I Love New Stuff!

So excited! Hubs just took me to get new glasses!
I used to wear some cute Black/yellow squarish frames.
I replaced them with my current pair
JUST 7 MONTHS AGO.

But I dislike them intensely.
They pinch with those little nub thingys
and they show that one ear is lower than the other.
I am constantly adjusting them to look straight!

Yes, I know they are not HORRIBLE!
But they don't feel like me.
I liked the black pair I had before the crooked ones.

I don't like how the bifocal line shows in this particular pic but I loved these glasses!
I have missed them, but knew that I had made a mistake in the recent purchase
shown with the pink shirt.

SO,
I found an online coupon from sears optical
for 2 pairs of glasses for $99!

Yes, I said TWO PAIR!
So I got the rectangle ones pictured above in burgundy
and some black ones with a bit of roundishness to them!!

So happy, so excited!
Yay for me!
And yes, my Love Language is gifts!

Church Grinches?

You will not read many rants on this blog but I do have an issue with a phenomenon that occurs every Christmas and it really bugs me. I do not understand the Christians who gripe about how "our" holiday is being ruined by commercialism, greed and division. Don't they see that they are ruining it by complaining and moaning about it all season?

I read a news article about some church people and atheists  who are putting up dueling billboards to prove.....well, I don't know what they are trying to prove, it makes no sense! Do they think that some words on a big sign are going to change the way a nation thinks about Christmas? Or about Jesus? 

The fictional character, the Grinch is about a creature who hates all the warm fuzzy feelings and spirit of giving that appear every December. Scrooge would get along really well with him. Unfortunately I am seeing and hearing a lot of church people who could be part of the same club! All they talk about is the greed and commercialism of Christmas. Don't they hear themselves? The subject is the opposite side of the issue but the mood and tone are exactly the same!

Maybe it is a 'glass half full or glass half empty' kind of thing. I see this time of year totally different. 

I walk through stores and hear God being honored and praised in the overhead music being piped in for all to hear. Can you imagine any other time that the words, "Glory to God in the highest" would be resounding in your ear as you are reaching for the dish soap off the store shelf?

The malls are crazy-busy and the lines are long, but it is because everyone is hunting down a gift to give away. The desire to find the perfect item that will bring a smile to a friend can't be a bad thing, can it? We are spending hard-earned money to express our love for one another. Not only are we buying gifts to give away but the treasure is being wrapped in pretty paper and sparkly bow, so that it brings a smile even before the friend knows what is hidden inside! 

What other time of year could you get away with walking from house to house singing songs about Jesus? I know that Christmas caroling does not happen much any more, but how crazy is that tradition? The recent uploads of flash mob musicals on YouTube are evidence that singing for other's enjoyment is still alive. Maybe these are the new version of caroling! 

Houses and yards are full of bright lights and scenes of cheer. Just driving to a friend's house at night is a colorful and uplifting experience! So what if there are more Santa scenes than Jesus scenes! Both are delivering a message of love and generosity. 

I love Jesus and I love Santa. I also have no problem distinguishing which one is real and which one is pretend. My Christmas includes both of them and seeing more Santas in store decorations does not make me angry or jealous that Jesus is not getting enough attention. I know He is the reason for the season but I don't need to walk around shouting it to the world. 

This is a unique time of year when we as Christians have so much opportunity to love others and give of ourselves in so many ways. We can walk around humming songs that speak of angels and the Savior. Strangers aren't freaked out if we smile at them and say "Merry Christmas", blessing them as we go about our daily business. 

What is the main question people ask one another at this time of year? "Are you going home for Christmas?". This holiday promotes family time and gathering with our loved ones. Christmas movies and stories are about forgiving one another and letting bygones be bygones. Hallmark movies make us all teary and mushy because they point us back to our families and healing old wounds. 

There is something about this season that calls us up to a better, kinder, more loving standard. Why complain about commercialism when it is pointing people in the right direction ultimately? I plan on exploiting Christmas and enjoying every opportunity to smile big at strangers and totally ruining the dark moods of the Grinches!

At Last!

I found my Mother of the Groom dress!

Hallelujah! It was quickly becoming more important and time consuming than I wanted it to be!

