I'm in! Kindness swap x5

So, My friend, UtahJenny, put this swap on her blog today and my imagination started going CRAZY right away. I thought "Wow, a chance to get something that JENNY made! How could it get better than that?" Then I 'raced' to the bottom of the page. I can't believe it! Only two people??? Seriously??? Sweet! I'm in!

I'm so excited!!! Should you be? I'm not sure... She's a lot more creative than I am. :-) This post will be top of page until I get 5 responses (which could take until the end of time). *sorry* Not nice, I know, but I totally want to do this!

Kindness Swap x5

Here's a little something I have recently noticed on some blogs - I snagged it from my friend and am sharing it with anyone who wants to "play".

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me!

My choice.

For you.

Hand made!

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.

The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!

Love you all!

Happy Groundhog Day!

And happy 10 years of committed bliss to my buddy and her studdy!

I don't think anyone besides me reads this blog anymore. :-)

Cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm taking a "bloggy" break for a while...I'll be back, though, don't you worry!

I'm gonna be here:

to enjoy some good times, great food and FUN with my family!

Take care y'all and don't forget to give thanks!

Love ya!

Please Don't Hate Me...Sincerely 'Fro Me to You

My best friend for most of my life -- Jenny in Utah -- joined a cool online carnival a few weeks ago (maybe more?) called "Sincerely 'Fro Me To You" on the blog We Are THAT Family.

This week she (Jenny) posted dance pictures from high school. Since I was in one of them, I felt compelled to join in and return the, er..."favor".

Love yer guts, Jen! Please don't hate me!


Here are a couple of my dance pictures from high school...although I couldn't find the one I was looking for that corresponds to the comment I left at Jenny's blog...





And, here's my cute friend, Jenny, and me...with a shout-out to her fabulous 'fro' and to those glasses. LOL! Too funny...





And lastly, and homage to some great 'fros from earlier decades!





...including mine (notice the blue eye shadow?)... aargh!



...and a mullet.



Aaaaah -- the 80s!



Check out the carnival at We are THAT Family, for more great "Sincerely 'Fro Me to You" pictures that didn't make the scrapbook...or shouldn't have. :-)


Take care, y'all!

WTFT? Wednesday

Hey all...

Just wanted to give a quick update via my new "thingie" that I'll call "What the French, Toast? Wednesday". LOL!

There's a commercial for Orbit (I think) gum with a perky, cute-accented blonde girl whose standard phrases are "Dirty mouth? Clean it up!" and "Fabulous!" (speaking of the sparkling white teeth of those who chew the gum). Anyway... one of the commercials features a 'fight' between a wife and the husband she just caught 'canoodling' with (what one presumes to be) his secretary. One of the lines is, "What the french, toast?" which we couldn't stop laughing at -- so we picked it up.

Moving on...

The Zombie has been sick this week -- and home from work -- so I'm doing more nurse-type duties than usual this week. On top of that, the crazy-wet-cold-weird weather we've been having has done a number on my arthritis and I've been 'flaring' for the past many days. Hence, the lack of blogging.

From what I've been able to gather, it's been going around. ("It" being the odd, kinda-sick-then-better-then-sick-again illness that's been hanging over Zombie Manor the last few days.)

Basically, we're doing okay. Our holiday plans are taking shape and we're plugging along otherwise. Is it too early to say I can't wait for Spring when it's only Nov. 12th? *sigh* We really need to move to a warmer climate...or become "snowbirds" like so many of the retired folk from this area (and I'm sure lots of other areas, too). Is 36 too young to consider myself 'retired'? Aaaah, if only...

I have subbed some more with no really major (or majorly funny) stories to tell. I'm standing by my assertion a while back that it's much slower this year than last -- and it's not just ME that's slower. I used to get a call (or several calls) every single night and I could sort of "cherry pick" the jobs I wanted at the schools I wanted. This year, I'm lucky to get two calls a week -- and I still can't always take them, depending on how I'm feeling, what else is going on, and the circumstances of the job itself...there are still some assignments I just can't bring myself to accept. *sigh*

The Zombie is doing well. I'm pretty good. The babies -- Ladybug and Butterfly Baby -- are gorgeous (as usual) and Harley Mama is fabulous (also as usual). I have a funny post about banana bread in the works. I'm working on a post about Harley Mama -- cuz she just cracks me up -- almost daily. I have a little ditty I'm writing about neighbors (with the 82-year-old widow that lives across from us featuring) and more...these are all just ideas right now (except the Harley Mama one, which I'm struggling not to make 'too long') and it's possible I'm writing this now so I can come back and look when I find myself thinking, "What was that idea I had a few days ago?" to remind myself.

