Sweet Stuff:
Be sure to check out my sweet adorable friend Janet's interview on the ever famous All Cupcakes, All the Time blog. Isn't it funny how we read the same blogs?
There is another neat story about cupcakes here. It appears I am not the only adult or human being who is obsessed with cupcakes. Good.
Special Froggy cupcakes are here. However I am just telling all of you now that I have cussed ... a LOT while making cupcakes that have body parts.
This is my favorite yellow cupcake recipe. You can be creative from there... or just call up *Creative Me* and she'll come over to help. But I am just telling you, the girl makes a MESS.
Anyway. The most important and special thing is to read Janet's interview. She's a famous Cupcake Mistress now. We should all be applauding. *Creative Me* is jealous. In that ladylike kind of way. :-)
Rachael
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Thursday, April 28, 2005
welcome to my life part II
the introductions continue
(a brief introduction to me and my blog for all readers who don't know who in the @#&*@ I am)
me.
the most important member of this cast. I am tall. very. I have blue eyes. I have sort of reddish brownish (should-really-be-colored-more-often) hair. it's long. my hair girl calls it rock-star-hair. I think she's funny. I don't think it's rock star hair. I get my nails done. I love pink. very much. I wear pink almost everyday. even before it was "the new black." when I don't wear pink people ask me if I am feeling ok. I like jewelry. not diamonds. flower pins. brooches. pearls. vintage. however, if you buy me a diamond, I promise not to complain. I hate rings. hate them. and watches. hate rings so much I used to get in trouble with The Former Spouse for not wearing my wedding band. oops. my wedding band and engagement ring are put away for the girls. for later. I am a mom. duh. I have two daughters. they are my life. completely. it doesn't matter to me that I am not a college graduate. there will be time for that later. maybe. or maybe not. I love to take pictures. when I go outside, I see photographs. that sounds weird. but it's true. I always have my camera. always. I take pictures of people I don't know. all the time. SB thinks that's really weird. I am saving for a Nikon D70. digital. must have. I take a lot of photos for family and friends. for free. because I want too. I love to take pictures of baby feet. love to. but not my feet. I applied to a prissy photography school for this fall. you never know. I love to read. tonight I bought Anna Karenia. it looks scary and big. oh well. oprah says it's good. so it must be. I love to write too. I have always been writing. even before the blog. I have many journals that are filled completely. since high school. lots of good stories. one day I'll write a book. maybe. I almost stopped writing once. then a good friend told me she thought I should always be writing. so I kept on writing. it's like therapy. I love Gap blue jeans. it's a serious problem. I only have one designer purse. it was a gift. a perfect gift. it's pink too. which matches my cell phone cover. katey gave me the cover. I might be single forever. unless of course the lead singer of The Killers becomes available. and he's tall. and doesn't wear eyeshadow all the time. then I might not be single forever. in any case I don't mind it so much. relationships are over my head. I have had a couple since being divorced. they all end up being complicated. sometimes men are bigger drama queens than women. just sometimes.
**went with katey tonight to eat Meditarranean food... and then had beignets and cinnamon coffee at Hueys. Fun times. :-) ** more tomorrow.
Rach
the introductions continue
(a brief introduction to me and my blog for all readers who don't know who in the @#&*@ I am)
me.
the most important member of this cast. I am tall. very. I have blue eyes. I have sort of reddish brownish (should-really-be-colored-more-often) hair. it's long. my hair girl calls it rock-star-hair. I think she's funny. I don't think it's rock star hair. I get my nails done. I love pink. very much. I wear pink almost everyday. even before it was "the new black." when I don't wear pink people ask me if I am feeling ok. I like jewelry. not diamonds. flower pins. brooches. pearls. vintage. however, if you buy me a diamond, I promise not to complain. I hate rings. hate them. and watches. hate rings so much I used to get in trouble with The Former Spouse for not wearing my wedding band. oops. my wedding band and engagement ring are put away for the girls. for later. I am a mom. duh. I have two daughters. they are my life. completely. it doesn't matter to me that I am not a college graduate. there will be time for that later. maybe. or maybe not. I love to take pictures. when I go outside, I see photographs. that sounds weird. but it's true. I always have my camera. always. I take pictures of people I don't know. all the time. SB thinks that's really weird. I am saving for a Nikon D70. digital. must have. I take a lot of photos for family and friends. for free. because I want too. I love to take pictures of baby feet. love to. but not my feet. I applied to a prissy photography school for this fall. you never know. I love to read. tonight I bought Anna Karenia. it looks scary and big. oh well. oprah says it's good. so it must be. I love to write too. I have always been writing. even before the blog. I have many journals that are filled completely. since high school. lots of good stories. one day I'll write a book. maybe. I almost stopped writing once. then a good friend told me she thought I should always be writing. so I kept on writing. it's like therapy. I love Gap blue jeans. it's a serious problem. I only have one designer purse. it was a gift. a perfect gift. it's pink too. which matches my cell phone cover. katey gave me the cover. I might be single forever. unless of course the lead singer of The Killers becomes available. and he's tall. and doesn't wear eyeshadow all the time. then I might not be single forever. in any case I don't mind it so much. relationships are over my head. I have had a couple since being divorced. they all end up being complicated. sometimes men are bigger drama queens than women. just sometimes.
