Last week my husband and I were having a conversation with his brother about families moving from one location to another. They grew up moving around a lot, I can't remember the exact number but the BIL attended an astronomical number of different schools throughout his school-age years. My husband was much younger and after he came along they didn't move as frequently but he has lived in six different states and several of them he moved to and from several times.
As I see it, they were practically living the lives of gypsies.
I, on the other hand, have lived in the state of Georgia my entire life. And, except for one short year spent in Savannah, have always lived in Metro-Atlanta. My entire childhood was spent in one house. Between college and marriage, I can count on one hand the number of times I moved. Together my husband and I lived in two apartments and one rental house prior to moving to our current location. We moved here in February of 1991 just before our second child was born in August. Yes, we have been in the same house twenty-one years.
Guess what. I'm ready for a change!
I'm ready to get far away from Atlanta Georgia. I hate living in the city. And while I don't actually live in the city limits of Atlanta, living in her suburbs is just as bad. The congestion of people and everything that comes with them is horrible. I hate the traffic. I hate the crime. I hate the pollution. I hate the breakneck speed at which everyone moves.
I yearn for a quieter life, a slower pace, a little peace and tranquility.
My brother and his wife answered this same call by moving further south. Their house sits off a dirt road on the edge of a lake. Yes, they now have limitations for shopping, dining out, and such. And, they still have to venture out into the hustle-and-bustle daily in order to get to their jobs. But at the end of the day, they're back at home listening to calls from nature instead of engines roaring, sirens blasting, and neighbors yelling.
My husband's sister retreated north to the mountains. And while she has to deal with the occasional snow/ice event that leaves her trapped on her mountain for days, it is more than made up for by the beauty that surrounds her daily and the overall slower pace of life she enjoys.
My sister and her husband took a more drastic approach and moved thirteen hundred miles away to South Dakota. They're the only people I know who retire north and not south. While living there for a short term job they discovered a different life style that called out to them and they took the plunge.
I know there's pluses and minuses to any place you live. However when it gets to the point where the minuses far outweigh the pluses then maybe it's time to make a change. Unfortunately, in this day and time of economic unrest when unemployment is high and the housing market is in the toilet the ability to up and move is severely hampered. And while I yearn to leave all this behind and start over somewhere else I must accept the fact that it's probably not going to happen ... at least not any time soon.
But, a girl can dream and for now this is my dream - sunshine and water, warm but not scorching, a few people but not many, and the time to be laid back.
Sigh.
Big heavy sigh.
... and life goes on.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Life with the Torture Machine
I'm in day three of living with the Torture Machine and thought I should update because I know inquiring minds want to know how it's going. 
Day One - I did my workout first thing in the morning. I survived for five minutes. Ok, yeah, there was a break mid-way through. Remember, I am not only an exercise novice, I am horribly out of shape. I'm taking baby steps here.
Day Two - I did five minutes in the morning and another five in the afternoon. I did not take a break within the five minutes unless you count the couple of times I stopped for a few seconds to catch my breath.
Day Three - well, it's almost noon and I haven't done my morning workout. Today I am sore and the thought of getting on the Torture Machine is killing me. We'll see if I have the energy to try the afternoon workout but I'm not holding my breath here.
If anyone is wondering what finally brought me to the point of working out, it's a very long and personal story. One that even I, who over-shares everything, refuses to divulge the gory details of. You'll just have to accept it and be happy that I'm finally taking some steps to bring about some change in ME.
I need to exercise to get physically fit. I'm also hoping to drop some weight along the way. Of course I'm going to have to do more than just walk on the Torture Machine. I desperately need to change my eating habits.
I need to change not only what I eat, but also how much I eat and when I eat. I probably negated the whole 10 minutes of elliptical time by eating dinner last night. We had pot roast with green beans, corn, and rice. Naturally I slathered gravy on the beef and the rice. Yummy! I did not have second servings ... that is until I was cleaning up afterwards and couldn't help but add gravy to the leftover rice and eat an additional two or ten mouthfuls.
Sigh.
But it was so good! And then, to add insult to injury around bedtime my DH had a craving for something cheesy and we sat in bed together and pigged out on Cheez-It Duoz. For anyone who doesn't understand internet lingo, DH stands for Dear Husband; but, feel free to fill in your own "D" word .... whatever the situation warrants. Regardless, I have to own the fact that I didn't have to join him in the midnight snack no matter how tasty those da#$ crackers are!
So, there you have it. I think I have to write off Tuesday as a complete washout.
The truth of the matter is I've really got to get a handle on my eating habits. I need to learn that cleanup after dinner means scraping the dishes, pots, and pans, and loading the dishwasher; it does NOT include eating what's left over "so it doesn't go to waste." Or better yet, I need to learn to make just enough to eat without having leftovers to taunt me. I need to stop buying snack foods that call out my name late at night. I need to learn what to eat and what not to eat. I need to figure out portion controls and stick to them. I need to stop impulse eating. I need to give up comfort foods. I need to stand naked in front of a mirror every single day to remind myself why I need to do all that other stuff ... ewww, gross.
There I go again - over-sharing. Sorry!
Anyway, there you have it, an update of my progress (or lack of) towards producing a whole new me. Or should I say progress towards producing a half-of-the-person-I am-now new me.
A half me.
Whatever.
If anyone has any suggestions towards obtaining that goal it would be greatly appreciated. Motivate me! Just be gentle and remember, while long overdue, I'm new at this.
Day One - I did my workout first thing in the morning. I survived for five minutes. Ok, yeah, there was a break mid-way through. Remember, I am not only an exercise novice, I am horribly out of shape. I'm taking baby steps here.
Day Two - I did five minutes in the morning and another five in the afternoon. I did not take a break within the five minutes unless you count the couple of times I stopped for a few seconds to catch my breath.
