I am so very blessed in life. I really am. I have so many blessings. Like you guys. I have no idea where I would be without this site. I really can’t thank you guys enough. I hope you will follow me into the third chapter of my life when I start traveling a lot. I appreciate you all but you all know this whole recapping thing is not the way I want to die. I want to travel.
I think of all of you as my friends. My REAL friends. I know I am a cunt most of the time. But lots of us know more about each other than our own families. I know this is true for me at least.
So if you are struggling to be close to your families, know you will always have a place here. And some of you offer a place in your families.
And to those of you who are struggling this holiday season know that this is truly a safe place to fall.
Y’all know that I keep a strong foot on the door of people we let in here and without you I would have no job. Y’all are the kindest bunch I know. So my Christmas wish is that you would pay it forward as well. I have a nice friend that makes me feel special. And I want others to feel special too. Let’s all be kind and giving this Christmas season. Pay for the guy behind you at Starbucks if you can. Help out the family down the street with all the kids. Do something to make life easier for someone else. If you can.
And if you are in need, I pray that some of us live nearby. Our country is very divided right now. But for me, if you could just be kind to someone. That is the first step to bringing us all together. Just pay for the guy behind you at the Starbucks drive through. Make a small change. Things are so fucked up right now. Just be kind sayeth the bitch. Try it. It will make you feel good.
I’ll try my best.
And yes, I love coming here. I feel much freer here in TT World than most everywhere else. Thanks for putting up with all our crazy here.
That’s so beautiful! Merry Christmas, TT!!
Merry Christmas to you, Tamara! I will definitely love to hear about your travels. I know you love it so.
Thank you for providing safe harbor for so many years
I love this post ! Thanks for being YOU 365 / 7 / 24 you constantly amaze & surprise me. You got depth in the ghetto & its joyful to experience.
Thanks for this, TT! I’m so thankful for you and this site. I am not the best person with words, but I read all of the comments and pray and laugh and cry. I am always here reading and feeling very much a part of this little community that you created even if I’m not the most vocal. And I can’t wait to follow you on future adventures, your inserted stories are always my favorite part of the recaps.
I’m always reading and checking this site for new posts and the comments but rarely comment. I will follow you were ever this blogging journey takes you. Your commenters are the best of any site. Merry Christmas to you Tamara and to all that read here. Also thank you for the grits recipe. It was perfect
It’s usually the biggest bitch that has the biggest heart. And soul. And thanks, the rest of us bitches will try to consider others this week- I’ve got a few in mind that I could try this attitude on- and hopefully learn from it. Gratitude and Grace. You got it.
My wish for you is health and happiness in the decade to come. You have been a source of comfort and laughter in a shitty shitty year. I WILL pay it forward.
Aww! Merry Christmas my friend! Thanks for being so awesome!
This was so beautiful Tamara. I don’t always post, but read here all the time. Well, I make up for it with all the annoying posts when BB is on.
I always try and pay if forward throughout the year. Even talking to someone elderly in the supermarket can help, it’s those small things that we can do.
I have been reading your site since almost the beginning. I love all your posts, even when you’re telling us that we are annoying, for instance, reminding us about the commenting rules. I will always be here with you for all your journeys.
I love you, Banjo and all the commenters here. Every one of you!
Y’all know that I usually write paragraphs but Laila said exactly what I want to say so I echo what she said. And I love that cartoon!
Love everyone here as well!
GROUP (((HUG))) ❤️ xoxo
Oh good, I found you IJC. I am so happy that your kids are home and cozy with you. I read it somewhere tonight, but forgot where. Enjoy your Holiday with your children! Tell us all about it when they leave, I’m sure you will have some happy memories made with them this year.
GROUP (((HUG))) back to you and everyone here!! <3
Xo Laila! Hope you have a very merry Christmas!
I’ll follow your travels. This site provided me with the most incredible strength two years ago when I posted I had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. I posted at about 3:00 a.m. and a commenter saw it and gVe me support and strength when I needed it most. I thought it would be a blind post that no one would ever see. Cheryl responded and kept me safe that night.
Your site is not just a recapping site, it is truly a community. I’ll follow you wherever you chose to go.
