A few minutes ago I was sitting at my computer reading some facebook posts. A common past time of mine. I went back to an earlier post from a friend of mine asking for some new Christmas music ideas. She wanted something more lively than what she usually listened to. I had added my two cents worth telling her that Trans Siberian Orchestra definitely had some lively music. I wanted to see what other ideas people had posted, as I'm always looking for new ideas for my music library. As I was reading through the posts I saw one from another one of her friends saying that he couldn't hear but if he could what group he would be interested in, from things he'd read.
That post struck something deep inside of me. I felt myself tearing up as I sat here listening to my Christmas music. I realized how I take things like hearing and eyesight for granted. I began to imagine what it would be like not being able to hear or see. I can't even imagine that because I have truly been blessed to have good hearing and eyesight. Even if I was to lose either one of those senses, I still would have the memories of sights and sounds to help me remember.
What if I had never been able to hear or see? I would never really know what I was missing.
I take so many things in my life for granted. I should be counting my blessings every day for what I have instead of wishing for more. Yes, it would be wonderful to win that big Mega Millions jackpot, but I have so much already, that so many others don't have. A roof over my head. A coat to keep me warm. A car to get me where I need to go. A good job. Food. Family. Friends. The list of blessings goes on and on.
I have a good life! I hope to keep that in mind as the holiday season progresses and long afterwards. God has been very good to me! I pray that he blesses each of you and you open your eyes and ears to those many blessings.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Choosing New Furniture is a PAIN!
So my newly remodeled livingroom is almost done. It's time to pick out new furniture. I never knew how hard it was going to be.
First up is the new couch and recliners. I knew I wanted La-Z- Boy recliners, so my daughter and I headed out there to test some recliners out. Hard job, but someone's gotta do it! I had looked them up online and saw how you could get them made in practically any color or fabric design you wanted. I think there was over 600 different varieties of fabric to choose from. I had visions of a purple couch with rose recliners to go with my newly painted green walls.
We arrived at the La-Z-Boy store and started looking at some beautiful couch and recliner sets. It didn't take long for a salesman to zoom in on us. I asked him the appropriate questions and soon found out that if you wanted those special colors you were looking at a much higher price and a good 6-8 week wait and since the holidays are coming it would be closer to 10 weeks... There went my dreams of lovely purple and rose furniture. So as reality set in, since there was no way I was going to wait that long I want my living room done before Thanksgiving, we started looking at all of the lovely furniture in browns, tans, blacks and other dismal colors. *sigh* After testing out a few reclining couches and chairs we decided that maybe those colors weren't so bad if they were that comfy. Believe me they were comfy. I'm talking about nap time comfy! ZZZZzzzzzz We chose a beautiful tan colored couch that had recliners on both ends and matching recliners in a dark, chocolate colored brown. My daughter said it felt like resting on a cloud, they were so soft! One of the recliners is even better because it's a power recliner. You push buttons and your feet go up, head down, lumbar supported and so on. So absolutely sinful, including the price...well there is a 5% discount, to take into consideration. That certainly makes it all good!
I asked how long it was going to take to deliver this little bit of heaven and he said it would be at our house by mid next week. That seemed reasonable, since we were still finishing up the floor trim.
A few days later we started searching for the perfect TV console and matching bookshelves. I don't want one of those huge, all connected entertainment centers. I just want a nice TV console that I'll put in the center of one wall and then two 6 foot bookshelves that I can place on both ends of that wall. It will store our major collection of cds and dvds, as well as a few decorative items. I did not know what a chore this was going to be. I found something I liked but it was going to take several weeks to get delivered and I need to get this cluttered mess of a house, somewhat organized ASAP! That wouldn't do for me. Other places we looked had little to nothing that I liked or that looked like it would hold up for a while. We went home discouraged and a lot disappointed.
The next day we decided to try Arnold's. Another furniture store here in town. Within minutes I saw the TV console I wanted and they could deliver it in two... only 2 days!!! I was all over that. They had some very nice bookshelves as well, but since they were made to order it was going to take several weeks. By now I was just happy to have a place to put our TV and other electronic devices, so I was okay with waiting a few weeks for some quality bookshelves that would work with the other furniture. At least now we can get the house a little organized before the holidays.
Our next purchases will be an area rug for the center of the room and a new floor lamp. I have a feeling that those might be significantly easier finds, but I'm not getting my hopes up too high just in case.
To wrap up this post these are the most important things I've found out when it comes to furniture shopping:
1. It's not cheap!
2. It's not going to get to your house in a timely manner.
3. It's not all going to match.
4. No matter how much you spend, delivery is not free unless you do it yourself.
If you go out there shopping with these 4 things in mind then you'll be prepared for most anything and hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised when one or more of these things doesn't come true for you!
Happy Furniture shopping!
First up is the new couch and recliners. I knew I wanted La-Z- Boy recliners, so my daughter and I headed out there to test some recliners out. Hard job, but someone's gotta do it! I had looked them up online and saw how you could get them made in practically any color or fabric design you wanted. I think there was over 600 different varieties of fabric to choose from. I had visions of a purple couch with rose recliners to go with my newly painted green walls.
We arrived at the La-Z-Boy store and started looking at some beautiful couch and recliner sets. It didn't take long for a salesman to zoom in on us. I asked him the appropriate questions and soon found out that if you wanted those special colors you were looking at a much higher price and a good 6-8 week wait and since the holidays are coming it would be closer to 10 weeks... There went my dreams of lovely purple and rose furniture. So as reality set in, since there was no way I was going to wait that long I want my living room done before Thanksgiving, we started looking at all of the lovely furniture in browns, tans, blacks and other dismal colors. *sigh* After testing out a few reclining couches and chairs we decided that maybe those colors weren't so bad if they were that comfy. Believe me they were comfy. I'm talking about nap time comfy! ZZZZzzzzzz We chose a beautiful tan colored couch that had recliners on both ends and matching recliners in a dark, chocolate colored brown. My daughter said it felt like resting on a cloud, they were so soft! One of the recliners is even better because it's a power recliner. You push buttons and your feet go up, head down, lumbar supported and so on. So absolutely sinful, including the price...well there is a 5% discount, to take into consideration. That certainly makes it all good!
I asked how long it was going to take to deliver this little bit of heaven and he said it would be at our house by mid next week. That seemed reasonable, since we were still finishing up the floor trim.
A few days later we started searching for the perfect TV console and matching bookshelves. I don't want one of those huge, all connected entertainment centers. I just want a nice TV console that I'll put in the center of one wall and then two 6 foot bookshelves that I can place on both ends of that wall. It will store our major collection of cds and dvds, as well as a few decorative items. I did not know what a chore this was going to be. I found something I liked but it was going to take several weeks to get delivered and I need to get this cluttered mess of a house, somewhat organized ASAP! That wouldn't do for me. Other places we looked had little to nothing that I liked or that looked like it would hold up for a while. We went home discouraged and a lot disappointed.
The next day we decided to try Arnold's. Another furniture store here in town. Within minutes I saw the TV console I wanted and they could deliver it in two... only 2 days!!! I was all over that. They had some very nice bookshelves as well, but since they were made to order it was going to take several weeks. By now I was just happy to have a place to put our TV and other electronic devices, so I was okay with waiting a few weeks for some quality bookshelves that would work with the other furniture. At least now we can get the house a little organized before the holidays.
Our next purchases will be an area rug for the center of the room and a new floor lamp. I have a feeling that those might be significantly easier finds, but I'm not getting my hopes up too high just in case.
To wrap up this post these are the most important things I've found out when it comes to furniture shopping:
1. It's not cheap!
2. It's not going to get to your house in a timely manner.
3. It's not all going to match.
4. No matter how much you spend, delivery is not free unless you do it yourself.
If you go out there shopping with these 4 things in mind then you'll be prepared for most anything and hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised when one or more of these things doesn't come true for you!
Happy Furniture shopping!
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Favorite Finds Part 1
I love to shop, especially when I get a good deal and find something I end up loving. Here are a few of my favorite items that I've found and love in the past year. I'm sure that there will be more things that I find and I'll share them in later posts.
This is the front of my Duraflame electric stove heater. It is fantastic! My Mom had one that I had admired, so when I saw it on sale on QVC as a TSV I had to order it! I used it all last winter and it saved me approximately $40 a month on my electric bill, which is fantastic! My electric furnace is not very good at all and we tend to heat with a woodstove, but my living room always seems to be cold. This little heater was the perfect solution to that. I turn it on high and watch the LED flames flicker and it heats my room right up. I would and have recommend this to anyone! I tried to get a good picture of the embers glowing and the color of the flames in the background, but the pictures just didn't show up right.
This chair massager from HoMedics is great! As someone that tends to have a lot of backaches I find this works fantastically. It has shiatsu and rolling massage options as well as heat. You can choose whether you want it to stay in one position or roll up and down your whole back. I can't really remember where I ordered this from but am pretty sure it was one of my QVC finds. I've also seen similar models at Costco. It is well worth the price and so far has held up really well. I've been using it for at least a year now.
