Runs With Scissors

Notice: I'm Still Alive!!!

2011-06-29T07:17:00.000-07:00

Hello people! Surprised that I took time out of my busy life to blog? Yeah, me too.

Mom update for those of you who follow. Mom’s doing SO much better in assisted living, but she wants to go home. She has gotten healthier and has had more socialization than she has had in 5 years! She looks as though she’s stepped back about 5 years in time too. She’s going to Bingo, going to church, showering herself and taking back some of the independence she has lost over the year or so. But, she cannot go home. She would slide right back to eating toast and sleeping in a chair ALL day without the structure of assisted living.

I’ve listed her house with a realtor and we’ve been going through all her stuff getting it ready for a garage sale and finding comfortable homes for some things. HUGE time suck for me. Hence the stagnant blog space here at RWS. Keep me in your prayers, as this life change for my mom has been hard on her and she’s not the happiest person – but she has all new apartment sized furniture and we’re making her apartment really nice.

Now on to another topic. Ponder this.

I drive a rural route to work each day to avoid the highway that runs parallel. The rural road is scattered with homes, farmer’s fields and some wooded patches. It’s about a 10 mile stretch, and very pleasant driving. There are no sidewalks people. Actually, I pass very little signs of life – except the deer that dart out and squirrels and such.
So, I pass a little dip in the road where there is a cluster of homes on my left and a corn field on my right, and a road sign that says, “Caution, Blind person in the area”.

? {blink} {blink}

So, who is this for really? If a person who isn’t blind wanders onto the road, I’m not going to hit them if at all possible. If a blind person led by a cane and a seeing eye dog wanders out of the corn field…still swerving here!
Should the blind be driving?
Should I turn up my radio so they can hear me coming?
Is this a Hipaa violation?

Just so you all know, if I ever have any type of handicap, I really don’t want the road department to put up a yellow sign pointing me out. Don’t get me wrong – I understand the need for a sign that says, Slow down children at Play, Slow down, handicapped child in the area, Deer Crossing, Icy when Wet, School Bus May Suddenly Stop, etc.

But seriously? Blind Person In the Area? That seems a little TMI.

Hope your Wednesday is Wonderful! Watch out for the Blind!
Xxoo-J

Happy Mother's DAY!

2011-05-08T05:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been awhile since I've had a chance to blog. Oh, that doesn't mean that I've not been reading blogs, I just was so busy I couldn't string together a few words to make a proper sentence.

This week was a nightmare from hell for me. My elderly mom in the hospital, I broke her free and placed her into an assisted living apartment. She's not the same mom I had a few weeks ago, but she's in a safe and controlled environment. She's pretty weak, dazed and confused, but healing. Pretty rough stuff - not for the weak at heart. (which I didn't think I was, but aparently, maybe so when it comes to moms)

This is my daughters first Mother's Day! Happy day to you baby! and to all of you mom's out there - some ride eh? Wouldn't trade it for the world!

Cheers to you all!

Break in the Temp

2011-02-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

We've had a helluva winter thus far. Blizzard, below freezing temps, more snow than you can shake a shovel at.

And this weekend, a break in the below zero temps. It's reached 30 degrees and feels like spring! Of course, that means that I witnessed two grown adults and one teenaged "child" yesterday in the grocery store parking lot, parents without coats, and teenager in shorts and yes, wait for it....flip flops.

I take this to be a jinx to the powers that be. Looking for a drop in the thermometer any minute. Crazy people never cease to amaze me.

2011

2011-01-01T06:32:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

To all my blog buddies and all you blog lurkers - Have a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Blessings-

Jackee

The Town

2010-12-17T06:05:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, I thought that owning a small Christmas Town on my fireplace mantle would be charming. It would bring on a diorama of fantasy and charm to our Christmas displays. Ohhhh, I started collecting town pieces with the help of loving friends and family who finally thought "AH, the perfect gift - a piece for her town"! The town grew and grew and grew, until it no longer was a town, but a large metropolis, one that outgrew the mantle and spread out onto end tables, bookcases and computer desk tops.

The town also has a life of it's own with it's little characters...

The METROPOLIS - the downtown section - complete with school, church, library, strip mall, movie theatre, coffee shop and of course, Jack's diner.

The "Gated Community"...where the manor houses collect the elite of the village. Rumors abound that the house on the left is Oprah's winter get away. Personally, I can't verify those claims.

I can however, attest to viewing Kate Gosselin and her brood, shoveling snow, making snow angels and such. The paparazzi always after a good photo op.

Uh oh, every town has it's bad section, where crime and urban decay seems to creep in. See Santa? See the "ho-ho-ho"? Yeah, it's hard to stop crime even in your dreams

This is Darrell and his other brother Darrell. KIDS STAY IN SCHOOL! The Darrell's never finished their GED, therefore they work maintenance at the brewery on the edge of town. Shoveling snow, and still dressing alike after all these years...

This is the radio station owner, Mr. WXMS, who is legally blind. His loyal assistant, Mr. Washington guides his every step. Mr. WXMS bought the radio station after loosing his sight, but not his hearing! He's making lemon aide out of lemons - what a "It's a Wonderful Life" moment here in the Town.Ahhh... Young love abounds. Folks getting married on Christmas...(how do they fit into that little tiny church door, I'll never know. It's all just part of the charm of the town)

This is the rural scene on top of the computer desk. There's the farm, Grandma's house and the tree farm/stand. (note: none of the pieces are of the same scale - imagination is a must here) Let's wrap it up with some holiday carols from Boyz 2 Men in an annual rooftop concert on the top of Jack's Diner! Nothing says Christmas more than four guys singing A Capella near the hustle and bustle - don't you agree?

Attention Germaphobes!

2010-10-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

So, I return to blogging because of a controversial practice I witnessed and wanted some feedback.
No, really, I thought that this would be a good time to post. It’s not about my absence, nor about my aging mother, or about my new grandson (that I could talk about until you swiftly hit Esc) but rather about Dairy Queen.

Now, don’t we all love a good DQ? I know I do! Love me some blizzards, some dilly bars, buster bars, or a small cone dipped in chocolate, the kind that hardens and cracks in a oh so luscious chocolatey way. So, when my friend and co-worker suggests an afternoon snack at the local DQ, I accepted! As we sat slowly scooping and savoring our mini blizzards, we were watching the DQ staff who was answering the telephone, acting as cashier and stocking the grated cheese bin with cheese she scooped from a large bag of grated cheese taken out of the fridge - with her bare hands. Fingers that just recently typed on the cash register, accepting dirty yucky money from a couple of high school students, now returned back to reaching into that bag to scoop out more cheese, if you please.

UGH! The thought of it makes me want to run out and get a flu shot and then scrub my body with a bristle brush like I just encountered a nuclear reactor gone bad. (Insert the shower scene from Silkwood, thank you very much for not commenting on the reference’s age)

Thinking that the DQ staffer must have some education in hygiene, my friend, a nurse pondered calling the manager of said Dairy Queen to ask about the sanitary conditions and the absence of say, gloves. The manager informed her, it wasn’t their policy to wear gloves while handling food – only to, dramatic pause, wash their hands!

Now, begin to discuss amongst yourselves, and leave a comment if you please. AHHHHH, personally, I’m going to go and gargle.

It Flys By

2010-08-12T06:50:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday, with a day off and some time to spare I made a trip out to visit my mom. I had a plan in mind. a) to get her out of the house b) to take her for a ride in an air-conditioned car to do a drive-by to some assisted living facilities c) to bribe her with a sandwhich from her favorite sandwhich shop.

She didn't have time to "wrap her brain around it". So she was befuddled. We went on said journey, within a five mile radius of her house. Got the sandwich and she was ready to go home.
We looked at one (1) facility-from the parking lot.

It wasn't all gloom and doom. Nope. It was a lesson in understanding. These lessons are getting more frequent, for both me and my aging mom.

I've been trying to get her to wrap her brain around getting out of her 45 year old house that needs so much up keep, out of her comfort zone and into the world around her. Partly because she is so very lonely, (self imposed exile from the world we live in) and partly because she really isn't safe anymore in her home - alone.

All this plays on my mind. Taking her back home (total trip time, 25 minutes-10 minutes spent on sandwich prep) we talked about her finances. I placed a call to her financial planner, who it turns out is an acquaintance of mine. She returns my call, telling me that because of privacy restrictions, she cannot discuss mom's finances with me unless I have power of attorney or mom says it's ok. My mom got on the phone and told her it's ok. AND that she granted me POA about four years ago (never told me).
{heavy sigh}
So, mom decides now would be a good time to go through her drawers looking for the POA documents. She sits on the bed, I rifle through her assorted belongings to go through large brown envelopes of papers from cars that she no longer owns, from home-made Mother's day cards from an 8 yr. old me, a 6 yr. old brother. I find spectacles that have one lense..."Mom, what are these?" "oh those belonged to my mother" (she passed some 51 years ago). Hankies, still smelling of spray starch and scented drawer sachets, an old driver's license held on to because the photo looked pretty good (seriously???-same weight I might add, who knew?)
I found the POA, an original and a copy. I reasoned in my mind that she didn't tell me because she feared that I might use this as a control tactic, a weapon to put her away into a nursing home against her will. Cause I'm like that right? As I spend every day off, every vacation day, most of my weekends, trying to take care of her needs, trying to bring her some speck of relief, of happiness in her clouded view of the world. Into her living room.
I'm struck by the tidbits of her life that she's saved. Savored even? 50 years pass and that's all we have, hankies and broken eyeglasses. Touch stones to the life we once lived, tangible reminders that once we touch - take us right back to that time, that place.
Later, she called me at home to tell me she remembered why she didn't give me the POA when she had it drawn up. She confesses to me that she didn't want me to sell her home and put her into an awful nursing home. "they are just awful Jack, everybody knows that you aren't treated well in those awful places".
Torn, I tell her I had already figured that out. But assisted living could give her some support. She wouldn't have to cook anymore, since she really hates cooking now. She wouldn't have to worry about who is going to mow her lawn, who is going to pick up the weeds, how is she going to go out and get her mail, what is she going to eat for supper, there's no one to talk to...
Or maybe I'm kidding myself. She might be more withdrawn in an assisted living apartment. What to do...what to do.
Keep looking, something will come my way. There's one constant in life and that is it's always changing.

Can't Believe That It's Been So LONG.

2010-07-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

So blog buds, it's been some time since I've posted. BAD Blogger! I'm kinda in a rut.
Right now, my mom's in the hospital, so, the time factor for creating is minimal. She'll be home possibly today - if she does well. She's 80 years old, with multiple health issues, so any type of surgery sets her back some. She lives alone (her choice) and this means that I have to do all the things she no longer can. See? Time, how it becomes the enemy.

Speaking of time, in the post below, we left Sarah in the aftermath of the baby shower. She's now very ready to deliver. Tapping her fingers impatiently on the counter, trying to hurry this along. I grin, no need to remind her that mother nature is in charge, and all the tapping in the world won't help. It doesn't help that her doctor is on vacation, so even her weekly visits have been postponed unti he returns on the 9th. She's due on the 15th technically, but all first times mom's in thier 9th month feel like they could go earlier. No one really wants to be 10 months pregnant.

I'll do a real post soon, about the time we spent with our oldest granddaughter Isabelle in Indianpapolis. Took some cute photos too. But scooting out for now, gotta catch up and read a few blog buddy posts.

Shower Snaps

2010-06-17T17:02:00.001-07:00

We showered my daughter Sarah (and baby on board, Jack) with celebratory gifts and good friends and food on this Sunday last. Thought I'd share a few pictures of the festivities.Here's Sarah, acting like a game show hostess showing off her gifts. Cute little bump huh?
With help from her nieces, she begins to open the baby loot. As much as Sarah hates it - we touch her tummy - that's me, Sarah and my youngest daughter, Abbie.

This is my mom (the baby's Great Grandmother) with Sarah and her sister Abbie. Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes, the wonderful boy toys and amazing baby wear!

Random

2010-06-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

It’s been awhile since I posted such randomness as a Fun Fact Friday – so I thought I’d give it a gander. Bear with my randomness.

*I have a smidge of poison ivy – where I contacted that I’ll never know. It’s a few tiny dots, much like the period at the end of this sentence. Makes me itch like a crazed maniac that tiny little speck.
*Does anyone miss regular old fashioned handsets to telephones? The size alone is better for tucking under your chin/shoulder for multi-tasking during the conversation. The tiny new phones are more apt to “chin hang up” and dropping into sink or toilet, don’t ya think?
*A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a blog that featured a talented card-maker, and she had a giveaway contest. I won! This wonderfully talented creator can be found here. Stop by and visit her will you?
*I’m irked to no end this week with stupid human tricks. Hence I’m in my office with the door shut. Shielding the people. All people, from my irked wrath.
*This weekend I am hosting a baby shower for my eldest daughter – first baby, truly a miracle. I’m probably just as excited as she is. If not more.
*Can I go home now?
*I need to up date this blogs “places I wander” list. Much of the bloggers I used to read have ceased blogging. I’m finding that more and more, it’s probably related to lurking and non-commenters.
*I am a lover of all comments. Except for those in spam or non English speaking. I do not speak Japanese. Just thought you all should make note.
*No vacation plans in the works for this summer. Really. Although I could use an adventure.
*Any suggestions?
*I’m ending the randomness now – so you can dash out and read other blogs that haven’t been updated in nearly a month or so.
*Wait that’s me.
Xo
J

Check Out the new Swagger!

2010-06-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

So, opinion poll please...

What do you think of my new header? Compliments of my daughters creative handiwork.

So very darn glad it's FRIDAY everyone, I am so tired I can hardly type. Comments on the header are welcome.

A Word Store! Not Word Whore!

2010-05-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

Some of us bloggers are mom’s and some of us are single and some of us are skinny and some of us are not. Some of us keep their blogs constantly updated, others are slackers, more readers than posters. Some of us take awesome photo’s to illustrate our day-to-day, and some snap shots straight out of the Kodak (or Nikon or Polaroid or swipe them out of Google images). Some of us are talented writers and some of us write like we speak, and some are just plain PROs with the prose…that’d not be me. It’s the latter I speak of when I tell you. If you need some help with your WORDZ than go to the master and pop on over to my blog bud Jules, at Pankcakes and Frenchfries. She’s a talented blogger, among many other descriptions, and she’s just opened a Word Shop, freelancing for copy, and from her menu of wares, I’d say her prices are awesome – no job too small. Give her a try why don’t you!

Shower Crafts

2010-05-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

So, I spent Saturday getting the favors, centerpieces and the table game ready for my daughter's baby shower. It's not until June 13th, but this Grandma is ready!
The centerpieces are Yankee Candles, the theme is Sweet Pea, because that's what I call the grandbaby to be. Although the ultra sound predicts a boy - we went with the color green instead of the traditional baby blue. The table game, with the centerpiece as it's prize, is something I stole years ago from a shower that I went to. Each page of the little booklet asks the reader to survey the table of ladies and see who has the longest hair, largest purse etc. Then the final rhyme winner wins the center piece at the end.

The tag on the wrapped candle has a sweet little sentiment..."To all the family and friends of mine, thank you for sharing in this joyous time. To celebrate my life on Earth, Please light this candle on the day of my birth". Cute huh?

The table will also be flanked by green and white polka dotted cupcakes. YUMMMMY! That way we'll not have to worry about cutting the cake. We can visit and generally swoon over all the adorable baby gifts. Which is what happens at most baby showers anyway, am I right?

The favors are Hershey bars wrapped in a special wrapper, thanking the guests for thier gift and their special thoughts. The honoree is a HUGE chocolate lover, and well, so am I. I ate one while wrapping them. Sorry future guest, had to try out the chocolate.

The favors will also have a hidden number on the back, for door prizes.

I'm a little bit excited about the arrival of this 1st grandson - can you tell?

Now all that's left is the invitations! Anyone care to help address them? Stamp lickers unite!

the one where we were training for disaster

2010-04-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

It’s a really windy day here in N.W. Indiana. The kind of day that not only messes up your hair, but blows your pant leg and shirt making all of your clothing form fitting. Not always an attractive look, I will admit. It’s the high wind and warm air swirling that makes me think of tornado weather. If you live in an area that isn’t frequented by tornado’s, well, “sucks to be us”, doesn’t it? Nah, I mean, people who live in parts of the country where tornados frequent just know what tornado weather is.

I like that kind of weather. I’m a safety girl, I don’t cross against the no crossing sign, I don’t go around the gates at a rail road crossing, I don’t spit into the wind, but tornado weather, I mean come on really – what are you going to do when you see one coming. Duck.

I remember when my children were young. I prepared them for all types of disasters. (safety girl and scared young mother of three, natural worrier, that’s me) I told them that if I should alert them of a tornado’s impending peril, they were to grab a couch cushion and go into our bathtub. We had a bathroom that was placed kind of central to the house, and the kids could easily grab a couch cushion versus a mattress off the bed. A mattress off the bed can be quite cumbersome when you are three or four years old. It never happened. BUT WE WERE PREPARED, incase it did happen, so don’t laugh.
Yeah, I also had a prepared “password” that only my children and I knew, incase that I had to send someone to pick them up from school in my stead. They were not supposed to go anywhere with a stranger OR a friend posing as a concerned person who might wish to steal away my small children, kidnap them and I wouldn’t see them ever again. Pffft. Gone. Unless said friend knew the password, then my children could rest assure that I sent this person to scoop them up for me. We were prepared.

My children and I had a fire drill – so that in case of a fire, they would know what to do, what exit to take, how to get out of the house safely. See, I was worried because the kids bedrooms were on the second story of our Cape Cod style home, my own bedroom on the main level. If a raging blaze broke out and they couldn't get downstairs, they should go out of the window in my son’s bedroom that ran adjacent to the garage roof. Cool, they could sit on the roof and wait for the fireman (or mom) to rescue them. They were instructed to crawl close to the ground, yadda yadda …all that. I was a FREAK for disaster preparedness.

I labeled all the cleaning products with “Mr. Yuck” stickers from poison control. (and still my three year old son licked up some Miracle Grow thinking it was blue sugar…who knew?)
I put red stickers in the window corners to alert the fireman of the presence of small children.
I taught them how to call 911 should I mysteriously pass out and become unconscious. (Used to make my daughter Sarah cry, but I wanted them to be prepared!!!)
Freak. Now as I type this, I sound like very freaky, but better safe than sorry right? Right?
Don't be so judgey.

Ahh, young parents, relax would ya? They made it safely to their adult hood almost unscathed …well unscathed by natural disasters anyway. We had our share of emergency room visits. Don’t you all?
Any of you parents out there do similar preparation with your children?

My New Ride

2010-04-17T05:43:00.000-07:00

I don't really care - as long as it gets me there.

That could be my motto. For my ride, you know. I don't care what it looks like, what bells and whistles it has, what color, make or model it is. I want it to get me there in one piece.

From this....

My last car I rode until stuff started literally falling off! If I went over a bump or pot hole, the armrest on the door handles in the back seat would shake loose! The body was in good shape. Indiana winter's and the salt started to erode the paint at the bottom of the doors. The heat/air conditioning worked at a minimum. It has 183,000+ miles on it. My 1998 Olds Intrigue, lovingly got me there! So, it was 12 years old - and starting to show it's age. Everyone was buggin me to get a new car...but my heart wasn't in the payment.

So, we began the search. All I really wanted was a CD player, heated seats, and a decent cup holder.

I got it! And it's a racy red color too!

To this...my new Impala!

Whew-made it past the day unscathed

2010-04-02T05:08:00.000-07:00

Ah HA! It's the day after April Fool's day. Poissant D'Avril for you odd frenchies...{i never did understand the fish foolery}
I have come through unscathed.
See, It's taken me years of looking over my shoulder and doubting every phone call, or bit of April 1st news or gossip to finally settle down on the first of April.
I had been quite a bit of a practical joker in years past, and my children liked to take pride in "getting me back" in creative ways.

This year I went by without anyone trying to pull a prank. Whew!
With the temperature at an unseasonal 64 degrees and it's only 7:13 a.m. I'm off to have a Good Friday, off fromwork, enjoying the weather and preparing for our Easter weekend. Going to my mom's to make Easter cheese and wash her bedding. I MAY even get to hang her blankets on the clothes line outside!
Hope you all enjoy the weekend!

It's the End of the Week, and Now it's Time for a Nap!

2010-03-13T05:57:00.001-08:00

“Whatever you give a woman she will make greater. If you give her sperm she will give you a baby. If you give her a house, she will make you a home. If you give her groceries she will make you a meal. If you give her a smile, she’ll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So if you give her any crap, be prepared to receive a ton of shit”.

I think I got that quote in one of those annoying email forwards, but I liked its content and thought I’d share it with you two readers.

No, I didn’t forward it on, kind sir or Madame. Smarty pants.

This was a rough and busy week but it flew by! Starting with 55 degree days (as compared to bitter cold and tons of snow) which melted the large dirty ugly piles of leftover snow and grungy ice. I saw groups of people enjoying the weather – sans coats and other garb. Hurray for me, job security!

