Happy New Year

This will be my last post until next year. I hope that next year brings everyone good health, prosperity, peace and happiness as I wish and hope for these things too.

We had a nice Christmas with the family and my youngest is enjoying a lazy break from college. I think she'll have to get used to getting up before noon all over again though when the new semester starts.

I am looking forward to a reflective yet lazy New Years Day tomorrow. I think I'll have to practice writing 2010 several times so that I can get used to it. I remember when 2010 seems so futuristic. Not anymore...

~ Merry Christmas ! ~

I was lucky enough to get part of the day off which was really great because I was in about as much a mood to work as someone on a beach in Hawaii!

Got everything pretty well set for tomorrow and just heard from our oldest that it is icy up in Northern TX and so they will probably not be coming down tonight. I never thought we'd have to worry about that here in TX. Better safe than sorry though, so they are coming down tomorrow for the day.

Here is a short holiday rhyme I just came up with...

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the office
Not a keyboard was clicking not even a mouse

The files they are finished, my queue empty now
The screen has gone dark, and I say Holy Cow!..

As I sit on the couch ready to veg for the night.
Merry Christmas to all..and to all a Good Night!

Saturday Nite.....

Stopping by to check in...I know I haven't blogged much lately but have been really busy with work, nothing unusual there..and when I haven't been working I have been doing the Angel card project sending out cards to those in need. I got 127 of those done and just got done my regular cards of somewhere between 30 and 40. Needless to say I am tired of writing.

I noticed so far anyway, a lot fewer cards in the mail with only 4 more mailing days until Christmas. I have only gotten 4 so far. Guess many are cutting back on everything this year including sending out Christmas cards. But I will write them as long as I can lift a pen. For some old friends our once a year catch up is the only time for getting a quick glimpse at what each other have been up to. And so for me it is tradition.

I'm excited to say our youngest has finished her first semester of college and did very well. Woo hoo! For me the first semester was the worst and hardest adjustment to get through. So she should be fine for the rest of the time since she made the transition fairly easily.

She is home now for the holidays so it will be nice having her here for a while again. We are going to bake some cookies and go see a movie or two while she's home.

I think I am pretty much ready for Christmas in terms of shopping for the most part. Will have all the wrapping to do, but I'll try to get a little done each evening so I won't face a repeat of last year...wrapping gifts late at night in our bedroom, which started out neat and tidy with ribbons and tags and ended up well let's just say not so neat using tissue paper with names scribbled across the front.

My other daughter and her fiance' will only be able to visit for a short time as he works every day but Christmas...hmm....sounds like me! :) It will be nice even if the visit is short.

Well I've yawned way too many times to keep going with this blog post tonight. Goodnight

~ From Shelby..one of mommy's furkids ~

......sniff....sniff. Woof!

I'm stopping by to write in mommy's blog although I am half blind...I'm going to do my best. Mommy and Daddy must not be mad at us anymore! We've been good and trying not to bark too much, but we haven't gone for a walk for a long time, although I'm not sure because I can't tell people days very well. I have sniffed the air and can tell it has been very ,very cold in the mornings...

Anyway we DID get to go for a walk this morning and I did very well, Daddy said. I went down a little further than usual even though my legs hurt. Mommy gives me my own little treat for that. It doesn't taste like my other treats and I'm the only lucky one who gets it. It helps with the stiffness sometimes.

I have been getting lots of special attention from Mommy and Daddy since it was hot outside and I'm loving it. Except for the part when I get all scared and my teeth chatter and we go see this man with glasses and a white coat who takes me somewhere and sticks me with something sharp. But he always brings me back to mom which makes me happy. The last time I went he seemed happy to see me. I think I am doing better because I feel better and don't have to go for that scary ride as often.

One thing I have enjoyed lately is that Mommy is so busy in that room in the garage, that I can find poop snacks really fast in the back yard. That is unless Mommy spots me and scoops me up. No fair! I can't see her coming very well and I never get to finish my snack~! Oh well at least I get plenty of food and get a treat when all of us dogs get one...even if Kaci nabs mine if I drop it. I just get another one. I really love my Mommy and Daddy... uh oh....here comes Mommy..

Woof ...

..sorry

I know I've been MIA on this blog recently.
It is getting even more busy with work, if that
is even possible and right now I'm also working
on the Angel Christmas Card project that I
volunteered for both last year and this so
any spare time ..which is actually sleep time
is being spent feverishly writing out cards.

I'll pop in when I can.

Christmas Stroll

The weekend started out with the threat of snow...yes it was possible that we may get a whole half inch and folks were out getting milk and bread and stores were running out of propane for heaters. The municipal trucks were all getting ready to treat the roads in case we were to get some snow. I had to laugh at the thought of all the commotion over a half an inch of the white stuff. Back east it wasn't worth getting excited about unless we were expecting at least 6 to 10 inches. But that's Texas for you.

Anyway my youngest was suppose to come home this weekend for the annual town Christmas Stroll festivities to be in the parade and help with the pageant promotion for next year. But in her area they were possibly getting 2 or 3 inches and we talked yesterday morning and decided she should stay put. Our snow arrived right as I was going to pick up my mom for lunch. We stayed close to home just in case it actually started to lay on the road. By the time we came back with our salads from the salad bar it had already slowed to an occasional flurry. By the time we left there was no sign of snow and the roads were still dry.

By 2:00PM the sun was coming out. So I started chatting online with my daughter to see if maybe she should come ahead. It was still snowing there and sticking some so we agreed once again that she should just stay and maybe possibly come this morning when it will have all passed.

Then after 4:00PM she called me and said it stopped and maybe she would come anyway. So she and her boyfriend headed home by 5:00PM. The weather people just don't get it right so much of the time. This storm that was suppose to be anywhere from 9:00AM - 6:00PM, only lasted around here anyway for 10 minutes!

Anyway we had a nice time in town today. The parade was long and she looked great in the parade. There was some musical performances at different times and we strolled, as the event is appropriately called, around the vendors booths and the local shops. I allowed myself to buy a few things and we had a good time.

We were invited to join my daughter's boyfriend, his mom and his other brother at our favorite restaurant for dinner. We had a great time and really enjoyed some nice conversations and a few laughs...which we always have when my comedian hubby is around.

I talked with our oldest daughter today too who took her wedding dress to get fitted by a woman who does alterations. I could hear the excitement in her voice as she told me how it was being altered and how beautiful it will look. We are all getting very excited for their wedding which now is only 3 months away.

It was really nice not working the entire day although I did work a little this morning. I need to remember to do that now and then. Take some time to enjoy life!

Tuesday ramblings..

For once I got done work before 11 at night! Woo hoo! That is the only draw back to working from home, you tend to take it to bed with you~...well it feels like it sometimes. It will probably be like this at least until year's end. I'm used to it. It is just hard to really appreciate the holidays working a lot. Time rushes past and it is a race to get the Christmas decorations up BEFORE December 25th. LOL

It is really cold out tonight and there is a chance of some light snow or freezing rain the next day or so which is rare around here. Darn! I keep forgetting to pull the green peppers that are still on my balcony garden that are ripe enough to pull. Hope it doesn't get down to freezing tonight so I can do that tomorrow.

I get to see our youngest again this weekend as she has to come back for a holiday event held in town on Saturday. I'll take some time off work to go see her do her thing. Always nice to have the kids home!!

Hard to believe it is December already! I really need to make a hair appointment before December 25th. I need a dye job and hair cut badly. Looking back on my calendar it has been since May! Yes I have been that busy. Well its easier to ignore hair when you can pull it back in a pony tail most days. It is just the gray that I see at the roots that are grown out about 3 inches already that I hate to see. Reminds me that I am getting old no matter how much I still feel like I'm not a day over 20.

Today was my exercise day so tomorrow is my off day. Planning to get up early to spend some time with hub chatting and drinking coffee. The only time I can call my own is time I take away from sleep time but it is nice to relax and start the day slow.

That's it for now....sure hope my peppers survive.

Monday..Monday...

..can't trust that day....from the Mamas and the Papas...I often think of that song when it is Monday. It is just one of those things that has stuck with me through the years. It is a music thing. Those of us who grew up with music at our core just cling on to stuff like this.

Anyway..had a great weekend, actually last week with the family. We actually broke tradition and stayed home which did not please my sister and the folks but when someone works as much as I do, lately 7 days a week well into the night, the one day off that I get, I really like to spend doing what I really want to do.

