An Addendum

Hi, there!

Well, I'm not "back", but I just felt the need to add something to my "Goodbye" note. After reading many of your comments I realized that what I expressed could be taken in a different way than what I had intended, and may have hurt some of your feelings. I would never want to hurt the feelings of my friends, and I DO consider you all to be my friends, real friends infact. I didn't mean to suggest that somehow you all are not "real" people, "real" friends, or that blogging is somehow fake, it isn't. Sometimes I forget that what I am thinking in my own head and feeling in my own heart is not automatically communicated to others. (You mean you CAN'T read my mind???) Shoot! :) What you don't know about me is the fact that I am EXTREMELY shy in real life. I blush when I meet people for the first time. I get tongue tied. I either say very little or I say too much and giggle, like a school girl! Meeting people while blogging is easy for me in comparison to approaching someone I don't know and introducing myself for the first time. I don't know why I am like this, I just am and have been for as long as I can remember. So, when I said I was going to go out into the world and make new real friends, in real life, what I meant was, I need to get over this "thing" that I have, put myself out there more, and be as candid with people in person as I am able to be on my blog. Does this make any sense? I hope it does, and I hope if anyone was offended by my post happens to come back here (although, now that I think about it, why would you?) but if you do, maybe this will help you understand me and what I said. BTW, thank you all so much for all the sweet comments, I really do appreciate what you've said, and I will try and stop by your blogs and say "hi" from time to time. Everything here is going well, busy as usual with my boys, baseball games, birthdays (my "baby" will become an official teenager on the 7th), graduations, my son's first prom, you name it! Hope you're all doing well, and wishing all of you wonderful ladies a very Happy Mother's Day! Take care.

Lizzy

The Long Goodbye

Hi there,

It has been a terribly long time since I've posted, nearly a month, so whether or not anyone is actually out there is cyber-space reading this, I do not know. I went back on a promise I made to always post, even if only just once a week, and I feel badly about that. Nothing earth shaking or traumatic has happened (well, actually,..there was an earthquake here in Illinois last week believe it or not) but seriously, no health issues, family issues, injuries, etc., my family and I are all good, no worries. To be very honest, I just haven't had the time to blog, and when I have had the time, I've been tired and just didn't feel like writing anything. I'm sorry if I've worried some of you, your comments are so thoughtful and sweet, and make me feel like a bigger weenie than I already am!

I have enjoyed getting to know all of you. I think you're all fabulous, funny, talented, and really nice people to know. You're friendship has meant so much to me, and writing this blog has helped me learn so many things about myself. It's funny how self expression has a way of bringing out dormant issues lying beneath the surface, at least for me it has, writing has been very cathartic.

I have come to the realization that I was hiding behind my computer. I've been a casual observer of life, staying on the outskirts where it's safe, instead of jumping in and getting my feet wet. Perhaps some of you are doing the same thing? It's much easier to be a blog buddy, no real commitment, no ties, no face to face exchanges to worry about. While this has been satisfying, getting to know so many of you, it worries me that I do not know the lady that lives across the street from me. Or the mom of one of my son's friends. This has caused me to re-evaluate my own motives and intent. To really look at myself and figure out what it is I'm trying to avoid, instead of getting to know these people that are real in my world and tangible. That is why I have been absent for so long. I have been making a concerted effort to get to know the people around me. So far, it's been very rewarding! While I know alot of you blog as a means to stay connected with family and friends, updating on the events in your lives and your children's lives, I would hazard to guess that some of you are frustrated writers, photographers, etc., that are hiding behind your computer screens, too. I encourage you to step away from the computer, just for awhile, and see what happens. You might be very surprised.


I wish you all the very best of life, love, health, wealth, good fortune and all the wonderful things that make you want to spring out of bed in the morning! I am grateful for this experience. Blogging has been truly life changing for me.


Take care all of you! Take care of all those beautiful children you have, and are going to have. Best of luck in all that you do. Who knows? We may cross paths again at some point in time, or accidentally bump into each other in person. Wouldn't that be cool?? I just might be the lady standing behind you in line at the grocery store or seated next to you on an airplane, you never know! Get to know the people around you, it might be me! :)

Love to All,

Lizzy

Flubber-ghasted

Hi, folks! How is everyone doing this Thursday? Hope you're all feelin' fine and enjoying the day! It's actually quite pleasant here in Chi-town at the moment, mid fifties and the sun is shining,...could it be that Spring has finally arrived??? Boy, I sure hope so. I don't think I could stand it if we were to get any more snow, not one more flake, puuullease!

I have a funny story to tell you all (well, probably not that funny, but it was to me at the time). I've been trying to be really good about taking care of myself lately. Watching what I eat (Even writing it all down on a pad of paper each day, because it's the only way I can stay honest with myself and be accountable), and walking on my treadmill for an hour each day and doing various exercises (I kind of make them up as I go along, sit-ups, leg lifts, that sort of thing) I'm no Denise Austin, but I try!

