Lost inCyber Space

I must admit that I have been negligent in posting on a regular basis for some time now.  With everything going on in my little cyber world I find my computer time being pulled this way and that.  Facebook, emails and shared on-line games are all distractions for me and I must admit that I embraced them with my usual exuberance I have for all things new.  I tend to get distracted very easy when I find shiny new things.   I was told two different times,  once by a ceramics teacher and also by a  former  teacher (who retired after teaching art for over 45 years), that people who go from project to project and who get bored easily tend to be very artistic and crafty.  Not craft as in sly but crafty as in creative.  I don't know about that but I do know that I love to do crafts and artsy things.  I may not be good at them but I do enjoy them   So anyways, a few months ago, well maybe more than a few, I discovered Pinterest.  Boy, was that a mistake!  Not really!  The problem is that what should be a five minute glance seems to turn into a five hour marathon.  SIGH.  Well today while on my Pinterest  marathon I came across the neatest craft blog site.  I was totally thrilled with what Ann from  Make The Best Of Things had pinned on Pinterest. A tutorial on how to make plastic pieces look like rusted tin.  So of course, I had to follow the pin which took me to her blog where I spent a bit of time, I mean a lot of time,  going through her posts. I was so glad that happened because it reminded me how much I love to read blogs and how much I really have missed blogging.  So I am going to try to be faithful to my blog and all of my "Blogs That Make Me Go OH!" and will get back on the blogging train.  I will be  trying to  keep my feet on the ground, my fingers on the keys and will also try to keep from getting lost in cyber space.








 

Like that's goanna happen any time soon.

WOW.....it has, again, been forever since I have posted anything.  Not that I haven't gone to visit my favourite " Blogs that make me go Ohhh" now and then.  I have.  Sometimes I leave a comment and sometimes, more often than not it seems, I just lurk around and enjoy just being an anonymous reader.   I know that I have been saying that I am going to post more often but sometimes life gets in the way.  Between work, grandbabies, family, home stuff, extended family stuff, Facebook, Pinterest and old age,  I just run out of time. I  turn 60 this coming April. I am not getting any younger but my to-do list keeps getting longer.  So I think the smart move for me to make would be to get rid of what takes up most of my time. So what would that be?  Work!  Yep that's the answer to all of my time problems.  I need to retire!  Seriously! And to show how serious I am I have added it to my to-do list.   Right under the line that says, WIN THE LOTTERY!  SIGH! Like that's goanna happen any time soon.

Tuesday was a dhuh day.

Tuesday was a dhuh day. My brain was in a total fog. I had not slept well the night before and was not my usual wide awake self.    I was on my way to work when I realized my gas light was on.  I had no idea of how long the light was on.  Could be minutes or days.  The light is hidden by the way I hold the wheel.  I just happened to look down at the right time and realized it was on.  Just great.  So I figure out where the next gas station is and think I "should" have enough gas to make it there.  Four blocks later I pull into the lot and turn off the key.  Then  I see the little pieces of paper they have taped to the tanks.  NO GAS..... SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE .  A man comes over to assist me and tells me the nearest gas station is about 20 or so blocks away. Great!  Keeping my fingers crossed that I had enough gas, I hit every red light on my rush to get there.  I was  sure that I was coasting along on fumes when I pulled into the gas station with working pumps.  I cosy up to the pump, turn off the key and get out of the car.  Unbelievable!  I am on the wrong side.  SIGH. Over and over in my head, I am saying "pacer passenger, pacer passenger" because the pacer car we had before also had the gas tank on the passenger side and this is a memory reminder for me.  Or at least it is suppose to be. Our van has the gas tank on the opposite side so my mantra usually works.  Apparently not that day. Anyway,   I get back in the car, pull around and stop, get out and again I am in the wrong position. I do this one more time before I  finally have the gas tank and the pump lined up .in the right position.  It is early.  I am tired and am really thinking how badly I need a coffee.  There are no other vehicles around. Mine is the lone car in a huge parking lot.  I know, for a fact, that the clerk in the store has been watching me drive around and around the  lot, pulling up in the wrong position and then driving around to try it again. He must have thought I was a  total air head. I must say that he was very professional when I went in to pay. He didn't laugh at me right away,  He waited until I laughed and said  to him that it was going to be one of those days.  Then he laughed and said "Ya think?"   SIGH!!  Tuesday was a dhuh day.