I cannot find a picture of it online, but it is really close to this dress.

But it hits the knee and has two pretty darts at the neckline and wider V neck, so it's almost off the shoulder. Mine is a deep purple and I totally love it! (Feel like Jackie O or Michelle O in it, if I squint a lot!)

Yikes, it was becoming way too mind consuming. I hate that! Feel so relieved. It does need some altering because I am a definite Pear shape, so I bought a size that fits the LARGE part of the pear and will have the top taken in so there isn't a lot of EMPTY space up there!

Hubs says that now he won't keep finding me just staring into space as I try to figure out where to go to find THE dress anymore! Ha!

What Is Coming In the Mail?

As I have been babbling about for a few months, Writer Son is getting married on 10/10/10 in the hot state of Texas. I am so happy and excited about it! My new adorable daughter-in-law-to-be is a treasure whom I already love to pieces!

As the MOG ( mother of the groom ) for the first time, I started browsing through the wedding sites as soon as the news broke. Those helpful and overwhelming websites ( I can totally see why modern brides freak out! ) led me to special websites just for MOG dress shopping!

It took me a while to go along with the idea of actually buying and wearing one of these amazing and dramatic dresses. "Gowns" are really a more appropriate description though. I started to get excited about looking like a queen for a day. ( looking like a princess is a thing of the past, so I am skipping on to queen. ) I began to bookmark the ones that I thought flattered my shape. Though I have never worn anything like these silky, chiffony, lacy concoctions!

The MOG sites also instructed me that the 'mothers' of the wedding couple needed to coordinate their dresses to compliment one another regarding length and style. Color didn't matter much, just not to get too flashy or sexy. "Flashy" and "sexy" are not my problem at all! Even though I am a "recovering church lady", I seldom wear dresses of any kind. I love my jeans and cargo pants. But I was looking forward to having an excuse to glam it up for once in my life! ( other than my own wedding! )

So, with all this dress description you may be wondering why I have a picture of an extremely low-key and casual summer dress on this post? Well, it turns out that the wedding will be a very casual, outdoor celebration! I was actually relieved to hear this after all. So I began to bookmark casual black and white summer dresses because the wedding colors were black with purple accents.

The wedding party colors have changed to brown with purple and yellow accents. ( Told you it was casual! Ha! ) Miss M, the Bride, wants the moms to wear one of the accent colors. ( Did you know they now tell the moms exactly what color to wear? ) Well, I am NOT going to wear a long yellow dress, it does not do nice things to my skin. So I have been shopping for a long summery purple dress.

I saw the dress pictured above, online at a chain store. Today I went to the local store to try it on and buy it before all the summery items get replaced by sweaters and jackets. They did not have my size in the dark purple. It fit well in another color though and I really loved it. I came home and ordered it online and it will arrive in a week or so. But there is one tiny problem.........

Just after I clicked on SUBMIT ORDER, my eyes saw the words COLOR: RANDOM. What?!! I was sure I was ordering the color in the picture on the description page. What in the world is "random"? What will be arriving in the mail? I don't know........but at least I know what store to return it to if it is pink, yellow and green all over!

Should be interesting.

I'm Crooked!

Most people would describe me as a pretty stable and steady person, not given to emotional outbursts or depression. But this last month has been an unusually intense season of craziness in many areas of my life, the least of them being my firstborn moving several states away from us three weeks ago. I say that change is the least alarming because I am very happy about it, he is following his heart and that just makes me smile. But since I cannot tell my students what is really making me sad, I am letting them think it is because Writer Son has moved away. The other day a sweet young man put his arm around me and said, "Don't feel bad about your son moving, you still have all of us you know." I did not correct him.

All of that to help you understand why I almost lost it at Sam's Club today. I picked up my new glasses there yesterday. I was so excited because this time while shopping for glasses, I did not force myself to only look at the discount or lowest rung of glasses as I usually do. I decided that since glasses are something on my face every single day for years to come, I deserve to go for it and really buy what I want. So I did, I loved them and was pleased to hear Hubs ask the saleslady about some of the "extras" like glare control, sunglass transitioning etc.

