Memorial day weekend

Saturday I spent the morning and the evening with the hubby watching some really great old war movies on the tv. I absolutely adore Van Johnson and he was a huge star of the b&w era, so manage to get my fix of him almost all day. During the afternoon I spent a few hours with my bf. I had a pretty good pile of things to take to her and we had some crocheting to share with each other. It was a good visit and we sat and watched History Detectives together (very interesting episode), it had been so long since we had the chance to just sit in each others presence. I do dislike that we now live so far away.

Sunday the hubby and I lazied around almost all day. I cooked twice and crocheted till my tush went numb. Then we took a nap. After the nap I was full of energy and the sun was setting, the temps outside had finally dropped down into the 80's. I decided it was a great time to get the mowing done. Watching the beautiful sunset across the sky made me long for my camera but I knew I had to finish the mowing before I lost all sunlight. Kinda a bummer to have missed the opportunity but at least the mowing got done. BUT before the mowing was finished, the hubby decided to come outside (first time since friday evening) just to aggravate me about my mowing technique...grrr. I was pretty peeved. I was very close to saying something ugly but thankfully refrained.
Meanwhile while mowing the race was on. There was about 77 more laps left to the race and Earnhardt was in 3rd by time I came in. Okay NOW this is a race to watch! I decided to sit and watch it while giving myself a foot soak. There I was sitting in my chair with my feet stuck in water and suddenly Earnhardt was in the lead. I was slapping my knee begging and pleading for him to go go go, while my whole body wanted to be jumping up and down but couldn't cause my feet were stuck in water!. It was torture! Only to watch his car slow down, he ran out of gas on the 4th corner just yards away from the checkered flag. OMG it was so disappointing but yet it was a thrilling race.

Tomorrow I plan to finish the yard, go to the grocery store, do some laundry and hopefully finish the throw I have been working on. Just a plain old regular day.

Yeah we really know how to party, huh?

Tagged

So here I was blissfully hiding in the shadows and crocheting my life away, totalling ignoring my responsibility to my blog and all the lovely peeps that have been so kind to continue with me through my wishy-washy way of blogging. I was suddenly reminded (kicked in the butt) of certain peoples loyalty and was slapped with a tagging. LOL! My dear friend Spot has been reading my occasional posts and has been a true blue friend on facebook. She is all up to date on how much time I have been spending with my hook and yarn and decided it was high time I focused on something else, hence the tagging. LOL! Isn't she just the sweetest! Seriously, I really do need the break.♥♥

So lets see...where did I put those questions. Hold on, still looking...Ah, found them!

#1...If you could go back in time and relive a moment, what moment would it be?
Okay I have thought long and hard about this one and it has to be this...
Hubby and I had gone to visit my grandparents in Florida. Nana lived with them and was sitting in her chair crocheting..blind. I sat down on the floor in front of her chair and watched. Then she proceeded to teach me a particular crochet stitch. It was the first time I ever had the chance to really be close to her and feel that bond of learning something from my Nana in something that we both enjoyed doing.

#2...If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?
I'm not really sure there is anything that I would change cause that would alter the reality I live in and also alter me. There are things that I regret but in all of those things were a lesson learned. If I was to change the outcome of things, then I would have changed to lesson I got from it. Although...I could stand to go back and change that hairdo I was sporting in the eighties! LOL!

#3...What movie/tv character do you most resemble in personality?
I would have to say this would be a mixture of Ma Ingalls or Ma Walton. Very down to earth and strong, tough and at times even rugged and yet the homemaker with heart.

#4...If you could push one person off a cliff and get away with it, who would it be?
Wow what a question! I'm sorry to say, but I don't have anyone that I hate that much to end their life just for my satisfaction. Now if you had asked me that question back in my teens or early twenties I might have been able to come up with an answer. Thankfully I learnt that if you really dislike someone that much and can't get past it, it's best to stay away from them for both of your sakes.

#5...Name one habit you want to change in yourself?
Just one? Hummm...Give me a minute! I'm thinking...
Balance. I have a really bad habit of not being able to balance more than one thing at a time. Blogging, crocheting, photography, sewing... so on and so on. I wish I had more balance in my life to accommodate all of my loves, everyday.

#6...Describe yourself in one word.
I can't do it. I am a woman of many words. Lets just say I am a 50's housewife with a slight twist of modern. I am my grandmother.

