And Now, A Festive Song :)

A departure from my normal ramble, here now...and mostly because I just sang it in my head....And at Christmastime you want to remember the things that make you laugh, I give to you the:

12 Days of Skunkmas:

On the first day of Skunkmas my fur love gave to me....a tail like a Christmas tree.

On the second day of Skunkmas my fur love gave to me...two playful nips and a tail like a Christmas tree.

One the third day of Skunkmas my fur love gave to me...three fast stomps, two playful nips and a tail like a Christmas tree.

On the fourth day of Skunkmas my fur love gave to me...four nose kisses, three fast stomps, two playful nips and a tail like a Christmas tree.

On the fifth day of Skunkmas my fur love gave to me five snuggle hours! Four nose kisses, three fast stomps, two playful nips and a tail like a Christmas tree.

On the sixth day of Skunkmas my fur love gave to me six dens for hiding, five snuggle hours! Four nose kisses, three fast stomps, two playful nips and a tail like a Christmas tree.

On the seventh day of Skunkmas my fur love gave to me seven brakes a-rearing, six dens for hiding, five snuggle hours! Four nose kisses, three fast stomps, two playful nips and a tail like a Christmas tree.

On the eighth day of Skunkmas my fur love gave to me eight claws a-scratching, seven brakes a-rearing, six dens for hiding, five snuggle hours! Four nose kisses, three fast stomps, two playful nips and a tail like a Christmas tree.

On the ninth day of Skunkmas my fur love gave to me nine rounds of chasing, eight claws a-scratching, seven brakes a-rearing, six dens for hiding, five snuggle hours! Four nose kisses, three fast stomps, two playful nips and a tail like a Christmas tree.

On the tenth day of Skunkmas my fur love gave to me ten tries at begging, nine rounds of chasing, eight claws a-scratching, seven brakes a-rearing, six dens for hiding, five snuggle hours! Four nose kisses, three fast stomps, two playful nips and a tail like a Christmas tree.

On the eleventh day of Skunkmas my fur love gave to me eleven shadows following, ten tries at begging, nine rounds of chasing, eight claws a-scratching, seven brakes a-rearing, six dens for hiding, five snuggle hours! Four nose kisses, three fast stomps, two playful nips and a tail like a Christmas tree.

On the twelfth day of Skunkmas my fur love gave to me twelve food bowls eaten, eleven shadows following, ten tries at begging, nine rounds of chasing, eight claws a-scratching, seven brakes a-rearing, six dens for hiding, five snuggle hours! Four nose kisses, three fast stomps, two playful nips and a tail like a Christmas treeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!! 

Thanksgiving is Nearly Here!

The holidays are upon us friends! I am honestly looking forward to both Thanksgiving and Chirstmas this year. More than I have in the past few years and I'll tell you what: It's great :)

I've been in retail for going on 11 years now and as the holiday season has crept up faster and sooner, it zapped alot of the spirit out of me for many years. On top of some person drama during those years, I really gave up on good cheer, just putting on a nice front. This year things have come back to a bit of normalcy and drama has been squashed away, and even my store has gone companywide and given us a day completely off on Thanksgiving. The mall held out until November to put up their Christmas lights. I heard Santa isn't even showing up til after Black Friday!

Also, in moving over here to St. Pete, we have bonded with a wonderful block and now I have a pair of lovely ladies to craft Christmas bobbles and garlands with! We're so happy to get together and just enjoy each other's company. My parents had a neighborhood group when they lived in Chicago and they always talk of it with fond memories. To this day I'm pretty sure they still send each other Christmas cards....30 years later! This is the neighborhood we have found, this is where we'll stay :)

When I do crafting, trust that I shall put a few DIY blogs up!

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

In Celebration of Friendship

In my life I have and have had good friends, great friends, best friends, acquaintances, bad friends, ghost friends and toxic friends. All these people made a mark on my life in some way, at some point and shaped me to the woman you know/read about on this blog.

I have found that in troubled times and wonderful times you never expect all the outpouring of love and support you will recieve.

And because it has been a difficult couple months and now because we are on the upswing of our lives, I just want to say thanks.

Thanks to our friends who we love and love us back. I'm happy we are in each other's lives.

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

Ah Well.....