So today we went back to the saleslady to have them adjusted because they were sitting wrong on my face. One side was higher than the other, I could feel it and I could see it in the mirror. I sat there as straight as possible and explained the problem to the lady. She stared into my eyes and said,

"The glasses are straight but one of your eyes is higher

than the other, look at your eyebrows, one is higher up than the other one."

WHAT? I have never seen that before and my first thought was that she was trying to blame her problem on me! I looked squarely into the mirror while the next customer also looked on to see if indeed I was a crooked face freak. YEP, one of my eyes is higher than the other one. Lovely! Here is part of the problem.....

My new glasses are these cute half rimmed lightweight things in a mauve color frame. I love them a lot! Here are my old glasses......

Apparently that big old single line across my face in the new glasses is highlighting the fact that I am crooked! Since there is no color or frame along the sides or bottom of my eyes, it is making it really obvious that I am not perfect!! What? Ha! Now, can I complain about this or get something different? Umm no! The saleslady twisted the glasses up a bit so that when you set them down on a table they rock like a rocking chair! But they do look a little bit better on my face.

Did I lose it and start crying all over that poor lady? Almost. Hubs was near, thankfully and he started chatting with her a bit so I could take a deep breath and keep my cool. How would I ever explain to her that my life is in the middle of being turned upside down and I am working really hard on figuring out what I am good at and what I want to do with the rest of my time here on this earth. (Melodramatic?, a bit, but still!)

Thanks for listening, it helps a lot.

Goofy & Stupid Gift Ideas....They Keep on Coming!

Gross, seems to be the main goal with these items, especially the EGG SEPARATOR ! Clever, but would you really want to eat anything that came out of that?

I actually received the POOPING REINDEER last year. I love chocolate but I'm pretty sure those candies are still in the box it came in. Guess I'm not as serious about my choc-addiction as some. I do have standards you know!

The slippers release the realistic sound of an old man farting with every step! What more could your loved one want on Christmas morning? Thankfully the ad said nothing about a realistic aroma as an added bonus!

I kind of like the NOSE PENCIL SHARPENER. Not sure why, it may have something to do with being the mother of boys. They get so creative in totally not pretty mediums.

The creepy Barbie depicting the famous Hitchcock movie "The Birds" has sentimental value to me because I grew up very near Bodega Bay, the beach town where this scene was filmed. But what little girl would be screaming with delight after opening this from under the tree?

I really love the dog mustache & here is why. Because of it's cleverness in design. You do not attach it to the dog at all. It is actually just a ball they fetch that has the funny disguise attached to it! Very funny! Not sure how long it could last, but pretty creative, don't you think?

By the way, if you are desperate enough to want to purchase these sweet & thoughtful gifts, you can google "Goofy Gifts" or go to stupidgifts.com & other sites it leads you to. Don't tell me if you make a purchase, it may keep me up at night.

Shop No More!

My group of gift ideas for you today are certain to please the most discriminating of relatives you need to shop for this year. The lovely young lady with rollerblades is demonstrating the new way to skate around town. Who wants to actually move

their legs

back & forth to get somewhere when you can just hold onto this motorized wheel? And I'm sure turning corners will be very interesting!
This ice cream hat is what every kid has always wanted right? Now you can finally tell your kids to stop begging for a mint chip hat! (If this young man is actually waiting for it to melt...well that just makes me sad.)

Um, speaking of sad young boys............I really have nothing more to say.

Goofy Gift Ideas....

I'm really not sure where to

begin! I keep coming across some horrible & silly

gift ideas for this Christmas. The boy with the bread? Do you know a guy that age who would be smiling if he opened up such a huge package & found..........BREAD?! I think he may be ready to use that rolling pin!

Next we have the unique & creative furniture designed to look like computer keys. I am already

disturbed that my dreams are full of Blogger & Facebook images, must my household seats be all about computers too?

And last (for today!) but not least, this one will amaze you & possibly scare you a little bit. This is being modeled for you here. It is a bra that is designed to become a gas-mask in case of terrorist threat. Seriously! You can save yourself & someone with you (lucky someone!).

Now you can thank me for making your shopping list a lot shorter. Watch for more in the next few weeks!

I Can So Be Bought!!!!

