The Water Party: Ideas?

Regrouping.  I'm going to have to call the 'water-slide inflatable' guy because I fear having the huge, awesome water slide just days after FJ and Lil'Gal have their casts removed (fingers crossed in every way) isn't the safest bet.  Since we are kind of rushing the healing process anyway.

The ortho-doc, who is very nice and understanding, understands that we need to be cast free for our annual river trip.  Otherwise the kids will be forced to sit aside the pretty river and watch from the bank as their dear friends and mom and dad bask in the wetness of it all.

A giant water slide is indeed a danger to freshly healed bones, thus threatening we could end up in the ER the day of her party (two days or so before we leave).  BUT, I am comforting my sweet Lil'Gal with the notion that we will still get the water slide -- but we will have to wait until after all our summer trips -- at which time we will get the giant, slide in all of its water-wet, sliding glory and have all her friends out one day during the super-hot heat of the summer. ;-)

In the meantime, she fears she lied to all her friends about what wonder-water fun they will have at her party.  So, I'm thinking waterworks!  Sprinklers and those silly water willy's are always delightful and it is a win-win for Hubby as it will water his grass.  Slip and slides are a definite NO-no for the same reason as the water slide.

Water balloons will be immediately shot down by hubby because he won't want to deal with the broken balloon mess.  Water guns sound fun as long as the children don't shoot at the parents (like that won't happen).  Some soaking pools might be enjoyable for some splashing.

What are your thoughts and ideas?  Please share!  This is a luau and water-fun party after all; with your help and ideas I know I can make it just as much of a splash as a 14 foot wonderful, inflatable water slide.

:-D  ALL IDEAS WELCOME FOR PONDERING!

The Water Party: Ideas?

"Proof of a Future"; CWCG #2 (Short Story)

Following is my short story for CWCG #2.  I went a little sci-fi/futuristic with this one which typically I find out of my element.  So, I had fun!  Give it a read and tell me what you think!

The words for CWCG #2 are:

Eyebrow

Disharmony

Intransigent - refusing to compromise

Thesis - to defend an argument; research paper

Frailty - moral weakness; being frail

Theme: weather

Picture:

Including the picture was optional; something for a little extra fun.  I decided to incorporate it, or should I say that cute little birdie dicided to incorporate itself. :-)

PROOF OF A FUTURE

I watched his eyebrow furrow as he pondered my thesis.  His intransigence always caused great angst between us.  He continually refused to acknowledge that maybe I could be right about anything. But, this one time I just new I was.

"I'm telling you, they still exist.  They are still out there.  Somehow they found a way to adapt to the incessant rains and oceanic movement." I insisted.

"You are chasing a phantom!  No animal, bird or otherwise, could survive out there unless they grew gills and fins."

"But I saw it! Last summer solstice, I saw it!  It fleetingly fluttered around me, it was real." I exclaimed.

"You saw nothing.  A figment of your imagination!  Sudden over-exposure to the sun after a long wet season." Huffed the Governor who also happened to be my father.  Our relationship was strained and filled with disharmony.

It was so frustrating not to be taken seriously.  It ate at my soul because I believed so strongly and yet no one believed me.  I knew other species had to have somehow adapted to survive.  After all, I had seen the yellow-bellied warbler with my own eyes.

It was last year when I took out in the dingy, taking advantage of the calm and the warmth and the cessation of the rain.  I paddled and paddled, surveying the circumference of our tiny habitat. It was such a small piece of land that one couldn’t fairly title it an island.  Our isle measured less than the former island of Haiti, which no longer existed either.

We were number 4 in the 18 islands that existed after the war.  There were 5 Americas, 2 South Americas, 7 Asias, 1 Australia, and 3 Africas.  Water covered the entire surface of the Earth and it rained continuously with exception of the summer solstice, when the waters would subside like an outgoing tide for five days revealing each of our little islets left from what was referred to as Apocalypse though formerly known as WWIV.

My imagination summoned up the memories from last summer when the rains had finally subsided. The sky actually opened up, heaven-like glowing and glimmering. Leaving the tiny bits of land that remained from the destruction of our founding fathers.

