one pee a rainbow, exactly?"

OH GOD, really, why do I ask these questions?

"Well," she begins thoughtfully, "Fust, you put all sorts of cullews in side your who-who... then you SPWAY it ALLLLL OVER the sky!!!" She arcs her upraised hand over her head for effect.

And I'm pretty sure I stood there agape.

Motionless, with my mascara wand floating in mid air.

*Sigh*

Anywho, you would think that having your daughter's second grade teacher start the conference off by asking if you have gotten Spanish by Rosetta Stone would be a good thing. I quite sure that under normal circumstances, this would be the case. It turns out that a classmate complained to the teacher that Anna was cursing at them and calling them bad names in Spanish.

The teacher did some investigating to find that Anna feels like the only way she can get back at some of the kids in her class is to call them names. En Espanol. Mrs. Moore explained to Anna that there are other options to explore, like for instance walking away. She did say that Anna has shown growth in this area and has deployed this tactic on more than one occasion, which shows that Anna is very mature for her age.

I explained that we don't commonly share curse words in Spanish ( though secretly I kicked myself-while blushing wildly- for having shared more than a fair share of the English versions), and that Anna had a secret language when she was younger, and that she would babble when feeling uncomfortable and shy. One of these words, actually and unfortunately one of her favorite words, just happened to be the Spanish word for B*TCH, and that we were very clear on the fact that it shouldn't be said.

Still to this day, when being annoyed by her sister, she lets out a tirade of gibberish and sometimes this word will pop out, without her even realizing. We gently remind her to not use that one. But I explained that Anna is fully aware of what the word means, and that she isn't supposed to say it.

The teacher says, "OH, so she really DID use a bad word. Well, I wanted to say, 'Teach me, I wanna know!'" After which of course our country club laughs could be heard pealing through the hallways.

It also turns out that Anna is a talker ( we know this), that she is messy (we know this too) and made of list of supplies she needs for class, and her teacher was kind enough to point out that everything she needs is probably under 3 feet of school papers.

Last, but not least, I say (type rather) with a heavy sigh that it has come to our attention that our daughter has an odd and advanced sense of humor. Sometimes the other kids don't get her when she is being funny *OH GOD*, and the Mrs. Moore tries to not only sooth the poor child that Anna has emotionally decimated by drawing humorous pictures of *OH GOD, it's all my fault... how is it possible that my cheeks are burning MORE* while not crushing Anna's spirit... and sometimes, just sometimes, the other kids don't get her sarcastic sense of humor at all. * OH. MY. GOD. I have made my poor child guilty by association. She has gleaned everything she knows of this world from me, and as my husband so succinctly put it, she has been swimming in a sea of sarcasm from day one... my daughter is a dork*

On a brighter note, Sonia, at least she's not dealing meth, right? *weak smile*

That's my girl!

2009-03-08T11:23:00.003-05:00

Emma was playing Candyland on her laptop yesterday and said , "Mommy! You have to come see this , it's os funny!"

So I walked over and she clicks on part of the game, "Hold on momma, it has to load... OK, " she puts her hand over her mouth and giggles as something pops up on the screen, "THAT'S CLASSIC!" Ten she falls over laughing. "That's classic, isn't it momma?"

I laughed so hard. I don't know how many times I have said to John "That's classic/that's classic Mary/classic DORKY Mary", and now my sweet almost 4 yr old is saying it too. Love it.

Anna Madison

2009-02-27T10:33:00.001-06:00

Eight years ago tomorrow, my first baby was born after 11 long years of infertility, sadness and uncertainty. Eight years ago tomorrow my heart and soul was reborn from darkness into light.

After 22 hours of labor, after 36 sleepless hours and almost losing her, complete and utter happiness came into my life. I post this every year to remind me of how blessed we truly are.

~mert

My girls, actually getting along!

2009-02-05T14:31:00.003-06:00

OK, I'll pose... but don't ask me to smile.

