Lesson 132: Material Girl????

Balance.  Life is all about balance.  Last year, my fellow Erieites and I were digging our way out of a winter that had over 100 inches of snow.  This year the winter has been so mild I've barely used my snow brush.  Last year my birthday was a major bummer.  This year, I made out big time.

Thanks for all of the birthday wishes.  Many are curious as to what gifts I received and were wondering if I got any of the Tim McGraw merchandise I kept posting as gift suggestions on my facebook account.  I got what I really wanted (well next to the tickets for the Melbourne show that I didn't receive)--my Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Ken and Barbie set.  It is simply shocking how much I resemble her.  Thanks, Bonnie for letting me know these existed.  Now they are mine, all mine.

I put some pictures of this year's birthday loot on my blog movie, set to the tune of Madonna's Material Girl.  Please read the post below this one (Lesson 131:  Myrna's Greedy), so I can reassure you that I am far from a material girl.  I like things simple.  I am a beer, jeans, and t-shirt kind of girl and fairly easy to please. I don't need lots of material things to keep me happy.  What I really appreciate is the time people took in thinking of me and what I like. Eloise finds herself extra appreciative of all the time, effort, and energy my friends and family put into my 41st birthday.  Thank you.


One of my favorite gifts this year aside from a small, plastic version of my handsome cowboy, is this cool ring.  It was found in my Grandma O's belongings after she died.  The ring was severed in half and both pieces were found in her jewelry box, along with this letter about a "plate" of some value.  Inside the ring is inscribed the name Maime (spelled this way).  The kicker is, no one knows who Maime is.  You can be sure Eloise is on the case.  You can also bet your bottom dollar that my sister Karen is searching for that valuable plate.  I'll report back later if I find anything out.  My dad had the ring repaired  by a jeweler and gave it to me.  It fits perfectly on my hand and I can almost feel Maime's presence, whoever she is.

So to give balance to this lesson of sentimentality, I'll send you this weekend's dose of humor. Time for a Sam story.  See below:

Sam gets a report from his pre-school teacher in his book bag every day.  It is the first thing we check when we get home from work.  The report lets us know how Sam ate, if he slept, and what activities he did that day.  They communicate behavior by smiley faces.  We raise the bar high here at The Lamp Post, so Sam is required to bring home two smiley faces a day, one for the morning and one for the afternoon, or he is punished at home.  On Monday, Sam came home with his first "straight face" in a long time.

Apparently Sam must have left his listening ears at home.

Sam, my wily and clever child, must have decided that this grave situation could be remedied.

If he could just get his hands on a blank parent report sheet........................




And I write really neatly with a brown crayon..........

And make TWO smiley faces....................


My mom will never find out.................



I guess he didn't figure that he had to get rid of the original note first.



Sigh.   It was a long Monday to say the least.  Nothing that a weekend blog post five days later can't cure.

Have a nice weekend, Readers.  Remember to scroll down for your bonus post about Myrna. (No---not Maime--she's the dead mystery person with the severed ring--I said Myrna.  Read below to see who she is).
Eloise