It was that afternoon as I paddled, searching the landscape and the islet’s shores for signs of new growth, adaptation, life.  I didn’t even hear it so much as I felt it, hovering.  I looked above me and there it was.  The warbler.  I had to squint to see it floating against the bright rays of the sun.  My eyes were quite sensitive having been locked away in a capsule for the last 11 months and 16 days.  But it was there.  I think it was just as intrigued to see me as I was surprised and thrilled to see it.

Like the cockroach survived the dinosaur age, so the beautiful, feathered, land loving yellow-bellied warbler survived WWIV.  I recalled thinking how this would mean everything.  But when I returned to our commune no one believed me.  They accused me of spreading myths to build false hope.  And, I could not prove it to them as the summer solstice had come to an end, the waters and rain returned for another twelve months.

I was going to have to find a way to prove it.  I had three days before this year's summer solstice; just enough time to prepare for my excursion.  I had found this bird once, or should I say it found me.  I knew I’d find it again.  Only, this time I'd get proof that it had overcome the tragedy assaulted to our planet.  And, once I proved the yellow-bellied warbler did indeed still exist, the rest of our commune would believe me.  I knew this finding would be life changing for America 4.  And, for the other islands too.

Having collected my gear and four days ration of food and water, I loaded the dingy.  I felt excitedly optimistic as I paddled out around America 4 heading toward the location where I had discovered the warbler last year. Four days would be cutting it close before the solstice ended and the rains and tide returned but I wanted to allow myself as much time as possible. After all, it would be another 12 months before I had an opportunity to search again.

Following along the islet’s shore, a few hundred feet out, I could see green sprigs sprawling out from the water and up the sandy edge. The undersea grasses had adapted to what was called the wet season. During the summer solstice the vines climbed the landscape of the shoreline in a netlike fashion, soaking up the sun until they were so green they were almost blue. This was another confirmation to me that other life and species could adapt as well. As was standard, my father refused this stating that it was an organic process innate to plant life but in no way indication that a warm blooded creature would be able to simulate.  "A few hours of sunshine won’t grow a heart that pumps or lungs that breathe.” He would say. I found myself appalled by the frailty of his thinking.

I continued to paddle, listening as the waters lapped at the land’s edge.  Looking out there was nothing but miles and miles of endless ocean.  Although smothering for over eleven months out of the year, seeing it like this lit by the sun, made it somewhat beautiful.  Even in its beauty I respected its danger.  One only knew what lie beneath the surface.  That was where the anathemas lived, the only other creature ‘known’ to have survived the war.  Gilled and finned and tainted by the chemical warfare inflicted upon this planet.

The lapping and the sound of my paddling were the only things that broke the silence as I continued my journey. I paddled late into the night to get to my destination, though during the summer solstice the sun never set. I wanted to get around the other side of the island before finding a place to make camp for the next few days.  I had to be efficient with my time knowing sleep could come later. Though my arms were wary and sore, I was too alight with excitement and hope to sleep anyhow.

Finally, I found my way to the embankment where I had beached my dingy the year before. Though beached, I tied it firmly to a rock. Summer solstice lasted five days but I never fully trusted the tide. Without my dingy to return to the capsule I’d surely parish when the rains and tide returned, from the anathemas if not first from drowning.

I settled my gear and set up my make shift canopy to provide shade from the sun. My skin was pink and warm from so much sun exposure. I pulled out my provisions. The water was still cool and felt good on my parched lips and mouth. I snacked on dried tuna, which we had found a way to breed and raise in the capsule for nourishment.  Though, we primarily lived off of gardened vegetables that were saved by the founding members of the commune when the leaders of the prior world promulgated the nuclear war.

I sat and I watched. I stood and I waited. I decided to hike around the area and research the islet’s surface for anything encouraging. I found coral, dried and hard. It apparently hadn’t adapted to the solstice; though, I knew in a few days it would rebirth itself from the sandy soil’s foundation and bloom wildly again under the returning ocean’s water.

I didn’t see signs of much else. Only a skeleton of underwater life dried from the harshness of the sun above. It amazed me. How life seemed so different from what it once was. Yet somehow we survived and we’d continued our existence. I was told that there was once talk of living in space. That possibility died along with the multitudes after the warheads had been released. Wouldn’t five days a year in the glory of the sun be better than living in a capsule in space never to see the sun in this way at all? I had to think yes, which was why we were able to adapt and survive.

