Shoot Fire and Save Matches

Pack it up

2011-09-01T11:48:00.001-04:00

We are going to be moving soon so right now I am getting ready to do something I hate to do.... PACK. That is probable the second most thing I hate doing. The first thing I hate doing most is moving. I am really getting to old to load everything we all (7 people) own onto a truck and then have to unload it all and move to a new house. But the time has come and it is something we must do so guess dreading it is not going to make it go away. We might as well just dive in and get it done.

Time to meet the teachers

2011-08-18T10:58:00.001-04:00

Well yipee it is time to meet the teachers. Which means it is time for the grandchildren to go back to school after what has seemed like a very long summer.

There are three grandchildren so both my daughters and I will be going today with them We will each take one child and go meet their various teachers and get their schedules for the next year.

I think they are all ready to get back to school. Hope they all have a good year and do good in school.

Easy Wardrobe

2011-08-18T10:47:00.004-04:00

When we lived in Haiti as missionaries the easiest decision I had was what to wear on my daily basis I wore scrub sets. I had multiple sets and I would just open the closet and grab the first pair I put my hands on and that is what I would go with. No deciding what matched what I only bought sets so didn't have to try to match a top with a pant just grab and go. That was my motto.

I wish I had found this site called http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/ before we went there it would have really made my life so much simpler. I had to go to several shops to find all the sets I wanted to take with me. Because I wanted enough scrub sets to last me for three weeks at a time. You never knew in Haiti when you would have the time to do laundry so I did not need to be worried every week about getting my scrubs washed. So to have found everything I needed from one place and to have that place on the internet would have been great to say the least.

I know now what I will do the next time I need to purchase several or even one pair of scrubs. I will get the job done via the internet.

Back home

2011-08-17T12:07:00.001-04:00

We spent some time over at the beach for vacation. We had a great time and came home exhausted. But isn't that the way you should come home from vacation? The kids had a blast in the gulf. We went to Treasure Island. Found a great place to stay.

All in all vacation has been good. The only problem is that is will end soon and we have to go back to work. Sure hate that part. I really am not looking forward to going back to work. Just hope I get my regular schedule back and they don't mess things up for me. Guess I will know soon enough.

Get down to business

2011-08-14T14:23:00.003-04:00

My daughters are wanting to start their very own catering business. I really think that they can make a go of it. They are both very good cooks and can actually make anything they want to when they put their minds to it. Yesterday they threw a birthday party for my three grandchildren and made some very unusual items. They made smores on a stick and they made cake pops which I have to say were my favorite. I have eaten quite a few of them.

They have to get their business plan all put together and figure out all of the processes that they need to take in order to launch their catering business. One of they things they need to accomplish, once they have other things in order is to advertise. I really believe that a advertising agency has come such a long way from what it used to be of simply TV or the newspaper. Now I really think that advertising on the internet is the way to go. I don't know of many people who do not access the internet on a daily basis. I know I am one who is on the internet daily but do not watch TV on a daily basis and I can't tell you the last time I actually read a newspaper.

So even though they are not actually ready at this moment to actually advertise their dream business they are in the process of searching out the best Advertising Agency to do the job for them when the time comes. I have to say I envy them of the excitement they are feeling and who knows they just might let me do something in the business. But my luck it will only be to wash up the dirty dishes.

Beach

2011-08-14T14:18:00.001-04:00

We are getting ready to go to the beach tomorrow. I haven't been to the beach in years. Not sure if I actually want to swim in the Gulf anymore or if I will just walk and maybe pick up some pretty shells. I think that is what I want to do. I have not collected shells for a long long time. So it is settled that I going to be my plan. I will take something to put some shells in to bring them home with me.

So Scary

2011-08-07T20:11:00.000-04:00

Thanks for the guest post by Jo Levy

Buying my first home was terrifying because I never imagined I’d be single at 30 and having to invest in my own place. I think in the back of my mind I knew I’d be married by now and find a place that worked for me with my husband but that’s just not how things worked out so it was my dad who came in at closing to help me with everything. I’m really glad I did it since it was such a great financial move but I can’t say I don’t get lonely here sometimes. I went to http://www.Securitychoice.com and got an alarm since I’m here by myself a lot and I’ve even been considering getting a cat but the last thing I want is to be the crazy cat lady all of a sudden! I don’t even have a boyfriend so there’s no hope that I’ll get married anytime soon so I think this was the right move. I thought my life would look different at this age but I guess you do what you can!

Vacation finally!!

2011-08-01T13:59:00.000-04:00

We are finally on the much waited for vacation Haven't actually done anything much at this point except not going to work. That has really been a good feeling. I have to say I do not miss my job when I am not there I just hope when it is time to go back to work I actually get my hours back and somebody else does not get part of them. But on the other hand I am not so sure I would not actually enjoy working less hours. Guess I will have to see what returning to work brings for me when the time comes.

Getting hungry

2011-06-09T18:32:00.001-04:00

The girls are down working on supper. We are having Turkey breast. We got a really good deal yesterday of a couple of fresh turkey breast at the store. So guess we are having a sort of thanksgiving type dinner except for the fact it is not November it is June.

Oh well who says you can only have turkey in the winter. It is something I love to eat and will never complain when it is served. So I say bring on the turkey. I am hungry.

Needing a plan

2011-06-09T18:23:00.002-04:00

We have decided that we want to purchase a home. It doesn't have to be a brand new home, as a matter of fact I would prefer not to own a brand new home. I am wanting a home that has any and all construction problems worked out before I move into it.

I am thinking that one of the first things I need to do is to obtain our credit score, so we are able to see just where we stand in that area. I have no idea at all what ours is and know that will be the first thing that a bank or lending agency will look at. This way if there are any issues there we will be able to see just what the are and if there are any errors on it we can get them corrected ahead of time.

I think I am going to start with getting a free credit score to use as our base and then work from there. If need be then after we get things going we will be able to move on from there.

I have to say I am getting very excited about the whole process of finding a home, getting the financing for the home and then finally being able to move into a home and be able to say it is ours.

Who am I

2011-06-09T17:10:00.000-04:00

I know this sounds like a strange title for a post on my own blog. But over the past year I have actually discovered I don't know who I am. Oh I know my name and everything I need to know like that. It isn't like I have lost my memory or anything like that. It is I just don't know myself I guess you could say.

You see I am getting ready to turn 63 years old next week and I have come to the conclusion that I don't really know myself. Oh I know the person I have become through 43 years of marriage. I think I have become just a female version of my husband. I guess he has always been such an opinionated person that it was always just easier to agree with him than to disagree with him. Don't get me wrong his thinking was not terribly wrong just not always my opinions. But over the years I have actually come to believe they were my opinions too.

Well after living with our free thinking daughters for the last year. I say screw his opinions. It is time I start thinking for myself. I told my daughter that I had realized I no longer had a dream in my life and she said well get one. That too has not been an easy thing to do. Because there again. I realized every dream I had in the last 43 years had been my husbands dreams. SO now I have discovered my new dream. It is my dream that I plan to achieve no matter how long it takes me to achieve it. I plan to discover out just who I am and what I think about everything there is to think about.

To my daughters (who probably will never see this) I say a big thank you for waking me up and to my husband who will never see this. I say get out of my way cause I am gonna find out just who I am.

Not really sure of anybody reads this blog of mine anymore and I really don't care to be honest guess I just had to write this for myself. I am back whoever I am.

What to wear

2011-06-02T10:28:00.003-04:00

When we used to live and work in Haiti as Missionaries the problem of what to wear on a daily basis that was comfortable, practical and did not offend anyone took me a while to achieve. I finally discovered that wearing scrubs on a daily basis solved all the issues.

Then my next problem was Where to buy cheap scrubs. I have to say trying to come up with at least 10 pairs at one time was a bit of an issue. But I managed to accomplish it and have to say I was extremely happy with my results.

I wore my scrubs every day except to church on Sunday morning. I even wore them most days when going into Port-Au-Prince to run errands. So I have to say in the end problem solved with great success

Days off work

2011-06-02T10:10:00.001-04:00

I am on my second day of two days off work. These days are my Saturday and Sunday. Have to say I didn't do much at all yesterday and I don't see the odds changing much for today. Right now I am out on the back patio enjoying fresh air. I tried to do this yesterday but the rain seemed to run me in. Today is however much nicer blue sky, birds chirping and so far no lawn companies near by mowing lawn and disturbing my peace.

Next week might be a different story. The kids all get out of school and our house seems to be the favorite place to be when they are not in school. So in addition to the three who live here we sometimes have 7 - 10 more at any given time. Oh, Just shoot me now.

TV Service

2011-03-30T20:00:00.002-04:00

We have decided to change providers for our TV and internet. So doing the wise financial thing we canceled the TV service for when the new service was to be connected. The internet was to be the same as before. Well the stupid lady we had to deal with on the phone messed up things so the internet as well as TV got shut off. After a lengthy phone call the internet was turned back on. The TV was turned off as it was supposed to be done. The only issue was that the new service was to be installed this last Monday. Well all day long someone waited here for them to show and they were a total no show. So after a phone call we were told they would be here between 8 and 9 yesterday. We again called them at 11:25 AM yesterday morning and then were promised that the service would be installed (guaranteed) by 7:00 PM last evening well it is now 8:05 the next day and we still have no service installed. They have rescheduled our appointment for next Tuesday. That is over a week after the first appointment was scheduled by them. Guess we are going to be going for oh like a year of free pay channels like Showtime and HBO. Just don't know what has happened to customer service these days.

