I Need It.....

My drink of Choice.....White Russians.

Ahhhhhh.....

Mind Numbing..............

I detest the holiday weekends I have to work.
There is absolutely NO ONE here at work except me. For three 12-hour-shift days.
And there are only so many times I can walk around this facility without becoming so mind numbingly bored I want to run screaming down the middle of the interstate just to see another human.

Let me say that one more time.....

Mind

Numbingly

BORED

That would be ME.

He said-She Said.....

This is what HE said...

This is what SHE has to say......

Well, yeah I DID move TWO things around in the living-room. I took one of the end tables and moved it across the room to put the telephone base on. Then I slid the sofa/couch 6 inches to the left. That was IT.

See, what my darling hubby doesn't understand is ...well.....me.

I have lived my entire life being able to move the furniture around any way I wanted...seriously from the time I was about 8 years old....my mom liked doing outside things and she didn't care that I took over the housekeeping for her. And this meant that every time I really deep cleaned the house(about 2-3 times a year) I would simply re-arrange the furniture along with it. In the Spring, it was to take advantage of the coolness of the breeze coming in the windows or to get the most out of the window unit A/C. In the winter months- it was to facilitate and maximize the space for the holiday decorations. After the holidays were over one or two items were re-positioned to get the room back in order. And I've always been the one to unhook and hook the electronics back up and move them around when I did all this re-arranging, too.

But now my darling hubby has a few things hooked up and calibrated so I can't MOVE the electronics like I used to. I can't move anything in the room except a couple bookshelves and ONE chair. I can't move the electronics. I can't move the desk with the computer and printer. I can't move his art table. Nor the entertainment center holding the TV and all the electronic components hooked up to it.
And this KILLS me.
It almost makes me feel uncomfortable in my own home to not be able to move anything like I used to. And I'm sure it drives him just as crazy to get up and see something has been moved 6 inches after all the measuring and calibrating he did to make it just perfect for where he was sitting. (Altho I still got enhanced sound from my spot too.)
Maybe if he had TOLD me he did all that precision measuring and calibrating, I would have understood WHY he didn't want anything moved.....or maybe not.....That's what he gets for being sneaky and not explaining seemingly "insignificant" things to me.

I'm sure we'll work thru this latest development. It's yet another marriage adjustment.
And we DO love each other...despite the fact we annoy the CRAP out of each other with little things like this!! Really we do.
:-)

Chickin' Kickin' VS Wussy Whoopin'........

There was no "Chickin Kickin" or "Chickin Lickin" this year- it was more of a SERIOUS "Wussy Whoopin' "!! ...so I'm sitting here at the table with all the other Clemson Tiger Fans eating CROW for dinner!!!
Way to go Carolina Gamecocks!!!!

( Enjoy it-It'll be back to normal next year......)
:-)

And So It Begins.................

Much to my husband's chagrin, I have begun the process of re-arranging the house for Christmas decorating. I mean...............ummmmmm............for HIS optimum visual and auditory perception of the new TV.
Yeah, that's it. That last line.
*Insert "mischievous grin" here.*

The Best Christmas Gift...........

I don't care what other women say.......if my man buys me a new vacuum, or a Little Green Machine, or a new mixer, or a bread-maker or some new gadget he saw on TV, he thought it would save me time and work so he is DA BOMB!!!

In my opinion, jewelry or big ticket items should only be given on a SPECIAL wedding anniversary(10th, 25th or 50th) or on a hallmark birthday (25th, 40th, 50th, 65th )-if he gives them.

Ladies, remember, most guys DO NOT think like we do. A bathrobe to them isn't a mundane or ho-hum gift...it's a snuggly article of clothing to keep us warm on a chilly morning or evening. A crock pot is going to save us time in the kitchen so we don't have to rush around after working all day and taking care of our daily lives. A new vacuum that doesn't spew dust back over the room saves us from having to spend MORE time dusting everything.............remember that people usually give gifts to someone they care about because they think they would love the same thing - for one reason or the other.

So rather than sitting around pouting that he didn't buy you that diamond tennis bracelet you had your heart set on, be thankful that he is trying to make your life easier, so you have more time to spend on the things that really count.....spending more time with your family and taking it a bit easier.

You all only have one life, enjoy it and live every day like it was your, or their, last.

About That Time!!!

Well, It's after 6PM so my Pre-Thanksgiving baking is about to commence.
I do about half my baking and prep work the day before the main event. Easier that way.

