Simply Sassy

Isn't She Lovely

2012-01-29T16:31:00.000-06:00

You know she is a beautiful girl!

In other news:

Coming very soon to a Scentsy consultant near you:

Layers by Scentsy

Yep, a new line of products with that awesome Scentsy scent.

Included in the line up will be:

Body spray
Solid Perfume (already in the catalog)
Body lotion
Hand cream
Body butter
Shower gel
Shower cream
Dryer disks (good for 15 dryer loads)
Washer whiffs

This is going to be so fun!

Will let you know when it is all ready to be ordered!

Heart Mosaic

2012-01-24T07:22:00.001-06:00

Heart Mosaic, originally uploaded by gibbbrothers3.

Love.Imagine.Let It Be.

Olga and I. Lovin my new Antique Archaeology top!

2012-01-22T14:32:00.001-06:00

Olga and I. Lovin my new Antique Archaeology top!, originally uploaded by gibbbrothers3.

Today I love the..

2012-01-18T08:24:00.000-06:00

Smell of: My hand lotion, Sensual from B&BW.
Sound of: Sophia making toddler sounds.
Taste of: Morning cof-fay.
Sight of: Olga curled up under the afghan on my bed.
Feel of: Warm feet.

Sixteen

2012-01-16T19:50:00.001-06:00

Sixteen, originally uploaded by gibbbrothers3.

The Dog Steals My Tree Ornaments

2011-12-19T10:44:00.000-06:00

...rips the tops off and chewed thru the light cord. There is a dark spot on my tree and on the other side...no ornaments.

I give.

Postsecret fun:

Old Man Kitteh crackz me up.

'Cos I can hear his voice.

John Lennon keeps singing, Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like These, in my head and I am starting to get a headache.

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down. Not. But it is a rainy Monday.

The bebe is sleepin'. The oven is preheated. Guess I should put lunch in.

We are in the process of switching to a plant based diet. Not a diet to lose weight as much as it is a diet to help us feel better.

Hope it helps with depression.

7 Days starts again on Wednesday.

Yippee!

I like it when both bathrooms are "clean."

See.

Have to go now. TTYL

If Olga Were On Our Trampoline...

2011-10-31T20:51:00.002-05:00

Sunday Stealing

2011-10-30T09:58:00.001-05:00

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1. One of my favorite TV shows recently changed the actors who played two characters. Have you ever been bothered by a TV show or movie series changing actors who play a character you love?

Yes. The recent change on Two and a Half Men bothers me. Now, I'm not a Charlie Sheen "lover," but I did enjoy his portrayal of Charlie Harper. Aston Kutcher bothers me so I will NOT be watching (maybe in a torture chamber) any of the new episodes of THM. So there.

2. A coworker recently shared a link to a blog listing the "five things you should know before dating a journalist." As a journalist, I can honestly say the writer was spot-on. What are some things people should know before spending time with you?

I am fairly asocial. Although I do not consider myself selfish or egocentric. I don't mind being social as long as that is not all that I am allowed to do in a day. I need quiet time to be with my thoughts and accomplish the things that are necessary to myself and my family.

3. What is something you often do without realizing that you're doing it?

Put my seatbelt on in the car. It just happens and most times I don't remember doing it. This is a good thing in my book.

4. Who has the capacity to make you angrier than anyone else in your life, and what in particular does he or she do to make you so angry?

Probably my husband, but that is kind of unfair since neither of us spend much down time with anybody else. He just happens to be around more so that makes him the unlucky one. The one thing that he does (and this is stupid but it just pushes that button) is push the garbage down into the trash can so much that it is almost impossible to pull the bag out to dispose of it. See. Stupid. We are not arguers or fighters so right now that is the best I have.
5. If a fairy waved a magic wand and gave you the house of your dreams, where would it be and what features would it have?

It would be off the grid with wind and solar power. It would have about 4000 square feet to allow rooms large enough for two grandchildren to ride tricycles inside without knocking over stuff. It would have floor to ceiling windows on at least one entire side. It would have a fireplace large enough to cook on if needed. It would have a wrap around porch on 3 sides. It would have built in storage flush with the walls to allow minimal amounts of furniture. It would have black wood floors and white trim.

6. What’s a belief that you hold with which many people disagree?

I believe in gay marriage. I do not believe that it belittles other kinds of marriage. I believe that it doesn't hurt anybody else if they pledge their love to one another.

7. I used to talk in my sleep. In fact, I could carry on a conversation with someone when I was fully asleep, and my mom used this fact when I was a teenager to find out if I did anything wrong and was hiding it from my parents. If you were talking your sleep tonight, what do you think you would say?

"My house is a mess."

8. The fourth installment of the "Twilight" movie series ("Breaking Dawn Part I") will be released in theaters soon. Movie theaters started selling advance tickets for midnight showings months ago. Have you ever attended a midnight premiere showing of a movie?

Nope. Not a premiere, just a showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

9. On Tuesday, tigers, lions and bears were let loose in Zanesville, Ohio, by their owner before he committed suicide, leading to a hunt in which 49 of the animals, including 18 endangered Bengal tigers, were killed. How would you react if you saw "Caution exotic animals. Stay in your vehicle" being displayed on a road sign?

First I'd take a picture of the sign because that alone is kind of funny then I'd go home and cook a pot of Bengal soup.

10. If a company opened a theme park aimed at adults, what would you name one of the rides?

My brain can not process this question at this time. Please try again at a later time.

11. Imagine you just moved onto Sesame Street. Which puppet would you want as your new roommate?

Oscar the Grouch. I think he'd be my best bet at a lively conversation without being too annoying. If he did get to be too grumpy then I'd just scotch tape his lid shut for an hour.

12. Have you ever had a weird crush on a famous person that didn't make sense to you?

Anthony Edwards. He doesn't fit my usual hottie check list.

13. If you get ten minutes to interview any celebrity of your choice, who would you like it to be?

Tommy Lee Jones.

14. You've just won the complete DVD collection of all the movies starring one actor or actress. Which actor/actress would you pick?

Tom Hanks. I say that because he has such great movies and his variety of co-stars is quite large. It wouldn't be the same movie over and over again.

15. Actor George Clooney recently told People Magazine that he doesn't use Twitter "because I will drink in the evening and I don't want anything that I could possibly write at midnight to actually end my career." What is something you've said through social media and then regretted it?

Am very careful about what I say on social media so I don't have a good answer here.

16. VH1 has re-introduced its hit show "Pop-Up Video," which gives behind-the-scenes facts for popular music videos. What musician would you be most interested in learning behind-the-scenes facts about?

Rod Stewart.

17. If you stumbled across someone's personal written journal that was accidentally left in a public place, would you read any of the content?

NO. I'd look to see who it belongs to so it can be returned. Boring, huh.

18. What is the title of a self-help book that you'd never want to see on a store bookshelf?

Fewer Zits In Private Areas In Under 14 Days!

19. Many media outlets have been asking this question a lot this week... Which Halloween costume do you think will be overdone this year?

I think witches are always overdone.

20. Should a marriage license have a renewal date or expiration date, like a driver’s license?

No. I think it should stay as is. Marriage is a serious endeavor and getting out of one should be taken just as serious.

Thank you for playing this week on Sunday Stealing! Please leave a comment or link when you have posted. Stop back and visit other player’s posts. That is really what this is all about, making new friends! Have a great week. See you next Sunday!

Go Cards!

2011-10-29T19:03:00.000-05:00

So, um. Yeah. I liked the Cardinals before they were a part of the World Series 2011.

Through the meh years and through the great years. I have been a fan.

This past April the Lawn Boy and I took in an evening game at the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Love the night games! Why? Not so hot and um, FIREWORKS!

We won that night and it was simply fabulous.

Flash forward a few months and we are set to play game 7 of 7 against the Texas Rangers.

It was a Quiznos kind of night. Light, not too heavy but serious.

We have to win this one. I don't care that Texas has not won a World series before. They will win when they are the better team.

Sounds hateful, but it's not.

The Cardinals won and it was fabulous. Just like we knew it would be.

Today is much quieter than the week has been. A simple morning and a quick jaunt to get some groceries for this weekend.

Cloves. I needed cloves to make the wassail to be canned. I feel like when I call it canning that I'm using the wrong terminology because I'm actually putting the drink into jars. Glass jars not metal ones.

It's probably just a rollover term, but it still seems wrong.

Anyway, the wassail is made and canned and cooling on the kitchen counter as I type.

Olga, well this picture of her was taken post pre-bedtime freak out phase. It happens every evening at about 8 p.m. She gets her play on with a vengeance. We throw toys and tennis balls down the hall. Play a little tug of war. Sometimes if she will calm down we'll do a little sit and down training.

She knows sit and almost has down mastered as well. Now, if we could just get her over being afraid of the street activity...we could take her for walks and get even more of that energy out.

Wish us luck!

Organization

2011-10-28T15:26:00.000-05:00

So, as I have fussed about many times here on my blog, I've felt overwhelmed by the amount of "stuff" here at my house.

I no longer use some of this stuff on a regular basis. Some of it hasn't been used in over 2 years. This tells me that maybe it will never be used again like I had thought it would. When it was packed up and stored in the closet it was with the best of intentions to get back into that hobby again one day. It might happen. Then again, maybe not. I am at the beginning stages of de-cluttering my house.

I downloaded Miss Minimalist: Inspiration to Downsize, Declutter, and Simplify by Francine Jay onto my Kindle for a mere 99 cents and dove right into the pages. So far it has been very inspirational and motivating for my attempt to de-clutter and simplify.

One of the tips that Francine gives is to de-clutter before any attempts at organization. Which makes complete sense. Why organize things that you will no longer need. Donate, trash or sell. Those are the options for unwanted items. Maybe unneeded would be a better term.

The other tip that she wrote about was to de-clutter every day of your life. How's that you say? Simply eliminate one item a day and at the end of the year you can take pride in the fact that you have eliminated 365 items from your home that year. Keep in mind that the item can be ANYTHING. Like, a necklace you no longer wear or a travel shampoo that you relize you will not be using ever.

This morning while putting my make up away into its drawer I took that moment to de-clutter that very drawer. An eyebrow pencil that I no longer use, a used foundation sponge, a couple of old eye shadows and a lipstick that is no longer in fashion....gone. Out of here and it felt good. I was amazed at how much room was opened up into that drawer.

Then when I went to hang my nightgown into the closet I spied a robe that I no longer wear. So I folded it and tossed it onto the bed for a donation to the Goodwill in town. From there I went through 2 of my dresser drawers and ended up with a sack full of unused items and oodles of space in my dresser.

