Some days I have a really twisted sense of humor. I think it's always present, lurking under the surface. That is why this Dilbert cartoon remains under my desk pad as another personal favorite. ;)
This second mug is for the days when I'm feeling excruciatingly sarcastic (like today) and I want to show it. ;)
I decided to treat myself to a couple of new mugs for drinking my coffee at work. They are actually way too big for the little amount of coffee I drink. However, the sayings are just so perfect, I had to get them. The first one one is my way of saying, "Don't mess with me, I hold the scepter of power and I'm wielding it with abandon!" ;)
Here's the first one.
I can't say that anything super exciting transpired this weekend. I mean, I could say it, but then it would be stretching the truth.
Friday night we stayed home and did nothing. Saturday I worked at our shop for a little while. I had brought Taz with me, and he and Jo played all morning. Around noon I started feeling kind of weak and dizzy. I'm not sure if the humidity was a factor, because Jo started feeling crummy, too. He's usually a ball of non stop energy, so I think the weather was the issue.
I ended up falling asleep on a couch we have in the storage area of our shop. After about an hour of that, since Rob was already there and working, I got up, gathered up Taz and went home. Jo wanted to stay at the shop with his dad. Josh and Jess were both at their weekend jobs, so I was flying solo. I got home, gave the dogs some treats I had bought them, made sure all the animals in our "zoo" had water and food, then went to sleep on the couch. I didn't wake up until the family got home at six!
Turns out, after I left the shop, Jo laid down on the couch and slept for the rest of the day. How rare for both of us to be so exhausted.
It was good that I slept, because we had plans to go to the drive in Saturday night. My friend, Sheila, her family, a friend of hers, and her friend's family, were all going as well. We only stayed for the first movie, "Pirates 2," because we had already seen the second movie, which was "Cars." I am really glad that I got so much sleep, because I was fighting the urge to shut my eyes through the whole beginning of "Pirates 2." This was the same problem I had on the first movie. Everyone raved on and on about how great it was, but I fell asleep every time I tried to watch it. That doesn't happen to me if I am "into" a movie. I think they must start out kind of slow. I forced myself to stay awake, and I ended up being glad I did.
I've not been a Johnny Depp fan in the past, but that is slowly changing. I like his look as he's gotten older. The dark, edgy look he's developed works for him. I think I really started liking him after seeing him in "Secret Window." Even Jess thinks he's handsome, and she's just a teenager.
Okay, enough of that.
Sunday was Rob's birthday. He insisted on working the shop, so I took him lunch....Chinese. We decided to have dinner later this week in celebration of his birthday. He was really tired after working all day. So we had a basic dinner, with strawberry cake and ice cream for dessert. Jess got him socks, Josh got him t-shirts, I got him memory foam slippers. The other plans I had for him (which was to buy him a dvd/vcr combo) I put aside at his request. What he really wants is to go to a convention this coming Saturday. So I decided that I would put the money I would have spent on the combo toward his trip. Plus, I'll work the shop the whole day so he can be free to go.
Birthdays are a big deal for me. I couldn't help feeling like I didn't do enough for him. As much as he does for me, I always feel like I am falling short. He insists that isn't true, so I hope that's how he really feels. He claims birthday celebrations are a bigger thing for me than they are for him. Is it a woman thing? I don't know.
Anyway, I picked up my shelf for my scrapbooks yesterday. It's really nice. I just need to carve out some time this week to stain it.
That's about as much as I can think of this morning. What's new in your world? Anything exciting to share?
Until later, have a good Monday...if there is such a thing. :)
Well, it is Friday. I made it through the week. Are you looking forward to the weekend as much as I am?
Last night after work I did my "Walk Away the Pounds-Walk and Kick" dvd...a Leslie Sansone workout series. That was a good way to end my day. The exercise melted away the stress of the work day. I went home after my workout and Jess and I took a walk with Taz. From there, I chatted with a neighbor for a few hours. They shared some fresh veggies out of their garden, and at that point, I thanked them and strolled back home.
When I got home, the kids and I ended up goofing off, taking pictures with this "Joe Dirt" wig that Jo had. One of his friends bought it for a Halloween costume, and he gave it to Jo. We put it on Taz and Carlito and subjected the poor pups to the humilation of having their picture taken with it on.
After that we did our animal chores...feeding, watering, cleaning. I think I did one load of dishes and called it a night.
I'm hoping I can get some scrapbooking in this weekend. If I stay on top of the housework through the week, I can usually carve out a few hours on the weekend to get some pages done. Right now I am finishing up my 2nd 12" x 12" friendship album. I have to journal and put protective sleeves on the pages, and I'll be done.
I'm pretty excited, because I met a carpenter whose shop is close to ours. He custom built a shelf for my albums. I pick it up Sunday. My grandfather made my grandmother this type of shelf for her record albums many years ago. The record albums were the same size as my 12" x 12" scrapbooks, so I moved her records and have been using the shelf to store my books. The shelf my granddad made holds about 14 albums, and since I've completed around 30, I needed more shelf space. The shelf I ordered holds about 25 books in total.