This is one of a set of 2 Berkshire soft fluffy throws I ordered from QVC. Another great find, that I can't get enough of. This throw is so light and fluffy and warm. I love cuddling up in it while I watch my favorite shows. It is so soft! They wash up really well and stay nice and soft even after multiple washings. This is also a great gift. My daughter got one last year for Christmas and after I felt it I had to have one too!
I've mentioned before how one of my favorite things is an olive and feta mix that you can find at the Safeway deli. When I saw this Greek Olive Salad at my local Costco I had to stock up! First of all the price was considerably less than the deli mix and it not only had olives and feta it had pepperoncini and lemon slices in it! Two other items that I really love! Yum! The only downfall was I didn't think it had quite enough feta in it but it's still very tasty and you can always add more feta if you want.
I have always loved chocolate covered caramels and when you add sea salt to the mix it goes over the top! Imagine my joy when I found these little gems at Costco. The price was very good, under $10 and there are plenty of caramels in the tub. Enough to share, if you want. I have one or two a day and enjoy every delicious chocolatey, caramelly salty bite! Mmmm Mmmm
Last but definitely not least is this company. After you eat too many salted chocolate covered caramels, you will need to wear larger clothes. It's hard to find decent very large sized clothes in the shops near where I live. I found this company online and started ordering clothes from them. They fit well, wear well and look nice. The prices aren't bad, they have a large selection and they usually have some good deals. Now I can find jeans that are long enough and tops that cover my fat. No, they don't hide it but they do cover it! One day I truly hope to lose all my extra weight, but until that day comes it's nice to know I have some clothing options.
That's it for this round of my favorite finds. I'll be scoping out some new ones to bring to you next time.
This is the front of my Duraflame electric stove heater. It is fantastic! My Mom had one that I had admired, so when I saw it on sale on QVC as a TSV I had to order it! I used it all last winter and it saved me approximately $40 a month on my electric bill, which is fantastic! My electric furnace is not very good at all and we tend to heat with a woodstove, but my living room always seems to be cold. This little heater was the perfect solution to that. I turn it on high and watch the LED flames flicker and it heats my room right up. I would and have recommend this to anyone! I tried to get a good picture of the embers glowing and the color of the flames in the background, but the pictures just didn't show up right.
That's it for this round of my favorite finds. I'll be scoping out some new ones to bring to you next time.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Nap Time!
There is nothing so refreshing as a nap. Whether it's short or long it feels so good. I can come home from a crazy day at work, eat a little dinner and then lie back in my broken recliner and drift off into a much needed nap. Sometimes I only get a few minutes in before some type of interruption like the phone or a barking dog.
Other times I can sleep for two hours solid and wake up amazed that I slept that long but greatly refreshed.
I think that everyone should be allowed a little nap, daily. Just to calm an overloaded mind, or rest a tired body. I've tried to incorporate nap time into work, but for some reason that hasn't gone over too well with management, although my coworkers like the idea. If I could squeeze a short nap into my 30 minute lunchtime I think it would work, but the break room is a little too busy and the storage closets don't have enough room to lie down.
So, for now I'll just have to be happy with a nap at home, in my favorite recliner with my soft fuzzy blanket. Mmmm Perfect!
Other times I can sleep for two hours solid and wake up amazed that I slept that long but greatly refreshed.
I think that everyone should be allowed a little nap, daily. Just to calm an overloaded mind, or rest a tired body. I've tried to incorporate nap time into work, but for some reason that hasn't gone over too well with management, although my coworkers like the idea. If I could squeeze a short nap into my 30 minute lunchtime I think it would work, but the break room is a little too busy and the storage closets don't have enough room to lie down.
So, for now I'll just have to be happy with a nap at home, in my favorite recliner with my soft fuzzy blanket. Mmmm Perfect!
Monday, October 14, 2013
I love the dollar aisle!
Whenever I go to my local Target I have to make sure I pass through the dollar aisle. There's something about finding some little treasure or another for a dollar that just makes my day. Sure, I could go to the dollar store and find a whole bunch of treasures for that price, but it just isn't the same to me.
At Target I might find some of the sticky note pads or shopping lists in my favorite Hello Kitty designs. Or I might find the perfect little gadget to toss in someone's stocking at Christmas time. I've found pens and calendars or assorted holiday decorations, all for just one dollar each! One time I bought a bunch of those microfiber dust mitts. I love those things!
The same goes for my grocery store, when it has dollar days. They'll have a bunch of bins with kitchen and household gadgets for a dollar each, although sometimes they try to trick me and they're more like two or three dollars, so I have to be careful! It's just not the same if it costs more than a dollar.
When I get home after making these purchases I am excited to add them to my notepad stock pile or put them in my kitchen gadget drawer. I feel like I've gotten such a good deal! I think that's what it's all about. Feeling the satisfaction of getting a good deal!
At Target I might find some of the sticky note pads or shopping lists in my favorite Hello Kitty designs. Or I might find the perfect little gadget to toss in someone's stocking at Christmas time. I've found pens and calendars or assorted holiday decorations, all for just one dollar each! One time I bought a bunch of those microfiber dust mitts. I love those things!
The same goes for my grocery store, when it has dollar days. They'll have a bunch of bins with kitchen and household gadgets for a dollar each, although sometimes they try to trick me and they're more like two or three dollars, so I have to be careful! It's just not the same if it costs more than a dollar.
When I get home after making these purchases I am excited to add them to my notepad stock pile or put them in my kitchen gadget drawer. I feel like I've gotten such a good deal! I think that's what it's all about. Feeling the satisfaction of getting a good deal!
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Relaxing seaside in Seaside!
Every year or two for nearly 30 years I've spent some time in Seaside Oregon. It is always a great vacation, relaxation, destination! We stay at the same Motel that has charming cottages or ocean view condominiums to stay in. We love the ocean view and the easy access to the ocean, since it's right outside your window!
It also has a great boardwalk that you walk along the beachfront to the town, where there are some great shops, activities and restaurants.
We usually went to Seaside in the summer but the last two years we've gone in late September and it was the ideal time. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. The crowds were greatly diminished. Peace and quiet were easily found.
One of the things I associate with Seaside is delicious, fresh seafood. The first thing we do is go to the fresh fish market and pick up some delicious salmon jerky. Usually a pound or two will do it. I also have to have one of their crab cocktails and my family usually likes the shrimp cocktails.
Most evenings we eat dinner at our favorite restaurant Norma's. Great seafood! My mouth waters just thinking about it! After dinner we spend time in our room either playing family games like yahtzee or racko or watching TV as we watch the sunset. We're usually munching on the great salt water taffy we pick up at the Candy man store. They have so many flavors of salt water taffy to choose from. I just usually grab a big plastic bag and start down each row grabbing small handfuls of the flavors that sound good to me. That's usually a lot of flavors!
The next morning we head out to one of our recent finds, thanks to the in room local sights guide. This place is called Camp 18. It is a fascinating restaurant, gift store and old logging memorabilia museum all rolled up into one. The food is fabulous! They serve lumberjack portions and that means big! I've had the cinnamon roll both times and I can only finish about half of it. This time, as we were preparing to leave I saw a guy get one of their burgers and it was so big that it was held together with a large knife! I'm getting one of those next time!
After our large breakfast we headed down to Tillamook to visit our favorite cheese factory. We decided to take a different route. Big mistake! It was very twisty and not the best road to take when your stomach is overloaded. I haven't felt car sick in a very long time but I know that my daughter and I were feeling a little green by the time we got there forty something long miles later! Thanks to the fresh air streaming in from our open windows we managed to keep it together and felt good enough to actually look at cheese when we arrived. After picking up some cheese to take back to our room and later home, we headed back.
The rest of our stay consisted of my husband and daughter going down to the ocean and to the aquarium in Seaside. I stayed in the room reading my good book and watching people with dogs going back and forth to the beach. There was one old dog that walked so slowly and stiffly, but you could just see the joy on his face each time he went down to the ocean. His owner walked slowly by his side as his little dog buddy trotted ahead of them. It brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it. There are a lot of dogs at the ocean! We don't bring ours for a few reasons. No dogs at that motel and one of our dogs doesn't like car rides. Plus they are both little barkers and I'm not sure how good they'd be in a motel. Relaxation, in this case, means watching other people and their dogs.
The next morning we packed up and headed home just as the rains moved in. Perfect timing! The flat tire just as we drove out of town was also perfect timing, since there was a Les Schwab's right there and they fixed our tire for free in no time and we were on our way! Good times and memories were made!
It also has a great boardwalk that you walk along the beachfront to the town, where there are some great shops, activities and restaurants.
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| This is the view from our room. |
One of the things I associate with Seaside is delicious, fresh seafood. The first thing we do is go to the fresh fish market and pick up some delicious salmon jerky. Usually a pound or two will do it. I also have to have one of their crab cocktails and my family usually likes the shrimp cocktails.
