A Peek Into The Misadventures of My Crazy Upside-Down Life.
First Diane Keaton.
Now Ace Frehley.
Who will the 3rd one be?
It always comes in 3s.... I'm going to predict it will be Michael J Fox. I pray not. He's always been a fav of mine and was prob my first celebrity crush after Elvis. I will cry whenever he passes.(MJF- not EP)
Sadly, when I came into work I mentioned the passing of ACE and none of the "babies" at the truck gate knew who I was talking about. Barely even knew who KISS was(their first thought was Keep It Simple Stupid)
Shaking my head.
Retraining myself to blog(among other things) is turning out to to be a bit more of a challenge than I first thought.
At first I thought posting every day would be my new schedule, but that was seriously expecting too much. So then I decided to try 3x a week. A Weekend Review Post on Mondays, a Absolutely Random post on Wednesdays and A Weekday Review on Fridays. Apparently my life is much duller than I originally thought. Yesterday I was so busy at work I didnt get a chance to write a post. So apparently my work life is more active than my homelife.
Not sure if that is a good thing or not.
So, I guess the posting schedule I've decided on is Mondays and Thursdays. Sounds perfect.
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Do y'all remember the Big Candy Department at SEARS Department store in Greenville? I don't know if they was all like that, but oh the JOYS when we went there. You walked in and immediately hit by the smell of warm roasted nuts of all types (Cashews, Almonds, Peanuts, Brazil nuts,...)and Chocolate of all kinds- M&Ms, all the choc covered nuts, orange slices, jelly beans, coconut slice bars.....all day suckers, and these strange jelly candies(kind of like Jelly Babies but covered in milk chocolate instead of powdered sugar like Jelly Babies are. OMG it was ah-mazing. AND- the day after Thanksgiving- the Garden Department was transformed into Santa's Workshop (conveniently located behind the TOY DEPARTMENT which is located directly behind the CANDY DEPARTMENT)- Think Santa's workshop in the Movie ELF with Will Ferrell- almost exactly like that but without the Mona Lisa.
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As you can tell, I'm already trying to pre-plan where things will go for Christmas in the new house. We better enjoy it because I'm pretty sure we wont be in it next Christmas.
There are issues with the house- pretty serious ones too. I've been there 6 months and I'm getting so stressed out trying to deal with it all. The basement floods sporadically, The windows are screwed shut- the window panes are barely hanging in the frames and need recaulking, the floor by the back door is sinking more and more each day, the whole kitchen floor is held up in the basement by support poles, the roof needs some repairs done- just from looking at it from the outside we can tell- we haven't tried to open the attic access to have a look up there(which is also screwed shut btw) and the deck on back of the house is pulling away from the house as well. We don't let more than 4 ppl sit back there at a time for that reason.
We're looking for another place in the Easley High School area(we really want Alyssa to graduate as a GREEN WAVE) but finding something in our price range is next to impossible- that's why we moved to the place we are in now- it was the closest affordable place we found in the 4.5 months we were looking at that time too.
But I'm determined to find something by the time to get our tax refund back. I cant do this 100+ miles a day 5 days a week commute to work for much longer...Plus I'm tired of dealing with having to throw food from the fridge away because it freezes and thaws food(in the fridge part- not the freezer part, mind you) and the landlord dilly dallying about trying to save money when this is an ongoing issue being nickel and dimed to death instead of just buying another fridge and being done with it. Maybe "Mr. 20 Properties Owner" can afford to waste a fridge of food on a regular basis, but "Ms. I Bust My Ass and Am Barely Scraping By" most certainly cannot- I assure you. Even if I was more prosperous and could afford to do that- I wouldn't- I wasn't brought up to live like that- I was brought up by thrifty parents who lived comfortably by counting every penny and not wasting anything and making opportunities rather than beating a dead horse.
I'm just done with the situation and am looking towards a brighter future.
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On a happier note- I am now looking forward to not one but TWO trips in the next few weeks to Hobby Lobby. Not to BUY anything(although I would LOVE to be able to go in there and have one of everything and in a few cases- three of certain things.) but to get inspiration for using what I have to mimic the things I would love to have most. I'm hoping to go Saturday with my daughter- and then again by the first week in November with Thelma...or is it Louise? (My bezzie, Rhonda, and we switch roles depending on the day and our moods.)