The carpenter is an older gentleman who does basic carpentry. I will have to stain the shelf myself, which works out well. Rob bought me a couple of quilt racks for my birthday from the same shop. I can stain all the items at once, and they will be uniform in color. I'm hoping to get the staining done Sunday. I have the brushes and stain, I just need the time.
Well, for my last post of the week, (which I will have to post next because blogger is goofy again), here are Taz and Carlito in cognito as Joe Dirt.
This post wasn't all that entertaining, but sometimes I have to recharge my creativity...hopefully the weekend will help with that.
Have a great last weekend in July!
P.S. Happy, Happy Birthday, Neicy!
Yesterday's post regarding my son, Jo, in church made me think of some funny stuff my kids have said in the past. Generally, if you want a truthful opinion, ask a young child.
Case in point:
I was sitting around one weekend. As per my usual habit, if I don't have anywhere to go, I let myself go. What does that mean? I have to look halfway decent...meaning I have to dress moderately well and do my hair and makeup Monday through Friday for my office job. On the weekends, I turn grunge. At least a little. I shower, but I don't put on makeup...don't style my hair, just let it air dry. I brush my teeth, but sometimes I'm so lazy I don't shave my legs. If I've got a free weekend, I spend it at home doing housework. Why would I care about anyone seeing my legs? I usually don't wear shorts...heck, sometimes I slouch around in a robe and slippers if I'm really feeling lazy. Though I haven't had the privelage of doing that in a while.
Anyway, one weekend Rob suggested we all go out to eat. I was wearing shorts, but I hadn't shaved my legs in a couple of days. I was trying to determine this: if I went out just the way I was, would my leg stubble be obvious, or could I get away with it? Should I got put on jeans? It was puzzling to me. (I told you I am vain!)
So, that's when I decided to enlist the opinion of my children. That was my first mistake. My second mistake was being extremely vague about the phrasing of the question.
So, I asked, "Hey kids, do you notice anything wrong with my legs?"
Remember what I said about kids being honest in sharing their opinion?
Josh and Jess looked at my legs. They seemed to be taking the question relatively seriously. A few moments passed. I don't remember who spoke first, but basically, this was how the rest of the conversation went:
"Hmmm...let's see....you have a lot of scars on your one knee."
"Yeah, she does! Wait, she also has a big freckle on the side of her leg."
"Maybe it's a mole. It might be a mole."
"And Mom, your legs are really pale. Don't you ever get out in the sun? Your arms are really tan, so it makes your legs look extra pale."
"The lower half of your legs are skinny, but your top legs are jiggly. I wouldn't say fat, really, they just jiggle when you walk."
I stared at these two small people that I brought in to the world. By then, my mouth was gaping open.
"Okay! Okay! Gosh! What I mean is: ARE MY LEGS HAIRY?!?!" I was flabbergasted.
They both paused and looked again.
"Nope." was their mutual concensus.
I went back in and put pants on, anyway. After that critique, I thought maybe long pants would be a better idea from then on. Why subject the general public to the frightening view that I formerly thought of as two normal looking legs? :)
More stories to follow.
Hope you're having a good "leg" day. :)
Here's a few short stories...embarrassing but don't take long to tell.
It was 1999 and I had lost weight. I was down to just under my goal weight, and was loving it. I had went out thrift store brousing and bought clothes, but I drew the line at buying my slips and such there. Until I could afford new ones, I was making due with my old, rather loose slips. Though I'd only lost a couple of dress sizes, they were in no way form fitting. But I thought, "Who cares? Who's going to see them?"
On that note I went to Sam's Club, to shop for groceries with Rob. We were walking down a very busy aisle, and I was pushing the cart. The wheel of the cart got caught on something, so I jiggled the cart and went on. A few minutes later, I felt like I was tripping on something, so I looked down at my feet. Around my ankles was my slip. I looked up. Rob was walking right beside me and hadn't noticed a thing. I looked down the aisle and saw a man and his wife staring at me. With as much composure as I could muster, I stepped out of the slip, hooked it with one of my toes, and very quietly dropped it in the trash can at the end of the aisle. I kept on going.
This story again proves that MY HUSBAND NEVER REALLY LOOKS AT ME! ;)
My second short story for the day:
We were in church, and at that time, we went to a very large church. My baby, Jo, was about two at the time. He wasn't fond of going the nursery, so we always sat in the back of the church. He was in the middle of potty training, and a back row seat insured a quick exit if needed.
During the singing, he indicated to Rob and I that he had to "go potty". Rob decided to take him, and I stayed behind, singing away. By the time they got back, it was prayer time. All was quiet in the huge church.
I looked over at the two, walking back to our seats, when all of a sudden, Jo started running to me, excited and very animated. In a voice that was just under a yell, he exclaimed, "MOMMY! I PEED!"
The entire church turned around and started cracking up laughing. Suddenly the back row didn't seem quite obscure enough for me. :)
That's it for today. I won't stop writing until I don't have an ounce of pride left inside me. HAHA! Who am I kidding? I lost all of my pride years ago! :)
I'm awake, but just barely. Rob and I have been ride sharing in order to save on gas. This means I have to get up two hours earlier. Yesterday, gas prices were at $3.09 a gallon everywhere in town, so we figure if we take one vehicle, it's saving half off our gas! Woo-hoo! Way to stick it to the gas company! I'm sure the profits they'll be losing by us carpooling will send them into bankruptcy immediately! (I may be more sarcastic when I'm tired than I thought.)