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| Yum! This is the peppered salmon jerky. They also have teriyaki and plain. I would've included a picture of my crab cocktail but I ate it too fast! |
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| One of the beautiful sunsets! |
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| The very large ceiling beam. This picture doesn't do it justice. That was one really big tree! |
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| The antler chandelier. |
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| The fun games they have at the tables for you to play while you wait. This was a real brain buster. |
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| The cinnamon roll. That's not a saucer it's on. That is a full size dinner plate! |
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| This guy couldn't believe the size of that cinnamon roll either! |
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| This is the first receipt I've received that told me to "please pay at the stump"! |
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| This is the stump. It is large enough for the cashier to stand inside of it while she rings up our bill. |
The rest of our stay consisted of my husband and daughter going down to the ocean and to the aquarium in Seaside. I stayed in the room reading my good book and watching people with dogs going back and forth to the beach. There was one old dog that walked so slowly and stiffly, but you could just see the joy on his face each time he went down to the ocean. His owner walked slowly by his side as his little dog buddy trotted ahead of them. It brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it. There are a lot of dogs at the ocean! We don't bring ours for a few reasons. No dogs at that motel and one of our dogs doesn't like car rides. Plus they are both little barkers and I'm not sure how good they'd be in a motel. Relaxation, in this case, means watching other people and their dogs.
The next morning we packed up and headed home just as the rains moved in. Perfect timing! The flat tire just as we drove out of town was also perfect timing, since there was a Les Schwab's right there and they fixed our tire for free in no time and we were on our way! Good times and memories were made!
Friday, October 11, 2013
The Lure of the Local Casino.
In the distant past I have enjoyed vacationing in Las Vegas or Reno. They were fun destinations, not just because of gambling but there was entertainment, great food and local attractions to visit. Sure, I would gamble but it was included in my planned vacation expenses.
Several years ago, sometime in the mid 90's, a small casino opened locally. My husband and I had heard about it and decided to go out there and check it out. I was very disappointed. First it looked like it was in a large tent. The machines weren't the same as in Nevada where you put in your coins and pull the handle and hope a bunch of coins spill out. You bought some type of pull tab type thing that you fed into the machine and then played off of it. The buffet was a line of roped off tables running down through the middle of this tent. Needless to say I wasn't impressed with the experience and didn't want to go back. Unless it was a "real" casino I wasn't interested!
Fast forward several years to 2010. My sister and Mom decided to take my daughter to that same old local casino for her 21st birthday. I wasn't interested in going. I still had that mental picture of how it looked the one time I had been there. After thinking it over I decided to go along and see what it was like now. After all it was my daughter's birthday! Was I ever amazed! This was a big casino. No more tent! It had restaurants, bars a hotel and lots and lots of machines. You walk in and it looks like something you'd find in Reno or Vegas! I was thrilled!
You still didn't feed coins in and pull the handle but at least you could put your own money in and then cash out and carry that little ticket around, which is actually easier than a big bucket of coins.
That was the beginning of numerous trips to our local casino and even venturing out to other casinos within an hour or so drive. We would go there for a fairly inexpensive but delicious dinner at their deli or buffet. We would play a few dollars and hope for the elusive "big" jackpot and then we'd go home. It became our local entertainment.
No I haven't become a gambling addict. I would hate to become one of those many gamblers I see that win a $1000 jackpot or larger and don't even bat an eye because it's not that big of a deal to them. I get excited when I win $20 and you should've seen my face when I won a $400 jackpot! I go with a budget and don't spend more than what I plan, usually. I don't withdraw more money out of the ATM. If I win a jackpot I cash out and hit the road before I spend it all trying to win more. More often than not I don't win that jackpot so, if the machines are tight I lose the desire to go back for a while until the craving for some of their delicious Pho hits me. They really do have good food!
Last summer my husband and I drove down to Reno for the first time in 13 years. We had a good time but this time I was disappointed at how it compared to our casino, back home. The machines were older and worn. The food wasn't that great. My own bed was more comfy. Next time maybe we'll just spend the night at one of the casino resorts nearby and save a lot of money and a numb butt from all of that driving, although I really did like those jumbo frozen margaritas! :o)
Several years ago, sometime in the mid 90's, a small casino opened locally. My husband and I had heard about it and decided to go out there and check it out. I was very disappointed. First it looked like it was in a large tent. The machines weren't the same as in Nevada where you put in your coins and pull the handle and hope a bunch of coins spill out. You bought some type of pull tab type thing that you fed into the machine and then played off of it. The buffet was a line of roped off tables running down through the middle of this tent. Needless to say I wasn't impressed with the experience and didn't want to go back. Unless it was a "real" casino I wasn't interested!
Fast forward several years to 2010. My sister and Mom decided to take my daughter to that same old local casino for her 21st birthday. I wasn't interested in going. I still had that mental picture of how it looked the one time I had been there. After thinking it over I decided to go along and see what it was like now. After all it was my daughter's birthday! Was I ever amazed! This was a big casino. No more tent! It had restaurants, bars a hotel and lots and lots of machines. You walk in and it looks like something you'd find in Reno or Vegas! I was thrilled!
You still didn't feed coins in and pull the handle but at least you could put your own money in and then cash out and carry that little ticket around, which is actually easier than a big bucket of coins.
That was the beginning of numerous trips to our local casino and even venturing out to other casinos within an hour or so drive. We would go there for a fairly inexpensive but delicious dinner at their deli or buffet. We would play a few dollars and hope for the elusive "big" jackpot and then we'd go home. It became our local entertainment.
No I haven't become a gambling addict. I would hate to become one of those many gamblers I see that win a $1000 jackpot or larger and don't even bat an eye because it's not that big of a deal to them. I get excited when I win $20 and you should've seen my face when I won a $400 jackpot! I go with a budget and don't spend more than what I plan, usually. I don't withdraw more money out of the ATM. If I win a jackpot I cash out and hit the road before I spend it all trying to win more. More often than not I don't win that jackpot so, if the machines are tight I lose the desire to go back for a while until the craving for some of their delicious Pho hits me. They really do have good food!
Last summer my husband and I drove down to Reno for the first time in 13 years. We had a good time but this time I was disappointed at how it compared to our casino, back home. The machines were older and worn. The food wasn't that great. My own bed was more comfy. Next time maybe we'll just spend the night at one of the casino resorts nearby and save a lot of money and a numb butt from all of that driving, although I really did like those jumbo frozen margaritas! :o)
Thursday, October 10, 2013
The Power of Scents.
I'm not much of a perfume person for a few reasons. First of all my husband doesn't really like perfumes, so it's better I don't wear them. I also work in a scent free environment, so that's another good reason to not wear perfume. Lastly, over the years, I've grown sensitive to a lot of perfumes. I'd rather not wear something that's going to make me sneeze or my nose run.
This doesn't mean that I'm against scented products. I love fruit or soft floral scented shower gels, candles, lotions or air fresheners. The smell of fruit scented body washes perk me up in the morning. Nothing like a little blackberry or lime body wash to get me invigorated. Just breathing in those scents makes me feel a little more awake.
My favorite cucumber melon hand lotion not only keeps my hands soft, it helps calm me while I'm rubbing it in at work and that's a very good thing!
My fruit or other food scented plug in air fresheners or candles, make me stop and breathe in and say "awww". It's somehow soothing to smell fresh baked pumpkin pie or peach sorbet.
I wash my hands with scented soaps like apple, plum or coconut. The house not only smells nice but my hands do too. I look forward to one bottle emptying so I can open the next bottle and see what that scent smells like.
It amazes me how the right scent can stop you in your tracks, for a few seconds at least, and make you clear your mind of everything except how good it smells. Maybe it has something to do with the food scents, since I do love to eat or maybe it's just because it's something familiar and that makes me feel good.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
My Purse Must Haves.
I feel naked without my purse. Yes, it contains things like keys, cell phone and payment methods but it also contains other things I just can't do without. Here's a list of those must haves:
Kleenex! I can't set foot outside without Kleenex. My nose runs frequently at places like the grocery store. I have no idea why, it just does and I really would rather not wipe it on my sleeve.
Hand lotion. I can not stand dry hands, so lotion is a must!
Hand sanitizer. I hadn't really thought of carrying that around much, until I started noticing how many times people leave the restroom without washing their hands. When I'm at the casino and think of all of those unwashed hands that have touched the machine before me, then I need some hand sanitizer ASAP!
My eyeglass cleaning cloth. I can't stand having dirty glasses.
A pen. I have to cross off all of those things on my shopping lists or for writing those notes I mention below.
Some type of notebook. I'm always thinking of something I need to write down.
Comb, although if you ever see my hair you'll notice I rarely use it.
Lip balm. I am a lip balm freak. I can not stand dry lips, so I always have a lip balm on me. My purse, pocket, night stand, desk and so on always have lip balm at the ready. No dry cracked lips for me!
Small first aid kit. The kind that you can just slip into a side pocket that has about 2 bandaids and a little antiseptic wipe. You never know when you might need a bandaid.
That pretty much sums up the must haves. That doesn't mean that's all I have in my purse. There are other things thrown in just in case and probably a lot of lint from those Kleenexes.
Kleenex! I can't set foot outside without Kleenex. My nose runs frequently at places like the grocery store. I have no idea why, it just does and I really would rather not wipe it on my sleeve.
Hand lotion. I can not stand dry hands, so lotion is a must!
