151/365

SHE DREAMS OF HOME...

This was just the simple idea sketch of something I'm working on. It's kind of a self portrait of sorts.  I'll post the real piece when I'm finished.  I'm still on this grey house kick. I can't seem to stop thinking about grey houses...

150/365

CEREALITY
Remember Cereality? I thought that was going to do better than it did.  I was only there once - I think it was Lizzie's Penn State tour  - and I remember having a terrible migraine so I didn't get to enjoy it much. Cute concept, though.

Anyway, the Glo-worm saves her cereal for The Bud.

I keep telling her that she only likes Cheerios but it doesn't seem to matter. She saves them all for her.

149/365

GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS?
Baby groundhog in the yard...

148/365

MAKE IT WORK
Well, it looks like Glo has gone into fashion design. I talked about how she wears two socks before - here and here... I've been telling her that's a little strange. It looks like she came up with a plan - I looked in one of her drawers and found this...

She cut the top off of the gripper socks and puts them on and her white socks over them... she said it keeps her ankles tight  - this way she won't fall.

Pretty clever but are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Where the hell did she get scissors? ;-)

147/365

AIRSTREAM DREAMS
Every time I pass by this pretty little thing that lives up the street - I always go by and say I love you little turquoise trailer.  I'm quite obsessed with it.

I talked about the Works Family awhile ago and I love this family traveling around in their "mali mish." There are so many others. Wouldn't that be the best thing ever? The whole country as your playground... I would have loved to have done this - been a young family on the road documenting their adventures.  I'm not so sure a girl and her dog has the same appeal to me.  Lily is always up for an adventure, though. I think she would like it.

146/365

SOMETIMES THE SMALLEST THINGS TAKE UP THE MOST ROOM IN YOUR HEART

145/365

"THAT'S A SELFIE - RIGHT?"
Have you seen those commercials from Common Sense Media?  There are a few new ones - one with a little girl reenacting a movie, a boy that won't go potty until his Dad gives him his iPad and a family sitting down for dinner looking at their teenager's penis picture he posted online.  It may be the funniest commercial out there with the best line ever - "spread your fingers - you can make it bigger." You can watch the commercial here.

144/365

SUCK AND BLOW - SENIOR EDITION
Chrissy, Cara and I visited The Glo-worm last night... we had a little party with snacks from the vending machine and coffee from the lobby.  We played some blackjack and poker and I may or may not have taught Glo how to play suck and blow. ;-)

143/365

DON'T WAIT FOR THE UNIVERSE TO OPEN DOORS...

142/365

IF NOTHING EVER CHANGED, THERE'D BE NO BUTTERFLIES
I had a butterfly visitor yesterday. I walked outside to paint some trucks and there it was - just sitting on the ground.  It was flying all around me and landed on the table... I didn't have my phone with me to take a picture so we just chatted for awhile.  I watched it fly away over the hill and said goodbye and went upstairs to get The Bud and a camera in case in came back...

I was telling the pup about our new friend and we asked it to come back and visit us...about five minutes later... there it was again - on my hula hoop.

Lily had her first encounter with it... Hey - what's up butterfly?

I was a little afraid she was going to eat it... I've caught her trying to catch and chomp on bees that are flying around!

It wouldn't leave... I told her to let it be and they just kind of sat and chilled out for awhile - probably ten minutes.  She never tried to eat it!

It landed on Mr. Harry Lauder and I snapped some pics of both sides...

Short video here...
Butterfly symbolism here...

141/365

WHAT I WANT IS WHAT I'VE NOT GOT AND WHAT I NEED IS ALL AROUND ME

Did you see this lady in Oklahoma that found her dog during a live news interview? I'm a little upset about the reporter not throwing her microphone down and helping her dig out her dog when you can clearly hear her saying "help me" but it's a heartwarming story nonetheless. Goes to show that what you are looking for is often right there in front of you.

140/365

LEAPING LIZARDS
There was this creature at the pet store that seemed to take a liking to me.

He did not want his friend looking in my direction and did everything possible to stop him.

Every time the other guy would come over to say hello he would jump on top of him and try to knock him down.  I felt terrible. Look at the hands on this thing!

