Randomness

Technical Parent posted an idea of posting things that he finds, like things on the street or sidewalk. I thought this was interesting, but I was thinking more on the lines of things I find at the thrift stores, flea markets or yard sales. Or maybe even doing a post like Valdese Blogger's "Stuff around the house" like things I treasure or have created. What do you think?

I am sitting here working on that shawl I started awhile back. I think I went crazy on judging the size. At least it's not too small. I might get it finished before winter is over!

Sunday, on my way back from the grocery store. I noticed that everybody else's grass is brown, even in the nicer yards. I drive into the driveway and our grass is green. I point this out to hubby, he says it is the type of grass seed that we spread in the yard this summer. I guess we ran out of seed, cause the whole back corner is dead. It should feel great having a pretty yard, I've always wanted one, but it just doesn't feel right in the middle of winter. It already needs to be mowed.

I chopped my hair off! It was about half way between the shoulders and the bra strap, now it is about 3 inches all around. I really don't know why I let it get so long, maybe it is to do something drastic once in awhile. Put a shock to hubbies system. LOL! I wake up with it wrapped around my neck (choking me) and playing with the dogs can be a pain in the scalp, it just had to go.

I have gained 3 pounds over the last two holidays! I am officially going on a sweet strike, hubby is not going to be happy about it, but it must be done. I'm already a big girl, I don't need any help from the sweets. I told hubby..If you don't want to see it all go into the trash, you better hurry up and take it to work and hand it out.
The only baking that is going on in this house are my goose pimples!

I found a dresser for my room, it is perfect and in the sixties style that I like. Problem is it is at the flea market and the guy wants fifty smack-a-roos for it. I have gone by there twice, just to make sure it is still there. I'm hoping against my luck, that when I do get up the money it will still be there. Silly I know, but I can hope.

Happy Birthday Mom! How old are you? Just kidding! I would never tell on ya. LOL!

Happy New Year to you all!

Waiting for Daddy

Every evening, we (dogs and I) are sitting and waiting for daddy to get home. Chiquita can tell by the sound of daddy’s truck and is the first to let everyone know that he is home. They (Taco, Stitch and Chiquita) all go running for the door. I have to make them wait till daddy closes the gate before I let them go running out the door. This drives them crazy! First I get barked at, then I get howled at, then the singing is in full force, by time I get the door opened. Chiquita being the smallest has proven she is the fastest when motivated. Daddy is her motivation; she is such a daddy’s girl.

Today, because of daddy’s truck being broke down, has been a confusing one for the little girl. His truck has been out there all day, but daddy is now where to be found.

It is getting dark out, so that means he should be home any minute. Problem is that she has been listening for the wrong truck! LOL! Apparently when you are confused, all noises could possibly be him. Her ears would go up and listen intently and then go back down with sadness. She is so cute, she is cracking me up!

I call hubby and know he isn’t going to be home for hours, I try to tell her but she refuses to believe it. She runs off my lap and does circles in front of the door; I shake my head and laugh while I let her out. Instead of running out she trots all the way to the gate and looks both ways. Sadly she comes back.

The phone rings an hour later. They somehow know it is him. Maybe it is the “Love you” at the end of the call that gives it away. Now there is singing to shhhh (like they really listen to me) and whining to soothe. Still another 45 minutes to go.

The big moment arrives and I am the only one who notices. I have to announce “I see daddy!” The mad dash is on! I’m in the middle of cooking; I don’t rush to the door. Taco comes in the kitchen to whine me to death, his only way to demand my attention. I ask him, in a merry voice “What, what is it?” with hand gestures too. He runs in circles, runs to the door and then back to me. If he was bigger than a foot tall, I’m sure he would have grabbed my hand and pulled me to the door. LOL!

I let them out, but not before I see hubby jump up in the back of his truck and signal. Chiquita runs at full speed, circles my truck, and then circles his truck. Huh, she found him! Such a smart and deliriously happy girl!

I Get Amused with Myself

I am sitting here laughing and amused with myself.

I put in the corner of my page that it was time to dig out all the paperwork for the year and get ready for tax time.

I got it all out and got curious about how much we spent on this and that.

I have spent the last four hours going through and calculating everything.

We spent this much on groceries and this much on gas, so on and so on.

I am laughing at myself cause I am soo OCD when it comes to the paperwork of this house, I save everything from bills to receipts for dinning out. Everything is organized and within reach of my desk, the central hub of the house.


I love this disease my grandmother passed to my Dad and he then passed it to me. I am the only child in my family that caught it. Special just for me. LOL!

The only weird part is that, this particular OCD doesn't branch itself out to the rest of the house. Okay well maybe a little bit, but not like it is with the business center. The business center is perfect at all times, but the rest of the house (feels to me) is in constant chaos.

Of course this is my feelings, but hubby totally disagrees.
I do get aggravated when he does things he knows will drive me crazy...
Like throwing the silverware in the drawer instead off carefully putting each item in its designated spot.
Like trying to be a hero and putting the laundry away, if you saw how that boy folds you would cringe too! Something like holding an item with one hand and using the other to roll it around the fist and shoving it in the drawer. He proclaims "DONE" and in record time! Worse thing on top of that is the rolled up clothes aren't even in the right drawers. He is never allowed to touch my clothes!

My tendencies to being organized, hubby says is over kill, but hey I know where every dollar went for the year! Boy, there were a lot less of them this year. I was going through the tax papers and over the last five years we have had a steady decrease of 2-3 grand a year in gross income, to the tune of 11 grand. Blows my mind to think we are still surviving.