I took my mom to the doctor for a second opinion on what I think might be seizure activity. She has a nonchalant neurologist, nice lady, who just “Isn’t that into HER”. So, after a few episodes of her losing consciousness, I decided to take her to the wonder doctor who helped me so much. Her being a new patient and all, he ordered a ton of diagnostic tests and appointments with other specialists, and my 80 year old mom can only handle a few hours at a time, so I spread them out over a few weeks.
I’ll be busy.

Besides the mama drama, all the ladies I work with are having personal problems. Not that they don’t hide them, they do…some do…and some need to share. I consider myself lucky that things personally are even keel. Wonderfully sane even.
We’ve got a few (three) divorces going on, one whose mother passed away yesterday, and some with personal self esteem issues that make them feel inferior to their peers and definitely interfere with their work performance. Those require alot of hand holding and support that saps you of your strength. So by today I’m spent. I decided to take the weekend off. Do some house work, do some reading, blogging or scrapbooking. Maybe hit the mall. Peace out folks, and have a pleasant tomorrow.

Truth Or Dare

2010-03-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

I can’t even remember the content of my studies in Health & Safety class. It was a required course for all freshmen and it was BORING. I was of course at the top of the food chain in my middle school, by being a freshman, the head of the class. Our local high school was jam packed with sophomores, juniors and seniors so the freshman stayed one more year at the junior high school level and became the big cheese for one year before plummeting to the bottom again with big time teens ready to burst upon the world.

The Health and Safety teacher was also the track coach and chess club sponsor. Nice man, who wore a shirt and tie, carried a brief case full of track strategies and statistics and stood before the bored freshman to lecture about the lesson plan. For that hour, he could easily be distracted from health and safety instruction, by say one smart aleck kid asking a well thought out “track or chess question”. Turning to the chalk board he would draw out long diagrams, and the rest of us could play hangman, write love notes, draw or do our homework for 4th period - sort of a laid back study hall. He never knew.

Of course, I was not that smart aleck kid, but being creative I was known for being fun and a ring leader of sorts when trying to create an atmosphere of fun and games. So began our Truth or Dare sessions. We would engage him in the art of chess or track lectures and while his back was turned drawing a diagram of plays, we would take turns with Truth or Dare tasks. When it was my turn, I was “dared” to get out of my seat (I was at the end of the row) and slip out into the empty hallway, travel to the next floor and swipe the attendance slip off the door of my boyfriend’s English class in progress. Brilliant strategic move for the kid who wanted me to fail at a dare- so that I might have to divulge a “truth.” I slipped out of class, skipping lightly in my navy blue Charlie Brown flats. Oh, the glory of those stylish duds! They matched my red brushed denim hot pants, matching navy tights and navy turtleneck bodysuit. Hey, no digs at the duds! It was 1972 and the student council had fought for the destruction of our school’s dress code and we fully took advantage of the odd assortment of outfits we could create.

I naturally was successful, triumphant even to the task at hand – had to stand outside of the classroom until the teacher turned his back again – he never wondering why my seat was empty. I slid into my seat quietly, mission accomplished. I felt WICKED naughty, totally cool, hoodwinking that silly teacher as such and getting away with 9th grade murder. Oh, he (the teacher) got his revenge, as I was getting a “C” average in that class, learned not a Safe or Healthy thing and by the end of the semester was sequestered at home with a nasty case of mono. My friends brought me my school work and upon my return to school I had to take all of his weekly quizzes and one final test in one after school session of test taking. His version of murder. The end to that story is a whole OTHER blog post. The reason for this here post?
The moral of this story, the end-all-be-all for the reason this memory popped into my head?
Impending spring fever reminding me of school, nah.

It’s the Truth and Dare’s of life that make us go out on the ledge and live to challenge ourselves.
It’s FRIDAY – go out and live life this weekend! I dare you!

Oh, and Gah - I’ve miss you all.

Good News! I'm alive!

2010-02-15T16:55:00.000-08:00

I feel sorry for those who came to read my blog posts. I've been so absent. So sorry about that.

This week has been one hectic chaos after another.
At work we had a sprinkler head freeze and BLOW! Spraying a continuous flow of water all over our waiting room, pouring through the floor, under doors and seeping into my office and conference room, several other offices and through to our business office. We are in a state of shock, and yet, staying open and still seeing patients. We've put chairs up and down one hallway, rerouting the traffic through the side employee entrance.

It's a hot mess.

and a humid one.

Even though the temperature outside is close to zero, the inside is hot and muggy due to the fans and dehumidifiers trying to soak up all the water.

I miss my desk.

So, I've not had time to blog - by the time my tired butt reaches home, I am half asleep with fatique.

Oh, and by the way, if you are the spammer that keeps leaving wierd comments in my comment section, kindly move on.
I'll try to be more vigilant in the future. Maybe in March. Could still be in February.

I MISS SUMMER

2010-01-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

As we dig out of our snowfall of about two feet and temperatures drop to below zero, I just want to

A. curl up under a blanket.

B. Eat ice cream over hot soup

C. Watch movies that take place at the seashore.

Casper loves the gigantic snowflakes.

I may just get out of my pajama's today!

Thursday Thoughts

2010-01-07T09:53:00.001-08:00

The snow is steadily falling in the rate of a scary 1” per hour and has been since sometime early this morning here in N.W. Indiana. Brrrrr. Really cool if you are a kid with a sled or tucked into your warm abode, complete with hot beverages and cozy snuggly blankets. But if you are out in it, driving or working it’s a nightmare!

I was thinking on my slippery, all white drive into work this a.m. (Thinking can be dangerous) I was thinking about random posts that lack real direction, and AADD. When I was a kid and was daydreaming or distracted and couldn’t learn my fractions, no one suggested that there may have been a DISORDER to blame. No, sir! It was your own thick numbskull head that wouldn’t focus or REFUSED to pay attention.
*blink*
*blink*
Where was I? Oh, yeah, AADD, I think that my husband and I both have a touch of attention deficit handicaps. I tell him some tidbit of information; he’s watching a commercial that he’s seen a thousand times before, later when I remind him that I’m not coming home after work tomorrow, he says “hey, how come you never told me”. Stuff like that. I do the same. The point? Um, not much other than a random post, one that is scattered and bears no rhyme or reason in correlation with each other. Hey, I’m not to blame, it’s my AADD. Natch.

*I had another brilliant idea for discussion. (All while driving) Let’s talk it out. While driving in, there is always someone going 15 mph below the speed limit and some whacko who is weaving in and out of the semi-trucks that are stopping and starting on the highway. I hate em. I’d like to roll the window down really close next to them and A. knock the cell phone out of their hands or B. announce in a loud voice “I’m telling on you”. Or something just as sinister. So, what if when you register for your license plates they use your cell number or home phone number as your plate number? That way when you drive like an idiot, you have to take the heat, later on the phone or listen to obnoxious voice mail messages from all the people you cut in front of. Just a thought.

*Really, you know what is under-rated? Ear muffs. Think about ‘em. They don’t mess up your hair, they keep your ears toasty – sometimes you can hardly see them! I never get that annoying static cling from them, they tuck into your pocket when vanity prevails and you whip them off your head so the cute guy at the next pump at the gas station pulls up. I really like them. Go on and grab yourself a pair. Even more to think about is what if you could buy hair extensions for your ear muffs…ok, maybe not, but like I claimed before this is random thoughts. Not good thoughts, or brilliant thoughts, just random ones.
*blink*
*blink*
I think I may have more when I can sit at home and discuss from my cozy electric blanket and my warm new LAPTOP the awesome hubster bought me for Christmas! Thanks to my son I’ve got a WiFi hub and thanks to my daughter I got a cool little mouse so I don’t have to use my fingers…they might love me a little.

Bye 2009 (as said through a sleepy half closed eye, dreaming of 2010)

2010-01-02T06:16:00.000-08:00

Dry fur needles embedded in my carpet. check.

Crumbly Christmas cookies "still too good to throw out". check.

1/2 bottle of stale wine "still too good to throw out". check

Piles of laundry, even though I do a few loads every day "Who the hell wears all these clothes?" Check. Check.

Fine furry layer of dust on all shiney surfaces. Check.

Ah yes, the holidays are over, the house a mess. Clutter seems to be everywhere and I lack energy to do much else other than read blogs on my amazing NEW GREEN Laptop that hubby who thinks that he is Santa got for me for Christmas! Yeah, I've only been surfing, because I've not been thinking of a post.

So this is it. Read on.

2009 was a really good year, even though I sound as though the enthusiasm has been sucked out of me (it has) I'm reclined and lazy after taking down the tree and shoving post diet carbs past my jaws down to my tummy. Too many points to count. I know I've gained 5 lbs. this week but it's the holiday's and I DON'T care.

We had the bestest ever Christmas present, in that my daughter Sarah and her husband Brian, found out unexpectedly that they are EXPECTING a baby in 2010! They had been trying to conceive over 2009, and 2008 and had all but given up! Such joy for us all, even though she made me keep a secret until she could announce it to everyone, and that part was pure hell for me. Keeping the secret when I was bursting I mean.

Also in 2009, I lost 30 lbs. (although 5 found me again) and that was something I had struggled with for the last 6 or seven years. But perhaps the best is that I sought out second opinion from another neurologist and found out I had been misdiagnosed, weined off all the terrible medicine I had been taking, and through physical therapy and exercise, found a "cure" for the facial pain and headaches.

Now I have to keep that up. CHALLENGE!

2010 will be a good year, I'm excited to begin!

Excerpts from Grandma's Christmas Girls below.

Grandma and Savannah (age 8 months)

Isabelle, me and Angie. Newest addition to the all girl tribe, Lilly, who found sleep over socializing to be the bet way to endure the large family gathering.
Happy 2010 everyone!

Notorious Noel?

2009-12-18T06:05:00.001-08:00

Seems like all you hear on the news lately is celebrity dishonorable mentions. (thanks Tiger!)
Why do we like to keep abreast of other people's dirt?

Makes us all seem perfect? Hmmmm.

Anyways, while I was watching Entertainment Tonight, wrapping mounds of presents on my bed, it was Tiger this, and Tiger that. Blah, Blah, blah...and I realized there is one blessing out of this tigerwoodscrap. The early Christmas gift it gave to the Gosselin family!
Chubby ex-hubby Jon, whining to everyone is no longer in his 15 minutes of fame, his soon to be ex-wife and 8 tiny kids can all sigh with relief that their personal trials and tribulations are not being splashed all over the T.V. and tabloids this week. Thanks Tiger! Merry Christmas Gosselins - Talk about silver linings!

And Now, Another H1N1 Unwanted Update...

2009-12-07T05:09:00.000-08:00

Have you just about "had it" with H1N1 and the media? I know I have. While getting ready for my day, I was watching the morning news. The newscaster gave the update that while H1N1 cases are reportedly leveling out, we still need to keep taking precautions!

So, continue washing your hands guys.

Oh, and continue covering your mouths when you cough or sneeze so your germy mucous doesn't fly all over the room. Cause, seriously, most often we just don't.

Just sayin.

Sorry Guys I cannot make Those Kinds of Promises

2009-12-04T05:30:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it's been MONTHS since I last posted.

Sorry.
Not that YOU missed me. (all four of you) It's just that alot has been going on, a lot that led me far away from my desktop.

Today's a new day - I'm 30 lbs. thinner! Ya Hoo! I'm into size 10 jeans, and look darn skinny in em. I've weaned off all that awful medication that my old neurologist had me taking and I've been religious about doing physical therapy, which may or may not always help.

My mom had an exacerbation of CHF and her COPD, which caused her to sleep 24-7, not eating and lethargic. Her respirations were shallow and lungs were full of fluid. I was pretty worried about her, spent a lot of time taking care of her, another reason I couldn't blog. She's a little better now. At least she's trying somewhat. She's kinda crabby too, that's always a good sign.

I'm going to spend the day-no afternoon- with my husband Christmas shopping. Of course, the weather has turned biting cold today and we are going to an outdoor mall.
my luck.

On a side note, just because I've not been posting doesn't mean that I've not been reading. So you out there...keep on typing! I'll try to keep up, but seriously guys, no promises.

Where You Been?

2009-10-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

Where have you been, you may have asked.
I have no rotten excuse for my blog going lame, unattended like a dressing room at your local department store when you need help “zipping up”.
I’ve just been busy living life. Just like you, and you and you there…the ones who keep their blogs current, the ones who have readers….because of it!

So, to summarize what’s up with me, here goes.
I’ve been taking care of my Mom, who passed out one evening brushing her teeth. While she was going down she had a presence of mind to try to hold on so that she wouldn’t make a big bang when she fell so she slid….down the side of the open bathroom door. My mother takes a blood thinner so any bumps often turn into black masses of pooled blood under the skin, and this time, it was golf ball size. She landed on her rump, and scooted across several rooms until she got to the basement landing, where she has steps to swing her legs over and pull herself up with the handrails we’ve installed there. Then she promptly went to bed.

Now here’s the thing. She’s a few weeks short of 80 years old. She has an untreated aneurysm in her brain (she refused to have it surgically repaired, out of fear, about three years ago) See, Mom hates hospitals, fears hospitals, and fears losing her independence along with her largest fear and that is of being forced to die alone in a nasty nursing home. She has isolated herself from the world in the past ten years anyway, keeping everyone at bay, so now, in her time of need there is no one who cares except her family. That’s where I come in. She didn’t tell me, because she knows I would make her have this goose egg of a lump checked out in the ER, I’d be concerned about the real reason she dropped in the first place. Mom, um, why’d you pass out?
So, I spent quite a bit of time with her, watching her every move while convincing her that she needs medical attention.
I had small successes.

That same week, I was fighting my own battle with my own health. If you are a regular reader, you know of my chronic headaches, and my trigeminal neuralgia diagnosis, one that has been a source of contention as far as cause and treatment, oh and the quality of life issue when over zealous neurologists want to prescribe every ugly drug known to mankind.
So, I’d sought a second opinion, one that left me stunned by asking me for a leap of faith, one that began weaning me off of three of the drugs that have for the most part controlled the nasty awful pain that has ruled the last three years of my life.

That’s where I’ve been. Happy news though! Mom’s doing fine. Fears aside, she thanked me in the end for caring for her and for easing her fears by forcing her to get her goose egg checked out. Alls well for now. For now.
My new neurologist, one who has practiced at Cleveland Clinic (I guess they are top dog for Neurology in the country) and who turns out, has me almost off my drugs, only receiving physical therapy on my cervical area, pinpointing my pain from that area and the pressure of crimping the nerve that runs along the very base of your skull. Cool.
And THEN…
A new baby entered the picture. My step daughter (I hate to use the step word, she is in fact, my daughter through my husband) had her second child, a granddaughter again for my husband and myself. Welcome Lillian Grace – otherwise known as Lily. A tiny beautiful bundle at 6 lbs, 12 ozs. Compact at 17 inches long. Here I am the day she was born by cesarean section, Grandma ran to the hospital after work to smooch those baby cheeks.

Grandma and Lily

I’d like to say I’ll work harder at keeping up my blog – that is until life grabs me by the back of my baggy ass jeans and lands me far far away from my PC. (I’ve lost a few more glorious pounds! I’m down about 25 total now, hurrah!!!!)
Happy Hump Day everyone!

Good News! and some Really Random crap.

2009-09-18T07:14:00.000-07:00

Good news folks! I'm not dead!
It's beens so long since I posted (august 26th? what is that about?)

But sad to say....Patrick Swayze, RIP. Mary Travers from Peter, Paul and Mary....Gone but not Forgotten. and you know they say that deaths come in 3's, well, now I'm on a watch. Who will it be next?
Husband inserted here, says doesn't Ted Kennedy count? I think the time gap puts him with some other threesome, but well, I'm not the expert on this phenom and I could of course be wrong. Anyone with thoughts here?

More good news. I am happy to report that I have now lost 22 lbs! Yes, all the whining I did last year, about my inability to lose even 5 lbs. to get into a dress for a wedding makes me crazy at myself. I didn't want to admit I was helpless to lose weight on my own. Helpless is key here. Anytime I've thought that I really didn't want to "admit" something, I've consistently been "helpless" to do something. When I choose to look at all possibilities and admit my vulnerabilities, I'm much, much more successful at attaining my goal. This has applied in all aspects of my life. Must be a life lesson. Hmph.
Losing the weight drops me down a few WONDERFUL sizes, clothes feel better, I feel better and life is great. I'm more prone to exercise, because I feel better. I'm giving random 20 minutes here and there to use my eliptical machine and Hey, exercise is exercise! Seems to work.
*I made so much fun of Weight Watchers, but folks, it works, it's easy, and if you stick with it, it easily becomes a way of life and the pounds fall off. Enough said. If you are reading this, and toying with a few extra pounds, investigate it. You will be surprised at how easy it is, and how attainable your goals will be. And, it does give you grins at how cliche it is, makes you feel like you are part of a wicked inside joke.

Hey, any of you looking at your crappy co-workers now and wondering if you too will be subject to work place violence? After reading the account of the poor lab researcher who was strangled by her lab techy guy co-worker at Yale...it makes me raise a brow at some of my Not So Friendly sorts at the work place.
I'm just saying. Can't be too cautious. Seriously, put that syringe down I say.

Another thing that makes me shudder. Kenye West. (ohhh, did I spell it wrong? I'm fearful of this clown with a microphone, who may interrupt this blog because of it)
What the hell? I've never seen someone so full of himself and so utterly crazy all at the same time. Shame on any of you who promotes this jackass.
Speaking of jackasses, anyone hear of any news on Jon of the former "and Kate Plus Eight" news? I don't care too much what else is said, but he's an ass.
Next season on Survivor: Jon Gosselin and Kenye West. Yeah, now that'd be entertainment.

This is my birthday weekend. I'd like to thank the networks - all for airing your season premieres in this next week! Like a present to Jackee nearly Every. Night. Thank You! (add a smiley here)

Well, that's all folks, all the time I'm allowed in my busy schedule, which is really one of the main reasons why I've not posted. That and the media deluge of H1N1 news that has our patient's and the medical profession trying to calm them in a controlled frenzy. Here's what I say to all of you. Wash Your Hands. Don't go out if you think you are sick. Drink plenty of water and take care of yourself.
oh, and get a flu shot. M'kay?

Customer Service Award-and the Award Goes To...

2009-08-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

There is one thing that perturbs me, drives me bonkers in fact and that is poor customer service. I've always been in service related jobs and providing quality customer service has always been my goal. It is not always the goal of others in service related industries, mostly when I am the customer.
This story is one of good ones.

Awhile ago I bugged my loved ones to purchase a gift for me that would satisfy one of my dreams. That of owning an above average digital camera, so that I could preserve the family memories that mean so much to me. They generously bought me my beloved Nikon D40 SLR camera. I snap more photos than normal, so much to the annoyance of that family. (a collective sigh, as you may KNOW what I mean)

I started uploading the photos on to my hard drive, shocked at the amount of space it consumes. So I made another purchase, an external hard drive to store the photos on. I carefully moved archived photos onto the drive, every smile, every fond family gathering, vacation, wedding and newborn to toddler stage has been carefully cataloged and stored there.
Last week I uploaded some recent photos for work to my drive, and noticed that the drive was no longer recognized by my computer. I fiddled with everything I could fiddle with. I unhooked the drive and rebooted. I opened the tower of my computer and disconnected thing-a-ma-bobs and thing-a-ma-jigs and memory cards and you name it. Using my powerful can of air I blew out every conceivable opening of dust and suspected trouble makers. Still no connection. I connected the drive into another unrelated power outlet, noticing then that the light did not come on the power adapter. "Simple fix", I thought.
I returned to the site of the original purchase. Target. They told me that they no longer sold the hard drives, and that they didn't carry such power adapters either. ( funny, I only had bought this about 8 months ago) I was to call the manufacturer, Western Digital. I searched the net, found Western Digital's web site also noticing that they no longer carried my make and model, the power adapters didn't make the shopping list either. I phoned WD, and after a long while on hold spoke with a customer service rep who in a monotone flat voice told me that the adapter was out of stock, I should check back in a few weeks to see if they carried it then. Maybe yes, maybe no. She really couldn't direct me either way.
Panicked slightly, I thought maybe the Geek Squad at Best Buy could help me. Off to Best Buy, where a slightly geeky guy shook his head and said, sorry you are out of luck. I asked if there was a way to retrieve my picture files off the drive, and without even looking at me he said, No, sorry you're out of luck.
Dead end.
Sunday, while I was off to meet my daughter at the local cinema, I arrived early so I thought I'd go into the nearby strip mall and ask around at Radio Shack. The guy at Radio Shack listened to my story intently, and when I drew in my last breath, said, No problem, just buy this hard drive casing, pop your old drive out of the casing and snap it into the new one and you should be good to go.
$39.95
I excitedly brought in my broken hard drive the next day and they opened up the casing, snapped the new one into place in no time flat.
I re-hooked the drive and still couldn't find it on my directory. I returned to the Radio Shack guy, thinking I was a sucker, but no, he just had to tighten up the screws inside as the drive had some extra space and had become loose with the movements it took for me to wedge it in between my printer and the walls of my computer case.
Sure enough, this time it works! There are all my precious files and folders carefully named. The guys were awesome! Polite and wonderful...they didn't even blink an eye!