 

I am "The Lord"

This is an oldie but goodie that got drafted instead of posted.  So here iris.

I was over visiting Tatting Chic who does beautiful lace work and she had this test on her side bar:

Who Would You Be In 1400 AD. ?As I love reading books that take place in the 1400's I though it only right that I take the test.
It turns out that I would be "The Lord". I am sure this means "Lord of the Manor" and not "The Lord" as in the biblical sense.
Although I do believe that God is a woman not a man. But I am starting to digress and that is a post subject for another day.
Here is what the test had to say about me:
You scored 8% Cardinal, 59% Monk, 47% Lady, and 51% Knight!
You are of the intellectual breed and yet you are also very interested in war. ou are of the aristocracy and head the cavalry a safe distance from the carnage of the front lines. You believe in defeating your enemy with not only might, but also wit. You scored high as both the Monk and the Knight. You can try again to get a more precise description of either the Monk or the Knight, or you can be happy that you're an individual.Hmmmm.....it hit a few things right for me. Why not go and try the test for yourself?

I hate Swiss cheese!

It has been forever since I have posted anything on my blog.  Every once in a while I think I should go and post this or that, or think this would be a good thing, sad thing, funny thing, stupid thing or interesting thing to post. And then I promptly go to my computer or iPad turn it on  and get side tracked again.  I think I must be part Swiss....cheese that is...in my brain...cause it is  full of holes.  I am on FB now, but I don't tweet, text,  instant message or use my cell phone for anything other than making calls after I have punched in the phone number because I don't know how to put them into or bring them out of  the memory or phone book or whatever it is called.    This shows how my mind does not like new things. I have a hard enough time holding on to the stuff  that is already in there, without adding more stuff to confuse myself even more than I already am.  So although I know I have said it before, I really will try to post more often.  I promise! Now if I could only remember what I was going to talk about when I started this post. SIGH!!  I hate Swiss cheese!

I Won't Sweat The Small Stuff!

The trouble with getting older is not the loss of years, or saying keys when you meant car or saying "I can't think of the word" when you know perfectly well what the word is but you can't spit it out.  Or forgetting where you put what it is you are looking for and can't find. No, those are minor annoyances that you deal with as they happen.  What is really frustrating, to me, is not being able to work with small items as well as I used to.  I feel like my fingers are all thumbs.  They are so clumsy. Hubby John is putting up a new shed.  I help where I can.  I find  trying to hold the small screws and nuts and bolts is not as easy as it used to be.  A touch of arthritis in the hands does not help.  Crafting is still fun but I tend to get frustrated working with the little bits of glimmer, adornments and bling.   I am having to learn to do old things in new ways.  It's a learning process that I have a feeling will be mine from now until the end of my time.  Oh well....if that is the worse that I have to complain about then I guess my life is really good.  So I will throw in my crying towel and quit complaining.  Now,  where did I put my....you know...the thing you plug in that gets hot and sticks stuff together....oh yah,  glue gun.  Grrrr..Not to worry.  It's all good.  I'll just use tape and I won't sweat the small stuff!

I Am Glad This Week Is Over!

