I can never stop at ..."enough.."

I seem to always go just a brushstroke too many...one piece of lace too much..one piece of ribbon, one scrap..

You know..too fussy..too many..blah blah blah and yadda yadda yadda..

....see?

I can't even tell you what I am talking about because I'm going on and on and on...

OK..to get what I'm getting to..

When I was telling you about the whole "white T-shirt' thingy..you know..simple simple..

And because I seem to dribble dribble when I have coffee..or Crystal Light..or spaghetti..Aunt Amelia from Aunt Amelia's Attic asked how I bleach the stains out.

I don't.  But I don't really want to wear them after they are "broken in"..stained..ruined.

So I saw a video on YouTube..{somewhere} about making Sharpie designs by marking and then dripping alcohol on the fabric..

Brilliant!

So I did..and I did too much.  But I thought I'd show it here..not to fish for compliment, but to show you maybe a new idea..

 good start...

..getting a little busy and big..

"I think it needs...more..stems??"

"Add swirlys!!"

 ..nah..too much..

See? ..oh well...it's a learning experience..

So, in a few weeks {or moments.} when I spill on yet another T-shirt,..I 'll have a new "canvas" ... to try again..

And I'll let you know how that one turns out...

If I can stop...while I'm ahead..

-me

It's snowing ....again :-)

..and my first thought, as I'm sipping my coffee this very early Saturday morning {thanks Lulu..but you know, I don't need to get up at 5am on Saturdays..just a reminder..) was "Not more snow...I'm ready for Spring."

{"Snow Day" by Ezra Jack Keates}

But as I sit here with my coffee this morning, while the rest of the house is fast asleep..{even my little alarm-clock-pup-Lulu has gone back to bed} I marvel at the beauty outside my front window..snow softly falling..the street light capturing the sparkles as they come down..

{this is not me...but sadly I do envy those eyebrows..}

And I am reminded to stop my whining and enjoy every moment.not to "wish" away the time by rushing spring to come and winter to be over and time to slip away from me, unnoticed, unappreciated.

{there, that's more like it..}

We rush our weeks on Mondays by wishing it were Friday..until that mournful Sunday night when we start the week over again..at our jobs..which, we forget, we are so blessed to have in this economy ..

The whole time we spend wishing our lives..our time..away.

I think I'll make a conscious decision to, if not enjoy, at least appreciate every single moment..every long day and every long season..

Aren't we lucky to start a new day, every day, with a chance to make it better?

{ I wish I had that cuddly-warm-red suit..}

Now, go out there and have a wondrous, long, beautiful Saturday.

And I'll go back to watching  loving Lulu  and the snow fall down in sparkly-diamonds on my world..

-me

Old old me..new new illness..

I have fibromyalgia.

Crummy, painful, silly, unnecessary, pain-in-the-bum dumb illness.

Hyper-sensitivity to stuff..seams in clothing,...wrinkles..ribs in material..upholstery....pillows...jewelry..socks..everything hurts..like my skin is sunburned..or raw..

{hey, I never typed UPHOLSTERY..weird spelling..I had to look it up...thanks Google!}

Yeah, crummy.  But not all the time.

Wish I could figure when it will hit..what I have done differently that causes it to start.  Sometimes I feel like every hair on my head is parted the wrong way... ya know?

Guess is a nerve-thingy.  With  Tylenol a few times a day..I can pretty much fake it..until someone tries to give me a hug..

Then I sort of cringe..but I love hugs.  So I don't stop them.

Life is waaaay too short to stop hugs.

Anyway...just wanted to let you know....let you know we can overcome  deal with it..if we set our minds to it..

"This too shall pass"

So, if you have this, know you are not alone.  And if you have anything that works for you..let us know. 

And if you know someone that has it, be patient, be kind and be gentle....

Just a PSA {public service announcement.. from me..}

Have less fibro-days and more huggable days  {{    }}

-me

Oh..and can we work on seamless underwear?

So I'm driving to work this morning..

..and I notice my stomach growling..um..more like roaring.

Decide to drive thru McDonald's and get an oatmeal {have you tried these??? Seriously yummified!} and a black coffee (flavor and drinkability to be added at my desk..)

