NEVER...EVER...GIVE UP HOPE : Wouldn't You Love To Be A Fly On The Wall?

Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall sometimes? Just to see what goes on behind closed doors? Here's your chance. This is a group challenge sharing what is going on in our homes.

Blackberry or iPhone?

Everyone in my family has an iPhone. Even my 2.5 year old grandson has an iPad. So.... what's the problem that I can't decide whether to upgrade to a newer Blackberry or switch to an iPhone? I did my research, checked with friends, checked on-line and still had not made a decision. Off to the phone store, I was determined to have them help me decide.

"Please sell me a phone." I wanted someone to tell me what to buy. The agent proceeded to tell me about different features on a variety of phones.

"No, please SELL me a phone." Apparently she didn't get it, so I listened to her pitch about my choices. Then it hit me.

"Is Blackberry the only phone with a keypad?"

"Yup, last one standing."

"Do you have to have fingertip contact to make it work?"

"Yup, right again."

"So, with gel nails, is that a problem?"

"Bingo! Won't happen with the nails."

The decision was obvious; if I wanted to keep my nails, I would have to get a Blackberry.

I spent over an hour in the phone store and left more knowledgeable and more confused, but happy with my choice.

I had to return three times. One of those times I asked how to make a phone call. Can you believe it? Had everything else figured out except how to make a call. Then the agent came with me to my car to set up the blue tooth. To my surprise, he had a tough time getting it to function properly. That certainly made me feel better.

The next day, my email was not working.....back to the store. They didn't understand why, but they were able to fix it.

Off to the city the next day and had to make several calls en route. It was necessary to call my husband several times to make calls for me because my finger tips were not working on the touch pad to get into my contacts. I almost threw the stupid phone out the window. Then I had a brainstorm. I had a stylus for my eReader and it WORKED. It actually worked. A little inconvenient but I can keep my nails!

Who said newer was better?

@BatteredHope #Flyonthewall What does mommy say?

Out of the mouths of babes....

You know how we teach our little ones to say please and thank you by saying it for them? When they reach out for something we hand it to them and say "Thank you, Mommy."

My 2 1/2 year old grandson scribbled his name in a card he colored for his mommy for Mother's Day. She opened and card and said "Did you write this?"

Proudly, he said in a condescending tone, "Thank you, William." My daughter burst out laughing and knew she had taught him well.

@BatteredHope #Flyonthewall Why is there always just one shoe on the road?

Question of the decade

I have a question that no one has ever been able to answer. I just can't figure it out. I have thought of different scenarios but they don't make any sense. Maybe there is no answer. There may be more than one answer but I am really only looking for one. The right one.

When you drive down the highway and there is a shoe laying on the side of the road - WHY is there always only one? Can anyone give me an answer? Recently I saw three single shoes on the side of the highway in a span of one mile. This is driving me nuts - I need to know.

@BatteredHope #Flyonthewall Why do some people always procrastinate?

I married the world's Number One procrastinator!

Living in a rain forest by the salty sea, BBQ's don't last long. The last time we used our bar-be-que the entire back fell apart from rust. I was concerned about getting a new one because I had no idea who would put it together. Our son wasn't around anymore and I certainly couldn't do it. Aha, another brainstorm. I invited friends for dinner -- "Here's the deal. We feed you a wonderful meal but you have to put the BBQ together first. Otherwise, we won't be able to eat."

"No problem! We would love to come."

The rest of the week my husband tried to convince me to use the old BBQ one last time so our guests wouldn't feel like we were 'using' them. I knew that wasn't the case. I also knew it was his way to put off doing it.

My hubby is not lazy. Just the opposite; he works hard. But when it comes to doing something around the house.......how many of you can relate?

Carrying the 100 pound box into the back yard, I held my breath, wondering how he was going to get out of this one.

"This is going to take a couple hours to put together. Let's do it another time."

"The reviews online said a woman could put it together in half an hour," I lied.

Two guys. Some sweat. A few left over screws. One and a half hours later, we were eating dinner. Lesson learned? Not really. I've been married to this guy for over 40 years -- you tend to learn a thing or two.