Feel Like Complaining

Little Speedy is only one of the cartoons that have bitten the dust on Network Television. Just this past weekend, CW was the last hold-out to stop airing cartoons on Saturday mornings. Oh sure, you can still see them on cable and most of them recently weren't worth a hang anyway. I'm talking about the older ones that we grew up with; The Jetsons, Bugs Bunny and gang, Yogi Bear and Boo Boo, Bullwinkle, Tom and Jerry, Roadrunner and friends, Mr. Magoo, Micky Mouse, The Flintstones, My fondest memories of Saturday mornings is when our daughter was about two or three and she would crawl into bed with us early and we would watch cartoons while drinking coffee. But only after we had brushed the cat litter out of the bed (gross, I know). We had a cat that slept with us but wasn't tidy enough to shake her feet off after leaving her box. So we had to clean out 'litter land' as we called it before the kid climbed in. We would cuddle and laugh until we had to get up and...

This is a letter I wrote to my Daughter on her 19th Birthday, which was 3 days ago. We were going to go to PF Changs along with her boyfriend but the dinner never happened; we got into a big fight and I elected to not go, so she cancelled the reservations and her boyfriend went home. Her presents and card were opened later but it was not the night I had hoped for. We've had it kind of bumpy lately for so many reasons; but mostly bruised feelings on my part. It's not her fault, it's mine. I'm just having a hard time with her spending half of her summer with her boyfriend, and after she wrote me a note apologizing I felt she needed a proper reply to explain the way I feel. "Nineteen years ago today the best thing happened to me; I had you!!! As you know, I didn't  really want kids but I'm sure glad God didn't want to hear any of that nonsense. Because then I would have never got to meet the sweetest, happiest, best, (well maybe not for the...

I know that sounds like a really strange title and I have never even read the Bible, but as the evening wore on, those words jumped out at me as to how I was feeling. It was 4 days till my birthday and 5 days before our Daughter came home for the summer. We had some more boxes to take to her and then pick up what she had already packed. She stayed in Cheney that weekend so we decided to eat brunch on campus; something we had talked about but had never done yet. So there was hubby and I, her and her boyfriend. We all had a good breakfast and enjoyed the morning. When we were finished and before heading to the dorms we were just standing around. Maybe hubby had to go to the bathroom or something but the kid hugged me, but it was briefer. Normally we would stand arm in arm for quite awhile, and then what felt like a slow motion movement as to torture me, she slowly pulled away from me and entwined her arm with his. Then the reality hit me, she was his now; not mine anymore. Maybe wi...

My daughter and I have an obsession (within reason) with Diamond Candles and JewelScent . Both of them sell wonderful smelling soy candles with rings in them. Think of it as a high class Cracker Jack box. I bought her the first one for Christmas from Diamond Candles as well as one for me. The rings that are from both companies are valued anywhere from $10-7500. If they are of higher value you find a token in the candle and you send that in to receive your ring along with an appraisal. I think I like JewelScent a little better for a few reasons. They have a variety of products whereas the other place only has candles. JewelScent also sells bars of hand soap, aroma beads, and body scrub. Plus you can pick your ring size and check the worth online. I bought myself and my daughter's room mate some beads and her another candle. Between us both we have 5 rings. I think they're all valued at about $30.00 from what I've seen on their Facebook pages. But that's OK, it's...

There have been so many devastating events going on in the world just in the last month or so. Planes completely disappearing, Ebola outbreaks, earthquakes, flooding, Mt. Everest avalanche, mud slide in our own state, freeway shootings, crazy Neo Nazi's, and the South Korean ferry sinking. The last one is the one that got to me the most; because of the age of the kids, very close to my own daughter. What was supposed to be a fun time for a bunch of high school kids turned into a nightmare for them and their families. No matter the language, grief is grief. You can see it on their face and hear the pain in their voice. Bless the kids who texted or were able to get a call through to their family. Some were hopeful, some made it out, but most didn't and it will be the last things their parents have in memory of them. The most heartbreaking to me though was a mom standing on the shore screaming out her daughter's name. The girl didn't even want to go but her mom tal...

Way before my daughter left for college I heavily resisted reading about the 'Empty Nest Syndrome'. I knew what it was, I knew I'd feel it and I didn't want to feel sad before I had to. But one day I did. All of the websites had basically the same information but one I landed on (and now can't find again) said something a little different that I really understood. It said that it might not be so much that we miss our children but more how we feel about our own life and what it means for us when they leave. It's a new phase in our lives; we're dealing with our parents and our own aging issues. I was not a young person when I had my daughter and so I could not relate with anyone my age about having a newborn. Now the same is true, everyone my age is a Grandparent taking on whole new (fun) roles. I'm kind of stuck in the middle; an empty nester with an aging parent AND Grandchildren. So WHO am I? I didn't know who I was before I had her; how in ...