I spied a nightgown hanging on one of my necklace hooks in that closet as well. It too got hung onto a hanger and that led to me taking the necklaces down and sorting through them as well. Since I was doing some jewelry purging I went ahead and pulled out that old jewelry box and went to town on it, too. I purged so much costume jewelry that the box was no longer needed. So, it too is in the Goodwill pile.

Feels good to do this de-cluttering / purging. It doesn't have to be a frantic pounce on your entire home. Just one space at a time and soon your home and your mind will feel a little more free and at ease.

Try it. I dare ya!

An Attempt At A Good Mood

2011-10-23T14:29:00.001-05:00

Today I love the..
Smell of: Outside
Sound of: Football on the television.
Taste of: Salty chips.
Sight of: Fabrics online.
Feel of: Clean, cushiony socks.

Good Things about Today:
- Thinned out the closet.
- The temperature outside is fabulous!
- Olga looked so pretty while sleeping in her bed!
- Dr. Pepper!

meh Sunday

2011-10-23T11:05:00.002-05:00

Sometimes it really is about somebody other than yourself.

Tis The Morning Of My Life

2011-10-14T09:45:00.002-05:00

Morning, originally uploaded by gibbbrothers3.

In the morning when the moon is at it's rest,
you will find me at the time I love the best
watching rainbows play on sunlight;
pools of water iced from cold nights, in the morning.
'Tis the morning of my life.

In the daytime I will meet you as before.
You will find me waiting by the ocean floor,
building castles in the shifting sands
in a world that no one understands,
In the morning.
'Tis the morning of my life,

In the morning of my life the
minutes take so long to drift away
Please be patient with your life
It's only morning and you've still to live your day

In the ev'ning I will fly you to the moon
To the top right hand corner of
the ceiling in my room
Where we'll stay until the sun shines
Another day to swing on clothes lines
May I be yawning
T'is the morning of my life
T'is the morning of my life

*************

Have posted those lyrics before, but it just feels right again this morning to post them here.

Need It

2011-10-13T13:24:00.000-05:00

Mike Wolfe - American Picker on WhoSay

For a brighter future.

And here we have a little thing in red that I am in severe want for...

I can has?

That is all for now.

TTFNGF

Meh Sunday

2011-10-09T15:48:00.002-05:00

TTV Alphabet Challenge....so far so good. Only had to catch up once. Wait, that's not good.

Alarm Clock / Boston Terrier

Cone / Deer

Elephant / Flower

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Post Sectret dot com has some new secrets up again.

This angry birds post reminded me of when I would vote co-workers off of the work island when I would be mad at them. They didn't know I was voting them off nor did they know that we were even playing.

I win.

This secret made me sad for the kids. So, does this mean that America loves its boobs more than it loves its children? No, probably not.

I'm so happy for Paul. He deserves love and happiness. And as for his new bride...she looks younger than me yet she is not. Bah!

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Today I woke with a sore throat. Booooo!

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Yeah, to those poor little helpless protesters at the National Air and Space Museum in DC...grow a pair already. Quit your whining. You chose to protest inside of the museum. You were told to leave your signs outdoors, then you chose to fight that statement by manhandling a security guard. For that behavior you got sprayed with pepper spray. You brought it on yourselves.

Protest outside or follow the rules for protesting inside.

You alone are to blame for your headaches, watery eyes and vomiting.

So there.

Partially Done

2011-10-03T20:31:00.001-05:00

This is a fisheye view of my living room from about 5 years ago. It was pretty. Traditional. Brown. Comfortable. Sleep inducing. Dog loved. But as I stated before here, it no longer made me feel proud.

Currently I am trying to keep the clutter and whatnot down to a minimum. Cleanliness, because I feel that my house is a bit out of control as of late.

From these pictures it seems as if the room would be overwhelmingly bright, but not so.

Ask me that again when I have a migraine though, I may answer differently then.

So the wall color is ghost grey by Olympic. (Lowes)

The trees were purchased over on Etsy.com at Nouwall.

My big beautiful Andersen painting was picked up at Schoolhouse Collectables for $60.

The Lamps were also $60 over on Ebay. Those shades don't go as well as I'd like, but they will work until I find the perfect set. The little wall hugging / half circle, 3 shelved table under the lamp was found at the Pickett Fence. I also picked up that brown cabinet next to the patio door at the Pickett Fence. Love that place, too.

The Chinese checker board was scored over at the Flying Pig in Snyder, Oklahoma. The chairs that I have saved over in storage also came from there, but it will be a little while before they come to play with the other furniture.

There used to be a place on our local Square called Antiques on the Square. Oh how I loved oogling merchandise in that place. Then one day I went over to get my oogle fix and it was closed up and emptied out. Boooooooo! They should warn a girl.

I went through withdrawals.

Then we have my latest find of this beautiful buffett. I completely understand that this teal color is all the rage for repurposed furniture, but it just was not going to work for my living room palate. Nor were the flower pulls that it was sporting when we brought it home.

This piece was found at the Main Street Merchantile.

So , it was covered with a Glidden grey color that I can not remember the name of and left to dry for about a week before it came to live inside of the house. I searched all over Ebay and Etsy and finally found some pulls that I felt matched the style of the buffet as well as the cleanliness feel I am going for in the living room. The shop is called Violet Slippers and they have so many neat pulls out there. Check them out!!! The pulls came in the mail
and after cleaning them up I spray painted them and then attached them to the buffet. I think they look way better than the round ones. What do you think?

Am not done with the room yet, but that is all I am planning on doing before the holiday rush attacks.

So, here's a picture of Olgie that Roses took. She was so little that her ears weren't even done standing up yet.

Awwww.

I love her so!

Still Sick

2011-09-30T14:14:00.001-05:00

, originally uploaded by gibbbrothers3.

But Olga feeling much better. Her eyes are clearer and her skip is back in her step. Thankfully she has not tried to do much jumping. Her appetite is back to normal also. Am so glad that she is feeling better.

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My condition,on the other hand, is not as good. Sure I will probably feel better tomorrow though.

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In other big news: it was Tiger's flea powder making Jan sneeze and there was a bad earthquake on The Big Valley. Don't know how that one will turn out though.

Thursday Thirteen

2011-09-29T14:20:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Things I Like When I'm Sick

7-Up. The Un-Cola
Quiet
Pajamas
My bed.
Or my couch.
Television
The remote to the television in my hand.
As few people in my house as possible.
My pillow.
My blanket.
My husband.
My dog.
Did I mention 7-Up?

By the way. I'm sick today. Have Sophia here with me and am counting the minutes until I can crawl into my bed and bask in the quiet.

************************************

Olga is at the vet at the moment recovering from being spayed this morning. I can go pick her up in about an hour and a half. I feel bad for her. I love her. I want her back home a.s.a.p!

Oh Crap. It's Tuesday Again.

2011-09-27T19:53:00.000-05:00

A year ago things were slightly different. When I look back at it all now it amazes me how much has changed.

My son is done with his schooling, for now, and is supporting himself doing what he got a degree to do.

My son also purchased his first car and did so without a co-signer. Woot!

Am a grandma of two beautimus girls now instead of just one.

I no longer work for the county hospital and am enjoying babysitting Sophia during the day.

Oh, I could go on and on, but that would just bore you to tears, no doubt.

So, yeah. Life is good these days. Am in a bit of a not wanting to cook mood. Heh. I do, but it isn't much fun. Variety is out the window. I need to read my Chef Ramsey book and get inspired.

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Meme Time!

Top 10 Guilty Pleasures

Fried pies. Be it made by Hostess, Austin or Whataburger, I am weak for them.
Barry, Robin and Maurice. Audio, video or Jpeg. I don't care. Can't get enough.
Long hot bubble baths. The ones in the winter time seem to be especially fantastic.
Mix CD's, made by me, playing in my car when I'm traveling alone.
Weeds. Hooked. Wanted to pay for Showtime just to be able to see the new season. That idea didn't go over real well.
Salty french fries, still hot, just on the verge of being too salty.
Urban Cowboy. I have to watch it alone because despite its popularity, I have yet to find somebody who will watch AND enjoy it with me. I got a thumb. I got a middle fanger.
Pintrest. Don't know what it is? Check it out. 'Dat's all I'm sayin' about 'dat.
Cruises via Royal Caribbean. I just can't seem to go often enough.
Las Vegas. Never did anything worth "leaving in Vegas" but I just love the energy while there.

Okay. Done for tonight.

TTFNGF

Tuesday Meme

2011-09-20T13:48:00.001-05:00

10 Favorite Characters From Television

Laverne DeFazio
Claire Huxtable
Alex P. Keaton
Grover
Barbara Cooper
Mark Green
Gil Grissom
Joey Tribiani
Anthony Soprano
Lenny & Squiggy (yes, they count as one)

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Fun with the babe.

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I received the latest Scentsy order last night. As of 10 minutes ago...all orders have been delivered and money collected. Woot! Today's scent spotlight is on Snowberry. Many of my customers ordered this scent and I have figured out why.

It is very light and invigorating at the same time. It just seemed perfect last night when I was smelling it. Super love! Need a bar for your warmer? Click here to go to the page and add it to your cart. Look around while you are there...you just may find some Christmas gifts while you are there! xo!

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What else?

I dunno.

Lil Miss Olga

2011-09-19T10:57:00.000-05:00

... is getting bigger and bigger by the day it seems.

She had to go in for her last installment of shots this past Saturday and we found that 16 weeks of age she now weighs 9.6 pounds.

I'm loving having her around. Her puppy misbehaviors are slowly going away and we are working on training her. One key to keeping her calm is to give her plenty of exercise.

This involves numerous frisbee runs throughout the day. I'm looking forward to the day when she can actually catch the frisbee in the air. I know she will. I can just feel it!

We purchased her some of those leather type bones with flavoring on them. That seems to help satisfy her chewing urges quite a bit and I am so glad for that.

Also, she has started to sit next to us and chill. Before it was always play time if we were near so I guess she is learning real dog behaviors. Yippee!

I loves me some Olga Girl!

D'oh! I Missed A Week.

2011-09-18T08:39:00.001-05:00

Well ..... almost.

Over the past couple of weeks Lloyd and I have been working on the living room. The walls are now a color called Ghost Gray from Lowes. I started out with the Drizzling Mist by Valspar but it was way too dark and shiny. This paint is a very light shade and I got it in an eggshell finish. That eggshell finish makes A BIG difference. Also, as you can see, my winter trees have been applied to the walls as well. Only the west wall and the very corner of the south wall got trees. Then I washed and ironed my new curtains and hung them up. So far so good, but there is still more work to do. A new couch to save for. The shelves have been changed to a different style. Hopefully if I keep looking long enough I will be able to find exactly what I want. Wish me luck! It's gonna be fab!