Helping my daughter pack for her move

2011-03-30T19:51:00.000-04:00

Guest post written by Ashley Wagoner

My daughter just graduated from college in December and unfortunately for me, she's taken a job in Texas and we live in Virginia. But she's really excited about it and it's a job just like she's always wanted so we're really happy for her. I'm in the process of helping her move all of her stuff to Texas and getting her set up there, which is kind of difficult all the way from here. I'm also going to go with her to help her move in and get settled into her new apartment at the beginning of March.

She's really worried about everything, so I'm happy to help her out where I can. We went ahead and signed her up for an energy plan with Reliant Energy after I found energy rates for it online.

So everything should go smoothly as far as utilities go. She's really nervous and excited about all of this and I'm happy for her. I just hope she likes Texas, but then again I think that if I got this job I would make myself like living in Texas.

A dream

2011-03-03T22:34:00.001-05:00

I purchased a small stone a couple of weeks ago with the word dream etched on it. I thought it was just sort of pretty. But after looking at it for a bit I came to the conclusion I no longer have a dream. I can remember most of my life I always had a dream. I don't know when I ceased to have a dream in my life. But ever since hen I have been trying to develop a dream for my life. But my fear is that without having something to dream for in my life I will just wither up and die on a dreamless vine.

New toys

2011-02-02T13:37:00.001-05:00

I am so excited I am submitting this post from my very new IPad. I just got it a couple of days ago. It was a gift to me from someone who really loves me a lot to give me such a gift. I have to be honest I never dreamed about owning an IPad because it just wasn't in the financial future for me. I have an IPod and love it so I know I am going to be more in love with my IPad. As a matter of fact I am already in love with it. I just love all of the cool things I am able to do with it. I am discovering new things all of the time. Son for now I am going to sign off and go back to playing and discovering.

Pain in the neck

2011-01-25T19:33:00.003-05:00

I guess I can tell I am getting older. I have some aches and pains that I never used to have. I have actually given some thought to checking into getting some information on one of the TENS Units you hear about. These units are I guess actually Ultrasound Units for Pain Relief and also for those people who need rehabilitation. I have been having a lot of pain in my right shoulder to be exact. There are days I could just cry the pain is so severe when I move my arm certain ways.

I don't know if something like one of the Muscle Stimulators would help me. But I am really going to have to give pain relief some serious thought. I have heard there is something called a LG-TEC Dual Combo TENS Units and Muscle Stimulator which from what I undertand is a combination of a unit that helps you benefit from The Tens Pain Relief and also the Muscle Stimulator so that you can at the same time increase your muscle tone and also accomplish muscle pain rehabilitation.

I have discovered LGMedSupply, Online and am seriously checking them out. They seem to have all of the items in-stock and ready for shipping. I am interested also that I can get a lot of additional information from them at their online customer blog. Hopefully I will find the help for my constant shoulder pain I am experiencing.

Not in Kansas anymore

2011-01-25T19:29:00.002-05:00

Hey guys we are not in Kansas anymore. What I mean to say is that here in Florida we are having terrible storms. There is very heavy rains, thunder, lightning and wind gusts that could reach up to 90 MPH. I was very happy to get off work, although it had already started to rain pretty hard when I left work but at least I have been home before the worst of the storm hit our Central Florida area. I hate storms like this. We are under tornado warnings for quite a bit more tonight. I just want to hunker down in my bed and be cozy for the rest of the night. I wanted to go take my shower but with the lightning I don't think I will do that for a while. I am not in a mood to get hit by lightning while I am in the shower naked.

Personal Finance New Years Resolution

2011-01-13T16:24:00.001-05:00

Guest post written by Brittany Reems

I guess that it's never really too early to start saving up and getting your personal finances in order, but my boyfriend was really surprised when I started worrying about my longtime finances. We just graduated from college less than a year ago and he said he hasn't ever even thought about that stuff before. But I want to be proactive about this stuff, so I made a New Year's resolution for 2011 to start saving a reasonable amount of money and figure out ways to invest and increase my money.

I wanted to do my homework before I tried to make an appointment with a financial advisor, I went online with my Clear wireless internet to try and get a grasp of some stuff that I could do with my savings that I have now. I don't have a great deal because I haven't been working for long, but I also haven't had a family to take care of so I guess that I've taken in more savings than others.

During my research for my personal finance resolution I found some information abotu CDs and am thinking about putting some of my savings in one of those.

Ice on the trees

2011-01-13T12:57:00.002-05:00

We got up this morning in Central Florida to freezing temperatures. Also we got up to discover that our sprinklers had come on during the early morning hours and we found that we had a yard and trees full of ice. I do have to say it was sort of pretty. Especially since we knew that it did not mean driving on any ice and that as soon as the sun came out the ice would melt away. We have had a lot of freezes here in Central Florida so far this winter. I don't think this winter has been quite as bad as they had here last winter. Although I was living in Pennsylvania last year and I must say we had a very hard winter there. We would up I think with 7 or 8 feet of snow for a total during the winter. I went out after one big snow and all I could see of our car was part of a side view mirror. The rest of the car was buried under a mound of snow. I would up last winter paying out a ton of money to some young boys to come by when it snowed to shovel snow for me. Just wasn't something I wanted to do every time.

An Unforgettable Trip

2011-01-12T11:17:00.000-05:00

Guest post written by Bradley Swann

My family and I are starting off the New Year right this time around. Before winter rolled in, I got a number off the HOME PRO IMPROVEMENTwebsite and I had a great deal of work done. From the kitchen to the siding, I made sure that the house was going to look great for 2011. I want my family and me to have a fresh start and really feel proud of where we live. My wife has talked about wanting to have more company over, and I know that the kids want a nice place to show off when they have their high school friends over. It was a bit of an investment to get the place looking like it does, but I think it was a good move. We had a nice Christmas and New Years in our revamped house, and I know that we are going to have a lot of great memories here.

Now that the house is back in shape, I am going to start putting some money away for a great family vacation. The kids are going to college next year, and I want to ensure that we get an unforgettable trip.

Day off

2011-01-12T11:14:00.002-05:00

I have the day off work today and have already done what I need to do to help straighten up the house. So the rest of the day is going to be pretty much doing a lot of nothing. I do have to do some laundry but can either do that today or tomorrow as I also have tomorrow off work. Yipee for me. I am one of those people who work simply out of a necessity for money. I do not have a job that I like so basically I just tolerate going to work and doing my job and coming home. But guess I am not alone in that situation. I would venture to say that nobody is happy where I work at least not the people I am friendly with. As a matter of fact we had 3 people find new jobs just this week and are leaving us. So guess they will be doing some new hiring again. But such is life.

It's Not News Year's Eve Without DIck Clark

2011-01-07T20:55:00.000-05:00

This guest post from Hong Alexander

My family cannot go any New Year's Eve without watching “Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve”. Recently hosted by Ryan Seacrest, this show is our tradition! I do not remember any New Year's Eve in my lifetime that I did not sit with my family and watch the ball drop along side of Dick Clark and company.

One of the reasons my family enjoys watching Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve on our satellite TV from http://www.direc4u.com/direct-tv-hd.html is because it's a party feel and puts us all in a great mood. There are always great celebrity guests and music which is always unique every year. We love when they are live in Time Square and do interviews with just the average person attending New Years in New York City, or show a surprise New Year's Eve proposal. Everyone is always so excited it puts me in a great mood too and makes getting to midnight more exciting.

We also enjoy when they cut back to Los Angeles and show the party people their dancing and enjoying the celebration. It's always fun to see what other people are doing to celebrate New Year's Eve. This show will remain a tradition for years to come in our family!

Save the last dance

2011-01-07T20:51:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that my grandson is at his first dance in middle school. Where did the time go? I would love to be a fly on the wall there tonight and see how much fun he must be having. I can remember my first dance and how much fun I had there so I know he will have a great time. The only thing he hated about going to the dance tonight is that we were having chili dogs for supper and that has to be one of his favorite meals. It is what he orders every year for his birthday dinner. So there had to be a promise of saving him a chili dog so he can have one when he gets home from the dance. So to Nate I say have a great time and save the last dance for me sometime when you would think it is ok to dance with your grandmother "Nannie".

News Year's Eve down to the details

2011-01-06T17:47:00.000-05:00

Guest post written by Marie Collins

I like to plan ahead if I can. I'm pretty organized that way, but because of that it's kind of upsetting when things don't go as I planned them. That happened last New Year's Eve when I went to a party, only to get in a fender bender on the way there. I was fine, but it really put a damper on my night and I wasn't feeling like celebrating at all after that. Not this year though.

My best friend is having a New Year's Eve party this year and I'm helping her plan a lot of the stuff. I'll also be there to help her set up and then get ready at her place. So I have to be even more organized this year. I was e-mailing her a few days ago to finalize some stuff and when I was doing that I came across some clearwire prices that looked really good, so I'm going to sign up for one of those internet packages.

I have this perfect New Year's Eve dress that's black lace that I'm going to change into after we're through setting up the party that IÕm really excited to wear.