#7...Describe the person who named you in this meme, in one word.
♥♥Friend♥♥

#8...Why do you blog?
For many reasons...To have a record of my life, to have a place to get it all out(vent), to have a place to keep family and friends up to date.

Now here is the part that everyone dreads..Hahaha (evil laugh)!
I am to name some folks to bestow this on. This might be harder than I realised considering my lack of blogging has lost me alot of readers. So in my good person fashion, I am NOT going to tag. I'm a meanie arent I?! You was soo looking forward to getting your name called out, weren't you? LOL!

Instead I will just direct you to some of my favorite peeps.
Tink
Suzicate
Peg
Angelia
Grace
MrsBear
Sprite's Keeper
Carol
Consider yourself tagged if you really want to be.

The day I talked to my birth mother...

Well as some of you already know, I wasn't raised with my birth mother. It was just me and dad for 8 years till he remarried. I have seen her 4 times throughout my life and of course there have been the polite Christmas cards and the occasional birthday card. Since my Grammies death there hasn't been any contact with that side of the family except for those cards.

As usual I sent the Christmas card last Christmas and shortly after I received a short note from her wondering why I hadn't sent a picture like my brother did. Basically I was being chastised for being not as good and thoughtful as my brother. Which at the time stung a little but yet pissed me off too. Like SHE really didn't have the right to get on my case about anything! But yet there was that nagging little piece of me that said...Why don't you give her another chance? Surely she has calmed her ways and besides she is old now.

This produced a large argument with my conscience. If you only knew the words that were spoken up in my head. Phew, it was awful! I mean how many chances can you dish out in hopes of not getting hurt AGAIN? Deep in my heart I knew I must of been sending those cards every year in hopes of some kind of relationship. In the end my conscience won and I finally broke down and sent her some pics and a small note.

I wrote, she wrote (immediately) and had been going on for nearly six months now. Then I hit a wall. I knew she was waiting for my letters but for the life of me I couldn't seem to put anything to paper. I would try and throw away, over and over again. So I stopped and waited. Mulling actually.

A few weeks ago she gave me her phone number, I logged it in my book but couldn't muster up the courage to call. I hadn't talked to her, person to person since I was 11 with out somebody else being there as a buffer. It's kinda funny but I was actually afraid of her for the longest time, but that was mostly because I had expectations of who I wanted her to be. Thankfully I don't have those illusions anymore. I have come to think of her more as a long lost family member (like an aunt), than the grandeur of the word "Mother"

So today as I sat here with nothing to do but crochet, I picked up the phone and dug out my phone book. My finger hovered over the buttons for what seemed like forever then I dialed. I hesitated just long enough for me back out of it before I pressed the talk button. Suddenly my tummy was churning and I couldn't sit still. I was pacing the floor even before the phone was answered.

I believe it went well other than the fact that I was talking ninety to nothing and probably didn't even give her much chance to talk. My nerves had taken over and I dominated the convo. By time we finally hung up, I was exhausted! I had walked the length of the house probably fifty times in the span of an hour! My nerves were as if they had been hit by electricity, my hands were still shaking and if I was still a drinking girl, I would have seriously put a hurt on a bottle!LOL!

Soo...is my fear conquered? Demons demolished? Maybe not fully but hey...it's a start.

Update with a little rant...

So as you have noticed I have been MIA from blogging. What can I say..I'm a slacker! I guess I'm not really good at multi-tasking. It's either blogging, chatting on the phone, facebooking, photography or crotcheting. One or the other, but never all at once. Sad I know, but that is just how things roll with me. If I am crotcheting (which I have been..ALOT) there just isn't much time left for anything else.

AND of course my friggin dial-up takes friggin forever to load a pic! Every pic I take I have to go and downsize just to get it to load (either here or on facebook) in 20 minutes! Drives me INSANE! If I leave it as it is, it takes 35 minutes or wont load at all...error is becoming way too common on my computer. Anyway, just incase you were wondering... what happened to that girl? I am increasingly getting frustrated with dial-up and of course I have to live in the freaking twlight zone where no satalite can reach! Can ya tell I'm losing it?! Do I feel better now...naw, not really.