A while back during this past summer I ventured across town and got my first tattoo. I know that the word imagine in a tattoo has been done many, many times, but for me it says bunches. It will probably cause some to wrongfully assume some things about me and my beliefs. So be it. If you choose to judge before you get to know me then it is simply your loss. Not mine. Loves me some peace of mind, some John and Yoko, the idea of people being nice to one-another and the possibility that one day my soul will also be at peace. Forever. Besides...that is one kickass song! Thank you John! xo

It's PostSecret sunday once again. The subject matter is a little risque so out of all of the family friendly ones I like this one the most.

Also, that cereal ROCKS! Supah-yum. Gimme those freeze dried, food colored marshmallows! Heck, I'd eat a bowl of those bad boys by themselves.

Sugar coma with a little bit of some lactose intolerance. Perfect way to start my day.

Who's joining me?

Am not a Twilight fan. Those of you who love it and preach it, good on ya! It's just not my bag, man. I like high-school love like it is in Sixteen Candles. The movie trailers for Twilight made the teenagers lives so dramatic and seemed to be a bit on the overly lustful side and that seems ick to me. Weird, right. So many ppl have told me to just read the book and I honestly did try. (Thanks for the book loan Kasi.) It was like going to the gyno. I had to make myself open the book and read. Every day Kasi would ask me all excitedly.....so where are you at in the book. I'd tell her and she'd be all really? That's all? Yep. Anyway I saw this gif over on Pintrest ( Thanks Nino!) and thought it was a hilarious take on the Twilight team edward. Edward Scissor Hands. Srsly. When is the team meeting? What do I need to bring? Cupcakes? Some scraggly hedges? Maybe some scrap paper needing to be shredded? Sign me up 'cos I'm there!

Okay, I need more cof-fey and there is housework to be done. You guys play amongst yourselves and email me if there are any questions.

Stay furry my friends!

Living In A Dream

2011-09-11T19:19:00.001-05:00

A small catch up of sorts here for ya.

Saturday we traveled to Mom and Dad's house where my sister and her husband were visiting. My sister, Sheri, and my Mom were going to participate in a giveaway by MaryKay...sort of. It was / is a makeover contest to win a short vaca and some spending cash. My sister sells MaryKay and did some makeovers on Mom and I so that we could be entered into the contest.

Before those festivities began, though, Lloyd and I wandered over to the Harley Davidson place where they were letting people ride some of their motorcycles. Kind of like a test drive of sorts. Anyway I wasn't there for the car show, to ride one of the bikes or to eat some of the flea market type of food.

Nope, I was there to see AA Bottom. The first time in about 18 years. Am so glad they still play together on stage for us lovers of the Texas style rock and roll. They performed one song in particular that had not crossed my mind in some time. It is called Living in a Dream, originally recorded by the Arc Angels. Yes. I had to iTune it upon arrival back home again. AA Bottom did an awesome job on that song! You guys srsly Rock!!!

So, yeah. We went back to the Parent's Trap and visited for a while, ate some food and teased one another. It was fun. Before long my brother showed up as well and we were all one big happy family once again.

Olga met her Uncle Ralph and Aunt Sheri for the first time and loved them both. She also met her cousin, Shadow, for the first time, too. To begin with Olga was a little skeert of Shadow, but after a couple of hours the chaser and the chasee had switched places. Too cute!

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Today, Sunday.

Painted the living room. Removed the painter's tape. Made a home made pizza which was oh so yumm! Watched some football. Handed out migraine meds to bikers knocking at my door. Got to see Heather for a few minutes. She talked more to Olga than she did to me.

I see where I rank.

Oh and just before writing this post I visited PostSecret.com. Sunday is when they put out a fresh batch of secrets and I just had to go read! Here's my favorite one from this week's set.

See ya later, tater.

A Question for your Friday

2011-09-09T19:30:00.000-05:00

What one special talent would you like to have and why?

Well, right now, my husband would like to be an effective public speaker. Sounds good. Sounds like him. Not me though. Gah! I'd sweat so bad on stage that I'd pass out from dehydration.

Me? I would like to be able to play the piano very well. Not so that I could play for an audience. Just for me. Maybe for my granddaughters too.

Pink Is Love

2011-09-08T01:00:00.001-05:00

What are your favorite pink things?

Hermmmmmm. Pink things.

I love pink pens, markers and crayons.
My set of manicure tools is pink.
I love pink quilting materials.
The best ever thank you card I have received was hot pink. It has a hand drawn and painted Olivia the pig on it and it hangs next to my desk. I admire it daily. Thank you, Brenda and Bug!

I love this pink owl ornament that I purchased last year.

The pink myrtles that live in front of my house are pretty divvy!

I made this pink stocking for Christmas a couple of years ago and nobody wanted it, so I kept it. I think it's pretty darn cool.

Many moons ago I created this hot pink M&M of myself. She's fun!

So many pink things, so little time!

Join in the Girls Talk fun!

That's My Answer!

2011-09-07T10:47:00.000-05:00

The question is:

When was the last time you fell down?

Um, yeah. That would be about 3 years ago when the husband and I were roaming around Blair, Oklahoma at their city wide garage sale. The street we were walking on did not have any curbs, just a drop off to the dirt. Me, being the inattentive soul that I am, rolled my ankle and gashed a hole in my elbow when I hit the pavement / gravel. I had gotten too close to the edge and ZIP! There I went. Down like a sack of bricks.

What's your answer?

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Feel free to post any sepia photos that are original, right out of the camera, or photo-edited from a color photo.

Miss Sophia.

So beautiful.

So peaceful.

She's not like that anymore.

These days it's all

LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO!

Wildfires and a Two 4 Tuesday Challenge

2011-09-06T20:26:00.000-05:00

We traveled out of town for paint on Monday and came across this wild fire out east of town. The fire was believed to be under control the night before and then flared again Monday morning.

The smoke clouds could be seen from 30 miles away, at least, and carried as far south as the eye could see.

Can honestly say that I have never seen anything quite like it.

We had to travel through the smoke to get to our destination. Twice actually because there wasn't really getting around it to get to our destination and back home again.

The people in the homes in the path of the smoke cloud are either real troopers or had to have left the area until it was over. The smell was so strong.

Amazing.

Here we were stopped on an overpass with our hazards blinking taking a good picture of how massive the clouds seemed. You can see how dry our vegetation is in this area. Fires are just too easy to start here these days.

The weather channel said this morning that our area (a large area of this part of the U.S.) is in an extreme drought. Boooooooo.

We need rain and lots of it. Please.

Right now the fires are contained. It still smelled like smoke outside this morning when we got up though.

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Two 4 Tuesday

Welcome to Two 4 Tuesday photo meme for Tuesday September 06, 2011!

This week’s Photography Challenge: ‘Blond – Brunette’.

Pumpkin Marshmallow

2011-09-05T09:07:00.000-05:00

September Scentsy warmer of the month is called Maize. Love it and it's little handles!! Warm and cozy, it's simply beautiful.

That is it over there on the right.
To the left there you have the Scentsy circle which is great for offices, lockers or cars for a wonderful aroma in a smaller area.

To go in that Maize scent warmer is Semptmber's scent of the month Pumpkin Marshmallow. Can you say yum? Ommnomnom? The scent for the warmer comes in either a bar or a brick size depending on what you feel you may need.
Don't have room for a warmer? We have you covered there too with our convenient room spray in the same scent.

They are the perfect scent to usher in this fall.

If you feel you would like to order something from this month's specials, which are 10% off for being the scent and warmer for September 2011, then you can go to the Scentsy button in my sidebar. It will take you to the catalog on my site and you can browse or purchase from there. xo

Sunday Stealing

2011-09-04T10:13:00.001-05:00

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1. Do you believe in Heaven? Yes

2. Have you ever come close to dying? Yes

3. What jewelery do you wear 24/7? None

4. Would you ever consider having plastic surgery? Yes

5. What do you wear to bed? Nightgown

6. Have you ever done anything illegal? Yes

7. Who was the last person that you touched? Lloyd

8. Where did you eat last? At home.

9. Besides your own blog, are there any that you routinely read but never comment on? No, I believe in commenting when I have something to say about the post.

10. Ever been involved with the police? What do you mean by "involved?"

11. Do you talk in your sleep? Not very often.

12. Now a celebrity fantasy. Who would you take on a ménage à trois for a dirty weekend? Ew.

13. Do you feel that you’ve had a truly successful life? Pretty much.....

14. Where do you wish you were? On a cruise ship.

15. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? Yes

16. Is there any type of dancing that you love to do? Spontaneous.

17. Last gift you received? Uh....iPad?

18. Last sport you played? Soccer with the Boston Terrier.

19. Last place you went on holiday? Cruise to the Caribbean for Christmas with the family.

20. Current Song? Say Hey (I Love You)

Thank you for playing this week on Sunday Stealing! Please leave a comment or link when you have posted. Feel free to stop back and visit other player’s posts. Have a great week. See you next Sunday!

Drizzling Mist

2011-08-14T14:12:00.000-05:00

The new paint color for the living room.

Currently the living room is a brown color. I like the color, but am over it now.

Maybe it is because of the drought. I don't know. Just not feeling it these days.

So, yeah. Excited to start painting the walls to see how it will all look.

It just seems more mature and calming. Like the brown was when I painted. But then I realized how much brown I had in there and it didn't all look right.

Also, there will be trees. Black trees. And a very large painting picked up at a 2nd hand shop. Love.

There will be a flatscreen goin' on up in here and new homemade shelving as well.

I love the look of them. Simple. Utilitarian. Unobtrusive.

Clean. What do you think?

Summer's End

2011-08-11T21:30:00.000-05:00

Summer is coming to an end and I have to admit that I am ready.

I always feel so guilty for thinking this and feeling that relief. I will always be the first to admit that I do not feel that parenting is a strong point for me. To me, it is such hard work to be a good parent, to not give spanks or fuss every single day. It is hard work to behave and keep my temper in check.

Pick your battles. Don't sweat the small stuff. Keep the importance of this momentary frustration in check.

By the end of the day (I work 7:30 to 5:00 p.m.) I am spent. Exhausted and my patients is at its short end. The only saving grace is that the parents will be here soon to take the kids home for a few hours.

Please don't get me wrong, I love these yard monkeys they call my granddaughters. They are sweet, full of life and love, smart, energetic and let out a spritz of vinegar occasionally.

I am just ready for it to slow down a little. School days will bring a welcomed relief to my mental status. Sophia will still keep me company on a daily basis and I know that I will be able to handle that without a problem.