A week has come and gone since we moved the kid into her dorm and she's actually home this weekend, much to our delight! Move in day was easier and less stressful than I thought it would be. I had planned to take lots of pics but only got a few. This one of all of her stuff lined up ready to be loaded in the car. We had to take the bench seat out of the van and everything fit nicely then. Then we drove over to her old High School's parking lot to get a few more of a full car. She took a few of her room when it was mostly furnished. Oh well, we were on a roll and just wanted to get done. I wasn't smiling like this at the end of the day It was easy to find a parking space and they had large totes to transport things. My step-son the Professor was working so he came to help and we got it all done in two loads, such a help. Then we got to see his office and had a wonderful dinner before coming home. We were all putting off the inevitable; saying goodbye. We went ...

Although the kid is already gone I wrote this last week . T-minus 7 days until our Daughter moves off to college. Just a few thoughts on how I'm feeling about that. One of my FB friends said "It's not like she's moving to Bolivia, you'll be fine". I don't care if it's 30 or 3000 miles away, it's still a turning point. It's the next phase of my life in which I'm not sure I want to enter. Friday the 13th. Several times her and I looked at each other and said, "Next Friday at this time....." It went from we'll be unpacking stuff, having dinner together at EWU, to crying ourselves to sleep. Saturday. She went to EWU with her big brother to help him get his office ready. Since she will have 2 classes in his building, she took her map and figured out her route from her dorm and other buildings. The evenings will be the hardest. We all watch TV together, probably too much. She sets all the shows to record so we'll have to lea...

When I graduated from high school, my Mom put together a basket for me with all of the essentials a new college student would need. I went straight to an apartment instead of a dorm so maybe the items she packed were more geared for that. To be honest I don't even remember what she put in my basket but I thought it was cool, and as my daughter has grown I always knew I wanted to do the same thing. The basket my Mom used was an old produce basket and she painted it white. One little space was left untouched where one of us kids drew a cute little house. The basket must be at least 40 years old, but it's still in good shape. I started buying supplies at the beginning of summer and by the end of August it was so full I could hardly lift it; it weighed in at 32.6 lbs.  I've got it packed full of laundry soap/softener, towels and wash cloths, umbrella with EWU logo, EWU logo'd pen and pencils, snacks and drinks galore, fruit cups, Top Ramen, small cereal boxes, peanut...

All summer we have been buying things my daughter will have to take to college to furnish her dorm. Many things we could figure out on our own; computer, bedding, clothing, carpet, towels, washcloths, detergent and fabric softener. You just can't take things from your house, you have to buy new, or buy crap that you wouldn't mind getting lost or stolen. As much as you would like to trust other people in a dorm, they suggest locking cables for your computer and lock boxes. She's been texting her room mate and just met her recently. I'm glad she is also from Spokane so they had the opportunity to meet first. They have split up the larger items to buy so there are no duplicates. We found a fridge on Craigslist and she picked up a microwave. Some things I didn't even think of is a full length mirror, mattress pad, shower shoes and caddy, trash can, ear plugs (would be a must for me), first aid kit, thermometer, flashlight, dishes and silverware. The list goes on and...

Other than my friends, my other favorite girl to hang out with is my daughter. Since her and hubby went camping in June we thought we'd step it up a notch and spend the night in a nice motel; equipped with a pool, wifi, and continental breakfast. That's how we roll! And no boys allowed. She celebrated her 18th birthday recently so it was also part of her gift. We didn't go far, just off the freeway east of town. But it's far enough so hubby can't find us, ha. We didn't even tell my Mom, she probably thought it would have been foolish. We never did any fun stuff together when I was younger...NEVER. No shopping, girls day, baking cookies, or just plain hanging out. I guess it was a different time, or maybe it was just our family. I love doing things with my daughter and so far, she feels the same. I feel like a goofy kid when I'm around her. She's the only one I feel I can really be myself with; you know with all the burping and farting. Sorry if I jus...

I thought I better get around to posting a picture of my daughter's graduation. This is a professional picture taken by a studio. I'm glad we got at least one good one. After the ceremony it was so darn crowded and took so long for what little family that came, to find each other (truthfully, because my husband had to pee). After a few shots, my older brother and his wife said they had to go, and took off. My younger brother and his wife didn't come because it was hers as well as her Mother's 90th birthday and they were having a party. So it was just Hubby and I, youngest step-son, his Mom and fiance as well as my oldest brother and wife. We had a small lunch earlier in the day at the house with one other guest. I tried to make it the best I could for her and hope it was enough. So there were only a few pictures taken and only one with all three of us; I'm very sad about that. We may have to make her dress back up in her cap and gown to get more pictures in the...

There are times when you just gotta say, "I'm done." This isn't an earthshattering event, just something that torched me one day and I cracked. First I have to say that my Daughter is the best kid....ever. But for many reasons she can be lazy. In part, it's our fault with her being an only child and well...you get it. Her academics have always come first so we've never been very strict with helping around the house, taking out garbage, dishes, laundry, etc. Her only real chore is feeding the dog once a day and making sure she has water. A few years ago I got so tired of reminding her I started taking her allowance away. Five bucks off for an infraction kind of hurts the wallet at the end of the week so she's much better at it. And I know I was no better when I was her age, having to be reminded to do even the simplest thing. It drives her Dad nuts when she walks right by something that needs to be done and just knows that one of us will do it. This i...

