Honest Scrapper Award

Yesssss! I won a major award! From someone who barely knows me! Otherwise she'd know better than to beard the Good Flea in her den. Mwahahaha!

It's Saturday, people. Chill.


So Jill, at Jill of All Trades, another Tulsa blogger (woohoo!), has given me a conditional award. Conditional, as in "must do x to acquire z". See z up there? My pretty award? I'm about to give you x. I have to tell you ten "juicy honest things" about myself. If I hand this award to you? You must also offer ten juicy honest things about yourself in order to display it. So look for your name when I'm done, if you can make it to the bottom of my list without running to toss your cookies.

Did I say it was Saturday? Chill already! No cookie tossing!

1. I wear a toe ring. All the time. I never take it off. I'm such a rebel. Fear me.

2. Speaking of chin hairs ... what? Jill was speaking of chin hairs. Well go read about it already! Stop bugging me! So, speaking of chin hairs, here's one y'all probably haven't heard. Grab the popcorn and settle in ...

I have a copious amount of chin hair. I think I have pretty much since high school. I take care of it. But two years ago, visiting my new doctor, she happened to notice and was concerned. In fact, she recommended I see a someone who would zap them. What's that called? Electrolysis. Yeah.

So I make an appointment and let the hair on my little chinny-chin-chin grow. And grow. And I look hideous. And it's the week that school starts and I have to go to each child's school to enroll them. And see people I've recently met. Oh the horrors! (I'm new to town, the kids are new to school ...)

So I show up to my appointment the next day, beard in tow, and she proceeds to place tiny electric thingy's on me. I have no idea what she did. Voodoo magic. And it hurt. So she tried another, less painful method, one which would take longer. Again, it hurt. Seems the pain tolerance level of my skin is very low. It's a redhead thing. So I was a side show freak for nothing. Dang it.

3. My only long term boyfriend, other than my Hunny, was while in college. No, that's not the juicy part. Well, it isn't all that juicy, I guess. He could quote the entire script to Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail. I liked that about him. Geeks are my thing. Shh. Don't tell the Hunny. He doesn't know he's a geek. Alright - maybe he does.


4. Some of you know this about me, but I LOVE Sudoku. Love it. Seriously. Want to marry it.

5. Growing up I spent my Sunday nights listening to Dr. Demento. My dad would record the show for me every week on his giant reel-to-reel recorder (for those of you youngun's, it's like a giant cassette tape, but without a case. What do you mean, "What's a cassette tape?" Go away now. Now. I mean it.). I fell in love with Weird Al those Sunday nights. And there were glorious songs, like "I'm My Own Grandpa," and "Dead Puppies," or "I'm Looking Over My Dead Dog Rover". Pure poetry and genius. *sigh*



6. Maybelline says I'm pretty much an open book, so she can't think of anything juicy that everyone doesn't already know (yes, I resorted to asking my teenager for help with this). Then she said that I need to learn to be more secretive. I'm guessing she means like her. Hmm. I'm also guessing there are things I need to find out about her ...

7. Yeah, I know that last one wasn't technically about me. Deal. This one is. When I was in junior high, my BFF and I would take turns spending the night at each other's houses. Our moms would let us use their discarded makeup and we'd make weird masks and stuff of our faces, then try to scare people. We thought we were such brilliant teenagers. Hi Sheryl! Like the beauty mark?


8. I am a sucky house keeper. Really. I don't much care for the mundane. I know it's necessary, and I'm coming to terms with that. But I hate it. And I want my own sewing space. Though my Hunny would say that all spaces are the Flea's spaces. Not true. Just all downstairs spaces.

9. I have a shower ritual. Same exact method of cleaning every time. Being ADD, if I didn't do the same exact thing the same way every time, I'd find myself under the water half an hour later, not remembering what I'd cleaned and what I hadn't. Same thing with tooth brushing. Sometimes I get interrupted while brushing and have to start over. Drives me crazy. Don't talk to me while I'm brushing my teeth. And no, don't expect any pictures.

10. I don't collect things. I think just about everyone I know collects something. I have things which are precious to me, yes, but nothing I'd call a collection.

So that's it. Now it's your turn. I'd like to hear all the juicy details about these six bloggers:

Straight Shooter is first, since she's one of my favorite Tulsa bloggers.