There's by a lot of work to do around here, so I actually like getting to work before everyone comes in for the day. I can focus better when it's quiet. However, I may have to prop my eyelids open pretty soon. They seem to have a mind of their own. Must get more coffee....
We've been wanting to get a female guinea pig, and yesterday after work I took the plunge. I went over to a pet store in a neighboring town, and bought a female. In the town where our toy shop is there are no pet stores at all. It's a pretty big town, and it has a Super Walmart. Yet they only sell fish. A person would have to travel over an hour from there to buy a guinea pig.
So, we've decided to breed the guineas and sell the babies. I've been thinking about doing this for a long time, but just didn't motivate to do it. We've had people ask us in our shop if we knew anyplace nearby that sold guinea pigs. So we figured out that, indeed, no one did. In fact, the one pet store that is closer to my job sells them for $36 each. I think it's outrageous. I figure at $15, we could sell them and the kids could have a lovely pet without being overcharged. I'm getting an informational pamphlet made up on how to take care of them. I figure I'll include a little packet of food and instructions with the babies. The only hard part about the whole thing is parting with the babies. They are adorable. Also, I've heard it said that some people buy guinea pigs as large snake food. I think I'll have to post a sign that states "if you're buying this for snake food, I don't want to know." Hopefully, they'll stick to rats and mice. They're cheaper.
Anyway, the guinea pig I got yesterday is already pregnant. The clerk didn't know it, but I can tell by the bulges on both of her sides. I'd say she has about another week or two before she delivers. I've actually seen a guinea pig have her babies at one point. They are very loving, nurturing mommas. They will nurse their babies until the babies are too big to handle. I would always seperate the baby males from the mother and sisters because it isn't long after a baby is weaned that it becomes sexually mature. They multiply fast if you aren't careful. We always gave our babies to our nieces and nephews and friend's kids, etc. They truly are a good pet to have even if space is an issue.
Okay, that's that. Jo asked to name our new girl, so he named her Lilly. I think it was cute. When I asked him why he chose Lilly as her name, he said that in his classroom, they had a lizard named Lilly. So, Lilly it is.
Lilly is an albino guinea. I've never actually seen an albino guinea pig, and I thought she was cool. So, when I post a picture of her, there is no way to remove the red eye. Her eyes are just appear to be red. I'm hoping that one or more of her babies take after her.
That's that. I have to get to work, and I have to get some more coffee before I fall asleep sitting up.
Have a good day, all!
Bentley is just your average guinea pig...nothing terribly unusual about him. Cute features he has are: a little "rosette" on the top of his head that makes him look like he has bedhead, plus the fact that he has one black foot, one white foot, one brown foot and one foot with all four colors. Jess made a good choice. :)I had a pretty good weekend. Hope you did, too.
Saturday night we went to the drive in and saw "Cars" and "Click." Both movies were excellent. We seldom stay for both movies these days, but we felt these two warranted staying up for. We didn't get home until almost 3 a.m., so I was tired Sunday. I really didn't sleep late Sunday, as I had a lot of house work to catch up on.
Last night Jess got a boy guinea pig, which she named after a county singer that she likes named Dirks Bentley. She, thankfully, chose the "Bentley" part. Jess has changed a lot since we moved from the city out into the middle of nowhere. All of a sudden she went from liking pop and hiphop/R&B to liking country music. Even Josh knows some country tunes now.
This turn of events has robbed us of one of our prime parenting tools. When the kids would argue in the back seat of the car, Rob would turn to a country music station and make sure that the music went to the speakers in the back. This would torture the kids so much that they would quiet down rather than be subjected to one minute of such music.
The last time Rob attempted this, he turned to the station with his usual glee, and Jess yelled from the backseat, "Rascal Flatts! Rascal Flatts! That's their new song! Don't turn it!"
Rob glanced at me accusingly and muttered, "This is your fault. If you hadn't drug us all out into the country to live, she never would have went over to the dark side."
To this I replied, "Hmmm. I believe you're the one that had "Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits" in your music collection when we first met, not me. Besides, I managed to grow up in the country for eighteen years without becoming a country music fan. She must have just had the gene in her DNA." :)
So, that's the two big events of the weekend. Other than that, I did laundry, cleaned, worked at our shop for a few hours, and cleaned some more.
How was your weekend?
The next post will be a picture of Bentley since he's the latest addition to our family. He's about as sweet as they come. That's a relief, because Sabu, our 1 1/2 year old male guinea pig bites. He doesn't like to be touched or petted. That is something I've never had with guinea pigs. I have had lots of them in my life, and Sabu is my first biter. Thank goodness Bentley is sweet and docile like he should be. :)
By the way, has Blogger been acting up in your world today?
The embarrassment continues....
Story #3
I had just started working at my current job. I had only been here around six months. I was still kind of quiet, learning the ropes, and whenever I talked it was usually about my family or my church. I hadn't emerged from my shell yet. I wanted to prove myself as a good worker, and not make waves. I've been here eight years now, and I'm over the whole "make a good impression" kick.
