Welcome to the Shit Show!

I'm trying to live a more honest and authentic life. So, in that vein, I'm going to share on social media that not everyday is a great day filled with fantastic pictures and activities. In fact, today, has been a real shit show already. It's been overwhelming, and infuriating, and one of those days that I just want to give up and spend my day watching trashy Netflix movies and eating caramel corn. I got one kid up early, forgetting that it was a late arrival day...oops. Then that same kid was having some serious oppositional behavior. The other one was in a good mood, thank God, but said an off-handed comment that made me cry. I have a person at work that, at times, I would really like to just send them a serious sharp-ass email to, reducing them to a quivering puddle of insecurity, but I don't, because it's not professional, and I'm sort of an adult. Mom's still got cancer, and I still never have enough money to live the lavish lifestyle I feel in my soul I'm supposed to be living. And, well, my better eating habits have gone off the rails and I feel a lot of shame there. I will get there again, but today is, CLEARLY, not that day.

There's a bunch of other little things that just add up to a shitty day. So lest you think my life is right on track, and if you do, you probably don't know me well, well now you know the truth. I'm a mess. I'll get through this day and on towards another one tomorrow.

*graphic used from Walmart website, Island Dogs sign. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Welcome-To-The-Shit-Show-LED-Lighted-Sign-Office-Living-Room-Or-Man-Cave/768486537

Always Go To The Funeral

I like to listen to talk radio. I have a radio show here that I listen to in the morning and then the rest of the day I tune in now and then to NPR (National Public Radio). It reminds me a lot of my Aunt and Uncle who also listen to the news on the radio in the car. It would drive me batty as a teenager having to listen to the news, but now I rather like it. I hate watching the news on t.v., I would much rather listen or read about it than watch it unfold in High Def.

One day while listening to NPR on the drive home, I heard this segment and it really touched my heart. So many times, we would rather not go to the funeral, it’s certainly never a fun thing to do. But, it is the RIGHT thing to do. I also like Sullivan’s line about going to the un-attended birthday party or paying a visit to someone in the hospital. It’s so easy to say that you got busy doing this or that, or that something came up, when in reality, you just didn’t want to go.

Your attendance at these awkward events, though, may mean the world to that person. In the end it doesn’t take much time or effort to do the right thing and ‘pay it forward’ a bit in the kharma department.

One of my greatest fears is that when I am dead and gone, that I won’t be missed, that my passing will be nothing more to others than an inconvenience, that my existence didn’t make enough of a mark on this world or the people that I knew and loved. I worry that there will be nobody at my funeral to say goodbye or to remember me. So, I always go to the funeral.

Please read the article below and ponder how just your presence at a funeral could truly mean the world to someone else.

Always Go to the Funeral
by Deirdre Sullivan
August 8, 2005

I believe in always going to the funeral. My father taught me that.

The first time he said it directly to me, I was 16 and trying to get out of going to calling hours for Miss Emerson, my old fifth grade math teacher. I did not want to go. My father was unequivocal. "Dee," he said, "you're going. Always go to the funeral. Do it for the family."

So my dad waited outside while I went in. It was worse than I thought it would be: I was the only kid there. When the condolence line deposited me in front of Miss Emerson's shell-shocked parents, I stammered out, "Sorry about all this," and stalked away. But, for that deeply weird expression of sympathy delivered 20 years ago, Miss Emerson's mother still remembers my name and always says hello with tearing eyes.

That was the first time I went un-chaperoned, but my parents had been taking us kids to funerals and calling hours as a matter of course for years. By the time I was 16, I had been to five or six funerals. I remember two things from the funeral circuit: bottomless dishes of free mints and my father saying on the ride home, "You can't come in without going out, kids. Always go to the funeral."

Sounds simple — when someone dies, get in your car and go to calling hours or the funeral. That, I can do. But I think a personal philosophy of going to funerals means more than that.
"Always go to the funeral" means that I have to do the right thing when I really, really don't feel like it. I have to remind myself of it when I could make some small gesture, but I don't really have to and I definitely don't want to. I'm talking about those things that represent only inconvenience to me, but the world to the other guy. You know, the painfully under-attended birthday party. The hospital visit during happy hour. The Shiva call for one of my ex's uncles. In my humdrum life, the daily battle hasn't been good versus evil. It's hardly so epic. Most days, my real battle is doing good versus doing nothing.

In going to funerals, I've come to believe that while I wait to make a grand heroic gesture, I should just stick to the small inconveniences that let me share in life's inevitable, occasional calamity.

