Darned food manufacturers!
They develop new food items, market them and get us hooked on thems, and then they jerk the rug out from under us by taking them off the market. Grrr!
The M&M people developed mint-crisp flavored M&M's and put them on the market in conjunction with the new Indiana Jones movie. Once the novelty of the movie had worn off, they jerked the new flavor off the market. Get us hooked, then leave us hanging!!
These things were delicious!! Tasted just like Girl Scout thin mint cookies. Ah well, probably just as well as I could've eaten my weight in these things.
Then the Green Giant people (Betty Crocker/General Mills subsidiary) put out the frozen bag of vegetables, Garden Vegetable Medley. Get me hooked on them, and suddenly they are no longer to be found at the grocery. Grrr! Did they discontinue the product or did my store just stop carrying them? I don't know, but I really don't like having to go from store to store to store to look for things.
I did that once before when it came to my Campbell's Nacho Cheese flavored soup. The stores stopped carrying it for the longest time. This was a major staple in our house for making queso. I wrote the Campbells company and asked if any store within a 25 mile radius carried it (this was after I'd looked in over 8 stores and had come up empty). They finally replied to me, listing 2 Kroger stores that still had the product. Needless to say, I drove to the first one and only found 2 cans. Went to the second store and found 13. I purchased every single one (at an outrageous price as Kroger is so much higher than the other grocery chains). We had to make our supply last as long as possible, 'til several months later when they finally started stocking it in the local stores again.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Throwing it all away?
Eek! Forgot to mention one other thing that was very nearly a disaster on Saturday.
As I knew I had a new ring that would be placed on my finger that afternoon, I took off my original wedding band & engagement ring. As my right hand's fingers are slightly bigger than my left hand, it wouldn't easily go on the ring finger, so I slipped them on my pinky. Not a tight fit, but not too loose... or so I thought.
Later that day, I went to throw something in the trash and my engagement ring went flinging off and into the garbage. Oh no!!!!!!!!! Thank goodness I felt it come off and I saw it go into the garbage, otherwise it would've ended up in the landfill, never to be found. I'd have been crushed had that happened!!!
But since I had felt & seen it, I knew where to look and started digging 'til I found it. Okay, didn't want a repeat of that scenario, so I took my old rings and promptly forced them onto the ring finger of my right hand. And I do mean FORCED! It was a tight fit. However, they went on a lot easier than they came off.
Oh my, I couldn't get them off that night when I got home. I figured as my hands usually swell a tad bit through the day, I'd just take them off in the morning before going to the farm. Nope, didn't happen. I tried lots of soap, lotion, nadda. They weren't budging. Grrr!
After I got home from the farm, I went out and stuck my hand in one of the coolers that still had icy water in it. It made my hand ache, but I forced myself to keep my hand in the water. That didn't work either. Now I was starting to worry I'd have to have it cut off. Things were going from bad to worse. Perhaps I'd just try starving myself for the next few days and see if it would eventually come off.
Later that afternoon, we were in the pool, finally taking a few minutes to relax. I decided I was bound and determined to keep my hand down in the water so that it would shrivel like a prune. Perhaps that would work.
I don't know as that really is what helped it, but I kept pulling and twisting the ring and finally, FINALLY! was able to get it off, but not without a lot of pain in my finger.
Lesson learned, don't force rings onto fingers they don't fit. :(
As I knew I had a new ring that would be placed on my finger that afternoon, I took off my original wedding band & engagement ring. As my right hand's fingers are slightly bigger than my left hand, it wouldn't easily go on the ring finger, so I slipped them on my pinky. Not a tight fit, but not too loose... or so I thought.
Later that day, I went to throw something in the trash and my engagement ring went flinging off and into the garbage. Oh no!!!!!!!!! Thank goodness I felt it come off and I saw it go into the garbage, otherwise it would've ended up in the landfill, never to be found. I'd have been crushed had that happened!!!
But since I had felt & seen it, I knew where to look and started digging 'til I found it. Okay, didn't want a repeat of that scenario, so I took my old rings and promptly forced them onto the ring finger of my right hand. And I do mean FORCED! It was a tight fit. However, they went on a lot easier than they came off.
Oh my, I couldn't get them off that night when I got home. I figured as my hands usually swell a tad bit through the day, I'd just take them off in the morning before going to the farm. Nope, didn't happen. I tried lots of soap, lotion, nadda. They weren't budging. Grrr!
After I got home from the farm, I went out and stuck my hand in one of the coolers that still had icy water in it. It made my hand ache, but I forced myself to keep my hand in the water. That didn't work either. Now I was starting to worry I'd have to have it cut off. Things were going from bad to worse. Perhaps I'd just try starving myself for the next few days and see if it would eventually come off.
Later that afternoon, we were in the pool, finally taking a few minutes to relax. I decided I was bound and determined to keep my hand down in the water so that it would shrivel like a prune. Perhaps that would work.
I don't know as that really is what helped it, but I kept pulling and twisting the ring and finally, FINALLY! was able to get it off, but not without a lot of pain in my finger.
Lesson learned, don't force rings onto fingers they don't fit. :(
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Not everything went smoothly
Okay, as fantastic as the last few days have been over all, did you really think I could possibly go without experiencing some little misfortunes?
Saturday morning, I was slicing several tomatoes from our garden, when the VERY sharp knife slipped and slit the end of my thumb. As if the blood-oozing gash weren't bad enough, all that acid from the tomatoes ran into it and felt as though it lit me on fire. Oooh, it hurt so very bad!
I've already mentioned all the things I left behind (because dummy me ignored my list of things to do/bring).
And I've already mentioned the very near-miss car wreck when some ding-dong U-turned in front of me.
My friend Jilli was bit/stung by some unknown creature at the park and it left a mark nearly 3" in diameter on the back of her leg. It was still there Monday afternoon... not sure if it's still there now.
Somehow, my f-i-l managed to cut his hand on his camera. Thankfully not too bad, didn't need stitches (who knew cameras had sharp edges??), but his son (not my husband) is a doctor and performed 1st aid on him.
Later in the evening, once the activity level had considerably slowed down, my muscles started tightening up something fierce. I literally hurt from the bottoms of my feet up to my head. The worst were my calf muscles.
Before going to bed, I tried to remove a safety-seal from a bottle of contact solutions, using a kitchen knife. Again with the knives! The knife slipped and stabbed the base of my index finger, very near the early slice & dice I experienced.
Sunday morning, it was all I could do to roll out of bed I was so stiff and aching all over. Once I finally got moving though, most of the kinks worked themselves out, 'cept for that pesky calf muscle.
Once at the farm, the director and I went to do pasture check. I picked up the occasional branch and tossed them outside of the pasture. She pointed to a tree that had a "Y" shaped branch, nearly as big around as my arm that was hanging from a tree, yet was stuck. Thus far, everyone that had tried had been unsuccessful in getting it loose. Far be it from me to let it go, so I gave it my best shot. At one point, my hand slipped and the jagged edge of the broken branch scraped my wrist. Initially it didn't look too bad at all, just smarted a bit. I finally got the branch out (yea for me!!), but by now I had blood oozing from the scrape. I wrapped my bandanna around it to stem the flow.
Monday we went canoeing with Marty & Jilli. Over all, the trip went well. But much like Saturday, once I'd stopped moving that evening my muscles tightened up. Oh how I was aching!!! I felt as if I'd been beaten with a baseball bat.
My butt cheeks hurt from the edge of the canoe seat digging in, and there is a spot on the outside of each leg, just below the knee that hurts like the dickens if I touch them. They aren't discolored, but are very bruised feeling from where my legs would rub up against the edge of the canoe.
We hadn't been out of the river very long when I got a phone call from my boss, which I promptly ignored. Darn it, it was my day off, leave me alone!!!
I finally listened to the voice-mail he'd left, and he wanted me to come in early on Tuesday because of a funeral they were having (how did these people ever manage before I started working here???). That was a crappy way for me to end my three-day weekend. My mood suddenly turned sour. :(
But that's pretty much all the bad stuff.
Nothing too major. Just a few little annoyances along the way to make me appreciate all the other, fantastic moments we experienced.
Saturday morning, I was slicing several tomatoes from our garden, when the VERY sharp knife slipped and slit the end of my thumb. As if the blood-oozing gash weren't bad enough, all that acid from the tomatoes ran into it and felt as though it lit me on fire. Oooh, it hurt so very bad!
I've already mentioned all the things I left behind (because dummy me ignored my list of things to do/bring).
And I've already mentioned the very near-miss car wreck when some ding-dong U-turned in front of me.
