The Letter "S"

What we have here are four different kinds of snakes...the Boomslang Snake, the Rat Snake, The Viper Snake and The Car Salesman Snake. I think that when you classify Car Salesmen, they need to be filed under the letter "S"... for "smarmy, slimy, sleezy, slippery, snake". However, that might just insult the snake.

DH and I went to finally test drive the TSX. (Great little car by the way) We had an e-mail from the dealership with a price for the car that we thought was a good deal (based on our research).

The manager "AH" (I'm sure that you can figure out what his initials stand for) at this particular dealership tried to add on some garbage fees. This really pissed me off, because I knew that these fees were 'horsepucky'.

The salesman who had sent us the email quote, was not in last night, so the manager claimed that the salesman gave us the quote without the fees included. Fortunately, DH has been also speaking with someone at a different dealership. We'll go visit that dealership this weekend.

Needless to say, we left without the car.

These Wedding Dresses Are Made Out of What???

I received an email with these photos. Seems that the dresses are made out of toilet paper. That's right...toilet paper. They were made for a contest. What you see here are the 3rd place winner and the 2nd place winner. (Disclaimer: For some reason, when I post these they are all lined up on the right and not how I set them up...sigh)

This dress won first place.

I sure hope it doesn't rain on her wedding day!

DH and the Car

DH is looking for a new car. He wants to buy an Acura TSX. I've been after him to buy a new car since his last car 'died' (with over 200,000 miles) a year ago, but he wasn't quite ready to commit to a new car at that time. Since then, he's been driving my mother's car, which she hasn't been driving since she moved in with us, four years ago.


All of a sudden, DH has got a bug up his butt, and has decided that he needs to buy a car right now. He seems disappointed that I am not quite as enthuastic as he is about going to a car dealership and taking on the debt of a new car. A year ago, I was excited...now, not so much.

It's a beautiful car, and DH definitely deserves it. I just don't understand why he would decide that he needs a new car when my pay status is still unknown. His logic and timing are beyond me.

Someday I'll Get There

I received these pictures in an email a while ago. They were taken during the Fall at Butchart Gardens, Victoria, B.C. , Canada. The beauty of all of these colors in nature just takes my breath away. Someday I'll get there!

What Color Is Your Blog?

Your Blog Should Be Blue


Patti at Late Bloomer Boomer, told me about this test. Being blue evidently doesn't mean being depressed according to this test. No, instead the test tells me that:

• "Your blog is a peaceful, calming force in the blogosphere."


• "You tend to avoid conflict - you're more likely to share than rant."


• "From your social causes to cute pet photos, your life is a (mostly) open book. "

I guess that about sums it up. What color is your blog?

Name that Book...

Joan, the Erstwhile Librarian, tagged me with this meme. She assured me that it was easy and fun. So, here are the rules:

• Go to the Advanced book search on Amazon
• Type your first name into the Title field
• Post the most interesting/amusing cover that shows up

I find that I don't always follow directions, to the letter. ( I had some trouble picking only one book). Not that there are a load of books with the name 'Lynn' in the title. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of writers with the name Lynn, but since this meme isn't called "Finding authors with your name", I searched high and low for books with my name in their title.



This is what I found out...
My name can be associate with either the Victorian Era...
(Lynn In The Victorian Era)

or the not very Victorian age at all... (There were lots of Penthouse Magazines with the name Lynn on their cover)

Then again, this one might refer to the heartburn I've been experiencing.

(it's called "The Great Fires of Lynn")

or this one titled "The Distress of Lynn" could be referring to the angst that I am experiencing regarding my DH's family coming over to celebrate the holiday.

Given my last post... I am confident that book will answer the question..." Where is Lynn? and what is she doing with all of her clutter?"

Of course given the name of my blog 'A Tired Mama', I felt that I needed to include a book titled "Going Like Lynn" which I thought would give some insight into whay I am so tired. (clearly it must be due to all of my comings and goings)

So there you have it. I tag everyone who is currently participating in NaBloPoMo...Let's see if I have this right...Patches, Nancy Dancehall, Sari, Marsha, Shannon...and anyone else who would like to do this. Now I understand that your name might not appear in the title of a book...if that's the case, why don't you just pick a name that you like...or dislike...and give it a try.

