If I was born a guy...

How would your life differ if you were born a member of the opposite sex?
Apart from the obvious, anatomy, clothes, romance and marriage, what things might be better? Worse? Would it change the opportunities and problems you were presented? How would you take advantage of the changes? If you could switch sexes for a day, would you? How about forever?
First of all, I'd feel terribly sorry for my mom as she would have had 4 sons. She always reminisces that when I was born she couldn't believe I was a girl and the nurses had to keep saying-'yes, it's a girl'. Being the only girl made me a little more special than my brothers, but I felt left out sometimes too. Not to say I wasn't on the floor playing with my brother Don's Hot Wheels either! I just didn't have that many people to play dolls with and 'to be a girl' with. We had neighbor girls, but they were a bit younger than me. My brother Don was my best friend until he was 13 (we are a year apart in age). I am sure it may have been a little easier to have another boy who could share clothes with his brothers. I was in a good position-#2 of 4, but actually was a middle child for 7 years. Middle children have a hard time occasionally and if I was a boy I would have felt it more.
I don't care to switch sexes. I lived around boys/men my entire life and that's enough for me and definitely wouldn't want to switch forever.

My little boy.... 

Spark-if life was a box of chocolates...

If life truly were a box of chocolates — or any selection of sweets and other simple treats — what kind would you be?
Dark chocolate? White chocolate? Something minty, or filled with caramel, or marshmallow or fruit or coconut? Or would you be a pastry, or cookie, or some other type of tasty snack? Why? Be creative, and don't be afraid to stretch in illustrating those parallel traits.
How does that contrast to the type of dessert your spouse or significant other would be? How about your parents, or your friends?
I would be a creamy milk, melt-in-your-mouth like Dove or Godiva chocolate kind of gal. Better than Hersheys, more silky and some that you would 'linger' over before you swallowed it. Almonds are nice, but too fussy for my chocolate. Or I would be a nice, light chocolate mousse-whipped to perfection.
My spouse, well he would be a box of black licorice bits or chocolate covered pretzels-more masculine I think. My mom would be a Hershey bar as I see her nibbling on a large one. My son is definitely M&Ms as they seem to disappear when he is around. My friend Karin is Belgium chocolates and my friend Barb is chocolate covered toffee. Terri is chocolate chip cookies- (they all sent the above as gifts to me, so they have to be that kind of chocolate!)

Shopping maniacs...not me!

Black Friday-forget it! I went out one year to Target and it was crazy, so I vowed never to venture out on that day again. Is it just getting really insane or what? People out at 3 am waiting in line for hours to get gifts their kids don't even probably need or really want. It's not like when I was a kid-that sounds cliched, I know. I was one of 4 and the only girl. When we got toys for Christmas, we played with them until they wore out!
Having an 18 yr old, I really don't need to face the crowds anymore. I've been just as happy parking my butt in front of the computer and buying from favorite onlines stores like Amazon and Spilsbury. I plan to check Overstock.com and a few others this year too. I have a little niece and nephew, but I have gotten gifts for them already. I use to go overboard and their mom and dad got steamed. I have older nephews, but Circuit City or Best Buy gift cards will be fine for them.
I think we are forgetting the true meaning of Christmas with all this hustle and bustle. Personally, I prefer handmade gifts because the giver put time in the gift just for me.

A slimy Thankgiving gift from my cat...read on

We were bustling around here getting ready when Brian went downstairs to get something from the basement and said loudly,' What the heck is that?' There at the bottom of the steps laying on a little sunflower floor mat was a dead green garter snake. I am pretty sure my cat Cosmo did him in and left him at the foot of the steps as a 'gift' to us. What I want to know is how he got in? We never had a snake down there before even though a hole is cut in the floor as a drain. We brought in a few big flowers pots a few weeks ago. I sure hope that critter was the one and only snake and I will quote from an Indiana Jones movie and Harrison Ford-'why did it have to be a snake?' Brian picked it up with a paper towel and tossed it down the hill where he could see it. A few hours later it was gone. A nice feast for Thanksgiving for another critter.

Turkey hotline....from the BBC

My turkey came out nice and tender thanks to an oven bag. I talked about these bags in another post about the perfect roast. I also cook my stuffing separately.
I am pooped, but here is something my husband found to use on my blog.

The talk-line's director, Mary Clingman, says she once had to console a woman who had tried to use her bathroom sink to wash her turkey, which had slipped from her grasp and landed in the toilet.
(Did she really have to call the hotline? Would you eat a turkey that got dunked in the john?)
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/3238630.stm

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yeah, I'm procrastinating on here for a bit. I fell asleep again this morning and can't get my act together. If the three people coming here don't like the way my house looks, well too bad! No, I will probably be cleaning all day anyway since I have no vehicle today as it's sitting up in the parking lot at the high school. I let Sean take it as he had a 15 lb turkey to take that he bought and donated to the turkey drive. I was so proud that he did this I let him have the van. That's what I call being thoughtful. Now someone he doesn't know will have a nice dinner tomorrow.
I better get the pies out (someday I will bake from scratch again) and get busy.
Have a great day tomorrow and eat a piece of pie on me!