Ellyn at Little Piece of Heaven needs to be a little more forthcoming about who she is. Maybe about her growing up experiences? Heh.

If she'll play, I'd like to hear from Pinky at Cheese in My Shoe. I'd like to know how she named her blog.

Karen at Surrounded by Sea Monkeys needs to tell me more about herself. I want all the juicy details!

Karen Deborah at Fresh Fixins is just WAITING to tell all. Right, Karen? Tell us! All your secrets! Or at least ten of them.

And Melissa at Hope Floats needs to pony up with the juicy already.

So that's all I've got. Go home.

Until I write again ...

Flea

Boring?

So the Hunny and I are talking last night as we're falling asleep - just before he puts on the CPAP mask - and he says, "Your blog is boring me." So great. Now I won't sleep. Excuse me?

Back story: I've been married seventeen years. I've been a writer of sorts my entire life. I'm an introvert. I arrange and compile things in my head before they leave my mouth, as a rule. When I shower or am doing dishes, I don't usually listen to music or daydream - I write letters to people in my head. Long letters. It's how I vent and process. I don't see pictures - I see words. Letters. Words. Sentences. Paragraphs. I love words. Love them. Can you tell?

My Hunny, he's an extrovert. He was dyslexic growing up. He thinks out loud. He's very visual. He's an artist and a team builder, working with words and ideas, but doing so out loud, as part of a group. He wants to know and be known. He's very good at making both happen.

Most of the time we get along well, but he's always been frustrated that he doesn't feel he knows me as well as he should. Like he knows nothing about me. I tell him stuff. But from the beginning, I've asked him to read what I write, including journals. If he wants to really know me, since that's how I tend to express my true self. Makes sense, right? Because I feel like I sure as heck know who he is. He's quite expressive. I like that about him. I feel connected to him. Him? Not feeling so connected to me. We both tend to feel at a disadvantage about that.

So lately I've convinced him to read my blog. I sent him the adoption post the day before it went live. He didn't read it till nearly a week later. I think that's what did it. So he determined to read my blog so he could really get to know me. I'll only have been blogging two years next week. No big deal.

I asked him why my blog bores him. He says he already KNOWS all this stuff about me! He knows I like the wind chimes and the ice. He knows all about the iPod and me and music. I think he's looking for me to be deeply revelational every day. Heh. Ain't happenin'.

Here's the deal: I'm like everybody else. I think deep thoughts. I have deep feelings. But most days I just live. Enjoy life as much as I can. Some days I just get through it. I get excited about stuff and want to tell y'all all about it. And occasionally I'll really be wrestling with stuff and need to talk about it. Often I'll talk in print. But dang - that just doesn't happen every day.

The challenge is to keep the mundane every day crap interesting. So now I have to ask you all - am I losing it? Is it slipping? Be honest. Please. Hunny doesn't count, though. He's already said his piece. And I'm pleased to know that he knows a lot more about me than he thinks he does.

Until I write again ...

Flea

Ice and Welsh Cakes

I took some fun pictures of the yard yesterday, once the sun came out and made everything all sparkly. Lookit!


That's my rosemary. Do you think it will make it till spring?


That's the basil. I already know it's long dead.


Remember my gnarly tomato plants from summer? Yeah. That's them.


And that's the pretty morning glory which wasn't supposed to be growing with the vegetables, but the garden was neglected when I started the new job and the Hunny was replacing siding all summer.


Hey! There's my friend Herb! It's actually the Hunny's friend Herb. Chocolate mint my mom gave him for his June birthday.

To really make the day grand, I hunted down a recipe for a treat my mom made often when I was growing up. It was always my favorite. Anyone out there ever make Welsh cakes? Because these were very yummy, but they fell apart. Not that anyone seemed to mind.

Here they are after being patted out and cut:


I substituted a third of the shortening with real butter, nice and cold from the fridge. Here they are in the pan:


I used the pan instead of an electric griddle. My electric griddle hasn't seen the light of day in three years. Here they are on the plate:


I also used raisins and dried cranberries instead of currants. I didn't have currants. Here they are right before one is popped into my mouth:


They were incredibly yummy. Wanna see the recipe? I found it at Cooks dot com:


Essentially they're griddle cooked scones, instead of baked. Mmm. Perfect on a cold day home from school! Try them! You'll like them.

Until I write again ...

