I have been awarded.....

Velvet of Velvet Sacks has awarded me this pretty Gratitude with Attitude Award. I am so deeply touched by being awarded that I don't quite know what to say. Thank you just doesn't seem like enough. We all love to be appreciated, that's for sure ..... and all I can say to Velvet is thank you so very much for the compliment and it makes me happy that you enjoy my writing.....but I bet I enjoy YOURS more!! LOL

Boneman has also awarded me a "ValStar" award because I was nice enough to do that Meme he tagged me for. A ValStar award means you are a "go to gal" who gets the job done. His words. Thank you Boney for this award....it means a lot because you took the time to make it for me. I think I will pass this one along as well....Boney, don't be surprised if your own artwork pops up somewhere else. ; > )




So now I pass along the Gratitude with Attitude Award to the following:

Brad: Because he is just so caring about everyone and everything and that includes our environment......I am grateful for his caring attitude and the kindess he has shown me as well as others. I honestly think everyone loves Brad.

Maria: Because she has a resilience not often found....she is raising her child to be a caring individual who holds no prejudices in a world that can be so unkind. For her beautiful writings that sends one deep into their own soul, I am grateful to have found her.

Soul: What can I say. Is there any person who has more attitude? She has endeared herself to so many people. She is the morning cup of coffee and reading her daily post is just like sitting down at the kitchen table with her. I am so grateful that she loves me enough to call me "Charlotte".

Summer: For having to bend like a willow tree for everyone you seem to come in contact with. You are appreciated, Summer.....by more than you know. The ones who don't appreciate you are missing out on a lot. I'm grateful there are kind-hearted people such as you. Thank you for just being you.

Well, now that brings us to the ValStar Award. This is the one awarded to a "get 'er done" type of gal. I award this to the following:

Jamie: Because she's had life in the traumatic lane for quite some time but she hits every day running with determination....never letting anything slow her down. What a gal to have on your team if you want to be a winner....and she IS a winner. Good luck on that garage sale BTW.

Anonymous Boxer: Because she's determined to keep her business going and have happy satisfied customers no matter what.....and she does. And lets face it....anyone who can live with a herd of Chihuahuas (not to mention the redwriter) has got to be a 'get 'er done' type.

Elizabeth: Because she's a devoted mother to three little boys, plus a loving spouse..... seeing to all their needs....yet finds the time to write so eloquently you just get lost in her words. And did I mention she's also an excellent housekeeper. This is definitely one 'get 'er done' type of gal.

I'm goin' in.....

Be afraid...be very afraid. I've put it off long enough and I have to finally clean out the fridge. When I lived alone, it was so simple. I was the one who put it there, so I could keep track of what was going on. Since my son now lives with me, its a whole 'nother ball game.

It just takes on such a snowball effect. Start on cleaning the fridge and then before you know it, your sink is full of dirty dishes and then the floor needs mopping. Ever notice how leftovers......especially if they are nothing to write home about.....seem to multiply and then before you know it, you have something that should be labled bio-hazard. I have reached the point where I just throw away most things unless it can make another whole meal. Like roast beef leftovers. Those always seem to get used the next day....same goes for turkey dinner leftovers. But that lone porkchop? Give it to the dog and make him forever grateful to you. If you don't, guaranteed you'll forget about it and next time you see it, it will have morphed into something unrecognizable.

Somehow a jar of grape jelly got overturned in the back and the top wasn't screwed on. I know I didn't do that....but there it is. Oh the jar got righted again, but no one cleaned up what spilled. I have glass shelves so thankfully it didn't drip down onto more stuff....but it won't be fun scraping that up off the glass either. And a carton of juice with about one teaspoon left in it....what's up with that? A gallon of chocolate milk with about a half of cup left and its expired to boot. Leftovers.....pizza, biscuits, a hamburger....all just sitting on a plate, not even covered. Oh Lord...I didn't do any of these and I thought I taught him better than this.

Lots of salad dressing in the door and most of it is expired. Those are mine. I once read that you can use those about 3 months past the expiration dates with no problem....but the problem is in your brain. You've read the date and you KNOW its expired so you find it distasteful to put it in your mouth.....the thought of it almost makes you sick. So the damage is done and you can't use it.....even if it really IS ok......which I wouldn't chance.