I guess the OCD comes in handy when you have to stretch every dollar.

Now if only I could put it to use more efficiently in other areas of the house!

I would be such a happy camper!!!

A Long Journey with MIL

First things first, I want to apologize to my readers for yesterdays post! My goodness that was a horrible day! Glad I slept on it and woke up in a better mood, still ain't got no money, but still in a better mood. I want to thank you all for being supportive and trying to cheer me up.

Now...lets talk about my MIL.

The year is 1991 and I am meeting new boyfriends mother for the first time. I was scared out of my mind. Biting my lip and fidgeting with my hair. I pause my man at the door to his childhood home and ask "Do we really have to do this?"

My previous MIL and I took about four years to get to like each other. I just knew this was a bad idea.

We walk in the door, I am holding strongly to his arm. Mostly for fear I would fall from my legs giving out on me. They were knocking!

Apparently she didn't know we was coming, cause we found her sitting in her room reading a book. I know I had to have looked like a deer caught in the headlights, cause she looked at me so intensely. It was as is I could read minds suddenly, cause hers was saying "Are you good enough for my only son? Are you a fling or are you going to let him fall for you and then break his heart?"

As this was all sinking into my brain and I was trying to muster up the courage to speak, in an instant I was suddenly forgotten and invisible to her. As if she had made the conclusion that I was just a fling and not worth the effort to get to know.
I'm sure her decision was based on the fact that I was 11 years younger than her son.

For the first three years of our relationship, his mother started to open up some doors of communication, very slowly. We even stayed at her house for three weeks (while having plumbing done on our house), this time with her didn't soften anything between us.

When hubby burnt his hands and arms in that third year, I had to call her. I guess her hearing the panic in my voice, made her realize that I truly loved her son. We then started getting a little closer. More civil and actually having short conversations! She has never been a big talker and I have accepted that, I felt blessed to even have her attention.

Eleven years into our relationship, hubby was in a accident at work and again I had to call her. Hubby had to have a couple of surgeries and stays in the hospital. His mother insisted I stay at her house and use her car to go back and forth to see him. This was huge turning point in our relationship. Even after hubby got out of the hospital she would come over nearly every two weeks to check on not just him, but both of us. I even started receiving Christmas presents from her.

Hubby and I got married in our fifteenth year (that was three years ago). His mother came up to me and said "Welcome to the family". I was standing there in shock and a little bit of hurt, like "What about the past fifteen years? Was I not part of the family all this time?" Thankfully I didn't get mad, or we would never have the relationship we have now.

The past three years have been wonderful. We talk and laugh and have WHOLE conversations. Who knew that piece of paper was so important to her!

This Christmas she presents me with a huge bag of presents. She had been shopping for me for months! That bag had over twenty presents in it and only three of those were for her son, I was amazed she had given me that much thought.

Thank goodness we made it through the first fifteen, cause I wouldn't trade these last three for nothing!

Ranting and Lost Christmas Spirit.

To be warned, this post is a rant!

I have to admit...I am sooo grateful Christmas is over!

This year was full of struggles and Christmas was definitely one of them.

The trucking company hubby has been working for, has been doing major cut backs in pay and layoffs. Fortunately, hubby has managed to escape from the layoff list, but the work has slowed down so much (because the state is not putting much money into new road construction) that we have had a severe reduction in income. Not just in pay, but in hours too!

Because of the reduction in pay, we cancelled our $400 a month medical insurance. Now they pass this thing, where everybody has to have it or pay a fine. I swear they make it sound like people without medical insurance are purposely going without cause they are to cheap to spend the money on it or to lazy to be concerned with it. Good gracious IF only that was the case! What about the poor saps who can't afford to pay over 5 grand a year for something we don't even use? I can understand needing it if you go to the doctors a lot, but I haven't been to a doctor in almost 5 years! That's a lot of money that was being paid for nothing and the insurance companies don't roll over that money or give at least half of it back for not using it! We have paid in over 25 grand in 5 years for about 3 grand in medical expenses. GRRR!!!


I guess you could say I really lost my Christmas spirit the day before Christmas. Every year for the last six years, my hubbies work has given out Christmas bonuses. Last year was a $500(up $200 from the year before) gift card to Wal-Mart. I was expecting the same thing this year, counting on it actually. Nope, we got nothing. Not even a friggin card or a thank you for working for us and keeping the company alive!

I was planning on using that card for groceries and some presents for the grand kids. Now I officially stink at being Nana!

On top of that lousy bit...

Hubby and I was ready to leave yesterday morning to go to his mother's house. We get everything loaded up and pull out of the driveway. Got to the stop sign and the clutch isn't working right. We managed to get almost to the next stop sign and the clutch quits working for good. Hubby finally gets it into gear long enough to back the truck up all the way back to the house.

He is now going to have to use my raggedy gas guzzling truck to go back and forth to work, till we can get up enough money to fix his truck. GRRRRRR!!!


Some how, I have to be a magical math genius and turn 70 dollars into groceries, fixing the truck and gas for the week!

Yup, my Christmas spirit is worn out and gone!

AND...What happened to the Christmas cards? Usually we get any where from 20-30 cards a year. This year we got 3! That will blow someones Christmas spirit to the wind! I even gave my family a bunch of cards and didn't get not one back!

Yes, today has been a day of reflection and all my thoughts have been aggravating ones.

One more aggravation...Income tax! Ever since the stimulus thing, has anyone noticed a reduction in taxes being with held. I have! It went from anywhere around $40-$100 a week to, at the most $20. Now if they don't change something in the tax forms or tax table, we are going to end up owing the IRS, instead of getting a return. I wish the government luck in trying to find the money we will owe, I have no clue where it is!