I realize that I should think this post through before hitting publish.....but I AM TOO EXCITED to wait! Something truly amazing & shocking has occurred in my family & I am still reeling with the unexpectedness of it. Oh it's good, yes indeedy...it is good!







Most women can be bribed, bought, blessed or whatever you want to call it by a gift of diamonds or gold or shoes. I guess that I am a nerd, remember when I was overwhelmed to tears when Hubs bought me my Blackberry? I still cannot believe what I am about to type.........Hubs bought me a very expensive MacBook!!!!! Told you I was a nerd!


It is not my birthday, anniversary, Christmas or even pms. He did it totally out of the blue, for no reason other than MY PLEASURE! Yes, it is technically our money, not his, but we don't spend easily, especially on PLEASURE items.

Buying the motorcycles was a very big deal that we talked over & around for ages before giving ourselves permission to invest in our FUN. We are both sale rack junkies & he adores eBay for the cheap deals he can hunt up. We have been INTENTIONALLY trying to see pleasure as something worth putting our money into. That it is just as important as being productive & a hard worker.

God INVENTED pleasure! He likes it a lot! Men & women were designed to give each other pleasure right? That was not a necessity in the creation process. Look at wild flowers & the varieties of fish in the sea. Why make so many different colors, aromas & shapes? For our delight & for God's pleasure!

When Hubs first handed me the print out of what he had ordered from the Mac Store, my eyes searched for the number with the little striked through S! The $ sign. When I saw it I told him no way, it made no sense. I don't make my living on a laptop. He just kept grinning & nodding at me as my mind told me that I had better get busy on becoming a real writer & bringing more office work home with me to make this worthwhile. While wiping tears away in the office bathroom (We were at work!) I heard my God whisper, "It's for pleasure Dear." WHAT?

Pleasure is not a sensible reason to spend big bucks! I am learning that pleasure is indeed God's idea & telling us to take a day for rest was only the beginning. We require joy, laughter & fun to be our best. My arguing with Hubs or with God would be ridiculous at this point.
The deed is done. And I AM GETTING A MACBOOK !! Arriving next week on my doorstep!!

Mr. Shopaholic

Even though Hubs violently refused to watch "Confessions of a Shopaholic" with me, he has more than a little bit in common with the main character! He is a SHOPPER, but unlike her, he is not much of a BUYER. He just really enjoys the hunt & the excitement of finding an amazing deal. eBay was made for him! He has clothed himself with eBay finds & managed to buy our first bike & all it's extras totally from eBay hunting. So yes, he does sometimes actually part with the bucks in order to snag the shocking deal of the century, but not in a habitual or negative way.




These pics are of our SECOND MOTORCYCLE! Another great deal, this one found through Craig's List. We have been longing to take some longer over-night trips & the first bike was not made for long rides with 2 people. This Yamaha Road Star is way more comfy for me. Floorboards instead of just pegs & a wider (snicker, snicker!) seat for my wider seat. Ha! And it has all those yummy cargo bags so I can actually take more than just what I can fit in my pockets now!! Learning to leave the house without my purse was a huge hurdle to jump over when we first started riding! Such a woman! There are also 2 more matching bags that can be strapped on the bike behind me.
That is Rocker Son with Hubs checking out the bike the first day we brought it home. He approves & is probably devising a way to get his hands on it sometime.




I have found one little bug-a-boo with this bike though. See those big side bags that I was so happy to get? And that nice back rest for me? Well, in order to get myself on the bike after Hubs is seated I must raise my leg up & OVER like getting on a really wide horse. But the horse would not have a high backrest to reach beyond. Not a problem with the bag-less bike, but I guess the extra width of those hard sided bags is adding a bit of major stretch to the job!




Back to the YOGA workouts for me!

Fashion Backward

More about my cousins & me if you can stand it. These 3 photos illustrate
the differences between us.

The eldest child in the first 2 pics were obviously still wearing mom-chosen clothes.

I am in the second pic with the cute little cardigan & straight leg pants that were not jeans!

In the last pic is my coolest cousin, the girl in the peg leg jeans. She was always fashion forward compared to me.

These are from the 60's as I am sure you can tell....but not from my families pic!

Lingerie Party

In a couple of hours I am off to an evening of possible extreme discomfort. But I've got to get over it, NOW, before I am sitting in a house full of 40 - 50 twenty-somethings!