So, it was winter, and I always wore my favorite coat. It was a full length black leather coat, a good choice to keep the bitterness of Ohio winters at bay. Just like my purse, my coat pockets always seemed to be full of everyone else's junk. Every time I turned around, one of my kids was saying, "Mom, hold this." or "Mom, can you put this in your purse?"
At this particular time, Rob's toy shop was right down the road. We had a lot of kids hanging out at the toy shop. Our kids were always with us on the weekends while we worked the shop, so, naturally, other kids liked to hang around as well. Josh was eight, Jess was seven, and my baby, Jo, had just turned a year old.
One child that visited was around eight or nine, and he had a pair of real locking handcuffs with him. He said that his mom told him he had to get rid of them, so he left them at the shop for Josh to play with. Right away, I knew this was an accident waiting to happen. I could just see Jo putting the keys in his mouth or Josh handcuffing himself to something and losing the key. So, while no one was looking, I picked up the handcuffs and put them in my pocket, intending to throw them away as soon as I could do so without the kids seeing me. I figured, out of sight, out of mind.
Needless to say, as the day wore along, I forgot all about them being there. The weekend came and went, and soon I was back to work on Monday.
The end of the day came, and as we office staff were all gathering in the lobby, ready to leave, I reached in my coat pocket to pull out my keys. Much to my surprise, I didn't pull out keys. I pulled out a set of handcuffs complete with keys.
You could have heard a pin drop. Here I was, Miss Innocent and Quiet Office Worker, wearing a full length black leather coat, fishing handcuffs out of my pocket.
I, in vain, attempted to explain the handcuffs. To this day, I get razzed about it. Talk about shattering my image in 0 to 60. :)
Embarrassing story #2:
My husband is an excellent cook. He's always had a job where he gets home before me, so he's always done the cooking. I have to blame him for part of the weight gain I've experienced over our 15 married- over 16 total years together. He's just extremely creative in the culinary department. And I can personally resist everything except temptation. :) Basically I love anything he prepares and eat it heartily.
One day he made up a pot of his awesome chili. This was prior to my stupid "I can't eat anything with tomatoes in it or my lips swell up" glitch so I had a nice big bowl of chili.
When he makes chili he tops it off with lots of cheese and sour cream. The cheese gets all melty and it is just yummy.
Anyway, I ate and then I had to run some errands. I got up and asked Rob if he needed anything while I was out, and he glanced my way and indicated that he was fine. He didn't need anything, so I headed out.
The first stop on my list was to drop something off at a close acquaintance's home. I knew this couple fairly well, but hadn't known them more than six months. They were people I knew through church contacts.
When I arrived, the wife, Dee, wasn't home, but her daughter and her husband Bill were. I smiled and attempted to make small talk, as I did whenever I saw either of them. Usually Bill and Dee were equally chatty, and we had many great conversations about family, church, whatever.
Right away I noticed that Bill wasn't talkative at all. In fact, he seemed very distracted and distant. Within minutes, he excused himself and said he had a lot of work to do that he needed to get back to.
Puzzled, I dropped off what I needed to, and left. I got in my car, drove down to K-mart, which was my second stop, all the while wondering what had caused Bill to act so strangely.
At this point, I parked and sat in the car in the parking lot. I decided to open the visor mirror and check my appearance before I went in to K-mart. I tend to be rather vain, a quality about myself I'm not real wild about, but in this case, that was a trait that ended up working in my favor. As is my normal routine, I glanced in the mirror, wanting to make sure I looked presentable before going in to the store.
Right away, I was horrified. Hanging off my chin was a piece of cheese. This wasn't a tiny little bit of cheese that was barely noticeable. This string of cheese had to be three inches long and as big around as my pinky finger! When I moved my head, I could feel it pull against the flesh on my chin. I actually had to yank on the cheese to remove it!
I tell you, I was both appalled and relieved! Can you imagine how much worse it had been if I had walked around K-mart with that hanging off my chin? After I gave the whole situation more thought, I bet Bill was totally unsure of how to handle the whole thing. A real close friend would have said, "Uh, what's up with that big piece of something hanging off your chin?" He must have thought I had some sort of weird growth sprouting from my chin. Geez!
One thing became glaringly clear that day. My husband never really looks at me when he talks to me. I have kept that in mind from that day forward.
Okay, that's it for that one. More later.
Am I the only person who sees someone on t.v....a character in a fictional situation...say a sitcom or movie...do something hideously embarrassing (though scripted) and start to squirm because I start to feel uncomfortable for them? Could it be that I do this because of the numerous times I myself have been too embarrassed to show my face for awhile...whether in front of perfect strangers or even worse...coworkers, acquaintances and friends?
Oh, the power of blogging! It's so easy to be oneself...or even better...the altar ego that one wishes they could be...because they aren't face to face with the readers they are talking to. This is one reason I feel free enough to share these tales of embarrassment with the world. I'll share just one or two at a time, to give me something to talk about if my creativity lags. Enjoy a laugh at my expense. I know I will!
embarrassing story #1:
The Dream Book
It was the end of a work day and I was sitting around in the front office, which is my office, talking to my coworker, Bipsy, and two male coworkers. We all started talking about our dreams...if we dream and if so, how often and what kind of dreams we have. We took turns sharing about recurring dreams we've had and our strangest dreams, and so on.