My trusted office cohort, Ms. S., is on holidays for three weeks.  I am happy for her.  I am sad for me. When either of us is away, the one left behind holding down the fort,  has to do the work of two people.  It is not always easy.   My week went like this.  Monday, I dumped the full contents of travel mug in my work tote bag while trying to unlock the office door.  I had set the mug, which I thought was closed, in the bag to free up my hands.  Apparently, it was not closed and I didn't realize it until I moved the bag to the floor, from my chair, where I had set it when I got to my desk.  When I sat down I had a wet bottom and made the discovery of the 3" of cappachino in the bottom of my bag, in my sandwich container and all over my gloves, hat and umbrella. On Tuesday I spent 8 hours with face plastered against my computer screen, editing a file. Over and over and over again.  52 pages of little tiny lines of numbers and copy that had to line up and didn't want to.  I hate working with word files. At the end of  the day,  my eyes feel like they are permanently crossed and I am still not finished. Wednesday, I spent another 8 hours re-editing the same file, over and over and over again.  At the end of the day I was still not done, but I was happier with my progress and not as cross eyed.  I email what I had completed so far, to the customer to proof  and the I headed home for the day.  Thursday, first thing in the morning I open an email from the customer, who informs me that the proofs of the work that I spent the last two days working on, are not correct.  I had been working on the wrong file. Apparently, somehow, I must have deleted the original.  I couldn't find anything in the recycle bin or deleted file so I do not know where the file went.  Somehow I got working on an earlier version from last year.   I cannot believe this is happening.  I want to go back home, crawl into bed and cry.   GRRRR..  I.took full responsibility for the whole fiasco. Even though a back up of the original file should have been made before the job came to me, I can't blame anyone else but me for the error.  I should have made my own back up of the file when I first got it and not depended on someone else to do their job.  I will not make that mistake again!   My boss was not happy and I don't blame him.  He was understaning in that it was a stupid mistake. There was nothing to do but start over.   I spent the rest morning trying to find  a copy of  the original email and file, that had been sent to someone else, who was away for the day.  Then, working with  another employee, (she is not in the office but works in the company) we located a copy, deep in the computer somewhere, and spent the next few hours getting the headers and margins and all that stuff sorted out.  I then handed the  job over to her to do the editing.  There was no way that I was going to try to start over again on that job.   Instead, I spent the next 5 hours typing dockets, answering the phone that never stopped ringing and assuring my boss, who was constantly at my desk hovering, that the editing on that stupid job, would get done. TAKE A PILL AND CALM DOWN is what I would like to tell him, but I didn't.   Today, Friday, I spent the day trying to get done, the work that has been sitting on my desk from when I was away on a weeks holiday, 2 weeks ago.  I have not had time to even look at it.  I spent an hour just replying to emails that had been set aside as not urgent.  As for the stack of paperwork in my in-box,  I still have not gotten it done.  I did make a very small dent in it,  but it still sits there waiting for me. I shudder every time I look at my desk.  It is so messy with piles of stuff waiting to be sorted and dealt with.  Maybe next week.....fingers crossed.  Anyway, I had been up a few times sick during  Thursday night.   I went into work on this morning, still feeling sick but thinking I could shake it off.   I ended closing the office early and going home.  I crawled into bed where I slept for a few hours.  I woke up still feeling ill.    I am glad this week is over!!

I M LAZY

Hmmmm.....it's been a while since my last post. I haven't been too busy......more lazy than busy....I have been content to just lie on the couch after supper clean up and watch TV until time for bed......I've cleaned house when I absolutely had to.......when I noticed the dust bunnies carrying baby cat Oscar down the hallway........Hubby John is great.....he doesn't complain about the mess......he helps makes meals and helps with clean up after them.......I am slowly coming back to life.......I have a bit more energy.......so hopefully I will be back blogging full-time sooner than later......I have missed reading my blogs that make me go ahhh....so I will try to read at least one a night and leave a comment to let them know I was there.....I will try to post at least once a week........no promises but I will try...I have lots to write about....Cutie Patootie Neve, Mr. B. aka Kian....kids, job and Hubby John......so I will try harder........

