Identity Crisis - Which Movie Christmas Mom Am I?

This is a repost from last year. I'm still shooting for Mrs. Krank.....
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Over the years, as I watch my favorite Christmas movies, I've often wondered which Mom I most closely resemble in personality and actions. Is it Ralphies' mom from A Christmas Story? How about Mrs. Griswold from Christmas Vacation? Olivia Walton from A Homecoming? Sybil from Family Stone? Or my personal favorite, Mrs. Krank from Christmas with the Kranks.

First, Ralphie's mom. She has a certain appeal to me. She's a full-time homemaker, wears an apron, and even cooks part of her dinner the night before. Her house is impeccably clean and she serves her family home-cooked meals. Definately my idea of a good wife/mother. But we only have two things in common: Telling Randy he can put his arms down when he gets to school, and leaving the bully lying in a bloody heap after her son gave him a beatdown. Other than those two things, we are not really alike. Take the lamp incident: She just stood there while her husband put a leg lamp in their front parlor window. She didn't like it, in fact, she broke it one day, but not till then did she express her true feelings: "That is the ugliest lamp I've ever seen!" I would have expressed that when it came out of the crate, along with a "Heck no, it's not going in the living room." Besides my husband never throws away a box. All I would have to do is cart it downstairs next to his faulty furnance, and there it would stay forever. Okay, so I'm not Ralphie's mom.

Well, it's not red cabbage, but it is pumpkin soup, which is also really good, Ralphie.....




Mrs. Griswold. Now, I've never really cared for her. She has this NUT for a husband, and she never says a word. Prime example: There is a big, ugly christmas tree in the livingroom. It's huge and bent over about two feet on top, and all she says is "Do you think there's enough room for the angel on top?" Besides I can't be her if my husband isn't Clark, and he definately isn't him. Clark plastered the entire house with lights and then spent 24 hours checking them, and never realized a switch needed to be flipped in the garage. I'm glad I'm married to a smart man. Plus, truthfully, I would have told him it was the switch in the garage, not let him think his little temper tantrum miraculously caused the house to light up. Plus, our Christmas would have been over the minute my husband came through the ceiling onto the bunkbed. So, I can't be Mrs. Griswold, because I'm not married to Clark.

Hmmm, is there room room for the Angel or not?



Ahhh, Olivia Walton.....what a woman. Strong, independant, realistic. Raising seven children during the depression, lived with her in-laws, the mother whom, I don't think really liked her. She held down the homefront all week while her husband worked 30 miles away to earn money because there were no jobs to be found in town. Christmas was going to be her applesauce cake, and mittens and scarves she knitted each of them, and that's the way it was. No apologies, it's just life as they knew it. I would feel so guilty and would have probably taken the credit that Ike offered and bought everyone a toy. Not Olivia she said "We do not take charity in this house." But as John Boy pointed out, she did take the turkey from Charlie Sneed. But Olivia wasn't a stupid woman, and every mother with kids to feed knows that free food is not charity. But we would have to part company when John Walton came home and announced that he'd quit his job. During the depression????? When he said he'd make living on Walton's Mountain, and she said "In the middle of winter, with everything covered with snow" with love shining in her eyes, well, let's just say that's where I knew I wasn't Olivia..........:)

Oh yeah, I'd definitely cook Charlie Sneed's turkey!



Sybil Stone. She's a more modern mom. Always has a cluttered house, big mug of coffee, and a huge streak of gray running through her hair. She has a gay son, and isn't intimitated by her kid's sex lives. She never made life easy for them, because she knew life was hard. But she fiercely loved them and knew them better than they knew themselves. Each one of her kids were different, and she mothered them differently. I admire that. She wasn't afraid to voice her opinion to her husband, but she did go to him with her fear. I liked how her family cared what she thought, and wanted her approval. Somewhere along the way, she had earned their respect. But, I thought the husband was weak, and I would have walked all over him. So, while I would like to be Sybil, I don't want to be married to Mr. Stone. Can't have it all, I guess.

Even Sybil would have trouble parenting these two.....



Mrs. Krank.....my ideal. Seriously, she gets on my nerves, but I loved her life. Empty nest, creative, volunteers all over town, friends, good marriage, strong husband who takes risks. Let's skip Christmas and take a cruise!!! Let's go tan!! I'll meet you at O'Leary's for lunch. He would always look out for her, but didn't coddle her. She was in control of her domain, he was in control of his. The thing with the daughter was a little weird, but everything else was perfect. Now I'm not going to fight someone for a Hickory Honey Ham, but she could get her husband to borrow his neighbor's christmas tree, just so a tree would be there when she got home. I liked how when she had that "look" in her eye, he knew there was no fighting her. So, she's who I'd like to be, but I haven't achieved her yet.

But I do have something she doesn't have yet!




