Charlyn’s Web

During the Holiday Season there are lots of occasions for Socially Inept people to make a fool of themselves.  In order to educate and, hopefully, decrease the chance of embarrassment, let’s discuss a situation and possible responses.  The Scene: A Social Situation i.e. a party.  Someone comments that you look nice and asks if you have lost weight.  You respond with:

A. A demur “Thank you” and smile discreetly.

B. “Yes, yes, I have lost weight” you loudly proclaim knowing full well that two pounds is statistically insignificant.

C. Proclaim loudly that you are wearing a gut constrictor.*

D. Both B and C (loudly)

Leave what you thought I answered with (because, really, this is all about me) and what you think is the best socially adept answer.

*I know, I know, it has a much less descriptive name but whether you call it Spandex, Shapers, Garters, or Corsets they all DO the same thing- constrict your guts.

“Mom, where is the ag basket?” Pixie asked as she came into my bedroom.

Umm, “ag” basket? Agricultural basket?  Is that like the Bread Basket of the United States? No!  Couldn’t be.

“What “ag” basket? What do you mean?”

“You know, the ag basket we put the eggs in.”

Way back when, when I was actually writing blog posts, I wrote a story about The Dog keeping an eye on the Chickens.

Well, he is still at it.  With new charges.

Click on the Thumbnails for full size photos.

Yes, we have chicks.  Someday I will have to tell you all about the On Going, Continuing, Never Ending Chicken Saga.  ( I hope I wasn’t too redundant there.)

“Don’t worry, Mom, I have it all under control.”

Keeping a close eye out.

“You talkin’ to me, Son?”

“Hey!  Don’t peck me!”

(He is actually playing with them here but they don’t seem to get it.  Dumb birds anyway.)

I feel much better about The Dog watching over the chicks then I do this guy.

This week, due to a number of foreseen and unforeseen circumstances, I have the pleasure of seeing one friend every day from last Friday to this Friday.  It started out as rather amusing and we would joke “what is happening tomorrow?” as we parted innocently thinking there was nothing tomorrow.  Then, out of the woodwork, there came another event that we had either forgotten about or was planned last minute.  Which brings up a dilemma that only the women out there will understand- we are running out of fresh things to wear that the other has not seen yet this week.  Now, if it was a man- he wouldn’t notice and it would be fine to sneak in an outfit twice (or more) in the week.  But another woman?  This is heavy stuff!  We are stay at home, homeschooling Moms- we don’t have an extensive wardrobe to choose from.  Plus there are certain things I simply refuse to wear to events like Sports at the Gym.  Things like pencil skirts and heels.  Except for Church on Sunday these events are of the more casual nature.

What this is leading up to is a question.

What must I do to remedy this sorry situation?

A. Expand my social circles so I don’t see this friend so much.

B.  Stop being such a social butterfly.

C.  Buy more clothes!

D.  Forget it!  Wear the same thing all the time!

E.  All of the above.

F.  A, B, and C.

What do you all think?  I am off now to scrounge through my closet to find something new and interesting to wear tonight.

ESFP – The Performers

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead – they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation – qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

The Children helped me decorate the tree. We have a system down now where I unwrap the ornaments and they hang them on the tree. Then, in an exercise of fortitude, I leave them where they were placed by little, loving hands.

Here is the area where the silver balls ended up.

Over here, not too far to the right, is where the silver bells pile onto one branch.  Don’t want them to be alone.  (The second bell is hard to see.)

Then all the gold ornaments apparently needed to be grouped together, away from the silver items (you know how they are.)

Last, but not least, the red balls had there own place of honor on the tree.

Overall, the tree looks lovely.  It was decorated with love and excitement- so fun to see.

Merry Christmas!

If I wash him in hot water will he shrink and turn gray?

Tux in Washer

Autumn Tree

Remember today the people who are the defenders of  our country.

I went out to call the men folk in to dinner one night and as I was standing on the porch, I thought I heard something, something not like a chicken or a bird but more like a kitten, yelling.  I noticed The Boy heading off in the direction of the sound so I figured they had it covered.