My friend Jilli was bit/stung by some unknown creature at the park and it left a mark nearly 3" in diameter on the back of her leg. It was still there Monday afternoon... not sure if it's still there now.
Somehow, my f-i-l managed to cut his hand on his camera. Thankfully not too bad, didn't need stitches (who knew cameras had sharp edges??), but his son (not my husband) is a doctor and performed 1st aid on him.
Later in the evening, once the activity level had considerably slowed down, my muscles started tightening up something fierce. I literally hurt from the bottoms of my feet up to my head. The worst were my calf muscles.
Before going to bed, I tried to remove a safety-seal from a bottle of contact solutions, using a kitchen knife. Again with the knives! The knife slipped and stabbed the base of my index finger, very near the early slice & dice I experienced.
Sunday morning, it was all I could do to roll out of bed I was so stiff and aching all over. Once I finally got moving though, most of the kinks worked themselves out, 'cept for that pesky calf muscle.
Once at the farm, the director and I went to do pasture check. I picked up the occasional branch and tossed them outside of the pasture. She pointed to a tree that had a "Y" shaped branch, nearly as big around as my arm that was hanging from a tree, yet was stuck. Thus far, everyone that had tried had been unsuccessful in getting it loose. Far be it from me to let it go, so I gave it my best shot. At one point, my hand slipped and the jagged edge of the broken branch scraped my wrist. Initially it didn't look too bad at all, just smarted a bit. I finally got the branch out (yea for me!!), but by now I had blood oozing from the scrape. I wrapped my bandanna around it to stem the flow.
Monday we went canoeing with Marty & Jilli. Over all, the trip went well. But much like Saturday, once I'd stopped moving that evening my muscles tightened up. Oh how I was aching!!! I felt as if I'd been beaten with a baseball bat.
My butt cheeks hurt from the edge of the canoe seat digging in, and there is a spot on the outside of each leg, just below the knee that hurts like the dickens if I touch them. They aren't discolored, but are very bruised feeling from where my legs would rub up against the edge of the canoe.
We hadn't been out of the river very long when I got a phone call from my boss, which I promptly ignored. Darn it, it was my day off, leave me alone!!!
I finally listened to the voice-mail he'd left, and he wanted me to come in early on Tuesday because of a funeral they were having (how did these people ever manage before I started working here???). That was a crappy way for me to end my three-day weekend. My mood suddenly turned sour. :(
But that's pretty much all the bad stuff.
Nothing too major. Just a few little annoyances along the way to make me appreciate all the other, fantastic moments we experienced.
More luau pix
Here are a few more luau pix. We've still got some more to get developed, so there will be more in the coming days. Can't thank everyone enough that came and shared our day with us!!!
Giant-beachball volleyball... too much fun!!
Friends/Neighbors:
Morgan & Amy
Aida & Gena
Lillian & Rita
Butch & Cathy (he was in the original wedding!)
Sabrina & Steve
John, Sabrina, Steve, Howard "Sgt. O.F.", and Harry
Tay-Tay & Mi-Mi
Dave & Kathy... friends/neighbors I grew up near.
Morgan
Father of the matron-of-honor, Walt (in the hat), and the surprised one is Paul.
Paul officiated our ceremony, and was my next door neighbor growing up.
Not the most flattering pix of Marty & Jilli, but I couldn't resist posting them.
FAMILY:
John's parents: Walt & Mary Lou
I think my mother was getting ready to choke me.
John's sister (one of them) Kathy, and her granddaughter Emma
John w/my cousin Becca. Nice flamingo bra, dear!
Did I really just agree to "20 more years" with this man??
Yes, I did, and would again...
One of Sherry's lovely creations from Blooms florist.
What's a new chapter in our lives without new rings?
The happy couple!!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
The moment you've all been waiting for!
When I left work on Friday, I stopped by Blooms Florist to see my friend Sherry. I'd ordered a floral arrangement for the luau on Saturday. She'd outdone herself and made up two arrangements, both very lovely. I just hoped I could get them home without them spilling or any of the stems breaking.
I then headed to Red Robin to meet two of my g/f's for lunch (wish you could've been there too Stacy!!!!). A special luncheon to be sure. The food was good, the company even better. We made a trip to Costco. Yes, I dislike the store, but it was close & I needed Olivia's cranberry pills which I have a hard time finding anywhere else, so I shopped on Leslie's card. And too, I picked up several food items we needed for the luau.
I then headed to Red Robin to meet two of my g/f's for lunch (wish you could've been there too Stacy!!!!). A special luncheon to be sure. The food was good, the company even better. We made a trip to Costco. Yes, I dislike the store, but it was close & I needed Olivia's cranberry pills which I have a hard time finding anywhere else, so I shopped on Leslie's card. And too, I picked up several food items we needed for the luau.
Once home, it was time to kick it into high gear as there was lots to do and time was running out. As much food as possible was prepared ahead of time. The frozen strawberries were set out to thaw for the freckled-lemonade, I set about ironing our shirts, filling bags with sand from the old filter we'd replaced on our pool a while back. Work, work, work!!
We were to meet some friends for dinner at 6pm at Rocky's Italian Grill. (sorry, didn't get pix of that). One of the four friends was totally in the dark as to why we were all meeting, so I put her out of her misery and let her in on the secret.
After dinner, we headed to the park to plot out the next days event. Unfortunately, another group had our shelter rented for the evening, so we couldn't plot in depth, but had to stand back aways on a hillside and discuss things.
We were finally satisfied as to how things would proceed and parted ways. Marty & Jilli went to the store, Paul & Phyllis headed back to southern Indiana, John & I went home then parted ways so we could each go run our separate errands.
Rush, rush, rush!!
Back home, Jilli & I set about making several gallons of iced tea and freckled lemonade. John & Marty went to the firehouse to pick up some extra tables and fill the coolers with ice so the drinks could be getting cold overnight. We started packing our cars with decorations and anything we could think of (that wasn't perishable). It was getting late and I was getting so very tired. I couldn't fight the sleepiness anymore and went to bed about 11:45, and left the husband sitting up in the livingroom, inflating some of the decorations.
Saturday morning, I was up shortly after 5am. Tired as I still was, I put it into high gear once again. More food to prepare, more stuff to pack in the car. Nag the husband to get up and help (even though he'd had less than 4 hours sleep). All the lists I'd made over these past few months were ignored, and as a result, a few things were left behind.
We got to the park about 8am, inhaled a bit of drive-thru breakfast, then set about like busy little beavers transforming our little shelter in the park into an island oasis. As the morning flew by, I realized the few things I'd forgotten to bring and cussed myself. The men had left to go get more ice and grill the burgers at home (time saver), so I called John & had him gather up the things I'd forgotten. Jilli left to go hang directional signs and get cleaned up. I stayed behind to guard our stuff. I dumped the bags of sand down the middle of the shelter house floor and spread it out... must have sand if you're at a luau!!
As our luck goes, our luau took place on what the weathermen said was the hottest day of the entire summer thus far, and it felt it. I was wringing wet with sweat. Once the first guest showed up (early, thank goodness!) I put her in charge of guarding everything so I could go home and freshen up. I knew the men would arrive any moment, so she wouldn't have to sit alone for very long. Time was very much running out!! I broke the speed limit (or tried to) the whole way home. But it seemed as if I got stuck behind every bicyclist in eastern Jefferson Co. and kept having to wait 'til it was safe to pass them. I got to the intersection of Freys Hill & Westport Rd. Even though my light was red, it was legal to turn right as long as traffic was clear. I checked on-coming traffic, the way was clear, and I started to turn, but then a man in a mini-van decided to do a U-turn (illegal if I'm not mistaken) in front of me, and I just missed plowing into him. I laid on the horn and cussed him out for nearly causing me a big delay. I raced the rest of the way home. No time to shower, just a French-bath and clean clothes, grab the freckled lemonade and iced tea, then race back to the park. Jilli & Mia were right behind me. By the time we'd arrived, nearly all the guests had arrived. I had so wanted to be there to greet people when they got there, but things just didn't pan out that way. I basically had to give quick hellos and wave at people as I finished unloading my car for the umpteenth time. I felt like I was soaking wet again, so much for having changed into dry clothes.
One pm, "show time"!
The guests were in place, either sitting on lawn chairs or beach blankets under the shade of the trees. Jilli held Mia and Mia held her basket. John & I held hands. The music started, it was John Denver's song, "Annie", one of my favorites, and it was played 20 years ago at a little hillside church in Georgetown, Indiana. Jilli & Mia preceded us down the sandy path, tossing out the flower petals from the basket and we followed.
We were to meet some friends for dinner at 6pm at Rocky's Italian Grill. (sorry, didn't get pix of that). One of the four friends was totally in the dark as to why we were all meeting, so I put her out of her misery and let her in on the secret.
