its lovely weather for a sleigh ride together

...if only we had a sleigh! 


Christmas was lovely and I hope that you all enjoyed a very merry gathering with loved ones as well. 


The snow began late last night, technically giving us a "White Christmas"...but not really because the festivities were pretty much over except for the fat lady singing before the flurries truly began. This morning though, well this morning is a completely different story. We have 4 to 6 inches out there & the news is telling us we're snowed in! 


I'm sure our neighbors to the north, in true snow country, are probably having a nice little chuckle at our expense. Remember the movie Crocodile Dundee where a hoodlum tries to mug Mick (Paul Hogan) with a switch blade? And then Mick's all "that's not a knife...THAT'S A KNIFE!" and he pulls out a bowie knife?

Well that's the tone I imagine the northerners are using..."that's not snow....THAT'S SNOW!"

Oh well, we may not be waist deep but it's still snow! And snowfairies willing, there will be no work tomorrow. 

We're headed out to play in a bit, gonna wander out on the beach and maybe build a snowman where there are usually only sandcastles. Unfortunately pics will have to be taken with my Blackberry though....the camera cord has performed yet another disappearing act. Typical in a house with teenagers. SIGH!

hobbies

a hobby, by definition, is "an activity pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation". 

and you know what i think they should add to that definition? i think they should add that hobbies have healing powers unmatched by any modern medicine; with an ability to reach in and soothe the soul.

do you have a hobby? what is it? when did you discover it?

if you don't, you totally should. people without hobbies are scary as hell and you really don't want to be one of *them* do you? you know....the kind always running off at the mouth spewing garbage like "oh i don't have time to do that because i have to work all the time. i work, working is my hobby, i work work work, busy busy busy." 

i suppose they think they are a) one-upping me or b) patronizing me or even c) impressing me. but all i hear is "blah blah i suck. alot blah. i measure my self worth by how busy i am because i have nothing else in life to validate me and i have a need to make you feel less than so i can feel greater than. blah." 

ok, so maybe not everyone without a hobby sounds exactly like that, but i know you know the ones i am talking about. or am i the only magnet for this particular brand of idiot?

i crochet alot, not nearly as much as i would like, but a fair amount. i also bake and imagine becoming the keebler elf of bundt cakes. i read funny books and i spend time quality with girlfriends. i'm learning to sew and getting ready to start up my education again to achieve a 20 year old goal. and i don't know why, but there are people i know in life who like to poke at me for these various things. they say i am such a grandma with my little grandma hobbies. they say i must be bored to tears if these are things i choose to spend time doing. sometimes they say they wish they had time to pursue a hobby, if only they had "as much time". and you know what i wanna say? PISS OFF! 

i am a wife and a mom of THREE boys of various ages and stages. i have a full time job maintaining a family plus spend 40 ridiculous hours a week in an uninspiring little room doing a job as best i can. i am busy too. its not about finding time its about MAKING time.  

so there.

whew! 

and even though i know i am just preachin to the choir here in blogland, that still felt really good to get off my chest dammit!

last year my grandmother died on december 1st. a month later on january 8th, her mother, my great-grandmother, died. the loss of these two women was devastating to me, and when i got around to getting out of my own head i realized just how truly devastating it was to my grandfather. he spent 60 years married to his sweetheart and the last 16 of those years he even had his mother-in-law under the same roof. then just like that, his home was down from 3 to 1 - and in the course of another months time, his home was completely emptied and he had moved 300 miles to live with my mom. can you imagine that? life & death play no favorites, that is for sure. 

fast forward about 8 months & gramps has realized he's ready to switch gears one more time. living with my mom was great but he felt like a burden - he totally wasn't but you know how old folks are. he'd been scouting out & researching veterans homes & found a new veterans retirement community down in the desert of california. don't let that idea conjure up depressing images of sad old soldiers sitting around telling war stories, waiting to die, because kids, its totally NOT like that. its a beautiful place with lots to do and he's all set up in his own little apartment, only a hop, skip, & a jump away from Vegas. also? its co-ed. not that gramps is ever gonna want a hook up for a booty call or anything! stop it! just means some of them are married couples and they have a well rounded atmosphere. 

since moving there on his 77th birthday this past september, gramps has joined the vets bowling league and he now bowls one night a week, just like he used to. he's also joined the vets billiards team and shoots pool in tournaments one night every week, just like he used to. he's also gotten into making clocks and bird feeders, un-like he's ever done. and with his new bad-ass wifi laptop my mom set him up with, he made me a christmas card that includes a picture of him jokingly sitting on santa's lap...wearing a santa hat. see:

this right here, is the healing power of HOBBIES in action.

he also sent me a present that i intend to open first on christmas morning...something tells me its HANDMADE!

LOVE YOU, MEAN IT!

 

Well Well Well...

Whaddaya know? It seems I've found my way back to blogland after all. Honestly, I wasn't sure I would be able to return after such a long drought. I sort of let others bully my mojo and let go for awhile. I even tried to come up with a new blog identity a time or two, nothing seemed right. Eminem mighta snuffed Slim Shady, but me? Well, I just couldn't auff Sweet Mama Jones. So I'm back. 

And those bullies? 

Can suck it.

LOVE YOU, MEAN IT!

Dude, is this thing on?

It may be time for Sweet Mama Jones to Ctrl Alt Delete.

It's not that I want to exit the blogging world, it's quite the opposite: I want back in! But I need a new platform.  Somewhere I can be me again. What sucks is, I love Sweet Mama Jones. I bought the effing domain name for craps sake. But, as some of you know, SMJ security was breached awhile back and that leaves me feeling all cold and vulnerable here. Who can decompress under such conditions?

