Murano from the Moron-O, and Various Crapola

Hello bloggers and bloggerettes! It's me again, but with a slightly less embarrassing kind of post this time around. Aren't you happy to hear it? No gross pictures or videos to look at, just some pretties from Italy.

Jimmy got home this past Saturday night and boy was he in a MOOD. Oh my, I asked him to go BACK to Italy almost as soon as he walked in the house. But that is neither here nor there. This post is about the goodies he brought forth. He found some cute fake designer purses from a street vendor when he was in Venice. These purses were slotted for me, Jill, and his two coworkers. Of course I got first pick. Here are the ones he chose. Two "Prada" and two "Gucci".

I chose the black Prada. Pretty! Jill got the "Gucci" tote.

He got the girls really cool masks made right there in Venezia. I forget what he said the masks are usually used for. Some kind of parade or celebration!

Then he bought a bunch of Murano fish. One for Jill, the rest for coworkers. Also got his secretary the pretty Mille Fiore paperweight.

Jimmy found this fabulous painting in Venice, this time from a street artist. Too bad he spent so much money in Italy we now have no money to frame it!

The girls each got a Murano necklace. Mikayla got the heart, which I love, and Madison the flower.

This next piece he bought with the intention of either giving to me, or to Jill. Okay, wait, that's a lie. He bought it with the intention of giving it to me, until he found something else for me and decided this would be for Jill. But I was a mean mean sister and upon seeing it decided she couldn't have it. Hey, she got her fish, didn't she? She got her fake purse, didn't she? Murano is for ME!

This is the vase he chose for me. A bit too art deco-ish for my usual taste, but I'll still love it and treasure it always. This piece also happens to be etch-signed by the master glass blower who made it. One has to work there for 25 years before they are considered a master at their craft.

And one last piece of Murano that's for the whole family. A new Christmas ornament!

This picture is just too cute not to share. Jimmy and the guy he was traveling with, sitting with Madison's tree frog, Jesse. They're on their way to Murano island here, I believe.

And look at what happened after Jimmy's friend's wife kissed Jesse!

It's a miracle of fairy tale proportions!


And that's my new stash. Not bad, eh?

Until next time, Justine :o )

Birthday Pic and Videos For You!!!!!!!!

My birthday turned out to be really fun, in spite of the fact that Jimmy worked all day and well into the evening. The reason why it turned out so well was because Jill and Mark decided to stop here with the girls on their way home from the RMH. They even wound up spending the night! As soon as they walked in the door they raided my fridge and pantry like a pack of starving animals, and soon after Jill and I looked at each other and said, "Nap time!!!!!!!" So yes, my sister comes to visit and we all go our separate ways to snooze.

When we finally all got up and showered we decided to have dinner at Chili's (that's one L, Gail... ONE L) to celebrate mine and Madison's b-day. We had a blast just acting completely goofy, and the food was really really good. Madison and I even got free b-day ice cream, mine of which got devoured by Jill. Here are some pics of us at the restaurant.

Jill trying to hide behind the menu...


Me, in serious need of a hair cut. That came the next day!


Marky...


A horrible picture of Madison (also needing a hair cut), and Alexa, with wet hair...


Alexa and Mikayla driving me nuts. Don't know why it's so blurry... Oops, you can see my bra.


What did I do to embarrass her this time??? Or could this be her mortification as Poopy Pants sent food flying in all directions, including other diners' laps?


And here's Poopy Pants, looking so cute. You can't really tell from the pics, but the inside corners of her eyes are completely blood-shot from the surgery. She's got stitches in her eyes!


After dinner I announced that it was my birthday and I wanted to walk around Kohl's. So, off we went, me with my camera in tow. But little did they suspect that I would turn it on video mode. Heeheehee. Here are three short videos for you to enjoy. Poor Jill never does catch a break from me, does she?



Oy, she's just like my mother. If there's perfume around, step back!!!!!!!!!! She gets a bit out of control!


Notice how I get nice and loud here, so as to alert the whole store of what my intentions were. Jill LOVES it when I do this. Not!


Now wouldn't you just love to go shopping with me? The next day we brought the camera with us for mine and Madison's hair cuts, but the batteries died on us. Can you believe it? So when we got to Publix to food shop, the first thing I did was send Mikayla down the aisle to get batteries. She was holding the camera throughout our shopping and only took one bit of video that was worth saving... this next bit you'll see. And no, I am not really mad at Jill. This is how we speak to each other. Or rather, it's the way I speak to her. Now please take note that I had just had my hair cut and Larry did not style and dry it. Hence, I look like I have old lady hair.


