Daily Strength.........

As you guys know, I have been having a really hard time dealing with Clays passing.....I have tried to find a support group/bereavement group for months. All the meetings are to seldom(usually once a month) or at the wrong times of day to be of any use to me- and as you know private counseling is extremely expensive and out of the question for me at the moment....so the other day my BFF Rhonni called me with a website to look into.
It's called Daily Strength and you name it- they have a support group for it. Smoking, Cancer, Drug Addiction, COPD, Fibromyalga, Diabetes, ADD, Bereavement........and a whole LOT more.
Now I have been monitoring it for a couple of weeks to see what went on, because , face it, i do NOT need a site where a lot of bickering and drama and such are going on, and after watching and reading for a while now- finally joined the bereavement support group. And the support there is just overwhelming. I have met several people(mostly women) who have lost adult children due to various things and they get EXACTLY what I am going thru because they themselves either have gone thru it- or are going thru it now as I am.
Very supportive- and almost always someone is there whenever I go online- be it 2PM or 3:30 AM.
I also just joined the diabetes group to see if they can help me out with this problem also..

So if you guys have a problem and want some place to get a bit of support- or just a bit of feedback or info....Go check them out. See if they can help.
http://dailystrength.org

And while I'm at it- I want to thank all my friends here in the Blogosphere for being so patient and sweet and kind to me all this time. You'll never know how MUCH you have all helped me during this difficult time.
Many thanks and HUGS to you all!!

Maybe A Bit Inappropriate At The Moment.....

But just for a little bit of fun. ........

If all of the desserts listed below were sitting in front of you, which would you choose (sorry, you can only pick one!)?

Now don't cheat on this one, go with the first dessert you choose!!!
After choosing your desert, scroll on down to see what your choice says about you.


Here are your choices:

1. Angel Food Cake

2. Brownies

3. Lemon Meringue Pie

4. Vanilla Cake With Chocolate Icing

5. Strawberry Short Cake

6. Chocolate on Chocolate

7. Ice Cream

8. Carrot Cake

Answers Below
******************************************************************************

1. ANGEL FOOD CAKE -- Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all warm and fuzzy items. A little nutty at times. Sometimes you need an ice cream cone at the end
of the day. Others perceive you as being childlike and immature at times.
2. BROWNIES -- You are adventurous, love new ideas, and are a champion of underdogs and a slayer of dragons. When tempers flare up you whip out your saber.
You are always the oddball with a unique sense of humor and direction. You tend to be very loyal.

3. LEMON MERINGUE -- Smooth, sexy, & articulate with your hands, you are an excellent after-dinner speaker and a good teacher. But don't try to walk and
chew gum at the same time. A bit of a diva at times, but you have many friends.

4. VANILLA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING -- Fun-loving, sassy, humorous, not very grounded in life; very indecisive and lack motivation. Everyone enjoys being
around you, but you are a practical joker. Others should be cautious in making you mad. However, you are a friend for life.

5. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE -- Romantic, warm, loving. You care about other people, can be counted on in a pinch and expect the same in return. Intuitively
keen. Can be very emotional.

6. CHOCOLATE ON CHOCOLATE -- Sexy; always ready to give and receive. Very creative, adventurous, ambitious, and passionate. You can appear to have a cold
exterior but are warm on the inside. Not afraid to take chances. Will not settle for anything average in life. Love to laugh.

7. ICE CREAM -- You like sports, whether it be baseball, football, basketball, or soccer. If you could, you would like to participate, but you enjoy watching
sports. You don't like to give up the remote control. You tend to be self-centered and high maintenance.

8. CARROT CAKE -- You are a very fun loving person, who likes to laugh. You are fun to be with. People like to hang out with you. You are a very warm hearted
person and a little quirky at times. You have many loyal friends.

Crap.......

Finally got word back from my doctors office about my test results.

I have developed Adult Diabetes.

Gimme a few days to let this sink in and educate myself about it.

MMMMMmmmmmMMM....BEEEEEERRRR!!!

Well, today you're going to hear my take on Paulius' Great Beer Experiment and before I begin let me state FOR THE RECORD that Sunshine isn't and has never been a beer fan.

