Survey for Amanda

Just because Amanda asked me to... :)
Getting to Know Me:
1.)What color are your kitchen plates? The every day plates are white, my nice plates are white with navy trim
2.) What book are you reading now? Book? Who has time to actually turn pages when the internet is so much faster??
3.)What is on your mouse pad?I don't have one
4.)Favorite board game? I haven't played in forever, but it was Settlers of Catan.. ahhh, good times...
5.)Least favorite smells? A certain "vent" in Slovakia that aired out the local sewer.
6.)What is the first thing you think of in the morning? Can't they go back to bed? Is it 7 yet?
7.)Favorite Color? Blue. Most blues, but a blue and green combination is awesome.
8.)Least favorite color? Black.
9.)How many rings until you answer the phone? I wait for caller ID then decide if the kids are too loud to even hear the other person & should I bother to answer if I can't actually talk??
10.)Future child's name? Since I will probably not get to use them: Chaughnessy, Vanessa, Margaret, Elizabeth, Jane, Amy... I'm not giving away my combinations though...
11.)Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate - is there anything else?
12.)Do you like to drive fast? Before kids - yes. After kids, I just prefer to stay away from all the slow old people.
13.)Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? Just my big DavidBear!
14.)Do you like thunderstorms? Neither here nor there... As long as the kids aren't bothered by it.
15.)What color are your eyes? Green/Grey, they change. My daughter's change from blue to grey too...
16.)Sign? Aries, not like it's important...
17.)Do you eat the stems of broccoli? What? Yeah...
18.)If you could have any job, what would it be? Getting paid to do something I love & still have time for my family. So far that doesn't have a title! :)
19.)If you could have any color hair, what would it be? A little red-er than what I have. The grey's are taking over though...
20.)Is the glass half full or half empty? You never know these days....
21.)What is your favorite movie? Currently: Little Miss Sunshine or The Devil Wears Prada
22.) Do you type with your fingers on the right keys? Always! Mr. Whitehead would be proud.
23.)What's under your bed? Christmas paper, dust bunnies, random feathers, kids' toys
24.)What is your favorite number? 27
25.)Favorite sports to watch? Football, everything else is not entertaining.
26.)Your single biggest intense pain? My miscarriage, then when Jamie died last month...
27.)Person most likely to respond? I doubt it.
28.)Person least likely " "? No one is going to do this, only 2 people even read this.
29.)Ketchup or Mustard? Depends what it's for, but Dijon
30.)Hamburgers or hotdog? Hamburgers... Ooh, you're going to make me send David out on a craving run!
32.)The best place you have ever been? Miami Beach...
33.)Favorite fast food? McDonald's, then Applebees, if that counts.
34.)What kind of car do you drive? Trailblazer - my favorite so far
35.)Married or Single? Married, almost 5 years now

Friendship Prayer

May the fleas of a thousand camels

infest the crotch of the person

who screws up your day

and may their arms be too short to scratch...

Amen.

I got this today in my email & thought that it is a lovely, heartfelt wish from a good friend who truly wants your day to go a little better, even if the only thing good that happens is smiling & laughing at this... :)

I didn't quit

blogging, I'm just severely distracted. I've met so many good friends on my xanga page and now I'm checking the Baby Center bulletin boards all the time for pregnancy tips & help. I may end up using this as a pregnancy journal of sorts, but really, I'm just too busy to blog about the other random things that don't belong on xanga or the kids' blogs. So... I'm not dead, I didn't quit blogging, I'm just 5 other places at once!

Brides Who Don't Care Anymore

We all know them. If you were one, you probably remember that point where the details don't matter anymore, "I just want to get married!" It happens to everyone, as far as I know. But it hits at different times. Some women are just naturally not into details, some are super organizers. But eventually, each will come to a point where they no longer care & don't want to answer any more questions.