It may sound really selfish but a dear co-worker of mine put it in the exact appropriate words.."You have to do what is best for you. Our jobs are so stressful, we have to have the downtime with those we are closest to in order to maintain our sanity"

I am sure we will spend a Christmas dinner with the rest of the family this year so it is not like I'm cutting us off from the family altogether.

Well off to work...

~ Cyber Monday ~

To join in with Cyber Monday I am offering my OWN Cyber Monday special.
20% Affordable Mineral Makeup™ until MIDNIGHT tonight November 30th.

This is MY special and not the company's! All orders must be
emailed to me at dstjames@suddenlink.net

~ Happy Thanksgiving ! ~

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Here is a photo of the beautiful apple crumb pie my youngest and I made today.


We had a nice day...I made homemade dog biscuits and got the youngest up around noon. These kids will just sleep and sleep! Then we walked ALL the dogs. That was an adventure. Merlin and Molly kept getting twisted in their leashes. When we got home, we went out to Blockbuster to get some movies to rent. Later we baked this pie. And of course I had the crock pots going with turkey breast and green bean casserole.

Popped the wine open around 5:00 and are getting ready to relax in front of a movie. We had a very nice day and there is so much I am Thankful for...family ,friends, furkids....okay later..

..pulse check..

I am alive and no I did not get stuck in Jury Duty from Friday until now...just very busy working a ton! I did go on Friday along with about 50 or more people and sat patiently waiting to see if I would get picked or not. While we were waiting, one bailiff who had been seating people and moving around a lot asked if anyone else was warm. I was perfect, with my jacket off. But some menopausal lady in short sleeves nodded that she was hot, so then the A/C got turned on. So patiently waiting, turned to getting cool, had to put jacket back on ..impatiently waiting.

After 2 hours I did not get picked as they selected from the front back and I was someone in the last half of people. So I went home and started my work day late...and seems like that's pretty much all I've been doing since.

Gotta get back to it now and will write more later. Just wanted to check in.

Oh my....

I got an nasty email today full of the "F" word against me...even on the subject line. Why do people assume that I am the ABC Mortgage that is calling them soliciting them, when there are literally thousands of hits that come up when ABC Mortgage is googled?? Just because I may be listed on the first few pages of results, that is no reason so assume it is ME! I am not ABC Mortgage Company or Corporation for that matter...it is ABC Mortgage Consulting, period. I am just one person who is not in the business to originate mortgages, but rather to help educate borrowers. And actually honestly, I haven't done much of anything with that website in the last 4 years since I haven't had time to promote it due to working all the time. Instead of responding to someone who undoubtedly would not be easily convinced it wasn't ME that called them, I just deleted it. Besides if I emailed back, I'd probably be accused of SPAMMING them and get reported somewhere for that!

Anyway...I am not taking it personally because it is not directed to me. It is just that I wish people would not jump to conclusions and falsely accuse people about things they would never do. Heck I hate solicitous phone calls too, but let's not blame the blameless...okay maybe I am taking it a little personally.

Well the excitement of my week looks like it is going to be reporting for jury duty Friday. I hope I don't get picked, not because I don't want to perform my civic duty but more so because I don't wish to give up my income for that day. I don't get paid if I don't work which is the life of a contractor. If I didn't have to work for a living it would be interesting serving on a jury. I could pretend I'm on Law and Order or The Good Wife! :)

~ Interesting! ~

I heard on the news today interesting new medical opinions about mammograms. I'm sure many disagree with the new suggestions for women waiting until they are 50 to get their first mammogram and even then getting one every few years. But I have to agree with some of the statements that were made with this announcement. It was 2 1/2 years ago when I posted this blog with my own opinion not too far off what this new medical opinion is.

I know many are against this new idea as it has been been said to us for so many years that we all need mammograms at age 40 and every year thereafter and how important self-exams are. I am still for self-exams as that doesn't cost anything and doesn't involve needless mammograms that lead to possibly more needless tests, such as long as women who do them do not get all upset about a lump they find until they've seen their doctor and determine if it really something to be concerned about (hopefully without a lot of excessive testing). Many women have lumpy breasts until they have reached midlife and this may cause some undue stress.

Since I am already over 50 and have a family history of cancer with my sister being a breast cancer survivor I will still get my mammogram every year or so, but if I were younger and there was no family history, I'd probably wait. But that is just me, everyone can form their own opinion, and perhaps think outside the conventional thinking that we've all been taught to follow.

Off my soap box now about that....only one more week until youngest daughter comes home for Thanksgiving. I'm really looking forward to that and seeing my other daughter and her fiance' the next week. I'm really excited about seeing New Moon too! I am trying not to get my expectations too high as I don't want to be disappointed like I was at the last Harry Potter movie. Hopefully it will be just as good as Twilight.

quick blog..

I realized that I haven't blogged since Friday so I wanted to write a quick one before turning in for the night. Got a call from the vet and our Shelby's blood sugar level is still too high so we are up to 6 cc per shot. Oye. I hope it gets under control soon. She SEEMS better and I know she is gaining a little weight back so that is good, but I want it to be regulated and under control already! She's a real trooper at least and is really good about standing still for her shots.

I told my mom last Friday at lunch that I would go to the dentist with her. She has 3 teeth that are decayed and need to have something done to them. The dentist suggested pulling 2 of them but my mom was looking into getting at least one saved with root canal and a crown. She visited the root canal specialist though and got the standard information document that covers them and forewarns about every possible medical mishap that can occur with anesthesia. So that scared her too. I went with her back to the dentist today and she asked a lot of questions. In the end, she decided to go ahead and get at least 2 of the teeth pulled, think she is letting the 3rd go for now. I'm glad she has made the decision but I also find it amazing how all consuming the time spent worrying about it she went through. To me it was not a major decision needing so much thought, research, contemplation, etc. There are a lot more major medical issues that can cause that kind of worry.

I hope I don't change. I hope that I will always stay the positive person I am. I never want to worry about things that are not life altering! Life is so much better with a positive outlook on life! I probably should have sung that song for her..Don't worry...be happy. :)

I'm almost out of battery power so I'm going to end this here.

T G I F !

There is something about Fridays that is very relaxing. I suppose it is the harbinger of the weekend to come but most weekends I work right through, so that really doesn't affect me. I think it is just the idea that Fridays are the last official work day of the week most places and I never can get the T.G.I.F. concept out of my head. This is a good thing! It is good to have a day where the pressure of life is relaxed a bit and the coming of the weekend brings a smile to my face, no matter what I am going to be doing. Besides I often still do something relaxing during the weekend, whether it be watching a classic movie on TV, or going out to the movies or to dinner. YIKES...okay I just realized it is Friday THE 13th! So...cautiously relaxed is the theme for today.

Well I did it. I emailed my siblings about cutting out the Christmas gift exchange and to my relief two of them (well one already agreed to it last year), considered me brave for bringing it up and agreed with me. They just didn't want to be the ones to bring up the idea in case there was ill will as a result. But it went over better than I expected! I still haven't heard back from my younger sister. She is the one who had her child late in life and he is only 8. But I am still getting him something! I am glad I did this though. It is a huge weight off my shoulders. Now I don't have to think about what to get, where to get it, crowded parking lots, lines, or extra shipping if I had just decided to buy everything online. ;-)

Still getting our daughters something and my folks but that really narrows down the shopping list.

This is our second Christmas with Wood Stock being at its new location. I sure hope we get some great holiday sales. It would sure boost our spirits and the decision to move it closer to home would finally appear to have been more worthwhile. So..fingers crossed there.

I really miss having my youngest here and I know she misses us too. So glad Thanksgiving isn't far away and hoping both daughters will be home to visit!

off to start my work day...

~ Veterans Day ~

I hope everyone takes some time out today to thank all our Veterans, those still with us and those that have passed on for serving our Country. I also said a silent prayer for those currently serving that they are safe and return home safely when the time comes. Everyone has either a relative or knows someone who has a relative or friend who bravely served our country, so take a minute if you haven't already.

Of course I forgot no mail service today and already checked my mailbox. :P
I can't help it...I have to work today and so it was easily forgotten.

The weather around here is hitting that strange time of year when it is in the 50s in the morning and 75 by afternoon. Sweaters on...sweaters off...that's okay. I still do not miss the snows of Pennsylvania!

