My new boots!!  A Christmas gift from my daughter.  Now I need some skinny jeans!!

......and some snow!!

Motto for life....

Womens' Lib

Womens' Lib 2011.....yeah right!!!  Is Steve wearing one of those short skirts??

Do we sometimes enjoy the fruit, but curse the tree?

New Shoes

Men and women don't speak the same language.  Men will never speak "Shoe"....

Two sons....

I also have two sons.  They both think they're my favorite and of course, they're both right!!  They were both born with many talents.  They both love to sing and play the guitar.  They both are outstanding players in any "Turkey Bowl"!!  They both have beautiful wives and children.  They both have outstanding resumes.  They are both dedicated to their families, their country and their God.   I think the world is a better place because they're in it, but then, I am their mother....

Three Daughters

I have three daughters who are unique in every way, but then raising girls is a very unique experience.  They each came with their own distinct personality.  Even though they were raised in the same home, they are very different.  One is very determined....you don't want to get in her way.  One is quiet, the peacemaker.  One is compassionate, a friend to all.  All three are smart, creative, selfless, charitable, and beautiful, inside and out.   I still hear their little voices calling me when they skinned their knee and needed a hug.  Now, when they are hurting and need their mother, they pick up the phone and call, and I am always here and still ready to share my love...

Escape from reality...

I love to read and I'll read anything worth reading!!  Some say that reading is an attempt to escape reality.  Duh!!  Of course we read to escape reality.  Reading takes you to a different world where you can immerse yourself in drama, mystery, romance, history, you name it.  My husband bought me a smart phone for Christmas and I'm sure he regretted it the moment I downloaded Kindle onto it.  A whole library at my fingertips.  I love it!!  Reality is so over-rated!!

Dreams

 



Almost every night I dream that I am doing laundry.  In the dream, I'm always sorting the laundry and trying to find enough washing machines to get it all done.  I'm usually feeling frustrated and in a hurry.  Sometimes I'm packing to go somewhere and need clean clothes to pack.  The laundry never makes it to the dryer or into my suitcase.  I've researched the meaning of this on-line and this is what I found.

"To dream that you are sorting the laundry, indicates that you are trying to understand your own feelings and sort your attitudes. "

I guess I need to figure out what it is I'm trying to sort out....I wish I knew!!!

"It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day-to-day basis." 
- Margaret Bonnano

My husband is definitely "king of the hill", but in our castle, I am the Queen!!  When it comes to choosing furniture or decorating the castle, I remind him who spends the most time living with "our" decisions.  Most of the time, I would redecorate while he was out of town.  He never knew what he would come home to, but he knew better than to complain.  As for the peasants (children), they knew who was in charge.  We would be a bunch of slackers while dad was away and just before he came home, we would clean the castle and he would believe we had attended to our duties while he was away.   I'm much more laid back than the King and it drives him crazy sometimes, but he loves me anyway!!   I love him, too!!  and that's what makes our castle a great place to be.

Acronyms for Texting Cinderella

FGM ~ Fairy Godmother
NTW ~ Nothing to wear
G2BL ~ Going to be late
NNS ~ Need new shoes
WSM ~ Wicked step-mother
WSS ~ Wicked step-sisters
PC ~ Prince Charming
BBBM ~ Be back by midnight
BYOP ~ Bring your own pumpkin
BION ~ Believe it or not
CRBT ~ Crying real big tears
G2G ~ Got to go
ITSFWI ~ If the shoe fits wear it
LHEA ~ Living happily ever after

Cinderella at the Ball

The closest I've come to attending a ball was, of course, my high school prom.  I couldn't afford to buy a formal dress, so I designed and sewed my own.  My junior year, I was inspired by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.  My dress had a long white linen skirt with a sleeveless black and white brocade bodice.  My date, the day before, ended up in the hospital after trying to dunk a basketball.  I was chairman of the decorating committee, a finalist for prom queen and I didn't have a date.  He was released in time for the dance, but wasn't up to dancing.   I didn't make the prom royalty.  Yeah, bummer!!

Senior year, my dress was the same pattern with a beige satin skirt and beige and gold brocade bodice.  I can't remember what shoes I wore, but they weren't made of glass.  My now husband was my date.  My curfew was usually midnight, but my parents gave permission for me to stay out later than usual.  I didn't have to worry about our coach, a 1964 station wagon, turning into a pumpkin.  We were in love and I felt just like Cinderella with her Prince Charming at the ball.  Ahhhh, young love!!  It was such a wonderful time!! and we've lived happily ever after!!

Happy Ever After

At the end of most fairy tales, we envision the prince and the princess riding off together to spend the rest of their lives in happiness and bliss.  We don't take into account the in-laws, the stomach flu, the crunched fendor or the restless peasants known as children.   Those blissful imaginings fade when reality hits.  I guess that's why we have a honeymoon.  A few days to enjoy each other before returning to the real world.