After dinner, we headed to the park to plot out the next days event. Unfortunately, another group had our shelter rented for the evening, so we couldn't plot in depth, but had to stand back aways on a hillside and discuss things.
We were finally satisfied as to how things would proceed and parted ways. Marty & Jilli went to the store, Paul & Phyllis headed back to southern Indiana, John & I went home then parted ways so we could each go run our separate errands.
Rush, rush, rush!!
Back home, Jilli & I set about making several gallons of iced tea and freckled lemonade. John & Marty went to the firehouse to pick up some extra tables and fill the coolers with ice so the drinks could be getting cold overnight. We started packing our cars with decorations and anything we could think of (that wasn't perishable). It was getting late and I was getting so very tired. I couldn't fight the sleepiness anymore and went to bed about 11:45, and left the husband sitting up in the livingroom, inflating some of the decorations.
Saturday morning, I was up shortly after 5am. Tired as I still was, I put it into high gear once again. More food to prepare, more stuff to pack in the car. Nag the husband to get up and help (even though he'd had less than 4 hours sleep). All the lists I'd made over these past few months were ignored, and as a result, a few things were left behind.
We got to the park about 8am, inhaled a bit of drive-thru breakfast, then set about like busy little beavers transforming our little shelter in the park into an island oasis. As the morning flew by, I realized the few things I'd forgotten to bring and cussed myself. The men had left to go get more ice and grill the burgers at home (time saver), so I called John & had him gather up the things I'd forgotten. Jilli left to go hang directional signs and get cleaned up. I stayed behind to guard our stuff. I dumped the bags of sand down the middle of the shelter house floor and spread it out... must have sand if you're at a luau!!
As our luck goes, our luau took place on what the weathermen said was the hottest day of the entire summer thus far, and it felt it. I was wringing wet with sweat. Once the first guest showed up (early, thank goodness!) I put her in charge of guarding everything so I could go home and freshen up. I knew the men would arrive any moment, so she wouldn't have to sit alone for very long. Time was very much running out!! I broke the speed limit (or tried to) the whole way home. But it seemed as if I got stuck behind every bicyclist in eastern Jefferson Co. and kept having to wait 'til it was safe to pass them. I got to the intersection of Freys Hill & Westport Rd. Even though my light was red, it was legal to turn right as long as traffic was clear. I checked on-coming traffic, the way was clear, and I started to turn, but then a man in a mini-van decided to do a U-turn (illegal if I'm not mistaken) in front of me, and I just missed plowing into him. I laid on the horn and cussed him out for nearly causing me a big delay. I raced the rest of the way home. No time to shower, just a French-bath and clean clothes, grab the freckled lemonade and iced tea, then race back to the park. Jilli & Mia were right behind me. By the time we'd arrived, nearly all the guests had arrived. I had so wanted to be there to greet people when they got there, but things just didn't pan out that way. I basically had to give quick hellos and wave at people as I finished unloading my car for the umpteenth time. I felt like I was soaking wet again, so much for having changed into dry clothes.
One pm, "show time"!
The guests were in place, either sitting on lawn chairs or beach blankets under the shade of the trees. Jilli held Mia and Mia held her basket. John & I held hands. The music started, it was John Denver's song, "Annie", one of my favorites, and it was played 20 years ago at a little hillside church in Georgetown, Indiana. Jilli & Mia preceded us down the sandy path, tossing out the flower petals from the basket and we followed.
So if you haven't already figured it out, John & I renewed our wedding vows. August 27th is our actual anniversary, but it's hard to celebrate mid-week. We exchanged new rings, said our "I do's", then shared a dance with all the other couples that were present that had 20 or more years in their marriage.
I'll blog more tomorrow, tell you about all the little things that didn't go well, post more pix, and hopefully have a short video. Hopefully everyone had fun, I know I did, and I'll remember this ceremony, unlike our first wedding.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Much to be happy about today
Much to be happy about today...
* I'm alive and kicking!
* It's Friday!!
* It's payday! Woo-Hoo!!
* I'm only working a half-day today, and have Monday off, so it's almost like a mini-holiday for me.
* Tomorrow is the luau, WOO-HOO!!
* I'm having lunch with two of my nearest/dearest girlfriends this afternoon.
* I'm having dinner with some more near/dear friends this evening.
* I'm nearly busting!, but I can't say why. As much as I'm looking forward to these few days off, I also can't wait to get back to the computer on Tuesday so I can share all the details of this weekend with you.
* We're going on a canoe trip Monday, so assuming I don't break my neck or drown, it should be a grand time!!
No song of the day today, and no Saturday-nostalgia from me this week. Ta!!
* I'm alive and kicking!
* It's Friday!!
* It's payday! Woo-Hoo!!
* I'm only working a half-day today, and have Monday off, so it's almost like a mini-holiday for me.
* Tomorrow is the luau, WOO-HOO!!
* I'm having lunch with two of my nearest/dearest girlfriends this afternoon.
* I'm having dinner with some more near/dear friends this evening.
* I'm nearly busting!, but I can't say why. As much as I'm looking forward to these few days off, I also can't wait to get back to the computer on Tuesday so I can share all the details of this weekend with you.
* We're going on a canoe trip Monday, so assuming I don't break my neck or drown, it should be a grand time!!
No song of the day today, and no Saturday-nostalgia from me this week. Ta!!
Friday photo challenge - Red
I kept wondering what I was going to post for my entry into the "Red" photo challenge, then I realized it was staring me in the face... My favorite soda... Diet Big Red!! And too, the red Great Dane Trailers drink holder that sits on my desk.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
What's this look like?
Another slow day at the office... hope it stays that way 'til I return to work on Tuesday (assuming I return). So I'm sitting here, doing what else?, beading. I looked down at the little compartment that held the oval shaped wooden beads I was using, and it suddenly struck me how much they looked like mice turds.
So I guess if my projects end up looking like shit, I'm not to blame. ;)
So I guess if my projects end up looking like shit, I'm not to blame. ;)
Laugh out loud! aka: Maxine's thoughts
My friend sent me this in an email, and I was totally laughing out loud. Just thought I'd share, hope at least one of them makes you smile. :)
TWENTY NINE LINES TO MAKE YOU SMILE
1.. My husband and I divorced over religious differences. He thought he was God and I didn't.. 2.. I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
3.. Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them.
4.. I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.
5.. Don't take life too seriously; No one gets out alive.
6.. You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me
7.. Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.
8.. Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.
9.. I'm not a complete idiot -- Some parts are just missing.
10... Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.
11.. NyQuil, the stuffy, sneezy, why-the-heck-is-the-room-spinning medicine.
12.. God must love stupid people; He made so many.
13.. The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
14.. Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.
15.. Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?
16.. Being 'over the hill' is much better than being under it!
17.. Wrinkled Was Not One of the Things I Wanted to Be When I Grew up.
18 . Procrastinate Now!
19.. I Have a Degree in Liberal Arts; Do You Want Fries With That?
20.. A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
21.. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance..
22.. Stupidity is not a handicap. Park elsewhere!
23..They call it PMS because Mad Cow Disease was already taken.
24.. He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless DEAD.
25.. A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up three thousand times the memory.
26.. Ham and eggs...A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.
27.. The trouble with life is there's no background music.
28.. The original point and click interface was a Smith & Wesson.
29.. I smile because I don't know what the hell is going on. Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends! Life is too short and friends are too few!
Getting restless
I whipped out another necklace (& bracelet) yesterday. I made this for a friend that's helping me with a lot of the decorations and such for the luau. Honestly, I like her necklace better than mine, just because the pink seems to brighten it up a bit. Granted, blue is probably my favorite color, but sometimes ya just gotta suck it up and go with what looks better, so I think I'll whip out another one this afternoon for me. It's amazing, once you get the hang of doing this beading-thing, how quickly some of these projects can be done.
We spent last evening with my friend, watching her work her decorating-magic for the luau. Now that I'm starting to see some of the things come together, it's really starting to sink in that it's finally here.
I'm starting to get very restless about this weekend. I'd like for things to go smoothly. I'm not going for perfection, just smoothly and most importantly, I want everyone to have fun. I've had so many dreams these past couple of weeks about things going wrong... but I'm trying to make a mental note of the bad things in the dreams so that I can ward them off and prevent them from occuring for real.
Normally, after my husband leaves for work in the morning, I lay back down for an hour or three (depending on when he has to be there), but this morning I was just too jazzed up to go back to sleep. I finally gave up trying and went on and got up. But on the upside of having gotten up so early, I had time to return several items to the store I've been accumulating. I had intended to go by the ATM & make a deposit, but my mind was a million miles away as I drove into work and I totally forgot. So now I'm getting ready to buzz up there so I can be there when they open. That's one of the little perks of working at a place like this... the boss doesn't mind if you run out & take care of errands (as long as it doesn't interfere with work).