Hope you enjoyed the show!
Until next time, Justine :o )

Join Me on My Quest. My Quest For UN-Sperm-like Eyebrows!

Yes, my friends, you read that right. I have eyebrows that resemble sperm! Well, to be perfectly honest with you when I was first told of this deformity of the face it was described as "guppy brows", but after really studying them in the mirror I decided they look more like sperm. Sperm swimming across my FACE! And who would be so bold as to tell me I have guppy brows that have to go? Well, no other than Bridget from My Silly Blog. Yes, THAT sweet, adorable Bridget. But she later told me that it wasn't her that called out my brows, but indeed it was her beautiful, young, Mac-cosmetic-addicted daughter, Katie.

Now let me backtrack a wee bit so you won't think too harshly of both Katie and Bridget (bitches that they are), to an email I'd sent to some of my girls. I'd attached a picture of just my eyes to show them my very sloppy eye shadow job, my long, luxurious eyelashes, and to question them about the crookedness of my brows. Yes, I already knew they were crooked, but couldn't tell if it was the actual brows, or because my nose is slightly off-kilter. Come to find out it's both. My nose is crooked and my eyebrows are too!

Anyway, I'd also told Bridget to show a picture of me to Katie so she could maybe make some color suggestions and some possible application tricks for me. All these years I've thought I was so good at applying makeup. That is until I started watching Katie's You Tube video tutorials on makeup application. I use the sponge applicator the eye shadow comes with. Katie uses a different specialty brush for every different part of the lid. I swipe my blush brush over the shadow to blend it. Katie very gently uses an actual blending brush. It takes me five minutes to put on my whole face. It takes Katie 20 minutes just for her eyes!

Oh! And did I mention that I'm now officially too old to wear "sparkly" shadows? I'm assuming that Katie is telling me the shimmer highlights my tiny little lines more than it does my actual eyes? Thirty-eight years old and now imprisoned by matte cosmetics. Could life BE any more unfair? Well, I'm going to try and embrace my droopy old eyes so I went to Walgreens tonight and picked up some new color palettes. We'll just have to see what I can do with them when my new applicator brushes (vegan approved even!) come in the mail from eBay.

So now I find myself having to leave my cosmetic ego at the door, and bow down to the advice of my new makeup guru, Katie. Don't they say the proof is in the pudding? Well, in my case the proof is in the photo-shopped picture that Bridget created to show me how I'd look in Katie's advised colors, and with my sperm- brows grown out and then waxed to perfection. Looky here and see the difference!!!!!!!



Amazing, isn't it? So, as I take this journey of growing out my sperm-brows, I'm taking your bloggy asses with me. If I have to walk around looking like Sasquatch for weeks on end, you can be damn sure I'm going to make you suffer as well, by looking at pictures of each hairy increment! You'll just never know when a hairy brow picture will show up in my blog. You may find yourself running from your computer, screaming, "My eyes! My eyes!" just as Phoebe did on Friends when she walked in on Chandler and Monica having sex. Things are gonna get ugly people! So, beware! Bwaaaa haaa haaaa haaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

*****3 hours or so later, I've decided to give you a linky to Katie's You Tube makeup tutorials. This girl has got it going on!

Until next time, Justine :o )

Bloggerwhelmed!!!!!!!!!!

Hello there blogging beauties. Hope you're all well and had a fabulous weekend! Mine was basically pure crap but I won't bore you with the details. And it seems all I've been doing since yesterday is working on my blog, and look how NOT far I've come! I've lost all my cute widgets and I can't find the same counter I had, and I'm just getting overwhelmed. What are your opinions on the new 3-column format? Is the text too bright-white to read comfortably? This inquiring mind wants to know.

In other news, I just got done wrapping Madison's birthday presents (she's 7 tomorrow!... or today, depending on when you're reading this) and stupid me, I forgot to buy both tape and wrapping paper. I had a little bit of paper left over, but for tape I had to use the packing kind. Not fun to work with people! Then when I ran out of paper, I resorted to using the Murano tissue paper that Jimmy has thrown ALL OVER the family room. Hey, at least some of the mess got picked up in the process!

And alas, it is also my birthday. Thirty-eight tomorrow/today. Egads, how the time flies, eh? Ooh, I just turned Canadian for a moment.

