She Showed Me Hers, So I'm Showing Mine - The Crap That Lives In My Purse

After a special "puh-lease" from Erin at The Mother Load, I have agreed to show the contents of the hidden recesses of my purse (not that you asked to see it, but still). But you have to look at hers first. Click HERE. Go on, I'll wait.

Was that a packed bag, or what? Like Erin, I've seen this post around Blog Land, and thought about joining in, but didn't want to embarrass myself. Also like Erin, I wish I could remember all the blogs I'd seen it on so I could give them credit. If you are one of those, feel free to leave your link in the comments!!

Alrighty then, here it goes.

This is the bag. It's Nine West and I got it for $29 at TJMaxx. Because I REFUSE to pay more than $30 for a purse. Coach-smoach. I can buy lots of good stuff for what those other big name brand purses cost. Just not my thing.

And now the contents.

Hi, my name is Ally and I am a business card addict. Seriously, who needs this many business cards in their purse? You can't see them all, but on the right there, there are two STACKS of cards clipped together with those little clips. One has 5 cards and bandaid. The other has 21 - three of them are those "buy 800 and we'll give you one free" cards and nine are my own business cards. The unclipped stacks hold 26 business cards, one more "buy __ and get one free" card, and my season pass into the high school football home games. Of course the regular season games ended this last week. So the card is now worthless. 7 more of those are MY business cards.

Okay, what else. Oh yes, the Starbucks card that I have NO idea if it has any $ left on it, my keys (sans clicker that broke - grrrr), one return receipt from Target and my folded To-Do list, most items not done. And my Gravity-T cell phone that I can't live without.

That's right. SIX pens and a mechanical pencil. Face powder. Two pennies. A cough drop I'm not sure I would put in my mouth unless desperate. Two almost empty hotel bottles of hand lotion because I can't wash my hands and not put on hand lotion - another addiction. Purell. An inhaler I haven't needed for almost a year. A small tin mint box from Hawaii that I refill with Altoids. A beat up small note book. Another Starbucks card - this one DOES have money in it. Ooooh and a T-Mobile rebate card that used to have $50 on it that, AGAIN, I have NO IDEA if it still has any money on it. I'll be checking that as soon as I'm done with this post. That silver thing top left? My business card holder - STOP LAUGHING!! Yes, it has more of my business cards in it. And two keys - one belonging to my grandmother's house, one to my late mother-in-law's house. That's my wallet in there - I won't even begin to tell you what's in there (or count the business cards!!!) I WILL say that there is $96 in there and I NEVER have cash with me! Cool!

What, that's not enough?? Okay, well there's two nail files - those two cute things in pink on the left. A little pill container that has 5 ibuprofen, 1 peppermint capsule and a tiny screw that fell out of my old computer - SO THAT'S WHERE I STASHED IT!!!  One hair band and two bobby pins. My NANAK's Lip Smoothie in coconut - all natural and awesome. Dental floss. TWO bullet shaped Natracare tampons - I'm green too, Erin!! A lip pencil and a lip gloss, a hand wipe package that is probably dried out, a hair clip, nail clippers, a pack of Soap On The Go dissolving soap strips, a key ring flashlight, two more cough drops, a toothpick (GA-ROSS!), a dime, a free lip balm that I probably won't use, AND my green grocery bag that folds up tiny in it's own little bag that I keep in my purse in case I forget to grab a reusable bag from the trunk.


Phew. You are probably thinking I'm a business card hoarder. Yeah, well maybe you have a point. I'm happy to report that not all that stuff went back into my purse. And usually there's a Lara Bar - peanut butter cookie flavor in there, too, but I must have eaten in this week.

Do you have the courage to show what's in your bag?

***Ally

Monsters In Your House?

Halloween is right around the bend, so what better time to talk about what scared the crap out of me as a child?

We lived in a house with a daylight basement. In that basement was a big old furnace in it's own little alcove at the back of the laundry room. There was about 18 inches of walking space around that old beast. It think there may have been some storage shelves way in the back. The fuse box was back there. Yes, FUSES. Do you know what those are? The big round fuses that you screw in? Not the modern circuit breakers of today. AND THERE WAS NO LIGHT.