Hope everyone has a great day!!!
We spent last evening with my friend, watching her work her decorating-magic for the luau. Now that I'm starting to see some of the things come together, it's really starting to sink in that it's finally here.
I'm starting to get very restless about this weekend. I'd like for things to go smoothly. I'm not going for perfection, just smoothly and most importantly, I want everyone to have fun. I've had so many dreams these past couple of weeks about things going wrong... but I'm trying to make a mental note of the bad things in the dreams so that I can ward them off and prevent them from occuring for real.
Normally, after my husband leaves for work in the morning, I lay back down for an hour or three (depending on when he has to be there), but this morning I was just too jazzed up to go back to sleep. I finally gave up trying and went on and got up. But on the upside of having gotten up so early, I had time to return several items to the store I've been accumulating. I had intended to go by the ATM & make a deposit, but my mind was a million miles away as I drove into work and I totally forgot. So now I'm getting ready to buzz up there so I can be there when they open. That's one of the little perks of working at a place like this... the boss doesn't mind if you run out & take care of errands (as long as it doesn't interfere with work).
Hope everyone has a great day!!!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Wednesday song of the day
I'm not that crazy about this "Hart to Hart" video, but I do so love this song.... my favorite Alan Jackson song!! Back when we celebrated our 10th anniversary, right after John had left the house to go to work, I called the radio station I knew he always listened to and requested them to play it for him, and they did. Apparently, a lot of our friends & family were also up at that early time of the morning, as many of them later told us they'd heard the dedication.
My smile for the day
I stopped into Wallyworld before coming into work, because I needed some more beads to finish a project I was working on. As I turned down the short aisle of beading supplies, I was mildly surprised to find a man in that aisle (don't often see men in the beading section). He had his shopping cart before him, and sitting up front was his young granddaughter, probably about 3 years of age.
It quickly became apparent he was in that aisle to indulge his granddaughter, not himself.
As I scanned the shelf at one end, I heard the granddaughter's delighted squeals as they looked at the strands of beads located at the other end. She jabbered excitedly and let out an occasional, "Oooh, Pap-paw!"
I thought to myself, "she has soooo got him wrapped around her little finger!"
She'd squeal some more, he'd chuckle. She'd finally decided on what she wanted and without any prompting what-so-ever, said, "Oh thank you Pap-paw! Thank you!"
Her delight obviously gave him pleasure and I couldn't help smiling to myself and thinking, "Perhaps he had been in that aisle to indulge himself after all."
It quickly became apparent he was in that aisle to indulge his granddaughter, not himself.
As I scanned the shelf at one end, I heard the granddaughter's delighted squeals as they looked at the strands of beads located at the other end. She jabbered excitedly and let out an occasional, "Oooh, Pap-paw!"
I thought to myself, "she has soooo got him wrapped around her little finger!"
She'd squeal some more, he'd chuckle. She'd finally decided on what she wanted and without any prompting what-so-ever, said, "Oh thank you Pap-paw! Thank you!"
Her delight obviously gave him pleasure and I couldn't help smiling to myself and thinking, "Perhaps he had been in that aisle to indulge himself after all."
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
I did it!!!
This top pic is out of a design book... obviously it's called a Hawaiian Sweetheart Pendant. I decided to try my hand at it, only I changed the colors, as I'm not that crazy about red, and I wasn't that crazy about the pendant (wish I could've found one that was heart-shaped, but this one will do). And too, the book called for 5-petal flowers whereas I used hearts (seems only logical to use heart-shaped beads for a sweetheart necklace, eh?)...
I know I said I hated toggle-clasps, and I do because I have so much trouble getting them latched/unlatched, but the toggle was heart-shaped, so I had to go with the theme. You can't tell it in the picture, but some of the beads look rather green or brown (not the wooden beads), but they're actually irridescent. I think it looks better in person than in the scan, but oh well, you get the idea. Anyway, I was rather proud of myself for getting this done without any cuts, bumps, bruises or pinched fingers. Yea for me!!
Free lunch!!
Lunch was free today, and quite delicious!!
There are only two florists here in town (that I know of), and one of them is fairly new, and I do everything in my power to send them as much business as I can #1) because a friend of my is the designer there and #2) because they're always much nicer to deal with than the other florist. So whenever we have a funeral and somebody calls here (usually from out of town) wanting us to recommend a florist, I ALWAYS give them Blooms phone number.
We had a funeral a couple of weeks ago, and that very situation took place. The man called their shop on my recommendation and order an $80 floral arrangement. While I personally never saw the arrangement, from what I heard several other people say, it was quite lovely. But when the man came into town for the funeral and saw what he'd paid for, he threw somewhat of a fit and couldn't believe I had recommended them, called the florist up and raised Cain. The funeral director here at the time defused the situation somewhat, and it appeared the man just regretted spending that much on flowers and wanted something for nothing.
Regardless, the florist shop was very thankful for everything we've done and wanted to show their thanks by buying us lunch.
There were no identifying labels on the packaging, so we've no idea what deli or restaurant the stuff came from, but wherever it was from, it was delicious!!
Thank you Blooms!! 502.222.1626
There are only two florists here in town (that I know of), and one of them is fairly new, and I do everything in my power to send them as much business as I can #1) because a friend of my is the designer there and #2) because they're always much nicer to deal with than the other florist. So whenever we have a funeral and somebody calls here (usually from out of town) wanting us to recommend a florist, I ALWAYS give them Blooms phone number.
We had a funeral a couple of weeks ago, and that very situation took place. The man called their shop on my recommendation and order an $80 floral arrangement. While I personally never saw the arrangement, from what I heard several other people say, it was quite lovely. But when the man came into town for the funeral and saw what he'd paid for, he threw somewhat of a fit and couldn't believe I had recommended them, called the florist up and raised Cain. The funeral director here at the time defused the situation somewhat, and it appeared the man just regretted spending that much on flowers and wanted something for nothing.
Regardless, the florist shop was very thankful for everything we've done and wanted to show their thanks by buying us lunch.
There were no identifying labels on the packaging, so we've no idea what deli or restaurant the stuff came from, but wherever it was from, it was delicious!!
Thank you Blooms!! 502.222.1626
In the presence of royalty
While I did take my camera to the wildtree party last night, I didn't get any pix of the men playing with the children. I stayed inside, playing the part of Vanna White as I assisted my friend. Once the party started to break up, I snuck out to the backyard to see how wet my husband had gotten playing with the children. Imagine my surprise to find him dry. Several of the neighborhood children (older children that is) had shown up unexpectedly and put a damper on their fun, but not one's to spoil the kids fun, they let them stay while they sat back and watched.
One of the lady-neighbors that was attending the party, her husband (Tony) is currently going through chemo. My husband drove the two streets over and picked him up and brought him to the party to sit out back with the men-folk. It was later in the evening that we discovered we were in the presence of royalty... so to speak.
Somebody in the neighborhood had recently nominated Tony for the "Good Neighbor Award" that our city/county gives out every year, and Tony won the award for our district. He'd received the letter in the mail yesterday morning, before going to his chemo treatment, notifying him that there would be a presentation in his (& the other districts' winners) honor later in September.
Tony really is a good neighbor (despite the little clash we had last year over the crepe-myrtle shrubs he planted next to our house without asking us). He keeps a meticulous lawn, is so very good-natured, will stop and chat with anyone & everyone, has served as the president of our home-owners association for the past 3 or 4(?) years now. It's a non-paying, thankless job, but he's done it well. When we all found out a couple of months ago he had cancer, we were crushed. But his spirits have remained high, which has actually seemed to make it easier on everybody else around him.
So the only picture I got last night was of Marty, Tony & John.
Tuesday Twofer
This first song fits in with my 7-day challenge. The guys in this video seem to be having such a good ol' time!!
This 2nd song is for my friend Jilli. After a conversation at the Wildtree party I went to last night, I just had to post this song for her as she didn't know who Kenny Loggins or Steve Perry (or Journey for that matter) were. So here are the two of them together.
This 2nd song is for my friend Jilli. After a conversation at the Wildtree party I went to last night, I just had to post this song for her as she didn't know who Kenny Loggins or Steve Perry (or Journey for that matter) were. So here are the two of them together.
Monday, August 18, 2008
A lesson for us all...
I was looking up the translation of some (Hawaiian) words on-line, and came across this Hawaiian proverb. It has a wonderful message, and fits in well with my 7-day challenge.