Daintyfeets, that is still one of the most important things that I have to remember. And I think of it often. A gift for sure. Xo
Please never forget the support and strength I received from you. It was amazing how never do I pop in at midnight. Just knew I needed to.
Our bonds are strong, and the best thing is look at you NOW!!!!!!
I adopted 2 special needs kids for Christmas and bought presents for them for the holidays. The only shopping I did, and man, it feels good. I went ki da crazy with it, but it was worth it.
What you’re doing is what The Holidays are all about. You are going to make two children very happy this Christmas. You’re a special lady. Merry Christmas!
♥️♥️
I’m happy you’re here! For all of you, love and joy and peace, and Thanks TT. I read, rarely post and hopefully will remember my username/password. Xoxoxoxo to all.
Awwww. Just awwww. 😘
The adopted addition to your family. Awww Daintyfeets.
It’s been a weird rough ride lately but I was able to “pay it forward”
MY sister and her wife work with disabilities and my sister wanted donations for her birthday to a Therapeutic Horse Center for children with disabilities. Best I ever felt giving a gift. 💛
Thanks for the reminder. I find myself in such a hurry sometimes and so preoccupied with the chaos in my life that I don’t help others often enough.
I vow to do more. Thank you!
Damn…that was SOMETHING. TT, thanks for the safe place. I second all the warm fuzzy things people are saying. So tired of the divisiveness.
And I eagerly look forward to TT Travels.
Thanks TT! That was beautiful, and a good reminder. I’m grateful for your recaps; I look forward to reading you every day. Merry holidaze! Hope you and the Lawn Kid find a good balance. Maybe you need each another to different degrees. Love to you and Banjo.
All of the feels TT.. Thank you for allowing us in – This site has been a breath of refreshing air. I’ve been living this past 1.5 year with a family tragedy and here in this community, I can just be ME & be accepted “as-is”. Can’t wait to see what 2020 brings for you and how tight-knit this community stays. ❤️
Awwwe! That’s so nice. Love your soft side, and your cunt side! Love it on here. Thanks for giving us this site. Yes, we will continue to follow you into your next chapter. Thanks for the reminder to be nice. It’s been a shitty day and I was feeling like a Grinch Bitch.
TT Travels sounds amazing! I will live vicariously. Especially since I am starting to slowly move away from Bravo. Gasp!
Also, I second the idea of paying things forward. If you are looking for inspiration or just want some feel good, holiday cheer, I have a friend who started a charity. It’s called Kindleigh and they do exactly what Tamara was talking about. The big one at this time of year is they pay off someone’s lay away at Walmart. It’s really cool.
We love you TT!!!
So appreciate this and we love you TT. Will pay it forward whenever I can! Can’t wait to see your travels. Just got back from Amsterdam and Germany. Was wonderful esp. all the history and gorgeous architecture.
I am very thankful for finding this site. This year has been one of the worse for me. This site has given me an outlet to vent and to listen to others. It has helped me get out of my depression and has helped me to keep moving forward. Honestly I do not know where I would be if it wasn’t for this site. So thank you.
Merry Christmas tt 🙏❤️🎄🎅🏻🤶🏻🎁I just finished making my 4th rum cake, and now I have to go pick up my sister from under her tree🎄She keeps saying she is a present or something like that🤦🏻♀️I told her not to eat more than 1 slice at a time. Come and bring Banjo and have Cake and Coffee anytime you can, ❤️🙏🎄🎅🏻🤶🏻🎁
I might need that recipe!
It’s just the one with the yellow box mix and vanilla pudding. I add extra rum for certain people❤️🎄🎁😜
Nice!
This restaurant I used to go to had the most delicious coconut cake. I asked the chef how she made it. She said just plain white cake mix and white frosting with shredded coconut on top of course, but she put cream of coconut milk in the batter. I never tried it myself. I was always afraid it would be too soggy, but boy that cake tasted good, like tasty from scratch, not a box.
I found this site when I needed it most. I will follow you anywhere. Wishing you love and health, as Kelly Dodd tried to say… So many people here make me laugh. And worry when they disappear. I won’t name you because I may forget one and that won’t do. I love the complete sentences and no curtsies textspeak. But most, I love you Tamara. And Banjo. I hope he heard THE BEST SONGS TONIGHT.
