Stays at rest. And boy, was my body resting this weekend!
A body at rest
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Tag Archives: holidays
LET’S PLAY FAIRIES!
My niece Double A.
When I was a little girl, my favorite thing to do on the 4th of July was play fairies.
You don’t know how to play 4th of July Fairies? What is wrong with you!?
You light up sparklers for each hand and you “fly” around the field yelling “I’m a fairy!” I taught Double A this game last night, and we spread our fairy sparkle far and wide at the compound. I’m pretty sure it’s still glowing out there.
Ian and Ben and my brother Mike bought ALL THE LOUD FIREWORKS KNOWN TO MAN and we blew shit up for hours. Well, they did. I lasted about 30 minutes. The skeeters like my sweet blood way too much. They apparently don’t even care if I bath in Off or Skin So Soft or Gasoline. It doesn’t matter. The want to suck me dry. 
For a while, the entire county sounded like we were at war. I thought maybe the British were actually returning…and Paul Revere fell down on his job. But by 11:00, the bang, bang, booms had stopped and the world was quiet again.
I think everyone was excited we weren’t under a burn ban. I can’t remember the last time it sounded like that. I bet it’s been since I was a kid.
OMG. we used to have the best 4th of July celebrations when I was younger. Bonfires, roasted weenies, s’mores and lots of booms and bangs. This would have been the perfect year (weather wise, especially) to have brought back the Compound Celebrations, but with Jefe still down with the plague, it just wouldn’t have been the same. (you know he doesn’t feel well when he didn’t even come outside to blow anything up!)
Today, the kids are coming back to test out the waterproof fireworks in the pond and to blow up old toys. Good grief. We have created monsters! (Monsters of awesome)
I still have some sparklers left, so I shall play fairies one more time.
Have a fantabulous weekend, bitches. I will be sparkling and fairying all weekend long. If you need some extra awesome, just stop by the compound. I have plenty to spare!
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‘merica!
The prodigal teen-almost-grown-ass-man and his friend have returned to the house. Just passing through, I’m sure. They have too many video games to play elsewhere to stick around too long.
I’ve heard from Rader and he’s have a grand ol’ time. He’s gonna be plum worn out when he gets home on Sunday. He better send me some pictures!
My grumpy bear is still down with the lurgy, so we are just having a very chill day at the house. I will do the John Deere thing (a girl should always have a back up date for a holiday, just in case her #1 choice catches the plague) John Deere always treats me right.
Since the big boy is home, I’m going to send him out to buy me some fireworks because we are not under a burn ban for the first time in years, and I’m gonna light some shit on fire. blow shit up. make things go boom.
Also, there will be sparklers, because I’m a girl and I love them.
Hope you guys are getting your 4th on in style. Let the gluttony and explosions begin!
Team America! Fuck. Yeah.
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Independence Day…
Tomorrow is Independence Day in the US. And many of us will celebrate by eating too much, drinking too much, and blowing stuff up. Very American!
My kiddo is traveling with his friend to the lake where I hope he’ll have a great time. This is our first year sans lakehouse, since my parents sold their place in the winter. It sucks because I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at the lake celebrating the holiday.
Maybe I’ll buy a kiddie pool and just hang out in the sun. I could also jump on the trampoline. And then blow stuff up.
I was chatting with the mom of Rader’s friend this morning and she was giving me all the details of the trip, where they’re gonna be, and that there will be 2 pediatric doctors with them so I don’t have to worry. And I laughed and replied that I’m not a big worrier.
It’s funny, because you would think I would be a worrier, given the fact that child has broken his nose 6 times since he was 18 months old…And because he doesn’t seem to have any real fear. He’ll try just about anything– once.
But I don’t worry. He’s really a good kid. He’s one of the most respectful and smart boys his age and I’m so happy to know that I’ve done my job right. I get constant compliments on him. His manners, his charm, his sincerity. He is kind. (He is smart. He is important.) I don’t have to lecture him to feel like I’m parenting. I don’t have to demand things from him, and rarely do I have to yell at him. El Jefe and I were talking about it the other day, how awesome it is that both of the boys rarely need a lecture. We figure we have to “get on to them” about twice a year. And that’s usually because they slack off on their chores around the house.
Twice a year. heh.
It’s so nice not to have to yell about everything or threaten them. I love a drama-free life.
I have great kids.
