First my shovel and now my umbrella

Today you get to hear a sad, sad story from my youth.  I remember like it was yesterday, picture it, I was  8 years old and just had an amazing day at a friend's birthday party.  So much fun, and I even was going home with  prize.  A beautiful bucket and shovel to play with in the sand.  It was perfect.  I loved my shovel and bucket.  My dad came with my younger sister (who's a mom now, just in case you missed that) to pick me up.

If there was dramatic music to let you know something bad was about to happen, it would be playing right now.

There we were driving home, the windows down, the sun shining.  My sister wanted to see my shovel.  And by see I mean play with and adore.  Of course I didn't want to part with my shovel, but being a good sister I gave it to her.  She has always been the curious type, that day was no different.  She got the brilliant idea to stick the shovel out the window and let the wind push it.  NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!  You guessed it.  The shovel flew out of her hands and out onto the street.  I start crying and frantically telling my dad to turn around because my shovel was out there.  He didn't understand what in the world I was trying to tell him through my tears.  So that day I ended up with a bucket with no shovel.  I was traumatized. 

My family has had to hear the retelling of this story so many times.

So many times that they have bought me

 many a shovel and bucket to replace the ones from that fateful day. 

The other day is was rainy and windy and gross. My sister was leaving the house with a basket of laundry and me being a nice sister said,
"Hey, I got a new free umbrella. I will protect you and your clean laundry from the wind and rain."
"No" she replies "I'll be fine."
"I insist. It is huge and will cover us both."

Out into the elements we go.  Open the umbrella take two steps outside and whoosh!  Inside out it goes. "Noooooo!" I bust out laughing.  We get back inside and I put on my best sad face and show my parents my poor sad umbrella.

"Oh no" my dad says, "this isn't going to be like the shovel is it?" 

Well....

Pass the marshmallows, I mean sweet potatoes.

Thanksgiving = family, food, Macy's parade, food, Lion's football (woot woot), and have I mentioned food?

I love family traditions. So much fun!

One tradition we have is having sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top.  Not really sure that it counts as a tradition if it is a food, but my Thanksgiving isn't complete without it.  Seriously I love them! 

Ok so it may be more like marshmallows with sweet potatoes.

Ten things I'm thankful for:

1. My niece
2. My friend being home from Japan
3. Getting to spend time with family 
4. My jobs
5. My friends
6. Sunshine (we won't see much of that with gray winter coming)
7. My health
8. A working car....did you hear that car I said you were working.
9. The people in the Armed Forces...Thanks for your sacrifice!
10. Having basic necessities-house, clothes, heat, food

 

What family traditions do you have?

Enjoy your Thanksgiving with your family and friends!

I'm an Aunt!!!

My sister had her baby!!!!  

Isn't she just the cutest little baby ever! 

I love being an aunt! (I have a feeling this post will be full of exclamation points) 

Cassandra Anne 7 lbs 2 oz of absolute cuteness!!!

And like a good aunt I'm torturing all my friends with all the pictures I have on my phone.

I can't help it....I just love her!!!

We have already had some nice bonding moments......

Uhumm...how did that one get in here.  :)

Ashton Kutcher works at Walmart....

...at least he did in my dream.  Yes! I had another really bizarre dream the other night. This is the third one in like two weeks.  Here's what I remember...

I was with a group of women and we were in the store talking and walking around. (I don't remember seeing signs that told me it was Walmart, but sometimes in dreams you just know.)  Somehow we ended up in the "bathroom", well more like a dressing room for a theater.  

I warned you, it was bizarre. 

We are all talking away, when in walks Ashton Kutcher to clean???   The group is just talking away and as some of them leave I stay behind to talk a little to Ashton.  I eventually ask him out, I can't for the life of me remember if he said yes. 

 That's when I wake up.  

Why this dream is random....

• I'm not really an Ashton fan. He's on the cute guys list, but not even in the top 20.  An ok actor, but his character in real life leaves a little to be desired.
• How did he even make it into the dream?  Now some of you will be saying, "Duh! It has been all over the internet about him and Demi."  But I hadn't been reading anything about it until the next day when it showed up on my browser home page.  I don't even care.  It's none of my business what goes on in their personal lives.
• Bathroom/theater dressing room???  What the heck is that all about?

Maybe I'm eating something before bed that I shouldn't.  I'll let you know if there are more.

**Please don't get me in trouble because I talked about Ashton....working at Walmart.....and not being in my top 20.**

I (we) WON!!!!

I have the worst luck when it comes to winning.  Especially when it is really luck that you need, with no talent involved. Oh and BINGO is the worst of the worst.

So the worstest....est.

How can one be bad at Bingo? I have no idea!  My grandparents had bought one of those little Bingo games where you can spin the balls round and round in the little cage.  Some of my family members played it one Christmas Eve for an hour at least.  Everyone won 3 or 4 times. EXCEPT ME!  Seriously! It didn't matter if I had one board or four.  I couldn't win.

In fact another Bingo experience was at a chicken festival in southern Ohio.  They had....a Bingo tent! You played for a quarter and you used little corn kernels for markers, it was so cute and small town like.  I went in, hoping Bingo and I could be friends.  Nope not a chance.  Lost, lost, lost, lost, intervention, lost, gave up, well one more, lost, really gave up and went to find some chicken to eat. My sister laughs at my experiences with Bingo and who can blame her.

A couple weeks ago I went shopping with my sister and brother-in-law to look for some boots.  We are looking around Shoe Carnival when the dude calls over the announcements that the person who finds the staff member Melanie and brings her name tag to the front gets to spin the prize wheel. 

The PRIZE WHEEL!!! Oh snap! 

I had always wanted to spin that thing. But why try to find her, I have the worst luck.  That's when I hear my sister say "That was easy." Huh? A staff member had just walked around the corner and my wonderful, brilliant sister asked her her name and it was Melanie!  We won! We won! I ran and skipped to the front so excited to win a prize.  The dude wasn't quite sure how to react to my enthusiasm. I spun the wheel and got $5 off!  Yeah!!! 

Ok, ok my sister won. But she wasn't buying shoes, so I'll claim that win for me. 

Moral of the story: A long as you take a lucky person with you, you can win prizes even though you don't have enough luck to win at Bingo.