It's 9am and I have only just gotten up. Last night to be fair I worked until 11pm and came home still pretty awake. Or maybe all my early mornings caught up, is that a real thing? I've heard yes and no, catching up on sleep doesn't actually do anything....But it feels so nice to stay in bed!!!

Today I work til 5 and I am pretty sure the rest of this week is off in the early evening as well, so more chance to work back up the routine. It's alot harder than I thought, I've been a late bird for so long!

I will get there. I can do it!

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

Can You Call It Sleeping In?

Last night I went to bed at the same time to keep on this early bird schedule. This morning I stayed in bed til 645. Still early for me! But not consistant, dang. I suppose getting up the same time all the time comes with repetition and I definitely am not used to it.

On top of that my brain knows I won't go in to work until 2PM so it's for sure in for a longer sleep.

At least my man and I are in this together and hopefully I can reset my rhythm with this routine.

Good morning early birds!!

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

Good Morning World!!

Aww yes! Day one of get up early and I was out of bed at 545AM making my coffee. I set my alarm for 5 on the dot and while my mind felt awake enough, my body said noooo, just 15 more minutesssss....3 times hahaha

But here I sit coffee in hand, typing the earliest blog, so far. Here's to an even earlier one tomorrow!

We'll see how I feel around noon though. I'll be having a coffee date with myself for sure!

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

Life Changes!

Better late than never for an overhaul of sorts. October was a VERY trying month which trickled into November. Now that the bad times are over and the upswing has begun, we have decided to clense out the clutter/fog/mess of our lives and get ourselves healthy and happy and ready to take on the next years with a new found vigor. To start on our journey we have set our alarms to become early birds. What a crazy idea we have. We are super night owls and I know that being a morning person will take some getting used to but I really look forward to not rushing in the morning and getting the most from my day.

This little blog will be getting some action with my early rising! I'll have coffee and writing time which will definitely get my mind going for the day ahead.

Maybe now I'll be able to go get groceries leisurely  if I need before work. Maybe I can start my exercise routine. Maybe I can pack my lunches!

I CAN.

I am really quite excited to start getting up with the sun, giving it a little hello to the day and become more productive and living to the fullest.

See you at sunrise!

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.

Florida Poster Girls

FLORIDA POSTER GIRLS

   "Nana, what's this photo from?" Victoria loved days spent with her Nana Ruby. She had many stories to tell and amazing photos from years past.
   "Ahhh, darling, that's the day your Great Auntie and I became Florida Poster Girls! Have you heard this one before? I owe Doc Webb to my discovery." Ruby was an actress with a long and impressive career. Great Auntie Edie was a model until she retired in the 1970's. Both ladies grew up in St. Petersburg, FL, just like Victoria now. Ruby poured two glasses of sweet tea and sat down in her favorite chair. Victoria settled across from her on the bungalow porch, ready to be transported to the past...
   "Put yourself in a beautiful afternoon around May 1949. I was getting dolled up for the big night and waiting for Edie to come round......"
   Ruby smoothed her curls and pouted her lips to apply her Tan-Gee Red-Red shade of lipstick. It was her favorite and old stand-by for important events, such as today. Ruby and her best friend Edie would be heading over to Webb's City to discover if they made it as a Doc Webb famous poster girl! Only eight young ladies from the surrounding area were hand-picked per year and it had gotten so huge that they competed against thousands of applicants. Ruby and Edie dreamed of becoming poster girls since they were ten and Edie's mom had taken them for root beer floats at Webb's drug store, the largest this side of the Mississippi, or as Doc Webb boasted, the largest in the world! Not only would they be honored to become a part of such a glamorous club, but as poster girls they would travel across the USA as representatives of their beautiful "Sunshine City". Ruby and Edie knew that this was the perfect stepping stone to get into the movies. In 1946 the group competed against California's prettiest and were sent to Hollywood to rub shoulders with movie stars and their agents. 
   "Ahoy gorgeous!" Edie sang through the open screen door. "Ready to knock everyone's socks off?"
   "You betcha!" Ruby hugged and air-kissed her best gal, so as to not muss her hair and make-up of course. "Let's hit it, that wiggle dress is the bee's knees!"
   A St. Pete gem, Webb's City and the original drugstore came complete with circus acts, dancing chickens and mermaids. Everyone knew it was the place to be seen. Tonight the corner block downtown had been roped off to cars and to really make the announcement of the new girls a major attraction. Ruby and Edie walked arm and arm into Webb's precisely at the given call time, an hour before the presentation. Doc Webb stood, arms outstretched, bidding the two girls a warm welcome. He then directed them to the back room with the other 25 finalists last minute primping and shooing away any nervous feelings. Ruby and Edie sat down, heads held high, taking in all the other competitors. Finally the call came:
   "Ladies, line up please!" The lead director would usher the girls out on to the outdoor stage and then Doc Webb himself would make the announcement to the eager crowd.
   Luckily Ruby and Edie were able to stand next to each other as they were the same height. Lined-up and peering into the masses, Edie spotted her parents first and next to them, Ruby's. 
   "Here's to us." Edie whispered, squeezing her best friend's hand tight.
   "The time has come ladies and gentlemen! Tonight is the night for a new glamour group! A new bunch of beauties! Eight new lovely young ladies to grace the USA as my very own, FLORIDA POSTER GIRLS!!"
   Commence wild crowd cheers and applause. Doc Webb was a wonderful showman. He could put vigor into any audience. 
   "For the fantastic year of nineteen hundred and forty-nine, I present this years eight finalists...plucked from the lovely shores of Spa Beach, the brick roads around Coffee Pot Bayou and whilst enjoying the flora of the Sunken Gardens. I pride myself in having a great eye for female beauty. Earning a place in history and honor, these eight gals will surely represent St. Petersburg for all the fun in the sun and beautiful nights we have come to enjoy. St. Petersburg continues to grow in size and recognition, thanks to the sight of beach scenes and bathing beauties!" 
   Ruby drew in a sharp breath as the anticipation nearly killed her. Edie squeezed a bit tighter to reassure both of them that, yes we made it, don't worry.
   "Walk forward and claim the coveted spot this year, Miss Lauren Brown! Miss Meg Johnson! Miss Virginia Davis! Miss Ruby Morgan! Miss Edie O'Neal! Miss Kim Haines! Miss Darlene Blass and Miss Marjorie Rose! Congratulations ladies!"

