The Atmosphere Was Electric.....

Here's a question for you.

If you saw an electrical appliance....let's say it was a hairdryer.......whose plug looked like this:

.....and you had just finished washing your hair, so it is not beyond the realms of possibility that your hands may be slightly wet.........would you blithely pick it up and plug it in?

a) Yes

or

b) No

You know what's coming don't you?

The Singer answered 'A'. Then there was a bit of a squeal.......

Anyway, amid shouts of 'Oh dear God' and 'Run it under the tap!' the Father of This Lot was summoned from the Mare and Foal to unplug the offending item. There followed the usual diatribe of '....don't know what sort of kids you're bringing up here....' and the various other pearls of wisdom in much the same vein which he airs on every conceivable occasion. The hairdryer was duly fixed and the Father of This Lot was waved off at the door before he could cause any further verbal damage.

Personally, I keep well away from hairdryers. I never got over that business with Valerie Barlow. It left a mark on my childhood psyche which remains to this day.

Anyway, thankfully, The Singer appears none the worse for her adventure apart from the tiniest little blister on her thumb.

Well I think it's tiny. She's carrying on as though it was a third degree burn.

Someone remarked to me this morning after Mass that she had been 'very lucky'.

Huh.

Luck doesn't come into it, mate.

With this lot, I find that being on your knees for upwards of sixteen hours a day invoking the protection of the Almighty is the key. And that's the method I intend to stick with.

And since she does seem to have escaped unharmed and is back to her usual hair-tossing self, I just couldn't resist this witty little graphic........

Random Tuesday, Random Tuesday

Say the title of this post like "Taco Tuesday, Taco Tuesday."  That's what I hear in my head.

If you don't like my gibberish, I'm sure you can find more at the Un Mom!  Tell Keely I said hi.

New thing I learned today at exercise.about.com.  You can't "tone" your muscles.  What you are really wanting to do is define your muscles.  Which means you have to lose weight.  And maybe build some strength.  You can't use lighter weights and higher reps to get lean defined muscles.  You should lift weights and lighter weights at higher reps gives your muscles endurance.  But to get that lean, defined muscle look, sigh, you do need to lose weight.  The good news is, I'm doing cardio and lifting weights for strength, which is two out of three things recommended.  As I get older, stronger muscles and stronger bones are important.  And I'm lifting for most of my major muscle groups (I'm avoiding anything with knees at the moment, they are making a funny popping feeling).  The bad news is that I'm not on any diet.  At my last dr. appt. they said, "Good, your weight is steady."  Which is higher than I would like it, but I guess the good news is it hasn't gone up.  I am thinking about what I eat, and I know I do not eat enough vegetables or fruits.

Which leads me to the fact that I think I want to join a produce co-op.  Last year I tried growing my own tomatoes.  They were okay, but I've had better and I think the pots they were in were not big enough to produce good plants.  I'm thinking a locally grown, variety of vegetables, forcing me to make something with them, forcing me and the family to eat them, might help bring my veggie intake up, bring down the processed fried stuff and cut back on the excessive meat and meat fats, that I might be able to drop that ten pounds I want to drop.  You'd think ten pounds would be easy, but it is the hardest thing.  Though, I'm not trying really hard, but I feel I shouldn't change my habits too much, or I won't be able to maintain the diet that will maintain my weight at a lower level.

Ok, so who has been to the Harley-Davidson museum in Milwaukee?  I have!  It's pretty cool, state of the art, lots of shiny vehicles (ooo shiny!).  I have imagined myself a closet motocyclist.  I would not be adverse to riding one (with a helmet on, I don't care about helmet hair).  The best part?  (click this and scroll to the bottom) They had a huge room with a movie screen showing the open road and archive Harley footage and about 10-12 different makes and models of Harley cycles.  This is where I could partly live out the fantasy.  I was like a kid, trying nearly every one.  I should have had my camera just to get a picture of me on a motorcycle, for once in my life.  I feel I'm a sleek-type rider, maybe something like this.  Huh, bet you never would have guessed I was closet biker wannabe.  But not the long distance, wide ones, with the leather and the long haired guys (ew).  I'm more into something sporty.  I might even like a sporty bike better than a sports car.

It snowed last night and this morning.  Last night, in the head lights, the world was all sparkly.  Not so much on this gray morning.  Did anyone check with Phil?  Did he see his shadow?  I have to go look that up next.

Thanks for stopping by!

FAITH NO MORE

Faith is the firm belief in something for which there is no proof.

In my religion through the years, I had been taught that this life is not the end. There is a life beyond this. In fact, I believe that my husband and I who were “sealed” in our religion, by so doing, are bound together not “until death do us part” but for the eternities. When he was dying I never considered that I would not see him again, I had faith that I would.