Day Three - well, it's almost noon and I haven't done my morning workout. Today I am sore and the thought of getting on the Torture Machine is killing me. We'll see if I have the energy to try the afternoon workout but I'm not holding my breath here.
If anyone is wondering what finally brought me to the point of working out, it's a very long and personal story. One that even I, who over-shares everything, refuses to divulge the gory details of. You'll just have to accept it and be happy that I'm finally taking some steps to bring about some change in ME.
I need to exercise to get physically fit. I'm also hoping to drop some weight along the way. Of course I'm going to have to do more than just walk on the Torture Machine. I desperately need to change my eating habits.
I need to change not only what I eat, but also how much I eat and when I eat. I probably negated the whole 10 minutes of elliptical time by eating dinner last night. We had pot roast with green beans, corn, and rice. Naturally I slathered gravy on the beef and the rice. Yummy! I did not have second servings ... that is until I was cleaning up afterwards and couldn't help but add gravy to the leftover rice and eat an additional two or ten mouthfuls.
Sigh.
But it was so good! And then, to add insult to injury around bedtime my DH had a craving for something cheesy and we sat in bed together and pigged out on Cheez-It Duoz. For anyone who doesn't understand internet lingo, DH stands for Dear Husband; but, feel free to fill in your own "D" word .... whatever the situation warrants. Regardless, I have to own the fact that I didn't have to join him in the midnight snack no matter how tasty those da#$ crackers are!
So, there you have it. I think I have to write off Tuesday as a complete washout.
The truth of the matter is I've really got to get a handle on my eating habits. I need to learn that cleanup after dinner means scraping the dishes, pots, and pans, and loading the dishwasher; it does NOT include eating what's left over "so it doesn't go to waste." Or better yet, I need to learn to make just enough to eat without having leftovers to taunt me. I need to stop buying snack foods that call out my name late at night. I need to learn what to eat and what not to eat. I need to figure out portion controls and stick to them. I need to stop impulse eating. I need to give up comfort foods. I need to stand naked in front of a mirror every single day to remind myself why I need to do all that other stuff ... ewww, gross.
There I go again - over-sharing. Sorry!
Anyway, there you have it, an update of my progress (or lack of) towards producing a whole new me. Or should I say progress towards producing a half-of-the-person-I am-now new me.
A half me.
Whatever.
If anyone has any suggestions towards obtaining that goal it would be greatly appreciated. Motivate me! Just be gentle and remember, while long overdue, I'm new at this.
Monday, March 19, 2012
A new beginning?
My husband amusing himself while waiting to be seated at Cracker Barrel 
It's funny but actually a little bit creepy too. He's sorta got the Little Orphan Annie look going.
This weekend we decided to make an investment in our future.
We bought this torture contraption in an effort to get better fit physically and hopefully knock off a few pounds.
We (mostly him) spent the better part of Sunday afternoon putting it together. At one point he made the remark that we only thought it was difficult putting a bicycle together. It reminded me of several Christmas Eves as we worked together to assemble the boys' Christmas gifts from Santa. Because we are cheapskates we always bought un-assembled and hoped for the best. This time around there was no gnashing of teeth, wails of anguish, or bouts of quarreling. There was a bit of despair as we completed the next-to-final step but we (mostly me) figured a way to correct the problem. And the crowning glory ... there were NO mysterious unused parts at the end. Yay for us!
Generally we work well together on these types of projects. I'm the brains and he's the brawn. Yes, we are a team.
So, now I have no excuse for not working on getting in better shape physically. Everywhere I turn I see people running, riding bikes, and working out. However, this is a very foreign concept to me, as is obvious from my current physique. Some might say the best, easiest, and most economical way to address the problem is to get outside and walk or ride but there's no way I going the public route, so for now working at home is the only option.
The question that remains is .... do I have the gumption and motivation to stick to it and make it work? I sure hope so. Otherwise, I'll have to turn to my cousin Christie's suggestion and use the torture machine for hanging wet clothes to dry!
It's funny but actually a little bit creepy too. He's sorta got the Little Orphan Annie look going.This weekend we decided to make an investment in our future.
We bought this torture contraption in an effort to get better fit physically and hopefully knock off a few pounds.We (mostly him) spent the better part of Sunday afternoon putting it together. At one point he made the remark that we only thought it was difficult putting a bicycle together. It reminded me of several Christmas Eves as we worked together to assemble the boys' Christmas gifts from Santa. Because we are cheapskates we always bought un-assembled and hoped for the best. This time around there was no gnashing of teeth, wails of anguish, or bouts of quarreling. There was a bit of despair as we completed the next-to-final step but we (mostly me) figured a way to correct the problem. And the crowning glory ... there were NO mysterious unused parts at the end. Yay for us!
Generally we work well together on these types of projects. I'm the brains and he's the brawn. Yes, we are a team.
So, now I have no excuse for not working on getting in better shape physically. Everywhere I turn I see people running, riding bikes, and working out. However, this is a very foreign concept to me, as is obvious from my current physique. Some might say the best, easiest, and most economical way to address the problem is to get outside and walk or ride but there's no way I going the public route, so for now working at home is the only option.
The question that remains is .... do I have the gumption and motivation to stick to it and make it work? I sure hope so. Otherwise, I'll have to turn to my cousin Christie's suggestion and use the torture machine for hanging wet clothes to dry!
Friday, March 2, 2012
The Only Good Snake is a Dead Snake
Just in case you didn't get enough of the story on Facebook ... yesterday I was Wonder Woman. Yep, little (well I'm not really little) ol' me single-handedly killed two, yes you read that right, two snakes!
For several weeks now our cat has been acting like there was some sort of critter on the back porch. To be honest, Dale and I thought it was probably a mouse or a mole but we haven't seen any evidence other than the cat sniffing around. Of course with all the crap on the porch it's entirely possible there's a dead body out there and no one would know it.
