How I escaped yardwork...

I know many of you enjoy yardwork, and some of you enjoy gardening. While I do enjoy gardening, the actual yard work aspect of cutting the lawn, trimming it, pulling weeds, are not on my list of favorite things to do. When I came home from work Thursday, the front and back yard was cut and trimmed, the outdoor décor items we use in the backyard, including my awesome solar stump light, were taken from the garage and displayed in the right places.

It dawned on me that there were huge advantages to having a 18 year old be a resident of our household. He enjoys yardwork, even the persnickety lawnmower that likes to give me grief starting every time seems to so far, cooperate for him. Though when looking for a companion to my eflish type stump light, had I known there were gargoyles? I'd have at least two...maybe three...

Ever wonder about wrinkles?

I had a friend once who was really into Sharpei's, she had two of them, so whenever I hear anyone talk about wrinkles in any shape or form from the best wrinkle creams to complaining about wrinkles in their clothing, I automatically visualize her one puppy...who was one of the most wrinkled ones I'd ever seen, similar to the image of the puppies shared here. I realize since I am approaching 50 I should be more concerned about wrinkles, but I don't think I'll ever have to worry about being that wrinkled to the point where I don't smile when I hear them mentioned...

:-)

Seven things you don't know about me...

My friend Jason from The Rowsey Blog tagged me with the meme of "Seven things you don't know about me." It's actually been some time since I did one of these, since it was Jason I decided I'd give it a shot. It's going to be hard to come up with seven things some of you who have known me for a long time won't know.

1. I never planned on having any children, I did not even like babysitting and in theory I was supposed to have a difficult time conceiving. Five children later, I learned God has an interesting sense of humor.

2. Knowing that my oldest child, my only son, is going to turn 26 tomorrow is both a moment of pride and one where I ask myself, "Sheesh, am I really that old?"

3. I freak my 14 year old daughter out when she discovers some of her favorite songs are ones I was already listening too. The most recent one is "Shattered" by O.A.R.

4. I used to not only play guitar but was a lead singer in a band. Obviously we didn't make it...

5. I lost my very first love when we both ran away from home together when I was 16. When we got caught, he was sent away to some youth facility and I have never been able to find him since. To this day I avoid being in the state of Utah any longer than possible, that's where we were caught.

6. I've started several books and have managed to only finish one of them.

7. Miguel is my third husband, I'm trying to see if that old adage, "Third time is a charm" is true or just bs people like to tell you after you've failed at something twice.

Something you all know is I'm not a traditionalist, so, rather than tag 7 of you, anyone who wants to play along can let me know or if you are one of my readers that doesn't have a blog, (Yes C...that means you too) are more than welcome to share 7 things that I don't know about you in the comments.

:-)

Things I didn't know about tire chains...

I admit living here in Ohio where tire chains are not used often, I have always wondered exactly how they are supposed to work. Ironically even instructions on how to put on tire chains exist on the internet, as well as the various state laws of where they are legal and when they can be used. At times I think back to before the internet and how it was at times harder to get information about something that just came into your mind that you wondered about. It's not as if tire chains often come up during the course of a conversation. Which means for someone like me who starts thinking about the oddest things at times, I can find the answer to what I'm looking for and then entertain you with how my mind works.

:-)

Confessions of a former hat person...

Right now I am married to a hat person, but he of course only wears baseball type hats. Yet, years ago I was a hat person. Not quite to the level of the hats worn at the Kentucky Derby, but for me the ideal hat had to have "personality" else there was no reason to wear a hat. I also went through a cowboy hat stage, shortly after Urban Cowboy was a popular movie and many of us went through our "western stage" learning how to ride a bull at the bar, or in my case learning how to be thrown off a mechanical bull, and taking line dance lessons.

I don't really know why I quit wearing hats, though it seems to coincide with when I had small children and my hats would end up being pulled off my head, but there are moments when I see what I think is the perfect hat that I realize there is still a hat person inside of me...

Another hot day...

Days like this with the weather being so humid makes me think about taking a mini vacation at one of the cheap hotels out there that has air conditioning and a pool. Or just air conditioning, I'd even survive without the internet. I went to eat one of my white chocolate reeses mini cups a bit ago and it was an oooze of white sticky chocolate. Thankfully a few minutes in the freezer restored it, though the idea of going into the freezer for a few minutes was also appealing...

I collect shirts...

I know that sounds strange, but I collect shirts, mainly t-shirts and you might think that because I'm a political blogger that it would be just campaign related shirts, but it's not. It's shirts with cute sayings like "I put the bad in badminton" or my Billy Jack t-shirt. I even have a few company logo shirts from companies I've never worked for, but either a friend or family member used to and they gave them to me. My most recent t-shirt came in the mail as a surprise, it says "Dare to Hope...Prepare to be disappointed."

When I watch that "What not to wear" and I see people that are like me that collect shirts have them all be thrown out, I wonder how many of them go back into the garbage can and re-collect some of the shirts...I know if anyone in my family ever tried to have that show come to my door? I'd be saying "ummm no, you can't have my shirt collection."

:-)

If I could put time in a bottle...Shalimar

Not that it will be shocking to those of you who have come to know me, but I'm not a "girly girl" type woman. I perhaps wear make up once or twice a year, my wardrobe would make the "What not to wear" team cringe and one of the main reasons I had over 14 inches of hair cut off was because it gave me one less thing to worry about.

Yet, I have a weakness for a few feminine items, one particular Classic Perfume that is called "Shalimar" and has been around since 1952. Which means it's been around since before my time. My great grandmother wore Shalimar, it was the first perfume my father ever bought me that would constitute owning a "grown up" scent.