Flea

Front Yard/Back Yard Meme

We made it! We lived through the sleet storm (there ain't no freakin' ice - it's all tiny ice pebbles, which is really neat!). I took some photos, and they'll have to do for my January front/back yard meme. Sorry it took so long, Dlyn!

Front yard:


Front street:


The Hunny's truck, coated with ice:


The back yard, in video form:



Yes, it's sideways. I've tried everything to make it not so. But whadda ya think of my wind chimes? They're a gift from my grandmother. I squishy heart them. All of our bedrooms are on the back side of the house, so they sing us all to sleep at night. Here in Oklahoma we get plenty of wind all year. It's a beautiful thing.

And isn't my twirly hummingbird pretty? One of my all time favorite aunts knows that I collect hummingbirds and gave that to me when we moved to Tulsa. The wind catches it and it sends sparkles through my dining room window. I less-than-three AND squishy heart the copper twirly!

Hope you're all staying warm! I had a busy day yesterday. Today promises to be even better, having the kids home all day. Lots of sewing to do.

Until I write again ...

Flea

P.S. For an interesting take on a Maya Angelou poem, pop over to MUD's. He's a cranky fellow at times, but I can't help but agree with much of what he says in his response to the poem. You may need to scroll down to find the Maya post. And I love that he has 41 years of wedded bliss to back his argument. Though I can't quite agree with the part about the shoes over $50 ...

Oh, and for my gentler readers, he drop an f-bomb.

My New iPod

Well it's new to me, anyway. Take a look.


See how thick it is?


In the last year, Maybelline received an iPod Nano, Oatmeal Head a Shuffle (story to follow), the Hunny a Nano and Little Guy a newer Nano. The above iPod is my Hunny's original one, picked out of the lost and found about four years ago. Very old, but 20 gig. Yes, the screen is black and white. Horrors! But now it's mine!

Maybelline loves her Nano, using it to learn new languages, listen to podcasts, keep as a daytimer and address book. She's attached to it in a very shameless way. I'm proud of her, that she's kept it so well for an entire year. Her first iPod, a Shuffle (like the one in the blonde pregnancy test video), went through the washer and was destroyed.

Oatmeal Head wasn't originally so careful with his iPod Shuffle. About a week after he got it (last Christmas), he lost it in a bamboo forest in central Louisiana. We looked high and low, scouring the house, not knowing where it was. My uncle found it a month or so later, after torrential rains, and mailed it back to us. I don't know how he found it, since the thing is only about an inch square.

I put it in a Ziploc bag with a couple of moisture absorbers (at the Hunny's suggestion), the kind that come in pill bottles and shoe boxes. We charged it and plugged it in and it worked! All of his music was still there and everything! And oh! What icky music my boy listens to! We had a long talk about that. The Hunny and I did. He convinced me to lay low. Smart man.

For Father's Day/birthday, the Hunny got a Nano. We all went together to the Apple store at the mall and let him choose one, along with the little thing for his shoe, so he could keep track of his walking. What fun! He loves his Nano and listens to all kinds of history and technology podcasts, as well as entire books of Scripture. Oh, and music. Seems Oatmeal Head gets his taste in music from his father.

That left Little Guy, who has used the Hunny's ancient Classic since Father's Day. His taste in music tends to run to Weird Al (he's his mother's child) and classic rock. You know, Fat Bottom Girls and what not. It's a little disturbing to hear an eleven year old boy belting that out at the top of his lungs.

But as I reported a few weeks ago, Little Guy saved his pennies and gift cards and purchased his very own Nano, the newer version. He's ecstatic. Takes excellent care of it. Has loaded all of his favorite music onto it.


And it only took me two weeks to realize that that freed up the old Classic. For ME!!! And why am I writing about this seemingly silly turn of events, my getting a very old iPod? Hmm. Let me 'splain ...

The writer's group I'm part of will be discussing the music which inspires us to write. Folks, I have a very sad confession to make. I don't listen to music. No, there's nothing wrong with my hearing. It's not that I don't like music. I've just grown accustomed to life without it.

At one point I went from the music which made me happy to every type of children's music known to man kind. Then on to the local Christian radio station. Which played same freakin' 18 songs OVER AND OVER AGAIN. For ten years. No lie. And when I stopped listening to all of that, I found that I was so far removed from the current musical trends that I had no desire to listen to anything.