After I get this all nice and clean I will be a total bitch about putting stuff back in there for a while. I hope he's prepared to deal with it because I'm in the mood to throw out things like a quarter cup of corn or green beans, not to mention that teaspoon of catsup left in the bottle or the 1,900 soy sauce packets from our local Chinese restaurant. Of course you DO realize that as soon as you throw out those soy sauce packets, you will need them.

So, I'm goin' in. I have donned my version of a haz-mat suit and I'm prepared for battle. At least I'm grateful that I no longer have to DEFROST a freezer. Oh what a nightmare THAT used to be. You all have a great Saturday now.

Fly away.....

This time of year I cannot seem to hold onto money for more than a few nanoseconds. Every year its the same....first of the year bills plus routine repairs and maintenance. Blech! They sure do get me down.

A bright note, however, is that my taxes were filed on time and I am getting a refund...so that will help immensely. My daughter needs a new hot water heater so thats the next thing on the list of "to do" items. I'm hoping that my own hot water heater will last another year for me (at least).

I had to laugh at Soul's post because my life is much the same ... at least right now. I have routine doctor's visits and tests coming up....yech. Oh well, as they say....preventive maintenance. I know I'm going to need new eye glasses this time too. That fine print is getting MIGHTY fine, if you know what I mean.

The day is gorgeous, the sun is warm and the sky so blue it makes you happy to be alive. I am attempting Spring cleaning....does anyone know where I can rent a forklift? I cannot believe that I have accumulated so much STUFF....well, me and my offspring. 36 years in the same place will do that to you....it just takes on a life of its own. It would be nice if I could come across some long forgotten about cash....but in this household, money is NOT forgotten about. Spent, yes..... forgotten about....never!

My son got a packet in the mail yesterday about enrolling his daughter in Head Start at the school here by us. PACKET is an accurate description as it was about 1/2 inch thick stack of paperwork that has to be filled out, asking everything under the sun about her, him and probably his descendants dating back 200 years. Some of these questions are unreal. Not to mention all the doctor and dental appointments and blood tests required before admission. He just skimmed the paperwork because I know he thinks that I'm going to do this for him.........wrong. Been there....done that....paid my dues with my OWN children. Now its HIS turn. Bwha ha ha ha ha

Book Meme.....

Thanks for the tag, Boney.....ahem. I've managed to avoid this one for about 6 months now...but you finally got me!

It seems perfectly easy, all you have to do is “pick up a book on the top of your book stack, turn to page 123, read the first five complete sentences, then post the next three sentences."

So I went to my pile of books here next to my computer and took the one on top, the one I'm due to read next....You've Been Warned by James Patterson and Howard Roughan. These are the sentences called for:

"Not that I could see these new ones coming. I lean back into his familiar gray leather couch and describe some of the events of the past few days, culminating with spotting my dead father this morning. Dr. Corey listens while puffing away, not saying a word." ©James Patterson and Howard Roughan

I'm really not quite sure what this is all supposed to mean or do for anyone....except maybe if you have the right book, it may turn out to be humorous. I've done my share and played along. I'm not going to tag anyone...but if you'd like to play, please be my guest. At least its an easy one.

At last.....

Finally I am able to do laundry without having to do the basement steps. What a day this has been and, of course, everything seemed to snowball but the end result is that its finished and its all been done correctly. I already have a load in there washing and the workers have only been gone about 45 minutes. One good thing is that the rain held off so I didn't get a bunch of mud tracked in. It is an unbelievable 70 degrees outside....but unfortunately we also have a tornado watch. Its clouding up and I'm ready for a nap.

Things That Tick Me Off.....

Welcome to Minor Irritations 101. Here is a sampling to start off with:

You have worked a full day, gotten home, eaten supper and are now in comfy jammies and kicked back in your favorite couch or chair getting ready to settle in for some TV. Your drink is at hand, dog has been out and back in….the stage is set for a few hours of relatively relaxed couch potatoism. (that’s not a word apparently, so I’ve made one up…...I like it) Continuing......

For the past few months, Comcast has been airing their promo commercials. The woman they have hired to “star” in them…..even though she has a nice speaking voice…looks as if she smells something distasteful….like dirty socks or wet dog. For a while it made me laugh to look at her…now it just irritates me. The part that really ticks me off, though, is the fact that their ads come across 50% louder than what you’ve been watching or any other ad that’s being aired. You literally jump out of your seat. I realize they want to get your attention….but this is ridiculous.