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LOL... That's it for today.
See y'all Monday!!!
Have a Great weekend!
My entire life I have had predictive dreams(nightmares)- and they have usually come true with a scarily high percentage of accuracy.
So, a couple of years back I woke from a dead sleep thinking "My DoD is going to be October 29th 2029."... and that one thought has preyed on my mind in October ever since. It's cost me sleep and as October 29th draws closer every year I find myself getting more and more anxious. It's not my favorite month of the year, for sure and certain.
I know the date was October 29, 2029...but what if it was just October 29th...and I inserted the 2029 part subconsciously?
It could be ANY October 29th.....Upcoming in near future- in a few days or in 2029, or when I'm 79- or 109.
It's really affecting my mental health stressing about it. I drove to work this morning crying and praying for the Lord to help me stop stressing about it.
Yesterday when my son showed up for our Sunday visit, when he got ready to leave I gave him an extra long hug and burst into tears when he drove out of sight. Same with my daughter- before I toddled off to bed I have her an extra long hug and kiss and told her I love her sooo much. And again, I cried when I got to my room.
I know no one but God knows when we will be called home, but that certainly is not being much of a comfort in my situation.
The weekend went well tho, On Saturday me, my daughter and my granddaughter set up the Halloween decorations on the front porch. It looks super cute!!! I'd show photos but I'm not sure how to do that quite yet on my phone. Then later we went on a little drive down to see a house near us that has loads of Animatronics and a sound show with it. Grandson 3 followed us with his little family and we really enjoyed watching the babies be amazed!!!
Then I made a huge pot of soup and a pan of cornbread for supper Sunday. Also a pan of fudgey brownies for dessert. Bit of a hiccup there as Grandson 3 came but didn't stay for supper- some sort of drama or other going on- then Son and his Girlfriend came by and although they didn't eat then because they had a late lunch, they did take enough home to eat for their supper later on. Thank Goodness.
So now we have a half a huge pot of soup left in the fridge. We can't freeze it because part of it was frozen already and cant be refrozen without safety concerns...
So here I sit Monday Morning- trying to simultaneously not think about the upcoming date- but also trying to figure out how to stop stressing about it.
The life of an adult.....
Hey-Ho-It's Mid-week!!!
I call it Bon Jovi Day because we are Halfway thru my workweek and I'm living on a prayer- despite Tuesday being my Payday!!
So today I head to my Bezzie's place to have a girls night. We try to do this every week but sometimes- life gets in the way and we have to postpone.
I go in to work and when I get off I head towards Easley. A substantially shorter drive than from work to Anderson. The only thing I dread about it is the short distance I drive thru Powdersville traffic. It's absolutely horrendous that time of day- mostly because there are five schools along that route and school dismissal time is EXACTLY the time of day I'm arriving at each one. Bah Humbug. So I truly AM living on a prayer.
Anyway, although we sometimes mix it up- usually I stop at the local PUBLIX and grab our dinner just about a half mile from Bezzie's apartment. And typically we have Sushi for dinner. No one at my house eats it- and Bezzie's mom wont eat it, but we love the stuff. We've decided our favorite is the Crunchy California Roll. And believe me- we have tried every combo they have! The only thing we differ in is our choice of flavorings. I like mine with a goodly amount of Soy Sauce and just a TOUCH of wasabi....She prefers hers plain with the ginger.
After dinner is finished, we either just sit and talk until bedtime or we watch a couple of movies or a few YouTube videos on the TV (Along with talking about anything and everything DURING either of those as well!). It keeps us sane. Whatever is on our minds is what we talk about whether it be Serious or Silly-it doesn't matter- it's no Holds Barred. We have been best friends for almost 60 years (since 1967)- so we have no secrets from each other- but the amount of inside jokes is astronomical!
Thelma & Louise -We switch on who is who depending on our mood or situation on any given day. But always- each other's Ride or Die.
We have another Bezzie that we have been Bezzie's with since Junior High- about five years less than our friendship. Call ourselves "The Three Amigos/ Musketeers". We all consider each other a chosen sister. And My sisters are considered their sisters as well. Occasionally we all three go out to have a meal together- and even more rarely-once in a blue moon-we ALL get together to go out and have a meal together.