Update on the pink Yoplait lids..I now have 31 lids and I think I have 3 or so left in the fridge and then they'll all get sent in for my part in the fight against breast cancer.

The new fridge is working out fine but it is noisy. Since we opted for a cheaper style the coils are on the outside back and may be one of the reason it is rather noisy when it is in its cooling cycle. BUT we can fit through the doorway perfectly without budging and it will be so much easier to move to clean behind and underneath. And the trim to the door is back up...the old one was THAT tight that my hub had to remove the trim to get it in next to the counter.

One unfortunate thing is since one of our shelties is going blind from having diabetes she has walked into it since it is black. Poor thing. I have to admit I had a hard time not laughing a little. I think once she gets used to it being there she'll be fine. Since it is a shiny black I'm surprised one of the other ones isn't staring at it and barking like he does at house windows that are reflecting his image when we go for walks. :)

One thing that I can guarantee almost daily is laughter. That's for sure!

Back to Basics..

Got our new 9.7 cu ft fridge today. The delivery man thought he was bringing the wrong one because he saw the space and our old huge 20something cu ft one over at the end of the kitchen. He even asked my hub if he brought the right one. I think we probably shocked him. Nobody ever seems to go back to the basic model, let alone a small one. Most people buy bigger, or sleeker, or built-in, or with more buttons and gizmos...not us. Less extras, less money, less trouble...hopefully.

He told my hub that this one did not have an ice maker as he saw the old one had a water line from the wall. My hub said that we didn't want that! It would only break or leak or something eventually and we'd rather not mess with that. The befuddled delivery man finished setting up our new fridge, took away our old one, and left.

My hub saved the door of our old one to take pics of the part behind the framing for the ice/water dispenser as it was corroded and rusting and again we only have had that fridge for a little over 4 years, and we paid $2000 for it! He intends to write to Sears.

Headed to bed. Long work day and my brain doesn't want to think anymore!

Fun Friday

I went to lunch today with my mom and we met my sister to celebrate her birthday at Olive Garden. I just LOVE their bread sticks, don't you? I don't get there very often as it is not real close to home, but since we were celebrating my sister's last birthday in her 40's, it was nice to get away from my desk for once and relax. I was a little anxious when we had to wait to get seated...I didn't expect that for Lunch but since it is Friday I guess that shouldn't surprise me.

When I got in my car with mom to head back home I glanced at the clock and it was 3:15 !! I thought that was a really LONG lunch. Turns out, I just never changed the time in my car clock as I just don't think about it much and haven't really driven a lot since the time change either. Was glad to see I really hadn't taken a 3 hour lunch!

I also took Shelby back for her blood sugar test again which was still in the upper 400s. There is a different test the vet may take if the next one is still high as the vet said sometimes the blood sugar spikes when a pet is anxious about being there. And that could easily be Shelby's case. Her lips quiver she is so nervous! Next appointment is next Thursday.

Let's see what else....I have 28 Yoplait lids saved now and I think I have 4 more pink lidded yogurts in my fridge. This coming Monday is shopping day but we are getting a new small refrigerator delivered and getting our big one out, so I may just get a few things.

Our refrigerator is breaking. The icemaker doesn't work and now the water dispenser doesn't work and you can see where it has rusted underneath the finish in one spot where it is bubbled up. It is not a worthy fridge for only being a little over 4 years old. I do not recommend the Sears counter depth side by side!

We are getting a small 9.7 cu ft Top Freezer model in black. We are planning on painting the cabinets white or close to a white color and I thought it might look nice having a black fridge and it may not show the dirt as fast as a white one would. I know it isn't going to have nearly the room but we have another spare refrigerator in the garage so I will have that to use too. Since there are only two of us now (for the most part), I think it will be fine. We're just going back to no ice and water maker either and getting a water cooler and using ice trays. Back to basics...less risk of breaking down.

Already....

It is getting to be that time of year already! Christmas ads have already been showing on my television and stores have all their displays up with all the glitz and glimmer of the season. Nooooooo!!! I don't think I have last Christmas bills paid off yet. Well I do but either way, I am not ready for this.

I need to muster up the courage to let my siblings know that I do not want to exchange gifts anymore. We are all adults with families of our own and have for some time now. I loathe the idea of going into more debt and buy all family members gifts. I am hoping that it doesn't go over too terribly bad. I hate being labeled a Scrooge, but that isn't it. There has to come a point where the extended gift giving ends.

I don't mind getting something for my one newphew because he is still young, I think he is 8. But the rest of my siblings children are teens or older and like I said it just is not necessary at this point to keep up the family tradition. I already agreed with my brother last year who was thinking the same thing. I just have to tell my other 2 sisters that they can spare themselves trying to figure out what I and my family want! There, that sounds diplomatic doesn't it?

I still will probably get my folks something and of course something for our two daughters. But that is it. We do not even get anything for each other any more at Christmas but we both know that less debt is enough present for the both of us. :)

Well it was another long work day for me and Conan is on, so I'm going to crawl in bed and watch a few minutes of it before I fall asleep for the night.

short post

Took Shelby to the vet today for her 2nd blood test since starting the Insulin. Her blood sugar was a little bit lower in the mid 400s, so we were told to increase it a little again. She has actually gained almost a half a pound so I'm encouraged by that! Hopefully she is not in any kind of pain, she doesn't seem to be but she just seems so frail. One day at a time...

Busy day at work, so I'm tired and just got done. Going to watch the news and part of Conan if I can stay awake that long.

Oh I DID turn the heat on yesterday for a few hours in the morning to warm up the house some. But I reached my goal at least. I was able to wait until November 1st!
:-)

Night..

~ Trick or Treat!! ~

I haven't heard 'Monster Mash' yet this year which is a true sign of Halloween for me. Just like I have to hear 'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer' as a true sign of Christmas. But then again, I don't listen to the radio much so that could be why. When I listen to musics it is CDs and I practice singing so I only use the radio the few times I'm driving around town for something.

I will be on dog duty tonight for sure, while hubby hands out candy to the handful of kids we get Trick-or-Treating around here. We don't have that many young families in the neighborhood, but we have plenty of candy. That's okay - more for us! :)

________
I am up to 23 Yoplait pink lids! Not bad considering I'm eating all these yogurts myself.

I'm off to start work again for the weekend. It is a chilly 46 out right now but it is suppose to get up to the low 70's. Still haven't turned the heat on yet.

Happy Halloween All !

Dentist day..

Yesterday was my dentist appointment for a cleaning and then a filling. I haven't had my teeth cleaned by a dental hygienist for 3 years. The last time I had it done which was there, they used a probing instrument to see how bad my gums were and I remember that hurting, especially around my front tooth crowns (a result of a dog knocking out my tooth about 20 years ago). That is what kept me from coming back 'in 6 months', okay...more like 3 years. ;-)

A few months ago I had to face my hesitation about going to the dentist when I broke part of a tooth that had a huge filling in it, that left what was there a jagged hazard which couldn't be ignored. I had that crown taken care of and decided to bite the bullet and start going regularly again. So I endured a rather lengthy teeth cleaning yesterday. My teeth weren't as bad as they could have been. I do brush and floss every day so that helped. Then it was time to get the filling. I had gotten a back to back appointment so that I didn't have to go through the angst of another lurking dental appointment.

The filling didn't go so badly as I have a very skilled dentist. What I find interesting is that he drills the enamel in order to put the filling in, then puts the filling material in, lets it harden and then DRILLS again to shape it. That is the annoying part. Drilling twice! The sound of that shrill noise echoing inside my head is unnerving!

I left there with my appointment card in hand. May 11th. Phew...I'm good for another 6 months. By then I should have enough courage built up to do it again.

___________
Update on Shelby: Her thyroid test came back normal. I am taking her in this afternoon to get her blood sugar level tested since the first time she's been on insulin. Hope there is some improvement!

Gotta get to work...

Nice weekend....but sick furkid..

Had a great weekend with the youngest! We treated her boyfriend to dinner with us at our favorite restaurant, Saltgrass. We got a little shopping done on Saturday too and she and I had a nice brunch at IHOP on Sunday. It was suppose to be breakfast but we had to wait a while to get seated and after we ate I wasn't hungry until dinner so I consider that brunch. She called me when she got back to college which always makes me feel better. I can relax after I get that call. Made a new recipe for dinner Sunday night - Crab and Lobster cakes. Turned out very well. Hub said they were better than a restaurant~!