And this leads me right into the second thing that ticks me off….. Since their ad comes blasting out at you, you immediately attempt to find the remote and locate the right button to mute the sound. Since you’ve made yourself all comfy this has included shutting off the lights so the room is only dimly illuminated by the TV. You may knock over your drink trying to locate the remote (been there, done that) or you may find the remote but fail to find the right button to mute the sound. By the time you find the right button, the commercial is over. Unfortunately I have Comcast because the only other option is no TV. They raise rates on a regular basis and what I’m paying for basic cable and Internet is just plain sinful…but that’s a whole ‘nother story for another time.

So, then you start fuming over the remote and why aren’t the buttons illuminated so you can see them in the dark and speaking of remotes….how come you have to have 3 remotes at your side just for an evening of TV? So you go out to the store and find a remote that is supposed to do the job of all three of them. Get it home and you can get one thing to work on it, but not the others. So now you’re back to square one except you’re $20 poorer. See how things snowball?

Some trivia about me.....

I really don't know when it happened, probably sometime during my teen years. I don't remember having any nightmares when I was little, or any bad experiences and I certainly did enjoy watching clowns on TV at that time. When I really knew I had a problem with it was when I became a mother. Lots of kids' stuff have clowns for a theme. I found myself avoiding anything with a clown. No pictures, no dolls, no coloring books, etc. Every time I looked at a clown, I got chills that ran up my spine. A very fearful sense of something that was just....... WRONG.
A fear of clowns. I never would let one near either one of my kids. I'm a mess at a carnival....so many of them to deal with. I never talked about it to my kids so I don't think I've passed this on to them. They had so many other kid-oriented things in their rooms I don't think they even missed not having clown stuff. They never mentioned it to me at all. One day my daughter and I were out shopping together. Her own daughter was about 2 at the time. She saw a cute clown lamp and mentioned that it would be cute for her daughter's bedroom. She actually witnessed me shiver. I said NO....not that one. Lets find her something more feminine...like Cinderella or Barbie. Later my daughter questioned me and the secret fear of mine was exposed.
I wonder what causes this. I don't ever remember a bad experience with a clown. What are some of your silly fears (not the biggies, but the little lesser known ones)? Are these supposed to be safeguards of some sort......a way of protecting us? Sigh - another one of the things I think about. No wonder my brain is so.......busy.

Oh what a sunshiney day.....

Today was so gorgeous that it was a downright shame to have to go to work. When I came home later in the afternoon I saw so many bicycles out. It was as if they had sprouted forth like flowers, anxious to feel the rays of the sun and the wind in their tires. I saw kids riding with fishing poles, heading for the lake. People were just OUT...enjoying this beautiful day. We've all been cooped up for so long this winter....today was indeed a breath of fresh air.
Today at work I heard that this summer is supposed to be a record breaker as far as HOT temperatures. A heating and cooling guy was talking about having several customers that already want central air installed to beat the rush. He's a happy camper. I'm thinking that along about July we will all be complaining about the heat. Sigh...I guess there is just no pleasing us, is there?
In the meantime, I'm happy that snow is now a distant memory. I shouldn't say that out loud because we HAVE had snow this late (and even later) in the season before and it could happen again...but I'm gonna risk it.
Watched two of my $5 movies, Dejavu with Denzel Washington. It was good, held my interest but really played with my mind and there isn't a whole lot left to play around with. It was worth every penny of what I paid for it. Scale of 1 to 10....I'd give 8, mostly because I like Denzel. If anyone else had played his part, I'd give it a 7.
The other one was Secret Window with Johnny Depp. It was a bit slow in spots but I got a kick out of Depp and some of the humorous things he did. It was based on a story written by Stephen King and since I've read so many of his books, I predicted the ending accurately. I'd say that on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 5.

Colors, colors, everywhere.....

I finally trudged to the store and bought painting supplies and then proceeded to pick out the colors I wanted to use in my bathroom. For over an hour I messed with this, looking at no less than 39,000 colors and brands of paint, not to mention, the METHOD of application I wanted to use. After agonizing over this color and that I finally made my choice. And....of course....are you ready for this... or are you ahead of me and have guessed what I'm about the say. Yep, you're right. Out of all those 39,000 colors and varieties of paints, they are out of the VERY ONE that I picked. It will be restocked by Tuesday evening, I'm told.

I'm not surprised at this at all. Matter of fact, I would have been effing DISAPPOINTED if it had turned out any other way. This, my friends....is the way my life seems to go. But I've learned to just go with the flow. It'll all work out in the end.

