362: altered states

hey y'all.

i'm working on one of my many sewing projects.

this latest will be the easiest if i get 'er done.

over the past few days i've been surfing the web for economically priced sarongs. i like sarongs because they're easy to wear and can be dressed up or down with the proper accessories.

also the older i get, the more i like simple clothing. things that are easy to put on and take off, don't need to be ironed, don't need any special cleaning processes...

i found a website called Turtle Island Imports has beautiful sarongs. lovely designs and colors, larger sizes than the other sarong sites, and the best prices too. they also have free shipping on all orders of at least $50.

after spending several days dreaming of myself strolling on various white sand beaches wearing my favorite sarongs, i realized i'd better not spend that money before i earn it.

yes we do have a vacation coming up but there are still bills to pay, breakfasts/lunches/dinners to eat, gas to buy.

so *sigh* i talked myself out of buying them. besides, i couldn't tell from the pictures or descriptions if the fabric was soft like my favorite sarongs or a little stiff like my other sarongs. if the fabric wasn't what i wanted, i'd have to send it all back on my own dime.

my compromise was to go to Goodwill. i really needed to find some vacation clothes for baby bliss but she didn't want to go. it's my own fault because i get stuck for hours in Goodwill.

(oh wow. i didn't realize there was a Memorial Day concert at the Mall. it's coming on now, on our local public access station. does that mean i've stayed up too late?? time to change the channel!)

i was in Goodwill for 2 hours, maybe 2 1/2. i left with 2 skirts and a dress for me, 1 skirt for baby bliss, 1 skirt for #1 auntie, 3 books for baby bliss and several books for me. with my 10% off coupon, i spent $15.

one of the skirts i got was a winter skirt. normally i don't buy off season from Goodwill. but this skirt was exceptionally well made, it still had its store tag on it, and i have a sweater that matches it perfectly.

the other skirt was miles too big in the waist but i got it any way. it's a graphic beach-at-sunset print that will make a nice sarong. so i took the waistband off. there was more than enough fabric to wrap around me but the length was a leeeetle bit too short. now i'm fiddling with the elastic in the waistband (thank God i didn't toss it) to get some extra fabric.

earlier today i started making a crocheted ring that i will use to add interesting detail to a dress strap. i have no idea how it will look but i'm optimistic about it turning out well.

one of my favorite summer dresses is losing its straps. it's a gauze dress and the straps are adjustable. i guess the friction of adjusting the straps so often is now a problem. so i'm gonna crochet new straps. eventually.

361: family ties

hey y'all.

i've been doing some research into the twisting gnarly branches of our family tree. it's part of a project i started some years ago for baby bliss. i figured she would appreciate having as much information as possible about our family members.

two months ago i sent away for a copy of the social security application of a man with the same name as one of my great-grandfathers. before i paid my monies for this particular item, i checked and double checked my information with my grandma.

so the information came the other day. and wouldn't y'all know that grandma is saying all the information on the form is wrong. that means i might have to pay more money to get information on the other man who has the same name as my great-grandfather.

some of the information seems to match but my mother swears the birth date would make him too old to be grandma's father.

we'll be going to a family reunion soon. it's for my mother's father's side but my mother's mother's side is from the same area. there is also an 90-something-year-old family member back home who knows a lot more information than any of us can ever hope to find by scrounging.

to be continued...

360: coming up for air

hey y'all.

what's been shaking round these parts?

i have been swimming in the murky waters of real life for the past few weeks. so much so that i've been sinking to the bottom of the pool every night, unable to rise to the surface long enough to write a word of personal detail.

baby bliss is done with school now so that's a relief. she's now free to "play Barbies" until her fingers are numb.

but mother nature, she do abhor a vacuum. my school-day time slot has been filled already. barbarians at the gate and all.

well y'all, today is friday and i still have errands to run. my to-do list looks like this:

1. bank - deposit.
2. post office - mail birthday cards to G____. don't forget to check the PO box!
3. Goodwill - browse for dresses, bottoms, fabric for me.
4. library - return and pick up.
5. Trader Joe's - almonds, eggs, sweet potatoes, veggie sausage patties, black beans, tortilla wrappers, cheese, strawberries, grapes, Luna bars, samosas, chicken chili, crackers, pizza (tonight's dinner), salad dressing, carrots, 1 cucumber, lemons, frozen fruit, tuna. don't forget to take your bags in!
6. i need to alter some items baby bliss can't wear (until i alter them!).
7. still need to send some b'day party photos to individuals (R___, F___)
8. crochet more cotton earrings, order ear wires.
9. start lists for impending trip home for family reunion.
10. start lists for our soon-to-be-upcoming vacation.
11. file the papers on my office floor.
12. fix #1 auntie's earrings and return to her ASAP.
13. post video of ducks in the pool on the blog.
14. finish altering a pair of pants i turned into a skirt (by adding inserts to the Vs created when i took the middle seams out; i'll be doing at least 2 more pair of pants after i see how this item turns out. the pants had gotten a bit tight in the cabooty but fit quite nice and comfy once transformed into a skirt.)
15. continue crocheting the belt i started for my cousin's sister-in-law.

obviously a lot of this won't get done today. what else is new, right?

i'm outta here folks.