On a serious note, got a call from the vet about the blood tests Friday. Shelby (pictured here) may have several things wrong with her. Her blood sugar was over 500 and there was another level that was over 2000! I don't recall what that was but it normally is below 200. We have to give her insulin shots twice a day now and get her tested. Just like a person, have to find out what the correct level is for her. He had me practice the syringe on Shelby which I did, but hub said he'd give her the shots, which I'm happy about. For the most part he will, but I will do it once in a while so that I can do it if he is not around.

Once we get that under control, he can try to find out what else may be wrong. She is just the sweetest thing and has not had it real easy. We adopted her from a rescue in Atlanta after a couple didn't want her anymore after they had a baby. We were so happy to welcome her into our home! A loose dog attacked her in our old neighborhood and she had some bad puncture wounds. She recovered fine from that, but it just seems she started aging more rapidly than normal after that. She has a few other ailments already, including losing her sight which seem to be getting worse. She's got spirit though and so we're keeping our fingers crossed her health will improve and she will gain some weight!

______
Still managed to not turn on the heat. It is suppose to get down in the upper 40's tonight though so depending on how cold it is tomorrow morning I may be turning it on a bit then. We'll see. It is my work out day so I will warm up pretty quickly doing that and of course there is hot coffee. :)

Weekend..

I've been busy working all the time and see it has been a few days since I blogged. My youngest is home this weekend so I am not working very much this weekend - time to visit! :) I asked her to bring home Twilight so that we can get warmed up for New Moon when it comes out next month. It looks like it is going to be a great movie!

Took one of the furkids, Shelby to the vet today. She is losing weight and has dropped nearly 4 pounds since a few months ago. Blood tests are being done. She may have the canine type of diabetes. She is 9+ years old which to me really isn't that old but she has been getting some ailments rather early including what looks like cataracts and some other issues. Hopefully this will be something that can be treated so that she isn't ready to leave me yet. Fingers crossed!

It is getting colder at night but so far we haven't turned the heat on. I'm trying to hold out until November. I don't know why, just seems like a challenge. :) We'll see how it goes. It has been getting up to the low 70's during the day so as long as I can wait until it warms up, it isn't too bad.

Off to have a good weekend!

Wet Wednesday...

Even though we are still officially in a drought it has been raining alot lately. It is coming down at a pretty steady clip right now. It sure is nice having a green back yard again as opposed to cracked earth!

Oh...I got the results of my mammo and bone density, both are normal. I got a call today from my doctor's office about the bone density test. I already got a letter from the radiologists office 2 days ago with the results though. I guess I should have been impressed that the doctors office called me also and normally I might be, but I asked them about my pap results (as they did not call me back last week when I asked). She put me on hold for what seems like forever, then came on and said she was having the results faxed to her. She'd call me back in 5 minutes. Guess what? No call. That's it. This is twice I've tried to get results of my pap and they don't call me. So I am done with that doctor. I don't need to think about finding another one for another year so I'll worry about that then.

Good news! My youngest is coming home this weekend. Yea!!! Looking forward to that. It will be nice seeing her again.

As I'm blogging I'm watching TV. I'm watching GLEE which I actually really like. I was in every singing group I could be in during high school, so I can relate ,and the music/singing/dancing in it is really entertaining to me. Hopefully the show will last more than one season. :)

Dog......gone...

Today I found out that my BIL's dog died last night. They noticed that she wasn't hungry in the evening and by 11:00PM not responding very much. They decided to just let nature take its course and then heard her making noise like she was in pain around 2:30AM at which point they brought her into their garage and there she stayed until her last breath a few hours later. It made me so very sad that they chose not to take her to a vet hospital to end her suffering. Dogs are not people. They cannot tell us they are in agonizing pain, but it doesn't lessen the fact that they are in pain!. Sure it would have been inconvenient and cost money, but we are talking about easing the pain of a loyal pet that has shared 13 years of its life with them with unconditional love!

Folks who do not really love dogs, really should not have them in my opinion. This dog of his lived to be 13 despite being confined to living out doors. Oh she was fed, and taken to the vet for normal appointments and such. But she was not allowed in their house, ever. I am not sure about whether she was allowed in the house before their new house was built several years ago, but she was not allowed in once that was built.

Many people think there is nothing wrong with leaving a dog out doors all the time. They stick a shelter or dog house out there if the dog is lucky and that's that. Of course a dog cannot complain to them, so they think this is fine.

Domesticated dogs are not meant to live outdoors. They are meant to be loved, treated like one of the family and share lives with their owners inside their house as well as out. They get bored, lonely, even can get depressed being confined to the back yard.

When I heard the news this morning I started tearing up and said out loud "Sasha, go find Reebok, Misty and Lady. They'll love to play with you". I also wanted to ask my BIL to not get another dog, please.

Having a dog live indoors does mean being prepared to have some things chewed up that you'd rather not have chewed; risking 'accidents' that need to be cleaned up on what used to be new carpet; giving up some space on your favorite couch; and depending on the breed, finding dog hair in places you never dreamed it could end up.

But at the same time, you have that loving face looking up at you when its feeding time, playing tug the sock....oops I mean the doggy toy, barking at strangers that are near the house as your own personal security alarm, and giving doggy kisses whenever you need them. I am one of those people. A true dog lover. I have 6 of them. Yes that is a lot and at times they raise a ruckus! But you know what?...I love each and every one of them and am so happy that I have a large family! :)

Daylight fading...

I miss the daylight!...That is one of the many things I love about the summer season, the fact that it stays light out until after 9:00PM. It is so nice being able to feed the dogs, make dinner, do the dishes, and still be able to sit on the back porch and watch the sun as it slowly sets below the horizon.

Now that it is October, it is nearly dark by the time I am starting the dishes. That's depressing. I'll deal with it as I do every year about this time and just be glad at least that I don't have to get even further depressed about a harsh winter coming, now that I'm no longer living in eastern Pennsylvania. I am so glad that I do not have to face a white-knuckling drive on ice anytime soon! :)

I did my grocery shopping today for the next 3 weeks again. I went ahead and purchased 2 more reusable grocery bags that are pink in honor of breast cancer awareness month. These bags have a plastic lining which makes it a lot easier to get the groceries in, rather than the canvas ones they first came out with. Even with these additional bags, they did have to use some plastic...it would have been a lot more if I had let the old man doing the bagging have his way. He was putting one or two things in a plastic bag and I insisted he put more in them. I didn't care what all went in what bag. It is very annoying. I am trying to not use any plastic bags, and to see one or two items get put in a bag! ARGH! Anyway, it is done for another 3 weeks and I saved over $12.00 in coupons. I've noticed too that shopping this way does save me quite a bit. When I compare it to what I spent each week before, it is saving me about $90-$100 total every 3 weeks. Now this maybe partly due to my youngest being at college, but I'll take it no matter what the reason.

Halloween is just around the corner and I got my bag of candy corn like I do every year. Oh not it is not to hand out, it is for me! I really don't each much candy in general anymore but on occasion I do indulge and when I see the candy corn out for Trick or Treat I decide to Treat myself. :)

Enough rambling for now...off to watch Miami Vice...

Sunday...the day of rest?

Here I am sitting at my desk like any other day, with a full work-load for the day. I know Sunday is suppose to be the 'day of rest' but perhaps that was meant for a simpler time. After all, this was handed down from biblical times when those who interpreted the meaning of this day, paid for things by trading and most or at least more than those today worked off the land, i.e., farmed or raised livestock to survive. So resting on Sunday was a rest for weary bones, muscles, and of course a time to worship for many religions.

Back then..there were no college tuition fees, car payment loans, credit cards, expensive weddings (even frugal weddings aren't cheap)...need I keep going? It is much harder today, at least for this mom, to ignore all that and just take the day off work, especially if it is available. I guess I am one of those that seek opportunities to have more money for any of these things, that I have a hard time not thinking about.