On a cold April night three years ago, my father died a quiet death from cancer. His funeral was on a Wednesday, middle of the workweek. I had been numb for days when, for some reason, during the funeral, I turned and looked back at the folks in the church. The memory of it still takes my breath away. The most human, powerful and humbling thing I've ever seen was a church at 3:00 on a Wednesday full of inconvenienced people who believe in going to the funeral.

Read the full story and others here.

The Census - A Public Service Announcement...

I’ve heard a lot of grumbling about the Census recently, and this makes me very sad.

Have you ever researched your genealogy? People used to be happy to be counted, to be acknowledged by the census. Now, it seems like such a burden to fill out a form that literally takes less than 5 minutes.

If you do not want to take the time to fill out the census consider this:
1. Census information affects the number of seats our state occupies in the House of Representatives, and can be utilized to help redistrict our state seats.
2. Census data is used to decide how much money goes towards infrastructure, like hospitals, senior centers, emergency services (like 911), road construction, etc.
3. Census data is used to help determine funding for schools.
4. Any information CANNOT be used against you by any government agency. The info is used to provide statistics, only. Violating the confidentiality of this is a serious crime!
5. You do NOT have to be a US citizen to take part in the Census. It is not required, and you can not be ‘outed’ by participating.

The bottom line is if you are not counted, then you can easily affect the standard of living for all of us.

So, fill out the form and send it in!

Ball Claw

Loving this...

I have a ton of footballs that are collectors that I don't necessarily want to put in a glass case.

Big Thank you to Tidy Mom for posting this. I am sooooo going to get a few Ball Claws!

The 5 Love Languages

I feel loved when...

The Five Love Languages

My Primary Love Language is Words of Affirmation

My Detailed Results:
Words of Affirmation:	10
Acts of Service:	7
Physical Touch:	6
Quality Time:	5
Receiving Gifts:	2

About this quiz

Unhappiness in relationships is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. It can be helpful to know what language you speak and what language those around you speak.

Tag 3 people so they can find out what their love language is.

Take the Quiz!
Check out the Book

MOM to the Rescue!

I got this email this morning and just had to share it. If you know who took these photos or perhaps the story to go along with it, please let me know, I would love to give credit where it's due.
MOM TO THE RESCUE

Look at the dog's face ...

He has to be thinking...

"What the hell just happened? Did I just get my *ss kicked by a squirrel!?"

Things You Never Knew About Your Cell Phone

Wow, wow, wow!

I ran across this posting at The Craft Junkie and thought I would spread the love. If you get a chance, be sure to check out the rest of her blog. It is amazing!

I don't know the truth of all of this, but it might be helpful. At the very least it's worth printing out to try, and it will make for good dinner conversation! ;)

5 Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival.

FIRST
EmergencyThe Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you findYourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is anEmergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network toEstablish the emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number 112Can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND
Have you locked your keys in the car?Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday.Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys In the car and the spare keys are at home, callsomeone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone Hold your cell phone about a foot fromyour car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will Unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someonewho has the other 'remote' for your car, you can unlock the doors (or thetrunk).

THIRD
Hidden Battery PowerImagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#.Your cell phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument will showa 50% Inc! Rease in battery. This reserve will get charged when youCharge your cell phone next time.

FOURTH
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following Digits onyour phone: *#06#. A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number isunique to your handset. Write it down and keep itSomewhere safe.When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can'tuse/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.And Finally....

FIFTH
Free Directory Service for CellsCell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $175 or more for 411information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry atelephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more ofa problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial:(800)FREE411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all.Program this into your cell phone now. I personally tried this one, but the recording on the other end told me this service was unavailable - maybe it's available where you live. (?)This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, soPass it on to your family and friends.

Nie Nie

If you read blogs at all, then you probably read Nie Nie Dialogues. If you don't, then go here. This is an AMAZING woman with an AMAZING family.

Everyone has their own strife in life, certainly, but her story over the last year is amazing. She is brutally honest and sincere, perfect and imperfect at the same time. I wish I was more like her, but then, that's what makes her so amazing. She shares with you not only the great stuff that happens in her life, but her struggles, too. From healing burn wounds, to not getting her kids to school on time. She is inspiration.

You can read about NieNie's story here, at azcentral.com.

Joe's New Pet

Before you get all upset, Mom, please know that this new pet is absolutely the sweetest and easiest pet to take care of...ever! It doesn't eat, drink, or jump up on guests. It doesn't smell, shed, or poop in your hand.

Joe's new pet is an invisible cricket.

I'm not exactly sure where this new pet came from. It may have sprouted from a book that we read months ago about a boy who caught a cricket only to let him go again so he could hear it's sweet song. Who knows.