359: now playing

hey y'all.

although i usually blog the movie after (i think), this one needs to be done now. we started watching 15 or 20 minutes ago but it's already funny.

Keeping the Faith - Jenna Elfman, Edward Norton, Ben Stiller

Stiller and Norton were childhood friends in NYC who grew up to be a Rabbi and Catholic priest respectively.

Elfman's the girl who was their best friend. her family moved to the west coast when they were all young. she's back in town and here comes trouble.

i didn't know Ed Norton spoke Spanish. LOL

358: this week in movies

hey y'all.

we've been watching movies this week too.


1. Shut Up and Sing - the Dixie Chicks and folks who work to produce their concerts

a documentary of how the Dixie Chicks fared during the fallout behind Natalie's anti-Bush statement.

baby bliss and i both loved this one. Natalie, you rock!


2. Cold Creek Manor - Sharon Stone, Dennis Quaid

a sinister but forgettable scary drama about a New York family that buys a foreclosed home in the country, not knowing that the former owner has a deadly secret.

i say forgettable because the movie was similar to others in the same genre. it was interesting though.


3. Miss Potter - Renee Zelwegger

story of the life of the woman who wrote of the "Beatrix Potter" books.

i think it was good but need to watch it again. we were very busy today and i was multi-tasking while watching.

357: last week in movies

hey y'all.

we've been watching a lot of movies in the past weeks. in between bouts of cleaning and party planning.

let me see if i can remember what we watched...



1. Inventing the Abbotts - Joaquin Phoenix, Billy Crudup, Liv Tyler

a dramatic romance that detailed how two brothers living in a small town are entangled with the daughters of a wealthy family.

this movie moved kind of slowly for me but i liked it. some intrique, teen age angst and rebellion.



2. Running with Scissors - Gwenyth Paltrow, Annette Bening, Alec Baldwin, Jill Clayburgh, Gabrielle Union

a funny/sad/scary movie about a young man who's momma was a nut. she left him with her equally nutty shrink (and his family) after she and her husband split. based on the real life story of the young man.

i liked this one and didn't feel scared until i found out at the end that it was reality-based.



3. Shaun of the Dead - Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost, Lucy Davis

simply hilarious spin off from the previous "Dead" movies ("Night of the Living...", "Dawn of the...", "Day of the...", "Land of the..."

too scary for the kiddies (unless they're monster-proof, like baby bliss) but good for fans of spoof and horror.



4. i don't remember. sorry y'all.

* * *

11:21 p.m.

Update: i remember now. i guess i blocked it out for reasons you'll read about below.


4. Bobby - all-star cast

a day in the lives of people who were affected by Bobby Kennedy's shooting at the Ambassador Hotel.

voice overs of actual RFK speeches and bits of live footage interspersed throughout gave me the feeling that i was watching a captivating documentary. about mid-way through, i began feeling it was a bad idea for me to watch it during an election year, specifically this election year.

as the movie wound towards its inevitable climax, i was an emotional wreck. it took me a while to stop crying after this one ended.

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356: no rest for the weary

hey y'all.

it was a long weekend and i need more recovery time! two days is not enough.

but it's time to get back to my to-do list. i tried to do some stuff yesterday but both baby bliss and i were moving in slo-mo so we stayed in and worked on low-key things.

which means i have a full platter for the rest of the day and not much time left before i turn into mama pumpkin head.

with no further ado, here is the to-do for the remainder of today.

1. bank #1 - get $$ for baby bliss. (#1 auntie gave me $$ to give to baby bliss and wouldn't you know i put it in the basket at church sunday.)
   
2. bank #2 - baby bliss needs to deposit birthday funds.
3. library - return and pick up.
4. walmart - return a few items baby bliss got with birthday gift card. (why in the world does clear lip gloss need red dye #s 40 and #33, violet #2, blue #1, and yellow #5? rolling my eyes at the picture of mr. bliss on the shelf.)
   