**went with katey tonight to eat Meditarranean food... and then had beignets and cinnamon coffee at Hueys. Fun times. :-) ** more tomorrow.
Rach
welcome to my life
well. indeed.
it would appear that I have many people visiting my blog. people I don't know. (hi)
maybe this would be a good time to introduce myself to everyone reading... lurking around the corner. (hello)
my name is rachael. this is my blog. let me introduce you to the cast of My Blog.
former spouse.
i am (not) bitterly divorced. i am Happily Divorced... which, if you ARE bitterly divorced, is something you should try. my former spouse (a title which demands mutual respect and keeps me from being called someone's ex-wife) and I do have our moments, however, have pretty much gotten over ourselves and have fun being parents. you can read more about The Former Spouse here. um. he's shorter than me. he's a law student at uga. he's a cool dad who manages to answer all questions asked by our daughters without pulling out his hair. amazing. he once got really pissed at me for writing in this blog about him, so I said some nice things because he deserved it. he sometimes thinks I am still in love with him - in the wrong sort of way, but, everyone needs to feel needed. when I am referring to him in the sort of way that means I am mildy annoyed, or perhaps paying him a compliment, he is The Former Spouse. when I am talking about him being daddy, he is Ex Husband Wonder Dad... or EHWD for short. yeah, it's not a cute or catchy title. I was tired that night. we met when i was a senior in high school, and he was a freshman at UGA. we made a kid, had a little drama, got married, and made another kid. we were way too young and self centered to be married. he thought I was wrong, I thought he was wrong. no one wanted to budge. we're divorced now.
sarah beth
this is the first kid. she's called SB. she often suffers from the dreaded first child I can sometimes be a huge spoiled pain in the ass syndrome. mostly she's incredible, though. she has her daddy's brains. she loves math and science. she hates anything girly. this means we just painted her room a hideous shade of blue . my dad is trying with all his might to make her a democrat. it will never work. she's very spiritual. she loves her mimi and pa. she thinks mimi's the superboss of the world. she thinks pa runs a close second. her cousin Shawn is one of her best friends. the other one is cassidy. cassidy has great hair. SB was born at my college. in the dorm. that's a long story for another time. I almost named her Bailey. thank god for the nurses in Macon Medical Center. she met her daddy when she was almost two. that's another long story. my friend devin used to send me mothers day cards from her when she was a baby. my friend devin is probably 99% of the reason SB met her dad. she likes magic tricks. she's usually got a reason to be pissed off at me. because she thinks I am mean. she even wrote it down once. mom is mean, it said. she does not think I am mean when I take her to get ice cream or new shoes.
jordin
this is the second kid. she's called a lot of things. J, JLo, Jordy, Jaybird, Becca Jo. she's a dancer. she's a singer. she's the next JLo. for real. she loves sparkly things. especially her red dorothy shoes. she wears them everywhere. when she was born, SB wanted to name her cupcake. then, SB wanted to name her Jesus. so we called her Jesus Cupcake for a while. then we realized people didn't know her real name. her real name is Rebecca Jordin. she's named after two special people who I love. Rebecca is my sister. Jordin is the last name of her dad's best friend. he was surprised when we told him we'd call her Jordin. I haven't seen him since we got a divorce. which sucks. because there should be more pictures of Jordin and him. and because he was a nice guy. we also call Jordin Lola. because for a long time she sang copacabana everywhere we went. she hates that name. she loves her daddy. very much.
people who might have something to say
katey
she's the bomb. gotta know her to love her. you can read her blog too. except she says the word fuck a lot. just so you know. she has three great cats. three. except she's NOT a cat lady. she taught me how to knit and how to make "boundaries." i am still working on the boundaries thing.
kebbyann
this is my best and dearest friend from high school. we created much trouble together. and many fun memories. we did the prom(s) and dated boys that had the same name. we created drama too. and we went to summer school together. and we discussed the appropriate time to lose our virginty. and we wrote The List, which was a list of places we would like to do the above. this list became famous. lots of people added places to The List. her husband is one of my favorite men in the whole world. and he loves her. you can tell by the way he looks at her. he's loved her for a long time. and me too. he was pissed when he found out I was getting married anyway. and kelly and jason have great dogs. I only know one of them personally. when Kelly has babies, I will cry. A lot. and I will tell her (cause it will be a girl) all about boys. she sent me three emails on my birthday.
malia
malia is so funny. she has a blog too. you can read it here. we became close friends after high school. I did know her in high school. she has three sweet children. they have a great daddy. I knew their daddy in high school too. malia likes being a mommy, and she's very funny. she told me once I was a good writer. I believed her because she was a friend. I don't think anyone had told me that before. first time for everything.