139/365

LOVE STORY
I often have PTSD symptoms when I watch a home, wedding or baby program on tv. We watched a marathon of wedding ones on Lizzie's surgery day - that was the longest I was able to get through a bunch of them... it's hard to not think of your own when you see shows like that. I was thinking about that Pinterest pin about nailing the box shut and opening it on your first fight and reading the love notes you put in there on why you got married in the first place and then all would be well in the world.  I found a bunch of things I don't know what to do with... do I nail them shut in a box never to be opened again?  When do memories become meaningless? Especially when they meant so much not too long ago... I don't know the answer yet - for me, at least. I've gotten some suggestions - shred the shit... throw it away...burn it!  I'm planning my next wedding on Pinterest... those mason jar invites!?  Come on - they have ME written all over them!  I know it's never going to happen and it's just in my imagination - give me some burlap, a whisky barrel and some reclaimed lumber, though... I'll throw you one hell of a party.

138/365

WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE SCREAM
It was one of Janel's first days at work so we decided to spring The Glo-worm out of the joint and take her out for a little bit. She was beyond thrilled. She also was beyond out of it... She told Cara that she thought Janel would do well there and wondered if her mom was going to work for her... she somehow got it in her head and believes that Janel owns the place. ;-)

137/365

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME!
My surgery was one year ago today!  Guess what I did to celebrate...

I had a mammogram!  Do I know how to party or what?!? ;-)  It didn't really dawn on me when I made the appointment and then I realized 517 - my address at Cedarbrook - and thought wait a minute...  it's a year.  I paid out of pocket to do a 3D mammogram in addition to the normal one... of course they had to bring me back for an ultrasound as well... and then the radiologist comes in and tells me she wants me to go for an MRI because mammograms and ultrasounds are essentially useless for me.  If it wasn't for the BSGI last year they probably wouldn't have caught this in the first place.  I'm just kind of over all of this and want to be done but I guess that's not going to happen. After all of this why couldn't I have just gotten the all clear and had a year to breathe like the three other people that were all there for their mammograms?!?

We talked about Miss Angelina and all that's going on with that.  Personally, I don't care what she does... I think women can make their own decisions as to what is right for them but I'm concerned about promoting the genetic testing when it's not really available or necessary for everyone.  You have to have a strong family history and many other factors for them to consider it...FYI - BRCA1 and BRCA2 positives account for 4% of all breast cancers. Still a worthwhile test and I'm fortunate to have had it done but I think people need to know it's not for the general population.

Pre-show today was a followup with my radiation oncologist - my boobs were all over town today!   Check out my numbers.

Don't be jealous.  WTF? And that's on medication!

If you think you are having a bad day take a look at this video Soul Pancake featured... it's a little long but worth it. Amazing boy and amazing friends and family that show that you don't have to lose yourself when you take care of others. Go Shane!

136/365

DON'T DIG YOUR GRAVE WITH YOUR OWN KNIFE AND FORK
I made The Dad go to a nutrition class tonight at Giant Eagle... it's 10 weeks long.  I don't think he got that concept until mid way through the class when he kind of came to the realization and blurted out  (not in an inside voice) - you mean this isn't just tonight?

To honor the evening and get off to a good start, after class we went to pretty much my least favorite restaurant in the world - Olive Garden.  I think he was being nostalgic because the three of us used to go there on occasion after the nutritionist years ago. Healthy huh?

135/365

TALK OF THE TOWN
I think I mentioned before that I named the newsletter for the apartment building real estate company when I lived in at Penn State.   They were The Downtown Group - my entry was "Talk of the Town." I got a ticket to Cancun for that...

Hey 1991...

Anyway, I was looking up apartments in State College and found this one In Cedarbrook... a Millennium Two Bedroom.  It has a little kitchen island and everything!

No balcony though. ;-(  Rent - $2686 a month! Looks like the prices went up a little from when I was there!

