Our trip to Michigan

Early Friday morning, May 22, my husband and I set out for a long drive to Michigan to see families. One flat tire messed up our carefully calculated trip to miss rush hour in Montreal and Toronto. Instead we hit them both having the opportunity to practice our meditation skills as well as "if you do not have anything nice to say don't say it at all" skills. Crossing the bridge into the US we let out a sigh of relief. Although, we never eat fast food we were in search of the closest Taco Bell and Verners, something we do not have in Quebec.

It has been nothing, but action packed each and everyday. Today, I find myself in the comforts of Mom and Dad's house, relaxing with a cat on my lap, watching the birds of all colors and species and taking in the fresh air after a rain storm. Not such a bad thing.

I will not be commenting a bunch for the next week or so. Out here it is dial up, hair pulling slow, medicine taking slow, like watching paint dry slow, but I will try until my nerves are shot.

It feels like I've been disconnected from my friends....all right I'll say it...I miss you. :) Photos to come. (We are here for 3 weeks.)

It was all in the eyes!

I rode the bus today for the first time in over a month. Now that the weather is nicer, notice I didn't say nice just nicer I walk, ride my bike or trot (some would call it running, but I have to be honest with myself). This running thing happens a lot more than I care to discuss...all because of the impending swim suit season. Sigh. Today however, I didn't want to ride my bike with the temperamental sky threatening rain and I wanted to wear heels. Vanity wins out on occasion.

While getting on the bus I always try to eye the open seats hoping to make the right decision. It is a serious 20 minute commitment with consequences. Today however, my scoping skills failed me. I ended up sitting behind a very offensively stinky man. He was eccentric to say the least. Foul to the smell and humorous to the eye. His Woody Allen glasses, Dale Earhart leather jacket and Hulk Hogan headband did everything to draw attention. Or, maybe it was his backpack with the husky stuffed animal dangling from it. It definitely wasn't the locked and loaded pipe drooping from his bottom lip... p-u-t-r-i-d. Oh, I left out that he is about 60 years old.

(Photo from Google,but so close.) If his appearance wasn't making a grand statement his wandering eyes did. With every female that stepped on the bus his head moved while his eyes undressed them. I'm sorry that is just nasty! At one point I had to express my annoyance with a "Good Lord!" The words took a nose dive in the French speaking air, falling on deaf ears. Just when I came to terms with my lonely feelings a girl about my age gave me the "what's up with that" look. The next ogled victim made a crucial error when she sat next to me. Not only did this creeper turn and look at her, he decided it was completely o.k. to do so for whatever length of time he saw fit. She politely (totally freaked out) smiled. At this time my shoulders were bouncing from internal laughter, of course when I am suppose to act like an adult I can't. Our eyes connected, not me and creepy, me and my sat partner. Passing looks, one of humor/sympathy the other of fear/disgust/a little humor.

Without words, we spoke to each other then started giggling like school girls. It was a great moment. It was not a great moment when stinky got off at the same stop as me. Darting in and out of traffic I was able to loose him.



THE MOST FANTASTIC COFFEE CAKE GIVEAWAY...2 WINNERS CLICK HERE!

SPT= Self Portrait Tuesday and Wordless Wednesday

Sam (the dog I borrow a couple times a week)...is 6 months old.

Then-


Now-


SPT= Something Borrowed...

Sam and I after a day of hiking.
Join Self Portrait Tuesday HERE



Not just your average coffee cake...I promise one bite and you'll be hooked.
CLICK HERE for the giveaway...2 winners!

Big Thanks, A Little Gobbling and a lot of Goodness!

My shoulders are a little lighter since the last post. Thank you for all the lovely words, encouragement and prayers. As we take the next step I know that you are right there with me in spirit. What a great feeling. Merci Beaucoup!

What else...(obviously on a lighter note)
This vegetarian and her carnivorous husband made a turkey dinner for a small group of friends yesterday. Hunkered on the couch, pencil in hand, all attention on the computer screen we memorized the words coming out of Martha's mouth.

Shuffling our feet we approached the kitchen with the apprehensions you get on a blind date. New recipes in hand we started mixing, brewing, baking with just a little burning. By the time the guest arrived the eclectic scents of a succulent herb stuffed turkey, garlic mash potatoes, savory stuffing, salad and sweet potato muffins greeted them at the door.

Thanksgiving in May...not a bad idea. With our bellies full and our mind in a L-tryptophan state, we still managed to provide one another with entertaining commentary to the Survivor Finally. Oh what a night!



Do I smell a coffee cake....a giveaway you do not want to miss out on. CLICK HERE!

Warning..Emotional Post

Words don't fail me now...this is not an easy post for me.

Is it fear, failure or a commitment problem.

Last night as tears fell down my face my husband and I talked about babies, again. I (think) I want one or seven. While Mother's Day is about my mom and how great she is, my sisters and friends who got breakfast in bed....it is also a reminder that I do not have children.

I am afraid! With all excuses aside...(ex. no ovaries, no money) I (we) are faced with having to make the decision not letting nature take it's coarse.

Adoption, artificial insemination, surrogate, hanging out in Nebraska near a hospital(Safe Haven) are some options.

People like Octo-freak-mom upset me! Sites like THIS make me so sad. Thoughts of being a psycho wife on meds makes me scared. I think people like me fall in the cracks of societal needs. There isn't enough government funding for people who really want kids, can not have them or can not afford them. <-- Meaning the cost of adoption.

