Copyright @ C. Matthews 2007

Part 1 ~ Hot Flashing, Ranting & Raving About the State of the Economy is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. The Economy – Great Recession – Park Closings – Bank Tellers and Random Tuesday Thoughts
2. Cross Blog Conversation With Christie – Work At Home Moms Talk Radio: Part 2
3. Facebook Tutorial Series: How to Add a Business or Personal Facebook Application – Part 3

I’ve been Tagged with a Meme by Kim, over at Accidental Mommies and What’s That Smell ! Kim is my new friend, and comments on my Mama Mentor Blog that she thinks she and I may be twins! I’ve often felt that way when I see other writers. I actually feel that way about Sue Reimer’s columns over at the Baltimore Sun. Sue is one of my all-time favorite columnists.

Tagging is a great way to network, meet new friends, and get acquainted with other bloggers!

So here goes on the tag:

Here are the rules:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1 ) What was I doing 10 years ago?

* I was working full-time; raising my family; going to college part-time to finish my degrees;

2 ) What are five things on your to-do list for today?

• Clean my house (sorta done)
  

• List items for my eBay Store & Shoppes Site (not done, too busy blogging)

• Organize my Bookmarks folder so I can find things on my computer (another day)

• Continue to research ways to try to retire

• Remember to eat

3 ) What snacks do I enjoy?

• A real weakness for white pistachios, and of course, anything divinely chocolate!

4 ) Things I would do if I were a billionaire?

• Quit my Full-Time cubicle job (in a heart-beat)

• Pay of all my debt

• Buy a vacation Condo down South where it’s warm! – a definite subject of a post to come!

• Buy a vacation Condo up North in Vermont – for ourselves, DD & fam

• Get my DH the motorcycle he always wanted but I never would ever let him get (maybe another boat, too)

• Hire a house-cleaning person

• Travel, for real, and not vicariously this time

• Donate to several charities I’m grateful to and fond of

5 ) Three Bad Habits

Only 3…. ( agree with you here Kim, only 3?)

• Opinionated

• Slacker in my house cleaning (OK, so I don’t entertain as much as when I was younger)

• I still bite my nails and pay a fortune for gel tips

6 ) 5 places I have lived…
(this is a real joke)

• my home town in CT where I grew up & graduated high school

• Longmeadow, Massachusetts (when I was a Freshman in College, but then left to come home and continue college in CT

• my home town in CT where I grew up & graduated high school

• my home town in CT where I grew up & graduated high school

• my home town in CT where I grew up & graduated high school

7 ) 5 Jobs I have had

• Desk Clerk in a Dry-cleaners

• Farm Shop Ice Cream Fountain Waitress – scooped ice cream up to my elbows (armpits, I’m short)

• Lingerie Sales Clerk in a Major Department Store

• Paralegal in various Law Offices

• Chief pooper-scooper of the cat litter box (this one’s a freebie & thrown in for good measure)

• Wife, Mom, Grandmother

And the lucky people I’m tagging next are:
* Vicki at Simply Vicki

* Shera at A Frog in My Soup

* Rox at Roxiticus Desperate Housewives

* Lynne at Sewing Mom

* First Time Dad

* Tina at Mummie Diaries

* Christine at From Dates to Diapers and Beyond

Part 1 ~ Hot Flashing, Ranting & Raving About the State of the Economy is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. The Economy – Great Recession – Park Closings – Bank Tellers and Random Tuesday Thoughts
2. Cross Blog Conversation With Christie – Work At Home Moms Talk Radio: Part 2
3. Facebook Tutorial Series: How to Add a Business or Personal Facebook Application – Part 3

Now that I’m a Baby Boomer, as I get older, I think spending quality family time together is important. This past Sunday was such an occasion. The fam arrived at 11:30 on the dot, all respectibly dressed. We headed South on the highway, straight towards the beach and Connecticut shoreline, my favorite spot!

