Summer's Here and the Living is Easy

Summer is here!! So, on the first day of summer, write about one of the five senses (related to your summer experience):

I can't pick just one to write about! I love summer.

The smells of summer
Copppertone, ocean breezes, citronella, fresh berries
The sights of summer
haze (gotta love NJ!), traffic (again gotta love Nj....),flowers blooming, fireflies and frogs
The sounds of summer
Fireworks, splashing at the beach, kids bickering (it is true!), kids laughing, dogs slurping water
The touch of summer
Rubbing on tons of sunscreen and bug stuff, cuddling a chilly child wrapped in a soaking wet blanket at the beach, warm sun on my face
The tastes of summer
Garden fresh veggies- zucchini, Jersey tomatoes corn onthe cob, hot dogs and burgers ont he grill and pina colodas!

Compliments

3 ways in which someone can compliment you are...

1. "You are an awesome mom." I try very hard to be a good mom, balancing the adoration and discipline of my kids. As you know, that is a tough line to walk, and I tell them always, I may not like what you did, but I love you always, forever, and no matter what.
2. "You have a good heart." Again, I try hard to be a good person. I try to be helpful, generous, caring and a good listener.
3. "You are a good cook/hostess." When people come to my house, I want them to feel like family. I want them to eat, drink, and be merry. And I want them to want to come back often.
   

Will I need a table cloth for this dinner party?

Name 5 famous people, dead or alive, that you would like to invite to a dinner party, and why.

hoo boy, I have a bunch of names in my head, but I don't know how well we would all get along. And i should proabably warn you guys that I tend to have strong opinions and a blunt way of expressing them. I mean absolutely no offense by this, so forgive me if I step on toes. It is not meant that way.

1. Jon Bon Jovi
2. Gearge W Bush
3. Jesus
4. Freud
   
5. TBA!
   

Jon Bon Jovi has been my "crush" since I was 14. In some ways, I feel like we have grown up together. Back inthe 80's, his music was all about romance, and fun and parties. Now, it has depth and maturity. Perspective as an adult. One of my favorite new songs is "Just Older" where he sings

I like the bed I'm sleeping in
It's just like me, it's broken in
It's not old -- just older
Like a favorite pair of torn blue jeans
This skin I'm in it's alright with me
It's not old -- just older

I can relate to this so much more than a lot of the other music that is out there. Add in the cuteness factor, I just wanna give that man a hug. but I also admire him as a person. Married to his HS sweetheart, 4 kids, still a "real guy." From everything I have read and seen about him, he is a good person. he cares a lot about NJ too. Yes, I am a Jersey Girl. LOL
I'd even want him to bring along his wife and kids- I bet they would be fun.

GWB. I just want to gove him a piece of my mind. I want him to wake up and see how far this society has gone- how America is not "of the people" or "for the people" unless the "people" are part of a corporation. I want him to explain to me, one on one, not PR prompts-- why we are in Iraq, why we are killing the environment-- ugh. Don't get me started.....

Jesus. I would like to meet him- to see what really went down back then. I am not sure that the Bible is to be taken lterally, so I guess I would like to see what his life was like. And to see how he feels about what is happening in his name today. Perhaps he has some ideas some suggestions on what we can do.

Freud. I dunno, i think he'd be fun to have a party. Who wouldn't want to be psycho-analyzed by him?? Maybe I should serve asparagus and oysters just to freak him out. LOLOL!!!


Again, dear readers- I am not trying to be fresh, or offensive. So hugs!

Do you really wanna Know?

What were you like as a teenager?

If you were a problem teenager, why were you? Without going into more detail than you care to, what made you do what you did? Have you apologized or made amends with the people whose lives you affected?

(notice that I didn't even copy the sentence about being a good teen.)