For one thing...it's a 10 yr old sandwich!

Does this really look like the Virgin Mary to you? Someone thought so in the tune of $28,000 on an 'online auction site'. I see Jean Harlow or Carole Lombard from the 30s-40s. It looks too glam for me! And what's with the cotton? Hey I see animal shapes in wood grain-think that's weird?

Found on Mindy..and then Laura's Blog...

This is something I had found a few years ago and I am glad that Mindy had it on her blog. I kinda figured it would be on her pal Laura's blog and I was right. Hope you don't mind that I did a search for it Mindy. : )
http://www.pressanykey.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/pak//names.cgi?&

The italized wording is how I see myself.
Dianne
As Dianne you are rather serious-minded, responsible, and stable (most of the time-lol). You have the gift of tact and diplomacy, and possess a charming, easy-going nature which endears you to others. You have a serious desire to understand the heart and mind of everyone, and could be very effective in a career or in volunteer work where you are handling people and serving in a humanitarian way. This name also gives you a love of home and family, and as a parent you would likely be fair and understanding. You remember the thoughtful little expressions of affection and appreciation that mean so much to others, and you have the ability to create a warm and loving environment. However, you tend to put things off and avoid facing issues because of a lack of confidence and uncertainty. You often need encouragement from someone before you can come to a decision. This name creates a generally well-balanced and healthy nature, but any weakness in the health would cause problems in the fluid functions, such as kidney or bladder trouble, overweight, or swelling of the legs and ankles.

Tomorrow I will be cleaning my butt off for Thanksgiving so I probably won't blog at all. : (

I always learn the hard way...

Did you know that Haagen Dazs makes a great laxative? What a nice way to start a post, but man did I ask for it. I had bought the 2 flavors of ice cream (Creme Brulee and Rocky Road) for my birthday and then Brian got the ice cream cake so it was sitting in the freezer all lonesome looking, not being opened, not even by my sneaky guys. I did a peek and taste after lunch yesterday and Cosmo helped by licking the spoon. Then we had a good dinner-chicken breast stuffed with ricotta and spinach, Italian green beans and wild rice. I thought I would have a treat for dessert. I hardly eat any ice cream. Well I felt really hungry at around 7 am this morning and I got a oatmeal bar and went back to sleep. When I got up I felt strange and then my stomach started doing a dance and I went-uh-oh-please calm down before the dentist appt. at 1:30! I have stuff to mail and then cleaning later. Too much for one person. I don't mind cooking the turkey, it's all the prep work that needs to be addressed. The guys say they will help and I am lucky if they run the vacuum and wipe down the sink and toilet. My kitchen is a mess, so that's what I'll be working on today. In past years I have switched the dining table (it's a small round one) to in front of the fireplace in the living room where my love seat is, but I think I'll just move it over a bit this year. My mom isn't sure if she'll feel up to driving out, so if she doesn't I'll have the three of us and my father-in-law who hasn't driven here since July. I told Brian he should take his dad a plate because of the above. We'll see.

Teen blogs

I have a teen so blogs by teens interest me. I want to see if teens are any different than teens in the late 1970s when I was in that age group. The girls talk about boys and 'forever love' and 'you are my only one', etc. so they pretty much are the same. The boys are either geeky-they talk about computers and games or are matter of fact like my son's blog-'we went to Dover on Saturday....' He doesn't like that I look at it, but what does he have to hide? I am not judging him by his blog. It's a public blog, so anyone, even his mom can look at it. I don't know if you agree, but it's not like I am analyzing every word of it either. It's the girls I know who worry me. One is a college freshman and she seems lost and unhappy. She seems to be tasting the brew a lot and her words are a jumble. Another girl I know, well her spelling is atrocious and she talks of not wanting to be her mother who I know. Sean mentioned a guy we know so I was looking at his blog and his was like Sean's only 'geekier'. I was checking out his prom photos as Sean liked the same girl at one time and she picked this guy though Sean is cuter, but she probably had less in common with him. I don't like reading the 'f' words in blogs. The kids think they have to use it for some reason. To me it's a lack of vocabulary and I've told Sean this.

More on the weekend...