Next year I'll host a big dinner again for the entire family, but it's just going to be me and Paul this year.
I just have to make the cornbread for the DRESSING (and YES- there IS a HUGE difference in Dressing and Stuffing!!!), and bake a Southern Buttermilk Pound Cake.
The rest will be done tomorrow.

It's odd- having just me and Paul...usually I spend at LEAST three days before Thanksgiving baking and prepping when we have the entire family over!! And by the entire family, I mean the kids, the grand-kids, my mom and her friend, and sometimes a couple of my siblings and a couple of their kids, and we usually have a few mis-placed people come along, too. All are usually welcome to share our bounty. But this year Paul and I are taking a break and it's going to be just he and I.


Watching the Macy's Parade while the turkey roasts, spend a leisurely afternoon cooking up the rest of the dinner while sipping on a glass of Eggnog, eating dinner, going for a short ride to look at some Christmas displays around town and finishing up the evening drinking a White Russian or two while watching a bit of TV!!!
I'm looking forward to a nice quiet day with My Love.

I Believe.......

Okay, so all I ask is that beginning with Thanksgiving Day til the day after Christmas.....

Let me sing my Christmas songs. Let me buy my little gifts and wrap them and be happy doing it without any smug comments.

Let me owwww and ahhhh over the light displays without mentioning how much electricity the people are wasting and how our planet is being destroyed by these pointless things. They make me smile and that's good enough for me.

Let me look up in the sky and see a glowing red light on Christmas Eve and just let it GO- without comment- when I say "LOOK- there's Santa and Rudolf flying over!!".

Let me believe that reindeer can fly and elves make all the toys and Santa actually CAN deliver all those gifts in one night. Let me believe that the bite took out of the cookie and the empty glass of milk was the big guy in RED.

Don't burst my bubble. Let me be a kid again for just a while. It was all so much easier then and I could honestly say...

"I BELIEVE."
Because......maybe it's really what I DO believe - or maybe I just need to be able to believe again- just for a little while- to restore my sanity and hope.

Thanksgiving Blessing

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey be plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have never a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Shimmy

Free belly dance lessons anyone??

FitTV has a show called SHIMMY that is basically bellydancing lessons for free. It was on last night (Tuesday) at 10PM but check your Local listings.. Perfect time- after the kids have gone to bed so you have a tiny bit of ME time.

Go ahead- have a go. It's easier than you think.

A New Prayer For School.

While I myself am not terribly religious, I do still believe that Prayer should be allowed in school for the faithful.

Clicking on the next blog tab I stumbled on this from Soli Deo Gloria.........


Since the Pledge of Allegiance and The Lord's Prayer are not allowed in most public schools anymore because the word "God" is mentioned a kid in Arizona wrote the attached NEW School prayer. I liked it.
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Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.

If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's "inappropriate" to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such "judgments" do not belong.

We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.

It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!

Amen

Losing Track.........

Soooo.......it's been an odd few days this past week.

I'm still recovering from the flu. You know- the actual "Sick" part of it wasnt bad at all- but the lingering fatigue has just thrown me for a loop. Whereas I was sleeping about 5-7 hours a day before- I'm now sleeping closer to 12-14 hours a day......sometimes with a nap in between big sleeps!! My housework has gotten WAYYYY behind, but luckily I have a wonderful hubby who understands and tries to help me out as much as I will let him-(which luckily for him isn't much because I'm so damn anal about the way things are done. Life would be SOOO much easier on me if I just let GO of some of that freaky stuff, but I've tried and it just creeps back up on me.)
Anyway........Yesterday evening I had about two hours before my regular show(Biggest Loser) came on and since Paul was playing a game on the XBox and I was bored with sitting around resting and goofing on the computer- I thought- "GREAT!!! I have two hours, I can go clean the kitchen and have plenty of rest-time in between when I get tired." So off I go to the kitchen and when I looked under the sink to get a trash bag to replace the one in the bin, the entire cabinet floor was dripping wet. Oh Crap. The faucet was leaking again, so that meant changing the washers again.
No biggie-right???
Wrong.