The day before Halloween us Three Amigos/Musketeers are planning to dress as Modern Witches and get together for a meal. That should be fun. I want us to wear the classic witches hats- but one of us (not saying which) doesn't want to go the whole nine yards. And That's okay....I'm not making any promises that I wont wear one tho...... Depends on my mood- sometimes I'm in a hat mood-and on those days I can pull it off with confidence- but on other days you couldn't pay me to wear one. And either is perfectly normal- for me.
Maybe I should have been born a Gemini.
Since moving back to lovely South Carolina, I've been trying to establish (or RE establish) a few traditions for my family.
One I am particularly enjoying is Sunday Dinner at Nanny Vada's!!!
On Sundays I have taken to making a big one pot meal- Shepard's pie or a stew, Coq au Vin, or even a pot of soup. ....something easy and filling like you would have had a Grandma's house. Plus, a big pan of made-from-scratch biscuits and a simple dessert. Whichever of the family shows up- eats with us at 5pm sharp.
So far only my two kids and a couple of the grandkids have shown up(with their babies -the ones that have them), but I'm just getting this tradition established. One of the grandsons and his little growing family live about 50 miles away, so he and his family haven't shown up yet- but hopefully they will get to start coming in the near future. Also- my son's kids haven't come for one yet- but they are certainly invited and all are welcomed with open arms!!
Also, we are eagerly anticipating the first frost of Autumn so we can continue with our First Frost Chili Weekend. Huge pot of chili with Shredded cheese , Sour cream, and Fritos. And SMORES for dessert!!!
THIS is what I missed when I was living overseas... having family gatherings and getting to see my babies- all of them!!!
How Blessed I am to have this JOY given back to me again!!!!
About three years ago- I started writing my memoirs.
Kind of La-di-dah, huh?
Not really- I just have a lot of stories to tell and I know at some point my friends and family are going to prob say- I once knew this crazy girl and I wonder how she got to be that way. Right now life is getting in the way of me and them discussing some of these things, but someday they will wonder- just like there are a million things I wish I had asked my loved ones before they passed but never got around to. Not everyone is given the option of dying of old age.
All they have to do is read the thing and they will get their answers. Well, most of them.
And yes- I've reach a point in them where I get emotionally drained from the memories and I have to take a bit of a break for a couple or three months... my life has had some very traumatic events take place.
I'm struggling a bit at this point- right now I'm getting the general stories in place but later on there will be some of the more serious things to delve into. My struggle is; how much of a tell-all do I want to subject my people to?
There are some things that I could write about that could be cautionary tales, but on the other hand, do I really want to show stupidly naïve I was when I was younger? And I'm talking REALLY REALLY STUPIDLY so. I look back now and think, "Really, Sunny? REALLY???"
Yes, definitely struggling with the things to come, but I'm still working on it.
Thoughts?
This past two weeks have been quite challenging at our house.
All three of us ladies have been very poorly. I have had Flu-Type A... My daughter has been battling an Upper GI bug, and the granddaughter has been battling women's woes... and now it seems she may be coming down with what her mom has had too.
None of us has felt like eating much other than broth.....although we have tried to eat something a bit more substantial from time to time to no avail.
Luckily, knock on wood, I am back to somewhere around 90% today. Still a bit of tender throat, still a little hoarse from coughing up the yuk, but otherwise I'm Alive!!!!!
Last week we got our fridge repaired.... well, all week long we've been trying to get the temperature regulated on it.... every day lowering it (or it it raising it?) a fraction more(or less?) The dial says coldest on the far right, and then OFF on the far left.... we have it as close to OFF as it will go now and it's STILL freezing everything we put in it. Milk, Gallons (2) of tea, eggs, lunchmeats, fresh veggies- everything is freezing.
So I informed the landlord and he's going to contact the repairman for another visit tomorrow. Visit number three. For what he's paying in repair services we could have had a new fridge.
Sometimes, less is NOT more.
I've just been looking back at some of my oldest posts and reading them and- most importantly- the comments.