So, yesterday I'm walking/jogging on my treadmill. I wear an armband Walkman with headphones, since listening to music really makes the whole experience more fun for me and the time seems to go by more quickly. I am quite the looker when I am exercising, too, let me tell ya! I don't own any fancy or stylish workout clothes. (hint-hint to hubby or kids, would make an excellent Mother's Day gift, just a suggestion) :o) I was bopping along on the 'ol treadmill with my hair slicked back in a messy ponytail, sweatband around my forehead. (borrowed from my son's collection that he NEVER wears but had to have) I was wearing a t-shirt that I got from Steve and Barry's that I bought for myself because it cracked me up, it says "I'm too pretty to work", which of course is a complete untruth, but I liked it because I've become so bored with people asking me over the years, "So, what is it that you DO?". I figured this would shut all those rude people up! Anyway,..I didn't have on a bra because I don't like to wear them when I'm working out like that, they feel too tight and get all sweaty, and I don't own a "sport" bra, but I figure, I am home alone in the privacy of my own laundry room (a.k.a. Lizzy's gym) and who will be the wiser, right? I was also wearing a pair of capri sweat pants that are not exactly flattering to my girlish figure, muffin-top hanging out and butt looks like a beach ball, but,...who's ever gonna see?

Well,...I should never ask that kind of a question, because karma always has an answer for me, without fail! My treadmill is right in front of a large window that faces my backyard. I had the shades opened, but I never worry because there is no one outside and the people who live directly behind me are not home during the day. It's completely private. Except for on the days when the gas meter man comes to look at my gas meter, which coincidentally is located just underneath my laundry room window. Imagine my surprise (and dismay) when I happened to glance out the window just as I'm boogying down to Fergie singing at the top of my lungs, "G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S, yeah! The glamorous, the glamorous life, flying first class, up in the sky, drinkin' champagne, livin' the life...". OH.MY.GOD!!! This young man is standing there trying to write down the reading from the meter, I'm sure trying desperately not to laugh, as I'm swaying to and fro, boobs a bouncing,...(just kill me now, please). I'm sure I provided him with the "story of the week" that all those gas meter guys must share with their buddies over a cold one at the end of the day. I've learned my lesson, that's for sure. The blinds in the laundry room will remain closed from now on while I am on the treadmill!

So, I have to ask you, has anyone else had something equally (or even more, more would be good!) embarrassing happen when you thought no one was looking? I hope you have some good stories that will make me feel a teensy bit less like a dork, okay?? (please, I beg of you!)

Things That Make Me Go..ICK!

I had planned to write my post today about a tag that I received, however, for whatever reason, my camera and my computer have decided not to play "nice" together and my computer will not read my camera disk, thus making it impossible for me to do what I was going to do. Does that make sense? Anyway,.. I have been goofing around with both my camera/disk, and computer for way too long this morning, so, now that I'm thoroughly frustrated, I thought I'd post about things that drive me a little bit nutty, just because it seemed fitting!



I have noticed lately a few advertisements and products on television that have that certain gross out factor. Maybe it's just me, I don't know. See what you think, okay?



There is a new commercial for Viagra, which, doesn't exactly gross me out, but I think it's rediculous. I actually thought it was a commercial for a motorcycle initially. It starts out with a husband and wife coming home from work day after day, same routine, waving to each other from the driveway and the car. Then, one day the husband pulls up on a Harley, the wife looks all, "Oh, no he didn't!", and hops on the back and off they go into the sunset, or so we think. But, wait! The next scene shows a motel of some sort, I'm assuming that's what it is with a number on the outside of the cabin, then you see the light being turned off. The rest is up to our filthy imaginations, apparently! Really, I don't need a small docudrama to show me how some poor guy with E.D. changed his life with a little blue pill, seriously!

Last night my husband and I were watching the news and a commercial for Charmin toilet tissue came on. I happen to like Charmin, it is the brand we use (more than you probably wanted to know about my family!). It shows these bears and one is vacuming the butt of another bear. (No, I did not make that up, honestly!) It then goes on to say that "No one likes having tissue left behind" and the "New and Improved" Charmin is less likely to pell up on your privates. Gross! Um,..yeah, I never thought to whip out the 'ol Hoover vacume and suck the pelled up toilet tissue off my family members hineys, not once! There are just some things that are better left unsaid, thank-you very much! (I'm thinkin' if that's a problem for someone, a good shower or bath would be in order, I'm just sayin'.)