After my husband’s death I can remember laying in bed one morning… just processing everything that was happening. And I felt his arms around me. Holding me tight. Not as a memory, but as a real feeling in that moment. The immediate months after his death I came to find he was around a lot. Holding me up. Keeping me from falling off the edge. In those months, faith was no more. I had proof. I KNEW that this life was not the end – because I felt his presence so strongly, so real. I knew. I didn’t have to “believe” or have “faith” any more. I knew.

FAITH NO MORE

Faith is the firm belief in something for which there is no proof.

In my religion through the years, I had been taught that this life is not the end. There is a life beyond this. In fact, I believe that my husband and I who were “sealed” in our religion, by so doing, are bound together not “until death do us part” but for the eternities. When he was dying I never considered that I would not see him again, I had faith that I would.

After my husband’s death I can remember laying in bed one morning… just processing everything that was happening. And I felt his arms around me. Holding me tight. Not as a memory, but as a real feeling in that moment. The immediate months after his death I came to find he was around a lot. Holding me up. Keeping me from falling off the edge. In those months, faith was no more. I had proof. I KNEW that this life was not the end – because I felt his presence so strongly, so real. I knew. I didn’t have to “believe” or have “faith” any more. I knew.

Fabulous Foyers

Christine,

For open floor plans, furniture arranging is so important and with the entry opening immediately into the great room/dining/kitchen combo, could you offer some ideas on how to create a sense of space in that entry so that a guest doesn't immediately walk into your living space? That is driving me insane! Would a screen of some kind be helpful (a concrete wall!) or does that block the flow? You posted on my great room before (Too chicken for grasscloth) if you want to see what I'm talking about here.
Cheryl

Dear Cheryl,

I like to look at a foyer as an opportunity. Would I separate it from an open floorplan? Not in most cases. Your foyer- if it could talk, would say, "Welcome to our home!." OK- so that sounded a little cheesy- but blocking it off to me does not seem welcoming. Here are some foyer considerations:

1. Light. Do you have a cool chandelier? How about sconces? Lighting is not only good for safety and functionality- but also helps to define the space in a more open floorplan. Especailly for the aging population- do I have any readers over the age of 65? Good lighting where there is a little step (the step out the door)- is important.
2. Rug. If your visitor has nine steps of rug- (include your outside rug)- most of the dirt will be removed from their feet. (I read that somewhere) Use as large a rug as visually fits in your entry. Again- for open floorplans- rugs also help to define the space- as well as adding softness, color and texture to your home. Some people like to have a beautiful design in the floor of an entry- but the practical part of me says to have a beautiful rug instead. A beautiful floor will tempt you to not have a rug at all.
3. Wall surface. Some foryers architecturallly invite you to change the wall surface- using stone, wallpaper- or in this photo above- mirrors. This adds texture, interest- and works to "define the space."
4. Furniture. Don't use furniture if you don't have room for it. This is a common mistake. When too much furniture is there- guests have to walk around it- it is not inviting- there should be ease in the walking.- Sometimes the furniture might fit physically- but that does not mean it fits visually.
5. Furniture take II. However- when you do have the space for it- it is really nice to have a place to sit in the entry- a bench- a chair- a spot to remove shoes comfortably. If I had to choose between a bench and a console table- I say- go bench. If you have a really good size room- go console with chairs on either side.

Have you given thought to your entry?- If it could talk- what would it say?

Thanks to Elle Decor and Metropolitan home for the photos.

Humbled.......

......that's what I am.

By your comments, I mean.

I didn't realise you had been worried about me.

Did you think the Father of This Lot had 'done me in'?

Were your minds racing along the lines of...............

or worse..........

Nah.

You know me better than that.

Wouldn't this have been nearer the mark.....................?

Actually, this is a very inaccurate picture.

For a start, that punch is way too girly and playful for my liking, and I think that rig-out gives the Father of This Lot a bit of a look of Jason King.

If you are old enough to remember Jason King you are most welcome to this blog.

If not, please leave now as you are depressing me.

Anyway, I'm back.

Without explanation or excuse, I might add.

Real life got in the way.

You know how it is.

And I shall be easing myself back into this blogging lark with very short posts.

I thought this best since it took me three hours lastnight to remember how to get on to the thing in the first place.

However, I shall leave you with this little text gem from the Football Fanatic on Saturday night:

FF: Have you ever met anyone from Sicily?

Me: No. Why, have you?

FF: Yeah. Two lads buying us drinks.

Me: Are they good looking snappy dressers who keep going on about how much they love their mother?

FF: God, Mum, how did you know that?

Me: Dunno, kiddo. Lucky guess?

I thought it prudent at this point to step up my prayers a notch until she arrived home.

Which she did.

Eventually.

#67

maartje