I have come to the conclusion...that I will end up in jail for not paying a fine for not having health insurance or for owing the IRS back taxes.

If for some reason I suddenly disappear from blogging, you will know where I am. Especially since I don't know anyone that won't be right there with me or that has money just lying around.

Sorry to be such a downer. I just had to get all of that out, maybe I will feel better after the New Year.

Lost Coin

Hubby has a quarter that is tails on both sides. It is one of his favorite things to carry around and play tricks on his fellow drivers.

When he got home last night he sadly reported to me that he had lost it.

He realised it was missing this morning and thought maybe it got put in the coin jar. He dumped out all the coins in search for it, It wasn't there. When he got to work, he checked all through his truck hoping that it had fallen out of his pocket.

He remembered at a job site, he had to get his pocket knife out of his pocket and maybe that was where it was. He went back to that job site (without permission) and searched the ground for it. Nope, not there.

He is heartbroken and deeply saddened over the lose of this quarter.
I was silently amused by this strong reaction.
I try to tell him it is nothing to get so upset over, he can easily buy a new one. He tells me it is not the same, it is like if he was to lose his father's favorite Zippo lighter!
Okay, I get it. You poor baby, do you want a hug?

While getting his supper, I thought maybe I should check the quarter stash I have. I had two tube containers full of quarters, I spent the full one today on stamps. I get the last one that has about four dollars in it, go through them and was shaking my head with each one I look at.

Hubbies eyes ligh up, when he notices what I am doing. I slowly disappears with each coin. The very last one was his coin!

I thought for sure he was going to get on to me for getting into his change, but instead I get that really big hug!

Thank You, Hedy Lamarr!

On yesterday's post Eleanor Parker, I had an interesting comment.

Menopausal New Mom wrote that actress Hedy Lamarr was one of her favorites in the old movies.

I had to look her up, I had never heard that name before. After reading what was written about her, I was amazed!

After escaping from a super controlling husband (who threw parties that Hitler and Mussolini attended) and fleeing to London for a divorce, she then came to America in 37' and debuted in her first American film in 38'.

This woman was not only an actress, but a scientist as well. In 41' Hedy and a composer invented "frequency-hopping" a.k.a. secret communication system and got it patented in 42'. It was intended to to help with the war, making torpedoes harder to detect. Because it was so ahead of it's time, it was not implemented till 62'.

The most amazing part of this woman's history is that, the technology that she and the composer created was used to create "Spread-Sectrum Communication Technology".

The cordless phones and the Wi-Fi that most of us have in our homes, is a direct (or indirect) result of Hedy's hard work!

Amazing woman!! To leave such a mark on the world!

Eleanor Parker

Eleanor Parker...

Do you know who she is? Maybe you do, but maybe you don't. I will tell you.
Possibly her most famous screen role is as Baroness Elsa Schraeder, the second female lead in the 1965 Oscar-winning smash hit The Sound of Music.


I have seen that movie, probably fifty times and I know all the characters and actors, it never crossed my mind that that was the only movie I had ever seen her in.

Hubby flipped the channel to TCM and I read the desription for the movie.

Normally I wouldn't sit and watch a sword fighting movie with male characters slapping each other on the cheeks in a challenge for a duel. Just not really my thing. This movie had just the right amount of funny and female cunning, to keep me interested.
It didn't hurt, that Eleanor was in it and also starred Janet Leigh (Jamie Lee Curtis's mother)
It didn't register in my mind who Eleanor was, because she looked like this:

Big difference from The Sound of Music! Seriously though, isn't she gergeous?!

Time with Hubby

Spending time with hubby includes:

Eating together..so far only speggetti and meatballs

Watching whole movies..anything he flips the remote to or even watching two movies at once, because of those blasted commercials.

Laughing, cutting up and talking..anything is fair game..from stupid commercials. to history, to the cat massaging hubbies belly with claws!

It's the watching whole movies, that I'm having difficulty with. I get stiff from setting to long, so I am constantly getting up. Hubby thinks I am going to leave the room and I get the evil eye. LOL! I would under normal times, but I promised to be a good girl and I am doing my best. But after he is asleep, all bets are off! LOL! Thus here I am, trying to squeeze in a post.

We had a little showdown ealier.

I was getting his lunch ready for tomorrow.
He walks up to me and bumps me in the arm with his empty 100oz jug.
I tell him he is going to have to wait for me to make some more kool-aid.
He bumps me again.
I wave my knife at him and say.."you better watch it, I have a knife!"
He busts out laughing and claims that my toothpick is not a knife!
I laugh and wave him away.
Next thing I know he is coming out of his room..
Waves a big giant hunting blade in front of himself grinning from ear to ear "Now, this is a knife!!"

I couldn't stop laughing...

My mind had an image of kids playing around and professing..

Mine is bigger than yours is!! Sing-song

LMAO!!

A Denny's Reception

First I want to let my readers know that I won't be blogging as often, for the next couple of weeks. My hubby has hit that mood, (that always comes with the Christmas spirit)of "We need to spend more time together". This mood doesn't come around very often, so I take it when I can get it. This means way less time on the computer, just reading every one's blogs and doing one of my own takes about 5 hours (that is dial-up, for ya!). So, I apologize in advance for not getting around to every one's blogs, for awhile.


Now on to the reception:

The reception is held at Denny's, where my brother worked. A few of the other guests were also previous workers of that particular Denny's. It was not only a family gathering, but also a workers reunion. Watching them all reminisce about working together reminded me of the few times I went back to old places I worked. It gives a nostalgic vibe, watching them.