Turned out my two DDs and Charming Son-in-Law treated DH and I to an early Mother’s Day holiday brunch at Water’s Edge, the Number 1 rated “Best Brunch in Connecticut”, and a belated Birthday celebration present for DH. We had a delightful time, and the Brunch was absolutely spectacular ~ no need for dinner that night! We had a waterside view table overlooking Long Island Sound, and the temps were in the 80′s for May! It was the kind of day we Connecticut folk like to say “you can see straight across” ~ meaning we could see the 12 miles across to Long Island.

I feel so fortunate to be living so close to my daughters and granddaughter (although DD #2, the college student is still at home – most of the time.)

If you aren’t able to be with your own Mom for mothers day, or would like to show your affection to your own daughter or daughter-in-law who may be a Mom herself, send a gift of Flowers!

I love receiving flowers and bouquets, and what makes it extra special is the fact that I can appreciate them now – while I’m still above ground!

Happy Mother’s Day to you all.

Part 1 ~ Hot Flashing, Ranting & Raving About the State of the Economy is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. The Economy – Great Recession – Park Closings – Bank Tellers and Random Tuesday Thoughts
2. Cross Blog Conversation With Christie – Work At Home Moms Talk Radio: Part 2
3. Facebook Tutorial Series: How to Add a Business or Personal Facebook Application – Part 3

I’d like to thank all my loyal readers of Moomettesgram’s Musings. Your emails and comments have inspired me to split off and create a whole separate new blog.

I’ve decided to split Moomettesgram’s Musings in half. While I’ve been covering a lot of base with work-at-home tips for WAHMs and WAHDs; parenting, grandparenting and ebiz & eBay tips, I’d also been adding in some musings.

My newly launched blog is Moomette’s Mama Mentor Blog where I feel I’ll be able to muse to my heart’s content on a different level.

My primary reason for establishing Mama Mentor is that I’ve grown to enjoy blogging. Having joined Entrecard and Mom Blogs has pointed me in the direction of many, many wonderful blogs that focus primarily on reflections and general family life!

Now that my family is grown, and growing again, there’s so much I’d like to reflect on personally, and Mama Mentor will be that vehicle!

You’ll find the link at the top of this site under “My Other Blog.” Please stop on by and leave some comments!

I hope you’ll join me on my journey.

Part 1 ~ Hot Flashing, Ranting & Raving About the State of the Economy is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. The Economy – Great Recession – Park Closings – Bank Tellers and Random Tuesday Thoughts
2. Cross Blog Conversation With Christie – Work At Home Moms Talk Radio: Part 2
3. Facebook Tutorial Series: How to Add a Business or Personal Facebook Application – Part 3

Well, I have a new car. As far as I’m concerned, nothing was really wrong with my old car. It’s just that DH felt it was time to take on more debt (there goes my retirement options) & get a new one. It’s not quite the Audi TT I fancy myself driving, but hey, it’s got a spoiler! I’ll have to ramp up my eBay sales. And besides, DH’s brother is a Chevrolet car salesman where we get all our cars, so it helps out the fam. KWIM? Commissions, food on the table…

Every time I get a new car, it comes with more bells & whistles. Which is OK. BIL does his thing and spends an hour telling me how to work the wipers; cruise control; program the radio which now has XM; find out what time of day it is in Japan, the temp in Hawaii (I live in Connecticut) ~ GPS, OnStar, that type of thing. Of course, my mind is always elsewhere, and besides, I have a DH to tell me all that when I forget. That’s why I got married. So I think. After 34 years, I should know better now. DH tells me to “read the instruction manual.” I think NOT.

Anyway, I was tooling about the other day, and when I turned the left blinker on, it sounded like one of those cross-walk sirens, blaring away. You can only re-set the options when the car’s in park, so every time I came to a stop light, that’s what I tried to do. The other drivers behind me quickly brought me back to reality, that this was not a crisis in their minds.

When I got home, I explained to DH what happened. He checked it. Nothing. Sounded normal to him. Gremlins. I know they’re out to get me. Just like when I get in the car and all the XM satellite radio buttons have been changed. No, I’m not paranoid. I just have DDs who insist that it’s not them changing the stations when they get in my car. I think NOT.