I don't like the look of it(looks like weak horse piss to me) and the smell of it is just gross beyond belief. Plus the fact that altho I can drink hard liquor and drink almost anyone under the table, beer has always had the ability to knock me on my ass after only about half a can or so. A state of being I don't like being in. So except for the occasional sip to reinstate the idea that, yes, beer really did taste that horrible is about all I do of it.

So last night I purposely didn't take my anxiety meds because I wanted to be alert and awake to spend some time with my sweetheart. While he watched Stargate Atlantis, I rode out and got us dinner so neither of us would have to cook, and then after we ate we decided to watch a movie on Charter On Demand.

So we put on "28 weeks Later" Running Raging Zombies are just WRONG btw...... and Paulius said he was going to open another of his beers and he asked if I would like to share it with him.
Now he knows I'm not a big fan of beer, so he poured me the glassful and his as well and brought it in to me. (I was being pampered by him and just sitting on the couch).

That beer has a beautiful golden coloring to it, bubbles coming up from the bottom like a glass of champagne, and a PERFECT head of foam on the top of it.
Nothing Like the beer I'm used to drinking. I bought Paulius some Samuel Adams Beer back around the holidays and it's the only beer I have ever seen that comes close to the coloring of pauls Home-Brew.(I didn't taste the SA tho so can't give a comparison there).
It took me a few minutes to actually build up the courage to drink a mouthful of it because even tho I had sampled a tiny(and I do mean tiny as in barely sticking my tongue to it tiny) bit of one he had earlier in the week, I have been know to spew beer all over if the taste hits me wrong and I didn't want that to happen.
No worries tho when I finally took a swig......
Paulius Beer was awesome. It had a full bodied, yeasty, slightly tangy- sweet kind of taste. It had a bit of a bite to it too that made my mouth tingle and that was awesome!
I sat there actually taking a couple of good swallows of it every time I picked the glass up over the course of about a half hour before finishing it all.
And I DID finish it all...surprising Paulius, I think.
However, true to form, about an hour later I got such a buzz off the beer I passed out for about 4 hours. Dammitt.
I'm such a cheap date.

(I will drink more when he brews it- and I'm really looking forward to the hard cider he's thinking of trying next too!)

I Feel Like A Pincushion.

I hate Needles.

I hate getting my finger stuck.
I hate getting splinters.
I hate having blood drawn.
I can't watch scenes on TV where people are shooting up or where they're getting an injection.
I can't even watch my mom give herself insulin.

When I had the fish-hook removed from my foot, when I saw the size of the needle(or rather what I thought was the needle they were going to numb my foot with before the procedure) I was literally climbing the wall to get away from it......Ask Paulius...he was there.

I went for a Glucose Tolerance Test at our local hospital lab yesterday morning.
First they drew blood from my left arm vein. Okay, I was sorta okay with that one.
Then I had to wait 30 mins and then drink some yukkkkky sickly, sweet orange drink very quickly. Then I had to wait 30 mins again and then they drew blood again every 30 mins thereafter for 2 more hours.
And they drew ALL those from the right arm vein. I got nauseous after the drink and almost passed out so had to lie down for the rest of the test. I was freezing as well so I was curled into a tiny(or as tiny as I could get)ball and Paulius wrapped my fleece jacket over me so I could warm up.
I actually CRIED the last two draws they did because it hurt so much.

Suffice it to say I am "Bloody" GLAD it's over with.
Ha
Ha
Ha.........

Well, it's over now and let's say I'm glad I have a wonderful husband who is willing to go with me and hold my hand and calm my fears even tho he doesn't exactly understand why I'm so afraid of needles......(and do it usually without so much as a HINT of a smile....until I'm feeling better and can laugh with him, anyway).
:-)

He's awesome.

Happy 27th Birthday Paulius!!!

Happy Birthday Baby!!

Hopefully that will make up for last years Fake Cake!!

MWAAHHHH!!!!!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hello, Fire Department....What's Your Emergency?

I am in SUCH trouble now.


This morning Paulius and I went out and grabbed a bite to eat before turning in for a nap.
Well, on the way home we stopped to grab a gallon of milk because I needed it (and some baking chocolate) to make his Birthday Cake this afternoon. (His actual Birthday is tomorrow.)

Well we walked past the candles and this is the conversation that followed....