Until next time, Justine :o )

Poopy Pants

Just a super quick update on Gianna. She came through surgery well, although she's screaming her head off right now. Jill said her eyes are all bloody, but instead of putting patches on, that Gianna would probably pull off, they're just keeping some ointment on them.

As of right now they're super-hydrating her and within the next couple of hours will release her to go back to the Ronald McDonald house so she can feel more comfortable and actually get some rest. Jill is armed with the cell phone number of the ENT who performed the surgery and was told to call at any time if there are any issues that pop up.

Poor baby is in some pain though. She can't open her eyes, she's bleeding in her nose from the air tube and I'm sure she has a sore throat too. My poor Poopy Pants!!!!!!!!!!

I want to thank all of you for your well wishes and prayers. They absolutely are appreciated, and I know Jill will be touched when she once again gets back online and sees all the love from the blogging community. Thanks again my friends!

Until next time, Justine :o )

RMH-- a Wonderful Cause

Most of us are lucky, and go through life caring for our children who are for the most part healthy. A broken bone here and there, a cut lip, but nothing earth shattering. But how often do we wonder about the millions of families throughout the world who have children that are desperately ill and fighting for their lives? Probably only as often as we see a commercial pertaining to it, or a special on TV. And what do these families do when their world is turned upside-down and they have to leave home so their child/children can be treated at a specialty hospital? Hopefully for them they have medical insurance to cover their needs, but let's face it, many don't. But something you probably never think about is, where do these families stay while their children are being treated far from home? In a hotel? Well, for a family with excess money that might just work, but what about the multitudes who live paycheck to paycheck? The hospital certainly isn't going to set them up with a room and feed them three times a day for an unforeseen length of time.


This is when many families turn to the welcoming arms and open doors of Ronald McDonald House. For a qualifying family this can be the difference between being able to get their child good health care or having to settle for second best. Ronald McDonald houses all throughout the nation give these families a sense of home and stability that they would not have in a hotel, or driving back and forth from home to a distant hospital. No parent wants to be far from their sick child, and because Ronald McDonald houses are usually built right near the best children's hospitals, these lucky families don't have to worry about that.

Depending on how you look at it, last night I had the fortune (or misfortune) to visit our local Ronald McDonald house in Jacksonville and spend some time there. No, I was not volunteering. My sister, Jill, her husband Mark, and my two nieces, Alexa and Gianna are living there this week, as Gianna is having eye surgery done tomorrow. I say they are "living" there instead of "staying", because when you are there you feel as if you're in a home. A rather large home, but a home nonetheless. I can't even express to you how impressed I was with their facility from the moment I walked in the door. Upon entering, you're in what looks like a huge parlor with beautiful furnishings and a smiling face at the front desk. Visitors must sign in and wear a visitor's tag the whole time they're there. I was not allowed to roam the house by myself, but had to be with either Jill, Mark, or one of the girls. Safety is a huge issue in a RMH, as is cleanliness. Everywhere you turn there is hand sanitizer and plastic gloves to be worn in the kitchen if you are to handle any food. They have laminate floors throughout to cut down on allergens and for quick sterile cleanups.

The kitchen is beautiful, with solid surface counters, maple cabinets and lots of gleaming appliances. They have a huge "community" refrigerator in the kitchen, which is filled daily by donations. In the pantry room is another refrigerator filled to capacity, and a freezer loaded with fresh meat and vegetables for all and any to use. Again, all donated. You can also bring in your own food and keep it labeled so no one else uses it. Fresh baked goods are donated every morning, (which of course impressed me!) and each night dinner is delivered by a different organization or family.

Off to the side of the kitchen is a large dining room with at least 10 tables, so families can cook their meals in the kitchen and then sit down and eat as if they were at home. It was Alexa's birthday yesterday, so Jill brought in a huge sheet cake to share with everyone in the house. They made an announcement into the rooms, and they all started coming out of the woodwork with their noses sniffing the air. Cake will do that to people. Somehow I got suckered into doing the cake cutting, (gloves on hands!) and it made me feel good to share our special occasion with the kids and parents staying in the house.

Here's Alexa blowing out her birthday candles. My Mikayla is on the left, Madison on the right. I think the girl all the way to the left is named Brianna, who has become a great friend of Alexa's. Behind the girls you can see the expansive kitchen.