They came in a bit later and Col. Panic looked at me with a funny look.  In code, so as to not alert the girls, we discussed what they had found.  A little kitten.  The kitten appeared friendly and came out to them.

Now a word of explanation.  Col. Panic has my mother and others convinced he hates cats.  Although not totally true, they are not on the top of his favorite animal list.  In fact, I don’t think they even make the favorite animal list.  They would more likely make the top of the Least Favorite Animal List.   The last cat we had we took in as a favor for a neighbor.  He was old when we got him, who was to know he would live so long to torture us?  Actually, he and I got along fairly well but he drove The Col. nuts because he was loud and jumpy.  He finally died and that was the end of the cat era in our household.  I figured it would last until one of the girls looked at him with big eyes and said “Please, Papa!”  He would grumble at that suggestion saying that they had better be old enough to take care of it themselves.

So here we were talking in code about an apparently abandoned little kitten.  The kitten had already made points by being friendly.  We knew if we left him out there he would end up as coyote bait.  After dinner we all went trumping out to the weeds- it was easy to find him as he was still yelling, maybe calling for his Mom?  The girls, predictably, loved him.

So now I would like to introduce to you our new family member- Tuxedo.

We decided that Tuxedo was a better name than Coyote Bait.  Although that is his middle name.  His little eyes were blue when we first found him but have changed to yellow now.

Tux lets himself be wrapped up in a blanket and carted around- he is actually asleep in that picture with Pixie.  He will just lay down where ever he is and go to sleep- even on the floor with tons of kids playing around him.  The girls think they need to carry him over to his food and water even though I tell them he is perfectly capable of getting there himself.   He will let them know when he has had enough with a meow or sometimes more if they aren’t listening.  He loves to play- the rat he is wrestling was slightly larger than he was when we first brought it home for him.  He loves to wrestle with it.  He will play with anything- potatoes, corn husks, plastic eggs, crayons- just about anything lying around on the floor.

Tuxedo figured out what the litter box was for right away and has not had an accident.  However, he doesn’t seem to realize that the great outdoors is perfectly good for that also.  He’s been known to run into the house straight to his box.  I’m wondering how we are going to teach that one.

So The Col. has allowed another cat into the family.  Shhh!  Don’t tell, but he’s really a softy.

Once upon a time there was a young Prince who fell in love with a slightly older Princess.  The relationship had its ups and downs until finally the Princess saw the writing on the wall and made it clear that they were finished.  The Prince was saddened and went on alone.  A few months later, word came to him that the Princess was with child.  What to do?  The young Prince knew she didn’t want him in her life anymore and it was not from her that he heard this news.  The Prince made the decision to let things be and see what would happen.

Years passed and the Prince met a new Princess with whom he fell in love.  He told her his story right from the start.  He wondered if and when a child might come knocking upon his door.  They decided to wed and managed to wander through their lives together for many, many years.  They had children and the Prince would occasionally look into their faces and wonder….

One day, the fairies that are always in fairy tales led the Prince to a message on the Internet which said, “If you are the Prince who knew this Princess, then I would like to talk to you.”  Was this the knock on the door?

Messages were exchanged and the truth was confirmed.  Yes, it was the knock of the child, a daughter!  Her Mother had passed on into the mists without revealing the true identity of her father, but a kind soul knew a name, only a name, so the daughter wrote it in a place where she hoped that he would find it…  and she waited.  The Prince and his child are thrilled to get to know each other.  The Prince’s other children are excited to have a sister.  And the other Princess?  She gets to be a wicked stepmother; aren’t there always those in fairy tales, too?

**********

This is not a made up story, obviously.  This is the story of our lives.  We are thrilled to introduce to you our 24 year-old daughter.  I’ll have to think of a good nickname for her.  She lives far away but we are looking forward to seeing her in person some day.

And best of all?

We are GRANDPARENTS!!!!