134/365

STILL HOLDING ON
Glo's roommate, Edna, is dying... I used to help her with her meals and other things she needed.  I think she thought I was the nurse most times.  Every time I would do something for her she would touch my hand and say you'll get your crown in heaven. She hasn't eaten in I don't know how long and she's been in bed for what seems like weeks.  Every time I go in she looks more and more like bones you would dig up at some excavation site. When we dropped Glo off the other night after Mother's Day dinner we had to stand over Edna and make sure she was breathing. She was - but wasn't responsive. . Glo keeps checking on her and seems mesmerized that she is "still holding on." I don't think she's going to last through the night

Glo is so matter of fact about it but I guess that's good. This will be the second roommate that died in her room and Ms. Brown died too but Glo was already in a different room when that happened. I'm not sure that they don't but I'm wondering if they have grief counselors for the other residents.  Seems like they should. It may be a good thing that Glo is kind of out of it.  I didn't get up there until late tonight. She told me a little girl came in this afternoon... She thought it was her granddaughter but I know it wasn't. I'm not even entirely sure it's true and am wondering if she imagined it. I'm kind of hoping that she did imagine it because there may be one traumatized little girl now... she said she sat on her bed and she told her that no matter what happens to her grandma she has to do good in school... if not she'll come back and haunt her.

Nice, Glo-worm.  Nice.

133/365

WELL BEHAVED WOMEN BARELY MAKE HISTORY
I'm sure most have seen this already... thought it was adorable... Texas photographer Jaime Moore's daughter turned 5 and she did some photos of her dressed up as real women that have made history instead of the traditional Barbie/Disney Princess photo shoot.  You can read about it and see the photos here.

132/365

STILL MAKE LEMONADE TASTE LIKE A SUNNY DAY
It was all about the basil lemonade today...

HMD.
2012
2011
2010

131/365

SEE YOU SPOON
There was a man that used to gather the carts at the grocery store near Dixon House... he was probably in his 70s... I can't believe I can't remember his name!?! He would help me put my bags in the car and I would give him a couple dollars. I wonder if he is still around? I have a new friend, Norman. I was at a grocery store 5 times in the last 24 hours. I really have to start working on meal plans and lists and get better organized when it comes to shopping. I'm losing focus with everything. Anyway, Norman was packing my bags and said he thought my little ice cream was cute... I told him it was for the car. I needed to collect my thoughts and was going to have a little snack before I headed home.  He stopped and said he would run back and get me a spoon. ;-)  I told him that was ok because there's a little spoon under the lid!  I love that little spoon.

130/365

BELLY FLOP
It wasn't too long ago that I was injecting myself with fertility drugs and was black and blue from that... then it was acupuncture needles... now it's this Zoladex injection. If you hear someone screaming it's me... I keep hitting into everything - kitchen counter, sink, laundry basket. Ouch. Instead of a picture of my bruised belly I'll post this instead - because I really, really want one - in my belly.

129/365

I'D EAT RIBS WITH THIS DUDE

I don't really care about his past or if he really was the first one to break the door down or all the other dirt that I'm sure is going to come out of this. I like this guy and his storytelling ability and thought his handshake with Anderson Cooper was quite endearing. Is anyone else waiting for a Charles Ramsey and Sweet Brown mash up?

128/365

BED OF NAILS
I'm still having problems with my medicine and am trying to figure out what I can do in lieu of taking anything else.  I haven't been able to do my acupuncture or reflexology treatments for awhile so I figured this is the next best thing.  There are many acupressure mats out there... this is the Spoonk mat.  I figured this was the right one for me - there are 6,210 spikes on this one.  Yep - 621.  ;-) I may be slightly obsessed with it.

127/365

PED CROSSING

I had a bunch of doctor appointments the last two days and had to bring The Dad into town so I could use his car... every time I saw this I thought one thing.

When I see a "yield to peds in crosswalk" sign I always picture of bunch of ped (socks) crossing the street.  I can see this little cartoon in my head... they all have pom poms on the back and they are just strolling across the street all by themselves... no people - just the peds. I don't know why that visual cracks me up.

126/365

SO, WHO WANTS TO EAT CHIMICHANGAS NEXT YEAR?

I never was a big fan of Mexican food but my friend Cara is... every time we are out she suggests we go and we usually shoot her down... now that she got Chrissy into eating chimichangas we've been going a little more often but it's the big joke that we never go for Mexican food.  Even The Dad knows it... he and I stopped at El Campesino after an appointment the other day and the first thing he said was take my picture and send it to Cara!

