friendship

Thank you.

~ thedailydish ~ 2 Comments

I know I spend most of my time being silly, b/c I am in fact a very silly person, but there are times when sincerity is warranted. And this is one.

Following my brief stint as your own Personal Cupid, I did – as part of my self-imposed contractual obligation, delete each and every one of the emails I was sent about cards. And that was, in a way, very unfortunate. B/c now – in this sort of weird, public-yet-cryptic email, I want to thank several people for their unbelievable sweetness to me. As of this morning I have received not one, but FOUR wonderful surprises from different individuals I have met through this blog. And let me tell you, it has taken my breath away.

And so I am posting a very public but very sincere greeting to each of you, because I want to acknowledge your friendship & generosity. I never imagined this blog would draw me close to so many wonderful souls, but it has, and for that I am very grateful. Each of you brings added joy and fullness to my life, and I am honored to think of you as friends.

SO I would like to acknowledge some people. And you KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

D.M. – I just wanted to say Thank you so very much. Your sweet note cheered my heart, and the stamps will help me pay my bills. PS: I hope your friend enjoyed the card! I did my best to write like a man. It was hard. I hope it faked her out.

H.T. – WOW. Two amazing things. Friendship and money. And thrift shopping. O-kay, that is 3 things. For which I THANK YOU SO MUCH!! AND not only for the money, which by the way totally ROCKS, but also for giving me such a valid excuse not to have to clean the house today, like I was going to. B/c I have to go out and spend my money while it is still warm. YOU ROCK!!!

To my wonderful friend T.C., who sent me a card all the way from the UK, with cut-out animal pictures too, B/c she simply IS that sweet. I love it!!!

And to my lovely friend E.C. – thanks so much for the adorable card AS WELL as for taking the time to relate the story of what happened, which I SO APPRECIATED!! I have spent so much time wondering about all those valentine’s & recipients. It meant a lot.

And so, just like the teletubbies, I send you all a BIG HUG!!!!!!!!!

New life.

~ thedailydish ~ 3 Comments

Well my good friend had her baby yesterday, and I am very pleased to announce it is a BOY. Which is what I picked in the baby pool (NOT the laboring pool, but the gambling set-up where we each placed a $5 wager on date/weight/gender). I guessed he wouldn’t be born till Sunday, so I probably didn’t win the prize, which stinks b/c it is a really nice bottle of WINE. Plus I guessed he would weigh 6 lbs. 8 oz. and he was really 8 lbs. 10 oz. So I was just a little bit off on that too. Oh well.

I did not actually go over and get into the laboring pool with my friend – though of course I would have liked to. I have always dreamed of having my own indoor swimming pool. And my younger daughter was of course very interested in the prospect. But when I talked to her husband on the phone and heard her moaning something awful in the background, I thought hopping over in my swimsuit and squeezing in beside her might be slightly uncomfortable. Especially with my daughter in her swim fins. and blow-up Hershey Bar floaty.

I was however EXTREMELY EXCITED to hear that she did ultimately give birth on my beloved former couch. YAY!! Now I will have an even greater special place in my heart for that beautiful sofa forever and ever. What a magical place to sit NOW, huh? What a great couch. WOW.

So last night I went by to see my friend and meet her beautiful new baby BOY, and I have to tell you, he is just the cutest little creature I have seen. And because he was over 8 1/2 lbs, he is so snuggly and chubby and adorable. My daughters were both like 7 lbs. and let me tell you – that makes for easier pushing but those skinny babies look like old men. Those fat turkey-sized babies are ADORABLE> all plumped out and full and just sooooo squeezable. I am so incredibly happy & excited for them!! And I am getting SOOOO excited to hold that freshly minted baby and coo and make little cutesie faces at him. Babies just LOVE that kind of stuff. Almost as much as boobies.

But last night he was not paying too much attention to too much, other than momma. He seemed a little disoriented, and I think we can all appreciate THAT. Remember how you felt right after being born? Yeah, me too. But soon, I will be able to hold him and then he will know me, and I will be able to live vicariously through my friend – having a SON – AND Then when he starts bawling, I will give him a quick kiss & hand him right back over to his momma. B/c THAT is the great thing about your friend having a baby versus you having a baby. YAY!

WELL I just wanted to give a shout-out to the world welcoming this new little life to the planet. And an even bigger shout-out to my friends. CONGRATULATIONS, J, D & U!!  IT’S SO WONDERFUL!!!!  YAY!!!!!

AND OF COURSE Welcome Baby S.L.S.!! I love you already.

Back to normal.

~ thedailydish ~ 2 Comments

Thanks to that post about creative, thoughtful & CHEAP Valentine’s ideas I wrote weeks ago, my blog stats have shot through the roof. I went from an average of several dozen hits a day to over 200 – or more. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. Novelty is a good thing, and it’s enjoyable being flavor of the month while it lasts. It was fun knowing so many new people were reading my blog, enjoying it, getting ideas of their own and generally admiring me in my infinite generosity. But I have to say, now that the holiday’s over, I find myself feeling slightly relieved. Like life’s getting back to normal. My blog is once again my own. I do find it strange that people are STILL googling “Valentine’s Ideas.” Since I thought Valentine’s Day was over. Like 5 days ago. But perhaps they are trying to find me still. The Daily Dish.

ANYWAY, now that the stats have returned to normal, I’m taking the time to thank you, my loyal readers, for your steadfast devotion to yours truly. The V-Day revelers have (mostly) fallen by the wayside, and it’s just US. You & me. Amigos. Compadres. Like when the relatives leave after Christmas. FINALLY you can get back to doing whatever it is you like to do best. No more having to smile all the time, watch your tongue and hold in your gut. Go ahead – scratch that itch w/out fear of reprisal. And who the heck likes backhanded compliments and none-too-subtle criticisms of your parenting style and binge drinking? Not ME! that’s for sure. Ahhh, back to comfy living and letting it ALL hang out. Eating on the couch, watching the tube, passing gas in public. NOT that I don’t excuse myself, B/c of course I do! But when you’re back to normal, so to speak, you just don’t feel constrained. We’re FAMILY after all, in the best sense. I know you already love me just for being *ME*. There’s no need to impress.

AHhhhhhhhhh. Feels so good to let it all out finally. I can just sit here in front of the computer, belt undone, pants unzipped, flab running rampant. WHAT! NO, I am NOT doing THAT! Some people’s minds…. You know, you’re lucky we’re family because otherwise I might get mad. But I just can’t! You’re so cute, you big lug! C’mere, let me plant one on ya!!! SMMMMMMMMMWACK! Gotcha!!!!