I wanted to add how special my online friends have been to me in remembering my birthday. My friend in Ireland not only sent me a lovely mini-rose bush (see my photo) but also a pretty cross stitch kit plus a little mirror and pillbox with cross stitched designs. I love getting anything handmade. My friend Angela sent me a 'kitchen angel' made out of dish towels, a pot holder and some measuring spoons and a little fairy with a flower petal dress. Karin sent me a little pin cushion chair and Belgium chocolates. Terri sent me a trio of black candle holders with hanging clear beads and crystals, a keepsake box, a little resin basket and a t-shirt from Alabama. My brother sent me handmade wooden flowers from where he works on the weekend ( a gallery in Fort Lauderdale). My friend Barb is sending me a gift from Colorado. I feel truly blessed to be remembered by them all. My entertainment center is covered with cards.
So back to the weekend. On Saturday we took a late afternoon trip to Dover, Delaware which is about 52 miles away from here. We just couldn't get our act together. This strip of the Dupont highway has tons of shopping and restaurants, but I mainly wanted to go to the Atlantic Book Warehouse. It's one of my favorite stores and I get to go there once or twice a year. It's almost one stop shopping. I also buy things for resale on eBay. Mom enjoyed it too. I get my love for books honestly. After about one hour or so in the book warehouse, we went to The Olive Garden. My mom had never been in one. We had to wait about 35 minutes. We had a really nice waiter who looked like a young Tom Hanks with a beard. Mom loved the bottomless bowl of salad. After dinner we hit a huge Dollar Tree store and I spent about $40 in there. The last stop was Michaels as I was looking for some extra things as gifts for my brother Don's birthday on the 28th. The weather had turned rainy and Brian kept turning on the defroster and roasting Sean and me in the back seat. When we got home we finally had my birthday cake. I would say it was a much better birthday this year.

Happy Thanksgiving from Dubya

Is that an ear of corn in your pocket....or are you just glad to see me? This is from some other pre-Thanksgiving, because GW just 'pardoned' two turkeys this year so they won't be ending up on some family's dinner table. The look of his face is just....let's say priceless!

Mama was here and now she's gone home...

My mom came out for my birthday and ended up staying 2 nights and sleeping on the new sofa. I was to meet her at the Outback Steakhouse on Friday, my birthday and the darn restaurant doesn't serve lunch. Why didn't I call first? We tried another place that 'use' to have excellent pizza in the same shopping center and they were gone too. We ended up with premade cold sandwiches from Starbucks of all places. I look at my mom and my heart breaks a bit more each time. She has aged a lot since she's been sick last year. She is thin and her hair is wispy. Brian said he is truly amazed that she is driving at all this year because of the way she was last year. Back to after lunch. I am a hopeless collector of cross stitch stuff. There is a great shop across from Starbucks that I have been going to for years. I went in and bought myself some overdyed floss and charts that I don't need. But I will probably use them sometime. We went back to the house and I opened my gifts from everyone. Brian gave me some nice soap and lotion, a cross stitch program for the computer and two amarylis bulbs. Sean gave me Bridget Jones Diary-lol-I had asked him a number of times to rent it for me. Yes, he has a chubby mama just like Bridget. Now my mom over did it. I asked for t-shirt style night shirts and maybe a crucifix for my collection and she got both. Then she got Christmasy items (why do people who have birthdays in Nov. get gingerbread houses and ornaments?). I opened an old cigar box that she found in the basement. She said it had had a rubber stamp in it with my name on it and some pencils. That was a long time ago as I didn't remember it. Inside she had a lovely red necklace with round crystals that she and my grandmom had had forever and a blue rhinestone pin that belonged to my grandmom. I read the card and started to cry as it was so me. Maybe the tears were more for the box and the jewelry. I am tearing up now.
So we went down to 'The Grille' a local restaurant for dinner and I got steak Diane (of course) and it was really scrumptious and we all had too much to eat. So much the Carvel ice cream cake that sat in the freezer until the next night. I didn't ask for it as I had showed Brian the two containers of Haagen Daas in the freezer. I swear that man doesn't look or listen sometimes. More tomorrow....

