Hi Everyone!

Welcome to the Chit Chatter Lounge, a place where you can put up your feet, have a virtual coffee/tea or a cocktail/wine/beer, depending on the time of day, and just share some fun and friendly conversation about anything and everything. :-)

I personally like to visualize things. I also like like to mix things up, so, the expect the decor of the lounge to change from time to time. My current vision of out Chit Chatter Lounge is somewhat inspired by the upcoming "Irish Month" (see link below). Notice the Irish colour scheme of the lounge, and the rolling green grass and woods just outside. Please make yourselves at home in our cozy lounge. :-)

http://blog.spafinder.com/uploaded_image...

Thanks Jayne! That looks sooooo cool and inviting!

Picture of a liger (a lion and tiger hybrid!) Awesome!!!

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...

Vivian "Rain" wrote: "Picture of a liger (a lion and tiger hybrid!) Awesome!!!"

Uuuhhh...they sure there isn't some leopard mixed in there? Where'd the spots come from? :-)

(right now) Happiness is (in no particular order):

Greek style honey yogurt
ginger limeade
fresh blueberries
books read by Stephen Fry
empty inboxes
reusable lunch bags
friends
brisk walks

Ahh Sans... That is nice. It is so important to remember the things that we appreciate, especially when the world feels heavy...

(right now) Happiness is (in no particular order):

listening to the laughter of my boys
a genuine smile from my husband when he talks about his day
a lunch date with my mother
a glass of red wine
homemade chocolate chip cookies
the end of a work-out
guilt-free time to read

April wrote: "Ahh Sans... That is nice. It is so important to remember the things that we appreciate, especially when the world feels heavy..."

I was wriggly-happy when I got back from my lunchtime walk and noshed on my yogurt and blueberries. I had to share.

I would like modify your list slightly to "a bottle of red wine". But that's just me. And Jen probably... ^o^

Generally speaking, I would say a bottle of red wine as well... But I wasn't sure if I was ready for all of you to know me for the lush that I am :)...

I'm loud and proud of my Bacchanalian tendencies.

Hear hear!

Well, since I'm finally out of m and m's, I could have some wine. :) My dad visited last week and brought these m and m's for my kids, but guess who ate them all? Me.

Anyway, they are finally gone, and I'm also done with Envy. Boohoo.

There have been too many books with cliffhanger endings recently.

Hey guys. I hope you don't mind me joining in on this one. It looks like fun. Hope you like.

Happiness is... (in no particular order)

Watching the sun set as it illuminates the sky in a dazzling display of color as it slowly slips beneath the horizon while reflecting againgst the waters of the ocean.

The sound of your child's first cry at the end of a long and hard labor. Amplified by being able to hold and see their angelic face for the very first time. All the while basking in the wonder of what you have created.

The scent of confederate Jasmine or Lilacs signifying that spring has finally arrived.

The sight of the full moon on a clear summer night as it appears to wink at the stars swimming in an endless celestial sea of beauty.

The sight of freshly fallen snow as it clings to the trees and ground reflecting the sun in a prismatic display of beauty that warms one's soul.

The passion, yearning, heat, and longing evoked by a kiss from the one you love or those feelings created by an artful and skillful writer in a good book.

and last...

Completing a book you just fell totally and utterly in love with and finding out at the end that it has sequels in print.(Smile)

That's the spirit! I'm in need of extra happiness today (travel arrangements are hell when people keep changing their minds).

I am bringing the chocolate and peanut butter...

Cho...co...late.... *drooling Homer style*

Hi Lisarenee! Those were great. :-) You paint such beautiful images. And thanks for the chocs, Angie!

I'm currently enjoying Moon Called by Patricia Briggs and looking forward to reading the sequels. :-)

*sighing blissfully while reclining on the sofa with my book and cho...co..late* :-D

Yay!!!!! Jayne is reading Moon Called! I can't wait to talk about it : ) Although it's been a while since I read the first one.

Those are some wonderful happy moments everyone! Thanks for cheering up my day : )

Happiness for me at the moment would be getting rid of this freaking sore throat/cold that has decided to wallop me over my break week from school...

...and making the homework assignment I have to do vanish into thin air.

On a perkier note:
Happiness is also
- playing Little Big Planet with my fiance
- having said fiance home from Afghanistan
- time to read
- having a job I like, even if it's just part time and pays piddle
- watching my cats do, well, just about anything. They are so entertaining.

Good morning everyone. :) I'm pouting. I have an 80's party to go to tonight, and my husband has misplaced my 8th grade confirmation dress, which I fully intended to wear.