This is my year of weddings. I knew it would be. And after having been to and been in several weddings this year (with 2 more to go) here is a little something I've picked up. Most brides need one thing, one essential thing. A wedding planner. Now you can be cheap & do stuff yourself. But ONLY if you are one of those really organized people, or your mother, fiance' or future mother-in-law, or sister-in-law or any relative for that matter. My husband & I planned our own wedding and we were awesome at it. But that's because we're both really into details. And our mothers were wise enough to delegate a lot of responsibilities to friends of theirs who were also detail oriented, bossy people.
Brides, listen up. You need someone who is NOT IN THE WEDDING (and that nixes your mother) to be your go-to person on the day of the wedding. Someone to find the photographer, locate the groom when he's late or just not dressed, make sure the bouquets & corsages get pinned on BEFORE pictures, have an emergency box of things for the inevitable - the weight you've recently lost & now your dress needs safety pins, the ring bearer got dirt on his face, the flower girl spilled something on her dress & there's only 20 minutes left! Someone to answer your phone, make sure that list of "special poses" you met with the photographer about actually happen, someone to remind you to sit down & take a drink when necessary, someone to be a go-between for your parents & vendors, someone who doesn't care about all the little family drama, someone who can see above or around it & just make sure your special day is the best it could possibly be.
Since my husband & I are pretty detailed & also pretty good under pressure, attending weddings or being in them can get tense & stressful for us. We want to help, but are bound by our obligations & duties in another role: bridesmaid, groomsman, guest, family. Once I happily became the "wedding coordinator" at the last minute. The family realized there was no one to cue the bridal party that everyone was seated. Ta da! I wasn't doing anything else so I gladly offered to do it. Someone to keep a schedule & then locate the right person at the right time. Grandma Hilda isn't here yet? Why not? Didn't she know pictures were at this time? Oh "Planner," please go find Grandma for me!
I'm so NOT kidding. I'm trying to learn to let go & not be such a control freak. But my husband would be great at this. Radios all around, list of phone numbers, schedules, box of emergency supplies, first aid training, he is prepared for any situation. And he will never make you feel stressed, he makes everyone feel at peace. They know he has everything under control. So if anyone reading this needs a planner or coordinator (and don't think about J.Lo in The Wedding Planner, it can be much simpler than that!), leave a comment & hopefully we can help. :) Or if you're a bride & you've already reached the place of not caring, please be good to your bridal party & groom & mother - get a super-organized, super-bossy friend to be your coordinator/planner!

Fashion Commentary

or "What Your Friends Won't Tell You (But Should!)"

I wish I had pictures of these horrible fashion infractions.
1) Lovely young adult woman wearing a black top & white linen pants. Everything seems together until she walks past me and I see it: a black thong. A big BLACK "Y" on the upper part of her buttocks, seen RIGHT THROUGH THE PANTS. Shudder everyone. Big fashion no-no. Thong is a good idea if you have wide hips, see through pants or tight pants where any underwear at all will leave a very definite Visible Panty Line (VPL). However, if you are wearing WHITE or KHAKI or any light color, be sure that your thong is flesh tone. Wearing white underwear under white pants will only draw attention to the area, as do VPL, as do black or any dark colored underwear of any cut & style. Jeans or black pants that are tight often deserve either granny panties or a thong, simply for their VPL tendencies. Color usually doesn't matter. If you feel the need to wear a black thong, choose to wear black pants. Please. Even my husband noticed this one.

I'm usually okay with the occasional bra strap peeking out on someone's shoulder. I'm even okay with coordinating your bra & top, if you mean for it to be seen (since it couldn't be avoided). But read this one...

2)Teenage girl at the park wearing the wonderful invention of a spaghetti strap tank with built in bra. Except she's wearing a white bra underneath. How do I know? Not from the slinky satiny straps daring to escape from under the built in tank straps. Because she was wearing a RACER BACK style bra. Oh yes. And not simple cris-crossed strapps, with a full on lace panel in the middle of her back. Terrible. The purpose of having a shirt with a built-in-bra is to use it. If you need to wear extra support, choose a strapless bra, or a different tank. Mom, grandma, big sister, SOMEONE should have said, "honey I think you're not sending the right message here." Because the message to my friend & I was loud & clear: I'm too immature to think about what I'm wearing under my clothes. I only checked out the front side in my bathroom mirror.

So there's my little fashion rant for today. I'm sure I have more...