Here's Aunt Tiney cutting the cake while Alexa oversees. Why is my head chopped off, Jill?


Me and Alexa as she opened her presents from us.



A horrible picture of me and Jill. You'll have to excuse the quality of these photos. They were taken with Jill's phone.



Mark pulled me away for a quick tour of the house, and floor by floor (there are 3) I was stunned by the amount of thought that went into the decor and sense of comfort throughout. Each floor has several different family rooms set up with beautiful leather furniture, flat screen TVs, book shelves and toy areas. There are also computer rooms on each floor for those who want to go online and touch base with friends and family. By the end of the tour I kind of wanted to stay there myself for a few days!

While the girls had some fun on the little playground, I sat in the screened-in smoking porch with Mark and Jill and told them how impressed I was with the RMH and how I am so thankful that it's there for them in their times of need. Not only do they have Gianna with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome and a host of medical problems caused by it, but Alexa has epilepsy, among other things. If it wasn't for the Ronald McDonald house I honestly don't know what they'd do. They're considered low income and in no way could afford to stay in a hotel every time one of the girls needed to have procedures or surgeries done. Sure, they could stay at my house, but that's still a 30 mile trip, they'd be far from their sick one, and gas prices are outrageous!

I wish I would have thought to bring a bag filled with household products because they're always in need. But I am going to make a donation tonight, and will continue to make small donations in the future. I called the Ronald McDonald house today and spoke to one of the women I met last night, thanking her for letting us visit, and letting her know that they're doing a spectacular job. I also told her I would like to put something on my blog for donations and she thought that was just great. So, that's what I'm going to do.

So bloggers, if you have even one dollar you could spare, me and my whole family sure would appreciate it. The Jacksonville RMH has done so much for Jill, Mark, and the girls in the last year and I know they'll continue to be supportive in years to come, and that's because of small donations from people like us. We truly can and do make a difference in the lives of people with children who have special needs. We make it possible for them to have shelter, food, and a cozy place to call home during the toughest times. Below, click below the RMH logo and it will take you to the home page, where you can click on donations. Thank you bloggers!!!!!!!!!


Ronald McDonald House Jacksonville

Good luck with your eye surgery tomorrow, Poopy Pants! Aunt Justiney loves you!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Until next time, Justine :o )

I've Tagged Myself!

Dot, over at Picket's Place just did this tag... Your Favorite Things. Seems you're only supposed to use one-word answers, but you know Dot, that's impossible for her! Let's see if I can do any better!

Sport: Ewwwwww
Game: Scrabble
Color: Red
Movie: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Broadway play I have seen: Annie
Broadway Musical I have seen: Didn't I just say Annie?
Song: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
American city I have visited: NYC baby!
Foreign city I have visited: (not foreign but it felt like it) Kaanapali, Maui
Book: There are hundreds!!!
Childrens Book: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
Classic Television Show: The Dick Van Dyke Show
Recent television Show: Ghost Hunters International
Actor: Adam Sandler
Actress: Kate Hudson
Perfume: Cocoon by Yves Rocher
Food: Chinese
Dessert: Entenmann's chocolate cake with marshmallow frosting
Chain Restaurant: Carrabbas
Local Reataurant: The Loop
Car: My Mazda CX-9
Condiment: Mayonnaise
Kitchen appliance: Coffee Maker
Home appliance: Computer
Beauty product: MASCARA (that was for Becky)
Piece of clothing: nightshirt
HGTV show: House Hunters/International
Food Network show: Emeril Live
Author: Nora Roberts
Male songwriter: Billy Joel
Female songwriter: Jewel
Holiday: Christmas
Ballet I have seen: Nutcracker
Disney character: Tink
Flower: Daffodils
Alcoholic drink: White Russian
Non-alcoholic drink: Coffee
Magazine: People
Animated Movie: Shrek
Television network mini series: North and South (does anyone remember this? Patrick Swayze?)
Season: Fall in Northern states, Winter, here in FL
Male Vocalist: Josh Groban
Female Vocalist: Tori Amos
Day of the Week: Saturday
Household Chore: Steam cleaning!
Ice Cream: Chocolate
Candy: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Artist: Bridget (Blgeee)
Quotation: "Friends are the family you choose for yourself."

Until Next time, Justine :o )

Tiney's Picks on Who's a Sexy Celebrity

I know French has already covered this subject, but I doubt any of my girlies out there are tired of looking at handsome men, right? And I think I may have a few hotties on my list that French didn't. So, grab your beverage of choice, sit back and enjoy the sights!