During this conversation, I suddenly remembered that in my drawer was a book I had recently received from a book club that I hadn't even opened yet. It was a book that was supposed to help interpret what dreams meant.
I got the book out and started looking up what my coworkers' dreams indicated. At that point, the book seemed fun and pretty interesting.
Then I remembered a dream I had just a few nights prior to that day. I proceeded to go in to detail about the dream. I had the book closed, and announced that I would look up what the dream meant after I laid out the details of my dream.
In the dream, I explained, I was approaching a house. On the ground were snakes everywhere. There were snakes crawling up my legs and I kept knocking them off. I indicated that I was not afraid of these snakes, I simply knew they were there and I was okay with them. I was only knocking them off because I was trying to make my way to the house, and they were impeding my progress.
I continued by saying that in the dream I knew there was a huge anaconda-like snake in that house that I had to get. Only this snake was like the anacondas in the Hollywood movies, not like the real anacondas found in the wild. It was important to me to get in the house and remove the snake, though I wasn't sure why this was my unspoken mission. I wasn't afraid, just anxious to get the task at hand completed. Finally, I grabbed the huge snake and put it around my neck. The dream ended with me knowing I accomplished my task at hand.
Having outlined the dream sequence, I opened the book and found "snakes" in the index.
I began to read aloud, and though the exact words (or even the name of the book) are unclear, the paragraph read something like this:
"Snakes or a fascination with snakes in a dream indicate that either on a conscious or subconscious level the subject has unfulfilled and pent up sexual energy that needs to be released. Snakes represent sexual passion. A person who dreams of snakes frequently may be working out their intense sexual desires in their dream life."
Needless to say, even in the middle of reading this, I was turning fifteen shades of red. I hesitated to finish, but by then, the poo had already hit the fan. Everyone was cracking up laughing, and I was quickly doing damage control, trying to dismiss the author as a fraud and a phony. This, coming from a woman, who, just minutes before, was claiming that the author was right on target regarding dream interpretation.
Oh boy! More stories to follow.
This story was sent to me via email and I thought it was cute enough to share. Besides that, I'm not feeling especially creative today, so for lack of a better post, I'll rely on the creativity of others.
And so the story goes....
Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.
The question?..."What do women really want?"
Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.
He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.
Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer.
But the price would be high; as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.
The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree to her price first.
The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend!
Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc. He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life.
He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden; but Lancelot, learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the preservation of the Round Table.
Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered Arthur's question thus:
What a woman really wants, she answered...is to be in charge of her own life.
Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that Arthur's life would be spared.
And so it was, the neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom and Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding. The honeymoon hour approached and Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen was before him. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened.
The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth be her horrible deformed self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half.
Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day....or night?
Lancelot pondered the predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch? Or, would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman.
What would YOU do?
Noble Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself.
Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.
Now....what is the moral to this story?
The moral is.....
If you don't let a woman have her own way...
Things are going to get ugly!
A Good Idea:
If you ever get a sunburn, go get this gel that has lidocaine & menthol in it. It is awesome! Ours is put out by Kroger (grocery chain) and it's like $3 for 16 ounces. It's called Aloe Vera Pain Relieving Gel. It's a godsend!
A Bad Idea:
If your arms are too short to reach your back and you need someone to apply this pain relieving gel, do not ask your husband to do it if he has been a factory worker for the last seven years. Factory workers do very hard labor, and this hard labor produces calluses. Calluses may be a manly man thing to have, but they don't feel so good on painfully red sunburned backs.
A Good Idea:
Have your fellow office coworker (for me it was Bispsy) who you trust apply the gel! Office workers usually don't have rough hands since they do office work. They may have the occasional paper cut or hang nail, but calluses: no. (Unless they moonlight on the side detassling corn or something.)
A Bad Idea:
Assume that it's so early in the a.m., that no other office workers have arrived and you can just lift up your shirt and apply the gel right there in the bathroom with the door standing wide open. "Surely no one else will come in this early," you may say to yourself. HA! No, trust me, make sure that you close and lock the bathroom door. People may wonder what the two of you are doing in the bathroom with the door locked, but they won't potentially see an eyefull just passing by.
A Good Idea:
If you take two large zip lock bags and fill them with ice, you can staple them together and make a "cape" to wear on your back that makes your sunburn feel a whole lot better.
A Bad Idea:
Leaving the ice on the exact same spot for an extended period of time can give the sensation of a "cold" burn on top of the sunburn. Do not do this. Really.
Hope those are tips you never need. But just in case....
This survey was on Trish's blog. You can access her blog via my links section. She is a fellow mom and scrapbooker. Thought I'd follow her lead and complete the survey just for the fun of it.
7 people that I admire:
- Jesus
- My grandfather
- Billy Graham
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- My husband
- My friends
- Mrs. "H," my former Sunday School teacher
7 things I say often:
- "Geez!"
- "..And knowing is half the battle..."
- "O......kay..."
- "What's the dealio?"
- "Oh my goodness/gosh!"
- "Right. Right." (When I'm listening, I nod and say that. It's a habit.)
- "Hmmmm...." (Usually muttered under my breath.)
