Top Ten Reasons My Family Hates Me

Good day, Blogpals,

Okay, admit it. You thought T/T-M/M/L/E had blogged her last. Real life had finally gotten the best of me. Actually, real life has gotten the worst of me, and YOU, my friend-fams, have gotten the best of me! Read on. As the year comes to an end, I've decided to reflect on my life. I'm sharing my thoughts with you. Are you ready? Here are the top ten reasons my family hates me....


10. I forgot my great-nephew's names on my Christmas letter. That's right, I welcomed 3 new Bridwell clanbabies, but forgot the fourth: Drew Kirby, Kit's adorable bambino. I have offered to feature him prominently in next year's Christmas letter.

9. I get people into trouble without even trying. In my Christmas letter, I bragged about my daughter-in-law Megan setting up my printer. This led to her own mother wondering why she never did such things for her which led to Megan spending Christmas day setting up her own mother's printer and DVD..and well, you get the picture. I just never learn to keep my mouth shut.

8. I can't make decent Christmas cookies as you can see from "Mr. Snowman". Well, at least we did get a lot of laughs out of our attempts. Thank God for Teresa Foster who takes pity on the O'Connells throughout the year and provides us with properly constructed, perfectly baked sugar cookies while we burn batches while doing I don't know what at the kitchen table and not hearing the buzzer.

7. I have irrational fears of opening my front door or the garage door. I am nearly an agoraphobic once I get into my house. For one thing, it's been freezing cold here and everyone but me seems to think our outdoor cat deserves to come inside and warm up. The cat heartily agrees and tries to worm its way inside every time I open either door. Now, tell me, why did God give the creature a free fur coat?? For another, we had yet another wild animal episode last week with a possum getting into our garage because a certain person left the garage door open "just a bit" so the cat could get to her heating-pad, space heater-warmed bedstead. The man of the house resorted to Nancy's internet-fueled suggestions of throwing ammonia-soaked cotton balls at the critter which seemed to bring on another internet-supported condition -- a frozen state of shock (on the possum's part, that is). For the record, animal control doesn't consider possums in the garage an emergency, only possums in the house. So, now I'm afraid that a possum or a cat will attack me should I open any of my doors... You should see the recycling and garbage piling up at my door...

6. I forgot to turn on the oven Christmas Day and we ate 3 hours late...Yeah, this is a new one, even for me. I had to ply them with shrimp, crackers, cheese, beer, wine, whatever.

5. I fix food they hate. That's right. They all complained about having ham for Christmas and wanted lasagna instead.

4. I give them wastebaskets for Christmas. Isn't Cody (Molly's boyfriend) cute showing his off?

3. I can't use my new cell phone. If you get a text from me that reads "a...," it means, "Hi, how are you?" Just don't expect me to write back or to read what you write back. I don't have a clue, and Nancy is out of town. Bob and I have nearly resorted to cans and strings for our communication. (You young readers won't know what that means..)

2. I haven't mastered my new Kindle yet. Tim (the dear boy) patiently showed me how, but my success so far has been in turning it on, but having to ask Bob how to turn it off..

1. I blog instead of trying to improve myself. I could be reading my cell phone manual right now or perfecting my sugar cookies, but I am writing to you instead, dear friend-fams.


Hope you all have a happy new year! Now I expect you all to comment and tell me why you LOVE me!! Or even more reasons why you don't. I don't care, just say something.

Hamming it up,

I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth

Caked in Tradition

Hello, Sunday Slackers,

Is it snowy and below zero where you are? If so, I'll be happy to provide you with some cooking advice. See what great results you can get? You, too, can "bake ahead" like me and be ready for the holidays. The photos capture my trademark "lemon cake". I know what you're thinking, "That cake certainly looks like a lemon to me." I included it to make you feel good about yourself. If you haven't wasted your time and dirtied your kitchen, you're a step ahead of me..which isn't saying much...I've already had a minor "Christmas miracle". Promise you won't tell?? About 3 weeks ago, I discovered that I had lost the Master card. Not wanting to upset anyone, I kept this information mostly to myself. I checked online every day to confirm that no bandit was buying big screen TVs. Why the secrecy? Well, you see, I have a bit of a reputation to live down. I recently lost my driver's license. And earlier this week a young man called and woke up Nancy saying he had found my cell phone on the ground out side the bookstore. I hadn't missed it. And to make matters worse, Nancy lost the Master card twice last year, so losing Master cards is a sore subject around here. Christmas is a bad time to do this, too, as Bob makes his yearly trip to the mall about now with --you guessed is --his Master Card. Just when I thought I would have to fess up, an envelope arrived in the mail. The contents? New Master cards! Unbeknownst to me, our cards were expiring in January anyway, so I was saved from myself!..In other news, my friend and I took our elderly former neighbor out for lunch. While at the nursing home, I spied another former neighbor. As I walked over to greet her, I could tell that she didn't know who I was. I explained myself, and she replied, "You've gained ten pounds and gotten old." At least one reader will know who this is if I reveal her initials : RG. I wanted to say, "Do you find yourself a little short on visitors, R?" But my good manners kept me from doing any such thing...So, I hope you feel good about yourself after reading this. You are superior to me, a spaced out "loser" (both figuratively and literally) whose only talent is raving on.