Early Morning Crunchy Bites

It’s 5:00 o’clock on Saturday morning and here I am, wide awake, sitting half naked at this stupid computer while asking myself, “WHY DO I EVEN BOTHER”? All I wanted was a glass of water. At this time of the morning I don’t care if the glass is half full or half empty. As long as it is cold water, I just don’t really care. When I woke up, I must say I was surprised. Pleasantly surprised that is. Yes, it was 5:00 AM but that is better than 3:00 AM which is my usual “wake up in the middle of the night” time. Baby Cat Oscar meowed to question what the heck was going on. Even he knew this was not our middle of the night wake up time. 3:00 AM is the time for us to haul our butts out of bed to go to the bathroom, get a drink of water and get a tiny handful of crunchy bites. Um….let me clarify that statement….the crunchy bites would be for Baby Cat Oscar, not me, and he gets them only if I am awake enough to maneuver the basement stairs and I am not too cranky. Then he gets lucky. Stupid cat.....smart me. I know, I know, you all think Baby Cat Oscar is the smart one because I go to the basement to give him crunchy bites, and that I am some kind of idiot to do that at three AM. You all think that I should just pee, get my drink and then stumble back to bed. And sometimes I do that. BUT sometimes I have flashes of pure genius in the wee hours of the morning and I think to myself……if I give Baby Cat Oscar some crunchy bites now, then he will let me sleep in an extra 10 or 15 minutes in the morning when I hit the pause button on the alarm. Because when that alarm goes off he does not stop…..meow...meow…meow….meow…push paw…push paw…push paw…meow…meow…meow…. and after being told, in a not so nice way, to buzz off….he will find something to make noise with, whether it is the door, the carpet or just purring loud enough to wake the dead. So you see, crunchy bites at 3:00 AM are pure genius for my part. It's sort of like giving a baby an extra ounce or so of milk in the wee hours because you know you’ll reap the rewards later that morning when the baby sleeps in for an extra half hour or so. So I really am one smart crunchy…I mean cookie.
But I digress. So let’s forget about the crunchy bites and I will get back to the clock. It has been, for years, that I wake up at 3:00 AM. I must have had something happen in that time frame,in a previous life, that has scarred my psyche because it is so very rare that I wake up at any other time during the night...um I mean morning.. So, for me, seeing the clock say 5:00 AM instead of 3:00 AM. is quite a pleasant surprise. Sigh….life is so good! Now falling out of bed ….well that was not so pleasant but it’s still all good. I am fine. Nothing got broke and I made it downstairs in one piece. I know I really should put on my nightgown when I go downstairs but who’s going to see me naked? Baby Cat doesn’t mind and if Hubby John saw, I know he wouldn’t mind. And if the neighbors are looking in the window, well I really don’t care if they mind. A bad scare like that would serve them right for looking in my window, wouldn’t it? In the back of my head though, that little voice of reason, and I do mean little, keeps saying over and over….”What would happen if you fell down the stairs hit your head and were unconscious and HJ found you and called an ambulance and they came to take you to the hospital? HJ would not think to put your nightgown on you before he called for help. Strangers would be looking at you….naked at the bottom of the stairs…..How embarrassing would that be??? So when I got downstairs I grabbed a towel and put it around me before I went down the basement stairs to give Baby Cat Oscar some crunchy bites. That explains my half nakedness…one large bath sheet wrapped around me which is making me feel hot….but I think the AC is kicking in so that should help cool things down. As for the water, I grabbed my glass from last night, checked for spiders, took a sip and decided the water was too warm and so I fed it to my spider plant that hangs in the kitchen window. Isn’t that odd? I hate spiders but I do like my spider plant. Huh…go figure. So after the plant, Baby Cat Oscar and I had our water and BCO had his crunchy bites and we both used our own loo’s, we were on our way back to bed when I started having a sneezing attack. Great….just great! I grabbed a handful of tissues, came into the office and started to try to blow my nose quietly so as not to wake up Hubby John. Now I know that that is one of the stupidest things I do….really…..it is! HJ snores so loud that a bomb could go off beside the bed and I swear he wouldn’t hear it. So me sneezing and blowing my nose downstairs in a room on the opposite side of the house from where he is sleeping is not going to wake him up. I know this……but I still go into the office, every time an early morning sneezing attack starts. Just so I don't wake him up. Aren’t I a good and caring wife? Take note HJ….see what I do for you and you don’t even know it. I certainly hope you think of this at anniversary time…hee..hee..hee!
I just now looked at the time and realized I have been drinking, peeing, sneezing, feeding Baby Cat Oscar and typing away for over an hour. Baby Cat Oscar is sleeping and snoring on my feet. So I’ll wake him up and then the two of us are going back to bed. Hopefully I will fall back to sleep….right away. If not I’ll count sheep….or better yet, crunchy bites.

I'm Back!

It's been a little over a month since my last post. A lot of really great things have happened during that down time. But I can't discuss them because someone else hasn't discussed them on her blog yet and it would be mean of me to do so before she does so for now I will just say........I'm back!

OLD FOOL ON APRIL 1st.

