Sporting Our New Bling

The Mimster with her new glasses.

Ali usually wears contacts. I don't really love these glasses but they're the happenin' thing.

Gorgeous sisters.

I have 20/20 vision but the only one in the fam with a pink cast. Would you expect any other color?

Keeping Cool

Not such a mundane Sunday today. After church we were eating lunch when our neighbors almost beat our door down. When I opened the door I had teen girls in 7th grade and 10th grade shouting at me at the same time. I couldn't understand what they were saying and they kept pointing to their house. Finally, one girl shouts, "My sister's skin is split open and my parents aren't home!!!" I didn't know what she meant by that but I ran across the street with them. Their 10 year old sister was sitting on the floor holding a pad on her leg. She looked at me with panic in her eyes.

I amazingly kept calm. "It's okay, we're going to take care of you. Show me what happened." She lifted the pad and there was a gash that was opened three inches and at least an inch deep. It looked like someone had removed a large chunk of skin from her thigh. She wasn't bleeding which was strange to me since I could see tissue and it was so far opened. I tried to stay calm so she wouldn't freak out. "Yep, you really cut it. Keep it covered so no germs can get in it." I'm sure vomit could contain germs.

The story was she was chasing her brother, having fun, fell and hit the support post of the balustrade at the top of the stairs leading to the basement. There were no sharp corners and I couldn't figure out how she gouged her leg so badly.

Their parents were on their way back from out of town and their big brother (17) had a 911 dispatcher on the phone and I told them I would drive her to the hospital since it wasn't bleeding. Jared came over and had her lay down because she was pale and probably going into shock. He didn't look at the wound because he seriously can't handle human blood. They carried her to my van and the four kids came with me to the hospital.

I have to say "Anna" was very brave. She didn't cry and thanked me on the way for taking her. Their grandparents were about 1/2 hour away were going to meet me in the ER. There was great relief when we made it there and the doctors were able to see her right away. I left when their grandparents arrived because everything is better when your grandparents are around.

The reason her skin was split open is when she hit the post her thigh caught but her body kept going and it literally split open. She ended up with over 20 stitches inside and out. That will be my third visit to an emergency room since May last year. Anna has to miss the next two days of school to keep her leg elevated, then use crutches for the next three weeks. I'm glad it's all over with and that she will be fine.

If you have a strong stomach, you can scroll down for a look at the gash I kept my stomach intact for:

Six Things That Make You Smile

I was tagged by my friend Christina to share six things that make me smile. Hmmm......

1. Babies always make me smile. They make everyone smile, I'm sure, unless it's your turn to change the diaper.

2. Thinking of friends and family near and far makes me smile. Sounds like a Hallmark card but it's true. When I get a reply or a contact from an old friend (like Robin from CO, Kristen from PA and Lisa from Oz recently) I always smile. And of course my friends and family close by.

3. My family: Seth and his sense of humour and his hugs. Ali and her grades, singing, accomplishments but not her driving which causes me to grit my teeth which could be misinterpreted as a smile. Mimi and her cute sayings and her passion for life. Jared's eyebrow twitching when he pretends he's sad.

4. Other cute kids when they talk to me. I give them my attention and smile at them. What they have to say is so important. I like the big kids, too. They make me laugh actually, which is even better!

5. Getting chocolate faced with Karen. That's more of a drunken smile mixed with guilt.

6. Sleep. I'm sure I smile in my sleep.

RULES:Link to the person who has tagged you.Write down six things that make you happy.Post the rules, tag six others and let them know you did it.Then tell the person when your entry is complete. I tag: Karen, my dad, Kari, Di, Diane J. and Barack.

Is This The TMI Award?

My BFF Karen tagged me with this meme. Now, if I want to keep this award I have give 10 honest "juicy" things about me. I'm so boring....how honest do you want me to be? I guess as long as I'm not confessing, I'm okay.

1. I'm deathly afraid of bugs. Australia has many large and strange bugs and I don't miss them. I especially don't like preying mantises. Even though spiders are considered arachnids, they're still bug-like and scare me, too. I tried to find a picture of a huntsman spider that would show how big they are this is the only one I could find. They are about as big as your handspan.

2. I'm very insecure. Though I'm very outgoing and can befriend anyone I get anxiety thinking about what people might think of me. I know I shouldn't care and unless you were one of my bff's you would never guess this about me.

3. Carol Burnett, Tim Conway and Paul Lynde were my childhood heroes. I still think the Carol Burnett show was the funniest of all time.

