Are you a good wife, girlfriend, significant other?

As originally posted March 24, 2006 – moving over from my old blog to the new!

I work at a retirement community of sorts and I recently have been having some terrific conversations with people from the retirement age. I’m learning quickly that the wise old ways of the world then were very different from today. One of my recent conversations prompted a little old lady bringing me an article from Housekeeping Monthly, dated 1955 and I just had to share it with you!

The Good Wife’s Guide, Housekeeping Monthly, 13 May 1955

Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on-time for his return. This is a way of letting him know you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work weary people.

Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc and then run a dust cloth over the tables.

Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the childrens hands and faces, comb their hair and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quite.

Be happy to see him.

Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first, remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

Dont greet him with complaints and problems.

Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

Dont ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

A good wife always knows her place.

ps
Note on the picture above:
I was looking for a picture to post with this entry so was checking out Google Images – because the picture with the article is barely legible. I found the Original Picture from this article!
I couldn’t believe it! How funny is that!

pps I have two brand new front teeth now. Everything went well and they look terrific!

ppps Days 5 & 6 of the vacation were simply spent hanging around the hotel room. I was actually quite hurt from the fall during the seizure (hence the new front teeth) and needed rest. Samantha was afraid to go do anything else. I tried to get her to go to Animal Kingdom on our last day, but she would not hear of it.
Disney gave me back the day that I actually fell and we still had tickets from days 5 & 6. I paid 50.00 to make the tickets “never expire” so someday we will go again and finish our trip!

Positive brings positive

Wow, is it hot and steamy today!!!  I’m waiting for Samantha to get ready so I can take her on the the 20 mile trek to-and -from cheerleading and thought I’d pop in and say Hello.

Life’s been a little hard for me, trying to get back into the swing of normalcy, but I’m feeling more positive today, which is a good thing.  Positive is bringing positive into my life.

Honestly, there are a lot of strange but good things going on right now that I can’t get into in detail about, but what I can tell you is it feels very karmic based and very much like its supposed to be happening!  I’ll keep you posted….

Oh yeah, and then this morning, while sending my resumes, which I do every Monday after the Sunday ads run online, I got two interview calls!  So Wednesday I’ll be headed out early to try and win some possible employers over.  Keep positive thoughts for me….

A few steps in the right direction ~ and the only direction to go!

Back

Samantha & I

This was Samantha and I on the night before we left Mass. I’m back in Virginia now and have to get back to normal life. Wow, it is so hard to do….

I want to live back at home, with my family so badly. I was so happy there for that month.

Unfortunately, a teens life as it is, my daughter doesn’t. She has three more years of high-school and wants to stay where she is, mostly due to her friends, I do believe. So I’m trying so hard to be unselfish and let that happen. It’s hard because I’m trying to pull everything back to “normal” again and it seems harder each time I do it.  I’m just feeling quite overwhelmed and kinda bummed that I’m not still at home!

Thanksgiving in July

In more ways than one we had a Thanksgiving in July. My Mom decided to make a delicious Turkey dinner for all her girls and their families (and the numbers are getting quite large) because most years I don’t make it home. It was SO good. Turkey with all the fixins, and if there is anything I love, it’s a good home cooked dinner!  My grandmother came too and enjoyed the feast with us.

Nana & Molly Joy, checking out old photo albums

After dinner we went out and played Water games with water balloons.  What a hoot!  It was perfect weather and we had perfect playmates.

Beth, Me, Molly, Samantha, and Carly

Sam got Soaked

and some funny inuendo's!

After the water balloon fight, my three sisters and I were pleasantly surprised with a monetary gift for each of us from Nan’s sale of her house. “THANKS”giving ~ for the love of family and their generosity!  For all of it, I am more than grateful.

Boston

Boston

I am home now, safe and sound, but I do still want to blog about my vacation because I have many days still on the agenda to tell you about.

Today, obviously, is all about the city I grew up next to,  Boston!  We went twice during this vacation.

Museum of Science Day

One of the first places I wanted to visit was the Boston Museum of Science.  I had taken Sam when she was very young, but she was too young for her to really remember, let alone appreciate.  Sam initially was not too enthused to go, thinking it would be similar to the tiny tiny Roanoke Science Museum. Not, I assured her ~ for it’s a massive place and very interesting, so she blessed us with her presence.  After the ritual of stopping for a Dunkins iced coffee, my sister Beth, her two children, Samantha and I headed out to Boston on the “T” (Boston’s subway).

Me, before getting on the subway

Sam on the subway

Beths kiddles on the T

Beth and I, also on subway

Run!

We got to the museum and had a really good time.  Some of the exhibits were how I had remembered, some new and all were good. We had a great time.  I was talking with my mother recently and we both agreed how fun it would be to go and actually have time to read all the exhibits and what they are about. With kids, its a little hard to get it all because they hop so quickly from one thing to the next.