Yeah, I occasionally listen to some SC squared, or some ELO or Journey. Maybe some Marty Party or Simon and Garfunkel. But most of the time I love the quiet. Doesn't occur to me to turn on music when it's quiet. Why ruin perfectly good silence?

So my musical muse - don't have one. *sigh* Once in a while I'll pop to Pandora and click on one of my stations. Three or four times a year. But I'm hoping the iPod will jump start my listening time. Or at least keep me entertained while I'm in the shower.

Until I write again ...

Flea

P.S. We're having a wonderful little ice storm here in Tulsa. If I don't write again for a day or two, or if I don't drop in on your blog, it's not because I don't love each and every one of you. Well, there are a couple of you I don't love. I think you know who you are. :) But it will be because the power is out. Think warm thoughts for me, bloggy friends!

Interview

Real quick, y'all, head over to Lori's for her interview! She's a Celine Dion fan, but that in no way implies that I am. :)

Until I write again ...

Flea

Funny Bone Monday, the Blond Version

Happy Monday, everyone! I've decided to regale you with some of my favorite humor - the Blond Joke! Enjoy!

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BLONDE LOGIC
Two blondes living in Oklahoma were sitting on a bench talking, and one
blonde says to the other, "Which do you think is farther away... Florida
or the moon?"
The other blonde turns and says "Helloooooooooo, can you see
Florida?????"

CAR TROUBLE
A blonde pushes her BMW into a gas station. She tells the mechanic it
died.
After he works on it for a few minutes, it is idling smoothly.
She says, "What's the story?"
He replies, "Just crap in the carburetor"
She asks, "How often do I have to do that?"

SPEEDING TICKET
A police officer stops a blonde for speeding and asks her very nicely if
he could see her license.
She replied in a huff, "I wish you guys would get your act together.
Just yesterday you take away my license and then today you expect me to
show it to you!"

RIVER WALK
There's this blonde out for a walk. She comes to a river and sees
another blonde on the opposite bank. "Yoo-hoo!" she shouts, "How can I get
to the other side?"
The second blonde looks up the river then down the river and shouts
back, "You ARE on the other side."

AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE
A gorgeous young redhead goes into the doctor's office and said that her
body hurt wherever she touched it.
"Impossible!" says the doctor. "Show me."
The redhead took her finger, pushed on her left shoulder and screamed,
then she pushed her elbow and screamed even more. She pushed her knee and
screamed;
likewise she pushed her ankle and screamed. Everywhere she touched made
her scream.
The doctor said, "You're not really a redhead, are you?
"Well, no" she said, "I'm actually a blonde."
"I thought so," the doctor said. "Your finger is broken."

KNITTING
A highway patrolman pulled alongside a speeding car on the freeway.
Glancing at the car, he was astounded to see that the blonde behind the
wheel was knitting!
Realizing that she was oblivious to his flashing lights and siren, the
trooper cranked down his window, turned on his bullhorn and yelled, "PULL
OVER!"
"NO!" the blonde yelled back, "IT'S A SCARF!"


BLONDE ON THE SUN
A Russian, an American, and a Blonde were talking one day. The Russian
said, "We were the first in space!"
The American said, "We were the first on the moon!"
The Blonde said, "So what? We're going to be the first on the sun!"
The Russian and the American looked at each other and shook their heads.
"You can't land on the sun, you idiot! You'll burn up!" said the Russian.
To which the Blonde replied, "We're not stupid, you know. We're going at
night!"

IN A VACUUM
A blonde was playing Trivial Pursuit one night. It was her turn. She
rolled the dice and she landed on Science & Nature. Her question was, "If
you are in a vacuum and someone calls your name, can you hear it?"
She thought for a time and then asked, "Is it on or off?"


FINALLY, THE BLONDE JOKE TO END ALL BLONDE JOKES!
A girl was visiting her blonde friend, who had acquired two new dogs,
and asked her what their names were. The blonde responded by saying that
one was named Rolex and one was named Timex. Her friend said, "Whoever
heard of someone naming dogs like that?"
"HELLLOOOOOOO......," answered the blond. "They're watch dogs!"

AND A BLOND GUY JOKE
An Irishman, a Mexican and a Blonde Guy were doing construction work on scaffolding on the 20th floor of a building.