This was all brought about by a co-worker asking me how much work I was taking on this weekend. Well since none of the kids are coming home to visit, I'm of course working as much as I can. This response seemed to be met with surprise, but I look at it this way, I will do what I think is the best thing to do with my time, given the situation I am in. Am I a work-a-holic? I don't think so. If we won the lottery I would immediately work a lot less, nothing more than part-time. A work-a-holic's answer would be to absolutely keep working all the time! ;-)

I look toward the future and something that keeps me going is the fact that I may only have to 'work my butt off' for another 3 or 4 years...just to the point when my youngest is done college. By then, the car loans will be paid off and so will most of the other debt (fingers crossed). So...if I can afford NOT to work on the weekends, I intend to do so. After all there are things I would like to do. I still have a dream to be a singer and try to get some singing in every day so I don't totally lose my voice before I have time to give it a shot. I also want to volunteer to help with dogs more, perhaps at the local animal shelter. Maybe write some more mortgage ebooks or even a novel. Who knows? Until then...back to work.

..Oh so far I have 15 Yoplait yogurt lids saved for the cancer cure cause. Hope anyone reading this who eats yogurt is saving them too!

College and Challenges

I know when I was in college, it was hard for me to imagine that I could possibly approach a professor. I mean this person was all knowing. This person lectured year after year, sharing the wisdom that he obtained from years of schooling and years of teaching. Sorry to use the term 'he' but when I went to college thirty years ago most of the professors I had were men. I remember being particularly in awe of the science professors as they rapidly scrolled formulas on the overhead projector while I wrote down whatever they wrote in the hopes that it would all make more sense to me when I got back to my dorm. It usually didn't.

My youngest and I chatted today and she was disappointed in a grade she got on a test she took. It was her first test in that class and she said based on the information they got as to how many points each thing was worth, she should have gotten less points off than she did.

I suggested that she challenge it and politely ask her professor for a bit of his time so that she might ask him about her test. She said she will do it. I hope she does. One important thing I learned in college was to question things you do not understand, and challenge things that do not seem right to you. Most professors will welcome the question and be glad that you care enough to know if it is right or if not how he came up with the results he did. Even if my daughter finds out her grade score is accurate, she will get a better understanding of why and be better prepared the next time around.

It is funny how when we have kids in college, it can bring back so many memories...was it really 3o years ago that I graduated?...my mind says no, but my mirror says yes!

Mammogram Day

This morning, bright and early I had my appointment for a mammogram and my very first bone density test. I have been bugged by any physician I've seen the last few years about getting that test taken so I agreed to get it done today. I pray that some of all this medical testing is covered by my medical insurance.

The mammogram went as it usually does and it isn't nearly as painful to me as it was when I first started getting them about 10 years ago. I won't go into more details but suffice to say it went without a hitch. Now to hope that there is nothing there to contact me about. :)

The bone density test took longer than the mammogram. I told the lady that took it that it was my first time. She had me lay down on this table while a rectangular arm for lack of a better word moved slowly up toward my face and took X-rays. After getting up to nearly my chest the technician said "Ooops...". "What?", I asked. "I forgot to tell you to put your arms down at your side", she said. So when the machine got up to my hands it was picking up finger digits in the middle of my back X-ray since I folded my hands over my stomach, not knowing NOT to do that. It was okay, except that I had to then put my arms down at my side and she had to do that one over again, exposing me to that radiation all over again. Granted I know it isn't that much, but it was unnecessary.

It is no bid deal I guess, and at least it wasn't an MRI machine type of thing like I thought I would have to be in.

Needless to say, I'm glad all this is done and now I can get back to my normal life of generally 'never' going to the doctor again for hopefully at least another year.
I don't know how often the bone density tests are taken but I do not plan on having one again for at least 2-3 years.

Long work day since I didn't get started until later. Done now..off to watch some TV with hub and hit the sack.

More tests

I called my doctors office today because I checked on their online system for the hormone level tests results which I thought they took last week when I was there. Turns out they didn't take those blood tests at all but they did tell me the other blood work had come in. It just hadn't posted on the website. What good is technology if it is half-assed?!

Anyway, I got the doctors assistant on the phone and got the results of the other tests they had taken which included cholesterol levels, and other things such as blood sugar. All my levels were good, especially cholesterol...except for one the fasting blood sugar level. The level is suppose to be lower than 100 although I found online that a level up to 110 is acceptable as normal. Mine was 111.
They consider this pre-diabeties. The assistant said they would like to test me again in 3 months. I'm not so sure I'm going to have that done. Here's why. First of all although I did not eat anything after 8:20pm the night before, we did have family over that night before for an Italian dinner including a form of pasta, wine and dessert of Chocolate Creme Pie. Bottom line I ate a much heavier meal that night than usual.

Also I did read that sometimes the stress of seeing a doctor may elevate blood sugar. I am the first to admit I do not like to go and do get nervous the morning of and while waiting to go in and get the appointment started. This is also why sometimes my blood pressure is higher. Now that was like 124 over something when I went so that wasn't too bad although it is normally around 80something/50something.

And lastly, the nurse gave me a tetanus shot right before drawing blood for all these tests. Since I've been interested in Biology ever since college, I researched what is IN the Tetanus shot and one of the ingredients is Glycine! Bingo! Glycine can elevate blood sugar level.

So it is possible that it was 111 due to any one or combination of these reasons and not that I may be developing a blood sugar problem.

I may get one of those blood testing kits and just see for myself before deciding to go back. There are too many folks that think whatever doctors say is gospel and I've decided to never just trust point blank what is said or even what the tests indicate for that matter. ;-)

Faucet Fixed

I am happy to report that hub got the faucet changed all by himself. His buddy arrived right when he was tightening the last do-hickey (whatever it is called). :) There were a few times when I thought he was going to pound a hole through the wall into my office and one time when I heard water running that didn't sound like it was going down any drain.

The best part was when I walked by to get something from the fridge and glanced over to see his belly wedged between the cabinet divider underneath the sink and the end of the cabinet. I didn't know if I was going to have to get the jaws of life to pull him out. I would have taken a picture and posted it if I thought I could have gotten away with it! tee-hee.

So finally after I don't know how many weeks, we no longer have a leaky faucet in the powder room. The new spigot is nice, shiny and new...and makes the rest of the powder room look very old. I can't give that a second thought though. That is not a project that I even can begin to think about.

I have to say I spent some time yesterday watching some of those "Get it Sold" shows on cable tv. Some of the creative things they do to make a house appealing are wonderful! It has got me thinking about our house and a few things I want to do within the next year or so. I want to paint our kitchen cabinets a light color - maybe even as bright as off-white. Nothing is going to get done soon but it is exciting to think about it and how much brighter it will make our varnished wood cabinet filled kitchen.

I was searching around for a snack this afternoon and saw one serving left of chocolate instant pudding that my daughter must have gotten or asked me to get at the store once. It was really easy to make and really good! I'm not trying to sound like a commercial but I just had never had it before. Now I'm going to be adding that to my grocery list. I don't usually like pudding probably because all my mom made when I was growing up was Tapioca pudding and I hated the lumps. So for me this was a biggie! :)

I know I know....so easily amused.

Dreary Day...

It is a dreary Monday here in Central Texas and the temperatures have not gone above the upper 50's all weekend - although from the looks at the weather around the country today I better be happy it isn't snowing!

Hub is off today and he is replacing the bathroom faucet in the powder room. No he is not a plumber and I'm hoping it goes well although there is a LOT of banging going on. He has a buddy who is coming to help him but he didn't want to wait. I suggested he wait for his friend who has more know how on these sort of things and I know how he is when he gets frustrated...oye...I'll update later to report on how it went...

back to work..

We lucked out....

...the rain didn't hit really hard here until 5:00AM so we were able to sleep soundly until then before the dogs started getting upset. That is much better than being awaken at 1:00AM or 2:00AM! My hub got up with the dogs and I was able to get back to sleep so that was nice. The temperature dropped about 30 degrees too from midnight to daybreak. Yesterday it was humid and today I wore layers! :) Go figure. That is one thing that is interesting about being in Texas - the huge temperature swings are incredible!

My oldest called today...seems we're singing the timing belt blues again...This is for the new old car that I got for her. She was getting an alignment done today which was about the last thing that we all thought it needed when the mechanic highly recommended getting the timing belt replaced since the car was 17 years old. He also saw what he thought was oil on it. There wasn't time to get it done today but she will be getting it done in the next week or two. We'd hate to take the chance on it. We just went through with the timing belt replacement on her RAV before she came down. Oh well, it is always something!