OK I'll smile... but it's killing me... SEE?

If I smile, will you stop, mom?

Heh heh, you said poop... just to get me to smile.

Punk cowboy... it's all the new rage.

Sisters playing dress up

It's a shame when you have to quote Sponge Bob to get your kids to smile..."FIRE ON THE POOP DECK!!!!"

Signs of what is to come I hope ... Best friends:D

My babies! sniff haha sniff

2009-01-20T14:12:00.004-06:00

We interrupt this show to bring you this announcement: I'm drowning in laundry!

Though I am ashamed to admit this... I recently found that my oldest had critters. I can't even bring myself to say the name of said critter. *shiver*

I have admitted many things on this here blog, horrible and hilarious... but this is just EWWWWWW. We found them in her hair on Sunday, and of course I FREAKED. I have a touch of the OCD, don't know if I ever mentioned that.

ANYWHO, picture me washing dishes blindly... trying to control myself after finding the Wild Kingdom in my baby's hair.

John went right out and got the shampoo, and while he was gone Anna started to freak as well. She started to cry and asked for a hug. This is where it gets good friends... Fighting the urge to vomit, I hugged that kid with very fiber of my being and rubbed her back until she stopped crying.

This is huge... under normal circumstances... say an ant infestation? I spray those creepy crawlies while doing the heebie jeebie dance, then alternating with the occasional "Thats what you get for coming into MY house, b*tches!!!!". Yup, I'm a wiener. Sue me.

Later, after shampooing my daughter I noticed how much she has grown in a few weeks... I wont go into specifics but my baby is growing to fast *sniff*. And after she was dressed I told her as much.

She grinned at me and said this, in a sweet sing song voice, "What? *shrug*, I'm not even 8 yet! You've got plenty of time! *big grin*"

It was just the way she said it, she's so smart and mature for her age. I'm gonna have to keep this little girl as safe as possible... I can only hope I can do it. :)

Today, Emma asked me if daddy gave me my wedding ring "because he luffs me so much" and I said yes.

"Mommy? I have anudder qwest-chun... in your wedding pict-chewer, why is your hair so puffy?"

I laughed, "Well, because that was how ladies wore their hair back then."

She looked up at me with those big browns, paused for a second, then rolled her eyes. *SNORT*

It precious moments like this that make you appreciate all that you have, and thankful for what is to come.

Love truly is a wonderful thing, no matter what form it comes in. ;)

OK< now back to the Laundry channel... all laundry, all the time, baby.

Oh the joys of ankle biters OR Thanks for sharing that!

2009-01-17T11:54:00.004-06:00

So, John's uncle came over a bit ago to help John reroute our piping to our laundry room. BUT, he walks in with a cup of coffee, much to my despair.

You see, I have had to cut coffee out of my life. Or as I explained on Facebook:

Mr Coffee and I had a long, steamy love affair. Until he decided to make my stomach upset... he can be very cruel at times. So we had to part ways. Can I drink vicariously through you guys? ;) Tell him to "call me".

Basically, I gave John's uncle the cleanest version possible, saying it gave an "upset stomach".

And then Emma comes sneaking up behind me, saying int he tiniest, sweetest voice, "Yeah... and diaaaa-weeeee-ah, too! *giggle*"

Followed by a stunned silence, laughing and me giggling, and with my face in my hands, " I WASN'T GONNA SHARE THAT, but thanks!"

Lesson learned. Be careful what you say in front of you kids because there aren't "ear muffs" strong enough for little ears.

Laughter is the best medicine, which is good because I'm having one heck of a withdrawal headache ;)

This one goes out to the man I love

2009-01-16T08:34:00.001-06:00

One Sweet Love - Sara Bareilles

Lyrics to One Sweet Love :
Just about the time the shadows call
I undress my mind and dare you to follow
Paint a portrait of my mystery
Only close my eyes and you are here with me
A nameless face to think I see
To sit and watch the waves with me till they're gone
A heart I'd swear I'd recognize is made out of
My own devices....
Could I be wrong?