Another television commercial that totally grosses me out, like gag time, is the ad for Kentucky Fried Chicken "Bowls". (feeling a little green just thinking about it) Let's see,...What can we do with all the left over chicken tenders, mashed potatos and corn from the day before? I know! Let's pour it all together in one messy bowl of slop and we'll tell people it's a special new dish we've come up with! Hey, and just so they don't get suspicious, let's pour cheddar cheese all over the top of it, people love that kind of stuff! (I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit, sorry.) I just know someone is going to write to me and tell me that they love these things,..I just know it! You'll never convince me, nope!

And, last but not least! I think if there are elderly people in this world that are in love, it's a beautiful thing, truly! I just don't like to watch those denture commercials where the old folks are making out in the back of a taxi, I mean, like really going at it, and then the announcer says, "I bet you can't guess which one of them is wearing dentures, can you?" Gag, puke, hurl, bleck!!!! I don't want to know, stupid announcer man! Now I'm thinking about the inside of elderly peoples mouths and wondering if they're able to french kiss with dentures in their mouths and all that glue and stuff, egads! Bad mental image,..make it go away!!!




Well,...I could probably go on as there are more things that I personally think are just wrong, but I'll spare you any further disturbing thoughts! Now I'm off to figure out what is wrong with my bleepin' camera, hopefully. I think electronic devices are pure evil right about now, they're out to ruin my life! (such a drama queen!) ;o)

Back in the Saddle

We're back! Well, after a quick (three hour ride) to Champaign, IL for a baseball tournament and back home again, things are beginning to return to normal. The kids went back to school this morning (and I did a little happy jig) not that Spring break wasn't enjoyable and all, but they wore me out! Just a taste of what's to come this summer, oy vey~ it's gonna be a L-O-N-G summer! Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures this weekend, in my haste to get everything packed etc., I forgot our camera, duh. It never fails! I am always the mom sitting there twiddling her thumbs while the other moms are snapping away photos, documenting their children's accomplishments. According to our records, my boys were born, had first birthdays, first days of school, one or two holidays, and a birthday here and there sprinkled in for good luck,...that's about it! I hope their little brain's have recorded important moments, because they sure won't have photos to look back on to remember. I'll be going to "Mommy Kodak Hell" I'm sure! Actually,..the games didn't go very well for my son's team, they lost every single game, so maybe he'll be grateful that I didn't document it afterall. The "hightlight" of the trip as far as the boys were concerned was the free breakfast buffet at the hotel, oh, and the free popcorn and pop in the evening! My husband's and my favorite part of the trip was making a discovery at the local Walmart store. After freezing our arses off at the first game Friday evening (temperature was about 27 degrees with 25 mph wind, brrrrr-freezing!) we bought these really ingenious seat cushions called, appropriately, "Lava Buns". It's like this huge heating pad, with an insert that you throw in the microwave oven for three minutes to heat up, and then you put it back in the cushion. It stays warm for six, count 'em, 1-2-3-4-5-6.. hours! The Lava Buns cushion cost approximately $20.00. Having a warm hiney sure is more comfortable than having an icy one, those metal benches are torture, but this sure made them more tolerable. Here is what the cushion looks like, and no, I'm not getting paid to say this stuff, although, if they'd like to thank me for this product endorsement, I wouldn't refuse it! :o)

I may be using this pad again today, we have another game this afternoon. It's raining right now and the forecast is for thunderstorms, so there's a good chance the game will be rescheduled. Between my two sons, our schedules for the next few months are just crazy, we have baseball games and practices nearly every day of the week and double headers every Saturday. My husband and I will be dividing our time between the two, as many of their games are being played at the same time, which is a bummer. I hate to miss any of them, but it can't be helped. We get kind of overwhelmed sometimes with so many things happening at once between school, sports, work, family obligations, etc. I am thankful that I have two healthy kids who are able to participate in all these activities, and most of the time it's alot of fun. I know that all too fast these days will be over and my hubby and I will be staring at each other saying we are bored, so I do try to live in the moment and enjoy while I can.

Well, I am off to walk on my treadmill! Part of my new plan to honor my own needs, which I sometimes let fall by the wayside. I have figured out recently that I am a huge "people pleaser", and many times I put the needs of others ahead of my own. Sometimes this is a noble endeavor, but many times it really zaps my own energy, leaving me feeling like tired wet noodle. Caring for myself a little more will enable me to be more caring to others. Not rocket science, I know, but it's taken me a long time to figure this one out! (NASA is not knocking my door down just yet!)

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday! (That's as "wonderful" as a Monday can be, I should say!)

What's Up?