Here's a shout out to Radio Shack. I couldn't believe the great customer service they provided, not only by making the right move...but by not just looking over my head and telling me that I was screwed. Thanks Target, thanks Western Digital, thanks Best Buy with your fancy Geek Squad, all who really didn't care if retrieved my photos or not. They didn't offer options, they said, sorry you are screwed. But Radio Shack cared enough to offer a solution, an affordable solution, and they did all the work. They didn't just sell me the equipment and send me off to install it on my own. They popped open the box and installed it all for no extra cost.

Just thought I'd take a minute to congratulate them, to let others know. Hey go take a look at your local Radio Shack, they have all sorts of gadgets and the customer service was right on!

I'm OFF work, of COURSE it's Raining!

2009-08-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

For those of you who read my blog regularly, you know the angst that I have over taking a day off of work, only to have whatever my plans are-dashed to the low, because of rain. It's been like that for over a year, and frankly I don't know what I did to piss of Mother Nature but she's one angry woman!

I took off yesterday to take my mom to the neurologist. Rain. Overcast cloudy skies. Humid.

Today, I awoke to find that same scenario, how lovely.

I think you still can sunbathe in the overcast clouds. I'll let you know later.

So, I went to pick Mom up, as always quite a few hours early, in case she needs assistance. Found in her robe, she was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper and lamenting over an obituary that she was reading. Yet another peer, her cousin had died. My mother years ago gave into a self imposed exile away from most of her friends and relatives. She was then very mobile, and still set in her ways. She found company in her sister, eleven years her senior who lived a few blocks away from her. They shopped together and crabbed at each other and as they grew older still, they watched t.v., each in their perspective living rooms, as they talked on the telephone, each television tuned into exactly the same program. My aunt was really my mom's only peer. She had us, her children and grandchildren, but no one else her own age group to socialize with. My aunt died several years ago, my mother misses her every day, and often speaks of her as though she has not passed. "I wonder what Mary Ellen would think of this, or that".

I don't remember ever meeting this cousin of hers that passed away. She went on and on about this cousin's family, her mother and father, sisters and brothers, she proclaimed I looked most like her. (???? don't know where that is coming from - I'm really a clone of my mom, with a tidge of my father in the mix) Anyway, they were never really close, in fact I think the last time my mom saw this woman was at least 34 years ago. Still, my mom recanted days gone by when her father was alive and all the relatives would get together on a Sunday afternoon to visit his mother, her grandmother who was ill. The grand kids would sit on the stoop outside of the home, and the adults went in to visit. This is the most she could conjure up about her relationship with this cousin. (My mother's father died in a car accident when Mom was 10 - she's 79 now)

My mother about 7 or 8 years old.

Seems her memory is fine. She talked alot yesterday about all the women in her family. How they really weren't nice women. (No? Really? These were her words, I swear!) They were unforgiving and mean to each other. Not my direct grandmother mind you, but ALL of her other sisters, my mother's aunts. Some had such tattered relationships with their daughters, that the pairs didn't speak even up til the mother died. My mom claims that there were alot of "secrets", such as the alcoholism of a husband, whom one aunt kicked out of the house and she went on to raise 5 kids on her own. Tsk, Tsk. But the rest of the family excluded her, because you just didn't "do that" in those days. That same woman walked 4 or 5 blocks every week to the cemetary to visit his grave after he died. Of course, all this was from my mother's perspective, and her perspective was that of a child or young teenager - judging from the way my mother behaves now, and come to think of it, pretty much all her life - is a much self centered existance. She hardly really knows the REAL story because she isn't paying that much attention to detail, so busy she is thinking about her own self. (this too straight from my mother's mouth). Seems that all my female relatives had issues with thier relationships. My mother came from a long line of them.

All in all, it was a good visit. All I did was listen. Listen and think that these are the last years of my mother's life. Lonely and self absorbed, her world is very small. Too small if you ask me, but I think that is pretty much all she can handle now.

We went to the neuro visit, and the doc examined her, asked her many questions. She gave my mother what is known as a Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) which is a variety of questions about the here and now (date, day of the week, year, etc.) and then some simple subtraction problems, (take 7 from 100, then 7 from 93 and so on) and my mom did remarkably ok! She paused a little on the math. She asked my mother to repeat three simple words...apple, table, chair and then later to use them in a sentence. Mom stumbled a little on those, she tried to use them in a sentence-before the doctor asked for them to be used in a sentence. I knew she was up to something, because she remembered this test from last year's exam and had some anxiety about it. Well, the doctor was very pleased, told us that mom is doing so well, she is right back where she was before she had her stroke four years ago! There was minimal rejoicing. She reduced my mother's medication, a medication that prevented seizures because she felt it could be causing some of the dizziness that my mother claims to have.

I took her home, making sure that she remembered to reduce her meds and sat a while longer with mom. That's when she showed me a little notebook she'd been studying. She'd written the answers to the math questions on it. 93, 86, 79,72,65. She had a written sentence using apple, table and chair in it. My mom was CHEATING on her mini mental status exam!

My mother - Teen Idol

I think she's a pretty coniving cookie! Jeeze!
All in all it certainly floated her boat getting all the answers right and showing off that she's in control. Good for her I guess. Still when I left her, she was all absorbed in what she was going to fix for dinner, and wondering if Antique Roadshow as going to be a re-run tonight, she seemed sad and lonely to me. Maybe it's just me.

I Know it’s Friday – But Can’t We Just Get on with It and Start the Weekend? Edition #1

2009-08-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long title. It’s almost noon on Friday and like so many others, I just want to go home and start my weekend. (and get paid for it, I suppose, come on, YOU do too!)

So, here I sit instead, glued to my desk. I’ve typed minutes to department meetings held a week ago. {yawn}
I’ve done a small chart review on medical charts our new doctor (yeah! We replaced that crazy Grampa Doctor from a few posts back-FINALLY) {double yawn}
I’m not really looking forward to my "6 point lunch". No real pizzazz or flavor, it will just keep me from gnawing a limb off until dinner. (oh, yes, for you crazy WW cult members, I’ve lost 15.4 lbs. Hoo HA, without exercise I might add, because I screwed up my fragile little spine – but well I promise to start an exercise program as soon as fall hits) Still lunch will be a bore.

The day is moving like a turtle. (when a turtle does not equal a turd poking out one’s anus…sorry to gross you out, that just popped into my head, the fact that I’ve heard that expression of a turtle before…this turtle is just a plain slow moving creature)
Enough, I'm off point as usual.
Now I sit with a pile of papers and articles I’ve collected trying to create a Power Point presentation on a subject to use at an in-service I must give to the staff. A subject and in-service that most of the staff here have already been trained on time and time again and still don’t care enough to absorb. Lucky for you all it’s not CPR! Ha! That one they “get”…
This is a boring subject, full of acronyms, legislature, forms (yes, we all hate forms) and such.
Hipaa.
There, I’ve said the dreaded word. Can;t folks just pay attention?

I’ve not got a lot planned for the weekend, just swimming in 90 degree weather and catching some sun. I’m off on Monday (it’ll rain, it always does! See my previous posts to prove it!) but I have to take my mom to the doctor…that in and of itself is worth a blog post or two. I usually take something and lie down for awhile afterwards. But no, this time I’m going to take something before hand, then be prepared. So, with that in mind…can anyone post bail for me on Monday?
Hmmm?

I’d like to see the movie “Time Traveler’s Wife”, which comes out this weekend. I read the book and it’s MARvelous! Any takers?
See, I'm living large for the weekend, and it's not even started yet.

I'm BAAACK, hope you've missed me!

2009-07-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

Seems I've been MIA from my blogging for so long. Sad to say, I took a week's vacation from work, only to have hurt my back. So, most of the vacation the week before last was spent in physical therapy and lying with ice on my sore spots. Then when I returned to work, I had therapy three nights that week along with trying to get some junk together so that my daughters and I could host a garage sale. (no blogging time available) Garage sale over, whew, when I returned to work on Monday, yesterday, I was only there a few hours and started feeling chilled to the bone. Complete with nausea and body aches, I started running a fever. I went home barely able to keep my eyes open. I crashed on the couch, hot/cold all afternoon, sleeping and tossing/turning to keep up with the body aches. The temp outside was a muggy 80 some degrees and sometime in the afternoon, the electricity went off. I kept hearing a beeping sound, from far off in the distance, when through the fog of my fever induced sleep, I realized it was the battery of our smoke detector shouting out to me that there was no power.

The afternoon turned into muggy hot evening, and the power didn't come back until about 9:30 at night. I wouldn't have known, so deeply I was sleeping, but my wonderful husband came to check on me, forcing me to take some acetaminophen for the fever and turn on the T.V.

I didn't go to work today, for fear that I wouldn't recover if I didn't truly get some rest.

Seems I'm always sick or broken some how. It gets pretty discouraging. Seems I spend more time recuperating than I do living life. No matter how hard I try, no matter how healthy I try to behave! I hate being off work!
There's always so much to catch up on when you return.
But, on the brighter side, I've been able to blog hop and read some of my favorite blogs! Susan had a heartwarming post about mother/daughter relationships. Seems that I'm not the only mom who has shed tears at the tough times parent/child relationships have. That makes me hopeful!
Also, the eye candy my daughter Sarah provided made me chuckle. As always, Susannah at Petunia Face cracked me up, although I was sad to see that I was left off her blog roll. (I bet that was an over sight, no scratch that I hope that was an over sight.)

Blogging is a fun past time, but sometimes it's hard to keep up the reading and posting and all. I truly enjoy the peek into everyone's life and love when they peek into mine!
Here's to everyone having a great Tuesday! Sick or well!

Memorabilia or junk?

2009-07-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl, I used to ask my mother what was I like when I was a baby? She sometimes told me a funny story or two, she sometimes said she couldn't remember.
It was the "couldn't remember" part that bugged me. That and the fact that I had only a handful of pictures of myself to chronicle the first 7 years or so of my life. No cute newborn pictures, in fact the first picture they took of me was when I was around 7 or 8 months old.
My older brother, well, that's a different story. They had pictures of their first born (natch). His baby book was filled out for a few years...mine had my basic first days of life information. Date of birth, weight, family tree...that's about it.

I have always been accused of being a "pack rat". I saved letters from my pen pal, kept flowers from an old boyfriend pressed in a book. I saved ticket stubs and match books and all sorts of memorabilia but I eventually let go of those memories and tossed all of that stuff.
To this day, I struggle with organized clutter. Oh, my home is neatly decorated, the clutter controlled into a artful montage. But still I have a hard time letting go of gifts, clothes and pretty things. So when my daughter suggested a garage sale and I told her I didn't have much to contribute she rolled her eyes. "I can go into your kitchen right now and fill a box with things you could sell or give away". I began to purge.

My oldest daughter and my youngest daughter (my son is the middle child) came over on Monday night with the attempt to tackle the trunk where all the memento's of their childhood (and mine) has been carefully tucked away. I saved my diaries from 5th, 6th and 7th grade. They conjured up many laughs from them, and quickly they tossed it into the garbage. They tossed all the Front Page newspapers that I kept for them, telling of the new Princess across the ocean and then years later of her death. They laughed until they had tears in their eyes over the stories that they wrote in first and second grade, of the lists that they mailed off to Santa and of the funny pictures that their brother drew, complete with date and age marked in the corner by me, the thoughtful watchmom of their youth. I saved everything, but apparently I wasn't alone, as there was also some momentos that their grandmother (on their father's side) had saved of his youth and babyhood, stuff he forgot to take when our marriage split up. Probably stuff he forgot about, stuff that didn't matter anymore. Never fear, I'll save it here! and then I did. All to preserve their memories. I thought that they would thank me someday. I thought that they would relish this junk and be thankful for the reminders. So that one day, when I forgot, the junk could tell the stories that I could not.
They tossed it all away. The locks of hair, the misspelled stories and poems, the home made Mother's Day cards and the Front Page news of John Lennon's death.
I was beside myself. I fought back silly tears. I felt as though I had been working on a very large gift that took me twenty years to complete only to find out that the recipient thought it ugly junk. I choke up just typing about it.
I let the trunk and it's content go out to the garbage pick-up.
Assuaging my hurt feelings, my husband reminded me gently, "who did you save those memories for my dear? You or the kids?" I thought about it. I think it was a little of both. I think I wanted a reminder in case I forgot. In case I forgot their sweet words, in case I forgot that twenty plus years goes by so fast. But you don't forget. I still see their Kool-Aid smile faces and their sticky hands when I look at their 30 plus faces. I still hear their sweet little voices inside their 29 year old deep ones. The memories have not been hidden away. I can conjure them up if I try. My husband tells me to let that junk "go". Let it go and live in the now.

How many of you hold on to those kinds of things? How many of you keep junk around as keepsakes? How many of you think I should have scooped up stuff and held onto it awhile longer? Maybe when they are older still they might wish they would have it back?

Scary Places to Visit on a Friday Night

2009-07-11T06:57:00.000-07:00

Did you ever think how normal places you may visit can be considered the scariest depending on your frame of mind?
Take last night. Friday night, ending a miserable work week, the prelude to my week of vacation. A vacation just from work, where people were bugging me. (seriously buggin me)

I had an order for Physical Therapy clutched in my hot little numb hand. Left work and the whiny incompetents behind anticipating relief from the back pain and the start of my vacation.

Let's just say that the demeanor of the tiny little soft spoken physical therapist was a sham. She led me through a chamber of horrors on her narrow little exam table. Pushing soft tissue in an ever so slow pressure that resulted in little spasms that made my shoulder jump every six seconds ALL ON IT'S OWN! Cool, way cool, but then it felt as though she were ripping my spine from inside it's muscular hideaway. Push, twist, prod and release. Until the knots that were once my twisted ligaments and muscle were now fighting back with the twitches and jumps. The numbness went away temporarily. She performed deep heat ultrasound and some more advanced pressure in key locations on my neck, trapezoidal area and lower spine.
Hey! Does this spell R.E.L.I.E.F???
Well, it did. For awhile. Then she taped my spine. Yeah, TAPED it. From my neck to midback, two strips running either side of my spine. This is to remind my posture to stay straight, to remind me to sit up and toss my shoulders back to relieve that pull from the adhesive. Weird feeling. I felt as if I were a young Joan Kusak in 15 Candles (remember her character - the girl at the dance/drinking fountain, the one with the scoliosis brace??? Loved that movie - saw it 400 times in the 80's and 90's)
So, with my nerdy posture, I scheduled 100 or so more appointments (yes, even on my vacation) because my back is truly a knotted mess and has been for a few years. Years I put off dealing with it, because of the more pressing pain the TN gave to me. (Are you getting the fact that I'm wearing a trans dermal pain patch - um, I should be feeling NO pain, and yet that back pain has broke through....must be kinda bad pain, I guess)

I decided after I left to go to the grocery store on my way home. That way I wouldn't have to disturb any pool time or day trip I would make on my vacation with annoying trips to the store.
ha!
I don't know why my car turned into Super Walmart, but it did. Convenience I suppose.
Let me just say that Super Walmart on a Friday night after 6 o'clock is truly a mecca for the unknown.
I saw a young mother with a too tight tank top showing her rubber tire of belly fat over the top of her too tight Daisy Dukes who had blue hair. Well, it was died blue over the already black hair that her gene pool gave to her (I assume). I saw a midget. I saw a Marine. I saw a Hindu Princess, complete with scarves and veils and little dangled coins lining the edges of her floor legnth wrap. I saw a few Farmer In The Dell type men, with their overalls and t-shirts. I spied a few over 55 yrs. old men with gray streaked, long, long pony tails, waiting in line reading US Weekly. While I pondered over the grapes (green or red? you choose..) my cart was pushed aside by a young Asian family who at my count had seven children (Jon & Kate wanna-be's) all of whom wanted to jump into my cart. With my strange posture, I fit right in. Ahhh, Super Walmart, the only store where I can dress like Halloween 24-7 and not feel out of place.
Truly scary.
The rest of my evening I spent fighting the urge to slump. This in going to be really interesting!

Scootch Over You Inconsiderate Boob! I need to rest.

2009-07-09T13:04:00.000-07:00

I hurt my lower back. Probably staining the deck in anticipation for the 4th of July party that we were having.
It rained. We used the garage instead.

Don’t you hate it when you hurt your back (lower back) and EVERYTHING you do hurts?
Hurts to sit, to stand, to lay down and when you reach for something, OH, OUCH!
When I have a hurt, then I get cranky.
I’m moaning today because of inconsiderate people. Mostly work people. My tolerance (related to my achey back) is low for inconsiderate people today.
1. Install a roll of towel paper YOURSELF people! Instead they come to find me, their germy, wet hands dripping on my desk. “Jackee, there is no paper towel in the staff lounge”.

2. Whoever used the last of the copy paper – fill the darn machine will you chumps?
Why fry the coffee pot when there is a minuscule amount of old coffee in it? Either turn off the pot or make a new pot!

3. Where are all the forks? We are fortunate enough to have a well stocked kitchen for our staff lounge. I used petty cash to buy a place setting for 8 and some odd extra stainless steel forks for the kitchen. THEY ARE ALL GONE! Not in the dishwasher, not in the cabinet drawer. Just gone. Please don’t eat the forks folks.

4. Last summer I loaned a co-worker (one that is now my boss) a few odd books in the Janet Evanovich series of books about Stephanie Plumb…I loaned her # 6 and #7 out of FIFTEEN. She told me today that she threw them away. Is there a lesson here or what?

I could go on being cranky and listing all the other things (injustices really!) that have been on my last nerve today, but I’ll reserve my thoughts for better, more positive ones.
Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve blogged. I miss you guys and hope you’ve missed me! I’d lie and say that I’m really too busy anymore to blog, but that’s not the case, I’m just lazy these days of summer. Seriously, if I do sit down, I conk out! Wake me from the dead type conked out. I hope your 4th was eventful and safe. I hope that everyone is watching their diets (I’m down 8.4 lbs. !!!! Watch out Valerie Bertonelli!!)
Hope you all aren’t near as cranky as I am today.

Finger Lickin Fun

2009-06-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Sarah and I recently experienced our first book signing at Border's on Michigan Avenue in the heart of Chicago. We raced through gnarled rush hour traffice to purchase the new book (fifteen in the series) written by Janet Evanovich. We raced...only to reach a line that, about 500 fans deep, wrapped around several floors of Borders. (Borders is my "happy place"..all the books, packaged so brightly, the titles jumping out at me - all the trinkets, the displays the signs marked 30% off!!!, I love it!)

We waited in that line, some 3 and 1/2 hours.
Where We saw some interesting sites...

We made lots of new friends...all of us bonding with our first book signing experience

"Hi, guys!!! Rememer to write us an email or check out our URL's!" {we exchanged urls} They were lots of laughs.

This lady kept herself busy. She balanced the book on her head. Perhaps she's one of those paranormal types, able to absorb the text through the bookbinding and her cranium straight into her memory banks. Nah, she was just bored.

This is Sarah, happily waiting in line. Doesn't she look happy? This is a good thing. Sarah's been going through some tough times. I was glad to partipate in some fun with Sarah that kept her occupied.
Love you baby!

Sarah and the prized book.

Finally I spied a clue.

Janet's can of Diet Coke.....we must be getting near!!!!

TA! DA!!

Waiting in line didn't compare obviously to the fatigue that Ms. Evanovich felt after signing 600+ books. The gracious lady had a new foot fracture, from a signing the night before and was obviously tired beyond words by the time it became our turn for the shot. She turned and smiled for the camera, and we were thrilled.

Thanks Sarah, for including me on your adventure!

Temperature is Toasty

2009-06-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

This is not my swimming pool.

It's not even close.

{my pool is somewhat cleaner - even after being tucked away all winter}

But soon my pool water will be bubbly warm with our new pool heater! Thanks to my wonderful husband and handyman who installed our new gas heater under the deck to keep us toasty on those warm days with a mild breeze. The ones that have a small bead of sweat gathering on our faces and lull us all into thinking a dip in the pool would be refreshing, but alas, even though the temperature outside SAYS 80 degrees, the pool water is a leg numbing, ball shriveling 53 degrees. Lips turn blue, fingertips gnarl in the cold and all bones become achy.

The pool heater was a good choice considering it's Northwest Indiana and we could still be in for snow.

Yeah, I know it's June, but we still say "It could snow", just so that we don't "spit into the wind" and nah, nah, nah, some god of snowfall to ascend upon us with swirls of the white glorious frozen flakes that are better reserved for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Back to the pool. Aren't you jealous? I KNOW!

It makes all the work worthwhile to have some pool time. Fun in the sun, swimming, sunbathing and cooking out with the family!

Good times.

Dr. Grampa

2009-06-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

We are down a provider at our practice which means that we contact a service and Rent a Doc. This traveling physician’s are usually doctors looking for permanent placement, or are retired or they are in-between fellowships looking to score a little cash between gigs. We’ve had a few while we are interviewing most of the Midwest for available primary care Family Practice provider.
They’ve all been “fun”.
Some have been very short, cranky men, with bad personalities, and bad hair styles and really bad bed side manner.
Some come straight from the prison health care system, that guy was a real joy! Called all our patient’s “drug seekers”, was rude to parents and told stories instead of reviewing patient’s symptoms. He lasted about three weeks.
The new one the agency sent to us is a seasoned practitioner (he is older than your Grandpa!) he has a nice bedside manner, is a great diagnostician and is pleasant. His handwriting is legible and he’s got experience in geriatrics, pediatrics and surgery.
The downside? He’s got old people’s disease. He loves to hear himself talk.