[CHORUS]
The time that I've taken
I pray is not wasted
Have I already tasted my piece of one sweet love?

Sleepless nights you creep inside of me
Paint your shadows on the breath that we share
You take more than just my sanity
You take my reason not to care.
No ordinary wings I'll need
The sky itself will carry me back to you
The things I dream that I can do I'll open up
The moon for you
Just come down soon

[CHORUS]
The time that I've taken
I pray is not wasted
Have I already tasted my piece of one sweet love?
Ready and waiting for a heart worth the breaking
But I'd settle for an honest mistake in the name of
One sweet love.

Savor the sorrow to soften the pain sip on
The southern rain
As I do, I don't look don't touch don't do anything
But hope that there is a you.

The earth that is the space between,
I'd banish it from under me...to get to you.
Your unexpected love provides my solitary's
Suicide...oh I wish I knew

[CHORUS]
The time that I've taken
I pray is not wasted
Have I already tasted my piece of one sweet love?
Ready and waiting for a heart worth the breaking
But I'd settle for an honest mistake in the name of
One sweet love.

Choosing to see the beauty

2009-01-15T14:03:00.004-06:00

I'm turning my frozen frown upside down :) Yes, today started out at -27, but now it's only -10, right? So I'm trying to see the brighter side.

Here are some pics I took of our single paned, original 1930's windows.

Oh look, how fun!

2009-01-13T07:49:00.004-06:00

I'm all for exploring illnesses of any shape size or color, but this is just ridiculous.

I guess being mentally ill is the new thin. Or something. What could be better than a show that highlights the hilarious highs and sardonic (and possibly sociopathic) lows of Multiple Personality Disorder. SIGN ME UP!

I just wish my mother and her evil alter egos had come in such a pretty wrapper. If only she had had an "Alice", then having a mother with MPD which have been so very Leave it to Beaver and the worst that would have happened would have been going to bed without dinner 2 nights in a row.

Sheesh.

But what should I expect, it is Showtime... HBO's hooker sister with a heart of gold.

Meh. I couldn't even muster a full rant, sorry to disappoint ;)

My other daughter, the other GENIUS

2009-01-12T15:17:00.005-06:00

The title of this post refers to my previous post today.

Emma spelled her first word today, without help.

She's been spelling Anna and Emma, and writing them for about 3 months now, but this word has special meaning to my girls. It's their favorite word lately. A word that I have grown very tired of, and so I have explained that saying it will result in an instant time out.

Yup, you guessed it. My sweet little 3 yr old asked me if she could have a cookie, and I said no. So she said," P-O-O-P."

Well, she followed the rules... she didn't actually say it.

*sniff* I couldn't be more proud.

At least she hasn't learned to spell one of mommy's favorite words... like Anna ;)

OYE, I have no one to blame but myself. *sigh*

My daughter, the evil genius

2009-01-12T07:27:00.003-06:00

Anna on Saturday while playing with Emma:

I paid the cops... I own the cops.

I'm so glad she didn't add, "Say 'ello to my little friend!" or I would have sprayed my blueberry muffin everywhere.

Kids... if I didn't have kids what the heck would I blog about? :)

Soup to NUTS

2009-01-09T08:08:00.011-06:00

Ok, not soup exactly but definitely nuts. That was my day yesterday.

Yesterday started out pretty sweet actually. Emma (Little Red Ridinghood) and I made blueberry muffins :)

Please ignore the junk on the microwave.... thank you!

We recuperated a little later with our belly's full of warm, sweet muffins by taking a 2 1/2 hour nap. WOW! Maybe that's why I woke up at 5 am today and couldn't get back to sleep. Hmmmm.