Freezing here

2011-01-06T17:43:00.002-05:00

Living in Florida you would think you would never be cold. But I am sitting here on my bed in front of the window and I had to get up and put on my sweatshirt jacket. I am about to freeze here. It says it is 59 degrees but I think somebody is lying through their teeth. It is down right cold here. I am saying it passed chilly a long time ago and went to down right cold here. This has already been a very cold winter here. We have had several hard freezes already this year and still have a while to go before spring time here.

Have my BB back

2011-01-04T10:45:00.002-05:00

I have had a Blackberry for almost a year now and I have to say I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! But lately my spectacular Blackberry had turned into a craptacular Blackberry. The roller ball would simply freeze up on me and either not move at all or would only move from side to side in a single row of icons. Not a good thing when you are wanting to select something in another row. Then the last couple of months it would just shut off and not turn back on for hours. Still not a good thing. Then the other day at work I noticed it felt pretty hot in my pocket and pulled it out. (ok I know that is against the rules) but I had to see what was going on with my phone. Well then it just shut off again and the battery was very hot. So called TMobile and they agreed to replace the phone since it was still in warranty (how nice of them). Well it came yesterday and after some frustration I was able to restore everything from the old blackberry to the new blackberry from the software. I had done a backup on the old one when they said they would replace it. I guess I should back up the new one occasionally because I only lost a couple of minor things which I was able to recreate. They had been done after I did the backup on the old phone So now I am back in business with my beloved Blackberry. Yipee Yay.

Single File Please

2011-01-03T10:50:00.003-05:00

My husband and I were are I guess still are Missionaries to Haiti. We have worked there for many years now. We have done a lot of work there holding Medical Clinics for the poor Haitian People. I guess the biggest problem we have run into is crowd control. I can't say that I blame the people, some of them have never seen a medical person let alone a doctor in their lives. So to have a doctor, nurse or even someone with an aspirin, bandage or anything that would relieve their suffering for a moment is swarmed.

My husband being a big sized man was always placed to help control the situation. Bless his heart he could have really used some assistance with this job. I used to kid him him and tell him he needed a long velvet rope so that he could try to keep the people in a line. When you tell the people to form a line it must lose something in the translation because all they do is form a eager mob and just about run over you. He could have used something like stanchions but to be honest with you I actually think you could not even hold back sick hurting people with concrete barricades.

Don't get me wrong I do not blame them at all. If I or my family was sick and hurting I would do what ever it took to try to make them stop hurting or get them well. Many of these poor people walk for hours when they hear news of a clinic and then stand in the hot sun for several more hours to try to get the help they need. They only thing that is difficult again is getting them to form a single file line. When you say line up they all get up and crowd in together into a large mass of hurting people.

Getting Back to Normal

2011-01-03T10:43:00.002-05:00

Well our family is getting back to normal after the holidays. That is if our family ever was normal to begin with. We are a big household. There is my husband and myself. Both my daughters and three grandchildren. That doesn't include the 4 cats we have two of which are still kittens.

But today the three grandchildren went back to school after two weeks off for their Christmas Break. Sorry I refuse to call it the Winter Break. It is for Christmas so just deal with it. I think there were actually ready for life to get back to the normal for them. But that doesn't mean they want normal to mean going to school every day. I think they are like most kids who do not really love school. It is something that all children must endure and that is what most kids do is simply endure their years in school.

There is no getting back to work for Joy and me because we never got days off except for Christmas Day. We both worked Christmas Eve, New Years Eve and New Years Day so today is just another day at the zoo of a place we work. The only good news is that our GM is on vacation for 9 glorious days. Not necessarily am I meaning glorious for him but glorious for those who are there working without him being there.

So to all whose lives are returni g to normal I say Happy New Year to you.

No Santa? Say It Isn't SO!

2010-12-30T11:22:00.000-05:00

The article written by Victor Flowers

I'm a sucker for a feel good show, especially when it's Christmas. Since I'm a huge fan of the holiday season, one of my most enjoyable things to do is to watch as many of the special programs as possible.

While I love dramatic shows and musical variety specials, I tend to seek out those awesome animated stories that I grew up with. There's one in particular that I have always loved. I guess you could call it my favorite animated Christmas show because I refuse to miss it. When it aired recently, I insisted on a family night in front of the DirectTV. We were all going to enjoy The Year Without a Santa Claus.

I know that there are a lot of classics out there, but this one features such a cute story and a novel concept. It's like what if they threw a war and nobody came, only in this case, it's more like what would happen to Christmas if Santa Claus decided to take the year off.

That's what happens in this story. Santa's feeling a little discouraged, so he sends out the word that Christmas is canceled for the year. What happens next with Mrs. Claus and the rest of the cast is terrific.

If nothing else, watch Mrs. Claus negotiate with the Mizer brothers. Now that's super funny!

Lazy Day

2010-12-30T11:15:00.002-05:00

Today I have the day off from work I plan on doing as absolutely little as possible. Right now I have to say it is late morning and I am sitting in bed in my PJ's writing on my laptop. Yesterday we did some running around getting errands done and today I plan on vegging out as much as possible. I really have some things that I need to get done but hey guess it will all be there when I have my next day off work.

I may wind up just locking my bedroom door and hiding out. Besides my three grandchildren who live in the house we have two other children that we watch for their mother. So due to school being out for Christmas we have two extra children in the house this week. So things can get pretty hectic when you have 5 children in the house plus 4 adults. Needless to say we have a house full. Plus that doesn't even mention the 4 cats we have.

Guess this is the life we have all chosen so on second thought I will not lock the door but don't make me get out of my PJ's cause that I don't want to do.

Chocolate Christmas Cookies

2010-12-23T21:08:00.001-05:00

Guest post written by Katrina Carlson

I think that everything's a little better with chocolate. Well, almost everything except bacon. i wasn't a fan of the chocolate covered bacon that I tried at the fair. However, I think that you can't go wrong with chocolate cookies, so I decided that instead of fixing the same old boring sugar cookies that people consider the classic Christmas cookies, I would make some kind of chocolate cookie.

I went online to try and find some recipes for good and chocolate-y cookies to make for the holidays when I ran across this website Direct tv internet bundle deals and read through it some. After a little bit of consideration, I decided to sign up for the internet service.

I found all kinds of recipes for chocolate Christmas cookies, but I wanted to make sure to find one that has some other flavor in it that will taste Christmas-y like cinnamon or something along those lines.

Christmas is here

2010-12-23T21:02:00.002-05:00

Well tomorrow is actually Christmas Eve. I known I should be excited and ready for Christmas. But every year I actually find myself dreading Christmas. I think it started happening when both my parents passed away several years ago. You see my parents were the picture of Christmas. They loved buying presents for the family and especially when they had grandchildren to purchase for. My Mother was one of these the number of presents did not matter. But she had to be sure that every child had the exact amount of money spent on them as the others. If this meant she had to purchase a pack of chewing gum, then so be it. That is what she would do.

I remember one year as a child I guess I was about 12 years old. My parents were gone for the day and for some reason I was allowed to stay at home by myself. Well I went into the attic and took a paring knife with me. I slit the tape on the packages with my name on them. I actually even tried on a dress. I can still see that dress it was black velvet and Oriental style with gold buttons and trim. I have to say it was probably the best but yet worse Christmas I ever had. I loved everything I received but there were no surprises. I had to act surprised with each package I opened on Christmas Eve even though I knew what everything was. I never told my Mother what I did. I think it would have broken her heart to know I had done something like that.

But to Mother and Daddy I miss you most at this time of the year. So Merry Christmas Mother and Daddy.

Let the games begin

2010-12-16T17:51:00.003-05:00

My grandchildren are really big into playing all sorts of games. They have their DS's and they of course have a ton of Wi games. But the also love to play games online. I know that their Mom really keeps tabs on what they are doing when they are online which I believe every parent should if they are responsible parents. I know that they have talked about wanting to play a couple of games they have found out there and so good ole Mom is going to check them out first.

One of the games they are interested is boxhead 2. So she will be playing that and I think another one is called age of war. I have always tried to tell my daughter that she is a block head but I think boxhead is something much different. But needless to say she will be playing a couple of new online games before she turns the kids loose on them by themselves.

I have tried to tell her that she needs to get into blogging for money, but as of yet she has not tried that, I may get her to try it someday who knows. But first things first she has to get busy playing those online games for her kids.

Eating out

2010-12-16T15:21:00.001-05:00

We went today to a Bar-B-Que restaurant that we found which had great food and service. We ordered today and there were 3 people ahead of us. What we did not know was that the restaurant had just recently changed hands. There was only one guy working and he made sure to let everyone know all about his problems. Well let's just say his problems soon became ours. It took him an hour to get us our food only to have it wrong. So another wait and we finally had what we ordered. He said he didn't charge us for what we ordered but something cheaper. Hey not My fault. I told him three times what we wanted. Can I help it if he didn't pay attention to me. Nope I can't. So guess we won't be eating there any time soon.

Need new shoes

2010-12-15T18:26:00.002-05:00

I am on the search for a really comfortable great looking pair of shoes. I am very picky when it comes to the shoes I wear. I will not buy something just because it is on sale or because it is the latest fad. I want shoes that are comfortable and good looking plus I do have to admit the price does come into play when I am searching for the perfect shoes.