Bah Humbuggery and Happy Fucking Holidays. All year.
Such a great idea. I always buy my favorite pharmacist and her staff lunch at Christmas. It isn’t much, but I like to repay them for all their hard work for me because I am a train wreck.
What a beautiful & amazing thing to do 💕💕💕
This year is gonna be hard for me in weird ways, even though I’m SO STOKED about one of the gifts I’m giving (more about that in a minute). For 19 years, I’ve had my boy to cuddle with… I typically put his fuzzy butt in his carrier a few days before Christmas and hauled us both to my parents’ house (the house I grew up in from 12 to maybe 28, 29? Don’t want to do the final math). My cat Simon was so comfortable at their house and hated the car rides, plus as my parents have aged it was useful to be at their house so I could prep food, help decorate, or clean house b/c they host Christmas Eve (my house is too small), I would basically move him and I to their house for a week or more around Christmas. I’ve gotten used to him not being bodily present in my house (I think he’s visited me a couple of times, spirit wise). Where I feel REALLY weird? At my parents’, where I don’t have to worry about keeping my old bedroom door closed so he doesn’t get out to beat up their dog. I don’t have to stop working on the people food so I could prep his prescription food and go up and spend some time with him. Their dog is still weirded out that when I am there, my bedroom is open to him. It is also gonna be weird not organizing/wrapping packages in our room together
So I’ve decided to pay it forward by finding a pet food bank and donating to it in his memory. My family donates to the food bank every year at my mom’s request (her birthday is early December… as she says, she has everything she wants pretty much and her b-day is close to Christmas, so use that money towards the food bank)
OH… as for the present I’m stoked for … I’ve been taking pottery classes for over 2 years. Wheel throwing. In my latest class, I got some special clay that I’d actually used a year and some change ago – I wasn’t experienced enough for it at that time, frankly, but my Mom LOVED the results (if you glaze it in a light color, it has some grog in it that causes it to “speckle” through the light glaze. People think it is the glaze, when it is actually the clay). So I bought some of that clay 6 weeks ago, and have been throwing like crazy with it for the past month. I even bought some special white glaze for it. Saw the results tonight, straight out of the kiln and it turned out GREAT! My pottery teacher even high fived me and said he also was super impressed.
Thank you for once again reminding me why I love this site. A random art post to brighten my day.
Try getting some clay from a yard, refining out the organic bits, and mix with porcelain clay. Great feel on the wheel.
Oh my… If I ever get my own wheel. I strictly stick with the place I take the classes – they have specific requirements if you bring in outside clay (so that everything gets fired the same). I HAVE thought about getting one, but taking these classes has become an important part of my being social and not staying home all the time 🙂
Working my way up to porcelain some day! This last batch of clay with that grog in it was a little rough on the hands!
Y’all are making me excited to open Xmas gifts from my youngest. She made everyone’s gifts and cards by hand and the gifts are heavy and fragile so I’m sure it’s ceramics! 😊
Merry Christmas TT! All of my Fur Grandpups and I LOVE you and cannot wait for your adventures in traveling posts!!! Will for sure give back and pay it forward this holiday season!
Be kind, sayeth the bitch. 😂😂
Just another reason to love you!
Happy holidays to you, TT, and to all my other friends in here!
This site has been my only bright spot on many dark days. THANK YOU for all you do, TT. We looooove you!
Thank you for the tea. This site is part of my daily routine and I very much enjoy it and reading all the comments. Merry Christmas
So wonderful TT – such a good reminder! For those who are feeling lonely this Christmas, let’s meet here Christmas Eve in Tamara’s world! For cheer & support. You are not alone! Thank you Tamara – you are such good people. ❤️
Merry Christmas everyone. I don’t have a lot of funds so this year I put a post up around town and on our town facebook page that I will babysit while the parents wrap presents for free. I am off work from this friday until Jan 2nd and I love kids. I have 2 grown sons and 6 grand kids. I’ve had a few families set up times for me to babysit while they wrap or go out. I don’t have much to offer, but I can offer a day of fun and play for kids and give their big people a break.
What a sweet, thoughtful and precious gift. I love that idea! Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas. Drinks by a pool in 2020. Bitch xo
God I miss drinks by the pool.
