Your Laziness is now my Treasure :)

It absolutely infuriates me how here in America we'll throw away just about anything.  If an item isn't perfect or the newest we simply toss it out and replace it.   Whatever happened to fixing things?         Whatever happened to putting things in the attic for future use?   and finally 

Whatever happened to donating your item to the charity store not even 5 minutes from your door?

It was a blogged day :0)

      It is as if the universe was cheering my blogging the other day.  Okay probably not but what a great thing if that happened don't ya think.  Thursday wound up being one of those days when I just look back and went Really; Are You Kidding Me; and Wow!
   Two of my recent blog topics were a part of my day. Maybe it isn't all that glorious but I did find it intriguing~ see for yourself.

  Wednesday night, as we all know, is trash day and woo hoo I found a treasure.  Cool thing is it wound up becoming a double purpose treasure find.  I have one of those bookcases you get at a box store.  It's great but needs more shelves.  I priced the shelves out and the 3 would cost me almost half as much as a new bookcase.  So driving home from church Wednesday night I see that someone has put a dresser to the side of the road.  And in my mind what do I see .... book shelves FOR FREE ( I keep hearing Adam Sandler when he says that in Bedtime Stories).  So I pull out the drawers, tear off the backing and with the help of some passing kids load this stripped down dresser into my van.  I didn't call ahead this time to warn Michael.  When I pulled up he just said ..... you're late what is in the back!!  Well not only did I get the 3 shelves I wanted for my bookcase there was enough mdf left over to build an additional and much moaned about shelf for the cabinets out in the garage!! WOO HOO.... see pictures below

     The other day I blogged about Friends and how Facebook is affecting that sphere of relationships.   While talking about the week with my Stress Therapist I brought up my Friends/FB blog.  Well it seems I am very timely in this matter as she just read an article in one of her journals about how all of this social networking is having an incredibly negative effect on relationships.  I personally believe it is going to stunt the maturity of our kids as well.  We talked about handling all the "friends" on facebook and why we feel we have any obligation to people we don't really know.  She used a phrase I really related to..... digital suicide.  Now suicide is NOT something to jest or take lightly so please read that into my musings.  We've all seen the dramas where some poor creature is incredibly wrought with life and calls 95 different friends telling them good-bye before they swallow the bottle of pills...obviously needing the attention and ruckus it sends everyone into as well as knowing/hoping someone will stop them.  How many times have you seen a post on FB... I think I am leaving FB it is all becoming too stressful?  (This is termed digital suicide) Then you see all the replies: no please don't leave, you need this, we are here for you, and so on.  Heck I've responded that way.  What absolutely amazes me is that in just these last 6 months of 2011 I have had not one, not two, but five different FB friends post something like this.  AND more than one of them has posted their digital suicide more than once.  Now I get that there are times when we do need a break from FB but guess what You don't need to announce it.  It's a bit of crying wolf.  What is going to happen when that person really is in crisis but we've all rallied 'round one too  many times?  Too many people are using FB as their therapy and how many of us really are little more than arm-chair therapists?  People posting recurring digital suicide truly need professional help and when we feed their needs we are simply becoming enablers. Well the rest of the session we worked on my recurring issues with apshasia, oh how frustrating that is.  The session ended with my therapist encouraging me to pursue writing more than just blogs (um..NO)
     Before getting ready to head out to the movies I got on-line.  Checking on my blog I saw that there was a comment attached to my latest posts.  It seems that someone whom I had unfriended read my blog and knew it was all about her.  How she really is my husband's friend and she would leave me alone.  You know what, I'm OK with that. I deleted her comment as I didn't think mentioning a mutual friend was appropriate or necessary.  While my family has grown accustomed to being mentioned in my blog I don't and won't mention other people by name unless it is with a sense of  fun.   .
   My day ended on a wonderful up note.  My friend Jane found out that Stephen Sondheim's CompanyOnScreen was playing here in town.  How many times have you watched the preview for an "EVENT" while sitting at the movies and think to yourself, I'd like to see that.  Well this time I finally got to attend an Event!!  It was absolutely wonderful.  Neil Patrick Harris is incredible as Robert. His supporting cast featured  Martha Plimpton, John Cryer, Steven Colbert and the sensational Patti Lupone.  I am unashamed to say that I applauded as if I was sitting at a live performance :0)

                       Side by Side from CompanyOnScreen                                                                    Trailer for Company

Not laughing at me now are you !!!

    Every generation of parents does things that just drive their kids nuts.  Today's kids are probably the most vocal about their dismay as opposed to their elders but let's be honest if it has happened to every kid.
     Growing up it was my Dad ~ oh how he used to drive me nuts talking to complete strangers in the stores.  Asking them this or that, sharing his opinion as if it truly mattered, just horrible embarrassing things. Well I can assure you that MY kids Never Ever complain about me doing that one.  My Dad also had the habit of actually talking with the sales clerks.  Making eye contact with them, sharing a smile.   But he'd also think nothing of showing those baby pictures in his wallet when we were shopping with him as teens. 
     As if that wasn't enough my Dad had this insane habit of tinkering on things.  Now our house wasn't full of unfinished "stuff" as he would be singularly focused on his treasure until he finished it.  We had some pretty cool things around the house that he brought back to like.  BUT OOHHHHH how embarrassing was it when he asked a neighbor what this thing was in their trash and would they mind if he tried to fix it.  UGGHHH DAD..... of course the child of that family would have to share with everyone at the bus stop how Brenda Fender's Dad (see why I go by Bren) dug something out of their garbage.  It didn't matter that the thing was on top of the garbage for all to see. My Dad was a trash picker!!!
     Well dear friends I have also inherited that trait.  Now let me specify..... I only take what I can see.  A few years ago we were trying to kill grass in an area and so whenever I saw large pieces of wood/paneling I'd throw them in the van and then laid them on the path..... NO Grass.  Like most families with kids in the 90's we have the Little Tykes table with Yellow chairs... found extra chairs.   Emily loves large bags for school and they were lying all over her room..... Now they're on a Hat Tree.
     Regardless of the good intention that I may have with my Treasure Troves from Trash my family loves to pick on me.  In fact recently I decided that I want to create a drip watering system for my garden.  This is going to require a lot of hose.  Well I don't know why but on one Wednesday 3 different families in a part of our neighborhood had hoses out for the next day's trash.  One even had a large hose storage container THAT works.  We now have approximately 150 feet of hose and we haven't found a hole yet!  Why this seems to work so well is that I drive Meg home from Youth on Wednesday so I get to see everyone's trash out for the next.  The boys now know when I call the house at 9pm or so and say meet me in the driveway I have found one of my Treasures.... and the teasing and fussing about carrying out my treasures commences. 

WELL NOT ANYMORE!!!

Patrick like most teens his age wants workout equipment.  However a bowflex isn't happening anytime soon in our budget.  Patrick leads the teasing I usually get when I share the latest treasure find as well as the fussing about carrying it out back. Can you guess where this is going....

Today while driving to church I barely left my driveway when I had to pull over.  

There in a neighbor's drive way sat a weight bench with stack weights!!!

Boy would my Dad be proud!!