I found myself heading back to my make shift camp. I hiked along, stepping quietly, and constantly surveying my surroundings. But, I saw nothing. Not even my own shadow as the sun stayed high in the sky. Finally realizing my exhaustion I decided to bed down and nap for a while under the shade of the canopy.

I don’t know how long I had slept when I sensed something stirring. I tried to open my eyes but was blinded by the intense light of the sun. I had to sit up and take a moment to let my eyes focus. I heard something stirring again. I turned slowly toward the sound and then I saw it. It was pecking through the wrappings of my dried tuna. But, warblers didn’t eat fish or meat. They ate berries and…insects. So is this how the warbler survived? Eating krill, just the same as the anathemas?

I slowly shifted to a crawling position. I moved, inching my way closer. It was beautiful. Smaller than the warblers in the books I’d read to learn about so many of the species and animals that once existed. My heart was pounding with fear and excitement. One movement closer and the warbler noticed me. I immediately froze but it flew off so fast my eyes couldn’t trail it. But I had seen it. I’d wait. I’d wait until the very last second leaving me just enough time to paddle back to the capsule. I had to have proof. If I could get a feather, or a dropping or any other sign to prove its existence it would be worth the risk.

I waited another full day and still the warbler did not return. I was tired and dried, my skin now burning from the constant exposure to the sun. The sun I first found so wonderful was now turning on me. I had one day left before I must load up and begin the journey back to the other side of the islet. One day. I decided to set some sort of trap. Though, I didn’t have much to work with. I took the bag that had held my dwindling provisions and set it open against a rock. I cut the strap to make a cord long enough that I could separate myself from the trap and yet pull it when the bird returned. I tore a piece from my last strip of dried tuna and leaned down to place it as bait in the sack. Hopeful, the warbler would be hungry and return for another taste.

As I righted myself, my foot caught on a dead patch of coral tumbling me backward. I tried to catch myself but I was too slow and my head crashed hard against the rock. The pain was smashing, piercing, and I hollered out in agony. Then the world went black.

I don’t know how long I was out. I woke to a horrid headache. I tried to rise but the blood pulsed like a hammer inside my head. I was fearful for how much time I had lost. I needed to get back to the capsule before the solstice ended. But I had no idea how close that was. I’d failed.

I felt something pricking my hand. Turning my head slowly, painfully, to look I realized my fingers were still wrapped around the piece of dried tuna. It wasn’t pricking I felt but pecking. The warbler looked at me, turning its head sideways as if to see me better. It hopped closer and pecked at my shirt. It hopped back and pecked again at the tuna in my hand.

I raised my hand and it fluttered away. I adjusted myself to a sitting position while reaching for my head with my other hand. I felt something crusty and dry, most likely blood, damage from the fall. I noticed the warbler perched a few feet from me. Eyeing me, tilting its head this way and that. Observing me. Then, it tweeted. The sound was thrilling, and happy.

At that moment I realized life would be different, life would change. The warbler had adapted, therefore it was possible that other animals had too. I whistled. The warbler hopped closer. I whistled again, lightly and upbeat. The warbler chirped back to me, slanting its head to better eye me. I held out my hand, tuna in my palm. The warbler paused, twitched and adjusted its feathers. Then, without further hesitance it fluttered up to perch on the edge of my hand.

Watching the warbler picking at the tuna as it rested comfortably on my palm, I thought to myself, bird in hand, I hold my proof.  Now to get back to the capsule.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'll be working to post the words and theme for next month's game this afternoon.  It's really easy, if you want to play along.  The only rules are to include all five words and the theme.  The rest is up to you.  Hopefully, you'll join us in our next game.  Be sure to check out those who've commented that they played along and read what they wrote.  I also am working on a linky to make it simpler to find everyone's, but with two children each breaking a bone and the multiple doctor visits -- I've been a wee off schedule. :-P

All is well though!  Happy FWFD of the weeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!

"Proof of a Future"; CWCG #2 (Short Story)

Influencing Fashion

Lil'Gal and I had plans this morning to go get our 'tonie' nails done (her heals are so callused and cracked) and then we were going to head to 'Justice' for their big 40% off sale.

Well, I woke voiceless, and throatless, but unfortunately NOT phlemless.  The boys left for haircuts and errands.  I drag myself and my half box used kleenex's (ew) from the couch and the floor surrounding and piddle a daddle here and there to finally find my way to the shower.  All the while throating out in my mind, "I think I can, I think I can along with Don't be such a BABY."