Aloha mai no, aloha aku; o ka huhu ka mea e ola `ole ai.
When love is given, love should be returned;anger is the thing that gives no life.
Hawaiians understood the transforming power of aloha. Love begets love, and enmity produces enmity. Anger only serves to hurt the angry, causing emotional upset, which impairs mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.
Aloha mai no, aloha aku; o ka huhu ka mea e ola `ole ai.
When love is given, love should be returned;anger is the thing that gives no life.
Hawaiians understood the transforming power of aloha. Love begets love, and enmity produces enmity. Anger only serves to hurt the angry, causing emotional upset, which impairs mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.
7-day challenge
As already mentioned, I had a great weekend. I'm looking forward to a great week and a great time this upcoming week.
I want positive vibes and happy thoughts.
I read a post on Kyles site, http://itwasalwayssimple.blogspot.com/ about an angel she encountered while on a recent business trip. It was a positive, uplifting story about a good humantarian that stopped to help a stranger in need.
It made me think of the song by Anne Murray, "A Little Good News Today".
I'd like to throw a challenge out to all my blogger-regulars to blog only happy thoughts and good news this week. No negativity.
I know we all have negative things happen to us in our daily lives, I blog about them frequently as it sometimes helps to vent my frustrations. But for the next 7 days, I'm going to do my utmost to put aside the negatives in my life and focus on the positives.
I want to hear about happy things, good times, and positive messages.
Are any of you up for accepting the challenge???
I want positive vibes and happy thoughts.
I read a post on Kyles site, http://itwasalwayssimple.blogspot.com/ about an angel she encountered while on a recent business trip. It was a positive, uplifting story about a good humantarian that stopped to help a stranger in need.
It made me think of the song by Anne Murray, "A Little Good News Today".
I'd like to throw a challenge out to all my blogger-regulars to blog only happy thoughts and good news this week. No negativity.
I know we all have negative things happen to us in our daily lives, I blog about them frequently as it sometimes helps to vent my frustrations. But for the next 7 days, I'm going to do my utmost to put aside the negatives in my life and focus on the positives.
I want to hear about happy things, good times, and positive messages.
Are any of you up for accepting the challenge???
Weekend in review & the week ahead...
I had a simply FABULOUS weekend!!
Took Bootsy to the vet Saturday a.m. for her annual check-up. Just like Olivia, she too is down about 10 lbs. from last year, but she looks good and got a clean bill of health from the vet. Back home, I pulled a bunch of the dying fauna from the flowerbeds. There's still a lot that needs to be pulled up, but the rest of it can wait 'til we have some time-off from work in a couple of weeks. I sat on the swing for a while, blowing up a whole lot of mini-beach balls for the upcoming luau, then filled three garbage bags with them. There's still a lot to be inflated, but I only have so-much room to store stuff.
Once noontime hit, I hit the swimming pool...
BRRR! Oh, that water soooo took my breath away. With the cooler temps we've been having of late, down in the upper 50's/lower 60's at night, the water has cooled off quite a bit. I made it a point once I'd climbed down the ladder, to walk around on tip-toe (why I do that I don't know, but somehow that just seems to help), and not completely submerge myself. Once I was on the raft, I stayed put.
We grilled out that evening and ate dinner while relaxing in the swing.
Sunday, once I was home from the farm and John was home from work, we made the drive to Floyds Knobs, Indiana. My "niece" (actually cousin, but with the age difference, she feels like a niece) is heading off to college this week, and her family was having a huge cook-out for her and another of her cousins to celebrate. We went, we sat, we ate, we visited, we enjoyed
After we'd made the trip back home, the husband decided we needed to go back to Indiana to pick up a new grill (that's a long story in and of itself, for another time). So we borrowed our neighbor and his truck and this time made the journey to Memphis, IN to pick up a new grill. A freebie, but who cares? It was brand new & of good, sturdy quality (& no, it wasn't stolen).
This evening, I'm going to a Wildtree party. My friend/neighbor has just started selling these products, and this is to kick-off her entry into the world of home-party sales.
If you've never heard of Wildtree, you can visit her website: http://www.jilli.mywildtree.com/
Their products are healthy, and from everything I've tasted thus far, not only good for you, but good flavor as well. I'm planning a party, probably later in September, so some of you consider this your early warning you'll be getting an invitation.
Our husbands are going to entertain the youngsters that will be there with a spray-party in the backyard. Two grown men playing in the water sprinkler with a bunch of toddlers. I think I'll take the camera, as I'm sure there will be some good photo-ops there.
The husband & I met a young couple last night while we were out walking the dog. They were riding bikes, looking at some of the 4-sale houses in our neighborhood. They live in a nearby neighborhood and seem very nice. They fell in love with Olivia, and she seemed equally taken with them. The girl had a slight accent, (Jamaican perhaps?), but I didn't want to be rude and ask since I'd just met her. I think we could've stood there talking to them all night, but it was getting late and starting to get dark, so we finally said our good-byes.
The rest of the week I'll be busy with luau prep stuff. I've pretty much been planning this thing since last October... I can't believe it's finally here!
Have a great week everybody!!
Took Bootsy to the vet Saturday a.m. for her annual check-up. Just like Olivia, she too is down about 10 lbs. from last year, but she looks good and got a clean bill of health from the vet. Back home, I pulled a bunch of the dying fauna from the flowerbeds. There's still a lot that needs to be pulled up, but the rest of it can wait 'til we have some time-off from work in a couple of weeks. I sat on the swing for a while, blowing up a whole lot of mini-beach balls for the upcoming luau, then filled three garbage bags with them. There's still a lot to be inflated, but I only have so-much room to store stuff.
Once noontime hit, I hit the swimming pool...
BRRR! Oh, that water soooo took my breath away. With the cooler temps we've been having of late, down in the upper 50's/lower 60's at night, the water has cooled off quite a bit. I made it a point once I'd climbed down the ladder, to walk around on tip-toe (why I do that I don't know, but somehow that just seems to help), and not completely submerge myself. Once I was on the raft, I stayed put.
We grilled out that evening and ate dinner while relaxing in the swing.
Sunday, once I was home from the farm and John was home from work, we made the drive to Floyds Knobs, Indiana. My "niece" (actually cousin, but with the age difference, she feels like a niece) is heading off to college this week, and her family was having a huge cook-out for her and another of her cousins to celebrate. We went, we sat, we ate, we visited, we enjoyed
After we'd made the trip back home, the husband decided we needed to go back to Indiana to pick up a new grill (that's a long story in and of itself, for another time). So we borrowed our neighbor and his truck and this time made the journey to Memphis, IN to pick up a new grill. A freebie, but who cares? It was brand new & of good, sturdy quality (& no, it wasn't stolen).
This evening, I'm going to a Wildtree party. My friend/neighbor has just started selling these products, and this is to kick-off her entry into the world of home-party sales.
If you've never heard of Wildtree, you can visit her website: http://www.jilli.mywildtree.com/
Their products are healthy, and from everything I've tasted thus far, not only good for you, but good flavor as well. I'm planning a party, probably later in September, so some of you consider this your early warning you'll be getting an invitation.
Our husbands are going to entertain the youngsters that will be there with a spray-party in the backyard. Two grown men playing in the water sprinkler with a bunch of toddlers. I think I'll take the camera, as I'm sure there will be some good photo-ops there.
The husband & I met a young couple last night while we were out walking the dog. They were riding bikes, looking at some of the 4-sale houses in our neighborhood. They live in a nearby neighborhood and seem very nice. They fell in love with Olivia, and she seemed equally taken with them. The girl had a slight accent, (Jamaican perhaps?), but I didn't want to be rude and ask since I'd just met her. I think we could've stood there talking to them all night, but it was getting late and starting to get dark, so we finally said our good-byes.
The rest of the week I'll be busy with luau prep stuff. I've pretty much been planning this thing since last October... I can't believe it's finally here!
Have a great week everybody!!
Friday, August 15, 2008
What's in your musical library?
I've become a music junky... I blame my friends & husband, who all went in together and got me an Ipod for my birthday this past year. Actually, I guess I was a cd junky before then, but now they're all on my 'puter, in addition to the itunes I've purchased since then.
Right now, I've got over 3100 songs in my library.
I've got 24 genres, 857 artists on 295 albums.
The genres cover everything from A to V (Alternative to Vocal). The artists literally cover from A to Z, starting with Aaron Neville and going all the way to the Zombies (sorry, no ZZTop).
I'm not quite sure I agree with how some of these songs are classified. Sometimes the same exact song, performed by the same artist will show up in two or three different genres. Go figure!
Yes, many of the songs are duplicates, having appeared on different cds. So which song do you think appears the most often?