I have worn cheap shoes in the past and have finally come to the decision that my father was right. If you buy something cheap you get something cheap. Now that doesn't mean I have to pay a years wages for shoes it just means I look long and hard for the right shoes at the right price.

What I am one the search right now is for a really great comfortable pair of tennis shoes. I want something that will last and feel good when I am wearing them. I have given up on the age of the fashion look of shoes and have decided that comfort is the best thing to look for when looking for new shoes. So let the search begin. I will not stop until I find the perfect looking, fitting and priced pair of shoes. I know you are out there so look out shoes her I come.

Let the good times roll

2010-12-15T18:22:00.003-05:00

We have been gone all day we went in search of the perfect Birthday Cake. We finally found the perfect red velvet cake and Fresh Market. It looks so good. But I have to admit it took us a bit we had other errands we needed to run and then had to pick up another birthday present for Joy as I promised her kids I would get something for her from them. They were in school all day and were not able to go with us to shop so being the good Nannie (Grandmother) I am I did the shopping for them. I think I did a pretty good job if I must say so myself. The girls are now down there fixing dinner as we speak. We are having ham with glaze, baked potatoes and all the stuff to go with a ham dinner. So Let the Good Times Roll. We are going to have a party tonight.

Is Spiderman Special?

2010-12-15T09:12:00.001-05:00

Guest written by our friend Gladys Fuentes

I grew up watching all the superhero movies. I watched Superman, Batman, and Spiderman. Wait - does Batman qualify as a superhero? I'm not even sure. I guess what I meant to say is that I grew up watching movies where men dressed up in tight outfits and still managed to look cool saving the day. How they pulled that off, I have no idea. I guess this is just one of the many miracles Hollywood is capable of. Growing up, my favorite hero was Superman. This is also why I had no interest in watching Spiderman. I felt that it was a form of betrayal. But sometimes boredom can lead to betrayal, which is what happened to me last week.

It began as an innocent Friday night. It was a long work week and I just wanted to relax and unwind. Then I turned on my DirectTV satellite packages and found the title 'Spiderman.' I debated for a few moments, sighed, and decided to give it a go. I was nervous because I didn't want to be a traitor. I guess I can't disrespect Benedict Arnold anymore. After watching Spiderman, I realized that Superman was great for its time, but Spiderman was special. I can't believe I just said Spiderman was special. I don't even know how they did it. The movie was so predictable yet still managed to keep me on the edge of my seat the entire time. What a ride. Well done, Spiderman. Well done.

Happy Birthday

2010-12-15T09:09:00.002-05:00

Today is my daughters birthday. She is ___ years old. I will not give away her age or she just might do me in as I reach old age. She is going to have a very good birthday. We are going to Whole Foods today to let her pick out her own birthday cake. This way she gets the cake she desires and if I don't like what she picks I can get something of my own for my sweets tonight. We are going to bake ham, potatoes mac and cheese and then she will pick out what veggie she wants for her birthday supper. After supper she gets to open her presents. So Happy Birthday Joy!

Wish Lish

2010-12-09T15:45:00.002-05:00

I have to say that there are several things I have always wanted some of which I have had and I have to say some of which I have never had and still hope to obtain sometime in my lifetime. One thing I would really like to have would be an adirondack chair. I actually think they are awesome to say the least. I have sat in one from time to time but never actually owned one so that is on my wish list. We have patio furniture but just the basic table and four chairs. I want something that I can just sit back in and actually relax and enjoy the outdoors.

Then another think I would really love to have in the kitchen would be a stainless steel kitchen sink with a butcher block countertop. It is not like we don't already have the stainless steel sinks but we do not have the butcher block counter top. My former brother in law created one for my mother in the kitchen in her house when he did a remodel job for her and I really like it a lot.

There are other things that some day down the road I would like to have but it I wish for everything at once then what will I have to look forward for the days and years to come?

Let's hear it for internet

2010-12-09T14:24:00.002-05:00

We moved last week and our internet provider gave us today as our date to get our internet back on. I did not realize how much I would actually miss having access to the internet. Today we finally got back up and running on our internet and I have to say I am a happy camper. Well I am not actually camping as it is a bit chilly here in Central Florida. But I think you know what I mean. I am very very happy to say the least. You don't actually realize how much you use the internet for until you don't have it and then that is when you miss having the ability to get online.

Florida Winter

2010-11-30T12:45:00.003-05:00

We are really getting into the great Florida winter weather now. I think tomorrow the temperature is supposed to be in the mid 60's. For me this is excellent weather. I love love love the winters in Florida. I hate hate hate the summers in Florida. But now that we are in my love season. I will be a much happier person. I like the weather to be cooler. I can always put more clothing on if I am cold. But when you are hot you can only legally take so much clothing off without winding up in jail. I have no desire to go to jail. I do not look good in orange jump suits. So as I have said just give me the winters here in Florida.

Last winter however we were living in Pennsylvania and I have to say it was a bit too much there for me. We had a total of almost 8 feet of snow during the winter. I don't care if I ever see snow again to be honest. I had more than my fill of it up there.

What to wear

2010-11-30T11:34:00.003-05:00

When we moved to Haiti as Missionaries I was very happy to discover that the missionaries we were going to be working and living with would allow me to wear scrubs during the week and not have to wear a dress or skirt all of the time. It was so much more comfortable working all day long wearing pants and not a skirt.

I do have to say one of my qualifications for my scrubs was that they all had to be cotton scrubs. If you have never been to the Nation of Haiti let me tell you it is hot there all year round. Their winter is still hotter than a Florida summer. My next qualification was I needed to find discounted scrubs. I purchased about 20 pairs of scrubs so that I would have plenty in case I was not able to do laundry as frequently as here in the US. Which was a very good thing since I had to do our laundry by hand and then hang it on a line to dry. Everything smelled very good and fresh but it was a chore to say the least.

I actually enjoyed wearing my scrubs everyday. They were cooler and more comfortable than wearing skirts or dresses and much more modest when you were working in a hot warehouse sorting medicines or working in a clinic out under the hot Haiti sun.

So many things

2010-11-30T11:30:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe all of the things we need to do in order to move.

Transfer Electric
Transfer Water
Transfer Satellite
Transfer Internet
Get Gas for House
Notify out of town family of new address
Rent Truck
Pack (not all done yet)
Oh yeah physically do the moving

I am sure there is something in there that I have forgotten to do and will discover when we get to the new residence that something was not done and we will be without it for the weekend.

Stormy Weather

2010-11-30T06:58:00.004-05:00

We have some very good missionary friends of ours who when they are not living in Haiti have a home in Texas. They were very happy this last Hurricane season that they did not have any storms go through Texas. To say they have had their share of big storms there would be putting it mildly to say the least. In past years they have had so much home flood damage they could have just about turned their home into an above ground swimming pool. Donna called me after one of their many storms to ask me if I knew how to fix water damaged wood? I was sorry to say I did not have any knowledge of what to do. I am very thankful that I have never had to deal with these issues. We live in Florida and have had our share of Hurricanes but thank God have never had any major damage such as what they have been through with their home. Fortunately for Eldon and Donna they had good insurance coverage on their home and were able to file an insurance claim for water damage and have always been able to get their home back in as good as new condition. But I would have to think that it would take a toll on you emotionally and physically going through the process time and time again.

All I can do for them is during the hurricane season is pray that the storms just stay out to sea or even better yet that they don't ever form. I have always had a problem with prying that the storms go another direction because I would never wish a hurricane on my worst enemy. Having gone through three hurricanes ourselves in one season. We had no damage to our home but the emotional strain was rough to say the least.

Just shoot me now

2010-11-30T06:45:00.002-05:00

We are moving this week. As a matter of fact we got the keys to our house yesterday. So today we start the moving process. We are not prepared to be moving, as almost nothing has been packed for the move. It will be my two daughters and myself doing all of the moving. Have I said I am getting way to old for this stuff. Well since I didn't just let me say I am getting way to old for this stuff. I hate moving in the first place and then to not be ready in the second place. Well just let me say I would rather someone just shoot me and put me out of my misery. But since I don't really think I am going to get anyone to take me up on the shooting me request. I guess I will dig out my tennis shoes and get myself busy shortly and hopefully by this time Friday morning I will be back at work and will have left from the new residence and will have been able to find my clothes for work. But in case none of that happens I just don't know where I will be or what I will be doing. So think good thoughts for me.

Tampa Bay Lighting Keeping Florida Cool With Great Hockey

2010-11-28T23:16:00.001-05:00

Guest post from: Issac Bird

Taking vacation from time to time I tried to take in sporting events. On a trip to Florida I thought Hockey in a warm venue is this crazy? What I was in store for was something I never expected. I was able to attend a Tampa Bay Lighting game which was something that was really exciting for me. I am not the biggest NHL Hockey fan, but after the experience I was hooked on the sport.

Like most I had this perception hockey was a sport with plenty of fighting and nothing else. I was pleasantly surprised when I attend the Tampa Bay Lighting game. I saw some very talented players who could skate and do some amazing things on the ice. Watching hockey in a warm weather state is much different than a cold weather state that is for sure. The one thing that does not change though is the passion for the sport that NHL Hockey fans have.