The memories return each time I open a bottle, all the way back to being a small child sitting on my grandmother's lap being cuddled and loved to nervously applying just a dab on those first date moments such as prom, to my first wedding night, and my second and my third (smile).

There are many new perfumes and colognes out there, but I am a creature of habit, with only a few as a favorite though I do experience the different ones, having four daughters. Thanks to the internet, no matter where you live, you can at times find some great deals, for those of you in the UK there are great websites like this that have a huge selection of items and pricing.

Reflections on...popcorn!

One of my favorite snack foods to eat is, popcorn! That said, I'm not a fan of microwave popcorn, I typically make mine the more old fashion way using a coconut oil based oil. I've tried many different varieties of popcorn, my all time favorite is still the Black Jewel one, I know it looks a bit different with the kernels being black but I think it gives the best end result flavor. I used to loads lots of real butter on it, which I still do once in a while but now I opt for the flavored butter powder with some sea salt.

I've often thought about getting one of those popcorn machines since it's impossible for me to resist getting a bag at any type of an event I'm at that has the pop corn machines. The smell alone of freshly popped popcorn is impossible for me to resist.

:-)

Bikini days turn to tankini days...

While I'm proud of all of the weight I've lost, being a grown woman of 48 years old has made me decide while I'm not quite ready for the one piece swimsuit I'm also no longer a bikini type of girl. Not that it would really matter since the extent of my swimwear moments are typically in our backyard but I did buy a new suit while I was out West so that my oldest daughter and I could spend some time in the jacuzzi one night we were at one of the hotels. So I opted for a tankini, it makes me not feel totally "old" and some of them are pretty flattering.

A few pictures from California Trip

I have quite a bit to go through, but these are some of my favorites so far:

Being fitter in the game world than in reality...

One of the things I do to deal with frustration and stress is to play the Sims which is a computer game where you create characters and can actually take them through birth to death. You can pick college, careers and similar to real life succeed based on certain criteria. The latest version even includes being fit and healthy with the ability to have your Sims use treadmills to gain them body points. The downside to the game is that it is very addictive, so when I sit down to play I have entered the Sim zone for several hours. I've created a Sims version of me and at one point in time had all of my family as Sim characters.

:-)

Picking the right party theme...

My oldest daughter is graduating from college at the beginning of May and we are planning a small party for her here at the house. She couldn't decide what type of a theme she wanted, so I ventured through the many different birthday invitations out there on the net looking for something a bit different than the typical graduation party themes.

Finally I found it, since we are fans of Survivor here at the house, I survived college 2008, seemed appropriate on many levels.

Fun with exam gloves...

No, I'm not going to write about "playing doctor" but I'm wondering how twisted my family is in comparison to many of you when it comes to what happens while waiting in an examination room where exam gloves are available.

First, the purple ones that they have here seem to immediately create a scenario where it turns into a balloon, which depending on how long the wait is can create a game scenario that can only be described as "udder ball". In a pinch the white ones will suffice though those seem to be more popular to wear on one's head as some type of a rooster...

One advantage of less computer time...

One advantage of the tech frustrations I was dealing with yesterday was the decision to have a quiet dinner with my husband since all of my assorted children were elsewhere after we returned from the opening of a local art gallery. Anticipating the evening we picked out our dinner items which included some nice strip steaks from the store and spent a bit of time pursuing the wine racks at our local grocery store to debate which wine we would agree on. That alone can be a challenge since he's not much of a wine drinker, so we ended up agreeing on Freixenet, which was even on sale.

:-)

How I wish it was spring...

I've neglected my other blogs, my personal life and my house the past few weeks in really getting involved in the election coverage not just for presidential but related to some serious issues the City I live in faced. Now that it's over there is the aftermath of those who were unhappy with the results presidential and local, and the presidential coverage will of course continue here. The local issues will now be put aside with a re-focus on what is still important to keep covering.

Whenever an election is over, there is that immediate time period where I start thinking about how nice it would be to escape. It's when I start doing things like looking at camping gear and imagine myself sitting somewhere near a quiet stream...then the phone rings...

:-)

Why you should check the yellow pages...

The other day we headed over to check out this used computer store that we would go to when we needed a part or a monitor. They had used monitors for a really decent price and we needed one. Evidently not enough of us had shopped there, because as well pulled up we noticed that it is now a new directbuy location. It just goes to show you that if you haven't been some where in a while? You might want to actually call to see if they are still at that location.

Late night blogging would be hard without coffee

Trying to blog for several blogs and juggle a houseful of people can be an adventure at times, especially since the only time I know for certain I can blog in peace and quiet is late at night. While I realize that too much caffeine is not good for you, there have been many a time when if it were not for the wonders of coffee makers, I'd probably be found at my desk with my head asleep in my keyboard. The downside to being a "night blogger" is that most people are not night owls, so they don't think twice about calling early in the morning...

How our marriage saved my husband's finger...

A true story...I used to worry about my husband wearing his wedding ring at work because he works around machinery yet what ended up happening was a piece of equipment came crashing down near his hand. Thankfully the ring took the impact and while it broke? His finger was fine, which just goes to show you, sometimes wedding rings can be very important.

:-)

As promised...getting the baby ready to blog...

One of the reasons I've not been as busy on the blogs is because I have been spending more time with my family, especially my new granddaughter. I babysat tonight so my son and his wife could go out and have dinner and a movie. You can tell we had a great time...