After leaving that store, I did manage to find some DVD's on sale for only $5 at Wacky-mart. I bought several very good ones. My grandson was laughing like crazy at me riding around in their little shopping go-carts. This is the only way to shop as far as I'm concerned. Although I didn't tell him that the last time I was there the darn cart's battery went dead with me at the far end of the store. It managed to get me to the check out counter but a snail could have moved faster. I just considered myself lucky that I didn't have to walk all that way. So now I make sure I get one that's nicely charged up. Hope you all had a memorable Sunday.

Links Meme......

Janet tagged me, and though I really don't like memes, this one didn’t ask any personal questions so I’m participating.

PLEASE follow the rules!

Just copy and paste THIS and everything below up until my Five links:

I thought it would be cool to have a meme where we post links. We can post up to five. Then we tell five more people to share their links. If we all share who tagged us, our links are sure to be seen!

They can be business links, favorite sites, affiliate links, whatever you want…

There are some rules, as usual:

1. MUST be clean. No R rated sites.

2. Only FIVE links.

3. MUST tell 5 people.

4. A link back to the person who tagged you

Here’s mine:

Half.com:
This is where I buy 98% of my books and a lot of DVD's, not to mention music CD's. I've never been burned (no pun intended) in all the years I've used them.

Give away of the day:
This site gives away fully licensed programs.....a different one every day. The only thing you have to remember is that once loaded on your machine you cannot take it off and expect to reload it at a later time....because it just won't work a second time. I've gotten some really nice programs here and never had an issue with any viruses or spyware.

Games for the Brain:
I go here whenever I want to exercise my brain. Nothing is worse than having your brain sit around on the couch and munch snacks all day, so go here once in a while and give it a workout.

Heavy Games:
My grandson showed me this site. If you're bored and want to just "play", this is a good place to go for some fun.