smartass
sometimes mentioned in my blog. otherwise known as *the crush.* I had a huge, unexplainable crush on this guy for years. years. it only made complete sense once. and it was not the kind of complete sense that lasted very long. so we kissed. and it's still on my top five moments list. I think because I liked him so much. he though I was a pain in the ass, and that I complained too much I think. I couldn't look him in the eye for a long time because I was too embarassed or whatever. we were good friends. and then we went to florida after we graduated, which was awful. then we all left for college. then a really close friend died. and everyone was still mad at me about our bad trip so I couldn't sit with them at the funeral. that broke my heart. cause all I really wanted was to sit with the boys. since I was slightly pregnant and scared. but it's okay now. then I had a baby and moved away. and we sometimes emailed. he is a good friend. we're always promising to get coffee. he's married now. he owns a house and has a good job. he's a good guy. and she's a lucky girl.
queenpeach
another good girl I went to high school with. she is a funny mommy too. you can read her blog here.
mark
the whole reason I picked up a camera in the first place. a conversation I will always remember before I got a divorce. a good friend. no matter how long it's been. read his blog here.
more on the getting to know you later. enjoy sticking your nose in my business. what little there is of it.
Rachael
well. indeed.
it would appear that I have many people visiting my blog. people I don't know. (hi)
maybe this would be a good time to introduce myself to everyone reading... lurking around the corner. (hello)
my name is rachael. this is my blog. let me introduce you to the cast of My Blog.
former spouse.
i am (not) bitterly divorced. i am Happily Divorced... which, if you ARE bitterly divorced, is something you should try. my former spouse (a title which demands mutual respect and keeps me from being called someone's ex-wife) and I do have our moments, however, have pretty much gotten over ourselves and have fun being parents. you can read more about The Former Spouse here. um. he's shorter than me. he's a law student at uga. he's a cool dad who manages to answer all questions asked by our daughters without pulling out his hair. amazing. he once got really pissed at me for writing in this blog about him, so I said some nice things because he deserved it. he sometimes thinks I am still in love with him - in the wrong sort of way, but, everyone needs to feel needed. when I am referring to him in the sort of way that means I am mildy annoyed, or perhaps paying him a compliment, he is The Former Spouse. when I am talking about him being daddy, he is Ex Husband Wonder Dad... or EHWD for short. yeah, it's not a cute or catchy title. I was tired that night. we met when i was a senior in high school, and he was a freshman at UGA. we made a kid, had a little drama, got married, and made another kid. we were way too young and self centered to be married. he thought I was wrong, I thought he was wrong. no one wanted to budge. we're divorced now.
sarah beth
this is the first kid. she's called SB. she often suffers from the dreaded first child I can sometimes be a huge spoiled pain in the ass syndrome. mostly she's incredible, though. she has her daddy's brains. she loves math and science. she hates anything girly. this means we just painted her room a hideous shade of blue . my dad is trying with all his might to make her a democrat. it will never work. she's very spiritual. she loves her mimi and pa. she thinks mimi's the superboss of the world. she thinks pa runs a close second. her cousin Shawn is one of her best friends. the other one is cassidy. cassidy has great hair. SB was born at my college. in the dorm. that's a long story for another time. I almost named her Bailey. thank god for the nurses in Macon Medical Center. she met her daddy when she was almost two. that's another long story. my friend devin used to send me mothers day cards from her when she was a baby. my friend devin is probably 99% of the reason SB met her dad. she likes magic tricks. she's usually got a reason to be pissed off at me. because she thinks I am mean. she even wrote it down once. mom is mean, it said. she does not think I am mean when I take her to get ice cream or new shoes.
jordin
this is the second kid. she's called a lot of things. J, JLo, Jordy, Jaybird, Becca Jo. she's a dancer. she's a singer. she's the next JLo. for real. she loves sparkly things. especially her red dorothy shoes. she wears them everywhere. when she was born, SB wanted to name her cupcake. then, SB wanted to name her Jesus. so we called her Jesus Cupcake for a while. then we realized people didn't know her real name. her real name is Rebecca Jordin. she's named after two special people who I love. Rebecca is my sister. Jordin is the last name of her dad's best friend. he was surprised when we told him we'd call her Jordin. I haven't seen him since we got a divorce. which sucks. because there should be more pictures of Jordin and him. and because he was a nice guy. we also call Jordin Lola. because for a long time she sang copacabana everywhere we went. she hates that name. she loves her daddy. very much.
people who might have something to say
katey
she's the bomb. gotta know her to love her. you can read her blog too. except she says the word fuck a lot. just so you know. she has three great cats. three. except she's NOT a cat lady. she taught me how to knit and how to make "boundaries." i am still working on the boundaries thing.
kebbyann
this is my best and dearest friend from high school. we created much trouble together. and many fun memories. we did the prom(s) and dated boys that had the same name. we created drama too. and we went to summer school together. and we discussed the appropriate time to lose our virginty. and we wrote The List, which was a list of places we would like to do the above. this list became famous. lots of people added places to The List. her husband is one of my favorite men in the whole world. and he loves her. you can tell by the way he looks at her. he's loved her for a long time. and me too. he was pissed when he found out I was getting married anyway. and kelly and jason have great dogs. I only know one of them personally. when Kelly has babies, I will cry. A lot. and I will tell her (cause it will be a girl) all about boys. she sent me three emails on my birthday.
malia
malia is so funny. she has a blog too. you can read it here. we became close friends after high school. I did know her in high school. she has three sweet children. they have a great daddy. I knew their daddy in high school too. malia likes being a mommy, and she's very funny. she told me once I was a good writer. I believed her because she was a friend. I don't think anyone had told me that before. first time for everything.
