Chattering

My neighbor Sid: "Cara, do you have a bluetooth?"

Me: "Yes, I do."

Sid: "Ah, then Chuck was right."

Me: "About what? Why do you want to know if I have a bluetooth?"

Sid: "Because Chuck and I are always hearing you talking and we wondered who you were talking to. Chuck said you must be on a bluetooth talking on the phone."

Hmmm. Interesting analysis. Unfortunately quite false.

The last time I used my bluetooth I was in the car in downtown Tampa during rush hour on my way to Disney. I was talking to my husband and the bluetooth fell out of my ear and disappeared somewhere in my car. All my husband could hear was Kelly and me arguing about which way the bluetooth fell and our frantic search for it. I haven't used the damn thing since.

When I'm out wandering the neighborhood, walking the dog, out on my back porch, or my front porch, or in my yard talking I'm talking to MYSELF or the dog. Both are very good listeners and neither talks back!

Good friends know the truth

This past week we started back up with our "family night" dinners with another family. My friend's husband has a game night every other Thursday so the women and children hook up and eat dinner. One person is in charge of the meal and the other in charge of the cookie cake.

My friend made the mistake of asking if she should substitute the cookie cake for an ice cream cake. I declined letting her know that I do not care for ice cream cake.

She showed up at my house with this:

Thank God she understands the truth!

Letter to Ben Roethlisberger

If only he reads this:

http://talentnetworkinc.blogspot.com/2010/04/letter-to-ben-roethlisberger.html

The Biggest Beach Party Ever!

Each year one of the cities on the beach holds "The Greatest Beach Party Ever" and there is music, beer, wine, local seafood, dancing, sun, sand, etc. This year we snuck in the back way and set up a ways behind the food tents. Kept us out of the huge crowd of singles drinking and smoking and looking for love.

The water was nice until the sun went down.

The girls stayed out in the gulf for quite some time.

One of the things the kids started a year ago was digging a huge hole. Mostly the adults fell into it while imbibing so this year we made them do it closer to the water and away from people.

It is definitely a good time!

Is this in my future?

Little things that have brightened my week

1. The new turn lane at the light of the street that I cross to get the kids to school.
2. Seeing all the old faces at my gym whose halls I have not darkened in more than seven months.
3. Putting containers that use to be in my closet into Madison's closet thus freeing up my walk-in closet so that I could actually walk in it!
4. A peppermint mocha hot coffee from Starbucks.
5. Sitting in the chair on my front porch in the evening with a glass of sangria and a breeze so chilly that I can only last outside for an hour.
6. The return of my neighbor and doggy buddy Garnet.
7. Cuddling with the dog on the couch for the five seconds he allows it.
8. Tom's happiness at finding another car.
9. Hanging with my friends by the heated pool.
10. A pedicure with a design for no charge.
    

I'm proud to be a Steeler fan

Today NFL commissioner Roger Goodell handed Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger a six game suspension for his conduct in a Georgia bar. While all the blogs are praising Goodell for his decision and for cracking down on athletes who break the NFL's personal conduct code, I think we are forgetting that the Rooney's already let it be known that they wanted a punishment from the NFL and one that fit the crime.

The Steelers organization has already started proceedings for shopping Ben out of Pittsburgh by contacting seven different teams who are looking for quarterbacks. This is huge. The Steelers have made Ben a franchise player. He was their Super Bowl leader in two wins. But in the Rooney's Steeler organization football isn't everything.

I'm thrilled that the Rooney family is living up to their hype and doing what is necessary. It is about time someone stepped up to the plate and let it be known that this type of behavior from star athletes isn't okay.

Grease is the word

Darcy's friend had her eleven year birthday party this past weekend. The invitation said to dress as a character from the movie Grease, a movie that I didn't think was all that appropriate for eleven year olds. Originally the movie was going to be shown at the party, but after viewing the movie that I loaned her, she opted out of doing that and instead hired an Elvis impersonator.