It was so warm and sunny outside today that I wasn't at all bothered by the fact that I had to park some distance from the bank to deposit my pay cheque this morning. As I got out of the car and was grabbing a reusable carry bag (just in case) I heard whistling. "What is that??!!??" I thought to myself. "It's really a catchy tune". First I thought it was being blared over a broadcasting system by the mall and then I thought that is was from one of the trucks that were blocking a lane of through traffic . As I was walking toward the mall, the driver of the small van that was parked in front of the big truck, got in and started up his vehicle to drive away. The whistling stopped and I thought that he had some music playing while he had made his delivery in the mall and when he started up his very loud truck it drowned out the whistling. Who knew? Who cared? Not me that's for sure. There was traffic all over down there today. With so many delivery trucks and vans illegally parked so the drivers could make their deliveries in the mall, other drivers were playing chicken trying to get around the parked trucks and keep the traffic flowing. It was like playing a game of dodge ball when I tried to get across the road to the other side. Both myself and another lady ran like heck to avoid being hit by a senior that seemed to have lost her ability to read the STOP sign. Why stop?? The pedestrians will move....one way or the other. Anyway, I did make it across to the road in one piece and got into the bank ATM area and was able to get one of the machines without having to wait. Lucky me. The line up inside the bank was insane, and it was only 9:30 in the morning! So I'm at the ATM and pulled out my bank card and put it in the machine and I wait.....and wait....and wait.....and.....OH!..it probably would help if I put it in the right way wouldn't it!!??!! That's what the beeping was. I never realized that those machines made so much noise. So I turn my card around and put it in the machine correctly and punch in my code when I hear that whistling again. I looked beside me thinking it was the guy over there but he was looking at me with this look that said, "What' that?". What is that noise from??? DHUH....the noise is from my purse, or to be more exact, my new cell phone that is in my purse. . So I dig out my phone, say hello, and start laughing as I tell my dear Hubby John what an idiot I am. I just know he was rolling his eyes and yes, I am sure, laughing at me, but all he did was ask me, "Well what did you think the noise was?" I am still laughing at myself. That ring explains why the woman walking by me in the parking lot kept looking over at me. I guess I am still not used to having a cell phone and I think this is only the second call I have received on it. I am sure that eventually I will get used to my purse making noises. It's all good. Besides, today is April 1st and if nothing else, I proved that there is no fool like an old fool.

On the Mend

I am still upright and breathing, which in my opinion, is half the battle.
I have hours at a time now,where, I am not trying to cough up a lung.
I have no fever and it seems to be gone and not coming back.......knock on wood.
I can actually taste some things now. Not everything tastes like cardboard.
That is surely a good sign isn't it?
Thanks to all for the good wishes and advice.
Life is good......I am on the mend.

That's the way it should be.

My office cohort, Sheila, is gone on holiday to sunny Mexico, where word has it, she is enjoying every minute of her muchly deserved holiday. The last two years have been especially hard ones for her and I am so glad that she is away, in the sun, getting some well deserved rest and relaxation. That being said, I, of course, have come down with a cold bug. Isn't that always the way? Murphy's Law decrees that when you can take off time to be sick you never get sick and when you just can't take time off to be sick, you get sick.
See the picture? That's what I feel like.....cranky, sick and miserable!
I am sneezing and coughing and feeling yucky but I am still valiantly going into work. I am the only one in the main office while Sheila is gone. That office would grind to a stand-still and shut down if we were both gone at the same time. So I keep my Kleenex and hand sanitizer on my desk and I try to stay away from everyone in the plant and other offices. There are times when all I want to do is crawl under my desk and sleep....but I can't, so I don't. There is nothing I can really do about it except drink my hot drinks, blow my nose a lot and take a Tylenol every six hours or so if I start feeling even more yucky. My boss, who I really do like, hovers around me when he hears my having a coughing fit. Do I need anything? Can he go and get me a tea? Coffee? Hot Chocolate? Is there anything he can do? Isn't he just the nicest person? It's like having your mommy there isn't it? NOT!!! He is just worried that I am going to get up out of my chair, turn off my computer and make the announcement that I am too sick to work and I am going home. Who would run the office then? HA! I love having this power over him. Mind you it would probably be more effective if I wasn't coughing up a lung and blowing my nose every few minutes. Nevertheless, I am in a power play position and I could be really mean and go home instead of staying at work. But then .....who would flutter all around me, offering me hot drinks and making little noises that mean....awww poor Lois..... Hubby John? No Way!! When I am in the car with him he wants me to keep my car window open a bit "to suck out all the bad germs"...never mind the fact that I am getting frost bite. Jeez! I will get no sympathy from that side of the car. So I'll be a good girl, go into work, use my hand sanitizer, my Kleenex and Tylenol and not breath near anyone. Sigh....poor me....sniffle, sniffle...no, I'm not crying....my nose is running and I have run out of Kleenex. I am just so happy that Sheila is back on Tuesday. But you know.....with Murphy's Law and the way that always goes, I should be all better by then. With no sign of sniffles or lungs being coughed out, Sheila will think I have had an easy smeasy week and she won't feel guilty about being gone. And that's the way it should be.

How to have a heart attack in the kitchen.