They get a bunch of tables together and everyone is ignoring the dictators of who should sit where. Why they try is beyond me! Most of us are not the "follow the leader" kind of people, like my Mom would prefer. Seems like everyone in my family are the "take charge" kind or the "I'm doing my own thing" kind. LOL! Makes for some funny times.

We were all sitting around yakking and eating. The cameras are snapping from all directions.

There was an older couple sitting in the booth behind us. The elderly lady (Babs) comes over and offers to take pics with our cameras. In Babs talking, she has always had a passion for taking pics and was once quite good at it. New sister hands her camera over. Babs instructs everyone to get together for a group shot. When she couldn't get all of us in the shot, she proceeds to climb up on a chair.

I thought for sure my hubby was going to have a heart attack! He rushes over to her and begs her not to do it! She is NOT going to listen to a youngster! My hubby and her hubby help her up on a chair. She motions for my hubby to get in the shot, of course he refuses to budge from her side. No way was he going to let her elderly hubby be the only one standing there to catch her! I'm telling you, this woman was a lot frailer than the 75 yr old dancer and her hubby later confesses "he just got out of the hospital"!

Babs was up there and everyone is in place (packed in like sardines). She is still trying to figure out how to use the camera! My hubby is getting real nervous the longer she is up there, begs her to let him do it. Babs was a pistol! How dare this young boy try to tell her what to do!

The pics are finally done and thankfully she is escorted off the chair. Babs then proceeds to talk to us. I could feel the sixties oozing off of her. She made me feel like I was at hippies sit-in or freedom speech. It was strange but yet interesting. I bet that old girl had some fabulous adventures in her time.


I have been trying to get a good pic of my sister for a long time now. I get in front of her and asked her to look at me. She started laughing and I was laughing. I got a pic of her with a plate in front of her face, but her ear looked good! LOL!

Hubby and I head home right at dark, so we got to take in some Christmas lights for the first time this year.
Other than dying to get home and get into some comfortable clothes...
We had a good time.
Welcome to the crazy family, new sis!

Capitol Wedding

About three weeks ago, I received a call from my brother to inform me that he and my bf are finally going to get married!

He tells me this fabulous news, but I am under strict orders to not tell anyone or to blog about it. Totally mean!!

Finally, they tell my parents and the word spreads quickly from there. Now I can share my excitement, at least with the family.

Not being able to blog about it has been extremely difficult and has consumed my brain. It is really hard to put up a post, when it has nothing to do with what I want to say!

After much whining, begging and pleading, I get permission to blog! I would share pics, but I still don't have permission. YET! Kinda NOT funny that these twenty-somethings can tell me what I can and cannot do. Grrrr...but because I love them, I bite my tongue and nails and behaved. I even tried to do write a post, something without any specific details. I never could get it right, so you never saw it.

Anyway, last Sunday was the big day!

The plan was to have a simple, come as you are, casual wedding in front of the state capitol. As soon as I heard the state capitol, I wasn't too sure which I was more exited about: the wedding or being in the presence of such grand history.
It was both! So you can get an idea of just how excited I was.

Well, the plan of clothes quickly changed when my brother called and asked if I could PLEASE dress up a little. Since he will be wearing a suit and my bf is getting new clothes just for the occasion. Grrr...I don't own many dressy clothes, like maybe three dresses and one of those was my own casual wedding dress! I dug out the dress I bought at the thrift store two years ago and had never worn. Funny how, now all my dresses have somebodies wedding attached to them.

Hubby and I head out for the two hour drive, both in clothes we are not comfortable in. Thankfully hubbies humor kept me laughing or we would have been a lot more miserable than we already were. I hate to wear pantyhose..so my big turkey thighs were stuck together the whole time, what I wouldn't have given for some britches!! Hubbies big santa belly was being dug into by his belt buckle, he would have rather had his rainbow suspenders! We are horrible creatures all dressed up, but we looked nice! Almost as good as we looked at our own wedding, three years ago! I felt weird cause my Mom liked the dress, even asked if I didn't like it maybe I could give it to her. I officially hate the dress NOW! Naw, just kidding! Love you mommy!

We were using this family gathering, as a chance to exchange Christmas presents as well. Hubby gave me the choice of going to the wedding or going to the Christmas get together, since they were only 2 weeks apart. I'll take the wedding! After giving gifts, we head to the capitol.

I'm telling hubby how to get there from the directions I printed out. I see it! I see it! I swear hubby nearly ran off the road from my excitement! I felt like a school kid on a field trip! Way more giddy than the sheets at the thrift store!

Everybody piles out of their cars, hubby and I pass all the slow pokes..a.k.a older peeps and infants. We was in a hurry to get to the plaques and statues, before the wedding. Mom is yelling that we are going the wrong way, dah mom we know that! You can't take two history buffs to the state capitol and expect us NOT to educate ourselves! I don't know how they could just bypass all that historical information without a second thought. We could have stayed there for days, taking it all in.

The wedding is performed on a star on the ground, on the south side of the architecturally gorgeous capitol.
Brother was all smiles and bf (I need to learn to call her sister now) looked like she was on the verge of tears, probably not, maybe that was me! Us sister's all hug her and yell SHE'S A ___! (insert maiden name).

Now "One stop hubby" is ready to go! No, we have to go to the reception! He reluctantly went, only cause he was super hungry and there was CAKE!

I'll do the reception on another post.

A Must See..Amazing!

This story was on the world news yesterday morning.

