Let's play!

OH what a case of blogger’s guilt I have! Apparently I can only obsess about one thing at a time and this week and last it’s been Weight Watcher’s points and counting them. But I have been tagged a few times and I really need to catch up.

I was actually tagged first by Lady Banana, and then by Jewellery Craft with the same linky tag, “Links around the world.” It’s about helping people build the readership on their blogs and getting a boost on your own at the same time! Pretty cool if you ask me. I am combining Lady Banana’s and Jewellery Craft’s links, and adding mine at the end.

The instructions:

1. Place your link at the end of the list. If you have more than 1 blog, feel free to add them all here!

2. After placing your blog’s address, you must tag 5 or more bloggers that are not yet on the list, this is to keep the ball rolling. (Please remember to let the bloggers know they've been tagged!)

The Strategist Notebook ~ Link Addiction ~ Ardour of the Heart ~ When Life Becomes a Book ~ The Malaysian Life ~ Yogatta.com ~ What goes under the sun ~ Roshidan’s Cyber Station ~ Sasha says ~ Arts of Physics ~ And the legend lives ~ My View, My Life ~ A Simple Life ~ Juliana RW ~ Mom Knows Everything ~ Beth & Cory’s Mom ~ A Mind Forever Voyaging~ enjoying the ride ~ Jennifer’s thoughts ~ Mom of 3 Girls ~ Amanda ~ Don’t Make Me Get The Flying Monkeys ~ ExPat Mom ~ Just Jessie ~ Wilson Six ~Krisitn ~ Nuttier Than You ~ Shonnte ~ Summer’s Nook ~ Laura Williams Musings ~ Sher ~ Shanda ~ Seven QTPies ~ Mel ~ Skittles ~ Lady Banana ~ Momhood Moments ~ Business Mars ~ A Simple life ~ moms….. check nyo ~ Mommy’s Little Corner ~ Pampered ~ HappyHeart ~ Make Every Day Your Lucky Day ~ Thumbelina Creations ~ Ivonnardona's Creations ~ Jewellery Craft ~ A Bead a Day

Now I need to tag 5 more people to keep the list of links going. I am going to tag:

Watercolor Works and More

A Spiritual Dog Blog

Blogging with Dyslexia

Useless Ramblings

Hidden Mahala

The next tag I got was for a “7 weird things” meme. I was tagged by a lady whose blog I just found recently, her name is Sue Zipkin at Blogging with Dyslexia. I stumbled across her blog and was pleased as punch (yes I said that) because she designed the dinnerware I use and I was thrilled to be able to tell her how much I love it!

I must admit I have done a 7 weird things meme before, and with my link to 100 things about me up at the top, this one is tough for me. But – here goes!

1) I produced 2 children who had an extra tooth growing in the roof of their mouths. It is called a mesiodens and we theorize it had something to do with the copious amounts of premium ice cream I ate while pregnant.

2) After my parents divorced I was basically a latchkey kid – except I never had a key to the house. We never locked it. Ever.

3) I have 2 African water frogs that will not die. Supposedly they belong to my kids but since I feed them and clean the filter and their tank, I have earned the right to call them mine. They are over 10 years old now and I swear they will still be here when I am gone.

4) I hate grocery shopping to the point that I’m almost phobic. Hence my recent $356.00 trip to the store. I don’t go very often.

5) I have wide feet with impossibly short toes. My first boyfriend always told me they were cute, so I have always liked them. (except for the fact that I can’t buy shoes for them!!)

6) My 2 favorite pieces of furniture in my living room were garbage picked. Not by me, but none the less.

7) I’ve mentioned before that I go to sleep to forensic shows on TV every night. But what I didn’t say is that my daughter thinks it’s totally disturbing and loves to tell her friends; “my Mom sleeps to murder!” Uh, that’s not exactly it, but when she puts it like that is sure sounds weird!

I hope those weren’t too lame but I really had a hard time coming up with them! You wouldn’t think it would be that hard seeing as I’m not quite normal a lot of the time.

Now for the tagging!

Jewellery Craft

Lady Banana

Catcalls

Candid Yammering

Drew’s Brave New World

As usual, let the people know you have tagged them ~ and then they tag 5 people … and so it goes. Also – since I rarely follow the rules, I totally understand when other people ignore them too!

Top 10 ways to tell my daughter is home from school..

10) There is a winter coat lying on the kitchen table.

9) There is an America’s Next Top Model marathon on the TV.

8) We have already run out of hot water once today.

7) There is folded laundry all over the living room, wet sweaters drying on chairs and bras hung in various places in the utility room.

6) I have been talked into giving an impromptu haircut in the kitchen.

5) There are books lying around that I would never, ever read.

4) There are wet clothes in the washer and dry ones in the dryer – and neither machine is running.

3) Somebody let a Furby out.

2) Someone has been sitting at my makeup mirror and using my makeup! (Goldilocks, perhaps?)

And the number one way to tell my daughter is home from school;

1) Every. Single. Light. is on in the house!!!!

*

That ad is mocking me!!

There are some ads on the bottom of my blog that some people can't see. I can see them if I am using Firefox but not if I am using Internet Explorer. I don't know why and I've never tried to figure it out. Care much? No.


