a precious gift...

This morning hubby went downstairs first this morning and as per our usual routine, let the dogs out back for their morning constitution! Now to truly appreciate this story, you must understand that our sliding glass door opens onto our screened in porch which has a regular size screen door that we keep latched in the winter because its so darn windy, so the dogs go out to the deck and then to the yard via a little doggy door that we put in the lower section on just one panel of the porch. Mind you, our dogs are small - about 10lbs each, so it's not a big door.

We have our theories about who left this precious gift! Back around new year's eve, we were visited by this male tabby we lovingly named Jimmy - since he had no collar on! It was beyond bitter cold outside and very windy and he was at our backdoor for over an our, so we let him in, made sure that he was ok, fed him and gave him some water - he was immediately comfortable and wandered around like he owned the place - so much so that when he started bullying our 3 sweet kitty girls, we decided that Jimmy had to go back out into the cold. He was in good shape, so we know that he had a home to go to! Since that night, Jimmy has come back to visit a couple times, so we know that he knows how to get in and out of the doggy door and we feel certain that he was the bearer of our gift!

So, some of you may already be aware that it is a huge message when an animal shares it's kill with you and Jimmy (or whoever was at our back door during the night) must really like us! We were "thrilled" to discover the back and of a full grown rabbit sitting on the door mat waiting for us! The kill and primary feeding frenzy DID NOT happen on our porch - it was not bloody or mess, just a couple loose fur tufts and the intact hind quarters, tail and a small amount of abdominal skin/fur, but no insides! Gross? Yup, but a generous gift nonetheless! Our dogs are total wimps and have never caught anything other than a tiny newborn baby rabbit and our cats are indoor cats, so it just had to be our old friend Jimmy, don't you think?

4.) “Why do we watch them? Make fun of soap operas with a piece of writing.” (inspired by writing fix.com)

Soap Operas, always a controversial topic for some reason; and such judgement that I felt called to address this one! I grew up with extremely limited tv privileges - from after school friday afternoon until dinner time sunday with few exceptions. My parents had the Today Show on in the mornings to catch the news and we were allowed to watch the 6 and 6:30pm new, but that was it. We didn't even have cable until I was in high school - and yes smarty pants out there, it did exist! My parents did watch some tv in the evenings, but we were either doing homework, or I was at dance practice, so once we got used to the rules back in elementary school, it was pretty much a non-issue. That doesn't mean we didn't try! If we were left at home alone, my mom would check the back of the tv to see if it was warm (and therefore had been on when she was gone) and we were totally busted then! During the summer, we were allowed a little more viewing time, although never unrestricted, free reign over the tv! One exception came when we met Mary! Mary came to help clean the house once a week and she was a doll! My sister and I loved her - years later she even came to our weddings! Anyway, Mary LOVED The Young and the Restless and she scheduled her lunch and cleaning in the room with the tv around Y&R! During the summer, we would watch it with her! Truth be told, she got my mom hooked too! Even after Mary stopped coming to our house, mom managed to eat her lunch with Victor, Niki and the Y&R crew! My viewing habits have come and gone over the years - during college I might have watched it here and there - and thankfully you can miss months at a time and still pick it up again pretty quickly! Anyway, after college I worked 3-12 hour shifts and 1-4 hour shift per week so I was home during the weekday sometimes, so I would visit my old friends at Y&R from time to time! Well, after kids, I was often too busy with them to have the tv on and if it was on, it was on kids shows! My MIL has watched Days of Our Lives FOREVER - like I believe she listed to it as a kids on the radio (if I'm wrong, sorry MIL, that's the story in my head!). Anyway, when she visits here or when we visit her, we sometimes get a chance to watch it with her! She dvr's it so it's not like we are forced into anything, but she explains what's going on and BOOM, we are hooked again! Well, this time Big S and I are both hooked! I started watching Days on my own and then started dvr-ing it when I wasn't home, and sometimes I would watch it with her around, and NOW she is hooked too! I apologize. That was never my intent, it just happened. Now, I have to wait until she gets home from school and we watch it while she has her after school snack. Have I scarred her for life? I doubt it! Hopefully not! So few soaps are even left on tv - who's to say how much longer the remaining few will even be around?

As far as addressing the question; why do we watch? I'm sure there are several reasons - the two that I think are at the top of the list are that it is a mindless escape and that their lives are always such a mess that we feel a little better about the much smaller messes we have in our own lives! Those are my theories anyway! Also, perhaps there is a tiny addictive quality to it - they give you just enough to want more, but never enough for you to feel satisfied and walk away! They are tv crack dealers! Just a thought! Over and out!

another writers workshop...