It’s obvious I am being rewarded for being even more awesome in another life.
Now…who has a pool and wants to invite Jefe and I over tomorrow? We’ll bring things to blow up! And beer. We’ll definitely bring beer.
Happy 4th! Celebrate your freedoms. Even if you’re a woman, and your freedoms are slowly being taken away from you. Celebrate what you have while you have it!
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whew! what a weekend.
See how tired Ruby is? Poor girl, she just can’t keep her head up.
(You should have heard her heavy sighs and puggly growly noises…)
So Friday I got to take Rader Tater to Oxford! Which means I got to see some dear friends and have a low-key dinner at a new-to-me place: The Bar on North Lamar…which is officially The Lamar Lounge.
The food was great and the atmosphere was chill and a good time was had by all.
Saturday morning, Drea and I walked to another of my favorite places, The Honeybee Bakery. Excellent brunch…but one of the weirdest experiences ever. For some reason, they thought it was appropriate to ask us to remove our hats! Um, no. This is not some ‘chi-chi’ swank place in New York. This is a bakery. So we told them, yes we minded (OMG, we had just walked over a mile to get there, it was hot! And our hair was a mess under our hats) and we asked if we could sit outside to eat our brunch. They approved our request and we enjoyed our quiche and our hats.
The boys had decided to get their dad another frog item or a goat item for Father’s Day. (He has a thing about frogs and goats) We talked about a wind chime or something to hang up in the yard. I was given permission to do the frog hunting for them, since they weren’t able to get together and go themselves like they did for me. There is a new garden store on the west side of Oxford called The Barn and I found a really cool wrought iron and stone frog and the boys approved.
While we were out shopping, I finally got to try on a pair of MONKEY SHOES! I’ve wanted a pair since forever, and finally spoke to someone who was able to help me find the right one
s to suit my needs. I really want to use them for my run/walks…I’ve always been a barefoot girl at heart, so I figure these shoes will be perfect for me. (btw, the ‘real’ name of these shoes is Five Fingers, but whatever. They’re MONKEY SHOES!) I can’t wait to order me a pair. Probably next month! YAY ME!
I drove back to LR on Saturday, and watched The Dark Knight Rises with El Jefe and Ian. Then Sunday we had a cookout at the Compound with Lynne and Stacey Jay and her fam. Burgers, dogs, watermelon, guacamole, wine! It was an awesome day.
The weekend ended with the return of TRAINWRECK TV…also known as True Blood.
Oh, and Jefe is so damn sweet. He bought me some plant food for my maters and black out curtains for the boys’ rooms because he is so full of awesome.
Stay tuned for a letter to Walgreens…because after last Friday…we are NEVER, EVER, EVER getting back together.
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Hey USA! Happy Holiday Weekend!
Don’t forget to thank a veteran for the freedoms he or she fought for us to have.
Also. Happy Freaking Friday! Yay for the three-day weekend!
Last night at the Compound, we fired up Big Bertha for the first time since fall. Not because we don’t grill year ’round usually, but because we had to use our porch as a storage shed, and poor Big Bertha was inaccessible until we finally got the boxes moved to the actual storage unit. Which we did a few weeks ago, and now, not only can we enjoy our Screened-in-Porch again, but we can enjoy grilled meat again as well.
Mmmmm. Meat.
I melted some butter and added an equal amount of balsamic vinegar and some garlic and I put the chicken and the marinade into a ziploc. I refrigerated the chicken for about 40 minutes. Then I basted the chicken in the leftover marinade while grilling.
OMG. It was seriously so juicy and tender! I also grilled some green beans and black-eyed peas in foil with a smidge of bacon fat. We ate well last night.
Congratulations to the Boy Scouts for kinda sorta not being homophobic. *rolling eyes* So what’s going to happen when your gay boy scout members grow up and want to be boy scout leaders? It’s okay to be a gay member (heheh she said gay member) but not a leader who is gay? Really? So isn’t that kinda like Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell? (which really didn’t work out very well, yanno). Or is it the modern version of Separate but Equal? No. It’s not that either. I guess I’m proud you tried to take a step forward. It’s more like a half-a-step and you twisted your ankle, but it is slight progress.
Today is a wonderful day. It started out swell, I’m full of sparkle and awesome, I’m having Sushi with my bestie from high school for lunch, and tonight, there will be wine. Tomorrow we may go canoeing. I’m pretty sure I’ll be shaking my bootay at some point this weekend. (When you have a bootay like mine, you need to shake it well, and often.) And I’m thinking there will be a trip to the farmer’s market in our future as well.