Stolen from Mindy's Blog

1) What is your first name? Dianne
2) Were you named after anyone? My mom's name is Jeanne so she said (she is here) she took the last part of her name to make the double 'n' spelling of my name.
3) Do you wish on stars? It's so clear here, it would be a shame not to admire them.
4) When did you last cry? Last night because the birthday card my mom gave me moved me. Plus she gave me jewelry that belonged to my grandmom.
5) Do you like your handwriting? Yes, I get hand fatigue like Mindy.
6) What is your favorite lunch meat? Turkey.
7) What is your birth date? Nov. 19th.
8) What is your most embarrassing CD? A Bobby Sherman Christmas one that my brother gave me a few years ago because I was a fan of his when I was a kid.
9) If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you?
I think so as I like to be creative and see new places which is interesting I think.
10) Are you a daredevil?
I use to love rollercoasters, buy I don't think I could handle anything too fast now.
11) Do looks matter?
I like neatness, and cleanliness first. Then your personality. But if you don't know someone and you are attracted to them, you will look at them.
12) How do you release anger?
I usually blow my stack if I am really peeved at the person.
13) Where is your second home?
My mom's house.
14) Do you trust others easily?
I usually have to know someone to trust them.
15) What was your favorite toy as a child?
Barbies, Lite Brite, Spirograph and coloring books and tablets (markers and crayons too).
16) What class in high school was totally useless?
Algebra and Geometry. I have no math brain.
17) Do you have a journal?
You are reading it. I was keeping a food journal for a month to see if I could make a connection with how felt with the food I would eat.
18) Do you use sarcasm a lot?
Only if I sense sarcasm if I am trying to discuss something with another person.
19) What are your nicknames? Diadsie-dyed see. Thanks mom. That's about it.
20) Would you bungee jump? If I didn't think I'd pull a muscle or something, but I seem to be able to hurt myself easily these days.
21) Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Yes.
22) Do you think that you are strong? Yes, I've been through a lot lately. I like to have people do things for me once in a while to hold up my moral.
23) What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Chocolate anything.
24) Bush or Kerry? Kerry
25) Pen or pencil? Fine tip felt tip.
26) Football or basketball? basketball.
27) Shoe size? Was 7.5, but 8 feels better.
28) Red or pink? Red
29) What is your least favorite thing about yourself? My stomach is too big.
30) Who do you miss most?
My grandmom who helped raise me and lived until she was almost 97.
31) Do you want everyone to whom you send this to send it back?
Hey you can steal it for your blog too!
32) What color pants are you wearing?
Usually black.
33) What are you listening to right now?
The tv is on the BCC channel with an auction show on.
34) What was the last thing you ate?
A breakfast banana bar thingie.
35) If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Aquamarine.
36) What is the weather like right now?
In the low 50s and a bit rainy.
37) Who is the last person you talked to on the phone?
One of my brothers who wished me a Happy Birthday
38) The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? Eyes
39) Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes.
40) Who was it? Mindy -- got if from her blog
.41) What is your favorite drink? Apricot Sour
42) Favorite sport? Walking.
43) Would you rather sing or dance in public? Dance but I have sung in a choir.
44) What will you be on Halloween? I don't dress up.
45) Do you wear contacts? No.
46) Pet peeve? Liars.
47) Goal in life? To be a good person and help others.
48) Last movie you watched?
Van Helsing-Oh Hugh Jackman!
49) Favorite day of the year? Christmas.
50) Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings.
51) Summer or winter? How about Spring? I like summer better.
52) Hugs or kisses? Do I have to choose. I'll take either.
53) Mountains or the beach? Beach
54) What is your favorite dessert? Do I have to repeat myself-chocolate anything!
55) Who is most likely to respond? Not sure, but Mindy was right!
56) Who is the least likely to respond? I don't know. Everyone else? LOL
57) Living arrangements? In a ranch house with my husband of 20 yrs and our 18 yr old son and cat Cosmo.
58) What books are you reading?
Little Altars Everywhere by Rebecca Wells the Ya-Ya author.
59) What's on your mouse pad? Crayola crayon stamp design from the post office.
60) Who was your first true love? Michael Barbarick from high school or was it Steve Hepler in jr high?
61) What did you watch last night on tv? What Not to Wear.
62) Favorite smells?Gardenias, roses, lily of the valley, rain, oregano, chili powder.
63) Rolling Stones or the Beatles? The Beatles.
64) Do you believe in evolution or creation? Both. I believe in Evolution but also that God put the whole thing in motion.
65) What's the furthest you've been from home? Cancun, Mexico on our honeymoon.

Here I am posing for my birthday...some old broad. : ) 

Do not buy from this company....

I had a really bad experience with this company. I am sharing a post I made to a group.
Just to let you know that I just got ripped off from an online site. I am passing on the info to you so please do not visit them. The site is SpaWish.com. My husband bought me a gift certificate from them for Valentine's Day and I just got around to using it. I really didn't want to blow $75 (really cost him about $90-I could kick his butt-lol) on one lousy massage-that's not my cup of tea. I went to their website where you can buy things. Most of their items were really expensive, so I picked out a massager machine that we all could use. I thought, wow-this has to be a great item for $73! I got it the other day and it's not that great. And guess what-no refunds! So I did a search on the web for the same item and it ranges in price from $26 to $40, but most of them were around the $26 mark. I was fuming! I wrote them an email, but I doubt I will hear back. I feel like reporting them to the Better Business Bureau. So please, pass them by and pass on this info. They are robbers.

Gourmet Cooking-trying new recipes...

