All that praying didn't help

i can cross Sunday School Teacher off of my list of jobs.

Today Walker stayed home from school sick. Actually, he played hookie. And he thought that i should be his partner in crime. Unfortunately, I have a job that requires me to actually work. But that really didn't phase my son who popped into my office every 10 minutes with various questions.

"Mom, why are they called the Barenaked Ladies if they're all men?" Don't know.

"Mom, how do you clean up cat puke?" SERIOUSLY???

"Mom, if you eat too many carrots will you turn orange?" Yes, but you should try it.

"Mom, what's Mardi Gras?" The party before Lent.

"Mom why do we have to give up something during Lent?" Because it symbolizes Jesus going into the desert for 40 days to pray."

"Mom?" WHAT.................

"It didn't help, He still died."

Astute, that one.

For Milk Breath...my kitchen can beat up your kitchen.

Have you met my friend Amy? She's my mirror. First, because she holds down a full time job and a husband and children, young ones and old ones. (me too). And we share a love of shoes. plus, we kind of have the same hair, at least when I actually take the time to brush mine. and get it trimmed. oh, and visit the salon for highlites and color. ok, that one now that i think about - maybe she trumps me on that one.

Anyway....this made me laugh because Amy? GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN. I have crap EVERYWHERE right now. You really shouldn't steal my thunder - I am the QUEEN of the CRAP pile. I feel like PigPen and the swirl of dirt that surrounds him wherever he goes. Maybe it has to do with living in extremely close quarters until we find something bigger, or maybe i can blame it on having 2 smaller children who zap every FREAKIN' ounce of energy i have. OR i can just blame it on my endless fascination with Big Love and the Housewives of New York and the bottle of Menage a Trois Shiraz that sucks me in. Regardless - here is a glimpse into my life right now:





Let's break it down, shall we? Ok the most obvious - the huge pile of laundry. Yea - had to move it HERE, out of the closet because i had the carpets cleaned. It's a work in progress, this moving of the crap from one room to another. Swing to the right and don't miss the EMPTY tequila bottle. Finished that last night, while pondering doing the laundry. The tequila won. Hey 409 - what the hell are you doing there - there is theme going on here man, no room for you, mister "let's get busy and scrub something"...

Now should you think i have totally slipped into slobdom - NEVER YOU WORRY - here is photo proof that some things STILL HAVE TO BE DONE. Perfect toes. Perfect Summer Sandals....ahhh...see i DO have my priorities.

I love Jesus, but I drink a little.

Just to catch up everyone up from my post on church shopping, we decided to go back to my church, First Congregational. I loved my church, but lost it in my divorce - one of those things where do you stay or go not knowing what the ex will or won't do, and i decided to find another church. And i just felt lost without mine - as you know.

Well, i went back because i felt he couldn't "claim" a church just to claim it and then not go, and his family would only go sporadically - so I.WENT.BACK and I'm not leaving. And then, here I am a month into going and who walks in....the family. Oh well, there's lots of pews.

And this morning, we were treated to the Napa High School choir, 60 of the most beautiful voices i have ever had the honor of listening to. When Pastor Bryan introduced them he jokingly said that they were holding a wine tasting after in the courtyard, which brought this Ellen You Tube video to mind. Enjoy.

A little levity is always good, especially at a funeral, right?

My grandfather died unexpectedly last week.

He was going about his business downtown, going to the hardware store to have a key made for my dad and died sitting in his car at the steering wheel.

Heart attack. Quick, gone within minutes.

To add to the drama, my grandmother was with him in the car and had to witness her husband's passing. I can't imagine what went through her mind, or how she felt.

If i sound short and unfeeling - i'm not - but i have run the gamut of emotion and am just getting back into the swing of work, kids and life (no pun intended) and this post is really about laughter, i promise.

In fact, the one thing that i heard FROM EVERYONE at the funeral (and i truly mean everyone - at the viewing, at the restaurants, at the house and in the eulogy is that my grandfather always had this huge smile on his face and he laughed all of the time.) So, Granddad - this is for you - you will get a kick out of this.

My grandfather's sister-in-law (my great-aunt) who is much younger than my grandparents got the duty of taking care of my grandmother during all of the arrangements, the funeral home trips, the shopping for funeral clothes etc - so she drove grandmother all around for a week.

I was in charge of getting the 3rd generation (myself, Justin and his fiancee, and Jon) chauffered around from dinners to the viewing to the funeral and then finally to the burial. We were the youngest there by 30 years.

So imagine how much laughter ensued in the group i was responsible for when the 4 of us got out of the car to go into the funeral home and saw this: (Look really closely at the license tag)

This is my great-aunt's car that my grandmother was riding around in all week. It probably sums up her feeling about all of this rather well...only in my family....

If you're wondering, it's her initials, WTF for Wanda T Fridley - the last T is the first initial of late uncle (Tolley).