Fashion Bug:
This is where I purchase most of my clothes; they are made well and if you watch for sales, which are frequent, the price is nice.
~~~~~~~
So, now I have to tag....(please forgive me if you hate this kind of stuff).

Mapi because I'd like to have some of her links.

Jay because he's so dog gone funny and I'd like to know where he roams....sorry about the no "R" rated sites, Jay....hope that doesn't hinder you.

Jamie: Please don't hate me but maybe you'll find this kinda fun. I will bend over so you can kick my arse if you really hate memes..... the next time you see me. lol

Brad: I am hoping you will find some interesting links from others as well as others finding some great ones from you, my nature-loving friend.

Soul: Please don't sic Eevee on me but I tagged you hoping that maybe you'd throw in that link where you get all those GREAT pictures you post. If you're less than enthusiastic about this, I'll let you kick my arse too.....the next time I see you.

Blessfully alone......

OMG...this is the first Saturday in 8 months that I've been alone in my house. I had forgotten the freedom of such a thing. This morning after getting out of the shower I padded, nude, into the kitchen to get my coffee refilled. It was so wonderful to be able to do that without fear of having someone walk in on me......of course I think I scared the dog out of her wits....she's under the bed hiding right now. In good time she'll learn to tolerate such fearful sights.

I am getting my washer and drier moved to an alcove in my kitchen instead of being down in the basement. Its going to cost almost 2k to get it all in place with cupboards that match the rest of the kitchen installed as well. I can't really afford it, but once done I know I'll be much happier with this arrangement. I'm fortunate that my kitchen had just the corner for them to fit in. Now.....do you think that I will be able to have this work completed in a time period satisfactory with me? I'm thinking it shouldn't take any longer than 3 days.....max, once they start. That's about my limit to having something all torn up. I picked a highly recommended construction crew. Of course him taking almost 2 weeks to get my estimate to me didn't set very well.....is this a prelude to how long it will take to get the work actually finished? Oh my lord....I hope not. He has not given me a start date yet.

Remember my bathroom redo? How many months ago was that.....I seem to have forgotten. By the way....its still not finished. My son hasn't done one more thing in there so today I am going to the store and buying what I think I may have to have and my 17 yr old grandson said he wants to do it for me. I figure it can't look any worse than what it looks like now....with spackling all over the walls......so I think I'm going to let him do it....... with me as overseer, of course. I have always been a person that absolutely cannot stand to have things remain half finished. When I start a job myself, I always kill myself to finish it as soon as possible because of my dislike of unfinished projects. This getting old is the pits because now I can't be climbing a ladder anymore and there are so many things I used to do that I simply cannot manage now. So you can only imagine what this unfinished bathroom has done to my mind in these past months. Talk about a downer!!

But today is gorgeous.....the best day we've had since last October. Its 60 and sunny and thats just like giving me a pep pill. I have the house to myself for now and I'm taking advantage of it.
Oh and by the way....if you're over 60 and big-breasted....do NOT attempt the happy dance while nude.

Great Day in the afternoon....

My son starts work tomorrow and its only 3 miles away! Glory Glory. I am drunk with joy. I wonder if my neighbors would think it odd if I ran around in my yard screaming. Yep...you're right, I'd be wise to hide my enthusiasm from the public for the time being. Maybe I can now cancel my reservation at Happy Valley.....or at least POSTPONE it.

Things I think about.....

Ever been to a friend's house and washed your hands with her bathroom soap and it smells yummy? The fragrance lasts and lasts and you make up your mind you want some of that stuff. So you go out and buy 19 containers of it just in case they quit making it and bring it home. Yep, it smells great for about 4.2 seconds, then dissipates. What is the deal? Did your friend add a secret ingredient to hers? This is one of life's mysteries that you will never solve.

Almost the same goes for laundry detergent and/or fabric softener. You're at a friend's house, she is doing laundry....the fragrance is so fresh and wonderful. Why don't YOUR clothes smell as nice, you wonder. You decide to try her brand. You buy it, you use it and yes, the fragrance is terrific for a few minutes....then there just doesn't seem to be any fragrance to speak of. What happened? You decide that it must be her water (even though you both have city water).

You go into an upscale department store and head to the perfume counter. You spray yourself with a tester of some yummy smelling stuff and it stays with you for the next 12 hours. You have strangers stopping you and asking what your fragrance is. You know you have to buy this stuff....no matter the price. You buy it, you use it and the fragrance goes away after about an hour or so. Honestly, I think they put stronger stuff in the testers. There is an exception to this for me...the one perfume that I can wear that will stay with me all day long and then some is Red Door. Its the best stuff in the world as far as I'm concerned. And if a small black and white animal hadn't thought of it before me, I'd say it was my signature fragrance .... that to smell me is to know me.

Why my son has to tap his razor on the side of the bathroom sink 17 times between strokes while he's shaving. Sometimes he only taps it 14 times but usually its 17. Is he nuts for doing that or am I for COUNTING it? Do you think I'm suffering from cabin fever?

The other day while I was ATTEMPTING to read, he opened and shut the back door 30 times in 3 hours. That averages out to 10 times an hour. I feel this is excessive but then again....am I going off the deep end because I actually COUNTED them? He has a good lead on a job....pray for me.

A celebration is in order.....

Wow, this is my 100th post. Hard to believe I've been at it this long. Its sort of a double celebration too because I FINALLY got my taxes all in order. I managed to FIND every bit of documentation needed, although it was not all in the same place. I start out putting it in one spot, but something strange happens during the year....I'm convinced its the gremlins again. They move the stuff just so I have a hard time finding it and then kick back with their beers and enjoy the show....me going crazy trying to find something. You know that commercial on TV where the little guys with TAXES written on their shirts are riding on the two other guys' backs? Well, I have felt like that myself, except it felt like an elephant was on my back. This is another reason why March is always so stressful for me....I know I have tax time coming up and I keep putting it off and putting it off. So they are in the envelope, ready to go to the tax lady. I have the envelope on the hall table, right in plain sight. If it disappears, I'm checking myself in at Happy Valley.

Then, of course, its not easy having my son and granddaughter here either. The Waltons we are NOT. Maybe someday I'll write a book about my experiences with my family. A soft fluffy book about love and the rewards of procreating would not be an accurate description. Mama's Family (Vicki Lawrence) on steroids might give you a better picture. My son has said stuff that honestly makes me wonder if the babies somehow got switched at birth and my REAL son is actually a successful businessman who owns 1000 condos in the Bahamas. I could not have POSSIBLY passed forth my genes and produced something that is so inconsiderate and hard to get along with. These are all things I ponder at night while I'm drifting off to sleep.....that and how to split the atom more efficiently.

Well, readers, I'm off to see what kind of trouble I can get into today. I have so effin many things to do I am just in awe of my numerous choices. Boredom is not in my vocabulary, that's for sure.
Enjoy your day.....SMILE....you could be in MY life. LOL