A Trip to Memory Mania

Just sharing some of my latest creations...Can you tell I just got back from Memory Mania?

Childhood Partner in Crime

After posting the page of Jen & I, daydreams of childhood began to flood my mind. When I think about my sister and me as youngins, I always think of the same things: playing Barbies, refusing to let my brother in on any game, and best of all, fucking with my parents.

One entire summer my sister and I spoke only in song. Meaning, if we had to say anything to each other or to our mother, we would sing it. “Pass the ketchup, pllee-eeaa-sseee!” The agony on my mother’s face only fueled it. At first she fussed at us and then she stopped and pretended to ignore us or not be bothered by it. Now, as an adult, I realize she was trying to pull some child psychology tricks on us that she learned from college to make us stop. When they realize they aren’t getting my attention from their antics, they will stop. I just shake my head thinking at how psych didn’t even work on my sister and I.

Jen and I shared a room with twin beds until around the age of 11. When we were younger and down for bedtime, we would shove our faces into our pillows and yell curse words. “SHIT!” “DAMN!!” It was very liberating for a 9 and 6 year old. The best was letting out ear-piercing screams into our pillows. Just hearing your own muffled scream is for some reason freakin hilarious. Okay well, it was for us.

After letting out a long, muffled, terrifying scream into our pillows, one of our parents would walk down the hall to scold us.

“Girls! Get to sleep! Your brother is in the room next and you’re keeping him awake.”

Of course we always played the innocent card and pretended to be asleep. Sucking in a loud breath and opening our sleepy eyes we’d say “Whhaaa Maa? What did you say we were sleeping.”

Back then we thought we were being so slick. Mom would walk back down the hall and once we’d hear her settle onto the couch we’d smother our faces again and let out more screams. I’m laughing just thinking about it.

My sister is just as weird as I am

My sister is the only other person I know that can make faces more hideous than mine. Imagine the delight when J gave me a digital camera for Christmas...

Me: Let's take a really awful pic.
Jen: Okay!

*SNAP*

Jen: Lemme see... (I turn the camera around to view our distorted faces.)

*two adult females rolling on the ground laughing*

Jen: Let's do it again!
Me: Okay!

Repeat scene.

How could I not scrap this?

Oh yeah...

See that little flashy, pretty rectangle thingie on the right? It's what's keeping me somewhat sane these days (besides my sweet boyfriend). Go look at it. (Or else!)

Rain = Depression?

Normally you give me rain and I’ll get cozy in bed with fuzzy socks and a good sappy movie. Rain usually gives me the excuse to do absolutely nothing. But lately, this obsessive rainage is giving me depressionage.

Can constant rain give someone depression? Seriously.

I haven’t walked/ran in weeks. Sure, I could get a gym membership but I’M BROKE. And pilates indoors just ain’t cutting it for me. Then of course there’s the sense of failure I get when walking by my plants that I cared for so tenderly this summer which now have died and gone to plant hell. There’s no turning back for them, at least I don’t think so. I feel I’ve let them down.

In the summer there’s so much to do when you’re bored: swimming, 4-wheeler riding, taking walks, exercising, tending to plants – I could go on. Now the only thing to do is #1. watch movies, #2. cook and eat (which is not helping me in any way, shape or form), and #3. scrapbook. While I love to do all 3 of those things, doing those things day in and day out will make you crazy.

That’s all.

80’s Music Lives On

I was told I need a new post. Can no one sympathize with what I must deal with on a daily basis? FINE. One day I hope that you are plagued with a party that leaves you feeling less than comfy.

Moving on…

If you have not seen the Molly Ringwald’s perform, you simply must. If you are an 80’s music fan, then not seeing the MR’s is definitely a crime. These guys put on the best show I’ve ever seen, and I’m comparing them with today’s best alternative rock shows, or country concerts if that’s your flavor.





This band plays the following songs while dressed up in 80’s gear, pouring Crown Royal and other various liquors into the mouths of singing fans in the crowd, all while doing ridiculous choreography that came from the era none other than the 1980’s.

