melslifeinaNUTshell


Thursday, January 26, 2006
What To Say

What to say…what to say….what to say! I’ve been having a hard time lately trying to come up with something interesting to post about, so I’ve decided to give up on interesting and just talk about some of the mundane things that have been going on in MY world.

FIRST OFF: My baby girl has been sick since September, she’s had strep throat 3 times and has missed way too much school. FINALLY her doctor has decided it’s time to yank her tonsils, we go for a consultation with the surgeon on Feb. 14 (yeah happy Valentines Day baby). I’m really hoping that they can get it scheduled for Feb. Vacation so she doesn’t have to miss too much school. Her grades are starting to improve a little and she HAS been doing more studying lately, I hope that it is a trend that continues.

NEXT: My son’s dorm mate has left him, I have to say that Big Guy is VERY VERY VERY happy about this, he now has the dorm room all to himself. He spent yesterday cleaning (yeah right) and rearranging the room. I hope that this change makes him a happy camper – a happy camper that gets good grades would be EXCELLENT! Baby girl is headed down to help him “break in” his single room this week end. On the down side his vehicle is dying, a slow painful death, I hope that the poor thing makes it until summer. Oh and Big Guy thinks he’d like to stay in Bangor for the summer to work and live…I’m not sure I’m ready for that. Whoa is me.

AND: Hubby has his weekly card game tonite so I get another ‘girls night’ out, I’m looking forward to it. Baby girl will be home alone but I’m pretty sure that she can live without me for ONE evening. She’ll be sitting in front of the computer playing WoW and catching up with all her cyber buddies.

STILL: Waiting for snow, my skis haven’t even been retrieved from their summer resting place in the basement yet and the snowmobiles have only been taken from the side of the house to the back of the house. Our area really depends on snow for the economy and I’m sure that all of the businesses must be really hurting. We are due for a really big storm and I’m actually ready for it. The kids (especially baby girl) will be happy to be able to snowmobile.

FINALLY: That’s It….My life, as of late anyway, In a NUT shell.

Sunday, January 22, 2006
I AM a New Englander

Forget Rednecks... here's what Jeff Foxworthy has to say on New> > > Englanders
If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 36 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping it will swim by,you might live in New England

If you're proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights each year because Mt. Washington is the coldest spot in the nation, and Boston gets more snow than any other major city in the US, you live in New England.

If your local Dairy Queen (hell I don't even have a local dairy queen) is closed from September through May, you live in New England.

If you instinctively walk like a penguin for six months out of the year, you live in New England.

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance, and they don't work there, you live in New England.

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in New England.

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you live in New England.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A NEW ENGLANDER WHEN: "Vacation" means going anywhere south of New York City for the weekend. You measure distance in hours. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once. You have switched from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day, and backagain.You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching. You install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked (I do this). You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend/wife knows how to use them. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit (every single year). Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow. You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and> > road construction. Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your blue spruce.
"Down South" to you means Philadelphia. Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new shed. Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost. You have more miles on your snow blower than your car. You find 10 degrees "a little chilly." You actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all your New England friends.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006
6 Years...It doesn't Seem Possible

Mom at about 6

Dear Mom,

Six years ago today you were taken from me. I still catch myself picking up the phone whenever something happens in my life that I want to share with someone special. It doesn’t happen as often as it used to but it still happens. My memories of you are starting to fade a bit. I’m afraid that the day will come that I don’t remember your face, your smile, the ball on your chin, those pesky hairs on your cheek that you hated so, and most of all the way it felt to be wrapped in your arms….you were the best hugger in the world.

A lot has happened in the past 6 years…all of your grand children have become young adults, even the baby is nearly 14. I think that you would be proud of all of them. Of course, Vannah is with you now and I hope that the two of you are taking good care of each other.

Dustin has grown into quite a young man, he’s in college now, not doing as well as I’d like but he’s starting to get it and I know that he will be just fine. He still comes home quite often but is talking about staying in Bangor this summer. I'm not sure that I'm ready for that yet, but I will let him do
whatever he thinks best.
Mom Graduated from Adult Ed in 1980, the same year as her oldest daughter.


Bre is a beautiful 17 year old who thrives on her social life, her academics sometimes suffer but she always brings her grades back up to an acceptable level when it’s important. She is looking forward to college, even if only for the social aspects of it. I am also sure that she will find her way and become a terrific woman.

Both of the kids still speak of you often and remember all of the good times they had with you…stealing fudge sickles out of the freezer and going for ice cream in their pajamas are some of their favorite memories. Dustin still talks about the special chocolate cake that you’d always make him for his birthday and Bre remembers the Linguesa soup. I’ve tried my hand at both but they are never quite the same…I’m beginning to believe that you kept at least ONE ingredient of all of your special recipes SECRET!