What should have been a 5 minute job actually turned into a two HOUR job because of several factors. We couldn't find the washers. When we did find them, none were the right size since we had bought a assortment pack of them and used the only ONE in the pack that was the right size LAST time we had to fix the stupid thing. Then we had to figure out our finances since we are still playing catch-up from me being out of work with the flu for that week. Then we had to drive to LOWES and buy the stupid washers.THAT was a story in itself. But I'll let Paulius tell you about that one if he wants to.......
Anyway, then we drove home and Paul proceeded to repair the faucet while I ranted and raved about what a money pit this place is and how we could have moved a dozen times on the money we've put into repairs and improvements and how we'd be better off just jacking the place up and sliding another in it's place.
He finally looked at the clock and told me my show was on and I should go watch it while he finished up repairs in the kitchen.
I love that man!
So needless to say, I didn't get the kitchen cleaned last night after all because when the show was over- we went to bed shortly after. The fan is still on, blowing under the sink drying it out and when that finishes, we have to spray it down with bleach so mold and mildew won't set in.
I hope I get better soon or I'm not gonna have the strength to decorate for the holidays.

Okay......... so in response to Pauls post about self-esteem.
My problem seems to be I have good self-esteem altho I'm not at all happy with being overweight. I realize I am who I am regardless of what I weigh, and life will not automatically become all Rainbows and Butterflies when I lose the weight like some people suggest.
Yeah, some of my health issues will get better, but no one is going to like me more when I am thin because, face it, everybody loves me just the way I am now...... and I'm not going to have a better job and be making more money.
All that's going to happen is I'm going to still be living my life the way I am now- only with less body to have to lug around. I'm still gonna be annoyingly me, the person who sings/whistles/hums Christmas songs all year long....the person who (like Joey on FRIENDS) can make anything slightly sexual.......the person who loves to try new recipes and bring the results to work for her co-workers to give their opinions of........the person who procrastinates, about a LOT of things........the person who loves her family and adores her friends and tries to be a shoulder for whoever needs it, the woman who almost worships the ground her hubby walks on.

But I'm me- I'm happy with me even tho I am overweight and would like to change that. Does that make me more complacent to losing the weight? Probably......but then , some of the worst things in my life have happened to me when I was thin, and when I start getting attention when I do lose a few pounds, it reminds me of those times and I gain the weight back. It's become a huge roadblock for me, even tho I KNOW I'm much more prepared to handle a situation MUCH better than I did in the past. Lots of lessons and weapons have helped in that area.

So someday soon I'm going to be able to get past the obstacles and forget the past....or at least be able to put the past behind me and move forward. Soon.

Ummmmmmm..........
Okay...I admit it- I somehow lost track of where I was going with this somewhere in the middle of it. Dangitt....That happen a lot too. Oh well.
:-P

Apples Make Me Hungry

I know what the "Experts" say about eating fruits(and for some reason they really push the apples) when you're trying to lose weight.

But here's the thing.....I can't eat apples. I mean I can, but when I eat apples- in 10 minutes I am hungry- And by hungry, I mean I'm hungrier than I was before I ate the apple. And by hungrier- I mean absolutely RAVENOUS.

Anyone have any logical explanation as to why?

A Prayer

Dear God,

Things have been going so calmly for the past few days. Please don't let them change.
I want to have just a while of peace and calm before anything hits the fan again.

Thank you.
Me

Mee-sa Happy!!!!!!!

I have talked to all my babies in the past two days....Julie called and we had a nice long conversation. I talked to Frank last night and saw him for a few minutes. And I talked to our Kathy today on the phone as well. Paul called me at work and we had a nice discussion as well as our nice little drive a couple nights ago. I got a nice chatty e-mail from my mother-in-law and had a quick chat with my daughter in law, Marie, and I saw my mom as well and had a nice chat with her. I saw my baby brother and got to talk with him for a few minutes. I've chatted with my sister Tee a couple of nights in a row while we were both at work. So if I just got to talk with my other sister Nina this weekend, I would be happy as a pig in mud on a sunshiny spring day.
It's been a GREAT weekend and I am feeling BLESSED!!!!
Mee-sa Happy!!!!!!

I Don't Wanna......

I have a list of I don't wannas.

And the reasons to go with them.

On the upside-........I have a job. I have food. I have a roof over my head. I am reasonably content.

Good Nuff.....for now.

(to be continued...............)

Just a TINY Rant..........

Don't get me wrong.....I'm VERY happy to have a job, but today the company I work for put into action a new Payroll system.
My workers and I are a team of 4 members......sometimes 5.

Well, every two weeks our schedule ran as follows....
We work 12 hour shifts each ....A Shift and B Shift.
One week we got 36 hours....the next we got 44 hours. That is IF the 5th person works.
Well, This week we have to go to a new system that now gives us two hours on the 36 hour week....but takes away two hours of our OT from the 44 Hour week. This affects ONLY me and the other Night shift guy on the other shift....the day guys still get ALL their overtime pay and nothing is taken away from them.
Doesn't that seem a bit screwed up to you?
Well, it does to us. we don't even get a Night shift differential in our pay as it is, and now we are getting paid LESS because we work this night shift.

