Fly on the Wall: July 2014

Hey there!  Welcome to the July Fly on the Wall Group Challenge. This month, 13 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
Alex, the eldest (daughter, 20) She has a name!!
C., The middle (son, 16)
J., The youngest (son, 9)

Henry and Lila- The dogs

If you were a fly on our wall this month, you would have heard and saw this:

Pasta Mondays:
Pretty self-explanatory. Everyone can usually make it for dinner on Mondays and pasta is something we all like to eat.

Sitting at the table:
J.: "I love it when we have Alfredo sauce."
C.:" I love it when we have meatballs."
Alex: "I like the angel-hair pasta."
Me: "Well guess what? We're having linguine with red sauce. Stop dreaming and start eating."

***

Me to Alex: "You know, I'm implementing my grandmother's rule. If you can't bring back this Tupperware, I'm not sending you home with any leftovers".
Alex: "If I knew that's all it took to get leftovers, I would have put a box of Tupperware in my car for emergencies."

***

Alex: "I was invited to a friend's house on Monday. Can you make it Pasta Tuesday next week?"

Random Conversations:

Me: "I had that weird dream again last night. I was teaching and didn't have anything prepared for the first day."
Alex: "Mom, that reminds me. I dreamed you un-invited me for Thanksgiving. You said you didn't have enough money to feed all of us."
C.: "Both of your dreams are too boring. I think I dreamed about an Amish colony who built their houses out of bee hives and refused to wear pants."

***

C.: "Mom. I ate that whole bowl of grapes. I had a stomach ache after eating the first few. Ugh...(holding his stomach)
Me: "Why did you eat the whole bowl if you knew you were feeling that way?"
C.: "They were too good to pass up. I just ate a few, then rolled onto a few pillows on the couch. When it would feel like I had the room, I ate more. I did that all night until they were gone. It's called determination."

***

C: "Okay, I finished the chores dad left. Do you mind if I play Xbox Live with Al today?"

Me: "I guess that's okay. Do I know this Al? Is he from the robotics group?"

C. "Uh, no. It's your daughter. She's playing from her house. Really mom, have you already forgotten about her?"

***

My mother-in-law invited me to go to some antique/junk shops with her. I called my husband to let him know I was going.

The man: "Have fun!" then he added, "Remember though, don't get any more chairs. We have more than enough of them and you STILL haven't finished re-doing the others out on the patio."
Me: "Uh huh."

When my mother-in-law arrived, she asked what we'd be looking for that afternoon. I smiled.

Me: "Hmm. I'm thinking chairs."

The dogs: (Hey, my kids are hardly home anymore.)

I yelled a little too loud at Lila for peeing on the carpet. She ran to the basement and hid under the futon. We have wood floors with rugs. "Again? Why everyday? Why not pee on the easier-to-clean floors?" I ask everyone and no one at the same time.

Me: "What?" I ask, looking at the boys staring back at me.
C.: "Nothing. You just seem a little upset today."
J.: "Yeah, Kind of grouchy."
Me to the man: "Grouchy? I'm not grouchy. Do I seem grouchy to you?"
The man: "Let's just say there's not enough room under the futon for all of us."

***

Me to the man: "Who would have believed that animals would do just about anything for a silly snack?

Lila

Henry

The man: "Anyone who has seen you on Dunkin' Donut Wednesday."
Touche', Mr. Man. Touche'.

It's a strawberry-glazed, people.

Happy Friday, friends:) 
-Michele

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                          

Just a Little Nutty                                

The Momisodes                                          

Spatulas on Parade                          

The Sadder but Wiser Girl                                   

Follow me home                          

Stacy Sews and Schools                  

Menopausal Mother                          

Go Mama O                                    

Kim Ulmanis                                    

Dates 2 Diapers 2                        

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy                            

Someone Else's Genius                         

Battered Hope                      

Use Your Words: July 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 or 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: 

diabolically-challenged ~ angel ~ slap-happy ~ any form of dare (to dare, dared, daring, dares) ~ The Lollipop Guild ~ fetch (think Mean Girls, make it happen)

They were submitted by: http://www.crumpetsandbollocks.com  

I'm going with a newspaper article:

*** 

Shellybean says... VOL XXV July, 2014

                     

Successful Sewing Shop To Close After 50 Years

Dan and Brenda Simpson have spent the last 50 years married and working together in a small corner shop on the second floor of 21^st Street and Main.

The couple who opened The Lollipop Guild, a specialty-sewing store in 1964, permanently closed their doors last Sunday.

From the beginning, the pair have continuously worked on creating, designing, repairing and updating outfits for some of the world’s most prominent superheroes.

“People always assume that this amazing, active clothing automatically appears out of thin air.  It just doesn’t work that way. It needs to be made and made well. That’s what we did here.” says Dan. “We worked really hard for the men and women doing good things in the world.”

Teasing that the couple have forever been “diabolically challenged”, Brenda admits to dressing only superheroes. “Villains don’t even seem to care about the quality of their clothing. They’re simply too focused on their slap-happy plans to ruin the world. As far as we’re concerned, they can shop on Amazon.”

The Lollipop Guild customers take advantage of sale prices.

Customers coming in and out of the store during its final days were quick to rave about the wonderful service they’ve received over the years.

Keeping his anonymity, “B-Man” sang the praises of Brenda, who has always taken the time to finish his projects before the light of the moon. “Ever since my butler became ill, my eating habits have been less than healthy. Without complaining, Brenda accommodates my body and adjusts my utility belt as needed.”

Before leaving the shop, “B-Man” added in his famous raspy voice, “ I’m not saying these people invented Superhero ‘Underoos’... but I’m not NOT saying it either.”

Another customer, W.W., shakes her head upon news of the closing. “No one else takes the time to properly fit my body like this place. I spend a lot of time whipping around my lasso and twirling in-between clothing changes. ONLY the angels at the Lollipop Guild can make a sparkly, comfortable bustier/onesie that stays in place. All of that AND an invisible zipper!  I love invisible stuff. Even the teenage girls notice how “fetch” I look. Where am I going to find that kind of craftsmanship again?

S.M., the shop’s last customer, agrees with the others. “ It’s as hard to find a well- fitting garment these days as it is finding a telephone booth. Dan and Brenda always make sure my, ahem, under-suit is tight and right.”

“It was an amazing job.” Dan admits. “If someone would have told us that 10,000 yards of Spandex, a few vats of glitter, latex, and plastic molds would bring us this much happiness…well, I don’t know that we would have believed them.”

When asked what advice he’d give to future small business owners, Dan smiles lovingly at his wife and says, “Have as much fun as you can. Make all of the friends you can. Laugh everyday while making sure what you’re doing is adding to the good in the world. Do it with integrity. Love it. Love every minute of it. We dare you.”

After a short vacation to a favorite customer’s cave/mansion, the Simpson’s are off to spend the rest of their “quiet” years in a studio apartment in the heart of NYC.

Happy "Yes, I love Marvel Heroes too." day, friends!
-Michele

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

Baking in a Tornado                                

Spatulas on Parade                          

Stacy Sews and Schools                      

Sparkly Poetic Weirdo                              

Confessions of a Part-Time Working Mom         

Dates 2 Diapers 2                        

The Berghams's Life Chronicles                  

The Sadder But Wiser Girl                        

The Momisodes                                    

Someone Else's Genius                   

Follow Me Home                 

Crumpets and Bollocks