I will make two trips daily to drop off and pick up Roses. It will be fun to see her face at the end of her school day. Pictures colored, construction paper constructed, stories and all that goes along. She will come back here until her parents claim her and her sister.

There will be love, laughter, holiday projects and special days, no doubt.

But I'm ready for summer vacation to be done for this year. I didn't enjoy it a bit when my kids were young and I still don't care for it.

It is as if summer is meant to be endured, not enjoyed. I really don't see how people do it without these feelings I keep getting.

I feel like I am the worst Gramma in the world for feeling this way. What's wrong with me?

In other news:

A new phone for me will cost $250. I'll make do for a while longer.

Training Olga is not going well and I'm very frustrated with it all.

The temperature was lower today and I am thankful for that.

Sophia is standing unsupported for seconds at a time.

We continue to be blessed in every way possible.

I covered the blond highlights with red this morning and I like it better.

Roses tells me that she loves me in an unsolicited manner and it melts my heart.

Sophia likes herbed chicken and vegetables.

Madison and Roses painted themselves with pool water logged sidewalk chalk.

Sophia was an unsuspected victim of a drive by sidewalk chalk painting.

My life is good. I'm just whining today is all.

Please forgive.

Goofus

2011-08-09T19:11:00.000-05:00

.... is almost 4 years old now.

Too smart for her own good.

..... but I love her so much.

What If I'm The One?

2011-08-07T10:37:00.002-05:00

Scentsy 2011 convention kick off party! Outside. Fort Worth Stockyards. August 3rd. One hundred and nine degrees. Candy store. Dinner of chicken caesar salad and unsweet tea. Yummm. Conversation with Belinda, Teresa and Kerri at dinner. Fun. Informative. Inspiring. Gloriana. CLINT BLACK! Free concert just for us Scentsy consultants. Hell yeah! Chartered busses provided by Heidi and Orville Thompson to get us all to and from the concert / kick off party safely. My feet hurt. I was tired. I was happy. I passed out for some sleeps in my nice cool hotel room. That night, I set the thermostat at 72. It was heaven.

Day two. Excitement. Parking garage hide and seek. Not as fun as it sounds. Giveaways. Heidi speaks and makes 5,000 people tear up. STAMPEDE! More fun than it sounds. Hungry. Break 2 hours for lunches. Jay walking. Fun. The Cantina with Belinda and Teresa. More fun than it sounds. Half order of nachos minus the guacamole and sour cream. Not much food but, uh, YUM! Did I mention the margarita on the rocks with the nachos. At lunch. In the middle of the day. Heh. I gained more understanding of the lunch time cocktail.

More jay walking and I managed to not get caught by the Fort Worth bike police. Escaped getting a ticket for jay walking and public slight intoxication. Had ingested the margarita before the nachos arrived for consumption. That was a new lesson. Heh. Session two starts and I am still slightly under the influence. Happy. New warmers, scents, buddies, scent packs, scent circles, travel tins and body scents. What? What! Body scents? You mean....Scentsy Perfumes?! Oh yeah, baby! A new product line revealed and we were all so excited about it! Product giveaway of a commemorative warmer (thank you Heidi and Orville!), a new plug in, mid size and large warmer as well! Spoiled! Yes we were and it was fabulous!

Twenty-six new fragrances for the fall / winter catalog. There are only two of them that I am not a fan of. They smell so wonderful. That is what Scentsy is all about after all. Smell. Yum. Giveaway again. DVD, Magazine, full size testers and a set of MINI TESTERS! How cute are they?! Back at my hotel room I opened my goodies and had to investigate it all. These mini testers were my favorite of all of the giveaway goodies. They are so neato.

But, it wasn't all about the giveaways. Especially for me. Having never been to a convention before I did not know what all was in store for me. Throughout the days of the convention we had guest speakers that were fantabulous. Connie Podesta (Life would be easy if it weren't for other people), Shawn Achor (The Happiness Advantage), John Maxwell (EQUIP) as well as speaches from some of our more experienced consultants and people from the home offices. All inspirational and uplifting.

Day three was focused on the speakers most of all. As we all know, if you sit in a cool dark environment for an hour you are bound to start yawning. So, when I would just start to get sleepy the speaker would finish up and out from the darkness Vocal Trash would appear to wake us all up. So fun. I think this group really enjoys their job. Check 'em out!

This convention was exactly what my soul needed at this time of my life. Thank you goes out to my husband for funding this event for me and to my daughter for finding alternative babysitting resources so that I could attend without guilt. Thank you to Emily, Tammy and Gwen for offering me a ride to the center on day one. To Belinda and Teresa for allowing me to tag along with them and for the ride back to my hotel on day one. Last, but not least, thanks to Gretchen Garmin for guiding me safely on my adventures.

Heidi and Orville, you two are awesome!

The Beautiful Ones

2011-08-02T19:53:00.000-05:00

My daughter in the newspaper, for a good reason this time. lol

Yeah, so my husband, the Lawn Boy, just yelled to me from his office: "Heather made it into the paper!"

So I had to take a look and sure enough my beautiful adult, mommii to two beautiful girls, daughter was right there....front and center. Well, she is the dark headed midget (no offense intended) just to the right of the middle post there. They had a big shindig up there where she works that day and she seemed really excited about it all. They were going to be grilling burgers and stuff like that for other business peoples from our town. They all dressed in their work tees to represent and the girls agreed to wear capri pants and bling bling belts. Heather's belt was very bling bling and very fab. Too bad that ribbon covered it up. I'm so proud of her and her hard work she does everyday. I need to tell her that more often.

Speaking of beautiful girls, here's Olga sunbathing on my freshly sanded (thank you, Gloria Roses) patio. She looks so pretty in the evening sun, don't you think? I was singing her name in a high pitched voice over and over because she was doing the cutie head tilt thing. Supah-love that baby dog.

Will be oh so glad when she grows out of her puppy nipping stage. Here in a few weeks she will begin obedience training via me and Cesar Millan.

Cesar has some really great tips for training puppies and grown dogs too! If you haven't checked his show, The Dog Whisperer, out yet, I highly recommend it!

Well, I have to go get ready for tomorrow's road trip. So excited! Stay tuned for updates from the convention! Wooooooot!

Chairs, Scentsy and a Meme

2011-08-01T11:11:00.000-05:00

Over in Snyder, Oklahoma there is a place called The Flying Pig. There are a few areas over there that are really cool. I found these two chairs that are going to live in my house after I paint the living room and move the furniture around. Much to my husbands dismay, there will be some wiring changes as well. Right now we have the surround sound wires hiding behind the crown molding. So that stuff is going to have to come down as well, temporarily. The good thing is that it is all going to be fab when I get it completed. Woo-hoo! For now though, the chairs are covered in plastic in the storage unit until it is time for them to come to their new home. Did I mention that I got the two of them for less than $25 each? Can I get a high-five?!

On Sunday I got my nails done so that I will be ready for the Scentsy convention coming up. This year it is in Fort Worth which is easily within driving distance for me. Yet another reason to celebrate! Belinda will be there and she said that I can tag along with her and her cousin during the 3 days we will be there. Really excited to see what all they have in store for us girls. I'll try to update via my iPad in my hotel room down time. Am also planning on taking my iPad to the convention to use for photos and videos. Stay tuned for updates from Fort Worth!

Here's a Monday Meme. Let me know in the comments if you played along too, K? K!

Right now I’m feeling… Partly cloudy to slightly crabby.

When I’m alone I feel… independent. It's as if my thoughts are on track. I know what I want to accomplish and how to do it in record time.

When I’m surrounded by people I feel… claustrophobic. But that is mainly when I don't know the people and if we are all acting as if we don't want to make eye contact with one another.

One thing I hate is… clutter. And yet there is a bit of clutter here at my very own home.

One thing I really like about myself is … my devotion to those with whom I have committed myself to.

When I’m feeling sad I… don't want to talk to you.

When I daydream it’s usually about… driving to the pacific ocean for a little r & r.

I’m afraid of… disappointing the ones that I love and think of me in a certain way.

I’m happiest when… I feel appreciated.

One thing that really worries me is … the safety of my loved ones.

If I could change one thing about myself it would be… my mouth. I hate my mouth.

If I could be with anyone right now I would be with… my husband on our cruise that we are saving for.

The family member I am closest to is… my mother.

If I was really honest with my father I would tell him… that he seems to be making progress with his relationships in his old age.

One thing I regret about my life is … not going into the Air Force to have a career for myself.

If I only had one more day to live I would… spend it with the one I love.

If I was really honest with my mother i would tell her… that I think she was the most awesome Air Force wife to my father all of those years.

One thing about me that nobody knows is… I rarely give people second chances.

I hope that someday in the future… that travel becomes a regular thing.

When I think about my family I feel… proud of their independence.

Something I’m really embarrassed about is… my teeth.

One thing about me I never want to change is… my height.

One thing I feel really proud of is… my kids becoming their own people despite my poor parenting skills.

Blogging has helped me to… vent when needed. Even if nobody reads this crap anyway.

Sunday Stealing

2011-07-31T10:43:00.004-05:00

The Fifteen Movie Questions Meme

Movie you love with a Passion? Forrest Gump
Movie you vow to never watch? Twilight
Movie that left you literally speechless? No Country For Old Men
Movie you always recommend? What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Actor/Actress you always watch, no matter how crappy the movie? Sandra Bullock
Actor/Actress you don't get the appeal for? Ashton Kutcher
Actor/Actress, living or dead, you would love to meet? Gene Kelly
Sexiest actor/actress you have ever seen? Johnny Depp. See Om Nom Nom picture at the right.
Dream cast?George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Johnny Depp
Favorite actor pairing? Tom Hanks / Julia Roberts.
Favorite movie setting? Americana
Favorite decade for movies? 1970's
Chick flick or action movie? Chick flick.
Hero, villan or anti-hero? Hero
Black and white or color? Color

Not Too Much Blonde, PLEASE!

2011-07-30T07:13:00.000-05:00

Is it blond or blonde. I'm too lazy to click on that dictionary.com tab to find out.

Anyway...I bit the bullet Wednesday evening, post child care adventures, and went to get my hair did by Peggy.

I took two photos on my iPad to show her my ideas for style and color because my printer needs a cartridge and the *wild* store didn't have any for me to be able to print the pictures instead.

It's been forever since I had anybody do anything (other than Roses) to my hair. It had also been forever since I'd sat in Peggys chair so she and I were all gab-gab-gab through the entire process.

She worked away and I indulged in the pampering.

It looks nice.

Not quite like the pictures, but nice.

What do you think?