Next the sweetest Male Income Support Unit and daddy ever brought home a surprise for all three of his girls.
Somewhere in there I decided to do a little maintenance in our old laundry room. Since it was an addition to our 1930's home, it isn't insulated very well and the pipes freeze on me unless I have a heater on in the basement blowing warm air into the small hole that the pipes go through. Even when I do that the pipes will freeze at times when I have the door closed to keep as much cold air out of the kitchen as possible.

So, I usually take the washer hose out of the drain pipe and pour warm water inside the drain pipe to make sure it's not frozen. Otherwise , obviously, water will spray everywhere. I say obviously because, well as you know I'm a dork and obviously I have actually sprayed water everywhere.

Aha! I am ahead of the game, you see. I am very pleased and proud of myself that i have had a bit of foresight.

So lets recap, shall we? It's supposed to look like this, right?

And when you disconnect the washer hose from the drain pipe to pour warm water in there, ya know to make sure it's draining properly... it looks like this, right?

OK, good. And how should it look when you are about to put in a load of laundry?

OOOOPS.

Um, yeah. So the very thing I was so proud of avoiding? I accomplished the opposite. Yes, what they say is true:

"Pride goes before the fall." ~ (paraphrased) God

I told John last night that I should come with my own disclaimer in form of a adhesive sticker. For my forehead.
I told him he should get out while he can because I killed one too many brain cells while we were in the Navy, that I had thousands of brain cells pulling the plug every day, and that at this rate I'll be a veg at 60.

He just stood there and smiled/chuckled... and said nothing to contradict me or make me feel better. Good thing he brought flowers. XD

On the bright side? At least I had a 2 1/2 hour nap. I had lots of energy to clean up all the water. I had been wondering if our wet vac still worked. Oh, and my basement went through the rinse cycle as well. Niiiiiice.

Oh no, not again...

2009-01-07T13:14:00.007-06:00

Remember a few years ago... Oh, let's see... Anna was 4 I think? And she was mooning over a not quite famous Zac Effron?

So Emma is eating lunch and watching a older episode of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody with Jesse McCartney, when he looked like this:

And she says with a *SIGH*, "I wish I had someone like that for a boyfriend..."

And naturally I probably did something akin to:
"What?" She looks at me for a second,"I don't have a boyfriend. I've never had a boyfriend before."

My first instinct was to reply *whilst trying my best to hide my amusement*, "Oh honey... it will be years before you can start dating. Acording to your dad, about 30 years or so. " Knowing that Emma is Anna's Mini Me, I decided to keep my big yap shut. I can remember that Anna was only 6 months older when she had her first crush and she was very serious about it, and didn't take kindly to John and I ribbing her about it.

Emma will be 4 end of March, but I still can't believe that this little critter has hit the sighing phase and has completely skipped the "EWWW, boys totally have cooties" phase. Just like her big sis.
This combined with the fact that Anna has had her first consultation with the "Boob Fairy", as my sis likes to call it... Well, you can imagine.

I'm suppressing the urge to chug cough medicine as we speak.

I kid people, I kid.

I'd much prefer vanilla extract. ;)

Thanks!

2008-12-09T08:21:00.002-06:00

I wanted to thank all of you who responded to my blog post about John's job.

Well, so far so good. He was told in a one on one meeting Friday that since there was a hiring freeze, that there was another IT employee that took a job in another department, and the fact that John's manager got let go... hopefully no one else would have to be let go.

I'm hoping the fact John has a strong work ethic , is very polite and is a hard worker will keep him in a job. In the end we know that usually it comes down to money, and John is still at the lower end of the pay scale for his department so we'll see.

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers, we really appreciate it!

Hugs, mert

If you don't mind...

2008-12-05T09:08:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to ask for prayers... this last Monday John's manager lost
his job. Yesterday John's mom, who works at the same hospital, lost
her job.

John and his coworkers are having one on ones all day with john's
ex-managers boss... John plans to ask lots of questions, including if
there is a chance if he is going to lose his job at the hospital (he
does computer tech stuff in the IT dept) and if it wouldn't be better
to try to transfer to the branch in Sliver Spring , Maryland. (very
close to my bro, Ben)

Though we know this would mean disater for us if he loses his job ( we
would lose our house) , my sweet brother Ben has let me know in no
uncertain terms that if John should lose his job, and should we lose
our house, we have a place to stay until we get on our feet.