I loved reading these peoples comments and I tried finding their blogs... but alas- I haven't found a single one that is still available and in use....
Some of my fav commenters are:
MC Etcher
OzzyC
Lisa
Mad Munky
Silver Creek Mom
Vicarious Living
I would love to hear from them if any still have or have changed their blogs.
So here we are...
Situation1- Job related.
Knowing some situations need to be fixed, but I don't have the power to fix them. Having previously been a troubleshooter for a few years, it's ingrained in me to observe and report with suggestions on correcting problems before they get out of hand. As I have done in my current position(NOT as a troubleshooter) and after several discussions, I can see I'm talking to a bit of a brick wall. Those in charge would rather "fix it than fire it" so to speak, and I can totally understand that- to a point. With evidence building and building...and BUILDING of infractions, where is the line you draw? I say its when it starts affecting the teams morale.
I've personally always worked with the 3 strikes rule.(except in extreme cases -which has only arisen twice in my career).
Strike 1-Verbal warning
Strike 2-Written warning
Strike 3- send them back to corporate and have then re-placed- or let go- Up to corporate- not my problem anymore.
I don't like confrontation, but I don't like backdraft of frustration either. I like having a happy team -each doing their own job and not having to carry the weight of anyone else with the exception of a death or hospitalization of other such rare occasions.
So I have a choice of either turn a blind eye to what's going on-or not going on- or look for another job.
Needless to say this is going to be a situation I have no matter WHERE I have a job unless I work from home and that is not something I can do in my line of work.
Situation 2-Home Related
So due to circumstances beyond our control, we recently had to move from my parents property to a house about 50 miles from where we were.
After months of looking the deadline for us to be out was coming up fast- and when I saw the property, I took it after a nights sleeping on it.
Turns out I may have been a bit hasty.
Since moving in in May we've had the basement flood twice after a big rain, the fridge went out on us, we had a toilet component go bad and had a $120 water bill because it it, we have 6 outlets that don't work in the main living area, the sink and toilet in the master bedroom doesn't work properly and the tub in the main bathroom isn't draining properly either.( We have used numerous products on it to try and fix it ourselves to no avail).
Have spoken with the Landlord and he got the $120 water issue repaired, and the fridge repaired, but the rest of it- nothing. The fridge repairman said that they have been dealing with our landlord for years and at 83 years old he's going to do as little as possible and drag it out as long as possible in the meantime. He suggested if we have someone in the family that can look at any of the rest of the minor things to have them do it for us. The landlord suggested putting our things in the basement up on pallets because to properly fix the flooding basement, it will cost him about $25,000 and just doesn't have that kind of money to spend on it. (So, owning 20 rental properties apparently isn't a very profitable venture according to him)
So, the question is- after cleaning all the filth left behind from the last tenant, and repainting the entire interior of the entire house, do we start looking for another place to move to- or do we stay where we are and continue to try to get the other things fixed as best we can, when we can?
Situation 3-Personal Life
So I flew home February 29th last year. I've been home for 1 year and 7 months. Except for the initial texts from husband(still overseas) I've only been contacted once by him-to get bank forms signed for reverting our joint account back to only his account. Which I did, of course.
I have no idea what my future holds in this area.
On the one hand, I want a divorce so he can find someone else to grow old with-but as for me- I have no such yearning myself. After 4 marriages I'm done with that particular institution. It seems to me that once you sign that little piece of paper, things are good for a couple years, then they slowly start to change- and in my estimation and experience- not for the better.
I'm not going into any sordid details, suffice it to say he was fed up- and so was I.
If he wants a divorce I'm not sure how that would work as we was married in the States and separated in the UK. Personally I could go the rest of my life staying married/separated so I'm not able to remotely entertain the thought of doing that stupid thing again.
For the past week I've felt quite- not as chipper as usual.
I slept more over the weekend than I usually do, I've not made the effort to be as active or do projects on my Honey-Do list(me being the primary Honey).
For the first time in over a month I got to go spend my usual Wednesday night with my bezzie... and after eating, and watching one movie, I fell asleep on her sofa and didn't wake up until the alarm went off. I say I didn't wake up- but I did several times having a coughing fit. When the alarm went off, I felt like I had been beaten with a 2x4 and can barely move without wincing. My head is banging, my throat is raw and I can barely swallow.