I wasn't all that horrible as a teen, never got suspended, never got pregnant, never "ruined" my life. But looking back, now as a parent myself, I realize that I put my parents through a lot of hell. Much of what I did was "standard" I guess. Drinking in high school, cutting some classes, going out with the "wrong type" of guys. Damn, I liked the bad boys, but never understood why we never lasted. haha!
I also had some tougher emotional issues. I had an eating disorder than came and went as I was in HS, college and still to this day. I also had some problems with alcohol and even got arrested for drinking in a public place. I was lucky that they didn't hit me with underage drinking, that would have been a big issue on my teacher job app's.
I also had a lot of attitude issues, which I am currently getting payback for with my own daughter. She is a doll, however- we have butted heads since the day she was conceived. She is almost 8, but I am gearing myself up for bigger issues as she gets older. I hope that I am laying a solid foundation now of being close and honest with each other because I imagine that will be helpful in the future.
Why did I do a lot of this? I know some of it was for attention. Some of it was because I learned early on to not make a fuss- emotions only got you in trouble. This plays a big part in my eating disorder. I also wanted to be me, not Charlie's little sister. My brother was the good son, not only is manners and behavior, but he was the first born son/grandson in a traditional Italian family. I didn't seem to matter much. So I tried to be the opposite of him. He was conservative, traditional, quiet, Republican (gasp!!), so I had to be the heavy metalhead, bad girl, liberal, feminist etc....

I don't know if I have apologized in so many words, but I have a wonderful relationship with my parents now. I think becoming a parent myself made me have a totally different perspective and I realize now how hard I was on them. And I tell them often how much I love and appreciate the great job they did with me, in spite of myself.

Finding Peace

For me, finding peace is going to be a bit like finding Nemo. A long journey that is taking me places I have never been before. I am on that journeyy now, and I think that I am in that deep, dark cavern when Dorie and Nemo's Dad (what is his name???) drop the mask and the lantern fish scared the heck out of them.
The Dark night of the Soul in more esoteric terms.
But as I sing to myself.... just keep swimming, just keep swimming, la la la laaa la lah.....
I keep on going, trying a bit more every day to get a little closer to the end of the long, uncomfortable journey. I have faith in myself that someway, I will find peace.

Scrapping for a while

What is your SCRAPBOOKING history? Did you start with paper or digital?

First of all I want to scare every one and say that my real scrap history began when I was in high school and I cut my pictures and glues them into scrapbooks with Elmer's Glue and Magic Markers. LOL

I started paper scrapping around 5-6 years ago. I started out with one book for each of my kids. Now I have about 3-4 large three ring albums done for each. They span pre-birth to oh, about 6 months ago. Styles have come and gone in that time, but I was beginning to find that it was too expensive to keep up with the trends in paper scrapping.

I guess that is whyI like digital scrapping so much. I am on a tight budget, so I don't have the extra money for $4.00 metal tags or $5.00 fibers. I love being able to create it all on my own, or to be able to find some great freebies. If I have to "splurge" I can get a nice set or some brushes etc for only a few bucks at the online stores.

I have been digi-scrapping for only a few months. I loved being part of DSP's NKOTB and I hope to be able to go with that again in a few months.

Life before the Internet?

How did you get started using computers? When did you first get "online". Do you predate the Internet being available to the public or was it always here for you?


Well gather 'round dearies, while I rock and knit and let me tell you about the dark times before there was the Internet.

*hushed silence and wide eyed gazed from the youngsters sitting at my feet*
I was introduced to computers at a really young age. Well, let me re-phrase. Comparatively speaking it was a young age back in the early 80's. I was most likely around 10 or 12. My dad brought home a Commodore Vic 20, this huge ....."thingy" that attached to our TV and that played some simple games (remember Pong???) and some educational ones too. That did not hold our interest very long, since we were so caught up in the new technology of ...... Cassette Tapes.

When I was in college were required to write a few of our papers on word processors that were found in the computer lab. However, it was always easy enough to ask one of my room mates to type the paper for me in return for beer. That was called Beer-nomics. As I progressed in my education classes, someone had the foresight to know that computer education would become huge, and we had to do many assignments, projects and lesson plans on Apple computers. Not macs, my dears... Apples. And you had to put these large disks in the floppy drive (remember this is in the age before CD/DVD Roms) to save your work.