Yes, you could turn on the light in the laundry room, but that light wasn't going to touch the deep dark recesses of that furnace alcove. Monsters lived in that alcove.

Now, don't go telling me there's no such thing as monsters. I grew up in the times of Ted Bundy. He was a monster. We used to try to freak each other out at Girl Scout Camp wondering if he was in the area. To us, he was just a name in the news. We were too young and naive to realize just how real and scary he was.

But the monsters that lived by the furnace were huge and hairy and ugly. I'm sure they were drooling and had sharp teeth. I'm pretty sure they had claws, too.

Inevitably, I would have to go to the basement for something. I would stand at the top of the stairs and turn on the light, which was a single bulb above the stairway. I would stare at the light switch at the bottom of the stairs that would light the laundry room. I would take a deep breath, peek around the corner, and the RUN. Down the stairs, hit the switch, fly across the room, grab what I needed, turn around, hit the switch back off and fly back up the stairs. I'd done it. I'd beat the monster again. Out of breath, I would look over my shoulder to make sure it hadn't followed me, hit the light switch for the stairs and close the door. Safe. Until next time.

Did you have monsters in YOUR house?

***Ally

Mother's Rules

When I was I kid I never got what I wanted.  For Christmas I asked for a Barbie Dream House or an Easybake Oven like Ally had, but I always got something different.  Hence, the Barbie Camping equipment Ally mentioned yesterday.  And my sister always got the exact same thing for fear one of us (my sister) would be jealous.

One year we both got that creepy life-size Barbie head that came with make-up and pink rollers for her hair.  The commercial showed all the amazing hairdos you could create with a little shampoo and set.  I couldn't wait to dunk my plastic Barbie head under the sink and get started on her makeover, but my mom wouldn't allow us.  She also didn't even like us to brush Barbie's hair because it left long, blond hairs on our green carpet.

As for the camping equipment, the rafts were never allowed to touch actual water, no matter how much we pleaded to put just "a little" water in the bathtub.  And when we were done playing, everything had to be put back in its original box.

Before you start feeling sorry for my horrible childhood, don't.  Remember I had my BFF Ally to play with and borrow her cool toys.  And not having my own Dream House forced me to make my own out of cardboard boxes.  That may sound lame to you girls that had the real thing, but it forced me to be creative and use my imagination.

Was my mom crazy?  You bet!  And the teenage rules weren't any better.  We were not allowed to spray hairsrpay in the bathroom because it made the mirror sticky.  My sister and I had to go on the front porch to lacquer our permed hair with Rave and Final Net.

But I survived.  My son is allowed to "play" with his toys and they are mostly stored on his filthy bedroom floor, not the original boxes.  As for my bathroom mirror, it is usually covered with expensive hairspray.  Every once in a while I clean it off with a little Windex.

-Lela

Were Your Toys Loved?

Not too long ago, I mentioned that I had Barbie accessories belonging to both Lela and I when we were kids. I needed to take some pictures of them to try to sell them.

I finally got around to taking the pictures this weekend. I started with my stuff (although I'm still missing a Barbie Mountain Cabin around here somewhere!) and then moved on to Lela's.

Let me say this. Lela lived right down the street from me. Literally, down the hill. There were approximately 5 houses between us. We spent endless days and nights together. Endless.

As I opened each thing that belonged to me, I had a flood of memories of playing with these things as a child. Not just alone, but with every friend I had over and every stinking one of my cousins. Barbie clothes that are worn from being taken on and off so many times. A Barbie bed that I put her to sleep in many times. Barbie living room furniture that Ken and Barbie sat on. Dining room furniture that I could never really get the dolls to sit at without falling over. But it was fun to set the table with the miniature Barbie dishes, anyway.

And then I opened Lela's things and I was like a child in a toy store. I was in awe of the awesomeness of these items. Blow-up Barbie furniture. The Barbie Country Camper. The Barbie fishing set, complete with boat, fishing rod, tackle box, back pack, etc. Barbie gardening tools. No signs of wear.