He takes forever to complete an appointment, mostly because he’s telling a story – and not one from this century. Propped up on the edge of the exam table, he’s trying to engage an 18 year old into talking about high school, when the poor kid has been in the exam room about 45 minutes for his refill of allergy medicine and is planning his bolt out of the door.

I usually eat lunch around 1:00, slightly after most of the staff has already finished with their lunch. I take my lunch, peppered with a variety of Weight Watcher approved items, and the newspaper and relax over the next 30 to 40 minutes secluded in the confines of the break room.
Not today my friend! Cornered by our resident Grandpa Doctor, I spent the entire lunch period looking engrossed in whatever the hell he was talking about. Most of it didn’t really make sense to me. He slipped subconsciously from one subject to the next without taking a pause, without wrapping up one thought or the next opinion. He spoke of his wife in the first person, lovingly as if I knew her well; as if she and I were old friends, just having had lunch together yesterday. I’m not sure where his wife is, I’m not even sure that she is still alive.
I didn’t ask.

What causes me to post about this topic? It's that I see myself getting there. I see my mom as already a resident at the Chatter On about Nothing at All clubhouse. Talking to this older gentleman is much like following a conversation with my mother. You just nod and smile, pause and look interested. This too will be me someday. Heck, I’m doing it now with my blog!

(When you wake up, click on that X in the right hand corner, shut the lights off and go to bed)

I’ll try to post something slightly more interesting tomorrow, until then I apologize for droning on.

"If I only had no pain" Sung to the tune of "If I only had a brain" from the Wizard of Oz.

2009-06-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

It began in 2005 with what I thought was a severe sinus infection.
I had a semi stuffy nose, intense pain in my sinus cavities (all of them!) and my teeth and the roof of my mouth were very painful and my EAR, oh, god, my inner ear was throbbing and on fire with pain, keeping me awake at night.

Working at a clinic has it's perks. One of them is "hallway medicine". It begins with "hey doc, I have a sore throat, (ear ache, head ache, sinus infection...you fill in the affliction) and ends with the doctors humbled opinion and a prescription. For free. As an administrator, I would have to discourage that practice, because you really do not receive the best health care advice, or a complete examination or the undivided attention of the doctor...but it happens all day long and everyone is guilty of it. So, in 2005 with all my symptoms and all my pain, I could barely lift my head, my eyes were starting to puff up, and before I took off 1/2 day, I thought I'd better get an antibiotic for the "sinus infection " gone awry. The doctor looked at my chart, and then up at me, "I'm not convinced that this is a sinus infection. You have come to me once a month for the past 6 or 7 months, I think it's time you go see an ENT" The appointment was a week away. The ENT took one look at my, grossly exaggerated features swollen and gray with pain and claimed that I did not have a sinus infection, he suspected something much more sinister. He suspected Trigeminal Neuralgia, something I had not heard of. EVER. He said the absence of certain diagnostic positive exams were the key to diagnosing this syndrome. (For example: I had no fluid in the ears or in the nasal cavity. No fever. No drainage down my throat, no cough, no sign of bacterial or viral infection) A CT of the brain confirmed it. Yeah, there was nothing in there - go ahead, I'll pause for the jokes.

There were a series of appointments with my neurologists and family doctors, who tried a variety of mind numbing painkillers and seizure medications (that's how they control the inflammation of the nerve ending - with seizure medications) and appointments with fancy doctors at University of Chicago. (unimpressive and expensive) I had serious complications from a mixture of drugs that actually paralyzed my right side one afternoon, and I've had drug failures. I've tried homeopathic massage, I've tried diet restrictions. I'd try voodoo and black magic if I thought I could trust the caregiver! Mostly I sat in a recliner with a bag of frozen corn on my neck and head waiting for the pain to subside or the Darvocet to kick in. Oh, I could take stronger meds, like Dilaudid, which I did for awhile, but then I'm all groggy and dopey. I can't really function like that, go to work, carry on a conversation, blog...
The residual "gift" that TN has left me is mind blowing migraines. Cluster headaches that last for weeks or months. Every day I open my eyes to head aches that get worse as the day grows long.

This past Friday, I'd been suffering with a migraine for 4 weeks, and the doctor I work with who manages my pain, convinced me to give the pain patch another try. I had a rather unsuccessful turn of events (called near overdose) during the first year I had this syndrome and I never wanted to visit that again. But she ordered a lower dosage and thought I'd have better pain control 24-7, with it.
Let me tell you!!!! After two days on it, I am a new person! I feel well again! I'm a little wobbly and wiggy at times (usually before I eat - seems that it metabolizes better with food in your belly than without) but other than that I'm pain free! Side affects are: snoring and talking in my sleep - I'm sleeping like I'm dead to the world!
I love you tiny little patch. This here's an ode to the patch! Here's to a weekend painfree! I'm actually able to do things instead of lay in that chair!

More on the affects of chronic pain on you and those around you at another time, another blog post...

Crap, crap and then some more crap

2009-06-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes did you ever notice how much effort you spend on this internet and do nothing?
I know you do!

I keep thinking it's Thursday today, getting all excited thinking tomorrow is Friday, why, I slap my little palms together getting all warm and fuzzy another week under my belt, the weekend upon me and
SPLAT!
It's Wednesday.
Boring old Wednesday.

On another note:
I've got no real good reason not to exercise now. All the T.V. shows are in re-runs, I've got some real sexy (well, they are sexy on someone, possibly) black yoga pants and new running shoes, and about an hour to kill each night before the Man returns back to this castle. But do I? Well, that'd be a no. Or a sometimes.
I lack encouragement, when encouragement equals a shirtless, Hugh Jackman-type personal trainer.

And then on yet another note: Take a look over there at the right hand margin. See that Twitter deal? Does it make me look younger? Does it make my butt look bigger? Do you think I'll be able to keep up with it when I can't even keep up with my blog? Do you want to pay me to do so? I think not Jose!!!! hee hee. Yet another time sucker to keep me from exercising.
Carpal Tunnel here I come!

To those of you who dare to care about my WW success story as told on E! entertainment....I've lost and kept off 5 lbs.
and I leer at food like the vamps from Twilight. My eyes glow and all, seriously.

Awesome award, thank you very much

2009-06-01T17:34:00.001-07:00

My daughter apparently thinks I’m awesome! Good, that’s what moms live for.
(or at least I do) So here's one award for me...and one for YOU!
So she challenged me to this meme, and although it appears to be easy, it was hard to do! Name seven things that are awesome about you.
Apparently I’m awesome at some things, but blogging isn’t one of them, as I have hard a hard time keeping up with my blog lately. (mostly due to personal things going on)

It’s hard to think of yourself as awesome.
Here are some things that are awesome aspects of me.

I make awesome soup and noodles.
I am an AWESOME bargain shopper. (love it, truly do)
I am awesome at arts and crafts.
I am awesome at sewing.
I am awesome at Canasta! There, that’s different!
I am an awesome Grandma!
I am an awesome letter writer. (correspondence is important)

Now, I'm nominating YOU....

and a few others, hope you all can participate!

Secret Agent Josephine

"Special Persons" Day at School - Invitation Only

2009-05-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

So, we were invited by our 6 year old Granddaughter -the Little Miss- to attend "Special Persons" day at her grade school. I believe this is the day formerly known as Grandparents Day. Apparently, there are some who do not have grandparents who can attend, thus the day was renamed, Special Person day, you invite a special person in your life. Lots of gray hair attended, apparently all very special people.

She showed us all her papers hanging up on the walls of her classroom, we ate Dunkin Donut holes and Hawaiian Punch with the other attendees in the school gym. We got to see (pictured here) her sunflower seeds growing on the windowsill. Very special.

Here she is hugging her Papa, who was very happy to have been invited.

Then we were allowed to take her home with us. I had planned a wonderful afternoon, and typically as it does when I take a day off of work, it was pouring rain. Noah, smiling smugly from the Ark, was very happy. It poured through lunch, poured through our visit to two (count em 2)pet stores where we visited with all the puppies, guppies and spiders. It soaked our pant legs as we puddle hopped between parked cars, weaving our way to Barnes & Noble, where we spent a good hour or so reading (she's READING-in kindergarten, I can't believe how fast they grow up!!) books like Amelia Bedilia and The Hungry Caterpillar, along with the Berenstain Bears have a sleep over. Getting tired yet little one? Grandma was exhausted!
We went home, baked a cake and prepared dinner for Papa, which was spaghetti and corn on the cob. (?) She picked it out.
Long day. But the next day, I had also planned an outing to the local grade school that was having a Fun Fair. It's theme was outer space. They had the school decorated in alien stuff - whatever their interpretation of alien stuff was. Cute. She started out by getting her hair doused with glitter and pipe cleaners in a new "do" that was out of this world. We played bingo in the library, where winning meant you get to pick out all kinds of trinkets and candy. We proceeded to the gymnasium where there were carnival type games set up. Everyone was a winner, getting to choose a piece of candy just for playing, along with a poker chip with a 1, 2, or 5, or 10 on it, depending on how well you did on the game itself. Those poker chips were then redeemed in a classroom full of wonderful prizes. (Where wonderful equals dollar store stuff)
She was having a great time, winning prizes, trying her hardest, and then selecting suckers, because that is her favorite. They had a few blow up jumping things too, and as we stood in line to do an obstacle course in a inflatable jumpee, she spotted a costumed parent in a large bulldog outfit. (Bulldogs are the schools mascot) She totally freaked out, crying and sobbing, "I want to leave now Grandma".
I forgot how scared she was at Chuckie Cheese. I forgot she cried her way through Disney World.
Game over.
That's OK, we had fun anyway.

Later as we were making our way through the parking lot behind the school, we saw the "bulldog", head laying on the ground beside her, catching a smoke break out by the dumpster with her bulldog assistants. She waved sheepishly.

Car Kharma

2009-05-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

I have always had a love/hate relationship with my car.

Today I hate it. (but shhhhhh, don't tell anyone, it hears you and reacts, I swear!)

Last week when the hubs was out fishing on a lake somewhere, bonding with other fish and fishermen, one of my turn signal lights went out. No prob.

Now I'm a resourceful woman. I can change a lightbulb, even a car lightbulb. I went to the auto parts store near work, gave the older cranky guy my make & model and he sold me two yellow bulbs. When I got home I popped the hood, right away pressing both of the palms of my hands to the sides of my cheeks, my mouth forming a large "O". Where the heck is the socket? I pleaded with my neighbor (who is known to be "car handy") to assist me in this tiny bulb change. He and I poked around under the hood, and were successful in changing the yellow bulb. But alas, I guess as far as the changing of the yellow bulb goes, one must also purchase and change the white ones too. Now, neither bulb worked. I had both my back turn signals, but neither of my front ones.

Safety was on my mind, but not in my car.

Immediately I cursed all the times when I had thought about buying a new car. Nothing major is wrong with my car, but it is paid for...and eleven years old...starting to loose it's sassiness...hey, it never had sassiness, that was just me, but the car had already had it's feelings hurt. It was striking out, baaaad car kharma. No matter how much I whisper "I'm sorry", the car refuses to give, even just a little. At eleven, the car is still emotionally immature and unforgiving.

So, yesterday, Mother's Day, my husband buys more bulbs and a flasher gizmo, assuredly to remedy the situation. He tinkered (he's really good at tinkering) and he pulled all kinds of stuff out and put the stuff back, and lo and behold. No turn signals. Neither front nor back, and although I have break lights, I regretfully inform you, I've been driving around today using the much revered Hand Signals.

My arm hurts.

I turned alot.

Each time I turned, I held my breath, risking the chance that the 17 year old new driver in the hot rod in front of me had glanced at the pages in the driver's manual that showed the hand turn signals. Please be a cautious reader.

In spite of my glamorous arm moves, I made it home with my dignity intact. Silently I mutter..."hurry home baby, and stop at Auto Zone first." I'm so glad my hubs is back. His handy self and his 15 bags of frozen fish come in handy around here.

Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself

2009-05-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

I didn’t buy my dog for protection, though he looks fierce and barks a large scary bark. I adopted my dog because he was a stray and needed a good home; he listened right away to my commands, didn’t pee on the furniture and didn’t eat the carpet. He loved me, my husband and my granddaughter from the minute I let him stay inside the house. You all agree that we tend to love things that love us – unconditionally – back. We admire their taste.

Casper as you can see from post below and from archived posts is totally black, a Chow/Shepard mix. He weighs in at about 70 lbs. and his bark is definitely worse than his bite. He is LOUD and very territorial. When dogs cross in front of our walk, he barks so loudly at them and very aggressively at them instilling fear in all of our neighbors and their children. I do not let him bark in the house otherwise he’d bark out the open windows and scare the crap out of everyone.
So, last evening, Casper and I were lounging sprawled all over the living room, me in my recliner, Casper at my slipper clad feet, when out of the darkness that is also known as the kitchen-without-the-lights-turned-on, a loud clatter and BANG! (even my adrenaline shot up a little) when Casper’s 70 lb. self jumped onto my lap for comfort.
Yes. 70. lbs.
Lap.
You heard right.
Now, you know my husband has “gone fishing”, and this manor is being headed by the queen of the household while he’s gone, but that was just a little silly. I guess we kept Casper for his ability to make fertilizer in the backyard, or for being good at party tricks like Sit, Shake and Dance, but not for his ability to protect a fearful mistress. It was just the wooden door jam in the slider door falling.

Lucky for him I’m not so fearful. I’m enjoying my husband’s-away-the-wife-will-play time, by watching t.v., taking the dog for a walk, and although sticking to my points, (down 5 lbs. now) I’m kinda eating junk instead of dinner. I’ve not done all the things that I put on my list, like clean out drawers and closets, scrapbook, exercise and read a few books. Um no.
Tonight is Grey’s Anatomy.
Nuff said.

Wo-man's Best Friend

2009-05-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

What might be considered woman's best friend? In the dreamy romantic period of my life, I might have pointed to said husband and claimed him my best friend. Newly wed, caught up in doing just about everything together...ew, rose your glucose level just a tad bit now didn't I?
"I didn't mean it honey....you ARE my best friend". Crap, I've gotten myself into a pickle now - I'll have to work harder at being a good wife to make amends. To keep the hubby happy.

NO WAIT.
This week, I don't have to work at all . This week, I don't have to cook, to clean,to share the remote, share the bed even! I can fold the covers back like a little envelope and slide myself in at night, all tucked and neat. Not to be disturbed by the Tug-O-Blanket war that ensues each night (not caused by me at all, despite what HE says).
WHY is that you might ask? Did said husband finally catch on to the ruse that is Jackee, discovering her blunders unamusing and he did flee to parts unknown? Well, sorta.

t's his annual fishing trip, one shared with twelve other fishermen of the He-man Women hater's club that is also known as his Church Guys That Fish. I am left to my own devices.
{Pause for reaction}
HOOORRRRAAHHHH! I've spent the hours so far, blogging, eating weight watcher's bagels and started reading a new book. I've pet the dog, drank a pot of coffee and so far, so far, have not even got out of my nightgown. I promised Casper, the wonder dog, a jog down the street, after I get dressed of course. This will be all my time. To do what I WANT WITH NO INTERRUPTIONS!

So, to some, Wo-man's best friend, might be a topic chosen for entirely different albeit understandable reasons (like a charge card to enable shopping sprees, a new kitchen gadget, new "gadget", Ipod, or favorite purse even) mine is featured here.

The soulful eyes of man's best friend. In man's absence, becomes wo-man's best friend. I feel safe and protected, comforted and less lonely. He's a great listener and I trust his fashion judgement. He loves to exercise with me, to nap with me, and even sits aside my chair as I scrapbook. I think he'd like to give it a try, but without thumbs, he has a hard time with fine, detailed work.

We are off to start our week, An adventure without fish guts!

You Capture {JOY}

2009-04-30T15:30:00.001-07:00

Well, here it is - joy.

A part of the fun and "joyful" You Capture Challenge, JOY

http://

One that I enjoyed doing, so ingrained into me that joy, with all it's complexity, means something different to every single one of us. Click on the link above to go to the site that originated this challenge and see the other photographers and their intrepretations of the theme JOY.

This is Savannah Rayne and her grandma - me (isn't that darling, that teeny tiny newborn baby smile? Could be gas, could be just an expression or movement, I prefer it to be a true grin, saved for her grandma)

Grandma was full of joy too...

JUST LOOK AT THESE SWEET FEETIES!!! Yep, kissing and smooching allowed.

{sigh}

I'm feeling the joy.

Now, go on over and give the other photogs a gander, go on you know you want to.

If you can tear yourself away from this darling pink bundle.

BAAAAD Blogger - Yes, that's me

2009-04-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

I've been a baaaaad blogger.
I've not blogged so much in the past few weeks, like so many others I've been looking for inspirations, for unusual things to blog about, ANYTHING but blogging about the real me.

I've lost 2 lbs.
My husband is going away for the week on a annual men only, OHYES,IGET TOSLEEPDIAGONNALLYONTHEBEDANDEATPOPCORNANDGOODNPLENTYFORDINNER fishing trip!
I'll be lonely.
{snicker}
Perhaps I'll blog more.
{snicker}
I'll probably exercise more too!
{guffaw}
I won a cool book from the link below.
LOVEHER!
I've been reading blogs, just not writing my own.
See, I've got nothing really interesting to say.
My daughter is walking in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Won't you please leave her a donation? She walks for my dear friend Rochelle, who lost a long struggle with breast Cancer at a very young age. I should walk on her team too, and would, but who can raise the outrageous amount of donations JUST TO WALK! I beg of you, support this cause.
I'm making a delicious spaghetti sauce tonight for dinner, along with whole wheat angel hair pasta, I'm getting so healthy I could just puke. But this dieting-eating-healthy deal, needs balance, like, that's why they call it a balanced diet...so I'm eating some Good-n-Plenty right now.
My sauce has fake meat in it. Who knew that fake meat could be so tasty! It's Morningstar breakfast crumbles. Seasoned like breakfast sausage, it really is tofu tidbits that can be mixed with ground turkey or ground beef or added alone to spaghetti sauce to make a nutritious and yummy sauce. Not bad, not very fattening either. Filling too.
Farmers everywhere should love me, I've been hawking the glory of this fake meat for a few months now. I predict the soy market will go off the charts this growing season, so much chatter I've generated regarding this meat substitute. Go right now and try some. Sprinkle it on top of a pizza as "sausage", it's super that way.
Well, it's ready, and I'm ready to set the table, so keep reading folks. I promise to come up with crafty posts soon.

Virgin Winner

2009-04-25T06:39:00.000-07:00

I am a virgin winner. I enter every "win this" give-away on countless blogs that I follow, that I stumble upon, that I just lurk on and have yet to win anything.

The glorious give-away free reads blog http://www.chicbookreviews.blogspot.com/ has free give-aways and I have won a cool book. Can't wait. Will read it first thing it arrives. SWEAR!

Then I'll pass it on to my daughter, who'll read it on the car-ride home (she's like a speed reader, very very focused that one) and then she'll pass it on.

and so on,

Happy Saturday everyone! Hope you get a chance to read and to enjoy the nice weather (if you have it in your parts!)

You Capture-Letters

2009-04-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

This week's You Capture Challenge was "Letters".

I said "hmmmm". And then armed with my fav camera, I set out to capture this task.

I did think (to myself, and not very loudly) WHY? Why letters Beth? But then, it's her challenge, and who am I to question this assignment. So, I did this. In honor of Earth Day, yesterday, and for my own need to re-cycle, re-use, and re-invent.
then this

T, is for Turtles. Everyone loves turtles. Even when they are just yard art.

Then, without purpose, I thought of "lmnop", you know, from the famous ABC's song....(often mispronounced by the under three set-merged into one "ellimentopee)

This sign, which I've had forever...has been hung in my home, kitchen and yes, bathroom for years. I love it. Seems I can't often escape the Lard that is there. Nuff said.

And, a shout out to the creator of You Capture herself, let's give a round of applause to Beth at I should be Folding Laundry....(the crowd roars!)
AGAIN, I say

next week, the topic is "Joy". Could be that I take photo's of my new granddaughter, born this day, April 23, 2009 - Savannah Rayne! Happy Birthday!

My family means everything to me.

Friday Fun

2009-04-17T08:29:00.001-07:00

Hey all you book lovers, I found a book review sight, one that has a give away book too!

http://www.chicbookreviews.blogspot.com/
For all of us chick readers, she has some really good book reviews.

This will conclude the fun on my Fun Friday post.

P.S. I am wearing a pair of pants that are a size down from what I wore last week. Hurrah for those stupid WW points! It's not melting off, but it's coming off slowly. EVERYbody stand! Let's start a WAVE...

Crossed Over

2009-04-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

I've crossed over.