4. I dated many guys in my single days but I've only truly loved two guys. One of them I married, my darling Jared. He has recently treated me like nothing less than a princess. I'm very spoiled. He's good looking, too.

5. I don't like cats. I like dogs much better.

6. I have trigeminal neuralgia. That means I have a nerve in my face that sends pain signals for no reason. I have to take a pain killer occasionally for this. It comes and goes in cycles. I don't talk about it much since I've had it for about five years.







7. I used to be a Martha Stewart. I don't have that kind of time or desire to be her anymore. I think she was one of my split personalities and she finally split off for good. Carol Burnett is one of my split personalities.

8. I don't like getting my hair wet. I have a blonde afro that's very hard to tame and unless I have conditioner, BioSilk, blow dryer, straightening iron and hairspray around, I refuse to get my hair wet.

9. I'm addicted to Sudoku! I love word puzzles, games and even board games except Monopoly, which bores me.




















10. Something juicy......yawn.....uh.....I need a.......reduction? If you would like to donate to the cause let me know. Be careful what you wish for as a teenager. No photo for this one, sorry.

Now I would like to tag: Kari, Diane J., Jared because he's never done a meme before and anyone else who would like to do it!

Daze Spa

There are perks of being temporarily disabled. I haven't been able to do my hair so I had my husband help me wash it. He was fired after his first attempt. I think he was just jealous because I'm follickly endowed.



Ali, an aspiring beautician, blow dried and styled my hair. This is quite a task because I have some seriously thick hair. It's nice to have special treatment.



As we were watching a movie on TV, Mimi stood behind me on the couch and brushed my hair. I allowed her to stand on the furniture for just this occasion. Aahh. This is the life. The only thing that would make it better is zero pain.



So when I went to the mall to order glasses for my girls, who are ever so slightly near-sighted but perfect in every way besides this one teensy flaw, and after spending $5oo in eye ware, I was getting used to the spa treatment. That had no flow or sense but remember, I'm a one-handed blonde on pain killers. Actually, I ran out of pills but not pain.



Back to the mall, where it is easy to lose one's thoughts, money and children. I was innocently waiting for Ali and one of the five Sam's when I was attacked. The Dead Sea Salesman was there with bated breath. "Are those nails natural?" You know how I am about being natural. "What?" I said like a typical American who can't understand foreign accents. He repeated himself and I quickly said, "I already have one of those." Crap! I was like a sitting duck!



"You know Regis?" he asks. "Regis?" like I'm thinking "Regis and Kelly." "Yes. Regis. They make your nails crack and break." "Mine don't break," obviously. Then I figured out he was saying "ridges." "Let me show you something," since he had my one good hand and I couldn't fight him off with the other, I followed. I was powerless.



"Sit down. Let me spoil you. This is my spa. You deserve to be spoiled." "Ha! Yeah, right," I say. I'm no sucker for flattery. "Show me your ritz." "What?!" as it dawned on me he was trying to say "wrists." No one's asked me to show my ritz for quite some time, except Jared who loves me no matter how droopy my ritz is.



He proceeded to wipe something on my forearm. Then he insults me by saying, "As women get older they need to exfoliate more." Here was my ticket out. "Are you saying I'm old?" "Oh, no! You look amazing. Will you marry me?" Ha! "You're young enough to be my son." Yep. He was 23. But of course he says, "If you were ten years old." SOLD to the sucker with the mid-life crisis!!! Just kidding. "Many ladies get buttocks. You won't need buttocks with this." "What?" I ask having no interest in another butt. I already have one that works overtime. Then I realize he means "Botox." He continued with his "you are beautiful" etc., etc, etc, etc.......etc. I answered with many sarcastic "Yeah, right" and "whatever" which would make my new son laugh.



Then the hard sell. "I will give this to you for my price." He whispers $35 in my ear like it was a proposition. Okay, not like a proposition, but I'm sure he thought I was hot for a mom. In his country mothers cover their faces, so you really never know if you have the best looking mom of all your friends. I'm sure he thought I was hot. "I really don't need it." I was strong, I was invincible, I was woman.....la, la, la. "Okay. I'll give you $30." He looked as if I slapped his face, but that's what I pay for Avon. I felt triumphant. He asked his manager and it was a deal. Next thing you know, I was forging my own signature with my left hand. I did my part in providing another meal for this young boy - minus $5 out of his commission. That's what you get when you try to flatter smart but very hot, middle-aged ladies. Middle-aged. What a stupid word. That's a whole new post.