My problem was dressing my daughter. She wasn't interested in rolling up her blue jeans and wearing a button down shirt. I wasn't interested in spending money on an outfit for a two hour birthday party, despite the whining that all the other kids had costumes. We left it to the last minute and then headed out to the mall to see what we could find.

The first store we entered was JC Penney. We wandered through the kid's aisle and Darcy gravitated toward the clearance rack. And there it was! Right on the rack. A pair of black fake leather pants (plastic actually). I think I actually started shrieking. I began babbling about the movie and how in the end Danny wears his letter sweater because he thinks that is what Sandy wants. And Sandy shows up dressed in these! These leather pants! Because women are stupid when it comes to their love of men and will compromise all their beliefs and morals to win the men of their dreams. Darcy said, "Huh?" But she tried them on anyway.

The pants were $2.97 and the shirt was $4.97. We bought some fake nails and some hoop earrings (again in the clearance bin) and she paired that with her black heeled shoes. Madison and her friend worked on the hair and make-up to "send your eleven year old daughter to a kid's birthday party dressed as a tramp" - Kelly E.

I thought she looked fantastic.

Another one bites the dust

My readers have been asking me when I'll discuss my feelings about Ben Roethlisberger and his antics off the field (okay I made that up, but a serious blogger has readers and I aspire to one day have readers who write me about such situations...thus the practice). Since the news hit this week that he won't be charged in the accused rape in Georgia and the prosecutors have closed the case all of the material has been released for public consumption. I spent a good part of yesterday reading most of the material. It sickened me.

Here we go again. Yet another athlete/public figure has committed yet another offense (for lack of a better word since there were no charges in this case). While he was never arrested nor charged of a crime, Ben Roethlisberger did wrong. We will never know what really happened that night in the bathroom of a night club. But the fact remains that Big Ben's judgment and clarity off the field is nothing like what it is on the field.

First of all, the man is involved in a civil suit brought against him by a woman who accuses him of raping her in a Lake Tahoo casino. With this $440,000 civil suit hanging over your head would you really throw caution to the wind and go bar hopping, picking up young women you've never met? His parents must be so proud.

Secondly, Ben plays for the Rooney family and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Rooney's do not tolerate bad behavior. They expect everyone who plays for them to live up to the standards they have set. While they are all for redemption they will only put up with so much. Santonio Holmes, MVP of the Super Bowl? Failed his drug test for what is now the third strike against him. The Rooney family chucked his butt to the Jets. This is now Ben's second offense. He had better take a long look inside himself and recognize that he has a problem and then get some help. Otherwise he too will no longer be a Pittsburgh Steeler.

Thirdly, I'm tired of the apology statement. Why is it that everyone parades these athletes and politicians and rich idiots before the public to let us see them read from a paper that wasn't even written by them in the first place? Yes, yes, I know that they have to watch what they say or it can be held against them in this "suing" society, but just once I want to see someone get up and say, "I was a dickhead and an asshole, and boy, did I just f**k up." Clearly they are only sorry that they got caught. Do us a favor and keep them away from the microphones and television cameras. And while you are at it keep them out of rehab. Until these men admit they have a real problem, rehab is another grandstand "for show" way of cheating the public.

I admire the things Ben does on the field. He has overcome naysayers and a small college background to become a two time Super Bowl champion leader and quarterback. But he has a long way to go to fill the shoes of those leaders and quarterbacks before him. He has to stop his drinking, stop his partying, and stop sticking his penis into places it doesn't belong. Football is only one aspect of his life and football doesn't last forever. He has got to get his head out of his ass, chuck the pompous I'm-a-Super-Bowl-winner-and therefore-unstoppable attitude, and get some help. Until then he is just another rich, spoiled athlete whose name is talked about for all the wrong reasons.

Kitchen Construction Project

I never really enjoyed this Crest toothpaste color in my kitchen. My decorator friend helped me about five years ago re-decorate my house. We ended in the kitchen. We picked out some fabric and went with the color from the fabric for the paint. By the time it made it to the walls it looked like Crest regular toothpaste. It has never grown on me.