Fanueil Hall

My second trip to Boston was much fun too. Becky was visiting her mother and Mass. friends during our last week in town so we decided to take a trip to Faneuil Hall Marketplace.  If you’ve never been there and are hungry, this is the place to go. The inside of this large tube shaped mall is filled with stands with any type of food you can imagine and the outside is filled with stands too, but these are filled with gifts and things to buy.  After a few high pressure salesgirls attemped to convince my daughter to buy a hundred and ten dollar dress that can be worn 101 different ways, we settled on Boston sweat pants for Sam, a Boston T shirt for her to give her boyfriend,  four small Yankee candles (oh I love that place) and I got myself a pretty necklace with linked turquoise roses.  Becky and her crew spent a lot too.  To top it all off we had dinner at Coogans on Milk Street ~ lobsters for three of us and burgers for the other two.

We took the ferry into and home from Boston too, so we got to enjoy that trip. Outside on the top of the ferry on the way in and inside, due to cold and light rain, on the way home!

Harbor Express

13 plus 13

1.  At the end of my vacation, on Saturday, I will have been on vacation for 26 days ~ or better said, 13 days doubled.

2.  While staying with Mom, I learned that you can actually watch TV shows on YouTube!  I was shocked and happy to find this, as the TV I used to watch in my old bedroom actually belonged to my sister Molly, who has since gotten her first apartment!

3.  I watched two entire seasons of Apprentice UK on YouTube! I do love my reality shows!  Whats your favorite reality show?

4.  I know watching TV isn’t very “vacationly” but combined with my cross-stitch, it is A # 1 to me.  Very enjoyable, relaxing and a must most evenings.

5.  Samantha spent the second week of our vacation at Megan & Courtney’s house. Two friends that she met while attending school here.  As teenagers do, they bickered a lot and she was very ready to leave their house.

6.  Sam did get to go to her first concert with Megan & Courtney at the House of Blues in Boston. They say it is near Fenway and a very cool place. I,  myself, have never heard of it.

7.  I have realized, yet again, how much I miss having a Dunkin Donuts on every corner!  No, not for the donut, but the coffee for me and the coolata for Sam.

8.  In addition to the days I have and have planned to blog about, I played B I N G O three Tuesdays in a row with Molly and Samantha.  Out of the three of us (and 30.00 per person, per night) I was the only one to win and only 25.00.  But, it was much fun and well worth it!

9.  Molly’s roommates gave her much crap for going to play Bingo with me… I guess it’s an “old people” thing to do, but I myself really love it ~ (or is it just that I’m old?)

10.

B I N G O

And Bingo was his name O

11. I had every intention of taking Samantha to the Raynham Dog Track during this vacation, but we never had the chance to do it. My uncle Jimmy would take me there a few times a month and let me bet 2.00 per race for quinella’s ~ and sometimes I would actually win!

12. I really enjoyed my visit with my Nana and got to “know” her again. I hadn’t really connected with her in so long and we really bonded.  I am also really enjoying spending time with my sister Beth. I love all my sisters like best friends!

13.  And lastly, Thank you to my parents for making this trip special with the new car and the surprize gift thats going to keep me and Sami afloat!

Sistahs Friday Night Out!

Our sisters night out was a ball!  A planned sisters night for the four sisters: Kim, Beth, Molly & myself!

My three sisters

I spent an hour getting dolled up. New shirt, and new shoes, along with an old comfy pair of jeans. My sister Beth arrived at 7:15 and we got to Molly’s at the planned 7:30. Kim was already there, along with one of Molly’s roommates, Gary. After a few beers and constant laughter at old, funny sister memories we decided to head out.  Honestly, it would have been fun just to stay in and talk / laugh all night and we did plan to head back to the house to continue, if the place we planned to go was lame.  Gary decided to crash our “Sisters night” and became the designated photographer.

Our first stop was at Bad Abbot’s Pub on Rear Hancock Street in Quincy.  I am very Irish and this place was real close to an authentic Irish Pub. We had a bite to eat and mimicked Fire Marshall Bill….

Look alikes!

 

Because it was still early and quiet at Bad Abbots, we headed across the way to another bar which was even more boring than the first. We had one beer at the boring place and headed back to Abbots. By then things had gotten much better and the crowd was hopping. The live music had started and the band was terrific!  The crowd was very mixed, Irish speaking their brogue, young blue collar people and a few “Santa Claus” types (long beards and hair).

Molly, Gary & Beth

Me n Quincy Boy

We danced the night away. We even had a few followers, our Santa Claus, Kims bar buddy, the 25 yr old Quincy boy, (who apparently didn’t mind that I was 41 – LOL).   

 It’s been a long time since I’ve been out with a group and a long time since I’ve had that much fun.  We are going to try to do it one more time before I leave in two weeks.

 

So many goings on

Not to be confused with the Disney Trip below (which actually took place in 2006), the current vacation I’m on (to my hometown) has been so filled with Amazing ness!!!  So amazing it’s hard to even describe.  It’s been wonderful and fun!