I thought since I had such a prolonged absence, maybe I would use today's post as a means of getting caught up on what's new in the life of Lizzy ('cause you're all just dying to know what's going on in my life, right??) *you know I'm going to tell you anyhow, so you may as well just grab a cup of coffee and put your feet up for a minute, m'kay? :o)

Well,...let's see! First of all, we had a little set back with my nephew. Unfortunately, when the pathology report came back it showed that he did indeed have cancerous tumors, and these tumors have "spindles" on them. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but from what I've been told these tumors have a greater chance of spreading into other tissues, therefore, he has to have radiation therapy. It's not the end of the world, but we were hopeful that the surgery would be the end of his ordeal. Now he has to have radiation five days a week for eight weeks. I've known two people who underwent radiation, and they say it's not that awful, kind of like a sunburn, and takes only a matter of minutes to administer, so I guess that's good. I'm thankful that he didn't have to have chemotherapy, too. All in all, pretty happy that his prognosis is still great and so thankful that he's doing well!

Our Easter was very nice, hope you all had a really nice holiday also! We held a brunch at our home for my husband's family on Easter morning and everyone seemed to enjoy it (at least they said they did). We bought this awesome electric food warmer that had three compartments and adjustable heating, so my hubby and I got up early and cooked up lots of bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs and hashbrowns and put everything in the trays, they kept everything nice and hot and fresh for hours. I love it! I think it's going to come in really handy for all our parties in the future. Anyway,..we baked blueberry, cinnamon and chocolate chip muffins, we made waffle batter and put out the belgium waffle iron for the kids to pour their own waffles and had fresh stawberries and whipped cream for on top (yum!), and we made champagne mimosas for the adults (extra yum!). The really nice part of all of it, everyone left by 3:00 in the afternoon and we had the rest of the evening to just relax and do what we wanted, yay!

I spent the better part of last week spring cleaning my house, and to say it needed it would be the understatement of the century, EGADS, it was bad! We definitely suffer from some form of pack-rat-itis, I don't even recognize or know what half of what we have IS, let alone where it came from in the first place. While cleaning out the "junk" drawer in my kitchen I found three paper umbrellas (from drinks, I assume) and a pair of chop sticks from a chinese restaurant we went to several years ago. (and we are keeping this stuff WHY??) It just makes me crazy! Anyhoo,...

We had a little excitement last week, too. My 17 yr. old niece got in a car accident, her fault, going through a red light doing 50 mph (not good) and wrecked her brand new car. Thankfully, she and the driver of the car she hit were not hurt, she did receive three tickets and has lost her license for the next month until she goes to court. (Probably a good thing, me thinks!) Our van got egged the other night while my son had it parked in the street at a friend's house, l-o-v-e-l-y! He spent the next afternoon painstakingly picking shell off from the paint and cleaning the van with a water and vinegar mixture, not fun!

Well,..that pretty much sums up "what's new", not too exciting folks, nope, not at all! :o) I have to go and re-clean my house now, my MIL and FIL are coming to stay for the weekend and doggy-sit for Charlie. We are going to Champaign Urbana, Illinois for a baseball tournament for our oldest son. Should be pretty fun, the boys are really excited and we always have a good time with all the parents, we're a pretty rowdy bunch! Now if the weather will just cooperate, it's actually snowing here right now, although not sticking to the ground. Sheesh! We're gonna be freezing our hineys off people! I'll try and take some photos (if they'll humor me) and share them with you when we get back. Talk to you all soon, maybe tomorrow if I have time before we leave, but ya never know, because we're always running late!

She's Come Undone...

I'm really sorry if I've worried some of you, I've been gone for a lot longer than I had intended. I was really taken aback by some of your comments, I must confess, it feels kind of nice to know that my blogging friends actually noticed I was m.i.a., I'm very touched by your concern.

There have been some things happening in my life lately, things that I'm not really comfortable sharing right now, but suffice to say that they have required my full concentration. My "in real life" life is calling,..no, SCREAMING for my attention. I have put some important decisions on hold, I've let some things slide, some things that I shouldn't have, (procrastinating, SO very typical of me) and I just really felt like I needed a break. Not a break from you guys, but a break to get my priorities straight. That probably doesn't make alot of sense, and I don't mean to be all cryptic about it, but at the end of the day, I have to live with myself, and right now that "self" isn't someone I like very much. I feel like it's time for some changes in my life. Change can be good, it can be scary, too. I guess that's what makes life interesting, right?

I cannot promise that I will be able to write every day, but I will try my best, and even if it's only once a week, I will make an effort to keep in touch with you all. I have truly enjoyed getting to know each and every one of you, and I think of all of you as friends, I really do. Blogging has actually filled a void in me and my life that I didn't even realize needed filling. Does that make any sense? I hope it does.

Anyway, I have to go now, my son has a baseball game in 30 minutes (some things NEVER change!). Both my boys are on Spring break this week, which of course means I will get no BREAK what-so-ever, typical! :o) I PROMISE I will be back, promise! Time to go now and scream and cheer and embarrass the crap out of my kid, because afterall, that's my job! *hugs*

Lizzy

p.s. Hallie, if you happen to read this, I am working on the Prada bag. (groveling) Is that good enough, babe? ;o)