Monthly Archives: October 2008
Down on the Farm and a nice encounter with the Marlboro Man
Enough Already… One week and Counting!
Somehow I was able to escape the antics of Blue and Joe, Max and Ruby and tune into what I believe was an NBC station. Good Lord help me if my folks over at Morning Joe stooped this low… but someone was actually interviewing the second hand shop where Ms. Palin and her daughters shop. And whoever this interviewer was (I was in the bathroom trying to do my hair) actually had the audacity to ask how much Ms. Palin and her daughters spent on their shopping sprees there. How completely and utterly tacky is that? Gauche, as my grandmother would have said. Delving into her personal-political life is one thing. Delving into her clothes shopping habits when there is nothing wrong with them is something else completely. (In fact, by shopping at a second hand store she is indeed recycling.)
No one made fun of Hilary while her husband ran for office. And they should have. Boy should they have. When her husband was elected Mrs. Clinton had a complete and total transformation. (Thank Goodness.)
I am sure this stupid, complete waste of time interview was all a result due to the latest gossip about the Alaskan Governor trading in her second hand clothes for the haute couture and high price tags of Saks Fifth Avenue and Needless Markup, er, I meant to say Neiman Marcus… If Obama can spend (waste) millions on his campaign then for crying out loud let the woman dress nicely. If someone is willing to shell out some money for some good quality clothing then let them. Mrs. Palin doesn’t do too terribly badly on her own. She just needs a little fine-tuning.
I only wish, perhaps, that someone would afford her a nice stylist because, come on, this beehive doo-op thing has to go. And her Lens Crafters should get tossed into the trash. Unless she will no longer be able to see Russia from her bedroom window. In that case, she should keep them.
While we are on the complete opposite sides of the political spectrum (I being on the North Pole and she being on the South) I have to admit she is a very attractive and bright woman. She’d be stunning if we added some highlights and contacts. Her suits are too stuffy indicating that she is less Maverick than she would like to admit. So whoever the new stylist is, if you are by chance reading this, I think Sarah needs a little color and sparkle under her suits. And really, one can dress quite conservatively without dropping tens of thousands of dollars an outfit. I think Sarah would look quite well in a nicely tailored Calvin Klein pantsuit, or an elegant Ralph Lauren (doesn’t have to be Black Label) suit in black or charcoal grey worn over a pretty hot pink cashmere (or even lavender!) sweater and some pearls. Pearls are stylish and the perfect accessory. I just implore that she stay away from my J. Crew!
She needs to veer a little bit away from her comfort zone. Look we all know she is one sexy broad, so play up those attributes. A little sex appeal never hurt anyone. And obviously, they’ve brought Ms. Palin a long way. There is nothing wrong with a soft, sexy hockey mom.
In a week her 15 minutes of fame will be over. Let her go out in style!
It’s almost that time of year…
I grabbed a house phone with me since we have no cell reception where we live. Of course I grabbed one that had been off the charger. Typical. I drove down to the main road where there is reception and called the fire department non-emergency number. They told me they were sending someone over but to hang up and call 911.
The men were all suited up in their oxygen tanks and masks. Clearly they were not taking this lightly. As soon as we opened up the front door their super-sensitive CO/Gas detectors started sounding off frantically.
They opened up all the windows, doors, sliders, bulk head doors and brought these massive fans in to blow out the bad air and bring in fresh air. They did this until their readings dropped back down to 0. We would be allowed back in when all was safe and clear.
The fireman who came out to talk to us what completely taken by Alexander and his love for all firemen related things. He commented that the firemen noticed all his fire gear and apparel throughout the house and they loved his bedroom! Alexander delighted in that and was completely star-struck when the fireman talked to him. He had this wide, super-goofy grin on his face. It was precious!
(getting super duper sized fan off the truck to flush toxic air out of
the house)
I’ve been Tagged… again!

My 7 random facts are (in no particular order):
1. I am a perpetual postponer. I put everything off until the last possible minute. But while I operate very well (at my best) under pressure, I really do hate procrastinating.