Ben, you don't know what a comfort to me and John that is, John says
thank you SO MUCH.

Anywho, the pessimist in me is screaming to batten down the hatches
and toss overboard anything not needed (internet, cable, etc ), John
wants me to wait and see what Matt (the guy that gave John's manager
the ax) has to say today.

I'll keep you posted. John says that there was a hiring freeze shortly
after one coworker transferred to another dept, and they were already
a man or two down... so now the manager has been fired, maybe they wont
have to cut anyone else. We'll see.

Thanks for listening, and thanks in advance for the prayers.

Hugs, mert

I put the "F U" in fun

2008-11-30T22:07:00.004-06:00

Black Friday and holiday shopping fun, yes? This year not so much. What's with the killing of the people?The stampeding and gunfire? Are you kidding me?

Let me just say that though I have on occasion imagined myself bludgeoning someone while out rubbing elbows with people that I like to refer to as "rude, morally-bankrupt animals", I would never.... NEVER resort to violence outside of daydreaming when faced with not getting something that I want.

Is this what we have come to?

How does it make sense that a season, first and foremost named as the season of GIVING, should cause such hostility and homicidal tendencies? Oh, right. Christmas is no longer Merry Christmas... but XMAS, Happy Holidays, etc, etc, etc. 'Tis the season of give me more, because if you don't , you're a bad parent/child/sibling/grandchild and you don't really love me-me-me-me-me.

I will admit that I have been guilty of commercialism, of going over board because I want my kids to have all the things that I didn't, and I have come to realize that by doing so I have created mini monsters who play with new toys for about a week then grow bored of them. Lesson learned. We have scaled waaaaay back on gift giving for any holiday, and we donate the things no longer played with, the ones that are collecting dust.

It has been a painful process, realizing all that has been compromised... my children's egos, my wallet, and the core of our souls. No thing can make my kids love me, and no trinket can show them how much I love them. That is up to me, and up to them. I thank God that my husband and I have come to this realization before it was too late.

Oh, I'm sure we might get the "I'm looking for more presents underneath the ripped and tattered remains of what probably amounts to 3 trees" , and even a small "is that it?" look from at least one of my ankle biters... but we'll get there. Baby steps, people. ;)

But honestly? I'm not sure I want to buy into a holiday that has been tainted with sacrificial blood. Maybe I will opt out next year. Maybe the 25th of each month will be cause for celebration, and maybe, just maybe we can celebrate the true meaning of Christmas every day of every single year without killing someone.

That would be swell.

OK, I'm jumping off of my soapbox now, and I'll leave you with this thought (OK, I'm only standing with one foot on the soap box right now):

This being my first year of retail hell ( I work at the Tar-jay), I would emplore all of the lovely shoppers out there to at least try to put something back in its original spot. If you don't want it? Ya know what? Take it to the register anyway and say these eleven magical words.

"I don't want this, can you put this back for me?"

Those eleven mystical and magical words would reduce hundreds of thousands of man hours of hunting what we like to call reshops from the candy aisle and eventually returning it to the lingerie section.

What does that mean for you you might ask? Lower cost, better savings.

And me, not mentally flipping you the bird. Just a thought.

Hugs and kisses,
~mert

That's like bringing a knife to a gun fight

2008-11-13T08:18:00.011-06:00

Why is it that family is like the sharpest knife, cutting the deepest wounds?

Tommorrow I am supposed to go to the MIL's Lia Sophia party.... BUT, last night we saw her at Target walking around with her boyfriends granddaughter, bent over talking all cozy with her. We managed to get in and get out with what we needed without even bumping into her. The kids were crushed to see their Nana- who doesn't make time to see them except a few MINUTES every 2 weeks or so- covorting with another little girl. Emma said, "Momma, it makes me sad seeing Nana with that girl... it's awful." John and I were so upset that our kids felt so hurt.