I was in awe. Really. BECAUSE I'D NEVER SEEN HALF THESE THINGS BEFORE. And I'd most CERTAINLY never played with them! WTH? We've known each other for 38+ years! Frankly, by the perfect condition of most of these items, I'm not sure Lela ever played with them either.

And then I started to remember more. I remembered the room down in Lela's basement where their toys and games were stored. Every toy in it's original box, in it's spot on the shelf. I remember looking at all those toys with longing and admiration, though rarely able to touch.

Lela loves to say that I had all the 'cool' stuff as a kid. I'm here to tell you, she had some REALLY cool stuff! 

I called Lela and we talked about these things. We laughed and commented on the craziness of it all. Turns out she and her sister had just recently had the same discussion, at much greater lengths.

I'm sure Lela and her sister played with those toys, but Lela's mom (who I love to this day, don't get me wrong) didn't really like the idea of a bunch of kids in the house making messes that she would have to clean up, or noise she'd have to listen to. Nah, we did that stuff at MY house! 

It's complicated, to be sure. And something I never realized as a kid. It's funny how you realize things about your childhood when you can look back through adult eyes.

But I have to say, though my old toys may show a bit more wear, I think they also show a bit more "childhood". After all, toys are for playing with. I do hope all of these toys get into the hands of young girls who will play with them, enjoy them and love them.

***Ally

Post It Note Tuesday

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It's Just Another Manic Monday

...wish it was Sunday. Cause that's my Funday.

Okay, now that I've got that song firmly implanted in your head... if you are old enough to remember it, that is. No? Okay, 1986, by The Bangles. Originally written by Prince, for Apollonia 6. (I just totally lost you there, didn't I? Sorry about that. I'm a total child of the 80's) You can listen here.

Anyrandomness, that is how my brain is currently working. Useless random thoughts and ideas, with an inability to focus on anything productive. Let's blame PMS.

So I'll hit you with some random happenings:

** 5:30am Sunday morning, what sounded like a hurricane was hitting my bedroom window. Wind gusts that had me convinced the windows might actually give. Rain that sounded like someone was playing a joke and a hose was turned on the window. And then it stopped. Just like that. But I was awake, so after an hour I got up. Looking out the window, I spied the bright moon, big as life. WTH? Really, I didn't dream it.

**My husband's laptop got a virus Thursday. He's been fighting it ever since. Literally for hours and hours and hours every day and every night since. It was a Microsoft looking screen that came up claiming a virus had been detected. Unfortunately, it appears to have been the SOURCE of the virus. He's run scans, programs, etc to remove it, but somewhere there remains a bug, and everytime he connects to the internet, the "bug" goes out and grabs it again. This, being my very un-technical explanation. All I do understand is that it involves a lot of swearing.

**On Friday night, my Skype screen popped up on my laptop. And guess what? It tried to tell me that it had detected a virus in my Windows software. I might be gullible, but seeing as how I use a Mac, and am not running Windows, I knew I was being had. That and the fact that Skype does not/will not scan your computer for a virus. Luckily for me, I shut it down. What the heck is going on around here?

**I CLEANED OUT MY GUEST ROOM. This is major for me. Somehow, my family has gotten the idea that if you need to get rid of something, put it in the guest room. Which means: guest room=dumping ground. And I am guilty too. In the last few months, all three of us have gone through closets, I've gone through storage closets, drawers, cupboards. All in my quest not to fill my house with "stuff". After all, stuff is not what makes us happy, and in my case, often stresses me out. Getting rid of it is like new life! It's so awesome and makes me go - ahhhhhhhh. Thanks to my husband who hauled it all off to the donation center.

**Oh and this. This was just an awesome post over at Redhead Ranting. I needed a good slap. Thanks Erin, for linking it up.

Still singing that song in your head? Bwahahaha

***Ally

Just so you know: The on and off storms continued all day Sunday and even this morning - I really did not dream it! And my husband ended up wiping his hard drive clean and reinstalling his operating system. Yikes! Don't ever believe a pop up window!

Is It 5 O'Clock Yet?

Last night I slept on an ant hill and this morning I almost burnt the house down.

When I am sick I sleep on the couch. I woke up to a sore throat and the sound of pouring rain. Awesome.