Shower and Netti pot earned me...  Clean skin and hair.

I resolved that I'd feel better after some ibuprofen and then proceeded to dry my mess and purdy myself up.

About 9:15 I limped into the kitchen and downed something allowable-edible for Good Friday and off we went.  We made it eventually to the nail salon which was PACKED-PIE BUSY.  Rare for that time of morning but then again, it IS a Holiday.  And, I hadn't called to make an appointment because I didn't want to be tied to it.  We get all that done, and stomach growling, call Hubby to find that he is INDEED still in town (with John Deere dude now in tow as well) and they are at -- wait for it -- the marine shop again.

Those boys need to buy stock in that place to get more bang for the buck$ they spend there, LOL!  Though, they also do a lot of 'window shopping'.  Who ever says men don't like to shop needs to reevaluate.  Men DO like to shop; they just shop different venues than most women. :-P

To the point.  After enjoying a delightful lunch with the family and JDDude sitting out over the oceanic water, Lil'Gal and I headed off to 'the sale'.

The point of this sale was to get Lil'Gal to 'pick out clothing' with me in an effort to influence her 'fashion' style and allow her to actually invest herself in our purchases.

She.  LOVED. IT.  Not to say that she hasn't picked out clothes for herself with me before.  We hit the sales before back to school and found some good finds.  Still?  She wore a few of those a time or two only and left them in hopes of warmer weather's return.  This was different.  See, this is where her cousin -- my sweet and well fashioned (but not overly fashioned) -- niece gets most of her outfits.  At least as Lil'Gal will say, "She gets everything at 'Justice' except for like two outfits."

So we hit the big 40% off everything sale.  Including the already marked down for clearance section (we only found one thing there *insert unhappy face*).  We found a semi-dressy long skirt and top for Easter.  I find that she is outgrowing those awesomely fancy and adorably dressy Easter dresses *insert second unhappy face* but this she liked.  She had noticed her cousin (as had I) a few weeks ago in church wearing a similar skirt and top and we both commented on how adorable it was.

So, long story short we walked out with most of what we tried on.  Easter outfit, and outfit Daddy would love (cammo), some shorts that she felt comfortable in AND could be worn to school with tops that adorned them beautifully.  And, everything can fit OVER a cast.  *sigh* The ever-looming permanent cast.... Oh, but we took into consideration the color of said permanent-cast-to-be when making our clothing selections. :-P

She insists on holding her large bag of clothes in her lap on the way home.  She wants the boys to come see them immediately (but you know the boys, they are in the barn doing stuff I don't want to know about lest I cry 'SAFETY OFFENSE, SAFETY OFFENSE'.)

She is thrilled with her clothes.  She helps me hang them in her closet.  She then re-organizes her closet with school and fashionable clothes up front, play clothes to the side and those utterly-unliked winter clothes waaaaaay to the back.  This leads to a room review and redo, cleaning and styling.

Who knew!??  The influence of fashion is truly a powerful thing!  And, all I really set out to accomplish was a daughter who would 'like' the clothes 'I liked' and found acceptable for the general public and thus eliminating anything stretchy, spandex, and especially too small.  [She doesn't know it yet but the cute shorts she is currently wearing which I have discovered to be a little too small will soon disappear as well; those gremlins will most likely get them.]  >:-D

Oh and guess what?  They gave me coupons for 1/2 off my next purchases AND she gets an additional coupon all month long for her birthday month (ahem, May.)  SCORE!

Influencing Fashion

PUMP IT!

Yesterday I wrote a post dialoguing a conversation between Hubby and I regarding my pretty, outside table and chairs for the back porch.  I wanted to sit and watch the sunset, while blogging, surfing the internet and enjoying a nice glass of Chardonnay.

I ended up getting out my nifty, portable folding table (which he doesn't know yet but I'm going to insist he trade me for my porch table currently residing -- against my will -- in the barn).  Anyhow, Lil'Gal is just like me.  This morning she took up residence:

(notice the nifty splint on her right hand; to be casted on Tuesday)

Seein' as iTunes isn't set up on the kids LT, she took her iPod and her Skull Candy music dock and is officially jamming to music while tending to her computer related business.  Too funny!  I must say, life is good.