His Family

I was reading Leanne's blog the other day, and was grateful to read that she has come up with a name for "messy house syndrome". She calls it ' walk-in-the-house-and-drop-everything-wherever-you-want-itis'.

I am so happy that this disorder has a name, because my family suffers from this syndrome. In fact, we have a bad case of it...with no remedy in site.

Which brings me to the reason for this post. My DH's family has decided that they want us to host the family holiday get together this year. Mind you, I always host the get together for my family and friends (because they are all normal down to earth people). My DH's family are a different breed.

They all have exquisite taste (as does my DH, which is why he chose me to marry. lol) Fortunately for them, they have the money to match their expensive taste. Each one of their homes is a showcase. From tastefully decorated rooms to beautiful granite, lovely tile, and designer furniture...well I think you get the idea. The thing is, I always feel as if I am walking into a model home, or a museum, when I enter their houses. I can never get totally comfortable. When Elle and Ten were younger, I always worried that they might make a mess and "gasp" possibly spill something on the furniture or floor. Heck I still worry about it. I worry that I will somehow do something that might inadvertently shatter the perfectness of their houses.

My house, on the other hand, is decorated in the "lived-in" style. From our tile which is coming up in places, to carpeting (which needs to be replaced), and furniture that the kids have spilled who knows what on, all the way to the kitchen and bathrooms that need to be remodeled. We live in all of the rooms of our house, and it shows. While I envy, at times, the museum quality of some of DH's relatives homes, I prefer the comfort of mine.

I realize that this all sounds well and good, but here is the catch. Every time that DH's family comes over, I feel like they are turning their noses up, and looking down at us. While their houses are organized and clutter free, my house it a disorganized cluttered mess. No matter how much I try to keep it neat, I just can't. I have what is known at the 'drop and go' syndrome. It's where I come into the house and put things down right before I have to turn around and rush out of the house. My DH always says that I should put things back where they belong, which is easy for him to say since he isn't the one responsible for providing taxi service.

I know that I desperately need someone to come into my house and throw out 85% of the clutter that is there. I need someone to remind me that I don't need to save: old toys, clothes, books, games which we no longer use. For some reason, I find it hard to part with all of this "stuff". Consequently, not everything in my house has a place, hence the DVD's are on top of the T.V. cabinet. There are piles of mail on the kitchen counter. Lest you think it is only me, there are socks that Elle and Ten seem to like to leave lying around on the floor in both the living room and family room.

A few years ago, when we had fires burning right up the street, I loaded up my van at 1:30 in the morning with the stuff that was really important (other than the family and dog):clothes for a few days, medicine, photos, important papers, the tower from our desktop. Nothing else really seemed that important, at the time. So why oh why do I insist on keeping all of this stuff?

Wait a second, this post wasn't going to be about my clutter, it was supposed to be about how worried I am that DH's family is coming over for a holdiay celebration. I am already cringing at the though of their looks of superiority when they come into my house. This weekend, I will try to reduce the clutter downstairs, and pray that they won't want to come and see the upstairs of the house.

I don't know what to do about my feelings of inadequacy. My feelings of embarassment. My worry that they will proclaim our house a 'slum', not in the true sense of the word, but compared to their homes. I worry that their feelings of disdain will come across loud and clear.

Both Elle and Ten have friends who live in beautifully decorated/remodeled homes. They are not blind, and can see the differences for themselves. Elle and Ten know that if I were to work full time we could afford to have our home looking more pristine. They also know that I work part-time so I can pick them up from school and take them to their various activities. The kids know that they are our priority...much more so than having a showcase for a home. I have asked Elle and Ten if they would prefer to have a home with granite countertops and new flooring, or do they prefer having me home for them. Both of them, without hesitation, chose having me at home for them. (yeah for values)

Then why after all of this rambling, am I worried, embarassed, and feeling inadequate about what his family will think?