YAY SUMMER!
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2013:Month of Mel Day 15
Not only is today the Ides of March Melf, it’s also:
- Everything You Think is Wrong Day: This is a day totally dedicated to everything you do is wrong…you know, that day that everything just messes up? Well, here you go. Don’t worry though, because tomorrow is Everything You Do is Right Day. So if today is wrong, tomorrow will be all right.
- Absolutely Incredible Kids Day!
Sure, your kid is pretty good. But, my kid is absolutely incredible! As a matter of fact, all of my kids are absolutely incredible. As a parent, I am going to take full advantage of being the author of this page to exercise my bragging rights, and to let you know that my kids are absolutely incredible. (Wow! That felt pretty good.)If the paragraph above doesn’t give you a good impression of the meaning and purpose of this day, then you probably don’t have kids…yet. When those offspring do arrive, you will most certainly use this special day to profess how incredible your kids are. Amazingly, tomorrow they go back to being brats.”
- Dumbstruck Day:
“Dumbstruck Day is a day to be totally dumbstruck over the things you see, hear and read. You may easily be dumbstruck to read that someone created this special day. Some people are dumbstruck on a regular basis, day in and day out. The events in their lives and the world around them are overwhelming. Fortunately, that’s not you (we hope).However, everyone has their chance to be dumbstruck once in a while. If you are normally embarrassed to be dumbstruck, then today is truely a special day. Today, you can be dumbstruck like the rest of us without guilt or embarrassment.
So, let’s talk about the Day of Sparkle…
First, we need to back up to March 13, when the Conclave chose a new Pope…which changed EVERYTHING I had planned. Why? Because I had to give them the Pope Hat back. I was totally going to wear it all day yesterday.
Damn that white smoke.
When they called me to let me know, I immediately started negotiating. I had something they needed. They had to give me something in return.
And they did. Our deal was, if he was going to get his hat back, then he had to take my name. POPE FRANCIS was born.
Seriously, how am I going to top that next year?
Yesterday was amazing. Every text and note and post I received made me smile. THE LOVE. I FELT IT.
Here’s how my day went:
This weekend is the TreeFrog’s 19th birthday. We are doing Benihana tomorrow, and St. Paddy’s Day at the Races! And we’re getting our toes did tonight!
I love birthday month!
Y’all have a great weekend and don’t forget to be Irish on Sunday so you can get all the kisses!
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2013: Month of Mel Day 13 (and 12)
Day 12 was spent in a haze of sparkle. It was a good day, but nothing really to report…other than, YaY for Day 12!
Well, I did make up a new recipe. I was totally gonna make the Chicken Taco Pie recipe that I pinned yesterday, but it kinda morphed into my own recipe. With different ingredients.
And instead of a pie, it was more like a casserole.
And it was very, very good.
I’d give you the recipe, but I’m kinda funny when I cook. I really don’t measure much. However, here’s the gist:
Melf’s made up Chicken Taco Casserole
greased 9×12 pan
3 packs Tyson Fajita Chicken (diced)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 pack McCormick Garlic Lime Chicken Fajita seasonings
1 can Mexican Rotel (drained)
1 can black beans (drained)1 cup shredded cheddar
1.5 cups bisquick
1.5 cups milk
3 eggsPreheat oven to 400.
In large skillet, add all ingredients in first group. Stir occasionally, until the liquid reduces. Pour into 9×12 pan.
Add half the cheese over the mixture.
Mix bisquick, milk, eggs and whisk until blended. Pour over cheese and chicken mixture. Bake until golden brown. Add remaining cheese to top of casserole during last 5 minutes of baking.
Let cool and serve. We had guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos, shredded lettuce and tortilla chips with it.
It was VERY tasty.
So today is my Birthday Eve…or you can call it Sparkle Eve. Today also happens to be National Jewel Day.
Is this a coincidence? I think not! As my friend Beth said, “Sparkle begets Sparkle!” Here’s hoping there’s a myriad of jewels and sparkle in your future!!
See y’all tomorrow….!
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2013: Month of Mel Day 8
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL (WORKING) WOMEN’S DAY!