I have been invited to the wedding shower for one of my former students. She is a lovely & delightful 21 year old who will be married to another former student in about 2 weeks.

That is all wonderful & I am really very happy for them & I know they are meant for each other & all that.

What I have managed to avoid until now is attending a bridal lingerie shower. I know, I know! Of course the excited & anxious young couple are going to have sex for the first time (possibly) very soon! No surprise there. But.........it just feels so weird to be kind of a third party to it, ya know? My old lady fuddy-duddiness is showing, I see that. But still, an evening of watching that sweet young thing open gift after gift of barely there jammies sounds kinda creepy to me.

I am so tempted to package up some items like the ones pictured above. I didn't though. I actually bought her a set that includes a see through garter belt with bows! I am going totally against my normal instincts...it will be the only way to survive this night!

Wordless Wednesday (Mostly!)

Yay for Craig's list! Like new couch & love seat

for $550.00

including delivery!!

Woop woop!

Mr. Bunnies' Sad Life

Let me send out a warning to all mother's who are about to enter the stage of life called "parents of grown children". WARNING: Do not expect your gifts to be cherished as much as you would cherish a gift from them!

For Easter I got a little mushy & gave my two sons a repeat of their favorite childhood Easter toys, go here to re-live the occasion. They totally reacted exactly how I wanted & they both thought it was a kick to see the same silly bunnies they got so much fun out of years ago!

But, as you can see, my special gift was found in this sad state the very next day in 22 year old Rocker Son's room. Of course I do not expect such a goofy joke present to be put on the dashboard of his car or anything, but c'mon! This is just painful to see! As you look at the condition of his bedroom you may wonder that I can call him "grown", because clearly there is still some major "growing" needed in the hygene & civilized living category! ( I do not enter his room often, it distresses me too much for several days afterwards!) Are girls this bad? I cannot see his floor most of the time & have no idea how he keeps track of what clothes are dirty & what is clean. He does do his own laundry & feeds himself & holds a job, so I have not failed completely. But, I could not live in this mess for 5 minutes & must keep his door closed so I don't have to see the mess as I go down the hall to my room.

ANYWAY! Poor little Mr. Bunny is still laying there face down in a pile of junk & my older Writer Son left his in my kitchen. Still, it was fun for the moment's reaction on Easter. Have I always used gifts from MY mom in the way she expected? um, no! I have things in my closet that just never quite worked for me, so I will forgive my men and be super-thankful that my Hubs knows me well enough to give me a huge Kohl's gift card for Mother's Day!! Oh yes!

Sunday Stealing

Cheers to all us thieves!
Sunday Stealing: The 40 Meme
OK my idea of doing something wild & crazy is that I am doing this meme without even reading ALL the questions before I begin to see if I want to!! Woo-hoo! Here goes one wild lady!
To play go HERE.
1. My uncle once :Embarrassed me in front of the whole family reunion when as a young wife I wore some big red earrings, by saying, "Wow, couldn't you find anything redder?" It doesn't sound very mean but it was. He was an ultra conservative church guy who thought that make-up, etc, was evil. So sad to actually think a COLOR is evil! Sad, sad life.

2. Never in my life : Have I broken a bone. I was hit in the face by the full swing of a baseball bat once, which made me pass out & wake up with a bloody nose & two black eyes, but nothing broken.

3. When I was seventeen : I met my future husband but did not like him, in fact I disliked him a lot. Things change! :)

4. High School was : Hard, uncomfortable, boring, intimidating and a good thing to be done with.

5. I will never forget : Holding my firstborn son for the first time 26 years ago. He was 3 weeks early & we had not set up his room or bought me some nice jammies for the hospital so Hubs had to do it while I was in the hospital.

6. I once met : The High Chief of a remote island village in Fiji. We had to offer him a special gift of an animal to be allowed to be on his island! He was very kind, gentle & powerful.

7. There’s this girl I know who : I would love to have for a daughter-in-law, but I cannot say a word to my son cause that would be messing with his mind & heart & I will not ever do that! It's so hard though!!