 Ruby and Edie heard their names and then only noise. Cheers and claps and whistles. Their bodies moved forward but their brains were thrown for a loop. Edie looked over, smiling wide at Ruby, still holding hands as Ruby simply said, "I knew it!" and then dissolved into laughter while a sash was placed over each girls' head and shoulders.
   The fanfare of the event was one of the best nights Ruby and Edie had together. The next week they were both featured in Life magazine's advert for Webb's City. Ruby framed it years later and placed it on the mantel next to photos of trips taken for film shoots and vacations to exciting locales taken with Edie and their husbands. Despite such a glamorous life, both women settled back home in St. Petersburg to raise families and live out their golden years.
   "Nana that was wonderful!" Victoria exclaimed breathlessly. "Auntie Edie and you are the prettiest of the bunch!"
   "Thank you my darling love. It was a grand time in our lives, the beginning of everything, I always say. St. Petersburg has a rich history and I am very grateful to have been such a wonderful part in it."
THE END 

This is an original short story I wrote for Keep St Pete Lit in their collab with Green Bench Brewing. Enjoy!!

Keep on, keepin on,

M.

November Thoughts

It has been a pretty tough month over here. As much as from the outside it may seem nice and sunshiny, it's been quite a struggle. We planned way too much for two people for Halloween and the party, went way over our heads and subsequently ended up too stressed and too tired to even enjoy ourselves. On top of blowing money on a party, my man had serious truck problems that threw a sizable wrench in his life. So here we are miserable and still having to try and put on a good face. It's really hard. When your body and mind separate and won't go back together it is the absolute worst thing in the world.

Cut to Halloween, which was actually pretty fun and we ended up going downtown with our friends.

The next day was a meltdown of uncertainty and fear. When you need a huge piece of your business is disabled and things are seeming to fall apart it becomes very damaging to your psyche and thus your body. Your brain can make you more ill than any virus or bacteria, it's insane.

Cut to the next day and things began the upswing of all upswings.

This year has been the hardest of all my years. It's had the lowest of lows and highest of highs and to be perfectly honest it's really worn me out. A lot of change has come about, mostly for good, but still it's been exhausting. I am for once very much looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas this year and also 2016. It's time for a new year clense in this little family unit I have and make our lives richer than before.

Keep on, keepin' on,

M.