I guess you have to see the porch to know exactly what I'm talking about. Gotcha! There's no way I'm showing a photo but I will try to describe the hell-hole that it is. First, we've always had a problem with it leaking whenever it rained. Not a leak through the roof but from the ground, water seeps in from the patio on one side and the yard on the other side and the back. Originally it only leaked when we experienced a real hard rain. And then the youth group from church descended on our house one Friday morning and did an extreme makeover by painting the outside of the house. In the process of painting they discovered the gutters in the back were in really bad shape and pulled them all off. Unfortunately it wasn't in the budget (ours or theirs) to replace them so we were left gutter-less, leading to more runoff seeping onto the back porch. The following year we were forced to have the backyard dug up in order to replace the septic drain field.
In doing so an incline was created that led to ... you guessed it, even more runoff that flows down the hill and directly into the porch every. single. time. it. rains. And now, it's not just water coming but dirt and debris from the yard. To add insult to injury, once the water dries up we're left with mud (Georgia red clay) that eventually dries up and becomes hard as a rock, that is until the next rain comes and starts the vicious cycle all over again.
oops, yes I've now shown you how nasty the porch is after a week of rain.
So, the water problem in and of itself creates for a not-so-attractive back porch. It's actually only the tip of the iceberg. To be perfectly honest, our back porch looks like something straight out of Sanford and Son. It hasn't always been like this. Once upon a time there was a porch swing and a table with chairs. We could actually sit out there and entertain guests. However somewhere along the way it became a dumping ground for stuff. For instance when the boys started growing the kitchen/dining chairs started breaking. Instead of doing what a normal person would do - put 'em out on the street for the trash collectors to pick up - they got stacked on the back porch. When there was no longer room in the house for a metal filing cabinet, it joined the chairs on the porch. Along with all that are 500 pairs of lawn mowing shoes, a couple of skateboards, various pieces of sports equipment, a broken vacuum cleaner, a collection of rakes, shovels, and other lawn paraphernalia, a grill, and a pallet of 40 lb bags of wood pellets. Yes, we are Sanford and Son. Do you see now what I mean about unseen dead bodies?
Anywho, back to the main story of a critter on the back porch. Spunky had been sniffing around the porch for awhile, concentrating on the pallet of pellets ... until Monday when she started going spastic around the grill. She was stalking that thing like a lion stalks prey. I had to literally pick her up to get her in the house that night. It was then that the "S" word came up. Dale asked me if I thought there could be a snake in the grill. You might think that's an odd thing to wonder but you see, once upon a time there WAS a snake in the grill. I scoffed at the idea of lightening hitting twice but bravely lifted the lid just to reassure myself. There was nothing in the grill so I drug the cat inside and forgot about it.
Yesterday morning I was sitting at my desk working at the computer. We are experiencing unseasonably warm weather right now so I had the door to the porch open which gave me a clear view of the patio. I noticed the cat appeared to have captured something and thought "great, she's routed out the critter!" I went out to inspect and much to my utter dismay discovered the "critter" was not a mouse or mole but was in fact two snakes! I don't think she actually routed them from the porch but rather they had slithered out to bask in the warmth of the sun on the hot pavement. Well, they weren't exactly basking when I got out there because they were tightly coiled with their heads reared in attack mode as the cat tentatively reached out her paw to batter the prey. At this point I lost my resolve and shrieked at her. She jumped back but never took her eyes off the snake. And then she proceeded to poke at the snake again.
Stubborn cat! I grabbed the closed thing to me which happened to be the pooper scooper we had for cleaning out the dog's landmines from the backyard. We have been dog-less since early fall but we still have the scooper because we, you know, never throw anything away. Anyway, I grabbed the scooper and started poking at the cat to get her away from the snakes. She reluctantly moved about six inches away. At that point I turned my attention to the snakes who were now uncoiled and appear to be ready to slither away. I knew then I was going to have to kill those suckers 'cause there was no way I could sleep at night knowing there are live snakes right outside my house. I knew the way to kill a snake is to cut its head off so I quickly chopped down on first one head and then the other.
This action did not have the anticipated outcome. First of all, pooper-scoopers are not the sturdiest of tools. It did not sever the head from the body and in fact all it did was piss off the snakes. They both starting lunging at me causing me to scream and the cat to pounce. I then tried to scoop up the snakes to get them away from the cat but instead ended up flipping one of them in the air. This brought on more shrieks which momentarily frightened the cat away. Seizing the moment, I tossed the scooper and reached for a shovel, thanking God for that massive collection of yard tools on the porch. I then proceeded to chop the snakes heads off.
Or not.
Chopping off the heads of snakes is not as easy it looks. I must have chopped down on each one in about six or seven spots but never once seemed to cut all the way through their bodies. After each chop I looked down and those suckers were still twitching which only enticed the cat to come back and play. I kept yelling at her to get away and she would only glare at me and pretend to walk away. I whacked each one again and thought surely they must be dead by now.
At this point I guess most people would have gotten the scooper back out and tossed the snakes over the fence. I'm not most people. I wanted to save their carcasses for my husband and Eddie to see. I could take a picture but I wanted actual physical proof that I battled real snakes and lived to tell the tale. I knew there was no way I could leave the snakes on the patio all afternoon and the cat would leave them alone. Being ever resourceful, and taking advantage of the crap on the porch, I found a clothes basket which I placed over the newly departed.
I went inside to get my phone so I could take a photo and send it to my husband. (I love freaking him out with this stuff!) When I come back outside there's that darn cat with her paw poking the snake through the holes in the basket. I shoo her off again and remove the basket to take the photo. Imagine my surprise when I discover that one of those snake is still not dead. It's mouth is opening and closing.
