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I give up, US Postal Service

May 28, 2015 / Life / 0 comment

Today is a day where I say “Citizens Unite” don’t EVER use the post office.

They lose everything. I mean everything…. and when they do, they make it incredibly difficult for you to get a refund. Flower Girl Dresses, completely AWOL…packages miss-sorted, apathetic operators, delayed packages, a terrible website and need a refund? …. forget that. AND YOUR RATES ARE GOING UP MAY 31st?

When I was a kid, you got mail twice a day and on Saturdays, once. Post men were nice and the only joke was whether your friend was fathered by the post man. I once got a letter delivered, around 1970, addressed to “Marg Hyland, New Jersey”. Mind you my father was in state politics but did they throw it away? Nope, they cared then. Now, the post office is a joke. They just don’t give a damn…. its the same apathetic attitude you get from anyone who has a tenured job for life with benefits that you are paying for. We all complain about the post office and I am normally supportive of anyone doing their job albeit one they really don’t have to compete for. What I am against is the gross negligence they perform as a reliable delivery service.

USPS – you are doomed.

A little update June 18th, 2015

Just try to get your refund. The website says – go to your local office… then they treat you garbage there. So you call the 800 number – they tell you that you can, then you can’t, then you can, get your money back at the local office. They then make you call an 800 number again…. then more waiting, holds, misinformation. Mind you for a friggin $70. In total, I spent 4 hours and 22 minutes with the post office. I just cancelled my account. No more express mail. Sorry folks. They won’t deliver it on time anyhow, they will instead lose it, or better yet – steal it like they did last November when they CLAIMED they left it at the right address. i just got a call from a bozo named Jose who was supposed to take my complaint about the jerk at the Windermere Post Office who mistreated and abused my $14k a year account. Instead, he informed me you can’t get the refund at the local place after being told again I could. he actually conferenced a call to the same 800 number I waited on line for yesterday in my 4 1/2 hour conversation. SO, more to the point of the story – he can stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. I told him to take his wife out to dinner with my $70 bucks. No WONDER they lose money every day – I hope they go out of business because trust me – they are no competition for UPS or FedEx. BUT they get my money for their million dollar pensions. WHAT AN EXAMPLE OF THE LOUSY WAY THE GOVERNMENT RUNS BUSINESS. Oh wait – they can’t.

Be careful what you say about others, you Troll

January 29, 2015 / Kids, Life / 0 comment

I wrote this earlier on our Facebook Page… a day later and I am still seething!!

I got REALLY angry yesterday…..I mean over the top. Truly.

Apparently, there is, I think it’s called trolling, a tendency for people, very caustic people, who think it amusing to say whatever they feel about someone, and someone who was in this case, a young girl who through no fault of her own was given an affliction by God himself.

We all have been touched by these fabulous kids…me back in 1981 when I began working with special needs kids as a student teacher while working on my Master’s (though I quit teaching). The kids at this school were physically or emotionally challenged, and it was there I learned about spina bifida, cerebral palsy, autism, and so many more afflictions and how sweet and loving and relentlessly brave these children were. Each was so very special to me and made such an impact on my life. As i grew to love them and their parents, I realized that these kids are gifts from God and their parents were, in my opinion, absolute heroes. What I learned the most was not to be afraid of interacting with special needs kids.

Well, a comment on Pinterest to one of my photos of a sweet little girl made me wild! HOW DARE SOMEONE CRITICIZE A CHILD! Do you actually think you were funny? is your poor pathetic life that miserable that in order to feel better about yourself, you need to make a comment on their looks, or size, or handicap. I watch all kinds of special programming mostly on Discovery because I want to see them succeed in their trials. Gosh, seeing kids go through hell on a commercial, or live in another country that they somehow catch a break and get special medical attention, or a savant who plays classical piano, or the child in a pew at church who is ……well, the decent people in life know what I am talking about. Instead I want to offer their mom or dad a big hug and to the child who made me think how lucky I am to know them, if just for a moment, I want to say thank you for coming into my world.

Well, this self-absorbed little squat bug in a cow’s feces decided to make a troll-like comment on my Pinterest board and let me tell you, who ever you are: I am going to hunt you down, you moron with your selfie pose and make you wish you never crossed my path, however anonymously, you mean jerk you! Then I will wish you nightmares and night sweats the rest of your moronic life. Oh and yep – ha ha ha – Pinterest agreed with me and took your lousy self absorbed account down.

Ok. Slightly done ranting here. How could anyone, particularly a woman, make a judgment on a child, a loving child whom is God’s blessed angel on earth?