I've mentioned Ronnie from Bravo's new reality show Make Me a Supermodel in a previous post, but a more beautiful specimen of man I have never seen before. So, Ronnie gets top honors on my blog, even though he's not yet considered a supermodel. And as a matter of fact, he's going to get FOUR pictures, just because I never get tired of looking at him.




Another hotty batting for the other team caught my eye a couple years ago, and I still melt whenever I see that huge tattoo on his left arm. If he ever gets one on his neck I'm a total goner. Design Star and host of Color Splash, David Bromstad!



Now I know what y'all are thinking. These guys are cute but doesn't she like any MANLY men? Ones who look like they've been through a bit of life and have the scars and lines to prove it? Well sure, looky here!







Oopsie! I seem to have put up a pic of French's hubby, and she's explicitly asked me to stop lusting after him. Ooh, French is gonna kick my ASS! But hey, you all wanted a real man, I gave you a real man! I'm sorry Frenchie, but your husband is hot! Deal with it! LOL

I know, I know, Matthew McConaughey is on everyone's list, but he's still worth reiteration, don't you think? If only I'd never found out that he refuses to wear deodorant. How disgusting is that in this day and age? I can understand the need to be natural, but there are homeopathic choices in deodorant these days. Get a clue Matthew! Ooh, me mades a rhyme!



Would you believe I've only seen one movie with Orlando Bloom in it and that was Pirates III! Nope, still haven't seen the first two, but I should if for no other reason than to gaze at this major cutie.



Johnny Depp, on the other hand, I've been following a little more closely from his days on 21 Jump Street and Edward Scissorhands until now. I like his flexibility as an actor, and dammit, he's just good lookin'! With him, the rougher and scuzzier the look, the better.



You may call me crazy for this next one, but I don't really care. Yes, his eyes are too close together, but I love his hair and the shape of his face, and his voice is enough to tear my heart out.
Josh Groban.



Another super yummy guy is John Corbett. The first pic shows him on the set of Northern Exposure... I just loved him with long hair. Pic two is much more clean cut, but still delish!










My last entry has nothing to do with looks, and everything to do with voice. This man has the deepest, most rich and beautiful voice I have ever heard in my life. Even if you've never seen one of his movies, everyone knows this voice.
James Earl Jones.




Yes Bloggers, another fluff post. This is what happens when I have major blog fart. But at least I gave you some good eye candy to look at, right?

Until next time, Justine :o )

French's Book of Questions; My Answers Revealed

French just recently published a post on her blog about a book she has called The Book of Questions.  She posed some of the questions from the book on her blog, but she didn't post her own answers, nor did she request that any of us share our answers either.  She just thought it would be interesting and make us think a bit.

Well, it did make me think, so I took it one step further and decided to blog about my answers to these questions.  So if you're interested, read on!

Do you believe in ghosts or evil spirits? Would you be willing to spend one night alone in a remote house that is supposedly haunted?
I absolutely believe in the paranormal, I always have.  I've only had one experience with it myself, and that was back when I was about 17 years old.  My sister Jill, had a friend staying the night and they were in her room, doing whatever, and I was laying in bed, trying to fall asleep. All of a sudden the bed started shaking!  It didn't last long, but it did freak me out, as I was sleeping on the bed that my mother's little sister had DIED on, of a drug overdose.  I ran like a bat out of hell into Jill's room, and as I was telling her and her friend what happened, Jill's fan went on by itself and then our dog started howling.  Freaky deaky shit, this was!  Would I stay in a purportedly  haunted house by MYSELF?  No way, but give me one of the ghost hunters from TAPS and I'd do it in a second.

If you were to die tonight with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven't you told them?

I would probably die regretting not telling Jill often enough how much I love her.  I say it once in a while, and I know she KNOWS how much I love her, but I don't come out and say it nearly enough.  I guess the reason why I don't say it to her very often, is because we weren't brought up in a lovey-dovey home where sweet words or embraces were exchanged often.  Again, we knew we were loved, but in our family we knew it from the way we were yelled at, or how mom just missed my head with that melamine bowl that came flying across the room at me.  LOL


You discover your wonderful one year old child is, because of a mix-up at the hospital not yours. Would you want to exchange the child to correct the mistake?
Oh my goodness, have any of you thought about this?  It's a horrible scenario to even contemplate.  But I think maybe I would have to "exchange" the child for mine and my husband's own flesh and blood.  It's really hard to answer this one, because I don't think you can honestly say one way or the other how you'd feel in this situation unless you were living it.