"We need candles for my cake...."
"We have candles sweetie"
"Well, we bloody had better cause it's not a birthday cake if it doesn't have candles....27 of them to be exact...."
And my reply?...................


"Are you MAD? I'm not paying for the fire department to come out for a false alarm....27 candles, indeed."


OOps.....................
The look on his face was PRICELESS!!!!!!

Needless to say, I look forward to MY birthday surprise from HIM next month.

I won't even go into the conversation about the self-check out line...........

Radio, TV, Newspaper or Internet??

Okay ...question for you.


You see and hear the same story on the Radio news, the TV news, the newspaper and the Internet. Only thing is they all have slightly different numbers involved in how many people were killed or injured in the incident.

Which are you more likely to believe initially?

Me?........... I would go with the TV because I figure their faces are known all over the world and they are more likely to have the correct numbers or risk ruining their trustworthy reputations.

Why I Won't Be Voting For......

McCain..........lower corporate tax?
WTF?
How about the Average Joes out here? Why not lower OUR taxes and let the big corporations shoulder a bit MORE of the taxes for a while? Also, he's very big on defense......on the one hand a good thing, but I'm afraid that things like education and employment would suffer because he might be inclined to take money from the budget from those things and put more into defense. It makes me jittery.

Huckabee......For the Amnesty Act?
I don't freaking THINK so.......After all the crap Paulius and I went thru to get him here LEGALLY? Think Again Huckabee- let them do it the same way WE did.

Paul........He's WAYYYYY too high-strung to be anywhere near those launch codes and He can't stay on topic during a debate. It's like he has ADHD or something. We need a leader who is level-headed and has a bit of stability, in my opinion.

Obama.......He talks a good game- but he just seems a bit too slick to me. Just a feeling.

Clinton........No- I don't really care WHAT her husband did while he was in office...has nothing to do with her unless you can prove she was playing the cigar game with them. I just don't think she's quite ready for the position YET.....Next election I would say she'll be there.

Thompson.........I was going to say because he was an actor and because of that you could never be sure he was being truthful or just acting a part. But .....seeing as how Ronald Regan was an actor and one of the best damn presidents we have ever had. That wouldn't be a very well thought out argument. I'm not exactly sure WHY I won't be voting for him exactly- but I won't be. He has a few views I share with him- he also has a few i don't...maybe that's why...there is another candidate I share more views with than Thompson.

I know I have left a couple out.....but I'm tired and need sleep.......

I AM voting for Mitt Romney.
I like his attitude and I like his style. I like his viewpoints and they match mine more than any of the other candidates who are running. He has values- and I don't care that he's a Mormon- nor do I care that he has lots of money. He knows how to talk to the people and take ALL of us into the equation- not just one group or the other. I liked the way he governed his state and I hope he can do the same for our country.


Also I would like to give kudos to President Bush for this tax thing he is proposing. He has done a great job of running this country for the past few years. He took a stand when it needed to be taken and God Bless the brave men and women who have served our country in the military even if some of them don't agree 100% with why it was done. I, for one, appreciate the steps and sacrifices they and the President have taken to keep this great country the Super-Power it is.

Finally......A Day Off!

I won't know what to do with myself with TWO days in a row off. We've been so short in personel and working so much OT filling in that I have forgotten what it feels like to have day(S) off.

I also found out that we will soon be going to an A/B -12 hour shift schedule at my site soon.

I couldn't/wouldn't do it if it was 12 hour shifts 5 days a week- but with two on-two off(you know how it works) with a long weekend every other weekend...I think I can deal with that once I have a few weeks to get used to it.
As a matter of fact- I think it will seem more like working part-time to me. And I like THAT idea!

Best part tho, is that I'll be getting paid for 36 hours one week- and 44 the following week- so I'll actually be getting a TINY bit of a raise -not anything to jump up and down for joy about- but enough to have a bit of a smile over. That's a good thing for a change considering I had a docs appointment yesterday and had some blood-work done. Got the results back from those today and my blood sugar was high so NOW I have to go to the hospital for a Glucose Tolerance Test. Whatever that is. My doc is also my moms doc and she (the doc) saw some symptoms repeating themselves...my mom is a diabetic.