Tampa Bay Lighting fans love their team and they show up every night to watch them. I have become a fan as well and watch the games I cannot attend on satellite tv from http://www.directstartv.com. This way I can keep up with the Lighting and some of my favorite players. Without a doubt Vinny Lecavalier is one of my favorite players on the Lighting. Just watching how hard he plays he gives it all every night. You cannot ask any more than that from a player.

Moving Day

2010-11-28T23:11:00.002-05:00

This week is going to be moving day for our family. We have found a bigger house for all of our family. Our household consists of, my two adult daughters, three grandchildren, my husband and myself. We have decided that for this time it is a good thing for all of us to live together and assist with each other. It is working for us so far and we have committed to this arrangement for the next year. Things will be better for us in the new house since we will have more room than we have here where we are currently living. So I really think that things will be pretty good for us all.

Business as usual

2010-11-24T10:22:00.002-05:00

My daughter has been thinking for a long time about starting her own catering business. It is something that she has really had a passion for. She is a very good cook if I must say so myself. She is right now in the list making stage of starting up a new business. She know of course that she will need her business license to start with. Then she will need all of the physical items that one would need to have a catering business. She will need a good location, plus anything and everything that one need in order to cook with. Much like at home but on a much grander scale of course.

Then the thought came to her that you can be a great cook and have a great location but if nobody know about you then you are pretty much already out of business. So she has decided that She will need to hire an Advertising Agency to bring the proper attention to her new business venture. She has actually come to the conclusion that unless people know who you are, where you are and what you do and to be honest how well you can do it then the best business is nothing more than a lemonade stand in your front yard. So now she is in the process of researching Advertising Agencies to find that perfect fit between the Agency and her for her new business. So to my daughter I wish the best and look forward to trying all of the new recipes she has been collecting.

Happy thaksgiving

2010-11-24T10:17:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe that tomorrow is actually going to be Thanksgiving Day and then not to mention that we are only 24 days from Christmas. To say I am not ready for either holiday would be a vast understatement to say the least. I have not gotten anything purchased for dinner for tomorrow and lets just say have not even given a fleeting thought to what I want to get anyone for Christmas gifts.

I have to work tomorrow on Thanksgiving Day. I am not extremely happy about that event since I have never worked where I was required to work on a holiday in my working life but then again I never worked at a restaurant where I was expected to work. My one daughter works there too so at least we will both be working together tomorrow and my other daughter and husband will be home getting the diner ready for us to consume when we get home from work. So should be an interesting day tomorrow.

So if I don't see you or talk to you before tomorrow then have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Bowling in a league

2010-11-21T19:24:00.000-05:00

Post contributed by Josue Durham

Have you ever wondered why humans are so enamored with professional sports? We buy television sports packages so that we won't miss our favorite teams, we plan entire trips around attending a professional sporting event, we buy team apparell and spend the entire week looking forward to weekend rivalries. It's all about the thrill of the competition, and competition is not lacking in adult sports leagues.

I joined a bowling league not too long ago, and love every minute of it. It's fun, it's exciting -- there is always an opportunity to beat a rival and experience the sweet taste of victory. People may think that bowling is boring, that it isn't a real sport, and I beg to differ. Bowling is about independence; it's just you and the pins. You are in control of your own destiny, win or lose. You can perfect your game and encourage your teammates, revel in your successes and build upon the experience of your defeats. When I set myAllHomeSecurity home security alarm and leave the house for a tournament, I know it's going to be a good night, no matter the outcome.

Adults sports leagues offer the same excitement as watching professional athletic events, but you get to be in control. It's an event for the die-hard fans that are trying to make it big, even in the little leagues.

Turkey

2010-11-21T19:19:00.002-05:00

Well we went to the store this evening and had them put a turkey back for us. What they will do is put our turkey into their cooler and we go pick it up on Wednesday all thawed out for us. This is great for our family since we don't have room in our refrigerator for a turkey for several days. We were going to get a smaller turkey this year but since the store had such a good price on them we decided to get a bigger one. By bigger I mean we got almost a 29 pound turkey. But in addition to our family we have some other people coming here for dinner so we want to be sure that we have plenty of food on hand.

We will be going to the store on Wednesday to get everything else we are going to need for our dinner. I will be glad to be spending Thanksgiving with our daughters and our grandchildren. Last year we were not here with our family and I have to say that was a big bummer to say the least. So this year we are all going to be together and thankful if it kills me.

Holiday Time

2010-11-18T18:47:00.002-05:00

I guess I have to say I have mixed emotions about the Holiday season. In some ways I enjoy and look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. But in other ways I seem to get depressed somewhat during the holiday's. I don't know if it has to do with both of my parents not being here anymore. They were both really big on the holidays especially Christmas. But for the last few years money has been very tight at Christmas and although we have given our girls and grandchildren Christmas, my husband and I have not given each other gifts. Last year we were in a very small apartment all alone and had no one to spend the holidays with and to say it was depressing would be a big understatement to say the least. So in many ways I would just like to go to sleep and wake up after the Holiday's are all over and life is back to somewhat a normal state.

We are all getting ready to move to another home in a couple of weeks and I am hoping that maybe I will be able to get my Christmas decorations out and maybe get myself in the holiday spirit. But just not sure about it at all.

Flying home for thanksgiving

2010-11-18T18:42:00.000-05:00

Guest post written by Bethany Harrington

No matter how much I enjoy living and working in New York right now, it just still isn't like home. So I'm flying home to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I know that it's going to be a nightmare to do, but it will be worth waiting around in airport lines and likely delays to visit with my family.

I booked the tickets a long time ago, but just looked about last week to see what the weather would be like. Let's just say it will be a lot warmer at home, which will be really nice. When I was doing that I saw some info about a wireless internet company and decided to click now and get it in my apartment.

I'm really looking forward to this traditional Thanksgiving and plan on eating my weight in dressing and pumpkin pie and then doing some online shopping the day afterward. I plan on relaxing a whole lot and driving instead of walking anywhere that I need to go. It will be a nice break from the hustle and bustle right before the Christmas tourism season.

It's A Boy

2010-11-18T18:40:00.001-05:00

We had a baby shower today at work for one of the girls who is expecting her first baby the first part of December. I was really surprised at how well it went. She had a car full of gifts when she left. It took all of us to carry everything out to her car and there was just enough room for her to get in and drive home with all of her loot.

I guess I was most pleased with the guys that work there because a few of them came through with really good gifts for her. You just don't expect guys to come through like that especially young single guys. But they did a great job and she was very excited and happy with everything that she received.

the NBA season is here

2010-11-12T16:36:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the article from Glenda Hanson

Now is the time for the baseball season to end, and the basketball season to start. This is where the stars of the hardwood come out to shine. This is where the defending champions Los Angeles Lakers begin to start the defense of their title.

Kobe Bryant is one of the league's best players of all time. He is a sure fire Hall of Famer. He has been with the Lakers for his entire NBA career and is one of the greatest Laker players of all time.

LeBron James made his historic jump from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat this offseason setting off a spark of controversy in doing so. In going to the Heat, James teams up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh making the Heat a potential NBA title contender. This has left some bad feelings for the Cavalier fans who have spent many seasons hoping for a title to come to Cleveland.

The Celtics are still a powerhouse as well boasting a number of All-Stars on their roster including the Diesel, who is none other than Shaq Daddy himself.

This is going to be another great NBA season. I watch NBA Preseason Basketball on satellite tv that I got after looking at this comparison of directv vs cable packages.

Beautiful Weather

2010-11-12T16:31:00.002-05:00

I have to say we have finally arrived at a good season in central Florida. We are now into the cooler weather. right now the temperature here is 74 degrees. Now at 4:30 in the afternoon I am here to tell you I can deal with that temperature. This is much different than during the summer when it was near 100 degrees and you could not stand to be outside for a few minutes let alone for hours. We will have nice weather until probably March or April then it will start getting warm again. I think I am going to enjoy this winter much more than I did last winter. Last winter we were living in Pennsylvania and it was so cold and we had close to a total of 10 inches of snow during the winter. I have had my fill of snow I don't care if I ever see snow again. But just in case I took lots of pictures of the snows so if I get a desire to see it I will just look at my pictures and go stand in front of the freezer and hopefully that will get it out of my system again.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport

2010-11-11T11:03:00.001-05:00

This guest post from Efren Gill

My family loves animals. Our house can feel like a zoo at times with the birds flying overhead and the dogs and cats underfoot. We used to have a freshwater fish tank, but I gave it to my mom to help alleviate some stress she was having. We miss our fish tank and plan on replacing it soon with a saltwater tank. Until we do, though, we visit the fish at the aquarium.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport boasts many fascinating exhibits. There is no way to see and enjoy all of them in one day without rushing through the place, so we have to plan our adventure before leaving the house. With three kids who can't agree on what they want to see the most, it could become a hassle if we didn't. After we decide on an itinerary for the day, we gather our belongings, and head to the car, making sure to set our home security system from www.securitychoice.com on the way out.

Even though the kids (and the adults) may not get to see their favorite exhibit on every visit, we all have the best time. I think this is a family tradition that will continue even after we get the saltwater tank for our house.