Hubby and I just sat here watching and cringing with every move, but yet totally blown away by the gumption of this 75 year old grandma!

Go here. Make sure you watch the video, if you can!

Just goes to show, that anything is possible. No matter how old you get.
For some people, NOT me.

That is a broken hip waiting to happen!

I couldn't do that! Could you?

Past, Present and Future

A little something about

Christmas's past...

When I was a kid, I remember that we did have a real tree for a few years. I don't know when we quit doing that. I remember hating to have to clean up after the darn thing, it shed worse than our cat did.
Dad had those very large multi colored Christmas lights. I loved those!
Mom's tradition for stockings (when we had stockings, if we didn't she would use a box)...
one Apple
one Orange
one Banana
one box of Cracker Jacks
and a book/box of Lifesavers

We didn't ever have a fireplace, so my mom would slide these under our beds in the middle of the night. How do I know this? I would peek! Naughty child that I was!

We made our tree's decorations. Mom would get colored glass balls, gave us glitter and glue and we always did one with our name on it. One year we even made our own stockings with felt and glitter.

The good old times when we did things together, before I caught wind of all the things other families were buying instead of making.


Christmas's present...

Lets just go back five years. For my side of the family, we have always gotten presents for my parents and the four kids and my niece. Well since the family has grown so much (with spouses and nieces and nephews), we finally decided to draw adult names three years ago. Which really didn't change things much for my parents with having to still buy for seven grand kids, each other and two adults. For me and hubby, even with the new system were having to buy for over 20 people (kids and adults combined).

So finally after many talks on the matter and to ease every one's financial burdens, we have agreed to only do our own households and to get together only for a Christmas dinner. Lets hope everyone got the memo!

Mom usually is the one to tell everybody where and when Christmas is going to happen. We haven't had Christmas on Christmas day in a long time. It is always based on when everyone is available. Last year's Christmas wasn't celebrated till January of this year.
I actually liked that, cause it gave me more time to get stuff at the after Christmas sales.


Christmas's future...

My grand kids are going to be thrilled next year. Most of the money I spent on my family will now be able to go to them and their parents. Something I haven't been able to do for sometime. I always felt like a bad Nana, cause our money was being stretched too many ways. I will be able to focus more on them and regain my great Nana status!

Hopefully, my hubby will return to me, that happy HO-HO guy that has recently been replaced with the Grinch!

Stop the Honking!!

The trailer behind us has been empty for a few months. Two days after Thanksgiving, a family of 5 or 6 moved in.

Everyday this family and I guess their Friends or family, have been driving me crazy.

People pull into their driveway and sit in their cars and honk. I have never liked this practice and it is making me screaming mad. Not to mention, my dogs will bark every time! Even worse, is that I am expecting a package from the mail lady and she will honk cause I have a gate. So, every time I hear a honk I have to check to see if it is for me.

I find this behavior rude to the neighborhood and to the person the honk is for. If I was to get honked at from my driveway...from some one other than the mail lady... you can bet your bottom dollar, that person would get yelled at for being so friggin lazy and RUDE!

Sorry Mom! It reminds me of when my mother would start honking as she was getting in front of my house, all the kids would quickly pile out (cause it looked like she didn't even stop) and my mom would drive away. Grrr, I would get sooo mad! It felt like a rudeness directed at me. No asking if I could watch them or even if I had time to watch them. Just drop them off and run, with just a friggin honk as a warning! That is probably why I don't like it so much.

It also reminds me of a scene in my mind, of a young girl going out on a date and the boy sits in his car and honks. The father refuses to let the girl go, till the boy comes to get the girl proper like. I know that if I had ever dated someone with a car, my dad would have never allowed a honking boyfriend!

Maybe if I put this up in my yard

They would get the idea!

What ever happened to the days when people actually cared about their neighbors?

When I was a kid, I do recall my parents telling us to keep it down cause we might be disturbing the neighbors and they might get mad.

These new people don't seem to care about disturbing us at all.

From sitting here at the computer in my kitchen/office, I can hear...Music blarring, doors slamming, pounding, yelling and even running in the house...till nearly midnight!

My hubby is usually asleep by at least 9pm. One of these days he's going to get woken up by them and grumpy bear is going to get angry!

Along with the honking at LEAST twice a day, I think I am going to be the one to crazy and lose it, way before he does!

The only thing they can hear from my house, is my dogs barking at all the noise they are making!

I am soo DONE!!

Yesterday, I managed to get all of the Christmas Cards done! I only had to use one book of stamps, I have one pile for mailing and three piles of hand delivery cards. After this coming Sunday, I will be down to one pile.

I tell hubby about getting them done and all he has to do is lick them and put them in the mailbox. This stops him in his tracks, he looks at me and says..repeat that.
I got to the licking part and he shakes his head so hard, it looked like it was going to fly off his head. All the while making a face and sticking his tounge out..YUCK,YUCK! I'm NOT licking any envelopes!! I cracked up!



Still laughing..I put the pile on his area, by the door. So he will take them to the mailbox on his way out in the morning.

He states..I told you, I'm not licking those!
Laughing harder now
Hubby..I mean it!

After waving my hands to make him stop, I managed to get some air to say..
They are already licked! I knew you wouldn't. I was just messing with you!


I am also finished with the Christmas shopping!! They are all boxed up and ready to be delivered Sunday!

Done, done, done!

Old modern technology

This time 2 years ago, my 3 brothers were the only ones in this family that had moved into the modern technology.
I'm talking about cell phones, digital cameras and a computer. Not exactly up to date technology, more like old modern technology!