When my husband and I were married, people actually waited to live together until after they had "tied the knot".  It was following the honeymoon that the decision of what toothpaste to use was argued.  One of our biggest debates was which way the toilet paper should hang.   It was a time of getting used to sharing a bed and a checkbook!!  Then to make matters more interesting, our first child was born nine months and four days later!!  She was followed by four more siblings.  Our "happily ever after" was suppposed to fit in somewhere between potty training and orthodontics.  But alas, at some point the story unfolds.  The kids go off to college, get married, and start their own "happily ever after".   This point in life is supposedly called "the empty nest syndrome".  Perhaps that is when the "happily ever after" really starts....with grandchildren!!

Lemonade Pie

One of our favorite summertime desserts is "Lemonade Pie" and it's so easy!!!

Mix together:

1/2 gallon softened vanilla icecream
6 oz frozen lemonade concentrate

Pour into 9X13 pan lined with crushed graham crackers.
Cover top lightly with crushed graham crackers.
Freeze for several hours. Cut into squares and serve.

"The best way to forget all your troubles is to wear tight shoes."

Class Reunion

Tonight is my 45th high school class reunion.  Am I going??  I haven't decided yet!!  I've gone to one previous reunion and although it was fun to see old friends, most of my classmates used it as an excuse to get drunk.  Not so much fun for the rest of us.  Who wants a guy giving unwelcomed slobbery kisses all over you?  Anyway, the reunion tonight is at a park up the canyon.  I might have to drive up there just to see who's there.  There are friends I haven't seen in 45 years.  Problem is, I still picture them as teenagers.  Whereas, I look in the mirror and see the grandmother that I am.  I don't have to worry about seeing any old boyfriends because I married my high school sweetheart.  I'm not the skinny cheerleader I used to be either.  The years have added more than a few pounds.  Oh well...the class of '66 may or may not party without me.  After all it's BYOB!!

Bakers Shoes

So, when I was in college, there was a shoe store in Provo called Bakers Shoes.  I was in there at least once a month and usually came out with a new pair of shoes.  A few pair stand out in my mind.  One of my favorites were hot pink strappy sandals.  I wore them with a white dress and hot pink beads to my high school graduation.  Another favorite pair were brown heels with four straps across the top.  I wore them on my wedding day with a moss green wool coat dress I had made.  I added a silk scarf  and felt as stylish as Princess Kate, minus the hat.  I bought new shoes to wear with my wedding dress, but ended up wearing an old pair because they were more comfortable.  They had a low heel, square toe and were pearl patent leather with one strap across the top.    By the way, my wedding dress was made from drapery fabric and cost $11.  It was a white damask, long sleeve, A-line dress and the veil formed the train.  Loved it!!  I wondered if Bakers shoes is still in business?  So I googled them.  The closest store to me is in Boise, Idaho.  Guess I won't be taking any trips down memory lane anytime soon.

Shopping Tip:

You can get a pair of shoes for 85 cents at the bowling alley....

Too many shoes?

Can a woman have too many shoes?? I think not!! More than anything else a woman's moods are identified by the shoes she's wearing.  My husband has four pair of shoes; black and brown dress shoes, one pair of sneakers and one pair of sandals....and he's happy. I, on the other hand, have more shoes than I want to count. Do I need all these shoes? Yes!!  I have boots and close-toed shoes for winter, sandals for summer, and everything in between. As the picture to the left, says, "Flip flops don't count!!" My granddaughters could happily spend all day in "Payless Shoes" trying on every pair!! Which proves to me that shoe shopping is definitely gender oriented. Girls love shoes!! Plain and simple!! and you can never have too many!!

Cinderella

When I was in elementary school, I had to wear brown high-top, lace-up shoes. I hated those shoes and wished I could wear the Mary Jane's that some of the other girls were wearing. In addition, every year before school started, my mother would sit me down and give me a perm. I had stick straight hair and she must have wanted a little girl with beautiful curls. What she got was a little girl with a frizzy head. I hated my hair and wished I had the beautiful curls that some of the other girls had. I wore mostly homemade or hand-me-down clothes. My smiling face in those class pictures looked like someone from the musical "Annie". It was no surprise that I tried to be invisible. I didn't want anyone to look at me. If my teacher called on me to answer a question, I would start to cry. I began to wish I was Cinderella and had a fairy Godmother who could turn me into someone beautiful. Someone with a beautiful new dress and beautiful new shoes and beautiful hair. Somehow I survived those childhood years and as I grew older, I enjoyed designing and sewing my own clothes. I always had a part-time job after school to enable me to buy new shoes whenever I wanted and my hair turned dark and shiny. I turned into my own version of Cinderella and found that I could be happy about myself and the way I looked. Who needs a fairy Godmother anyway??