Fly On The Wall- April 2014

Hey there!  Welcome to the April Fly on the Wall Group Challenge. This month, 11 awesome bloggers and I are describing what it would be like if you were to take a peek inside our homes....

Have a "look" around mine, and then go visit the other blogger's pages. There's always something fun, sentimental, or better yet, embarrassing going on. It's like your house, only we're admitting to the craziness. You have our permission. Buzz on over!

Cast:
The man
A., the eldest (daughter, 20)
C., The middle (son, 16)
J., The youngest (son, 9)

Henry and Lila- The dogs

Goodbye Fly?
I'm taking a few months off from the challenges so I can get my daughter hitched. My future son-in-law is graduating from college next week, and A. is about a year behind. Between semesters, they're getting married. (Can you say 'multi-tasking'?) We're trying to make the transition as smooth as possible. By "we", I mean everyone else. I am spending my days crying and rocking in the fetal position. Letting go is hard, friends.

Since things are all wedding/all the time, I'm devoting this month's fly to how our family is coping with all the changes 'round here.

The dogs:
How do you feel about A. leaving?
Lila: I'm devastated. She gives me all of her meat (under the table) from dinner.
Henry: Yeah. She always high-fives me when I poop in the boys' room. I'm not letting her go!

The youngest:

What will you miss/not miss about your sister?

J: I will miss how A. moves the stuff in her car to make room for me.

J: I won't miss how she keeps stealing my orange toothpaste. I'm also happy that I will get her room.

A. lives out of her car. Like a hobo. A hobo with a car.

The middle child:

What will you miss/not miss about A's leaving?

C: I won't miss her losing my coffee mugs in her car anymore. Or stealing my socks. I also won't miss how she jumps into bed and then wakes me up to turn off her light. I am excited to be getting her room when she leaves.

C. I will miss our talks, playing badminton and how we both understand the value of an old video game. "Ty the Tasmanian Tiger" and "Simpson's Hit and Run" on the original X-box. 

Late night video games, conversations and unwanted, but needed advice.

The Man:

M: Well, I'm happy that I'll be able to crunch chips and eat cereal without driving her nuts. I won't miss being afraid to look into her bathroom. Jeesh, have you seen her car? I'll probably be cleaning up her room to make space for an office...

M. I will miss how sensitive she is about the world. I'll definitely miss that sense of humor; and how she makes you laugh out loud. I'll miss having our whole family under one roof...

The eldest, herself:

A. I won't miss being grilled on the day before a Fly on the Wall post is due. I won't miss hearing the dishes clank around on Saturday mornings. I know you're cleaning out the dishwasher and that I should be helping...but it's SATURDAY! I won't miss the sound of LEGOs being sorted through early in the morning. I won't miss hearing the clarinet at 3 a.m.! I won't miss using any of the bathrooms a boy/man just used. (Welcome to marriage!)

A. I will miss: teasing my brothers about ANYTHING. I'll miss the dogs. I'll miss coming home and smelling what's for dinner. I'll miss using your endless amount of school supplies, coffee and "popcorn meals". I'll miss that whenever I tell you someone hurt me, you threaten to find them and the mother they came from." I'll miss the ice machine. I'll miss our long talks and being able to run to dad and have him automatically diagnose my electronic problems. I'll also miss that silly muppet face dad makes when he's surprising us or making you laugh. I'll miss falling asleep knowing I'm safe and loved. Ugh. I'm going to miss having my own room...

 

Me:

I won't miss reminding A. to pick up her shoes/backpack/phone/bedroom/bathroom/car. I may not miss when she says , "Is this REAL?" every time someone is annoying her.

I will miss everything else. The scales of estrogen will change when she leaves and I will be the lone girl. BTW, I hope you don't mind, but I am making plans for that bedroom of yours...

This will make a great craft room!

