A lesson

When gardeners plant seeds, …they don’t doubt that the seeds will grow into plants

And gardeners don’t get lost in their attachment to the result;

they know the result is the there

this principle in nature is do less, accomplish more.

the law of least effort.

Trust in nature’s infinite organizing power is an important

component of the state of grace.

gardeners plant seeds and then let go

It’s the same thing for you.

Have a goal in your awareness, give it your attention,

and have no doubt.

Be effortless about it, and the desire will manifest.

-Deepak Chopra

For the love of Robert Plant

A musical phenomenon has taken place between my oldest son and I and that is an undeniable love of Led Zeppelin. I would not call myself an aficionado of Classic Rock and I haven't always had an affinity for Robert Plant's sultry voice.

I do have a slight history with the band thanks to my brother who is 4 years older than me. He exposed me to all kinds of music when I was an impressionable preteen. He would come and find me in the house and invite me to "mellow out" in his room. He would put on Houses of the Holy and we would lay around and drink Dr. Pepper while jamming out to D'yer Mak'er on his stereo. I was 14 and looked forward to those times with my big brother. We'd listen to Pink Floyd or The Doors and play air guitar.

Sometimes my Mom would force him to give me a ride places in his red Honda Prelude. He would blast Ramble On and scream "Wanna die?" right in my face. He would then floor it and take quick turns or get air off of railroad tracks while Led Zeppelin blasted out the windows in an attempt to torture me. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

Fast Forward 14 years and I had let Led Zeppelin fall by the wayside. It wasn't until I was pregnant with G that I started to appreciate them again. You see, I didn't crave any particular food when I was pregnant. No, I kid you not, I craved Led Zeppelin. It was insane. If they came on the radio I would lose my mind with excitement. "Turn it up!" I would yell and transcend to a happy place as the music spilled around me. I was obsessed and couldn't get enough. My husband was confused by my new found love for them but supported me on my quest for all things Led Zeppelin.

Now, G is almost 5 years old and he is crazy for Zeppelin. Just this morning as I drove him to school and the radio was on Scan (our CD player has gone kaput, it's radio tunes for us these days) when Whole Lotta Love came on. "Turn it up Mom!!" he shouted to me with excitement. I did just that and we rocked out as we made our way to his school. I looked in the rearview mirror and his eyes were closed, his head was swaying back and forth, and his hands fervently strummed an air guitar. He was in Classic Rock heaven.

It's a strange and mysterious force that takes over us.
I may never understand it.

Hayeppy Hollydayes

Merry "SITSmas"

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about
get with the program and go check out SITS.
It's a wonderful network of woman bloggers
that spread Blog love by leaving comments.
I've discovered some amazing ladies through SITS.

Anyhoo...today we are celebrating "SITSMas"
and there are prizes involved.
I want those prizes!
So...Merry SITSmas and a happy new year.

My tree topper wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas too.
I just love this girl, we found her at an old fashioned Five and Dime
and simply couldn't leave her behind.

I think that she looks like Phyllis Diller after one too many Martinis.
Hence the drunken Christmas wish.

Well, we've gone this far together. I may as well show you my fantastic Christmas tree.

Now you just have to see my fancy mantel.

My house looks like a glitter bomb hit it.
I hope that yours does too.

Winner: Bippity Boppity Bacon Edition

We have a winner for this week's instalment of Freakshow Friday. My non-biased and exceptionally hilarious Best Friend was the judge for this round. Here are the top three in no particular order.

Carol
I present to you "The Swinging Swines"

Amy
"Sure, their father was the foreman at the slaughterhouse,
but the boys thought the suits were in poor taste
for the annual Christmas card photo.
Not pictured are their sisters Lettuce and Tomato."

Georgina
"You wanna piece of meat?
YOU want a piece MEAT? Come on.
I'll give you a piece meat."

The winner is...

Georgina

"You wanna piece of meat?
YOU want a piece MEAT?
Come on. I'll give you a piece meat."

Georgina is the funniest Blogger in all the land.
Please head on over to her Blog
and marvel at this fantastic award she just earned
to proudly display forever.

Thanks to all the people who played.

