Goodness, gracious I just can't stop!

So, I got to thinking about Ditto's jeans. Went googling for a pic of them. Here is what I found. Glorious! (thank you Fr. Ryan H.)
from this site.

YOU WERE A LITTLE GIRL IN THE 70's IF:

1. ...you wore that rainbow shirt that was
half-sleeves, and the rainbow went up one sleeve,
across your chest, and down the other. (HAD IT)

2. ...you made baby chocolate cakes in your Easy Bake
Oven. You washed them down with snow cones from your
Snoopy Snow Cone Machine. (WANTED THEM)

3. ...you had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with a
stethoscope that actually worked. After training with
these tools you became an expert at the game
"Operation". (HAD THEM)

4. ...you owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a
basket. In the early 80's you moved onto the ever
popular 10 speed. Gosh that seat hurt. (HAD IT)

5. ...you ever owned roller skates with metal wheels. (THAT WOULD BE CORRECT)

6. ...you thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute.
(Admit it!) (OK, OK! I'M A SUCKER FOR GEEKY LOOKING GUYS!)

7. ...you had nightmares after watching Fantasy
Island. (THE PLANE, THE PLANE!)

8. ...you had rubber boots for rainy/snowy days. Your
shoes actually fit inside the boots (with a little
help from your Mom and some plastic bags). (LIVED IN CALIFORNIA, DIDN'T NEED THEM)

9. ...you had either a "bowl cut" or a "pixie"
(not to mention the "Dorothy Hamill") because your mom
was sick of braiding your hair. How traumatic when
people thought you were a boy. (YES. AND THE FARAH FAWCETT)

10. ...your Holly Hobby sleeping bag was your most
prized possession. (NAW, BUT I HAD THE DOLL)

11. ...you wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers. (YES, AND OWNED ONE PAIR OF DITTO'S JEANS, WHICH GOT ME ON THIS WHOLE BLOGGING MARATHON TODAY!)

12. ...you begged Santa for the electronic game,
Simon. (YES, AND SINCE I WAS ALWAYS A VERY GOOD GIRL, I GOT IT!)

13. ...you had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those
pink and purple shredded outfits. (YUP. AND PURPLE SOCKS AND A PILLOW CASE WITH DONNIE'S MUG ON IT)

14. ...you spent hours out back on your metal swing
set with the trapeze. (NO, MOM WOULDN'T HEAR OF IT)

15. ...you had homemade ribbon barrettes in every
imaginable color. (YES! PURPLE MOSTLY)

16. ...you kept losing your mittens so your mom bought
you the kind that were attached by a string. (I PLEE CALIFORNIA)

17. ...your Hello Kitty pencil case was cuter than
anyone else's. (YES. I STILL HAVE AN ERASER AND TWIN STARS TOO!)

18. ...you wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really
bad; you wore that Little House on the
Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high
neck in at least one school picture; and you despised
Nellie Olson! (I WANTED TO BE MARY. AND YES, NELLIE WAS NO GOOD UNTIL SHE GOT MARRIED. SEE THE SACRAMENT REDEEMED HER)

19. ...you wanted your first kiss to be at the roller
rink. (AND MAY I SAY IT WAS. THANK YOU ORLANDO)

20. ...your hairstyle was described as having "wings,"
and you kept it pretty with the comb you kept in your
back pocket. (YES)

21. ...you know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well
as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie. (THERE ARE MORE, BUT I WILL NOT GO ON.)

22. ...you carried a Muppets lunch box to school.(NO, HONG KONG FOOEY)

23. ...you and your girlfriends would fight over which
of the Dukes of Hazard was your boyfriend. (TOM WOPAT)

24. ...every now and then "Its A Hard Knock Life" from
the movie "Annie" will pop into your brain and you
can't stop singing it the whole day. (THE WHOLE MUSICAL. I KNEW THEM ALL!)

25. ...YOU had Star Wars action figures, too. (I WAS LEAH!)

26. ...you thought unicorns were real. (DIDN'T FALL FOR THAT RUSE)

27. ...it was a big event in your household each year
when the "Wizard of Oz" would come on TV. Break out
the popcorn and sleeping bags! (AND THE SOUND OF MUSIC AND IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE)

28. ...you ever asked your Magic 8-Ball the question:
"Who will I marry, Shawn Cassidy, Leif Garrett, or
Rick Springfield?" (I WAS TORN. SURFING USA, HEY DEANNIE OR I'VE DONE EVERYTHING FOR YOU. TOUGH CHOICE)

29. ...you completely wore-out your Grease, Saturday
Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack albums. (AND WE ACTED THEM OUT IN THE BACK YARD. WHY WAS I ALWAYS THE BAD GIRL?)