But even if you can see those ads, I have a feeling I am the only one who caught this! The highlighted sentence says "...Nutrisystem would be the answer but it wasn't. Diet tea? Uh uh. Diet pills from the doctor? Nah. And no I won't try that oily stool stuff 'Alli'."

~Click on picture to enlarge~

Too funny.

I got 'em!!!

When I moved into this house there was a big oak tree in the front yard - okay maybe it's a maple - anyway - there was an old-fashioned wooden birdhouse nailed to the front of it. It didn't look like it had gotten any use in a long time but then, I'm not sure how good birds are with maintenance.




One day I came home from work and the birdhouse lay shattered at the base of the tree and being old like I am, my first thought was - "damn teenagers!" I figured some kids had come by and who knows - challenged each other to see if they could jump high enough to touch the birdhouse, and knocked it down in the process. Or just maybe they did it on purpose. I'm suspicious like that.


My BF nailed it back up for me, more because I wanted whoever knocked it down to see it up again - it was a small act of defiance against those who would vandalize someone else's property. After putting it back up my BF noted that the hole in the front seemed larger than it should be and looked like something had been chewing on it. Okay, that was a little weird, but I forgot about it.


I have had the devil of a time capturing the culprit, but I finally got him on film! I had to take it from a distance because he never hangs around when he sees me coming. The sneak!

~Click picture for a larger view~

Imagine his surprise the day he climbed into that bird house and had it shatter around him! I wish I could have seen him scrambling away from the broken wood on the ground where he ended up! Since then he uses the birdhouse every day as far as I can tell. I see his little face peering out when I leave in the morning and again when I drive up in the evening. He was probably the driest squirrel around during our last snowstorm!

Baby on the way!

We have all had hard times. When hard times coincide with great joy the emotions can be overwhelming. Some wonderful ladies are having a virtual baby shower for Liz over at the house of h. There are even PRIZES involved!! Please head over and have a look and consider participating. Liz is a terrific lady and I only wish I didn’t relate to what she is going through. I didn’t have blog friends when I was in trouble and I am not entirely sure I would have been brave enough to reach out. She is a courageous woman and I admire that.

Click on the badge below

Below is a bit of my story. It is not the same as Liz’s – but it is still meant to say – she is not alone.

**~*~**

I don’t write about this. I haven’t made it a secret but it’s not a favorite blog topic for me. My bankruptcy. It was 4 years ago this month. It’s not an anniversary I celebrate but it saved me.

Sitting in the room before these trustees who were going to decide my fate, I was amazed at the people there trying to win a bankruptcy like it was the lottery. One of the trustees was questioning a woman who was all attitude and little substance.

“I see you petitioned for bankruptcy 2 years ago. Your bankruptcy was not granted. Is that correct?”

“Yeah.” Spoken with her chin thrust upwards.

“And I see that your filing now contains an additional thirty five thousand dollars. Correct?” He was looking at her quizzically now.

“Yeah.” She looked a little bored.

“Tell me what happened between the last time you filed and today, to add thirty five thousand dollars to your filing?”

“Huh?”

“Did you have extraordinary medical expenses? Was legal action taken against you for some reason? Where did the additional thirty five thousand dollars go?”

She didn’t seem to understand why he was asking the question. As if somehow adding that amount of debt in 2 years was an even better reason to grant her petition and not a fact to question.

I sat through several of these types of interviews. When my turn came I was horrified but not surprised to feel tears beginning to form as I made my way up to where the trustees were seated. The trustee was reading my paperwork as I sat down, and then looked up.

“Your total debt is thirty five thousand dollars?” He asked kindly.

“Yes.” I looked down and tried to force my lips to stop trembling. As if I could.

“Tell me what brought you here. What happened?”

I looked up and saw he was looking at me sadly but intently, patiently waiting for the answer he already knew. He had heard it many times before.

I took a shaky breath and started telling him. “It was 10 years of trying to keep my head above water after my divorce. I was trying to take care of my kids and myself and I am just in too deep now. I couldn’t keep my house, I used credit cards to pay bills when I didn’t have any other way. I can’t make even the minimum payments now…”

The trustee was nodding his head and gently interrupted me. “You just can’t keep up anymore.” A statement not a question.

I had to look down again, I was so ashamed to be sitting there in this roomful of people who seemed to think bankruptcy was not a last resort but something they just expected to receive. After the rain you expect the sun to shine, right? Like that. I could barely hold my head up because I felt like such a failure. I wondered how this could possibly be that easy for anyone.

This nice man sitting in front of me was focused on me and my story at that moment. He looked into my eyes as I was talking and silently measured me with the knowledge of a man who has heard it all. But for a few moments he was simply a human being listening compassionately to another – not a government official who had the power to change the direction my life would take from that moment onward.

The look lasted less than a minute and apparently having seen what he needed to he nodded once more and looked down at the papers in front of him.

I was granted my petition that day but more than that – I was granted a fresh start. Somehow the kindness of the trustee who signed my paperwork made me feel forgiven. I didn’t feel dirty or ‘less than’ anymore. He didn’t think I was scamming him, he knew I did not take what I was doing lightly, and he knew I had done everything I could to avoid it.

It isn’t my favorite subject. But it is part of my life and part of my story. It was a huge decision for me and one of the hardest I have ever made. And I am not ashamed.