And so it goes...

What I love (after) Wednesday

Jenny in Utah!


This post -- albeit on a Thursday -- is dedicated to my friend Jenny. We've been friends for a long time...a REALLY long time...fine, I'll tell you: 29 years.

And, since I'm only 21 (wink, wink) that's really saying something. :-)


I couldn't resist paying an homage to my buddy, and her "What I love Wednesday" post, and when I saw this:





...that sealed it -- this post was 'in the bag'.


Jenny is a wonderfully kind person and a very devoted and consistent friend. I'm certain I'm not the only one who knows this...or even who has said this.


As to *what* it was on this page that made me decide I had to copy it to the actual blog...well, first of all, Jen (that's what I call her -- pretty much always have) commented on my 'less than cheerful' post in her characteristic sweet and open way. Thank you, Jen, for not running away from the 'heavy' stuff that I fling out there sometimes. Second, I couldn't bring myself to navigate away from the comment page without copying it (when I clicked to read) when I saw that the 'random' letters that are generated to decrease automated postings to blogs (and stuff) not only spelled out real words, but those words -- Red Boat!

I'm not gonna spell out why, exactly, that's so funny...but it's pretty similar to a certain nickname Jen had many, many years ago. I didn't give it to her. I don't actually know (or I can't remember) who did, but when she told it to me, I laughed myself stupid. I still giggle about it all these years later. I think it might have been someone from the amusement park we both worked at in our late teens/early twenties...or had some kind of connection to it...Jen?


Anyway, I still have a lot of the cards and letters Jenny has written to me over the years. They are among the few (from non-family members) that I can't bring my sentimental self to let go of. *sigh* In one of them, she wrote this little verse:


Make new friends but keep the old,
One is silver and the other is gold.


I don't know who said that, but I couldn't have said it better myself.

I love yer guts, Red! You are gold!

Ketchup (or is it "catch up"?)

So, I substituted at a High School today. I was there for the girl's P.E. coach -- well, one of them. It was fun but not nearly as fun as the other time (at the Jr. High) that I did. Wait...Did I even write about that day yet? Or was that post just in my head? Now I can't remember.

If I didn't write about that one yet, I'm really behind, and getting 'behinder' (no wisecracks about my "assets" now y'all) all the time. :-) I definitely need to put that one in. That was a really funny day!

Anyway, today was pretty good -- but High School girls are just waaaaay too into themselves to be as funny as the younger kids. So, I did this one purely for the $$$ I guess. Not much blog material this time. I have to go back there tomorrow (same teacher, different classes) and I really should try to get some sleep, so this needs to be a short post.

Here's where the ketchup (catch up) comes in. I mentioned about going through 15 totes with my sis, Harley Mama, the other night and how I'd post pics of the "what was I thinking and why am I keeping this" hall of shame items soon.

Well, here's the first one:

Yes, friends...that really is a pair of "peg" (aka: tapered) white jeans tie-dyed with pink, purple, varying shades of blue and...I'm not sure what else. *sigh* I can't believe these ever lived in my possession. I'll never admit to having worn them. Actually, I don't know if I ever did. I have a feeling they may have belonged to Harley Mama at some point in the past. Or, they may have belonged to a dear friend I'll call "toad" (mainly because that's what we called her in grade school/jr. high). If not, I can't explain why seeing them made me think of her. I'll have to think about that one some more...

More to come on the 'wwitawdikt' hall of shame photos. Stay tuned.

Laters! :-)

Tagged Tuesday...ha ha ha

10 years ago I ...
1. Was thin (for about a month)
2. Was “best man” for my best friend (at the time) Eric’s wedding!
3. Lived alone in an apartment that I LOVED
4. Was laid off from my job with the best severance package I’ve EVER had
5. Ummm…was 10 years younger (??)