smartass
sometimes mentioned in my blog. otherwise known as *the crush.* I had a huge, unexplainable crush on this guy for years. years. it only made complete sense once. and it was not the kind of complete sense that lasted very long. so we kissed. and it's still on my top five moments list. I think because I liked him so much. he though I was a pain in the ass, and that I complained too much I think. I couldn't look him in the eye for a long time because I was too embarassed or whatever. we were good friends. and then we went to florida after we graduated, which was awful. then we all left for college. then a really close friend died. and everyone was still mad at me about our bad trip so I couldn't sit with them at the funeral. that broke my heart. cause all I really wanted was to sit with the boys. since I was slightly pregnant and scared. but it's okay now. then I had a baby and moved away. and we sometimes emailed. he is a good friend. we're always promising to get coffee. he's married now. he owns a house and has a good job. he's a good guy. and she's a lucky girl.
queenpeach
another good girl I went to high school with. she is a funny mommy too. you can read her blog here.
mark
the whole reason I picked up a camera in the first place. a conversation I will always remember before I got a divorce. a good friend. no matter how long it's been. read his blog here.
more on the getting to know you later. enjoy sticking your nose in my business. what little there is of it.
Rachael
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Tasteless? Oh yes.
Dear Lord, forgive me for giving into the posts from other parent bloggers about their children's bodily functions.
(in car, post "Drive Thru Lane" from preschool)
ME: Jordin, do you know what kind of music this is?
JLO: Yes. It's classical. There aren't any words. The words are silent. (I have no idea what "the words are silent means... 5 year old logic)
ME: That's right, J. Good. (drive to SB's school continues... me gloating because my child is being all cultured and classy in the back seat... she's now "directing" the orchestra)
JLO: Mommy?
ME: Yes?
JLO: I just did a classical poot.
ME: WHAT? (gloating immediately ceases)
JLO: Yeah. It was silent. (giggle) (pause) Classical but deadly, Mommy. (breaks out into fits of uncontrollable laughter.)
Dear Lord, forgive me for giving into the posts from other parent bloggers about their children's bodily functions.
(in car, post "Drive Thru Lane" from preschool)
ME: Jordin, do you know what kind of music this is?
JLO: Yes. It's classical. There aren't any words. The words are silent. (I have no idea what "the words are silent means... 5 year old logic)
ME: That's right, J. Good. (drive to SB's school continues... me gloating because my child is being all cultured and classy in the back seat... she's now "directing" the orchestra)
JLO: Mommy?
ME: Yes?
JLO: I just did a classical poot.
ME: WHAT? (gloating immediately ceases)
JLO: Yeah. It was silent. (giggle) (pause) Classical but deadly, Mommy. (breaks out into fits of uncontrollable laughter.)
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Weekend Recap and other things against my Better Judgement
Puking Child miraculously stopped puking sometime early Saturday morning, which provided for a few hours of sleep before the chocolate Pop Tart demands began. Ex Husband Wonder Dad (see, I still call you that even when I AM mildly annoyed) offered to take the recooperating Puker for the weekend anyway - promises to get her to bed "on time" and make sure she doesn't overdo it.... either he just plain did what he promised or did a damn fine job covering it up. Either way, I was happy. Showed up with both girls in tow on Sunday morning - at agreed time to get Jordin ready forevery-mothers-worst-nightmare dance competition.
Left relatively on time to make it to the dance competition - SB and EHWD in tow.... made it to Gwinnett on time and in one piece ... and watched competition. Jordin - looking absolutley adorable with her adorable dance friends, put on a great show... left competition for break and lunch. Minor disagreement with Jim over birthday importance.... pep talk from Former MIL regarding setting expectations (love that woman) and then, a talk with my friend Katey about "boundaries." Love her even more.
Ok. So - then, in the midst of the "disagreement", Jim (you know, EHWD) says to me that the root of my problem is that I am still ... "stuck on him." Yikes. This is currently the source of great concern for me - as I am discouraged that my closeness with him has been mistaken for being "stuck". I am concerned that I walk around thinking:
"damn. jim. me. we can do this friend thing and be really good at it. i'll therefore tell him 90% of everything going on and be especially nice as much as possible."
and he thinks:
"damn. rachaels doing lots of nice things. she writes nice things about me in her blog and lets me read them. she's not AS BIG a pain in the ass as before. she must still be stuck on me."
and this bothers me. I want to be friends for the sake of being friends. Simple. Pure. No other hidden motives or agendas. I mean, it's been at least a year since I've done the whole, "let's get back together," idea. A year. Jim, I think this is worthy of thinking about. While yes, putting the broken pieces of our family back together would be wonderful... you know, "for the girls," I think I've sadly realized that I don't know if I would now even if the opportunity ever existed. That's sad.
And, to my women friends - don't get me wrong. In true woman fashion, despite how nice she will probably be, I will cry and have a fit when there is "officially" Someone Else. I will. Then I will promptly get over myself.
And Jim, I would just like to say that we can never write a fabulous book on How to Be Divorced Successfully if one of us is always thinking the other one is still madly in love. How unscientific would that be... Rule #5. Always remember your spouse still wants you back.