Let's face it, I haven't been portrayed in a Christmas movie yet. Ebeneezer Scrooge never took a wife.

Out of town.......again

I see the last time I posted I was suppose to go out of town and this time I am out of town. Sounds like I'm never home. It would seem, according to my blog, my life was a blast. Campers, beaches, boating, travel. But it's been four months since my last post. Oh, and I always go to the same places.....Bill doesn't like change. He likes tradition, especially at Christmastime, and our Christmas tradition is the Grand Illumination in Williamsburg, VA. So here we are, in a hotel room, since our camper is hibernating for the winter.

So, here's the thing....I wish I was at home. You see, there are two things in life I really love: Having all my children visit at the same time, and snow. Both of those things happened today, but I'm not there. Susan made lasagne, it's a cold, snowy, evening and she is staying the night. They are going to watch movies till the wee hours of the morning. They are going to drink wine. They are snug, safe, and warm. In my house, without me.

I am in a generic hotel room. Which would be okay, except the people we are travelling with have a large room with a jacuzzi, king-size bed, etc. We have two oversized twin beds and a small T.V. We got off the elevator on the fourth floor, and there was their room. Ours was down the hall. Well, it wasn't only down the hall, it was out the door and down a flight of steps. Doesn't seem fair does it? My husband said he would complain, except our room was free. Free??? It's from points earned on a credit card. Bill does love a deal, and free is the best deal going.

So, here I sit. No lasagne, no wine, no snow, no kids.......but I did bring my knitting bag. I must be getting old, because that just made me happy.

Vacation of a Lifetime (Well mine anyway)

Just over a year ago Bill and I bought a C.O.W. which stands for a Condo on Wheels. To the rest of the world we bought a travel trailer. We'd always wanted one. Well, I'm going with an overstatment there. I always wanted one, Bill would have been happy with a pop-up. It is 33 feet long, we had to buy a bigger truck to pull it, and we imagined fun-filled family vacations and weekend getaways in it. My sister is the biggest cheerleader of these things. They've owned all shapes and sizes of them and have had nothing but fun, good times, and memories in their's.

Our's is made by a company called Rockwood, but I like to think of them as Rocksinthehead. Because my trailer was apparently built by a company that doesn't have any brains.

So, on to the dream vacation. We left last Saturday. It was just the two of us. You see, our family quickly learned to hate the trailer. They are weird anyway because they all hate the beach. They're bored there, it's hot, they hate sand, can't stand the ocean...well, you get the picture. So now that our older daughter is living with us, we left everyone behind and embarked on an 8 day beach vacation. We planned this like a couple of kids trying to pull one over on their parents. We bought $75.00 in steak and were eating them hot off the grill every night except when we went to our favorite restaurant. We took our favorite DVD's, lots of wine, our hammock and our pink flamingo lights. Paradise!

Our dream vacation ended on I95 when, while driving 50 miles an hour, a car pulls alongside us and yells "Your wheel is getting ready to fall off." You see, here is a culmination of all the horrors we've had in our brand new trailer made by the Rocksinthehead Company. This thing has had something go wrong everytime we've taken it out. Every trip we've had has ended with us in the service department. Airconditioner, brakes, leaks, bearings, you name it, it's been Bill's nightmare.

We were 120 miles from our destination, but after a long 16 hour day in the broiling sun, our trailer now sits in a warehouse parking lot in Wilson, N.C., waiting for the axle manufacturer to make us a new axle because they don't stock them, it's too new a trailer.

Dehydrated, stinky, and dejected, we made our way home. Bill had to cancel his vacation leave and go back to work. But at least no one was hurt, right? I hate that statement. I'm not one of those "Things could be worse, so appreciate the crap you're dealing with" people. On Tuesday my air conditioner at home broke on the hottest day this summer. My dryer died (not really, it was an electrical circuit, but I didn't have that answer till after I paid the service call fee). Plus a million other things I wouldn't have had to deal with if I'd been in Myrtle Beach like I was suppose to be.

Part of being a grown up is dealing with the things life throws at you. Roll with it, get up and try again, keep on keeping on, every dark cloud has a silver lining, sell your trailer and admit camping sucks, whoops! Didn't mean to put that one in. :)

Summer boating......fun right?

Okay, so we have a boat. We've only used it once this year. There are alot of rules to when we get to go out. Bill will not boat on the weekends. Too crowded. No Sundays allowed, it's the Lord's Day. No holidays, everyone else will be out with their boat. So, that leaves Monday, his day off. We've been going in the evenings, since it's cooler, but this year, it seems like every Monday evening there is a storm looming just over the horizon. So this week we decided to go out on Monday morning. We'd get up early, because the early bird gets the worm, perhaps in this case, the worm would be on the end of his fishing line and the bass would get it first.