If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the body or the mind of a 30 year old for the last 60 years of your life, which one would you want?

Well, there are many elderly people out there who still have incredibly sharp minds, but I've never seen one with a 30-year-old's body, so I would have to say I'd take the body, and just hope my mind was sharp enough to enjoy it.  Of course, if I could really choose, I would pick to have someone ELSE's body at 30, not my own... Say, Buffie's or French's.  Yep, now those are bodies you'd wanna live till 90 with.


If you could use a voodoo doll to hurt anyone without being discovered would you?

Yikes, voodoo is kinda satanic, isn't it?  I don't think I could go there.  It might be fun in a Gilligan's Island sort of way, just a few pokes and jabs to the bottom of the feet or the sensitive area under your biceps, but truly hurting someone isn't my thing.

Would you be willing to murder an innocent person if it meant there would be no hunger left in the world?
*I* could never do it personally; take a life, that is, but I could almost understand it if someone did this.  Sacrifice one to save millions.  It's intriguing to think about.  But why couldn't the question be, "Would you be willing to murder a MURDERER if it meant there would be no hunger left in the world?"  That would be much easier to swallow.

If God appeared to you in a series of vivid dreams and told you to leave everything behind, travel alone to the Red Sea and become a fisherman, what would you do? What if you were told to sacrifice your child?

If I had vivid dreams of God speaking to me, I'd probably make an emergency appointment with my shrink.  Why would God waste his time on me?  I've never caught a fish in my life.  And I don't believe God would ever ask me or anyone else to sacrifice their child either.


What is your most treasured memory?

You're probably expecting me to say the birth of my children, right?  Well, I can't say that because it wouldn't be true.  The birth of Mikayla was a terribly traumatic one for me because the pain was so intense and I was still terrified of being a Mom.  This may sound terrible, but it took me a full two weeks before I could really say I'd fallen in love with her.  Before that it was all misery and depression.  Madison's birth could have been my most treasured memory if 1), the doctor had actually been in the room to catch her, 2) she was breathing when she came out, 3) that she didn't have seizures when she did start breathing.  Having your newborn whisked away to NICU is not a fond memory to have.

It's really so hard to pinpoint one memory that's just the bestest ever, ya know?  One memory does keep flitting back into my head though.  Jimmy and I were just 19 and we took a trip to Aruba together, where, yippee, drinking was legal at 18!  One night, a bit tipsy on rum drinks, I remember us dancing around and just having fun on the beach while a big party went on around the pool.  Come to think of it, I have LOTS of great memories.  Grandma serving us a huge Christmas Eve dinner of 7 fishes, Dad walking me down the aisle, I could go on and on.  Most of my great memories seem to revolve around food and family though.  Isn't that true of most people?


Do your close friends tend to be older or younger than you?

I'd have to say older.  It's not like I set out to choose older friends, it's just that people I've grown to love happen to be older than me.


Your house that contains everything you own, catches fire; after saving your loved ones and pets you have time to save just one more thing what would it be and why?

Are you kidding me?  This damn laptop, for sure!  And why?  How the heck could I stay in touch with all my blogger homies and my email loops if I didn't?  It'd be a travesty!  


Someone very close to you is in pain, paralyzed, and will die within a month. He begs you to give him poison so that he can die. Would you? What if it were your father!

Egads!  I hate this question, but I think I may "help" it along if I could.  But would I have to go to jail?  That would make a big difference, wouldn't it?  Wasn't there a Golden Girls episode that dealt with this issue?

If you could choose the manner of your death would you? What would it be?

I think I'd have to say yes, in my sleep, please.

If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

I guess I wish that my dad had been more involved in our lives when we were younger.  It seemed like all he did was work, and when he wasn't working he didn't want to spend time with us kids.  Maybe that's true, maybe it's not... I'll never know for sure.  I think it would have been nice if our family was more affectionate and less LOUD too.  But wait.  If I change the way I was raised, then I'm changing who I am now, and the relationships all of us have together now.  So no, maybe I don't want to change my childhood.  Hmmm.

Would it disturb you much if, upon your death, your body were simply thrown into the woods and left to rot? Why?