I wonder though, had I not made such a big deal out of it, what would the girls have said about it? I was just so mad and hurt on their behalf, I wanted to lay in to her right there in Target! Anna was supposed to walk with John to the electronic department but once I saw her walking with Steve's granddaughter I said nope, stay with me. Later I explained that I didn't want her to have to face her grandma with those raw emotions... Anna doesn't deserve to see her with another kid and have to try to swallow the uncomfortable-ness and tension, the hurt and anger.

We have told the MIL that we don't want the girls going out with her and Steve alone without us, or being over at her apartment with the possibility of them being alone with him. I don't know him and I refuse to risk anything, I could never live with myself. The problem is that when they were dating again (before he moved in with the MIL) almost a year ago, Anna spent the night. The MIL never told us that he might be coming over, even though she knows how I am about my girls being around strange men. After Anna came home from the sleep over I found out that the MIL had left Anna alone with her BF while she took a shower, etc. SO, I broached the subject with the MIL by saying that Anna should never be left alone with him, just to see what she would say. She said,"No, of course not."

She basically lied to me by not telling me that it had already happened, so right then and there I decided to put a stop to sleep overs since she has proven time and time again that she makes bad choices, especially when it comes to my kids. I also explained that the kids would not be over at her apartment- especially after he moved in- unless we were there.

More recently, about 2 1/2 months ago, she asked if she could take the girls shopping and reluctantly we said yes. She shows up to pick them up with her BF. I was at work so I had no idea, but John let them go, which I was kind of pissed about. She ambushed us with this, purposely because if she shows up with him, what are we supposed to say right?

She does this kind of thing all the time. I or John will lay down the law and later she claims she doesn't remember having that conversation. It makes me so mad! It reminds me of my mother... "I'm certified nuts so I can act like an idiot and not even try because I can get away with doing these things (and stop taking my medication) and not have to be accountable." ONLY her (the MIL) thing is, "You never said that, we never talked about this-OR- I don't remember you saying that." GRRR.

Anyway, Anna was supposed to go with me to the party, but now neither of us want to go and it's tomorrow. John said he's going to talk to her about it and let her know how hurt the girls were, but in the mean time I have to figure out what to say our reason is for not coming without lying about it, so as to not make a bad example for my kids.

I just can't tell you how hard it is to hear your 3 1/2 yr old say how "awful" it feels to be crushed by your own grandma. And how hard it is to hear your 7 yr old talk about how hurt and angry she is. I just want to "blow her away" verbally and be done with her sometimes. I want to knock that "knife" out of her hands forever, but John doesn't think that that is the right answer. I know it has mostly to do with the kids not having any grandparents, and Emma missing out (but isn't she already missing out?), and how uncomfortable things will be at family gatherings (like the last time we didn't talk to the MIL for 4-5 months after she threw a bucket of water in Anna's face)... I just don't know how to fix this.

How do you fix something with a person who believes she is always right , and never does anything wrong? This is exactly the dilemma I had with the egg donor, and exactly why I estranged myself from her. The MIL is so like my mother (the egg donor) sometimes, and it makes me angry that after divorcing myself from the E.D. that I still have to put up with pretty much the same.... STUFF.

Now I have to deal with not making a bad example for my kids by lying to get out of an uncomfortable situation.

And I am struggling with forgiveness as a Christian... But that's another load of dirty laundry.

Baby-do

2008-10-15T13:35:00.008-05:00

Anna and Em had to have their hair trimmed 2 days ago, and Em decided she wanted shorter hair, "Like momma". They cut off about 6-7 inches! But she loves it and keeps doing the hair check/hair bounce thing- like from older movies- with a palm facing the sky, pushing her hair up in little bounces. Too funny, she looks like a little old lady when she does it.