Tamara you go girl!
All of us born in the 60’s are the first generation with this “Third half of our lives” to figure out. Heck we used to just give it up and settle into the rocker by 60 and now we’re looking at how to max our enjoyment of the next 30 yrs so go for it!!!!!! We’d love to hear about your unique perspective on you travels, especially the Middle East which we need more understanding of.
1960 here and I am going skiing next week with a group of crazy people, including a husband who skis off trail. I plan to hide in a lesson and pretend it’s my first time. I’m also more out of shape than I’ve ever been.
TT, love this post! I do think though that you underestimate your recapping skills and the escapism you provide. You could write a recap in your sleep, and it would be more witty and bitchy than anything else out there. Please don’t give up what put you on the map as that ratchet website.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Merry Christmas everyone. I am excited for your post about traveling and the food!
I stumbled onto this site years ago for the Recaps and quickly became devoted due to the manners intelligence an overall discipline you find on this site nobody called anyone a name we all have an opinion and mother keeps us in line can’t wait to see what happens next
OH we call people names! Especially me. 🙂
Nah, you just say “Go fuck yourself” when I need to hear it!! You know how much I love you TT, I have been here for many (6-7?) years, used to read you on my flip phone, you took me through some of my darkest hours and now things are looking up again! This is a community, we may be a fucked up community, but we are there for each other. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!
(And thanks for welcoming me back 😉 xonancy
Always enjoy your posts. Probably bc I’m 865 area code lol.
Well once again I am saying GO FUCK YOURSELF . All I ever did was try to help you.
This is sometimes what i get when I send people here a few dollars just you know mother may have been right.
“Nancy From The Smokies said
Speaking from personal experience, you do give too much too fast, and when thanked say “Oh, I do it quite often!” SWIM? Makes it seem like No Problem! when you really mean “it’s ok, you are not cutting into my grocery money.” This is from my personal experience and then I humiliatingly ASKED YOU FOR MORE MONEY!! WTF?? It just seemed like you kinda had taken me under your wing (where I got that fucking idea who knows), so just wanted to give you some perspective that is uniquely personal to the situation. You for sure like wanted to take him in, get him educated and stable, and he mistook that for $$ Because just because he does have that potential, he does not know shit right now. I had a kid that age, they just want to hang out and get laid. I mean, I think it’s a noble endeavor-but you may be tilting at windmills here. Let’s hope not. Love ya
So maybe don’t do any pay it forwards. Maybe they are all entitleld bitches like Nancy from the Smokies…
So glad you’re back, Nancy! TT, so sorry it bit you in the ass. If it’s any consolation, the daughter who came home a week early came the week she has pms. Let’s just say I forgot how much she changes when she’s on the rag. I’m praying that the one that is coming tomorrow is on a different cycle. Holed up with two pms-ing hormonal little bitches might be the end of me.
Over
Looked everywhere for this comment because I feel terrible for posting it. My baby was not pms-ing, she was getting sick. We spent yesterday in the urgent care because she was progressively getting worse. Got a shot of antibiotics and steroids and scripts for both. Y’all please don’t blow off every cold this year if you start to run a fever. There’s some bad bugs out there and it’s flu season so please get your flu shots. Trying not to preach but I learned the hard way and I feel terrible about it! Especially if you’re on an airplane this time of year-the germs just get re-circulated. That is all.
Except, Merry Christmas everyone!
Your kind message made me cry. I’ve enjoyed your blog from the very beginning. And although I don’t comment much, I look at you all as my friends and enjoy every single comment. Life is to be enjoyed doing the things you love and being with the people you love. I’ll be here for part two of your journey.
The strength of this site is amazing. ( I commented how things are, (SUPERFUNK) but I started thinking, and erased my issues,) I do have everyone here, who i truly do need and more so, trust.
I have some things I will share when strength allows, but until then, thank you all, for knowing that your there.
Group hug, love it ❤
Tamara and Banjo xo
Please do not erase your thoughts. I’ve put stuff out there that I thought about erasing but didn’t. No one will judge you especially me. Some of us can’t be cheery all the time. Believe it or not you will help others just by expressing your thoughts. Please know you are not alone. Best wishes Cheryl!