No gasping please, I'm not typing to you from the Great Beyond- ghost blogging, now what a concept, it's just that I realize that I've crossed over from one stage of life to another. Just another rift in the generational divide, and yep, I'm there.

Evidence: While shopping at Target, I approached a 20-something guy while looking through the rack of cd's. He has huge plugs of plastic in his ear lobes, not like earrings, just like plugs. I think: "hey bud, what did you want to go and do that for?", but I say nothing, mesmerized by his giant earlobes. Someday he can use it for an ear of corn holder.

Evidence: Easter Sunday Mass. My church is homey and informal. It's pretty liberal and progressive as far as Catholic churches go. I mean we clap during the Alleluia for crying out loud! My revelation? I wasn't dressed in poofy skirt and Easter bonnet by no means, but I wasn't wearing jeans and a hoodie! The family (mom, dad, three school aged children) in front of me had on hoodies and jeans. Jeans! There was a few baptisms. One a young mother, in a white blouse and JEANS on EASTER SUNDAY. I'm so like the church lady - passing judgement on thier clothing. Shame on me. I've crossed over.
I'm a stodgy middle aged mom/grandma with my own set-in-her-ways-not-shoving-them-down-your-throat-but-expressing-"concern" type way. OMG!

Evidence: I use finger quotes alot.

Evidence: I actually like green beans now.

WHAT happened to me?
Some stuff doesn't matter to me at all anymore. I hardly ever get my nose out of joint when I see dust on my t.v., forget and don't care to water my plants, watch all my t.v. shows including the 10 o'clock pm. news on channel 2, and I put on a sweater when I get chilled instead of a hoodie.
(the hood bothers the back of my hair)

I've crossed over. That's whats happened. (hey, remember Crossing Over, the television show starring John Edward, who was a tv psychic type guy who talked to the audience's dead relatives? Whatever happened to that bloke? I'm not English, am I allowed to use the word bloke?)
Anyways, I'm rambling on. This is a rambling post to say, I got nothing, mostly boring junk, but I didn't want you all to miss me so I hurried up an typed a post.

You Capture Challenge-SPRING

2009-04-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

This weeks photo challenge was titled Spring which would have been an easy subject had the weather cooperated with my need to capture the hope, the promise and essence of what spring represents to me. The spring depicted and that I have lusted after in Northwest Indiana since the last heavy snowfall and the last school closing, you too may know THAT SPRING. The one held out at an arm's length. I dub thee, NotSpringYet.

The day I brought home the bare stems of the daffodils that were sold through work to benefit the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days spring sale, I stuck the bunches in my purse dodging a rainstorm. The next morning after I had plopped them into a vase immersed in cool water, they all burst open, surprising me in the morning with their sunny bonneted faces. I had bought my mother a bunch too, and called her to see if she was met with the same sunny disposition with her bouquet. She was.

But the weather, OH the weather! While my happy little bunch basked in the early afternoon sun, yesterday’s rainstorm turned to plump and heavy snowflakes. I didn’t dare look outside. I avoided it. So instead of heading out to capture some outdoor springtime in my lens, I snapped the bouquet of promise in my living room as the afternoon sun peeked through those snowflakes and the slats of my wooden blinds.
I can't decide which one I liked the best. Which is your favorite?

Wishful Irish Dancer

2009-03-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

Every since I saw the stage show Riverdance a few weeks ago, I’ve been playing the CD we bought at the show. The music is lifting, gets my energy moving and my feet want to dance.
I can’t dance.
I don’t know how to tap, but I took years of ballet as a youth.
Wish as I might, my legs don’t want to flail around like those Irish dancers.
I’m not Irish.
I detest corned beef and cabbage.
But I kind of like sauerkraut, which is sour cabbage.
Potatoes? Take em or leave em.
Except chips. And dip.
My favorite color is green though.
But that doesn’t help with the dancing thing.
I don’t believe in leprechauns.
Have you seen one?
The dude on the box of Lucky Charms doesn’t count.
I do like Lucky Charms, especially the little marshmallows.
I bet they don’t eat LC in a real Irish Pub.
I’ve never been to a pub. That I know of.
I’ve been to bars that try to act like a pub.
Without the Irish music and the fish-n-chips.
St. Patrick was Irish.
He drove the snakes out of Ireland.
I’m not that afraid of snakes.
I say that now, because I’m not face to face with one.
If I were, I’d probably drive them out of my way.
That doesn’t make me a saint.
Pretty far from sainthood I am.
I wonder if Pat danced all straight and tall, stomping.
Stomping on the snakes.
This is a strange post. Not that my readers will be driven away.
Like the snakes.
My readers are just a few, no matter what I write or don’t write.
I’m back to dancing again.
I bet that would be good exercise. If I could find an over 50 Non Irish dancing class to join.
I promise if you stick around, I won’t ramble like this.
Maybe.

Right to Bare Arms

2009-03-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Just what the hell is happening in the press lately regarding Michelle Obama’s choice of dress? Seems that there are some who find it necessary to consider her figure flattering style of sleeveless sheath that seems to be her favorite garment, weird garb for the winter season. Just WHAT is the big deal? Her arms are toned, she does not have wing like flaps of flab assaulting the Canadian Prime Minister when she waves an arm in the general direction of the oval office. She’s tasteful and fashionable. So just what is it that is so offensive?

We are. We like to elect officials and icons that we would fight for during the campaign, then when they are fully hoisted up for all to examine, we pick ‘em apart in the press in lieu of a slow news day or better yet, in lieu of more coverage of natural disasters and world hunger. It’s true! The old wives comment that states, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, why, sit over here by me dear.” (insert southern drawl, a la Steel Magnolia’s)

We (collectively speaking, I’m not saying that I personally do this-oh, all right, I’m just as guilty as all of you! Point, point, point.) do this same thing with our movie stars. Seems we make them popular, watch their shows/movies, buy the magazines, and then proceed to cut them apart to make our insecurities seem smaller I guess.

I blame the press. I think we need to read blogs more – because we all KNOW that blogs are more or less supportive and forgiving. BAH! That’s surely not IT!

Michelle, if you’re listening, I think your dresses are awesome, but I’ll have to wear a sweater. My arms have yet to see 20 reps of upper arm strength training and frankly, I get a little chilly

Pesky Perky People

2009-03-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

Thank God it’s Friday! Tadatadeetadadeedum. I’m giddy and delirious with joy.
Nah, not really, but I am unusually perky lately. Despite things like WORLD HUNGER, NATION WIDE RECESSION, the last episode of ER. So sad.
I am still somewhat perky. Don’t you hate it?

So, are all you non cult members curious to see what all the math and meal planning got me after my first week of Weight Watchers? I lost 1.2 lbs.
When I scowled and crinkled up my face, I was reminded not to be dissapointed with that loss and that 1.2 lobs could be compared to 4 sticks of butter! (BUTTER? WHERE? I shouted, and was quickly shushed.)

I’ll pretend the four sticks of butter are missing from my ass and abdominal area, but seriously, it’s from my boobs NATCH.

So, two days into week two and I’m a little over fed I must say. I’m eating more breakfast and lunch food, with a balanced dinner and evening snack and sometimes I have to cruise the kitchen to find a few extra points to make my total for the day. I’m NOT EVEN EATING THE POINTS THAT THEY SET UP FOR ME!

Seriously, I think I can do this. Course, I’m staying away from alcohol and candy. My two vices. The best perk to eating a good breakfast and lunch? Clearly, I’m not sleeping in my recliner after dinner! I actually got through the 10:00 newscast, Letterman and then caught Craig. I’m not very tired. So, this will make it easier to get a move on and exercise. Promise. Maybe next week.

I’m NOT your mother, OR am I?

2009-03-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

What are the chances that it was YOU who left a used toner drum unit near the community printer, shoved in the original box complete with recyclable sticker loafing around the inside for several months now? Huh? Fess up you slackers! All of you.

Do you wonder who’s going to post that damn package? Does someone clean up after you NON professionals at home, cause I know it’s not me!

Or is it?

I swear, if I were walking through the waiting room and found a pair of socks, I’d be sure to pick them up. I’m always making coffee after the jerk before of me left the coffee pot on, but no coffee inside. I’m always finishing up where most of you have left OFF!
YOU – WHO are you damn it! Tell me.

Do you see sucker written on my forehead. (most assuredly they do)
In fact, I think it is a lemon sucker to boot.
Happy Hump Day, two more days until the weekend you lazy asses, but I'm sure you know that. And there's much rejoicing.

Auto Epitaph- You Ought Not To

2009-03-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

So, you know that we humans are fascinating and strange creatures right? BAH! Of course you do, look at you, sitting there reading about strange creatures just as I. {insert strange creature type here} sit typing. It’s a circle of strange, maybe not so fascinating.
A little bit fascinating though and I continue, of course, but anyways, as I am an observer of all that is odd, an observer that aspires to higher heights than any normal “people watcher” classification, I came across an interesting slice of strange the other day whilst driving said ’98 Oldsmobile home from the office. (I say said, because I have considered it before en post, *Yawn* that I should soon shop for a newer vehicle, but am too cheap or frugal to do so; oh - not to mention lazy, did I elude to lazy? Yeah, that would be me)

I came off the exit ramp of my local interstate exit to merge onto a three lane highway, all lanes are pretty crowded, but no fears, merging is my strong suit, only to come to a dead stop behind a line of traffic. Nothing is more patient than a line of traffic at, oh say, five p.m. on any given work day, but whatev.
I’m wedged in between cars to the left and right of me and both in front and back of me. Now would not be a good time to pick my nose OR tweeze my chin hairs. So, I sit self -consciously glancing around. The car in front of me had the shiny back end of an old fashioned-made-new hearse. It was a type of SUV but low to the ground, beats me the make or manufacturer. But what was stenciled on the back window? A large Superman “S” in the symbol. I had to nudge closer to the bumper to read the writing. It read, Johnny Smith, Slipped into this world: 3/11/78 and Sleeps Peacefully 12/28/01. It was an auto-epitaph! I’ve seen it all! Try and trade that in. It’s not that I’m a hater of 21st century funeral practices and other such things, but wouldn’t our horse and buggy ancestors be shaking their shoulders and calling us strange?
Just sayin.

Flailing Limbs? Seems I'm "IN"!

2009-03-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend! I saved up all my points for pizza this weekend, let me just say- it was worth it.

The husband heard that this was the last showing of Riverdance in Chicago this weekend and surprised me with tickets. (he's good that way, all full of ticket-tron-trinkets to lure me to "date him"...honey I love ya!) It was Riverdance without the Lord of the Dance Michael Flatley – but I thought he had tiny little spinning feet and you all know what they say about men with tiny little feet. What Ev.

The show was totally entertaining, and now I am consumed with dancing a good leaping jig! (in mind only, because my tapping toes did not cooperate t'all) It looked as though the dancers were flying around the stage, legs darting at odd angles with those cool ½ tap and ½ pointe shoes…it was cool. If you ever have a chance to see it – Go, do so.

Click clack, clickety click click. Tap, tap, tappidytappidytappidytapiddy tap tap. It was more rhythmic than I can type on a Monday morning. I wonder how many calories those dancers burn. Quite a-lot I imagine from their skinny little limbs a-flailing. Great end to the weekend, that dancing and the pizza. Seriously doubting loosing weight on this diet, I'm eating more than I have ever before, AND I got to have pizza points. We'll see, maybe I'm doing something wrong.

Spring - Sours as the Day Grew Long

2009-03-21T06:02:00.000-07:00

Wasn't it Garth Brooks that sang "Our lives are better left to chance", in the song The Dance? I thought so. He's right you know, not as if we have any say so in the matter for the most part. We can do all that we are supposed to do and MORE and some things don't turn out the way that we hope.

Yesterday, the first day of Spring started out hopeful, full of sunshine, birds singing, oh jeeze I had the day off work for goodness sakes, the day was already starting out great!

I've been counting my crazy points (for my new club, WW-Anon) and I'm coming in under the mark, able to eat a ton of food. I experimented with some filling breakfast ideas - seems that egg beaters a-la Aldi brand, are rather delicious with a sprinkle of cheese and a slice of tomato and mushroom. (not plural, just one, I rather hate those moldy dirty things) Very filling.
Happy and full, I took my shower and began scrubbing my bathroom, bedroom, doing laundry-you know normal Maid-in-Indiana duties. My mother, who is 79 years old, and practically homebound, called and asked that I come over. By the time I arrived, even though it was after noon, she had a small list of To-Do's for me. Washing her bedroom curtains, windows and her bathroom curtains and shower curtains, took me a few hours. Trying to scrub the Old Lady smell out of the dewy bathroom tile and tub (come on, you know the smell, I can't explain it for you) Took some elbow grease but I figured it was good for some activity points so I scrubbed harder.
What you might say does all that detailed work have anything to do with the happy arrival of spring? Nothing, it really doesn't, but yesterday my eldest Daughter was supposed to receive the results of a pregnancy test that would confirm or deny the answer to the burning question, Did the artificial insemination she had undergone the few weeks before work? My daughter and her husband have been trying unsuccessfully for a few years to conceive a child. This year she decided to go to a fertility specialist, and after a battery of exspensive testing for her and her husband, it was decided that nothing is wrong with them, they should try IUAI. Much like a chemistry experiment, plotting your cycle, watching your egg grow via ultrasound, taking hormones that wreck havoc with your moods and then injecting a serum that allows you to drop your eggs at what they think is a precise moment. The insertion of the hubby's sperm through the cervical opening (that really isn't "open" and hurts like hell) all that , and then do the same thing over the next day....then wait.
So,on this first day of Spring, my Daughter was to receive her results. I have to say she was prepared for the worst, she had a good spirit, was told that it may take several tries...all that.
She received news at work that morning that her new position as educator for respiratory therapists in clinical instruction was eliminated and she must return to a staff position. To her, that means the stress of working 10-2 hour shifts and midnights, afternoons, mingled with days. Her mostly weekday job would now include weekends and holidays. She's very upset.
Then the news that her insemination did not work. No pregnancy.
Is this all my news? You betcha. Having fell in love with that tiny face about 31 years ago, I still see all her disappointments and sadness as something that squeezes my heart and allows me to scream "It's Not Fair".
They are prepared to be optimistic about her job change and optimistic about another round of insemination. Yeah! Our lives are better left to chance? I think so, because we have so little to do with it anyways.

Happy Spring everybody!

Honey, I joined a cult!

2009-03-19T10:26:00.001-07:00

I didn’t have to shave my head, wear a robe and dance around the airport asking for “alms”, but yes, my faithful family and friends, I joined a cult.
Weight Watchers.
It’s totally Fatties Anon with Math! Swear! And I can say that, because I belong!
Counting points, constantly talking about food values, desperately discussing which cereal counts for less than 2 points and tastes like a large bag of Jay’s Sour Cream and Onion potato chips.(none), get the picture?
That cult. Whoo-wee, and boy is it! You know the type, hidden acts (the weigh in) behind closed or sheltered doors and a fearless leader trying to raise our squashed egos as we climb the ladder to skinny success.
I think they hated me.
I had some difficulty converting calories to points with my little slide rule that was given to me. I didn’t really believe it was “as easy as that!” when she told me the daily point value I should eat and drop pounds en masse.

We’ll see. Skeptical that I am, I found the dietary restriction =0, the advice regarding the food intake and the sound base for getting all my nutrients in and reducing portions, well, I can live with it. I just hope I can make a change enough to loose something, to get the pudge-a-moving. For all you weight watchers out there, hook a sistah up would you? I need some 1 point ideas!

Shout Out to My Peeps

2009-03-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

What a great Sunday morning! Sun shining, warm breezy air seems spring is on it's way!

And there are only two things that say SPRING,

Easter and Peeps!
I love me some sugar coated marshmellowy goodness that we call Peeps. Always have and always will. Ohhh, my first memory of Easter was eating the ears off a solid chocolate bunnie and knawing on yellow chickie Peeps that had sat out unwrapped in my Easter basket forming into a stale, gooey, chewy delight.

First produced in 1953 by Just Born, Inc. (I was born in 1958, just think if I had been born 50 years earlier, I'd have never known the sugary goodness) Peeps come in all colors and shapes. The confection is only 32 calories and has 0 grams of fat! They are almost diet food!

Of course my children's best memories are of us blowing some up in the microwave...they are charming as squashed up works of art on a paper plate. Go ahead, try it sometime, right now is good if you have some on hand.

There are some of you who do not care for Peeps. Some of you, who pass them by at Easter - in all the forms that they come in. Some of you who pass them by at Halloween, shaped like ghosts or black cats or pumpkins...at Christmas, you look away from the glistening green sugar trees, but Easter without Peeps! Why, it's like Easter without boiled dyed eggs churning in your guts. It's a less memorable day when you only have Cadbury to thank for your bloat and sugar coma.

Enough said, wish the lenten fast and time for sacrifice to be soon over. I gave up candy this year (and candy for me is hard...I love it so) Won't you think about giving the needy some Peeps this year?

You Capture Challenge #3

2009-03-11T16:15:00.000-07:00

The You Capture challenge this week is titled texture.

I LOVE IT.

My new photo in the Title of this blog is a photograph I took of a fall path, the textures of leaves softly blowing accross this brick trail at a local park was perfect for this challenge, however it wasn't taken recently. So, I am a collector of items that just scream TEXTURE.

This is my entry. For years I have collected baskets that are now displayed in my home, used for all sorts of things that need containing (and some that don't). The possibilities with baskets are endless. Some are a work of art and some are just functional.

But without further ado, I need to skip to the links of other creative budding photographers and check out their entries. You should do it too! Go on, you know you want to!
Try it! Comments welcome!
(taken in natural sunlight, because flash was too much for this weave to handle.)

You Decide

2009-03-07T08:14:00.001-08:00

I'm fooling with my blog design. Too cheap to pay someone to do this for me, I decided to upload one of my favorite photos from a fall walk in the woods.

Then I got carried away.

I got a new background from The Cutest Blog On the Block, go there now if you want a background change.

I'm not satisfied with it, but I don't know how to change it. It's about the size and proportion of the blog title box and the length and narrowness of the posting boxes. But that's just me.

I'd like your opinion. And yours. And yours. And yours. And yours. And yours. and so on.

Please, post your thoughts/comments now.

Perspective Challenge

2009-03-04T16:08:00.000-08:00

Today's post, Perspective, was a challenge of photography by Beth.
I was inspired when I first read her challenge and shot a ton of pictures on the ol Nikon, however, today I am home sick and everything kind of has a slanted perspective. Ha, a pun sort of.

I gotta handle on things later in the day, so here's my shot. Simple-to-the-point. I love my coffee.

Check out other talented photographers by visiting Beth's site and clicking on the links. She had creatively challenged her readers to another task for next week.

Runaway

2009-03-03T08:12:00.000-08:00

A radio station I listen to each morning on my winding trek to work has a question each day that they pose to the listeners who will then call in and share their memory or experience. (Much like blogging out loud)

Today’s topic or question was based on a story “ripped from the headlines”.
It was about a 12 year old boy who had an argument with his folks and sometime in the night, woke up, took their SUV for a drive and ended up in the parking lane at O’Hare airport in Chicago. With no plane ticket, no money and no plan, he called his parents to come get him. (in what? I guess they could call a taxi) The radio hosts marveled at the kid’s ingenuity and skill. A. to drive an SUV! B. to navigate his way to the airport on the risky, congested highways around O’Hare in Chicago!

The question was- assuming all young children run away, or plan to run, “how far did you get?”. The male host got to the end of his driveway. One female host got 10 miles away, and the other to a neighbor nearby.

My own children? I only remember my son running away. Embattled by a terrible, strict mother who didn’t sympathize, give in or fix the household problems as he saw fit, he took off. Walking around our neighborhood, blowing of incredible amounts of steam. He must have come home eventually, I was ready to call the police. I was scared and a little dramatic. The girls must have been too scared of me, or too scared of the surroundings – anyways they were too oppressed to take action. (that I know of, they could have quietly snuck away to run away, and before I found out, reconsidered and came home. Who knows.)

Either way, it’s a right of passage. It’s a can of worms when the “children” become around 17 or 18 – the running away is more like breaking free – proving themselves GROWN. All done, you’ve screwed me up enough, and I’m outta here. (been there done that, broken record)

When I was little, around 7 years old, I had the fortune of owning a real piece of luggage. The make-up case size once belonging to a matching set, and then when the hard cardboard like sides were scuffed up, became a hand-me-down that I used to hold my doll clothes. I was fortunate, because if someone crossed me (that someone was my mother, always trying to be the boss of me-who knew) I would plan by escape. “They” would be sorry of course, beg me to stay, feel that I was grossly ignored or misunderstood. Cheated by the world of unfair practices! I would dump out the doll clothes, pack the bag with pajamas and books or a favorite doll. And set it by the front door, which was the passive aggressive symbol for “I’m blowing this pop-stand, and don’t you try and stop me”.
I’ll need a ride.