All of these songs appear 4 times: "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow", "Without You", "Your Song", and "All By Myself".
But the song that I've got the most renditions of (yet never seem to listen to), and appears 7 times, is "Amazing Grace".
The female artist that appears the most is Celine Dion with 88 times.
The male artist that appears the most is George Strait with 92 times.
There are 280 songs with the word "love" in the title.
I'm not sure what my collection says about me, other than I like a wide variety of music styles. About the only genre I can honestly say I don't have is rap. And I don't have any songs with Explicit-lyrics. Not that I'm opposed to tossing out an occasional curse word, I just don't like hearing it in my music. Somehow the two things just shouldn't mix.
So what does your music collection say about you?
Right now, I've got over 3100 songs in my library.
I've got 24 genres, 857 artists on 295 albums.
The genres cover everything from A to V (Alternative to Vocal). The artists literally cover from A to Z, starting with Aaron Neville and going all the way to the Zombies (sorry, no ZZTop).
I'm not quite sure I agree with how some of these songs are classified. Sometimes the same exact song, performed by the same artist will show up in two or three different genres. Go figure!
Yes, many of the songs are duplicates, having appeared on different cds. So which song do you think appears the most often?
All of these songs appear 4 times: "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow", "Without You", "Your Song", and "All By Myself".
But the song that I've got the most renditions of (yet never seem to listen to), and appears 7 times, is "Amazing Grace".
The female artist that appears the most is Celine Dion with 88 times.
The male artist that appears the most is George Strait with 92 times.
There are 280 songs with the word "love" in the title.
I'm not sure what my collection says about me, other than I like a wide variety of music styles. About the only genre I can honestly say I don't have is rap. And I don't have any songs with Explicit-lyrics. Not that I'm opposed to tossing out an occasional curse word, I just don't like hearing it in my music. Somehow the two things just shouldn't mix.
So what does your music collection say about you?
Friday Song of the Day
I love this song! Back when I was an aerobics-fiend, this was on Richard Simmons "Sweatin' to the Oldies" video, and was probably my favorite part of that work-out tape (because it was least difficult, perhaps?).
I never have seen the movie, but after discovering Kevin Spacey's version of the song (I never knew he could sing!), I think I may have to go rent the video. Kevin is definitely a very diverse and gifted actor, and of everything I've ever seen him in, while some were a bit odd, I don't think I've seen a bad movie of his.
So I give you: Beyond the Sea
I never have seen the movie, but after discovering Kevin Spacey's version of the song (I never knew he could sing!), I think I may have to go rent the video. Kevin is definitely a very diverse and gifted actor, and of everything I've ever seen him in, while some were a bit odd, I don't think I've seen a bad movie of his.
So I give you: Beyond the Sea
Nostalgia Saturday
Is there anything better as a kid, then when your mother (or grandmother/aunt) baked a cake, and then gave you the bowl so you could lick the excess batter? That was one of the great things about being an only child (at that time), I didn't have to share with anyone!!
I was 3, maybe 4 years old when this was taken. We lived in a trailer-park (yeah, I was trailer-trash at one time, ha!!), however, we actually lived in a house, we moved from there, shortly after I turned 5. Aside from the park-owner's house, ours was the only house there, all the others were mobile homes. I can still remember the big mimosa tree in the yard, the little lizards that lurked around our back steps... I never quite figured out why we had them there, as I've never seen lizards at any other home we've lived in since that time. We also had a mouse problem... I can remember on several occasions when a mouse would have gotten into a bag of potato chips and made a major mess in the cabinet. Grrr! It always made me so mad because we'd have to throw the rest of the bag away. Stupid mice!!
I can also remember the light switches in that house. Instead of flipping a little switch up or down, there were two round buttons on the wall-plate, and you'd push one for on/off. Perhaps a lot of older homes had them, I don't really know. I think I've only ever seen them in one other home since that time.
I got my first dog while we lived in this house. A black mutt that I named "Terry". I named him after a family friend that I had a crush on... yes, apparently even 3-year old's can have crushes. The man bore a striking resemblance to Hulk Hogan (whose real name also happens to be Terry). But I'm getting off track here... We didn't have Terry (the dog) very long, because my mother wanted a poodle, so Terry was gotten rid of (I don't know in what manner he was disposed of, I like to think he went to a nice loving home). I was crushed! My mother got her poodle, named Hercules, or "Herky" as we called him. I think to this day, that is the reason I've never cared much for poodles, because I resented the fact that we got rid of my beloved Terry in order to make room for Herky.
Oh well, my nostalgia from those days could go on and on, but I've rambled enough.
'Til next week!!
I was 3, maybe 4 years old when this was taken. We lived in a trailer-park (yeah, I was trailer-trash at one time, ha!!), however, we actually lived in a house, we moved from there, shortly after I turned 5. Aside from the park-owner's house, ours was the only house there, all the others were mobile homes. I can still remember the big mimosa tree in the yard, the little lizards that lurked around our back steps... I never quite figured out why we had them there, as I've never seen lizards at any other home we've lived in since that time. We also had a mouse problem... I can remember on several occasions when a mouse would have gotten into a bag of potato chips and made a major mess in the cabinet. Grrr! It always made me so mad because we'd have to throw the rest of the bag away. Stupid mice!!
I can also remember the light switches in that house. Instead of flipping a little switch up or down, there were two round buttons on the wall-plate, and you'd push one for on/off. Perhaps a lot of older homes had them, I don't really know. I think I've only ever seen them in one other home since that time.
I got my first dog while we lived in this house. A black mutt that I named "Terry". I named him after a family friend that I had a crush on... yes, apparently even 3-year old's can have crushes. The man bore a striking resemblance to Hulk Hogan (whose real name also happens to be Terry). But I'm getting off track here... We didn't have Terry (the dog) very long, because my mother wanted a poodle, so Terry was gotten rid of (I don't know in what manner he was disposed of, I like to think he went to a nice loving home). I was crushed! My mother got her poodle, named Hercules, or "Herky" as we called him. I think to this day, that is the reason I've never cared much for poodles, because I resented the fact that we got rid of my beloved Terry in order to make room for Herky.
Oh well, my nostalgia from those days could go on and on, but I've rambled enough.
'Til next week!!
The kids in the 'hood
I'd ordered this aqua-ball way back in the spring, but it's been on back-order forever and just finally came in a couple of weeks ago. I'd gotten it for the little tot that lives across the street from us, and when the aqua-ball arrived, she was sick for the better part of a week. So I just last night finally got around to giving it to her.
I have to say, I was somewhat disappointed with the toy's performance. It was supposed to flail around off the ground, going every-which-way, but for the most part, it just layed there and sprayed water. It's probably just as well, as my husband (the perpetual big kid) tried jerking the waterhose around and when the ball moved, it seemed to scare Mia a bit. So maybe next summer, when she's older, we'll find a shorter waterhose that hopefully will provide more water pressure and make it work the way it's supposed to.
"Uncle" John & Mia
I have to say, I was somewhat disappointed with the toy's performance. It was supposed to flail around off the ground, going every-which-way, but for the most part, it just layed there and sprayed water. It's probably just as well, as my husband (the perpetual big kid) tried jerking the waterhose around and when the ball moved, it seemed to scare Mia a bit. So maybe next summer, when she's older, we'll find a shorter waterhose that hopefully will provide more water pressure and make it work the way it's supposed to.
"Uncle" John & Mia
Friday photo challenge - Relaxation
Whether floating on a raft in the pool on a hot & humid day, or lazing in the hammock on a lazy afternoon, relaxation is not a problem for me!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
A warm & fuzzy feeling
I've been meaning to blog about this all week but kept forgetting, so thought I should do it now while I was thinking about it.
The kids in our area returned to school this week, summer break is over!
One of our neighbors a few houses down, has a daughter, I'm guessing about 11 or 12. They've lived there for about 3 or 4 years now, and aside from the daughter's name, I couldn't tell you either of the parents names or their last name. Other than to say a passing "hello", I don't think we've ever had a conversation with the mother, and only a couple of conversations with the dad. He's a bit odd, keeps mostly to himself (as does the whole family), but when he wants to engage you in conversation, he'll walk over and just start talking, hardly letting you get a word in edgewise, and talk for a half hour or more. Then when he's done saying his piece, he'll just as abruptly walk away.
He's always stuck me as being a bit odd, but nice enough. Somewhat dark and brooding (his mood I mean), and never really gave me a "warm & fuzzy" feeling when I've been in his presence.
Monday evening I was out walking Olivia. The neighborhood seemed a bit quieter than usual, perhaps because most of the kids were indoors preparing for their first day of school on Tuesday. As I was approaching their house, I saw the daughter and mother sitting on their front porch. I didn't pay much attention to them, but then saw the dad come out of the house and sit down in the chair across from them.