I groggily walked through the dark house closing windows and checking for leaks, then crawled back onto the couch. When the sun came up I noticed something weird with the floor. A colony of tiny black ants was marching in a straight line from the wall, across the floor, around the area rug, and under the couch. Where I slept all night. All of the sudden I started to itch.


I knew why they were congregating under the couch, probably feasting on popcorn and Cheezits (left there by my husband and son, NOT me). I won't bore you with my ant-extermination procedure, but picture me in my pajamas on my hands and knees on the hardwood floor. Then picture lots of Raid, paper towels, and swearing.


After that mess was cleaned up I decided I needed something to to eat. I put a pot of leftover beef stew on the stove and went to the bathroom. Let's just say I was in there for a while.


When I opened the bathroom door the house was filled with smoke and smelled like a cross between a dirty ashtray and a camp fire. I ran to the stove, coughing, and threw the pot outside. I couldn't believe the smoke alarm didn't go off. After opening every door and window, I went upstairs to check out the damage there.


My son was calmly watching T.V. through a cloud of smoke.


"What the hell? Can't you smell that? Didn't you notice the smoke?" I yelled, opening more windows.


"Uh, no." That was turning into his typical teenage reply.


"Ugh!" was all I could say.


On the bright side, I would rather deal with ants than cockroaches, and although the house still reeks, at least it didn't burn down.


-Lela

Christmas Is Coming

Check out my latest time-suck project: Making Christmas tags.

Never mind that the bathroom is half-painted and we are out of milk and toilet paper. I just thought it would be a great idea to take out the Cricut Cutter and smear glitter and glue all over the kitchen table. The family would rather eat in the living room in front of the T.V. anyway, right?

Forget the fact that I have spent $40 in "new" supplies to make tags that people will probably throw away. My reasoning is that it makes me happy and it is not fattening. And I feel like I am getting a jump-start on the holidays.

I plan on wrapping all my presents this year in recylcled brown paper bags and adorning each one with a handmade gift tag.

Now, if I only had some gift ideas.

-Lela, the elf

Inspiration for Exercise

I'm a runner. At least I'm supposed to be. But I had a knee problem and I'm still rehabbing it. So in the meantime, I have my bike on the wind trainer in the bedroom (which sadly, but conveniently, also houses our exercise equipment).

Cycling in one place is boring. But I have new inspiration. Want to see it?



keep scrolling...



a little more...



here he is....



HE would be Alex O'Loughlin from Hawaii Five-O. The new Hawaii Five-O. The show I thought would be dumb. But Lela convinced me to watch it and I'm hooked. This guy plays a super hot ex-Navy Seal. That helps the show's entertainment value a lot.

Anyway, I watch it On-Demand and voila, 45 minutes of entertainment to take my mind off cycling in place. Hey, whatever keeps the wheels spinning, right?

***Ally

Post It Note Tuesday

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Playing Dress Up

A few weeks back, I posted about my son's "romantic" ways. Or at least the way he asked his girlfriend to the Homecoming dance. You can see it here.

Anyteenager, the dance was Saturday night. Fortunately for my nerves and mental stability, none of them are old enough to drive yet, so they still had to rely on parents. I got to drive them to dinner, then take them from dinner to the dance.

The really fun part about taking them to the dance is that I get to see all the other students arriving. I get to check out all the dresses and the crazies. Yes, there are some crazies. There were mohawks, hanging suspenders, and I even spied one light blue striped tux complete with top hat.

There seems to be a nationwide trend with girls' dresses. They are getting quite short. By quite short, I mean really, really short. Short enough to make Lela and I question how they would sit down, let alone get in or out of a car. Oh, and shoes are getting really, really tall. There's something rather hooker-ish about the combo sometimes. Yes, I said it, and no I'm not trying to call them hookers, it's just that it's not always a tasteful statement. I'm so glad I'm not the mother of a girl right now. That balance between what is "in fashion" and what is tasteful gets so blurred sometimes. Or, I am just getting old and conservative.... Nah. EEEK!

My husband and I recently got pictures emailed from our niece's Homecoming dance, and I have to admit, we were both a bit taken aback. She's a great kid, and in all defense of her, her dress was no shorter, and her heels no higher than anyone else in her rather large group. But that doesn't make it classy.