They were eating lunch and the Irishman said, "Corned beef and cabbage! If I get corned beef and cabbage one more time for lunch, I'm going to jump off this building."

The Mexican opened his lunch box and exclaimed, "Burritos again! If I get burritos one more time I'm going to jump off, too."

The blond opened his lunch and said, "Bolognaise again! If I get a bolognaise sandwich one more time, I'm jumping too."

The next day, the Irishman opened his lunch box, saw corned beef and cabbage, and jumped to his death.

The Mexican opened his lunch, saw a burrito, and jumped, too.

The blonde guy opened his lunch, saw the bolognaise and jumped to his death as well.

At the funeral, the Irishman's wife was weeping.She said, "If I'd known how really tired he was of corned beef and cabbage, I never would have given it to him again!"

The Mexican's wife also wept and said, "I could have given him tacos or enchiladas! I didn't realize he hated burritos so much."

Everyone turned and stared at the blonde's wife. The blonde's wife said,

"Don't look at me. The idiot makes his own lunch."


And the video of the week?



*******************************************************

Y'all have a great week!

Until I write again ...

Flea

Lagniappe

I love our Oklahoma skies. Thought I'd share some photos I took Thursday, from the parking lot of the elementary school.


I squishy heart my purse camera. :)

Until I write again ...

Flea

The Hunger Games, A Book Review

For Christmas a friend handed me a book, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. I put off reading it for a bit, but couldn't hold off any longer and took to it this weekend. It's a young adult novel, futuristic, and somewhat dreary at first. The book gripped me, though, pretty much from the start. There's no putting it down once you're a few chapters in.

Initially I had trouble with the futuristic, negative slant. The whole world has gone to hell in a hand basket, with the main character doing whatever it takes to find food for her family, and that being the norm for many families. But I was drawn in to the girl, Katniss, and her world, her plight, when her sister won the lottery to become a Hunger Game contestant and Katniss volunteered to take her place. The Hunger Games are a nationally televised fight to the death between 24 adolescent contestants from the 12 districts in this futuristic world, one boy and one girl from each district.

I had a lot of questions throughout the book. Little ones, like how and why did Katniss' costume designer get his job? Why did the author make an issue of it, then let it lie? I read to the end looking for answers to some of the little things which came up but weren't addressed. Then discovered The Hunger Games is the first in a trilogy. And was published in 2008. Dang it.

As a stand alone book I was disappointed. Personally, I think every book needs to stand on its own, with no need to read the book prior or following to understand what's going on or feel satisfied. I came away from the ending wondering if any of my questions would even be addressed in the next book, and if so, would they simply be slapped in to pacify, rather like a patch thrown on a torn garment?

However, I'd still give The Hunger Games a seven out of ten rating, simply because it held my attention. It was interesting. I felt for the main character, as well as the potential love interest(?). And I kept telling myself that because it's a young adult novel (basically for Maybelline's age range), my questions probably wouldn't be answered. That things which mattered, details I wanted, were glossed over intentionally. But I've read enough YA novels to know that I was just making excuses.

If you're looking for a good read, something to keep you up till two AM, that will get you thinking about the future of our country, this really is a good book. I can recommend it. Just know its shortcomings in advance. And be ready to buy the second book when it hits the shelves. You won't be able to stop yourself. Despite my frustrations, this is a good read.

Until I write again ...

Flea

The Good Flea's Kids, in Technicolor!

It's been awhile since I've featured my kiddos here in Flea's World, so I thought I'd share some updated photos. If this isn't your thing, I'm not making any apologies. My kids are cute. So there.

Maybelline, the confident and beautiful:


Wait, wrong picture. Here she is confident:


And here is beautiful:


Oatmeal Head, the handsome, growing into manhood quite nicely:


Wait, this might be a better one:


Then "one that's not so freakin' weird" (his words):


I give up. You can tame his hair, but not him.

And Little Guy - what can I say about a kid who wrestles inflatable pirates?


That he's quite handsome at eleven:


Ummm ... bonus shot of my Hunny:


(This is my new favorite picture of him)

What the heck - might as well throw in a photo of the Good Flea:


I didn't say it would be a good photo. Finding pictures of the Good Flea is like looking for needles in a haystack. What big eyes she has!

Are we done yet? Yes? Thank you. TGIF, all!

Until I write again ...

Flea

P.S. If any of you are interest in an abbreviated version or update of the adoption conversation, I've carried it here.