When we decided to put tile in the kitchen I decided to re-paint. Since the dining room color went so well with my new tile, and since I'm into my rooms flowing, I decided to bring that same color into the kitchen. I knew it would darken the kitchen, but after having a white kitchen, and then a toothpaste kitchen, I was ready for a drastic change.

My good friend, SueG, came over on Tuesday and we painted the kitchen in a day. I figured if I got the kitchen painted it would jump start my husband on new counter-tops and appliances. While he was quite impressed with our work ("Are you sure you didn't hire the neighbors?") he thought the mauve of the counter-top really went well with the new color. Sigh. Apparently it is going to take me hiring the neighbors to get that project done!

When one door closes....

Last Monday my husband was involved in a car wreck. A woman cut across several lanes trying to get into the left hand turn lane and ran right into the back of Tom's car. The car had once belonged to a friend of mine who died a year and a half ago. Tom wasn't hurt at all, and I believe my buddy Murph was watching out for him. Unfortunately, the car was totaled by our insurance company. The woman's insurance company now has the car and is checking it out because the fault was hers (and lucky for us a police officer was behind her and witnessed the accident). In the meantime the company is paying for a rental car.

On Sunday the rental car blew a fuse and the windows refused to go back up. He took the car back on Monday and the only car the rental agency had to give him was this one.

He came home on Monday night and took the kids (and Elliot) for a spin. After dinner we all climbed into the car and took a spin...to Steak n' Shake for shakes. Something tells me my husband isn't in any hurry for a report on his wrecked car.

Email funnies

1. This one is hilarious for all of us living in Florida!

A group of 40 year old girlfriends discussed where to meet for dinner. They decided on the Ocean View Restaurant because the waiters there were very good looking and had buff bodies.

Ten years later at their 50 years of age meeting they again discussed where to go for dinner. They decided on the Ocean View Restaurant because the food was very good and the wine selection excellent.

Ten years later at their 60 years of age celebration they discussed dinner plans. They decided on the Ocean View Restaurant because it was quiet and had a beautiful view of the water.

Ten years after that at their 70 years of age get together they discussed where to eat. They decided on the Ocean View Restaurant because it was wheel chair accessible and even had an elevator.

Ten years after that at their 80 years of age celebration they discussed where to meet for dinner. They decided on the Ocean View Restaurant because they had never been there before.

2. This one is hilarious for women!

Dan was a single guy living at home with his father and working in the family business. When he found out he was going to inherit his sickly father's fortune, he decided he needed a wife to share in his good fortune.

One evening at an investment meeting he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty took his breath away. He told her, "I may look like just an ordinary guy, but in a few years my father will die and I will inherit $200 million dollars."

Impressed the woman asked for his business card. Three days later she became his stepmother.

Women are so much better at financial planning then men!!

3. This is just plain funny!

Eleven people were hanging on a rope under a helicopter, ten men and one woman. The rope was not strong enough to carry them all so they decided that one had to leave or otherwise they would all fail to their deaths. Everyone silently looked at each other, not volunteering until the woman spoke up. She said that she would voluntarily let go because as a woman she was used to giving up everything for her husband and children and she was used to making sacrifices with little in return. When she finished all ten men started clapping.

Out of the mouths of my babes

Me: "Darcy, here are some denim shorts."

Darcy: "Oh, yeah. I like those." She pulls out her size and moves to the other colors: white & khaki.

Me: "Why are you pulling out white? You have white shorts."

Darcy: "I can have two pairs of white shorts. Besides I don't like tacky."

Madison: "You mean khaki."

Darcy: "Yeah, khaki." (looks up at me) "And don't put that on your blog!"

Construction 2 - Days 3 & 4

Wednesday the green went on the house and I wondered if it were a tad too dark. I tried to envision the shutters on the house. My neighbor assured me it would be beautiful.

View from the back - not so green here as the sun hits here, and the white from our playroom makes it "pop".

Thursday the shutters were painted and finally hung. All the neighbors stood outside viewing the house from different angles. We all agreed the house was "popping", the color gorgeous, the other houses around it shabby.