Your baby boy is now married to a sweet girl, they bought a house and are talking about starting a family. WE are all ready for a baby. He has grown up a lot…finally…still has a ways to go but you’d be proud of him and you’d love his wife, she can talk as much as you could!!! He and dad have even managed to get along, with a little help from me at times. I think that they have both learned to pick their battles.

Terri still manages to amaze me with her strength, she’s been thru some HELL since Vannah’s death but she is surviving, actually she’s doing more then surviving, I believe that she becoming the person that she’s always wanted to be. We are still very close and I don’t ever see that changing. She needs me and I need her, we have become a force united since your death. Together we can handle anything that the world throws at us.

You wouldn’t even recognize Becca she has grown so much. She still loves basketball and field hockey, she gets terrific grades and loves to be with her friends. There is a lot of Vannah in her but it is softer in Becca. She looks a lot like Terri.

Dad has a nice woman in his life, I think that you would like her. She makes him happy and, as you know, he is much easier to deal with when he’s happy. I like her alright but she will never hold a candle to you. At least she is smart enough to not even try.

Lloyd is still doing very well in his business…you’d be amazed at what a success he has made of it. We are very happy together and he takes good care of me and the kids.

Give Vannah and all of my grandparents a big HUG from me. I miss you all. XXXOOO

Your loving daughter,

Melody

Friday, January 13, 2006
Friends....Make The World Go Round!

One of my girlfriends and I decided, a couple of months ago, that we deserved one night a week OUT...no kids...no men...no cooking...no dishes! Since then we've only made it a couple of times due to 'outside' commitments...holidays...sicknesses...ect.. Last night we finally made it! We went out to dinner and talked and laughed and bitched and complained about our husbands, kids, jobs, life in general. After several hours of this we had solved all of the worlds problems, at least in OUR heads and we both went home with a smile on our face ready to deal with whatever the world threw at us.

When I was a kid my world revolved around reading and friends, books were always my BEST friend...they never lied to me...never hurt me....never disappointed me (that is a topic for another post).

I always needed someone to bounce my stupid ideas off to interact with. I always enjoyed listening to someone elses problems, hopes, dreams. I liked to be silly and have fun, I was always VERY shy so I needed trusted people around me in order to feel comfortable enough to 'let loose', oh...and a couple of bottles of Boons Farm Strawberry Hill or some Allen's coffee brandy never hurt either. I used to LOVE to laugh. After becoming a wife and mother, I began to become isolated, my life revolved so completely around my family, including sick siblings and parents, that I lost contact with the outside world. I thought that was what it meant to be a 'responsible adult'. I'd begun too loose the part of me that could have fun. I watched myself grow very old before I should. I remember thinking that my parents were ancient at 40, they never left the house, never laughed, never were silly. I decided, shortly after my mother died, that I would not give up my 'fun side' without a fight and I've tried very hard to keep that promise to myself, sometimes being more successful then others. I realized that I truely needed friends around me to make me happy, I couldn't exist just thru my husband and kids, I'd even read a couple of articles saying that people who "socialized" lived longer, happier lives.

So now I am in the process of trying to nourish the few precious friendships that I have, renew some old ones and search for some new ones. I have always been a strong beleiver that it is not the 'quantity' of friends that is important but the 'quality'.

LIVE...LAUGH...LOVE!

Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Boy...Was His Face Red!

My daughter loves to embarrass her dad, she often enlists the assistance of her friends (and me) to accomplish her task. That was the case on Saturday. Hubby and I had taken her and 2 of her girlfriends to a hockey game in Orono. The girls chatted and laughed all the way down and were very well behaved so Hubby, stupidly, thought he was SAFE. The game itself was very uneventful, other then baby girl threatening (to her dad) to beat up a kid who was dumb enough to wear a Boston College Sweatshirt to a Black Bears game….she was all talk! After the game the fun began!!!! Coming out of the game is a very trying experience, the traffic is bumper to bumper for, what seems like EVER…so we were just creeping along, a battle ensued over the power windows and every time the girls ‘won the battle’ they would yell at anyone walking on the sidewalk …Hey baby…Nice ass…Sweet thing…stuff like that…Hubby was turning several shades of green and thanking his lucky stars for the tinted windows…and the girls were laughing hysterically. We then stopped at Burger King…Hubby should have known that this was a MISTAKE but he’s a very very very slow learner. The girls decided to play the penis game…this game is played, usually in a public place, with a group of people…the first person says the word penis very softly, each person in turn repeats it a bit louder until they are yelling it, or until a player gets too chicken to continue…There were probably a dozen other people in the place, mostly teens, the girls got quite a kick out of making Hubby’s face turn red…they were so pleased with themselves, you’d have thought that they’d just pulled off the biggest practical joke of all times. I just laughed along with them and rolled my eyes…Hubby did a terrific job of just rolling with the punches and letting the girls have FUN. My baby girl is growing up sooooooo very fast that it is always fun for me to see her acting so childish and care free. I also love the fact that she is comfortable enough with her dad to include him in her little games….