On that note, this is Saturday! It is a beautiful (blow your face crooked WINDY) day!  So, I'm going to get with it and PUMP IT!!



Everyone loves a little Black Eyed Peas!  Happy Saturday!!

PUMP IT!

Hubby and FW Conversations

Me: "I want my picnic table back on the back porch."

Hubby: "Why?"

Me: "Because I want to sit outside and read or use my iPad."

Hubby: "you have a porch swing."

Me: "I want my table."

Hubby (again): "Why?"

Me: "So I can set my drink and my iPad on it, and so the dogs can come be my foot rest and I can pet them with my feet."

Hubby: "I'm not moving the table tonight."

Me: "then, I'll move it."

Hubby: "It takes two people."

Me: "No, it doesn't. You moved it by yourself weeks ago and never brought it back."

Hubby: "I want it in the barn."

Me: (slightly frustrated) "We didn't buy it for the barn. I want to sit out and watch the sunset."

Me: (again) "And, I've wanted to eat on the back porch several times this week but YOU took my table."

Hubby: "We don't eat out there, we can eat in here (the barn)."

Me: "We ate out there almost every night this time of year last year. Even my friends ask, 'Where's your table?'"

Hubby: "You can sit in here (again referring to the barn)?"

Me: "I WANT. To sit outside on the back porch enjoying the sunshine."

Hubby: "Why would you want to do that?"

Me: "Because it's pretty."

Hubby: (pause)

Me: (waiting for him to leave so I can drag my table back)

Hubby: "Please don't move the table. I wanna use it tomorrow night."

He'll probably have the boys out at the barn and grill something up.

Me: (gripily). "Fine. But I want my table back. Get your own D@MN table. Oh, and I want my chairs back too."

And so goes love and marriage. :-D. (I'll get my table back AND the chairs...) hehehe.

[This blog post was written from my iPad. Still learning some functions, like, where are the arrow keys on the built in electronic keyboard. Any errors are in apology as I can't scroll to the beginning of this post.]

Hubby and FW Conversations

Luau Party Invites

Lil'Gal has a birthday coming up next month.  She'll be eight.  She's excited to be eight.  She's tired of being seven.  We are doing a luau themed party this year since it will be HOT in May.  It's already HOT and I LOVE IT!  I heart *South Texas*.  I heart summer and sunshine and everything warm and bright!

We are going to grill something for her friends and for family, burgers and hot dogs or something simple.  And, I've booked one of those super big, inflatable water slides so the kids can wear themselves out. :-D  Sounds like total fun, right?

So, this is what I am working on. I'll be working on this for a few days. Reason 1, the beach scene is a three paper layered scene. Reason 2, I have to cut the palm trees out individually (using my Sizzix, not by hand, LOL!) and I need about 28 of them; the same goes for the B-B-Q pit.

I quickly learned I need to start with the sky. ;-P

Above it looks pretty good.  But when I added the palm tree and B-B-Q pit it didn't look exactly like I had visioned it.  It needs some pop.  I attached the palm tree with foamie squares to give it some dimension. (I heart foamies).   The B-B-Q pit had to go through the Xyron because the legs are so fine.

Maybe if I outline the edge of the palm leaf with a dark green ink and the trunk in brown it would stand out better.  Some ribbon along the edge might be nice.

For the inside I purchased a bright yellow vellum paper to print the party information on and I'll attach it with brads or tie ribbon through.  I haven't decided that part yet.  Just working on the beach scene.

What do you think?

Luau Party Invites

New Bloggie! Introducing WONDERMOM!!!

There's a new blogger in town!

Yes, my good friend, Wonder-Mom has found her way to the blogging world.  She's taking off quite quickly I must say.  [He he he, proud to have sucked her in so she can share all of her great ideas, tips, savings, creativity and fashion.]

Many of y'all will recall that Wonder-Mom basically single handedly decorated our play room for the kids a few summers ago.  This was a birthday present for me knowing my Dad was coming to visit and that I was planning Hubby's surprise 40th birthday party for the next month.  [Click HERE to see how it turned out!  And, she did it on a dime!]