7 things I cannot do:
- swim...but one day I am determined I will
- juggle
- eat fast
- hold a grudge
- be around a person or people that smoke...kicks my asthma in.
- drive a stick shift
- keep my mouth shut when I feel strongly about something
7 things you might not know about me:
- I hate oysters, shrimp, crab, lobsters...mostly all sea food except fish.
- I am a big kid at heart. I don't want to change that.
- I love to laugh and I seek people, t.v. shows, books, movies: whatever- that make me laugh.
- I want to have laser vision correction done in the next few years.
- When I work a lot, I worry that I'm failing as a mom, but when I cut down my hours, I worry that I'm not doing my share as a wife and provider for my kids.
- My relationship with my biological father-my only remaining parent-is a constant source of disappointment and grief to me.
- I love having my hair touched or even brushed. I think that's how my husband won me over.
7 movies I enjoyed:
- Don't Tell Her It's Me
- 13 Going on 30
- The Lost Boys
- The Jerk
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
- Oh Brother Where Art Thou?
- Second Hand Lions
7 things I wish I could change in my life:
- I'd think before talking and talk less.
- I'd love to be able to work fewer hours and be several months ahead on my bills.
- I wish I could find a church where I feel we could fit in.
- I'd like to be able to be more consistent spiritually, physically (exercise) and mentally (fewer days feeling "down.")
- Being a patient, loving wife wouldn't be so hard for me.
- I'd wear my heart on my sleeve a whole lot less.
- I wouldn't worry so much.
7 books I have read and would read again:
- The Bible
- Anything by the author William Gay
- The Collected Poems of Robert Frost
- The Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Lehman
- Earth Medicine by Kenneth Meadows
- Roots
- The Cedar Cove Series by D. Maycomber
7 people who should do this:
-Anyone who feels like it! Geez! :)
If my grandfather were still living, he would be 91 today. He passed away in 1995, four months shy of his 80th birthday. Since my grandparents adopted me and raised me, he was also "Dad" to me. I couldn't have asked for a better father.
I still feel his influence resonating in my heart and life.
Happy Birthday, Grandpa, and thank you for everything.
1.) My yard is not quite as shady as I thought.
2.) Sunblock is a product I need to utilize more often.
3.) Yard work awakens muscles I didn't know I had.
4.) My tank tops don't cover much of my back at all.
5.) All lawn mowers should have automatic key start ignition like cars. The string/pull system is a cruel joke divised to torture all human kind.
6.) Having the weekend off does not guarantee relaxation.
7.) It is a good thing when your dog is afraid of your lawn mower. Otherwise, they might follow you around while you're mowing. This can lead to a grass covered dog and a moving obstacle blocking your every turn. Not a good experience for either party.
8.) It's hard to sleep with flaming skin and throbbing muscles.
9.) It's a good idea to wear long pants while using a weed eater. Weeds aren't the only things that weed eaters cut.
10.)The likelihood that a teenage child will attempt to give their mom a hug is in direct proportion to the likelihood that the aforementioned mom has a painful sunburn.
So, those are some things I learned this weekend. I am satisfied that I got a lot of work done, and the yard looks a whole lot better.
What new and exciting thing did you learn this weekend?
For all of you who may be wondering: What is macular degeneration as mentioned (in the post "General Musings and other Nonsense") on this blog.....here is where to go for information from Yahoo Health.
http://health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/hw176039
For all of you who may be wondering what afib is, here is a link that gives more info. on that condition as well:
http://heartcaregroup.com/patedu/atrial_fib.htm
Hope the information was helpful. Have a good day!
Just in case you:
a.) Hate Bon Jovi music
b.) Don't want to hear music on this or any other blog
c.) Have a hard time loading videos on your computer
OR
d.) Visit my blog enough to get sick of the song playing
OR
e.) All of the above:
I just want you to know you can click on the video player and turn it off.
I'm going though an experimental phase with my blog, so bear with me. By all means, turn it off if it gets on your nerves. :)
It's Friday, it's Friday, oh yeah, it's Friday! I don't work my second job anymore, so I'm happy! I might actually get some house cleaning done! Oh yeah!
Wow. That isn't as exciting now that I said it out loud. Oh well.
Last night we had a crop...which just so happened to fall on Sheila's birthday. So that was cool. We got to alternate between picking on Sheila and being extra nice to her. Such is the lot of the birthday girl.
One of the girls had made a sign for someone else's birthday, and they decided to display it in Sheila's honor. It was a hoot! Here it is: (Notice the very tasteful stick figure drawing!)
Good times, good times.
Prayer Request:
On a serious note, please pray for my favorite Uncle: Ron. He lives in Georgia, and that's where I long to be right now. He has afib and diabetes (both inherited from my grandmother) and was recently diagnosed with macular degeneration (inherited from my grandfather.)
He is one of the nicest people God ever blessed the world with creating. Yet he has had such tough going lately. They are having a difficult time regulating his medication to control his afib. The diabetes doesn't help matters. The other day he was on his way to his doctors' office and he wrecked his car. It is totaled, I think he said. Thankfully, he wasn't injured. Please pray for help and encouragement to come his way. I have a longing in my heart to be there. I need wisdom to see when the timing is right. I don't want to act on emotion, but go when I should go so I can be a blessing to Uncle Ron and his wife. Thank you in advance for your prayers!