So, I'm not a morning person, but I can rise to the occasion. We were on our way around 8:30am. A little late for a day that was going to hit 90 degrees, but it still felt nice outside. The water was beautiful, the sky was clear, there was a slight breeze and the sun was a FIREBALL in the sky.

By 10:00am Bill was fishing away and I was on the back of the boat on my beach chair reading a really good book. Life is good. It was a little hot, but it's August. By 10:30am I ditched the chair and spread out on the floor on the back of the boat on my stomach. That way the sun wasn't hitting me directly in the face and I could feel alittle bit cooler. The book was still really good and every once in a while I'd catch a breeze.

By 11:00am I asked Bill for a bottle of water. I proceeded to pour it over my head to put out the fire. I also poured some down my shirt and on my legs. I was sweating like the second stage of labor. I laid on my back and put a towel over my head to block the sun. Forget the good book, I can't remember the storyline anymore. All I can think about is I'm naming the boat Hellfire and Brimstone, and wonder how long it takes to drown once you go overboard. The water has bacteria in it and you are not suppose to swim in it, but that shouldn't matter if you are ending your life. I thought about all the settlers who came to the new land in the winter and how I always thought they were stupid to travel so late in the year. Now I understood the purpose. I was HOT, PEOPLE, HOTTT!

Bill was having a pretty good day fishing and at one point wanted me take a pic of his latest catch. The camera was two feet away, but all I could manage was the cellphone in my pocket. He didn't seem to notice I was near heat stroke, and could someone please call 911 or throw me overboard!

By noon we were back to shore, (Thankfully!!!!!) and on our way home. I jumped in the pool, dried off, took two valium and slept till 6:00pm.

I'll go again during sweater weather.

The life of Neda Agha-Soltan

Ah, now most people will wonder who the heck is this woman? I know I did at first. That was before I watched a video of her dying moments. She was a 27 year old Iranian woman who studied Islamic philosophy. She was a talented singer. She also was upset at the results of the election in Iran. For two weeks there have been cries of a rigged election, and Mousivir's people have been in the streets protesting against their government. The Ayatollah, who called the election and declared Ahkmadinajahed the winner, also called for the oppression of the people's protests. He warned there would be blood.................................and so there was...........Neda's for one.

She attended a demonstration and was in her car to go home. There was a traffic jam so she got out of her car and was immediately shot to death, without provocation, by a member of the police force.

She fell back onto the street, stunned. Several men came to her aid and she turns her eyes to see something off to the side. Seconds later blood begins to pour out of her mouth, nose, and even pools into her eye. She was gone.

Do we even realize how precious the freedom to disagree with your government is? We've had it all our lives. None of us living here remembers the tyranny of Great Britain. People have come to the states from all over the world to a country where they feel safe. Safe from what? Government rulers. Those above you telling you where to live, where to work, where your doctor is, where your school is. Telling you what you are allowed to read, watch, and listen to.

Remember Neda. Her death is at our back door and it's getting ready to knock. The Great Nanny State is rising to take care of us all as It sees fit. It might sound like good change in the beginning, but you haven't paid the price for it yet. Ask immigrants how big a price you have to pay.

We are going to have our own Neda's soon. People who will finally wake up and refuse to lose anymore control over their country. Refuse to work to subsidize a multitude of programs for which half the country uses but doesn't pay for. Americans are going to stand up one day soon and resist.....and there will be blood......Freedom always requires it. Freedom is always worth it.

The United States of America-Government For the People-By the People

Time for the People to quit complaining, shaking their heads and wondering what's going to happen next. We need to kick out most members of Congress and get new leaders who work for us, not big corporations, special interest groups, or worse, for themselves. We need men and women of real integrity and honesty in office that will put a stop to the spending, programs, and personal interests.

Because the fiddler will come to play, and he will demand his pay......and we don't have the money to pay.......we will start to get hungry, healthcare will be a clinic with long lines and little medicine, jobs will be a thing of the past, inflation will be out of control because of all the money in circulation with no gold to back it, gas will be over $7.00 a gallon, milk even higher. Finally, because of high taxes, you can't keep a roof over your head, and your family is suffering from an out of control rogue government who forgot who they worked for..........Then Neda, and thousands like her will descend on Washington, D.C. to demand change. The National Guard will be called out to put a stop to civil unrest.....and another Neda will be lying in the street, bleeding and dying.

OR, we could go to the polls, having already researched and learned all we could about the candidates. Then we could vote for the ones who most closely value those things we do. Vote for candidates whose ideas are feasible, in the budget, and not something just a few people want. Give most of the power back to the states where it belongs. Oh, and let's make sure they are actually qualified for the office they wish to represent.

It's almost time to act....get ready.

The People Mourn for Michael Jackson

It's been one week since the death of Michael Jackson. Many ordinary people have expressed their grief over his death and the impact he had on their life. Many celebrities have gone on record expressing their heartfelt grief, while also recalling the last time he was with them personally. Even politicians have weighed in on the matter. It's been said that "Michael Jackson was a black man that WE shared with the rest of the world."