You never know what you'll find at her place.  She's all about fashion, crafting, saving money, kids, recycling and getting the best bang for your buck.  While at the same time she's all about fashion.  She's about organizing and efficiency.  And, she's an all around great friend to have.  She's part of FW's posse.

Why last week she and her husband built an actual Agility obstacle course for their 1 1/2 year old doberman, Molly.  You can check that out HERE: Doberman Agility A-Frame Fun!

She's Harry Potter and Twilight too!  And, books.  Can't leave our her love of books.

So, please drop by her place and welcome my friend Wonder-Mom to the world of blogging.  You can find her at her place, Everyday Life With Style.  (Catchy, eh?)

New Bloggie! Introducing WONDERMOM!!!

I Am No Book Cover

I posted at Triond today.  It has been awhile since I've taken or had creative time to do so.  But, today I found a sudden inspiration. It didn't take me very long.

I Am No Book Cover

I read back through it several times forward and backward to proof it.

Then, right before I hit publish, I made one itty-bitty change.  Reread and it all was great.  Hit publish.  Five minutes later (that was quick) I received the confirmation email that it had already been published at authspot.com under the poetry section.

I click the 'view it here' button only to discover that I stumbled, though ever so slightly, over my words.  In that last, itty-bitty change.  *SIGH*  Attention to detail.  I know I did this recently in a hurry to get my CWCG #1 published but with those I always know I can go back and review them again and I do, on my blog.  Because proofing it on my blog is always a realistic view and things stare discrepantly at me in that view [insert reminder to read through the PREVIEW mode].

I do have to take time to slow down.  Walk away, come back and review again.  I could have it re-assigned (and admit my fault) but they aren't crazy about that concept.  I had to do a re-edit one time and I felt immature for having left the error there.  Though, this is not to say there aren't other writers there who don't proof well before hitting the publish button.  There are MANY.

Anyhow, it gives resonance to my poetic story.  I Am No Book Cover.  So do not judge me because I stumbled in my proofing.  You do not know me.   One cannot assess all that is me because of one little glitch.  This was just part of today's page...part of today's words that worked their way from my mind, into my fingers, playing a soft and kind tune across the keyboard and appearing in print for the world.

I Am No Book Cover.  Go read me and find out why. ;-)

Happy TUESDAY y'all!!!!

I Am No Book Cover

CWCG #2: April 2nd, 2011

Creative Writing Challenge Game

Okay, folks!  Time for round TWO!

I think the first CWCG went well.  I know a few participants are wrestling with their schedules to get their's posted.  I myself was running behind, having put off the final edits only to find myself lacking time when project #1 was due.  I'm looking forward to reading the others as soon as they get posted so let us know!

Ready for this month's words?
(fanning and spinning dictionary with eyes closed pretending to hear a drum roll)

Eyebrow -- the bony arch over each eye or the hair growing on this
Disharmony -- discord, absence of harmony
Frailty -- being frail, a moral weakness
Intransigent -- refusing to compromise
Thesis -- a proposition to be defended in an argument; a long research paper written by a candidate for a masters degree.

Theme:  Weather

Picture:

This month I decided to add a picture.  This concept came to me from the original PFC.  But, I won't be adding more than one picture whereas the PFC was based completely on the pictures.

FYI, if you are curious to know what exactly the PFC was, here is an excerpt of how it worked and my very first PFC piece.  (Boy have I grown, and implemented better grammar and punctuation since then.)

I say let us make this optional.  If the picture inspires you in some way or something about it insists on being included in your creative writing then go for it.  But it isn't mandatory.  I don't want to make this too complicated with too many rules.  Freedom to allow our thoughts to coagulate creatively is the concept of the CWCG.

All words must be used and your piece needs to be associated with the theme.  There is no word limit.  And, it doesn't have to be a story.  One could write a paragraph, a poem, or even a really efficiently constructed sentence.

FYI, anyone can play.  So if you are new here or a lurker, feel free to join us!  Just post a comment so we know you are writing along with us.

I'm going to set the due date for CWCG #2 for Friday, April 29th, 2011.  This gives us four weeks.  Get those mental transmitters going and Happy Writing!!

CWCG #2: April 2nd, 2011

CWCG #1

Howdy y'all!  It is time to post our first CWCG stories!  Let us know here that your's is up at your place so we can go visit and read/see what you came up with.