Apparently, there are several crew members who have come down with whatever is afflicting me too. I came into work anyway, but texted my boss asking could I go home, or if that wasn't possible(as I said we are short-staffed) could I just stay in the office so I didn't "spread the joy" so to speak.
He chose the second option, but said we would work from there and see how it went as the morning wore on.
That's fine. I'm just hoping I don't become one of the "Dream Team" as we affectionately call it when someone nods off. I usually don't do that, but today might be the exception as awful as I feel. I would have just called in this morning, but I was hoping I would get feeling better once I got awake- but no such luck. If anything I'm feeling worse than ever.
I'm praying its just sinuses draining into my tummy that's making me feel so horrid and not a strain of COVID I picked up from my journeys the past week or so. I deal with Truckdrivers from the USA, Canada, and Mexico so you never know who or what they have come in contact with during their travels either. I'm also vigilant on sanitizing shared equipment and spaces, but lord knows I could have missed something... as small as a writing pen or a door knob or sink or fridge handle.
So may small things we don't think about like we did during the epidemic a few years ago....
But I'm going on this note....
I had something totally different planned for todays post but then I realized what day it was.
I don't think any of us who were old enough to tell time and read a calendar will ever forget where we were and what we were doing that September day.
I was sitting on my bed chatting with my friend in England on the phone when the TV cut to live breaking news.
At first we all truly thought it was a plane malfunction of some sort that flew the plane into the WTC building.
But then a short time later, the second plane hit the other WTC building. We knew then we were under attack. The came the news of the Pentagon, and Flight 93.
Our world here in the USA seemed to collapse.
But- instead of breaking us, the nation came together and United once again. Strangers on the street helping each other in whatever way possible for whatever reason. People out giving blood. People helping others get wherever they needed to be to feel safe. Family members that hadn't spoken in years because of whatever reason reconnected. Things we hadn't had time for suddenly became significantly MORE important- imperative, even.
People worldwide poured out their sympathy and support for us.
It changed our perspective on life...and death.
So please, a moment of silence for everything we lost that day 24 years ago... and for the things we gained as well.
We Will Never Forget.
I was just looking back at a sampling of my posts... can you believe it's been 20 years since I started this Blog?
My how time does fly!!!!
So this morning I woke up without so much as a twinge of pain in my right knee after almost 10 months of being miserable and hobbling around, taking painkillers and using heat and ice and braces of various types to stabilize it. I might to enjoy Autumn yet!!!!
It's been glorious today!!!! I can't wait until PROPER Autumn settles in. I've already put out a few bits and bobs of Fall decor in the Great room area. Just a bit.
I used to only decorate for Christmas, but in the past 10 years I've started decorating more and more for Autumn. The vibrant colors, the smells...nothing beats them.
Smoke, coffee, leaves, cinnamon, apples, pumpkin spice and sage. Pumpkins, autumn leaves in all shades of red orange and gold.....Hayrides, Scare houses, Hay bales, Apple Picking and Pumpkin selection -eventually for Jack-o-lanterns, raking leaf piles and jumping in them scattering them all over again- such simple pleasures.
Does anyone even do hayrides anymore?
Y'all have a lovely weekend!!!!
So it's been a while since I posted on here (six years and three months to be exact) and a LOT has happened and changed in my life since submitting that last post!
I don't even know where to begin to be perfectly honest. Probably the best way to go is to tell y'all bit by bit over time as it pertains to whatever I happen to be writing about at the time.
Meanwhile- if you have any questions you can ask me in the comments and we'll see how it goes.
Just to get us started off tho- I'm back in the States as of Feb 29th last year(2024). Just me- Not me and my husband.
It took me only 6 weeks to find a job in my preferred field once I arrived back in my home state. And I've only missed 3 days in the year and a half since I got hired. I love what I do.
No worries, I'm still debating the idea of a Handy Ma'am Service tho-as a side hustle.(see previous post)...
So, I'll be showing up here more often. Probably Every Wednesday or more often if I get enough questions or get the urge to tell yall something.
Yall know me.
It's so good to be back and I've missed you all!!!!!!!!!!!
Til Next Time...