Fitting Some of My Parents Into My Home – A Sad Goodbye

January 11, 2015 / Home, Life / 0 comment

I don’t know what I like best, putting up Christmas decorations or taking them down. I suppose what I do love is the lights – though my neighborhood was not so into it – one was a renter and the other neighbor had twins a day or so after Christmas so they were busy on their own accord. What I DO love about taking the decorations down is that it makes things be back to ORDER. Christmas decorations, though I love them and the memories they hold are another layer on what you already have so it gets a bit messy for me. This time, taking them down I was able to some rearranging, and finally completing some of the things I hadn’t gotten done before. I also acquired some things from my parents winter home in South Florida now that they passed away. I stored some things for my son from their possessions for his first apartment post college, but some really pretty accents blended fairly nicely into our home. So I suppose these things will help me to remind me of my mom and dad and the wonderful memories of their home in Naples FL.

I had the sad task of closing up my parents winter home though they had passed away, mom 5 years ago, dad almost two years and I found myself saying final goodbyes. My sister had actually bought the home from my folks before they passed and had just sold it but I guess it was hard to think of it as her home since it was still filled with my parents things as if they had gone north for the spring. The one nice thing about it was that I was able to keep some of their possessions and incorporate them into our home in Orlando. Walking around today after getting the Christmas decorations away, I was able to use some of their pieces into our home and took some pictures.

My folks had a passion for collecting unusual art in their Naples home. Here two wood carvings blended well on the exterior of our turquoise “Pegeen Blue” home.

Tiffany blue house – turquoise and lime green look great together here in this sitting area on the brick porch accented with this metal wall hanging.

Reading room – finally a lamp that worked perfectly – the little decorative ceramic pot was covered with glass and sat on a wooden stand. I kept the wooden board that we tested all of our paint colors on – sort of a art piece – that hid the wiring for the computers reading-room

Every one should have a turquoise bed for their dog!! (above)

Their display cabinet and plant stand found a new home in our sun porch.Our sinour

Even mom had a sense of beach style for their home on the coastal shore – and peach, lemon and turquoise was pretty predominate in her home. Dramatically different than their classic northern home, I felt some of her pieces would be happy at our home. I was so excited to add four leather aqua chairs from her kitchen – they fit great into the desk area and we added them to the interior desks as well as some in our offices.

It was very sad saying good bye to my parents and going into their house last week in Naples. Knowing I would never go back was very overwhelming and I cried for what seemed like hours. Finally, I was able to get to work on breaking down their home. I suppose many who lose parents such as I do finally get to that big grieve… you know the one where you just have the air escape from your lungs, knowing that parts of them will be gone forever. This past weekend was that time where you walked around their home, expecting to see them, remembering the time you would visit a furniture store with them or some of the art galleries picking out the perfect piece for a corner or a room. I miss my parents sometimes so much – wanting more of their time, their wisdom, their company.

At least I now have some pretty things in each of our rooms to remind me of them. I will get to the upstairs next week. For now, I am resting my bones.

Porches

December 16, 2014 / Home, Life / 0 comment

In the summer and spring, and sometimes the fall, here in Florida it is always warm – even hot. Porches in Florida are a decorative thing with shade.

It’s not often you get to sit on them, its usually buggy and hot. Like New Orleans hot. But around October through February, even March you begin to understand why you moved here in the first place. The weather is beautiful and as Florida likes to brag, truly a sunshine state. It is pretty rare that there is overcast like we got up north…. and the skies are so blue. Of course, Florida is also the land of lakes, lots of lots of them. Yes, you sometimes curse them as you have to wind around then, roads stopping, starting again…. and Orlando is notorious for crazy roads that go part of a way around lakes that stop suddenly. But this story is about porches.

Sitting outside on the porch or even the sun porch is just lovely. You read the books you couldn’t outside. You sometimes get a “Florida Room” which was really a screened in porch with glass…. urgh that ugly glass. You know, those small 4″ panes in a louver glass window pattern and then you kind of roll them up to let in the sun and air. NEVER the heat though. Well, we decided to use the glass from an old renno, rather our old house, and put them into the screen windows. They were really the cut glass inserts from doors around our old house that we carted from storage to storage until we found a place where we could use them. So it was time to get them out of storage and get cracking on this new project. We really did it last Christmas vacation when my boys were home from college and they could lift those 400 pound doors into place.

We were able to get sliders from Johnson Hardware that allowed them to pass each other. Although we did this last year, we are happy with it now that we are in that time of “Florida Porch” weather. This year we were able to finally enjoy the porch and we are in the middle of Christmas Decorations, finally bringing out those Thomas the Tank Engine trains that the kids loved when small and those ceramic Department 56 houses we collected long before the bills got crazy…. you know “AK” “after kids” when you no longer had any money. Enjoy the Christmas Holidays!

What is your favorite family time?