I have always maintained that domestic chores will someday be the death of me. This true story proves my point. This is my way of having a heart attack in the kitchen.
1: Decide, at 8 o'clock in the evening, to make strawberry milkshakes while watching the Canada/Russia hockey game playoff for Team Canada to be able , if they win, to go to the final game for a chance at gold in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
2: Go down to freezer, change the laundry over to the dryer, hang up wet jeans....while checking for sneaky spiders,... then put another load of laundry into the washer, feed baby cat Oscar again, go back to the freezer and get the ice-cream which was your whole point in going downstairs to start with, start up the stairs, go back down and over to the freezer.....again......to turn off the light....yell upstairs to Hubby John who is in the back family room and is yelling something to someone, .... "John if your yelling at me I can't hear you....
John,I Can't Hear You .... JOHNICAN'THEARYOU!!!! ..... get distracted and feed Baby Cat Oscar for the third time this evening.....and then ....finally.... go back up the stairs and into the kitchen.
3: Go to the fridge freezer and get frozen strawberries and ice cubes out and then open the fridge to get milk out and set everything on the counter by the microwave....go back into the fridge to get some strawberry jam and set it on the counter too. Yell back at Hubby John, who is still in the back room, and who is yelling at me or someone else, something about missing the game or the net ...."OK I heard you!" ..... "Yes I Heard You!".... "YESIHEARDYOU!!"
3: Move the blender from the counter by the window to the counter by the microwave because it's easier to move just the blender rather than all the ingredients for the shakes.
4: Double check to make sure you got everything you need and discover the ice-cream scoop is missing. Check out both drawers and find the scoop in the back under a soup ladle. What the heck is it doing there??? Close the drawer and open up ice-cream container and then dump melted ice water out of the bowl.
5: Notice that you haven't plugged in blender.
6: Plug in blender BEFORE you REALIZE the lid and lid plug are inside the glass bowl of the blender and the speed control button is NOT in the OFF position.
7: Jump 4 feet in the air while clutching your chest and saying to Baby Cat Oscar (who has come into the kitchen to see what you're doing), """Cheese on bread.... Oh my god.... !!!!!**&&%%++##@@!!%%$$******" then frantically pull the plug on the blender out of the wall socket while still clutching your chest.
8: Lean against counter with shaky knees, while trying to get your heart beat down to a more reasonable rate so you can take out and check over the lid and plug that you always leave in the blender bowl but usually remove BEFORE you push the speed control button.
9: Rinse the teeny, tiny plastic pieces that got ground off the lid and plug, out of the glass blender bowl, then also rinse the "still-almost-like-new-except-for-a few-nicks", lid and plug.
10. Check to make sure blender is on OFF position, plug in, add milk, mostly melted ice-cream, frozen strawberries, jam and more ice-water than ice-cubes. Put plug in lid and lid on blender and hit the start button.
And there you go! Yummy strawberry milkshakes to sip while watching Canada ....finally.... after 50 years, win over Russia, in the Olympics. Along with one pair of knees that have stopped shaking and one heart that is still going strong despite having a heart attack in the kitchen....life is good.

For now it's completed.

I am very slowly reconstructing my "Blogs that make me go ohhh..." list. It is very distracting. The problem is that I go to one blog, which leads me to another blog and so on and so on. At this rate I will never get it completed. Oh well......it's fun anyway. I am sure I have more blogs on the list now than I did before. But that is no problemo! It just gives me more blogs to visit! By the way, I did go to over to Pink Licorice Life to see what Naomi was up to. She is celebrating her 200Th post and is having a give-away. Pop over and see what it's all about. You'll be glad you did. Tell Naomi that I sent you. As for me I will add more blogs to my list as I come across them. For now, it's completed.

I feel ill.

