Lesson 404: Tough Love

It's Friday night, My Friends.

It's Blog Time!

Get ready for a dose of Tough Love tonight.

Hey! 

I've written about love lots and lots of times on this place in space.

It's well established that I love my family.

I love my friends.

I love my country.

Love is grand,

but it's not always easy.

That's why you have to work out your differences at all costs,

or it's going to cost you.

Sometimes love is just tough.

I love to read,

but the words on the page became tough to see.

I got tired of propping my bedtime reading book on my knees,

so I finally decided it was time for some reading glasses.

It was a bit tough to admit I wasn't getting any younger,

but I love my new specs!

It's tough admitting that I love the art of my school backyard rival-

but I love the artwork in the entryway of Iroquois.

It's tough looking at an all-gray landscape for five months of the year,

but the clouds parted just in time for me to catch this sole,

heart shaped opening in the sky outside of my Clark School classroom.

I love Erie winters,

But the cold has a way of squelching the flame of creativity sometimes.

That's tough.

But every once in awhile we get that breakthrough day,

and we get out in the sunshine and rejuvenate.

I love that!

I love my kitties,

even though they don't love me yet.

I love basketball,

but truthfully, it's too fast paced for me to even understand.

The elementary school Valentine's Day parties were held on Thursday.

I forgot how tough Valentine's Day is on a little boy.

My daughters---they spent weeks choosing their valentine cards.

They carefully addressed each one in a sparkly glitter pen.

Sam remembered he needed a shoebox for Valentine card holder the night before.

He came home with this:

Mother Eloise said,

"Sam?  Why didn't you decorate your box?  

Where's the red construction paper hearts?"

It was ALREADY decorated, Mom!

said my little cherub.

It had an ALLIGATOR on it.

Sam and I---

man, we love our onesies.

We take our fair share of teasing for it,

which is tough,

but the soft comfort and warmth we get from them is totally worth it.

We even made up a hand sign to flash one another,

to let the household know it's Onesie Time.

Sam and I are the only two to take advantage of it--

but I don't care.

You know how this hand symbol is a popular way

to show someone you love them?

I'm trying to start my own sign to represent a Valentine's Day flop--

the upside down heart.

I told daughter Ellen Louise to model it for me.

She said,

Mom!  That's not a thing.  Don't even try.

I think I can make it be a "thing", don't you?

Here's to all who are experiencing some tough love this Valentine's Day.

Are you apart from your lover?

Natalie's heartthrob Ryan is stuck in colder weather in Canton, Ohio,

and can't make it in for the weekend.

I think she's sending him a crooked sign,

by the way she's grasping his card.

Word From the Wise:

You are going to need a larger box of candy next weekend, Ryan.

Natalie's fizzled Valentine's weekend got me all in the mood for my favorite cards--

blunt cards.

Google them for a laugh 

(and buy one for the person who annoys you the most).

They are just my kind of humor.

Here's one for my house guests I don't really want staying at the Lamp Post:

Here's one for Hubby on Not So Romantic of a Day:

The photo video posted below these clever candy hearts

has some more of my favorites,

set to the tune of Justin Bieber's 

Love Yourself.

Enjoy your weekend.

Hold close the ones you love,

and if you can't for some reason,

have a good laugh.

LOVE,

ELOISE

XOXO

Lesson 403: Right Here Tonight

Well hello there, Readers.

Eloise here,

reporting live from my northwestern Pennsylvania burrow.

I'm pleased to announce that the winter is soon to come to an abrupt end!

It was an unexpected Groundhog's Day this year,

with Punxatawney Phil' prediction of an early spring.

The skies were bright blue, and sunny here in Erie

and also in Punxatawney.

A shadowless day?
Conspiracy theories are circulating among the rodent populations.
WasPhil bought off by the squirrels?

Nevertheless,

an early spring would add some color to the drab world I'm living in.

Whether we let a rodent predict our weather or not,

is beside the point.

The point is, rodent weather forecasting belongs to the Pennsylvanians.

As citizens of the finest state in the land

we need to oust Staten Island Chuck.

He's a Punxatawney Phil Wannabe.

Staten Island Chuck CLICK HERE

He bit Michael Bloomburg in 2009.

Chuck was replaced in later years by his granddaughter Charlotte.

They dropped Charlotte,

who later died.

Major Miss, New York.

Leave the friggin' forecasting to Pennsylvania, New Yorkers.

Put a stop to your senseless whistle pig killings.

The Lamp Post dwellers burrow down deep every February.
Despite our healthy lifestyles, 

someone always comes down with a bug for a day or two.

The first to fall this season was Sam.

He set up camp for a day on the couch

and the living room floor.

A day of rest and my boy is on the mend.

We're riding out the end of winter, 

looking forward to that early-promised Spring.

Ellen dug out the bat bag and headed to Open Gym.

I've been rubbing her sore shoulders for two days.

Natalie has been making Valentines.

She's got a special someone in mind this year.

Her sweetheart Ryan comes to visit every so often.

We had a game night and invited a few friends over to play Pictionary.

Can you guess what Natalie drew?

When you play Autism version 2.0,

you get to pick what you want to draw, 

and the rest of the crowd guesses.

It turns out

that Ryan draws Happy People, too!

Sam,

the resident South Paw,

loves to have the chance to draw.

Sooo,

what was this?

It was the Easter Bunny.

That was the tail.

Hubby's drawing was not so innocent.

The kids were mortified when they figured out,

it was a butt.

Grandma brightened our home with a bouquet of flowers this week.

It is true what they say,

fresh flowers in a home brighten your mood.

Thanks, Grandma!

Not much else to report from the Lamp Post.

We venture out occasionally to the grocery store or a basketball game.

I've been catching up on all my favorite TV shows:

NOTE for future bragging:

I pick Mackenzie Bourg as the winner of Idol's final season.

We watch lots of TV,

and I'm looking forward to the Super Bowl on Sunday,

mainly for the commercials.

Here is my favorite of all commercials airing right now:

Direct TV commercial The Settlers CLICK HERE

Have a super Super Bowl.

Whether you follow football or not,

it's an excuse to make a good dip.

Enjoy some more winter scenes from the Lamp Post burrow,

set to Tim McGraw's new song Here Tonight,

recorded with his oldest daughter Gracie.

Enjoy your weekend!

ELOISE