I'm trying to turn over a new leaf. I want to try new dishes, to savor new combos of foods. I want to utilize my vast collection of cookbooks and Martha Stewart Food magazines. I did just that today. What usually holds me back is searching for the ingredients in the grocery store. Today I decided on two recipes from Food-'Ginger Shrimp and Red Pepper Stir-fry' and 'Ricotta and spinach stuffed chicken'. We had the shrimp dish tonight with Uncle Ben's wild rice and the guys liked it a lot! If I could have found my grater, the ginger would have been finely chopped and a bit milder. I had to cut it up and when you got a big piece you knew it! I also went through coupons and saved $12 using them. It cost $14 for 8 weeks of the Sunday paper, so I guess I paid for that if you want to look at it that way. I have to sit down and do this for our tired tastebuds.

This is on my calendar today: 'The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star'-Brillat -Savarin

Another year wiser?

Yes, 'that time' of the year has rolled around again. In about 4.5 hours it will be my birthday and I'll be 45 . I know I was born at 4:09 am and it took only an hour. I guess I knew I needed to get out and see the world! I was the loudest baby in the nursery and my poor mom could hear me down the hall! Funny how I turned into a quiet child with a speech impediment. I had a lot of things going on growing up-parents divorcing; my father disappearing for months at a time before that; being the only daughter with 3 brothers and being raised by two women who didn't trust men (more mom than my grandmom). So Barbie, the doll and I are getting up there. I don't know where the 40s went, but now I'm smack in the middle of them.

My son and his look-a-like Jude Law-'The Sexiest Man Alive for 2004'.  

Desperate for ratings?

I am getting sick and tired of hearing about the Nicollette Sheridan stunt on Monday Night Football. Was it a copy cat version of the Janet Jackson 'overexposure'? I know our local sportscasters were already fired up about the Eagles playing the Cowboys. So is that the best they could do was copy a scene from the movie 'Starsky and Hutch'? (basically-and I didn't rent it, my teen son did). The tv show 'Desperate Housewives' is a big hit too. And isn't Nicollette (why all the double letters?) pushing 50?
Here's what I would have done-have all the actresses from the show in football gear and actually trying to play football. Then have a hunky football player show them 'the moves'. What do you think?

Spark meme

Which among your traits or habits is a mixed blessing?
Identify an element of your personality with which you have a love/hate relationship — one that can bring as much joy as grief. Is it that you're trusting? Generous? Stubborn? A perfectionist? Is it that you speak your mind? Have no inhibitions? Have a wicked sense of humor?
Describe moments in which this trait has both been a blessing and a curse. Would you give it up, if you had to lose both its liabilities and benefits?
When I was younger I was a very quiet person who let few people in my circle. I would say now that I am a private person. I have friends, but most are friends I have met online. This is a mixed blessings, as I hardly get to see them. I have met a few who live nearby and have talked to many of them on the phone.
I use to be more of a joiner, ask any of the teachers who knew me when my son was in elementary school. I was also a PTO board member at one time. I was in the church choir and sang in it for 4 yrs.
Maybe being too private has inhibited my relationship with people. There are times when I have opened up and have been really nice to people and they are the ones who didn't work on the friendship.
I think I am too generous for my own good. I love to give gifts to family and friends. My mom can't understand why I send gifts to people who I have never met. They are people I admire and I call them my friends. We have more in common then people who live around here. They send gifts to me too.
I now speak up more to others. I just sent an email to a friend who is worshipping some man in another state who she said she is crazy about. I told her I don't understand how this can be as she is dating men in her own area too. She needs to be shook a bit. I love her as a friend, but come on!
And I am somewhat of a perfectionist. Now this was grating my nerves as my husband is not one at all. I use to have all my lps in alphabetical order when I was younger. I like things orderly, but am not breaking my back to have a neat as a pin house anymore.

The perfect doggie gift! Go here: Doggles.com 

Monster Burger-stomach bomb

Diet buster? Does this make your mouth water or make you sick? It only has 107 grams of fat and about 1400 calories, so you wouldn't have to eat for at least 4 days! Look at all the protein too. Thanks Hardees!
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/business/article.adp?id=20041116130609990003

Blogger stickers-over 1000k to chose from!

