Elizabeth's Blog

…and because I have so much free time, I’ve now agreed to put together and teach an e-commerce class at two of the adult/continuing education centers here in Cincinnati. Should be a fun time– hopefully I will be able to help some small businesses get up and running. I’m looking forward to it.

So I’m a bit late in blogging, I’ve been a little busy lately. I’ve decided that Mother’s Day definitely rocks (if you’re a mother that is). My daughter made me a beautiful hand-painted Mother’s Day card, and a bouquet of flowers from paper and pipe cleaners that came in a lovely hand-painted vase made from a soup can. That, coupled with the iAUDIO U2 player I received from my husband and the new Weezer CD (released today) made this the best Mother’s Day ever. And of course the snuggles from my little guy made me all teary-eyed and girly, which was the icing on the cake.

We spent the day at an “Appalachian Festival” where they highlight pioneer and Native American crafts, food, and lifestyles. And of course the good old T-Mobile booth was there. My husband was dying to ask them about their “Appalachian” plan but refrained at my request. It was cool to see things like woodburning with just a magnifying glass and the good old sun (I saw my daughter filing that one away for future reference) and to hear the Native American drums and chants. All in all it was a very fun day.

It’s nice to be reminded that you’re appreciated for all the boo-boos you kiss and crusts that you cut off and games of 20 questions and/or peekaboo that you play ad nauseum… and also for the times (in my case the MANY times) you say “no!” and “time to clean up!” and “be nice to your brother/sister!” and “eat the rest of your lima beans!"… and for trying to teach the subtle nuances of life– be friendly, but not too friendly (especially to strangers); tell a grown-up if you have a problem, but don’t be a tattle-tale; why it’s okay for other kids to have bad manners, but not okay for you; share and be kind, but stick up for yourself when you have to… all of those conceptual “gray area” things, which are so fun to convey to a four year old.

So to all the mom’s out there - keep up the good work.

My running joke with the neighbors is that now that the weather is getting nicer and people have their windows open, I have to stop yelling at my kids because everyone will be able to hear me. All kidding aside, I have been very blessed with wonderful neighbors - on all sides of the house. We really are like a big family.

Yet sometimes I wonder what the neighbors must think of me; often times I am caught in an awkward situation– with no chance of escape. Take yesterday, for example. I get to work and am putting something away in the kitchen when I reach up on the top shelf of the cabinet, knock over a family-sized ketchup bottle, which ultimately soars to the ground, splattering all over the cabinet, the cabinet contents, the floor, and me. So after a half an hour of cleaning it up, I realize I really have to go home and change into something less ketchupy. Thankfully home is roughly 7.5 minutes away so I dash home, change, and as I’m coming out of my house, my neighbor comes running over. Our dialogue was as follows: (more…)

I feel like I should seek an existential detective company to solve my “coincidence". Personally, I don’t believe in coincidences at all; I’m one of those freaks who thinks everything happens for a reason and everything is as it was meant to be. But there is a strange name that keeps popping up in my life - and I feel like it’s some cosmic connection somewhere… or perhaps just a freaky thing.
Back in 1996, when I began working at home, we installed a second line in our home which was to be used for business. The only problem was that the person who used to own the phone number to which we were assigned was not too hip on paying bills on time. I used to get calls night and day on that phone, mostly from creditors, all asking for a “Michelle Kelly.” At first it was humorous, then it became annoying. In fact, it became so annoying that I had to put a message on the machine that said, “if you’re calling for Michelle Kelly, then you have the wrong number.”
Flip to a few years later when we sold our home and bought a new one. I thought I had left good ol’ Michelle Kelly behind for good. Not so lucky, unfortunately. (more…)

I was reading the news today and came across this article about a World War I veteran who was participating in a Memorial Day Parade. Although he is only 103, his driver’s license lists his birth as 1899 since he lied about his age to enter the War (which should make for some interesting data entry issues on his tax forms). I can only imagine what this guy has seen in his life, from the horrible casualties of war, to the amazing advances in technology and communication. Heck, I get depressed when I realize the kids of today have no idea what a record player is or what it’s like to type a report on a typewriter. This poor guy has seen friends and family pass away, and the world around him advancing at the speed of light. But his final quote in the article was what I thought really rocked: “I feel as though there are a lot of people around my age.”