There will be no formal conversation with Jim regarding this subject. Primarily because we don't review things said in haste at later dates. Also, because he's the Puking Adult tonight.
And, this is the other problem.
Too many people read this blog who KNOW me. TOO many. Including Jim. Which brings me to my next topic.
Things Against My Better Judgement.
You will note I have added links over there... one of them is Jim's blog. He linked to me... I link to him. Viola. Check out his blog. Leave him comments. Nice ones. Don't get me in trouble.
And if Jim and I do ever write a book.. the cover WILL be pink.
Puking Child miraculously stopped puking sometime early Saturday morning, which provided for a few hours of sleep before the chocolate Pop Tart demands began. Ex Husband Wonder Dad (see, I still call you that even when I AM mildly annoyed) offered to take the recooperating Puker for the weekend anyway - promises to get her to bed "on time" and make sure she doesn't overdo it.... either he just plain did what he promised or did a damn fine job covering it up. Either way, I was happy. Showed up with both girls in tow on Sunday morning - at agreed time to get Jordin ready for
Left relatively on time to make it to the dance competition - SB and EHWD in tow.... made it to Gwinnett on time and in one piece ... and watched competition. Jordin - looking absolutley adorable with her adorable dance friends, put on a great show... left competition for break and lunch. Minor disagreement with Jim over birthday importance.... pep talk from Former MIL regarding setting expectations (love that woman) and then, a talk with my friend Katey about "boundaries." Love her even more.
Ok. So - then, in the midst of the "disagreement", Jim (you know, EHWD) says to me that the root of my problem is that I am still ... "stuck on him." Yikes. This is currently the source of great concern for me - as I am discouraged that my closeness with him has been mistaken for being "stuck". I am concerned that I walk around thinking:
"damn. jim. me. we can do this friend thing and be really good at it. i'll therefore tell him 90% of everything going on and be especially nice as much as possible."
and he thinks:
"damn. rachaels doing lots of nice things. she writes nice things about me in her blog and lets me read them. she's not AS BIG a pain in the ass as before. she must still be stuck on me."
and this bothers me. I want to be friends for the sake of being friends. Simple. Pure. No other hidden motives or agendas. I mean, it's been at least a year since I've done the whole, "let's get back together," idea. A year. Jim, I think this is worthy of thinking about. While yes, putting the broken pieces of our family back together would be wonderful... you know, "for the girls," I think I've sadly realized that I don't know if I would now even if the opportunity ever existed. That's sad.
And, to my women friends - don't get me wrong. In true woman fashion, despite how nice she will probably be, I will cry and have a fit when there is "officially" Someone Else. I will. Then I will promptly get over myself.
And Jim, I would just like to say that we can never write a fabulous book on How to Be Divorced Successfully if one of us is always thinking the other one is still madly in love. How unscientific would that be... Rule #5. Always remember your spouse still wants you back.
There will be no formal conversation with Jim regarding this subject. Primarily because we don't review things said in haste at later dates. Also, because he's the Puking Adult tonight.
And, this is the other problem.
Too many people read this blog who KNOW me. TOO many. Including Jim. Which brings me to my next topic.
Things Against My Better Judgement.
You will note I have added links over there... one of them is Jim's blog. He linked to me... I link to him. Viola. Check out his blog. Leave him comments. Nice ones. Don't get me in trouble.
And if Jim and I do ever write a book.. the cover WILL be pink.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Friday, April 22, 2005
Yeah. So, so far on my weekend agenda, I have cancelled all prior plans to actually HAVE a weekend agenda - due to Puking Child. My favorite.
It should be a Good Weekend.
I must go to bed... you know I'll be up at least thirty times tonight with Puking Child. Amazingly, however, I am willing to bet that Puking Child will be up at the crack of dawn, demanding chocolate pop tarts.
Amazing. My life rules.
Rachael
It should be a Good Weekend.
I must go to bed... you know I'll be up at least thirty times tonight with Puking Child. Amazingly, however, I am willing to bet that Puking Child will be up at the crack of dawn, demanding chocolate pop tarts.
Amazing. My life rules.
Rachael
Thursday, April 21, 2005
I have a great hairdresser. I have followed her from salon to salon - and will continue unless she moves to Alaska or something. I love my hairdresser. She's cute, she's funny, and she loves my rock-staresque hair, which I often hate.
I have a great nail girl. She doesn't speak a lot of English - but, she loves me. We laugh. Her little daughter and my daughter play together. We're part of the family up there. I would follow her around too... she makes my nails cute.
I have never considered becoming someone's anything. Until yesterday.
Yesterday. Me. At my little part time job... the cute little Italian paper store I helped open three years ago.
I notice one of my favorite clients from The Buckhead Stationery Store I Used to Give My Life To has come in.
Me : Amanda... hi!!
Her: Rachael? Are you serious?
Me: Yes. It's so good to see you.
(hugs) apparently, desiging invitations and stationery together bonds two females to the point of hugging
Cellphone rings.
Her (on cellphone to friend) : You'll never guess who I just found. I know - it's Rachael. I found her... yes, you know - my paper girl. I found her!!