For those of you who want to make a statement without the chaser borders, there are blog stickers. I mixed some up in with my blinkies just today. Find some good ones here:
http://www.blogstickers.com/sticker_page1.html

Society of those who suffer from snorers

Hey, you want to join? How many of you are lonesome at night because the snorer in your life has vanished from your nest from being poked one too many times? Another pal said she is having the same problem. This certainly isn't a new one for us. Now that we have a guest room set up, Bri's moved into there which doesn't help me at all. He use to go crash on the sofa and ruined the sofa in the process. He says he can't be woken up all the time. Well how about me? Now that he's in the back room, I have to get up to tell him to turn over and that again, he woke me up. This happened at 5 am today. He said maybe if we got a new bed as the old one is so hard. Gee, I'm sleeping on it. He's sleeping in a twin pillow-topped bed which was my son's bed-too small for a 200+ pd man. So maybe if we got a decent bed that would help. I agree with my friend that these chronic snorers need to get checked out. My brother did and he had sleep apnea. My brother lost weight and doesn't snore anymore. Hmmm...there you go Bri! I can't get it through his head that all that extra weight is a big issue with snoring and his knees. I ask him to eat slower and not to take seconds, and he does as he pleases. His choice of exercising is a Nordic track machine. He has huge Popeye-like legs and his tummy is still sticking out. I am eyeing up one of those Ab-loungers as an Christmas gift for him.
Sean was home yesterday as he was tossing his cookies at 1 am. I am hoping he did this from overindulging in candy and egg rolls. Yeck right? He ate almost an entire bag of mini-Snickers in two days. We went to a Chinese buffet and I saw him eating one egg roll, but had no idea he ate almost 2 more. Than on top of the Chinese food he ate soft serve ice cream. When he got home he drank this really red strawberry drink. You don't want to clean up after someone who ate from a buffet. He got yelled at when I found a 3" piece of green bean in the washer along with his soiled bed linens. He could have choked on that! I thought he had a steel tummy, but he proved me wrong. We are only hoping he was sick from overeating and not a virus-but it looks like the later right? He was better in a few hours and it wasn't an all night thing. He's in school now.

A 17 yr old project I finally finished just in time for Thanksgiving! I had to locate the chart to finish it, but that brown backstitching was horrible. It's going in a wreath. 

College hunting

I don't know if I consider searching for colleges that have meteorology as one of their majors as all that difficult. That's the major my son would like to try at least. He's loved weather phenomenon all his life. We took a drive up to Millersville University which is about 64 miles away, an hour or so. It's a lovely campus in Lancaster County, PA. We were late, not unusual for us. We headed into the gym and thought we had missed the tour and the guides told us that the meteorology one hadn't left yet. Talk about lucking out. We heard the tail end of the college overview. Sean saw his friend Jeff from school (whose mom is our primary doctor) and he was glad to have someone to talk to that he knew. They took us to a lecture room and the prof laid everything on the table. Meteorology isn't just weather predicting, it's Physics and Calculus too! Sean was getting discouraged as he hasn't taken those classes in high school. They took us to the 4th floor where the computers are set up which is a nice lab. I asked a few of the tour guides who were also seniors majoring in meteorology if not having Physics and Calculus in high school was a problem. They basically shrugged the worry off. The one girl said she took easy classes in her senior year. Sean is still having his doubts and is even thinking about taking Geography instead. It's his decision of course. I wish he would at least give meterology a shot. I know he may regret it if he doesn't try it. I found the alumni page at Millersville and many of the meteorology majors have decent jobs.
The campus is pretty with it's 100 yr old buildings mixed with it's modern buildings. The lounge looks like a mall restaurant. They have a pond with two swans. I noticed that the lovely trees next to the pond have carvings on it with secret messages from the past. We had lunch in the cafeteria and the food was good too. I hope he decides to go here.

Spark meme check it out...

I just found this great meme through I am Pariah,so thanks. I like that you can do a random search for the perfect inspiratonal question.
What does 'spirituality' mean to you?
Does it mean belief in a specific religious dogma or other principle, or does it mean something that is more secular and cosmic rather than religious? What were your spiritual beliefs when you were younger? Have they evolved, and if so, how? Was there a specific event in which your beliefs were strongly tested, to the point of having to reconsider what you held to be true? If your beliefs are different than those your family and friends have, how accepting are they of you and your beliefs now? Does spirituality hold a high priority in your life?
I believe that God is all around us and that there is a 'higher plane' of existence. I will not rule out reincarnation either. If you read my blog, you know I was greatly touched by 'The Passion of the Christ' which I just watched at the end of October. I became Catholic back in 1983, but I am not a Bible beating Catholic. In fact I think the Bible is hard to understand.
When I was younger, we rarely went to church, but I remember when we did it was a special occasion for us. I wasn't crazy about Sunday school though.I met my husband who went through parochial schools. When we became engaged, I thought it was important to have religion in my life.
Yes, there were times in my life when I felt tested. I had some liver issues (probably from the result of having Lyme Disease) and I thought I had a liver disease. I did a lot of praying and then said, 'Wait-I have to accept it if I don't get well'. Which I did. And I didn't have the disease and most of my liver enzymes stabilized. There is still one that is elevated, but since the others are better, I only have to get checked out once a year. I found a herb that helped my liver-Milk Thistle-through reading. I passed on this info to another friend and her enzymes stabilized too.
I think spirituality is gained through how I live and what I do for other people. Isn't that one of the main reasons we are put on this earth?