5. grocery store - get sale items. there's a good 10 for $10 sale at bloom and some of it is stuff we actually eat. yay!
6. avoid going to grandma's for leftover potato salad (from the party. i follow the 3-day rule with food but grandma is down home old school: if it looks good and smells good, eat it! we love you grandma but no thanks.)
   
7. baby bliss and i need to do thank you cards/notes to party guests.
8. i need to alter some items baby bliss can't wear (until i alter them!).
9. remember to put photos on photobucket (or similar that allows videos too; the pics don't look so good on evite.com. yuck!)
10. send some photos to individuals
11. do 2nd request for gift receipts from some folk. (after i told people not to bring gifts!)
    
12. start crocheting cotton earrings. i'm gonna sell on etsy.com this summer. (g'bye neopets!)
    

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355: her bling bling ring

hey y'all.

baby bliss and i saw mariah carey on ellen. of course the chile was full of smiles and what not on account of her recent nuptials with nick cannon.

i won't say what baby bliss said about mizz mariah except to say it was of the "if you can't say anything nice" variety.

and she missed the tight shot of mizz mariah's bling bling ring. baby bliss had left the room and tho i screamed and yelled for her to come back (she loves the color pink), she did not.

having heard all over the media about the cost of said ring, baby bliss had a very pointed question for me upon her return.

she said, "so was it a well-spent $3 million mommy?" i laughed and said she would have to see it and judge for herself.

and i thought hmmm... i bet mariah will be asking herself that question one of these days.

.

354: happy birthday baby bliss!

hey y'all.

the party was a resounding success!

everyone had a great time including baby bliss who said it was her best birthday party ever. for several reasons, mommie agrees.

but one very important reason i say this was the best party: a very nice lady took a photo of me and baby bliss at the party. her dad and i are usually the only two at her parties who take pictures. between duties (greeting guests, refreshing plates/cups/bowls, checking the toilet paper, etc.) i'm always snapping away and never being photographed.

here's the photo:

353: i fainted

hey y'all.

baby bliss and her cousin were having a "difference of opinion".

baby bliss wanted to clean her room (i should have had the smelling salts ready right then) but cousin said no, she wanted to dress the dolls.

being the loving tattle tale that she is, baby bliss came out to complain to moi.

i smoothed it over with a loudly voiced directive projected in the direction of baby bliss's inner sanctum: tell your cousin i said help you clean that room!

good enough cuz they got 'er done.

then baby bliss comes out into the living room once more. she stopped beside the couch and gave me a round-the-way-girl look and said: now i know how you feel when i act like that.

me (all innocent and stooopid): act like what?

baby bliss: a little hussy.


that's when i passed out y'all.

352: back at the branch

yep, i meant to say "branch.

cuz we're a living family tree.

grandma's house is the trunk and we (her children and grandchildren) form the limbs. our growth starts a few blocks from her house and spans a distance of several hundred miles.

any way, i finally made it back home after gallivanting all over creation for most of the day with grandma.

she had me going hither and yon, getting stuff for the tomorrow's party. sam's, walmart, lowe's foods... then the bank, post office, home, and back to grandma's.

but i'm still not done. here is tomorrow's to-do list:

1. pray that this "get the key from #1 auntie" plan goes off without a hitch at 9 am or earlier
   
2. return call to would-be party guest who needs the address and directions (um, you got an e-vite on this one lady!)
   
3. 10 a.m. - pick up the cake
   
4. later - get fruit (grapes, watermelon, strawberries), a few cans of dr. pepper
   
5. don't forget - pasta salad, pineapples are at our house; at grandma's -potato salad, chicken, drinks, green salads
6. take the tennis and badminton rackets, tennis balls, shuttle cock
7. 11:30 a.m. - load all non-perishables on mr. bliss's truck
   
8. make sure the girls have their swim suits, towels, extra clothing, shampoo and soap
   
9. food goes in my car; the kids will ride with my momma 'nem
10. grandma is riding with #2 auntie
11. 12 noon - arrive at party location and begin setting up
12. 1-4 p.m. - fiesta!
13. 4-5 p.m. - clean up
    

351: the arrival and departure.

hey y'all.

they came and they went.

i'm still at grandma's.

the six (6) of us (me, my momma, aunties numbers 1 and 3, my grandma, and my step dad) are watching judge mathis

the sliding glass door is open and a cool breeze is slidin' between the screen holes. niiiiiice cuz today was warm enough.

i'm blogging (what else?); grandma is chilling in a deck chair (that she brought inside and put beside the couch); my momma is making a huge salad (she's a veggie-ma-tar-ri-mum); #1 auntie has disappeared to look at the new do i stirred up in her locs; #3 auntie is finishing up a business call (she's a real estate maven); and step dad is quiet (for a change) and intently watching the judge.

i'm about to get some crocheting done, now that i have some free time. i need to make some straps for baby bliss's party dress. :-)

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. peace in the land of bliss.