Smocking Endeavors

Do y'all remember this smocked panel, not quite finished?


Do you remember that I hated the colors, that the Hunny had chosen the colors, that you all liked the colors? Here's another shot of the panel, fully smocked:


I still don't like the colors, but I think it will be very cute on a little girl, in a Gymboree kind of way. But smocked.

Here's the sister dress, not quite complete:


The row between the pink lines will have a sherbet orange feather stitch (like the turquoise stitch on the green panel). See it?


These two came out much better than I expected them to, quite honestly. Karen Deborah fell in love with these fabrics, and when I saw them, I thought them darling. But they're a BLEND! Karen! No, no, no! Yes, I'm publicly scolding you. Sorry. No blends! But they did work up really cute. Heh.

There are two projects in the hopper next. One is a potential Easter duo (waiting on fabric from a mommy), the other a spring/summer dress for a favorite blogger's grand daughter. I like the kid's mom, too. :) And I'll try to remember to post pictures of these dresses when they're complete.

Until I write again ...

Flea

Geography Bee Update

Quick update: Little Guy didn't make it past the first elimination round, but that consisted of seven questions in seven categories and he answered three correctly. It was tough, so we're proud of him! He put time into this, studying and learning regions and what not. Yay Little Guy! Thanks for all your well wishes!

Maybe someday he'll be an intrepid world traveler, eh?



Until I write again ...

Flea

And Then the Fight Started ...

A friend of mine in west Texas - an old college buddy - sends me the funniest emails at times. Other times he sends devotionals. But this particular missive is of the amusing variety. Thought I'd share the wealth:

*******************************************************

Saturday morning I got up early, quietly dressed, made my lunch, grabbed the dog, and slipped quietly into the garage . I hooked up the boat up to the truck, and proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour.
The wind was blowing 50 mph, so I pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and discovered that the weather would be bad all day.
I went back into the house, quietly undressed, and slipped back into bed.
I cuddled up to my wife's back, now with a different anticipation, and whispered, 'The weather out there is terrible.'
My loving wife of 10 years replied, 'Can you believe my stupid husband is out fishing in that?'
And then the fight started ...
****
My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion, and I
kept staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at
A nearby table.
My wife asked, 'Do you know her?'
'Yes,' I sighed, 'she's my old girlfriend. I understand she took to drinking
right after we split up those many & years ago, and I hear she
hasn't been sober since.'
'My God!' says my wife, 'Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?'
And then the fight started.....
****
I rear-ended a car this morning.
So, there we were alongside the road and slowly the other driver got out
of his car.
You know how sometimes you just get soooo stressed and
Little things just seem funny?
Yeah, well I couldn't believe it.... He was a DWARF!!!
He stormed over to my car, looked up at me, and shouted,
'I AM NOT HAPPY! !!'
So, I looked down at him and said, 'Well, then which one are you?'
And then the fight started.....
****
I took my wife to a restaurant. The waiter, for some reason, took my order first.
'I'll have the 20 oz strip steak, medium rare, please.'
He said, 'Aren't you worried about the mad cow?'
'Nah, she can order for herself.'
And then the fight started.....
****
A woman is standing nude, looking in the bedroom mirror.
She is not happy with what she sees and says to her husband,
'I feel horrible; I look old, fat and ugly. I really need you to pay me a compliment.'
The husband replies, 'Your eyesight's darn near perfect.'
And then the fight started.....

********************************************************

Not typically my type of humor, but I thought some of y'all might appreciate these. Have a great day - no fighting!

Oh, and if you've gotten this far, send geographic thoughts toward Little Guy today? He scored well on a school wide geography test and was chosen as one of thirty, out of about a thousand, to compete in the school geography bee. Total shocker. It happens this morning at 8:30 CST. The Hunny and I are going to watch and root for him. Go Little Guy!

Until I write again ...

Flea

Curious As a Cat

I adore the internets. And I especially adore sites like The Daily Meme, for days when the head pain just isn't going away, but my sense of humor is still intact. Y'know? Check out the Curious as a Cat meme:

1) Who is the person you know with the best sixth sense?

Unfortunately, I know quite a few Borderline Personalities. It would be fortunately, if I were a little more insensitive, since they'd make great blog fodder. Borderlines have an incredible sixth sense. Almost ESP. Spooky. Email me. I got stories.