I have stopped by a few times since they added the oatmeal-lushiness..and the same probably 20+ something young man with nerd-like tendencies has been the  "drive up to the first window and pay" person..and seemed a little grumpy/shy/disenchanted/bored and or inconvenienced by my first-thing-in-the-morning-crazy-grinning-old-lady-well-hello! demeanor ..

So when I saw him still there this morning (what? no promotion?) I smiled and handed him my exact amount of $3.22 (the amount I know by heart now) and asked him if he's having a good start to the day...he says..

"Yes..yes I am. 'Cause I have a lovely young lady at my window this morning.."

and then he..SMILED!

A real true heart-felt smile.

Of course I knew he was not flirting..after all, I could be his grandmother mother big sister's....uh...elderly friend.

But the fact that we made a connection, shared a smile, and maybe, just maybe, he will go on to have a better day just made me have a way better day than I thought it could be.

Way to go McDonald's.

Thanks for the awesome-kick-butt-oatmeal ..and a brighter day.

And thank you "twenty-something-sometimes-grumpy-because-nobody-SEES -you-drive-thru-guy"

-me

Well, hello treadmill...

It snowed {again} yesterday and I am a wus when it comes to driving in the snow..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coreydahl/

..but that's OK, because some of those who thought they could drive OK were "attending" a 13 car pile-up on I-15 about 4 miles north of us...

Luckily no fatalities..except their cars..and I don't want the "Silver Pearl" to get any bumps or dings on her...

But that meant no driving to Zumba..and I rarely miss my twice-weekly classes..I like it that much..

So, I re-introduced myself to the lovely and very well-kept {read: unused..} treadmill. 

3.2 miles.  Yep..I kept telling myself   "Just 10 more minutes and will stop"..but then it got closer to 2 miles..and then I said.."OK..go to 2.5.."

Well..that's pretty close to 3 miles..let's see..

Then there was that little known fact (to me anyway) that 3.1 miles equals a 5K..so I went on.

And I did it!  It took an hour..but that hour would have gone by anyway..probably not in a very constructive way..Sunday mornings are for not doing housework , you know?

So, now I think I will add the treadmill on Tuesdays and Wednesdays..to get 4 workouts a week..plus walking the pups every  morning..should produce a better weight loss, but more importantly, an even better sense of well being and accomplishment..which for me is as important as the weight thingy..

...who am I kidding..loosing weight is great!!  The feeling better/better health is an added bonus :-)

Soooo..have a happy President's Day and if you're lucky enough to have it off...enjoy..

{hi ho hi ho, it's grumbling off to work I go,,,}

-me

OK, so you see what happened is...

I got a new phone.  Well, it's more like a mini-mini-computer.

And I love it. 

And it's been taking me a while to know just how much smarter this smart-phone is..than me.

Seriously.

It can do everything except boil water for tea..that's probably why I'm still here..I am needed { or I just haven't found the app for that...}

So, I sit and try to learn, and get distracted by all the free apps I can get..and all the reading I can do for free...Kindle app!

and the games to play..

and the pedometer I need to download..

and, oh, is that a talking cat app?

Yep..".we have an app for that..."

sigh..

It's been really windy here..gray.... and windy.

So windy that as I was walking the pups today in the deep woods..wooded area..OK..a few treas along the sidewalk trail....

I saw several bigger branches that had been blown off. Eek.

Then I heard it..the wind through the trees..

and something more.....a creaking sort of sound....like a rocking chair being rocked slowly...creeeek creeek

I came to the startling conclusion that the sound was the tree creakin'....

and I'm walking right beneath it..

and it's freakin' creakin...!!

So what do I do?  Stop.  And look...UP.

and the tree is freakin' creaking' !??

now I ask you...what sort of idiot look UP in the direction of a creekin' tree branch ?

this sort it seems..moi..me..yours truly.

Coulda lost an eye..or a face..but noooo, you'd think I'd be smarter than that, eh??

Uh uh...nope.

I stood fast and.... slammed my eyes shut ..{like my eyebrows would be enough to fend off any errant branches traveling at the speed of...wind..}

Figured I needed to say a  moster big thank you for letting me arrive home safely.

So, thank you Oh Powerful One..

..for not letting me be killed by the freakin' creakin' trees..and arriving home unscathed..and maybe a wee bit smarter..

eh...

probably not.