Three Times Thursday

2011-07-28T17:14:00.007-05:00

Name 3 fun things you’ve done this summer. Tell us why they were fun!

Remember to post these in your blog and don’t forget to post a comment letting us know where you posted them by posting a link here!

May:

Storms. Short lived but strong. This particular set of storms was on a serious tornado breakout day for a lot of Oklahoma. Not here, but they looked promising anyway.

Why were they fun?

Because I'm twisted like that, that's why. The coolio dark clouds, high(er) winds, that sudden burst of cool air, the colors in the sky and the colors of all outdoor items after the rainfall. The adrenaline rush from the possibility of uncontrollable danger.
I loves me some storms.

June:

Family Reunion

Why was this fun?

Because the majority of my family has a demented sense of humor. At the start of the reunion everybody was on good behavior, then the booze was found. Actually, at the time that this photo was taken none of the pictured hooligans had consumed any alcohol. Go figure.

July:

Hot temperatures dictate swimming pool time for the chitlins. Or should I say...the grandchitlins.

Why was this fun?

Because I got a little iPad time in while big sister poured water over baby sister's head or forced her to turn her head this way. They splashed and jumped and crawled all over that pool together. The only boo-boo to be had out there was by Sophia. She was reaching over the side of the pool to get her dropped toy and as quick as you can say "oh crap!" there she went...head first over the side. She sported a small scrape between her eyes on her nose. Crying time was cured by placing her back into the pool for more water-sports.

I love that she looks drunk in these photos. Fun-drunk!

A Much Needed Facelift

2011-07-24T19:29:00.001-05:00

Years of living out back in the weather have taken their tole on this set of lawn furniture. When they came to live here they were sporting a fresh coat of white paint. They looked divine. Great for little conversation areas in the yard to escape to.

The past year or so they began to chip and flake paint. So I power washed them to get all of the paint loose and let them dry really well before painting.

There was an attempt to get a friend of a friend to sandblast all paint from them, but that fell through. Another year, maybe.

I did not use a primer and am not sure that it was needed. If they had been sandblasted then I would have.

The box from my new dishwasher became my paint room and I commenced to spraying the first chair powder pink, instead of white. For some reason I have always thought they would be fabulous in pink.

I do believe that this time, I'm right.

Bluntcard.com

2011-07-24T11:31:00.000-05:00

There. Are. No. Words.

Source: bluntcard.com via Tatiana on Pinterest

Source: bluntcard.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: bluntcard.com via Jen on Pinterest

Source: bluntcard.com via Corrie on Pinterest

Source: bluntcard.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Okay. That's. All.

fernow

The Chill Zone

2011-07-10T08:31:00.001-05:00

Post Secret .com is awesome this week. This postcard was my favorite out of the bunch, though. I can remember being 18 years old and living with a friend in Corpus Christi, Texas for a bit. When I needed my own space I would head down to the bay and sit on the steps that led to the water and just chill. All alone. And it was wonderful. Am blessed to have been fortunate enough to have experienced it all.

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When I saw this picture out on Pintrest it made me

feel the same way that the bay did in Corpus. Completely chilled. Content. Free.

I hope the dog on the steps is feeling that way as well.

I love this house. It's clean. Simple. Interesting. Not cluttered. It has a dog. Blue steps. I never would have thought.

I wonder what it looks like upstairs.

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And then there is Mr. Jeff Bridges here all chilled out and manly like. He has put out a new album called, one guess... Jeff Bridges. In case you do not believe me then you can travel on over to HERE and see for yourself. It will be shipped out on August 16th, 2011 and is sure to please. Did you watch him in Crazy Heart? Like his performance? Well then, duh! Go pre-order your copy today!!!

Show the Dude a little love.

Sunday Morning Breakfast Trip

2011-06-27T19:29:00.000-05:00

Sometime between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning Lloyd and I headed out for the lodge for some breakfast. Not the best view of me, no. Lloyd looks nice though, don't you think?!

The lodge is located in the Quartz Mountains state park and in that park is Lake Altus. Lake Altus was formed by W.C. Austin (& the worker bees) over the town of Lugert. So they created this dam and flooded Lugert. Some of the buildings were still standing. When the lake gets really low some of the concrete walls can still be seen.

Cre-pay.

With our winds blowing like they have been there is a lot of sand blown up into the parking lot for the boat ramp. They remind me a lot of snow drifts. All clean and pretty, until man wakes and makes it's mark on the landscape.

That there on the left is my paw.

It was very peaceful out there as the campers slept. Well, tried to sleep. We were on the Harley after all.

The summer arts festival was still going on out at the lodge so we were not allowed to go eat breakfast there. Darn-it.

So instead we headed out for a different town in hopes of finding some grub there.

This is the town that we found some grub in, Mangum, Oklahoma. Home of the Tigers.

Just so you know.

That back there on the right is the Hotel Franklin. I toured the inside of it once with my husband and got some really neat shots.

I am assuming that they have numerous traffic accidents at this intersection. Not only is it a 4 way stop with the stop signs at each corner, but there is also a 4 way flashing red light.

Here we have their courthouse which is in need of much repair and their post office.

The post office is in much better shape than the courthouse, thank goodness.

So yeah. This is where we parked and walked across the street to get our breakfast at Gabrielle's.

Yummy food. Town elder table filled with elders and their coffee cups.

Nice place for breakfast on a hot June morning.

Olga

2011-06-26T15:50:00.000-05:00

My latest lovie. Soon to be a housemate for me.

So excited to be picking her up soon.

Kinda sad to think she will go from living with her siblings to here with me and the Lawn Boy.

I hope I can make the transition a smooth one for her.

Her official name?

Olga Melanie-Agnes

Don't be hatin'.

Oddities

2011-06-24T19:46:00.001-05:00

Every time I come out here to post I find it a bit difficult. I end up thinking who cares and nobody reads this crap anyway. Or I don't feel like what I have been doing is exciting or interesting enough to waste my time, or your time, with.

That being said; I'm about to ramble and share some pictures and a few thoughts as they scramble across my brain. I just pulled my hair into a pony tail so things may get a little snippy from the tightness of it all.

Here goes:

At this moment Laughter In The Rain by Neil Sedaka is playing in my iTunes rotation. It soothes me and makes me feel safe. Like I did before I reached double age digits.

This photo from Roses' camera cracks me up. She took it of herself and her Mommii at the family reunion last weekend. Such goobers. How do they keep finding me?!

She took this one here at the house one morning when she was feeling non-combative. I try to leave her camera out for her to use as much as possible because I end up finding gems such as this when I do.

She's so pretty. Oh so full of energy and love when happy.

Don't make her mad, let her get real hungry or tired.

You will pay. Promise.

Freak storms came through town a week ago. It was like our house was the beginning edge for them and from there they traveled to the east. Since it was late and the sun was setting we were getting some spectacular colors in the sky! At one point there was also a double rainbow in this same area.

Really neat. Really weird. Really glad I got out and took a few pictures to amuse ya'll with.

Right now: Heartbreak Warfare by John Mayer plays.

If you want more love
Why don't you say so?

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When unsupervised I take pictures like this:

heh

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Have been getting my BeeGees on this week.

If you search this blog for "BeeGees or Bee Gees" you will, no doubt, find many entries.

Their music soothes my soul and quietens the voices in my head. Well, actually they just sing along. They are NEVER quiet.

heh

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Almost forgot to post my collage of Instagram photos from Flickr.

Enjoy.

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Goodbye for now.

Turquoise Love June 2011

2011-06-14T10:39:00.001-05:00

Turquoise Love June 2011, originally uploaded by gibbbrothers3.

Turquoise has made me happy in my life for as long as I can remember. Different amounts of blue or green, they are all pretty to me.

iBe iPad2 iHappy!

2011-04-18T17:17:00.001-05:00

So I have this new iPad2 that my husband bought for me as a gift and I am slowly having fun learning to use it. It has the usual applications for an Apple item, like Photobooth (heh) and a few others I have downloaded the app for. Been busily hunting and searching for some free apps that I may enjoy.

Today I found myself over in the book area. Oh so many books. Who knew that Charles Dickens wrote SO MANY books?! Also, did you know that Stephen King wrote at least one children's book? Yep. I downloaded the sample of that one. Maybe one day I'll purchase it, but not right now.

There is the Instagram app that was a free download that I have messed with a few times. You have probably seen these over on Facebook, but I'm going to post them anyway.

Sophia loves here Papa Lloyd...

....and her swinging spot on the back patio!

Today I also added some inventory from my desktop iTunes account to the iPad2. From there I went out to see how my music videos (1980's MTV rules!) looked and discovered that from my iPad2 I can wi-fi my video to my Apple Tv and watch in 42 inch wireless glory! Score!

So needless to say... I am more than happy with my new toy. Thank you, Lawn Boy! xo!

Heh

2011-04-14T20:25:00.000-05:00

I typed this on my iPad.

Photographic Inspiration Quest

2011-04-08T00:03:00.000-05:00

Linda McCartney Pictures

Feel the love.

Little Boxes On The Hillside.....

2011-03-31T20:12:00.000-05:00

Life is weird these days. Am having to relearn how to adjust to change. Change is the only constant around here these days. Most of the world has been dealing with this on a regular basis, but not me.

My life has been so "same" and "scheduled" for so many years now that the change pretty much put me into a mini meltdown tailspin.

I am no longer working as a Secretary II for our county hospital. When Sophia came into the world I put in my 2 weeks notice. Roses is in the Headstart program and is blooming in leaps and bounds. She is so bright, that girl.

Am preparing myself for May when Headstart will be over and Roses will spend the entire day here with me, Papa Lloyd (aka The Lawn Boy) and her sister, Sophia. We picked up a second hand plastic turtle sandbox for her and a few cheap toys to play with in the sandbox. Am planing a schedule for her because chaos on a daily basis will make me crabby and not a good sitter for the two.

The Lawn Boy is currently on a work hiatus and is home every day with us. He is a great help with the girls. He picked up a motorcycle and we have started taking rides together. It is a new experience for me. There is something to be said for the white noise created by the motorcycle and me being alone with my thoughts as I take in the scenery in a new perspective. We will be going on our first poker run in May and I am excited about that opportunity. Will let you know how it all turns out.

Me, being the spoiled soul that I am, I have been sucked into the television on the wall more times than I'd like to admit by my latest flame, Weeds. Seriously, I was hooked from episode one. A fun tidbit...my not watching very much television husband is also hooked. Now, he's still in the closet about his addiction but trust me, he's hooked! I find myself thinking about the next episode as I do my daily housework or driving, or washing my hair. Always...Weeds is not far from my thoughts. I love it. Tomorrow season six should arrive via Netflix. Seasons one through five were instant downloads, but six is still too new for that option. It's all good. I'll just have to pace myself with the disks. lol

Do you watch? Why or why not?