What I do know is that we now take along our new pet wherever we go, and I even let Joe take this little guy to school with him, as long as he keeps him in his backpack. Joe's new pet often lets out a little song for me coming from the backseat in the car, and often has to have a place to sleep when it's time for bed.

Sometimes Joe's little cricket disappears for a few days, only to surface a few mornings later, ready to go to school with Joe.

This is one of the very few invisible friends that either Joe or Joci has produced, and those that have come around in the past have quickly disappeared, typically in the same day. But, our little cricket has persisted, and I love it when he sings to me sweet songs that sound peculiarly like my baby boy.

Can you imagine someone drawing you a bath that looks like this?

Oh, how I wish I could climb right into this picture!

Bees!

Cute Here:

Not Here:

We played in our backyard all day on Saturday. We were up in our apricot tree picking the ripened fruit, playing with our new puppy, and working in the garden. There were absolutely no bees then. So imagine our surprise when we went outside today and there were bees...LOTS of bees. Now we are all stuck inside. No playing in the backyard for us. We called our pest control experts that we use (and just love) and they said to leave them alone for a couple of days. That it might just be a swarm resting before moving on. Before that call, of course, Jon tried a few things to get rid of them. I won't go into that now, but lets just say I am sorry that I wasn't taping it. I could have won a lot of money on America's Most Funny Videos. Yes, we could have easily played the "You know you're a redneck when you ___________ to get ride of a bee swarm in your backyard" game.

Apparently Gilbert is on some kind of bee swarming alert right now, so this isn't a big surprise as much as it is a bummer.

Very Cute

I had this emailed to me and had to share...

CATS ARE SO DRAMATIC!

YOU MUST WATCH THIS....

Absolutely inspirational, totally made my day!

Martha Stewart's Show all About 'Pot' - Hilarious!!!!

10 Random Things About Me

1. I don’t like wearing lipstick, I would rather wear chapstick.
2. I let the shower run too long before I get in.
3. My favorite pen is the Blue Papermate, medium point.
4. I don’t like to walk on grass with my bare feet.
5. I cannot sing. Not in the shower or the car. In fact, my kids have actually asked me to stop
singing along to a song before.
6. My 6th sense is very prominent and often comes in handy. I should listen to it more often.
7. Spelling is easy, using proper grammar and punctuation, not so easy.
8. I can pack a suitcase or a moving box like nobody’s business, maximizing every inch of space.
9. I am very shy.
10. I am a loner at heart. I love being at home alone for a whole day.

The REAL Bambi and Thumper

Isn’t this so awesome?

I was forwarded this email at work today and thought it was too cute not to share with the whole world. Can you imagine the excitement of the photographer capturing such an amazing friendship on film?

Get a Massage!

Right now I feel like the luckiest lucky person on the planet. The company that I work for has an amazing employee wellness department that offers massages at a very discounted rate. Whenever a time becomes available, I try to make an appt. I just came back from having a chair massage and I feel so much better. I know that many people believe that a massage is a luxury that cannot be indulged. I am very aware that I am fortunate enough to be able to afford them at my will. My plea to you, though, is to try and have a massage sometimes soon. Call around and find a great masseuse that you can afford. Many people find luck visiting the massage colleges. If you’re like me your back and shoulders are a road map of your stress. A massage is the best way to push that stress right out of your body. When I am having a massage I try to imagine that the masseuse is literally pushing all that negative energy out of me, replacing it with a beautifully pink, healthy, healing light that my muscles with thrive on for days, maybe weeks.

If you haven’t had a massage for awhile, or, gasp, never, please take my word for it, it is absolutely worth every penny you could spend.

Be who you are and say what you feel,

because those who mind don't matter

and those who matter don't mind.

- Dr. Seuss

NOT Feeling Nice Today

Boy oh boy. I am REALLY not feeling nice this evening.

I'm afraid I am unable to complete my Nice Task today. Isn't it amazing how there is always that one person (or two people super-glued at the hip, so they count as one) that is able to turn on your rage switch? I am generally a pretty nice person, but, flip that rage switch, and I have the angriest, sharpest tongue in the West! Blush. There are a couple of people right now, that I am just so angry with. They did a huge injustice to someone, and then tried to rest the blame for it on me, never acknowledging their own cruel intentions. So, I let them have it. The tongue-lashing they received from me was harsh and, I think, warranted, but certainly not very nice and not very Christmas-Season-ish. So, the nice person within, ran away, and will hopefully come back tomorrow and do two nice tasks to make up for today. As for 'those' people, well, I will not say what they can go do. Ü

Thanks for our Troops

Go to this website and send a card to one of our troops currently overseas. What a great way to show them we care and are still thinking about them.

http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1024.html