Wednesday, May 2, 2007 -
Ah, memory lane... wanna take a trip there with me?

... Posted in Memory Lane

I heard a song on the radio today that took me back a few years.... no, it wasn't something by Wham! or Luba, or Air Supply....lol

It was a song by a guy named Mark Wills... yup, I listen to country... not just country gospel, either...

Anyway, it's called 19 Somethin', and boy, didn't it make me smile... and almost tear up a bit too!!!

I found a place you can listen to it, and here are the lyrics...

19 Somethin'

Written By: Chris DuBois & David Lee

I saw Star Wars at least eight times Had the Pac-Man pattern memorized And I've seen the stuff they put inside Stretch Armstrong, yeah Well, I was Roger Staubach in my back yard Had a shoebox full of baseball cards And a couple of Evel Knievel scars On my right arm Well, I was a kid when Elvis died And my momma cried Chorus: It was nineteen seventy something In the world that I grew up in Farrah Fawcett hairdo days Bell bottoms and eight track tapes Looking back now I can see me And, oh man, did I look cheesy But I wouldn't trade those days for nothing Ah, it was nineteen seventy something It was the dawning of a new decade We got our first microwave And Dad broke down and finally shaved Them old sideburns off I took the stickers off of my Rubik's Cube Watched MTV all afternoon And my first love was Daisy Duke In them cut off jeans A space shuttle fell out of the sky And the whole world cried Chorus: It was nineteen eighty something In the world that I grew up in Skating rinks and black Trans Am's Big hair and parachute pants And looking back now I can see me And, oh man, did I look cheesy But I wouldn't trade those days for nothing Ah, it was nineteen eighty something Now I got a mortgage and an S.U.V. And all this responsibility Makes me wish sometimes Repeat 2nd chorus Nineteen seventy something Ah, it was nineteen something

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Sunday, September 3, 2006 -
Ahh, the sweet aroma of... crayons???

... Posted in Memory Lane

It's that time of year again... for some, it never stopped-- they homeschool year-round, and this is just the time of year to stock up on cheap looseleaf and scribblers. For others (like us) it's time not only to buy school supplies, but time to start a brand-new school year.

Now... the whole school supplies thing? It's totally my thing. There's just something about crisp new paper, binders, Hilroy scribblers, and crayons... yup, at 36 years old, I still love the smell of new Crayolas. And even though we rarely use those Hilroy (or "Canada") 4-pack 32-page exercise books, it doesn't seem like back-to-school without them.

When I was a kid (get comfortable, it's story time), my step-dad was what they used to call a "travelling salesman"... he worked at a small warehouse that stocked and delivered pharmaceutical and medical supplies (ie: anything found at an old small-town drugstore, including watches, sunglasses, aspirin, candy, some toys, and yes, school supplies) throughout western Nova Scotia. He went to these small businesses, took orders, delivered goods, unloaded trucks, you name it, all from this warehouse that used to house apples. It was a normal thing for him to come home with some new product, a "hot new item"  for us to try out. I never bought my own shampoo or "feminine protection" until I moved away from home-- embarassment over these thing was unknown since it was as normal for him to hand these things over to me as a newspaper (by the way, stuff wasn't free, just wholesale cost got taken off his pay). Anyhow... back to my story.

August was the magic month for me. I knew that sometime in August, we'd go over to the warehouse, and I'd get to pick out my school supplies. I must have been a real pain in the neck. "When can we go?" "Not yet..." A week later: "Are we going soon?" "Yes, soon, not today." I must've asked a dozen times during the month... then finally.... after an agonizing wait, we'd head over. Invariable, I'd be the only kid in school with whatever "hot new item" was available that year. I still have a green metal pencil box with "School Tools" written on it (that nobody else had), and somewhere, a wooden pencil box with a sliding cover and swing-out top compartment that later got decorated with A-Team stamps of Hannibal and Mr.T. Both of which were also hot new items that nobody else had. One year, we took a friend with us, and her parents were greatly relieved.

Anyhow, that would be my "big" back-to-school memory. Certain aisles of Costco trigger it, because the smell is the same... and I have an urge to scout out binders and paper and erasers, and see what unusual 

treasures I can find.

What are your back-to-school memories?

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Saturday, August 5, 2006 -
Labels, labels, everywhere

... Posted in Memory Lane

I am so my grandmother's granddaughter.... let me explain a bit....

My grandmother was known for several things, most of which resulted in rolling eyes. Most of all, I think, it had to do with her penchant for plastic, black markers, and masking tape. If it could be covered and labeled, it was. If it couldn't be covered, it was still labeled.... with a black permanent marker, in a more or less inconspicuous spot. My cousins and I had a blast crawling under furniture to find out exactly what was to go to whom ( "This coffee table goes to Glen" or "This china cabinet goes to Barbara" ). She was apparently leaving nothing to chance, as there was absolutely no question as to whose handwriting it was.

I inherited the gene.

Now, I have yet to inscribe my furniture (although, I am young yet), but I love to label things. Binders, containers, drawers, you name it. And, I have generally prefered the black-marker-and-masking-tape method... that is, until today. Today I became the proud owner of a labeler. And I labeled to my little heart's content! My grandmother would be so proud...

Even better, it was CHEAP! My neighbour is moving out west and pretty much everything must go. I got the labeler and a bunch of extra cartridges for $15. I can live with that.... even if I am too cheap to buy myself clothes or sandals at a thrift shop... lol

Must... go... find.... something... to... label.....

 (doing my happy dance)

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Sunday, June 11, 2006 -
while we're on the subject of memories....

... Posted in Memory Lane

I was perusing the blogsphere (hoooo, don't I sound intelligent???) and over at Dewey's Treehouse, mamasquirrel had the coolest poem. The idea of it originally came from somewhere else, with a template for it found at yet another somewhere else. I took up the challenge and came up with my own "Where I'm From" poem. If it really doesn't make any sense to you, check out the links I gave (the highlighted stuff above). Even then, it might not make sense, but in any case, I hope you enjoy it.

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Monday, May 29, 2006 -
another memory

... Posted in Memory Lane

I used to have this book, Jennifer's Walk by Anne Carriere (I think)... in fact up until a couple of years ago I still had it, then a pipe leaked and it got ruined. I just checked Amazon and HOLY COW!!! they want over $100 for a copy. This was probably my second favourite book, after The Kitten Twins I already blogged about, and I can't believe I owned something worth so much. Maybe I'll get lucky and find one at a yard sale someday. . .

Oh, but I DID find a piece of artwork from the book... it's from the end of the book, if I remember correctly...

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Tuesday, May 16, 2006 -
I am so sentimental

... Posted in Memory Lane

I used to have this book when I was little. My hubby had never heard of it so at one time thought maybe I was making it up.... then a friend remembered how the story/ rhyme went....

There were two little kittens with eyes of blue,

one was named Twinkle, the other was Boo.

They tried to be good and do what was right,

but they got into mischief from morning 'til night....

I have tried and tried to find this book! Short of Ebay, I think my chances are slim. Anybody else remember it?

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