She wanted it shorter but I said we could always go shorter later, because her hair has some curl to it it will shrink up a bit.

Anyway, attached are some pics I took yesterday morning. Sometimes I look at her and think to myself, "Who is this little person?" , because she has grown so much over the summer.

Especially when I see her smile like in this last pic... This is her real, happy smile- unlike the first "I'm only smiling because you asked me to" smile. In this picture she is thinking about dressing up for Halloween and seeing her Uncle Benjy, Aunt Marci, and my Aunt Yvonne very soon. ;)

whoa there!

2008-10-03T08:04:00.006-05:00

The time has come once again to brag about how smart my first born is.... Yeah, I know, right?

I can't help it, I'm so proud of her. Proud of what , you say- the fact that she has a ginourmous brain? It's hardly something any of us have any control over, but I shall continue to feed and nurture it, and hug it and squeeze it... OK, not so much with the squeezing but you get my drift.

A few days ago we received the results of her yearly aptitude tests and my 2nd grader has the math skills of an early 3rd grader and the reading skills of an early 5th grader!

Ahhhhhhhyeeeeee! :D

Anna, we are so proud of you. Keep up the good work :) Oh, and by the way, thanks for learning some humility and not screaming "in your face, I'm smarter than you" to your classmates like last year.

Love ya,
Mommy

Teh Dork Side...

2008-09-26T23:25:00.004-05:00

A lolz at that I made at ICHC becuz... bordum, I has it.

moar funny pictures

and dis one

moar funny pictures

and dis one of my kitteh, Zoey

moar funny pictures

and dis one (not mah kitteh, but still with da cuteness) ...

moar funny pictures

If you are on ICHC, my name is marymert (click me!), naturally :) Send me a friend request!

I'm finally on the map. Kinda ;)

2008-09-23T14:26:00.006-05:00

I finally got my act together (somewhat) and put up an Etsy site.

There's not much up right now but I do have a few purses. :D I am hoping to make some mother/daughter purse sets, simple block quilts for babies, sleeping bags for teddy bears ( Like Build A Bear), and a few furniture pieces for doll houses (boy's beds and bean bag chairs).

If you would like to check it out, it's here: Positively Delightful

Also, I made a couple of sidebar buttons if you would like to show your support. Thanks!

Simple fall and Halloween desktops

2008-09-20T00:57:00.004-05:00

Hi there folks... yesterday I made these desktops. :D

They are pretty simple in design, because sometimes less really is more. And sometimes more is more but I digress...

Here they are (click to enlarge, then right click and save):

1024x7681600x1200

1024x768

1600x1200

If you need me to make a smaller version, let me know and I'll post a smaller size fer ya :) I hope you like them, enjoy!

In that case, you're fired!

2008-09-18T22:23:00.004-05:00

Anna (7 1/2, going on 35 1/2): I think I want to take walks, because walking will make me healthier. Then if someone wants me to model, I'll be in good shape. I could take modeling classes...

Me: Modeling classes would probably cost money. And we , ummmm, don't have any.

Anna, leaning in closer for emphasis: Make more money then.

Me: Maybe you should get a job.

Anna, smiling sweetly: I have a job, it's annoying you.

Mary, smiling incredulously: Well, you're pretty darned good at your job.

Anna, laughing and crossing her arms: If I'm so good at my job, maybe you should give me a raise.

Cute, smart and funny? Someday the man of her dreams is going to be in BIG trouble. I hope Prince Charming has a sense of humor, otherwise he's so screwed.

Well, it's finally confirmed...

2008-09-04T08:50:00.004-05:00

Even Myspace thinks I'm a nerd.

Whoopdie doodlie doo.

No butts about it - Emma-isms

2008-09-03T15:11:00.002-05:00

A few days ago I bent over at the bottom of the stairs to pick something up ...

Emma (trying to go upstairs): Mom, MOVE. Your big booty is in the way.

Me: I'm so feeling the love. Thanks.