Anyway... Carey posted a video the other day on Facebook...  This guy, Adam Patch, recorded his drunk wife telling a joke about two tortilla chips...  You can watch video here  - its adorable - and check out more of his work on his site.

125/365

NO REFRIED BEANS FOR YOU
The night of Lizzie's surgery we went out to dinner - that may not have been the best idea but she wanted to get out for awhile... Hilary suggested we get Mexican food and Lizzie thought she would just order refried beans... the waiter shook his head and told her they didn't have any - even though we all got them with our dinners!  Anyway, I forgot about this little boy that was getting down almost the whole time we were there.  His mom and her friend were sitting there eating and he was putting on one hell of a show.

124/365

TAKE WALK WE WILL
Cara informed me it was Star Wars Day... May the Fourth be with us all...

123/365

RUNNING WITH THE BIG DOGS
Lily is surprisingly good with big dogs... her cousin Sidney came over to play...

...and all Rick's training and rule of no people food went down the drain when The Dad made him eat chicken lips out of his mouth.

Short video of the two buds can be seen by clicking here.

122/365

TREASURE TROVE
I've been a fan of Trohv for some time... I never really realized where they were located, though... turns out they have a store in Baltimore and one on the DC side of Takoma Park. If I had to describe it I would say it's kind of where Anthropologie would go to shop. They have the typical houseware things - a la Anthropologie or Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel and then these great one of a kind pieces... farm tables, re-purposed doors, etc... They had a big giant shopping cart made by local artist JP Flick. It was $8,000! It's just a lovely, lovely place and I would definitely recommend making a trip there if you are close to the DC area.

I always want to live in any new place I visit.  Takoma Park was no exception... The houses were adorable... the little pink one I posted a few days ago was under contract - listed at $735,000.  Besides going to the local grocery store in a new town I always want to drive around the neighborhood and get real estate books. There were so many cute little bungalows.... everyone had their own unique little things to the houses... gardens, paint jobs, etc... It was just a really sweet, artful little place.  The side of this building had some tromp l'oeil going on...

One of the shopkeepers was from Pittsburgh - his wife was big at the Warhol museum... most of the shop owners were hippies... they have dog friendly dining... food truck Fridays...  a farmers market on Sunday... Just my kind of town.

We got croissants and gelato for a mid morning snack and pizza for lunch...

This place was in Union Market (not Takoma Park) - another lovely home goods store with mentioning... Salt & Sundry. There were some really fab farm tables in there as well as this ridiculously gorgeous table!

121/365

THE HIGHWAY SIGNS SAY WE'RE CLOSE BUT I DON'T READ THOSE THINGS ANYMORE

I went to DC this weekend with Chrissy for Lizzie's wisdom teeth surgery.  I was the food nurse...serving pudding and applesauce and mashed potatoes. And reading the TripTik.  Lizzie tweeted about her mother's fascination/obsession with the TripTik and AAA made it a favorite! It was a momentous day.

I still wasn't feeling that great and was kind of out of sorts when we left... I literally packed 10 minutes before we left and had to include throw up bags... I'll spare you the details.  There is something that always cheers me up, though... car snacks! It's not a road trip without the snacks.

I love the road... the pavement and the sky and the trees...

I find myself stating random interesting facts I've learned through the years about road signs and highway design. We got stuck behind a paint line truck - loved it.  I do know my dream of being an overnight trucker is never going to come true but it's still fun to think about... Lily and I would have made a good team just traveling around the country together making deliveries.  We could have been known as that girl and her pug and would have hosted (other trucker) dog meet ups at the rest stops.

I kind of rubbed off on Chrissy...  She said she always wanted to stop at that gift shop in Breezewood but Ted never would... so we had to make a little pit stop.

I think I bought that iron pig bell from the kitchen in there - it's all Steeler/Penguin/Pirate stuff now and some other teams... and a bunch of 50 state magnets and ornaments.  That's me in the Polamalu mask. If I can give you any advice - stop at all the shops on the side of the road and get off the exits and go to the local hangouts... you won't regret it. 

Oh and... there's one radio station in DC that just plays all Lumineers and Mumford & Sons, right?  And that one Bruno Mars song. If so, we had it on. ;-)