Hell yes it would!  Look, I was squished through a hole the size of a lemon to get into this world. Imagine the trauma of that!  Can't you find a better way to take me out?  I don't know, say, bury me in a mountain of rose petals or something?

Do you feel you have much impact on the lives of people you come into contact with? Can you think of someone who, over a short period of time, significantly influenced your life?

I think I do make an impact on people I meet, but it's usually they love me or they hate me. Not much in between.  I don't know if I would say that this person "influenced" me.  More that she helps open my eyes every once in a while to what is truly important in life.  She lives her life with her heart on her sleeve and with such vitality that it's hard not to be affected.  Who is this? It's Dot, from Picket's Place.  She'll probably be stunned to read that because it's not like we're best friends, we don't email each other, etc.  But there you have it, in any case!

So, those were the intriguing questions that French posed for us today.  I don't know if any of my answers we interesting to you, but it was kind of fun to actually sit and contemplate each one before answering.

Until next time, Justine :o )

My Smiley :o )

Once again, I've been recognized for an award, this time twice in one day! First Gail, who created the award, and then by Lisa. I'm supposed to be passing it on to 7 more wonderful blogs but between the two of them I think they've just about wiped out my list! I feel like I'm always giving out awards to the same people, and well, they already know they're worthy! So now I'm going to take a quick trip through blogland and find a new blog that none of us have been to, but that I find worthy of this adorable, sweet award. Wish me luck... here I goooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Ooh Bloggers, I've found what looks to be a good one. I only read a couple of entries, but what I read had me giggling. This chick seems to have a sense of humor much like mine but writes "cuter" than me! So, this adorable Smiley blogger award is going to... I don't know her name... at Mommy Confessions. Go on and visit her and give her some love! We need some fresh blood around here! Bwaaa haaa haaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Until next time, Justine :o )

Un Bastardo, Husband!!!!!!!!

I just thought you all should know that Jimmy is on ANOTHER business trip, and this one truly pisses me off! Where is he, you ask? Well, un bastardo is in ITALIA!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, the home of MY people and he gets to go for the second time since April, and again in first class no less! A week in Italy just to test out a big old machine that they need to use in the states. Looky at the map there. He's about 1/2" below Switzerland, and nearly directly below Milan, in a small city called Pavia. He tells me there's not much to do there but eat, but you know damn well that if I were there I'd be finding some major shopping to do, whether I had to hitch to Milan to do it or not!


So for five days he and his coworkers get to cavort around Pavia while they're not staring at a big dumb machine, and get to eat 3-hour meals of delicioso food that they don't have to pay for. Now let us add insult to injury, because for one night they're staying in a luxury hotel on the canal in Venice!!!!!!!!! Bastardo! Vaffanculo cazzo!!!!!!!!!!!

And what is just a wee bitty boat ride away from Venezia? None other than the island of Murano where they blow the glass in the factory where you can watch! Oh my, I'm getting all veklempt. There, now I've added some Jewish slang to my Italian. That's it! Stick a fork in me, I'm finito!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time, Justine :o )

My Sister, the Freak: Jillisms Round Two

So the other night I'm on the phone with Jill while she was driving to who knows where. Knowing her it was Wal-Mart. Never have met a person who spends more time in that store than Jill. She's one of those neurotic/moronic shoppers that will show up at midnight to buy the latest released DVD, as if the damn thing won't be there tomorrow morning for the same price.

Anyway, as I've mentioned before, Jill has a way of saying things that make absolutely no sense, except for in her own mind. You could look at her in puzzlement and she'll just look back at you and say, "What? What did I do?" So there we were jabbering away about nothing, when suddenly she says, "Hey, have you ever tried driving with only one foot?" Imagine me holding the phone out and looking at it in puzzlement. "Jill, what the hell are you talking about, with one foot? Isn't that how everyone drives an automatic?" So she says something like, "Yeah, but I mean REALLY only with one foot!" "Jill, I REALLY only drive with one foot. What the hell is wrong with you?" And back and forth we went until she said, "NO! Like if you tuck your left foot up in a position it usually isn't in! I can't drive like that!" OMG bloggers, I wanted to bitch-slap her right through the phone. I don't care if you want to throw your left foot out the window, you should still be able to drive with your right foot, no?

These are the kind of conversations Jill is famous for. It's like you know she's intelligent, but she goes off into this other stratosphere of the incredibly dumb for a while and it's not easy bringing her back. She'll argue her "point" as if there really is a point to begin with.