This kinda blows.
Okay Rant over. That wasn't too bad was it?
:-)

Still At It

Well, I slept for a grand 6 hours and then got up and started back cleaning again. Basically all I have left is to just the vacuuming and finding a spot for a few odd things. It feels good to have one room in the house back to normal.

About halfway thru my morning cleaning, I have stopped and made Paul and I some lunch. He offered to make it, but I had a hankering for something dfferent. I wanted Shrimp Po'Boys with home-made shoestring fries. So I made them. I'll let him make us supper later tonight if he likes.

I got thinking about our food. I like trying to come up with something out of the ordinary for dinner at least once a week Stuff like....
Coq au Vin
Shrimp & Sauce with Pasta
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Caesar Salad
Chicken and Cheese wrapped with Bacon
Chili with Cheese and Corn Chips
Beef or Pork Roast with Roast Potatoes



The rest of the week we have our standards.......
Teriaki Chicken with fries
Burgers and fries or chips
Beef Stroganoff
Grilled Chicken with Seasoned Rice
Grilled Fish and something or the other
BBQ ribs with baked fries
Soup and crackers
Ham or Chicken with Biscuits, Pinto Beans or Black-eyed Peas and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Slow Cooker Stew with Stew Beef, Potaoes, Onions, and carrots
........

Sometimes we even do scrambled eggs and toast or Pancakes for Supper!


Today is a beautiful day out.....the sun is shining, it's not too hot- nor too cold, I'm fed and rested, the geese are flying overhead going south for the winter, and my family is (for the moment) all happy and safe.
Life doesn't get much better than this.

Settling In.........

I decided to clean the Living room tonight after Paul went to bed...Really deep clean...Moving all the furniture, vacuuming, wiping down the walls, dusting the picture frames, polishing all the furniture and wiping down all the leather. I even cleared away most of the bric-a-brac from the shelves. Well, a lot of that was because the holidays are coming up and I figured why have to do that in a couple/three weeks when I can just go ahead and do it now while I'm in the mood.
Holy cow.......I had no idea how bad my house had gotten this past few months while I was in this depression.

I think my new meds may be working now tho.

I actually wanted to go for a ride this afternoon when I got home from work and the grocery shopping. Paul and I went out to Zaxbys and got a bite and had an Al Fresco lunch .....and then we headed out of town to Flat Rock, about fifty miles away....just to get out and DO something. We stopped at the Blue Ridge Mall and went window shopping. They already had some of their Christmas decorations up, and it was great walking around and NOT be working while I was doing it. Seeing what Paul was most interested in just made my day. We walked around and held hands and laughed and pointed out things we would love to be able to get for various people we know.
It was a lovely, carefree, autumn afternoon and I couldn't have asked for anything sweeter than spending some quiet, quality time with the love of my life.

:-)

I love my job.

I work with the coolest people EVER and we have the most INTERESTING conversations!!!!

I wish everyone had a job they loved as much as I love mine at this moment!!!!

Ups...and Downs

You decide which are the Ups and which are the Downs....or maybe a bit of BOTH!
*********************************************
*The holidays are approaching and as such I can now start singing the occasional Christmas song without too much of an uproar.
*The Autumn colors are at full peak now in our neck of the woods. I haven't seen such vivid colors in years!! Absolutely beautiful!!
*I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving Day Dinner. I'm starting to get a bit concerned, tho. I told the kids THEY were responsible for Thanksgiving Day Dinner this year and so far I have yet to hear a peep from them about any plans having been made. Maybe I should get a chicken just in case they dont actually HAVE the dinner this year. At least Paul and I will have a Plan B for OUR dinner.
*I think I am going to have the kids over for Christmas Eve from now on too. We can have Finger foods and dessert and open gifts then. Then Paul and I will have a nice quiet Christmas day to ourselves. This year I have to work on Christmas Day evening too, so I won't be so frazzled doing it that way.
*I was riding past my old neighborhood today and popped by my old house. It made me sad to see other people living there. I got to customize it........big bay window in the living room with a big beautiful maple tree in the front yard just outside it, Custom built-in bookshelves in the entrance, a big brick fireplace with a huge mantle just made for hanging stockings Christmas Eve, A big wide archway linking the Living room and Dining-room. It sat at the top of a hill and was a modest size, but it was my dream home. That's okay tho. ...By this time next year I'll be in my own home again. I've made a promise to myself that no matter WHAT I have to do- By August I will be in a position to put a down-payment on a house of my own. I don't care how much overtime I have to put in, or if I have to get a second or third job....I WILL DO IT. I will NOT be in this falling apart "guesthouse" another year. I was only supposed to be here for three years tops.......I've now been here seven. As my Papa Coyle used to say...."SweetPea, it's time to either Poop- or get off the pot!" Only he was much more colorful about it. I miss my Papa too. Crusty old man. :-)
I need to go sleep a couple hours before work...........Later all!!!