I swore (yes I said a bad word) and then I looked at the second snake and saw that his tail was still twitching. I took an action shot with my camera and then got the shovel and gave them both two more chops. I think I also yelled something like "die you devil, die!" I placed the basket back on top of the snakes and returned to the house. I stood at the kitchen window watching and sure enough Spunky came back to the snakes and started poking at them again. Exasperated I finally brought her inside and told her she's going into timeout.
I posted a photo of the snakes on Facebook and one of my friends put a horrible thought in my head. She said " Oh yowza! Is it a whole nest of them?? " and now I was absolutely freaked out. Could there be more? ACK!!
When Dale got home from work we pulled the grill out and checked for snakes. We moved the pallet of pellets off the porch and into the garage (after thoroughly shaking each bag off!). This weekend we want to finishing the purging and completely clean off the porch. In addition we make actually tear out the walls of the porch. They're half rotten from all the moisture and the screens have several holes in them from back when Boo was living with us (he did not take well to being kept from the great outdoors).
Unfortunately the weather forecast is for more rain so we'll see how much we actually get done. I'll keep you posted because I'm sure everyone is waiting with baited breath to see if (a) there are more snakes, and (b) if Sherri and Dale actually pull off the Great Clean Up.
For several weeks now our cat has been acting like there was some sort of critter on the back porch. To be honest, Dale and I thought it was probably a mouse or a mole but we haven't seen any evidence other than the cat sniffing around. Of course with all the crap on the porch it's entirely possible there's a dead body out there and no one would know it.
I guess you have to see the porch to know exactly what I'm talking about. Gotcha! There's no way I'm showing a photo but I will try to describe the hell-hole that it is. First, we've always had a problem with it leaking whenever it rained. Not a leak through the roof but from the ground, water seeps in from the patio on one side and the yard on the other side and the back. Originally it only leaked when we experienced a real hard rain. And then the youth group from church descended on our house one Friday morning and did an extreme makeover by painting the outside of the house. In the process of painting they discovered the gutters in the back were in really bad shape and pulled them all off. Unfortunately it wasn't in the budget (ours or theirs) to replace them so we were left gutter-less, leading to more runoff seeping onto the back porch. The following year we were forced to have the backyard dug up in order to replace the septic drain field.
In doing so an incline was created that led to ... you guessed it, even more runoff that flows down the hill and directly into the porch every. single. time. it. rains. And now, it's not just water coming but dirt and debris from the yard. To add insult to injury, once the water dries up we're left with mud (Georgia red clay) that eventually dries up and becomes hard as a rock, that is until the next rain comes and starts the vicious cycle all over again. oops, yes I've now shown you how nasty the porch is after a week of rain.So, the water problem in and of itself creates for a not-so-attractive back porch. It's actually only the tip of the iceberg. To be perfectly honest, our back porch looks like something straight out of Sanford and Son. It hasn't always been like this. Once upon a time there was a porch swing and a table with chairs. We could actually sit out there and entertain guests. However somewhere along the way it became a dumping ground for stuff. For instance when the boys started growing the kitchen/dining chairs started breaking. Instead of doing what a normal person would do - put 'em out on the street for the trash collectors to pick up - they got stacked on the back porch. When there was no longer room in the house for a metal filing cabinet, it joined the chairs on the porch. Along with all that are 500 pairs of lawn mowing shoes, a couple of skateboards, various pieces of sports equipment, a broken vacuum cleaner, a collection of rakes, shovels, and other lawn paraphernalia, a grill, and a pallet of 40 lb bags of wood pellets. Yes, we are Sanford and Son. Do you see now what I mean about unseen dead bodies?
Anywho, back to the main story of a critter on the back porch. Spunky had been sniffing around the porch for awhile, concentrating on the pallet of pellets ... until Monday when she started going spastic around the grill. She was stalking that thing like a lion stalks prey. I had to literally pick her up to get her in the house that night. It was then that the "S" word came up. Dale asked me if I thought there could be a snake in the grill. You might think that's an odd thing to wonder but you see, once upon a time there WAS a snake in the grill. I scoffed at the idea of lightening hitting twice but bravely lifted the lid just to reassure myself. There was nothing in the grill so I drug the cat inside and forgot about it.
Yesterday morning I was sitting at my desk working at the computer. We are experiencing unseasonably warm weather right now so I had the door to the porch open which gave me a clear view of the patio. I noticed the cat appeared to have captured something and thought "great, she's routed out the critter!" I went out to inspect and much to my utter dismay discovered the "critter" was not a mouse or mole but was in fact two snakes! I don't think she actually routed them from the porch but rather they had slithered out to bask in the warmth of the sun on the hot pavement. Well, they weren't exactly basking when I got out there because they were tightly coiled with their heads reared in attack mode as the cat tentatively reached out her paw to batter the prey. At this point I lost my resolve and shrieked at her. She jumped back but never took her eyes off the snake. And then she proceeded to poke at the snake again.
Stubborn cat! I grabbed the closed thing to me which happened to be the pooper scooper we had for cleaning out the dog's landmines from the backyard. We have been dog-less since early fall but we still have the scooper because we, you know, never throw anything away. Anyway, I grabbed the scooper and started poking at the cat to get her away from the snakes. She reluctantly moved about six inches away. At that point I turned my attention to the snakes who were now uncoiled and appear to be ready to slither away. I knew then I was going to have to kill those suckers 'cause there was no way I could sleep at night knowing there are live snakes right outside my house. I knew the way to kill a snake is to cut its head off so I quickly chopped down on first one head and then the other.
This action did not have the anticipated outcome. First of all, pooper-scoopers are not the sturdiest of tools. It did not sever the head from the body and in fact all it did was piss off the snakes. They both starting lunging at me causing me to scream and the cat to pounce. I then tried to scoop up the snakes to get them away from the cat but instead ended up flipping one of them in the air. This brought on more shrieks which momentarily frightened the cat away. Seizing the moment, I tossed the scooper and reached for a shovel, thanking God for that massive collection of yard tools on the porch. I then proceeded to chop the snakes heads off.