Old, bold, and a sight to behold,
I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth


P.S. Remember that I have no idea how to change the order of the pictures, but you can figure out the order, cant' you?

Giving It My Best Shot

Hi, Blogmates,

Lots of things annoy my husband (I won't mention any names here), but this one took me by surprise... He hates it when people say, "Shoot me an e-mail." He claims he never has and never would use such terminology. I had not really thought about this particular misuse of the English language, so I have been surreptitiously observing my office mates the past few days to see how many "shooters" I can find. You could say it's open season in my office as everyone is either shooting or being shot at all day long. Well, shoot, I had no idea!...Aside to my niece Kit who gave me a most generous gift the last time I was in Paris,IL -- a CD that a lady was throwing from her float at the Chrisman Christmas Parade. Well, I listened to it all the way back to Columbia and I quite enjoyed her rendition of "Danny Boy." I thought I was back in R land...Holiday preparations? Well, the girls got the tree up and decorated 5 days ago, but somehow I have failed to get the mess that accompanies such an undertaking sorted and put away. I would shoot ..er..I mean take a picture of the state of my living room and post it, but I'm afraid it would destroy your Christmas spirit as it has mine. I think I'll just blog while watching Conan model a pair of jeggings even though I have no sheets on my bed and and 2 baskets of laundry beside me. All because I love you guys..or I'm a lazy slob..

Shooting you a blog,

I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth

P.S. Mom and the 2 "Mouseketeers"; Gabe, Sarah, and Emily; Mom with 4 Patrick Coadys

Mom Turns 100!

Hi, All,
You didn't think I'd leave you blogless, did you? You're saved! Tiz is talking again.

I am still beaming from Mom's 100th birthday celebration. It was quite sensational and memorable. Coadys, Bridwells, and friends galore gathered to celebrate the remarkable woman who is my mother. She was a perfect lady in her gold suit with matching gold shoes. Her sister Wish would have approved. The mayor gave her the key to the city and declared the day "Catherine Bridwell Day." It was a day we will all remember. Thanks to all of you who were there and to those of you who sent cards and flowers. Mary and I have had fun reading the cards to to her.

I've also been thinking of all the reasons it's bad to have your mother turn 100. First of all, whenever I tell people that my mother is 100, they immediately do what I would do. They do the math and assume I'm about 80. While there are days I could pass for 80, most days I don't look a day over 75. Secondly, my mother gets way more attention than I do. What's the big deal? Why does she get cards from famous people like the president and Willard Scott, who chose NOT to feature her on a Smuckers jar?? Furthermore, at 100, she has the perfect excuse not to do anything for me anymore. Why, I haven't had any of her fudge or even a pork chop fried in an ancient iron skillet and browned to perfection in quite some time. Well, enough about me....

I'm reprinting the article that appeared in the Paris Beacon last week. It's not available on line:


Catherine Bridwell Turns 100
Submitted by Elizabeth Bridwell O’Connell

On November 16, 1910, Catherine Coady was born at 509 Marshall Street in Paris, IL. Nearly one hundred years later, she’s still there. Catherine, also known as “Kak” and” Katie”, has seen Paris change dramatically in her lifetime. She recalls sitting on her porch on Marshall Street each May and watching bumper- to-bumper cars from Chicago drive by on their way to the Kentucky Derby. She remembers the bustle of downtown Paris on Saturday nights when the farmers would come into town and line up outside the barbershops to get haircuts and shaves. Catherine enjoyed people-watching on the square. She and her friends went to the movie each week. Admission was ten cents, and a man named Pearl Clouse played the organ to accompany the silent movies. Paris had a trolley car called the Interurban which ran from south of town to Twin Lakes and also to Terre Haute.
At home Monday was wash day. Catherine’s mother brought water into the kitchen from an outdoor pump, boiled the water in large pots, and scrubbed the family of nine’s clothing with a bar of Fels Naptha soap on a washboard. Her mother prepared a full noontime meal which often included roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, and homemade pie. On Sundays, her father would buy a leg of lamb.
Kak graduated from Paris High School in 1928, the year of the first May Fete, a Paris tradition that continues today. She has attended all but the past two May Fetes. Catherine’s high school English teacher was Carolyn Wenz, who also served as principal of PHS. When a school problem arose, Miss Wenz would leave the class alone and return when the problem was solved. Catherine doesn’t remember anyone acting up while the teacher was gone.