That's about it for this Friday. It's around 85ish muggy degrees outide. We got three days of rain, so now the sun is a welcome break. Hope your weekend is all that you hope for and more!
My friends send me a lot of cool stuff via email. This one is a German...I think...commercial for coffee. When I watch this, I am reminded that no matter how bad my day starts out, I'm not shoveling snow or scraping my windows right now.
Anyone else a hopelessly frustrated optimist out there? :)
A friend of mine sent me this video a while back ago. I think it won on AFV. Thought it was funny. Hope you enjoy it.
One hundred is the number of posts on my blog, one hundred is the number of posts...(sung to the tune of 100 bottles of beer on the wall....) 
In honor of this momentous occasion, I think there should be clowns!
And more!
Okay, my 100th post might not be that big of a deal, but whatever you do today, find a reason to celebrate! Don't give up that little child in you that loves surprises and bubbles and cotton candy and balloons! Embrace that childlike innocence! That's what keeps us young at heart.
Okay, that's it for my 100th post. Happy Birthday, Sheila: and to the rest of you: Happy Thursday!
For the record, I didn't actually do a rain dance, I just said I was going to. I must be a very powerful individual. :)
Here's my favorite commercial:
http://spawnofslayer.com/video/lendingtreestanley.mov
It just cracks me up! I think I could be that guy without all the fancy stuff like his riding lawn mower, new car, pool and country club membership! :) Plus, I'm a woman. :) Other than those facts, I could be that guy! ;)
Neicybelle: This is for you. I found this link on the internet, and thought you might enjoy re-seeing this commercial. It gave me a chuckle! ;)
http://www.superbowltvads.com/html/etrade_money_wazoo.html
Yesterday I was so exhausted from our trip to Chicago, that I could barely keep my eyes open at work. I had to keep getting up and walking around just to stay awake. In fact, I took about a half hour nap around lunchtime. Thank goodness for the couch in the conference room!
Well, that wasn't enough, I guess. I left here around 5:30 p.m., and went home. I have about a 15-20 minute drive. When I walked in the door, I said "hi" to my husband, then I announced, "I am so tired, I just need a nap. I am going to rest for about a half an hour. When I get up, I'll do...something."
Rob was off all day yesterday, having preplanned to be off, anticipating the need to recover from the drive.
His reply was, "Why do you need to do anything? If you're as tired as I've been all day, you need to rest. I didn't have to work today, and I'm beat. I didn't have the energy to do anything at all."
I guess that's all I needed to hear. I proceeded to the bedroom, shut the door, turned off the light, and fell into a deep sleep. I woke up around 11 p.m. to go to the bathroom and get a drink of water, then went right back to bed and slept until 7 this morning when I had to get up for work.
At least today I feel like I'm back to some semblance of normalcy.
Rob wants us to watch "Pirates of the Caribbean" the first movie tonight. We've had it on d.v.d. since it first came out, and I never have watched it. We went to see it at the drive in when it first came out...and I fell asleep. Then we went to an outing that one of our local radio stations held. They give away prizes, play music, have food and games, and then when it gets dark, they show a movie. The movie was "Pirates," but there was so much talking going on around us that I couldn't hear the dialogue. So, eventually, we gave up and left.
In conclusion, I've only seen bits and pieces of the first movie. The sequel is playing at the drive in this weekend. If I plan to watch that one, I should watch the first one so I have some idea of the background of the story. Hopefully, as much sleep as I got last night, I should be able to stay awake long enough to watch it this time.
This is what happens to young people who are raised by their grandparents. They get used to going to bed early. At nine o'clock, I'm yawning. I'm 34 and pretty soon I'll be playing bridge and looking for prime real estate in Florida to retire to. Sigh.
That's the last posting of Chicago trip photos.
*Wyn update*
By the way, thank you all so much for all of your prayers regarding my friend, Wyn. She is out of the hospital and doing well. They are still doing testing, but she is feeling better; the meds they gave her to remove the fluid from her lungs worked. They haven't found the source of what caused all of this in the first place, but she's well enough to be vacationing with her family as we speak. I give God the credit for that! Never underestimate the power of God to answer prayer!
The kids made fun of me last year because I took a picture of my fancy Starbucks mint frappa-something chilled coffee drink and put the picture in my scrapbook. So this year I took another picture, only this time it was my Gloria Jean's Coffees White Chocolate Chip Something or other chilled coffee beverage. I have one of these type of drinks whenever we go on a trip. I consider it my traditional treat. Of course, because the kids made fun of me for taking a picture of my drink last year, it made me want to do it every year! It's always fun to watch the kids squirm, wondering if passersby will think their mom is psycho as I aim my camera, point and shoot. :)
This is the name of the park we visited.
This weekend we went to Chicago for the Godzilla convention. Rob goes to the convention, the rest of us go for the fun of it. Josh accompanied Rob to the show this year, just out of curiosity and to help carry stuff.
We went last year as well, so it seems to be an annual trip for us. Last year we left on a Friday afternoon and came back Saturday afternoon. It's about 300ish miles for us, so it's apprx. 5 hours if driven straight through. We don't drive straight through, however. We stop and smell the roses a little along the way.