2. I have suffered from ADD all my life. I was not diagnosed until after college, however. I have passed this lovely trait on to my son Christopher. Like me his is a very calm person. But he fidgets a lot. And gets distracted all the time. So if you are in a deep conversation with me and I do not keep my eyes focused on you at all times, it is not my intention to have “wandering eyes” as I really can not help it. It is a constant struggle. We have just put my son on meds and they are making a world of a difference. He tells me he can pay attention and people aren’t “bothering” him anymore. I love him and I am proud of him and I secretly want to steal one of his focusing pills! But I will stick to my uber strong Starbucks instead!
3. I would like to publish my stories someday. I have written short stories and some children’s stories. They are all boxed in the basement at the moment.
4. Maybe even a cookbook too. With my kids.
5. I would love nothing more than to have to my house to myself for an entire day with no spouse and no children. I would watch Oprah and Martha and take a lovely Jacuzzi tub and read my book and snooze!
6. My maternal grandmother is my inspiration. (I’ll blog about this amazing woman later on.) She died 4 years ago and I still miss her tremendously. I think she is my guardian angel.
7. I am not a religious person. I am by heritage Jewish. I was brought up celebrating Christmas. And have never practiced though both my parents did when they were children. Good thing as Christmastime is absolute most favorite time of year! My husband is Catholic. My children will be able to decide (when they are old enough to do so) which religion they would like to follow. I will insist, however, they learn all about their heritage on my side. It is too important to ignore and forget. I want my children to understand how tragic the Holocaust was. I want them to understand that racism can not be tolerated. I also
Wow, I had no intentions of this being such a “deep” post… but there we have it 7 random things about me that you may not have known!
And the winner is…..
In search of the Great(est) Pumpkin
We took a little drive yesterday to nearby Shelton, CT to admire the breathtaking foliage before it disappears altogether. And to get some pumpkins. It seems everyone’s doing it these days! We nearly didn’t because our schedules have been so busy but Christopher’s soccer game was cancelled yesterday and so we jumped at the opportunity to do something together (besides fighting!) as a family. It was a crisp, fairly chilly day. Perfect weather for a pumpkin patch!
Spanx for the Holidays!
Now you can have your cake and eat it too!
Nature in Art
My Not So Artisitc One made these wonderful pictures using simply the twigs and sticks from our back yard. His brother and sister were busilly Crafting at the table and he came up with and created these. He randomly placed the sticks on the white paper and painted and glued them to the paper with Mod Podge (the same product I used for the pumpkin luminaries). The only things missing are a couple of frames!
This craft is so super easy and can be done by anyone. These pictures would also make lovely gifts at Christmastime for parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles!
Stop the world… I want to get off!
How did this happen? So now somehow, amongst all this craziness, I have to go car shopping. It’s so confusing and so complicated. There is so much out there, perhaps even too much. But there is not a whole heck of a lot I like, truth be told. I am a snob with a beggar’s budget at this point. I looked at the Audi Q7. That car is a Beee–ooot! I would have driven off the lot with it in a New York Minute. But it’s a tad bit too small. Sure I could squish three across the second row and a couple more in the back, but Rebecca gets car sick — terribly car sick — and I imagined her there squished in the second row next to her brothers, or in the back row feeling a bit green under the gills. As stylishly me as that car is I have to put my kid’s well-being before my materialistic and shallow desires. Sigh… And due purely to size I can now rule out the new Acura MDX and the Volvo XC90. Bummer. Bummer. Bummer. So what is there left to drive? Not much. The Escalade is a dream in a Pimp My Ride Kind of a way but just too big for me. Same with the Suburban. And the Sequoia. I don’t like the way Fords drive. I love me a Mercedes, but that’s a bit too much to handle at the moment. The Lincoln Navigator is too big too. And yet I need to be able to sit 7 people in my car. (That allows 1 friend per child, plus me.) The Armada is out of the game on name alone. Sounds too much like Armadillo. Or Amarillo. Or Armageddon. I loved, loved loved the Land Cruiser. But Toyota had to go ahead and completely ruin the body style. I do not like (for me) the Tahoe, Trailblazer, Denali and Yukon. I do not like the Arcadia. I do not like the Pathfinder. Highlander and Pilot are too small. See where I am going with this? And no, I am NOT getting another van, though, as van’s go my Sienna was rockin’ and stylish with her leather and wood trim and had more bells and whistles than Santa’s sled at Christmastime. For a van the Sienna is hot. But I didn’t say that. You heard no such thing from me. I have three weeks to find a car. While schlepping kids and doing all that other stuff. And I am losing my head. I am losing my mind.