5 Things on today's "to do" list... (boring, I know)
1. Figure out what I was doing 10 years ago
2. Order prescription refills
3. Reschedule the dr. appt I completely spaced off yesterday – d’oh!
4. Put up posts on ‘freecycle’ for things I’m flinging
5. Finish some important paperwork

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire... (uh, how many millions we talking about here?)
1. Set up a generous ‘Travel Back East’ fund for myself and the Zombie
2. Pay off medical and other debts/bills
3. Buy a couch
4. Pay off our cars
5. Get my younger siblings, Harley Mama and my sibs back east, better cars (unless they wanted something else instead)

5 places I have lived...
1. Massachusetts (does 2 weeks count?)
2. Northern Utah
3. Northern California
4. Slightly more Northern Utah
5. Central Utah

5 jobs I have had...
1. Substitute Teacher
2. Guidance Counselor
3. Purchasing Manager/Secretary to VP at Travel Agency
4. Amusement Park Ride Operator
5. Grocery Clerk

I tag... Cynthia, Annie (my niece), The Zombie, Sandy (Sly), Possum

Rules: Each player answers the questions themselves. At the end of the post you then tag 5 people and post their names, then go to their blog and leave them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you've answered the questions on your blog.

Now That I Think About It...

There might be a few of you (or quite a few...) that aren't aware of the Zombie's blog. It's www.tubezombie.com hence the loving nickname.

That might explain a lot of things to some of you. :-) Just thought you might want to take a look at it.

Since it's *possible* that some of you like me but not the Zombie (KIDDING!), I blog over there too, on occasion...just in case that's any incentive.

Cheers!

Fun with Gadgets...or is it Widgets?

Slowly but surely, I'm getting a self-education in this whole 'blogging' thing.

Yeah, okay, I'll admit it. The more I do this, the funner it is! There, I said it.

See my side bar for the two new 'thingies' I added today. And watch for more.

This is gonna be a really small/short post today.

I've been busy:

I'm doing FlyLady's Super Fling Boogie. I've 'flung' 17 pounds of clutter (and, yes, I posted them on the SFB meter). It's on her front page if you wanna check it out.

I'm gonna try UtahJenny's Pumpkin Pops soon -- only because she added such awesome instructions, and pictures. I'm pretty visual.

And, I'm subbing again...just did my 4th day (yesterday) for this year in a 4th grade class (Huh, hadn't realized the symmetry until now) and I have another 4th grade class tomorrow (/symmetry).

And, I just figured out how to add podcasts to my iPod. Not that that has anything to do with being busy...but still...

Harley Mama and I had a couple good ideas for (low budget) Christmas presents for this year, so I need to get working on my part of those. Plus, I talked to her about a project I want to do for the Ladybug and Butterfly Baby. (Harley Mama, hint...hint...I need that 'stuff' I asked you for. I'm pretty slow. If I don't get it soon...I dunno...Christmas may be pushing it.)

I'm not gonna give it away to the rest of my (2) readers, but I'll post pictures if/when it's moving along. I'm fairly sure my 2 and 8 year old nieces aren't reading my blog (yet) so, hopefully, I won't be giving anything away.

Laters! :-)

Tidying up

I need to do a little 'housekeeping' regarding things I've promised (in earlier posts) to write about. First of all, I recently had the Zombie correct my "my husband rocks" quiz so I could post the results. Let me just say before I officially tell you my score...I know my Zombie very well. Very, very well...indeed.

My score: 20/21
The questions I missed: What is his favorite cereal?
I said: Corn Pops or Cheerios.
The correct answer: Corn Chex.

Weird...I haven't seen him eat Corn Chex for a really long time. I knew he liked it...and we have some. Then, of course, he had a bowl the very same night I asked him to grade my quiz. About two hours later...go figure.

Let's see, what else do I 'owe' the blog? I said somewhere near the end of 'spilling the beans' that I would write more about the 'one huge caveat' in my otherwise pleasing life. Yeah...well, I'm not really ready to make that one public just yet. Let's just say, it's not a 'person' thing...it's more a state-of-being thing. So, if you're a person in my life, I'll assure you it's not about you. It's not about 'anyone' -- except me. It's my 'state-of-being' that's in question. Okay, so that was completely vague. Probably not useful at all, except to me.