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350: my baby daddy

hey y'all.

the ex is in town.

he called about an hour ago to say he'd like to take baby bliss to dinner in an hour. because she has a weekend guest, i had to broker a tag-along deal.

now, i don't want no crap outta him and his wife this weekend. we agreed in mediation that he is supposed to call me to make any requests to see baby bliss, so she doesn't get emotionally involved before i let him know if his request fits our pre-planned schedule.

but wouldn't you know he called baby bliss today and asked her to go to dinner. she then called to relay the message to me. then my momma got involved and asked what she should do and reminded me that baby bliss has company this weekend.

i told my momma to let the ex call me, as he should have done in the first place. when he called, he wanted to hem and haw instead of getting straight to the point.

whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!

and nowwwwwwwwwww, the hour has arrived and neither of them is here.

my momma took baby bliss, her sister, and great niece to the mall. it's only 15 minutes away and i know it's rush hour. still, i called her an hour ago and she knows they were expected like, right now. i know she has a bone to pick with the ex and his wife cuz of the custody suit. but i'm like, "let it go lucy."

not that i'm tripping cuz i know things will work out as they must.

but like i said, i don't want no drama this weekend.

349: my momma 'nem

hey y'all.

the folks got here yesterday around 5.

ole lead foot lucy (my momma) must have been flying on a golden carpet all the way down the road.

it's a 6 hour drive without stopping and she made it down here on the minute. she left home after 10 a.m. and was ringing my phone at 10 minutes to 5, talking bout "i'm at your door."

the 4 of them (my momma, step dad, aunt, and cousin) came in and had a sit down. my cousin is baby bliss's age so they are both bunking at our place. my momma and the rest are staying at grandma's.

we all came over here later and that's when the trouble started.

we don't wear street shoes in our homes. not at my house, grandma's house, or my momma's house either.

my step dad has dementia so his routine has to be pretty consistent in order for my mom to be able to manage him. he's not totally out of it though. sometimes he's really funny and sometimes a bit annoying. (but not annoying to us, just my mom. she doesn't have a lot of patience.)

so any way, we get to grandma's, take off our shoes in the garage, and come in. (i'm at grandma's now.)

my grandma told my step dad to put on a pair of house slippers and my momma had a conniption:

LL (leadfoot lucy): momma, no! he doesn't need house slippers!
G (grandma): yes he does! he can't walk on the bare floor with no slippers. it's too cold.

(it was 82 degrees yesterday).


a loud discussion ensued and i escaped to the deck. baby bliss, cousin and auntie followed.

we all stayed out long enough to let hurricane lucy die down and blow off into the nether regions of the house. the young ladies decided they were ready to go back to my house to make their dinner (we bought a make-your-own pizza).

LL walked us to the car, hiss-whispering in my ear that her mother was already up to her tactics, and that my step dad was her husband, not her mother's. and how she was gonna end up leaving him here at grandma's while she came to stay at my place.

alrightie now.

it was funny up until she said she was coming to stay at my place.

348: a day with no to-do list

hey y'all.

i did a bad, bad thing the other night: another all-nighter.

but this time it wasn't by choice.

baby bliss talked in her sleep most of the night and was just all around restless. because madame cleo is my cousin and our family tree has psychics swinging from every other branch, i already knew it would happen.

so lest i wake mr. bliss while wearing out the carpet along the path from our bedroom to her's, baby bliss and i camped in the living room.

i was the night duty nurse until day light, when she fell into a deep, restful slumber. i had hour upon hour of giving her water, tending to her eyes, and making sure she took her meds.

my own shut-eye was about 4 hours worth of ZZZZZZZs.

mr. bliss woke me up just as i'd asked him to and he stayed in with baby bliss while i ran household errands.

i was tired and i usually do my errands at the end of the week which is how i think i went out without me to-do list.

it took me two hours to make a big lasso around the neighborhood. mr. bliss was almost late for work by the time i got back but he had to wait because i needed him to help me carry food upstairs and i had just bought his lunch fixings from the store.

i admit it was weird being out sans to-do list. and as often as i've done it before, i won't do it again if i can help it. the decibels have been turned up to max volume around here and choruses of "get 'er done!" are ringing in my head even in my sleep.

party day is fast approaching and i haven't updated my party lists. more importantly, my momma 'nem will be here thursday and i haven't moved enough paper in my office to stick up a bat's behind. (as one of my oldest and dearest sister friends would say.)

that means i'll be hip-hopping double time very soon.