Are you freaking kidding me?

Okay, first, let me say that I loved "Thriller." It was a great album, and with the 1980's advent of MTV, his videos were amazing. We hadn't seen Michael since the Jackson 5 days and he was all grown up, and although some of his dance moves were rather risque for the times, he was extremely talented. I think almost everyone has a favorite Michael Jackson song.

But, then there was the weird face transformation. Now stars can be excentric, but who actually completely changes their face to look like someone else? And not just anyone, but the one person they admired most, namely, Diana Ross. Then there was the skin bleaching. He may have been born a black man, but there was nothing black about him when he died. He was whiter than me. He may have had a condition called vitiligo, but still there was alot of bleaching going on. Look at him in 1983, then look at him twenty years later, and he was a freak of his formal self.

Now, although it will take a month for toxicology reports to come in, most everyone agrees that Jackson was an addict. Painkillers, sedatives, antidepressants, he took them all. He was deeply in debt, he'd nearly lost his beloved Neverland Ranch, his reputation was in the toilet and had been for years. At best he was totally weird, at worst, he was a pedophile.

While he was acquitted in a court of law of child abuse charges, he was convicted in the court of public opinion. There were no new records, no concerts, no political affiliations for Jackson. Did you see him in the last ten years do anything but walk down a street or sit in a car with a mask or veil over his face?

What about his three children? Their mother completely disappeared after the daughter was born, and the third child, a son called "Blanket" or Prince Michael II, does not even have a mother named on his birth certificate.

So, I say all this to wonder, outloud, what are the people mourning? Is it who he was in the 1980's, a talented young man? Or is it the young boy who had an overbearing father who terrorized him and took advantage of the talent his children were born with? It can't possibly be the Michael Jackson who existed in the decade preceding his death. The same public who are now mourning him, would not have bought tickets to his concerts or bought his music. Are our memories so short, that no matter what you do, you will be remembered fondly if enough people say you were great? Is it because he was black and therefore, no wrongs can be charged permanently to him in the Age of Obama?

He was preparing for a comeback. He had concerts booked in Europe hoping to redeem his reputation, and no doubt, earn some money. But he never got the chance. Last Thursday, he stepped out into eternity. Never again will he sing or dance here, but he did face an Almighty God. He was judged in the only "court" that really matters. He will now spend all of eternity at his final destination, which is up to God, and not anyone else.

Was he ready to meet God last Thursday? Are you ready to meet him today?

30th Wedding Anniversery

I cannot believe it has been so long since I've posted. You'd think I didn't have anything going on worth writing about.

But, I actually do have something worth a few words. It was Bill and mine's 30th wedding anniversery on June 16th. Thirty years with the same person is hard to believe. First of all, I can't believe I'm old enough to be married for 30 years. Isn't that like a really old person? My parents, for example?

That leads me to my next paragraph. I am someone's parent. Several someones' actually. My daughters threw us a 30th anniversery party. I did not have a clue they had planned it. It was a hawaiian luau themed gig. It was well planned, the decorations were great, the food was fantastic, the company, wonderful.

But, what was really being celebrated? Was it the duty of daughters to throw their parents a party for 30 years of togetherness, or was it an actual celebration of 30 years of being married? Thinking about it, I've realized how rare it is to find a married couple who have stayed married for 30 years. That shows commitment, faithfulness, and in our case, love. We tried our best to give our children a stable home, security, and family. That's not so easy to come by these days. Marriage is so expendable these days. Sometimes you do marry a person completely wrong for you. Most times, however, it's simply about happiness. If you are not happy, you divorce. We are a throwaway society after all. If it doesn't work, get rid of it!

So, what is the secret of a long marriage? Am I qualified to say? Perhaps.....I think the secret is to commit to the relationship, regardless of the obstacles you might face. Is it easy? Never. There are times you just want OUT! But, in the building of a family, it's important to be a united front, always being the stable force that can be counted on for wisdom, love, and security.

How pat that sounds. So, the real secret? God....He is the only one way you can love someone who is so clearly flawed you cannot believe you married him (her) in the first place.

Also, jewelry helps. My husband gifted me with a one carat diamond ring on our anniversery. I did not expect it and it was truly from his heart. That means alot and I will always treasure it. He is not one who gives expensive gifts freely. It is something I've wanted for a long time and it means alot to me.

What my daughters did in giving a party to us is gift us with their time, planning, and love. They showed us, freely, how much they value all we've given and done for them. They invited our friends to share in the experience, and showed how "proper" they were raised when they did such a spectacular job with the party. It is a memory I will always treasure and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for giving it to me.

Finally, a little wine helps to smooth out all the edges in a relationship. After a glass or two, you will find you are truly married to Prince Charming!