Hand sanitizer. I hadn't really thought of carrying that around much, until I started noticing how many times people leave the restroom without washing their hands. When I'm at the casino and think of all of those unwashed hands that have touched the machine before me, then I need some hand sanitizer ASAP!
My eyeglass cleaning cloth. I can't stand having dirty glasses.
A pen. I have to cross off all of those things on my shopping lists or for writing those notes I mention below.
Some type of notebook. I'm always thinking of something I need to write down.
Comb, although if you ever see my hair you'll notice I rarely use it.
Lip balm. I am a lip balm freak. I can not stand dry lips, so I always have a lip balm on me. My purse, pocket, night stand, desk and so on always have lip balm at the ready. No dry cracked lips for me!
Small first aid kit. The kind that you can just slip into a side pocket that has about 2 bandaids and a little antiseptic wipe. You never know when you might need a bandaid.
That pretty much sums up the must haves. That doesn't mean that's all I have in my purse. There are other things thrown in just in case and probably a lot of lint from those Kleenexes.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Choosing paint colors. Not an easy task! Remodel part I
We are remodeling our living room for the first time in forever. We've lived here nearly 30 years and we've painted once and changed carpet once, so this is a big thing. We have wood paneling on 2 of the walls, which my husband happily removed this last weekend.
Now for the hard part...choosing a paint color that I can live with until we paint again, which may be a long time considering how long it took this time. I've decided that I'm tired of the old neutral off white shade that we so often paint our main living spaces. I want color!
I had pretty much decided I wanted a bright but light shade of green. While I was sick with the cold crud and being extra lazy, my husband and daughter decided to go to Lowe's. She came home with several of those little paint color cards. So many shades of green! Then my eyes fell on one color. It was more of a teal color and I thought "this is it!!!".
The next week I went with my daughter to Lowe's to bring home some of those little containers of sample paint so we could paint them on the wall and see what looked best.
When I saw all of the many, many, many paint colors I was in awe! I swear I heard heavenly music play!
I flitted between all of the color options, looking mostly at the blue greens, until we chose 4 that we decided to test.
I handed these color cards to the paint mixer employee and she mixed them up in no time and we headed home to test them out on one of the bare walls.
My daughter painted large squares of the 4 colors while I supervised. We stared at them until we had narrowed it down to our two favorite shades and then we decided on the one we liked best.
After looking at those paint splotches for a couple of days I suddenly decided I wanted to go back to my original plan of green. The above colors made me think of a bedroom or bathroom.
Now for the hard part...choosing a paint color that I can live with until we paint again, which may be a long time considering how long it took this time. I've decided that I'm tired of the old neutral off white shade that we so often paint our main living spaces. I want color!
I had pretty much decided I wanted a bright but light shade of green. While I was sick with the cold crud and being extra lazy, my husband and daughter decided to go to Lowe's. She came home with several of those little paint color cards. So many shades of green! Then my eyes fell on one color. It was more of a teal color and I thought "this is it!!!".
The next week I went with my daughter to Lowe's to bring home some of those little containers of sample paint so we could paint them on the wall and see what looked best.
When I saw all of the many, many, many paint colors I was in awe! I swear I heard heavenly music play!
I flitted between all of the color options, looking mostly at the blue greens, until we chose 4 that we decided to test.
I handed these color cards to the paint mixer employee and she mixed them up in no time and we headed home to test them out on one of the bare walls.
My daughter painted large squares of the 4 colors while I supervised. We stared at them until we had narrowed it down to our two favorite shades and then we decided on the one we liked best.
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| Here are the four colors we chose to test. We decided on the upper left color. |
Tomorrow we'll choose some other colors and bring home some more samples. Then I will force myself to choose the color we're going with. Something light and peaceful like green or maybe the light purples, roses, peaches...so many colors!!!
Stay tuned for more remodeling installments. It's going to get messy!
Monday, October 7, 2013
Ghost Hunters
I have a fascination with ghosts. I've watched many ghost hunting shows but the only one that holds my attention is Ghost Hunters. I've watched it practically from the start. The cast is serious, when it comes to proving or disproving that a site is haunted.
I love the way the cast interacts with each other. They have fun but get the job done. The only thing I wish is that they would spend more than a few hours at a site.
I've often thought it would be fun to go with them on location, but I'm not really sure if I could make it through an investigation without something truly humiliating happening to me and I'm not talking about screaming. I would probably need a Depends.
I don't know where this ghost fascination came from because I'm one of the biggest chickens around. I scare myself all of the time just thinking of scary scenarios. I don't actually know if I want to see a ghost myself or just see some definite proof of one. Would I even believe it if I did see one myself or think it was just a flash of light reflecting off of my glasses?
Getting back to the show Ghost Hunters, I think they've shown some proof of it in several of their episodes. Spine tingling video footage or creepy voices or worse yet the screams or moans. I shiver just thinking of them. That episode at the lighthouse where the apparition looks down on them over the railing! Or the one where a shadow figure seemed to dart back and forth behind a pool table...there's something about those fast moving shadows that really scares the heck outta me! YIKES!!!
Yes, there are doubters who think that they fake those things to keep people interested in the show, BUT if they are faking why are there some really dull episodes where they don't even have many experiences at all?
I like the show because everyone works together. There are no grand standers like Zak on Ghost Adventures. I really like Nick and Aaron but Zak is a camera hog and I've stopped watching the show because of him. That's too bad because I did get some laughs out of some of their antics, especially Aaron, but I can only stand so much of Zak and I think I've reached my limit.
That brings me to the show that started my love of ghost hunting. Most Haunted was a British ghost hunting show. I must say I looked forward to all of the episodes for a while but the repetition made me weary. Yvette Fielding would be screaming about something whispering in her ear. Derek, one of the psychics they used, was always becoming possessed, complete with creepy or weird voices. They had lots of seances with everyone getting chills or touched and the women sometimes getting hysterical. So when Ghost Hunters started I eagerly latched onto it and have never been disappointed.
Even when they don't really find anything, that I would call substantial, the show is still entertaining. The pairing up of Steve and Tango always makes me laugh! When Grant left the show I was seriously worried that it wouldn't be the same, but it is just as good if not better, although I do miss Grant! I like the format they have now and they seem to have more episodes and less downtime.
So, if I want to do some ghost hunting you'll find me in my comfy recliner watching an episode of Ghost Hunters. I still get the chills and thrills without the humiliation.
New episodes start Wednesday October 9th! Yay!
http://www.syfy.com/ghosthunters/
I love the way the cast interacts with each other. They have fun but get the job done. The only thing I wish is that they would spend more than a few hours at a site.
I've often thought it would be fun to go with them on location, but I'm not really sure if I could make it through an investigation without something truly humiliating happening to me and I'm not talking about screaming. I would probably need a Depends.
I don't know where this ghost fascination came from because I'm one of the biggest chickens around. I scare myself all of the time just thinking of scary scenarios. I don't actually know if I want to see a ghost myself or just see some definite proof of one. Would I even believe it if I did see one myself or think it was just a flash of light reflecting off of my glasses?
Getting back to the show Ghost Hunters, I think they've shown some proof of it in several of their episodes. Spine tingling video footage or creepy voices or worse yet the screams or moans. I shiver just thinking of them. That episode at the lighthouse where the apparition looks down on them over the railing! Or the one where a shadow figure seemed to dart back and forth behind a pool table...there's something about those fast moving shadows that really scares the heck outta me! YIKES!!!
Yes, there are doubters who think that they fake those things to keep people interested in the show, BUT if they are faking why are there some really dull episodes where they don't even have many experiences at all?
I like the show because everyone works together. There are no grand standers like Zak on Ghost Adventures. I really like Nick and Aaron but Zak is a camera hog and I've stopped watching the show because of him. That's too bad because I did get some laughs out of some of their antics, especially Aaron, but I can only stand so much of Zak and I think I've reached my limit.
That brings me to the show that started my love of ghost hunting. Most Haunted was a British ghost hunting show. I must say I looked forward to all of the episodes for a while but the repetition made me weary. Yvette Fielding would be screaming about something whispering in her ear. Derek, one of the psychics they used, was always becoming possessed, complete with creepy or weird voices. They had lots of seances with everyone getting chills or touched and the women sometimes getting hysterical. So when Ghost Hunters started I eagerly latched onto it and have never been disappointed.
Even when they don't really find anything, that I would call substantial, the show is still entertaining. The pairing up of Steve and Tango always makes me laugh! When Grant left the show I was seriously worried that it wouldn't be the same, but it is just as good if not better, although I do miss Grant! I like the format they have now and they seem to have more episodes and less downtime.
So, if I want to do some ghost hunting you'll find me in my comfy recliner watching an episode of Ghost Hunters. I still get the chills and thrills without the humiliation.
New episodes start Wednesday October 9th! Yay!
http://www.syfy.com/ghosthunters/
Saturday, October 5, 2013
I Love Netflix!
Several years ago, when my oldest daughter was in college, she joined Netflix. Well, she joined and we footed the bill, as with most things while my kids were in college. She really enjoyed it and it served it's purpose in keeping her entertained, as well as providing her with some hard to find movies she needed to view for a class.