My mom, who got sick of my threats, and who wouldn’t really, some punky seven year old with attitude, threatening to dash off when she had to clean her room, took me up on my threat one evening. She very nicely told me that she had to run to the grocery store and could swing by the orphanage near our school to drop me off.
Now, in those days, I had this dreamy vision of orphanage life. One that was fed by cool movies I watched on Saturday afternoon on black and white television, they always had a happy ending. Adopted and loved, the immediate overwhelming emotion was complete and utter attention by the adult pored on the kid. Our school was a Catholic school, and the nuns at our school also gave of their time at the orphanage. We had orphans attending our school, and we gave our cast offs and extras to those kids in a forthright effort to do good works for those less fortunate. Seemed a good gig to me.

My mom, set my case in the car, keeping enthusiastic, told me that she was stopping at the super-market to purchase some ice cream for our dessert after dinner, such a shame it was that I would be missing that treat, perhaps the orphanage would have some dessert for Sunday evening snack. We drove in silence. She left me in the car while she went into the market, I could see her in the check out line, but I was getting a little panicked that I’d have to make good on my threat, and I really didn’t want to leave home. She got back in the car, showed me the gallon of vanilla ice cream and drove on. Silently she drove passed the orphanage, didn’t stop, but turned the other direction, heading north towards our street. Narrowly escaping that absurd idea, I never threatened to run away again. Oh, I used to write in my diary all about finding another place to live, where I would be appreciated for all my specialness. I never acted on it or voiced it again.

How about you? Did you ever run away? How far did you get?

Where is Everybody? It's Time for Vacation Photos!

2009-02-25T16:58:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone, are you caught up in the winter doldrums? Watching the snow melt isn't as rewarding as watching your skin tan, or the ice in your drink melt.

Nice View Huh?

We had a great time! I wish I could stay longer, all that Resting and that Relaxing and that Reading and that Resting and that Relaxing. Whoo, it was a great time. The temperature was in the 80's, breezy, never too hot, with the water temperature as warm and relaxing as a child's wading pool.

Seriously, I've not had time to blog since my return. It takes so long to catch up with housework, work related work, and family obligations that blogging is something that has to suffer at this time.

We made friends - in between cocktails and pool lounging.

This little guy traveled with his owner everywhere on this scooter. I tried to engage him in light conversation, he did not speak a lick of English.

But he enjoyed the greatest beef taco's EVER with me.

This is my husband who hung out with a band of pirate pelicans - they stole this little slip of a boat and filled it with their "recycled treasures". Yeah, uh, huh, they did. Still Dan bonded with them.

Isn't he handsome?

Some of the friends we made were not so "friendly".

I got a cool tattoo....made of henna. Already washed off, but I was cool while on vacation!

Doesn't my ankle look tanner? I did, I swear!, but now I'm fading.

While vacation calm and relaxation has faded and the memories are still lingering in my mind, I'm back to the norm.

Hope all you readers will be back soon too!

Word for Today: Scaramouch

2009-02-19T10:08:00.000-08:00

Scaramouch
1: a cowardly buffoon. 2: a rascal or scamp.

In our office we have a “word a day” desk calendar, and because I love words and the use of words in a well written phrase or sentence, I often find myself enamored with the calendar.
Duh.
(not a well written phrase or sentence)

Today’s word is Scaramouch.

Now use it in a sentence. I’ll give you one from Queen’s hit song “Bohemian Rhapsody”. “I see a little silhouette of a man /Scaramouche, Scaramouche will you do the fandango?”

To those of you who rock on to Queen hits, did you even KNOW that it was scaramouche? I sure didn’t. What the hell did YOU think it was? I’m interested in finding out. You know, how we often don’t know the lyrics to a song, and kinda just guess what they sound like? Scaramouche sounded Frenchie to me…I caulked it up to a mustachioed man of evil thought one, who could Fandago of course.

What does that got to do with ANYthing you might ask? Well,

I’m B-A-A-CK!

Yep, home from vaca a full week and didn’t even check in. What a scaramouch I am. I will of course be posting about my R&R vacation, complete with snaps, but I’m still playing catch up with all that I’ve had to catch up to. I hope you all enjoyed my guest post gals, I appreciate them so much (Glad to return the favor Robin and Sarah, just ask me anytime!) Later surfer dudes.

Happy 31st Birthday Sarah!

2009-02-04T09:34:00.000-08:00

I had dreamt about her. She had dark hair (curls) and dark eyes and looked a little like me but was better than me in every way; she was my daughter, my first born.
So, I had better think of a really great, super fantastic name, a girly one, and no one could talk me into a boy’s name because I simply wasn’t carrying a boy!

I had always liked the name Sarah, it reminded me of this really cool girl I met as a teenaged gawky girl (me not Sarah) up in Michigan on vacation with my family. She was really cool and nice, had long hair and a wonderful complexion. She was popular with the boys and the girls, a trait I longed to emulate. Everybody liked Sarah. Sarah, meaning “lady” or “princess” in Hebrew, yep, it seemed the perfect name for my darling baby girl to be. I’d pat my belly, and think of her, of the relationship we’d have, and how she would be at one, and two, and twenty-two.

It was a fairly easy pregnancy. I never really lost my girlish figure during this pregnancy; of course I was very young by today’s standards, just 19, about to give birth. I had about 10 more days to go, when suddenly I felt the contractions. I waited until about midnight, packed my bag and we went off to the hospital. A “glorious” 30 hours later, she was born, February 4th very early in the morning. I was very tired, this was way back in the days when “natural childbirth” was popular and it was frowned upon if you took any type of pain relief. Creepy frowners. When I looked at that doctor holding the nekked baby Sarah up for me to view, I saw my hips, my chin and all that hair!!! This was indeed the baby who haunted by dreams. My princess, my Sarah.
So, all you first borns out there know how hard the lives you have until the sibs start consuming some of the focus from first-time mom, now don’t you. Well, Sarah was perfect in every way; she was quick to learn, was very curious and had a large capacity for retaining any and all information. (Still does) She was like raising a daughter/sister/friend right from the very beginning. When the siblings did come, one right after the other, she took them in stride, knowing that she was in charge, higher up on the kid ladder in this family, and the siblings just followed along. Born leader, she excelled at most everything she attempted (YOU did, except for tumbling, and tap dancing, I’ll give you that) although I never think she ever thought she really did succeed. Shy to the core, it takes a lot of effort for her to stand up for herself and to meet new people. She was always referred to as mom’s clone, which didn’t help much, as most kids are embarrassed by their mom, and because I’m outgoing and such a goof, she had something to be embarrassed about sometimes, no most times. (love you baby) Today is her birthday, I miss my baby girl, the one who haunted my dreams, and early life. I’ll miss this day, as right now I’m vacationing in Mexico, and this was typed last week, when a teary eyed mom wished you well. Hope your birthday is Great! Happy Birthday Princess!

Note from the author: focus on the darling baby of mine and not the nifty 70's hair or the cool glasses.

My Mother, Vacationer and Cake Decorator!

2009-02-03T07:42:00.000-08:00

Hello all, I’m Sarah, and for those of you who don’t know me, I can usually be found here. Since my mother is probably sunning herself by the pool in Mexico right now, I thought I’d share a birthday memory with you.

It has been on my mind because tomorrow is my birthday and my mother will be in Mexico, not making me a birthday cake. I know! How dare she! When I was growing up, my mother always made my birthday cakes. From scratch. No boxed cakes for us.
Part of our birthday treat was to go to the cake decorating store and pick out items to adorn this homemade confection. For my fourth birthday, I wanted a Cinderella theme. I chose a large Cinderella, complete with missing glass slipper (plastic and not to scale) a horse drawn white carriage and a large clock face to represent midnight. In my almost four year old mind it was awesome!
My birthday was approaching, and my mom gets sick. I mean really sick, like a 103 degrees temperature sick. Being the trooper that she was, she still made me a 13X9 chocolate cake…which in her weakened state she dropped half on the floor. She then made ANOTHER cake (from scratch) and pieced it together with the other mangled pieces that survived the fall, into one large double decker chocolate cake. She lathered all of this with home made chocolate icing and bright blue sprinkles (blue being my all time favorite color). My precious Cinderella paraphernalia joined the blue sprinkles. To this day, I remember it as my most favorite birthday cake.

Don’t you think she did a good job?

Thanks Sarah, for the guest post, being that you are the guest of honor this week! Happy Birthday Baby! Yeah, um, I don't think we had enough of those blue sprinkles to do the entire cake! Isn't funny how you remember that cake as so special, and I remember being so upset I ruined your big day/cake. I remember tears and cursing and you are all grins. By the way, you haven't changed a bit!

For Porn, and Other Stuff Too

2009-02-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

Photo by monstersandcritics.com

Hi! I am Robin, Jackee’s friend from the great and wonderful WWW. Although I won’t be walking Casper or taking in the mail, I am delighted to be virtual house sitting here at Runs With Scissors as a guest poster while our sweet Jackee is sunning her lovely self in Mexico, margarita in hand…

Among other things my kiddo can discuss with his future therapist, I love to sing the songs from Avenue Q in the car. The tunes are upbeat and kid-friendly sounding but the lyrics are definitely R rated, or at least PG13. My favorite song, by my favorite character, Trekkie Monster, is called The Internet is for Porn. While this may be true for plenty of people, we here in blog land can definitely make a case for all the other wonderful things the internet is indeed for.

First off, the obvious…Blogs! I didn’t know was a blog even was until about a year and a half ago. One of my friends emailed me about her friend who was starting a blog and to go check it out. Check it out, I did – and I was hooked. I started my own blog about a year ago – and although I only post a few times a month, I read much more. I check in (almost) daily and stay in the loop on the lives of my few real-life friends who write blogs, but also my new and wonderful blog friends, too. I crave their stories and words and wonder what has happened when they do not post. The community here always amazes me!
If you check out my blog, you will see I write about my family a lot. What does that have to do with the internet, you ask. Everything, it so happens. I met my husband on jdate.com. The current 5280 (Denver lifestyle mag) has an article about the woes of online dating that makes it sound like a big, scary world. But I was obviously very lucky. True love, just a click away - too cheesy to be true but amazingly it worked for me! Photo by:Ventana Photography

On my blog, I also dedicate quite a few posts to Stuff You Can Buy. Either in the form of product review, or I want (fill in the blank), or help me choose – material goods are good blog fodder and a huge online time waster for me. I am one of those people who needs to know all the options before making a decision (do they make a pill for this?!) and the wealth of info online is very helpful for this quirk. Recently I spent 3 hours (Micah’s longest nap, ever!) looking at diaper bags and reviews. I also love to look at home décor sites and blogs and virtual shop, although those purchases are not in my near future.

So, Jackee – thanks for being my internet buddy and letting me share some of my random thoughts with your readers. Have fun in Mexico, and have a marg for me!!!
Thanks Robin...does that mean that Casper is home without food and water too? Robin is one of the many blog friends I have met, while lurking around, reading other peoples thoughts and the happenings in thier lives. She recently added to her wonderful family, with baby Micah, and personally, I love seeing his sweet happy face when she graces her blog with his photos. Thanks again Robin, see you soon.

Made a list, but I forgot where I put it

2009-01-28T08:54:00.000-08:00

Does that sound familiar to you? I always love making a list for “To Do’s” or shopping lists, or whatever. Seldom do I remember to use the list, but making it has perks, like when you were a kid and had to write and re-write your spelling words...then you remembered them.
So, I’m trying to make a list for the vacation I’m about to embark upon. (Sorry to rub it in for those of you who must stay and endure the cold harshness that is the wild Midwest.)

1. Say “Happy Birthday” in advance to my first born. This will be the first birthday in 31 years that I have not shared with her.
2. Arrange for guest bloggers for the week…anyone care to take a stab?
3. Complete payroll for employees while gone (no one likes to return to pissed off, broke employees)
4. Buy snacks for the plane. (one bag of tiny peanuts - $10.50- does not a meal make!)
5. Charge the re-chargeable batteries for my camera.(I’m afraid to take my new camera – remember, Runs with Scissors title for a very good reason)
6. Paint toenails. A must for shoe less vacations everywhere, and I may even go and get a pedi if I have time, because when I paint my own toenails, it attracts attention – looks like I’ve been toe-stabbed and I’m bleeding out.
7. Do all available laundry (I don’t want to return with a pile of sandy, dirty laundry and add to this mess)
8. Make additional list for packing.

It’s all I've got for now, but I’ll probably lose this list, and have to make another. Maybe I should start posting my grocery list too on my blog, that way I’ll know where it is.
Well, this time next week, I’ll be sunburned and mind-fried. Speaking broken rigged up Spanish, longing for real American Mexican taco’s. (the food as I remember it in Mexico wasn’t that great the last time I was there, but the tequila is awesome!)

Where's the Beef?

2009-01-23T13:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks for sticking around all week, peeking into my recipes for quick soups to make and eat, most only take 30 minutes or so from prep to plate (I mean bowl)

But, Jackee, you ask, Where’s the Beef?

Ok, here’s my quick Beef Barley Vegetable Soup recipe to bring an end to “Soup Week” here at the Scissor household. My feet still haven't thawed yet from our midwestern winter's deep freeze!

1 lb. cubed beef stew meat
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic minced
5 cups water
1 can diced tomatoes
½ cup celery diced thin
1 cup carrots diced small
Bag of frozen mixed vegetables
(Sometimes I add ½ bag of frozen green beans and save ½ the bag for another meal, because I really like green beans in the soup)
2 beef bouillon cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon basil or oregano adds a little flavor as well but it’s optional
¾ cup Quaker Oats Quick Barley

In large saucepan or soup pot, brown meat, onion and garlic adding a little water so the meat will brown, or stew a little without burning. Add remaining ingredients except frozen vegetables and bring to a boil, cover. Reduce heat and simmer, but stir now and then, maybe about 15 minutes. Add frozen veggies and simmer until tender, about another 15 minutes.

Add more water or a can of beef broth if soup becomes thick when standing or after refrigeration.

Sometimes I make this on the weekend to take to work all week. I get my daily serving of veggies, and it fills me up!

T.G.I.F. everyone!

Now, to Warm your Pipes- Tortellini Soup!

2009-01-22T13:00:00.000-08:00

Shhhhh, if my husband hears this soup spoken aloud he’ll suspect that someone, somewhere out there is making his favorite soup. No, scratch that, this is his favorite meal. He can’t stop when he’s full; he always eats this until he keels over. It is quite tasty if I say so myself.

Tortellini Soup

1 package of Bob Evan’s Hot n Zesty Sausage
½ package Jennie O’s ground turkey
1 medium onion diced
1 cup (or so) matchstick sliced carrots
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1/4 package of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed
1 can of diced tomatoes, un-drained
1 can of Box of Beef broth (32 oz. size)
2 bullion cubes
4 garlic cloves minced (or more if you are crazy about garlic)
Fresh parsley – chopped
1 package of tri-colored tortellini pasta, cheese filled or spinach filled, whatever suits you.

Boil water and cook the tortellini pasta, set aside
In a large pot, brown the Hot-n- Zesty sausage and the ground turkey together with the chopped onion, garlic, add the carrots and celery until tender. Salt and pepper (yes, there’s more pepper!) to taste. Add can of tomatoes. Add bullion cubes and beef broth and parsley then simmer. Slice a section of the frozen block of spinach, drain and add to the soup. Simmer about 20 minutes. (You may need to add some water or more beef broth if liquid reduces too quickly) Add tortellini.
Serve with shredded Romano cheese or grated fresh Parmesan cheese on top.
As with many a hot soup, serve with crusty bread.

I hope that you all are enjoying the Soup Fest that has been this week’s theme. I have a sack full of home made noodle and soup recipes that take all day to simmer. This week, the recipes have been about concocting them in a small time frame.

Are we all warming up yet?

Lemon Chicken Rice Soup - Cheater's Style

2009-01-21T13:21:00.000-08:00

I have long been a fan of Lemon Chicken Rice Soup, and around here there are many varieties that are served in restaraunts and I can't seem to duplicate, because they are so very creamy. The recipes that I have stolen from my girlfriend, the internet and from various cookbooks have all been delicious, but time consuming.

This is my rendention of Lemon Chicken Rice Soup, cheater's style, one that you don't have to cook until your eyeballs bug out and one that doesn't have you grinding up seventy lemons to get a cup of juice.

First, take about two or three chicken breasts and cover with water and simmer the heck out of them. De-bone them, be extra careful, because my husband swears I save a few tiny chicken bones just to choke him with, but I try very hard not to. Be sure to save the chicken water, which is a slight broth now.
Put the chicken back into the broth, add a few cans (14oz. cans or one large 32 oz box of Swanson's chicken broth)
Dice 2 stalks of celery really thin, add to the chicken and broth mixture. Bring to a simmer again.
Add about three cups of bottled lemon juice (you can juice real lemons if you have them growing outside on your own trees or if you are a glutton for punishment, otherwise, this is part of the cheater part)
Add salt and pepper to taste. (Again with the pepper! I know!)
Cook 1 and 1/2 cups of long grained rice as directed on package. Don't use Minute Rice, it gets too soggy.
Add rice to the chicken soup that forming, right before your very eyes.
Add a cube of chicken broth (or a few tablespoons of Knorr chicken broth powder - a secret ingredient of mine, you can purchase this powdery delight in the Mexican section of your supermarket, it's flavorful, but full of sodium so be prepared if you are on a low sodium diet, less is more here)
Now, here's the really cheater part. Add a can of condensed CREAM of chicken soup. This thickens the watery soup and adds more flavor. If it still isn't thick enough, add another can, but remember, after the soup sits with the rice in it, the rice will absorb the liquid and your soup, while tasty, gets pastie.
Please taste it now, if it's not peppery or lemony enough, add more lemon juice or more pepper.
Love it! The next day, if there is any left, you may have to add another can of broth and a little bit of milk to thin it out and not loose the flavor.

I serve it with crusty French bread. We eat alot of crusty breads with our soup.
I can hook you up with long, drawn out Chicken Lemon Rice recipes, but this is quick and easy and still gets the soup on!

Like Stuffed Peppers without the Stuffed Part

2009-01-20T13:04:00.000-08:00

Second EZ recipe for this week's feature "SOUP", is one that you can prepare in the crock pot, or fix in a pot on the stove and serve.

Green Pepper Soup

1 1/2 Lbs. ground chuck (or ground turkey if you like a different taste or twist)
3 large green peppers, take out the seeds and guts, chop into 1/4" pieces
1 large onion, diced
2 cans of Beef Broth
2 cans of condensed tomato soup - undiluted
1 can crushed tomato undrained
1 and 1/2 cups of cooked rice.
Salt and pepper to your own taste, my husband adds about a cup of pepper, no, really he does!

Cook beef (or turkey) green peppers and onions, drain.
add broth, tomato soup and crushed tomatoes.
Simmer (or let the crock pot simmer on low while you are at work)
Add the cooked rice about 15 or 20 minutes before you are ready to eat, to let the flavor's absorb!
This is great! I'm not a huge stuffed pepper fan, but this is so very tastey and filling.

Stay tuned for another recipe that will use rice and chicken in a flavorful way!

Hope your days are snug and toasty, think Spring!

Soup's On!

2009-01-19T16:59:00.000-08:00

It’s another snowstorm here in N.W. Indiana – again. Those of you who live in warmer climates…you really won’t understand me this week. Each day the drive into work is made clumsy, if not dangerous by the ice, slush and cumulative piles of snow. Snow on top of snow, it gets on your last frozen nerve I’m telling you! Freezing temperatures last week made me think of snow days when my kids were younger, and school was called off because of snow. Then I wasn’t the cook that I am now, which took years of trial and effort. Snow meant trying out a chili recipe or heating up a little pot of Mrs. Grass chicken noodle soup, the latter of which was more a hot beverage with a few tiny noodles. Either way, the intent was to warm you up. This week I will feature many of my soup recipes. I thought that new cooks could try a few, and older cooks??? Well, leave a comment and hook a girl up to your favorite soup recipes!

We’ll start with a hearty easy recipe for potato soup. Easy, because I can come home from work, dice up some potatoes and still have time to prepare the soup and serve it before my husband arrives, all cold and hungry.

10 peeled potatoes – diced, rinsed cover with 8 cups of chicken broth (canned is good)
Boil until soft, then mash a little until lumpy; while potatoes are cooking, combine in a frying pan, 4 stalks of diced celery, ½ large onion chopped and 1 stick of margarine or butter. (Yum, butter…) Sauté until soft, then add ¾ cup of flour to make rue. (If the mixture looks greasy, add more flour. Cook for additional 2 min. to heat the flour; add ½ of the rue mixture to potato mixture until all lumps are dissolved and then add the other half of the rue mixture. If your soup gets too thick, add some (about a cup and a half) milk to thin it out. Salt and pepper to taste (my husband loves his pepper – I watch my salt intake) Add milk to desired consistency.

Garnish with crumbled bacon bits (I use turkey bacon, cooked in the microwave to save some time and a few calories) and serve topped with grated cheddar cheese. I love the cheese part!
Drop into a carb induced coma.
OHHHH, the yum, I’m feeling it now.

Watch for tomorrow’s easy recipe – something you can let fester in your crock pot while you work, play or sleep!