So another year of my life has gone and passed by. I woke up on my birthday and looked in the mirror (by accident) and HOLY SMOLY, where the heck did those wrinkles come from?! I swear I instantly looked older! Naw, what it really was was I had had four teeth pulled a week ago and the swelling just suddenly went down and left my mouth a little sunken in...thus a new line on my face! Just what I needed ON my birthday! LOL! Cruel fate.

All them pretty little kittens (wow, look at all them T's) on my front porch are driving me nuts! They are cute and all but for the life of me I can't seem to find them homes. At one point I thought I had all but one spoken for and suddenly everyone bailed on me. Not one person has actually come and gotten one, lots of interest and promises, but alas they are all five still here. I am going though what used to be a months worth of cat food in a week! Oh and apparently word got around that this was the house to get food at cause earlier today I had to chase off two other cats and the neighbors little dog. It's bad enough I am feeding three adult cats and five kittens, I don't need the whole neighborhood thinking I am giving away free food!

Well after sitting here and rereading what I have written...I have come to the conclution that I seriously need to get out of the house! I NEED to find something to do other than sit on my duff all day. BUT of course leaving the house always ends up costing money, particularly gasoline. Sigh.

I guess I better go to bed before I either have a freak out or a meltdown. Tomorrow will be better, it has plans. Thank goodness the weekend always yeilds something to do.

Sorry if this turned into a pity party. Just one of those days that seems to weigh heavy.

Mother's Day

I guess most of you are mothers and are going to be waiting to see what you got or where you are going to be taken. Perhaps you are the one that is going to be doing something for your mother or you'll be waiting by the phone in hopes of that phone call from one of you kids. Soo many ways we celerbrate this day.

For myself I will be spending the day with my bf while she sits and waits for that phone call from her son who probably already sent her some flowers. Then it's on to visit with daughter Jennifer and the grandsons. Most of our Mother's days are spent with hubby's mom, a lunch at Luby's or her favorite seafood joint. Apparently that is not going to happen this year, if it is..then we wasn't told about it.

Do you see a pattern here, my mother! Where is she in all this? Well...I just saw my mother last week and the week before. I already gave her her presents (I should be good till Christmas (jk mom)). It is kinda sad that I have never been able to see her or spend time with her ON Mother's day, but I know she understands. (I hope she understands) Besides, my brother is taking her out for dinner.
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How interesting. I just looked up Mother's day in Wikipedia and was surprised and intruiged that the first idea of Mother's day was not as it is today. What started out as a protest of war with the Mother's Day Proclamation and then a more personal celebration of mothers (introduced by Anna Jarvis and passed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914), became a commercialized holiday. Anna hated what became of her holiday so much she spent the rest of her life protesting against her own creation.

Very interesting reads if you have the time.
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Well anyway I do hope you all get the Mother's day you are wishing for and have a happy one!

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Wondering....

Sometimes I start thinking and wondering why we have so much stuff. I'm not just talking about myself here, nearly everyone I know has a storage shed or even rent one. Is it because we don't have large barns. basements or attics to put in all in, like days gone by. I tend to watch hoarding shows and old movies. One thing strikes my interest when comparing the 30's and 40's to people of today. We have a bunch of stuff!

In the old era regular woman (not the social elite, they had everything) had:
A handful of clothes, maybe just enough to fill a trunk.
Two pairs of shoes, if they were that lucky.
One tube of lipstick and some face powder. They just had to powder their noses!
When the young ladies got married they didn't need a moving van to transport their stuff. Most were capable of carrying their stuff by hand. Most had all that they needed and no more than that. The essentials.

The essentials...my have they grown.

When we moved 3 years ago, it took many many loads of a jam packed flatbed trailer to get all of our essentials relocated. AND I did some major throwing away while packing!

Back to the wondering phase... I wonder if the great depression has anything to do with our desire to have more? Lots of people had to sell what little they had just to survive and as times got better they replenished. BUT I think a good portion of those folks suffered emotional scars so deep that they passed on this compulsion to "have" onto their kids and so on.

I know my grandparents had very little in the 40's, their love, a child and the basic essentials. BUT over the decades my grandmother was on a constant receiving, acquiring and hoarding binge. To the point that in the 80's the attic, basement and half of the 2 car garage was full to the brim. Not to mention the rest of the house.

I also see this same pattern in my dad. His most common phrase..I might need it someday! I must have the extra washer, cause what if the one were using quits on us. Yeah that is my dad. LOL! You just never know when your going to need something and then you'll regret not having it. Soo even with their tiny budget they pay for storage.