Praying for both of you and sending you both a ginormous hug. I hope you both know that you’re special people. I hope you both find 2020 brings you peace and better days. Hang in there ❤️
I’m waiting with bated breath for 2020. It’s going to be life altering. Perhaps the anxiety of the unknown is affecting things. I am a control freak out of control, lol.
No matter what, I have to be okay. Ugh, just ugh.🙃
Gimorous hugs back at you. ❤
Cheryl and Prycer, I know whatever it is, you will get through it. This too shall pass. Didn’t someone write here that anxiety is about the future and depression comes from the past? Yippy! Both are fun! Not!
Don’t worry, everything will be all right. I promise.
<3
Hey Leila 😊.
Just getting that little but of yuck 😝,out, I did wake up better. I have to keep letting things out, or I’m going to “pop” like a friggin balloon!!
(Blame it on my family that talking wasn’t okay unless it was positive. This is what you end up with)
Everyone have a good day, I am!! Xo
Laila , sorry.
Thank you Prycer. Best wishes to you as well.😊
God bless TT. I quit work 8 years ago due to health disability. Your site has been an immeasurable gift to help me to combat such a life changer. Thank you so much for all of it! Much love 💚🤓💕
Hello!
Just want to say Merry Christmas & Happy Whatever Holiday you like to everyone.
I only found this site because you did recaps for 60 Days In….The first season!
And have been coming back ever since….And I don’t even watch Housewives shows.
Thanks! 💜💙💜
You’re so right, TT. We are so divided. I just donated to my local Meals on Wheels. It was my grandmother’s favorite cause and she frequently helped out. It’s been too long.
I hope travel gives you more peace than it did me. Travel is the last thing I want to do now!
TT- You said it best “a safe place to fall”.
I will definitely be with you in spirit and see the sights through your words as you live your best life through your travels.
I can’t wait for your travel blogs. I’m about to have two in college, so I will be living vicariously through y’all. But I have a good life, not complaining. I will try not to vent about my wackadoo extended family come Christmas. It’ll be all kinds of Grey Gardens up in there. Just wanted to share that there was a tornado that went over our house this week, and I’m beyond thankful that we only had minimal yard debris. And yes it did sound like a freight train. Prior to the tornado, my husband and I decided we wouldn’t gift each other this year, we’d help out with a need instead. So we contributed to a fund for an older lady whose roof was completely blown off. I’m still praying for you and Lawn Kid. I want him to realize you’re not Momma Warbucks. All the love to ya, sister, and to the rest of you awesome folks.
Merry Christmas Everyone!!!
TT, thank you for the best site on the internet and for the community that has grown out of it too. I cannot wait to read about your travels so that I can live vicariously through them and enjoy them. To all the awesome peeps here, I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. This has been the roughest year I’ve had in a very long time on so many levels and this has been my safe haven to come to, even if I don’t comment for weeks and just read – I never fail to be inspired, touched, or learn something I never knew before, and most importantly, I’ve learned to laugh again. Please remember to cherish those who matter most to you in your life and spend time with them. Personally, I cannot wait for this holiday season to be over with, as I am feeling very sad right now. On Tuesday, my only sibling, my brother, passed away from Stage IV lung cancer, both lungs, which had spread to his brain, liver, and pancreas – he was 10 weeks from diagnosis until death – that’s all the time we got. We tried to do hospice, but because of the brain lesions and the narcotics, he suffered a horrible case of something called “terminal agitation” – let’s just say it was awful and leave it at that. He passed at the hospital at 4 a.m. Tuesday. Buried my Mom last year, my Dad 14 years ago, and now, my only sibling – I am last gal standing and I am so lonely already. Yes, I am blessed with a beautiful daughter, son-in-law, and two sweet/beautiful granddaughters, but this holiday they are spending with my SIL’s family, which is awesome too. I am just going to hang out in my PJ’s all day on Christmas and find something to watch on TV, or I have the entire DVD collection of all of Grey’s Anatomy and the ER, so maybe I’ll binge watch those. ….And to all, a good night…
“I WANT TO TRAVEL” TT, that is so exciting to see the first post from the first travel, doing what you want to be doing.
I don’t know how much better it can get.
I will be here, 100%.