Me...
April of last year, I moved up in the world when I was given my first used computer (got a brand new one, February of this year) and in August I got my first used digital camera (got a new one in June of this year). August of this year I got my first cell phone, ever.

Hubby...
He got a new cell phone and a brand new tv.

Sister...
She had a cell phone (for emergencies only), but this year her and her hubby worked hard to get their very first used computer. Way to go sis! Still no digital camera or printer, but I'm sure they will be working on that next.

Parents...
Mom's sister had given her a computer, but she never got it hooked up, by time she did try, it had been ruined by toddler twins pouring their milk inside it.
Parents moved this year and dad it the jackpot. My dad is a scavenger, you throw something away and he is likely to find it and try to fix it. He found a computer, it did have its problems but worked for games. My brother came down and tried to fix it and he went and got mom a brand new computer. My other brother has given mom a cell phone on his plan.

Dad managed to find another computer and again my brother came down to fix it for him. Dad didn't get a brand new computer, but after my brother got through with it, it was close to brand new. At thanksgiving, my dad was showing everyone that he got a digital camera. He was thrilled over that camera. Today he calls me from his very first cell phone! Mom had bought him a reconditioned phone, but after trying to set it up and having problems. The company sent dad a brand new camera phone!
He exclaims...In the last six months I have jumped into modern technology!

Now my whole family (other than one sister) is just a few steps away from the newer technology.

Now that I have written this out and reviewed it, the only things we should need for Christmas is clothes!

What a year for my family! We all get gold stars! Right Mom?

A Tradition Dies.

For nearly twenty years now, my most major tradition was...

Every year I go to Wal-Mart and get us an ornament and have the clerk in the jewelry department engrave the year on the front or the back depending on the style.

Last year I didn't do my shopping till late in the season and there wasn't anymore (so I thought). I was disappointed, but soon forgot about it.

Today I went to get us one for this year and last year.
I looked and looked and found none.
I asked the clerk at the jewelry booth and she looked at me like I was crazy.
I'm trying to explain to the girl..you know the ones that y'all engrave.
She pointed to a wall of display and said that was all the Christmas stuff they had or go to the Christmas decorations department.
I went to the wall she indicated, nope not there.
I go to the far end of the store and search each isle. Nothing!
I'm getting really frustrated!
I was even letting some curse words escape under my breathe.

I stopped a worker, someone who looked like they had been there a while.
Well...Her reply was...We stopped carrying those two years ago!
*
*
OH NO! What am I going to do now?
I come home and hit up the Internet. I tried every word combination I could think of and was getting nowhere. I did find that just a few days ago, someone else just found out the same thing about those ornaments and was asking for help. The help gave a place to get them but I would have to travel four hours round trip for them. That's not going to happen!

Finally, after many hours for searching, I found the right words.
At last, I found a small amount of them! Only downside to this is that they cost twice as much as I would've paid for them. I got the two I needed, anyways.

Now I am going to have to come up with another way to mark the years.
Any suggestions?

Friends one day, Shopping the next!

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a couple of days. I hope you didn't miss me too much!

Sunday...
We went to our best friends house, to pick up her finished project.. I had boughten some yarn (last month) and hired her to make a baby blanket for my nephew due in January, A beautiful soft green with scalloped edging.

I'm sure your asking...Why didn't I do it myself? Well, just like everyones handwriting is different, so are everybodies stitches. She does this stitch that I have tried to duplicate and it just doesn't come out like hers.

After being there for three hours, visiting and eating. I started having a headache that just got worse to the point of a migraine. I don't know if yall remember, but last time I visited her the same thing happened. I called her when we finally got home and was trying to figure out what was triggering it, we came up with nothing. No new cleaning products, no new air freshener. I am at a lose as to why!

This time the headache didn't go away after and hour, this one lingered on through till yesterday afternoon.

Monday...
I had so much shopping to do. I want this Christmas shopping done and over with.
Still nursing my headache, I didn't want to do it but I had to. We only have one card for the store I was going to, so I had to go, cause I had to get that card back to the hubby by the next day.

I wasn't in any hurry, so I took my sweet time. Two hours later I am moving on to my next (and last) store and still didn't manage to find some of the things I was looking for.

I wasn't going to stop at the thrift store, but seriously it is an addiction!
I had to really reign myself in. I had to keep reminding myself that I was not here for me, I was here to find things for the baby and tools for my dad. I never found the tools he was wanting, probably cause I got lost in the linen area. Found a bunch of things for the baby, crib sheets and such.

Something about the linens area that just calls to me. I love to find sheets that have that special feel, it is not so much the look of the sheet as it is the feel. Once I find that feel, then I check the size and condition. Sometimes I will buy them anyways just for material for projects.
I can get all giddy over a find like that! High dollar sheets for four dollars!

I talked to my daughter after the first stop and had to drop by her house, told her I would be by after this next stop. (thrift store was not included in the plan) I still wasn't finished with the last store when hubby called to let me know he was on his way home (as he does everyday).
H...Where are you?
M...I'm still trying to get done with the last store, I'll try to hurry.
H...Don't rush and be VERY CAREFUL!
(He said that cause it had been drizzly all day)
I forgot to tell him about still having to stop by daughters house! Crap!
Now I am rushing around, grabbing who knows what, trying to hurry up! GRR..
Headache starting to come back, just from the stress of running late.

I get to daughter's house and the kids are all "Nana, watch this!" and "How long you going to stay?" Broke my heart to have to get hugs and kisses and run. I won't get to see them again for another 3 weeks!

If only I hadn't stopped at the thrift store for my fix! Bargin prices robbed me of time with the grandkids!!