Well have a good and safe Sunday and I'll try to be more aware of my surroundings...and 65per hour "winds of horror...scary-ness..

-me

Happy Valentine's Day, v 2.0

Because I don't think love and tenderness needs to be relegated to ONE day a year..I bring you..

Happy Valentine's-Every-Day!

* all photos from Cute Overload  {love them!}

So share some love today..no matter how your day is going, I guarantee is will be better if you do ;-D

Whirlwind of a weekend...

I attended the RootsTech conference on Saturday..as a worker, but that's OK..I still got to see and talk to a lot of folks I have spoken to but not seen on my job at the office.

And all of them interested in genetic genealogy.  And it was fun to talk to them, me knowing a little about the subject that I  was explaining..

Sometimes, while explaining, they'd get this blank look ....like they wanted a tele-prompter in my eyes so they could understand what I was saying.

So, I'd throw something in to see if they really were paying attention..

"You can call us during our business hours and ask us questions about all of this..if we don't know the answer...we'll make one up."

It was fun to see their faces..at first, like "Wait, what??" then the little laugh..and I'd then tell them that I had thrown that in to see if they were paying attention..

Things get weired when I work the booth.  But, most all of them left with a smile..

When I wok up this morning, I could remember what day it was..working on a Saturday really threw me off! Is is Monday? No..Saturday? Can I sleep? No..do I make lunches??

Tomorrow will be a  Fun-Mon-day with it being Valentine's Day and all..

So, Happy Valentine's Day and remember what drew you to your Sweetie in the very first place..betcha it's still there!

xxoo
-ME

New glasses..same old me..

Why is it when we think about getting new glasses, we think it will change our whole look?

 {Coke bottle bottoms...computer glasses}

 {regular glasses..you know..to see..??}

I've had to wear glasses most of my life..however, I've only actually WORN glasses for about the past 15 or 20 years..and that first 5 years it was "iffy" at best.

When I was a kid, they wanted me to wear a patch over my right eye, thus making my left-lazy eye stronger.

Didn't work.

Well, maybe it would've if I'd actually done it.  But can you imagine a kid in the 5th grade wearing a patch AND glasses? I'd have been the laughing stock.

A half blind pirate.  In Arizona.

A female pirate..at pirate-ette?

And I would have seen the laughing.  Because I was wearing glasses..

But I didn't..so I didn't.

And that was OK until a few years ago when I started mis-reading stuff..

Sinex Nasal Spray for Murine Eye Drops...

Air spray for Hair spray..

Speed limit 85 for speed limit 35....

Doggie cookie for MY cookie..

Maple syrup for cooking oil....

Hair gel for caulk...just kiddin' on that one..

So, finally gave in.  Never wanted to be one of those people that had to reach for their glasses just to actually "see"...

But here I am.  And it's something one has to have on their face for every day of the year.  365  (or is it 635) days a year?  The. Same. Glasses.

You wouldn't wear the same earrings, right?    Oh, but I do..silver hoops.

OK, you wouldn't wear the same T-shirt..    Oh wait..I do.

Shoes? Yep. I have one pair for winter, one pair for summer and one pair for Zumba.

Watch?  Don't own one..well, one that doesn't work that Sister Kathy gave me 'cos she knew I'd think it was cute..and I hate the whole "on-time" thing anyway... 

Wow.  I am totally boring. Dull. Blank-o.

And, mostly late it seems.

I rely on my internal clock...which is always right..never  on some silly daylight savings time and it always the same time-zone-thingie  no matter where I am in the world.  {who am I kidding? I've never been anywhere in the "world" .... except New Jersey ;-D  }

Just like "north" is always in front of me.  And "south" is the other way.  Simple.

East is to the right and west is the left....

I like simplicity. And with all the talk about simplicity..I figure I've been ahead of the curve..a pioneer..a trend setter..

However.... I still wanted a new look for my glasses.  Or me.  I got nuthin.  Same me.  Same look in glasses.   Different day. decade....

{OK..these may be a bit different...}

But hey, I'm always looking north..and it's always fun-o'clock.

Have a fun hour..or 24 if you'd like. Then blog about what you did..we'd love to hear :-)


-me