Friend parks car (apparently was in parking lot) comes into store. Jubilation.
That's me. Your Paper Girl.
Some people live to win the Nobel Prize, some the Pulitzer. Being called someone's Paper Girl, was something I didn't realize I aspired to. Until yesterday.
I have a great nail girl. She doesn't speak a lot of English - but, she loves me. We laugh. Her little daughter and my daughter play together. We're part of the family up there. I would follow her around too... she makes my nails cute.
I have never considered becoming someone's anything. Until yesterday.
Yesterday. Me. At my little part time job... the cute little Italian paper store I helped open three years ago.
I notice one of my favorite clients from The Buckhead Stationery Store I Used to Give My Life To has come in.
Me : Amanda... hi!!
Her: Rachael? Are you serious?
Me: Yes. It's so good to see you.
(hugs) apparently, desiging invitations and stationery together bonds two females to the point of hugging
Cellphone rings.
Her (on cellphone to friend) : You'll never guess who I just found. I know - it's Rachael. I found her... yes, you know - my paper girl. I found her!!
Friend parks car (apparently was in parking lot) comes into store. Jubilation.
That's me. Your Paper Girl.
Some people live to win the Nobel Prize, some the Pulitzer. Being called someone's Paper Girl, was something I didn't realize I aspired to. Until yesterday.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
I feel like the worst mommy in the world.
I did an awful, miserable, tortuous, slimy thing tonight that I may never, ever forgive myself for... and could, quite possibly, need years of therapy to recover from.
I cleaned out the "Art" box.
Yes. It was there - unassumingly gathering dust on the tippy top of the basement shelves. She was there - in all her protective Rubbermaid glory - holding on to SB's entire artistic existence, from Kindergarten till yesterday. She's so full her top barely fits, but she doesn't mind.
So, of course I have decided to go in a "cleaning out" streak. And naturally, the first box I choose must be the one in the highest possible location that will cause the most emotional trauma when things are discarded from.
I sat in the floor of the basement for two hours - looking back over my sweet little girls' creations - from her drawing on the first day of school to the plastic cup angel, to the self portrait. Tempra paint hands, plastic plate creations, bits of construction paper, stories, and coloring sheets. They were all tucked safely away... until I messed with their sweet, little unassuming perfection.
The box itself was stuffed to the top. Since Kindergarten, I have saved every piece of paper the child brings home. The evolution of her style goes from bottom to top - the simple, primitive stick people drawings with floating heads - to the spelling tests, the monthly journals.... it's become an insane mess of papers - and knowing that Jordin starts next year - and that we're moving to the new (old) house in about a month - I just can't take it all with me. I can't.
I wouldn't let SB help... sweetly sent her outside to play. She takes great pride in the things I save that she makes.... it would have killed both of us to have her standing there while I weeded through everything. Thankfully - the job was a little easier than I anticipated... there was a lot of "junk" in there that could be afforded to the trash can - and plenty left for mommy to hold onto.
So - I threw away the now crumpled coloring sheets and random drawings.... threw away a majority of her spelling tests, trashed the faded, falling apart construction paper cowboy who lost a boot somewhere along the way, tossed the paper plate that was Santa's body at one time, and a few collages of magazine clippings. I felt like I was throwing away priceless art - like some curator might show up at any minute and dig my baby's Picassos out of the trash for his private collections. I felt dirty. ... then it got worse ... SB busted me.
She immediately sat down and demanded to know what I was doing - my eight year old protecting her six year old artwork like it was a sibling. I really tried to explain the grown up we-just-don't-have-room-for-everything-at-the-new-house mantra- something she could never comprehend. So instead, she sat with me while we sorted through the end... directing me as to what pieces to save - and what to trash.
So - we save some cool things - the construction paper lion (L is for Lion), the hand made "Mothers Day Tea" invitation, the portrait of mommy (damn, she makes me look good), the Father's Day card, some Christmas decorations, two monthly journals, several stories, some laminated placemats (one for Fall, one for Christmas), the construction paper fish bowl with the orange goldfish (my personal favorite, F is for Fish) and... the decaying Qtip skeleton... he's missing a QTip leg.... but still looks just as happy dancing on that piece of black construction paper as the day she brought him home.
We're going to frame some things and make a mini gallery in the new laundry room... it has high ceilings and empty walls - crying out for some life. I put a folder in my car of the pieces we need frames for - Sarah Beth couldn't be happier. And while we've "finished" the project - it's killing me not to run out to the trash cans and pull it all back out for safekeeping. Now - Jordin's Kindergarten year looms in the wings - I better buy a new box.
I'm even thinking about doing a little surgery on Mr. Skeleton, and giving him a new leg.... just so he'll keep dancing.
I did an awful, miserable, tortuous, slimy thing tonight that I may never, ever forgive myself for... and could, quite possibly, need years of therapy to recover from.
I cleaned out the "Art" box.
Yes. It was there - unassumingly gathering dust on the tippy top of the basement shelves. She was there - in all her protective Rubbermaid glory - holding on to SB's entire artistic existence, from Kindergarten till yesterday. She's so full her top barely fits, but she doesn't mind.