I don't care what it takes- I'll do whatever she says if I just don't have to do the insulin thing every day. God, I HATE needles- I mean, I don't just HATE them- I am deathly afraid of them. And that's not something you will hear come out of my mouth very often. I don't think I'm even as afraid of snakes as much as I am needles. Just ask Paulius about my "Fishhook in the Foot Incident". He needs a laugh today.
But talk about MOTIVATION for losing weight and getting healthy!!!!

Wish me luck...I'm gonna need it.

Winter Wonderland Suprise!

Okay, so we had a blizzard here last night.
Well, maybe not a blizzard by MOST peoples standards- but to us South Carolinians it was.
4 and a half inches!
Yay- Everything was so beautiful all weighted down with the snow and sparkling like diamonds.
Then I came home and the dog wanted out. So I put him on his lead and opened the door.... He went BALLISTIC!

Apparently, Paulius had went out and built a snowman in our driveway and when Buddy went out the door he saw it and decided it was an intruder and was ready to tear it apart.
I laughed so hard I couldn't stand up for five minutes because Buddy sounded so ferocious. Finally I pulled myself off the floor long enough to drag him back into the house before he woke the entire neighborhood with his silliness.

Great watchdog- just still a bit unsure of exactly WHAT he should be watching out FOR!

Poor Buddy.

Blurred Vision............LMAO!

Snippett of conversation overheard at MY job.....

*First 48 crime show on TV...Detective shows witness mug sheet with 6 photos on it to see if witness can positively identify the suspect police have arrested as a "person of interest".
All photos except the "person of interest" are blurred on-screen to protect the innocent or the undercover officers. Witness positively identifies suspect......*

Co-worker: "Well, of COURSE he picked THAT person- it was the only one with the face not blurred...DUH!"

And Saffy thinks SHE works with a strange crowd..........

Happy Dance!!!!!

Not at liberty to say what- but I received some REALLY good news today!
Am full of joy for all involved!



Happy Day! Happy Day!!

I Am Goddess & Therefore Decree-It WILL Be A GOOD Week!

Okay- I'm over being pissed off now.

I have actually made some progress in the past few days .......even with all the chaos that is my life.

I have a migraine ATM so I'm making this short and sweet so I can go to bed and rest before I start getting sick.

Over the past week I have actually planned my Darling Daughter-in-Law Kathy's Baby shower menu and got it all lined up. I also managed to crochet a baby afghan for Baby Clay who is due next month. It's Baby Blue, Baby Green, Soft white and Soft yellow and has the pastel colors done in the fringe on two edges. I started last Wednesday and finished the fringe tonight while I was at work in between rounds. For my first project I would say it turned out rather nicely. It sure went faster than I thought it would. Let's just say I figured I would be finishing it up as the guests were arriving on the 3rd of Feb for the Baby Shower. So I was PLEASANTLY surprised when I finished it this soon.

I also have been trying to decide what kind of cake to BAKE for Paulius for his birthday this month. And I finally hit on the one I want to MAKE for him. (Yes from SCRATCH- Last year I BOUGHT him a cake from the Ingles Bakery and it did NOT go over well- He called it a FAKE CAKE. Yeah, I usually MAKE Birthday Cakes from scratch- but I wasn't feeling good that week and decided to be a slacker-believe me- it WON'T happen again!!)
;-)
It was hard to decide on tho, because all he wants is a cake with his name on it and a few candles.
Then he decided he wanted a cake with the WoW Alliance crest on it. I looked at that one and told him straight off that THAT would NOT be the one he got. Maybe NEXT year when I have had a few months to figure out how to create all those different designs for it.
Then he saw a Darth Vader cake he liked.
And a Chewbacca cake he liked.
And an Optimus-Prime cake he liked. So I took matters into my own hands and looked at several designs I thought he might like and finally found one that wasn't too complicated- but at the same time didn't look terribly amature-ish and cartoon-ish- something I might be proud to say- I made that.
So now I have decided- and we went to the shop and I bought the color tints I needed to do the icing.
I hope he likes it. I think it will be fun- and a HUGE surprise.

Black Clouds..........Over My Head....& A Bit Of A Rainbow.

My weekend has NOT been the best.