Also, I have just started my canning odyssey. My fruit and vegetable grinder adapter for the kitchenaid mixer arrived yesterday. So excited! Plan on making jams and sauces and just normal stuffs for us from our garden. Stuffs like green beans, carrots, tomato sauce, maybe some pickles. Haven't decided on that one yet. Recipes and notes have been printed off and I'm ready to go.

So, there is more crap but I am tired and ready to remove these shoes and day clothes in exchange for a nightgown and something on my tv for the last hour or so of my day.

Please comment if you read this. xo

Refurnishing of the Living Room....but not really.

2011-03-07T17:54:00.002-06:00

Ebay is a great place to dream. A great place to practice frugality. Self discipline and all that great stuff.

Today I hunted through 26 pages of furnishings that fit my style. My desire for simpler times and simpler living is seen in the grouping.

Now, would I stick them all in the same room together? Quite possibly. Maybe. More than likely. Cos that's how I roll. All kind of eclectic and such.

A jumbled mind and soul on the hunt for peace of mind, soul and heart.

Fujiman

2011-02-19T20:27:00.000-06:00

Fujiman

Rescued a wounded heart.

Brightened my every day.

Constant companion, no matter what.

Sleeping buddy.

Play buddy.

Dinner buddy.

I knew the day would come and that it would be a sad one. It was. It is.

Today was my first saturday morning waking without you.

Remember our saturday mornings?

Before any coffee was fetched or email was checked you and I had our play time.

On my king sized bed you would chase my hand that would scratch under the covers.

You would let me shake you as you lay on your back and then growl at me, like you didn't like the attention.

You would come over to my head with my face buried in the covers as I fake cried.

Upon arrival you would flop over on your side with your back smacking me in the head.

As if to say "I'm here, don't be sad."

This morning I was the most sad since your passing so far.

I miss you my boy.

Love,

Mama

Beautiful Souls

2011-02-03T10:49:00.001-06:00

Beautiful Souls, originally uploaded by DeeJay1966.

Super love!

I'll take them all, thank you very much.

Double Whammy Of Temptation

2011-01-14T20:32:00.000-06:00

So, we managed to escape the deep freeze this past week and that is perfectly fine with me. Last year we had that dumb~~ass~~ ice storm that sent me running back to Texas with my electric blanket in tow. Remember? Our power was out, the town was shut down. All you could hear was the sound of the generators running at the EOC across the street and the AM radio station announcers yappin' all day and night.

Anyway, I'm just saying that us avoiding that deep freeze that a lot of the nation unwillingly took part in was a good thing. No pipes froze, no wrecks, all electricity and water works. It's a good thing.

Today I did our grocery shopping after delivering Roses into Mrs. Campos' care at school. Sophia went with me and was such a good girl the entire time. I picked up this bag of tangerines, which were on sale, while I was there. Knowing that not only was I going to try to eat some of them, but the were definitely going to get their picture made as well.

I had to take the picture while Roses was still at school. If she witnessed her Gamma standing on kitchen chairs then she would try to do the same. Also, since I used my contraption to get this effect I had to do it without her around. My Argoflex contraption is one of her favorite things of mine. Even though it thrills me that she too loves cameras, I still do not want her playing with this contraption too much.

So, the combo would have been a double whammy of temptation for her and you know, I just didn't have the energy today.

I am proud of the picture though. Even if it is a wee bit crooked.

xo,

DeeJay

Things I Forgot To Mention

2011-01-13T09:51:00.000-06:00

The week of Christmas I whipped up these bad boys to give to visitors.

They were fun to make and ended up looking fabulous in their packaging.

They were white cupcakes with raspberry cheesecake frosting whipped up my me and topped off with a fresh raspberry on top.

The Lawn Boy assembled the boxes.

Love!

Roses was out of school for those 2 weeks during the holidays.

She is a very high energy girl who does best when included in tasks and given guidance.

Don't think that since she does so well with you that when you are not looking she will do the right thing. She is human and curious. A little rebellious when tired and sweet when well rested.

Here she is on my living room floor with sister Sophia. She was imitating Sophia's sporadic arm movements.

Heh.

And this graphic was found over at Craftster. It cracked me up and I decided to share it with you, my stalkers. Or maybe lurkers is a better name for ya.

Either way, I'm glad you are here.

Life, she is a changing.

Pray for us here in the Southwest.

This economy is sucking the life out of many.

Bleh

2011-01-13T09:23:00.000-06:00

It is amazing to me how this shooting in Arizona has given Barack (however you spell his name) a reason to get more air time. I don't want to hear about him and his "wonderfulness." We need to be praying for the families, not looking at pictures of him and reading how great his (prepared by somebody he paid) speech was and how he is such a great person.

He may be.

I just don't think he should be holding the spotlight in this situation.

Call me hateful.

I Have Big Plans

2011-01-03T12:17:00.001-06:00

.... for this sewing / guest room of mine.

It used to be called my studio / office, but the changing times require it to be a more productive spot in the house.

So my computer and MsBirdie stuff has moved back to the bedroom and my sewing table and chair are set to be delivered via IKEA any day now.

So excited!

My thoughts for this room, should we be here for a while, is to paint the walls a light turquoise /blue color and have white trim accents, furniture and bedding. There will be pops of red in the room as well.

Am going to try to keep things as clean and easy on the eyes as possible.

What do you think?

Please, chime in with your opinion, I'd love to hear it.

xo,
DeeJay

Daily Inspirations

2011-01-02T10:47:00.001-06:00

"Yeah I thought it was pretty cooOH SHIT IT'S DARTH VADER!", originally uploaded by Loops666.

So, this picture gets better every time I look at it. Not only is it set up and lit perfectly, but the "title" is hilarious. In case you haven't yet, you need to look up "If Star Wars had a facebook." Only if you are a fan of the official first 3 movies. You know...the ones that required real foley artists for the sound effects instead of a computer.

xo,
DeeJay

PostSecret.com

2011-01-01T19:48:00.000-06:00

This is why I keep going back.

I love the secrets that make me giggle.

And the ones that make me think.

The game is on.

Guess I must go.

Babette-ish crochet cushion

2010-12-31T20:43:00.001-06:00

Babette-ish crochet cushion, originally uploaded by rettgrayson.

Very inspiring.

Three Amigos

2010-12-31T10:54:00.001-06:00

100_0044, originally uploaded by GloriaRoses.

Roses to Uncle A.J. "Say cheese!"
Uncle A.J. "Baboon!"

That was it.

Roses then had the giggles.

Status Updates

2010-12-25T17:27:00.004-06:00

Facebook 2010

I really like how this turned out. Hope you do too:

7 Days: Day 1 Winter 2010

2010-12-18T18:55:00.000-06:00

How did it get to be Winter 2010 already?! Time has seriously flown by this year.

Today was the start of this round of 7 Days and for that I pulled out the scruffy hat and took to the bathroom.

Yes. I said bathroom. I love the blues in there. Hope the hubs appreciates them.

We Have To Wait Till March?!

2010-12-17T21:29:00.000-06:00

March around here means the beginning of Tornado season. Yes, I capitalized Tornado because they deserve our respect.

March this coming year (2011) is also when we will get to watch this coolio movie! Rango!

Watched the trailer twice tonight and can hardly wait to see it next year. I may just have to take Roses with me to the theater!

Ninotchka Beavers.

2010-12-07T20:03:00.002-06:00

Some of my favorites of my faves from Ninotchka Beavers. She's in the sidebar. Go check her out! She's awesome.

2010 Ornament Parade Day 2

2010-12-02T17:15:00.000-06:00

Boo.

This is a tribute ornament to my Pretty Boo parakeet.

Love ya, Boo.

lol

****************

Hubs came home from work today with a dr's note saying he has Strep.

Awwww man. Poor guy. This was his first week back after his long forced vaca.

*******************

A change is a comin'. I can feel it Lorettee.

Sisters and Day 1 of the 2010 Ornament Parade.

2010-12-01T20:33:00.001-06:00

This year I have decided that I am done buying ornaments for the tree. For this year though. Haha

No really. I went crayzay last year and don't feel it appropriate to buy too many this year.

I just love how pretty the hot pink is on this ornament. Also, it has a coolio owl. Loving the owls these days. And a scarf! How could I resist her? Not possible and I didn't even try.

Today was day three of watching Sophia full time and being Roses school taxi. We are already settling into a routine so I think all will be just fine.

Sophia, I have found, does not like being messed with in any sort of way. She also does not like a wet diaper or to be hungry for any length of time. Also if your hands are cold when you go to change her then she will holler at you the entire time.

I love her.

Today Sophia was awake the most out of the 3 days. She would sit and look at me all wide eyed. So I took to talking to her and helping her with her hand motions. At this point her arms still flail wildly as she takes in her environment.

I love her.

Roses is at that age where she is pushing the envelope. Seeing how much she can do that she's not supposed to and if she will really get in trouble. Like she knows we are slightly preoccupied with Sister and won't have the energy to hold our end of the deal up.

Am having to set my boundaries and oh the tears when I raise my voice to her. I know she's only 3 but I still took the time to explain (in my calm voice) that if she would behave we wouldn't get mad at each other.

Thinking that Jo Frost book needs to see the light of day again so I can do this better all the way around.

I love that Roses.

Last night I called and told her goodnight to which she responded with a "goodnight honey." Then she giggled. So, I said goodnight honey back to her which really pushed that giggle button good.

I love them.

My cup runneth over.

Catch Up

2010-11-30T10:38:00.000-06:00

..but if you want money for people with minds that hate, all I can tell you is brother you have to wait.....

Dudes. Totally getting a groove on to iTunes this a.m. That sounds dirty. It's not.

Catch up:

Saturday the Boy and I went way out of town and almost to the Boy's town to see Harry Potter 7. It was fab. Supah theater (theatre for those of you across the pond). I can't even imagine the money spent to build that place with modern amenities and a serious retro look and feel to it. Real customer service, uniforms, adults working without a 'tude, neon everywhere, an attached diner, curved and carpeted stairways leading to the balcony where you are carded before entry is allowed (they serve adult beverages up there as well as food in heated oversized seats,heh). Call me simple, but for me and my "no getting out of town" self it was an event. We sat in the back row of the balcony (fab) and had a wondermous time. The seats have a button on them. Need a refill? Push your button and out of the woodwork comes a uniformed worker to get that refill for you.

Oh, the movie was awesome too, by the way. With all of its booms and running and super special effects. The last boom of the movie shook my entire body as I sat in my seat. The sound system in this place simply can't be beat. It's not too loud, just equalized perfectly.