Facebook

2010-11-11T10:57:00.002-05:00

I have been on Facebook for quite a while now. But recently my grandson Nate talked me into starting a Farm on Farmville. I originally said I would do it just so the rest of the family could have an extra neighbor and could use my farm to send themselves gifts from my so called farm. Well I have to say I am really enjoying having the farm and working and playing with it. I have added several neighbors who I do not know and some of them live overseas, which I think is really cool. I have discovered it is a great way to make new Facebook friends and chat with people in other countries and learn new things as I go. So I am now a very happy farmer.

Daily Grind

2010-11-08T09:37:00.002-05:00

I have the morning off but have to be at work at 1:45 today. The really bad news is that I have to train a couple of new cashiers today. That means for me that I do the job today and they both just stand there and me do it. As I am doing my said job I also have to explain it step by step to them as I go. So basically what I am saying is that today really ought to be a hoot for me. One of the people I am training is a new hire and one of them is transferring from another position in the company. The transfer is a person that I am not very fond of to say the least. This person was very rude to me in her former position and now here she is wanting to learn how to do my job and I am the one to teach it to her. I am just saying that be careful who you are rude cause just always remember Carma is a Bitch.

Furniture Shopping with Mom

2010-11-07T21:14:00.000-05:00

The article written by Adrian Hickman

Tomorrow I'll be going furniture shopping with my mother, to pick out some pieces for my new apartment. It should be a long day, as we'll be choosing living room furniture such as a couch, loveseat, and coffee table, as well as a dining room table set. I also need to pick out a bedframe and mattress, comforter set, and a wardrobe or dresser for my bedroom. After we pick out these things, it'll be time to pick out all of the smaller housewares items, such as kitchen appliances and other decorative accessories for the apartment.

I'm looking forward to seeing what's available, as I've been waiting to get new furniture for awhile. Most of the furniture I currently have is showing some distinct wear and tear, as I've had it since college. It will be great to finally get some pieces that are in a modern style, of higher quality, and that will match the decor of my new place. I'll be spending a lot of time shopping, to make sure I get the best deals on everything!

After we finish up shopping, we'll probably head home to watch some satellite tv through my directv hd dvr, and to rest up for moving day. The weekend will be filled with lots of trips back and forth, as I'm moving everything in my two-door car, to save on rental costs.

Quiet evening

2010-11-06T20:31:00.001-04:00

Having a quiet evening at home after a busy day. Just had hot chocolate and pumpkin cheesecake delivered to me. Which I might say the cheese cake was an invention of Joy's and it is quite good. She has come upon something good. Plus the hot chocolate hits the spot since it is a cool night out and we have the window open.

The kids had the cheese cake and Red Velvet Chocolate Milk. Guess it is a holiday flavor for the season.

Watching High Drama on the Oil Rig

2010-11-06T19:32:00.000-04:00

The Author of this post is Alva Barrera

You have heard of gold, but do you know what black gold is? If you took a moment to think about it, you could probably figure it out. Here's a hint: we use it for almost everything. Most people think it's just used for cars and lawn mowers, but that's not the case at all. Black gold, which is oil, can be found in many products in your home. The point here is that oil is very important. This means the stakes are extremely high when people are drilling for oil. And when stakes are high, tensions will rise. This is what the show Black Gold is all about. But it's not really about the big boys risking millions of dollars. They might be shown from time to time, but this show is about the roughnecks. These are the guys who work for close to nothing and risk their lives daily. If one mistake is made, someone may die. Trips to the emergency room are frequent.

The best part about the show is the drama that takes place on the rig. These guys are battling to keep their jobs. They know that striking oil could mean job security and more money. They also know that failure to strike oil might mean the loss of a job and nowhere to go. This leads to high drama, and sometimes even fisticuffs. Since I love drama as long as I'm not involved in it, I'm sure to watch Black Gold on Free on Demand on satellite tv from tvbydirect whenever I get the chance.

New things

2010-11-06T12:30:00.002-04:00

I just set up an App so that I can blog from my IPod. I sure hope I never need to use this App to tell my life story. Cause it could take a while. But I can get the job done which is a good thing to know for future reference.

Let em eat cake

2010-11-05T20:42:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow is the pancake breakfast at my grandson's school to raise money for the school band. To say he is wired up and all excited about it would be a vast understatement. This is his first year in a school band. He is playing the trumpet this year. So tomorrow morning we will be the partakers of pancakes, sausage, orange juice and coffee. So just hope the pancake maker really knows how to make a good pancake cause I am ready to eat a bunch.

A Night on the Town

2010-11-05T14:55:00.002-04:00

A Night on the Town

Thanks for the post from Wilbert Berg

Going to the theatre is an entertaining activity that can last an entire evening. Finding a fellow theatre buff, I need to look no further than the person with whom I reside. My husband and I find that planning the evening out is just as much fun as actually going. We usually begin planning the show in advance.

The Theatre District in New York City can fulfill most needs with the variety of offerings. We prefer the shows filled with mystery, such as Phantom of the Opera, or shows with magnificent color and music, like The Lion King.

Upon deciding on a show, we can now look forward to planning dinner. We would much rather eat before the show than after. Where there is such a vast variety of restaurants to choose from we decide on the type of cuisine first. Over pre-dinner cocktails at home, we usually opt for Italian, Chinese or an all American steakhouse.

If we are feeling particularly adventurous, we may just throw in limosine service, as yet, another way to feel upscale. At last we are ready for the evening. All important decisions have been made. One last ritual needs tending as we head out. Turn off the lights and set the home security alarm from securitychoice.com!

I have good news.....

2010-11-05T14:52:00.002-04:00

I have grown to hate the statement Good News. Because you know most of the time it is going to be followed by I also have Bad News too. Lately the bad news seems to outweigh the good news. I really wish just once we could have just some Good News. We thought this week that our time had come but yep that is right the Bad News Bomb was dropped on us big time. I just don't know if we are going to get out from under this bad news bomb this time. If we don't then I have no idea what we are going to do.

Strike Three

2010-11-03T12:14:00.002-04:00

I remember as a kid my Dad used to take us to St. Louis several times during baseball season to watch the St. Louis Cardinals pay ball. There was no huge Busch Stadium there at that time but you would have never known it the way our family acted. It is one of the best memories I have of my childhood. It was one of the few things my family did together as a family. The one place I would have loved to have seen a game played was Wrigley Field we never made it there but I know we would have had a great time if we had. I do believe that before my sisters and I were born that you can bet my Dad made it to several of the ball parks. For some reason my Dad just had a love for baseball. I do know that he would love the new arenas such as the brand new Amway Arena. I have not been there myself but have friends who went to the opening and were able to tour it and they say it is just awesome to say the least. Daddy did say something once about seeing a great game at Yankee Stadium. My girls did go see Camden Yard once well ok just from the outside but they do have pictures to prove there were there.

I think of all of the baseball stories I remember from my Dad was before my sisters and I were on the scene and he and Mother went to a ball game and there was a foul ball which came in their direction. But before my parents could even react to it the ball hit the lady in the head in front of my Mother and actually knocked her out. The the ball bounced back and landed right in my Mothers lap. The poor lady was there in her seat out like a light and her husband was standing over her and was fighting with my Mom for the stupid baseball. Well my Mother won that fight because I saw that baseball all of my childhood and heard the story a thousand times at least. So all I have to say about that is Take Me Out to the Ballgame Take me out to the Field.

Day by day

2010-11-03T12:10:00.002-04:00

I have decided that I will no longer worry about what is going to happen to me tomorrow or the tomorrow after that or for that fact any of my tomorrows. I have to take care of today and do what is necessary for today. I have always been the type of individual who tries to take care of my life may days, weeks, months and yes even years ahead. I don't want to do that anymore. I know they say you can't teach old dogs new tricks but this "old dog" is going to try to teach herself some new tricks.

I know I still need to make plans and work for things for the future but to sit and worry about them every day is just not doing me any good and it is not accomplishing anything at all. So her it is the new leaf I am turning over. This is hopefully the new me. I will see just how long this last before I find myself worrying about tomorrow. But hopefully when that happens I will be able to bring myself back to reality and take care of today.

Working

2010-10-25T20:44:00.003-04:00

Just got home from work a little while ago. I have to be back there at 5:45 AM I hate going in that early but it is nice when you get off earlier in the day. Guess it is the price you pay for needing to work. For the most part I work with a pretty good bunch of people as with any job there is the occasional jerk. That pretty much goes with working.

At my age I can truly say I have worked more than half of my life. I thought by this time in my life I would not be working any but the way things are guess you just have to do what you have to do. Work is one of those things I just have to do.

Working

2010-10-25T20:44:00.001-04:00

A Girls Best Friend

2010-10-25T12:23:00.003-04:00

I am a firm believer that a girl's best friend would come from a great selection of diamond engagement rings . I can't think of a more exciting time in a girls life as when she is given that engagement ring from the one she loves. When I received my engagement ring I had no idea what it was going to look like as my husband picked it out. But after all these years I actually think I would love to have found a place that offered the option of engagement rings design your own. I think to have a one of a kind ring would be very fun. Just the fact that you know that no one else out there has the exact same ring on their finger as you have. But now that I have been married almost 43 years as my anniversary is this Thursday. I now think I would love to have a look at some diamond eternity rings. Since it seems some days like I have been married for an eternity then don't you think I deserve a diamond eternity ring? Well I think that I do. But since this anniversary I think we are looking for a new home to live in I don't see that diamond ring in my future. Oh well maybe next year who knows? I have been given a new set of wedding rings since my original set and I was able to help pick this set out so I think I will be happy with that for now and just see what the future holds for my fingers.