Back to my son's dance. I was very relieved that all the girls in their group chose longer dresses. The boys all looked handsome in their tuxes and ties.

Sorry, without permission, I didn't want throw their faces out there.

My friend recommended a new florist for the corsage this year. I was a little uneasy, because when we ordered it, the girl working couldn't really tell me what it would look like. But my friend swore they were great, so we threw caution to the wind and ordered. I was thrilled. (Frankly, I don't think 16 year old boys care, as long as it's a flower). Instead of the basic roses and colored ribbon, they used a calla lily and some other little white flowers on a satin wrist ribbon. And even packaged in this pretty little box!


In true 16 year old fashion, they were both a little rattled to try to put them on each other... she was sure she would stab him with the pins and he didn't know how to shorten the ribbon, but they faked it for pictures.



And as a little touch of class, my son took a bouquet of flowers to his girlfriend's mom. Okay, I might have mildly suggested it. But she opened her house for the kids to gather, welcomes my son over all the time, and feeds him often enough to make me feel guilty.

Flowers for her mom.

The dance was a success... he actually got his girlfriend to dance this year, something she wouldn't do last year for fear of looking stupid. I think he convinced her when he said, "Everyone looks stupid, you just blend in." Smart kid. And they went bowling in their formal wear at the end of the night. Don't ask. I just try to remember that I did goofy stuff like that as a teenager, too... I just usually choose not to admit it.

***Ally

It Was A Good Week

1. My letter to the to the editor got published in the newspaper.

2. I lost 5 pounds.

3. I went to Disneyland. For free.

4. I rode the Matterhorn twice and shared popcorn on a park bench with my husband.

5. I won a free ticket on a lottery scratcher.

6. My sister in Washington finally sent me my antique crystal trifle bowl (12 months late). It is really beautiful and I can't wait to use it for the holidays.

7. I got to see my stepson one last time before he goes to Marine boot camp.

8. I got a coupon in the mail for one free taco at Wahoo's Fish Tacos, my favorite.

9. I couldn't live with the new paint color in the master bath, but my husband picked out a new one that I love.

10. I got my period. But hey, at least I'm not pregnant!

-Lela

Random Compliments

My son and I were watching "The Biggest Loser" when one of the contestants looked disappointed for losing 8 pounds in a week.

"I wish I could lose 8 pounds in a month," I said.

"Yeah, but you're skinny-fat, Mom.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well," he explained, "You are kinda big, but compared to a really fat person you are skinny."

Hmmm. Thank you?

* * *

One time I was putting on my black Converse All Stars and he said, "Are you trying to look like a teenager?"

Oh, hell no!

* * *

Recently I was sitting next to him on bleachers watching my husband race his car. I leaned in close to tell him something over the loud engine noise.

"You breath smells like mint and bad breath," he said, wincing.


Well, I was chewing gum and had just eaten a hot dog.

* * *

I don't want to leave my husband out so let me tell you that whenever I ask him if something makes my butt look big, he always replies, "Yes".

-Lela

I Smell A Rat

Last night as my son was getting ready for bed, he came running down the stairs and announced he'd forgotten to tell us something. Remember, he's 16.

Boy, "A rat died under the edge of the step off the front porch."

My sleepy eyes opened a little wider. "Excuse me?"

Boy, "When I left the house this morning, I there was a terrible smell. I looked and I thought it was a hairball, so I poked it with a stick. It's a rat and there's a bunch of white worms in it." I did say he was 16, not 8, right?

I threw up a little in my mouth. A hairball? In the driveway? Really?

Husband, "Oh yeah, I saw that."

Me to husband, "Wh - what? You saw it? And you didn't do anything?" Me to boy, "And you! You didn't bother to stick your head back in the door and TELL us? Or text me? You text everything else!"

Husband, "I didn't know it was a rat! I thought it was, you know, a hairball."

Dear God, who were these people I lived with?

Me, "Well you need to go take care of it."

Husband, "Now?"

Me, "Uh yeah, now. I'm not going to sleep knowing there's a dead rat smelling up the neighborhood right off the edge of my porch!"