Just my humble opinion.

I really do need to get out more, don't I?!

Ummm... We had company that was numerous. That was fun.

I put the Christmas tree up but it is not decorated yet. Only the 4 new ornaments grace it at present. It gets plugged in every morning and stays on all day only with excerpts of time when I have to leave the house. Don't wan't an unattended fire ya know.

So much on my brain right now that it feels slightly cluttered. That will change.

I think.

Peaceful

2010-11-25T21:50:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving all!

This year I made it a point not to make a big deal for this holiday. Last year I declared that I didn't want to be working the entire day and not enjoying as much as I should.

So I didn't.

I even forgot that "something green" and the rolls for dinner. That's how un-worked up about this holiday I was.

The table cloth was still wrinkled with folds in it. There were no fancy napkins and coasters for the drinks. No beautiful centerpiece....it was just a meal.

A meal shared with my husband and my son and those who stopped by for a visit were offered leftovers. They took us up on it. That was nice.

A tiny bit of the Macy's parade was watched. Granddaughters stacked colorful Tupperware sippy cups on my kitchen table for fun. Grandsons were caught trying to see who can touch my ceiling. Granddogs were whining when their mommies were holding tiny nieces.

It was nice.

Peaceful.

Oh The Places You Will Go

2010-11-23T21:22:00.000-06:00

Like creepy, but really neatly cluttered and dusty "stuff" shops in the next town over. Well, the next town over if you do a frog hop over the town of Martha that is. Anyway. This shop is always closed. It has no heat and no air. The windows are impossible to open, no doubt. None-the-less it is a cool little shop. The lady that owns it also has a booth at the local "Mercantile" on the square.

I have visited the inside of this shop once before and at that time you could actually go upstairs and look at stuff there. Now, it is their storage area. Which is okay by me because that back bedroom on the left just gave me the creepy willies. Nothing in particular. No doll heads in plastic bags stuffed into a wire basket full of fabric scraps.

Just creepy air. Like you are not alone, when you really are.

Maybe the cat was staring at me from its hiding spot.

Who knows.

The floors creak and pop. Every footstep is heard by all. Loads of old family B/W photos all over too. Cracked doll heads on top of cloth bodies stuffed into vintage doll beds.

Knickknacks all over.

I love that place.

The First Day...

2010-11-22T11:21:00.000-06:00

...of the rest of my life. (for now)

So, as of Friday, the 19th of November, I am no longer a working outside of the home woman. For this, I am glad.

What do I plan on doing during my semi-retirement?

Watch Sophia while her Mommii works hard to bring home some bacon.
Watch Roses before school and after school while Dada brings home some bacon.
Color.
Clean.
Cook.
Laugh with the girls.
Play games on Pogo.com with Beth.
Sew.
Crochet.
Paint.
Take lots of pictures.
Love my baby doggies who are aging rapidly. : (
Enjoy my husband's company.
Watch my son start his career as a teacher.
Thank God that I am able to do what some women wish they could also do.

Latest iTunes downloads?

If I Were A Boy by Reba
Revolution by the Beatles

The last picture taken?

Last meal cooked?

A big pot of soup which is super yumm-oh.

Ingredients?

Soup meat (browned), beef broth, tomato sauce, garlic, salt, celery salt, chili powder, coriander, pintos, sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, peas and shoe-peg corn.

It's what's for dinner tonight.

Am not ready for Thanksgiving dinner yet, but plan on making my list and thinking the plan through thoroughly. Come Thursday I'll be prepared. Promise.

Sophia is squeaking in the other room.

Gotta go!

Sophia Erin

2010-11-07T21:23:00.000-06:00

Today Sophia Erin decided that she was done swimming and that it was time to get out of the pool.

So tiny.

So pretty.

Love.

I want your money.

2010-11-06T10:11:00.000-05:00

Dedicated to Sheri

2010-10-15T07:55:00.002-05:00

'cos she got back!

psht

2010-10-14T12:42:00.001-05:00

P101210PS-0465, originally uploaded by The White House.

There is only one thing wrong with this photo.

Hello....

2010-10-11T20:00:00.002-05:00

Old Friends With A New Purpose

2010-10-03T17:14:00.001-05:00

Growing up this pitcher was always filled with Kool-aid.

Many moons ago it had a lid to it, but no more.

It never stained.

Always keeping that valuable Kool-aid cold.

Until today I had it just displayed in the kitchen.

Brought home some flowers and was wondering which vase to use and ended up with this bright idea.

My old friend now has a new life.

Ummmm...old school Kool-aid.

As it should be.

You can buy this display over on eBay for a mere $125.

Hitting the Backroads, Again.

2010-10-02T20:19:00.002-05:00

So, a couple of towns close by were having some fall bash / arts and crafts / get together type things and the Lawn Boy and I decided to wander on out their way. When we got to the first site we happened upon a woman on a flatbed trailer wearing black leotards and WHITE gloves doing an interpretive dance to some gospel song. Hmmm....k.

There was an art show where I spied this lovely painting and immediately went into dreamy land just looking at it.

There were lots of football game kinds of foods floating around and people with balloon hats on as well as many people who look like they don't venture farther than the front yard very often.

The Arts and Crafts show was held in the backyard of the city library. The library is to die for! We went inside and the walls are all dark brown. There is a mishmash of cabinets holding the many books, across the way is a fireplace with chairs and couches around it and so on....

We went upstairs to find the bathrooms and came across the old dance hall that is now rented out. It needs a serious dusting, but other than that it has wonderful party potential!

After our upstairs escapades we headed north on HWY. 34 to Hobart for their fall pumpkin bash thing. It was interesting. Amazingly, they had pretty much the same lunch menu as the Arts and Crafts show did. Only here, there were a lot more kids and many more pumpkins everywhere!

The neatest thing I saw in Hobart? The pumpkin roll race. I thought it very original and very entertaining to watch. We should do something like this here in our town.

On our way back home we decided to head over to the airport where there was going to be some punkin' chunkin' going on sometime today. This is the defending punkin' chunkin' champ cannon from last year. There are others which were much more manly and massive, but they will be over on my Flickr feed soon. We were 2 hours early for the competition so we decided, maybe another year and headed out.

We stopped at their local Pizza Hut and split a personal pan pizza. There was a birthday party leaving and another coming in when we first got there. Not good. The later party was okay, but the one heading out was obnoxious. And that is putting it nicely. They were trying to clean up all of the mess and decided that it would be easier to pop all of the balloons instead of taking them home. So , they commenced to start popping EVERY balloon they had. Yes, popping them all INSIDE OF THE PIZZA HUT. I could not believe that these people really thought that this was an acceptable thing to do in a restaurant.

Lucky for us it died down soon in there and the pizza was really good!

To top it all off....OU beat Texas in the Red River Rivalry and we are all happy campers back home again.

Yay for Saturdays!

Tomorrow.

2010-09-18T20:07:00.000-05:00

At this very moment I'd love to have these chairs in my back yard for myself and some friends to sit on and enjoy each other's company.

Simpler times.

No worries.

But, alas, the whole world has worries.

I'm not special.

Not at all.

Tomorrow will be better.

Hope it is cooler.

Hope it is headache free.

Family Fun, but not mine. ; )

2010-09-16T12:45:00.002-05:00

Am so glad this kid's Mom took the video camera along with her this day:

Studying My Ars Off

2010-09-05T17:54:00.000-05:00

Am not.

Gonna pay for this.

But, Roses is worth it.

I love her.

Frivolous-ness

2010-09-04T07:48:00.002-05:00

Doll shoes.

They are fun.

They are tiny.

They make me smile.

They simplify my hectic days.

That MaryBeth!

2010-08-21T11:06:00.004-05:00

MaryBeth and I have never met. In person, that is. Online, we swap one liners here and there with the occasional strategically placed email thrown into the mix.

The first time I saw a blurb from her was under one of her preggo-photos on Flickr. I went over and looked through her pics and fell in love with her sense of humor, her sense of simple style that oozes comfort and love and through the years...her boys Owen and Mackie.

Today this bulrbus was on Facebook and it made me giggle out loud.

"It's too quiet and lonely without all my men folk here. Not nearly enough karate moves either."

Now MaryBeth is expecting her first Babuh Girl and I, for one, am so excited for her. What blurbs about dealing with a girl will I read? How will she decorate for her girly girl? How will the boys take to having a sister? I can only imagine.....and soon I will read about it all as it unfolds over at her blogspace.

Pink Shooz

2010-07-30T20:59:00.002-05:00

Kicking off my 2010 VaCa with a little Pink Shooz.

Oh, and with a mammogram, too.

I really know how to Party!

Fun Funky Ads

2010-07-18T21:05:00.001-05:00

Because I can....

... And I did.

The Comfort Inn

2010-07-11T08:13:00.002-05:00

Why do I love these comfy spots?

They all ooze "Come in, sit down, relax a while my friend."

Wide open spaces and cleanliness.

A cute critter here and there.

Slightly retro / vintage.

Makes my brain want to kick back and imagine.....

Dennis Finch II

2010-07-09T14:37:00.006-05:00

Since there is a screen on my kitchen window it is really hard to get a quality picture though it.

Was watching this guy from my kitchen sink and thought that, just maybe, I could sneak out back and get a capture of him.

This is as close as I could get with my lens.

Not too shabby.

Please! Click on the picture to see it full size!

You will be glad you did.

Isn't he a beauty? I love these red finches.

This morning as I uploaded this picture I named him.

He has officially been dubbed

Dennis Finch II

Lovingly named after the first Dennis Finch :

Heavenly

2010-07-05T21:16:00.005-05:00

So, maybe we will get our gas working again here on the home-front tomorrow. Then again, maybe not. It's so hard not to get my hopes up for a nice hot soaking bath tomorrow night.

I would put some of my Soft Musk bubble bath in the water. Then wash up with the shower gel of the same scent. Clean jammies and to top it all off ... fresh sheets on the bed. It would be heavenly.

No, really...it would.

Keep Your Spirits Up!

2010-07-03T21:16:00.002-05:00

It is day three of no gas in the house. It's really weird, too. You carry on life as usual...and then you try to do something that involves fire or hot water and ... blah!

You can't do that!! At least, not now you can't.

You see the City was out in our alley fixing a water leak. In the process they managed to hit a gas line and got water in the lines. So we waited for them to fix the gas, which they did. At about 9:30 in the evening the gas company shows up at the front door.

"Our tests are showing you guys have a leak, so we need to check to be sure." Well, obviously we really do have a leak. Not just one but two! Twins! Woot!

One leak in the back yard and another in the attic.