Fffffun Fffffact Fffffriday (The Frozen Edition)

2009-01-16T10:18:00.000-08:00

It’s freezing in N.W. Indiana – and I mean literally. With wind chill factors the temp is -22 degrees in some areas, and some colder. We’ve been hit by snow and more snow and now these cold temps.
It makes me want to curl into a ball.
Instead, I’m resurrecting Ffffun Ffffact Fffffriday.

*First Fact, I’m freezing! My nose is cold, my feet haven’t thawed from my drive in to work, and this cold weather makes my trigeminal nerve fire up and inflict pain and aches to my face, neck and ear.

*Warm beverage alert. Although coffee dehydrates you, it’s so yummy don’t you agree? I like to add sugar and cream to mine, and sometimes I add Hershey’s chocolate syrup – did you know that Hershey’s chocolate syrup is fat free?

*I thought I saw a polar bear on my way in, but alas, Indiana doesn't harbor fugitive bears trying to ditch the Arctic cold (Sucka!!!) Did you know that polar bear skin is black? Their hair is hollow, and light colored to absorb the heat from the sun and hold it longer, and their hollow hair shaft keeps them warmer when wet.

*Polar bears are mean, not cuddly.

*The cold makes me want to hibernate and work on my projects, and although I was invited out to dinner tonight, I may just do so. I have a slight addiction to scrapbook paper and recently have added scrapbook letters of all sorts to my addiction. I must get to scrapping. Otherwise it looks like a collection of sorts.

*I am well on my way to one of my new year goals. I bought some cool new fuzzy slim hangars to help organize my closet. You can view them here. I’ll let you know how they work out. My sis-in-law uses them and said it saves her a ton of space in the closet.

*14 more days until I leave this sucky weather for Mexico. Kids, can you say “I’m outta here?”

*Taking a warm weather break in the winter really speeds spring/summer along. Yeah, I know! Can’t wait.

*True story, my co-worker discovered that her cat had died in her living room, laying on a little pillow. They saw him laying there on Wednesday – and didn’t check to see if he were alive until Friday morning when they noticed he hadn’t moved. (and was stiff I guess) Poor Kitty. RIP

*I will have to be sedated when my Casper goes to his Final Reward. Just sayin folks, be prepared.

*I brought a cold sandwich and yogurt for lunch....what was I thinking????

It's All In a Name....or Not

2009-01-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

What’s up with the Palin family and their excruciating effort to name their children something that will be creative, unique and will stand apart from all the other children in pre-K? I mean, um, come ON, Tripp, Track, Trigg, Bristol and Piper?

I’ve noticed that celebrities have also jumped on the Name that Kid bandwagon, and decidedly and purposely named their offspring simple nouns {Apple} and flowers {Violet} and days of the week {Sunday}. ????

What happened to Kevin? And Susan, Peter, Mary, Ellen, George and Patty?

Gone by the wayside to modern names like Camden, Lincoln, Sydney, Kennedy, and Blue.

I’ve long been fascinated by the names that are placed onto children. In my time, I’ve witnessed a Harry Nipple and a Richard Head. I’ve witnessed Gertrudes and Edith’s placed on sweet infant girls, long before they grow into those names. I’ve often wanted to grab the phone and call up the parents to ask them “What were you thinking?”

It’s not about YOU mom and dad. It’s the one of the first self-less acts one bestows onto your newborn. What might they live up to? What might uplift their life’s journey? Dollie Blue? Pleeese! It isn’t about what you like, but what the world may perceive. Reading mommie blogs now and again, there is much ado about nursing and when to quit. (When the child is old enough to ask for it, please, put it away!) About homeschooling and not immunizing the kids. Again, let’s think about what is best for the child. Would you really want to send your kid out into the big world unprepared? And named Turkey Bone Bumpstead?

My mother used to have a good saying when I was a new mom, she told me, “raise your children with one arm holding them close to you and one arm pushing them away”. Think about it. We are given the task of creating a warm loving environment, one that can nurture a child safely into their youth, giving them all the support that is needed to help them to be confident and independent and then we name them something like Tippy. Take one step forward and two steps back.

Lunch Noise

2009-01-06T13:46:00.000-08:00

Normally I read the paper during my daily caloric intake (that’s what I call “lunch” sometimes-GAH-it’s so unappealing) at the noon time hour. I 'm there, in the staff lounge, idly eating, conversing some and taking in less than 300 calories and a full 8 oz. bottle of H20. Today due to the medical centers furnace malfunction the kitchen area was too cold to sit in comfortably, and those of us who stayed in today, shared our noon meal in the conference room. You know, cushy high-backed swivel chairs, soft muted music, long ass table, conference room. The conversation was interesting, and if I had to step back and just listen in, I think every day conversation is really pretty OUT there!

The conversation included recent movie releases (two thumbs up for Marley and Me – but a D- for 7 Pounds starring Will Smith) and TV shows (The Bachelor was a hot topic, although I am not personally a fan of reality shows) and flowed steadily into bodily afflictions. Hey, come on, we’re a medical facility, so our chats regularly revolve around bodily functions and afflictions, not to gross anyone out mind you, but if you have a squeamish stomach, stay away, listener beware! I don’t know how the conversation got to it, but we ended up pondering the common house fly and whether or not it pooped and peed. We all could agree upon having viewed tiny black specks, assuming that it was fly poop, but what about fly urine? Or any bug urine for that matter. Then we talked about the life cycle of a maggot to fly.

How is your day going? As you can see, fairly well, why my blog posts are far and few, when fly poop and the pondering of such is what my Google searches now consist of. No luck on the poop or urine facts. And how is YOUR Tuesday shaping up?

1st Post of 2009 !

2009-01-04T07:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, compadre bloggers (I'm brushing up on my very bad Spanish for my much anticipated trip to Xtapa, Mexico in January) This is my first post in the new year - I know, one you all have anticipated with bated breath. Not.

The air outside today is moist - that of evaporating snow and ice, the uncommon warmth of the air creates a spooky mid morning fog all around. I'm stuck with the daunting task of de-decorating the house from our 2008 holiday season.
Instead, I'm printing photo's to scrapbook later, doing some laundry, exercising and encouraging my husband in his war game on the Wii.
The Wii.
Another distraction to blogging my friends. That's all I'm going to say. It's not an addiction - I swear! And yeah, uh, huh it is so really exercise - I've got the ache to prove it.

For 2009, I have some goals in mind.

1. Seriously, no jokes, time to get healthy folks. That means I lose at least 20 lbs, but more importantly - get fit. I have the means, just not the energy. But I have to really put my nose to the grindstone, my foot to the pedal, my ass in gear.
2. Last years' timid attempt at "Every day-throw away", mantra that forced my consciousness into taking a good hard look at clutter and all the "things" that are material that hang around that I don't need really helped me sort things out. I am going to continue those same efforts and each week concentrate on a drawer/cabinet/closet to clean out. To keep myself in check I may monitor myself here. (oh, boy, you can hardly wait huh?)
3. Vacation. Seriously vacation. As in leave the house, stay overnight elsewhere.
4. Blog more frequently with more thought put into it.

That enough for you? I've plenty to be thankful for this last year (2008) I've said goodbye to having migraine's daily - a feat I never thought I'd conquer after their arrival a few years back. My health has taken a turn for the better! That's why I owe it to myself to get into better physical shape. I'm planning a much needed week long get away with my husband and my in-laws to their condo in Xtapa, Mexico at a resort. It's plenty of rest, beach, sand and sun...I can hardly wait! It'd be nice to be a few pounds free by Jan. 31st, but I'm not really expecting it.

To all of you who read, lurk and comment on my blog - thank you for peeking in. I appreciate it. I'd love to have more reader friends, so invite your cousins. Even the snotty ones! I read lots more than I write folks, so I'm as guilty as the next.
To 2009! And all it may bring.

Frost building on my Eyeballs

2008-12-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

Sorry I’ve not updated my blog in awhile, what with Christmas preparations and all.
Sunday, NW Indiana was hit with biting cold weather and strong winds, knocking out our power. My house is pretty much an ice castle. Ok, that’s a stretch, it’s an ice- two story. With icy trees and ice covered driveway and icicles dripping off everything it could.

Our little Peanut granddaughter (now 10 months old) is in the hospital with bronchitis and respiratory problems. She’s not eating or drinking, so she’s got to have IV fluids to keep hydrated. We came home from visiting her in the hospital and our power was out! So, from about 3:00 p.m until 10:00 p.m. we shivered and shook under blankets huddled up to the fireplace with Casper stretched across our laps. DARN, it was cold! Today’s forecast is supposed to be a little bit warmer, although, seriously, I swear it feels colder to me.

The deep cold penetrates under your skin and through to your bones. It is very hard to stay warm when the temp is 25 degrees below zero, wind chill factor. It reminds me of all the homeless. With this economy, there are probably more homeless each day and probably less and less shelters that can house them. Let’s all do our best this season to think of those less fortunate than ourselves and contribute in anyway that we can.
Happy Holidays.

This Magic Moment

2008-12-17T13:16:00.001-08:00

It happened that the tickets were purchased over a year ago. The original intent was that it be a Christmas present from my husband, for a magical night. He put a lot of thought and effort into bidding on the tickets on the internet, watching the price carefully. They weren’t some $50 tickets, these were good seats.

The concert was scheduled, unfortunately, for the same day as the nation was electing Barack Obama into the highest office in the country – a landmark day – one that warranted a huge celebration in the depth of the city that is Chicago. The same night as Celine Dion got a tickle in her throat? Hmmmmm.

So last evening, my husband and I took the day off work, wanting to spend the afternoon in Chicago shopping along the Mag Mile and grabbing a nice dinner in Little Italy, then attending the re-scheduled concert he so wanted to share with me.

And then it started to snow. We left our home at 2:00 p.m., for the trek which is normally 45 minutes to an hours’ drive. We skipped the shopping as the traffic was bumper to bumper in the blinding weather conditions, barely making the show time at 8:00 p.m. Whew! That Celine can put on a show when she’s not nursing a sore throat, let me tell you!

I have seen her before in concert, back in the “Power of Love” days…before the hit movie Titanic made her famous, or rather more famous if possible. She was terrific, and magical. Of course, it was an outdoor venue, with the soft summer’s night air blowing all around us, my daughter and I had a wonderful time, listening to this angel open her mouth and this wonderful sound waft out. It seemed almost effortless!

The arena last night didn’t have those same acoustics, and while it was fabulous, some of the magic of that first concert was lost. Either that or I was shell shocked from that magnificent travel time! Still, we were alive – and not stranded along the skyway! It was a good time – still a magical moment! Just hard on a semi-empty stomach (we had pizza at the United Center, not the best Chicago pizza either)
Honey, thank you for the magical evening, I love you!

Diet Pizza - A low cal Delight

2008-12-13T06:25:00.000-08:00

Now that's something I've never seen in the grocery: FAT FREE pizza, low cal pizza pie, each piece just under 75 calories. I'd swoon. Course I'd eat 7 pieces of the fat free, low cal delight. And I would gain or maintain my adorable Santa belly.
Ho Ho Ho.

Trouble is, how will it look when I'm crammed into my bathing suit on the beach of Xtapa Mexico,(February 2009-stay tuned) sunning myself and beckonning to my cabana boy,
"OH boy!!! wrestle up another of those fruity things" said in my best Mrs. Thurston Howell, III voice.

I have a portion problem when it comes right down to the favorite foods I eat. I read where some of the thinner celebs have published a day of their diet menus. Thier snack is a glass of water. Thier meal is fish and asparagus spears.
Not three or four pieces of pizza.

Course if you set before me a steaming hot cheesy pie, I'll settle for three or four pieces. If you set before me a platter of cod, I could settle for a small portion. It's all in how you "plate it".
Pass me the water will you?

Monday Blues? Try this Negative Challenge!!!!

2008-12-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

Not to be a pain, but… (or a pain in the butt -what Ev)
Well, here’s the gig. I get these yammy shammy emails asking me all kinds of questions and then you know, forward it to someone else – delete your answers then add theirs, yadda yadda..(You Know Who You Are, and I really do love them, STOP it, I mean, it GAH!) Most are the same questions, all very “cute”.

Yet, I read here and there on the blogs and people don’t write “cute”. There’s some angst out there! They rant, they exclaim - very loudly, about the things that bug them, or the things that get them down, that are unfair, that they would like to blow up with some huge internet bomb. Ka-Boom!
So, if you are so inclined, let’s all do a post on these – I triple dog dare you. Link me up to your comments – pass it around as you lurk and comment (say “pssssst, go to runswithscissorsjackeeg.blogspot.com and take on the Negative Challenge she’s posted about”.) Let’s see what comes of it you ranty ravers.

List Five T.V. shows that you will never watch – no, never.
1. Law and Order SVU or any Law and Order…Is it still on even?
2. The secret life of Zack and Cody.
3. Whatever is on opposite The Mentalist.
4. Divorce Court
5. Re-runs of the Family Guy
Five foods I HATE and refuse to eat.
1. Grits
2. Escargot
3. cooked liver with or without onions
4. oatmeal
5. creamed corn or most “creamed” vegetables
Five places I don’t have any interest in visiting.
1. Graceland
2. Prison
3. Jimmi Hendrix grave
4. Birthplace of Marilyn Monroe
5. Waco, Texas
Five things people at work/in my family do to annoy me.
1. Send me those lists of things to forward on.
2. Send me prayers – and claim I’m a bad person or less of a person for not sending them on.
3. co-workers who will not Own anything.
4. People who look the other way….(turning your head, goof, not looking like an alien)
5. Co-workers who leave the coffee pot on with about a ¼ inch of coffee burning at the bottom so that they don’t have to make another pot.
Five worst gifts you received. (oh, yeah…I did)
1. The Jack La Layne juicer – sorry babe.
2. A bathrobe that my X-mother in law got at a garage sale that had a few holes in it. Eww.
3. Blue Sad face earrings instead of Happy Faced earrings (circa 1969 or 1970)
4. I couldn’t even think of more, I love anything anyone buys me!
5. Oh, yeah, my X mom in law again – she was a re-gifter, and one year I got used pot holders she got the year before. Swear.

EEEEEE – the negative vibes, I feel ‘em! Kind of gets you worked up!
I wonder if I’ll get much of a response or reaction. Interesting. Everyone get on out there and let’s campaign for the “five icky things list”….just to see how it’s done.

Now that we’ve all got that out, let’s relax and smile and have more positive, fun, creative posts! Yippee! Happy Monday!

HO HO HO

2008-12-03T12:38:00.000-08:00

So, My daughter had a post that talks about Christmas Wish List's if you could wish for anything you wanted - cost didn't matter...so, I thought, here goes.

My Wish List, by Jackee G
1. A shiny new car. any make, must have CD player and nice cup holder. God, I'm easy.
2. A class in Digital SLR photography. And then Photoshop.
3. A Cricut thing-a-ma-bob to make my own cut out letters for scrapbooking, and lots of font cartridges.
4. Aruba. nuff said.
5. A personal trainer. It could be Hugh Jackman, just a thought.
6. Black nice leather boots with a 3" inch heel only.

And if cost were not a factor,
7. A new house accross the street and down the road, a ranch with a open concept living room/kitchen/dining room and three bedrooms, two baths, full basement, walk-in closets and a seperart laundry room with a large walk-in pantry.

And beyond all that material stuff...
I wish all my children good health and prosperity in 2009. My brother to secure a better and more steady employment along with better health. My mother to lighten up and enjoy her life, such as it is.

Dog Gone It!

2008-12-02T17:15:00.000-08:00

He's black. He's shiny. He's loyal and sweet.

Did I ever tell you about my Dawg? Maybe I did, but who's gonna read through all those archives? Not me, I dare you.

Anyways. Where was I? Oh, yep, my D A WWWG.

He's swell.

I really was through with pets. We'd just gotten rid of the family cats by dispersing them to the adult children as they moved out. The family dog I'd inherited with the blending of our families had suffered a few years of bad health and was finally laid to rest. (that's a term used when you put them to rest....never again, I just can't do it, I say, NEVER again, my pet will be on a heart and lung machine..)

So, when my husband brought home a stray from work, well, I said, NO, he can stay the night, sleep in the garage and he's going back in the morning. He didn't.

I came home from work, checked the back yard and since it was dark outside, I didn't see him sitting politely on the deck right up to the sliding glass door's dark screen. When I opened the door to get a better look, he came right into the house. Alarmed, I watched as he wagged his tail, but sniffed his way around the house. Sitting myself down gently into the recliner, I laid back, covering my legs with a warm afghan. He nibbled at the edge of the coverlet, and I yelled, "Hey stop it". He dropped to the ground, laid right by my feet. Sh*t, he's trained, I thought, I'm doomed. I thought about it, and kept glancing at him. He just laid there sweetly, waiting. My husband came home a little later, and when he opened the door, surprised to see the dog in the house after I'd created such a fuss, he called, "What's this?".

"His name is Casper, and he's a good boy" I replied.

And he's ours.

That was two years ago. He's spoiled and loved, but he gives us more affection than either of us can handle. He loves all the people that come into our house like long lost friends. He's 70 lbs. of lap dog...loves to snuggle. I took this picture on Thanksgiving of him settled in with us.

Still learning how to use my Wicked Cool birthday camera. Hadn't had the time to watch the DVD that came with it, so I'm winging it. Seems that portraits I take of people are too bright too much light. But the black dog, he came out pretty good. My former camera couldn't take a picture of that black dog for ANYthing. He was a shiny black blob.

Maybe Santa will give me photography lessons. Yeah, with Hugh Jackman as the instructor! In Austraila yet.

sorry, I got carried away. A girl can dream can't she?

Thanksgiving Eve

2008-11-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

(Folks, I'm having a blog entry today not because I have tons of interesting things to say, but because I can't stand the guilt any more- I've been neglecting my blog and my husbands new found fascination with an old computer game has made it crazy for me to get on my PC at home, so I rest)

Ahhhhh, a short work week, a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, sales ads and slashed down prices on merchandise- WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE?

I'll tell ya. I went to two stores looking for Jello Instant Pumpkin Spice (special edition) pudding and couldn't find it, but that's not the issue. I was out and about on Thanksgiving Eve in a shopping nightmare, standing in a long line that wrapped around the frozen food section so that my knuckles turned blue. While I stood there of course I spied with my little eye all sorts of characters. But the one that stood out to me, was not one but several over 30 close to 50 years of age guys, all who had a long scraggly pony tail hanging down it's back. SEVERAL men, some balding, some whose hair had long ago been brown or black but is now dashed with a dirty gray walked by me. Some were unkempt, and the lack of personal hygiene is the very reason for the long pony tail of hair probably fastened with the rubber band off a bunch of green onions or his newspaper. One was all dressed up, with a nice fitted brown leather jacket and polished shoes and A Pony Tail. (probably a pinkie ring too, I didn't glance that way)

Is it me? Do they know that the 60's have ended and the 70's but a blur? Where is Clinton and Stacy for men? (TLC's what not to wear) I really don't want to see long hair on guys anymore. In fact, if you see Crystal Gayle - she'd better cut her hair now too. She's too old to have that mangy mane.

I am thankful for many things this holiday. Thankful for my hair of course, all conditioned, styled and healthy. Thankful for my family and friends and good health and the prosperity that I do have (as so many are facing financial difficulties at this time) I hope that all of you have a pleasant thanksgiving, and if any of you have unsightly ponytails, please give it a second thought PEOPLE!

P.S. I hope to keep up better with my blog in the future - hint hint Dan, cut me a break and let me get some www time!

Embracing the Ordinary

2008-11-16T08:28:00.000-08:00

It's a fine gray cold Sunday morning. I visited my husband's church yesterday, (we are of two different faith's) so I felt like ditching attendance at my own church this morning in favor of breakfast and reading the paper.

The paper has been skimmed through, I logged on to the big www to read my favorite blogs and blog hop, one of my favorite past times, although one I seldom have time for anymore. Time and energy eludes me anymore, don't know how, just does.

Blogworld is a large variety of differences and sometimes a large variety of commonality (all those "mommy blogs" whew!) I read some, and then click on their blog roll and hop around.
Leaning back in my large comfy leather office chair ( a sweet purchase for my husband on our anniversary - we love it!) I sip my comforting coffee, glance at the gloomy sky as it appears over my backyard and enjoy the moment. No phones, no work, no conversation. I hop up and pour some 2% milk over a fibrous cereal with raisins. Each crispy sweet scoop combined with milk is blissfully enjoyed as it slides down my throat. HOLD THE PHONE JETHRO - this is ordinary stuff here. The newspaper, the lazy morning, the cereal, coffee and the view. And yet it seems bliss?

Maybe that is why I enjoy blogging so much, maybe that is why I love to skip hop onto the next cleverly named blog and eavesdrop into the live of another, there are so many people in flux, with comprehensive challenges that in comparison to the bland makings of my morning, seem even more challenging and more a whirl.

My life is boring now, so much more than the years when I was raising a family. But this ease in challenges has it's own flux and madness. Today's just not one of 'em. And this I am grateful for.