I did things differently than I normally do this time around and stayed two weeks at Moms (the perfect length visit, not too long & not too short);  a week with my Grandmother and created some very special memories; and I’m now on my last week, at my sister Beth’s house.  It’s been the best way to do and see everyone ~ and if I’m ever lucky enough again to get a month long vacation (only because I’m out of work right now) ~ it will be done the same way again.  I’m a gypsy anyway, so moving from week to week, suits me just fine.

I’ve got days of things we have done that I want to blog about, but no time to do so because my days are still packed so full!   I’ll be back soon with some details ~ and I look forward to reliving them!  Luv to all.

Disney Days Four, Five & Six

As written March 22, 2006 (as I move posts from my old blog over to this much better one)

Day 4 began slightly different than the first three days. Samantha had met a friend the previous evening at the pool and she wanted to spend the morning at the resort swimming and playing with her. I said that would be fine and I relaxed in my motel, working on my cross-stitch & having some time alone, which was nice after three fun filled to the brim days. At around 2:00pm we decided we would spend the rest of the afternoon at Disney and then have dinner and see the Laser Light show at Epcot that night. We had two days planned for hopping around to all the different parks anyway, so this worked out. We planned a full day at Animal Kingdom for Sunday – which was originally planned for Saturday.

We got to Disney around 3. It was very very busy – the busiest day yet – and quite warm. Sam wanted to do all of the “big” rides again.

Thunder Mountain

Splash Mountain

Space Mountain

Yep… this was a perfect idea – it would take about three hours to get through all three rides and would put us at the exact right time to head to Epcot for Dinner in Germany! So this is what we did.
We headed out of Disney to get on the Monorail to go over to Epcot.

Unbeknownst to me I had a seizure coming out of Disney’s turnstiles. I don’t remember a thing about it, but I was told that my daughter started screaming VERY loud, which got the attention of the staff and an ambulance. I woke up in the ambulance, totally oblivious to what had just happened. I was in a dream state – it is totally indescribable and I wish it weren’t. I actually think I had a dream while having the seizure because I remember seeing tents (as in tents at a fair) and thinking that I was in one of those medical tents when all along I was actually in the ambulance (Where was I – a past life perhaps?) The EMT was telling me I had had a fall and I didn’t believe him. (They didn’t call it a seizure until after Samantha described what happened). It felt EXACTALLY the same as when I was in the coma in 1996 (another story, different day) which leads me to believe that unconsciousness is totally nothing of the sort. It feels like your dreaming.

I was taken to the hospital and spent the rest of the night being examined. Disney sent a young lady to watch over me and Samantha throughout. Her name was Maggie and she was a young (20’s) black French girl who was attending the Disney University. She sat by my bedside the whole time. She was very sweet and made the visit to the hospital much easier on Samantha.

The Doctor’s could find nothing wrong or any reason for the seizure… so it’s one of those unexplained things… which has recently occurred quite often in my family (another one of those stories for a different day).

2009 ~ Current Day: Samantha is very afraid that I will have another seizure. It really tramatized her. So far so good though, for I haven’t had one. It truly must have been a freak thing.

Honey I’m Home

As originally posted in my old blog ~ March 21, 2006

I’ve actually been back from Disney for about a week but it’s so hard to get back to normal life. Our trip was interesting, to say the least.
The traveling was exciting, two planes and butterflies in our belly’s to get there. Samantha had never been to Florida. It was exciting to see what she thought of the warm weather, palm trees and gators! It had been so long since I had been on vacation… I had forgotten what it was all about – but I was able to get into the swing of things pretty quickly.

We got to the resort…
we were in the lap of luxury let me tell you…  even the lobby was georgous

The resort had everything you would need there…. with a Southern Orleans Riverside theme! If you know me well, as most of you do, you know that I LOVE the Southern Plantation style – so much so that I actually could be Scarlett O’Hara, if given the chance!

Our Building:

The resort had tons to do, we could have just stayed at the resort the whole time and just enjoyed… boating, horse & buggy rides, tandem bikes, 7 pools, a few clubs, restaurants and more!

The inside of the rooms were pretty nice too

On top of all this of course we had park tickets for each day, with the “park hopper pass” so we could go between parks and back and forth whenever we wanted…

Day one DISNEY

Day two EPCOT

Day three MGM STUDIOS

There was so much to do and see it might have even been a little too much to cram into a week’s time.

Oh and the food was Unreal… Lunch and Dinner was included and when I say Lunch and Dinner I don’t mean a small lunch or dinner… I mean appetizer, main course, drink and desert! To me the Lunch’s we got would have been sufficient for Dinner. The Dinners ranged about 30.00 per person just for the main course!  If you know me well, you know I love food! I was quite in my glory!

CRYSTAL PALACE DINING ROOM

All was fabulous until something went wrong.

Check back tomorrow for the twist and more on days Four, Five and Six!