As to people I can actually list? Probably my Hunny. He can sniff out any emotion or lie or secret like nobody's business. That's not spooky. It's downright wrong. A wife's supposed to have some secrets, right? Actually, I'm not very good at keeping secrets, and I'd make a lousy poker player. I wear everything on my face.

2) If you could be the sole confessor to anyone on earth and you could never betray their trust, whose confessions would you want to hear?

Not my pastor. Or a sibling. Or even the president. I don't think I like this question. I'm already a confessor to my Hunny and it's enough. I don't think I'd want to carry anyone else's crap. As it is, I make him talk to other people, too, so I'm not carrying everything myself. Confession is good for the soul.

3) What one person most affected the choices you have made in your career?

Believe it or not, and this is a very loose question for me, but my baby brother, Chew, was the most influential in my original career choices, the first choice being teaching, the second being a mother. Chew is eleven years my junior and I taught him to read when he was four. I also changed his diapers and played with him a lot. Wait. That didn't sound quite right. Whatever. He's a major reason I wanted to teach and be a mom.

Hated teaching. Love being a mom. Thanks Chew!

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

Mary Poppins! There's no other thought available for this, right? I mean - it's Dick Van Dyke, the chimney sweep! I adore Mary Poppins, the Disney version. The music! The dancing! What's not to love?!

Play along! Snag this meme for your blog!

Until I write again ...

Flea

Funny Bone Monday

Thank you all, bloggy friends, for your interest and concern about my ickies. My tummy has recovered, but I've been on a headache bender for several days. If history is correct, today should be the last day for that. Here's hoping.

What have I done? When I started Funnybone Monday, I vaguely considered that it would be a long standing feature on the blog. You know, in passing. But it happens every Monday. Every single one! Did I do that? The jury's still out on whether or not I like that.

Whether or not I like it, it's still going to happen every Monday. So prepare yourself for a little classroom humor today.

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Courtesy of Inbox Humor:

Excuse Notes from Parents

The following is a partial list of actual written excuses given to teachers in the Albequerque public school system by parents of students:

• Dear School: Please excuse John from being absent on Jan. 28,29,30, 31,32, and also 33.

• Please excuse Dianne from being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps.

• Please excuse Johnnie for being. It was his father's fault.

• Chris will not be in school because he has an acre in his side.

• John has been absent because he had two teeth taken off his face.

• Excuse Gloria. She has been under the doctor.

• Lillie was absent from school yesterday because she had a going over.

• My son is under the doctor's care and should not take fizical ed. Please execute him.

• Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hit in the growing part.

• My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent this weekend with the Marines.

• Please excuse Joyce from P.E. for a few days. Yesterday she fell off a tree and misplaced her hip.

• Please excuse Ray Friday from school. He has very loose vowels.

• Maryann was absent Dec. 11-16, because she had a fever, sore throat, headache, and upset stomach. Her sister was also sick, fever and sore throat, her brother had a low-grade fever. There must be the flu going around, her father even got hot last night.

• Please excuse Blanche from jim today.

• George was absent yesterday because he had a stomach.

• Ralph was absent yesterday because he had a sore trout.

• Please excuse Sara for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.

• Please excuse Lupe. She is having problems with her ovals.

• Please excuse Pedro from being absent yesterday. He had diah, diahoah, dyah, the sh*ts.

And because I loves me some Tim Hawkins, as well as because I was a homeschool mom for so very long:



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Happy Monday! Happy MLK Day! Back to sleep for me!

Until I write again ...

Flea

Interviewees

Check out more interviews with some of my favorite bloggers!

Karen Deborah

Daisy, at Compost Happens

Flea

No Title Today

Sorry I'm so late in posting today. My tummy's laughing at me for telling Mighty Morphin' Mama yesterday that the stomach bug wasn't allowed in our home. It seems it might have traveled from Canada to visit me. We'll see. I have a cast iron stomach and the jury's still out on this one.

The Karate Mom has posted her interview, so check it out. Hers is a non-nudity blog. Or so she says.

For a really cool bookmark idea - and those of you who've committed to Holly's book a month club might like this - head to Trisha's for the how to on the elastic bookmark. I know I'll be making at least one in the near future.

And now I'm back to bed. Hoping to visit you all in the near future, but no promises.

Until I write again ...

