Alright, here it is (i think) the unveiling of my new blog. Thought it would be way more exciting and it probably would have been, had I not been forced to tears last night and deleted the damn thing and started over. But it is over (i think) and I am inviting you to come see me over at my new place - a house warming if you will. And it wouldn’t be the same without you.

You are cordially invited to

check out my new digs

Date: today

Time: NOW babe (why wait?)

Place: eRamblings.net

Dress: whatever you are currently wearing (or not wearing)

Update your blogroll and come on over . . .

come on, you know you want to . . .

and just to get the party started - a little music maestro . . .

I want to take my computer and kick it in its ass right now! Wave of the future - whatever. I have been working on my website for a week now and every time I get to the end something else goes wrong. Last  night I deleted the whole thing and started over. I was able to get it all completely done, but then I uploaded wordpress WXR (old files from this blog) and now it has changed the stupid picture and I don’tk now how to get it back. I have deleted the photo and reloaded it several times. It was made by Ulyssers and I love it, but why won’t the damn thing work?

I need help.  It has something to do with wordpress. And I just can’t figure it out.

My husband has become the Mikey of my family. Whenever my mom cleans out her cupboards she calls me and says, “Do you think he will eat this?” My pat answer is always no because the man never eats anything I think he will eat and I just don’t need anymore crap at my house. But time and time again, he proves me wrong and ends up eating the stuff. Which I relay to my mother’s delight and hence the cycle continues.

Just last week my stepson had his 2nd annual (pretty soon it will be monthly) school fund raiser - cookie dough. I pre-informed my mother of this since in the past when my niece has had a fundraiser she would use up all her crap purchases with her fund raiser and not have much left for my kid. She asked me if it was crap food again. Since I have been craving cookies lately, I said no. She told me she still had the crap from his last fundraiser - funnel cakes, cinnamon rolls and churros - which were pity purchases since she had purchased from my niece too (lol). I told her this time she could just buy cookie dough, but alas I was pretty sure she wouldn’t stock up on more crap. I really couldn’t blame her. I prepped my stepson to understanding that Nana may not purchase from her, but it wasn’t because she doesn’t love you.

Nana will not be guilt ridden, she bought stuff again just to please her grandson. I love grandmas.

A week or so later, she calls me up and says, “Hey do you think your husband will eat Churros, Funnel cakes and cinnamon rolls?” Definitely not mom. He hates that sugary crap. Sure enough, I took pity on my mom and brought it home. She knows how to work me with the, “if he won’t eat it, just throw it out” answer.

Two nights ago, my husband comes in the kitchen and says, “Wow I feel like a Churro!” I started laughing.

Honey you have become the Mikey in my family.

You mean the guy who will eat anything?

It isn’t just the stuff we won’t finish, but rather the stuff we can’t imagine eating. If it is healthy you won’t eat it, but if it is sugary sweet, Oh yeah babe it is all yours. My family has started saying, send it over to my husband.

He found this as funny as I did. And then helped himself to a couple of Churros.

thanks mom!

When my husband I first started dating, I wanted to see them both on Valentine’s Day. He wasn’t sure he could fit time in for dinner at my house being that it was a good 30 minute drive away, but I told him I would plan it anyway and if they showed up great. After a knock on the door, I opened it and my stepson came flying inside. He opened his paper bag on my table and out flew all these little valentine cards. He was so excited, I couldn’t keep up with him. He told me he had waited all day to show them to me. Being that he was only in first grade, I read a lot of them to him, but he kept telling me about each one. The best part was he said he saved all the kitty cat ones just for me because he knows how much I love cats. I was so touched that ever year I look forward to the unveiling of the valentines cards. This year was the same, unfortunately he left them at school that day, but he did bring them home tonight. We all sat around the table while he read each and every one to me. His favorite was the transformers one that when you turn the card it transforms from a car to a robot. I have to say that one was definitely my favorite too!

My husband is getting sick. He has been complaining of being tired, cold then hot and just plain achiness. I feel bad for him. I don’t want him to be sick. BUT all I can think is if he gets sick who is going to help me with my website. Selfish, I know, but it is horrible. I am completely obsessed with getting it finished. It has taken over all my thoughts. I come home and run straight to the computer, spend endless hours looking through theme templates, uploading them to ftp, adding my photo and then checking the site to see if it worked (it didn’t). I get elated when I realize I can do something, then frustrated when I hit another wall. And every evening I eventually give in and call my husband into my office and ask him for help.

I was thinking earlier today about my in-laws. When they bought their house way back when they had this door thing installed so that whenever a door is opened it beeps and then says Front Door OR beeps, Garage Door. (you get the point) After much ridicule from the kids in the family, they disabled it. I can’t remember what that had to do with my story - anyway, every Sunday when the babies are crying the doorbell will ring. And every time the door bell rings, like a good daughter-in-law I say, “Door!” And every time I say door, someone in the family will tell me that it is the kids. I say, “What? Someone is at the door.” Then they repeat, no it is just the kids. Oh, I say. Of course we talked about this last Sunday, the high pitch sound of the crying will sound the door bell. (my stupidity at its best)

We cut back on Valentine’s candy this year because we still have Halloween candy in the cupboard. I asked hubby if we could just put that in a Valentine’s gift bag and give it to the kid (he would never know), but he didn’t think that was funny or a good idea. So we have a very limited amount of crap on our counter, considerable less than every year before this. Just standing next to the counter I feel fater. I couldn’t even bring myself to eat a whole chocolate last night. Just felt like I had already eaten a whole box. Weird, I usually don’t have that problem.