My car has messed up and left me stranded for three hours.
I wasn't able to find my meds at ANY shop in Easley and had to wait til this morning when I got off work to get it from the city where I work.
My tire went almost flat.
After driving and getting a piece of equipment- it was the wrong size so we went back to get the correct size and it had JUST closed. Had to go to another place and get one and it cost 4 TIMES as much. At LEAST it was a better quality one.
A relative tried to dictate something to me that they had no idea what they were talking about.
The dog has done everything in his power to gRAB MY ATTENTION BY ANNOYING ME.
i GOT MUD ALL OVER MY HANDS AND THEN HAD TO DRIVE WITH THEM DIRTY.
The damn caps lock just buggered up on me and I'm too lazy and pissed off to go back and correct it.
We couldn't find the traps we wanted for the field rat we have trying to destroy our kitchen.
There's not a damn thing on TV to watch on the weekends.
My kitchen needs a good cleaning and I just don't WANNA.
I haven't got to talk to either of my kids this weekend.
My radio in my car is going in and out- probally about to die on me as well.
We have a HUGE assed squirrel that jumps on the bedroom roof every TIME I just get dozing off.....which about gives me a darn heart attack- and I'm not kidding about that. It takes me 30 minutes to get my heart rate back to normal after the vermin does that.
My back is killing me- and my eyes are too from being out in the *shudder* SUNSHINE today for so long.I swear I must have vampire blood running thru my veins.
I miss Clay.
One of my best friends has been in the hospital.
My head hurts.
I'm annoyed.
That's not even half of my bad week- but...I'll spare you the rest.

On the upside.....I had the best steak I have ever eaten for lunch today at Applebees and my husband has been especially attentive to me as well, so the day hasn't been a total loss.

Hopefully tomorrow will see things looking up.
Let us Pray.......

Horoscope for Life.

Found this on the net and have adopted it as my own for the rest of my life. Never will need another one- this says it all.
Can't remember where I found it- but in case they read this- THANK YOU! It was a true blessing I found it when I did..........

The future looks bright and full of hope.
The year brings many new and exciting changes,
and the surprises will keep you busy and
help you to grow. You will be challenged at times,
but you will endure and be stronger for them.
You will experience much laughter and joy,
love and happiness. There will also be some times
of disappointment and sadness, but nothing that
can crush your spirit or overwhelm the abundance
of blessing in your life. Live with an unapologetic
conviction and passion, and enjoy every moment to
its fullest. Learn from your mistakes and make
every effort to be the best person you can be
in the upcoming year. Be a blessing to others and
you will find that you are even more blessed in return.
Your three words to live by: love, laugh, learn.

I like it.

I Like Pie.

I do.
I can't say I really have a favorite kind tho.
I LOVE Pecan Pie. Nuts and a thick, yummy filling underneath. MmmmmmMMmmmMmmm.
I LOVE Sweet Potato Pie. It's smooth, creamy and sweet, but not too sweet.
I LOVE Old Fashion Apple Pie. Sweet and tart at the same time and a fruit pie to boot.
I LOVE Chocolate Silk Pie. Silky sweet chocolate that just melts in your mouth.
I LOVE Egg Custard pie. Full of thick creamy vanilla goodness that makes your toes curl.
I LOVE Pumpkin Pie. A bit more earthy tasting than sweet potato pie, but just as satisfying.
I LOVE Cherry Pie. Nice and tart, nothing goes better with a cup of sweetened coffee.
I LOVE Blueberry Pie, Peach Pie, and strawberry pie as well. Nothing says country like either of those pies.....altho I have to say I usually like those made as cobblers instead of a traditional slicing pie.

The only kind of pie I really don't care for is Rhubarb.
Even mixed with another fruit like strawberry it just seems too tart for my taste buds.

(Can you tell I'm trying to cut back on the treats after the holiday indulgences?)
I'm having a get-together today to plan Daughter-In-Law Kathy's Baby Shower and am toying with the idea of making a pie.
I just can't decide which kind to make. And now I wanna make them all. And have a slice of them all as well.
BAD SUNNY!

But how do I choose between them?

And even more importantly, did I forget to list a favorite?
What's your favorite pie?

No New Years Resloutions.

For the first time ever- I didn't officially make ANY New Years Resolutions.
I have no expectations or hopes or dreams to have to live up to.
I'm just trying to take it one day at a time, one hour at a time, one minute at a time.

Did you make any resolutions?