House Cleaning, Weddings, 80's Aerobic Gear, and Other Half Truths

UGHHH.. I've put off cleaning for 2 weeks now. Actually I can't blame it all on my laziness, it's all the Flu's fault!  So today... I clean, I organize, I try and make some sense of the madhouse that has formed around me.
I'm reminded of my Mother, who we joke came out of the womb cleaning! Not a trait I inherited. I came out of the womb, blissfully unaware that things get dirty around me until i fall over it, shouting "IT WILL BE OK"! Which as you know, my Sister's with all their pent up humor, will most likely carve this very thing on  my tomb-stone.. along with "Not the Baby"!  Which of course will make me haunt them... which in itself should be enough to make them play nice, and leave my tombstone saying "Best Sister, EVER!" Whatever... I need to clean.........

My Oldest daughter has informed me she is getting married. I have one year to lose all the weight I need to lose, so I can look like the "hot" mom. Well, I don't wanna go in there being the "fat" mom! So.. I had hubby dust off the stationary bike, and bring down the Nordic-Trac from the attic.  NOW... Where did I hide all my 80's inspired aerobic work-out clothes? (I picture myself looking like the girl from flashdance, or maybe like Olivia Newton-John in "Let's get Physical". When really.. I am just.. well.. "Fat Amy") Headband.. check   Leg-warmers...check....wrist bands.. check check. What are those for anyway? If the head band is already keeping the sweat from dripping in my eyes, what purpose do they serve? OH.. They look cool... I see.. sigh..   Maybe back in the Spring of 1986, which is probably when I last wore them.  Or exercised for that matter. OK, that is just a half truth... I have exercised since 1986, just not as much as I used to. Like these pounds I've gained over the years are going to go away by themselves. If I just think about eating a piece of cake and gain ten pounds, then why can't just thinking about exercising for 45 minutes take that weight off?  Just sayin'    Well, whatever the case, I want to look my best for this wedding. Would love to hear comments like, "man she has hardly aged at all" or "she looks better than she ever has" or even just a nice "Wow" would suffice. So anyway, my Ski-machine awaits. Here's to a smaller butt in 2013!

Birthday Wishes, Funny Nicknames, and The Stronger of the Two

Today is my youngest Sister's birthday.  Happy Birthday Nora!  My little Sis, although starting out life as the quiet one ( or so we thought), has in her time done some quite remarkable things.  Getting stuck with the cutest of nicknames, which I refuse to share at this time, for fear of retaliation, on her part. All the same... It was cute. I can tell you it was due to the fact that my Sis spent the first 2 years of her life... well... upside down, actually.  She was fascinated more with the world as it looked bent over, butt in the air, looking through her legs, which must have been incredible. I could often picture her seeing fairies on the ceiling, or maybe she thought if she bent over and looked at the world from this vantage, she could walk on the ceiling?

Nora seen here dive bombing the bean bag

Nora and my middle sister, Joylyn, were inseparable. Very close in age, they would often go on adventures together. Once I saw my very tiny Nora tell Joylyn to climb on her shoulders, because she was sure the cookies, just out of reach, could be snatched from the cupboard with a little sweat and ingenuity. Whose Idea we may never know, but it worked. Wish I'd been able to take a picture of them, I always wondered why tiny little Nora thought it was a good idea to have Joylyn on HER shoulders, when it made much more sense the other way around. I suppose as long as it worked in their minds... it would work period. Guess Nora thought she was the stronger of the two.

Nora and Joylyn Cruisin' The Block

My Nora is grown now, married, with a baby of her own, who is not so baby anymore. She still has that same beautiful smile she had as a youngin', and still gets into mischeviousness with Joylyn... EVERY chance they get!  I'm sure our Mother never knows what will take place when we are all together, for as we've grown older, the age gaps have disappeared, and now we are just 3 adults, up for anything that will bring a smile to someones face, all the time hoping we dont get busted for it. Which usually happens when Mom walks in the room a little too early.

I love you Nora, your sense of humor, your love of the Lord, and seeing you be a Mom. It's been a blessed thing to watch.  I will NOT remind you that things will start falling apart, and heading south, as youth fades and gravity takes over. Ughhh..  I will remind you that I love you, that I am so happy to have you as my Sister, and that next time you are down I've got a great one we can pull on Joylyn!

Nora trying out for American Idol  YES She sings!

                             Happy Birthday, Sweet Cheeks!

                    All My Love, Auntie Aimes/AKA Your Big Sis

An Early Valentine's Day Has Gone To The Dogs

Here are my Babies. Not very happy with their new Valentine Hanky's, although I am thrilled! Chilli still looks at me like he did something wrong, and Harley is like "Yo... MA... NOT very many dude!" Oh well... I love them anyway.

                                          Chilli and Harley

Plastic Bubbles, Butter/Sugar Sandwiches, and Tardis

Busy is an understatement of what my life has been like these past few weeks. Seems it is taking its toll on my blog life. So I promised myself I would get something posted TODAY! My middle Sis recommended several options, one of which was Plastic Bubbles and butter sugar sandwiches. It is always amazing to have a memory pop into your head you've not thought of for years. Sweet to have a Sister bring it to mind.

Raised in a small community in East Texas, no stop light, One Baptist Church and one Southern Baptist Church. ( I always joked was "one church for the people that liked to dance, and one church for the ones that didn't") I suppose I fell into the "not sure" category, for I attended both churches.  Our town had one tiny post office, almost so small you had to take turns going in to get your mail. One general store, ( Newly built back in the 80's because someone had driven into the old general store and knocked it off of it's foundation into the pasture behind the structure) Which was BIG news in our tiny little community. Everyone knew everyone. Everyone knew about everyone. The local men met at the store for cards, checkers, and of course an enormous amount of Texas size tales. The ones you never knew if they were true, or just well invented stories to get snared into and then at the end rewarded with a rather hilarious punch line.  We'd walk to that store for candy, or an old glass bottle of Dr. Pepper.  We thought we had it made.

Times were tight for everyone back then. Jobs were scarce in our area, as well as the rest of the country. Neighbors helped out neighbors, and families were there for one another. My sister reminded me that no matter how rough things got in our household our Mother always had a special treat for us.  If we wanted dessert, but there weren't enough groceries to invent even the skimpiest of cookie, Mom made us butter-sugar sandwiches. To this day I can remember the taste of this delicious treat, but don't think I could eat one. There was also special occasions when Mom had made a little extra that week at work and she would bring home the ultimate in kids play things.... Colored Plastic Bubbles.  They smelled funny, but once you got past the odor, you had hours of bubble fun! Squeeze a dab out of the tube onto a straw and blow. The bubbles were red, blue, green, or yellow. They could be held, bounced, and sometimes popped and re-blown ( if done fast enough) The drawback was they dried up quick if you lost the lid to the tube.  Even when I got older and Mom brought them for my smaller Sisters I couldn't wait until they went to bed, just so I could blow up one or two. Which Mom must have figured out, because she later started buying them for me again.

Those times are long gone. Most of the men that filled the local store have gone on to their heavenly homes. The newer group isn't the same for us, but they do still know how to spin a tale. You can still pick up that old Dr. Pepper in the bottle, and a chick-o-stick to go with it if you feel the need. Now, as my Sister said.... "If we could just borrow the Tardis, and go back in time to when we blew those bubbles, ate those sandwiches, and enjoyed tales of Texas sized proportion", we'd have it made.