My mother was like a ray of sunshine today (sarcasm in our family for “you are being dreadful”) because she is also getting sick. She was home yesterday resting, but too tired to knit or read, but not tired enough to go to sleep. Sounds like hell to me. No reading? No knitting? No sleep? If you closed your eyes, when she was speaking it probably sounded like me. I have such a cheeriness to my personality that makes every one just love me that much more. My valentine’s card from hubby said something like your personality is like a basket full of daisys and when I was reading tha part outloud (if you have kids, you know this is required) hubby started snickering. Normally, I would have been upset, but it is true, I can be a polar opposite to happy.

Actually I am working on my sunshine-ness. I found myself laughing my ass off at the video from Pink Piddy Paws whereas in the past I would have rolled my eyes and said pigs. Instead I shared it with my husband, then called him a pig when he offered to do the same for me (watch the video) and then we laughed together. I have noticed lately that I laugh all the time (except for Tuesday) and I like it. I feel happier. Hello, laughing = happiness? Who knew.

Here’s something that makes me happy, hope you enjoy.

We bought our shop when my niece was around 4 years old. She has spent countless afternoons and weekends here with us. The customers love her. She will tell you what she would buy and she plays with their kids. But she also knows what goes on business wise. One of the girls that works with me told me a story the other day of her latest encounter with the little boss.

She was out at the register ringing up a customer. When she finished, my niece came around and realized that the clicker pens we have customers use to sign credi card slips were open. She looks at our employee and says, “Tsk, tsk, you should really keep these closed or they will dry out.” Dead pan serious.

I profusely appologizing for my 11 year old niece reprimanding an employee, but for some reason I can’t stop laughing about it.

She is truly my mother’s girl. Course you could say she takes after me too. She just tells you like it is. Even our employees are game.

Okay I have been struggling for two days now (pathetic I know) looking for, downloading and uploading a wordpress theme template to go on my new web page (eramblings.net). I am a huge beginner to this whole ftp stuff, but I am learning. So all of you out there who design templates - here is what I am looking for. PLEASE HELP!!

1. 3 columns
2. custom image header (see my photo header the kitty - using that)
3. I really like the black backgrounds

Why is this is hard?? I am totally losing my mind right now. My eyes are burning the back of my head.

Need template. Must have template.

okay so that is a little drama, but I need some help.

Here is what I have downloaded and played with so far, but none of them really work with my photo (cat eyes at top of my blog). Ugh. (Red Bridge, Dust, Fog, Fractal Explosion, Hal, Oceans 11, Rockin Crome) I don’t know if I am chosing templates that are just too in depth or what.

PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Every time the sweet aroma fills the air I remember the briefest moments of being with the most incredible dad in the world and our secret time together.

My dad and I sneak out front to the patio, outlaws from my mother. He would pull the cigar out of the wrapper, hold up to his nose and inhale deeply. A smile would spread across his face. A smile I could never place. As he rolled the cigar in his fingers, a giddy sensation would run through me knowing I was apart of something special. He would cut the tip off and as he lit the cigar he would roll it around in a circle, pulling deeply on the scent. We would stand back and admire the quiet night. I stood as tall as his chest. The smoke would billow around us and sweeten the air. And that was when the adventures began. I would listen with wonder as he regalled me with stories of his youth, a successful business deal; whatever came to mind. At that moment I could tell him anything. I was his girl. It was our time. Just the two of us. I couldn’t have felt more special than to share this time with him. As I got older the conversation changed, but the occasion was momentous.

How the hell do you forget to brush your teeth in the morning? I ask myself this at least twice a week.

I wake up one hour late because I just couldn’t drag my butt out of bed after being up til 3am. I take a long, hot shower. Run around like a chicken with her head cut off. Realizing that it is valentine’s day I decide to iron a blouse. My husband and stepson surprise me with flowers and chocolates and a full steaming new mug of coffee. I thank them profusely. Just when I think I am ready, I remember I wanted to wear makeup. I am about 10 minutes behind my usual schedule, which means I should have left the house 5 minutes ago. I decide that I have more than enough time to eat breakfast. While eating breakfast I take a great photo of my Valentine’s gift and upload it to my blog. Get distracted by a few really fun posts people have written. Ask my husband if he was able to figure out the header issue with my new website. He sits me down and explains to me how to do it. Completely confused I nod reasuringly. I finally get up to leave and see my kitty on the table rolling around all excited like she just got a present. She is a complete gift bag, tissue finatic. I turn to tell hubby goodbye and as I turn back around I see my cat swipe against my 2 foot tall glass flower vase. As I step forward I hear my scream, NOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. And in very slow motion the entire glass vase falls and shaters into a million pieces all over the floor. My cat frozen suddenly realizes the danger is over and steps forward to investigate. I grab her toss her in the other room. Surveying the damage, I know I am surely going to be way late for work today. After 10 minutes of cleaning glass with my husband I jet out of the house. On the way to work I realize I forgot something - to brush my teeth. Ew, gross. The longest ride to work ever. And thankfully I keep a toothbrush at work just for this reason.