I am also a victim of this "Have" syndrome. We have a storage unit out back and it is full of tools (his stuff) and such. One corner is portioned out for me and yes it is already full. I have debated on getting another one for some of the things in the house that need to go out. BUT then I think...Why? Why do I have stuff that I'm going to put outside and leave there for who knows how long?

Then I think about hubby's side of the family.

When Granny Faye (his grandmother) died hubby was told to go through the garage. All of his grandfathers things were in there and he had been dead since hubby was a child. All of his stuff was left there untouched for decades. It was kinda cool going through all that old stuff and coming across some treasures of his youth.

Then their is his own mother. She has 3 storage sheds, a full house and a 2 car garage that has never had room for a car.

Soo I sit here and wonder why do we have the need to buy, get, acquire and hoard it away in every nook, cranny or storage shed? What happened to just having what we really need?

Still searching for those Money saving tips...

Well if you really know me, you know I am always trying to find a way to save a buck here and there. I am constantly browsing sites and reading articles to find anything that will work for me...the lower class of society. It can be funny at times and other times very frustrating. I mean most of the stuff I have looked at it based towards the middle class and most of their advice is to spend money to save money. Well golly gee...If I had the money to spend in the first place, I wouldn't be soo friggin desperate to save some money. Of course I'm talking about RIGHT NOW (this week preferably), not 20 years down the road. I mean yeah it would be nice to look that far ahead, but if I can't save a few bucks this week or the next or the next, then how in the heck am I to save for the distant future? Gezzz!

Here are a few of my latest finds. Source: Money saving tips: 122 ways to trim your budget. http://frugaldad.com/2009/05/06/ultimate-money-saving-tips-collection/


1) Make your own Christmas presents. To be honest I haven't done Christmas in 3 years already and am very satisfied to be out from under that financial stress of a money grubbing holiday.

2) Cut your own hair. Been doing that all my life.

3) Dry cleaners?? Really? Never been to one.

4) Ride a bike. Yup I really do need to do this one, but it seriously won't save me any money until I can get good at riding it 60 miles round trip and add a tow trailer behind it to carry all my goods. Not very practical.

5) Don't worry about upgrading to the latest technology. You have got to be kidding?? I still get laughed at cause my cell phone is just a phone! No pics, no ring tones, no email, no texting...ect..just a phone. We did upgrade our tv 2 years ago, but only out of necessity. The old fashioned tv was dying. We don't have recording devices and our only dvd player is the travel one I bought the hubs a few years back. The funny thing is that some of the things we wanted to get, are already obsolete. There is just no keeping up with all the new things that come out.

11) Okay this one is good. Find things in the store that are basically the same but cheaper cause they are in a different section of the store. Hubby sent me to get him some plastic gloves for oil changes. Naturally you think oil changes...automotive..right? Not! The ones in the automotive section are a few pairs and cost more. I found a large box in the medical supplies (50 pairs) for just a few bucks more and just as disposable. They will last him a few years vs a few months.

12) Stop buying disposable things. (Ignore the last statement..LOL!) Now I admit I am a paper plate junkie, but of course the cheapest and highest quantity I can find (usually Walgreen's..99 cents with coupon). I did cut back on paper towels and opted for the regular hand towel.

17) Check you print preview to be sure your not going to be wasting a second sheet of paper for the last few unnecessary lines. Yup that's a good one! I hate wasting that extra sheet!

20) Car expenses and minor repairs. DIY! Paying someone else to do the simple things like airing up a tire, or filling the windshield washer fluid, is simply a waste of money. I mean we do have Utube and such, these things are very easy to do or learn to do.

I have read a lot of talk about cutting the cable off or downsizing your subscription. This would be great if we was the type to go out to the movies or something like that on a fairly regular basis. BUT our cable is our only entertainment. Yes it would free up 60 bucks a month, but if we was to use that for a night out, it would only be 2 nights of the whole month! The WHOLE month! Me and him in a room with nothing to do but talk, yikes! NOT going to happen! LOL!

(so far these are things that don't or can't apply to me or things I have already done, not much help for finding that extra buck or two right now, but I continue the quest.) Hope yall might get some use out of these ideas and don't forget to check out that website.