I couldn't quite decide between these two this week on Mama Kat's weekly challenge.... Decisions, decisions, I think it's the lack of diet coke in my system that is impairing my cognition and therefore ability to make a decision, therefore, I think I'll do a mini answer both both if that's ok with you all!

4.) Childhood memory time: Write about something you loved to do as a child: Sadly the one thing I really enjoyed doing as a child was cleaning and organizing my room. I wish my girls had inherited that gene, but sadly, it appears that trait with die with me! I also loved to read - I was the kid with the flashlight under the blankets after my parents had made me turn my lights off! Another strong memory is when my sister and I used to play in the basement and choreograph dances to Air Supply songs! good times!!

5.) “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned” ~ Maya Angelou -Now write: the ache for home, we all feel that at different times in our lives and for different reasons. As an adult, I believe that I have felt that ache even more often than I did as a child. I am, quite honestly, very much a home-body. I love nothing more than all of us snuggled on the couch with a bunch of blankets, a fire in the fireplace and a good, giggly movie on! I love the comfort and coziness of our home. It is often a mess, way more cluttered and disorganized than I would prefer, but the one thing that it is, that I am proud of, it is our HOME! Not just a house, but OUR HOME, a place where we are all comfortable, where we snuggle, talk, laugh, cry, argue sometimes, act silly a lot of the time and love each other ALWAYS! The doorbell rings, the dogs, tho small in size, can make a lot of noise and the cats have bells on their collars so everyone know when they are around! It is NOT a quiet place most of the time! Kids are sprawled out all over the place - Little S often spreads a blanket on the floor in the front hallway to "play school" and do her homework! If I am on the couch, there is at least one dog, often two and usually a kid snuggled up under my afghan with me - and I wouldn't have it any other way!! There's always some sort of craft in process on the kitchen counter or table! At the moment there is one sewing machine on the dining room table and one in the family room! On the surface, I should do a better job in some areas, but it has always been more important to me for my home to be comfortable, welcoming and feel like a safe haven rather than look like a model home. That's not to say that I would be upset if my house super neat, clean and organized as long as it was still a home and not just a house where some random people live!

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season, a Holy Day of Obligation for us Catholics, a time of self sacrifice in preparation for Easter - the highest of Christian holidays!

Ash Wednesday is most known for the crosses we bear on our foreheads for the day, made from the palms of the previous year's Palm Sunday. Part of what many practicing Christians do during Lent is to give up something - not something that is easy to give up, but something that is a sacrifice, that will be noticed during their daily routine. The point is to somehow, on some minuscule level, align ourselves with Christ's sufferings, with the ultimate sacrifice that he made for us. With that in mind, our Lenten sacrifices seem rather trivial, but when done in the right spirit, they meet their objective of sacrifice for Christ. With that spirit in mind, I have decided to give up diet coke (and yes, also the far inferior substitute diet pepsi) for Lent. Once your gasps have died down and you are no longer numb from the shock, I think you will agree that although this seems trivial, it will indeed be a sacrifice for me - and one that the rest of my family may suffer through with me for 40 days, you see I am .....

Sadly, it is true, I am a diet coke addict. There, I said it. Step one, admitted we were powerless over diet coke... I truly love it, crave it, look forward to the first cold, refreshing sip of the day. It's great stuff!!! It doesn't matter the form, although I prefer the can, then the bottle, the fountain - I know, lots of people prefer the fountain version of their favorite poison, but I am not among them

Farewell my beloved diet coke, I hope that the next 40+ days will fade my memory of you and separate us for good.

snow day!!!

OK, I know that there are plenty of you who have lots of snow days - especially in the Virginia and DC area, but us hearty midwesterners don't cancel school - EVER! We have an especially dedicated superintendent who must LOVE his job - as did his predecessor - so we ALWAYS go to school! It doesn't help any that the state superintendent disallowed half days and so now we have only one make-up day in the schedule before we start adding on to the end of the school year - YIKES!! So, anyway, we got the call at 5:50am form the automated service that school was cancelled!! Poor hubby still had to go to work - mind you it took him almost 2 hours for what is usually 30-45 minutes - bummer for him! The kids don't get off scott-free, there are a few chores they will have to do before they can play outside - my job didn't get cancelled with the snow day, it got harder! So, they are going to help out a bit and then be rewarded with some hot chocolate after the play in the snow!! Pictures later if I get a hankering to go out with them!!! Over and out!!

Missed opportunity....

OK, I'll admit that I didn't watch the Grammies last night, but you can't help but wish you could rewind and watch it now after hearing so much about it this morning! For those of you who also missed it, check out Pink - amazing! And apparently the Grammies doesn't allow ANY lip-synching, so this is live! I'm impressed! Thank goodness for YouTube! Enjoy, and Pink, well done!