I'm losing my mind - and that's not all I'm losing!!

So, there's big, giant calendar on the wall in the kitchen - right next to the whiteboard.

And on the whiteboard is written the name and phone number of a couple who asked us to sub for them at the temple.

And under that is the date they needed us to sub. (Tuesday the 29th)

And under that is the gal's email address.

And none of that info is on the calendar.

But I've been looking at that whiteboard for 2 weeks now.

And all day today I thought the schedule seemed light - I seemed to have nothing pressing. I sat in my room after school and finished the book I was reading. (Parenthetically it's not all that good - the one by David Baldacci.) (And I should have been entering my grades - due tomorrow night at midnight.)

Then I walked home.

And checked my email and started dinner.

And got a call from the Tuesday night supervisor at the temple - wondering where we were.

Talk about feeling bad!

Dad said, "We're doing too much!"

We have been discussing it off and on all evening. And I said, "Well, maybe we should make it a rule that we won't take on anything without running it by the each other first." (I agreed to give blood yesterday - and then just didn't go!)

And later Dad said, "The trouble is, I don't want to be thought of as programmed and scheduled as some people we know." (Who probably wouldn't blow off sub days at the temple!!))

And he also said, "That's why people move away."

I read Sunset magazine in the salle de bain and thought, "We need to take off for a weekend to one of these great places they are showing in this magazine."

Maybe I will do that.

After school ends, and we have the wedding, and we go to South America, and we do the Hood to Coast.

Wait, then it will be time for school to start!

This seems to be a circular discussion.

Thanks for listening!!

I'm not looking for ideas or advice - just sympathy!!

The Mother of the Bride dilemma:

So, this is the "sparkly" dress - and the cumberbund effect at the waist and the length are very flattering. But the top is sparkly. And the jacket is mother- of - the - brideish looking. But it was on sale, and it's a size 8 and it fits!! (That alone makes me want it - "oh heavens, yes, it's an 8!!)

But, I was brainstorming with a friend, and we thought maybe a dressmaker could put a new top on it and we could chuck the jacket - or put it in the dress up basket. Or give it to the Cornwalls or the Gutierrez's who would find a perfect place for it in a Halloween theme ensemble!

We need Hannah's bridal dress gal - this would be right up her alley. Maybe a brocade or even some kind of lace. The possibilities are endless.

This is the Nordstrom dress that I tried on in a size 8, which was too small, and then ordered a bigger size. (All size 8's are apparently not created equal.) But it's really not long enough - I would have to wear heels and hose to carry it off - trust me on this one. And I'm not up to that.

This is the Coldwater Creek skirt - which is too big - that was a nice change! So I'm going to send for the smaller size and keep looking at tops. Suggestions and referrals are welcome.

This is where I am. I feel like having Hannah choose brown with white polka dots because I have a new dress like that and it's cute, flattering and comfortable.

And I have cute brown shoes that are flattering and comfortable too!

Where does the time go??

So, this is not what Hannah and Robbie's invites look like - in fact, they look nothing like this. I included this for contrast. (Okay, so mostly just to have a picture - since Karl says I need short bytes and pics to be readable - what does he know??)

But Melanie's mom brought them back with her from Utah - where she went for Melanie's graduation - congrats Melanie!! - them being the invitations for the wedding.

So I guess I have to get to work. And set up a work station for getting them addressed - hand addressed - we are totally traditional here - but I haven't even finished my Christmas cards!!!

I have a dress and a skirt from Coldwater Creek - they came Friday and Saturday - and I have a dress from Nordstrom - and I'm not excited about any of them.

Well, I kind of liked how the Coldwater Creek dress fit - it was flattering anyway - and Noah said, when I modeled it for him, "Gee, Mom - it, uh, sparkles!!" (this was all said while barely supressing laughter.)

And Dad said, "It looks like all those mother-of-the-bride dresses you've been making fun of." (It is sort of similar - but not completely mother-of-the-bride looking!)

He also said, "Where would you ever wear it again?" (The answer is "nowhere" but maybe I could take it to a consignment shop.)

Why is finding something to wear always such a chore???

The Girls of '45 get together

A few years ago, we figured out that there were 4 of us on the staff at Clifton who were born in 1945!! (The shot below is November of 2005.)


So we went and had a "glamor" shot taken! (In this case, "glamor" means fuzzy - so we look better!!)


Michele - in the burgundy sweater - retired almost 2 years ago - so we had a little mini-reunion tonight - at Mimi's restaurant.

There really is something to be said about coming from the same era. And 3 of us went to LA Unified high schools!! (so we can talk about what our P.E. clothes looked like, since all LA Unified high schools wore identical P.E. clothes, back in the day anyway!!)

Here's to friends - of any vintage!!

More Wedding Belles!!

Thought this one would raise a chuckle or two out of my viewing audience!

This is my cousin Pam and her husband Ron after their wedding in the LA Temple in 1960 I think. You didn't come out and pose in your wedding dress in those days - you came out in your "going away outfit" and it was usually a fashion statement!!

This is certainly a fashion statement - it's a veritable "shout out" I think!!

A Mother's Trials

Calvin's recent brush with the tooth fairy brought reminders of Hannah's famous episode - back in 1991. The photo below was taken a couple of days after the "wreck!" I thought we had shots that were much more "gruesome" but I can't find them. Hannah may actually have them.

Since Calvin told the story! in his own words, I thought I'd let you all hear Hannah's own words about her accident. She recorded this a few years later in her scrapbook - but it's still pretty poignant!

This shot is of Hannah about a week after the accident - kids do heal quickly.

So here's her story:

The Story

Eliza and I were going to race on our bikes down the street (a very steep street.) As I was going down, I fell over my handle bars, knoking (sic) out my front teeth (baby teeth), and popping 3 buttons off of my dress. I had to wash my mouth with hydrogen peroxide. After that, I lived a good life of Jello, pudding, and T.V.

Let me add that it was very traumatic - I guess you had to be there, but Eliza came sort of quietly up the driveway and said, "Hannah is bleeding." When we went to investigate, there was Hannah, bleeding indeed, and pushing her bike back home! I think they were both somewhat abashed because I am sure we had told them to be very careful since the street was steep.

The very poignant part was the way Hannah said, after seeing her face in the mirror, "Will I always look like this?"

I'm sure we've told this story countless times before - and probably on the blog too - but it is indeed a cautionary tale.

But the other alternative is to let your kids live in a hothouse instead of the real world.

It's the price we pay!

Charm!!

I find pithy sayings throughout the ubiquitous women's magazines that end up collecting in my magazine basket - or on the back of the toilet!

And they often strike me as useful little life lessons.

So I will share one: "If you have charm, you don't need to have anything else; and if you don't have it, it doesn't matter what else you have."

This comes from none other than J.M. Barrie!

And charm usually is connected with talking about women, but I find many of my students charming - and many of them not.

But just like Mr. Barrie said, without it, nothing else matters!

Who do you find charming? And why?