Flea

Country Girl Pays a Visit

Kate, over at Chronicles of a Country Girl, left a comment for Dlyn, following my comment (you with me so far?) saying that I couldn't do the interview thing with Dlyn, since I'd already done it with Daryl. Kate said, in fact that "You can double dip on interviews. I just made up that rule." Soooo ... I went over to Kate's, found her interview and said, "INTERVIEW ME, COUNTRY GIRL! I DOUBLE DOG DARE YA!" Well, I wasn't quite so rude. I don't think I was, at least. Gee, I really hope not. I'll have to double back and check.

Either way, Kate sent me the requisite interview questions, complete with all the rules which applied the last time. Grab a snack and settle in. This one's for those of you who haven't been reading here very long. Enjoy!

1. Ok. What is with the name? I mean, it's totally original, but I need some explanation please.

My name is Felicia. My mother named me after a parish in Louisiana, where she grew up. East Feliciana Parish, the home of her father's family. So yes, I was named after a large tract of land in the Deep South.

Flea? A relative decided, when I was born, that I should be called Flea. It stuck. When I was going into first grade, Mom let me decide whether to be called Flea or Felicia. She said I'd probably be called that for the rest of my life, whichever I chose. She was right. And I chose well. The full story is here.

2. I read your interview with Daryl and I'm wondering where you're from. Were you born in Oklahoma?

I was born in Austin, TX, but raised south of New Orleans. I came to Tulsa to go to college, then moved to Maryland, where I met my Hunny, back in 1990. Moved to Virginia, then to Florida, where we lived eleven years and raised little kids. Moved to Tulsa two years ago. My mom and brother and his family live here. It feels like home. I squishy heart Tulsa.

3. If you could have dinner with one single person, living or deceased, who would it be?

A lot of Christians say Jesus, but I think I'd be nervous the entire time. Honestly, I'd love to have a quiet dinner with C.S. Lewis. Sit and pick his brain and just listen. As long as it's living or dead, I'd like Phil Yancey to be there too.

4. When and why did you begin blogging? And what was the very first blog you read AND do you still read it? (Sorry, I know that's three questions).

Cheater. I'll let you get away with it this time.

I actually began blogging nearly two years ago, as a way of connecting with my Florida friends I miss(ed) so much. My first post was supposed to be a letter to friends and family, and my Hunny said, "Well, why don't you start a blog? I'll help you set it up tonight when I get home from work." He came home and I had everything set up and sent out to friends and family. Check out my very first post!

As to the first blog I read? Lisa, The Karate Mom. She and I were in a Bible study together and she stood up and said, "My name is Lisa and I'm a blogaholic ..." Still reading her. When she decides to post, that stinker.

5. I noticed that your favorite movies are some of my favorite movies. What's the last movie you saw and what are you planning on seeing next?

So you like Raising Arizona too? Kewl! The last one I saw in a theater, totally unintentionally, was Slum Dog Millionaire. It was graphic, but excellent. Even wrote a review. And I never actually plan to see movies, unless it's Narnian. Or XMen. Or Spiderman. In fact, Wolverine will probably be the next one I see, I don't get out much.

Thanks, Kate! That was fun! Here are the rules - play at your own risk!

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the

questions).

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview

someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask
them five questions.

Until I write again ...

Flea

What Married Couples Do After the Kids Are In Bed

Quick! While you can! Suave is giving away a free bottle of shampoo, JUST TODAY.

My Hunny teaches on Monday nights, getting home well after the kids are asleep (I know Little Guy was asleep because he started talking very loudly in his sleep). What follows is a photo journey of what we, as a married couple, do after the kids are in bed. It's rather graphic. You've been warned.


Really. You don't have to keep reading if you don't want to.


First, the molding and the shaping and the playing with the soft, pliable stuff. Keeping it from drying out is most essential.


Of course I made the cute little animals from the softdough, using the cookie cutters that MPM sent me. The Hunny? He's all guy - check it out:


Don't know what that is? Look again:


Still? Try again:


Got it? Now, for the graphic film - turn out the lights and grab the popcorn:




Yeah. All guy all the time. I love him for that. He blows me up on a regular basis.

Until I write again ...

Flea

*All the salt dough animals were harmed in the making of this film
** I think I have nearly everyone back in my blogroll - if you don't see your blog there, please tell me!