8. Once, at a bar : Today I was at a brownie bar & I was able to say "No thanks, I'm driving!".

9. By noon, I’m usually : Ready to sit down & think about all that happened that morning at work.

10. Last night : I had chips & dip for dinner while watching TV & web surfing. Very bad girl!

11. If only I had : Realized that chips & dip do not contain anything essential to my body. Actually, I did realize it but totally ignored the realization.

12. Next time I go to gym/church : Don't have a gym membership so: Next time I go to church it will be in the Philippines & I will be up front praying for people! yikes!

13. Susan Boyle : Has surprised all of society, especially Hollywood because they all think that beauty is more important than anything. Yay for you Susan! Crazy that we all know her name, isn't it?

14. What worries me most : I seem to have pretty much forgotten how to worry. Seriously. Worry = Meditation on a a negative outcome that may never happen.

15. When I turn my head left, I see : An antique dresser that used to be chartreuse green until I stripped it & now it is beautiful & holds our music system.

16. When I turn my head right, I see : Our fireplace & the small fan that is blowing on me right now because it is a wonderful 93 degrees out today! Love it!

17. You know I’m lying when : My face turns bright red, but it does that often now since I have entered the lovely menopause season of life! So who knows when I am lying now?

18. What I miss most about the eighties : My sons were little boys & I could have had more fun with them than I did.

19. If I was a character in Shakespeare, I’d be : Someone who changes her personality late in life.

20. By this time next year : I'll be eligible or the Senior Discount at Ross stores!! yay!

21. A better name for me would be : I actually like my name now but for many years I did not like it & I went by my middle name because it sounded less powerful & I felt less powerful.

22. I have a hard time understanding : Insurance coverage.

23. If I ever go back to school, I’ll : Go after a journalism education.

24. You know I like you if : I tease you.

25. If I ever won an award, the first person I’d thank would be : My Hubs, he thinks I'm pretty great.

26. When I compare 80’s rock to 90’s rock :I would choose the 90's every time.

27. Take my advice, never : Eat the fish eyeballs in the Philippines! Even though it is considered impolite to refuse the delicacy.... or just swallow them whole. Shudder!

28. My ideal breakfast is : fruit, cheese, muffin & coffee!

29. A song I love, but do not own is : "A Kiss is Just a Kiss". It probably has another title but....

30. If you visit my hometown, I suggest : Don't plan on doing any clothes shopping unless it's for over-alls at the farm supply store. Happily, we are only 8 miles from a larger city with tons of shopping alternatives!

31. My favorite Beatle is : John, loved the glasses & humor.

32. Why won’t people : Believe how wonderful they are?

33. If you spend the night at my house : You'd need earplugs like mine because Hubs is quite noisy all night long. But I really do not complain now that I have friends who have lost their husbands & would love to hear some good old snoring in their beds.

34. I’d stop my wedding for : What? That was so long ago & so blurry. Oh, I know, I'd stop it to get some white or egg-shell colored shirts for the groom & groomsmen instead of PINK to go with the MAROON tuxes! Yikes, I'd also nix the maroon tuxes while I'm at it! Horrors, what did my mom push me into? It was the 70's people!

35. The world could do without : Maroon tuxes!!

36. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than : Please help me erase this picture from my brain, oh man, cannot answer that one.....!

37. My favorite blonde is : I have 2 of them: Hubs & Writer Son. Yes, I can so have TWO favorites if I want to!

38: Paper clips are more useful than : Gum for holding papers together. At least if you want to appear at all professional at work!

39. If I do anything well, it’s : Encourage people. And I commend you Dear Reader, for getting this far...you are a truly amazing & wonderful person in all aspects of your life!! (Pretty good huh?)

40. And by the way : This meme was honka long! But fun!

Buy Me Stuff

I learned something about myself this week. Well, actually that seems to be happening most weeks but this was so clear it kinda shocked me. There is a popular book called The Five Love Languages or something close to that anyway. I have not read it but I have heard its' contents discussed around me a lot the last few years. Apparently we all have a certain best way for love to be expressed to us. Some feel truly loved when you spend time with them, others thrive on words of praise & some on the sense of touch. Interesting stuff & I know several parents who find it helpful in letting them know the best way to show their children how much they are loved. Cool!