After high school, Catherine stayed home and kept house for her father and siblings. Later she got a job at Mary Van Houtin’s Dress Shop on East Court. She enjoyed helping customers and meeting new people.
From her 20s into her 90s, Kak belonged to bridge club. Midge Mercer. one of her bridge partners, introduced her to her cousin, Vic Bridwell, who was had just returned from World War II. Vic was visiting Paris on his way to San Diego where he planned to open a business. However, he found himself drawn back to Paris, Illinois, a town he ultimately came to love and consider the best place anyone could possibly live. He and Katie were married in 1947. Vic and his brother Ken opened Bridwell’s Grocery Store which they and, eventually, their sons ran until the mid 1990s. Catherine and Vic had five children: Bob, Tom, Mary Ann (Magers), Elizabeth (O’Connell), and John, who died in infancy. Catherine has eleven grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren, all under the age of 5. Catherine has continued her tradition of cooking a big meal at noon each day . Even today, you can find pork chops and mashed potatoes on the weekday lunch menu at the Bridwell house and a family member or two in attendance.
Catherine has been blessed with good health and a long life. While she doesn’t offer tips for living to be 100, those who know her have learned much from her example. Her Catholic faith has sustained her through life’s joys and hardships. Her interest in others and the world around her has kept her young. She has a positive attitude, doesn’t complain, and is willing to go anywhere at any time. Last year she and her daughter Mary Ann traveled to Ireland . They stayed with Kak’s daughter Tizzie (aka “Elizabeth”) and her husband Bob. The apartment elevator was broken for the first three days of the visit, but Kak valiantly walked up and down the fifty-seven steps several times a day without complaint. While there, she visited her mother’s hometown of Kenmare, County Kerry.
Her children are hosting an open house to celebrate Catherine’s birthday on Sunday, Nov. 21 from 1:00 – 4:00 at St. Mary’s Parish Hall. All family and friends are invited. There will be a short program at 2:00 PM. No gifts please.



MOUSE ALERT!!! I have been remiss in reminding you to set your mousetraps. As a result, a veritable rodent army has been assaulting Tim and Megan. The mouse count is 11 so far with Bob advising Tim to sit outside one night when "he doesn't have anything better to do" (what could be more important than protecting his fair damsel Megan from a fainting spell?) and catch the fiends in the act of unlawful entry into the garage. So, you Thanksgiving slackers, if you do nothing but raise a drumstick to your slobbery lips today, please also remember to set your mousetraps!

Happy Thanksgiving, you turkeys!

Still insulting and revolting,

I remain
Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth

See you next week!

Hi, friends and foes,
I've been too busy getting ready for Mom's 100th. Check back next week and I'll have all the details and pictures, too. I will see many of you soon!!! Can't wait.

Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth

A Surprise Attack

Good day, Friends, Frenemies,and Blogstalkers,

I have been part of a secret operation. No, I'm not sitting here in a straight jacket dictating this to my nurse. I have, in fact, been part of a covert plan of shock and awe. I can now smile, wave, and say emphatically, "Mission accomplished!" The secret photos I was able to smuggle out are Tiztalk exclusives...My old (and I do mean OLD) friend Pam's husband decided to put one over on her once and for all. He hosted a surprise birthday party two months early. In a darkened room, we operatives silently got into position. When the door opened and the target was in sight, we let loose with our most potent weapon: our big mouths. The target nearly fainted, and 5 days later some of us are still smiling at our desks and in our homes at the thought of it...Pam (aka "the victim") was my college roommate. I have written this poem in her honor.

A Poem for Pam

I have a friend named P.
She means the world to me.

She's funny and she's clever.
She's the best friend ever.

We met at a tender age;
bellbottoms were the rage.

Though she tended toward hot pants and halters,
I could never fault her.

For she's always looked quite fine,
this dear old friend of mine.

Some people thought it strange -
the hick from Paris, the babe from LaGrange.

But we'd laugh until we'd snort,
then come out with another retort.

Who knows why people click?
Who knows why friendships stick?

But we've stayed friends through the years,
through the laughter and the tears.

Though our lives were full and busy,
we made time for Pam and Tizzie.

Our phone calls are legendary,
causing our families to become incendiary.

Somehow forty years have passed.
My, it's all gone fast!

So on this special day,
yes, I know it's still two months away,
I just have this to say:

I have a friend named P.
She means the world to me.



Still snorting, retorting, and reporting,
I remain

Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth

P.S. Longtime readers know that I have no idea how to change the order of the photos above, but I did put them in in the right order.