Fridays are lunch with mom day. She doesn't get out much and she enjoys getting together for lunch out. I told her about having gone to the doctor finally and telling her my blood tests showed all levels were normal. I didn't get cholesterol or blood sugar results though. They weren't part of the CBC blood testing they did. She thought I should get tested for that too. I figured the doctor I went to would test for everything but I told mom I wasn't going to go back and get another test any time soon. She goes to the doctor quite often at her age, but not me. If it weren't for the woman related tests that I do get annually, well every year and a half, I would have no need to go to a doctor. I'm not bragging, it is just that I pay my dues every time I exercise like I have been doing for 30 years and eat healthy, etc. I strive to maintain good health and acceptable weight...just so I do not have to frequent a doctor, which is fine by me.

The weekend is going to be busy with work again ,but that is just fine with me, end of year taxes and holidays will be here before I know it!

Wonderful Wednesday!

Know why it was wonderful? It wasn't because I had a good day at 'work'. Actually I didn't get as much work as I normally get so that wasn't wonderful. I didn't win the lottery so that wasn't wonderful. Okay, I won't keep you guessing.

Out of the blue, just by sheer luck BOTH of my daughters called me! :)
That is wonderful! My youngest called for her 'in between classes' chat that are becoming a weekly thing which is very nice! She is doing great and I'm so proud that she is adjusting to college so well...she's adjusting better to being there than me to her not being here.

My other daughter, bless her heart likes to call on me when she needs helps with things from time to time. This time it was picking songs for dance routines that she has to come up with for work. I wasn't much help there but I was still thrilled that she thought to call me and ask.

Mothers love feeling needed, even when their kids are all grown up. I even ask my mom for advice once in a while. I can't say I always take it, but that's not really the point right? The point is caring about what she thinks and respecting her enough to ask for her advice. After all, with age comes wisdom, right?

Medical Monday

In honor of breast cancer awareness month combined with the fact that my woman-related check up tests are overdue, I had an appointment today with a physician. This is a new one I am trying out. A woman, who was also born in America. I do not wish to go back to the male doctor I had last year as he was too test happy. I guess that is what internal medicine doctors do. This time I am back to a DO. Anyway, very nice woman, close location, nice offices with homey decor, overall not a bad experience at all...of course I haven't gotten the bill yet.

I was weighed in, although I swear those scales at the doctors offices are off by at least 3 lbs! I talked to a medical student who was taking my medical history and I just let her ask the questions even though I had answered all those questions already on the forms I printed off their website and brought with me today. Then it was off to another room to change into the gowns they have which are suppose to help you not feel stupidly under-dressed when you are sitting on the exam table swinging your leg while impatiently waiting for them to come and do the pap already. Well, that was me today anyway.

Finally the doctor came in. She was nice enough although not as conservatively dressed as I expected. No matter. She did what she was there to do and asked me if I had a flu shot yet. I told her I'll take my chances on that but I would agree to a tetanus shot that I hadn't gotten in oh, about 30 years.

She pressed for a colonoscopy since I am over that golden age of 50. 50, the age when things start to go down hill. When it is time to get that which has delivered all the waste from my body these last 5o + years checked out for cancer and polyps and whatever else they look for. I stood my ground on that one. I'm sure I will get one eventually but I've been through enough today and she wasn't going to shove that up my butt too!



Oh...my mammo is scheduled for Oct 15th. I agreed to a bone density test too since that is another one of those things one over 50 or even younger so I'm told, get. I'm sure I'll blog after that fun day too.

Stopping by...

to blog for a few minutes. My youngest is here this weekend, again! "I KNOW!!!" (said like Craig Ferguson). This makes 3 times this semester already. This time was not really planned though. Her boyfriend and his roomie were coming home for the weekend anyway so she came too. I know I said I wasn't going to write when she was around but she is out right now so this doesn't count. :)

Got a chance to do some singing today while working. Whenever I'm feeling sort of blah, that is always such a pick-me-up. I LOVE to sing! We all have something we love to do or at least like a lot that is the one thing that can always make up feel happy, carefree and content. I need to do it more often when I feel like I really don't want to bother singing, because I'm never sorry I did afterwards.

It is finally starting to cool around here. After a sweltering summer it is a welcomed change, even for me who tends to love whenever the temperature is 80 degrees or more. I see the neighbors across the street have some Halloween decorations out. I haven't really bothered with decorations except for Christmas for the last several years. I guess I'm getting lazy in my 'middle age'. At least I'm not as bad as the folks who keep their lights off on Halloween and do not give out candy! I used to hate those folks as a kid. We'd ring and ring the doorbells just to annoy people that turned their lights out. So I vow to always answer the door and give out candy until I get too old to make it to the door before the kids leave. When that time comes, I'll just leave a candy bowl outside the door. ;-)

~ Breast Cancer Awareness Month ~

This is an important month and one that I try to do everything I can to honor breast cancer survivors which include my own older sister who is a survivor of stage 3 breast cancer that included mastectomy, chemo and radiation treatments. That was over 5 years ago and she is doing well!

I always collect the pink Yoplait lids which when sent in contribute 10 cents per lid to Susan G Komen charity which is just one cancer curing cause out there. I already have 6 lids saved and it is only October 1st! Go me! :)

Last month hub got a post card coupon from a local Italian Restaurant for buy one get one entree (up to $14) free during his birthday month. We decided to use it last night as that was the last day of his birthday month (mine too). The dinner was good. My hub loved the Lobster Ravioli he had and my meal was tasty too. I was shocked when we got the dinner bill though as we each had ONE draft lager beer and the total was $10 for drinks! Cripes! We could have bought a case of domestic beer for that price! Lesson learned. When we go back, which I'm sure we will, I'm getting WATER, and no, not the bottled kind which is probably $5.00 too!

Well, we may be dealing with more sleepless nights ahead as there is a forecast for overnight rain the next few days. My hub jokingly said maybe we should give the dogs the Advil PM. :)

Good news! My youngest is coming home for the weekend again. Yay! She is not driving this time so she won't have to do that part. I'm sure it will be laundry weekend too.

Gotta go...

~ Tired Tuesday ~

I'm just popping in, still working. For those of you that know me that is no suprise. Just dragging today. Storms last night got me up first around 12:30AM with the dog that whines when it storms. Got her settled down and myself back to sleep. Awake again around 4:30AM when it was storming so bad the thunder even scared me! Tried to calm dogs down, but after had 4 on the bed decided to give up at 5:00AM and just got up. So...I'm running on fumes right now.

Back to finish work..

Crazy Coupon Clipping Cutter

Yesterday afternoon I spent some time clipping coupons, looking at the ones I had and writing out a menu for the next 3 weeks. Yes, I went grocery shopping this morning and got 3 weeks worth of meals! Woo hoo! I don’t know if I could have done that when the kids were still living at home or not, but I probably could. After all, my hub eats enough for a family of 4 on his own, although there are some aisles that I can skip nowadays, like the cereal aisle. I eat oatmeal or cream of wheat in the morning and the containers I get last a while. My occasional urge to indulge in Sugar Smacks is not enough for me to clip that cereal coupon out as I would have to buy two boxes of cereal and that would just be a waste.

As I was sweeping through the coupons I already have, I had to toss so many of them that had JUST expired! Didn’t they use to have a longer expiration dates on coupons, or is it just my imagination? I saw a few that were really good deals - $1.00 off that just expired last week. Ugh! I also hate when I come across a good one that I can use until I read the fine print that it is only for the ‘Light’ brand. Drat!

Then there are the coupons that I have painstakingly cut out and folded with my grocery list that just do not make sense to use when I’m standing right in front of the product selection. Although I might save 50 cents on the brand name juice, I can get the store brand of grape juice for 1.00 cheaper. There goes another wasted coupon clip.

And don’t forget the coupons that cannot be used because the store just doesn’t carry that product. I had a $1.00 off coupon for some salad dressing and needed specifically Italian dressing for a recipe, but they did not HAVE that brand in Italian dressing on the shelf…that coupon got shoved back in my purse. That’s okay though because the store brand Italian dressing I found was cheaper. I was particularly proud to have in my possession a $1.00 off coupon for a sleeping aide that my hub uses now and then. Turns out the box itself had a $2.00 coupon right on it! While I was happy with that, I’m sure I will not be using that coupon I cut out before it expires.

I decided to search for a coupon exchanging group and am going to give that a try. So I cut all of the coupons that were in the Sunday paper out so that I would have plenty to offer to anyone that can use them. I have no need for cat items, diapers or baby products, etc.