I couldn't hear every single word that was being said, but from the snatches I heard, I gathered that the daughter was very nervous about starting back to school. I'm guessing from her age, she's just starting middle-school, which means going to a new school this year.
Then I heard the dad say in a most gentle way, "you're not the only one that's scared. There's going to be 200 other kids there tomorrow just as scared as you..."
I didn't catch the rest of their conversation as I was walking out of ear-shot. But his little talk with his daughter, trying to ease her fears and give her a pep-talk, it gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Okay, I'm returning to my mental vacation now. ;)
The kids in our area returned to school this week, summer break is over!
One of our neighbors a few houses down, has a daughter, I'm guessing about 11 or 12. They've lived there for about 3 or 4 years now, and aside from the daughter's name, I couldn't tell you either of the parents names or their last name. Other than to say a passing "hello", I don't think we've ever had a conversation with the mother, and only a couple of conversations with the dad. He's a bit odd, keeps mostly to himself (as does the whole family), but when he wants to engage you in conversation, he'll walk over and just start talking, hardly letting you get a word in edgewise, and talk for a half hour or more. Then when he's done saying his piece, he'll just as abruptly walk away.
He's always stuck me as being a bit odd, but nice enough. Somewhat dark and brooding (his mood I mean), and never really gave me a "warm & fuzzy" feeling when I've been in his presence.
Monday evening I was out walking Olivia. The neighborhood seemed a bit quieter than usual, perhaps because most of the kids were indoors preparing for their first day of school on Tuesday. As I was approaching their house, I saw the daughter and mother sitting on their front porch. I didn't pay much attention to them, but then saw the dad come out of the house and sit down in the chair across from them.
I couldn't hear every single word that was being said, but from the snatches I heard, I gathered that the daughter was very nervous about starting back to school. I'm guessing from her age, she's just starting middle-school, which means going to a new school this year.
Then I heard the dad say in a most gentle way, "you're not the only one that's scared. There's going to be 200 other kids there tomorrow just as scared as you..."
I didn't catch the rest of their conversation as I was walking out of ear-shot. But his little talk with his daughter, trying to ease her fears and give her a pep-talk, it gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Okay, I'm returning to my mental vacation now. ;)
Just a blah day
Even though the weather continues to be unseasonably fabulous... no complaints from me in this department!, it just feels like a "blah" kind of day.
I've got a blasted headache that won't go away, not even with the aide of 4 ibuprofen and a fair amount of caffeine loaded diet soda.
Thankfully, I've got my work here 100% caught up ('til tomorrow), so now I can chill-out the rest of the afternoon. Perhaps I just need to lie my head down and close my eyes, or prop my feet on my desk and tilt my chair back, turn on some Yanni or Enya, and relax for a few.
I think I'm going to take a mental vacation the rest of the day.
I've got a blasted headache that won't go away, not even with the aide of 4 ibuprofen and a fair amount of caffeine loaded diet soda.
Thankfully, I've got my work here 100% caught up ('til tomorrow), so now I can chill-out the rest of the afternoon. Perhaps I just need to lie my head down and close my eyes, or prop my feet on my desk and tilt my chair back, turn on some Yanni or Enya, and relax for a few.
I think I'm going to take a mental vacation the rest of the day.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Eeeww, that smell!
I have a pet-peeve. Well, actually I have several, but this blog is focusing on one particular peeve... sour-smelling clothes.
I think we are all guilty at one time or another, of leaving a load of laundry in the washer for a day or two (or 10?), and forgetting to put them in the clothes dryer within a couple of hours of the wash cycle completing... am I right? I know I've been there and done that. And for those of us that fess-up to having done this, then we all know about that sour, mildewey smell that sets in. No amount of drying time and no amount of scented dryer sheets will remove that smell. Nope!!
The only way to get rid of the offensive odor is to re-wash the clothes, sometimes twice.
I made the mistake one time and one time only of drying a load of these clothes and trying to get by without re-washing. That was many, many years ago, when I was a newlywed. Not only was the husband not happy with the odor, it seemed to funkify everything else in the closet or dresser drawers. Okay, lesson learned.
But what I don't get, are the people that do this, and don't re-wash the clothes, and will wear them out in public! Can they not smell the offensive odor? Do they not realize how unpleasant they are to be around??? A former acquaintance of my husband frequently, and I do mean FREQUENTLY! wore laundry like this. I just don't get it!!!!!!!!!! Take the freaking laundry out of the washer within a couple of hours (10 hours max!) and then dry them. How hard is it?? And if you forget, re-wash them!!!
Okay, so now that I've ranted about sour smelling laundry...
Last evening, I was getting into my car to go run some errands, when I looked down at my t-shirt and noticed I'd dribbled pizza sauce on the shirt. Grrr! Do I go back inside and put on a clean shirt or go out stained? Neither. I grab my Tide-to-Go pen from my purse and blot at the stain 'til it was gone. Problem solved, right? No, not exactly.
I tossed the pen back in my purse and drove off. Suddenly, I started noticing a horrible smell. Eeewww, what is that?? It smelled like sour-laundry. I sniffed my sleeve, nope, wasn't that. I glanced down at the still wet spot the Tide pen had created and sniffed it. OMG!! I thought I was going to puke while I was driving.
I don't know what has become of my Tide pen, but it's become funkified!! I've used it in the past without it leaving a bad odor. Perhaps these pens have an expiration date?? I don't know, but it was awful! I had to roll my windows down to air out my car. I kept hoping that as the spot dried, the odor would disappear. But it didn't happen. Ugh, it was gross!! When I got in the store, I just kept moving, not standing in one spot for very long, and certainly made it a point not to stand next to anyone, lest they be offended too. When I got home I couldn't get that shirt off fast enough. Needless to say, that Tide pen went in the trash.
Has anybody else ever had a bad experience with these Tide-to-Go pens???
I think we are all guilty at one time or another, of leaving a load of laundry in the washer for a day or two (or 10?), and forgetting to put them in the clothes dryer within a couple of hours of the wash cycle completing... am I right? I know I've been there and done that. And for those of us that fess-up to having done this, then we all know about that sour, mildewey smell that sets in. No amount of drying time and no amount of scented dryer sheets will remove that smell. Nope!!
The only way to get rid of the offensive odor is to re-wash the clothes, sometimes twice.
I made the mistake one time and one time only of drying a load of these clothes and trying to get by without re-washing. That was many, many years ago, when I was a newlywed. Not only was the husband not happy with the odor, it seemed to funkify everything else in the closet or dresser drawers. Okay, lesson learned.
But what I don't get, are the people that do this, and don't re-wash the clothes, and will wear them out in public! Can they not smell the offensive odor? Do they not realize how unpleasant they are to be around??? A former acquaintance of my husband frequently, and I do mean FREQUENTLY! wore laundry like this. I just don't get it!!!!!!!!!! Take the freaking laundry out of the washer within a couple of hours (10 hours max!) and then dry them. How hard is it?? And if you forget, re-wash them!!!
Okay, so now that I've ranted about sour smelling laundry...
Last evening, I was getting into my car to go run some errands, when I looked down at my t-shirt and noticed I'd dribbled pizza sauce on the shirt. Grrr! Do I go back inside and put on a clean shirt or go out stained? Neither. I grab my Tide-to-Go pen from my purse and blot at the stain 'til it was gone. Problem solved, right? No, not exactly.
I tossed the pen back in my purse and drove off. Suddenly, I started noticing a horrible smell. Eeewww, what is that?? It smelled like sour-laundry. I sniffed my sleeve, nope, wasn't that. I glanced down at the still wet spot the Tide pen had created and sniffed it. OMG!! I thought I was going to puke while I was driving.
I don't know what has become of my Tide pen, but it's become funkified!! I've used it in the past without it leaving a bad odor. Perhaps these pens have an expiration date?? I don't know, but it was awful! I had to roll my windows down to air out my car. I kept hoping that as the spot dried, the odor would disappear. But it didn't happen. Ugh, it was gross!! When I got in the store, I just kept moving, not standing in one spot for very long, and certainly made it a point not to stand next to anyone, lest they be offended too. When I got home I couldn't get that shirt off fast enough. Needless to say, that Tide pen went in the trash.
Has anybody else ever had a bad experience with these Tide-to-Go pens???
Da Do Ron Ron
Here's a 70's flashback for you. Yes, I admit it, I was a Shaun Cassidy fan. Forget David Cassidy and his puka shell necklaces (or however you spell it), it was younger brother Shaun that did it for me. Whatever happened to that guy anyway? I feel a google-search coming on.