Tune in this Friday for another instalment of Freakshow Friday!

Freakshow Friday: Bippity Boppity Bacon Edition

It's time for another instalment of Freakshow Friday. Where I ask my readers to come up with a caption or story for a photo taken from Awkward Family Photos. I am operating on a multimedia platform today because this week's photo reminded me of something HILARIOUS!

Enjoy.

Here is this week's photo.

"I've heard of calling your child "Small Fry" but this is ridiculous!"

Think that you can do bippity boppity better?
If so, you may just when this awesome award
and have bragging rights forever.


I'll also linkup to your Blog and make a big deal
about how flippin' funny you are.
Simply leave your funny caption or story
in my comments section.

The winner will be announced on Monday!

Today is kind of a big deal...kind of.

I had big plans last week because I was all excited about the fact that I was soon going to write my 300th post. I was also stoked to see that I was nearing my own personal and quiet goal of reaching 100 followers.

Well, the moment came and went without me even noticing. I am so smooth!

So, today we are celebrating my 307th post and the fact that I now have 104 followers. Woo Hoo!!!!!

I'd like to celebrate by saying a nice shiny thank you to my most loyal readers. I have created a very extravagant award. I wanted to create something that would make my favorite readers feel opulent and luxurious. Isn't she smashing?

I bestow this honor to my top ten most loyal readers. Many of these ladies have been with me since the begining of Leigh vs Laundry. Most of them stop by everyday to spend some time with me and all of them take the time to leave me a lovely comment before they go.

Speaking from the Crib
Lee the Hotflash Queen
It Aint Easy being Cheesy
Batcrap Crazy
The Motherload
Stir-fry Awesomeness
E on the Street
The Crazy Baby Mama
Let's Have a Cocktail
Peeling an Orange with a Screwdriver

To all of these readers, I'd like to say a heartfelt thank you. I get swept away on a daily basis by authoring this Blog and I couldn't do it without you. Please pass this award onto your top 5 most loyal readers and thank them, then ask them to pass it on to theirs. Be sure to let them know that they've recieved it. I really want to honor the readers of the world. Let's face it...we're writers first but we are all also readers and supporters of other Blogs. Without avid readers we would all be alone in this thing. Words are my lifeline and I feel so blessed to share them with you all.

I'd also like to thank ALL of my readers for stopping by. It was hard to pick just 10 because I have so many amazing followers. So thank you and you and you and you oh and you in the back, from the bottom of my Bloggy heart.

File this under: Stupid Crap that I did while I was in College

I met my best friend Erin in the fall of 1996. It was an instant friendship that has lasted through long distance and time. We did some pretty ridiculous things when we were first starting hanging out. We just had so much fun together doing the most mundane things. For example, once when we were bored, we headed over to the mall to waste some time. We found ourselves in the dressing room of G and G (which was a slutty store with cheap club gear) trying on skin tight vinyl pants. Neither of us could sit in the atrocious pants because they were so tight but we both marveled at how great our butts looked in them. They looked so good in fact that we started smacking eachother's asses and obnoxiously laughing. We would take turns spinning around and then "SMACK!" the sound of giggling and spanking could be heard throughout the entire store. We were so entertained and did this for so long that eventually a lady who worked the dressing rooms came to check on us. "Is everything all right in there?" a small voice called from behind the closed door. This just made us laugh harder.

In the end, Erin actually bought the pants and attempted to wear them to a concert. Which was hilarious because she couldn't sit in them. So, as we all sat and relaxed while we waited for the show to start, she just stood there in her fancy pants. One of our friends had a Korean exchange student for a roommate that came to the concert with us. He was feeling pressure from his family back home to find a wife while in America. He had his sights set on Erin in her tight pants and valiantly stood beside her giving her the eye. It was so funny to watch because she couldn't escape him.

Well, years later Erin met a boy named Matt. He was crazy about her and really put in some time to win her over. She told him this story about the dressing room smack down from years earlier and he drew this awesome cartoon of us in action. The moment has been captured in time forever. He even framed one and gave it to me as a gift as well. It totally worked. He got the girl and best friend approval. They've been married for 5 years.