Now, before any of you think that I am the size of my 8th grade self, let me assure you: this dress is the size of a parachute. It has gigantic shoulder pads, big plastic buttons, tons of ruffles, and isn't form-fitted at all. Seriously, my eight year-old daughter and I both could fit in it. It's big and absolutely ridiculous, and I really wanted to freak out everyone in this thing, but we can't find it.

We moved last April, and I have a small collection of hideous old clothing, including my homecoming dress, several bridesmaid dresses, and this old dress of my mom's from the sixties that might actually be cute now! I used to keep these in my bedroom closet, but my super organized neighbor convinced me that I needed to put them in the attic. I gave them to Husband and asked him to do exactly that about a year ago.

Yesterday, as I was crawling through our attic, which I'm terrified of doing by the way, there were no dresses anywhere! He says they are in a box??? How can you box up big, poofy old bridesmaid dresses? I think he is afraid to tell me the truth that he threw them away! And now I have to go shopping today for something that resembles authentic 80's garb. Shouldn't be too hard since those fashions are back, but that confirmation dress...oh the horror. I wanted to see everyone shudder. :)

Sorry for my confirmation dress rant. Nobody else in my house cares to hear about it, so I'm dumping it here. :) And as my husband says, "we have bigger things to worry about right now than your 8th grade confirmation dress." He's totally right, but you have to have a little fun, right? I've been messing with people with that dress for years. Like, I put it on when I have friends over and just walk into the room wearing it...oh, it's the funniest thing! The room goes completely silent. I even answered the door in it once, and my friend said, "Well, well, well...Hello 1988." How can I freak everyone out by occasionally sporting that stupid dress if he threw it away? I'm going to hide one of his old trophies or something just to get even with him. :)

Hope everyone has a good Saturday!

Julie wrote: "Happiness for me at the moment would be getting rid of this freaking sore throat/cold that has decided to wallop me over my break week from school...

...and making the homework assignment I have..."
Hope you feel better soon, Julie!

*trying to imagine Viola in that awful confirmation dress* LMAO

I had this pair of old jeans from high school that I kept as sort of a weight-loss goal thing. I totally forgot that my sis was helping me clean out my closet and we donated a lot of stuff to Goodwill a few months back. So, I've been really good going to the gym and eating healthy (for the most part), but when I went to find my "skinny" jeans, they were nowhere to be found. My sis had thrown them out. :( It was just a nostalgia thing, but I wanted those jeans! LOL

Hee hee...

I'm actually glad that I can't find my confirmation/parachute/ruffle dress. Just got back from the mall, and sadly, 80's clothing is very much in fashion.

I am now a pink and green flourescent nightmare complete with legwarmers, tiny multi-colored bracelets, feathery hot pink earrings that hang so low they touch my collarbone (seriously!),sunglasses with slits in them, and the finishing touch: a SIDE PONYTAIL!!!!

I also found my Monster Ballads CD, so I've been rocking out all day to my former love, Sebastian Back, singer of Skid Row. WAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh Viola, I would LOVE to see that! Have fun at the party!!

TAKE PICTURES!!!!

Ahenry wrote: "TAKE PICTURES!!!!"

PLEEEAASE!! I HAVE TO SEE THIS!

Is it odd that out of everything you described the feathery hot pink earrings are what made me shudder?

I know I am getting old when my first thought about those earings was that Viola better be really careful wearing them so that she doesn't pull them out of her ear. Back in the day I would have thought about how cute they were!

Hahahaha...

Speaking of scary 80s stuff... I finally uploaded the Jem picture from Halloween:

http://www.onetrooluff.net/images/jempic.JPG

Julie wrote: "Hahahaha...

Speaking of scary 80s stuff... I finally uploaded the Jem picture from Halloween:

http://www.onetrooluff.net/images/jempic.JPG"

That's awesome! Jem was one of my fave cartoons. :-)

Hope you feel better soon, Julie, and get your assignment done. Oh! And thanks for the Jem pic. Awesome! :-)

Viola, that confirmation dress sounded horrifically funny! That box may turn up somewhere hidden someday. But that outfit you got at the mall sounds pretty 80s awesome though. And I echo everyone else.... You. Must. Share. Pics! :-)

Yes, Viola! Share pics! Share pics! :D

80's Party Update:

Well, ladies, I um...woke up with a headache. :) It was a good party, and yes, I will try to post a picture on here so you can see me in all my flourescent glory.