When she came home for the summer her subscription came with her and we all enjoyed the benefits of Netflix, so much so that I joined in the fall when she went back to school. Since that time my whole family has taken advantage of the many wonders of Netflix and I've saved a lot of money.
Now when a movie comes out in the theater, we think "Is that something I can't wait to see or can it wait until it comes out on Netflix?" More and more we wait. That saves me a lot of money in the long run, since a family trip to the theater anymore can cost me at least $40 -$50 between admission and snacks and that's during matinee pricing. When we watch that movie at home and it's a dud, we end up saying "I'm glad I didn't pay to go to the theater for that!" I feel even happier.
I don't buy nearly as many DVD's as I used to, saving space in my home and money.
I've watched many TV series that I didn't think I'd like when they were on TV and ended up watching every episode, in order and loved every minute of it! Shows like Monk and Numbers or a British detective series called New Tricks.
I've caught up on series that are still currently on TV that I didn't start watching, when they first came out for one reason or another. Shows like Rizzoli and Isles, Hawaii 5-0, NCIS, The Mentalist and the list goes on. I actually get a little obsessed with catching up on those series. Sometimes watching 2 or 3 or 4 episodes in a day. No wonder I could hardly get out of my recliner!
My husband direct streams his favorite TV episodes and watches strange movies that don't look very good to me but he enjoys, on his computer.
I enjoy sharing my favorite shows and movies with my Netflix watching friends and hearing what they've enjoyed, so I can add that to my queue for future entertainment.
Overall I think that the years I've invested in Netflix, have really paid off. Even when the price raised, I'm still saving money. I receive, watch and return multiple DVD's during a week. So for a little more than the price of one DVD my family and I have hours of entertainment each month. I consider that a very good deal!
When she came home for the summer her subscription came with her and we all enjoyed the benefits of Netflix, so much so that I joined in the fall when she went back to school. Since that time my whole family has taken advantage of the many wonders of Netflix and I've saved a lot of money.
Now when a movie comes out in the theater, we think "Is that something I can't wait to see or can it wait until it comes out on Netflix?" More and more we wait. That saves me a lot of money in the long run, since a family trip to the theater anymore can cost me at least $40 -$50 between admission and snacks and that's during matinee pricing. When we watch that movie at home and it's a dud, we end up saying "I'm glad I didn't pay to go to the theater for that!" I feel even happier.
I don't buy nearly as many DVD's as I used to, saving space in my home and money.
I've watched many TV series that I didn't think I'd like when they were on TV and ended up watching every episode, in order and loved every minute of it! Shows like Monk and Numbers or a British detective series called New Tricks.
I've caught up on series that are still currently on TV that I didn't start watching, when they first came out for one reason or another. Shows like Rizzoli and Isles, Hawaii 5-0, NCIS, The Mentalist and the list goes on. I actually get a little obsessed with catching up on those series. Sometimes watching 2 or 3 or 4 episodes in a day. No wonder I could hardly get out of my recliner!
My husband direct streams his favorite TV episodes and watches strange movies that don't look very good to me but he enjoys, on his computer.
I enjoy sharing my favorite shows and movies with my Netflix watching friends and hearing what they've enjoyed, so I can add that to my queue for future entertainment.
Overall I think that the years I've invested in Netflix, have really paid off. Even when the price raised, I'm still saving money. I receive, watch and return multiple DVD's during a week. So for a little more than the price of one DVD my family and I have hours of entertainment each month. I consider that a very good deal!
Friday, October 4, 2013
End of Vacation Funk.
Most of us know what it's like to feel that dread when our vacation/staycation is coming to an end and it's time to get back to work. I find it's getting worse as I get older. The funk used to start about the last 2 days of my time off. Now sometimes it starts that last week or even earlier!
It's not that I don't like my job. I'm just tired of it. I've been working the same job for over 34 years. I do work with a great bunch of people that I actually miss when I'm away from work. Thank God for facebook, so I can keep up on all of the happenings!
I'm tired of getting up to an alarm and trudging in through pouring rain, ice, snow, sun and so on. No I don't deliver mail. lol I'm tired of having to leave 30 minutes earlier than usual so I can find a decent parking space! I'm tired of the tedious tasks and some of the things I deal with on a daily basis. I'm tired of feeling stressed on those crazy days.
This is why I take a quarterly vacation. One very nice thing about working there for so long is I do build up vacation hours quickly and believe me I use them quickly too!
I also work for a place that helps others. That is a true benefit. We get to see how our jobs make a difference in someone's life.
Like I said, I like my coworkers. They make me laugh, even on the worst of days. They always have my back and I theirs.
I know I should be grateful that I have a good job in this day and age. I should be happy that I get the vacation time I do. I should be happy and I am, that I work with such great people. But is it wrong to want my vacation to last forever? Is it wrong to not want to do anything on my last day of vacation so maybe the hours will go very slowly? Is it wrong to hope I win the lotto so I can afford to vacation forever?
I guess I'll stop whining now and just go back to work grudgingly. I'll continue to daydream about staying home and getting paid for it, winning the lotto, retirement and other fun things like that. Meanwhile I'll have fun with my coworkers and know that I'm doing the best job I can and be happy that I only work part time. Most of all, I'll look forward to that winter vacation that is only a couple months away! :o)
It's not that I don't like my job. I'm just tired of it. I've been working the same job for over 34 years. I do work with a great bunch of people that I actually miss when I'm away from work. Thank God for facebook, so I can keep up on all of the happenings!
I'm tired of getting up to an alarm and trudging in through pouring rain, ice, snow, sun and so on. No I don't deliver mail. lol I'm tired of having to leave 30 minutes earlier than usual so I can find a decent parking space! I'm tired of the tedious tasks and some of the things I deal with on a daily basis. I'm tired of feeling stressed on those crazy days.
This is why I take a quarterly vacation. One very nice thing about working there for so long is I do build up vacation hours quickly and believe me I use them quickly too!
I also work for a place that helps others. That is a true benefit. We get to see how our jobs make a difference in someone's life.
Like I said, I like my coworkers. They make me laugh, even on the worst of days. They always have my back and I theirs.
I know I should be grateful that I have a good job in this day and age. I should be happy that I get the vacation time I do. I should be happy and I am, that I work with such great people. But is it wrong to want my vacation to last forever? Is it wrong to not want to do anything on my last day of vacation so maybe the hours will go very slowly? Is it wrong to hope I win the lotto so I can afford to vacation forever?
I guess I'll stop whining now and just go back to work grudgingly. I'll continue to daydream about staying home and getting paid for it, winning the lotto, retirement and other fun things like that. Meanwhile I'll have fun with my coworkers and know that I'm doing the best job I can and be happy that I only work part time. Most of all, I'll look forward to that winter vacation that is only a couple months away! :o)
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Going to the Veterinarian's office.
I've had multiple cats and dogs over the years. I've been a good pet owner making sure they're always up to date on all of their vaccinations and spayed or neutered. Some of my pets have been easy to take to the Vet's and some of them not so easy. Here's a run down on some of the little guys and how they do on that dreaded Vet visit.
Zeke is one of my pound puppies. He's always a good boy at the Vet's and usually endures what they do to him rather well. He really doesn't like the temperature taking but I can't say as I blame him there! The one thing he does do is bark. He's a small, barky dog and once we're in the office he barks at the women behind the desk and any dogs that come in. Once we're taken back into the exam room he barks at any shadows he sees pass on the other side of the door. Kind of an embarrassing headache but at least he doesn't bite.
On the other hand there's Beans. He's another small dog pound puppy. He's a loveable little guy unless you mess with him when he doesn't want to be messed with, like at the Vet's office. He's my only pet that has ever drawn blood and it was the Vet's. The problem with Beans is he doesn't give any warning. He's just standing there looking cute and innocent while the Dr. examines his mouth, ears and so on and then all of the sudden there's a growl and a whomp at once! They usually take him to the back room and muzzle him. He also has the tendency to want to take on any animal in the waiting room, especially the really big dogs.
Bean's has just about outdone any other animal in the cost department because he had to have a whole lot of teeth extracted. That is not cheap!!! I'm sure the Vet was laughing to himself as he pulled all of those teeth and thought "You won't be biting me anymore!" I was not laughing when I heard how much it was going to cost. *sigh*
Most of my cats are pretty good because we put them in their little cardboard carriers and we're on our way. We might hear a little mournful howling and meowing all of the way but at least they're not trying to attack other animals.
I've had a couple cats that some how seem to know, days in advance, that it's shot time. Little Skooter would disappear and not show up until after I'd cancelled her appointment because she was a "No Show". I think I cancelled her appointments more than any other pet. I don't know how she knew it but she just did.
Now my big red cat Weasley has turned into a Skooter. He is our only current indoor/outdoor cat. He shows up when he's hungry or decides he wants to nap inside on a rainy day. You can never really know what time of day that will happen, especially on a sunny day. Unfortunately his last appointment was a sunny day. We planned carefully and decided that if he came in in the morning for his food we'd just keep him inside until his afternoon appointment and ignore his persistent and increasingly louder meows and howls to go outside. So we did, only to have the Vet's office call and cancel his appointment 20 minutes before we left the house!!! I did remain civil, but it was hard!
