I’ve jumped on the bandwagon, participating in a meme that’s making its way around the blogs, and it’s all about accents! Though I don’t think I have any accent at all, relative to the sweet sounds of the voice belonging to my favorite Jersey-girl and sis-tuh from ano-thuh mo-thuh Snooks Liz, or the citified inflections coming from my New Yawker friend Patty, or the adorable vocality of one of my oldest friends, Dawn, who hails from the northern tip of West Virginia, I decided to go ahead and record this just for giggles. And you just might do that (giggle), a lot. You’re welcome. I was joking when I said…
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Just When You Think Everything Is Smooth Sailing…
When you last heard from me, it was Wednesday and I was waiting for a pair of red shoes to arrive at my house, a day ahead of an event that was “Red dress or red shoes optional”. I was very excited to have finally found something that would work for me, and paid for express delivery (something I NEVER do), in order to get the shoes early enough to wear around the house for a couple of hours before making the commitment to wear them for six to seven hours on event night. I checked the UPS tracking on the shoes during the day on Wednesday, and there was…
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Taking “Obsessive” To A Whole New Level.
I have recently been involved in a self-created comedy of errors and thought, if nothing else, it might be an entertaining story to post here. You see, I am going to a special event in the city this Thursday evening. Part of the event proceeds will benefit the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women campaign, and the invitation says “Red dress or red shoes optional.“ When I first put this event on my calendar a couple of weeks ago, I wasn’t all that concerned about what I would wear. After all, I am no fashionista. Anyone who knows me can vouch for that. I don’t even know if I…
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Sometimes Your Talent Shows Itself Without Prompting.
My boys differ greatly when it comes to lots of things; their affection for children is one of them. D has always been really great with small children: he isn’t intimidated by babies, and toddlers adore him. He babysat often in high school and his young charges thought he was the best thing ever. The five to six-year-old group idolized him completely. I believe that his being the perfect age–starting at three and a half!–to help out with the babies and toddlers in the health club nursery where I worked (and brought both boys along) for several years was partially responsible for instilling something within his personality to have these…
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Taking Care of (Unfinished) Business
One of my all-time favorite activities is traveling. Back in high school, a friend and I talked about becoming travel agents someday. We subscribed to a couple of travel magazines, occasionally stopped in at the travel agency for brochures, and clipped articles and ads for places we’d like to visit someday. Putting together our little notebooks full of exotic vacations was thrilling, and since actual money wasn’t involved, the sky was the limit. Having the freedom to go wherever we wanted was an exciting thought. Some people would be terrified of experiencing new cultures and new languages; my heart beats faster at just the thought of it. Unfortunately for me,…
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On Having A Brain That Won’t Turn Off
I’m a thinker. I can’t help it. I’m also a worrier. Can’t help that, either.I have to add “Control Freak” to that list, too, while I’m at it. This combination is a deadly trifecta for anyone who enjoys, well, sleeping. Or relaxing. Normally I don’t sleep much anyway; harboring extreme jealousy of those who claim to get their eight hours every night, I usually hover around the six-hour mark when it comes to the actual amount of time I’m in bed. Sleeping time runs anywhere from four to five hours. When many of you are enjoying your zzzz’s, I’m solving important problems, like “what happens if something that is totally…
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There’s Always Next Year!
I was totally devastated* to flip through this and find that I wasn’t featured. I bet I was Number 51 and justmissed the cut. Yeah, that’s it. “Totally devastated” is a slight exaggeration. Okay, to be honest, it’s a grand exaggeration. But it was a funny thought, don’t you think? (Say yes.) ©2011 Suburban Scrawl
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Love, Melisa Style
Here’s a partial list of what I love, today, not necessarily in any particular order but okay, partially, it is: 1. My husband2. My kids3. My parents4. My sister5. My friends6. My dog7. My home8. My town9. The color red10. Shamrock Shakes11. That my book is in the publication process12. The gradual warm-up our weather seems to be having13. Zumba14. That I pulled off my acrylic nails at Thanksgiving, leaving my nails natural for the first time in nearly seven years.15. That I haven’t bitten my nails since got a manicure three weeks ago, and then another one last week16. Sitting all cozy under a blanket in the corner of…
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Book Update: Where I’m At!
It’s been more than one month since I announced that my book will finally be published this year, so I thought I’d give you a quick update on where I’m at in the process. First, the cover. I don’t think I have mentioned it here on the blog, but my cover artist is someone I am extremely close to: he’s my son!! D, who is a graphic design major, created the front cover of the book. This is special to me for many reasons, as you can imagine. Besides the obvious, I love that my son designed this cover and my sister designed the cover of my first book: we’re…
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Chicago, Elevated.
Normally I would put a post such as the one I’m about to share over at my review blog, but this experience was never meant to be a review. I wasn’t asked to participate in what you’re about to read and I did indeed pay for it with my own money. I wanted to share it here because it’s something truly fabulous that I experienced personally in the city of Chicago. It’s my duty to share it with you here! Over the last five years as I’ve been working on my book, I’ve done lots and lots of research about things to see and do in Chicago. Some of those…