Peaceful Neighborhood???

2010-09-08T21:24:00.001-04:00

We live in a very quiet peaceful, quiet neighborhood. That is until this morning. The girls were gone from home and called me about 11:30 this morning to ask me if anything unusual was going on here in the neighborhood. I said I didn't know of anything. They said to go outside to see if I saw anything. Well I opened the front door and said "Crap" there is crime scene tape all across the front between our house and the pond in front of our house. I walked out the back and there were police everywhere. This is what we are learning from the news here. Just thankful it was not a murder. I feel really bad that someone is dead but still glad we don't have to worry about having someone out there who did this to the poor man.

Hurricane Season

2010-09-05T19:39:00.002-04:00

We are smack dab in the middle of Hurricane season so far we have been bless to have not gotten hit here in Central Florida. I do remember a few years ago that we got hit by not one, not two but three hurricanes in about six weeks time. You wouldn't actually think that we would get much damage in central Florida by the hurricane but actually there was a lot of damage from all three storms. By the time that years season was over we were at our wits ends with putting up with evacuating and losing power and all of the issues that go along with a hurricane. So I hope we stay as bless the rest of this season as we have been so far. I don't care if I ever go though another hurricane again in the rest of my life.

Four

2010-09-05T19:11:00.003-04:00

I can remember as a kid that my mother for some reason decided to have me take golf lessons. I think it was because the lessons were free at the local golf range and it got me out of the house for a period of time and out of her hair. I am not really sure if they had such a thing back then as 48 hour tee times but if they did you could have been sure that I would have tried to take advantage of them. But alas I did not learn how to play golf. It was just not my cup of tea. But I did wind up babysitting for a lady who was in amateur golf tournaments. I guess she was pretty good because I know that for a couple of years it kept me pretty busy watching her boys while she was playing golf. I can remember hearing her on the phone getting her tee times all arranged so that she knew exactly what was going on before she ever left her house. I have to say it was a pretty good summer job for me. The only problem I has was when it would rain and she would wind up coming home early and would pay me for the time I had been there and I would lose money because of the rain. I have to say there have been times that I wish I had stuck to those golf lessons because people I know who play golf actually tell me how much they enjoy a good round of golf.

New Job

2010-09-05T19:07:00.001-04:00

I recently started working a new job. I have to be honest it has not been easy for me. I have always made my living working in an office sitting all day long at a desk. The job I have taken is working at a restaurant as a cashier. I am standing for my entire shift behind the register. It has been quite an adjustment for me. I am finally to the point where my back doesn't kill me while I am working. I know remember why I always told my daughters that it was much easier making my living sitting on your butt than standing on your feet. But the way the economy is now days I have to be honest you just do what you have to do to work and get a paycheck at the end of the week.

Lock It Up

2010-09-05T17:33:00.003-04:00

We have recently moved to a new city and are living in an area that we really don't know much about so what I am looking for is a good homesecurityteam.com site. Don't get me wrong we live in a very good area but this day an age I really don't think you can be to careful when it comes to your safety especially when you are in your own home. I have been looking online trying to get some police security tips so I know the best things we can possibly do to keep our family safe and secure. You hear about a lot of home invasions that happen. I really believe you should always feel safe when you are at home behind your locked doors. If you can't feel safe at home then lets be honest where can you feel safe. I have friends that live in the Texas and they depend upon the Forth Worth, PD for their safety. I know the police are there to assist us in our safety but I do believe that we need to do everything possible that we can do for ourselves so that we never need to call the police for help. Let's be honest if you need to call the police for assistance in a safety issue in your home you have waited to late to implement safety precautions in an around your home. So I guess I am just telling everyone along with myself to get on the ball and make you and your family all safe.

Life changes

2010-04-19T12:18:00.001-04:00

There have been a lot of changes in my life lately. For one thing I am trying to do this post on my blackberry. As for the rest of my life, I will try to list some of the changes.

1. We are living with our daughters for a while.
2. We have no vehicle for right now.
3. We have no furniture except for our bed.
4. I have just signed up for social security. UCK means I'm ol .
5. I now have a part time instead of a full time job.

I am sure there is a lot more changes to list but before I get a thumb cramp I better stop.

I Hate change and the unknown

2010-03-07T10:55:00.003-05:00

I am a person of order and to say that change and confusion disturb me would be an understatement to say the least. But our lives are about to change yet again. We moved here to Pennsylvania last year thinking that there was something for us to do here in a church. To say we were misled would be saying it mildly. To be honest I actually believe we were grossley lied to. But after being here for these past months with nothing happening but me going to work everyday. We have made the difficult decision to move back to Florida. This has not been an easy decision especially for me. I know that as bad as some issues are on the job I have right now it is nevertheless still a job with a weekly paycheck. But we have no family here and to be honest no friends here. (because friends do not lie to you) So we are in the process of packing yet again for yet another move. We will not be moving any furniture with us because to be honest what our so called friend here in PA got for us to have here is not worth paying for the space to move it with us. I guess besides the deceitful way were treated the next hard thing for me is to start all over again with basically nothing. We are both 62 years old and to have nothing to show for 42 years of marriage is, well hard to say the least. We will be staying for a little bit with our daughters. They have no idea how hard this is for me especially to start all over again in life with nothing and depending on my daughters for a place to live. Life should not be this painful. I am not saying I want a lot. I just want some decent furniture and a decent place to live and a life. I don' know if anyone who read this will understand my ramblings and not sure I really care if anyone reads this or not. Guess I just had to get my thoughts out and this is the only place I have to do that. So if you were not interested in this post for that I am sorry. But after I get over the pity party I will try to have a better post.

You have got to see this!

2009-12-21T17:29:00.002-05:00

If this doesn't stir you then your spoon is stick to the bottom of your bowl.

I Owe I Owe So Off to Work I Go

2009-12-03T18:07:00.002-05:00

I am here to tell you this working thing is just not working out. I am so tired when I get home I don't even have the energy to drop. I started working back at the same place in Pennsylvania that I worked before. Which is a good thing in this economy. I not only got my job back but actually got a small raise. But the woman that they hired when we went back to Florida decided that she did not like the idea of me being back at work. I was not hired for the position I had before I left but for another position with the company. So in no way was I a threat to her job. But that isn't the way she saw it. So she decided just to not come back to work after taking a couple of days off. So now I am not only doing the job I was hired for but also the job she was doing. I am getting to work well before 8:00 AM and leaving at 5:00 PM with no breaks, no lunch hour just working from the minute I get there to the minute I leave. All this extra work added to me plus they changed to a new software system while I was gone. So nothing is done the same way it was when I was there before. That means basically learning two new jobs at the same time. I really think I am too old for all of this. But what are you going to do when you like to have food on the table and a roof over your head. Guess you go to work and do the work you are given and in this day an age just be very thankful that I have a job. Which I am just really tired right now.

Moving along with life

2009-11-22T14:28:00.003-05:00

Today is going to be the beginning of my telling about things in my life.

Last night was an interesting evening to say the least. We were in the process of getting ready to go somewhere for the evening. When I kept hearing a smoke detector going off somewhere in the building we live in. I went out of our apartment to try to find out what was going on. There was a very faint smell of smoke outside our apartment door. I went up the stairs to the second floor apartment and the smoke was very heavy up there. I knocked (well banged) on the door several times and could not get anyone to answer. The smoke was getting worse so I ran back down stairs and we called the landlord. (I know should have called 911) but then the lady from upstairs came down the stairs saying she had put a skillet of grease on the stove to heat up and then went in to clean her bathroom. She forgot all about the grease heating up and it caught on fire. Guess she ruined her stove, mini blind at the window. I am just thankful that we didn't even get any smoke at all in our apartment. This is the first time in our 42 years of marriage that we have been this close to having a fire where we live. To say I was scared and upset would be a major understatement to say the least. But we are no worse for the wear and hopefully nothing like this will ever happen again.

The end of an era

2009-11-22T14:17:00.002-05:00

I think that I have reached the end of an era in my life. I have been using this blog in the past to make some extra money via doing paid posts. Well things are changing in that area so to that part of my blogging I am saying goodbye. I have to say I have some integrity about myself. I refuse anymore to put a post on my blog and to really try to do the best job possible for an advertiser only to have them want to pay me a very small and I do mean small fee.

I have decided to try to keep my blog going. To be honest I don't know if anyone out there will read my blog. But to be honest I am not sure that is all that important to me anymore. I intend to keep my blog up for myself. So if anybody out there still wants to read my blog that is great. I will welcome readers just will quite making it a job to get them.

Step it up

2009-11-17T17:10:00.003-05:00

I really wish that Randy could somehow manage to visit a podiatrist new york city podiatrist so that he could get someone to work his his feet. Bless his heart he has really ugly feet. He has a callus on one foot that to be honest looks like he is growing another toe. He keeps kidding me about me doing something for him where his feet are concerned. But to be honest I have this thing about touching the feet of someone else. Especially when they are as bad as his feet are. Don't get me wrong, I love him just not that deeply to touch his feet. OK I love him that much but I am still not going to touch his feet. Maybe someday he will be able to visit a foot doctor and get something nice done to his feet.

Back at last

2009-11-09T19:24:00.002-05:00

It has only been about 3 weeks that I have been offline while we were moving and with getting the cable company here to hook us up. But, I am here to tell you it feels like it has been 3 months or 3 years. I didn't realize how much I enjoy being on the internet and checking email and such. But now I realize it. I am going to try to be better about blogging. But to be honest right now there isn't much right now to comment about. Life is pretty much going to work and coming home. So I won't bore you with those details.

Ouch

2009-10-15T12:00:00.001-04:00

Ouch, Ouch, Ouch. Did I happen to say ouch? Well just in case I didn't then OUCH!!! We loaded the moving truck yesterday with our possessions. It was like 92 degrees here but the heat index was supposed to be like 104 degrees. But that was not up inside this moving truck I actually think it had to be at least 125 degrees in there or more. I have never been so hot in all my life. There were a couple of times I actually didn't think I was going to make it. If it had not been for our daughters and a friend of Joys who showed up and saved the day. I think I just might still be laying out there in that truck or the garage. I know I don't say it enough to my daughters but I do love and appreciate you both. More than you will ever know. But I am getting ready to go downstairs now and so I will leave you with just one word. OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean business

2009-10-13T16:20:00.003-04:00

Jill has always wanted to have her own business in the catering business. I keep telling her to go for it as A woman she might really stand a good chance with some of the business grants which are available.

I really think that she would be great running her own catering business. She is an well organized person. Not to mention being a very good cook. She has a lot of options when it comes to business grants. She can check out the local and federal government grants which are available to people.

When you are looking for grants you have to really be careful of getting scammed. She needs the service of the great online resource for business grans which is managed by the National Institute of Business Grants. She will need to learn to be patient because it is not a fast process. She is like me patience is not the easiest thing for her to do. Business grants are intended to help people go into business for the very first time. I really believe she can do this and try to give her all the encouragement I can.

Say what?

2009-10-13T16:15:00.001-04:00

Your Pilgrim Name Is:

Constance Doughty

A pilgrim is a wanderer with purpose.

What's Your Pilgrim Name?

I am not sure I understand where that name came from. But it does make me think of Thanksgiving which is coming sooner than I would like to think. I do look forward to a good turkey dinner though.

"D" Day

2009-10-13T16:12:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is going to be "D" day for us. This is the day that we load all of our stuff on a truck bound for PA. I know I keep posting about this. But you have no idea how glad I will be to have this day over. I have checked the weather and the temperature is supposed to be about 92 and the heat index is supposed to be about 102 degrees. Oh my gosh can you say melt down. Then later in the week the temps are supposed to be in the 70's now why couldn't that cooler weather come earlier in the week? Guess just not meant to be. Although I am glad about one thing and that is we are not under the threat of a hurricane. That would be really bad.

Show them off

2009-10-12T10:28:00.003-04:00

I have always heard that if you wait a bit any style in clothing will repeat itself. I remember during my younger days I had and wore many sexy mini skirts. It now seems that the mini skirt craze is returning. One of the great things about mini skirts is that you can wear just about any kind of shoe with a really cute skirt. You can just about go from that cute pair of tennis shoes in your closet all the way to that pair of really high heal shoes you found.

Nothing makes a girl feel more like a girlie girl though that some sexy lingerie under that also very sexy mini skirt. A mini skirt if accessorized correctly can go from the office right to a night out on the town. All you have to do is change perhaps your accessories and maybe a sexy pair of heals and off you go. From office to the nightclub.

I am a firm believer that if you have great legs then you should show them off. So for those of you who still have that great pair of legs then get you a sexy mini skirt and put on your sexy lingerie on under it and make yourself feel good about yourself.

Where is Fall???

2009-10-12T10:20:00.002-04:00

Living in Florida you have to envy the Northern Folks. Right now there is snow up north and what do we have here in good ole Florida. Why yes, we have heat, heat and more heat. I am really hoping and keeping my fingers crossed that on Wednesday at least the humidity is just a tad bit lower. Right now at 10:30 in the morning the temp is only 83 that isn't bad you say. So what am I complaining about? Well the "Feels like" temperature is 93 degrees. So that is what I am complaining about. During the afternoon the "Feels like" temperature will be well above 100 degrees.

I WONIIIIIII

2009-10-11T10:34:00.001-04:00

I am so excited to say I just won the Nobel Peace Prize. I really didn't have to do anything to win it. But hopefully in the future I will do something to earn it. You just never know. Maybe I will and maybe I won't.

Soaking wet

2009-10-06T16:59:00.002-04:00

I know that there is a lot of problems lately in California with all of the wild fires they have been having. I am sure a lot of people are going to need to do something about water damage Orange County after all is said and done. I am aware that a lot of the time there is more damage done by putting out a house fire with water damage than the actual damage done by the fire itself. So it is really important that those poor people find a good company who can clean up the mess that they return home to.

Count Down

2009-10-06T14:24:00.002-04:00

Well a week from tomorrow we will be loading all of our possessions on the truck which will take them to PA. There our friends and some help will unload everything and have it all in our apartment when we get there. I will need to unpack everything but that is something that I can take my time doing and not have to have it done all in a day. We arrive in PA on Saturday afternoon and I start working on Monday morning. I am very thankful for that.

Two, Four, Six, Eight!

2009-10-06T10:09:00.002-04:00

Two, Four, Six, Eight Vote for Nate! I am so proud of my Grandson Nate. He has decided to throw his hat in the ring. (although he has no idea what that phrase means) But he has decided to run for the school position of Reporter. He knew he wanted to run for an office as soon as he heard they were going to have elections. But did not know what position he wanted to campaign for. So yesterday he came home from school and announced that he was campaigning for the "Reporter" position. I asked him why he chose that position instead of President, Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer. His answer was there were less people running for the Reporter position. So for his age he figured his odds were better. So Jill (his Aunt Sue Sue) is his campaign manager and she and his Mom (Joy) are working on creating fliers to hand out and posters to put up in the school tomorrow afternoon. I say to Nate go dude you can do it. He also realizes that he might not get elected and seems ok with that option too. I am just proud of him for trying.

Take care of your body

2009-10-05T11:13:00.002-04:00

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about things I need to do to take care of myself. I hate to admit it but I am getting older now. But it does beat the alternative of being dead. I have also decided that part of the process of taking care of myself will be in the form of Herbal Nutrition.

I have been taking advantage of the internet a lot lately to research things that I want to take advantage of when we get to Pennsylvania. I have discovered Herbalife in my search and I am very happy to discover that I was able to do a search for the city we will be living in in Pennsylvania and there there are six distributors as close as nine miles from where we will be living. That is important to me. I did not want to find something here in Florida that I liked only to discover I could not find it anywhere in PA. But thankfully that will not be the case. All you have to do on the Herbalife International site is enter your city and state and in the blink of an eye you get a list of distributors in your area.

Their website is very user friendly and easy to navigate which is important for me. I want to use sites where I don't have to waste time figuring out how to navigate around the site. But with Herbalife International that is not an issue at all. So if you too like me are interested in taking better care of yourself then what are you waiting for? Get on over there and check it out.

Where is Fall

2009-10-05T11:08:00.003-04:00

Last week we had a couple of fairly nice days here in Florida, at least weather wise. But they are saying that this week we should be back to summer like temperature and humidity. Have I ever said that I hate Florida? Well if I haven't then let me go on record as saying I hate Florida. I do not do hot weather very well. As a matter of fact I do not do hot weather at all. I only hope that in a little over a week we have some cool weather when we are to load our possessions on the truck that will take them to Pennsylvania. We are now in the countdown period of our move. I am anxious for the move let have some emotions about it. I do hate to leave our daughters and our 3 grandchildren. But we are all strong people and we will make the adjustments necessary in living miles apart.

Love to ride

2009-09-28T13:53:00.002-04:00

I really want a bicycle. I remember years ago I made that statement to my Father in Law and you know what? He got me one, he just showed up one day with a bike in the trunk of his car just for me. Well wouldn't you know some jerk stole it off of our carport. I remember calling "Dad" and telling him what had happened. Well just a few weeks later here he came again with another bike for me. He did fuss at me and tell me not to leave it on the carport anymore. So now I am again looking for a bike you know something like a chopper bikes would be great for me. What I am looking for is like Beach bikes these are very simple bikes sort of like the bike you had when you were a kid. This sort of bike usually has only one speed and coaster (foot) brake. I am not in need for 24 speeds and I hate hand brakes. I am just sort of an old fashioned girl when it comes to bike riding. Yep, this settles it when we get to PA I am going to start looking for a bike for myself.

Cheese Cheese

2009-09-28T13:45:00.001-04:00

You Are Cheese Pizza

Traditional and comforting.

You focus on living a quality life.

You're not easily impressed with novelty.

Yet, you easily impress others.

What's Your Pizza Personality?

Guess this pretty much describes me. Plus I have to say I love a good cheese pizza. I can't wait until we get back to PA cause we have our favorite pizza delivery place and I can order Pizza, Wings and just kick back and enjoy a quiet evening at home.