Another reason I cringe, when we take our pets to the Vet is I never know what I might get a lecture about. I take that back. I do know what it will be about. It will be about an overweight cat. Our adorable little Bella kitty was a little overweight and my daughter and I had to listen to a lengthy lecture about it. It didn't help that we are both overweight as well and thought we were being judged because of it. Now I'm not saying that we were, but sometimes those that are overweight have that mentality.
So today when we had to take our little, well not so little, 1 year old cat Monkey in, we were shaking in our shoes. Monkey is very overweight. He is a food bully. If any other cat wants food Monkey is there watching. I can glance away for a minute and look back and he's eating the food and the other cat is no where to be found. Our little chubby cat, Bella disappeared and never returned a few months ago. My husband thinks Monkey may have eaten her. I really don't think so, but he is large. My sister calls him beach ball. So today we waited to hear the overweight cat lecture...and we didn't get it! Phew! Yes, the Dr. did give us a couple helpful hints on weight loss, which we are implementing but Monkey is such a love that they couldn't help but laugh at how cute he is. Phew, again!!!
So anyways, Vet day is always a surprise one way or another. When we have to take some of them I feel my anxiety level go up a few notches because I have no clue what's going to happen. I don't know what I'm going to see because I've seen some yucky stuff coming out of my pets at the Vet's that I won't go into because I'm trying to erase that from my memory. I can't always blame my anxiety on the pet. Sometimes it's the office and the price of what needs to be done to my little four legged friends. That price is enough to send some into a coma. I've been close a couple of times.
But overall I thank God for Vets! They keep my little furbabies happy and healthy. Well, maybe not so happy in Monkey's case as he searches the house for his food bowl that's safely stored until feeding time.
Zeke is one of my pound puppies. He's always a good boy at the Vet's and usually endures what they do to him rather well. He really doesn't like the temperature taking but I can't say as I blame him there! The one thing he does do is bark. He's a small, barky dog and once we're in the office he barks at the women behind the desk and any dogs that come in. Once we're taken back into the exam room he barks at any shadows he sees pass on the other side of the door. Kind of an embarrassing headache but at least he doesn't bite.
On the other hand there's Beans. He's another small dog pound puppy. He's a loveable little guy unless you mess with him when he doesn't want to be messed with, like at the Vet's office. He's my only pet that has ever drawn blood and it was the Vet's. The problem with Beans is he doesn't give any warning. He's just standing there looking cute and innocent while the Dr. examines his mouth, ears and so on and then all of the sudden there's a growl and a whomp at once! They usually take him to the back room and muzzle him. He also has the tendency to want to take on any animal in the waiting room, especially the really big dogs.
Bean's has just about outdone any other animal in the cost department because he had to have a whole lot of teeth extracted. That is not cheap!!! I'm sure the Vet was laughing to himself as he pulled all of those teeth and thought "You won't be biting me anymore!" I was not laughing when I heard how much it was going to cost. *sigh*
Most of my cats are pretty good because we put them in their little cardboard carriers and we're on our way. We might hear a little mournful howling and meowing all of the way but at least they're not trying to attack other animals.
I've had a couple cats that some how seem to know, days in advance, that it's shot time. Little Skooter would disappear and not show up until after I'd cancelled her appointment because she was a "No Show". I think I cancelled her appointments more than any other pet. I don't know how she knew it but she just did.
Now my big red cat Weasley has turned into a Skooter. He is our only current indoor/outdoor cat. He shows up when he's hungry or decides he wants to nap inside on a rainy day. You can never really know what time of day that will happen, especially on a sunny day. Unfortunately his last appointment was a sunny day. We planned carefully and decided that if he came in in the morning for his food we'd just keep him inside until his afternoon appointment and ignore his persistent and increasingly louder meows and howls to go outside. So we did, only to have the Vet's office call and cancel his appointment 20 minutes before we left the house!!! I did remain civil, but it was hard!
Another reason I cringe, when we take our pets to the Vet is I never know what I might get a lecture about. I take that back. I do know what it will be about. It will be about an overweight cat. Our adorable little Bella kitty was a little overweight and my daughter and I had to listen to a lengthy lecture about it. It didn't help that we are both overweight as well and thought we were being judged because of it. Now I'm not saying that we were, but sometimes those that are overweight have that mentality.
So today when we had to take our little, well not so little, 1 year old cat Monkey in, we were shaking in our shoes. Monkey is very overweight. He is a food bully. If any other cat wants food Monkey is there watching. I can glance away for a minute and look back and he's eating the food and the other cat is no where to be found. Our little chubby cat, Bella disappeared and never returned a few months ago. My husband thinks Monkey may have eaten her. I really don't think so, but he is large. My sister calls him beach ball. So today we waited to hear the overweight cat lecture...and we didn't get it! Phew! Yes, the Dr. did give us a couple helpful hints on weight loss, which we are implementing but Monkey is such a love that they couldn't help but laugh at how cute he is. Phew, again!!!
So anyways, Vet day is always a surprise one way or another. When we have to take some of them I feel my anxiety level go up a few notches because I have no clue what's going to happen. I don't know what I'm going to see because I've seen some yucky stuff coming out of my pets at the Vet's that I won't go into because I'm trying to erase that from my memory. I can't always blame my anxiety on the pet. Sometimes it's the office and the price of what needs to be done to my little four legged friends. That price is enough to send some into a coma. I've been close a couple of times.
But overall I thank God for Vets! They keep my little furbabies happy and healthy. Well, maybe not so happy in Monkey's case as he searches the house for his food bowl that's safely stored until feeding time.
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| This is a picture of our sweet,chunky Monkey a year ago when he was a baby. |
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
I love the Sims!
My love for the Sims began a little over 13 years ago. My daughter's birthday was in March and a few weeks before that we were at Costco. As we perused the book and movie aisle she saw a game she was interested in called The Sims. She asked for it for her birthday. Little did I know, when I purchased that game, what changes it would bring to our household.
Shortly after she opened that gift, we gathered around our only computer and watched as the teeny world of the Sims appeared before us. My daughters and myself were instantly captivated. Within hours we were fighting over the game. I would set aside 2 hour blocks of time for each of us to play. Of course, I could play all day long on my days off, while they were at school. Muhahahahahaha! Before long, those blocks of time weren't enough and we purchased another computer and another Sims game. Soon that 2nd computer turned into three and yet another Sims game. And so, an obsession was born!
Since that time the original Sims game had multiple expansions, that I bought in triplicate. Then there was The Sims 2. That included multiple expansions and stuff packs. For a while I could buy only one stuff pack and we could put it on all of our computers, but then Maxis/EA became money obsessed and we had to each play off our own copy of the stuff packs, so three of those were purchased as well. Then came The Sims 3 with their expansions, stuff packs and so on. Oh and don't forget all of those items you could buy from the online Sims store to add to your wonderful game!
Needless to say the Sims has cost me thousands of dollars over those 13 years, but I don't regret a single dollar! It has provided, my daughters and myself hours of entertainment and a great bonding experience too. No matter what's going on in our life, we always have the common interest in the Sims.
Most people that know me have heard about the Sims. There are those that ignored me. Then there are those that thought "what the hell is Sims?" and then ignored me. Lastly there are the very few people that I know that know what I'm talking about and like them too. Mainly my daughters and one coworker who plays occasionally. You know who you are! So imagine my delight when I found a whole online community of Sims enthusiasts! And believe me it is a very large, world wide community!
I had been playing the original Sims game for a short while when I found the online Sims community. There were a few forums out there that would share their Sims experiences or links to great sites that had Custom Created items that I could download and put into my Sims game. There are so many creative people in the Sims world! I became addicted to downloading new items or houses for my game. I would spend more hours doing that and then organizing those downloads, than I would spend playing. I had to have that refridgerator or sofa or chair and so on in 40 different colors! Or I would download beautiful houses that I was never patient or talented enough to dream up and build myself. This was all back when I had dial up. Those downloads would take forever, but that didn't stop me!
After a few months of lurking at the Sims forum Neighborhood 99 or N99 as we call it, I got up enough nerve to actually comment. It's a great place, full of wonderful, giving and creative people. I feel like many of them are my friends. I also joined another forum called CIS Clubhouse. I made friends there too. Over the years there has been lots of drama in the Sims community, especially during the Sims 1 days. Now it's pretty mellow and we just have a good time sharing Sims stories, ideas and the excitement when a new expansion has been announced, counting down the days together and sharing all of the tidbits we can find about said new expansion.
Now a new Sims game has been announced. Sims 4. We knew it was coming and I'm actually dreading it. After all I've invested over the years, I hate starting over, yet again! But I know that by the time it comes out I'll be anxiously awaiting it and the very day it's released I will be buying it, installing it and starting a whole new adventure!
There's a little something for everyone in the Sims games. You can play a premade sim or make your own. You give them the personality traits you want. If you're a control freak, like me, you can pretty much control every little aspect of their lives. If you would rather watch life happen you can just sit back and let their free will take over, sometimes with chaotic results and a visit from the grim reaper! Here are some screenshots from The Sims 3.