This year we left around 6 p.m. Saturday and didn't get home until 11 p.m. Sunday. It's a quick trip, but Rob only goes to the convention itself for a couple of hours. He's there to buy items for our toy shop, chat with some of the vendors to get contact information, and that's the extent of it.
Last year we stayed at the hotel where the convention was held. This year, we opted to stop in Indianapolis Saturday night and stay there. We're glad we did. The hotel was great. It had a pool, free internet access in the lobby, a continental breakfast with more variety than we've ever seen at a hotel, extremely comfortable rooms, etc. It was a Jameson Inn, which are popping up everywhere now. We stayed at a Jameson Inn once in Georgia, and everything was nice then, too. I think I may start making a habit of staying in Jameson Inns. They are comfortable, accommodating, and within our budget.
Saturday night the kids and I played in the pool until after ten o'clock, and then turned in for the night. Rob rested up from the drive, opting to stay in the room and relax.
After our stay, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast, then headed out early in the a.m. so that he could get there before noon Sunday. We found a park close to the convention. Jess, Jo and I played at the park while Josh and Rob did the convention thing. I was getting ready to take the kids to Wendy's for lunch when Rob called and said he was ready to go. We ended up driving to a city called Merrillville, Indiana where we stopped for a late lunch. We were all still full from our uncharacteristically large breakfast that we had at the hotel that morning. However, by the time we stopped, we had all regained our appetites.
On the way out of the restaurant, we asked our waitress where the closest mall was. Turns out, we were one exit down from a large mall/shopping center. We stopped there and shopped for a little over an hour. The malls closed at six because it was Sunday, so we were forced to hit the road. It was a good thing we left when we did, because we were all tired by the time we rolled in at 11 p.m. last night.
So, that was the extent of our quick trip to Chicago.
The next few posts will be of some photos I took along the way.
Hope your weekend was a great one as well!
Until I get more time to elaborate, here is the synopsis of my last five days:
I worked Saturday and Sunday.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I was sick. I have swelling in my lymph nodes, a terrible sore throat that feels like strep throat, and an ear infection in my right ear.
Monday, I went to the doctor. The strep test was negative. I was given antibiotics, which have not helped so far. The doc said by looking at my throat she would have sworn it was strep, plus with my ear being so infected, an antibiotic was in order. I was to call back Friday if I hadn't improved. Since we were supposed to go out of town Friday, I called today. She said "continue to gargle with salt water and if you aren't better by Monday, call us back."
At the rate my throat is swelling...I can't eat solid food or it gets stuck in my throat...if this doesn't improve by Monday I am sure calling the office back won't be a real concern of mine. Alas, dropping a few pounds might be a one positive in this whole scenario. :)
Anyway, enough of my whining. This, too, shall pass.
I need prayers, all. My friend, Wyn, is in the hospital. She is having heart issues. She was born with a heart condition...she was what they called a "blue baby." The procedure that was used to correct her condition was only used briefly in the 70's. Despite her condition, she lived an extremely active life and her childhood was impacted very little by her early difficulties. Anyway, the cardiologist told her that little is known about the failure rate of the procedure that she had done. However, she's been trying to get in to a research group that will help her understand more about her heart health.
In the interim, she started having shortness of breath while working out or even going up stairs. She was becoming light headed and having more cardiac symptoms. It finally ended up that she was taken by squad to the hospital. The only thing that is certain at this point is that she has fluid in her lungs from her heart. Where and why and how and all of that is still uncertain.
Any and all prayers at this time are appreciated.
There was some light during all of this difficult weekend. My friend, Debbie, came over Wednesday. She brought a veggie tray and some other goodies to share. Rob bought pizza, and we kicked back and relaxed. We watched a comedy and our families hung out together. It was mainly me just sitting around looking pathetic, but it sure was nice to be thought of. The boys set off a few fireworks in the "center" of town. (We have one four way stop in the whole town.)
Debbie also brought me two really cool scrapbooking items: a caddy that has like 12 edging scissors, and a paper trimmer. That was neat.
Jess got me some dishes I've been wanting. They're Christmas dishes, but they are so cute! Hey, Christmas in July! :) Maybe I'll share a photo later.
Robert got me two quilt racks that I've been wanting. I have three quilts that my great grandmother made that I've been wanting to display. I bought myself a cd rom Spanish tutorial and a pair of new sandals. I love those earth shoes! They are the most comfortable sandals that I can afford! :) Hey, what's wrong with buying yourself a gift for your birthday/anniversary? Doesn't the song say "ya can't please everyone, so ya gotta please yourself!?" :) teehee.
Before you go qualifying me as one of the most selfish women who ever lived, I also bought a badminton set in hopes that our whole family could play together on the 4th, but that will have to wait until I feel a little better.
I got Rob a cd player/radio/cooler for our anniversary. It's so hard to buy for men! Ugh!
That's all I have time for right now. I'll try to write more tomorrow. I've been busy playing catch up today on my work. We'll see if time permits any more writing this week.
Hope your Fourth of July was great and that you or your loved ones weren't sick on the couch that day!