Growing Up Sucks..................

There comes a defining moment in every ones life when their innocence is shattered.
This is a story about one of those times......


I found this story by Shaz @ STORG.com...
************************

It began in the first grade, a warm spring day. We were growing closer to the end of the school year and everyone was anticipating the summer that was just around the corner. I was playing in the play yard after lunch, sitting under my favorite tree, poking a stick into the dirt. This was my favorite part of the day. My stomach was full of cafeteria pizza and I was ready to draw pictures in the dirt.........

As I sat there in my plaid uniform jumper, caking dirt on my hands, I noticed something bright in the dirt. It was pink, slightly smaller than a grain of rice. I picked it up, and looked it over. Then I looked at the ground again, to find that the base of my favorite tree held many of these tiny sprinkles. I began picking them up, one by one. This one was green. This one was blue. Glitter-flecked, orange, purple, brown, white! I gathered as many as I could before the bell rang, and pocketed them.

The next day, I anxiously waited for lunch to finish. Finally, the bell rang and I dashed to my tree in hopes of finding the last of them. To my surprise, there were MORE! I spent the break carefully picking up each piece, and I sat admiring them.

I glanced up at the tree. Suddenly, I knew! I knew the cause of this! It made perfect sense! Fairies must be living inside this tree, and they put their magic sprinkles there as a gift for me. Obviously, they appreciated my artistic doodling in the dirt. I smiled at the tree and whispered, "I won't tell anyone you're here, it's okay!"
For the next week, I found my fairy sprinkles waiting for me. I'd carefully gather them, and then I'd thank the tree for such lovely gifts.

The next week, the only sprinkles that I could find were the ones I had overlooked the week before. I was sad, but I reasoned that fairies must be migratory. They can't stay in one place for long or else they'll be discovered. I took great care to thank the tree for sharing the fairies with me.
A year passed. I was in second grade now. I still had the small jar of fairy sprinkles hidden in my room. Again, it was spring time. Again, I was sitting under my favorite tree. It caught me off guard to see the return of the sprinkles. I gathered them with great care, thanked the tree, and took them home to be added to my collection. It was the same as the year before. The sprinkles lasted a week while the fairies lived in their temporary home in my favorite tree. Every day, I'd talk to them as I gathered my treasure. I'd tell them about my classes, about boys, about my family. I figured that they shared their gift with me, they should at least know me better. So I shared my life with that tree, and thanked it every day. And then the fairies would leave, and I would move on to another grade, and other year, a life away from the last.

The fairies came every year. My third and fourth grade were filled with the same anticipation of springtime, and my chance to talk to the fairies again. They were so generous with their gifts, and I left them little gifts with stick art in the dirt.

But that play yard was only for students between 1st and 4th grade. After the fourth grade, I stayed in the same building, but the older kids occupied a different play yard, which had a big field, but no trees in it. So on the Friday of the week of the fairy gifts, I explained this to the tree. I told the fairies that I wouldn't be able to return the next year. I thanked them profusely, and told them I hoped with all my heart that they might pass the legacy to another child, that they could give him or her the gifts that they had shared with me over the course of four years. "My jar is nearly full, anyway," I explained. The bell rang, and with tears in my eyes, I thanked the tree one last time.
A few years passed, and life had changed many times over. I never forgot about the tree, and the secret of the fairies. I kept my jar of fairy sprinkles in my closet, on the shelf. But I had grown up and had a more adult view on the world. My life was busier, more involved.

It was seventh grade now. Girls were getting boyfriends and boobs and makeup. We were in Mrs. Pryor's class. It was a warm, spring day, our grades were already tallied, and the teachers were just passing time before summer break began. Mrs. Pryor was explaining a project to us. First you draw your picture, then you will lay a layer of glue, and then you will sprinkle these tiny plastic grains to the page, as needed, and- tadaa, you have art.

These grains looked oddly familiar, as I created my masterpiece. But it wasn't until the class, I, together with the rest, carried our papers outside and dumped the excess, loose sprinkles around my favorite tree, that I realized that the fairies never were.

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