Or not.
Chopping off the heads of snakes is not as easy it looks. I must have chopped down on each one in about six or seven spots but never once seemed to cut all the way through their bodies. After each chop I looked down and those suckers were still twitching which only enticed the cat to come back and play. I kept yelling at her to get away and she would only glare at me and pretend to walk away. I whacked each one again and thought surely they must be dead by now.
At this point I guess most people would have gotten the scooper back out and tossed the snakes over the fence. I'm not most people. I wanted to save their carcasses for my husband and Eddie to see. I could take a picture but I wanted actual physical proof that I battled real snakes and lived to tell the tale. I knew there was no way I could leave the snakes on the patio all afternoon and the cat would leave them alone. Being ever resourceful, and taking advantage of the crap on the porch, I found a clothes basket which I placed over the newly departed.
I went inside to get my phone so I could take a photo and send it to my husband. (I love freaking him out with this stuff!) When I come back outside there's that darn cat with her paw poking the snake through the holes in the basket. I shoo her off again and remove the basket to take the photo. Imagine my surprise when I discover that one of those snake is still not dead. It's mouth is opening and closing.
I swore (yes I said a bad word) and then I looked at the second snake and saw that his tail was still twitching. I took an action shot with my camera and then got the shovel and gave them both two more chops. I think I also yelled something like "die you devil, die!" I placed the basket back on top of the snakes and returned to the house. I stood at the kitchen window watching and sure enough Spunky came back to the snakes and started poking at them again. Exasperated I finally brought her inside and told her she's going into timeout.I posted a photo of the snakes on Facebook and one of my friends put a horrible thought in my head. She said " Oh yowza! Is it a whole nest of them?? " and now I was absolutely freaked out. Could there be more? ACK!!
When Dale got home from work we pulled the grill out and checked for snakes. We moved the pallet of pellets off the porch and into the garage (after thoroughly shaking each bag off!). This weekend we want to finishing the purging and completely clean off the porch. In addition we make actually tear out the walls of the porch. They're half rotten from all the moisture and the screens have several holes in them from back when Boo was living with us (he did not take well to being kept from the great outdoors).
 |
| gosh I miss this cat! |
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
In case you haven't heard, especially since the mischievous cat didn't bother to update her blog, the box in the wall has been fixed! Yes, once again we are enjoying the warmth of a fire.
Today is Valentine's Day. I'm not going to write about it because I've covered it all in the past. If you're memory isn't what it used to be and you really care what I have to say about it, you can read it here otherwise, let's get on to more pressing matters.
This morning I had a very strange experience in the shower. No, this time it did NOT involve spiders but it was scary nonetheless. I had one of those complete brain-fog moments in which I was temporarily rendered helpless ... it was an "OMGosh, what do I do now" moment.
Allow me to set the scene.
Sherri.
Shower.
Wait a minute, maybe photos will help you out here.
WHAT????. Did you hear that? What were those sounds? First, the big thump was my husband hitting the floor. When I mentioned the words shower and photographs in the same sentence he passed out cold. It wasn't for fear of me posting photos of myself in the shower (ewwwwwwwwww) but rather fear of me actually showing you the shower stall ... You see, I'm talking about a 40 year-old-never-been-remodeled shower. Think about it. Now wipe that gross image from your brain.
Whewwwwwwwwwwwww.
The second sound was a huge sigh of relief coming from the hubs. It's ok honey, you can get up off the floor now.
And for the rest of you, don't worry. Even though I'm in the shower I promise everything written and shown here will be G-rated (and everyone yells "THANK GOODNESS.!")
Ok, back to the photos. First we have this
and then, this
.
My bathing implements, that's all. What did you expect? This is after all, a G-rated blog.
Anywho, every morning it's the same routine. I blindly stumble into the shower and begin my bathing ritual. First I shampoo my hair (all 345 of them) and then my body. It's the same thing. Every. Single. Day.
Hair
Body.
Today was no different. I washed my hair with my favorite shampoo.
I like to use one for fine hair because ... duh, I have fine hair. I also like this one because it's supposed to give your hair volume which is really nice for people such as me who've found there just aren't as many hairs in the scalp as there used to be. Whether it really works or not, who knows, but I've convinced myself it does and that's all that really matters.
After adequately cleansing my hair I moved on to the next step of washing my body.
I reach for this
and this 
, squishing up the scrubby to make it nice and sudsy.
But today for some reason, something didn't look quite right. And, it's didn't smell quite right either. Where's the fragrant smell of lavender? Why isn't is as sudsy as usual? It's then I realize my mistake. Instead of squeezing out body wash I mistakenly grabbed the shampoo.
And there you have the conundrum of the day. What's a girl to do? Do I rinse off the scrubby and wash away pennies worth of a precious shampoo? Or, do I continue on and wash my body with hair cleaner. Ok. I can see it now. You're all rolling your eyes and asking "what's the big deal? It's only shampoo."
Well, that's the thing. It's SHAMPOO! It's meant for washing hair, not skin. And, I ask you, how do I know it will even work? And even worse what if it DOES work? Have you even read the bottle?
It says right here on the label:
Have you LOOKED at me lately? Do I look like I need to add any more VOLUME to my body?
I think not.
So there it is, There was no way I was going to risk adding volume to my already fluffy body. A quick rinse of the scrubby and a terrible, no good disaster was averted.
Thank goodness because today is Valentine's Day and no way am I greeting my husband at the door with more volume, even though there would be only that much more of me to love!
Today is Valentine's Day. I'm not going to write about it because I've covered it all in the past. If you're memory isn't what it used to be and you really care what I have to say about it, you can read it here otherwise, let's get on to more pressing matters.
This morning I had a very strange experience in the shower. No, this time it did NOT involve spiders but it was scary nonetheless. I had one of those complete brain-fog moments in which I was temporarily rendered helpless ... it was an "OMGosh, what do I do now" moment.