About those earrings: I was nervous about them too, wondering if they would accidently get ripped out. Very nervous about that, but all went well. The best part was when someone asked me if I got my earrings out of my husband's tackle box. Apparently they resembled some feathery fish bait. :)

Sadly, I got my butt whipped on every song I sang during 80's Sing Star, but I was awarded extra points for my interpretive dance skills, so that's good. :) I think the audience felt sorry for me. The low part of the Sing Star experience was that "Paul Revere" by the Beastie Boys was not available. The best part was that I learned the actual lyrics to "I Want to Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd. I know, I know, this is a 90's tune, but we wore out the 80's songs, so we moved on to the 90's. And the words I sang back in the day...not right. Not at all. :)

I hope everyone has an exciting Oscar day! Anyone having parties?

Hi Viola! We had a little party at my house and it was fun. :) We thought the Oscars were very fun this year! Loved the new format.

Btw, I used to love Color Me Badd back in the day. *blushes* Can't wait to see your 80s pix!! :)

Ahh... It is a rainy Monday morning here in Portland and I am feeling chatty! I am picturing myself in a warm and cozy cafe somewhere, in front of a fire, with a steaming mocha in a white, porcelin mug between my hands, surrounded by my Cyber friends, discussing books and sharing stories!! Please join me, there's bound to be tons of laughter and raunchy talk! You don't want to miss it!

(I hope that you are all having a lovely morning!!)

*sigh* That sounds so wonderful, April. I'm not feeling very well at the moment, but just the thought of a cozy cafe and raunchy talk (see what effect those Kleypas books have?! LOL) brightened my day.

Sounds great as long as my coffee is fortified. Heavily.

Hey Sans the earrings were my favorite part! I would love to have them!

Holy crap Julie! That is so authentic! The shoes are freakin perfect, too!

Viola, that outfit sounds awesome! Pretty, pretty please, can we see it?

Julie, I'd forgetten about Jem! That costume is perfect! Thanks for sharing : )

I tried on a pair of treggings the other day at the store, but they had too much spandex in them, like bicycle shorts with brass zippers.

Julie, thanks for sharing your Jem photo!

Wow!

A "once in a lifetime" flu vaccine in development:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/2...

Wow, Viv, that IS crazy!

VIOLA!!!!

One second I saw a vision of pure 80's brilliance and then it was GONE! Don't tease us so...

Hee hee...thanks for the compliment, Jenn! 80's brilliance?!!? I'm so proud!

Okay, so I had to include a group photo from my 80's party. You can see that we were all extremely hot. Big hair and side ponies were ALL the rage. I'm on the bottom in the flourescent nightmare of a shirt. I wish you could see it all up close because you're missing out on the glasses and tackle box earrings!

Vivian "Rain" wrote: "Wow!

A "once in a lifetime" flu vaccine in development:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/24/earlyshow/health/main4823831.shtml"

Man, I didn't know that 36,000 people die of the flu every year in the US. Crazy. Interesting article. Thanks, Viv!

That's great Viola! I love it!!! You all look like you had so much fun : ) I can't believe that someone thought it was a good idea to mass produce that shirt!

Umm, and that you can get it brand new. Now. At your nearest mall.

Vivian "Rain" wrote: "That's great Viola! I love it!!! You all look like you had so much fun : ) I can't believe that someone thought it was a good idea to mass produce that shirt!"

Oh...about that shirt. You can get it in pink and orange as well. Just go to your nearest Wet Seal, and it's yours!

I'm bummed because you can't see my super leg warmers either. And the glasses...so bizarre. They weren't sunglasses either. Just glasses with slits in them. But at Wet Seal, they were free! You get a prize for buying that silly shirt.

One other thing: my pal Jenny in the purple tights won the Debbie Gibson award for best dressed female. She has on a Purple Rain t-shirt. This caused me to sing that "Wendy and Lisa" song all night. :) Anyone remember what it is called?

Jenn "Awww Yeaaahhh" wrote: "Umm, and that you can get it brand new. Now. At your nearest mall."

I know! I kept muttering, as I held up flourescent hoodies with paint splatters on them and hot pink fishnet tights, "this stuff is hideous." My daughter said, "Mom, stop saying that. You're insulting their merchandise." I tried to explain to her that it's just hard to imagine why anyone would want to do that again. Can't they learn from our mistakes?

Oh, and did I mention that I actually tried on hot pink leggings with a giant tank top that was SUPPOSED to cover my rear? Yeah. Didn't work out. :)

Lol Jenn : )

Thanks for sharing your secret clothing source, Viola ; ) Wet Seal here I come! I think I have a pair of Wet Seal pants, but they are boring black.

I like the paint splatters...but with a black background. Much more scene.

That pic is hot! You look adorable!

The Wendy and Lisa song...Do you mean Computer Blue? They were their own group too, it looks like. I did a bit of googling for you.

Not that I don't mind googling on my own.