Still have touch ups and the east side of the house still to do. Might be finished by the weekend and then I can start adding some flowers and porch decorations. Anyone have porch suggestions?

Opening night of Rays baseball

And it begins!

Rays fall behind - interest wanes

My boy, Carl Crawford, hit in the two winning runs!

The Trop glows with the win!

Go Rays!

Construction Project #2 - Days 1 & 2

The exterior house painting project started this week. We finally chose the colors: cactus garden (a forestry green), a matched wine color from our new storm door, and a bright white. I was going to go with a tan instead of the white, but the interior design woman from Home Depot told me "no, white" and assured me that it would make the green "pop". Since she has interior design behind her name I took her advice.

My two neighbors, one a retired police officer, the other a retired fire fighter, are doing the job. They have not given us an estimate so we are hopeful it won't cost us an arm and a leg. Monday they pressure washed and sealed the house. Tuesday one worked with the white trim while the other did the cutting in with the green. The result was we lived in a "jail house" for a day.

Out of the mouths of my babes

Madison: "Who are the Rays playing tonight?"

Me: "That is a good question. I haven't any idea."

Tom: "Me either, but I can look at the tickets."

Me: "This is great. We are going to a game and we haven't a clue who the home team is playing."

Darcy: "What is an Oreo?"

Tom: "What is an Oreo? What kind of question is that?"

Me: (light bulb going off above my head) "You mean an Oriole? As in the Baltimore Orioles?"

Darcy: "Yes. I think we are playing the Baltimore Oreos. What is that?"

Can you find Waldo?

Happy Birthday to my niece

Happy Easter

Who needs to color eggs?

The Easter bunny was generous

The Easter dog was greedy

A great day was had by all!

Flat Stanley's Spring Break Adventures

My niece's class in Chicago read the book Flat Stanley and then each child made her own flat Stanley and mailed them off to various people around the country in hopes that they would take Stanley on adventures. My daughter received Stanley in the mail and her assignment was to take Stanley around with her, photographing his adventures. She was to then write about Florida and what Stanley saw while visiting. Unfortunately, we were only given five days to complete this task and the girls were in school so Stanley was left lying in his envelope forgotten.

My other niece (the Indiana niece) once did this same assignment in her class only she sent us Flat Stella to take on adventures. While she was hopeful that her cousin would embrace this activity it was I who came up with adventures, made a swimming suit for Stella, photographed her, and wrote about her experiences in Florida. Here are those highlights:

Stella poolside

Stella flying high above Florida

Once Spring Break started I noticed Stanley in his envelope, and upon further questioning of my youngest daughter, I learned that my niece had phoned us wondering if we had received Stanley. Hearing this I made Stanley a part of our spring break adventures. Behold:

Stanley joins us on Spring Break

Stanley was given a place of honor at Firehouse Subs

Stanley enjoying a Hook & Ladder sandwich

Playing football....great catch Stanley....I think

Stanley at the movies

Stanley gets close to the dragon!

His adventures ended there, and I'm hoping that will be enough for the class as I'm not sure I can create another bathing suit for a flat person. I searched for Stella's letter to the class, but alas, that was not found so I'm back to starting over again. I'm just hoping that the younger nephews I have living out of town read something else in school!

Spring Break - Days 3 & 4

Weather: Sunny, highs in the mid 70's.
Activities: Added an extra kid with Madison's friend, Gabby / swimming / board games / biking & scootering / card games / dinner at the sponge docks
Dog Care: 2 walks prompted / plenty of puppy play / no accidents
Disappointments: We were too full from dinner to get dessert!

Cloudy pool water: what happens when kids don't bathe!

Hope Tom doesn't see the food in the pool!

Nice to see the kitchen is still useful!

Kids & water: priceless

Breaking in Grandma's new villa!

Tom's dream for tomorrow!

My Floridian daughter enjoying a hamburger at a fish place!

The cousins (and friend) in Tarpon Springs