Yeah .. That's Right .. I'm 50 !!

.... And as traumatizing as I *thought* that might be .. it's been pretty nice. :D

I woke up to the lovely sound of rain spattering against my bedroom window .. though that might put some people in an off mood .. it's a sound I just LOVE .. so soothing and relaxing that I snuggled cozily into my blankets to listen to it for a bit.

Soon after hearing me shuffling about in my bed .. MC's new li'l tiny tot came in and curled up into my arms for her morning cuddle .. and there is nothing quite so utterly pleasing than running your fingers through the silky softness of a contentedly purring ball of fluff.

I was greeted when I made my way downstairs to a big warm smile and close hug from my best friend .. who had arrived while I was in the shower LOL .. a pot of tea steeped and ready to go .. a few beautiful gifts from her and MC .. and a sinfully decadent chocolate cheesecake for my birthday cake .. mounded with chocolate mousse .. on a dark crunchy chocolate base .. drizzled with dark chocolate and decorated with shaved dark chocolate bits and slivered almonds that MC had gotten for me. O_O

Truly the brunch of champions. :D

After chatting a while .. off to a long leisurely lunch and a cozy chat with my best friend. I have had something wonderful developing in my life the past few months .. and she's back from her 'adventure' .. so we had LOTS to talk about .. but I'll get to her in another post. ;)

Among the lot of great birthday wishes today from family and friends spread far and wide .. I got a sweet birthday message from Rex Havoc on my phone's answering machine .. so sorry I missed his call .. and as a birthday gift dear ShadowCats gave me a mini-pet raptor in GW that I am delighted with .. :D. And my 75 year old father called me .. and had such a funny conversation with him .. I do love him so dearly. A few nice birthday wishes on a couple of forums .. one from my dear friend Tyr on my Yahoo which was a lovely surprise .. and a few hours spent curled up chatting with someone quite special to me. :)

I got a couple of nice compliments .. our waitress told me that I didn't look old enough to have children old enough to have kids .. much less old enough to be a gramma .. which was VERY nice to hear .. and she got a nice tip. :D

And was later told that I was a MILF .. which I had to look up O_o .. but .. actually I really found quite flattering .. but I told him he needed to change the M to a G - for Gramma instead of Mother.. which he was quite fine with too. LOLOL :D

Must be the fact that my hair is STILL mostly my natural brown color with only a few grey strands in it that are unceremoniously yanked the second I notice them .. and being .. erm .. fluffy .. yeah .. that's it .. I'm "fluffy" .. sort of keeps facial lines at bay .. and gives me a slight boost into still looking younger than I really am. That and good genetics .. my whole family is like this .. none of us ever look as old as we actually are. :D

In all I'd have to say I had a nice 'birthing' into my next decade .. which has sort of eased any trauma that turning 50 might have had. Truly I have been blessed with the best .. most loving .. of people in my life and I look forward to seeing what developes in this new phase of my life. :)

Oh .. and I am SO seriously looking into taking up that whole "MILF" thingy offer .. *blush* ;)

Gnarly Disclaimer

Before people start reading my blog .. and getting their knickers in a knot .. I want something understood.

This is MY space .. where I relate MY feelings .. about MY experiences .. and MY conclusions based on MY interpretation of events .. peoples behaviors that I have either DIRECTLY experienced .. OR .. have DIRECTLY observed.

I make NO apologies for MY feelings .. nor should ANYONE have to. :)

In reading what I have posted here .. you "may" find posts about someone that YOU have had a positive experience with .. and that is lovely for YOU.

If MY experience has NOT been as positive .. has been downright fully NEGATIVE with that same person .. and I express MY feelings on MY experience with that person here .. that is MY right to do so .. as it is also YOUR right to turf your link to this site and pretend I never existed. ;)

Understand also that I expect NO one to feel as I do .. or believe as I do .. about anyone or thing I speak of .. as these are only MY expressions of MY feelings .. how YOU feel is uniquely individual to YOU and YOUR experiences .. I would never dream of diminishing YOUR right to feel however YOU feel. :)

Read on if you choose .. I don't hold much back about how I feel about anything. I spent most of my life NOT expressing honestly how I feel about things .. I chose some while back to never do that anymore .. and believe me I am a far happier person for that decision. ;)

And again .. feel free to exercise YOUR right to delete your link here and never return .. if YOU feel you must .. because what you see here .. is how it's always gonna be .. so you are warned. ;)

Cuteness Overload in .. 3 .. 2 .. 1 ..

I have been very fortunate in my life with many things. The most important of all of those things has been my girls .. Leslie and Lisa ( who most know as MC lol ). There have never been words to express how very important and dear to me they are .. but their arrivals were the 2 happiest .. most important days in my life. They have both grown into the loveliest .. sweetest young women that make their mother proud in all ways. :)

One of the wonderful things that happens is that as they grow older .. you sort of get an idea of how you did as a parent as they move on into their own lives .. adults in their own right and making their way into the world. But .. one of the hardest things that comes with that is them moving away to do that. All you can do is pray that your relationship with them remains strong no matter time nor distance .. and watch them soar on their own.