Husband, "What am I supposed to do with it?"

Me, with frustration mounting, "Get it into a plastic bag... or five, and throw it away!" (I know Erin, the plastic bags are bad... but it was a dead RAT! I'm good usually, I promise!)

After the deed was done, he returned asking, "What do we do about the pile of maggots?"

I threw up a little more in my mouth. "Spray them with some Raid."

Husband, "We don't have any."

Of course we didn't have any. "Well find something. I don't want maggots crawling into my garage!"

But we had some all natural wasp spray - it's made with some kind of mint oil, and the label says it's Nature's Neurotoxin. He wasn't sure it would work, but gave it a try. It worked. I'm pretty sure this morning there is a pile of dead maggots in my driveway. And I won't be throwing anything in the garbage can until the next garbage day. The guys can handle that job.

In my defense - I use the garage door. I rarely go in and out the front door. So no, I didn't see it or smell it. Thank goodness. I'm pretty sure this is why we get married. So husbands can take care of dead things. Right?

***Ally

Post It Note Tuesday

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I Picked The Wrong Career

I just recently finished a course to become a certified personal trainer. It's simply to further my knowledge of exercise and kinesiology, and to be able to legally recommend exercises to my patients when needed. (I'm currently a muscular therapist.)

Which is all very irrelevant. The point is, that while I was taking the test, the typos and grammatical errors were jumping off the page and slapping me in the face. That stuff drives me insane! It makes my eye twitch to get professional material with those kinds of errors. I'm sure I make them all the time - it's actually much harder to pick them up in your own words than it is in someone else's. But then, I don't put out professional work material without having someone else proof it! (Blog not included, so don't point out my mistakes there - I'm sure there are plenty.)

Just a few examples of what I saw: then vs. than; "or" was spelled "ore"; your vs. you're; and randomly capitalized letters for no apparent reason.

None of these are a big deal, they are not life or death, and I did not fail to get the point that was being made.

But what I've come to realize is that I think I made the wrong career choice! I should have been an editor! Getting paid to find these kinds of errors? It would be like an OCD dream come true. Puuuure satisfaction.

***Ally

Breath (Not Breathe)

The other morning, my sweet teenage son, who still loves his mom, wandered sleepily out of his room and came up close to tell me something.

An odor somewhat reminiscent of decay and death wafted from his mouth with his words.

After picking myself up off the floor, I took a step or two back and continued our short conversation while trying not to breathe through my nose.

Now, in his defense, he has had to sleep with plastic orthodontic appliance in his mouth for the past several years. Plastic in your mouth all night does nothing for morning breath. He'll be giving that up for braces in a few short weeks. Thank God.

He is fairly conscious of odors (he does have a girlfriend, after all) and always wears deodorant and has mint gum on him. He is a normal teenage kid.

Here's what I'm wondering - I don't remember breath odor being an issue in high school (or college). (OMG- is that why I rarely had a boyfriend?! Light bulb!). Seriously, I don't remember kissing someone and wanting to gag. Unless that someone had been smoking, because who wants to play tonsil hockey with an ashtray?

So:

a) did I have a young, underdeveloped, unsophisticated smeller?
b) did I have horrible breath myself, so I didn't smell anyone else's?
c) did I have a perfectly clean, fresh mouth always, therefore never thought about it? (I was sort of hyper-careful about clean teeth because I had braces, just another OCD trait of mine)
d) was I so happy to be kissed that I failed to realize the obvious?
e) am I so old that I simply can't remember that breath WAS an issue back then?

I think I'm going with "C" because the other choices kind of suck.

Whatever it was, I'm conscious of it now. My poor husband knows not to even come near me with bad breath, because I'll send him packing in search of a toothbrush. I work in close contact with people all day and have Altoids in my treatment room always. I keep a toothbrush at the office, gum in the car, and mints in my purse.

Don't you just love movies and television that show a couple waking up in the morning and without ever getting out of bed, they just go for it? Yeah, right. First of all, I don't wake up without having to pee, so there's nothing happening until that's done. And morning breath just isn't going to cut it.

***Ally

When The Husband's Away . . .

My husband is out of town all week and I have been left with the teenager and the unfinished bathroom. I love my husband but I don't really miss him yet.