December 2, 2014 / Life / 0 comment

A YouTube video featuring a man trying not to laugh while gently scolding his two sons for covering themselves in paint reminded me of this happy day many years ago when my boys were young. Their imaginations would take them to magical places, and that day they were on a voyage to the land of Pocahontas. The night before we had a family movie night and watched the Disney VHS tape and it fired their creative instincts. My wife and I are so thankful for those times which we cherished then and, now that they are adults, even more so.

Although the movie nights are not as frequent as I would like, we all enjoy the time together. As sentimental parents, we need this now as much as we needed it then. When I hear the boys laugh during “The Internship” with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, it warms my heart. I can close my eyes and still hear that same laugh that I heard years ago watching “The Lion King” or “Pinocchio”. That same laugh I heard when they looked at my face upon seeing all that paint on my little warriors that memorable day. I wasn’t angry, in fact I live for those kind of moments that last a lifetime. I don’t know if they had more fun painting themselves, or washing each other off with supersquirters.

Does anyone know of someone who is a caretaker? Let them know you are thinking of them.

November 1, 2014 / Life / 0 comment

I posted this story last week on my Facebook page. After hearing the great news about Sargent Tahmooressi’s release today FINALLY, I hope you all think about our wonderful military in your thoughts and deeds. I wish our White House did. Oh, and Army V Air Force today. Go Zoomies!

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED ON FACEBOOK: “I had an interesting conversation just yesterday. I’ve been in a Debbie Downer mood for some time cause things don’t always go my way (damn it). Well, my hubby’s diabetes is so bad, I convinced him to let me sell all his power tools a few months ago. That’s not the story though. A woman had come by then and yesterday she again knocked on my door. Her husband is a Wounded Warrior and she remembered we had a bow flex that I said was collecting dust due to his joint degeneration and asked if I would be winning to sell it so her husband could do strengthening exercises as he lost use of his (3) limbs. Naturally, I wasn’t going to sell it to the nice wife of a Wounded Warrior so my son dismantled it to fit it into her car. We got to talking about what her life was now like being a caretaker yet she reminded me of my friend Kelle from East – always smiling and still amazingly, praising God and happiness.

I mean this wife had it bad. Her day started like mine around 5am but what she had to do in a days time was a lot tougher than my 18 hour days. She was also lifting my mood (I am never down much at all but the past few weeks have been trying), in a quiet way as we both sobbed about the worries we have about illness/injury meant on our children from a parent how we fretted for them and laughed about the endless wonderment that we never forget to give medicine out but forget our own, and the satisfaction at the end of the day was that our kids were happy or our sadness that they may not be. Such a common bonding we women experience, likely because we do talk.

So Jim and I always like to say, what we would do if we were blessed with good fortune? My life is nothing like this young wife who believes in sickness and in health to be never complaining and happy to get support from Wounded Warriors for her husband. How can I, one person only make this woman’s day happier for her? To put her first instead for just an hour? Anyhow, longer story shortened, a couple years back some one gave me a spa card. You know, one of those 25$ gift cards that I never seem to use. I dropped it off to her this morning. Told her she should get her nails done or a massage. First thing she said to me is that she hoped my family was doing well and she had a very close friend who’s life was tougher than hers but said, to sign the card and she would do the same and give it to her friend. You know, like pay it forward. I wonder, how many “friends” could you share a gift card to so that person knew you were thinking of them to make their day go a little bit better. Just for a time. No comments, no likes – go find someone who takes care of a sick one, or a mom who just can’t take it any more, or a remarkable mom who takes care of a special needs child and let them know, in some small way, you are thinking of them and want to make their load a little lighter that day.”

For my friend Jeff Smith….

October 9, 2014 / Life / 0 comment

I have a friend from high school, grade school even who is this incredible film maker, photographer and writer, Jeff Smith. A lot of what he photographs is nature – and I remember just a week ago telling him how his photography takes me to places I can’t go to now but through his eyes, I see the most incredible things. Like a grizzly in Alaska, at the side of the flowing river, salmon about to land in his mouth, or capturing firelight with a bunch of cowboys standing at night’s edge. I mean, Jeff has beautiful talent. You have likely seen his work, whether in National Geographic or even a recent “mermaid” shoot for an advertisement. (see his work at oasisphotography.com)

Sadly, Jeff lost his brother with a sudden heart attack. He is raising funds selfishly for his nephew’s college on GOFUNDME.COM – and wrote a wonderful tribute to his brother as well. I often think about this from my own perspective – what we all think about – if what if something happened to me? How would my children react? What if I suddenly lost a sibling, gosh I am still reeling from my parents death. My heart goes out to Jeff and his family.

Please check this on GoFundMe.com and if you can help, every dollar is well deserved.