Allow me to set the scene.
Sherri.
Shower.
Wait a minute, maybe photos will help you out here.
WHAT????. Did you hear that? What were those sounds? First, the big thump was my husband hitting the floor. When I mentioned the words shower and photographs in the same sentence he passed out cold. It wasn't for fear of me posting photos of myself in the shower (ewwwwwwwwww) but rather fear of me actually showing you the shower stall ... You see, I'm talking about a 40 year-old-never-been-remodeled shower. Think about it. Now wipe that gross image from your brain.
Whewwwwwwwwwwwww.
The second sound was a huge sigh of relief coming from the hubs. It's ok honey, you can get up off the floor now.
And for the rest of you, don't worry. Even though I'm in the shower I promise everything written and shown here will be G-rated (and everyone yells "THANK GOODNESS.!")
Ok, back to the photos. First we have this
and then, this.My bathing implements, that's all. What did you expect? This is after all, a G-rated blog.
Anywho, every morning it's the same routine. I blindly stumble into the shower and begin my bathing ritual. First I shampoo my hair (all 345 of them) and then my body. It's the same thing. Every. Single. Day.
Hair
Body.
Today was no different. I washed my hair with my favorite shampoo.
I like to use one for fine hair because ... duh, I have fine hair. I also like this one because it's supposed to give your hair volume which is really nice for people such as me who've found there just aren't as many hairs in the scalp as there used to be. Whether it really works or not, who knows, but I've convinced myself it does and that's all that really matters.After adequately cleansing my hair I moved on to the next step of washing my body.
I reach for this
and this , squishing up the scrubby to make it nice and sudsy.But today for some reason, something didn't look quite right. And, it's didn't smell quite right either. Where's the fragrant smell of lavender? Why isn't is as sudsy as usual? It's then I realize my mistake. Instead of squeezing out body wash I mistakenly grabbed the shampoo.
And there you have the conundrum of the day. What's a girl to do? Do I rinse off the scrubby and wash away pennies worth of a precious shampoo? Or, do I continue on and wash my body with hair cleaner. Ok. I can see it now. You're all rolling your eyes and asking "what's the big deal? It's only shampoo."
Well, that's the thing. It's SHAMPOO! It's meant for washing hair, not skin. And, I ask you, how do I know it will even work? And even worse what if it DOES work? Have you even read the bottle?
It says right here on the label:
Have you LOOKED at me lately? Do I look like I need to add any more VOLUME to my body?
I think not.
So there it is, There was no way I was going to risk adding volume to my already fluffy body. A quick rinse of the scrubby and a terrible, no good disaster was averted.
Thank goodness because today is Valentine's Day and no way am I greeting my husband at the door with more volume, even though there would be only that much more of me to love!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
It can be dangerous to leave your computer unattended ....
Dear Blog,
Once again Mommy has left the computer unattended and I've decided to take advantage of the situation. She's been very bad about writing lately and I think I should fill in for her so everyone doesn't forget about her blog.
Life is pretty good right now. We've been having a warmer than usual winter which is a good thing because we have no heat in our home. Something happened to the box in the wall where the heat usually comes out. I don't know exactly how it works but Mommy or Daddy feeds it these pellets and it shines really bright and spits out warm air. When it's cold outside I love to curl up in my basket in front of the box and bask in its heat.
Mmmmm, cozy. I'm so sad that I haven't been able to sit in front of the box for a awhile now.
At first I thought the box didn't work because my parents stopped feeding it. (Gosh I hope they don't stop feeding me!) They feed the box these things they call pellets.
Thank goodness they feed me something different because pellets aren't very tasty (don't ask me how I know). In fact, they don't look or smell like usual noms at all. They look more like things to go poop in. I haven't tried it but I had a brother who did a couple of times. It really made Mommy mad so I try to stay clear of them .... except when I'm looking for something to play with. Whenever someone feeds the box in the wall they usually end up spilling some of the pellets in the floor. Mommy says something about them being a pain the patootie but I think they're fun to push around and chase.
Anyway, Mommy and Daddy stopped feeding the box because they said it was broken. I don't know what happened but it wasn't me! Daddy ordered a part to fix it and some guy in a brown truck brought it to us the other day. Isn't it nice of him to bring it all the way to the front door? I guess it would have been even nicer if he had brought it in and fixed the box but Mommy says that's Daddy's job. My Daddy is so important he has two jobs. One is to the fix the box in the wall, the other is that place he goes to every day and comes home grumpier than one of the seven short guys. I wish Daddy didn't have to go there but Mommy says if I want to keep eating noms he has to go.
I checked out the part that Daddy will use to fix the box.
I'm not sure how it's going to fix the problem, it looks more like one of my toys than a part, but what do I know? I'm just a cat. Anyway, Mommy says it came just in time because the weather is going to turn cold. This is the third part that Daddy has gotten to fix the box and Mommy says if this one doesn't work we'll have to throw in the towel. She also says we need to keep our fingers crossed but I can't do that because I don't have fingers. Hopefully crossing my paws will work just as good. 
And, I really don't want to throw in the towel because what will I lay on if I do?
So, all you peoples out there. Cross your fingers, your toes, your paws, and for good measure, your eyes. I figure it can't hurt and I'm sure Daddy will appreciate knowing he has your support. I thank you from the bottom of my heart to the tip of my tail. And if by chance this part doesn't work, send me your address 'cause I'll be looking for a warmer home.
Gratefully yours,
Spunky
Once again Mommy has left the computer unattended and I've decided to take advantage of the situation. She's been very bad about writing lately and I think I should fill in for her so everyone doesn't forget about her blog.
Life is pretty good right now. We've been having a warmer than usual winter which is a good thing because we have no heat in our home. Something happened to the box in the wall where the heat usually comes out. I don't know exactly how it works but Mommy or Daddy feeds it these pellets and it shines really bright and spits out warm air. When it's cold outside I love to curl up in my basket in front of the box and bask in its heat.
