Ten Things That Make Me Happy

Today I need to list ten things that make me happy.  Hmmmm well I know for sure that my kids and grandkids make me happy.  If I listed those individually that would be a quick eight but that seems way too easy.  So here goes.

Family - There are so many ups and downs along the way with families but when all is said and done the most happiness in my life comes from them.

Friends - Talking, laughing and visiting with friends.

Pets - I have had lots of pets in my life, dogs and cats and they never fail to give me unconditional love.

Home - My home to me is my haven and sanctuary.

Reality TV - OK this is showing my shallow side.  I love to watch competition  type reality shows like Survivor and Amazing Race among many others.  I love TV in general it totally makes me happy.

Sunny bright days with a warm breeze - Nothing like the sun to make me smile and breath easy.

Food - Love, love, love food.  So I sound a bit food addicted but I am.  I love food.  Give me a bowl of pasta and a cupcake and I happy.  Sad but true.

Mowed grass -Watching the guys I hire to mow my grass.  Its makes me happy that I don't have to do it.

Creating something new- When I think of a design and turns out just like I envisioned it. Celebration time.

A babies smile - Not much needs to be say about this.  A babies smile makes everyone happy.

Mary Ann

I'm Sorry, So Sorry Please Accept My Apology

Ok, so I am still plugging along on this challenge on day 13.  YIKES and I wanted to quit day one.  For today we need to issue a public apology.  So here goes.

To my daughter.
I am so sorry that I never got you a stinking Barbie Dream House.  It was just too big to fit into our apartment back then and it was lots of money that we did not have.

To my son
Sorry that I ever bought you that Bee Bee gun.  I know all the boys had one and I succumbed to the pressure but you used it irresponsibly and it goes down as one of the worst decisions that I have ever made as a parent.

To my dad
Sorry that I stole that .75 cents from your dresser when I was twelve.  Its all I needed to get into the movies with my friends that day and its kind of your fault because you told me that I could go if I could come up with the money.

To my mom
Sorry that I really hated everything that you ever sewed for me but you would always made the dresses way too long and in awful prints that I hated.  You got back at me though when you cut my bangs way too short and crooked .  Wow did it take a long time for me to look normal again.

To Reggie, Jake, Al, Ollie and Tanya, my cat and dog kids
Sorry that I had to put you down when it was your time  You all seemed to be suffering so I needed to make the really hard decision to say goodbye.  Still miss you all.

Lastly I am sorry for always saying I'm sorry when it wasn't even my fault.  Its my Catholic, Italian, guilt that kicks in. I can't help it, its in my DNA.

Mary Ann

Missing Growing Up In Queens

Today's May challenge task is to write about something that I miss.  It could be a person, a thing, a place or a time of your life.  Well what I miss is growing up in Queens, NY.   When I look back on that time it was full of fun, happiness and love.

I miss walking to school each day with mom holding my hand and my sister running up in front of us.  I miss coming home from school and smelling the aroma's of my mom's awesome cooking. I miss summers on 65th Street in Middle Village were my sister and I would leave the house after breakfast to play with friends, stop back for lunch and then be out again until dinner.  On really hot days we would sit on each others front stoops reading piles of comic books that we had already read over and over before.  Sometimes we would pool together our pennies and make our way down to the corner candy store where as a group we would pick out a new Archie comic book rush back home and take turns reading it. On not so hot days my sister and I would  roller skate up and down the hill having to quickly move to the side when a car came.   In the evening after dinner all the kids on the street boys and girls alike would congregate and play endless hours of Red Rover or Hide and Seek while the grown ups would sit outside and talk until it was time to call us all in for bed.

65th St looking down the hill my house was on the left.

I miss the huge snowstorms that we would sometimes get that closed schools and we could play in the street that was covered in feet of snow without worry of cars, before the plows came through.

Snowstorms in Queens, more fun for kids then adults.

I miss trick or treating when we could go without parents because there was no threat of people trying to harm us.  After we would all go to a Halloween party in the Stark family basement where we would bob for apples and the lights were turned off while scary stories were read.

I miss Christmas's when I still believed in Santa Claus and woke up to all the presents under the tree.  I miss the big holiday meal that followed, including my grandparents, aunts and cousins.

Mostly I miss my mother who has now been gone for many years.  Time moves on and now have raised my own children and I watch as they raise their children and hope that their memories of childhood were as happy as mine were.

Mary Ann

Ten Words Are Not Enough To Describe Me.

Today's challenge is to describe yourself in 10 words or less.  So here's the best that I can do.

I try everyday to be happy, witty, helpful and caring but most days I am usually miserable, cranky, and annoyed.  Wow I am really missing my daily goals by a long shot.  Oh well.

That's more then 10 words.

Mary Ann

Another Embarrassing Story

I have had many embarrassing moments over the years some of which I have blogged about before.  Baby Ruth,  Popcorn and Clowns  and Embarrassing High School Moment.  So for the purposes of this daily May challenge I will dredge up another embarrassing moment.  I will probably need some psychiatric intervention after spilling another of my moments that I would rather not remember.

OK so I am rather largely endowed in the breast area.  I know people are trying to go larger with implants  but if the Boop Fairy was passing through town my wish would be smaller.  Its always a struggle for me to buy bra's because they just do not fit right.  I was in a department store on a very busy Saturday, on a quest for the perfect bra to corral in my girls.  I tried on a number of them and finally settled for one that I thought would work OK.  I got on a long line to be checked out.  I was surrounded by small petite people holding bra's that would easily fit into one of my bra cups.  They were all sexy and lacy and in pretty colors.  Mine was stark white and almost a turtleneck.  So I clutched my bra tightly to me so no one would guess how big it was.  After feeling like an hour had gone by it was finally my turn to check out.  I placed my bra on the counter, standing in front of it to hide its size and before I knew it the cashier was holding it up high in the air for the world to see yelling at the top of her lungs PRICE CHECK!!!!!!!!  I just wanted to crawl into a hole but my boobs would probably not fit.  YIKES.  

Glad to pay and get the heck out of there.  The worst is that I hated the bra and never wore it.  It went to the bra cemetery where all my other big bra's that don't fit go to die.

Sad But True

Mary Ann

Moment In Time With Pearl

Had an early vet appointment with my cat Pearl.   She is 16, an old girl and she has decided that using the litter box is not to her liking anymore.  I am an animal lover and do love my Pearl but really I am not able to tolerate her bad behavior.  I am hoping there is actually something wrong with her so we can fix it and she and I can live in peaceful harmony for many years to come.

She had lots of tests taken and lots of money spent so we will see how it goes.

My Girl Peal At The Vets

                              Mary Ann

Words To Live By

So as I sit with my coffee and morn the loss of Sean Lowe (The Bachelor) from Dancing With The Stars. (honestly just kidding I could care less)  I am contemplating what advice that I would give to others.

An obvious one that comes to mind is "never pet a strange cat in a pet store that looks friendly".  Ouch!  found that one out the hard way. 

If I had to choose one grand prize advice giver it would be.  Never, ever stop talking to the people in your life that you love because you are not in agreement with their choices.   

This is huge.  I see so many people that I have known over the years, not be in contact with their child or parents or friend because they just did not like something that was said or done.  Life is way too short. We all need to forgive and forget (more advice) and move on to the things that are really important.  

Mary Ann