I have taken the simple test many times over the years & I am always bugged by my results. It turns out that if you really want me to know you love me, you have to give me something! My "love language" is gifts! It sounds so awful & selfish & ......well, greedy! It also sounds true. But, my mind keeps saying to me, doesn't everyone love getting presents? I did not realize the depth of my "issue?" until this week. Two days ago to be exact.

My birthday is Friday the 13th (only good luck for this lady). My amazing hubs asked me what I wanted for my birthday & I suggested he do his magic on eBay & find me a used Blackberry. I'm the strange woman at the staff meeting who pulls out a giant DayTimer to calendar her stuff while everyone else is tapping away on their cute little iphones, blackberries, blueberries & whatevers. I love gadgets but we don't spend on luxuries like that. I've been using the same little silver beat up cell phone for several years, it still works, why replace?

So he gets on eBay (he loves eBay & gets a lot of great deals, like his entire motorcycle!) & we look over the hundreds of old Blackberrys. I start squealing over the pink or red ones & we narrow the search down, now we are getting somewhere. I'm getting excited, can almost imagine the cute little thing in my hands! He says since we can't really tell what the features are by pictures & written descriptions we should go to a local store & write down the exact names & numbers of the model I want most & then we can narrow the ebay search even more & get a perfect deal. He does much of his shopping this way. He'll try on jeans at the store & then come home & order the perfect size which arrives in the mail in less than a week!

Okay, so there we are in the store, surrounded by all these shiny items & friendly clerks. We ask tons of questions, our clerk asks tons of questions & we get it pretty much figured out what would please me. I write it all down on my old fashioned tablet using an old fashioned pen. :) We leave the store to compare prices at another store, just in case we decide to go ahead & get a new one. I'm thinking, yeah right, once we leave the store the possibility of actually purchasing is pretty much out the door!

But I find myself back in the original store again in less than an hour & my hubs is saying to the guy "We want the red Blackberry Curve." !! What? My heart actually started beating so hard that I leaned against the counter & I began to giggle in a way that was not entirely appropriate for a customer in a snotty phone store! I was holding on to him & just laughing! Seriously, I am not sure how to describe what that moment & pretty much the rest of the day felt like inside me. I felt trembly. I felt melted. I felt worthy!

We do not do stuff like that. Well, I will say, we never used to do stuff like that! My hubs & I are careful (thrifty, cheap, frugal) spenders. We are both clearance rack shoppers & love a deal. Our family style is just that way. Until the last few years I had shopped at thrift stores & even used coupons at SUPERCUTS for as long as I can remember. As I stood next to my husband in that store smiling my goofy smile at the clerk I learned beyond the shadow of a doubt that my "Love Language" is definitely gifts! And yes, that's my new baby at the top of the post, isn't she the cutest?

My Closet Needs Shoe Shurgery

Sheriously! Ok, I'll stop the shilly-ness. Couldn't resist one more, sorry. My closet is full of extremely ordinary, totally functional shoes that lack an important ingredient. Personality! My husband would totally disagree, but then he hates Clinton & Stacey whom I love & often hear in my head when I go shopping. They would not be happy with my closet. Most of the shoes in there were purchased before I got to know them. Here is the evidence.......


These little beauties are very comfy & I have worn them for a few years with jeans & other pants but now I can't bear to put them on because they suddenly look so klunky & old lady-ish. But it is now getting too chilly & wet to wear my beloved flip-flops.


So I have resorted to these. But they are cotton so they really might as well be flip-flops!


I have some boots & some fun tennies.



I also have high heeled sandals & ankle boots. Bet you'll never guess what colors they are. Yep, black & black! I seem to be a bit stuck. I have been a practical woman for many years. I am not very, to use my MIL cute word: "spendy". I figure that what little I have should be spent on something that can be worn with everything. But that is getting to be boring & sad. I do love these even though they are also black. Got them from Old Navy last year.


So, my bloggy friends, I ask you for your help. Any ideas of great shoes with some color & personality for a "careful" shopper? Keep in mind that I am a small town girl who normally shops at stores like Target, Kohls & Old Navy. My poor closet is in dire need of a shome shoe shurgery! Help!
(Wow, this post was hard because my photos only show up in code until I hit publish!)