With my oldest daughter Leslie .. she met a really dear young man online .. and at the "ripe" ol' age of 18 flew the nest .. all the way to Scotland .. to begin their life together. Easily .. the most difficult thing I have EVER done is make that trek to the airport .. and watch her pass through those gates and disappear onto the plane that spirited her away. I clung to her with all I had .. a floodgate of tears bursting free that I could hold back no longer .. and through sobs .. told her simply to be happy .. as that really is all I could want for her .. no matter where she may find herself.

As all things do of course .. everything settled into it's new order .. my fears and tears relaxed .. Glen is a lovely young man who we are quite fond of .. and we found ourselves stepping into the next delightful phase .. GRANDCHILDREN !! :D

She and her husband have blessed us with 4 of the dearest little grandchildren. I have met the oldest one twice .. and not yet met the younger 3 .. but that is something that I WILL be rectifying come this April-ish. Oh heck yes .. and I cannot wait !!

There are so many times I wish I were closer to them .. I miss her .. them .. so much .. but love for ones children is as strong a force as there ever could be. For a long time I wondered how my grandmother in Ontario .. that I rarely was able to see .. could still always love me so much as she did .. we were so far away .. but I know now how strong that love is .. you simply do with all you have in you .. and I understand fully now that there isn't a distance far enough that could diminish the love I have for my grandchildren. :)

My daughter has recently started a Facebook page and has begun posting pictures of the children in albums there .. O_O .. you cannot imagine my delight. :D

Though I speak often of them .. to anyone who will listen :D .. I have never shown any pictures .. so .. with her permission .. I introduce Leslie .. her dear husband Glen .. and my grand babies Megan ( the oldest ) .. Caitlin ( the 'middle' child who will never be lost there ;) ) .. and Aidan and Lewis ( the twins ).

Leslie - so beautiful .. yes? :)




Glen with Megan - he is just such a good daddy :)




Megan and Caitlin .. tooo sweet




Caitlin with Ritzy




Aidan and Lewis - utterly adorable !!








Megan and Caitlin ... and "friend"




Caitlin and Megan




Leslie .. with her very capable hands quite full




Everyone having fun




My sweet darlin's - says it all :)




In typical gramma fashion I *could* have kept going btw .. as I have hundreds of pictures of them .. but .. showing remarkable strength I'm pacin' myself. ;)

"If You Can Mark An X ...

You Are MY Kind of People!" ... Jerry Boyle of the NSF (Newfoundland Separation Federation) - aka Greg Thomey of 'This Hour Has 22 Minutes'. ( I have been trying to find a picture of this character .. IF I ever do I'll post it )

We have an election here in Canada today. I'm pleased to say that MC voted for her very first time .. and the only advice she was given in the weeks leading up to the election was to pay attention to the leader of each party .. what they say and how they carry themselves .. and vote for who SHE thought *might* make the best Prime Minister.

Failing that .. vote for whoever you feel will be the lesser of the evils. LOL :D

Her response after she'd slipped her ballot into the box .. "that was it? ... sheesh ... that's easy enough." LOLOL

We take our right to vote very seriously here in Canada .. we show up in droves for each election .. with 70-ish% voter turnout .. most times anyway .. and I am kinda proud of that. :)

I personally prefer minority governments .. means whoever is in charge HAS to find a way to work with the other parties in order to get things done .. making compromises isn't usually a bad thing .. and I think in most respects serves our country better .. though I'm SURE there would be others who would disagree with that. ;)

As I've told .. erm .. anyone who'd listen .. if you don't take the time to at least cast your vote .. then you forfeit your right to bitch and moan if you don't like what's happening in government. And don't give me that tired old argument "well *my* vote isn't gonna matter anyway" crap .. if 10,000 of you in the same area cop that attitude .. think for a moment the difference those voices COULD have made had you chosen to use them. Or .. a million voices across the country .. think of the difference those could make. Hmmmmm ..... ;)

Get on out there .. and let your voice be heard .. change won't happen if you sit at home and let others voices be heard and not yours. We live in a country that allows us the priviledge .. the RIGHT .. to have something resembling a say in who sits in our governing houses .. take advantage of it. :)

And .. hoping for the best doesn't hurt either. ;)

Is It 10 Years Already?? O_o

Unlike most women .. I have only 1 purse at a time. I know .. hard to imagine .. but I have such an aversion to purse shopping that I usually buy as good a quality purse as I can afford .. and get as many years out of it as I possibly can .. before having to go purse shopping .. again. *cries*