Check ‘em out: www.themollyringwalds.com

You Shook Me All Night Long- AC/DC
Take On Me- A-ha
Summer Of '69- Bryan Adams
Fight For Your Right- Beastie Boys
Livin' On A Prayer- Bon Jovi
Just What I Needed- The Cars
I Want You To Want Me- Cheap Trick
Lovesong- The Cure
Photograph- Def Leppard
Pour Some Sugar On Me- Def Leppard
Whip it- Devo
Come On Eileen- Dexy's Midnight Runners
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of These)- Eurythmics
Sweet Child O' Mine- Guns N' Roses
Rebel Yell- Billy Idol
White Wedding- Billy Idol
Any Way You Want It- Journey
Dress you Up- Madonna
99 Red Balloons- Nena
Your Love- The Outfield
Keep On Loving You- REO Speedwagon
Tainted Love- Soft Cell
Jessie's Girl- Rick Springfield
Jenny 867-5309- Tommy Tutone

You get the picture. Makes you feel left out, right?

Pee Paw Pervy

Okay, I have plenty of work to do today but I just can’t get motivated. Besides that, I’m extremely irritated by my subject: Pee Paw Pervy

Let me give you a run down – I work in a small building which we share with another company. The set up is ridiculous; we actually share a fax/copier/printer with this other company which is located in my TINY office. So, these men are coming into my office all day long, bumping into my chair constantly, etc.

One of these men is a 70+ year old man who a dear friend has tagged “Pee Paw Pervy”. Reason being – the man asks me how to use the fax e v e r y s i n g l e t i m e he comes in here. Then after I “help” him, he has to lean over very slowly, put his hands on my shoulders and hug me, then kiss the top of my head. GROSS. If he’s not doing this, he’s telling me how “attractive” I am or how nice my outfit looks on me. *bleh* I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.

And that’s not all – the “Pee” in Pee Paw stands for exactly what it is. The bathroom shares a wall with my office, so I can hear everything going on in there. Let’s just say he is not a quiet rest roomer. Believe me, I’m being polite about this part with you. I’m so lucky!

Jason tells me I should say something to him when he makes me feel uncomfy. I just want to keep the peace because I know I’ll be moving into my new office in February. However, I am getting better at avoiding him. I suddenly have to get something out of my car when he comes in to fax. I’ve memorized his footsteps so I can get on the phone with nobody when he’s coming my way. I will walk all the way around the building from the front door entrance to the back parking lot if he’s gazing out the back door, just so he doesn’t have the chance to open the door for me and touch me unnecessarily.

I’m worried I’ll go berserk on him if February doesn’t come soon.

Weekend of Camping

It seems as if I’m having a lot of “firsts” lately. Jason purchased a camper trailer to live in for his new job. He’ll be moving to a small city a couple hours away in the next few months. (I know, *wah*, I’ll save details for a later post.) So, what better way to break in the new toy than by taking it on a camping trip.

At first I was on an emotional rollercoaster about this whole camper trailer thing. Having new toys to play with is always exciting, and being able to use it for travel is so great... BUT... this camper trailer will be housing my boyfriend for around a year. He will no longer be sleeping with me during the week, he'll be sleeping with her. He will be with her after work every day instead of me. I have decided to call her The Bitch.

Playing house in The Bitch was fun though. What a weekend. We did a whole lot of nothing, but the fact that all errands, laundry, and life’s demands were non-existent at Chicot campgrounds made that whole lot of nothing extremely satisfying. Cleansing even.

We built fires all weekend and ate really bad but good food, played very competitive games of rummy, slept on rigged up pillows made of towels stuffed into t-shirts because Jason forgot the pillows from home and even went boating.

You could hear the boats less than a mile away from our site on the lake, so Jason and I set out to rent one Saturday morning. The girl at the office runs Jason’s debit card, hands us those gorgeous life vests and then hands us... two paddles. We just cracked up. We assumed they would be motor boats. Well, you know what happens when you assume. Let’s say it together “you make an ASS of U and ME”. Jason, me and the paddle boat didn't last 10 minutes together, but it made for good pictures.

Lil Bits

A blog I visit pretty often had a post titled “Lil Bits” where she had taken pictures of her favorite bits and nooks in her apartment. Things like a table with her favorite candles & a bowl full of matches, her purse collection and so on. I thought it was a great idea and set off in my apartment to take pictures of my favorite lil bits.

I couldn’t find a thing to take a photo of. This saddened me. I’ve spent over a year in this apartment and I have no corner of interest or wall of photos or bowl of matches. The only cool thing I could take a photo of was my little bamboo plant that sits on my kitchen counter.

Looks like I need to start adding some character to my apartment.

Sweet Memories

I haven't created any pages for my scrapbook lately and all these great photos laying around being neglected was making me feel guilty. Sooo... a page to remember our first Christmas together. I'm really in love with this one.

