pay it forward challenge

Here's a chance to get a surprise in the mail from me!
My surprise is coming from blog buddy, jamie dawn.


Here are the rules:

1. Leave a comment that says you want to receive something from me and you want to Pay It Forward. The first THREE to agree to Pay It Forward at their blogs will get a gift from me. I need your home address, so email it to me at mckayslife AT dslextreme DOT com

2. The three winners must do the same thing on their blogs, so the Pay It Forward challenge will continue throughout Blogdom.


okay. major thanks to jamie for doing the Pay It Forward Challenge, and getting me out of my blogger's block. it's been so long since i've posted regularly i think even my few faithful posters may have drifted away. we'll see if i can get three comments!


jamie just left a comment to say her surprise is on its way to me. i'm kinda excited. how fun to get something in the mail that isn't a bill or junk! i wonder what it will be??
YAY for fun bloggers!

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starter post...just start typing and see what develops:

it's been a while since i've logged on to blog. work and life have both been busy: three months in with the new CIO, we've found our pace and just finished the large task of annual reviews, raises and bonuses. being the chief paper pusher, i've been kept busy rolling up and spreading out many columns and rows. it's an interesting process (i can't believe i just said spreadsheets are interesting) - i can either focus solely on the numbers - or the people to whom the numbers belong. i silently cheer when someone gets a well deserved promotion, concur on someone's merit number or wonder about some surprises that are bound to pop up. frankly it's much easier, faster and healthier to just do the task and not dwell on the human factor.

okay, enough about work.


several weeks ago, mckid and i had a trip to the ER after a school morning freak accident. he was goofing around in the living room, tripped on the ottoman and fell, slashing his lower back open on the edge of the fireplace door. thank God i recently took a first aid/cpr class at work, so i knew to apply pressure for several minutes before doing the momma mad dash to the ER (picture the kramer vs. kramer run to the hospital and that was me in the parking lot). let it be known, this was a doosie of a gash. deep enough to see the layers of epidermis and even the larger puffy white area of the lower dermis. 14 stitches later, he has a cool scar to rival any pirate who trips on treasure chests or ottomans.

yes, i actually happened to have my camera in my purse when we made the mad dash to the hospital. i asked mckid if he wanted a few pictures. he said okay and, of course, the doctor was all for it.

i won't post the pics here. they're pretty bloody, but if you want, i'll post a pic of the stitches at a later date.

and if you're here reading and commenting...thanks for checking in to see if i'm still around.

mck.

let's dish about dishes

Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer has created a dish carnival and you know how women love their dishes, so sure, why not post a few pics on the net?


what you see here is a combo of pieces that i've blended together over the years.

it's stuff i've found here and there, and i think they all fit together nicely for an eclectic combo of formal and casual. the crystal wine glass is a nod to my irish heritage: it's waterford's lismore pattern.

at the top center of the pic are my blue juice/water glasses. i've picked these up at various places, and i'm ready to buy some more when i see something similar. i fell in love with blue glass ages ago when i was once eating at a ritz carlton hotel. their restaurant had the crisp white tablecloths with blue water goblets. i liked the combo so much, i've adopted the look over the years (side note: see the tall blue goblet? you'll see similar ones being used on the old "Friends" sitcom episodes. They stole the look from me).

the white pieces are my wedding china circa 1985, which i've been using as my everyday dishes for two years now. i figure, why not enjoy the fancy stuff every day? i thought the pattern was so delicate and detailed when i was a young 25 year old bride-to-be. to really appreciate how pretty the pattern is, you have to see it up close:


this blue and white bowl i bought at Mervyn's way back in the early 80's when i was a young single gal. i just needed some cereal bowls and this is what i bought. if i had known i'd like them so much and that they'd stand the test of time, i'd have bought several sets, as one has broken and now only three slightly chipped pieces remain.




now here we've got a whoops that's growing on me. i actually bought this set of pasta bowls for my sister, who was in a rooster phase. i rarely buy my Christmas gifts early, but the one year i did, my sis said she was done with roosters and specifically requested no more rooster themed gifts. so...i kept them and bought her something else. see the square plate? i saw it at TJ MAX last week and bought it for $4 bucks. i may have to go back and buy the other squares. silly to buy only one plate, hmm? why so cautious for a $16 dollar investment? they'll be used to hold garlic bread or other types of tapas.



here we've got a "you are special" plate topped with a pretty 80's clear glass Princess House plate. Ever go to one of those Princess House parties? I got these when my college roommate threw a party. I'll be using the "Special" plate very soon, when mckid turns a whopping SIX years old :0)



and of course, i've saved the best for last: plastic mishmash.


so, there you have it: mck's dishes. thank you for putting up with this silly post.