There's a little something for everyone in the Sims games. You can play a premade sim or make your own. You give them the personality traits you want. If you're a control freak, like me, you can pretty much control every little aspect of their lives. If you would rather watch life happen you can just sit back and let their free will take over, sometimes with chaotic results and a visit from the grim reaper! Here are some screenshots from The Sims 3.
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| There's plenty of gardening opportunities for those gardening enthusiasts! |
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| Playing in the ocean with your toddler. |
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| If you want to fly you can play as a fairy or ride a broomstick as a witch! |
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| You can fight fires or just stand and scream at them. In this unfortunate fire 3 sims met the grim reaper. |
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| You can even have a meteorite hit your neighborhood or your home. Sometimes your Sim won't make it out alive. |
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Birthdays
I just had my birthday. It was a wonderful day. I try to schedule one of my quarterly vacations over my birthday, so I don't have to work around it. That makes it an even better day.
I've never been one of those people that gets all depressed or wants to ignore their birthday. I know I'm getting older and it doesn't bother me.
I have one of those late birthdays. Back in the old days, when I was little, the deadline for starting kindergarten was October 15th. Since my birthday was September 30th, I made if before the deadline, but I was usually younger than all of the other kids. I started kindergarten at age 4. So everyones birthday seemed to come long before mine did. All my friends were turning 6 when I was turning 5 or 16 and driving when I just had turned 15 and so on down the line. I always felt like I was catching up to them.
I married a man 6 years older than me, so that makes me feel young. Good planning, if you ask me.
I always feel sorry for someone when I hear them say that their family didn't do anything for their birthday. How can you forget or not celebrate a birthday?
I figure if you let someone forget your birthday, then you shouldn't complain. My husband and daughters get a wishlist from me a few weeks in advance. I kindly let them know where the best deals are on the items I like. In return I expect to get wishlists from them before their birthdays.
My family always has and still does make a big thing of birthdays. When we were kids we had parties with our friends over as well as big family get togethers with cake and gifts. Even now we have family parties with my Mom and siblings, niece and nephew, most of the time. It's always something to look forward to.
A time to get together and chat.
I loved planning my daughters birthdays. We would have fun choosing the birthday theme and buying all of the party goods in that theme. I would order their favorite cake and we'd usually have pizza or some other meal they loved. They usually got a dinner at a favorite restaurant too, on a night of their choosing.
So birthdays have always been a special time for me. As long as family and of course cake and gifts are involved, I don't mind turning another year older. (Especially if it's a pink champagne cake from McGavin's bakery. MMMmmm)
I've never been one of those people that gets all depressed or wants to ignore their birthday. I know I'm getting older and it doesn't bother me.
I have one of those late birthdays. Back in the old days, when I was little, the deadline for starting kindergarten was October 15th. Since my birthday was September 30th, I made if before the deadline, but I was usually younger than all of the other kids. I started kindergarten at age 4. So everyones birthday seemed to come long before mine did. All my friends were turning 6 when I was turning 5 or 16 and driving when I just had turned 15 and so on down the line. I always felt like I was catching up to them.
I married a man 6 years older than me, so that makes me feel young. Good planning, if you ask me.
I always feel sorry for someone when I hear them say that their family didn't do anything for their birthday. How can you forget or not celebrate a birthday?
I figure if you let someone forget your birthday, then you shouldn't complain. My husband and daughters get a wishlist from me a few weeks in advance. I kindly let them know where the best deals are on the items I like. In return I expect to get wishlists from them before their birthdays.
My family always has and still does make a big thing of birthdays. When we were kids we had parties with our friends over as well as big family get togethers with cake and gifts. Even now we have family parties with my Mom and siblings, niece and nephew, most of the time. It's always something to look forward to.
A time to get together and chat.
I loved planning my daughters birthdays. We would have fun choosing the birthday theme and buying all of the party goods in that theme. I would order their favorite cake and we'd usually have pizza or some other meal they loved. They usually got a dinner at a favorite restaurant too, on a night of their choosing.
So birthdays have always been a special time for me. As long as family and of course cake and gifts are involved, I don't mind turning another year older. (Especially if it's a pink champagne cake from McGavin's bakery. MMMmmm)
Friday, September 27, 2013
Procrastination is my middle name.
I've not always been a procrastinator. I used to get things done in a timely manner and then I didn't have to worry about them. I would make one of my "to do" lists and then happily check off each item as I completed it. Such a feeling of accomplishment!
I'm not quite sure when things changed. I still make my lists and then I ignore them until I absolutely can't ignore them any more or I just hide the list and pretend like it never existed in the first place.
I do this with paying bills. I always pay them before the due date, but I never pay them on the day I plan on paying them. I hate writing out those checks and mailing off my hard earned money. I know, I could always pay them online. I have "set up online bill paying" on one of my lists. The one that I keep pretending doesn't exist.
I used to start packing for my vacations at least a week in advance. My last trip I hastily packed the night before we left. I did have my packing list all set up ready to go but I just couldn't quite get motivated. I blame the nasty cold I had.
Redecorating our living room has been put off over and over again. I'm talking about years of talking about but never doing. I blame laziness and fat for that, although we have officially started the project in the last couple weeks. I'll post how that's coming along in the future. Hopefully not too far in the future!
Making Dr. and dental appointments, vet appointments, doing laundry, housecleaning and grocery shopping have all been things I put off until the last minute. They always get done, but not always as planned and maybe not the housecleaning.
Perhaps my biggest procrastination, is losing weight! I choose a date, plan carefully and then postpone it or I follow a diet for a few days or even months and then decide to go off it for a holiday or special occasion and never seem to get back on it again. *sigh*
I guess when I look over this list of things I procrastinate on, I notice one thing in common. They're all things I don't really like to do. If I like to do them I don't dilly dally. I get them done! Like Christmas shopping. I love Christmas shopping. The thrill of finding the perfect gift for my loved ones is always a joy. I'm usually all done shopping and wrapping before a lot of people even start.
Maybe I just need to start focusing on the feeling of accomplishment I will have once I finish something I don't really want to do. I'll think about how nice it will be not to have those "to do's" hanging over my head like a black cloud. In all actuality each one doesn't take all that much time, except the living room makeover and the losing weight. So I will start focusing on not procrastinating! I'm going to write that on my planner right now! Let's see how about I start on Monday?...no that's my birthday...how about Tuesday? That's the start of a new month! Yeah, I think I'll do that...I hope. ;o)
I'm not quite sure when things changed. I still make my lists and then I ignore them until I absolutely can't ignore them any more or I just hide the list and pretend like it never existed in the first place.
I do this with paying bills. I always pay them before the due date, but I never pay them on the day I plan on paying them. I hate writing out those checks and mailing off my hard earned money. I know, I could always pay them online. I have "set up online bill paying" on one of my lists. The one that I keep pretending doesn't exist.
I used to start packing for my vacations at least a week in advance. My last trip I hastily packed the night before we left. I did have my packing list all set up ready to go but I just couldn't quite get motivated. I blame the nasty cold I had.
Redecorating our living room has been put off over and over again. I'm talking about years of talking about but never doing. I blame laziness and fat for that, although we have officially started the project in the last couple weeks. I'll post how that's coming along in the future. Hopefully not too far in the future!
Making Dr. and dental appointments, vet appointments, doing laundry, housecleaning and grocery shopping have all been things I put off until the last minute. They always get done, but not always as planned and maybe not the housecleaning.
Perhaps my biggest procrastination, is losing weight! I choose a date, plan carefully and then postpone it or I follow a diet for a few days or even months and then decide to go off it for a holiday or special occasion and never seem to get back on it again. *sigh*
I guess when I look over this list of things I procrastinate on, I notice one thing in common. They're all things I don't really like to do. If I like to do them I don't dilly dally. I get them done! Like Christmas shopping. I love Christmas shopping. The thrill of finding the perfect gift for my loved ones is always a joy. I'm usually all done shopping and wrapping before a lot of people even start.
Maybe I just need to start focusing on the feeling of accomplishment I will have once I finish something I don't really want to do. I'll think about how nice it will be not to have those "to do's" hanging over my head like a black cloud. In all actuality each one doesn't take all that much time, except the living room makeover and the losing weight. So I will start focusing on not procrastinating! I'm going to write that on my planner right now! Let's see how about I start on Monday?...no that's my birthday...how about Tuesday? That's the start of a new month! Yeah, I think I'll do that...I hope. ;o)
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
I Love Mysteries!
I've always loved mysteries. It started when I was young and read mystery books like the Nancy Drew series or the Trixie Belden mystery books. Those stories would really pull me in until I would finish the book. Sometimes a book a day. Come to think of it, I think that's when I started putting on weight. All that sitting around reading!
In my teen years I started watching the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mystery TV shows. Rockford Files and Magnum P.I. were other favorites along with many others that I've long forgotten.
I still love a good mystery show, movie or book. I have favorite authors that I have to grab their books the moment they are available.
Authors like:
J.A. Jance. I started with the J.P. Beaumont series, since it was set in Seattle, but also love her Joanna Brady and Ali Reynolds series that are based in Arizona.
Jonathon Kellerman and his Alex Delaware series.
Rita Kellerman and her Peter Decker series.