Mmmmm, cozy. I'm so sad that I haven't been able to sit in front of the box for a awhile now.At first I thought the box didn't work because my parents stopped feeding it. (Gosh I hope they don't stop feeding me!) They feed the box these things they call pellets.
Thank goodness they feed me something different because pellets aren't very tasty (don't ask me how I know). In fact, they don't look or smell like usual noms at all. They look more like things to go poop in. I haven't tried it but I had a brother who did a couple of times. It really made Mommy mad so I try to stay clear of them .... except when I'm looking for something to play with. Whenever someone feeds the box in the wall they usually end up spilling some of the pellets in the floor. Mommy says something about them being a pain the patootie but I think they're fun to push around and chase. Anyway, Mommy and Daddy stopped feeding the box because they said it was broken. I don't know what happened but it wasn't me! Daddy ordered a part to fix it and some guy in a brown truck brought it to us the other day. Isn't it nice of him to bring it all the way to the front door? I guess it would have been even nicer if he had brought it in and fixed the box but Mommy says that's Daddy's job. My Daddy is so important he has two jobs. One is to the fix the box in the wall, the other is that place he goes to every day and comes home grumpier than one of the seven short guys. I wish Daddy didn't have to go there but Mommy says if I want to keep eating noms he has to go.
I checked out the part that Daddy will use to fix the box.
I'm not sure how it's going to fix the problem, it looks more like one of my toys than a part, but what do I know? I'm just a cat. Anyway, Mommy says it came just in time because the weather is going to turn cold. This is the third part that Daddy has gotten to fix the box and Mommy says if this one doesn't work we'll have to throw in the towel. She also says we need to keep our fingers crossed but I can't do that because I don't have fingers. Hopefully crossing my paws will work just as good. And, I really don't want to throw in the towel because what will I lay on if I do?So, all you peoples out there. Cross your fingers, your toes, your paws, and for good measure, your eyes. I figure it can't hurt and I'm sure Daddy will appreciate knowing he has your support. I thank you from the bottom of my heart to the tip of my tail. And if by chance this part doesn't work, send me your address 'cause I'll be looking for a warmer home.
Gratefully yours,
Spunky
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
There was a ladybug in the house yesterday. This is January right? Shouldn't she be hibernating or whatever it is ladybugs do in the winter?
I'm sure she regrets her decision to enter our home which, regardless of any attempts at housekeeping, always seems to be full of dust and cobwebs.
She's obviously carrying some excess baggage here.
I know exactly how she feels because I too am carrying around some serious excess baggage.
First there's the baggage of the extra pounds I've managed to pack on in the last few years. I'd like to say I have no idea where those pounds came from but unfortunately it wouldn't be true. No exercise, second helpings, and late night snacks have turned me into a very fluffy person. I like to use the word "fluffy" instead of fat but don't think for a minute that I'm fooling myself. I look in the mirror every morning and see the truth in living color. Using "fluffy" just sounds nicer, don't ya think?
Another set of baggage includes feelings of apathy. After a hectic holiday season I now find myself with all kinds of time on my hands but nothing to fill it with. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty I could be doing, I'm just lacking the desire to actually do any of it. I thought making a written TO DO list would spur me on but so far it hasn't worked.
A third set of excess baggage weighing me down comes from a decision my husband and I have made. It calls for action, and while we're ready to take this action we have to wait for the timing to be right. Many might say there's no such thing as the "perfect time" but because our actions will affect people other than ourselves, we need to time it so as to minimize the impact on them. Patience was never one of my virtues.....
And, last but certainly not least, I carry the baggage of consequences. It's a given that everything we do results in consequences. Not all of them are bad but many are. It's those dire consequences, the ones that knock us flat on our backs, that are weighing heavy on me today. Some of them are deserved, others are just due to dumb luck or being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Regardless, consequences are weighing me down.
I dusted off the ladybug and took her outside, releasing her to the great outdoors. I wish someone would do that for me. Of course, the weather has turned cold again and I'm afraid the little ladybug may have succumbed to the elements. That's not something I want happening to me, so for now, I'll just sit here among my baggage, waiting for someone to dust me off.
I'm sure she regrets her decision to enter our home which, regardless of any attempts at housekeeping, always seems to be full of dust and cobwebs.
She's obviously carrying some excess baggage here.
I know exactly how she feels because I too am carrying around some serious excess baggage.
First there's the baggage of the extra pounds I've managed to pack on in the last few years. I'd like to say I have no idea where those pounds came from but unfortunately it wouldn't be true. No exercise, second helpings, and late night snacks have turned me into a very fluffy person. I like to use the word "fluffy" instead of fat but don't think for a minute that I'm fooling myself. I look in the mirror every morning and see the truth in living color. Using "fluffy" just sounds nicer, don't ya think?
Another set of baggage includes feelings of apathy. After a hectic holiday season I now find myself with all kinds of time on my hands but nothing to fill it with. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty I could be doing, I'm just lacking the desire to actually do any of it. I thought making a written TO DO list would spur me on but so far it hasn't worked.
A third set of excess baggage weighing me down comes from a decision my husband and I have made. It calls for action, and while we're ready to take this action we have to wait for the timing to be right. Many might say there's no such thing as the "perfect time" but because our actions will affect people other than ourselves, we need to time it so as to minimize the impact on them. Patience was never one of my virtues.....
And, last but certainly not least, I carry the baggage of consequences. It's a given that everything we do results in consequences. Not all of them are bad but many are. It's those dire consequences, the ones that knock us flat on our backs, that are weighing heavy on me today. Some of them are deserved, others are just due to dumb luck or being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Regardless, consequences are weighing me down.