Purse shopping is a deeply personal experience for every woman. Only *she* knows exactly what her needs are .. and the perfect bag that will fill that need. A bag that will leave one woman trying to keep her dinner down .. will lift another to lofty heights of joy. And .. a purse that made you weep with delight last time .. you wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole the next time. It's truly unique to each of us .. at that given point in time. It can be downright traumatizing NOT being able to find that right and perfect bag .. which is where my aversion comes in. :\

I have a specifice type/style of purse in mind. Similar to one I had years ago. A truly great purse .. a large hobo/sling style that was super .. in an utterly awful taupe color. My mother had had it .. and hated it .. and one day gave it to me as when I asked her why .. if she disliked it so much did she purchase it. Her response was that it had "called" to her as she walked past it in the store .. "here you want it?" .. before dumping the contents and tossin' it in my direction. Um .. 'k Mum .. 'erm thanks? O_o

Pasty putty color aside it was a great looking thing and held loads of essential girlie items .. and I used it for years until it finally gave up exhausted and fell apart. I tried to find something similar after .. but nothing seemed to come close and I'd wind up giving up in frustration .. usually settling for just anything at that point. I've been using one my best friend gave me .. 11 years ago this Christmas .. thinking I'd replace it once it wore out a bit. Finally .. FINALLY .. it's starting to show some wear .. thank God .. cuz .. sssssshhhhhh .. I kinda didn't like it so much as I could have. O_O

So .. I've been purse shopping the past while .. and it's been a painful process not unlike having your eyes poked with sharp sticks.

I decided that *this* time I wasn't gonna give up the search until I found one that was as similar to that old one as I could get .. EXCEPT the color of course. And .. seeing as eBay and I have a close personal relationship .. I'd go there and find one. Oh .. my .. God .. who knew there were so many purses that would answer the search parameter "hobo purse". O_o

I can't imagine how far I'd have to be gone to get some of those .. things. "Hideous" seems so .. inadequate .. in describing some of the patterning used on some of these purses. Doesn't ANYONE work in adequate lighting for these projects ??!! The extent of the "fugly" I've exposed my sensibilities to is hard to adequately express. It's the kind that truly puts the F U G in FUGLY .. purses that are an insult to anyones senses. Certainly no self respecting mugger would be caught dead stealin' those bags .. that's for sure. O_O

Some were attractive .. just NOT what I'm looking for .. they were either far too small to be "hobo" style .. I'd be lucky to get my wallet in them .. much less the rest of my "essential" gear .. and others far too oddly shaped to be "sling" style .. yet somehow have made the cut into that search.

There are patterns so loud my ears bled .. sequins and fringes and buckles .. oh my. And .. after seeing the rainbow of purse colors used out there .. I've come to the conclusion that there are just some colors that purses were NEVER intended to be. The level of colorblindness in the purse making industry must be staggeringly high. Bright oranges .. iridescent greens .. and there is a shade of yellow out there that I haven't seen since I changed my breastfed baby's diaper. O_o

I'd see one and think ... ooohh niiiicee sty..... wait .. is that .. purple ?? !! O_O

Oh .. and what is with the ginormous bags with the wee short shoulder straps anyway?? I've seen huge purses that are larger then the new suitcase I purchased .. and worn as if some weird sac-like appendage hanging from your armpit .. O_O

I have found a handful that are just the right size and shape .. and in darker colors I am leaning towards .. but .. naturally .. they are priced somewhat MORE than what I'd be willing to shell out for what .. in effect .. will be a portable junk drawer. LOL :D

I burst into spontaneous hilarious laughter at the horrible looking purse priced at 695$ .. because I paid LESS for the first car I ever bought myself .. and it was MUCH more attractive too. A maroon AMC Concord .. for the price of 475$ thank you very much .. that stood me in good stead for many years. Though .. to be fair .. this purse was so large I probably could have parked that car in it. O_o

Honestly .. I've seen "purses" so "oversized" they'd make Mary Poppins nipples go hard. And with so much room in them I'd have to add .. good luck findin' your lamp in there missy.

I want a largish bag yes .. but not so cavernous I risk the need for emergency aid to get out should I have the misfortune to slip and fall inside of it. O_o

And I don't mind paying a bit for a good purse .. but straying into the range of my mortgage payment seems just a tad much. When I start paying that much for a bag it had better be plenty roomy enough for me to live in it .. because I'd be givin' up my cozy abode for it. And I'm not even gonna whisper what someone was askin' for a Gucci bag .. that was EXACTLY what I was lookin' for .. *weaves ... moans ... puts head between knees* O_o

Anyway .. after days of "browsing" .. I've finally found a half a dozen that seem to fit my checklist .. and now I'm gonna wait a couple of days .. re-check them .. and providing it's still available .. choose one. Because my purse shopping is on it's last nerve .. and I wanna be sure I really like it .. 'cuz it's gonna be bouncin' off of my ample hip for the next 10ish years .. until I have to do this all over again. *sigh*

LOLOL :D