My husband told me last night I was a coupon clipping crazy lady. He wanted to know why I was cutting out a denture gripping product when I still have my own teeth? I told him about the coupon exchange group I was planning to join. He just shook his head and said “Let me understand you correctly. You are spending hours clipping every coupon you see, and waiting for a bunch of coupon rejects that nobody else wanted to come in the mail, only to add your new ones to that you spent time clipping out so the next person can use them?" Well that’s not exactly how it is suppose to work. I am suppose to get the last person’s new ones that they can’t use. Maybe they don’t have dogs or don’t use my brand of cleaner, etc. Anyway I’m giving it a shot and will see how it goes.

So…is it really worth it all, cutting coupons?...I see posts at different places where one woman saved so much by using coupons, another saved over $100 by using her coupons. I especially like the ones where they get something on sale, get doubled coupons and actually get money BACK at the check out counter. I’m not there yet and probably won’t be. I don’t have enough hours in my day to search all over for coupons. But I’m doing okay. ..my grocery savings today was $20.43 !

The Differences....

The differences of not having my youngest here all the time are becoming more apparent now that the fall season is here. I was used to attending all the high school Home football games to catch the half-time show featuring the school dance team which my daughter was on. She was even an officer last year and got special recognition each game with an announcement of her name and rank. I was so proud watching her strut her stuff with the rest of the girls in their glittery uniforms. And the splits! I could never do a split like her or my other daughter for that matter. A one-handed cart wheel was about the fanciest move I could ever do in high school.

As I hear the football game scores on the nightly news it feels strange that I haven't been to a game yet. I almost feel guilty...but not enough to go to a game. Those bleachers are hard!

I was doing laundry today too and I had only done one load I think since the girls were visiting last weekend. I did 4 loads and am nearly caught up already! Used to be, I had to do laundry every other day just to keep up with all the layering , practice outfits, uniforms, just from having one teenage girl at home.

I also mentioned last weekend when everyone was visiting how the kitchen counter stays clutter-free, just as I leave it! I love that part! It used to be a daily routine that a purse, car keys, books, jacket, school project always got strewn all over the counter and I always had to move them when I was getting dinner ready. Yes, I suppose I could have yelled upstairs every day to tell her to put things away but half the time she wouldn't hear me unless I went upstairs because her music was so loud. Just was easier to do it myself! Something I'm sure every mother can relate to.

As much as I give the impression how much easier life is without kids living at home, it still is hard to adjust to. Sometimes the quiet is deafening. Luckily my dogs can keep a secret though. Nobody has to know that I am holding conversations with myself as of late! :-)

~ Anniversary ~

I meant to write yesterday but had a lot of work to do so didn't get to this until now. Yesterday was our 10th year wedding anniversary. Originally the plan was ,(up until about a year ago when reality set in), to go back to Vegas where we tied the knot back in 1999. Instead, I lit the candle that I forgot to light at my daughter's engagement party in August while we ate macaroni, queso and cubed ham - a recipe we sort of created by accident. It was simple and we chatted a little about the past and the future and we toasted (with milk and beer -not combined), to ten more years times four.

Maybe we'll get back to Vegas some day. I am not trying to make anyone feel sorry for me though, we really don't do much of anything for any holidays or birthdays for each other, partly due to money issues but also due to not being materialistic as in years before. The need for new 'things' to junk up my house are just not tops on my list these days. I enjoy having an uncluttered house and uncluttered closet (which honestly could fit three times the amount of clothes it now has). I have a total of three purses and less than 6 pairs of shoes (most of which haven't been worn since we moved here).

I would rather try to strive for enough money to do a bigger project like our bathroom which really needs a remodel. :-)

----

It has been raining here the last several days which was badly needed. I was quickly reminded how muddy the floors get with 6 dogs who like to run along the fence chasing squirrels, deer or birds....ugh. The hardest part for me about this weather though is after having nearly record breaking 100 degree days (over 60 for the last few months), it is only 61 out right now! Brrrrr....quite an adjustment for sure!

Kodak Moment..

I know it has been a few days since I've blogged but when any family is in, I won't be writing. After all, this blog is my solace for when they aren't here...so when they are here I would rather spend quality time with them and NOT on the computer.:-)

We celebrated every one's birthday but my oldest daughter and our 10th year wedding anniversary which is tomorrow, by going to Red Lobster on Saturday. Eating out has become a rare treat around here since tightening the belt, and the times when both girls will be home are rare for sure. So we had a good time and I felt more like a tourist than a Towny snapping a bunch of pictures. This one is my daughters and I while waiting for our table. The men ate the endless shrimp meals while the girls and I had something different. I of course had to get something with lobster tail included with it, yum! Two of us had enough leftovers for doggie bags too.

It was so quiet on Sunday after they left. My oldest seems to like her new 'old' car well enough and I hope once the alignment it needs is done, there will be no major repairs for at least a few years! Here's hoping that by that time she can afford to pay for it herself!

Yesterday was back to routine day but also an agonizing day of trying to decide if we want to get the RAV fixed as there is still some major issues with it and try to put it on craigslist for $3k or so, or sell it to a friend of hub's who does cars as a hobby and thought his wife would like it. He offered $1.5K as is. Although I'd love to get more than that, I have no desire to put any more money, which I don't have sitting around, into fixing it on the hopes we'll get more...I am just going to cut my losses and be done with all vehicle dilemmas (I pray) for a while!

~ Time to Celebrate! ~

The girls are both home this weekend, well one is on her way with her fiance' as I am writing this. We are all gathering together to give my oldest her new 'old' car to replace her RAV, but also to celebrate this month of events. 4 of 5 of us have birthdays this month and it is also hub and mine's 10 year wedding anniversary. That is a biggie for me! I have not been married this long before! It wasn't me, don't ask! :) I will take my camera and snap a few pictures at dinner.

Spent the first half of the day deep cleaning the first floor. I think I have cleaned up enough dog fur to make a coat out of! Shelties sure do shed! No wonder my allergies have been horrible lately. I have decided I am skipping my exercise routine tomorrow since I had a work out scrubbing the floors. :)

I'm going to make this short, so I can have a snack and watch 'Harry Met Sally' with my youngest daughter. Have a great evening everyone~!

..It's True...

Yes, I made through another year...
...another year older..another year wiser...
perhaps. Time to reflect today as I tend
to do at certain milestones like my birthday.
But I refuse to reflect about finances! :)

It is funny how as we age, we keep increasing
the point as to when we consider someone as 'old',
besides from being a state of mind. Now that I am well
over 50 'gulp' I think old may be 75 or so...yeah.....
that sounds good.

Here are some beautiful flowers my husband surprised
me with today! First time he ever sent me flowers so
yes it was a surprise. :)

Wacky Wednesday

Well after searching around the Internet at the dealerships and Craigslist and everywhere else that gave me local listings, I saw it, the perfect car for my daughter~!

There were so many pluses that we went to see it last night and bought it today! Here are the pluses:

#1 It was a local listing on Craigslist, man I love Craigslist, and so was only 15 minutes away to go look at. This in itself was wonderful as I didn't want to spend Saturday going from place to place, dealership to dealership listening to a used car salesman asking me "What can I do to have you drive off in this beautiful car today?"

#2 It was a car still owned by its original owner. It is a 1992 Honda Accord but yes, all those years it was owned by one owner.

#3 It was garage kept and hardly ever driven by a nice grandmother who didn't drive anymore. So the body is still in great shape and has a lot of shine yet for a vehicle that old!

#4 Because it was hardly ever driven it had only 44,000 miles on it. That's not even broken in for a Honda! So that was enough for me. I may have paid more than book value at $4900 but with that low mileage with the right maintenance, it should last my daughter another possibly 7-10 years depending on how many miles she puts on it.

#5 By not spending $10,000 like I thought I would have to and getting into that much more debt, we can sell her old RAV and hopefully get $3000 for it so that my total net outlay may be only $1900...okay you can really tell I'm in a financial job can't you? :)

So..you're probably thinking why the Wacky Wednesday title? Seems it should say Wonderful Wednesday. Well when we went to the DMV today in town to finalize everything it was CLOSED for the entire day for training. I had never heard of it closing and apparently it only happens once a year if that but it would have to be today. That's Wacky!