Who knew?

So, we are keeping our spirits up and carrying on. There are other ways to cook even if you don't have a stove or oven. Heather gave me what I asked for at Christmas and I am glad she did because I asked for an electric skillet. Thank you, Heather!

Bird baths truly are for the birds! Hahahah No, really they are okay but I really am wanting a nice soaker hot bath right about now. I just have to hold tight and have faith that the fix will be quick and painless.

Been doing homework in my studio and as I get up to take breaks I look around and see pretty things. Things that may not be pretty to you, but they are to me. They help keep the spirits up.

Beautiful To Me

2010-06-28T21:41:00.002-05:00

Today is a good day.

I am feeling more like myself. Probably haven't felt this much like "Me" in about a year or so.

Just so you know, I have been dealing with a bout of depression. It got so bad that I had to seek help.

The help worked for a while and then didn't anymore. This time I didn't wait to get help again. This time, today especially, I feel wonderful.

Things that were no longer beautiful to me have become beautiful again.

See!

Hairy Legs and Big Ears

2010-06-25T20:50:00.003-05:00

This is all I feel like doing most of the time these days.

Lay around with hairy legs and big ears.

One problem.

I'm too busy.

Okay, maybe two problems.

It's too hot outside.

I'm not afraid of sweating and up until this summer the heat was not as unbearable.

For some reason this summer, so far, I can hardly stand it.

Today, for example, I went to the store and upon sitting in my car to start it felt nauseated all of the sudden. It felt as if my face was on fire.

The air was turned on and I sat there with my sun reflector in the windshield and let the air blow on my face as it began to cool down.

Then I took the reflector down and the sun was way too bright.

It hurt my head to have my eyes open.

Did I tell you that my sunglasses are broke?

Yes, I wear them anyway.

Stopped by the optometrist's office today.

There was a sign in the window saying

"We will be closed on Friday July 2 thru Monday July 5."

I headed in.

Only to find them closed.

Crap!

It will be okay.

It's better than freezing to death in my own home during an ice storm any day.

The New Old Cabinet

2010-06-24T07:07:00.002-05:00

From the moment that I first spied this cabinet I knew that it was perfect for my house.

And here it is now, in my house.

That's Stewie there in the corner.

My new cabinet holds treasures of days gone by and I love it.

It truly represents "Me."

Me According to A.J. and Heather

2010-06-04T21:14:00.007-05:00

I spied this on Bethany's blog and thought it was so neat that I had to call my kiddies and ask them the same questions.

1. What is something your mom always says to you?

H: Poor Little Baby Thing

AJ: Mama loves da'Boy.

2. What makes your mom happy?

H: When me and G. Rose come over and that we can be friends now.

AJ: Uh, Family?

3. What makes your mom sad?

H: I don't know, you never show me when you are sad.

AJ: Uh, Family? lol Uh, hateful people.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?

H: A lot of stuff you do makes me laugh.

AJ: You quote lines from our favorite movies.

5. What did your mom like to do when she was a child?

H: Let me cheat and ask MeeMaw: Roller skating.

AJ: Um, I don't know mom. lol

6. How old is your mom?

H: I think 41.

AJ: ladadada uh I guess 43.

7. How tall is your mom?

H: Um, 5 ft 2 inches? No, 5 foot 3 inches.

AJ. Uh, 3 ft 7.

8. What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?

H: Uh, Hell's Kitchen, Survivor or American Idol, don't make me try to choose just one.

AJ: Survivor.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?

H: Hmmmm....Watch movies, but you never watch movies when I'm there.

AJ: Umuh, cause trouble.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

H: Photography.

AJ: Photography.

11. What is your mom really good at?

H: Same thing. Photography, scrapbooking and um, like PhotoShop.

AJ: Can I say Photography again, either that or having an eclectic taste in music.

12. What is your mom not very good at?

H: Flying Kites.

AJ: How 'bout being mean to people.

13. What does your mom do for her job?

H: Secretary.

AJ: I guess some sort of secretarial work.

14. What is your mom's favorite food?

H: Polynesian and La Hacienda and boneless buffalo wings.

AJ: Applebee's boneless wings.

15. What makes you proud of your mom?

H: You have come a long way from your past.

AJ: She raised two kids by herself and then made her life better in the process.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?

H: Olive Oil, but you would be short and skinny.

AJ: Elmer Fudd.

17. What do you and your mom do together?

H: Get our nails done and eat.

AJ: Listen to music or Mario Kart.

18. How are you and your mom the same?

H: Alot. We look the same, we act the same. I think we are a lot the same.

AJ: We like different kinds of music and sometimes we like to have our own space.

19. How are you and your mom different?

H: I'm a lot more loud than you are.

AJ: Can I pass? lol You are older than me.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

H: Because I have a kid of my own so I know how much you love me now.

AJ: Because you're my mom. I should have said "Because you birthed me." lol

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?

H: Las Vegas

AJ: Either Vegas or on a Royal Caribbean Cruise.

Maybe

2010-05-31T18:13:00.003-05:00

So it feels like the beginning of something big here. This is the beginning of many things here in my neck of the woods.

The Lawn Boy starts his summer studies tomorrow. Which is actually the start of his last year of school, as far as we know.

Heather is almost half way through her pregnancy and I am hoping it will be smooth sailing for her from here on out.

If all things go right then I will receive my school books and such and will be able to start my studies in my home time. Staying on top of my studies will enable me to be done within a year.

Only good things can happen from there.

We are within months of knowing the outcome of negotiations for the contract that my husband works for. No matter how that one works out, for us, it will be a big stress reliever.

The Boy will be student teaching here in a couple of months. How much fun is that?! I'm so proud of him for sticking to his goals and completing the tasks at hand.

And then there is Roses.

In August she will turn the big three.

She's still feeling the terrible twos and dipping her toes into the sassy threes.

God, please bless her. Guide her. Teach her how to watch her mouth and obey her parents.

Please, Lord, bless her parents with patients.

She knows not what she says.

Maybe.

Roses

2010-05-28T20:22:00.001-05:00

Roses042410, originally uploaded by gibbbrothers3.

I love her so.

Everyone Just Overreacts, Even Me.

2010-05-13T06:39:00.002-05:00

Really, they do.

Am realizing that I am getting older and that my point of view in a lot of situations is because of this.

There are some people in my life who seem to be easily agitated by other people. They judge the other people, decide how the other should react, what they should say or do with their day.

Then get frustrated because it is not done their way.

Some days they come to me and vent their frustrations.

Most days this all rolls off but lately it hasn't been working.

This morning I have a headache.

Can't help but think it is partially because of fretting over the friends / family who have recently vented to me.

So today I am going to take something for my head.

Breathe deep and then carry on.

Wish me luck.

I'll be remembering the things in my life that bring me joy.

Like little girls and their giggles and hugs.

April 19, 1995

2010-04-19T20:06:00.003-05:00

"Where Were You On April 19, 1995?"

School. I was in computer class when a friend walked in and made the comment about "blowing up our kids."

I was baffled because I had been in school that day since 8 a.m. and this was the first I'd heard of this news.

This girl tends to make comments when she has been shaken that if you don't know her you would think of her as a buffoon.

She proceeded to tell me what had happened and I was worried immediately. I was a single mom at the time and I wondered if I should go pull my kids from school and take them home. Home to safety that is.

The events that I saw on the television rocked me to my core. How could this happen?! A mere 2 & 1/2 hours from my home. How do we know we will be safe in public anymore.

We don't know. Nine eleven proved that one to us all too soon.

Take in your loved ones. Love them everyday and make it known.

You never know what tomorrow brings.

Black and White 180: Day 1

2010-04-10T22:04:00.002-05:00

So I started a new group on Flickr called 180 Black and White. This is a spin off of the 365 project which is awesome, yet for me and my busy schedule....is a little daunting.

This is approximately 6 months of black and white photos taken by you and posted one a day to the group.

I hope it goes well. I'm not much of a leader...but please...join in on the fun, k?

Here's my first entry.

Beyond The Edge Of Reason

2010-04-09T18:35:00.002-05:00

Wednesday night we had our usual guest stay the night with us. We love when Rose comes to play. She totally disrupts normal life and that, my friends, is GOOD!

She's quite sassy these days. Imagine that, MY granddaughter....sassy. Guess I had it coming.

So the battle at times is over watching what we say to Gamma and doing as we are told.

We cuddled and then fell asleep while Gamma watched part of Bridget Jones. Love those movies. The Lawn Boy says they make him feel bad for her...and girls that feel the way she does in the movie.

Only thing is....that is the entire point of those movies. Women love them because they can relate. Men either don't care or feel sorry for Bridget.

Makes sense.

Okay, I must go for now. A short update is better than none, eh?

Monday Madness

2010-04-05T21:57:00.002-05:00

It was a busy Monday. People in a mania state and demanding we have the doctor fill their scripts as soon as he is done with his current session.

"Ma'am, all I can do is take the message and give it to him. I can not MAKE him do anything."

I stayed busy all day and it was nice. No bad things happened and most people were nice and patient. It's just those select few who lost a few marbles over the weekend that surfaced via the telephone, over and over again.

It is much nicer when we are busy.

It's a good job.

*************

I cutz my hairs off today after work.

Tomorrow should show if I made a mistake or not. I'll style it my way and not put the glue in it like the stylist did. It's short. It feels good. Wonderful length for summer and all that will come with that.

***************

This evening the Lawn Boy and I wandered out into the town. I took the opportunity to take a picture of this Braum's sign. Neon is so pleasing to my eye. Even if it is an advertisement it can still be pretty.

See.

And besides, if I was not in the Braum's parking lot taking this picture I wouldn't have wandered in and bought that 1/2 gallon of lemon sherbet.

Super score!

Summer Is Creeping Up On Us

2010-04-04T14:05:00.002-05:00

Well, it's that time of year again. The time when dead leaves, small sticks, and all garbage blown in during the winter must be removed from the yard. This year I added the task of cutting down the bushes out front that I have never cared for.

When I moved into this place 12 years ago the bushes were twice as deep as shown here and just as tall. I cut them way back and attempted to keep them in a box type shape. Was never satisfied with the outcome. Even hired a couple of people to try their hand.

I think they simply need to go away. Our two trees out front took quite the hit from the ice storm and it looks like they will end up being taken down next year. We cut some more out of them today and hauled off 2 truck loads of branches. But it doesn't look good for them. Sad.

I love the shade they have given the yard for years now.

Anyway I'll work on the left half of the yard within the week and then it will be the back yard's turn. Trimmed back the crape myrtles yesterday and disposed of the cut branches.

I'm ready to rest some. Whimp.

That's me.