I dusted off the ladybug and took her outside, releasing her to the great outdoors. I wish someone would do that for me. Of course, the weather has turned cold again and I'm afraid the little ladybug may have succumbed to the elements. That's not something I want happening to me, so for now, I'll just sit here among my baggage, waiting for someone to dust me off.
Monday, January 2, 2012
2011 - the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Happy New Year! 2011 is officially gone and we're starting a fresh new year. It's only fitting that I look back on the past year and share some highlights.
January 2011
Good - we had an awesome snowfall this year Snowmaggedon 2011, complete with days off from work and school. It was fun at first but after awhile everyone was ready for it to be over.
Bad - I recapped the The Big Roaring Fire from years ago. We laugh about it now, but when it happened it wasn't so funny.
Ugly - I am completely amazed at the lack of self respect some people exhibit aka I can't believe you wore that out in public
February 2011
Good - we experience hints of an early Spring
Bad -I don't have a romantic bone in my body
Ugly - I open up to my not-so-nurturing side
March 2011
Good - Hubby and I celebrated 24 years of wedded bliss
Bad - what started out as a bad, ugly room ended in a much improved room and a sense of accomplishment
Ugly - Boys are sometimes gross, here's proof Life is the pits
April 2011
Good - a run-of-the-mill-day, it's the simple things that make us happy
Bad - nature gives me a run for my money
Ugly - I made a wish. Sadly it partially came to pass and now I racked with guilt
May 2011
Good - my friend Eddie experienced love
Bad - It was a sad day when nationwide we were riveted to the antics of a crackpot
Ugly - In an attempt to promote a project, I revealed my hoarding tendencies.
June 2011
Good - my backyard was the set for new reality tv show
Bad - I did my part to educate the idiots of the world
Ugly - I survived public embarrassment
July 2011
Good - I cleaned up my act, haha!
Bad - My mother chastised me
Ugly - we experienced a home invasion
August 2011
Good - I fell in love!
Bad - there were rough spots, mingled with good
Ugly - I had my first wreck in many decades
September 2011
Good - I was thankful
Bad - 9/11 a day we'll never forget even as life goes on
Ugly - at 54 I did something for the first time in my life
October 2011
Good - I shared the advantages of having an imaginary friend
Bad - I pitched a hissy fit and it wasn't pretty
Ugly - A sad day for the Fraziers, the end of an era
November 2011
Good - Bad - Ugly - it's all a blur.For national blog posting month, my goal was to blog every single day. I fell short by two days. Nothing stands out as particularly note worthy. You be the judge.
December 2011
Good - feeling nostalgic about Christmas
Bad - someone was put on the naughty list
Ugly - I don't have an "ugly" link. The fact that I only blogged six times in December is ugly enough.
There you have it, a look back at the last year. It was a year filled with ups and downs. It was a year to remember and a year to forget. As I enter into the new year, I could be making all kinds of resolutions but I'm not going to do it. I've found that for the most part a list of New Years resolutions does nothing but bring me angst and confliction. Therefore, I chose to start out the new year with only one resolution - I resolve to live each day as if it's my last. I'll try to neither look backward nor forward but live solely in the day.
Today is January 2nd, and so far, I'm doing good.
January 2011
Good - we had an awesome snowfall this year Snowmaggedon 2011, complete with days off from work and school. It was fun at first but after awhile everyone was ready for it to be over.
Bad - I recapped the The Big Roaring Fire from years ago. We laugh about it now, but when it happened it wasn't so funny.
Ugly - I am completely amazed at the lack of self respect some people exhibit aka I can't believe you wore that out in public
February 2011
Good - we experience hints of an early Spring
Bad -I don't have a romantic bone in my body
Ugly - I open up to my not-so-nurturing side
March 2011
Good - Hubby and I celebrated 24 years of wedded bliss
Bad - what started out as a bad, ugly room ended in a much improved room and a sense of accomplishment
Ugly - Boys are sometimes gross, here's proof Life is the pits
April 2011
Good - a run-of-the-mill-day, it's the simple things that make us happy
Bad - nature gives me a run for my money
Ugly - I made a wish. Sadly it partially came to pass and now I racked with guilt
May 2011
Good - my friend Eddie experienced love
Bad - It was a sad day when nationwide we were riveted to the antics of a crackpot
Ugly - In an attempt to promote a project, I revealed my hoarding tendencies.
June 2011
Good - my backyard was the set for new reality tv show
Bad - I did my part to educate the idiots of the world
Ugly - I survived public embarrassment
July 2011
Good - I cleaned up my act, haha!
Bad - My mother chastised me
Ugly - we experienced a home invasion
August 2011
Good - I fell in love!
Bad - there were rough spots, mingled with good
Ugly - I had my first wreck in many decades
September 2011
Good - I was thankful
Bad - 9/11 a day we'll never forget even as life goes on
Ugly - at 54 I did something for the first time in my life
October 2011
Good - I shared the advantages of having an imaginary friend
Bad - I pitched a hissy fit and it wasn't pretty
Ugly - A sad day for the Fraziers, the end of an era
November 2011
Good - Bad - Ugly - it's all a blur.For national blog posting month, my goal was to blog every single day. I fell short by two days. Nothing stands out as particularly note worthy. You be the judge.
December 2011
Good - feeling nostalgic about Christmas
Bad - someone was put on the naughty list
Ugly - I don't have an "ugly" link. The fact that I only blogged six times in December is ugly enough.
There you have it, a look back at the last year. It was a year filled with ups and downs. It was a year to remember and a year to forget. As I enter into the new year, I could be making all kinds of resolutions but I'm not going to do it. I've found that for the most part a list of New Years resolutions does nothing but bring me angst and confliction. Therefore, I chose to start out the new year with only one resolution - I resolve to live each day as if it's my last. I'll try to neither look backward nor forward but live solely in the day.
Today is January 2nd, and so far, I'm doing good.
Happy New Year!
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