Today, I'm going to revel in the ordinary, embrace it's clean lines and lack of sorrow. I've read many blogs of sorrow, of joblessness, lack of direction, of confusion and anger, (lots of anger out there, no surprise, y'all do know that anger is a precursor to depression right???? Deal with anger, and your life becomes a tad more manageable.) Lot's of blogs with mommy ideals, consumed in perhaps the greatest single most important "job" a person ever has. Parenthood. It does consume you - but should not define you. Take that one apart and envelope it you mommy newbies. These small wonders that have been entrusted to you are yours only to mold and teach. Then if you've done that right, they are ready to be on their own (which does not include even a string like "cord" connecting them to you in their adult years) Hard one that one.

The wind is kicking up a cold front here making the warmth of the coffee mug more inviting with each sip. My toes are cold so the blog entry has a time limit.

I'm going to enjoy my ordinary day today. My daughter and I will trot ourselves into the retail world to plot our holiday purchases and enjoy each other's company. Then perhaps I'll make a pot of soup or chicken and noodles for my husband and I. Tuck in for some rest and Sunday T.V before the busy week begins. Extraordinarily ordinary huh?

Beasts Among Us

2008-11-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

Thursday’s not Friday, but it’s tempting to “take a break” what with all the excitement of the election this week and all.

I’m finding myself stumped for blog topics lately (you there, the new ones reading this blog – DO not look away now, you’ve only just come aboard! Chicken!) so you may find strange topics on here for awhile. I hope you'll sit back and just go with the flow.

Drove to work this early morning (6:30 ish) right into the face of the rising sun. Since the change from Daylight Savings Time to regular Central Standard Time, it gets light earlier and gets dark in the late afternoon, just as I’m arriving home. Crap, always feels like I should be ready for bed.

Anyways, I drive through a rural area until I get to the highway, and it’s pretty obvious that Autumn is in full swing, the dappling of sunlight hitting the falling leaves and the bare branches show that the wooded areas are losing their density due to the barren sticks poking out of the tree trunks. BAM! There in front of me is the perky white tailed ass of a full grown deer, darting across the road into the brush of the field to my left. It left behind a few young startled deer faces to my right side of the road. I stop, I wait. They look at me, barely blinking (possibly to see if I’m locked and loaded – it IS hunting season I’m told) and they are stunning.

Really, think about it. These beasties, large, lithe, live among us and unless they are nibbling at your garden or dead on the side of the road, they are fairly hidden. In this day and age it amazes me. I hike once in a while, I walk through the woods and I rarely see a Deer duplex created in the thicket. I travel those rural roads and mostly I see a carcass or two of careless deer who didn’t make it to the other side. It always makes me sad a bit, these large animals forced out of their surroundings by man. (yeah, and woman too I guess) But really now, they are pretty resilient creatures. They. Live. Among. Us. Think about it, they are living in any weeded thicket of trees in your area right now, sleeping curled up in the day, coming out to forage in the early evening and morning light. And they are a good size to hide! Ask anyone whose Toyota front end met with the future venison stew one dark night. They are almost too big not to see! It amazes me. I can understand that raccoons and opossums and skunks are living among us in those woodsy areas. They are small and can tuck inside a fallen log (Walt Disney has clouded my thinking) and set up house. But these deer, these large animals adapt to surroundings that are very people populated with islands of trees to shelter them. They pop out, and an unsuspecting Volvo wipes them out, but really you rarely know that they are there. Saddens me to see such road kill this time of year, and hey, since I was talking about Christmas yesterday, it's almost as if Rudolph is meeting his maker. (I know, I know deer and reindeer are two different species - who are YOU, Jack Hannah?)

Enough of Wild Kingdom, it’s a Thinkin Thursday and those were my thoughts.

Seasons Greetings

2008-11-05T15:42:00.000-08:00

Ok, we've ate most of the Halloween candy, the rotting pumpkin is tossed in the compost pile or garbage can and we've elected another president. What's next? Come on, you KNOW...

50 more days until Christmas!

Let the hoo ha begin! The shopping, the expectations, the thrill of gift preparation and the agony of defeat!
I have always had this mental expectation that Christmas this year was going to be about the warmth of family gatherings. We'll gather around the Christmas tree, warm in our red and green sweaters with the glow of the firelight behind us. Soft seasonal tunes playing as background music our tummies full from home baked goodies, we'll reminisce about days gone by and how wonderfully funny they were. Maybe we'll be glancing at the photo album. Everyone will be tired at nights end and retreat back to their homes with warm thoughts of love for all of the family members and yet another wonderful year behind us. Cozy, Merry, a Christmas video in the making.

Isn't that how your holidays go? Or not?

I remember staying up late, cursing the folded paper directions on how to assemble the Castle Grayskull and the Barbie mini van. It was late, I was tired and the children were nestled, all snug in their beds - with visions of sugar plumbs...no wait, I can't bear to rip off that holiday poem, that seems sacrilege.
Listen folks, it's just not happening the way I'd always dreamed it to be. My kids grown, my family "blended"...I still try to perfect the magic Christmas scene I've always wanted. If I could have it my way, we'd all be wearing matching tams on our heads while eating gingerbread men. We'd be the final scene from The Grinch Stole Christmas!

I shop til I drop to buy gifts that perfectly suit each individuals needs or wish list. I knock myself out cooking and preparing for the big feast. I try too hard, I know...but I just want everyone to have the holiday that they dream of. I just don't think anyone enjoys it that much. Or my expectations are too high - the more likely matter. I just wish for the picture perfect Christmas celebration of love and family. Instead my mom will buck coming over, as there are "too many people," and she feels she is "in the way", she doesn't like most of the gifts anyone buys for her, unless they are specifically ordered by her. No surprises there. I wish it were so different, I wish she would come and enjoy the family.

I think all the kids at the Brady Family Christmas, like the gluttony of gifts I shop for, wrap up and shove in their faces, so excited I am...but it's hard to tell. Sometimes, I think they'd prefer gift cards or cold hard cash. I just can't seem to do it, I like the shopping and the surprises. There is no gushing of sentiment - it all seems so very lack luster. So while I sit here and type, I think of my extended family, whose company I would enjoy, my eldest brother, Joe who lives in Portland, Oregon. (Hi Joe, wave wave) - hell, I haven't spent a Christmas with Joe since 1981. We don't even celebrate the holiday on the HOLIDAY - we celebrate it close to the holiday, so that all can attend, and not have to dash off and attend another family celebration.

My point? I have 50 days to lower my expectations, not to gear up for my own "needs" of crippled family emotions spewing forth (that may never happen). To purchase gifts that I know will be appreciated, and to simply enjoy what is...whatever that may be. Think I can do that? Stay tuned.
I do love the holidays. I don't want to make it sound like I don't. Like it's a bother, because it's not. I guess it's my own feelings of wanting everyone and everything to be perfect and enjoyable and it seems lacking in some way so I feel like a failure.

I won't let it happen this year. This year, I'll enjoy the moment - whatever it brings. 50 days from now? Yikes!

Proud To B A Voter But....

2008-11-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

Didja vote today?
Didja get up early stand in line, think it was "no fair" that someone voted last Friday afternoon or last Saturday, while they sipped a Mocha Latte and read the newspaper, and hey.....is anyone watching the counting of those early votes?
I ask this because while I was standing in the long line at the local school, my To Go coffee mug chillin in my car, the line was long, and wrapped around the building, the official poll workers stopped the voting to "log the tremendous amount of absentee ballots they just received". We waited, but no one knew where the heck these absentee ballots were hiding at say, 6:00 a.m. or say, YESTERDAY.
Still I'm happy to vote, to do my civic duty, for the honor all our foremothers fought for.

But perhaps in 2012, can we cast our ballot on line?

Halloween - Office Style

2008-10-29T15:50:00.000-07:00

How cool is it that Halloween is on a Friday night this year?
Remember when you were a kid, all dressed up, usually too hot or too cold depending on the weather and your costume? Crashing from a sugar coma at around 9:30 p.m., clutching your "better" candy bars to keep them away from your siblings or your mother?

I love Halloween.

I loved it more as a young mom, with the toddlers or the school aged kids all excited, dressed up and ready to trick or treat, my biggest worry was who was going to hand out candy at our house while I walked around the block with the kids.

We used to decorate our house big time. Started out small, with some cardboard skeleton and Frankenstein figures I used to tape to the door in the kitchen. My small children excited by the decor, but scared to go into the kitchen after dinner, because "Skelly or Frankie" would get them. Ah, those were the days. As my kids grew, so did the decorations. We carved pumpkins, natch, but one year we used 2" thick Styrofoam insulation sheets to create life-sized tombstones and made a really cool graveyard in our front yard - Complete with piled leaves to appear as if someone was buried fresh under the mound. We re-used it, year after year, and come one hallowed night, years later, my teen-aged son and a friend hid under the leaves jumping out to scare the smaller kids right out of the yard. Booooo! More candy for us.

Now, without the kids I have a hard time getting into the fun. But I try, oh, yes I have. The first year, sans kids at home, I really decorated the outside of our new home. Had skulls placed over our landscape lights and my husband created a large spider's web over the front porch. Rats lined up on our railing, and I got some dry ice from our lab at work and made a "brew" in a black cauldron on the front porch. When trick or treating began, I played this Halloween tape of scary sounds (complete with a woman moaning, but we won't get into that...) The kids in our neighborhood were too young to enjoy it, too scared to approach the porch for the huge bowls of candy I had bought to pass out. I gained ten pounds eating that candy.

Now this year, I'm too tired from working and getting caught up from my trip to even decorate. My co-workers are planning a pot luck luncheon and planning on dressing up for the day at the medical center. I hadn't planned on it this year. I've been taunted by them all week. The staff knows what a ghoul I usually am, planning my costume, decorating the office. I'm too pooped. Finally today, I decided to go to the local store to see what I could find to make a last minute costume, and to participate even marginally.

I walked out with a tiny bag - and a terrific idea. This is what I bought. I normally wear a suit to work. This year, I'll be a man. Perfect.
Hope I can still snag a Three Musketeers Bar or two.

I Heart you Blog Buddies, Come Back, Come Back...

2008-10-26T08:57:00.000-07:00

I'm Baack! Did you all miss me? (note to self: ask others to guest post on blog while you are gone next time...come on, you have friends in blog places, it'll be fun)

Well, I'm home from said business trip to Orlando. I've been so busy and so tired trying to catch up that I've not had time to stop and share a thought or two on my lonely blog.
First things first.

Hey! What happened to the trees in Northwest Indiana? While I was gone a measley week, all the leaves turned, and some trees are already bare now. Too fast, and today, I might add, I'll need a winter coat!

Second. Orlando is still hot and muggy in August. Screw Disney World, give me an air conditioned room anywhere! It's not the state, nor time of year for menopausal women in a 60% polyester suit. Whoo boy, got some major meltdown there! I had to attend a briefing on proper Disney protocol (taken from excerpts of Disney University - it's what's known as an in-service type of class that all Disney workers attend to teach them the "Disney speak" and other customer service related skills ) Such as calling employees "cast members", and the areas that guests can see are "on stage" but those they cannot see are "back stage", etc.

Now, I'm back to work, my own work piled high on my desk, a new employee to train, full swing into cold/flu season. I'm declared Biz-zee until Christmas.

I missed you all too - so my post will be brief, so I might read what others are up to. Promise I'll write more soon.

Fun Fact Friday - TGIF edition

2008-10-10T13:48:00.001-07:00

Ta Ta for now folks, soon I'm off to Orlando for a work related va-ca to Disney for my company's newest edition to the Health and Wellness arena. It's not a total vacation. It's work related. I wish I had thought to arrange guest bloggers for you, my dear readers - but I've been so very very busy lately that I've not had time to read much less type away myself.

So, that's the only fact.

I'm glad it's Friday-take care, be well and see you soon as I return on the 20th! ( I know, I know, I'll have lost all my readers by then, but you are all true blue, right?)

Itchy and bitchy

2008-10-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

See those lovely falling leaves we caught below? We then pressed them into wax paper in a book with blank pages that the Little Miss is going to use to display her "leaf collection". We had so much fun on that quiet Sunday afternoon.

Now I'm itching. And bitching. I can't sleep, my neck and forehead and face has blotchy swollen patches.

It's the poison ivy itch. And it's spreading.

It's why I named the blog "Runs with scissors". If I could trip I would, and my granddaughter luckily has escaped the doomed rash.
Sorry, I better go disinfect my keyboard and you ad better too!

Mix of Summer and Fall

2008-10-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend past, I spent the day with my six year old buddy, my granddaughter the Little Miss. She and I share alot of common interests, which makes spending our moments together great fun. Of course, she probably just likes some "gramma time", and those common interests are six year old fun no matter WHO she's spending the time with. But anyway, we took what we like to call an adventure. That's where we take a lunch and go to a nearby park and hike, take photos and just adventure around.

This time, I gave her my old digital camera to use, and I was able to mess with my new one. (Did I mention that I want to marry my new camera?)

Pause for an ode to camera.

So, here are just a few, a pictorial review of the first of many fall days. We dodged both mosquitos and the falling Sugar Maple leaves.

The Old Mill, present in the park where most of our "adventures" take place.

My little photographer, zooming in on flora that caught her eye. Notice happy meal box in the background, yeah, that was lunch, we were not littering, just using the box for our leaf collection.

I was playing with some light, in the darkness under a gazebo.

We gathered some leaves, ones that caught her eye, and pressed them between waxed paper when we got back home. Won't these photo's be a nice addition to her leaf collection and memory book? I know they were a great addition to mine!

Catch UP

2008-09-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

Isn't if odd that you can be away from home/office for only 3 or 4 days and the work PILES up?

I've been out of town on business for a few days, flying home late Saturday evening. The weekend before that was my birthday celebration (s) {Thank you family, thank you church ladies-remind me that tequila will te-kill you. Each.and.every.time}
I'm so very behind with work and chores from home so if you stop by this here blog expecting my jovial old self. Sorry. Just know that I'm mopping floors, doing laundry etc.

The weather is turning colder the leaves are ready to turn and soon I'll be stuck to my PC like glue looking for something to do, something to inspire me, as you all do. OH, and I'll be snapping pictures with my long lusted after digital camera (Nikon D40) that my family purchased so that I might commence to memory every.odd.detail.of.our.lives.

Promise, next post will be some snaps I took this weekend with the Little Miss.

Fun Fact Friday-The Birthday Edition

2008-09-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

*24 short hours and I will enter into a new decade. I’m searching for a damn snappy title. Like a theme-the Decade of Song, The Decade of Laughter, The Decade of Anti-Wrinkle Cream, The Decade I Host My Own TV Talk Show, The Decade of Cheap Wine and Beer Farts. Which one do you think will win?

*Today the lovely staff of the entire medical center dressed in black-mourning for my lost and misspent youth I imagine. They also featured a surprise Mexican menu buffet. It was really supah.

*I still have not received my crown/tiara.

*I ate more than 1200 calories for lunch ONLY. I guess that means Sugar Free gum and water for dinner tonight!

Subtitle: Little known Facts from the First 50 years.

*I was hit by a car while crossing the street to school one morning when I was in 2nd grade. I was rushed to the ER, where I hadn’t suffered any serious injury and my cool older brother (4th grade) used this opportunity to tell all that were concerned that I had several broken bones and perhaps a near death experience. Cool way to turn a situation around Joe! My class made me Valentines that started out to say “Dear Jacquelyn, Sorry to hear you are almost dead.” I saved them for years, they were great.

*I was quite the entrepreneur growing up. My BFF and I often tried to sell different homemade projects to raise money for an often coveted item. We sold coffee cans of freshly pulled grass to feed to the pony in the pasture behind my house. (Clue: not a very successful money maker) One of my favorites, was when we dug through the trash, finding all kinds of glass bottles, (ie: shampoo bottles, salad dressing etc.) and soaked off the labels, filled them with food coloring and water and RESOLD them to our loved ones and neighbors. Hence we are both still gainfully employed with retirement far on the horizon.

*Most of my childhood and adult life, I have always had long or shoulder length hair. Once, the summer before 5th grade, I got it chopped off , much lik the very style I wear now (look over at the picture in the sidebar) I seriously thought I was sassy and sexy with this sleek new do. Until my dentist appointment, the doof Dr. thought I was my older brother! Um, started growing it out from that moment and until my early 40’s wore it shoulder length or longer. Could have been the lack of boobies. Still waiting for those to grow in.

That’s enough random crap about my first 50 years so far…notice I left out my single years/my teen years/LAST YEAR! HA!!!!

Crown Me!

2008-09-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

WANTED: Crown and Sceptor (new or slightly used) for use at 50th Birthday Celebration.

So, If I have to turn 50 years old on Saturday - Do you think that this is too much to wear during dinner with my family? After all, I plan to be the Queen of Middle Age!

Doughnut Distress

2008-09-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

It was still dark in the kitchen when I came down the stairs, packed my lunch and prepared my coffee to go cup and all of a sudden my early morning eyes spied: a flat box of almost fresh doughnuts. (heavy organ music, dunt, dunt, dunnnnnnn)
Almost fresh because they were purchased at a bakery late last evening by my lady friend who asked me how would I like to celebrate my birthday. (I replied sitting with a tiara on my head, a bottle of tequila on my lap eating doughnuts from a box) So, they bought me an assortment of bakery doughnuts, a bottle of tequila and we celebrated.

But this morning, the lure of the doughnut remains is strong. I had one. (one the size of TEXAS) Then I triumphantly packed up the gooey remains and brought them into work, setting them in our staff lounge to taunt others.

And they are doing a fine job.

Seems I’ve gained a few pounds my readers. I knew it. I didn’t want to face it, who does? My shirts and suit jackets were becoming snug so I got on the damn scale.

It’s starting to piss me off. Gaining weight, sweating like a naked steam room guy all night long, chin hair - I BLAME this being 50 thing! (aging what a hoot!) But since I can’t turn back the hands of time , nor can I continue to be only photographed from the neck up(only in my mug shot) I will not, I repeat not wear a size 14 when I turn 60, I guess I better get serious about this diet and exercise thing. I think I’m just talking/typing aloud today in this blog because real life is a series of pieces that are not all that interesting nor fun. All’s I got is three or four closets of clothes that are now approaching snug.

New leaf. Starting today. Back to 1200 calories a day. If you don’t hear from me it’s because I’ve snacked on my mouse or keyboard. Come to think of it, my mouse pad does look good!

As The Channel Turns

2008-09-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

I’m Baaack…did you guys miss me while I was gone? I’ve been a little under the weather it’s true. Started last Saturday with the sore throat and sniffles, and wiped me out on Sunday with fever, body aches and full blown head cold. Today being Thursday, I’m on the road to a mucous free life and whoa…I get slammed with a migraine. (Did I mention it being the MOTHER of migraines?) I thought my dark migraine history was over or at least stunted by my onset of menopause or OLD AGE, but I was proven wrong today.

While I was laid up in my Lazy Boy, complete with sweat pants, comfy blankie and a Nyquil buzz I spent the afternoon channel surfing. Moving my thumb over the remote’s channel button took up all the energy that my aching body could exude, and I was basically disappointed with the weekends television picks. I normally love bad T.V. There, I’ve said it. I can be judgy, I can opinionate myself into oblivion with bad T.V. It doesn’t move me to get up and dance, exercise, clean/organize my home, cook or makeover my kitchen or girlfriends. I got stuck watching Jon and Kate and their brood of energy packed cuteness, flipping the channel back and forth, forth and back between A Crime Story. Note to self: Never let home decor become so out dated, so drab and messy that I might actually be
A. Driven to murder
B. Suspected of murder
C. Be murdered.
Seriously, have you ever noticed in a crime scene photo, everything is so messy, the furnishings so outdated, pillows don’t match, beds are unmade, dishes are strewn everywhere, it’s a sign of mur-der. Red rum, red rum, red rum. I always knew there was a reason to keep a tidy house, but couldn’t put my finger on it. Looks better in crime scene photos.

Ok, after my fifth consecutive CSI episode, I flipped over to TLC, expecting Kate and her sassiness or Clinton and Stacey to show me the fashion “don’ts”, but no way, I got a newer show. It’s Kids by the Dozen, featuring the Winter family.

Drawn out of my snot filled coma of antihistamines, my eyes wide with reality disbelief, this family has 11 or so kids, their family is supported by dad who is a musician and mom runs a daycare inside of their home. In reality show fashion, each character tells an unseen camera person their “take” on the situation. The mom, tells why they are all dressed so weirdly. (think cult style Little House on the Prairie meets Amish) She tells, “we started to dress plain a few years ago, we live near an Amish community and we just like the plain way of life”. She tells this, as she’s using a curling iron to curl her hair. It’s not like they were going to BE Amish, they just like to dress like them. Weird, not the eleven kid part, because that was joyful and entertaining, but the kinda-dressing-Amish these-days-attitude. I was glad to be well, back to work and DANG, I’m waiting for that new fall season!

Have you seen the trailers for the new show with Simon Baker called the Mentalist? OOOHHH baby, he’s on my list! Something has to replace the now cancelled vampire hotness that was Moonlight. That guy was HOT. Seems like I just start developing a crush and they cancel the series. Hope that isn’t an automatic cancel now that I’ve voiced my desire to watch the Mentalist. (check it out!) Enough of my t.v. ramblings, seriously, I ‘d like to hear about the garbage that you’ve become entranced by.