This month's words were:

Germicide – any antiseptic used to kill germs

Gander – to look

Pinkie – the smallest finger

mischance – bad luck

extoll – to praise highly

And the theme was:  School

PRIVATE SCHOOL DIARIES

Farrenhill Private School has always been the school for the elite. To my mischance, my parents are rolling in money made from investing in Macintosh back in the 80s.  Thus I’m part of the elite, making it a requirement that I attend FPS.

To my parents’ dismay, I’m not much for the hoity-toity type events.  The clothes alone are such a stifling stigma.  I prefer blue jean cutoffs, Team Edward T-shirts and sketchers.  My parents being the understanding type don’t press me too hard.  Attending FPS and participating in the Junior Booster Club are their only requirements.  In return I am allowed to spend my free time however I like which is usually swimming in the lake or reading on my kindle.

Tonight is one of those suffering Junior Booster Club events.  A fund-raiser dinner and silent auction to be followed by a dance.  Sofie Slight, the Junior Booster Club President, insisted that the violin section from her father’s symphony provide the music and entertainment.  I would have suggested Justin Bieber, the Jonas Brothers or Taylor Swift, had I been consulted which obviously I was not. I mean, who dances to the violin? 

Introductions are made by the club secretary acknowledging the Dean, the Head-Mistress, a few other faculty and then Sofie, who gracefully rises from her seat to take her place at the podium.  She’ll surely have some speech to melt the money right out of the attendees fat wallets.

I fight the urge, my mind telling my eyes to stay focused forward but they betray me by taking a gander.  Sofie’s mom is holding her champagne glass, pinkie held high in extol, as her daughter approaches the stage.  The ‘Slights’ have always been held in high regard.  They fail at nothing. Their family’s flamboyant perfectionism permeates among the rest of us like germicide.  Even their family name inferrs that the rest of us will always be slighted in their presence.

Sofie approaches the stage wearing a tight glittering gown perfectly fitting her Barbie doll form, made by the family’s personal seamstress I’m sure.  She was probably stitched into it.  Her sauntering walk and slender, swaying hips exude confidence as her 2 inch heels click with the rhythm of her steps.  She adjusts the microphone to compensate for her supermodel height of 5’8.  Her outer beauty is sickening.

I twitch as the sequined halter of my own dress sandpapers a rash on my neck.  Sofie introduces herself to immediate applause from the audience.  Then, she begins her eloquent monologue, the speakers carrying her melodic voice throughout the auditorium.  I sigh to myself knowing this is going to be a long night.

Suddenly something Sofie says wakes me from my open-eyed nap.  “This year we are replacing the silent auction with,” she pauses for impact, “a live auction featuring each of our club members for one weekend!  The members have all agreed to participate and will clean your windows, pick up your dry cleaning, or even clean your pool.  Whatever chores you need done, the member you win will be yours for the entire three day weekend!  Isn’t it fabulous!”  She almost squeals with delight as voices and laughter echo through the audience.  It seems they too are all thrilled with this idea.  Of course, anything Sofie does or says is always thrillingly appreciated.

I never agreed to do this, um, at least not that I’m aware of.  I’ve never really paid attention to the paperwork handed out or the items voted on at the FPS Junior Booster Club meetings.  I just fill my chair one hour a month to keep mom and dad happy.

“So, our first member up for auction is Emmeline Porter.  Come on up here Em’, it’s for a good cause.”  She smiles that beautiful, glamorous, witch of a grin.  And, by witch I mean with a capital ‘B’.   I greet her smile with my own, my molars grinding so hard I think my jaw will lock.

“Go on,” ushers my mom, her eyes glimmering with eagerness.  She loves this stuff.

“You are the very first club member up for auction so everyone’s pockets are full. I just know you’re going to pull in a big donation. This is so exciting!” She exclaims, trying to contain her enthusiasm.

Yeah.  Excitingly humiliating.  Sofie Slight, I’ll get you for this, I vowed as I approached the stage.

Share your thoughts about my story.  If you notice any irritating habit or have a suggestion for me to work on please share that too (easily on my ego, LOL). :-D

I'll be back probably tonight or tomorrow with the post for the next assignment, CWCG #2.  I'm going with the dictionary again, a theme, and I might search for a random picture to add just so spice it up a bit.

YAY!  What fun on a Friday!

CWCG #1