So, of course I have decided to go in a "cleaning out" streak. And naturally, the first box I choose must be the one in the highest possible location that will cause the most emotional trauma when things are discarded from.
I sat in the floor of the basement for two hours - looking back over my sweet little girls' creations - from her drawing on the first day of school to the plastic cup angel, to the self portrait. Tempra paint hands, plastic plate creations, bits of construction paper, stories, and coloring sheets. They were all tucked safely away... until I messed with their sweet, little unassuming perfection.
The box itself was stuffed to the top. Since Kindergarten, I have saved every piece of paper the child brings home. The evolution of her style goes from bottom to top - the simple, primitive stick people drawings with floating heads - to the spelling tests, the monthly journals.... it's become an insane mess of papers - and knowing that Jordin starts next year - and that we're moving to the new (old) house in about a month - I just can't take it all with me. I can't.
I wouldn't let SB help... sweetly sent her outside to play. She takes great pride in the things I save that she makes.... it would have killed both of us to have her standing there while I weeded through everything. Thankfully - the job was a little easier than I anticipated... there was a lot of "junk" in there that could be afforded to the trash can - and plenty left for mommy to hold onto.
So - I threw away the now crumpled coloring sheets and random drawings.... threw away a majority of her spelling tests, trashed the faded, falling apart construction paper cowboy who lost a boot somewhere along the way, tossed the paper plate that was Santa's body at one time, and a few collages of magazine clippings. I felt like I was throwing away priceless art - like some curator might show up at any minute and dig my baby's Picassos out of the trash for his private collections. I felt dirty. ... then it got worse ... SB busted me.
She immediately sat down and demanded to know what I was doing - my eight year old protecting her six year old artwork like it was a sibling. I really tried to explain the grown up we-just-don't-have-room-for-everything-at-the-new-house mantra- something she could never comprehend. So instead, she sat with me while we sorted through the end... directing me as to what pieces to save - and what to trash.
So - we save some cool things - the construction paper lion (L is for Lion), the hand made "Mothers Day Tea" invitation, the portrait of mommy (damn, she makes me look good), the Father's Day card, some Christmas decorations, two monthly journals, several stories, some laminated placemats (one for Fall, one for Christmas), the construction paper fish bowl with the orange goldfish (my personal favorite, F is for Fish) and... the decaying Qtip skeleton... he's missing a QTip leg.... but still looks just as happy dancing on that piece of black construction paper as the day she brought him home.
We're going to frame some things and make a mini gallery in the new laundry room... it has high ceilings and empty walls - crying out for some life. I put a folder in my car of the pieces we need frames for - Sarah Beth couldn't be happier. And while we've "finished" the project - it's killing me not to run out to the trash cans and pull it all back out for safekeeping. Now - Jordin's Kindergarten year looms in the wings - I better buy a new box.
I'm even thinking about doing a little surgery on Mr. Skeleton, and giving him a new leg.... just so he'll keep dancing.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Tuesday Hustle
Hi. I'm back.
apparently, *Creative Me* bolts whenever it comes time to take care of The Girls. damn her.
lots to do today. did the good samaritan act this morning and "sat" with my great grandmother while grandmother went out shopping. she then gave me an early birthday present... even though it's still a week away. picked up jordin's shot record and dropped it off at the school - yes, she's really going to leave me and go off to kindergarten next year. she's not even sorry.
this afternoon is dance - as usual. last practice before the big competition this weekend. gotta find a copy of her birth certificate before then. have no clue where to start looking.
this week totally sucks. i was dumb enough to not ever think i would be divorced - so i planned my wedding (april 17) a week away from my birthday (april 26) which was about two weeks away from mothers day (may 8) . yeah. cause i wanted to be celebrated for like a month straight. and if i put all the big days together jim could never forget them. he always does anyway. i made myself not mention our anniversary, which was sunday. the girls will give me a hug and kiss, and that's the best gift anyway.
yep. all lower case. that's how i feel. all lowercase. improper sentence structure and all.
rach
Hi. I'm back.
apparently, *Creative Me* bolts whenever it comes time to take care of The Girls. damn her.
lots to do today. did the good samaritan act this morning and "sat" with my great grandmother while grandmother went out shopping. she then gave me an early birthday present... even though it's still a week away. picked up jordin's shot record and dropped it off at the school - yes, she's really going to leave me and go off to kindergarten next year. she's not even sorry.
this afternoon is dance - as usual. last practice before the big competition this weekend. gotta find a copy of her birth certificate before then. have no clue where to start looking.
this week totally sucks. i was dumb enough to not ever think i would be divorced - so i planned my wedding (april 17) a week away from my birthday (april 26) which was about two weeks away from mothers day (may 8) . yeah. cause i wanted to be celebrated for like a month straight. and if i put all the big days together jim could never forget them. he always does anyway. i made myself not mention our anniversary, which was sunday. the girls will give me a hug and kiss, and that's the best gift anyway.
yep. all lower case. that's how i feel. all lowercase. improper sentence structure and all.
rach
Monday, April 18, 2005
Weekend Recap
Girls and I had a wonderful weekend.. thank goodness for beautiful weather, despite the blanket of pollen that seems to be covering the city. The girls, however, seem to immune - which is nice - as my coughing and scratchy throat are all I can handle at the moment.