When it rains it pours...

Yesterday I was trying to be a good daughter because I could feel the sadness in my mom's voice the day before. I got myself ready for the 45 minute drive and got to her house around 2 pm. I promptly started to help her tidy up the place and this went on for almost 2 hours. She was in the middle of a clothes sort. This is the second one of the year. I can't believe the clothes she has! I then lifted the heavy bags into my van and took them to the Goodwill. We went inside the store as it was senior discount and they had some interesting things I bought for resale on eBay. Afterwards, we went to Ruby Tuesday and mom ate a good dinner. She said she weighs 117 now. About 5 months ago she was 100 pds. Mom's spirits seemed lifted, so I felt like I helped in my own small way. My two brothers who live near her rarely have done anything for her lately, though Ken got her the car.
Well tonight she called and her toilet was running over and she had dirty water in her washer. Her friend Jim had to turn the water off. She has water on the basement floor and just left it there. Now what can I do at 9 pm? I called my brother Ken around 8:50 and he just 'grunted' his replies. At 10 pm he hadn't called or gone over to her house. He lives 2 minutes away. So I am bummed about all this. I feel my good deed went down the toilet, no pun intended. She really can't afford a plumber which she needs. And tomorrow it is suppose to be a rainy, lousy day. I hope to heck Ken came through for me. I almost begged him. I'll keep you posted.

Update:Well my ahole of a brother never called to even offer support. He seems to be alienating himself from all of us. I mean, when his 74 yr old mom is having water leakage in her house, and he's right around the corner, go check mom! My elderly uncle is footing the bill, once again ,for the plumber to come today. I am hoping it's a minor problem-maybe snaking will work. She is embarassed by her basement, like who isn't? So I am crossing fingers this all will be resolved.
Second update: It was a root problem outside. The plumber brought a monster snake into the bathroom (he even had to remove the bathroom door to get it in there). He said the toidy is shot too-cracked. And as of 11/17, there has been no contact from my brother or his wife.

Stitching Blogger question...

What project has been a WIP/UFO the longest? Or what project took you the longest to complete?
Funny you should ask that. I just pulled out my oldest project and am going to add the backstitching to it. It's a turkey I started after I had my gallbladder out in 1987! My son was an infant and now he's 18! It's suppose to go in the middle of a wreath. Guess I'll put aside my current projects and just do this! Talk about stalling, beating around the bush and being a procrastinator in general. I'll post a photo when I'm finished. : )

I guess this isn't too bad...

Are you Addicted to the Internet? 51% Average@Internet-User.com (41% - 60%) You seem to have a healthy balance in your life when it comes to the internet and life away from the computer. You know enough to do what you want online without looking like an idiot (most of the time). You even have your own Yahoo club or online journal! But you enjoy seeing your friends and going out to enjoy life away from your computer. The Are you Addicted to the Internet? Quiz at Quiz Me!

I was hoping for chocolate...

discover what candy you are @ quiz me
Yeck-I can't even eat these things and please don't call me a sour puss. : (

A bookmark I made for my friend in Montana. I had started the top part months ago and ran across it again a few weeks ago and was inspired to finish it. I had wanted to make my friend a cross stitched gift for a special birthday and the design I had chosen (from a kit) was too difficult. Maybe I will finish it someday for her. 

An ornament I made for a lady in Canada in a ornament exchange. The evenweave was hard to work with especially on the ecru part and the basket. The 2nd photo is the back of the ornament. 

Charity ornaments I made for a family of 9 or 10 foster children. Three of the children were on the Make A Child Smile website. My stitching group Cross Stitch Addict came up with making ornaments instead of three quilts so the entire family could enjoy decorating their tree. I believe we'll be sending at least 50 ornaments for this special family.

I'm really a Scorpio but....

Discover your Zodiac Personality @ Quiz Me

I really am never 'lost in self-pity'. That would run me right into the ground. If a situation is bad, I try to make it better.

My fellow Americans...