Sunday, January 08, 2006
Say It Sunday...YUP I'm Back!!!!

this is an audio post - click to play

Friday, January 06, 2006
AHHHHH...FRIDAY!

It is finally Friday...thank god! I don't know what I'll do next week when I have to work all 5 days, it's been almost a month since I've had to work a full week. I've decided that it's not exactly my job that I hate...right now it's pretty much working in general. I'd love to have a month to just sit around and do nothing...or clean my house...or read good books...or watch good movies...or even play in the snow. It's been years since I've had time like that. We take vacations but we are alway on the go and wind up more tired when we return then we were when we started. I think I really need an 'at home' vacation. We are headed on a cruise at the end of April which will be lots of fun...but I'll be exhausted when we return, maybe I'll take 2 weeks off and spend the second one recovering from the first.
My Baby girl turns 17 on Sunday, it is so hard to believe. It seems like yesterday when I was holding her in my arms and rocking her to sleep...where has the time gone. I'd like to rewind and start again but I know that's not possible...one more year and she too will leave the nest and head off to college...I HATE to even think about it. Hubby and I are taking her to a hocky game on Saturday, she is supposed to bring someone with her but, as of this AM, hasn't decided who, she has to work 9-6 on her birthday, which did NOT make her happy...but that's life. I guess she's having a few friends over after work for dinner, she hasn't told me yet how many or what I am supposed to feed them, I am ready to ring her neck. I really want to make her birthday special...but at this point it is in HER hands!

Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Whatever!!!

Let me start by saying I HATE MY FUCKING JOB!!!!! Ok...that's out of my system....
Had a great trip to the city yesterday, I did NOT like the movie but at least it gave me a good laugh, hubby poo loved it...go figure! Sister and family decided to join us so we had a very nice 'post holiday' 'no stress' visit. She has a 13 year old daughter and the girls gabbed, happily I might add, the whole trip. It is so much fun to listen to them, they are always trying to shock sister and I but it is usually US who gets the best of THEM. Best line from yesterday...Sister explaining what these worm things in the movie looked like to her daugher "Well honey...they looked like big penis with teeth, uncircumcised!!!" Her kid, turning several shades of green "EWWWW Mom That's gross"! of course I had to join in and make it worse...What are aunties for anyway!!!? The girls decided to drop us at the movies and go shopping, they both had gift cards to use and they had a blast shopping without any adults breathing down their necks...it was great to have everyone in such a good mood. I haven't seen baby girl so happy in a long time...I can only hope that it lasts. Of course today was her first day back to school and she had office detention after so I'm not sure how happy she will be when she gets home, but I can live off yesterday's happiness for at least a couple of weeks. I'm still feeling sickly but I have sworn to not let it get me down....tomorrow is another day! Happy happy Tuesday!

Monday, January 02, 2006
Hello My Friend Hello

Happy 2006...I have decided to treat the new years as a new friend...I will welcome it with open arms...look at it with optimism...anticipation...nourish it...see in it all the possibilities that it offers! I have also decided to make NO resolutions, instead I've decided to make some 'lifestyle' changes (very self-help sounding ha?). I would like for my emotions to level out a bit...therefore I will need to eat right...exercise...get plenty of sleep (drink a little...lol) and stop keeping everything bottled up inside. That said....I shall move on!
We went out to dinner New Years with some friends and had a great time, we were home by 9:30 and in bed by 10 but it was still a good night. Both kids decided to stay at home with friends for the evening instead of going out, which of course made me very happy, I didn't have to worry about them on the road on New Years Eve. They all had a very good time just chatting, watching tv, playing video games...and yes...drinking (I'm sure they think I don't know), but at least they were home and safe! Everyone got up in the am and sat around in the living room talking, one of the kids who stayed was 'new' so we got to know him a bit better and teased and harrassed the others. My kids both worked 11-8 and hubby and I headed to my dads for dinner. We have an annual new years day dinner of home made gnocci's (potato pasta) with sauce, meatballs, sausages ect. This is my dad's speciality and we have it only once a year becasue making the pasta is an all day event. Wellllll this year it was time for dad to pass on the tradition, baby brother was given the priveledge of 'learning' how to make the wonderful treat...he did a GREAT job and dinner was wonderful. Today is my 'official' holiday so NO WORK, hubby, baby girl and I, sadly big guy has to work, are headed to the 'big city' to see King Kong and do a little shopping...Baby girls b'day is next Sunday and I want to pick her up something special. So far the New Year has started out terrific, I have been able to enjoy the company of both my kids and my husband. A Great Start To What Will Be A Great Year!!!!!