I hang out at Mom Blogs, but I don't have kids. (I'm pretty sure that is o.k.) If I want to meet ladies in my age group give or take 5 years I have no choice. I can't start a blog "Not a mom,want to be a mom, but until then...I'm going to hang out with you."

Now, I need to face my Fear? My possible FAILURE? Or My COMMITMENT problem. I am putting it out there ultimately to make me deal with these emotions that are festering within. I think I need help. Not Dr.Phil.... I need real people, real stories with real emotions.

Well, there you have it. I'm a mess. I am just like so many of you out there. It is so much easier to talk about a photo or the daily activities, but I needed to do this.

Sorry, I know this is one of those post that you would rather avoid commenting because it's a slippery slope. (LOL, it really isn't...)


If you haven't already, go to my out of this world, coffee cake giveaway! Not just a coffee cake...I promise. CLICK HERE

My Grandma's of New England Coffee Cake Giveaway!

True story:
A few weeks ago my sister sent me a coffee cake just because.(The coolest gifts to get!) What a nice thing to do, right? For some reason I knew if someone took the time to send a coffee cake, it must be something special or they are re-gifting to be funny.

I went on line to My Grandma's of New England - "The World's Most Critically Acclaimed Coffee Cake". That peaked my curiosity, but I wanted to wait until morning to eat it while I enjoyed my decaf cafe. (Not my finest idea.) I find waiting for sweets a very difficult task. The more I tried not to think about it the more I did... Morning couldn't come soon enough!

At the break of dawn, o.k. the first time was at 2:30, but I only pinched a piece off, then at 8:30 I was frantically searching for a knife. My sweet tooth is raging in the morning, time was of the essence. Coffee made, a modest piece of coffee cake on my plate (not true, it was big), the morning sun soaking into my skin while sitting on my deck, a perfect way to start the day.

One bite! One bite was all it took! I was a goner! The story concludes with a full stomach, a husband searching for the coffee cake and a wife hiding it so she can consume it herself. (Insert Smile)

I wrote the company to thank them for my weight gain...oops, I mean their wonderfully yummy product. Guess what, not only do they make the best coffee cakes EVER, they are also super friendly people. The best thing about the entire experience.... I now get to share 2 coffee cakes with you! (Just so you know they have low fat cakes.)

Before the giveaway information... My Grandma's of New England is offering my followers, stalkers, visitors a discount. How Nice Is That! Everyone is a winner! Just use the code “ANNON” and you will get $4 off small cake and $6 off large.


Click over to My Grandma's of New England. Check out (drool over) the variety of cakes then come back and exclaim to me what coffee cake you can not live without.
Extra entries:
(1)Sign up for their news letter.
(5)Purchase a cake. *Remember you get a discount by using the ANNON code.
(See above)
(1)If you already follow my blog (Thanks) or if you start to follow (Thanks)
(1)Blog about this giveaway with my new create a link option (Blog about it!... Just click on it (below) and it will post directly on your blog...it's like magic. (If you want to add a photo just copy and paste.)

Blog About It


What do you get your dad/husband for Father's Day? Ding, Ding, Ding, you got it- The World's Best Coffee Cake! Easy for you and yummy for him. This giveaway will end June 5th, so the coffee cake will get there in time for Father's Day.

Wordless Wednesday

Sometimes looking out the window is magical...

Life is like riding a bull....

What?

One minute you're happy. Your smile is sincere and deep down you are content. No need to hold on...

Then you are challenged, but you're still happy and you can dealing with sudden movement and changes....

Other days you are smiling, but you are not happy. Your smile covers the fear of falling.

Some days you have to find that strength yet you have no idea how...

One those harder days you just hold on for dear life!

If you are lucky, you'll have a friend there to help. Knowing they can only provide you with comforting words and a shoulder to cry on....somehow their words remind you that you really can do it or it is o.k. to fall. Friends are their to help you brush the dirt off your knees.

At the end of the day, week, month, year...you stayed on this crazy ride. You didn't get bucked off or thrown on the ground so hard that you couldn't get up.... You relied on friends and family. You used your own strength.... You did it.




( No bones were broken in order to capture these photos. These ladies are not trained professionals and advise you to think twice before getting on a mechanical bull.) Pictures taken on "the girls weekend" two weeks ago. I heart my crazy friends.

Milk Weed Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Milk Weed Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Giveaway Winners

We have some winner to announce....

Drum roll (make the noise...come on...a little louder...) Congratulations to Babyrocasmama/ Last Shreds of Sanity. I can not wait to see what Sara at Subjective Beauty creates for you!
Chocolate anyone? There were some seriously funny titles for my porn shop running pants.... Thanks for laughs, but there can only be one winner. Congrats to Krystal who said..."The time I didn't run past the Porn Shop".
Thanks to The Little Black Dress, I was able to host a giveaway featuring her beautiful stationary. The lucky winner is MiMi....Congrats!

Once I get my a$% in gear oops I mean act together...I have another Fab-u-lous-ly wonderful tasty giveaway to share with you. Give me 24 hours!

Thank you again for reading and taking time to share your thoughts with me. I heart comments.

Wordless Wednesday

On a hike

In Grandma's garden

On the deck in the tomato plant

Nature....

SPT= Self Portrait Tuesday

SPT....Going back into the vault this month, to an spt challenge from the past....
tuesday, may 5 something old
tuesday, may 12 something new
tuesday, may 19 something borrowed
tuesday, may 26 something blue

An "old" friend that I spent the weekend with...in Florida!

Take it literally, take it figuratively, but by all means, make a commitment to complete all four challenges for the month of May! If you want to join in, click here.


*I promise to catch up on my contests and such... soon...very soon.