Another Beautiful Wedding….and flower girl dress

August 24, 2014 / Life, Love / 0 comment

The bridal business has been a real joy to work in. I don’t know if I will do this the rest of my life, but it sure makes me happy to participate in wedding festivities. Early this month, I traveled to Kentucky for what was likely the most magnificent wedding I saw in a long, long time. I have been fortunate to attend a few weddings each year via my clients, but this wedding was a family wedding, and honestly, I think we have a new WEDDING PROFESSIONAL in my family (LOL), my sister. I was so proud of all she did and happy to share in her excitement this past year, getting her “girl on”, for Emma, like me, is surrounded by testosterone in the form of three boys (I have two, and trust me, I get sick and tired of smelly socks, football and shavings on the floor).

The couture flower girl dresses were from our Pegeen Fairytale Collections Style 904.

I promise to share more of this wedding because it truly was a wonderful event, filled with TONS of roses and pink and all the things Emma and I missed out on during our child-rearing days. So to you my sister in pink, bravo. I am so proud of what you did!

Photo by CHRIS CORNWELL

Flower Girl Dresses by Pegeen will be posted later on another day but here is a sneak preview. Photo below, family

Oh boy – here we go…. I love Gene Simmons even more!

August 18, 2014 / Life / 0 comment

I have to admit – I am a “Family Jewels” addict. I am not the kind who follows the celebrity ins and outs (except of course when they purchase Pegeen for family weddings) but I was so interested in hearing him last week on Outnumbered. (Fox). He made such good sense and for any of you that did not hear his perspective : ” A mother who loses a child is always about family and less about politics,” he continued. “On either side, it’s a terrible thing that’s happening.”

I watched Gene Simmons since I got hooked on Family Jewels – I mean the guy is really business smart. I was never a KISS fan, but certainly I was cheering him on The Apprentice a few years ago – makes good business sense.

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/08/07/gene-simmons-outnumbered-my-mother-was-holocaust-survivor

Tropical Pools – A great way for a year round vacation

July 7, 2014 / Home, Pools / 0 comment

I have to admit, when my family (i.e. kids) visited Disney, their biggest facination was the pool. Where were we staying? They would ask. Do they have a pool? Can I go in it.? I swear, we really didn’t need to buy park tickets, all we had to do is set them in a really cool pool. The more things in it to do, the better. We have stayed at beach themed (The Boardwalk at Disney was pretty cool and reminded me of Wildwood, NJ summers) and the best pool we thought was at Disney Coronado (awesome slide). I think we hit likely, 14 or 15 different vacation places down here and by far, it was the pool that got the kids the most excited. These builders now a days are really creative. I met with Tony from TC Luxury Pools for example and couldn’t get over his work. These guys are so creative and the software they use really can give you a 3 dimensional walk around your new pool.

Typically, we came down to visit Disney in December until finally, once cold day in 2003 we decided we had it and decided to set our roots down here. So then came the building of the pool. Our first home had enough space to play water volleyball for my growing and rambunctious sons but by far, the best part was an 8 man spa. What I didn’t know at the time was we were making for some great family nights together in that spa. It was large enough for the kids, who were 7 and 10 at the time, to go diving in the spa – one of their favorite things to do – but big enough to actually float on their backs and observe the stars. We lived far enough from the fray that we were always seeing shooting stars, and though not the desert sky bristling with glowing shards of light, it was sill plenty of fun. The greatest part was when the shuttles would go off, especially at night, and we would follow their path into the great sky. It was a pretty boring pool looking back at it, but it was a great place to bond.

The next two are by TC Luxury Pools and then Clayton Builders, both out of Orlando.

SO, here we are again, thinking about building a new pool and of course a spa. This time, because of our thinking about grand kids someday, we want that pool to have the same list of great things we always found in the pools at Disney properties. We decided too on a lazy river so that my husband, who has advancing diabetes, can always exercise against the resistance of the flow. But more than anything, we want to have a spa – a time for us to gather again. To talk about our day – or our dreams. My youngest son once decided in our pow wow session to collect books to help the decimated libraries after Katrina, and collect we did. 10,000+ books. My oldest would mentally write his papers for class and later, his college essays. Eventually, it became the place to hang for awhile. Once, during a bad hurricane season, we had no power for three days and trust me – it was the best place to cool off in the summer heat.

I’ve got my heart pretty set on this one below by Backyard-Oasis.com – even the name of the company sounds great, but again, need a giant spa.

SO I have been looking at our favorite “dreamy” sites, watching Exotic Pools on HGTV and pulling out every magazine I can get my hands on to dream of that perfect respite and drooling over the ones at Houzz.com – sigh. My kids are sure its just an opportunity to pick out new tile (my second favorite thing to do).

The International Awards of Excellence are awarded by the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals (APSP). Every year, APSP honors talented pool builders and pool designers for their amazing projects and water features. Here are my absolute favorites: