I'm not making this stuff up.....

honest. Memorial Day weekend is a time for family gatherings, picnics, BBQ's and reminiscing. My family is very small. My daughter suggested we get together for two days this weekend....Sunday and Monday. I was to fix one of her favorite hot weather meals on Sunday and then BBQ ribs on Monday.

Saturday I more or less vegged. Did some little things around the house and just enjoyed the lovely weather. Sunday I fixed the meal she requested. Its a simple meal so I didn't have that much time invested. The meal was ready by 3 pm. I put it in the fridge to chill and waited for her and her family to get here. We have argued many times in the past about her waiting until the last minute (when everything is all done) to show up and I made up my mind I wasn't going to do that anymore. Life is too short to be arguing about something like that. So when she wasn't here by 4, I will admit I was a bit ticked but let it slide. 5 o'clock came and went. 6 o'clock. I decided that if she wasn't here within a half hour I would go ahead and eat alone.....but I was not going to call her and chew her out for being late once again. She called me at 6:30 with a "Hi, how are you feeling today?" I said, I'm ok. Then she said, "what are you doing". I said, I'm waiting for you to get here so we can have our meal. Dead Silence. I said "hello?". She said...."Mom, that's tomorrow." I said yes, I know you're coming tomorrow too....but you requested we have a meal together today. She said once again....that's Sunday. I said Yes. She said that's tomorrow. I said NO....Sunday is today. Dead Silence. Then.....she said OMG, I have lost a whole day somewhere. I thought today was Saturday. Bottom line here.....SHE FORGOT. Because of her closed head injury, she does have memory problems, which makes me have to keep my mouth shut....when I'd really like to tell her off and say.....that's what calendars are made for!!! Sticky Notes! Strings tied on fingers!!! Needless to say, I ate alone....it was too late to do anything together by then. I was not a happy camper. I had made enough food for 5 or 6 people to have generous helpings.

So the next day, I start the preparations for the ribs early in the day and she does show up early also. We have a very nice day together. The meal was good and we watched a movie afterward. The only bad part was that she had to leave fairly early as my granddaughter is still in school and had to get up early the next day. I did not throw it in her face about her forgetting me the day before.....even though I really wanted to. Am I bad?

Tuesday I notice I have a new bill from my cable company and am upset, although not surprised, to see that its been raised $6.37......just like that. My cable company raises our bills approximately three times a year and its usually $3 each time. With the way the economy is, I just couldn't believe that this huge company has the guts to raise their prices once again. I figure we got the double raise because they neglected to raise it since the first of the year.....they've been too busy transferring channels over to digital I guess. Now maybe $6 doesn't seem like a lot to some of you, but it won't stop there....they will raise it another $6 before the end of this year and next year it will be the same. My bill for simple cable and internet is absolutely ridiculous but at this time I don't have much of a choice.....this company has a monopoly here and has had for quite some time.

I've been trying to cut corners everywhere I can to make my dollar stretch further. Last month I called my phone company and cut long distance from my bill. I rarely call long distance and if I do, I use my cell phone, which is also the most basic you can get. Its a no-contract 300 minutes a month phone I have for emergencies. I can make long distance calls without paying anything extra as long as I don't exceed my minutes. I can still make long distance calls from my house phone but I will be charged 12 cents a minute if I do. This adjustment shaved off about $18 from my monthly phone bill. So you can imagine my disgust when the cable company comes along and ups my bill over $6 a month......just because they can.

I called my cable company and I admit I was really disgusted with them when I did. When I finally got through to a human, I asked for an explanation of my newest bill and also to confirm that my bill had been raised. I wanted to yell at her but restrained myself. After all, its not her fault. I asked if she could transfer me to billing since she didn't really handle that area and she said there would be OVER a 20 minute wait and did I still want to transfer or maybe call back later. I figure a whole lot of customers are calling and complaining about the price hike, although it shouldn't come as a surprise anymore. This is a very greedy company, I fear. I opted to call back later.

Three hours later I called back and waited for 18 minutes. I spoke with one of the nicest ladies and she helped me trim down my cable bill. I thought I had the lowest package but I did not. Now I can only get channels below 100 but those are the ones I look at the most and the ones that the grands look at the most too. She even threw in a promo for me giving me $10 a month off because its a new plan. She said it will last for a year. I was impressed because its going to save me $22 a month! I'm hoping that in that year's time, either this company will realize how ridiculous their prices are and lower them .... or another company or two will come into our area and they'll be forced to lower them due to competition or I can switch.

Speaking of saving money. I recently shopped online at my favorite store......Kohl's, and managed to get my granddaughter a bunch of summer clothes....2 bathing suits, sandals and tennis shoes....everything was on sale, most of it 50% off, plus free shipping to boot. I'm not getting paid to tell you this....I just plain love that store. Their line of clothing is well-made and if you wait for the sales....very reasonable. For clothing for me.....they are not so good....but for the grands, its absolutely perfect. I have three stores that as far as I'm concerned have exceptional clothing for kids. Hanna Andersson I buy from online and the clothes are really expensive so I watch for sales only. Kohl's and Old Navy are the stores I use to buy the girls' most of their clothes. Great stuff and great sales. Check em out. This is not an ad.....this is my opinion.

Also my vacuum cleaner quit working. Its a good name brand and it just doesn't want to suck up the dirt anymore. I checked and re-checked and I can't find a clog, but obviously there must be one. The machine is not that old either, but its out of warranty (of course). I have found out that it will cost more to take this one in for repair and cleaning than it would for me to buy a well-known brand vacuum that's on sale right now. So I bought the new one for $67. ..... $100 regularly. We live in such a throw-away society and I really wish it were different but as long as they make it cheaper to buy new than repair old, this is our fate. I remember my very first glimpse into the throw-away mentality was about 15 years ago. I had a problem with the keys sticking on my computer keyboard at work and our tech company came out, unplugged it, plugged in a new one and tossed the old one in the trash. I stood there with my mouth open, not believing my eyes. He calmly told me that no one fixes keyboards, they are routinely tossed. Well, I guess I've had my say about a bunch of different things today. LOL. Hope you all have some good stuff happen to you and remember to keep smilin'.

dogs, squirrels and shopping.....

Well, first of all, my daughter had to put down her wonderful pet, Mollie. Mollie, a black lab, just had too many aches and pains from old age and it was something that had to be done as she could barely move any longer.....she was an important part of our family for over 15 years and was a bit of a heroine to my old dog, Tommy. You can read about it here. Rest in peace Mollie.

If you read that old post, it gives you a little insight on the problems I have had with squirrels. They are the cause of many power outages, not to mention the intimidation they do to the family pets. Tommy (my Lhasa Apso) wasn't able to fight them back like Mollie did so he had to put up with it. This dog I have now...my rat terrier, Abby, just hates squirrels. I think her breed is born hating them. She spends her days running from one window to the next watching the squirrels jump from tree to tree or scamper all over my roof. Since Abby would rather chase a squirrel than eat, I have to let her out on a 50 foot nylon leash so she won't leave my yard....the squirrels have learned just where the boundaries are and they will run around just inches beyond her reach with her angrily yapping. Yesterday I let her out and she tore off the deck and headed straight for a squirrel that wasn't out of her reach....he just wasn't paying attention. My sweet little pet turned into a snarling savage as she tackled this squirrel....they tumbled ears over tails in the yard and the squirrel managed to get away from her. That was her first taste of actually having one in her grasp. When I let her inside a few minutes later and went to unleash her my hand came away covered in blood. Upon checking her over I could see that the squirrel had bitten her on the top of the head and also on the ear. Abby has her first battle scars and she wears them proudly. I hope she was able to get a couple bites on him too. I called the vet to make sure I didn't have something to worry about as I've heard that a lot of squirrels carry rabies. They said as long as she's up to date on her shots, (she is) that she should be fine. I cleaned her wounds with peroxide and put some antibiotic ointment on them. Now when I let her out, she actually prances. The squirrels are keeping their distance for right now, but I know they'll be up to their dastardly tricks again before too long.

Now this is off the above subject but its something that I have to pass on or I'll surely forget to. About 6 months ago I came across what I refer to as a best kept secret in the shopping world. Yep, its a family owned department store somewhere in PA. They may have more stores elsewhere in that general area too, I'm not sure. I was looking for something (what....now I can't remember) and I believe their name came up in Google. I checked them out and really liked what I saw. I have bought from them 3 times now and they are wonderful. This last time I got my granddaughter a London Fog winter coat for only $43. and some new Mary Jane type shoes for $16. I also got her some nice waterproof and insulated Totes winter boots for $23. These prices are absolutely unbeatable....especially for brand name merchandise. Yes, they were having a sale, but they seem to have a lot of those. They ship for a flat fee of $9.95 no matter how big your order is and they are prompt, as well as accurate. I'm not getting anything from them to promote their business....I just wanted to pass along a good thing. Go to www.boscov.com and see for yourself. I just love it when I find good deals. And just in time for Christmas too.

This n' that and all that.....

Well, here’s a little rundown of the latest. My daughter’s car is having another hissy fit. Just won’t do anything. Turn on the key….NOTHING. So, us not being mechanically inclined, assume it has something to do with the battery and have left it for THE SON to diagnose and, hopefully, fix. It WOULD be wonderful if said fixing could cost nothing, but that’s doubtful. We will have to wait and see. In the meantime, I will have to run her places.

Like last night….I was so tired I could barely see and had to take her to the grocery store. I had been up since 4 in the morning, worked a full 8 hour day and just wanted my bed. But, I waited in the car while she did her shopping…..for over an hour. You never know how bad your butt can ache until you sit on it in a car with limited movement for over an hour. I had a headache to boot so I wasn’t in the best of moods. I couldn’t even entertain myself with people watching, which is one of my favorite things to do. When like this, its just best if I keep my mouth shut….which I did.

The woman I work next to at work gave me a present from her to me. She made me a lovely Christmas basket just filled with homemade cookies, breads, candy and fudge. OMG. It is gorgeous and for the very first time in my entire life I made up my mind right then and there that I was going to be horribly selfish and NOT share it with ANYONE. I brought it home and put it in my bedroom closet. I have been sneaking goodies from it here and there ever since. I know this just sounds awful…but I can justify this….really. See, I will get no other presents. Both my kids are out of work and since I have such a tiny family, there really isn’t anyone else. So…my one and only present is going to be totally FOR ME. The rest of them all will have presents from me….so they aren’t suffering. In the meantime, I’m being a Ms. Piggy and lovin’ every minute of it. LOL

Like I mentioned before, I received a lot of compliments on my dressing…which was my contribution to the Christmas luncheon we had. Wow, that makes me feel really good….but I really didn’t do anything that special. Its Pepperidge Farm dressing in a package…which I add a few things to. I guess maybe its just that stuff always does taste better if you don’t make it yourself. LOL

I still have 3 or 4 things that I haven’t received from my online Christmas Shopping that I did on December SECOND. These are toys for the girls. I’m not happy with the store I ordered from….I had had problems with them once before and gave them a second chance. NO MORE. I will NEVER order from them again. Wish I could tell you their name but I don’t want to get sued by them. HA…now THAT would be the topping on the cake. Seriously late with my purchases and then sue me for saying so.

Well, this about wraps it up. I work tomorrow so today I’m resting up as much as I can. Just hope I don’t have to take my daughter too many places. Did I mention that my son’s car is on the fritz too (transmission)…so I have the only running vehicle in the family right now. Hope the angels watch over it and protect it for me.

Dare I say it......

I think I’m done. Yep, I think I have finished my shopping. All I need to get is wrapping paper and ribbon and, of course, the food for our Christmas feast. I even have the gifts for our ‘Secret Santa” exchange at work. And I remembered to order more ink for my printer so I can print out the pictures I will take this Christmas...…got a rebate on that too. Of course…I don’t have them in hand……but they are all ordered and confirmed and supposedly on their way. I received two boxes today already and I just ordered from that store on Sunday. I managed to get free shipping from every place except one and that was only $5.99 so I don’t feel bad at all. I saved twice that much in gas.

I can’t say enough about online ordering. I’ve been doing it for years now and have found the best buys and received everything in time and in good condition. Of course you can’t wait until the day before Christmas Eve to order and expect to receive it in time. No battling the crowds, the heavy traffic…..no looking for a parking spot and waiting in lines to cash out and then having to walk through snow to my car and unload everything. No worrying about getting mugged on my way to the car. This is just too easy. I may even……shudder….begin to like shopping again. I did like it once….when I was young and had plenty of energy and no children to lug around. Add the fact that I did it all in my jammies while sipping on a cup of coffee or a mixed drink….depending on the time of day it was…to the above attributes and this is just about a win-win situation here. I guess I am, indeed, a walking advertisement.

But I have been in the trenches. Oh yes I have. Stood in lines until I thought my back would break, had rude people try and take cuts in front of me….they were lucky they lived after THAT encounter. I may be short and mild looking…but I’m like a lioness protecting her cubs when it comes to taking cuts in front of me. Had people hit my heels with their shopping carts, over and over…...even had people take stuff out of my cart when I wasn’t looking when I found a good deal on something and there were no more left. Oh yes….shoppers are an evil bunch…ruthless I tell you.

The best time I ever had shopping was when I went with a girlfriend who was in a wheelchair because of knee surgery. Her guyfriend had driven us there, dropped us off and parked the vehicle so we didn’t have to walk far. We were (she and I) half in the bag from an earlier Christmas party and we had so much fun that time. I guess it was because we just really didn’t care if we found stuff or not and because of that, we had pretty good luck. The only bad thing was that we had to wait in line for over an hour. She almost fainted (for real) because the store was so hot. She had taken off every article of clothing she could take off without getting in trouble and she still got overheated. It was memorable and it was fun. When I got into their van, I went to sit down and sat between the captain chair seats in the back and landed on the floor on my butt. We all laughed like fools and then went out for breakfast to sober up. We were laughing so hard we even had all the waitresses laughing. Ahhhh…the good old days……..such good memories. I'm so lucky.

A Green Tree Hugger.....

Well, not quite that bad maybe. After Tuesday's post and my ranting about all my mail.....fiwa was nice enough to suggest a place she's thinking of trying and its called Green Dimes. For $16 total, they will eliminate 90% of your junk mail and catalogs, plus they will plant 10 trees for you. This sounds good to me. I checked it out and joined it. Thank you Fiwa!

I knew my mail was getting out of hand, but this was ridiculous. Right off the bat, I listed 13 catalogs I did not want to receive. That only covers about a third of what I get. I will have to go back in and add more as time goes on. They even eliminate the 'occupant' ones too.

When I got up this morning I was thinking that maybe paying out money to have my mail reduced was a little overkill......until I went to the mailbox. I received 11 catalogs today in addition to my regular bill type mail and personal letters. Now, I'm glad I did it and can't wait for the results, which can take 2 to 3 months, they say.

Like Jamie, I do almost all my shopping online. Its wonderful.......especially for a crabby bitch like me who hates going into stores and hates dealing with lines and cashiers. Don't get me wrong, I'm never mean, unless you try and take cuts in front of me... (grrrrr snarl).....but I often wait in line doing a 'slow burn' just cause I have to wait a long time.

Online, I wait until the store either offers Free Shipping or I have a promo code (currentcodes.com) for it. Like Soul, I hate paying for shipping and just won't do it. More and more stores are figuring this out as a lot of them are offering free shipping a lot more often. Sure, there is a catch......you may have to buy $50 or more to get it, but if you're doing your Christmas shopping, that's easily met.

In the meantime, there are just SOME things you have to venture into WackyMart to get. Invariably the four things you want are at the opposite four corners of the store. I think they do this purposely to keep you in there as long as possible so you will be tempted to pick up extra stuff. Now......let me tell ya, I hop on one of those electric carts and zoom my way through the store. Good thing they don't have speed limits in there cause I have the throttle all the way back. Not only is this fun, but its FAST. Plus that, you're not tempted to buy things you can't see.......as you're whizzing by the shelves so fast. I don't feel bad about this because I really am handicapped in a way.......I have a bad knee and also a bad hip. So it takes me a long time to walk that whole store, not to mention the PAIN! My daughter says I should apply for a handicapped sticker on my car but I can't quite do it.......I keep thinking that there are so many others more deserving of that handicapped parking spot than me. As long as I can get fairly close, I'm ok.