Upside Down Cats

If I were in therapy right now the theme of my sessions would center around the issue of being - or at least feeling - insignificant. It's a touchy subject for me and I'll tell you why...

I am the youngest of seven children in my family - born 12 years after my youngest sister and 21 years after my oldest. I was born into a house full of adults with adult needs, issues and concerns. Once I ceased being the cute little novelty baby, I graduated into a kid with kid needs, issues and concerns. There wasn't a lot of energy spent doting on my emotional needs because that adult life buzzed incessantly throughout the house. While love abounded, patience for trivial matters was slim. It was made clear to me that my emotions were of the "childish" type and simply didn't carry as much weight as those of the adults. No one intended to belittle me with this attitude - it's just the way things worked in my big, busy family.

Continue reading "Shedding My Invisibility Cloak" »

I'm baaaaack with another What's Cookin'?! I have missed having the time to do this each week - has anyone missed me? Hopefully now I can begin doing this on a weekly basis again. What exactly is 'this' you ask?... Well, 'this' is where I share with the world the meals I've planned in advance to cook here in my kitchen during the upcoming week. So, here we go after a far too long absence...

 

Cheesy Sausage & Potato Soup & Homemade Bread

Italian Macaroni & Cheese & Spring Mix Salad

Lamb Shoulder Chops, Rice Pilaf & Mixed Vegetable Medley

Caribbean Shrimp Salad & Homemade Bread

Balsamic-Glazed Chicken Thighs, Rotini Tossed w/ Olive Oil & Garlic & Oven Roasted Broccoli

Italian Sausage & Ground Chicken Burgers w/ Provolone on Garlic-Toasted Rolls, French Fries & Marinated Vegetable Salad

Sausage, Egg & Cheese Bagel Sandwiches & Hash Brown Potatoes

 

MMMMM, as I am writing this, that aforementioned Homemade Bread is baking, creating one of the top five best aromas on Earth...And it looks almost as good as it smells. Is it dinner time yet?

It's pretty pathetic but I guess you could say I don't get out much...

In December I was dressing for a party. I reached into the drawer of my jewelry box and took out my favorite earrings. They were a perfect match to my outfit and as I started to put them on, I remembered my silver snowflake earrings that would look even better with what I was wearing. Now where were they?...certainly not in this drawer full of my most often-worn earrings. No, they were probably in jewelry box #2...where my second string earrings live. I rummaged through box #2 until I found my silver snowflakes.

A month passes and I work, apparently doing nothing earring-worthy all the while.

Last week we had another occasion when I felt the need to change out of my "daycare provider uniform" consisting of sweats and sneakers. I went to my jewelry box to get my favorite pair of earrings and what did I find instead...?

One...only one of my favorite earrings.

Continue reading "I Am Easily Pleased" »

I am inspired to share a photo I took today of our Winter Wonderland. We are currently situated inside an "ice sandwich" - packed snow on the ground covered in a tasty solid layer of ice from last night's ice storm, topped off with a fresh dusting of today's snow. I am so moved by the weather in fact, that I am finally going to put the finishing touches on the following Holiday post and share it already!

There are several subjects I won't broach here on Upside Down Cats, namely, religion, politics and sports. Simply stated I have nothing good to say about any of them and Mom always told me" If you can't say something nice..." and well, you know the rest.

I do believe, however, that a person's Christmas song preferences are every bit as personally subjective as her opinions on the aforementioned subjects. Yet in the spirit of the season I am perfectly willing to divulge my favorites, knowing full well that they are likely to spark as much controversy as my opinions on those other highly-charged topics of discussion.

Sadly, an appreciation of Christmas songs is not a memory Scott and I can share. Not having been raised celebrating Christmas is a bulletproof excuse though, so I really can't fault him for not waxing nostalgic when it comes to the seasonal tunes. Recently Scott has posted an awesome list of his favorite Non-Traditional Christmas songs on his blog. Although he has developed an appreciation throughout the years for songs about Christmas, Scott would be the first to note that it is different than the songs being ingrained in one's psyche since day one.

It's OK, though...fear not for our shared cultural reference quotient. We'll always have Trilogy of Terror and Caddyshack, so we've got that going for us...

Continue reading "It's Beginning To Sound A Lot Like..." »

Wow...once I publish this post I'll have only one more day of participation in National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo)! That means I have only one more opportunity to share a thirty word portrait of a person I know/knew. Here's a little thing I like to call Vignette #29...

Eddie

You were our paperboy and the older brother of a girl in my class. Mom thought you liked me. I thought you were a nerd. So was I but still...

Welcome to the Thanksgiving edition of my NaBloPoMo project. Today on the twenty-seventh day of National Blog Posting Month I share with you yet another person I know/knew in exactly thirty words in Vignette #27...

Diana the Bitch

You were the teenager teaching the gymnastics class we took when we were eleven. You told my friend Elaine she was too fat to do gymnastics. We quit that day.

As National Blog Posting Month draws nearer to it's end, I am still posting daily throughout November. This year for NaBloPoMo I've been writing about a person I know/knew in exactly thirty words. Meet Vignette # 25...

Sam

You were the kindly janitor who helped me find elusive Room 3 my first day of junior high school. I covered your retirement in a feature for the school newspaper.

We're in the home stretch of National Blog Posting Month! This year for NaBloPoMo I've been posting every day of November about a person I know/knew in exactly thirty words. Here's a blast from my past...Vignette #24...

Standing Up Sleeping Guy

You were standing against boxes behind the counter, sleeping when I went with Daddy to the hardware store. The man ringing us up didn't seem to notice you behind him.

There's only one more week of National Blog Posting Month to go! My, how November has flown as I participate in NaBloPoMo, writing each day of the month about a person I know/knew in exactly thirty words. Here is Vignette #23...

Char

You came seeking advice about your abusive relationship. Unfortunately, I was young too and in such denial at the time about my own that I could offer no help whatsoever.

It's already NaBloPoMo the twenty-first! Every day throughout November I'm participating in National Blog Posting Month by writing about a person I know/knew in exactly thirty words. Vignette #21 is a two-fer in a sense...

"The Normans"

You were the elderly couple (supposedly) living across the street from my family. In thirteen years I never once saw you or any signs of life coming from your house...