Fight traffic and finally get home (my saftey zone). Hubby is already home! Crap!!
I rush in the house with just a portion of my loot. I tell hubby there is more (this usally leads to help), nope he proclaims that his day is done!

Fine, find your own supper, cause so is mine!!

Sneeking a Peek

I was eleven and the Christmas tree was set up and some of the presents where already under the tree. My grandmother had just been to our house (the day before) to drop off the presents from her. My parents weren't home and the kids (siblings) were napping.

I kneel on the floor and look through the presents to find the one with my name on it. I find it and am curious as to why it is so small. It feels light as air, like nothing is in it but paper. Curiosity peeked as bad as "What prize is in the Cracker Jacks?!" I run to the door, look out the peep hole, nobody is coming. I go to the kitchen with the big window and scan the whole area, still nobody is coming. I still have this light as air present in my hands. I knew what I was thinking was wrong and if I got caught I was going to get a whipping. I just couldn't resist the curiosity, it was too strong.

I had seen daddy do this many times, I knew I could do it to. I ever so gently pulled on the tape, trying real hard not to tear the paper. My heart is pounding in my ears, the excitement was giving me a adrenaline rush, but the fear was ALMOST enough to make me stop. I didn't of course. I felt like I was moving in slow motion and breathing was too much noise. I get it peeled off and every so quietly unfold the edge.

It is something green and crocheted. My heart sank, I was so disappointed it wasn't something fun or fashionable, but still I just had to know what my grandmother had thought I would want. Maybe it is a dress for my doll, that would be neat. (Yes, I still played with dolls) My mind went all over the place, trying to think what it could be. I wasn't going to pull it out of the wrapping, for fear that I would never get it back in. Before I could stick to my plan, I was pulling it out!


SLIPPERS! The ugliest things I had even seen! Even the color of the green was sickening. They were two rectangular strips sewn together, they pointed at the toes!


Today, I could kick my eleven year old butt. Not knowing then that that was going to be the last present I ever got from my Grandmother. Not because she was gone. No, we were gone, we moved from Maine to Texas eight months later. I only saw her two times after that, at 18 and again at 25. She passed two years ago at the age of 92.

The point of my story is...Love your family, TODAY! Appreciate their efforts, even if you don't really like it. You never know what the future holds.


Ps...In the writing of this memory, the realization of this being her last present swept over me and of course changed my ending. No, I didn't get caught

Soo you DO believe in Santa Clause!!

Phone convo with sister…

Me...What was the most memorable Christmas present?
Sister...One year, I wanted a cabbage patch doll. I was opening all my presents and was disappointed there wasn’t a cabbage patch doll!


There was a knock at the door and I answered the door and there wasn’t anyone there, but there was a present.

Dad‘s yelling who is it?
S...Nobody, just a present!
Dad...Well, who is it for?
S...Looks at the tag and yells… IT”S FOR ME!!
It was the cabbage patch doll she'd been wanting!

M...Who was missing from the room?
S...Nobody, everybody was there.
M...Who was out of breathe?
S...Nobody.
M...Oh! Soo you DO believe in Santa Clause!!! LOL!


Niece and sister convo…

Niece...This year I am going to find out for sure if there really is a Santa Clause!
S...How are you going to do that?
N...I’m going to check Santa’s handwriting on the tags, if it looks like yours or daddies then I will know there is no Santa.


I told my sister to take all the tags to work and have someone else do them!


Niece finds her letters to Santa in her mother’s room.


N...How did you get my letters to Santa?
S...Santa said we could have them for keepsakes.

Trophy Time

I have had this lovly award bestowed on me by Suzicate over at Water Witch's Daughter . I am baffled but extremely thrilled! If you have never checked her out, please do so. She has an "Old Friend" quality to her posts. Here's the thing..If you like me, then your really going to like her!

Rules are to share seven traits about yourself and pass it on.

Hmmm..Not to sure I have seven, but I'll give it a whirl.

Since I am not good at figuring myself out, I decided to see what others had to say.

My Mom...all negitives! What is up with that, MOM?
Stubborn...Okay maybe I can see that, a little.
Holds a grudge...Very true! There are just somethings I can't seem to get past.
Hoarder...Mom's version of hoarding is not like you would see on tv. She is probaly refering to the fact that I have a lot of keepsakes (like my very old teddy bear) or maybe even refering to the 40+ coffee cups (for two people) or the two drawers full of hand towels. I think that is not hoarding , just collecting. My house is NOT like those on tv, I like a clean house.


OCD is more like it! Not compulsive but collective!

My best friend of 17 years...Another negitive, but with humor behind it.
Short term memory loss...Many times when we were going to Bingo, she would ask me to stop at the store. I would most of the time just drive right on by, even though she just screamed at me "The Store!!" Her most fond and humorous memory of me! LOL

My Brother...sweet and negitive!
Caring, but bitchy.. I mother him! I care so much about him, I tend to come off as preachy or as he would put it..Bitchy! All I want is for him to stand up for himself and stop letting people control him! Is that too much to ask for? I think NOT!


Okay fine, that was bitchy.
(sorry for the bad words) Lets move on..

Hubby...Sweetest man I know.
He says the are all wrong! So sweet, you know he's just saying that so he can stay out of trouble! LOL!

Loving and Caring!
His definition of this is...
I keep the fat man's belly happy, cause he gets fed everyday! LOL!

BFF Janet says...Very sweet! You Rock Girl!
Thrifty...I have no choice but to be thrifty!
Creative...Yes, I can find ways to use things most people would throw away.