So, I think this Baby Boomer Granny will just go back to my old ways, and bring all those Country music Cd’s by Keith Urban & Big and Rich that I used to listen to. At least I’ve upgraded from an 8-Track. If I want to know the temp, I’ll roll the window down. GPS? I know how to get to work. But if my blinker goes crazy on me again and I need to let everyone know what direction I’m going in next ….you know the bumper sticker that says “Horn broken, watch for…..” oh, I won’t go there.

Part 1 ~ Hot Flashing, Ranting & Raving About the State of the Economy is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. The Economy – Great Recession – Park Closings – Bank Tellers and Random Tuesday Thoughts
2. Cross Blog Conversation With Christie – Work At Home Moms Talk Radio: Part 2
3. Facebook Tutorial Series: How to Add a Business or Personal Facebook Application – Part 3

Ok. I haven’t done any musings in awhile because I’ve been too dang busy maintaining my eBay Power Seller status and putting all my ducks in order building my new website & consolidating my eBay store and affiliate shops under one roof ~ Moomette’s Magnificents Olde Towne Shoppes.

I know, after seeing all those terrific WAHM sites on various traffic exchanges that all you sweet young things have built, it’s probably a piece of cake for you. You probably took all that HTML stuff in elementary school, high school & beyond.

Well, gram here has been learning it all on her own. At 2, 3 & 4 am in the morning when DH is sleeping, and the house is finally peaceful. You see, I’m still working at my FT cubicle job. Then, of course, there’s ‘lil Moomette whom I pick up after I get out of work until DD or charming SIL come to get her.

Well, I’m taking a break right now at 2 am from all that Photobucket & listing stuff, finding a new web host for my site, and working on the new blog template (don’t you love it? Thanks Shera, from
Sweet N Simple Design…more on Shera to come. I met Shera through Mom Pack ~ she’s such a delight!

Anyway. Where was I? Oh ya. You young gals. Well, let me tell you. After having 2 DDs, and doing the middle school, high school & college thing with them ~ Moms will find out they always have to be ahead of the curve. Want to stay in touch? The cell phone that you pay for gets put on mute. Then what? Learn to text message. They’ll think it’s their friends.

Still ignoring you? Learn to instant message. When something pops up ~ they’ll think it’s their friends and guess what ~ it’s Mom~ Here’s my AIM avatar:

My girls had to look at that on AIM while they were in college everytime they “talked” to me ~ which was only when they usually ran out of funds. And my screen name…let’s just say it started with the word “Money”! Hmpf.I digress…DD #2, took Spanish all through high school. So knowing I’d be online, she once put up her “Away Message” in Spanish after telling me she was going to a friend’s house. The “Away Message” said she was “at the beach”. Guess what? I took Spanish in High School. So I played her game and text messaged her cell phone ~In Spanish ~ that I knew where she was! That floored her & her friends. Again, one step ahead of the curve. And don’t anyone call me out for reading her Away Message.

Back to you have nothing on me. So, I’ve learned to text, instant message, and now HTML, FTP, Pop Server, SSB, Ping, Stumble ~ what-ever. There’s still a lot of learning to do, but don’t worry, I’m a Boomer & one of ours invented the Internet. Gram here is ahead of the curve, and when I finish building my site, they will come.

It’s almost 2:30 am. I know I ‘talk’ via the forums with many of you at this time of night. But I’m taking out my dentures, putting them in a glass, (thanks Suzanne) & turning off the lights now. (JK on the denture part, K?)

Part 1 ~ Hot Flashing, Ranting & Raving About the State of the Economy is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. The Economy – Great Recession – Park Closings – Bank Tellers and Random Tuesday Thoughts
2. Cross Blog Conversation With Christie – Work At Home Moms Talk Radio: Part 2
3. Facebook Tutorial Series: How to Add a Business or Personal Facebook Application – Part 3

HAPPY NEW YEAR Everyone and Welcome to 2008!I’m starting off the New Year with some personal Resolutions. Don’t always keep them, but I try. So before I hit the ground running with all the neat topics I hope to cover this year, I’m going to let my hair down, and show my pitiful Boomer age.