We'll get the rest done tomorrow or the next day, but I am thrilled all the same. Now I can look forward to a relaxing weekend with the family and celebrate the 3 birthdays and wedding anniversary that is all packed into September!

Tuesday Turmoils..

I want to start by saying goodbye to Patrick Swayze...I adored him in Dirty Dancing and Ghost and Road House to name my favorites. I must have seen Dirty Dancing a hundred times! What girl doesn't want to pretend she is Baby being swept off her feet by a handsome man with moves to die for..no pun intended. Maybe he is dancing somewhere in heaven or wherever the spirits go. Thank you Patrick! Watching your movies is like..having "the time of my life"...

I should have known that by taking stock of finances and debts, and concluding that there is a light I can see way ahead through that tunnel..that it would jinx me! I shouldn't say out loud or even think for that matter that I may be close to having a handle on things. But that's exactly what I did about a week ago, right before both daughters had car troubles and my youngest had to get another expensive text book for college. That was the start of my tumble back into credit card debt. Now an even more major repair was done to my oldest daughter's vehicle yesterday and we are coming to the realization with her it may be time to give up her once trusty RAV for something that won't need a major repair every other week.

Although this daughter has graduated college, she is planning on going back to grad school in a year, and she is working several part-time jobs at minimum wage but...you know where this is going, don't you? She nor her fiance'can take on additional debt let alone qualify for it, so guess who is going to go into more debt for a vehicle. Yup!

I know I could just make her suffer and tell her I just can't help. My own mother who is in her 80's and grew up in a world where there was only one car in the family and everyone could make do, thinks I should let her fend for herself. That just doesn't work as well in today's world. Different work schedules and places of employment make it pretty much impossible to make one car work. And she doesn't live in a city where you can walk everywhere.

But looking on the bright side of things which I always do to keep my sanity, her RAV has lasted her 5 years without too much trouble and we got it used with some junkyard parts and all. And these last two problems with it could have happened on a busy highway where the outcome may have been much worse, so I will manage somehow. I always do and I'd rather her be in something safe with not a lot of miles on it so by the time for the next vehicle she needs, she will be done all studies and have a good job and get it all by herself! Hey... maybe even start paying me back! ..I can dream can't I? :-)

off to start my day...

Too much of a good thing..

Okay I'm all for the rain as we needed it so badly, but let's not try to make up for the 2 year drought in one weekend. Okay?! We have a creek behind our back yard that is way down an enbankment at least 15 feet but last night we could hear the rushing water and I actually was wondering if we were going to see it crest, or rather not see it crest overnight. It finally slowed down around 10 pm, luckily. Today when I was walking the dogs I saw at least two properties with the lawn sprinklers on. I'm sure those are on automatic timers but I just shook my head at the overkill those lawns were getting.

I've been enjoying watching the hummingbirds that hang around our feeder outside my office window. Yesterday with it pouring non-stop for hours, they were just having a good old time. One would go to the feeder and stand on the little perch and then another one would come and dive bomb it to make it get off then they'd both come back then another would join. At one time there were 4 of them flying, sitting, slirping nectar, chasing, flying away, then coming back to the feeder again. It was like kids who snuck out to play in the rain even though their mom said no and having a ball despite the downpour. I tried to take some pictures of them but of course none of them came out well enough. So I can't post a picture. You'll just have to believe me! :)

It was a working weekend but I did get to touch base with both kids. One is still having car trouble and the youngest is finding out about pop quizes in college. What fun! Off to relax a few hours before it all starts over again..

T.G. I. F.

Guess what? It rained last night and it rained today. It rained and rained. We needed it really badly but it was too much too fast and some of the streets were flooding. I picked up my mom to meet my sister for lunch and thought I was on an obstacle course dodging deep puddles in the road as best I could. We got there in one piece but my mom, poor thing was soaked by the time we got in the restaurant, even with an umbrella! I told her to roll her window up! ;-) Just kidding (she got soaked just getting in and out of the car). At least we got some much needed rain. My hub called me and told me that he saw several frogs outside that were playing in puddles like kids having a ball in a swimming pool for the first time. Hm...wonder if that is where frog stroke came from? :)

We had a nice lunch and my sister was telling me about odd aches and pains she has been getting lately including a traveling bruise that she feels on different parts of her head at times. Weird thing is I get that too! I would think I feel a bruise and try to recall banging my head gettting into my car or something, but that did not happen. We were cracking ourselves up comparing our latest ailments with each other. It is probably all just part of getting older, like when I sit on the hard floor for a while and think nothing of it until I start to get up and then a sharp pain appears from nowhere in my back or legs because I am just plain getting older. It never used to bother me if I sat on the floor for a while and then got up. But I try to take it all in stride. That's life!

On a serious note, today is a day of remembrance of the tragic events of 9/11. I wonder how many were in a great mood celebrating their birthday on that fateful day like my youngest daughter was. She was handing out cupcakes to her classmates when the news hit her school. She turned 18 today. It took her a few years to not feel guilty for celebrating her birthday when everyone else was reflective and somber. But I told her, she was special and everyone deserves to celebrate the date they were born to this world. And so Happy Birthday dear daughter! Here's to many, many more!

The Blooming of Late Summer

Here is those pictures I said I'd take earlier of the flowers (from bushes) around our shed.

~ Thirsty Thursday ~

Okay there are clouds all around me, but I still do not know if it will rain here today. Weatherman says there is a 50% chance. It always seems to rain all around us but not here. Wish I could reach way up and squeeze one of those clouds like a sponge. This ground is thirsty! The earth is so parched that some patches of ground in my back yard have cracks in them like overly dry skin. All I can do is keep praying for rain I guess. There actually was some rain that fell a few nights ago and since it has stayed below the 100 degree mark the last several days, flowers are blooming! It is more like Spring than late summer. I'll take a picture of some of the flowers around our shed later.

So Ellen is going to be the 4th judge on American Idol. Simon must think the show is getting too serious and needs a comedic angle. I like Ellen a lot but that must be it, because she does not have a huge singing/musical background - other than the shower singing she does on her shows. ;-) I was going to watch American Idol again this season with or without Paula Abdul since I just love to sing and I find it to be entertaining. Oh, I actually pulled out my guitar and played/sang for a break yesterday. It was great but my fingers need to build up strength again. I forgot how sore they get holding down the notes on the frets. That is okay though it was worth it! I vow to start playing more again! I really missed it!

I cannot end this post today without saying a few words about the situation with the Health care and Obama. First I do have to admit I did NOT watch him last night as I am also a huge fan of So You Think you can Dance since I have two dancers in the family. I am no expert as to what the health care solution is but I will say that I am totally for some sort of better health care system and one that does not penalize for pre-existing conditions.

We had a horrible experience with crappy health insurance a few years ago when my husband suddenly went blind in one eye. Totally blind, black, nada. But his sight did come back within 5-10 minutes. I called the general physician the next day who recommended he contact an eye doctor. We were able to get a hold of an eye doctor who after explaining what happened told him to come in RIGHT AWAY. He examined my husband's vision, etc., and told him he was way too young to experience this sort of thing. He pretty much put the fear of God in us that he really needed to get a full work up, and MRIs to check for any blockages. He went to the local hospital (as that was the fastest way to get checked) for the work up and tests, and then within a few days got a series of MRIs done. Luckily there was nothing found. The only conclusion was that it was a fluke. While we were very grateful that he got a clean bill of health, the only explanation for what happened was that a platelet blocked the vein at his optic nerve that supplies blood and therefore ability to see (I don't know all the terms that were used) in that one eye.

That was that until the bills started coming in. Keep in mind there was no hospital stay (although in hindsight I think more would have been covered if he was admitted), no day long exams, nothing like that. The total bills for the MRIs, hospital, tests, eye doctor were over $10,000 !! Yes that is 4 zeros. Our coverage?.. $300 that is it! $300 for each occurrence was how they worded it. All these bills were from one occurrence and it was not considered an emergency. I was so angry!! The worst bill was the MRI tests and I pleaded with them and explained the lousy coverage we had and that the eye doctor stressed to get that done immediately. I got them to lower that bill but still....it was a horrible experience with health care insurance that is sorely lacking! Those bills took close to 2 years to pay off. Now we have Blue Cross and Blue Shield but I am not convinced there wouldn't be some loop hole when we ever need to use it in again.

So I agree, something has to be done to improve the health care system at least for us self-employed people. Okay...off my soapbox, for now.