....ask not who you voted for, ask if your vote was counted.
(source Greg Palast, contributing editor to Harper's magazine) Plast believes it's a chad problem(again) and that minorities who voted did not count (again). I did a push ballot and you can be damn sure I made sure my chad was popped out! Why do we still use this mediocre way of voting anyway?
The more I read about this election the more I feel it is a repeat of 4 yrs ago. And I can't stand the people who are 'walking on air' because Bush is still the president. He didn't win by a landslide, only 3% if all the votes were correct. Bush was smug and invited the press up to his personal quarters before the election was called. Did he know something? I think he wanted the popular vote, but who got the second most popular vote ever? John Kerry!! (thanks to Al Franken for this one). On this one blog the woman was naming all the celebrities who can eat their words. Well, at least they tried. I didn't see too many celebs except for Arnold, Bruce Willis and Curt Schilling (he use to live near me!) push for Bush. I won't even get into the whole weird Arnold connection. Is this why the British press called 50 million Americans stupid? I wonder what the rest of the world is thinking and it's probably not good.
This is my blog and my place to vent. Heck, I remember hating Nixon when I was 8 yrs old and wondered what people saw in him! And then look at what happened. Seems a lot of people can cough up stuff about Clinton and all, but what about Watergate and that mess?
I am hoping our PA Governor thinks about running in 2008. Ed Rendell is a good guy and went from Philly mayor to Governor. His wife Midge is a judge! My mom knows Ed from his wife's mom and brother-in-law. I just think he has the power and smarts.
Talk about a country divided. It's far worse than 4 yrs ago. It really is a mess.

We just rented this movie and watched it today. Of course Hugh Jackman made it all worthwhile. The special effects were pretty good too. I thought it was like an old-fashioned horror movie from the 1940s with a modern twist. The bloopers were funny.  

Learning at 18

My son is having trouble understanding females. Here's what happened. He was suppose to meet a girl at a place for teens (local bands play) up in the next town. Sean's friend introduced them through the web and then the young lady started calling here once in a while. Well Sean either was getting wet feet or something, but he told the girl on the phone today 'not to follow him around' at the teen place. I sure didn't like that tone! Ouch. Of course the young lady just said 'hi' to Sean and that was it for the night. What did he expect? I heard the way he spoke to her a few times on the phone. He was very short with her. Now if I was him (and his dad echoes these sentiments) I would have tried to be nicer and maybe if Sean didn't like the young lady right away, there may have been a friend of hers that he likes. I don't get him at all. I think he relies too much on the internet to make friends. When he got on here, he was typing away to girls out of state complaining about the young lady he met tonight. He told me she was just to pushy for him. Maybe he wanted to play the dominant role and do the chasing. It's a confusing time for a young man, but all I ask of him is to be nice.

Tribe links added to side bar

Hey this is pretty cool!
I am 'the moderator' to 'Sweet Baby James Taylor', 'Domestic Goddesses', 'Cross Stitching Circle' and 'The Learning Channel fanatics'. I am always looking for new members! Check out the other tribes I am joined to. My favorites are the ones having to do with The Apprentice, Survivor, the questions games and cats. Tribe is pretty neat and can go from nice to raunchy, but it's mostly fun and a entertaining and also educational way to spend time online and make some friends in the process.

Rainy day woman

What's worse than cold rain and wet leaves? As you get older, you feel all achy and creaky. I'm not ancient, but my joints are feeling the dampness.
I've been a bit depressed, not only because Sean is bummed about the election, but then there are other things. I haven't felt really great lately. I seem to always hurt someplace. That's me and I'll deal with it. Other things that I am sad about are about a little boy who turned 10 on Halloween and passed away the next day. He was a featured child on the Make A Child Smile website at one time. The webmistress Alex asked us to send a card to a child that had been on the site and I saw it was going to be Connor's birthday, so I sent him a card. I read in my cross stitching group that he is going to be buried in the same town where Brian's close friend Kathy lives in.
Sean just told me about Elizabeth Edwards having breast cancer. AOL has it on their opening screen. She seems like a sweet lady and especially so after having children in her 40s and losing a teen son in a car accident. I'll say some prayers for her. My mammogram was ok, thank goodness. I was waiting on my uterine ultrasound and haven't heard yet. I hate waiting on test results, but who doesn't?

Boring election night-except for Penna.!

My son got to vote today for the first time and thank goodness there were no long lines. We actually were in and out of his old elementary school in 5 minutes. He was so funny though. He went into the 'voting station' and called out-"how does this card go in?" He figured it out and took his time there very seriously. I just voted straight party. He went through all the different candidates. So my son and I voted for the same candidate and his dad was undecided but went for his usual party. It would have been neat for all three of us to be cheering on the same man.
It took them a while to call Kerry the winner for Penna. He should thank the blacks and young voters like my son for this win. I am really impressed with Mr. Kerry. I really didn't know that much about him even a year ago and he came this far. He was a tireless campaigner. I liked him a lot in a clip I saw from an old Dick Cavett show when he was home from Vietnam and opposing the war. His Boston accent was there and as a young man, he was so articulate. I am not really optimistic right now as my husband keeps looking at Florida and Ohio and they are leaning towards Bush.
I hope it's not a repeat of 4 yrs ago. We'll see.

Tori was 'tired of the flashes', so I am lucky to have gotten this final shot of her. 

My niece and nephew-Tori as Tinkerbell and Kenny as a robot with a cool computer motherboard in his belly. They were both hits in their school.