My sister says...
Hilarious...Her and Janet are the only ones that thought this. I can make my sister laugh, even with just answering the phone. She is hilarious too!


Now on to finding the lucky winners. Hmm, let me see...

Angelia over at Living, Loving, Laughing...

Stepanie over at Steph in the City

Shell over at Everythings better on a stick

Joshua over at The Technical Parent

The Battle of the Lights

Hubby is the worst when it comes to the household lights.

He goes from room to room turning off the lights, whether I am going back and forth in those rooms.

He's a true believe in "Your not in that room, so the light shouldn't be on!"

This drives me crazy!!

I gripe at him, but it falls on deaf ears (literally).

I go back through switching them back on and grumbling under my breathe.



I get up this morning and I notice right off that the Christmas tree has been turned off.

To me the best part of having the tree up, is the lights!

I switch them back on and stomp my foot and yell to an empty house...

"Why does he insist on doing that?" Grumble, grumble...



This evening...

We are enjoying a night of back to back Humphrey Bogart movies.

Every thing is going great, a few chuckles here and there.

UNTIL...

Hubby is getting ready to go to bed.

He walks into the office and turns out that light, then proceeds to turn out the living room light.

I get my beg in and he puts it on low. Fair enough, I can live with that.

BUT THEN...

He walks over to turn off the Christmas tree!!!!!

I lost it!

Why do you keep doing that?

No reply

Can you give me an honest reason why?

Still no reply

I'm getting madder! Voice getting higher!

Every year we argue about this! Give me a reason why!

He stands there with hand hovering over the switch.

With a chuckle in his voice, he speaks...calmly and evenly

"I like having something, to argue with you about and to watch you get all riled up."


That was equal to ripping a hole in my hot air balloon!

I deflated and was amusingly defeated.

BUT, he's asleep and the tree is still lit!

(shhh)I WIN!!!

Cashmere Socks

What is Cashmere?
After hubby feel asleep, I just had to look it up.
I must know why I have never seen or felt Cashmere.

Hubby and I had a roaring convo about this, I will put it at the end of this post.

We concluded that it had to come from sheep.
First I must remember to tell hubby...it is not from a sheep, it is the down of a goat.

Hmm, interesting! Not really, but heck I didn't know that!

Here is the reason, I have never seen or felt Cashmere...

This one pair of "Pure Cashmere" socks cost $240!

The estimated worldly amount each year for "Pure Cashmere" is only 6,500 tons. A big rig with a box trailer can carry just over 2 tons. That breaks down to just 3 trailers full for the whole world!! Wow, I am blown away by this! No wonder it is so expensive.

Grant it, there are lower grades of Cashmere.
Supposedly in the range of affordable.
PPPleasssse, I say!
No way in my lifetime am I going to pay $20 for ONE pair of socks!!

Here is our convo...


I believe you all know the commercial.
The famous girl is talking to Santa and his Ho Ho Ho slips out.
At the very end she tells him she likes Cashmere Socks.

I turn to hubby and ask...
M..Have your ever seen or felt Cashmere socks?

H..He looks at me in this odd..have you been dipping in the cooking sherry kind of face, with an instant burst of laughter and shaking his head!
Through his laughter, he replies..No! Why?

By now, I am laughing too.
M..Me neither! What is Cashmere?

H...Still LHAO, replies with...

I wouldn't know Cashmere, if it bit me on the ass!!

We are both rolling in laughter now!

M..Where does it come from?

H..Well, Cashmere is a place. So I guess it comes from there.

M..Okay, but from what type of animal?

H..If I knew that, then I would know when cashmere was about to bite me on the ass! LOL!

I had to stop the conversation, my sides were hurting from laughing too much!

Christmas Decorations

I decided that I was going to get the tree done today. I dig out all my Christmas boxes and proceeded to pick a color. I chose a Peppermint Christmas, that is what I have the most of.

I get the lights out and for some reason they are all tangled up. I didn't put them away properly 2 years ago. (We didn't do tree and decorating last year.) I usually put them back in the box that they came in, but instead I put them on plastic rollers. I guess in the move the rollers got broken and the string of lights were all tangled up.

I manage to get them untangled and was ABOUT to put them on the tree. I told myself..You better at least check that they are all working. Sure enough, at least half or more of the lights weren't working.

I check through all the boxes, before I realized I didn't have any replacements. I gave those to the Freecycle Girl!

So I hop in my truck and head to my local stores. After going to DG and FD and not finding any, I had to break down and buy new ones. Man, this little town sure does need a Wal-Mart or Home Depot, something other than these China stores. Not the point, sorry for putting a little rant in there!

Anyway, I did pick up other things..it's inevitable, I can't seem to just go in a store and buy ONLY what I went there for. Garland and greenery for the gate and garland for the porch railings. I put those up as soon as I got home. Nothing fancy, just enough to show I do have some Christmas spirit.

The large plastic candy canes, that I used to have lining the walkway. Have some how lost their spikes to go into the frozen ground. So...I hung them in the leafless peach tree..Ha Ha!!

I then went on to do hubbies job. His job every year is to fluff the tree and string the lights. I managed to get the lights on but it looked nothing like when hubby does it. I was secretly hoping that once he saw my attempt, he would shake his head and fix it. NO, he takes one look at it and declares I did a good job. Lazy ass! jk, sorta!

Out of all this...there is one thing that baffles me each year. I can carefully put away the Christmas lights and every year there are always some that don't work. Why is that? Is it tempature related or what?

Well I'm halfway there.

How's your decorating going? Any tangled lights? LOL