My aunts took me to see his concert when he performed at the Ky. State Fair umpteen years ago (30 maybe?). I remember how crushed I was when I saw him drinking a beer on stage... I lost just a little respect for him at that point and the novelty wore off. I moved on to other teen heart-throbs.
But flashing back... here's my wednesday song of the day:
My aunts took me to see his concert when he performed at the Ky. State Fair umpteen years ago (30 maybe?). I remember how crushed I was when I saw him drinking a beer on stage... I lost just a little respect for him at that point and the novelty wore off. I moved on to other teen heart-throbs.
But flashing back... here's my wednesday song of the day:
Minty fresh breath!
I absolutely, in no way what-so-ever!, advocate giving chocolate to dogs. We do our utmost to keep whatever chocolate items we have in the house put up, out of reach of our k-9 kids. But as I discovered this morning, the back edge of the kitchen counter apparently isn't far enough out of reach...
The alarm went off this morning, I drug my weary bod out of bed and shuffled to the restroom. As I was washing my hands afterwards, I thought I heard a rustling noise outside of our bedroom. It sounded a bit like paper being wadded up, and I could only hope that one of my kids was tearing up the store ads I'd left lying out, and not something important.
I exited the bedroom and looked around the great room, but didn't see anything amiss. Then I heard louder crinkling coming from my immediate right, which is where the dog-crate is. I flipped on the light and peered in, only to discover this...
Olivia had helped herself to a bag of mint-flavored M&M's, and as is her usual m.o., she took her stash to the dog crate so she could hoard it all to herself
Fortunately, she hadn't yet opened the bag, so I was able to get it away from her before she ate any of the minty-chocolate.
Perhaps she was having an emotional moment and felt she needed some chocolate to lift her spirits. Or perhaps someone told her one too many times she had shit-breath. Either way, I retrieved the bag of M&M's and put them up higher. As long as she doesn't resort to standing on her hind legs to get things off of the counter, it should be ok.
The alarm went off this morning, I drug my weary bod out of bed and shuffled to the restroom. As I was washing my hands afterwards, I thought I heard a rustling noise outside of our bedroom. It sounded a bit like paper being wadded up, and I could only hope that one of my kids was tearing up the store ads I'd left lying out, and not something important.
I exited the bedroom and looked around the great room, but didn't see anything amiss. Then I heard louder crinkling coming from my immediate right, which is where the dog-crate is. I flipped on the light and peered in, only to discover this...
Olivia had helped herself to a bag of mint-flavored M&M's, and as is her usual m.o., she took her stash to the dog crate so she could hoard it all to herself
Fortunately, she hadn't yet opened the bag, so I was able to get it away from her before she ate any of the minty-chocolate.
Perhaps she was having an emotional moment and felt she needed some chocolate to lift her spirits. Or perhaps someone told her one too many times she had shit-breath. Either way, I retrieved the bag of M&M's and put them up higher. As long as she doesn't resort to standing on her hind legs to get things off of the counter, it should be ok.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
My "creation"
Okay, here's my first attempt at doing more than stringing a few seed-beads together. Granted, it all came from a kit, so I didn't have to use my imagination, but just figuring out the instructions was hard enough. Once I get the hang of following instructions and reading between the lines, then perhaps I'll venture out and try being creative.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Monday, song of the day
Now that blogger is back up and running properly, I'll resume posting my song of the day.
As popular as this song was back in the 80's, and as much as I watched MTV & VH1, I don't know how I ever missed seeing this video, but I swear!, none of it looked familiar as I watched it on youtube.
I never really understood the song, but it was catchy and upbeat. So maybe my blogger-buddies from down-under can explain the song to me...
As popular as this song was back in the 80's, and as much as I watched MTV & VH1, I don't know how I ever missed seeing this video, but I swear!, none of it looked familiar as I watched it on youtube.
I never really understood the song, but it was catchy and upbeat. So maybe my blogger-buddies from down-under can explain the song to me...
Bats in our belfry!
Once again, we have bats! And I don't mean baseball bats.
No, I'm referring to the flying, wing-flapping variety that comes out at night, and literally sends shivers and shudders through my bod at the mere thought of them.
When I walked into the office this morning, the place was already opened up and all the lights on. That's somewhat of a rarity, as I'm 99.9% of the time the first person to arrive. Even when the boss (who lives here) comes into the office before me, it's very seldom he actually comes downstairs and opens the place up.
So I was somewhat surprised, especially when I saw him walking around the 1st floor with a couple of brooms in his hand. All the doors to the chapel were shut, which again, is unusual. I asked what was going on and he announced that we had a bat.
Not another word was needed, I think I jumped straight up in the air, did a 180 degree about-face, and landed 4 steps up the staircase, all in one movement. I stood there with my shoulders hunched, my eyes darting in every direction, and cold chills flooded my body. I was ready to bolt on up the rest of the staircase when he said, "come help me find it".
Um, excuse me??? Are you out of your frickin' mind?
Apparently he'd found the bat the night before when his 2 cats started spazzing out at the apartment door. He opened the door to investigate and the cats charged out and started chasing the bat around the funeral home. He managed to retrieve the cats, while in his underwear (thank you for putting that image in my head!), and locked the bat in the chapel, deciding to take care of the problem this morning.
So now it was morning and he couldn't find the critter.
I debated going on up to my office and leaving the task for him, but it did make me feel slightly guilty. I picked up a plastic grocery bag that was lying on the steps and put it over my head before tip-toeing over to the chapel door. I refused to step more than one step inside, and surveyed the room from my vantage point. The bag on my head was because I was the tallest object in the room, and should the bat decide to take flight, I wanted to protect my head (as much as possible) in case it flew into me, and also in case the thing decided to poop while flying past, I wanted to protect my hair.
While I stood there, the boss finally shouted, "there it is!" and pointed to a black object on the floor about 3 feet to my left. I spotted the object out of the corner of my eye, screamed, turned and left the room. It turned out not to be the bat, but it didn't matter. I'd had enough. I ditched the plastic "hat" and ran up to my office.
A pest-control professional was finally called in. $174 later, he couldn't find the bat either. I told the boss the sight of him in his underwear was probably enough to scare the bat back out the same way it had come in.
No, I'm referring to the flying, wing-flapping variety that comes out at night, and literally sends shivers and shudders through my bod at the mere thought of them.
When I walked into the office this morning, the place was already opened up and all the lights on. That's somewhat of a rarity, as I'm 99.9% of the time the first person to arrive. Even when the boss (who lives here) comes into the office before me, it's very seldom he actually comes downstairs and opens the place up.
So I was somewhat surprised, especially when I saw him walking around the 1st floor with a couple of brooms in his hand. All the doors to the chapel were shut, which again, is unusual. I asked what was going on and he announced that we had a bat.
Not another word was needed, I think I jumped straight up in the air, did a 180 degree about-face, and landed 4 steps up the staircase, all in one movement. I stood there with my shoulders hunched, my eyes darting in every direction, and cold chills flooded my body. I was ready to bolt on up the rest of the staircase when he said, "come help me find it".
Um, excuse me??? Are you out of your frickin' mind?
Apparently he'd found the bat the night before when his 2 cats started spazzing out at the apartment door. He opened the door to investigate and the cats charged out and started chasing the bat around the funeral home. He managed to retrieve the cats, while in his underwear (thank you for putting that image in my head!), and locked the bat in the chapel, deciding to take care of the problem this morning.
So now it was morning and he couldn't find the critter.
I debated going on up to my office and leaving the task for him, but it did make me feel slightly guilty. I picked up a plastic grocery bag that was lying on the steps and put it over my head before tip-toeing over to the chapel door. I refused to step more than one step inside, and surveyed the room from my vantage point. The bag on my head was because I was the tallest object in the room, and should the bat decide to take flight, I wanted to protect my head (as much as possible) in case it flew into me, and also in case the thing decided to poop while flying past, I wanted to protect my hair.
While I stood there, the boss finally shouted, "there it is!" and pointed to a black object on the floor about 3 feet to my left. I spotted the object out of the corner of my eye, screamed, turned and left the room. It turned out not to be the bat, but it didn't matter. I'd had enough. I ditched the plastic "hat" and ran up to my office.
A pest-control professional was finally called in. $174 later, he couldn't find the bat either. I told the boss the sight of him in his underwear was probably enough to scare the bat back out the same way it had come in.
Good morning!
I don't recommend trying this, but I took these pix as I was driving down the interstate Sunday morning. The pix really don't do justice to the image I saw. I just rolled down the window and held the camera out, and hoped a big bug didn't hit the lense as I snapped the pix.
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