I'm not sure how long this has been a tradition at my daughter's school but on Grad Night the kids get a tri-fold poster from their family. The poster contains photos and memories about each child in whatever theme they want. Some may choose to do the project together with their kids but I decided to make it in secret. She knows I'm making it, but doesn't know my theme. The Grad Night committee is selling kits in either sports or music themes to help those parents out to make it easier. Well since my kid does none of those things I decided to come up with my own idea and go with it. I told her it would be unique like her and mostly family oriented. The idea of Time just popped in my head; as in passing time, and it just evolved around that. I already had chronological pictures in a file on my computer that I was going to use for something else so I printed those off. I found some cool artwork on line that I had printed to use for the circle background. I was going to ...

All good things must come to an end. This year the Mozzarella family will not be taking their annual vacation. It's been a good run, 17 years with maybe one missed in that time. It's something we save and plan for the day after we get back from the latest one. But with finances up in the air--not knowing what financial aid will cover for college; we had to put our tax refund in savings for that reason. Come on, let's get the show on the road Got license? I can't walk or crawl, so I'm just gonna sit here Most of our vacations were spent at the beach, either in Washington or Oregon. Our Daughter's first time was at the age of 10 months. We have a lot of photo albums full of pictures and hearts full of great memories. I can't believe the time has gone by so fast. In time she'll be making memories with different people in her life and our trips together will be a distant memory. We will be taking one long weekend in Leavenworth, a closer-...

I guess wine tasting events are just not my thang.....  Another fundraiser for the the 2013 Grad Night, the event has been planned for quite awhile. For the small amount of people that actually show up for meetings, there must be many more people behind the scenes that still pull their weight. A wine vendor was picked. Silent auction items were procured and I'm proud to say that hubby and I helped out in that department. All items were bundled into beautiful baskets and then placed on tables with a minimum bid. There must have been at least 60 baskets, I was quite impressed. I bid but didn't get anything :-( They also had raffles during the night but didn't win there either. And the food, oh my! But the food almost didn't happen. Two days before the event, the one single person who was going to donate ALL of the food, suffered a major heart attack. A call went into action and emails for help went out to the parents. The group couldn't afford to put any more mone...

  We all finally made it. We lived through the Culminating Project! This is Daughter's performance at church last week. Our Minister was sitting to the right across the aisle and I could tell she almost started laughing a few times because he was trying to keep her smiling. This is my first video attempt and it's a bit grainy but the only ones that need to see it is us and the teachers that will grade it.   Now all she has to do is write a paper and then present it in all in April in a PowerPoint presentation. And then we will never have to listen to this song again!!     

For months now my stress level has been on high alert. A lot of it is college related. Between financial aid forms, college tours, and the Sr. Culminating Project, I'm about ready to jump off a bridge. It's a miracle that Seniors in high school don't become orphans due to the stress load on their parents. Even though we have hired someone to fill out the financial aid forms for us, there are still corrections that need to be made. They highly stressed that by hiring them, the forms will be filled out right with no chance of hold-ups due to wrong entries. Ours were filed promptly on Jan. 2 which was awesome but then we get an email that hubby's name does match the SS number on file. Are you shitting me? They had used a different initial; like if your full name is Robert but they call you Bob, they used the B. The email directions from their office said you you can go in and make changes but if the PIN # doesn't work, please call the office so we can walk through ...

Not that kind of Pot! I have many fond past memories of that kind of pot but those days are far, far behind me. Recently I bought an entire set of new pots and pans. When the non-stick innards start sticking you know it's time to get new ones. I pulled all of old ones out of the oven drawer and then cleaned all the new ones. I kept a few of the old ones but put lids that weren't needed in a give-away box because the set consisted of those too. There is one pot that I refuse to give up though. I remember it as a kid and when I moved out to go to college, I took it with me. Can you all do the math? I figure this pot has got to be close to 40 years old. I have no idea what brand it is or what it's made of. It is the nastiest looking thing; all black and warped on the bottom from years of cooking. I've had to whack it with a hammer a few times to keep it from spinning on my stove top. It is my 'popcorn making' pot, the only one I've ever used. It's als...

....being a parent of a Senior in High School. When our daughter was born a little over 17 years ago we didn't even think about college. Let us enjoy this time, that's a long way off. Even as she went from Grade School to Jr. High, we said 'Oh, we have lots of time to ponder that'. As a Freshman in high school, thinking about college, choosing a career, and the financing of it all still seemed far off. But as we are realizing now, we wish we had really started planning then. We foolishly thought that a guidance counselor would walk us through the steps but how can they? One counselor has almost 400 students to take care of, our daughter has not even met hers this year. I guess if you're not a troubled kid, you never even get close. As soon as she started school this fall I started doing research on filling out the FAFSA (financial aid application), and you know how it is when you look one thing up; 100 more like-minded topics show up. I was getting inundated with ...