There are other things (for everyone, I know, not just me...) that cause areas of discontent. Plenty of them. But they are mostly small-ish and mostly fluid and variable. And almost every one of them is a kind of "silver lining" type deal -- there's parts I'm a bit unsatisfied with in an overall terrific deal. KWIM? Well, that's all I have to say about that.

More pictures from the Ladybug's birthday party will be forthcoming. I'm working on a way to do the pictures differently.

Speaking of the Ladybug's birthday, though, Uncle Zombie had a really good idea on her actual* birthday (Sept. 25th) and it was so cute and funny, I just had to go along with it. The Ladybug goes to an after-school program (same place her sister, Butterfly Baby, is in day care -- but a 'school age kids' room) from the end of school until Harley Mama picks them up after work. Uncle Zombie and I decided to go get some helium balloons and a bag of Smarties and take them to her after-school place. We tied a balloon to each wrist, another to each ankle and one more to the back belt loop of her jeans. It was so funny! All the kids were 'tapping' the balloons to make them bounce around. We snapped a few pictures and as we were leaving, the Ladybug started sharing the Smarties with her after-school friends. (We made sure it was okay with the teachers first.) Here's what she looked like 'all tied up':

*Her actual birthday, as mentioned, is Sept. 25th -- which was a Thursday/school day. Her birthday party, with the big bounce house and the pictures from before (and more forthcoming) was on Saturday, Sept. 20th.









Okay, there's just one last bit of housekeeping that I can think of to add to this post. In the post "humble pie" I made a parenthetical explanation which I addressed to MomUtah. That was to my mom who lives in Utah and has a 'troubled' relationship with all things computer/electronic, bless her heart. Why "MomUtah", you ask...well, I have a mom who lives somewhere else (not my MIL, she's in Utah, too) so I clarified. My mom who lives 'back east' I will call MomEast. Clear? Great! And, in case it ever comes up, I have a DadUtah and a DadEast, too. Ahhh, adoption.

That's a post for another day...again.

:-)

Humble Pie - 2 servings

So, even though the post from yesterday (Happy Birthday!) says 8:14 a.m. as the time it was posted (that was the time I STARTED writing it), it didn't actually get completed until almost midnight last night. Granted, TubeZombie (my DH) and I were out most of the day, but still...

I told the TubeZombie that I would get this post up ON the Ladybug's actual birthday if it killed me -- and it probably would. Yeah, I know I can go change the date of an entry, but yesterday was her birthday...it's just a thing with me.

A few posts earlier (Spilling the Beans), I ranted for a few moments about how I'm satisfied just knowing how to add pictures to my blog. Well, that was true...or would be...if I ACTUALLY knew how to do it. Apparently, I spoke a little too soon.

I was trying to do a whole 'birthday party recap' complete with a variety of pictures from the entire event. Blogger or Blogspot (I'm not sure which name is actually accurate for this wysiwyg I'm using) was NOT having it. For one thing, this write/edit window -- this one I'm typing in right now -- is quite a bit wider than the part of my blog where it actually appears. So, I guess wysiwyg is not really accurate. More like wysinwyg.

(Okay, this is for you, MomUtah: wysiwyg means "what you see is what you get" so what I'm ranting about above this is that "what I see is NOT what I get". Okay?)

After nearly an hour (and a really sleepy one, so I was getting pretty cranky) of trying to make it look right, I finally asked the Zombie to take a look -- he's my resident nerd, bless his heart. Straight away, he clicked over to the 'Edit Html' button, and I was lost. I mean, I know what "html" means. I know the basic tags and stuff...but he moves way too fast for me to follow, and that's okay.

Jump ahead to 20 minutes later. The Zombie and I were both utterly humbled. *sigh* Don't get me wrong -- I completely reject any notion that the Zombie was bested by something like html. We have jointly concluded that "something is wonky" in this not-so-wysiwyg template. And we called it a day.

So, I chopped the original post down to what you see now (after taking messy screen shots to remember my general train of thought -- more cool birthday posts to follow) and we made our way to bed. So there, Blogger! My post was up -- and on the right day (with, like, 12 seconds to spare).

Humble pie isn't all that bad -- maybe it's an acquired taste. If so, I've acquired it.

:-)