SIGH.................................
I feel ill.
I just came home from a 10 day vacation in Salvo, North Carolina in the USA.
We (8 adults & 1 cutie patootie) rented a beautiful house on the seashore.
We drove down in 2 vehicles and the roads and traffic both there and back were good with no mishaps along the way.
The states we drove through were so pretty and the people we had contact with in all the states were friendly and helpful.
The rest stops along the Interstate highways were always clean.
I must say that Virginia takes my breath away as does Pennsylvania.
The mountains were......well lets just say I couldn't get enough of them.
The further south we drove the more sunshine and warm weather we had.
Just watching the colours turn from drab browns to greens then to a riot of colours as the flowers and blooming plants became more frequent was really good to see.
By the time we reached North Carolina it was hot enough that we had the air conditioning on in the van and we were ready for shorts, tank tops and sandals.
The time we spent in NC was so relaxing and fun. The people of that state are so laid back and friendly. Always eager to help if they think we needed it.
The weather was perfect....the sun shone most of the time.
Most of us got sunburned even with wearing sun screen.
The water was warm...we spent one morning playing in the waves in the ocean and one afternoon in the quieter bay side of the ocean.
The wind was always there...sometimes just a pleasant breeze...most times blowing hard enough that we propped open the doors to keep them from slamming shut.
The wind was great for sleeping at night because it was cool but there were also no mosquito's.
One of us, not me, slept out in the screened porch most of the week. She loved it!
During the day and evenings we walked along the beach collecting shells and enjoying the ocean view. We played games, read, shopped and just enjoyed each others company for the week.
Sometimes we did nothing but stare at the ocean.
One evening we went over to Avon and got our crabs at Dirty Dicks and afterwards we stopped for dessert at the DQ.
Another evening we watched people fishing off the pier in Avon. Someone caught a fish that looked like a stingray but it wasn't one. I think it was called a skype. I could be wrong on the name and/or the spelling though.
Anyway the vacation wasn't good......... it was GREAT!
We got home Sunday afternoon and I had Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off.
I worked Thursday and that just about killed me.
Today is Friday which I had off because I am only working four day weeks now. Also because this is my four day week and because it is a Federal holiday on Monday it works out that I won't go into work until Wednesday of next week.
That sucks big time! Man, I don't know if I can handle working for a living anymore!
I feel ill just thinking about it.
SIGH......................

Don't even ask.

Hubby John has always said that I can't walk and chew gum at the same time. I hate to admit that he speaks the truth on this subject.
I can't believe that I did what I did tonight. It boggles my mind. Sometimes I wonder how I ever wake up, get dressed and drive to work without hurting myself.
After being off for the last 12 days on vacation, I went back to work today. I worked 3 hours extra this evening to try to clear some of the vacation return desk-mess that always greets me when I get back into the office.
I am sure you know what it is like. Vacation is great but the work is still there when you get back.
Sheila, my office cohort, was great at making sure that I have separate file folders for book orders, docket orders, and stuff to take care of when I get back and have the time to deal with it. She takes care of my email and even sorted and created files for my personal emails, emails that need to be answered and emails that are questionable.
THANK YOU SHEILA! She really makes a return from holiday much easier. I am so lucky to work with her.
Anyway, today was a very long, hectic non-stop day for me. Working those extra three hours made me very tired and I was really glad to get home. Hubby John had cooked up a pan of homemade macaroni and cheese for my supper. So I grabbed a bowl of the mac & cheese, my bowl of salad and a big glass of cold milk, took two steps towards the family room and promptly dumped everything. Oh my gosh , there was cheese sauce and salad everywhere! The ooey gooey cheesy macaroni dumped down the side of the stove, all over the floor and splashed the side wall, water cooler and the pantry. Did I mention that the pantry has louvered doors? Do you know what a pain-in-the-ass louvered doors are for cleaning? Trust me they are.....a really big PITA! Mixed into the mess was the salad with the wonderful creamy ranch dressing and feta cheese crumbles. What a MESS!!!
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the oven mitts that are hanging beside the stove. Yep....most of them got covered in or filled up with mac & cheese and salad with ranch dressing. Just lovely!
I didn't drop the glass of milk but it had floaters....yum, yum.
And of course the clean shirt that I had just put on was no longer clean.
SIGH...........................
All I could do was clean up the mess. Hubby John came out to help and after he was done laughing we washed the stove and the walls and the damn louvred pantry doors, the water cooler, the kitchen floor, the whole kitchen floor mind you, and then we washed and rinsed off/out the oven mitts (all 6 of them).
Then I had to make my supper all over again.
This time I didn't drop anything and I made it to the family room to watch Survivor and a 2 hour special of Gray's Anatomy while eating my lovely dinner. (Watching that season finale was worth the kitchen mess for sure....I can't wait for the new season to start in the fall.)
So when Hubby John says I can't chew gum and walk at the same time he really means it. Just look at what happened when I tried to walk and carry something at the same time.
I'm going to bed now. I am tired beyond belief and I think I just found some cheese sauce in my hair.........don't even ask.
P.S. Thanks for making supper John. It was good!