As I’ve mentioned before, I have a DH (the D part is “most of the time”) and 2 grown DDs (again, “most of the time”). I survived Christmas & doing all the cooking over at Moomette’s house, and last nite, New Year’s Eve, in my sweats, babysat till 3 am while her parents were “Out-on-the-Town”. Just me, the cat, the dog & the kid. (See previous post about being “Out-on-the-Town”.) I had to reboot their computer 3 times, trying to work on my blog.

To make my day yesterday, Youngest DD is going to be 21, and decided to clean her room. Now we all know that I have a Bonanzle Booth, and my store room is Oldest DD’s former bedroom. I also have my “office” in a corner of my dining room, where my rolltop computer desk is. Now mind you, my house is not a McMansion, but it’s OK. We’ve been here over 30 years; this is our ‘starter house’, and as far as my DH is concerned, they’ll have to carry him out of here feet first before he moves. He’s lived in this town his entire life. He’ll never know when I have him on the mantel in a warmer climate down South, where I’d prefer to live. That’s a topic of discussion for a whole ‘nother post.

To make a long story short, the College Student decided to clean out her room, (surprise!) and dragged all the stuff for me ‘to list on Bonanzle’ into my dining room. Needless to say, I flipped….Oldest DD does the same thing to me ….

Rambling here…Oldest DD is the Domestic Diva who’s main goal after college & marriage was to be a Martha Stewart ‘wannabe’ and decorate the complete opposite of her untalented, decorating-challenged mother. We’re greatful that the college education that we paid for, without any loans on her part ~ has enabled her & New Hubby to own a newer, larger, more bedroomed, bigger basemented home than we do. Stuff Free.

Which brings me to the Dumpster Envy part of this Blog. Now you see, my Birthday is coming up in another week. I don’t know if any of you are old enough to remember George Carlin, the comedian. A bit crude, but he had a good routine about his “Stuff” many years ago that I still chuckle over. If you ever get a chance to listen to it ~ Do. Mental note to self this New Year ~~ sign up for Fly Lady & her organizational tips again. Her system does help, but I got away from it for awhile!

Therefore, I have painfully come to the realization that…

~ I will never own a different home. Not even a condo. This is it. Case closed.

~ The dreams I had that we would add a second full bath ~ ain’t gonna happen. Kids are grown & gone now. Don’t need it anyway.

~ We will never be able to park any one of our cars in the garage. Ain’t gonna happen. DH has too much stuff in there. And the shed. And the basement. All his, none of my stuff. Except for about 5 hand-gardening tools to plant bulbs.

~ The stuff that DD didn’t take with her when she got married – high school mommentos, college Lacrosse Sticks, Soccer Shin Pads, Yearbook ~ Photos ~ they’re all still in her closet. I keep asking DD & Hubby to pack it up and take it to their stuff-free basement. But, either she or he are in their work clothes, or on their way somewhere ~ you get my drift. So one of these days I keep threatening that it’s going to land on their doorstep. And it will, as soon as the snow melts here in New England.

~I love & miss my dear MIL, but in my younger, ‘just engaged, just married days’, naively heeded her advice about how I had to have ‘all things needing to be polished & spit shined’ in order to ‘properly & graciously entertain’ ..i.e., silver ~ pewter….Totally 1970s. Guess what? Bonanzle Inventory now (oops, I mean ‘Vintage Collectibles’.) You think my kids would want it? HA!

~ I keep telling my girls, that they too, will inherit All of This Stuff! Just as I inherited all of this STUFF when we cleaned out my late Grandmother’s, Mom’s, Mother-In-Law’s & Aunt’s homes. Their time will come. Payback.

Which brings me at last, to the DUMPSTER ENVY part. Every time I see a Dumpster or Bagster in front of someone’s house or driveway ~ I SO WANT ONE~

This is what I really want for my Birthday! Not a wallet, a facial, more clothes, None of that! I want a Dumpster- just for a little while!

Anyone else out there feel my pain?

Part 1 ~ Hot Flashing, Ranting & Raving About the State of the Economy is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Related posts:

1. The Economy – Great Recession – Park Closings – Bank Tellers and Random Tuesday Thoughts
2. Cross Blog Conversation With Christie – Work At Home Moms Talk Radio: Part 2
3. Facebook Tutorial Series: How to Add a Business or Personal Facebook Application – Part 3