We had a computer when we got married in 93. We had an on;line service called Prodigy. This was the beginning of my internet life as I became more savvy in posting on bulletin boards. However, there was no surfing on the Web for me, everything I needed to know was found on Prodigy. Even though I spent much time on there, I didn't get much information since dial up connections were so slow.

Now, I love to be on the Information Superhighway. Just don't beep at me if I go too slow for you young whippersnappers.

My Internet Homes

I used to have a fun internet life. Eight years ago I was in a pregnancy community, then the "playgroup" after our babies were born. I made some wonderful and close freinds from all over the world. Even though we haven't "talked" in years, I sitll think of them often. We all helped each other through good and not so good times with our kids and husbands- and some ex'es as well.

Then five years ago, I become a member of a spiritual new-age-y board. it was very small and intimate and we lots of fun there. I became a mod, a teacher, and a writing for its online magazine. Now, it has become so large, I feel lost there. I guess 20,000 members will do that to a forum.

Now, I am more of a "poker." I poke around, here and there. I look for digi-scrap sites (like DSP!), some knitting and crocheting sites, recipes (allrecipes.com) and reward sites, Like myPoints.

It is funny in a way- I feel the same in my real life. Kind of a poker. Feeling a bit lost and looking for somewhere to belong. But not sure if I'd rather belong or be alone.

I have one additional home, my online business, Faery-wings Apothecary. I am a certified aromatherapist and make all natuyral bath and body care, all natural pet care, faery dusts and glitters, and custome made faery-wings to wear. I also do birthday parties for kids!
http://www.faery-wings.com

Stop by!

Childhood Books

I grew up in a "Reading House." My grandmother loved to read. We used to joke that we could sit her on the sofa with a book and a beer and we wouldn't hear a peep from her all day. But we never did that because she was always making us laugh with her silly songs and stories too. My mother loves to read, and I would rather read than do many other things. My kids love to read and I am thrilled by that. I had written in someone's comments how if you know and like to read, you can do anything in the world that you want.

As for my favorite childhood books:

• Raggedy Ann and Andy Thank You, Please, I love You Book.
• Nancy Drew- and when I could scam them from my brother- The Hardy Boys
  
• Richard Scarry
• Judy Blume books
• Beverly Cleary
• Gone With the Wind (yes, that is whenI was older, but I love it!)

My mom also took us to the library to get a book called "No Fighting, No Biting" about sibs that squabble. My kids now have that too- not that it keeps them from squabbling any more thanit did me and my brother. LOL

Even though I might not have passed on the particular books I read, I am so happy that my kids love to read. And they share books with me too, like the Harry Potters, Lemony Snicket, and Eragon.

First Memory?

I have a truly awful memory of when I was little. I get little bits and pieces, sometimes a feeling, but rarely a "real" memory.

I remember preschool- I went to a school called Page School. I must have been around 4 years old. My dad would drop me off inthe morning and we would do what we called a "Page School Hug." It was a real tight, arms wrapped around his neck type hug. As I think iof that today, it is a sweet thought since my dad is not typically a demonstarive person. To this day, I *think* I only heard him say I love you once. About a year ago, I was hanging up the phone and thought that is what he said. If only I had a rewind button!

Some other early memories involve playing at my cousins' house and when my youngest cousin was born. I must have been around 6...?I remember my first "boyfriend." he came to my house to hand deliver me a valentine. I was also about 5 or 6. I can still see my brother writing on the face of my beloved Raggedy Ann doll, and getting sent to bed without dinner. I remember that punishment being given to me too.

I remember some good, some bad way back then.

Love for Learning

If you could go back to school (and time, money, other commitments are not an issue), what would you study and why?