Janet Evanovich and her Stephanie Plum series.
And what mystery author list is complete without James Patterson? That guy cranks out books by the dozen! Love his Alex Cross books. I also read a lot of his other mystery series books.
I used to read Patricia Cornwell, but her books got thicker and thicker and the personal relationships between the main characters got kind of weird, so I stopped reading her books. They need to hold my attention. Make me want to read just one more page, chapter and so on, until I'm done. Her books became a chore, in my opinion. Life is too short to read a tedious book. There are so many more out there just waiting to be read!
If you read my post about my favorite TV shows you'll notice that most of those are mysteries as well. Whether it's true crime mysteries or fiction, I love them all.
The problem is, with the fiction mystery shows and sometimes the true crime ones, I've seen so many of them that I can figure out "who done it", before the ending. Sometimes this spoils it for anyone who might be watching the show with me, because I like to share my observations with anyone that's in the room. My dogs don't really mind, but the humans usually do. Of course, I'm wrong on occasion and then we are all pleasantly surprised. :o)
In my teen years I started watching the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mystery TV shows. Rockford Files and Magnum P.I. were other favorites along with many others that I've long forgotten.
I still love a good mystery show, movie or book. I have favorite authors that I have to grab their books the moment they are available.
Authors like:
J.A. Jance. I started with the J.P. Beaumont series, since it was set in Seattle, but also love her Joanna Brady and Ali Reynolds series that are based in Arizona.
Jonathon Kellerman and his Alex Delaware series.
Rita Kellerman and her Peter Decker series.
Janet Evanovich and her Stephanie Plum series.
And what mystery author list is complete without James Patterson? That guy cranks out books by the dozen! Love his Alex Cross books. I also read a lot of his other mystery series books.
I used to read Patricia Cornwell, but her books got thicker and thicker and the personal relationships between the main characters got kind of weird, so I stopped reading her books. They need to hold my attention. Make me want to read just one more page, chapter and so on, until I'm done. Her books became a chore, in my opinion. Life is too short to read a tedious book. There are so many more out there just waiting to be read!
If you read my post about my favorite TV shows you'll notice that most of those are mysteries as well. Whether it's true crime mysteries or fiction, I love them all.
The problem is, with the fiction mystery shows and sometimes the true crime ones, I've seen so many of them that I can figure out "who done it", before the ending. Sometimes this spoils it for anyone who might be watching the show with me, because I like to share my observations with anyone that's in the room. My dogs don't really mind, but the humans usually do. Of course, I'm wrong on occasion and then we are all pleasantly surprised. :o)
Sunday, September 22, 2013
The Good Old Days!
I remember, when I was a child, how we loved to play outdoors. We'd play tag and red light, green light, badminton, lawn darts. We would ride our bikes all over. The nearby woods were a great place to explore paths and make forts. Or how about a game of H.O.R.S.E, with our backyard basketball hoop. Night time hide and seek was always fun.
Every summer my sister and I and sometimes my brother and other friends would make our annual bike trip. We would ride a few miles from our house to a waterfront park and eat a picnic lunch, or the candy we bought at the penny candy store on the way. Then after playing there for a while we'd head home, usually pushing our bikes most of the way because it was almost all uphill.
Our parents thought nothing of letting us go play in the nearby woods or school yards, as long as we let them know where we were going and were home in time for dinner.
It's sad that when my daughters were young and now, parents can't really feel as confident letting their kids roam around on their own. I would've never let my kids run around in the woods for hours, without one of us present. I always felt nervous letting them walk home from school on their own and arrive at an empty house, even though they were definitely old enough and very trustworthy.
When they road their bikes it was only on our little dead end street, where I could keep an eye on them.
I can't help wondering if it's because there really are that many more predators out there now than when I was a child, or is it because we are more aware of them because of the media? Sadly I tend to think that there are just more of them out there. Not only predators, but homeless people living in the woods, that might not appreciate kids tramping along into their territory or bullies ready to cause some trouble.
I find this heartbreaking as I think back onto the good times I had and the freedom. Maybe I was just lucky because even then, times were changing. My younger brother, as a kid, had a couple run ins with some unsavory types while he was out playing and luckily he had the sense to head home right away and not get lured into something that could've turned out bad.
Still, I think that if parents are vigilant and join in on those outdoor activities, there is still a lot of fun to be had and good memories to be made!
Every summer my sister and I and sometimes my brother and other friends would make our annual bike trip. We would ride a few miles from our house to a waterfront park and eat a picnic lunch, or the candy we bought at the penny candy store on the way. Then after playing there for a while we'd head home, usually pushing our bikes most of the way because it was almost all uphill.
Our parents thought nothing of letting us go play in the nearby woods or school yards, as long as we let them know where we were going and were home in time for dinner.
It's sad that when my daughters were young and now, parents can't really feel as confident letting their kids roam around on their own. I would've never let my kids run around in the woods for hours, without one of us present. I always felt nervous letting them walk home from school on their own and arrive at an empty house, even though they were definitely old enough and very trustworthy.
When they road their bikes it was only on our little dead end street, where I could keep an eye on them.
I can't help wondering if it's because there really are that many more predators out there now than when I was a child, or is it because we are more aware of them because of the media? Sadly I tend to think that there are just more of them out there. Not only predators, but homeless people living in the woods, that might not appreciate kids tramping along into their territory or bullies ready to cause some trouble.
I find this heartbreaking as I think back onto the good times I had and the freedom. Maybe I was just lucky because even then, times were changing. My younger brother, as a kid, had a couple run ins with some unsavory types while he was out playing and luckily he had the sense to head home right away and not get lured into something that could've turned out bad.
Still, I think that if parents are vigilant and join in on those outdoor activities, there is still a lot of fun to be had and good memories to be made!
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Hello Autumn, Fall or whatever you call it.
Autumn officially starts tomorrow, September 22nd. I can't say that it's my favorite season because that title goes to Summer but there are many things I like about the fall season.
When I think of Fall, I think of cool days and rain, since I live in the Northwest where we get a lot of rain.
I think of colorful trees and falling leaves, which my husband hates since we have a ginormous maple tree in our backyard and it dumps probably about a foot deep of leaves every year. Come to think of it, our neighbors probably hate that tree too, since a lot of those leaves get blown into their yards by those fall winds we tend to have.
I also think of pumpkin spice breads and muffins. Favorite casseroles that I've been holding off baking until the weather cools down. Homemade soups accompanied by homemade bread. I love my bread machine, which I've had since bread machines were popular many years ago.
The smells of freshly baked apple crisp or fall scented candles.
Flu shots and property taxes due. Okay those are not the most pleasant of thoughts, but they did come to mind.
The stores stocked high with Halloween candies and then Christmas items.
Football games, (Go Seahawks!) although I'm just a fair weather fan. The world series. (Go Mariners!) Ditto on the fair weather fan.
Time spent with family, since we have a lot of birthdays and Thanksgiving in the fall.
The first frost. Turning on the furnace for the first time. Using our woodstove for the first time since spring.
Flannel sheets. Sweaters. Putting away the short sleeves and bringing out the long sleeved tops.
The colors of fall. Rich reds, oranges, yellows and browns.
Another short vacation from work, since I take quarterly vacations.
These are just some of the things that popped into my mind as I was thinking about the Fall season. I was also thinking that I wish this cold that summer left me with would hurry up and leave!
***Just a small addendum to one of my other posts. I remembered with the help of my ever faithful assistant, my daughter Kristen, that I forgot the TV show "Castle" on my favorite TV show post. That is definitely a favorite and the new season starts in just a few days. Yay!
When I think of Fall, I think of cool days and rain, since I live in the Northwest where we get a lot of rain.
I think of colorful trees and falling leaves, which my husband hates since we have a ginormous maple tree in our backyard and it dumps probably about a foot deep of leaves every year. Come to think of it, our neighbors probably hate that tree too, since a lot of those leaves get blown into their yards by those fall winds we tend to have.
I also think of pumpkin spice breads and muffins. Favorite casseroles that I've been holding off baking until the weather cools down. Homemade soups accompanied by homemade bread. I love my bread machine, which I've had since bread machines were popular many years ago.
The smells of freshly baked apple crisp or fall scented candles.
Flu shots and property taxes due. Okay those are not the most pleasant of thoughts, but they did come to mind.
Football games, (Go Seahawks!) although I'm just a fair weather fan. The world series. (Go Mariners!) Ditto on the fair weather fan.
Time spent with family, since we have a lot of birthdays and Thanksgiving in the fall.
The first frost. Turning on the furnace for the first time. Using our woodstove for the first time since spring.
Flannel sheets. Sweaters. Putting away the short sleeves and bringing out the long sleeved tops.
The colors of fall. Rich reds, oranges, yellows and browns.
Another short vacation from work, since I take quarterly vacations.
These are just some of the things that popped into my mind as I was thinking about the Fall season. I was also thinking that I wish this cold that summer left me with would hurry up and leave!
***Just a small addendum to one of my other posts. I remembered with the help of my ever faithful assistant, my daughter Kristen, that I forgot the TV show "Castle" on my favorite TV show post. That is definitely a favorite and the new season starts in just a few days. Yay!
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