I will miss hearing the infectious laugh, the sarcasm, the humor and the general caring about how everyone else feels. I'll miss that I'm the first one A. sees after school and that she still feels comfortable sharing her day with me. I'll miss the camaraderie we share in awkward situations. I'll miss sending her to McDonalds. I'll miss the smell of her hair spray or the obnoxious fumes of her nail polish. I'll miss how we understand that if someone tickles us, we will kill them.

She's the grown-up. I don't want to cut the apron strings. I don't want to share. Will her new husband know that she can't take too much Tylenol? Will he remember that she doesn't like to wear socks to bed, but that she HAS to have her feet covered with blankets? If she uses the wrong detergent, she'll break out? Will he sit on the floor with her knowing that the rug is where she loves to eat her cereal?
Does he know the words to, "I'll love you forever?" Does he know that she has said those words to me when I was feeling sad?

I hope so.
I love you and will miss you everyday that you don't come for dinner, A. 
Forever.

Thanks once again for stopping by, and to the Fly's AMAZING creator, Karen @ Baking In a Tornado, aka "The Blogging Original", for hosting this challenge! Would you like to join in the next FLY challenge? Click on the FLY button on my side bar. Karen will more than take care of you.

Take a look at what the other bloggers have going on inside their homes. Go on! Leave them a comment. You know you want to...

Baking in a Tornado                          

The Rowdy Baker                                  

Just a Little Nutty                                

The Momisodes                                          

Spatulas on Parade                          

The Sadder but Wiser Girl                                   

Follow Me Home                          

Stacy Sews and Schools                 

Someone Else's Genius                            

Impoverished Vegan                                

Juicebox Confession                             

Go Mama O                                         

Happy Friday, my friends :)

-Michele

Use Your Words: April 2014

Hello, friends!

Today’s post is a writing challenge created by Karen @ Baking in A Tornado. This is how it works: 12 participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, but there's a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who received their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featured in this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they were given and how they used them. 

My words/ phrases are: 

bunny ~ jelly bean ~ farm ~ eggs ~ farmer's wife ~ attacked

They were submitted by: the fantastic blogger, Robin @ Someone Else's Genius

Since Robin kept the words in common, I decided on a flyer. 

Each year, we get invited to Easter Egg Hunts going on throughout the city (which is wonderful.) This is what MY invite might look like, had I the patience of Job (which I do not.)

Short and Sweet. You're welcome!
Thanks for the words, Robin!

Check out the other participants in today's Use Your Words Challenge!

Baking in a Tornado                      

Follow Me Home              

Stacy Sews and Schools       

Outmanned              

Someone Else's Genius                

Confessions of a part-time Working Mom               

The Momisodes                   

Impoverished Vegan               

Spatulas on Parade              

Battered Hope                     

Evil Joy Speaks            

Juicebox Confession                      

Have a fun and blessed Easter, my friends.
-Michele

Secret Subject Swap: 4/14 The Caffeine Story.

Happy April, friends!

If you're a regular reader, you know that the Secret Subject Swap is a collaboration between various bloggers. We receive secret topics from a blogger in a secret e-mail and put our own spin on the subjects. The 14 blogs participating this time are listed at the end of this post. Go have a look and leave a comment. It will make my our day! :)

My “Secret Subject” is:

You are Alice in "through the looking glass" (more commonly known as Alice in Wonderland) what type of land would you find? And how would you get out?

It was submitted by: the beautiful Dawn @ Spatulas on Parade 

My looking glass was in the dairy section of a grocery store. I was in a hurry to find my favorite coffee creamer. I searched among the shelves of milk, cottage cheese and sour cream.

I finally spotted the sweet treat. It was of course, the last one of its kind and was waaayyyyy back on a high shelf. I reached into the blowing air as far as I could when suddenly, I started to smell the delicious scent of coffee. I reached further and further in the refrigerator section until I found myself on the other side of the glass. 