Beware the Old Friend’s contact

I just recently decided that it’s okay to not have a “best” friend or to not have many friends for that matter. I do have a few close friends that I completely adore and love hanging and chatting with but it’s just been a while since I’ve had a bff (ha, I had to) that really gets me.

I’m not pouting about this, I’m very much a loner and am totally okay with this. This is mainly me putting it out in the universe that I’m A-okay with it. That being said, an old friend contacted me just recently and for a second I was a bit hopeful. She was my best friend for around 20 years. We went through high school and college together and share many crazy memories. So when she contacted me I guess I thought “maybe we could catch up.” I responded to her first email and when she responded to mine I got a big ole slap in the face.

She wanted to invite me to her Pampered Chef party. You know, one of those parties you host and receive all kinds of discounts and free stuff depending on how many people you get to attend? Yep. I should have known. When she contacted me a couple years earlier it was to let me know she had just become a Mary Kay consultant and “did I want to buy some beauty products?”

Some people are just so dense. How can you not know that’s rude or in the least just inconsiderate? To just one day out of the blue call someone up to solicit after not being in touch for years?

Okay, ranting over with.

Sharing the Goods

If you’ve have a burrito or salad at Izzo’s Illegal Burrito, then you know their cilantro ranch. Seeing as my new year’s resolution (as always) is to drop a few pounds, I thought what a better way to help break the food boredom by eating Izzo’s salads with cilantro ranch more often? But, I hardly want to empty my pocketbook just to lose a few, so after a little experimentation I’ve worked up an almost exact replica of their cilantro ranch.

This is really good with chicken or shrimp, Mexican style with black beans tossed in with everything. Enjoy!



Cilantro Ranch

You will need:
Bunch of fresh cilantro
1 lime
Big tub of sour cream
1 (or 2) packets of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

If you get one of those big tubs of sour cream, I suggest using more than one packet of HVR mix. I use light or fat free sour cream and you can’t tell the difference.

Put the sour cream, HVR packet, juice of 1 lime (or more if you want your dressing really runny) and a ton of the leafy parts of the cilantro bunch in a blender or food processor. When its well blended it should have a minty green coloring. If not, keep adding the cilantro!

Be MINE

I guess this year I'm a little excited about having a valentine. I made a promise to myself not to purchase any more scrapstuff for the next few months, to use only what I have. Here are a few cards I worked up for family with my current stash.

I have some venting to do and will post some not so hugs-and-puppy-dogs posts soon. I promise. I'm at work with an exrememly nosy co-worker and well, its kind of hard to goof off on the clock when she's around.

Happy New Year!!

Sunday evening I put on my best game face and headed over to a bonfire celebration for New Year's Eve. Jason and my nephew Toot lit fireworks all night and we cozied by the fire to count down until midnight. Best of all, I received my first real new years kiss.

How I Know

You hear stories of “how I first knew he was the one”. With Jason, I really believe I knew instantly, like the realization snuck in when I wasn’t looking and just implanted itself in my head. I wish I could recall a certain instance in which I knew.

While everyone was preparing for their wild, hopefully memorable New Year’s Eve weekend, I was on my bathroom floor wishing for someone to take me out of my misery.

I woke up Friday morning at 1:00 am with food poisoning. Severe, stomach-wrenching, forehead sweating, achy body, take-everything-out-of-you food poisoning.

I was alone that morning, Jason had spent the previous evening with friends. I spent the entire morning sick, wishing more than anything he was there beside me. Why, I kept asking myself, would I want the man I love and share a bed with, to see me like this?? I was far from attractive in my face sans make up with unmatched clothing and deep circles under my eyes. Not only that, I was losing it every hour on the hour. Why would I want him to see me like that?

Instead of wanting my mother as I have even in my most recent past, I wanted nobody but him. Badly. I actually cried during that first night because I wanted him so badly. He came over the next day and nursed me for the next two days. If I wanted 7Up, he brought me 7Up. If I needed something different to drink, he’d fix it for me. He tried feeding me and even cleaned up the apartment for me. He went to the store twice to purchase medicine for me. He laid beside me and let me make sad little noises and didn’t fuss once when I asked him not to touch me.

While I was laying there wiped out beside him with only our feet touching, I realized that this was definitely one of those “how I know” moments. I have never been so comfortable with someone that I could let them see me at my worst and most vulnerable and not worry about them bolting at the sight. And I’ve never wanted to be that vulnerable with someone either.

So, if years from now someone asks me when I knew J was the one, this past weekend filled with his TLC will definitely come to mind.