347: the smell of beauty

hey y'all.

saturday i was more than a little tired. allergies have kicked baby bliss and i around this season and i've been coughing a lot. that in addition to my itching ears and sore throat. i used to have bad allergies before baby bliss was born (ears/nose/throat itching, nose and eyes running all over the place).

the worst of it was the 2 or 3 day i had a cutting feeling in one side of my throat. even with that it's been manageable for me because i've had practice.

but poor Baby Bliss hasn't experienced anything like this. and now, on top of the problems she's been having, she has pink eye.

on the way home from church last sunday, baby bliss said, "mommy, ____ said she thinks she has pink eye but she wasn't sure because she has allergies too."

the child in mention has had allergies since we've known her. but i'd never seen her eyes red, as i noticed they were on sunday.

what i'm wondering is why the child thought she had pink eye. did she hear her momma say those words? and if not, did she say those words to her momma? before they left for church? i'm really wondering.

cuz now that i know baby bliss has it, we're staying home. no way would i send her to junior church knowing she has a highly contagious infection. i think it's distasteful, to say the least.

most of my day (after i was awakened from a much-needed slumber) was spent sanitizing the place. which was a bit of a bummer cuz i was planning to sort out my office and tackle some other things from friday's to-do list.

when it got full dark, the 3 of us took a walk to the mailbox. as we turned onto the main road, the smell of honeysuckle wafted up the hill.

it brought back memories of home, where for as long as i could remember, there was a honeysuckle spread growing along the fence of the house across the alley from my grandma.

there was also a wild spray of honeysuckle growing along one of the fences in the side yard of the house we sold before we relocated.

i've smelled it here before but it was so unexpected and such a nice surprise at the end of a day that had worn me out.

thanks God.


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346: i gotta get outta here!

we are running wayyyyyyyyyyyy behind on our to-do list today.

today's list:

1. rinse baby bliss with the neti pot. (it really did help yesterday.)
2. continue end-of-year review items with baby bliss.
3. library: return and pick up.
4. bank: deposit.
5. post office: mail documents to daddy, birthday pkg to baby bliss's friend back home; check my p.o. box.
6. Trader Joe's: honey, lemons, samosas, bananas, strawberries, veggie sausage, frozen fruit, tuna, maple syrup
7. order baby bliss's end-of-grade tests.
8. complete last month's invoice; e-mail to client.
9. print and revise lists for baby bliss's upcoming b'day party.
10. start lists for impending trip home for family reunion.
11. start lists for our soon-to-be-upcoming vacation.

i'll get to it later this week (still on my list from days/weeks/months ago):

1. need to pay #1 auntie for location rental.
2. post video of ducks in the pool on the blog.
3. finish G___'s scarf; mail to her.
4. file the papers on my office floor.
5. fix #1 auntie's earrings and return to her ASAP.
6. finish altering the pants-turned-skirt
7. continue crocheting the belt i started for my cousin's sister-in-law.
8. move unpacked boxes to my office (the clock is ticking on the kin folk swarm, party/mother's day weekend).
9. find/order/buy a replacement charger for mr. bliss's cordless drill so he can put a curtain rod over the living room window. (before the swarming!)

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345: sci-fi dreams

in the wee hours, i had ... an interesting dream.

it was a mixture of sci-fi/harry potter/drama/romance.

thank goodness i can't remember all the details because i felt weirded out pretty bad when i woke up.

my dream sweetie and i (probably not mr. bliss; maybe it was Obama? LOL) were trapped underground, in a cement-lined facility used for storing gigantic plastic vats.

i don't know what was in the vats but they were being monitored by some unknown agency. we weren't supposed to be there so i gather there was something Top Secret going on.

he and i narrowly escaped being killed as we made our way out of the storage place. bullets flew, doors slammed, and voices yelled in alien tones as we beat our feet towards safety.

we emerged into a familiar-but-strange location but got separated.

i spent the rest of the dream trying to find my way back to my sweetie while dodging the death dealers sent to take my life. some of them were human-seemings and others were obviously robotic and/or animalian.

i had several close calls and narrow escapes through windows, bubble elevators, and even on brooms.

in one "segment" i was in high school (not sure if i was supposed to be a student or what). i'm sure i was supposed to meet my dream sweetie there because it was one of the many times i kept dream-asking myself why we didn't have cell phones or have a pre-arranged location to meet at, in case of separation.

i was in a hallway full of lockers, walking toward the student who was supposed to get me safely out of the building. suddenly the floor split and widened between us and there was dark water swirling about. just as i was about to jump across, i saw the sharks. the wider the gap got, the more sharks appeared.

that was when i woke up.

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