Here I come!

So far this has been a most excellent long weekend for me. On Friday Hubby John and I had our Cutie-Patootie Neve for the day. We spent most of the day outside watching her ride her bike. Neve wanted hot dogs for lunch so Hubby John barbecued them, stuffed them with cheese and relish and served his two ladies outside in the sunshine. Mmmmmm Good! After lunch we all made a quick trip to Canadian Tire to buy a much needed basket, horn and handle streamers for Neve's bike. We had promised Neve a trip to Dairy Queen for a treat but first we drove around for a bit hoping that she would fall asleep for a nap. After 45 minutes so she piped up from the back and asked her Papa how long was it going to take to get there. So we got to the DQ stopped and enjoyed our treats and on the way home Neve did sleep. So we did get her nap in which was a good thing. Neve was in such a great mood the whole day and a great time was had by all of us. After her daddy picked her up to take her to her swimming lessons, Hubby John and I just sat outside enjoying the sunshine and reading. Later we did steaks and potatoes on the BBQ and I fried up a whole mess of fresh mushrooms. Very tasty! By midnight I was up in bed and sound asleep. Saturday morning I tidied up the house and got ready for our pot luck dinner that evening. Part of our "gang" joined us for dinner and as usual we all ate way too much really good food. The rest of the group came by later on for cards and munchies.....like any of us needed them!...and a good time was had by all. Today and tomorrow Hubby John and I plan on spending some time together....maybe working on the bathroom.....maybe not....we'll see what happens. Right now I am going to make myself a cup of tea and a piece of toast and I'm going to find my book to read. Look out sunshine ...here I come!

A window opens for me.

In these hard economic times of closures, bankruptcy, slow downs and lay-offs I am very lucky to still have a job. Times are hard and most companies are doing whatever it takes to secure their long term survival. With the economy the way it is and with business very slow my boss is taking measures to ensure that employment is secure with the company, our benefits remain and that the company survives this slow period. In the last few weeks all of the employees have had hours cut. I am losing seven hours a week. It's not so bad! At least I still have a job and benefits. The cuts take me down to a four day week. Sheila, my office cohort, and I are the only two working in the office and we have worked it out that one week she takes a Friday and the following Monday off and the next week I take those two days off. That means one of us always has a four day weekend.....or a four day work week. Six of one, a half dozen of the other. Whatever! Either way I am loving it! Yes, money is tight but I'll learn how to budget better. And it's OK....at least I do have a paycheck, albeit it a smaller one, coming in on a regular basis.
Twenty one years ago, in the first week I started at the company, I was asked what my long term goal was. I said that I wanted to work full time and eventually go to part time hours before I retired completely from the company. I may be on the way to seeing that goal come true.
I have wanted to work less hours for some time now but felt guilty about even attempting it. The good thing about the cut in hours is that I don't need to feel guilty because there is nothing I can do about it. The decision was made for me.
I know Hubby John is a bit nervous about this new adventure as his business is feeling the downturn in the economy too. Money is definitely tight for us but I know it's going to be OK. Yes, it will be tough going but we've gone through bad times before and we came out alright. We have God and some pretty awesome guardian angels watching our backs. If anything, the whole experience will take us back to where we started out over thirty years ago with two babies, a mortgage, car payments and only one income. We will relearn how to do without and still survive. HJ and I both know that shit happens but there are always options to be had. If shit does happen then do what it is you need to do....stock up on toilet paper and get on with the job.
So, as far as my cut hours are concerned, I am thrilled!
I am seeing one of my long term goals happen.
I guess the old adage about a door closing and a window opening is true.
At least it is for me.

Have a good week everyone, including me.

I think I am cursed.
No.....really!
After this weekend I thought it was all behind me.
I felt good and was ready to breeze through the week.
Ya, right!
Guess what I did this morning while eating my breakie?
I lost half of a tooth.
Just peachy!
So now I get to spend Tuesday afternoon having my tooth put back together.
Grrrrrr.......
Oh and just to make the week more interesting I think I am getting the bladder infection they kept asking me about at the hospital.
Grrrr........
I hope that the little shit cloud that is hanging over me moves on somewhere else.
I am getting tired of body breakdowns.
Alright...big breath in and let it out slowly.....now I am ready to get over it and get on with it.
Have a good week everyone......including me.