In a past post I told you that if she scratches her scalp in just the right spot she sneezes. Well, last night she was IMing with me and said, "Justine! There's something I HAVE to tell you about myself. Something I never realized before." I told her to tell me tomorrow, that I needed to go to bed. "NO! I have to tell you NOW. It's important!" So I brace myself for some profound confession or some earth-shattering self enlightenment. But what does my freaky deeky of a sister say? "Justine, I just realized something I've been doing for years and years and never knew I was doing it." "Okay, like... what?", I'm thinking. Jill goes on, "Every time I sit down to pee, I have to blow my nose!"
Another one of those puzzled looks from me, but this time at the monitor screen. I said, "Goodnight Jill." She said, "No wait! It's true! I can't pee without blowing my nose, and even now that I'm thinking of peeing, my nose is starting to run!
I have to look this up online and see if there's a connection!"

Oh... my... gawd!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you even fathom having this conversation with your 32 year old sister? Does she really think she's going to find a correlation between having to pee and a runny nose? How would one Google that anyway? I hastily told her she was a freak of nature and "hung up" the IM. She obviously didn't take kindly to this, as I woke up this morning with an email from her with one word. "BITCH". ROFLMAO! I haven't yet spoken to her today but I am mighty curious to see if she actually did try to research this phenomena.

Until next time, Justine :o )

Friday Musings

Last night I just could not sleep. I was waking up every hour, either to pee, or to change position or whatever. It was annoying, but it did give me time to contemplate this whole blog world we're all so involved in. And while thinking about it, I realized that some of you that visit my blog, are people who in any other circumstance wouldn't look twice at me. What do I mean by this? Just that our lives are so completely different, and I wonder what it is that keeps drawing you back to see me and to read what I have to say. Let's take for example:

Penny. She loves to shop for antiques and decorate. I do neither.

French. She's totally into decorating and traveling. I do neither.

Artie. Once again, decorating and gardening. I do neither.

Shelia. Oh, this woman loves her pretties! And I have none.

Nikki. Ooh, this girl loves anything vintage and even dresses the part! I, well, don't.

Tootsie. The Queen of the Garden. I have a black thumb.

Kathy the Artist. Paints like an angel and tells wonderful stories. I can't draw a stick figure and my stories are REAL. LOL

Brit Kathy. Lots of traveling for her! None for me.

Gail. You wanna talk about opposite sides of the coin! But I love her and I learn from her every day.

Elizabeth. Has a collection of EVERYTHING. I save nothing.

Cindy. Ah, what to say about Cindy? Her love of Kiefer Sutherland. No comment! LOL

Mrs. Ben. She doesn't have a blog but I wish she did. I can't figure out if she loves me or hates me. I love her!

See what I mean? Nothing in common thereabouts. But, something draws each of us to each other's blogs anyway. I may not be into gardening, or vintage clothing or artwork, but I absolutely love reading about how if affects each of your lives. Each of my blog friends lends something special to my day. It could be Donna's accident-prone son, Andre, or Raquel's funky looking Caribbean food, or JuJuBoo's funny pictures of her girls. A family story from Kady about sitting around the fire, or how she misses her son; an inspiring love-fest post from Dot (squealing like a sissy girl here!), or a hilarious account of Buffie's latest blunders. A simple sarcastic remark from Schmeckygirl can sometimes send me into the giggle fits, and Bridget and her love of her daughter Katie is heartwarming and sweet. Lately French has been surprising all of us with non-decor-related posts and they've all been wonderfully funny! I love her wit and her potty mouth. Also think her husband is one HOT-looking guy. Yummy! Morninglight Mama shares her funny "mommy" stories and her musings on life.

I seem to be rambling on about nothing, don't I? But I guess that's the benefit of having your own blog. The stage is yours. You can say whatever you want and if it bombs, so be it. If the shit hits the fan, so be it. I guess what I've really been wondering is why you all come to visit me. I know why I call on you. You guys make me laugh, cry and shake my head in wonder. I seem to have developed a blog about nothing. And look, I just added to that nothing now! LOL!

So as I sit here and ponder away, let me also take the opportunity to tell all of you how much you've come to mean to me. I'm a stay at home mom with no hobbies aside from reading, so having this little blogging community has been wonderful for me; a great daily escape. I feel like I'm getting to know each of you through every post and it's been a blast so far. I can't wait to see what the coming months will bring!

Until next time, Justine :o )