Here is a list of the top 5 things that are awesome about having him gone:

1. I can have a peaceful night's sleep. No snoring, no weird breathing noises and no work alarms waking me.

2. I can leave books and clothes on his side of the bed while I sleep.

3. I don't have to shave my legs. Or even shower, now that I think about it.

4. No dirty dishes in the sink.

5. Total control of the remote control. No NASCAR or Ice Road Truckers.

I wonder if my sweet husband can find anything awesome about being away from me.

-Lela

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday

A good fiery sunset always warms my heart.

***Ally

Generosity Abounds

Imagine you had a life. And somehow, you made a bad decision and took a hit of meth. And then another. And then you were hooked. The life you knew took a back seat. The chemical balance in your brain made your next hit more important than your husband, your parents, your children. It consumed your life. You broke hearts. Your husband left. You lost rights to your children. You broke the law to get your next fix. You knew it was wrong, but you didn't know how to change it. You went to jail. You hit bottom. You got help. With a felony record, you've finally been clean for a while. You have no job, no money. You are offered a last chance way back to a respectable life.

I belong to a women's "guild" (or club) that supports two transitional houses for women in substance abuse recovery. The women in these houses have hit bottom, and they are clinging to their last chance to set their lives right. They've made mistakes, often big ones, but they are trying to turn around.

Our guild helps in numerous ways. We provide welcome packs of personal items when they first move into one of the houses - things like pajamas, socks, underwear and toiletries. They often arrive at the houses with nothing but the clothes on their backs. We have a "clothing bank" that they can resource when needing clothes for school, job interviews, etc. We collect household donations to help them set up an apartment when the are finally able to secure permanent housing. And most importantly, we can help with first/last month's rent and damage deposits.

One of our members worked with a local salon that volunteered a Sunday afternoon of beauty for the residents. They each got a haircut and style, manicure and pedicure. During the month before this event, the salon had collected toiletries from their clients. When I walked in, I was completely overcome by the generosity of their clients.

Look at all this stuff! I think there was almost as much under the table as on it!

Have you ever seen so many "personal hygiene products" outside of Costco?

That's a lot of toothpaste. Look under the tubes on the left - those are BOXES of more toothpaste!

These were some of the treats we provided during their salon time. The gift boxes were provided by the salon owner - so generous!

One of the wonderful things about our guild is that we get to see first hand what our support does. I wish I could thank each and every one of the salon clients that donated items. I wish I could tell them how some of the women got tears in their eyes when they saw it. I wish you all could have seen them walk into the salon, nervous, self-conscious. And watch it all melt away as they got to escape daily life for just a couple of hours with a scalp massage, a hair cut, and freshly painted nails. And finish up with just a little more self-confidence.

There is good in the world. People are generous. And it's wonderful to witness.

***Ally

A Lot Can Happen In A Weekend

A week and a half ago, I was severely frustrated by the students I had just finished teaching a kinesiology course to, four of whom, did not pass their final in my class. (There are only 7 students in the class!!) They have to do a retake, but can now only score 80%. It's a long story I won't bore you with, but after realizing it was NOT my teaching (the other three all scored high), and getting excuses from several of them, I was plain and simple, irritated. Which was eased slightly, when they brought in a card and these on Friday:

Supposedly, they just wanted to thank me for being such a "great" teacher. I think there was a couple things behind it. They felt bad. AND they want me to teach their business course starting next month. Hmph. We'll just see about that. But they made a good step in softening my irritation. Varieties of all white flowers are one of my FAVORITES. They were beautiful.

Then I got home and there was not one, but TWO boxes that had arrived in the mail with my name on them. And the best part was, I hadn't ordered anything! After opening them both, they were from Lela. My birthday is coming up, and as usual, she is totally on top of it, ordering me thoughtful gifts that arrived a full 10 days before my birthday. I loooove to milk my birthday as long as possible!

First was this little box of wonderful salted caramels.... mmmmmmmmm. I'm trying to make them last, but have actually been relying on them like an alcoholic relies on drinks to get through the day.


And then, there was this great little book called "The Writer's Block" - 786 ideas to jump-start your imagination. No excuses for me!