International Women’s Day is sponsored worldwide by the United Nations. The roots of this celebration goes back to the late 1800’s to early 1900s. It grew from women’s socialist movements and early women’s trade union groups.
The first International Women’s Day was held March 19, 1911. Women socialists and trade unions held an earlier Women’s Day on the last Sunday in February, 1908. The event grew from there and has been celebrated annually since. The focus is upon women workers, and advancing women’s rights in the workforce, politics and society.
Know how you can support a woman? Tell the government to stay out of her body and also, yell at your representatives if he or she didn’t sign the Violence Against Women Act.
Also, tell her she sparkles. When a woman feels good on the inside, it shows on the outside and you should let her know.
You know what else is celebrated today?
BE NASTY DAY (I’m not even kidding…)
There’s naughty days, and nice days, and all sorts of goodie gumdrop days. So, it stands to reason that there will be a few negative type of days. This is one of them.
I think if you want to celebrate this day, it’s all you. I’m too happy to be nasty…unless you’re talking spicing up your sex-life…and if it’s between two (or more) consenting adults, then I’m all for you being as nasty as you want.
Tonight, my college roommates and I celebrate my birthday. It will be a good time. I am very much looking forward to seeing them…Now, if I can just blink my eyes and wiggle my nose and get my college body back before dinner.
You guys had better have a great weekend. I have plans with Sally Sparkle. It’s gonna be a topless kind of Saturday…!
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2012 Day the Last
This has been a helluva year. Before I recap the good and the bad, let me share my holiday break with you…
Christmas day… We had a great holiday. The boys arrived home from their dad’s around noon. We opened gifts, enjoyed the day…then headed to nonnie’s house for Chili and more gifts.
My niece, Double A, tried to steal my sparkle! Can you believe that?
All the boys (including El Jefe) received Wife Beaters in their stockings… Yes, we were dreaming of a white trash Christmas…
Next year’s Christmas card, maybe?
I’m not sure which Rader liked more, his iPhone or his Hulk Hands. haha.
Christmas night, the sleet an snow came down with a vengeance. We lost several trees and the eerie sound of limbs crashing to the ground all night was really creepy. It was beautiful, but I was over it after about 15 hours. 18 of those we were without power, and we were very lucky. The boys’ dad was without power from Tuesday – Sunday. No thank you.
Now…let’s talk about 2012 and why I’m glad it’s over…
What I loved about the year:
- My friends. The people who love me and care about me no matter what. They have supported me through a very tough time. They knew I was trying to hold it together, and when I pulled away, they pulled me back. I am very lucky. So very lucky to have them in my life.
- My love. We have been through a very rough year financially. It could have killed our relationship, but we are stronger than ever. And 2013 is looking fantastic. I’m very lucky to have this man in my life.
- My boys. I’ve never been closer to them. They are the one thing I’ve done right in my life. Maybe even the only thing. I am so proud of the young men they are becoming. And I can’t wait to see what 2013 brings to them.
Why I’m ready to kick the door closed on 2012:
- Being a one income family. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t fun. I fought depression…I adopted the mantra “Fake it til you make it” and I’m ready to stop faking it. I don’t do fake very well.
- My health. I had complications from a procedure last February that lasted all year. We finally figured the problem out in October, and it looks like it’s finally getting better. Of course, as a result of this issue, I’ve gained weight. I’ve been sad. I’ve stopped exercising. That is all changing.
- Loss. I’ve lost friends this year. I have always been the one who reaches out to people. I’m the fun one, the sparkler, bright and shiny and happy. And for a few months last year, I couldn’t be that person anymore. And the people who know me and want me in their life reached out to me. And there are a few who didn’t. Who took my absence as a reflection on them not on me. And I’m so sad. I miss them terribly, but I was trying to patch my life together and I didn’t have the energy or the life left to reach out and mend the tatters. I just couldn’t do it. Maybe this year I’ll find the strength to recover the loss, because I do feel the emptiness without them in my life.
2013 is looking bright. We are a double income family again. We are lucky to have the support of our family and friends. And I’m very much looking forward to what this year has to offer. Bring 13. Bring it hard.
Sparkle on, my pretties. Have a fantastic New Year’s Eve and please be safe. If it doesn’t rain, I plan on lighting up the firepit and ringing in 2013 with my family. It’s gonna be a good night. Cheers!
Bitchin' Fiction: Musings by author Melissa McKenzie / Melissa Francis 