.....and other random stuff......

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Learning to Read

Before I started school I was jealous of my brother.
HE got to go to school!
He knew how to read!
HE got to carry big important looking books!
HE got to have homework! I thought it was all so cool! (What can I say? I was uninformed! LOL)
So on my first day of ‘real’ school I was so excited!
I was going to learn to READ!
The problem was I thought there was some sort of magic wand they waved over your head and ‘poof’ you knew how to read!
No one told me you had to PRACTICE reading! What was all this phonetic stuff?
Where was the magic wand?
I still remember coming home that first day and feeling sooooo disappointed and betrayed! 

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Perks


Fresh strawberries in January! Life is good!




Saturday, January 7, 2012

Somebody Does Want to Play!


Ya’ know how I was complaining about feeling like nobody wants to play with me when I don’t get any mail?
Well, look what I found in the mailbox yesterday!
front

back
A lovely card from Yvonne!!!! (from 'muddle on through')
What a nice surprise!
Thank you Yvonne!
From the bottom of my tickled little heart! 
(Aren't friends the BEST?)

Friday, January 6, 2012

Mail

I feel so left out when I don’t get any mail.
Like nobody wants to play with me!
Or I haven’t been chosen for the team!
Even bills and junk mail are okay.
But when the mailbox is totally empty, it’s depressing! 
LOL

Thursday, January 5, 2012

The Sketchbook Challenge 2012

A new year and the challenge continues. 
This month’s theme is ‘doodling’.
I have a roll of aluminum embossing foil. (I’ve had it so long I don’t remember why I bought it or what I was going to use it for!)
So I thought I’d try some doodling on it and see if I can’t use it as journal covers.
We’ll see where this goes.


Wednesday, January 4, 2012

I’m an Inventor

Really, I am!
I invented a balloon tie-er.

The boys’ birthdays are exactly one week apart.
When they were little we threw an all out, over the top, combined party.
And of course with ANY kind of birthday celebration you have to have a copious number of balloons.

The year I rubbed my fingers raw from tying hundreds of rubber balloons by hand was the year I invented the ‘Tie-er’.
Necessity is the mother of invention. (So are sore fingers!)

It was a simple little device but everyone thought it was pure genius. A friend even suggested that I patent it!

(What I really wanted to invent was a mechanized balloon tie-er but my genius is obviously limited in the ways of mechanics!)

So I guess I’m destined to become a millionaire from this!

 You hold it between your knees and wrap the balloon end around the two spread out pencils. It gives you enough space to tie a knot and the aluminum foil is flexible enough to let you pinch it a bit and slide off the balloon.
(Hey, it worked! And served me well for many a birthday party! LOL)

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

A Tale of Four Kitties

Husband says I have a neon sign on my forehead that only felines can see, which flashes ‘SUCKER” in giant pink letters!
(Paints quite a mental picture doesn’t it? LOL)

I’m afraid he might be right though.

And that is how we became ‘parents’ to four stray kitties.
And not all at once. No. They came to me one at a time.

I pulled up in front of our house one cold winter night and as I opened the door DC jumped into my lap and snuggled in. It was apparent he wasn’t going anywhere, and it was cold, so of course I brought him inside.
He was number one. (DC stands for dumb cat, by the way. He was without a doubt the ‘not smartest’ cat I have ever known. I don’t really want to call him stupid. That would be hurtful.)

Casey was next into the clan.
Casey was a Christmas gift from my mother to Husband, because, as she put it, “I don’t believe in ‘only cats’.  (You know, like ‘only children’.)

Then came Cindy.
Cindy was a stray left at the building where I was working at the time. I tried (I really tried) to get anyone else in the building to take her.
So of course, she came home with me.

Last, but not least (and my personal favorite) was Tigger.
I was visiting my parents on a cold and snowy winter night. As I sat in their living room I kept saying “Did you hear that?” 
Understand, we were inside, tucked in nice and cozy and warm and somewhat sound proofed from the outside world. And I STILL heard the meows. 
No one else did.
I went outside and out of nowhere Tgger leapt into my arms.
I couldn’t just leave him to freeze to death!

Husband (as much of a critter person as he is) was not pleased with me that night.

So we became a happy and furry family of six!

Then came kids, but that’s a whole ‘nother story! LOL

Monday, January 2, 2012

If it’s Not One Thing, It’s Another

My father had a great way of paying bills.
Actually he had two great ways.

He would say, “We’ll throw all the bills in the air and the ones that land on their edge are the ones we’ll pay.”
Other times, this was the idea, “We’ll throw the bills in the air and the ones that stick to the ceiling are the ones that we’ll pay.”

I think I might try that this year, seeing as how I just got notified that my mortgage payment HAS GONE UP $400 A MONTH! (insurance rates in Florida are astronomical)

(I have a feeling this illo is going to come in handy more times than I ever expected this year! LOL)

Saturday, December 31, 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR

(too lazy to make my own graphic! LOL)
May you have a happy and healthy 2012 and may all you dreams and wishes be fulfilled!

Friday, December 30, 2011

Swizzle Sticks

I went to the restaurant supply place the other day.
I was looking for swizzle sticks.
I looked around for a while and couldn’t find any so I went to the counter and asked, “Do you have any swizzle sticks?”
The guy just stared blankly at me.
Then, an older gentleman standing behind him shook his head and said, “He doesn’t know what swizzle sticks are. And no, I’m sorry we don’t carry them.”
First of all…..
A restaurant supply house doesn’t carry swizzle sticks?
I guess I should have gone to a bar supply house!
My mistake.
But more than that….
He doesn’t know what a swizzle stick is?
You’re kidding, right?
Did you grow up in a bubble?
How can you not know what a swizzle stick is? Especially in your business!
But just as general knowledge, how can you not know?
Husband said he was too young.
Okay, but I know a lot of things that happened and were popular before ‘my time’ and that doesn’t stop me from knowing about them!
The boys know what swizzle sticks are. And they are half the age of the guy in the store!
I know I’m ranting, forgive me, but sometimes the stupidity meter just goes off the chart!


FYI:

Swizzle sticks


Swizzle sticks have 2 puposes. Foremost, they are used to stir the drink. Secondly they are used to pick up pieces of fruit or olives from the drinks without using your fingers.

Swizzle sticks
They literally come in all sizes or shapes and often carry a logo or advertisement at the top. They are usually made from plastic, but the more fancy places can use steel, glass or even wooden swizzle sticks.

(I now feel I have done my duty to educate the world about swizzle sticks!)