Then came Saturday. Delicious. That was how I described my simple meal of a burger, fries and shake.

Those who know me can attest that I am not a fast food junkie. I rarely partake in it. In fact, you can usually count the times per year on one hand, and it usually revolves around a road trip or a baseball tournament, where other choices are hard to come by. And even then, we are more likely to stop at a small town grocery store and make healthier choices. That's just me.

I also have a bit of a problem about where my meat comes from. I'm not here to preach to you about it, I'm just saying that I try to make good, conscious choices.

Sooooo, in Seattle is a place called Blue Moon Burgers. They sell burgers (beef, chicken, turkey, garden & salmon), two kinds of fries (waffle and shoestring), shakes, malts, sodas and local beer. Their beef comes from a LOCAL (in state) farm where the cows are grass fed and finished on certified organic pastures. They are slaughtered on site, not hauled off to a... well, you get the idea. They even have gluten free buns available. I've been eyeing them for a while now. It's a bit of a drive, but hey, I'm up for an adventure.

We packed up my 16 year old son and his girlfriend (dear God, that sounds SO weird to say - his girlfriend?) and headed out. Between my peri-menopausal skin and the kids in the backseat, there was enough acne in the car to promote a Pro-Activ commercial.

It really is a simple fast food place. With really great food. We had to try both kinds of fries, and the kids had chocolate shakes. I could not resist trying the seasonal shake of the month - a pumpkin pie milkshake. The sign said "real pumpkin pie flavoring". I was skeptical, but figured, what the heck. It tasted like... A. Pumpkin. Pie. Seriously. There were even minute chunks of pumpkin pie in there. YUM! I even dipped my fries in the pumpkin shake - love that salty sweet treat! My husband had a local brewery beer, beer guy that he is.

Photo credit: Blue Moon Burgers

Photo credit: Blue Moon Burgers

It was a total junk food, fast food, meal with only a little of the guilt. In fact on one of their signs on the floor it said something about - Making you feel good about bad choices.

Uh... no, despite how it sounds, I did not get paid to say all that. And I have the credit card receipt to prove the exact opposite. Do you know how much it costs to take four people out for gourmet burgers??? Eeek! $$$

And then came Sunday. I'll leave the morning for another post, but in the afternoon we were off to rent my son's tuxedo for the Homecoming Dance. He had looked on the website before we left at the "Top Tuxes". He saw this:

Photo credit: Men's Warehouse.com

I still don't know if he really liked the look, or if it was the title "The Rock Star" that hooked him, but that's what he liked. We didn't get that exact tux, but we did put together a similar ensemble. Black on black on black with a purple tie (you'll have to take my word for it, it's not that bad) to match the girlfriend's dress. The only question remains: will he wear the plastic rental tux shoes? Or will he wear his black Converse? We'll have to wait and see. Homecoming is on the 16th, and there will surely be stories to relay.

***Ally

And Now . . . 10 Random Things About Lela

1. I love rap music from the 80 's and often embarrass my family by answering them in rap. For example, when my son says, "That's not funny," I reply with a little Run D.M.C., "It's not funny when you buy a T.V. off the street. Take it home, plug it in, BAM! You got beat." I know. I am hilarious.

2. At the grocery store I watch the checker like a hawk to make sure he or she doesn't overcharge me. I also can't leave the store without checking my receipt. My mom does the same thing.

3. I wear a size 11 shoe, proudly. When I was in high school I should have worn a 10, but squished my feet into 9 1/2 to make them look smaller. What was I thinking?

4. I have a kindergarten memory of Ally and I (both tall for our ages) sitting in chairs that seemed too small, with knees hitting the table.

5. Another great kindergarten memory with Ally was when a boy in our class showed us his wiener. I told my mom and that's when I learned the word for penis.

6. My husband and I only dated for 3 months before he asked me to marry him.

7. I was a stewardess for 15 years and traveled the world. Now I am afraid to fly.

8. I like to sew and once made a really cute dress that I wore to a friend's wedding.

9. I not a big fan of hugging.

10. If I could change one thing about myself I would have a beautiful, bluesy singing voice.

-Lela