30. ...you tried to do lots of arts and crafts things,
like yarn & popsicle stick God's Eyes or those weird
potholders made on a plastic loom. Not to mention
lanyards! (YES. AND THOSE POT HOLDERS WERE A HAZARD. MOM HAD ME LAY OFF THE ARTS AND CRAFTS AFTER SHE BURNED HER HAND)

31. ...you made Shrinky-dinks! (AND STILL DO)

32. ...you used to tape record songs off the radio by
holding your portable tape recorder up to the speaker. (YES. ALL THE DONNIE AND MARIE SONGS FROM THEIR SHOW.)

33. ...you couldn't wait to get the free animal poster
that came when you ordered books from the Weekly
Reader book club. (I LOVED THEM)

34. ...you learned everything you needed to know about
girl issues from Judy Blume books. (Are you there God?
It's me, Margaret.) (MOM FORBADE ME TO READ THAT. READ IT WHEN I WAS 18.)

35. ...you thought Olivia Newton John's song,
"Physical" was about aerobics. (ISN'T IT?)

36. ...you wore friendship pins on your tennis shoes,
or shoelaces with heart or rainbow designs. (YES)

37. ...you had Colorforms (STILL DO)

38. ...you wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer. (I KNEW ALL THE MOVES. BUT MY MINI SKIRT WAS LONGER THAN THEIRS!)

39. ...you had a Big Wheel with a brake on the side,
and a Sit-N-Spin.(THE BIG WHEEL WAS MY BROTHER'S, WHO NEVER LET ME BORROW IT. I FLEW OFF THE SIT AND SPIN AND NEVER WANTED TO GO ON IT AGAIN)

40. ...you had subscriptions to Dynamite and Tiger Beat! (OH, I LOVED IT WHEN SCOTT BAIO WAS ON THE COVER)

What in the world are those shoes about?

I took a look at María's latest blog post. Cute kindergarten class picture! It made me think about my chaotic childhood. Bouncing back and forth between Mexico and the US. Those were really good times. Maybe that's why putting down roots in one place has never been my goal in life. I wouldn't mind picking up right now and going back to the States, or maybe Canada, or Italy. As long as I know the language. Ok, Portugal or Brazil may work too. I could work the rust out of my very rusty French. Germany is out of the question. I started German 101 four times and only once did I make it all the way to the final exam.

But I ramble (that's becoming more common after I slipped, fell, had thirty stapes pumped into my head.)

So, I found this photo. Yeah, the one to the right. Mom took me to the neighborhood photographer when we lived in Ciudad Juárez and had him take six or seven photos of me in this dress. I still remember buying that dress. I so wanted it! With the pretty flower on my chest and the red vichy pattern on the MINI (yes, my first mini skirt! I wanted to be just like the big girls, but I didn't want my panties to show. Mom said that terrible things would befall on girls who showed their panties. All those teenage years that I spent wearing mini skirts I never showed panties. I'll keep digressing... I wore mini skirts when all the girls were wearing Ditto's jeans, saddle-seat style of course. Do you remember those? Yes, I went against fashion and wore mini skirts. My only objective was to wear those skirts and show no panties. I succeeded because none of the horrible things that Mom promised would happen if I did have come to fruition. Ha! Back to the scheduled stroll down memory lane...) skirt. Yes, I remember that dress! But what on earth made me agree to wearing those shoes. They are horrid. I am embarrassed. (This comes from a woman that has owned (yes, I am ashamed to admit it. You can call me Imelda. A few small villages could have been fed with the money I spent on shoes... Heard them all) over 150 pairs of shoes. ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY SIX TO BE EXACT. Well, I have photographic evidence that taste acquired!

Friday, December 14 - Childhood Memories

Lots to catch up on.
Last weekend I spent four days of pre-madness relaxation in the country. Mountains, sea, fresh air, roaring fire in the fireplace, sleeping late, going to bed early. It was great! Sadly, I could not update the blog but I have been keeping up with my Advent resolutions.

Today I ran into a great article by Deacon Tom. I reminded me of my childhood in Juarez, Mexico, my dear grandmother Mamá Lucita (hope you've made friends with St. Joseph :) ) and the crowd of people going from house to house with large figures of Joseph and Mary from Abuelita's Nacimiento asking to be let in. House after house the crowd would sing to be let in and the "inkeepers" would refuse. But at the very last house would always let the pilgrims in.
I especially remember the year I got to be the angel and would lead the procession candle in hand, with Joseph and Mary right behind me. How I wanted those wings and that halo to be real! How I wanted to be as "good" as I felt that special night all year around! I remember crying when I heard the people inside the house say no. They were saying no to St. Joseph and to our Mother Mary!!!! I didn't cry out loud. The memory of the tear stains on my white satin robe are so vivid.
But at the last house! Oh! To hear:
Entren Santos Peregrinos, Peregrinos
Reciban este rincón
Aun que es pobre la morada, la morada
Os la doy de corazón.

I feel so dumb for crying as I write this. But I know that the innocence of my short six years of life can no be recaptured. At least not by me, but my hopes are high for Julian!

Eleven short days to welcome Him. Patience is a virtue!