Here Goes....

Okay, I have my fresh box of Jujy Fruits, a hot cup of coffee, laundry has been put away & the house is warm & cozy while the rain comes down outside my window. I think I am ready to try the NaBloPoMo contest at last! I will try to write a blog every single day for the month of November. Sounds fun & challenging! (Click on title to see.)
I just got home from our Super Walmart & it was totally crazy in there! It is a rainy Saturday in a small town & I guess that is THE place to go! I usually avoid it at all costs on the week end but we had some very urgent needs, TP & coffee! What can I say? Urgent is urgent in some cases. I think our Super walmart is the next best thing to a mall for a place to hang out & meet friends. At least for teens, they were clogging up all the lines & aisles. Pretty sad to realize that the SW is the best place to hang out in town huh?
It is pretty wonderful to be able to buy food, hair goo, hardware, garden stuff,tools, paint,craft supplies, furniture & videos all in the same place though. I don't ever find clothes there that I like, they tend to look like the same things in better stores but when you try them on it just feels cheaper & hangs weirdly on the body.
It is the main place that my hubby & I use our cell phones consistently. We split up to get the things that we need then call each other to meet up somewhere. It's a huge place & I used to get all huffy when I would circle & circle to find him staring at a motorcycle magazine. Now we just call & then I get huffy cause his phone always sends me to voicemail!

Menopause Sucks!

At this moment I am grateful to myself that I have not allowed my other website to cross-pollinate with this one. Only 2 people in my daily life know about this little sanctuary of expression & that gives me complete freedom to say loudly & clearly that menopause sucks, a lot!

I am so tired of sitting in a staff meeting in a circle of 15 people & suddenly feeling the inner warmth creeping up my body from the inside out & quickly making itself visible on my neck & face! I force my hand not to reach for some paper to fan myself & just will the sweat to dry up on it’s own before anyone looks my way. My face turns bright red & blotchy & once my glasses even steamed up! It is just so embarrassing & uncomfortable. It seems like my body is betraying me after so many years of getting along pretty well with each other.

The other awful symptom that has me baffled is the unexplained weight gain. I practically live on yogurt & salad. I love them & really do eat one or the other almost every day for lunch at work & at home. But this last year I am getting puffy & soft all over the place. My neck & arms are moving when they are not supposed to, yuck! I used to be able to get rid of tummy fat with a few extra exercises in the morning & skipping desserts for a bit. Yesterday in my new swimsuit the little rolls just loved moving right into the “slimmer & shaper” panel of extra material.

But the part that is really bugging me today is the mental fogginess that is showing up lately. I am getting more forgetful & starting to not trust my memory. This can be brutal in the middle of an argument with your husband when you realize that maybe you did not do what you think you remember doing! Ack! It kind of takes the wind out of your sails.

Last week I bought a whole cartload of food at our Super Wal-Mart & as I stepped outside into our scorching heat I headed to where I had parked the car & it was not there! I circled the area with that heavy & awkward shopping cart realizing that I was probably giving someone some great entertainment. So I decided to push the car unlock button on my key & listen for the beep. Nothing! My ice cream was already getting mushy by this time & I was so not wanting to call my husband & make him come on his motorcycle to help me find the stupid car!

After several wanderings around the hot parking lot I headed back to the shade of the store & called him. Just as I hung up I saw the car……in a whole different section! I quickly called him back as I wrestled the cart of soggy food to the car. Once the trunk was loaded & I put the key in the ignition, the car rebelled at all the button pushing I had done & began to beep & honk, loudly alarming everyone to the fact that an intruder must be trying to start it. I forgot how to make it stop! I waited for it to be quiet & when I turned the key again the alarm screamed again, so I called my amazing husband for the second time, yelling above the alarm that I did not know how to make it stop & let me get back home. He told me to push the unlock button on the key & it would stop announcing to everyone that an idiot was at the wheel. He did not say the idiot part, that’s me talking to me; we were not getting along at all at this point!

The only good part of that story is that I drove home laughing at myself. A couple years ago I would have been crying all the way home. There are some good things about being over 50, & one is that I don’t take myself as seriously as I used to. I don’t expect perfection anymore. Good thing huh?