I would probably study zillions of things (like grammar, perhaps LOL) . I love to learn and have so much interest in so many things. I have also noticed that at this point in my life, as my children are a bit older and don't need 100% of my attention all day, I crave learning about new things.

I would like to study both academic and practical subjects, for knowledge and abilities.
Some of the academic subjects would include politic science and international studies, including economics, world history and ancient cultures, and something in the wildlife/ecology field.

When I actually was in college, political science and current events was the farthest thing of interest in my mind. Talk about a major buzz kill for me, the party girl. Looking back, I could kick myself for not being more involved and knowledgeable. (Warning: Political rant coming) I am very unhappy with he way our country and society has evolved over the last few decades. We have - generally speaking- become greedy, self centered and under the assumption that we, as Americans, can do no wrong. And what a mess we are in. It makes me sad, and it makes me angry. Now I want to be informed and outspoken in my beliefs and dreams to make this countrygreat again, the way our forefathers had planned.

World history just fascinated me. Boggles the mind. Yet even thought I had to take world history course back then, they were dry and academic. Lots of facts and dates that are easily forgotten. I would love to take a course in the humanity of world history from an anthropological view.

Wildlife and ecology is a big part of my belief system in that the Earth is not ours to exploit but to be shared with all creatures. To take classes on how to help the Earth, its ecosystems, and its endangered species would be fulfilling in so many ways for me.

On a practical level, I would like to take classes in art- how to draw or paint. I have what I think are wonderful visions of what I would like to draw but I really struggle getting them onto paper. Nothing ever looks even close to how I imagine it. Yes, I really can barely draw a stick figure.
I would also like to continue my education in alternative healing modalities. I am an aromatherapist and have level 2 reiki degree. I would like to further educate myself in these areas and become more proficient in using herbs.

Speaking of herbs, I would also like to take some classes in cooking- I am a decent cook, but would love to get better at some ethnic foods, such as Chinese, Japanese, and even Thai.

Shoot, this is longer than I expected. I guess I really do like to learn.

I have been tagged!

Since I was tagged by loonyhiker, I have to answer these 5 questions about me. Enjoy-- and pleas don't think I am too odd. LOL


5 things in my fridge:

1. Cheese (one of my favorite foods)
2. Lettuce and salad fixins- Jersey tomatoes *yum*
3. Wine
4. Watermelon
5. Strawberry green tea!
   

5 items in my closet:

1. Shoes and boots
   
2. Lasanga tray, cookie sheets (my kitchen is small, no cabinet space)
3. Clothes (well, duh!)
4. Batteries and film
5. An empty pocketbook
   

5 items in my purse:

1. Keys
2. Contact lens case and eye drops
3. Sunglasses
4. Cell phone
5. Pen
   

5 items in my car:

1. Wipes
2. Garbage bag
3. Dried up french fries in the back
4. Shopping bags to be re-used
5. CD's (my beloved Bon Jovi and Green Day)
   

5 people to tag:

1. Kristen
2. Lori
3. Zephanee
4. Bethy
5. Stacey42

(hope you all don't mind being tagged!)

The beauty of nature

"What is the neatest thing you have ever seen in nature or made by nature?"

I am such the nature girl, as long as I can get a hot shower at the end of the day. LOL
My list:

• Childbirth. From conception to birth , it simply amazes me how two cells can become a beautiful child.
• Spiderwebs. Even though I am not all that fond of spiders, they make amazing webs. Sitting and watching how quickly they make then is also astounding.
• Rainbows and sunshowers. Thunder and hail. Beauty and the beasts I guess. nature in all of its fury and glory. Fierce and gentle.
• Wolves. My family took a trip to the Lakota Wolf Preserve in Columbia, NJ. They are the most gorgeous creatures. After seeing a special on the "Global Wolf" on Animal Planet, it simply amazes me how family oriented yet misunderstood they are.
• Plants as they poke their heads out of the ground after a long winter. That sight of returning life helps me to re-birth myself.