And y'all? There are days I seriously need to decompress or I fear I'll begin knocking over liquor stores all Thelma & Louise style. For FUN.

I've visited my "happy place", "taken the high road", and "turned the other cheek" so many damn times that I'm probably going to be ordained into living-sainthood and, like, have my own statue. Lifetime Movie Network will likely contact me to do a feature film (starring me as me), Oprah will want to build another school in Africa just so she can name it after me...and if she doesn't, then she should.  

Okaaay, so I exaggerate. I can't help it! I don't tell you how to use your gifts do I? Anyways, so nothing going on is that big of a deal per se, but it is affecting me. And that? Is so not cool.

Basically, I'm a non-confrontational person who keeps finding herself in the middle of the stupidest people's drama's. According to some friends that I've talked this over with, it's going to take GETTING confrontational for it to stop. Uuugh. Why do I have to have such smart friends? And they go and say all these new-agey things like: "look at it as an opportunity to grow" and "step outside your comfort zone and lay down your boundary lines" and "just punch them in the face"..errr, well, no one has said that last part, but it's a nice idea anyways.

ETA: just so you guys don't think I'm some big wuss, there really was a time in my life when I considered inviting an individual or two to smooch my shapely, iridescent, behind to be glorious fun. No, really, I did! But I'm not that person anymore. I just don't care about stupid people enough to give them any attention (nor do I want to contract any STD's) and yet, ignoring them is not working out. Sigh, big girl panty department, here I come...I'm ready for my fitting.

_________________________________________________________

In other, more exciting, and totally self-promoting news:::::::::

I am getting published! 

Wait.

Let me say that again.

I. Am. Getting. Published.

AND I'm getting paid for it! 

(***insert squeal of delight here***)

 I just found out today. OH, if only I had been here when the mailman delivered the acceptance letter I would have full on made out with kissed him. 

I don't want to say when or where just yet, but I am saying it here first, and only here. So those of you on my Facebook are sworn to secrecy, got it? Zip it, lock it, put it in your pocket. Not even my mama knows yet. I want to send it to her in the mail....so that she will want to kiss her mailman too.

It's just a contributing-freelance-editorial-type article, but it's a big damn deal to me. My biggest hope is that it's the start of a dream come true, not some bawdy one night stand that leaves me feeling dirty in the morning.....(for the record, no, it is NOT porn related.)

Peek-A-Boo!!

Hellooooo, anybody out there? Remember me? I’ve been MIA for awhile thanks to a comatose laptop and a crazy busy life.

I want to thank, from the very bottom of my heart, all of you who sent me messages over the last couple months checking on me. I can find no was to express how truly awesome this made me feel – to know that there are kindred spirits out there who care. XoXoXo Hugs & Kisses XoXoXo

I’ve got a lot of catching up to do to see how all of you are and what you’ve been up to!

The last couple of months have been a whirlwind of activity with the kids – my oldest has headed back to California again, but he’ll be back soon for a summer visit. My youngest has been turned down for special services at school at our THIRD child study. The kid falls thru the cracks – he’s got a learning disability that keeps him from maintaining speed with his peers, but not quite slow enough to qualify for placement in a special class. My middle son remains my constant – steadily humming through his sophomore year, happy just to be skateboarding at the beach any chance he gets.

I’ve started crafting & crocheting on a much more consistent basis too. It really is my saving grace when there is chaos all around. And by chaos, I don’t mean anything bad! Just life. It brings me so much peace.  I don’t know if it’s the repetitive stitching and flow of yarn thru my fingers, the constant counting the doesn’t leave room for any other thoughts, or the end result that does the trick – but hey, who needs to dissect where peace comes from right?

I’m also in the beginning stages of planning the first Stitch N’ Pitch in Southeastern Virginia – heck, maybe even the whole state! Right now it’s all about forming a committee to help me with the details so we can turn this into something awesome and get a little recognition to the craft. Waiting for someone from the Norfolk Tides to contact me back has me anxious. How cool with this event be if we can make it happen????

If any of you have planned one or been to one – whether at a major league park or minor – please please please tell me about it!

Love you! Mean it!

Eleven Years...

.....ago today Kaitlyn was born and passed ~ making it the single worst day of our lives and the beginning of a very dark period.

One year and two weeks to the day later came Max. He is my little life saver in more ways than I can count.

I just wanna take a second and say I (we, cause Mr. Jones counts too) have some of the worlds most amazing friends in this life who were there for us then and continue to be now. Along the way I have also collected new friends that are just as beautiful. All of them somehow manage to get that this day is an emotional roller coaster and they offer words of love, encouragement, and honestly, I don't know how I got so lucky. Each and every one of you is a blessing.

Only one person has managed to be hurtful today - out of indifference not outright meanness - but still, the sting lingers. Part of me wants to give that person a little grace, but the other part of me says screw 'em - save the grace for someone in need. Today? I'm listening to the other part of me. If the concept of compassion is lost on them, my itty bit of grace isn't gonna make a spitball of difference.

Lesson today: Do not let the stupidity of one person stifle the flow of love from so many others.

I got a bundt in the oven!

No, not a BUN - a BUNDT. Remember my new OCD obsession? (Besides, hubby has been snip-snipped, ahem, so no more bebe's from this mama.)

My new pans arrived Tuesday. Tuesday night I did this:

Strawberry-Banana cake with fruit piled in the middle. Next time? Chocolate. Oh yeah.

I've started on the Atkins Diet - err, Nurtitional Approach - so I can't tell you if it tasted any good firsthand - but the non-dessert-loving Mr. Jones said (monotonely) it was "good". That means its probably FANTASTIC OUT OF THIS WORLD!