We had birthday parties to attend Saturday and Sunday - which essentially means I flipped on the "Taxi" sign on top of my car on Saturday afternoon. I cut it back off sometime last night. Funny - there's no clean up crew or anything like that showing up to detail... oh well.
Saturday afternoon both girls were invited to one of our dearest friend's seventh birthday.... she's absolutley one of BOTH the girls closest friends - and we spend much time together. The weather cooperated beautifully, and the outside party went over well. Just the right mix of friends and family. Our theme for Saturday? Well, indeed - the eighties return ... it was a "CareBear" party all the way. The kids couldn't break the overstuffed pinata for the life of them, so - Birthday Girl's Dad made some minor "adjustments," and soon enough, there was candy all over the floor of the carport.
Sunday ... we actually made it to church on time... Sunday School and everything.... mommy was in an exceedingly good mood upon our arrival ... causing most of my friends to do a double take as our car pulled into the parking lot.... on top of which, I was having a GREAT hair day. Anyway, post church hustle to pick up a birthday gift for Friend #2. This party was Jordin's - a friend from dance turning five. (Apparently, the girls had never seen each other in anything but tutus and tulle - as they almost didn't recognize each other when we arrived... funny. ) "We" chose a "Fairytopia" Barbie and some cute plastic necklaces... wrapped it all up and grabbed a PB&J at home. Five minutes down the road to the Movie Theatre.... what a perfect place for a party. Twelve kids, one party room, one reserved theatre, twelve tickets to The Pacifier ... and everyone is happy. Even the mommies were happy - nothing like Vin Diesel, anywhere you put him. (If you ask me, anyway) Sarah Beth and I played some video games in the arcade, and then she and I saw the movie with the party.
Took the girls over to a friends house on Sunday night ... planned a "Mothers Day Tea," for the kids at church, made a list of Things to Do for said party, and then headed home to bed.
Anyway... it was a Good Weekend. Made me glad I am a mom... again.
Rachael
Girls and I had a wonderful weekend.. thank goodness for beautiful weather, despite the blanket of pollen that seems to be covering the city. The girls, however, seem to immune - which is nice - as my coughing and scratchy throat are all I can handle at the moment.
We had birthday parties to attend Saturday and Sunday - which essentially means I flipped on the "Taxi" sign on top of my car on Saturday afternoon. I cut it back off sometime last night. Funny - there's no clean up crew or anything like that showing up to detail... oh well.
Saturday afternoon both girls were invited to one of our dearest friend's seventh birthday.... she's absolutley one of BOTH the girls closest friends - and we spend much time together. The weather cooperated beautifully, and the outside party went over well. Just the right mix of friends and family. Our theme for Saturday? Well, indeed - the eighties return ... it was a "CareBear" party all the way. The kids couldn't break the overstuffed pinata for the life of them, so - Birthday Girl's Dad made some minor "adjustments," and soon enough, there was candy all over the floor of the carport.
Sunday ... we actually made it to church on time... Sunday School and everything.... mommy was in an exceedingly good mood upon our arrival ... causing most of my friends to do a double take as our car pulled into the parking lot.... on top of which, I was having a GREAT hair day. Anyway, post church hustle to pick up a birthday gift for Friend #2. This party was Jordin's - a friend from dance turning five. (Apparently, the girls had never seen each other in anything but tutus and tulle - as they almost didn't recognize each other when we arrived... funny. ) "We" chose a "Fairytopia" Barbie and some cute plastic necklaces... wrapped it all up and grabbed a PB&J at home. Five minutes down the road to the Movie Theatre.... what a perfect place for a party. Twelve kids, one party room, one reserved theatre, twelve tickets to The Pacifier ... and everyone is happy. Even the mommies were happy - nothing like Vin Diesel, anywhere you put him. (If you ask me, anyway) Sarah Beth and I played some video games in the arcade, and then she and I saw the movie with the party.
Took the girls over to a friends house on Sunday night ... planned a "Mothers Day Tea," for the kids at church, made a list of Things to Do for said party, and then headed home to bed.
Anyway... it was a Good Weekend. Made me glad I am a mom... again.
Rachael
Friday, April 15, 2005
Check, please.
Who in the @*#(@* ordered all this pollen? Have you LOOKED outside?
Oh, wait - for those of you reading who are not from Georgia or the south in general....
Let me introduce you to some fabulous exclusively southern things.... we have
Who in the @*#(@* ordered all this pollen? Have you LOOKED outside?
Oh, wait - for those of you reading who are not from Georgia or the south in general....
Let me introduce you to some fabulous exclusively southern things.... we have
- sweet tea (iced tea with sugar in it....)
- The Varsity (whadya have, whadya have)
- grits
- kudzu
- Chik Fil A
- Georgia Bulldogs
and I think these are all reasonable good things. Right?
Yeah. Well.. we also have pollen. From about April to July - EVERYTHING in the south is a lovely, shall we say - chartreuse color. Pollen. Everywhere. On everything.
The sign at the Atlanta Airport should actually read:
"Welcome to Atlanta"
Todays Pollen Count is 45,782,328,923,890,283,902
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