I looked behind me wondering if I had broken the shelves. How else would I be on the other side? Was the Walmart manager going to scream at me? When I was able to focus, I noticed that I was NOT in the back storage area of a grocery. Instead, I was at an outdoor coffee party. What in the world??? What a beautiful sight. There was a soft breeze blowing along the yard. This must have been the place where the smell of coffee was coming from. I didn't remember getting invited to any party, but sure enough, there was a place setting for me. How curious!

The table was set for many more people than were seated. I could tell by the brown rings in some of the china cups, that many a creature had come before me to this same coffee gathering. As I sat down, I was handed samples of every kind of coffee imaginable. First, espresso. Then cappuccino. A latte followed a mocha; it went on for hours. Each smell, each taste, was pure heaven. Instead of feeling the familiar wakefulness, I started to feel sleepy. 

I thought I was imagining a ghost in the trees when a large dog came into sight. He had a clear smirk on his face. I wondered what he was up to. I watched as he jumped from the tree and landed softly on the grass. He was mumbling something I couldn't hear. 

When the dog came toward me from under the table, I swear I heard him say, "I've got you!" Had I lost my mind? He said it quietly at first. As he walked away from me, I could hear his voice become louder and louder. "I've got you! I've got you!"

I decided to stand my now-full body up and follow the dog. He looked back every-so-often, wearing that same silly smirk. I followed him for what seemed to be forever. When he finally stopped, I looked around at what was clearly a "wonderland." At least, MY kind of wonderland. Spinning around, I no longer could see the smirking canine. I could however, hear that loud voice..."I've got you!"

The voice eventually began to fade. I noticed a soft rain starting to fall. I'm not pulling your leg. It was raining...coffee! There was a babbling brook made of creamer and the tall trees were made of whipped cream. I didn't know where I was and I didn't care. Everything was marvelous. Had I died? Was this heaven? 

I took it all in, people. As much as I could. The aroma, the majestic view, and of course, the taste. I walked in a daze, drinking as much as possible. I stopped only when I saw the familiar dog appear in front of me. He was wearing that smirk and shaking his belly. I believed he was laughing at me. The voice began to emanate from the animal. "I've got you!" I heard.
"I've got you!"

"What in the world have you 'got'?" I asked.
The dog came closer. "You!, I've got you!" he laughed.
"I don't understand!" I yelled, feeling frustrated.
"Ha ha ha!" he continued, "This coffee. The party. This...place."
"What about it?" I asked
The dog looked into my eyes and spoke the most evil words ever. The words I would never have equated with this "wonderland."
His words rang into my ears until I couldn't hear anything else.

"This place. It's...DECAFFEINATED!"
"Nooooooooooooooo!" I screamed and fell to the floor. The room began to spin and I couldn't see anything. I closed my eyes wishing for everything to stop. At last, it did.

I opened my eyes to the sight of feet and wheels. Customer's feet and shopping carts. I must have passed out.

"I've got you." said a store worker as he stretched out his hand. I looked all around. I was terribly embarrassed, but then I began to focus past the customers and carts. About two aisles down, I saw it. There was a taste-test lady who was trying to sell hot coffee. There was a large sign warning children not to touch it. It was hot and full of caffeine. 

"Yeah, baby!" I shouted as I pulled myself up, grabbed that last bottle of creamer, and headed toward the angel selling hot, styrofoam cups of Joe. Heaven.

 Thanks, Dawn for the "wonderful" topic!

Baking in a Tornado                          

The Momisodes                                       

Stacy Sews and Schools              

Follow Me Home                       

Someone Else's Genius                        

Confessions of a part-time Working Mom                            

Dribbles and Grits                                

Impoverished Vegan                        

Spatulas on Parade                      

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy                                   

More that Cheese and Beer               

Evil Joy Speaks                    

Juicebox Confession                          
Climaxed                        

Enjoy the world through your looking glass, friends.
-Michele

Images property of shellybean and created by CJM